Hong Kong: Mask-wearing requirement to be lifted

(To watch the full media session with sign language interpretation, click here.)

Chief Executive John Lee announced today that the Government will lift the mask-wearing requirement starting March 1 after assessing the overall COVID-19 situation in Hong Kong.

Mr Lee made the statement ahead of this mornings Executive Council meeting and explained to reporters that the decision was made given the local epidemic situation is under control and the chance of a rebound is slim.

He stressed that Hong Kong has also built a wide and comprehensive immunity barrier.

After looking at all the data, the trend and the fact that the winter surge (of influenza) is nearing the end, in order to give people a very clear message that Hong Kong is resuming to normalcy, I think this is the right time to make the decision.

Citizens will no longer be required to wear masks either indoors and outdoors, or on public transport carriers.

However, to protect public health, Mr Lee stated that those in charge of premises regarded as high risk, such as hospitals, may ask people to wear masks.

Once the mask mandate is dropped, the Chief Executive said Hong Kong can continue on the path towards normalcy.

With the masking requirement removed, we are starting to resume to normalcy comprehensively and that will be very beneficial to the economic development, our international competitiveness, as well as our activities which involve everyone in Hong Kong.

This story has been published on: 2023-02-28. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Deputy PM addresses 52nd session of UN Human Rights Council

Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang attended the opening ceremony and delivered remarks at a high-level discussion of the 52nd regular session of the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Geneva, Switzerland, on February 27 (local time).













Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang and Ambassador Le Thi Tuyet Mai, head of the Permanent Mission of Vietnam, to the United Nations (UN), WTO and other international organisations in Geneva, attended the high-level discussion of the 52nd regular session of the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Geneva, Switzerland, on February 27.



In his speech, Deputy PM Quang said the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) and the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action (VDPA) on human rights are solid frameworks for the international community to jointly enhance awareness and action to promote and protect human rights, and that many important achievements have been obtained over the decades.



However, those achievements are facing increasingly fierce challenges such as wars, conflicts, violence, poverty, inequality and injustice, natural disasters, epidemics, climate change, environmental degradation, food security and water security-related risks, and consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, he pointed out.



He took this occasion to express deep sympathies to the Turkish and Syrian people for their losses in the recent earthquake. He also informed participants about Vietnam's concrete and quick assistance for the governments and people of the two countries.



Quang highlighted the determination, efforts, and achievements of Vietnam  a new UNHRC member  in making reforms, boosting socio-economic development, ensuring social security, and safeguarding and promoting human rights, especially the maintenance of fast growth, the widespread coverage of health insurance, a rate of womens political participation among the worlds highest, and the continuous improvement in the human development index rankings.



Underlining Vietnams motto when joining the UNHRC  Respect and Understanding. Dialogue and Cooperation. All human rights for all people, the Deputy PM called on countries to understand and respect one anothers differences, stay united, hold dialogues, and cooperate to resolve global issues on the basis of multilateralism, international law, and the UN Charter.



He stressed the need to focus on implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the commitments on climate change adaptation.



To ensure the full enjoyment of human rights around the globe, the UNHRC should play the central role in promoting constructive dialogue, equality, and effective cooperation among countries on the basis of mutual respect and understanding and with an overarching approach, according to the Vietnamese official.



At the discussion, Quang suggested the UDHRs 75th anniversary and the VDPAs 30th anniversary be celebrated with a UNHRC document to reaffirm the major and inclusive goals and values of those statements and the international communitys joint commitment for the sake of humanity.
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Basangouda Patil Yatnal, BJP MLA from Vijayapura constituency of Karnataka has stated that "only followers of Shivaji Maharaj" will win from Bijapur in the upcoming Karnataka assembly elections and not the "followers of Tipu Sultan." He said this while addressing an election rally in Vijayapura on Monday. "All MLAs ask me, in your constituency, there are 1 lakh Tipu Sultans. How a Shivaji Maharaj descendants won from Bijapur. Going forward in Bijapur, none of the followers of Tipu Sultan will win, only Shivaji Maharaj's followers will win here," the BJP MLA said. Congress MLA Priyank Kharge, son of senior Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge has strongly objected to the comments made by the BJP MLA. "It is not right to bring this kind of narrative into the politics of the state. We are Kannadigas & we prefer progressive politics. You need to talk about development activities& then get votes" Priyank Kharge said. It has to be noted that the debate around Tipu Sultan has taken centre stage in the political corridors of Karnataka. Last week, Karnataka BJP chief Nalin Kumar Kateel stated that followers of Tipu sultan should not be alive. Kateel also stated that upcoming elections will not be fought between BJP and congress but between Savarkar and Tipu Sultan. In this regard, senior BJP leader BS Yediyurappa made a statement while disagreeing with Tipu vs Savarkar narrative, stating that elections will be fought on development issues instead of ideological issues. He further stated that BJP will win the state elections on the basis of its development agenda and schemes. Legislative Assembly elections are scheduled to be held in Karnataka before May 2023. (ANI)
Government aims to achieve 10,000 Janaushadhi Kendras in a Country by end of the year, Union Minister of Chemicals and Fertilizers Department of Pharmaceuticals Dr Mansukh Mandaviya on Tuesday said. "As on January 31 this year, the number of stores increased to 9082. Under the Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana (PMBJP), 743 districts of the nation have been covered," the ministry said. "The Government has set a target to increase the number of Kendras to 10,000 by the end of December 2023," it added. This scheme ensures the easy reach of affordable medicine to the people in every nook and corner of the country. The Government has set a target to increase the number of PMBJKs to 10,000 by the end of December 2023. The product basket of PMBJP comprises 1,759 drugs and 280 surgical instruments. Further, new medicines and nutraceutical products like protein powder, malt-based food supplements, protein bars, immunity bars, sanitisers, masks, glucometers, oximeters, etc., have also been launched, the statement further said. According to the ministry, Medicines available under PMBJP are priced 50 pc-90 pc less than that branded prices. During the financial year (2021-22), PMBJP has achieved sales of Rs 893.56 crores (at MRP). This has led to savings of approximately Rs 5,360 crores for the common citizens of the country. Department of Pharmaceuticals is celebrating the fifth 'Jan Aushadhi Diwas' on March 7 and events have been planned in different cities across the country, starting from March 1, to raise awareness about the Jan Aushadhi Scheme, said the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers on Monday. As per the Ministry, "Seminars, programs for children, women and NGO's, heritage walks, health camps and many other activities engaging PMBJKs owners, beneficiaries, State/UT officials, public representatives, doctors, health workers, nurses, pharmacists and Jan Aushadhi Mitra's are being organised at different locations across the country covering all State/UTs." The PMBJP comprises 1759 drugs and 280 surgical instruments. Further, new medicines and nutraceutical products like protein powder, malt-based food supplements, protein bars, immunity bars, sanitisers, masks, glucometers, oximeters, etc. have been also launched. The ministry further said that the highest number of Janaushadhi Kendras are in Uttar Pradesh. Mandaviya also said that recently, during the occasion of the conference held last week on PMBJP, the High Commissioner of Gambia Mustapha Jawara who was present at the conference appreciated the Pradhan Mantri Bharatiya Jan Aushadhi Pariyojana. Notably, Mustapha Jawara had called the session "awakening". "The program had its awakening for me to know that this is well. In my office would be...in many fields of commercial recoveries so that we can customize the whole model to fix our needs in Gambia," he had said. "I think the conference is a transforming experience. Having access to these pharmaceuticals is important, 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," he had further said. (ANI)
Shah's visit to Karnataka is crucial as Assembly Elections to the 224 seats in the state are likely to be held in May this year.

In the run-up to Karnataka Election 2023, Bharatiya Janata Party will undertake a massive 'Vijay Sankalp Yatra' in Karnataka. The campaign will kickstart on March 1, with party President JP Nadda flagging off the Yatra in Chamarajanagar.

During a day-long visit to the poll-bound Karnataka on March 3, Shah will flag off the first 'Vijay Sankalp Rath Yatra' from Anubhava Mantapa in the state's Basavakalyan area in Bidar.

He will later attend a public meeting in the afternoon at Ther Maidan in Bidar

In the evening, the Home Minister will offer prayers at Chennakesava Mandir at Awathi, Devanahalli area in Bengaluru Rural.

Shah will later flag off another 'Vijay Sankalp Rath Yatra' and a public meeting at Govt. College Ground in Devanahalli area in Bengaluru Rural.

Shah will further visit the safe city Command Centre in Bengaluru around 7 pm, and participate in the launch of the Bengaluru safe city project from the Town Hall in the city. (ANI)
At least three children were among the injured. All affected were moved to a nearby private hospital.

The identity of the deceased person is yet to be ascertained.

The fire-cracking unit was totally destroyed in the explosion. The cause of the explosion is not clear. The pyrotechnic devices were stored in a shed near an old house that has been completely destroyed.

Further details awaited. (ANI)
The Second Environment and Climate Sustainability Working Group (ECSWG) meeting will be held at Gandhinagar from March 27 to 29. According to the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, the Second ECSWG will commence with a side event on water resources management wherein presentations on Best Practices in Water Resources Management by G20 member countries will take place. "This will be followed by an excursion and site visit to Adalaj Vav which demonstrates the ancient water management practices of India and India's long-standing tradition of conserving its water resources in a beautiful ambience," the ministry said. The ministry said that this will be followed by a site visit to 'Sabarmati siphon and escape on Narmada main canal', which demonstrates India's engineering prowess as the Narmada river's waters flow through a huge tunnel built under the bed of the river and continue on the other side. Delegates will also visit Sabarmati Riverfront, to witness the wastewater management practices like the use of treated water from the sewage treatment plants to replenish the river. Over the subsequent two days, technical discussions on India ECSWG themes- Accelerating Ecosystem Restoration and Enriching Biodiversity; Promoting a Sustainable and Climate Resilient Blue Economy; and Encouraging Resource Efficiency and Circular Economy will take place. Delegates will also get a glimpse of Gujarat's vibrant cultural traditions through its dances and music performances, specially curated for the delegates. To review the preparedness for the Second ECSWG meeting, a meeting was held today between the Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC), Leena Nandan and Chief Secretary to Government of Gujarat, Raj Kumar. Secretary, MoEF&CC also held discussions with Head of structures/arrangement for G20 Summit meetings, Smt. Mona Khandhar. During the meeting, Addl Chief Secretary, Forest & Environment Department, Arunkumar Solanki; PCCF& HoFF, S K Chaturvedi, and PPCF(WL), Nityananad Srivastava from Forest department were also present. Aspects pertaining to branding, security, venue management, cultural events showcasing Gujarat's traditions and other logistic arrangements were deliberated. The State Government assured full preparedness for a warm welcome to all G-20 delegates and to ensure that the event is a grand success. India shall be holding the Presidency of G20 for one year, till 30th November 2023. The forum will bring together the G20 member countries, guest countries and international organisations invited by India. Through the Sherpa Track, 13 Working Groups and 2 initiatives will meet under India's Presidency to discuss priorities and provide recommendations. Environment and Climate Sustainability is one of the working groups under the Sherpa track. Four Meetings of the Environment and Climate Sustainability Working Group (ECSWG) are scheduled to be held at Bengaluru, Gandhinagar, Mumbai and Chennai. These meetings will be hosted by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC). The first G20 Environment and Climate Sustainability Working Group (ECSWG) meeting concluded in Bengaluru on a positive note with all G20 countries expressing support on the themes outlined by MoEF&CC for India's Presidency. (ANI)
Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde's faction on Tuesday claimed their right to the Shiv Sena party and said that a legislature party is integral and organically connected to the political party. Senior Advocate NK Kaul, appearing for Shinde faction, told a five-judge constitution bench that rival leaders had no faith in then ministry any longer. Five-judge Constitution bench of Chief Justice DY Chandrachud, Justices MR Shah, Krishna Murari, Hima Kohli and PS Narasimha was dealing with the issue related to Maharashtra political crisis. Justice Narasimha, who was part of the bench asked the Shinde camp to show that they have a political majority and not a legislative majority. Senior Advocate NK Kaul, replied to the court that he would address this issue on Wednesday. The court also asked several questions to the Shinde camp on various issues, legal aspects on various judgements and sought to know how to separate defection and floor test. CJI Chandrachud also remarked that if the antecedent reason for a floor test is based on a violation of the tenth schedule, then holding a floor test at that stage will defeat the whole basis and purpose of the tenth schedule. The court also sought to know if they are legitimizing a defection which is otherwise not permissible under the tenth schedule. Advocate replied that their case is not a case of split under the tenth schedule, they are talking about a rival faction within a party which is dissent and the essence of democracy within a party and they claim that their camp is the Shiv Sena. During the hearing, the court noted that the problem which necessitated the floor test is an alleged defection and said the problem arises because the trust vote is so intrinsically connected with the disqualification proceedings. Senior Advocate Kaul said that this is a case of internal dissent and the Shinde group is the faction that represents Shiv Sena, which can be decided by the Election Commission of India. As far as floor test is concerned, it is only related to the issue of whether the Chief Minister has the confidence, Kaul said. The court also noted that the head of the political party did not inform the Governor that they were withdrawing from the alliance of Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA). Kaul replied that 34 out of 55 have written to the Governor saying they had no faith in this government. As the hearing remained inconclusive on Tuesday, the matter was adjourned for Wednesday. Uddhav Thackeray faction had earlier submitted that the opposite camp has no defence under the tenth schedule. A five-judge Constitution bench was hearing a batch of petitions filed by rival factions Uddhav Thackeray and Chief Minister Eknath Shinde in relation to the Maharashtra political crisis. The Supreme Court's Constitution bench has earlier said it would decide later on referring the cases related to the Maharashtra political crisis to a larger seven-judge bench for reconsideration of a 2016 Nabam Rebia judgment on powers of Assembly Speakers to deal with disqualification pleas. (ANI)
"Former MP Ehsan Jafri's memory ignites our outrage over the 2002 Gujarat riots, a chilling reminder of the Sangh Parivar's callous disregard for humanity," CM wrote in his tweet.

https://twitter.com/pinarayivijayan/status/1630468501424197632?s=20

He further said, "Let's stand with Zakia Jafri in her fight for justice and demand accountability for these unspeakable crimes."

Jafri was a member of the 6th Lok Sabha. He was killed by a mob in the Gulbarg Society massacre on February 28, 2002, following the Godhra incident the previous day.

While on Facebook, Kerala CM said that Ehsan Jaffrey's memory is a call to secular India to unite with Sakia's fight against the "aggressive communism" of the Sangh Parivar.

"On February 28, 2002, when Sangh Parivar rioters attacked Gulberg Society in Ahmedabad, residents of the colony sought shelter at Ehsan Jaffrey's house. Even though Jaffrey contacted the authorities over the phone to save those who rushed to his house for their lives, but the authorities refused to act. Then 69 people including Jaffrey were burnt to death in the Gulberg Society in a fire set by the Sangh Parivar," he added.

He went on to say that the Gulberg Society witnessed the epitome of "minority hunting" that took place in Gujarat during the genocide.

Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee President K Sudhakaran also took to Twitter to say, "Remembering Ahsan Jafri, Congress MP, who was brutally murdered on this day in 2002 Gujarat riots." (ANI)
A day after an undated photo of Sadaqat Khan, an accused in the Prayagraj murder, with Samajwadi chief Akhilesh Yadav was shared by BJP leaders on Twitter, SP supremo on Tuesday said that in the era of social media, a photo can be clicked with anyone and can go viral. "In an era of social media, photos can be clicked with anyone and can go viral. Yesterday my photo was with CM Yogi, if he had not withdrawn the cases against him, then what would you be running today," Yadav said while talking to reporters in Lucknow. Asking whether all the criminals of "daily crimes" taking place in the state would be "encountered" by the government, the SP chief alleged that police and administration are busy "pleasing government". "When police and administration are busy pleasing government, how will development take place? This is not the first double murder in Amethi, double and triple murders happen every day here and in Allahabad, will government encounter those criminals as well," SP Supremo said. A photo war and blame game has erupted amid a fresh wave of crime and shootouts in Uttar Pradesh, with an image of Sadaqat, a co-accused in the murder of advocate and key witness in several cases, Umesh Pal, being widely circulated on social media. In one of the photos shared on social media, Sadaqat is seen standing next to Samajwadi party president Akhilesh Yadav. Responding to the viral image, Uttar Pradesh Deputy CM Brajesh Pathak said, "It goes to show the true face of the Samajwadi party. It is a party, which is always involved in incentivising and patronising criminals and the mafia. The SP runs a nursery of criminals." Another photo has been shared on the Samajwadi party's official Twitter handle where Sadaqat is seen standing with Udhay Bhan Karwariya, husband of ex-BJP MLA from Meja, Prayagraj Neelam Karwaria. Umesh Pal and one of his armed security escorts was shot dead in Prayagraj on February 24 while he was returning home from court. Umesh was also a key witness in the murder of former BSP leader Raju Pal and had an old rivalry with Mafia Don Atiq Ahmad. Former SP leader Atiq Ahmed, his wife, son and associates have been named in the FIR in connection with the murder. (ANI)
The Supreme Court will hear a review petition on March 2 challenging the top court order which acquitted three men who were awarded the death penalty by a Delhi Court in connection with allegedly raping and killing a woman in Delhi's Chhawala area in 2012. The plea will be heard by a three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud and also comprising Justices Ravindra Bhat and Bela Trivedi. Delhi Police has earlier sought urgent listing of review petition challenging the top court order which acquitted three men who were awarded the death penalty by a Delhi Court in connection with allegedly raping and killing a woman in Delhi's Chhawala area in 2012. Delhi Police has apprised the court that one of the men, who was acquitted, has recently slit the throat of someone else. The prosecuting agency Delhi Police has moved a review petition in Supreme Court challenging the top court order which acquitted three men in connection with allegedly raping and killing a 19-year-old woman in Delhi's Chhawala area in 2012. Social activist Yogita Bhayana has also moved a separate review petition in the Chhawala rape case. The victim's parents have also filed a review petition in the Supreme Court. In the plea, filed through Charu Walikhanna and Parminder Singh Bhullar, Yogita Bhayana sought to recall the top court's order dated November 7, 2022. The petitioner has submitted that apparent errors which warrant a review of the Impugned Judgment and order passed by this Court include casting doubts over the probative value of the CFSL's Biological Examination and DNA Profiling Report dated April 18, 2012. The Supreme Court on November 7, 2022 set aside the Delhi High Court order and acquitted three men who were awarded the death penalty by a Delhi Court after being held guilty of raping and killing a 19-year-old woman in Delhi's Chhawala area in 2012. The top court has set aside the judgments and orders of conviction and sentence passed by the trial court and the High Court in the case and gave the accused the benefit of the doubt and directed to set free the accused forthwith if not required in any other case. Three men had moved the top court against capital punishment for the rape and murder of a 19-year-old girl in Delhi's Chhawala. A Delhi court in February 2014 had convicted them. The capital punishment was confirmed by the Delhi High Court on August 26 2014, saying they were "predators" moving on the streets and "were looking for prey". Three men, Ravi Kumar, Rahul and Vinod were convicted under various charges dealing with kidnapping, rape and murder. The case dates back to February 2012, when a 19-year-old girl's body was found in Haryana. The girl was brutally killed after being raped. A case was registered regarding this at outer Delhi's Chhawala (Najafgarh) police station. According to the prosecution, the offence was barbaric in nature as they first kidnapped the woman, raped her, killed her and dumped her body in a field in Rodhai village in Haryana's Rewari district. "The woman was kidnapped by the three men in a car from near her house in the Qutub Vihar area on the night of February 9, 2012, while she was returning from office," the prosecution had said. The prosecution had also revealed multiple injuries on the woman's head and other parts of her body and said that the three men had assaulted the woman with a car jack and an earthen pot. The crime was allegedly committed by Ravi Kumar with the help of the other two accused as the girl has refused the friendship proposal of Ravi Kumar, the prosecution had alleged. (ANI)
With barely a day left for the counting of votes on March 2, four districts in Nagaland is set to go for re-polling on Wednesday. The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Tuesday directed the State to conduct a re-poll in four districts of Nagaland namely, Zunheboto, Wokha, Mon and Noklak. "I am directed to state that on the basis of reports submitted by General Observers, and after taking all material circumstances into account, the Commission hereby declares under Sub Section (2) of Section 58 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951 that the poll taken on February 27, 2023, (Monday) at the Polling stations mentioned against the Assembly Constituencies to be void and appoints March 1, 2023, (Wednesday) as the date and fixes the hours from 7 am. to 4 pm for taking a fresh poll at the said polling stations in accordance with the Commission's instructions contained in Chapter XIII of Hand Book for Returning Officers," the ECI said in a statement. The name of the assembly constituencies along with the number and name of the polling station are-- 35-Zunheboto (ST) with polling station number 9-New Colony S/W, 39-Sanis (ST), polling station number 9-Pangti V, 41 Tizit (ST), polling station number 7 Jaboka Village and 57-Thonoknyu (ST) with polling station number 3-Pathso East Wing. The Election Commission of India further stated that the Scrutiny of Form l7-A of the mentioned polling stations shall be done immediately after the poll on the same day and directed the Returning Officers to follow the directives strictly. Following the directives, the Chief Electoral Officer, Nagaland has also notified the concerned Deputy Commissioner and District Election Officer of the four districts to take immediate action on the directives issued. Nagaland saw nearly 86 per cent voter turnout in the assembly polls held on Monday. The polling was held across 59 constituencies. Since 31-Akuluto AC in Nagaland remained uncontested with only one candidate, no poll was required there. The results will be declared on March 2. (ANI)
Kerala High Court recommended the State Government consider sanctioning posts of regular music teachers in all schools, at least in the primary section. Court also said that it shall be irrespective of the student's strength or number of periods. The Single Bench of Justice PV Kunhikrishnan observed, "currently, the post of music teacher is sanctioned based on the number of students in a school, number of periods etc. If the strength of students in one school is less, then the post of music teacher will not be sanctioned in that school." "This in reality is discrimination against the student community because if a student is studying in a school where there is less number of students they will not get the help of a music teacher when compared to the students of another school where there is a post of Music teacher solely because the number of students in that school is high," the bench stated. The bench further stated, "What sin is committed by a student for denying Music solely because he/she is studying in a school with less than the required number of students? The student's strength or number of periods in a school ought not to have been criteria for sanctioning at least for the post of a Music teacher." "Similarly, additional financial liability to the state also should not be a reason for not sanctioning the post of music teachers in schools because the future of this nation is in the hands of the children," the bench added. The bench further added that the court will not issue any specific direction to sanction the post of music teacher in all schools by invoking the powers under Article 226 of the Constitution. But the government should think about it seriously. "I am sure that the government will rise to the occasion because the happiness and development of the mental health of every child are important in a welfare state," the bench stated. The Court further observed that "studies show that, Music has got serious importance in child development. Music develops language skills as song lyrics are rooted in various languages. Music can affect the emotions of the child. Singing, dancing, clapping etc. in a classroom will definitely improve the self-confidence of a child. It will encourage teamwork. Therefore, the Government should seriously think about the sanctioning of regular Music teachers' posts in all schools, at least in the primary section, irrespective of the student's strength or number of periods." This recommendation came while the Court was considering a petition by a Music Teacher, R Helan Thilakom who is seeking a full-time post after completing five years in the part-time post. The petitioner was represented by Advocate N James Koshy and advocate KM Faisal appeared for the respondents. (ANI)
A permanent solution to appointments of Vice Chancellors in a number of state universities in West Bengal seems to be far from sight as yet as on Tuesday, the state Education Department and the Raj Bhavan agreed upon a temporary and interim solution in the matter. The solution was reached at a meeting between Governor C.V. Ananda Bose and state Education Minister Bratya Basu, also attended by seven state university Vice Chancellors, whose appointment have been legally questioned. These Vice Chancellors submitted their resignations to the Governor on Tuesday and accepting them, the Governor gave them an extension for another three months. "There are similar questions in case of certain other state university Vice Chancellors, who could not be present at the meeting. They will come to the Governor House on Wednesday and tender their resignations and will also get similar extensions for three months. During their extension period, the process will start for appointment of permanent Vice Chancellors as per the directives of the Supreme Court," the Education Minister said. Basu also said that the state government, state Education Department and the Governor's House will work together in mitigating the complications on this count. "As directed by our Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, I discussed the matter with the Governor today. After that, the solution was arrived at," he said. The Governor said that it is not desirable that there is an air of tussle in the education sector. "West Bengal is famous for its rich educational and cultural heritage. We all have to preserve that heritage together. We will all have to work together to ensure the progress of India. Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaks of self- reliant India. To achieve that, progress in the education sector is absolutely essential," he said. The legal hassles regarding appointments of Vice Chancellors in the several state universities arose since they were appointed by search committees that did not have any representative from the University Grants Commission. The Supreme Court too has opined that such appointments were not good in law. The Governor too has expressed reservations over such appointments. --IANS src/vd ( 364 Words) 2023-02-28-19:32:01 (IANS)
The call for an indefinite strike by the Karnataka Government Employees Association has taken a political turn with the JD-S squarely blaming ruling BJP for the situation. Meanwhile, ruling out the possibility of invoking the provision of Karnataka Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA) against government employees, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai expressed confidence that the matter would be resolved by Wednesday (March 1). Meanwhile, former Chief Minister and JD-S leader H.D. Kumaraswamy termed the indefinite strike call by government employees the result of deliberate negligence on part of the government. "After forming 7th Pay Commission, CM Bommai should have announced the implementation of its recommendations during the presentation of the budget and reserved funds for that purpose. "But, CM Bommai did not do it and gave vague answers. The government employees are fed up with his vague answers and have announced indefinite strike," he said. Bommai maintained that government employees are "our people". "The 7th Pay Commission was formed for salary revision. We have cooperated with the Commission. Their demand is to get an interim report and implement the 7th Pay Commission report. "I have spoken about it while giving answers on the budget. I will get the interim report and will implement it. I am in touch with the Commission. Will talk to members of the Commission and senior officers. I have confidence in resolving the issue by tomorrow (Wednesday)," he said. Asked how tenable it is to hike officials' salaries, CM Bommai said, there is debate on this. But, after forming the Pay Commission, the recommendations will have to be implemented. "We are on these lines only," he said. --IANS mka/vd ( 288 Words) 2023-02-28-19:46:01 (IANS)
The Calcutta High Court, on Tuesday granted bail to 11 Maoists accused in the 2010 Jnaneswari Express accident, in which as many as 148 persons were killed and 180 were injured. The 11 accused were granted bail after spending almost over a decade since their arrests while the investigation of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in the matter is yet to be concluded. A division bench of Justice Debangshu Basak and Justice Md. Shabbar Rashidi, while granting the bail of the 11 accused Maoists, questioned whether the investigation agency is not aware of the fundamental rights of the accused. According to the bench, it is a matter of shame the legal formalities and even the process of integrating the witnesses is yet to be completed even after 13 years since the incident took place. "Do not forget that even the accused persons have fundamental rights. They cannot be locked behind the bars for years without trial. All of them have spent over 10 years behind the bars with the trial process being yet to be completed," Justice Basak observed. The 11 accused who were granted bail on Tuesday were Khagen Mahato, Bholanath Mahato, Jaladhar Mahato, Ram Mudi, Manik Mahato, Amiyo Mahato, Jaideb Mahato, Mohonto Mahato, Lakksmikanto Roy, Sunil Mahato, and Manoj Mahato. The Jnaneswari Express derailed in 2010 near Jhargram in West Midnapore district of West Bengal, following which 148 persons were killed and 180 were injured. Investigation revealed that the train got derailed because some miscreants removed the fishplates. The incident took place when the Maoists were continuously observing strike in the area. The CBI had taken over the investigation in the matter. --IANS src/vd ( 292 Words) 2023-02-28-19:48:01 (IANS)
RJD MLA and former Bihar Agriculture Minister Sudhakar Singh on Tuesday asserted that he is guided by the 14 crore people of the state, and hence, will keep questioning Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and raising the issues of farmers. His statement came a day after Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav accused him of being guided by the BJP and the RSS and thus repeatedly giving statements against Nitish Kumar. Questioned on the matter in the Assembly, Sudhakar Singh said: "Whatever I gave statements so far, all of them are in public domain. The people have elected me and sent me to Vidhan Sabha. Hence, I came here and asked questions related to their interest. I am guided by the people of Bihar and I don't bother about the opinions of others. I will ask questions to the chief minister. If anyone criticises me, they are free to do so." Sudhakar Singh, during an event in his home district Kaimur, said: "Nitish Kumar is 'modified' now. He is influenced by the ideology of (Prime Minister) Narendra Modi and buys aircraft and helicopters worth crores of rupees for himself. If that money would expand into the agriculture sector or in any other sector, it would help poor people." "Nitish Kumar is not concerned about the farmers, he is concerned about his own chair. No one knew when he would execute his Paltimar programme," he had said. --IANS ajk/vd ( 249 Words) 2023-02-28-20:22:04 (IANS)
Triggered by the recent killing of the state's Health Minister Naba Das, the youth wing of the Bharatiya Janata Party was protesting against the deteriorating law and order situation in Odisha, during which they also raised slogans against the CM Naveen Patnaik-led BJD government.

A section of agitators also tried to break through the police barricade intending for a gherao of the state assembly but was met with a lathi charge by the police which turned the situation violent.

Later in the evening, the police detained many Karyakartas.

Enraged by this, the BJYM is alleging that the police manhandled its Karyakartas, with BJYM national president and BJP MP Tejasvi Surya accusing the state police of filing draconian cases and illegally arresting the protestors.

In a video shared by the BJYM, Odisha Police is seen manhandling and lathi-charging the activists of the BJYM.

Taking to Twitter, Surya said that BJYM will protest against the Odisha Police at the Capital Police Station in Bhubaneswar 'through the night'."

"Police brutality against BJYM Karyakartas is hitting new low in Odisha. Having manhandled our activists this morning during the protest, police are now filing draconian cases & illegally arresting them. BJYM will protest through the night at Capital Police Station, Bhubaneswar," Surya tweeted.

The Bengaluru South MP further asked Odisha Police to drop the charges against the BJYM Karyakartas.

"BJYM demands Odisha police to drop all false charges against our activists and release them from illegal detention immediately," Surya said.

"Request all BJYM Karyakartas in Bhubaneswar to reach Capital Police Station, Bhubaneswar for the night-long protest, starting now," he added.

While speaking to ANI, he said that they will even consider approaching the High Court tomorrow through a Public Interest Litigation (PIL). (ANI)
India and Lithuania on Tuesday agreed to work in the areas of deep tech startups as well as forge lasting ties in manufacturing of semiconductor chips. A high-level Lithuanian delegation led by Economy and Innovation Vice Minister Karolis Aemaitis on Tuesday called on Union Science & Technology Minister Jitendra Singh and discussed ways and means to revive the 2010 agreement in the area of science and technology. Responding to the keen interest of the Indian minister to give a further fillip to startup culture to create more job opportunities and wealth creation, Aemaitis assured him that Lithuania has robust know-how and capacities in life sciences, biotechnology and other STEM areas and keen to have cooperation between the two countries in high tech startups. Singh said that India has made rapid advances in the last nine years under Prime Minister Narendra Modi in areas of science, technology and Innovation and conveyed to the Lithuanian side that India is ready to extend all help to its age-old partner. He said, apart from rapid and globally recognized achievements in space, its biotech laurels in terms of 4 indigenous vaccines of COVID is before the world. The Lithuanian Minister mentioned that a global MNC from his country, "Teltonika" is working with Taiwan for manufacturing of sophisticated chips and the company has a presence in India also and can take collaboration of chip making to a new height in years to come. The Department of Science & Technology, through the MEA, has been negotiating a Science & Technology Agreement with Lithuania since 2010. In April 2010, a revised Indian counter-draft incorporating few minor modifications was formally submitted to the Lithuanian side and its formal response is still awaited. --IANS kvm/vd ( 298 Words) 2023-02-28-20:50:04 (IANS)
The Calcutta High Court on Tuesday cautioned the West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC) to be careful on replacing terminated non-teaching staff of Group D category in different state-run schools from those who were on the waiting lists. "Remember, there are reasons to doubt the fairness of the waiting lists. There is no reason to believe that the waiting lists are as pure as River Ganga water. Just remember that and be cautious when making the replacements from the waiting lists," a bench of Justice Biswajit Basu told the WBSSC counsel. Recently, the services of 1,911 candidates in Group D were terminated following an order from a single-judge bench of Justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay, who also directed the commission to make their replacements from the waiting list. On this matter, Justice Basu issued a note of caution to the commission. The terminated staff had already approached the division bench of Justice Subrata Talukdar and Justice Supratim Bhattacharya, which had put an interim stay on the portion of the single-judge bench order directing the terminated staff to immediately return the money they have received as salaries so far, but did not put any stay on the main order pertaining to the termination of services. --IANS src/vd ( 217 Words) 2023-02-28-20:56:04 (IANS)
During police investigation, it came to the fore that three bike-borne assailants recently opened fire on protesters in Muzaffarpur in which a youth identified as Rahul Kumar died.

Three persons arrested in this connection are said to have links with Mansoori.

Rahul's family and other protesters have alleged that the firing was done on Mansoori's direction.

Leader of opposition in the Assembly, Vijay Kumar Sinha, alleged that the local police, under "pressure" from the ruling party, are not taking action against Mansoori despite having evidence and statements of eyewitnesses.

However, Mansoori told the Chief Minister that the opposition is trying to malign his image.

"I have no role in this incident. I have reached here by winning elections. Everyone knows me in the constituency. Muzaffarpur police have already arrested three attackers in this case. I have no connection with them which will be proved during the course of investigation," Mansoori said.

--IANS ajk/svn/arm

( 210 Words)

2023-02-28-21:20:05 (IANS)
The Canadian government has blocked the short-form video app TikTok from official electronic devices. This makes the government the latest to announce restrictions on the short-form video app in light of cybersecurity concerns, CNN reported. According to CNN, The ban is set to take effect on Tuesday. Government-issued devices will be blocked from downloading TikTok, and existing installations of the app will be removed, according to a statement by the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat. The statement said: "Following a review of TikTok, the Chief Information Officer of Canada determined that it presents an unacceptable level of risk to privacy and security." The statement by Treasury Board President Mona Fortier said the decision is consistent with those of "our international partners." The US federal government, along with more than half of US states and the European Commission, have all announced similar TikTok restrictions on devices they manage or permit on official networks, according to CNN. Twitter in response to the ban said it was "curious" that Canada had announced the move "only after similar bans" in the EU and the United States, and without contacting TikTok about the concerns. A TikTok spokesperson said: "We are always available to meet with our government officials to discuss how we protect the privacy and security of Canadians, but singling out TikTok in this way does nothing to achieve that shared goal. All it does is prevent officials from reaching the public on a platform loved by millions of Canadians." Concerns have been expressed by US and allied officials that TikTok or its Chinese parent, ByteDance, could be forced by the Chinese government to hand over the personal information of TikTok users. According to a Canadian government statement: "While the risks of using this application are clear, we have no evidence at this point that government information has been compromised." (ANI)
The changing population dynamics will affect the Asian giant's economy in the years ahead, reported Europe-Asia Foundation. The biggest problem which China would face in future is a declining workforce, which is likely to drop to 700 million by 2050 from a peak of 925 million in 2011. A glut of the labour force is already visible in the country both in the rural and urban areas. The fall in the supply of labour force from rural areas has been pushing up the wages in the country which may eventually erode the competitiveness of Chinese products. Further, the shortage of labour, rising wages and the Chinese government's policy of forced technology transfer may accelerate the already visible trend of exit of foreign companies from the country. Already some of them have shifted to south-east Asian countries and some of them are visualizing India as a preferred destination to set up their business, reported Europe-Asia Foundation. China's National Bureau of Statistics announced on January 17, 2023, that the country's population had fallen by 8,50,000 in the year 2022. This marked the first decline since 1961 when the country was in the midst of a four-year famine following the failed "Great Leap Forward" policy. China is already facing a decline in its working population impinging on labour supply often distorting the labour market by causing labour shortages and pushing up the wage rate. China's population of 16-59 age groups was 875 million, or 62 per cent of the total population. It was around 75 million less than it was in 2010. This demographic retreat of the working-age population is a matter of concern for China while the proportion of the ageing population of the above 60 age group described in demography as a "dependence ratio" has been increasing, reported Europe-Asia Foundation. It is also estimated by the Chinese government that by 2050, the above-60 population will account for as much as 35 per cent of the total population. Ageing Healthcare spending is estimated that it would rise to 26 per cent of China's GDP by 2050, up from 7 per cent in 2015. This would put huge pressure on the government budget and put pressure on capital formation and investment. One of the disturbing demographic trends in China is the imbalance in the sex ratio. In 2022, the sex ratio in China was approximately 105 males to 100 females. An ideal sex ratio is a one-to-one. Still, due to factors like selective abortions and different life expectancy between men and women, the sex-ratio varies in different age groups, reported Europe-Asia Foundation. A widening gender imbalance in rural China is driving men to pay arbitrary "bride prices", a practice that has grown so widespread that the Chinese government last week pledged to intervene. The imbalance in the Chinese population between male and female sexes has now figured in the Communist Party's policy document for 2023 released on February 13. "Document No. 1" pledged to launch a campaign to curb "exorbitant bride price." Moreover, the demographic retreat of China decoded by Barclay Bram of the Asia Society Policy Institute states that there is a marked behavioural shift among the Chinese young population in the fertile age group. "Young Chinese are marrying later, having fewer children, or foregoing having children altogether", with the number of couples who married in China dropping from 13.46 million to 8.46 million in the period from 2013 to 2020. Whilst China wrestles with the implications in its changing demography and considers strategies to halt its population's decline, India may have already overtaken China as the most populous nation in the World, reported Europe-Asia Foundation. Shifting demographics naturally have political and geopolitical consequences and with Asian powers vying for economic and political power, the West should carefully consider its relations with both countries. With many European countries already wary of Chinese influence and economic clout, could demographic change be a further prompt for a shift towards India and other Asian countries? (ANI)
The US on Monday (local time) criticized Russia and China for not offering "firm condemnation" of the Ukraine conflict at the G20 ministerial meeting of Finance Ministers. At a US Department of State press briefing, spokesperson Ned Price said, "When it comes to the Peoples' Republic China (PRC), that's a question for the PRC - a country that purports to believe in the principle of sovereignty, that purports to believe in the principle of territorial integrity and independence. Why it is not living up to those principles in this context, that's a question only the PRC can answer." Price was answering questions on the G20 ministerial meeting of Finance Ministers in India that ended without a consensus on the war in Ukraine. "I don't want to get too far ahead of where we are. But to your question, what I saw from the foreign - from the finance ministers meeting over the weekend was a G20 that was on the same page, with two notable exceptions: only with the exception of Russia and the PRC. Other countries, as you can see from the statement that emanated from the finance ministers meeting, roundly condemned Russia's aggression against Ukraine. It was only Russia and China that equivocated or that were not in a position to offer that firm condemnation," said Price. Speaking on Russia, he said that it is no surprise that they are not prepared to condemn their own government's actions in Ukraine. He also referred to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "this is not an era of war" statement. "You've heard very firmly from Prime Minister Modi the belief on the part of the Indian Government that this is not an era of war. There are countries around the world, notably Russia, that are challenging the rules-based order, the principles of the UN Charter, the principles of international law, the principles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. We'll continue to discuss these issues with our Indian partners. I have no doubt that they'll be on the agenda for and around the G20," said the spokesperson. Speaking about bilateral talks with India and whether China will feature in them, he said, "We share a number of important interests, a number of important values with our Indian partners, but principally we share a vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific region. There are countries in the region, namely the PRC, that have posed a consistent and in some ways even a systemic challenge to the vision that we share with India of a free and open Indo-Pacific. Without going into specifics, those issues will certainly be on the agenda at the G20 but also in the bilateral context." The G20 Foreign Ministers Meeting (FMM) is scheduled in physical format from March 1-2, 2023 in New Delhi under India's presidency. PM Modi is expected to address the foreign ministers of the member countries of G20 and he will talk about India's growing influence globally. The March 1-2 meeting of the G20 foreign ministers will be held days after a meeting of finance chiefs of the bloc in Bengaluru, where they wrangled over condemning Russia for the war, failed to reach a consensus on a joint statement and settled instead for a summary document. The event will be attended by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly. In all, representatives of 40 countries, including non-G20 members invited by India, and multilateral organisations will attend. (ANI)
Kenya's Trade, Investment and Industry Cabinet Secretary Moses Kuria wants China Square to stop operations in the Kenyan market, Kenya-based People Daily reported. The Kenyan Cabinet Secretary in a tweet said that he has put an offer to buy out the lease for the retailer currently trading at Unicity Mall along Thika Road and give it to local traders. Moses Kuria noted that Chinese investors are welcome in Kenya as manufacturers but not traders. He tweeted, "I have today given an offer to Prof Wainaina the VC Kenyatta University to buy out the lease for China Square, Unicity Mall and hand it over to the Gikomba,Nyamakima, Muthurwa l& Eastleigh Traders Association.We welcome Chinese investors to Kenya but as manufacturers not traders." China Square, a one-stop mall, has recently opened in Kenya. It has been garnering major traction from various Kenyans from city dwellers and is currently among the most flooded retailer in Kenya, as per the People Daily report. Various shoppers have said that the new hub stocks a wide range of products and services including stationery, furniture, home decoration items, cleaning supplies, hardware store, electrical appliances, and party supplies, NTV Kenya reported. Recently, a Hong Kong-based publication reported that Kenya's dependence on China has proved to be a sour experience for the former. Kenya depends on China for its growth as the country sources heavily from Beijing to boost its infrastructure and public services. The reliance has, however, proved to be a sour experience, The Hong Kong Post reported. Growth in Kenyan imports from China can be attributed to the expanding infrastructure in the country owing to its engagement with the Belt and Road Initiative, as per the news report. The trade balance, however, favours China as Kenya's imports from China stand at 97 per cent, while its exports to the Asian nation are around 3 per cent only. China has become a leading bilateral creditor to Kenya. In addition to imports, the involvement of several Chinese companies in infrastructure development projects in Kenya has played a major role in enhancing bilateral engagement. Among these, is a Chinese state-owned company named "M/s China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC)". The company is involved in various infrastructure projects in China. It is, however, facing backlash for its corrupt practices and discrimination against the locals, as per the news report. The company is constructing Western Ring Road Project in Kenya which is being criticized for its high cost and plans to charge exorbitant tolls from the Kenyans. The CRBC is expected to earn dividends worth USD 977 million and other incomes from the mega road. According to The Hong Kong Post, the people of Kenya have been increasingly wary of the work ethics, morals and environmental practices of the Chinese companies working in the country. (ANI)
Japan has not yet decided who to represent the country at the Group of 20 (G20) Foreign Ministers' meeting in India starting on Wednesday, reported Reuters citing Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi. Hayashi was responding to a reporter's question at a news conference on Tuesday about earlier reports that Japan's top diplomat will skip the meeting with counterparts at G20 due to domestic parliamentary sessions, reported Reuters. The news was reported earlier by Japanese media, including the Nikkei newspaper. A deputy minister is likely to be dispatched in his place, reports said. The G20 Foreign Ministers Meeting (FMM) is scheduled to take place in physical format from March 1-2, 2023 in New Delhi under India's presidency. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to address the foreign ministers of the member countries of G20 and he will talk about India's growing influence globally. The March 1-2 meeting of the G20 foreign ministers will be held days after a meeting of finance chiefs of the bloc in Bengaluru. The New Delhi meeting will be attended by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly. In all, representatives of 40 countries, including non-G20 members invited by India, and multilateral organisations, will attend. The news sparked criticism from lawmakers and members of the public on social media, who said it was a lost opportunity to show leadership as Japan prepares to host the Group of Seven summit in May. Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Japan in September to attend the state funeral for former Japanese Prime Minster Shinzo Abe and also held talks with his successor Fumio Kishida. "It's a regrettable decision that means forfeiting a chance to emphasize the importance of the rule of law to the developing countries that take part in G-20," Goshi Hosono, a ruling Liberal Democratic Party lawmaker said on Twitter. Hayashi had already arranged bilateral discussions with some of his counterparts on the sidelines of the meeting, Kyodo News reported. Bolstering ties with India has been a priority for the Kishida government as it seeks partners beyond its sole treaty ally, the US, to counter security threats posed by the likes of China. (ANI)
The recent meeting of a delegation from the People's Republic of China with Italy's Foreign Minister failed to find space for a discussion on the human rights issues and was solely focused on PRC's ties with Russia, reported Better Winter, a magazine on religious liberty and human rights. Wang Yi, a Chinese diplomat and politician, met with Antonio Tajani, the Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs, in Rome on February 16, 2023. The report further states that both human rights in the People's Republic of China and the PRC's alliance with Russia should've been on the agenda of Tajani's meeting with Wang. However, there was public silence on human rights, while deep concern was expressed about China's potential role in the Russia-Ukraine scenario. Italy is one of the countries urging China to exert influence over Russia and persuade it to end its aggression in Ukraine. When Tajani met Wang, it appears that this concern absorbed all other questions. In fact, there was no room for a discussion of the heinous Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed by China and Italy in March 2019. The Memorandum, signed as part of the so-called "Belt and Road Initiative," is nefarious for a variety of reasons. It is a political blank cheque that the then-Deputy Premier and Labour and Industry Minister, Luigi Di Maio, and his chief advisor on China, economist Michele Geraci, gave to a totalitarian state where no elections have been held since 1949, everything is in the bloody hands of one ruling party, and human rights and religious liberty are in shambles, Better Winter magazine reported. Wang mentioned the MoU to Tajani solely to urge further implementation of its provisions, as he did the following day, February 17, 2023, when he met with Italian President Sergio Mattarella. However, the Italian governments that came after the one for which Di Maio signed the Memorandum in 2019 announced changes. So far, these revisions have not arrived, and it appears that they were not discussed during Wang and Tajani's meeting. To its credit, the current Italian government has been openly critical of the Memorandum and has hinted that it may be revised, if not repealed entirely. However, an important opportunity was passed up this month. It is understood that all possible efforts should be made to stop Russia's aggression against Ukraine, including attempting to involve China. It may appear naive, however, to place all bets on China. And it is unconscionable to do so at the expense of tolerating even more Chinese injustice, reported Better Winter. PRC Foreign Minister from 2013 to 2022, State Councilor since 2018, and Politburo member of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) since 2022, Wang became Director of the CCP's Central Foreign Affairs Commission on January 1, 2023. With this appointment, he becomes the Chinese regime's highest-ranking diplomat and President Xi Jinping's top foreign policy adviser. Tajani is a politician who has demonstrated sensitivity to issues of human rights and religious liberty. Italy is awaiting the appointment of a Special Envoy for Persecuted Christians (who are obviously persecuted in the PRC), a new position recently announced by Tajani, read a report of Better Winter. (ANI)
Indian High Commission in Sri Lanka has strongly raised the issue of recent attacks on Indian fishermen with Sri Lankan authorities. Indian High Commission has called on the Sri Lankan government to investigate the matter and ensure that use of force and violence in any form is not used against the fishermen. Indian High Commission in Sri Lanka noted that the issues of fishermen are humanitarian and pertain to their livelihoods. Indian High Commission in Sri Lanka tweeted, "High Commission has strongly taken up the recent attacks on #Indian fishermen with #SriLankan authorities. It has also asked the Goverment of #SriLanka to investigate the matter and ensure that use of force and violence in any form are not resorted to against the fishermen." In another tweet, Indian High Commission in Sri Lanka tweeted, "The issues of fishermen are humanitarian and pertain to their livelihoods. These must be addressed in that spirit through diplomatic means and bilateral mechanisms." Six fishermen belonging to Tamil Nadu were allegedly attacked by the Sri Lankan Navy. On Monday, Union Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting L Murugan said he went to Sri Lanka last week and had talks pertaining to the Indian fishermen attacked by the Sri Lankan Navy personnel on February 23. "All fishermen from India were brought back safely from Sri Lanka," the MoS said. Speaking to reporters, Murugan said, "There is a demand to bring back our Indian fisherman's boats captured in Sri Lanka. Our MEA Minister of External Affairs S Jaishankar has already raised this issue with Sri Lanka." L Murugan further said, "We are in talks with Sri Lanka on it. Soon a joint-level committee with a ministerial-level meeting in April month will happen and steps will be taken to get back our Indian fishing boats from Sri Lanka." Last week, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin wrote a letter to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, seeking his intervention into 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." MK Stalin highlighted the incident where the Sri Lankan Navy allegedly attacked six Tamil Nadu fishermen. "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. In the letter, Stalin further stated, "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." (ANI)
China on Tuesday confirmed that its Foreign Minister Qin Gang will be participating in the Group of 20 (G20) Foreign Ministers' meeting in India, reported Reuters. During a press briefing, China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said, "The G20 should focus on prominent challenges in the global economy. China stands ready to work with all parties to ensure the G20 foreign ministers' meeting sends a positive signal on multilateralism." The G20 Foreign Ministers Meeting (FMM) is scheduled to take place in physical format from March 1-2, 2023 in New Delhi under India's presidency. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to address the foreign ministers of the member countries of G20 and he will talk about India's growing influence globally. The March 1-2 meeting of the G20 foreign ministers will be held days after a meeting of finance chiefs of the bloc in Bengaluru. The New Delhi meeting will be attended by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly. In all, representatives of 40 countries, including non-G20 members invited by India, and multilateral organisations will attend. Mao also reacted to the White House setting a deadline for removing TikTok from federal devices. "US is overstretching concept of national security, abusing state power to suppress foreign companies, we firmly oppose those wrong actions," she added. The White House on Monday (local time) gave federal agencies 30 days to purge the Chinese-owned app TikTok from all government-issued devices. The directive comes after congressional legislation passed in December banned the popular video-sharing app from federal government devices and systems, amid concerns TikTok's parent company ByteDance could allow the Chinese Communist Party access to user data, reported New York Post (NYP). Several government agencies, including the White House, Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security, and the State Department, had preemptively banned TikTok from government devices before Congress's December vote. Meanwhile, ByteDance-owned TikTok has said the concerns are fueled by misinformation and has denied using the app to spy on Americans. ByteDance denied that it would share user data with the CCP, calling the concerns "misinformation," reported NYP. The US move comes after Canadian government blocked the short-form video app TikTok from official electronic devices. According to CNN, the ban is set to take effect on Tuesday. Government-issued devices will be blocked from downloading TikTok, and existing installations of the app will be removed, according to a statement by the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat. (ANI)
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Tuesday held a meeting with his Danish counterpart Lars Lokke Rasmussen, discussing the bilateral partnership that he noted was growing from strength to strength. Taking to his official Twitter handle, Jaishankar stated that they exchanged views on the state of the world. He tweeted, "Good to meet FM of Denmark @larsloekke today morning. Discussed our bilateral partnership that is growing from strength to strength. Also exchanged views on the state of the world. It calls for intensifying our cooperation." The minister is part of the Denmark delegation led by the country's royal couple, who arrived on a state visit to India on February 26, the Ministry of External Affairs said in the press release. Denmark's Crown Prince Frederik Andre Henrik Christian and Crown Princess Mary Elizabeth arrived in India on Sunday. Crown Prince of Denmark, Frederik Andre Henrik Christian on Tuesday highlighted India's progress towards a greener future and said, "Changes seen in India are amazing." Speaking at India-Denmark: Partners for green and sustainable progress conference, he said, "Changes seen in India are amazing. Despite the changes people had gone through, India's green transition is underway. Denmark and India have joined forces through a strategic green partnership. It is mutually beneficial and is a testament that both can achieve." In his remarks at the India-Denmark: Partners for green and sustainable progress conference, Christian said, "Today, the partnership between the two countries is strong. We both are moving towards a greener future. With this conference, India and Denmark take a new step closer to achieving a green future for all. It is my humble wish that this visit continues the prosperous journey together." On Monday, Jaishankar called on Denmark's Crown Prince Frederik Andre Henrik Christian and Crown Princess Mary Elizabeth. In a tweet, Jaishankar said, "Shared with them various aspects of the New India in making. Our conversation covered sustainability and digital delivery in particular." On Monday, the Danish royal couple also met Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar. According to MEA, the Danish royal couple will depart from Chennai on March 2. The MEA in the press release noted, "India and Denmark as vibrant and open democracies, share common values of a rules-based international order and convergence of views on significant multilateral issues," it said, adding, "The visit is expected to further strengthen and enhance the close and friendly ties between India and Denmark." (ANI)
Calling the extradition of Kim Davy, the prime accused in the Purulia arms drop case, a 'work in progress', Minister of Foreign Affairs of Denmark Lars Lokke Rasmussen in an interview to ANI here said that it is not a political topic and he has been informed that it is a work in progress. "When I visited India back in 2019 in my previous capacity as Prime Minister, we talked about that. We had in-depth discussion at the political level and we agreed that this is not a political topic, it's something which should be dealt with among the proper authorities and what I am informed about that is that this is a work in progress," said the Foreign Minister. On December 17, 1995, a large consignment of illegal arms was airdropped from an Antonov An-26 aircraft in the Purulia district of West Bengal. Further speaking about the India-EU Free trade agreement, the Minister said that we can establish a framework between Europe and India which will increase relations and trade and will be beneficial for both India and Denmark. "Denmark is a small country, but I am proud to say that we are a prosperous country and we have gained all our prosperity through trading with other nations," Rasmussen said. "We are now in a geopolitical situation due to the pandemic, rise of China, war in Ukraine where globalization could be pushed backwards and we don't need that. This is not in our best common interest. So, if we can establish a framework between Europe and India which could increase relations and trade that will be for the benefit of Europe and India. That is something that Denmark is advocating," he added. (ANI)
British High Commissioner to India Alex Ellis has said that last year the UK issued 25 per cent of its total visas from India and New Delhi also recorded the highest number of student visas. Taking to Twitter, Ellis said that in 2021, the student visas increased by 73 per cent and India also recorded the most work visas with a 130 per cent hike. "Last year UK issued 2,836,490 visas; 25% of those went to India, more than to any other country. Indian nationals received: highest student visas increased by 73% in 2021, most work visas increased by 130%, largest share of visit visas, 30% of the world," the British High Commissioner tweeted. The UK is all set to increase the work and student visas for India as the British government announced that they had invited 2,400 visa applications for Indians under the UK-India Young Professional Scheme. According to an update shared by the British High Commission in India, Indian citizens between 18 and 30 years of age can enter the ballot if they meet other relevant criteria. "This is an excellent opportunity for India's brightest young people between the ages of 18-30 to experience the best of the UK," said the British High Commission in New Delhi as it released the detailed eligibility criteria for the new scheme. Applicants must also have the relevant educational qualifications - bachelor's degree level or above - and possess Pound 2,530 (approximately Rs 2.6 lakhs) in savings. They must also not have any dependent minor children. "If you're successful in the ballot you'll need to apply for your visa by the deadline given in your invitation to apply. This is usually 30 days after you get the invitation. You must travel to the UK within six months of applying for your visa," an update shared on the government website said. The ballots will open at 2:30 pm (IST on February 28 and close at 2:29 pm IST) on March 2. Under the reciprocal arrangement signed off by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his UK counterpart, Rishi Sunak, at the G20 summit in Indonesia last November, British nationals would also be offered similar visas to live and work in India. (ANI)
Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar urged Indians to be cautious of billionaire investor George Soros' agenda and BBC documentary on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and asked them to be on guard from those "who are playing politics another way around." Addressing the inauguration of the Center for Innovation Facility at IIT Madras, Dhankhar said that the Supreme Court of India had given its judgement on PM Modi and his role in the 2002 Gujarat riots but "in the name of expression, can you run down the Supreme Court and the two decades of a thorough investigation." "For two decades. The issue was deliberated in judicial quarters. It was thoroughly investigated at all levels. The highest court of the land, the highest court of the largest democracy, pronounced on all fronts in 2022. Finally, we have a narrative being set up, float by a documentary. And some people say this is an expression, saying the name of the expression can you run down by Supreme Court? Can you run down two decades of thorough investigation? This is playing politics the other way around. When people choose to play politics the other way around, the young minds here and outside are intellectually equipped to challenge them." He further stated that there was one gentleman, who was using some money, and power. "He has some backers, he has some beneficiaries, he has some fiscal parasites. And they talk about our country's democracy. I have been appalled, and pained. How can a sane mind compare us with a southern country without neighbours?" Vice President wondered. Earlier, at the Munich Security Conference, Soros said, "Adani is accused of stock manipulation and his stock collapsed like a house of cards. Modi is silent on the subject, but he will have to answer questions from foreign investors and in Parliament." Terming Modi and Adani as "close allies," whose "fate is intertwined", the 92-year-old billionaire investor said, "This will significantly weaken Modi's stranglehold on India's federal government and open the door to push for much-needed institutional reforms." "I may be naive, but I expect a democratic revival in India," Soros said in his remarks delivered at the 2023 Munich Security Conference. "I would therefore appeal to you if you have to take this country to 2047, vindicate the trust of the Founding Fathers, Please be on guard. Those who play politics, the other way around. They need to be combated and neutralized, and they must face your rational salvos," Vice President added. UK's National broadcaster BBC aired a two-part series attacking PM Narendra Modi's tenure as Gujarat Chief Minister during the Gujarat riots of 2002. The documentary sparked outrage and was removed from select platforms. (ANI)
China's Foreign Minister Qin Gang will visit India to attend the G20 Foreign Ministers meeting in New Delhi, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said in a press conference according to a statement released by China's Foreign Affairs Ministry. According to the statement, Qin will visit India at the invitation of External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar in New Delhi to attend the G20 Foreign Ministers' Meeting on March 2. While answering a media query on Qin Gang's attendance at the upcoming G20 Foreign Ministers' Meeting, Ning said, " In a world fraught with uncertainties and struggling to reboot the economy, countries have much to do to overcome the challenges in order to deliver on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development." "As the premier forum for international economic cooperation, it is important that the G20 focus on the prominent challenges in the global economy and on development and play a bigger role in driving world economic recovery and global development. China stands ready to work with all parties to ensure that the G20 Foreign Ministers' Meeting will send a positive signal on multilateralism, food and energy security and development cooperation," she added. The G20 Foreign Ministers Meeting (FMM) is scheduled to take place in physical format from March 1-2, 2023 in New Delhi under India's presidency. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to address the foreign ministers of the member countries of G20 and he will talk about India's growing influence globally.The March 1-2 meeting of the G20 foreign ministers will be held days after a meeting of finance chiefs of the bloc in Bengaluru. The New Delhi meeting will be attended by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly. In all, representatives of 40 countries, including non-G20 members invited by India, and multilateral organisations will attend. Mao also reacted to the White House setting a deadline for removing TikTok from federal devices. "The US is overstretching concept of national security, abusing state power to suppress foreign companies, we firmly oppose those wrong actions," she added. The White House on Monday (local time) gave federal agencies 30 days to purge the Chinese-owned app TikTok from all government-issued devices. (ANI)
From Jack Ma to Bao Fan, several business magnates have disappeared from China decimating the profit and undermining Beijing's new priority of restoring business confidence following the end of its "zero-COVID" policy and crackdowns on the private sector, The Sydney Morning Herald reported. Bao Fan, China's tech industry rainmaker is CEO of China Renaissance firm, whose shares have also plummeted ever since he vanished. Bao, like many others in China's tech industry, believed in the free market and desired little government intervention. However, the Chinese government, led by Xi Jinping, tightened its grip on the economy. It was necessary for the technology industry to adapt, the report further read. Last week on Valentine's Day, rumours began to circulate that Bao had gone missing. His disappearance was later confirmed by his company in a regulatory filing. According to Chinese media, the authorities summoned him to assist in the investigation of a former senior executive of his company who previously worked at a state-owned financial institution. According to The Sydney Morning Herald, his vanishing can undermine the government's promise to support private enterprise and provide legal protections for the business class. Even if Bao reappears soon, the episode shows how China's tech industry, once the country's most globalised and independent sector, has become entangled with the government. In 2020, Bao appointed Cong Lin, the CEO of ICBC International, as chairman of China Renaissance's brokerage business. Cong became the subject of a government investigation last September in connection with his dealings prior to joining China Renaissance. Around the same time, he left the company. Even without this issue, Bao had a bad year in 2022. His company, China Renaissance's revenue fell by 40 per cent in the first six months of last year, and the company lost $US23 million, compared to a $US179 million profit the previous year. China Renaissance's share price has dropped by more than 20 per cent since the news of Bao's disappearance broke. Last October, on National Day, Bao wrote on WeChat, "Warm congratulations on the 73rd anniversary of the People's Republic of China!" His company created a red digital card for the occasion. It was most likely not something Bao would do in the past. Not only has the government become hostile to the business community. Some users on the social media platform Weibo claimed that Bao's disappearance demonstrated his greed and lack of judgement. Last Saturday marked the 26th anniversary of the death of Deng Xiaoping, China's former supreme leader. Some people paid tribute to him by writing articles or posting on social media, recalling the days when China was opening up to the world and its leaders were focused on building the economy. One famous article about Bao was also nostalgic. Its headline read, "Would Bao Fan want to remain in 2016?" That was the pinnacle of Bao's career. Many people believe it was also the peak of China's tech industry, reported The Sydney Morning Herald. (ANI)
Thousands of Tibetans from all across Europe will converge in Rome to commemorate the 64th anniversary of the Tibetan National Rebellion against Chinese colonial rule over Tibet, Daily Mirror reported. The Office of Tibet, which has jurisdiction over the host nation, works with the Tibetan Community of the host city as the main organiser of the biennial general meetings of the coalition of 15 Tibetan Communities/Associations in Europe, which represent Tibetans living in Europe. Rome was once again chosen as the location for the massive rally in March 2023 at the group's final meeting, which was held in Milan in early October 2022. Determining the location for an annual mass Tibetan National Uprising rally in Europe is one of the major topics of discussion at these biennial meetings. A report in Daily Mirror read that the Tibetan Uprising Rally will witness a gathering of 60,000 Tibetans this year. Inside Chinese-occupied Tibet, there is no room for any dissent. The mass uprising rally is being sponsored by Associazione Italia-Tibet, gstf sast, and International Campaign for Tibet. It is being organised by the Tibetan Community in Italy in collaboration with other Tibetan Communities in Europe. Several persecuted ethnic groups, including Uyghur Muslimes, Hongkongers, Southern Mongolians, and Taiwanese in Italy, will take part in the demonstration in support of the Tibetans. Tibetans in Europe want to remind the world community that the Tibet subject is still open by holding this massive rally in Rome. They are looking for a solution to the protracted Sino-Tibetan war. For far too long, the world has ignored the situation. The world needs to take action on Tibet now. Tibetans encourage Europe to support Tibet and say that Europe can set an example, Daily Mirror reported. China's illegal invasion of Tibet and Dalai Lama's banishing Tibet has been colonially occupied by the Chinese Communist government since 1950, and this invasion is still going strong today. His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama made great efforts for eight years to cooperate with the Communist Chinese authorities based on the Chinese commitments in the Agreement after the representatives of Tibet's government sent to Beijing for negotiations in 1951 were coerced by the Communist regime to sign the now-infamous 17 Point Agreement for the Peaceful Liberation of Tibet under the threat of a full-scale invasion of central Tibet. Working arrangements with the invading rulers, however, became impossible once the regime broke their commitments made in the Accord and threatened the traditional way of life of the Tibetan people. Tibetans believed the Chinese army was planning to kidnap their revered leader when a Communist army general stationed in Lhasa invited his Holiness the Dalai Lama to a Chinese musical performance at their army barracks and instructed him to arrive there without his usual contingent of Tibetan bodyguards. For days, tens of thousands of Tibetans surrounded Norbulingka, the Dalai Lama's vacations home, serving as a human wall to prevent the Chinese from capturing their spiritual leader and foiling the cunning plan of the Chinese army commander to transfer His Holiness to the Chinese army camp. Tibetans unitedly protested the Chinese colonial occupation at this time, demanding an end to Chinese autocracy and chanting "Leave Tibet" as a message that they had had enough of China's illegitimate control. His Holiness the Dalai Lama had to make the hardest decision of his life to flee from Lhasa so those Tibetans gathering outside his residence may disperse and be protected from the Chinese shelling after the Chinese army began to shell the region to scatter those gathered. His Holiness the Dalai Lama was forced into exile to India, where he currently resides, following the savage Chinese army crackdown on the large-scale uprisings in Lhasa, which resulted in the deaths of tens of thousands of Tibetans and cemented their authority over Tibet. On March 31, 1959, he was a young man 25 years old and fled to India as a political exile. He is now 87 years old. (ANI)
President Droupadi Murmu said that the India-Denmark Green Strategic Partnership has become a catalyst for enhanced cooperation between the two countries. President met Denmark's Crown Prince Frederik Andre Henrik Christian and Crown Princess Mary Elizabeth at Rashtrapati Bhavan. The Danish royal couple arrived in India on Sunday for a four-day visit. Yesterday, the Danish royal couple paid their respects to Mahatma Gandhi at Rajghat. Ministry of External Affairs official spokesperson Arindam Bagchi tweeted, "Their Royal Highness Crown Prince Frederik & Crown Princess Mary of Denmark paid their respects to Mahatma Gandhi at Rajghat this afternoon." Danish crown Prince and Princess also met External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar. During the meeting, they discussed sustainability and digital delivery. Jaishankar tweeted, "Delighted to call on their Royal Highness, Crown Prince Frederik and Princess Mary Elizabeth of Denmark during their India visit. Shared with them various aspects of the New India in making. Our conversation covered sustainability and digital delivery in particular." Later on, they met Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar and his wife Sudesh Dhankhar. On Sunday, Denmark's Crown Prince Frederik Andre Henrik Christian and Crown Princess Mary Elizabeth visited the iconic Taj Mahal in Agra. After the Danish royal couple's arrival in India, Bagchi in a tweet stated that their visit will further strengthen and enhance the close and friendly ties between the two nations. Arindam Bagchi tweeted, "Their Royal Highness Crown Prince Frederik & Crown Princess Mary of Denmark arrive in India for a 4-day visit. This is the 1st Royal Visit from Denmark in two decades. Will further strengthen and enhance the close & friendly ties between our countries." The Danish Crown Prince will address the opening session of the India-Denmark: Partners for Green & Sustainable Progress organized by CII. During the visit, the Danish royal couple will visit Chennai. They will depart from Chennai on March 2. In the press release, the MEA said, "India and Denmark as vibrant and open democracies, share common values of a rules-based international order and convergence of views on significant multilateral issues. It further added, "The visit is expected to further strengthen and enhance the close and friendly ties between India and Denmark." According to MEA, the visit is the first ever from the Danish Royal family in two decades. Earlier, the Crown Prince traveled to India in 2003. Queen Margrethe II visited India in 2003 as a Crown Princess. (ANI)
Earlier today, Cavusoglu arrived at Delhi airport to participate in the G20 foreign ministers meeting.

Turkish Foreign Ministry stated, "At the meeting, ministers will exchange views on key issues on the global agenda, chiefly, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, food and energy security, counterterrorism, strengthening multilateralism and development cooperation."

The Ministry also stated, "On the margins of the G20 meetings, Minister Cavusoglu will host the 23rd MIKTA Foreign Ministers Meeting and hand over the MIKTA Chairmanship Turkiye took over from Australia on 7 March 2022, to Indonesia."

Minister Cavusoglu is also expected to hold bilateral talks with his counterparts of different countries on the sidelines of the meetings, according to the statement.

The G20 Foreign Ministers Meeting (FMM) is scheduled to be held from March 1-2, 2023 in New Delhi under India's presidency.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to address the foreign ministers of the member countries of G20 and he will talk about India's growing influence globally.

The March 1-2 meeting of the G20 foreign ministers will be held days after a meeting of finance chiefs of the bloc in Bengaluru.

The New Delhi meeting will be attended by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong and UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly. In all, representatives of 40 countries, including non-G20 members invited by India, and multilateral organisations will attend.

India and Turkish friendship has been witnessed many times. Recently, when Turkey needed assistance for the search and rescue team after the major earthquake that shook the country on February 6 and killed over 45,000 people, India was the first responder.

India had launched six "Operations Dost" flights for Turkey to provide essential medical supplies ad to send NDRF team to the quake-it country. (ANI)
Australian Education Minister, Jason Clare arrived in New Delhi on Tuesday to promote institutional partnerships and boost collaboration between the two countries. Jason Clare, leading the delegation of Australian higher education leaders, will help in boosting the Australian higher education sector. Before coming to India, Clare, in a statement, said, "This week I will lead a delegation of Australian higher education leaders to India to promote our institutional partnerships and boost collaboration between our two countries." "The visit builds on the Indian Minister of Education and Minister of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, Shri Dharmendra Pradhan's visit to Australia last year," he added. In the statement, Clare further stated that during this week's visit, Minister for Education Dharmendra Pradhan and his Australian counterpart would sign the Mechanism for the Mutual Recognition of Qualifications which locks in the rules for mutual recognition to access education in both our countries. This will be the broadest and most favourable recognition agreement India has signed with another country and will enhance student mobility between both countries. "The Modi Government's National Education Policy aims to get 50 per cent of young Indians into higher education and vocational education by 2035. That's nation-changing for India, and a genuine opportunity for Australian education providers to do more to collaborate with India," Australian Minister said. Meanwhile, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong also arrived in India to participate in G20 Foreign Ministers Meet and Raisina Dialogue. Before her visit, Wong, in a statement, said, "This week I will travel to Malaysia and India to advance Australia's bilateral relationships and promote Australia's interests in a peaceful, stable, and prosperous Indo-Pacific region." In the press release, Wong stated, "This will be my first visit to India as Foreign Minister, and I look forward to meeting my counterparts at the G20 Foreign Ministers' Meeting in New Delhi." The G20 Foreign Ministers Meeting (FMM) is scheduled to take place in physical format from March 1-2, 2023 in New Delhi under India's presidency. She said, "While in New Delhi, I will also attend the 2023 Raisina Dialogue, India's premier forum for addressing the most challenging issues facing our regional and global community", adding, "This year is an important milestone in Australia's bilateral relationship with India, with many high-level Ministerial visits between our two countries." Meanwhile, Raisina Dialogue is all set to take place from March 2-4, 2023 at the Taj Palace Hotel, Diplomatic Enclave, New Delhi. (ANI)
Besides Lavrov, the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DSA) Under Secretary General Li Junhua also arrived in India for the G20 FMM.

"Welcome to India! FM Sergey Lavrov of Russia @mfa_russia and @UNDESA Under Secretary General Li Junhua arrive in New Delhi for #G20FMM. FM Lavrov will also attend #Raisina2023," Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Arindam Bagchi tweeted on Tuesday.

Bagchi on Tuesday also tweeted: "Pleased to welcome FM @SenatorWong of Australia @dfat and FM @MevlutCavusoglu of Turkiye @MFATurkiye for the #G20FMM in New Delhi. They will also participate in #RaisinaDialogue2023."

Bagchi earlier on Tuesday said that arrivals for the 1st G20 India Foreign Ministers' Meeting have begun.

"Arrivals for the 1st #G20India Foreign Ministers' Meeting have begun! Welcoming FM Mauro Vieira of Brazil, FM Alan Ganoo of Mauritius and @ILO G20 Sherpa Richard Marc Samans to New Delhi for the G20 FMM to be held on 1-2 Mar 2023. Ministers will also attend #RaisinaDialogue2023," the MEA spokesperson tweeted.

The G20 Foreign Ministers Meeting (FMM) is scheduled to take place in physical format from March 1-2, 2023 in New Delhi under India's presidency.

In all, representatives of 40 countries, including non-G20 members invited by India, and multilateral organisations will attend.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to address the foreign ministers of the member countries of G20 and he will talk about India's growing influence globally.

The Foreign Ministers meeting is one of the most significant G20 meetings.

With India holding the chair, countries are looking to India to bring economic stability, especially at a time when there is a lack of success from multilateral bodies like the UN and UNSC whose job is to maintain peace and security. Barely a one-day plus meeting, the FMM will have a packed agenda. Though a joint photo op involving all the foreign ministers is unlikely, several discussions will be held on March 2. (ANI)
Russian Foreign Ministry on Tuesday said that the country's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and India's External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will touch on a number of regional topics, including "developments in Ukraine" at the G20 Foreign Ministers meeting. Lavrov and Jaishankar will discuss ways to further advance cooperation in key areas, as well as coordinate the schedule of upcoming contacts. The main thematic blocks include trade, investment, transport and logistics cooperation, the use of national currencies in mutual settlements, and promising projects in the energy sector, the Russian Foreign Ministry statement read. "The ministers will exchange views on topical international matters, including interaction under India's SCO chairmanship and G20 presidency, as well as coordination of approaches in the UN, BRICS and RIC. They will also touch on a number of regional topics, including the creation of security architecture in the Asia-Pacific region, the current state of Afghanistan, and developments in Ukraine," it added. Russia supports India's G20 presidency in its commitment to promote a unifying agenda that will restore confidence in multilateral diplomacy and prevent the fragmentation of the global economy, as per the statement. "We share the relevance of India's stated priorities: ensuring inclusive and sustainable economic growth; accelerating progress towards the achievement of sustainable development goals; reforming multilateral institutions; digital modernisation; and increasing women's economic engagement," the statement read. Russia is active on all G20 ministerial tracks, supports India's effort to improve working mechanisms and create specialised processes to respond to natural disasters and launch start-ups. Russia is also ready to make a significant contribution to making progress in all these areas. "We aim to work together with our Indian colleagues to achieve the desired result, showing the greatest possible flexibility," it said. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Tuesday arrived in India for the G20 Foreign Ministers' Meeting (G20 FMM). Lavrov will also attend Raisina Dialogue 2023. "Welcome to India! FM Sergey Lavrov of Russia @mfa_russia and @UNDESA Under Secretary General Li Junhua arrive in New Delhi for #G20FMM. FM Lavrov will also attend #Raisina2023," Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Arindam Bagchi tweeted on Tuesday. The upcoming event's theme is 'One Earth, One Family, One Future'. During the event, Lavrov will meet his Indian Counterpart S Jaishankar. Russia considers the G20 a prestigious forum for the world's leading economies, a significant discussion platform on global governance, where balanced consensus decisions should be made in the interests of all humankind. Its participants account for about 80 per cent of global GDP, international trade, and greenhouse gas emissions, as well as two-thirds of the world's population, according to the Russian Foreign Ministry. The statement said that the importance and role of the foreign ministers' meetings in G20 activities is steadily growing. This format was launched in 2012. The key goal is to exchange views on current international issues and challenges. The meeting this year will be concentrated on multilateralism, energy and food security, and international development. The agenda also includes counterterrorism, labour resources, humanitarian assistance and reduction of the impacts of natural disasters. "During the regular foreign ministers' meeting, we intend to firmly and openly talk about the reasons and instigators of the current serious problems in world politics and the global economy. We will focus on the attempts by the West to take revenge for the inevitable disappearance of the levers of dominance from its hands. We will also concentrate on its striving to continue receiving unilateral rent, in part, through unequal trade and violent interference in the affairs of sovereign states," the ministry said. We are set to clearly state Russia's assessments of the current security, energy and food situation. We will present an unbiased factual picture of the act of terrorism, the bombing of the Nord Stream gas pipeline in the EU and NATO zone of responsibility, and the illegal seizing of Russian humanitarian fertiliser shipments designated for African and other needy countries, according to the official statement. The Russian Foreign Ministery said it welcomes the initiative of the Indian Presidency on organising a special G20 pavilion at the International Book Fair (February 25-March 5 of this year) in New Delhi and that Russia plans to hold an exhibition at the Fair on the commonality of world outlooks and the mutual influence of Leo Tolstoy (195th birth anniversary) and Mahatma Gandhi (75th anniversary of this tragic death). (ANI)
Russian Foreign Ministry on Tuesday said that the country's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and India's External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will touch on a number of regional topics, including "developments in Ukraine" during Lavrov's visit to India for the G20. "As part of the visit's bilateral events, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar will discuss ways to further advance cooperation in key areas, as well as coordinate the schedule of upcoming contacts. The main thematic blocks include trade, investment, transport and logistics cooperation, the use of national currencies in mutual settlements, and promising projects in the energy sector. "The ministers will exchange views on topical international matters, including interaction under India's SCO chairmanship and G20 presidency, as well as coordination of approaches in the UN, BRICS and RIC. They will also touch on a number of regional topics, including the creation of security architecture in the Asia-Pacific region, the current state of Afghanistan, and developments in Ukraine," it added. Russia supports India's G20 presidency in its commitment to promote a unifying agenda that will restore confidence in multilateral diplomacy and prevent the fragmentation of the global economy, as per the statement. "We share the relevance of India's stated priorities: ensuring inclusive and sustainable economic growth; accelerating progress towards the achievement of sustainable development goals; reforming multilateral institutions; digital modernisation; and increasing women's economic engagement," the statement read. Russia is active on all G20 ministerial tracks, supports India's effort to improve working mechanisms and create specialised processes to respond to natural disasters and launch start-ups. Russia is also ready to make a significant contribution to making progress in all these areas. "We aim to work together with our Indian colleagues to achieve the desired result, showing the greatest possible flexibility," it said. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Tuesday arrived in India for the G20 Foreign Ministers' Meeting (G20 FMM). Lavrov will also attend Raisina Dialogue 2023. "Welcome to India! FM Sergey Lavrov of Russia @mfa_russia and @UNDESA Under Secretary General Li Junhua arrive in New Delhi for #G20FMM. FM Lavrov will also attend #Raisina2023," Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Arindam Bagchi tweeted on Tuesday. The upcoming event's theme is 'One Earth, One Family, One Future'. During the event, Lavrov will meet his Indian Counterpart S Jaishankar. Russia considers the G20 a prestigious forum for the world's leading economies, a significant discussion platform on global governance, where balanced consensus decisions should be made in the interests of all humankind. Its participants account for about 80 per cent of global GDP, international trade, and greenhouse gas emissions, as well as two-thirds of the world's population, according to the Russian Foreign Ministry. The statement said that the importance and role of the foreign ministers' meetings in G20 activities is steadily growing. This format was launched in 2012. The key goal is to exchange views on current international issues and challenges. The meeting this year will be concentrated on multilateralism, energy and food security, and international development. The agenda also includes counterterrorism, labour resources, humanitarian assistance and reduction of the impacts of natural disasters. "During the regular foreign ministers' meeting, we intend to firmly and openly talk about the reasons and instigators of the current serious problems in world politics and the global economy. We will focus on the attempts by the West to take revenge for the inevitable disappearance of the levers of dominance from its hands. We will also concentrate on its striving to continue receiving unilateral rent, in part, through unequal trade and violent interference in the affairs of sovereign states," the ministry said. We are set to clearly state Russia's assessments of the current security, energy and food situation. We will present an unbiased factual picture of the act of terrorism, the bombing of the Nord Stream gas pipeline in the EU and NATO zone of responsibility, and the illegal seizing of Russian humanitarian fertiliser shipments designated for African and other needy countries, according to the official statement. The Russian Foreign Ministery said it welcomes the initiative of the Indian Presidency on organising a special G20 pavilion at the International Book Fair (February 25-March 5 of this year) in New Delhi and that Russia plans to hold an exhibition at the Fair on the commonality of world outlooks and the mutual influence of Leo Tolstoy (195th birth anniversary) and Mahatma Gandhi (75th anniversary of this tragic death). (ANI)
Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Mariusz Blaszczak said at the signing ceremony that the first four Borsuk (Polish for "badger") IFVs will be delivered by the end of the year. They will gradually replace the Soviet-era BWP-1 IFVs, Xinhua news agency reported.

"I hope that the Polish armed forces will be equipped with new IFVs very soon," Blaszczak said, adding, "The time of the IFVs that the Polish armed forces have been using so far are over, now it's time for the Borsuk IFV era."

Alongside the IFVs, the contract also covers reconnaissance, command, medevac, technical support and contamination detection vehicles.

Since 2022, Poland has already signed huge contracts for firearms and howitzers with domestic producers as well as with the US dealers for Abrams tanks and HIMARS rocket systems, and with South Korea for tanks, howitzers and light fighter jets.

In July last year, Blaszczak had said his country aimed to build the strongest ground forces among all the NATO members in Europe.

--IANS int/arm

( 214 Words)

2023-02-28-22:24:03 (IANS)
Atlanta police are currently investigating a deadly shooting near the Atlanta University Center.

Police say the shooting happened behind the LYKE Catholic House on Beckwith Street near the university center just before 1:45 p.m.

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Officers have confirmed to Channel 2 Action News that a 20-year-old man was found dead from an apparent gunshot wound.

Clark Atlanta University officials identified the victim as Jatonne Sterling, a sophomore from Chicago who played for CAUs baseball team.

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Investigators do not believe the shooting was random. They say some kind of dispute led up to the shooting, but say the shooter is still on the run.

Detectives are still looking through surveillance footage and interviewing neighbors.

The Atlanta University Center is made up of three of Atlantas most prominent Historically Black Colleges and Universities: Clark Atlanta University, Morehouse College and Spelman College.

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A 10-year-old Waccamaw Intermediate School student was charged Tuesday with making student threats.

The Georgetown County Sheriffs Office charged the student, who was detained until being released to his parents, according to a statement Tuesday afternoon.

The school resource officer and a sheriffs office investigator were notified of the threats.

A male student allegedly made threats to three female and one male student at the Pawleys Island school, according to a police report. The report did not say what type of threats were made.

No weapons were found at the school, which is operating under normal conditions. No students or staff were in danger, according to the statement.
"All Boys Aren't Blue" and "The Color Purple" MacMillan / Penguin Random House

In 2021, debates against the academic framework of critical race theory opened the door for a series of book bans.

Award-winning literature like "The 1619 Project" and "The Hate You Give" have been banned in parts of the country.

Here are 12 books by Black authors that are banned for writing about race, sexuality, and police brutality.

Banning books is not a new phenomenon. But more recently, in 2021, debates against the academic framework of critical race theory opened the door for a series of book bans. From state and local school districts banning award-winning literature like "The 1619 Project" and "The Hate You Give" to a plethora of bills and legislation controlling the means in which school districts can discuss race with students, there have been numerous recent efforts to restrict the free speech of Black authors and educators. Just this January, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis' administration rejected The College Board's new African American History Advanced Placement curriculum. The final curriculum released in February censored themes of Black queerness and Black feminism, along with several other topics tied to race and identity.

While banning books does not make them illegal, it does make them harder to find at your local bookstore or school library. Below are 12 highly-acclaimed banned and challenged books by Black authors for readers of all ages.

"The Hate U Give" by Angie Thomas

The Hate U Give Harper Collins

This highly-raved novel, which sat atop The New York Times bestseller list for 50 weeks and was adapted into a highly successful film, follows the story of 16-year-old Starr Carter, who navigates being a young Black girl going back and forth between two very different worlds.

Living in a predominantly Black, low-income neighborhood while attending a predominantly white suburban prep school, Carter finds herself questioning her friendships and exploring her identity after witnessing the fatal police shooting of her childhood best friend Khalil. When tasked with sharing her testimony of what took place during the tragic encounter, Carter battles between standing up for her community and protecting her peace. Addressing issues of racism and police violence, "The Hate U Give" is a timely response to the positive and transformative efforts of the Black Lives Matter movement. Quickly after its debut, the book was banned by school officials in Katy, Texas, for "inappropriate language."

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"Monday's Not Coming" by Tiffany D. Jackson

Monday's Not Coming Harper Collins

"Monday's Not Coming" is a mystery novel about one teenage girl's disappearance and her best friend's willingness to solve her case. The story sheds light on the very real issue of missing Black girls and women in America and of the lack of media coverage and police involvement with such cases, while providing an entertaining and thought-provoking storyline that keeps readers engaged. Loudoun County School District parents organized to have the book banned for mentions of sexual abuse and violence.

"All Boys Aren't Blue" by George M. Johnson

All Boys Aren't Blue Macmillan

In this young adult nonfiction "memoir-manifesto," journalist and LGBTQ activist George M. Johnson explores his youth as a queer Black man growing up in New Jersey and Virginia. This collection of essays provides teenagers with the tools to become better allies to queer folk, while also providing representation for the experiences of young Black queer men.

Diving into topics such as gender identity, toxic masculinity, structural marginalization, consent, and Black joy, "All Boys Aren't Blue" is a call to action and cultural critique worth reading. The book has several notable accolades, including being a New York Times Bestseller, a New York Library Best Book of 2020, and People Magazine Best Book of the Summer. As of November 2021, school libraries across eight states labeled the book as pornographic and issued a ban the book for its mentions of consensual sex and sexual abuse.

"Ghost Boys" by Jewell Parker Rhodes

Ghost Boys Little Brown

Released in 2018, "Ghost Boy" is a young adult novel following the story of 12-year-old Jerome, a Black boy who is shot and killed by a police officer who mistakes his toy gun for a real firearm. Jerome returns to his crime scene as a ghost, and witnesses the pain and turmoil his family and community are suffering from because of his unjust murder.

During his visit, Jerome befriends the ghost of Emmitt Till, a 14-year-old Black boy who was brutally murdered in 1955. Together, the two take on a journey of racial reckoning that explores the ways in which history repeats itself. Various school districts across America have banned the book for its portrayal of police brutality. Additionally, a Florida police union labeled the story as "propaganda that pushes an inaccurate and absurd stereotype of police officers in America" and has led to a local school district banning the book.

"The Stars and the Blackness Between Them" by Junauda Petrus

The Stars and the Blackness Between Them Penguin Random House

Sixteen-year-old Mabel and Audre fall in love when the universe unexpectedly brings them together in Minneapolis, Minnesota. As two Black girls from extremely different parts of the world  America and Trinidad, both are exploring their sexuality and what it means to be queer in a conservative environment. With explorations of race, sexuality, and love, "The Stars and the Blackness Between Them" is a Coretta Scott King Honor Book and among 850 other titles that Republican State Representative Matt Krause proposed for banning in schools across Texas.

"All American Boys" by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely

All American Boys Simon & Schuster

"All American Boys" follows the story of two teenage boys  one black, one white  who struggle to deal with the repercussions of a mistaken shoplifting case. When Rashad is brutalized by a cop, who is also the caretaker of the only witness, Quinn, civil unrest takes over the community.

Finding out what really went down in the bodega that Paul was purchasing a bag of chips from results in the entire city feeling divided. The book is a Coretta Scott King Honor Awardwinning novel, a New York Times Best Seller, and recipient of the Walter Dean Myers Award for Outstanding Children's Literature. It's been challenged by the Fraternal Order of Police in Charleston County, South Carolina, who claim the book encourages mistrust of the police.

"The Color Purple" by Alice Walker

The Color Purple Penguin Random House

This popular story follows sisters Celie and Nettie who are determined to maintain their relationship after being separated during childhood. It was adapted into a highly-praised film in 1985 and has won both the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award. Despite its high recognition, the novel is constantly challenged for "language and explicit content" and has been banned by Texas prisons for its "sexual and racial content."

"Stamped: Racism, Antiracism and You" by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi

Stamped: Racism, Antiracism and You Little Brown

In this award-winning book on racism and antiracism in America, author duo Ibram X. Kendi and Jason Reynolds shine a light on the racist ideology infiltrating our society and provide readers with tools to identify and stamp out the racist thoughts that creep into their daily lives. The book has been challenged across school districts for vulgar language and discussions of race.

"The Bluest Eye" by Toni Morrison

The Bluest Eye Penguin Random House

From the acclaimed Nobel Prize winner, "The Bluest Eye" explores society's obsession with beauty and conformity through the lens of race, class, and gender. Following the story of Pecola Breedlove  an 11-year-old Black girl who prays that her eyes will turn blue, this national bestseller is a timeless examination of what it means to grow up Black in America. Along with "The Bluest Eye," Morrison's books, including "Song of Solomon" (1977) and "Beloved" (1982), have been frequently challenged or banned for their graphic content.

"Hood Feminism" by Mikki Kendall

Hood Feminism Penguin Random House

In this collection of essays, author Mikki Kendall explores feminism through the lens of Blackness while also shedding light on the ways in which white feminism and mainstream feminism do not often prioritize intersectionality. A New York Times Best Seller, "Hood Feminism" draws attention to the issues grappling our nation, such as food insecurity, access to quality education, safe neighborhoods, a living wage, and medical care. It is one of the many Black-authored books that has been pulled from Texas school libraries to censor discussions of race and sexuality.

"Class Act" by Jerry Craft

Class Act Harper Collins

"Class Act" is a graphic novel by Jerry Craft that follows eighth-grader Drew Ellis as he navigates being one of the few kids of color at his predominantly white private school. When he realizes he is receiving less opportunities but working harder than most of his privileged peers, one of them being his best friend, he begins to withdraw from his friend group. The book has received much praise, including the 2020 Newbery Medal, the Coretta Scott King Author Award, and the Kirkus Prize. Along with Craft's first book, "The New Kid", "Class Act" has been banned as part of efforts to stamp out "critical race theory" in schools.

"The 1619 Project" by Nikole Hannah-Jones

The 1619 Project Penguin Random House

In late 1619, a ship carrying a cargo of 20 to 30 enslaved people from Africa arrived in the British colony of Virginia. From that day forward, the system of American chattel slavery lasted for the next 250 years, and still defines the systems in which America operates today. A winner of several honors, including being a #1 New York Times Bestseller, receiving an NAACP Image Award, and being the finalist for the Kirkus Prize, "The 1619 Project" is a collection of essays, poems and works of fiction that shed light on our country's relationship with oppression, struggle, and resistance. The book has been banned by the Florida State Board of Education in part to remove the education of "critical race theory" in schools.

Read the original article on Insider
In this article, we will be looking at the 13 countries that produce the best hackers. To skip our detailed analysis of the cybersecurity market, go directly and see 5 Countries that Produce the Best Hackers.

According to a report by Cybersecurity Ventures, the yearly cost of cybercrime to the global economy is predicted to rise from $3 trillion in 2015 to over $10.5 trillion by 2025. This indicates that if cybercrime were a country, it would be the worlds third-largest economy after the United States and China. The ongoing digitization of society, behavioral modifications brought on by the global Covid-19 pandemic, political unrest like the conflict in Ukraine, and the global economic slump are major drivers of this rise.

According to the World Economic Forums Global Cybersecurity Outlook 2023, the risk of catastrophic cyberattacks is soaring. 86% of corporate leaders and over 93% of cybersecurity specialists foresee a major, catastrophic cyber disaster over the next two years. The WEF report states that the unpredictable nature of cybercrime is of particular concern. This is a result of technology getting increasingly sophisticated, especially cutting-edge technologies like artificial intelligence.

Governments and businesses worldwide are constantly on guard against the growing number of cyber-attacks. Businesses are becoming more concerned about the security of their data as they shift their digital assets to cloud platforms. Moreover, the government, manufacturing, and healthcare sectors have all seen a significant expansion of security services, consequently enhancing market trends for cyber security sector.

In 2021, the cyber security industry generated a return on investment (ROI) of over US$ 139 billion, according to an industry analysis report by Zion Market Research. Earnings are expected to reach almost US$ 210 billion in this niche, registering a compound annual growth rate of 10.1%. A Grand View Research analysis estimates that the worldwide cybersecurity market was worth $184.93 billion in 2021. The industry is anticipated to reach a value of $202.72 billion in 2022 and expand at a compound annual growth rate of 12% from 2022 to 2030, reaching a value of $500.70 billion at the conclusion of the predicted period.

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The defense and healthcare sectors held the largest market and revenue shares in the worldwide cybersecurity market in 2021, respectively. Regarding market share by region in 2021, North America was in the lead, followed by Europe. The intricacy of sophisticated threats and implementation concerns with the adoption of cyber security solutions, however, are expected to limit the market's growth. Unauthorized access to computer networks is one of the major threats facing the cyber world today.

With the ever-growing digitalization of everyday aspects of common life, ensuring the security and privacy of data has become a serious challenge. Skilled individuals in information technology, known to the world as hackers, can identify and exploit the loopholes in cybersecurity systems to gain access to networks and devices. Once access is granted, the hacker is able to steal, modify, or corrupt sensitive information, which can then be used to disrupt, damage, or hold the digital systems hostage. More and more systems being digitalized have only expanded the vulnerability of cyberspace to nationwide infrastructures such as power grids and water sources.

Governments all over the world have been using hacking as a mighty tool to gain intelligence for multiple years now. It has been observed that countries with the most advanced technology and digitally connected infrastructure produce the best hackers. China and USA are clear examples of digitally advanced nations which both deploy tools and specialists for intelligence gathering, and for the protection of their national interests. Ease of access to the internet and computer systems also plays a significant role in the development of cyber specialists in a country.

Hackers are generally classified into three main categories: white hat hackers, black hat hackers, and gray hat hackers. Furthermore, based on their ideology and work, hackers are further classified as bounty hunters, script kiddies, state-sponsored hackers, hacktivists, insider threats, cyber-terrorists, etc.

Ethical hackers, also known as white hat hackers, are individuals or teams who use their hacking skills for legal and authorized penetration, testing, and vulnerability assessments, to identify and mitigate potential security threats in organizations' networks and systems. The demand for ethical hackers has grown significantly in recent years as organizations have become increasingly aware of the potential threats. One of the main reasons for the rise in demand is the growing number of cyber-attacks. Additionally, the increasing complexity of technology and regulatory compliance requirements have also played a role in the rise of demand for ethical hackers.

Black hat hackers are individuals who break into cyber systems and networks with malicious intent. They have digital tools at their command which can be used to release malware and ransomware, which is later used to destroy data, and steal passwords, credit card details, and personal information. Black hat hackers are growing at an exponential rate. The dark web, which is part of the internet deliberately hidden from search engines, is home to criminal enterprises specializing in hacking tools and services. These enterprises, in some cases, act as legitimate business sources and even offer licenses to operate in certain regions and offer customer services as well as warranties.

Gray hat hackers operate between white hat and black hat hacking boundaries. They may not have malicious intent, but they may use their skills to gain unauthorized access to computer systems and networks. They may also disclose vulnerabilities they find to the public or sell them to third parties. Some gray hat hackers may act as vigilantes, identifying and exploiting vulnerabilities to expose security weaknesses in systems or networks and then contacting the owner to help in fixing the problem.

According to a report by KnowledgeHut, over 3.5 million cyber security roles were expected to be filled by 2022 in the world in response to these threats. In the first two months of 2022, there was a significant increase in reported cybercrimes with a total of 212,485 cases, which is higher than the number of cybercrimes reported in the entire year of 2018. The pandemic also contributed to this rise, with the number of reported cybercrimes increasing from 394,499 in 2019, to 1,158,208 in 2020 and 1,402,809 in 2021. Please check out our article on the best cybersecurity stocks to buy to see which companies are likely to benefit from the recent trends.

Our Methodology

For this article, we looked at the International Telecommunications Unions Global Cybersecurity Index of 2020, a reliable resource that measures the commitment of countries to cybersecurity at a global level. In order to ascertain the countries that produce the best hackers, we only shortlisted countries which ranked in the upper two deciles of the report. We then cross-referenced the resultant list with Belfer Centers National Cyber Power Index for 2022 and The MIT Technology Review Insights Cyber Defense Index 2022/23. After that, we averaged out the rankings to derive an average score for each country. For example, since United Kingdom ranks 2nd in Global Cybersecurity Index, 4th in the NCPI, and 7th in the CDI, its average score for the purpose of this article is 4.3. After replicating the process for every country, we chose the top 13 countries based on their average score and ranked them from lowest to highest. China features on the list at the 13th place because it was not in the upper two deciles of the Global Cybersecurity Index.

13 Countries That Produce The Best Hackers

welcomia/Shutterstock.com

Countries That Produce The Best Hackers

13. China

ITU GCI Ranking: 33

BCNCPI Ranking: 2

MTRICDI Ranking: 12

Average Score: 15.6

China registered 12.9 million breaches in 2021, a significant improvement over the US (212.4 million), Iran (156.1 million), and India (86.6 million) in terms of digital security.

The size of the Chinese cybersecurity market was $8.64 billion in 2021, up $1.3 billion or 17% from 2020. Cybersecurity market revenue in China will reach $14.05 billion in 2022, with cyber solutions accounting for the largest market sector. The growth of the nation's cybersecurity market has been accelerated by industry modernization and policy compliance.

12. United Arab Emirates

ITU GCI Ranking: 5

BCNCPI Ranking: 31

MTRICDI Ranking: 21

Average Score: 19

United Arab Emirates (UAE) has been a major target for cybercriminals. The country's booming economy, tourism industry, extensive use of technology, and expansion of the oil and gas industry are the reasons for this. According to a report released by Acronis, UAE organizations lost over $1.4 million in ransomware in 2022. In addition, the report found that risks from phishing and malicious emails have increased by 60%. It is anticipated that by the end of 2023, the average cost of a data breach will surpass $5 million. The UAE Cyber Security Council announced the adoption of strict cybersecurity guidelines to protect the nation's digital environment in response to this alarming trend.

11. Lithuania

ITU GCI Ranking: 6

BCNCPI Ranking: 29

MTRICDI Ranking: 21

Average Score: 18.7

Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the number of cyber-attacks in Lithuania rose considerably. Compared to the 981 attacks the year before, Lithuania saw 1,020 cyber-attacks in the first quarter of 2022.

Considering Lithuania's population, the nation experiences 55,000 cyber incidents annually, or about 150 incidences each day. In August 2018, Lithuania formally established a national cybersecurity policy to defend cyberspace against attacks for both the public and private sectors.

10. Malaysia

ITU GCI Ranking: 5

BCNCPI Ranking: 28

MTRICDI Ranking: 21

Average Score: 18

In Malaysia, cybersecurity continues to be a major concern. Many firms are exposed to cyberthreats like malware, phishing, and ransomware because they lack effective cybersecurity protections.

The personal information of 22.5 million people, including their full names, ID numbers, residential addresses, and contact information, were stolen from government systems and sold on the dark web for $10,000 last year.

In order to improve the nation's digital security environment, the Malaysian Finance Minister suggested allocating $16 million to CyberSecurity Malaysia (CSM) in the 2023 budget meeting.

9. Estonia

ITU GCI Ranking: 3

BCNCPI Ranking: 25

MTRICDI Ranking: 21

Average Score: 16.3

Currently, Estonia is known as one of the most heavily digitalized societies in the world, particularly in terms of e-identity and public digital infrastructure. Because of its reliance on digital services, it is therefore more exposed to cyber-attacks.

Compared to 55,635 in 2020, 73,826 automated security vulnerability notifications were received in 2021. Denial-of-Service attacks held the top spot with 47 incidents out of the 2,237 incidents that had an impact in 2021, followed closely by data leaks with 43 incidents. Moreover, there were 30 documented ransomware-related incidences. With 775 occurrences reported, up from 711 in 2020, phishing had the largest number of incidents.

8. Singapore

ITU GCI Ranking: 4

BCNCPI Ranking: 17

MTRICDI Ranking: 21

Average Score: 14

Companies in Singapore are struggling to keep up with the rapid evolution of the cybersecurity threat landscape. A report by the cybersecurity firm Sophos revealed that 65% of Singapore organizations were hit by ransomware attacks in 2021, up 25% from the previous year. Organizations in Singapore spent an average of $1.9 million in 2021 to recover from the most recent ransomware attack.

GlobalData projects that Singapore's total addressable market for IT security will increase at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9.8% between 2020 and 2025. The country's IT security sector is expanding as result of the government's support for building a strong cybersecurity ecosystem. In addition, Singapore established a $37.2 million program in July 2021 for cybersecurity and artificial intelligence (AI) research.

7. Saudi Arabia

ITU GCI Ranking: 2

BCNCPI Ranking: 21

MTRICDI Ranking: 15

Average Score: 12.7

The information and communication technology (ICT) market in Saudi Arabia is the largest in the Middle East, and it is continually expanding. Given its economic and political standing, the country has recently seen a number of cyber-attacks. Over 7 million cyberattacks were reported in the first three months of 2021.

Given that the government has prioritized cyber security as a strategic problem, businesses are investing in new technologies to defend themselves against cyber-attacks.

6. Spain

ITU GCI Ranking: 4

BCNCPI Ranking: 15

MTRICDI Ranking: 14

Average Score: 11

There is a cyber security vulnerability in Spain that puts thousands of businesses in danger. According to recent ObservaCIBER findings, one in six Spanish firms have experienced cybersecurity issues. The country has faced approximately 150,000 cyber-attacks since the Covid-19 outbreak began.

Click to continue reading and see the 5 Countries That Produce The Best Hackers.

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Disclosure. None. 13 Countries That Produce the Best Hackers is originally published on Insider Monkey.
Two men are now behind bars after allegedly being involved in a child pornography trade.

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The Georgia Bureau of Investigation and the Georgia Internet Crimes Against Childrens Task Force began two separate investigations into internet usage for two men.

Last week, law officials conducted two search warrants for Joseph Carter, 19, of The Rock, Georgia, and Joseph Robinson, 39, of Thomaston after receiving tips.

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The GBI said that investigators inspected numerous electronic devices during the searches resulting in both Carter and Robinson being arrested.

Authorities said the investigations are part of an ongoing effort to identify individuals involved in the child pornography trade.

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Carter is charged with six counts of sexual exploitation of children, three possession of child sexual abuse material, and three counts of distribution.

Robinson is charged with six counts of sexual exploitation of children, three counts of possession, and three counts of distribution.

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An Alabama father faces a murder charge after leaving his 2-year-old child alone in a car for several hours, authorities said.

Shawn Rounsavall, 52, was arrested and charged with reckless murder in the toddlers death on Feb. 27, according to the Atmore Police Department. The child was rushed to a hospital where they died.

Officers learned Rounsavall was supposed to drop the child off at day care earlier that morning, police wrote in a news release. He went to the day care to retrieve the toddler in the afternoon and was told the child had never been dropped off.

The father then discovered the child in the backseat of the vehicle and rushed to the hospital, the release states.

Authorities havent released additional information about the incident.

Its unclear where Rounsavalls car had been that day, but temperatures in Atmore reached 83 degrees on Monday, according to AccuWeather. The low was 62 degrees.

Rounsavall remained in the Escambia County Detention Center without bond as of Feb. 28, online records show.

Atmore is about 50 miles northeast of Mobile.

Missing teen girl was found dead. Now, her mom faces charges in North Carolina

Toddler had battery in throat for 5 weeks, parents say. Now hes trying to eat again

12-year-old girl assaulted by moms boyfriend after he kills 3 at Texas home, cops say
Demand for industrial and logistics warehouse space is driving an increase in megawarehouses, according to a CBRE report analyzing the 100 largest leases in the industrial real estate sector.

The 100 largest industrial lease transactions last year included a record 63 deals for 1 million square feet or more  up from 57 in 2021.

Despite an expected recession, the leasing of megafacilities is expected to remain solid this year as many occupiers continue to build out their e-commerce operations and sustain their inventory levels, said John Morris, president of Americas Industrial & Logistics for CBRE. Strong demand for megawarehousing centers is expected to continue in 2023, and a large number of construction completions will provide more opportunities for expansion.

Traditional retailers and wholesalers accounted for 53 of the top 100 megaleases. The businesses are expanding their footprints to accommodate e-commerce growth and to hold more inventory to guard against supply chain disruptions.

Third-party logistics operators took second place, signing 18 of the top leases, up from 10 in 2021. E-commerce companies followed closely behind with 14 of the top 100, down from 21 in 2021.

The smallest lease in the top 100 was for 760,000 square feet.

The top markets for megaleases include mainstays like the Inland Empire, California, Chicago and Atlanta as well as growing markets such as Dallas-Fort Worth, Phoenix and Columbus, Ohio.

An increase in construction will provide more opportunities for expansion, particularly in markets with the highest rates of speculative developments such as Dallas-Fort Worth, Atlanta, the Inland Empire, Phoenix and Indianapolis.

The U.S. industrial market saw record new deliveries in 2022, with 450 million square feet of space hitting the market by the end of the year and another 713 million square feet under construction, according to Commercial Edges January industrial report.

Even so, the pace was not enough to keep up with demand, and the average vacancy rate for the top 30 markets decreased to 3.9%. That pushed the national average rents up to $7.03 per square foot, an increase of 6.3% year over year as demand outpaced supply.

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This article 2022 Sets Record For 1 Million-Square-Foot Industrial Leases originally appeared on Benzinga.com

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 2023 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
2023 Case Centre Awards: Huge Variety Of Topics, But The Covid Factor Remains

Winners of the Case Centres 33rd global Awards and Competitions were announced Monday, February 27

Last year, cases receiving top honors from the annual Case Centres Awards and Competitions focused, understandably, on how companies were affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. The awards this year, for which the winners were announced February 27, widen the spotlight to include not only ongoing pandemic fallout but a wide variety of issues representing much of the diverse and ever-changing landscape the business world is dealing with today.

The Case Centres 35 winners represented 24 organizations from nine different countries. Cases covered digital transformation, supply chains, disruptive modeling and issues of diversity and inclusion in relation to popular brands your average consumer is acquainted with like Nike, IKEA, Starbucks, Dominos.

But Covid-19 is still with us, and still a dominating factor in global business  a fact reflected by the overall case winner award which went to material on Covid-related strategies. Hadiya Faheem and Debapratim Purkayasthas case Dominos Pizza: Business Continuity Strategy During the COVID-19 Pandemic for ICFAI Business School in Hyderabad, India took home the top honor. Faheem, alongside author Sanjib Dutta, won another award in the category of Knowledge, Information and Communication Systems Management for a case entailing another familiar brand, Digital Transformation at Starbucks.

NEW TALENT CONTINUES TO DOMINATE THE AWARDS

The Case Centre awards annually in 11 categories to writers and teachers across the globe, as well as hosts six competitions, aiming to recognize the work both by organizations and educators to bring the latest business topics to classrooms.

Harvard Business School (HBS) took home top prizes in three categories. China Europe International Business School won two separate competitions, the Outstanding Case Writer and Outstanding Case Writer: Hot Topic, which focused on business, social media and society. INSEAD won in the Marketing category and Copenhagen Business School won the Free Case category for the third time.

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Eighty percent of this years case winners included at least one female educator. Natasha Katula Mwila was awarded Outstanding Case Teacher. Gina Vega won Outstanding Contribution to the Case Method. And in 2023, a Case Centre news release writes, many of the cases followed an increasing number of female protagonists, whereas the majority of protagonist characters usually are men.

2023 Case Centre Awards: Huge Variety Of Topics, But The Covid Factor Remains

Natasha Katuta Mwila (De Montfort University) was named Outstanding Case Teacher for her widely acknowledged and admired, innovative and engaged case teaching

Two of the solely single-author case winners  in the Economics, Politics and Business Environment and Entrepreneurship categories  were women. Additionally, new talent emerged in the awards  30 of the 35 winners The Case Centre named won for the first time.

TAKEAWAYS FROM WINNING CASES

Faheem and Purkayasthas case remarked on the American pizza giants ability to distribute its services productively during the COVID-19 pandemic using contactless delivery.

Now, as it appears this form of delivery is here to stay, Faheem and Purkayasthas case asks: Whats next for Dominos? Dominos wasnt without faults during the pandemic, the case notes, many employees felt at risk when people were asked to stay indoors, and several incidents of a dissatisfactory work environment later came to light.

Purkayastha, who passed away from COVID-19 in May 2021, told The Case Centre the case is a model for business continuity.

The key takeaway from this case is how Dominos banked on its core competencies and strategies capabilities to weather the public health crisis with limited disruption to its operations, he says.

The case discusses other initiatives led by Dominos that included Indian customers being able to order groceries from its app. ICFAI Business School is located in Hyderabad, India.

Not only did it have to adapt its business model, but also balance the need for providing services to customers, as well as keeping its employees and customers safe, he says.

A case authored by Kasra Ferdows of Georgetown Universitys McDonough School of Business and Jan Olhager of Lund University inspected implications for IKEAs move to online retailing. In, IKEA Goes Online: Implications for Its Manufacturing, the furniture retailers vast change from its usual brick-and-mortar stores meant a large overhaul was needed to its supply chain and operations, but how?

Ferdows and Olhager both note they feel many relate to the subject based on personal experience, some may even have strong opinions about the company.

For Harvard Business School, authors Nien-he Hsieh, Michael Toffel and Olivia Hull won for their case on Nikes mission to improve working conditions at its supply factories in the B-schools second win in the Ethics and Social Responsibility category.

Our case describes Nikes decades-long journey to understand and respond to problematic working conditions in their supply chains, Toffel tells The Case Centre.

OTHER CASES THAT WON AWARDS

In the category of Economics, Politics, and Business Environment, author Suchitra Mohanty of Amity Research Centers at Amity University won for the case NFTs: The Booming World of Digital Assets.

In the category of Entrepreneurship, author Sophie Manigart of Vlerick Business School won for the case Ovinto: Preparing for a Series A Venture Capitalist Investment Round.

In the category of Finance, Accounting and Control, authors Marco Di Maggio, Benjamin Esty and Greg Saldutte of Harvard Business School won for the case Valuing Snap After the IPO Quiet Period (A).

In the category of Human Resource Mangement/Organizational Behavior, authors Michelle Mielly and Naida Culshaw of the Grenoble Ecole de Management won for the case Unpacking the Layers of Diversity & Inclusion in Multicultural Teams.

In Marketing, authors Laura Heely, Wolfgang Ulaga and Ziv Carmon of INSEAD won for the case Lemonade: Delighting Insurance Customers with AI and Behavioural Economics: A Disruptive InsurTech Business Model for Outstanding Customer Experience and Cost-effective Service Excellence.

In the category Strategy and General Management, authors Rosabeth Kanter and Nancy Hau Dai of HBS won for the case Haier: Incubating Entrepreneurs in a Chinese Giant.

In the Free Case category, authors Attila Marton and Whitney Byrn of the Copenhagen Business School won for the case LookOut: Visionary Entrepreneurship in a Digital World.

In the case competition Outstanding Compact Case, authors John Varlaro and Nicole Amos of Johnson & Wales University won for the case Alices Maternity Leave: Beneficial Leave or Left Behind?

In the case competition Outstanding New Case Writer, authors Kai Schaumann and Simon Jeurissen of University of Munster won for the case Lytt: Determining a Go-to-Market Strategy.

The post 2023 Case Centre Awards: Huge Variety Of Topics, But The Covid Factor Remains appeared first on Poets&Quants.
Three Georgia deputies are hospitalized after officials say a driver led them on a high-speed chase through several neighborhoods.

It all started Monday around 4:45 p.m. when it was reported that a white pickup up truck was traveling on Ga. state route Spur 25.

[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]

Glynn County officials said the driver, identified as Grant Billings, 34, drove over 100 mph, ran red lights, ran cars off the road, and put neighbors at risk during busy afternoon traffic.

The Glynn County Police Department reportedly began pursuing the car before backing off and letting the Glynn County Sheriffs Office take over the chase.

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Deputies said Billings continued running red lights going more than 100 mph while speeding through neighborhoods. Officials say he eventually hit three deputies cars.

Authorities said one of the deputies conducted a PIT maneuver on the truck, before reportedly ramming the truck into the median, making it come to a complete stop.

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Billings was arrested and faces multiple charges including aggravated assault, reckless driving, driving under the influence, and fleeing or attempting to elude a police officer.

The three deputies, whose names were not released, were taken to the hospital and are being treated for their injuries.

IN OTHER NEWS:
The police have blocked 18 channels and group chats that were created for promoting the Redan Private Military Company (PMC), the newly created youth movement in Ukraine.

Source: National Police of Ukraine

Details: Vasyl Bohdan, the head of the juvenile prevention department of the National Police of Ukraine, has said that the main goal of those who organised these groups is "provoking conflicts and mass brawls between teenagers".

In total, there have been about 30 youth meetings over the last two days in various regions of Ukraine. Bohdan has added that over 700 people were invited to police departments. Most of them are minors.

Juvenile policemen are conducting preventive measures with teenagers and their parents. Operative services and with the Cyber Police are establishing funding sources and administrators of these information channels.

Background: On 27 February 2023, teenagers who associated themselves with the Russian subculture called Redan PMC gathered for mass fights in Kyiv, Kharkiv, Lviv, Zhytomyr and Ivano-Frankivsk.

Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron!
Fire engulfs the Branch Davidian compound near Waco, Texas, on April 19, 1993. AP Photo/Ron Heflin

Feb. 28, 2023, marks 30 years since the beginning of the Waco siege, the confrontation at a Texas compound that killed around 80 members of the Branch Davidian religious community and four federal agents.

Part of the sieges legacy in popular culture is tied to sensational coverage that has presented the Branch Davidians as a cult. But the tragedy is also a powerful moment in political extremist groups ideologies. As scholars of domestic extremism, we have repeatedly seen how what happened at the Mount Carmel Center has been used by anti-government groups from the 1990s to today.

51 days on edge

The Branch Davidians, who believe that the apocalypse is imminent in their lifetime, are a splinter group of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Davidians believe that living prophets are given divine gifts of interpretation to lead the members of the church into preparation for the last days. David Koresh, a young man who had taken charge of the small group, claimed to be the final prophet before the end times.

Suspecting that the group was illegally stockpiling weapons, agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms  also known as the ATF  attempted to execute a search warrant at the Mount Caramel Center on Feb. 28, 1993. They hoped to arrest Koresh on suspicion of weapons violations and allegations of child abuse.

A gunfight ensued that killed four ATF agents and six Branch Davidians, leading to a 51-day siege. Law enforcement isolated the compound from the outside world, and attempts at negotiation failed.

On April 19, in an effort to end the siege, the FBI used tear gas to try to force members out of the compound. A massive fire broke out, and by the end, another 76 Branch Davidians had died, including 25 children. Some of the victims had died of gunshots.

Texas investigators search the rubble of the burned-out compound and mark body locations with small flags on April 22, 1993. J. David Ake/AFP via Getty Images

Early questions

Many Americans had watched news coverage of the siege for weeks and were horrified at the loss of life during a government operation. What had happened that last day of the siege, particularly the origins of the fire, was highly contested from the start.

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In response to criticism of the federal government, leaders such as then-President Bill Clinton emphasized Koreshs responsibility for the sieges outcome. Attorney General Janet Reno, who had approved the FBIs assault, had no responsibility in the deaths because some religious fanatics murdered themselves, Clinton said in a news conference.

In 2000, the Department of Justice released a report headed by former Missouri Sen. John Danforth that cleared the government of wrongdoing. Investigators had acknowledged that the FBI used incendiary tear gas canisters but concluded that the Branch Davidians themselves started the fire. This argument was tied to the Branch Davidians beliefs, and the idea that some may have wanted to fulfill Koreshs prophecies about the apocalypse.

Extremist legacy

However, critics dismissed the report as essentially a cover-up, and some extremists believed that federal law enforcement had deliberately murdered Branch Davidians.

This fear fed into existing conspiracy theories about a New World Order: an extremist belief that the federal government plans to destroy personal liberty and eventually confiscate firearms before merging the United States with a global government.

In the 1990s, for example, conspiracy theorist, author and short-wave radio host William Cooper regularly warned his readers and listeners of an eventual One-World Government.

Shortly after the Waco tragedy, attorney and militia member Linda D. Thompson began to widely disseminate a video called Waco: The Big Lie, through right-wing talk radio and conspiracy theorists. The video aims to convince viewers that there was a concerted effort to kill residents at the compound, and it became a powerful tool among extremists. Around the same time, unorganized militia movements took off, calling for community defense and strong Second Amendment rights to defend against an encroaching federal government.

Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols carried out the Oklahoma City Bombing on the second anniversary of the Waco fire and cited the siege as justification for their attack, which killed 168 people. McVeigh had even worn a T-shirt that said FBI  Federal Bureau of Incineration before the bombing.

The aftermath of the Oklahoma City Bombing in 1995. Robert Daemmrich Photography Inc/Sygma via Getty Images

Another conspiracy theorist who fixated on Waco is Alex Jones, the creator and host of the Infowars website. Today, he is most widely known for claiming that the deadly shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in 2012 was a government hoax performed by actors, part of a conspiracy to confiscate firearms. But he launched his programs in the 1990s and has often discussed Waco as an example of the evils of the federal government. In 2000, on the seventh anniversary of what he called the Waco holocaust, Jones welcomed visitors to a brand new Branch Davidian church on the site in Texas, and later created a video about the siege.

Extremists and Waco today

A video shown during a House Select Committee hearing to investigate the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images

Waco continues to be a rallying cry for extremism today. To cite one example, Gavin McInnes, the founder of the Proud Boys, has discussed government actions like the Waco siege as an example of government corruption and to accuse it of attacking people of faith whose politics it opposes. A former member has testified that the Proud Boys participation in the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection was driven by belief in a civil war pitting the federal government against citizens, patriots and nationalists.

What unites many of the groups influenced by Waco is a belief that the federal government is tyrannical and willing to attack citizens while depriving them of liberty, freedom and firearms. The perception of a lack of consequences for the deaths at Waco is perceived, in and of itself, as proof of extremist beliefs.

On the three-decade anniversary, as Americans reflect on the Waco tragedy, we believe it is important to remember the unfortunate loss of life  and to be vigilant against demagoguery.

This article is republished from The Conversation, an independent nonprofit news site dedicated to sharing ideas from academic experts. The Conversation has a variety of fascinating free newsletters.

It was written by: Art Jipson, University of Dayton and Paul J. Becker, University of Dayton.

Read more:



Art Jipson receives funding from The Department of Homeland Security as part of a research team for the project: "Preventing Radicalization to Extremist Violence through Education, Network-Building and Training in Southwest Ohio (PREVENTS-OH)."

Paul J. Becker receives funding from The Department of Homeland Security as part of a research team for the project: "Preventing Radicalization to Extremist Violence through Education, Network-Building and Training in Southwest Ohio (PREVENTS-OH)."
February is Black History Month, a time to acknowledge Black Americans accomplishments and recognize how we have shaped the history of the United States. Recognizing the centrality of Black people to the story of America is especially important this year, as concerted efforts are underway to deny the importance of our collective history. With that in mind, here are five instances to remember when Black people changed the very course of history in this country.

The post 5 Times Black People Changed The Course Of American History appeared first on Blavity.

Crispus Attucks became a martyr for all of America and especially for Black freedom seekers

The first martyr of the American Revolution, Crispus Attucks was a Boston-area sailor of Black and Native American origin whose life ended as the first of five sailors killed by British soldiers in a confrontation in 1770. Though few details are known about his life, his death caused outrage within the Massachusetts colony, highlighting the injustice of British rule. In addition to helping to spark the American Revolution, Attucks has remained a symbol of Black resistance throughout American history. Black freedom fighters and campaigns from Frederick Douglass to the Black Lives Matter movement have evoked the memory of Attucks to stand up for freedom.

Frederick Douglass helped secure freedom for Black people and for women

Frederick Douglass was, in his time, one of the most famous people in America and perhaps the leading voice for the abolition of slavery. His public persona, passionate oratory and compelling life story pushed the abolitionist movement to new heights. Douglass harrowing memoir, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, quickly became a best seller. During the Civil War, Douglass even showed up uninvited to the White House to personally tell off Abraham Lincoln about the treatment of Black soldiers during the war. Douglass was also a strong supporter of womens rights from the earliest stages of that movement. At the Seneca Falls Convention, considered the beginning of the womens rights movement, Douglass  one of the few men in attendance and the only Black person at the conference  passionately advocated for the campaign to push for the womens right to vote, a position that others thought too radical. Douglass side ultimately won, and the womens suffrage movement was born.

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Rosa Parks started a movement that had been a long time coming

The civil rights or Black Freedom movement had no shortage of legendary figures, from Martin Luther King Jr. to Malcolm X to Stokely Carmichael and more. But in many ways, Rosa Parks kicked off the era of civil disobedience by refusing to give up her seat on a segregated bus in Montgomery, AL, in 1955. And while Parks was a tired seamstress trying to get home that day, she was also a longtime member of the local NAACP and part of a network of local activists seeking ways to challenge segregation in the city for some time. Whether planned or spontaneous, her simple refusal to get up put her community into action. In the end, the movement she started tore down the system of segregation that attempted to put her in her place that day.

Barack Obama changed the direction of the U.S. and the world

From Jesse Jacksons campaigns in the Democratic primaries of the 1980s to fictional portrayals in movies and television shows, the United States had been considering the idea of a Black president for some time. Yet an inexperienced, multicultural politician with the name Barack Hussein Obama seemed like an unlikely candidate to achieve that accomplishment. But Obamas personal story, oratory and message of hope and change all resonated with a country tired from war, fears of terrorism and economic collapse. So Obama set about changing the course of America and realigning its relationship with the rest of the world. This agenda won him a Nobel Peace Prize, among other accolades. And though his presidency had its ups and downs, he left the country a different place than when he started and changed the expectations and dreams for the generation of Black people who grew up in a world where a Black president was not only a possibility but a reality.

Black Lives Matter continues to lead a racial reckoning across the globe

In 2013, three Black women  Patrisse Cullors, Alicia Garza, and Opal Tometi  attempted to make sense of George Zimmermans acquittal of killing Trayvon Martin. Their conversation spawned a hashtag that became a slogan and movements name: Black Lives Matter. Growing in prominence in places like Ferguson, Missouri, the movement brought national attention and local reforms to issues of police violence, particularly the killing of Black people under unjust circumstances. The campaign took on new significance after the 2020 murder of George Floyd. Black Lives Matter resurged across the U.S. and grew into a global reckoning against racism. As more atrocities like the killing of Tyre Nichols continue, BLM remains a potent force in demanding justice, accountability and reform in the U.S. and inspiring other movements worldwide.

As Nikole Hannah-Jones said in her Pulitzer Prize-winning lead essay for the 1619 Project, our peoples contributions to building the richest and most powerful nation in the world were indeliblethe United States simply would not exist without us.

These are just a few of the many ways that statement proves true, showing how Black Americans have changed our destiny and that of the country as a whole.
Authorities announced Monday that a 6-year-old boy drowned in a canal in Tamarac moments after he disappeared from a residential area over the weekend.

Deputies rushed to the 100 block of Ann Lee Lane at around 1 p.m. Saturday after receiving a call about a missing child, the Broward Sheriffs Office said in a news release. But moments later, the boy was found drowned in a nearby canal.

Deputies then pulled the victim out of the water and tried to save him before he was taken to a hospital. There he was pronounced dead, detectives say. According to BSO, foul play is not suspected.

Authorities didnt release additional information.
Lisa Edwards, 60, died of a stroke while in police custody earlier this month. z1b/Getty Images

A woman died in police custody after officers didn't believe she was ill and ignored her calls for help.

Lisa Edwards, 60, died of a stroke on February 6, the district attorney's office said.

Body camera footage shows officers scolding and mocking Edwards while she was in distress.

A wheelchair-bound 60-year-old woman died of a stroke in police custody after officers believed she was faking an illness.

Recently released body camera footage of the February 5 incident in Knoxville, Tennessee, shows several officers mocking the now-deceased Lisa Edwards even as she told them she had difficulty breathing.

The footage shows how officers swore at Edwards as she lay in distress on the ground, telling her multiple times to stop what they said was an act.

Her family now says the officers were negligent and failed to respect Edwards' basic human needs.

Edwards was taken into custody at Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center on February 5 after spending the night there, the Knoxville District Attorney's office said on Monday.

She had complained of abdominal pain and was diagnosed with constipation, and after being observed overnight was discharged at around 7 a.m., the DA's office said.

But Edwards  who needed a wheelchair because she had previously suffered a stroke  refused to leave after being discharged, and hospital security called the Knoxville Police Department, per the DA's office.

Several officers arrived and arrested Edwards for trespassing, calling for a police wagon to take her to jail.

Officers arrive on the scene

The officers are initially cordial with Edwards, holding her by her arms and guiding her to the wagon. But she could not enter the wagon fully and lay against the entrance of it, breathing heavily, body camera footage shows.

"I can't, I can't," Edwards says repeatedly in the footage.

"Ma'am, listen, you're going to have to get up there, because we're going to have to physically put you up there if not, and that's not nice, so please help us help you," one officer said, per the footage.

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Edwards, visibly struggling to breathe, then asks for an inhaler, which one of the officers digs through her purse to look for. The officers comment that they found cigarettes in her purse.

They make multiple attempts to help Edwards into the wagon, but she collapses on the floor of the passenger cabin each time.

Body camera footage shows officers mocking and swearing at Edwards

The officers then started mocking, berating, and swearing at Edwards, with one officer calling her "dead weight."

"Do you want a cigarette?" an officer asks Edwards, pulling out a pack of cigarettes, the footage shows.

Edwards eventually lies on the ground outside the wagon, and tells officers that she can't breathe and is going to have a stroke, the footage shows.

As the officers discuss how to respond to Edwards' distress, they say she is faking a condition.

"My problem with me is that, I know it's all an act," one of the officers can be heard saying.

"Well, we all know that shit," another officer responds. "But unfortunately, if she goes over and can't breathe "

"That act's going to turn into a problem," a third continues.

"She's saying she can't breathe," one officer told another. "If she falls over either way and she can't breathe, if she dies, that's on me. I'm not willing to take that risk."

'She's not responding'

The officers eventually called a police cruiser and moved Edwards into the car, where she reclined across the rear seats.

"Shut up," an officer tells Edwards as he closes the cruiser door.

Rearview camera footage of the cruiser shows Edwards wheezing and groaning as the car leaves the medical center.

The car later stops, and the driver realizes Edwards is no longer conscious. "She's not responding," he yells to the officers in the police wagon.

"I don't know if she's faking it or what, but she's not answering," the officer says. The footage does not show what happened after.

Edwards was taken back to Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center, and was placed on life support. She died the next day. Her autopsy showed that Edwards died of a stroke, meaning the DA's office will not press criminal charges against the officers.

"Specifically, Ms Edwards was not beaten by the police, she was never subdued, there was no physical struggle between law enforcement and Ms Edwards, and there was no restraint asphyxia," it said.

Four officers involved in the incident have been placed on administrative leave, a Knoxville Police Department spokesperson told CBS affiliate WLTV.

Outrage from Edwards' family

August Boylan, Edwards' daughter-in-law and a nurse, told CBS and ABC affiliate WJHL that Edwards was physically disabled due to her first stroke in 2019, but that she was mentally sound.

Edwards' slurred speech and difficulty breathing were clear signs she was suffering a stroke during the incident with police, Boylan told the outlet.

"That is not somebody working themself 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," said Boylan.

She acknowledged that the officers may not have intentionally harmed Edwards, but said they "definitely were negligent and had no respect for human life, any basic needs, anything."

Edwards' son, Tim Boylan, told the outlet he had not watched the video, but was aghast at how his mother was treated.

"If I treated someone the way they treated her, I'd be in jail right now heading to prison," he said, per WJHL. "Why are they not? I have no idea."

In a statement to Insider, Knoxville District Attorney General Charme P. Allen said: "Prosecutors are specifically prohibited from bringing charges based on passion or prejudice so while the actions of the officers are appalling, the medical examiner determined that those actions did not contribute to Mrs. Edwards' death."

The Knoxville Police Department did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

March 1, 2023: This story was updated to reflect comment from the Knoxville District Attorney General.

Read the original article on Insider
PeopleImages / Getty Images/iStockphoto

Dollar stores are a popular destination for decor and party supplies, household goods and even groceries  and you dont need to shop in person to score great values on these items and more. Many popular dollar stores allow you to make purchases via their websites, so you can save big without leaving the couch.

Tips: 11 Grocery Items To Buy at Dollar Tree

See: 3 Signs Youre Serious About Raising Your Credit Score

Heres a look at seven dollar and discount stores you can shop online.

Dollar Fanatic

Dollar Fanatic is an online-only dollar store that allows you to buy individual units  many of the other dollar stores require you to buy in bulk when shopping online. You can browse $1 and $5 deals, plus clearance items and weekly deals. Youll qualify for free shipping with a $35 purchase.

Dollar General

Dollar General offers the option to have items shipped directly to you or you can pick them up at your local store. You can also easily browse available coupons to save even more on its already low prices.

Take Our Poll: What Do You Plan To Use Your Tax Refund For?

Dollar Tree

Dollar Tree has a wide variety of items available for bulk purchases online. Browse items in a large selection of categories, including arts and crafts supplies and office and school supplies. Dollar Tree also offers same-day delivery through Instacart.

Family Dollar

Family Dollar sells brand-name items for much less than youll find elsewhere. You can buy products in bulk online, and can also get same-day delivery through Instacart.

Five Below

Five Below has a large assortment of items available to shop online. You can choose to pick up items in-store or have them shipped directly to you for a flat rate shipping fee of $7.95.

Miss A

If youre looking specifically for deals on makeup and skin care, Miss A is the online destination for you. The site sells a wide variety of products for under $2, and youll get free shipping with orders over $35.

Oriental Trading

Oriental Trading is another great place to shop for bulk supplies, though many of the items do cost more than $1. Youll qualify for free shipping on purchases above $49.

Story continues

More From GOBankingRates

This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: 7 Dollar Stores You Can Shop Online
Anxiety from a toxic boss can appear in myriad ways both big and small.

Anxiety from a toxic boss can appear in myriad ways both big and small.

A toxic boss is not just one that makes you feel bad  theyre a serious threat to your wellbeing.

One of the main ways this type of bad boss can wreck your health is by making you feel anxious all the time. Anxiety is a state of being where you are very future-focused and that future is bleak, said Tanisha Ranger, a Nevada-based clinical psychologist.

In this way, she said, a toxic boss can trigger anxieties you already had or give you new ones.

Dread, worry and fear become your constant companions at the thought of displeasing your boss. If you suspect your anxiety is related to your toxic boss, look for connections between the anxiety and your interactions with your boss, said Shannon Garcia, a psychotherapist at States of Wellness Counseling in Illinois and Wisconsin. Anxiety often manifests in our behaviors and in particular can result in avoidance of what is causing us anxiety.

Here are some of the ways that anxiety shows up in your body and thought patterns when you have a toxic boss  and what to do about it.

1. You have stomachaches, chest tightness, breathing changes and other physical symptoms when thinking about your boss.

Your body may know before you fully do that your boss is having a toxic effect on your wellbeing.

We spend a lot of time at work, so having a toxic boss in your life can result in various physical signs of anxiety such as stomachaches, fatigue or your chest feeling heavy, Garcia said. I once had a client whose eye would start slightly twitching on her way into work. It would last the work day, and it would stop upon leaving work.

Breathing is foundational to our survival and it can change, too, when a toxic boss is in the room.

Peoples breathing patterns will change when they are coming into work or when theyre in front of the boss, because theyre feeling that sense of anxiety. Thats a really big sign that people need to be aware of, said Adriana Alejandre, a California-based licensed marriage and family therapist and founder of Latinx Therapy in Burbank. For some, it will be more shallow and slow, and for others, it will be more rapid breathing.

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Alejandre also noted that other bodily symptoms can include being sweatier than usual, feeling flushed, having a different body odor  and behavioral changes like stuttering in front of the boss or colleagues who are close to the boss can trigger the same response.

2. You feel increasingly alienated from your co-workers and isolated at work.

When you have a toxic boss that is equally horrible to everyone on the team, that can sometimes inspire solidarity in the group. But if youre the only one being bullied by your boss, it can feel like you are being gaslit and cause you to doubt that what you are experiencing is actually happening.

If you can sit in a meeting and see that this person speaks differently to other people than they speak to you, that feels very isolating, that feels very alienating. You feel disconnected not just to the boss, not just to the company, but also to your co-workers, because they get a different experience than you, Ranger said. You worry that if you say something, theyre going to be like, Thats not how that was. Thats not what they meant. Or Are you sure?

This can then, in turn, cause you to stop talking to co-workers and feel even lonelier at work, Ranger said.

3. You frequently feel on edge and irritable.

If you find that every little thing at work now has the power to set you off, it could be traced back to how your boss is making you feel.

The irritability is about trying to control what you cant control, Ranger said. You have no say. Youre here at somebodys pleasure and if that whim changes, youre done. That is a terrible feeling. It is incredibly stressful.

The people you love could be getting the brunt of your irritability, because we tend to show less favorable feelings and behaviors to those were more comfortable with, Alejandre said.

4. You wake up dreading the work day, and it makes you unable to sleep at night, too.

If good days or bad days are measured by how much youll see your boss at work, it is a warning sign you should not ignore.

Oftentimes, the dread that you feel when you wake up for the day is about, Is today the day that shit hits the fan? Ranger said. You dont know whats coming at you, and you dont know the intensity of whats coming, and it fills you with dread. That dread is anxiety. It is... the strongest belief that something terrible is coming.

Ranger noted that this dread can also cause sleep problems later at night, too.

If anxiety is not dealt with in the work environment, it will lead to burnout.Adriana Alejandre, a family therapist

5. You avoid your boss and the tasks they ask of you.

Avoidance is another way anxiety can manifest, Garcia said.

With a toxic boss, you may notice that you put off asking them a question youre needing answered for work, she explained. You may take a different route to avoid going past their office. If an email comes in from them, your anxiety heightens.

You may find yourself choosing your words extremely carefully and speaking up less in meetings out of fear that they will lash out at you.

6. You become more distracted and forgetful.

Having a toxic boss takes over your brain and makes it harder to focus on doing your actual job.

If all of your energy is dedicated to [your toxic boss], youre going to miss stuff, Ranger said. Youre going to walk into the copy room and have no idea why you walked in there... Your ability to stay focused and remain organized becomes impacted by anxiety.

7. You lose interest in things that used to matter to you.

Feeling increasingly disengaged in the world around you is a big red flag for how your toxic boss is worsening your psyche. It also has long-term health implications.

Lack of interest is connected to anxiety, burnout and depression, she added. These symptoms... can also lead to hopelessness.

8. You feel burnout.



You spend so much time worried that it drains all your energy, Ranger said. Your work will suffer because you cant get comfortable, you cant feel secure in this position.

Burnout is chronic workplace stress that can result from your toxic boss pushing you past your limits, among other things. Its emotional, physical, mental and spiritual exhaustion caused by overworking or being overworked, Alejandre said.

People dont usually realize that they are burnt out until its too late, she said. If anxiety is not dealt with in the work environment, it will lead to burnout.

Some of the red flags that you are experiencing burnout can include skipping meals, skipping self-care, making more mistakes than usual, forgetting tasks, and not feeling up to engaging with others emotionally or socially, Alejandre said.



How to address your toxic boss-related anxiety

If these signs of anxiety are resonating too much, there are ways to mitigate a toxic boss influence over your life and cope until you find a solution.

Understand where your boss is coming from. Toxic bosses can chip away at your self-worth, which is why its important to remember that your boss behavior is not because of you. You are a human being who is worthy of decency and respect, and the fact that this person is not giving it to you is not because of something [that] is intrinsic to you. Its about something that is going on with them, Ranger said.

Ask yourself, What is theirs vs. what is mine? Garcia said. Dont make your boss toxicity about you. For example, if they micromanage their employees, that could be a reflection of their own anxiety about their performance as a boss and ability to manage a team. While it affects you, its not about you as an individual.

Lean on your network for gut checks and support. You have to have people you can commiserate with and people who will be like Alright, lets stop talking about that terrible place, and lets do something positive, Ranger said.

She also said finding a mentor who is not associated with the company you work for is an ideal way for you to ask if what is happening between you and your boss is normal.

Having a toxic boss can make it hard for you to speak up. If you are finding it difficult to share how your boss is treating you, Alejandre suggests telling people you trust or colleagues with authority, such as human resources or a manager other than your boss, that youre experiencing difficulties with your boss or your boss treatment of you, and that you would like to understand and request some help.

Create time for respite and joy. Garcia said it is important to find ways to make your workday more enjoyable despite your toxic boss. Try to form relationships with your coworkers. If its allowed, leave the building for lunch even to just sit in your car. Take time off, she said.

Quit. If moving to a different boss is not possible, and asking for help has not been helpful, it may be time to plan your exit strategy from your company.

Garcia said that choosing to leave a job because of a toxic boss is a decision only you can make, but some questions to ask yourself when making such a choice can include, How much is this anxiety affecting you each day? Is it [manageable] or are you falling apart at the seams? Are you able to put up boundaries that provide some relief?

If things are not changing at work, dont feel guilty about considering a job change, she said. While it may sound simple, a list of pros and cons for each of your options can be incredibly helpful. If you do this, write down everything, big and small. Your wellbeing matters.



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Zholia Alemi arriving at Manchester crown court - Andrew Price

A doctor who faked her degree was able to practise for 20 years because of a watchdogs abject failure of scrutiny, a court was told.

Zholia Alemi was jailed for seven years on Tuesday after being found guilty of using a forged medical degree certificate to secure a number of NHS jobs over two decades.

The bogus psychiatrist was only exposed when a carer reported concerns about her attempts to defraud an elderly patient in 2016, leading to her conviction for three fraud offences at Carlisle Crown Court.

Phil Coleman, chief reporter for the News and Star, went on to discover that Ms Alemi had never completed her medical degree at the University of Auckland, as she had claimed, and a police investigation was subsequently launched.

Deliberate and calculated dishonesty

Sentencing her this week, Judge Hilary Manley criticised the General Medical Council (GMC) for an abject failure of scrutiny, and said the offences strike so very deeply at the heart of healthcare provisions in this country.

She added: That the degree certificate and supporting letter were accepted by the GMC represents an abject failure of scrutiny.

You benefited from that failure and of course from your own deliberate and calculated dishonesty.

The judge said the court was troubled by an apparent contradiction over a statement from the GMC which said documents in the 1990s were not subject to the rigorous scrutiny now in place, and called for the watchdog to conduct a thorough, open, transparent inquiry into how Ms Alemi could submit such clearly false documents, as well as why it took a journalist rather than a professional governing body to expose the truth.

Judge Manley said Ms Alemi, who was able to detain patients against their will and prescribe powerful drugs, moved around the country to different posts to ensure the finger of suspicion did not point at her.

Ms Alemi's forged certificate

Christopher Stables KC, prosecuting, said Alemi was born in Iran but was in Auckland by the early 1990s, where she failed to complete the Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery degree required to practise as a doctor and was refused permission to resit.

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In 1995, she was in the UK where she forged a degree certificate and letter of verification, he said.

Those forged documents were used by the defendant and sent to the GMC in the UK in support of her application for registration as a doctor, Mr Stables added.

The court heard that she was registered and worked more or less continuously for both NHS trusts and private providers across the UK in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, earning an estimated 1.3 million.

Mr Stables described Ms Alemi as an accomplished forger, adding that it was unclear how old Alemi actually is, since documents showed three different dates of birth for her, giving a possible age range from 55 to 60.

Persistent journalism revealed truth

The court heard that she was convicted at Carlisle Crown Court in 2018 for three fraud offences and a count of theft after trying to forge the will and powers of attorney of an elderly patient.

Following her conviction, Phil Coleman made inquiries into her background and found that she had never completed her qualification, the court was told.

Mr Stables added that the court proceedings had been a direct result of the persistence of Mr Colemans journalism.

Defending, Francis Fitzgibbons KC, said: Prison for someone with her characteristics is particularly onerous.

Ms Alemi was convicted of 13 counts of fraud, three counts of obtaining a pecuniary advantage by deception, two counts of forgery and two counts of using a false instrument after a four-week trial.

The court heard from Cumbria Police that there had been a treasure trove of forgery items at Ms Alemis Northern Ireland home address, such as blank qualification certificates.

Come to believe her own lie

Detective Superintendent Matt Scott said she had been obstructive and on occasion arrogant while being interviewed, denying wrongdoing throughout.

My view, and its my own personal view, is that Alemis lived a lie since she left Iran, where she originally came from, he said.

I also think that to get to the bottom of somebody whos lived a lie for their entire life may be near impossible, especially when  again in my personal view  Alemi is somebody who has come to believe her own lie and has lived that lie for so long.

Una Lane, director of registration and revalidation at the GMC, said: We are very sorry that Zholia Alemi was able to join our medical register in the 1990s, based on fraudulent documentation, and for any risk arising to patients as a result.

Our processes are far stronger now, with rigorous testing in place to make sure those joining the register are fit to work in the UK.

It is clear that in this case the steps taken almost three decades ago were inadequate. We are confident that, 27 years on, our systems are robust.

Patients deserve good care from appropriately qualified professionals and place a great deal of trust in doctors. To exploit that trust and the respected name of the profession is abhorrent.
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If youre heading to downtown Orlando on Saturday, youll have an extra way to get there.

SunRail will offer free rides from 2 p.m. Saturday to 12:45 a.m. Sunday is sponsored by the Community Redevelopment Agency.

Officials said the train will offer people a way to save on parking if theyre heading to one of the multiple events downtown on Saturday including:

Read: Breeze Airways adds 4 new routes from Orlando International Airport

 Monster Jam at Camping World Stadium with a free dedicated shuttle

 Orlando City vs. Cincinnati at Exploria Stadium

 Blake Shelton performing at Amway Arena

Read: Where will Orlandos next SunRail station be built?

For the full schedule, list of events, and free shuttle information click 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.
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has urged Congress to not pass proposed legislation that would impose a ban on TikTok in the U.S., despite potential security concerns surrounding the social media platform.

In a letter sent to the offices of Reps. Michael McCaul (R-Texas.) and Gregory Meeks (D-N.Y.), the nonprofit organization wrote that the legislation would violate the First Amendment rights of millions of Americans who use the app to communicate and express themselves daily.

ACLU also claimed the House Foreign Affairs Committee  on which both McCaul and Meeks serve as members  did not follow regular order on the bill, noting that it was already scheduled for a markup before a congressional hearing was held on the matter.

Should the bill move to a vote, we urge you to vote no,' the organization wrote. In a purported attempt to protect the data of U.S. persons from Chinese government acquisition, this legislation will instead limit Americans political discussion, artistic expression, free exchange of ideas  and even prevent people from posting cute animal videos and memes.

While the ACLUs opposition today rests on free speech harms, we note that with more time to review this legislation, we anticipate finding other sweeping implications, the letter continued.

The organization also explained that the Trump administrations failed attempt to ban TikTok in 2020 showed how selective bans of social media platforms could cut off the flow of information, art, and communication that those platforms provide for worldwide users. They specifically highlighted how the problems with former President Trumps initial ban proposal are even stronger in the latest proposed legislation, noting how the provisions will pertain to even more apps and businesses.

ACLU also wrote that the Deterring Americas Technological Adversaries Act, referred to as HR 1153 in the letter, would create an exception to the Berman Amendment, an amendment that limits the presidents power to regulate informational materials such as publications, films, posters, photographs and news feeds.

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Americans have a right to use TikTok and other platforms to exchange our thoughts, ideas, and opinions with people around the country and around the world, the organization concluded in its letter. The ACLU strongly urges you to oppose the bill and support our constitutional right to express ourselves  both online and off.

The House Foreign Affairs Committee is set to debate on HR 1153, first proposed by McCaul, on Tuesday, as some Democratic members have opposed the proposed bill.

A Democratic spokesperson told Punchbowl News that Meek is willing to work on a bipartisan effort to address cybersecurity threats posed by Chinese-based firms under the influence of its government, noting that his colleague McCauls hastily introduced legislation would result in sanctions on companies in allied countries in Europe and Asia.

Multiple state governments and Congress in recent months have implemented TikTok bans on government devices, citing national security concerns due to its Chinese owner ByteDance. The White House on Monday issued a 30-day notice for government agencies to delete the social media platform from their official devices.

TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew, who is set to appear before the House Energy and Commerce Committee in March, said in an interview with The Washington Post earlier this month that tougher conversations are needed on the future of the platform in the U.S., adding that he hopes that lawmakers will come around with their viewpoints on his platform.

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

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The American Civil Liberties Union on Monday urged Congress not to ban the Chinese-owned video app TikTok, saying it would violate the free speech rights of millions of Americans, a day before a U.S. House of Representatives committee is to take up legislation.

A TikTok ban would "limit Americans political discussion, artistic expression, free exchange of ideas  and even prevent people from posting cute animal videos and memes," the ACLU said in a letter to lawmakers. "Americans have a right to use TikTok and other platforms to exchange our thoughts, ideas, and opinions with people around the country and around the world," it added.

The House Foreign Affairs Committee is set to vote Tuesday on a bill to give President Joe Biden new powers to ban the app, which is used by more than 100 million Americans. A ban would require passage by the full House and the Senate before the president could sign it into law.

Earlier this month, Biden said he was not sure if Washington would ban TikTok, which is owned by Chinese company ByteDance.

The legislation before the House is the latest measure in response to fears that data of U.S. users could be passed on to the Chinese government.

Earlier on Wednesday, the White House gave government agencies 30 days to ensure that TikTok is not on any federal devices and systems. Various U.S. states, Canada and European Union policy institutions have also banned TikTok from being loaded onto state-owned devices.

"It would be unfortunate if the House Foreign Affairs Committee were to censor millions of Americans, and do so based not on actual intelligence, but on a basic misunderstanding of our corporate structure," TikTok said Monday, adding that it has spent more than $1.5 billion on rigorous data security efforts.

Representative Michael McCaul, chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, in a statement on Monday, said the legislation "empowers the administration to ban TikTok or any software applications that threaten U.S. national security. And make no mistake  TikTok is a security threat."

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TikTok, he said, "allows (China) to manipulate and monitor its users while it gobbles up Americans' data to be used for their malign activities."

Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi, a Democrat who supports banning TikTok, said on CBS on Sunday that he did not think TikTok would be banned. "All we're saying is if TikTok is going to operate here, don't have that user data and algorithms controlled by an adversarial regime," he said.

The U.S. government's Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), a powerful national security body, in 2020 unanimously recommended that ByteDance divest TikTok because of fears that user data could be passed onto China's government.

TikTok said Monday "the swiftest and most thorough way to address national security concerns is for CFIUS to adopt the proposed agreement that we worked with them on for nearly two years."

TikTok officials have been on Capitol Hill this month trying to convince lawmakers of its efforts to protect data security.

(Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Richard Chang and Leslie Adler)
Anglo-Chinese School at Barker Road. (FILE PHOTO: Facebook)

SINGAPORE  Anglo-Chinese School's (ACS) plan to move one of its primary schools to the Tengah heartlands was based on the premise that the school cannot remain boys-only.

Education Minister Chan Chun Sing explained his ministry's position in Parliament on Tuesday (28 February), saying that ACS Primary remaining a single-sex school would have constrained options for families in Tengah, when it relocates there from Barker Road in 2030.

He added that, should ACS Primary not be a co-ed school, the scenario would mathematically result in an imbalance between boys and girls in the other schools in the area.

"MOE (Ministry of Education) was glad that the ACS Board was open to this request," he said.

The minister was responding to parliamentary questions by Yio Chu Kang MP Yip Hon Weng and Aljunied GRC MP Gerald Giam, on how MOE decides which schools to relocate, and if it has plans to convert more single-sex schools to co-ed ones.

Customised approach for each relocation case

Chan said MOE takes a customised approach for each relocation case, and the ministry does not plan to proactively convert existing single-sex schools to co-ed ones. It will nonetheless discuss with key decision-makers in each school, and provide support to facilitate such transition.

MOE does not have a preference between single sex or co-ed schools. Many of these schools have a history, and thats why they are where they are now," he said.

In ACS' case, Chan said its board of governors approached the ministry with the idea of moving one of their two primary schools to the heartlands, on the premise of serving a different community and injecting more diversity into their student profile.

MOE offered ACS a site in Tengah, but explained that the school cannot stay single-sex if it moves to the new campus.

Since the announcement has been made, ground feedback has generally been positive, particularly for the people staying in the West to have added options of the new schools, Chan said.

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Mondays march came in response to a shooting Thursday in the North Philadelphia community of Strawberry Mansion, where seven people were wounded, including a mother and her 2-year-old child.

Activists from all over Philadelphia marched through the citys streets Monday afternoon to protest gun violence and urge local authorities to increase funding for organizations that fight it.

The march came in response to a shooting on Thursday in the North Philadelphia community of Strawberry Mansion, near Temple University, where seven people were wounded, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Its also been about a week since Temple Police Officer Christopher Fitzgerald was shot to death. In a separate incident last week, someone shot two teens while they were walking home from school in Philadelphia.

This surveillance video shows a shooting that took place Feb. 23 in North Philadelphias Strawberry Mansion neighborhood. Seven people were injured, including a 2-year-old child. In the aftermath, activists staged a march and rally Monday to urge more money for anti-violence groups. (Photo: Screenshot/YouTube.com/CBS Philadelphia)

Frontline Dads leader Reuben Jones organized the event, calling for more funding to address the epidemic of gun violence plaguing Philadelphia. There have been 51 shooting-related fatalities this year and 210 shooting injuries.

Today we assemble as a community, as a collective, to demonstrate our solidarity to end the gun violence in Philadelphia, said Jones, the nonprofits executive director, according to The Inquirer. Were standing as a community saying, We aint taking it anymore.'

Jones and other community activists noted that the additional funding to anti-violence organizations would help them undertake various projects, including installing better lighting in impacted neighborhoods, cleaning vacant lots and clearing debris.

Larry Krasner, the district attorney for Philadelphia, and Helen Gym, a contender for mayor and former councilwoman, both spoke at the news conference held in front of the Blues Babe Foundation, which houses Frontline Dads headquarters.

Three masked shooters in a silver Hyundai opened fire on a group of four teenagers in the Strawberry Mansion shooting Thursday, with at least one using a gun with an extended clip, police said.

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The male victims included a 13-year-old shot in the hand, two 16-year-olds shot in the arm  one also in the leg, and a 17-year-old grazed on the thigh. A woman, 31, was shot twice in the left leg and her 2-year-old daughter in the thigh.

Initially listed in critical condition at Temple University Hospital, a 15-year-old boy who was shot three times in the torso and once on the right side of his body was later upgraded to stable.

Authorities said all of the victims were in stable condition as of Monday. They managed to locate the stolen getaway vehicle but havent made any arrests.

Pat Conley, 73, is all too familiar with the effects of gun violence. She lost her 38-year-old son, Jason Conley, in a shooting in Strawberry Mansion in 2014, and in November, her 22-year-old grandson, Khalil Conley, suffered the same fate.

It does stir things up, Conley told The Inquirer. It makes you angry, its just really upsetting. We cant even walk the streets without this happening, and it can happen anywhere. It can happen anywhere. Were not safe anywhere.

The group of about 30 gathered individuals, many of whom are members of the 57 Blocks Coalition  named for the 57 blocks where 10 or more people have been shot since 2015  then marched down Susquehanna Avenue.

Said Conley, The Inquirer reported: This has to stop.

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The post Activists march in the wake of more gun violence, urge money for anti-violence groups appeared first on TheGrio.
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Actor Tom Sizemore, known for his roles in Saving Private Ryan and other films in the late 1990s and early 2000s, died March 3, after suffering a brain aneurysm in mid-February, his representative Charles Lago confirmed to CNN.

Sizemore had been hospitalized in critical condition since February 18 after suffering the aneurysm. He remained in a coma in intensive care, with doctors informing the actors family on February 27 there was no further hope for his recovery and recommending an end-of-life discussion.

Sizemore passed away peacefully in his sleep, Lago said, with his two sons and brother Paul Sizemore present. He was talented, loving, giving, and could keep you entertained endlessly with his wit and storytelling ability, Paul Sizemore said in a statement. I am devastated he is gone and will miss him always.

Born in Detroit, Sizemore became known for playing tough guys in moves and TV. His most notable role was Sergeant Mike Horvath in Steven Spielbergs 1998 war epic Saving Private Ryan, and he appeared in other notable films, including Natural Born Killers (1994), Heat (1995), The Relic (1997), Black Hawk Down (2001), and Pearl Harbor (2001). He received a Golden Globe Award nomination in 2000 for Best Actor in a Limited Series, Anthology Series or Television Motion Picture for his part as Boston gangster Bobby Batton in Witness Protection.

More recently, he appeared in a season six episode of the hit Netflix series Kobra Kai, as well as in six episodes of Showtimes 2017 revival of Twin Peaks as Anthony Sinclair.

Multiple actors honored Sizemore following his death, including Danny Trejo who tweeted he was a beautiful guy and shared a photo of Sizemore with Heat castmembers Robert De Niro and Val Kilmer.



Beautiful guy, god called another hero back. RIP Tom Sizemore pic.twitter.com/hoJv9FCezT  Danny Trejo (@officialDannyT) March 4, 2023

Sizemore battled drug addiction throughout his career and had legal troubles. He appeared on VH1s Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew in 2010. In an interview with Larry King that same year, he told the popular TV host that he became addicted to cocaine after moving to Los Angeles as his film career grew. He also admitted to using crystal meth.

Sizemore was convicted on domestic violence charges in 2003 stemming from his relationship with former fiancee Heidi Fleiss; he served six months in jail. In 2007, he was sentenced to 16 months in prison for violating his probation in a separate drug case.

In 2020, a Utah judge dismissed a civil lawsuit against Sizemore alleging he groped an 11-year-old actress on a movie set in 2003.
On March 1, the extra boost in payments for those receiving help through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) will end.

The federal government has been providing a boost in payments for recipients in the program because of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, in December 2022, Congress voted to stop the extra funds.

For tens of millions of Americans, that means theyll receive hundreds of dollars less to provide food for themselves and their families.

Too much, its too much for me right now, said Leticia Brito, a mom, who lives in Auburn. Brito has a 14-year-old son and shes worried about what shell do without the extra boost in benefits.

Ill probably have to cut down on my food and Id rather have him eat, she said.

Brito said before the pandemic she was receiving $25 per month from SNAP and with the boost, she and her son have been receiving about $300 per month.

What is really worrying me right now is having to cut down on the food Im going to have to buy so I can have enough money to pay my rent, Brito said.

Millions of people like Brito will now have to make do with less.

Every time this happens we notice almost right away the impact of people starting to come back into the food bank, said Debbie Christian, the executive director of the Auburn Food Bank.

Christian said its already been a struggle to get food on the shelves at the food bank.

Our food supply was already down, Christian said. Our donations have already been down just since the COVID ending so were like $160,000 down from there and were about 190,000 pounds down in food.

With more families expected to come to the food bank for help, Christian said it will be difficult to keep up with demand.

If my donors are hurting too then theyre not going to be able to give either so we are very cautious right now of what the future is holding, Christian said.

The Auburn Food Bank is in need of both monetary and food donations. You can make donations online or in person.
Why Russia did not attack Ukraine with missiles on February 24

The question is what they can afford to launch over Ukraine in this time period, Ihnat said, when asked why there was no massive missile attack on Ukraine on Feb. 24.

Read also: Air Forces Ihnat says Russians might escalate attacks to mark war anniversary

He said that it was not entirely correct to call the recent changes observed in the way Russia uses missiles and drones a change in tactics.

The change in the use of missiles and Shahed (drones) may be due to their availability and what they can afford at this time, Ihnat said.

This is their whole tactic and strategy. Lets hope that it will fall less and less on our heads, he added.

Read also: Russian army under increasing pressure ahead of anniversary of invasion, says UK intelligence

The day before, the Southern Operational Command warned there was a threat of missile strikes on the territory of Ukraine.

The last large-scale Russian air attack on Ukraine was late on Feb. 27, when Moscow sent a wave of Iranian-made Shahed suicide drones across north-west-central Ukraine. Ukraine shot down 11 of the 14 drones sent in the attack.

The last large-scale air attack involving missiles occurred on Feb. 16, when Russia fired 41 missiles of various types at targets in Ukraine. Ukraine shot down 16 of the missiles  slow moving cruise missiles  but said it was unable to intercept the faster moving Kh-22 anti-ship missiles fired by Russia.

Earlier in the day on Feb. 16, Russia launched spy balloons with radar reflectors towards Kyiv  likely to confuse air defenses and in order to establish their positions.

Read also: China wont transfer weapons to Russia, Ukraines spy chief says

Russia has also been using missiles from its S-300 air defense system in ground attack, ballistic mode. There has been speculation that this is because Moscow now faces a shortage of more modern, high-precision weapons that are more suitable for attacking targets on the ground.

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
On Wednesday, 1 March, the public notification system will be checked in Saint Petersburg  the city administration will turn on the sirens.

Source: Russian media outlet Bumaga, quoting the press service of the Committee for Informatisation and Communication of the city

Details: According to the department, sirens will sound on 1 March from 10:35 to 10:45.

Quote: "In addition to sirens, loudspeakers and technical means of notification of organisations will be turned on in the city. TV channels and radio stations will also be involved in the test of the notification system."

Background:

On Tuesday, 200 square kilometres of the airspace were closed in the Russian city of Saint Petersburg, and the local Pulkovo airport stopped accepting planes for landing after an unidentified flying object was detected over the city.

Later, the restrictions were cancelled.

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






The Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations has stated that air-raid warnings that have been broadcast on TV and radio in a number of Russian oblasts and in annexed Crimea were the result of hacked servers.

Source: Press service of Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations; CrimeaInform; Novaya Gazeta. Europe

Quote: "An air-raid warning was broadcast in a number of countrys oblasts as a result of the hacking of the servers of radio stations and TV channels. The Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations reports that this information is false and does not correspond to reality."

Details: In the morning, Oleg Kryuchkov, advisor to the illegitimate head of annexed Crimea, reported that on-air broadcasts by More (Sea) radio, which is part of the Krym (Crimea) TV and Radio Company holding company, had been hacked.

"Another hacker attack was carried out on More radio on-air broadcasts. The transmitters that receive the signal from the satellite have been disrupted," he said.

Kryuchkov added that the transponder of a satellite operator outside Crimea had been hacked.



In addition, the Belgorod Oblasts operational headquarters reported that "broadcasting by several radio stations was hacked this morning, presumably by a neighbouring state."

The radio report said that an air-raid warning had been issued in Belgorod and that citizens were asked to go to shelters. "The purpose of the message is to sow panic among civilians in Belgorod," the headquarters said.

Background: On the eve of the anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, hackers broadcasted "threats" from Chief of Ukraines Defence Intelligence Kyrylo Budanov on Russian propagandist radio stations in occupied Crimea.

Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron!
200 square kilometres of the airspace were closed in the Russian city of Saint Petersburg, and the local Pulkovo Airport stopped accepting planes for landing after an unidentified flying object (UFO) was detected over the city.Later, the restrictions were cancelled.

Source: Baza, Russian independent Telegram channel; government of St Petersburg on Telegram; Russian state-owned news outlet RIA Novosti, referring to the city's emergency services

Quote from Baza: "The Kover (Carpet) plan was put into action in Saint Petersburg because of an unidentified object in the skies. Pulkovo Airport does not accept planes. The Kover plan is being used in cases of illegal border crossings or the appearance of UFOs."

Quote from the government of St Petersburg: "Flight delays of up to 12 hours have been announced at Pulkovo Airport. The airport and its services are operating as usual."

Quote from RIA Novosti: "The sky over St Petersburg in the Pulkovo district is closed due to an unknown object."

Details: According to the Baza Telegram channel, fighter jets are flying in the sky over the city.

According to Flightradar, civilian aircraft do not fly to St Petersburg.

Russian social media channels report that flights passing through St. Petersburg's airspace are being turned around in the air.

PHOTO FROM TELEGRAM "BAZA"

The airspace over the city is closed until 13:00.

Almost all flights are displayed with delays at the Pulkovo Airport.

PHOTO FROM TELEGRAM "BAZA"

According to Fontanka, an unidentified flying object was spotted 160 to 200 kilometres from St Petersburg. The agency also posted a photo of the fighter jets in the sky.

Update: At 11:31, the St Petersburg government reported that the sky over the city is "open: all temporary restrictions have been cancelled".

This is also confirmed by the Flightradar24 website.

Russian President's spokesman Dmitry Peskov did not disclose the reasons for the closure of the airspace over St Petersburg, but stated that Putin had full information on the matter.

Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron!
Three Rust crew members suffered anxiety and post-traumatic stress after witnessing the fatal shooting of Halyna Hutchins, according to a new lawsuit filed against Alec Baldwin.

Ross Addiego, a dolly operator, set costumer Doran Curtin and key grip Reese Price claim they were in close proximity to Mr Baldwin when a gun went off at the Bonanza Creek Ranch near Santa Fe, New Mexico, in October 2021, hitting director Joel Souza and fatally wounding Hutchins.

The trio say they suffered blast injuries from the deafening sound of the gun going off, and describe the chaos and confusion in the aftermath.

(Price) felt the physical force of the gunfire in the small space, the suit alleges. His ears began to ring. He felt as if everything was moving in slow motion. He saw Mr Souza screaming and crawling away from Defendant Baldwin.

Mr Addiegio had been standing beside Mr Souza and Ms Hutchins when they were struck and tried to render first aid, the suit states.

Assisted by another crew member and the set medic, Plaintif Addiego removed Souzas shirt and rolled him over. Souzas scapula was shattered, and a bullet was lodged just beneath his skin. Plaintif Addiego applied pressure to Souzas wound until emergency medical professionals arrived.

Ms Curtin stated that she felt the same sound, force and physical trauma from the gunshot, and watched as Ms Hutchins fell to the ground in front of her feet .

This aerial photo shows the Bonanza Creek Ranch in Santa Fe, New Mexico, on 23 October 2021. (AP)

She bent down and removed the equipment from Hutchins head. She watched in shock as Hutchins grabbed at her abdomen. Curtin put her hands on Hutchins stomach, trying to find the source of Hutchins pain and figure out what was going on, the suit claims.

The lawsuit, filed in New Mexico, alleges that producers failed to follow standard set safety procedures.

It further states that first assistant director Dave Halls, who has pleaded guilty to a charge of negligent use of a weapon, cut corners on safety like he had done on previous productions.

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Alec Baldwin was distracted during weapons training, and failed to ensure the weapon was cold, according to a new lawsuit (Getty)

The three plaintiffs fault Mr Baldwin for being distracted during weapons training, failing to ensure the weapon was cold, and for firing the gun.

Mr Baldwin and Rust armourer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed have been pleaded not guilty to involuntary manslaughter charges.

The lawsuit also accused Rusts producers of hiring Ms Gutierrez-Reed in spite of her inexperience because they wanted a quick and cheap production. Mr Baldwin is also being sued by Ms Hutchins parents and sister.

Filming on Rust resumed last week at the Yellowstone Ranch in Montana.
Richard Alex Murdaugh, who is on trial for the murder of his wife and youngest son - Pool The State/Jeff Blake

Jurors in the murder trial of disbarred South Carolina lawyer Richard "Alex" Murdaugh will visit the family estate where prosecutors said he gunned down his wife and youngest son.

Mr Murdaugh's lawyer Dick Harpootlian asked Judge Clifton Newman to allow the jurors to visit the crime scene "to get some understanding of spatial relationships" at the dog kennels where the murders took place on the evening of June 7, 2021.

The judge granted the surprise request, over an objection from the prosecution, as the trial entered its sixth week.

Mr Newman said he would arrange a jury view of the Moselle estate following the testimony from four or five rebuttal witnesses for the prosecution scheduled for Tuesday.

Mr Murdaugh's defence team called its final three witnesses on Monday, resting its case. Once the jury visits Moselle, it will hear closing arguments and start deliberations, likely later this week.

The case has drawn intense media coverage, given the political influence of the Murdaugh legal family in South Carolina.

Mr Murdaugh, the scion of the family, was indicted by a grand jury in July and pleaded not guilty to two counts of murder and two counts of possession of a weapon. He faces 30 years to life in prison if convicted.

On the witness stand last week, Mr Murdaugh testified that he had lied about his whereabouts on the night his wife Maggie, 52, and son Paul, 22, were killed but said he had nothing to do with their deaths. Investigators said Paul was gunned down in the feed room near the kennels, and his mother killed nearby.

Mr Harpootlian said a visit to the Murdaugh's 1,800-acre estate would allow jurors to see how small the feed room is and understand its location in relation to Maggies body, as well as to other components of the property.

You just cant really appreciate the spatial issues without actually seeing them, he said.

Lead state prosecutor Creighton Waters objected to the jury visiting, arguing the estate looked different than it did in 2021 and said a visit might require additional testimony from the state.

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Murder theory

During his testimony, Mr Murdaugh floated his own theory of who committed the murders, saying he believed someone angry over a deadly boating accident involving Paul in 2019 had done so. He acknowledged that he lacked evidence to support that theory.

The prosecution has sought to portray Murdaugh as a serial liar who committed the murders amid mounting financial troubles, and as he faced growing scrutiny over schemes to deceive law partners and clients out of huge sums of money to feed a drug habit and support a wealthy lifestyle.
South Carolinas top prosecutor pointed a shotgun at a witnesss head during Alex Murdaughs double murder trial in a dramatic attempt to disprove the defences unscientific theories about the murders of Maggie and Paul.

Dr Kenny Kinsey, an Orangeburg County sheriffs deputy and crime scene expert, returned to the witness stand at the Colleton County Courthouse in Walterboro, South Carolina, on Tuesday afternoon as the prosecution wrapped up its case against the disgraced attorney.

In a graphic demonstration in the courtroom, Dr Kinsey and South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson acted out the defences version of how Paul was murdered  with the killer shooting him in the back of the head at point-blank range.

Dr Kinsey rubbished what he described as a preposterous and unscientific theory from the defence as he went into gruesome detail about the extent of injuries he has seen on victims who have suffered a contact wound to the head with a shotgun.

The crime scene expert also tore apart testimony from another defence witness who had claimed that Maggie was murdered by a 52 shooter  and not her 64 husband.

Maggie and Paul were both gunned down at the familys Moselle hunting estate in Islandton, South Carolina, on 7 June 2021.

Paul, 22, was shot twice with a 12-gauge shotgun as he stood in the feed room of the kennels.

The first gunshot struck his chest and wasnt fatal, while the second struck him in the shoulder, neck and head  with the bullet blowing his brain completely out of his skull.

Maggie, 52, was then shot five times with a .300 Blackout semiautomatic rifle as she tried to flee from her killer.

On Monday, two defence experts  forensic pathologist Dr Jonathan Eisenstat and crime scene analyst Tim Palmbach  both testified that they disagreed with the prosecutions account of how the murders unfolded.

Instead, they claimed that  after firing the first shot  the killer stepped into the feed room towards Paul. Then, the killer held the shotgun to the back of Pauls head as he was bent over and pulled the trigger.

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The force then caused the 22-year-olds brain to explode out of his skull and the gun pellets to pass down into his shoulder and neck, they claimed.

The contact-wound theory disputed the testimony of Dr Ellen Riemer, who performed autopsies on the bodies of the two victims. Dr Riemer said that the shooter fired from outside the feed room and the second, fatal shot had entered his shoulder and neck first, before travelling up to Pauls brain.

South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson demonstrates the defence portrayal of the shooting of Paul Murdaugh during testimony from Dr Kenny Kinsey (Colleton County Court)

AG Wilson  whose questioning of Dr Kinsey marked his first appearance in the high-profile trial  told jurors he was practicing gun safety but that Dr Kinsey had asked him to point the gun at him so that they could demonstrate how the theory of Paul being shot at point-blank range was incorrect.

Dr Kinsey testified that the state of the crime scene was inconsistent with the defences theory, saying that this wouldnt have caused blood, brain and other biological matter to hit the doorframe of the feed room.

To think that the pressure from flesh and bone will cause that pellet .those steel pellets They will turn around because of that pressure and go back the opposite direction, a 180 degree direction at enough velocity to hit an exterior and embed in the doorframe that doesnt happen, that doesnt happen in my opinion, he said.

He also said that there were no defects to the exterior panelling at the bottom of doorway explaining this shot has to go somewhere.

I think that is preposterous in my opinion, he said of the defences version of events.

Dr Kinsey said that Pauls wounds were also inconsistent with the injuries he has seen on around three dozen individuals who were shot at point-blank range in the head  both suicides and homicides.

He went into graphic detail about the state of the heads and faces he had seen in those victims.

Theyve been shredded... but looking at it it looks like from the teeth of the person went away... its just a mess, he said.

The Moselle property where Maggie and Paul Murdaugh were killed (AP)

Often the eyes will pop out, he said, adding that the facial bones will move round and pieces of pellet gather in the skin.

Pauls injuries were not consistent with this, he said.

The expert also said he had zero confidence in the testimony of defence witness Mike Sutton, who suggested that Maggies killer was only 52 tall. Mr Murdaugh is 64.

Mr Sutton, a forensic engineer who specialises in external ballistics, previously testified that the person who shot Maggie had to be 52 to 54 based on the projection of the bullets at the crime scene.

Jurors had been shown 3D animations created of the area around the dog kennels and the feed room. The animation included images of two grey anonymous shooters and green straight lines said to show the angles of the bullet trajectories.

Mr Sutton had used the angles to create green laser lines and placed animated figures on the lines to find a height that matches.

Dr Kinsey smirked when he was asked about the animation and said that to reach a conclusion about both the angle of the bullet trajectories and the shooters height was unscientific.

Dr Kinsey told the court that he disagreed wholeheartedly that it would even be possible to determine the angles that the shooter fired from, and thereby the height of the person pulling the trigger.

The notion of being able to look at this evidence and say that its unscientific, he said.

Its an unknown. There so many variables, he said.

He said that there are too many variables to be able to determine the angles of the bullets, whereas Mr Sutton assumed the bullet travelled perfectly straight.

Dr Kinsey explained that the angles of bullets can change if they hit something, and that grooves inside the barrel of the firearm can also change the angle of bullets travelling.

Without the murder weapon, he said it was also not possible to test how the gun spits out shell casings to determine roughly where the shooter was standing when the firearm was fired.

I have zero confidence from this piece of evidence as far as establishing angles, Dr Kinsey said of the animation.

Alex Murdaugh with his defence attorney Jim Griffin in court (Jeff Blake)

Even if the angles were correct, Dr Kinsey said that there are a bunch of variables to determining the height of the shooter including the fact that this was a very dynamic crime scene with both the killer and the victim moving.

Youd have to consider this to be a static crime scene. Very little movement, he said of the defence witnesss theory.

In his opinion, a 64 person could absolutely have shot Maggie from the angles the defence team claimed.

Dr Kinsey testified that it would not be possible to determine the shooters height with the available information, saying they could have been a 54, a 64 or a 74.

The crime scene expert marked the last rebuttal witness before the prosecution rested its case on Tuesday afternoon.

During the rebuttal case, the prosecution picked apart the defences expert witness testimony about the murders.

The state also sought to show jurors how Mr Murdaugh had continued to lie when he took the stand in his own defence last week  with two of the accused killers friends and colleagues, and a law enforcement officer disputing key aspects of his testimony.

On Wednesday, jurors will be taken on a field trip to the Moselle property to see the crime scene where the brutal murders took place for themselves.

At the property, jurors will tour the dog kennels and feed room on the estate where Maggie and Paul were shot dead back on 7 June 2021.

After that, closing arguments will get under way before the jury begins deliberations in the case.

It is possible that, by the end of the week, the disgraced attorney and accused killer will know his fate.

The defence rested its case on Monday after calling 14 witnesses  including Mr Murdaughs surviving son Buster and brother John Marvim  over the course of one week as the legal team seeks to try to convince jurors of Mr Murdaughs innocence.

The defences case also sought to pick holes in the prosecutions case and cast doubts on the validity of the investigation, while pushing a theory that two shooters may have carried out the attack.

The defence case came after jurors heard four weeks of dramatic testimony from the prosecution, covering a trove of circumstantial evidence, including cellphone and car data and numerous apparent holes in his alibi for the time for the murders.

Prosecutors claim Mr Murdaugh killed his wife and son to distract from his string of alleged financial crimes  at a time when his multi-million-dollar fraud scheme was on the brink of being exposed.

Mr Murdaugh is facing life in prison for the murders of Maggie and Paul and has pleaded not guilty.

Beyond the murders, the brutal double murders brought to light a series of scandals surrounding Mr Murdaugh including unexplained deaths, a multi-million-dollar fraud scheme and a botched hitman plot.
image of bride sitting in dark room staring out the room - representation of American woman kidnapped by family to arrange forced marriage

An American woman is being detained in Yemen after her family tricked and kidnapped her in an attempt to derail her wedding.

The unnamed victim planned to celebrate her wedding in Guadalajara, Mexico last September and invited her family to the occasion. However, her disapproving father, mother and brothers conspired to kidnap her instead. According to the Department of Justice statement, the family wanted to force her to marry someone else in Yemen.

Heres everything you need to know about the victim who allegedly was kidnapped.

What Happened?

Her father vowed that he would support of her marriage to her fiance, who she knew for almost nine years. However, unbeknown to her, the victims family allegedly tried to force her fiance to pay a $30,000 dowry. After the woman intervened, her father, Khaled Abughanem, threatened to throw her from the 12th floor of the hotel.

The following day, her father allegedly changed his mind and came to a gentlemans agreement with the groom. He agreed to support their union  if he could host a party and the ceremony in the United States. The victim agreed to those new terms. However, that is only the beginning.

What Happened When They Returned?

Upon returning to the States, the victims family kidnapped her and locked in her familys home under strict supervision. She wasnt even able to use the restroom in privacy.

Another family member impersonated her and withdrew her from all of her classes at the University of Buffalo. They also erased her presence on social media. The womans family forced her to fly to Egypt. There, they planned an arranged marriage to an undetermined man in Egypt or Yemen. In return, the family would have received $500,000, according to Insider.

Kidnapped And Mistreated By Her Own Family

According to the DOJ statement, her family told her that she had to comply and agree to an arranged marriage. If she did not agree to those terms, they would lock her up in the home without contact. Her family told her that if she didnt comply with what they wanted they would kill her fiance.

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You are no longer in the West, Abughanem said to his daughter, according to the DOJs statement. You are in the Middle East. Women, like you, are killed.

Now, Khaled and Waleed Abughanem, the womans father and brother, face pending kidnapping charges and are currently in custody. Their detention hearing is set for March 2, after being scheduled for February 17.

Waleed Abughanem denies any allegation of criminal conduct or wrongdoing whatsoever, Frank Passafiume, an assistant federal public defender, told the Buffalo News. Beginning at the hearing next week, we will vindicate his name and undo the damage all too often caused by government overreach into our personal lives and disregard of cultural diversity.

The fate of the womans mother as it relates to facing charges for her involvement remains unknown.

Wheres the Victim?

The victim is currently in Yemen. She is receiving support through an unnamed nonprofit, according to court documents.

She allegedly experienced unthinkable abuse since being kidnapped. The report mentions that she was being pushed down stairs, whipped with a belt and choked by her father. The details of her treatment stem from several sources, including a filing that referenced US Customs records, a testimony by the womans fiance, text messages between Khaled and Waleed Abughanem, and secret emails sent by the woman herself.

Victim 1 believes she only survived the assault due to the intervention of her mother, the court filing reads. Her father allegedly said that he shouldve killed you before I left Yemen, and that his biggest mistake was to keep you alive.



Related: These Are The Most Dangerous Countries For Travel, According To The U.S.
US Supreme Court Associate Justice Amy Coney Barrett. AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes

Amy Coney Barrett questioned some GOP-led states' standing to block Biden's student-debt relief.

The court's three liberal justices also focused on standing during Tuesday's oral arguments.

The states said the relief would harm the Missouri-based student-loan company MOHELA.

Justice Amy Coney Barrett, a conservative, questioned whether a group of GOP-led states can legally challenge President Joe Biden's student-loan-forgiveness plan, similar to points the Supreme Court's three liberals raised on Tuesday.

The nation's highest court heard oral arguments in two high-profile challenges to Biden's plan that would cancel up to $20,000 in student debt for federal borrowers. The first case heard on Tuesday involved six states, which argued that the debt relief would hurt their states' tax revenues, along with the revenue of the Missouri-based student-loan company, MOHELA.

The Biden administration said the six states  Arkansas, South Carolina, Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, and Missouri  lack standing, or the power to block Biden's relief by showing they suffered an injury from it. MOHELA previously denied having any involvement in the case, and the Biden administration argued in a court brief that the company can sue and be sued on its own, and the states do not have the standing to declare harms to MOHELA as harms to themselves.

Barrett scrutinized the relationship between Missouri and MOHELA, repeatedly questioning whether the states could sue the Biden administration over the debt relief.

"It would be hard to see how a win for the state would benefit MOHELA, or a win for MOHELA would benefit the state, if the assets are completely separate  you don't get any money out of it," Barrett told James Campbell, a solicitor general for Nebraska who's representing the states.

"If the state wanted money from MOHELA right now, does the state have the authority to do that?" Barrett asked.

Campbell said Missouri has an "ultimate interest in the property of MOHELA" and that the state legislature could take action to request money. Barrett continued to question the states' position, saying "all of this would be a lot easier" had MOHELA filed a lawsuit against the Biden administration.

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"Do you want to address why MOHELA's not here?" Barrett asked Campbell.

Campbell then said that "the state has the authority to speak for" MOHELA, but Barrett again pushed back.

"Why didn't the state just make MOHELA come then?" she asked. "If MOHELA is an arm of the state, why didn't you just strong-arm MOHELA and say, 'You've gotta pursue this suit?'"

"That's a question of state politics, but we believe as a matter of law that the state has the authority to assert its interests," Campbell said.

While a majority of the court's conservatives largely focused on whether Biden exceeded his legal authority by enacting the debt relief, Barrett mostly turned her attention to the issue of standing, which the court's three liberal justices, Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, and Ketanji Brown Jackson, likewise scrutinized.

"If MOHELA is being injured as a result of the plan, or at least if that's the allegation, MOHELA has the ability to defend itself and its interests, correct?" Jackson asked US Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar, who argued on behalf of the Biden administration.

Jackson also raised concerns about the consequences of the Supreme Court potentially expanding the principles of standing by weighing in on the legality of Biden's plan.

"I feel like we really do have to be concerned about jumping into the political fray unless we are prompted to do so by a lawsuit that is brought by someone who has an actual interest," Jackson said. "So this is why I'm sort of pressing really hard on the standing point."

MOHELA's mention in the case has fallen under scrutiny. David Nahmias, a staff attorney with the UC Berkeley Center, previously told Insider that "on one hand, when the state created MOHELA over 40 years ago, it made clear that MOHELA is separate."

"But now with this lawsuit, Missouri is trying to argue that the state will lose income by virtue of the fact that student-debt cancellation possibly could cause MOHELA to lose some loan-servicing revenue that possibly could be passed along to the state of Missouri," Nahmias said.

Josh Blackman, a professor at the South Texas College of Law, previously told Insider that the standing question is "the biggest hurdle" for the states because Biden's plan isn't "hurting people" but "helping them."

Lower courts have temporarily blocked Biden's plan from taking effect. The Supreme Court is expected to hand down its decision by June.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Andrew Krivak, who spent 24 years in prison for the rape and murder of 12-year-old Josette Wright, was acquitted in the case Monday after jurors determined that a six-page statement he signed implicating himself in 1996 was a false confession coerced by Putnam County sheriffs investigators.

Krivak sat stoically at the defense table as the jury forewoman announced the not guilty verdict for first-degree rape after less than six hours of deliberations that began Friday afternoon. The jury did not vote on the top charge, second-degree murder, because it required a conviction on the rape charge.

Andrew Krivak, surrounded by his attorneys, listens as a jury acquits him for the rape and murder of 12-year-old Josette Wright in Putnam Court on Feb. 27. Krivak was re-tried after a judge overturned the original convictions, for which he spent 24 years in prison.

Josettes mother Susan walked out of the courtroom as soon as the verdict was announced. As Judge Robert Prisco excused the jury, Krivak, 45, hugged his lawyers Oscar Michelen and Karen Newirth, then walked back to hug his father and sisters in the front row.

A technician came to remove the ankle monitor that was a condition of Krivak's bail following his release in October 2020, a year after his conviction was overturned. Afterwards, he walked outside the Putnam County Courthouse, truly a free man.

"It's about time," he said, calling his ordeal a "persecution" and thanking the jury for "seeing the truth." "Now's the first start of the rest of my life."

Andrew Krivak has an ankle monitoring device removed after he was acquitted in the rape and murder of 12-year-old Josette Wright in Putnam Court on Feb. 27, 2023.

The verdict was a second major setback for the Putnam District Attorneys Office in one of the countys most notorious crimes after prosecutors won convictions in the case a quarter of a century ago. In 2016, Krivaks co-defendant, Anthony DiPippo, was acquitted at his third trial. DiPippo, who lives in Florida but returned to Carmel to be there for the verdict, also spent more than two decades in prison.

Krivak and DiPippo were first convicted of rape and murder after separate trials in 1997 and each was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison. DiPippo had his conviction overturned a dozen years later because his trial lawyer had not disclosed previously representing Howard Gombert, the sex offender both men maintained was Josette's real killer.

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DiPippo was precluded from presenting evidence about Gombert at his 2012 retrial and his subsequent conviction was also overturned. He was acquitted after a third trial in 2016.

Josette's death

The missing child case that began Oct. 4, 1994, became a homicide investigation nearly 13 months later when Josette's skeletal remains were discovered by a hunter in woods off Fields Lane in Patterson.

Within a few days, sheriff's investigators had their attention directed at both DiPippo and Gombert. But they focused on DiPippo after a series of interviews with a friend of his who detailed comments DiPippo made related to Josette's case.

The friend, Dominick Neglia, testified this month that his statements were pressured by investigators and that he made up details he thought would be crazy enough to get them to leave him alone.

The prosecution's theory in the case  that Josette was raped by Krivak and DiPippo in Krivak's van on Oct. 3, 1994  took shape in April 1996 when a friend of theirs, Denise Rose, told Investigators Patrick Castaldo and William Quick that she was in the van when it happened.

Andrew Krivak, embraces his father, Andrew Krivak Sr., after a jury acquitted him for the rape and murder of 12-year-old Josette Wright in Putnam Court on Feb. 27.

She described a game of spin the bottle, that after Josette told Krivak to stay away from her, he pulled off her clothes, tied her hands, put her underwear in her mouth to stop her from screaming, wrapped her bra around her head to keep the mouth closed and raped her. DiPippo then raped her, according to her account, and when Josette was not moving afterward, the two men dumped her in the woods before coming back and DiPippo threatening Rose she'd be next if she didn't keep her mouth shut.

The defense for years assailed Rose's account as the product of information fed to her by the investigators and them showing her the van and other evidence and taking her to Fields Lane. She gave roughly the same account at all five trials in the case.

The lie detector test and the statement

When Krivak was arrested July 1, 1996, he denied all involvement to Castaldo and Quick before asking to take a lie detector test, which his lawyers have called the biggest mistake of his life. It was administered by Senior Investigator Daniel Stephens, who four years earlier had given a polygraph to a Peekskill teenager, Jeffrey Deskovic, that led to Deskovic's false confession in the rape and murder of a 15-year-old classmate that was not exposed until 2006, after he'd served 16 years in prison.

Stephens told Krivak he had failed the test and sent him back to Castaldo and Quick after telling him the machine could not determine whether something was done on purpose or by accident. Krivak then asked if rape was less than murder, according to the investigators, and then purportedly gave a statement matching many of the details in Rose's account, saying he had raped Josette but it was DiPPipo who murdered her.

The statement was written by Quick and signed by Krivak, but the defense maintained it was not voluntary and that he signed it to avoid the pressure they were putting on him.

A psychology professor who has studied confession science, police interrogations and wrongful convictions, Kyle Scherr, testified for the defense that the polygraph was the turning point. He said that misinformation and minimization investigators used were risk factors for Krivak falsely confessing and that he ignored the long term consequences to immediately get out from under their coercion.

The statement always dogged Krivak and while his friend DiPippo - who hadn't given a statement - got two more chances at freedom, he was denied any relief for more than two decades. In 2019, Krivak's conviction was overturned and a new trial ordered based on the same evidence DiPippo had relied on: Joseph Santoro's account of a jailhouse conversation in which Gombert told him he'd had sex with Josette and two "suckers" were serving time for his crime.

Krivak remained in custody until bail was approved in October 2020.

Ironically, the jury this time never heard about Santoro. He pleaded guilty to extortion in federal court in 2021 after Krivak's lawyers reported that he threatened to recant his testimony if he wasn't paid more than $1 million. After Santoro pleaded the Fifth this month and refused to answer questions, the defense opted not to have his prior testimony read to the jury.

Andrew Krivak, right, stands with his friend Anthony DiPippo outside the Putnam County Courthouse Feb. 27, 2023 after a jury acquitted him for the rape and murder of 12-year-old Josette Wright in Putnam Court on Feb. 27.

DiPippo's reaction

There was no reference to DiPippo's acquittal in the latest trial and jurors were told not to speculate about the outcome of his case.

DiPippo, who now lives in Florida, did not attend the trial until the case was in the jury's hands.

Although he has been free for seven years and settled a federal wrongful conviction lawsuit against Putnam County for $12 million, the latest verdict was also seen as further vindication for him. The charges accused Krivak of acting in concert with DiPippo, and District Attorney Robert Tendy  who had criticized the countys settlement of the civil lawsuit - argued in his summation last week that both men were responsible for Josettes death.

DiPippo was elated by the verdict, calling it a "full exoneration of the both of us" as 24 jurors have now found them not guilty.

'The jury has spoken'

Tendy, who took the relatively rare step of an elected DA trying the case, left court with fellow prosecutor Larry Glasser, saying little.

"The jury has spoken," Tendy said. "You have to respect their decision, that's our system." But when asked if he still thought Krivak was guilty, he said he did.

That infuriated Newirth later. She and Michelen assailed the decision to proceed with Krivak's prosecution after DiPippo was acquitted, saying there was ample evidence pointing at Gombert's guilt and that investigators had coerced the confession.

"I think that's disgusting. It's a disgusting thing for (Tendy) to say," Newirth said, adding she hoped Putnam voters send him a message next time he is up for re-election. "Two separate juries have found otherwise."

Krivak's father, Andy, soaked up the sight of his son giving interviews as a free man. He recalled all the prisons around the state where he had to visit him, saying "he shouldn't have been at any of them."

"It took a lot to finally get the truth out," he said.

He said he feels for Susan Wright and her family, to lose a child that way. And he understands her disappointment with the verdict.

"But she has to put that to the right person," he said. "It wasn't these two."

This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Andrew Krivak found not guilty in rape, murder of Josette Wright
Andrew Tate will remain in prison after a Romanian court upheld a third 30-day detention for the social media influencer.

Mr Tate, who is being held in the country on suspicion of human trafficking and organised crime, lost his appeal against a judges decision on 21 February to keep him behind bars for another month.

The former professional kickboxer arrived at the Bucharest Court of Appeal handcuffed to his brother Tristan, who is also being held in custody.

It is the third appeal since their initial arrest that the brothers have lost.

Two women being held in the same case will remain under house arrest, according to Romanias anti-organised crime unit, which is known as DIICOT, according to The Associated Press.

No one has yet been formally charged in the case and all four individuals will now remain in custody until at least 29 March.

Mr Tate, 36, has lived in Romania since 2017 and has become best known for his misogynistic views, which have seen him banned from a string of social media platforms.

He has claimed that prosecutors have no evidence against him and that his arrest is part of a political conspiracy to silence his views.

Following the court appearance on Monday, Mr Tates Twitter account posted a message, which read, They weaponise lies to keep me in here. But you cannot hide the sun forever.

And he later added: Always winning isnt the point of Gods battles. The point of Gods battles is so you can show him the strength of your heart when you lose.

DIICOT officials have said that six victims of alleged human trafficking were subjected to acts of physical violence and mental coercion and sexually exploited by the suspects.

Investigators say that the alleged victims were lured by romance before being coerced into pornography for the financial gain of the crime group.

The Associated Press contributed to this report
People walk through Brooklyns Prospect Park on a snowy morning over on February 28, 2023 in New York City. New York City and much of the Northeast received overnight snow, sleet and rain in what is first real snowfall of the winter for many communities.

Winter weather hit both coasts over the last few days, dropping snow over California and across the Northeast. Cities around the country experienced power outages and massive transit headaches. And theres more to come.

Heavy snowfall also accumulated in California over the weekend and into Monday. Some communities saw snow for the first time in decades, the LA Times reported. The heavy snowfall prompted San Bernardino County to declare a local emergency on Monday after several feet of snow trapped county residents in their homes. Other local residents were unable to reach their homes. More than 53,000 customers in the state are without power today from the recent winter weather, according to Poweroutage.us.

Read more

Over in the Midwest, Michigan was battered by another round of ice and snow on Monday. The wintry weather has cleared up as of this afternoon, according to the Grand Rapids National Weather Service station. Though the precipitation has paused for now, more than 130,000 customers in Michigan are without power, according to Poweroutage.us.

More snow may be on its way across the Northeast, especially throughout states in New England. Hazardous driving conditions are expected today for parts of New England and upstate New York so use extra caution while driving, the National Weather Service said in a weather alert. Closures and disruptions to infrastructure may occur. Anywhere from 4 to 8 inches of snow are expected to fall across the region, the alert said.

California is going to experience more snowfall too. The state can expect heavy snow rates of 2 to 3 inches per hour and additional snowfall of 2-4 more feet for the Sierra Nevada and southern California ranges through Wednesday, the National Weather Service warned.

You can click through to see photos of the snow-fallout all around the country.

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Outages in Michigan

A DTE contractor crew works on a power line, Monday, Feb. 27, 2023, in northwest Detroit.

Post-storm powerline repairs

A DTE contractor crew works on a power line, Monday, Feb. 27, 2023, in northwest Detroit.

Days of power outages

Leah Thomas looks over her disposed food items, Monday, Feb. 27, 2023, in Beverly Hills in Oakland County, Michigan.

Snow over Massachussetts

A man cleans off snow in front of Berkshire Commons on South Street in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, on Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2023.

Snow over California

People walk up Summit Road while visiting Mount Diablo State Park in Walnut Creek, California, Monday, Feb. 27, 2023

Snow over the Northeast

Worker Bayron Barrientos shovels snow off a path, Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2023, in front of a church, in Norwood, Massachusetts.

Winter finally reaches New York City

A snow plow clears a path along the Brooklyn Bridge during a storm on February 27, 2023 in New York City.



Winter weather over New York City

People walk along a street during a storm on February 27, 2023 in New York City.

Winter weather hits California again

Motorists makes their way up Summit Road at Mount Diablo State Park in Walnut Creek, Californis, Monday, Feb. 27, 2023.

Winter wonderland in Mount Diablo

People visit Mount Diablo State Park in Walnut Creek, California, Monday, Feb. 27, 2023

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As a member of the media, I would like to formally apologize for forcing Dilbert creator Scott Adams to be racist.

As you may have heard, the cartoonist took to his YouTube channel last week and said: 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.

He also labeled Black people as members of a hate group.

If Elon Musk blames me, I'm sure I'm at fault

We in the media swiftly reported on these comments, and on the fact that most humans with functioning brains were labeling the comments racist because they are very, very racist.

The blowback prompted Twitter owner Elon Musk, who, like Adams, is a senior member of the American Coalition of Aggrieved-For-No-Reason White Men Who Never Shut Up, to tweet in support of Adams: The media is racist.

Musk went on: For a *very* long time, US media was racist against non-white people, now theyre racist against whites & Asians.

OK. When a noted media historian like Musk makes a statement like that, its incumbent on journalists like myself to devote at least several seconds to deciphering what hes on about.

Banning journalists on Twitter?: The Elon Musk guide to freeing up just the right amount of speech

Elon Musk asked me how I'd fix Twitter: OK, but he's not going to like it

I'm ashamed I forced Scott Adams to say terrible things about Black people

And heres the conclusion I reached, at least as it regards my own journalistic work:

Because I have written about the fact that racism is still a thing (as evidenced by Adams aforementioned very, very racist comments) and because I have staked out a bold racism is bad stance, I am actually racist against white people, even though I am, last I checked, white people.

Scott Adams and his comic strip character Dilbert in Dublin, Calif., in 2006.

The racism I apparently harbor toward white people is why Adams was forced to say on the internet that he doesnt want to live anywhere near Black people, resulting in pretty much every newspaper in America canceling his comic strip that I didnt know still existed.

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I have to say, I feel terrible about this. How dare I put Mr. Adams in the position of having to voluntarily parrot white-supremacist rhetoric on YouTube. Shame on me.

No more 'Dilbert': USA TODAY Network, newspapers and distributor drop comic after creator's racist comments

We in the media should do all we can to protect the fragile egos of white men

I guess the question I have to ask myself is: When will people like me in the media wake up and realize people like Adams and Musk just want equal treatment, as long as that equal treatment means they are in control, as they have been throughout history, and are allowed to discriminate against whoever they want under the guise of free speech?

When, I must ask myself, will I knock off the woke caring about marginalized communities nonsense and wrap powerful white men in soft, protective blankets that will insulate them from criticism whenever they say they dont want to live near Black people?

How dare I not recognize how easily these men bruise!

'Woke' or joke?: Why DeSantis is trying to keep straight, white men like me perpetually angry

If one poll said it, then it's OK to be racist, right?

Adams based his YouTube comments about Black people on a poll that found 26% of Black people disagree with the phrase, Its OK to be white. That prompted him to say: If nearly half of all Blacks are not OK with white people  thats a hate group.

Like the total jerks that we are, I and others in the media highlighted several issues: 26% is not half; the poll was conducted by the conservative Rasmussen company, which has taken a liking to polls that troll liberals; the phrase Its OK to be white bubbled up from white-supremacist groups looking for a seemingly anodyne phrase to use to troll liberals; and it's likely many respondents were reacting to the heavily memed phrase itself; and taking one point from a dodgy poll and using it to label any group of people a hate group is a pathetically impotent move.

'Cocaine is not really the issue': I asked a bear for his opinion of 'Cocaine Bear.' Here's his review.

On behalf of those of us who reverse-racist-ly leveraged facts to make Mr. Adams sound racist for saying racist things, I humbly apologize. It was wrong, and we should be ashamed for making the cartoonist look like a disreputable, entitled dingus when he was doing a perfectly fine job of that on his own.

Noting that Musk seems to sympathize with racists just because he does was wrong of me

As for Mr. Musk, I must also apologize on behalf of myself and all media members for making note of the fact that since taking over Twitter he has allowed an array of virulently racist figures back on the platform, including the founder of the neo-Nazi site The Daily Stormer.

Twitter CEO Elon Musk, probably thinking about ways to make things worse.

It was also exceedingly racist of me and others to report that the use of racial slurs on Twitter increased dramatically after he took over the company last year. It was likely that kind of reporting on things that happened behavior that forced Mr. Musk to rush in and defend Mr. Adams declaration that it makes no sense whatsoever as a white citizen of America to try to help Black citizens anymore. It doesnt make sense. Its no longer a rational impulse.

I hope the American Coalition of Aggrieved-For-No-Reason White Men Who Never Shut Up can forgive me

For compelling Mr. Musk to defend the indefensible, I offer my sincerest apology. I hope he can find it in his heart to forgive my racism, which he made up to defend Mr. Adams hateful comments, as easily as he excused Mr. Adams hateful comments by nonsensically blaming the media.

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Ill also be forwarding a copy of this mea culpa to the American Coalition of Aggrieved-For-No-Reason White Men Who Never Shut Up.

Just so they have another thing to never shut up about.

Follow USA TODAY columnist Rex Huppke on Twitter @RexHuppke and Facebook facebook.com/RexIsAJerk.

More from Rex Huppke:

Anti-transgender rules, rhetoric and legislation are a shameful stain on America's soul

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You can read diverse opinions from our Board of Contributors and other writers on the Opinion front page, on Twitter @usatodayopinion and in our daily Opinion newsletter. To respond to a column, submit a comment to letters@usatoday.com.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'Dilbert' cartoonist Scott Adams is racist. It's my fault, apparently
By Praveen Paramasivam and Munsif Vengattil

CHITTOOR, India (Reuters) -Much of the fire safety equipment at Apple supplier Foxlink's facility in southern India was not functional, a government official told Reuters on Tuesday, a day after a blaze halted production at the maker of iPhone charging cables.

The factory is located in the Chittoor district of India's Andhra Pradesh state and is unlikely to resume full operations for two months, raising supply chain concerns for the U.S. tech giant, Reuters reported earlier in the day.

Foxlink was engulfed in a massive fire on Monday that led part of the building to collapse, but there were no casualties.

Except for fire extinguishers, safety systems such as smoke detectors, sprinklers and fire hydrants were faulty, leading to a slower response in containing the fire, said J Ramanaiah, who leads the Fire Services Department in the region.

"The smoke detector was not activated and fire alarms didn't go off," Ramanaiah added.

Apple and Foxlink did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The cause of the fire is still being investigated.

The regional fire department will submit a report on the incident to state authorities, which will decide whether to investigate the matter further, said Shuvana Sony, zone manager of the industrial park where the plant is located.

Sony added her previous visits to the plant had shown no safety lapses at the facility.

Some Apple representatives visited the facility for meetings on Tuesday, according to three people familiar with the matter, although what was discussed was not clear.

Foxlink operates a total of 10 assembly lines in two separate facilities at the plant in Andhra, of which four were completely destroyed, one source with knowledge of the situation said. Production at the remaining six assembly lines is expected to resume later this week.

A second source said that Foxlink was a key supplier for Apple in India, and "there could be potential supply chain disruptions for iPhones made in India, or shipped from India".

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Cupertino, California-based Apple has bet big on India since it began assembling iPhones in the country in 2017, in line with the Indian government's push for local manufacturing.

The incident is the latest problem to hit one of Apple's 11 suppliers in India.

Production was hit at a facility of Apple contract manufacturer Foxconn in 2021 due to food poisoning among workers, and a Wistron India plant was affected by worker unrest in 2020 over non-payment of wages.

IMPACT ON BUSINESS

Foxlink exports charging cables and some other equipment to countries such as China and Hong Kong, with total exports worth $32.2 million since 2022, according to figures from a private customs data provider.

Last year, the data indicates Foxlink exported around 7 million USB-C to lightning cables from India, and in January shipped 1.6 million units. Around 98% of exports were cables.

Foxlink's Indian sales numbers were not immediately clear.

Reuters visited the Foxlink site on Tuesday where part of the building was completely charred and residual smoke was still seen rising in the morning. The factory is surrounded by other industrial units, including one for Indian phone maker Karbonn.

Many workers gathered outside the facility, with some anxious about the status of their contract jobs. They told Reuters the fire broke out during lunch break on Monday.

"The fire became uncontrollable," one worker said, declining to be named.

Other Foxlink workers said they had been asked to not come to work on Wednesday.

A police official said on Monday there was an estimated loss of $12 million at the factory.

(Reporting by Munsif Vengattil in New Delhi and Praveen Paramasivam in Chittoor, Additional reporting by Maurice D. Tamman; Editing by Aditya Kalra, Louise Heavens, Emelia Sithole-Matarise and Sharon Singleton)
(Bloomberg) -- Apple Inc.s Chinese suppliers are likely to move capacity out of the country far faster than many observers anticipate to pre-empt fallout from escalating Beijing-Washington tensions, according to one of the US companys most important partners.

Most Read from Bloomberg

AirPods maker GoerTek Inc. is one of the many manufacturers exploring locations beyond its native China, which today cranks out the bulk of the worlds gadgets from iPhones to PlayStations. Its investing an initial $280 million in a new Vietnam plant while considering an India expansion, Deputy Chairman Kazuyoshi Yoshinaga said in an interview. US tech companies in particular have been pushing hard for manufacturers like GoerTek to explore alternative locations, said the executive, who oversees GoerTeks Vietnamese operations from northern Bac Ninh province.

Starting from last month, so many people from the client side are visiting us almost every day, Yoshinaga said from his offices at GoerTeks sprawling industrial complex north of Hanoi. The topic that dominates discussions: When can you move out?

The expanding conflict between the US and China, which began with a trade war but has since expanded to encompass sweeping bans on the exchange of chips and capital, is spurring a rethink of the electronics industrys decades-old supply chain. The worlds reliance on the Asian nation became starkly clear during the Covid Zero years, when Beijings restrictions choked off the supply of everything from phones to cars.

Apples suppliers rarely comment on its thinking, in part because of the US companys famous insistence on secrecy across its global supply chain.

The iPhone maker has kept mum on whether it plans to diversify out of China, which would entail revamping a model Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook pioneered under Steve Jobs. The US giant has been careful to avoid suggestions it might reduce its investment in China, where its built an ecosystem centered on companies such as GoerTek and Foxconn Technology Group, which collectively employ millions.

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Behind the scenes, 9 out of 10 of Apples most important suppliers may be preparing large-scale moves to countries like India, which is dangling incentives to drive Narendra Modis Make in India initiative. Bloomberg Intelligence estimates it could take eight years to move just 10% of Apples capacity outside of China.

The GoerTek executive argues itll be far quicker.

Most Chinese tech manufacturers are experiencing the same pressure. I would say currently 90% of them, theyre looking at that, he added. Its the brand companies decisions.

India is high on clients wish-lists  a reflection of its potential both as a market and a manufacturing base.

We get requests from our clients almost every month. Do you have any plans to expand to India? Yoshinaga said. If they decide to build up the production lines in India, we may have to think about it seriously. Currently we are focusing on developing our Vietnam production facilities.

Vietnam for now is the companys sole manufacturing site outside of China. The envisioned new 62-hectare complex in Bac Ninh will make products for major US brands and is expected to be operational within a year, Yoshinaga told Bloomberg News. That investment will add to the $1.06 billion of commitments that GoerTeks made in Bac Ninh and the north-central province of Nghe An, he added.

GoerTek, which also plans to manufacture virtual reality headsets in Vietnam from 2024, expects the Southeast Asian country to produce more than half of its global revenues in three years, up from one-third now, Yoshinaga said. The company is also asking its own suppliers to scout northern Vietnam for new factories, he said. It makes Quest virtual reality headsets for Meta Platforms Inc. and Sony Group Corp.s PSVR devices.

GoerTek set up operations in Vietnam a decade ago to make acoustic products at the request of Samsung Electronics Co., he said. The supplier now operates eight plants in the country, and expects to double its local workforce to 40,000 as soon as May to ramp up for Christmas, Yoshinaga said.

Vietnams proximity to China, a coastal network of ports, young educated workforce and relative political stability make the Southeast Asian country an ideal hub, he said. But an anti-corruption campaign, which led to the recent dismissal of the president and two deputy prime ministers, is unsettling, said Yoshinaga, who said hes expressed that concern to officials.

Led by Communist party chief Nguyen Phu Trong, the effort has rattled markets and investors. In 2021, Chinese President Xi Jinping launched an anti-corruption probe aimed at the nations $60 trillion financial sector.

They learn too much from China, Yoshinaga said of Vietnams leadership. Doing something about corruption is good. But dont go too far and create an unstable political environment.

For now, Vietnam remains an attractive location. Apple may be looking to make the country a manufacturing hub for AirPods, iPads and MacBooks. AirPods orders are dominated by GoerTek and fellow Chinese firm Luxshare Precision Industry Co., which too has a complex in north Vietnam.

Many US companies are planning to shift production there, regardless of cost, Yoshinaga said. Others like Jabil Inc. are considering India. But overall, the flow is consistently going to be outward from China, he said.

I dont think its going to return. Its one-way.

--With assistance from Debby Wu and Gao Yuan.

Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek

2023 Bloomberg L.P.
(Bloomberg) -- Applied Materials Inc. has begun selling a chipmaking machine designed to decrease the industrys reliance on ASML Holding NV and more cheaply produce the kind of ultra-powerful semiconductors that can handle artificial intelligence tasks.

Most Read from Bloomberg

The companys Centura Sculpta machine  a so-called pattern shaping system  lets customers reduce the amount of time they spend on lithography, the process of using light to burn lines into silicon. Lithography has become increasingly complex and expensive, and the new approach will help streamline chip production while reducing waste, Applied Materials said Tuesday.

The move threatens to disrupt a lithography market dominated by ASMLs machines. Though Applied Materials isnt challenging that company directly, its attempting to rethink the way the industry manufactures chips  the tiny electronic components that are built by depositing materials on disks of silicon.

Applied Materials gained 4.3% to $116.86 as of 3:18 p.m. in New York. ASML fell 1.9% to 584 ($618) in Amsterdam.

The patterns that allow chips to store and process data are burned onto wafers and then later filled with metal and other substances. The lithography stage of the process has become increasingly difficult as circuits shrink down to dimensions that are smaller than the wavelength of most light sources.

ASMLs extreme ultraviolet machines are able to handle these tasks for cutting-edge semiconductors, and its a lucrative source of revenue for the Dutch company. Sales have nearly doubled since 2019, and ASML is expected to post revenue growth of 25% this year. Compare that with the rest of the chip equipment industry, which is bracing for a sales contraction as customers cope with an inventory glut.

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ASMLs machines are some of the most expensive in an industry where equipment can easily cost more than $10 million apiece. But ASMLs approach has drawbacks. Some parts of the chip require whats called multiple patterning  taking two or more runs through the process to achieve the desired results.

Applied Materials new machine will remove the need for some multiple patterning by using an electrically activated chemical technique to complete that part of the process.

The idea is to complement ultraviolet lithography, while also tackling the growing economic and environmental challenges of advanced chipmaking, Applied Materials executive Prabu Raja said in a statement.

The new tool could add $200 million to $300 million in annual sales for Applied Materials, but wont dent ASMLs extreme ultraviolet revenue in the near term, according to Krish Sankar, an analyst at Cowen & Co.

Chipmakers that adopt the system will save as much as $250 million in capital costs if theyre running a line that processes 100,000 wafers per month, according to Applied Materials. Each wafer will cost about $50 less and require 15 fewer kilowatt hours of energy. It also will need 15 fewer liters of water and result in 0.35 kilograms less in carbon dioxide emissions, the company said.

The new offering is primarily aimed at the production of whats called advanced logic  massive, complicated chips such as Nvidia Corp.s graphics processors used in AI. Only three companies specialize in that type of production: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Samsung Electronics Co. and Intel Corp.

Combined, those companies make up the majority of spending on chipmaker gear and account for more than half of sales for both Applied Materials and ASML.

Applied Materials cited Intel as a company that has already embraced the new approach.

Intel will be deploying pattern-shaping capabilities to help us deliver reduced design and manufacturing costs, process cycle times and environmental impact, Intel executive Ryan Russell said in the statement.

(Updates shares in fourth paragraph.)

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2023 Bloomberg L.P.
TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA)  An arrest warrant was issued for rapper and Florida native, Kodak Black, who authorities said violated his bail conditions when he failed a drug test earlier this month.

According to the Broward County Clerk of Courts, Kodak Black, whose legal name is Bill Kapri, violated the conditions of his pretrial release after he failed to submit a sample to a random drug test on Feb. 3.

Kodak Black arrested in Florida traffic stop, found with 31 oxycodone tablets: FHP

Then on Feb. 8, court documents show Blacks drug test came back positive for fentanyl.

The 25-year-old was initially arrested in South Florida in July 2022 for trafficking in oxycodone and possession of a controlled substance.

In a release, the Florida Highway Patrol said that troopers pulled Black over because he was driving a purple SUV with window tints that appeared darker than the legal limit.

Troopers then detected a marijuana smell and searched the SUV where they found a small clear bag with 31 white tablets and almost $75,000 in cash.

Putin gives actor Steven Seagal Russias friendship award

The tablets were later identified as oxycodone.

The agency said record checks also revealed that Blacks vehicle tag and drivers license were both expired.

In January 2020, then-President Donald Trump commuted a three-year federal prison sentence Black had for falsifying documents used to buy weapons. Black had served about half his sentence.

Black is nominated for the iHeartRadio Music Awards hip-hop artist of the year and has sold more than 30 million singles, with massive hits such as Super Gremlin, which reached number three on the Billboard Hot 100 last year.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Students leading worship inside Hughes Chapel on the campus of Asbury University in Wilmore, Ky., on Feb. 17, 2023. (Jesse Barber/The New York Times)

Students leading worship inside Hughes Chapel on the campus of Asbury University in Wilmore, Ky., on Feb. 17, 2023. Over two weeks, more than 50,000 people descended on a small campus chapel to experience the nation's first major spiritual revival in decades -- one driven by Gen Z. Credit - Jesse BarberThe New York Times/Redux

Something happened at Asbury University. Many Christians called the weeks-long worship service at the small Wilmore, Ky. school, which attracted tens of thousands and disrupted campus life, a revival. Fervent worship and prayer that began during a Feb. 8, 2023 chapel service continued for hours afterward, then days, with word soon spreading globally through social media and national news coverage. Asbury administrators, noting that the school and town have been overwhelmed by the rush of outside visitors, officially ended the on-campus revival gatherings last week. But a number of other universities have reported their own enthusiastic campus awakenings, leading excited Christians to contend this is evidence of an unprecedented movement of God across the nation.

The revival has had its fair share of skeptics, however, many of whom argue this is but another instance of embarrassing evangelical behavior. Two general critical trends have emerged, each of which has roots in long traditions of revivalist reproval. The first worries that revivals like Asburys lack moral seriousness. One need only think here of stereotypical image of cash-grabbing prosperity preachers swindling their way through the revival circuit, or the exacting evangelicals visiting the restaurant after worship who dont tip. Or, perhaps even worse, there is the fear that such revivals are a cover or propellant for problematic politics, akin to the collective effervescence of a Trump rally. And to be sure, some MAGA-style public figures have hailed the happenings in Wilmore, seeing it as part of a larger political surge that bolsters the religious right.

Read More: Christian Nationalisms Popularity Should Be a Wake Up Call

A second concern is that revivals like Asburys are simply sites of emotional manipulation, that participants are being swept up in charismata that is artificial, designed to induce chill bumps-on-arms responses. If a revival is simply the powerful surge of collective emotion, or the product of stagecraft, is it really real?

Indeed, some revivalists from past generations grew quite comfortable with exploiting material means. The 19th century preacher Charles Finney penned a manual that spelled out how to lead an effective revival. He did not see this strategy as insincere, but frustrated critics cried manipulation. Similarly, any evangelical church musician knows if you hit the right chord at just the right moment, you are guaranteed more hands in the air. A student at the Christian college where I teach recently shared this concern with me when she spoke of her home churchs routine revivalist stratagems, from the swells in worship music to church lighting design. The Asbury revival appears decidedly low budget, without the fancy lights and rock show aesthetics of other charismatic events. But my students concern is very real: given American evangelicalisms oversaturation of synthetic spirituality, can we ever really be sure were experiencing God?

Christians from generations past have wrestled with both of these problems. What is real awakening, and what is artificial? Does revival require moral or political impact, and if so, what should it look like? The consensus interpretive key that most have landed on to address both concerns is to watch for the fruit of revival. A true revival produces results: demonstrably changed lives oriented towards holiness and justice.

Perhaps no American speaks of the hazards here as incisively as Frederick Douglass. In his 1845 Narrative, the then-enslaved Douglass discusses his enslaver, who had just experienced conversion at a Methodist revival. Douglass reports his hope that the revival might make his enslaver kinder, or even lead him to consider emancipation. But it did the opposite, making him more cruel and hateful in all his ways.

Attendees during worship inside Hughes Chapel on the campus of Asbury University in Wilmore, Ky., on Feb. 18, 2023. Jesse BarberThe New York Times/Redux

We should attend to Douglass warning: Even when we note the need for transformation, a revival can still conceal or enable oppression. But for Douglass, the answer wasnt to reject revival or Christianity outright. The answer was to point toward the Christianity of Christ, a religion characterized by love of neighbor and concern for the oppressed.

Still, even keeping Douglass admonition in mind, its hard to know what to do. Its hard because, by definition, a revival transcends our human understanding and comprehension. Insofar as it might have direct political or moral import, to expect a revival to have a logical behavioral outcome is to reduce its power. Procedure easily eclipses Pentecost.

Therefore, we might hope the Asbury revival results in dramatic social consequences, but we should be open to it resulting in changed lives that are surprising to us, that dont operate in accordance with given political preferences. For Douglass, true Christian revival logically entailed abolition, a movement that many of his day deemed strange and dangerous. We might wonder what needed threats to the contemporary status quo could emerge from Asbury, and be open to how they might challenge our expectations.

Or perhaps we wont even know. Perhaps there will be no revolution in the streets, because those who attend the revival simply needed to feel Gods love in their own hearts. I certainly pray for that feeling on my own campus: American young adults are overwhelmed and overstressed, burdened by a violent nation, economic precarity, destructive social media trends, mental health challenges, and general uncertainty about the future. When I asked Asbury professor David Swartz about the campus happenings, he told me that Before it became a public revival, this experience felt like a long exhale taken by my anxious students reeling from the pressures of COVID-19 and social mediaand then an infilling of a holy calm. Maybe then the revival isnt really about our own understanding as outsiders, our need to know if and how God is at work. Instead, its about what the students at Asbury or other college campuses need right here and now, and how God is meeting them where they are.

We might then carefully embrace the possibility of spiritual awakening even if we arent exactly sure from whence it came or where its going. Of course, beautiful music and gathered community affect us; theres a reason why even the most avid secularist is moved at the sight of natural beauty, why we appreciate the well-honed rhetoric of a speaker we also happen to agree with, or why its possible to feel moved (as I have been, I admit) amongst a bunch of grooving hippies at a Phish concert. Christians have always been comfortable with the notion that God is present and active amidst the mundane and the material (think the bread and wine of the Eucharist), even if the how remains a mystery.

The famed Harvard religion scholar Harvey Cox once wrote of a dinner gathering with similarly positioned educated elites: I asked my table companions if any of them had themselves ever spoken in tongues or prayed in the Spirit as the Pentecostals say.

He continued, There was an awkward silence. The priest glanced at his watch. The historian brushed crumbs from the tablecloth. The rest looked doubtfully at each other. None, it seemed, ever had. Nor had I, I admitted. They seemed relieved. But then I asked whether anyone had ever wanted to. Here again, the response was negative, and most seemed surprised when I revealed that I at times had wanted to.

This captures something that I think is true about revivals, even at their most puzzling. At the end of the day, they may be flawed; they may sometimes be infiltrated by bad actors or produce meagre moral results; they may be emotionally manipulative. In that, they are human, and in that, they resemble all of us. But when one sees a person who is overcome with the Spirit, who knows that God loves them and is working to transform their life for the good, the final word does not have to be interrogation or critique. Instead, it can be an opportunity for admirationor even aspiration.
[Source]

Asian and European men saw the worlds largest increases in average penile length in the past three decades, a new study by a team of international scientists has found.

The researchers analyzed the results of 75 studies since the 1940s that measured erect penises in laboratory settings around the world. Data from a total of 55,761 men were then adjusted for age, geographic region and subject population.

They found that the worlds average erect penis size grew from 12.27 centimeters (approximately 4.8 inches) in 1992 to 15.23 centimeters (approximately 6 inches) in 2021.

Thats a 24% increase over a 29-year period.

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However, the growth was not shared equally by men across all continents. The analysis showed that Asian and European men saw increases, while North American men saw no change.

The trend for increasing erect penile [length] was seen in Asia and Europe, Dr. Michael Eisenberg of Stanford Medicines Urology Department told NextShark. We did not find a [significant] change in North America. The caveat is that we were limited by the available studies.

Eisenberg has expressed concerns about the trend, saying it could be a sign of a major shift in the human body, particularly the reproductive system.

More from NextShark: She Rates Dogs podcast co-host Mat George dies at 26 after hit-and-run in LA

Possible factors include exposure to chemicals in pesticides and hygiene products, which interact with hormones.

The increase happened over a relatively short period of time. Any overall change in development is concerning, because our reproductive system is one of the most important pieces of human biology, Eisenberg told Scope, Stanford Medicines blog.

If we're seeing this fast of a change, it means that something powerful is happening to our bodies. We should try to confirm these findings and if confirmed, we must determine the cause of these changes.

Story continues

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Other potential causes are earlier onset of puberty and improved nutrition in Asia and Europe in the past decades.

A sedentary lifestyle and obesity may also play a role, the scientists wrote.

Still, it must be pointed out that the study is limited to a minute fraction of the worlds male population, which as of 2021 was estimated at 3.97 billion. The female population, on the other hand, was estimated at 3.92 million.

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The study, titled Worldwide Temporal Trends in Penile Length: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis, is published in the World Journal of Mens Health. The full paper is available here.
Aubrey Plazas stylist took to Instagram on Monday to shut down criticism of the actors revealing Screen Actors Guild Awards dress.

After the White Lotus star appeared at Sundays ceremony in Los Angeles donning a Michael Kors gown with a crisscross neckline that bared her underboob, social media users quickly began to tear apart photos of the sultry ensemble.

It looks like she is wearing it backwards, one person commented on an Instagram post about Plazas attire.

Another said, Stop dressing amazing people in horrible dresses.

When one person wrote that the straps could be better adjusted, but i love the color, stylist Jessica Paster swooped in to reveal the risque outfit was exactly the look she was going for.

Did 7 fittings .. for real  I wanted underboob, Paster replied in the comments section alongside a heart-eyes emoji.

But red carpet photos werent the only source of controversy around the deadpan queens dress.

In several clips shared to Twitter, Plaza appeared visibly annoyed after hitting the stage with her White Lotus co-stars to accept the award for best ensemble cast. The footage showed Plaza adjusting her top multiple times and appearing to mouth the words Jesus Christ, igniting speculation across social media.

Though she has not publicly addressed the incident, many Twitter users noticed Plazas irritated glares seemed to start after Jon Gries  who stars as Greg Hunt, the husband of Tanya McQuoid-Hunt (Jennifer Coolidge), in the hit HBO series  leaned over to whisper to her.

With a panicked look, Plaza then glanced down at her outfit and began frantically adjusting the dress straps over her breasts, seemingly hoping to avoid a wardrobe malfunction.

Speaking to Page Six in a story published Monday, Gries revealed what actually happened on stage that triggered the Parks and Recreation alums frustrated expression.

He could see that Plaza was being blocked by about 15 people, Gries recalled, so he told her to look to the front.

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He then whispered, You might want to fix that first, referring to her underboob emerging from her dress.

As for her seemingly mouthing Jesus Christ, Gries insisted she was just being funny.

What she was intimating is why would that be a problem if my nipple is showing, he told Page Six. Thats her humor. ... Thats her biting wit.

The first and second seasons of The White Lotus are available for streaming on HBO Max.

Related...
SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australia has not received advice from its security agencies to follow the example of the United States, the European Parliament and Canada to ban Chinese video-sharing app TikTok from government devices, Treasurer Jim Chalmers said on Wednesday.

Canada banned TikTok from government-issued devices on Monday and the following day the European Parliament banned the app from staff phones citing concerns over who could access user data. The White House on Monday gave government agencies 30 days to ensure they do not have TikTok on federal devices.

"We'll take the advice of our national security agencies. That hasn't been the advice to date," Chalmers told ABC television, when asked if the government would consider a government-wide ban on TikTok.

The bans underscore growing concerns that China's government could use TikTok, owned by Chinese firm ByteDance Ltd, to harvest users' data to advance its political interests and meddle in other countries' internal affairs.

The European Commission imposed a similar ban last week, while the U.S. Senate in December passed a bill to bar federal employees from using the app on government-owned devices. India banned TikTok in 2020.

Japan's chief government spokesman said on Monday that the administration has cybersecurity measures in place pertaining to social media services but does not exclude products from specific countries.

(Reporting by Renju Jose; Editing by Stephen Coates)
Traveling the world really opens you up to different ways of living, but as one transplant has learned, some cultural differences will forever boggle the mind.

In this case, Australian Olly Bowman (@mrmelk_) hasnt been able to get over the common Norwegian practice of leaving your baby outside in a stroller  unattended and alone in all sorts of weather.

Another day in Norway, another group of babies left out in the cold, Bowman says in his recent viral TikTok.

Look how many there are! he adds in disbelief, walking by a cluster of strollers.

Bowman himself bundled up in a warm puffy coat and winter hat, proving that the temperatures are indeed pretty low where he is. (Even in the summer months, Norway only averages a high of 57 to 65 degrees Fahrenheit, according to Frommers.)

That said, leaving babies outside alone has become a very common practice in most Nordic countries, which includes Norway, Denmark, Sweden and Finland. But theres some logic behind it.

It helps with their breathing and makes them more independent, Bowman explains. Its actually why so many people leave home earlier in Norway than other countries.

Its believed that the fresh air keeps babies healthy and promotes positive sleep patterns. And while the practice is done in all kinds of weather, babies are usually dressed in lightweight wool and covered in a down duvet to keep them toasty warm while they nap. Parents also use rain covers on their strollers to protect their little ones from the outside elements.

Its not as though parents stray far from their babies. Usually, theyre just popping into a store or grabbing a quick cup of coffee with a friend nearby and keeping their child well within eyesight. In many cases, portable baby monitors are inside the stroller.

In the comments on Bowmans post, many people asked why parents werent more concerned about the risks.

Are babies not kidnapped in Norway? one person commented. My anxiety would never.

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In response, at least one TikToker shared that the crime rate in Norway is nearly non-existent, which is probably why so many parents feel safe enough to do this.

In another viral TikTok that highlights the same practice in Denmark, a mom jokingly explained, Babies here dont get kidnapped because no one wants the responsibility of someone elses kid.

Ultimately, most people who watched Bowmans post were in awe over the whole thing.

Scandinavian babies are built different, one commenter wrote, adding that their immune systems are far superior as a result of this.

The older I get, the more I realize how cool other parts of the world are, added someone else.

But most of all, commenters couldnt help but point out how something like this could never happen in America, even if it had positive benefits.

To live in a society where it was safe enough to leave the babies like this would be crazy, one user said.

In The Know is now available on Apple News  follow us here!

The post Australian is stunned to find out that Norwegians leave babies to nap outside in cold weather appeared first on In The Know.

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A search is on for an inmate who walked away from the Atwater federal prison Monday, according to federal officials.

Around midnight, 42-year-old inmate Jose G. Garibay was discovered missing from a satellite camp near the U.S. Penitentiary Atwater, according to a USP Atwater news release. Garibay is said to be 5-feet-6-inches tall weighing about 170 pounds. Authorities described him as a white male with brown hair and brown eyes.

Authorities said the satellite camp is a minimum security facility which houses 105 male offenders.

According to the release, law enforcement agencies including the Federal Bureau of Prisons and the U.S. Marshals Service were notified. Authorities said an internal investigation has been initiated. Garibay was in custody after receiving a 40-month sentence for a supervised release violation of a 131-month sentence on conspiracy to distribute, intent to distribute methamphetamine, conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute controlled substance and aiding and abetting, according to the release.

Anyone with information about Garibay is asked to contact the Marshals Service at 800-336-0102.
Rep. Ayanna Pressley outside the Supreme Court Tuesday. Ayanna Pressley

Rep. Ayanna Pressley told Insider it's not the time for a backup plan on student-debt relief.

"We are still in this. The president has the authority," Pressley said outside the Supreme Court.

The Supreme Court concluded oral arguments on the cases challenging Biden's debt relief on Tuesday.

It's time to push for the legality of President Joe Biden's student-loan forgiveness  not a backup plan if it gets struck down, Massachusetts Rep. Ayanna Pressley said.

Lawmakers, advocates, and student-loan borrowers gathered outside the Supreme Court hours before it took on the two cases that pauses the implementation of Biden's plan to cancel up to $20,000 in student debt on Tuesday. In an interview with Insider, Pressley  who has long pushed for broad student-loan forgiveness with other Democratic lawmakers  said she's not even thinking about an alternative route to get relief to borrowers if the court's decision doesn't go Biden's way.

"I'm not there yet. I'm ceding nothing," Pressley said. "We are still in this. The president has the authority. The Supreme Court needs to apply the letter of the law, and we need to get this done."

Pressley also told Insider that she will "absolutely" push for student-loan payments to remain on pause until relief reaches borrowers. Biden extended the student-loan payment pause to 60 days after June 30, or 60 days after the lawsuits are resolved, whichever happens first, and there could be a chance borrowers might still resume payments this year even if the Supreme Court strikes down debt relief.

"This movement pushed for those pauses," Pressley said. "It's been game changing and transformative for so many people. By eliminating that bill, I mean, do you all understand that there are people that are paying monthly student loan of bills that are the equivalency of a mortgage?"

Pressley was among a group of Democratic lawmakers who voiced support for student-debt relief outside the Supreme Court on Tuesday morning. Missouri Rep. Cori Bush, who previously challenged student-loan company MOHELA's role in the case brought on by six Republican-led states who argued the relief would hurt the company's revenue, told Insider that "when Republicans used Missouri-based student loan servicer MOHELA to defend their argument against Biden's student debt relief plan, I immediately demanded answers from MOHELA."

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"MOHELA's first priority is complying with the contractual obligations set forth by the U.S. Department of Education. Case closed," Bush said. "Even this far-right Supreme Court should be able to recognize that these claims against student debt relief are baseless and politically-motivated. The Supreme Court has both a legal and moral responsibility to dismiss these unfounded arguments and deliver on behalf of the over 40 million borrowers across this country."

During questioning, the Supreme Court justices appeared largely split down partisan lines. The conservative justices asked Biden's team about a potential overreach of executive authority with the plan and whether it's fair, while the liberal justices scrutinized the states' standing to bring MOHELA into the case.

While Republican lawmakers have been on the offense, with GOP members of the House education committee writing in a Tuesday blog post that "cancelation is an insult to those who diligently paid off their loans," Democratic lawmakers and the Biden administration maintained they will continue pushing to get relief to millions of borrowers in the country.

"It is the right thing to do when we fight for an equitable higher education system where every American can have a shot at prosperity. It is the right thing to do when we live up to our founding creed of fairness, affording today's generation the same opportunities that prior ones enjoyed," New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez, who spoke outside the Supreme Court, said on Tuesday. "Opponents of student loan cancellation are on the wrong side of history; they are using wrong arguments to pursue a wrong policy for the wrong reasons."

Read the original article on Business Insider
AVALON, Australia (Reuters) -BAE Systems Australia and another local manufacturer on Tuesday unveiled a new uncrewed military aircraft that will be designed, manufactured and armed in Australia.

The 2.6 meter by 4.5 meter (8.5 foot by 14.8 foot) STRIX uncrewed air system (UAS), launched at the Avalon Air Show, will be capable of air to ground strikes, surveillance and reconnaissance in "high-risk environments".

Work on a prototype is under way, with operational service possible by 2026, said Ben Hudson, chief executive of BAE Systems Australia, a wholly owned subsidiary of BAE Systems, Britain's biggest defence company.

"Were excited that this is the first UAS of its kind to be developed in Australia and look forward to working with partners across the country to deliver this capability to customers, Hudson said.

Hudson told Reuters there was strong interest from two unnamed international customers. Asked whether the United States was one of the two, he said: "What I would say is that we need a fuller business case for something like this. And I mean the U.S. market is huge."

Defence contractors are increasingly investing in autonomous technology as militaries look for cheaper and safer ways to maximise resources.

Boeing is designing the MQ-28 Ghost Bat, a fighter-like drone, alongside the Royal Australian Air Force. Announced in 2019, it was the first combat aircraft to be manufactured in Australia in more than 50 years.

BAE Systems Australia programme manager Natalie Waldie said the company has been in touch with the Australian Defence Force, although STRIX was not developed in response to tender.

Developed alongside Perth-based Innovaero, STRIX will be able to carry a payload of up to 160 kilogrammes (353 pounds) over 800 kilometres, and take off and land vertically. It can be stored in shipping containers.

BAE Systems Australia will also deliver a new low-cost precision-guided munition, known as RAZER, usable with STRIX.

(Reporting by Jamie Freed and Lewis Jackson. Editing by Gerry Doyle)
Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang attended the opening ceremony and delivered remarks at a high-level discussion of the 52nd regular session of the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Geneva, Switzerland, on February 27.

Deputy PM Tran Luu Quang (centre) and other Vietnamese officials before the opening of the UNHRC's 52nd regular session on February 27

In his speech, Deputy PM Quang said the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) and the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action (VDPA) on human rights are solid frameworks for the international community to jointly enhance awareness and action to promote and protect human rights, and that many important achievements have been obtained over decades.





However, those achievements are facing increasingly fierce challenges such as wars, conflicts, violence, poverty, inequality and injustice, natural disasters, epidemics, climate change, environmental degradation, food security and water security-related risks, and consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, he pointed out.





He took this occasion to express deep sympathies to Turkish and Syrian people on their losses in the recent earthquake. He also informed participants about Vietnams concrete and quick assistance for the governments and people of the two countries.





Quang highlighted the determination, efforts, and achievements of Vietnam  a new UNHRC member  in making reforms, boosting socio-economic development, ensuring social security, and safeguarding and promoting human rights, especially the maintenance of fast growth, the widespread coverage of health insurance, a rate of womens political participation among the worlds highest, and the continuous improvement in the human development index rankings.









Deputy PM Tran Luu Quang attends the high-level meeting of the UNHRC's 52nd regular session on February 27





Underlining Vietnams motto when joining the UNHRC  "Respect and Understanding. Dialogue and Cooperation. All human rights for all people, the Deputy PM called on countries to understand and respect one anothers differences, stay united, hold dialogue, and cooperate to resolve global issues on the basis of multilateralism, international law, and the UN Charter.





He stressed the need to focus on implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the commitments on climate change adaptation.





To ensure the full enjoyment of human rights around the globe, the UNHRC should play the central role in promoting constructive dialogue, equality, and effective cooperation among countries on the basis of mutual respect and understanding and with an overarching approach, according to the Vietnamese official.





At the discussion, Quang suggested the UDHRs 75th anniversary and the VDPAs 30th anniversary be celebrated with a UNHRC document to reaffirm the major and inclusive goals and values of those statements and the international communitys joint commitment for the sake of humanity.




(Bloomberg) -- Former FTX engineering chief Nishad Singh pleaded guilty to fraud as part of a cooperation deal with prosecutors, the third member of the collapsed cryptocurrency exchanges inner circle to flip against co-founder Sam Bankman-Fried.

Most Read from Bloomberg

Singh said at a hearing on Tuesday that he was unbelievably sorry for my role in this and the harm it caused. He admitted he knew for months that Alameda Research, the exchanges trading arm, was borrowing billions of dollars in funds from FTX without customers knowledge.

I took actions to make it appear that FTXs revenues were higher than they were and provided that information to auditors, Singh told the court, wearing a dark suit and white dress shirt. I knew my conduct was wrong.

Singh, 27, pleaded guilty to six criminal counts, including wire fraud, conspiracy to commit securities fraud and a campaign finance law violation, in Manhattan federal court after making his cooperation agreement with federal prosecutors in the Southern District of New York.

He is the third close associate of Bankman-Fried to plead guilty and sign on as a cooperating witness for the government. Gary Wang and Caroline Ellison pleaded guilty last year to charges in connection to their roles at FTX and Alameda Research and are working with the government. Singh had been negotiating his deal since taking part in a proffer session last month, Bloomberg previously reported.

A representative for Bankman-Fried declined to comment on Singhs plea.

Knew It Was Wrong

At Tuesdays plea hearing, Singh told the judge he wasnt aware, at the time that campaign donations were being made in his name, that it was illegal. But he said he knew it was wrong. Under questioning by the judge, he agreed he had disregarded a substantial risk that his actions violated the law.

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Nishad is deeply sorry for his role in this and has accepted responsibility for his actions, Singhs lawyers, Andrew D. Goldstein and Russell Capone, said in a statement. He wants to do everything he can to make things right for victims, including by assisting the government to the best of his ability in this case.

Also on Tuesday, the US Securities and Exchange Commission and the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission filed civil lawsuits against Singh. Both agencies alleged that he created software code that allowed FTX customer assets to be transferred to Alameda.

According to the SEC complaint, Singh played an active role in deceiving investors and was aware that Bankman-Fried had directed hundreds of millions of dollars of customer funds to Alameda to be used for loans and venture investments, even as it became clear there was a shortfall because of client money already sent to the hedge fund.

The SEC said Singh withdrew about $6 million from FTX, as the platform neared its implosion, for personal use and expenses, including to buy a multimillion-dollar home and to donate to charity. The CFTC accused him of personally misappropriating millions of dollars of assets, including customer funds, through poorly documented loans from Alameda and improper withdrawals from FTX.

Fraud, Pure and Simple

We allege that this was fraud, pure and simple: while on the one hand FTX touted its supposed effective risk mitigation measures to investors, on the other Mr. Singh and his co-defendants were stealing customer funds using software code Mr. Singh helped create, Gurbir Grewal, director of the SECs Division of Enforcement, said in a statement.

The SEC said Singh is cooperating with its ongoing investigation into the alleged fraud at FTX.

Singh has provided prosecutors with a window into the political donations side of the FTX operation. He had given more than $9.3 million to Democratic candidates and committees since 2020, according to campaign finance filings. In the last election cycle, he donated $8 million. Among the largest recipients was Mind the Gap, a political action committee founded by Bankman-Frieds mother that received $1 million from Singh in April 2021.

Last week federal prosecutors filed four additional charges against Bankman-Fried, accusing him of using FTX executives to make millions of dollars of political donations in hopes of influencing crypto regulation.

1/1,000th of Bankman-Frieds Bond

Damian Williams, the US attorney for the Southern District, said Singhs guilty plea underscored once again that the crimes at FTX were vast in scope and consequence.

They rocked our financial markets with a multibillion dollar fraud, he said in a statement. And they corrupted our politics with tens of millions of dollars in illegal straw campaign contributions. These crimes demand swift and certain justice and that is exactly what we are seeking.

Singh walked out of court on Tuesday after signing a $250,000 bond  one-thousandth the size of the bond set for Bankman-Fried, who is out on a $250 million bail package. Assistant US Attorney Danielle Sassoon told the judge the government had agreed to the relatively low bond for Singh because he had voluntarily traveled back to the US from the Bahamas to meet with investigators after the collapse of FTX in November.

Singh joined Alameda in 2017 and helped write the software that FTX was built on. He also had a close personal relationship with Bankman-Fried, living with him in a Bahamas penthouse.

The case is US v. Bankman-Fried, 22-cr-673, US District Court, Southern District of New York (Manhattan).

--With assistance from Hadriana Lowenkron and Allyson Versprille.

(Adds statement from Singhs lawyers in second section and details on donations and bail packages in last two sections.)

Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek

2023 Bloomberg L.P.
A former Bardstown City Schools employee was arrested on sexual abuse charges last week after the school district reached out to Bardstown Police, a release from the department said.

The school district called Bardstown Police on Feb. 2 with a request to "assist them with an investigation regarding misconduct of an employee," a release published last week said. On Feb. 20, 49-year-old Jeremy Dale was charged with two counts of first-degree sexual abuse and one count of harassment with physical contact, no injury, Kentucky court records show.

Dale posted a $5,000 bail the day of the arrest, according to court records, and is required make it to all court appearances and have no contact with the complaining witness.

Superintendent Ryan Clark said in a letter to school district employees and families of students that officials had been notified of Dale's behavior through their S.T.O.P. Tipline, an anonymous reporting tool. He also said Dale was fired from his teaching position at Bardstown High School and they would notify the situation to the Education Professional Standards Board.

More:University of Louisville: Transgender students mistreated in 2 incidents

More:Former LMPD officer accused of coercing women into sex won't be criminally charged

Clark sent separate letters to parents and staff notifying them that Dale had been arrested and detailing the charges against him. He also said the district does not tolerate "any actions that harm or could potentially harm our students," the letter addressed to the parents said.

Reach Ana Rocio Alvarez Brinez at abrinez@gannett.com; follow her on Twitter at @SoyAnaAlvarez

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Bardstown City Schools employee arrested on sexual abuse charges
BBC

Fifty Shades of Grey's Jamie Dornan will be returning for a second series of The Tourist.

More than a year after the twisty-turny drama series debuted on BBC One, the channel has confirmed more of The Missing writers Harry and Jack Williams' The Tourist, with the show shifting to Ireland from Australia.

The original season centered around a Northern Irish man waking up in Australia with total amnesia, leading to a cat-and-mouse game with mysterious figures chasing him across Oz.

Easy and Poker Face's Danielle Macdonald will also return as Elliot's (Dornan) newfound friend Helen while they travel to Ireland to rediscover his family history.

Related: Gal Gadot and Jamie Dornan's Netflix movie confirms release date

Elliot has hopes that looking into his roots will jog his memory, but before long, he's forced to face his demons and dangerous forces from his past.

"Im incredibly excited to continue the story with The Tourist," Dornan said. "Harry and Jack Williams are brilliant writers, and I cant wait for audiences to see how well Ireland and its characters are utilised to keep them guessing as the tale progresses"

Macdonald added: "Im so excited to team up with Jamie again and return for another wild adventure with an amazing cast and crew. Jack and Harry Williams are brilliant story tellers and its exciting to see what their minds will come up with next.

The BBC has confirmed that production will begin in Dublin on six new episodes of The Tourist beginning this April.

BBC

Related: The Tourist's Jamie Dornan teases season 2 change

"The Tourist was unlike anything wed written before and were hugely grateful for the incredible response to series one," the Williamses wrote.

"Its been an exciting journey getting stuck into that world again with the quirky characters that were so loved, and seeing where we could take them next, whilst continuing to deliver a tonally unique and off-beat drama.

The Tourist doesn't yet have a release window from the BBC. In the US, the series has streamed on HBO Max.

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Story at a glance

Tripadvisor announced its 2023 Travelers Choice Award list of The Best of the Best Beaches in the United States.

Hawaii has the most beaches in the top 10.

Florida is also well represented on the list.

TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA)  Millions of people will be heading somewhere sunny in the coming weeks, trading winter storms for sunshine  but not all spring break getaways are created equal.

Tripadvisor announced its 2023 Travelers Choice Award list of The Best of the Best Beaches in the United States.

According to Tripadvisor, the award is their highest recognition and is only presented to spots with reviews so favorable, they rank among the top 1 percent of listings on the site.

Unsurprisingly, Hawaii has the most beaches in the top 10.

Dr. Beach names top 10 beaches in US

The No. 1 spot went to Kaanapali Beach on Mauis west side, a three-mile long stretch of sand lined with resorts and a high-end shopping district. Another beach on Maui, Hookipa Beach Park, also made the list. Hookipa Beach is a state park, and has a totally different feel than Kaanapali. The County of Maui calls it a mecca for surfers with some of the best waves on the Maui coastline.

Florida is also well represented on the list. Siesta Beach in Floridas Sarasota County snagged the No. 2 spot. In reviews, travelers say they love the size of the beach, which offers plenty of room for visitors to stretch their legs and relax on the soft white sand. It stretches the length of Siesta Key and has several public access points.

Siesta Beach also made Tripadvisors list of Best Beaches in the World.

Where are the deadliest beaches in America?

Another Gulf Coast beach, this time on Floridas Emerald Coast, made the best of the best list. Henderson Beach State Park in Destin was ranked sixth. Traveler reviews noted the parks amenities like showers and picnic spaces. The park offers additional outdoor activities off the beach, including a playground and hiking trails.

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California, Georgia, Oregon and Maine also earned spots on Tripadvisors ranking.

You can view the rest of Tripadvisors The Best of the Best Beaches below:

Kaanapali Beach  Maui, Hawaii Siesta Beach  Siesta Key, Florida Driftwood Beach  Jekyll Island, Georgia Hanalei Beach  Kauai, Hawaii Hookipa Beach Park  Maui, Hawaii Henderson Beach State Park  Destin, Florida Cannon Beach  Cannon Beach, Oregon Coronado Beach  Coronado, California Ogunquit Beach  Ogunquit, Maine La Jolla Cove  La Jolla, California

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
BEIJING (AP)  Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, a close ally of Russia, arrived in Beijing on Tuesday for a state visit that will be watched for hints about China's attitude to Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.

China claims neutrality in the war, but U.S. officials have warned recently that it is considering sending military assistance to Russia. Beijing has called the U.S. allegations a smear campaign, and said it is committed to promoting peace talks.

China has long had a close relationship with Lukashenko. But his trip also illustrates the depth of Beijings ties to Russian leader Vladimir Putin and his allies.

Lukashenko's government has strongly backed Moscow and allowed Belarus' territory to be used as a staging ground for the initial invasion of Ukraine a year ago. Russia has maintained a contingent of troops and weapons in Belarus and the two neighbors and allies conducted joint military drills.

This stance left Lukashenko even more isolated in Europe, where his country faces sanctions from the European Union over both its role in the war and his repression of domestic opposition.

In a recent interview with Chinese media, Lukashenko said that now is a unique situation ... to put a stop to the conflict. The interview was first released last week, but parts of it were shared online again on Monday night by Belarusian state media.

Beijing on Friday issued a proposal calling for a cease-fire and peace talks between Ukraine and Russia, but has also said it has a no-limits friendship with Russia and has refused to criticize Moscows invasion, or even to call it an invasion. It has accused the U.S. and NATO of provoking the conflict and condemned sanctions leveled against Russia and entities seen as aiding its military effort.

Last week, those sanctions were expanded to include a Chinese company known as Spacety China, which has supplied satellite imagery of Ukraine to affiliates of Wagner Group, a private Russian military contractor owned by a close associate of Putin. A Luxembourg-based subsidiary of Spacety China was also targeted.

The U.S. has no right to point fingers at China-Russia relations. We will by no means accept the U.S. pressure and coercion, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said Monday at a daily briefing.
Belgium has frozen a large part of Russian assets

According to the statement, the country also froze EUR 191 billion of Russian financial transactions, which makes it the leader in the total volume of frozen assets in the European Union.

Read also: EU launches ad hoc group on use of Russias frozen assets

In total, these measures apply to 1,789 Russian companies and citizens included in the sanctions list, reads the report.

Belgium has also intensified customs checks on Russia and Belarus: a total of 91,020 declarations were checked regarding the two states, and 7,925 containers were physically inspected.

Read also:

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
Senator Bernie Sanders joined a rally with progressive lawmakers and hundreds of student loan borrowers outside the steps of the US Supreme Court on 28 February demanding that the nations high court preserve President Joe Bidens plan to cancel higher-education debts for millions of Americans.

In America, we have 45 million Americans, young people, drowning in student debt, the progressive senator from Vermont told the crowd.

And I have talked to people all over this country who literally delay having a family, cant have any kids, they cant afford a car, they cant afford to have a middle class life because theyre drowning in this student debt, he added. In America, you shouldnt have to face financial ruin because you want a damn education.

The nine Supreme Court justices heard oral arguments in a pair of cases from Republican attorneys general and a conservative activist group challenging the presidents plan to eliminate up to $20,000 in federal student loan balances for eligible Americans.

More than 40 million borrowers are eligible for up to $10,000 in canceled higher education debts, or up to $20,000 for borrowers that relied on Pell grants, under the administrations plan. Roughly 20 million people are eligible to have their debts canceled completely, according to the White House.

Roughly one in five Americans hold a piece of the $1.7 trillion in federal student debt, a figure that has exploded over the last decade alongside growing higher education costs. Millions of Americans also continue to tackle accrued interest without chipping away at their principal balances years after graduating, or have been forced to leave their colleges or universities without obtaining a degree at all while still facing loan repayments.

More than half of those 45 million people have $20,000 or less to pay off, while roughly one-third of all borrowers owe less than $10,000, according to the Federal Reserve. Seven percent of people with federal debt owe more than $100,000.

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Those eligible for relief under Mr Bidens plan include borrowers who earn up to $125,000, or $250,000 for married couples.

Roughly 26 million have already applied for relief through the plan, and more than 16 million were approved, according to the White House.

(Getty Images for People's Rally)

Senators Elizabeth Warren and Bob Menendez and US Representatives Cori Bush, Judy Chu, Maxwell Frost, Ilhan Omar, Pramila Jayapal, Ayanna Pressley, among others, also joined the rally outside the court on Tuesday.

In her remarks, Senator Warren accused the nations high court of playing politics and warned against an extremist court exploiting an opportunity for millions of Americans to have a little racial justice, a little economic justice, a little opportunity to build more secure futures going forward.

Black women have the largest student debt burdens, graduating with an average debt of $37,558, compared to $31,346 for white women, according to a 2020 analysis by the American Association of University Women.

Senators Warren and Sanders also recently signed on to a letter with several Democratic colleagues urging the Education Department to take immediate action to strengthen protections for students enrolled in postsecondary programmes that saddle students with unaffordable debt and provide low financial returns.

We believe it is critical for students, families, and student support professionals like school counselors to have easy access to information indicating which institutions set high tuition rates, enroll students in low-quality programs with little payoff, and capture large amounts of federal student aid while failing to produce student outcomes, the senators wrote.
Credit - Photograph by Jodi BieberINSTITUTE for TIME

Bibi Aisha was 14 when her father forced her to marry a Taliban fighter. She fled abuse at his hands, only to find herself captive once again. She recalls the terrible night she was taken up a mountain and tied hand and foot while her husband and other Taliban members discussed whether she deserved to be mutilated or executed. They cut off Aishas nose and ears and left her to die, but she somehow found the strength to find help. A power walked with me that night, she told me. Appearing on the cover of TIME for a story about the stakes of war in Afghanistan for women led to a new home in America. During years of painful reconstructive surgery, she learned to read, write, and speak English. Today, the picture she is proudest of is on her drivers license. But Afghanistan remains in her thoughts: No one is safe with the Taliban. She spoke to me from Maryland, where she is studying to become a nurse.

Ive been fortunate to meet extraordinary women like you, who have really shaped a lot of who I am and what I believe about life. Many people dont know your story. Can you tell us about it?

My father arranged a so-called marriage for me. And I got married to someone in the Taliban, and lived with them for almost five years. And they abused me every day. I didnt have any rights. I decided to run away so I went to my neighbors house. The police took them away, and took me too. I didnt have any choice except to go back and live with the Taliban. So I was happy to stay in jail. I stayed for five months. No one was beating me and I had good food. Then my so-called father-in-law came and bribed the police and took me. I begged the police to let me stay. But I didnt have another choice. I went with them. And then my so-called husband came by and took me to the mountains. They tied my hands and my feet. And they cut my first ear, and then another ear and then my nose. And then he said, We dont care about you. We want to leave you here to die. I walked. I went to my uncles house and he didnt want to open the door to me. But something was powering me that night. I knocked on doors and told my story. I decided that I wanted to survive. I went to an American hospital and did my treatment for two and a half months, and they treated me like a family member. They saved my life. Someone in America accepted my case and said they would do my surgery. I spent nine months in a shelter. I had no idea what would happen to me. And suddenly TIME magazine came to me and took my picture. They opened the door for me.

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Bibi Aisha photographed in Maryland, Feb. 2023. Stephanie Sinclair for TIME

You were brave in showing your wonderful self to the world, and what was done to you. Now, after the withdrawal from Afghanistan, the same people who harmed you are in charge. All that we learned and are outraged about, we know is happening every day.

Its really hard for me. I put myself in the shoes of an Afghanistan woman. They had freedom for 20 years, and then suddenly they shut down everything for them. And they dont have any rights.

Its clear that those who block women from education do so because theyre full of fear.

When you dont have an education, you cannot do anything in your life. My teacher said when you learn mathematics and algebra, youre slapping the Taliban in the face. That made me so happy. The most important thing you can do is to educate women so they can help themselves.

Read the Original Story From 2010: Afghan Women and the Return of the Taliban

I also know many great Afghan husbands and fathers who have really protected and love the women in their lives. The boys are not safe as well. I saw with my own eyes how much violence the boys were facing when I lived there. The small boys, 10 or 11 years old, they were raped all the time by some of the Taliban.

Youve experienced cruelty in your life. But it sounds like there are many people in your life who love you so much.

When I came to Maryland and met my adoptive parents, I didnt tell my whole story to them. They just accepted me. I am surrounded by so many good people.

I have a feeling youre going to keep learning your whole life.

This is my goal. I want to become a nurse to help people. Ive had 31 surgeries, which means I have a lot of experience in the medical world. I want to help people who are hurting and say to them, if I could get through my darkest hours, you can.

Jolie is a contributing editor at TIME
WASHINGTON  The White House announced Monday that teams from the Environmental Protection Agency, the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reached over 530 East Palestine, Ohio, households in less than 72 hours, surpassing their target of reaching 400 households by Monday.

President Joe Biden on Friday ordered federal agencies to go door to door to personally check on affected residents after the Feb. 3 train derailment that spilled toxic chemicals in the area.

The White House said in a statement shared first with NBC News that federal officials provided flyers with additional resources and conducted health surveys, ensuring the outreach will continue through the week.

The White House has come under fire for not having acted quickly to intervene and help with disaster response. Biden has not traveled to the area; his likely 2024 rival, former President Donald Trump, visited last week and harshly criticized the administration. White House officials pushed back against the criticism, noting the federal teams that arrived at the disaster site hours after Norfolk Southern reported the derailment.

At an interagency news conference Monday, East Palestine Mayor Trent Conaway was asked whether he was satisfied with the response. He replied: Yes and no. I really think theyre working as hard as they can.

He continued, They are saying everythings safe and were taking them at their word, but we need to get to the bottom of whats happening.

EPA Administrator Michael Regan will visit East Palestine on Tuesday for the third time since the disaster three weeks ago, as response efforts shift from their emergency phase to long-term remediation.

Regan is expected to announce the opening of a community center where residents can meet with EPA and other agency staff members to learn more about available services.

Hazardous waste from the site is once again on the move after the EPA temporarily paused shipments over the weekend. The material is being transported to vetted EPA disposal sites in nearby East Liverpool and Vickery, Ohio.

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Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg sent a letter Monday urging major freight railroad CEOs to join a voluntary safety reporting program of conditions that could lead to derailments. Buttigieg has asked for replies by the end of the week.

Buttigieg visited East Palestine last Thursday after he faced intense pressure, mostly from Republicans, for not having been more proactive in his response.

The calls are now being directed at Biden, who told reporters Friday that he was not planning to visit East Palestine at this time.

He added: I had a long meeting with my team, and what theyre doing, you know, we were there two hours after the train went down, two hours. Ive spoken with every single major figure in both Pennsylvania and Ohio. And so the idea that were not engaged is just simply not there.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
Ukraine war - Before anniversary start of war

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. Credit - Kay Nietfeld-dpa

The Biden Administration said Tuesday the U.S. military has measures in place to guard against waste, fraud, and abuse in its multi-billion-dollar effort to support the Ukrainian government and arm its forces to repel the ongoing Russian invasion.

As the war enters its second year, concerns in Congress have mounted about American support for Ukraine. Republicans took over control of the House this year promising to scrutinize the more than $112 billion in military and economic aid that the Democrat-controlled Congress approved last year in four spending bills. In a House Armed Services Committee hearing Tuesday, senior Pentagon officials appeared before Congress for the first time this year to address ongoing U.S. support as well as the accountability and tracking measures designed to ensure that American-made weapons are used on the battlefield as intended.

Were not just taking the Ukrainians words for it, Colin Kahl, undersecretary of Defense for policy, told the committee. They provide us information on their inventories, their transfer logs, we have provided them handheld scanners, that data gets transmitted directly back to us so that we can keep custody.

Read more: Why NATO is Giving Ukraine Air Defense Systems, Not Fighter Jets

A small number of U.S. military forces working out of the embassy in Kyiv have conducted six on-site inspections to ensure that Ukrainian forces are properly accounting for the arms theyve received. Theres no evidence that the Ukrainians are diverting it to the black market or something else, Kahl said. Thats not surprising, given the intensity of the fight and the fact that they are clearly using what we are providing themand what our allies and partners are providing themto maximum effect.

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Since Russias invasion on Feb. 24, 2022, the U.S. has sent a wide range of weapons systems to Ukraine, including hundreds of anti-tank missiles, kamikaze drones and various anti-armor munitions. Its not easy to keep a close-eye on their use because of the limited U.S. presence on the ground in Ukraine, according to a January report published by the government watchdogs at the Departments of Defense, State and U.S. Agency of International Development. When the U.S. military advised and assisted a foreign military to this extent in previous wars, the U.S. had thousands of troops on the ground. In Iraq and Afghanistan, for instance, the U.S. military was there to help train local forces and ensure American-made weaponry was accounted for.

This is an active combat zone, Kahl said. So there are inherent restrictions. But we are trying to maximize the use of technology and the people we do have on the ground to get the best sight-picture as possible.

Representative Mike Rogers of Alabama, the Republican committee chairman, said in his opening statement that the Biden Administration has issued more than $75 billion worth of military, economic and humanitarian assistance to Ukraine and NATO allies thus farwith more money to follow. These are unprecedented numbers, he said. And it requires an unprecedented level of oversight by Congress.

Ukraine has long been considered as one of the most corrupt nations in Europe, and it ranked 116 out of 180 countries on the annual Corruption Perceptions Index published by Transparency International in January. Its an image that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has tried to reverse in recent months with an internal crackdown. In his biggest shakeup of the war, several senior Ukrainian officials were fired or resigned in late January due to corruption allegations. Several deputies at the Defense Ministry were fired after an investigative journalist found the government purchased food for the military at more than twice the market prices.

Read more: Putin Suspended the Last Remaining Nuclear Pact With the U.S. Heres What Happens Now

Fears that a massive U.S. foreign investment could go awry due to corruption and lax planning loom large in the wake of the military collapse in Afghanistan, where the U.S. spent at least $84 billion to train and equip 300,000-plus troops and police. The Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR), the watchdog that oversees U.S. efforts in the war, issued a 148-page report Monday that drew parallels between Americas support for Afghanistan and the current military assistance given to Ukraine.

There is an understandable desire amid a crisis to focus on getting money out the door and to worry about oversight later, but too often that creates more problems than it solves, the report said. Given the ongoing conflict and the unprecedented volume of weapons being transferred to Ukraine, the risk that some equipment ends up on the black market or in the wrong hands is likely unavoidable.

Read More: TIMEs 2022 Person of the Year, Volodymyr Zelensky.

Robert Storch, the Department of Defense (DoD) inspector general who appeared alongside Kahl at the hearing, said his office is currently probing the issue. We dont go out and count the missiles, he said. Its up to the DoD to meet the requirements of the law and the policies that implement it, regarding monitoring, and then we do oversight to make sure thats happening.

Storch said his office has completed five Ukraine-related oversight projects and currently has around 20 ongoing and planned audits and evaluations. It has also set up a hotline where tipsters have a confidential means to report fraud, waste, abuse and other violations of law.
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP)  The Biden administration is weighing approval of a major oil project on Alaska's petroleum-rich North Slope that supporters say represents an economic lifeline for Indigenous communities in the region but environmentalists say is counter to President Joe Biden's climate goals.

A decision on ConocoPhillips Alaska's Willow project, in a federal oil reserve roughly the size of Indiana, could come by early March.

Q: What is the Willow project?

A: The project could produce up to 180,000 barrels of oil a day, according to the company  about 1.5% of total U.S. oil production. But in Alaska, Willow represents the biggest oil field in decades. Alaska Republican U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan said the development could be one of the biggest, most important resource development projects in our states history.

On average, about 499,700 barrels of oil a day flow through the trans-Alaska pipeline, well below the late-1980s peak of 2.1 million barrels.

ConocoPhillips Alaska had proposed five drilling sites as part of the project. The U.S. Bureau of Land Management in early February identified up to three drill sites initially as a preferred alternative, which ConocoPhillips Alaska said it considered a viable option. But the U.S. Interior Department, which oversees the bureau, took the unusual step of issuing a separate statement expressing substantial concerns with the alternative and the project.

The alternative showed extracting and using the oil from Willow would produce the equivalent of more than 278 million tons (306 million short tons) of greenhouse gases over the project's 30-year life, roughly equal to the combined emissions from 2 million passenger cars over the same time period. It would have a roughly 2% reduction in emissions compared to ConocoPhillips favored approach.

Q: Is there support for Willow?

A: There is widespread political support in Alaska, including from the bipartisan congressional delegation, Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavy and state lawmakers. There also is majority consensus in support in the North Slope region, said Nagruk Harcharek, president of the group Voice of the Arctic Inupiat, whose members include leaders from across much of that region. Supporters have called the project balanced and say communities would benefit from taxes generated by Willow to invest in infrastructure and provide public services.

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City of Nuiqsut Mayor Rosemary Ahtuangaruak, whose community of about 525 people is closest to the proposed development, is a prominent opponent who is worried about impacts on caribou and her residents' subsistence lifestyles. But opposition there isn't universal. The local Alaska Native village corporation has expressed support.

U.S. Rep. Mary Peltola, a Democrat who is Yup'ik, said there is such consensus in the region and across Alaska that this project is a good project. She hoped to make a case to Biden that the project would create well-paying union jobs.

Ahtuangaruak said she feels voices like hers are being drowned out.

Q. What are the politics of the decision?

Biden faces a dilemma that pits Alaska lawmakers against environmental groups and many Democrats in Congress who say the project is out of step with Biden's goals to slash planet-warming carbon emissions in half by 2030 and move to clean energy. Approval of the project would represent a betrayal by Biden, who promised during the 2020 campaign to end new oil and gas drilling on federal lands, environmentalists say.

Biden has made fighting climate change a top priority and backed a landmark law to accelerate expansion of clean energy such as wind and solar power, and move the U.S. away from the oil, coal and gas.

He faces attacks from Republican lawmakers who blame Biden for gasoline price spikes that occurred after Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Q: Didn't the Biden administration support Willow?

A: Justice Department attorneys in 2021 defended in court an environmental review conducted during the Trump administration that approved the project. But a federal judge later found flaws with the analysis, setting aside the approval and returning the matter to the land management agency for further work. That led to the review released in early February.

Alaska Republican U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski said she was concerned the Biden administration would "try to have it both ways by issuing an approval but including so many restrictions it would render the project uneconomical.

Earthjustice, an environmental group, has encouraged project opponents to call the White House, urging Willows rejection.

Q: What about greenhouse gas emissions?

A: Federal officials under former President Donald Trump claimed increased domestic oil drilling would result in fewer net global emissions because it would decrease petroleum imports. U.S. companies adhere to stricter environmental standards than those in other countries, they argued.

After outside scientists rejected the claim and a federal judge agreed, the Interior Department changed how it calculates emissions.

The latest review, under the Biden administration, is getting pushback over its inclusion of a suggestion that 50% of Willows net emissions could be offset, including by planting more trees on national forests to capture and store carbon dioxide. Reforestation work on federal lands was something the administration already planned and needed to meet its broader climate goals, said Michael Lazarus, a senior scientist at the Stockholm Environment Institute.

That doesnt help you meet a reduction goal. Its absurd, said Lazarus, whose work was cited by the judge who overruled the Trump-era environmental review. It doesnt address the fact that were increasing global emissions by doing this project. ... Were locking in emissions for 30 years into the future when we should be on a reduction schedule.

Q: What about Bidens promises to curtail oil drilling?

A: Biden suspended oil and gas lease sales after taking office and promised to overhaul the governments fossil fuels program.

Attorneys general from oil-producing states convinced a federal judge to lift the suspension -- a ruling later overturned by an appeals court. The administration ultimately dropped its resistance to leasing in a compromise over last years climate law. The measure requires the Interior Department to offer for sale tens of millions of acres of onshore and offshore leases before it can approve any renewable energy leases.

The number of new drilling permits to companies with federal leases spiked in Bidens first year as companies stockpiled drilling rights and officials said they were working through a backlog of applications from the Trump administration. Approvals dropped sharply in fiscal year 2022.

The Biden administration has offered less acreage for lease than previous administrations. But environmentalists say the administration hasn't done enough.

U.S. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland in a recent interview declined direct comment on Willow but said that public lands belong to every single American, not just one industry.

___

Brown reported from Billings, Montana. Associated Press writer Matthew Daly in Washington contributed to this story.
President Joe Biden took aim at Republicans Monday, again accusing GOP lawmakers of threatening the stability of the U.S. economy as they look for ways to negotiate unspecified spending cuts in exchange for raising the debt ceiling. Republicans on the Hill are trying to hold the economy hostage, he tweeted, adding that they just wont say what for.

Returning to a theme the White House has been hammering for weeks, Biden charged Republicans with wanting to gut Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act, in addition to Social Security and Medicare. Its not just your social security that may hang in the balance  its your health care, too, the president said, referring to the plan we told you about last week from former OMB director Russell Vought that would slash trillions of dollars from the federal budget, including from health care programs.

Expect to hear more about the burgeoning showdown over the debt ceiling later this week as Biden meets with Democratic lawmakers to hash out plans for the coming year. The president will discuss health care on Tuesday at an event in Virginia Beach before meeting with House Democrats at a retreat in Baltimore on Wednesday, and then with Senate Democrats on Thursday.

A White House official told Punchbowl News that in his meetings with lawmakers, Biden will highlight that congressional Republicans are now threatening to trigger a catastrophic default if they are unable to take health coverage away from millions of families. He will also reiterate his promise to release his budget to the American public, and call on Republicans to do the same.

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By Nandita Bose

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. President Joe Biden on Tuesday nominated Labor Department Deputy Secretary Julie Su to head the agency after current Secretary Marty Walsh departs next month.

"Julie has spent her life fighting to make sure that everyone has a fair shot, that no community is overlooked, and that no worker is left behind," Biden said in a statement.

"Over several decades, Julie has led the largest state labor department in the nation, cracked down on wage theft, fought to protect trafficked workers, increased the minimum wage, created good-paying, high-quality jobs, and established and enforced workplace safety standards," he said.

Su is already being prepared for her Senate confirmation hearing, sources familiar with the decision said.

Before joining the U.S. Department of Labor, Su was the secretary for the California Labor and Workforce Development Agency, and before then was California labor commissioner from 2011-2018.

A report on her tenure released in May 2013 found that her work resulted in a spike in enforcement activity.

In 2014, Su launched the first 'Wage Theft Is a Crime' multimedia, multilingual statewide campaign to help low-wage workers and their employers understand their rights and feel safe speaking up about labor law abuses.

There was a concerted push by many union and labor officials, as well as progressives in the Democratic Party, to get Biden to appoint Su to the role both for her familiarity with the agency and labor policy.

She was expected to take over as acting secretary after Walsh steps down in mid-March to become executive director of the National Hockey League Players' Association.

There is currently no Asian American or Pacific Islander in the Cabinet at the secretary level and Su recently scored endorsements from the Congressional Black Caucus and the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus.

In a letter to Labor Department colleagues announcing his exit, Marty Walsh called Su an "incredible leader" who "has been central to our success as a team and as a Department."

(Reporting by Nandita Bose; Editing by Tim Ahmann and Bill Berkrot)
The Biden administration is looking to use its fiscal leverage to promote its goal of expanding affordable child care. The Commerce Department is reportedly set to announce that semiconductor chip manufacturers looking to receive a portion of the $39 billion in industry subsidies passed as part of last years bipartisan CHIPS and Science Act will first have to ensure workers can get affordable, high-quality child care.

Companies that receive the subsidies to build new plants will be able to use some of the government money to meet the new child care requirement, Jim Tankersley reports at The New York Times. They could do that in a number of ways, in consultation with Commerce officials, who will set basic guidelines but not dictate how companies ensure workers have access to care they can afford.

Why it matters: The new requirement, Tankersley notes, joins a growing list of administration efforts to expand the reach of Mr. Bidens economic policies beyond their primary intent. For instance, administration officials have attached stringent labor standards and Buy America provisions to money from a bipartisan infrastructure law.

But the latest move also reflects the administrations conviction that a lack of affordable child care represents a massive obstacle to any broader renaissance in domestic manufacturing and more widespread economic and job gains. "We're not doing this for the sake of putting points on the board for child care policy, but we are acknowledging that when you look at the labor market right now, one of the largest factors keeping people out of the labor market is caregiving responsibilities," Caitlin Legacki, a senior adviser at the Commerce Department, told Axios.

The bottom line: Biden had failed to get Republicans or centrist Democrats to back much of his agenda devoted to human infrastructure  investments in programs including guaranteed paid leave, child care, elder care, universal pre-K and free community college. The administration is now trying to take steps toward those goals as it implements its legislative successes.

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President Biden will travel to Selma, Ala., this weekend to mark the 58th anniversary of Bloody Sunday amid the Civil Rights movement, the White House announced Tuesday.

The White House provided no additional details about Bidens activities while in Selma. The presdent will be there to mark 58 years since the Bloody Sunday, a violent clash between 600 civil rights marchers and white police officers on the Edmund Pettus Bridge in 1965 that served as a catalyst for the passage of the Voting Rights Act.

Vice President Harris traveled to Selma last year for the anniversary of Bloody Sunday. In 2021, Biden spoke at the Martin and Coretta King Unity Breakfast and issued an executive order aimed at strengthening voting rights.

Biden has repeatedly spoken about the need to protect the right to vote since he took office, calling on Congress to pass legislation that would counteract measures passed by Republican-led state legislatures that critics say make it more difficult for certain groups to vote.

The president in January 2022 backed changing Senate rules so that the passage of voting rights legislation would not require 60 votes to overcome the legislative filibuster.

But some voting rights groups have argued Biden has not used his megaphone as president aggressively enough to pressure lawmakers to back voting rights legislation or filibuster reforms that would enable those bills to pass.

The presidents trip to Selma also comes as some Republicans have chastised Biden for not visiting East Palestine, Ohio, the site of a train derailment earlier this month that spilled toxic chemicals. The White House has said Biden currently has no plans to visit the area, and officials have noted that Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) officials have been on the ground since hours after the derailment happened.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
A massive campaign finance bill that would defang New Jerseys election watchdog and massively increase campaign contribution limits stalled Monday amid press scrutiny and an outcry from advocates.

The Election Transparency Act," NJ S2866 (22R), had been scheduled for final votes in the state Senate and Assembly but was pulled from both houses' agendas just before their voting sessions.

As we were talking about it over the weekend with folks, were just continuing to work on some of the issues that were raised to make sure we get it right, the bills Assembly sponsor, Lou Greenwald (D-Camden), said just before the lower houses voting session Monday. Greenwald said the Senate also pulled the legislation.

While the bill has been wending through Trenton since last summer and already had many critics, lawmakers added several amendments late Thursday that an official with the New Jersey League of Women Voters referred to during an Assembly committee hearing as mischief-making.

The most decried amendment would have put the Election Law Enforcement Commission firmly under the control of the governors office. The agencys executive director  currently appointed by a bipartisan group of commissioners who are nominated by the governor  would instead be a gubernatorial nominee who would serve at the pleasure of the governor.

The amendment appeared to be an effort to oust ELEC Executive Director Jeff Brindle, whos held the top post since 2009 and has been with the agency since 1985, over an alleged anti-gay email he sent to a colleague. According to Brindle attorney Bruce Afran, top Murphy administration officials have been attempting to remove Brindle from the job since November. Afran said the Murphy administration is using the email  in which Brindle lamented not celebrating the birthdays of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln while recognizing National Coming Out Day  as an excuse to go after Brindle for being a vocal opponent of dark money in politics.

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Mr. Brindle can't be removed, Afran said during a last-minute ELEC meeting Monday afternoon.  The amendment itself appears retaliatory, and in the totality of the circumstances violative of the First Amendment and I would encourage the commission to seriously examine  if this amendment goes forward, a litigation posture to challenge this intrusion into its independence.

Senate President Nicholas Scutari (D-Union) said that as lawmakers work to amend the bill, the recent change that would give the governor the power to nominate ELECs executive director would likely be excised.

I didn't love that amendment, quite frankly, Scutari said. But he indicated that he may still try to change the commissions governance structure, saying the Senate is considering and working with the administration to try to come up with a different set of commissioners.

Other provisions: Another late amendment would shorten ELECs statute of limitations for penalizing campaign finance violations from 10 years to two years, including retroactively. That would severely curtail the agencys enforcement powers and would likely get the states three biggest Democratic-run committees off the hook for potential fines they face resulting from an ELEC audit that examined their 2017 reports.

There is a certain amount of irony that the election Transparency Act has at an eleventh-hour effort by the governor threatens to make ELEC's charge, which is primarily for transparency, difficult, if not insurmountable, ELEC Chairman Eric Jaso said during the meeting.

A third late amendment would enable state and county political parties to create housekeeping funds to pay for day-to-day expenses like rent, for which theyd be able to raise twice the normal political contribution amount.

The bill was already controversial, as it all but eliminated the states patchwork of pay-to-play laws and doubled the number of contributions politicians could take and in some cases tripled the amount for political parties. Assemblymember Brian Bergen (R-Morris) during a committee hearing suggested renaming the bill the Public Corruption Authorization Act.

Other, less controversial provisions of the bill would have required more frequent reporting of political contributions and required some nonprofit organizations that engage in electioneering to publicly disclose their donors.

Why it stalled: The late amendments drew press scrutiny and action from advocates, who encouraged people to contact lawmakers.

Its not yet clear if and when Democrats will try to post the bill again, but the legislation has been a major priority of Scutari, who sponsors it in the upper house.

Sonia Das, an adviser to Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin, said in a statement that [a]ll legislation is a work in progress and we are talking to all interested parties and advocates to make the best legislation for the New Jersey public.
General Assembly sessions that both advance sound policies and eliminate harmful ones offer the longest-lasting benefits for the commonwealth and its citizens.

This years session could be one of those events.

Legislators have already made it memorable by advancing sound policy in reducing Kentuckys individual income tax rate by another half-percentage point to 4%. This brings the state a step closer to eliminating the tax altogether and letting people keep more of their own hard-earned money.

Lawmakers could make this years session even more successful by eliminating the harmful barrel tax  a barrier to the future growth of Kentuckys signature bourbon industry.

One would be hard-pressed to find a tax thats more unfair; it taxes bourbon still aging in the barrel, years before the first bottle even reaches the shelf and generates income.

Its like taxing General Motors for Corvettes still on the assembly line in Bowling Green.

The Kentucky Distillers Association (KDA) says Kentucky is the only place on the globe that taxes still-aging spirits.

Of even greater concern is the long-term impact of the barrel tax on Kentuckys ability to remain the bourbon capital of the world.

Other states are challenging for a bigger piece of the action, offering entrepreneurs a better business environment to launch their new small distillery businesses.

Economist Paul Coomes, emeritus professor of economics at the University of Louisville, touts bourbons immense impact on Kentuckys economy  creating $9 billion in total economic impact and supporting more than 22,000 jobs.

Coomes identifies the enormous rise of craft distilleries in other states as a specific concern. He points to the fact Kentuckys national share of distilling jobs slipped from 43 percent to 30 percent from 2001 to 2020.

Eleven states have more distilleries than Kentucky while five of our seven neighboring states have more craft distilleries than we do. (These include all kinds of spirits, not just bourbon.)

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Part of the challenge is dealing with the impact that eliminating the barrel tax would have on a small number of counties.

No question, local governments require resources to support local services like fire protection, public safety and infrastructure. The distillers acknowledge those services are important to their investments in those local communities.

Its clear to most policymakers that Kentuckys barrel tax is a competitive disadvantage to the industrys growth, according to Andrew McNeill, a visiting policy fellow at the Bluegrass Institute. Eliminating this archaic tax while holding local governments harmless in the short and intermediate term is the answer legislators appear to be pursuing.

House Bill 5 filed by Rep. Jason Petrie, R-Elkton, chairman of the House Appropriations and Revenue Committee, was introduced this week and, according to McNeill, is a positive start on this critical issue.

McNeill believes ending the barrel tax on new barrels would result in even more investment from the industry, especially from craft distillers.

Increased investment will drive growth in the other local revenue sources generated by the industry. New distilleries will create opportunities for more Kentucky counties to benefit from the tourism surrounding bourbon. Entrepreneurs will see Kentucky as the place to get their start.

Imagine the economic impact to local communities and our entire commonwealth if the next generation of distillers choose to launch their new distilleries in London, Kentucky, instead of Lynchburg, Tennessee?

Jim Waters is president and CEO of the Bluegrass Institute for Public Policy Solutions, Kentuckys free-market think tank. Read previous columns at www.bipps.org. Reach him at jwaters@freedomkentucky.com and @bipps on Twitter.
(Photo: Adobe Stock)

In a bipartisan and bicameral move, lawmakers in the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives today reintroduced legislation to amend the Act of June 18, 1934  known as the Indian Reorganization Act.

This legislation, which has been introduced in every Congress since 2009, would reaffirm the authority of the Secretary of the Interior to take land into trust for Indian Tribes, and for other purposes. The legislation further removes the uncertainty and ambiguities inherent within the Carcieri v. Salazar opinion.

In 2009, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned that long-established precedent in Carcieri v. Salazar. In addition to generating expensive litigation for certain tribes, the Carcieri decision caused uncertainty and unequal treatment among federally recognized tribes, operating on existing tribal trust lands.

In 2019, the amended legislation advanced out of the U.S. House of Representatives for the first time on a bipartisan vote and did so again in 2021. However, in both years, it died in the Senate.

Mondays legislation was introduced in the Senate by Sen. Jerry Moran (R-KS) and Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT). In the House, the legislation was introduced by Rep. Tom Cole (R-OK-04), a tribal citizen of the Chickasaw Nation, Rep. Betty McCollum (D-MN-04).

More than a decade ago, the Supreme Court issued an opinion that jeopardized ownership of tribal trust lands, questioned the authority of the Secretary of Interior and reversed 75 years of precedent, Cole, co-chair of the Congressional Native American Caucus, said in a statement. I am proud to reintroduce this important legislation to keep the promises made to tribes, respect their sovereign status and validate the status of tribal lands acquired in trust by the Secretary of Interior. I look forward to working with my colleagues to pass this bill in both chambers and get it to the presidents desk.

Tester, who serves on the Senate Committee for Indian Affairs, sees the legislation as a means to further economic development in Indian Country.

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Its critically important to ensure all tribes have equal access to economic development opportunities, Tester said in a statement. Thats why my bipartisan bill would overturn the Supreme Courts disastrous Carcieri decision, which created two classes of tribes, and would allow all tribes to take land into trust moving forward. This bill is a strong step toward fulfilling the federal governments treaty and trust responsibilities, and Ill take on anyone to get it done for Indian Country.

About the Author: "Native News Online is one of the most-read publications covering Indian Country and the news that matters to American Indians, Alaska Natives and other Indigenous people. Reach out to us at editor@nativenewsonline.net. "

Contact: news@nativenewsonline.net
Deborah Birx, a physician who served as former President Trumps coronavirus response coordinator, said on Tuesday that the U.S. isnt doing enough to prevent another pandemic like COVID-19.

To me, whats really important as we went through this after SARS, and the World Health Organizations developed treaties, we spent literally hundreds of millions of dollars on saying we were ready and we would prevent the next pandemic and it happened, Birx said on CNN This Morning.

So lets be very clear that what we have done today has failed. And I worry that we havent put the new things in place that will keep us and protect us from the next pandemic, she added.

Birx responded to new reports that the Energy Department has determined with low confidence that COVID-19 originated from a lab mishap in China, saying she thinks its significant that the department has updated its judgment  but stressed that lack of information from China is hampering learning more about the pandemics start.

She specifically knocked Beijing, which has appeared to dismiss the new report, for a lack of transparency on COVID and for not learning from the earlier SARS outbreak.

Is the United States doing enough to prevent this from happening again? host Kaitlan Collins asked Birx on Tuesday.

No, Birx said.

And just like we learned after 9/11, we have to have a coalition of like-minded countries that work together and bring the private sector to the table because they are the groups that have multinational employees all across the globe, the former COVID-19 coordinator said, And we need a surveillance system that works with the private sector to really understand whats happening in countries that are not transparent.

The Energy Departments reported conclusion matches that of the FBI, but goes against four other agencies and the National Intelligence Council, which have said the virus developed from natural transmission, according to The Wall Street Journal. Other agencies are reportedly undecided.

White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan over the weekend said the intelligence community holds a variety of views on COVID-19s origins and hasnt come up with a definitive answer.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Tallinn, Estonia - (NewMediaWire) - February 28, 2023 - Automated crypto trading has seen a resurgence in popularity, amidst talk of an upcoming bull market and the potential to use smart technology to enhance winning trades. But the world of algorithmic trading is not without its shortcomings. With 3Commas under scrutiny for the theft of 10,000 customer API keys, cybersecurity is at the forefront of a safe trading ecosystem. Bitsgap, an established algorithmic trading platform, is now one of the most secure players within the crypto trading space. It aims to offer one of the most competitive and safe environments for crypto trading, catering to novices and experts alike. It was designed by traders, for traders. Since 2017, Bitsgap has launched over 3.7 million crypto trading bots, and works on over 15 exchanges, more than the majority of other providers. Such exchanges include Binance, Kucoin, Kraken, Coinbase, and Bitfinex. The majority of crypto key pairs are available on the Binance exchange. Bitsgap has over 500,000 users. An Improvement On User Protection And Experience Bitsgap has certain features that differentiate it from the competition. Established in 2016 in Estonia, it is older than most automated crypto trading platforms. It's also in a jurisdiction that is widely regarded as a center of fintech regulation and technical innovation. Unlike other platforms that are laden with advertising and focused on taking a profit from users, Bitsgap encourages due diligence, and asks users to backtest their strategies and to rely on statistics to gauge probable outcomes. The platform is suitable for both beginner and advanced traders. It is also highly focused on security and data protection. All information stored on Bitsgap servers is 2048-bit encrypted, and it claims to be twice as secure as an internet bank. RSA 2048 is the largest of all RSA numbers and is estimated to take trillions of years to crack, using existing technology. Moreover, Bitsgap has no access to user funds or KYC information and all data, including API keys, is encrypted. The company encourages FIDO2 as a means of 2FA. Bitsgap also deploys advanced API protection. An API key can only be used on one account, preventing duplicates from being used. Users also have the option to whitelist their API keys to certain IP addresses.This means that Bitsgap IP address is whitelisted by the exchange for a given user, when the API keys are being created. The crypto trading platform further utilizes OAth when connecting to an exchange, which provides a secure connection without revealing sensitive information such as passwords. Advantages Of The Bitsgap Automated Trading Platform Aside from security features, longevity, and market positioning, Bitsgap offers robust trading features for different types of traders. As part of its mission statement, it seeks to make crypto investing possible for all investors. Trading strategies are broadly divided into four categories GRID, DCA, BTD and COMBO, to cater to various preferences and styles. The GRID strategy is simple, allowing users to postpone buy and sell orders until predefined price movements have been reached. The DCA bots allow for the investment in a diversified number of tokens across time and price points, offering one of the safest means of entry into the crypto markets. DCA can take technical indicators such as the MACD, RSI, and stochastic channels into account. Alternatively, traders can run DCA without taking these technical indicators into account, depending on their preferences. The Buy The Dip (BTD) bot is the most recent addition to the Bitsgap suite. The bot was developed in line with customer feedback, indicating a preference for a trading strategy suited to a declining market. The BTD bot means that traders can operate in all markets, high or low, as opposed to merely buying and holding for the long term, a simple strategy that does not generate maximum returns. Finally, COMBO trading bots can allow for increased profits when trading futures in both bear and bull markets. But it comes with increased risk due to the fact that funds are borrowed for the exchange, for a fee. These future trading strategies are deployed on the Binance exchange, and are most suited to advanced traders. The range of trading strategies offered by Bitsgap ensures that all classes of investors have something to work with in order to achieve passive, automated income based on historical patterns. Bitsgap does not take any fees from trades. Cybersecurity A Top Priority The protection of account information comes at a time when cybercrime is running rampant. Providers, especially in the world of crypto trading, will need to be at the cutting edge of network security. Bitsgap is already far ahead of the curve as an industry leader in data protection. With a zero knowledge architecture, it does not hold any personal or financial information in its servers they have nothing to give away. All information from exchanges necessary for trading, such as API keys, is encrypted in transit. In addition, Bitsgap has five layers of security that have proven to be the most effective in terms of the protection of customers. Media Contacts Email: info@bitsgap.com
By Simon Lewis

ASTANA (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met leaders in Central Asia on Tuesday as Washington pursued deeper engagement with the region's former Soviet republics in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine a year ago.

Blinken's visit to the capitals of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan was his first to the region as the Biden administration's top diplomat.

It came just days after the Feb. 24 first anniversary of Russia's invasion, which has tested Moscow's influence in a region that also includes Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan.

Leaders in the region have been emboldened to stand up to Russia but have also been buffeted by the fallout from the war, including rising food and fuel prices, and come under suspicion as potential routes for sanctioned goods reaching Russia.

"We are watching compliance with sanctions very closely and we're having an ongoing discussion with number of countries, including our C5 partners, on the economic spillover effects," Blinken said at a news conference after a meeting with officials of the five Central Asian states in the Kazakh capital Astana.

Washington is issuing licenses to give companies time to wind down relationships with Russian firms that have been sanctioned in a Western effort to pressure Moscow to end the war, Blinken said.

He announced $25 million of new funding to support economic growth, including with new trade routes, and helping business find new export markets, on top of $25 million the Biden administration has already committed to the region.

U.S. officials say President Joe Biden's administration has increased its stake in the region in an effort to demonstrate the benefits of U.S. cooperation to countries facing an economic hit from the Ukraine conflagration.

'TERRITORIAL INTEGRITY'

In Astana on Tuesday, Blinken met Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, who was re-elected in a landslide in November and has pushed back publicly against territorial claims made by Russian President Vladimir Putin in Ukraine.

Story continues

"We have built very good and reliable long-term partnerships in so many strategically important areas like security, energy, trade and investments," Tokayev told Blinken as they met at the imposing presidential palace.

Blinken earlier told Foreign Minister Mukhtar Tileuberdi that Washington supports the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Kazakhstan, which won independence from Moscow when the Soviet Union broke up in 1991.

"Sometimes we just say those words, but they actually have real meaning and of course we know in this particular time they have even more resonance than usual," Blinken said in reference to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, also an ex-Soviet republic.

Russia and Kazakhstan share the world's longest continuous land border, prompting concern among some Kazakhs about the security of a country with the second-biggest ethnic Russian population among former Soviet republics after Ukraine.

Tileuberdi said at the news conference that Kazakhstan retained a "multi-vector" foreign policy that balances its ties to Russia with other nations. We do not see or feel any risks or threats from the Russian Federation at the moment, he said.

(This story has been refiled to add dropped word 'Asian' in headline)

(Reporting by Simon Lewis; additional reporting by Olzhas Auyezov; Editing by Michael Perry and Mark Heinrich)
ABC News

A Minnesota man has died after being attacked by dogs he was watching for a family member, police said. Officers secured a garage door and began rendering aid to the victim, who "had most of his clothing ripped off and had extensive bites on most of his body," the Brooklyn Center Police Department said in a statement. The victim did not own the dogs -- identified by police as American pit bull terriers -- but had been taking care of them at his home for a family member, police said.
A body pulled from a river in upstate New York belongs to a teenager who had been missing for three months, police said.

Schenectady police confirmed the body belongs to Samantha Humphrey, a 14-year-old girl first reported missing in November, according to a Feb. 27 news release.

Her body was found in the Mohawk River on Feb. 22 close to where Humphrey was last seen months earlier, police told McClatchy News.

We are devastated to receive the official confirmation of the death of our beloved Samantha, her family said in a statement provided to CBS 6. Normal is forever gone.

Humphrey was last seen in a park near the river shortly before midnight on Nov. 25, according to police. She was wearing a pink jacket and bell bottom jeans.

She had traveled to the park to meet her ex-boyfriend, according to WNYT.

After going to the park, she was never seen again, though her jacket was found near the river, the TV station reported.

Over the ensuing days, an extremely active search for Humphrey took place, including an aviation unit, K9 unit and dive team, police said.

The search dragged on into January and December, with a fisherman eventually locating her body along the rivers edge in February, according to the Times Union.

It was discovered inside a submerged shopping cart, according to WNYT.

This news is disturbing and is deeply affecting all of us, the Schenectady School Superintendent Anibal Soler Jr. wrote in an open letter following the identification of the body.

I, along with everyone in our school community, share the sadness and grief surrounding Samanthas passing, he added. Her potential was limitless and she will be greatly missed.

The investigation of her death is ongoing and additional autopsy results are pending, police said.

Schenectady is located about 20 miles northwest of Albany.

Search on for driver of vehicle that fell off bridge into Florida river, cops say

Intoxicated 18-year-old intentionally runs over man outside Target, Minnesota cops say

Former US swimming champion dies in Virgin Islands, police say. Investigation underway
Fox News owner Rupert Murdoch handed Donald Trumps son-in-law Jared Kushner confidential information about then-Democratic nominee Joe Bidens 2020 campaign ads before they aired on the conservative network, according to a new court filing.

The leaks provided Kushner, then a Trump White House adviser, with a preview of Bidens ads before they were public, according to court documents released Monday in Dominion Voting Systems $1.6-billion defamation suit against Fox News.

During Trumps campaign, Rupert provided Trumps son-in-law and senior advisor, Jared Kushner, with Fox confidential information about Bidens ads, along with debate strategy, the filing declared. The filing didnt elaborate on how Murdoch assisted with debate strategy.

Dominion is suing Fox News over unfounded claims pushed by network personalities that the companys voting machines were used to flip the election in favor of Biden.

Elsewhere in the filing, Murdoch acknowledged Fox News hosts endorsed conspiracy theories about Donald Trump winning the 2020 election.

Critics described the Murdoch-Kushner leak as a bombshell.

These actions by Rupert Murdoch seem illegal, said Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.). At the very least, it would appear to be a campaign contribution of significant value, well over federal campaign limits.

Trump falsely accused Biden of spying on his campaign, commented the progressive PAC MeidasTouch. Today, it was revealed that Trump and Fox News colluded to *actually* spy on Bidens campaign. Every accusation is always a confession.

Fox has denied the lawsuits allegations, claiming it is more about what will generate headlines than what can withstand legal and factual scrutiny.

Rupert Murdoch gave Jared Kushner access to Biden's TV spots before they were public...pretty hefty in-kind campaign contribution there. https://t.co/IMZLrgYGEn  Tommy Vietor (@TVietor08) February 27, 2023

Rupert Murdoch admitted at least two bombshells under oath:



1) that hethe chairman of a news orgprovided debate strategy and info about Biden ads to Jared Kushner



2) that multiple Fox hosts knowingly endorsed false narratives about a stolen election https://t.co/dsXGxghGn3  Sawyer Hackett (@SawyerHackett) February 27, 2023

did this get marked as an in-kind on Trump's FEC filings? https://t.co/kHUCYNdVQz  Adam Smith (@asmith83) February 27, 2023

Trump falsely accused Biden of spying on his campaign.



Today, it was revealed that Trump and Fox News colluded to *actually* spy on Bidens campaign.



Every accusation is always a confession.  MeidasTouch (@MeidasTouch) February 28, 2023

These actions by Rupert Murdoch seem illegal. At the very least, it would appear to be a campaign contribution of significant value, well over federal campaign limits. https://t.co/Mb92DUGoAZ  Ted Lieu (@tedlieu) February 28, 2023

Related...
Steve Davis became head of The Boring Company in 2019. Mark Ralston/Getty Images, James Clayton/BBC

Twitter employees speculate that The Boring Company CEO Steve Davis could replace Elon Musk as CEO.

Davis helped orchestrate Twitter's latest round of layoffs, Platformer reported.

He embraced Musk's "hardcore" edict and slept at the office, The Information reported.

Speculation is swirling among Twitter staff that The Boring Company CEO Steve Davis could replace Elon Musk as the chief executive of Twitter, according to a recent report from Platformer.

The publication said that Davis helped orchestrate a round of layoffs at the social-media company this week that impacted about 200 people. Ahead of the layoffs, the executive at Musk's tunnel company called Twitter managers and asked them to identify "exceptional" employees, Platformer reported. Davis' role in the layoffs has led employees across "all levels" of the company to theorize that he will replace Musk as Twitter's CEO, per Platformer.

A spokesperson for Twitter did not respond to a request for comment ahead of publication. Davis could not be reached for comment.

Since he took over in October, Musk has more than halved Twitter's workforce.

At the same time, Davis has become increasingly involved at Twitter. In December, The Information reported that The Boring Company CEO had been told to find ways to cut about $500 million in operating costs at Twitter. He ended up slashing about $1 billion by terminating some contracts with outside companies and negotiating others down, per The Information.

The Information also reported that Davis had taken a page out of Musk's playbook and was one of the first employees to start sleeping at Twitter's headquarters in San Francisco in October. The Boring Company CEO spent the first few weeks after his baby was born sleeping in a makeshift bedroom in the office, along with his newborn and partner, according to the report.

Davis became the chief executive of Musk's tunnel-construction company in 2019. Musk founded the company in 2016, with a vision of creating a network of high-speed tunnels, known as a Hyperloop. Before he became CEO of The Boring Company, Davis worked with Musk at SpaceX. The two men have worked together since 2003, per The Information.

Story continues

The billionaire has been hunting for a new Twitter CEO for months. In December, Musk tweeted a poll asking users if he should step down from his role at the social-media company and said he'd abide by the results of the poll. When voting closed, 57.5% of voters said he should resign, but Musk said at the time that "there is no successor" to him currently.

Musk  who ousted Twitter's former CEO, Parag Agrawal, within hours of taking the company private  has said he plans to step back from the social-media company over time after an "initial burst of activity" to reorganize it.

Tesla investors have been calling for Musk to turn his attention back to the electric-car maker. Tesla's stock has fallen more than 37% since he announced his plans to buy Twitter on April 14.

Do you work for Boring Company or Twitter? Reach out to the reporter from a non-work email at gkay@insider.com

Read the original article on Business Insider
The Boston Police Department is turning to the public for help to Identify a suspect wanted in connection to a residential breaking and entering in the North End.

Police are looking for a man accused of breaking and entering into homes on Fleet Street in the early morning hours of Sunday, February 19.

The suspect is described as a black male, of average height, medium build, with black facial hair and short dreadlocks.

The suspect entered the apartment wearing black pants, a black sweatshirt, a black hooded puffer jacket with an American flag on the back, and red sneakers while carrying a black backpack with a silver stripe.

Police say he was observed leaving the area on foot wearing a stolen beige Patagonia jacket and carrying four stolen purses along with other items from the residence.

Anyone with information is advised to contact A-1 Detectives at 617-343-4571.

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

Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts.

Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW
Police in Boston are turning to the public for help tracking down a teenage girl who has been missing for more than a week, officials announced Tuesday.

Destiny Cotto, 15, of Hyde Park, has not been seen since the morning of Feb. 17, according to the Boston Police Department.

She was last seen wearing a black jacket, black hooded sweatshirt, blue jeans with black leggings underneath them, and white sneakers.

Police noted that Cotto is known to frequent the Ashmont and Field Corner areas.

Anyone with information on her whereabouts is urged to contact Boston police detectives at 617-343-5607.

There were no additional details available.

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

Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts.

Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW
The Senate education committee killed a bill Tuesday morning that took aim at preventing events like a recent drag show hosted by a student organization at South Dakota State University from ever happening again.

House Bill 1116, which would have prohibited the use of state resources in hosting lewd or lascivious content, failed on a motion that wouldve sent the bill to the Senate with a recommendation that it pass, with a 3-4 vote. Then, the Senate committee passed a motion to kill the bill on a 4-3 vote.

Drag originated in 19th century British theater and has heavy roots in modern LGBTQ+ culture. It is a form of performance and entertainment that challenges assumptions of gender identity and expression.

More:South Dakota lawmakers push for 2 bills banning 'lewd' school events as reaction to SDSU drag show

Sens. Steve Kolbeck (R-Brandon), Tom Pischke (R-Dell Rapids) and Jessica Castleberry (R-Rapid City) voted in favor of the legislation, while Senators Shawn Bordeaux (D-Mission), Sydney Davis (R-Burbank), Tim Reed (R-Brookings) and Kyle Schoenfish (R-Scotland) voted against it.

In his motion to kill the bill, Reed said, Everyone likes intellectual diversity, until they disagree with it, and he questioned who would decide what is appropriate speech or what is of serious literary, artistic, political or scientific value.

Pollie Esther, Brandi Dandi, Kassie Kain, LaGuardia and Little Gorgeous Man take a bow after their drag performance on Saturday, June 11, 2022, at Pioneer Park for Brookings Pride.

Bordeaux called the legislation overreach, and said that the community didnt want the bill, but a legislator did.

A similar bill, House Bill 1125, was killed in the South Dakota House State Affairs committee earlier this month.

More:One anti-drag bill passes, another tabled by South Dakota House State Affairs committee

Proponents of the legislation included Rep. Chris Karr (R-Sioux Falls), Sen. Al Novstrup (R-Aberdeen), lobbyists with Concerned Women for America, the South Dakota Catholic Conference, Family Heritage Alliance Action, and Baptist preacher Matthew Monfor.

The proponents largely argued state resources shouldnt be used for events like the student-organized drag show, that children shouldnt see those types of events and that the event was inappropriate.

Story continues

While proponents shared concerns about the funding source of the drag show, SDSU President Barry Dunn clarified in a Nov. 15 statement that the event wasnt supported by university funds and was instead sponsored by the student Gender and Sexualities Alliance.

One of the proponents even showed a photo of the SDSU drag show, but an opponent later rebutted that the photo was from a different drag show than the one in November and was not open to minors.

More:South Dakota Regents push for new policy involving minors in wake of drag show controversy

Opponents of the legislation included two alumni from South Dakota State University, as well as lobbyists from the ACLU of South Dakota, Associated School Boards of South Dakota, School Administrators of South Dakota, the large school group and the South Dakota Advocacy Network for Women.

The opponents largely argued that the drag show at SDSU didnt cause any public outcry from students, the university or the Brookings community; that drag shows similar to the most recent one at SDSU have gone on for decades before this; and that the bill limits free speech and expression.

The K-12 education lobbyists also asked that the legislators strike the reference to public K-12 schools from the bill.

This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: Both of South Dakota's anti-drag show bills have now been defeated
Locally owned clothing and accessories retailer Winnies Boutique is opening its first standalone storefront at the former Charlotte Collective shop in Plaza Midwood.

Jessica Van Canon, who owns Winnies Boutique, said she recently signed a four-year lease for 14,040 square feet at 1222 Central Ave. Work is underway on the upfit, and Van Canon said she expects to hold a grand opening in April.

ALSO READ: New food hall to open in Uptown this year

Winnies Boutique launched in 2018 and moved into a space at Charlotte Collective shortly after that flagship store opened in 2019. She later moved into a second space at Charlotte Collectives South End location in 2021. The boutiques partnerships with the South End location and CLT Find in Dilworth run through March.

Read more here.

(VIDEO: Charlotte boutique that provides mentorship for women celebrates 10 years)
The Bartlesville Police Department

The City of Bartlesville has placed a police officer on administrative leave to investigate "possibly less than truthful" testimony made during an investigation into allegations of inappropriate sexual behavior by former Bartlesville Police Officer James Graham.

In 2020, Graham was charged with two counts of sexual battery and one count of indecent exposure stemming from incidents alleged by two female BPD officers.

He was acquitted of those charges earlier this month. although the district attorney dropped one of the charges before the verdict came in.

During the course of the investigation, Graham admitted that he had touched at least one female police officer without her consent, the city said in a news release. He also admitted to exposing himself to a female officer at a police facility while on duty and while acting as a field training officer, according to the release.

Graham disputes those allegations as well as the charge that he sexually battered a female officer.

"Upon completion of the trial and the subsequent acquittal of Mr. Graham, BPD command staff was made aware that one witness was possibly less than truthful at some point during the initial investigation or during the trial," the release said.

Former Bartlesville police officer James Graham was recently acquitted of charges of sexually inappropriate behavior against fellow officers while on the job.

The city declined to identify the officer placed on administrative leave, but Graham's attorneys disclosed her name as Officer Jessica Pitts.

"Because the City of Bartlesville takes any allegation such as this seriously, an internal investigation into this matter is underway," the release said. "As per standard procedure, the officer in question has been placed on administrative leave with pay pending the outcome of the investigation."

Graham resigned from the BPD on Sept. 14, 2020, after eight years on the force. A state investigation into the allegations began a few days later when BPD Chief Tracy Roles requested the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigations become involved.

This article originally appeared on Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise: BPD officer under investigation as questions arise about testimony
By Jake Spring and Lisandra Paraguassu

BRASILIA (Reuters) - The world cannot meet its climate goal to limit global temperature rise to 1.5 degree Celsius unless it protects the Amazon rainforest, climate envoy John Kerry said in Brazil on Tuesday while discussing possible U.S. funding for jungle conservation.

Brazil's new President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva assumed office on Jan. 1, jump-starting cooperation with the United States on climate change and deforestation after rocky relations under his right-wing predecessor Jair Bolsonaro. Deforestation hit a 15-year high under Bolsonaro, who rolled back environmental protections.

Lula and U.S. President Joe Biden pledged to work together on climate change in a meeting at the White House earlier this month. On deforestation, Washington announced it intended to contribute to Brazil's Amazon Fund, which supports conservation projects in the jungle region.

"The truth is that unless the Amazon is protected from those who would deforest it and who abuse it, we cannot keep the temperature to 1.5 degrees (Celsius)," Kerry said, referring to the climate target in the Paris Agreement.

"The reality is that the Amazon is the test of all of our humanity."

Protecting the Amazon is vital to curbing climate change because of the vast quantity of greenhouse gas its trees absorb.

Appearing alongside Brazil Environment Minister Marina Silva, Kerry told reporters in Brasilia that he traveled to Brazil to work out the details of what Lula and Biden agreed to.

He said that the United States was still considering how much to give to the Amazon Fund.

Kerry said the U.S. Senate is considering a bill with $4.5 billion in funding for forest conservation, while the House of Representatives is studying a proposal with $9 billion.

But, Kerry said the administration "will have to fight" to get those proposals through Congress.

Kerry and Silva said that the United States and Brazil had restarted a bilateral working group set up in 2015 to discuss cooperation on climate and environment, which had stalled under Bolsonaro.

Silva said she discussed with Kerry the possibility of opening up the United States to more sustainable sourced products from Brazil.

(Reporting by Jake Spring in Sao Paulo and Lisandra Parguassu and Anthony Boadle in Brasilia; Editing by Aurora Ellis)
(Bloomberg) -- Prime Minister Rishi Sunaks government is beginning its hardest sell: convincing skeptical Northern Irish politicians to back its new post-Brexit deal on trade with the European Union.

Most Read from Bloomberg

Mondays unveiling of the Windsor Framework featured a confident Sunak and a smiling, enthusiastic European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. The next, crucial stage of the process will be a game of detail, numbers and political arm-twisting.

Sunaks team needs to win over a tiny caucus of Northern Irelands unionist politicians and an influential group of pro-Brexit MPs from his own Conservative Party. Failure could mean having to push the deal through with support from the opposition Labour Party  which could be politically damaging.

The prime minister is in Belfast on Tuesday as he tries to convince unionists and business to support the deal. He told BBC Radio that hes confident the agreement addresses their concerns.

Jeffrey Donaldson, leader of the Democratic Unionist Party, told the same program progress had been made but that some issues remain. The party will take time to study the legal text before announcing its position, he said.

However, hard-line DUP MPs Ian Paisley and Sammy Wilson suggested on Monday night they would not support the deal.

Government officials were cautiously optimistic about how the pact landed. One said there was general relief that Donaldsons public statements have been measured, and a hope that his partys MPs would not all oppose the agreement.

The DUP has blocked the formation of Northern Irelands power-sharing government for more than a year in an ongoing protest at the terms of the original Brexit deal. The party has just eight MPs in Westminster, but wields outsize influence. On Monday, the Commons fell silent when Donaldson spoke.

Story continues

Significant progress has been secured across a number of areas, the DUP leader said, adding: there remain key issues of concern. He said his party may seek clarification, re-working or change. Sunak said he respected the DUPs need for time.

The original Brexit treaty gave Northern Ireland unique access to both the UK and EU markets, but effectively imposed a customs border in the Irish Sea between the Great Britain and the region. That proved tough to implement and controversial in the challenging politics of the region. It also became a tempting target for pro-Brexit politicians eager to prolong the battle with Brussels.

Officials took heart from the muted response of Sunaks chief internal critics, former Prime Ministers Boris Johnson and Liz Truss, who are both reflecting on Mondays text, according to people close to them. Sunak suggested he had briefed Johnson on the deal in recent days. Of course I speak to the former prime minister, he told the BBC.

Rebels on Alert

Sunak has promised to give MPs a vote at an appropriate time. That is likely to be next week, according to a person familiar with the plan who spoke on the condition of anonymity. To win without Labour votes, his whips need to convince significant numbers of potential rebels.

The European Research Group of Brexiteer MPs is awaiting advice from its lawyers and will meet Tuesday evening. While some ERG MPs are prepared to back the deal, others will take their lead from the DUP. That means a sizable parliamentary rebellion is still possible if unionists oppose the agreement, three ERG MPs said.

Government whips think about 20 Tory MPs would oppose the deal. The rebels say their numbers could rise above 40. Sunak has a working majority of 67, which means he risks having to rely on Labour.

In a boost, Northern Ireland Minister Steve Baker, a former ERG chief who helped scupper former Prime Minister Theresa Mays Brexit deal, enthusiastically backed the agreement. Other Brexit-supporting senior backbenchers, including former Brexit Secretary David Davis, also gave their backing.

Its time for us all to turn the page, move on to the next chapter, Baker told the BBC on Monday.

But prominent DUP and ERG MPs, including Sammy Wilson, Mark Francois and Bill Cash, were more skeptical in the House of Commons.

A government official said they will make the case that even critics of the new framework should accept that it would be a significant improvement on the status quo for Northern Ireland.

Relations Reborn

Passing the deal would clear a path for the UK to strengthen ties with the EU  its biggest trading partner  after years of wrangling over Brexit.

His prize will be better relations with the EU and America, said Anton Spisak, a senior fellow at the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change who previously worked on the UKs Brexit negotiations.

Its likely to unlock progress on several issues frozen by Brussels, including the Horizon science program  welcome news for UK universities. A pact on financial services, previously agreed to but not signed, could also be unlocked.

Sunaks allies also see the deal as key to closer cooperation on ending cross-Channel immigration in small boats, something seen as crucial to Conservative electoral fortunes.

The UK is also hopeful that the Windsor pact will help deepen ties with the US, which has expressed interest in investing in Northern Ireland. President Joe Biden has been considering a visit in April to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the regions peace treaty.

Perhaps most importantly, Spisak said, Sunak can now claim the biggest prize at home: the electoral advantage of getting the unfinished business of Brexit done.

(Updates with Sunak comments starting in fourth paragraph.)

Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek

2023 Bloomberg L.P.
There is no room for any changes to be made to the new Brexit deal, No 10 has indicated following the announcement of the historic agreement.

Asked if Rishi Sunak might return to Brussels to ask for any changes requested by the DUP, the prime ministers official spokesperson said: Certainly I think you heard the prime minister asked similar questions today. We think we have secured the right deal for all parties in Northern Ireland.

We stand ready to have further talks with those parties if they have questions about how it works in practice, indeed, we did a great deal of that in the run up to this announcement.

Mr Sunak travelled to Northern Ireland after securing a deal with the EU that he promised would be a turning point for the region after years of post-Brexit tensions.

The so-called Windsor Framework was earlier hailed as historic by the European Commission president, who insisted the deal marked a new chapter in UK-EU relations at a press conference with the prime minister.

Key Points

Sunak says breakthrough Brexit deal marks new way forward'

New deal removes any sense of border in Irish Sea, insists PM

Agreement to create green and red lanes for goods entering NI

Stormont brake will place Northern Ireland in control of their destiny, says Sunak

King meets von der Leyen for tea at Windsor Castle

PM seeks to sell breakthrough deal

05:30 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

Rishi Sunak is expected to travel to Northern Ireland after securing a deal with the EU that he promised would be a turning point for the region after years of post-Brexit tensions.

The new deal, dubbed the Windsor Framework, removes barriers on trade across the Irish Sea and hands a veto to politicians in Stormont on EU law.

But it still includes a role for the European Court of Justice, with the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) and Tory backbenchers now set to study closely the details of the complex set of arrangements in the coming days.

Story continues

The prime minister is also expected to speak to backbench MPs today.

Read more here.

Sunak seeks to sell breakthrough deal after EU-UK agreement

Boris Johnson told to put up or shut up and back Sunaks Brexit deal

15:00 , Emily Atkinson

Boris Johnson has been urged to put up or shut up over Rishi Sunaks new Brexit deal with EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen as the former prime minister considers whether to rebel on the issue.

The source close to the former prime minister did not deny a report that Mr Johnson had asked the DUP to without support until they had carefully studied at the agreement.

Most Tory MPs have reacted enthusiastically to the Windsor Framework, but Mr Johnsons allies in the DUP and hardliners in the European Research Group (ERG) are taking their time to consider whether they can back it.

Our political correspondent Adam Forrest reports:

Boris Johnson told to put up or shut up and back Sunaks Brexit deal

No 10 denies Sunak seeking single market access

14:40 , Emily Atkinson

Downing Street has been forced to stress that Rishi Sunaks hailing of Northern Irelands access to both EU and British markets should not be seen as an endorsement of single market benefits for the whole of the UK.

During a visit to a Coca-Cola factory in County Antrim to promote his Windsor Framework, the prime minister said the deal would create the worlds most exciting economic zone.

Pressed on the issue later, the prime ministers official spokesman told reporters: The British people made a decision in 2016 and we are seeing the benefits of that decision, whether thats in the ability to change our environment laws, some of the tax elements the Prime Minister talked about just today, in fact.

(PA Wire)

With regards to Northern Ireland, it is simply a fact that because of our respect for the Good Friday Agreement and the central importance: Northern Irelands unique position means it needs to have access to both markets, not least to avoid a border on the island of Ireland, which nobody wants to see.

That puts it in a unique position and what the framework does is finally cement those capabilities.

Watch: Rishi Sunak says Northern Ireland in 'special position' with access to EU single market

14:20 , Emily Atkinson

Stormont should be up and running now'

14:05 , Emily Atkinson

Ulster Unionist leader Doug Beattie said there was no reason why the Stormont powersharing institutions could not be operating while parties study the detail of the Windsor Framework.

He said: Stormont could be up and running now. You could have an executive now, and at the same time we could be looking at this framework.

You can do that at the same time.

But if we drag this out for months then businesses will be sitting there not knowing whether they are coming or going.

We need to hear from business, we need to know if it works for them.

But there is no point dragging it out. People need to show the courage of their convictions, look at the deal, come up with your analysis and make your pitch.

Disingenuous to suggest Windsor Framework will take weeks or months to formulate, says Unionist leader

13:50 , Emily Atkinson

Ulster Unionist leader Doug Beattie said it was disingenuous for any political party to suggest it would take weeks or months to formulate a response to the Windsor Framework.

Speaking following a meeting with the prime minister in Co Antrim, Mr Beattie said Mr Sunak had been buoyant.

He said: I think the Stormont brake is one of those things which sounds good when you talk about it, but as soon as you start delving into it and understanding how it actually works, it throws up more questions than it does answers.

But I can see the prime minister is working hard to sell this deal and we will work hard to scrutinise it.

Anyone who is saying this should take weeks and months, I think is being disingenuous.

Michelle ONeill: Priority must be getting Stormont up and moving'

13:35 , Emily Atkinson

Sinn Feins Michelle ONeill said she has spoken to the prime minister in a phone conversation.

She tweeted: I welcomed yesterdays breakthrough. The deal is now done.

My key message is to lets keep momentum going.

The priority must now be getting Stormont up and moving without delay.

I have spoken with @RishiSunak by telephone. I welcomed yesterdays breakthrough. The deal is now done. My key message is to lets keep momentum going. The priority must now be getting Stormont up and moving without delay.  Michelle ONeill (@moneillsf) February 28, 2023

Watch: Former home secretary Jacqui Smith tells journalist to 'shut up' on live TV

13:18 , Emily Atkinson

PM says he wants to move forward when asked about undoing predecessors damage

12:55 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Rishi Sunak said he wanted to move forward when it was put to him that much of his work on the Windsor Framework was effectively undoing the damage of Boris Johnsons deal.

The Prime Minister told reporters during a visit to a Coca-Cola plant in County Antrim: I was very clear in Parliament yesterday about the challenges of the protocol.

I was open about it and thats why Ive spent time... really understanding them deeply because I care passionately about Northern Ireland, its people and its place in the union.

But my job as a new Prime Minister is try to move forward and look to the future and make sure that future is better, and thats what we have tried very hard to do.

Sunak stresses important of good, constructive relations between UK and Ireland

12:42 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

The prime minister stressed the importance of good, constructive relations between the UK and Ireland, during a visit to County Antrim as he promoted his new deal with the EU.

Asked about relations between London and Dublin, Rishi Sunak praised the support of the Irish Government over recent months.

Speaking to broadcasters, Mr Sunak said: I was the first UK Prime Minister to attend the British-Irish Council in over a decade, shortly after I became Prime Minister.

I think it is important we have good, constructive relations with our allies, our neighbours, our friends, and of course that means, and especially that means, the Republic of Ireland.

That is what I have tried to do in my job as Prime Minister. The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Chris Heaton-Harris has done the same.

I am grateful to the Irish Government for the support they have given both the UK Government and the EU and everyone in Northern Ireland to help trying to find a resolution here.

Rishi Sunak mocked for calling Northern Ireland worlds most exciting economic zone

12:25 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Rishi Sunak said his post-Brexit deal meant Northern Ireland was the worlds most exciting economic zone with access to both EU and UK markets.

Critics online were swift to point out that the entire UK had full access to the EUs exciting single market before Brexit.

On a visit to Lisburns Coca-Cola factory, the PM said: Northern Ireland is in the unbelievably special position, a unique position in the entire world, European continent.

He said the province was now had privileged access, not just to the UK home market, which is enormous, but also the EU single market.

Mr Sunak told the audience of workers: Nobody else has that. No one. Only you guys  only here, and that is the prize.

Adam Forrest reports:

Rishi Sunak mocked for calling Northern Ireland worlds most exciting economic zone

New Stormont brake an incredibly powerful mechanism for people of Northern Ireland, PM says

12:10 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Rishi Sunak has said the new Stormont brake in the Windsor Framework is an incredibly powerful mechanism ensuring the people of Northern Ireland have control of their own destiny.

Speaking in a pooled clip for broadcasters during a visit to County Antrim, the Prime Minister said he wanted to work with the parties to agree how it would be applied in practice.

The Stormont brake is an incredibly powerful new cross-community safeguard. What it means is that the people and institutions of Northern Ireland are in control of their destiny, he said.

If there is a significant new EU law that comes along that will have lasting and significant impact on everyday lives of people here in Northern Ireland, then the assembly will be allowed to pull the emergency brake.

Once that is done it is crystal clear the UK Government then does have an unequivocal veto. The UK Government wants to sit down with the parties in Northern Ireland to codify how the UK Government would use that veto to make sure everyone has reassurance that it will work properly.

(PA)

Critics point out Sunak unintentionally highlighting disadvantages of Brexit in Northern Ireland speech

11:54 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Rishi Sunak said his post-Brexit deal meant Northern Ireland was the worlds most exciting economic zone with access to both EU and UK markets.

But critics online were swift to point out that the entire UK had full access to the EUs exciting single market before Brexit.

Several commentators said that the prime minister was pointing out the disadvantages of Brexit, since Great Britain had lost access to the single market by quitting the EU.

Anti-Brexit campaigner Femi Oluwole tweeted: Rishi Sunak just spent 2 minutes boasting about how Northern Ireland is the most exciting investment zone on the planet because it has full access to the UK and EU market... You know... like we did before Brexit!

It follows similar criticism for Northern Ireland minister Steve Baker, who told the BBC: What an extraordinary opportunity for Northern Ireland: dual access to both markets.

Absolutely F*****G INCREDIBLE!



Rishi Sunak just spent 2 minutes boasting about how Northern Ireland is the "most exciting exciting investment zone on the planet" because it has full access to the UK and EU market...



You know... like we did before Brexit!#WindsorFramework pic.twitter.com/e2dE7t1R9D  Femi (@Femi_Sorry) February 28, 2023

Northern Ireland worlds most exciting economic zone, says Sunak

11:19 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Rishi Sunak said the deal would create the worlds most exciting economic zone with access to both EU and UK markets.

On a visit to Lisburns Coca-Cola factory, he said: Northern Ireland is in the unbelievably special position  unique position in the entire world, European continent  in having privileged access, not just to the UK home market, which is enormous, but also the EU single market.

Sunak added: Nobody else has that. No one. Only you guys: only here, and that is the prize.

Critics online were swift to point out that the entire UK had full and access to the EUs exciting single market before Brexit.

Prime minister repeats call for Northern Ireland to return to powersharing

11:06 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Rishi Sunak repeated his call for politicians in Northern Ireland to return to powersharing.

While the Prime Minister did not reference the DUP by name, he said that the Stormont brake contained in the Windsor Framework addressed concerns about sovereignty and the protocol.

Speaking at a factory in Northern Ireland as he promoted his Windsor Framework deal, Mr Sunak was asked multiple questions about the fact the Northern Ireland Assembly is not sitting.

He said that concerns people had with the protocol were valid.

Now look, how we deal with that is a separate question, but the fact that people had concerns about it, I think is reasonable.

He stressed that his new deal corrected the issues.

The framework is a fantastic agreement that delivers on all the things people care about. So now I hope that they do see it and see that and they can find a way to come back together.

He told the audience: Its what you deserve.

What weve done, though, is empower that assembly even more with this new Stormont brake that I talked about.

Even more incentive to get back in. So for all the people who said well, we dont feel like weve got enough sovereignty in this situation, that theres a democratic deficit with this EU - weve corrected it. Weve put more power in the hands of Stormont, in those very people. But they need to get back in, they need to get put back in so they can use those powers. Weve provided the means now, and I hope that with time and space, they will see that thats the right way forward.

DUP will take its time, says Donaldson

10:49 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson told BBCs Good Morning that the party would not be rushed into making a decision on whether to back Rishi Sunaks protocol deal.

Our party officers, our assembly members, our MPs and ultimately even our party executive will determine the partys approach on this issue, he said.

We will consult and we will take our time. We will talk to people, we will listen to what they are saying.

Asked if the party was split, Donaldson said: Absolutely not.

While Donaldson was careful to say there are key concerns, but DUP MP Ian Paisley Jnr has already said his gut instinct was that the deal does not cut the mustard.

DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson (PA)

Sunak says Windsor Framework would make NI worlds most exciting economic zone

10:40 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Rishi Sunak has said getting his Windsor Framework for Northern Ireland implemented would create the worlds most exciting economic zone with access to EU and UK markets.

The prime minister, speaking at a factory in Northern Ireland, said: If we get this right, if we get this framework implemented, if we get the Executive back up and running here, Northern Ireland is in the unbelievably special position - unique position in the entire world, European continent - in having privileged access, not just to the UK home market, which is enormous... but also the European Union single market.

Nobody else has that. No one. Only you guys: only here, and that is the prize.

I can tell you, when I go around the world and talk to businesses, they know that - theyre like: Thats interesting. If you guys get this sorted, then we want to invest in Northern Ireland, because nowhere else does that exist.

Thats like the worlds most exciting economic zone.

The government aims to work with international companies to help them take advantage of Northern Irelands very special position, he added.

And they are queuing up to do so, particularly from the US actually.

(PA Wire)

PM acknowledges supermarket shortages but insists situation is improving

10:19 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Rishi Sunak acknowledged the shortages on supermarket shelves but insisted the situation was improving.

The prime minister, speaking at a factory in Northern Ireland to promote his Windsor Framework deal, said: The hassle of getting a supermarket lorry from Great Britain to Northern Ireland was enormous, hundreds of certificate, tonnes of bureaucracy to get through.

And worse, what was available in Great Britain on the shelves in the supermarket - which I know is a bit challenging at the moment but is getting better - but more generally, was not available on the shelves in Northern Ireland and that wasnt right.

And weve resolved all those issues, theres going to be the same things in both places and thats as it should be.

Live: Rishi Sunak's Q&A session live from Lisburn after Northern Ireland protocol deal struck

10:13 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Watch live from Lisburn as Rishi Sunak takes part in a Q&A session during his trip to the citys Coca-Cola plant.

He is in Northern Ireland following the announcement of a historic deal that he hopes will bring an end to the row over the bill.

Live: Rishi Sunak's Q&A session live from Lisburn after Northern Ireland protocol deal struck

Small and limited role for EU law in NI, Sunak admits

09:49 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Rishi Sunak has acknowledged that the Windsor Framework meant there was still a small and limited role for EU law in Northern Ireland.

Asked about DUP objections to some EU law remaining, Mr Sunak told BBC Radio 4s Today programme the role of EU law only persists for as long as the people are happy with it.

What we have done yesterday is introduce a new measure  the Stormont brake  which gives power to the institution in Northern Ireland, Stormont, to say that if theres a new law thats going to significantly impact peoples lives coming from the EU, they will be able to block it, he said.

He said there would be only small and limited role for EU law in Northern Ireland  what we are talking about is less than 3% of EU laws that apply in Northern Ireland.

Mr Sunak said he believed hand on heart that the Windsor Framework addresses the concerns of people in Northern Ireland.

How the papers covered Rishi Sunaks breakthrough on Northern Ireland deal

09:30 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

UK papers were largely behind Rishi Sunaks new deal on the Northern Ireland Protocol as they hailed the prime minister for winning over the EU in a bid to end the row over post-Brexit arrangements in the region.

Dubbed the Windsor Framework, the deal is lengthy, complicated and currently being poured over by the Democratic Unionist Party, Tory backbenchers and businesses across Northern Ireland.

On our own The Independent front page, we praise the PM for finally getting Brexit done.

The Times and i hail the development as a Brexit breakthrough, which grants Britain the power to veto EU laws.

How the papers covered Rishi Sunaks breakthrough on Northern Ireland deal

Foreign secretary warns they do not want to make changes on Sunaks new deal

09:15 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Foreign secretary James Cleverly has cautioned that there is little scope to make any changes to Rishi Sunaks deal with Brussels on post-Brexit trading arrangements with Northern Ireland.

Mr Cleverly told BBC Breakfast: We dont want to change this. It is a finely balanced document. We have got the European Commission to move a very, very long way from their starting point.

We really value their engagement and their willingness to be flexible to help resolve some of the outstanding issues. We dont want them to start changing things back again.

This is really good deal. I hope everyone recognises how much we have achieved for the people of Northern Ireland.

Asked who arranged European Commission president Ursula von der Leyens meeting with the King, Mr Cleverly told Sky News: Decisions about the Kings diary are, rightly, for the Palace.

DUP leader insists his party is reasonable'

09:00 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson has insisted his party is reasonable.

Were reasonable people but we want to ensure that what the Prime Minister has said is matched by what is actually in the agreement itself, can it deliver on the areas of concern that we set out in our seven tests? he told BBC Radio 4s Today programme.

DUP leader gives cautious welcome to the Stormont brake aspect of deal

08:45 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson gave a cautious welcome to the Stormont brake aspect of the protocol deal.

He told BBC Radio 4s Today programme that at first reading, the Stormont brake mechanism gives the devolved government in Northern Ireland the ability to apply the brake where the application of EU law for the purposes of facilitating cross-border trade impacts on our ability to trade with the rest of the United Kingdom.

Sir Jeffrey said Northern Ireland should have unfettered access to the GB market, and if changes to EU law were to impact that then it is right that Stormont has a brake and that were able to ultimately veto any new such law.

He insisted the brake would not be used for trivial reasons.

We want to do it in circumstances where a change to law would impact on our ability with trade with the rest of the United Kingdom, and that certainly is no trivial matter, he added.

DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson (Jordan Pettitt/PA) (PA Wire)

James Cleverly denies ministers are politicising the monarchy

08:30 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Foreign secretary James Cleverly has denied ministers were politicising the monarchy following the Kings meeting with European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen.

Mr Cleverly told LBC radio: I genuinely dont understand that argument. The other week President Zelensky came to the UK and, as a senior international guest, he had an audience with His Majesty the King.

Ursula von der Leyen is a very senior international representative. It is therefore not unusual as part of our hospitality to international guests to facilitate a meeting.

It was our invitation for Ursula von der Leyen to come to the UK to finalise this deal with the Prime Minister. Of course that was a conversation we had with the Palace.

The final decision on the availability of His Majesty is with the Palace.

Sunak says new Brexit deal isnt about personalities when pressed about former PM

08:21 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

When asked if he has been briefing Boris Johnson about his new Brexit deal, Rishi Sunak said this isnt about personalities.

Speaking to BBC Radio 4, the prime minister said: Of course I speak to the former prime minister but this isnt about any of us, this isnt about personalities, this is about the people of Northen Ireland and whats best for them.

(PA)

Foreign secretary James Cleverly on the DUP

08:15 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Foreign secretary James Cleverly has said it will be hugely disappointing if the Democratic Unionist Party does not return to the Stormont powersharing executive following Rishi Sunaks deal with Brussels.

Mr Cleverly said the government had been very, very focused on the partys concerns in their negotiations with the EU on post-Brexit trading arrangements.

They are quite understandably going to want to look at the detail of this. I really hope that once they look at the detail of this they will see we have taken their concerns very, very seriously, he told Sky News.

I think they will know that I have been very, very focused on the concerns they have expressed on behalf of their community. They will have real authority when it comes to the Stormont brake.

If they dont re-enter the powersharing executive, that will be hugely disappointing. It wont be good news for the people of Northern Ireland.

(PA Wire)

Boris Johnson considers rebellion over Brexit deal as he tells DUP to withhold support

07:59 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Boris Johnson is considering whether to rebel over the post-Brexit deal struck by Rishi Sunak and EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen.

A source close to the former Tory prime minister said he was studying and reflecting on the Windsor Framework plan to end the Northern Ireland Protocol row.

They did not deny a report that Mr Johnson had asked the DUP to without support until they had looked carefully at the agreement.

Adam Forrest reports:

Boris considers Brexit deal rebellion as he tells DUP to withhold support

How the Brexit deal was done

07:18 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

The Brexit deal struck by Rishi Sunak and EU chief Ursula von der Leyen in Windsor depended on some delicate choreography involving a luxury hotel, a popular wedding venue and a royal residence.

The blossoming romance between the prime minister and the European Commission president saw the pair dart around the wealthy Berkshire town at a series of events aimed at selling the accord to resolve the Northern Ireland Protocol row.

The pair did not really need to charm each other, after painstaking talks between officials in London and Brussels forged the big breakthroughs weeks ago. Rather, their aim was to seduce others on the merits of their entente cordiale.

Adam Forrest has more.

Wooing in Windsor: How the Brexit deal was done

Trust in UK government hits record low

07:00 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

Three-quarters of people told communication firm Edelmans annual Trust Barometer that they thought the UK was heading in the wrong direction, a record figure since the survey started in 2001.

For the first time in eight years, a majority of people said they expected their standard of living to get worse over the next year while less than a quarter thought their situation would improve in the next five years.

The survey of 3,000 UK adults, carried out at the end of January, also found two-thirds of people thought inequality was increasing.

Some 14 per cent said the same about skipping credit card or loan repayments, while 12 per cent said the same about rent or mortgage payments.

Read more here.

Trust in government hits record low as 75% polled say UK is heading wrong way

Steve Baker says Brexit cost me my mental health

06:30 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

Northern Ireland Office minister Steve Baker yesterday said the stalemate over Brexit cost me my mental health as he hailed the new deal struck by prime minister Rishi Sunak.

The self-styled Brexit hard man called Mr Sunaks agreement an extraordinary opportunity for Northern Ireland.

He opened up about the impact of years of infighting over the EU and said the treaty agreement left him emotional.

Seven years of this cost me my mental health, Mr Baker told BBC Newsnight.

In November 2021, I had a major mental health crisis  anxiety and depression. I couldnt go on. People couldnt tell [and] I made a big keynote in the afternoon.

But make no mistake, holding these tigers by the tail  Brexit, Covid Recovery Group, Net Zero Scrutiny Group, the tax stuff we did with Conservative Way Forward  took its toll, were all only human.

Pound surges after UK and EU agree on Northern Ireland deal

06:00 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

The pound jumped higher after Britain and the EU secured a new post-Brexit deal for Northern Ireland in a move set to end long-running tensions following the UKs withdrawal.

Sterling leaped 0.7% higher to 1.20 US dollars and was 0.3% up at 1.14 euros after a government source said prime minister Rishi Sunak and European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen had signed a breakthrough deal at a meeting in Windsor, Berkshire.

The FTSE 100 Index was also trading 0.6% or 50.7 points higher at 7929.4 in afternoon trading yesterday.

Rich Booth reports.

Pound surges after UK and EU agree Northern Ireland deal

EU chief hails new chapter in UK relations

05:00 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

Rishi Sunak and the EU president Ursula von der Leyen have ushered in a new era in UK-EU relations as they struck a historic post-Brexit deal.

Unveiling the Windsor Framework, Mr Sunak said it was a major breakthrough that would solve the long-running problem of the Northern Ireland protocol.

The EU chief also hailed the deal as a new chapter as she outlined plans for the UK to join the blocs 80bn Horizon science research programme.

Kate Devlin and Adam Forrest report.

EU chief hails new chapter in UK relations as Sunak unveils landmark Brexit deal

Pelosi says US proud of its role in establishing Good Friday Agreement

04:30 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

Former US House speaker Nancy Pelosi on Monday said the agreement between the EU and Britain on the Windsor Framework was good news.

The Windsor Framework must support the Good Friday Agreement, be acceptable to the people of Northern Ireland, and improve the British-Irish partnership, she said in a statement.

The United States is very proud of the role our leaders played in establishing the Good Friday Agreement, a pillar of our foreign policy  and we salute those who worked so hard to end the impasse a quarter-century ago.

When do the changes take effect?

04:00 , Katy Clifton

The Prime Minister said that the new agreement would make a difference almost immediately, but it does seem that at least some of the changes will gradually come into effect at various times.

For instance, new arrangements for post and parcels will take effect from September 2024  while some of the exact details around the implementation of the Stormont brake are still to be worked out.

But Downing Street has been clear that significant parts of the deal can be introduced even without Stormont returning immediately.

What is the role of the European Court of Justice under the agreement?

03:01 , Katy Clifton

It had been expected that both the UK and the EU would try to find a way around the difficult role of the European Court of Justice (ECJ). Concerns about the oversight role of the court have been raised by the DUP and some Tory backbenchers, with the issue less about trade and more about sovereignty.

The ECJ had been final arbitrator of EU law issues in the region, given the fact that Northern Ireland essentially remains within the single market for goods.

The Government believes that the agreement significantly narrows the role of the ECJ, with a new approach set to address some of the concerns of a democratic deficit for Northern Irish representatives in the application of EU law.

That arrangement, dubbed the Stormont brake, is described in the agreement as giving Stormont a genuine and powerful role in deciding whether significant new rules on goods impacting life in the region will apply. It is set to function along the same lines as the Good Friday Agreement safeguard of the petition of concern.

Under that Stormont arrangement, 30 MLA signatures are needed to secure a valid petition, which then triggers a vote that requires a majority of both nationalist and unionist MLAs to pass.

It remains to be seen how the arrangement will be introduced into the Stormont institutions, if powersharing does return, but Downing Street has been clear that once triggered the brake will give the Government the power to veto any new or amended EU rule

Six key takeaways from the NI deal

02:00 , Katy Clifton

Rishi Sunaks deal is designed to cut bureaucracy and dysfunction between Britain and Northern Ireland following Brexit.

The 26-page Windsor Framework lays out the plans for trade, movement of goods and future legislation.

Below, Joe Sommerlad takes a look at the six key takeaways from the deal:

Six key takeaways from Rishi Sunaks new Brexit deal

Now is the time to protect the hard-earned gains of the Agreement

00:01 , Katy Clifton

In Washington, Ways and Means Committee ranking member Richard E. Neal said he appreciates the compromise by both sides to find common ground.

He said: The agreement is the result of constructive, continued engagement by the EU and the UK in search of joint solutions.

I appreciate the steadfast commitment and compromise by both sides to find common ground to resolve the trade frictions related to the Protocol on Ireland and Northern Ireland.

Ahead of the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement, now is the time to protect the hard-earned gains of the Agreement, and to deepen EU-UK cooperation and partnership for generations to come.

Monday 27 February 2023 22:37 , Katy Clifton

US President Joe Biden has called the Windsor Framework agreement between the UK and European Union an essential step to ensuring that the hard-earned peace and progress of the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement is preserved and strengthened.

In a statement, Mr Biden said: I appreciate the efforts of the leaders and officials on all sides who worked tirelessly to find a way forward that protects Northern Irelands place within the UKs internal market as well as the EUs single market, to the benefit of all communities in Northern Ireland.

I am confident the people and businesses of Northern Ireland will be able to take full advantage of the economic opportunities created by this stability and certainty, and the United States stands ready to support the regions vast economic potential.

Joe Kennedy, our new Special Envoy to Northern Ireland for Economic Affairs, will drive this effort in close cooperation with Ambassador Jane Hartley in London and Ambassador Claire Cronin in Dublin, as well as with business leaders in Northern Ireland.

Northern Ireland can accomplish the extraordinary when its leaders work together in common cause. And I hope  as we all do  that Northern Irelands political institutions are soon back up and running. Those institutions embody the principle of devolved, powersharing, representative government at the core of the Good Friday Agreement.

Monday 27 February 2023 22:30 , Katy Clifton

Prime minister Rishi Sunak said he believes the agreement secures Northern Irelands place in the United Kingdom.

Responding to DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson in the Commons, Mr Sunak referenced concerns some in the unionist community had with the protocol, and said: I believe very strongly that the Windsor Framework does resolve those issues.

But I appreciate that the right honourable gentleman and his party and other unionist communities will want to take the time to consider the detail.

And I respect that, and we will give them the time and the space to consider that, and stand ready to answer any questions and provide any clarifications.

He added: I believe that this agreement does ensure the free flow of trade within our United Kingdom internal market, including unfettered access for Northern Ireland producers to the rest of the United Kingdom. I do believe it secures Northern Irelands place in the Union.

Mr Sunak said: It ensures and safeguards sovereignty for the people of Northern Ireland.

PM congratulated for phenomenal focus

Monday 27 February 2023 21:45 , Katy Clifton

Conservative former Northern Ireland secretary Brandon Lewis earlier congratulated the prime minister for the phenomenal focus that they are putting in to ensuring that we can secure a deal that we all I know will hope can restore powersharing in Stormont.

He said: For many businesses it was the administrative burden of moving from Great Britain to Northern Ireland, not just regulatory, that needed to be removed, to allow them to see it as an economic benefit and therefore protect the structure, the integrity of the UK internal market.

Rishi Sunak replied: Im confident that with the new green lane based on using existing ordinary commercial data and data sharing in place of the bureaucratic custom arrangements that were there hitherto, it is an enormous step forward.

(PRU/AFP via Getty Images)

No timeline for when MPs will have their say

Monday 27 February 2023 21:00 , Katy Clifton

Earlier in the Commons, Rishi Sunak would not be drawn on when parliament would have a say on the agreement.

Conservative MP Simon Hoare, chairman of the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee, said: Whilst respecting entirely and agreeing that parties, particularly those in Northern Ireland, need the time and space to study the detail and to work out all of the implications for those in Northern Ireland, Northern Irish business wants and the good people of Northern Ireland most certainly deserve quick certainty.

So if there are to be votes in this place on any element of the Windsor Framework as announced today, can my right honourable friend commit to ensuring that those votes take place speedily in order to ensure that certainty and peace of mind?

Mr Sunak said: Parliament will of course have its say and there will be a vote. But we will need to do that at the appropriate time as we give people the time and space to consider the detail.

The Prime Minister said the agreement can start providing that certainty, and those benefits, to the people and communities of Northern Ireland very soon, and said we want to start delivering those benefits for people on the ground as quickly as we can.

King Charles meets EU chief at Windsor Castle after Brexit deal agreed

Monday 27 February 2023 20:32 , Andy Gregory

The King has welcomed EU chief Ursula von der Leyen to Windsor Castle after she agreed to a historic post-Brexit deal for Northern Ireland, reports my colleague Martha McHardy.

Charles was pictured warmly shaking hands with the president of the European Commission at the royal residence on Monday afternoon before they were served tea.

Topics covered included climate change and the Russian invasion of Ukraine, but it is not known if Northern Ireland was on the agenda.

King Charles meets EU chief at Windsor Castle after Brexit deal agreed

Senior Tory MP congratulates Sunak on deal, urges speedy vote

Monday 27 February 2023 20:14 , Adam Forrest

Simon Hoare, chair of the Northern Ireland affairs committee, congratulated the PM on the serious and beneficial outcomes of his deal.

But the senior Tory figure urged Mr Sunak to hold any vote speedily to draw a line under the matter and offer certainty to the people of Northern Ireland.

SNP Westminster leader supportive of Sunaks new deal

Monday 27 February 2023 20:01 , Andy Gregory

The SNPs Westminster leader has said he is supportive of Rishi Sunaks new Brexit deal with the EU.

Broadly speaking, I am fully supportive of the Windsor Framework, Stephen Flynn told MPs, but insisted we cannot and we should not forget the damage which has been done by leaving the European Union.

Mr Flynn went on: I just find it astonishing that we have a situation where the leader of the Labour Party and the leader of the Conservative Party are hand in glove when it comes to their position on Brexit.

The SNP Westminster leader also argued what this deal does not do is create parity for the nations of these islands, adding: It means that businesses in Northern Ireland have access to the single market, whereas businesses in Scotland do not.

I do not begrudge the people and businesses of Northern Ireland but I regret that Scotland does not have those same opportunities. So on that point, can the prime minister just clarify why Scotland is at a significant disadvantage in that regard on his watch?

Rishi Sunak replied: I am a passionate unionist and I will always believe that our Union is stronger when we are together. And Scotland will always, alongside Northern Ireland, Wales, be part of what makes this country great and we will fight, we will fight day in and day out to protect that Union.

David Davis: A spectacular negotiating success'

Monday 27 February 2023 19:59 , Katy Clifton

Conservative former minister and staunch Brexit supporter David Davis has given his backing to the deal, describing it as a spectacular negotiating success.

Paying tribute to the Stormont brake in particular, he added: I am unaware of any mechanism in any international agreement like the Stormont brake. It seems to me a brilliant piece of negotiating insight and imagination.

Could he explain to the House, because we wont all know in detail, can he explain to the House exactly how this mechanism will work and what its limitations will be?

Rishi Sunak said Mr Davis was a Brexiteer of longstanding credentials, adding: To have his support means a lot to me and the Government, and I thank him for it.

The Prime Minister reiterated that the brake was based on similar mechanisms in the Good Friday Agreement, adding: Once that emergency brake is pulled it will give the UK government a veto. It is a very powerful cross-community safeguard mechanism that ensures sovereignty for the people of Northern Ireland and it is part of why this agreement is the right one for the people of Northern Ireland.

Tory former Northern Ireland secretary Julian Smith urged the Government to give time and space and encouragement to Northern Irelands different political parties to restore powersharing and to ensure that political decision-making in Northern Ireland can start as soon as possible.

Starmer urges Sunak to be utterly unlike his predecessor'

Monday 27 February 2023 19:48 , Andy Gregory

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has urged Rishi Sunak to be utterly unlike his predecessor, as he responded to the prime ministers Commons statement on his new Brexit deal.

He added: Do not pretend the deal is something it is not, where there are trade-offs to be made, argue the case for them. Treat unionists with the respect of frank honesty, not the contempt of bluster.

Because in this 25th anniversary year of the Good Friday Agreement, we must again embrace compromise and put division behind us.

This deal is not perfect, but because we recognise that the UK agreed to the protocol and has an obligation to make it work, because we recognise that for the protocol to work there will inevitably be trade-offs and because we always recognise that peace and prosperity in Northern Ireland is hard won, Labour will support the Windsor Framework.

Starmer welcomes new red and green lanes

Monday 27 February 2023 19:41 , Andy Gregory

Sir Keir Starmer said it was good that the deal before us will see fewer unnecessary checks on goods moving between Great Britain and Northern Ireland, adding the red and green lane proposal is a good one and it has our full support.

He said: This agreement will allow us to move forward as a country rather than be locked in endless disputes with our allies. It will improve our diplomatic standing, which has been damaged by the governments previous threats to break international law.

Sir Keir added: We must be honest, this comes with trade-offs. The right honourable member for Uxbridge and South Ruislip [Boris Johnson] told the people of Northern Ireland that his protocol meant no forms, no checks, no barriers of any kind on goods crossing the Irish Sea under Brexit, that was absolute nonsense.

He went on: It inevitably contributed to the collapse of powersharing in Northern Ireland, and I have to say, as the prime minister listed all the problems with the protocol I did rather wonder whether hed forgotten who negotiated it.

We have an obligation to make protocol work, says Starmer

Monday 27 February 2023 19:35 , Andy Gregory

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer told the Commons: The protocol will never be perfect  its a compromise.

But Ive always been clear that if implemented correctly it is an agreement that can work in the spirit of the Good Friday Agreement.

And now that it has been agreed we all have an obligation to make it work.

Labour will support Brexit deal, says Starmer

Monday 27 February 2023 19:28 , Andy Gregory

Responding to Rishi Sunaks statement on his new Brexit deal, Sir Keir Starmer said the Labour Party would support the deal and committed not to play political games.

Sir Keir told the Commons he was deeply saddened by the shooting of Detective Chief Inspector John Caldwell.

He said: DCI Caldwells shooting is a reminder that we must continue to strive for peace, that we in the House must take our obligations under the Good Friday Agreement and to the people of Northern Ireland as seriously as they do.

It is in that spirit that I have been clear for some time that if the Prime Minister were to get an agreement with the EU, and if their agreement is in the interest of this country and Northern Ireland, then Labour would support it.

And we will stick to our word. We will not snipe, we will not seek to play political games, and when the Prime Minister puts this deal forward for a vote, Labour will support it and vote for it.

Government to drop controversial Northern Ireland Protocol Bill, Sunak confirms

Monday 27 February 2023 19:25 , Andy Gregory

Rishi Sunak has confirmed that the governments controversial Northern Ireland Protocol Bill would be dropped following the new agreement, explaining that the legal justification for it had lapsed.

He told MPs: Now that weve persuaded the EU to fundamentally rewrite the treaty texts of the protocol, we have a new and better option.

Mr Sunak said the new agreement can start delivering benefits almost immediately for Northern Ireland.

On the updated legal position for the Bill, Mr Sunak said: It says because we have achieved a new negotiated agreement which preserves the balance of the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement, the original and sound justification legally for the Bill has now fallen away.

In other words, neither do we need the Bill nor do we have a credible basis to pursue it. As such, we will no longer proceed with the Bill and the European Union will no longer proceed with their legal actions against the UK.

Theresa May backs Rishi Sunaks Brexit deal

Monday 27 February 2023 19:24 , Andy Gregory

Former Tory prime minister Theresa May has backed Rishi Sunaks deal.

She urged everybody across this House to support this settlement because that is what is in the best interests of all the people of Northern Ireland.

New deal is subject to Vienna Convention, says Sunak

Monday 27 February 2023 19:20 , Andy Gregory

The EU has accepted that the legal basis for the Windsor Framework is in international law, Rishi Sunak has said.

The EU have also explicitly accepted an important principle in the political declaration, he told MPs. It is there in black and white that the treaty is subject to the Vienna Convention. This means that unequivocally the legal basis for the Windsor Framework is in international law.

The PM added: It puts beyond all doubt that we have now taken back control.

New deal axes 1,700 pages of EU law, claims Sunak

Monday 27 February 2023 19:16 , Andy Gregory

The new deal with the European Union scraps 1,700 pages of EU law, Rishi Sunak has claimed.

The amount of EU law that applies in Northern Ireland is less than 3 per cent, he told MPs.

And the people of Northern Ireland retain the right to reject that 3 per cent through next years consent vote, he added. However, that consent vote is about the whole protocol, so it cannot by its nature provide oversight of individual new laws.

And it does not address the number one challenge to sovereignty made by the protocol  the ability of the EU to impose new or amended goods laws on Northern Ireland without them having a say.

To address that, todays agreement introduces a new Stormont brake.

This will allow the Northern Ireland Assembly to block new laws if such a move has support from 30 members from at least two parties  which then hands the UK government a veto.

Sunak says ban on sausages entering Northern Ireland has been scrapped

Monday 27 February 2023 19:11 , Andy Gregory

The ban on British sausages entering Northern Ireland from Great Britain has been scrapped thanks to the Windsor Framework, Rishi Sunak said.

Speaking in the Commons, the PM said that if the Northern Ireland Protocol was implemented in full, we would see supermarket lorries needing hundreds of certificates for every individual item, every single document checked, supermarket staples like sausages banned altogether.

He added: More delays, more cost, less choice. So todays agreement fixes all this with a new, permanent legally binding approach to food.

The PM continued: Under the protocol, retail food products made to UK standards could not be sold in Northern Ireland. Todays agreement completely changes that. This means the ban on British products like sausages entering Northern Ireland has now been scrapped.

If its available on supermarket shelves in Great Britain, then it will be available on supermarket shelves in Northern Ireland.

New deal fixes EU state aid law reach-back, says Sunak

Monday 27 February 2023 19:08 , Andy Gregory

Todays agreement addresses the so-called reach-back of EU state aid law, Mr Sunak said.

It does this by imposing stringent new tests. For the EU to argue were in breach of their rules, they now have to demonstrate that there is a real genuine and material impact on Northern Irelands trade with the EU, Mr Sunak told MPs.

That is a much higher threshold than the protocol, he said.

Sunak sets out new green lane for goods bound for NI

Monday 27 February 2023 18:46 , Andy Gregory

Here is what Rishi Sunak has said the Commons about the new green lane for goods moving to Northern Ireland.

Core to the problems with the protocol was that it treated goods moving from Great Britain to Northern Ireland as if they were crossing an international customs border, he told MPs.

This created extra costs and paperwork for businesses, who had to fill out complex customs declarations. It limited choice for the people of Northern Ireland and it undermined the UK internal market  a matter of identity as well as economics.

Todays agreement removes any sense of a border in the Irish Sea and ensures the free flow of trade within the UK. We have secured a key negotiating objective  the introduction of a new green lane for goods destined for Northern Ireland, with a separate red lane for those going to the EU.

Within the green lane, burdensome customs bureaucracy will be scrapped and replaced with data-sharing of ordinary existing commercial information. Routine checks and tests will also be scrapped. The only checks will be those required to stop smugglers and criminals, and our new green lane will be open to a broad comprehensive range of businesses across the United Kingdom.

Monday 27 February 2023 18:42 , Andy Gregory

Here are the three objectives of todays deal, as laid out by Rishi Sunak to MPs:

First, allowing trade to flow freely within our UK internal market.

Second, protecting Northern Irelands place in our union.

Third, safeguarding sovereignty and closing the democratic deficit.

MPs laugh as Sunak thanks predecessors for laying the ground for deal

Monday 27 February 2023 18:39 , Andy Gregory

MPs have laughed as Rishi Sunak paid tribute to his predecessors for laying the ground for todays deal, forcing the prime minister to pause in his address to the Commons.

Boris Johnson does not appear to be in the Commons chamber for the speech.

Sunak says his Brexit deal does what many said could not be done'

Monday 27 February 2023 18:37 , Andy Gregory

Rishi Sunak has declared that his new Brexit deal does what many said could not be done, as he addresses MPs in the Commons.

After weeks of negotiations, today we have made a decisive breakthrough, he told MPs. The Windsor Framework delivers free-flowing trade within the whole United kingdom. It protects Northern Irelands place in our union and it safeguards sovereignty for the people of Northern Ireland.

By achieving all this, it protects the delicate balance inherent in the Belfast Good Friday Agreement, and it does what many said could not be done  removing thousands of pages of EU laws and making permanent legally binding changes to the protocol treaty itself.

That is the breakthrough we have made, those are the changes we will deliver and now is the time to move forward as one United Kingdom.

Sunak pays tribute to remarkable Betty Boothroyd

Monday 27 February 2023 18:32 , Andy Gregory

Rishi Sunak began his statement to MPs by paying tribute to the late Commons Speaker Betty Boothroyd.

She was a remarkable woman who commanded huge admiration and respect as the first female Speaker of this House. She was as firm as she was fair, and she presided over many historic moments in this House, among them the debates on the Belfast Good Friday Agreement, the PM said.

Her passion, wit and immeasurable contribution to our democracy will never be forgotten.

Watch as Rishi Sunak addresses MPs

Monday 27 February 2023 18:30 , Andy Gregory

Rishi Sunak is addressing the Commons about his new Windsor Framework deal. You can watch along here:

DUP hails significant progress but warns key issues of concern remain

Monday 27 February 2023 18:00 , Andy Gregory

DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson has welcomed significant progress in Rishi Sunaks new deal, but warned that there remain key issues of concern, including the remnants of EU law in Northern Ireland, as his party considers its next step.

In a statement on Monday, the DUP leader said: In broad terms it is clear that significant progress has been secured across a number of areas whilst also recognising there remain key issues of concern.

There can be no disguising the fact that in some sectors of our economy EU law remains applicable in Northern Ireland.

Sir Jeffrey said that his party will now study the detail of the Windsor Framework, as well as examining the detail of any and all underpinning legal texts.

Where necessary we stand ready to engage with the government in order to seek further clarification, re-working or change as required, he said.

Ultimately the party will now assess all these proposed outcomes and arrangements against our seven tests, outlined in our 2022 Assembly election manifesto, to determine whether what has been published meet our tests and whether it respects and restores Northern Irelands place within the United Kingdom.

Weve pulled off triumph, says Brexiteer minister Steve Baker

Monday 27 February 2023 17:35 , Adam Forrest

Northern Ireland minister Steve Baker  a staunch Brexiteer who had been a leading figure in the European Research Group  has called the deal triumph.

Im absolutely convinced that this restores, by any legitimate measure, Northern Irelands place in the union, he told the BBC. Its great news. Its an extraordinary achievement. Its a terrific thing to have pulled off.

The amount of EU law that will apply in Northern Ireland is now down to the absolute minimum necessary to keep that north-south border free of infrastructure, he added.

White House expected to weigh on new Brexit agreement

Monday 27 February 2023 17:28 , Andy Gregory

Our White House correspondent Andrew Feinberg reports:

The White House is expected to weigh in on the newly-announced Brexit agreement between the UK and EU when National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby joins Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre at Mondays daily press briefing.

Asked about the Biden administrations reaction to the news, Mr Kirby told The Independent: I think were gonna have more to say a little bit later.

What is the immediate reaction to the announcement?

Monday 27 February 2023 16:51 , Andy Gregory

Here is some of the immediate reaction to the deal announced by Rishi Sunak and Ursula von der Leyen in Windsor.

The Spectators economics editor suggests the Stormont Brake could turn Northern Irelands access to the single market into an added bonus, rather than a barrier to Brexit that some still view it as.

As long as NI remains in single market for goods, the ECJ cannot be avoided completely.



But the 'Stormont brake' could shift thinking on this, and turn NI's access to SM into an added bonus, rather than a barrier to Brexit that some still view it as. https://t.co/RnK73r6Hww  Kate Andrews (@KateAndrs) February 27, 2023

While The Guardians political corrrespondent notes that the deal contains a canny political incentive.

There's a canny political incentive baked into this deal.



The "Stormont brake" presumably relies on an assembly and exec getting back up and running in NI.



Choice for the DUP is accept status quo, or reestablish power-sharing to help stop new EU law applying in NI.  Aubrey Allegretti (@breeallegretti) February 27, 2023

Analyst Mujtaba Rahman has suggested that the apparent breakthrough completely invalidates the negotiating tactics of recent years.

.@RishiSunak deal v imp as it completely invalidates absurd hypothesis of Frost, Cummings et al that only way you win in negotiations with EU is with aggression, threats, intransigence, a hardline stance



Seems being reasonable & constructive is what actually delivers results  Mujtaba Rahman (@Mij_Europe) February 27, 2023

LBCs Brexit-specialising host James OBrien has suggested that the deal appears to be pretty impressive.

Well see but I think thats a pretty impressive agreement. I might even take a day off from pointing out that, from the U.K. point of view, its an exercise in damage limitation where the damage remains entirely unnecessary & self-inflicted & cant even be acknowledged yet.  James O'Brien (@mrjamesob) February 27, 2023

The Times Whitehall editor describes the press conference as surely the most upbeat UK-EU meeting since 2016.

That was surely the most upbeat UK-EU meeting since 2016 and one can only hope it will unlock co-operation on everything from small boats to scientific research.



VDL said she was "happy to start immediately" on UK associate membership of the Horizon research scheme  Chris Smyth (@Smyth_Chris) February 27, 2023

Amber Rudd hails historic Brexit deal

Monday 27 February 2023 16:38 , Andy Gregory

Former Tory minister Amber Rudd, who resigned over Boris Johnsons handling of Brexit in 2019, has praised Rishi Sunaks historic agreement with the European Union.

Finally, Brexit has been negotiated in detail and with care, the former home secretary told The Independent.

It is a historic day for Britain, Northern Ireland and Europe. We should all be very pleased.

Rishi Sunak promises MPs vote on Windsor Framework Brexit deal

Monday 27 February 2023 16:33 , Andy Gregory

Rishi Sunak has made a firm promise that MPs will get a vote on the Windsor framework post-Brexit agreement struck with EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen.

The prime minister said the result of the Commons vote on his deal will be respected, raising the prospect of a rebellion among Tory Brexiteers if the DUP does not back the agreement.

Our political correspondent Adam Forrest has the full report:

Rishi Sunak promises MPs vote on Windsor Framework Brexit deal

Windsor framework allows EU and UK to begin new chapter, says Ursula von der Leyen

Monday 27 February 2023 16:26 , Andy Gregory

Pound surges after UK and EU agree Northern Ireland deal

Monday 27 February 2023 16:25 , Andy Gregory

The pound has jumped higher after Britain and the EU secured a new post-Brexit deal for Northern Ireland.

Sterling leaped 0.7 per cent higher to $1.20 and was 0.3 per cent up at 1.14 after a government source said Rishi Sunak and Ursula von der Leyen had signed a breakthrough deal in Windsor.

Pound surges after UK and EU agree Northern Ireland deal

New deal paves way for UK scientists to join EU research programme, says von der Leyen

Monday 27 February 2023 16:17 , Andy Gregory

The new Northern Ireland Protocol deal paves the way for the UK joining the EU Horizon research programme, Ursula von der Leyen said.

The European Commission president said: This Windsor Framework is good news for scientists and researchers in the European Union and in the UK.

Because, of course, the moment we have finished this agreement  its an agreement in principle  the moment its implemented I am happy to start immediately right now the work on an association agreement, which is the precondition to join Horizon Europe.

So good news for all those who are working in research and science.

Stormont brake will place Northern Ireland in control of their destiny, says Sunak

Monday 27 February 2023 16:12 , Andy Gregory

Asked whether he believed unionists will accept different treatment in Northern Ireland, Rishi Sunak said people will see the new deal delivers significant improvements in almost every aspect of their lives that have been negatively impacted by the protocol.

Speaking at a press conference alongside Ursula von der Leyen in Windsor, he acknowledged Northern Ireland has access to the single market and to avoid a hard border with the Republic there is a lot of EU law.

But Mr Sunak said the new deal allows for further democratic accountability, providing a very powerful mechanism for Stormont to use when it has concerns, adding that the agreement is vital to providing reassurance to everyone in Northern Ireland that they are in control of their destiny.

New Northern Ireland deal 'removes any sense of border in Irish Sea', Sunak says

Monday 27 February 2023 16:04 , Andy Gregory

Definitive new deal will provide longlasting solutions, says von der Leyen

Monday 27 February 2023 16:00 , Andy Gregory

Ursula von der Leyen has hailed todays definitive deal as providing longlasting solutions.

This new framework will allow us to begin a new chapter. It provides for longlasting solutions that both of us are confident will work for all people and businesses in Northern Ireland. Solutions that respond directly to the concerns they have raised.

She added: The new arrangements are delivering a comprehensive package, so that we can address in a definitive way the issues faced in everyday lives.

Highlighting two key examples, Ms von der Leyen said the new framework will ensure that the same food will be available on supermarket shelves in Northern Ireland as in the rest of the UK, and will permanently enable all medicines, including novel ones, to be available in Northern Ireland at the same time, under the same conditions, across the UK.

(AFP/Getty)

Watch: Sunak hails decisive agreement with EU over Brexit protocol

Monday 27 February 2023 15:55 , Andy Gregory

Ursula von der Leyen hails honesty and hard work in securing deal

Monday 27 February 2023 15:54 , Andy Gregory

Ursula von der Leyen has stressed the importance of honesty in reaching todays deal.

I remember our first discussions when we saw eye to eye on how to support our Ukrainian friends. And I was encouraged by our trustful and strong cooperation on this crucial geostrategic issue, the European Commission president said.

But I also remember how the two of us were honest with each other about the difficulties in our bilateral relationship, and it was vital to put that on the right footing too.

We committed to work hard together to do so. We knew that for us to be able to make the most of the potential of our partnership, solutions were needed for the issues around the protocol on Ireland and Northern Ireland.

We knew it was not going to be easy. We knew we needed to listen to each others concerns very carefully, above all we had to listen to the concerns of the people of Northern Ireland.

We knew we had to work hard with clear minds and determination, but we also both knew, dear Rishi, that we could do it because we were both generally committed to finding the practical solution for people and for all communities in Northern Ireland.

Today we can take pride in the fact that we have delivered on that commitment.

Deal marks turning point for Northern Ireland, says Sunak

Monday 27 February 2023 15:49 , Andy Gregory

Ending his address, Rishi Sunak said: I believe the Windsor framework marks a turning point for the people of Northern Ireland. It fixes the practical problems they face. It preserves the balance of the Belfast Good Friday Agreement.

Todays agreement is about stability, real people and real businesses, he continued. It is about breaking down the barriers between us, setting aside the arguments that for too long have divided us, and remembering that fellow feeling that defines us, this family of nations, this United Kingdom.

What have Sunak and von der Leyen agreed today?

Monday 27 February 2023 15:45 , Andy Gregory

Rishi Sunak says he believes he and Ursula von der Leyen have found ways to end the uncertainty in Northern Ireland.

Our political correspondent Adam Forrest reports:

Sunak said GB goods destined for NI will travel through new green lane in which customs bureaucracy will be scrapped, with a red lane for goods destined for the Republic of Ireland. The PM said claimed it ended any sense of a border in the Irish Sea.

Sunak said the deal protects NIs place in the union  handing over from the EU to UK powers of VAT, alcohol duty and other areas.

Sunak said the deal safeguards sovereignty. The PM said there was a new Stormont break  allowing the Northern Ireland Assembly will be able to pull an emergency break on changes to EU goods rules which may apply to NI. The UK government will have a veto.

Sunak hails new chapter in UK-EU relationship

Monday 27 February 2023 15:41 , Andy Gregory

Todays agreement delivers smooth-flowing trade within the whole of the UK, protects Northern Irelands place within our union, and safeguards sovereignty for the people of Northern Ireland, Rishi Sunak has said.

These negotiations have not always been easy, the prime minister said.

He paid enormous tribute to Ursula von der Leyen for her vision in recognising the possibility of a new way forward.

The UK and EU may have had our differences in the past, but we are allies, trading partners and friends, Mr Sunak said.

This is the beginning of a new chapter in our relationship.

Sunak hails decisive breakthrough'

Monday 27 February 2023 15:38 , Andy Gregory

Rishi Sunak is introducing his new deal at a press conference with Ursula von der Leyen.

Im pleased to report that we have now made a decisive breakthrough. Together we have changed the original protocol and are today announcing the new Windsor framework.

(Reuters)

Northern Ireland Protocol: The Top 10 ways Brexit finally got done

Monday 27 February 2023 15:20 , Matt Mathers

How did Rishi Sunak cut the Gordian knot of securing a new agreement on Northern Ireland?

John Rentoul, our chief politics commentator, takes a look and says there are 10 key ways the PM finally got Brexit done.

Read Johs full piece here:

The Top 10 ways Brexit finally got done | John Rentoul

Watch: Sunak and von der Leyen to formally announce deal at news conference

Monday 27 February 2023 15:16 , Matt Mathers

Deal is an opporunity for everyone to move forward - Labour

Monday 27 February 2023 15:06 , Matt Mathers

Responding to the deal struck by Rishi Sunak and Ursula von der Leyen, shadow Northern Ireland secretary Peter Kyle said: "Today is an opportunity for Northern Ireland, the UK and EU to move forwards.

"Attention should be on the contents of any protocol deal. Parties and communities in Northern Ireland will need some time to assess the deal.

"Labour stands ready to act in all Northern Irelands interests."

Pound surges higher as UK and EU agree NI Brexit deal

Monday 27 February 2023 14:58 , Matt Mathers

The pound has jumped higher after Britain and the EU secured a new post-Brexit deal for Northern Ireland in a move set to end long-running tensions following the UKs withdrawal.

Sterling leaped 0.7% higher to 1.20 US dollars and was 0.3% up at 1.14 euros after a Government source said Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen had signed a breakthrough deal at a meeting in Windsor, Berkshire.

The FTSE 100 Index was also trading 0.6% or 50.7 points higher at 7929.4 in afternoon trading on Monday.

Dorries lashes out at Baker over support for deal

Monday 27 February 2023 14:53 , Matt Mathers

Boris Johnson ally Nadine Dorries, former culture secretary, attacked Mr Baker for gushing about the deal, Adam Forrest reports.

She said: He was a key agitator to remove Boris Johnson. What shred of credibility he has left would be destroyed if he came out against Sunak.

He has nowhere else to go other than to grin and support.

Of course @SteveBakerHW gushing about the deal. He was a key agitator to remove @BorisJohnson

We are 28p behind in the polls since.

What shred of credibility he has left would be destroyed if he came out against Sunak. He has nowhere else to go other than to grin and support.  Rt Hon Nadine Dorries MP (@NadineDorries) February 27, 2023

Northern Ireland Protocol: Being on good terms with the EU used to feel impossible  not anymore

Monday 27 February 2023 14:51 , Matt Mathers

This is a formidable technical negotiating achievement, writes the former UK Brexit secretary David Davis.

Read Davids full article here:

Being on good terms with the EU used to feel impossible  not anymore | David Davis

Donaldson denies report DUP will back deal

Monday 27 February 2023 14:45 , Matt Mathers

Jeffrey Donaldson has denied a report that the DUP has already committed to backing Rishi Sunaks Brexit deal.

The Irish News said the party had agreed to support an agreement to fix the protocol and would explain the decision at a dinner later.

But Mr Donaldson said the story was entirely false, adding that his party would take our time to consider the details.

Anonymous source strike again, he said. Well take our time to consider the detail and measure a deal against our seven tests. PS - A busy day and no dinner planned either - story entirely fictional. Lets stick to the facts @irish_news.

Anonymous sources strike again. Well take our time to consider the detail and measure a deal against our seven tests. PS - A busy day and no dinner planned either - story entirely fictional. Lets stick to the facts @irish_news pic.twitter.com/vwSgyVBYGp  Jeffrey Donaldson MP (@J_Donaldson_MP) February 27, 2023

Breaking: UK and EU agree Brexit deal - BBC

Monday 27 February 2023 14:29 , Matt Mathers

The UK and EU have agreed on a Brexit deal to deal to fix the Northern Ireland protocol.

An agreement has been reached. The deal is done, a senior government said.

Rishi Sunak and Ursula von der Leyen held talks on reaching an agreement earlier.

Kate Devlin and Adam Forrest report.

(AP)

Monday 27 February 2023 14:09 , Andy Gregory

Here is the agenda for the Commons today:

The House of Commons sits from 2.30pm today.



Find out whats on in the House of Commons today in the #OrderPaper: https://t.co/F0PphAYQ5J



Follow the Chamber in real time: https://t.co/HEBiZuz0lv pic.twitter.com/mf6rDTxEex  UK House of Commons (@HouseofCommons) February 27, 2023

Rishi Sunak is also due to make a statement to MPs about the Northern Ireland Protocol at 6:30pm.

Sunak welcomes von der Leyen in Windsor

Monday 27 February 2023 13:37 , Andy Gregory

Rishi Sunak has welcomed European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen at the Fairmont Windsor Park hotel in Englefield Green.

(Aaron Chown/PA Wire)

No 10 defends decision to advise King to meet with EU chief

Monday 27 February 2023 13:24 , Andy Gregory

Downing Street has defended the move to advise the King to meet Ursula von der Leyen, saying Rishi Sunak fundamentally believes the final decision is for the monarch to make.

He firmly believes its for the King to make those decisions, said the PMs official spokesperson. Buckingham Palace has said Charles is acting on the governments advice.

Its not uncommon for his majesty to accept invitations to meet certain leaders, he has met President Duda and President Zelensky recently. He is meeting with the president of the EU today, Mr Sunaks spokesperson said.

Asked why the final protocol talks were taking place in Windsor, he said: There are a number of occasions when these sorts of talks have been held in significant locations, this is no different.

Sunak pictured arriving for talks with von der Leyen

Monday 27 February 2023 13:18 , Andy Gregory

Rishi Sunak has been pictured arriving at the Fairmont Windsor Park hotel in Englefield Green, ahead of his meeting with European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen.

(Aaron Chown/PA Wire)

Sunak looking forward to finding practical solutions at Brexit talks

Monday 27 February 2023 13:15 , Andy Gregory

Rishi Sunak has said that he is looking forward to finding practical solutions to the complex challenges around the Northern Ireland Protocol, at todays talks.

Im looking forward to meeting @vonderleyen in Windsor today for further talks on the shared, practical solutions to the range of complex challenges around the Northern Ireland Protocol. https://t.co/AL5PXCrSJd  Rishi Sunak (@RishiSunak) February 27, 2023

What is the Northern Ireland protocol?

Monday 27 February 2023 12:57 , Matt Mathers

Jointly agreed by the UK and EU, the protocol is the part of the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement that deals with the main obstacle in the divorce talks  the Irish land border.

To keep the border free flowing, London and Brussels essentially moved new regulatory and customs checks required by Brexit to the Irish Sea.

Full report:

What is the Northern Ireland protocol?

Baroness Betty Boothroyd, first female Commons Speaker, dies aged 93

Monday 27 February 2023 12:38 , Matt Mathers

Baroness Betty Boothroyd, the first woman to be Speaker of the House of Commons, has died, according to current Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle , who said she was one of a kind.

Sir Lindsay Hoyle, Speaker of the House of Commons, said: Not only was Betty Boothroyd an inspiring woman, but she was also an inspirational politician, and someone I was proud to call my friend.

To be the first woman Speaker was truly ground-breaking and Betty certainly broke that glass ceiling with panache.

Rich Booth and Martha McHardy report:

Baroness Betty Boothroyd, first female Commons Speaker, dies aged 93

Kings meeting with von der Leyen will go down very badly in NI - DUP

Monday 27 February 2023 12:27 , Matt Mathers

Former DUP leader Arlene Foster said the timing of the meeting between the King and EU Commission president was crass and would go down very badly in Northern Ireland, Adam Forrest reports.

Sammy Wilson, the DUPs Brexit spokesperson, said at the weekend that a meeting would be a cynical use, or abuse of the king  accusing Mr Sunak of dragging the king into a hugely controversial political issue, not just in Northern Ireland but even within his own party.

Jacob Rees-Mogg told GB News on Monday that any meeting involving the EU leader and the King at this stage appeared to be bouncing people into supporting the deal and I think that was a mistake.

I cannot quite believe that No10 would ask HM the King to become involved in the finalising of a deal as controversial as this one. Its crass and will go down very badly in NI.



We must remember this is not the Kings decision but the Government who it appears are tone deaf.  Arlene Foster DBE PC #ProudofNI. (@ArleneFosterUK) February 27, 2023

Deal has cabinet backing - reports

Monday 27 February 2023 12:15 , Matt Mathers

Rishi Sunaks Brexit deal with the EU has the backing of his cabinet, according to a report.

The Times said ministers will not resign in protest at the agreement after being briefed extensively about it over the weekend.

Steve Baker, the Northern Ireland minister, is among those who have given the plan his approval and will get advice sight of the paperwork today.

Mr Baker briefly spoke to broadcasters earlier after leaving No 10 Downing Street. He was asked whether he would support the deal as he left 10 Downing Street.

Mr Baker said: "I can only say this: that the prime minister is on the cusp of securing a really fantastic result for everyone involved."

(AFP via Getty Images)

Sunak looking forward to meeting with von der Leyen

Monday 27 February 2023 11:59 , Matt Mathers

Rishi Sunak has said he is looking forward to his meeting with EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen later.

The pair are holding final talks on a new Brexit deal to resolve trading issues with the Northern Ireland protocol.

The prime minister said they would discuss shared, practical solutions to the range of challenges around the post-Brexit trading arrangements.

Ms von der Leyen arrived in London earlier and said she is glad to be meeting Mr Sunak.

Im looking forward to turning a page and opening a new chapter with our partner and friend.

Im looking forward to meeting @vonderleyen in Windsor today for further talks on the shared, practical solutions to the range of complex challenges around the Northern Ireland Protocol. https://t.co/AL5PXCrSJd  Rishi Sunak (@RishiSunak) February 27, 2023

Breaking: von der Leyen to meet King Charles

Monday 27 February 2023 11:21 , Matt Mathers

European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen will meet with the King at Windsor Castle on Monday afternoon, it is understood.

Adam Forrest will have more on this story as it comes in:

EUs Ursula von der Leyen will meet King Charles ahead of Brexit deal

Starmer on economy and Brexit deal

Monday 27 February 2023 11:06 , Matt Mathers

Keir Starmer has been speaking to business leaders this morning about his plans for the economy, days after setting out his five missions of a future Labour government.

The Labour leader has also been answering questions about Rishi Sunaks Brexit deal, saying that any agreement is likely to include a continued but small role for the ECJ in Northern Ireland.

He also said he wanted the government to improve relations with the EU, not just Northern Ireland.

On the UK economy, he said he wanted to return the UK to being a rock of economic stability and develop a new model for growth.

In a speech in the City of London setting out his plan to achieve the highest sustained growth in the G7, he said: We have heard loud and clear about the need for certainty, that basic truth: chaos has a cost, that investors need a clear framework with policies that are always fully costed, fiscal rules - sound and followed rigorously, constraints accepted, institutions respected and not bypassed.

He added: A rock of economic stability. Our entire mission for growth is built on that, and dont doubt it for a second.

But, honestly, isnt that the least we should expect? I think so. Britain needs certainty, yes, but also change.

(AFP via Getty Images)

Click here to read the full blog on The Independent's website
British Airways plane - Steve Parsons/PA Wire

The owner of British Airways is poised to bank hundreds of millions of pounds owed to passengers after they failed to rebook flights cancelled during Covid.

Customers have until September to use 911m (800m) of "IOUs" issued during the pandemic by IAG, the FTSE 100 airlines group that also includes Aer Lingus, Iberia and Vueling  with any unclaimed money then written off.

Unredeemed vouchers fell from 1.4bn to 911m over the course of 2022, down 35pc. It means roughly only one in three credit note holders used their voucher on flights last year.

If there is a similar take-up rate between now and September customers risk missing out on vouchers worth almost 600m. The figure includes tax and is not broken down by airline.

BA said it was proactively encouraging passengers to use their credit notes before the September deadline.

Millions of travellers took up credit notes instead of refunds in cash when air travel largely ground to a halt during the pandemic.

Airlines faced accusations of foisting time-limited vouchers on unwitting customers by making it easier to access them than to secure a refund. Many carriers allowed passengers to select credit notes online, but forced them to use often overwhelmed customer call centres for cash alternatives.

In January 2021, British Airways extended a deadline of April 2022 to April 2023 for customers to use credit notes for disrupted flights or holidays during the coronavirus pandemic.

It has now delayed the cut-off again, until September 2023.

Robert Boyle, IAGs former head of strategy, now an analyst at Gridpoint Consulting, was first to highlight the potential boost for his previous employer after spotting details in IAGs annual results on Friday.

He said: There is a likelihood of a significant release to profits once the extent of vouchers expiring unused becomes clear.

If the vouchers are never used, IAG will have extra seats available to sell. Given what has happened to ticket prices since the pandemic, the cash value of those seats will be even bigger than the reported voucher values.

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Meanwhile, BA lost a court case against a customer who used 80-year-old contract legislation in a row over flight vouchers.

Jennie Barber took the flag carrier to court over two return flights to Japan booked in January 2020. She accepted a credit note, which she successfully argued was rendered useless while Japans borders remain closed. The country did not remove restrictions until November 2022.

A spokesman for BA said: We were the first UK airline to offer customers the unprecedented flexibility to change their plans during the pandemic by providing them with vouchers for future travel, and in 2022 more than 700,000 vouchers were redeemed. We've proactively contacted our customers to remind them to use their vouchers and will continue to do so.
NEW BRUNSWICK  A New Brunswick woman trembled and struggled to keep her composure before pleading guilty Monday to a Thanksgiving night 2021 wrong-way crash in which two 9-year-old boys were killed, including her son, and three others were injured.

During questioning by her attorney before Superior Court Judge Benjamin Bucca, Yokauri Batista-Alcantara admitted that on Nov. 25, 2021, she was at a family holiday gathering in North Brunswick where she had consumed an alcoholic punch before leaving with her son and her nephew in the car.

When she left, she drove to the intersection of Route 130 and Independence Boulevard in North Brunswick where she stopped at the light to make a left turn.

"And you were going home?" her attorney Steven Altman asked.

"Yes," Batista-Alcantara responded.

She made the left turn and ended up traveling northbound in the southbound lane of Route 130 where she continued for a short time before realizing she was going the wrong way. She admitted it was reckless to make the left turn onto Route 130 because of alcohol she had consumed. She also admitted to striking head-on an Old Bridge police vehicle carrying two police officers and a prisoner going to the Middlesex County Adult Correction Center.

More:Drunken Maserati driver causes two Route 1 crashes in South Brunswick, police say

More than an hour later, her blood was drawn at the hospital and her blood alcohol concentration was .145, above New Jersey's legal limit of .08 for driving.

"And you are guilty of driving under the influence, is that correct?" Altman asked.

"Yes," Batista-Alcantara answered.

Yokauri Batista-Alcantara wipes tears while pleading guilty Monday to vehicular homicide and assault by auto in connection with a Thanksgiving 2021 wrong-way crash in which two children were killed and three other people were injured.

Altman said the three people in the police vehicle suffered serious injuries; one suffered head disfigurement, another a wrist injury and the third a leg injury which impairs his ability to walk.

"Also in the car with you was your nephew and your son, and as a result of this accident would you agree with me that you recklessly caused the death of M.J.?" Altman asked.

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Yes," Batista-Alcantara said through tears.

Altman asked Batista-Alcantara if she was also taking responsibility for causing the death of a child identified as C.B.

"Yes," she said before wiping tears from her face.

More: South River woman loses appeal in drunken crash that killed recycling worker

In a courtroom filled with several others who cried and wiped tears during the 16-minute hearing, Batista-Alcantara pleaded guilty to two counts of vehicular homicide, a second-degree crime, and three counts of assault by auto, a third-degree crime, as well as driving under the influence of alcohol.

Judge Bucca said the state, represented by Assistant Prosecutor Keith Abrams, will move to dismiss the remaining criminal charges and motor vehicle violations, at sentencing.

Under the plea agreement, the state is requesting 15 to 20 years in state prison on the vehicular homicide charges under the No Early Release Act which means Batista-Alcantara will have to serve 85 percent of the term before becoming eligible for parole. Sentences on the other counts would run concurrent, Bucca said.

Batista-Alcantara also will lose her drivers license for at least five years and is facing fines.

Batista-Alcantara was initially charged with two counts of aggravated manslaughter, a first-degree crime; two counts of vehicular homicide, a second-degree crime; two counts of endangering the welfare of a child, a second-degree crime; two counts of aggravated assault and one count of assault by auto, fourth-degree crimes.

Around 11:53 p.m. on that Thanksgiving night, Old Bridge police officers, identified by the initials of M.W. and J.P., were taking an in-custody passenger on the ramp to Route 130 southbound to the Middlesex County Adult Correction Center.

At the same time, North Brunswick police received a 911 call of a car traveling in the wrong direction on Route 130.

The caller said he honked his horn and flashed his lights at Batista-Alcantara, but the speed of her vehicle only increased before the crash.

North Brunswick police were then alerted to a crash involving the Old Bridge police vehicle.

When officers arrived, they found a two-vehicle crash involving the Old Bridge Chevrolet Tahoe and a Honda Accord with both vehicles sustaining heavy front-end damage consistent with a head-on crash.

The Accord had three occupants, Batista-Alcantara and two boys. Batista-Alcantara and the boys were taken to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick where both children died. The two officers and their passenger also were taken to the hospital.

Batista-Alcantara is not a U.S. citizen, and she was advised by the judge that her guilty plea could result in her removal from the country and being barred from re-entering the U.S.

Email: srussell@gannettnj.com

Suzanne Russell is a breaking news reporter for MyCentralJersey.com covering crime, courts and other mayhem. To get unlimited access, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: New Brunswick mom pleads guilty in drunken crash that killed two kids
Bryan Cranston appeared on Who's Talking to Chris Wallace? to talk about the MAGA slogan. (Photo: Michael Kovac/Getty Images for Paramount Worldwide)

Bryan Cranston had social media buzzing Monday following his appearance on the latest episode of CNN's Who's Talking to Chris Wallace?, especially for what he said in the last few minutes.

"When I see the 'Make America Great Again,'" he said of former President Donald Trump's slogan, "my comment is, 'Do you accept that that could possibly be construed as a racist remark?' And most people, a lot of people go, 'How could that be racist? Make America Great Again?' I say, just ask yourself from an African American experience, when was it ever great in America for the African American? When was it great? So if you're making it great again, it's not including them."

He said it's a reminder for people to "open up and accept the possibilities that our privilege has created blind spots for us. And maybe I haven't seen what is really happening in all my years."

Cranston has been a vocal opponent of Trump in the past, even threatening to leave the country if the then-candidate were elected  something that Barbra Streisand, Chelsea Handler and others said as well.

He was applauded and criticized online for his latest opinion.

Bryan Cranston is the perfect example of using your privilege to spell things out logically and clearly. Please listen to his assessment of why MAGA is inherently racist. Bravo. #MondayMorning pic.twitter.com/qaz9L3lEOU  Malynda Hale (@MalyndaHale) February 27, 2023

Bryan Cranston is an absolute legend.



MAGA is a racist remark. From the African American perspective, when was America great?pic.twitter.com/brjHnbZIMG  Qasim Rashid, Esq. (@QasimRashid) February 27, 2023

Bryan Cranston hits the nail on the head regarding the "Make America Great Again" movement.



Just because white Americans think that the past was "great" doesn't mean it was to ALL Americans. Civil rights in this nation have been progressively moving forward, and although https://t.co/1oabQkKuht pic.twitter.com/7I7Uxb6Lci  Brian Krassenstein (@krassenstein) February 27, 2023

This is precisely what I refer to as progressive self-flagellation. Yes, slavery is an indelible part of American history @BryanCranston. But it would be difficult to find a society TODAY that is less racist than the United States. Regrettably, slavery has been the norm https://t.co/iJT8Oa1004  Gad Saad (@GadSaad) February 26, 2023

The Breaking Bad alum was asked about about having discussed critical race theory with Bill Maher this month on Maher's Club Random podcast.

"I think it's imperative that it's taught, that we look at our history much the same I think that Germany has looked at their history, involvement in the wars, one and two, and embrace it. And say this where we went wrong, this is how it went wrong, and this is why it can't go wrong again," Cranston, 66, told Wallace. "And I think they have done a very commendable job in doing so, but the United States really hasn't. You present it and say, 'Well, 400 years of slavery, but we're moving on, we're moving on.' And it's like, No, let's really discuss it. How did that happen? How did we get to a point where we treated other human beings as slaves? And we're OK with that?"
(REUTERS)

Authorities investigating the murders of four University of Idaho students seized a string of items from the home of Bryan Kohbergers parents, according to a newly unsealed search warrant.

Investigators executed the search warrant following the Washinton State University criminology PhD students arrest at his parents home on 30 December.

Police said that the items seized included one defiant silver flashlight, four medical-style gloves, a white Arizona Jean Co large t-shirt, an air of black and white size 13 Nike shoes and a pair of black under armour shorts. They also took a buccal swab.

Mr Kohberger, 28, is jailed in Latah County, Idaho, where he awaits trial for allegedly murdering Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Ethan Chapin, and Xana Kernodle in their off-campus home in Moscow on 13 November.

Moscow Police only asked for Pennsylvania authorities in the case on 28 December.

This is a developing story ... check again for updates.
Norse airline

Flights to America for less than 400 are to return as a Norwegian low-cost airline undercuts the likes of British Airways and Virgin Atlantic.

Norse Atlantic has launched a series of routes that makes it the biggest operator to the US from Londons Gatwick airport.

Norse is backed by, among others, Bjrn Kjos, founder of Norwegian Air.

Norwegian launched with plans to undercut its rivals both within Europe and flights to the US. The airline culled long-haul services to focus on a small number of short-haul routes after collapsing into bankruptcy during the pandemic.

Norse, the brainchild of Bjrn Tore Larsen, a former marine industry executive, acquired Norwegians 15 leases for Boeing 787 Dreamliner jets in 2021.

The cabin will be similar to that offered on Norwegian, but Mr Larsen is believed to have secured the leases at a significant discount.

Scepticism remains as to whether Norse will be able to avoid the pitfalls of Norwegian, however.

Norse will focus on a low cost-base rather than expansion. It already runs services to New York, Miami and Orlando. But on Tuesday it announced services to Los Angeles, San Francisco, Washington DC and Boston.

Virgin Atlantic has abandoned Gatwick as a base and British Airways is concentrating on running most of its long-haul services from Heathrow.

Return economy fares to Boston will start at 370, undercutting more established rivals, Norse claimed. The range of sub-400 fares is deliberately designed to slightly undercut those offered by legacy carriers such as British Airways and American Airlines. Flights with BA to New York in September start at 406, for example.

Premium economy fares are likely to start at around 750 return, with Norse claiming that customers will enjoy a more luxurious experience compared with BA, Virgin Atlantic, or other US airlines. There will be no business class cabin.

Mr Larsen said: The Norse team are disruptors. We look forward to making our unbeatable product available to even more customers this summer, as we build the industrys first successful low cost long haul airline.

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Norse currently runs five of its 787 Dreamliner aircraft from Gatwick, five from Norway and subleases the final five to Air Europa, a Madrid-based low-cost carrier that is subject to a takeover by BA owner IAG.

It plans to take back the subleased planes as it ramps up services of its own from Gatwick.

Stewart Wingate, Gatwick Airport chief executive, said: The new services mean Gatwick and Norse will provide an increasingly competitive offering, which is great news for passengers across London and the South East.
Burny Mattinson, pictured at Disney's D23 Expo in 2013, has died. He was 87. (Imeh Akpanudosen / Getty Images)

The Walt Disney Co. is mourning the loss of animator, producer and story artist Burny Mattinson, whose work included "Lady and the Tramp," "One Hundred and One Dalmatians" and "Beauty and the Beast."

Mattinson died Monday at Canyon Oaks Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Canoga Park after a short illness, Disney announced in a release. He was 87.

"Burnys artistry, generosity, and love of Disney Animation and the generations of storytellers that have come through our doors, for seven decades, has made us better  better artists, better technologists, and better collaborators," said Jennifer Lee, chief creative officer of Walt Disney Animation Studios.

"All of us who have had the honor to know him and learn from him will ensure his legacy carries on.

Walt Disney Co. Chief Executive Bob Iger also paid tribute to the late animator.

"Deeply saddened that Disney Legend Burny Mattinson  our longest serving employee  has passed away," he tweeted Monday. "Burny started as a messenger on the lot in 1953 & went on to become a true icon of @DisneyAnimation. We are forever grateful for his contributions & seven decades of service."

Born Burnett Mattinson on May 13, 1935, in San Francisco, he grew up in Los Angeles. After graduating from high school in 1953, Mattinson landed a job in the mail room at Walt Disney Studios in Burbank. Months later he worked on "Lady and the Tramp," which premiered in 1955.

"I only wanted to work at Disney. I was six years old and I decided I was going to work at Disney," Mattinson said in 2018 at his 65th work anniversary at Disney.

In the following years, Mattinson worked on more Disney animation classics including "Sleeping Beauty," "One Hundred and One Dalmatians," "The Jungle Book" and "The Aristocats." During his tenure as assistant animator, Mattinson worked with fellow animation greats Marc Davis and Eric Larson.

During the 80s, he made his foray into directing with the animated short "Mickey's Christmas Carol" in 1983 and the feature film "The Great Mouse Detective" in 1986, which he produced and co-directed.

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A decade later, Mattinson "served as a key member" of the beloved films "Aladdin," "Beauty and the Beast," "The Lion King" and "Mulan," according to Disney. "Big Hero 6" and "Strange World" were among Mattinson's most recent credits.

In 2008, Disney honored Mattinson with the Disney Legend title. The designation is awarded to people who have made "extraordinary contributions to the Disney legacy."

As of March 5, 2018, Mattinson became Disney's longest-serving employee ("cast member"), breaking the record previously held by artist John Hench.

The Walt Disney Co. was set to honor Mattinson with its inaugural 70th anniversary service award in June.

"One of the things that I found when I first started here, and it has never changed, is that sense of the anticipation of what's going to happen here at the studio the next day," Mattinson said at his 2018 ceremony. "I could hardly wait to get here and ... there was always something that was remarkable that happened and you felt a part of it."

According to Disney, Mattinson is survived by his wife, Ellen Siirola, son Brett, daughter Genny, their respective spouses and four grandchildren.

Mattinson will be laid to rest at Forest Lawn, Hollywood Hills in a private funeral. Donations can be made to the Motion Picture and Television Fund.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said on Tuesday that he welcomes a recently announced review of his use of Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) jets in order to get past the politics.

The Transportation Departments inspector general announced on Monday that it would be auditing Buttigiegs use of the government aircraft and whether he complied with Federal regulations, policies, and procedures, in response to a request from Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) in December.

Buttigieg told CNN on Tuesday that he travels on commercial airlines in economy class the vast majority of the time. The remaining 10 to 20 percent of the time, Buttigieg said he uses the Department of Transportations jet.

When we use our agencys aircraft, this is not chartering a private jet, he added. This is a government aircraft that is assigned to the FAA.

While Buttigieg said he and his staff occasionally travel in the FAA jet due to a security or logistical issue, they typically do so because its cheaper.

The number one reason we would use that agency aircraft is that it actually works out to be less expensive for taxpayers than then the commercial airline tickets would be, he told CNN.

We keep very meticulous records on that so precisely so that if somebody wants to look at it, somebody wants to audit it, its well documented, Buttigieg added. So, I welcome that independent look so that we can get past the politics of this and make sure everybody understands the facts.

Rubio requested the audit based on a Fox News report from December that found that Buttigieg had taken at least 18 flights on the FAA jets. According to The Washington Post, the flights for Buttigieg and his staff cost $41,905.20.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
The media mogul also discussed the critical need to improve the nations educational systems and services for vulnerable citizens.



Media mogul Byron Allen addressed racial disparity in corporate America and educational inequity as he accepted the inaugural Legendary Honor during a conference hosted by Harvard Business Schools African American Student Union.

But Allen, chairman of Allen Media Group, didnt limit his remarks to systemic racism in corporate America and schools. Before an audience of prominent Black leaders, executives, financiers, influencers and future leaders, Allen addressed antisemitism and the historic and beneficial relationship that has existed for decades between Black and Jewish Americans.

The African American community owes the Jewish community a huge debt of gratitude for its support through the years and particularly during the Civil Rights Movement, said Allen whose company owns theGrio. Both communities must remain united to fight racism, antisemitism, and sexism, he continued as he reminded the audience that Martin Luther King, Jr. taught the world that injustice anywhere is injustice everywhere.

Byron Allen delivers acceptance speech for receiving Inaugural Legendary Honor at Harvard Business Schools African American Student Union 50th Annual H. Naylor Fitzhugh Conference on February 24, 2023. (photo credit: Ed Marshall Photography for Gravy/AMG)

Allen received the honor Friday at the 50th annual H. Naylor Fitzhugh Conference, which recognizes the contributions of African American leaders and addresses key issues such as wealth creation, leadership, business ownership and societal equity.

Allen used the opportunity to address additional social and economic challenges as he: encouraged pivoting from talking about crime to discussing how to improve education systems and improve economic inclusion; addressed eliminating what he described as the greatest trade deficit in the nation  the trade deficit between white and Black corporate America; and providing adequate social services to people who are unsheltered, mentally ill and hungry.

I am truly honored and extremely grateful to the Harvard Business School for presenting me with the inaugural Legendary Honor award, Allen said. The 50th Annual AASU H. Naylor Fitzhugh Conference was an inspirational event featuring some of Americas best and brightest minds focused on one of our most important goals  achieving one America.

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Allens comments about societal challenges aligned with the purpose of the award and validated why Gravy  an education and investment platform for underrepresented professionals  selected him as the first recipient.

Mr. Allen has transformed the media industry and is a trailblazer addressing critical issues regarding African American economic inclusion, conference co-chairs Lauren Thomas, Quintin Haynes, and Temi Olonilua said in a joint statement before the conference.

Gravys founder amplified that sentiment after Allens address.

In accepting Gravys inaugural Legendary Honor and his keynote speech, Byron Allen articulated a powerful vision for one America, inspired by Martin Luther King, Jr. and Coretta Scott King, to achieve its full potential through economic inclusion for all, said Gravy founder, Brandon William Jones. Mr. Allen delivered a clear path forward and a rousing call to action for America. His words will serve as a blueprint and resonate for years to come.

The business schools African American Student Union hosted the two-day conference, which concluded Saturday. Allen also delivered the conferences opening keynote speech on its final day.

The conference featured three different events, according to the event website.

Fridays Black Tech Summit, for aspiring entrepreneurs, explored topics related to fundraising, scaling your business and navigating the tech industry.

The Black New Venture Competition, Harvards largest venture competition, focused on Black pre-seed and seed-stage entrepreneurs. Founders pitched their ventures to a panel of judges for a chance to win more than $200K in non-dilutive capital. Companies that receive non-dilutive capital dont have to give up equity in their company.

The conference concluded with the student unions flagship event, the H. Naylor Fitzhugh Conference, which brings together alumni, current students, and other professionals for a full day of panels, keynote addresses, and social networking, according to its website.

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

The post Byron Allen addresses antisemitism, the need for unity in speech at Harvard Business School appeared first on TheGrio.
On Feb. 28, 2023, Commissioner Steven Jackson pleaded not guilty to impersonating a police officer in Judge Charles Smith's court in Bossier Parish.

Jackson's attorney Courtney N. Harris said, "at this time there are a lot of facts that are still in the process of the discovery phase of this case, and we're confident that once that discovery is produced, and we present the other side of this case that Mr. Jackson will be exonerated of these charges. As you know everything that's been presented thus far has only been one-sided."

This arraignment comes five days after the courts released the Bill of Information which stated that Jackson did "equip a motor vehicle with lights and sirens to simulate law enforcement with intent to injure, defraud, obtain or secure any special privilege or advantages. "

Jackson turned himself into the Bossier Parish Sheriff's Office on Saturday, Jan. 7, 2023, after a felony arrest warrant was filed against him for impersonating a police officer.

Caddo Commissioner Steven Jackson and Attorney Courtney N. Harris walking out of the Bossier Parish Courthouse after his arraignment Tuesday morning. Feb. 28, 2023.

It was reported that on Nov. 4, 2022, Bossier City Police received a complaint alleging that an individual in an unmarked police model SUV identified himself as a police officer after he became involved in a disagreement that took place in the businesss parking lot in the 3100 block of Airline Drive.

Through a lengthy investigation, detectives determined that Jackson was the individual who identified himself as a member of law enforcement.

Harris said, "there is another side of this story that has yet to be told."

Makenzie Boucher is a reporter with the Shreveport Times. Contact her at mboucher@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Shreveport Times: Commissioner Steven Jackson pleads not guilty to impersonating a cop
Key Insights

Using the 2 Stage Free Cash Flow to Equity, Tuan Sing Holdings fair value estimate is S$0.29

Current share price of S$0.33 suggests Tuan Sing Holdings is potentially trading close to its fair value

Tuan Sing Holdings' peers seem to be trading at a higher premium to fair value based onthe industry average of -41%

Today we'll do a simple run through of a valuation method used to estimate the attractiveness of Tuan Sing Holdings Limited (SGX:T24) as an investment opportunity by taking the expected future cash flows and discounting them to today's value. The Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) model is the tool we will apply to do this. Don't get put off by the jargon, the math behind it is actually quite straightforward.

We would caution that there are many ways of valuing a company and, like the DCF, each technique has advantages and disadvantages in certain scenarios. If you want to learn more about discounted cash flow, the rationale behind this calculation can be read in detail in the Simply Wall St analysis model.

Check out our latest analysis for Tuan Sing Holdings

The Method

We are going to use a two-stage DCF model, which, as the name states, takes into account two stages of growth. The first stage is generally a higher growth period which levels off heading towards the terminal value, captured in the second 'steady growth' period. To begin with, we have to get estimates of the next ten years of cash flows. 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.

A DCF is all about the idea that a dollar in the future is less valuable than a dollar today, 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 (SGD, Millions) S$48.3m S$46.1m S$44.9m S$44.3m S$44.2m S$44.4m S$44.8m S$45.3m S$45.9m S$46.6m Growth Rate Estimate Source Est @ -7.27% Est @ -4.51% Est @ -2.58% Est @ -1.23% Est @ -0.28% Est @ 0.38% Est @ 0.85% Est @ 1.17% Est @ 1.40% Est @ 1.56% Present Value (SGD, Millions) Discounted @ 14% S$42.4 S$35.6 S$30.5 S$26.4 S$23.2 S$20.4 S$18.1 S$16.1 S$14.3 S$12.8

("Est" = FCF growth rate estimated by Simply Wall St)

Present Value of 10-year Cash Flow (PVCF) = S$240m

After calculating the present value of future cash flows in the initial 10-year period, we need to calculate the Terminal Value, which accounts for all future cash flows beyond the first stage. For a number of reasons a very conservative growth rate is used that cannot exceed that of a country's GDP growth. In this case we have used the 5-year average of the 10-year government bond yield (1.9%) to estimate future growth. In the same way as with the 10-year 'growth' period, we discount future cash flows to today's value, using a cost of equity of 14%.

Terminal Value (TV)= FCF 2032  (1 + g)  (r  g) = S$47m (1 + 1.9%)  (14% 1.9%) = S$400m

Present Value of Terminal Value (PVTV)= TV / (1 + r)10= S$400m ( 1 + 14%)10= S$110m

The total value is the sum of cash flows for the next ten years plus the discounted terminal value, which results in the Total Equity Value, which in this case is S$350m. The last step is to then divide the equity value by the number of shares outstanding. Relative to the current share price of S$0.3, the company appears around fair value at the time of writing. 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

The Assumptions

We would point out that the most important inputs to a discounted cash flow are the discount rate and of course the actual cash flows. If you don't agree with these result, have a go at the calculation yourself and play with the assumptions. The DCF also does not consider the possible cyclicality of an industry, or a company's future capital requirements, so it does not give a full picture of a company's potential performance. Given that we are looking at Tuan Sing Holdings 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 14%, which is based on a levered beta of 2.000. Beta is a measure of a stock's volatility, compared to the market as a whole. We get our beta from the industry average beta of globally comparable companies, with an imposed limit between 0.8 and 2.0, which is a reasonable range for a stable business.

Moving On:

Valuation is only one side of the coin in terms of building your investment thesis, and 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. Instead the best use for a DCF model is to test certain assumptions and theories to see if they would lead to the company being undervalued or overvalued. For instance, if the terminal value growth rate is adjusted slightly, it can dramatically alter the overall result. For Tuan Sing Holdings, there are three additional items you should further examine:

Risks: To that end, you should learn about the 4 warning signs we've spotted with Tuan Sing Holdings (including 2 which can't be ignored) . Other Solid Businesses: Low debt, high returns on equity and good past performance are fundamental to a strong business. Why not explore our interactive list of stocks with solid business fundamentals to see if there are other companies you may not have considered! Other Top Analyst Picks: Interested to see what the analysts are thinking? Take a look at our interactive list of analysts' top stock picks to find out what they feel might have an attractive future outlook!

PS. Simply Wall St updates its DCF calculation for every Singaporean 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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TikTok has been banned from government-issued mobile devices in Canada, the country's Treasury Board announced Monday. Taking effect on February 28, this block follows similar actions taken by the European Commission and some state governments in the U.S.

The European Commission issued their directive to remove TikTok from government devices late last week. That same day, four Canadian privacy regulators announced that they would jointly investigate TikTok. Already, the chief information officer of Canada has determined that TikTok poses "an unacceptable level of risk to privacy and security." Canadian officials haven't found any evidence that government data has been compromised, so this is considered a precautionary measure.

"The decision to remove and block TikTok from government mobile devices is being taken as a precaution, particularly given concerns about the legal regime that governs the information collected from mobile devices, and is in line with the approach of our international partners," said Treasury Board President Mona Fortier in a statement. "On a mobile device, TikToks data collection methods provide considerable access to the contents of the phone."

TikTok claims that the Canadian government did not reach out to discuss concerns about the app.

"It's curious that the Government of Canada has moved to block TikTok on government-issued devices -- without citing any specific security concern or contacting us with questions -- only after similar bans were introduced in the EU and the US," a TikTok spokesperson said in an email to TechCrunch. "We are always available to meet with our government officials to discuss how we protect the privacy and security of Canadians, but singling out TikTok in this way does nothing to achieve that shared goal."

In December, the U.S. House of Representatives banned the use of TikTok on any government devices. Some members of Congress still have TikTok accounts, presumably managed on separate devices. State governments like those in Texas, Georgia, Maryland, South Carolina and more than a dozen others have enacted similar restrictions. In some cases, these bans trickle down to state-funded college campuses, where schools like the University of Texas, Auburn University and the University of Oklahoma have prohibited the use of TikTok on campus Wi-Fi or school-owned devices.

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These government bodies are concerned that TikTok, owned by Chinese tech giant ByteDance, could be used by the Chinese government to gather sensitive information from political officials. Though TikTok repeatedly assured American consumers that their data was stored in the U.S., an investigation last year revealed that engineers in China had access to American TikTok data as recently as January 2022. TikTok then said it would move U.S. users data to Oracle servers stored in the United States. Another investigation, corroborated by ByteDance, found that a small group of engineers inappropriately accessed two U.S. journalists' data; they planned to use these journalists' location data to determine if they crossed paths with any ByteDance employees who may have leaked information to these reporters.

A TikTok spokesperson told TechCrunch that the company stores Canadian user data in the U.S. and Singapore. The platform has never provided data to the Chinese government, the spokesperson added, and would refuse if asked.

Update, 2/27/23, 6:30 PM ET with additional information from TikTok.
[Source]

Canada has banned TikTok from all government-issued devices beginning today, trailing the U.S. and European Union (E.U.) in enacting similar directives.

For years, the Chinese social video app, owned by Beijing-based parent company Bytedance, has been accused of harnessing user data for the benefit of the Chinese government. Canadas decision reportedly came after its chief information officer determined that the app presents an unacceptable level of risk to privacy and security.

At a news conference Monday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the ban may be the first and only step we need to take.

I suspect that as government takes the significant step of telling all federal employees that they can no longer use TikTok on their work phones many Canadians from business to private individuals will reflect on the security of their own data and perhaps make choices, Trudeau told reporters. Im always a fan of giving Canadians the information for them to make the right decisions for them.

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The chief information officer is part of Canadas Treasury Board, which oversees operations of the federal government, according to the BBC. In a statement, Treasury Board President Mona Fortier said that while there was no evidence that government information has been compromised through TikTok, the "risks of using this application are clear."

Last week, the E.U.s executive branch, the European Commission, announced that TikTok will be banned from government devices starting March 15.

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Spokesperson Sonya Gospodinova said the policy seeks to protect the commission against cybersecurity threats and actions which may be exploited for cyberattacks.

In the U.S., the White House on Monday gave government agencies 30 days to remove TikTok from their devices, according to Reuters.

The ban was imposed by Congress last December and follows similar actions undertaken by federal agencies, such as the Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security, the Department of State and the White House itself.

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So far, at least 32 out of 50 U.S. states have enforced similar bans on government devices. Florida's Department of Financial Services was the first state agency to do so on Aug. 11, 2020, while Nebraska became the first to order a state-wide ban the next day.

TikTok, for its part, has repeatedly pushed back against allegations and slammed Canadas latest action.

Its curious that the Government of Canada has moved to block TikTok on government-issued devices  without citing any specific security concern or contacting us with questions  only after similar bans were introduced in the EU and the U.S., a company spokesperson said in an email, according to AP News.

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Police are investigating after a man was shot in the leg at a Cary gas station Tuesday morning.

Cary officers responded to the parking lot of the Breeze Way BP Station at 5016 Green Hope School Road just before 11 a.m., a news release stated.

They found a man, whose name has not been released, wounded in one of his legs.

The man was treated for non-life threatening injuries.

Cary police have not released details about a suspect or a motive for the shooting.

They ask anyone with information to call the department at 919-469-4012.

This is a developing story.
Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.) returned to the Senate chamber on Monday after undergoing surgery for prostate cancer earlier this month.

Happy to be back in Washington & ready to get to work for Pennsylvanians, Casey tweeted.

The senator revealed in January that he had been diagnosed with prostate cancer, which he said at the time was a shock. Casey, who is up for reelection in 2024, said in January that he has an excellent prognosis.

He underwent surgery for the cancer on Feb. 14 and has been recovering at his home in Scranton since the procedure. His doctor said earlier this month that the surgery went well and that Casey is not expected to need further treatment.

Theres no better medicine than a visit from my grandson, Max. Grateful to be continuing my recovery at home in Scranton and feeling better every day, Casey tweeted on Thursday.

Casey, who is in his third term, is expected to seek reelection in his competitive swing state. His Democratic colleague from Pennsylvania, first-term Sen. John Fetterman, defeated Republican challenger Mehmet Oz with about 51 percent of the vote in 2022.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Wisconsin has a crucial election on April 4, when voters will choose a new justice for the state Supreme Court. While such down-ballot races often don't get much attention, this one may be different. The election, which is on pace to set a spending record, will decide whether liberals are able to retake a majority from conservatives for the first time in 15 years  and thus control the outcomes in cases from abortion to elections.

But conservatives may benefit from an initiative that will be on the ballot at the same time: a proposed constitutional amendment that could make it more difficult for suspects in violent crimes to be released from jail on bail.

Both the liberal candidate, Janet Protasiewicz, and her conservative opponent, Daniel Kelly, say they support the amendment. But it is still expected to help Kelly by turning out Republicans and independent voters who prioritize concerns about crime.

I think its probably helpful overall because of where our voters are going to be on those two issues, Brian Schimming, the chairman of the Wisconsin Republican Party, said in an interview.

The proposal, which passed the GOP-controlled Legislature with bipartisan support, will ask voters whether judges should be able to have more discretion when they set bail. For example, judges would be able to set the bail amount based on a suspects criminal history and the risk the person would cause serious harm to members of the community, as well as concerns over whether the suspect would flee before trial and other factors.

In contrast, now judges in Wisconsin can consider only whether "there is a reasonable basis to believe" the suspect could flee.

Cash bail has become a hot topic nationwide. Some Democratic-led states have moved forward with measures to eliminate or restrict the use of cash bail  only to face demands to reverse them amid rising crime rates.

In the 2022 Wisconsin Senate race, Republicans attacked Democratic candidate Mandela Barnes for his support of ending cash bail. Crime has already been a talking point in the 2024 presidential race, as well.

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It was so dominant in the last election cycle. Certainly it was a major factor in the Senate race here in Wisconsin, said Brandon Scholz, a Wisconsin-based Republican strategist. Crime is always an issue and almost always in real time, but this could help shape how the policy conversation unfolds.

'If it drives conservative turnout, it drives conservative turnout'

Democrats have accused Republicans of timing the vote on the bail amendment to coincide with the Supreme Court election.

Republicans are advancing a constitutional bail amendment as a political strategy to turn out Republicans and polarize the electorate, Wisconsin Democratic Party Chair Ben Wikler said in an interview. This is a political stunt where Republicans want voters to be thinking about crime on Election Day.

Republicans maintain that they fast-tracked placement of the measure only so they could have the best and quickest shot at implementing new procedures to address crime.

Recent polling has consistently shown that a majority of Wisconsin voters are "very concerned" about crime, underscoring that the issue may stick around in the next election cycle.

The sooner we got it on the ballot, the sooner we could make our communities safer, said Republican Rep. Cindi Duchow, the measures lead sponsor in the state Assembly.

"If it drives conservative turnout, it drives conservative turnout. But I was really just thinking about Darrell Brooks," she said, referring to the man who was sentenced to life in prison for killing six people by driving his SUV through a Milwaukee-area parade in November 2021. Shortly before the attack, Brooks had been let out on $1,000 cash bail on a domestic violence charge.

Critics maintain the measure would worsen existing financial and racial inequities in the criminal justice system, making it easier for judges to keep people locked up while they await trial  which they say far more often happens to people of color.

In Wisconsin, for example, 1 of every 36 Black adults was imprisoned in 2021, according to research by the Sentencing Project, a nonprofit criminal justice reform group  the highest rate in the U.S. that year. Many remained incarcerated pending trial because they could not afford to post bail, the study found.

Cash bail critics say such a system widens economic and racial disparities because those people lose their jobs  and subsequently, often their housing and their ability to support their families.

And even without the amendment, judges in the state already have other options when they consider suspects' potential danger to the community, like ordering monitoring devices or barring them from contacting the victims.

The Darrell Brooks case

The Brooks case has been central to the debate, and it emerged as a flashpoint in debates about rising crime in Milwaukee during the midterm elections last year.

Advocates of the amendment argue that if officials had been able to consider Brooks' lengthy history of violent offenses, they most likely would have set a higher bail amount, which might have kept him in custody.

Opponents of the amendment say that Brooks flight risk alone  based on his failure to show up for several previous court appearances  should have sufficed for officials to set a higher bail amount and that their failure to do so was a tragic outlier. (Officials have characterized Brooks' low bail amount as "a mistake" based on "human error.")

I think any conversation about the current debate around bail reform in Wisconsin and misguided efforts to change the law to allow judges even greater power than they already have to jail people while presumed innocent on unaffordable bail has to start at the original lie that started it all: That bail reform or the bail laws in Wisconsin allowed Darrell Brooks to drive his truck through a parade, said civil rights attorney Scott Hechinger, the founder of the national criminal justice and advocacy organization Zealous.

Hechinger said the amendment would do nothing to address a major underlying problem with cash bail: that suspects with financial means could still be released on bail while those without means, but accused of the same crimes, could not.

While Duchow and other Republican supporters say they had been working on bail reform since 2017, they did not introduce their proposed amendment until the 2022 session, just weeks after Brooks rampage.

Legislators approved placing the amendment in 2022 with bipartisan support. They did so again last month after having fast-tracked the bill so the amendment could be placed on the April ballot. In Wisconsin, the Legislature must pass a proposed amendment in two consecutive sessions to place it on the ballot.

Gov. Tony Evers, a Democrat, who has declined to say whether he supports passage, has criticized Republicans for how they timed its placement.

I think it will work against [Republicans]," he said last month. "When people see that the only thing theyre doing here is to try to influence the Supreme Court race, I think thats going to irritate some folks.

Cash bail reform nationwide

There has been significant movement on cash bail nationwide, much of it in blue states that have moved away from it.

In 2017, New Jersey effectively eliminated it, putting in its place a system that gives judges the discretion to hold or release people awaiting trial. But as crime rises in the state, legislators have reversed course, saying they want to undo parts of the reform.

In 2019, New York Democrats ended cash bail for most misdemeanors and nonviolent felonies. But Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul supports efforts to roll back parts of the law.

And in Illinois in 2021, Democrats eliminated cash bail, putting in its place a system giving judges discretion to hold suspects based on their threat to public safety and flight risk; the states Supreme Court halted the law last month.

The reversals have given national Republicans ammunition.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a likely 2024 Republican presidential candidate, recently went after states that implemented no-cash-bail policies in speeches to law enforcement groups in New York and the Philadelphia and Chicago suburbs.

Those policies we knew would fail, but now weve seen for sure that they have failed, he told a group in Staten Island, New York, last week.

Several studies have shown there is no connection between bail reform and increased crime. One  a November 2020 analysis from the Prison Policy Initiative  studied research from 12 locations where pretrial amendments had taken effect and found no evidence that the changes resulted in increased crime.

Some red states have also been trying to do what Wisconsin is attempting. In Ohio, voters in November approved a constitutional amendment requiring judges to consider public safety, a suspects criminal record and other factors  in addition to the existing requirement that they consider a persons flight risk  when they set bail. The amendment erased the ability of the Ohio Supreme Court  which ruled last year that setting excessive bail was unconstitutional  to establish bail rules.

Were not looking to put people in jail just to keep people in jail. Its about keeping violent people off the street, said Republican state Sen. Van Wanggaard, the Wisconsin measures lead sponsor in the Senate and a former police officer in Racine. Its not about having high bonds based on their race or gender. Its about having high bonds based on what their crime was.

Everyone has the right to have a reasonable bond set unless there are circumstances that the person should not be out in the community pending trial, he added.

Schimming, the head of the Wisconsin GOP, said the party is not going to take a public position on the proposed amendment, but he also essentially dared opponents to go on the record supporting no-cash-bail policies.

Weve had a pretty good uptick in violent crime in Milwaukee, which is always a concern. And weve had some high-profile cases here. This is a pretty current issue for voters, he said. If the other side would like to use cashless bail examples of Illinois and New York of how it ought to work, I would say go right ahead and do that. They can be my guest.

CORRECTION (March 2, 2023, 4:30 ET): A previous version of this article misstated when Illinois eliminated cash bail. It was in 2021, not last year.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
For the record:

12:15 p.m. Feb. 28, 2023: An earlier version of this article attributed a quote to writer Peter Brooks. It is from theater director Peter Brook.



"We would talk and talk and talk, and then suddenly we'd make these really quick decisions," says Cate Blanchett, here at the Maybourne Beverly Hills, of working with "Tar" writer-director Todd Field. Here (Alex Harper / For The Times)

Cate Blanchett hasnt watched Tar since its premiere at the Venice Film Festival in September. She saw it only one time before, when writer-director Todd Field was ready to show it to her. But it was in Venice, where Tarreceived a thunderous ovation, that she felt something stir inside her. It started to be painful  I was like, I dont need to see this anymore, she says. What Ive learned from it and the takeaway from it, I cant watch it anymore.

The 53-year-old actress is known for not revisiting her work, which doesnt mean she isnt immensely proud of what she and her fellow artists created. Indeed, since September shes been barnstorming for Tar, a bottomlessly fascinating study of a powerful, feared conductor, Lydia Tar, whose hubris and past sins orchestrate her downfall. Earning her eighth Oscar nomination  she won supporting actress for The Aviator and lead actress for Blue Jasmine  Blanchett is at the pinnacle of her profession, delivering what may be her finest performance yet. But none of that makes it easier to talk about what it was like to make Tar.

Its almost like we made the film in an unconscious state, she offers, fighting off the chill of an overcast February afternoon while seated on the rooftop of the Maybourne hotel in Beverly Hills. We were waking up and saying [to the audience], You know this fever dream weve had? That thing that we thought we did, is that how you responded to it?

Cate Blanchett. (Alex Harper / For The Times)

Her memories of Tar remain potent: how Field sent her the script, saying that he wouldnt make it with anyone else; how during her research shed awake in the middle of the night, only to discover that she had been conducting in her sleep. Now, though, her experience must give way to the audiences as it takes possession of Tar, which shes thought about a lot.

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[Theater director] Peter Brook says this wonderful thing: You hang on tightly and you let go lightly, Blanchett observes. Ive become better at letting go lightly. But I do look back on the thing, the object, with a touch of melancholy.



Often during our hourlong conversation, Blanchett will apologize  for being tired, for getting weepy while discussing the film version of Death in Venice, for what she perceives as her talking too much. (At one point, she laments, I will walk away from here yet again saying to myself, Just answer the question. This is not a conversation.) As imposing as her performances can be, theres a touching self-consciousness to her in person  a fragility, a vulnerability  thats quite disarming. And despite her protestations that she rambles, when Blanchett lets her mind roam free, thats when the really beautiful insights emerge.

Take, for instance, in the midst of describing Lydias complicated relationships, Blanchett eventually arrives at: Have you ever had this experience  maybe its a moment of shame [from] something that you regret doing  but [the memory of it] will often come back to me when Im driving. Its like, Why did I say that? What an idiot. The thought will come into your head, and all of a sudden youll start singing a song to push the remembrance of that event from you? I started to think of music as a way of Lydia pushing her past  or things that she just couldnt face  out of her mind. The very thing that had been a liberating force in her life was becoming a force that was allowing her not to look at herself, her past and her present circumstances.

Because Tar is a film filled with ambiguities, its understandable that audiences and journalists would look to her to explain what theyve just seen. But Blanchett says that hasnt really happened  much to her relief. Mostly, Ive listened to people whove wanted to talk about it, with very little to say myself, she notes. I dont want to get in the way of whatever they brought to the cinema that day. I mean, you look at a Rothko and you go, Rothko doesnt want to get in the way. [Film] is very different, but these works, they vibrate  theyre very resonant. Theres no right reading of these works.

Still, Blanchett and her superb co-stars  including Noemie Merlant as Lydias long-suffering assistant Francesca and Nina Hoss as Lydias weary wife Sharon  had to make peace with letting the scripts unanswered questions remain riddles. We didnt pin things down. For example, what happened between [Lydias former protege] Krista and Francesca and Lydia? I remember seeing Noemie on set  wed raised the question when we sat around the [rehearsal] table  and I remember catching her eye, and I know that we were both thinking, Should we talk about this? And we thought, No.

The amount of prep that went into her performance has been well documented. Learning German. Becoming more confident on the piano after having abandoned it as a child. Immersing herself in classical music. But such dutiful recitations can overshadow the impromptu adventures that happened on set. Like when she was told one day that the accordion teacher was waiting for her.

Todd asked me in preproduction: Did I play the accordion? And I said, What do you think? No, she recalls with a laugh. I said, Do you want me to play? And he said, No, no, no. And then [during the shoot] Sebastian [Fahr-Brix], the first AD, said, The accordion teachers here. Todd wants you to go and sit with the accordion teacher.

Confused, she met with Field. He said, Yeah, you picked up the accordion, right? And I went, You said no! I was conducting and learning piano and working with [composer and cellist] Hildur [Gunadottir]. No, I havent picked up the accordion! And he said, Just go and work with it for half an hour.

Which is how we got the supremely meme-able moment in which the usually ultra-serious Lydia walks into frame, accordion strapped to her chest, improvising a goofy ditty called Apartment for Sale. Blanchett remains deeply amused by the scene. We did about four takes of it, she beams. The rest of the crew, they were looking at each other like, I think Cate and Todd have finally lost their s. He and I were in tears laughing. But that epitomized the collaboration: We would talk and talk and talk, and then suddenly wed make these really quick decisions.

In interviews, she sometimes ponders stepping away from acting. Its hard to know how serious she is  after all, who among us doesnt need to occasionally give voice to the idea of hanging it up, if only to periodically check in with ourselves? Still, she says of her vocation, Its not always a comfortable place to be. Its very hard sometimes to say no. And sometimes its equally as hard to say yes because I have four kids who I am passionate about. Ive been married for 26 years, and its the most important relationship in my life. I have a parallel existence that I dont want to cannibalize in my work, and I dont want my work to cannibalize it. I feel incredibly blessed in that way.

But then the self-critical part of herself pops up again. You constantly feel like youre failing both of those relationships, dont you? she asks, almost conspiratorially. The creative relationship and your [personal] relationship. Its not that I dont love [acting]  its just that its  Another pause. Its a very noisy world. She thinks about all the interviews she gives, how she sometimes will say something to see how it feels to put it out in the air, only to see it later in print, presented forever as some sort of truth. It feels very disingenuous in this exchange but, yes, Im constantly wanting to be quiet.

Its been nearly six months since Blanchett sat down and watched Tar, but that hasnt stopped fans from repeatedly revisiting the film, hoping to eventually unravel its riddles. She is learning how to let the movie go lightly, which leaves room for others to discover things inside it.

I was speaking to someone this morning  we were talking about something else entirely, this project were doing together  and then he said, OK, just want to ask you a question [about] Tar. So the thing where she goes back to her house and she gets the [Leonard] Bernstein tapes out 

Well omit the rest of what this person said to Blanchett to avoid spoilers  but, suffice it to say, theres a clue within that scene about Lydias nature that many viewers missed. Blanchetts colleague noticed it, though, and was very excited. So was Blanchett. Recounting this anecdote now, shes positively glowing, happy to let Tar at last speak for itself.

I went, You got that?! I havent seen Todd since Ive had that meeting this morning, but hell be so thrilled. Its those little details that you dont need to overplay. An audience will pick them up.

Cate Blanchett. (Alex Harper / For The Times)

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Local and state police were led on a chase through multiple Georgia counties after a cement truck was stolen from a gas station, media outlets report.

Around 9 a.m. on Feb 27, a cement truck driver left the truck running while he went inside a gas station in Grovetown. While he was away, a 41-year-old man jumped into the truck and drove off, authorities told The Augusta Press.

Deputies followed the truck onto Interstate 20, where they were joined by state patrol, according to WJBF.

Two troopers attempted to use stop sticks to disable the concrete truck and bring the pursuit to an end, but they were unsuccessful, a Georgia State Patrol spokesperson told The Augusta Press.

As the truck swerved around on the highway, it started dumping wet cement onto the roadway, making it more difficult to follow the truck, WRDW reported.

The truck was finally stopped after a state trooper shot the radiator and hydraulic tank of the truck, ending the pursuit, WJBF reported.

Cars were left stranded on the highway for hours as authorities tried to clean up the cement that had spilled on the highway, according to WRDW. The road eventually opened up again around 12:30 p.m.

The Augusta Press reports that the man was arrested and charged with motor vehicle theft, fleeing police and reckless driving.

The chase began in Grovetown and ended 20 miles away in Thomson in eastern Georgia.

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The deadline is approaching for students to apply for about $1.8 million in scholarships administered by the Community Foundation of the Ozarks.

Applications will close for most CFO scholarships on Sunday, March 12.

Scenes from Kickapoo High School's commencement ceremony at Great Southern Bank Arena on Friday, May 13, 2022.

This year, the application window opened Jan. 1, giving graduating seniors, current college students and students attending technical or graduate programs an additional month to apply compared to previous years.

The CFO holds about 480 scholarship funds that will provide nearly 1,000 scholarships for students across central and southern Missouri for the 202324 school year. The scholarships are open to students for higher education and technical training programs.

Information about the scholarship opportunities is available at cfozarks.org/scholarships.

From there, students will be required to answer two eligibility questions, which will bring up a list of scholarships for which the student may be eligible. Students also can contact the counseling offices at their schools. Application deadlines vary, with the first due in mid-March.

Amounts range from $400 to $7,500 per academic year, with many renewable for up to three additional years.

Scholarship funds are established by individuals, families or organizations with specific intentions, such as supporting students who graduate from the donors alma mater, pursue a certain field of study, or are members of marginalized or underserved populations. On the CFOs online application system, each scholarship entry lists criteria for eligibility.

Weve seen a great response from students taking advantage of the extra month available for application, and we appreciate all the counselors encouraging students to apply, said Beth Hersh, the CFOs director of scholarships, in a news release. We are grateful to serve as this important resource for both students and donors in our region.

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Deadline to apply for $1.8M in college scholarships at CFO is soon
Making history and forging a new path: of the more than 500 members in congress, Summer Lee is one of only 27 Black women in office, and she is the first black woman to be elected from Pennsylvania. Her historic win in November 2022 shattered glass ceilings.

Channel 11s Talia Kirkland sat down with the freshman congresswoman to discuss the impact and what her victory means for the Democratic Party.

I pledge to fight for you. I pledge to fight for a better world, said Congresswoman Summer Lee during her swearing-in ceremony earlier this month.

On Sunday, Feb. 19, Lee was re-sworn into office. Her ceremonial oath was taken at the historic Kelly Strayhorn Theatre in East Liberty on the third Sunday in Black History Month.

RELATED >> Summer Lee sworn in as first Black woman elected to Congress from PA; Ceremony held in Pittsburgh

In November, Lee won the 12th Congressional District race, but ceremonies in Washington D.C. were delayed after several failed attempts to elect a speaker of the house.

It felt like we needed to kind of take a pause and to just honor who came before us, right, the folks who made this pathway, Lee, said.

PHOTOS: Summer Lee sworn in as first black woman elected to Congress from PA, ceremony held in Pittsburgh

Lees victory made her the first Black woman elected to congress from Pennsylvania, taking office more than 60 years after Robert Nix Sr. cracked open the door for African Americans in Pennsylvania when he became the first Black man elected to the House of Representatives.

Now, six decades later, Lee said she hopes to continue that legacy and forge a path alongside other women in politics.

Its not me, its so much less me than it is our region realizing, you know, the power and opportunity that we have here the opportunity to send progressive voices to send impacted voices office, Lee, said when asked about her historic win.

Currently, women make up just over a quarter of all members of the 118th congress. While the highest percentage in U.S. history - that means only 149 of 540 seats are women- and just 27 are black women.

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Every time one of us gets in we have made it easier for the next person we create a blueprint, we tear down some barriers, Lee, said.

Despite the numbers, Lee said she has never been more optimistic about the future, especially in western Pennsylvania.

We are going to continue to center marginalized folks center, those working families, right, who are who had been, you know, hurting throughout the pandemic, Lee said.

True to her campaign, the freshman congresswoman now sits on the Oversight Committee as well as the Science Space and Technology Committee.

When we think about where Pittsburgh was, where Pittsburgh has been, we think about the steel industry, we think of industry, and that is a part of our story, but its not the end of our story, Lee, declared.

She plans to transform Pittsburgh from a steel town to an innovation hub creating more jobs and livable wages. But also, said she plans to tackle rising housing costs and hold corporations accountable.

Starting with a living wage and union is a part of that its a huge part of that, but also addressing housing, making sure that we are connecting our Mon Valley communities and some of our suburbs into the city of ours with transportation, making sure that were creating access for jobs, Lee said.

Her plans also include investing in the next generation and addressing the regions rising teen gun violence epidemic by providing wrap-around services for students and families.

We know that gun violence is directly correlated with poverty. That means at every level of government we must be willing to invest in that, we must make sure that we are all directing those resources at the same time, otherwise, we are not being honest about it, Lee said.

RELATED >> Congresswoman Summer Lee shares problems she believes are causing teenage gun violence in the area

During our conversation, Lee reflected on a recent visit to a Pittsburgh public school.

I came in looking like me with my sneakers on and my hair in my braids., and you could see their eyes light up because they saw themselves, Lee, said.

Ultimately, she said it is that representation that drove her campaign, and it will be the next generation of diverse girls and boys from the inner city to the rural county coming together that will catapult Pennsylvania into a brighter future. And for that, she said she is accountable.

During Lees acceptance speech, she promised to continue to lead a multi-racial, multi-generational movement of people who had never worked together but now will forever forge ahead.

Summer Lee is Pittsburghs Black History.

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More Charlotteans are calling 911 to report street racing and alleged street takeovers that wake them up throughout the night.

Street takeovers happen when dozens of drivers block off city streets to race each other and perform tricks like burnouts, that spinning trick that makes tires smoke. The takeovers arent unique to one neighborhood or police division. They are happening all across the city, police officials said at a news conference Monday.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police are increasing enforcement of reckless driving laws in an attempt to crackdown on the groups organizing these races, but it isnt easy, officials said.

Police gave out 54 citations related to the races, arrested five people and towed or seized 12 vehicles as evidence this month alone, CMPD officials said.

This past weekend (Feb. 24-26), eight pre-arranged races and 13 pop-up takeovers occurred across 11 CMPD divisions, police officials said. These races involved hundreds of drivers.

Its a social media driven kind of phenomenon, Maj. Dave Johnson of CMPDs special operations bureau said. These folks are filming themselves, posting them to social media, getting the clicks and the likes, and thats one of the reasons were seeing such an increase.

Policing those who participate in these street takeovers is particularly difficult because officers cant quickly identify the drivers of the vehicles, Johnson said. Drivers often arent the owners of the vehicles, which can lack proper registration, and the plates are sometimes removed or switched with another vehicle, he said.

The drivers rarely, if ever, stop for police officers and CMPDs pursuit policy will not allow officers to pursue them unless they committed a crime dangerous to life, Johnson said. Reckless and aggressive driving does not meet this threshold.

Police also cant proactively monitor hot-spot areas for these takeovers because the locations change with each race.

These street takeovers arent unique to Charlotte. They are part of a nationwide trend, Johnson said. Police saw an increase in street takeovers and illegal racing during COVID-19 and the behavior hasnt decreased since then.

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As more arrests are made investigators are attempting to find the organizers of these races to cut the head off the snake, Johnson said. Police have learned that some of these organizers are juveniles.

Legislation with teeth

Johnson called on the General Assembly and Charlotte City Council to work towards legislation that would assist them in enforcing laws against racing and street takeovers.

Were looking forward to working with city council and the state legislature to draft and enact local ordinances and state statutes that hopefully will assist us and add some teeth to the enforcement resources that we already have at our disposal, Johnson said.

Some jurisdictions in the state have strict penalties for street racing  including $1,000 fines and an automatic six month seizure of the vehicle if a driver is convicted  Johnson said he would like to see something similar in Charlotte.

We would love for it to be as stringent as possible, Johnson said.

The cause of the illegal takeovers is the citys street design, Charlotte Mayor Pro Tem Braxton Winston tweeted Tuesday.

The way to stop street racing is to engineer streets NOT to be racetracks. We should engineer our streets, especially near neighborhoods, to optimize moving people, Winston said. For far too long weve engineered streets to move cars as fast as possible. Hence, they will be used as racetracks.
Jonathan Neale strangled his wife after he passed out drunk on the floor. (Wales News Service)

A cheating husband strangled his wife after she discovered his "dirty" text messages to other women while he was passed out drunk.

Jonathan Neale, 40, fell asleep by his front door after a day of drinking and watching rugby with another woman.

His wife, Claire, put him to bed after taking a photo of him lying on the floor. Shen then checked his phone and found dozens of messages to other women, Newport Magistrates' Court heard.

She said: "I got his wet clothes off him, put him to bed and had a look through his phone, where I discovered he hasnt stopped messaging women dirty texts, videos telling women he loves them and if he wasnt in a relationship with me hed be with her."

After checking his phone, Claire told Neale: "We are done."

Claire and Jonathan Neale on their wedding day. (Wales News Service)

The court heard that Neale then attacked his wife, strangling her with his hands around her neck, making her "fear for her life".

He let go after Claire bit his finger, before he then fled the house, the court was told.

Prosecutor Anna Parry said Neale had been drinking Coors Light beer and Jack Daniel's whiskey throughout the day while watching the Wales v Ireland Six Nations rugby match before the attack.

Read more: Man who won 'life-changing' 100,000 Lamborghini prize crashed it just weeks later

Jonathan Neale's wife Claire, pictured after he strangled her when she found his text messages to other women. (Wales News Service)

"The defendant had been watching the rugby with his friends," said Ms Parry.

"He asked the victim to pick him up and she went to collect him. The defendant was found quite intoxicated and he had fallen asleep at a bus station.

"When they were home, the complainant helped undress him and put him to bed and he went to sleep.

"The victim checked his mobile phone as a result of previous affairs on his part."

The court heard Claire woke Neale and told him, We are done, and asked him to leave.

He put his two hands to her throat area and this made her feel petrified," said Ms Parry.

Jonathan Neale, left, attacked his wife, Claire, right, after he passed out from a day's drinking. (Wales News Service)

"She didnt think he was going to let go but the complainant managed to bite his finger and he loosened his grip.

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The defendant fled the house and was later arrested by the police."

Neale, of Bettws, Newport, in Wales, pleaded guilty to intentionally strangling his wife.

Lynda Rhead, defending, said: "Hes not proud of himself. The defendant has shown his remorse from the outset.

"It was clearly a horrible incident that the victim should not have gone through.

"This is somebody who is holding his head in shame."

Neale was given a 12-month suspended sentence and a two-year restraining order not to contact his wife.
CHICAGO (AP)  Chicago is holding a mayoral election Tuesday, but it will likely take weeks  and a runoff election  before a winner is declared. A look at what's happening:

TUESDAY'S ELECTION

Nine candidates are competing Tuesday for a chance to be Chicago's next mayor. That includes Mayor Lori Lightfoot, who was elected in 2019 and is seeking her second term.

To win the office outright, a candidate needs to receive more than 50% of the vote. That's unlikely with such a large field, so the race is expected to go to an April 4 runoff between the top two vote-getters.

The election is officially nonpartisan and is not considered or called a primary, though all the candidates seeking to lead the city, a Democratic stronghold, call themselves Democrats.

WHO'S RUNNING?

In addition to Lightfoot, the candidates are U.S. Rep. Jesus Chuy Garcia, former schools CEO Paul Vallas, Cook County Commissioner Brandon Johnson, businessman Willie Wilson, state Rep. Kambium Kam Buckner, activist Ja'Mal Green and City Council members Sophia King and Roderick Sawyer.

HAVE RUNOFFS BEEN HELD BEFORE?

Municipal elections became nonpartisan and the runoff system was put in place in Chicago starting in 1999. But there wasn't actually a mayoral runoff needed until 2015. That's because Mayor Richard Daley easily won reelection in 1999, 2003 and 2007, getting more than 70% of the vote.

After Daley opted not to run again, former White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel avoided a runoff in his first mayoral election in 2011. But he was forced into the city's first mayoral runoff in 2015, after failing to win a majority in the February election. Emanuel faced Garcia, whom he defeated.

In 2019, Lightfoot went to a runoff against Cook County Board Chair Toni Preckwinkle, a contest that Lightfoot won easily.

WHAT ARE THE TOP ISSUES?

Public safety has been the dominant issue in the race. Violent crime increased in Chicago, as it did in many places, during the pandemic, with the city recording 797 homicides in 2021, according to the Chicago Police Department. That was the highest number in a quarter century.

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And while homicides have since decreased, and Chicago's per capita number is lower than other Midwestern cities such as St. Louis, crimes such as robberies and carjackings are still up and incidents are happening in places where they didn't before, such as downtown.

Voters also are concerned with the increased cost of living, including property taxes, as well as affordable housing, jobs and education.

WHY IS LIGHTFOOT VULNERABLE?

Lightfoot was elected four years ago as an outsider who would curb corruption at City Hall, at a time when some elected officials were under investigation and cleaning up city government was top of mind for voters. But once in office, Lightfoot's tenure was consumed by other challenges: the COVID-19 pandemic, protests over police violence, rising crime, a Chicago Teachers Union strike and disputes with the police union over a vaccine mandate for officers.

While the number of homicides has decreased since the pandemic, the annual number is still higher than before Lightfoot took office. She says that the city has a strategy to reduce crime and that it's working; her rivals say that she isn't doing enough and that her hand-selected police superintendent should be fired.

Separate of law-and-order issues, Lightfoot has been criticized for a temperament some say is too divisive. And some progressives are angry that she didn't follow through on campaign promises, such as creating civilian oversight of police early in her administration.

Now Lightfoot, who first ran for office as a progressive, is trying to thread this needle thats in the middle," with Vallas getting support from more conservative voters and several candidates competing for voters who are more to the left, said Constance Mixon, a professor at Elmhurst University who has lived her whole life in Chicago.
Jimmy Carter's childhood home, a farm in Plains, Georgia. Ron Burton/Mirrorpix/Getty Images ; Jeffery M. Frank/Shutterstock

Some US presidents, like Jimmy Carter, grew up on farms with no electricity or running water.

Others, such as Donald Trump, grew up in mansions.

Many of their birthplaces and childhood homes are now museums or national landmarks.

George Washington grew up on Ferry Farm in Fredericksburg, Virginia.

George Washington's Ferry Farm in Fredericksburg, Virginia, in 1955. Lawrence Thornton/Archive Photos/Getty Images

The historic site features a replica of Washington's childhood home, where the family moved when he was 6 years old.

John Adams was born in 1735 in a rural cottage in Quincy, Massachusetts.

Quincy, Massachusetts. Faina Gurevich/Shutterstock

Joseph Penniman built the home now known as John Adams Birthplace in 1681, and John Adams' father purchased it in 1720.

Thomas Jefferson was born on a plantation named Shadwell, but spent most of his childhood at Tuckahoe Plantation in Virginia.

Tuckahoe Plantation. Edith D. Tunis-Sale/National Park Service/Library of Congress

Jefferson moved to Tuckahoe Plantation with his family when he was 2 years old. His education began in a one-room schoolhouse on the property that still stands today.

James Madison grew up in a plantation house called Mount Pleasant, later expanded and renamed Montpelier in Orange County, Virginia.

Montpelier in Virginia. Andriy Blokhin/Shutterstock

Growing up as the oldest son in a wealthy family, he studied math, geography, and languages with a number of tutors. Reverend Thomas Martin studied with Madison at Montpelier and helped prepare him to attend the College of New Jersey.

James Monroe was born in Westmoreland County, Virginia, in 1758.

James Monroe's childhood home. The James Monroe Memorial Foundation

Monroe lived in a 1,600-square-foot house with his parents and four siblings. The historic home no longer exists, but a replica of Monroe's childhood home opened in 2021.

William Henry Harrison was born at Berkeley Plantation in Charles City, Virginia.

Historic Berkeley Plantation in Charles City, Virginia. OJUP/Shutterstock

Berkeley Plantation was built in 1726 and is said to be the oldest three-story brick house in Virginia. William Henry Harrison's grandson Benjamin Harrison, who served as the 23rd US president, also lived on the plantation.

The original log cabin where James K. Polk lived as a child no longer exists, but the President James K. Polk Historic Site recreates the homestead.

The President James K. Polk Historic Site. North Carolina Historic Sites

The 11th president was born in 1795 on a 150-acre farm in Pineville, North Carolina. Polk lived there until he was 11 years old and his family moved to Tennessee.

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Zachary Taylor's boyhood home is located in Louisville, Kentucky.

Springfield. Kentucky Historical Society/Library of Congress

Known as Springfield, the two-and-a-half story house dates back to 1790.

Millard Fillmore, the 13th president, grew up in a log cabin in New Hope, New York.

Millard Fillmore's childhood home in New Hope, Cayuga County, New York. Hulton Archive/Getty Images

The cabin has been replaced with picnic tables and a plaque marking where it once stood.

Franklin Pierce lived in a two-story home near Hillsborough, New Hampshire, until he married his wife, Jane, in 1834.

Franklin Pierce's childhood home. Bettmann/Contributor/Getty Images

Pierce's father ran a popular tavern out of the house. It also featured a ballroom on the second floor.

Abraham Lincoln was born in a humble log cabin near Louisville, Kentucky.

Abraham Lincoln's birthplace. Everett Historical/Shutterstock

A symbolic cabin similar to the one in which Lincoln was born is enclosed in a neoclassic memorial building.

Ulysses S. Grant's boyhood home is located in Georgetown, Ohio.

Ulysses S. Grant's childhood home. ADC Bradley/Shutterstock

Grant lived there from when he was 1 year old until he left for West Point in 1839.

Grover Cleveland was born in a two-story house in Caldwell, New Jersey.

View of the house which was the birthplace of the 22nd and 24th US President Grover Cleveland (1837-1908), circa 1950. Cleveland was born here on 18 March 1837, at 207 Bloomfield Avenue in Caldwell, New Jersey, USA. Kean Collection/Getty Images

Cleveland is the only US president to serve two non-consecutive terms. He was the 22nd and 24th president.

William McKinley's original birthplace burned down in 1937, but it was recreated at the McKinley Birthplace Home and Research Center in Niles, Ohio.

William McKinley's birthplace in Niles, Ohio, as it appeared in 1902. C.H. Graves/Library of Congress/Corbis/VCG via Getty Images

There's also a replica of his home where it once stood, one block south of the McKinley Memorial and Museum in Niles.

Theodore Roosevelt grew up in a townhouse in New York City.

Teddy Roosevelt Birthplace, New York City. Joan Slatkin/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

The townhouse is now a museum located at 28 East 20th Street in Manhattan. Roosevelt lived there until he was 14 years old.

William Howard Taft's birthplace is part of the William Howard Taft National Historic Site in Cincinnati, Ohio.

The William Howard Taft National Historic Site. Tom Engberg/NPS Photo

Taft lived in this home from his birth in 1857 until he left for college in 1874.

Woodrow Wilson was born in Staunton, Virginia.

Woodrow Wilson's birthplace. Education Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

The house, located at 24 North Coalter Street in Staunton, was built in 1846.

Calvin Coolidge took the oath of office in the house where he was born and raised in Plymouth, Vermont.

The Calvin Coolidge Homestead in Plymouth, Vermont. John Greim/LightRocket via Getty Images

Coolidge became the 30th US president when Warren G. Harding died in 1923.

Herbert Hoover was born in a two-room cottage in West Branch, Iowa, in 1874.

Herbert Hoover's birthplace. IN Dancing Light/Shutterstock

Hoover lived in the cottage until he was 3 years old with his parents and two siblings.

Franklin D. Roosevelt's estate, known as Springwood, is located in Hyde Park, New York.

Franklin D. Roosevelt's birthplace and residence in Hyde Park, New York. John Greim/LightRocket via Getty Images

Roosevelt was born on the estate in 1882 and is buried there, as well.

Harry Truman was born in a 20-by-28-foot house in Lamar, Missouri, in 1884.

The birthplace of Harry Truman. Alfred Eisenstaedt/The LIFE Picture Collection via Getty Images

Truman is the only president who was born in Missouri.

Dwight D. Eisenhower was born in Denison, Texas, in 1890.

Dwight D. Eisenhower's birthplace in Denison, Texas. RaksyBH/Shutterstock

Eisenhower was born in the bedroom of a two-story house in Denison  the first US president to be born in Texas. His family then moved to Kansas when he was 18 months old.

John F. Kennedy grew up in Brookline, Massachusetts.

John F. Kennedy's birthplace and childhood home. Bettmann/Contributor/Getty Images

Kennedy was born in the master bedroom of 83 Beals Street in Brookline in 1917 and lived there for the first 10 years of his life.

Lyndon B. Johnson hired an architect to reconstruct his childhood home in Johnson City, Texas.

Lyndon B. Johnson's childhood home. Cynthia Dorminey/NPS

Johnson lived there from when he was 5 years old until he graduated high school in 1924. The home had no electricity or indoor plumbing.

Richard Nixon's birthplace and childhood home is located in Yorba Linda, California.

Richard Nixon's birthplace and childhood home. Pamela Brick/Shutterstock

Nixon's father built the one-and-a-half story house, where the future president was born in 1913. The Nixon family lived there until 1922.

Gerald Ford lived in this Grand Rapids, Michigan, home from ages 8 to 17.

The boyhood home of President Gerald R. Ford. Morry Gash/AP

Ford moved around a lot, but wrote in his memoir that he had the most vivid memories of 649 Union Street.

Jimmy Carter's family moved to a farm without indoor plumbing or electricity in Plains, Georgia, when he was 4 years old.

The Jimmy Carter Boyhood Farm. Jeffrey M. Frank/Shutterstock

Carter helped harvest and sell cotton, peanuts, sugar cane, and corn until 1941, when he left for college.

Ronald Reagan's boyhood home is located in Dixon, Illinois.

The Ronald Reagan Boyhood Home in Dixon, Illinois. David Mercer/AP

Reagan moved many times throughout his childhood, but lived in this Dixon home from 1920 to 1924.

Bill Clinton spent the first four years of his life in Hope, Arkansas, living with his mother and maternal grandparents.

Bill Clinton's childhood home in Hope, Arkansas. Danny Johnston/AP

The two-and-a-half story house dates back to 1917.

George W. Bush lived in this Midland, Texas, home from ages 5 to 9.

George W. Bush's childhood home in Midland, Texas. Evan Vucci/AP

His parents George H.W. and Barbara Bush, also a former president and first lady, bought the house in 1951.

Barack Obama's childhood home in Honolulu, Hawaii, sold for $1.8 million in 2021.

Barack Obama's childhood home. Google Maps

Obama lived in the 2,268-square-foot home from 1964 to 1967.

Donald Trump grew up in Queens, New York, and moved to this brick house when he was 4 years old.

Donald Trump's childhood home. Katie Warren/Business Insider

Trump lived in the 23-room house until he left for a military boarding school at 13 years old.

Joe Biden grew up in a three-story home on North Washington Avenue in Scranton, Pennsylvania.

Joe Biden's childhood home. ERIC BARADAT/AFP via Getty Images

He signed one of the walls in the home on Election Day, writing, "From this house to the White House with the grace of God. Joe Biden 11-3-2020."

Read the original article on Insider
WASHINGTON (AP)  A special House committee dedicated to countering China began its work Tuesday with a prime-time hearing in which the panel's chairman called on lawmakers to act with urgency and framed the competition between the U.S. and China as an existential struggle over what life will look like in the 21st century.

While some critics have expressed concern the hearings could escalate U.S.-Chinese tensions, lawmakers sought to demonstrate unity and the panel's top Democrat made clear that he doesn't want a clash of civilizations but a durable peace.

Tensions between the U.S. and China have been rising for years, with both countries enacting retaliatory tariffs on an array of imports during President Donald Trumps time in office. Chinas opaque response to the COVID-19 pandemic, its aggression toward Taiwan and the recent flight of a possible spy balloon over the U.S. have fueled lawmakers desire to do more to counter the Chinese government. The new Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party is expected to be at the center of many of their efforts over the next two years.

The committee's chairman, Rep. Mike Gallagher, R-Wis., opened the hearing with a call for action. Addressing the difficulty of finding common ground on China-focused legislation, he said the Chinese government has found friends on Wall Street and in lobbyists on Washington's K Street who are ready to oppose the committee's efforts.

Time is not on our side. Just because this Congress is divided, we cannot afford to waste the next two years lingering in legislative limbo or pandering for the press, Gallagher said. We must act with a sense of urgency.

Gallagher is looking for the committee to shepherd several bills over the finish line during the next two years and issue a set of recommendations on long-term policies. So far, Gallagher appears to have Democratic buy-in and support. The vote to create the committee was bipartisan, 365-65.

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Opponents on the Democratic side largely voiced the concern that the committee could stir an even greater rise in anti-Asian hate crimes. Gallagher said he is committed to ensuring the focus is on the Chinese Communist Party, not on the people of China.

Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Ill., the ranking Democrat on the committee, said both Republicans and Democrats have underestimated the Chinese Communist Party. He said its goal is to pursue economic and trade policies that undermine the U.S. economy.

We do not want a war with the (People's Republic of China), not a cold war, not a hot war, Krishnamoorthi said. We don't want a clash of civilizations. But we seek a durable peace and that is why we have to deter aggression.

The hearing was interrupted by two protesters, one saying, this committee is about saber rattling, its not about peace. Both were ushered out by police.

The witnesses for Tuesday's hearing included two former advisers to Trump: Matthew Pottinger, the deputy national security adviser who resigned immediately after the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol; and H.R. McMaster, who was national security adviser from February 2017 to April 2018.

McMaster and Pottinger delivered sweeping assessments of what they said was the challenge the United States was facing from China. That ranged from combatting TikToks influence on Americans online discourse and reducing Chinas dominance over supply chains to hardening Taiwan to make it impossible for Chinas military to take.

Pottinger said the main emphasis of his testimony was to open people's eyes to how the U.S. has become too complacent. Before we can seize the initiative we have to react to the fact that our national interest has been deeply undermined over the course of the last quarter century, he said.

Tong Yi, a Chinese human rights advocate, amplified human rights concerns at the hearing. She was arrested in the 1990s after serving as an interpreter to a leading dissident who had urged the U.S. to condition trade on China's human rights performance. She spent nine months in detention before being handed a two-and-half year sentence for disturbing social order" and sent to a labor camp, where she said authorities organized other inmates to beat her up.

In the U.S., we need to face the fact that we have helped feed the baby dragon of the CCP until it has grown into what it now is, she said.

Scott Paul, president of an alliance formed by some manufacturing companies and the United Steelworkers labor union, testified that "51 years of wishful thinking by American leaders" has failed to alter the dynamic that the CCP represents a clear and present danger to the American worker, our innovation base, and our national security.

The hearings come at a time of heightened rivalry and tensions between China and the United States. Both sides  the U.S. and its allies, and China  are consolidating military positions in the Indo-Pacific in case of any confrontation over self-ruled Taiwan, which China claims as its territory.

Last summer, Chinese warships and warplanes fired missiles over Taiwan in what were days of intense Chinese military exercises following then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to the U.S. ally. President Xi Jinpings government at the time rejected President Joe Bidens declarations that his administration had no control over the actions of U.S. lawmakers.

And three weeks ago, the Biden administration used a Sidewinder missile fired by an F-22 to end the journey of what the U.S. says was a giant Chinese surveillance balloon traveling across U.S. territory.

Both incidents, especially the balloon, captured American public and political attention, and put debate over how to handle China in the center of U.S. political debate.

Its another indication of the negative slide, the downward spiral, in the U.S.-China relationship, Michael Swaine, a Washington analyst of Chinese security studies, said of Gallaghers committee. The hearings will add to political pressure on Biden, who has continued to stress a desire for limited dialogue with China, to take a harder line, Swaine said.

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., said he worked with the Democratic leader, Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-NY., in forming the committee and that the U.S. failures with China are the result of not speaking with one voice.

"We need to speak with one voice Republicans and Democrats alike," McCarthy said. I think when you look at Gallagher and the work hes doing with the ranking member, were trying to go in lockstep, and I think all of America is pretty much desiring for this.

Gallagher said he suspects there are at least 10 pieces of legislation that the committee can endorse in a bipartisan fashion. Still, he said the members will be looking for support from McCarthy before backing any legislation. One of the biggest challenges is that jurisdiction over the issues involving China is spread across numerous committees and members of those committees will want a say.

I think we can play a constructive coordinating function between the committees to ensure that good ideas dont die just because of some committees cracks or they get referred to multiple committees," Gallagher said.

___

Staff writers Farnoush Amiri and Lisa Mascaro contributed to this report.
BEIJING (Reuters) - China's foreign minister Qin Gang will attend the G20 foreign ministers' meeting on March 2 in Delhi, the foreign ministry said at a regular news briefing on Tuesday.

"The G20 should focus on prominent challenges in the global economy. China stands ready to work with all parties to ensure the G20 foreign ministers' meeting sends a positive signal on multilateralism," said spokesperson Mao Ning, when responding to a question on Qin's attendance.

(Reporting by Laurie Chen; Writing by Bernard Orr; Editing by Jacqueline Wong)
Photo Illustration by Thomas Levinson/The Daily Beast

Beijing is already enraged over the latest American Congressional delegation to visit Taiwan, The Daily Beast has learned.

China sent a letter at the conclusion of a Congressional trip to Taiwan to Rep. Jake Auchincloss (D-MA) to express serious concern about the visit, which he made alongside Reps. Ro Khanna (D-CA), Tony Gonzales (R-TX), and Jonathan Jackson (D-IL).

It was reported that Congressman Jake Auchincloss recently visited Taiwan and met with Tsai Ing-wen, Lai Ching-te and other high-level officials in Taiwan, the letter, the text of which Auchincloss shared with The Daily Beast, states, referring to Tsai Ing-wen, the president of Taiwan, and Vice President Lai Ching-te. I am writing to express serious concern on behalf of the Chinese Embassy in Washington DC.

Chinas embassy in Washington, D.C. sent the letter on Friday, the same day they returned to the United States, Auchincloss office said.

The Chinese embassy did not immediately return a request for comment.

A Badly Timed Trip to China Throws Taiwan Into a Firestorm

Its not the first time Beijing has expressed displeasure at American lawmakers making trips to Taiwan at times of escalating tensions. When then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan last year, China kicked off protest military drills, bringing both Washington-Beijing and cross-strait relations to a striking low.

Beijing still appears to be smarting over Pelosis visit. It noted in its letter that Pelosis trip led to a crisis in relations between the United States and China.

The quick response to this most recent delegation visit to Taiwan comes as tensions have ratcheted up over Chinas ability and willingness to invade Taiwan and envelope the island into the fold of the mainland.

Chinese airplane incursions into Taiwans air defense identification zone doubled in just the last year. And U.S. intelligence officials have begun to warn in recent months that a potential invasion appears closer than ever before.

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According to the CIA, China is preparing to be ready to invade Taiwan by 2027. An Air Force general, Gen. Mike Minihan, head of Air Mobility Command, said just last month he predicts the United States will be at war with China even sooner, by 2025.

In its letter, Beijing hinted that American lawmakers should stay out of the Taiwan issue and raised concerns about American lawmakers meddling in Chinese affairs unnecessarily, in part because Beijing considers Taiwan to be a part of China. Taiwan views itself as maintaining its own sovereignty.

The one-China principle is part of the postwar international order and has become a general international consensus, the essence of which is that there is only one China in the world, the Taiwan region is an inalienable part of Chinas territory, the Government of the Peoples Republic of China is the sole legal government representing the whole of China, the letter states.

China will not allow Taiwan to be divided from it in whatever form, the note adds.

The Chinese Embassy insinuated that the members of Congress, in addition to those who seek to question the one-China principle, are the root cause behind increasing cross-Strait tensions in recent months.

The tension across the Taiwan Strait is escalating, and the prospects of peace across the Taiwan Strait are seriously threatened, of which the root cause is that the one-China principle has been severely undermined, the letter states.

Congress is going to continue to stand for democracy and support Taiwan, regardless of Beijings protests, Auchincloss told The Daily Beast Monday.

Theyre angry. I dont care. Were going to stand with freedom and democracy wherever it is in the world, in Ukraine, in Taiwan, and on the streets of Tehran, said Auchincloss, a member of Congress newly minted Select Committee on Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). We cant flinch just because the CCP is angry.

The purpose of the trip was both to demonstrate, at a time of heightened Chinese aggression, bipartisan support for freedom and democracy in Taiwan and to learn about potential areas for further collaboration on trade and investments, Auchincloss said.

During the trip, the members of Congress met with Taiwans Defense minister as well as lawmakers from both the ruling party, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), and the opposition Kuomintang (KMT), Auchincloss said.

How America Would Be Screwed if China Invades Taiwan

The visit seems to have exacerbated some of Beijings sensitivities to Americas interest in providing military aid to Taiwan, just as the Pentagon is working on a plan to deploy to Taiwan between 100 and 200 troops to expand a military training program with the island in an attempt to help Taiwan repel a potential invasion.

In meetings last week, the Defense Minister of Taiwan did not discuss the expansion of the program, but really emphasized the value of junior, company-grade, field-grade, officer training, as well as general officer training [it] is highly valuable, Auchincloss said of the collaboration.

Beijing has been quick to react in recent days to other visits as well. China lambasted a visit from Michael Chase, deputy assistant secretary of defense for China, just last week, noting it resolutely opposes any official interaction and military collaboration between the United States and Taiwan.

Beijing accused Taiwan of bringing China closer to conflict as well.

I would also like to point out that what Taiwan independence separatists have been doing is dragging our two countries into a conflict that no one wants to see, the letter states.

Preparing for an invasion

Despite the accusation and sharp responses from China in recent days, the tone and tenor of the conversation in Taiwanese political circles about potential conflict with China is not one of flustered alarm, according to Auchincloss.

The Taiwanese right now are not panicked. They do not think there is an imminent and actionable plan for the Chinese to invade the island, Auchincloss told The Daily Beast. They are obviously deeply focused on planning and preparing for an invasion or any of the other suite of options that might happen.

But Taiwans ruling party, the DPP, has been touchy over the policy on keeping Taiwan independent from China recently. Earlier this month, Taiwans Opposition KMT Vice Chairman, Andrew Hsia, visited mainland China to discuss relations with Beijing. During the visit, Chinese officials urged him to push for an acceptance of Chinas view of the One China principle and oppose Taiwans independence.

Taiwans ruling party responded by urging the KMT to avoid showing loyalty to China at a time of high tensions.

In previous years, KMT has approved the One China 1992 principle, in a divergence from DPPs perspective. In advance of the 2024 elections, KMT may be trying to paint itself as the party of stability when it comes to relations with Beijing.

Both parties, though, appear to be interested in vying for the middle of the roadand maintaining independencewithout touching off a war with China, Auchincloss said.

Both of them are talking to the median voter The median voter is basically saying I dont want a war they dont want to be part of mainland China. They dont want a war, Auchincloss said.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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Officials in Beijing have called out their U.S. counterparts for imposing bans on the Chinese-owned social media platform TikTok within their government due to security concerns.

During a press briefing on Tuesday, Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Mao Ning said that the latest TikTok ban shows how the U.S. has been abusing its state power to suppress foreign companies. Ning added that the U.S. needs to respect the principles of market economy and fair competition.

The White House issued a 30-day notice for government agencies to delete the social media platform from their official devices, with the Office of Management and Budget calling the guidance a critical step forward in addressing the risks presented by the app to sensitive government data.

How unsure of itself can the worlds top superpower be to fear a young peoples favorite app like that? The US has been over-stretching the concept of national security and abusing state power to suppress foreign companies, Mao said during the press briefing. We firmly oppose those wrong actions.

The US government should respect the principles of market economy and fair competition, stop suppressing the companies and provide an open, fair and non-discriminatory environment for foreign companies in the US, she added.

Maos remarks come as the House Foreign Affairs Committee is set to debate on Tuesday a proposed bill introduced by House Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas), that will allow President Biden to ban TikTok.

Multiple state governments and Congress in recent months have implemented TikTok bans on government devices, citing national security concerns due to its Chinese owner ByteDance.

Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) and Rep. Ken Buck (R-Colo.) introduced legislation earlier this month that will prohibit the downloading of TikTok nationally.

U.S. officials have had a rocky relationship with TikTok over the past year, including former President Trumps failed attempt to implement a ban on the social media platform in 2020.

TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew said in an interview with the Washington Post earlier this month that tougher conversations are needed on the future of the platform in the U.S., adding that he hopes that lawmakers will come around with their viewpoints on his platform.

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

BEIJING (Reuters) -Chinese President Xi Jinping envisages "intensive" and "wide-ranging" re-organisation of state and Communist Party entities, with part of the plan to be presented to the annual meeting of parliament, state media said on Tuesday.

The renewed call for ambitious institutional reforms follows Xi's clinching of a precedent-breaking third leadership term during a major party congress in October last year, where he sealed his place as China's most powerful ruler since Mao Zedong.

The meeting of the largely rubber-stamp parliament opens at the Great Hall of the People in the heart of Beijing on Sunday, where Xi is widely expected to secure his third five-year term as president.

The call for institutional reforms also comes after China's economy grew 3% last year - one of its feeblest rates in nearly half a century - weakened by strict COVID curbs championed by Xi which were lifted in December.

During a major three-day meeting of the party's Central Committee that ended on Tuesday, Xi said part of the reform plan pertaining to state institutions would be presented before parliament, the official Xinhua news agency said.

At the October congress, the party made clear that reforms of institutions were needed, including reforms to the financial system, Xi said.

The overall reform plan will be "targeted, intensive and wide-ranging, touching on deep-rooted interests", Xi was quoted as saying in a speech before the Central Committee.

He did not say when the reform plans for party entities would be presented for deliberation. And Xinhua did not give details of the changes.

'REJUVENATION'

China's "rejuvenation" must be guided by Xi and the Central Committee as national governance is "modernised", the Central Committee said in a communique but it offered no details.

"It is necessary to fully, accurately and comprehensively implement a new development concept," the committee, the largest of the party's top decision-making bodies, said.

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The Central Committee also approved a proposed list of leadership candidates to be recommended at parliament.

Lawmakers are expected to endorse the next line-up of top government posts in the Cabinet to be headed by a new premier for the next five years.

The new Cabinet will be immediately put to the test as the economy, while showing signs of recovery, remains on a shaky footing amid feeble consumer demand and a moribund property sector.

China's development still faces triple pressures including a demand contraction, supply shocks and weakened expectations, the Central Committee said in its communique.

Last year, China's urban employment fell for the first time in six decades last year while per capita spending saw a rare decline.

Xinhua on Sunday praised Xi's attention to the masses and their livelihoods.

"The leader of the people does not fail the people, and hundreds of millions of people love their leader!" the news agency declared in an article.

(Reporting by Ryan Woo and Beijing Newsroom; Editing by Andrew Heavens and Nick Macfie)
Chinese military officials denounced the United States in a public statement this week, after a patrol and reconnaissance aircraft operated by the U.S. Navy flew over the Taiwan Strait on Monday.

The aircraft, a Boeing P-8A Poseidon spy jet developed for maritime surveillance, search and rescue missions and antisubmarine warfare, flew over the waterway in international airspace, the U.S. 7th Fleet said in a statement.

However, Chinese authorities claimed the warplane "deliberately disrupted the regional situation and jeopardized the peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait," in remarks published on the government website affiliated with the People's Liberation Army.

/ Credit: U.S. 7th Fleet / Facebook

Tensions over the Taiwan Strait, a waterway measuring about 110 miles wide that separates Taiwan from continental Asia, have intermittently sprung up between the U.S. and China for years. Beijing has and continues to closely surveil the island, which is technically called the Republic of China and which the Chinese Communist Party has claimed, even though Taiwan functions as an independent and democratically ruled nation.

Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense reported 14 PLA aircraft and three naval vessels in the area surrounding the island early on Tuesday morning. The defense ministry said that Taiwan's Armed Forces "have monitored the situation" and dispatched aircraft, naval vessels and land-based missile systems "to respond to these activities."

Four of the PLA aircraft had crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait, which was historically marked and used to designate a separation between PRC and Taiwanese waters, on Tuesday morning, according to the defense ministry.

Condemning the U.S. warplane's presence over the Taiwan Strait and alleging that the U.S. "hyped this publicly," the Chinese military also released a statement that it attributed to Army Senior Colonel Shi Yi, spokesperson for the Chinese PLA Eastern Theater Command, in response to the Poseidon.

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Army Senior Colonel Shi Yi, spokesperson for the Chinese PLA Eastern Theater Command said in a statement released by the military that "the PLA Eastern Theater Command had organized troops to track and monitor the US aircraft in the whole course, and had everything under control." According to the military's statement, "the troops of the PLA Eastern Theater Command remain on high alert at all times to resolutely safeguard China's national sovereignty and territorial integrity."

/ Credit: U.S. 7th Fleet / Facebook

The U.S. Navy's 7th Fleet said in its own statement about Monday's flight over the Taiwan Strait that the lawful transit "demonstrates the United States' commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific."

"The United States will continue to fly, sail, and operate anywhere international law allows including within the Taiwan Strait," the Navy stated. "By operating within the Taiwan Strait in accordance with international law, the United States upholds the navigational rights and freedoms of all nations."

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Even as the Chinese spy balloon floated across the U.S., China-linked hackers were gathering far more information by breaking into computer networks in America and around the world, according to a new report by a leading cybersecurity firm.

CrowdStrike says in its annual global threat report that it observed China-linked cyberespionage groups targeting 39 industries on nearly every continent. About a quarter of the hacking was aimed at North America, while most of it targeted Chinas Asian neighbors, the report found. The techniques China used have become increasingly sophisticated as cybersecurity has improved, the report found.

Theyre endemic at this point  they're everywhere, said Adam Meyers, CrowdStrikes head of intelligence.

The Guard of Honor of the Chinese People's Liberation Army performs a flag-raising ceremony at the Tian'anmen Square on Jan. 1, 2023 in Beijing, (VCG via Getty Images)

U.S. officials say China, like the U.S., hacks into the networks of its adversaries to gather intelligence. But they say China also hacks private corporations to steal intellectual property, which the U.S. says it does not do.

China consistently denies that, while a top American intelligence official once called Chinese hacking of Western companies the greatest transfer of wealth in history.

Hacking remains the chief Chinese espionage activity, said James Lewis, a cybersecurity expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Hacking is where they make their money  the balloon doesnt even register.

A high altitude balloon floats over Billings, Mont., on Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2023. The U.S. is tracking a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon that has been spotted over U.S. airspace for a couple days, but the Pentagon decided not to shoot it down due to risks of harm for people on the ground, officials said Thursday, Feb. 2, 2023. The Pentagon would not confirm that the balloon in the photo was the surveillance balloon. (Larry Mayer/The Billings Gazette via AP) (Larry Mayer / The Billings Gazette via AP)

In 2015, President Barrack Obama negotiated an understanding with the Chinese government that led to a temporary reduction in Chinese hacking of U.S. companies, but it did not last, Lewis and other experts say.

Meyers said he believes Chinese President Xi Jinping signed the agreement because the Peoples Liberation Army was reorganizing its cyber forces and he knew Chinese hacking would be temporarily reduced anyway. China denies it hacks to steal trade secrets.

Chinese hacking has been building back up ever since 2017, Meyers said.

Chinese hackers have upped their game significantly, he added.

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What once were mostly smash and grab operations have morphed into sophisticated campaigns to steal credentials and slip quietly into networks.

More than two-thirds of intrusions CrowdStrike documented last year were malware free, the report found, meaning attackers entered networks using legitimate credentials, such as passwords. They are usually obtained by persuading users to click on links or open emails that steal passwords.

FBI Director Christopher Wray told the House Homeland Security Committee in November that China's hacking program is the "world's largest."

"They have stolen more Americans personal and business data than every other nation combined," Wray added.

The CrowdStrike report also documented a significant uptick in destructive Russian cyberattacks aimed at Ukraine as the war there has unfolded. But it said there were no significant spillover effects into networks beyond Ukraine.

And the report says cybercriminals, including ransomware gangs, continue to operate at a phenomenal rate."

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
By Stella Qiu and Byron Kaye

SYDNEY (Reuters) - For Zoey Zhang, a student from China who is heading to a top Australian university, finding accommodation Down Under has been tough - so much so that she has even considered sleeping "rough on the streets".

Like Zhang, around 700,000 students from China enrolled to study overseas have been left in the lurch after a surprise January edict by Beijing said they would have to return to on-campus learning for their education to be recognised back home.

This has triggered a rush for accommodation even as housing markets worldwide grapple with surging rents. But the crisis is more acute in Australia because its academic year starts in February, not September as in North America and Europe.

Zhang said she "went into panic mode" as the rule change, after three years of COVID-19 border closures, meant she and about 40,000 other Chinese students also heading to Australia would all be looking for a place to stay.

"I knew that finding a rental in Australia won't be easy, but I didn't expect it to be this difficult. Some are subletting their living rooms or balconies. I don't think I can do that," Zhang, 25, said via telephone from her home in the eastern Chinese province of Shandong.

"I have been looking for a room for about a month now and I have given up," added Zhang, who has enrolled for a masters degree in marketing at the University of New South Wales. "If I get desperate, I could even sleep rough on the streets, like under some bridge, or outside the Chinese consulate."

The University of New South Wales, which welcomed a quarter of its students from China until 2020, said its on-campus accommodation was full and it was refurbishing university apartments to rent to foreign students.

A spokesperson for Sydney University, also with a fourth of its students coming from China, said its 2,400 dormitory beds near campus were taken and that it had booked another 700 with third-party providers and negotiated discounts with hotels to accommodate the influx.

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Analysts say even those planning to defer a semester may struggle to find a bed since many construction projects for foreign students stalled during the pandemic and it takes at least four years to complete one.

Conal Newland, national head of Operational Capital Markets at Savills Australia, said the property agency was seeing unprecedented demand. "It's a perfect storm."

'BIG RUSH'

The shortage has meanwhile jumpstarted one of the few subsets of Australian residential property, the student accommodation sector, that languished during COVID.

Before 2020, Chinese students accounted for about 40% of the A$40 billion ($27 billion) Australia made educating foreigners annually. That shrank amid COVID-related border restrictions to less than a quarter of the market, which itself halved, hurt also by worsening diplomatic relations.

But China's reopening has raised the issue about the availability of beds in a "welcome sign" for investors, said Brad Williams, managing director of AMP Capital's diversified infrastructure trust, Australia's third-largest owner of purpose-built student accommodation.

Tomas Johnsson, CEO of UniLodge Australia, the country's biggest operator of purpose-built student accommodation, said some developers were even paying more to speed up construction.

Highlighting the rush for accommodation, Louis Liu, 22, a Chinese student in Brisbane, and others have started attending property viewings on behalf of students on the mainland. Liu said she films two viewings per day, for up to A$40 a piece.

In the broader property market, where most foreign students stay, rents are forecast to jump 11.5% in 2023, Westpac Banking Corp economists say, the fastest ever two-year increase. They rose about 10% last year.

Sydney real estate agent Joe Du said he rented a one-bedroom apartment to the mother of a Chinese student for A$1,050 per week, about 40% more than the next most expensive one-bedroom apartment in the neighbourhood. Public records show the unit rented for A$540 in 2022.

"We told her there was no need to bid this high, but she is genuinely concerned that her kid might not have a place to stay," said Du. "She was in a big rush."

($1 = 1.4863 Australian dollars)

(Reporting by Stella Qiu and Byron Kaye in Sydney; Editing by Himani Sarkar)
HONG KONG (Reuters) - A member of China's top political advisory body said she would propose allowing unmarried women to access egg freezing as a measure to preserve their fertility after the country's population fell last year for the first time in six decades.

Lu Weiying, a member of China's top political advisory body, told the state backed Global Times that she would also propose including infertility treatments in the public health insurance system at the upcoming Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), which kicks off on March 4.

Lu, a fertility doctor in China's southern Hainan province, said giving single women access to freezing their eggs enables them "to preserve the eggs before they pass their peak reproductive years. The woman still needs to get married if she wants to use her frozen eggs and get pregnant in the future," she told the Global Times.

Currently fertility treatments such as in vitro fertilisation (IVF) and egg freezing in China are banned for unmarried women.

Lu's recommendations come as authorities try to bolster a faltering birth rate with incentives including expanding maternity leave, financial and tax benefits for having children as well as housing subsidies.

Last year, China recorded its lowest ever birth rate, of 6.77 births per 1,000 people.

Some provinces have already made changes to their rules to boost birth rates. Jilin in northeastern China, which has one of the lowest birth rates in the country, modified its rules in 2002 to permit single women to access IVF but it has had little impact with the practise still banned nationally under the country's National Health Commission.

While nine of the 10 most populous nations in the world are experiencing declines in fertility, China's 2022 fertility rate of 1.18 was the lowest and well below the 2.1 OECD standard for a stable population. China has yet to officially release its fertility data for 2022.

Much of China's demographic downturn is the result of China's one-child policy imposed between 1980 and 2015 as well as the high cost of education.

(Reporting by Farah Master; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore)
Ahead of the 2015 Canadian elections, the Chinese Community Party (CCP) reportedly considered targeting Justin Trudeau, then the Liberal Partys national leader, to be the recipient of a million-dollar donation via the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation, named after his father and former prime minister.

Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) sources told the Globe & Mail, on condition of anonymity, that a commercial attache at a Chinese consulate in Canada instructed Zhang Bin, a billionaire political adviser to the CCP, to transfer $1 million to the Trudeau Foundation.

According to the conversation captured by CSIS, the Chinese government further added that it would reimburse Zhang for the political donation.

On the heels of the 2015 federal election, which eventually delivered Justin Trudeau and the Liberals to power in October, the following year the prime minister attended a party fundraiser in Toronto hosted by the Chinese Business Chamber of Commerce which Zhang attended.

Shortly after the fundraiser, Zhang and Niu Genssheng, a wealthy Chinese business leader turned philanthropist, made a joint $1 million donation to honour the memory and leadership of former prime minister Pierre Eliott Trudeau.

According to the Globe & Mail report, twenty percent of the contribution was earmarked for academic fellowships and scholarships, with the remaining bulk set aside for the University of Montreals law school that included grants for college students to visit China.

However, the prime minister dismissed any nefarious connections between Zhangs contribution to the Trudeau foundation in a statement on Monday.

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Following his election as Leader of the Liberal Party, the Prime Minister withdrew his involvement in the affairs of the foundation for the duration of his involvement in federal politics, Press Secretary Ann-Clara Vaillancourt noted.

The revelations come on the heels of investigative reporting by Globe & Mail last week which revealed that the CCP meddled in Canadas 2021 federal elections with the aim of re-electing Justin Trudeau. Among the strategies the CCP deployed ahead of the vote included recruiting local businesses to hire international students for election campaigning and making undeclared political contributions.

Most important, the intelligence reports show that Beijing was determined that the Conservatives did not win. China employed disinformation campaigns and proxies connected to Chinese-Canadian organizations in Vancouver and the GTA [Greater Toronto Area], which have large mainland Chinese immigrant communities, to voice opposition to the Conservatives and favour the Trudeau Liberals, journalists Robert Fife and Steven Chase wrote.

Foreign government actors sought to disseminate strong political messaging through Chinese-language media including statements such as: The Liberal Party of Canada is becoming the only party that the PRC [Peoples Republic of China] can support.

Another Canadian news outlet recently unearthed that Prime Minister Trudeau turned a blind eye to intelligence reports that Han Dong, a Liberal member of parliament (MP) was likely involved in a Chinese foreign interference network. Han succeeded the incumbent, MP Geng Tan, who reportedly had disappointed the Chinese consulate in Toronto.

Former Trudeau allies are now calling on the prime minister to appoint a public inquiry to investigate the matter in a non-partisan way.

The radical changes in geopolitics and technological advancements of the past several years mean were in a different, more dangerous world where many foreign actors have an interest in harming democratic institutions and the capacity to do it, Trudeaus former principal secretary told the Globe & Mail on Sunday.

Still, the prime ministers associates are seeking to draw American parallels to discount the recent controversy. This is the same Trump-type tactics to question election results moving forward, Jennifer OConnell, the parliamentary secretary to the minister of intergovernmental affairs, stated.

On Tuesday, the Chinese social-media application, TikTok, was banned from all Canadian federal employees devices.

More from National Review
After months of controversy and protest over Atlantas public safety training center, including an incident involving a Molotov cocktail, Mayor Andre Dickens announced his plans to create a task force to figure out how to best use the land.

Channel 2 Action News learned a lot of the land will be used to train police and firefighters, but the task force will look at how to use the green space.

[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]

The mayors team told Channel 2 Action News the task force will be loaded with experts who will get ideas from neighbors.

If people have ideas, they will be able to go to this task force and say I have thoughts about what a good park would look like in this area, Bryan Thomas with the City of Atlanta said.

RELATED STORIES:

According to the mayors office, the task force is supposed to be set up in April 2023.

In early February, police, GBI agents, construction crews and more were seen making their way into the proposed site of an Atlanta police training facility in DeKalb County.

Channel 2 Action News crews were on the scene when SWAT teams, as well as police from Atlanta and DeKalb County game wardens were at the facility site.

Construction crews were also on the scene moving their equipment into the area.

In January, a Georgia State Patrol trooper was shot by one of the protesters, Manuel Teran, while authorities were removing protesters who had been living in the forest. Teran was killed by return fire.

Fellow protesters have continually claimed since Terans death that they are peaceful.

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Days after Terans death, a peaceful protest in the streets of downtown Atlanta turned violent when a police car was set on fire and windows to businesses were smashed.

Since December, 13 people have been arrested and charged with domestic terrorism related to the training facility.

The proposed facility would take up an 85-acre plot off Key Road in the largest urban forest in metro Atlanta.

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IN OTHER NEWS:
PATERSON  Almost 20 uniformed police officers patrolled the streets around Eastside High School on Monday afternoon on the first day of classes after a 14-year-old student was fatally stabbed at dismissal on Feb. 17.

After what happened, it makes me feel safer, said Juan Martinez, 17, a junior at Eastside.

If they werent here, who knows what would happen? said another junior, Mathew Gonzalez.

Paterson schools were on winter break last week, and officials provided counseling for any students struggling with their classmates death.

Despite the heightened police presence, a burst of gunshots erupted on Market Street at about 2:20 p.m. on Monday, less than a block from the high school, as students started heading home.

Paterson police officers patrol along Park avenue as students from Eastside High School walk home on Monday, Feb. 27, 2023. A student was fatally stabbed during dismissal on Feb. 17.

Police said no one was hit by the gunfire. Investigators found casings from more than a dozen bullets scattered in the street. Authorities said it appeared that someone in a moving vehicle fired the shots and fled. Authorities said there was no indication the shooting was connected to the stabbing 10 days earlier.

The Passaic County Prosecutors Office has not made public the name of the stabbing victim. Authorities also have not identified the 15-year-old student from Alonzo Moody alternative high school who was arrested and charged with murder in the incident. The two students had been involved in a fight that law enforcement officials said may have involved a dispute over stolen sneakers.

When people fight after school, thats normal, said a 17-year-old senior who declined to give her name to a reporter. But its not normal when a freshman gets killed like that. Its getting out of control out here.

Subscriber exclusive:Were stolen sneakers behind killing of 14-year-old Paterson student?

The extra officers assigned to Eastside on Monday were redeployed from other duties, police officials said.

I hope its not just a show, said Councilman Luis Velez, who represents the 5th Ward, where Eastside is located. They have to keep doing this.

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Eileen Shafer, superintendent of Paterson schools, speaks to reporters outside of Eastside High School on the first day of increased police presence on Monday, Feb. 27, 2023. A student was fatally stabbed during school dismissal on Feb. 17.

Schools Superintendent Eileen Shafer said the extra security measures would remain in place as long as necessary. Shafer was among a group of public officials who gathered on Park Avenue, near the scene of the stabbing.

We have to get the kids used to keep moving along, Shafer said, that theres no hanging out.

The Eastside stabbing took place about two months after authorities seized three guns at Patersons John F. Kennedy High School. After that incident, the district began requiring all students entering Eastside and Kennedy to pass through metal detectors on their way into school.

Mondays shooting happened on the street outside the former Paterson Armory, where developer Charles Florio is building a 138-unit housing complex.

What the hell is going on? asked Florio. A kid gets stabbed and now theres gunshots? Its a shame.

Joe Malinconico is editor of Paterson Press.

Email: editor@patersonpress.com

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Paterson NJ police patrol outside Eastside HS after stabbing
Clayton County police said they are currently experiencing an increase in entering autos and stolen vehicles.

The suspects are targeting all Kia and Hyundai models, opening doors to check if they are unlocked, according to police.

In some cases, the suspects are damaging the car first before breaking in, especially if they notice any valuables inside the vehicles.

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Police said they have made multiple arrests, but they are dealing with multiple groups.

During interviews, suspects have admitted to using the stolen vehicles to go and commit other crimes. They admitted to breaking into vehicles looking specifically for guns but will take whatever is valuable inside.

RELATED STORIES:

Channel 2 Action News has covered the Kia Boyz viral trend in the past extensively. The trend has led to car thefts across the country and specifically in Metro Atlanta.

Channel 2 spoke to an East Point woman who filed a class action lawsuit against Kia and Hyundai claiming their vehicles contain a defect that makes them prime targets for theft.

Because vehicles manufactured and sold by Kia and Hyundai suffer from a defect, thieves only need to gain access to a vehicle, and once inside, strip the ignition column and insert a screwdriver, knife, or even a USB cord to start the vehicle, the lawsuit says. Despite the rise in vehicle thefts, Kia and Hyundai have not issued a recall or offered to install vehicle immobilizers in the affected vehicles.

In response to these thefts back in Nov. 2022, Hyundai told Channel 2 that it developed a software update to further secure these targeted vehicles with the intention of having that in its new vehicles early this year.

While Kia said it was developing and testing software updates to make these targeted cars more secure.

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A Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department official on Tuesday said the department was closing in on our last option for a Tacoma tuberculosis patient refusing treatment and isolating at home. That option would be jail.

Nigel Turner is division director of Communicable Disease Control for TPCHD. In an update published by TPCHD, Turner wrote, We have worked with family and community members for more than a year to do everything we can to persuade this woman to take her medication to protect herself and our community.

He added, After 15 court hearings, we are closing in on our last option.

Turner wrote the department is constantly balancing risk to the public and the civil liberties of the patient. We are always hopeful a patient will choose to comply voluntarily. Seeking to enforce a court order through a civil arrest warrant is always our last resort.

He added that this is a rare instance where the patient has refused to take the life-saving medication she needs or remain in isolation.

The health department first notified the public of the case at the end of January. In that announcement, it said the department was monitoring a patient who had refused medication, without any details of how long.

On Feb. 3, The News Tribune cited court proceedings dating back to January 2022. Turner told The News Tribune that the department had to balance the protection of personal health information with protecting the community as well.

He added the department would make sure no stone is unturned in persuading the woman to comply.

On Feb. 24, Pierce County Superior Court Judge Philip Sorensen issued an order of contempt and authorized arrest of the woman for continuing noncompliance.

A hearing Thursday, March 2, will further determine compliance and if the arrest warrant will be served anytime on or after Friday, March 3.

Turner on Tuesday wrote, If the woman complies before March 3, we may ask the court to lift the arrest warrant.

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Otherwise, he noted, the arrest warrant calls for the woman to be taken to a specially designated facility at the Pierce County Jail for isolation, testing and treatment.

The order calls for involuntary detention of the woman, for a period not to exceed 45 days to undergo testing and treatment for active tuberculosis and to continue such treatment until medical tests conclusively establish that she no longer presents a threat to the public health, safety, and welfare, whereupon respondent shall immediately be released from detention.

Sarah Tofflemire, the lawyer representing the patient, has not responded to requests for comment in the case, noting previously to The News Tribune that it was both a confidential case and an ongoing matter.

Separately, The News Tribune has filed a records request with the department to determine how much TPCHD has spent on legal fees in the case.

On Monday, The News Tribune was notified by the department via email that release of those records has been delayed. The department cited a need for additional time to respond due to legal review or the invoice for possible attorney-client privilege.
A murder suspect who removed his monitoring device and was on the run since February has been denied bond.

Willie James Jr. is accused of shooting and killing Matthew Gibbons in 2018 in west Charlotte. James was ordered to wear a monitoring device in June of that year as a condition of his pre-trial release. Police said James cut his device off early on Feb. 28 and was set to go on trial for murder.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department officers found James on Monday and took him back into custody. It is unclear where James was found.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Arrest made after man found shot to death in west Charlotte yard

On Tuesday, James appeared in court. He was given no bond on the murder charge and was charged with two new misdemeanors for cutting off the monitor and injury to personal property.

James received a $50,000 bond for the misdemeanors and was given an August court date for them.

A court date for the murder charge has not yet been set.

PAST COVERAGE:

James was wanted on charges related to first-degree murder, robbery with a dangerous weapon, possession of a firearm by felon, interfering with an electronic monitoring device, and injury to property.

That program needs to be revamped

There was a hearing set for Wednesday morning, but there was still no word on where James was at. CMPDs Violent Criminal Apprehension Team is looking for him, but many in the community are questioning how a felon facing murder charges could be out on an electronic monitor to begin with.

No one knows where he is, no one knows how long it will take to get him back in front of a court room, back in front of a judge, back in front of a jury, said Lucille Puckett, whose son was killed while the suspect was on an electronic monitor.

Puckett has been a critic of the electronic monitor system for a long time. She thinks the system needs to change.

While Gibbons was killed in 2018, Mecklenburg County stopped giving murder suspects electronic monitors in 2019. But CMPD tells us three homicide suspects are still being monitored.

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That program needs to be totally revamped, even for those who were grandfathered in, Puckett said. If they committed a violent crime, they need to be in jail until their court date.

James has an extensive criminal history beyond the charges hes currently wanted for. He was convicted of child abuse and failure to store a firearm from a minor in 2016, breaking and entering in 2015, and conspiracy to commit robbery with a dangerous weapon in 2014.

Channel 9 also found that last year, James violated probation from Robeson County. Yet, he was still allowed to be out of jail while awaiting trial for murder.

Puckett says James could be anywhere, and she worries for the safety of the entire community.

I am praying and hoping they catch him before he takes someone elses life, she said.

The district attorneys office said its not commenting on a pending case, but added that a new trial date would be set when James is in custody again.

If you any information on the whereabouts of James Jr., you are asked to call 704-432-8888.

(WATCH BELOW: Murdaugh Trial, Day 11: Alex Murdaugh murder jury to hear financial crimes evidence)
BANGKOK (AP)  Thai and U.S. officials officially opened annual Cobra Gold multinational military exercises on Tuesday, now restored to one of the worlds largest following three years of sharp pandemic cutbacks, reinforcing the security alliances of the United States and six Asian nations.

Singapore, Japan, Indonesia, South Korea and Malaysia are full participants in the two-week planning and field exercises, which are co-hosted by the Royal Thai Armed Forces and the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command.

More than 3,800 U.S. troops and 3,000 Thai personnel will participate. But this year's full-scale return comes as relations between the co-hosts have come under long-term strain. Thailand is a traditional ally of the United States but has built increasingly closer security ties with China. There has also been resentment in the Thai military and government over U.S. criticism of military coups that ousted elected governments in 2006 and 2014.

Twenty-three other countries are joining as exercise partners or observers for a total of 7,394 personnel participating in a variety of security and humanitarian drills.

Today, Cobra Gold is an exercise focused on the future. It brings together 30 countries from around the world to solve complex challenges that no single country can solve alone, U.S Ambassador to Thailand Robert F. Godec said at the opening ceremony at a Thai navy base in the eastern province of Rayong. Only through cooperation can we rise to these challenges and keep our people safe.

Cobra Gold began as a joint Thai-U.S. maritime exercise in 1982 and has evolved into a much larger operation. It consists of three parts  field training, a command post staff exercise, and disaster relief and humanitarian exercises.

For the first time this year, the command post exercise will include training on possible space disasters to "foster understanding of the impacts of aerial phenomenon, such as solar storms, on military operations, communication systems, and satellites, which in turn will help the staff to prepare for these phenomena, organizers said.

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The humanitarian exercises include the construction of school buildings at six sites, a tabletop exercise to practice coordination in case of natural disasters, and live search and rescue, emergency response, medical evacuation, chemical leak, and firefighting drills.

Field training will consist of an amphibious exercise, a strategic airborne operation, noncombatant evacuation, and a combined arms live-fire exercise.

Cobra Gold strengthens our ability to plan and conduct combined joint high-end security peacekeeping operations across all domains, Adm. John Aquilino, commander of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, said at the opening ceremony. Through Cobra Gold we demonstrate our resolve to respond together to preserve a free and open Indo-Pacific so that all nations can maintain peace, stability and prosperity.

China, India and Australia are taking part in the humanitarian assistance exercise. Bangladesh, Canada, France, Mongolia, Nepal, New Zealand, the Philippines, Fiji, the United Kingdom and Brunei will take part in planning and executing multinational operations in response to small-scale contingencies other than war.

Observers are attending from Cambodia, Laos, Brazil, Pakistan, Vietnam, Germany, Sweden, Greece, Kuwait, and Sri Lanka.
Dilbar Bek Courtesy Dilbar Bek

A college student who was living in Turkey when the devastating earthquake struck remembered the disaster as pure chaos.

It's been three weeks since two massive earthquakes struck Turkey and Syria, and the people living in the region are continuing to face deadly and destructive aftershocks. In Turkey alone, more than 44,000 people have been reported dead as of Monday, according to the country's disaster management agency. Dilbar Bek, who is now back in the US and still processing what she lived through, told BuzzFeed News she hopes the rest of the world doesn't move on just yet.

I mean, there's people who still haven't been found under the rubble, and people [were] found alive 10 days after. I think we should be talking about this as much as we can, spreading awareness as much as we can because the donations are really helping and making a big difference, Bek said.

Bek moved from the US to Turkey in June 2022 to take care of her grandmother living in the city of Adana. Bek continued to take classes online via a North Carolina community college while also teaching English in Adana, a job she said was one of the best experiences shes ever had.

I really wanted to go see how life is over there. I feel really connected to the culture in Turkey, and I love the people, Bek said.

Adana before the earthquake Courtesy of Dilbar Bek

She was enjoying teaching kids and the chance to fully immerse herself within her culture until on Feb. 10, when the earthquakes struck. She was in her grandmothers apartment on the 10th floor doing homework with her grandmother and aunt in the next room when she felt the first earthquake.

They got out of the building but had nowhere to go, and a neighbor helped by letting them stay in their car until morning.

The next day, thinking it was safe, Bek and her family members returned home. Shortly after, the second and more violent earthquake struck.

I mean, my bed was literally being thrown. My bed was broken. I was in bed. I was just holding on. My bed snapped in half, my dresser fell. All I heard was things going on the floor. My aunt was on the floor. My grandmother was holding onto the couch, and the apartment was literally going back and forth, Bek said.

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Outside, she watched as her neighborhood crumbled apart.

I looked outside and across the street from me, our neighboring apartment completely fell down. All I saw was dust and I was like, this is really serious, we need to get out of here, she said.

On her way to a hotel, she witnessed the destruction the earthquake had left behind, hearing her neighbors cry out for help and watching people being pulled from the rubble. The experience was traumatizing, she said.

Views from outside Dilbar Bek's apartment after the second earthquake struck Adana Courtesy of Dilbar Bek

There's people screaming, I can't find my child, there's people trying to go back up into the apartment to get their other family members or their pets, their cats or their dogs, birds, anything, Bek said. So, those moments have just been replaying in my head. I wonder if that person found their child. I wonder if that person found their family member.

According to the Associated Press, 185,000 buildings in Turkey have collapsed, destroying the homes of 1.25 million people. For more than a week after the earthquakes, search and rescue teams continue to find people trapped and alive beneath the rubble. Turkish officials announced on Feb. 18 they had concluded search and rescue operations in many provinces.

The days that followed were mentally draining for Bek. She survived a disaster but is grieving the loss of many, including one of her students, who was only 16.

I was having moments where I was completely unfocused and just staring or not being able to sleep at all or waking up several times during the night when I did sleep, she said.

After six months of living in Adana, Bek decided to return to the US. She took a 15-hour bus ride to Istanbul, where she boarded a plane to New York. Shes now staying with another aunt, who is working with the Turkistanian American Association to send relief to those in Turkey impacted by the earthquake. Bek said her grandmother and aunt remained in the country, but they have gone to a safer area.

Even though shes still grieving, Bek said shes found a new appreciation for the life shes living.

I feel really lucky that I've made it out of this situation healthy and alive, she said. I'm really grateful. I'm looking at life a lot differently now.

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(Bloomberg) -- Colombian assets sank Tuesday after President Gustavo Petro spooked investors with his first cabinet shakeup since taking office eight months ago.

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The peso plunged 2% to 4,857 per dollar, the biggest loser among emerging-market currencies. The nations dollar bonds underperformed peers, while the yield on peso-denominated notes maturing in 2034 rose 13 basis points to 13.2% and the cost of insuring against default spiked.

The sell off was spurred by Petros announcement Monday evening that three of his ministers had departed, stoking fears that the leftist president may be planning more changes as he pushes radical reforms. The highest profile minister to leave in the shake up, Education Minister Alejandro Gaviria, had been openly critical of the leftist presidents health care bill, which seeks to slash the role of private insurance companies.

Gaviria has been one of the most vocal critics of the health care reform and considered a technocrat in the cabinet, Citigroup Inc. strategists including Dirk Willer and Esteban Tamayo wrote in a note Tuesday. His ousting can be read as a shift to the left for Petro.

Petro has repeatedly stirred concerns on Wall Street since taking office in August. He sparked a rout earlier this month when he introduced the health reform, vowed to scale back the role of pension fund managers and signed a decree that will allow him to cut energy tariffs.

Dollar bonds handed investors losses of 3.2% for the month, compared to declines of 2.1% across an index of emerging-market government debt. The peso and local government bonds are the worst performers in the region in February, and five-year credit-default swaps soared, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

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Sports Minister Maria Isabel Urrutia and Culture Minister Patricia Ariza also left. Aurora Vergara was named education minister and Astrid Rodriguez will take over as sports minister. Ignacio Zorro will be the new culture minister.

The government likely managed to prevent a larger selloff Tuesday by issuing a reassurance that Finance Minister Jose Antonio Ocampo has no plans to leave, said Munir Jalil, Andean economist at BTG Pactual.

Over the medium term, Gavirias exit could block some congressional support which would make it harder for Petro to pass his transformative reforms, according to the Citigroup strategists.

(Updates with context throughout)

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Two armed robbery suspects are in custody after Columbus police say the suspects crashed a stolen vehicle into a police cruiser Tuesday morning  injuring the officer  during a pursuit with Franklin County Sheriff's deputies on the Northeast Side.

Columbus police first were called at 7:15 a.m. Tuesday to the 3600 block of Karl Road on the city's Northeast Side on the report of an armed robbery at a nearby business. About two hours later, Franklin County Sheriff's deputies and Clinton Township police located the suspects' vehicle, a Kia sedan that was reportedly stolen, said Sgt. David Scarpitti, a spokesman for the Columbus Division of Police.

More:Columbus police officer recovering after being struck by vehicle on I-670

Deputies and police began pursuing the vehicle after its occupants refused to stop, Scarpitti said. While Columbus police officers were responding to provide aid, the suspects' vehicle crashed into a police cruiser at the intersection of Walford Street and Elmore Avenue near Cleveland Avenue, about a mile east of where the robbery was first reported.

The crash resulted in significant damage to both vehicles, and the lone officer was cut out of his cruiser by medics after becoming pinned, Scarpitti said. The two suspects fled the scene on foot but were later taken into custody, he added.

Scarpitti said both the officer and the two suspects were treated for non-life-threatening injuries at a nearby hospital.

The suspects have not yet been charged as the investigation is ongoing, Scarpitti said.

More:Georgia woman charged in crash that injured Ohio State Highway Patrol trooper on I-71

Columbus police are investigating the robbery on Karl Road, as well as the reported stolen vehicle that the suspects were driving. Franklin County Sheriff's deputies are investigating the crash.

This is not the first time this month that a Columbus police officer was injured in a crash.

On Feb. 19, an officer was seriously hurt when he was hit around 9:05 p.m. by a vehicle while he was standing along Interstate 670 helping a disabled motorist near the 4th Street ramp.

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In a video posted to the Fraternal Order of Police Capitol City Lodge No. 9's YouTube page, President Jeff Simpson criticized what he views as the lack of consequences for those teenagers who have made sport of stealing late-model Kias and Hyundais  which have become infamous for the ease with which they can be stolen  and using them to commit other crimes.

'Kia 'Boyz:'Teenagers have stolen thousands of cars in Columbus. What's the solution?

"It's very frustrating to say the least to have this continue over and over again," Simpson said in the video as he can be seen standing near the scene of Tuesday's wreck. "The problem is that there's no consequences for juvenile crime in this county."

elagatta@dispatch.com

@EricLagatta

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Armed robbery suspects crash stolen car into Columbus police cruiser
One-third of drivers for Uber and Lyft say they have been cut off from the platforms with no explanation. Above, a passenger is about to get in a ride-hail car at Los Angeles International Airport. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

By any metric, James Jordan was an exemplary Uber driver. Starting in 2016, he worked 10 hours a day, six days a week. Over the course of 5 years, he logged 27,000 trips and maintained a rating of 4.95.

He drove so much because he needed the cash. A 55-year-old single father of five in Inglewood, there were plenty of expenses, and Uber was his familys source of income. Then, one day in March 2022, that source was abruptly shut off.

He had been driving in the morning when he logged off to pick up his daughter. When he opened his phone to prepare for his next shift, he got the message: Hed been permanently deactivated  the gig work industrys euphemism for fired.

It was a total shock. My gut fell, my emotions were all over the place, Jordan said. For 5 years my family relied on the earnings from Uber, to pay rent, pay for my car, all that. To have that taken away when rent is due, and theres no recourse, and theres no type of due process, he said, trailing off. Its a bad feeling.

Jordan is far from alone in experiencing this particular kind of bad feeling. A new survey of 810 Uber and Lyft drivers in California shows that two-thirds have been deactivated at least once. Of those, 40% of Uber drivers and 24% of Lyft drivers were terminated permanently. A third never got an explanation from the gig app companies.

Drivers of color saw a higher rate of deactivation than white drivers  69% to 57%, respectively. A vast majority of the drivers (86%) faced economic hardship after getting fired by the app, and 12% lost their homes.

Deactivation hit even the most experienced drivers: The report, conducted by Rideshare Drivers United and the Asian Law Caucus, found that drivers who were deactivated had worked, on average, 4 years for Uber and four years for Lyft.

Like everything else in the world of gig work, deactivation happens through the app. Theres little to no human contact at all, in most cases. No phone or Zoom calls, no text or emails, and certainly no in-person meetings. Most affected drivers said they logged onto the app to start their workday, only to find a notification that theyve been deactivated.

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Its cruel, man, Jordan said. Its almost like Uber sees their drivers like a piece of equipment or a gadget or something, and they can just flip a switch and turn you off.

That tracks. Ubers chief innovation is not its technology, per se, but the story it tells about its technology. Its breakthrough product was pretty rudimentary  GPS plus a smartphone app with a slick user interface  but it felt new enough to let the company present itself as the future of transit. No longer did we call a cab, we summoned an Uber.

This was no dusty old taxi concern. It was a unicorn software company, one that didnt employ cabbies, but rather facilitated the connection of a rider to an independent contractor. This story helped the company elude rules and regulations that governed taxis and black cabs  and pique consumer and investor interest  in cities around the world.

But what makes or breaks Uber is the same as the crustiest old taxi cartel: the drivers making the trips. Ubers core technology is still human labor, and Jordan is right: It treats those humans like equipment. It needs to; that they are invisible, compliant machinery is part of the story. And when that equipment is deemed by Uber to no longer be useful to the company, they are not terminated, laid off or fired  they are deactivated.

For a long time, this semantic nod to Ubers larger narrative about itself helped obscure the ways it wields power over its workforce. It made drivers feel like they had few options when their accounts were locked down.

When the company gives algorithms the power to deactivate us without even listening to our evidence or testimony, it adds even more precarity to an already precarious job, said Nicole Moore, a driver and the president of Rideshare Drivers United. Unlike other workers, we dont have the bridge of unemployment insurance to even get us through a deactivation.

Moore relates the experience of a friend and fellow driver, sober for 20 years, who was deactivated because someone reported her as drunk. The police wouldnt breathalyze her because no crime was reported, and she couldnt prove to the company she was sober, and had been for decades. It cost her a weeks income.

The companies act like we are extensions of the app, Moore said, but we are real people and these firings by algorithm really hurt us as people, and our families who count on the income we bring in.

Jordan thinks it was a combination of factors that got him deactivated: The week he was shut down, three separate riders complained about having to mask in his car, which was Ubers policy at the time. He also turned down a string of requests that would have taken him too far away to make much money. But he still cant be sure.

He appealed the deactivation through Ubers official channels and heard nothing. It was a formality, he said. They werent responding. I was asking for specifics, like just give me the time and date, and let me know what Ive done.

Eventually, he took Uber to small claims court, where he could finally plead his case. Only there did he learn that a rider had complained about his using profanity  which he denies  and another had said hed described a relationship in inappropriate detail. He denies that, too; so vehemently that he begged Uber to let him share his dashcam footage to prove his innocence. (Uber disputes this.)

Ultimately, it was an open-and-shut case; the judge said that while he sympathized with Jordan, it didnt matter, because hed agreed to submit himself to Ubers whims when he became a driver in the first place. It's in the fine print. Uber reserves the right to deactivate an account if it determines a driver has violated its policies.

We know that drivers rely on Uber to earn, so the decision to deactivate a drivers account is one that we do not take lightly," an Uber spokesperson said in a statement. "We have a rigorous evaluation process, led by humans, that reviews reports and determines whether temporary or permanent account deactivation is warranted.

The Uber representative also pointed me to the company's website, where it states that a human reviews every case before a deactivation is made. When possible, well let a driver or delivery person know if theyre at risk of losing access to their account, the policy states . However, there are times when we may need to remove access without warning.

There certainly will be cases in which a person whos determined to be dangerous or unfit to drive should have their accounts deactivated immediately, but its less clear how Uber can justify not informing drivers what the specific allegations or complaints against them are, or refuse to give drivers a fair hearing that is not just human-led but with actual humans. But doing so would cost time and resources, and Ubers historically unprofitable enterprise may not be able to bear the load of undertaking such an endeavor as humanely engaging its own vast workforce.

But its a toxic arrangement thats worse than unfair to the workers. As the report demonstrates, the willfully opaque policy opens the door for discrimination to affect the drivers livelihoods.

Most ride-hail drivers have encountered discrimination  Jordan, who is Black, recounts being threatened by a rider who called him the N-word  and theres no way to know how Uber responds internally to complaints against drivers that may be motivated by race, gender or sexual orientation. Immigrant drivers are frequent targets of rider bile, and women report high levels of harassment. With the adjudication process sealed behind Ubers doors, its impossible to say conclusively why it is that drivers of color are deactivated more frequently than white ones  but its pretty easy to guess.

All across the country, drivers are organizing to push for more transparency and due process over the deactivation process. In New York, Uber drivers went on strike at LaGuardia Airport to call for higher wages and an end to unfair deactivations . In Portland, Ore., theyre calling out an advisory board that has long been powerless to help restore improperly deactivated drivers. Chicago is considering an ordinance that would allow deactivated drivers to challenge the gig companies determination. And proposed legislation in Colorado would force companies to be more transparent about the process.

For its part, the new report calls for just cause and due process in the deactivation process, labor protections afforded employees, and for Uber to address workplace discrimination and sexism. It recommends that just-cause determinations be carried out through an independent third party; otherwise, Uber and Lyft will continue to wield absolute power over their workers.

They must be held accountable, Moore said, and we need a deactivation appeals process not controlled by these companies.

Id add that we should reclaim the language itself, too. This battle is being fought on Uber and Lyfts turf, inside the contours of their own self-produced narratives. But they are not just deactivating accounts here  they are firing workers, often seemingly at random, and stripping men and women of their livelihoods.

To those affected, its so much more harrowing than a deactivation. Its losing everything to an app. And Ubers not going to change course on its own. Colorado and Chicago are right to move to enact policies that protect drivers; to stop the wanton firing of workers who make ride-hail possible.

I gave up on trying to get Uber to do the right thing, Jordan said. I hope this can inspire the courts and the legislators to make Uber do the right thing.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
A GOP source familiar with the closed-door donor retreat by the conservative Club for Growth confirmed to CBS News that the group is hosting a closed-press donor retreat for 2024 hopefuls during the same time as CPAC this week.

Club for Growth's annual retreat will be held at the opulent Breakers Hotel in Palm Beach, just three miles from former President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago club. However, Club for Growth, which has been public about looking to move the GOP past Trump, did not invite the former president to the retreat.

Trump posted on Truth Social on Tuesday morning about Club for Growth, derisively calling them "Club for NO Growth," and saying the group "is an insignificant group of Globalists who I have beaten badly because of their anti America First views. They will only get the 'stragglers.'"

Trump, meanwhile, will be headlining CPAC, which will be holding its annual conference in Maryland the same weekend.

David McIntosh, Club for Growth, addresses the Conservative Political Action Conference held in the Hyatt Regency on Feb. 28, 2021, in Orlando, Florida. / Credit: / Getty Images

Club for Growth was formally closely aligned with Trump but their relationship frayed during the midterms, with the group and Trump supporting different primary candidates in key Senate battles like Ohio and Alabama.

Trump posted on his social media platform earlier this month that "Relationship broke up over my Endorsement of certain great people in Alabama & Ohio. I won them all!"

The influential conservative group also released polling earlier this month that showed Trump's biggest rival, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, beating the former in a head-to-head matchup.

The relationship between Trump and CFG has also been icy in recent months with David McIntosh, the former GOP congressman and president of Club for Growth, telling CBS News and other reporters that GOP voters should be "open to looking at a different candidate" than Trump. "DeSantis is in the strongest position," he added, citing their poll.

Despite Trump not attending the CFG event, there are plenty of 2024 GOP hopefuls (and potential 2024 rivals) who will be speaking, including Ron DeSantis, former Vice President Mike Pence, former UN ambassador Nikki Haley, Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu and Vivek Ramaswamy. Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin were both invited to the Club for Growth retreat but could not attend, according to a source familiar with the planning.

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DeSantis and Pence declined invites to CPAC. Haley and Ramaswamy are the only two declared presidential candidates who are attending both CPAC and CFG events. Representatives of Scott had been discussing his attendance at CPAC with event organizers but as of Tuesday morning, Scott does not plan on attending the annual Republican cattle call.

Some GOP operatives associated with the non-Trump political operations have told CBS News that CPAC has become too closely associated with Trump and his campaign, and not worth attending, especially with the annual straw poll likely going to Trump.

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Chief Justice John Roberts. Drew Angerer/Getty Images

The Supreme Court heard oral arguments Tuesday on Biden's student-loan forgiveness effort.

Several conservative justices questioned whether the plan was an overreach of executive authority.

Justice Gorsuch asked how the relief is fair to those who already paid off their loans.

Several of the Supreme Court's conservative justices dug into whether President Biden's student-loan forgiveness was an overreach of his executive power in a fiery and lengthy debate over the relief on Tuesday.

"We're talking about half a trillion dollars and 43 million Americans," Chief Justice John Roberts said during oral arguments, referring to the estimated costs of Biden's plan to cancel up to $20,000 in federal student loans and the number of affected borrowers. "How does that fit under the normal understanding of 'modifying'?"

Roberts was questioning the Biden administration's defense of the use of the HEROES Act of 2003 to cancel student debt, a federal law that grants the education secretary the ability to "waive or modify" student-loan balances in connection with a national emergency, like COVID-19.

The chief justice referenced that the court has previously defined "modify" as "moderate change," and speculated whether the law's language can also be applied to broad student-loan forgiveness.

Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar, on behalf of the Biden administration, asserted that Education Secretary Miguel Cardona acted within his power by authorizing the debt cancelation amid the COVID-19 pandemic to protect millions of borrowers who have suffered financial harm and are at risk of defaulting on their debts.

"It couldn't have surprised Congress one bit that in response to hardship posed by a national emergency, the secretary might consider similarly providing discharge if that's what it takes to make sure borrowers don't default," Prelogar told Roberts.

The questioning came as the Supreme Court reviewed one of two high-profile cases that center on whether Biden exceeded his legal authority with the debt relief and whether the parties have standing  the right to challenge the relief by showing they suffered an injury from it. In Tuesday's first case, six Republican-led states  Arkansas, South Carolina, Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, and Missouri  argued the debt relief would hurt their states' tax revenues, and the revenue of a Missouri-based student-loan company, MOHELA.

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The Biden administration has maintained that the states lack standing because they only claim "alleged harms"  not concrete  and that MOHELA functions as a separate entity from Missouri and can defend itself in court.

Roberts, along with some of the other conservative justices, continued to question the Biden administration's position during more than two hours of oral arguments. They repeatedly brought up the estimated costs to the federal government to enact the plan, and whether it amounts to an overreach of power.

"We take very seriously the idea of separation of powers and that power should be divided to prevent its abuse," Roberts told Prelogar. "Given the posture of the case, and given our historic concern about separation of powers, you would recognize at least that this is a case that presents extraordinarily serious, important issues about the role of Congress and about the role that we should exercise in scrutinizing that?"

Justice Neil Gorsuch, at one point, questioned what the "cost" of the plan is "in terms of fairness" to people who have paid their loans, who haven't taken out loans, or who are ineligible for loans in the first place.

Prelogar responded that Biden's plan is tailored to borrowers who would need it the most, and Cardona specifically designed the plan in that sense. The Biden administration also defended that similar to the relief, the student-loan payment pause enacted at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic that remains in place today was allowed under the secretary's authority.

Yet many of the court's conservatives questioned that comparison.

"I think that forbearance fits more comfortably in 'waive or modify' language, it's you simply forbearing on collecting an underlying debt, but you don't cancel a debt, and that's what we're talking about here," Justice Clarence Thomas told Prelogar. "And certainly, there is a cost to that, I understand."

Unlike her fellow conservatives, however, Justice Amy Coney Barrett centered most of her questioning on the issue of standing, and wondered how the states have shown they have suffered an injury to legally challenge Biden's plan.

"Do you want to address why MOHELA is not here?" she asked Nebraska Solicitor General James Campbell, who's representing the states. "Why didn't the state just make MOHELA come then?"

"If MOHELA is an arm of the state, why didn't you just strong arm MOHELA and say, 'You've gotta pursue this suit'?" Barrett continued.

Campbell claimed that Missouri has the right to speak on behalf of MOHELA because of the states' interests in the case. The Supreme Court will hand down its decisions, which may determine whether Biden's plan will take effect, in the two cases by June.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Heiress Constance Marten and her partner Mark Gordon have been accused of manslaughter after a dead baby was found wrapped in a plastic bag under nappies inside an abandoned shed, a court has heard.

The couple appeared at Crawley Magistrates Court on Friday accused of the manslaughter of a baby called Victoria, concealing the birth of a child and perverting the course of justice. They were remanded in custody.

Marten, 35, and Gordon, 48, spoke only to confirm their names, dates of birth and that they were of no fixed abode during a short hearing in front of a packed courtroom.

The pair sat in the dock together at Crawley Magistrates Court, touching hands briefly and having a number of conversations with each other.

At one stage Marten, who comes from an aristocratic family with royal connections, blew a kiss to Gordon, who wore a grey jumper over his head throughout the hearing.

Police activity at the cordoned off scene in woodland in Brighton, near to where remains were found in the search for the two-month-old baby of Constance Marten and Mark Gordon. (PA)

The pair will appear at the Old Bailey on 31 March.

Police discovered the remains of the baby in a wooded area near where Marten and Gordon were found after being missing for almost two months, and said the infant may have been dead for "several weeks".

In a statement released on Thursday by the Metropolitan Police, Detective Superintendent Lewis Basford said: "My team has been working on this investigation for the past eight weeks and we have travelled across the country as part of our searches for this baby.

"We are all truly devastated by the outcome and we know this emotion is also being felt here in Brighton and across the country today.

"While there are still many unanswered questions it is important that we give the investigation team the time and space they need to establish more details about the circumstances of this tragic death.

"At this stage we have not yet been able to confirm the babys gender and a post-mortem examination has not yet taken place."

Constance Marten and Mark Gordon.

"Despite this, based on the inquiries weve carried out so far, we believe, sadly, the baby had been dead for several weeks before they were found. Its too early for us to provide a more specific date."

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Marten and Gordon were found in Brighton on Monday without their child after avoiding police for more than seven weeks and arrested on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter, for which they were later charged.

They refused to tell police where the baby was, sparking a massive hunt involving more than 200 officers and specialist search teams across a wide area of the Sussex countryside.

The couple were spotted on CCTV near Brick Lane in London, and were found in Brighton almost a month after being reported missing. The couple's newborn baby has still not been located. (Metropolitan Police)

Marten is the 35-year-old daughter of a wealthy aristocrat and was travelling with convicted sex offender Gordon when they were discovered in Brighton.

The couple spent weeks travelling by taxi around the UK after their car was found burning by the side of the M61 near Manchester.

Marten, whose father was a page to Queen Elizabeth and whose grandmother was Princess Margaret's childhood friend, is believed to have given birth in the car several days before it was discovered on 5 January.

Mark Gordon with Argos bags on Brick Lane in London, after he bought camping gear including a blue two-person tent. (PA)

Marten's estranged father, Napier Marten, had publicly begged his daughter to make contact during her time evading the authorities.

"Darling Constance, even though we remain estranged at the moment, I stand by, as I have always done and as the family has always done, to do whatever is necessary for your safe return to us," he told The Independent.

"The past eight years have been beyond painful for all the family as well as your friends, as they must have been for you. And to see you so vulnerable again is testing in the extreme.

"Please Constance, find the courage to present yourself to the police as soon as possible."

Read on for a timeline of the couple's disappearance:

5 January: A burning car was discovered on the side of the M61 near Manchester. Authorities established that Marten and her 48-year-old partner Gordon  who spent 20 years in a US prison for rape and battery  were the owners of the vehicle.

Police believe the couple walked along the side of the hard shoulder after their vehicle caught alight and that most of their belongings had been burned in the fire.

They also established that Marten had likely given birth inside the car several days prior to the vehicle's discovery.

7 January: The pair were spotted in Harwich, Essex, at around 9am, along with a baby. Police believe the couple had first travelled to Liverpool and then Harwich in a taxi after their car caught alight.

Later, the trio travelled to East London, where Gordon was seen buying supplies, including a tent that police believe the couple were planning to sleep in, at an Argos on Whitechapel Road.

Police searching for a missing baby at allotments near to where missing couple Constance Marten and her partner Mark Gordon were found in Stanmer Villas Brighton last night. (Alamy Live News)

In the evening, they dumped a number of items (including a pram) close to East London's Brick Lane before getting a taxi to Haringey.

8 January: The couple once again travelled by taxi to Newhaven, where they were last seen at around 5am.

9 January: Essex Police launch an official investigation into the missing couple, reviewing CCTV footage in a number of areas where the couple were spotted.

12 January: The Metropolitan Police take over the investigation and said they were making "urgent enquiries" to find the missing couple and their baby.

They said "neither she nor the baby have been assessed by medical professionals" and implored the pair to contact the authorities, saying: "Please think of your baby's health and wellbeing."

30 January: Police offered a 10,000 reward for information leading to the whereabouts of the couple.

Det Supt Basford said: "Previous appeals have resulted in around 300 calls from members of the public, but sadly they have not led to the couple and their baby being found.

"While we are very grateful to everyone who has already called, we still need to hear from anyone who has seen the couple since Sunday, 8 January and we are offering a reward of up to 10,000 for any information that leads to the family being found."

Officers from London Search and Rescue (LONSAR) sweep the area in Wild Park Local Nature Reserve, near Moulsecoomb, Brighton. (PA)

27 February: Marten and Gordon were found and arrested on suspicion of child neglect by police at Stanmer Villas in Brighton after being spotted by a member of the public at around 9.30pm.

They were re-arrested hours later on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter, and their baby has not yet been found.

Det Supt Basford said: said police had to consider the possibility that the child had come to harm, given the pair had now been in custody for a significant period of time.

Constance Marten and Mark Gordons known movements. (PA)

1 March: Police continued to search for the baby, with a heavy police presence remaining at the scene near Stanmer Villas.

A red search dogs van was seen making its way into allotments that were a focus of the police search as they remained closed.

Det Supt Basford gave an update on the search for Marten and Gordons baby, saying officers must consider that the baby has come to serious harm.

Later he revealed that remains had been found in the search for the child in a wooded area close to where the couple were arrested.

2 March: The pair were charged with manslaughter, concealing the birth of a child and perverting the course of justice.

3 March: The pair appear in court and are remanded in custody.

The court is told the remains of a baby were found in a plastic bag under some nappies in an allotment shed.

A court date is set for 31 March.

Read more: Constance Marten: The former Tatler It-girl who became estranged from her aristocratic family (The Telegraph, 3-min read)
Courteney Cox has responded to one of the many viral stories from Prince Harrys recently-released memoir, Spare.

In the tell-all book, the Duke of Sussex recalled gobbling magic mushrooms at the Friends stars house in 2016.

In a new interview with Variety ahead of her induction to the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Monday (27 February), Cox confirmed that the royal stayed at her house but denied passing out psychedelics.

He did stay here for a couple of days  probably two or three, Cox said. Hes a really nice person.

I havent read the book. I do want to hear it, because Ive heard its really entertaining. But yes, its gotten back to me about it, she said of Harrys anecdote.

Im not saying there were mushrooms! I definitely wasnt passing them out.

In Spare, Harry said he was invited to crash at Coxs house through a friend of a friend who initially said the actor was away.

Courteney Cox (left) and Prince Harry (Getty Images)

No complaints from me. As a Friends fanatic, the idea of crashing at Monicas was highly appealing, Harry wrote. And amusing. But then Courteney turned up. I was very confused. Was her job cancelled? I didnt think it was my place to ask. More: Does this mean we have to leave?

She smiled. Of course not Harry. Plenty of room, he recalled. Great. But I was still confused because she was Monica. And I was a Chandler. I wondered if Id ever work up the courage to tell her. Was there enough tequila in California to get me that brave?

Harry then recalled meeting the actor Will Arnett at her house, who indulged him in doing the voice from The Lego Batman Movie, in which he stars.

Arnett apparently went to the fridge where Harry and his friend discovered a huge box of black diamond mushroom chocolates.

Somebody behind me said they were for everybody. Help yourself, boys. My mate and I grabbed several, gobbled them, washed them down with tequila.

Harrys memoir was recently spoofed in an episode of South Park in which the prince is promoting a book named Waaaagh.

Harry and Markles representatives denied reports that they were considering a lawsuit against South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone over the episode, calling the speculation nonsense.
Health officials announced on Tuesday that COVID-19 cases in Boston and Suffolk County continue to drop as the area braces for winters end.

According to the CDC, Suffolk County is now at low community level, a status it hadnt achieved since early January. Similarly, the Boston Public Health Commission says the amount of new COVID-19 cases in the city per day have decreased by 36% over the past two weeks, and the citys wastewater coronavirus levels have remained stable.

Despite the positive news, officials are urging residents with high risk of severe illness to take precautions.

The downward trends that we have noted are encouraging. said Dr. Bisola Ojikutu, Commissioner of Public Health and Executive Director of the Boston Public Health Commission. However, COVID-19 is unpredictable and continues to have a disproportionate impact within communities throughout Boston and among individuals who are vulnerable due to underlying illness and immunocompromise.

Officials say indoor masking is an effective way to decrease the risk of coronavirus transmission and receiving booster shots.

We urge Boston residents to get boosted and to utilize the free vaccination and testing resources available throughout our city, Dr. Ojikutu said.

The following places in Boston provide residents with free access to Bivalent boosters, primary COVID-19 shots, COVID-19 testing and flu shots, with a chance to win $75 gift cards and at-home testing kits:

BCYF Hyde Park  1179 River St., Hyde Park

Open Tuesdays 12 p.m. - 8 p.m. and Thursdays 7 a.m. - 3 p.m.

Boston City Hall  1 City Hall Sq., Boston

Open Mondays 7 a.m.- 1 p.m. and Wednesdays 12 p.m. - 5 p.m.

Bruce C. Bolling Building  2300 Washington St., Nubian Square

Open Tuesdays  Saturdays 12 p.m. - 8 p.m.

Josephine Fiorentino Community Center  123 Antwerp St., Allston

Open Sundays 12 p.m. - 4 p.m. ; Mondays-Wednesdays 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. ; Thursdays 5 p.m. - 9 p.m.

Lena Park Community Development Center  150 American Legion Hwy., Dorchester

Open Sundays 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. ; Tuesdays and Fridays 9:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. ; Wednesday 11 a.m. - 7 p.m.



Story continues

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A new federal assessment saying a lab leak was the likely origin of COVID-19 is feeding new oxygen into Republican calls for further investigations, even as scientists and the intelligence community say the issue is still far from resolved.

In the wake of a Wall Street Journal report published over the weekend on an Energy Department conclusion that COVID-19 most likely came from a lab leak in China, Republicans claimed vindication.

Senator Tom Cotton deserves an apology, the Republican National Committee tweeted Monday.

In February 2020, Cotton (R-Ark.) raised the possibility, without evidence, that the virus had originated in a Chinese biochemical lab, though he later walked back his assertion that the virus was a weapon.

Being proven right doesnt matter. What matters is holding the Chinese Communist Party accountable so this doesnt happen again, Cotton tweeted.

Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.)

Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) speaks to reporters as he leaves an all Senators briefing in the Capitol on Tuesday, February 14, 2023 to discuss the recent unidentified objects detected and shot down. (Greg Nash)

Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) said on Sunday that he will introduce legislation to declassify intelligence findings about the likely origin of the COVID-19 pandemic, a call that was echoed by other Senate Republicans.

The White House spent Monday downplaying the report, emphasizing that intelligence agencies have not yet found any conclusive evidence whether the virus came from a lab or nature.

Theres not been a definitive conclusion, so its difficult for me to say, nor should I feel like I should have to defend press reporting about a possible preliminary indication here, White House national security spokesperson John Kirby said during a press briefing.

What the president wants is facts. He wants the whole government designed to go get those facts. And, thats what were doing, and were just not there yet, Kirby said.

Yet House Republicans are revving up a probe into the viruss origins that began while they were in the minority last year.

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They retooled the focus of the panel investigating the governments response to the coronavirus pandemic, and have fired off letters demanding information and testimony from current and former Biden health officials, including Anthony Fauci, the former head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

Anthony Fauci

Dr. Anthony Fauci on Tuesday, Nov. 22, 2022, in Washington. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File)

On Monday, House Republicans expanded the probe to include the Department of Energy, the Department of State, and Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI), which has also assessed that a lab leak likely sparked the pandemic.

The House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic already has a hearing scheduled for Tuesday to examine the administrations COVID policy decisions, and the new report is likely to become a focus.

But the U.S. intelligence community is split on the conclusion that the virus leaked from a Chinese lab, and the new report from DOE was reportedly made with low confidence.

In addition, politics and conspiracy theories have led to the origins of the pandemic becoming a third rail, with some conflating the possibility of a lab leak with theories of a Chinese biological weapon, which intelligence agencies have collectively debunked.

While many scientists contend there are legitimate questions to be asked about the origins of the virus and the U.S. response, much of the effort has been framed around political point-scoring.

The left spent the past 2yrs trying to censor the truth & cover up for Communist China, but the facts are undeniable, Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) tweeted Sunday. The CCP is evil. Its virus killed millions & Xi will stop at nothing to destroy the U.S. Its time to hold this evil regime accountable.

Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.)

Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) speaks during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing to examine global threats and strategy on Wednesday, February 15, 2023. (Annabelle Gordon)

Experts fear the continued politicization of the issue combined with Chinas unwillingness to cooperate diminishes the likelihood of finding out what really happened.

A bipartisan pandemic response bill was included in last years omnibus funding bill, but it did not contain a provision that would have established an independent commission to investigate the governments pandemic response and the viruss origins.

And the latest DOE assessment only adds to the divided views within the government about where COVID came from.

When somebody puts something forward with low confidence, that tells you right there that you know, the level of evidence is extremely limited, if anything at all, said Michael Osterholm, director of the University of Minnesotas Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy.

Osterholm said hes not surprised at the politicization, though he contends its more useful to look ahead to the next pandemic than to look backwards.

If a government agency said we now have low confidence conclusions that this was a spillover event, do you think that that would change anyones mind? Osterholm said. Is it a surprise that what may be a scientific data point is twisted and turned to whatever direction someone wants it to fit their political persuasion? This is no longer about science. Its about political science.

During an interview with The Boston Globe on Monday, Fauci said he still thinks theres more evidence supporting a natural origin, but neither possibility should be ruled out.

Im not sure exactly of the data upon which the Department of Energy statement was made. It would be nice to see those data in order to make an evaluation of the validity of that but again, the bottom line is we need to keep an open mind until one definitively nails down what the origin is, Fauci said.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
CPAC 2022 in Orlando

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene speaks at a CPAC conference on February 26, 2022 in Orlando, Florida. Credit - Paul Hennessy/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

This article is part of The D.C. Brief, TIMEs politics newsletter. Sign up here to get stories like this sent to your inbox.

For years, the standard dismissal of CPAC was that it was a fringe festival running adjacent to the modern conservative movement, the kind of scene often compared to the cantina of weirdos from the Star Wars franchise. Sure, the summit mattered, but far less than its enthusiasts wanted to think, and far, far less that its adherents had hoped. After all, this is a place where former Republican presidential nominees John McCain and Mitt Romney alike drew boos, far-afield ideas about voter fraud are treated as gospel, and Russia has an oddly enthusiastic set of defenders. In the words of one former Republican member of Congress, it is the Rights freak show, one where the worst impulses of the GOP are on full display.

So as the gathering, formerly known as the Conservative Political Action Conference, starts to hand out credentials and grievances come Wednesday just outside of the nations capital, its worth asking if these assumptions still hold true. In an era where ex-President Donald Trumps Big Lie holds sway over the current Republican Party, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene essentially made Kevin McCarthys bid for Speaker of the House, and GOP leaders are urging the United States to quietly back away from its support of Ukraine, does CPAC still stand on the periphery of the conservative movement, or has it actually dragged the electoral bloc over to its agenda? Is the event whose first storied gathering where Ronald Reagan essentially became a force in American politics finally recentering the arena? And is this annual confab the actual avatar for the modern moment?

The questions are, of course, unanswerable with any confidence. The dynamics of the modern Republican Party hinge on far more than a conference centers hullabaloo not far from shouting distance of the Capitolwhich, judging by last years gathering, should have suffered far more serious damage on Jan. 6, 2021, in the minds of attendees. The 2024 nominating season is in its nascent hours, with Trump as the man to beat and several of his potential rivals slated to make their case from the same stage. While Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis isnt attending, other potential rivals like Nikki Haley and Mike Pompeo are. Whether any of them can quell Trumps early frontrunner standing is to be seen, but the crowd heading to National Harbor will include the kind of fervent grassroots activists that can make or break their efforts. As Republican strategistsmany of whom will be patrolling the hallways for potential clientslike to note, one CPAC attendee, who has spent $300 on a ticket alone, is worth thousands of hours of telephone calls, door knocks, and digital activism within their networks.

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The four-day summit always includes serious discussions, but the headlines will, of course, be about the trolling panels. The New Axis of Evil: Soros, Schwab, and Fink, Don Lemon Is Past His Primetime, and 87,000 Pinkslips are among the announced conversations, each promising to drive up blood pressuresand activismamong the adherents. There is even a panel literally titled How to Rile Up Conservatives. And this is why Republicansand all Americans, reallyshouldnt write off the conference entirely as unfolding on the fringes of the GOP: this mightnt actually be the fringe.

Roughly 7-in-10 Republicans still wrongly think Trump won in 2020, a notion Trump himself continues to nurse. The illegitimacy of the US government is central to CPACs agenda and a major driver inside the current conservative movement. Instead of making elections about policy choices about taxes and regulation, CPAC is seeking to make the conversation about right and wrong. When voters are convinced the choice is one about morals and not merits, its a much easier sell to defeat the Democratic nominee.

Zooming out for a moment, its worth remembering the Republican Party has struggled to find its footing in the post-Bush era. President George W. Bushs second term gave many conservatives permission to question the conservative grounding of the GOP. McCain ran in 2008 as an antidote to Bushism, but had alienated many of the same people who will show up before dawn to get the best seats at CPAC. Romney, too, didnt exactly spark enthusiasm among the CPAC set despite using the word conservative 25 times during a 26-minute speech in 2012.

Trump, of course, did find his groove. CPAC has always been a Trump crowd, but one critics could long write-off as something of an outlier. But with an agenda that includes the likes of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonarothe Tropical Trumpand Brexit champion Nigel Farage joining the ex-U.S. President at the fore of American conservatism, its important to consider whether CPAC has shaped the global moment more than we realized. CPACs Dallas summit included Hungarys authoritarian Prime Minister last year, after all.

Perhapsand its a big caveat, to be sureCPACs bluster and bravado actually masked a significant reframing of what it means to be conservative in the 21st Century. The crass nature of the conferences trolling leans into Trumpisms darkest shades and lends itself to dismissal, but its also impossible to imagine a major player in U.S. politics securing a presidential nomination, let alone a win, without these players.

If you put enough fringe together, eventually you wind up with enough fabric to make a flag. It might not be the banner that the Bush wing of the Republican Party would fly over its summer homes, but it still shows which way the winds are blowing.

Make sense of what matters in Washington. Sign up for the D.C. Brief newsletter.
More than 100 crime survivors, families and supporters gathered at the Arizona state Capitol on Monday morning to urge state lawmakers to advocate for legislative reforms to address the root causes of crime and prioritize trauma recovery services.

The event was the second Survivors Speak Arizona rally organized by Crime Survivors for Safety and Justice, an organization that presses for crime victim resources nationwide through public safety policy advocacy.

Survivors who spoke out during the rally stated Arizona's criminal justice system has failed to prioritize the people who experience crimes' needs and create pathways to "stop the cycle of violence." Speakers demanded the funding of a Trauma Recovery Center to remove existing barriers to accessing mental health services, victims' compensation, financial assistance and legal advice resources.

Celina Meadows, a domestic violence survivor and the state manager for Crime Survivors for Safety and Justice, told The Arizona Republic she and her three children experienced systemic barriers in trying to escape the abuse situation and receive support, like long waitlists and a lack of financial assistance.

Meadows said it took her at least four months to get a spot in a domestic violence shelter. She didn't receive financial support, struggled to maintain a protection order and faced extended waiting times to access trauma therapy for each of her children, she said.

"Finding somewhere safe for me and my children when we most needed it was one of the larger barriers," Meadows said. "Currently, we do not have a system that supports getting out, but it also does not support staying out of domestic violence."

Meadows said the criminal justice system in Arizona could do a better job of listening to people who have had experiences like hers and allowing people who experience crimes to be involved in shaping public policy.

"My story just shows the overwhelming need of all these services. Many of these are not even specific to domestic violence cases," Meadows said.

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Meadows said a trauma center would allow people to access all the resources they need as they navigate the system out of a traumatic event, including therapy and individual care plans customized to their recovery process, she said.

Thirty-five trauma centers were successfully implemented through CSSJ chapters across the nation in states like California, Illinois and Ohio, Meadows said.

People at the rally also demanded the passing of state legislation that would allow people with low-level criminal records to obtain job and housing resources, such as access to occupational licenses and probation credit opportunities.

Charlotte Webber, who also spoke at the event, said these resources would help tackle some of the root causes of violence and make communities safer.

"As a victim of crime, I've seen firsthand that we can be doing more to end cycles of trauma and crime and to ensure that people have the tools to succeed after they have served their time," she said. "It does not make us any safer to set up barriers to employment and financial stability."

Since last year's Survivors Speak Arizona rally, the House passed bills 2604 and 2594. The first law strengthens orders of protection for crime survivors while the latter defines the services and funding required for providers to qualify as a trauma recovery center, laying the groundwork for the recovery center the organization pushes for.

Crime Survivors for Safety and Justice spokesperson Julien Matinez said House Bill 2055, related to probation credit opportunities for people who are convicted of an offense, was passed by unanimous vote only two hours after Monday's event.

Aswad Thomas, director for Crime Survivors for Safety and Justice and a gun violence survivor, said during the rally's press conference the criminal justice system often focuses too much on incarceration, and not enough on prevention or recovery support.

"We say 'when survivors speak, change happens' because we need change," he said. "We need things that help us heal and stop the cycle of violence."

Sen. Sine Kerr, R-Buckeye, also attended the rally.

Kerr said she supports the demands of the organization, and she encouraged activists to continue pushing for safety and resources for people who experience crime.

"We agree that we need more local workers to support our local businesses and bolster our economy. We also agree that people with non-violent records should have the opportunity to give back to their communities, so that they can be productive citizens," Kerr said. "There are common sense ways to stop the revolving door in our prisons while lifting up those who are ready to give back."

Martinez said the organization will continue pushing for the passing of HB2049, related to removing barriers for occupational licenses, and HB2612, related to the creation of Arizona's first Trauma Recovery Center.

"Next year, and the year after that, we'll be again at the State Capitol to demand change," Martinez said.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Crime survivors rally at Arizona Capitol for trauma center
Xi Story: Roads to happiness on "roof of the world"

Xinhua) 08:03, February 28, 2023

Aerial photo taken on Sept. 30, 2022 shows the highway linking Pad Township in the city of Nyingchi and Medog County, southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region. The 67.22-km road connects Pad Township in the city of Nyingchi and Medog County. (Photo by Dong Zhixiong/Xinhua)

LHASA, Feb. 27 (Xinhua) -- At the "two sessions" in 2013, Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, inquired about the road conditions in a far-flung county when talking with lawmakers from southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region in a group deliberation.

"Is the road to Medog open now?" Xi asked Padma Chodron, a deputy to the National People's Congress, China's national legislature, from Medog County in Tibet.

Roads mean a lot to Medog, a county mainly inhabited by Monpa and other ethnic minority groups. Located deep in a valley in the Himalayas, Medog is besieged by high hills and primitive forests and remained "the last county without roads in China" until late 2013.

This isolated location, combined with underdeveloped transport, made it incredibly hard to reach the outside world. Locals knew the hardship too well -- they depended on porters and horses as their primary modes of transportation for centuries. Setting off on foot from her village, Padma endured a strenuous journey taking as long as six days via multiple means of transport to get to Beijing for the "two sessions" that year.

Aerial photo taken on Feb. 8, 2021 shows the entrance to the Galongla Tunnel in Medog County, Nyingchi of southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region. (Xinhua/Sun Fei)

Padma was thus deeply touched by Xi's concern. "I told the general secretary that our highway would open by the end of that year, and he nodded delightedly in response," said Padma.

The Medog Highway, the first highway leading to Medog with a total length of 117 km, opened in October 2013. The remote county has since been connected more widely with the outside world, with vehicles and machines flowing in, children being able to go to school by bus, and patients being able to reach hospitals more quickly.

Recalling her interaction with Xi, Padma still felt heartened. "The general secretary listened to us attentively, taking notes and raising questions every now and then," she said, adding that the livelihood of people in Tibet is always on his mind.

Over the past decade, topics related to road transport, a hallmark of people's livelihood, have featured in multiple group deliberations and discussions that Xi took part in during the annual "two sessions."

Stitched aerial photo taken on July 6, 2021 shows a rainbow over the road linking counties of Mainling and Medog in Nyingchi, southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region. (Photo by Dong Zhixiong/Xinhua)

Today, all the administrative villages in Medog are open to traffic. Data from Tibet's transport department showed that the total length of highways in the region has soared by more than 50,000 km over the past decade, with those in rural areas rising from 53,200 km to more than 90,000 km.

Medog bid farewell to absolute poverty in 2019. Residents of the county now profit from cash crops like loquat fruit and tea plants.

"With paved roads, our farm products have a viable way to reach the market nationwide," said Padma. "Our roads to happiness are becoming wider and wider."

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
By Joseph Ax

(Reuters) -Chicago's incumbent Mayor Lori Lightfoot lost her re-election bid on Tuesday, with vote totals showing that two of her rivals will face each other in an April runoff ballot.

Paul Vallas, the former public schools chief in Chicago and Philadelphia who ran unsuccessfully for Chicago mayor in 2019, secured the top spot, taking 34.9% of the vote with 91% of precincts reporting, the Chicago Tribune reported.

Brandon Johnson, a Cook County commissioner and an organizer for the Chicago Teachers Union, secured the other spot in the runoff race, taking 20.2% of votes. Lightfoot had 16.4% of vote totals, and there were not enough votes outstanding for her to make up the ground between her and Johnson.

Polls showed public safety is by far the top concern among residents of the third-largest U.S. city.

The campaign has tested Democratic messaging on policing in the U.S., three years after widespread protests following the police murder of George Floyd and months after Republicans sought to bludgeon Democrats over the issue in the 2022 midterm elections.

The Chicago race is technically non-partisan, but every candidate identifies as a Democrat in the heavily left-leaning city.

Lightfoot, the first Black woman and first openly gay person to serve as the city's mayor, is bidding for a second four-year term. She emerged as a surprise victor in 2019, campaigning as an outsider who would end corruption.

But her handling of a series of crises, including the COVID-19 pandemic, racial justice protests, a protracted teachers' strike and a spike in crime, sapped her popular support.

There were more than 800 murders in Chicago in 2021, the most in a quarter-century. The homicide rate dropped 14% in 2022 but remained nearly 40% higher than in 2019.

Lightfoot has said the 2022 drop in murders and shootings shows that her strategies, such as hiring more officers and focusing on illegal guns, are having an impact.

Natalie Pauls, 53, a healthcare worker who voted in downtown Chicago and declined to say who she cast her ballot for, reflected the sentiment of many voters when she said that crime was a top concern, but she did not think any single candidate really stood out for her.

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"I want someone who is going to manage the police in a way where we are not seeing African Americans mistreated," she said.

LOST SUPPORT

Lightfoot has clashed with the police and teachers unions. The police are backing Vallas, and the teachers endorsed Johnson. Vallas is running to Lightfoot's right, while Johnson is courting the progressive vote.

Vallas' campaign website asserts the city has been "surrendered" to criminals, and he has vowed to hire more officers and increase community patrols.

His focus on safety has put him at the top of most polls, though Lightfoot has attacked him for telling an interviewer in 2009 that he was "more of a Republican than a Democrat."

In a recent advertisement, Lightfoot accused Johnson of wanting to "defund the police." The ad cited a 2020 appearance in which he described the slogan as a "real political goal" in the wake of the Floyd protests.

As a mayoral candidate, Johnson has responded by saying he wants to spend more resources on programs such as mental health treatment but does not intend to cut the police budget.

(Reporting by Joseph Ax; Additioanl reporting by Bianca Flowers and Brad Brooks; Editing by Colleen Jenkins, Josie Kao, David Gregorio and Raju Gopalakrishnan)
Key Insights

Using the 2 Stage Free Cash Flow to Equity, Croda International fair value estimate is UK56.14

Current share price of UK69.28 suggests Croda International is potentially 23% overvalued

Analyst price target for CRDA is UK79.97, which is 42% above our fair value estimate

In this article we are going to estimate the intrinsic value of Croda International Plc (LON:CRDA) by taking the forecast future cash flows of the company and discounting them back to today's value. We will take advantage of the Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) model for this purpose. Models like these may appear beyond the comprehension of a lay person, but they're fairly easy to follow.

Remember though, that there are many ways to estimate a company's value, and a DCF is just one method. If you still have some burning questions about this type of valuation, take a look at the Simply Wall St analysis model.

View our latest analysis for Croda International

Step By Step Through The Calculation

We're using the 2-stage growth model, which simply means we take in account two stages of company's growth. In the initial period the company may have a higher growth rate and the second stage is usually assumed to have a stable growth rate. To start off with, we need to estimate the next ten years of cash flows. Where possible we use analyst estimates, but when these aren't available we extrapolate the previous free cash flow (FCF) from the last estimate or reported value. We assume companies with shrinking free cash flow will slow their rate of shrinkage, and that companies with growing free cash flow will see their growth rate slow, over this period. We do this to reflect that growth tends to slow more in the early years than it does in later years.

A DCF is all about the idea that a dollar in the future is less valuable than a dollar today, so we need to discount the sum of these future cash flows to arrive at a present value estimate:

10-year free cash flow (FCF) forecast

2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 2030 2031 2032 Levered FCF (, Millions) UK307.7m UK325.5m UK365.0m UK397.0m UK506.0m UK558.8m UK601.5m UK635.7m UK663.3m UK685.7m Growth Rate Estimate Source Analyst x7 Analyst x5 Analyst x3 Analyst x2 Analyst x1 Est @ 10.43% Est @ 7.64% Est @ 5.70% Est @ 4.33% Est @ 3.38% Present Value (, Millions) Discounted @ 8.1% UK285 UK279 UK289 UK291 UK343 UK351 UK349 UK342 UK330 UK315

("Est" = FCF growth rate estimated by Simply Wall St)

Present Value of 10-year Cash Flow (PVCF) = UK3.2b

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The second stage is also known as Terminal Value, this is the business's cash flow after the first stage. For a number of reasons a very conservative growth rate is used that cannot exceed that of a country's GDP growth. In this case we have used the 5-year average of the 10-year government bond yield (1.2%) to estimate future growth. In the same way as with the 10-year 'growth' period, we discount future cash flows to today's value, using a cost of equity of 8.1%.

Terminal Value (TV)= FCF 2032  (1 + g)  (r  g) = UK686m (1 + 1.2%)  (8.1% 1.2%) = UK10b

Present Value of Terminal Value (PVTV)= TV / (1 + r)10= UK10b ( 1 + 8.1%)10= UK4.6b

The total value is the sum of cash flows for the next ten years plus the discounted terminal value, which results in the Total Equity Value, which in this case is UK7.8b. The last step is to then divide the equity value by the number of shares outstanding. Compared to the current share price of UK69.3, the company appears slightly overvalued at the time of writing. 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

The Assumptions

We would point out that the most important inputs to a discounted cash flow are the discount rate and of course the actual cash flows. You don't have to agree with these inputs, I recommend redoing the calculations yourself and playing with them. The DCF also does not consider the possible cyclicality of an industry, or a company's future capital requirements, so it does not give a full picture of a company's potential performance. Given that we are looking at Croda International 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 8.1%, which is based on a levered beta of 0.994. Beta is a measure of a stock's volatility, compared to the market as a whole. We get our beta from the industry average beta of globally comparable companies, with an imposed limit between 0.8 and 2.0, which is a reasonable range for a stable business.

SWOT Analysis for Croda International

Strength

Earnings growth over the past year exceeded the industry.

Debt is not viewed as a risk.

Weakness

Dividend is low compared to the top 25% of dividend payers in the Chemicals market.

Expensive based on P/E ratio and estimated fair value.

Opportunity

CRDA's financial characteristics indicate limited near-term opportunities for shareholders.

Threat

Dividends are not covered by cash flow.

Annual earnings are forecast to decline for the next 4 years.

Looking Ahead:

Valuation is only one side of the coin in terms of building your investment thesis, and it shouldn't be the only metric you look at when researching a company. It's not possible to obtain a foolproof valuation with a DCF model. Instead the best use for a DCF model is to test certain assumptions and theories to see if they would lead to the company being undervalued or overvalued. If a company grows at a different rate, or if its cost of equity or risk free rate changes sharply, the output can look very different. Can we work out why the company is trading at a premium to intrinsic value? For Croda International, there are three important items you should further research:

Risks: You should be aware of the 2 warning signs for Croda International we've uncovered before considering an investment in the company. Future Earnings: How does CRDA's growth rate compare to its peers and the wider market? Dig deeper into the analyst consensus number for the upcoming years by interacting with our free analyst growth expectation chart. Other Solid Businesses: Low debt, high returns on equity and good past performance are fundamental to a strong business. Why not explore our interactive list of stocks with solid business fundamentals to see if there are other companies you may not have considered!

PS. Simply Wall St updates its DCF calculation for every British stock every day, so if you want to find the intrinsic value of any other stock just search here.

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



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Two men involved in a 2022 shooting at an Arlington lounge have been sentenced to a combined 20 years in federal prison, announced U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Leigha Simonton.

Simonton said in a Tuesday news release that James Edward Johnson, 34, and Leroy Harold White Jr., 53, were charged via criminal complaint in August and indicted the following month.

White pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm in October. Johnson pleaded guilty to the same charge two weeks later. They were sentenced on Friday to 10 years each in federal prison.

Johnson was a customer at JJs Corner Lounge in Arlington in July, while White was a security guard at the bar when the two got into an altercation that ended with a shooting.

ATF is proud of our long-standing relationship with the Arlington Police Department. Chief Jones is a national leader amongst law enforcement in the fight against firearms violence. His vision to create the NIBIN Engagement Team (NET) led us to these convictions, said ATF Dallas Field Division Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey Boshek II in a Tuesday news release. Mr. Johnson and Mr. White will now have ten years to think about carrying guns illegally in Arlington, Texas. Gun crime will always equal hard time.

Johnson and another patron got into a fight with White and another security guard at JJs Corner Lounge just before midnight on July 29, 2022, according to federal court documents.

During the fight, White fired a Smith & Wesson pistol, missing the unidentified patron involved in the incident.

In response, Johnson fired his Ruger at a random group of people who had just entered the business, hitting a victim in their right foot.

White then approached Johnson from behind, hitting him in the head with his hand, federal authorities said. Johnson whirled around and fired at White, shooting him two times in the front of his body armor and one time in his left arm.

In plea papers, the two men admitted that they were convicted felons and prohibited from possessing guns or ammunition.
NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) 

Cyprus' new president affirmed the island nation's Western foreign policy orientation as a member of the European Union that seeks to further strengthen its bonds with the U.S. and stands firmly with others on the side of justice to condemn Russia's war in Ukraine.

Speaking after taking his oath of office at a ceremony in parliament Tuesday, President Nikos Christodoulides said his administration will strive to make Cyprus a credible and creative partner with substantial input in European affairs. Among other foreign policy priorities will be to reach out to other ""significant players" in Asia.

Christodoulides, 49, defeated a career diplomat supported by the country's communist-rooted AKEL party in a Feb. 12 runoff. Like all of his predecessors, his top campaign priority was to revive stalemated peace talks with breakaway Turkish Cypriots that has been a source or instability in the eastern Mediterranean for decades.

Cyprus was split in 1974 when Turkey invaded following a Greek junta-sponsored coup that aimed at union with Greece. Only Turkey recognizes a Turkish Cypriot declaration of independence and maintains more than 35,000 troops in the breakaway north. Numerous rounds of U.N.-facilitated talks since have ended in failure, including the latest bid in 2017.

Appealing directly to Turkish Cypriots, Christodoulides said that any peace deal should serve the interests of Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots alike without a permanent Turkish troop presence or giving military intervention rights to Ankara  two key Turkish demands that the majority Greek Cypriots reject.

Christodoulides repeated that EU involvement would play a leading role in future peace talks. Only in this way will we secure our children's future without building on sand, he said.

Offering an olive branch to Turkey, he said that Ankara could play a role in the development of natural gas deposits off Cyprus' southern shore, "as long as it respects international law and lives up to its obligations toward the Cyprus republic, which are obligations toward the European Union."

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Turkey says Cyprus' energy plans ignores its rights in the east Mediterranean, as well as those of Turkish Cypriots, and claims much of the island's exclusive economic zone as its own.

The new president said he would introduce new reforms in his administration, including an internal audit and ethics" body to combat corruption, as well as instituting an annual, state of the union address to parliament.

On the economy, Christoulides said he would maintain fiscal discipline as prescribed by strict guidelines set out by the eurozone's 20 member states. Another priority for his administration will be to curb large arrivals of migrants seeking asylum by making Cyprus a less attractive destination and expediting repatriations.
A family sleeping in the middle of the night was awoken when a man trying to hide from police picked their house to break into, authorities in Oklahoma said.

The man had broke out a window of a childs bedroom, then forced his way into the room, according to a news release from the Tulsa Police Department.

Officers with the department were called to the home at about 2 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 28. Meanwhile, police said the homeowner was trying to get his kids and wife to safety.

The father got his family out of the home, but the man began throwing items and destroying the home, according to the release.

At one point, the homeowner grabbed a machete and struck (the man) with it, police said, leading the man to barricade himself in a bedroom.

Officers arrived to find children screaming in the homes front yard, police said. Family members pointed the officers to the home, where the dad and suspect were inside.

Authorities got the man out of the bedroom with help from a police dog, according to the release. The man was then taken to a hospital with cuts and injuries from the machete strike and broken glass.

The man admitted he chose a random house to hide in after running from police, authorities said. He also said he was smoking methamphetamine prior to the incident.

The man was booked into jail on an FBI hold because of his Native American status, police said.

Resident shoots and kills man kicking in apartment door, Indiana police say

Mom hiding in bedroom with her 3 kids assaulted during home invasion, Texas cops say

Home intruders fight 80-year-old man before he shoots one in chest, Illinois cops say
Credit - Artwork by Boris Chaliapin

A single image can certainly evoke strong memories. This 1959 TIME cover photo and the accompanying story of my escape from Tibet brings movingly back to me the tragedy of my land and of my people.

I will soon be 88. This cover appeared when I was 24. At that time, in spite of our earnest efforts to coexist, the Chinese authorities did not, unfortunately, respond positively. The very survival of the Tibetan identity was at risk. So, it was decided that, in the interests of our land and our people, I should leave Lhasa. Initially I had some fear and hesitation about doing this. But since the Tibetan people had placed their hope and trust in me, I knew where my responsibility lay. In the same way, when I was hardly 16, and even though I was ill-prepared, I had to take up the political leadership of Tibet. Sometimes I say that at 16, I lost my personal freedom, and at 24 my countrys freedom was lost. Subsequently, I became a refugee.

Read the Original Story From 1959: The Dalai Lama Escapes from the Chinese

The tragedy of Tibet has yet to be resolved. But my becoming a refugee in India brought with it many hidden blessings. For one, the moment I was able to cross over from Tibet to India on March 31, 1959, I realized the value of freedom. Since then, I have been the longest-staying guest of the Indian government, enjoying every possible liberty. In addition, India has provided me, and those other Tibetans who managed to escape, the freedom to preserve and promote Tibetan identity and our culture of peace and compassion, and to share them with the entire world.

The Dalai Lama in Dharamsala in February, 2019. Ruven Afanador for TIME

Most important, I have enjoyed in exile the freedom to pursue my spiritual development, even as I have tried to take care of Tibetan affairs. For many decades now, I have had the opportunity to engage in dialogue with leaders of different religious traditions, scholars, and scientists. These new friends have enabled me to understand more clearly the state of humanity and the ways in which I can contribute to a better world.

It is my strong belief that modern education does not give sufficient attention to the importance of warmheartedness. We are social animals; our survival depends on others. As human beings we thrive on affection, which is one reason why all religious traditions stress compassion. People with little or no interest in religion are also human beings and for them, too, experiencing loving-kindness contributes to a healthy and happy life. I am now pledged to devote myself to my four principal commitments: promoting human values; religious harmony; ancient Indian wisdom, on the basis of compassion (karuna) and nonviolence (ahimsa); and, obviously, Tibetan culturethe basis of our identity. I firmly believe that all four can contribute to a more peaceful world.

Today, I am stateless, unable to return to my country. But we Tibetans have a saying, Your homeland is wherever you are happy. And whoever loves you is your parent. India and its people, as well as many across the world, have provided me with constant love and support. When I look at this cover from 1959, I am grateful that I have been able to lead a meaningful life dedicated to helping others.
If you can believe it, Washington Commanders owner Dan Snyder has been accused of doing more illegal things, like taking out secret loans and using the team as his "personal piggy bank."

ESPN's Don Van Natta Jr. reported Tuesday that three (now former) Commanders minority owners accused Snyder of fraud and misusing company funds after he took out a $55 million loan in 2020 without telling them about it. Commissioner Roger Goodell then allegedly refused to investigate the fraud and misuse of funds when the partners pointed them out in an arbitration petition.

This questionable loan is now at the center of federal prosecutors' probe into the Commanders' financials, according to Van Natta. A grand jury has issued subpoenas for Commanders financial records, including anything related to the loan, and they've already obtained other documents like emails and letters. And this is all happening while Snyder is attempting to sell the team for a record-breaking $7 billion.

Snyder allegedly used team to fund his lifestyle

This story begins with the Commanders' three minority partners, Robert Rothman, Dwight Schar and Frederick W. Smith, reportedly discovering the $55 million Bank of America loan in the fine print of an audit in April 2020. Later that same month, Snyder allegedly missed paying the partners their quarterly profits for the first time.

The partners went on to examine the team's financials and they say they discovered that Snyder had been using the team as his "personal piggy bank." They alleged in their arbitration petition to the NFL (which was obtained by ESPN) that Snyder had been paying himself a salary of $10 million a year and was using the team to pay for "personal yachts, multiple residences, the services of more than 60 members of his personal staff, multiple vehicles in the U.S. and Europe and countless meals, wine/beverages [and] entertainment." Additionally, Snyder had been allegedly leasing his jets back to the team and reportedly charged them $4.5 million for "advertising" after he had the Commanders' logo emblazoned on his personal jet.

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These suspicions were further confirmed by a letter Snyder's lawyers sent to the partners in June (obtained by ESPN) explaining that the team would be reimbursing Snyder over $7 million for "unreimbursed business expenses" covering 2017-2020. Those "business expenses" allegedly included a lavish yacht party Snyder threw that included Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, Buffalo Bills owner Terry Pegula and New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft. Snyder also reportedly told them he'd used $20 million of that $55 million loan.

The Washington Commanders' Dan Snyder is in conflict with former minority owners of the team. (Tim Heitman/USA TODAY Sports)

Snyder's partners shut down

What really spurred the three partners to action was Snyder reportedly removing and replacing them from the Commanders' board in mid-June. According to ESPN, the partners believed that was a violation of their stockholder agreement, and in conjunction with their discovery of Snyder's other alleged activities, they believed they had enough to alert the NFL and send them an arbitration petition.

According to Van Natta, the arbitration petition also included the partners' allegation that Snyder had fraudulently obtained the $55 million loan. Bank of America required a sign-off from the Commanders' board of directors before the loan could close, but according to one of the partners, the board hadn't met in years. Yet Snyder got the loan, which Goodell approved while the Commanders' minority partners had no idea.

After submitting the petition to the NFL, the partners "reluctantly" agreed to a Jan. 2021 mediation overseen by Goodell to settle buyout conditions. According to ESPN, Goodell and NFL general counsel Jeff Pash (who is reportedly a close friend of Snyder's) both refused to investigate the secret loan.

The partners' only option was to sell their 40 percent stake in the team back to Snyder, which they did for $875 million. That was two years ago. With Snyder now trying to sell the team for $7 billion, that 40 percent would have been worth $2.8 billion.

NFL, Commanders respond

In response to ESPN's story, the Commanders released this statement through team counsel John Brownlee:

"The team has been fully cooperating with the Eastern District of Virginia since it received a request for records last year. The requested records only relate to customer security deposits and the team's ticket sales and revenue. The team will continue to cooperate with this investigation."

The NFL released a statement to ESPN through spokesman Brian McCarthy.

"The parties had a series of disputes, which were certified to the Commissioner for arbitration as required by league rules. The Commissioner appointed a highly-respected attorney as the arbitrator and none of the parties objected to that appointment."

"After several months, the parties were asked if they would be interested in participating in a confidential mediation with the Commissioner, which they agreed to do," McCarthy continued in the statement. "The mediation lasted for two days and the parties subsequently reached an agreement whereby the three limited partners sold all of their interests in the team to Mr. Snyder at an agreed-upon price and other terms. Everyone was represented by very sophisticated legal and financial advisors. The agreement included full releases of all claims that were or could have been asserted by any party in the arbitration proceeding."

Brownlee and McCarthy refused to directly address the $55 million loan or any legal action surrounding it. Bank of America declined to comment. All three former Commanders co-owners and their lawyers never responded to multiple interview requests from ESPN.
Watch below: First look at Danny Dyer in Channel 5 drama Heat.

A look at Danny Dyer's first post-EastEnders role has been unveiled by Channel 5.

Dyer is set to star in the broadcaster's original drama Heat which is set in Australia during bushfire season with two families put under pressure on what is supposed to be a dream holiday.

Danny Dyer in Heat. (Fremantle Australia)

In a first look at the gritty drama, Dyer can be seen in a number of tense moments including a row with an unseen character as he is held back by Darren McMullen from Christmas on the Farm.

In a more relaxing moment, Dyer and his character's family can also be seen having a picnic by a river and raising a toast.

Read more: Danny Dyer admits there are 'a few' EastEnders co-stars he won't miss at all

Heat features an ensemble cast that also includes Olympia Valance, Jane Allsop and Neighbours' Richie Morris.

Fans have been reacting on social media to seeing Dyer in his first role since he departed EastEnders at Christmas.

Danny Dyer's first post-EastEnders role is in Heat. (Fremantle Australia)

One wrote on Twitter: "Been so buzzing about this since it was announced and it looks INSANE. Gwon DD. Absolutely smashing it."

One fan also said: "Looks mint. Can't believe he left EastEnders though he was such a great actor on there."

Another made a joke about Dyer's EastEnders exit that appeared to see him drown: "Woah i cant believe he swam all the way to Australia."

Danny Dyer will star in Heat for Channel 5. (Fremantle Australia)

Channel 5 have massively increased their original drama output over the last year with new shows including Desperate Measures with Amanda Abbington and Warren Brown and psychological thriller The Catch which stars Aneurin Barnard.

Dyer has a number of other post-EastEnders projects lined up including new Netflix gameshow Cheat which he will co-host with comedian Ellie Taylor. That will premiere on the streaming service on 1 March.

Heat will premiere on Channel 5 later this year.
Dave Grohl reportedly spent 16 hours cooking food for the homeless people of Los Angeles.

The Foo Fighters frontman collaborated with The Hope Mission on a barbeque project this week where he cooked ribs, pork butt, brisket, cabbage, coleslaw, and beans for the homeless.

According to TMZ, Grohl funded the whole initiative himself and got some sleep here and there in the parking lot while the meat was getting smoked.

The barbeque fest helped feed approximately 500 people.

This isnt the first time Grohl has been seen giving back to the people.

In 2020, the 54-year-old musician surprised a trauma nurse named TJ Riley, who was recovering from Covid-19, by serenading him with a solo version of Everlong.

Grohl appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live! to surprise the nurse.

Earlier this year, Grohls band Foo Fighters released a statement revealing the fate of the band following the death of their drummer, Taylor Hawkins.

The group announced that they will continue as a band. However, they said they will be a different band going forward without Hawkins.

Without Taylor, we never would have become the band that we were  and without Taylor, we know that were going to be a different band going forward, the statement read.

When we see you again  and we will soon  hell be there in spirit with all of us every night.

Foo Fighters is set to headline Boston Calling, Sonic Temple, and Bonnaroo music festivals this summer.

Last year, Foo Fighters played two tribute shows for Hawkins in London and LA in September, with guests including Queen, Alanis Morrisette, Paul McCartney, Miley Cyrus, Cars, and Rush.
Credit - Photograph by Martin Schoeller for TIME

Most TIME covers feature people already accustomed to the harsh glare of fame. Others depict those caught up in situations not of their own choosing. But occasionally, a regular person wanders unwittingly into the red border, because his or her life and the news briefly overlap. Such was the case in 2012 when Jamie Lynne Grumet and her son Aram appeared next to the question ARE YOU MOM ENOUGH?

Grumet and her son were doing something they did every day, usually around nap time: nursing. Aram was 3, older (and taller) than most breastfeeding American kids, but Grumet, who was herself breastfed until she was 6, was an advocate of the attachment-parenting theories of Dr. Bill Searswhich include allowing kids to set their own weaning timelines, and which were the subject of the cover story. Aram was getting sleepy, so he was just standing there nursing while they were kind of pulling my hair back, recalls Grumet, of the moment photographer Martin Schoeller snapped a shot. It wasnt necessarily something we were posing for. It wasnt something that was unnatural either. It was just how we were.

The combination of the unconventional pose, Arams size, and the provocative cover line caused an uproar. I saw it in the media before I got to see it on the cover, says Grumet, who lives in California. People who were awake before I was were sending videos of all the news outlets that were covering it. She was shocked at how much attention it got, not all of it positive. Its just such an abnormal human experience, having this much attention on you, and its not necessarily healthy, she says. It was really interesting, but that the focus was on me was scary. I felt really vulnerable.

Read the original story: The Man Who Remade Motherhood

Jamie Grumet, right, with her son Aram, now 14, photographed at home on on Feb. 20, 2023 Christie Hemm Klok for TIME

The cover had been the subject of considerable disagreement within TIMEs staff, with some calling it sensationalized and others saying it accurately captured the pressure mothers were under. Outside TIMEs walls, the cover was fodder for comedians, parenting experts, and a legion of letters to the editor. Thousands of people emailed Grumet, ranging from Dr. Sears to Alanis Morissette, who wrote the introduction and the foreword, respectively, for an attachment-parenting book Grumet wrote in 2019. After meeting other advocates at her media appearances, she became involved in clean-water and refugee causes, working in Europe, Asia, and sub-Saharan Africa. She traveled a lot, she thinks now, partly to prove a pointthat attachment parenting didnt lead to clingy kids. Her feelings about the cover have changed over the years. I was worried at the time that it had done more damage than helpedbut it didnt, she says. Attachment parenting has been a lot more normalized the past 10 years, and so has breastfeeding.

As for Aram, now 14, he remembers little of the shoot, and almost none of the brouhaha that followed. He recalls his appearance on the Today show as a room full of cameras. The cover hangs on the wall of his bedroom alongside paintings by his grandmother. His friends dont ask about it, but if they did, hed be happy to explain. Im proud of it. I like it, he says. I just see myself and my mom. It makes me feel happy that my mom helped people, like, nurse their children in public, so they didnt feel awkward or nervous.
Merriam-Websters Dictionary defines Performative as made or done for show (as to bolster ones own image or make a positive impression on others). This is what the word means as it relates to disapproving, self-serving actions.

At the crux of events after the George Floyd murder in 2020, several actors in the United States responded in ways that did not move policy or legislation but were assumed to appease the heightened emotions of Black people across the globe. The referenced actions were described as performative, moves that seemed to speak to culture without addressing the root cause of what was happening.

One of the most pervasive actions stemming from that year was that companies across several industries made statements about justice and equity while flooding job sites with new roles that support diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives (DEI).

Persons hired to manage and lead DEI departments were tasked with providing internal and external-facing solutions. They were also there to ensure organizations created cultures and organizational policies that were inclusive and equitable.

The problem? Many people who entered these roles didnt have the chance to foster change in the ways they imagined. In fact, several of them no longer have those jobs, and the DEI role they once occupied no longer exists.

The post DEI-Related Jobs Were All The Hype After George Floyds Death  Now, Theyre Being Cut appeared first on AfroTech.

According to an NBC report, there was a 55 percent increase in DEI-related roles after Floyds murder. However, professionals that were a part of that increase are losing their jobs with the uncertainty of the job market.

Revelio Labs published a jobs report that showed the trend in layoffs for DEI professionals, with Amazon, Applebees, and Twitter laying off the most DEI professionals since July 2022.

In a conversation with NBC News, Revelio Labs senior economist Reyhan Ayas noted that the data gathered for its report showed the DEI hires were more performative than genuine.

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I always say that it is so easy to make public statements and commitments because no one will eventually check if youre committed to the things that you committed to, Ayas said. I can say: I will be fully vegan by 2025 because no one will ever call me in 2025 and ask me if Im actually fully vegan. And thats really what is going on here. In 2020, a lot of companies made big commitments, big statements around the DEI roles and goals. And, as we are observing a turning of that tide, I think its very timely that we actually look into companies to see if they have kept up with those big statements they made.

The 2023 report showed that 40 percent of layoffs at surveyed organizations were DEI compared to 24 percent for non-DEI roles.

Most of your diversity professionals at these companies report to human resources, which are headed by white women and, in some cases, white men, said Chris Metzler, Senior Vice President of Corporate DEI and Environmental, Social, and Governance Strategies at the National Urban League. So, it doesnt surprise me that Black diversity officers are being moved out.

Even with the influx of hiring, many companies hired non-Black professionals to fill these roles, adding to the nuanced nature of the layoffs that mainly consist of Black people.

The outlet also reports another survey showed that Black employees make up only 3.8% of chief diversity officers. White people, however, make up 76.1% of the roles. Then there are Hispanics or Latinos, which account for 7.8%, and those of Asian descent, which account for 7.7%.

Its increasingly becoming a dead-end job. Corporations are saying one thing and demonstrating something else. Its going back to checking the box versus hiring and keeping qualified workers who can impact change in the company, Metzler said, according to NBC.
In an effort to keep enough police officers on the streets of DeKalb County, the department is planning on offering a nearly 9% pay hike for police recruits.

Channel 2 Investigative Reporter Mark Winne was at DeKalb police headquarters Tuesday, where he spoke to County CEO Michael Thurmond and Police Chief Mirtha Ramos, who said that their number one priority is to keep residents

[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]

We must protect the people who live and work and play in our community, Thurmond said. In order to do it, we have to increase the number of men and women who are serving us in the police department.

Ramos said DeKalb, like other county police departments, are having trouble recruiting and retaining officers, so the pay hike will help in both areas.

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Were going from $50,500 as a starting salary to $55,000 and if youre a lateral officer, meaning youre certified, youre going from $54,500 to $59,194, so its a significant increase.

Officers that are already with the department will get a 5% raise.

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Ramos wanted to be clear that existing DeKalb officers, through long hours and dedication, have been working hard to keep DeKalb safe. But more officers translates to safe streets and the department is currently shorthanded, a situation Ramos helps new pay increases will help fix.

Ramos said the county is authorized to have 798 officers on the force, but they currently have just 574.

We are experiencing a shortage, and while we continue to do our jobs, we really just want to make sure that the community feels safe, Ramos said.

A comparison Thurmond provided suggests DeKalbs new police recruit starting rate compares favorably to the cities of Charlotte, North Carolina; Jacksonville, Florida; Nashville, Tennessee; and Norfolk, Virginia. All but Norfolk have a significantly larger population than DeKalb County.

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Thurmond said theyre searching for new officers outside of Georgia.

If we get one officer from Gwinnett, thats a net increase of zero, Thurmond said. We are thinking much more globally about this.

Ramos said the department is recruiting good candidates from anywhere and everywhere.

Were going to recruit nationally and regionally to help metro Atlanta be a safer region, Thurmond said.

DeKalb police already got two pay increases last year, 6.25% in April and 6.5% in October.

Thurmond said the county is also paying DeKalb police triple overtime right now to keep more officers on the street.

Unless and until we get more men and women employed with the department, were going to have to ask people who are here to work longer hours, Thurmond said.

Thurmond said the new steps are major, but ultimately it may not be enough because there are not enough qualified people in metro Atlanta who want a career in law enforcement, and hence a major southeast regional recruiting campaign will launch soon.
A salvage crew tries to dig out a gravel truck damaged by flooding along the Los Angeles River on March 2, 1938. The truck was at the construction site of a railroad crossing for Union Pacific across the river. (Los Angeles Times)

Add another inch or two of rain in the late winter of 1938, and Angelenos would have been rounding up mountain lions and red-tailed hawks two by two, and shopping for enough gopherwood to float an ark.

Now here we are again, toweling off from what the news reports say is the worst storm in at least 40 years. Surely youve wondered, wow, what must those earlier worst storms have been like?

Wonder no more. Heres the story of the epochal storms and floods of 1938.

For five days, from the end of February into March 1938, a two-step weather combo of staggering force and volume crashed bridges, knotted railroad trestles, and crumbled highways and roads like soggy saltine crackers.

It turned Greater Los Angeles into an island unreachable save by radio  a medium that the supremely corrupt Mayor Frank Shaw, a spiritual brother to the truckling mayor in Jaws, used to deliver a PR spin that all this was no big deal, that the sun is shining over Southern California today and ... Los Angeles is still smiling." A week after the flood, Angelenos, already soured on Shaws crooked ways, started circulating the petitions that would bring about his recall.

Over those five days, at least a foot of rain descended across most of Southern California. Two and a half feet of rain beat down upon the face of the San Gabriels, wiping out the rustic resorts wedged into the canyons, and chuting runoff waters down onto the plain along ancient dry rivulets and freshets and canyons that Angelenos had forgotten or never known about. Where Santa Monica Boulevard crosses Vermont Avenue, the rain, as the weathermen reported dispassionately, exceeded the computed maximum 50-year rainfall.

Flood stories live in the warp and weft of legends and religions and nations  Gilgamesh, Noah, the Greeks and Aztecs, the Norse and Native Americans. Some of the 1938 flood accounts dwelled on our own pantheon: movie stars. Time magazine recited the inconvenienced celebrities: Lucille Balls wire-haired terrier turned up in her basement, swimming in 4 feet of water. Robert Taylor had to saddle up and ride two miles to get out of his flooded ranch near Chatsworth. Milton Berles car stalled over a manhole cover, which then blew with the force of a geyser and ruined his car. Franchot Tones car died and left him stuck, until he saw a bread truck and asked the driver for a lift. Sure, the man said, but Ill have to deliver this bread first.

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A huge prop whale, a plot point for a 1937 comedy called Public Wedding, came unmoored from the Warner Bros. prop yard and floated serenely down the Los Angeles River toward the sea. It was, as I wrote in my book Rio LA, Tales From the Los Angeles River, a trompe loeil Moby Dick bound for the freedom of a real sea, not a cinematic one. The Warners riverfront studio and actor Ralph Bellamy, whose house was yanked into the floodwaters, would end up suing the county flood control authority.

So many actors were marooned in their San Fernando Valley ranchlands that the Oscar ceremony was postponed for a week. Another delay wouldnt happen again until 1968, after the assassination of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., and again in 1981, when a would-be assassin wounded President Reagan, a former actor who was to have helped open the Academy Awards.

Milkman Ray J. Henville secured himself a boat and boatman and made all deliveries to the doorstep during the 1938 flood. (Los Angeles Times)

As for the ordinary folk of L.A., there were tales of heroes and victims. A milkman named Ray J. Henville made his rounds by rowboat.

Henry Cooper, the caretaker for a rich mans riverside estate, was lionized for playing a waterlogged Paul Revere, warning neighbors of the flood and six times ferrying stranded women (and his dog, Witchy) across the river to safety.

Pack horses ferried food up to the cabins of the artsy oddballs in Laurel Canyon. The canals of Venice for once resembled their Italian originals. L.A. Countys showman sheriff, Eugene W. Biscailuz, sent an air squadron over the foothills to drop parachutes of supplies to folks stuck in remote canyons. The Times tooted its own considerable horn about the armada of kayaks and rowboats it launched to deliver the newspapers.

When at last the waters were gone  and it must have felt like the 40 days and 40 nights of the Genesis flood  Los Angeles was a changed city.

The reckoning of the damages: about a billion dollars in current-day values for farmlands ravaged, bridges, roads and rail lines destroyed, and about 1,500 houses washed off the map. Bad as it was, its a fraction of what todays equivalent damages would be, with the countys population four times larger than it was then.

Over Californias history, floods have killed more people than earthquakes have, and in this flood, at least 96 people died, probably more. Five died when a bridge across the L.A. River at Universal City collapsed as they stood looking down at the waters. Perhaps ten more died when a wooden bridge over the same river in Long Beach splintered and broke up as they stood on it.

There was one more fatality: the natural Los Angeles River.

The river is the reason Los Angeles exists at all. Modern people think L.A. = beach, but it was along the river, with its fresh water and game and flora, where Native Americans settled and the Spanish and Mexicans and Yankees followed suit. The Tongva recognized two seasons of the river: it is full of water and the water has departed.

That river was a wandering, seasonal thing that played peekaboo, trickling through a braided network of little streams and existing springs. From todays downtown, it coursed west and southwest all over the Los Angeles Basin until around 1825, when another flood redirected it toward where it flows today, more or less south from the original pueblo.

Sometimes, from its formidable mountainous watershed, the river flooded. The L.A. River and the Mississippi River both drop approximately the same distance  800 and 600 feet, respectively  from top to bottom, but the Mississippi takes a leisurely 2,000-plus miles to descend. The L.A. River does it in a scant 50 miles, transforming it, in flood season, into a hurtling water chute.

Yankee L.A. was impatient with a river that didnt pull its weight, unnavigable for goods or for people. In its capricious flows and floods, the river sometimes wandered far from anything like a deep-cut bed, and  its capital sin  chewed up valuable property and land.

After the river flooded in 1914, the countys first flood control agency was organized. Then, the New Years Eve/New Years Day flood and mudslides of 1933/1934 killed scores  the totals were never agreed upon  in La Crescenta, Montrose, La Canada and Tujunga. That gave fresh urgency to building systems of dams, debris and catch basins, and other diversions. Some were in place in 1938, but not enough. Curiously, when Warner Bros. and actor Bellamy sued the county, it was because the already existing concrete river conduit brought about an increase in the velocity of the river.

The wild river, the one the newspapers called a monster, had to be controlled once and for all. After the Los Angeles Aqueduct opened the water taps a quarter-century before, the L.A. River looked like something worse than obsolete  it looked like a killer, of life, of land, of livelihood.

Thereafter, the great California historian Kevin Starr wrote, at this point, the Army Corps of Engineers declared war on the Los Angeles River. By 1939, it had planned river projects approaching the cost of the Panama Canal.

Thus, wrote Starr, did a public works project do its best to destroy a river possessed of its own special sort of greatness, depriving Los Angeles in the process of its central landmark.

The river paving neatly solved several problems. It meant thousands of jobs during the Depression. It meant preventing another 1938 catastrophe. On the flood plain of southeast Los Angeles County, where farms had once flourished, towns grew up, protected by the Pharaonic-scale concrete walls of the built river.

But the built river gave us another problem. Over centuries, the natural river had replenished Los Angeles groundwater. In 1939, as the straitjacketing of the L.A. River was well underway, Andrew R. Boone farsightedly wrote in Scientific American that as much water as possible must be preserved to replenish ground water storage. The life of much of southern California depends upon such stored waters.

Instead, this new, domesticated river was a high-speed water freeway, built to whisk away as much stormwater as it could as fast as possible.

A family begins digging out their flood-wrecked home at Burbank and Ethel Streets in Van Nuys in March 1938. (J. H. McCrory)

And now, epochal drought is upon us, and sweeping away those trillions of gallons before our eyes seems profligate and a little bone-headed as Los Angeles pays to bring water from elsewhere.

As The Times noted a few weeks ago during early winter rains, after so many months of drought-related water restrictions, it seemed to many like a missed opportunity to grab back some of that fleeing water.

The Safe Clean Water Program passed by L.A. County voters five years ago apportioned more than a quarter-billion dollars a year to hold on to some of that stormwater and clean it up. Yet only a wimpy 30 new acres of green space have been set aside for this  not moving the needle in a substantial way on both water quality standards attainment and water supply, according to Mark Gold, who directs Water Scarcity Solutions for the Natural Resources Defense Council.

The old river and its many tributaries with their ancient ways still underlie the modern chutes-and-ladders system for cushioning L.A. from its destructive pummelings; we have had a taste of that this month.

Three years after the 1938 flood, City of Angels was published. Its author was Rupert Hughes, a Hollywood polymath and uncle of Howard Hughes. As a Hollywood novel, its nowhere close to the greats like The Day of the Locust. But as a river novel, its splendid, and its principal villain is the 1938 flood.

Early in the book, Hughes writes of some out-of-town visitors who stop their car on a bridge over the wide and empty unpaved L.A. River. They are standing at the railing, pointing and laughing at the dry riverbed below them, when a motorcycle cop careens up to ticket them for stopping on a bridge.

He rebukes them for their ignorant mockery. Stick around, he says. Till the rains begin. Then this old river will come down out of the mountains yonder and carry you and this bridge  and a dozen bridges with it  to hell and gone.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
WASHINGTON  Staff Sgt. Aquilino Gonell recently retired from the U.S. Capitol Police after he was injured in the Jan. 6 attack. But he remains worried about one, seemingly small, security gap on Capitol Hill that could lead to a big problem.

Members of Congress and, often, the people they enter the Capitol with are not screened by security when they enter the Capitol complex.

Oh, it is disturbing, Gonell said. The protocol is for them to pass around security.

Staff members of the House Administration Committee confirmed that members and their guests are not required to be screened. Capitol Police declined to comment.

For more on this story tune in tonight for Top Story with Tom Llamas on NBC News Now at 7 p.m. ET.

The House rules, set by the Capitol Police Board, prohibit firearms from being carried anywhere on the grounds, except in members' personal offices. But if they are never screened, there is no way to enforce the rules, and many members of Congress believe some of their colleagues are ignoring them.

Rep. Jared Huffman, D-Calif., has raised alarm bells about allowing members to bypass security, and, in a letter shared exclusively with NBC News, he is asking President Joe Biden to appoint a new architect of the Capitol to change it.

"It makes all of us less safe," Huffman said, noting that the architect of the Capitol sits on the three-member Capitol Police Board, which could change or better enforce the rules.

The position is vacant after Biden fired Architect of the Capitol Brett Blanton this month after an inspector generals report found he had misused his authority. Blanton used his government-issued vehicle for personal reasons and falsely presented himself as a member of law enforcement, the inspector general found.

Huffman and 13 other House Democrats signed the letter to Biden, saying, "It is imperative that the next Architect of the Capitol be mindful of threats from both outside and inside the Capitol complex and enforce rules barring Members of Congress from carrying firearms."

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The White House has not said whom will it appoint.

Some Republicans have grown more vocal about their desire to carry firearms around the Capitol complex.

I always feel better when I know that my colleagues on the floor are armed, said Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla.

Rep. Lauren Boebert listens during a House Oversight and Reform Committee hearing in Washington, D.C. (Kevin Dietsch / Getty Images file)

After the Capitol riot, then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., had magnetometers erected around the House chamber to screen members before they entered the floor and to enforce the no-guns policy. But the moment Republicans took the majority, the mags came down.

Gaetz said he believes members started carrying guns all the way down to the floor immediately.

Absolutely, the day that metal detectors came down, he said. Maybe the day before. Who knows?

Republicans on the House Natural Resources Committee voted this month to remove a Democratic amendment that would have prohibited firearms in the hearing room.

We have the right to defend ourselves, and were going to defend that right to keep that in America, Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., said at the time.

Huffman said he believes members ability to carry weapons into the Capitol complex unchecked is a growing security threat. It makes all of us less safe," he said, adding that threats against lawmakers, which remain near historic highs, warrant a review of the Capitol's screening policy.

The mix of political passion and guns also makes Rep. Troy Nehls, R-Texas, who is a former sheriff, nervous.

I support the Second Amendment. Im all about that, Nehls said. But this is the United States Capitol, and its kind of like, you know, would you allow people to carry weapons at the county courthouse in civil trials dealing with divorce proceedings? No. The emotions are too high.

But some of his fellow Republicans argue that being elected to Congress alone is a proper vetting that should allow members the special right to not be screened.

If we are trusted with the worlds greatest secrets and most exquisite intelligence, we can probably be trusted with our own security and the security of our co-workers, Gaetz said.

Huffman says the law of averages dictates that there's a substantial risk associated with a group of 535 people entering the Capitol campus unscreened. "It's crazy to just assume" that members of Congress, not to mention the "dozens" of staffers in each of their offices, are immune to the risk factors for gun violence, he said.

It is going to happen at some point, and I hope we can have a little foresight and common sense to prevent it," he said.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
A DeBary man shot his girlfriend Monday after becoming upset when he found a cellphone photo of the woman and her ex-boyfriend, Volusia County deputies said.

Deputies were still looking for the suspected shooter, Caleb Padgett, 21, Tuesday, and were working on possible leads that his mother would turn him in, authorities said.

Padgett shot his girlfriend of one month during an argument in the car at DeBary Memorial Park on Dirksen Road at 11:20 a.m., according to sheriff's detectives.

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The woman suffered a gunshot wound to the upper right side of her body and the bullet went through her left bicep and through the driver's side door. She was taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, investigators said.

According to a sheriff's office affidavit, Padgett faces charges of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and tampering with a victim. He also faces an armed robbery charge because deputies said he took the woman's cellphone and prevented her from calling 911.

Fight over old photo ends in shooting

Detectives learned Monday that the victim was texting Padgett from school and then decided to drive to his home.

When Padgett got into her car, he asked his girlfriend to let him view her cellphone, which she allowed. Padgett then found a photo of the woman and her-ex-boyfriend on the device and started arguing with her, detectives said.

Padgett brandished a handgun and pointed it several times at the woman, and she asked him to move it away because she was scared, the charging affidavit said.

Padgett then asked the woman to drive to her ex-boyfriend's home in Altamonte Springs, authorities said. She obliged, but Padgett soon changed his mind and asked the woman to drive to Gemini Springs State Park, detectives said.

On the way to the state park, the woman felt uncomfortable, so she stopped at DeBary Memorial Park. There Padgett started arguing with her again and waving the gun and pointing it a her while inside the car, the report said.

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During the argument, the gun fired and hit the woman, detectives said.

The woman tried to call 911 but Padgett took her phone and prevented her from calling for help, investigators said.

The woman managed to get her phone and ran from the car to a nearby home to ask for help.

Padgett ran from the scene and a search on Monday failed to locate him, deputies said.

Deputies had previously responded to the woman's residence at 9:19 p.m. Sunday for a report of a threatening call. She told deputies that same night that a month ago Padgett had threatened to shoot her, but that she did not tell her parents or report it to police, investigators said.

Deputies were unable to take action based on the information they received, authorities said.

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Deputies search for DeBary man accused of shooting girlfriend at park
Deputies are investigating a fatal shooting near Everett, early Monday morning.

At about 6:40 a.m., Snohomish County Sheriffs Office deputies were called to the scene of a shooting in the 13500 block of Highway 99.

Two people, a man and a woman, were sitting in their parked car in a private driveway when they were confronted by the owner of the residence, a 38-year-old man.

An altercation occurred between the homeowner and the cars driver, who was also 38 years old.

The homeowner fired a single shot, which struck the driver and killed him.

The passenger, a 42-year-old woman, was unharmed.

The homeowner was detained by deputies and later released after being interviewed by detectives.

The driver and the homeowner did not know each other, and the investigation is still ongoing.

The identity of the driver and the cause of death will be determined by the Snohomish County Medical Examiners Office.

Anyone with information about the incident is urged to contact the Snohomish County Sheriffs Office.
A deputy raped a woman during a traffic stop and now faces charges, Tennessee officials say.

Jonathan Kelly, now a former Perry County deputy, was charged with one count of aggravated rape and one count of official misconduct by a grand jury on Wednesday, Feb. 22, according to a Feb. 28 news release from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation. He was arrested on Monday.

McClatchy News reached out to officials about when Kelly had left the sheriffs office and did not immediately receive a response.

Officials said they began investigating Kelly, 31, in December 2021 after receiving a complaint that he sexually assaulted a woman during a traffic stop.

Agents found Kelly told the woman she would not be charged with a crime if she engaged in sexual contact with him, according to officials.

Perry County is about 90 miles southwest of Nashville.

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Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks after being sworn in to begin his second term during an inauguration ceremony outside the Old Capitol January 3, 2023, in Tallahassee, Florida. Lynne Sladky, File/AP Photo

DeSantis criticized congressional Republicans over the issue of immigration in his new book.

He accuses the party of being out of touch.

DeSantis made the comments in his new book, "The Courage to Be Free."

In his forthcoming book, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis reserves some of his most scathing criticism of congressional Republicans for how the party has handled the issue of immigration.

In "The Courage to Be Free: Florida's Blueprint for America's Revival," DeSantis writes critically about the 2013 "Gang of Eight" bipartisan immigration bill, which was being considered during his first year in the US House.

"Of all the issues on which GOP leaders had ignored their voters, on no issue did they do so more consistently and more flagrantly than on the issue of immigration," he writes.

Formally known as the Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act, the "Gang of Eight" bill would have helped more people already living in the US illegally to receive citizenship and reduced visa backlogs for work and education.

The bill passed the US Senate but died in the US House, which let the legislation expire after GOP Rep. Eric Cantor, a top candidate for speaker, stunningly lost his seat in Virginia to Tea Party challenger David Brat. The election was largely decided on the issue of immigration, with Brat accusing his opponent of being too soft on the issue.

The defeat, DeSantis wrote, "was a prelude to the nomination of Donald Trump," which would come two years later. Trump would rise to power on promises to ban Muslims from entering the US and to build a wall between the US and Mexico.

As governor, DeSantis also has come out as a hardliner on immigration. He rolled out a proposal last week that would make it harder for undocumented immigrants to work in Florida or to receive in-state tuition for college.

He's widely expected to seek the GOP nomination for president in 2024. So far he has emerged as the greatest threat to Trump, whose anti-immigration rhetoric and actions whipped up his base and led to numerous lawsuits and public backlash.

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DeSantis has publicly criticized his own party on illegal immigration before, saying they were too much talk and not enough action.

"If they get majorities in the Congress, I'm sick of them talking," he said at a fundraiser in Hollywood, Florida, last year during a tirade against President Joe Biden's border policies. "I'm sick of them telling us what they're going to do. I'm sick of them going on cable and doing this, and prattling."

DeSantis last year authorized sending two planes filled with Venezuelan and Colombian migrants to Martha's Vineyard, the vacation island in Massachusetts, as part of a political stunt aimed at opposing Biden's border policy. He plans to expand the program this year.

DeSantis' memoir, out Tuesday, is being billed by his team as a blueprint other Republicans should follow. In it, he doubled down against illegal immigration, writing that the "Gang of Eight" bill was intended by the "Republican intelligentsia inside the Beltway" to win over more Hispanic voters and to help corporate interests seeking cheap labor.

DeSantis pushes back on that perspective in his book, writing that he thought the issues of economy, crime, and education were more important to Hispanic voters. Hispanic voters in Florida went overwhelmingly for DeSantis during his reelection in November  by 14%  over Democratic challenger former Rep. Charlie Crist.

"From playing footsie with mass amnesty to advocating for large expansions of immigration levels, the DC Republican establishment was woefully out of touch with the people who voted them into office in the first place," Desantis wrote.

Read the original article on Business Insider
(Bloomberg) -- Florida Governor Ron DeSantiss memoir, The Courage to Be Free, illustrates his success transforming the Republican Partys vision, from limiting governments reach in American lives to expanding it so broadly that even school boards become political battlegrounds.

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But readers curious about the man expected to try to dethrone former President Donald Trump as the GOPs standard-bearer will find little insight in his roughly 250-page book, which is light on details about his upbringing, family or life before politics. It also offers little criticism of Trump, and DeSantis does not hint at a 2024 presidential run.

Instead, the book is a call-to-arms for Republicans to involve themselves deeply in every level of government, to ensure that US policy  and daily life  reflect conservative ideology. DeSantis makes plain his disdain for what he calls the Woke, legacy media, socialist Democrats, technology companies and efforts by corporations to diversify their executive ranks, or adopt environmental, social and governance standards.

Reining in Big Tech, enforcing antitrust laws, prohibiting discriminatory job training, and crippling the ESG movement are all ways in which the political branches can protect individual freedom from stridently ideological private actors, he writes in a chapter about power and the Constitution.

The book serves as a road map for what could become DeSantiss 2024 campaign platform. Though he has yet to declare a bid for the presidency, he has spent the last several weeks hiring campaign staff, wooing donors and traveling the country to set himself up for a run.

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The Republican Party finds itself at a crossroads, as it tries to sort out whether its voters are ready for a new leader. DeSantis, 44, presents himself as the next generation, compared to Trump, 76, and President Joe Biden, 80.

World Gone Mad

The Florida governor claims to be an internationally recognized example of leadership in a world gone mad. He portrays himself as a fierce opponent of Covid-19-era public health mandates, even though he adopted some of them for his own state.

He calls for Republicans to involve themselves much more in education, down to grade-school curriculum, as he has in Florida. A law DeSantis pushed, dubbed Dont Say Gay by critics, bars instruction on gender identity or sexual orientation before the fourth grade.

He also advocates punishing corporations that defy conservative ideology, as he has the Walt Disney Co.  a firm integral to the states economy that has nonetheless seen its special tax status come under assault by DeSantis and his allies after publicly opposing his education agenda. He says the government should monitor investment of public funds by financial firms to make sure cash isnt steered toward companies that seek to fight climate change or pursue other environmental initiatives.

Early in the book, DeSantis rails against elites in universities, government, the media and other institutions who he says are out of touch with ordinary Americans. He describes his own degrees from Yale and Harvard Law School as political scarlet letters.

But theres little revealing about DeSantis, the person. Theres not much about his family, save for brief, adoring mentions of his wife, Casey DeSantis, and their three young children. There are just a few words about his parents and grandparents and no mention of his sisters 2015 death. Friends are mostly unnamed.

He does not discuss the year he spent teaching at a boarding school, where the New York Times reported that DeSantis was a popular instructor who demonstrated his deeply conservative views in debates with students.

He also doesnt touch on his work as a Navy lawyer at the terrorist prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

Drive For Power

In many ways, Courage is a sequel to Dreams of our Founding Fathers, DeSantiss 2011 rebuke to former President Barack Obamas book of a similar name. In that treatise, DeSantis portrays Obama as dangerously seeking to mold the US constitution around a far-left, if not socialist, agenda.

The new book describes how DeSantis set out to amass the most power possible from the governors mansion. One of his first actions was to draw up a list of all the powers legally invested in the governor.

I wanted to be sure that I was using every lever available, he writes.

The legislature was clearly in GOP hands, he said, but the courts were an obstacle. DeSantis viewed the Florida Supreme Court as pursuing an unpopular socialist agenda and effectively vetoing legislation rather than staying in its judicial lane.

After the terms of three liberal justices ended, DeSantis replaced them with conservative allies.

He was careful with his own staffing hires, wary of insiders more loyal to the Tallahassee, Florida, swamp than to him. He prized personal loyalty above all else, he writes: I did not need staff to tell me what to do. What I needed was staff to implement our vision.

Nowhere in Courage does DeSantis criticize the man hed likely face in a presidential primary showdown: His long-time mentor and political patron, Trump.

DeSantis praises the former president for winning the 2016 race when few thought he would and compliments Trump for keeping campaign promises, including moving the US embassy in Israel to Jerusalem.

Yet he tries to draw a contrast on Covid, insisting that it was the Trump administration  not the Florida governor  that recommended shutting schools and businesses at the pandemics outset. DeSantis, in his telling, resisted such mandates and tried to keep the state open.

Trump has attacked DeSantiss response to Covid, trying to address his own vulnerability on the issue as conservatives increasingly turn against nearly all public health measures to control the virus, including the vaccines the former president championed.

Trump often says that DeSantis would be dead in politics and never would have been elected governor without his endorsement. But DeSantis downplays the significance of Trumps backing in his book, saying it was just one way for me to enhance my name recognition and provide him exposure to GOP primary voters.

--With assistance from Christian Hall.

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Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) says he issued an ultimatum when he got married at Walt Disney World Resort in 2009: no Mickey Mouse wedding photos.

The potential 2024 presidential candidate opened up about his fairy tale wedding to journalist Casey Black DeSantis in his new book released on Tuesday, The Courage To Be Free.

Tying the knot at Disneys Orlando amusement park  which in recent years DeSantis has battled with and dubbed an unaccountable Corporate Kingdom  was not his idea, according to the Sunshine State governor.

Caseys family was what one might call a family of Disney enthusiasts. They loved going to Disney World, he wrote in a chapter titled The Magic Kingdom of Woke Corporatism.

Being the dutiful groom, he said, I deferred to her.

When Casey first broached the idea of getting married at Disney World, I was surprised because I did not know people even got married there, DeSantis said of his nuptials venue, which was first reported last year by Insider.

As it turned out, Disney World has a nice wedding chapel attached to the Grand Floridian, the Victorian-themed hotel close to the Magic Kingdom, DeSantis said.

While agreeing to take the plunge in the Mouse House, DeSantis, now 44, said he had one requirement for the Disneyfied fete: My only condition was that no Disney characters could be part of our wedding. I wanted our special day to look and feel like a traditional wedding.

I didnt want Mickey Mouse or Donald Duck in our wedding photos, he added.

In a SiriusXM Patriot radio interview earlier this week, DeSantis called his wedding day destination an ironic choice, given his political fights against Disney in recent years.

On Monday, he signed a bill ending Disney Worlds self-governing status and establishing a new state-controlled district. The move came after Disney pushed back last year against Floridas Parental Rights in Education law  dubbed the Dont Say Gay law by its critics  which limits instruction on sexual orientation or gender identity in schools.

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DeSantis said he and his wife had a beautiful ceremony, and they both figured that we would be returning to Disney World to bring our kids to experience the theme parks, as we did as children.

I had no inkling that, years later, I would be squaring off against Disney in a political battle that would reverberate across the nation, DeSantis said.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
energy ofgem

If anything sums up the extent to which the energy market is completely broken, surely its the latest price cap announcement from Ofgem.

Indeed, if the regulator is to be judged against its own mission statement  to protect energy consumers, especially vulnerable people by ensuring they are treated fairly  then isnt it fair to say that it has failed?

In a normal world, the news that the price cap on the maximum amount that energy suppliers can charge is set to fall from almost 4,300 to just under 3,330 would mean huge relief for millions of people stuck on basic tariffs.

Yet because the Governments Energy Price Guarantee is expected to go the other way, from 2,500 to 3,000 in April, the price cap is nothing more than a pointless, theoretical limit. As a result, the typical family faces having to pay another 500 a year to keep the lights on, and their home warm.

Dame Clare Moriarty, boss of Citizens Advice, warns that this will spell catastrophe for millions of households, and the number of people who cant afford their energy bills is likely to double.

At this stage then, isnt it also fair to ask whether there is any point to Ofgem at all any more, if the only tool it had to fulfill its promise to protect customers was rendered completely ineffective before it had even been unveiled?

The watchdog may protest that it has been sidelined by government policy, but that would be disingenuous. The reason the Treasury had to intervene in the first place was because Ofgem dropped the ball.

It remained too passive in the face of spiralling energy prices, stood by as Britains gas storage facilities became dangerously depleted, and in a botched bid to encourage greater competition allowed the supply market to turn into the Wild West.

The costs of its failure to properly enforce capital requirements on suppliers who had left themselves badly over-stretched in the scramble to sign up customers, are part of the reason why everyones bills have gone through the roof.

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Now, with Ofgem seemingly out of ideas, the regulator has taken to borrowing those of others by throwing its weight behind calls for social tariffs for those in the most vulnerable situations. The feasibility of such a measure should be examined with urgency, Ofgem boss Jonathan Brearley says.

Brearley, as ever, is late to the party. Proponents of social tariffs have been growing in number as fears rise about what happens to low income households when government help ends next year.

In January, more than 90 charities and non-profit organisations wrote an open letter to Chancellor Jeremy Hunt calling for a social energy tariff that would provide cheaper gas and electricity for the poorest. MPs including former justice secretary Sir Robert Buckland have also backed the move, and even the boss of UKs second-largest energy supplier E.On has expressed his support.

But when the person tasked with policing Britains energy market jumps on the bandwagon, it is a slippery slope. It goes without saying that advocates of social tariffs are well-intentioned, and it is a terrible indictment of modern Britain that there are people having to choose between eating or heating, or in some cases forgoing both.

It is also true that social tariffs exist in the broadband market and the water industry but when it comes to energy in particular, Brearley will hopefully be well aware that it is notoriously difficult to implement, which is why there has never been one.

A recent study by University of York academics found multiple problems. One of the biggest is that if a social tariff is subsidised through higher bills, there is a danger that it pushes those close to the cusp into fuel poverty too.

Instead of a social tariff, simply increase social security benefits for pensioner households, those receiving means-tested benefits and people on disability allowance, the report suggests. An even better idea would be for the Exchequer to cover at least some of the cost with the proceeds of the windfall tax.

But the issue isnt really the merits, or otherwise, of social tariffs to combat fuel poverty. With pressure building, it may yet happen. What is more concerning is that the regulator is calling for social tariffs in the first place. Not content with dictating how much suppliers can charge for energy, which has had a huge impact on the market, it now thinks some customers should be allowed to pay less for their energy than others.

This is the next step down the road to a form of energy socialism, from a regulator whose attempts at intervention have so far been nothing short of disastrous for customers. The wild swings in the price cap it has overseen have helped to fuel the volatility that Ofgem is supposed to shield customers from.

And despite the dramatic reduction this time around, the cap remains too high for customers to benefit. If the average bill reflected the steep falls in wholesale prices of recent months, it would be less than 2,000, research from price comparison site The Energy Shop has found.

At every step the regulator has been far too reactive, and in some cases it has failed to act at all. A more competent market policeman would have anticipated some of the forces that have fuelled the big spike in bills.

Ofgems sudden embrace of socialism looks like a vain attempt to deflect from a catalogue of mistakes.
Grapefruit League: Detroit Tigers (1-2) vs. Toronto Blue Jays (1-2)

When: 1:07 p.m.

Where: TD Ballpark in Dunedin, Florida.

TV: None.

Radio: WXYT-AM (1270).

 BOX SCORE

First-pitch weather forecast: Sunny, 76 degrees.

Probable starting pitchers: Tigers LHP Joey Wentz (2-2, 3.03 ERA in 2022) vs. Blue Jays RHP Chris Bassitt (15-9, 3.42 ERA in 2022).

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Detroit Tigers pitcher Joey Wentz throws live batting practice during spring training at TigerTown in Lakeland, Fla., on Thursday, Feb. 23, 2023.

Tigers lineup:

3B Nick Maton

LF Riley Greene

DH Javier Baez

RF Austin Meadows

CF Matt Vierling

2B Cesar Hernandez

1B Andy Ibanez

C Donny Sands

SS Zack Short

P Joey Wentz

Game notes: One of the toughest things about trying to actually compete in the AL East  potentially the toughest division in MLB once again this season  is having to continually rework your roster to keep up with the goliaths of Gotham, the New York Yankees. (Whew, thank goodness the Tigers arent bothering with that, especially after Monday's 8-5 loss.) The Yanks added lefty Carlos Rodon to their rotation and will get a full season of Harrison Bader, picked up at Augusts trade deadline, in center, all after breezing to the division crown with a seven-game lead over the Jays.

And so Toronto hit the streets again, adding right-hander Chris Bassitt to the middle of their rotation, Daulton Varsho (27 homers with Arizona) and Kevin Kiermaier (three Gold Gloves) to their outfield, and Brandon Belt (30-homer power when hes healthy, which he NEVER is) at DH. (They also picked up utilityman/Tigers-killer Whit Merrifield from the Royals at the trade deadline, and presumably hes fully vaccinated now.)

Bassitt will be the Tigers focus today, at least for a couple innings. The Akron alumnus lived up to the blockbuster deal that brought him to the New York Mets for a season, going 15-9 while striking out 167 and walking 49 in 181 2/3 innings. It wasnt quite up to the standard he set in Oakland, finishing in the top 10 of AL Cy Young voting in 2020 and 2021, but he also didnt get hit in the head by a batted ball like he did in August 2021, so well call it a win and move on.

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TIGERS NEWSLETTER:They've gotta hit more homers this year, right?

The Tigers, meanwhile, will send rookie Joey Wentz to the mound for a couple innings; Wentz, of course, is the last organizational reminder of the glory days of Doug (not Dog) Fister. (The transaction chain: Fister to Washington for Robbie Ray in 2014; Ray to the Diamondbacks in a 3-way deal that brought Shane Greene from the Yankees in 2015; Greene to the Braves at the 2019 trade deadline.) His 3.03 Era last season is actually a little misleading; after getting bombed in two May starts and spending some time on the IL, the lefty returned in September and allowed just five earned runs over 26 innings while striking out 22 and walking 11.

After wrapping things up against the Jays, the Tigers return to Lakeland for a day-date with the Pirates to open March. The Jays, meanwhile, head to Sarasota, Florida, to face the Orioles, who did not add nearly as many players this offseason.

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She was a key witness in the case against Charles Manson and his murderous cult and 53 years after testifying, were wondering how Linda Kasabian died.

Born Linda Darlene Drouin, Kasabian took her second husbands last name when they wed in 1967. It was through a friend of her then-husbands that she met a member of the Manson familythe concept was sold to her as an idyllic hippy commune outside of Los Angeles and, with her marriage falling apart, she decided to move in on their dilapidated Spahns Ranch. It was a 55-acre property in the San Fernando Valley that had served as the film set for such films as Bonanza and The Lone Ranger but would later act as a base for cult leader Charles Manson and his followers. George Spahn had owned the ranch since 1948, but by the time the Manson Family arrived, he was 81 years old and blind, James Buddy Day, author of Hippie Cult Leader: The Last Words of Charles Manson told The History Channel. George liked Charlie, and they came to an understanding that Manson and the women would work the ranch in exchange for being allowed to stay.

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How did Linda Kasabian die?

Linda Kasabian. Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

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How did Linda Kasabian die? Her cause of death hasnt been revealed but TMZ reported the former Manson Family member passed away age 73. According to her death certificate obtained by the tabloid, she died at a hospital in Tacoma on January 21 and her remains were cremated. The document also showed she had changed her name to Chiochios, presumably to disassociate from her former self as a Manson Family member.

What did Linda Kasabian do?

What did Linda Kasabian do? As mentioned, Linda Kasabian was a member of the Manson Familya group defined as a cult, led by Charles Manson, who was responsible for the violent murders of seven people (including an unborn child) in Los Angles in two nights of mayhem in August 1969.

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Life at the ranch with Manson was full of LSD and orgies, but a month after she moved in, it turned violent when Manson announced it was time for Helter Skelter, what he deemed to be an inevitable race war after which he and his followers would take control of the United States. Helter Skelter comes from the Beatles White Album song of the same name.

In August 1969, Kasabian was instructed by Manson to carry a knife, a change of clothing and her drivers license. She would transport Charles Tex Watson, Susan Atkins, and Patricia Krenwinkel to 10050 Cielo Drive, the residence of famous director Roman Polanski and his wife, Sharon Tate, who was eight months pregnant. Kasabian thought it was just another routine robbery but things turned sinister quickly.

According to Watson, Manson instructed him to totally destroy everyone inside the house and do it as gruesome as you can. Kasabian waited outside to stand guard as Sharon Tate, Jay Sebring, Wojciech Frykowski and Abigail Folger were brutally murdered inside the house. Atkins and Watson stabbed Tate 16 times and the word pig was written on the houses front door in Tates blood.

The following night, Kasabian again drove the same members of the family, as well as Manson, Leslie Van Houten and Steve Grogan, to the house of Leno and Rosemary LaBianca, rich owners of a grocery store chain. Manson himself tied up the victims but instructed his followers to kill them. The crime spree sent shockwaves across Los Angeles. Several members of the family were arrested following a raid on the Spahn Ranch in October for car theft but police had no idea at that stage they were the ones responsible for the Tate-LaBianca slayings though investigations were in progress. After being informed that a warrant for her arrest as an accomplice to the horrid crimes had been issued, Kasabian turned herself into New Hampshire authorities in early December. She was offered immunity from prosecution in exchange for turning states evidence and ended up being a key witness to the case against Manson and his family. Atkins, Krenwinkel, Manson, Van Houten, and Watson were each tried and convicted for their roles in the killing spree.

Charles Manson. Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

In an interview with Larry King from 2009, Kasabian recalled Manson as being a very charismatic, beautiful man who took her in after she and her first daughter were left stranded by her husband. Vincent Bugliosi, the lead prosecutor who helped put Manson and the family behind bars said it would have been extremely difficult to do so without Kasabians first-hand testimony. Even with her testimony, the jury was out deliberating for a week and a half, so we all owe a tremendous debt of gratitude towards Linda because if Manson had gotten off, theres no question he wouldve continued to kill. He wouldve killed as many people as he couldve.

Actor Damon Herriman took on the role of Charles Manson in season two of Mindhunter and in Quentin Tarantinos Once Upon a Time In Hollywood. It does make you question a few things about yourself, he told Variety in July 2020 on being asked to play the head of the Manson Family. As an actor, you almost never get the opportunity to transform in such a dramatic way. And getting to look at myself in the mirror, become Charles Manson, was really invaluable. It was an extraordinary experience to sit in a chair for a few hours watching yourself transform like that.

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Dilbert comic strip creator Scott Adams on Monday faced continued fallout from remarks that likened Black Americans to a "hate group," with a publisher withdrawing plans for a forthcoming book.

Portfolio, a Penguin Random House imprint, said in a statement that it would not be publishing 'Reframe Your Brain' by Scott Adams."

The book, which was scheduled to be in bookstores and online Sept. 12, was marketed as a self-help title to help reframe one's outlook with focus and repetition.

Adams, 65, who has said that he's a victim of so-called cancel on Monday tweeted that his book agent is no longer representing him.

Late Sunday, the distributor of Adams' Dilbert said it was severing ties with the cartoonist. It had previously placed the comic strip, syndicated since 1989, in 2,000 publications based in 65 countries.

"As a media and communications company, AMU values free speech," the top leaders of Andrews McMeel Universal said in a statement. "But we will never support any commentary rooted in discrimination or hate."

Adams' remarks on Black Americans surfaced last week via the YouTube show, Real Coffee with Scott Adams. Addressing a Rasmussen Reports survey that found 26% of Black Americans disagreed with the statement, "Its OK to be white," the white creator lashed out.

"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," Adams said on the show.

Amid the backlash, Adams defended his remarks, claimed people "hate me and are canceling me," and said, "Everyone should be treated as an individual" without discrimination.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
Newspaper. Illustrated | Gettyimages

The comic strip Dilbert saw its syndication plummet after hundreds of newspapers dropped the satirical office cartoon due to racially charged comments made by its creator, Scott Adams. The controversy ignited during an episode of Adams' livestreamed YouTube show, when he called Black people a "hate group" and said that "the best advice I would give to white people is to get the hell away from Black people, just get the f--k away ... because there is no fixing this."

Within a day of Adams' comments, newspapers and media outlets across the United States were cutting ties with Dilbert. Gannett, which publishes newspapers such as USA Today, the Detroit Free Press, Austin American-Statesman, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, and more than 300 others, said Adams' views "do not align with our editorial or business values as an organization." Gannett was joined by The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, The New York Times, and dozens more.

Adams has maintained that his comments were not racist, saying in numerous Twitter posts that he was being victimized by the media. Is he right?

Freedom of speech doesn't mean freedom from consequences

What Adams said on his YouTube channel is "shocking, even by the overblown standards of social media," Kansas City Star columnist Derek Donovan writes. Adams often exhibits an "antagonistic, childishly macho persona" that his followers on Twitter have come to recognize. And it goes beyond race, Donovan says. Adams has spouted "depressingly commonplace conspiracy theories and other nonsense about the usual contrarian topics: climate change, COVID-19 vaccines, the U.S. Capitol insurrection," and more. Just because Adams is allowed to "espouse white separatist garbage" on YouTube because it falls under free speech doesn't mean he should be able to do so without consequence.

Dropping Dilbert isn't about censorship, says Therese Bottomly, editor of The Oregonian. It's about editing. "Editors make decisions every day about what to publish, balancing the need to inform against the possibility of offending reader sensibilities." Adams' comments were indefensible, she writes, so The Oregonian will not "extend his reach and we will not support him."

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The media is ignoring the context of Adams' comments

Adams "reacted angrily" to a public opinion poll, writes Abhijit Majumder at Firstpost. The "left-liberal mainstream media" has been "quick" to cancel him, but they're ignoring the results of the survey, which asked Americans: "Do you agree or disagree with this statement, 'It's OK to be white'?" Seventy-two percent of the respondents said they agreed, including 53 percent who are Black.

This is "reverse racism," Majumder suggests. "If half of the respondents indeed feel it is not OK to be white," that should be examined, not overlooked, he says, adding: "Identity politics begets identity politics."

The poll itself is 'trolly'

This survey was conducted by Rasmussen Reports, a "right-leaning pollster that produces semi-mainstream polls but is noted for its murky methods," Aymann Ismail writes at Slate. The methodology for this particular poll aren't clear, and further investigation seems to suggest Rasmussen "found about 34 Black people" who said they "disagree" or "strongly disagree" that it's "OK to be white." And that statement in itself is "a right-wing troll that originated in the forums of 4Chan," Ismail says.

Rasmussen "clearly designed" this poll to stir controversy. "Better pollsters" know that if you want to get a clear picture on Americans' views on race, you would steer clear of "terms with strong political associations like 'it's OK to be white,' or even 'Black Lives Matter.' That is far from what happened here."

Adams is following a far-right playbook

The cartoonist is serving as "a prime example of the era we live in, a time when some people will say racist or bigoted remarks and then play the victim card," Dean Obeidallah writes for CNN.

Indeed, Adams himself has often predicted his own cancellation, which is "a common tactic on the right, people amplifying their supposed anti-left credentials by suggesting their views are unacceptably politically incorrect," columnist Philip Bump writes for The Washington Post. When people like Adams become "immersed in an echo chamber where whites are the victims, they make public assertions that reflect that position." But when their actions come with consequences, "the echo chamber only grows louder." For most people, though, outside of that echo chamber, "the view is different."

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Burny Mattinson, famed Disney animator, director and story artist, has died at the age of 87.

According to The Walt Disney Company, Mattinson, who was their longest-serving cast member, died Feb. 27, after battling a short illness at Canyon Oaks Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Canoga Park, California.

The Instagram account for Disney Animation celebrated Mattinson's life in a post shared that same day.

"It is with a heavy heart that we share the passing of beloved Disney Legend, Director, and Story Artist Burny Mattinson," the message read. "You made our world a happier place and inspired generations of artists with your heart, humor, and storytelling. Thank you for your legacy, Burny."

Mattinson had been scheduled to receive the companys first-ever 70th anniversary service award in June of this year for his many years of contributions to a long list of beloved Disney classics.

His work included animation credits on "Lady and the Tramp" (1955), "One Hundred and One Dalmatians" (1961), "The Sword in the Stone" (1963) and "The Jungle Book" (1967), as well as his story development on "Beauty and the Beast" (1991), Aladdin (1992), "The Lion King (1994)" and so many more memorable Disney blockbusters.

This article was originally published on TODAY.com
[Source]

The American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) has confirmed that Muslim activist Raquel Evita Saraswati, who had claimed to be of Latino, Arab and South Asian descent before being purportedly revealed as white earlier this month, has resigned from her position at the organization.

In an email sent to USA Today before Saraswati's resignation, AFSC spokesperson Layne Mullett confirmed that Saraswati was intending on leaving AFSC, a Quaker-founded service organization that advocates global justice. Prior to the recent controversy, Saraswati served as the organizations chief equity and inclusion officer.

Raquel Saraswati, who is facing public allegations that she misrepresented her background and past associations, has informed us of her intention to separate from the organization, Mullett wrote, adding that the organization supported Saraswatis decision, which the spokesperson described as difficult and deeply personal.

Although she has already handed in her resignation, her profile on AFSCs website is still up. The profile states that she joined the organization in June 2021.

More from NextShark: Vietnamese automaker Vinfast to build $2 billion electric vehicle factory in North Carolina

On Feb. 10, Saraswatis background was questioned after an open letter drafted by a group of individuals who care deeply about AFSC accused her of cultural vulturism.

The open letter claimed that Saraswati had undergone several name changes from Rachel Elizabeth Seidel to Raquel Evita Seidel to her current name. It also claimed that Saraswatis family has confirmed she is not of Arab, Latino and South Asian descent, as she has previously declared.

Saraswati's mother, Carole Perone, also accused her of lying about her race in an interview with The Intercept.

More from NextShark: Uber Driver Endures Vicious Coronavirus Jokes From Unruly Riders in San Diego

Im as white as the driven snow and so is she. Im German and British, and her father was Calabrese Italian. Shes chosen to live a lie, and I find that very, very sad, Perone told the publication.

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Saraswati previously served as an adviser and confidant to local nonprofits while also advocating Muslim and LGBTQ-plus causes.

She is the recipient of several awards and titles, including Woman of the Year from the National Organization for Women's Philadelphia chapter and "Rad Girl of the Year" from the nonprofit organization Rad Girls.

More from NextShark: 'Phat Prince of Garden Grove': Vietnamese American Candidate for Mayor Releases Campaign Video

Saraswati also served on Philadelphias Mayors Commission on LGBT Affairs and appeared as a commentator about Muslim extremism for Fox News, Newsmax and other conservative media outlets.

Saraswati, who has yet to officially address her resignation, reportedly announced on her now-private Facebook account that she would provide answers to the recent discussion, adding, I am currently taking the time to get to where I can answer in a way that is most helpful and thorough.

She has claimed to be of Arab, Latino and South Asian descent for over a decade now.

More from NextShark: NY Post, NY Times Use Photos of Asians in Flushing to Cover Manhattan's First Coronavirus Case

In a 2004 Boston Globe article, Saraswati, who used the surname Seidel at the time, said she wanted a wedding that respected her "Arab and Latin traditions." Around two years later, an article published in the India New England News referenced Saraswatis supposed South Asian heritage.
Doc Watson was the finest guitar picker of his time. Paul Natkin/Archive Photos via Getty Images

Arthel Lane Doc Watson was born on March 3, 1923, in Stony Fork, North Carolina, in the Blue Ridge Mountains, but his music is as influential now  more than a decade after his 2012 death  as at any time during his long career. During that time he was arguably Americas most beloved folk musician. Today, Watson is viewed by artists and fans as one of the greatest guitarists of American roots music.

Making music came naturally to Watson, who grew up in a large music-loving family. Recordings made in peoples homes by folklorists during the early 1960s documented music gatherings featuring various Watsons alongside neighbors and friends, collectively celebrating their communitys musical culture  a shared repertoire of Appalachian ballads, songs and tunes.

Watson is widely credited with popularizing the guitar style known as flatpicking, a rapid-fire approach to playing notes and chords on guitar strings by use of a plectrum, or guitar pick. Virtually all guitar players who have used a pick over the past six decades have labeled Watson a pioneer of that style. These include roots music masters like Clarence White, Norman Blake and Tony Rice; newer bluegrass stars like Billy Strings and Molly Tuttle; and guitarists in other genres, like Bob Dylan, Ry Cooder and Stephen Stills.

Watson was also an accomplished practitioner of fingerpicking, a guitar style involving plucking strings with the thumb and one or more fingertips using fingerpicks or fingernails. Watsons agile and rhythmically intricate two-finger approach with fingerpicks is widely considered to be the apogee of the style.

From Appalachia to the folk revival circuit

Though remembered as a guitarist, Watson initially played other instruments.

The harmonica preoccupied Watson until he was 11, when his father made a maplewood fretless banjo for him and taught him basic techniques. Two years later, Watsons father bought him a US$12 Stella guitar. Watson loved the instrument and practiced constantly. He eventually purchased a Martin guitar on a payment plan and took to playing on the streets of Boone, North Carolina  a town about 10 miles away from the Watson home  to pay for it.

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Traveling to Boone and, in subsequent years, to more distant locales was no easy feat for Watson because an eye infection in infancy had left him permanently blind. But Watson did not allow blindness to limit him. During the Great Depression, Watsons father encouraged him to do his share of household chores, including cutting firewood.

At the age of 23, Watson married his neighbor Rosa Lee Carlton, the daughter of fiddler Gaither Carlton, and the union brought two children, Eddy Merle Watson and Nancy Ellen Watson. To support his family, Watson did odd jobs including tuning pianos and played music on the street. In the early 1950s he joined a Johnson City, Tennessee-based country band, which required that he play an electric guitar. When this band played at square dances, Watson would play fiddle tunes on his Gibson Les Paul Goldtop with a flatpick.

This blind musician with a strictly local reputation might never have entered the national folk music spotlight without serendipitous intervention. In September 1960, musician and folklorist Ralph Rinzler arrived in the Blue Ridge from New York City to document old-time music in informal recording sessions. These sessions were led by Clarence Tom Ashley, a journeyman country musician known for The Coo-Coo Bird, his 1929 recording made in Johnson City and incorporated onto Folkways Records influential 1952 multi-LP set Anthology of American Folk Music. When Rinzler asked about nearby musicians to include in the sessions, Ashley recommended Watson.

Upon meeting Watson, Rinzler was baffled because Watson brought his electric guitar to an acoustic jam session. Watson had been playing electric guitar and didnt own an acoustic guitar at the time. He had to borrow an acoustic guitar for the session. Rinzlers recordings were released on a 1961 Folkways album, and Watson was soon recognized as a generational talent. Playing acoustic guitars exclusively, Watson toured the folk revival circuit, publicly showcasing his broad and deep repertoire and his unparalleled instrumental technique and tone.

Traditional plus

Watson initially toured the U.S. as part of old-time ensembles headlined by Ashley, but it was Watson who received the lions share of the attention. He wowed audiences with his musical skills as a vocalist as well as an instrumentalist and delivered entertaining anecdotes, reflections and good-natured quips. Before long, his management booked gigs nationally for Watson as a solo act, including an appearance at the 1963 Newport Folk Festival.

While Watson had previously played a broad range of music  commercial country, blues, rockabilly, pop, jazz and Broadway  his management initially encouraged him to perform music associated with the rural culture of Appalachia. But as Watson expanded his on-stage repertoire in defiance of the perception that folk revival audiences only wanted to hear authentic folk music, no one complained. Indeed, his fan base steadily increased.

Watson recognized that any sustained success he might achieve as a full-time professional musician would depend on appealing to younger people. After touring alone and recording his eponymous debut album solo for Vanguard, Watson decided in 1964 to invite a musician half his age to be part of his act  someone who could help him reach younger fans and guide him from gig to gig. That someone was his son Merle, then 15, whose slide and fingerstyle guitar would complement his fathers vocal and instrumental work.

The father-son duo became a top concert draw and recorded a string of beloved albums for United Artists and independent labels Vanguard, Poppy, Flying Fish and Sugar Hill. In 1972 Doc Watson contributed memorably to the Nitty Gritty Dirt Bands legendary collaborative album Will the Circle Be Unbroken, and that recognition dramatically expanded interest in Doc and Merle Watson.

While they knew countless traditional tunes, songs and ballads, Doc and Merle were equally devoted to interpreting newer material. Doc began to refer to the repertoire the duo performed, which drew from several genres of American music, as traditional plus. After Merles tragic death in a tractor accident in 1985, Watson continued to perform a traditional plus repertoire in collaboration with other musicians, including bassist T. Michael Coleman, guitarist Jack Lawrence, multi-instrumentalist David Holt and guitarist Richard Watson, Merle Watsons son and Doc Watsons grandson.

Just one of the people

Watson said that his blindness had allowed him to focus on honing his musical talents. As Coleman said in my interview with him for the notes I wrote for the Doc Watson album Lifes Work, A Retrospective: Doc told me that, being blind, he was not afraid to be anywhere or to do anything. Certainly, Watson was fearless in many of the things he did throughout his life: cutting firewood, climbing a ladder to repair an upper-story window, constructing a utility building, hitchhiking to nearby towns to play music on the street, traveling by bus to perform in faraway cities and appearing on stages before thousands of people.

Fearlessness also infused his live performances and recordings. Whether playing fiddle tunes on his guitar at lightning speed with a flatpick or singing traditional and contemporary songs to fingerstyle accompaniment, he was a daring improviser.

Watson received numerous honors during his lifetime, including the National Heritage Fellowship in 1988, the National Medal of Arts in 1997, the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Honor in 2000 and the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2004. But fame did not matter much to Watson. He considered himself just one of the people. Watson committed himself to a life in music because he loved entertaining others and because he was proud to make a living for his family.

This article is republished from The Conversation, an independent nonprofit news site dedicated to sharing ideas from academic experts. The Conversation has a variety of fascinating free newsletters.

It was written by: Ted Olson, East Tennessee State University.

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Ted Olson does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Robert Brown - Thames Valley Police/PA

Former Cabinet ministers Priti Patel and Robert Buckland are urging the Government to block the automatic release of a wife killer by using legislation they pushed through Parliament.

Ms Patel, the former home secretary, and Mr Buckland, the former justice secretary, are calling on ministers to refer the case of Robert Brown to the parole board using provisions in the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts (PCSC) Act of 2022.

Brown bludgeoned his estranged wife Joanna Simpson, 46, to death with a claw hammer as their children cowered inside their home in Ascot, Berkshire in October 2010. Brown buried Simpsons body in a pre-dug grave in Windsor Great Park.

Brown, a former British Airways pilot, admitted manslaughter by reason of diminished responsibility and was jailed in May 2011 for 26 years. He is due for release in November having served half his sentence.

Joanna Simpson - Thames Valley Police/PA

On Saturday, Diana Parkes, Simpsons mother, appealed directly to Dominic Raab, the Justice Secretary, to keep Brown in prison after learning that he would be classed as a critical public protection case  meaning he is deemed to pose a very high risk of serious harm.

Ms Patel, Mr Buckland and Carrie Johnson, wife of Boris Johnson, will be at a reception in Westminster on Wednesday hosted by Ms Parkes to appeal to Dominic Raab to invoke his power to detain Brown.

One option would be for Mr Raab to invoke section 132 of the PCSC Act 2022, which gives him the power to refer high-risk offenders to the Parole Board in place of automatic release.

Ms Patel said: If anyone in Government has any doubt, there are rules and laws already in place that could be applied and thats where the Government needs to be.

Mr Buckland said: The new powers within the PCSC Act allow the Justice Secretary to convert automatic rules into scrutineering rules. I would like to see that being considered and potentially used.

The reception has been organised by the Joanna Simpson Foundation, a charity Parkes helped create to help transform the care, support and protection of children affected by domestic abuse and homicide.

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The event at Westminster Chapel will come three days after Mr Raab agreed to meet the family. It is understood that Damian Hinds, the prisons minister, will meet Hetti Barkworth-Nanton, the charitys co-founder, in the next week.

The Ministry of Justice said: [Mr Raab] will do everything in his power to keep the most dangerous offenders behind bars and has pledged to give this case his closest personal attention.

Browns labelling as posing a serious risk of harm and requiring intense supervision was made in the wake of serious concerns being raised about the probation service.

Last month, ministers and the service were accused of having blood on their hands after Jordan McSweeney, a violent misogynist, was freed from prison and went on to murder the law graduate Zara Aleena in Ilford, east London, in June 2022.
Miguel Perez

The family of Miguel Perez, a Jehovah's Witness in Rockford who was gunned down earlier this month, is receiving support from all over the world.

A memorial service held for Perez Feb. 18 was streamed live via Zoom and according to family, reached its full meeting capacity with 1,000 connections.

Attendees logged in from 25 states and 15 countries around the world, including as far away as New Zealand, Peru and Nigeria, the family said. As a result, financial contributions to a GoFundMe account topped $76,000 as of Monday and continues to grow.

"It reminds us that we belong to a worldwide family," the Perez family said in a statement. "When one member of the family is in pain, we all suffer along with him and do what we can to help out. This kind of generosity was one of the qualities that defined Miguel as a person."

More:Police: Rockford teen accused of murdering Jehovah's Witness in custody

Police said Perez, 54, was shot while sitting inside of his vehicle waiting on family members, also Jehovah's Witnesses, who were walking door-to-door talking to residents on Feb. 11 in the 1300 block Seventh Avenue in Rockford.

A 15-year-old boy was arrested Feb. 14 in the 1500 block of Broadway. He's been charged with murder. The boy's name has not been released because he is a juvenile.

Chris Green: 815-987-1241; cgreen@rrstar.com; @chrisfgreen

This article originally appeared on Rockford Register Star: Global donations continue to pour in to a grieving Rockford family
In the final episode of theGrios new series, Legacy, second-generation owner Naima Wood takes us through the history of Dorseys Fine Art Gallery.

Near the intersection of Fenimore Street and Rogers Avenue in Brooklyn sits New Yorks oldest Black-owned art gallery space, Dorseys Fine Art Gallery. The gallery was established in 1970 by Lawrence P. Dorsey and has been creating space on its walls for Black artists for over 50 years.

Lawrence Dorsey was born in 1919 in St. Louis. He attended LeMoyne-Owen College in Memphis, Tennessee, where he studied journalism. Following two years in college, and service in the Army during World War II, Dorsey landed in Brooklyn where he established a few businesses, and eventually found and purchased a small framing shop on Rogers Avenue, which later became Dorseys Fine Art Galley.

In the fourth episode of theGrios new series, Legacy, second-generation owner Naima Wood walks us through her grandfathers legacy of cultivating Black spaces for Black artists.

The exterior of Dorseys Fine Art Gallery in Brooklyn. (Photo Credit: Yolanda Hoskey)

Naima Wood inside Dorseys Fine Art Gallery. (Photo credit: Yolanda Hoskey)

The gallery has been around for my entire life. My sister and I spent a lot of time in the art gallery hanging out with my grandfather and assisting him with his work.  Naima Wood

Naima recalls spending her summers back from school in the gallery with her grandfather as he introduced her to fine art and prepped her for business ownership.

My grandfather would send me to Manhattan to meet with his clients, to manage some transactions on his behalf. I didnt realize it then, but he was preparing me to manage his art business by equipping me with tools, education and experience.  Naima Wood

As a second-generation owner, Naima continues her grandfathers mission of supporting Black artists and making fine art spaces accessible to people of color.

Legacy is a gift, passed down through generations My grandfather built a successful art business in Brooklyn, one he was proud of. I am honored to continue his legacy and will pass the business down to the next generation.  Naima Wood

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Legacy is a profile series that spotlights Black businesses whose 50-plus year legacies have withstood the test of time while managing to keep it in the family. Each episode takes viewers through the history of the business as told by its next-generation owners. Check out the article and episode on Hakims Bookstore & Gift Shop.

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

The post Dorseys Fine Art Gallery: New Yorks oldest Black-owned gallery space appeared first on TheGrio.
The driver who police say hit and killed two San Luis Obispo residents and their dog has been arrested and charged with vehicular manslaughter.

Daniel Angel Saligan Patricio was arrested Monday on two felony charges of vehicular manslaughter. The charges were signed by Assistant District Attorney Eric Dobroth on Feb. 24 and filed Monday.

According to a news release from the San Luis Obispo Police Department, detectives contacted Saligan Patricio at his place of employment a 1:15 p.m. and arrested him without incident.

Saligan Patricio was suspected of hitting and killing Matthew Chachere, 39, and Jennifer Besser, 36, on Nov. 22 while the couple were out walking their dog. Chachere and Besser were found under dense brush near the intersection of Sacramento Drive and Basil Lane, several hours after police received a report of a dead dog in the creekbed.

According to police, Saligan Patricio, 24, was traveling in the 3400 block of Sacramento Drive when he lost control of his vehicle and fatally struck the couple and their dog. Patricios vehicle hit the curb, a street sign and the bridge that spans the creek, police said.

Speed was likely a factor in the crash, according to police.

We appreciate the patience of the community while we worked towards providing important answers to family members and our community in pursuit of justice, San Luis Obispo Police Chief Rick Scott said in the release. We have been in close communication with the families of the victims throughout this difficult process and hope that they get the justice they seek and the closure they need.

As of late Monday afternoon Saligan Patricio was still in custody at San Luis Obispo County Jail, with bail set at $200,000.
Multiple crimes spanning from Jefferson to Pierce County have landed a 31-year-old man from Poulsbo in jail.

Washington State Patrol said beginning at 9:30 a.m. Monday, people started calling about a Lexus SUV that was driving erratically.

WSP said it continued to receive calls throughout the day.

Then, just before 6 p.m., law enforcement received reports of a hit-and-run in Jefferson County involving that same vehicle.

About 20 minutes later, a man said he encountered the suspected driver on Highway 104 near the Hood Canal Bridge.

CB Bell told KIRO 7s Bridget Chavez that he tried to move out of the way, but his car was clipped.

I slowed way down and pulled over, and he came, and he just clipped the mirror, and he just popped it off and took off, said CB Bell. Its a little scary. Its scary.

At about 6:30 p.m., the suspect appeared to deliberately ram a woman with their car at a gas station in Poulsbo and then also tried to run over a man walking along Highway 3, according to the Kitsap County Sheriffs Office.

A woman was at the Hilltop store with her husband. As they returned to their car from the store, the woman grabbed some trash and walked to a garbage can to throw it away.

Video footage shows as she was throwing it away, the silver or white Lexus quickly pulled into the parking lot. The car lined up with the woman and drove into her, hitting her from behind and forcing her into the steel and glass wall, where she was pinned between the car and the front wall of the store.

The car then turned around and drove out of the parking lot, going fast.

The woman collapsed, unable to get up. She was treated by Poulsbo Fire Department personnel for injuries to her legs.

KSCO deputies arrived to investigate and were soon approached by a man that said he was almost hit. The car matched the description of the vehicle that hit the woman.

The man said the car veered toward him as he walked northbound along Highway 3, about one mile South of the store. The man shouted at the driver, who then made a U-turn and drove toward him, forcing him to jump into a ditch to avoid being hit. The car then drove away, going fast.

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Deputies learned the car was suspected to be involved in another hit and run in Pierce County near 1-5 South 72nd Street in Tacoma.

Shortly after, the driver was arrested by U.S. Army Military Police after illegally entering Joint Base Lewis McChord in the suspected car.

KCSO detectives are investigating the incidents in Poulsbo. WSP is investigating the hit-and-run in Tacoma.

The suspect was booked into the Pierce County Jail for robbery in the first degree, assault in the second degree and one count of a hit-and-run, according to WSP.




Pembroke Pines police detectives are looking for a man they said was driving in the nude when he attempted to abduct a woman.

Detectives said it happened at around 2 p.m. Monday in the area of Southwest 68th Terrace and Fourth Street.

Here is what police spokesperson Amanda Conwell said about the incident:

The victim, an adult female, was walking along the roadway when a four-door dark-colored Mazda began following her. The driver, who is described as a tall, thin ... male wearing no clothing, started making lewd comments to the victim as he drove alongside her.

The victim began walking faster to get away from the suspect, when he blocked her path with his vehicle and attempted to grab her arm. The victim slapped his hand away, and the suspect subsequently fled the area.

CBS Miami spoke to nearby neighbors who said they were worried for their safety.

This has never happened around here before, Bertha Baulynice said. There is some crazy naked person going around the neighborhood, we have kids here.

Police have issued a Be On the Look Out bulletin to all surrounding jurisdictions.

Anyone with information regarding this incident, suspect or suspect vehicle is asked to contact police at 954-431-2225.

This report was published by Miami Herald news partner CBS MIami.
Evgenia Novozhenina/Reuters

Chaos erupted in Russia overnight as drones swarmed multiple regions, sparking an explosion at an oil depot and the deployment of fighter jets near St. Petersburg, according to local reports.

One strike at around 2 a.m. in the Krasnodar region was less than 100 feet from a Russian Defense Ministry barracks, the independent Agentstvo News reports. Two drones filled with explosives landed at a nearby Rosneft oil depot in Tuapse, sparking a blaze that was quickly extinguished, according to the Russian outlet Baza.

Hours later, St. Petersburgs Pulkovo Airport came to a standstill as authorities shut down the surrounding airspace, reportedly in response to an unidentified flying object spotted in the area.

Local authorities confirmed to RIA Novosti that incoming and outgoing flights were temporarily halted, though they gave no reason for the move. Meanwhile, Baza reported, fighter jets were deployed to take down the object.

A short while later, however, Russias Defense Ministry claimed the whole thing had simply been a training exercise, and the airspace was reopened.

Drones were also reported overnight in the Bryansk and Belgorod regions, as well as the Republic of Adygea. Another drone landed in the Moscow region, near a Gazprom gas compressor station on Tuesday. Local reports noted that the drone could have made it to the Kremlin in less than an hour if it had not crashed.

The FSB and other competent authorities are dealing with the situation, there is no threat to the safety of residents, Moscow Region Governor Andrei Vorobyov said in a statement.

The strikes were part of what local media described as a mass drone attack that appears to have intensified in the last 24 hours.

On Monday morning, residents of an apartment building in the Belgorod region, near the border with Ukraine, were forced to evacuate in the middle of the night after one of four drones crashed into the building, according to Baza. Another drone landed on the roof of a supermarket and exploded, scorching the premises.

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People were moved to a safe place. Everyone was offered the chance to stay in a hotel while the special services do their work, Belgorod Mayor Valentin Demidov announced on Telegram.

While no injuries were reported, pro-war Russian military bloggers fumed at the string of drone strikes.

The enemy undertook a daring attack today, drones in Belgorod, Tuapse, Adygea, and now in St. Petersburg, and because of this, the airspace in the city and the region is closed, read one Telegram post shared by the Wagner-connected Grey Zone.

Another popular pro-Kremlin channel said the drone attack should be viewed as preparation for a spring offensive by the Armed Forces of Ukraine, when the purpose of such strikes will be to destabilize the home front and spread mass panic among Russians.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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SOUTH BRUNSWICK  A Pennsylvania man driving a 2018 Maserati has been charged with drunken driving after police say he was involved in two crashes on Route 1 Friday evening.

Yurii Kotiash, 28, of Feasterville, Bucks County, was driving south on Route 1 at about 8:53 p.m. Friday north of Henderson Road when he struck the rear of a 2019 Nissan driven by a 23-year-old Kendall Park man, which had been stopped in traffic, police say.

Kotiash then allegedly left the scene of the crash and continued southbound on Route 1. Moments later, he ran a red light at Henderson Road at a high rate of speed and struck a 2010 Honda driven by a 36-year-old man from North Brunswick, who had been traveling westbound on Henderson Road, crossing Route 1 with a green light. police say.

Also se:Police ask for public's help in South Brunswick fatal hit-and-run

Kotiashs Maserati went off the highway into the woods, but he escaped injury. The driver of the Honda was taken to the hospital for treatment of moderate injuries, according to police.

Kotiash was charged with drunken driving, refusing a breath test, failure to observe traffic and right of way at an intersection, careless driving, reckless driving, failing to report an accident and leaving the scene of an accident.

Email: mdeak@mycentraljersey.com

Mike Deak is a reporter for mycentraljersey.com. To get unlimited access to his articles on Somerset and Hunterdon counties, please subscribe or activate y

This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: Route 1 crashes in South Brunswick NJ caused by drunk driver
The power in Leah Thomas' Beverly Hills, Michigan, home went out about 9 p.m. on Feb. 22.

It was back on four days later, on Sunday evening, but was lost again the next day. And like thousands of Michigan residents left in the dark following back-to-back ice storms, Thomas wonders when the lights will come on  and stay on.

It has been unsettling ... not knowing exactly what is going to happen day to day, she told The Associated Press in an interview Tuesday.

Detroit-based DTE Energy reported Wednesday morning that about 15,890 of its customers still were without service. More than 600,000 homes and businesses serviced by the utility lost power during last Wednesdays ice storm. An additional 46,000 were out Tuesday following a second ice storm on Monday.

Jackson, Michigan-based Consumers Energy said Wednesday morning that it had restored power to more than 90% of its 403,000 customers who lost it following both storms. Nearly all of the remaining homes and business without service should have it back later in the day, the utility said.

Meanwhile, Thomas said her family is trying to keep their pipes from bursting because of the cold and have lost all the food in their refrigerator.

DTE Energy officials have said the problems caused by last Wednesday's ice storm are the worst in about 50 years. A December 2013 storm knocked out power to nearly 600,000 homes and businesses in Michigan. Experts say such weather extremes could become more commonplace.

CHANGING WEATHER PATTERNS

Events like freezing rain ... theyre pretty rare but theyre showing up in places that are new and in times that are new," said Richard Rood, a professor in the University of Michigan's Department of Climate and Space Sciences and Engineering. "They might be a little more intense because its warmer. Before, (the moisture) might fall as snow, which is not nearly as damaging.

Beginning Feb. 22, rain began to fall across parts of Michigan. As the temperature dropped, it became sleet and ice.

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Freezing rain events cause just massive tree falls, and then the ice on the line weights the lines, Rood said. Some of this is very hard to plan for, but there are ways you can build a resilience, often by tree management, which is the first line of defense.

AGING INFRASTRUCTURE

Heat events during the summer and winter weather like the ice storms just aren't good for older infrastructure across the United States, Rood said.

That infrastructure was built for a different climate, different environmental conditions, he said. Now its changing, and we need to be thinking about the future."

Thomas said she wonders about the soundness of that infrastructure.

We did have an ice storm on Wednesday last week, but the ice melted over 24-48 hours  and here we are days later still having a problem, she said.

But delays in restoration have more to do with planning and logistics than an infrastructure, said Seth Guikema, professor of Industrial and Operational Engineering at the University of Michigan.

A lot of it is being able to plan ahead and forecast, he said.

WHAT UTILITIES ARE DOING

DTE Energy Chair and Chief Executive Jerry Norcia has said the utility has spent billions of dollars working to prepare the power grid for severe weather events, including trimming 5,000 to 6,000 miles (9,600 kilometers) of trees each year to prevent branches from falling onto power lines.

Consumers Energy is carrying out a five-year, $5.4 billion plan to build a stronger, smarter power grid that reduces the number and length of outages.

Last week, Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer called for accountability, saying "we can move faster as these climate events happen more and more often.

State Sen. Sean McCann, a Democrat from Kalamazoo and chair of the Senate Committee on Energy and Environment, said Tuesday that he wants an investigation.

WHO GETS HELP FIRST

Consumers Energy supplies electricity to 1.8 million homes and businesses, largely outside of metropolitan Detroit. DTE Energy has about 2.3 million electricity customers in southeastern Michigan.

Hospitals, fire stations, nursing homes and other critical services receive high priority in restorations, said Ryan Stowe, a DTE Energy vice president.

From there, crews move on to large pockets of outages before beginning service restoration where we focus a lot of resources on going out and kind of triaging individual homes, said Stowe, who called the ice storm the largest in the company's history.

The ice sure puts quite a burden on all these trees that are around our area and around our lines," he said. "Were going to continue to look for ways to make the system more resilient, be able to handle any damage thats coming from those trees.

OPTIONS FOR UTILITY CUSTOMERS

Utility customers in the Detroit area may have more to be concerned with as more cold, wet and icy weather is expected this weekend. Snow, freezing rain and wind are expected Friday night into Saturday, according to the National Weather Service.

Its not clear to me that a homeowner can do very much to prevent power from going out, said Parth Vaishnav, an assistant professor of sustainable systems at the University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability. In the summer, homeowners can turn up their thermostats a bit to reduce their air conditioning loads. If enough people do that, that may help protect the electricity grid when it is stretched. But that is a different problem from physical damage to the electricity distribution grid, which is what caused the recent outages.

Vaishnav, who lives in the Ann Arbor, Michigan, area also lost power because of last Wednesday's ice storm.

We happen to have a gas fireplace, he said. We used that, but you dont want to have to rely on gas. We have an electric vehicle that lets us draw 15 amps. Thats quite a lot of power from the battery. Half the battery would keep our fridge, a few lights and furnace running for a couple of days."

________

Williams reported from West Bloomfield, Michigan. Walker reported from New York. Associated Press writer Ed White in Detroit contributed to this story.
These are the big EastEnders spoilers for 6-9 March, 2023. (BBC)

A cash-strapped Stacey takes on extra work on EastEnders next week, but her tiredness results in an injury.

Elsewhere, Whitney and Zack are struggling with their grief, while Suki encourages Ash to leave town. And will Callums promotion result in a breakthrough in Jacks case against Ravi?

Read on for your EastEnders spoilers for 6-9 March 2023.

Stacey is scolded

Stacey Slater (LACEY TURNER) (BBC)

Despite feeling grateful for her family, Stacey cant help but worry about money, especially with Lily in need of a new school uniform. But her hunt for extra work meets with no success, as Linda turns down her request for a part-time job at the pub.

Read more: Next week's Emmerdale spoilers

Read more: Next week's Coronation Street spoilers

As a consequence, Jean secures extra cleaning work for them both, but Stacey is soon left exhausted after taking on these night shifts. Thursdays drama will then see Stacey accidentally scolding her hand as she rushes to open the bap-van. And while seeking treatment at the clinic, Stacey decides to open up to Sonia about both her mum guilt and financial struggles.

Zack and Whitney say goodbye to their daughter

Zack Hudson (JAMES FARRAR); Whitney Dean (SHONA MCGARTY) (BBC)

Zack and Whitney are at odds about leaving Peach at the hospital, but are then left disconcerted when its revealed that their daughters existence isnt legally recognised.

Zack then seeks solace in the hospitals faith room but is agitated the casual attitude of a dad-to-be. Whitney, meanwhile, softens to the idea of spending time with Peach after speaking with Nurse Lynsey, with Mondays episode then finding both Whit and Zack saying goodbye to their daughter.

As the week progresses, Whitneys struggles result in her pushing her loved ones away as she tries to come to terms with her loss. Zack, though, desperately wants to speak to Whit, unaware that she wants to talk to him too. Will the two of them end up reaching out to each other?

Suki to convince Ash to leave?

Nish Panesar (NAVIN CHOWDHRY); Suki Kaur Panesar (BALVINDER SOPAL) (BBC)

Ash reveals that shes been re-offered a job in Canada, so Nish enlists Suki to help dissuade their daughter from accepting.

Story continues

But wanting her girl to spread her wings, Suki suggests to Ash that she isnt capable  knowing full well that these mind games will result in Ash taking the job to spite her.

Following this conversation, Suki tells Nish that there was nothing she could do and the pair reluctantly head to the pub to mark Ash leaving Walford. But Nish is set to find his rage building when he realises his wife has deceived him and, once home, ends up threatening her.

Callum gets a promotion

Jack Branning (SCOTT MASLEN); Callum Highway (TONY CLAY) (BBC)

Jack offers Callum a promotion to Trainee Detective Constable and the two coppers will be seen celebrating in the Queen Vic alongside Ben, Vi and Patrick.

But Callums first day in his new post gets off to a troubling start when some other members of the force give him a controversial nickname. Its a turn of events that leads to Jack trying to stamp out this kind of behaviour in his team.

Later on, Jack sets Callum the task of trawling through CCTV footage of Ravi. But the job results in Callum having to face making a big decision

Denises jealousy

Harvey Monroe (ROSS BOATMAN); Denise Fox (DIANE PARISH) (BBC)

Jacks investigation into Ravi also has repercussions for Denise, who continues to worry about what it will throw up. But will her efforts to persuade Jack to reconsider pay off?

Later on, though, Denise is given fresh food for though when Ravi walks into the Vic with a date and learns that theyre headed to the same hotel of their last dalliance. Will Denises jealousy result in her lashing out?

Watch: Danny Dyer shares post-EastEnders blow out
Officials speak in Wilmington on Monday about how Los Angeles police detectives and federal agents recovered ghost guns and other firearms used by the Eastside Wilmas gang. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

Federal agents and Los Angeles police detectives uncovered a supply line of custom-made, untraceable ghost guns being built to arm gang members on the streets of Wilmington, authorities said Monday.

LAPD Deputy Chief Gerald Woodyard said LAPD narcotics detectives working with the Long Beach-based Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives agents recovered 82 firearms, including 42 ghost guns used by the Eastside Wilmas gang, along with 19 pounds of methamphetamine, 5 pounds of cocaine and 3 kilograms of fentanyl. The task force made 18 arrests including seven last week connected to various assault, gun and narcotics charges.

"We all want the community to be safer," said Woodyard, noting that 41 search warrants were executed over a three-year period of the operation dubbed Operation Ghost Chasers.

Jennifer Cicolani, acting special agent in charge of the ATF in Los Angeles, said the operation targeted the shot callers of the Eastside Wilmas and their chain of weapon manufacturing in Long Beach, Wilmington, San Pedro and Arizona.

"As the investigation grew, the spiderweb grew, reaching into other violent gangs in the area, connecting Eastside Wilmas to other Harbor area gangs," Cicolani said.

She warned that the privately made firearms  better known as ghost guns, without serial numbers  are increasingly being recovered at crime scenes. Gangs are now getting guns made instead purchasing them through straw buyers or stealing them, Cicolani said.

The ATF said it has recovered 45,240 such ghost guns during the last five years from crime scenes, including 629 homicides.

Councilman Tim McOsker, who represents District 15, said there was a shooting in Wilmington, just outside of Wilmington Park Elementary School, that left a 12-year-old boy dead and injured a 9-year-old girl and a mother in December 2021.

"They were all in the place they should be, but they were caught in the crossfire of gang warfare," McOsker said. "So this is not just an academic exercise of taking guns off the street, this is real impact."

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LAPD Harbor Division Capt. Brent McGuyre said many of the weapons recovered had modifications including silencers.

"One of the Glock handguns has a modification to make it a fully automatic handgun," he said.

The weapons, some of which were fully automatic, ended up in the hands of the Eastside Wilmas gang, which for two generations has laid claim to the eastern part of the harbor town and surrounding neighborhoods, authorities said.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Campus Kilpatrick in Malibu was to be the cornerstone of an "L.A. Model" of enlightened juvenile rehabilitation but is the location of an alleged use of excessive force that has jeopardized the job of Chief Probation Officer Adolfo Gonzales. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)

Adolfo Gonzales, Los Angeles Countys chief probation officer, is not the real problem in a disastrous probation system that has failed teenagers caught in it.

Thats not to say that Gonzales is up to the job. Hes not. On his watch, juvenile halls and probation camps have sunk more deeply into crisis, further endangering a troubled population of teenagers in county custody and too often squandering the opportunity to get their lives on a better course.

He has failed to deal adequately with a workforce divided between exhausted deputies working mandatory overtime at the halls and camps, and their many irresponsible colleagues who simply decline to show up for work. He didnt complete his assignment to eliminate pepper spray use. To avoid what would certainly have been a failing score on a state inspection of one of the two juvenile halls, he quickly and chaotically bused all the residents 25 miles to the other hall, without notice to parents. In so doing he overcrowded the second hall and left the teens, many in rival gangs, with insufficient oversight or educational programs. Juveniles who should have had classes to attend instead spent their days watching TV, playing video games and, inevitably, getting into fights.

Most recently, he has come under fire for not terminating a deputy whose videotaped assault on a 17-year-old boy at a juvenile probation camp in Malibu was called child abuse by experts who reviewed the images. He said he made the decision after considering previous department practices and consulting with the deputys employee union.

Four members of the Board of Supervisors on Friday called on Gonzales to step down, a day after the Probation Oversight Commission recommended that he and his chief deputy, Karen Fletcher, be fired.

His two-year tenure has been a disaster. So yes, he has to go.

But juvenile probation in L.A. County requires more than a change at the top. It requires a radical intervention  a takeover by the U.S. Department of Justice, for example, or state legislation that allows the county to transfer operation of halls and camps to its new Department of Youth Development, which will have a new workforce oriented toward youth rehabilitation.

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The inadequacy of a mere leadership change becomes clear upon an examination of the departments performance over the last two decades.

L.A. County chews up and spits out chief probation officers about every other year, meaning Gonzales looming departure is right on time. Nine permanent and interim department leaders have filled the position over two decades, 10 if you count one twice for coming back after one of his successors was ousted. Some leaders never actually moved to L.A. but instead drove or flew into town every Monday and returned to their homes in the Bay Area or the San Joaquin Valley on Thursday, because they knew that they, like their predecessors, would be short-termers whether they wanted it that way or not.

Probation professionals know the department is unfixable from within, and that eventually the Board of Supervisors will inevitably fire the chief probation officer, usually at the urging of one or more of the departments four labor unions.

Chiefs get in trouble both for bucking the unions, which donate lavishly to most supervisors reelection campaigns, and for tolerating the shocking behavior of union members, whether it be failing to come to work, sexually assaulting juveniles, injuring them with pepper spray, needlessly inflicting pain out of anger or fear, even staging fights. Gonzales couldnt handle either the unions or the supervisors, but neither could his predecessors.

Some of the supervisors now want to send in a strike team to steady the department before hiring a new chief. But the last 20 years have been filled with a succession of probation strike teams, organizational experts and turnaround artists who couldnt fix anything because its not possible to both deliver the needed service  consistent, caring support and guidance to troubled teens, a majority of whom suffer severe trauma or other mental illness  and cater to powerful unions that shield workers from consequences for their misconduct, and have secured odd schedules that grant long periods away from work in order to convenience deputies rather than help juveniles.

The depth of organizational pathology and the danger to youth are so great that the Probation Department is vying for a place among the countys greatest atrocities, including MacLaren Children's Center, where children who needed shelter from abusive or neglectful parents were molested and mistreated by county staff; and the former Martin Luther King Jr. Hospital (which earned the nickname Killer King), where patients were often ignored while physicians got rich and staff ran the public institution like an exclusive club. The supervisors finally closed MacLaren at the urging of legal counsel. MLK closed when the quality of care fell so low that it lost its accreditation and federal funding (a replacement hospital with a similar name but a different organizational structure is now serving the community). In both cases, the county was too late in sending in strike teams and turnaround artists. Its probably too late for the Probation Department as well.

There are two possible routes toward the necessary intervention. One is a takeover by the U.S. Department of Justice, although that chance may have passed a decade ago when the feds opted against a consent decree and imposed short-term fixes rather than lasting structural and cultural change.

The second is for the county to follow through on its proposal to substitute in an entirely different agency without the crushing weight of Probation Department culture and, crucially, labor contracts. The board has already created and is staffing up a Youth Development Department, but state law currently prevents anyone but the Probation Department from running juvenile halls and camps.

Proposed legislation could change that. The Board of Supervisors on Tuesday will consider whether to support Assembly Bill 1090 by Assemblyman Reggie Jones-Sawyer, which might be one key step toward permitting counties to designate someone other than a chief probation officer to do the job. Its not a cure-all, and additional legislative changes would be needed. But its probably a more constructive step forward than sending in a strike team or simply hiring another short-termer to keep the disaster that is the Probation Department afloat.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
By Hadeel Al Sayegh

DUBAI (Reuters) -Edmond de Rothschild Group, which specialises in asset management and private banking, said on Tuesday it is expanding its presence in Dubai with an advisory office as it looks to the fast-growing Middle East hub to cater to an affluent pool of clients.

The Switzerland-based investment firm has obtained a licence from the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) that will allow it to advise clients locally and provide access to the entire group's offerings, the company said in a statement.

It previously had a representative office in Dubai, but said the new office will "enhance" its ability to serve clients in the region.

Edmond de Rothschild plans to hire about five people in Dubai next year, a spokesperson said.

"Dubai is the city in the Middle East with the highest concentration of wealth and has access to more than $3 trillion of private wealth within an hour's flight," DIFC Governor Essa Kazim said.

The DIFC registered record breaking growth last year, with the number of active companies in the Gulf's financial hub up by a fifth year on year to 4,377, driven by fintech and innovation firms.

DIFC has about 60 hedge fund firms with more than $1 trillion in assets under management waiting to be licensed, Kazim said last week.

A growing number of hedge funds have set up shop in Dubai, attracted by lower licensing fees and capital requirements for the industry, including Millennium Management, ExodusPoint Capital Management and BlueCrest.

Private equity firm General Atlantic on Monday named Samir Assaf as chairman of the Middle East and North Africa, a newly created role as the firm deepens its focus on the Middle East, it said in a statement.

French private equity firm Ardian said last month it was opening an office in neighbouring Abu Dhabi, capital of the United Arab Emirates, while CVC opened an office in Dubai last year.

(Reporting by Hadeel Al Sayegh; Additional reporting by Yousef Saba; Editing by Kirsten Donovan and Shounak Dasgupta)
A state Appellate Court has rejected the New Jersey Department of Corrections' argument that a corrections officer at Edna Mahan Correctional Facility for Women be fired, instead of receiving a six-month suspension for inappropriate behavior with an inmate.

Brian Ambroise, of Union, was found not guilty by a Hunterdon County jury in November 2018 of official misconduct and sexual assault by engaging in oral sex with an inmate at the women's prison.

Less than a month after the acquittal, the Department of Corrections sustained disciplinary charges against Ambroise for "conduct unbecoming" and sought his termination.

Ambroise appealed the decision to the state Office of Administrative Law where Judge Sarah Crowley found he had only violated a rule for "failing to report an unusual incident" and dismissed the conduct unbecoming charge. Crowley ordered a 20-day suspension and Ambroise's reinstatement as senior corrections officer and back pay.

The Department of Corrections then filed an exception to Crowley's ruling. The state Civil Service Commission then affirmed Crowley's decision, but increased the suspension to six months, the harshest penalty short of termination.

The Appellate Court upheld the Civil Service Commission's decision.

Brian Ambroise, left, and his attorney Jim Wronko.

The chain of events began when an inmate at the prison reported on Oct. 3, 2016, that she was in a sexual relationship with Ambroise. The inmate alleged that Ambroise had performed oral sex on her in a storage closet.

The inmate did not testify at the Office of Administrative Law hearing because Crowley found her statements were "inconsistent, unreliable and uncorroborated." The Department of Corrections also did not submit her testimony from Ambroise's criminal trial into evidence at the hearing.

Ambroise testified before Crowley that he did not have a sexual relationship with the inmate and that the only inappropriate conduct was when she gave him a "quick kiss" in the storage closet which he believed did not rise to a level of an unusual incident that had to be reported to his superior officers.

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Court papers say that after the inmate reported Ambroise, he was interviewed for almost two hours by Department of Corrections investigators. At first, he denied having oral sex with her, but ultimately said he might have had oral sex with her "for a second or two." When the interview was over, he was arrested and charged with sexual assault and official misconduct.

Also see:Social media posts got Edna Mahan guard fired. Here's why she's not getting her job back

Also see:Fourteen DOC officers indicted over attacks on detainees at Edna Mahan prison

In his testimony before Crowley after he was found not guilty of the criminal charges, Ambroise said that about 90 minutes into the interview with investigators, he began "freaking out" and "had no choice but to tell them what they wanted to hear" just to "get out of there." He said he was told if he confessed, he would get a lighter sentence and might be able to see his children again.

Crowley viewed the interview and gave it no weight based on the "interrogation techniques that were utilized," according to the Appellate Court decision. She found the investigators violated his rights by telling him he could not have union representation during the interview.

Crowley also found that Ambroise's testimony before her was credible and that investigators used "inappropriate interrogation techniques."

She imposed a 20-day suspension for not reporting the kiss.

The Civil Service Commission agreed with Crowley but ruled that his failing to report the kiss and relaying private messages between inmates was "clearly serious and highly concerning, especially in a correctional situation" and was "puzzling at best."

The Civil Service Commission increased the suspension to six months but returned Ambroise to the position and awarded him back pay.

But the Appellate Court wrote that it found "no reason to disturb this decision" by the state Civil Service Commission.

Email: mdeak@mycentraljersey.com

Mike Deak is a reporter for mycentraljersey.com. To get unlimited access to his articles on Somerset and Hunterdon counties, please subscribe or activate your digital account.

This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: NJ court: Edna Mahan guard can return to job after acquittal
SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP)  Disgraced Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes is citing her recently born child as another reason she should be allowed to delay the start of a more than 11-year prison sentence while her lawyers appeal her conviction for duping investors about the capabilities of her failed company's blood-testing technology.

The birth of Holmes' second child was confirmed in court documents filed last week in advance of a March 17 hearing about her bid to remain free during an appeals process that could take years to complete.

The filing didn't disclose the date of the birth or the child's gender, but the news isn't a surprise. Holmes, 38, was pregnant at the time of her Nov. 18 sentencing in the same San Jose, California, courtroom where a jury convicted her on four felony counts of fraud and conspiracy.

The start of that trial had been delayed so Holmes could give birth to her first child, a son. Holmes had both children with her current partner, William Billy Evans. She met Evans after her 2016 break-up with her former lover and business partner, Ramesh Sunny Balwani, who was convicted on 12 counts of fraud and conspiracy in a separate trial.

Balwani, 57, is also trying to convince U.S. District Judge Edward Davila to delay the start of his nearly 13-year prison sentence. A hearing on his request was held earlier this month, but Davila hasn't issued a ruling yet.

Holmes isn't citing her two children as the only reason she should be allowed to stay out of prison during her appeal. Her lawyers contend that an array of mistakes and abuses made during her trial make it likely her conviction will be overturned. They are also pointing to Holmes' unblemished record while she has been free on bail during the four-and-half years since her criminal indictment as evidence that she isn't a flight risk or a danger to the community.
Elon Musk has appeared to make an unsavoury jibe at the hundreds of Twitter employees he just plunged into unemployment.

The tech billionaire posted a cryptic tweet on Sunday, as it emerged that up to 200 additional employees had been laid off from the social media platform just months after he took the helm.

Hope you have a good Sunday. First day of the rest of your life, he wrote.

Multiple media outlets said on Sunday that between 50 and 200 people had been ejected from the troubled social network as Mr Musk troubles to right the ship.

The New York Times put the number at around 200, roughly 10 per cent of the companys remaining 2,000 workers, while Silicon Valley insiders news site The Information said it was at least 50.

The layoffs reportedly included employees who had been publicly loyal to Mr Musk, such as payments chief Esther Crawford, as well as founders of smaller companies that Twitter had acquired before Mr Musks takeover.

It comes after successive rounds of brutal job cuts and divisive ultimatums to remaining employees that together shrunk the company by almost 75 percent from around 7,500 to only 2,000. Mr Musk told workers in late November that he had no plans for further layoffs.

Twitter, which abolished its media communications team last year, did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Independent.

Hope you have a good Sunday.



First day of the rest of your life.  Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 26, 2023

These latest layoffs were first reported byThe Information on Saturday, when some Twitter employees began to be locked out of their company systems.

The firms internal messaging system had already gone offline for several days earlier in the week, reportedly because Twitter bosses manually shut it down.

A team that maintains Twitters monetisation infrastructure was reduced from 30 people to fewer than eight, the Times said, while other cuts hit teams responsible for keeping the site online in challenging circumstances.

Story continues

Wow the layoffs last night included a ton of surprises. Hardcore Musk loyalists (more on that soon) and the founder of the newsletter platform Revue that Twitter acquired in 2021. https://t.co/zO06QbhNpn  Zoe Schiffer (@ZoeSchiffer) February 26, 2023

Just got confirmation that Esther Crawford, chief executive of Twitter Payments, is out.  Zoe Schiffer (@ZoeSchiffer) February 26, 2023

Musk has vowed to make Twitter consistently profitable and free it of political bias, claiming that he believes its viability as a "public square" is crucial to the future of civilisation.

However, the company has been beset with problems since his takeover, including worsening glitches and outages as well as lawsuits from its suppliers alleging $14m in unpaid bills.
Elon Musk. Andrew Kelly/Reuters

Elon Musk co-hosted a short livestream on Twitter Spaces at 2 a.m. on Tuesday.

The Twitter CEO spammed listeners with a variety of sounds, from fart noises to roosters crowing.

His co-host, Jason Calacanis, wondered if Musk was streaming from the toilet after flushing was heard.

In the wee hours of Tuesday morning, Elon Musk co-hosted a 10-minute livestream in which he treated more than 42,000 Twitter users to the dulcet tones of him testing out a "new mic."

Musk co-hosted the Twitter Space livestream with Jason Calacanis, an investor and podcaster. The livestream primarily involved Musk laughing and experimenting with a voice transformer that distorted his voice.

"Sounds like helium from a balloon," Calacanis said at one point, to laughter from Musk.

Calacanis then asked Musk what the time was in California.

"Uhm, I'm in  in Austin here, it's 2 a.m.," Musk said. "Wait. There's a whole sound board. Can you see the sound board?"

The livestream audience was then treated to what appeared to be the sound of flushing and water flowing.

"Dude, you can't go on Twitter Spaces when you're in the bathroom, bro," Calacanis said.

Musk and Calacanis proceeded to test various functions on their sound board, ranging from fart noises and static to the sound of roosters crowing  all while dissolving into laughter.

After a minute or so of spamming listeners with sounds, Musk announced his voice was "back to normal" and that he thought the voice-changing function was "kind of entertaining."

"Well, I've gotta go to bed. Talk to you later," Musk said, before logging off from the Twitter Space.

Musk is, in his own words, "fairly nocturnal," and has said he usually goes to bed around 3 a.m. The Twitter CEO is known for working late  in November, he sent an email at midnight to Twitter staff telling them to work "long hours at high intensity" or quit their jobs.

He's also known for his erratic behavior on Twitter, including an April 2022 tweet saying he wanted to buy Coca Cola to "put the cocaine back" in the soft drink.

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It's unclear if Musk was doing the test on Twitter Spaces for a work-related purpose, or just for fun. Musk did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

Musk on Monday once again became the richest person in the world, per the Bloomberg Billionaire's Index. He now has a net worth of $187.1 billion.

Read the original article on Insider
Tesla chief Elon Musk has reportedly approached AI experts in recent weeks to form a team for building a chatbot like ChatGPTs OpenAI.

The Twitter boss has hired AI researcher Igor Babuschkin, who specialises in developing machine-learning models that power chatbots like ChatGPT, the Information reported, citing people familiar with the matter.

Mr Musk, who co-founded OpenAI in 2015 but cut ties with the startup in 2018, has called ChatGPT scary good.

We are not far from dangerously strong AI, he said following ChatGPTs widespread release in December.

But when Microsoft announced its integration of the AI tool into its own Bing search engine, the Tesla titan said the system sounded eery.

Sounds eerily like the AI in System Shock that goes haywire & kills everyone, he said, referring to a destructive AI system from a 1994 video game.

The multibillionaire also criticized OpenAI for the safeguards the startup put in place preventing ChatGPT from producing offensive text, calling the chatbot an example of training AI to be woke.

ChatGPT gained prominence in December following its widespread release for its ability to respond to a range of queries with human-like text output.

Many AI experts have speculated that its launch signaled the dawn of AI tools that would revolutionise entire industries and likely even replace tools like Googles search engine, while many others have pointed out that the chatbot sometimes tended to provide plausible-sounding but incorrect responses with glaring mistakes.

Mr Musk has also widely pointed out the dangers of AI systems, calling them humanitys biggest threat.

One of the biggest risks to the future of civilization is AI. But AI is both positive or negative  it has great promise, great capability but also, with that comes great danger, he had said.

Now, the Tesla and SpaceX chief and Mr Babuschkin have reportedly discussed assembling a team to pursue AI research.

However, the project seems to be still in early stages without a concrete plan to build specific products, the Information reported, adding that Mr Babuschkin has not officially signed onto the Musk initiative.

Mr Musk and Mr Babuschkin could not be immediately reached for comments.
Elon Musk has once again lost his spot as worlds richest person to French billionaire Bernard Arnault of the luxury congolmerate LVMH.

Earlier this week, the Tesla and Twitter boss briefly retook the number one spot on the global wealth pyramid, with his net worth reaching an estimated $187.1bn, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.

However, as Fortune reports, shares of Tesla fell by more than 5 per cent on Wednesday, causing Mr Musks net worth to drop by nearly $2bn and allowing the Frenchman to reclaim the top spot.

Its all a bit of deja vu for Mr Musk.

Last year, the Tesla co-founder briefly lost the top rank to Mr Arnault, as shares in the automaker declined last winter.

However, until Wall Street appeared unimpressed by Teslas 2023 Investor Day this week, the copmany was on a roll.

Since 6 January this year, Tesla stock had climbed 100 per cent, driven by increased investor demand, customer interest in recently discounted Tesla models, and a better economic forecast, according to Bloomberg.

As recently as December, things looked very different for Mr Musk.

Between November 2021 and December 2022, the Twitter owners net worth fell by over $200bn, one of the largest losses of wealth in recent history.

That sum is equivalent to the GDP of Greece, and was greater than the entire net worth of the worlds next-richest man at the time, Mr Arnault.

The sudden collapse was driven by the rapid decline in the value of Tesla stock at that time.

Last year marked the companys worst year ever on Wall Street, losing $700bn amid investor fears about the impact of Covid in China and Mr Musks controversial takeover of Twitter.

Mr Musk himself has made light of his at times chaotic finances.

Say what you want about me, but I acquired the worlds largest non-profit for $44B lol  Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 21, 2023

Last week, he joked that after his contentious takeover of Twitter in 2022, he had spent $44bn to acquire the worlds largest non-profit.

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In November, Mr Musk said Twitter was losing $4m a day.

The billionaire has also presided over deep layoffs at the social company, which has slashed its workforce nearly 75 per cent, from 7,500 employees down to about 2,000 in recent months.

That hasnt stopped Mr Musk from appearing to mock his own recently fired colleagues.

On Sunday, he appeard to make a joke about another 200 employees who were reportedly let go.

Hope you have a good Sunday. First day of the rest of your life, he wrote on Twitter.
Read on for the big Emmerdale for the week of 6-10 March, 2023. (ITV)

Will a lock-in at the Woolpack on Emmerdale next week result in Paddy opening up to his friends about his problems?

Elsewhere, Cain makes a drastic decision about his parenting of Kyle following a new attack, Laurel tries to intervene where Marshalls welfare is concerned, and Charless suspicions about Alex are growing.

Its your comprehensive spoiler rundown of the weeks events in Emmerdale during 6-10 March 2023.

Cain makes a big decision about Kyle

Moira Dingle [NATALIE J ROBB], Cain Dingle [JEFF HORDLEY] (ITV)

Its now war between Amy and Cain, with the latter enlisting Caleb in his battle, despite Moiras pleas for them to avoid making the situation worse.

But events take a surprising turn when, after a violent altercation between kids Kyle and Carl, Nicola threatens to contact the police about Kyles actions  all of which leaves Amy reeling and Cain realising that the community sees his sons violence as a reflection of his own parenting.

Read more: Next week's EastEnders spoilers

Read more: Next week's Coronation Street spoilers

Viewing himself as a malign influence, Cain then decides he needs to cut himself out of Kyles life completely and that Amy should move away with the boy to give him the chance to start again. Moira believes Cains making a mistake that will haunt him forever, but will Amy seize the chance to have Kyle all to herself?

Will a lock-in at the pub help Paddy?

Paddy Kirk [DOMINIC BRUNT] (ITV)

Marlon is concerned to hear that Paddy has to wait two weeks to see a therapist and tries to help his friend by turning up with a bag of zombie-related goodies. But Paddy is just irritated that Marlon cant give him the space hes asked for.

As Marlon frets that hell never be able to get through to his mate, Chas expresses her view that women are generally better at dealing with their emotions than men because they speak to their friends. Its a conversation that results in Jimmy chipping in and commenting that the community at the Woolpack is his therapy.

Read more: Emmerdale fans praise Dominic Brunt's performance as Paddy

Story continues

Taking all this on board, Marlon decides to act and, in a first for the soap, Fridays episode will feature solely the male cast, with characters seen taking part in a late-night lock-in at the pub, an occasion that Marlon hopes will be used as a forum to talk. But as the likes of Cain, Jimmy, Nate, Marlon and Bear start to get things off their chest, will Paddy have the courage to join them and seek the support he needs?

Laurel tries to aid Marshall

Marshall [MAX FLETCHER], Colin [MARK NOBLE], Laurel Thomas [CHARLOTTE BELLAMY] (ITV)

Laurel discovers what Marshall has been up to and decides to call his dad. But when the lad starts weeping uncontrollably, she realises that this is more than a case of teen rebellion.

Marshall is obviously panicked by the thought of his dad intervening. But when Colin arrives, he surprises both Laurel and Marshall by enveloping his son in a hug. His actions are accompanied by consoling words about Marshall remaining at Hotten Academy and maintaining his friendship with Arthur  all of which leaves Laurel believing that a breakthrough has been made.

But when Arthur later reacts badly to the news of Marshalls reunion, Laurel fears shes made a big mistake. And when Arthur informs her that the situation with Marshall and his father is really bad, Laurel sets out to rectify the situation

Charles is goaded by Naomi

Naomi [KARENE PETER], Charles Anderson [KEVIN MATHURIN], Alex [LIAM BOYLE] (ITV)

Charles suspects that Naomi is up to something when she offers to cook a family lunch. And, soon enough, hes proved right when both he and Alex realise that theyve been ambushed by her.

Over the dinner, Charles deliberately needles Alex. But Manpreet privately tells him to refrain, as his actions will only drive Alex and Naomi closer together. So, when Naomi then plants a kiss on Alex, Charles ends up fighting his instinct to intervene.

The next day, Manpreet suggests that Charles talk to the person who knows Alex best: Dawn. But will that conversation give Charles any hope?

Watch: Lisa Riley discusses Mandy's infertility storyline
Jens Stoltenberg

According to Stoltenberg, there is no going back on this issue.

We have to recognize that the end of this war will not be a return to normal in our relations with Russia, the official said.

Read also: Ukraine to become NATO member, but after victory over Russia, says Stoltenberg

There is no going back. In a more dangerous world, we can no longer afford to treat defense as optional. It is a necessity.

He added that NATO will continue building up its defense and deterrence capability, after the post-cold war hopes of detente with Russia have been shattered by Russian dictator Vladimir Putin.

Read also: Putin unexpectedly mentions the risk of Russias collapse

President Putin chose to walk away from cooperation and dialogue, he has left a trail of broken promises, shattered fundamental principles of global security, attacking neighboring countries, and tried to undermine our own democracies, the press release quotes Stoltenberg.

Read also: Ukraine was offered closer NATO ties to encourage negotiating with Russia, WSJ report says

The secretary concluded by saying that Putins recent decision to suspend participation in the New START nuclear arms reduction treaty with the United States serves as the latest example of Russias disregard for international order.

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 Biden, shown with Eric Garcetti on a visit to Los Angeles in October, renominated the former Los Angeles mayor to be ambassador to India in January. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)

Eric Garcettis nomination to be ambassador to India made incremental progress this week as the former Los Angeles mayor impressed a Republican senator after a private meeting and won over an undecided Democrat.

Garcetti, whose nomination has languished for about a year and a half, drew praise from a key swing vote Tuesday, giving new life to a nomination that has seemed all but dead.

I had an excellent meeting with Mayor Garcetti yesterday, and I was impressed with his knowledge of India, Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, a moderate Republican, told The Times in an interview.

A person familiar with Garcettis schedule confirmed he was in Washington this week but gave no further details.

President Biden first nominated Garcetti to the post in July 2021, but the ex-mayor has faced criticism over whether he knew  or should have known  that Rick Jacobs, a senior advisor, was allegedly sexually harassing colleagues and making racist comments.

Jacobs has denied the allegations, and Garcetti testified at his confirmation hearing in December 2021 that he never witnessed, nor was it brought to my attention, the behavior thats been alleged.

Republican Sen. Charles E. Grassley of Iowa released a 23-page report last year that found it was extremely unlikely that Garcetti didnt know about his aides alleged behavior.

We discussed the allegations against his aide and his response to those allegations, Collins said. I still want to review Sen. Grassleys report, but I dont think that should have known is a fair standard to use. So I havent made a final decision, but I was impressed.

Collins comments come after Punchbowl News reported that Democratic Sen. Mazie Hirono of Hawaii said she would vote for Garcetti on the floor. Hirono had previously told The Times she was still contemplating how she would vote.

In this case, its not him who did it," Hirono said of Garcetti and Jacobs' alleged behavior. "He also testified that he knew nothing. So at this point, I am prepared to vote for the guy.

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The signs of progress, however, were met with a pair of setbacks.

Asked about Garcetti's nomination at a news conference Tuesday afternoon, Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) said only, "We'll have to wait and see what happens in committee."

Schumer's statement came after the Senate Foreign Relations Committee postponed a meeting Tuesday to discuss the nomination of Garcetti and other Biden picks who have not been confirmed.

Republican Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, who sits on the committee, has placed a hold on Garcetti and a half-dozen other nominations.

"One of these nominees has ignored credible sexual assault accusations in his prior office," Rubio said in a statement late last week, alluding to allegations against Garcetti. "I will not turn a blind eye to these absurd nominations, which will hasten Americas decline."

When the panel last took up Garcetti's nomination in January 2022, it was reported favorably to the full Senate via voice vote with no objections. But it never reached the floor for a vote, partly due to concerns that it did not have enough Democratic support.

Since Garcetti's original nomination, he completed his final term as mayor.

The makeup of the Senate has also changed, with Senate Democrats expanding their 50-50 majority in the last Congress to a 51-seat majority.

But it remains unclear if Garcetti has the support of all Democrats.

Democrats are currently governing with a 50-49 majority as Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania continues to receive treatment at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center for depression. It's unclear when he'll return.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
By Foo Yun Chee

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union data protection watchdog on Tuesday expressed concerns about a European Commission draft decision that could pave the way for a new data transfer pact with the United States, saying more should be done to protect Europeans' privacy rights.

The European Data Protection Board's (EDPB) non-binding opinion comes after the Commission issued a draft decision in December saying U.S. safeguards against American intelligence activities were strong enough to address EU data privacy concerns.

The EDPB said its worries centre on certain rights of data subjects, onward transfers, the scope of exemptions, temporary bulk collection of data and the practical functioning of the redress mechanism.

"We recommend to address the concerns expressed and to provide clarifications requested to ensure the adequacy decision will endure," EDPB Chair Andrea Jelinek said in a statement.

"We think that after the first review of the adequacy decision, subsequent reviews should take place at least every three years and we are committed to contributing to them," she added.

The EDPB also called on the commission to put in more safeguards to ensure the independence of a proposed Data Protection Review Court and provide more clarity on temporary bulk collection, the retention and dissemination of such data.

It voiced concerns about the lack of a requirement of prior authorisation by an independent authority for the collection of data in bulk and the lack of systematic independent review ex post by a court or an equivalently independent body.

Both the European Union and the United States have struggled to come up with a new data transfer pact after Europe's top court threw out the two previous accords because of concerns about U.S. intelligence agencies accessing Europeans' private data.

The two previous similar agreements set out the legal framework for thousands of companies to transfer data across the Atlantic for services ranging from cloud infrastructure, data hosting, payroll and finance to marketing.

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Both sides reached a preliminary deal in March last year to the relief of thousands of companies stuck in a legal quagmire.

The Commission subsequently published a draft adequacy decision to which the EDPB, EU countries and EU lawmakers will have to review and offer non-binding opinions. A final adequacy decision is expected by the summer.

Set up under landmark privacy rules known as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the EDPB is made up of representatives of national data protection authorities in the 27 EU countries and the European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS) to ensure the consistent application of GDPR rules.

(Reporting by Foo Yun Chee; Editing by Aurora Ellis)
The EU Ambassador to Georgia Pawel Herczynski said on Feb. 27 that he had submitted a statement of protest to Georgia calling for the release of imprisoned former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili so that he can receive medical treatment in Poland.

Saakashvili, who has Ukrainian citizenship, is currently serving a six-year prison sentence on charges of abuse of power. After several hunger strikes, his health has taken a drastic turn for the worse.

According to Poland's RFM 24, the statement of protest calling for Saakashvili to receive fair medical treatment was accepted by all EU member states except for Hungary. After pressure from Poland, Hungary backed down.

An EU diplomat and the Polish government voiced their fears to RFM 24 about Saakashvili's safety.

On Feb. 15, the European Parliament released a resolution calling for Saakashvili to receive the medical treatment he needs.

The statement added that if his health were to take a turn for the worse it would "damage Georgias reputation and hamper its European Union candidacy prospects."

Georgia applied for EU membership last year at the same time as Ukraine and Moldova but was not granted candidate status, unlike the latter two.

President Volodymyr Zelensky has also called on Georgia to release Saakashvili for medical treatment abroad. During a press conference on Feb. 1, Zelensky said that the Georgian government was "killing" Saakashvili.

On Feb. 1, the media published photos that show signs of his worsening health and rapid weight loss.

In January Saakashvili was transferred to the intensive care unit due to his deteriorating health, his press secretary Giorgi Chaladze said, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reported.

In November Saakashvili's lawyer Shalva Khachapuridze said that doctors believe the ex-president had 36 diseases, including tuberculosis and dementia.

Georgia's human rights ombudsman Nino Lomjaria said in November that Saakashvili was not being given proper medical care and was being abused by fellow inmates.

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The incumbent Georgian authorities have stripped Saakashvili of his Georgian citizenship and charged and convicted him in several cases that he says are political and fabricated.










By Foo Yun Chee

BRUSSELS (Reuters) -The European Parliament has banned TikTok from staff phones, following in the footsteps of two top European Union policymaking institutions and underlining the mounting unease over the Chinese short video-sharing app and who accesses its user data.

The European Commission and the EU Council last week banned TikTok from staff phones due to growing concerns about the company, which is owned by Chinese firm ByteDance, and whether China's government could harvest users' data or advance its interests.

Beijing has regularly denied having any such intentions.

The ban, starting from March 20, will apply to corporate devices such as mobile phones and tablets which are enrolled in Parliament's mobile management application, a Parliament spokesperson said.

The assembly also strongly recommended lawmakers and staff remove TikTok from their personal devices, confirming an earlier Reuters story.

TikTok said the bans were misguided and based on fundamental misconceptions.

"TikTok is enjoyed by 125 million EU citizens and potentially depriving users from access to their representatives is a self-defeating step, especially in our shared fight against misinformation and when this action is being taken on the basis of fears rather than facts," the company said.

The U.S. Senate also banned TikTok on government-owned devices, with Canada adopting a similar decision on Monday. India has banned the app throughout the country.

(Reporting by Foo Yun Chee; Editing by Louise Heavens and Josie Kao)
EVANSVILLE  The man accused of fatally stabbing 42-year-old Jermon Weathers during an October altercation on Evansville's West Side struck a plea deal with Vanderburgh County prosecutors last week, nixing the prospect of a jury trial that had been scheduled to begin in March.

Zachary Lee Page, 26, pleaded guilty to one count of voluntary manslaughter, a Level 2 felony, and will no longer face a felony murder charge in connection with Weathers' killing, according to a copy of the plea agreement.

Under Indiana law, voluntary manslaughter occurs when a person "knowingly" or "intentionally" kills another person in "sudden heat," a term which means the person acted out of anger, rage or another emotion that could cloud one's ability to think logically.

According to the Evansville Police Department, Page stabbed Weathers Oct. 7 following an argument. Detectives said Weathers was unarmed.

More:Evansville police: Fatal Park Street stabbing suspect arrested

Vanderburgh County Deputy Prosecuting Attorney John Bober will dismiss the murder charge filed against Page during his sentencing hearing, the plea agreement states.

Evansville police arrested Page shortly after officers found Weathers unconscious and bleeding inside an apartment in the 1200 block of Park Street, according to a probable cause affidavit filed by EPD Detective Quinton Keil. Doctors at Deaconess Midtown Hospital later pronounced Weathers dead.

An autopsy conducted by the Vanderburgh County Coroner's Office determined Weathers died from a single stab wound.

Page was apprehended near North Fulton Avenue and West Florida Street at the direction of a witness who said they saw Page stab Weathers, according to the affidavit. Responding officers said they saw blood stains on Page's clothes; an EPD K-9 officer found a bloody knife near the crime scene.

More:Building commissioner resigns, code enforcement director out. Here's what we know

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Page reportedly told detectives he stabbed Page in self-defense, a claim Keil said did not match the evidence recovered from the crime scene.

"Zach told me Jermon pointed a gun at him," Keil wrote in the affidavit. "Zach could only tell me the firearm was black."

Despite executing two judicially authorized search warrants at the apartment and a nearby storage unit, the EPD said it failed to recover any evidence that could corroborate Page's claim that he acted in self-defense.

More:EPD: No charges will be filed in Evansville in Morton Avenue warehouse fire

"Notably, no firearms were found or recovered on the scene or inside the apartment," Keil wrote.

Witnesses, including Page's girlfriend, also told police they never observed Weathers holding a firearm, nor had they seen any inside the home, according to the affidavit.

Vanderburgh County Superior Court Judge Wayne S. Trockman is scheduled to sentence Page on March 14. State sentencing guidelines, which are advisory and not legally binding, recommend those convicted of voluntary manslaughter be sentenced to between 10 and 30 years in prison.

Houston Harwood can be contacted at houston.harwood@courierpress.com with story ideas and questions.

This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: Zachary Lee Page pleads guilty to manslaughter for October killing
The Russian leadership considered two traitorous politicians who were supposed to seize power in Ukraine after the Russian invasion: Viktor Medvedchuk [Ukrainian businessman and pro-Russian politician to whose daughter Putin is godfather  ed.] and, in case of failure on the battlefield, the fugitive president Viktor Yanukovych.

Source: article of Ukrainska Pravda Two plans of the Kremlin. Who should have ruled Ukraine if Kyiv had fallen

Plan "A" Medvedchuk

Quote from a high-ranking Ukrainska Pravda source in intelligence: "If you think that the Russians had a clear plan for who would come to lead here, you are very much mistaken. The main thing is that our government falls. According to their plan, on the third day. On the tenth day, control over the entire country. And the names of those who will specifically be the new government were not that important to them...

Medvedchuk saw himself playing first fiddle. A decent role could have been played by Sivkovych [Deputy Secretary of the National Security and Defence Council of Yanukovych's time, who is hiding in the Russian Federation  ed.]. He has been working for the Federal Security Service for a long time, and he was trained to manage pseudo-authorities, select personnel for various positions, and so on. But there was no final layout of who should go to what positions."

Details: One of Sivkovych's former influential faction members said that he organised the "evacuation" of Yanukovych from Crimea to Russia.

Although other sources of Ukrainska Pravda, neither in the Security Service of Ukraine nor in political circles, provided any information about a possible special role for Sivkovych after the potential occupation.

As well as about possible participation in collaborating structures of Yevhen Murayev, whom the Western media called a potential "prime minister" of the captured Ukraine even before the invasion.

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As for the Kremlin's political plans to govern Ukraine after the capture, there were at least two of them.

The first project was predictably connected with the person closest to Putin in Ukraine: Viktor Medvedchuk.

However, after the introduction of sanctions and the delivery of several suspicions in 2021, Medvedchuk could not engage in either business or politics.

"Vitia is gradually going nuts. He is constantly sitting at home, these restrictions psychologically weaken him, because he has nothing to do," one of the members of the Opposition Platform  For Life faction [a pro-Russian political party led by Medvedchuk, now banned in Ukraine  ed.] described Medvedchuk's condition at the end of January last year.

Sources in his party claim that Medvedchuk was one of the few people in Ukraine who knew for sure about the Russian invasion.

"I do not doubt that Putin will fight. And not least because I see how Vitia is already baking loaves and collecting salt to meet his [daughters godfather] in Kyiv," deputy of the Opposition Platform  For Life, who quietly left the country two weeks before the invasion for many months, told Ukrainska Pravda on 25 January 2022.

A few weeks before the invasion, deputies from his group in the Rada asked him several times if Russia was preparing for a full-scale attack on Ukraine.

Quote from one of the current deputies, who was close to Medvedchuk: "We should have known this at least so that the families could be taken out, but Vitia, on the contrary, was calming us. He said: No, No, this is rattling weapons to raise the stakes. Stay where you are."

On 23 February, the day before the invasion began, Medvedchuk began to behave strangely.

He unexpectedly postponed meetings with his colleagues, saying that he was busy. For a person who is under house arrest around the clock, this looked strange. Until that day, Medvedchuk seldom refused to meet with his people.

The weekend to which Medvedchuk postponed the celebration was supposed to be just the third day after the start of the great war.

On the morning of 24 February, Medvedchuk stopped communicating.

He appeared in the Opposition Platform  For Life chat only once  on the third day of the invasion, 26 February.

On that day, the deputies of Medvedchuk's faction who remained in Kyiv were going to expel Illia Kyva from their ranks because of public support for Russian aggression.

And Viktor Medvedchuk, even despite the war, tried to convince that this should not be done. And still, he was able to postpone the expulsion of Kyva due to his influence on the deputies, whom he added to the list personally. However, only until 3 March.

A year after the outbreak of the great war, both Medvedchuk's associates and members of Zelenskyy's team were convinced that bringing Viktor Medvedchuk to power was "Plan A" in the Kremlin.

The Ukrainian special services claim that the encircled Verkhovna Rada should have removed the head of the parliament, Ruslan Stefanchuk, and, accordingly, Medvedchuk would have become acting president.

Viktor Medvedchuk was hiding in Kyiv, in a luxurious three-storey house near Protasiv Yar. In April, he tried to escape while wearing camouflage. In this form, he was caught by the Security Service of Ukraine (SSU).

The traitor was held in the SSU pre-trial detention centre until 21 September, and on 22 September, he was exchanged for 200 defenders of Azovstal.

Now Medvedchuk lives with his family in Moscow. And all that remains for him is to try to position himself in the Kremlin as the main "expert" on Ukraine.

Plan "B" Yanukovych

Quote from a source in the SSU: "After Medvedchuk's 'disappearance', the Russians considered the option of Yanukovych's return to Ukraine. He had to declare again that he was legitimate, and all the other nonsense."

In particular, at the end of 2021, the Ukrainian media reported that "Yanukovych wants to return the status of President".

The fugitive decided to file a lawsuit against the District Administrative Court of the city of Kyiv, demanding to recognize that the Rada has no right to deprive the title of President outside the impeachment procedure. The parliament also took away the right to be called the president of Ukraine by a simple resolution.

"Yanukovych's lawyers were surprisingly smart. They went to the District Administrative Court of the city of Kyiv to appeal not the decisions of the council, but the issue of procedure. This was a legal loophole. And if the District Administrative Court of the city of Kyiv recognized procedural violations, the consequence would be to invalidate the decision of the parliament," one of the key lawyers of Zelenskyy's team explains to Ukrainska Pravda.

Quote from a source of Ukrainska Pravda: "Smirnov called the head of the District Administrative Court of the city of Kyiv, Vovk, and asked: What are these claims, why do you register them when the procedural terms have long expired? And Pasha assured him: Theyre registered to follow the procedures, nothing will happen, do not worry."

One of the former top officials of the Yanukovych time claims that "the Russians relied on non-critical imports: the return to Ukraine of all those who fled after 2014. There are enough fugitives for several Cabinets of Ministers. And if they returned, it would be enough to fill a few main positions, and then the system itself would start generating people for places at the bottom."

To prevent the District Administrative Court of the city of Kyiv judges from making any decisions, on 2 March, the state judicial administration disconnected the court from access to the Register of court decisions.

To block the court, the SSU was connected to the Office of the President of Ukraine: "We have connected the fifth service, the one that is responsible for the courts. They broke into the building, tore out all possible carriers so that the District Administrative Court of the city of Kyiv could not work at all, and took the servers with them. Until April, the court did not work."

Yanukovych's plane was last seen in Minsk on 7 March last year. After that, the negotiations moved to Istanbul, and Yanukovych disappeared from view.

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Attorneys representing former Roman Catholic Cardinal Theodore McCarrick are seeking the dismissal of the case of child abuse against him, saying the 92-year-old isn't competent to face trial because he suffers from dementia.

McCarrick, who was the archbishop of Newark from 1986 to 2000 and the bishop of Metuchen earlier in the 1980s, has pleaded not guilty in the 2021 Massachusetts case against him that alleges he abused a teenage boy at a 1974 wedding at Wellesley College in Massachusetts.

McCarrick is the only Catholic cardinal in the United States ever to face child sex abuse charges.

His lawyers filed a motion to dismiss the criminal case, asserting that although McCarrick remains "intelligent and articulate," his dementia and the resulting decline in his memory make him incapable of "assisting in his defense," they wrote in their motion.

They cited an examination by a professor of psychiatry and behavioral science at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, who determined McCarrick has dementia, "likely due to Alzheimer's disease."

Demonstrators watch as former Cardinal Theodore McCarrick leaves Dedham District Court after his arraignment on Sept. 3, 2021, in Dedham, Mass. McCarrick pleaded not guilty to sexually assaulting a 16-year-old boy during a wedding reception in Massachusetts nearly 50 years ago.

Mitch Garabedian, the attorney representing the victim, said, "Experience has taught me that the closer in time to trial, the more an accused priest becomes incompetent."

Garabedian added that his client, who has not been publicly named, "takes pride in coming forward and confronting one of the most historically powerful and immoral cardinals in the Catholic Church. My client's strength is boundless and keeps children safe."

Barry Coburn, McCarrick's attorney, declined to comment to NorthJersey.com and The Record on Monday about the case.

Related:Abuse survivors say Catholic Church has failed to disclose hundreds of cases in NJ

Prosecutors said they plan to hire their own expert to conduct an evaluation to determine the prelate's competency, according to media reports.

According to the alleged victim's lawsuit, McCarrick was a family friend who assaulted him when he was a teen.

McCarrick allegedly abused the teenager at the boy's brother's wedding. McCarrick, a priest stationed in New York at the time, was a friend of the family. He groped the boy after getting him alone during a walk on the campus, telling him, "Your dad wants you to come out with me and have a talk" because the boy hadn't been attending church.

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The accuser told police that the priest then took him to a coat room and told him he "needed to go to confession." After sexually abusing him again, according to the complaint, McCarrick told the boy to recite "Our Father" and "Hail Mary" prayers so he could be redeemed for his sins.

Then-Archbishop Theodore McCarrick, left, is seen with Pope John Paul II in Newark, N.J., in this October 1995 file photo. McCarrick was named cardinal Jan. 21, 2001. (AP Photo/Arturo Mari)

McCarrick was charged with assault and battery on a person who was 14 years old or older, all related to incidents at the wedding in June 1974. The accuser was 16 at the time and was later abused at other locations in Massachusetts and in other states, including New Jersey.

McCarrick pleaded not guilty to the charges.

McCarrick was removed from ministry in 2018 when the church deemed an allegation of child sexual abuse against him to be credible. He was defrocked a year later amid accusations that he abused children and adult seminary students.

For subscribers:Here's what the Catholic Church paid to settle abuse cases in NJ  and who was left out

McCarrick was ordained in 1958 and rose up the ranks of the church despite the knowledge that he slept with seminarians.

Until recently, he was living in a treatment center in Missouri for troubled priests and clergy who committed sexual abuse.

In 2020, the Vatican released an explosive report detailing how McCarrick rose to the heights of the church, despite the fact that church leaders had received reports that he had abused children as well as adult seminarians over the span of many years.

While he was in New Jersey, he brought seminarians to a Jersey Shore beach house, where he was known for sexually harassing seminarians. The beach house was owned by the diocese.

Two seminary professors told The Record and NorthJersey.com that they raised an alarm to superiors about McCarrick in the late 1980s, after seminarians complained about having to take trips to the beach house with him. And The New York Times has reported that a former seminary student went to Metuchen church officials in 1994 to allege that he had been abused by McCarrick.

"Everyone knew about him from the early days," said Robert Hoatson, a former priest in the Archdiocese of Newark who is now an advocate for clergy abuse survivors in New Jersey. "He could have been stopped by bishops and cardinals who knew about his history."

"I hope he is found competent to stand trial," Hoatson said, "because it will help his victims gain a degree of justice and closure."

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Ex-Cardinal Theodore McCarrick wants child abuse case dismissed
Proud Boys member Jeremy Bertino, second from left, joins other Trump supporters at Freedom Plaza in Washington, D.C., Dec. 12, 2020. (Luis M. Alvarez/AP)

WASHINGTON  A key witness for prosecutors at the federal trial of five members of the far-right Proud Boys militia facing sedition charges related to the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol said Monday that while he never heard the group or its leaders outline a specific plan for violence on Jan. 6, 2021, the outbreak of violence that day did not surprise him.

In his fourth day of testimony at the trial of Proud Boys leader Henry Enrique Tarrio and four other defendants affiliated with the group, Jeremy Bertino, operator of a North Carolina trucking company, told a jury that he believed that the November 2020 election had been stolen from Donald Trump and that he was afraid that as a result, the U.S. would be taken over by an outside entity, such as the Chinese Communist Party.

Bertino pleaded guilty last October to a riot-related charge of seditious conspiracy, a serious offense that fellow members of the group have also been charged with. In December, the leader of the Oath Keepers, another right-wing group that participated in the Capitol riot, was convicted of a seditious conspiracy charge.

Pro-Trump protesters at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. (Brent Stirton/Getty Images)

In the wake of the 2020 election result, Bertino said he believed that the Proud Boys, which he had joined in 2018, would serve as the tip of a spear that would somehow ensure that Trump remains in the White House.

Within days of the election, according to testimony Monday by Bertino in Washington federal court, he and Tarrio had initiated discussions about the possibility of the Proud Boys going to Washington on Jan. 6, the day the Electoral College was scheduled to meet to confirm Joe Bidens election victory, and also possibly on Jan. 20  Inauguration Day.

Bertino and other Proud Boys had begun to contemplate the possibility of violence within days of Election Day (Nov. 3, 2020). On Nov. 9, Bertino allegedly told Tarrio via text message, Well Im sure on Saturday things are going to get crazy so Ill have a chance to get on video smashing people.

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Five days later, Bertino was part of a group of Proud Boys who served as bodyguards for a visit by conspiracy theorist and Trump supporter Alex Jones to the outside of the Supreme Court building not long before Trump supporters and left-wing counterprotesters engaged in violent clashes that began near the White House. Once his group had escorted Jones safely back to his hotel, Bertino testified, he put on personal protective gear and headed to a bar closer to the White House frequented by Trump-supporting militants, where they engaged in clashes with people they believed were connected with the left-wing movement known as antifa.

Enrique Tarrio, leader of the Proud Boys, at a Miami demonstration in support of Cuban dissidents, July 16, 2021. (Eva Marie Uzcategui/AFP via Getty Images)

Bertino told the court Monday that he and his fellow militants expected more violence when they organized themselves for another rally in Washington on Dec. 12. Bertino said he thought he was well prepared for possible clashes, having donned combat gear including what he thought was a stab-proof vest and gloves with carbon fiber tabs to stop his knuckles from breaking.

As the event unfolded, however, a protester emerged from the crowd and stabbed him in the ribs, Bertino testified. He was rushed to an emergency room, where medics determined he had suffered a punctured lung and diaphragm injuries. Waking up several days later, Bertino learned that his body had 150 staples that doctors had used to put him back together.

Bertino told the court that he was angry at everyone except the Proud Boys after being stabbed. He said he still considered the Proud Boys to be his brothers, and he got hundreds of supportive phone calls from group members, including Tarrio, who Bertino says was upset about the stabbing.

In the following weeks, as he continued to recover at home, Bertino told the court he came to believe that police were the enemy. One issue contributing to this assessment was his belief that the person who stabbed him had somehow avoided a serious arrest by law enforcement, though its unclear whether anyone was arrested in connection with the alleged assault.

Members of the Proud Boys provide security at a rally in support of the Second Amendment, May 1, 2021, in Salem, Ore. (Nathan Howard/Getty Images)

Some Proud Boys were so angry at what they perceived to be law enforcement hostility to their movement that one group supporter circulated messages labeling police with the nickname Coptifa (insinuating that police are in cahoots with or protecting antifa), Bertino said, adding that he believed he was on the side of freedom and that he and other Trump supporters might have to take over the country.

But Bertino repeated during his testimony that he was unaware of, and never heard anyone discussing, any specific plan for Proud Boys members to engage in violence in order to somehow overturn the election result and keep Trump in office. I dont think anybody specifically ever said it like that, he said.

Neither Bertino himself nor Tarrio, who was arrested following an incident a couple of days before Jan. 6, were present at the Capitol or related events that day, though Bertino testified that he was in contact with Tarrio around that day as well as with co-defendant Dominic Pezzola.

On Jan. 4, however, in audio messages sent to a messaging group whose access was supposed to be limited to a group of Proud Boy insiders known as the Ministry of Self Defense, Bertino, using the nickname NobleBeard, said, dude this is where the rubber meets the road. now does the military and the National Guard f*** up Trump supporters or do they f*** up Antifa ? I guess thats what we are going to have to see. The messages were introduced into evidence by prosecutors.

A pro-Trump mob breaks into the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

After helping to create a Boots on the Ground chat on Jan. 5, Bertino relabeled himself NobleBeard the Immortal and appeared to openly cheer violence from rioters.

We are the peopleF*** these commie traitors . F*** it let them loose, Bertino messaged fellow insiders around 7:30 a.m. on the morning of Jan. 6.

At 1.00 p.m. that day, Bertino messaged Boots on the Ground: Storming the Capitol right now.Get there. They are moving the cops back, he messaged at 1:36. God damnit I wanna be there, he later said.

In a video message shortly before 2:00 p.m., Bertino declared, Yo they got in. theyre- theyre- they pushed the cops back, the cops are retreating up the stairs, theyre ripping apart the construction barriers. Theyre getting in.

I have tears in my eyes, Bertino soon added. Yes. [They] are taking it back.

Tarrio, center, with other Proud Boys, rally to deny the results of the 2020 presidential election, Nov. 14, 2020. (Hannah McKay/Reuters)

He subsequently exchanged one-on-one messages with Tarrio in which Bertino declared Brother. You know we made this happen. Im so proud of my country today. I know, Tarrio replied.

In a cross-examination last week by defense lawyers, Bertino acknowledged that in his initial discussions with the FBI shortly after agents raided his residence in March of last year, he was not fully forthcoming. He said that he hoped his subsequent cooperation with investigators would help him get a reduction in his sentence but said nobody had promised him what his sentence would be.

The Proud Boys trial was originally expected to conclude by the end of February but prosecutors are still presenting government witnesses. Lawyers have said the trial is now expected to continue through March, and perhaps into April.
The photo shows an alleged fire near the airfield in Yeysk

Yeysk regional governor Roman Bublik subsequently claimed that "military tactical exercises are being conducted" in the region.

Read also: Oil depot set on fire in Tuapse, Russia, locals report explosions, drone attack

Yeysk is located 70 kilometers across the Sea of Azov from Mariupol, which is currently occupied by Russian forces.

On Feb. 28, a series of incidents and explosions took place in several Russian regions, seemingly related to drone threats.

Read also: Russia concerned by unexplained explosions in Mariupol, reports UK intelligence

In Russias Belgorod Oblast, near the Ukrainian border, three unidentified UAVs crashed.

Another incident was reported in another Russian town  Tuapse in Krasnodar Region. Two unknown drones exploded at and oil depot there on Feb. 28, causing a large fire at the facility.

Read also: Russian fighter jet crashes into apartment building in Yeysk, Russia

And in St. Petersburg, an emergency plan called Kovyor (Russian for carpet) was activated in morning, due to an unknown object being detected in the airspace above the city. Airports in the city were closed to civilian aircraft for several hours.

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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating a close call between JetBlue and Learjet flights at Bostons Logan Airport that forced one pilot to take evasive action to avoid a potential collision.

A preliminary investigation indicated that the pilot of a Learjet 60 took off without clearance while JetBlue Flight 206 was preparing to land on an intersecting runway around 7 p.m. Monday, according to an FAA spokesperson.

Passengers on that JetBlue flight from Nashville to Boston were pretty shaken up after such a close call.

Were looking at the ground were ready to land, you get that feeling, yay were landing and all of a sudden we went right back up, said Cindy Neshe, a passenger on the JetBlue flight.

The pilot of the JetBlue aircraft had to react quickly to avoid the Learjet plane, investigators said. The FAA noted that the Learjet was operated by Hop-A-Jet, a private charter company.

In a statement, the spokesperson said, An air traffic controller instructed the pilot of the Learjet to line up and wait on Runway 9 while the JetBlue Embraer 190 landed on Runway 4-Right, which intersects Runway 9. The Learjet pilot read back the instructions clearly but began a takeoff roll instead. The pilot of the JetBlue aircraft took evasive action and initiated a climb-out as the Learjet crossed the intersection.

Investigators are now working to determine exactly how close the aircrafts came to colliding with each other.

These are precursors you want to get on top of right away in this industry, said Tom Kinton, president of Kinton Aviation Consulting. Ones too many  when you start to have a series of them theres something going on, somethings getting sloppy in the system, and you need to get a hold of it quickly and correct it.

Kinton says theres been a few close calls like this recently across the country, so now a team with the FAA will investigate and see how close those planes actually got.

If they have to make changes, procedural changes, retrain pilots, suspend or pull a pilot license, if necessary, theres various avenues the FAA can go once the investigation is done, said Kinton.

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There were no additional details immediately available.

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

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The claim: Climate change is actually geoengineering; weather modified by chemtrails

A Feb. 16 Instagram post (direct link, archived link) features a screenshot of a tweet from 2021 about climate change.

I don't know who need (sic) to hear this but #ClimateChange is actually #Geoengineering, the tweet reads. Those trails you see in the sky aren't water vapor, they're #StratosphericInjections aka #Chemtrails & you can look up the countless patents & protocols for #WeatherModification yourself. Wake up."

The Instagram post was liked more than 900 times in 10 days.

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Our rating: False

Scientists say there is no evidence to support either of these claims. Geoengineering technologies are still being developed, and no large-scale experiments or operations have been conducted, researchers say. Climate change is driven by human activities such as the burning of fossil fuels, according to climate scientists. Experts have repeatedly debunked the "chemtrails" conspiracy theory.

Greenhouse gas emissions drive climate change, not geoengineering

Climate change is not a consequence of climate intervention or geoengineering, said David Fahey, director of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Chemical Sciences Laboratory.

Joshua Horton, the former research director for geoengineering at the Harvard Kennedy School, agreed.

There is no scientific evidence to support either of these claims, Horton said in an email.

Geoengineering refers to a number of emerging climate intervention technologies that could manipulate the atmosphere to mitigate the effects of climate change.

There are two broad categories of geoengineering. Carbon geoengineering aims to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, while solar geoengineering aims to modify the amount of solar radiation absorbed and released by the Earths atmosphere.

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But these kinds of climate interventions are still being developed and studied, said Alan Robock, a climate science professor at Rutgers University. He said much remains unknown about the potential risks, and many of the technologies necessary to make it work don't exist yet.

Fahey, Horton and Robock were not aware of any significant experiments or operations utilizing geoengineering technologies.

The variables that we associate with climate change like global temperatures have been changing for decades, Fahey said. If one really thought there was a cause and effect there, one would have to say that geoengineering was going on for decades. The reasoning and logic isn't there.

Fact check: False claim chemtrails and HAARP are used to manipulate the weather

Climate change since the mid-1900s is driven by greenhouse gases emitted from human activities, particularly the burning of fossil fuels, according to NASA.

Greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide and methane trap heat in the atmosphere, resulting in rising global surface temperatures. As a result, the average global temperature has increased by nearly 2 degrees since 1880.

No evidence chemtrails can modify the weather

Some conspiracy theorists assert the white trails left by airplanes in the sky are "chemtrails," toxic chemicals supposedly added to the atmosphere by governments or other nefarious actors.

Scientists and airplane pilots say this is nonsense. Claims purporting to prove chemtrails exist have been repeatedly debunked by USA TODAY and other fact-checkers.

A localized form of weather manipulation called cloud-seeding is possible and utilizes aircraft to induce precipitation. But this can only increase precipitation on a "microscale" in a localized area, Julie Gondzar, the program manager for Wyomings Weather Modification Program, previously told USA TODAY.

Fact check: No, patents for tornado machines don't prove that natural disasters are man-made

No one has the ability to create large-scale weather events or patterns, Charles Konrad, director of NOAA's Southeast Regional Climate Center, previously told USA TODAY.

USA TODAY reached out to the social media users who shared the post. The Twitter user did not provide any evidence to support the claim.

Our fact-check sources:

Thank you for supporting our journalism. You can subscribe to our print edition, ad-free app or electronic newspaper replica here.

Our fact-check work is supported in part by a grant from Facebook.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fact check: False claim geoengineering is behind climate change
PARKER, Colo (AP)  In a basement event space in the Denver suburb of Parker, Tina Peters surveyed a crowd of Colorado Republicans last week and made an unusual pitch for why she should become chair of their beleaguered party: Theres no way a jury of 12 people is going to put me in prison.

Peters was referring to her upcoming trial on seven felony charges related to her role in allegedly accessing confidential voting machine data while she was clerk in western Colorados Mesa County. The incident made her a hero to election conspiracy theorists but unpopular with all but her partys hardest-core voters.

Peters, who condemns the charges as politically motivated, finished second in last years GOP primary for secretary of state, Colorados top elections position.

Now Peters has become part of a wave of election deniers who, unable to succeed at the polls, have targeted the one post  state party chair  that depends entirely on those hardest-core Republicans.

Embracing election conspiracy theories was a political albatross for Republicans in states that werent completely red last year, with deniers losing every statewide bid in the swing states of Arizona, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. But the movement has focused on GOP state party chairs  positions that usually are selected by only dedicated activists and have the power to influence the partys presidential nominating contest and some aspects of election operations, such as recruiting poll watchers.

SEDALIA, CO - Mesa County Clerk and Colorado GOP candidate for secretary of state Tina Peters reacts to early election returns during a primary night watch party at the Wide Open Saloon on June 28, 2022 in Sedalia, Colorado. Peters lost to former Jefferson County Clerk Pam Anderson.

The rise of this dangerous ideology nationwide and the rise within party machinery are ominous, said Norm Eisen, a prominent Washington lawyer and former ambassador who is executive chair of States United Democracy Center, which tracks election deniers. Its an outrageous phenomenon.

Kristina Karamo, a former community college instructor who lost her bid last fall to become Michigans secretary of state by 14 percentage points, won the chair of the Michigan Republican Party a week ago. She beat a fellow election denier, failed attorney general candidate Matthew DePerno.

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Georgia election case: Georgia Trump investigation: Read the full grand jury excerpts

In Kansas, Mike Brown, a conspiracy theorist who lost his primary bid for secretary of state, was named chair of the state party.

Peters is just one of multiple candidates for the Colorado position who have repeated former President Donald Trumps lies that President Joe Biden did not legitimately win the 2020 election.

We cant just say, Oh, its time to get over 2020 and be done with that, said Aaron Wood, a self-described Christian conservative father also running for Colorado GOP chair, who organized a slate of candidates to take over the partys top posts. Until I have 100% confidence that the election has integrity, I will not be done with that.

Kristina Karamo, Republican candidate for Michigan Secretary of State speaks at a Save America rally at the Michigan Stars Sports Center in Washington Township on April 2, 2022. (Via OlyDrop)

The wave of election deniers follows a push by Trump during his administration to stock the roster of party chairs with loyalists, several of whom supported his attempt to overturn the 2020 election and remain in the White House. Of those, Kelli Ward, the chair of the Arizona GOP, did not run again and was replaced by another Trump loyalist, former state Treasurer Jeff DeWitt. In Georgia, chairman David Shafer has announced he wont seek another term this June, amid scrutiny over whether he could be indicted for efforts to help Trump overturn the 2020 election.

As in most states, the new Georgia party head will be selected by leaders of local county parties. Many of those are Trump loyalists who also backed Shafers bid to overturn Trumps 2020 loss in the state. But Republican Gov. Brian Kemp, who defied Trumps request and easily beat a primary challenger last year backed by Shafer, has marginalized the state party, creating a parallel structure to raise money and turn out voters.

Thats an example of how the once powerful post of state party chair has changed.

The 'Big Lie': In 2022 midterms, a new 'Big Lie' battleground: secretary of state elections

It used to be adjacent to public service, to be the state party chair, and now its something where you get to dunk on Democrats on Twitter, said Robert Jones, a Republican pollster in Idaho.

In that state, Dorothy Moon, an election denier and former state representative who made an unsuccessful primary run for secretary of state, became the Idaho GOP chair last year.

Still, Eisen noted that state parties have important roles in appointing poll workers and poll watchers in many states. A perennial fear has been that conspiracists could fill those positions and disrupt elections, though that did not happen in 2022 despite a prominent conservative effort to find more poll watchers.

Maybe the Karamos and the Browns and the Moons will implode, Eisen said. There is a kind of incompetence that goes with this ideology. But its a concerning trend given the power these state parties have.

Parties also have a major role in structuring their primaries. In Michigan, the party apparatus that Karamo now leads has the power to move its nominating contest to a closed convention, where activists select the winner.

Donald Trump would love there to be a convention for Michigans delegates, Jason Roe, the former executive director of the state party, said in an interview.

Former President Donald Trump announces he is running for president for the third time at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Fla., Nov. 15, 2022.

Ironically, Trump had endorsed DePerno, a lawyer who unsuccessfully sued to force a new count in 2020. Instead, Karamo, whom the former president had supported in her secretary of state race, won. She has described abortion as child sacrifice and Democrats as having a Satanic agenda.

Last week, on the podcast of Trump adviser Steve Bannon last week, Karamo said Michigan was ground zero for the globalist takeover of the United States of America.

In Colorado, many Republican strategists say they are prepared for Peters or another election denier to win the party chair position next month.

People seem almost resigned that the party is going to fall into the hands of this crowd for the next two years, said Sage Naumann, one of the operatives, who said usually a chairs impact on elections is neutral, but that could change.

The final result: How did candidates who questioned, denied 2020 outcome fare in Tuesday's elections?

If theyre constantly making controversial statements, then they can be detrimental, Naumann said.

The insurgent candidates running for Colorados chair argue things cant get worse for the GOP in the state. Republicans lost every statewide race by double digits in November and have their smallest share of seats in the Legislature in state history.

The candidates for party chair claim the Colorado GOP has been too timid and needs to be more outspoken and conservative  a risky bid in a state that has been rapidly moving to the left. As part of that, they seek to restrict the primary to only registered Republicans, shutting out voters not affiliated with any party who have been eligible to participate. That would require overturning a voter-approved ballot measure, which activists failed to do in a lawsuit last year. They hope to have a better shot with the party chairs support.

At the debate last week in Parker, former state Rep. Dave Williams said: Its time we had a warlike leader who is going to go toe-to-toe with Democrats.

Williams later added: Joe Biden is not a legitimate president.

Only one candidate, Erik Aadland, a military veteran who unsuccessfully ran for Congress last year, cautioned about the election denier rhetoric. He noted that Democrats effectively used a tape of him questioning the validity of the 2020 election against him in his race. In an interview, he said specifically that he worried about Peters candidacy.

Its not healthy, the words were using, the rhetoric weve been using, Aadland said. And, he added, I dont think itd be healthy to have a chairwoman under seven indictments.

Peters, however, reveled in her national profile. She noted that she had just started a podcast that had 60,000 downloads on its first day and that she raised $250,000 to fund a recount in three days after the 2022 primary a recount that confirmed her loss.

During a separate debate Saturday, she demonstrated the appeal of her message to voters whose beliefs are increasingly unpopular in a liberal state.

Its not your fault that we lost this election in 2022. Its not my fault that we lost this election in 2022, she told another crowd of Republican voters at a suburban pizzeria. Its because of the machines.

___

Cappelletti reported from Lansing, Michigan. Associated Press writers Jeff Amy in Atlanta and John Hanna in Topeka, Kansas, contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Republican election deniers who lost 2022 races now run state parties
Abby Choi, photographed by a friend (Pao Jo-yee)

By all appearances, Abby Choi was living a life that many people only dream of.

In photos and videos posted to her Instagram account this February, the 28-year-old socialite and model poses on a balcony against the Paris skyline, dines with old friends at a luxurious Art Deco restaurant, and is chauffeured to a fashion event where crowds of photographers wait outside the venue.

"From Hong Kong to the cover of L'Officiel Monaco, my journey as a style icon continues," Choi wrote on 14 February, showing herself on the cover of a French fashion magazine. "Grateful for this recognition and the continued support along the way."

Yet back home in Hong Kong, investigators allege, her former husband and two members of his family were already plotting to murder her when she returned.

On 27 February, Hong Kong police charged 28-year-old Alex Kwong with the gruesome murder of his ex-wife, along with his father Kwong Kau, 65, and older brother Anthony Kwong, 31.

Starting in early February, officials claim, the trio rented an apartment in the picturesque coastal village of Lung Mei Tsuen and turned it into a splatter-proof body disposal workshop where parts of Choi's corpse were later found concealed in pots of soup.

"The flat was arranged meticulously by cold-blooded killers," said police superintendent Alan Chung Nga-lun at a press conference on 25 February.

"Tools that are used to dismember human bodies were found in the flat, including meat grinders, chainsaws, long raincoats, gloves, and masks...

"The suspects covered the walls of the flat with a sail, and they put on face shields and raincoats so that they would not get bloodstained by dismembering the body."

Alex Kwong's mother, 63-year-old Jenny Li Sui-heun, was also charged with perverting the course of justice for allegedly destroying evidence. All four defendants appeared in court on Tuesday, reportedly without yet making a plea, and were denied bail.

The grisly details of the case have sent shockwaves across a metropolis often regarded as one of the safest in the world, becoming widely discussed on social media in mainland China and Taiwan as well as news media across the planet.

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Choi's partner Tam Chuk Kwan, also known as Chris Tam, described her as a "kind-hearted and good person who always wanted to help others".

"She supported me and loved me very much," said Mr Tam through a family friend. "She also brought up four cute and obedient kids. It has been a blessing to be Abbys family or friend."

Choi's friend Bernard Cheng told the Associated Press: "I haven't imagined that a person who's so good, so full of love, so innocent, a person who doesn't do anything bad, will be killed like this...

"My heart is still heavy. I can't sleep well."

Family dispute over a HK$73m luxury apartment

Abby Choi Tin-fung was the eldest of three daughters, coming from a wealthy family who ran a construction business with dealings in mainland China.

In her interview with French fashion magazine L'Officiel Monaco, she described herself as always "absorbing inspiration and trying new styles", fond of "mixing and combining different looks".

Choi and Alex Kwong were married in 2012, when she was only 18 years old and he was roughly the same age. They had two sons together, the oldest of which is now 10.

The couple divorced some time before 2016, and Choi went on to start a relationship with Tam Chuk Kwan, whose father had founded a well-known casual restaurant chain.

Still, Choi maintained close ties to the Kwongs. Police say that she bought a four-bedroom, 1,820-square-foot luxury apartment for the family and the two children in Hong Kong's exclusive Kandoorie Hill neighbourhood, as well as helping her former brother-in-law buy another home.

According to Singapore newspaperThe Straits Times, she at one point ran a pancake stall with Anthony Kwong, who also served as her personal driver. An Instagram account allegedly belonging to Anthony has several friendly photos featuring Choi, wishing her a happy birthday and referring to her as "sis".

Bernard Cheng even said that she would sometimes go on holiday trips with both Mr Tam and Mr Kwong's families. Mr Cheng's wife told the Hong-Kong based South China Morning Post that the socialite "took great care of everyone, including her husband's family".

Yet police say this relationship began to sour last year, when Choi made plans to sell the Kandoorie Hill apartment. Though paid for by Choi, it had been registered in the name of Alex Kwong's father Kwong Kau, allegedly in order to avoid nearly $8m Hong Kong dollars (US$1m) in stamp duty.

Mortgage records reported by the Hong Kong news website HK01 show that Kau bought the flat in July 2019 for nearly HK$73m, and had paid off the entire mortgage by October that year.

Even though Choi promised to find the Kwongs a new home, her plan met with fierce resistance from Kau, a law enforcement source told the Morning Post.

According to another local newspaper, Oriental Daily News, the feud led Choi to consult a lawyer, who told her that as long as she could prove that she paid for the property, she could still receive money from its sale.

It's not clear whether or not the apartment ever sold. Regardless, police allege that this was the spark for Kwong Kau to begin masterminding a plot against his former daughter in law.

Alleged mastermind was a decorated former police officer

Kwong Kau is a former Hong Kong police sergeant who retired from the force in 2005, having received a medal for long service in 2001.

The Chinese-language newspaper Sin Chew Daily alleges that he was forced to resign after being accused of sexually assaulting a woman.

Now, Hong Kong police say that in early February he rented the ground floor flat in a three-storey house in the Lung Mei Tsuen, a seaside village in Hong Kong's scenic Plover Cove that is a popular getaway spot for city-dwellers.

A 47-year-old woman named only as Ms Ng, or Ms Wu in Mandarin Chinese, was also arrested for allegedly helping him rent the property, as well as another flat in the city that would later serve as an alleged hideout for Alex Kwong.

Local media reported that she is a masseuse who has been in a relationship with Kwong Kau for about six months. Oriental Daily News claimed that she had told colleagues there was a "rich old man" who wanted to take care of her, and had rarely come to work recently.

On 21 February, Anthony Kwong allegedly drove to the Kandoorie Hill flat in a seven-seater car to pick up Choi and take her to collect one of her children.

As they were approaching the entrance to the Lion Rock Tunnel, which bores through the mountains north of downtown Hong Kong, the vehicle stopped and was boarded by Choi's ex-husband Alex Kwong, local media said.

Mr Kwong may have his own criminal history. Prosecutors told the court on Tuesday that he had been wanted since 2015 for his alleged role in a HK$5m gold scam, which reportedly involved conning young men on a social media app into making false investments.

It's not clear what happened next, but police say that Choi was reported missing later that day when she did not appear to pick up her child. She was last seen wearing a white T-shirt, white trousers, and white slippers, carrying a purple handbag.

Officers contacted the Kwongs for information, but the two brothers and father allegedly gave false or misleading statements. "They created plenty of lies and smokescreens to mislead us," said Mr Chung, causing investigators to waste time checking surveillance cameras in order to confirm their claims.

It was not until 24 February that police, having analysed and cross-checked the Kwongs' stories, swooped on the house in Lung Mei Tsuen.

Police find grisly butchers shop with human remains in soup pots

According to the Morning Post, the village flat contained almost none of the ordinary furnishings of a lived-in home, with both bedrooms empty.

Instead, police discovered a macabre butcher's shop equipped with a meat grinder, an electric saw, two types of chopper, a hammer, face shields, and black raincoats  plus Choi's purple handbag.

In the refrigerator were two dismembered human legs, as well as two pots full of soup, containing carrots, green radishes, and minced meat that investigators suspected to be human remains.

When the soup was fully analysed later at a police facility, a skull and several ribs were also found in it. The back of the skull had a large hole in it, and investigators now believe that this was the blow that killed Choi while she inside the seven-seater vehicle.

Kau, Anthony, and Choi's former mother-in-law Jenny Li were swiftly arrested, but Alex Kwong was nowhere to be found, and a manhunt ensued.

The news electrified Chinese-language social media. Choi's friend Pao Jo-yee offered a reward of HK$2m for information leading to Mr Kwong's arrest, with contributions from Mr Tam's family. A Taiwanese internet celebrity known as Doris added her own HK$1m to the reward.

Police say that Mr Kwong went to ground in a luxury flat in the Arch Sky Tower in central Hong Kong, allegedly rented by Ms Ng.

Finally, on 25 February, officers learned that Mr Kwong was allegedly planning to escape the city by speedboat, and intercepted him at the Tung Chung Development Pier on Hong Kong's western island of Lantau, near the international airport.

According to the Morning Post, Mr Kwong was arrested with HK$500,000 in cash and several luxury watches worth a total of roughly HK$4m.

That afternoon, about 100 police officers descended on a clifftop graveyard east of the city centre known as Junk Bay Cemetery, which Kau and Anthony are suspected to have visited on 22 February.

Divers from the Hong Kong police force's elite 'Flying Tigers' unit searched the water for Choi's missing body parts, while dog handlers and abseilers scoured the cemetery and the forested crags around it.

Hong Kong police officers comb through garbage for the remains of murdered model Abby Choi on 28 February 2023 (Jerome Favre/EPA)

Abby, you were a loving and kind person

Despite its long history of organised crime, modern Hong Kong has one of the lowest murder rates on earth, with between 0.2 and 0.9 homicides per 100,000 people every year according to the World Bank. By comparison, the United Kingdom has between 0.9 and 1.2 and the United States has between 4.4 and 6.5.

The last murder to seize so many headlines was the 2013 case of Henry Chau Hoi-leung, who killed his parents and stashed their heads in the fridge. He was jailed for life in 2015.

Before that there was the murder of 23-year-old nightclub hostess Fan Man-yee, who was kidnapped by three mobsters, tortured for more than a month, and eventually killed, with her severed head found stuffed inside a Hello Kitty doll. All three men were jailed for life.

Chris Emmett, a former Hong Kong police officer during the days of British rule, told The Independent that the case reminded him of a spree of 1982 murders committed by taxi driver Lam Kor-wan, one of Hong Kong's few known serial killers, who covered his apartment in plastic sheets and dismembered his victims with an electric saw.

In the days after Choi's death, her Instagram page was flooded with tributes, compliments, and condolences, while its follower count swelled by around 20,000 to more than 100,000.

Anthony Kwong's posts, many of which show him dining out at restaurants or lounging on the deck of a yacht, were bombarded with furious comments calling him a "psycho", a "demon", and "cold-blooded".

Many users on Chinese-language social media, as well as some media outlets, compared the case to the 2019 South Korean film Parasite, in which a poor family slowly infiltrates the household of a rich family. According to the Taiwanese China Times, there were at one point around 110 million people discussing the murder on the social network Weibo.

The Abby and Paomes Charitable Organisation, an animal rescue non-profit co-founded by Choi, paid tribute on social media, saying: "You always helped animals, and you were a loving and kind person. Please rest in peace and we will carry on your legacy,"

One member of the charity described how she had once saved a severely injured cat that had been hit by a car and was already attracting flies. "I thought we could not save the cat, but Abby insisted on doing so and the cat eventually survived, which is like a miracle," they reportedly said.

Mr Tam's father Tam Chap Kwan, the founder of the restaurant chain, said Choi was a precious daughter and a responsible mother, the Straits Times reported. Tam Chap Kwan's wife said she was always sure to bring meals to family gatherings and gifts to Mother's Day and birthday celebrations, while not holding herself aloof from the family's employees.

A friend of the Tams said that they and Choi's mother are caring for all four of her children, and that she had told them to avoid all news media and delete news apps from their phones so they could grieve in peace.

The Morning Post also reported that phones will be restricted at the elite international school where one of Ms Choi's children is a pupil, with a therapy team on hand to counsel students needing support.

Meanwhile, Hong Kong officials suggested they would be launching a separate investigation into Kwong Kau after the Post revealed that he had bought a government-subsidised apartment, in theory restricted to owners with assets of less than HK$1.85m, despite already owning the HK$73m Kandoorie Hill flat.

In Lung Mei Tsuen, residents were still deciding on 26 February how to respond to the disturbing and unusual events in their village.

Some have suggested that we organise a Taoist ceremony to calm the spirit of the deceased," one local told The Straits Times. "But another representative said we should respect the family and contact them first."
A series of racist incidents at Pepper Tree Elementary School in Upland has sparked outrage from parents and prompted district officials to respond. (KTLA)

A family has filed a legal claim against Upland Unified School District, alleging that their three children were targeted with racist drawings and abuse by other students at the elementary school.

The claim comes a week after a series of racist incidents at Pepper Tree Elementary School sparked outrage from parents.

In the precursor to a lawsuit filed Monday, Rome and Maylana Douglas claim that their three children, who attend the elementary school, "suffered physical and irreparable emotional injuries," despite administrators and officials being notified that the kids were being bullied.

The Douglas' 12-year-old boys began attending Pepper Tree in August 2016, and their 9-year-old daughter began attending in August 2019.

Upland Unified School District officials declined to comment Tuesday but previously condemned the allegations in a YouTube video.

Upland school board president Sherman Garnett acknowledged in the video that racially insensitive, unacceptable incidents had occurred.

We deeply regret the hurt this behavior has caused our students, families and our community, he said. I want to make it perfectly clear that we have a strict zero-tolerance policy on any type of hate speech, harassment, discriminatory practices, behaviors, racial slurs, and any reports of these actions will be investigated thoroughly and immediately.

The Upland Unified School District will implement disciplinary action in these situations without hesitation, Garnett said, though he didn't elaborate.

According to the claim, one of the children was subject to "disparate treatment" during physical education class, including not being allowed to participate and "forced to lean against a chain link fence," according to the claim. The parents allege that accommodations were also provided for white children and not to the Douglas children on the basis of race.

One of the Douglas children was accused of "bringing a weapon to school for the purposes of attacking teachers," but he had actually brought his Agate rock collection, the parents alleged.

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During the pandemic, the children were subjected to "electronic racial attacks by the way of the school's learning program," according to the claim. The kids were sent links that when clicked, would open images of the N-word and monkeys.

The Douglas children were also called "monkeys" and "apes" by other students and subjected to "monkey calls," according to their parents. They were asked to sign "Golden N-Word" cards, because carrying them meant they would get "better treatment" than other Black children.

One of the sons was also "depicted as an effigy being hung from a tree."

The Douglases allege that they reported the racial abuse to school officials, who promised that they would initiate diversity training to staff and teachers, but nothing was done.

Their children, the Douglases say, suffered emotional and mental distress, the "loss of ability to focus on school" and civil rights violations. They're seeking damages in excess of $10,000.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
HDB announced more than 4,400 flats for sale across mature and non-mature estates in the latest February Build-To-Order (BTO) exercise. (PHOTO: Housing and Development Board)

SINGAPORE  The Housing and Development Board (HDB) announced on Tuesday (28 February) the launch of 4,428 flats for sale under the February 2023 Build-To-Order (BTO) exercise. The flats are spread across five projects located in Kallang Whampoa, Queenstown, Jurong West and Tengah.

Of the four locations, Kallang Whampoa and Queenstown are in the mature estate category while Jurong West and Tengah are non-mature estates.

Flat types in the new launch range from 2-room Flexi to 5-room units.

"With significant subsidies, the new flats will be priced considerably lower than the transacted prices of comparable resale flats. In particular, all the 4-room flats in the non-mature estates offered in this sales exercise are priced below S$400,000, before grants," said HDB.

As another example, HDB added that eligible first-timer families could purchase a 3-room flat for S$112,000 or a 4-room flat for S$228,000 in the non-mature estate of Jurong West, after including the Enhanced CPF Housing Grant of up to S$80,000.

HDB flat prices for the February 2023 Build-To-Order (BTO) exercise. (TABLE: Housing and Development Board)

Completion time

Flat buyers of February 2023's BTO projects can expect a median waiting time of about 4.4 years before keys are handed over.

"Those who are looking to move into their flats sooner can consider applying for the flats at Jurong West Crystal, and Brickland Weave in Tengah. Both projects are in non-mature estates where application rates tend to be lower," said HDB, adding that waiting times for those projects are lower at about 3.9 years and 4 years respectively.

In addition, HDB also said that at least 95 per cent of the 4-room and bigger flats in those projects had been set aside for first-timer families, increasing the chances of securing flats for applicants who fit the criteria.

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For projects with a large number of dwelling units or higher stories, HDB said that they would take a longer time to complete. In addition, projects located in more built-up areas may see infrastructure preparation and construction take a longer time to complete due to the more challenging site conditions, the need for demolition works to be carried out, and the extensive service diversion works involved at the sites.

Prime location HDB flats

Two projects, namely the Farrer Park Fields and Ulu Pandan Glades, are offered under the new Prime Location Public Housing (PLH) model. "The PLH model aims to ensure that new public housing in prime and central locations remains affordable and accessible for Singaporeans. As PLH flats are priced with additional subsidies on top of the substantial subsidies already provided for all BTO flats, owners of these flats will have to return six per cent of the resale price or valuation (whichever is higher), upon the sale of their flats," said HDB.

Similarly, the six per cent subsidy will also apply to Farrer Park Field's 2-room Flexi flats that are sold on 99-year leases. However, 2-room Flexi flats on short lease will not be subject to the subsidy recovery as they cannot be sold on the open market.

How to apply

Applications for the flats can be made online at the HDB Flat Portal during the one-week application period starting Tuesday until Monday (6 March).

Each household can make only one application for the BTO exercise and must indicate the town and flat type that they are applying for. An administrative fee of S$10 per application is payable.

Applicants without internet access may seek support from their family members, HDB said. Those who need further assistance, such as seniors without family support, may call the HDB Sales/Resale Customer Service Line at 1800-866 3066.

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The White House has announced it's giving federal agencies 30 days to remove TikTok from all government-issued devices.

Monday's move comes as the popular Chinese-owned social media app faces increased scrutiny in Washington and in states across the country over security concerns  with critics claiming that the Chinese government could use TikTok to gain access to private user data or spread misinformation.

TikTok is already not allowed on White House devices. Other federal agencies, including the Department of Defense and Department of Homeland Security, have similar restrictions in place.

Now, remaining federal agencies will follow. According to the guidance memorandum from the Office of Management and Budget, all executive agencies and their contractors must remove TikTok or any app from its parent company, ByteDance, within 30 days of Monday's notice  with few exceptions for national security, law enforcement and research purposes.

"The Biden-Harris administration has invested heavily in defending our nations digital infrastructure and curbing foreign adversaries access to Americans data," said Chris DeRusha, the federal chief information security officer. "This guidance is part of the administrations ongoing commitment to securing our digital infrastructure and protecting the American peoples security and privacy."

Banning TikTok? Restrictions on the popular video app are spreading across the US

More: Is TikTok the new Google? Why TikTok is Gen Z's favorite search engine

The guidance fulfills requirements of the No TikTok on Government Devices Act, which was passed by Congress in December.

Reuters first reported on the guidance.

In this Sept. 28, 2020 file photo, a view of the TikTok app logo, in Tokyo.

TikTok, China respond to White House's move

After the White House's move Monday, TikTok spokesperson Brooke Oberwetter called such bans of the social media app "little more than political theater."

"The ban of TikTok on federal devices passed in December without any deliberation, and unfortunately that approach has served as a blueprint for other world governments," Oberwetter said in a statement sent to USA TODAY. "We hope that when it comes to addressing national security concerns about TikTok beyond government devices, Congress will explore solutions that wont have the effect of censoring the voices of millions of Americans."

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In a press briefing Tuesday, the Chinese Foreign Ministry accused the U.S. government of abusing state power.

November: FBI director says TikTok poses national security threat, and he's 'extremely concerned'

"How unsure of itself can the worlds top superpower be to fear a young peoples favorite app like that?" Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said. The U.S. government "has been over-stretching the concept of national security and abusing state power to suppress foreign companies. We firmly oppose those wrong actions."

China has long blocked numerous foreign social media platforms and messaging apps  such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.

Bill to ban TikTok nationwide

Monday's guidance also arrives as House Republicans were expected to move forward Tuesday with a bill that would give President Joe Biden the power to ban TikTok nationwide  as well as other software applications that threaten national security.

The legislation is proposed by the chairman of the House Foreign Relations Committee, Rep. Mike McCaul, R-Texas. McCaul has been a vocal critic of TikTok, saying the app is being used by the Chinese Communist Party to "manipulate and monitor its users while it gobbles up Americans data to be used for their malign activities."

The American Civil Liberties Union is among those that oppose the bill. In a press release Monday, the ACLU said such a ban would violate First Amendment rights and noted the U.S. government "cant ban a social media platform simply because the app is from a Chinese company."

In addition to the federal restrictions on TikTok, more than half of U.S. states have issued full or partial bans for state-issued devices.

More: South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem issues executive order blocking TikTok from state devices

What's everyone talking about? Sign up for our trending newsletter to get the latest news of the day.

Also on Monday, Canada announced that it is similarly banning TikTok from all government-issued mobile devices. And last week, the European Unions executive branch said it has temporarily banned TikTok from employee-used phones for cybersecurity reasons.

Contributing: The Associated Press

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: TikTok ban on federal devices: Biden admin gives 30 days for agencies
Federal government officials are asking Ocala residents not to fall for a jury scam.

Authorities said residents have been receiving calls from someone saying they can avoid arrest for missing jury service by making a payment with a pre-paid gift card. Once the card is purchased, the scammer asks for the card number.

Officials said some scammers may sound convincing by providing information about the caller, court addresses and names of judges.

The federal courthouse in Ocala.

Federal officials said the calls are a scam and are not coming from the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida, the U.S. Marshals Service or any other law enforcement agency.

For more information, visit https://www.flmd.uscourts.gov/jury-scam-alert-do-not-pay-callers-who-threaten-arrest-you-unless-you-pay.

Contact Austin L. Miller at austin.miller@starbanner.com or @almillerosb

This article originally appeared on Ocala Star-Banner: The latest phone scam: Pay your way out of missing jury service
A California woman who abandoned two teenage daughters and her imprisoned husband and fled to a tiny Mediterranean country after being convicted of helping steal $20 million in pandemic relief funds has been extradited to the United States.

Federal officials on Tuesday said they have taken into custody Tamara Dadyan, 43, who was facing a 10-year prison sentence when she skipped out to Montenegro early last year.

She pleaded guilty in June 2021 to conspiring with her husband, brother-in-law and his wife and others to fleece taxpayers by signing up for pandemic assistance under dozens of fake or stolen identities.

Authorities said the eight-person fraud ring used the proceeds buy three California homes, gold coins and jewelry, cryptocurrency and a Harley-Davidson motorcycle.

An undated image of Tamara Dadyan provided by the FBI.

Dadyan's husband is currently serving a 17-year federal prison sentence following his conviction. Dadyan was supposed to turn herself in to begin her sentence early last year but instead fled to Montenegro, authorities said, joining co-defendants Richard Ayvazyan, 43, his wife Marietta Terabelian, 37, who had been convicted in absentia.

The Los Angeles Times reported that Ayvazyan and Terabelian had cut off their GPS trackers, flew to Montenegro on a private jet using forged Mexican passports, and set up new lives under fake identities in a seaside villa overlooking the Bay of Kotor on the Adriatic Sea.

The Bay of Kotor during summer in Montenegro.

Montenegran authorities arrested all three in February last year. Ayvazyan and Terabelian were extradited in November. Thom Mrozek, a spokesman for the Department of Justice, told USA TODAY that Dayden's extradition took longer due to procedural delays in Montenegro.

Federal prosecutors say they have seized more than $78 million in cash obtained by relief fraudsters, along with numerous real estate properties and luxury items. Watchdogs say billions of dollars of pandemic aid have been improperly diverted, and congressional investigations are ongoing.

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The Associated Press contributed.

'A brazen scheme': 47 charged with siphoning $250M from COVID-19 child meal program

'Guardrails' needed?: Telehealth fraud cost Medicare $128M in first year of COVID pandemic, feds say

Prosecuted: Justice charges 21 linked to COVID fraud schemes. Fake vaccine card makers among suspects.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: PPP fraud conviction: California woman helped steal $20 million, fled
Urszula Tanouye had no idea that she was breathing in toxic air pollution until a friend sent her a link to the Environmental Protection Agencys (EPA) website showing her home was in a hotspot for cancer risk.

It seemed like, within a couple of days, the whole village found out pretty much that way, Tanouye said in a recent interview with The Hill.

She and her neighbors in Willowbrook, Ill., learned that it was home to a medical sterilization facility spewing toxic ethylene oxide into the air.

Ethylene oxide, also known as EtO, is used in sterilization, including for medical devices and spices used for food seasoning.

Its also a carcinogen, having been linked to white blood cell and breast cancer, according to the EPA. Animal studies have also linked it to brain cancer, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health says that people exposed to ethylene oxide may also have reproductive issues.

Tanouye and other concerned community members got together with the goal of shutting down the plant, eventually forming a group called Stop Sterigenics  named for the company behind the plant in question.

Tanouye said the organization of working parents shared a common goal but didnt have a formal organizational structure. Instead, members utilized their specific talents: Tanouye has a masters degree in microbiology, so she was able to understand and explain the science; fellow group member Steve Leopoldo was a political consultant who used his knowledge of and connections in state politics to help navigate that system.

One of the things that was really unique about this group of people is that everyone brought a specialty that no one else had, Leopoldo said.

Eventually, they succeeded. In 2019, the Willowbrook facility shut down, though Sterigenics and other companies continue to operate EtO-emitting facilities around the country.

Sterigenics said that it was closing the facility because of inaccurate and unfounded claims and the unstable legislative and regulatory landscape in Illinois.

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In a new written statement to The Hill, the company said that its operations did not pose a safety risk to the community.

It also said that its facilities capture more than 99.9 percent of the EtO that it uses for sterilization.

We are outperforming the rigorous standards set by our regulators and we will continue to do so, Sterigenics said.

But the issue is broader than just one facility or company.

Last year, the EPA said that communities near 23 sterilization plants around the country have elevated cancer risks. That list included cities such as Memphis, Tenn., and Laredo, Texas.

Asked why these plants were still in operation, an EPA spokesperson said that its authority to shut down facilities is limited. But, the spokesperson said, the agency is working with state authorities to reduce emissions while developing a new regulation.

Tanouye says she sees what happened in her community as something of a test case for how the issue will play out in the coming years, adding her group was able to get a head start because of an EPA facility near the Sterigenics plant. She said local EPA workers asked the agency about their own safety, so they were able to get more information.

We had data coming in before anybody in the public knew about the extent of the air pollution, she said. We had hard numbers before anything even started, and thats something that other communities have to fight for.

But the chemicals industry says the substance isnt going away. The American Chemistry Council pointed to information listed on the EPA and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) websites, which says that EtO may be the only effective sterilizing agent for some medical devices.

Ethylene oxide is a critical building block chemistry for many applications we rely on, the council said in a statement.

An FDA spokesperson told The Hill that while there are alternatives for treating dried herbs and spices, these alternatives may not be viable for every spice, spice form or blend.

The EPA is slated next month to propose a new rule, expected to be finalized in October, that could strengthen pollution limits for EtO.

In the meantime, activists in communities with active facilities, such as the Midwest Sterilization Corporation plant in Laredo, are still fighting for change.

Our goal is to reduce the outrageous amount of emissions coming from Midwest and  mimic policy that was passed in the state of Illinois that brought down emissions, said Sheila Serna, climate science and policy director at the Rio Grande International Study Center.

But laws that passed in Illinois may face tougher odds in Texas.

Its a state that favors industry, plain and simple, said Tricia Cortez, the study centers executive director. Were at a disadvantage, but there are victories too, and I think that we can achieve that here.

Midwest Sterilization told The Hill that it disagrees with its inclusion on the EPAs list, saying that company modeling shows it shouldnt be included. The firm also said it has been working continuously to engineer and install new pieces of emissions control equipment even though we are meeting all current regulatory compliance requirements.

The company expressed concerns about the forthcoming rule from EPA, saying that if it is overly stringent, it could lead to cascading effect of cancelled or delayed medical procedures across the nation.

Despite their relative head start, Willowbrook community members could have been warned even sooner. In the shorter term, a recent Inspector General report found that in 2018, a Trump official delayed the release of information to the community.

A red flag had also been raised decades prior.

In 1984, the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency raised concern, saying that EtO emissions from the facility, at the time operated by a different company, appear to be several magnitudes higher than desirable, according to a letter that Tanouye shared with The Hill.

The toxicity data provides evidence of human cancers of the pancreas, bladder, brain, central nervous system and stomach associated with ETO exposure, it said.

Its not clear if there was any follow up. Kim Biggs, a spokesperson for the state environmental agency, said via email that the letter was sent by staff who are no longer with the agency and that no additional documents were identified related to the letter that could verify a meeting occurred.

Meanwhile, Tanouye said that her community has seen many cases of breast cancer and miscarriages.

We were surprised, always, that so many of our teachers in school adopted because they had so many fertility issues, she said.

She also said she looks back and wonders whether her mother-in-laws brain tumor was related to the pollution.

She was in her mid 50s when she was diagnosed, and so she still had a bit of a career in front of her, Tanouye said. It was just really sudden that she was hit with this diagnosis and then within 18 months, it killed her.

She said that seeing her community suffer, including watching friends experience miscarriages, has driven her activism.

Just growing up in this environment where the impacts were really felt, that community impact fuels this personally for me, she said.

Sterigenics in January settled more than 870 lawsuits related to its Willowbrook facility, agreeing to pay $408 million. The company still denies liability and maintains that its Willowbrook operations did not pose a safety risk to the community.

And while that specific facility is now closed, Tanouye keeps fighting. She said she has gotten involved in federal-level advocacy and also speaks to groups in other communities such as Laredo about organizing and advocacy strategies.

Theres a lot of research and energy and money going into cancer treatment. Were trying to approach it from the other side, and prevent those cancers from happening in the first place, she said.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
New York City Celebrates Labor Day Weekend

Jollibee in Times Square on Sept. 4, 2022 in New York City. Credit - Alexi Rosenfeld/Getty Images

On the night of Jan. 17, a line of people began to form on Colonial Drive in Orlando, Fla. They werent waiting to enter a nightclub or a concert, but to be the first customers of a branch of Philippine fried chicken chain Jollibee opening the next day. It was a similar scene to when Jollibees flagship U.S. store opened in August 2022 at Times Square in Manhattan.

To some, the fanfare may be mind-boggling. But the company, with its iconic fried chicken product called the Chickenjoy, is the Philippines answer to the fast food giants of the U.S. The average American already eats an estimated 100.6 lbs of chicken annually, and deep frying it is a backbone of American Southern cuisine. Even in the face of competition from Chick-Fil-A, KFC, and McDonalds, Jollibee has managed to carve out its own niche in the fried chicken market and winning over the U.S. palate, thanks in part to the more than 4 million Filipino-Americans who crave the taste of home that might include a chicken dish with a side of spaghetti.

What started out as a ice cream parlor founded by Chinese immigrants in Manila in the mid-1970s has since expanded into a multi-billion dollar empire, managing 17 food brandsincluding Panda Express and The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf from the U.S., as well as Hong Kong dim sum chain Tim Ho Wanand more than 6,300 stores across 34 territories, almost a quarter of which are Jollibees. Jollibee Foods Corporation (JFC), the umbrella company, is one of the biggest restaurant chains in the world.

The Orlando branch may be one of 66 Jollibee stores in the U.S. since first opening a shop in Daly City, Cal. in 1998, but even in a post-pandemic world and in the face of an anticipated recession, the company still wants to aggressively grow its food service footprint. It plans to open 500 stores in North America in the next five to seven years, and even expand into China, an economy that is only just emerging from swingeing COVID-19 restrictions.

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The recession and economic downturns are short-term, and its temporary, JFC president and CEO Ernesto Tanmantiong says, adding that its smaller global footprint relative to U.S. fast food rivals can still insulate the company from any future shocks. But because our vision is long term, and we believe we can do it, therefore we stick to it.

Tanmantiong, brother of Jollibee founder Tony Tan Caktiong, spoke to TIME about the companys global expansion plans, its struggles in entering the Chinese market, and the evolution of the home-grown Filipino business.

The interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.

Ernesto Tanmantiong, president and CEO of JFC Joshua Tan

The brand has evolved from just this ice cream parlor into a local restaurant, and now its a growing Philippine brand. And the Filipino identity is so latched on to it. Was it a conscious decision on JFCs part to promote or stick to the Filipino identity of Jollibee?

I think, in a way, it was just an evolution. There was no deliberate plan to do that. But I think because we are born here, we live here, so we live the Filipino values. And our corporate values in a way are quite aligned with Filipino values and practices. So we have, for instance, in our corporate values, the customer focus, I mention the spirit of family and fun, integrity, and teamwork with excellenceso all of these are actually Filipino values. And so we put that into the corporation, and we ask everyone to live with it.

What made you decide to go up against McDonalds?

When friends were advising us to go into other businesses, we started trying to look back and do some strategic planning. And then we tried to do some competitive gap analysis. So we try to write down what are the advantages of McDonalds versus us. And whats the advantage of Jollibee against them? When we look at the advantages of McDonalds, its a long listmore than one page. And when we look at Jollibee, whats the advantage of Jollibee over McDonalds: only one item. That is the products taste, because American products usually are bland. And then we said, Okay. These are the advantages of McDonalds. Can we overcome those advantages and make it even at least parity? And we said yes, because actually, the most difficult part is the product. The others are easy to do: service, cleanlinessthese are easy to do and to learn. Over time, we closed the gap of those advantages of McDonalds. And fortunately, they were not able to close the gap on taste.

How did you come up with the idea of Chickenjoy?

The Chickenjoy came out because after the hamburger [Yumburger], we said that to be able to grow to a bigger customer base, we need more products. And fried chicken is a popular product in the Philippines. So we started with the fried chicken. But in the early years, there was still some tweaking on product development, until sometime in 1981, when we were able to almost, say, perfect the product.

So the recipe in 81 is still the recipe used today?

Yes. Thats why [we have] the joke: instead of chickening out against McDonalds, we serve Chickenjoy.

Youre expanding in the United States and in China. And Im very much surprised as to how youre dealing with fried chicken in its home turf. Youre going to be battling it out with a lot of these U.S. brands. Youre saying at least 500 stores in the next few years. How are you planning to do that?

Yeah. Fortunately, we have a very strong superior product of Chickenjoy against all the other fried chicken in the U.S. And recently, we were awarded as the best fried chicken chain in America by Eater.com. And they pit us against Popeyes, the big players in the U.S. And so it confirms, validates our belief that we have strong products, and therefore we can win the competition over time.

We started Jollibee in the U.S. by first penetrating the Filipino market. And as we built the brand, we started to go to crossover locations. What we mean by crossover is a mixture of Filipino community and local mainstream markets. So far we have been successful in that stage. So we believe that we are now ready to go to the bigger market of mainstream by continually expanding in crossover locations today.

More from TIME

You are appealing to the Filipino customer base. Is there an awareness on Jollibees part that the expansion of your business seems to rest on the back of the Filipino diaspora? Youre talking about 4 million Filipinos alone in the United States. Was that a conscious choice when it came to entering the American market?



Yeah. That was a deliberate move, because we dont yet have the brand name in the U.S. to the mainstream market. And so we capitalize on the support of the Filipino market. Fortunately, our kababayans [countrymen] are very supportive. They were actually our brand ambassadors. For instance, when we first opened our first store in Queens, New York, it was on February 14. It was winter. And that year, there was a blizzard. But despite the blizzard, the first day opening, we had long lines that queued up to four blocks [away] from the store. And then there was this American New Yorker who passed by, curious about the line and asked a Filipino in the line and said, What is this? Who is Jollibee? So obviously, the Filipino was so proud, trying to sell who Jollibee is. And finally, the New Yorker was convinced.

Youve been quite aggressive in your expansionwere not just talking about Jollibee anymore. Im talking about JFC: youve acquired Smashburger, Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf. People are predicting recessions in 2023. And yet, you have Jollibee with all of these plans, trying to spur even more growth. Im curious, are you not at least worried or scared about what the effects of the recession might be?

If you look at the U.S. market, were still very small. So I think we are not yet that sensitive to the U.S. economy. Because the market is still big for us, it would have been a different story if we already saturated the entire U.S. and therefore, once the economy goes down, we immediately suffer. So we think we still have a big market for us as we expand.

China is a very interesting country in the sense that it has been roiled by lockdowns, especially with the zero-COVID strategy over the past two years. Youve previously said that JFC aims to open at least 100 stores or brands under the JFC belt in China this year. Since late last year, China is reopening. I want to get what your business strategy would look like for that region in the coming year or five years.

We see a China situation similar to the Philippines. We experienced the COVID lockdown in 2020. They are experiencing that starting last year. So their situation last year was like our 2020. And with the sudden opening of the economy, we expect this year to start recovering. We hope that it will be a similar situation as last year in the Philippines where people will start coming out, revenge spending, revenge travel. So we are quite optimistic with China in 2023. We actually opened our first Tim Ho Wan store in China. Despite COVID, it was very successful. And so thats why we made an announcement that were going to open 100 stores of Tim Ho Wan in the next few years.

Were quite bullish with China. Everyone is anxious about it, to see whether its a full recovery or a partial recovery for China.

Its very difficult for the Jollibee brand to get a foothold in China. There were branches open before but they struggled staying there. There was a branch in Shenzhen in 2008. Do we know what happened to that? Where is Jollibeejust the restaurant, not the food companywhere is it now in China?

Youre right. We attempted to enter China actually, twice with the Jollibee brand. I think one was in the mid-1990s. The first was in Xiamen, then the second attempt was in Shenzhen. I think at that time we entered too early. And we didnt do our homework well. And thats why after those two failed attempts, we decided maybe the Jollibee brand is not yet ready. Instead of bringing Jollibee to China, lets instead acquire local chains. And thats why today we have Hong Zhuang Yuan, a Beijing congee chain. And then we have Yonghe King. And then recently, we brought in Tim Ho Wan. But it doesnt mean that the Jollibee brand will never enter China. Recently we [have been] quite successful in Hong Kong.

Where do you see JFC five years from now?

Our vision is to be [among the] top five restaurant companies in the world. Before COVID, we were almost close to the top 10. By the way, our measurement is based on market cap. But with COVID, where the Philippines was badly hit, our rank went down to as far as number 18, during that time. Today, were back to about 13. And so our North star, our aim, is to be top five. But we think that cannot be achieved in five, 10 years. Its a long term strategy. So in the next five, 10 years, we hope to be closer to the top five, maybe within the [top] six to 10 in the world.

Also today, 60% of our revenue comes from the Philippines. Medium-term we want to achieve 50%.
By Patricia Zengerle and Michael Martina

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -A new U.S. congressional select committee on competition with China held its first hearing with a focus on human rights on Tuesday, amid tense bilateral ties weeks after a suspected spy balloon flying over North America was shot down.

"This is not a polite tennis match. This is an existential struggle over what life will look like in the 21st century - and the most fundamental freedoms are at stake," Representative Mike Gallagher, Republican chairman of the House of Representatives Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), said as he opened the hearing.

The committee's leaders saw the hearing, the first of what is expected to be many over the next two years as Republicans hold control of the House, as part of an effort to convince Americans why they should care about competing with China, and to "selectively decouple" the U.S. and Chinese economies.

"Over the last three decades, both Democrats and Republicans underestimated the CCP, and assumed that trade and investment would inevitably lead to democracy and greater security in the Indo-Pacific... Instead the opposite happened," said Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi, the top Democrat on the select committee, in his opening remarks.

Chinese dissidents attended the hearing. In the last few days, Gallagher and other committee members held several events to draw attention to human rights concerns, including a rally on Saturday outside what U.S. officials call an illegal Chinese Communist Party "police station" in New York.

Gallagher sent a letter to the Federal Bureau of Investigation last week seeking information about such alleged police outposts.

China denies operating "police stations" on U.S. soil.

'GREAT CHINESE FIREWALL'

Tuesday's hearing had four witnesses, including H.R. McMaster, a retired Army lieutenant general who was former Republican President Donald Trump's national security adviser, and Matt Pottinger, a long-time China hawk who was deputy national security adviser to Trump.

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McMaster said the United States must put a priority on expediting delivery of billions of dollars of weapons and munitions that Taiwan has already purchased. "As we might have learned from Ukraine's experience, it is much cheaper to deter a war than to fight one," he said in his written testimony.

In a nod to growing U.S. concerns about China's influence on technology, Pottinger said the U.S. government should partner with American technology firms that are banned in China and find a way for people in China to circumvent the country's strict Internet censorship.

"I think you could punch holes in the great Chinese firewall," Pottinger said.

In his written testimony, Pottinger wrote that the committee must protect the rights of Chinese Americans by "standing up against bigotry and discrimination here at home."

"Protect, also, Chinese nationals studying and working in the United States so they can enjoy the freedoms that so starkly distinguish the American way of life from the increasingly oppressive atmosphere in China today," Pottinger said.

Although the committee is bipartisan, some Democratic lawmakers have voiced concerns that it could fuel anti-Asian sentiment within the United States. Krishnamoorthi referred to such concerns, and the need for bipartisanship, in his remarks.

Also testifying were Tong Yi, a dissident who was jailed in China for more than two years, and Scott Paul, president of the Alliance for American Manufacturing.

Tong, a naturalized U.S. citizen, recounted her time in a Chinese labor camp after she was convicted of disturbing social order for her ties to democracy activists in the 1990s.

Paul called for an end to U.S. dependence on Chinese manufacturing.

A desire for a hard line in dealings with Beijing is one of the few truly bipartisan sentiments in the deeply divided U.S. Congress, with both Republicans and President Joe Biden's Democrats calling for increased efforts to counteract China's global influence.

U.S.-China tensions have been especially high of late, over China's increasingly aggressive military posture toward Taiwan, talk that China may be supporting Russia's war against Ukraine, and the U.S.'s shooting down on Feb. 4 a Chinese balloon suspected of spying over U.S. territory.

Beijing has denied that the balloon was a government spy vessel.

The select committee has 13 Republican and 11 Democratic members. It will not write legislation, but will draw attention to competition between the United States and China on a range of fronts and make policy recommendations.

(Reporting by Patricia Zengerle and Michael Martina; Editing by Leslie Adler and Christopher Cushing)
A 17-year-old Flagler County student will be charged as an adult after being accused of attacking a school employee.

Officials said video footage from within the school shows the student -- who is approximately 6 feet, 6 inches tall and weighs 270 pounds -- is shown walking quickly toward the victim, pushing her and knocking her to the floor, which knocked her unconscious.

Watch: Video shows student knock out, attack school worker in Flagler County, deputies say

Deputies said she was the victim of an unprovoked attack by a 17-year-old student.

Investigators said the teen was upset because the worker had taken away his Nintendo Switch.

Watch: Flagler County student accused of attacking school worker after she confiscated his Nintendo Switch

Deputies said others rushed in to help the woman who was unconscious during the entire assault and unable to protect herself.

The victim was taken to a hospital for treatment.

Watch: Off-duty Flagler County deputy saves man who crashed after overdosing while driving

Records show the student has been charged with felony aggravated battery.

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A fugitive fleeing a traffic stop in a pickup truck dragged a police officer for a short time before sending the officer tumbling onto the road, dashboard camera footage from a Georgia police department shows.

Officers with the Barnesville Police Department pulled a man over on Feb. 25 and found he had warrants for his arrest out of a different county, according to a post on the departments Facebook page.

As an officer tried to detain him, the man, who was standing next to his vehicle, jumped into the drivers seat and sped off, footage released by the police department shows.

The officer was dragged a short distance before breaking free and rolling onto the pavement, the video shows.

The officer had minor injuries, according to the police department.

Police later found the man and arrested him. He is charged with multiple counts, including attempting to elude police, reckless driving and failure to stop at a stop sign, according to jail records. His bond has not been set.

Barnesville is about 55 miles south of Atlanta.

Driver traps cop in vehicle, speeds toward pole before cop grabs wheel, Florida police say

Worker dragged to his death by ATV while cleaning Super Bowl stadium, Arizona cops say

Helpless woman was dragged by vehicle along neighborhood street, Louisiana cops say
Recent findings have found that the National Human Trafficking Hotline is not functioning as intended.

Now, Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody is calling on Congress to take action to restore the hotlines effectiveness and preserve the critical joint federal-state effort to end human trafficking.

>>> STREAM CHANNEL 9 EYEWITNESS NEWS LIVE <<<

The discoveries found in recent months show that the hotline only forwards tips to state law enforcement about adult victims in limited circumstances.

In some cases, states discovered a delay of several months before the hotline shared tips.

This practice is contrary to what Polaris advertises, to what states and organizations have come to expect from this partnership, and, the attorneys general believe, to what Congress expects from its funding, Moody states in a news release.

Read: Human trafficking survivors raise concerns about Central Florida safehouse, lack of state regulation

Since 2007, the sole operator of the federally funded National Human Trafficking Hotline is Polaris.

The mission of the National Human Trafficking Hotline is a valiant one: forward tips to authorities who may use the information to put an end to a trafficking victims suffering. Unfortunately, Polaris is failing to follow this important standard, yet continues to receive large amounts of federal funding. Im urging Congressional leaders to get to the bottom of this, so our law enforcement authorities can be better equipped with the knowledge needed to stop this atrocious crime. Floridians who suspect human trafficking need to call 855-FLA-SAFE.

Read: Deputies release minute-by-minute timeline of shootings that killed woman, reporter & girl

States rely on the hotline to forward tips of suspected human trafficking to local law enforcement to arrest traffickers, safely recover victims and uncover evidence of trafficking rings and operations.

In a letter to Congressional leaders, the Attorneys General stated: We urge Congress to ensure that Polaris makes changes to its current and reported planned tip reporting policies to begin forwarding tips regarding suspected human trafficking of adults, in a prompt manner, to the corresponding states law enforcement officials for their evaluation and response to ensure victim safety We cannot afford to lose the benefits of this federal-state partnership to end trafficking.

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Read: Orange County school leaders break ground on new college campus

To read a copy of the letter, click here.

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Story at a glance

The bill would broaden state law to prohibit classroom discussion of sexual orientation and gender identity for pre-kindergarten to eighth grade.

The legislation would also prohibit public school employees from being required to use a students pronouns if they dont match those they were assigned at birth.

Opponents said the bill doubles down on discrimination from the states Parental Rights in Education law, also known as the Dont Say Gay bill.

A new Florida bill would expand the states ban on classroom instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity in public schools.

The legislation, filed Tuesday by state Rep. Adam Anderson (R), would expand on the Parental Rights in Education law, which has been denounced by critics as the Dont Say Gay bill, in prohibiting instruction from pre-kindergarten through eighth grade. State law currently only bans it from kindergarten through third grade.

The bill would also expand the law to apply to charter schools.

It would further prevent employees, contractors and students of a public K-12 school from being required to refer to someone else by their pronouns if they do not match that of their sex assigned at birth.

It shall be the policy of every public K-12 educational institution that is provided or authorized by the Constitution and laws of Florida that a persons sex is an immutable biological trait and that it is false to ascribe to a person a pronoun that does not correspond to such persons sex, the bill states.

The legislation would prohibit employees and contractors in public K-12 schools from using a students name and pronouns if they do not correspond to what they were assigned at birth. The employees and contractors also could not be asked to do so by their superiors or penalized for not doing so.

Anderson told The Hill in a statement that the bill would ensure students are being taught age-appropriate content.

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This bill promotes parental rights, transparency, and state standards in Florida schools. It requires that lessons for Floridas students are age-appropriate, focused on education, and free from sexualization and indoctrination, he said.

The Parental Rights in Education bill that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) signed into law last March and set off an outpouring of criticism from opponents who say the legislation is designed to demonize members of the LGBTQ community and deny that they exist.

Equality Florida, a group that advocates for LGBTQ civil rights, slammed the new bill in a release, saying that it doubles down on a vague and discriminatory law that has been demonstrated to create negative consequences.

Dont Say LGBTQ policies have already resulted in sweeping censorship, book banning, rainbow Safe Space stickers being peeled from classroom windows, districts refusing to recognize LGBTQ History Month, and LGBTQ families preparing to leave the state altogether. This legislation is about a fake moral panic, cooked up by Governor DeSantis to demonize LGBTQ people for his own political career, Jon Harris Maurer, the public policy director of the organization, said in the release.

The Parental Rights in Education law has faced multiple legal challenges since it was signed into law.

Updated: 8:01 p.m. ET

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
A Florida appeals court denied an attorneys attempt to have a woman released from jail ahead of trial by arguing that her fetus was being illegally detained without charge  but the attorney says he plans to continue the legal battle.

Floridas third district court of appeal dismissed without prejudice a petition for a writ of habeas corpus filed by attorney William M Norris on behalf of the unborn child of Natalia Harrell.

Related: Louisiana anti-abortion group calls on doctors to stop denying care exempted by ban

The petition argued that the fetus is a person under the Florida constitution and the United States constitution and that it therefore should not effectively be detained without charge.

The ruling, written by judge Thomas Logue last Friday, contains no opinion on whether such filing is being brought by a party with standing, whether the claims are legally cognizable, whether they have merit, or what remedies, if any, are available.

Instead, it argued on a technicality that the petition failed to include a factual record of the case  which includes disputed allegations that Harrell has received inadequate prenatal care while in jail  and should be pursued in a lower court.

However, another judge from the panel in the case, Monica Gordo, published a partially dissenting opinion arguing that the court should reject the claim of unlawful incarceration by the government and find habeas corpus does not lie under these limited and specific circumstances.

While Gordo agreed that factual disputes about Harrells prenatal care needed to be hashed out in a lower court, she argued that the appeals court should rule on the habeas corpus claim, habeas corpus being the common law right for a person being detained to appear before a judge.

Gordo noted that there was agreement that the fetus had not been charged with a crime, and wrote: To send this part of the petition back for a determination of facts which are undisputed seems odd  I see a significant difference between exercising judicial restraint and punting a legal issue placed squarely before the Court.

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The argument is nothing more than an attempt for the mother to leverage her unborn child as a basis to be released from lawful detention Judge Monica Gordo

She added: No more could the government be accused of unlawfully detaining the unborn child in this case than could the mother be guilty of kidnapping over interstate lines if she chose to visit her grandmother in Georgia while eight months pregnant.

Gordo charged that the case was a badly-disguised Trojan horse.

The argument is nothing more than an attempt for the mother to leverage her unborn child as a basis to be released from lawful detention, she wrote.

Harrell, 24, has been held at the Turner Guilford Knight correctional center in Miami since 26 July, when she was about six weeks pregnant.

She is charged with second-degree murder in the shooting death of Gladys Yvette Borcela during an argument in an Uber vehicle. Harrell is seeking immunity from prosecution under Floridas stand your ground law, which allows individuals to use force in self-defense in some cases.

The case has drawn national attention because of the potential ramifications of recognizing embryos and fetuses as persons with constitutional rights. Fetal personhood has long been a goal of the anti-abortion movement in the US, and it has gained significant traction in the year since the US supreme court overturned Roe v Wade.

Mary Ziegler, a law professor and expert in abortion law, described fetal personhood as a Pandoras box that would probably result in the total banning of abortion.

Norris said that it was not his intention to use the case to set such a precedent, though he said he acknowledged the possibility. The fact that the unborn child is a person entitles them to a seat at the table when decisions are being made, and thats the true revolutionary aspect of this case, he said by phone on Monday.

What were doing is were using the bits and pieces floating around in the law to make an argument to have an outcome that we want for our client. Im not trying to achieve an outcome thats universal  Im not trying to eliminate a womans right to control her reproductive health. What Im trying to get to is that when certain decisions that are made about the woman, you cant make them without considering the impact on the fetus.

The literature on the adverse outcomes on fetal development of incarceration is overwhelming, he added.

A staff attorney for Pregnancy Justice, Emma Roth, said: The inadequacy of prenatal care in jail can violate the constitutional rights of pregnant people, so the lawyer could and should have filed the habeas petition on her behalf rather than on behalf of her fetus. That would also avoid the harmful consequences of further enshrining fetal personhood.

Anti-abortion activists in Florida are currently gathering signatures in an attempt to place a fetal personhood amendment on the ballot in 2024; the measure would enshrine the idea of an unalienable right to life of the pre-born individual and thereby outlaw abortion. Pro-choice organizations strongly oppose such measures, which they say are incompatible with full civil rights for women and people who can become pregnant.

Norris acknowledged the conflict but said granting a fetus due process would not guarantee any particular outcomes.

It is indeed a Pandoras box, he said. The question is whether we as a society are mature enough to deal with it.

Norris now plans to pursue his argument before the judge in Harrells criminal case, he said.
Florida Sen. Blaise Ingoglia is backing a new bill in Florida that he calls the Ultimate Cancel Act, aimed to ban any political party that once included slavery in their platforms from running in the state, including the Florida Democratic Party.

While the bill does not specifically name the Democratic Party, Senator Ingoglia has made it clear that this is his target.

For years now, leftist activists have been trying to cancel people and companies for things they have said or done in the past. This includes the removal of statues and memorials and the renaming of buildings, he said in a statement. Using this standard, it would be hypocritical not to cancel the Democratic Party itself for the same reason.

On Tuesday night, Ingoglia quote tweeted a tweet that said, This man just single handily trolled an entire state political party..and they fell for it LMAO Say something nice about Blaise Ingoglia.

Ingoglia responded, Fact check: TRUE, seeming to indicate that filing the legislation was a stunt.

READ: I bring my biggest gun: Teen arrested in connection to social media threat against Landmark Middle

The measure (SB 1248) would switch Democratic voters to no-party voters or give them the option of choosing another party.

Senator Ingoglia noted that the Democratic Party adopted pro-slavery positions in their platforms during conventions in 1840, 1844, 1856, 1860, and 1864. He believes that canceling the Democratic Party is a necessary step to confront their past.\

Some people want to have uncomfortable conversations about certain subjects. Lets have those conversations, Igoglia said.

Historically, the Democratic Partys beginnings were rooted in states rights, including slavery. The party split during the Civil War, with Southern Democrats favoring slavery in all territories and Northern Democrats arguing it should go to a popular vote.

A century later, it was a Democratic president from the South, Lyndon Johnson, who signed the Civil Rights Act.

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This action led to what is often referred to as a party switch, where the Democratic Party began to embrace progressive policies and civil rights, while the Republican Party which was once associated with abolitionism and progressive policies, now champions conservative values and policies.

This historical context adds another layer of complexity to Senator Ingoglias proposal to cancel the Democratic Party based on their past association with slavery.

According to Ingoglias bill, the Division of Elections would decertify any political party that has previously advocated for, or been in support of, slavery or involuntary servitude.

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Registered voters of that party would receive notices from the state that their party has been canceled and that theyre now no-party voters.

As for the canceled Democratic Party, members could re-register with the state so long as the name is substantially different from the name of any other party previously registered.

If passed, the law would take effect on July 1.

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A Florida sheriff made his disdain for neo-Nazis in his community very clear during a press conference after a hate group distributed and displayed extremist propaganda in Daytona Beach, Florida.

Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood shared his unfiltered thoughts on the incident with the media during a press conference on Monday.

"These scumbags came to the wrong county ... We are not going to tolerate this," he said. "This is not about free speech. This is about violence."

Mr Chitwood attributed the incident to the Goyim Defense League (GDL), claiming that the group was leaving antisemitic flyers at residents' homes and hanging up banners on pedestrian bridges during the Daytona 500, according to The Daily Beast. The banners included messages such as "Henry Ford was right about the Jews," and "Hitler was right."

The group also held a demonstration outside in South Orlando, during which they allegedly harassed drivers and pedestrians.

The sheriff claimed the group's leader was Jon Minadeo, noting that Mr Minadeo had to move from California after his grandmother's restaurant was nearly shuttered when protesters targeted it in response to his bigotry.

Mr Chitwood did not see the group's actions as genuine free speech expression and said he did not see anything where these people can say this is First Amendment [protected speech]. This is nothing but pure, pure, pure evil.

He then laid out the arrest records for more than a dozen of the group's members.

Lets take a look at these cowardly scumbags, he said, before highlighting their various violations.

The sheriff added that members have been accused of stalking, aggravated assault, murder, making terror threats, threatening public officials, vandalism, soliciting sex from a minor, and defacing a memorial for the Pulse nightclub shooting victims.

Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood discusses a neo-Nazi group distributing anti-semitic propaganda in Florida (screengrab/Volusia County Sheriffs Office)

Mr Chitwood then dared the GDL to "put a bullet in the back of my head before openly challenging  and insulting  the group.

That's my message to you: go for it, he said. You want to try to get into my computer and plant child porn in there with a group of people that have an IQ of 12? Go for it. I challenge you to go for it. You want to put surveillance on me 24 hours [a day]? Go for it. And the best of all: youre going to dox me and make me unelectable? Go for it. You came to the wrong county. I stand with my Jewish friends and I'm honored to be on your hit list. It's an honor to be sought after by a bunch of punk thugs like you.

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He said he was worried that groups like the GDL will inspire mass shooters.

I dont think theyve got the guts to pull the trigger themselves, but they know theres somebody out there that will do their bidding, he said.

In a tweet, Mr Chitwood called the group "scumbag white supremacists" and said he will "use every legal measure in my power to crush these antisemitic, racist cowards. I hope they keep their cameras rolling and get it all on video."

These racist, bigoted, anonymous losers really think theyre hurting my feelings with a photo from an event where we raised thousands for breast cancer research.



We already know you arent that smart - thats why you became bigots pic.twitter.com/bBCtvmRDzK  Mike Chitwood (@SheriffChitwood) February 22, 2023

"Were going to send a message that Volusia County doesnt tolerate hate," he said.

The GLD has since responded by posting a photo of the sheriff wearing a green bra at a breast cancer fundraiser event in an attempt to humiliate the law enforcement officer.

"These racist, bigoted, anonymous losers really think theyre hurting my feelings with a photo from an event where we raised thousands for breast cancer research," he said in response to the post. "We already know you arent that smart - thats why you became bigots."
Photo: Contributed

Whose fault is it if I back out of a parking space and hit someone driving by behind me?

The Motor Vehicle Act establishes a general rule requiring a driver must not move a vehicle that is stopped, standing or parked unless the movement can be made with reasonable safety.

It also places the onus on the driver who is backing up. It says a driver must not, in any event or at any place, cause a vehicle to move backwards unless the movement can be made in safety.

A check of ICBC's web site finds a page where liability for a crash caused by a driver backing up is discussed. The page says the courts generally rule that a reversing vehicle is 100 per cent at fault for any resulting accident. ICBC will assess your fault based on court decisions, so expect to be at fault both from the point of view of a traffic ticket and insurance liability.

The case of Kope v Tse decided liability following a crash in a Canadian Tire parking lot in Vancouver. In that case, Madam Justice McDonald examined the circumstances involved and explained each driver's duty to the other.

Here are a number of suggestions to help you avoid problems:

 Back into a parking space. The vehicles around it are not moving.

 Choose a parking space you can drive through and face outward on the other side.

 Have a passenger guide you and stop traffic.

 Circle check your vehicle before entering and scan constantly while backing up.

 Back up slowly.

 Never back up further than absolutely necessary.

 Turn toward the driver's side if possible for better visibility.

 Install a backup alarm to warn others.

Many newer vehicles have a backup cameras and warning systems as standard equipment. The system warns a driver of objects it senses behind the vehicle when they are near enough to be a hazard. They are meant as assistance and must not take the place of a 360-degree visual scan and turning your head to look to the rear.

You may choose to install an aftermarket kit if it was not available as a factory accessory for your vehicle.

This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.
By Dan Whitcomb

(Reuters) - A Florida man accused of killing three people, including a television journalist and a 9-year-old girl, in a shooting spree last week will face additional first-degree murder charges, the local sheriff said on Tuesday.

Keith Melvin Moses, 19, who was arrested shortly after the attacks last Wednesday in the Orlando suburbs of Pine Hills, had already been charged with murder in the death of 38-year-old Nathacha Augustin.

Moses will now also face first degree murder charges in the death of Dylan Lyons, a 24-year-old TV reporter, and 9-year-old T'yonna Major, Orange County Sheriff John Mina told a news conference.

Mina said Moses will be charged with the attempted murder of Major's mother and a second TV journalist, Jesse Walden. Both Lyons and Walden were at the scene to cover the initial shooting when the suspect fired at them, police say.

"It was extremely important to bring these charges forward, Mina said. "I remember the night it happened, many of those of you in the news media and of course T'yonna's family wanted justice for their friends and family."

Police have said that Moses was armed with a pistol when taken into custody and has a lengthy criminal record that included arrests on charges of firearms offenses, aggravated battery, assault with a deadly weapon, burglary and grand theft.

Moses was believed to have been an acquaintance of the first victim, who was shot while sitting in a car with the suspected gunman and another person.

After shooting at the journalists, who were on the scene setting up a live shot, police say, Moses allegedly broke into the Majors' home and opened fire at the girl and her mother.

"As far as we know, he had no connection to the reporters and no connection to the mother or the 9-year old, and we don't know why he entered their home," Mina said following the shootings.

(Reporting by Dan Whitcomb; Editing by Sandra Maler)
KYIV, Ukraine (AP)  Drones that the Kremlin said were launched by Ukraine flew deep inside Russian territory, including one that got within 100 kilometers (60 miles) of Moscow, signaling breaches in Russian defenses as President Vladimir Putin ordered stepped-up protection at the border.

Officials said the drones caused no injuries and did not inflict any significant damage, but the attacks on Monday night and Tuesday morning raised questions about Russian defense capabilities more than a year after the country's full-scale invasion of its neighbor.

Ukrainian officials did not immediately take responsibility, but they similarly have avoided directly acknowledging responsibility for past strikes and sabotage while emphasizing Ukraines right to hit any target in Russia.

Although Putin did not refer to any specific attacks in a speech in the Russian capital, his comments came hours after the drones targeted several areas in southern and western Russia. Authorities closed the airspace over St. Petersburg in response to what some reports said was a drone.

Also Tuesday, several Russian television stations aired a missile attack warning that officials blamed on a hacking attack.

The drone attacks targeted regions inside Russia along the border with Ukraine and deeper into the country, according to local Russian authorities.

A drone fell near the village of Gubastovo, less than 100 kilometers (60 miles) from Moscow, Andrei Vorobyov, governor of the region surrounding the Russian capital, said in an online statement.

The drone did not cause any damage, Vorobyov said, but it likely targeted a civilian infrastructure object.

Pictures of the drone showed it was a small Ukrainian-made model with a reported range of up to 800 kilometers (nearly 500 miles) but no capacity to carry a large load of explosives.

Russian forces early Tuesday shot down another Ukrainian drone over the Bryansk region, local Gov. Aleksandr Bogomaz said in a Telegram post.

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Three drones also targeted Russias Belgorod region on Monday night, with one flying through an apartment window in the capital, local authorities reported. Regional Gov. Vyacheslav Gladkov said the drones caused minor damage to buildings and cars.

The Russian Defense Ministry said Ukraine used drones to attack facilities in the Krasnodar region and neighboring Adygea. It said the drones were brought down by electronic warfare assets, adding that one of them crashed into a field and another diverted from its flight path and missed a facility it was supposed to attack.

Russia's state RIA Novosti news agency reported a fire at the oil facility, and some other Russian reports said that two drones exploded nearby.

While Ukrainian drone strikes on the Russian border regions of Bryansk and Belgorod have become a regular occurrence, other strikes reflected a more ambitious effort.

Some Russian commentators described the drone attacks as an attempt by Ukraine to showcase its capability to strike deep behind the lines, foment tensions in Russia and rally the Ukrainian public. Some Russian war bloggers described the raids as a possible rehearsal for a bigger, more ambitious attack.

Andrei Medvedev, a commentator with Russian state television who serves as a deputy speaker of Moscows city legislature and runs a popular blog about the war, warned that the drone strikes could be a precursor to wider attacks within Russia that could accompany Ukraines attempt to launch a counteroffensive.

The strikes of exploding drones on targets behind our lines will be part of that offensive, Medvedev said, adding that Ukraine could try to extend the range of its drones.

Russia hawks urged strong retaliation. Igor Korotchenko, a retired Russian army colonel turned military commentator, called for a punishing strike on the Ukrainian presidential office in Kyiv.

Another retired military officer, Viktor Alksnis, noted that the drone attacks marked the expansion of the conflict and criticized Putin for failing to deliver a strong response.

Also on Tuesday, authorities reported that airspace around St. Petersburg, Russia's second-largest city, was temporarily closed, halting all departures and arrivals at the main airport, Pulkovo. Officials did not give a reason for the move, but some Russian reports claimed that it was triggered by an unidentified drone.

The Russian Defense Ministry said it was conducting air defense drills in western Russia.

Last year, Russian authorities repeatedly reported shooting down Ukrainian drones over annexed Crimea. In December, the Russian military said Ukraine used drones to hit two bases for long-range bombers deep inside Russian territory.

Speaking at Russias main security agency, the FSB, Putin urged the service to tighten security on the Ukraine border.

In another development that fueled tensions across Russia on Tuesday, an air raid alarm interrupted the programming of several TV channels and radio stations in several regions. Russias Emergency Ministry said in an online statement that the announcement was a hoax resulting from a hacking of the servers of radio stations and TV channels in some regions of the country."

Meanwhile, satellite photos analyzed by The Associated Press appeared to show a Russian warplane in Belarus that Belarusian guerrillas claimed to have targeted as largely intact.

Tuesdays high-resolution images from Planet Labs PBC and Maxar Technologies showed the Russian A-50 early warning and control aircraft after what Belarusian opposition activists described as an attack on the Machulishchy air base Sunday outside the Belarusian capital of Minsk.

However, a discoloration could be seen on the aircraft's distinctive, circular rotodome above its fuselage that could be damage. That discoloration wasn't seen in earlier images of the aircraft at the air base. The Maxar image also showed what appeared to be vehicles near the airplane as well.

Belarusian activists supporting Ukraine alleged that the aircraft was seriously damaged. Russian and Belarusian officials did not comment on the claims.

In Ukraine, four people were killed and five others wounded Tuesday by renewed Russian shelling of the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson, regional Gov. Oleksandr Prokudin said in a Telegram.

A 68-year-old man was also killed as Russian forces shelled Kupiansk, a town in Ukraines northeastern Kharkiv region, Gov. Oleh Syniehubov said.

The fiercest fighting continued to be in eastern areas of Ukraine, where Russia wants control over all four of the provinces it illegally annexed in September.

Ukrainian officials said Russian forces have deployed additional troops and equipment, including the latest T-90 battle tanks, in those areas.

In a video address, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked U.S. industrialists for supporting Ukraine and voiced hope for their support in rebuilding the country after the war. Zelenskyy noted that the country faces a colossal task to restore hundreds of thousands of damaged sites, including whole cities, industries, productions."

___ Associated Press Writer Jon Gambrell contributed to this report from Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

Follow APs coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
Key Insights

Given the large stake in the stock by institutions, Ford Motor's stock price might be vulnerable to their trading decisions

A total of 25 investors have a majority stake in the company with 40% ownership

Using data from analyst forecasts alongside ownership research, one can better assess the future performance of a company

If you want to know who really controls Ford Motor Company (NYSE:F), then you'll have to look at the makeup of its share registry. We can see that institutions own the lion's share in the company with 55% ownership. That is, the group stands to benefit the most if the stock rises (or lose the most if there is a downturn).

Because institutional owners have a huge pool of resources and liquidity, their investing decisions tend to carry a great deal of weight, especially with individual investors. Therefore, a good portion of institutional money invested in the company is usually a huge vote of confidence on its future.

In the chart below, we zoom in on the different ownership groups of Ford Motor.

See our latest analysis for Ford Motor

What Does The Institutional Ownership Tell Us About Ford Motor?

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 Ford Motor. 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. If multiple institutions change their view on a stock at the same time, you could see the share price drop fast. It's therefore worth looking at Ford Motor's earnings history below. Of course, the future is what really matters.

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Since institutional investors own more than half the issued stock, the board will likely have to pay attention to their preferences. We note that hedge funds don't have a meaningful investment in Ford Motor. The Vanguard Group, Inc. is currently the largest shareholder, with 8.4% of shares outstanding. Meanwhile, the second and third largest shareholders, hold 7.7% and 6.5%, of the shares outstanding, respectively.

Our studies suggest that the top 25 shareholders collectively control less than half of the company's shares, meaning that the company's shares are widely disseminated and there is no dominant shareholder.

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. Quite a few analysts cover the stock, so you could look into forecast growth quite easily.

Insider Ownership Of Ford Motor

The definition of an insider can differ slightly between different countries, but members of the board of directors always count. Management ultimately answers to the board. However, it is not uncommon for managers to be executive board members, especially if they are a founder or the CEO.

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

Shareholders would probably be interested to learn that insiders own shares in Ford Motor Company. Insiders own US$640m worth of shares (at current prices). Most would say this shows a good alignment of interests between shareholders and the board. Still, it might be worth checking if those insiders have been selling.

General Public Ownership

The general public, who are usually individual investors, hold a 43% stake in Ford Motor. This size of ownership, while considerable, may not be enough to change company policy if the decision is not in sync with other large shareholders.

Next Steps:

I find it very interesting to look at who exactly owns a company. But to truly gain insight, we need to consider other information, too. For instance, we've identified 2 warning signs for Ford Motor that you should be aware of.

If you are like me, you may want to think about whether this company will grow or shrink. Luckily, you can check this free report showing analyst forecasts for its future.

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 former Austin school district bus monitor is accused of touching a student inappropriately on three occasions last November, according to an arrest affidavit.

Carlos Vasquez, 74, was arrested on Friday and faces a second-degree felony charge of improper relationship between an educator and a student.

The affidavit states that each instance took place on the after-school bus routes for students with intellectual disabilities and special needs, with the first taking place on Nov. 4 and the next two taking place on Nov. 9 and 10.

Video footage shows the student seated behind Vasquez, along with multiple instances of him turning around and his hand lingering as he appears to reach for something, according to the affidavit.

After initially denying the allegations when asked by police, Vasquez then admitted to "making sexual contact with the student," and said he was "remorseful" for his actions and that he would "never do it again," according to the affidavit.

The Austin school district placed Vasquez, who was hired as a bus monitor in 2006, on administrative leave on Nov. 11 when the victim first came forward with the allegation, according to the district.

After his arrest on Friday, the district fired him, according to a letter sent by district officials to families whose children were on those bus routes.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Former Austin bus monitor accused of groping student, police say
A former Rockledge caregiver for people with disabilities will serve eight years in prison after police said he had sex with a client with the "mental capacity of a small child," resulting in the woman becoming pregnant and giving birth, according to police and court documents.

Willie Shorter, 62, was arrested in 2019 after police said he fathered a child with a woman with severe developmental disabilities under his care at the former Bridges adult care facility in Rockledge. He was charged with lewd and lascivious battery on an elderly or disabled adult, a second-degree felony with a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison.

Shorter will serve eight years followed by seven years of probation on special sex offense conditions under a plea agreement reached earlier this month with state prosecutors. It is the lowest sentence allowed under state law, according to Shorter's lawyer, Palm Bay attorney Daniel Martinez.

Shorter arrested:Bridges employee arrested after fathering child with a woman with disabilities, police say

Bridges case:Caregiver worked with woman, 12 others for years after initial investigation

Martinez called it the "best possible resolution," given the nature of the case.

"I understand the charges were serious and distasteful, but I have to ensure my clients get a fair trial," Martinez told FLORIDA TODAY. "I do that for all my clients, regardless of the allegations."

Willie Shorter (right) stands with attorney Daniel Martinez during his first court appearance in 2019. Shorter faces 8 years in prison under a plea deal with the state after police said he impregnated a woman with severe developmental disabilities while working as her caregiver at a Rockledge group home in early 2015.

A spokesman for the office of Brevard and Seminole County State Attorney Phil Archer said in a statement that prosecutors met with family members of the woman for their feedback before offering the deal.

"Our prosecutors work hard on behalf of victims and survivors, aggressively prosecuting these cases. We also place great importance on the concerns of those affected by tragedy, including the desire for resolution and closure," spokesman Todd Brown said in an emailed statement.

"This plea agreement represents their desire, and ours, for justice on behalf of the victim. It also seeks to protect the community by providing incarceration, rehabilitation, and supervised accountability," he said.

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Shorter's official sentencing date is March 16. Until then, Brown said, Shorter is free on "Quarterman's release," meaning he will forfeit the deal and receive the maximum sentence if he violates the terms of his release before his next court date. Martinez said he asked for the release to allow Shorter time to get his affairs in order before his sentence begins.

Shorter was arrested in February 2019 after he voluntarily submitted to a DNA test, which police said proved he was the child's father. He had been a suspect in the case as early as 2015 when Bridges staff first discovered the woman was pregnant, but a Rockledge police investigation didn't turn up enough evidence at the time to make an arrest.

The woman gave birth later that year and the child was adopted by her parents, an attorney for the family said.

Despite his suspected involvement, Shorter was allowed to continue working directly with the woman and others in the group home until the case was renewed in 2018. Police reopened the investigation after the woman later complained to staff that Shorter had been touching her genitals, according to police reports.

They investigated a separate complaint against Shorter from a second woman at the home shortly after his arrest but the case was closed without charges.

Not fired:Bridges sex assault case: Why wasn't man accused in 2 incidents fired earlier?

Dropping the ball:Police had DNA results months before caregiver's arrest

Family speaks out:Father describes pain, anger after daughter's caregiver arrested in connection with her pregnancy

Bridges leadership at the time blamed the decision to keep Shorter on staff on its then-CEO David Cooke, who told FLORIDA TODAY he had allowed Shorter to continue working at the facility because he had not been charged with a crime. Shorter was fired after his arrest, according to the nonprofit.

Bridges BTC, Inc.  which rebranded last year as the Arc of Space Coast  is a Rockledge-based nonprofit that provides services and programs to clients with disabilities and their families. It did not return a message seeking comment for this story.

The incident led to Cooke's suspension and later resignation after the results of an independent third-party review into the nonprofit's policies and procedures commissioned by the Bridges board of directors. Former Chairwoman Susan Stokes Elmore issued a statement at the time calling Shorter's continued employment during the investigation "entirely unacceptable."

Bridges reached an undisclosed settlement with the woman's family after they filed a lawsuit over the incident in 2019. Family members of the second woman also filed for damages but later dropped the case, court records show.

Shorter passed a legally required background check prior to his employment with Bridges. He had been arrested in 1997 on a misdemeanor battery charge but the charge was later dropped; court records showed Shorter had no criminal convictions in Brevard County.

The Rockledge Police Department also drew scrutiny for its handling of the case after a spokesperson confirmed it had received the DNA results allegedly proving Shorter's involvement six months before his arrest, as he continued to work with clients at another Bridges facility.

Rockledge Deputy Chief Donna Seyferth said a technician, who had failed to relay the results to detectives in a timely manner, had been disciplined over the incident, but declined to elaborate.

Eric Rogers is a watchdog reporter for FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Rogers at 321-242-3717 or esrogers@floridatoday.com. Follow him on Twitter: @EricRogersFT.

This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Former caregiver who impregnated client in Florida sentenced
State Department spokesperson Ned Price said the president and his most senior officials have pressed Beijing to provide more information and allow international investigations to take place unimpeded as part of efforts to determine where the virus originated. The President has raised this, the Secretary [of State] has raised this, the National Security Adviser has raised this, its been raised repeatedly and consistently at various levels because it is that important to us, Price said of administration efforts to impress upon the [Peoples Republic of China] the importance of transparency. Ongoing questions surrounding COVID-19s origins are a vexing irritant in the U.S. and China relationship, with tensions between Washington and Beijing newly roiling over the discovery of a Chinese spy balloon in late January, plus Beijings close ties with Russia amid its war in Ukraine and the risk of conflict related to Taiwan. Price would not confirm a reported intelligence conclusion from the Department of Energy that assessed with low confidence that the outbreak of COVID-19 was the result of an accidental leak at a laboratory. It was first reported by The Wall Street Journal on Sunday. Instead, Price pointed to a variety of views within the intelligence community that have lent support to two of the main theories for the origins of the virus: the virus leaked from a lab  in particular, the Wuhan Institute of Virology  or was the result of animal-to-human transmission. Price added that some intelligence agencies have reached no answer. There are some elements within the intelligence community that have reached conclusions on one side. There are others that have reached conclusions on the other. There are a number of intelligence community agencies that have put forward an assessment that essentially makes clear they dont have enough information to conclude one way or another, he said. Read more on the reignited firestorm over the lab leak theory at TheHill.com.
Correction: A previous version of this article misstated Terry Wilson's employment status. He remains a Fresno State employee but was granted leave from the position to serve as a staff-wide union representative.

A Fresno State student and an employee have sued the California State University system and two former top administrators, alleging campus officials subjected them to undue harm by mishandling their reports of sexual assault and harassment.

The lawsuits seek damages for negligence, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and violations of California's Fair Employment and Housing Act and Whistleblower Protection Act, which protect against harassment and retaliation. No dollar amount was specified.

The student and the employee were featured as part of a USA TODAY investigation last year into then-Fresno State President Joseph Castro's neglect of the school's Title IX office and failure to address numerous complaints of sexual harassment, bullying and retaliation against then-vice president of student affairs Frank Lamas. Title IX is the federal law banning sex discrimination in education.

Castro and Lamas are named as defendants in both lawsuits.

The entrance of the Joyal Administration Building on the campus of California State University, Fresno, where Frank Lamas worked.

"The Title IX situation was a problem in and of itself, but you have a systemwide problem that is propagated at the very highest level, all the way down," said Stephen Hammers, an attorney representing the student, Stephanie Ocampo, and the employee, Terry Wilson.

More: Title IX: Falling short at 50

The lawsuits, filed in December 2022 in Los Angeles Superior Court, are the latest fallout from the news organization's reporting, which prompted Castro's resignation, outside investigations, a legislative audit, and numerous reforms adopted by the nation's largest university system and its 23 campuses across the state.

A statement from Cal State spokesperson Mike Uhlenkamp said the university was recently served and is reviewing both lawsuits.

"We would like to reiterate that a core tenet of the California State Universitys mission is to ensure the safety of our respective campus environments and to remain accountable and responsible to all members of our communities," the statement said.

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"We remain fully committed to the ongoing and transparent accountability and evaluation that both Fresno State and the CSU have undertaken over the past year when many of these allegations first surfaced."

Castro, now listed as a faculty member in the business school at the CSU's Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo, did not return an email seeking comment. Nor did Lamas, who has denied wrongdoing.

Employee cites hostile work environment, retaliation

Wilson, who was hired by Fresno State as a student affairs analyst, said in his lawsuit and in interviews with USA TODAY that Lamas made multiple inappropriate comments toward him starting Lamas' first week on the job in 2014. Among them, shortly after they met, Wilson said, was that Lamas asked him if he was gay.

Wilson reported that remark and others to Fresno State's then-human resources director and Title IX coordinator but said little action was taken in response. When Lamas learned Wilson had reported him, Lamas began making his work life miserable, Wilson alleged, bullying, belittling and embarrassing him in front of his colleagues. Lamas also placed him on a Performance Improvement Plan without getting proper approval from HR, Wilson said.

Terry Wilson in front of the Joyal Administration Building on the campus of California State University, Fresno, where he used to work.

Lamas asked Wilson to improperly move money from Fresno State's donor foundation into a different account, according to the lawsuit. When Wilson refused, he said Lamas threatened him and pushed him in the chest.

Wilson sought a transfer to a different department but said Lamas blocked it. Wilson later left Fresno State for a job in the CSU Employees Union, telling USA TODAY that Castro's and other officials' failure to address his complaints ruined his career.

University officials continued to retaliate against Wilson, he said in the lawsuit, after USA TODAY's report Feb. 3, 2022, detailed Castro's mishandling of a dozen complaints against Lamas, including Wilson's, over a six-year period.

Days after the story, Wilson said Fresno State officials improperly revoked his key card access to campus buildings, which he needed to perform his job duties with the union, according to the lawsuit. Emails Wilson provided to USA TODAY show Fresno State officials first requested his access be removed in January 2021, then again on Feb. 11, 2022.

"I was shocked," Wilson told USA TODAY. "I was basically canceled from my place of employment."

Frank Lamas speaks to employees and staff during a homecoming event at California State University, Fresno's student union in 2019.

An outside investigation commissioned by the CSU Board of Trustees in response to USA TODAY's reporting confirmed Castro had a "blind spot" for Lamas and failed to "more rigorously address reports of Lamas' alleged misconduct," violating university policies in some instances.

The university said it is evaluating the allegations in Wilson's lawsuit and takes them "very seriously."

"As a current employee and a valued member of the campus community, we will not comment on the specifics of his lawsuit at this time," the statement said. "We appreciate his many contributions to the university."

Wilson said he filed the lawsuit to bring closure to this chapter of his life and the harassment and retaliation he started experiencing nearly a decade ago. In addition, he said his situation with the university had escalated to a "tipping point."

"They completely retaliated against him because he cooperated with the article and exposed what was going on there," said Phillip Baker, another attorney representing Wilson. "Their knee-jerk (reaction) wasn't an investigation. It was, 'Kick Terry out.'"

Student says school failed to protect her after she was groped

Ocampo, who goes by "Jane Doe" in the lawsuit but previously spoke on the record to USA TODAY and agreed to use her name for this story, started at Fresno State in 2018 as a double major in journalism and political science.

In February 2020, Ocampo was walking down a hallway in the journalism school when she said a male student in one of her classes ran up behind her, put her in a chokehold with one arm and used his other arm to fondle her breasts, she told USA TODAY. Ocampo said she thought in the moment that he was going to kill her. Eventually he let go, leaving a bruise on her neck.

Ocampo reported the assault the next day to the campus police department, where she said an officer did not take her report seriously, according to the lawsuit. The officer, she said, asked her a series of victim-blaming questions, including what she was wearing and whether she had "flirted" with or done something to "provoke" the male student. The officer interviewed him two weeks later and asked if he remembered "hugging" Ocampo, a police report shows. No arrest was made.

Fresno State student Stephanie Ocampo reported that she was groped by a male student while walking down a school hallway but she said neither police and nor Title IX officials did much to keep her safe.

Ocampo reported the incident to the school's Title IX coordinator, Jamie Pontius-Hogan, who she said urged her to sign a resolution agreement that would provide a "road map" to her safety. It forbade Ocampo and the other student from contacting each other and directed them to use different entrances to the journalism school building.

Meanwhile, Pontius-Hogan removed Ocampo from the class the two students shared, Ocampo said. She was forced to meet with her professor after hours to catch up on course material, while the male student continued attending classes in person.

Ocampo said in the lawsuit that the school failed to enforce the no-contact order. In fall 2021, she said a professor informed her roughly two hours before the start of a new class that the male student was also enrolled in the course, which she needed to take in order to graduate.

Pontius-Hogan told Ocampo there was nothing her office could do unless she agreed to undergo a formal Title IX investigation, Ocampo told USA TODAY. Ocampo said she had never been informed of that option earlier.

Ocampo requested the formal investigation, which lasted nearly a year and concluded the evidence was insufficient to find the male student at fault, according to the lawsuit.

The university's statement said the case was "fully investigated by a neutral outside independent investigator, and after a full evidentiary hearing before a separate neutral outside hearing officer, the conclusion was that there was no violation of university policy and no misconduct."

Ocampo told USA TODAY that she knew she was "in trouble" as soon as the police officer began asking her inappropriate questions. After she reported to the Title IX office, she said, "things only got worse."

"The whole thing was horrible and stacked against me from the moment I met that officer," Ocampo said. "No one should ever have to go through what I went through, and I hope they change the whole system.

Kenny Jacoby is an investigative reporter for USA TODAY covering Title IX and campus sexual misconduct. Contact him at kjacoby@usatoday.com and follow him on Twitter @kennyjacoby.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fresno State botched sexual misconduct complaints, lawsuits allege
China unveils plan to promote digital development

Xinhua) 08:10, February 28, 2023

BEIJING, Feb. 27 (Xinhua) -- China has rolled out a plan for the overall layout of the country's digital development.

Building a digital China is important for the advancement of Chinese modernization in the digital era, and provides solid support for the development of new advantages in the country's competitiveness, according to the plan, which was jointly released by the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the State Council.

According to the plan, important progress will be made in the construction of a digital China by 2025, with effective interconnectivity in digital infrastructure, a significantly improved digital economy, and major breakthroughs achieved in digital technology innovation.

By 2035, China will be at the global forefront in terms of digital development, and its digital progress in the economic, political, cultural, social and ecological fields will be more coordinated and sufficient.

The plan includes support for the in-depth integration of digital technology and the real economy and the application of digital technology in the agriculture, manufacturing, finance, education, medical services, transportation and energy sectors.

The plan envisions a digital country with effective digital government services, a thriving cyberspace culture, widely accessible digital public services, and ecological governance empowered by digital technology.

A system for independent digital technology innovation will be built, and businesses will be encouraged to play a leading role in technological innovation, according to the plan, which also calls for improved intellectual property protection.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
Photo: Contributed Kelowna-Mission MLA Renee Merrifield

We have a housing crisis.

The lack of affordable housing has been a significant concern for many residents in Kelowna-Mission, and it is something I am working tirelessly to address.

Last week in the Legislative Assembly, I told the story of an 81-year-old senior who is on the brink of homelessness because they cannot afford housing, and have been on the waiting list for seniors subsidized housing for the last two years. They are hopeless and homeless.

I wish this was an isolated case. Recently, on my way to the airport, I spoke to a constituent in his 70s who is no longer able to make ends meet. His rent has almost doubled in the last year, as his unit was turned into a seasonal rental, sending him looking for another rental home in town.

He showed me his budget and, after looking through it, I was filled with indignation knowing society is asking him to subsist below any minimum income wage rate. But it is also $500 over what would be required for social assistance. Again, some seniors are being required to live in poverty.

This is a familiar tale. Young adults are living with parents for longer as they cannot afford to move out. Most will not be able to afford housing ownership, as right now it takes an income of $250,000 per year to qualify for an average home  and that is if they can save up enough for a down payment.

A recent study found it would currently take 22 years to save for a 20% down payment.

So what is the current NDP governments answer to this homemade crisis?

Almost six years ago, it produced a 30-point plan that focused on lowering the demand for housing. More than 13 new costs and taxes increased the cost of housing and made it less affordable while making it more difficult to build.

A year and a half ago, the then housing minister and now Premier David Eby finally admitted taxes were not going to get us to more affordable housing.The government plan also promised 114,000 new affordable housing units in six years. To date, just under 10% of those units have been completed, with 2,300 units of them already underway when the NDP came into government.

So what does this leave us with? Currently, B.C. sitting with the highest rental and market housing rates in North America. Here in Kelowna, we are the fourth highest in highest rental rates in Canada. That is why we have seniors living in their cars, and young adults living with their parents or sharing five bedroom houses with 10 people.

Whats the answer?

We need to focus on creating opportunities for economic growth in our community. That means supporting local businesses, attracting new investments and creating great paying jobs for residents. By working together with local business leaders and community organizations, we can create a thriving economy that allows young adults to afford the housing that is required.

We also need government to get out of the way. There are too many needless processes that overlap with others, and too many fees and costs.

In addition, (local) governments dont commit to stable timeframes for issuing approvals, which can increase risk and further drive up the costs of housing, making it unattainable.

We also need increased funding for affordable housing projects, but those projects need to be done in a less costly way. The provincial B.C. Housing Society builds housing at some of the highest prices in the province. Those are taxpayer funds, and they need to be spent wisely.

We need local organizations and community groups to identify creative solutions to the housing crisis. We need to work with developers to ensure additional capacity is brought on and housing units can be built faster.

All these measures can help to increase the supply of affordable housing in our community, which is essential for ensuring everyone has access to safe, comfortable and affordable housing options.

It is unacceptable for our seniors not have a place to live, or to have them live in poverty because of the exorbitant cost of rent. It is also not acceptable to have young people without the dream of owning their own home.

It is time real action is taken to deliver results on our housing affordability.

Together, we can ensure seniors and other vulnerable populations have access to secure, attainable, and suitable housing options and everyone in our community has a place to call home.

My question to you this week is this:

What other solutions do you see for our lack of housing affordability?

I love hearing from you, and I read every email I receive. Please email me at [email protected] or call my office at 250-712-3620.

Renee Merrifield is the B.C. Liberal MLA for Kelowna-Mission.

This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.
By Jody Godoy and Luc Cohen

NEW YORK (Reuters) -Nishad Singh, the former director of engineering at now-bankrupt cryptocurrency exchange FTX, pleaded guilty to U.S. criminal charges on Tuesday, and agreed to cooperate with prosecutors' investigation into FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried.

"I am unbelievably sorry for my role in all of this," Singh said, adding that he knew by mid-2022 that Bankman-Fried's hedge fund, Alameda Research, was borrowing FTX customer funds, and customers were not aware. Singh said that he would forfeit proceeds from the scheme.

Bankman-Fried, FTX's founder, pleaded not guilty to eight criminal charges filed against him in December. Prosecutors say he stole billions in FTX customer funds to plug losses at Alameda. He has acknowledged inadequate risk management, but says he did not steal funds.

Singh, 27, pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud, three counts of conspiracy to commit fraud, one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering and one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States by violating campaign finance laws.

He traveled back from the Bahamas shortly after FTX imploded in November in part to assist the U.S. investigation, prosecutor Danielle Sassoon said at Tuesday's hearing. He was released on $250,000 bond.

Bankman-Fried, 30, now faces 12 criminal charges after prosecutors unsealed a new indictment against him last week. A spokesman for Bankman-Fried declined to comment.

Singh is the third Bankman-Fried close associate to plead guilty and cooperate with the probe. Caroline Ellison, who was Alameda's chief executive, and Gary Wang, who was FTX's chief technology officer, pleaded guilty in December to seven and four criminal charges, respectively.

"He wants to do everything he can to make things right for victims, including by assisting the government to the best of his ability," Singh's lawyers, Andrew Goldstein and Russell Capone, said in a statement.

Story continues

Separately on Tuesday, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission filed civil lawsuits against Singh.

'STRAW' DONORS

Bankman-Fried rode a boom in the values of bitcoin and other digital assets to amass an estimated $26 billion net worth and become an influential U.S. political donor.

Singh also became a major donor to Democratic politicians, contributing $8 million to campaigns in the 2022 election cycle, according to OpenSecrets.

In the new charges filed last week, prosecutors said Bankman-Fried conspired with two other former FTX executives to donate tens of millions of dollars to influence lawmakers to pass legislation favorable to the company.

The donations were illegal because they were made with "straw" donors or corporate funds, prosecutors said. They said Bankman-Fried directed another FTX executive, identified as CC-1, to donate more than $21 million to a pro-LGBT group.

Federal Election Commission records show that Singh contributed $1.1 million on July 7, 2022 to the LGBTQ Victory Fund, a national organization dedicated to electing openly LGBTQ people.

Singh said in court that he agreed in 2022 to make political donations in his own name that were funded in part by transfers from Alameda, without providing details of the donations. He said that while he agreed with the political leanings of those he donated to, he did not select the candidates.

Singh was a close friend of Bankman-Fried's younger brother in high school, Bankman-Fried wrote in a deleted blog post.

"Today's guilty plea underscores once again that the crimes at FTX were vast in scope and consequence," Damian Williams, the top federal prosecutor in Manhattan, said in a statement.

"They rocked our financial markets with a multibillion-dollar fraud. And they corrupted our politics with tens of millions of dollars in illegal straw campaign contributions."

(Reporting by Luc Cohen and Jody Godoy in New York; Editing by Matthew Lewis and Bill Berkrot)
Florida Representative Matt Gaetz may have left Tuesdays House Armed Services Committee hearing more than a bit chagrined after a top Pentagon official called him out for an attempt to cite a Chinese propaganda outlets reporting as a reason to cut defence assistance to Ukraine.

Mr Gaetz, who has repeatedly called for the US to stop assisting Ukraines defence against the now year-long war against their country waged by Russian forces, was questioning Undersecretary of Defence for Policy Colin Kohl at the Tuesday morning hearing when he began asking whether the US has allowed American-made weapons to be wielded by the Azov Assault Brigade, a formation of the Ukrainian defence forces which Russian officials often claim to be a neo-Nazi militia for its use of runic symbols that were also used by the Third Reich. A provision in a 2018 spending bill actually prohibits US weapons from being used by that particular regiment.

When Mr Kahl said he had no information on whether US weapons have been directed to the Azov brigade, Mr Gaetz offered a report by what he described as the Global Times as evidence for his claim and asked to enter it into the Congressional Record.

Mr Kohl quickly interjected: "Is this the Global Times from China?"

Rep. Matt Gaetz asks about Global Times Investigative report.@DOD_Policy Kahl: "Is this the Global Times from China?"@RepMattGaetz: "No, this is well...yeah, it might be. Yeah..."



Kahl: "I don't take Beijing's propaganda at face value."



Gaetz: "Fair enough." pic.twitter.com/9XQewKdZeA  CSPAN (@cspan) February 28, 2023

Mr Gaetz first attempted to deny that it was, in fact, a report by a Chinese propaganda organ, but then admitted: Yeah, it might be.

The Defence Department official quickly told him that he does not take Beijings propaganda at face value.

Mr Gaetz, appearing a bit embarrassed, conceded the point.

Fair enough, he said.

The outlet Mr Gaetz attempted to cite, the Global Times, is an English-language tabloid published by the Peoples Daily, the official newspaper of the Chinese Communist Party. Foreign Policy magazine has called the publication Chinas Fox News.

In June 2020, the Trump administration, through the State Department, designated the outlet as a foreign mission operating in the US.

At the time, the department said it was making such a designation to clarify that the Global Times is a government propaganda organ rather than a legitimate state-sponsored news organisation in the mould of The Voice of America,Deutsche Welle, or the BBC.

David Stilwell, who was then the assistant Secretary of State for East Asia and the Pacific, said the Global Times and other designated outlets were not independent news organizations because they were substantially owned or effectively controlled by the Chinese Communist Party.
Alexi Rosenfeld/Getty Images

DeAndre Matthews, a 19-year-old, gay Black college student, was found dead on February 7.

The severity of his injuries lead his family to suspect he was the victim of a hate crime.

Community activists are warning members of the LGBTQ+ community of an increase in violence.

DeAndre Matthews  a 19-year-old Black college student  was reported missing on February 7, a day after he borrowed his mother's car and didn't return home.

The car was found nearly 10 minutes from the 19-year-old Black college student's home after being located by a tracking function on the vehicle, ABC News reported.

Danielle Matthews, the man's mother, noticed a dark tint on the inside of the car's windows and called the police. Smoke emitted from the back seat when police opened the door.

"I knew my son was gone from that moment," Matthews told ABC News.

A few hours later, police were notified of a body on the freight train tracks near Nostrand Avenue in Flatbush.

The body, which had significant burns and a gunshot wound to the head, was identified as DeAndre Matthews. A New York Police Department spokesperson told Insider there were signs of smoke inhalation.

Matthews was pronounced dead at the scene. The city's Office of the Chief Medical Examiner ruled him a victim of homicide, with the cause of death having been gunshot wounds of the head with perforation of the skull and brain.

The case, which remains under investigation, comes during a drop in homicides across New York City, according to city crime data. Danielle believes her son's death was a hate crime because of Matthews' sexual orientation and the severity of his injuries.

"He was gay. And I feel as if this could've been a hate crime," Danielle told NBC New York. She also believes DeAndre might have met his killer online because he had occasionally met new acquaintances via the internet, ABC News reported. Insider reached out to the family for comment but was unable to make contact.

Police officials have not said whether they have a reason to believe whether Matthews' death was a hate crime, telling Insider that "the circumstances surrounding this incident remain under investigation."

Story continues

While no motive has been determined and no arrests have been made, members of the community share Danielle's concerns.

"What we do know is that a gay boy that was 19 years old, that was full of life, that had his whole life ahead of him, was studying to be a social worker who was loved by his family and friends, was horrifically killed in a violent way, in a dramatic way that was meant to send some sort of message to our community, because otherwise, why would such a heinous crime be taken under?" Orie Givens, Director of Communications for the New York City Anti-Violence Project, told Insider.

National to local crisis

In 2022, The Human Rights Campaign, the country's largest LGBTQ civil rights organization, found that 1 out of every 5 hate crimes is now motivated by anti-LGBTQ discrimination. Additionally, a survey by the Anti-Violence project reported that 3 in 5 LGBTQ organizations experienced hate violence, and the majority fear more incidents of hate in the future. Across New York City specifically, hate crimes against the LGBTQ community are up by nearly 50 percent.

Earlier this month, 30-year-old Angelina Cando was arrested for setting fire to a Pride flag at New York City's Soho Little Prince restaurant. In December, protesters  some of them armed  gathered outside Drag Queen Story Hour events at libraries in Chelsea, Queens and elsewhere.

The Proud Boys  a male chauvinist extremist group associated with the Capitol Riot  protested Drag Story Hours on 18 occasions across the US last year, Insider previously reported.

Givens told Insider that while these experiences in New York might be shocking, it's not surprising because the "culture of violence" against the LGBTQ community is growing.

"Particularly our trans women of color, our Black trans women, our non-binary folks, those who have multiple marginalized identities face different types of violence on a daily basis," said Givens. "What we may be perceiving as an increase is actually something that's been ongoing and growing over time."

New York City, considered to be one of the few LGBTQ-friendly cities in the country, is not excused from anti-LGBTQ violence, a notion that Doug Meyer, author of "Violence against Queer People: Race, Class, Gender, and the Persistence of Anti-LGBT Discrimination" wants people to understand.

"Part of what needs to change is this idea that anti-LGBTQ violence is something that can be escaped by living in a particular place," he said. "There are undoubtedly regional and geographic differences, I am not dismissing that, but this is also a broader American problem."

Increase in anti-queer violence

Meyer's research suggests anti-LGBTQ language has been especially prevalent against transgender people and the increase in anti-LGBTQ violence can be attributed to emboldened far-right movements, which have become increasingly open and forthcoming with their use of transphobic and anti-LGBTQ language.

Insider investigated 175 homicides of transgender and non-binary people who were killed in the United States and Puerto Rico between 2017 and 2021. The investigation revealed that transgender homicides doubled between 2019 and 2021  during the same time anti-LGBTQ legislation was at a record high.

According to the ACLU, the number of bills targeting the LGBTQ community is at a record high, with Republicans across the country currently proposing 327 anti-LGBTQ bills. Most of them target transgender people.

"This violence disproportionately targets the most marginalized LGBTQ people because that is how social inequality works. Assailants are more likely to direct their attention to already-marginalized folks, therefore the most marginalized people will experience most forms of violence," he said, adding that Black queer people are more likely to experience violence than many other social groups due to the intersections of racism, class inequality, and anti-LGBTQ prejudice.

In 2022, at least 38 transgender people were fatally shot or killed. Of those victims, 59% were Black.

Insider's investigation revealed that nearly two-thirds of those killed were Black women, and 85% were people of color.

Alabama Rep. Neil Rafferty speaks in support of transgender rights during a rally outside the Alabama State House in Montgomery, Ala., March 30, 2021. Jake Crandall/The Montgomery Advertiser via AP, File

Underreported fatalities

The number of known homicides involving LGBTQ people is likely an undercount  as the sexual orientation of the victims is not always known or the crimes go unsolved completely as witnesses don't feel comfortable talking to law enforcement.

"Things that are happening every day to folk in our communities are often going unreported, and therefore, there's no data on it," Kerbie Joseph, the Safe OUTside the System coordinator at Audre Lorde Project, told Insider.

"There are a plethora of reasons why hate crimes against queer people do not make it into police reports, one being members of the community not feeling safe enough to involve law enforcement," Joseph said. "People who are completely marginalized within the trans and gender nonconforming community are too afraid to report things because of not trusting police, or hospitals, and for good reason."

Misgendering is another leading factor.

Insider's 2022 investigation, "Deaths in the Family," showed a majority of the 175 transgender victims between 2017 and 2021 were misnamed or misgendered on incident reports and coroner's reports, as well as in statements by police officers and prosecutors, and in interviews with witnesses.

"There's actually more violence happening against our community than what is known to the public, and it reflects the increased anti-trans and anti-LGBTQ legislation moving across the country," said Victoria Kirby York, Director of Public Policy and programs at the National Black Justice Coalition.

Of the 175 victims, only three killings were prosecuted as hate crimes and at the time of publication in November 2022, 61 cases remained unsolved.

"I think the increase in local media coverage of these stories have helped, and trans grassroots groups holding vigils and rallies to bring awareness to these deaths are incredibly important because the public attention helps to hold law enforcement and other public officials accountable to do right by the community," Kirby York said.

"We have to be on guard, we have to be vigilant," Givens added. "We don't have to panic, but we have to strategize and organize to face these growing threats that are facing our communities no matter where we live."

Read the original article on Insider
(Bloomberg) -- Representative Nick LaLota said Monday he hopes George Santos, a fellow New York Republican, will soon be expelled from the House for fraud over his serial fabrications to voters.

Most Read from Bloomberg

George Santos is Democrats best friend and ally right now, LaLota said in an interview at the Capitol. What he has done is given them wind in their sails, has taken away our ability to speak about our commitment to America, and were looking forward to him leaving the House.

LaLota tweeted earlier Monday his support for expulsion, saying that he had made his position known before, but wanted to make it even more broadly clear where he stands.

I didnt see a more provable case of election fraud in my seven years as elections commissioner than the fraud committed by George Santos. His lies were the very reason he was nominated, got donations and votes. Im for election integrity. Im for expelling George Santos, he tweeted, with several other New York Republicans liking his tweet.

What he did was absolutely wrong, and what could right this situation is his resignation or his expulsion, added LaLota, who represents a district on Long Island.

A request for comment from Santoss office wasnt returned late Monday, but in the past he has insisted he will not resign and loves his job.

Representative Dan Goldman of New York, a freshman Democrat helping lead the effort to expel Santos, predicted the issue would become more urgent.

I think eventually there will be a lot of pressure that comes to bear on the speaker to bring a floor vote to expel, he said, pointing to the freshman Republicans from New York like LaLota. What is driving them is that in New York, George Santos is an albatross on the Republican Party.

Story continues

Earlier Monday, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee announced a billboard campaign seeking to tie New York Republicans including LaLota to Santos, who was elected in November.

Representative Jim McGovern of Massachusetts, the top Democrat on the Rules Committee, said its a good thing LaLota supports expulsion but noted many more would be required to get the two-thirds vote necessary under the Constitution for actual removal.

McGovern isnt particularly optimistic that will happen. These guys have no shame, he said.

House Rules Chair Tom Cole of Oklahoma said Santos should get a hearing, when asked about LaLotas demand.

I sort of think people are always entitled to an Ethics hearing, Cole said.

The House Committee on Ethics has scheduled a public meeting Tuesday afternoon related to its official organizing for the new Congress. The Republican chairman and top Democrat will make statements, though its not clear if Santos, who represents parts of Long Island and the New York City borough of Queens, will be discussed.

For now he isnt serving on any committees as authorities investigate his campaign, though he is voting on bills, giving floor speeches and has done a few interviews, including to Piers Morgan. He has admitted fabricating much of his resume, such as his work and academic experiences.

Speaker Kevin McCarthy has previously indicated he would continue to stand by Santos unless an Ethics review determines that he broke the law.

--With assistance from Billy House.

Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek

2023 Bloomberg L.P.
BERLIN (Reuters) - German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock on Tuesday expressed concern about judicial independence in Israel as well as plans by the Israeli government to allow the death penalty.

"I will not deny that we abroad are concerned about some of the legislative plans in Israel," Baerbock said at a news conference with her Israeli counterpart Eli Cohen in Berlin.

"Among the values that unite us is the protection of constitutional principles such as the independence of the judiciary," she said. "That was always Israel's hallmark."

The new nationalist-religious government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ploughed ahead this month with its proposed changes as parliament took first steps in legislating limits to the Supreme Court's power to strike down laws.

Another change pushed by the ruling coalition would give it more sway in picking judges. Some of the bills have won initial votes in parliament but have yet to be written into law.

Germany's ambassador to Israel, Steffen Seibert, said earlier this week that Germany was closely watching the dispute over the plans for judicial change.

"At the end of the day, our judicial reform will strengthen democracy," said Cohen, underscoring Israel's openness to free speech and welcoming recent protests.

The government's plan has sparked nationwide protests in Israel and caused alarm among economists, former security officials and legal experts at home and abroad.

(Reporting by Paul Carrel and Miranda Murray, Editing by Friederike Heine and Toby Chopra)
BERLIN (AP)  Germany's foreign minister voiced concern about the Israeli government's plans to overhaul the country's legal system during a visit Tuesday by her Israeli counterpart, and said that introducing the death penalty for Palestinians convicted in deadly attacks would be a big mistake.

Israel has seen large and regular protests in recent weeks against the judicial overhaul proposed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's new coalition government, which includes a bill that would enable lawmakers to overturn a Supreme Court decision with a simple majority.

The plans are moving steadily ahead despite calls for dialogue and consensus from American Jews and Israels president. Protesters argue that the proposed changes threaten Israels democratic values and would concentrate power with the ruling coalition in parliament. Netanyahu and his ruling coalition believe the court has had unchecked power for years.

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said at a news conference in Berlin with Israeli counterpart Eli Cohen that we abroad are concerned about some Israeli legislative plans.

The values that bind us together include the protection of principles of the rule of law such as judicial independence, she added. This was always a hallmark of Israel.

Cohen said that Israel is a vibrant democracy and declared that in the end of the day, our judicial reform will strengthen the Israeli democracy.

Baerbock signaled particular concern over the bill to impose the death penalty on Palestinians convicted in fatal attacks. That measure has been given initial approval by an Israeli ministerial committee and sent to lawmakers for further debate.

She noted that Germany opposes the death penalty everywhere and argued that it has proven ineffective as a deterrent. The minister added that Germans are taught in school that Israel has only carried out the death penalty in one case  that of Adolf Eichmann, who played a major role in the Holocaust, in the early 1960s  despite facing a bigger terror threat than any other country.

This was always an impressive argument for those of us who have defended Israel against unfair criticism on the international stage, Baerbock said. So, as a friend, I am convinced it would be a big mistake to break with this history.

Germany is a close ally of Israel in Europe and has traditionally refrained from strong public criticism of its government.
 Skynex

Read also: Russia should return to Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, says German FM

According to the report, two Skynex systems have been ordered by the German government, and will be sent to Ukraine this year. The company added that otherwise Germany would independently use these air defenses for its own protection.

Earlier on Feb. 28, Rheinmetall reported that, as instructed by the German government, it began delivering SurveilSPIRE automated reconnaissance systems to Ukraine, which are used to monitor large areas of terrain, while requiring a relatively small crew to operate.

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
Ghislaine Maxwell is to launch an appeal against her sex trafficking convictions.

The disgraced socialite is expected to claim that the four victims who testified against her at trial had faded, distorted and motivated memories, according to the Associated Press.

Maxwell, 61, was sentenced to 20 years in prison after being found guilty of five counts of trafficking and abusing young girls over decades with the late paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

Maxwell will file the appeal at a federal court in New York on Tuesday, the AP report.

Breaking more to come
By Jonathan Stempel

NEW YORK (Reuters) -Ghislaine Maxwell has asked a U.S. appeals court to throw out her conviction for helping Jeffrey Epstein sexually abuse teenage girls, saying a slew of errors marred her trial and prosecutors made her a scapegoat because the financier was dead.

"The government prosecuted Ms. Maxwell as a proxy for Jeffrey Epstein" to satisfy "public outrage" over the case, making the British socialite the target of unprecedented "vilification," Maxwell's lawyers said in a Tuesday night filing with the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan.

Maxwell's lawyers offered several arguments for dismissing the case or granting a new trial, including that she was immune from prosecution, prosecutors waited too long to charge her, and one of her jurors was biased.

A spokesman for U.S. Attorney Damian Williams in Manhattan declined to comment.

Maxwell, 61, is serving a 20-year prison sentence after a Manhattan jury convicted her in December 2021 on five charges for recruiting and grooming four girls for abuse by Epstein between 1994 and 2004.

Epstein killed himself at age 66 in a Manhattan jail cell in August 2019, one month after being charged with sex trafficking.

Maxwell's trial team had tried to discredit her accusers and claimed that prosecutors made her case a legal reckoning that Epstein, a registered sex offender, never had.

At Maxwell's trial, the accusers said Maxwell and Epstein at first made them feel welcome in their orbit before subjecting them into giving Epstein sexualized massages.

Hundreds of women claimed to be victims of Epstein's abuse, and famous people, most notably Britain's Prince Andrew, who were friendly with him have seen their reputations tarred or destroyed.

Maxwell, the daughter of late British media mogul Robert Maxwell, retained for her appeal a new legal team led by Arthur Aidala, who in 2020 represented the disgraced Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein at his first sex crimes trial.

Story continues

Watch: Ghislaine Maxwell claims photo of Andrew with underage girl is fake

'DISORIENTED AND DIMINISHED'

The appeal contains some arguments that mirrored arguments that Maxwell's previous lawyers had made unsuccessfully before, during and after her trial.

They include a contention that Epstein's 2007 non-prosecution agreement with federal prosecutors in southern Florida, arising from alleged abuse at his Palm Beach mansion, also immunized her by shielding "potential co-conspirators" from prosecution.

Epstein, in exchange for immunity, pleaded guilty in 2008 to a Florida state prostitution charge and served 13 months in jail. That arrangement is now widely considered too lenient.

Maxwell's lawyers also said the charges were barred by a five-year statute of limitations, and that U.S. District Judge Alison Nathan, who oversaw the trial, made multiple errors.

The lawyers said Nathan should have corrected juror confusion about what prosecutors needed to prove, and voided the conviction after one juror failed to disclose before trial that he had been sexually abused as a child.

"Ample evidence" showed that the juror known as Scotty David or Juror 50 "harbored actual bias," including his inability to separate his past from the evidence, and his statement that the verdict was "for all the victims," Maxwell's lawyers said.

Maxwell's appeal also highlighted other factors that allegedly made her trial unfair.

Prosecutors were accused of having "joined forces" with lawyers representing accusers who were seeking damages in civil litigation "to develop new allegations" against Maxwell.

Maxwell's lawyers also said her "deplorable" jail conditions - including claims of raw sewage, sleep and water deprivation, and hyper-surveillance - left her "so disoriented and diminished" that she could not meaningfully aid her defense.

Prosecutors are expected to respond to Maxwell's filing before the appeals court hears oral arguments.

Maxwell is imprisoned in Tallahassee, Florida. She is eligible for release in July 2037, with credit for good behavior and the two years she spent in jail.

(Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by Mark Porter and Raju Gopalakrishnan)
We hold a bottle drive every Saturday at the IGA parking lots in both Penticton and Summerland thanks to Colin Powell, who owns both IGA stores.

On Feb. 25, at the Penticton IGA, we collected returnable (containers) and cash donations for a family of five who were forced from their home in Ukraine. They left behind their family, their jobs and everything else they owned except what they could carry on a plane to Canada. Remember, this is by no fault of their own.

Saturdays bottle drive was successful but I understand people stayed home because of the weather. Others could not find us.

So, we are going to do it again on March 4. The money will go to help Ukraine.

From 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. we will be in the parking lot of the IGA store in Penticton, off Nelson Street.

To everyone who donated already, or will come by on Saturday, thank you.

Pat Wand
Giant space mirrors could reflect solar radiation away from Earth (SPL)

Giant mirrors positioned to reflect sunlight back into space may be needed to meet climate targets, according to a report from the United Nations.

Solar radiation modification (SRM), also known as solar geoengineering, is among the proposals from the UN Environment Programme to use radical technology to avoid a climate emergency.

SRM is the only known approach that could be used to cool the Earth within a few years, the report, compiled by an expert panel of climate scientists, stated.

Climate model simulations consistently show that SRM could offset some of the effects of increasing greenhouse gases on global and regional climate, including carbon and water cycles, but there could be substantial residual or overcompensating climate change at the regional scales.

The report found that more research is needed to be undertaken in order to better understand the environmental and social impacts of geoengineering technologies.

Other technologies mentioned in the report included injecting large quantities of aerosols into the upper atmosphere to block out the Sun.

It is not the first time that space mirrors have been proposed as a way of alleviating the worst effects of climate change, with former US presidential hopeful Andrew Yang notably publishing a plan to geoengineer the planet in 2019.

His proposal to place giant foldable space mirrors into orbit would cost $4.86 trillion and take around two decades to implement.

The UN noted that global efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions are not on track to meet the 1.5C Paris Agreement goal.

Inger Andersen, the executive director of the UN Environment Programme, noted that SRM should not be considered a substitute for current targets to reduce emissions.

It does not remove carbon from the atmosphere. Nor will SRM improve the environment or tackle the root causes of climate change, she said.

Our best bet for a prosperous and equitable future remains putting in the unavoidable hard work to achieve climate stability by reducing greenhouse gas emissions, to create a pollution-free planet and societies that live in harmony with nature.
WASHINGTON  The White House on Monday lauded Saudi Arabias pledge to send $400 million in humanitarian assistance to war-torn Ukraine, calling the commitment an important one a year after Russia launched its invasion.

We are glad to see it, said John Kirby, spokesman for the National Security Council.

The announcement of $400 million in energy, infrastructure and financial assistance came Sunday as Saudi Arabias minister of foreign affairs, Prince Faisal bin Farhan, led a delegation to Kyiv for a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the presidential residence. The prince also met with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba and Andriy Yermak, Zelenskyy's chief of staff.

Ukraine updates: Putin relying on US 'attention deficit disorder' to win war, CIA chief says

Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Prince Faisal Bin Farhan Al Saud arrives for a joint press conference in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Sunday.

The meeting was the first ministerial visit by an Araba state since the war in Ukraine began. We have been for the last year asking all partners to do what they can to support Ukraine, and so we welcome the visit, Kirby said.

The agreement will result in the delivery of generators and badly needed energy products and supplies, Kirby said.

The deliveries will begin arriving next week, he said.

Michael Collins covers the White House. Follow him on Twitter @mcollinsNEWS.

Follow the money: US has spent billions on Ukraine war aid. But is that money landing in corrupt pockets?

A warning to China: As war in Ukraine continues, US officials warn Beijing to stay out of it

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: White House lauds Saudi Arabia promise to send $400 million to Ukraine
Good Drinks Australia (ASX:GDA) First Half 2023 Results

Key Financial Results

Revenue: AU$60.1m (up 80% from 1H 2022).

Net income: AU$1.87m (down 26% from 1H 2022).

Profit margin: 3.1% (down from 7.6% in 1H 2022).

EPS: AU$0.015 (down from AU$0.022 in 1H 2022).

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

Good Drinks Australia shares are down 6.8% from a week ago.

Risk Analysis

You should learn about the 3 warning signs we've spotted with Good Drinks Australia.

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Google has launched its latest round of funds for Black and brown founders.







The post Google For Startups Opens Applications For Black And Latino Founders Fund appeared first on AfroTech.

On Feb. 28, the search engine giant announced it has opened applications for its Black Founders Funds in Africa, Brazil, Europe, and the U.S., according to a blog post. Whats more, there is another round for its Latino Founders Fund in the U.S.

We cant wait to welcome a new group of Black and Latino founders who are using technology to solve some of societys biggest problems, the blog post wrote. If you or someone you know would be a great fit for the Google for Startups Founders Funds, encourage them to apply now.

Since launching in 2020, the fund has been a success under its mission of looking to support Black and Latino tech entrepreneurs who lack access to capital.

The blog post details that Google for Startups has provided over $34 million in cash awards to 448 Black and Latino founders. The investment recipients have also gone on to raise over $400 million.

As previously reported by AfroTech, for the inaugural round, 76 Black-led startups received up to $100,000 in funding and didnt have to give up any ownership of their company in the process.

In 2021, the U.S. Black Founders Fund received a second $5 million investment for the total capital to be distributed.

Our focus is to help underrepresented founders grow their businesses and succeed in a space where the odds are often stacked against them, Jewel Burks Solomon, Head of Google for Startups, U.S., said at the time in an interview with AfroTech. There is a huge gap in funding for Black founders as they are consistently overlooked, which often means they are locked out of access to the capital that is critical to their success  something I experienced first hand. Black startup founders are less likely to receive venture capital, are at higher risk of stress, and stalled professional development. Its imperative that we support these amazing Black startup founders who are building great companies.

To learn more about the Google for Startups Black and Latino founders funds, click here.
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP)  Former U.S. Sen. Rob Portman is joining forces with the University of Cincinnati to create a new academic center that will foster civility, open and inclusive dialogue and bipartisanship in politics, the Republican and the university announced Tuesday.

The newly established Portman Center for Policy Solutions will be housed within the universitys School of Public and International Affairs. Through academic programming, fellowships and case studies, it aims to develop future leaders and encourage results-oriented public service, a statement said.

I view this center as a way to encourage young people to engage in public service that focuses on civility, bipartisanship and finding common ground, Portman said. Too many are understandably turned off by excessive partisanship, gridlock and harsh language in todays political dialogue.

Portman opted not to seek reelection last year after three decades in public service, citing his dismay over partisanship and gridlock in Washington. Known as a political moderate willing to work across party lines, he boasted a prolific lawmaking record that included bills signed by both Democratic and Republican presidents.

The center was approved by the university's board Tuesday, following unanimous backing from the faculty. It will offer scholarships, internships and co-op opportunities for students chosen as Portman Fellows, drawing from an endowment that Portman and the university are working to grow to at least $5 million.

Portman also is donating his U.S. House and Senate papers and other materials to the center, for use by fellows as case studies in civil, bipartisan problem-solving that seeks out differing points of view.

The university said the Portman Center will be more intensely focused on civility in politics than two other public policy programs named for former Ohio senators: the John Glenn College of Public Affairs at Ohio State University and the (George) Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Service at Ohio University.
Dr Stephen Cox

A GP sexually assaulted female patients over several years by groping their breasts and carrying out invasive examinations that were not medically justified, a court has heard.

Dr Stephen Cox, who is now retired, is accused of indecently assaulting seven women while practising medicine in the Bracknell area of Berkshire between October 1990 and September 1997.

Several of the alleged attacks involved the doctor, without warning or explanation, grabbing the breasts of the women and rubbing them for several minutes, jurors were told.

He is alleged to have disguised the predatory behaviour on the pretext of carrying out routine medical examinations of the victims, who were all patients at the Ralphs Ride Surgery, according to the prosecutor.

Dr Cox has denied eight counts of sexual assault.

Opening the case for the prosecution at Reading Crown Court, Tahir Khan KC told jurors: It is likely, we say, that he gained some sexual pleasure from touching these women inappropriately on their bodies.

We say these examinations were not medically justified.

I feel stupid now

One of the alleged victims, giving evidence from behind a screen on Tuesday, told the court she was sexually assaulted by Dr Cox when she was vulnerable and five months pregnant in 1990.

The woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, said that during one antenatal appointment Dr Cox told her she had rather large breasts, before groping them over her bra. It lasted for three or four minutes, she told the court.

At the time, she was vulnerable after recently leaving an abusive relationship and thought what Dr Cox was doing must be normal, she said.

I feel stupid now, she added.

On another occasion, the woman told the court, Dr Cox carried out an invasive examination of an intimate part of her body. He did not ask her if he could carry out the examination, nor explain why it was taking place, she told jurors.

Her voice breaking with emotion, she continued: I felt embarrassed. I thought it was part of the pregnancy.

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The woman said she came forward to speak to police after seeing a press release about the criminal allegations against Dr Cox.

I felt very uncomfortable, frightened

Another alleged victim, who gave evidence via video link on Monday, told the court that Dr Cox had groped her breasts when she saw him regarding pain in her abdomen in the 1990s.

She said that the doctor asked her to take her bra off and then began touching her breasts.

The woman told the court: It went on for five minutes, no more. But it was five minutes too long.

I felt very uncomfortable, frightened. I wasnt sure what to do and I just couldnt wait to get out of there.

She said she did not tell anyone apart from her sister about the incident for years, until she had a discussion with her husband about the fallout from #MeToo.

Every week it was all about #MeToo, she said.

We had this discussion and he said (about the actresses who went public with their experiences of sexual assault) why did they wait so long before it came out?.

I said, actually, something happened to me and it all came out then.

Dr Cox joined the Ralphs Ride Surgery as a junior doctor in 1986 and remained working there for at least a decade, the jury were told.

He is married and has three children, the prosecutor said.

The trial continues.
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) on Monday called the Biden administrations decision to withhold F-16 fighter jets from Ukraine beyond disappointing.

President Bidens recent statement ruling out F-16 fighters for Ukraine in the short term, based on advice from the Department of Defense, is beyond disappointing, Graham said in a statement. It has been like pulling teeth with this Administration to get every weapons system requested by Ukraine to the battlefield.

Biden told ABC Newss David Muir in an interview on Friday that he was ruling out F-16s for the time being, saying that Ukraine doesnt need F-16s now.

Bidens national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, has repeatedly defended the presidents decision in recent days, noting that the fighter jets are not the key capability that Kyiv needs for its upcoming counteroffensive.

F-16s are a question for a later time. And thats why President Biden said that, for now, hes not moving forward with those, Sullivan said on CNNs State of the Union on Sunday. So, as far as were concerned, the U.S. effort has got to be to get Ukraine the tools it needs for the mission at hand.

As the war in Ukraine surpassed the one-year mark on Friday, Biden is facing mounting pressure from both Ukrainian officials and U.S. lawmakers to acquiesce to the request for fighter jets.

While attending the Munich Security Conference earlier this month, Graham said there was a virtually unanimous belief among the 30 senators at the conference that we should be training Ukrainian pilots on the F-16 today so they can get the jets as soon as possible.

There is massive bipartisan support to provide Ukraine the fighter jets and start training them right now, Graham reiterated in Mondays statement.

Ultimately, the responsibility of this decision falls on President Biden, Graham added. He has the power to provide the jets and he chose not to do the right thing. Denying one of the top requests of the Ukrainian military, F-16s and other NATO fighter aircraft, will only prolong the war and lead to even more death and destruction.

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House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul (R-Texas), who has also been a key proponent of providing Kyiv with F-16s, similarly expressed frustration with the Biden administration on Sunday.

When we slow-walk and slow-pace this thing, it drags it out. And thats precisely what Putin wants, McCaul said.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Photo: The Canadian Press Waves pound the shore in Eastern Passage, N.S. on Saturday, Sept. 24, 2022.

Some people can't see the forest for the trees. Others can't see the hurricane for the lobsters.

On Sept. 24, around 9 a.m. Atlantic time, a few hours after Hurricane Fiona had slowed slightly into a post-tropical cyclone and slammed into Nova Scotia, the federal Fisheries Department issued two preplanned posts on Twitter and Facebook.

The first urged everyone to avoid the coastline and stay safe. The second warned them off helping themselves to wayward lobsters.

"As well, if you find lobsters washed up on the shore after the storm, remember it is illegal to harvest them," it read. "Simply leave them there."

It had been discussed by more than a dozen people via email over a 24-hour period and officially approved by at least seven directors and managers in Atlantic Canada, according to documents released to The Canadian Press through access-to-information legislation.

Only one of them warned that the tweet might land badly, but ultimately he approved it.

"Should we consider the potential circumstances that may be present at the time," he asked.

"It's accurate but if the storm ends up being (the) magnitude some are anticipating, potentially with emergency measures in place, I feel it may  be perceived as tone deaf," he wrote, adding that roads might be washed out and people forced to evacuate their communities.

Another conservation official concurred  though it was she who first brought up the idea of tweeting information about the lobsters, saying it was a suggestion from her "team."

Despite the misgivings, the tweet and Facebook posts were still approved with some minor changes, including taking out a reference to washed up lobster being a "common occurrence" and replacing the hashtag "#leavethemthere" with the phrase "simply leave them there."

The warning turned out to be prophetic.

As the tweet landed, residents in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador, were bracing against winds that howled as strong as 177 km/h, taking out power lines, and roofs, destroying beaches and wrecking livelihoods as fishing boats and harbours were torn apart.

Three people were killed, two of them swept out to sea by storm surges.

The focus on lobsters while people were losing their homes, livelihoods, and even their lives, was not well received. The office of Fisheries Minister Joyce Murray demanded it be deleted.

"Can we please pull this tweet ASAP," emailed Erik Nosaluk, Murray's communications coordinator. "It's horribly tone deaf."

By the time Nosaluk wrote, the departmental communications team was well aware of the backlash, mostly on social media, and were scrambling to delete the post and replace it.

The posts were deleted 4.5 hours after they were published. An apology was posted a few hours after that, though it again took multiple people and three drafts before the replacement post included an apology.

Days later the department was still tracking criticism, including someone who turned it into a TikTok video that had garnered more than 115,000 likes in just a few days.

One official seemed frustrated by the lack of ability to stop some of the conversation, noting so many people had taken screen shots and turned it into memes.

The department says in the documents that normally tweets and other social media posts undergo even more vigorous discussion and approvals than this one.

But the suggestion for this tweet came up late in the week, through what they call an "ad hoc" process that "didn't benefit from a day-of check for appropriateness."

The department also said in the documents it has updated its procedures to prevent it from happening again.

When asked for more detail on what those updates were, Nosaluk didn't provide more information.

"Hurricane Fiona was devastating for people in Eastern Canada and were still focused on helping them recover and rebuild," he said Monday. "The tweet was a mistake and was taken down. The department apologized and has adjusted its approvals process."

The law prohibiting harvesting of lobsters on shore carries a fine of up to $100,000. In previous storms, fisheries officials have said while it is unlikely many lobsters that wash ashore will make their way back to the ocean, it is still illegal to take them.
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On February 1, 1960, four Black men walked into the Woolworths general store in Greensboro, North Carolina, and changed the world.



Ezell A. Blair Jr., Franklin McCain, Joseph McNeil, and David Richmond bought toothpaste, notebooks, and other small items at different counters in the store, saving the receipts to prove they were paying customers. Then, they each sat down at the stores lunch counter, which was designated for whites only, and tried to place their orders.

We dont serve Negroes, they were told, according to the book American Places: Encounters with History . Black patrons at Woolworths were restricted to a separate standing snack bar. The men responded, Well, you served us over there. Why not here?

Blair, McCain, McNeil, and Richmond later became better known as the Greensboro Four, and what started as an idea for a nonviolent protest they had discussed in their college dorm room became one of the defining moments of the Civil Rights Movement and a catalyst for desegregation in public businesses.

Starting with a Conversation

The men who would become the Greensboro Four first met as freshmen at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University in 1959. The teens visited regularly in a dorm room and discussed a variety of topics, including their frustration with racial segregation and the challenges of living with dignity in Jim Crow South.

We just got tired of talking about it and decided to do something, one of the students said, according to The Sit-Ins: Protest and Legal Change in the Civil Rights Era by Christopher Schmidt.

After famously taking their seats at the local Woolworths lunch counter, the four opened their books and began to study while awaiting service that never came. They remained there all day. They wouldnt serve us, so we just sat there until the lunch counter closed, then we came on back to school, McNeil said, according to Schmidts book.

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Drawing National Attention

They returned the next day, and they werent alone.

This time, nearly 20 more students came with them and followed the same routine, buying small items before requesting service at the lunch counter. The next day, 60 students participated in the sit-in protest, according to American Places. The day after that, at least 100 people showed up; by some accounts, it was as many as 300.

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The protests attracted media attention, and soon the sit-ins were a national story. The protest method quickly spread to other cities across the South. Soon similar sit-ins were taking place in Charlotte, North Carolina; Richmond, Virginia; Nashville, Tennessee; Jackson, Mississippi; and other locations, according to Schmidts book.



Reaction to the sit-ins varied. In Greensboro, the Woolworths store manager did not ask the police to evict the protestors, but some white customers began harassing student protestors. According to the North Carolina History Project, white men spat on, threw eggs at, and verbally harassed them. In response, the students remained non-violent, so the authorities largely could not act against them. However, arrests did take place at sit-in protests in other cities, and over the next several weeks hundreds of protestors would be convicted of trespassing, disorderly conduct, loitering, and breach of the peace, Schmidt said.

Then-President Dwight D. Eisenhower was asked his opinion of the protests , to which he responded: I am deeply sympathetic with the efforts of any group to enjoy the rights of equality that they are guaranteed by the Constitution.  If a person is expressing such an aspiration as this in a perfectly legal way, then I dont see any reason why he should not do it.



Creating Lasting Change

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The non-violent nature of the protests drew praise, with some comparing it to the work of the famous Indian revolutionary Mahatma Gandhi . Schmidt also argued the repetitive nature of the sit-ins was a factor in their success, because it wore down business owners. It was also a format that was easy for protestors in other cities to duplicate, allowing the movement to rapidly grow, Schmidt said.

It was predictable and powerful, Schmidt wrote. For those who experienced the sit-inswhether participants, supporters, or criticsmuch of the wonder of the movement was that so many different people in so many different places were doing the same extraordinary thing.

By July 1960, the Woolworths store in Greensboro was serving Black patrons, and that was only the beginning. The sit-in protests sparked by the Greensboro Four became one of the Civil Rights Movements great successes and helped lead to desegregation in public accommodations as mandated by the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Four unknown students in Greensboro had set in motion events that would move a nation, Schmidt wrote. Their quiet, bold act ignited the pent-up hopes and frustrations of young African Americans. A new chapter in the struggle for racial equality began, one that was more openly defiant, more participatory, and in many ways, more successful than any that had come before.

But for the Greensboro Four, it all came back to that dorm room chat. The thing that precipitated the sit-ins was that little bit of incentive and that little bit of courage that each of us instilled within each other, one of the Four said, according to American Places.

What Happened to the Greensboro Four?

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Ezell A. Blair Jr., 81, was the most hesitant of the Greensboro Four about the sit-in protests, and he sought advice from his parents before participating, according to BlackPast.org . In 1968, he became a member of the New England Islamic Center in New Bedford, Massachusetts, and changed his name to Jibreel Khazan. He works as a teacher and counselor for developmentally disabled people.

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Franklin McCain earned a degree in chemistry and biology at North Carolina A&T and worked as a chemist and sales representative for the Celanese Corporation for about 35 years, according to The New York Times . He remained active in civil rights organizations and served on the board of his alma mater, as well as for Bennett College and the University of North Carolina. He died on January 9, 2014, at age 73.

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Joseph McNeil, 80, was commissioned as a second lieutenant for the U.S. Air Force through the Reserve Officer Training Corps program after graduating from North Carolina A&T. From 1964 to 1969, he served on active duty as a navigator of Boeing KC-135 Stratotankers , an aerial refueling aircraft. He also spent time in Southeast Asia flying Arc Lite support and Young Tiger missions. He retired from the Air Force Reserve in 2000 as a Major General.

David Richmond was the only one of the Four to remain in Greensboro after studying there. He tried for years after the sit-in to earn a degree but struggled with the schoolwork and left North Carolina A&T three credits short of his degree, according to the Greensboro News & Record. He was labeled a troublemaker due to the sit-in protests and had trouble getting work as a result. He died of lung cancer on December 7, 1990, at age 49.
Data analyzed by the organization Murder Accountability Project (MAP) revealed that the U.S. murder clearance rate, which reflects the proportion of total homicides solved by police, dropped to the lowest point ever on record in 2020.

Whereas the FBI reported over 90 percent of homicides were solved in the mid 1960s, that number has continuously declined over the decades, dropping sharply between 2015 and 2020, to an all-time low of just above 50 percent.

Were on the verge of being the first developed nation where the majority of homicides go uncleared, MAP founder Thomas Hargrove explained to the Guardian.

In order for police to meet the criteria of clearing a crime, such as a homicide, law-enforcement agents must arrest and charge at least one suspect with the wrongdoing.

The science behind clearing rates can be murky.

Data collected by the FBI revealed that many law-enforcement agencies cleared hundreds of murders in 2020 by exceptional means, which refers to cases in which police believe they have enough evidence for an arrest but were unable to make one. The failure to produce an arrest could be because the alleged perpetrator may have died or been extradited, for instance.

Hargrove believes that the lack of governmental databases tracking and monitoring homicides is obstructing Americans ability to appreciate the full extent of the crisis.

This is of particular importance to intercity jurisdictions  such as Oakland, Indianapolis, and Baltimore  where murders of black men are the least likely to result in an arrest. According to some studies, homicides of minority men are somewhere between 15-to-30 percent less likely to result in an arrest.

Those cities experienced a wave of anti-cop sentiment in 2020 following murder of George Floyd, resulting in a reduced funding in some cases and a lack of cooperation among witnesses.

You hear every cop saying, We cant do better because they dont cooperate, retired homicide detective John Skaggs, who now trains officers across the US, told the Guardian.

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However, not all see the declining clearance rate as a singularly worrisome issue. Philip Cook, a research at the University of Chicago, believes that lowering clearance rates may be the result of superior policing and judicial standards alongside a misuse of public resources.

It also could be that the standards for making an arrest have gone up and some of the tricks they were using in 1965 are no longer available, Cook told the Marshall Project, a watchdog organization that advocates for criminal justice reform.

Still, contrary to calls from defund activists, MAP advocates investing more heavily in law enforcement to improve clearance rates.

MAP firmly believes declining homicide clearance rates are the result of inadequate allocation of resources  detectives, forensic technicians, crime laboratory capacity, and adequate training of personnel, Hargrove added.

More from National Review
The newest teachers are typically the first to go during layoffs. That's because traditional seniority-based protections require it.

Thanks to efforts to diversity the teaching force, a relatively high percentage of rookie educators are people of color  meaning these "last in, first out" (LIFO) practices could derail some of that work.

A report shared exclusively with USA TODAY breaks down by state how teachers of color are far more likely to be the target of such layoffs than white teachers because they are only in their first or second year of teaching. Nationally, teachers of color are nearly 50% as likely to be in their first two years on the job.

Despite headlines about a national teacher shortage, many schools have or will have a surplus of teachers and face layoffs with a recession on the horizon and the end of an infusion of pandemic-era cash.

Teacher shortages: Some schools are turning to unorthodox solutions

Most teachers are white; new teachers more likely to be people of color

Roughly 80% of teachers are white, compared with less than half of public school students.

Consider, however, that educators of color made up only slightly more than 10% of the workforce in the late 1980s. Much has been done in between to diversify the force.

Overall, the LIFO reports authors calculated that states and districts have invested nearly $100 million in teacher diversity since 2010. According to a report by the Education Trust, more than half of states have grow your own programs geared at recruiting and training educators who are from the communities they serve.

Teacher pay becomes a bipartisan cause: Low salaries 'a major crisis in education'

In some states  including Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York and Minnesota  educators of color are more than twice as likely as white peers to be in their first two years of teaching.

We want to make sure that we don't undo all of the progress that we've done, said Priscila Sousa, a state representative in Massachusetts who co-introduced a bill that would preserve many of the educators hired through relief funds. We want to make sure that going forward, as districts make decisions and  God forbid they have to  about who lay off, they're looking at other things beyond seniority.

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Relative likelihood of a teacher of color being in first two years on the job.

Why this matters for students

A growing body of research shows the powerful influence a teacher of color can have on a student, particularly one who isnt white.

Teacher diversity is super-important for student learning, particularly for students of color, said Evan Stone, a former New York City teacher who co-founded Educators for Excellence, the education advocacy organization that spearheaded the LIFO report along with TNTP, another teacher-focused group. It leads to better lifetime outcomes, better graduation rates, a greater likelihood of being put into advanced courses and (a reduced likelihood) of being suspended.

Arthur Everett is a veteran social studies educator in New York City who entered the teaching profession relatively late in life through an alternative certification program. He got into teaching, he said, because he always enjoyed learning and being around kids; he was raised in a family of educators, too.

But he was mostly inspired by his own experiences growing up as a Black boy in New York City schools, when he rarely had teachers who looked like him. Sometimes veteran teachers are not prepared to teach the student population in front of them, he said, who in many cases gravitate more toward the novice educators who reflect their own experiences.

Teachers of color can often "speak to students in a way that's authentic to their own experiences," said Everett, pointing to the high rate of teachers of color who quit or are pushed out in their first few years on the job. Yet "that population is not being sustained."

Distance learning affected disadvantaged students most: The teacher shortages are just piling on.

Will schools be ready? Latinos will make up nearly a third of US students in 2030.

How can there be layoffs during a teacher shortage?

Contrary to much of the news coverage on education, there is no national teacher shortage. Some regions, positions and disciplines suffer significant and persistent vacancies, including rural and high-poverty schools and special education, math and science.

Schools are also hiring for more positions than in the past partly to help with pandemic recovery, yet student enrollment in some places has plummeted. Student-to-teacher ratios have fallen as a result, according to the report, driven primarily by dwindling numbers of students. That's especially evident in large, urban districts, which tend to serve especially large percentages of low-income students of color.

If Boston, for example, were to return to its pre-pandemic teacher-student ratio, it would lose 14% of its educators of color. That's a really scary factor for a city that has been working hard to diversify their workforce, Stone said.

Boston is also subject to a 1974 school desegregation order requiring its teaching force to become 25% Black. Over the nearly half century since, the city has never quite met that goal.

We actually have more of a student shortage than we have a teacher shortage in many places, said Chiara Grabill, a former teacher and lawyer who now serves as the chief growth officer for Educators for Excellence.

Fewer students means less funding. But observers also have warned of layoffs amid a looming recession and the expiration of pandemic-era relief dollars.

The federal government invested nearly $200 billion in K-12 schools in the first two years of COVID-19, but the money is set to expire in 2024. Districts that used some of their relief money on new teaching positions may resort to layoffs.

The last time there was a recession, in the years after 2008, the countrys K-12 education system lost 350,000 jobs. That included more than 120,000 teachers, many of them novice educators working in high-needs schools and serving large percentages of low-income students of color.

Overworked, underpaid? The toll of burnout is contributing to teacher shortages nationwide

Heres how your state handles teacher layoffs

Thirteen states make seniority the only factor determining which teachers are on the chopping block.

Nineteen states leave layoff policies up to districts, and many stipulate that seniority factor exclusively into firing decisions.

State layoff policies and seniority.

Fighting back against LIFO

Another 19 states ban districts from relying on seniority as the sole or primary factor in layoff decisions.

In some cases, unions  historically among the biggest proponents of LIFO  have led the charge to dismantle such practices.

Among the most high-profile examples: the Minneapolis Federation of Teachers, whose bargaining agreement with the district, finalized about a year ago, includes an unprecedented clause that essentially exempts novice teachers of color from LIFO practices. The policy has since faced lawsuits.

Randi Weingarten, head of the American Federation of Teachers, seemingly endorsed the Minneapolis unions reforms, tweeting this quote from its president: The same people who want to take down teachers unions and blame seniority are now defending it for white people. This is all made up by the right wing now.

More: This teachers union brought affirmative action into its layoff practices. Will more follow?

Contact Alia Wong at (202) 507-2256 or awong@usatoday.com. Follow her on Twitter at @aliaemily.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Layoffs despite 'teacher shortage' mean educators of color are at risk
A record number of guns were intercepted at airport checkpoints in Florida last year, according to the Transportation Security Administration.

Statewide, 854 weapons were intercepted  a 28% jump from any previous year and includes records set at 14 individual airports, the TSA said in a December press release.

Daytona Beach International reported nine guns in 2022  one of the lowest among those listed by the agency  and three so far this year, according to TSA spokesperson Sari Koshetz.

The top five in the state in 2022 were Orlando International Airport with 162; Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport with 134; Tampa International Airport with 131; Miami International Airport with 94; and Jacksonville International Airport with 73 guns intercepted.

Storms impact:Daytona Beach tourism works to weather impact of tropical storms Ian and Nicole

In NSB:Celebrating its 75th anniversary, the NSB airport is set to receive a fuel-capacity upgrade

Plane crash:Two escape serious injury when plane crashes into tree on takeoff in Port Orange

Almost every gun apprehended was loaded, TSA reported.

An accidental discharge could result in tragedy, Koshetz said in the press release. Every passenger bares the responsibility of knowing exactly where their gun is before entering the federal security checkpoint and that must not be on their person or in their carry-on.

Many of the passengers whose guns were confiscated were arrested or issued notices to appear in court. The weapons are turned over to local law enforcement agencies, according to TSA.

132 guns have been intercepted so far in Florida in 2023, Koshetz said.

Can passengers legally travel with guns?

This is one of six handguns that TSA agents confiscated from passengers trying to illegally bring them on to planes as a carry-on item at Daytona Beach International Airport in 2021. Four of the six guns were loaded.

Passengers are prohibited from bringing guns in carry-on bags at any TSA security checkpoint.

"All firearms must be properly packed and declared to the airline at check-in, which means unloaded and in a locked, hard-sided case," Koshetz wrote in an email to The News-Journal.

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The traveler is responsible to "know what the gun laws are on both sides of your trip," she added.

Other guidelines for traveling with guns include:

Firearms must be unloaded and locked in a hard-sided container and transported as checked baggage only. Firearm parts, including firearm frames and receivers, are prohibited in all carry-on baggage and must also be placed in checked baggage.

All firearms, ammunition and parts in checked baggage must be declared at the airline ticket counter during the check-in process.

Replica firearms may be transported in checked baggage only.

Travelers are encouraged to check regulations related to carrying firearms where they are traveling from and to, as laws may vary by destination.

Rifle scopes are permitted in carry-on and checked bags.

These are some of the items that Transportation Security Administration officials took away from air travelers boarding departing flights at Daytona Beach International Airport in recent months because they are illegal to carry on commercial airliners. They are seen here at a press conference at the airport on Tuesday, May 25, 2021.

What happens if TSA finds a gun?

At DAB, TSA has the help of Volusia County Sheriff's department to deal with these situations, Koshetz said.

"TSA has a law enforcement partner at every airport," she said. "The TSA officer freezes the bag with the gun in the checkpoint CT tunnel and then moves the bag out for the deputy to take control of the weapon and render it safe. As most of the guns across the country are loaded, that would mean removing the ammunition immediately."

At that point, "it will be up to the sheriff's department if the traveler is arrested and taken to jail or cited for a future court appearance or not," she added.

What happens to passengers carrying guns at checkpoint?

State and local firearm possession laws vary across the country, and consequences range from fines to arrests.

However, regardless of whether the individual is arrested by TSAs law enforcement partners, passengers will face a civil penalty from the agency that can exceed $14,000.

"Remember, if you are going to travel with your gun, it must be in your checked bag," Koshetz said. "But be sure you know what the gun laws are on each side of your trip or you may be heading to jail instead of to your family gathering. Guns may not be legal to transport even in checked baggage in some jurisdictions.

If the traveler is in the TSA PreCheck program, those privileges will be lost for a period of time, possibly permanently.

The PreCheck program provides expedited security screening benefits for flights departing from U.S. Airports, which means taking your shoes off, among other benefits, is not necessary.

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: TSA: Florida airports seize record number of guns from passengers
President Biden and Vice President Harris on Monday emphasized the importance of teaching Black history and warned of the dangers of trying to erase Americas past.

The comments from Harris and Biden came amid a growing debate over the teaching some aspects of the nations history, with some Republican leaders pushing to limit certain subject matter within African American studies.

Black history is American history. Living history. Breathing history, Harris, the first Black woman to serve as vice president, said at a Black History Month reception. History that we create every day. And history that we then must teach and celebrate. A history that helps us to understand how the past has influenced the present, and potentially our future.

And let us all be clear  we will not as a nation build a better future for America by trying to erase Americas past, Harris continued. This month, and all year round, we must recognize the full arc of our nations history.

Biden, speaking after Harris, echoed her message about the importance of giving Americans an accurate depiction of the nations past.

Its important to say from the White House, for the entire country to hear, history matters, and Black history matters, Biden said. I cant just choose to learn what we want to own. We learn what we should know. We have to learn everything, the good, the bad and the truth, and who we are as a nation. Thats what great nations do.

Republicans have in recent years ratcheted up their attacks on critical race theory, a methodology that argues racism and racial inequality are a result of systemic power structures. And they have decried those who argue America is a racist nation.

Just last month, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), a likely 2024 presidential candidate, moved to block a new Advanced Placement (AP) course for high school students on African American studies.

In rejecting AP African American Studies, the Florida Department of Education wrote in a letter to the College Board Florida Partnership that the content of this course is inexplicably contrary to Florida law and significantly lacks educational value.

The decision has sparked an uproar from educators and activists, while the College Board has admitted to mistakes in its rollout of the course.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
The largest hospital chain in Texas is poised to add three North Texas hospitals to its expanding presence in Dallas-Fort Worth, the latest sign of health cares trend toward consolidation.

Wise Health System, which is operated by the Decatur Hospital Authority, announced in January that it had agreed to enter into exclusive acquisition discussions with Medical City Healthcare, a division of HCA Healthcare.

Were in our due diligence phase  were still working toward final binding agreements, said Wise Health System CEO and president Jason Wren during a board meeting Monday.

Wren said it would likely be several months before a final acquisition agreement was brought before the hospital systems board. Wise Health System operates three standalone hospitals in Decatur, Parkway and Argyle, in addition to multiple clinics and other services.

If the acquisition is finalized, Wise Health System would transition from a locally owned and operated nonprofit health system to being part of one of the nations largest for-profit hospital operators in the nation. The move toward consolidation is one that Texas and other states will likely continue to see, said Kristie Loescher, the academic director of the Health Care Innovation Initiative at the McCombs School of Business.

More and more hospitals are looking at consolidating within bigger systems, Loescher said.

Larger hospital systems generally have more bargaining power to negotiate better payment rates with private insurance companies, she said, meaning that a larger system can draw in more revenue than a small nonprofit system. Large systems also have an advantage when it comes to negotiating for the cost of supplies, she said.

But an acquisition would mean that local control of the hospital system would be forfeited, and major decisions about services, operations, and expansions or cutbacks would be determined by HCA, which is based in Nashville.

Although Wise Health System will likely continue to still work with a governing board, big decisions will now have HCA buy-in, Loescher said. Its too early to say how the potential acquisition would affect the hospital systems structure of operations.

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HCA is the largest hospital operator in the state, and owns almost 17% of all licensed hospital beds, according to state data. Its the second largest health system in the Dallas-Fort Worth region, after Texas Health Resources.

More than 1,800 people work for the health system, making it the largest employer in Decatur.

The health system suffered a steep drop in net operating revenues  from $438 million in 2021 to $385 million in 2022  caused by changes in agreements with insurance providers, fewer inpatients in the hospitals, and the closure of 32 clinic locations, according to the health systems most recent financial disclosure. The 2021 February winter storm resulted in $9 million loss for the health system, as it canceled and delayed services.
A Grand Prairie man who was a leader in a criminal enterprise that targeted elderly people in a telephone romance scam and laundered the proceeds has been sentenced to 20 years in prison.

In 396th District Court in Tarrant County, Judge George Gallagher on Thursday sentenced Ifeanyichukwu Obi to the prison term, a 10-year probation period and to pay $482,000 in restitution. Obi pleaded guilty in July to engaging in organized criminal activity and theft of property more than $300,000.

Obi, 43, intends to appeal the sentence.

Scam participants obtained money by pretending via telephone to be in love with victims. Obi sent to Nigeria $1.32 million in stolen money during two months in 2019, according to the Tarrant County Criminal District Attorneys Office.

Another defendant in the case, Obianuju Orakposim, said that members of the enterprise, known as Yahoo Boys, go to Voodoo doctors in Nigeria to obtain special powers to deceive others into giving them money, according to a summary of her interview with the district attorneys office filed with the court.

Criminal District Attorney Phil Sorrells wrote in a statement announcing the sentence that his office is working cases against three other members of the enterprise.

The other defendants are Orakposim, of Arlington; Saheed Akinyemi, of Haslet; and Olusegun Odunwole, of Fort Worth.

Assistant Criminal District Attorney Lori Varnell prosecuted the case.
King Charles III controversially hosted European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen at Windsor Castle. (PA)

King Charles' meeting with Ursula von der Leyen at Windsor Castle has attracted major criticism from politicians and commentators.

Former royal correspondent for the BBC  Peter Hunt  said that "heads will roll" over the "serious error in judgement" and one constitutional expert said, "all of this is unwise".

The meeting came as Rishi Sunak finalised a new post-Brexit deal with the president of the European Commission over the Northern Ireland Protocol.

Yahoo UK explains why the decision is sparking such controversy.

'Terrible mistake' - what has the reaction been so far?

The decision has sparked widespread criticism because the negotiations surrounding Northern Ireland's post-Brexit trade position are firmly a political issue - something Charles is constitutionally bound as sovereign to stay out of.

Commentator Peter Hunt said the meeting with von der Leyen was a serious error of judgment adding that the King has abandoned his unifying role and entered the political fray.

Hunt also said that history wont be kind to the move, and writing in The Spectator, said that it will likely result in the resignation of one of the Kings advisors, saying someones head will roll.

He added: "With one handshake and the click of an attendant camera, he abandoned his unifying role and entered a political fray where the Brexit dust has yet to settle."

Constitutional expert Craig Prescott from Bangor University told The Times that while on a superficial level, there is nothing wrong with Charles meeting von der Leyen but the "Northern Ireland Protocol is a matter of huge controversy."

Sunak's spokesperson has said that the decision to meet the President of the European Commission was "fundamentally" the King's. (Getty Images)

Prescott added: "All of this is unwise. A cardinal rule is the monarch does not get involved in politics, and really you should put an electric fence around that rule."

Conservative MP Jacob Rees-Mogg has said to GB News: "The sovereign should only be involved when things are completed and accepted" and that the monarch "doesn't express his view on acts of parliament" while they are still being processed.

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Chris Bryant, a Labour MP, said it was a "terrible mistake" for the King to meet with von der Leyen.

"This is a terrible mistake by the government. We should never bring the monarchy into political disputes."

The meeting with von der Leyen has been deemed a "terrible mistake". (Reuters)

Former first minister of Northern Ireland - Arlene Foster - called the decision "crass" and that it would "go down badly in Northern Ireland". She also couldn't "quite believe No 10 would ask HM the King to become involved in the finalising of a deal as controversial as this one".

Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) MP Sammy Wilson said Downing Street was "dragging the King into a hugely controversial political issue".

However, Foreign Secretary, James Cleverly, has defended the Kings meeting with von der Leyen saying it is not unusual for senior international representatives to meet the monarch while they are in the UK.

Read more: Royal row hits Rishi Sunak's plan to sign Brexit deal with EU today

Why is it controversial for Charles to meet Ursula von der Leyen?

Many are interpreting this move as the King giving his seal of approval to the new agreement, meaning it can be seen as the politicisation of the monarch.

As a 'national symbol' for the entire UK, Charles cannot be seen as favouring the interests of individual politicians, or any particular political position: he represents the four nations equally and in their entirety, which is why it is so important he remains neutral.

If he can be viewed as 'taking a stand' in any respect then it undermines the power of the sovereign's symbolic reach as head of state and, in the long term, the stability of the monarchy.

Read more: King Charles's Ukraine statement shows how he's different to Queen

Watch: Rishi Sunak strikes post-Brexit Northern Ireland Protocol deal with EU

Whose decision was it for the King to meet Ursula von der Leyen?

A spokesperson for Buckingham Palace has said that the King met von der Leyen on the advice of the government.

"The King is pleased to meet any world leader if they are visiting Britain and it is the governments advice that he should do so."

However, Downing Street said the opposite, that it was "fundamentally" the King's decision.

Sunak's spokesperson also said that the prime minister "firmly believes it's for the King to make those kind of decisions".

The Foreign Secretary also said that the final decision rested with the palace about whether King Charles was able to meet von der Leyen when speaking to Sky News, and when questioned on Good Morning Britain about whose idea the controversial meeting was, he said the government had facilitated it.

Both parties therefore, are keen to place the blame for this controversial meeting at the other's door.

This comes after reports at the weekend that Charles was due to meet von der Leyen as part of the negotiations, although it has not been suggested he would have taken part in the talks himself.

More reporting on the Northern Ireland Protocol

DUP Leader faces stark and binary choice over any NI protocol deal (The Guardian)

'The whole point of Brexit was to permanently prevent the EU from telling the UK what to do' (The Telegraph)
A 70-year-old man was arrested after he allegedly told a federal agent, "If you help me, Ill help you," during a bribery attempt to get back more than $12,000 seized at an El Paso port of entry, court documents state.

Pedro Thiessen, of Seminole, Texas, crossed into the U.S. on Oct. 20 at the Ysleta Port of Entry carrying $12,171, according to a federal criminal complaint affidavit.

Thiessen failed to declare the money. Federal law states any money over the amount of $10,000 must be declared to customs officials.

The money was then seized by U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers.

Thiessen later filed a petition in an attempt to recover the money.

More:Former ICE officer sentenced to 8 months in prison in bribery case

A U.S. Homeland Security Investigations special agent interviewed Thiessen on Jan. 6 regarding the petition on whether the money should be returned to him or forfeited to the government, the affidavit states.

Thiessen allegedly asked the agent at the end of the interview how they could work the situation out amongst themselves, the affidavit states.

Another interview between Thiessen and the same agent was held Jan. 30.

Thiessen allegedly offered to pay the agent an unknown amount of money if the agent helped him get back the seized cash, saying, "If you help me, Ill help you, the affidavit states.

The agent reported the offer to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Office of Professional Responsibility.

The agent continued to talk with Thiessen under the supervision of Office of Professional Responsibility special agents who were now investigating Thiessen for attempting to bribe a public official, court documents state.

More:Venezuelan migrants accused of offering bribe, assaulting El Paso Border Patrol agent

The agent called Thiessen on Feb. 6.

During the call, Thiessen allegedly agreed to pay the agent $3,000 if the agent returned the$12,171 to him.

Thiessen allegedly agreed to meet the agent the following week and pay $1,000 up front and pay the remaining $2,000 once he received the $12,171, the affidavit states.

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The agent and Thiessen spoke Feb. 15 to arrange the meeting.

During the call, the agent told Thiessen to be discreet because what they were doing was illegal. The agent went on to say that he and Thiessen could get into a lot of trouble for what they were doing.

Thiessen allegedly replied that he understood and agreed to bring the $1,000 the next day, the affidavit alleges.

They met at a restaurant located in the 3400 block of Joe Battle Boulevard in East El Paso.

More:El Paso police search for killer in 18-year-old man's stabbing death near Downtown

Thiessen allegedly paid the agent $1,000 in exchange for the money that had been seized by customs officers, the affidavit states.

Thiessen was then immediately arrested on suspicion of bribery of public officials, according to officials with the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Texas.

A detention hearing for Thiessen last week was rescheduled for Thursday.

Court documents do not state why the hearing was rescheduled. A "low German" language interpreter is being requested for Thiessen at Thursday's hearing, court records state.

Thiessen faces up to 15 years in prison if he is convicted of bribery of public officials.

Aaron Martinez may be reached at amartinez1@elpasotimes.com or on Twitter @AMartinezEPT.

This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Man accused of trying to bribe El Paso HSI agent over seized cash
Photo: Contributed

B.C.s College of Nurses and Midwives has suspended a Surrey licensed practical nurse for two days after finding problems with the way she delivered drugs to patients.

In a decision released Feb. 24, the college said it had approved a consent agreement with Ravneet Kaur Kaler to deal with concerns stemming from a period when she worked with a community pharmacy program to deliver and administer medication to patients in their homes.

The college found Kaler failed to follow relevant standards, employer policies and instructions when she delivered narcotics through a mail slot.

The college said the action was done without engaging in any assessment or evaluation of the patient's health status. It caused a potential breach of the patient's personal health information as the delivery was made to the wrong address, states the public memo.

As a result, Kaler has received a public reprimand and a two-day suspension of her licence.

Kaler must also take remedial education in preventing medication errors, patient privacy and ethics; as well as engage in a regulatory practice consulting program.

The college is one of 18 regulatory bodies empowered under the Health Professions Act to regulate health professions in B.C. It regulates the practice of four distinct professions: nursing, practical nursing, psychiatric nursing and midwifery.

Similar legislation in other self-regulated areas such as the legal and notary public professions also allow citizens to know about discipline issues in the public interest.

The inquiry committee is satisfied that the terms will protect the public, the college said.

[email protected]

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Just because a business does not make any money, does not mean that the stock will go down. For example, biotech and mining exploration companies often lose money for years before finding success with a new treatment or mineral discovery. Nonetheless, only a fool would ignore the risk that a loss making company burns through its cash too quickly.

Given this risk, we thought we'd take a look at whether Chesser Resources (ASX:CHZ) shareholders should be worried about its cash burn. For the purpose of this article, we'll define cash burn as the amount of cash the company is spending each year to fund its growth (also called its negative free cash flow). First, we'll determine its cash runway by comparing its cash burn with its cash reserves.

View our latest analysis for Chesser Resources

When Might Chesser Resources Run Out Of Money?

A company's cash runway is calculated by dividing its cash hoard by its cash burn. As at June 2022, Chesser Resources had cash of AU$12m and no debt. Importantly, its cash burn was AU$9.1m over the trailing twelve months. That means it had a cash runway of around 15 months as of June 2022. While that cash runway isn't too concerning, sensible holders would be peering into the distance, and considering what happens if the company runs out of cash. However, if we extrapolate the company's recent cash burn trend, then it would have a longer cash run way. The image below shows how its cash balance has been changing over the last few years.

How Is Chesser Resources' Cash Burn Changing Over Time?

In our view, Chesser Resources doesn't yet produce significant amounts of operating revenue, since it reported just AU$1.9k in the last twelve months. As a result, we think it's a bit early to focus on the revenue growth, so we'll limit ourselves to looking at how the cash burn is changing over time. With the cash burn rate up 22% in the last year, it seems that the company is ratcheting up investment in the business over time. However, the company's true cash runway will therefore be shorter than suggested above, if spending continues to increase. Admittedly, we're a bit cautious of Chesser Resources due to its lack of significant operating revenues. So we'd generally prefer stocks from this list of stocks that have analysts forecasting growth.

How Hard Would It Be For Chesser Resources To Raise More Cash For Growth?

Given its cash burn trajectory, Chesser Resources shareholders may wish to consider how easily it could raise more cash, despite its solid cash runway. Issuing new shares, or taking on debt, are the most common ways for a listed company to raise more money for its business. Many companies end up issuing new shares to fund future growth. We can compare a company's cash burn to its market capitalisation to get a sense for how many new shares a company would have to issue to fund one year's operations.

Chesser Resources has a market capitalisation of AU$53m and burnt through AU$9.1m last year, which is 17% of the company's market value. As a result, we'd venture that the company could raise more cash for growth without much trouble, albeit at the cost of some dilution.

How Risky Is Chesser Resources' Cash Burn Situation?

On this analysis of Chesser Resources' cash burn, we think its cash runway was reassuring, while its increasing cash burn has us a bit worried. Even though we don't think it has a problem with its cash burn, the analysis we've done in this article does suggest that shareholders should give some careful thought to the potential cost of raising more money in the future. Separately, we looked at different risks affecting the company and spotted 4 warning signs for Chesser Resources (of which 2 make us uncomfortable!) you should know about.

If you would prefer to check out another company with better fundamentals, then do not miss this free list of interesting companies, that have HIGH return on equity and low debt or this list of stocks which are all forecast to grow.

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



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 teacher at Beckman High School was arrested Monday after being accused of putting recording instruments in an all-gender restroom near the school's pool.

For the record:

4:24 p.m. Feb. 28, 2023: An earlier version of this story described Sit as a science teacher at the high school. He was a math teacher.



A 37-year-old teacher at Beckman High School was arrested Monday after police said he hid recording devices in one of the school's bathrooms.

Siu Kong Sit is accused of putting the recording instruments in an all-gender restroom near the school's pool, which detectives said captured "several" people inside the restroom, according to a news release from the Irvine Police Department.

A contracted maintenance worker found the hidden devices in the bathroom and turned them over to administrative staff, who then alerted police, the release said.

The statement from police did not say how detectives determined who planted the recording devices but said their investigation determined it was Sit.

The Irvine Police Department arrested teacher Siu Kong Sit after a school employee found hidden recording devices in a restroom at Beckman High School. (Irvine Police Department)

Sit, a Santa Ana resident, was arrested at the school Monday and booked at Orange County Jail on suspicion of possession or manufacturing of child pornography, burglary and two other misdemeanor charges, police said. He is being held on $20,000 bail, according to jail records.

Detectives are working to locate additional victims in the case, the release said.

Sit was a math teacher at Beckman High, according to the school's website, which is part of the Tustin Unified School District. A spokesperson for the district did not respond to a request for comment.





This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
In 2019, Lindley Thelismond shot and killed James Jeter, 26, in what officials called a gang-related incident in 2019. Four years later, Jeter's mother Dusown Kennedy is still having a hard time explaining to Jeter's three children why their father went to heaven.

Its hard, and I know Ill never get my son back," she said at a press conference Monday afternoon.

Lebanon County law enforcement officials are seeing more violent crimes, including shootings and homicides with firearms by 17-year-olds. Lebanon County District Attorney Pier Hess Graf said stopping the rise of juvenile crime and assaults with firearms needs to start at home.

"I'm tried of having to sit with parents, and watch them grieve," she said. "I'm tired of going to crime scenes and staring at the body of a 12-year-old slain down in the street, and it starts in the home."

Almost four years after the death of her son James Jeter, Dusown Kennedy joined District Attorney Pier Hess Graf Monday to talk about the rising youth gun violence in Lebanon County. Its hard and I know Ill never get my son back," she said at the press conference.

In the 13 years Graf has spent working in the district attorney's office, she's never seen a rash of crimes with illegal firearms as she's seeing presently. Those who choose a lifestyle of gang affiliation end only in one of two ways, according to Graf: prison or death.

"We are seeing younger and younger defendants being charged with aggravated assault by firearm, criminal homicide by firearm," she said. "The bottom line is by the time law enforcement is called to a scene, by the time I become involved, in some aspect it's already too late."

More than a week ago, Thelismond, 17, of New York, was sentenced to life in prison for the death of Jeter, with the possibility of parole in 50 years. Thelismond was found guilty in June 2022 of first-degree homicide.

"That verdict and that outcome, it might be justice under the law, but it's not justice for the two people standing before you today," Graf said. "A life sentence is never going to bring your son back."

Thelismond sentencing:'A hole in my heart': New York gang member gets life sentence for 2019 Lebanon city shooting

Thelismond Trial:'He killed my friend': New York gang member found guilty in 2019 Lebanon city shooting

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Thelismond and Jeter were identified as being members of the Crips, a gang based in Brooklyn, New York. Thelismond was in Lebanon to hide because of his alleged connection to a fatal shooting in New York City, according to officials. The victim lived in Vanderveer, a distinct subsection of the housing projects in Brooklyn.

"When (Thelismond) came here, he dealt drugs, and at 17 he managed to illegally purchase three illegal firearms," Graf said.

Almost four years after the death of her son James Jeter, Dusown Kennedy joined District Attorney Pier Hess Graf Monday to talk about the rising youth gun violence in Lebanon County. Its hard and I know Ill never get my son back," she said at the press conference.

Jeter's father Robert Kennedy said that families, siblings and children are still feeling the emptiness of the loss of his son.

"There are holes that can't be filled, like you dig a hole outside in the dirt you can always fill it up," he said. "These kind of holes you can't fill up, and there's holes here."

The district attorney's office recently received a $200,000 state grant to combat gun violence. Graf said law enforcement need the tools to combat the increase in gun violence but did not specify what those tools are at Monday's press conference.

Law enforcement would never be able to fully remove illegal gun trade in the community, according to Graf.

"The bottom line is if you know the right people and you have cash (or) drugs, these kids are finding ways to get firearms," she said.

Another way to combat violent crime is for community to reach out to law enforcement if they know something about the incident.

Jason R. Rivera, 13, was shot and killed February 2022 at the 300 block of Vine Street in South Lebanon County. Police are still looking for leads in his case.

Before 9 p.m. Feb. 15, 2022, Jason Rivera, 12, was shot and killed in the 300 block of Vine Street in South Lebanon Township, just outside the city's southern limits. A year later, police have struggled to find leads on the person who shot him.

"People know what happened to that child," Graf said. "We talk to his family on a pretty regular basis, and they call in, 'Where are we at with this?' No one is talking to (law enforcement) about what happened. ... When you rather align yourself with a criminal in a gang than with police, you have a family that goes forever without knowing what happened to that child."

Jason Rivera:Family pleads for help in finding killer of 13-year-old Jason Rivera in South Lebanon Twp.

The person who pays for these increased gun crimes is the parents, Dusown Kennedy said. Kids need to find other outlets to deal with these situations, and possibly walk away and still stay alive.

"I just feel that they should find other ways to deal with their situation," she said. "Find a way to either compromise or try to find a good way to walk away from the situation. I know it's hard, but just try."

Officials are asking anyone who knows something about Rivera's shooting to contact the South Lebanon Township Police Department at 717-272-2054, the District Attorney's office at 717-228-4412, the Lebanon County Detective Bureau at 717-228-4403, or Crimestoppers at 717-270-9800.

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 County law enforcement is seeing rise in youth gun violence
(Bloomberg) -- Hong Kongs ability to stage major global events in the wake of pandemic isolation is about to be put to the test.

Most Read from Bloomberg

Next month will see the finance hub host the biggest series of international events since often-violent protests in 2019 shut down much of the city. These include the Clockenflap music festival, a reported summit for family offices, Art Basel and the Rugby Sevens tournament.

Hong Kongs slow pace of reopening has put the city at risk of losing its spot as Asias premier arts and exhibition center for good. In January, Singapore hosted Art SG, the regions biggest launch since Art Basels inaugural show in Hong Kong in 2013.

Marchs line-up coincides with the launch of the Hello Hong Kong campaign, aimed at luring travelers back to the city after years of self-imposed isolation. A 500,000 airline ticket giveaway is the centerpiece of the campaign.

Adding to the celebratory mood, Hong Kong is dropping its mask mandate  one of the longest in the world  from Wednesday. Leader John Lee made the announcement on Tuesday.

From tomorrow we are completely returning to normalcy, Lee said at a press briefing. This year and the next year, we will focus on the economy and development.

The former British colony still has a long way to go. Tourism numbers remain low. In January, passenger volumes at the Norman Foster-designed airport were a third of the level four years earlier. That compares with 77% for Singapore.

Hong Kong is also struggling with a shortage of workers in both the air and services industries. The labor force has shrunk after employees were let go during the pandemic and a flood of residents left the city due to Covid restrictions and concern over Beijings stronger grip. The population has fallen by a net 187,000 in the three years through 2022.

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Here is a list of key events happening in March:

The Hong Kong Arts Festival: Feb. 17-March 19

HKTDC Hong Kong International Jewellery Show: March 1-5

Clockenflap: March 3-5

Hong Kong Flower Show: March 10-19

Art Central: March 22-25

Art Basel: March 23-25

Hong Kong International Film Festival: March 30-April 10

Hong Kong Sevens: March 31-April 2

(Updates to add end of mask mandate from fifth paragraph.)

Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek

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By Farah Master

HONG KONG (Reuters) -Hong Kong will drop its COVID-19 mask mandate, chief executive John Lee said on Tuesday, in a move to lure back visitors and business and restore normal life more than three years after stringent rules were first imposed in the financial hub.

The measure will take effect from Wednesday, Lee told a press briefing. The special administrative region of Hong Kong is one of the last places globally that still imposes a mask mandate.

Hong Kong and Macau both followed China's zero-COVID policy for much of the past three years. Hong Kong started unwinding its stringent COVID rules last year but mask-wearing has remained constant since 2020.

"We think this is the best timing to make this decision. It is a clear message to show Hong Kong is resuming normalcy," Lee said.

In high risk places such as hospitals, administrators can decide whether to require staff and visitors to wear masks, he said.

Neighbouring special administrative region Macau, said on Feb 26 that it would drop COVID 19-related mask requirements for most locations, except for public transportation, hospitals and a handful of other areas.

In mainland China residents are not required to wear masks outdoors, although authorities encourage them to do so in public indoor areas such as airports and train stations.

Hong Kong's move to scrap masks comes after its government this month launched a promotional campaign called "Hello Hong Kong" to bring back tourists and businesses which have steered clear of the former British colony since 2020.

Hong Kong had stuck rigidly to its mask rule, even in schools where children as young as 2 years old were mandated to wear them outside their homes. Many students and teachers have been concerned about the impact on learning and child development.

Students are still mandated to take daily rapid antigen tests to check for COVID although authorities announced last week that this would be scrapped starting from March 1 for secondary school students and primary schools and nurseries from March 15.

Business groups, diplomats and many residents had slammed Hong Kong's COVID-19 rules, saying they threatened its competitiveness and standing as an international financial centre.

(Reporting by the Hong Kong newsroom; Writing by Farah Master; Editing by Shri Navaratnam and Michael Perry)
By Kuba Stezycki

WARSAW (Reuters) - While millions of Ukrainians fled to Poland last spring, Tetiana Harkusha, a 27-year-old employment agency worker, boarded a bus to return home to Chernihiv, a Ukrainian town that Russian bombing has since turned to rubble. Back in Poland a year later, she has taken on a new endeavor to help her reunite with her mother who is still in Ukraine.

I really want to get my driving license. I went to school here to pass those exams. I know that mum won't be able to come by bus, you have to travel for 24 hours. I hope my dream will come true and I will go to pick her up by my own car, she told Reuters sitting in her flat last week.

Chernihiv was on the frontlines of the full-scale Russian invasion that started on Feb. 24, 2022. At the end of March, Russian forces had effectively surrounded the city and bombs were falling on residential areas.

Harkusha had returned home last year to see her parents, including her ailing father who has since passed.

Half of the city is destroyed," she told Reuters at the bus station in Poland last April. "My parents dont have water, electricity, mobile connection nothing. Thats how they have lived for three weeks now."

One year into the war, Harkusha mourns not only the destruction of the town she grew up in, but also her father. His passing, she says, has been harder for her to accept than the war. Now back in Lodz, she is determined to reunite with her mother.

While her first attempt at the state driving exam was unsuccessful, Harkusha does not give up.

"I've never driven a car Two years ago, I said I would never drive a car, she said. Mom was left alone... I want to take her here, she says.

(Reporting by Kuba Stezycki; Writing by Agnieszka Pikulicka-Wilczewska; Editing by Josie Kao)
WASHINGTON  The House Oversight and Accountability Committee approved two bills in party-line votes Tuesday aiming to curb government influence on social media posts on Twitter and Facebook.

One bill from the chairman, Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., seeks to prohibit federal agency employees from using their authority to influence social media companies to suppress or restrict or add disclaimers to lawful commentary. The committee voted 24-20 to approve the bill.

The other bill, from Rep. Scott Perry, R-Pa., would require a government-wide report of all the times in the last five years a federal agency urged a social media company to remove or suppress or add disclaimers to lawful speech. The committee voted 24-20 to approve the bill.

Here's what we know about the legislation:

Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., is seen Feb. 8, 2023, during the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability hearing on Protecting Speech from Government Interference and Social Media Bias, Part 1: Twitters Role in Suppressing the Biden Laptop Story." The committee will vote Tuesday on his bill aiming to curb government influence on social media companies.

Why is House Oversight focusing on Twitter, other social media companies?

Both pieces of legislation come after a hearing earlier in February detailed how Twitter temporarily blocked links to news stories about Hunter Bidens laptop.

Republicans argued social media platforms also suppressed allegations of 2020 election fraud and COVID-19 origins and treatments. Twitter and Facebook each banned former President Donald Trump after the Capitol attack on Jan. 6, 2021, but his access has been restored.

Former Twitter executives testified they met routinely during the 2020 presidential campaign with FBI officials who would raise concerns about posts, which the company would decide whether to act on. The executives regretted blocking links to a New York Post story about Hunter Bidens laptop weeks before the 2020 election, but said they had been warned about possible Russian hacking and disinformation.

It is inappropriate and dangerous for the federal government to decide what lawful speech is allowed on a private sector platform, Comer said. All Americans have a right to utilize these new and powerful communication technology resources to share their views and opinions without Uncle Sam putting his thumb on the scale to tile influence debate in one direction.

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The top Democrat on the panel, Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland, said none of the witnesses said the FBI ordered Twitter to limit distribution of the story. But former President Donald Trumps White House contacted the platform urging the removal of a 2019 tweet by celebrity Chrissy Teigen, witnesses said.

Social media companies have a First Amendment right to establish their own rules governing their own speech, Raskin said.

The prospects for both Oversight bills are uncertain because of conflicting policy goals between the Republican House and the Democratic Senate. In broad terms, Republicans contend too much free speech is restricted, while Democrats have argued the platforms should do more to combat misinformation.

Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-MD., left, and Rep. James Comer, R-KY., are seen during the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability hearing on Protecting Speech from Government Interference and Social Media Bias, Part 1: Twitters Role in Suppressing the Biden Laptop Story," on Feb. 8, 2023 in Washington.

Policing social media 'huge problem' to GOP or 'a solution without a problem' to Democrats

Republicans supported both pieces of legislation after complaining that social media sites routinely blocked or suppressed conservative posts on subjects such as the origins of COVID-19 pandemic.

Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., said anyone who suggested the virus began in a Chinese lab was labeled as conspiracy theorists, nuts and xenophobes. He cited social media platforms discouraging posts from doctors quoting medical studies about masks not working.

Its a huge problem in my mind, Biggs said.

Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., said people should be able to question masks, vaccines and what happened in hospitals without fear of being shut down, suspended and banned.

Americans need to be able to ask these questions," Boebert said. "They have the right to receive information about whats going on."

But Democrats said there was no evidence at the committee's recent Twitter hearing that FBI agents or others in the federal government had any impact on the platforms decision to block links to the Hunter Biden laptop story. Rep. Dan Goldman, D-N.Y., called the legislation a solution without a problem.

This is not about the First Amendment, said Rep. Melanie Stansbury, D-N.M. This is gaslighting.

The committee approved the bills after rejecting a half-dozen Democratic amendments along party-line votes. Among them were a Raskin had proposal to apply the legislation to Congress, in addition to executive branch agencies. Rep. Stephen Lynch, D-Mass., proposed to allow national-security workers to relay information about threats such as disinformation about elections.

If we dont adopt this amendment, this becomes the Putin Protection Act, Raskin said, referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

From left, James Baker, Former Deputy General Counsel at Twitter, Vijaya Gadde, Former Chief Legal Officer at Twitter, Yoel Roth Former Global Head of Trust & Safety Twitter, and Anika Collier Navaroli, a former Twitter employee, are sworn in during the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability hearing on "Protecting Speech from Government Interference and Social Media Bias, Part 1: Twitter's Role in Suppressing the Biden Laptop Story," on Feb. 8, 2023 in Washington.

Alleged suppression of conservatives a focus of House GOP

The legislation is part of House Republican oversight of the Biden administration that lawmakers said was neglected while Democrats controlled both chambers of Congress. Republicans have focused on social media companies in their initial inquiries.

Besides the legislation in Oversight and Foreign Affairs, the head of the Judiciary Committee, Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, subpoenaed top executives from five companies  Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Microsoft and Meta  to ask about the alleged suppression of conservatives.

Jordan seeks information about whether the FBI or other agencies urged private companies such as Twitter, Facebook and Googles YouTube to steer users away from conservative content or drop conservative users.

The subpoenas went to:

Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., is seen Feb. 8, 2023, during the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability hearing on Protecting Speech from Government Interference and Social Media Bias, Part 1: Twitters Role in Suppressing the Biden Laptop Story." Raskin said government agencies hadn't directed Twitter to remove posts and the private company could decide what content it allows.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Hunter Biden, COVID-19: Why is House GOP focusing on Twitter
Photo: The Canadian Press FILE - This 2020 electron microscope image made available by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows SARS-CoV-2 virus particles, which cause COVID-19. A crucial question has eluded governments and health agencies since the COVID-19 pandemic began: Did the virus originate in animals or leak from a Chinese lab? Now, the U.S. Department of Energy has assessed with low confidence that it began with a lab leak although others in the U.S. intelligence community disagree. (Hannah A. Bullock, Azaibi Tamin/CDC via AP, File)

A crucial question has eluded governments and health agencies around the world since the COVID-19 pandemic began: Did the virus originate in animals or leak from a Chinese lab?

Now, the U.S. Department of Energy has assessed with low confidence in that it began with a lab leak, according to a person familiar with the report who wasnt authorized to discuss it. The report has not been made public.

But others in the U.S. intelligence community disagree.

There is not a consensus right now in the U.S. government about exactly how COVID started, John Kirby, the spokesman for the National Security Council, said Monday. There is just not an intelligence community consensus.

The DOE's conclusion was first reported over the weekend in the Wall Street Journal, which said the classified report was based on new intelligence and noted in an update to a 2021 document. The DOE oversees a national network of labs.

White House officials on Monday declined to confirm press reports about the assessment.

In 2021, officials released an intelligence report summary that said four members of the U.S. intelligence community believed with low confidence that the virus was first transmitted from an animal to a human, and a fifth believed with moderate confidence that the first human infection was linked to a lab.

While some scientists are open to the lab-leak theory, others continue to believe the virus came from animals, mutated, and jumped into people  as has happened in the past with viruses. Experts say the true origin of the pandemic may not be known for many years  if ever.

CALLS FOR MORE INVESTIGATION

The U.S. Office of the Director of National Intelligence declined to comment on the report. All 18 offices of the U.S. intelligence community had access to the information the DOE used in reaching its assessment.

Alina Chan, a molecular biologist at the Broad Institute of Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard, said she isnt sure what new intelligence the agencies had, but its reasonable to infer it relates to activities at the Wuhan Institute of Virology in China. She said a 2018 research proposal co-authored by scientists there and their U.S. collaborators essentially described a blueprint for COVID-like viruses.

Less than two years later, such a virus was causing an outbreak in the city, she said.

The Wuhan institute had been studying coronaviruses for years, in part because of widespread concerns  tracing back to SARS  that coronaviruses could be the source of the next pandemic.

No intelligence agency has said they believe the coronavirus that caused COVID-19 was released intentionally. The unclassified 2021 summary was clear on this point, saying: We judge the virus was not developed as a biological weapon.

Lab accidents happen at a surprising frequency. A lot of people dont really hear about lab accidents because they're not talked about publicly, said Chan, who co-authored a book about the search for COVID-19 origins. Such accidents "underscore a need to make work with highly dangerous pathogens more transparent and more accountable.

Last year, the World Health Organization recommended a deeper probe into a possible lab accident. Chan said she hopes the latest report sparks more investigation in the United States.

China has called the suggestion that COVID-19 came from a Chinese laboratory  baseless.

SUPPORT FOR ANIMAL THEORY

Many scientists believe the animal-to-human theory of the coronavirus remains much more plausible. They theorize it emerged in the wild and jumped from bats to humans, either directly or through another animal.

In a 2021 research paper in the journal Cell, scientists said the COVID-19 virus, is the ninth documented coronavirus to infect humans  and all the previous ones originated in animals.

Two studies, published last year by the journal Science, bolstered the animal origin theory. That research found that the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market in Wuhan was likely the early epicenter. Scientists concluded that the virus likely spilled from animals into people two separate times.

The scientific literature contains essentially nothing but original research articles that support a natural origin of this virus pandemic," said Michael Worobey, an evolutionary biologist at the University of Arizona who has extensively studied COVID-19's origins.

He said the fact that others in the intelligence community looked at the same information as the DOE and it apparently didn't move the needle speaks volumes. He said he takes such intelligence assessments with a grain of salt because he doesn't think the people making them have the scientific expertise ... to really understand the most important evidence that they need to understand.

The U.S. should be more transparent and release the new intelligence that apparently swayed the DOE, Worobey said.

REACTION TO THE REPORT

The DOE conclusion comes to light as House Republicans have been using their new majority power to investigate all aspects of the pandemic, including the origin, as well as what they contend were officials efforts to conceal the fact that it leaked from a lab in Wuhan. Earlier this month, Republicans sent letters to Dr. Anthony Fauci, National Intelligence Director Avril Haines, Health Secretary Xavier Beccera and others as part of their investigative efforts.

The now retired Fauci, who served as the countrys top infectious disease expert under both Republican and Democratic presidents, has called the GOP criticism nonsense.

Rep. Mike McCaul, R-Texas, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, has asked the Biden administration to provide Congress with a full and thorough briefing on the report and the evidence behind it.

Kirby, the National Security Council spokesman, emphasized that President Joe Biden believes it's important to know what happened "so we can better prevent future pandemics but that such research must be done in a safe and secure manner and as transparent as possible to the rest of the world.
House lawmakers held a moment of silence in the chamber on Monday to honor the victims of this months shooting at Michigan State University.

Three students were killed and five others were injured when a gunman opened fire at two locations on the Michigan State campus in East Lansing on Feb. 13.

Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.), whose district includes the universitys campus, led Mondays moment of silence while surrounded by other members of the Michigan delegation. Lawmakers stood in silence for nearly a minute to honor the victims.

Today I rise to pay tribute to Michigan State University as tonight marks two weeks since a horrific shooting took the lives of three innocent students and injured five others, Slotkin said.

The congresswoman said the victims  juniors Arielle Anderson and Alexandria Verner and sophomore Brian Fraser  were taken from us far too soon.

Slotkin, who earlier in the day announced a 2024 bid to replace retiring Michigan Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D), noted that the incident at Michigan State was the second school shooting she has had to oversee in her district in the past 15 months. In November 2021, a gunman fatally shot four students and injured seven other individuals at Oxford High School.

Our community is Spartan strong, but grief remains palpable, Slotkin said. Even on my own team  my staff is here, MSU current and alumni. Almost 15 months ago, this same group of Michigan lawmakers with our friends and allies stood up here to mourn the loss of life at Oxford High School.

It seems beyond belief that I am a member of Congress who has now overseen two school shootings in her district in 15 months, she continued. Yet another horrific tragedy that has forever changed the families of the victims, their classmates, professors, the entire community.

The congresswoman added we cannot be desensitized to this senseless violence.

More than 90 mass shootings have taken place in the U.S. this year as of Monday, according to the Gun Violence Archive.

Congress passed and President Biden signed a gun safety bill last year that enhanced background checks for gun purchasers between the age of 18 and 21, created a federal offense for individuals who obtain firearms through straw purchases or trafficking and clarified the definition of a federally licensed firearm dealer, among other tenets.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
EVELYN HOCKSTEIN

House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer invoked the late son of President Joe Biden on Tuesday, lamenting that Beau Biden was never prosecuted over an investigation into illegal contributions involving his fathers 2008 presidential campaign.

When hes not busy threatening pay-TV providers for not carrying his favorite right-wing channels, or warning that Chinese spy balloons may drop bioweapons on the U.S., Comer has devoted much of his energy to launching an investigation into presidential son Hunter Bidens business dealings.

During an appearance on former Fox Business host Lou Dobbs podcast, Comer and the election-denying MAGA acolyte bemoaned that the U.S. attorney probing Hunter Biden has yet to bring any charges.

United States Attorney for the District of Delaware David Weiss, a Trump-era appointee, has been investigating the presidents son over his tax affairs since 2018, and it has been reported that prosecutors are close to wrapping up the case. Additionally, authorities have also weighed bringing charges against Hunter Biden for allegedly lying on a gun application form.

GOP Leader Threatens DirecTV: Bring Back NewsmaxOr Else

At one point, Comer seemingly suggested that Weiss was overly sympathetic to the Biden family before bringing up Beau Biden, the former Delaware attorney general who died of a brain tumor in 2015.

This U.S. attorney had had an opportunity to go after the Bidens years ago, the Kentucky lawmaker huffed. In fact, it was Beau Biden, the presidents other son, that was involved in some campaign donations from a person that got indicted, as well as Joe Biden was involved in some of these campaign donations when he was a senator, and then when he ran for president against Obama.

Comer continued: But nothing ever happened. So I dont know much about this U.S. attorney other than hes had an opportunity to investigate the Bidens before and he chose not to. We all know that hes just been silent for a long time.

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After grumbling that Weiss didnt go after the presidents dead son when he had the chance, the GOP congressman then fumed that we know whats on that laptop while wondering why Weiss has yet to prosecute Hunter Biden.

Theres enough to indict Hunter Biden now, there was enough to indict Hunter Biden three or four years ago with whats on the laptop, he exclaimed. So for whatever reason, this U.S. attorney hasnt produced very many results.

CNN Forces GOP Rep to Admit Theres No Evidence Spy Balloon Had Bioweapons

The campaign donation situation that Comer referenced revolves around contributions made by Delaware liquor executive Christopher Tigani during the 2000s, including to Joe Bidens unsuccessful 2008 presidential campaign.

After Tigani pleaded guilty in 2011 to campaign finance charges regarding a contribution reimbursement scheme, Beau Biden recused himself from a state probe into the donations and tapped special prosecutor E. Norman Veasey to lead the two-year investigation. Veaseys report did find that 19 lawmakers had unknowingly received straw donations, including both Bidens, and therefore no public officials were ever charged or prosecuted.

Although some witnesses made vague references or speculated to the effect that candidates or their agents knew about or suggested reimbursements, investigators did not find credible evidence to support a charge, the report noted.

Comers invocation of the presidents late son runs contrary to the GOP congressmans repeated claims that hes not interested in digging into any Bidens but the president himself.

At the end of the day, this is an investigation of Joe Biden, Comer told Fox News last week, while telling Newsmax last year that he doesnt care about Hunter Bidens personal life or drug addiction.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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Actor Hugh Bonneville and comedian John Bishop have discovered that their ancestors worked four doors apart in Dublin and were believed to have marched together in support of workers rights.

DNA Journey, which returns on Tuesday 7 March for a fourth series on ITV, will see four celebrity pairings delve into their pasts.

The first episode sees Bonneville and Bishop, who made friends after a chance encounter in a Covid vaccination centre, embark on a journey to discover their family histories.

Downton Abbey star Bonneville, 59, looks to find out the truth behind his family name and his middle name Bonniwell  which later transformed into his stage name Bonneville (his actual surname is Williams).

He also finds his three times removed great grandfather who worked at Londons Somerset House and dedicated his life to improving working conditions for sailors, before building a school in Wales.

Bonneville connects with his cousin before it is revealed he has a strong connection to Dublin and that his ancestor was a journeyman baker.

Read The Independents recent interview with Bonneville here.

The actor is paired with Liverpool-born comedian Bishop, 56, who says he has always felt a deep affinity with his Irish roots but knows little about them.

John Bishop and Hugh Bonneville on DNA Journey (ITV)

He discovers an ancestor who made the journey from Ireland to Liverpool, and, despite a few brushes with the law, built a business in the booming salt industry.

He also travels to Dublin, where he uncovers a three times removed great grandfather who is a skilled musical instrument maker and trade unionist, who fought for better rights on behalf of his whole profession.

It is later discovered that Bishops ancestor at one point worked four doors apart from Bonnevilles relative and as trade union men it is believed they both marched together through the streets of Dublin in support of workers rights.

DNA Journey starts on Tuesday 7 March on ITV and ITVX at 9pm.

Additional reporting by Press Association
By Michelle Nichols

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The issue of human rights in North Korea will stay on the U.N. Security Council agenda at the request of the United States and Albania after they submitted a note on Tuesday with the support of dozens of countries - double what they received last year.

The move is likely to anger Pyongyang, which has repeatedly rejected accusations of abuses and blames sanctions for a dire humanitarian situation. Since 2006 North Korea has been under U.N. sanctions over its ballistic missiles and nuclear programs, but there are exemptions for humanitarian aid deliveries.

North Korea's mission to the United Nations in New York did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The short note to the president of the 15-member council, seen by Reuters, was signed by the United States and Albania and had the backing of 59 other countries and the European Union.

According to council procedure, if a public meeting has not been held on an agenda item in the past three years then it will be deleted unless a member objects. Then the issue will remain on the agenda list for another year.

The council has annually discussed rights in North Korea for the past three years, but behind closed doors. China and Russia object to the issue being raised in the council, which is charged with maintaining international peace and security.

Between 2014 and 2017 the council held annual public meetings on human rights abuses in North Korea.

In 2018 it did not discuss the issue amid now failed efforts by North Korea leader Kim Jong Un and then U.S. President Donald Trump to work toward Pyongyang's denuclearization.

The following year the United States instead convened a meeting on the threat of escalation by North Korea amid growing tensions between Pyongyang and Washington.

A landmark 2014 U.N. report on North Korean human rights concluded that North Korean security chiefs - and possibly leader Kim himself - should face justice for overseeing a state-controlled system of Nazi-style atrocities. The United States sanctioned Kim in 2016 for human rights abuses.

(Reporting by Michelle Nichols; Editing by Sandra Maler)
Survivors of human trafficking are trusting only 9 Investigates with concerns about a local safehouse.

They claim the programming they were promised at the Lifeboat Project, including therapy services, werent consistent, and they felt re-exploited for the nonprofits bottom line.

Channel 9 investigative reporter Karla Ray took those claims to Executive Director Jill Bolander Cohen. Lifeboat Project leaders say they take these claims very seriously, and theyre horrified to hear that survivors are coming forward with concerns. However, in Florida, the nonprofit and others like it dont actually need to provide any programming at all, because there are no standards or regulation for adult human trafficking safehouses.

Channel 9 was there in 2020 when the Lifeboat Project opened a 12-unit quadplex specifically for human trafficking survivors; but now, some of the women who have lived there claim its not the haven they were promised.

They just put you in a house and say, Hey, I take care of her, one survivor said. But they really dont.

All three wanted to remain anonymous.

Read: Human trafficking still a huge problem in Central Florida, expert says

You should be grateful, because you have a roof over your head, with no rent, and food expenses paid for, another survivor says of the sentiment toward her in the quadplex. All those types of things were provided for me when I was in the streets, as well.

All three have recently moved out, after they say they felt re-exploited.

I didnt care where I went, a third survivor said. I didnt care if I was putting myself in a situation where I would be vulnerable again, to be labor trafficked, or worse. I didnt care. I couldnt take it anymore.

Read: Human trafficking: 9 warning signs to look out for

The three women all claim they felt pressure to share their stories of their life under control of a trafficker in order to benefit Lifeboats bottom line.

Story continues

They were like, Oh, well, you know, were struggling nonprofit, we need the money, one said, who had been labor trafficked since she was a child. Im afraid of my trafficker. Youre not offering me any security. You just want me to go tell my story.

They claim counseling paid for by Lifeboat was inconsistent, along with transportation to medical treatment and therapy sessions.

Read: Florida among top three states for human trafficking response

Once I made that statement that I was not going to share my story, everything changed, a sex trafficking survivor said.

We took those claims to the nonprofits executive director.

I mean, this is a nightmare for me, Jill Bolander Cohen said. It really is, because I care for these people. Ive dedicated my life to this.

Read: Ocala couple arrested on multiple human trafficking charges, Marion County deputies say

Jill Bolander Cohen denied pressuring any survivor to share their story in order to help fundraise, and said therapy is offered to everyone in the program, but no one can be forced to go.

So why would a survivor claim that was not being provided to her? Karla Ray asked.

I really dont know. I really dont know, Bolander Cohen said. I mean, Ive seen where sometimes they get upset and, you know, and they say, Im going to run to the media. Well, you cant hold me hostage. Were doing the best that we can.

Read: 160 arrested in 7-day human trafficking investigation, Polk County sheriff says

The organizations most recent tax records show $244,000 was used to provide awareness through seminars and speaking engagements, along with direct counseling and legal services and housing to victims. But, Bolander Cohen said theres not a set structure to Lifeboats programming, and under Florida law, none is required.

Nobody polices any of the [safehouses] dealing with adults, Bolander Cohen said.

Florida has no regulation or certification standards for adult human trafficking safehouses. Anyone can open one, and solicit public grants or donations. The Lifeboat Project has received grant money from Orange County, Seminole County, and the city of Orlando.

Read: State senator to introduce bill to help fight human trafficking

Bolander Cohen said shed welcome the additional scrutiny and guidance.

I think its long overdue, because there are people that I definitely know are revictimized, Bolander Cohen said.

The survivors agree standards are needed, noting it would take out any guesswork about what they and the public should expect, and prevent anyone from feeling revictimized.

Read: Police: Daytona man charged with human trafficking and drug possession

Theres no accountability, one survivor said. Where does the accountability come from, to show that theyre actually doing what they say theyre doing, when they get the funds that they get?

After we started asking questions about this issue, Attorney General Ashley Moody told us through a spokesperson that she plans to work on this issue with state lawmakers during this legislative session. As a state, it is important that we provide human trafficking survivors the quality services they need to recover in a safe environment, she said in a statement.

So far, no legislation has been filed.

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.
By Mike Collett-White

VYSHHOROD, Ukraine (Reuters) -The International Criminal Court has a "historic" role to play in bringing justice for crimes committed in the war in Ukraine and ensuring long-term security, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Tuesday after meeting with the ICC's top prosecutor.

ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan was in Ukraine to investigate Russia's campaign of missile and drone attacks on power and other infrastructure that killed hundreds of civilians and left millions with no electricity or water.

Russia says they are legitimate strikes aimed at weakening the enemy's military, but Ukraine casts them as a means of intimidating ordinary people.

The ICC's role was to provide effective justice for Ukrainians and "not to get a round of applause by a conjuring trick," Khan told reporters.

Zelenskiy said the court and Khan "will undoubtedly play a historic role in bringing Russian criminals" to justice.

"Responding to Russian crimes in the face of this aggression exactly in terms of the rule of law and through the power of an international court is what will serve as one of the guarantees of the long-term future security of both Ukrainians and other peoples," Zelenskiy said in his nightly address.

The Geneva conventions and additional protocols shaped by international courts say parties involved in a military conflict must distinguish between "civilian objects and military objectives" and that attacks on civilian objects are forbidden.

"Generally we see clearly a pattern, I think, in terms of the number, scale and breadth of attacks against the power grids of Ukraine and we need to look at why that's taking place; are they legitimate targets or not?" Khan said.

Khan was speaking to a small group of reporters in front of a badly damaged apartment block in the satellite town of Vyshhorod just north of Kyiv, where a Russian missile fell in late November killing eight civilians and wounding many more.

Story continues

It was not clear whether the missile was aimed at a power installation nearby and missed its target.

"We need to find out what pattern, if any, is demonstrated by that because these are not isolated occurrences."

The job of the ICC and Ukraine's own legal system in pursuing justice after Russia launched a full-scale invasion just over a year go is vast.

More than 70,000 alleged war crimes have been reported, the vast majority of which would be dealt with in domestic courts.

'TWO TO TANGO'

The ICC in The Hague has jurisdiction to prosecute war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide on the territory of Ukraine committed by either side, and is expected to focus on high-profile suspects. Such cases could take years to build.

Khan said there had not yet been any arrest warrants issued by the ICC resulting from the past year's work in Ukraine, but he defended the court and its Ukrainian partners.

"What people want are not Pyrrhic victories," he said when asked whether the process may be too slow to satisfy the desire for justice shared by many Ukrainians.

"As a prosecutor we are officers of the court... Whenever we do move, (people) should have confidence that this is not a political process."

Andriy Kostin, Ukraine's Prosecutor General who accompanied Khan to the bomb site, praised the cooperation between his offices and those of the ICC.

"Ninety-nine-plus percent of them will be prosecuted and will be tried in Ukrainian courts," Kostin said, standing before a large, litter-strewn bomb crater.

Evidence gathered so far by Western and Ukrainian authorities, particularly in areas occupied by Russian forces that have been liberated, points to widespread abuses, including torture, execution, forced deportation and sexual violence.

Russia denies such accusations and says some of the evidence cited has been fabricated.

Moscow has also accused Ukraine's military of abuses, including killing prisoners of war and shelling civilians in Russian-held territory in the east.

Khan told Reuters that he had tried to contact the Russian government on several occasions to discuss his work in Ukraine.

"I've got evidence from the Ukrainians. I have not got evidence from the Russians," he said. "If you've got something, give it. I stand ready to receive it and engage with them, but it takes two to tango."

(Additional reporting by Anthony Deutsch in Amsterdam; Writing by Mike Collett-White; Editing by William Maclean and Christopher Cushing)
A 55-year-old man McCall man was arrested on suspicion of first-degree murder Monday after he was released from the hospital, according to a Facebook post from the McCall Police Department.

McCall police said they responded to a domestic violence call in the 100 block of Eagle Shores Court in McCall on Feb. 18, with reports of shots being fired inside the home.

Officers said they found an injured man and woman and provided immediate medical care. The woman, Lynne Ellen Dooley, died at the scene. Mark Edward Dooley, her husband, was transported to St. Lukes McCall and then taken to Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center in Boise.

Idaho State Police spokesperson Aaron Snell told the Idaho Statesman in an email Tuesday that Dooleys injuries were self-inflicted. He was arrested upon being discharged from Saint Als on Monday on a Valley County warrant, and booked into the Ada County Jail. Online jail records showed he also is facing battery charges. He is expected to be extradited to Valley County.

Idaho State Police detectives are investigating the incident.

Victims of domestic violence in Valley County are encouraged to contact victim services and domestic violence prevention center Rise Up 2 Thrive at 208-382-5310.
Photo: Quest The asking price for Quest University's campus and lands is only available to serious bidders who sign a non-disclosure agreement

After Quest Universitys president told a reporter that its landlord was aware of its troubles, the Squamish university says it was caught by surprise when Primacorp Ventures Inc. put the campus and surrounding lands up for sale.

NAI Commercial published a flyer for the 55-acre property on Friday morning, less than a day after Quest announced it would close indefinitely at the end of April for financial reasons.

The chair of the Quest University board of governors wishes to definitively state that the boards decision to suspend regular academic operations after completion of the spring term in April 2023 was in no way related to any real estate offerings or transactions that its landlord may be involved in, read a statement from the university on Saturday.

Upon contacting the agent, we learned that the posting went live sometime after our announcement on Thursday evening. In that discussion we also learned that the university lands have been on offer through NAI Commercial since some point in late 2022.

Quest president Art Coren had told the Squamish Chief on Friday morning that Primacorp was aware of where we're at, and we're counting on them to help us through an orderly and dignified windup.

The asking price is only available to serious bidders who sign a non-disclosure agreement. The land was assessed last year at $15.08 million and buildings $54.17 million. The Quest campus and sportsplex occupy 23 acres. The remaining land could be redeveloped for market and non-market housing and commercial uses.

The university is adamant that it is suspending academic operations, but not ceasing to exist. It isnt for sale, either, despite the headline on the NAI Commercial flyer: Quest is still a university whether it resides in the Garibaldi Highlands, down by Oceanfront, or smack in the middle of Brackendale. We are much more than a piece of land.

Quest sought court protection from creditors in January 2020 after its biggest lender, the Vanchorverve Foundation, demanded repayment of $23.4 million. Vanchorverve is one of dozens of charities registered by Vancouver lawyer Blake Bromley.

In December 2020, Primacorp paid $43 million for the land and university buildings to rescue Quest. The deal included an agreement for Primacorp to provide Quest student recruitment, marketing and fundraising services. Primacorp vice-president of marketing Melissa Davis said by email that Primacorp has completed its $20 million agreement with Quest, but she did not disclose the date that it ended.

Primacorp, under chair Peter Chung, bills itself as Canadas largest provider of private post-secondary education, with 15,000 annual enrolments and subsidiaries in seniors housing, commercial real estate and self-storage in Canada and the U.S. Requests to interview Chung have not been fulfilled.

The board that oversees operations of the private liberal arts and science university announced Thursday that it plans to restructure finances and operations, but did not provide an estimated timeline. Quest said it had been seeking additional funding to continue beyond April, but the board concluded that it had no alternative but to make the responsible decision it has at this time.

The board pledged to refund tuition owing and help students transfer elsewhere.

The boards first priority is to protect our current and prospective students, read the statement. It is not prepared to continue offering our innovative programming if the university cannot confidently deliver the full 2023/24 academic year.

Coren, who has not responded to interview requests, joined Quest as president in June 2022 after selection by a committee involving members of the Quest board, faculty, students and alumni. In 2012, he was hired to run the private University Canada West (UCW) when Chungs company, then known as Eminata, was the owner.

He told the Professionals in International Education newsletter in 2017 that he joined UCW basically as a rescue mission. They had gone through a lot of problems in the press in the previous ownership and we came in to do a turnaround.

In April 2013, Coren and Chung were part of the Eminata delegation to Guangdong province in China for an agreement to establish an international Kindergarten to Grade 12 program at Taishan City Education Bureau. Corens Quest bio states that he holds a visiting professorship at Guangdong University of Foreign Studies.

Quest opened in 2007 and graduated 1,000 students as of 2022. It receives no funding from the Ministry of Post-Secondary Education and Future Skills, which said Monday that there are only 135 students eligible to graduate in April or transfer. The Ministry said it will make students whole if Quest doesnt and encourages students to reach out to the Degree Quality Assessment Board Secretariat with any questions or concerns.

The Quest website says it charges Canadians $23,000 and non-Canadians $38,000 for annual tuition. Room, board, travel and other fees are estimated at $15,000.

Quest is governed by the provincial Sea to Sky University Act, which includes a section about winding up and dissolution. If the university were to close permanently, instead of the announced suspension of operations, all funds and property remaining after payment to employees, to cover debts and to fund student access to transcripts must be distributed to qualified donees designated by the board, as defined in the federal Income Tax Act.
Brian Kelly, an EPA on-scene coordinator. Brian Kelly

Brian Kelly is among the 220 emergency responders at the Environmental Protection Agency.

He responds when there's a major spill or chemical fire, including after train derailments.

Kelly worked on disasters like the BP oil spill and lead drinking-water crisis in Flint, Michigan.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Brian Kelly, an on-scene coordinator at the Environmental Protection Agency. It's been edited for length and clarity.

I'm one of the 220 emergency responders that the EPA has across the country who's on call when there's a major oil spill or chemical fire, like after the train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio.

In my 21 years at the agency, I've worked on the recovery of the Space Shuttle Columbia, Hurricane Katrina and Superstorm Sandy, the BP oil spill, and the lead drinking-water crisis in Flint, Michigan. There are also smaller events, like fires at oil refineries and paper mills and hazardous waste left behind by mines.

The job is complex, because one day you're collecting air- or water-quality samples to protect public health and coordinating state and local emergency responders, the next you might be flying in a helicopter over an oil spill or briefing members of Congress. It really runs the gamut.

I have a background in environmental engineering and multiple years of training. You have to know how to handle hazardous waste like asbestos, arsenic, lead, deal with radiation, wear respirators and hazmat suits, and know first aid. I also deal with a lot of contracts because we spend federal dollars to respond to these emergencies and start the cleanup.

When I get a call and arrive on scene, the first thing we have to find out is what chemicals are involved, who will be affected, and who's going to do something about it. The company that's responsible for a hazard or the EPA will do air and water sampling, then we advise if there needs to be an evacuation of the surrounding communities.

The EPA can't evacuate anyone, but typically a fire chief is already at the scene. If the air and water monitoring shows significant risks, I can show that to them to help inform an evacuation order by local officials.

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EPA on-scene coordinators sample air, water, and buildings for toxic chemicals to determine public-health risks. Brian Kelly

The EPA issues an enforcement order to the companies responsible for a spill or fire to take over the cleanup. If they refuse, we take over and the law allows the EPA to sue to recover the costs from parties that don't comply with the order up to triple the cost.

A thousand things that could go wrong

My most memorable experience was at a former steel site in Trenton, Michigan, that had been sold but wasn't in use. A fire broke out in a pond that collects waste oil. I got the call, and my adrenaline started going.

You think of a thousand things that could go wrong. When I arrived, I saw a black plume of smoke coming up as a high-school graduation ceremony was happening nearby. We immediately started to do air-quality monitoring to see if the ceremony should be shut down.

The fire department put out the flames quickly, but then we started looking around and found drums of chemicals that can spontaneously combust when they come into contact with water. We also found all these transformers and capacitors leaking chemicals called PCBs, which are highly carcinogenic, in abandoned buildings on the site.

The owner of the site refused to cooperate with us, so the EPA had to take over, and eventually we worked with the state of Michigan to put the site on the Superfund list, which are the most contaminated sites in the nation.

Brian Kelly Brian Kelly

The personal toll

One of the most challenging parts of this job is discussing the risks of these events with the public. Some chemicals are easy to smell, but that doesn't always mean people are being exposed to them at harmful levels.

That's hard to convey to people with a disaster in their backyard. I also don't live in these communities and I work for the government, so I think initially there's some mistrust.

People are rightfully upset at what happened, and we're the ones standing there talking about it. Oftentimes, it's not the company responsible explaining what happened, so we get the brunt of the frustration. Sometimes we don't have all the answers, and there's no quick fix to what happened. But in the end, I usually feel like we've done good and the community appreciates our work.

The job takes a toll on me personally. It's hard seeing families lose everything from a fire or a hurricane. I also spend a lot of time away from my own family.

But it'd be really hard to do a desk job after this.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Playalinda Beach at Canaveral National Seashore has had nude sunbathers for some time. Until recently, theyve mostly managed to keep to themselves.

But Hurricane Nicole damaged or destroyed most of the beach access on the north part, and thats led to some unexpected encounters.

Now, the park service is working to resolve the issue.

A sign at Playalinda Beach advises beachgoers they may encounter nude sunbathing within Boardwalk 13. However, a Brevard County couple said there was no warning for what they encountered closer to Boardwalk 5 last weekend.

READ: Breeze Airways adds 4 new routes from Orlando International Airport

Its a pretty long walkway, beach visitor Daniel Donaldson said. You get down there, and its completely full of nudists.

Donaldson and his wife headed south, but the nude sunbathers drifted south.

Theres obviously lots of families with kids that are on the beach, he said. There were some just on the other side of our tent, and just nudists walking all the way through and in front of kids.

READ: New Smyrna Beach curfew: Who does it affect? What are the times & fines?

Due to damage from Hurricane Nicole, there is no access to any of the boardwalks north of Boardwalk 7. That includes Boardwalk 13, which is traditionally used by nude sunbathers. There is no federal law against simple nudity on any federal land.

The Canaveral National Seashore has made reopening Boardwalk 13 a priority, and it could happen as soon as Saturday.

In addition to Boardwalk 13, Canaveral National Seashore may open one more before weekend crowds return.

READ: All aboard: Ride SunRail for free this Saturday

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.
By Laila Kearney

NEW YORK(Reuters) - The new head of Florida Power & Light (FP&L) has at least one important objective above and beyond running U.S. power giant NextEra's crown jewel utility, analysts say: stay out of the headlines. Armando Pimentel, who held executive roles in finance at NextEra for more than a decade before retiring in 2019, is coming back in what investors hope will mark the end of FP&L's era of political and campaign-finance scandals.

"They probably chose him to be a steady the ship-type figure," said Jack Dearing, an analyst with Washington-based Capstone LLC, which advises investors and companies on policy issues.

Pimentel replaces outgoing FP&L CEO Eric Silagy, who joined NextEra roughly two decades ago, worked as a top lobbyist for the company and has been at the center of some of its publicity problems.

Since 2020, Florida-based news organizations have reported about FP&L's role in questionable political and campaign finance-related activity.

In one Orlando Sentinel article, Silagy was accused of working with a political consultant to harass a Democratic state senator who introduced legislation unfavorable to FP&L. The Miami Herald and others reported claims that company executives worked with a consultant to derail certain state senate candidates and surveil a journalist who wrote critically about the regulated utility. Shares of NextEra sank late last month by nearly 9%, their biggest daily drop in more than two years, after the company abruptly announced Silagy would retire under the threat of a formal investigation by the Federal Election Commission into the company's political giving.

An internal NextEra investigation found no wrongdoing, executives on the company's latest earnings call said, adding that Silagy's departure was unrelated to any controversies. Pimentel has been a well-known but low-key power industry figure whose familiarity with NextEra suggests he will provide consistent leadership for with NextEra's top subsidiary, said Glenrock Associates utility analyst Paul Patterson. "I don't expect much of a change, leaving aside all of the stuff going on with the outgoing CEO," Patterson said. "I don't think you're going to see any headlines like that (with Pimentel)." Pimentel was CEO of NextEra Energy Resources, the company's unregulated arm focused on renewable power, for eight years before retiring in 2019. He was previously chief financial officer of NextEra Energy, a partner at Deloitte & Touche and an accounting fellow at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

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A former NextEra colleague of Pimentel's, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said Pimentel was a "straightforward, fact-based and driven" coworker with a calm temperament. He helped build NextEra Energy Resources and seemed to choose his retirement as opposed to being forced out, the former colleague said.

"We have welcomed Armando Pimentel back to our company and have confidence that he will use his deep industry and company experience to further strengthen the FPL organization, NextEra Energy spokesperson David Reuter said.

An early adopter of renewable power generation, NextEra is the third-largest U.S. energy company by market capitalization behind Exxon Mobil and Chevron. The company was trading well above its peers before news that Silagy would leave his post this month and depart the company in mid-May. Some critics of Florida Power & Light, like Alissa Jean Schafer of watchdog group Energy Policy Institute, have welcomed Pimentel's uneventful background. But it will be take more than a change of guard for the utility to shake off the scandals that took place under Silagy, said Schafer. "Even if you put somebody who is a perfectly fine individual with a financial background and doesn't have this aggressive history... it doesn't necessarily make up for the fact of all that did happen in very recent history," Schafer said.

(Reporting by Laila Kearney; Editing by Josie Kao)
By Kanishka Singh

(Reuters) - India imposed by far the highest number of internet shutdowns in the world in 2022, internet advocacy watchdog Access Now said on Tuesday, as the country topped the list for the fifth successive year.

Out of 187 internet shutdowns globally recorded by Access Now, 84 took place in India, including 49 in Indian- administered Kashmir, the New York-based digital rights advocacy group said in a report published on Tuesday.

"Authorities disrupted internet access at least 49 times in Kashmir due to political instability and violence, including a string of 16 back-to-back orders for three-day-long curfew-style shutdowns in January and February 2022," the watchdog report added.

Kashmir has long been a flashpoint between India and archrival Pakistan, which claim the region in full but rule only parts.

In August 2019, the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi scrapped the autonomy of the Muslim-majority state of Jammu and Kashmir, splitting it into two federally administered territories.

The government has since regularly imposed communications restrictions on the region on security grounds, which rights groups have condemned and described as measures to quash dissent.

Militants have battled India's rule in Kashmir for more than three decades. The South Asian country blames Pakistan for stoking the revolt. Islamabad denies the claims.

Although India once again led the world in internet shutdowns, 2022 marked the first time since 2017 that there were fewer than 100 shutdowns in the country, the watchdog said.

Ukraine was second on the list, with the Russian military cutting access to the internet at least 22 times after Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24 of last year.

"During Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Russian military cut internet access at least 22 times, engaging in cyberattacks and deliberately destroying telecommunications infrastructure," the watchdog said in its report.

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Ukraine was followed on the list by Iran where authorities imposed 18 internet shutdowns in 2022 in response to demonstrations against the government.

Nationwide anti-government protests erupted in Iran last fall after the death of 22-year-old Kurdish Iranian woman Mahsa Amini in police custody on Sept. 16 last year. Amini was arrested in Tehran by the morality police for flouting the hijab rules, which require women to entirely cover their hair and bodies. She died while in custody.

(Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington; Editing by Matthew Lewis)
By Rajendra Jadhav

MUMBAI/NEW DELHI (Reuters) -India is likely to experience heat waves between March and May, especially in the key wheat producing central and northern states, the weather office said on Tuesday, as the country recorded its highest ever maximum temperature in February.

A heat-wave for the second straight year could dent production of wheat, rapeseed and chickpeas, and complicate governments efforts to bring down food inflation.

Higher temperatures could also lift power consumption above supplies during the summer season.

"Enhanced probability of occurrence of heat wave during March to May season is likely over many regions of Central and adjoining Northwest India," the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said in a statement.

In March, the crucial month for the maturity of winter-sown crops, above normal maximum temperatures are likely over most parts of the country except peninsular India, it said.

"Wheat crop has already been witnessing stress due to higher temperature. Warmer March would definitely lead to yield loss," said a Mumbai-based dealer with a global trade house.

India grows only one wheat crop in a year, with planting in October and November, and harvesting from March.

A heat wave curtailed India's wheat production in 2022 and forced the world's second largest producer to ban exports.

Average maximum temperature in February was 29.54 degrees Celsius, the highest since 1901, when the IMD started keeping weather records.

The country received 68% lower rainfall than the normal in February, the weather office said.

Government officials warned last year that the South Asian country could see more frequent heat waves in future and that average temperatures, even during the monsoon season, have been rising over the last two decades.

"Temperatures have already touched unusual highs at some places in the country," India's health ministry said in a letter, seen by Reuters, sent to all states and union territories on Tuesday.

The government directed health departments across the country to implement "heat-related health action plans".

(Reporting by Rajendra Jadhav, Sakshi Dayal and Shivam Patel; editing by Sudipto Ganguly, Bernadette Baum and Ed Osmond)
View of Iqaluit, Nunavut. (Getty Images)

A solution to climate change is emerging in one of the regions most affected by it. In Nunavut  the northernmost territory of Canada  a coalition of Indigenous communities is transitioning the region away from diesel and toward renewable energy.

In 2018, Nukik Corporation, which was formed by individuals in the Indigenous Inuit population, started planning the Kivalliq Hydro-Fibre Link, a set of electricity and fiber-optic transmission cables. The link would connect the vast regions of rural northern Canada to a southern Canadian renewable energy grid in the province of Manitoba. Once completed, the project would be one of the largest renewable energy transmission lines geographically  running 745 miles in length  and the first infrastructure project of this kind thats organized by an Indigenous corporation.

The project promises to wean Nunavut, including two gold mining sites, off heavily polluting diesel generators and to tap into the potential energy generation of northern Canada and the Arctic. In addition to renewable energy, the link will include a fiber-optic cable that will make internet speeds 3,000 times faster than the satellite network the region uses currently. One report states that Nunavut is the only jurisdiction in Canada that doesnt have access to internet speeds above 25 megabits per second.

About 200,000 Canadians are not connected to the electricity grid across the country, and roughly 70% of those households rely on diesel. Some communities produce their own, while others, like Nunavut, receive shipments from the government.

The plan is to install a 1,200-kilometer high-voltage transmission line that will transmit 150 megawatts of energy, enough to power roughly 20,000 homes. The 2022 census showed that there are 40,526 people living in Nunavut, the majority of whom live in houses with two or more people, meaning the line would likely power most of the populations households.

The transmission line will run all the way up to the Nunavut region, providing energy and fiber-optic connection to the towns of Arviat, Whale Cove, Rankin Inlet, Chesterfield Inlet and Baker Lake from the Manitoba plant, a government-owned facility that gets more than 98% of its electricity from hydroelectricity and wind power. The plant has 16 hydroelectric generating stations, four diesel generators and a thermal generating station.

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To have one Indigenous group have their homeland be so massive ... its not something we have in the U.S., Cheri Smith, founder and CEO of Indigenous Energy Initiative, a U.S.-based Indigenous-led nonprofit, told Yahoo News. Smith is a member of the Mikmaq Tribe of present-day northern Maine and the Canadian Maritime Provinces. [The U.S.] has projects that are transmitting a lot of power, but not that covers this amount of territory.

However, the project hasnt broken ground yet, and a lot of information on logistics and funding remains elusive. Nukik Corporation has completed many of the environmental assessments and attained necessary licenses and permits, but construction has not yet begun. According to the groups website, it is currently working on engineering and procurement and plans to start construction in 2026 and finish by 2030.

Houses perched on cliffs in the city of Iqaluit. (Cavan Images/Getty Images)

The project is in the early stages, and much more work remains to be done to bring the project to a shovel-ready stage and ultimately to completion, said a spokesperson for Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada, the department of Canadas central government responsible for the northern lands and territories.

The project would achieve something that experts have been advocating for years: to combine internet and energy access. Close coordination between the energy and [information and communications technology] sectors is probably one of the most efficient and sensible ways of making sure rural populations ... can reap the benefits of digital developments, a 2017 World Bank Blogs post argued.

Rural communities are often overlooked for internet connection because traditional operators deem them to be too remote and poor to be profitable. But when there is already a plan to invest in a renewable energy link, adding a fiber-optic cable to the infrastructure is simple. Its a no-brainer, Smith said.

Last November, Canadian Minister of Northern Affairs Dan Vandal announced that the government would give CAN$7 million (US$5 million) in funding to the Kivalliq project. The government set aside CAN$40.4 million for hydroelectricity and grid interconnection projects across 2021, 2022 and 2023 through the Northern Responsibility Energy Approach for Community Heat and Electricity program. The project would help Canada attain its goal of reaching net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

However, this funding is not likely to cover the project. According to Smith, it costs US$1 million per mile to build a line like this. Fiber-optic cables alone tend to cost between US$60,000 and $80,000 per mile.

A person walks along a path in Iqaluit in July 2022. (Carlos Osorio/Reuters)

Nukik Corporation has not responded to questions on how much the project will cost in total or how it will be funded in the long run.

The government spokesperson said the CAN$7 million is to support early feasibility and planning work. Should additional funding support be requested, the Government of Canada will review and assess proposals as they are received, the spokesperson said.

Smith is concerned that the costs will trickle down to consumers in the form of higher electricity bills. Its not clear who is making the money here, she said. My fear is that this poor tribe is being exploited.

The company at the heart of this question is the Qulliq Energy Corporation (QEC), the sole utility operator responsible for providing electricity and district heating to consumers in Nunavut. It did not respond to requests for comment.

Another possibility is that the government will subsidize the electricity. Canadas Northern Affairs office is already responsible for shipping and subsidizing all of Nunavuts diesel. When asked if these subsidies would transfer, however, it referred back to QEC.

These details put the feasibility and impact of the project into question. But even if it were completed, other sources of fossil fuel consumption would have to be changed in the region for it to become fully reliant on renewable energy.

Its a chicken-and-egg situation, said Sara Hastings-Simon, an assistant professor and director of the Masters of Science in Sustainable Energy Development program at the University of Calgary. Fully electrifying the region requires many different groups to start making concurrent efforts. For example, most homes use oil furnaces for heating and gas stoves for cooking. Its kind of like walking and chewing gum at the same time, said Hastings-Simon. There are a lot of pieces, and it can be very hard to line up all those pieces.

A snowmobile on a road in Iqaluit. (Carlos Osorio/Reuters)

The Nunavut Housing Corporation, a government agency that administers affordable housing projects, runs the Heating Oil Tank Replacement Program, which provides grants for people to replace old oil tanks with new ones. The program could be used to connect houses to the new line, but there are no official plans to replace gas stoves and oil furnaces throughout Nunavut.

The mining industry, however, says its willing to shift if renewable energy is available.

The two sites that Nukik is proposing to take off of diesel are owned by a company called Agnico Eagle. The company says it has been trialing electric battery vehicles at other mining locations throughout the world, but due to the current lack of renewable energy alternatives in Nunavut, it relies on diesel for energy for now.

If the project moves forward, this would allow for significant GHG emissions reductions at these sites through green energy sourcing and further electrification of our operations, Casey Paradis St-Onge, Agnico Eagles Nunavut communication coordinator, told Yahoo News in an email.

Though this could arguably encourage continued harmful mining activity, there are certain minerals and materials needed for the transition away from carbon. The renewable energy industry needs metals and minerals as well, Hastings-Simon said.

The Nukik website claims that connecting the Arctic to the grid will unlock future renewable energy generation in the North that in turn can be shared with southern Canada and contribute to reaching our 2030, 2050 climate and electrification targets. But the link itself wouldnt be enough to make Nunavut an energy supplier.

Signs show the distances to various cities and also to the North Pole in the town of Pond Inlet, an Inuit settlement with 1,300 inhabitants in the Canadian Arctic. (Kay Nietfeld/picture alliance via Getty Images)

Mads Qvist Frederiksen, the executive director of the Arctic Economic Council, says there are three primary challenges to building renewable energy plants in the Arctic: People are scared to invest, extensive infrastructure is needed for transporting the green energy (which the Kivalliq link would solve) and the workforce is lacking.

He believes hydropower and wind have the most potential in Arctic regions. With investment and landright permits, he thinks it would be relatively easy to build renewable energy plants. Renewable energy is growing fast in the Arctic region, he said. But supplying that energy would require separate investment. There are some reports that Qulliq Energy Corporation is building a diesel-solar hybrid facility, but plans were delayed to late 2023.

If, in the long run, the Nunavut region were able to provide electricity to the rest of Canada, Smith said, this would be a significant achievement for the Indigenous community worldwide. It would be very significant for any Indigenous community to be supplying energy at that level to the grid, she said.

For now, the link is still in the early phases and vital questions about funding need to be answered, but its a first glimpse at the multifaceted effort that a renewable energy transition requires. If completed, it would signify a whole system shift in northern Canada that could be unprecedented for the Indigenous community and a landmark contribution toward Canadas net-zero goals.
JAKARTA (Reuters) - Security forces in Indonesia's restive Papua region have surrounded separatists holding captive a New Zealand pilot, but will exercise restraint while negotiations for his release continue, a top security official said on Tuesday.

Philip Mehrtens, a Susi Air pilot, was taken hostage by the West Papua National Liberation Army (TNPB) on Feb. 7 after landing in the remote region of Nduga.

The rebels say they will not release Mehrtens, 37, unless Indonesia's government recognises the region's independence and withdraws its troops.

Chief security minister, Mahfud MD said security forces had found the location of the group holding the pilot but would refrain from actions that might endanger his life.

"Now, they are under siege and we already know their location. But we must be careful," Mahfud said, according to local media.

He did not elaborate on the location or what steps Indonesia might take to free the pilot.

Susi Air's founder and owner said on Wednesday 70% of its flights in the region had been cancelled, apologising for the disruption of vital supplies to remote, mountainous areas.

"There has to be a big humanitarian impact. There are those who are sick and can't get medication...and probably food supplies are dwindling," Susi Pudjiastuti told reporters.

Separatists have waged a low-level fight for independence since the resource-rich region, once governed by the Netherlands, was brought under Indonesian control following a United Nations-supervised vote in 1969.

Hostage-taking of foreigners has been rare and the conflict has escalated since 2018, with rebels mounting deadlier and more frequent attacks.

Indonesian military chief, Admiral Yudo Margono said operations were complicated by the presence of civilians in the area.

"It is not easy to catch this group as they are mingling with the locals. We will prioritise persuasive measures," he said in a statement.

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Security forces have previously said a "law enforcement operation" had been planned, but only as a last resort if negotiations failed.

The government has so far used prominent figures in Papua such as politicians, priests and local leaders to communicate with the hostage-takers.

(Reporting by Ananda Teresia and Stanley Widianto; Editing by Martin Petty)
Inpatient treatment for depression can save lives, say experts. (Photo: Getty Images)

Sen. John Fetterman made headlines in mid-February, after his spokesperson announced that the Pennsylvania Democrat was receiving inpatient treatment for depression.

Adam Jentleson said in a statement on Twitter that Fetterman checked himself into Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., to receive treatment for clinical depression. "While John has experienced depression off and on throughout his life, it only became severe in recent weeks," the statement read. "After examining John, the doctors at Walter Reed told us that John is getting the care he needs, and will soon be back to himself."

The senator's wife, Gisele Fetterman, also tweeted about her husband's inpatient treatment, writing, After what hes been through in the past year, theres probably no one who wanted to talk about his own health less than John. Im so proud of him for asking for help and getting the care he needs."

Fetterman suffered a stroke last May and was elected in November. He went to the George Washington University hospital in early February after feeling lightheaded, his office said in early February. He was discharged two days later.

But the news of his treatment has raised a lot of questions  and confusion  about what it means to receive inpatient therapy for depression. Patients who have been through it, as well as doctors, explain.

What is inpatient treatment for depression?

Mental health therapy is generally divided into two broad camps: outpatient, when you see a therapist in their office, and inpatient, where you stay at a facility to receive care, Dr. Thea Gallagher, a clinical assistant professor at NYU Langone Health and co-host of the Mind in View podcast, tells Yahoo Life. "Inpatient treatment means you need a higher level of care than what you would receive outpatient, which is probably once a week, or even less than that."

People who enter inpatient care generally do so because they feel they are in a state of crisis, not as stable as they feel they should be, are a danger to themselves or others, or aren't able to go about their daily functions, Gallagher explains.

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"In an inpatient setting, the care setting is much more intensive than outpatient treatment," Dr. Erick Cheung, the interim chief medical officer of the Stewart and Lynda Resnick Neuropsychiatric Hospital at UCLA, tells Yahoo Life.

On a basic level, "inpatient treatment typically means staying overnight in a psychiatric hospital for more intensive treatment  evaluation and testing, psychotherapy, medication management, providing a safe environment during a time of mental health crisis and a team to help coordinate planning and care for outside of the hospital," Elizabeth Shultz, assistant professor of clinical psychiatry at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, tells Yahoo Life.

A person can voluntarily go into inpatient care, which is when they decide to admit themselves, or they may be involuntarily admitted, which "is often decided by a medical professional" if it's "deemed you are a risk to yourself or others," Hillary Ammon, a clinical psychologist at the Center for Anxiety and Women's Emotional Wellness, tells Yahoo Life.

What is inpatient treatment like?

It's largely tailored to the needs of the patient, Cheung says. Because of this, everyone's experience  and every treatment center  is slightly different.

But in general, "there is a combination and array of group therapies that occur," he says. "Patients typically meet in small groups to do different types of activities and rehabilitation, and then have one-on-one meetings with doctors, therapists and nurses."

Patients are assigned to a treatment team including a psychiatrist or psychiatric nurse practitioner, social worker, nursing staff and other mental health specialists, Shultz says. In addition to individual and group therapy, "there may also be times for educational sessions  on medications, nutrition or physical activity," she says. "Often there are set visitation times and other opportunities for extra rest, reflection or relaxation throughout the day."

Shultz says that a treatment team will meet with a patient to talk about ongoing assessments, symptoms, treatment recommendations, readiness for discharge and next steps after hospitalization. "While medication is often prescribed or discussed, being admitted to the psychiatric hospital does not automatically mean that you have to take medication," she says. "For many people, because of the severity or cause of the symptoms that led to being hospitalized, medication can be beneficial. However, there are certainly people for whom medication is not part of their treatment plan."

The length of stay may vary based on a patient's needs, but Ammon says it usually ranges from two to 14 days.

'Everything just started crashing around me'

Allison Krawiec-Thayer tells Yahoo Life that she spent six days in inpatient treatment in 2018, after developing depression when she and her spouse moved to a new city. "One day, after my anxiety and depression had been growing steadily for weeks, everything just started crashing around me," she says. "My thoughts shifted to a darker place than they ever had before, and the hopelessness was profound. Even though I didn't have a plan and hadn't tried anything, I knew that it was time to go inpatient."

Krawiec-Thayer says she was "definitely sad" the first few days of her treatment. "I remember crying into my spouse's chest in the Lyft on the way to the ER," she says. "I called home every day and reminded myself that I was moving in the right direction."

Her treatment was rooted in dialectical behavior therapy, a form of therapy designed for people who experience intense emotions. "We had group sessions that ranged from talk therapy to making music together," she says. "There was free time outdoors at the rec court on the roof of the building. I spent time with fellow patients playing cards and watching movies."

Krawiec-Thayer says she received a visit from a therapy dog, there was a tai chi group in the mornings and she was able to meet and pray with a chaplain. "I also met daily with members of my medical team to discuss medication and how I was feeling," she says. "The beauty of being inpatient is that I truly had nothing else to worry about and could focus solely on my healing. I circled the food I wanted on a menu and it appeared. I didn't have to do my laundry or clean. If I felt a panic attack coming on, I could ask a nurse to sit with me. My cellphone wasn't there as a constant distraction and outside pull. I had space to move through what I needed to, so I could come out of the hospital renewed."

Ultimately, Krawiec-Thayer says, "I knew that this was the right choice for me."

What are the signs someone might need inpatient treatment?

The severity of a person's symptoms matters, including how much it's impacting their functioning, Gallagher says. "If people are actively, severely suicidal or their functioning is impacted  they're not going to work or school  one hour a week of therapy will not have the same effect as inpatient treatment," she says. "You need a higher dose of care."

Inpatient care may also be recommended "when there is a need for more rapid diagnosis, treatment or coordination of services due to the severity of symptoms," Shultz says.

Doctors stress that inpatient treatment should be normalized

There is a lot of stigma surrounding inpatient treatment for depression, and Fetterman's recent decision demonstrated that it persists, despite gains in the way Americans broadly view mental health. On Twitter, people have labeled him "mentally unstable" and as a "mentally and physically disabled" patient, among other things.

People who seek inpatient care are often aware of this stigma. The novelist Wednesday Lee Friday tells Yahoo Life that she felt a "vague sense of shame, a feeling like I should have been able to deal with all of this without hospitalization," when she sought inpatient therapy 26 years ago after a suicide attempt. "I eventually realized that was like telling a diabetic to control their blood sugar by thinking it through," she says. "Illnesses need treatment  full stop."

Doctors say that it's important to normalize all treatments for depression, whether inpatient or outpatient. "Depression is a very common illness and diagnosis," Cheung says. "It's part of the human body. If you had a pneumonia and you needed help with breathing, you would go to the hospital. If you had a heart attack, you would go to the hospital. It's the same with depression. If you had a severe form of depression and needed assistance, you should seek treatment."

Ammon agrees. "Inpatient care is necessary for some, whether its short-term care for stabilization or long-term treatment," she says. "This higher level of care can save lives."

Krawiec-Thayer says she has "grown and transformed" since her inpatient treatment. "It's also a much more nurturing experience than I expected," she says. "The media makes it out to be pretty intense sometimes, but, honestly, my experience was super peaceful and healing."

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(Getty)

Top personalities, executives and producers at Fox News privately condemned reckless claims from election fraud conspiracy theorists they dismissed as crazy and insane.

But they were repeatedly invited on air on some of the most-watched cable news programmes in the country, where they amplified bogus statements about the 2020 presidential election and a voting machine company that has accused the network of defamation in a $1.6bn lawsuit.

A 192-page, partially redacted filing in Dominion Voting Systemss lawsuit against Fox News reveals behind-the-scenes irritation with false claims made by Donald Trump, Rudy Giuliani and Sidney Powell, based on text messages, emails and depositions from programme hosts, producers and executives, including owner Rupert Murdoch.

Yet the network continued to broadcast claims from the former president and his allies, who led a spurious legal bid to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election, fuelled by conspiracy theories and baseless claims that also energised competing right-wing media networks that threatened Fox viewership, according to messages in the filing.

One producer for Fox News personality Laura Ingraham at one point wrote to an executive that this Dominion s*** is going to give me a f***ing aneurysm.

Mr Trumps false narrative of widespread voter fraud and manipulation of mail-in ballots  which he began before a single ballot was even cast in that years elections  created the pretext for his bogus claims that the election was rigged against him.

Testimony and messages from Fox News employees show that the newsroom was well aware of his false claims but publicly failed to explain them, while also failing to explain the processes for mail-in ballots and state laws that outlined procedures for sorting and tallying the votes.

Fearing ongoing viewer backlash after the network predicted Joe Biden would win the state of Arizona and, later, the 2020 presidential election, network hosts and executives sought to balance evidence-free claims about irregularities to keep viewers enthralled with conspiracy theories against their own private admissions that, in their words, was nonsense and bull****.

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On 3 November, 2020, Election Day, Fox News host Bret Baier texted a friend that there is NO evidence of fraud. None. Allegations  stories. Twitter. Bull****.

Two days later, after host Lou Dobbs aired a segment based on a provably false tweet from Mr Trump about votes being switched to Mr Biden, Fox Business News President Lauren Petterson wrote in an email: Jesus Christ. Does anyone do a f***ing simple Google search or read emails?

On 5 November, as the network predicted that Mr Biden won the state of Arizona, a prediction made before other news networks, top personalities at Fox News understood the threat to them personally, according to the lawsuit.

We worked really hard to build what we have. Those f*****s are destroying our credibility. It enrages me, Tucker Carlson wrote to his producer Alex Pfeiffer on 5 November.

Its a hard needle to thread, but I really think many on our side are being reckless demagogues right now, Mr Pfeiffer responded.

Of course they are, Mr Carlson replied. Were not going to follow them.  What [Trumps] good at is destroying things. Hes the undisputed world champion of that. He could easily destroy us If we play it wrong.

A statement from a spokesperson for Fox claims that Dominion has mischaracterized the record, cherry-picked quotes stripped of key context and spilled considerable ink on facts that are irrelevant under black-letter principles of defamation law.

What is this? Oh man

After Fox personality Maria Bartiromo posted unfounded allegations of voter manipulation on social media on 5 November, Mr Baier alerted executives about fact-checking such claims.

The following day, Rupert Murdoch told Fox News CEO Suzanne Scott it would be very hard to credibly cry foul everywhere with Mr Trumps losses in several swing states.

He also wrote if Trump becomes a sore loser we should watch Sean [Hannity] especially and others dont sound the same.

That message was forwarded to Meade Cooper, the executive vice president of the networks primetime programming, which includes programmes hosted by Mr Hannity, Mr Carlson and Ms Piro, among others

Ms Cooper testified that, as of 6 November, 2020, going on television to say that the election is being stolen  would not be based in fact at that point.

But that same day, Sidney Powell appeared on Lou Dobbs Tonight to float a version of a bogus election manipulation conspiracy theory.

Her appearance prompted Mr Baier to immediately ask Fox President Jay Wallace: What is this? Oh man.

The following day, Ms Petterson and others at the network were made aware that 4chan users were calling on users to spread baseless election fraud claims and conspiracy theories. That same day, an editorial in Mr Murdochs The New York Post called on Mr Trump to stop the stolen election rhetoric and get Rudy Giuliani off TV.

The network took some measures to prevent those claims from circulating in the days that followed, including canceling Ms Piros broadcast at one point. Producer Justin Wells said that they took her off cuz she was being crazy.

Optics are bad. But she is crazy, he said.

Tony Fratto, a former deputy White House press secretary under George W Bush and a communications consultant to Dominion, wrote directly to Fox executives on 16 November.

[Dominion], as you know, has received a great deal of attention on [Fox News] and from the president. An enormous amount of misinformation actually, completely and verifiable wrong information is finding its way on-air, he wrote. I think this situation is crossing dangerous lines.

That same night, Mr Fratto forwarded part of a transcript from Mr Dobbs broadcast.

More f****ing lies, he wrote. Honestly. He is a disgrace.

Sidney Powell is lying by the way

On 7 November, Fox News predicted that Mr Biden won the 2020 presidential election. Mr Murdoch and other Fox personalities began to see the writing on the wall.

Do the executives understand how much credibility and trust weve lost with our audience? Were playing with fire, for real, Mr Carlson texted his producer. An alternative like Newsmax could be devastating to us.

On a broadcast of Sunday Morning Futures on 8 November, Fox News personality Maria Bartiromo hosted Sidney Powell.

I know there were voting irregularities. Tell me about that, Ms Bartiromo said on the network.

Ms Powell falsely said Dominion used algorithms as part of a massive and coordinated effort to steal the 2020 presidential election from Mr Trump.

Ms Bartiromo did not tell her viewers the source of those claims, which Ms Powell shared with her in an email one day earlier that even she said came from a person she described as a wackadoodle.

Who am I? And how do I know all of this?  Ive had the strangest dreams since I was a little girl  I was internally decapitated, and yet, I live.  The Wind tells me Im a ghost, but I dont believe it.

That email, which was also shared with Lou Dobbs, alleged that Dominion was the one common thread in specious claims about voting irregularities.

In her deposition, Ms Bartiromo agreed that the email was nonsense.

Ms Powell had repeatedly claimed on the network and in other public appearances that votes were flipped and dumped and that the machines could shift votes in real time.

Weve identified mathematically the exact algorithm they used and planned to use from the beginning to modify the votes in this case to make sure Biden won, she said.

Fox News, meanwhile, had received more than 3,863 emails from Dominion to correct those claims.

In other words, Dominion did not simply deny the charges. It provided public evidence demonstrating those charges were false (and inherently improbable), according to the lawsuit. Foxs hosts, producers, and executives had the facts in their inboxes.

On 16 November, Mr Carlson told his producer Alex Pfeiffer that Sidney Powell is lying. F****ing b****.

Two days later, Mr Carlson told Ms Ingraham that Sidney Powell is lying by the way. caught her. Its insane.

Sidney is a complete nut, Ms Ingraham said. No one will work with her. Ditto with Rudy.

Its unbelievably offensive to me, Mr Carlson replied. Our viewers are good people and they believe it.

But on 19 November, Mr Carlson ended his broadcast by saying that maybe Sidney Powell will come forward soon with details on exactly how this happened, and precisely who did it. We are certainly hopeful that she will.

On 24 November, Ms Powell appeared on two programmes on the network, hosted by Mr Dobbs and Mr Hannity.

The machine ran an algorithm that shaved votes from Trump and awarded them to Biden, Ms Powell said in a series of false claims on Mr Hannitys prime-time broadcast. They used the machines to trash large batches of votes that should have been awarded to President Trump. And they used a machine to inject and add massive quantities of votes for Mr Biden.

On 6 January, 2021, following a violent revolt at the US Capitol fuelled by the fraudulent election narrative, Mr Carlson wrote in a message to his producer that Mr Trump is a demonic force, a destroyer. But hes not going to destroy us.

On January 26, Mr Carlson invited prolific election fraud conspiracy theorist Mike Lindell on his broadcast.

Get her fired

While facing calls from within the company to protect the brand following outrage with the Arizona results and how to address grieving viewers, executives criticised truthful reporting and commentary and appeared to punish reporters for doing their job, according to the lawsuit.

While former White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany amplified bogus claims of election fraud, Neil Cavuto told viewers that shes charging the other side as welcoming fraud and illegal voting and that unless she has more details to back that up, I cant in good countenance continue to show you this.

Fox leadership  on war footing with competing Newsmax  said that his on-air remarks constituted a brand threat. Mr Carlson also complained separately of brand vandalism.

On 12 November, as Dominion claims began circulating on other networks and across social media, Laura Ingraham producer Tommy Firth texted an executive that this dominion shit is going to give me a f****ing aneurysm.

As many times as Ive told Laura bs, she sees s***posters and Trump tweeting about it, he said.

That night, Mr Dobbs brought Mr Giuliani on his broadcast.

The endgame to a four-and-a-half year-long effort to overthrow the president of the United States, Mr Dobbs said on his programme.

Also that night, in a group message thread, Mr Carlson shared a tweet from now-former Fox News reporter Jacqui Heinrich fact checking one of Trumps tweets alleging voter fraud, on which she correctly stated that There is no evidence that any voting system deleted or lost votes, changed votes, or was in any way compromised.

Please get her fired, Mr Carlson wrote. Seriously  What the f****? actually shocked  It needs to stop immediately, like tonight. Its measurably hurting the company. The stock price is down. Not a joke.

Mr Hannity texted his team that he just dropped a bomb.

Ms Scott told Fox executives that Mr Hannity is standing down on responding but not happy about this and doesnt understand how this is allowed to happen from anyone in news.

[Ms Heinrich] has serious nerve doing this and if this gets picked up, viewers are going to be further disgusted, she added.

Ms Heinrichs tweet was deleted.

On 19 November, a memo to executives said that the lack of any meaningful editorial guidance at Newsmax may be a positive for them at least in the short term, adding that that kind of conspiratorial reporting might be exactly what the disgruntled [Fox News] viewer is looking for.

Do not ever give viewers a reason to turn us off, Fox executive Ron Mitchell wrote. Every topic and guest must perform  No unforced errors in content  example: Abruptly turning away from aTrump campaign press conference.

The next day, while the network played the entirety of Mr Giulianis post-election press conference, then-White House correspondent Kristin Fisher fact checked claims from Ms Powell and Mr Giuliani.

She said that her boss Bryan Boughton immediately called her to tell her that higher-ups at Fox News were also unhappy and that she needed to do a better job of  this is a quote  respecting our audience.

Punished for doing my job, she texted after the call.
Photo: Rob Kruyt. A pair of Indigenous women in British Columbia have filed a proposed class-action lawsuit against the provincial government.

Two Indigenous women in B.C. have filed a proposed class-action lawsuit against the province, alleging they were subject to forced sterilization.

Lorraine Davis and Stephanie Roy, in a B.C. Supreme Court notice of civil claim filed Feb. 22, said they were either sterilized or had a child aborted without full knowledge of procedures or consent for what they were undergoing.

The term coerced sterilization means the practice of sterilizing a person in the absence of that persons free full and informed consent, the claim, filed by lawyer Angela Bespflug, said. Coerced sterilization is a form of sexual assault.

The suit continues to say such sterilization of Canadian Indigenous women began in the 1920s, with many victims being women in labour or those who had just given birth.

Davis is a member of the Penticton Indian Band living in Campbell River. The claim said she was due to give birth to her second son on Sept. 20, 1983 by caesarean section at Campbell River Hospital.

Moments before the surgery, the claim said, she was given documents authorizing a tubal ligation. She signed without knowing what she was signing and received no advice about sterilization.

There was no valid medical reason for the procedure, the claim said.

When she and her husband wished to have another child, they could not do so, state the court documents.

Roy is a member of the Wetsuweten Nation and lives in Chilliwack. As a teenager in 1998 or 1999, she became pregnant and was pressured to have an abortion, the claim said.

Just before the procedure, she told medical staff she did not want to go through with it. She was told it was too late, and that she had already signed the papers. She was held down, the claim said, and a mask was put on her face rendering her unconscious.

When she woke up, the baby was gone, state court documents.

The suit alleges the province was complicit in creating an atmosphere of institutional and systemic racism in provincially funded and regulated hospitals throughout British Columbia.

It asserts coerced sterilization was implicitly and explicitly condoned and encouraged, and that the province failed to address the practice of subjecting Indigenous women to coerced abortions.

The practices, the claim said, have deprived Indigenous women of their reproductive rights and have had a traumatic and destructive effect on the health, family relationships and culture of Indigenous women  and Indigenous communities in British Columbia.

The suit calls the practices a form of sexism and genocide aimed at eradicating Indigenous people and their cultures.

The women have brought the proposed class action on behalf of all Indigenous women sterilized without their consent or those who had an abortion without their free and informed consent between Aug. 1, 1974 and the present.

The claim said prior to 1971, coerced sterilized was sanctioned in B.C. under the Sexual Sterilization Act.

The suit said that, despite the act being repealed in 1973, coerced sterilization of Indigenous women has continued.

The claim seeks for the case to be certified as a class action, a declaration that the province is vicariously liable for sexual assault and battery, that the province breached its duty to class members and that charter rights were breached.

The province did not respond to Glacier Media's request for comment by deadline.

None of the allegations have been proven in court.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Kareem Khan

During the meeting, the president stressed that Russians must be held accountable for the crimes they committed in Ukraine.

Read also: EU plans special prosecutors office to investigate Russian crimes

It is important for us to receive signals of support and the importance of justice, Zelenskyy said.

It means, we arent alone in our desire to achieve justice for Ukraine and together we will be able to return justice to Europe and the world. So that such horrific crimes couldnt be repeated in the future, even theoretically.

Read also: UK offers backing for special tribunal on Russian war crimes

The president invited the prosecutor to take part in the upcoming United for Justice international conference in Lviv, which will be focused on the crimes committed by invading Russian forces in Ukraine.

The press service of the Presidents Office reported that the office of the ICC prosecutor should soon open in Ukraine. Khan said that his team is ready to speed up the work so that "Ukrainians and people around the world see justice as soon as possible, and the guilty receive punishment."

Read also: Ukraines financial investigations service seizes large, Russian-owned logistics center

Ukraine calls for the creation of a special tribunal to bring to justice for the crime of aggression against Ukraine. The idea was subsequently supported by the European Parliament and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.

Read also: First Latin American country to support creation of Special Tribunal for Russian Federation

According to Ukraines Internal Ministry, since the beginning of Russias full-scale invasion of Ukraine, 64,986 criminal investigations have been opened to examine the crimes committed by Russian forces and their accomplices.

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
Welcome to Investigative Stories from Ukraine, the Kyiv Independent's newsletter that walks you through the most prominent investigations of the past week.

If you are fond of in-depth journalism that exposes war crimes, corruption and abuse of power across state organizations in Ukraine and beyond, subscribe to our investigative newsletter.

To support our journalism, please become a patron of the Kyiv Independent. Pledges start from just $5 a month.

Top investigative stories

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Re:Baltica identifies Russia supporters in Latvia prosecuted for glorifying war against Ukraine

Latvian investigative outlet Re:Baltica identified people subject to 40 criminal proceedings the countrys Security Service had opened regarding support of Russias war against Ukraine.

The charges involve glorifying the Russian army, denying Russian war crimes, and helping a foreign state undermine Latvian independence.

The names of people charged with endorsing Russian aggression are not public in Latvia.

Re:Baltica identified them by gathering information from various sources, including court files, news articles, and interviews.

Among Russia backers are propagandists, social media influencers, and former politicians from pro-Kremlin parties.

According to Re:Baltica, Ruslan Pankratov, a leader of the eurosceptic far-right Action Party, is charged with both inciting hatred and violating sanctions for his appearances on Russian state-owned TV channels managed by people on the European Unions sanctions list.

On the list of propagandists who attracted the attention of the Latvian Security Service is Kirill Fiodorov, a blogger with up to a million views on YouTube. He is reportedly charged with hate speech and glorifying the Russian army and its war crimes in Ukraine.

Read the full story in English via the link.

Ukrainska Pravda: Ukrainian businessman allegedly lobbies for Russian business interests in Ukraine

Ukrainian businessman Leonid Ashkenazi allegedly lobbies for the interests of Russian moguls in Ukraine, according to an investigation by Ukrainska Pravda. The story is based on the publications sources in law enforcement and footage of Ashkenazis meetings.

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Journalists spotted Ashkenazi conducting meetings with Russian business people in Ukraine and in Spain. In Kyiv, he has met with a prosecutor in charge of investigating perpetrators of Russian aggression in Ukraine. The prosecutor said the meeting was accidental.

In Kyiv, Ashkenazi resides full-time in Premier Palace, a five-star hotel widely believed to be co-owned by Alexander Babakov, a Russian politician and deputy head of the Russian parliament. Despite the Russian connection, the hotel functions during the war.

Ashkenazi was also spotted using a car belonging to a company owned by Serhiy Tarasov, the father of lawmaker Oleh Tarasov, who represents the presidents Servant of the People parliamentary faction.

Find the full story in Ukrainian here.

RFE/RL investigates reasons behind stallment of Russian assets confiscation in Ukraine

One year into Russias all-out war, Ukraine has confiscated only five Russian assets, including two enterprises owned by Russia and three belonging to Russian oligarchs, according to Schemes, an investigative project of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.

After the investigation had been published, Ukrainian officials seized one more Russian asset, PinBank, belonging to Russian oligarch Yevgeni Giner.

The seized Russian assets comprise a tiny portion of what Ukraine could have confiscated. The process stalled due to bureaucracy, Schemes found.

Out of 905 Russian state-owned assets in Ukraine, the state-nationalized assets belonging to two Russian state-owned banks  Sberbank and Veb.RF.

As for the rest, the Economy Ministry has been working on a list of assets to confiscate since late summer when the National Security and Defense Council dismissed the previous list, according to Schemes.

Out of hundreds of Russian citizens under sanctions, only oligarchs Vladimir Yevtushenkov, Oleg Deripaska, and Mikhail Shelkov lost their businesses in Ukraine.

The Justice Ministry, tasked with filing lawsuits to the High Anti-Corruption Court for confiscating Russian oligarchs assets, is too understaffed to do the job effectively, according to Schemes.

Gathering evidence to connect the assets to a particular Russian tycoon is complicated and time-consuming since they often own their businesses through intermediaries.

Some assets are under temporary arrest due to criminal cases against owners.

While under arrest, these assets could benefit Ukraine's budget, but the countrys Asset Recovery and Management Agency (ARMA) hasnt been able to find temporary administrators to oversee most of them.

Watch the full story in Ukrainian here.

Bihus.Info: Ex-commander of Russia-backed militants in Donbas runs factory in Dnipro

Andrii Anofriev, a former commander of the Russia-led militants in the occupied part of Luhansk Oblast, resurfaced in Dnipro running a privately-owned railway carriage repair plant that works with state-owned enterprises, according to Bihus.Info, a Ukrainian investigative outlet.

In 2014, Anofriev allegedly created military units fighting alongside Russian troops in the Donbas, according to the publication.

His militant group was reportedly involved in the kidnapping and murder of Major Tymur Hetmanskyi, Ukraines Security Service officer, on the Russian-occupied territory of Luhansk Oblast in October 2014.

In April 2021, Ukraines law enforcement captured Anofriev on the government-controlled territory and detained him on charges of undermining Ukraines territorial integrity, sabotage, and creating a terrorist group.

The Markivka district court in Luhansk Oblast placed him under partial house arrest for two months. However, the next hearing didnt take place due to the Russian invasion of Markivka in the early days of the all-out war.

According to Bihus.Info, the case of Anofriev was never passed to another court. The prosecutors office said that such a transfer would violate Ukraines law.

Following the full-scale Russian invasion in February 2022, Anofriev reportedly moved to Dnipro and has kept a low profile ever since.

Earlier, Anofriev headed one of the branches of the state-owned Ukrzaliznytsia railway company in Lozova, Kharkiv Oblast.

Watch the full story in Ukrainian here.

Reaction

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Lukashenko on alleged Russian plans to take over Belarus by 2030: There might have been such a document'

Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko said that there might have been a document that allegedly detailing Russia's plans to dismantle Belarusian independence by 2030.

The document was featured in a joint investigation by the Kyiv Independent and a group of U.S. and European media outlets, which detailed Russia's future steps to take complete control of Belarus by the end of the decade.

According to one of the sources cited in the investigation, an unnamed Western intelligence officer, the document was created in 2021 by the Kremlin's Directorate for Cross-Border Cooperation.



According to the plan outlined in the document, by 2030, Belarus should have a single currency and tax system with Russia, and its military and media space must be under Russian control.

Lukashenko told state-controlled news agency Belta that Belarus and Russia had discussed the formation of integration roadmaps three years ago.

There were different points of view, Lukashenko said on Feb. 25, adding that the plan revealed by journalists could have been a draft suggested by the Russian side back then.

"There were different proposals to the point of Russia becoming part of Belarus," Lukashenko went on, adding that he sees Belarus as an independent and sovereign state.

Lukashenko claimed that the cross-border investigation was aimed at dividing Belarus and Russia.
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, left, and Apple CEO Tim Cook. Some iPhone users will be able to send iMessages from Microsoft PCs. Stephen Brashear/Getty Images, AP

A small number of Windows Insiders are getting a preview of Microsoft's Phone Link for iOS.

Phone Link for iOS will let iPhone users send and receive iMessages on their Windows devices.

The app doesn't support group messaging or sending media.

iPhone users who aren't full Apple loyalists will soon be able to send and receive iMessages through their Windows devices, as well as make and receive calls, and see notifications.

A small number of Windows Insiders  a community of Windows users who get to preview new features and provide feedback  are getting a preview of Phone Link for iOS on Windows 11 starting today, Microsoft said in a blog post. The company said more Insiders will get a preview over time after it receives feedback from the first group of users.

The app only supports basic messaging and calling, and doesn't allow group messaging or sending media, Microsoft said on its blog. Despite not being able to share photos on Phone Link, iCloud Photos is already integrated into the Windows 11 Photos app.

Phone Link for iOS pairs iPhones and PCs over Bluetooth, which means messaging and other capabilities through the app are only available as long as the devices are connected, a spokesperson for Microsoft told Insider.

Messages sent from Phone Link appear as iMessages on iPhones, Yusuf Mehdi, Microsoft's head of consumer marketing, told The Verge. The publication also reported that Phone Link only shows messages sent and received while using the app, not a complete message history. The app can't tell the difference between standard texts and iMessages, so it won't display blue or green bubbles.

Android users have had access to Phone Link for some time, and Microsoft announced an "even richer experience" for those users, including the option to "easily transfer" browser sessions from their Samsung phone to their Windows device.

"It's something we've been wanting to do for a long time," Mehdi told The Verge about bringing iOS users to Phone Link. "The experience with Android is quite good, and we felt like we needed to get something out [for iPhone]."

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

Google, one of the developers of Android, has been picking a battle with Apple over texting between Androids and iPhones with its #GetTheMessage campaign.

In an October update for Android's Messages app, Google made it more difficult for iPhone users to see reactions to their texts by sending a text describing a Messages user's reaction, instead of just showing the reaction.

Google again took a dig at Apple in December with a 30th birthday post for SMS, telling Apple it's time to switch to RCS, or the more advanced Rich Communications System. Google has called RCS, which was chosen to potentially replace SMS in 2008, "the modern industry standard."

Last month, a billboard from Google addressed Apple, telling it to fix "pixelated photos and videos" in texts, and included lines of RCS code to kickstart the process.

"From a Google perspective, we think every Android user should just have messaging over Wi-Fi," Sanaz Ahari, who manages Android and business communications at Google, previously told The Verge.

However, Apple hasn't budged towards switching to RCS, and CEO Tim Cook has previously said he doesn't hear many Apple users request a change to texting between iPhones and Androids. Documents from a 2021 legal battle between Apple and Epic Games show one Apple executive saying "moving iMessage to Android will hurt us more than help us."

Read the original article on Business Insider
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Iran could make enough fissile for one nuclear bomb in "about 12 days," a top U.S. Defense Department official said on Tuesday, down from the estimated one year it would have taken while the 2015 Iran nuclear deal was in effect.

Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Colin Kahl made the comment to a House of Representatives hearing when pressed by a Republican lawmaker why the Biden administration had sought to revive the deal, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA)

"Because Iran's nuclear progress since we left the JCPOA has been remarkable. Back in 2018, when the previous administration decided to leave the JCPOA it would have taken Iran about 12 months to produce one bomb's worth of fissile material. Now it would take about 12 days," Kahl, the third ranking Defense Department official, told lawmakers.

"And so I think there is still the view that if you could resolve this issue diplomatically and put constraints back on their nuclear program, it is better than the other options. But right now, the JCPOA is on ice," Kahl added.

U.S. officials have repeatedly estimated Iran's breakout time - how long it would take to acquire the fissile material for one bomb if it decided to - at weeks but have not been as specific as Kahl was.

While U.S. officials say Iran has grown closer to producing fissile material they do not believe it has mastered the technology to actually build a bomb.

Under the 2015 deal, which then-U.S. President Donald Trump abandoned in 2018, Iran had reined in its nuclear program in return for relief from economic sanctions.

Trump reimposed U.S. sanctions on Iran, leading Tehran to resume previously banned nuclear work and reviving U.S., European and Israeli fears that Iran may seek an atomic bomb. Iran denies any such ambition.

The Biden administration has tried but failed to revive the pact over the last two years.

(Reporting By Idrees Ali; Writing by Arshad Mohammed; Editing by Alistair Bell)
Natalia Bratslavsky / Getty Images/iStockphoto

In recent months, the weather across the United States has been harrowing for residents in a number of states due to wildfires, hurricanes and other disasters. In addition to FEMA support, the IRS is now stepping up to help, extending the tax deadline for Americans in the hardest hit areas just two weeks before the traditional deadline of April 18.

Hurricane Aftermath: How To Avoid Buying a Car That Was Damaged In a Flood

Know: How Much Cash You Need Stashed in Case of a Natural Disaster

Among those getting extensions are residents of:

Alabama.

Arkansas.

California.

Georgia.

Mississippi.

New York.

Arkansas and Mississippi residents that live in federally declared disaster areas now have until July 31 to file individual and business tax returns as well as make payments, per CBS News.

As previously declared by the IRS, New York residents have an extension until May 15 due to winter storms that occurred earlier in 2023. And Georgia, California and Alabama residents have even longer, until Oct. 16, to file and pay taxes due to ongoing flooding and landslides/mudslides in those regions.

This extension also means eligible taxpayers can have until the new dates to make any additional contribution to health savings accounts and IRAs. As well, the revised deadlines are also the cutoffs for those affected to pay their final estimated quarterly payment for 2022 (which would have normally been due on Jan. 17, 2023). This means that taxpayers can skip making this payment and instead include it with the 2022 return they file, said the IRS.

The agency also noted this is an automatic extension for those who qualify and those individuals do not need to file any paperwork for the extension, nor do they need to call the agency in order to declare it.

Though, if there is a mistake and a late penalty is applied, the IRS does note to check in to get it amended: If an affected taxpayer receives a late filing or late payment penalty notice from the IRS that has an original or extended filing, payment or deposit due date falling within the postponement period, the taxpayer should call the number on the notice to have the penalty abated.

Story continues

More: IRS Will Now Give You More Time To Make Tax Refund Claims

Prepare: Could Your State Stimulus Check Be a Red Flag for an IRS Tax Audit?

The official IRS website has a specific landing page for more information on who qualifies for this disaster situation extension. The agency also noted they will work with taxpayers who live outside the qualifying areas to see if they should receive an extension, too, including workers who helped in relief activities. Anyone who believes they are entitled to the support should call the IRS at (866) 562-5227.

More From GOBankingRates

This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: The IRS Is Extending Tax Deadlines in 6 States Due to Storms
A 20-year-old North Texas rapper was arrested Friday in connection with a fatal shooting, the Dallas Police Department announced Tuesday.

Ghazi Harris, who is a Dallas-Fort Worth rapper known as 2G.Kaash, is facing a murder charge and was being held Tuesday in the Dallas County Jail.

Dallas police responded to a shooting call at 10:45 p.m. on Jan. 19 in the 5900 block of North Central Expressway Service Road.

When police arrived, they found Khurram Ali, 33, suffering from a gunshot wound in a car, according to the preliminary investigation.

Dallas Fire-Rescue transported Ali to a hospital, where he later died from his injuries, according to police.

A friend of Alis, who refused to identify himself, told police that Ali was going to meet Harris to buy marijuana, according to an arrest warrant affidavit. Text messages between the victim and suspect also confirm that, police wrote in the affidavit.

Security guards at Premier Place and The Beeman Hotel told police that they witnessed the shooting. Witnesses described two vehicle parked next to each other in a lot.

Witnesses said they saw Alis SUV start to drive away, heard a gunshot and saw the SUV hit an unoccupied vehicle. A trash bag fell out of the victims SUV, and three people ran from the SUV to the suspects car, which was a dark-colored sedan, the affidavit says.

According to the warrant, phone records show a message sent from Harris to Ali at 10:53 p.m. said, You gone try to runoff on me?

Crime scene technicians confirmed Harris handprint was found on Alis vehicle, according to the affidavit.

Harris  who was 18 at the time  was also arrested in February 2021 and accused of fatally shooting Keenon Culver, 35, in Irving after getting involved in a family fight.

Court records show a grand jury declined to indict Harris in the 2021 shooting.

Irving police said that Harris had attempted to break up a fight between Culver, Culvers son, and the sons mother, according to a warrant.

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When the fight stopped, Harris kept telling Culvers son not to run away, according to the warrant. That upset Culver and he walked up to Harris. Culver was not armed, according to Irving police.

Harris pulled out a pistol and fired one round, hitting Culver in the chest, Irving police alleged.

Harris recently signed a deal with Kodak Blacks Sniper Gang Records.

The Jan. 19 shooting remains an ongoing investigation.

Anyone with information about the Dallas homicide is asked to contact Detective Timothy Johnston at 214-671-2543 or at timothy.johnston@dallaspolice.gov.
Eli Cohen, Israeli Foreign Minister, said that Israel "condemns Russian aggression", but notes the "unique position" of Jerusalem.

Source: Times of Israel

Cohen said that "of course we condemn the Russian aggression", but noted Jerusalems "unique position".

Quote: "We are not like your country [meaning Germany  ed.]. Russia is a pivot[al] player in our region, also in Syria. So I think we are doing the maximum in all aspects," he says.

Details: Cohen also recalled his recent visit to Kyiv. It was the first visit of a high-ranking Israeli official to Ukraine since the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion.

Background:

Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen has met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv and promised to supply Ukraine with a civilian air defence system.

During his visit to Ukraine, Cohen said that Israel intends to support the peace formula proposed by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

During his meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday, 2 February, Benjamin Netanyahu, Prime Minister of Israel, announced that he is ready to send "military things" to Ukraine.

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






Photo: The Canadian Press

Vermont State Police are investigating after a man collapsed and died shortly after crossing the border into the United States from Quebec on foot last week.

They say U.S. border patrol agents spotted Jose Leos Cervantes and two other people crossing the border into Holland, Vt., about 10:30 p.m. on Feb. 19.

Police say in a news release that Leos Cervantes collapsed when encountered by the agents and that the other two men ran back toward Canada.

The 45-year-old from Aguascalientes, Mexico, was taken to hospital, and his death is not considered suspicious.

This is the second time this winter a person has died crossing the border  a 44-year-old man was found frozen to death in early January in a wooded area near St-Bernard-de-Lacolle, Que., where police said he was trying to enter the United States.

A 31-year-old Ecuadorian woman from Connecticut was charged last week with unlawfully attempting to transport three individuals within the United States following Leos Cervantes's death.
A 27-year-old Israeli-American was shot dead in the occupied West Bank as unprecedented retaliatory violence intensified in the aftermath of the deadliest Israeli raid in the area since 2005 that led to the deaths of 11 Palestinians last week.

The man was in his car when he was killed in a drive-by shooting by Palestinians on a highway near the city of Jericho on Monday, Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) said.

The IDF, in a statement late on Tuesday, said the gunmen had opened fire towards a vehicle with an Israeli number plate on three occasions and set their own vehicles on fire.

Israeli police forces arrived and the gunmen fled after an exchange of fire, according to the IDF.

US ambassador to Israel Tom Nides confirmed the American citizens death without revealing his identity.

Sadly, I can confirm that a US citizen was killed in one of the terror attacks in the West Bank tonight. I pray for his family, he said in a tweet.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility by any Palestinian groups.

The drive-by comes a day after two Israeli settlers were shot and killed on Sunday in Huwara, south of Nablus in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, leading to revenge violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinians.

The two, identified as Hillel Menachem Yaniv, 21, and Yagel Yaakov Yaniv, 19, were killed in a drive-by as well and were brothers.

Hundreds of Israeli settlers subsequently went on a violent rampage, torching several cars and homes and damaging shops and businesses along the main thoroughfare in Hawara used by both Palestinians and Israeli settlers.

Palestinian media said about 30 homes were torched and more than 100 cars were burned during Sunday evenings rampage.

Cars burnt in an attack by Israeli settlers, following an incident where a Palestinian gunman killed two Israeli settlers (REUTERS)

A 37-year-old man, identified as Sameh Aqtash, was shot and killed by Israeli fire, the Palestinian health ministry said.

Two others were shot and wounded, while a third person was stabbed and a fourth was beaten with an iron bar, the Palestinian Red Crescent medical service said. More than 100 people were being treated for injuries and teargas inhalation.

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Violence has continued to spiral out of control despite efforts by foreign mediators to tamp down tensions ahead of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan and the Jewish Passover festival.

Palestinian youths burn tires during a protest near the Israel-Gaza border, East of Gaza City (AFP via Getty Images)

The escalating tensions between the two groups have put Israels far-right prime minister Benjamin Netanyahus government in a tight spot as he maintains a balancing act between the US advocating for a two-state solution and his own cabinet of hardline settlers.

The Sunday rampage happened as a US-brokered summit had concluded at the Red Sea resort of Aqaba in Jordan. Israeli and Palestinian officials have pledged to de-escalate tensions.

Mr Netanyahu appealed for calm and peace, urging settlers to allow the Israeli military to conduct search operations to find the attackers.

I ask that when blood is boiling and the spirit is hot, dont take the law into your hands, he said in a video statement.

Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas blamed the Israeli government for the terrorist acts carried out by Israeli settlers, under the protection of the Israeli occupation forces.

Palestinian militant group Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, said: The crimes conducted by the occupation and the herds of settlers will not be met but with stabbing, shooting and car ramming.

A mourner reacts during the funeral of Hillel Yaniv and Yigal Yaniv, Israeli brothers from the Har Bracha settlement (REUTERS)

Four extra army battalions and two border police companies have been posted to the West Bank as reinforcements since Sunday, the Israeli military said.

Israeli police have arrested two people for the rampage and continues to search for the attackers. Mr Netanyahu said security forces were closing in on the gunmen who killed the Israeli brothers.

It comes days after 11 Palestinians were killed in a rare daytime raid by Israeli forces on the West Bank city of Nablus. Members of a terrorist group were targets of the raid, in which some civilians were killed and scores were injured in the deadliest operation in the West Bank since 2005.

So far this year, 63 Palestinians, including gunmen and civilians, have been killed by Israeli forces, according to Palestinian officials. Palestinian attacks have killed 13 Israelis, one of them a policeman and a Ukrainian tourist, Israel said.
JERUSALEM (AP)  An ultranationalist ally of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has tendered his resignation as a deputy minister in the new government.

Avi Maoz's departure was the first crack in Netanyahu's ruling coalition, which assumed office in late December after securing a parliamentary majority in the November elections.

Maoz, the head of a small ultranationalist faction known for his homophobic rhetoric and disparaging remarks about non-Orthodox Jews, said he would step down as a deputy minister, but would continue to vote with the coalition in parliament. Netanyahu's ruling coalition holds 64 seats in the 120-seat Knesset.

The Noam faction leader wrote in a letter to Netanyahu on Monday that he found that there is no serious intention to uphold the coalition agreement concerning an office to bolster Jewish identity among Israelis.

Maoz is a Jewish fundamentalist and West Bank settler who is an outspoken opponent to LGBTQ rights and women serving in the military. He has voiced opposition to Arabs teaching Jewish students in Israeli schools. He has denied the legitimacy of non-Orthodox Judaism, including the Reform and Conservative movements, which are marginal in Israel but dominant in the U.S. and have long provided the country with financial and diplomatic support.

Maozs Noam faction ran in the last elections on a joint ticket with Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrichs Religious Zionism party, which won 14 seats in the Knesset, making it the third-largest faction.

Netanyahu and his allies are advancing a series of bills that aim to weaken the Supreme Court and give politicians greater power over judicial appointments. Opponents to the judicial overhaul say the proposed changes threaten Israels democratic institutions and will concentrate power in the hands of the government. They've assembled weekly for mass protests.

I will continue, God willing, as a member of the coalition" and support the very important judicial overhaul, Moaz wrote.
Carmine Montuori, left, says his Taste of Napoli restaurant in Bristol is dealing with soaring food costs. (SWNS)

The owner of an Italian restaurant in Bristol says he fears he will go out of business because of the increased price of pasta and the current vegetable shortage.

Carmine Montuori, 52, has run the Taste of Napoli with his family for the past six years.

He says pasta prices have increased by 80% while the cost of arancini has doubled, as the UK continues to grapple with the cost of living crisis.

He said his business is in danger of folding within three months because of vegetable shortages, blamed on adverse weather conditions in producing countries in Europe and Africa.

Several UK supermarkets are rationing the vegetables on their shelves as a result, with shoppers limited to how many tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers they can buy.

Montuori said he would have to charge his customers double what they are currently paying for meals - or pull about a quarter of his menu - for the restaurant to survive.

The Taste of Napoli restaurant in Bristol faces doubling its prices or closing down, its owner says. (SWNS)

He says if ingredient prices don't fall in the next couple of months, the business has "no chance of staying on the market".

Montuori, a father-of-three, said: "It's a real problem. The vegetable prices from wholesalers are 50% higher than last month.

"But we have no choice because we can't get them from the supermarkets - the shelves are empty.

"Rice prices for our arancini have doubled and the Italian pasta we use has gone up by 80% too.

"Soon we'll have to start taking things off the menu - or we'd have to charge double to make the same profit.

Read more: Couple with 13 children say they spend 3,000 a month on food alone

"But if we did that then we'd have no customers.

"If the prices don't go down in the next three or four months, we'll need to close.

"People don't realise the struggle independents have - the big companies can survive just fine, but we can't.

"Everything we sell is hand-made fresh but some people don't want to pay more for a slice of pizza here than in a big chain like Greggs."

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Montuori said prices of imported goods increased for his business after the UK left the European Union, and were starting to fall before the coronavirus pandemic struck.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine has caused the price of gas and fuel to skyrocket, increasing his overheads and transport costs, he said. The price of flour and oil also increased last year.

The Taste of Napoli restaurant in Bristol is grappling with soaring food costs and a vegetable shortage. (SWNS)

Most of the items on the restaurant's menu have been put up by 20% already, he said.

"I can't double my prices to make profit because then nobody would come in," said Montuori.

"The big restaurant chains can handle that, but if we don't make profit we don't get paid.

"If people see a price in a shop get higher they think the shop wants more profit. But with us, we don't have a choice.

"The best thing would be if the government could help, especially for the independent places.

"We need help because if this continues for the next three to five months we have no chance of staying on the market."
Irregular migrant ship sinks off in Italy

The wreckage of the ship carrying the immigrants and a life buoy are seen on the beach in Crotone, Italy on February 27, 2023. Credit - Valeria FerraroAnadolu Agency/Getty Images

At least 64 people died after a wooden boat carrying over 150 refugees was wrecked off the coast of Italy over the weekend. The deaths of these migrantshailing from Afghanistan, Pakistan, Somalia, and elsewherecomes as Italy continues to clamp down on efforts to rescue those who try to enter Europe by water.

Crossing the Mediterranean Route into Italy is the deadliest migrant crossing route in the world, but also increasingly the only option for migrants hoping to escape conflict in their homelands.

If you are a migrant and want to reach Europe, you have limited [options,. says Luigi Achilli, an Italy-based senior researcher at the Migration Policy Centre. You either fly or cross the sea.

Flying is by far the safest and quickest option, says Achilli, but its risky, as migrants need to forge expensive travel documents and risk being caught along the journey. On the other hand, smugglers will offer cheaper packages for those trying to cross by sea, guaranteeing multiple trips if the boat is intercepted along the routea more feasible option for those desperate to escape.

The UNHCR estimates that more than 100,000 refugees arrived in Italy by boat in 2022, and that almost 1,400 migrants died while trying to cross the central Mediterranean in 2022.

Italys new Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, has made clear her commitment to enacting laws that make it more difficult for migrants to enter Italy through the Mediterranean, and recently proposed a measure that places restrictions on NGO search-and-rescue boats. One expert told TIME that the move is not a novelty, but rather an extreme approach to the European Unions policies on migration already in effect. Heres what to know.

What has Italys government been doing to address deaths on the Mediterranean?

Meloni expressed deep sorrow over the tragedy, but Achilli says that the hardline stance she has taken against migration since coming to power in October will make safe passage for migrants even more unobtainable.

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The law, passed by Italys Parliament last week, requires NGO search-and-rescue ships operating in the Mediterranean to sail to a designated port rather than the closest port, and prevents them from looking for other migrant boats in distress. Captains face fines of up to 50,000 euros if they fail to comply.

A memorial in honor of the victims of a deadly migrant shipwreck in Crotone, Italy, on February 27, 2023. Gabriele MaricchioloNurPhoto/Getty Images

The new law against rescue NGOs that has been approved does not only create substantial obstacles for NGOs operating in the Mediterranean, it also increases the dangers faced by migrants who seek to reach Europe. says Achilli.

The move was widely condemned by rescue organizations in a joint statement in January, who said it would cause more deaths in the Mediterranean. Meloni has accused rescue boats of aiding human traffickers, a claim the charities have denied. They need a scapegoat. says Achilli.

Melonis government is not a radical change in terms of migration policies from previous governments in Italy, or the rest of Europe, Achilli explains further. Melonis government is pushing the dominant approach on migration to an extreme.

How has the E.U. approached an influx of refugees in recent years?

During her campaign, Meloni proposed a deal with Libya in which the country would house refugees and prevent them from trying to make it to Europe. She compared the plan to a similar off-shoring agreement the E.U. signed with Turkey in 2016 that gave the country 6 billion euros in exchange for stopping migrants who tried to travel to Europe from their shores.

The war in Ukraine put the E.U.s migration policy into the spotlight, when the bloc invoked a temporary protection directive that gave Ukrainian refugees entering Europe temporary status that granted them many of the same rights as E.U. citizens.

The decision was in sharp contrast to how the bloc has approached refugees fleeing Syria and Afghanistan in the past. Poland and Hungary, which pushed back against refugees from Asia, Africa, and the Middle East, welcomed Ukrainians with open arms.

Just months prior, following the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, E.U. interior ministers released a statement vowing to prevent illegal migration from the region rather than offering protections for Afghans fleeing the country.

The dangers of off-shoring refugees

Migrants trying to start anew dont always find a welcome home in these so-called third countries. These countries are not always safe countries, says Achilli. A 2022 U.N. human rights report detailed widespread and systematic human rights violations and abuses against migrants in Libya. Syrian refugees in Turkey have often been treated as second-class, facing discrimination, poverty, and the risk of deportation.

In the short term, this offshoring of border control does stem irregular migration, but not in the long term because migrants get right directed along different routes. says Achilli.

Offshoring increases the number of smugglers, says Achilli, and also puts Europe at the mercy of countries like Libya and Turkey, who can use their willingness to take in migrants as a bargaining chip in other issues.

Achilli says that the answer to preventing migrant deaths along the central Mediterranean is simple, but not one the E.U. is keen on following anytime soon. For those fleeing immediate danger, smugglers and dangerous routes are the only optionbut if the E.U. instead looked to expand its policies by granting humanitarian visas, expanding European countries resettlement programs, or developing alternative legal routes for refugeessuch desperate moves wouldnt be necessary, Achilli says.

The catastrophe were witnessing in the Mediterranean Sea could be easily addressed if we improve and multiply the legal channels of mobility, says Achilli. But what we are doing is going in the other direction.
Get ready to wag your tail and purr with delight because the Jacksonville Humane Society (JHS) is on a mission to add more pet-loving superheroes to their team!

On March 8th, from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., JHS will host their first-ever Hiring Carrier Fair to find the purrfect candidates for various positions. So, if youre a high school graduate with a passion for pets, then this is the place to be.

JHS is searching for dedicated and compassionate individuals who can fill roles such as adoption counselors, pet help counselors, veterinary technicians, and animal care and enrichment attendants. Starting pay is at $15/hour.

JHS will provide on-the-job training to ensure that all their new recruits are fully equipped to handle the responsibilities of their new roles.

The Career Fair will take place in the JHS Multipurpose Room on the second floor of the building. Make sure to bring a copy of your resume and get ready to dazzle the JHS team with your impressive skills and enthusiasm for pet care.

This is an excellent opportunity for animal lovers to turn their passion into a fulfilling career while making a positive impact in their community. So, dont miss out on this paw-some chance to join the JHS family and help furry friends find their forever homes!

Information about the application and to apply can be found HERE.

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Colonel David Scott, who is forever linked to NASAs Apollo missions to the moon and has worked with Neil Armstrong, was honored by Jacksonville University leaders on Tuesday afternoon as the recipient of the 2023 Presidential Global Citizen Award.

With over 500 hours in space, Colonel Scott is also just one of three men in human history to perform both orbital missions and missions to the moon.

Furthermore, Colonel Scott hasnt just been to the moon, he also was the first man to ever drive a lunar rover on the moon, as part of his mission on Apollo 15.

What is it like on the moon? I dont know what its like, but I know how I felt. It was a great adventure for me, Colonel Scott reminisced at Tuesdays ceremony.

Additionally, Colonel Scott found a lunar crust older than life itself.

The press called it the Genesis Rock. 4.2 billion years old and it was apparently part of the original lunar crust, Colonel Scott says.

That piece of rock would go on to provide invaluable insights into the formation of the moon and Earth themselves.

Although the Apollo missions ended nearly half a century ago, Colonel Scotts legacy will continue to live on among the stars.

Its a vast universe. Its so far out you can hardly tell, Colonel Scott said with a smile across his face.

Now, exploration of the moon continues to live on through NASAs Artemis program.

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Jamie Dornan is returning for a second season of The Tourist.

The series, which was written and created by Jack and Harry Williams, is set to go into production in Dublin, Ireland in April.

More from Variety

Im incredibly excited to continue the story with The Tourist, said Dornan. Harry and Jack Williams are brilliant writers, and I cant wait for audiences to see how well Ireland and its characters are utilised to keep them guessing as the tale progresses

In the off-beat thriller with a darkly comedic streak, Dornan (Belfast) reprises his role as Elliott, who wakes up one day in an Australian hospital with amnesia following a car crash. Danielle Macdonald (Dumplin) also returns as constable Helen Chambers. In the second season, the duo head to Ireland so that Elliott can rediscover his roots. Soon, however, they get dragged into his past life  with dangerous consequences.

Whilst Elliot fights with his own demons, Helen is left to pick up the pieces of a larger mystery; forcing them both to confront foes, old and new, reads the logline.

Macdonald said of the second season: Im so excited to team up with Jamie again and return for another wild adventure with an amazing cast and crew. Jack and Harry Williams are brilliant story tellers and its exciting to see what their minds will come up with next.

The Tourist is produced by the Williams production company Two Brothers Pictures (Fleabag) in association with All3Media, Stan and ZDF International. Exec producers are Daniel Walker and Sarah Hammond for Two Brothers and Nawfal Faizullah for the BBC.

Fergus OBrien (Happy Valley) will direct the opening block of the six-part season with Johann Perry (Happy Valley) as DOP. Louise Kiely (The Banshees of Inisherin) is casting director.

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The Tourist was unlike anything wed written before and were hugely grateful for the incredible response to series one, said Harry and Jack Williams. Its been an exciting journey getting stuck into that world again with the quirky characters that were so loved, and seeing where we could take them next, whilst continuing to deliver a tonally unique and off-beat drama.

All3Media international is repping global sales.

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Click here to read the full article.
[Source]

Japan's flag carrier has attracted online scrutiny over an "underwhelming" vegan food option served to a recent passenger: a single banana with a pair of chopsticks.

Japan Airlines passenger Kris Chari, who flew business class on a trip from Jakarta, Indonesia, to Tokyo on Feb. 21, recently expressed his disappointment in the in-flight menu on the air travel forum FlyerTalk.

Before takeoff today my flight attendant confirmed that I ordered VGML and that my breakfast was a banana, by which I mistakenly assumed she meant that breakfast included a banana. When she served the banana after takeoff I thought it was just an underwhelming appetizer, but it was in fact the entire meal service!

Chari added that while the single banana was "really good," it was not what he expected. He also shared that his lunch was a "barely seasoned spaghetti."

More from NextShark: Japans 87-year-old Naked Hermit returns to remote island for a final farewell

"It was cute of the crew to serve the banana with chopsticks, though!" quipped Chari.

Based on Japan Airlines' menu, flights include a snack distributed after takeoff, followed by lunch. For non-vegan snack options, passengers may opt for seared tuna with a Moroccan-style eggplant salad, two kinds of cheese with orange salsa and a baguette. For lunch, non-vegans may choose between grilled beef tenderloin and grilled salmon.

A spokesperson for Japan Airlines confirmed with Today that the snack/refreshment for all "special meals" on the route Chari took was indeed a banana.

More from NextShark: South Korea says new history textbooks in Japan distorts facts about World War II sex slavery

According to the representative, they will continue to respond to our menus in light of the growing interest and diverse needs of customers requesting special meals, including the valuable feedback from this customer.

On Japan Airlines' website, "vegetarian vegan meal" is listed under special meal menus with images showing salad bowls, a baguette, a halal sorbet and a larger rice dish, although meals must be ordered when booking a ticket and are only offered on flights departing from Japan from Haneda or Narita.

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In an interview with Business Insider, Chari said he expected something closer to a snack, such as a sandwich, salad, vegan cheese or a baguette.

More from NextShark: A Costco food court's new menu item is raising eyebrows for its price

"It's a bit insulting to be served a single banana while others are given a far more substantial and flavorful menu," he was quoted as saying. "It seems especially important given the growth in the number of vegans and vegetarians."

Enjoy this content? Read more from NextShark!

Teacher in Japan arrested for mixing bleach into school lunch
[Source]

Japans birth rate has plunged to a new record low, undermining the countrys initiatives to remedy its aging population.

According to Japans health ministry, the total number of births declined to 799,728 in 2022, which is down 5.1% from a year earlier. The birth rate is the lowest since the ministry began record-keeping in 1899, falling to a record low for the seventh consecutive year.

As for the number of deaths, it has risen by 8.9% to 1.58 million for the same time period.

The low fertility rate means a smaller workforce and fewer taxpayers to sustain the country in the years to come.

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Japan, which is the world's third-largest economy, has the highest proportion of elderly citizens globally. The rising cost of caring for its elderly is reportedly draining the nations coffers, making it the worlds most indebted country.

"We recognize that the falling birth rate is a critical situation," Yoshihiko Isozaki, a deputy chief cabinet secretary, said in a briefing on Tuesday. "My understanding is that various factors are intricately intertwined, preventing individuals from realizing their hopes for marriage, childbirth and child rearing."

The government has been working to increase the labor force and to support children and their families in efforts to boost the population and economy.

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Japan has encouraged more women to work and has been accepting some immigrants.

The government has reportedly allocated 4.8 trillion yen (approximately $35.3 billion) from the fiscal 2023 budget to a new agency dedicated to children and their families. It will lay out its child and child-rearing policies by June for doubling their respective budgets, according to Isozaki.

However, Narise Ishida, a member of Japans Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) from Mie Prefectural Assembly, suggested that the nations plummeting birth and marriage rate is due to the peoples lack of romantic ability.

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The birth rate is not declining because it costs money to have children, Ishida said during a question-and-answer session at the assembly on Friday, reported The Mainichi. The problem is that romance has become a taboo subject before marriage.

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He suggested that the government conduct a survey to determine peoples romantic ability.

Although Makoto Watanabe, professor of media and communications at Hokkaido Bunkyo University in Sapporo, agreed that young people now lack traditional communication skills, he noted that this generation communicates very well online and through social media, according to the South China Morning Post.

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Among my students I see them constantly showing romantic abilities through modern technology, which may be why Ishida cannot see it happening. Young people still want to marry, to have a family, to have more children, but when buying a car or a house is so hard because of economic concerns, its very difficult to have children.

According to experts, the low fertility rates are due to demanding work cultures, rising costs of living, changing attitudes toward marriage and gender equality and rising disillusionment among younger generations.

Due to the improvement in gender roles in Japan, many women do not feel obligated to get married and raise a child.

Young women are reportedly more likely to get employed than to get married and have children.

In 2020, the enrollment rate of women in four-year-degree colleges increased by 51% since the late 1980s. The labor participation of women aged between 25-29 also rose from 45% in 1970 to 87% in 2020.

Demographic declines are also present in other Asian countries, including South Korea and China.

South Korea beat its own record for the worlds lowest fertility rate, falling to 0.78 children per woman in 2022.

China's population decreased in 2022 for the first time in six decades, according to data released by the National Statistics Bureau last month.
TOKYO (AP)  The lower house of Parliament approved Tuesday a budget for the coming fiscal year that includes a record 6.8 trillion yen ($50 billion) in defense spending, part of Japan's effort to fortify its military as Chinas influence in the region grows.

The 2023 defense budget, up 20% from a year earlier, includes 211.3 billion yen ($1.55 billion) for deployment of U.S.-made long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles that can be launched from warships and can hit targets up to 1,600 kilometers (1,000 miles) away.

The planned purchase of the Tomahawks has drawn criticism over the cost, with opposition lawmakers blasting Prime Minister Fumio Kishida for prioritizing arms spending over other issues such as Japan's shrinking population.

The improvement of childcare has been neglected for more than 10 years, Chinami Nishimura, a lawmaker with the opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, told a lower house budget committee meeting Tuesday. Why did the budget for spending so much money on Tomahawks get approved so quickly?

I dont think its about choosing between one or the other," Kishida responded. "Both are important for the lives and livelihood of the people.

Japan is to pay the United States another 110 billion yen ($830 million) in the coming fiscal year, which begins in April, for equipment and software needed to launch the Tomahawks plus fees for technology transfers and training.

Kishida told a parliamentary session Monday that Japan will purchase 400 units of Tomahawks.

Passage of the 114 trillion yen ($836 billion) budget by the lower house of parliament, the more powerful of its two chambers, ensures it will be enacted by the end of March regardless of any decision by the upper house.

The hefty defense budget is the first installment of a five-year, 43-trillion-yen ($315-billion) military spending plan as part of Japan's new National Security Strategy, which was announced in December.

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The new strategy includes developing a counterstrike capability to preempt enemy attacks, a controversial change given Japan's commitment to retain only defensive capabilities after its defeat in World War II. Military spending is due to nearly double within the next five years as Japan builds up its defenses in response to potential threats from China, North Korea and Russia.

The new spending target conforms to NATO standards and will eventually push Japans annual defense budget to about 10 trillion yen ($73 billion), the worlds third biggest after the United States and China.

Kishida has called Japans rapidly aging and shrinking population a national crisis and promised to compile a package of comprehensive measures to tackle the problem in coming months. A new government department, the Children and Families Agency, is due to be launched in April to help coordinate government policies on various social issues including child poverty and child abuse.

The budget allocates 4.8 trillion yen ($35 billion) for the new agency, but experts say more funding and broader social changes are needed to alleviate the burdens of child care and education and encourage younger Japanese to marry and have children.

Government statistics released Tuesday showed births in 2022 fell to a record low 799,728, dropping below 800,000 for the first time since 1899 and at a faster-than-expected pace than earlier predicted. The number of births last year was one-third of the peak of nearly 2.7 million in 1949.

The 2023 budget also allocates more than 850 billion yen ($6.25 billion) to the Economy and Industry Ministry to help phase out use of fossil fuels and 53 billion yen ($388 million) to promote digitalization and increase domestic manufacturing of computer chips.

On Tuesday, government-backed chip maker Rapidus announced plans to build a new semiconductor plant in Chitose on the northern main island of Hokkaido. Rapidus said it plans to launch a prototype line in 2025, with mass production of cutting-edge chips planned for the second half of the 2020s.

Rapidus includes automaker Toyota Motor Corp., electronics makers Sony Group Corp. and NEC Corp., SoftBank Corp., Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corp. and computer memory maker Kioxia. The company recently announced a tie up with International International Business Machines Corp. in the development and production of 2-nanometer chips.
Photo: The Canadian Press The TikTok startup page is displayed on an iPhone in Ottawa on Monday, Feb. 27, 2023. The House of Commons announced on Tuesday that it's banning the application from all House-managed devices, effective March 3, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

Some Canadian politicians have started deactivating their TikTok accounts after the federal government decided to ban the app from government-issued devices.

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has already suspended his use of the TikTok video app and a spokesman says all members of caucus will do the same.

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh says he plans to step away from the social media platform, although did not say whether all of his MPs would follow suit.

The House of Commons is also prohibiting the installation or use of the app on its managed devices beginning Friday.

Treasury Board President Mona Fortier announced Monday that Ottawa would ban TikTok from all government-issued devices, after similar moves in the United States and European Union.

Last week, provincial and federal privacy watchdogs announced an investigation to delve into whether TikTok, which is owned by Chinese company ByteDance, complies with Canadian privacy legislation.
(Bloomberg) -- Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi is unlikely to go to a meeting of G-20 foreign ministers in India from Wednesday due to a parliamentary committee meeting he is expected to attend, according to a government official.

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It remains unclear whether Hayashi will be at a Friday meeting of the Quad nations, consisting of the US and Australia, alongside India, according to the official, who asked not to be identified in line with policy. The news was reported earlier by Japanese media, including the Nikkei newspaper. A deputy minister is likely to be dispatched in his place, the reports said.

Japans lower house of parliament passed the budget Tuesday and will hand it over for discussions in the upper house. All members of the cabinet are customarily present for the initial sessions of the budget committee, which are planned for Wednesday and Thursday.

Keeping the foreign minister at home for a domestic matter could irritate Group of 20 host India. The move comes as Japan seeks to bolster security and other ties with Narendra Modis government amid growing concerns about Chinas assertive behavior in the region, as well as Russias war in Ukraine.

A spokesman for Indias ministry of external affairs did not immediately comment.

Its a regrettable decision that means forfeiting a chance to emphasize the importance of the rule of law to the developing countries that take part in G-20, Goshi Hosono, a ruling Liberal Democratic Party lawmaker said on Twitter.

The move may be more about internal politics in Japan rather then sending any diplomatic message. Hayashi had already arranged bilateral discussions with some of his counterparts on the sidelines of the meeting, Kyodo News reported.

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Hosono, who previously belonged to the opposition Democratic Party, added such decisions to prioritize parliament over diplomacy were often made to please the ruling parties. The LDP is made up of factions that often jostle for position and influence over policy.

Final discussions are still under way about who will attend from the Japanese government, Hayashi told reporters Tuesday. We will in any case convey our views properly as G-7 chair. He added it was also undecided who would attend the Quad meeting from Japan.

Modi made two trips to Japan last year, the second in September to attend the state funeral for former Prime Minster Shinzo Abe, and he held talks with current premier, Fumio Kishida, on both occasions.

Bolstering ties with India has been a priority for the Kishida government as it seeks partners beyond its sole treaty ally, the US, to counter security threats posed by the likes of China. The Quad is a prominent format for cooperation. It has grown in stature in recent years as a counter to Beijing, which has criticized the group as a clique that could stoke a new Cold War.

In addition, Japan and India in January held their first joint military air drills and Kishidas government is making arrangements to invite Australia and India to the G-7 summit in May to discuss issues including Ukraine, nuclear disarmament and climate change, public broadcaster NHK reported.

Kyodo cited an unidentified Indian government official as saying the decision not to attend would be a negative for Japans foreign policy and give the mistaken impression that Tokyo values only the G-7.

--With assistance from Sudhi Ranjan Sen.

(Updates with response from Indian government in fifth paragraph.)

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The Japanese government has imposed sanctions on 48 individuals  Russians and supporters of the occupiers, as well as 73 organisations and a Russian bank.

Source: Statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan

Details: The statement, made on 28 February, mentions that new Japan's sanctions refer to 39 individuals, 73 organisations and one bank of the Russian Federation, and 9 people "from eastern and southern regions of Ukraine who are considered to be directly involved in the purported 'incorporation' by Russia" [collaborators  ed.].

In particular, Viktor Goremykin, Deputy Minister of Defence of the Russian Federation, Alan Lushnikov, the head of the Kalashnikov concern and employees of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Russia have ended up in the list of the Russians under these sanctions.

Also on the list are employees of the Administration of the President of Russia, including Alexander Kharichev, the head of the Presidential Domestic Affairs Directorate of the State Council, and Boris Rapoport who is Kharichev's deputy.

In addition, the Japanese government has imposed sanctions on the Wagner Group, Rosbank, institutes of the Russian Academy of Science and other organisations.

The statement also mentions that assets of the above-mentioned organisations will be frozen once discovered.

Japan is also implementing export restrictions on 21 Russian organisations.

Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron!
"Hawkeye" star Jeremy Renner shared another recovery update with fans on Instagram. (Vianney Le Caer / Invision / Associated Press)

Jeremy Renner channeled his time in Marvel's "Avengers" franchise in his latest recovery update.

The "Hawkeye" star shared an Instagram video of himself exercising on a recumbent bike on Monday. In the clip, Renner uses a strap to help his left leg pedal the machine while his right leg remains in a resting position.

"Whatever it takes," he captioned the video. He also tagged Technogym, the training facility.

If Renner's motivational caption sounds familiar to Marvel fans, it's most likely because it's a line his "Avengers: Endgame" co-star Chris Evans uttered during a pivotal moment in the 2019 film.

In their last-ditch attempt to defeat Thanos (Josh Brolin), the titular group of heroes reflect on their big mission to restore order to the universe.

"Five years ago, we lost. All of us. We lost friends, we lost family, we lost a part of ourselves," says Evans' Captain America. "Today we have a chance to take it all back."

Robert Downey Jr.'s Iron Man replies, "We're gonna win."

"Whatever it takes," Evans adds.

Renner's Clint "Hawkeye" Barton, Scarlett Johansson's Natasha "Black Widow" Romanoff and other members of the "Avengers" team also recite the phrase in Marvel's dramatic trailer.

The "Mayor of Kingstown" actor's Instagram post comes almost two months after he was hospitalized on Jan. 1 for severe wounds he received in a snowplow accident.

In an Instagram post shared Jan. 21, Renner said he was dealing with "30 plus broken bones" as a result of the accident, but said they "will mend, grow stronger, just like the love and bond with family and friends deepens."

On Monday, Renner also said he's focusing on his "mental recovery too." He shared a snap of his latest read: "The Book of Awakening," by poet and philosopher Mark Nepo.

With Renner seemingly regaining his physical strength, Technogym said in its Instagram Story on Tuesday that the actor will be "coming back stronger than ever."

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
A New Jersey felon tried to board a flight late last year with an AR-15 rifle, a Taser and a fake U.S. Marshal's badge, according to a federal complaint that was unsealed Monday.

Seretse Clouden has been charged with unlawful possession of firearms and ammunition by a convicted felon and fraudulent possession of an identification document and authentication feature of the U.S. after the Dec. 30 incident at Newark Liberty International Airport.

"During routine screening of checked luggage that was destined for Fort Lauderdale, Transportation Security Administration agents discovered two .40 caliber Glock magazines, each containing fifteen rounds of .40 caliber ammunition," the five-page complaint read. "A further search of that luggage revealed a ballistic vest carrier that displayed the words 'Deputy Marshal.'"

The U.S. Marshals Service confirmed that Clouden has never been never employed by the agency, the document stated.

After the discovery, agents responded to the gate Clouden's flight was scheduled to depart from. Clouden told officers he didn't have law enforcement credentials or firearms ID cards from any state.

His luggage was taken off the aircraft, and officers found an AR-15 rifle, a .40 caliber handgun, a Taser, a spring-loaded knife, an expandable baton, a .308 caliber rifle and "United States Marshal" credentials with his name and picture on them, along with a badge.

His attorney did not immediately respond to requests for comment Monday.

Clouden pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of a weapon in 2016.

The charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm carries a maximum sentence of 10 years and a fine of up to $250,000, while fraudulent possession of an identification document can carry a maximum sentence of 15 years, a fine or both.

So far this year, more than 800 firearms have been intercepted at airport checkpoints.

"It's absolutely not acceptable for firearms to be anywhere near checkpoints," TSA spokesperson R. Carter Langston said. "There is a legally permissible way to bring firearms in checked baggage, but you have to be legally able to carry a firearm in your jurisdiction, declare it with the airline and pack it properly in a hard-sided and locked case."

Last year, the TSA set a record by intercepting more than 6,500 firearms at airport checkpoints across the country. The weapons were found in 262 airports, and 88% were loaded.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating a close call between a JetBlue flight that was preparing to land and a Learjet that took off without clearance Monday night at Boston Logan International Airport, the agency said in a statement.

The incident occurred shortly before 7 p.m. ET Monday, the FAA said.

According to a preliminary review, the pilot of a Learjet 60 took off without clearance while JetBlue Flight 206 was preparing to land on an intersecting runway, the statement said.

The FAA added: An air traffic controller instructed the pilot of the Learjet to line up and wait on Runway 9 while the JetBlue Embraer 190 landed on Runway 4-Right, which intersects Runway 9. The Learjet pilot read back the instructions clearly but began a takeoff roll instead. The pilot of the JetBlue aircraft took evasive action and initiated a climb-out as the Learjet crossed the intersection."

"The FAA will determine the closest proximity between the two aircraft as part of the investigation," the statement said.

Representatives for Learjet could not immediately be reached for comment Tuesday.

A spokesperson for JetBlue said Tuesday in an emailed statement that the flight in question performed a go-around before it landed. A go-around is when a crew decides not to land, figuring out a different way to land or a different airport to land at.

JetBlue flight 206 landed safely in Boston after our pilots were instructed to perform a go-around by air traffic controllers, the statement said. Safety is JetBlues first priority and our crews are trained to react to situations like this. We will assist authorities as they investigate this incident.

According to the flight-tracking site FlightAware, the flight took off from Nashville, Tennessee.

The Learjet was a private charter operated by Hop-A-Jet, the FAA said. No one with Hop-A-Jet could immediately be reached for comment Tuesday afternoon.

The FAA issued a safety call to action this month and said it will form a safety review team after a string of concerning airline incidents.

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We are experiencing the safest period in aviation history, but we cannot take this for granted, acting FAA Administrator Billy Nolen said in a memo released Feb. 14. Recent events remind us that we must not become complacent.

The memo was an acknowledgment of recent close calls plaguing the aviation industry.

In January, a Delta Air Lines plane about to take off was frantically ordered to halt when controllers noticed an American Airlines aircraft crossing its path at New Yorks John F. Kennedy International Airport. In December, a flight taking off from Maui, Hawaii, plummeted to merely 800 feet above the Pacific Ocean before it recovered. And in Austin, Texas, this month a FedEx cargo airplane trying to land and a Southwest Airlines flight preparing to take off narrowly avoided a collision.

Nolen said he is forming a safety review team to examine the U.S. aerospace systems structure, culture, processes, systems and integration of safety efforts and to look for opportunities to address safety risks.

A safety summit will be held in March to explore what additional actions should be taken to ensure aviation safety, the memo said.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
German concert venues have faced calls to cancel events with Roger Waters amid claims of antisemitism.

Last week, Frankfurt city council called off a performance by the Pink Floyd artist scheduled for 28 May, alleging that Waters was considered one of the most far-reaching antisemites in the world.

A number of politicians and Jewish organisations have also criticised Waters for his statements about Israel. In 2013, the artist compared the Israeli governments oppression of the Palestinian people with the actions of the Nazis during the Holocaust.

Waters This is Not a Drill tour includes five scheduled concerts in Germany this May.

In Frankfurt, Waters had been booked to perform at Festhalle, on the site of a former Jewish detention camp during World War II.

The council noted that the sites history, as a location where 3,000 Jewish men were detained before being sent to concentration camps in 1938, had made the prospect of Rogers performing there especially inappropriate.

The background to the cancellation is the persistent anti-Israel behaviour of the former Pink Floyd frontman, who is considered one of the most widely spread antisemites in the world, the council said in a statement, per the Jewish Telegraphic Agency.

He repeatedly called for a cultural boycott of Israel and drew comparisons to the apartheid regime in South Africa and put pressure on artists to cancel events in Israel.

Waters had previously criticised the Israel lobby for trying to silence him.

German culture minister Claudia Roth told Judische Allgemeine newspaper (per The Times): I deeply regret the development of a musician who had great significance for many with the band Pink Floyd.

She went on to urge venues not to book Waters performances, stating: And if they do still take place, that he plays in empty halls.

Roger Waters pictured in 2019 (AFP via Getty Images)

In a recent interview with the Berliner Zeitung newspaper, Waters discussed the allegations of antisemitism and addressed his controversial remarks about Ukraine, claiming that Russias war was probably the most provoked invasion ever.

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The artist shared the interview online alongside a heading that read: the truth will set us free.

In a comment, Waters condemned the outrageous and despicable smear campaign to denounce me as an antisemite, which I am not, never have been and never will be.

The 79-year-old said the criticism came because I lend my voice to the 75-year-old fight for equal human rights for all my brothers and sisters in Palestine/Israel. He also affirmed that he stood by his past comparison of the Israeli state to Nazi Germany because the Israelis are committing genocide.

The Independent has contacted Waters representative for comment.

Earlier this year, Pink Floyd lyricist Polly Samson accused Waters of antisemitism amid an online row over Israel and the Ukraine war.

Waters responded on his official account saying he was aware of the incendiary and wildly inaccurate comments made about him on Twitter by Polly Samson which he refutes entirely, adding: He is currently taking advice as to his position.
Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman is doing well in his course of treatment for clinical depression at Walter Reed National Military Medical Centre, his office has said.

Mr Fetterman, a first-term Democrat who was sworn into office in January, checked himself into Walter Reed on 16 February. At the time, his office announced that he would be undergoing treatment for depression.

The ex-Pennsylvania lieutenant governor had been briefly hospitalised the previous week for light-headedness, but doctors at the time ruled out any stroke of the type that sidelined him for much of his 2022 campaign for Senate.

The stroke Mr Fetterman suffered last year has also contributed to what his staff describe as auditory processing issues that have necessitated the use of a closed captioning device at his desk and in Senate committee hearings.

His communications director, Joe Calvello, said in a statement on Monday that his staff did not have a lot to update folks with since theres no real news to report about the senators condition.

Mr Calvello said the senator is working with the wonderful doctors, and remains on a path to recovery.

He is visiting with staff and family daily, and his staff are keeping him updated on Senate business and news. Our team is moving full speed ahead and working tirelessly for the people of Pennsylvania, he continued, adding later that the senator had opened a new office in Erie, Pennsylvania and is planning to open more district offices in the coming weeks.

He also said Mr Fetterman would remain in hospital for the time being because the treatment process will be weeks-long and stressed that the senators office would be sure to keep folks updated as it progresses.
The family of Pennsylvania senator John Fetterman described how they fled to Canada to escape a media circus over his "severe" clinical depression.

Mr Fetterman, a Democrat who won his first term last year while still recovering from a stroke that nearly killed him, checked himself into the Walter Reed Medical Center near Washington DC earlier this month.

Now his wife Giselle Barreto Fetterman has said that media attention pushed her to take the couple's children and drive north into Canada for an impromptu holiday.

"I am not really sure how to navigate this journey but am figuring it out slowly," Ms Fetterman tweeted on Friday.

"One week ago today when the news dropped, the kids were off from school and media trucks circled our home. I did the first thing I could think of  pack them in the car and drive.

"We talked about lots of hard things, and how we will all have to face hard things. About the need to be gentle, with all and with ourselves.

"We did some scary things but we did them together. We ziplined over Niagara Falls and [our son] August got stuck. We talked about flexibility and the need to always have an open heart and an open mind.

"We also talked about how joy and fun can and must still exist, even when someone we love is in pain. And tomorrow? Who knows. Will try all over again."

Aides have said that Mr Fetterman may remain in hospital for weeks, suggesting that his depression may have been stoked by "negative experiences" during his election campaign.

Mr Fetterman faced numerous attacks from Republican politicians and pundits claiming that his stroke had left him without the mental fitness to fill the post, sometimes in vicious terms.

His primary care doctor said that he has no actual "cognitive deficits", but suffers from auditory processing problems that mean he often needs captions to understand other people's speech.

We drove straight into  Canada (and lovely Buffalo NY) (Pro Tip: always have passports ready just in case you have to run away ) We talked about lots of hard things and how we will all have to face hard things. About the need to be gentle  with all and with ourselves. pic.twitter.com/0PWQXHrbqT  Gisele Barreto Fetterman (@giselefetterman) February 24, 2023

The controversy continued after his victory, with conservatives accusing him of deceiving voters as to the extent of his illness while disability advocates argued that he was being unfairly stigmatised for needing accommodations that are often required by law in US workplaces.

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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimate that up to 26 per cent of American adults have some kind of disability, with 11 per cent suffering serious difficulty with concentration or memory and 6 per cent having serious problems with their hearing.

Likewise, an estimated 9.5 per cent of American adults each year suffer from depression or similar conditions such as bipolar disorder. Experts say that depression is relatively common after a stroke.

If you are experiencing feelings of distress and isolation, or are struggling to cope, The Samaritans offers support; you can speak to someone for free over the phone, in confidence, on 116 123 (UK and ROI), email jo@samaritans.org, or visit the Samaritans website to find details of your nearest branch. If you are based in the USA, and you or someone you know needs mental health assistance right now, call National Suicide Prevention Helpline on 1-800-273-TALK (8255). The Helpline is a free, confidential crisis hotline that is available to everyone 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If you are in another country, you can go tobefrienders.org to find a helpline near you.
Watch: Jonathan Majors talks to Yahoo about Creed III and the Avengers

Jonathan Majors has fought Ant-Man in the Quantum Realm and sparred verbally with Loki. Next, the actor will box Michael B. Jordans Adonis Creed in Creed III.

And beyond that, Majors  who plays Kang the Conqueror in the Marvel Cinematic Universe  will wage war on The Avengers in the upcoming ensemble picture Avengers: The Kang Dynasty. Its a challenge he is very much looking forward to.

There's so many of them, he tells Yahoo UK when asked about what excites him about taking on cinemas favourite superhero team.

Read more: Quantumania post-credit scenes explained

When you're an adversary, you are going up against the popular thing, be that Adonis, be that Loki, be that the Avengers. You're tasked with a job to oppose them all properly. Its a bit of a love language to understand how to make [an] impact.

Paul Rudd as Scott Lang/Ant-Man and Jonathan Majors as Kang the Conqueror in Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania. (Marvel Studios)

Majors uses a military comparison to explain his point: If you have a navy fighting the Air Force, theres no combat. [You need] navy against navy. When youre playing an antagonist, you need to be able to adapt to whoever it is youre coming across.

Read more: Tessa Thompson addresses Stallone's absence from Creed III

[The Avengers] is a huge opportunity for an actor, he continues. It's a lot of fun. Where you have one choice, or one set of choices, when dealing with an Ant-Man or a Loki or Creed, with the potential of the Avengers picture, depending on how many of them there are, I get to adapt to potentially each and every one of them, which is a lot of fun. Its a lot of work, but a lot of fun.

Michael B. Jordan stars as Adonis Creed and Jonathan Majors as Damian Anderson in Creed III. (MGM/Warner Bros.)

When Yahoo jokes that maybe Majors will hopefully win this battle, he responds with a laugh: They don't like to let me win, apparently. I'm actually [zero] for three!

Despite being one of Hollywoods most in-demand actors, Majors  who was previously nominated for an Emmy for his work on Lovecraft Country  continues to balance taking on blockbusters and independent projects, including the upcoming Sundance sensation Magazine Dream, about an aspiring bodybuilder.

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Read more: From Rocky to Creed III: The story so far

Everyone else sees it as a balancing act; I see that as a job, he says of doing both larger scale and smaller movies. It's what I love doing. The preparation isnt different. The objective is not different for me as an artist. So hopefully, we get to a place where I just get to work and there is no label of, Oh, he does independent films, or. No, he does [this].

Jonathan Majors at the London premiere for Creed III. (Vianney Le Caer/Invision/AP)

That's an artist, when you can oscillate. I don't judge it. And so hopefully over time it becomes the norm. You can get pigeonholed as a movie star, and is that a good thing? I don't know.

"You can get pigeonholed as an indie darling. Or you can be seen for what you are, which is a human being who tells stories  wherever they ask me to.

Creed III is in cinemas and IMAX from 3 March. Watch a trailer below.

Avengers: The Kang Dynasty is currently scheduled to reach cinemas 2 May, 2025.
Photo: LinkedIn Nishad Singh

A former FTX executive pleaded guilty Tuesday to conspiracy and wire fraud charges as part of a deal to cooperate with federal prosecutors building their case against FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried in what authorities have dubbed one of the biggest frauds in history.

The plea by Nishad Singh, formerly the cryptocurrency company's engineering director, raises to three the number of people who prosecutors say have pleaded guilty in connection with the case.

The charges against Singh, 27, carry potential penalties of up to 75 years in prison if he fails to fully cooperate, including by testifying at any trials.

Singh's plea underscores once again that the crimes at FTX were vast in scope and consequence, U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said in a statement.

They rocked our financial markets with a multibillion-dollar fraud. And they corrupted our politics with tens of millions of dollars in illegal straw campaign contributions, he said. "These crimes demand swift and certain justice and that is exactly what we are seeking in the Southern District of New York.

Last week, prosecutors filed new fraud charges against Bankman-Fried, who has pleaded not guilty in the case. The fresh charges raised the number of years Bankman-Fried could face in prison to 155 years from 115 and described in detail a fraud that the government alleges occurred from 2019 until last November.

Bankman-Fried is awaiting trial while living with his parents in Palo Alto, California, after signing a $250 million personal recognizance bond.

He is accused of stealing billions of dollars in FTX customer deposits to support the company he founded, a global cryptocurrency exchange affiliated with the cryptocurrency trading hedge fund Alameda Research.

He also was charged with illegally funding speculative venture investments and misdirecting customer deposits to make charitable donations, along with spending tens of millions of dollars on illegal campaign donations to Democrats and Republicans in an attempt to buy influence over cryptocurrency regulation in Washington.

On the same December day Bankman-Fried was extradited from the Bahamas to face charges in New York City, prosecutors announced that two of his associates had pleaded guilty and forged their own deals to cooperate with prosecutors. Carolyn Ellison, Alameda Research's former chief executive; and Gary Wang, an FTX cofounder, pleaded guilty to wire fraud, securities fraud and commodities fraud.
ABC News

The Views Joy Behar surprisingly rallied to the defense of Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) on Tuesday, declaring that she was on Marjories side when it came to the MAGA congresswomans claims that she was attacked at a restaurant.

Greene, who sparked backlash recently for proposing a national divorce between red and blue states, tweeted on Monday night that she was attacked in a restaurant tonight by an insane [woman] and screamed at by her adult son. She added that the alleged attackers had no respect for the restaurants staff or those who simply have different political views.

The lawmakers deputy chief of staff Nick Dyer later told NBC News that a woman started berating Greene at the restaurant before the womans son began screaming expletives at the top of his lungs. Dyer also said that the restaurant asked the pair to leave before moving Greene and her staff to a private table.

Behar, the shows most ardently liberal co-host and a vocal critic of Greenes, took the opportunity to stand up for the far-right congresswoman on Tuesdays broadcast. At the same time, she suggested that Greene may have gotten a taste of her own medicine.

Marjorie Taylor Greene Tried Being Normal, but Quickly Realized Its Just Not Her Jam

I have to say Im on Marjories side for this one, Behar declared. I dont believe that anybody should be going up to any of us, anybody in public, and harassing us. And that goes for you too, Marjorie.

The comedian went on to reference Greenes aggressive confrontation with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez (D-NY), which led the New York Democrat to raise security concerns. She also brought up Greene publicly stalking Parkland shooting survivor David Hogg, which took place before Greene was elected to Congress. (Hogg brought the incident back up on Tuesday following Greenes attack claims.)

She does this, and now its been done to her, Behar stated. I have to say I think its deplorable that anybody would do anything like that, including her and the person who did that to her.

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Behar then recounted an incident when she was personally harassed on the street by someone calling me names, noting that her husband called the harasser an expletive and the man soon disappeared.

If you dont like what we say, write to us. Its fine, she continued.

Co-host Sunny Hostin, while also sharing her own experience of being publicly harassed, wasnt nearly as willing as Behar to come to Greenes defense.

White House Slams Marjorie Taylor Greenes Sick Call for National Divorce

I didnt like that experience, and I dont think she should experience it, but shes this professional troller, Hostin said. You know, she was disrespectful to the president of the United States during the State of the Union. She heckles people all the time.

She added: I need more information. What does she mean by attacked? What restaurant were they at? What were they mad about? What were they saying? Were there photos or video footage of what happened?

Behar, however, urged her colleague to take her word for it in this case, prompting Hostin to retort: I cant do that.

Later on in the segment, co-host Sara Haines wondered if the notoriously combative Greene would learn empathy from this situation. Like, this is what it feels like when you do that to people, she proclaimed.

My motherbless her heart, bless her soulshe always said, dont spit up in the air. It comes back in your face, Behar responded, adding: And thats what happened here. Again, I totally agree with her. Its incorrect. Its wrong.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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Jacksonville Sheriffs Office reported a man shot multiple times in a Lakewood neighborhood at 1700 Callahan Street Sunday night.

JSO reported that at around 7:45 p.m., Officers were dispatched to a local hospital male in reference to a man suffering multiple gunshot wounds.

JSO stated that the victim was a man in his 40s who was shot multiple times during a dispute at a home in the 1700 block of Callahan St. The victim is currently in critical condition.

The suspect and victim reportedly did know each other before the shooting.

Anyone with information related to this incident please contact the Jacksonville Sheriffs Office at 904-630-0500 or via email at JSOCRIMETIPS@JAXSHERIFF.ORG or call the Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-866-845-TIPS.

This is a developing story and will be updated when more details are released.

Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.
The family of a Charlotte woman brutally killed in 1990 is about to get more information about the case.

Kim Thomas body was found inside her Cotswold home on July 2, 1990. She was handcuffed and her throat was repeatedly slashed, police said. Her 10-month-old son was in his crib nearby.

A judge ordered the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department Monday to release all completed DNA testing, our partners at The Charlotte Observer reported.

PAST COVERAGE:

That information will be released to Thomas family and their attorneys.

The release of the results wont be available to the public until Dec. 31 to give police time to complete any ongoing DNA testing in the case, The Observer reported.

Thomas former husband, Dr. Ed Friedland, hopes the evidence will exonerate him. Friedland was indicted for her murder, but the charge was dropped. Nevertheless, he has lived with the fact that some people believe he did it.

Last November, a positive DNA match at the murder scene was reportedly linked to career criminal Marion Gales, who is in prison for killing another woman.

Gales did day jobs for Thomas.

VIDEO: Attorney: Police have new evidence in Charlotte moms decades-old murder
The answer to a 33-year-old Charlotte murder mystery  who killed Kim Thomas?  may be a step closer to being solved after a Mecklenburg County judge on Monday ordered police to release all completed DNA testing in the case.

For now, the public will not be privy to the new information from Charlottes most harrowing unsolved killing.

Instead, Superior Court Judge George Bell limited the release of the DNA testing results to the victims extended family and their attorneys. Under Bells order, the general public wont get access until Dec. 31.

The judges decision came in response to a highly unusual legal move by veteran Charlotte defense attorney David Rudolf, who believes the new information will exonerate Dr. Ed Friedland, Thomas former husband and Rudolfs one-time client.

Four years after Thomas was found handcuffed and brutally slashed to death inside her home, Friedland was charged with his wifes murder. The charge was later dropped and never refiled  forcing Friedland to live under a cloud of suspicion for almost three decades, Rudolf told Bell.

As first reported by The Charlotte Observer, Rudolf said an unnamed Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police detective told him in November that investigators had obtained a positive DNA match at the murder scene with Marion Gales.

Gales, a now-60-year-old career criminal who did day jobs for Thomas in the weeks leading up to her death and who was later sent to prison for killing another woman, has long been linked to Thomas murder but never charged.

After learning of the new test results last year, Rudolf reached out to CMPD attorney Jessica Battle asking her to release the findings to Friedland and Thomas family under a protective order, according to emails shared with the Observer.

Battle refused, saying that a cold case investigation into Thomas death remained active and ongoing, emails show.

Battle made the same arguments in court Monday, claiming that a release of DNA results now could compromise investigative leads and undermine a future prosecution if a new arrest is made. She told Bell that DNA collected from the case had been tested as recently as late November.

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Bell ordered the limited release anyway. His decision to keep the general public from seeing the results for the next 10 months was designed to give police time to complete any ongoing DNA testing in the case.

During his argument before the judge, Rudolf said Friedland has been the victim of police misconduct during the early years of the investigation; that investigators not only failed to act on evidence that pointed strongly toward Gales, they also withheld it from the Mecklenburg County District Attorneys Office, which dropped the charges against Friedland in 1995.

After the hearing, Rudolf told the Observer that he expects the most recent DNA evidence to point toward Gales. It remains unclear whether the DNA is newly discovered or existing evidence undergoing improved testing technology.

Rudolf said the location of the DNA could be pivotal.

If it was found on the kitchen counter, thats one thing, he said. If it was found on the body or Kims clothing or on the handcuffs, thats a whole different story.

Two suspects

Thomas, a 32-year-old Charlotte activist, doctors wife and mother, was found inside her Cotswold home on July 27, 1990.

She was handcuffed with her hands behind her back, her throat repeatedly slashed, her 10-month-old son in his crib nearby.

Her death  and CMPDs prolonged failure to find her killer  has reverberated through the city for decades.

The people of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County deserve to know who actually killed Kim Thomas, and why Marion Gales was permitted by the CMPD to avoid responsibility for the crime, which allowed him to commit additional crimes, Rudolf said in his filing to force police to release the DNA testing.

Friedland, he wrote, should be provided the evidence he needs to finally clear his name and reputation: the DNA evidence linked to Marion Gales.

Members of Thomas family eventually came to suspect Friedland was the killer.

After learning of the court order releasing the DNA testing to her family, Lynn Thomas, the victims sister, said she expects the results would lead the police to making an arrest.

Asked in a follow-up email on whom she expected to be charged, Thomas did not respond.

In response to an Observer inquiry in December, CMPD said this:

This case is assigned to our Cold Case Unit. As with any other case, the Unit continues to utilize new technology to test evidence collected from the scene. As a result of this technology, detectives have developed additional leads to look at in this investigation. Because this case is still open, we cannot comment on what that evidence is at this time.

CMPD said at the time, however, that it would respect any order from the Court pertaining to a release of information.

Rudolf told Bell that the release of DNA information would not affect a 32-year investigation in which witness testimony and other evidence already has been gathered and a key suspect is behind bars.

Friedland to be exonerated?

Friedland, now 66, said in December that the new DNA test results could prove his innocence at last.

This new piece of information that could be very, very important has been dropped into our laps, he told the Observer in a phone interview from Florida, where he has lived since leaving Charlotte in 1998.

The record needs to be set straight. Ive had to go through my entire life with this cloud over my head. Its about solving the crime. But its also about me being a crime suspect.

... If I sound angry, who wouldnt be?

Investigative files released to the Observer in 2003 revealed that detectives had gathered significant amounts of circumstantial evidence against Friedland but found no scientific proof linking him to his wifes murder.

One of the police findings had been that Thomas death had been so savage, the wounds so concentrated around her throat, that the attack could not have been the product of a drug-induced rage. Instead, detectives concluded, the nature of the killing suggested a relationship between Thomas and her murderer.

According to Rudolf, police initially considered Gales a serious suspect. That changed, the attorney says, when detectives received a tip that at the time of Thomas killing, Friedland was involved in a two-year affair with a nurse.

That completely turned the police around. They completely ignored Marion Gales after that. They have mishandled this case ever since, Rudolf told the Observer in December.

Having an affair doesnt make you a murderer. They had all this evidence against Gales. They were pursuing that evidence, and then they just stopped. Why just drop it?

In 2010, CMPD announced it had discovered new evidence in the case. Later that year, a CMPD attorney acknowledged that the person of interest being investigated at that time was not Friedland, and that the investigation does not involve Dr. Friedland as a suspect.

In 1997, during a trial of Friedlands lawsuit, a Mecklenburg jury found Gales responsible for Thomas death and ordered him to pay the physician $8.5 million in damages.
FLINT, Mich. (AP)  A judge has ordered Flint, Michigan, to replace any remaining lead or steel water lines by Aug. 1, the latest intervention after a series of missed deadlines.

U.S. District Judge David Lawson signed off on an agreement between the city and the Natural Resources Defense Council, which represents residents in long-running litigation that began in 2016.

For 18 months, until fall 2015, Flint was pulling water from the Flint River without treating it to prevent corrosion inside old pipes. Lead contaminated the system as a result.

More than 10,000 pipes have been replaced, though at least 1,000 addresses still haven't been inspected, according to the NRDC.

Separately, residents have complained about sidewalks that haven't been repaired after excavations and yards that look bad.

I have attempted to plant grass in the area the city dug up. This hasn't worked, and my front lawn looks like it has a bald spot," Sidney Hemphill told the judge.

Flint has until May 1 to determine which yards need repairs, Lawson said Friday.

The city said it has checked water lines at more than 95% of the thousands of targeted addresses. It cited the COVID-19 pandemic and a shortage of copper pipe and other materials as reasons for any lag.

The city has not been sitting back and doing nothing, attorney Joseph Kuptz said in a court filing. The opposite is true. The city has been actively, intentionally and diligently moving forward with the task at hand.

Nearly $100 million for the project came from state and federal governments. Flint returned to a Detroit-area water supplier in fall 2015.
MORRISTOWN  After four days of intense and impassioned testimony by an eclectic group of 23 witnesses, all procured by prosecutors that included medical experts and eyewitnesses, jurors on Tuesday afternoon began their deliberations in a harrowing case that placed a tragic spotlight on the alleged murder of a 3-year-old at the hands of a man he called "dad."

Surveillance videos of an East Hanover mother carrying her son's lifeless body into Morristown Medical Center, photos of head-to-toe bruises and abrasions on the toddler's body and deleted text messages that point to attempts to conceal the boy's cause of death should clearly convince jurors that 29-year-old Edwin Urbina committed the crime of murder, prosecutors said during their closings remarks.

"In the early morning hours of August 13, the defendant beat [the boy] to death, he hit [the boy] with his hands and his shoe and he shook his tender body while [his sister] watched in horror and [the boy] cried out in pain," said Tara Wang, a Morris County assistant prosecutor to the jurors.

Edwin Urbina looks over at his attorney Joel Harris during his trial in the state Superior Court in Morris County on Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2023. If convicted, Urbina is facing up to life in prison for the murder of his girlfriend's 3-year-old son.

And pointing to Urbina, who declined to show any emotions, Wang continued in a quivering yell: "This heavy-set, full-bodied adult male struck [the boy] who was just over 3 feet tall, all of 36 pounds, time and time again, causing bruising and hemorrhaging to [the boy's] face, his scalp, his chin, to his shoulders, abdomen, his back, his buttocks, to his arms and his legs."

A blunt force to the boy's abdomen around 2:14 a.m. on a sweltering summer night in 2021 inside the OYO Hotel in East Hanover, where Urbina was caring for the toddler and his sister, was enough to kill him, said Dr. Carlos Fonseca, the now-retired Morris County deputy medical examiner who testified during the trial.

But Urbina's defense attorney Joel Harris asked jurors to use their "life experience, common sense and logic" when drawing their own conclusions on what he said really happened inside the cramped hotel room, noting that "everything is not what it seems."

Story continues

Joel Harris, defense attorney, gives his closing remarks during the murder trial of Edwin Urbina in the state Superior Court in Morris County on Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2023.

Harris' closing arguments Tuesday focused on the purported criminal actions of Krystal Straw, the boy's mother who was working the night shift at QuickChek while Urbina watched the boy and his then-5-year-old sister.

Straw had hit the boy in the past, the girl testified on Feb. 24, and it was possible she was in the hotel room when the boy was fatally struck, Harris argued on Tuesday. Straw received a phone call from Urbina at 2:14 a.m. and was seen on surveillance video rushing to her car in the QuickChek parking lot before she arrived to the hotel at 2:19 a.m.

Fonseca testified that he believed the fatal blow to the toddler occurred "between 2:30 a.m. and 3 a.m.," Harris argued, but prosecutors contested in their own summations that Fonseca further clarified that the weather could have played a factor.

The sweltering hotel room, where temperatures reached 90 degrees, likely preserved the boy's body and prevented post-mortem rigor mortis and muscle stiffening from setting in, Fonseca had testified, Wang said. It was likely Urbina had contacted Straw at 2:14 a.m. to tell Straw her son was not breathing, causing her to rush from the convenience store, Wang said.

Morris County Assistant Prosecutor Tara Wang gives her closing remarks during the murder trial of Edwin Urbina in the state Superior Court in Morris County on Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2023.

Jurors deliberated for roughly an hour on Tuesday and will return Wednesday morning, and they have asked to watch a playback of the girl's testimony and the surveillance footage from QuickChek.

Urbina is facing eight charges and up to life in prison without the possibility of parole on a first-degree murder charge alone, which includes an aggravating factor due to the child being under the age of 14.

In January, Straw pleaded guilty to seven charges including endangering the welfare of a child, witness and evidence tampering and hindering. Prosecutors will not recommend a sentence for Straw to serve and will leave it at the discretion of a judge, who set her sentencing for March.

She told a judge during her hearing that Urbina had physically assaulted her son in the weeks prior to the toddler's death, admitted she helped Urbina clear his belongings from the hotel room, dropped Urbina off at his family's Morristown home and then brought her son to the hospital. She told her daughter to not say anything and deleted Urbina's text messages, she admitted.

Lori Comstock can be reached on Twitter: @LoriComstockNJH, on Facebook: www.Facebook.com/LoriComstockNJH or by phone: 973-383-1194.

This article originally appeared on Morristown Daily Record: East Hanover NJ murder trial: Verdict nears in Edwin Urbina case
The Department of Justice is seeking to compel a chemical manufacturing plant to curb its emissions in a region where the estimated cancer risk is among the highest in the United States.

The action raises the stakes in a longstanding conflict between the Louisiana plant, nearby residents and the Environmental Protection Agency.

The Denka Performance Elastomer plant in LaPlace, Louisiana, along the Mississippi River, is the only facility in the U.S. that produces chloroprene, a chemical used in the production of neoprene. Neoprene is a synthetic rubber found in products such as wetsuits and adhesives.

The EPA identified chloroprene as a likely human carcinogen in 2010.

Denka said in a statement that it has reduced emissions by about 85% since it took over the plant in 2015. But the estimated pollution-related cancer risk in the area is still one of the highest in the country, according to the EPA.

Now, the DOJ has filed a complaint to compel Denka to further reduce its hazardous emissions. The complaint, first reported by NBC News, was filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court for Eastern Louisiana on behalf of the EPA under the Clean Air Act.

In its statement, Denka said it strongly disagrees with the federal government's decision to file a legal complaint and with the EPA's assessment of the health risks the plant's emissions pose to the surrounding community.

"EPAs allegation directly contradicts the agencys own prior statements, credible data on health in St. John the Baptist Parish and the best available science on the chemical chloroprene," the statement said.

The company added that it "remains committed to identifying and implementing additional emission reductions where possible."

Denka's facility is along a stretch of the Mississippi River that activists and residents have nicknamed "Cancer Alley" because of the unusually high cancer risk among communities there and the emissions that come from the numerous plants in the area.

Story continues

The Fifth Ward Elementary School and residential neighborhoods near the Denka Performance Elastomer Plant in Louisiana. (Gerald Herbert / AP)

Over the years, Denka has committed to taking steps to reduce the plant's emissions. In total, those changes have cost more than $35 million, the company said in its statement.

But on-site inspections by the EPA in April and May 2022 found that Denka was not meeting regulatory requirements for the storage and disposal of chloroprene waste, which contributes to emissions of chloroprene from the plant.

Even when Denka's facility was shut down for a month in September 2021 after Hurricane Ida, a small monitoring demonstration test by the Louisiana State University School of Public Health revealed detectable levels of chloroprene in two out of 10 air samples, according to the researchers.

That 2021 test, which was not a formal study, found levels approximately four times above the EPAs recommended maximum annual average chloroprene concentration. The air samples were taken at or across the street from a nearby elementary school.

LaPlace is in the majority-Black St. John the Baptist Parish, about 30 miles outside of New Orleans. The plant is one of many that activists argue puts undue health risks on Black communities in the area.

The EPA's Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights in part blames state agencies; In an October letter, it wrote that the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality and the Louisiana Department of Health's failure to pursue stronger action against Denka disproportionately exposed Black residents to harmful air pollutants.

The EPA said it found during an investigation that state agencies had failed to provide residents with information about the cancer risks associated with chloroprene levels in the area, among other problems.

In a statement Tuesday, EPA Administrator Michael Regan said the Justice Department's move followed his pledge to take strong action for communities living near the plant.

"The company has not moved far enough or fast enough to reduce emissions or ensure the safety of the surrounding community," said Regan, who has been vocal about his commitment to environmental justice. "This action is not the first step we have taken to reduce risks to the people living in Saint John the Baptist Parish, and it will not be the last."

Denkas facility, owned by a Japanese company of the same name, was previously a DuPont petrochemical plant. DuPont still owns the land beneath Denkas facility so is also named in the DOJ complaint.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
The Supreme Court will decide by June whether colleges can continue to use race as a factor in deciding which students to admit. Two separate cases are before the court, one involving Harvard, an elite private institution, and the University of North Carolina, a highly selective public university.

Experts say the outcome of the cases will have the greatest impact on Black and Latino students.

Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, the only Black woman on the conservative-leaning court, said during her confirmation hearings last year that shed recuse herself from participating in the case against Harvard. Jackson served on the board of overseers at Harvard, where she earned her bachelors and law degrees. In that role, she was not directly involved in the schools admissions but did advise the university about its strategic priorities.

Affirmative action: Supreme Court signals skepticism of race-conscious college admissions

Although Jackson is participating in the North Carolina case, some advocates for affirmative action were disappointed about her absence from the Harvard case. When justices are having their discussion, they wont benefit from her experience, said Michael Williams of the Coalition for a Diverse Harvard.

The other Black justice, Clarence Thomas, has opposed affirmative action, and the only Latina on the panel, Sonia Sotomayor, is in the liberal minority.

Brown v. Board: Supreme Court affirmative action cases spark heated debate over meaning of landmark case

Court's conservative supermajority may diminish Jackson's role

Jacksons recusal wont have an enormous influence given the courts conservative supermajority, said Kimberly West-Faulcon, a professor of constitutional law at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles. The Supreme Court has an immense amount of power and discretion, she said.

During the sometimes heated arguments in one of the term's most-watched cases, several of the court's conservatives justices noted that a 2003 precedent that permits the use of race in admissions warned against indefinite use of these policies. The court's conservative justices asked how supporters of the race-conscious admissions would decide their goals had been reached.

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"So what are you saying when you're up here in 2040? Are you still defending it?" Associate Justice Amy Coney Barrett asked. "Like this is just indefinite?"

Making an impression: Weeks into the job, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson is already having a moment on the Supreme Court

In Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard, the court is weighing whether the universitys race-conscious admissions policy violates the Civil Rights Act. Students for Fair Admissions v. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill challenges the public universitys use of affirmative action as a violation of the 14th Amendments equal protection clause.

During the courts arguments in October in the North Carolina case, Jackson questioned whether race-conscious admissions help African American and Latino applicants at the expense of Asian and white applicants because the system gives a boost to many different prospective students for reasons other than race.

It seems from the race hypothetical that if there was only one basis for giving someone a boost, and that basis was race, then I see disadvantage, absolutely, to anyone else whos not an underrepresented minority who can get that boost, she said in oral arguments. But I understood that we have here a program in which there are ... at least 40 different bases for being able to get a boost, and not everybody who is an underrepresented minority gets a boost. So, its really hard to figure out if anyone is being disadvantaged in a system like that.

The Supreme Court is more diverse than ever: But the lawyers who argue before it? Mostly white men.

Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson arrives before President Joe Biden delivers the State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress at the Capitol.

Who goes to college?

West-Faulcon, author of an article in the UCLA Law Review titled "Obscuring Asian Penalty with Illusions of Black Bonus," said that while institutions do use race in a narrowly tailored way, there are not hordes and hordes of African American and Latino students being admitted to elite universities in this nation.

Fifteen percent of Black students "attended a highly selective institution," and 8% of those students "attended an elite research institution" as of 2019, according to the Postsecondary National Policy Institute.

Wrong impression: Affirmative action critics paint Asian Americans as the model minority. Why that's false.

In states that as of the end of 2022 had already banned race-based affirmative action admission policies at public universities  including Arizona, California and Michigan  many havent been able to recover from a decline in minority enrollment, said Anthony Lising Antonio, a professor at Stanford University researching equity issues in schools.

The National Center for Education Statistics shows that of the 15.9 million undergraduate students enrolled in fall 2020 across any higher education institution, 2 million were Black, a 21% decrease since 2009. White students also saw a decrease of 25%, while Hispanic students had enrollment gains of 42% and Asian student enrollment held steady.

Proponents of affirmative action argue that ending it will result in fewer students from diverse backgrounds on college campuses. Williams said eventually people will see fewer people of color in leadership and corporate roles.

How diverse is corporate America? There are more Black leaders but white men still run it

Contributing: John Fritze

Contact Kayla Jimenez at kjimenez@usatoday.com. Follow her on Twitter at @kaylajjimenez.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: What Justice Jackson's recusal from affirmative action case means
Kabaeva and Putin

The journalists said that the study of Kabaevas real estate led them to five of her assistants, who accompanied her everywhere, including on trips on a secret railway built especially for Putin.

Read also: Canada imposes sanctions against Kabaeva and oligarch Fridmans daughters

Investigators managed to find the route of Kabaevas assistants trip in the train ticket booking database. Two of them are her maternal cousins. Their identities were used to issue tickets to Okulovka and Uglovka stations, the closest stations to Putins Valdai residence. These stations are closed to ordinary citizens.

Valdai is located in Russias Novgorod Oblast, about halfway between St. Petersburg and Moscow.

One of the managers of the construction of Putins residence on Valdai, who worked there until 2005 (when the main works were completed), gave her photos to journalists.

According to the man, Putin demanded that his residence look like St. Petersburg and like the Hermitage. Initially, the residence had a separate bedroom for his then wife Lyudmila Putina.

www.proekt.media

Putin divorced his wife in 2013, and construction of a new house for Kabaeva and her children in the residence began in 2020.

Journalists assume that all of Kabaevas children are currently minors, and that their father is Putin.

Satellite imagery confirm the constant presence of children in the residence. For example, in the summer of 2020 and 2021, a small go-kart track was set up on the former site of the helipads. Between 2016 and 2020, a large playground in yellow and blue colors appeared near the residence.

Read also: Spanish defense minister calls Putin threat to humanity

www.proekt.media

www.proekt.media

The journalists also said that the purchase of Kabaevas apartment was financed by the same person who bought real estate for Putins other alleged lover  Svetlana Krivonogikh.

Sources of the publication stated that Kabaeva personally came to Sochi to choose apartments and decided on which trustees they should be registered.

Story continues

Read also: Biden slapped Putin. How will the Kremlin respond and what is China up to?

www.proekt.media

The main of the four apartments she owns in Sochi is a royal penthouse in the Royal Park residential complex. It has a swimming pool, a cinema, a patio and its own helipad on the roof, which is registered to Oleg Rudnov  a person who for many years executed real estate deals for the benefit of Putins inner circle.

www.proekt.media

According to the advertising brochure of the development company, the cost of Kabaevas penthouse as of 2011 was $15 million. The TsIAN real estate agency called the apartment the largest in Russia.

www.proekt.media

Project received documents indicating that the purchase of the penthouse for Kabaeva was paid for from Rudnovs personal account and cost only RUB 90 million ($1.2 million), which is five times cheaper than the price of the penthouse declared by the developer. This amount was deposited in cash into Rudnovs account with the help of the Cypriot company Ermira Consultants.

www.proekt.media

According to journalists, the Cypriot company Ermira Consultants became a financial center in the scheme to enrich Putins entourage.

www.proekt.media

The publication found out that Ermira Consultants officially belongs to the Russian lawyer Vladislav Kopylov, but its real owner is Putin himself. They used the term pay from Ermira, which meant using Putins money to pay for this or that deal (in his interests).

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
A 47-year-old man was convicted Monday of first-degree murder in the killing of his wife Tabitha Birdsong, a 40-year-old woman found stabbed to death in Kansas Citys Roanoke Park while she had an order of protection against him in her back pocket.

Gene A. Birdsong, of Kansas City, Kansas, was found guilty after a jury trial of the murder charge and one felony count of armed criminal action, Jackson County prosecutors announced Monday. He has been held in Jackson Countys jail since he was arrested on the day of his wifes killing.

Under Missouri law, a first-degree murder conviction carries a mandatory minimum sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole. The jury gave its recommendation Monday that Birdsong serve life plus another 17 years in prison.

Tabitha Birdsongs body was discovered on Nov. 6, 2018. According to court documents, Kansas City police officers found her with obvious head injuries and no signs of life.

Witnesses told police Tabitha and Gene Birdsong were together just before she died and that there was a history of physical abuse. Witnesses also said they saw Birdsong that day wearing khaki pants with apparent blood on them. One described his clothing as blood-soaked.

Years before Tabitha Birdsong was killed, Gene Birdsong was twice convicted in Johnson County District Court of domestic battery against her  first in 2009 and again 2010. She filed for an order of protection in Johnson County in 2015, saying she feared for her safety.

In 2016, Gene Birdsong was charged in Johnson County with violating a protection order Tabitha Birdsong had obtained in Wyandotte County. Gene Birdsong also spent 86 days in jail for violating his probation in that case and was released from custody in June 2018, roughly five months before Tabitha Birdsong was killed.

Tabitha Birdsongs killing was the subject of columns written by former Star columnist Melinda Henneberger that focused on domestic abuse and the way such cases are handled in the criminal justice system. In 2019, Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker announced a new intervention effort meant to stop domestic-violence homicides by getting the worst of the worst abusers off the streets.

In a statement Monday, Baker applauded the efforts of her trial team that carried the case forward. She added that all should have Tabitha Birdsong first in mind on Monday as she lost her life at the hands of her domestic abuser.

Obviously, nothing we could do would bring her back, Baker said. But it was our honor to fight for her.
China slams U.S. sanctions against Chinese firms related to Russia

Xinhua) 08:21, February 28, 2023

BEIJING, Feb. 27 (Xinhua) -- China on Monday slammed the United States for sanctioning Chinese companies for alleged involvement with Russia, saying the illegal, unilateral sanctions, if not revoked, would be met with countermeasures from China.

Mao Ning, a spokesperson for the Chinese foreign ministry, told a press briefing that the U.S. actions lack both the basis in international law and UN Security Council mandate.

"They are typical unilateral sanctions and illegal 'long-arm jurisdiction' and detrimental to Chinese interests. We deplore and reject this move and have made serious demarches to the U.S. side," Mao said.

She said on the Ukraine issue, China's position has been objective and fair.

"We have actively promoted peace talks and sought a political solution. The U.S., however, has been fanning the flame and fueling the fight with more weaponry," she said.

To date, the United States has provided Ukraine with over 32 billion U.S. dollars worth of military aid, including large quantities of advanced armament. Just days ago, it announced yet another tranche of military aid for Ukraine worth 2 billion U.S. dollars, according to the spokesperson.

Mao said the United States has been pouring weapons into one side of the conflict, thus prolonging the fight and making peace elusive, while spreading disinformation that China would supply weapons to Russia and sanctioning Chinese companies under that pretext.

"This is out-and-out hegemonism and double standard, and absolute hypocrisy," Mao said.

"On the one-year mark of the full escalation of the Ukraine crisis, China issued its position paper on the political settlement of the crisis, whereas the U.S. imposed sanctions on Chinese and other foreign companies. Who is promoting peace and deescalation, and who is fueling the tension and making the world more unstable? The answer is fairly obvious," the spokesperson said.

She called on the United States to reflect on its behavior, bear in mind what is good for the world, and do something that will actually help deescalate the situation and get peace talks going.

"The U.S. also needs to stop spreading disinformation and withdraw the sanctions on Chinese companies," she said.

"The Chinese side will continue to do what is necessary to firmly safeguard the lawful rights and interests of Chinese companies. We will take resolute countermeasures in response to the U.S. sanctions," Mao said.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
Photo: The Canadian Press A Toronto Police Services logo is shown at headquarters, in Toronto, on Friday, August 9, 2019. Toronto police say they have charged a man with manslaughter in the death of a former CBC producer who was allegedly pushed to the ground.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christopher Katsarov

Toronto police say they have charged a man with manslaughter in the death of a former CBC producer who was pushed to the ground in what investigators have alleged was a random assault.

They say the 43-year-old man surrendered to police on Tuesday.

Investigators say Michael Finlay was walking down the street in the Danforth Avenue and Jones Avenue area on Jan. 24 when he was allegedly pushed by the suspect who then fled the scene.

Finlay died a week later and police then issued a warrant for the 43-year-old suspect's arrest.

Cathy Perry, CBC's executive director of newsgathering and operations, had said Finlay died of medical complications after the alleged assault.

The 73-year-old Finlay had worked with the network for 31 years and had retired in 2010.
Kansas credit outlook is positive after years of downgrades brought on by budget shortfalls under former Gov. Sam Brownback, S&P Global Ratings said Tuesday.

The major credit rating agency affirmed its AA- rating for the state but improved its outlook for the state from stable to positive, indicating the agency could raise the rating in the next two years.

In a statement, Gov. Laura Kelly said the improved outlook would send a signal to businesses that Kansas is a smart investment.

It is clear that we have put Kansas back on track by growing our economy and paying off debts. I will continue to promote fiscal responsibility and cut taxes for working families in a way that maintains a balanced budget, Kelly said.

The changed outlook comes years after Kansas faced repeated credit downgrades between 2014 and 2017 as the state grappled with budget shortfalls in the wake of Brownbacks 2012 tax cuts. S&P changed Kansas outlook from negative to stable in 2018 after a bipartisan coalition of lawmakers overrode Brownbacks veto to mostly repeal the tax cuts in 2017.

In its report, S&P said it would be inclined to improve Kansas rating if the state continues to maintain healthy balances in its budget and demonstrates a commitment to making contributions to its pension system.

Unbalanced budgets and tax cuts that arent balanced by spending reductions, the report said, would result in a reduced outlook in the future.

Kelly is currently poised for a fight with the GOP-controlled Legislature over tax cuts. The state Senate passed a bill last week that would implement a 4.75% flat tax. The Democratic governor has compared the policy proposal to the Brownback cuts and said she would reject any tax policy she considers irresponsible.
Katy Perry was left angered and saddened by a recent American Idol season 21 audition.

On Sunday (26 February), standing before judges Perry, Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan, mattress salesman Trey Louis performed Stone by Whiskey Meyers.

After the 21-year-olds soulful rendition of the 2016 song brought the three judges to their feet, Bryan lauded his perfect voice, comparing it to that of Grammy-winning artist Chris Stapleton.

Why are you doing Idol? the Country Girl singer asked.

So American Idol, number one, is kinda where people that I enjoy make it, Louis explained.

Number two is, as I said before, Im from Santa Fe, Texas. In May 2018, a gunman walked into my school.

With his voice trembling, he continued: I was in art room one. He shot up art room two, before he made his way to art room one.

Trey Louis on American Idol (American Idol / YouTube)

Lost a lot of friends. Eight students were killed; two teachers were killed, and its just really been negative, man. Santa Fe has had a bad rap here since 2018.

Breaking down in tears, Perry held her head in her hands.

Our country has f***ing failed us! she yelled in between sobs. This is not ok. You should be singing here because you love music. Not because you had to go through that f***ing bulls***.

You didnt have to lose eight friends! she said. I hope that you remind people that we have to change because, you know what? Im scared too!

Richie added: We have tolerated this for so long, for too long. Its become a norm.

Weve gotta change. And I hope you can just lead. Can you do me that favour? Perry asked the contestant.

For myself, for my school, for you? You got it. Yes, maam, yes, maam, Louis responded.

The three then announced in unison: Youre going to Hollywood!

The 2018 Santa Fe shooting was considered the third deadliest high school shooting in the countrys history at the time.

Dimitrios Pagourtzis, who was 17 at the time, is the accused shooter who killed 10 classmates and teachers and wounded 13 others.

Nearly five years later, Pagourtzis has yet to stand trial as hes remained mentally incompetent to do so, according to the Galveston District Attorneys Office.
Keypath Education International (ASX:KED) First Half 2023 Results

Key Financial Results

Revenue: US$58.7m (up 3.1% from 1H 2022).

Net loss: US$9.38m (loss narrowed by 31% from 1H 2022).

US$0.044 loss per share (improved from US$0.065 loss in 1H 2022).

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

Keypath Education International Earnings Insights

Looking ahead, revenue is forecast to grow 15% p.a. on average during the next 3 years, compared to a 13% growth forecast for the Consumer Services industry in Australia.

Performance of the Australian Consumer Services industry.

The company's shares are up 12% from a week ago.

Risk Analysis

Don't forget that there may still be risks. For instance, we've identified 3 warning signs for Keypath Education International that you should be aware of.

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



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

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American cartoonist and author Scott Adams, who is the creator of the extremely popular Dilbert comic strip, has been the center of controversy after making racist remarks during a livestream on his YouTube series on February 22.

In the days since, many organizations have announced they are severing ties with the 65-year-old Adams. That includes newspapers that have stopped running Dilbert and Adams publisher, which ended its relationship with the comic.

However, this is far from the first time Adams has been in the spotlight for incendiary statements. So, how did he get here?

Who Is Scott Adams?

According to the official Dilbert website, Adams was born on June 8, 1957, and grew up in Windham, New York. The middle of three children, he was his high school valedictorian. Adams graduated from Hartwick College with a degree in economics and also received a masters in business administration from the University of California, Berkeley.

Adams worked as a bank teller, computer programmer, commercial lender, budget supervisor, as well as an applications engineer at Pacific Bell. But he rose to prominence with the debut of Dilbert in 1989 and its subsequent success. The comic strip, which provides commentary on corporate work culture, went on to appear in more than 2,000 newspapers around the world. Dilbert has been adapted into books and even an animated television program on UPN, for which Adams was co-executive director and wrote or co-wrote most of the episodes.

In recent years, Adams has become an increasingly vocal proponent of right-wing political talking points and has amassed more than 888,000 followers on Twitter. His YouTube channel, Real Coffee With Scott Adams, has more than 43.5 million views since Adams created it in May 2018. He regularly posts videos and livestreams his show, Coffee with Scott Adams, daily.

What Is the Controversy?

During a YouTube livestream on February 22, Adams began discussing the results of a recent public opinion poll from conservative-leaning Rasmussen Reports. The poll of 1,000 Americans asked respondents to agree or disagree with the statements Its OK to be white and Black people can be racist, too.

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After citing some of the results, saying that 26 percent of Black respondents disagreed with the first statement and another 21 percent werent sure of their answer, Adams called Black people a hate group.

If nearly half of all Blacks are not OK with white people according to this pollnot according to me, according to this pollthats a hate group, and I dont want to have anything to do with them, Adams added. He then advised white people to get the hell away.

Theres no fixing this, he continued. This cant be fixed.

What Else Has Scott Adams Said?

This is not the first time Adams has made controversial statements.

In a 2006 blog post, he questioned the accuracy of the death toll during the Holocaust. And according to The Independent, Adams once compared women asking for equal pay to children demanding candy.

During the 2020 presidential campaign, Adams tweeted that if Joe Biden were elected, there would be a good chance you will be dead within the year and added that Republicans will be hunted.

Adams also compared President Donald Trump to Jesus and the Founding Fathers and defended Trumps comments about the deadly 2017 Unite the Right Rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. Trump said there were very fine people among the white-nationalist protestors and the counterprotesters.

The Dilbert comic strip was already dropped by 77 Lee Enterprises newspapers in September after Adams began including controversial plot lines, according to the Daily Mail. One included a Black character who identifies as white and was asked to also identify as gay.



Whats Next?

Getty Images

Following Adams rant this past week, multiple newspapersincluding The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times, and The Plain Dealer, among othersannounced they would no longer carry the syndicated Dilbert.

Editor Chris Quinn of The Plain Dealer and Cleveland.com said in a letter to readers that the organization would not be a home for those who espouse racism and that the decision to drop the comic strip wasnt difficult. The San Antonio Express-News, a Hearst newspaper, said it would also be dropping the comic strip because of Adams hateful and discriminatory public comments.

Andrews McMeel Universal, the distributor of Dilbert, announced in a statement on February 26 that it is severing its relationship with Adams, including all areas of business with the strip.

Adams has been active on social media amid the backlash, saying in a tweet on February 27 that his book agent had dropped him and his publisher, Portfolio, has canceled an upcoming book release. He also announced that Dilbert and some of his other works would only be available on his subscription-based site.

On another livestream posted on February 25, Adams lamented that most of his income would disappear and predicted my reputation for the rest of my life is destroyed.

The most notable show of support for Adams has come from Twitter CEO and Tesla founder Elon Musk, who responded to the situation with a tweet calling U.S. media racist.
Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach is suing a national energy company that serves as a middleman to Kansas natural gas companies for market manipulation during 2021s winter storm Uri.

In a lawsuit filed in Shawnee County Court against Macquarie Energy earlier this month, Kobach claims that on Feb. 17, 2021, Macquarie purchased natural gas from the states primary supplier, Southern Star, at the highest rate ever paid to the company.

As a result, Kobach argues, the price Macquarie charged its clients  including several major Kansas natural gas companies  was artificially inflated and that cost was passed onto Kansas customers to the tune of more than $50 million.

Macquarie goosed its net trading revenues profits by tens of millions of dollars  at a minimum  by materially inflating the benchmark February 17, 2021 Southern Star Gas Daily price, the lawsuit said. It later notes that the companys net profit projects for the year went up 10% after the storm.

Macquarie Energy declined to comment citing pending litigation.

The company is a provider for Atmos Energy, Black Hills Energy and Kansas Gas Service among others.

In the wake of the 2021 winter storm, all three companies began charging customers additional costs to help recoup their losses.

Kobach is asking the Shawnee County District Court to find that Macquire violated the Commodity Exchange Act and require them to pay damages for the violations.

Price manipulation by energy companies has been the focus of numerous lawsuits and investigations since the 2021 winter storm that swept through the Midwest resulting in increased energy usages, severe supply chain disruptions and rolling blackouts.

During the 2022 gubernatorial race, Republican nominee Derek Schmidt, Kobachs predecessor as attorney general, was consistently criticized by Democrats for not acting quicker in his investigation of price gouging in Kansas. In September, he told the Topeka Capital-Journal that the investigation was ongoing.
Kodak Blacks attorney said Tuesday in a Broward County court that the rapper may have tested positive for fentanyl because of a lab mixup, and a judge ordered him to stay at a South Florida rehabilitation facility for 30 days starting next week.

Authorities say the performer, whose legal name is Bill Kahan Kapri, 25, violated his pretrial release conditions by failing to submit to a drug test on Feb. 3 before finally going to the lab on Feb. 8, testing positive for fentanyl. As a result, a warrant for his arrest was issued Thursday.

The Florida native, who has a long criminal history across several states, went back to county jail last year after he was arrested on drug possession and trafficking charges.

READ MORE: Arrest warrant issued against rapper Kodak Black in Broward County, court records show

Bradford Cohen, Kapris lawyer, told Judge Barbara Duffy that a star-struck private lab technician may have mixed up his clients paperwork or urine sample with another persons. And the man who collected the sample testified in court that its possible the lab made a mistake.

READ MORE: Arrest warrant issued for Kodak Black in South Florida follows rappers long rap sheet

I think to rely on that, to take somebody into custody, it would be a great miscarriage of justice, Cohen said.

But when Duffy said the rapper could take a hair drug test, which is used to detect a pattern of repeated drug use over the past 90 days, the defense didnt take up the offer. (A urine test generally detects drug use for the previous few days.) On Instagram, Cohen said that the Pretrial Services Program of the Broward Sheriffs Office doesnt provide hair-testing services.

Kapri also told the judge he shouldnt end up behind bars because of the drug-test results.

All the good deeds I do, all the good things I do, it never goes as viral, Kapri said. I dont know why [they] are so hungry to see me in jail.

Following the nearly hour-long court hearing, Duffy agreed with the defenses request to allow the rapper to begin rehab on March 7 so he could travel over the weekend to California to perform at the Rolling Loud music festival.

You better get it together, Duffy told Kapri.
      ,    ,    , , 20 

According to a high-ranking source in the Ukrainian intelligence, the Kremlin did not have any final plan of who would be appointed to which position, but Medvedchuk, the former member of the outlawed Opposition Platform  For Life (OPZZh) party, who is suspected of treason, saw himself in the top roles.

Read also: Ukraines SBU says Medvedchuk wifes companies financed Russian security forces in occupied Crimea

Volodymyr Sivkovych, the National Security and Defense Councils deputy secretary under Yanukovychs presidency, who is currently hiding in Russia, was preparing to become the manager of the puppet authority.

Interlocutors of the newspaper say that Medvedchuk was one of the few who knew exactly about the Russian invasion, and even participated in its preparation.

On Feb. 23, 2022, he suddenly began rescheduling meetings with associates, claiming to be busy, even though he was supposed to be under house arrest at that time.

Medvedchuk stopped communicating early on Feb. 24 and appeared in the OPZZhs party chat only on Feb. 26, when Illia Kyva, who had publicly supported Russian aggression, had to be expelled from the faction.

Medvedchuk then managed to persuade the OPZZh factions members and postpone Kyvas expulsion.

Read also: Day 49 of Putin's war. Ukraine captures Putin ally Medvedchuk, Ukrainian marines joined Azov in Mariupol (UPDATED)

According to the Ukrainian special services, the invaders planned that the Verkhovna Rada, Ukraines parliament, once surrounded by Russian troops, would remove its chairman, Ruslan Stefanchuk, on Feb. 27, and Medvedchuk would become spokesman and acting president, the newspaper reports.

After the Russian plans failed and Medvedchuk disappeared, Russia came up with plan B  fugitive former President Viktor Yanukovych. He tried to challenge the Verkhovna Radas act on his self-removal through the Kyiv District Administrative Court.

After Medvedchuks disappearance, the Russians did consider the option of returning Yanukovych to Ukraine, the newspapers sources in the SBU security service said.

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He was to have announced again that he is the legitimate (president) and other such nonsense.

Read also: Ukraines SBI says ex-president Poroshenko, pro-Russian politician Medvedchuk may be cross-examined

On Feb. 27, 2022, days after Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Medvedchuk escaped from house arrest. He was charged with high treason, in connection with the coal case, which concerns Ukraine purchasing coal from Russian proxies in Donbas in 2014-2015.

On April 12, Medvedchuk was arrested at the border while attempting to flee the country, for breaching the terms of his house arrest.

On April 16, a court in Lviv arrested Medvedchuk, with no bail.

The biggest prisoner swap of the war so far took place on Sept. 21, 2022, when 215 people were freed from Russian captivity. Of them, 108 were defenders of Azovstal, including five commanders.

The Azovstal commanders were exchanged for 55 Russian military personnel, while Ukraine handed over Medvedchuk, a former oligarch and a personal friend of Russian dictator Vladimir Putin.

On Jan. 10, 2023, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed that pro-Russian MPs from the OPZZh party Viktor Medvedchuk, Taras Kozak, Renat Kuzmin and Andriy Derkach had been stripped of their Ukrainian citizenship.

On Jan. 13, the Verkhovna Rada voted to deprive them of their deputys seats.

On Feb. 17, Medvedchuk said that he had been forced to live in Moscow.

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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
During the years of the Great Depression, the Dirty Thirties, men rode trains across Canada in search of work.

Many ended up in Kelowna and gathered in an encampment north of the train station  (todays Train Station Pub). The locals called the area the Hobo Jungle. The residents called it Honolulu, which is likely more indicative of where theyd been rather than where they were.

City council threatened to run them out of town, but when a hobo delegation appeared before council and warned that such a decision would result in their men spreading out and camping in neighbourhoods around town, council changed its mind and the jungle remained.

Ninety years later, along Kelownas Rail Trail, where the railway used to run, we have another a homeless camp, though we no longer call it a Hobo Jungle. However, it looks pretty much the same.

Today, there are tents covered with layers of orange tarps and cardboard, grocery carts overflowing with meagre possessions, porta-potties are between mounds of whatever might insulate the occupants against freezing temperatures. A big steel box sometimes sits with its doors open and chairs out front  perhaps a community gathering spot.

And then theres the endless stream of RCMP, city bylaw enforcement officers, Commissionaires, people dropping off food and picking up garbage, and recently, when it has was really cold, plastic domes that look like blunted torpedo tubes arrived.

Theyre supposed to lessen the risk of freezing to death.

Weve apparently learned nothing, and history is repeating itself. Though the original jungle was filled with the unemployed, todays homeless camp is filled with people suffering with profound mental health issues and addictions that are manifestations of that.

A war ended the unemployment issue (in late 1930s). What will end the (current) mental health crisis?

During the summer, these people collapsed their tents, left the area and wandered the city until it was time to return and set their tents up for the night. But this winter they stay.

Its time for Kelowna to admit it has an entrenched homeless problem and apparently lacks the compassion, imagination or determination deal with it. Torpedo tubes, sending the mentally ill to sleep in doorways and resort to petty crime and the semi-permanent tent camps are not solving anything, and likely further endangering lives.

What will next 90 years will bring? Hopefully, something more compassionate than this.

Sharron J. Simpson, Kelowna
MOSCOW (Reuters) - The Kremlin on Tuesday repeated its position that Russia was open to negotiations to end the Ukraine conflict, but that new "territorial realities" could not be ignored.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters Russia would never renounce its claims to four Ukrainian regions that Moscow declared it had annexed last year following referendums that Kyiv and the West slammed as bogus and illegal.

"There are certain realities that have already become an internal factor. I mean the new territories. The constitution of the Russian Federation exists, and cannot be ignored. Russia will never be able to compromise on this, these are important realities," Peskov said on Tuesday.

Russia proclaimed it had annexed the Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions last September in a grand ceremony in Moscow.

The regions were subsequently named as constituent subjects of the Russian Federation in a constitutional decree.

Peskov said Russia was open to negotiations if Kyiv accepted Moscow's control over the regions.

"With a favourable state of affairs and the appropriate attitude from the Ukrainians, this can be resolved at the negotiating table. But the main thing is to achieve our goals," he said.

Russian forces do not fully control any of the four regions, and Moscow says it is fighting to "liberate" them from the control of Ukrainian neo-Nazis.

Kyiv and the West say this is a baseless pretext for an illegal land-grab.

Ukraine says Russian troops must leave every inch of its territory including the four annexed regions and the Crimean peninsula, which Moscow unilaterally annexed from Ukraine in 2014, before a peace plan can be discussed.

(Reporting by Reuters; Editing by Kevin Liffey)
Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach's office has sued a key firm that serves as a middleman for Kansas gas utilities, arguing it manipulated market prices during a 2021 winter storm

Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach's office has filed suit against a key firm that serves as a middleman for Kansas gas utilities, arguing it manipulated market prices during a 2021 winter storm that saw temperatures plummet and gas costs skyrocket across the Great Plains.

The lawsuit, filed earlier this month in Shawnee County District Court, is one of the first state actions related to potential market manipulation during Winter Storm Uri, which slammed Kansas almost exactly two years ago.

More:What will happen to natural gas price-gouging investigation under new attorney general?

Kobach's office alleges that Macquarie Energy engaged in an artificially inflated sale of natural gas in order to drive the benchmark used to set gas prices upwards and thus increase costs for utilities.

Major gas and electric utilities in the state have successfully petitioned the Kansas Corporation Commission to allow them to assess charges to consumers for years and, in some cases, over a decade to reap those historically high costs.

Kansas Gas Service consumers, for instance, are paying a little over $5-per-month for as much as a decade.

Shortly after Uri slammed Kansas, then-Attorney General Derek Schmidt announced he was launching a price-gouging investigation under the state's consumer protection laws. Few details about the investigation emerged, beyond Schmidt's decision to sign a contract with a Florida-based law firm to support the investigation last year.

Lawsuit argues price gouging resulted in $50 million in Kansas costs

In the lawsuit, Kobach's office alleges that Macquarie, which supplies Kansas Gas Service, Black Hills Energy and other Kansas firms, purposefully bought gas at an inflated price in a bid to influence key benchmarks for setting prices.

Deputy Attorney General Frances Oleen wrote in the lawsuit that it was the highest price ever paid for gas from the Southern Star Central Gas Pipeline, a key pipeline in the Midwest.

"Indeed, no one has ever paid any fixed price for Southern Star gas even remotely close to the price that Macquarie agreed to pay," the lawsuit said. "The fixed price that Macquarie agreed to pay ... is  and at the time of its transaction (and delivery) was  an outlier: far above, and disconnected from, all other contemporary Southern Star transaction prices."

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The upshot, the lawsuit argued, was that the higher price warped two key price benchmarks that ultimately helped Macquarie's bottom line.

Much of the higher-than-expected energy costs can be explained as "the unfortunate result of normal market forces," with supply constraints from lower gas production in Texas, Oklahoma and the gulf coast, which were also mired in a deep freeze.

A Federal Energy Regulatory Commission report found that "when temperatures fell, regional production dropped," in some parts of the country as much as half of what the typical output was before the storm.

But Oleen said "a specific and specifically-identifiable subset" of the excess costs can be attributed to Macquarie's actions, which the state said they believed could only be explained as an attempt to manipulate the market. The lawsuit estimates it led to more than $50 million in excess costs.

The suit alleges Macquarie violated the federal Commodity Exchange Act, which governs federal regulation of all commodity trading in the country, and seeks damages for the company's alleged behavior.

Macquarie declined comment, citing pending litigation.

States across the country have launched investigations into potential price gouging, though actual lawsuits to date have been rarer. Oklahoma's former attorney general initially threatened a lawsuit against gas producers and marketers, though he later walked it back after it appeared he misinterpreted the state's consumer protection laws.

In March 2021, the Kansas town of Mulberry in Crawford County, as well as many of its 500 residents, sued energy giant British Petroleum, alleging price gouging.

This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Kris Kobach sues over Winter Storm Uri market manipulation in Kansas
Kentucky lawmakers have rewritten a House bill so that youths held in the states juvenile detention centers could have access to mental health care and addiction treatment.

We just need to make sure that the kids who are entering the juvenile justice system for any reason get the behavioral help and treatment that they need, state Rep. Kimberly Poore Moser, R-Taylor Mill, said Tuesday as the House budget committee passed an amended version of House Bill 3.

Rep. Kimberly Moser

Of a half-dozen measures filed this legislative session to address chronic violence and neglect in Kentuckys juvenile justice system, HB 3 is the only one moving through the Capitol so far.

The Herald-Leader reported last week that many of the youths held in Kentuckys juvenile detention centers have mental health problems, aggravated by extended solitary lock-downs in their cells. But the treatment available to them often is inadequate.

Two nurses filed a whistle-blower lawsuit earlier this year against the Department of Juvenile Justice alleging abuse of youths in custody, including those with poor mental health.

Under the amended HB 3, which the full House passed hours later, the Department of Juvenile Justice would have to sign contracts with qualified behavioral health organizations to provide evidence-based behavioral health treatment or addiction treatment in the detention centers.

Youths brought into detention would be assessed by a qualified mental health professional, such as a psychiatrist, a psychologist or a licensed registered nurse with a masters degree in psychiatric nursing.

Other parts of HB 3 keep its original get-tough language concerning youths charged with serious crimes and the parents of chronic truants.

It would require youths to spend up to 48 hours in custody prior to a detention hearing, not including weekends or holidays, if they are charged with a violent felony offense, which includes murder, manslaughter, assault, rape, kidnapping, robbery, burglary, arson and escape.

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Under current law, court officials have the authority to order a youth detained or released after an arrest. Sponsors of HB 3 say they want youths charged with the most serious crimes to spend at least some time in custody prior to a detention hearing so they can be assessed for whatever services might be available for them.

The bill would require juvenile courts to regularly follow up on serious truancy cases, where youths are not attending school despite being assigned by the courts to a diversion program. A parent who intentionally fails to cooperate with a court order on school attendance could be charged with the Class A misdemeanor of unlawful transaction with a minor in the third-degree, punishable by up to a year in jail.

And the bill would waive the confidentiality of juvenile court records for youths convicted of a violent felony offense for three years so they could be discovered during criminal background checks by prospective employers and others. If youths are not convicted of another serious offense during that three-year window, then their records would be sealed.

Originally, the bill called for a five-year confidentiality waiver on juvenile records. But the primary sponsor, state Rep. Kevin Bratcher, R-Louisville, said he shortened the window to three years as a compromise with critics.

Still, several people spoke against this portion of the bill on Tuesday.

Making a juvenile criminal record public taints a young persons future because of their immaturity, these critics warned lawmakers. Under existing law, certain people  including police and school officials  already have access to juvenile records when necessary for safety reasons, but the general public does not.

Were talking about kids here. So why are we interested in opening up the records of kids? asked Kish Cumi Price, the president and CEO of the Louisville Urban League, testifying at the House budget committee hearing.

I want to make it personal, Price told the lawmakers. How many of you made bad decisions when you were younger  decisions that maybe you were held accountable for, some of you got away with, some youre taking to the grave  some you wont be held accountable for until Judgment Day. Right?

The full House, with an overwhelming Republican majority, rejected proposed amendments by several Democrats who wanted to soften or eliminate the language on opening juvenile court records; mandatory detention for youths charged with violent offenses for up to 48 hours; and the potential jailing of parents in truancy cases.

In a House floor speech, state Rep. Matt Lockett, R-Nicholasville, said he is getting tired of all of the sympathy for the perpetrators.

Lockett spoke about a Jessamine County family whose daughter was sexually molested by a teen-aged boy who went on to victimize others at a church and an overnight camp because law enforcement did not take action and the boys offenses were not made public.

My question is this, what about the victims? What about victims that some of these juveniles have hurt? asked Lockett, a co-sponsor of the bill. Where is their justice? Why are we not standing up for them? And I believe that this bill does that.

Finally, the amended HB 3 would provide $39.3 million in Fiscal Year 2024 state funding, secured in a separate House bill, to pay for several changes to the juvenile justice system, including some requests made by Gov. Andy Beshear.

Heres how that money would break down:

 $17.1 million for the state to retrofit, reopen and own the 40-bed Jefferson County Youth Detention Center in downtown Louisville. The center, previously owned by the Metro Louisville government, closed several years ago. The bill also has $2 million in one-year operational costs to run the center.

 $4.5 million for continued improvements to a juvenile detention center in the Louisville suburb of Lyndon. This suburban facility is meant to hold younger and lower-security youths than the one in downtown Louisville.

 $9.6 million to help pay for additional staff that are necessary for the states juvenile detention centers, which have struggled to hire enough employees. Beshear recently raised the starting pay for youth workers  the security officers at detention centers  to $50,000.

 $5.8 million in transportation costs for moving youths between the states juvenile justice facilities and their home counties, which can be hours away.

Beshear, a Democrat who stands for re-election in November, has been on the defensive in recent months following riots and assaults at several DJJ facilities around the state.

The Herald-Leader has reported that chronic under-staffing at DJJ for years has resulted in an atmosphere of violence and neglect, with both employees and youths saying that they dont feel safe. In some cases, facilities have kept youths locked up in their cells as a management tool.
(JSP X Vans; Didier William / James Fuentes; Thunder Voice Eagle / Hammer Museum; Amir H. Fallah; Louis Vuitton)

This story is part of Image issue 17, Offering, a special gift from L.A.s creative community to a city that seemingly has it all. Read the whole issue here.

Bulgari pop-up

Seventy-five years ago, Bulgari launched Serpenti, its famous line of snake-inspired jewelry: watches with scaly bands, bracelets of diamond snakes winding around wrists. To celebrate the anniversary, Bulgari is hosting its first pop-up exhibition in L.A., featuring jewelry, watches and leather goods, all surrounded by photos and paintings casting the snake as a design icon. Italian artist Davide Quayola was tapped to create a sculpture of serpentine shapes. Open March 1April 16, 11 a.m.-7 p.m., at 431 N. Rodeo Drive, Beverly Hills. bulgari.com

Puma x June Ambrose

On Thursday, March 16, June Ambrose launches the second drop of her collection with Puma celebrating the 50th anniversary of hip-hop. Ambrose defined the look of so many hip-hop artists over the decades  including Jay-Z, Missy Elliot, Snoop Dogg and Mary J. Blige  so it's only fitting that this collection of blue, green and white pants, jackets, sneakers and hoodies is inspired by the silhouettes she helped to define. puma.com

Imprint by Honor the Gift

For the latest collection from Honor the Gift, designer Russell Westbrook took his inspiration from the impact Black Americans have had on workwear throughout history. From emancipated sharecroppers to domestic servants, laundresses, blacksmiths and carpenters, Black laborers used apparel as a creative outlet amid dire conditions and despite limited resources, says the brand. The new collection, dubbed Imprint, is made up of sturdy neutrals for men, women and kids, captured in a campaign featuring the Compton Cowboys. Launches March 2. honorthegift.co

Born X Raised + Levi's at Rolling Loud

If you're going to Rolling Loud on March 35, don't miss the Born X Raised and Levi's collab. They'll have black hoodies celebrating the hip-hop music festival and will be offering custom designs on-site. For those who can't make it, select pieces will be available on the Born X Raised website. bornxraised.com

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'Amir H. Fallah: The Fallacy of Borders' at the Fowler

In Amir H. Fallahs first museum exhibition in Los Angeles, expect to get caught up in the artists maximalist paintings and stained glass works. Fallah is known for making alternative portraits  they dont fixate on likeness but rather on the objects, textures and moods that one associates with a person, an approach partly informed by the artists experiences as an immigrant. The exhibition includes a fascinating archival display of Beautiful/Decay, the art and design magazine that the artist founded and edited between 1996 and 2013. Open WednesdaySunday, noon5 p.m., through May 14, at 308 Charles E. Young Drive North, Los Angeles. fowler.ucla.edu

INSPR ITALIA

Italian Trade Agency, in collaboration with Confindustria, is debuting its inaugural roadshow at L.A. Fashion Week. It'll be a special opportunity to see exciting new work by 31 Italian designers, including Fracap, Laboratorio Mariucci and Giovanna Nicolai, who have a modern perspective on Italian design and craftsmanship. Find these brands at the Brand Assembly Show as well as the Designers and Agents Show the weekend of March 1315. Cooper Design Space, 10th floor, 860 S Los Angeles St, Los Angeles, and the New Mart, 3rd floor, 127 E 9th St, Los Angeles. inspritalia.com

JSP X Vault by Vans

In their second collaboration, JSP and Vault by Vans release a new collection of nostalgic Vans in kelly green, black and true blue, with a sentimental message on the bottom of the sole: I Love My JSP Vans. JSP founder Jimmy Gorecki describes the designs as both rich and rugged, made of nylon and soft suede, and credits the classic Venice joint Hoagies as an influence for his L.A.-meets-Philly aesthetic. The first half of the collection dropped in February, and the second half will drop in early March. Keep your eyes peeled. standardissuetees.com

Gucci lands at the Brand

A new Gucci store has opened at Americana at Brand in Glendale. Its stone marble inlay storefront cut with industrial Uranian blue linings and arched entryway faces the dancing fountain in the complexs atrium. The more than 6,000-square-foot boutique features the houses extensive collection of men's and women's accessories including shoes, handbags, luggage, jewelry, watches and eyewear. Open 11 a.m.8 p.m. MondaySaturday, 11 a.m.7 p.m. Sunday. 702 Americana Way, Suite E-01, Glendale. americanaatbrand.com/shopping/gucci

James Fuentes opens on Melrose

New York gallerist James Fuentes is opening a location in Los Angeles this spring. The 3,700-square-foot space will host a solo show of Didier William's mesmerizing and mystical prints and paintings of figures submerged in water, caught in forests and lifted by clouds. 5015 Melrose Ave., Los Angeles. jamesfuentes.com

Genero Neutral turns 2

Genero Neutral. (Angella Choe / For The Times)

The community's concept shop is celebrating two years on Saturday, March 18, with DJs Nino Genesis and Dante Sin, plus original merch including a limited-edition tote bag. Come meet Ashley S.P. and Jennifer Zapata, the innovative duo behind the store of stylish, genderless clothes. L.A. Times Image, a co-host of the party, will be there with magazines and more. Just scan the code on the Wild Postings wheat-paste posters around town for more info. 1816 Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, 49 p.m. generoneutral.la

Versace Fall-Winter Show

Versace brings its fall-winter 2023 women's and men's collections to Los Angeles on Friday, March 10, just two days ahead of the Oscars. The fits will be inspired by Hollywood and red carpet flare.

The Hammer Museum expands

UCLA's Hammer Museum is expanding with a newly transformed building featuring a large exhibition of contemporary art "through the lens of Los Angeles." Artists include Mark Bradford, Noah Davis, rafa esparza, Luchita Hurtado and Noah Purifoy. The new galleries open Sunday, March 26, and on the same day, the museum store is opening a summer-long pop-up with the Native-owned brand Thunder Voice Hat Co., which will be selling its hats made from recycled saddle straps and vintage coins. Each hat comes with a map of the stars printed on the interior "so the wearer can always find their way." 10899 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, open 11 a.m.6 p.m. TuesdaySunday. hammer.ucla.edu

Louis Vuitton x Yayoi Kusama

LV is dropping the second half of its collaboration with artist Yayoi Kusama on Friday, March 31. The designs are dizzying and delightful: polka dot bags, belts, hats and scarves; blue and green pumpkins on necklaces, suitcases and perfumes. There are infinite ways to wear this collection  you'll never get bored. us.louisvuitton.com

More stories from Image

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
California detectives say they have cracked a key aspect of a cold case murder that has haunted them for nearly three decades.

They've identified remains found in 1995 in a discarded refrigerator in San Joaquin County east of the San Francisco Bay Area as belonging to Amanda Lynn Schumann Deza, who was 29 when she most likely disappeared the previous year.

"It was a cold case for 27 years," San Joaquin County Sheriff Patrick Withrow said last week. "I'd just like to take this time right now to give her her name back, to give her her story back."

Amanda Lynn Schumann Deza. (via San Joaquin County Sheriff's Office)

Deza's identity was discovered through DNA mapping and family history research conducted by Othram Forensics, a private Houston-based laboratory.

The company used new technology to extract hundreds of thousands of genetic markers from DNA evidence, instead of the 20 usually used by law enforcement, and found relatives through those markers, CEO David Mittelman said.

It built a family tree to identify potential known relations, he said. Deza's mother and daughter were found and helped investigators identify the woman by submitting their own DNA, the company said in a statement.

They were obviously shocked by the news, Withrow said.

He said the parents wanted authorities to find and prosecute anyone responsible for Deza's death, which detectives and medical examiner's officials think was caused by blunt force trauma.

The sheriff's department collected photographs of Deza from relatives. One is a yellowing shot of the woman with handwritten words beneath it: "My Mother, Amanda Lynn."

Deza had not been reported missing when the remains were found.

Sheriff's officials have said that when the woman was found in March 1995, her body was decomposing and may have been in the refrigerator for months before it was discovered partly submerged in a slough.

Scavengers looking for items to recycle made the discovery, authorities have said. Deputies and detectives have described the refrigerator as partly submerged and possibly floating.

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The location is a tributary of the San Joaquin River known as Whiskey Slough, now the name of a state-run marina but said by legend to have been part of a smuggling route during Prohibition. The area was also once home to a gas exploration field.

"The family just didn't know" Deza's situation, Withrow said. "She was a 30-year-old woman and out on her own."

Deza was separated from her husband and had three young children, according to Othram. She was last seen at an unknown apartment complex in Napa, accompanied by an unidentified man she may have met at a rehabilitation facility, it said.

The sheriff's top investigator, Lt. Linda Jimenez, said the woman was most likely going through hard times.

"She was involved in some challenging times, like we all have in our lives," she said.

A reward of as much as $10,000 has been offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of anyone responsible for Deza's murder.

San Joaquin County detectives believe a reconstruction of Deza's last days, most likely in late summer or fall of 1994, will help find former friends and possible witnesses who could lead them to a conclusion or an arrest.

Withrow called Deza a "beautiful woman whose life was cut short" in pleading for anyone who may have known her at the time to come forward.

"We just need one little piece of it somebody out there might know," he said.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
A stormy pattern that marked the end of February across the United States will continue into the first days of March as a blockbuster winter storm unleashes heavy snow and threatens to cause widespread travel disruptions across the Midwest and Northeast later this week.

AccuWeather meteorologists warn that the storm is likely to bring heavy snow to Chicago and Milwaukee, a moderate amount of snow to Detroit and Boston and enough snow for roads to become slippery north of the New York City metro area. The storm will arrive just a few days after light to moderate snow was reported in many of the same locations.

"The storm system will be a complex one where one center of low pressure will track northeastward into the Midwest and weaken from Thursday night to Friday before a secondary low pressure area forms along the mid-Atlantic coast and heads northeastward over the ocean on Friday," AccuWeather Chief On-Air Meteorologist Bernie Rayno said.

Meteorologists tend to look for a fresh injection of cold air when forecasting big snowstorms, and enough cold air will be in place later this week thanks to an area of high pressure to the north of the Upper Midwest and New England, according to AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Joe Lundberg. "It's not the coldest air mass we have ever seen, but it is cold enough to get the job done," he said.

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This setup tends to allow warm air to surge northward, stay to the west of the Appalachians and reach parts of the Great Lakes. This will cause rain to soak the Ohio Valley and a wintry mix to transition to rain across portions of interstates 70 and 80 in Ohio and Indiana from late Thursday night to Friday.

A period of heavy snow will occur just north of where the warm air runs out of momentum. Snowfall rates for a time could reach 1-2 inches per hour, which is enough to challenge snow removal crews who will be working to keep roads open. The storm has the potential to unload 6-10 inches of snow on Chicago and bring 4-8 inches to Milwaukee, with 3-6 inches in Detroit.

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At this time, AccuWeather meteorologists believe this will be the case around Chicago, with Detroit near the storm's southern edge Friday. However, any change in the storm's momentum or strength in the Midwest could cause the heavy snow band to shift farther to the north or south in the region.

People should expect impacts from a snowstorm Friday in Chicago, Detroit and Milwaukee, along with a large number of flight delays and cancellations in the major airport hubs.

The storm will add insult to injury over Michigan's Lower Peninsula, where 600,000 utility customers were without power at one point last week. As of Thursday morning, that number was down to around 22,700, according to PowerOutage.us.

In addition to problems from snow and/or a wintry mix over the northern tier, rain and fog will also contribute to delays on the highways and at the airports farther south.

"Near and just south of the heavy snow area, there is likely to be heavy rain," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Courtney Travis said. "Portions of the Ohio and Tennessee valleys may receive enough rain to trigger small stream and urban flooding from Thursday to Friday." A midweek storm will help to soak the ground in part of the region ahead of the larger storm.

As warm, moist air comes into contact with the cold ground and snow cover in some areas, it could lead to a proliferation of fog.

Forecasters say how quickly the secondary storm forms and strengthens over the Atlantic will determine how far the warm air from the south will extend into the Northeast Friday.

Because the coastal storm may be slow to organize and strengthen, relative to the New York metro area, there is likely to be a quick transition to a wintry mix and just rain by Friday night around the city's five boroughs. Snow amounts of a coating to perhaps 1 inch are projected for the New York metro area on Friday. The combination of slush and rain will be enough to slow travel and lead to airline delays.

Boston could receive 2-4 inches of snow, with heavier amounts to the north and west of the city from Friday afternoon to Saturday. Depending on how quickly the secondary storm forms along the coast, a wedge of cold air could keep snow going for a long period of time. If that occurs, snowfall could be double or triple the amount.

An atmospheric traffic jam, known as a Greenland block, has developed but it is not yet strong enough to strongly hold the cold air into the Northeast, Lundberg explained.

"This first allows the Midwest storm to pull warm air well to the north, not only in the Midwest but also in the Northeast. So there should be a much better chance of a change to rain or a wintry mix from much of Pennsylvania to the lower Hudson Valley of New York and across southern New England," he said.

The same complex storm system will lead to a new outbreak of severe weather for parts of the central and southern U.S. Thursday and Friday. The severe weather threat will include the possibility of tornadoes.

Just as a colder and stormier pattern brought the first widespread snowfall around New York City Monday and Tuesday, the storm late this week will continue that trend.

"The storm from Thursday to Friday in the Midwest and Northeast will accelerate the pattern change," Lundberg said. "By the middle of next week, the Greenland block will grow stronger, forcing a colder flow of air from the northwest over much of the country's eastern half."

Once the block strengthens, it could mean that warmups will be hard to come by moving forward during March, and perhaps April. More persistent cold air combined with storms may lead to more opportunities for snow.

Want next-level safety, ad-free? Unlock advanced, hyperlocal severe weather alerts when you subscribe to Premium+ on the AccuWeather app. AccuWeather Alerts are prompted by our expert meteorologists who monitor and analyze dangerous weather risks 24/7 to keep you and your family safer.
LastPass has posted an update on its investigation regarding a couple of security incidents that took place last year, and they're sounding graver than previously thought. Apparently, the bad actors involved in those incidents also infiltrated a company DevOps engineer's home computer by exploiting a third-party media software package. They implanted a keylogger into the software, which they then used to capture the engineer's master password for an account with access to the LastPass corporate vault. After they got in, they exported the vault's entries and shared folders that contained decryption keys needed to unlock cloud-based Amazon S3 buckets with customer vault backups.

This latest update in LastPass' investigation gives us a clearer picture of how the two security breach incidents it went through last year were connected. If you'll recall, LastPass revealed in August 2022 that an "unauthorized party" gained entry into its system. While the first incident ended on August 12th, the company said in its new announcement that the threat actors were "actively engaged in a new series of reconnaissance, enumeration, and exfiltration activities aligned to the cloud storage environment spanning from August 12th, 2022 to October 26th, 2022."

When the company announced the second security breach in December, it said the bad actors used information obtained from the first incident to get into its cloud service. It also admitted that the hackers made off with a bunch of sensitive information, including its Amazon S3 buckets. To be able to access the data saved in those buckets, the hackers needed decryption keys saved in "highly restricted set of shared folders in a LastPass password manager vault." That's why the bad actors targeted one of the four DevOps engineers who had access to the keys needed to unlock the company's cloud storage.

In a support document (PDF) the company released (via BleepingComputer), it detailed the data accessed by the threat actors during the two incidents. Apparently, the cloud-based backups accessed during the second breach included "API secrets, third-party integration secrets, customer metadata and backups of all customer vault data." The company insisted that all sensitive customer vault data aside from some exceptions "can only be decrypted with a unique encryption key derived from each user's master password." The company added that it doesn't store users' master passwords. LastPass also detailed the steps it has taken to strengthen its defenses going forward, including revising its threat detection and making "a multi-million-dollar allocation to enhance [its] investment in security across people, processes, and technology."
The warrant for the fourth man arrested and charged with murder in the shooting death of Dallas businessman, Asian-American community leader and advocate Jin Shin has revealed more details on what happened the night of Shins death.

Shin was surrounded, accosted and assaulted by multiple people before he was shot by Markynn West, according to Fort Worth police. West was the first of the suspects to be arrested. This all happened after a minor traffic accident in August in which Shins Jeep rolled forward at a stoplight on University Drive and hit the rear of another vehicle, according to police.

According to an arrest warrant affidavit for Keeton Sheppard, the fourth person to be arrested, he lied to investigators, telling them he did not punch Shin, didnt see him get punched and left the scene before Shin was shot. Police said in the warrant that Sheppards statement contradicted video evidence of the shooting and the events leading up to it.

Sheppard is accused in the warrant of punching Shin in the face after Quamon White, the third man arrested, punched Shin from behind. Before punching him, West and Sheppard were both in Shins face, the affidavit says.

According to police, Sheppard attempted to pursued Shin as he tried to leave the area and circle around to the passenger side of his Jeep. Around that time, the warrant identifies Kameron Taylor as the man who took Shins keys from the Jeep, preventing him from leaving the area as the scene grew more hostile. Taylor was the second person to be arrested in the case.

Police said video evidence showed Sheppard was also present at the time Shin was shot by West. Police described Sheppard as a primary aggressor in the warrant for his arrest.

Events leading up to the shooting

Police said in arrest warrants that Shin was involved in a vehicle accident around 2:20 a.m. Aug. 15, 2022, when his Jeep rolled forward and hit the rear of a silver Hyundai Elantra at 2500 University Drive. Shin got out of his vehicle, as did the three women in the Hyundai. They started talking and Shin was boxed in at the door to his Jeep.

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According to three of the four warrants:

Over the next 15 minutes, five more people arrived at the scene in three different vehicles, surrounding Shin and alternating between pinning him against his Jeep and blocking him from accessing the vehicle, according to the warrants. At that point, West and Sheppard got in Shins face while another person blocked him from getting back to his vehicle. White was standing directly behind Shin when he drew back his right arm and punched Shin in the back of the head. Sheppard then punched Shin on the left side of his head.

Shin retreated after being punched and Sheppard tried to pursue him but was held back by West. Shin then tried to get back to the drivers side of his Jeep. He was then approached by a man who got in his face and denied him the ability to retreat into his vehicle after being attacked by the group, according to the warrant. Shin then headed to the passenger side of the Jeep and opened the door as two other men were leaning into the vehicle from the drivers side. Taylor took the keys from the vehicle as Shin retrieved a gun and then was again surrounded. Taylor had the keys on a lanyard around his neck when police arrived at the scene.

Shin managed to walk away from the now-eight people surrounding him with his gun in his hands, according to video referenced in the warrant. Immediately after he retreated, West walked to the Chrysler 300 and got a handgun out of the trunk.

Shin walked across the street, then started walking back, this time approaching his Jeep from the drivers side, according to the warrants. The handgun Shin held was pointed at the ground as he approached the rear of the Jeep, where West stepped into view with a handgun, also initially pointed at the ground. West fired multiple shots and Shin again attempted to retreat around to the passenger side.

West also moved to the passenger side, heading around the rear of the vehicles, according to the warrants. As West came around the vehicles, police said, he raised his gun and aimed at Shin, firing multiple shots again. Shin ran across the street to the median and out of the view of the cameras, where police and paramedics found his body.

Shin, 43, was pronounced dead at the scene. The medical examiners office ruled his cause of death as a gunshot wound to the torso. Shin owned Family Karaoke in Dallas.
A senior Defense Department official on Tuesday said U.S. weapons and munitions in Ukraine are not being systemically misused after House lawmakers raised concerns over proper oversight of the billions of dollars in security aid flowing to Kyiv.

Colin Kahl, the Pentagons under secretary of Defense for policy, told the House Armed Services Committee it has not seen any evidence of diversion from U.S. assistance to support Ukraine against a Russian invasion.

We think the Ukrainians are using properly what theyve been given, Kahl said.

Lawmakers, however, raised concerns about longstanding corruption in Ukraine and the fact there are very few U.S. personnel on the ground in the country to track the weapons and equipment transfers.

Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) hammered the Defense Departments lead watchdog, Inspector General Robert Storch, after he said they were continuing to look at the issue through a number of ongoing projects, but did not definitively say there was no corruption or misuse of U.S. military aid.

You cannot testify that everything is complying with the law in end-use monitoring, Gaetz said. If you could testify to that, you would.

Most lawmakers who raised questions about oversight of aid to Ukraine were Republicans, but some Democrats also pressed officials on the steps they were taking to ensure the emergency assistance was not being misused.

Reps. Mikie Sherrill (D-N.J.) and Joe Courtney (D-Conn.) asked how the U.S. was ensuring that weapons were not ending up misused by the Ukrainian government or sold on the international black market.

Kahl answered that he has not seen any indications Ukrainians were selling the equipment and the U.S. actively discusses the issue of corruption with Kyiv.

The Defense Department has provided Ukrainians with scanners to keep track of equipment transfers and officials use a software database of inventory employed by NATO for monitoring. The Pentagon also works with about a dozen officials at the U.S. Embassy for certain on-site visits, according to Kahl.

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But Kahl said Ukraine is an active warzone without U.S. troops, which complicates physical and in-person monitoring efforts.

There are always going to be things you dont know that are happening and you dont see, Kahl said. But we are not seeing any evidence of systemic diversion of the equipment the United States has provided.

Congress approved $113 billion in emergency assistance for Ukraine last year after Russia invaded the neighboring country in February 2022, including about $67 billion for defense-related needs.

Also in those bills was roughly $42 million for oversight efforts. Federal agencies monitor the transfer of emergency assistance, but inspector general offices are responsible for auditing the departments to ensure compliance and to issue recommendations.

Those watchdog groups launched a more robust and coordinated group effort focused on Ukraine this past summer.

The Ukraine Oversight Interagency Working Group now consists of about 20 organizations, including inspector general offices for the Department of Defense, State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development.

The group has so far completed 14 reviews, including on defense equipment transfers and direct financial support to Ukraine.

An October report on the defense equipment transfers remains classified, but the working group did identify a limitation in monitoring equipment transfers because of the small number of available U.S. personnel on the ground.

However, the White House has repeatedly said there is no evidence that U.S. assistance has been misused by Kyiv. And U.S. officials have applauded Ukraine for rooting out corruption, including an effort last month that led to the removal of several top government officials.

National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said at a press briefing last month they have not seen any signs that U.S. aid has fallen prey to any kind of corruption in Ukraine. 

And I would go so far as to say the same on the security assistance side as well, Kirby said.

How American taxpayer dollars are being used in Ukraine has been a focus for some Republicans since the money began flowing to Kyiv last year.

Far-right Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) introduced a bill last year when Republicans were in the minority that would have authorized a full auditing of Ukraine aid. Greene announced this month she will introduce a similar bill in the GOP-controlled chamber.

And Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.), the chairman of the House Oversight and Accountability Committee, has launched a probe into oversight of U.S. aid to Ukraine. Comer sent a letter requesting information from Biden administration officials last week.

The inspectors general of the Pentagon, State Department and USAID have recently discussed the possibility of sending in auditors to Ukraine after they traveled to the country in January.

Also last month, the watchdog groups released a strategic plan highlighting 64 ongoing or planned projects related to oversight of the federal assistance.

Among those projects were audits of U.S. training for Ukrainian armed forces and the Pentagons replenishment of weapons and munitions stockpiles, as well as non-defense spending aid, such as humanitarian assistance and efforts on countering Russian disinformation.

Storch told lawmakers on Tuesday they would have an update on those projects in April, which will give a clearer picture of how the U.S. is handling the monitoring of emergency aid to Ukraine.

But Storch admitted the October report revealed serious challenges with oversight of emergency assistance in Ukraine.

What the report did is it acknowledged the challenges that are faced in those circumstances, he said. We are going back and looking at what steps have been taken to address those challenges.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
A man and woman are facing kidnapping charges after Lawrence police say they stole a car with a toddler inside on Monday night.

Adam Maksou and Jamie Garrity, both 36, of Methuen, made their first appearance before a judge Tuesday afternoon in Lawrence District Court. Both defendants are ordered held on high bail.

Officers responding to a report of a 2011 Honda Pilot SUV that had been stolen from in front of a business on the 100 block of South Broadway around 8 p.m. learned a 2-year-old girl, Emma Buth, was inside the vehicle in question, police said.

The entire ordeal began at about 8 pm Monday when a mother left her unattended baby in the backseat of her running car while she stopped at a barber shop on South Broadway.

Authorities say Maksou jumped in the car and drove off.

While the mother called the police, allegedly Maksou drove to Garritys home in Methuen, picked her up, and together drove to his fathers house with the baby in the backseat.

The father, police say, told them to bring the baby back, or to a fire station.

Instead, police say, the pair drove to Lawrence General Hospital, with Garrity behind the wheel. The father then called the police.

Authorities allege that Garrity watched as Maksou carried the baby inside Lawrence General Hospital found a woman inside and handed the baby over, asking the woman to hold the baby while he went out and parked his car.

Maksou and Garrity were taken into custody following a police pursuit on the southbound side of Interstate 495 in Chelmsford that later ended when the stolen vehicle ran out of fuel in the area of Route 62 in Berlin after 9:30 p.m.

The suspects allegedly resisted arrest but were eventually subdued by Chelmsford police officers.

The child was reunited with her family unharmed.

Maksou has been charged with kidnapping, larceny of a motor vehicle, and reckless endangerment to a child. Garrity is charged with kidnapping and receiving a stolen motor vehicle.

Garrity was hit with an additional charge of providing a false name at booking after police say she initially identified herself as Erin Clark, 29, of Haverhill.

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The mother of the two-year-old is not facing any criminal charges for leaving her child unattended in the running car, however, DCF is investigating the case.

Maksou and Garrity were not known to the mother.

Chelmsford police say they plan to file additional charges against the pair at a later date. The incident remains under investigation.

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

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Photo: The Canadian Press Lawyer Marie-Livia Beauge, right, speaks to the media as Mireille Bence, whose son Jean-Rene Jr. Olivier was shot shot dead by police in 2021, looks on during a news conference in Repentigny, Que., Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2023. Bence is suing the City of Repentigny for wrongful death. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ryan Remiorz

The mother of a Black man from Repentigny, Que. who was killed by police in 2021 has filed a lawsuit against the city and its police force.

Wilerne Bernard, a lawyer who represents the mother, says she has reason to believe that if Jean Rene Junior Olivier was a white person, he would be still be alive.

Junior Olivier, 37, was shot and killed by Repentigny police on Aug. 1, 2021, as he was experiencing a mental health crisis.

His mother, Mireille Bence, is now seeking $430,000 in damages.

Bence says she expected a medical response when she called 911, but that instead six police officers arrived, along with an ambulance.

Less than two weeks ago, Quebec's Crown prosecutor's office decided there were no grounds to lay criminal charges against any of the police officers in connection with the fatal shooting.
[Source]

Tony and Olivier Award-winner Lea Salonga will make a guest appearance in the Broadway musical "Here Lies Love" by David Byrne and Fatboy Slim.

Salongas appearance marks two firsts for the actor: her Broadway producer debut and her first Filipino role on the Broadway stage.

She will perform the song Just Ask the Flowers as Aurora Aquino, the mother of Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino. Ninoy's assassination was the trigger that sparked the People Power Revolution, leading to the downfall of Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos.

Salonga will appear during a five-week run from July 11 to Aug. 13.

More from NextShark: STUDY: If More Americans Wore Masks Like Asians, COVID-19 Infections Would Plummet

The role will also mark the actors return to the Broadway Theater, where she originally made her 1991 Broadway debut for her Tony award winning performance as Kim in Miss Saigon.

Im so excited to be joining Here Lies Love as both a performer and producer. As an audience member that stood on the dance floor at the National Theatre in London where Here Lies Love ran in 2014, I knew I wanted to be part of it if and when it ever came to Broadway. Now here we are, and at the theater in which I made my Broadway debut. Im thrilled to be part of this show as well as part of a company comprised of an abundance of Filipino talent, a first in Broadway history. Were showing the world what were capable of.

Show director Alex Timbers expressed his excitement at having Salonga join the production:

More from NextShark: Asian kindergarten students more likely to display advanced math, science skills, new study finds

"Having Lea join the Here Lies Love family is a pinch-me moment for all of us," he said. "I cant wait to get in the rehearsal room with her and the other talented artists working on this show."

Producer and costume designer Clint Ramos added:

Lea Salonga has singularly secured a place for Filipinos on the Broadway stage. That she joins us as both performer and producer, where she creates a pipeline for Filipina actresses, is profoundly historic. Lea continues to be a beacon of light and source of pride for the Philippines. We are thrilled to welcome her to Here Lies Love. More from NextShark: Memphis man charged with murder after allegedly killing his wife on honeymoon in Fiji

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Following Salongas stint in the production, guest stars from the Philippines will preside over the role.

Jose Llana and Conrad Ricamora have already been announced as cast members, but an international casting search is underway for more actors to join the project.

An immersive musical with music and lyrics from Byrne and Fatboy Slim, Here Lies Love will begin their show on June 17, with an official opening night on July 20.

More from NextShark: 3-Year-Old to Play at Carnegie Hall After Becoming Youngest Elite International Music Competition Winner
Walmart has set ChatGPT guidelines for its employees. AP

Walmart Global Tech warned employees in a memo not to enter confidential information into ChatGPT.

Walmart said it previously blocked ChatGPT due to "activity that presented risk to our company."

The new guidelines also tell Walmart employees not to share customer information with ChatGPT.

Walmart had a clear directive for its employees Tuesday regarding generative artificial intelligence, like ChatGPT: Do not share any information about Walmart with the rising technology.

In an internal memo to employees, Walmart Global Tech, the retailer's technology and software engineering arm, said it had previously blocked ChatGPT "after we noticed activity that presented risk to our company." The memo, which Insider has viewed, added: "We've since taken the time to evaluate and develop a set of usage guidelines around generative AI tools and are now opening ChatGPT for usage within the Walmart network."

Walmart spokeswoman Erin Hulliberger did not address inquiries about when the company blocked the generative AI and what was the nature of the activity, telling Insider in a statement: "Most new technologies present new benefits as well as new risks. It's not uncommon for us to assess these new technologies and provide our associates with usage guidelines."

The new guidelines include telling Walmart employees they should "avoid inputting any sensitive, confidential, or proprietary information," such as financial or strategic information or personal information about shoppers and employees, into Chat GPT.

Employees "should not input any information about Walmart's business  including business process, policy, or strategy  into these tools," the memo said.

Walmart employees must also review outputs of these tools before relying on the information they provide, according to the memo. And employees should not cut and paste existing code into these tools or use these tools to create new code.

"Putting Walmart information into these tools risks exposure of the company's information, may breach confidentiality, and may significantly impact our rights in any code, product, information, or content," per the memo. "Every associate is responsible for the appropriate use and protection of Walmart data."

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At the end of the memo, Walmart Global Tech touted that ChatGPT "can enhance efficiency and innovation," but it and other generative AI tools must be used "appropriately."

This memo comes one month after companies like Amazon and Microsoft issued similar warnings to their employees about entering confidential information into ChatGPT.

Have you used ChatGPT or generative AI tools while working for Walmart? Contact the reporter Ben Tobin at btobin@insider.com or on encrypted messaging app Signal at +1 703-498-9171 to share your experience.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Seventeen inmates "appeared to be affected in some way" by medical emergencies at the Pitchess Detention Center in Castaic on Tuesday morning. Fentanyl was likely involved, sources said. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

Three inmates were rushed to the hospital Tuesday morning from the Pitchess Detention Center in what authorities believe was a drug-related incident, officials said.

Seventeen inmates who were in the outdoor recreation area at the Castaic complex's North County Correction Facility "appeared to be affected in some way and were medically evaluated," said Assistant Sheriff Sergio Aloma.

"Preliminary information suggests they may have ingested a controlled substance," according to a statement from the L.A. County Sheriff's Department. The incident occurred around 10:08 a.m.

Paramedics answered a call for medical assistance at the jail just before 10:30 a.m., said Henry Narvaez, a spokesperson for the Los Angeles County Fire Department. Three people were transported to a hospital  one in critical condition and two in moderate condition. The remaining 14 were treated at the scene.

The incident likely involved fentanyl, law enforcement sources said.

Although the Sheriffs Department in 2021 launched a program to make naloxone  a nasal spray that can reverse opioid overdoses  freely available inside the county jails, Aloma said its not accessible to inmates in the outdoor recreation areas due to weather concerns.

After the men passed out, officials locked down the whole facility and investigators began reviewing video footage to determine what happened, Aloma said.

We are trying to determine right now the specific source of what caused this, he said.

Garrett Miller, president of the L.A. County public defenders union, said attorneys were notified that the facility was locked down in emails sent at 10:30 a.m. and 11:40 a.m. but that they hadnt been given any further details and did not yet know whether any of their clients were among the three hospitalized.

Times staff writer Matthew Ormseth contributed to this report.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
WOUNDED KNEE, S.D. (AP)  Madonna Thunder Hawk remembers the firefights.

As a medic during the occupation of Wounded Knee in early 1973, Thunder Hawk was stationed nightly in a frontline bunker in the combat zone between Native American activists and U.S. government agents in South Dakota.

I would crawl out there every night, and wed just be out there in case anybody got hit, said Thunder Hawk, of the 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.

The Wounded Knee Memorial, which marks the site of the massacre of hundreds of Lakota people by U.S. soldiers in 1890, is seen on Feb. 10, 2023, in Wounded Knee, S.D. A ceremony marking the 50 years since the occupation of Wounded Knee by American Indian Movement activists will be held at the site on Feb. 27, 2023, after four days of events leading up to the anniversary. (Kalle Benallie/Indian Country Today via AP)

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.

Thats 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. Its 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, its 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. Its important for us to honor them. Its 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.

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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 OK and people dont need to be quiet and accept it anymore, he said. That its OK to be proud of who you are.

A series of events in South Dakota in recent days recognized the 50th anniversary of the occupation, including powwows, a documentary film showing and a special honor for the women of Wounded Knee.

'Thunderbold' of protest

The occupation began on the night of Feb. 27, 1973, when a group of warriors led by Oklahoma AIM leader Carter Camp, who was Ponca, moved into the small town of Wounded Knee. The group took over the trading post and established a base of operations along with AIM leaders Russell Means, of the Oglala Sioux Tribe; Dennis Banks, who was Ojibwe; and Clyde Bellecourt, of the 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 in the San Francisco Bay 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 U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs headquarters for six days.

More:Former US Senator James Abourezk dies at 92

Then, on Feb. 6, 1973, AIM members and others gathered at the courthouse in Custer County, South Dakota, to protest the killing of Wesley Bad Heart Bull, who was 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 local chamber of commerce and other buildings.

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.

Madonna Thunder Hawk, 83, sits in her home near Rapid City, S.D., on Feb. 9, 2023. She was one of the four women medics during the occupation of Wounded Knee, which started on Feb. 27, 1973 and ended May 8, 1973. I would crawl out there every night, and wed just be out there in case anybody got hit, she recalls. (Kalle Benallie/Indian Country Today via AP)

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 standoff 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, was shot on April 17, 1973, and died eight days later. Lawrence Buddy Lamont, who was Oglala Lakota, 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 who was shot and paralyzed 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 tribes.

The tribes agreed in 2022 to purchase 40 acres 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.

More:Wounded Knee artifacts highlight slow pace of repatriations

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 two counts 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 wasnt 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 others for most of the rights Native Americans have today, including the ability to operate casinos and tribal colleges, enter into contracts with the federal government to oversee schools and other services, and religious freedom.

Oglala Sioux Tribe President Frank Star Comes Out, stands outside the Andrew W. Bogue Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse in Rapid City, S.D. on Feb. 8, 2023. Some of his family members strongly supported the AIM, including his mother and father. He said it's important to fight for his people, who survived genocide. Thats 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 Im using my leadership to help our people rise, to give them a voice. And I believe thats important for Indian Country. (Kalle Benallie/Indian Country Today via AP)

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 intergenerational.

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 arent 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.

The Dakota Access Pipeline protest in 2016 became a defining moment for him and his brother. They had wondered, he said, what would be their Wounded Knee?

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.

Alex Fire Thunder, deputy director of the Lakota Language Consortium, said the occupation of Wounded Knee and other activism helped revitalize Indigenous languages and cultures. 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.

More:For Native Americans in South Dakota, Thanksgiving is complicated. Here's what some had to say about the holiday

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.

NDN Collective founder and CEO Nick Tilsen stands in the organization's headquarters in Rapid City, S.D., on Feb. 10, 2023. Tilsen traces the roots of his activism to Wounded Knee. His parents, JoAnn Tall and Mark Tilsen, met at there, and he praises the women of the movement who sustained the traditional matriarchal system during the occupation. (Kalle Benallie/Indian Country Today via AP)

Thats why we were successful in Indian Country, because we were a movement of families, she said. It wasnt 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 thats what my descendants will see, you know? she said. And with the technology nowadays, they can press a button, maybe, and itll 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.

Some of his family members strongly supported AIM, including his mother and father. He said its important to fight for his people, who survived genocide.

Thats 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 Im using my leadership to help our people rise, to give them a voice. And I believe thats important for Indian Country.

___

ICT producer Stewart Huntington, based in Colorado, contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: Legacy of Wounded Knee occupation lives on 50 years later
A masked man gazes at the ocean from Miramar Park in Redondo Beach in 2021. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

To the editor: Thanks to columnist Michael Hiltzik for debunking the unfounded belief that masks are ineffective. In my opinion, the New York Times' publication of Bret Stephens' column suggesting that masks do not provide protection against COVID-19 is ridiculous and negligent.

I am a registered nurse and an infection prevention consultant in the skilled nursing home industry, and I have been working alongside heroic healthcare workers throughout the pandemic. I have seen with my own eyes how masks protect people from acquisition and transmission of COVID-19.

After I read Stephens' article, I read the Cochrane Library review that Stephens cited because I always like to check sources of information. It was clear to me that Stephens' conclusion did not match what the Cochrane review said. He referenced a source that he clearly failed to read thoroughly.

I suggest that readers always check the credibility of anyone making outrageous claims. It works for me.

Dolly Greene, Tarzana

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Lexington police have arrested a suspect accused of killing a younger boy, wrapping him in plastic and dumping him near a dumpster on Cambridge Drive a little over one year ago.

Jennifer Kashuba, 35, was arrested Monday in the case, according to Lexington police. She was booked into the Fayette County Detention Center just after 3 p.m. Monday on charges of murder, evidence tampering and abuse of a corpse, according to jail records.

On Feb, 17, 2022, police received a report that a dead body was found near a dumpster wrapped in plastic in the 2000 block of Cambridge Drive. The body was found and it was determined the victim, a younger male, died via homicide.

Kashubas arrest citation says the victim was stabbed in the chest once. Kashuba was determined to be the suspect and she admitted to the stabbing after her arrest, court records say.

Police said the coroners office will release the identity of the victim, but court records reviewed by the Herald-Leader indicated the victims name was Jimmy Medlock. Medlock was living in an apartment with Kashuba, according to a criminal complaint filed by an investigator.

Court documents indicate that the two had gotten the apartment through the Community Action Council, and on Sept. 14, Kashuba told the CAC that Medlock left the residence for good.

Investigators later conducted a search at the apartment once shared by Kashuba and Medlock and found decomposed human remains in the front closet of the living room, according to court documents. Court records indicate that a family living at the apartment was complaining about the smell and said children were getting sick, but the remains were initially believed to be mold. Its unclear if Kashuba was living there at the time, but court records indicate her address has changed.

In June, Fayette County Coroner Gary Ginn told the Herald-Leader his office was having trouble identifying the victim. The individuals DNA had been tested, including a test at the Kentucky State Police lab, but officials hadnt found a positive match.

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The body was partially decomposed when officials found it, which made the investigation more difficult.

According to court records, Ginn told investigators that he believed the victim had been deceased for several months.

Police had asked the public to report any unusual activity witnessed in the area within the previous six months at the time of the discovery.

Ginn said the autopsy revealed several facts about the case, but that information was withheld to protect the integrity of the investigation.

We arent releasing the actual cause of death because whoever took this persons life knows how they did it, and thats a crucial part of this investigation, Ginn said at the time.

Kashuba will make her first court appearance Tuesday afternoon, according to court records.

4 months after dead body was found, Lexington authorities still dont know who victim is

Coroner: Person found wrapped in plastic was a homicide victim. Police investigating.
Class Disrupted is a bi-weekly education podcast featuring author Michael Horn and Summit Public Schools Diane Tavenner in conversation with educators, school leaders, students and other members of school communities as they investigate the challenges facing the education system amid this pandemic  and where we should go from here. Find every episode by bookmarking our Class Disrupted page or subscribing on Apple Podcasts, Google Play or Stitcher (new episodes every other Tuesday).

Back from their trips abroad, Michael and Diane reflect on what they saw in the countries and what that means for shaping educational opportunities for each and every child worldwide.

Listen to the episode below. A full transcript follows.

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The 74  Class Disrupted S4 E10: Education Reflections from Trips to Sierra Leone, Liberia, and India

Diane Tavenner: Hey, Michael.

Michael Horn: Hey, Diane. Its good to see you after weve both been on our trips overseas, me to Sierra Leone and Liberia and you, of course, to India. So Im dying to know how youre doing.

Tavenner: Well, still adjusting to the time zone, but I think maybe the better question is who am I, Michael? I mean, I feel like perspective changing trips like that have just such a huge impact on how I see the world and hopefully how I walk through it and really, who am I?

Horn: Well, that is existential in nature, I will say. But it relates to I think something that we wanted to do on this episode, which is something a little different from what weve been doing this season because as folks who listen to us know, we started this podcast, of course, in the midst of the pandemic and our goal has been to help educators, parents and policy makers see that frankly there are better ways to do schooling that benefit each and every single child. While weve been spending a lot of time this season working through the nitty-gritty of innovating on the ground in schools, what does that really look like, and you all at Summit have been really nice guinea pigs along that journey, in this episode we wanted to enlarge our perspective, I think, and really just reflect on our trips and what we learned about the schools and education systems there. Not to frankly repeat what people could look up on their own, but to try and pull out any ahas that we had that might help our listeners broaden their own aperture and push their own thinking.

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Tavenner: Thats exactly right and I think for me this was such a provocative experience and I suspect for you as well, so I hope theres a lot there that we can offer that, like you said, is not something you can read on Wikipedia. When I got back from Germany and I had reflections about how they teach about the Holocaust and what that might mean for how America teaches about its own past, just those provocations were so fascinating and so Im really looking forward to today as the education systems were going to be talking about, there are so many threads to pull here and grapple with and I think theyre very aligned with so many of the topics that were talking about regularly.

Horn: Yeah, I totally agree. Lets start just with giving folks the context for our trips because they were different because as you went to Germany last year, we talked about it on the podcast, you were in India for the same reason. Your son is studying in India this semester as part of his country rotations with Minerva University. I think first things first, wheres he studying? Where did you go?

Tavenner: Well, similar to Germany, Michael, we tried to really see as much of the country as possible. Now, India is a very big country, but as we checked in with people along the way, they seem to agree that we got quite a good taste. So Ill give you the quick roundabout. We started in Mumbai and then we went south to Madurai, then to Hyderabad where my son is studying. Thats where he was and we got to spend time with him and his friends again. Then we went north to Bodh Gaya and Varanasi and then onto Udaipur, Jaipur, Agra and Delhi. In the course of things, we visited everything from very small villages to some of the largest cities in the world. But of course you were in Sierra Leone and Liberia for educational work, not as a tourist, so tell us a bit about that, Michael.

Horn: Absolutely. But first let me just say, wow, you covered a lot of ground and wow, thats just a lot of places. But youre right. I was in Sierra Leone and Liberia for educational work and for context for the folks tuning in, Im a board member at Imagine Worldwide. If you havent heard of Imagine Worldwide, well, Ill just selfishly say you should because I think it may be doing some of the most transformational work in education in the world. Essentially its a nonprofit that works in Africa to build foundational numeracy and literacy for children and it does it through child directed tech enabled learning solutions. The basic ideas that these solutions, which are rapidly coming down in cost to roughly $5 a student, use software, they pair it with a tablet, its incredibly low cost. Its something that we cant even imagine in this country, and it has solar power.

Well talk more about this, but its incredibly scalable in countries where literally millions of students as you know often dont have access to school. They dont go, or if they do go, the places that they do, they often have teachers that dont show up or they learn in places where the ratios of students to teachers might be anywhere from, say, 50 to one at the low end to 200 to one at the high end. This is perspective setting. A country like Sierra Leone spends roughly $50 per student on their education per year.

Tavenner: God.

Horn: Just to give some context, the US is spending  I dont know what the current dollar amount is, probably $13,000 or something like that per student per year. So these are countries, to state the obvious, that dont have a lot of resources. Theyre areas of what you might say are in certain respects like that non-consumption, right? Theres literally no alternative. Of course, its not that simple on the ground, but we were there basically as a board to see what that ground really looks like. We got to visit a lot of schools in Sierra Leone in a range of circumstances, rural, urban, private, ministry run, city run, supported by different private intermediaries. You get the idea. Then we also went to a rural school in Liberia in a village where the Imagine Worldwide solution has actually been implemented fully so we got to see what that looks like as well.

Tavenner: Wow, thats amazing. I dont want to be on another board, but that one sounds fascinating. What an interesting learning trip. I knew there was a reason weve been waiting for this conversation because while, unlike you, Michael, I didnt spend my trip in schools, you know that I couldnt leave India without doing a lot of learning about education. I get kind of fanatical. I did visit a music college in the south and an orphanage and an elementary school and college in the north, in a rural part of the north, and I just also had an opportunity to talk to a wide range of people about school and their experiences, everything from students to parents and different  I hate to say it, but different castes because that comes up still and different classes. One of the first things I noticed is similar to what youve described, Michael, is theres a fair amount of non-consumption still in India.

Even though theyve made education compulsory for ages six through 14, a lot of people still arent going to school and for the most part what I found is people agree that the  actually, this was universal, people agree that the public schools arent good and the primary reasons they cite are a lack of resources and very high absenteeism rates for teachers. As a result, I think theres this growing and competitive private market because literally every person I spoke with agreed that education was the most important thing for their child.

We have this ongoing conversation about, is the return on investment there in American education still people seem to be losing a little bit of faith in that, especially at the higher ed level, but in India it is alive and well and paramount. So right from the start, theres a whole bunch of similarities and I would be remiss if I just didnt ground in the scale that were talking about. Everything about India that just smacked me in the face was how big it is. There are 1.3 billion people in that country. There are more kids aged six to 14 in India than there are people in our entire nation. Were just talking about a scale that is hard for us to grasp.

Horn: Its not even on the same glide path, if you will, or magnitude. Youre right, there are a lot of similarities at Imagine, we actually wondered for a while, should we be focusing on the subcontinent around India, but ultimately we decided to focus on Africa. Im not frankly sure that focus is an appropriate word when youre talking about a continent, but the point being that theres a lot of room in these countries for novel solutions and innovation. As you alluded to, these countries often  I mean, this is common, I found, in my travels, theyll often say that schooling is compulsory or theyll say that public schools and these places are free to families. But as I remember reading in James Tooleys book The Beautiful Tree that came out years ago, talked a lot about India. There are often a ton of hidden fees that families must bear and it makes the public school experience for them quite costly.

So, its no different in Sierra Leone, I suspect. We talked to parents who told me that the fees in public schools were everything from paying for every homework assignment thats given out, which was mind-boggling to me. Or paying fees for materials. I mean, I wont list them all.

So a lot of these families, frankly, Diane, they would enroll their students in one of Rising academies, low-cost private schools, thats where we were talking to these parents, and one of the things that they loved about this low-cost private school was, yes, it costs money to attend. Nominally, its more than they would pay for the public school, but the billing is simple, they said, the tuition covers everything. Theres no surprises or hidden fees along the way. I guess it sparked a bigger point to me, which is that these low-cost private schools are really what I would call market-creating innovations. They target non-consumption or the low end of the market and in some cases they could even be disruptive and that they could theoretically, well get into this, Im sure, use technology to improve over time.

But I guess I want to get into that in a moment and first to pause for a moment on this phenomenon, because I know from a Facebook post of yours talking about this phenomenon, it sparked a whole lot of thoughts for you and from you. So Id love you to reflect on that and then we can break it down a little bit.

Tavenner: I heard a different flavor of the extra costs and fees that I think adds even more nuance and complexity here, and so Ill tell you a specific story I heard from a woman in Hyderabad. She shared that she had been out of the country living in the Gulf for a few years and was returning, she had a son who was entering the fifth grade and she had a school that she wanted him to attend because from her view, it provided a pretty quality education for relatively reasonable tuition amounts. Were talking about this group of people who are going to a private school, but not like we think of private school oftentimes in the U.S. These are pretty nominal costs.

But her son was denied admission and it turns out she was at the longtime family barber and she shared her disappointment and frustration around this, and the barber offered to help. So thats curious just right there. Anyway, to her surprise, she was willing to accept that help, and sure enough, the barber got her son into school. All she had to do was pay the tuition for grade three and four before entering grade five, because as it turns out, the schools policy of only accepting transfers before grade three really isnt a policy. Its just about needing the money that they wouldve lost.

Horn: Because these are businesses.

Tavenner: These are businesses. So, as she described it, she was happy to pay that back tuition. The barber took his cut and her sons diploma years later stated that he had attended school there from grade three through whenever he went and that gives the family a good laugh still.

Horn: Fascinating.

Tavenner: I mean, I relay this story, I relay it to you now, but when I was in India, I got a chance to talk with one of my sons classmates who is Indian and I told him the story and he said thats typical. School principals routinely required families to pay them for acceptance and school board members who are allotted seats for admissions auction them off publicly. I asked him how he felt about that and quite frankly, he seemed surprised by my question. I mean, he just looked at me and said, Well, its normal.

Then he quickly added, and because this is a big theme, Indias really trying to clean up corruption, he said that this is the way of India, but its fine because in the places where it really matters, theres no bribery, like in the military because everyone agrees that the militarys critical. So he said that the militarys clean. Take that for what its worth, Ive been pushing myself, Michael, not to judge this, but rather to really use it as a lens to examine our systems and practices. On the one hand, I have never in my experience in the US been asked to pay someone off to get admissions to something. That said, I pay companies and systems for privileged access to things all the time. I pay for the fast lane on the freeway, I pay for overnight shipping, I pay to expedite my COVID test.

There are so many things that are made faster and easier and that I can get done with money. So Im asking myself, so whats the difference here? Why do I have such a visceral reaction to this story? My immediate response is that it feels like our system is transparent and less biased, clearly classist, but otherwise not discriminatory or arbitrary in the way that this bribery type system feels. I think that that matters from a psychological perspective, but I got to start looking at our public and private schools and colleges and universities and how they allocate seats to children of donors to board members to those with influence and power.

Over the years, Michael, even in a public charter school, I cant tell you how many times Ive been approached by people offering to make a donation to bypass the Summit lottery for their child. Obviously never took any of those. I think thats obvious. Well, clearly Im still reflecting in thought process here. Im not sure the Indian military is totally clean, but Im also pretty sure that our education system is paid to play in ways most of us would never equate to the system in India.

Horn: Obviously the Varsity Blues scandal at the elite schools showcase this for everyone to see on the front pages and I think it reinforced a lot of peoples view that admissions into these rarefied places is a game and it is tilted in terms of those who have access and money and so forth. I think it further soured a lot of the population on our higher ed system here. I think this is totally a dynamic you see. Theres the other piece of this, I think, which youre calling into question, which is universal schooling and this sense of our public school system is the baseline that we go to in our country and that its there and its free and accessible and we hope that its good for everyone and we invest a lot into it.

I guess when I reflect on your story, Im sort of grappling with this a little bit. I think theres actually pluses and minuses of a universal schooling system. I mean, this might be shocking for folks to hear, although maybe not at this point because you and I seeing something as shades of gray rather than all good or all bad is sort of par for the course I think at this point, Diane. Were sort of the king and queen of seeing things with nuance and third ways I think at this point.

Tavenner: I only wish we were the king and queen of education because imagine what we could do then, Michael.

Horn: Ooh. No, thats fun. But just to say it, obviously when you have a true universal free public schooling, all kids get served. Its sort of that basic human right idea and theres something very strong about that, particularly when your country is fully developed and can afford it and so forth. But for a country with a lower GDP per capita, and just to state it, Liberia or Sierra Leone, I believe, are in the bottom 15 countries of GDP per capita in the entire world with less than $800 of GDP per person per year. You just cant afford and maintain the sort of infrastructure that we have in the United States. If you say you can, its just a lie. Youre telling yourself a lie. Thats the upside, I think, of universal public schooling.

But I think the downside is that as weve discussed on this show, theres really no room for disruptive schooling solutions to really take root. I mean, maybe micro schools will be disruptive but they arent what I would call a new market transformational disruption. As a result, when theres no room for disruption, theres no real non-consumption, I think you take away the dynamism of a sector that is important for improvement and renewal and transformation and so forth. So in a country like India or Sierra Leone or Liberia, I think you have this potential for some incredible innovations to emerge. I think at least the barriers are theoretically lower anyway, and theoretically I say.

Tavenner: Well, I think theoretically is the key word there, because I believe deeply in what youre saying, and I suspect it might be true in some places, but I wasnt seeing a lot of innovation. Again, I saw a teeny, teeny, teeny, but it seemed to be fairly representative based on the people I was talking to. What I actually saw was a whole lot of people doubling down on the same things that we are doing in our comprehensive system with far fewer resources, with far more kids, with just a huge  if they were going after what were doing right now, which both of us are unsatisfied with, theres such a giant gap there, I dont know how it could ever be closed. That doesnt feel exciting to me and I was trying to figure out why arent they doing these innovative things given where they are? Thats what we should start seeing.

I think one of the challenges, and this will be familiar to people, but is there is this scarcity model at the higher ed level, there are very few seeds in very excellent institutions, especially the ones that are paid for, and the way you get in is through test scores. So there is this drill and kill mentality. I was stunned, Michael, at how short the school day is in India, literally. Maybe they took our advice and theyre not wasting time and they just go there for four hours and get everything done. Im not sure about that.

Horn: Somehow I doubt it, but yeah.

Tavenner: But the school day is short and so what is happening is kids who are trying to compete are doing a whole second school day through private tutoring, et cetera. I know youve seen this in many other parts of the world, just this sort of arms race towards education that seemed to keep pushing people back to the old style and old way of learning. Im so excited about what youre doing because I wasnt seeing it. I was seeing schools that barely had a book. I couldnt find a computer. The only person who had a computer was a principal at a college.

Horn: No. So Im glad, and Ill just say to the audience, you and I are both wrestling real time with what we saw and so forth so youre getting some raw feelings here and analysis as we sort of sort this out. But I have the same reaction, Diane, which is  and thats why I think I said theoretically because its a bit of a mixed bag on the ground, at least as far as Im concerned. Im going to put aside what were doing in Imagine Worldwide for the moment. But broadly speaking, it seems that when you have these low cost or affordable private schools come in, they are creating improvement relative to the government school baseline. You get teachers to show up. In the case of Sierra Leone, for example, you have a for-profit provider like Rising or a non-profit like Educaid that we saw, both of which we got to see in operation and, Diane, theyre just working to get rid of corporal punishment in schools.

Sierra Leone recently outlawed beating children and yet its still a common practice. They literally said, Theres no enforcement of it. We just have the law in the books. You want to get schools to be safe places for kids, you want to get schools to be safe places for girls. As you know, this is a huge phenomenon where girls start dropping out because its just not safe for them to walk to the school, let alone be in the school.

Then you have innovations like structured pedagogy. Diane, youre looking puzzled.

Tavenner: Because thats usually a phrase that I would say, so I want to dig into that for sure and ask you about it. I just want to plus-one what youre saying, Michael. I always think of the phone analogy. What I would be wanting in these countries were talking about, or what I would be hopeful for is they never installed landline phones, they just went straight to smartphones essentially, and they never wasted the time and the infrastructure and the money on a landline system because by the time they got around to the system, this other thing existed and they could skip right to it. Thats what I would hope we would be seen in these places or a lot more of it. Im just not seeing it and I just have to ask you. Structured pedagogy, what do you mean?

Horn: Im glad you asked, but its the same thing. So just to state, we have the same reaction to this. We want to see the disruption that would leapfrog, and yet what were seeing is basically structured pedagogy instead and this is basically scripted whole class learning, Diane. Bridge International, which you probably know and many have heard of, is a network of private schools around the continent of Africa. They also now increasingly work as a partner to the governments in these countries to help transform the practice within government run schools and this is what Rising is doing too, frankly, is they basically are perfecting the one to many model. I dont know how else to describe it. Its like call and response. They literally script out every single thing a teacher says.

So we would go to a school, for example, that Rising ran, its an elementary school and the teachers there at the front, they have a smartphone and it tells them what to say and how to give the example and what to put on the board. Everything is incredibly scripted. I have to tell you, relative to what I saw in Malawi a few years ago, what theyre doing is kind of impressive. Its way better than what the baseline is. Its an interesting use of technology and its working with teachers that likely in many cases have limited capacity and knowledge themselves. But its a mixed bag, Diane, because on the one hand I can try to be in the context and appreciate whats going on there. On the other hand, it makes me really sad because theyre doing exactly what you said. They have this opportunity to leapfrog the Western assembly line education system and theyre not doing it. Theyre perfecting it.

It reminds me a lot of what the early no excuses charter schools in the US did in certain respects. You walk through these places, though, with classrooms on top of each other, kids spilling out. This is a government run school, 75 to one or so, and its loud. If you think if youre an introvert, you must be going crazy during it. Its just impossible to focus. The kids are repeating stuff back, but I dont think theres a heck of a lot of comprehension going on. Rising is, to its credit again, another innovation, theyve introduced tracking for the first time, so youre not just by your age and so they have faster maths and faster reading. But then you have the situation where you have the 13-year old with the six-year olds and its like, how would that make you feel? So Im trying to be respectful of the context and not judge and saying its better than it would be, and yet what else could you do? So as Im processing this, it just gives me a lot of struggle, I guess, as you can hear.

Tavenner: I hear why and you asked what else could you do and thats what we try to focus on here, so I dont want to get lost from what we try to do. I want to read you this quote, Michael, that I came across when I was preparing to go to India and it really altered how I viewed the country coming into it and walking through it and I think it leads us to potentially what else could we do? The quote is, Indias not, as people keep calling it, an underdeveloped country, but rather, in the context of its history and cultural heritage, a highly developed one in an advanced state of decay. That was said by Sashi Tharoor, whos a politician from Kerala, who has quite an interesting backstory, but Im not going to go there right now. I admit that the narrative I think we have in the west of India is that it is an underdeveloped nation, albeit on the rise.

So it was fascinating to look at it from the flip of like, no, no, its a very advanced society, which is exactly what I experienced. I just want to tell you this one story about this laundry that we visited. There in Mumbai, there is a laundry community, and this is going to stretch back hundreds of years to where basically people who are all doing the same role and yes, it is grounded in caste so theres that issue, live in a community and do the work in a community. There is a massive, massive laundry that sits in the middle of the city and does laundry for so many people and places and things like that. They live in the community, so their houses are stacked up on top. Im not even going to do it justice. You walk into this community and people have grown up into it.

But the thing I want to point to here is the level of sophistication when you are doing laundry for millions of people and theyre picking it up, bringing it in, washing it, pressing, all of that and then delivering it back to people. Theres not a single computer, theres no written system to do this and they have a perfect track record. They have another whole industry in that city that is  I forget the name of what they call it, but they deliver lunches. They deliver millions of lunches on a daily basis with specific orders directly to people without any technology, any computers. When you dig into the sophistication of the systems, theyre using these little codes that they put into the clothes. I mean, these clothes get separated, put back together, they make it back to the right people. They dont use clothes pens because they take too much time so they have these twisted ropes that things hang in.

It is a level of sophistication at a system level that we would all be envious of and its been going on for hundreds of years and people grow up in it and learn it. Now you might ask, What are you talking about? What does this have to do with anything? and heres what I would say. They are expert at the stuff that Im killing myself to try to do every day, which is how did kids get real authentic learning in a hands-on way in the community and see these things? This needs to be brought into the new world, the new time that were in, but they have something to build upon that theyve just cast to the side when they think about their formal education and instead are trying to copy our industrial model. That feels like a huge missed opportunity to me.

Horn: This is so fascinating, Diane, on multiple levels because Im having a few reflections. One, I remember when I was in Egypt probably about a decade ago at this point, and having this thought of this was the pinnacle of civilization and then seeing the decline. Then I think about my friend and colleague at the Christensen Institute, Efosa Ojomo, who wrote this book The Prosperity Paradox and basically his argument is that systems should not be trying to replicate what the West has today because the United States was not birthed with a universal schooling system and roads. We developed, its a process, not a thing. So these things need to be done in context locally in community for the challenges and priorities that theyre solving for themselves, not to replicate the US and then measure based on how many schools do you have, how many  which is what happens.

Similar reflection, when we were at the National Museum of Liberia on the last day, they talked about how there were 16 tribes before the freed slaves from America came back and effectively colonized the country and brought it together. These villages, or these tribes rather, had their own schools and the curriculum in these schools back in the day was not reading and math. It was how to braid hair, how to take care of a baby, how to hunt, how to cook, things for survival. So much, I think, speaks to that which is I love to see schools built around the opportunities and challenges of the local context because then you give it value, right? You see this right now in Africa is, people graduate from universities, theres no jobs for them because theyre learning a curriculum that has nothing to do with the jobs that are available, which I think is awful.

Now that said, I think theres background here in what Imagine Worldwide solution is because reading in basic numeracy are critical in todays world. Theyre critical for the mobile phone revolution you talked about before. What were doing is  its not going to be a panacea by any stretch, but the barriers to using technology to put a child in the drivers seat of their learning, to personalize it to what they need when they need it, to help them make progress, theyre completely different barriers from what theyre in the US and whereas in the US its really about the adults, protecting the system as it is, layering on top of an antiquated education system and the like. In places like Sierra Leone or Liberia or in Malawi where, get this, over the next six years, Imagine Worldwide is implementing its solution in every single government school in the country. So like 6,000 schools.

The barriers effectively are cost and technology. Its a totally different playing ground. So Imagine is essentially playing the role of an ecosystem coordinator because there isnt a market here at the moment. No one is building software for a $5 a student solution that also includes hardware and power supply and uploading and so forth. So essentially what Imagine Worldwide exists to do is coordinate procurement, coordinate implementation through partners and source solar panels, source security for those solar panels, source batteries, source headphones, source plugs for those headphones that can easily be swapped out, make the tablets even more durable so that they last in the field for, say, eight years instead of three years in the US. Get offline software because you cant have internet based software in these places.

They work with this nonprofit 1Billion that has created reading and math software for the early grades in, I think, five languages, Chichewa, which is the Malawi language, English, French, Swahili, and I think Portuguese as well, which covers most of the continent. Then weve done a heck of a lot of research. Weve done eight randomized control trials in a way you just couldnt do in the US and the effect sizes, Im going to geek out for a moment, 0.4 standard deviation in reading and 0.7 in math, which is off the freaking charts.

Tavenner: Oh my god. Wow.

Horn: So I think this is the sort of thing that could leapfrog, and I saw it in action in Liberia, Ive seen it in Malawi. Im jumping a little bit here, but I guess my bigger hope, Diane, is you still need a place where kids go because the parents are working and busy and you still need adults. Its not the teachers just watching them and doing whatever. Theyre going one by one and addressing misconceptions or seeing when they get stuck or whatever else and theyre still getting their math and reading lessons outside of it.

But what I would love to see is what would it look like if one of these affordable private schools that we saw built their solution around this kernel that Imagine Worldwide has developed? Or what would it look like if individual communities were able to build their own community run  I dont know, we could call it a school, we could call it something else, where this place where kids could learn and frankly maybe you could stand up entrepreneurs with this technology and other sorts of  who knows, right? Then I think youd see something really scalable and maybe address my worry, which is $5 a student is not a lot of money, but its still 10% of what these countries are spending on their kids. I dont know if theyll be able to sustain that or not, Diane.

Tavenner: Gosh, what youre saying super interesting and whats coming up for me is the visit with the nonprofit and the orphanage school and then the 200 students also from the village and the leader of this, the man who started this, he literally started when he was 17. He has this fascinating background where his parents were sick and so a Buddhist monk sort of took him in and he lived 10 years in the monastery and he was exposed to learning and language and whatnot, otherwise had never gone to school. At 17 he just knew he had to give back to his village and so he literally took a very small amount of money, bought a tarp, some bamboo sticks and a mat for the ground and started teaching. So fast-forward 17 or 18 years and he has built these institutions and it was so profound and so uninspiring.

Hes such an entrepreneur, Michael, he will not take government money because he knows its going to be corrupting. He wont give money to the students because he knows that their families will take it. He understands the community and the culture so much and one of the most profound things to me is he said, I tell my students you dont need a teacher. You have Google and you have your curiosity. You and I both know googling things in and of itself is not enough, but he was onto something there and so I was like, Oh, do you know about, for example, The Khan Academy? Do you know about some of these products? He didnt know about any of them, but he knew about Google.

To me, heres the opportunity. India is creating a ton of  the job that people want to go into is technology and engineering because its more lucrative. Theres a huge opportunity for them to build their own solutions that are personalized to the communities that they grew up in and the places they understand and what people need to learn and so thats what Im hopeful for.

Horn: No, I love it. I mean, this is probably where we land the plane, which is I think theres a solution now in what Imagines doing that can take care of those foundational aspects and then take it to the next level where these entrepreneurs, like you just described, sort of take it into the next level, if you will, and really build something, Diane, that is of the community, for the community, by the community, if you will, to bastardize President Lincolns words, and make it very authentic to the context and grow something that is incredibly local. Again, this is from Efosas work. I just think the real cure to creating prosperity, and thats different from eradicating poverty, but really creating prosperity is to empower local solutions and have them drive the dynamism to grow something. Thats whats going to be sustainable here so Im thrilled by the solution thats on the ground. It gives me a tremendous amount of hope. I think its revolutionary, and I think it creates the floor from which I love to see people build.

Tavenner: Thats a good place to leave it for today. I mean, we could go on for another five hours, Im sure.

Horn: I think we could.

Tavenner: Michael, in your travels, playtime, et cetera, did you get a chance to read anything, watch anything?

Horn: Oh, yeah, plenty. Theres a lot of flights, as you might imagine. But Ill actually reflect on a book that I finished right before I left, and then Ill share the book that I finished on the plane. I read the biography that came out, I think, last year about Maria Montessori, which is called The Child Is the Teacher: A Life of Maria Montessori. Its by an Italian professor and translated into English by Cristina De Stefano. Obviously, as you know, my kids are in a Montessori school. Montessori has a ton of the principles that we talk about every single time we get together. It was really interesting just to read about what a scientist she was. Also, her experience in India was fascinating and getting to know that a little bit better and just really remembering that when kids are doing something and theyre repeating it, just observe them and get out of their way. Theyre doing the work. What about you?

Tavenner: I was very worried I wasnt going to have enough reading so right before I left for the trip, I downloaded a whole bunch of things and then I got there and I was like, Why did I download this? I dont even remember the why. I always know why. One of those things was Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler, and I still dont remember exactly who told me about this or where it came from. I know Ive seen Octavia Butlers name in a lot of quotes lately, so whatever. Heres what Ill say about this. It was pretty profound to be reading it while I was traveling through India. It is not for the faint of heart, its pretty intense, and its fascinating personally because its said in California, in literally basically this timeframe were living in, but its an alternative reality to what we have today but it hits very, very close to home. Theres a whole bunch on sort of religion and spirituality, which is not for here, but certainly the trip to India, that was a big part of the experience. So thats what I have read recently.

Horn: Unbelievable. Well, weve covered a ton of ground here. I hope people, it allows you to pause and, Diane, just thanks for letting me unpack what Im sort of wrestling with, and it was fun. As always, for all you listening, thanks for joining us on Class Disrupted.
By Jamie Freed

AVALON, Australia (Reuters) -Lockheed Martin Corp hopes Australia wants to buy more of its F-35 fighter planes after the country completes a defence review, an executive at the U.S. manufacturer said on Tuesday.

"We hope for the opportunity to deliver additional F-35s beyond" the 72 Australia has on order, Executive Vice President of Aeronautics Greg Ulmer said on the sidelines of the Australia International Airshow.

Ulmer also said Lockheed has talked with Australia about teaming the F-35 with Boeing Co's MQ-28 Ghost Bat fighter-like drone.

Boeing's defence division head Ted Colbert said during the air show that a partnership would be "great news".

In a crewed-uncrewed teaming situation, the F-35 could serve as the "quarterback" and focus on accurate targeting while other aircraft deployed weapons, said Steve Over, Lockheed's director of international business.

Australia has purchased 72 Lockheed F-35A jets to form three squadrons, with all aircraft scheduled to be fully operational this year. It had initially expressed interest in buying 100.

A defence strategic review considering Australia's future force posture - including the possible purchase of a fourth squadron of F-35 jets - was handed to the government on Feb. 14.

Defence Minister Richard Marles, in a pre-air show speech on Monday, said the review and the government's response would be made public in April.

He said the review comes against a backdrop of increased strategic competition between nations in the region.

"In the Indo-Pacific, China is driving the largest conventional military build-up we've seen anywhere in the world since the Second World War. And much of this build-up is opaque," Marles said.

Australia, a staunch U.S. ally, has joined the United States in pushing back against China's growing power and influence, particularly its military buildup, pressure on Taiwan and deployments in the contested South China Sea.

Lockheed's Over said it would take about four years for Australia to receive more F-35s if it placed an order this year.

(Reporting by Jamie Freed in Avalon and Renju Jose in Sydney; Editing by Chris Reese, Christopher Cushing and Gerry Doyle)
London, United Kingdom - February 20 2019: Holme mansion on the Inner Circle in Regents Park daytime - VV Shots/Getty Images

Britains most valuable house has been put on the market with a price tag of more than 300m after reportedly falling into receivership.

The Holme, which overlooks Regent's Park in London and was once described by the critic Ian Nairn as offering a definition of western civilization in a single view, is expected to attract a parade of wealthy potential buyers from around the world.

It has been owned by the Saudi royal family since 2015, but is now said to be in the control of receivers following the lapse of a loan.

The property has been described by experts as the White House of Regent's Park and is said to be valued in a region north of 300m.

If a sale of The Holme was achieved at the expected price, it would set a record for the most valuable house ever traded in London, replacing the Chinese billionaire Cheung Chung-kiu's purchase of a property in Knightsbridge for 210m in 2020.

The mansion is being marketed by agents Beauchamp Estates and Knight Frank.

Abdullah bin Khaled bin Sultan Al Saud, a Saudi royal, is listed as the mansion's owner in Land Registry records.

While the kingdom's ruling family has a net worth of more than $1.4 trillion (1.2 trillion), the current crown prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud has sought to tighten spending.

A three-year loan of around 160m secured against the property was issued at the end of 2019 by London-based private equity firm, according to the property website React News. Security was also provided through assets including a flat in New York, a property in Lake Como in Italy, planes and other investments. However, the property was reportedly put on the market after the loan expired.

The 40-bedroom Holme mansion, built in 1818, was originally the home of James Burton, a Georgian developer. It was later leased by Bedford College before becoming a place of private residence again.

The mansion's classic regency architecture has been described by a property expert as straight out of Bridgerton. It has a white exterior with four columns in front of the entrance, and three storeys including a basement.
Key Insights

Blackmores' estimated fair value is AU$73.69 based on 2 Stage Free Cash Flow to Equity

Blackmores' AU$78.28 share price indicates it is trading at similar levels as its fair value estimate

The AU$75.47 analyst price target for BKL is 2.4% more than our estimate of fair value

Today we will run through one way of estimating the intrinsic value of Blackmores Limited (ASX:BKL) by taking the forecast future cash flows of the company and discounting them back to today's 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.

Remember though, that there are many ways to estimate a company's value, and a DCF is just one method. For those who are keen learners of equity analysis, the Simply Wall St analysis model here may be something of interest to you.

Check out our latest analysis for Blackmores

Crunching The Numbers

We're using the 2-stage growth model, which simply means we take in account two stages of company's growth. In the initial period the company may have a higher growth rate and the second stage is usually assumed to have a stable growth rate. To begin with, we have to get estimates of the next ten years of cash flows. Where possible we use analyst estimates, but when these aren't available we extrapolate the previous free cash flow (FCF) from the last estimate or reported value. We assume companies with shrinking free cash flow will slow their rate of shrinkage, and that companies with growing free cash flow will see their growth rate slow, over this period. We do this to reflect that growth tends to slow more in the early years than it does in later years.

Generally we assume that a dollar today is more valuable than a dollar in the future, and so the sum of these future cash flows is then discounted to today's value:

10-year free cash flow (FCF) forecast

2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 2030 2031 2032 Levered FCF (A$, Millions) AU$49.0m AU$51.2m AU$65.5m AU$76.1m AU$83.9m AU$90.4m AU$95.8m AU$100.4m AU$104.3m AU$107.8m Growth Rate Estimate Source Analyst x3 Analyst x3 Analyst x2 Analyst x1 Est @ 10.25% Est @ 7.75% Est @ 6.01% Est @ 4.78% Est @ 3.93% Est @ 3.33% Present Value (A$, Millions) Discounted @ 7.7% AU$45.5 AU$44.1 AU$52.4 AU$56.5 AU$57.8 AU$57.8 AU$56.9 AU$55.4 AU$53.4 AU$51.2

("Est" = FCF growth rate estimated by Simply Wall St)

Present Value of 10-year Cash Flow (PVCF) = AU$531m

Story continues

We now need to calculate the Terminal Value, which accounts for all the future cash flows after this ten year period. The Gordon Growth formula is used to calculate Terminal Value at a future annual growth rate equal to the 5-year average of the 10-year government bond yield of 1.9%. We discount the terminal cash flows to today's value at a cost of equity of 7.7%.

Terminal Value (TV)= FCF 2032  (1 + g)  (r  g) = AU$108m (1 + 1.9%)  (7.7% 1.9%) = AU$1.9b

Present Value of Terminal Value (PVTV)= TV / (1 + r)10= AU$1.9b ( 1 + 7.7%)10= AU$902m

The total value is the sum of cash flows for the next ten years plus the discounted terminal value, which results in the Total Equity Value, which in this case is AU$1.4b. In the final step we divide the equity value by the number of shares outstanding. Relative to the current share price of AU$78.3, the company appears around fair value at the time of writing. The assumptions in any calculation have a big impact on the valuation, so it is better to view this as a rough estimate, not precise down to the last cent.

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 Blackmores 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 7.7%, which is based on a levered beta of 0.975. Beta is a measure of a stock's volatility, compared to the market as a whole. We get our beta from the industry average beta of globally comparable companies, with an imposed limit between 0.8 and 2.0, which is a reasonable range for a stable business.

SWOT Analysis for Blackmores

Strength

Earnings growth over the past year exceeded the industry.

Currently debt free.

Weakness

Dividend is low compared to the top 25% of dividend payers in the Personal Products market.

Expensive based on P/E ratio and estimated fair value.

Opportunity

Annual earnings are forecast to grow faster than the Australian market.

Threat

Revenue is forecast to grow slower than 20% per year.

Next Steps:

Valuation is only one side of the coin in terms of building your investment thesis, and it ideally won't be the sole piece of analysis you scrutinize for a company. The DCF model is not a perfect stock valuation tool. Rather it should be seen as a guide to "what assumptions need to be true for this stock to be under/overvalued?" For example, changes in the company's cost of equity or the risk free rate can significantly impact the valuation. For Blackmores, we've compiled three additional items you should look at:

Financial Health: Does BKL have a healthy balance sheet? Take a look at our free balance sheet analysis with six simple checks on key factors like leverage and risk. Future Earnings: How does BKL's growth rate compare to its peers and the wider market? Dig deeper into the analyst consensus number for the upcoming years by interacting with our free analyst growth expectation chart. Other High Quality Alternatives: Do you like a good all-rounder? Explore our interactive list of high quality stocks to get an idea of what else is out there you may be missing!

PS. Simply Wall St updates its DCF calculation for every Australian 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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Jose Salmeron, who is insured with Medicaid, holds a folder of medical papers and a letter from the Department of Human Services at his home in Cicero on Feb. 17, 2023. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)

Jose Salmeron doesnt want to think about what would happen if he lost his Medicaid coverage.

The 70-year-old Cicero resident has been on the state and federally funded health insurance program, which is for people with low incomes and disabilities, for years. It covered him when he had heart surgery in 2015 and helps to pay for his ongoing care.

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I would not have access to medical services, Salmeron said in Spanish, of if he lost Medicaid coverage. Hes also on Medicare because of his age, but Medicaid helps cover many costs that might otherwise be out-of-pocket and unaffordable for him. What would I do?

Its a question many Illinois residents will soon face. Anywhere from about 384,000 to 700,000 people in Illinois are expected to lose their Medicaid health coverage this year, as federal protections put in place during the pandemic fade. Though some of those people will gain coverage elsewhere, others will find themselves suddenly uninsured, and unable to pay for doctor visits and medications.

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We are very concerned that people are going to fall off (Medicaid), and they wont know about it until its too late, said Susan Vega, programs manager at Alivio Medical Center, a federally qualified health center that serves many Chicago-area patients on Medicaid.

Heres what Illinois residents should know about the changes to Medicaid:

Why will so many people lose Medicaid?

The situation is a result of several pandemic-related changes to federal law. Before COVID-19, Illinois residents on Medicaid had to renew their coverage each year, often by filling out paperwork proving they were still eligible for the program.

When the pandemic began, the federal government wanted to make sure as many people as possible had health coverage, so it began giving states extra money in exchange for states promising not to kick anyone off Medicaid. People on Medicaid no longer had to periodically prove they still qualified for the program in order to stay on it.

In Illinois, the number of people on Medicaid jumped from nearly 2.9 million before the pandemic to 3.9 million now, according to the state.

But as the pandemic subsided last year, federal lawmakers decided continuous enrollment in Medicaid was no longer needed, and they passed a new bill ending that provision on March 31 of this year.

That means people on Medicaid will again have to prove they still qualify in order to keep coverage.

When will people in Illinois start losing Medicaid?

In Illinois, the first renewal notices will hit mailboxes in May and be due in June. That means the earliest Illinois residents will start losing Medicaid is July. Everyone on Medicaid will have a different renewal date, with some earlier in the year and some later.

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The federal government estimates that about 17% of people on Medicaid may lose coverage based on data from past years, which would equal about 700,000 people in Illinois. The Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services is more optimistic, estimating that about 384,000 Illinois residents will lose Medicaid, because of its efforts to help eligible people keep their coverage.

Who will lose Medicaid coverage?

When people lose Medicaid, it will likely be for one of two reasons: either theyre no longer eligible because they make too much money or they are still eligible but didnt complete the required paperwork.

Illinois will renew some Medicaid recipients coverage automatically, if the state already has enough information about those people to do so. But many others will have to fill out the paperwork.

If peoples addresses have changed in the last few years, the state may send the notices to the wrong places. Other times, people may just forget to fill it out or not realize its important.

What keeps me up at night is  people who are eligible but theyve moved or theyre busy or they lose track of stuff and they lose health care coverage just because of paperwork, said Samantha Olds Frey, CEO of the Illinois Association of Medicaid Health Plans. I think that is going to be a herculean task to minimize the disruptive impact of people losing coverage because of paperwork.

Others will lose coverage because they no longer qualify for the program, likely because they make too much money. In Illinois, individuals who make up to $1,366 a month can qualify for Medicaid.

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People who make too much money may be able to get health insurance through their employers. Or, they can shop for health insurance coverage through the Affordable Care Act marketplace at HealthCare.gov or GetCoveredIllinois.gov. Most people who buy plans through the marketplace qualify for subsidies that help offset the cost of insurance.

About 80% of customers who shopped for coverage at HealthCare.gov during the last open enrollment period were able to find plans for $10 a month or less after the subsidies, according to the federal government.

There are many health plans that are now within reach for people, financially speaking, said Lucia Flores, director of community engagement at Esperanza Health Centers, which serves many people on Medicaid in Chicago.

Still, experts acknowledge it may be difficult to persuade some former Medicaid recipients to buy plans through the Affordable Care Act marketplace.

That transition is the hardest because youre not just enrolling in something, youre purchasing something, said Stephanie Altman, director of healthcare justice at the Shriver Center on Poverty Law in Chicago. Were hoping people get over to the marketplace and see there are affordable plans so we dont lose a lot of people.

What will happen when people lose Medicaid?

For individuals who lose Medicaid, the consequences could be dire. If someone loses Medicaid and doesnt sign up for other coverage, that person may not realize they have no health insurance until they go to a pharmacy or a doctors office.

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Prescription drugs will be a big problem, Vega said. People may start getting bills for medications or not be able to get their medications when they go to pharmacies, she said.

Those people will still be able to get emergency care at hospitals, because federal law requires hospitals to provide emergency treatment to patients, regardless of ability to pay. If the patient is still eligible for Medicaid, hospital staff will likely help sign that patient up so their care will be covered. If not, the person may get billed, or the hospital may have to eat the cost.

But even people who lose Medicaid and then sign up for plans at HealthCare.gov or through their employers might be in for a jolt.

People who buy new, private health plans may have to contend with new deductibles, different networks of doctors theyre allowed to see, and different rules about which medications are covered and how, said Sabrina Corlette, a research professor at Georgetown Universitys Center on Health Insurance Reforms.

What I worry about is not only interrupted coverage, but (also) folks for whom a disruption to a certain treating provider or prescription drug could really have negative health consequences, she said.

Given those complications, health care leaders worry that patients might forgo medical care altogether.

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People are going to delay necessary care and they could potentially be sicker when they come in because theyve delayed care, Dan Regan, a spokesman for Sinai Chicago health system, said.

Health systems are also expecting to take a financial hit, as people show up for care without health insurance or delay seeking care, he said. Many of the health systems and providers who see the most Medicaid patients are already strained.

We know that more than half of our patients are Medicaid patients, Regan said. The changes could have significant financial impacts for us, he said.

What can people do to avoid losing Medicaid coverage?

People who believe they are still eligible for Medicaid should make sure the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services has their current addresses, so they can get the renewal notices.

People can update their addresses at medicaid.illinois.gov or call 877-805-5312 from 7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. People can also go to abe.illinois.gov to see when their renewals will be due.

Health centers with many patients on Medicaid, such as Alivio and Esperanza, are also reaching out to their patients, via phone calls and text messaging, to make sure they know whats coming. They have teams of people dedicated to helping patients make sure they have coverage in one form or another.

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And the state is staffing up to make sure it has enough workers to help people facing Medicaid renewals. The Department of Healthcare and Family Services plans to reach out to people by mail, email, text messaging, phone, advertising and by working with other state agencies, spokeswoman Jamie Munks said in an email.

Whether and how people get through this transition is highly dependent on how well the state manages this process, Corlette said. It is hard to overstate the level of effort that is going to be required for state agencies to manage this.

Chicago Tribunes Adriana Perez contributed to this story.
EMBARGOED TO 0001 THURSDAY FEBRUARY 23File photo dated 31/03/16 of a general view of houses in south London, as restrictions on property purchases made by investors in certain locations should be considered among a package of measures to tackle deep problems within the housing system, a charity has urged. PA Photo. Issue date: Thursday February 23, 2023. Scenic rural locations where there is high demand for holiday homes or rundown neighbourhoods where there are high concentrations of buy-to-let properties could be among the places considered for legal restrictions on who can buy housing stock, the Joseph Rowntree Foundation suggested. See PA story MONEY Housing. Photo credit should read: Dominic Lipinski/PA Wire - Dominic Lipinski/PA Wire

Landlords are facing a fresh crackdown after the competition watchdog signalled it will police the rental market amid a shortage of properties and soaring costs for tenants.

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has launched an investigation into consumer protection for renters amid concerns landlords have too much power in negotiations with tenants.

The report will examine how an extreme shortage of properties has enabled the rise of onerous contract terms, such as demands for rent guarantors.

It will also look at whether properties are being adequately maintained, regulation of letting agents, as well as restrictions faced by tenants on changing energy suppliers in order to reduce their bills.

Chris Norris, of the National Residential Landlords Association, said: The review will need to consider how regulation best meets the need to protect tenants from rogue and criminal landlords, whilst supporting the vast majority of responsible landlords to provide the homes to rent the country needs.

The CMAs review of the rental market could pose a further blow to landlords who already face a regulatory crackdown from plans to scrap Section 21 no-fault evictions and move all tenancies onto a rolling basis.

At the same time, landlords are grappling with soaring mortgage costs and higher taxes, since the reduction in tax relief on buy-to-let mortgages came into full effect in April 2020.

Looming plans to introduce minimum Energy Performance Certificate requirements for newly let private rental sector properties by 2025 mean 10,000 upgrade bills are also in the pipeline.

In the wake of the pandemic eviction ban, when many buy-to-let investors were unable to get properties back from problem tenants, landlords have increasingly been asking tenants to provide guarantors to back their rental agreements.

But an extreme imbalance between demand and supply  made worse as the end of lockdown brought a rush of tenants back to city centres  means renters have little choice but to accept landlords terms.

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In the student rented sector, parents are frequently asked to guarantee their childrens rent, with terms that sometimes make them liable for a whole house share.

Separately, the CMA said it will also look into potential competition issues in the property sector and how this impacts housebuilding.

At a time when house prices are falling, for example, developers have little incentive to increase the supply of homes.

A key focus will be builders practice of holding land and not developing it, either before or after they have received planning permission, a process known as land banking.

The CMA will look particularly at whether established housebuilders with large land banks exclude other builders from potential local markets.

One of Britain's major housebuilders described the CMA's investigation into land banking as "total nonsense".

Another FTSE-listed builder added: "We need to return capital to shareholders and therefore buying lots of land and sitting on it is not a good idea. The issue is the planning system."

The watchdog will also investigate to what extent builders are charging home buyers unfair estate management fees.

Sarah Cardell, chief executive of the CMA, said: If there are competition issues holding back house building in Britain then we need to find them.

But we also need to be realistic that more competition alone wont unlock a housebuilding boom.
The loss of a Russian A-50 aircraft as a result of an attack on the Belarusian Machulishchy air base will further restrict the air operations of the Russian Federation.

Source: UK Defence Ministry on Twitter, as reported by European Pravda

Details: On 26 February 2023, Belarusian partisan group BYPOL and exiled opposition leaders reported an A-50 MAINSTAY had sustained damaged from Uncrewed Aerial Vehicle (UAV) attacks at Maschulishchy air base, the UK Defence Ministry said.

BYPOL reported two explosions and damage to the front and middle sections of the A-50 MAINSTAY as well as the radar antenna.

The role of A-50 MAINSTAY is to build a recognised air picture and to provide coordination to adjoining fighter aircraft.

Attribution and damage has not been officially corroborated. However, as the British Defence Ministry noted, the loss of an A-50 MAINSTAY would be significant as it is critical to Russian air operations for providing an air battlespace picture.

Quote: "This will likely leave six operational A-50s in service, further constraining Russian air operations," the UK Defence Ministry stated.

Background: British Intelligence reported that while Russia maintains a significant number of troops in Belarus, they are unlikely to constitute a credible offensive force.

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Caroline Renner, Josielyn Aguilera, Lacy Hartselle, and Rose Zilla-Ba Freeform/Calvo Bruno

On Freeform's "Love Trip: Paris," Francophiles search for love.

The cast shared what French people and Americans can learn from each other about dating.

They also revealed what "Emily In Paris" gets wrong about living in France.

Freeform's new dating series "Love Trip: Paris" takes viewers on a journey to Paris, where four Americans are searching for their life partners. Josielyn Aguilera, Lacy Hartselle, Caroline Renner, and Rose Zilla-Ba gave Insider all the tea on what it's like to date in France, including what French and American suitors can learn from each other and what Netflix's hit show "Emily In Paris" gets right and wrong about the city of love.

On "Love Trip: Paris," the four daters move into an apartment complex full of potential French love interests. The daters use an exclusive app to communicate with each other, and in each episode, the Americans decide which suitors have the key to their heartsthose who don't have to leave the residence.

As fast as potential love interests leave the complex, new ones come in, giving the show vibes distinctly similar to "Love Island" and "The Circle."

Caroline with one of her potential love interests, Camille. Freeform/Adeline Lulo

Since Josielyn, Rose, Caroline, and Lacy are Americans who've previously lived and dated in Paris, they also had thoughts on what Netflix's hit show "Emily In Pairs" gets right and wrong about French culture.

"There's a reason why maybe there are cliches, but they kind of go too overboard with it," Caroline said. "This is too much. You're beating a dead horse," they said, adding, "It gives me a headache just thinking about it."

"I think the French are very particular about things, which is made very clear in 'Emily in Paris,'" they continued, noting that if you do something wrong, "they'll call you out on it." But Caroline said that in real life, French people are less "obnoxious" than the Netflix show depicts and will help you adapt to their way of doing things rather than icing you out.

Dating in Paris

The cast of "Love Trip: Paris" thinks we all have a lot to learn from each other about love. Freeform/Calvo Bruno

Of course, many people watching "Love Trip: Paris" probably have a lot of questions about what it's like to date in France, and will quickly learn that it's not all champagne and eclairs. In fact, the cast had a lot of strong feelings about what French people could learn from American daters.

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"You don't give your soul over just because you've kissed someone," Lacy said, adding that French people can be jealous while dating.

"Possessiveness is not hot. I get that intention is really important, connection. But you don't own another person," added Caroline.

Josielyn and Gessica on a date in the series premiere of "Love Trip: Paris." Freeform

The cast struggled with how intensely the French daters expressed their emotions, but it was clear that American daters had a lot to learn from the French, too.

American society, the cast agreed, is very rushed. But though they are intense, French people are very intentional with their time on dates.

"They will sit down with you, no cell phones, no distractions, and just be like, 'Let's talk. Let's get to know each other and let's create a memory," said Caroline.

Lacy and Simon on "Love Trip: Paris." Freeform

"They will take you somewhere extravagant and memorable, everything is over the top just because that's the lifestyle that they want to live," Lacy said, recalling memories from the first time she lived in Paris. "They want to have a good moment and share it with someone they've never met. I'm like, 'Americans only do this if you've been together for a year, maybe."

The American and French daters on "Love Trip: Paris" have different gender identities and sexual orientations and the cast said that the most important message of the show is that no matter how you identify, everyone wants to fall in love.

"It's so amazing to see two amazing, beautiful women fall in love with each other and two amazing people get to meet each other for the first time and to get to experience that. I think that the more we see that on TV, film, the media, it's the more of a beautiful thing it'll be. Who knows, maybe that'll give a little kid out there the courage to be themselves," said Josielyn.

Episodes of "Love Trip: Paris" air Tuesdays from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. on Freeform.

Read the original article on Insider
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko arrived in Beijing on Tuesday as part of a scheduled visit where Belarus and China will look to increase their ties.

The Belarus state-run media outlet Belarusian Telegraph Agency reported that Lukashenko will meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping to discuss issues like trade, the economy, investment, humanitarian cooperation and responding to international challenges. The two countries are also expected to sign a document to declare cooperation in key areas.

The visit comes as China has faced some international scrutiny over its ties to Moscow amid Russias invasion of Ukraine. China has officially declared neutrality in the conflict, but U.S. officials have said China has sent Russia nonlethal aid and might also send lethal aid.

China has denied that it is actively supporting Russia, and U.S. officials have warned the Chinese government that it will face consequences if it does send lethal aid.

Beijing also put forward a ceasefire proposal earlier this month to end hostilities between Russia and Ukraine, which Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky indicated he is at least somewhat open to.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Tuesday during a visit to Kazakhstan that China cannot be seeking to both help Russia and arrange a deal for peace in the region, CNN reported.

China cant have it both ways when it comes to  the Russian aggression in Ukraine. It cant be putting forward peace proposals on the one hand, while actually feeding the flames of the fire that Russia has started with the other hand, Blinken said.

Lukashenko has also been one of the most vocal defenders from the international community of Russian President Vladimir Putin, having been a close ally of Putin for many years. He has also maintained close relations with China.

The Belarusian government allowed Russian troops to gather in its territory ahead of the start of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine last February.

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The New York Times reported that Lukashenko told reporters that the United States is trying to rally anti-Chinese attitudes in Europe.

We understand that the Americans are pushing Europe to go down the anti-Chinese path, he said on Belarusian state media. Europe is resisting  and rightly so, because if they fence themselves off from China, and God forbid they also come into conflict with China as America is also pressing  Europe will disappear.

State Department spokesperson Ned Price said at a press briefing on Monday ahead of Lukashenkos arrival that the visit is very much in line with the concerns that U.S. officials have had about the relationship between China and Russia.

But the fact that the [Peoples Republic of China] is now engaging with Lukashenka, who has, in effect, ceded his own sovereignty to Russia, is just another element of the PRCs deepening engagement with Russia, with all of those who are engaged with and supporting Russias brutal war against Ukraine, he said.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Alexander Lukashenko, self-proclaimed President of Belarus, arrived in China on 28 February to meet Xi Jinping, President of China.

Source: Belarusian news agency Belta

Details: Lukashenkos plane landed in the Beijing airport. His visit is supposed to last until 2 March. Lukashenko plans to "meet the Chinese top leadership and top management of leading Chinese corporations".

Belarusian media reports that Lukashenko and his Chinese counterpart will hold negotiations in a narrow and extended structure. It is expected that "a big package of documents concerning the development of relations in key sectors will be signed" following the negotiations.

Background:

The ISW suggests that Alexander Lukashenko plans to meet with Xi Jinping, probably in order to help Russia and China avoid sanctions amid reports that China is considering providing lethal assistance to Russia.

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Alexander Lukashenko

In an interview with China journalists, the Belarusian dictator claimed he is able to intuitively feel the right moment for establishing peace.

Read also: Lukashenko to meet with Xi Jinping to help Russia and China circumvent sanctions, reports ISW

"There is a unique situation right now (I can see it and I can intuitively feel it) to put an end to the conflict. There may not be another chance," Lukashenko said.

Reasoning his position, he said that Ukraine has time until Russia switches its economy to a war footing.

Lukashenko called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy "a not bad but not experienced man." He said he believes "Ukraine may perish," if it doesn't go for peace right now.

Lukashenko allowed Russia to use Belarusian territory as a launch point for a two-pronged attack by Russian forces on Kyiv in the early part of Moscows full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Read also: Lukashenko compares himself to Putin in toxicity

Since then, his military has hosted Russian warplanes, and drones and missiles have been launched from Belarusian territory to attack Ukraine.

Moreover, after forming a joint grouping of his forces with the Russian army, Lukashenko has regularly moved military forces around the southern border of Belarus, meaning that Ukraine has to maintain a force in its north and west in case of a repeat invasion, while also actively fighting Russia on a long front in the east and south.

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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
Seven renters have complained to Action 9 about a property management company in recent months.

According to property records, Texas-based Main Street Renewal owns at least 225 houses in Mecklenburg County.

ALSO READ: Renters in Charlotte call for accountability on apartment conditions

Traveling nurse Charmaine Nealy, who moved to Charlotte last summer, lives in one. Since she moved in, shes had sewage backup, water leaks, the ceiling caved in and there were electrical issues.

Nealy also noticed a smell, like something had caught fire, she said. And my oldest said mom my lights are flickering.

The fire department told Action 9 something was wrong with the electricity at the house and it had cut off Nealys power to be safe.

Nealy says she and her children have been in and out of hotels since the fall.

I cant afford it. And you know people say, Oh, youre a nurse, yes, you can. No, I cant. I have four children. Im a single mom, she said.

Im stuck. I have nowhere to turn, and Im a firm believer of God and thats who Im relying on right now  faith and the man above because I dont know where to go. Nealy added.

Main Street Renewal would not discuss Nealys issues with Stoogenke, citing privacy reasons, but emailed him the following statement: We take any concern raised to us by our residents seriously. We have resolved or are actively working to resolve these issues, and look forward to continuing to serve and support our residents in the Charlotte area.

But Nealy says the company gave her the runaround.

What are your rights as a renter?

The law says landlords have to keep homes in habitable condition. That means they have to address certain issues as quickly as possible. For example:

- unsafe wiring

- dangerous ceilings

- no drinkable water

- locks to outside doors that dont work

- no heat in extreme cold (65 when its 20 outside from November 1 through March 31)

- no working toilet, bathtub, or shower

- rats

- flooding

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- sewage backups

- dangerous flooring or steps

- dangerous chimneys or flues

- broken windows or locks on windows that dont work

If you have a problem:

- Ask your landlord to fix it right away. That may mean calling. If so, follow up with the request in writing.

- If that doesnt work, you can always pay to fix it yourself. Just make sure you keep your receipts. Remember, theres no guarantee youll get reimbursed.

- Never withhold rent out of protest unless your lawyer tells you to. You dont want to sacrifice any of your rights.

- If the problem is a safety issue, tell code enforcement.

- If nothing else works, you can always sue in small claims court. Just remember, even if you win your landlord wont have to pay your lawyers fees, so some people prefer to represent themselves.

(VIDEO: Man gets heat for first time after 4 years of failed requests at Charlotte apartment complex)
Machu Picchu

Perus Ministry of Culture has said that Machu Picchu is open to the public again. The historic site, which is also the most popular place for tourists to visit in Peru, had been closed for almost a month because there was still trouble in the country, as Travel Noire reported earlier this year. On February 15, the entrance to the historic Incan citadel was reopened.

The decision [to reopen] responds to the need to bet on dialogue and peace, officials said in the statement. The officials added that theyre working toward the resumption of cultural activity and the economic revival in Cusco.

According to the Associated Press, the government, social groups and the local tourism industry made agreements to make sure that the historic site and the transportation services that tourists use to get there are safe now that Machu Picchu is open again.

Although Machu Picchu has reopened, there are still a lot of rules that must be taken into account when planning a trip there. Tourists must obtain a prior authorization permit to travel to the Cusco region, as well as to Machu Picchu itself.

Machu Picchu, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is one of Perus most famous places, and as it has become more popular, more security measures have been put in place. Due to the pandemic, the historical site was closed for two years. In 2021, the Peruvian government opened it up again, with many restrictions.

Here is everything you need to know before visiting the historic site.

Photo by Oleksandra Korobova/ Getty Images

Why Machu Picchu Was Closed

In January, protesters against the government broke local train tracks, so the government had to move about 400 tourists out of the citadel. This was the second occurrence of its kind. The first took place in December when helicopters airlifted tourists away from the scene after protesters blocked access to trains, highways and airports.

After Pedro Carrillo was removed from office in December, the political unrest began. He wanted to make significant changes to the constitution, which was the cause of his political dispute with Congress. Castillo was arrested and replaced by former Vice President Dina Boluarte.

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Thousands of Carrillos supporters flocked to the streets of Lima, Perus capital city, in an effort to restore his presidency. Carrillos dismissal and his supporters protests have caused chaos in the capital city, disrupting transportation and leaving many tourists stranded. Many tourist attractions were closed, including Machu Pichu and the historic sites of Cusco, leading to a sharp decline in the tourist industry.

The current political situation in Peru shows some signs of stability. However, despite the fact that the protests have ceased, tensions are still high in Lima and the surrounding areas.

Travel Advisory

Tourists now are only allowed to visit the site with a guide, and they must follow strict safety protocols.

Last year, only 4,000 people went to Machu Picchu. Before the pandemic, 1.5 million people went there. While this drastic drop in the number of visitors may have had a negative effect on tourism revenue, it also has allowed for much-needed conservation efforts to take place.

Under the new rules, tourists can only buy tickets for a visit the day before they want to explore. Tickets for the same day are not available for purchase. The ticket office is open from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m., Monday through Sunday. A total of 1,000 tickets may be purchased each day on a first-come, first-served basis.

The US Secretary of State announced on February 23 that the U.S. Embassy will no longer require approval for most in-country travel by U.S. personnel. This is because security has gotten better and most protests are happening in one area. The U.S. Embassy, on the other hand, will make it very hard to travel to Puno and Apurimac. Additionally, prior authorization will still be needed for travel to the Cusco region.
A Macon man pleaded guilty on Monday to voluntary manslaughter in the December 2020 shooting death of another man at a house on Shearwater Drive in southwest Macon.

Jeremy Travontia Brown, now 31, had been accused of murder in the slaying of 31-year-old Courvoisie Jamal Reid.

After Brown entered his plea, Bibb County Superior Court Judge Jeffery O. Monroe sentenced Brown to serve 12 years of a 20-year term in state prison.

According to court documents and statements from investigators in the wake of the Dec. 6, 2020, episode, Reid had been in a fight with his girlfriend when Brown was summoned from a house nearby to break up the dispute. Brown, armed with a pistol, shot Reid, mortally wounding him while the two men fought.
An Italian mafiosos dramatic escape from a high-security prison has gone viral on social media.

Marco Raduano, 40, escaped from the Badue Carros prison in Sardinia on Friday and the incident was caught on surveillance footage and shared widely on social media.

The tracksuit-wearing mafioso can be seen in the video clambering down two stories with the help of a makeshift rope made from knotted bedsheets as he jumps and lands on the grass below.

He then makes a run towards the prisons exterior wall, scales it and vanishes into the small city of Nuro. The escape went unnoticed for two hours due to staff shortages.

The incident has raised concerns about the safety of high-security prisons.

Raduano had been serving an 18-year sentence for drug trafficking when he took advantage of the understaffing of the prison.

Italian authorities admitted the escape was because of staff shortages due to aggressive cuts, which left around 50 employees to manage 180 prisoners. An employee told the newspaper Il Messaggero that the lack of staff contributed to the daring escape.

Giovanni Villa, a local correctional officers union leader, was quoted as saying to The Telegraph, that it appeared Raduano had planned the escape well in advance and had everything ready.

Come fa un boss mafioso a evadere da un carcere di massima sicurezza? Calandosi con le lenzuola annodate dal muro di cinta. E successo a Nuoro con la fuga di Marco Raduano pic.twitter.com/XJOyWf1OGS  Marco Fattorini (@MarcoFattorini) February 26, 2023

It seems he had everything ready and that the escape was well planned for some time, he said.

He reportedly managed to disappear into the city without a trace, with a search now ongoing for him as Italian authorities conduct a manhunt throughout the area.

The police have put up roadblocks and are conducting checks on any vehicles leaving the city. The Italian government has ordered the deployment of hundreds of soldiers and police officers to Sardinia to help with the search.

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Raduano is believed to have ties to the local mafia, which has raised concerns about the possibility of retaliation or violence. The police have warned the public not to approach Raduano if they see him, but to call the emergency number immediately.

Italian authorities have come under criticism over understaffing issues and lack of security measures. The incident has underscored the need for urgent reforms to improve the safety of prisons and ensure dangerous criminals are kept securely.

The manhunt for Raduano now continues and Italian authorities have appealed to the public for any information that could lead to his capture.
Robin Means Coleman, who is Northwestern University's vice president and associate provost for diversity and inclusion, is also arguably the leading scholar on Black representation in horror films. (E. Jason Wambsgans / Chicago Tribune)

Robin Means Coleman has heard it all. Cliches like: Maybe we should split up and look. Tropes like: I didnt get bit, Im fine. Also: That sound  its probably just the wind. And: My uncle owns a cabin in the woods. Plus, of course, the evergreen: Ill be right back.

Robin Means Coleman has watched a lot of horror movies.

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Way more than you have.

By day, she works out of an extremely uninteresting office tower in downtown Evanston, where she serves a sobering, indispensable professional function: She is Northwestern Universitys vice president and associate provost for diversity and inclusion. She also doubles as the schools Ida B. Wells and Ferdinand Barnett Professor in Communication Studies. Her office is as you imagine: Walls papered in framed honors and degrees, muted colors, tidy furniture, academic studies spread across a bookcase.

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But the rest of the time, for at least a decade now, shes also been known by a far more unusual distinction: Coleman is our preeminent scholar on Black representation in horror movies. Her 2011 book, Horror Noire: Blacks in American Horror Films, From the 1890s to Present (and a subsequent documentary of the same title) became the authoritative study of the subject. But its not exactly hilarious, and as Coleman notes, one defining characteristic of Black horror is a sense of humor, an unsinkable irony, an underlying sense that, as she puts it, no matter how bad things get, you have to laugh.

Consider Nope, the title of Jordan Peeles 2022 horror-sci-fi thriller.

Thats a title so rich it hails Black folk in a particular way, Coleman said. The movie poster, the images that came out before it was even released, offered only flags, sky and one word: Nope. As in: Nope, were not exploring this. It picks up on African American vernacular. You see your intelligence respected in a title like that. You know Peele is not going to indulge images of Black slaughter  the Black guy will not die first.

Daniel Kaluuya as OJ Haywood, left, Keke Palmer as Emerald Haywood and Brandon Perea as Angel Torres in "Nope." (Universal Pictures)

In Candyman, the Chicago-made 2021 follow-up (produced by Peele) to the 1992 classic, a Black character considers a dark descent into a creaky, creepy basement.

Nope, she says, turning around, opting out.

Even decades ago, in that first season of Saturday Night Live, Richard Pryors parody of The Exorcist found him as a pastor deciding the only sensible way to reason with a devil was ... to not to. Coleman can rattle off those moments of good sense, and more decades of stereotyping, all day. This is why, with journalist Mark H. Harris  whose BlackHorrorMovies.com is itself a bottomless resource tracing the highs and lows of the Black experience in scary movies (including Scary Movie)  she wrote a new book with an ancient trope right in the title: The Black Guy Dies First: Black Horror Cinema, From Fodder to Oscar. The cover illustration is a clever mashup that summarizes where Coleman and Harris are coming from: A Black Power fist explodes out of a cemetery lawn, Carrie-like. Its an often funny, not especially academic survey, with stops for the horror parodies in Key & Peele and a litany of ridiculous voodoo movie concepts, but also an exhaustive taxonomy of Black character types in horror, a smart appreciation of The Purge franchise, a nod to 1970s cult favorite Blacula, a pocket history of Black actors and filmmakers in horror, a chapter on religion in Black horror ...

In general, the funnier stuff is Harris and the history is Coleman, but a larger point flows seamlessly throughout: When the average person thinks of a Black person in a horror movie, they think of them dying, Harris said. Its that ultimate marginalization. So we used the trope as a vehicle, to also show the importance of things improving today, too. You can tell a history of the subject through that cliche (of the Black character dying first). Its important because, in horror, we often reflect the anxieties of the entire nation, and if you talk about a deep social issue like racism, a lot of people tune out. They dont want the straightforward discussion. But horror makes social issues go down easier.

Its not a minor thing when, in Barbarian, for instance, a well-received horror movie from last fall, the typically white role of the Final Girl went to a Black woman, who escapes decades of systemic horrors (living beneath the rubble of Detroit, no less).

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Indeed, the best-known examples of the horror genre offering audiences a backdoor to very real-world concerns are familiar enough to almost read like a secular liturgy: Invasion of the Body Snatchers was a parable addressing the Red Scare, Rosemarys Baby the patriarchy, Frankenstein the scientific age, Godzilla the nuclear age, Halloween suburban paranoia. Its no coincidence that Peeles Get Out, a satire of liberal racism, almost single-handedly kick-started the current horror revival.

Daniel Kaluuya in a scene from the movie "Get Out." (Universal Pictures)

I get asked a lot about the renaissance of Black horror as connected to Get Out, Coleman said, and I lean into it, but at the same time, as the title of Horror Noire says, Black people were showing up in horror for more than a century. Not always in great ways, of course. In caricatures. But unlike Get Out, there are those Black horror films that didnt win an Oscar but are beloved. Like Rusty Cundieff  Black folks know him. His Tales from the Hood anthology horror films (executive produced by Spike Lee) have taken on abusive policing, gangs, white supremacy and the murder of Emmett Till.

But go further back.

Coleman said you cant really understand contemporary Black horror without understanding a history of scrappy, low-budget films Black people have been making for ages, sometimes spooky religious-themed movies that urge a kind of respectability politics: Go down that road and you are a disservice to the race. Plus, you go to hell ...

In Chicago, the Ebony Film Company, founded in 1915 (through white-owned), made some of the first all-Black horror films. Oscar Micheaux, whose pioneering films are often thought of as the start of Black cinema, made a handful of horror movies himself. Still, typically Black representation in horror meant broad bug-eyed caricatures, Black characters who sacrifice themselves for white characters, or more often, thinly written victims.

Coleman, in her role as a steward of diversity and inclusion practices at Northwestern, is known for drawing on this long history of Black horror in training sessions. She knows her audiences have heard of her background. She promises nothing bloody or scary.

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Incidentally, I do think of my two worlds as connected, she said. Theyre both about social justice. One through traditional means. The other, the study of horror, by showing the distinctions between a civil space and uncivil solutions. For instance, Welcome Home Brother Charles, a 1975 revenge-horror blaxploitation flick in which a Black man uses his, uh ... private parts to strangle the corrupt officials who incarcerated him, turning a racial stereotype into a weapon against the society that perpetrated it, she writes.

Coleman, perhaps it should go without saying, has thought deeply on this subject.

She regards her Pittsburgh childhood, she says with a smile, as a sort of horror birthright. Meaning, she is from the one-time home of George Romero, the legendary filmmaker whose breakthrough classic, 1968s Night of the Living Dead, centered on an unknown Black actor named Duane Jones. Never mind how unusual that casting was in the 1960s, when a group of survivors fends off zombies in a besieged farmhouse, Jones takes control. He slaps sense into despairing (white) characters. And then, infamously, having fended off waves of horrors, as he emerges from the house, a passing white militia hunting down zombies shoots him and unceremoniously burns the body. We never know if they thought he was a zombie. They never check.

Which speaks to what we see today, Coleman said. Think of Tamir Rice (the 12-year-old child from Cleveland shot by police), and theres a deep resonance to this day. As a young person in Pittsburgh (around which Romero shot some of his zombie pictures), it felt all too real. The militia was played partly by actual local cops. The way they just do away with Duane Jones  Black Pittsburgh could feel the blurring of fiction and reality.

Asked how she came to horror (and broader still, pop culture through a Black lens, both of which she teaches at Northwestern), Coleman recalled herself as a graduate student:

While at Bowling Green State University in Ohio in 1990s, she planned to do her dissertation on farming practices in India, with a focus on the use of John Deere tractors there and the ways in which it informs crop cultivation, spiral plowing as opposed to linear, what does it mean for land erosion, the safety of the water. It struck a chord in academia, and I started getting all this attention as a Black woman launching global projects.

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Books written by Robin Means Coleman. (E. Jason Wambsgans / Chicago Tribune)

The thing is, after studying agriculture all day, she would return to her apartment and watch horror movies and write about Romero and Black representation in her favorite genre. She would make a distinction between Black people in horror movies and Black horror movies in which a Black perspective was central. She would imagine a horror genre so rich and healthy that you could have Black American horror tales totally removed from the specter of whiteness hovering over it. She would go to conferences and present on crops, then turn around and present at conferences of pop culture associations, and while both subjects felt important, one felt great. When she told her adviser she wanted to upend her focus, it didnt go over well.

I mean, picture it, she said. Theyre excited because this Black woman is doing vital international research and its going to have a major impact and she has grants lined up, then she says ... Yes, its great. I get your excitement. But have you seen Blacula?

She did not go back to crop rotation.

She immersed in Black representation in popular genres  horror, comedy, sitcoms, comics, sci-fi. Years later, on the faculty at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, preparing to write Horror Noire, she was aligned with a university librarian obsessed with horror films. He dipped into his budgets for horror, and more horror. People were just starting to shoot this stuff on their phones, she recalled, so films were flooding in. She walked across her office and held her hand about waist-high against a wall. I would have horror films stacked up to here. Just hundreds, hundreds, coming in from all over the world. DVDs would show up wrapped just in tin foil! This became the project that would not die. I would have three, four, five screens, playing simultaneously  just to get through it all. You could say that I found myself driven.

She couldnt shake a fascination with our desire to erect borders, while still wanting to see those borders blown up. Thats as neat an explanation of our love of superheroes, space sagas and monsters as youll find: Horror is just another frame through which we view our everyday, existential fear. She has never regretted leaving John Deere behind.

After an hour of chatting about horror movies, the door of her office cracked open.

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An assistant whispered: Colemans next appointment was imminent. Her other, more stately administrative world beckoned. Outside, cubicle farms of office workers spilled out onto the sidewalks and lined up at Starbucks and Jimmy Johns for salad bowls, like zombies.

cborrelli@chicagotribune.com
A Maine man in custody in New Hampshire has been charged with killing a Massachusetts man and a Maine teenager, officials said.

Aaron Aldrich, 46, of Auburn, Maine, was already in the Rockingham County jail on property crime charges when the murder charges were filed in Maine, the Maine Department of Public Safety said Monday.

The victims whose bodies were discovered a week ago in a home in Poland, Maine, were identified as Shoeb Mohamed Adan, 21, of Springfield, Massachusetts, and Mohamed Aden, 16, of Lewiston.

The bodies were found when the Androscoggin County Sheriffs Department conducted a welfare check.

Aldrich will face extradition proceedings in New Hampshire before he can be returned to Maine to face the murder charges. It wasnt immediately clear if he had a lawyer.

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

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The U.S. Marshals Service is investigating a major ransomware attack that has compromised some of its most sensitive information, including law enforcement materials, and the personal information of employees and potential targets of federal investigations.

The cyberattack was considered a "major incident" by officials, impacting a "stand-alone" system (meaning it is not connected to a larger federal network) within the service, an agency spokesperson said Monday. The attack was discovered on Feb. 17.

"Shortly after that discovery, the USMS disconnected the affected system, and the Department of Justice initiated a forensic investigation," said Drew Wade, spokesperson for the U.S. Marshals Service.

According to Wade, cybercriminals were able to obtain administrative data, like personal information of certain employees, and about wanted fugitives, as well as information on unidentified third parties. The affected system also contained sensitive law enforcement information, including about ongoing legal procedures.

Officials at the Department of Justice, which oversees the USMS, deemed the cyber breach a "major incident" on Feb. 22, following a briefing by the Marshals Service.

Under U.S. policy, all "major incidents" are considered to be "significant cyber incidents" deemed likely to result in demonstrable harm to U.S. national security, foreign relations or the economy, or to the public confidence, civil liberties, or the public health and safety of the American people. Federal agencies are required to report "major incidents" to Congress within seven days of identification.

According to Wade, the Department's remediation efforts, as well as its criminal and forensic investigation, remain ongoing. "We are working swiftly and effectively to mitigate any potential risks as a result of the incident," he said.

The agency has created a workaround to continue its investigations into fugitives amid the breach, a U.S. official tells CBS News.

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NBC News was the first to report the incident.

The breach revelation happened on the same day that CISA Director Jen Easterly warned that cyber intrusions "can do real damage to our nation  leading to theft of our intellectual property and personal information."

The Biden administration is poised to release its National Cyber Strategy as soon as this week. The cybersecurity blueprint will be the first of its kind published in more than 15 years.

The forthcoming strategy, led by the National Cyber Director's office in the White House, will go beyond voluntary measures to recommend regulations designed to fill in national security gaps in the wake of massive breaches, "including the 2020 SolarWinds hack, a Russian-linked attack that resulted in 18,000 downloads of malware by government and private computer networks. The National Security Council later said that only 100 of SolarWind's customers were ultimately hacked.

Last month, the FBI toppled an international ransomware group after more than a year of spying on cybercriminals from inside the network. The criminal enterprise, known as Hive, targeted more than 1,500 institutions in over 80 countries since June 2021, amassing more than $100 million from its victims, according to the Justice Department.

Hive's attack on a Midwestern hospital disrupted care in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic and forced institutions to pay a ransom before they could treat their patients online.

"No matter where you are, and no matter how much you try to twist and turn to cover your tracks  your infrastructure, your criminal associates, your money, and your liberty are all at risk," FBI Director Chris Wray said last month.

Federal investigators like Wray continue to urge all potential victims of ransomware attacks to not pay the demanded price for their freedom, but contact law enforcement.

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A man charged with murdering three police officers in Eastern Kentucky last June hung himself in jail and died, according to the prosecutor on the case.

Lance Storz, 50, of Floyd County, was being held in the Pike County Detention Center while awaiting trial, according to Brent Turner, commonwealths attorney for Floyd County.

Turner said police confirmed to him Storz killed himself in the jail. A Kentucky State Police detective was notified of the incident early Tuesday, Turner said.

An employee at the jail said the facility would not comment.

Pikeville police are investigating. Further details on Storzs death were not available.

Storz was charged with ambushing police when they went to his house in Allen, a small town a few miles from Prestonsburg, on June 30 to serve a domestic violence order his wife, Christina, had obtained.

She alleged in the complaint that when she told Storz she was going to leave him, he became irate and said he wouldnt let her leave.

Lance Storz, accused of murdering two police officers during a stand-off in Floyd County, appears by video from jail for his arraignment on July 1, 2022.

Storzs wife said he trapped her in a bedroom, threw her around the room and slapped her, and sexually assaulted her. He allegedly brandished a pistol and demanded that she beg for her life and their daughters life, according to the complaint.

Lance said he has nothing to lose and is all in, his wife said in the complaint. She also said he told her I would never leave him outside of a body bag and that he would kill their daughter as well.

A relative of Storzs wife that shed been in contact with asked police to check on her. When they arrived, Storz was asleep and police took his wife and daughter to safety.

When officers went back to arrest him, Storz allegedly opened fire on them without warning in the narrow street in front of his home.

Two officers, sheriffs Deputy William Petry and Ralph Frasure, a captain with the Prestonsburg Police Department, died at the scene and another Prestonsburg officer, Jacob Chaffins, was critically wounded and died the next day.

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Several other officers and first responders were wounded in the rain of gunfire, and a police dog was killed.

Storz ultimately surrendered.

A horse-drawn carriage delivered the casket of slain Floyd County, Ky., sheriffs Deputy William Petry to his burial place on July 5, 2022.

He could have faced the death penalty in the case.

Turner said he had not filed a formal notice that he would seek the death penalty if Storz was convicted, but said it was likely he would have.

Many people in Floyd County knew the three officers, and the deaths hit hard in the community. Thousands of people attended funerals for the officers or lined roads as hearses carried their bodies to the cemetery.

Emotions are still raw for some.

Reacting to Storzs death, Floyd County Attorney Keith Bartley said that in his opinion, its a chicken---- way out by a chicken---- coward!

Eric W. Johnson, head of an organization called Supporting Heroes that helps set up funerals for slain officers, said three guards at the state prison in Eddyville were killed in a riot in 1923, but he was not aware of another case in which three police officers were killed in Kentucky in a single confrontation.

This would be the worst in history, he said.

The national suicide prevention hotline has recently been changed to a three-digit suicide and crisis hotline. It is available 24/7 and can be reached by dialing 988. More information can be found at 988lifeline.org.
A man slashed his neighbor in the face after knocking on his door, according to South Carolina police.

The 41-year-old man knocked on his neighbors door in Tamassee on the morning of Feb. 26, according to a news release from the Oconee County Sheriffs Office.

When the neighbor answered the door, the man came inside the home and assaulted him, the release says.

The neighbor was left with cuts to his face, according to the release. Medics took him to a hospital for treatment.

The man accused of assaulting him had left the scene by the time authorities arrived, according to the sheriffs office. Deputies found him later that day at his home, which is on the same street as the victims.

He was arrested and charged with first-degree burglary and assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature, the release says.

He is being held without bond, according to jail records.

Tamassee is about 145 miles northwest of Columbia.

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Centrist Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) says he will vote for a Republican-sponsored resolution to block a Washington, D.C., crime law that would eliminate most mandatory minimum sentences, allow jury trials for misdemeanor offenses and reduce maximum sentences for crimes ranging from robberies to carjackings.

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser vetoed the bill but was overridden by a 12-1 vote from the D.C. Council.

Now, Manchin says he will vote for a resolution of disapproval that would block the implementation of the law, which passed the House with 31 Democratic votes in early February.

I dont support it. I mean, I want to put people away, I dont want to let them out, Manchin told CNN on Monday. I havent been briefed on it, but what I know about it, I would vote to rescind it.

Manchin also told reporters: None of that makes sense to me.

I would rescind letting people out of prison early for committing serious crimes, he added, arguing that criminal offenders know what they can get by with all over the country.

Republicans, who are in the minority in the upper chamber, can advance the disapproval resolution, which is sponsored by Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.), because it is privileged under Senate rules.

The discharge motion for the resolution doesnt ripen until March 6, according to a senior Democratic aide, which means it wont come to the floor before next week.

With Manchins support, the resolution has a good chance of passing the Senate, raising the prospect of a possible veto from President Biden.

Biden opposes rescinding the new D.C. crime law but he hasnt yet said whether he plans to veto a repeal.

All 49 Senate Republicans support rescinding the law, which means the disapproval resolution would need the vote of Independent Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (Ariz.) or another centrist Democrat to advance to Bidens desk.

The measure got a wave of Democratic support in the House after Rep. Angie Craig (D-Minn.) was attacked by a 26-year-old homeless man in the elevator of her D.C. apartment building.

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It turns out the congresswomans attacker had been arrested and convicted no fewer than 12 times before. Most recently for assaulting a Metropolitan Police officer! But there he was, this career criminal, just roaming the streets, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) said in a recent floor speech.

The good news is the Constitution actually gives the United States Congress final say over issues in our nations capital, he said.

And when the soft-on-crime local government has become this incompetent; when members of Congress cant go about their daily lives without being attacked; when families cannot come to visit their own capital in safety; then it is high time the federal government provides some adult supervision, he added.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Linda Kasabian interviewed on US news show A Current Affair in 1988 (YouTube)

Linda Kasabian, a member of Charles Mansons notorious Manson Family criminal gang, has died at the age of 73.

Kasabian passed away on 21 January at a hospital in Tacoma, Washington. Her body has reportedly since been cremated but her precise cause of death has not been revealed.

A death certificate, obtained by TMZ, recorded that Kasabian had changed her surname in later life to Chiochios in order to protect her identity after she ended her association with the cult.

After participating in the two nights of mayhem in which the gang killed seven people in Los Angeles, California, in August 1969, Kasabian agreed to serve as a key prosecution witness at Mansons trial in 1970-71 in exchange for immunity.

Over the course of 18 days of testimony, Kasabian described the murder of Sharon Tate, the pregnant actress wife of the Polish film director Roman Polanski after gang members Charles Tex Watson, Patricia Krenwinkel, Susan Atkins and herself entered the couples Cielo Drive home in Benedict Canyon.

She testified that Watson, Krenwinkel and Atkins fatally shot and stabbed five victims at the scene  Tate and her unborn child Paul, hairdresser Jay Sebring, coffee heiress Abigail Folger, her boyfriend Wojciech Frykowski and Steven Parent, a friend of Tates groundskeeper  while Mr Polanski was away in Europe shooting a movie.

Kasabian denied taking part in that atrocity but admitted to being the driver on the second night of the attacks, when Leno and Rosemary LaBianca were also murdered inside their home.

Kasabians testimony helped secure murder convictions for Manson and the other members of the Family who carried out his orders and were subsequently handed life sentences.

Their leader passed away in 2017 behind bars after suffering a cardiac arrest arising from colon cancer.

Charles Manson (Getty)

Born in Biddeford, Maine, on 21 June 1949, Kasabian had reportedly lived in Tacoma with her daughter since the late 1980s, with Rolling Stone writing in 2016 that had existed in a state of near poverty.

Interviewed by CNNs Larry King in 2009, while wearing a disguise to protect her identity, Kasabian said she had been on a path of healing and rehabilitation in the intervening decades and claimed she bore a guilt over the killings that none of her former co-conspirators felt.

The British indie band Kasabian took their name from her and she was most recently played by Maya Hawke in Quentin Tarantinos revisionist take on the murders Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019), the character rechristened Flowerchild.
A snarling Dungeons & Dragons creature

Chris Pine, Michelle Rodriguez, Rege-Jean Page, and the rest of the cast of Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves are here to explain which monsters might show up in the upcoming film. This is a bit spoilery, so I wont go into details, but theres definitely some footage here of monsters that we havent seen (on film) before. We do, however, get to see the owlbear again.



Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves | Meet The Creatures (2023 Movie)

Honestly, Im surprised theyre giving this much away! We have my favorite bad kitty, the displacer beast, and were finally seeing the infamous intellect devourer which was the source of much consternation when the poster was released, because the art used on the poster was identical to the art published in a Pathfinder Bestiary. Granted, they are the same beast; the Intellect Devourer is in the Systems Reference Document previously released under the Open Gaming License 1.0a, but the difference between D&Ds depiction and Pathfinders depiction is what makes the trailer vs. the poster an interesting reveal.

Read more

There are some great monsters in D&D, and Im interested to see what other beasties and creepy-crawlies they pull out of the Bestiary. Youve already heard my theory about a dracolich, lets see if it flies out on screen.

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Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves releases in theaters on March 31.





Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel and Star Wars releases, whats next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about House of the Dragon and Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.

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Georgia Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene has claimed that she was attacked by a woman and her adult son in a restaurant.

I was attacked in a restaurant tonight by an insane [woman] and screamed at by her adult son, Ms Greene wrote on Twitter just before 10.30pm on Monday night. They had no respect for the restaurant or the staff or the other people dining or people like me who simply have different political views.

She continued: They are self righteous, insane, and completely out of control. I was sitting at my table, working with my staff, and never even noticed these people until they turned into demons. People used to respect others even if they had different views. But not anymore. Our country is gone.

Ms Greene was heavily criticised by some on the platform.

Were you attacked or did someone just yell at you because, I dont know, you called for the country they love to be split up? Brian Krassenstein wrote. If you were physically attacked then thats horrible. If someone yelled at you then arent they permitted to do that according to the GOP who thinks free speech even includes people tweeting horrible things in others places of business?

Earlier this month, Ms Greene suggested that the US needs a national divorce  splitting it up into red states and blue states.

From the sick and disgusting woke culture issues shoved down our throats to the Democrats traitorous America Last policies, we are done, Ms Greene tweeted.

Appearing on Fox News last week, she claimed that the US is moving towards a civil war and that a split is needed before that happens.

The last thing I ever want to see in America is a civil war. No one wants that  at least everyone I know would never want that  but its going that direction, and we have to do something about it, she said. Our ideas, our policies and our ways of life have become so far apart that its just coming to that point.

Utah Republican Governor Spencer Cox said the suggestion that the US be split apart was evil and destructive.

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We dont need a divorce, we need marriage counseling. And we need elected leaders that dont profit by tearing us apart, Mr Cox tweeted. We can disagree without hate. Healthy conflict was critical to our nations founding and survival.

Utah Republican Senator Mitt Romney, the 2012 GOP presidential nominee and former Massachusetts governor, told The Salt Lake Tribune that I think Abraham Lincoln dealt with that kind of insanity.

Were not going to divide the country. Its united we stand and divided we fall, he added, suggesting that Ms Greenes idea was a fundraising ploy. There are some people in my party and the other party that say things to try and get a headline and get people to send them money. And that happens to be in todays loony left, or I should say loony right.

On Wednesday, Ms Greene hit back, telling the Washington Examiner that Mitt Romney is so bad I couldnt even vote for him for president against Barack Obama.

Several Twitter users responded to Ms Greenes restaurant attack claim by sharing video footage of her following Parkland school shooting survivor and anti-gun violence activist David Hogg around as he was on Capitol Hill to speak to lawmakers.

The footage is from March 2019, before her election to Congress, and Ms Greene can be heard in the video making a number of false claims as she asks him questions about gun rights while walking towards the US Capitol, CNN notes.

This you stalking and harassing David Hogg, a student? Kaivan Shroff wrote in response to Ms Greenes tweet about the supposed restaurant episode.

This you stalking and harassing David Hogg, a student? pic.twitter.com/KnOXaKOb3V  Kaivan Shroff (@KaivanShroff) February 28, 2023

How about this?pic.twitter.com/f1TC1gcH3u  Brian Tyler Cohen (@briantylercohen) February 28, 2023

This you harassing a school shooting survivor?pic.twitter.com/YCS8eByalL  Ashton Pittman (@ashtonpittman) February 28, 2023

First Amendment does not equal freedom from consequences for your speech, Michael Marshall Smith wrote.

I wonder where people learn this from? pic.twitter.com/AMhbxIESxl  Rev. Dr. Doge Christopher Benek  (@benekcj) February 28, 2023

Actor Kiff VandenHeuvel told Ms Greene: I am sorry you experienced this tonight. Its unfair and unkind. Since 2015, we have been in a constant state of experiencing the temperature of this country rising, and YOU have contributed significantly to that increase in temperature.

Our country isnt gone. Our country has gotten more rude, more base, less thoughtful and we stopped listening. Make a change. You have the power to heal some of this divide, you are an elected official. We dont need more firebrands, we need leadership. Lead with ideas, not volume. Own this, he added.
Actress Rose McCowen (in red) gathers with survivors of sexual abuse outside the courthouse after the arrival of Harvey Weinstein at the State Supreme Court in Manhattan January 6, 2020 on the first day of his criminal trial on charges of rape and sexual assault in New York City. - Harvey Weinstein's high-profile sex crimes trial opens on Monday, more than two years after a slew of allegations against the once-mighty Hollywood producer triggered the #MeToo movement that led to the downfall of dozens of powerful men. The disgraced movie mogul faces life in prison if convicted in a New York state court of predatory sexual assault charges, in a trial expected to last six weeks. (TIMOTHY A. CLARY/Getty)

After being sentenced to 16 additional years last week, Harvey Weinstein is all-but-likely to spend the rest of his life behind bars. Weinstein is appealing his rape and sexual assault conviction, but for survivors, they feel justice has finally been served.

Today, he will be sentenced. He cannot hurt anyone anymore, Evgeniya Chernyshova, known in the case as Jane Doe #1, said at Weinsteins sentencing on Feb. 23 at the criminal courthouse in downtown Los Angeles.

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I truly believe that this verdict, and the maximum sentence, will restore the faith in the justice system for many survivors out there, Chernyshova told the judge, moments before Weinstein was handed his punishment.

Chernyshova was the only woman to make a victim impact statement in the courtroom at Weinsteins sentencing, because she is the only accuser whose testimony resulted in the jury convicting Weinstein on three charges. But during the two-month trial, eight women took the stand to testify about their alleged experiences with Weinstein.

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Jane Doe #3, a massage therapist who has remained anonymous outside of the courtroom, testified about numerous instances where Weinstein allegedly assaulted her during massage appointments. The jury acquitted Weinstein of the sexual battery charge relating to her claims. Still, Jane Doe #3 expressed relief in Weinsteins sentencing.

Justice prevailed for survivors, she said in a statement provided by her attorneys. No woman has to fear Harvey Weinstein again as he will never leave prison. I testified against Harvey Weinstein, staring that monster in the eyes for three days in a brutal trial during which Weinsteins lawyers tried to smear me and all of his accusers, claiming that Harvey was the victim of the #MeToo movement. Today, the court rejected this notion and gave Harvey what he deserved.

Jane Doe #3s attorneys, Debra Katz, Lisa Banks and Genie Harrison, applauded her and the other survivors for coming forward against Weinstein.

Society owes a debt of gratitude to the brave women who ended Weinsteins reign of terror as one of the most prolific sexual abusers in history, the attorneys said in a joint statement. It is fitting that he will live out the reminder of his miserable life behind bars.

Jennifer Siebel Newsom, the wife of Gov. Gavin Newsom and the most high-profile witness of the trial, said justice has been served with Weinsteins sentencing, but cautioned the public not to ignore the larger issues of systemic abusers and enablers. This entire process has been one of the hardest experiences of my life, she said in a video the day Weinstein was sentenced. But the most important takeaway is that we all have a role to play in healing this culture in which violence against women is the norm.

Siebel Newsoms attorney, Elizabeth Fegan, says that despite the outcome of the jurys mixed verdict, Weinsteins sentencing was made possible by the eight very courageous women stepped forward to confront this serial rapist. In addition to representing Siebel Newsom in the trial, Fegan also represented former actor and dancer Ashley Matthau, who testified that she was assaulted in 2003 by Weinstein in Puerto Rico where she was working on-location as a dancer in the Miramax film Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights.

My clients, California First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom and Ashley Matthau, were resolute that they were not satisfied with Harvey Weinsteins New York sentence, especially with an appeal in play, Fegan says. Their testimony gave them the power to reclaim their voices, both for themselves and on behalf of the many other women who were abused by Harvey Weinstein. It cant erase the trauma theyve endured, but it can serve as catalyst for change and provide hope to other survivors.

Louisette Geiss, a writer, lyricist and actor, testified during the trial as a corroborating witness of Siebel Newsom. She was not asked on the stand about her own experience, but she was one of the first accusers to come forward in 2017 with sexual abuse allegations against Weinstein.

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I am beyond grateful that Judge Lench sentenced Harvey Weinstein to enough years that will ensure he can never harm another woman again, Geiss tells Variety. Having to testify was beyond challenging to myself and my family, but with this sentence, I know it all was for the greater good. Its about time serial predators feel the wrath of the judicial system.

Geiss spoke to Variety outside the courthouse with fellow Silence Breaker, Caitlin Dulany, who accused Weinstein in 2017 of assaulting her at the Cannes Film Festival in the 1990s. Dulany has become a prominent activist for survivors, elected as a Los Angeles Local Board Member with SAG-AFTRA and serving on their sexual harassment prevention committee. While there will always be a deep sadness and a heaviness in my heart because of the sexual assault I suffered at the hands of Harvey Weinstein more than 27 years ago, today I feel a sense of vindication, Dulany says.

For Dulany, Weinsteins latest sentencing term represents much more than just the Los Angeles trial. She says the conviction is meaningful for the more than 100 woman who have publicly accused Weinstein - many of whom will never get their day in court, due to the statute of limitations and other factors.

Knowing that Weinstein was sentenced to 16 years in prison for the crimes he committed against me and others ensures that some measure of justice was served today, she says. I stand with my fellow survivors who bravely came forward to tell the world about their experiences with Weinstein and then to relive those stories year after year, trial after trial to be a collective voice for all survivors, especially the voiceless. While any amount of time in prison could never make up for the trauma Weinstein caused each of his victims to suffer - a trauma we carry and will continue to carry with us every day of our lives - I have a sense of peace knowing that he will likely spend the remainder of his life in prison.

Silence Breaker Jessica Barth, who was sitting in the courtroom for Weinsteins sentencing with Dulany and Geiss, calls the sentencing a win for all survivors of sexual violence. She hopes the historic outcome of the Weinstein saga will have a positive impact on how the justice system handles sex crimes cases, which are notoriously difficult to prosecuted, and statistically, mostly ignored.

Judge Lenchs decision should embolden the L.A. district attorneys office to prosecute the multiple cases still under review by their office - many for several months, some for years, Barth tells Variety. Every victim of such heinous crimes deserves their voice to be heard. (Barth signals victims in need to contact her non-profile, Voices in Action.)

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While Weinstein has been ordered to serve two consecutive sentences in New York and Los Angeles, he is appealing both convictions. Weinstein, who denies all allegations of sexual assault, faces an uphill legal battle, and many of his accusers shared that they are no longer worried hell walk free now that he has received two lengthy sentences in two separate jurisdictions.

Before Weinsteins attorneys stated their intent to appeal, they attempted to get a new trial with a new jury, which the judge denied. Chernyshova will likely be the primary subject of Weinsteins Los Angeles appeal, as she was the basis of the unsuccessful motion for a new trial. The Russian model, who testified that Weinstein raped her in 2013 during the L.A. Italia Film Festival, has become the key focus of Weinsteins defense, who says she withheld relevant information from the jury and has accused her of having a financial motive, after she filed a civil suit against Weinstein.

Chernyshovas attorney, Dave Ring, isnt concerned about the prospect of Weinsteins appeal. Weinstein is out of options and justice has prevailed, the lawyer says.

It took tremendous courage for Jane Doe #1 and the other victims to come forward and testify against Weinstein, Ring adds. Jane Doe #1 withstood two full days of blistering cross examination by Weinsteins lawyers, but the jurors unanimously convicted him and now he has been sentenced by the court.

Although Weinsteins sentencing is being applauded by his network of survivors, they all state there is still much work to be done for victims of sexual violence.

Womens rights activist and high-profile attorney Gloria Allred, who represented three women in Weinsteins L.A. trial, was disappointed that all of her clients were not given the opportunity to make victim impact statements at the sentencing. (The judge only allowed Chernyshova to make a statement in court, since the other womens testimony did not result in a conviction.)

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Now, Allred is fighting for increased rights for victims, who she believes should be able to speak up at sentencing hearings for their alleged perpetrators. The attorney has filed a petition with the California Court of Appeals, in which she is seeking a ruling that makes clear her clients have a right to give a victim impact statement at Harvey Weinsteins sentencing hearing, even without a conviction in reference to their allegations.

There was justice for Harvey Weinstein, but very little justice for the three victims that I represent and who testified in his criminal case in Los Angeles, Allred tells Variety. Although all of my clients either testified before the Grand Jury, or at trial, or both, the judge in this case denied them what we allege was their constitutional right under the California Constitution to give a victim impact statement at Harvey Weinsteins sentencing today. This denial was deeply hurtful to them.

This case is bigger than the issue of how many years are contained in the sentence for Harvey Weinstein, Allred continues. It is about a victims right to be heard at a sentencing hearing by a court. Victims matter and their voices matter.
Georgia Republican Marjorie Taylore Greene was one of the only two members who voted against a resolution passed by the House of Representatives mourning the loss of lives in the series of earthquakes that struck Turkey and Syria this month.

The House resolution was approved by a bipartisan vote of 412-2, reported WPRI.

Representatives Thomas Massie from Kentucky and Ms Greene voted against the resolution. The reason behind their votes was not immediately known.

Representative Joe Wilson, who sponsored the resolution, called out Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, who has been accused of exploiting the disaster for political gains.

American families prayers and sincere condolences go to the people of Turkiye and Syria. To the brutal Assad regime and its backers  war criminal Putin, the authoritarian ayatollah in Iran  there will be a message: your diversion of humanitarian aid during an earthquake is despicable, Mr Wilson was quoted as saying.

Tonight the House passed my resolution to stand with the people of Turkiye and Syria and against the brutal Assad regime following the devastating earthquakes. https://t.co/PW7BlFqV5p  Joe Wilson (@RepJoeWilson) February 28, 2023

The US Congress stands united. We will never normalize with you. We will hold all those who attempt to normalize with you accountable, and we will not stop supporting the people of Syria to have a government they deserve based on democracy with rule of law, not authoritarians with rule of gun, he added.

Marjorie Taylor Greene and Thomas Massie vote against a resolution that mourns the loss of life in Turkey and Syria caused by the earthquakes pic.twitter.com/1jfldsVRAH  Acyn (@Acyn) February 28, 2023

On 6 February two earthquakes struck Turkey and Syria, killing over 50,000 people.

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According to Turkeys Disaster and Emergency Management the affected regions have been hit by around 10,000 aftershocks.

The resolution also called for increased oversight mechanism that would be used to ensure that funds from the US are not diverted to benefit the Assad regime.

While Ms Greene voted against the resolution, she had earlier this month tweeted her support for those who were struck by the earthquakes.

Praying for Turkey and other countries suffering through deadly earthquakes, she tweeted on 6 February.

Praying for Turkey and other countries suffering through deadly earthquakes.



Thousands are feared dead. https://t.co/uFzQvDeN82  Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (@RepMTG) February 6, 2023

Thousands feared dead.

Mondays resolution also mourned the loss of life and expressed deep condolences for the families of the victims.

It also applauded the humanitarian aid and rescue workers for their heroic work on the ground.
Mark Wahlberg speaks onstage during the 29th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards on Sunday.

Mark Wahlberg speaks onstage during the 29th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards on Sunday.

Mark Wahlberg and the 2023 Screen Actors Guild Awards sparked outrage for souring what should have been a celebratory moment for Asians and Asian Americans.

On Sunday night, Wahlberg presented the mostly Asian cast of Everything Everywhere All At Once with the award for best ensemble cast in a motion picture.

But people were quick to criticize the guild for choosing the Father Stu star to present this award, considering the anti-Asian and anti-Black crimes the actor committed as a teen.

In 1988, a 16-year-old Wahlberg hit a Vietnamese man in the head with a 5-foot wooden stick while trying to steal alcohol, beating the man unconscious and sending him to the hospital, CBS News and USA Today report. That same day, he punched another Vietnamese man in the face while trying to avoid the police. He used a series of racist slurs during the incident, according to NBC News.

Wahlberg was charged as an adult for attempted murder but was instead convicted of assault and served about 45 days in jail. He was also charged with criminal contempt for violating a prior civil rights injunction, CBS reports.

Previously, in 1986, Wahlberg and his friends chased a group of mostly Black fourth-graders on a beach in Boston, threw rocks at them and called them the N-word. Wahlberg and his friends received a civil rights injunction as a warning  meaning that if they committed another hate crime, theyd go to jail. Wahlbergs assault on the two Asian men later violated this.

Wahlberg and the Screen Actors Guild did not immediately reply to a request for comment, but people on Twitter did not hold back.

mark wahlberg (whos committed multiple hate crimes including against asian people) giving sag ensemble prize to a predominantly asian cast is genuinely such an embarrassing thing for hollywood to do  onlyfans.com blue essay help (@thehornsections) February 27, 2023

I gotta say, having Mark Wahlberg, who literally went to jail as a teen for committing a hate crime against a Vietnamese man, present an award to the cast of Everything Everywhere All At Once was certainly a choice  Bonnie Stiernberg (@aahrealbonsters) February 27, 2023

Friendly reminder that Mark Wahlberg violently attacked two Vietnamese men and I think it is quite obtuse that he was the one to announce Everything Everywhere All At Once as the winner of the SAG award tonight.  Brian (@WeActuallyDidIt) February 27, 2023

REALLY interesting that Will Smith wasn't invited to present Best Actress while Mark Wahlberg is presenting the ensemble award to a film with a predominantly Asian cast when he punched and nearly blinded a Vietnamese man...  Matt Samet (@MattSametEsq) February 27, 2023

I feel like if Mark Wahlberg (or his management) wanted his checkered racist past to fade into obscurity, presenting the SAG award to EEEAAO would not have been on the list of gigs to take.  Cecilia Tan (@ceciliatan) February 27, 2023

No Im so fucking mad that a man who brutally assaulted two asian americans and called them slant eyed g**ks got to announce this award thats a historic win for Asian Americans, SAG Awards what the fuck and fuck you Mark Wahlberg  kyra (@theasiantomato) February 27, 2023

mark wahlberg the hate crimer giving the cast of eeaao their sag award and having to stand there during their speech when they were talking about the racism towards asians in hollywood  zoe (@MUGLERlZED) February 27, 2023

now why would they get mark wahlberg to present this to the Asian cast of EEAAO #SAGAwardspic.twitter.com/9kFbsrBg5u  lizzy (@meadowiIton) February 27, 2023

Having Mark Wahlberg present this is so ugly #SAGAwards  The King of Burbank (@akingofburbank) February 27, 2023

Wow these #SAGAwards are going really well. What could go wrong?



Mark Wahlberg: pic.twitter.com/Xu08GF7Ptp  Joe (@Cinema_Joe23) February 27, 2023

In 2014, Wahlberg sought a pardon from Massachusetts state officials for his 1988 conviction but dropped the request in 2016. That year, he told The Wrap that he regretted the pardon request.

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It was one of those things where it was just kind of presented to me, and if I couldve done it over again I would never have focused on that or applied, Wahlberg said, claiming he spent 28 years righting the wrong.

I didnt need a piece of paper to acknowledge it, he added. I was kind of pushed into doing it, I certainly didnt need to or want to relive that stuff over again

He also told The Guardian in 2020 that he did the work to distance himself from his past.

I took it upon myself to own up to my mistakes and go against the grain and not be a part of the gang any more  to say that I was going to go and do my own thing. Which made it 10 times more difficult to walk from my home to the train station, to go to school, to go to work, he said.

But some Twitter users argued that the Asian community deserved better.

out of all people why did they have MARK WAHLBERG, one person tweeted. you couldve chosen anyone else.
[Source]

Mark Wahlberg incited controversy after presenting a Screen Actors Guild (SAG) award to the Everything Everywhere All at Once (EEAAO) cast on Sunday evening.

EEAAO and its cast have continued their trend of dominating award shows this new year, receiving a total of four SAG Awards. Three of the films leading stars  Michelle Yeoh, Jamie Lee Curtis and Ke Huy Quan  received individual acting awards. The entire EEAAO cast later joined the trio on stage to receive the Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture SAG award.

However, Wahlbergs role in presenting the award for EEAAOs predominantly Asian cast quickly caught the attention of many online who criticized his involvement because of his attack on a pair of Vietnamese men when he was younger.

"It must have been quite a shock for Mark Wahlberg to witness a group of Asians beating white people," writer Jeff Yang said on Twitter.

More from NextShark: 10 Asian horror films for a truly terrifying Halloween

It must have been quite a shock for Mark Wahlberg to witness a group of Asians beating white people #SAGAwards2023 pic.twitter.com/ZS5wW3cg5s  Jeff Yang (@originalspin) February 27, 2023

More from NextShark: New comic titled 'White Savior' parodies 'The Last Samurai,' Hollywood tropes

I gotta say, having Mark Wahlberg, who literally went to jail as a teen for committing a hate crime against a Vietnamese man, present an award to the cast of Everything Everywhere All At Once was certainly a choice  Bonnie Stiernberg (@aahrealbonsters) February 27, 2023

More from NextShark: Rapper Apologizes After Saying He Doesn't 'Give a F**k' About Black Lives

now why would they get mark wahlberg to present this to the Asian cast of EEAAO #SAGAwards pic.twitter.com/9kFbsrBg5u  lizzy (@meadowiIton) February 27, 2023

More from NextShark: Netflix drops trailer for romantic K-drama series Welcome To Wedding Hell featuring Lee Jin-wook

As a teenager, Wahlberg was revealed to have a history of racially motivated crimes.

While living in Boston in the 1980s, Wahlberg was charged twice with race-related hate crimes.

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His first charge was the result of a civil action after the then-15-year-old harassed a group of Black children by yelling racial slurs and throwing rocks.

His second charge occurred in 1988, when Wahlberg, who was 16 at the time, physically assaulted two Vietnamese men while on PCP in separate attacks on the same day. Wahlberg was reported to have called the first man, Thahn Lam, Vietnam fucking sh*t" while knocking him unconscious with a wooden stick. Wahlberg punched the second man, army veteran Hoa Trinh, and called him "gook" and "slant eye" while trying to steal beer.

Wahlberg was charged with attempted murder for the attack but would plead guilty to felony assault. The actor also denied accusations that the attack was race related. Although Wahlberg was sentenced to two years in prison on two counts of assault and battery, he would serve a total of 45 days.

In 2014, Wahlberg addressed his actions in an attempt to seek a pardon for his felony convictions, which would remove the event from his criminal records.

I am deeply sorry for the actions that I took on the night of April 8, 1988, as well as for any lasting damage that I may have caused the victims, he wrote.

In 2020, the actor would return to clarify his stance on the event in an interview with The Guardian.

[I] did the work. I took it upon myself to own up to my mistakes and go against the grain and not be a part of the gang any more  to say that I was going to go and do my own thing  whatever path I was going to take, I was going to do the right thing. So I think no, judging a person on what hes doing and where hes coming from and all those things, no, I would hope that people would be able to get a second chance in life.

In 2016, Wahlberg said he met with Trinh and his family to "apologize for these horrific acts."

Trinh has since said after the attack that he forgives the actor, and he publicly expressed support for his pardon in 2014.
Letter From Henry Luce to Parents: When TIMEs co-founders Briton Hadden and Henry Luce were still in pre-production on the new kind of news magazine, they played around with a number of titles for their publication. Here, Luce tells his parents about the idea to call the magazine TIME, and plays around with some slogans that would be used in later advertising campaigns.

<strong>Letter From Henry Luce to Parents:</strong> When TIMEs co-founders Briton Hadden and Henry Luce were still in pre-production on the new kind of news magazine, they played around with a number of titles for their publication. Here, Luce tells his parents about the idea to call the magazine TIME, and plays around with some slogans that would be used in later advertising campaigns. Credit - Fan Chen for TIME; Photo-illustration by TIME

When Bill Hooper started work as an archivist for Time Inc. in 1980, the company was headquartered in the Time-Life building in New York Citys Rockefeller Center complex and the artifacts that told the story of TIMEs history were housed on-site. Hooper quickly became a go-to for staffers questions about the history of the publicationalways ready with a Henry Luce quote or an appropriate anecdote or example. The Time Inc. archives moved to the New-York Historical Society in 2015, but Hooper remains a vital resource and source of knowledge.

Bill Hooper, the Time Inc. archivist, right, and Michael Ryan, left, the library director of the New-York Historical Society, in the Time-Life archive storage space in New York, Nov. 4, 2015. Sam HodgsonThe New York Times/Redux

In the walk-up to the 100th anniversary of TIMEs first issuedated March 3, 1923we spoke to Hooper about the most exciting items in the archives, the colorful personalities behind the red border, and where the publications influence can be seen today.

Read more: 13 Amazing Artifacts From Inside the Time Inc. Archives

TIME: Henry Luce and Briton Hadden co-founded TIME, but I think its fair to say that Luce is better known for it. Do you think the credit for the magazines 1923 launch is fairly proportioned?



I think he does [get more credit], just because Brit Hadden died so young [in 1929 at age 31]. It was Luce who built the empire, but Hadden was the editorial genius.

What exactly was his editorial genius?

He was very interested in language and brevity because he thought the Literary Digest and the New York Times were just too dense and that people were too busy to sift through all of that. He wanted to come up with a magazine that would get you all the news you needed in a week and break it down by sectionsTheater, U.S. News, Medicinewhich was fairly unique at that time. It was about getting the information to readers in really punchy writing and the much-parodied Homeric backward-running sentences, which made it very memorable for people.

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Early TIME magazine staffers outside the original building in New York City, circa 1924. Top row: Briton Hadden; left-right: John S. Martin, T.J.C. Martyn and Niven Busch. The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Are there any stories that stand out to you of writers or editors over the years who were real characters?

James Agee always wore the same yellow flannel shirt every day. When TIME was in the Chrysler Building, John S. Martin, who was a cousin of Haddens, always kept a rifle in his office and would sometimes shoot birds out the window. One time, a duck that he shot landed on the roof of an adjoining building, and he got one of the office boys to go over and retrieve it for him.

What are your favorite bits of surprising trivia about TIME youve learned over the years?

One is the influence that TIME has had on the English language. It coined words like mass market, Tex-Mex, nightclub, homophobia, commute, poster, racketeer, newscast, glitterati, and coffee break.

Another thing that fascinated me was there was a woman who worked for years on the TIME copy desk named Marie Menken Maas. She was an artist and avant-garde filmmaker, married to an English professor at Wagner College. They lived in a penthouse apartment on Montague Street in Brooklyn Heights, and they would have these alcohol-fueled salons every weekend, and their guests were frequently Truman Capote and Edward Albee. Albee acknowledged that Marie and her husband were the inspirations for Martha and George in Whos Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

Read the First Issue Here in the TIME Vault

What was the office like when you first started in 1980?

It was the era of the cocktail cart on magazine closing nights. The reference librarians had to stay really late. I was a heavy smoker. I had ashtrays on my desk. There were ashtrays in the elevators. I did love the coffee cart, too.

What are some of the most prized possessions in the archive?

Documents and letters from Winston Churchill and Joseph McCarthy. Henry Luce had a long relationship with Churchill because he was an admirer, but also because he wanted to [publish] Churchills memoirs. McCarthy didnt like TIMEs coverage of him, [especially a 1951] cover of him and underneath, it said Demagogue McCarthy. So he wrote several letters threatening to lead an advertising boycott of TIME magazine that was gonna put us out of business. But he did not succeed.

John F. Kennedy TIME Subscription: Joe Kennedy, father of President John F. Kennedy, sent a letter to Luce in 1957 with a gift subscription receipt enclosed. Kennedy wrote, You see, even twenty-four years ago when Jack was at the ripe old age of fifteen, I thought he should begin reading Time. Could it be that the diligent support of this idea has made him as smart as he is? Fan Chen for TIME

What are some of your most unexpected finds in the archives?

President John F. Kennedys daddy, Joseph Kennedy, was going through his files, and he found a gift subscription card [from when] he had given a subscription to JFK when he was a teenager, and thought Luce would like it. His letter to Luce was wondering if [the magazine] was one of the things that made his son so smart.

One of our correspondents during World War II ended up in Hitlers headquarters and wrote a letter on Hitlers stationery, at his typewriter, to the magazine. It was heavy cream-colored stationary with a heavily embossed swastika on it. It was a fascinating, ghastly artifact. But it was fascinating that [TIME] was there.

What are some of the places where you see the influence of TIME in other news coverage today?

TIME invented the newsmagazine. Newsweek was started by Thomas J.C. Martyn, TIMEs first foreign news editor. When TIME briefly re-located to Cleveland, Martin had a family, and Luce wouldnt pay to move him, so he quit and started Newsweek [in 1933].

Brevity was something that they really focused on in the early days of TIME. It was essentially rewriting primarily New York Times articles thought to be too long and dense, and so they shortened them and punched them up. With news sites now, theres an emphasis on the economy of language. Get the facts in here, but make your point and make it brief.
Martin Lewis has called on the government not to raise energy bills. (PA)

Martin Lewis has predicted Rishi Sunak could scrap the government's plan to increase energy bills in April.

The broadcaster and founder of MoneySavingExpert said he believes the prime minister will backtrack on plans to raise energy bills by 20%.

The government's energy price guarantee (EPG), the taxpayer-funded cap on bills, is set to rise from 2,500 a year for the typical property to 3,000 in April.

But there have been widespread calls to ditch the increase as wholesale energy prices have fallen while the UK continues to grapple with a cost of living crisis.

Speaking to LBC Radio on Monday evening, Lewis said: "Reading the runes, and I'm careful of my phrasing, I think we may well get a win here.

"I think there is better than a 50/50 chance of it not going up."

Lewis described the planned rise as a "national act of mental health harm".

He added: "Politically, it's not a very clever move either. It's the government that sets prices, not the regulator, not firms. And it's the government that will be putting them up 20% in April if it happens."

Lewis has previously said that then-chancellor Sunak called him to discuss the government's energy bill support package last May, days before the government announced a 15 billion support package.

In December the current chancellor Jeremy Hunt met with Lewis and the head of the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), to discuss how lenders provide support for those who encounter problems paying their mortgage.

Energy price cap

On Monday, regulator Ofgem announced that from the start of April it is lowering its energy price cap - the amount suppliers are able to charge  from the current 4,279 per year to 3,280 for the average household.

Read more: The supermarket where prices have gone up the most

The regulator said the reduction of almost 1,000 reflects recent falls in wholesale energy prices.

The 3,280 figure indicates how much consumers on their energy suppliers basic tariff would pay if the governments EPG was not in place.

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Watch: Ofgem lowers energy price cap but bills still expected to rise

But customers will pay about 20% more on their bills  approximately 500  as the governments EPG becomes less generous from the beginning of April, leading to an average bill of 3,000.

When the upcoming end of the 400 energy rebate scheme  paid in six instalments of 66 and 67 a month  is factored in, the potential energy cost for households will increase even more.

Ofgem chief executive Jonathan Brearley warned: Although wholesale prices have fallen, the price cap has not yet fallen below the planned level of the energy price guarantee. This means that, on current policy, bills will rise again in April. I know that for many households this news will be deeply concerning."

And Citizens Advice chief executive Dame Clare Moriarty said the increase will spell catastrophe for millions of households without further support from the government.

With energy prices falling faster than expected, chancellor Jeremy Hunt is under pressure to maintain the energy price guarantee at its current rate when he delivers his budget on 15 March, as the cost to the taxpayer would be lower than forecast.

On Tuesday, energy secretary Grant Shapps said he was "very sympathetic" to calls to protect households from the rise in the price guarantee.

Energy bills are set to rise for UK households from April. (Alamy)

He told The Times: "I completely recognise the argument over keeping that price guarantee in place, and the chancellor and I are working very hard on it. Im very sympathetic to making sure that we protect (people). Were looking at this very, very carefully."

Sunak said on Tuesday: "The government is still continuing to cap energy bills.

"Thats what the energy price guarantee is, it means that whatever happens, the government is going to step in and cap the maximum that anyone will pay. So that is a really big statement of support to everybody."

Asked about Shapps comments on the EPG, the prime ministers official spokesman said: "Its something we are just keeping under review. I dont think theres a specific time we are working to.

"By the end of June the energy price guarantee will have saved the typical household in Great Britain around 1,000 since it began."

Watch: Rishi Sunak says 'energy costs are a major challenge'
Good Morning Britains Martin Lewis has expressed worry that the government will harm the nations mental health ahead of a new energy price announcement.

The Money Saving Expert founder appeared on Mondays edition of the morning show (27 February) before Ofgem announced the new energy price cap.

Lewis, 50, urged the government to step in to avoid an act of national mental health harm as Ofgem prepared to announce that the price cap would be reduced expected to be reduced by 1,000 to 3,300 for someone on typical use.

He blasted the proposed plans and advised the government to reverse them.

Please do not do the price increase in April. It will only likely be in effect for three months, he said.

It seems to be an act of national mental health harm to send millions a letter saying your energy bills are going to up by 20 per cent again when theyve already more than doubled.

Martin explained that the government is expected to spend less money subsidising energy bills and urged them to spend more now to help people cope with rising bills.

On Monday, Ofgem confirmed it has slashed the price cap on the amount energy suppliers are able to charge up to 3,280 from 1 April, falling from 4,279 at present.

The Money Saving Expert actor has raised concern over peoples mental health during the cost of living crisis (Getty)

But the energy regulator has announced households will pay up to 500 more on energy bills, despite its price cap falling by 1000 from April.

It is estimated that households are still expected to fork out hundreds more because the government increased its own price cap on bills.

The Energy Price Cap (EPC) is the maximum amount a utility company can charge an average customer in the UK per year for the amount of electricity and gas they use in kilowatt hours (kWh). It is designed to prevent businesses from simply passing on cost increases to the consumer.

Set by the regulator Ofgem and first introduced in January 2019, the cap only applies to customers who are on a standard variable tariff, typically a providers default and most expensive option.

Lewis said in the show: Because the cap is still higher than the energy price guarantee, the cap is irrelevant.

TUC general secretary Paul Nowak agreed with Lewis, saying on Monday: Energy bills are out of control. The government must cancel Aprils hike. With the cost of wholesale gas plummeting, ministers have no excuse for not stepping in.
matt gaetz owned - Credit: Ricky Carioti/The Washington Post/Getty Images

Matt Gaetz has been one of the most vocal Republicans in Congress when it comes to cracking down on China. It had to be more than a little embarrassing on Tuesday, then, when the Florida congressman got called out in a House Armed Services Committee hearing for citing Chinese propaganda while trying to make a point about cutting off U.S. aid to Ukraine.

Is the Azov Battalion getting access to U.S. weapons? Gaetz asked Colin Kahl, the U.S. defense undersecretary for policy. The Azov Battalion is a controversial, far-right unit within Ukraines national guard. Kahl seemed confused. Not that Im aware of, he said. But if you have information Id be happy to hear it.

More from Rolling Stone

Gaetz then entered into the record a report from the Global Times about how the Azov Battalion was getting U.S. weapons as far back as 2018. Any reason to disagree with that assessment?

Im sorry, is this the Global Times from China? Kahl asked.

No, this is Gaetz began before looking at his notes. It might be, yeah, he continued.

As a general matter, I dont take Beijings propaganda at face value, Kahl said.

Gaetz asked him to answer the question. I dont have any evidence one way or the other, Kahl said before reiterating that he doesnt take Beijings propaganda at face value.

Fair enough, I would agree with that assessment, Gaetz said before quickly moving on.

"As a general matter I don't take Beijing's propaganda at face value"  Absolutely amazing: Matt Gaetz tried to use literal Chinese propaganda during a congressional hearing, and got called on it by a witness pic.twitter.com/2OS9Q9z9Ad  Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) February 28, 2023

Khal wasnt the only one who dunked on Gaetz on Tuesday. Rep. Eric Swalwell called him out for inviting Corey Beekman, a combat veteran, to lead the Pledge of Allegiance ahead of the years first Judiciary Committee hearing. It is my pleasure and distinct honor to introduce to the committee Staff Sergeant Corey Ryan Beekman, an American hero and a constituent of mine residing in Pensacola, Florida, Gaetz said.

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As Swalwell pointed out on Tuesday, Beekman is an accused murderer who wound up in a standoff with police. Thats why theres a trust deficit here, Swalwell said. You pull off a public stunt to try to own the libs, and what you did is you brought in a guy who allegedly shot two people and killed one of them. Thats where the trust deficit is.

Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) slams Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) for bringing somebody that he met at a gun club to the first House Judiciary Committee hearing to lead the Pledge of Allegiance.



Turns out, Gaetzs honored guest was charged with killing a family member in April 2019. pic.twitter.com/15Dzmo343u  The Recount (@therecount) February 28, 2023

Gaetz apologized to the family of Billy Buchanan, whom Beekman allegedly shot and killed, in a statement to the Daily Beast earlier this month. The family of Billy Buchanan brought the situation to my attention, and Im glad they did, Gaetz said, adding that the decision had some unintended consequences.

Best of Rolling Stone

Click here to read the full article.
GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz during a House Armed Services Committee hearing on February 28, 2023. Screenshot via C-SPAN

Rep. Matt Gaetz unknowingly cited from a Chinese propaganda outlet during a congressional hearing.

Gaetz appeared to recognize his mistake when the Pentagon official he was questioning asked him to clarify the source.

"As a general matter, I don't take Beijing's propaganda at face value," the official said. "Fair enough," Gaetz replied.

Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz cited an unusual source during a congressional hearing about US military aid to Ukraine.

Gaetz has long been an outspoken critic of continued US security assistance to Ukraine as it fends off Russia's military invasion. During Tuesday's House Armed Services Committee hearing, he brought up a report by China's Global Times that he said talks about the US training Ukrainian soldiers.

Gaetz didn't appear to know, however, that the Global Times is a Chinese Communist Party-controlled outlet with an ultranationalist agenda until the witness he was questioning pointed it out.

"Is the Azov battalion getting access to US weapons?" Gaetz asked Colin Kahl, the US's undersecretary of defense for policy. The Azov battalion is a far-right nationalist regiment in Ukraine, and some of its members serve in Ukraine's armed forces.

"Not that I'm aware of, but if you have information, happy to hear it," Kahl told Gaetz.

Gaetz then asked to enter the Global Times report into the congressional record and cited from the paper to support his allegation that the Azov battalion was "getting stuff as far back as 2018."

"Any reason to disagree with that assessment?" Gaetz asked Kahl.

"Is this the  I'm sorry, is this the Global Times from China?" Kahl said.

"No, this is " Gaetz began, before leaning over to read from the article he was quoting.

"That's what you read," Kahl said.

"Well, it might be," Gaetz said. "Yeah, it might be, yeah."

"As a general matter, I don't take Beijing's propaganda at face value," Kahl replied.

"No, no, just tell me if the allegation is true or false," Gaetz said.

Kahl reiterated that he didn't have any evidence one way or another and repeated that "as a general matter, I don't take Beijing's propaganda at face value."

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Gaetz conceded the point, saying, "Fair enough, I would agree with that assessment."

Watch the exchange below:

Asked for comment, a spokesman for Gaetz told Insider: "Congressman Gaetz wanted to ask if the report was true. The panelist said it wasn't true, and that was a good enough answer for him."

Read the original article on Business Insider
WASHINGTON (AP)  House Speaker Kevin McCarthy is defending his decision to give Fox News' Tucker Carlson exclusive access to Jan. 6 security footage of the Capitol attack, despite the conservative commentator's own work raising false claims and conspiracy theories about the 2021 riot over Joe Biden's election.

McCarthy vowed Tuesday to eventually make roughly 42,000 hours of sensitive Capitol Police security videos available to the broader public as soon as possible, but made it clear the Fox News commentator had first dibs. The Republican McCarthy is also supportive of giving access to some of the nearly 1,000 defendants being prosecuted for their roles in the siege.

Five people died in the Jan. 6, 2021 attack and its aftermath after then-President Donald Trump encouraged a mob of supporters to fight like hell as Congress was tallying the election results from the states.

I dont care what side of the issue you are on. Thats why I think putting it out all to the American public, you can see the truth. See exactly what transpired that day, McCarthy told reporters at the Capitol.

Have you ever had an exclusive? Because I see it on your networks all the time. So we have exclusive, then Ill give it out to the entire country, McCarthy said.

The speaker's decision to release the mountains of police security footage has set off a firestorm at the Capitol over the way the images will be potentially used as a political tool to rewrite the history of what happened that deadly day. Fox News is facing new scrutiny in a separate court case over its airing of false claims about the 2020 election that Trump lost to Biden.

It's also raising new concerns about sensitive security operations at the Capitol. While video from the Jan. 6 riot has already widely aired as part of the public hearings last summer by the House committee investigating the attack  including from the police cameras, documentarians like then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's daughter who filmed secret locations and even the rioters themselves  McCarthy is making available almost 42,000 hours of footage, three times what was first seen, from cameras stationed in all corners of the Capitol complex.

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We are deeply concerned that the release of footage related to the January 6 violent insurrection will reveal some security details that could create some challenges in terms of the safety and well being of everyone on the Capitol Complex, said Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y.

Rep. Bennie Thompson, the former chairman of the House Jan. 6 committee, said the panel went through a painstaking process to work closely with the U.S. Capitol Police to review and ultimately release approved segments of the surveillance footage as part of its public hearings.

Im supportive of a process, if this is true transparency, that would not compromise the integrity or the security of the Capitol, the Mississippi Democrat said.

When McCarthy told fellow Republicans behind closed doors about his decision Tuesday, he was greeted with applause, according to a person who was familiar with the private conference meeting but unauthorized to speak about it publicly.

The speaker has had a rocky relationship with Carlson, who has been critical of McCarthy's leadership, but the influential Fox News commentator ultimately stood down when the California Republican was battling to become House speaker in a dragged-out party vote earlier this year. It was seen as helping to boost McCarthy to the job.

McCarthy insisted he was taking measures to ensure security at the Capitol would not be jeopardized by the release, but declined to provide details  only to say that Carlson made it clear to the speakers team he did not want to show exit routes used by lawmakers or others.

Access to the footage will also be available to defendants who are facing charges over their alleged involvement in Jan. 6. McCarthy said defendants have had access before, but if its still needed, We can supply that to them too.

The House Administration Committee's subcommittee on Oversight, which is chaired by Rep. Barry Loudermilk, R-Ga., is making accommodations for any attorneys representing defendants who have asked to view the footage, the person familiar with the situation said.

Democrats on the panel said they were deeply troubled by McCarthy's actions, warning that access to such large swaths of footage could expose security vulnerabilities to be used by those who might wish to attack the Capitol again, according to a report. They vowed to conduct oversight.

But the Republican leader has made it clear he is working to set the record as he sees it, and repeatedly complained that other media outlets, including CNN, already had received exclusives to show video last year, when Democrats held the majority in House.

McCarthy also suggested it was unfair that the Jan. 6 panel, which disbanded once Republicans took control of the House, released security video during the riot of former Vice President Mike Pence fleeing for safety as well as the GOP leader's own staff scrambling to secure their office.

It was disturbing to me that the January 6 committee would show the exit strategy of the vice president, McCarthy told reporters Tuesday. What I thought would be best is if the entire world and the country could see what transpired.

Carlson has said that his producers have been on Capitol Hill since early February, poring over the footage after getting the unfettered access from McCarthy.

The archive is a potential trove of the inner workings of the Capitol and includes the hideaways of lawmakers as well as the evacuation routes that Capitol Police used to usher leadership and rank-and-file members to safety. It also includes long moments of empty hallways where nothing is happening.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said the release of tapes to Carlson was despicable and said he would not agree to release them to other media. Security has to be the number one concern, Schumer said.

Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell would not comment directly on McCarthys move, saying his only concern is the security of the Capitol.

__

Associated Press writer Mary Clare Jalonick contributed to this report.
The word radicalization doesnt appear in Shannon ONeills The Kelly Girls, but the concept looms large in this politically charged family drama, now in its world premiere at The Factory Theater. Directed by Spenser Davis, the play is set in Belfast, Northern Ireland, during the early years of The Troubles  a euphemistically monikered period of sectarian violence that lasted from the late 1960s to 1998.

Loosely based on a real family, The Kelly Girls tells the story of Fianna (Amber Washington) and Regan (Brittney Brown), two sisters who join the Provisional Irish Republican Army in its fight for a united, independent Ireland. As the young women carry out bombings, kidnappings and assassinations with their guerrilla unit, the play raises the age-old questions of how and why ordinary citizens transform into ruthless killers and explores the toll this brutality takes on combatants and their families. The individual capacity for bloodshed surely haunts our history as a species, from when our earliest ancestors first took up arms against each other through the countless conflicts of the 20th century to the current war in Ukraine.

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In her treatment of these themes, ONeill aims to balance universality and specificity, with mixed results. On the one hand, shes careful not to bog down the text with history lessons  terms like Sinn Fein and the UVF are thrown around with little explanation  but viewers without a passing knowledge of modern Irish history may have trouble keeping track of the complex politics. Little back story is provided about earlier periods in the struggle for Irish independence, beyond making it clear that this is a multigenerational affair (the sisters parents are IRA veterans).

Ben Veatch, Brittney Brown and Amber Washington in "The Kelly Girls" at The Factory Theater. (Candice Conner, Oomphotography / HANDOUT)

Political machinations aside, The Kelly Girls is primarily a family story. Despite the plentiful rhetoric about uniting Ireland and ending the oppression of Catholics, the play posits that Fianna joins the Provisional IRA to protect her family in the wake of her fathers death. Regan later volunteers as well, against Fiannas wishes, and becomes even more radicalized than her older sister. While Fianna begins to doubt their tactics after a particularly horrible mission, Regan doubles down on her coldblooded approach.

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ONeill attempts to establish the family relationships as they existed before the sisters went off to fight, but theres not much time to get to know these characters and feel the connections between them that would lead to an emotional payoff later. The early scenes introduce the parents, Shane (Ben Veatch) and Dierdre (Anne Sheridan Smith), whose political views have diverged in recent years despite their shared commitment to the Irish Republican cause. Now a middle-aged pub owner, Shane favors a more conciliatory approach in hopes of a peaceful life for their daughters, while the fiery Dierdre doesnt hesitate to pull a gun on a shopkeeper who refuses to sell his products to Catholics. This tension between the parents mirrors the later splintering of the sisters relationship.

A boisterous family dinner scene early on demonstrates the loving, playful dynamics between the four. At one point, Fianna helps Regan practice the Irish stepdance she is learning for school  one of the few interactions we see between the sisters during their happier adolescence.

(clockwise from bottom left) Ben Veatch, Brittney Brown, Anne Sheridan Smith and Amber Washington in "The Kelly Girls" at The Factory Theater. (Candice Conner, Oomphotography / HANDOUT)

When Shane is killed by a bomb early in the first act, the family is shattered and Fianna immediately goes off to fight, while Regan becomes active in protests before joining her sister.

Much of the play takes place during the Kelly girls time as paramilitary combatants, and the events are framed as memories that Fianna recounts in interviews for the Boston College Library in the 1980s. Washington and Brown channel the sisters anger and passion for the cause with intense performances, rarely pausing from the whirlwind cycle of violence. In their most moving scene, the two share a jail cell in London, weakened by a monthslong hunger strike and are comforting each other as they face possible death. The play would benefit from more such moments that allow the actors to display greater range and give the audience a chance to reflect.

Although the familys relationships could be better developed, ONeills play effectively strips back the political rhetoric and examines the personal reasons that drive people to violence. When she has finished telling her familys story, Fianna challenges the audience to judge for themselves: Was it worth it? I cant imagine anyone answering in the affirmative. While not exactly a pacifists creed, The Kelly Girls reveals the hollow shells of individual lives and families that bloodshed leaves behind.

Emily McClanathan is a freelance critic.

Review: The Kelly Girls (2.5 stars)

When: Through April 1

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Where: The Factory Theater, 1623 W. Howard St.

Running time: 1 hour, 50 minutes

Tickets: $25 at thefactorytheater.com and 312-275-5757
Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) said he would have difficulty supporting Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) if he runs for reelection, as the freshman congressman draws scrutiny amid questions about his finances and background.

I think wed have to see the election. Id probably have a little difficulty doing that, McCarthy told reporters in the Capitol on Tuesday when asked if he would support Santos should he run again.

Santos  who is roughly two months into his two-year term representing New Yorks third congressional district  has not yet indicated if he will run for reelection in 2024. According to CNN, the congressman initially signaled to Republicans that he would not seek a second term, but then changed his tone and said he is considering another bid.

A deadline to answer that question, however, is nearing.

Earlier this month, the Federal Elections Commission sent a letter to the congressman asking if he plans to run for reelection in 2024. It came after his campaign reported tens of thousands of dollars worth of contributions and expenditures in the time period following the November election.

The agency requested that he respond by March 14. The Hill reached out to Santos for comment on McCarthys remarks.

In his short time in Congress, Santos has found himself at the center of a growing controversy as more and more questions emerge regarding his background and financial disclosure forms.

In December, before being sworn into the House, Santos admitted to embellishing parts of his resume  specifically claims about his work history and education. He is also facing questions about statements he made regarding his religion, the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and an assassination attempt against him. A number of entities have received formal complaints about Santos or are said to be looking into him.

Earlier this month, Santos told television host Piers Morgan in an interview that he did not think people would discover his resume fabrications because he got away with making the same falsehoods when he unsuccessfully ran for Congress in 2020.

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The congressman has received bipartisan calls to resign amid the mounting scrutiny. One name not on that list, however, is McCarthy, who has consistently deferred to the House Ethics Committee when asked about disciplinary action against Santos.

The congressman did, however, step down from his committee assignments after meeting with McCarthy the day before.

Asked on Tuesday if he had changed his view on the freshman lawmaker, McCarthy emphasized the importance of due process before pointing to the Ethics Committee.

Ive always said from the very beginning, Ethics will get together, I think Ethics is gonna look into the situation. If something arises to that point, theres consequences for actions that you take, McCarthy said.

The congressional panel  which has received two complaints regarding Santos  is expected to launch an investigation into the congressman.

Despite the controversy brewing around him, Santos has been adamant that he will serve out his term.

Let me be very clear, Im not leaving, Im not hiding and I am NOT backing down, he wrote on Twitter earlier this month. I will continue to work for #NY03 and no amount of Twitter trolling will stop me. Im looking forward to getting what needs to be done, DONE!

Emily Brooks contributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) on Tuesday said that Speaker Kevin McCarthys (R-Calif.) decision to share security footage from the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol exclusively with Fox News host Tucker Carlson was despicable and damaging to security.

Asked whether he would share the security footage of the attack, some of which was aired publicly during former President Trumps 2021 impeachment hearing and during the hearings of the House select Jan. 6 committee, he said it would need to be reviewed by experts.

Look, I think what McCarthy did was despicable, damaged our security, Schumer said of his House Republican counterpart. Certainly  when he listens to a small group of the MAGA right, hes going to run into trouble himself.

As for releasing it, security has to be the No. 1 concern, he said.

McCarthy decided last week to grant Carlson access to all of the Capitols security footage from Jan. 6, sparking widespread controversy given Carlsons work on a 2021 documentary series that framed the attack on the Capitol as a false flag operation intended to turn public opinion against former President Trump and his supporters.

Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) on Tuesday dodged a question about whether he agreed with McCarthys decision to share sensitive footage with Carlson, who entertained Trumps claims of a stolen election on his show while privately expressing extreme skepticism about them.

Going back to when Speaker [Nancy] Pelosi [D-Calif.] was Speaker, my main concern is the security of the Capitol, the GOP leader said tersely.

Asked if sharing the footage may compromise Capitol security, McConnell reiterated security of the Capitol, which he said was obviously severely threatened on Jan. 6 was his top concern.

Rep. Barry Loudermilk (R-Ga.), the chair of the House Administration Subcommittee on Oversight, said Tuesday that footage from Jan. 6 would be subject to a security review before going to Fox News.

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Its basically controlled access to be able to view tapes. Cant record, cant take anything with you. Then they will request any particular clips that  that they may need, and then well make sure that theres nothing sensitive, nothing classified  you know, escape routes, Loudermilk said in response to a question from The Hill.

Emily Brooks contributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Speaker Kevin McCarthys (R-Calif.) move to give Fox News host Tucker Carlson access to tens of thousands of hours of Capitol security footage from the Jan. 6 attack has the potential to warm his relationship with cable televisions most powerful conservative commentator.

Over the last few years, Carlson has taken high-profile jabs at McCarthy, knocking the GOP leader as a puppet Democrat better suited for MSNBC than the Speakership. In granting Carlson exclusive access to the footage, McCarthy fulfilled an explicit request from Carlson during last months Speakers fight.

The move has sparked a firestorm of controversy on Capitol Hill, where Democrats are hammering the decision to give sensitive security footage to a media figure whose 2021 Patriot Purge documentary series suggested the riot was a false flag operation designed to persecute Trump supporters.

Yet Carlson has become the most-watched cable news pundit not despite such controversies, but largely because of them. And Carlsons influence is unmatched by any other commentator in the conservative ecosystem  a dynamic, sources say, that likely influenced McCarthys decision to grant him exclusive access to the Jan. 6 footage.

If youre a Republican politician and Tucker mentions you in a negative way, youre immediately making phone calls trying to figure out how to make it stop. I dont think theres anyone else who really has that type of influence, said one GOP operative. Tuckers influence on the right, we have not seen anything like it since the days of Rush Limbaugh.

McCarthy moves to win over GOP allies

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) speaks with Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.)

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) speaks with Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) during the fourth ballot for Speaker on the second day of the 118th session of Congress on Wednesday, January 4, 2023. (Greg Nash)

McCarthy has taken long strides in recent months to build the trust of conservatives on and off Capitol Hill whove been wary of his right-wing credentials, and his move to grant Carlson access to the tapes is widely seen as an extension of that.

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Hes done a masterful job of building bridges inside the conference  [Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.)] has become a major ally, for example  and now with the most influential conservative media figure in the country, Tucker, said a source who has spoken to both Carlson and McCarthy. Kevin has actually given them a seat at the table and put wins on the scoreboard on issues they care about.

Tapes a goodwill gesture

Tucker Carlson. (AP/Richard Drew)

When asked for comment for this story and the relationship between McCarthy and Carlson, the Speakers office pointed to a previous McCarthy statement on granting Carlsons team access to the tapes.

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 told The New York Times last week.

The list of McCarthys conservative doubters has included Carlson, and some observers familiar with the touchy history between the two power brokers say McCarthy has granted Carlson access to footage in order to gain favor with the popular pundit and his millions of viewers.

This is clearly a goodwill gesture from Kevin to show Tucker that hell make sure to listen to the conservative wing of the Republican Party. And Tucker obviously appreciates that, said another Republican operative familiar with the relationship between Carlson and McCarthy. But look, Im sure eventually Kevin will make some sort of vote or comment, and then Tucker will criticize him. But thats his job, to call balls and strikes.

McCarthys working with Carlson on the Jan. 6 footage marks a notable evolution in their sometimes icy public relationship.

McCarthy and Carlsons history

Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.)

Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) arrives to speak with reporters following a meeting with President Biden at the White House in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, February 1, 2023. (Greg Nash)

After the revelation of a taped conversation between McCarthy and GOP leaders in the aftermath of Jan. 6, when McCarthy wondered whether Twitter could take away the accounts of some House Republicans, Carlson said that McCarthy was a puppet of the Democratic Party and in private sounds like an MSNBC contributor.

In 2021, Carlson slammed McCarthy for renting a room from pollster Frank Luntz, who Carlson charged had lobbied on behalf of some of the most left-leaning causes. And Carlson separately criticized McCarthys stance on Big Tech antitrust issues.

Some sources thought that while McCarthy and Carlson are not necessarily best friends, the animosity between them has been overblown. The Fox News host is a frequent critic of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), but those critiques do not often get as much attention as the handful of times that Carlson has directly gone after McCarthy.

As McCarthy faced opposition to being elected Speaker from 20 House Republicans, forcing a days-long floor battle, Carlson described McCarthy as ideologically agnostic.

But the Fox News host did not join the hard-line GOP members in staunchly opposing McCarthy or demanding an alternative. Carlson also called McCarthy skilled in politics and in some ways perfectly suited to lead a divided House.

Carlson also suggested some concessions from McCarthy to earn support. Chief among them: releasing security footage from Jan. 6.

The Speakership negotiations

Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) speaks Rep. Andrew Garbarino (R-N.Y.)

Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) speaks Rep. Andrew Garbarino (R-N.Y.) as the House votes to adjourn following the fourteenth ballot for Speaker on Friday, January 6, 2023. (Greg Nash)

Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) has said that, as part of the Speakership negotiations, McCarthy had promised to release the full library of Jan. 6 surveillance video from around the Capitol complex.

Carlson had suggested releasing the tapes online. Instead, McCarthy is granting Carlson and his team exclusive access to the footage.

The moves have won McCarthy praise from the right, but have also led to charges that hes using the powers of the Speakership for his own personal political advantage, not that of the party or the country.

Its part of a pattern of pandering to the fringe elements of his own party. And I say pattern because weve just seen that unfold since he, after 15 rounds of voting, finally won the Speakers race  narrowly  and promptly rewarded those who led the fight against his election with plum assignments, said Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.), a senior member of the House Oversight and Accountability Committee.

Its pure pandering to the biggest audience of the right that he can find, to keep them happy and complacent, and win some brownie points with Tucker Carlson and his viewing audience, he added. And the consequences be damned.

Carlson said on his show last week that his team was working on looking through the roughly 44,000 hours of footage, saying that his team has been granted unfettered access  but did not specifically mention McCarthy.

His team is working to figure out how the footage contradicts  or not  the story weve been told for two years, Carlson said. We think, already, that in some ways it does contradict that story.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Philadelphia state Rep. Joanna McClinton on Tuesday became the first woman to serve as speaker of the Pennsylvania House, ascending to the chambers top position on the strength of a fresh one-vote Democratic majority.

The leadership reshuffling came nearly two months after Rep. Mark Rozzi, a Berks County Democrat, became the surprise choice for speaker. Democrats flipped a net of 12 seats in November to retake majority control after more than a decade, but their margin did not become effective until their candidates won three special elections earlier this month.

Rozzi had been serving as speaker since his surprise election on Jan. 3, and said Tuesday he was willingly stepping aside but would remain a House member.

He called McClinton one of the most intelligent and compassionate women I have met in politics.

In nominating her, Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta, D-Philadelphia, noted McClinton is also the second African American to serve as speaker, after the late Speaker Leroy Irvis. The vote was 102-99, reflecting two absences.

Shes brilliant, formidable, and she gives voice to our values in ways that ring so true it reverberates around this chamber, said Rep. Dan Frankel, D-Allegheny.

McClinton, 40, a state lawmaker since 2015, grew up in southwest Philadelphia, where she still lives, and attended La Salle University and Villanova Law School. She has worked as a public defender and a state Senate attorney.

She has been the Democratic floor leader since 2020, and was also the first woman to hold that position.

Republicans nominated Rep. Carl Metzgar of Somerset County.

Rozzis top legislative priority, a two-year window for victims to file otherwise outdated lawsuits with claims of child sexual abuse, passed the House last week.

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WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell called on Congress on Tuesday to increase defense spending in the coming year to confront what he termed growing threats from Russia and China.

"In this environment, we need to continue to plus up defense," McConnell told reporters, adding that other NATO countries also need to increase their emphasis on defense.

His remarks could put him at odds with Republicans in the House of Representatives who are considering proposals to keep defense spending at current levels in fiscal year 2024, which begins on Oct. 1, while cutting about $150 billion mainly from nondefense discretionary spending.

House Republicans intend to use the current debt ceiling debate to exact spending cuts from President Joe Biden and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer.

But McConnell, who has taken a back seat to House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in debt and spending discussions up to now, said defense allocations must meet the challenges that face the United States on the global stage.

"We have not only Russia and Ukraine ... but we have the ongoing challenge of meeting China in the future," McConnell said at a news conference.

"Our allies around the world are seriously focused now on having defense spending fit the need, and the need obviously by any estimation is going up."

Last year, Congress passed an omnibus spending bill that included $13.4 billion in economic aide for Ukraine and $2.4 billion to help resettle Ukrainians in the United States.

The military aid came on top of a record $858 billion in U.S. defense spending for the current fiscal year, which marked an increase from $740 billion and exceeded a request from Biden.

(Reporting by David Morgan and Katharine Jackson; Editing by Chris Reese and Alistair Bell)
Bella DuBalle is a drag performer in Memphis, Tennessee. Drew Parker/Courtesy of Bella DuBalle

Tennessee just passed a law outlawing drag shows in public.

Bella DuBalle, a Memphis-based drag queen, said the law is "terrifying" and puts her at risk.

"I could go to prison for six years for appearing in a public pride parade," she told Insider.

Bella DuBalle, a Memphis-based drag queen, is speaking out against a Tennessee bill outlawing drag in public.

The text of the drag ban says "adult cabaret performances" cannot be performed "on public property or in a location where the adult cabaret performance could be viewed by a person who is not an adult." It identifies "male and female impersonators"  drag kings and drag queens  as adult cabaret performers. Governor Bill Lee signed the bill into law on Thursday.

In an interview with Insider, DuBalle called the ban "terrifying" and said she's personally afraid for her own safety.

The ban specifies that a second offense is considered a Class E felony, which carries a jail sentence of up to six years.

"I could go to prison for six years for appearing in a public pride parade," DuBalle said.

Tennessee's public drag ban is one of the latest anti-LGBTQ bills making their way through legislatures across the country. Drag in particular has become an avatar for right-wing attacks on LGBTQ rights. More than a dozen anti-drag bills were introduced in statehouses just this year.

Outside of drag, DuBalle identifies as nonbinary and said she worries the way she dresses could run her afoul of the law.

"I'm scared if I'm wearing gender-nonconforming clothing in Kroger and somebody has their kids and they clutch 'em tight and call the cops, I could get arrested just for presenting the way I present in my daily life," she said.

DuBalle said the ban might make life hard for trans, gender-nonconforming, and nonbinary individuals.

Supporters of the law have argued that it's written to protect children, a characterization DuBalle disagreed with.

"There has never once been a child who has been sexually assaulted or harmed at a drag show or a pride performance. If there had been, it would be a poster image for their campaign, we would see it everywhere," she said.

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"If you want to contrast it with the absolute piles and piles of records of sexual abuse and misconduct in our churches, but we don't try and ban people from taking their kids to church," she continued.

DuBalle said she has noticed a vibe shift among her performer friends in Tennessee. She said their focus is now less on creating a festive and happy environment and more on educating audiences about the political history of drag.

She said she's noticed that many of them have begun to include a "somber" statement in their performance to demonstrate how the law is affecting them.

"We can't ignore it and it's why I speak out in every single show now. It's why we've gotten so loud because if we don't fight for ourselves, we're afraid no one else will," she said.

Leaving Tennessee is not an option for DuBalle. The state has been her home for 43 years, and she's put down roots there, she said.

DuBalle said she also wants to stay to make sure queer kids in Tennessee feel safe there. The law very much seems like an effort to oust LGBTQ people from the state and discourage them from moving in, she said.

"I grew up queer in Tennessee and I barely survived it," she said. "I feel that it is necessary for me to stay and fight to change the culture here for future queer kids that are going to be born and raised and can't run away or don't have the ability to leave."

The drag ban is part of a growing movement of anti-LGBTQ legislation in the United States. Utah recently passed a law banning gender-affirming care for trans youth. At least 21 other states are considering similar bills this year.

One 17-year-old affected by the Utah ban told Insider he's planning to uproot his life and move to Portland.

Insider also spoke with the mom of a 13-year-old trans child who said a South Dakota law that bans certain healthcare for trans youth has forced her to find and commute to doctors across state lines.

Recently, Iowa Republicans proposed a bill in which school officials and faculty members would be required to get permission from parents before calling students a nickname that does not "correspond to the biological sex" listed on their birth certificate.

Update: March 3, 2023  This story was updated to reflect the passing of Tenessee's drag ban into law.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Feb. 28BLUEFIELD  The Mercer County Health Department will administer free COVID shots from its mobile unit Wednesday, March 8, near the Scott Street entrance of the West Virginian Manor in downtown Bluefield.

Scheduled from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., shots 1-2-3 and boosters 1-2 will be available. Shots are free at this site on this date.

The service is provided by the Health Department in conjunction with Open Heart Ministries of Bluefield, W. Va. and SLK Community Services of Mercer and McDowell counties.

Open Heart Ministries is a Christian-based, non-profit community organization that has served the community in a range of needs and opportunities since 2009.

 Contact Greg Jordan at gjordan@bdtonline.com

Contact Greg Jordan at gjordan@bdtonline.com
Meta provided funding for a new tool created by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children which takes down sexually explicit images of minors online. SOPA Images/Getty Images

Meta is cracking down on revenge porn targeting children under the age of 18 on its platforms.

It funded a new tool removing explicit images online, released by a child protection organization.

Over 20 million images of child sexual abuse material were found on Facebook and Instagram in 2020.

Meta is helping to clamp down on the spread of revenge porn targeting children and teenagers on Instagram and Facebook by funding a new tool that helps users remove sexually explicit images online.

The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children announced the release of Take It Down on Monday  a site that removes nude, partially nude, or sexually explicit images and videos of children under the age of 18 that have been posted online or are believed to have been posted online.

The tool can also be used by those over 18 to remove explicit pictures taken when they were a minor, and it is available globally.

NCMEC said in its release that Meta provided initial funding for building the infrastructure of the program.

Users can select images and videos on their devices that they don't want to be posted online or that have already been posted online. Take It Down will generate a unique digital fingerprint, called a hash value, that is assigned to the specific content to help them to identify any copies, according to its website.

The hash is added to a secure list and shared with participating companies who will then scan their public and unencrypted platforms for it. If an image or video is identified that matches the hash value, it will be taken down.

Other platforms that have signed up to NCMEC include Pornhub, OnlyFans, MindGeek, and Yubo.

"We created this system because many children are facing these desperate situations." Michelle DeLaune, president and CEO of NCMEC, said in the release. "Our hope is that children become aware of this service, and they feel a sense of relief that tools exist to help take the images down."

But there are caveats to this tool. According to The Associated Press, if someone were to alter the image  by cropping it or turning it into a meme, for example  it becomes a new image and therefore needs a new hash. Moreover, images will still appear on sites that haven't signed up for this service.

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Meta's global head of safety, Antigone David, said in a separate release shared with Insider: "Meta has worked with NCMEC, experts, and victims to develop this platform and help young people get the resources they need when facing these horrific situations. We look forward to other tech companies joining this effort so we can collectively combat this issue across the internet."

Insider reached out to NCMEC and Meta for further comment but did not immediately hear back.

Meta recorded more child sexual abuse material on its platforms than any other tech company in 2019 and was responsible for 99% of all reports to the NCMEC at the time. It also detected over 20 million images of child sex abuse on Instagram and Facebook in 2020.

Around 15,000 people globally work as moderators for Facebook and Instagram, according to a 2020 report from the New York University Stern Center for Business and Human Rights. Most of these are contracted through third-party firms. Jennifer Grygiel, a social media scholar at Syracuse University quoted in the report, said these numbers as "woefully inadequate."

"To get safer social media, you need a lot more people doing moderation," she said.

There have also been complaints that Facebook has treated its moderators poorly in recent years.

One moderator, hired through an outsourcing company in Kenya, told Insider that he had to sift through traumatic content including beheadings, sexual exploitation of children, graphic violence, and more, and was only paid $1.50 an hour.

Read the original article on Business Insider
MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador on Tuesday criticized comments by U.S. State Department officials about recent protests in Mexico, accusing the department of meddling in his country's affairs.

Tens of thousands of Mexicans took to the streets on Sunday to protest against measures pushed through this month by Lopez Obrador to shrink the country's independent electoral authority, after the opposition attacked his move as a threat to democracy.

State Department officials hailed what they described as the political debate around the electoral overhaul, prompting a terse response from Lopez Obrador, who said the department "always meddles in things that are not its business."

On Monday, State Department spokesperson Ned Price issued a statement saying that a "great debate on electoral reforms" reflected Mexico's "vibrant democracy."

"We believe that a well-resourced, independent electoral system and respect for judicial independence support healthy democracy," Price said.

Lopez Obrador told a news conference the comments from Washington reflected a "bad habit" and were "quite contrary" to messaging from U.S. President Joe Biden.

Price's remarks echoed similar comments made on Sunday about the protests by the U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs, Brian Nichols, on Twitter.

(Reporting by Dave Graham and Brendan O'Boyle; Editing by Emelia Sithole-Matarise)
CIUDAD VICTORIA, Mexico  A shooting by Mexican army soldiers left five people dead in the rough border city of Nuevo Laredo, igniting a clash between the soldiers and residents who came to the scene to protest.

The soldiers were investigating gunshots from the area and opened fire on a pickup truck early Sunday after it failed to obey their orders to stop, according to a state crime scene report obtained Monday by The Associated Press. The report said five bodies were found in or near the bullet-riddled truck in Nuevo Laredo, which is opposite Laredo, Texas.

The incident provoked a scuffle between soldiers and a large group of angry residents who believed the "victims were not armed and that there was no reason to arbitrarily kill them in this way," the group Human Rights Committee of Nuevo Laredo said in a statement.

Mexico:Prison cat with gang tattoo seeks new home, up for adoption

Videos of the incident posted on social media show residents scuffling with soldiers on a street near the bullet-ridden pickup truck, with civilians throwing punches, knocking one soldier to the ground and repeatedly kicking him. Shots can be heard toward the end of that incident with people running, but it is not clear who fired them.

Mexican military troops patrol the border with El Paso, Texas, on June, 20, 2019. File art.

In a video statement, rights committee activist Raymundo Ramos claimed the soldiers fired at the crowd, but had no immediate information about any additional casualties. He also said the dead youths had been returning from a night out at a club when they were killed.

More:Former Mexican Cabinet public security chief convicted in US in drug cartel bribery case

The state crime scene report said that a Texas-issued identification document was found on one of the dead bodies. The U.S. Embassy could not immediately confirm whether any American citizens or residents were involved.

The report said three of the bodies were found in the pickup and two on the sidewalk nearby. Such reports usually note any weapons found at a crime scene, but no mention was made of any in this case.

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Nuevo Laredo is dominated by the violent Northeast drug cartel, an offshoot of the old Zetas cartel. Soldiers and marines have frequently come under fire from heavily armed cartel gunmen in Nuevo Laredo.

Archives:Mexican soldiers accused of torture, execution, rape after Juarez teens' detention in 2009

The city has also been the scene of human rights violations by the military in the past.

In 2021, Mexico's navy said Monday it turned 30 marines over to civilian prosecutors to face justice in the cases of people who disappeared during anti-crime operations in Nuevo Laredo in 2014.

Marines were also accused of rounding up supposed suspects, some of whom were not heard from again. Through 2018, dozens of people disappeared in Nuevo Laredo.

Under Mexican law, military tribunals can hear only cases that involve violations of military code; . Offenses against civilians must be tried in civilian courts.

This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Mexican troops, border residents clash after 5 killed in Nuevo Laredo
A headline about President Donald Trump is displayed outside Fox News studios in New York on Nov. 28, 2018. Fox Corp. chairman Rupert Murdoch acknowledged in a deposition that some Fox News commentators endorsed the false allegations by the former president and his allies that the 2020 presidential election was stolen and that he did not step in to stop them from promoting the claims. (Mark Lennihan/AP)

DOVER, Del.  Fox Corp. chairman Rupert Murdoch acknowledged that some Fox News commentators endorsed the false allegations by former President Donald Trump and his allies that the 2020 presidential election was stolen and that he didnt step in to stop them from promoting the claims, according to excerpts of a deposition unsealed Monday.

The claims and the companys handling of them are at the heart of a defamation lawsuit against the cable news giant by Dominion Voting Systems.

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The recently unsealed documents include excerpts from a deposition in which Murdoch was asked about whether he was aware that some of the networks commentators  Lou Dobbs, Maria Bartiromo, Jeanine Pirro and Sean Hannity  at times endorsed the false election claims. Murdoch replied, Yes. They endorsed.

The Murdoch deposition is the latest filing in the defamation case to reveal concerns at the top-rated network over how it was handling Trumps claims as its ratings plummeted after the network called Arizona for Joe Biden, angering Trump and his supporters.

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An earlier filing showed a gulf between the stolen election narrative the network was airing in primetime and doubts about the claims raised by its stars behind the scenes. In one text, from Nov. 16, 2020, Fox News host Tucker Carlson said Sidney Powell is lying about having evidence for election fraud, referring to one of Trumps lawyers.

The Dominion case is the latest example showing that those who were spreading false information about the 2020 election knew there was no evidence to support it. The now-disbanded House committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol disclosed that many of Trumps top advisers repeatedly warned him that the allegations he was making about fraud were false  and yet the president continued making the claims.

Murdoch urged in September 2020, weeks before the election, that Dobbs be fired because he was an extremist, according to Dominions court filing. Murdoch also said he thought it was really bad for former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani to be advising Trump because Giulianis judgment was bad and he was an extreme partisan, according to a deposition excerpt.

Murdoch was asked whether he could have requested that Powell and Giuliani not be put on the air: I could have. But I didnt, he replied.

Denver-based Dominion Voting Systems, which sells electronic voting hardware and software, is suing both Fox News Network and parent company Fox Corp. for defamation. Dominion contends that some Fox News employees deliberately amplified false claims by supporters of Trump that Dominion machines had changed votes in the 2020 election, and that Fox provided a platform for guests to make false and defamatory statements about the company.

Dominion attorneys contend that executives in the chain of command at both Fox News and Fox Corp. knew the network was broadcasting known lies, had the power to stop it, but chose to let it continue. That was wrong, and for that, FC and FNN are both liable.

Attorneys for Fox Corp. note in their filing that Murdoch also testified that he never discussed Dominion or voter fraud with any of the accused Fox News hosts. They say Dominion has produced zero evidentiary support for the claim that high-level executives at Fox Corp. had any role in creating or publishing the statements at issue.

Dominions contention that the company should be held liable because Murdoch might have had the power to step in and prevent the challenged statements from being aired, they said, has no basis in defamation law, would obliterate the distinction between corporate parents and subsidiaries, and finds no support in the evidence.

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The handful of selective quotes cited by Dominion have nothing to do with the statements that Dominion has challenged as defamatory, according to Fox Corp. attorneys. Dominion repeatedly asked Fox News executives, hosts, and staff whether Fox Corporation employees played a role in the publication of the statements it challenges, they wrote. The answer  every single time, for every single witness  was no.

Meanwhile, Fox News attorneys note that when voting-technology companies denied the allegations being made by Trump and his surrogates, Fox News aired those denials, while some Fox News hosts offered protected opinion commentary about Trumps allegations.
Three weeks after introducing the new AI-infused Bing, Microsoft is ready to shove it into Windows 11 with an update coming today. If you're in the Bing AI preview, you'll be able to access all of its new features from the search box in the Windows 11 taskbar. Just imagine a slightly more streamlined version of what we saw with the Bing AI on Edge: In addition to general web searching, you can ask Bing natural language queries and its intelligent chatbot will reply conversationally. If you don't have access to the new Bing yet, you can still sign up for access on Microsoft's waitlist.

The impetus here is pretty clear. Now that people are finally talking about Bing in a less derogatory way, Microsoft is aiming to infuse it into the very core of Windows 11. No need to open up Edge or switch your primary web browser. Last week, the company also rolled out the Bing AI preview on its mobile apps and Skype. More so than the expanding access, though, we'll be keeping a close eye on how Microsoft is improving Bing's capabilities, while also trying to limit some of its bad behavior. Remember folks, chatbots are just very good predictive text generators, not arbiters of truth.

Showing Phone Link connectivity with an iPhone, including text messages and voice calls.

If you don't give a lick about Bing AI, this latest Windows 11 update is still packed with plenty of intriguing new features. For one, Windows Insiders will be able to test out Phone Link for iPhones, which will let you make calls and send texts from within Windows. (This follows Microsoft's recent iCloud integration in Windows 11's Photos app.) Android users with Samsung phones, who have had access to Phone Link for a while now, will also be able to easily turn on their Wi-Fi hotspots and transfer their browser sessions. It'll be interesting to see how Microsoft's solution compares to Intel's Unison app, which supports calls, texts and file syncing between iPhones and select Windows 11 PCs.

Microsoft is also diving deeper into "touch" experiences with this update. If you've got a detachable or convertible PC, the taskbar will automatically shrink down to give you more screen real estate. A swipe up will let you use the taskbar as you normally would. For some users, this may be easier to deal with than having the taskbar hide itself entirely.

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The new minimized Windows 11 taskbar for detached touchscreen PCs.

Windows 11 is also expanding support for more braille displays, including three "Designed for Surface" devices from HumanWare. Microsoft this will make it easier to flip between its built-in Narrator screen reader and alternatives. Additionally, Windows' voice commands are coming out of preview, allowing you to have complete control of your PC without a mouse or keyboard. Microsoft expanded that functionality in its 2022 Windows 11 update  now it appears to be even more robust.

Here's a quick rundown of a few other features you'll find in today's Windows 11 update, which will roll out to users over the next few weeks. (As always, you can check for its availability in the Windows Update app.)
MILFORD  The search for a missing Hopkinton man that involved about 40 police officers last night and today has come to an unfortunate end, authorities said late Tuesday afternoon.

Daniel Cambrourelis-Haskins, 19, was found dead about 3:15 p.m. today, Deputy Police Chief John Sanchioni said. The death is under investigation by the Worcester District Attorney's Office and the Milford Police Department.

Cambrouelis-Haskins had last been heard from shortly after 6 p.m. Monday, when he called his mother and told her his bicycle had a flat tire and his cellphone was dying, the deputy said.

"He reached out to his mother, and he said he was making his way off the (bike) path," Sanchioni said.

Cambrourelis-Haskins left his home Monday morning but was supposed to return by 5 p.m. His family grew concerned when his phone call was disconnected. The bike path runs from the Milford-Hopkinton line to the center of Milford, along Cedar Street (Route 85).

Daniel Cambrourelis-Haskins, 19, of Hopkinton, who had been missing since Monday evening, was found dead on Tuesday afternoon.

There were at least a dozen police dogs and their handlers taking part in the search, as well as four drones being used to search from the air. Officers from Milford and Hopkinton were joined by the Massachusetts State Police and search teams from the Central Massachusetts and Northeast Massachusetts Law Enforcement Councils, the deputy said.

Earlier:A Ware man left Marlborough Hospital on Jan. 21. Authorities are still looking for him

According to Milford police, Cambrourelis-Haskins had an eating disorder. He also has some mental health issues and has made comments to family in the past about living in the woods.

Add in the weather  snowy and cold  and police called in as many officers as possible, Sanchioni said.

This is a photo of the bike helmet that Daniel Cambrourelis-Haskins, 19, was last seen wearing. He has been missing since Monday evening.

The teams searched throughout the night and returned today to search the bike trail, as well as areas around Louisa Lake and Milford Quarry. The exact location where Cambrourelis-Haskins' body was found was not immediately released.

Norman Miller can be reached at 508-626-3823 or nmiller@wickedlocal.com. For up-to-date public safety news, follow him on Twitter @Norman_MillerMW or on Facebook at facebook.com/NormanMillerCrime.

This article originally appeared on MetroWest Daily News: Hopkinton man, 19, found dead after going missing Monday in Milford
MILLBROOK - A Millbrook man is facing child sex charges.

Douglas R. Sims Jr., 40, of Deatsville faces three charges of sexual abuse, said Police Chief P.K. Johnson. The alleged victim is a juvenile. Sims was taken to the Elmore County Jail, and no bond has been set, jail records show. Sims could not be reached for comment. Court records show he doesn't have an attorney.

Police said they received a complaint of possible sexual abuse. The case was sent to a detective with the departments criminal investigative unit, and the Alabama Department of Human Resources was notified.

Both the Millbrook Police Department and representatives from the DHR responded to the residence, where the alleged offense took place. Sims was described as being "cooperative" with the investigation.

Contact Montgomery Advertiser reporter Marty Roney at mroney@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Millbrook man jailed in child sex case
MINISO Group Holding Limited (NYSE: MNSO) reported a second-quarter FY23 sales decline of 10% year-on-year to $361.66 million, marginally above the consensus of $361.33 million.

Gross profit increased 15.6% Y/Y to RMB997.1 million ($144.6 million). The gross margin was 40% versus 31.1% last year.

Operating income for the quarter was RMB447.6 million ($64.9 million), representing an increase of 75.2% year over year.

The number of MINISO stores increased by 395 in the quarter to 5,440 as of Dec. 31, 2022.

It reported Adjusted earnings per ADS of $0.17, which beat the consensus of $0.13.

The company noted that the December quarter witnessed the most serious challenge to China operations caused by the pandemic since its outbreak in 2020, with sales in offline MINISO stores decreased by 28% compared to the same period of 2021.

The company held $893.2 million in cash and equivalents as of Dec. 31, 2022.

Price Action: MNSO shares are trading higher by 4.24% at $17.70 in premarket on Tuesday.

Don't miss real-time alerts on your stocks - join Benzinga Pro for free! Try the tool that will help you invest smarter, faster, and better.

This article MINISO Gains On Q2 Beat, Gross Margin Expansion Boosted By Brand Upgrade originally appeared on Benzinga.com

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 2023 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
A medication abortion involves taking both mifepristone and misoprostol, but experts say that misoprostol alone is a safe and effective method. (Getty Images)

The fate of mifepristone  a drug that, when combined with misoprostol, is prescribed for medication abortions, which now account for more than half of all abortions performed in the U.S.  is up in the air after a federal judge in Texas ruled to suspend the Food and Drug Administrations approval of mifepristone. The unprecedented decision could affect access to the drug across the U.S., including in states where abortion is legal. Seeking to block the order, the Department of Justice filed an emergency stay motion Monday with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit.

Adding to the confusion is the fact that another federal judge, based in Washington state, ruled that access to mifepristone cant be restricted in the 17 states and D.C. that recently sued the FDA to drop some restrictions on mifepristone, which the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists says are outdated and substantially limit access to this safe, effective medication.

Mifepristone, which has a long-standing safety record, has been approved for 23 years and has been used by 5.6 million women.

While mifepristones fate is being decided, pro-choice advocates and physicians have taken to social media to talk about a possible backup plan if access to mifepristone is impacted  namely, taking misoprostol alone for medication abortions.

But how effective is it to take only half of the standard two-drug regimen for an abortion? And how safe is it? Heres what experts have to say.

How effective is it to take misoprostol alone for a medication abortion?

Experts agree that the most effective regimen for a medication abortion is a combination of mifepristone and misoprostol. However, womens health expert Dr. Jennifer Wider tells Yahoo Life that the World Health Organization lists two safe and effective medical methods for pregnancy termination  one of them is misoprostol alone.

Dr. Andrea Henkel, an ob-gyn at Stanford Medicine Childrens Health and clinical assistant professor in complex family planning at Stanford University, agrees that taking both medications is significantly more effective than misoprostol-only regimens for first-trimester abortion care. She tells Yahoo Life that with mifepristone and misoprostol, about 1 in 20 people will need a procedure (such as a surgical abortion) to complete the abortion. Whereas with misoprostol alone, the number is closer to 2 to 3 in 20 people will need a procedure, she says. It is important to remember that many people choose medication abortion because they wish to avoid a procedure or they live far from a clinician that provides procedures.

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That said, misoprostol alone is considered a safe, dependable and effective way to have an abortion, Dr. Sheila Attaie, a family medicine physician in California and fellow with Physicians for Reproductive Health, tells Yahoo Life. Studies show that the success rate is around 80 to 100 percent, depending on the dose and amount of misoprostol taken and how far along a pregnancy is.

Attaie points to studies that found misoprostol alone to be 93% successful in terminating pregnancies up to 10 weeks, with other research stating that misoprostol taken on its own is effective and safe and a reasonable option for women seeking abortion in the first trimester.

Misoprostol works by causing the uterus to contract, bleed and expel the embryo, according to Cleveland Clinic, while mifepristone blocks progesterone from continuing to support the pregnancy. When you combine the two medications, the patient has a higher likelihood of passing the pregnancy with less doses of misoprostol, explains Attaie. This is why mifepristone is important, but not necessary, to have a safe medication abortion.

How safe is misoprostol?

Attaie says that misoprostol is extremely safe. She points out that many people  and pets  take the medication to prevent stomach ulcers by decreasing the amount of stomach acid. The complication rate is less than a single percent, says Attaie. This means it is safer than taking Tylenol or Advil.

The most common side effects of misoprostol are nausea, diarrhea, fever and chills. Misoprostol can make you feel like you have the flu or some COVID symptoms, says Attaie. These dont always happen, but if they do they should only last a few hours.

The medication also causes abdominal cramping, which is effective for emptying the uterus and controlling bleeding but can be uncomfortable, she says.

However, as Henkel points out, if mifepristone becomes unavailable, the misoprostol-only regimens require multiple doses of misoprostol, which will increase the frequency of these nondangerous, but highly uncomfortable, side effects.

If mifepristone isnt available, is misoprostol the next best option for medication abortions?

Yes, say experts. On a population level, repetitive doses of misoprostol will be the most accessible medication for first-trimester abortion care if mifepristone is pulled off the market, says Henkel.

That doesnt, however, mean that there wont be some barriers. Wider notes that many abortion rights advocates are incredibly concerned about this pending ruling, adding: If this medication gets banned, it will definitely limit access to safe and effective medical abortion care.

But experts say that if mifepristone isnt available, misoprostol alone is a viable option. Many people around the world have used and will continue to use misoprostol to have safe and effective medication abortions, says Attaie.

If you or someone you know needs help obtaining an abortion or additional information and resources, visit abortionfunds.org or abortionfinder.org. You can also call or text the All-Options hotline at 1-888-493-0092, which offers unconditional, judgment-free support for people in all of their decisions, feelings and experiences with pregnancy, parenting, abortion, and adoption.

Wellness, parenting, body image and more: Get to know the who behind the hoo with Yahoo Lifes newsletter. Sign up here.
Police said the couple were found by officers in Stanmer Villas, Brighton on Monday night

Constance Marten, the daughter of an aristocrat, and her partner Mark Gordon are in police custody after being arrested in Brighton.

Metropolitan Police said an urgent search operation is under way to find their baby, who has not had any medical attention since birth in early January.

Police say the couple were believed to have been walking off the Sussex Downs at around 9.30pm last night when they were seen by a member of the public who called 999.

They rushed to the scene, deploying drones, the force helicopter and dozens of the police officers in a hunt that has continued all night.

Drone eye view of the scene in Brighton after Constance Marten and Mark Gordon arrested by police after 54 days on the run - Eddie Mitchell

Police from both Sussex and the Metropolitan forces are scouring woodland close to Hollingbury Golf Club and the nearby allotments at the top of Golf Drive for evidence of the baby.

They are asking members of the public to search any sheds, garages or outhouses in the hope the baby can be found alive.

It is understood that Marten and Gordon, who were arrested in Brighton last night on suspicion of child neglect, have so far refused to tell police the sex of their baby.

Police said they are still hoping the baby is alive and have appealed to anybody who might be looking after the child to come forward.

Police in Brighton search for a missing baby after Constance Marten and her partner Mark Gordon were arrested on Monday night - SelwynPics

Search teams by allotments on the edge of the Downs - Police officers on Tuesday morning - Brighton Pictures/Search teams by allotments on the edge of the Downs - Police officers on Tuesday morning

Police said they are still hoping the baby is alive and have appealed to anybody who might be looking after the child to come forward - UkNewsinPictures

Police from both Sussex and the Metropolitan forces are scouring woodland close to Hollingbury Golf Club and the nearby allotments at the top of Golf Drive for evidence of the baby - UK NEWS IN PICTURES (UKNIP)

DSI Lewis Basford from the Met police said: We cant say at this time if its a boy or a girl and we are still awaiting test results from the placenta found in their car on the M61.

At the moment, we are still in the position where they have been arrested on suspicion of child neglect and there is a search for the baby.

We are looking at open land, outbuildings where they may have placed the baby while they were in the local area before we arrested them.

There's nothing to say they were in the caravan, we still think they were living in the outdoor environment and the that is leading us, and the arrest location, to the outdoor search.

Police searching properties as they search for the missing baby of Constance Marten and Mark Gordon - UK NEWS IN PICTURES (UKNIP)

The Metropolitan Police have launched an urgent search to find the couple's baby, who has not received medical attention since his birth in early January

I think, weve got to keep the hope that maybe they have allowed somebody else to care for the baby who thinks they are doing some good on behalf of the couple but as we know, as the temperature drops and the longer the baby goes without parents the risks are high.

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The force said the pair were located by officers from Sussex Police in Stanmer Villas, Brighton on Monday night after a member of the public reported seeing them shortly before 9.30pm.

Marten, 35, and Gordon, 48, have been travelling around the UK by taxi since their car was found burning on the M61 in Bolton, Greater Manchester, on January 5.

Authorities previously believed the couple had been sleeping rough in a blue tent, and had avoided being traced by the police by moving around frequently and keeping their faces covered in CCTV images.

Marten and Gordon had been keeping their faces covered to avoid recognition

The couple travelled from Bolton to Liverpool, then to Harwich in Essex, then to east London and then to Newhaven in Sussex, where they were seen near the ferry port on January 8.

Miss Marten, who is from a wealthy aristocratic family, was a promising drama student when she first met Mr Gordon in 2016.

Since then the couple have led an isolated life, and in September, when Miss Marten was well into her pregnancy, began moving around rental flats.

Police are searching for the couple's baby

Gordon served 20 years in prison in the US for rape and battery committed when he was 14.

It is unknown if their baby was full-term or has any health issues.

Anyone who may be able to assist in the search for the couple's baby is urged to contact 999.
(Jam Press)

The tattooed arm of a missing man has been found inside a shark by two stunned fishermen.

Diego Alejandro Barria was last seen alive nine days ago.

The fishermen found the remains inside one of the three spiny dogfish they caught on Sunday (26 February). They found the forearm with a distinctive tattoo that was later identified by the 35-year-old victims relatives.

The fishermen immediately informed the Naval Prefecture of Caleta Cordoba in the Argentine province of Chubut.

The remains were taken to a nearby morgue where Diegos family members identified him

Diego left his home in Puerto Visser on his quad bike on 18 February. He greeted several local fishermen and later an acquaintance who was the last person to see him alive.

Two days after his disappearance, Diegos quad bike and helmet were found heavily damaged in the protected coastal area of Rocas Coloradas. The next day his partner Virginia Brugger said in an emotional social media: Do not leave me. I pray to God that you show up soon.

Here I am waiting for you. Dont scare me like this.

The authorities intensified the search operation, scanning the area between Puerto Visser and Rocas Coloradas by land, air and water. Police spokesperson Daniela Milatruz said it appears as though there was an accident and investigators are looking into whether another vehicle was involved.

After his quad bike was found heavily damaged, the authorities suspect he may have been dazed and walked into the water or was knocked unconscious and dragged out to sea by the tide. The seat of the quad bike was later found further up the coast after being dragged away by the tide.

Civil Protection spokesperson Jose Mazzei said: We currently have two hypotheses. One, that he was injured. And the other, which has more weight to it, is that - due to the damage to the quad - he was knocked unconscious on the coast and the strong high tide dragged him away.

However, the authorities said no hypotheses have been ruled out and everything is open for investigation, including the possibility of foul play.

Just hours before Diegos remains were found, the police discovered a pair of MDQ-brand sunglasses in a Reef case near to where his quad was located. Diegos mother confirmed they belonged to him.

The authorities are waiting for the forensic results on Diegos remains and belongings to help shed light on how he ended up in the sea. The investigation continues.
A couple based in Mississippi recently welcomed a rare set of quintuplets, which included four identical girls.

Haylee and Shawn Ladner welcomed their five children on 16 February at Wiser Hospital for Women and Infants at the University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC).

As noted by UMMC, all babies were delivered by Caesarean section, with Haylees first daughter, Adalyn Elizabeth, born at 9:19am. She then welcomed Adalyns three sisters: Everleigh Rose at 9:20 am, Malley Kate at 9:21am, and Magnolia Mae at 9:22 am. At 9:23 am, the four girls were joined by their brother, Jake Easton.

Dr Rachael Morris, an associate professor of maternal foetal medicine who delivered Haylees babies, said this pregnancy was quite rare.

She had a quintuplet pregnancy with four identical females. Reports of spontaneous quintuplets vary but are about 1 in 60 million, she explained during a press conference, per WJTV. There are very few reports of identical quadruplets in the literature to date. Reported incidence is 1 in 10 to 15 million pregnancies. There is only one other report of this combination in the literature from 2018.

Before welcoming their five children, the couple struggled with conceiving a child and Haylee had experienced a miscarriage. The pair then tried intrauterine insemination, a procedure done to treat infertility.

During that process, one of the fertilised eggs divided in four ways which resulted in identical quadruplet girls and one boy, according to UMMCs report.

Dr Morris recounted how Haylee was first admitted to the hospital on 11 January so doctors could pay close attention to the pregnancy. There was a labour and delivery room for use along with a care team that included 30 specialists in neonatology and neonatal nursing.

Dr. Mobolaji Famuyide, chief of the Division of Newborn Medicine, also recalled in UMMCs report what preparation her team did before the birth.

A daily schedule was in place for the entire duration of her stay in the hospital, and team members were willing and happy to be called in even if this happened at 2 a.m., she said. There were five warmers and two rooms ready for the babies, and several neonatologists, neonatal nurse practitioners, fellows, nurses and respiratory therapists ready every day. We were ready for weeks for this birth.

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When the time came for Haylee to decide who was going to deliver her baby, she said that a friend told her about Dr Morris.

The OBGYN nurse called me in a few days and set up an appointment for us to see her, she said. It has been the best decision we have ever made. Shes absolutely wonderful, and we adore her.

Shawn agreed with the sentiment and expressed how he and his spouse couldnt be more pleased about connecting with Morris.

All our concerns, all our worries weve had about the delivery, she acknowledged them and explained how they would care for those issues, he said, per UMMC. Weve felt like weve been cared for the best we possibly could be.

Speaking with WAPT at the press conference, Haylee opened up about her fertility treatments and referred to her children as her miracle babies.

I didnt think I would ever get the chance to be a mother of even one baby, so now that I am getting to be a mother to five she said.

Shawn also explained their shock when discovering that they were having five children, recalling: The doctor said, I never seen this before. That is something you dont want them to say, and he went to explain that instead of it being twins like we thought, it was a possibility that we were having five.

During the press conference, Haylee shared an update about her babies now: Theyre thriving, and were looking forward to the day when they can come home. They are the greatest blessing of my entire life.

The Independent has contacted Haylee and Shawn for comment.
JACKSON, Miss. (AP)  Mississippi Republican Gov. Tate Reeves signed a bill Tuesday to ban gender-affirming hormones or surgery in the state for anyone younger than 18, part of a broad effort in conservative states to restrict transgender athletes, gender-affirming care and drag shows.

Reeves, who is running for reelection this year, said radical activists are telling children they are in the wrong bodies and are just a surgery away from happiness.

This is truly scary stuff that's being pushed upon our kids and, yes, their loving parents," Reeves said. They're being taken advantage of, all so some can push their warped view on gender or appear to be woke' for their friends.

The new Mississippi law took effect immediately. In 2021, Reeves signed a law to ban transgender athletes from competing in girls or womens sports teams.

The Republican governors of South Dakota and Utah have signed bans on gender-affirming care this year, and the Republican governor of Tennessee is expected to do so. Judges have temporarily blocked similar laws in Arkansas and Alabama.

Reeves signed the Mississippi bill into law less than two weeks after transgender teenagers, their families and others who support them protested against the measure.

Across the U.S. this year, at least 150 bills targeting transgender people have been introduced, which is the highest in a single year, according to the Human Rights Campaign.

Mickie Stratos  who is president of The Spectrum Center of Hattiesburg, Mississippi, which provides health services and advocacy for LGBTQ people  said Reeves' decision to sign the bill is an act of violence.

He and the lawmakers who pushed this bill in Mississippi are willfully ignoring the unique needs of transgender young people, interfering with their medical care and sending a stigmatizing, exclusionary message," Stratos said in a statement Tuesday.

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Follow Emily Wagster Pettus on Twitter at http://twitter.com/EWagsterPettus.
A Missouri pastor would not let a group of gunmen stop him from spreading Gods word.

According to the Daily Mail, Marquaello Futrell was in the middle of Sunday service at All Creation Northview Holiness Family Church in Ferguson, Missouri, when a group of young men walked in wearing masks.

The post Missouri Church Thwarts Attempted Armed Robbery: God Is About To Change The Plot Of The Enemy appeared first on Blavity.

Futrell, a retired St. Louis police officer, immediately noticed the young men had guns in their waistbands. Thinking quickly on his feet, Pastor Futrell used his instincts and divine intervention to avoid an incident.

He summoned his congregation to pray for the men while directing staff to lock the doors and call the police.

Who sent yall here? Just saw the church and decided to come? Futrell asked, according to the Daily Mail. Talk to me.

Lets praise God for them coming. I said praise God that God sent them here, Futrell said as the congregation applauded.

God is about to change the plot of the enemy. Lift your voices and shout unto God for what hes about to do! he continued.

Futrell then asked the congregation to surround the men and pray for them.

The men bowed their heads as churchgoers sang and said their prayers.

See, that wasnt so bad, brothers, Futrell told the men. Thank you all for letting us pray for you. And were thankful that for whatever reason, the Lord let you all come here. That when you walked on the ground, you walked on Holy Ghost turf.

The encounter was caught on camera thanks to Futrell livestreaming his services.

After spending 20 minutes inside the church, the men left and are still being searched for by police as they are wanted for convenience store robberies.

While speaking on this incident with news outlets, Futrell said his congregation was very thankful for how he handled the situation.

A lot of people really didnt know what was going on. Many did and we had our childrens ministry on lockdown and so many of the congregants were just thankful those able to navigate them through that process with the help of the Holy Spirit, the Holy Ghost, he said, as the Daily Mail reports.
BEIJING  U.S. government bans on Chinese-owned video sharing app TikTok reveal Washingtons own insecurities and are an abuse of state power, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said Tuesday.

The U.S. government has been overstretching the concept of national security and abusing state power to suppress other countries companies, Mao Ning said at a daily briefing. How unsure of itself can the U.S., the worlds top superpower, be to fear a favorite young persons favorite app to such a degree?

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The White House is giving all federal agencies, in guidance issued Monday, 30 days to wipe TikTok off all government devices. The White House already did not allow TikTok on its devices.

TikTok is used by two-thirds of American teens, but theres concern in Washington that China could use its legal and regulatory powers to obtain private user data or to try to push misinformation or narratives favoring China.

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Congress and more than half of U.S. states have so-far banned TikTok from government-issued mobile devices.

Some have also moved to apply the ban to any app or website owned by ByteDance Ltd., the private Chinese company owning TikTok that moved its headquarters to Singapore in 2020.

China has long blocked a long list of foreign social media platforms and messaging apps, including YouTube, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

Washington and Beijing are at odds over myriad issues including trade, computer chips and other technology, national security and Taiwan, along with the discovery of a suspected Chinese spy balloon over the U.S. and its shooting down earlier this month.

On Monday, Canada announced it was joining the U.S. in banning TikTok from all government-issued mobile devices.

I suspect that as government takes the significant step of telling all federal employees that they can no longer use TikTok on their work phones many Canadians from business to private individuals will reflect on the security of their own data and perhaps make choices, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told reporters after the announcement.

Canadian Treasury Board President Mona Fortier said the Chief Information Officer of Canada had determined that TikTok presents an unacceptable level of risk to privacy and security.

On a mobile device, TikToks data collection methods provide considerable access to the contents of the phone, Fortier said.

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The app will be removed from Canadian government issued phones on Tuesday.

The European Unions executive branch said last week it has temporarily banned TikTok from phones used by employees as a cybersecurity measure.

TikTok has questioned the bans, saying it has not been given an opportunity to answer questions and governments were cutting themselves off from a platform beloved by millions.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell at a press conference on Capitol Hill in February 2023. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Kevin McCarthy recently gave Fox News host Tucker Carlson access to security footage from January 6.

McConnell repeatedly told reporters that he was simply concerned about Capitol security.

He declined to say whether he supported the release of the footage, which top Democrats have condemned.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell on Tuesday declined to comment on House Speaker Kevin McCarthy's decision to grant Fox News host Tucker Carlson access to more than 40,000 hours of security footage from the January 6 attacks, repeatedly telling reporters that he was simply concerned about the security of the Capitol.

At his weekly press conference on Capitol Hill, the top Senate Republican was asked by several reporters about McCarthy's decision, which was first reported by Axios last week.

"Going back to when Speaker [Nancy] Pelosi was Speaker, my main concern is the security of the Capitol," said McConnell.

He was then asked whether he was supportive of the decision, given concerns raised by other lawmakers that the release of the footage could compromise the security of the building.

"As I said, my main concern, going back to when Speaker Pelosi was still there  the security of the Capitol, which was obviously threatened on January 6," he replied.

He was then asked whether he was concerned about the lack of security screening for lawmakers in light of an effort by House Democrats to close what they describe as a "loophole" in the facility's security.

"Good try," replied McConnell, before again repeating his statement about Capitol security.

An 'egregious security breach'

McConnell's response to McCarthy's decision diverges significantly from those of other top leaders on Capitol Hill, who've pointed to both the security risks arising from publicly releasing footage of secure locations in the Capitol complex and to Carlson's history of whitewashing the January 6 attack.

In respective letters to Democratic lawmakers, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries called the tape release an "egregious security breach," while Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer called it a "grave mistake" that will "only embolden supporters of the Big Lie and weaken faith in our democracy."

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McCarthy has defended the move, telling the New York Times that he had "promised" to release the tapes to the controversial Fox News host. Carlson told the Times that he and his team were "taking it very seriously."

Carlson, an influential figure on the right, released a documentary last year making the case that the attack was merely a pretext for the federal government to target conservatives.

McCarthy has said that the footage will eventually be made more widely available, and other news organizations have requested access to the trove of tapes.

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and Fox News host Tucker Carlson. Kent Nishimura/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images; Jason Koerner/Getty Images.

Not 'the biggest fan of Tucker'

In brief interviews with Insider at the Capitol on Tuesday, some House Republicans said they wished the footage had been distributed more widely.

But none offered any condemnation or second-guessing of McCarthy's move.

"I don't think we have anything to hide. Transparency is good," said Rep. Dan Newhouse of Washington, one of 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach former President Donald Trump for incitement of an insurrection. "I hope they are distributed broadly."

"It's transparency," said Rep. Mike Lawler, who represents a New York district that President Joe Biden carried in 2020. "You know, what's the concern?"

"It should have been released in its entirety to everybody  the media, all the defense attorneys," said Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina. "Anyone who wanted access to it should have access to it."

Republican Rep. Don Bacon of Nebraska, a self-styled moderate, said he had yet to hear a convincing case that the release of the footage was detrimental to Capitol security, saying "everybody" should have access to it.

He also demurred when asked whether he thought McCarthy had made the right move in giving Carlson the opportunity to view the footage before other media outlets.

"I'm not, obviously, the biggest fan of Tucker, but I'll just leave it at that," said Bacon. "I'm not here to pick fights."

And Rep. Mike Gallagher told Insider that he was broadly unaware of the controversy, pointing to his service as chairman of a select committee on China.

"I don't even know what's going on with that," said Gallagher. "I'm focused on China. Okay? I don't have time for this internal machination stuff."

"I will talk to my colleagues on the House [Administration] Committee, and I will attempt to develop a more educated position on this," Gallagher added, referring to the committee currently in possession of the footage. "I simply don't know the details right now."

Read the original article on Business Insider
State prosecutors said Tuesday they secured a grand jury indictment against three defendants accused of forcing performers into prostitution and the porn industry.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta said in a news release Tuesday a prostitution and sexual exploitation scheme operated through a company called The Luxury Companion and a talent agency called LA Direct Models.

Two men and a woman face 20 felonies, which grew from the initial 12 felonies, in Los Angeles for counts of pimping, pandering, conspiracy, money laundering and perjury.

All three pleaded not guilty on Monday.

The majority of the felonies are alleged to have happened in 2017 and 2018, but conspiracy and perjury counts date to 2013 and last year, prosecutors said.

The defendants are accused of setting up hundreds of sex acts in exchange for money. In at least on case, they promised to get a model a film shoot with an award-winning pornographer, prosecutors said.

They are also accused of pressuring a performer into prostitution by limiting the work they could get in the pornography industry. Another performer was pressured gain notoriety by making more porn films in order to make more money in prostitution, prosecutors allege.

The next court date for the defendants is April 25.

If you break the law and exploit people for sex, my office will come after you, Bonta said in the news release. Our investigators and prosecutors remain steadfast in their efforts to fight for public safety on behalf of the people of our state.
YouTube/ABC 7 Los Angeles

Racist drawings that were handed out at a California elementary school during Black History Month are just the tip of the iceberg, according to a group of parents who have filed a lawsuit against the school district, alleging that racial harassment against Black children has gone unchecked for years.

At a news conference Monday, parents demanded Californias attorney general launch an investigation into Pepper Tree Elementary in the Inland Empire suburb of Upland, local outlet ABC 7 Los Angeles reported. According to KTLA 5, families also want a teacher and assistant principal at the school fired.

The Upland Unified School District and Pepper Tree Elementary School will now have to face the consequences of their failure, families attorney James Bryant said, according to KTLA 5.

California Students Draw Horrific Racist Images for Black History Month

At the press conference, Bryant said a child from one of four families he represents received messages with website hyperlinks during classes that were held online during the COVID-19 pandemic. The child would unknowingly click on the link, which sent him to an image of a golden N-word pass. According to Bryant, Black students were made to sign the passes in agreement that they would be good Black students rather than behave like the rest of the slave-like children. Bryant did not specify who sent the student the links.

In another incident outlined during the press conference, parent Christopher Newman said his son had been called a monkey and taunted with monkey noises for months at school and on social media, NBC 4 LA reported. Newman said his son was punished with in-school suspension for handling the alleged bullying himself, but nothing happened to the students accused of the bullying.

The evidence that was presented against [my son] was a redacted screenshot of an image that only had what he said in reply to countless images and words, Newman said, according to ABC 7. They said they did an investigation and they could not find any wrongdoing by the aggressor.

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Rome Douglas, a Black student at Pepper Tree, said that he had been called a monkey on multiple occasions at school, and teachers never did anything.

Every day that I go to school is just a struggle because I know Im going to be called a monkey, Rome said at Mondays press conference, according to NBC 4.

During the presser, Romes mother, Maylana, provided emails she had exchanged with school administrators since 2017, detailing allegations that all four of her children had been racially harassed.

Bryant alleged that two of the culprits are the child of Pepper Trees assistant principal and the child of a teacher, according to ABC 7.

The Upland Unified School District recently came under fire after Black students at Pepper Tree Elementary received racist drawings from classmates at the beginning of Black History Month. The drawings were fashioned into cards with vile messages, calling Black children monkeys, cotton pickers, and slaves.

California School District in Turmoil Over Racist Instagram Post

In a previous statement to The Daily Beast, district officials said the makeshift Black History Month cards were not part of any class activities. Administrators also apologized in a video message.

In a recent update posted on Upland Unifieds website, superintendent Lynn Carmen Day said the district is committed to ensuringstudents receive what they need to be successful.

The [Upland] Governing board believes the diversity in the community is integral to the district's vision and goals and is: committed to equity in opportunities and resulting outcomes to address the needs of the most marginalized learners; identifying practices, policies, and institutional barriers to eradicate bias and eliminate disparities, the statement reads.

Neither Pepper Tree Elementary nor Upland Unified Schools immediately responded to The Daily Beasts request for comment Tuesday.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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Pacific Time, Eastern Time, Greenwich Mean Time  and one day, perhaps, Moon Time?

With dozens of lunar missions planned for the years ahead  including ones to build bases and other habitats on the moon  it may be time for some synchronicity, according to the European Space Agency.

Time in space is usually calculated based on the time on Earth, but as different nations plan to operate on and around the moon, it may require a universal method for lunar timekeeping.

A standard, agreed-upon time zone for the moon will not only ease collaboration between space agencies around the world, but could ensure more precise guidance and navigation on the lunar surface.

There are, however, some significant hurdles, according to European space officials. For one, its not yet clear if a single space agency should be responsible for establishing and maintaining moon time. And if a new time zone is created, should it be tied to time on Earth, or function as its own thing entirely?

ESA's Argonaut for lunar landing. (European Space Agency)

There are also debates about how to even figure out lunar timekeeping. Clocks on the moon gain roughly 56 microseconds per day (one microsecond is equal to one-millionth of a second), making them tick ever so slightly faster than clocks on Earth.

These tiny shifts also vary depending on location, which means clocks on the moon dont necessarily run at the same rates as clocks in lunar orbit.

Of course, the agreed time system will also have to be practical for astronauts, said Bernhard Hufenbach, who works in ESAs Directorate of Human and Robotic Exploration.

This will be quite a challenge on a planetary surface where in the equatorial region each day is 29.5 days long, including freezing fortnight-long lunar nights, with the whole of Earth just a small blue circle in the dark sky, he said in a statement. But having established a working time system for the moon, we can go on to do the same for other planetary destinations.

But beyond astronauts and ground controllers being able to tell time on the moon, the need for standard timekeeping in space is also essential for guidance and navigation.

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Just as GPS systems on Earth require precise coordination and timing, so too will any infrastructure that is built and operated on the moon.

Illustration of NASA astronauts on the lunar South Pole. (NASA)

Typically, missions to the moon use deep space antennas to keep onboard systems synchronized with time on Earth, but European space officials say this method may not be sustainable as humans establish a more permanent presence on the moon.

Many of these discussions are already underway as part of NASAs LunaNet initiative, a project to develop technologies, techniques and standards for lunar communications and navigation. These efforts are a key part of the agencys Artemis program, which aims to build lunar bases and launch regular mission to the moon before venturing on to Mars.

In November, space officials gathered at the European Space Research and Technology Centre in the Netherlands to discuss priorities moving forward.

During this meeting ... we agreed on the importance and urgency of defining a common lunar reference time, which is internationally accepted and towards which all lunar systems and users may refer to, Pietro Giordano, a navigation system engineer at ESA, said in a statement. A joint international effort is now being launched towards achieving this.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
RABAT, Morocco (AP)  A Moroccan convicted of belonging to an Islamic State-affiliated ring and sentenced to death for the beheadings of two Scandinavian tourists has killed himself in prison, Moroccan officials said.

The facility where he was held in the eastern city of Oujda said in a statement that staff found his body early Tuesday.

The prisoner was among convicted ring members jailed in 2019 over the gruesome killings of two young Scandinavian women, Louisa Vesterager Jespersen from Denmark and Maren Ueland from Norway. They were killed in December 2018 while on a backpacking trip in the Atlas Mountains, near the city of Marrakech.

The killings were recorded on video and posted online. They sent shockwaves through Morocco and raised concerns about the growing threat of Islamist extremism in North Africa and beyond.

A Moroccan court convicted three men of terrorism and sentenced them to death, and a fourth suspect who fled the scene was given life in prison. The court also handed jail terms to 19 people convicted as accomplices.
Romanian cybersecurity firm Bitdefender has released a free decryption tool for MortalKombat, a months-old strain of ransomware targeting predominantly cryptocurrency users.

MortalKombat, named after the popular video game franchise, was first observed by Cisco Talos researchers in January. The researchers said that the financially motivated gang had been deploying the ransomware to steal cryptocurrency from victims in the United States, the United Kingdom, the Philippines and Turkey.

The MortalKombat ransomware is typically spread via phishing emails in which the attackers impersonate CoinPayments, a legitimate global cryptocurrency payment gateway. Once installed on a victims machine, the malware seeks out cryptocurrency wallets on the device and monitors the computers clipboard for wallet addresses. If a wallet address is found, the address is sent to the attackers server and substituted with an attacker-controlled address in an attempt to hijack future transactions.

Though its only been active for a few months, Bitdefender on Tuesday announced that it had released a free decryptor for MortalKombat, enabling victims of the ransomware to unscramble their encrypted files for free.

Bitdefender tells TechCrunch that it has also been observing the MortalKombat since January, but said the magnitude of the threat remains unknown.

This is an emerging piece of ransomware that is still distributed at the moment of writing, Bogdan Botezatu, director of threat research and reporting at Bitdefender, told TechCrunch. We dont have sufficient data at this point to estimate the magnitude of the attack. We will be able to offer more data about victimology and geographic distribution once the existing pool of victims download the tool and remediate infections.

Botezatu added that its also unclear how much the hackers behind MortalKombat have extorted from its victims. There is no upfront fee once the encryption process is finished, Botezatu said. Instead, the victim is instructed to download an encrypted chat client called qTox and get in touch with the operator to negotiate a Bitcoin payment. We believe that the demanded ransom varies from infection to infection based on how important the ransomed data is to the user or to the business.

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Bitdefender declined to say how it obtained the keys to create the MortalKombat decryptor or whether it was assisted by law enforcement.

To date, the cybersecurity company has released 32 decryptors, including ones for GandCrab, Darkside, LockerGoga, MegaCortex and REvil, and estimates that it's helped to save ransomware victims some $1.6 billion in total.

Read more:
(Reuters) - The United States is planning a provocation in Ukraine using toxic chemicals, the Russian defence ministry said on Tuesday.

The ministry cited former U.S. ambassador to Russia John Sullivan as saying that "Russian troops plan to use chemical weapons in the special military operation area."

"We regard this information as the intention of the United States and their accomplices to carry out a provocation in Ukraine using toxic chemicals," Igor Kirillov, chief of the radiation, chemical and biological defence troops of Russia's armed forces said during a briefing.

He said that Russia "will identify and punish the true culprits."

(Reporting by Reuters; Editing by Tom Hogue)
A California mother is pleading with police to keep searching for her five-year-old son who was swept away from her SUV by floodwater more than seven weeks ago.

Lindsy and Brian Doan have gone back to the Salinas River in San Miguel, central California, equipped with tools to search for the remains of their son Kyle, who was dragged away from his mother on 9 January.

At the beginning of the search, officers found one of Kyles shoes without locating the other. Since his remains havent been found, hes still considered missing.

The storms hitting California last month killed 21 people. While Ms Doan is holding on to hope, shes also trying to be realistic, wondering if his body has been buried by the shifting sands, spending most of her weekends carefully shovelling on the side of the river as she continues her search, which has become increasingly lonely as time has passed.

We tried to do it as shallow to the ground as possible, just in case we hit anything because obviously, I dont want to hurt him or damage his body, she told The Bay Area News Group. Were basically scraping the sand and dirt.

In the first few weeks after Kyle vanished in the waters of the Salinas River, crews of emergency workers from the California National Guard and Sheriffs offices in the area assisted in the search.

Drones, helicopters, underwater sonar, divers, and cadaver dogs all took part.

Both President Biden and Governor Gavin Newsom made statements about Kyle.

We wont give up until we find Kyle, Mr Newsom said during a press briefing. And hopefully, miracle of miracles, hell be okay.

California Storms Missing Boy (Doan Family)

His parents are now thinking those words may not have meant much.

Ms Doan told the newsgroup that a member of the San Luis Obispo County Sheriffs department told her that the search may be in vain.

He may very well be in the Monterey Bay by now, the individual said, according to Ms Doan.

The mother said that only a small number of volunteers and members of the family have been taking part in the search for three weeks.

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California Storms Missing Boy (Doan Family)

A GoFundMe fundraiser is paying for excavator equipment as well as lunches and gas cards for volunteers who have come from far away.

We do get this feeling like they tabled Kyle as a cold case now, Mr Doan said about the authorities to the newsgroup. Theyre not being forthcoming anymore. They dont seem to want to return our calls or texts as promptly.

California Storms Missing Boy (Doan Family)

Ms Doan wrote letters last week to Mr Newsom and San Luis Obispo County Sheriff Ian Parkinson.

Its been excuses. ... Were waiting for the weather to get warmer. The water needs to recede more. Its too cold for the dogs to come out. I get it. Youre tired, she wrote in the letter sent on Wednesday. But again I ask. If it was your child, when would you give up?

California Storms Missing Boy (Doan Family)

The sheriffs office told the newsgroup on Saturday that they would restart their search when weather conditions and water levels permit.

In a Friday statement, the Governors Office of Emergency Services said that the full weight of the state remains behind the local officials leading the efforts.

Following Ms Doans initial request, the permit process for excavators to be used on riverbanks was waived.

The family has bought kayaks and wading boots, and have used their own dogs in the search effort.

Kyle was lost in the waters on 9 January, the first day back at school after winter break.

California Storms Missing Boy (Neil Collins)

Ms Doan is a special education teacher at Lillian Larsen Elementary school, where Kyle attended kindergarten.

Water covered the road crossing San Marcos Creek but it appeared to be at about the same depth that it had been the previous evening when the family had been able to pass securely, but the SUV soon started to drift and fill up with water.

Ms Doan climbed out, braced herself against a tree and told Kyle to exit via the drivers door. She grabbed his hand, but the strong current took him away.

California Storms Missing Boy (Neil Collins)

She let go of the tree and floated after Kyle, but on several occasions, she was dragged underwater and she was struck by trees and branches. She eventually couldnt see Kyle anymore.

A couple running a farm next to the creek managed to drag Ms Doan from the water, but they were unable to get to Kyle.

Ms Doan still doesnt drive, especially not past the area where Kyle was taken away by the floodwater.

The house is kept almost the same as when he disappeared.

I feel like when he comes home, if he sees that things are moved, its going to feel like we moved on without him, she told the newsgroup. I dont want him to think we moved on. I need to feel that hes somehow still with us.

The Independent has reached out to the office of the governor and the San Luis Obispo County Sheriffs Office for comment.
Alex Murdaughs former law partner said Tuesday that he is past his anger over millions of dollars stolen from the firm, as the final witnesses in the South Carolina double murder trial testified and the court prepared to bring jurors to the scene of the killings.

Ronnie Crosby had a testy exchange with defense attorney Dick Harpootlian as prosecutors got a chance to reply to the defenses case, including by rebutting their experts who suggested two different shooters killed Murdaughs wife and son with two different weapons.

>> Scroll to the bottom of this webpage for previous trial coverage.

Once prosecutors finish their witnesses, jurors will ride 40 minutes to see the sprawling Colleton County property where the Murdaughs lived. The exact date and time of the jury trip has not been scheduled because it is dependent on how many witnesses the prosecution calls in its reply case.

Prosecutors brought Crosby back to the stand to talk more about Murdaugh stealing millions of dollars from his clients and the firm the Murdaugh family founded more than a century ago. Prosecutors contend Murdaugh thought he was about to get caught stealing and killed 52-year-old Maggie Murdaugh and 22-year-old Paul Murdaugh near kennels on June 7, 2021, to buy time to cover up the money trail.

During cross-examination, Harpootlian asked Crosby, who often represents accident victims, if going through trauma can cause people to forget details or get times wrong. Prosecutors have pounded Murdaugh for various inconsistencies and lies, including not saying he was at the kennels the night of the killing when he could be heard heard on video recorded by his son.

Youre trying to take me somewhere you probably dont want to, Crosby said, starting a tense exchange between the attorneys.

Youre angry at him for stealing your money, Harpootlian said.

I have had anger with him, extreme anger, Mr. Harpootlian, because what he did with my law firm, my partners, his clients, our clients  what he did to his family. What he did to so many people, Crosby said, bristling. But you cant walk around with anger.

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Harpootlian then asked Crosby if he thought Murdaugh killed his wife and son.

I dont have an opinion. I dont have the benefit of the materials you have, Crosby said.

>> CLICK to watch Law & Crimes live stream of the Murdaugh trial

Murdaugh is awaiting trial on about 100 other charges, including financial crimes. Murdaugh, who has been disbarred, admitted to the thefts, which could carry decades in prison, on the stand last week.

Defense attorneys asked that the jury be able to visit the scene of the killings to help them understand how small the storage room is where Paul Murdaugh was killed and the distance between the two bodies. Prosecutors were against the visit, saying the scene looks different than it did in June 2021 as trees and vegetation have grown and no one has lived on the property since the killings.

Judge Clifton Newman is allowing only the jury, attorneys from both sides, security and police, and a court reporter to come. He banned drones from flying over. Once the jury leaves, one reporter, photographer and videographer will be able to see the property.

PREVIOUS TRIAL COVERAGE:

(VIDEO: Murdaugh Trial, Day 25: Defense at Murdaugh trial says 2 shooters; jury to see scene)
Gov. Phil Murphy is proposing $200 million in federal pandemic relief funds to mitigate the rising costs of employee health benefits for municipal governments, according to administration officials.

The funds, which are set to be announced in Murphys budget proposal, come as local governments on the state-run State Health Benefits Program saw a roughly 20 percent increase in health care premiums this year. The increases have drawn outrage from local governments, who have raised property taxes or reduced services to make up for the increases, and public sector unions whose members are stuck paying more for their health insurance.

The one-time funds would be for plan year 2024  not the current plan year  and on the condition that there be long-term savings for the employee health plans. According to the governors budget-in-brief, the long-term savings could include but not be limited to value-based and alternative payment models, medical pharmacy reforms, and migration from legacy plans.

When reporters asked state Treasurer Elizabeth Maher Muoio during a budget briefing if it was unclear as to what those cost-saving measures will be, she said: Correct.

While the Murphy administration reached a deal with state workers to lower their nearly 20 percent premium increases to three percent, local governments and employees did not receive a similar deal. While public sector unions were negotiating with the Murphy administration and top legislative staff to potentially offset the premium increases for local governments and their workers, the talks fell apart in mid-January.

Plan design changes would likely need buy-in from public sector unions. While labor groups floated cost-saving proposals over the fall for the state-run health plan, they were blocked by state government representatives. Labor groups are still in the process of getting an outside mediator to possibly advance cost-saving measures. One of labors most controversial proposals includes examining reference-based pricing, where payments to health care providers are based on a percentage of what Medicare pays.

The Murphy administration is requesting an increased $280 million for public workers health benefits, administration officials said, which Muoio said is mostly driven by a rise in prescription claims. The increase amounts to an approximately $5.5 billion total spend on health benefits from the state.

Muoio also told reporters that utilization rates for the state health plan are expected to be posted online this March. While the state received a mid-year report last February showing increased costs to the state health plan, it was not made public.
Two male victims were found unresponsive Monday night inside of a Chatham apartment with gunshot wounds to the head, Chicago police said.

Around 11:15 p.m., officers responded to an apartment complex in the 900 block of East 80th Street and found two males who were discovered by a friend who then alerted the police. Each victim appeared to have been shot in the head, police said.

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Both were pronounced dead at the scene.

As of Tuesday morning, the victims had not been identified.

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Detectives were investigating.
Elon Musks 13pc stake in Tesla is the biggest source of his wealth - Carina Johansen via REUTERS

Tesla chief executive Elon Musk has regained his position as the worlds richest person after shares in the electric vehicle maker soared.

Shares in Tesla surged 5.5pc on Monday, lifting Mr Musks net worth to $187.1bn (155.15bn) according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.

He reclaims the top spot from French luxury magnate Bernard Arnault, whose net worth is now valued at $185.3bn.

Mr Arnault, the chief executive of LVMH, was renamed the worlds richest man in December after Mr Musks net worth slipped as investors lost confidence in Tesla and grew concerned at his focus on Twitter, which he bought for $44bn last October.

Mr Musk, who remains the largest shareholder of Tesla despite selling-off billions to finance the Twitter deal, became the first person to lose $200bn from their fortune after shares in the American manufacturer plunged 65pc last year.

In December, he pledged not to sell Tesla shares for approximately two years.

However, Mr Arnaults lead over the Tesla boss quickly narrowed after shares in the vehicle company almost doubled since the start of 2023, increasing 92pc.

Shares rallied after Tesla revealed better than expected quarterly results last month, buoyed by record delivery of electric vehicles during the last three months 2022.

Tesla also aggressively slashed electric vehicle prices in an attempt to reverse a slowdown in sales, sparking a price war among rival car makers.

Other updates have included Tesla's plans to $3.6bn boosting its Nevada gigafactorys battery and truck manufacturing operations, while also scaling back its Berlin-Brandenburg gigafactory plans and instead moving some production steps to the United States which offers more favourable green subsidies and tax incentives.

Earlier this month, Mr Musk announced plans to soon present the third version of Teslas Master Plan which would outline the path to a fully sustainable energy future for Earth.

Previous versions of the plan, announced in 2006 and 2016, have focused on taking electric cars mainstream, autonomous technology and home energy storage.

Musks 13pc stake in Tesla is the biggest source of his wealth, which is also made up of shares in rocket company SpaceX and Twitter.

Tesla is expected to unveil its long-term expansion plans during its 2023 investor day on Wednesday.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is investigating a near-collision between a Learjet and a JetBlue plane that took place on Monday night at Boston Logan International Airport.

FOX Business has reported that the pilot of the Learjet took off without first obtaining the proper clearance as the JetBlue flight was attempting to land on an intersecting runway. According to an FAA statement provided to the network, the JetBlue pilot was able to manuever the plane to avoid the crashing into the other jet.

An air traffic controller instructed the pilot of the Learjet to line up and wait on Runway 9 while the JetBlue Embraer 190 landed on Runway 4-Right, which intersects Runway 9, the FAA said in its statement. The Learjet pilot read back the instructions clearly but began a takeoff roll instead.

No one was harmed in what the FAA has officially termed a close call.

The incident happened around 7pm EST. The JetBlue flight, which took off from Nashville, ultimately landied at 7:13pm EST. As part of its investigation, the FAA will determine the exact distance between the two aircraft at its closest point.

In a statement to WCVB in Boston, a JetBlue spokesperson said that the airline will assist in the federal investigation into the incident.

On Monday, February 27, JetBlue flight 206 landed safely in Boston after our pilots were instructed to perform a go-around by air traffic controllers, the JetBlue spokesperson said in the statement. Safety is JetBlues first priority and our crews are trained to react to situations like this.
Editors note: This story has been updated to correct the disposition of Whitmers Florida case. We regret the error.



LAS VEGAS (KLAS)  The chair of the Nevada State Democratic Party was charged with grand theft in the 1990s and was ordered not to handle money at work without a probation officers approval, documents the 8 News Now Investigators obtained said.

Judith Whitmer was elected party chair in 2021. In 1996, authorities in Seminole County, Florida, charged Whitmer, then 40 years old and known as Judith Sprayberry, with organized fraud and grand theft for cashing fraudulent checks in other peoples names from her employer, records showed.

Though the partys central committee elected Whitmer in 2021, her criminal history was not made public until the 8 News Now Investigators reporting Monday. Whitmer is up for re-election at the partys central committee meeting this Saturday.

In 1996, authorities in Seminole County, Florida, charged Whitmer, then known as Judith Sprayberry, with organized fraud and grand theft, records showed. (SCSO/KLAS)

This is not a student council election, attorney Bradley Schrager said. Those people, certainly the membership of the Democratic Party, deserve to know to whom they are giving those contributions and full information about their backgrounds.

Whitmer pleaded nolo contendere to a charge of grand theft between $750 and $5,000, records showed. Nolo contendere means a defendant accepts a conviction but does not admit guilt.

When Whitmer pleaded nolo contendre, a judge withheld the adjudication, sentencing her to probation. When 8 News Now asked Whitmer for comment on her conviction in Florida, when her name was Judith Sprayberry, at no point did she, nor the Nevada State Democratic Party, acknowledge her conviction was adjudication withheld.

Florida law allows judges to rule a felony adjudication withheld, meaning there is no admission of guilt on ones record, however, the charge remains on ones record.

Frankly, I dont care what she did 25 years ago, Schrager said. People are permitted to make mistakes. I think this is an unfortunate thing to come to light now but I think for this election people will have the information.

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Whitmer pleaded nolo contendere to a charge of grand theft between $750 and $5,000, records showed. (KLAS)

Whitmer, the head of the more liberal faction of the state Democratic Party removed more than 200 members of the partys central committee weeks before this weekends vote.

As Democrats, we believe that the same rules should be applied to everyone without exception or partiality, Whitmer said in a statement two weeks ago. Our bylaws state that any member who fails to submit proxy designation in advance for two regular meetings during a two-year term shall be considered to have vacated his or her membership, and a reminder of this requirement is included in every SCC notice. Even further, members have the option to submit a timely request for an excusal of their absence even after a missed meeting.

Assembly Speaker Steve Yeager, one of those booted, said his removal came without warning.

We are deeply disappointed by recent events that reinforce our concerns over the past two years that Chair Whitmer is not up to the task of managing basic operations and supporting Democratic campaigns in the most competitive battleground state in the country, Yeager said in a joint statement with Democratic Senate Majority Leader Nicole Cannizzaro released Feb. 14. These controversies include an unprecedented turnover in officers and staff, attacks on our former Lieutenant Governor and the undermining of other elected officials, a purge of 40% of state central committee members this month without warning, and a complete failure to address systemic problems with electronic registration and voting at recent state party conventions and meetings  including for next months officer elections.

Nevada Assembly Speaker Steve Yeager talks with lawmakers during the opening of the 82nd Session of the Nevada Legislature from the Assembly Chambers of the Nevada Legislature in Carson City, Nev., Monday, Feb. 6, 2023. (AP Photo/Tom R. Smedes)

Yeager, Cannizzaro, the states top elected Democrats, and all Democrats in the states congressional delegation have endorsed Assem. Danielle Monroe-Moreno to succeed Whitmer.

Yeager tweeted last week his central committee position was reinstated.

Any time you are removing people, especially just before a contentious chairs election, the process for examining someones eligibility ought to be absolutely transparent, Schrager said.

A spokesperson said she would agree to an interview last week. Whitmer then sent a written statement declining to go on camera. She did not deny her criminal history and did not correct 8 News Now when asked about a felony conviction.

As Democrats, we believe that neither poverty nor the challenges that come with it should disqualify anyone from anything, she said. Like millions of Americans, I found myself in an impossible situation as a young woman but Im proud to have emerged from those circumstances and built a better life for myself, my children, and my grandchildren. Thats the promise of this country, and its what our party is proud to fight for.

Whitmer continued, I was elected by people who were tired of their voices not being heard and my focus will remain on continuing to fight for them, for a better party, and for a better Nevada for us all.

The central committee vote for all party leadership positions was scheduled for Saturday.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
An out-of-state organized crime group obtained thousands of Texas driver's licenses through a vulnerability in a state system by using stolen information it acquired from the dark web, Department of Public Safety Director Steve McCraw testified before a House subcommittee.

The ongoing investigation into the security lapse has so far revealed that at least 3,000 Texans might have been victims of the identity thefts, which the DPS first discovered in late December, officials said. None of the Texans whose information has been compromised had yet been notified as of Monday, according to Jeoff Williams, deputy director of DPS Law Enforcement Services.

A Chinese organized crime group operating out of New York targeted Texans of Asian descent to provide undocumented migrants with authentic replacement licenses, McCraw told a House Appropriations subcommittee Monday.

The organized crime group, which officials did not publicly identify Monday, obtained Texans' information through other companies data breaches, and no government systems were infiltrated, Williams said. Stolen data and a vulnerable system allowed the group to answer a series of security questions  like a victim's mother's maiden name or the model of their first car  required to set up an account on Texas.gov, the state website residents use to request replacement licenses, Williams said.

Crime:Abbott creates task force to combat 'street takeovers' after incidents in Austin, San Antonio, Houston, Dallas

Controls shouldve been in place, and this shouldve never happened, McCraw said.

Since the security threat was identified, the state removed the option to create an account on Texas.gov by answering only security questions instead of providing the audit number on a driver's license, and it added safety measures to the website's credit card transaction process, Williams said.

As the investigation advances, the DPS continues finding Texans whose identities were used by the organized crime group. The department plans to send letters notifying victims later this week, McCraw said.

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Our criminal investigation that we've been working on in order to find these people and arrest them has been the priority, Williams said. We recognize that there's a requirement to notify people, and we want to do that more than anyone.

Related:Grumet: Need a Texas ID? Plan to wait months or line up before dawn

Texas is working with federal authorities and is one of four states involved in the criminal investigation, McCraw said.

Thousands of Texans' identities have been violated, and I understand that there are lots of reasons why this happened. But, nonetheless, the agency is responsible, said Rep. Mary Gonzalez, an El Paso-area Democrat who is vice chair of the House Appropriations Committee.

Gonzalez asked McCraw if the department will consider the identity thefts as hate crimes since Asian Americans were targeted.

McCraw said that Asian Americans were targeted in hopes of finding "look-alikes" for undocumented immigrants of Asian descent.

I don't want to minimize the severity of what our Texans are experiencing because of another issue when it comes to migration, Gonzalez said.

Arrests have been made in the case, McCraw said, though he didn't publicly identify any one who has been charged with a crime.

It's difficult to rebuild that trust with the people, Gonzalez said. I just hope that in your process now moving forward, that we are supporting the thousands of Texans through helping them figure out what the next steps are for their identity.

Texas Legislature:Senate Finance Committee talks prisons, fentanyl and the southern border

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Thousands of Texans' identities stolen due to state security issue
Bryan Kohberger appears at a hearing in Latah County District Court, on Jan. 5, 2023. Ted S. Warren / AP

A silver flashlight, medical-style gloves, and dark clothing were among the items seized from Bryan Kohberger when he was arrested at his parents' house in Pennsylvania in late December as part of the investigation into murders of four University of Idaho students, according to a newly unsealed search warrant.

On Tuesday, a court in Pennsylvania unsealed the Dec. 30 search warrant, which led to the arrest of Kohberger, 28, who has been charged with the Nov. 13 killings of four University of Idaho students, Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Madison Mogen, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Ethan Chapin, 20.

According to the search warrant, police seized a silver flashlight, four medical-style gloves, a large white Arizona Jean Co. T-shirt, a black sweatshirt, a pair of black-and-white sneakers, socks, shorts, boxer shorts, and one buccal swab when they arrested Kohberger.

Pennsylvania Courts

The documents also show that investigators began surveillance of Kohberger and his parents' property days before he was arrested.

"Investigators began physical surveillance of the property and area of 119 Lamsden Drive, Chestnuthill Township, and in the early morning hours of Tuesday, December 27, 2022 [and] observed Bryan Kohberger walking near this residence," the report reads.

"Affiants believe that Kohberger is located inside this residence and in possession of items related to this investigation," it continues. And "based upon the serious and violent nature of these crimes, including the risk of general public safety, your Affiants are requesting a night-time search warrant be issued to execute this search warrant at any time and the affidavit of probable cause be sealed."

Kohberger was arrested after police examined surveillance footage and cellphone records from the night the murders happened and discovered a knife sheath left behind at the scene. DNA on the button snap of the knife sheath linked Kohberger to the crime, per the affidavit.

Surveillance footage from that night also captured a white Hyundai Elantra sedan  like the one Kohberger owned  driving around the neighborhood and in the "immediate area" of the victims' house around the time of the killings. After he was arrested, Moscow police confirmed that they had seized the car from his parents' house.

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During a search of Kohberger's apartment also conducted at the end of December, authorities found a nitrite-type black glove, eight possible hair strands, a possible animal hair strand, a dark red spot, which was collected without testing, and two cuttings from a reddish brown stain on an uncased pillow.

Kohberger was a criminology PhD student at Washington State University in Pullman, which is about 10 miles from the University of Idaho, where the victims went to school.

Last week, the University of Idaho announced that the house where the students were killed is scheduled to be demolished. According to the Associated Press, the owner of the home has offered to give it to the university, and the school has accepted and will have the house knocked down by the end of this semester.

It remains unclear if there is a connection between Kohberger and the victims, and the police have not released a motive. He is currently being held in Latah County Jail in Moscow, Idaho, and facing four counts of first-degree murder and a felony burglary charge. His next court date is set for June 26.

Additional warrants from Kohberger's arrest are scheduled to be made public on Wednesday.

More on this
Credit - Artwork by William Oberhardt

Henry Luce and Briton Hadden and their scrappy team of 20-somethings piled into a cab to barrel across town to the printing plant on the last Tuesday in February 1923. There they spent the final hours cutting, pasting, and fine-tuning the first issue of the magazine that would come to define the American Century. It was a skinny issue, stripped-down stories slotted into 22 sections, designed for an age of information overload, to be read in an hourits unique value proposition signaled in its very name.

Read the First Issue in the TIME Vault and the cover story on TIME.com

The most important fact of this first cover is not the charcoal portrait or filigree borderit would be four years before a designer proposed the iconic red one. It was the name TIME (chosen over Facts), and even more, The Weekly News-Magazine. No such thing had existed beforeno such artful, even arrogant, arrangement of all the worlds news into tidy categories. The cover story about the coming retirement of legendary GOP lawmaker Uncle Joe Cannon ran less than a column. From the first, this was news with attitude: Never did a man employ the office of Speaker, TIME declared of Cannon, with less regard for its theoretical impartiality.

The future co-founders of TIME, Henry Luce (left) and Briton Hadden (right), at Hotchkiss Prepatory School in Lakeville, Conn., in 1916. The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

The choice of Cannon for the cover spoke to Luce and Haddens conviction that people dont just make news, they make history, destiny as personality, and so that week and every week to come for decades, it would almost always be a person or persons on the cover of TIME. Cannon had made plenty of news and history in his 46 years in Congress, eight as Speaker. A staunch conservative and fierce disciplinarian, he wielded total control over who sat on what committees and which bills would ever make it to a vote. Sometimes in politics one must duel with skunks, he once said, but no one should be fool enough to allow skunks to choose the weapons.

Gibbs, the first woman to be editor-in-chief of TIME, is the Edward R. Murrow Professor of Practice of Press, Politics and Public Policy at Harvard
This is an excerpt from Incoming, BuzzFeed News morning newsletter dedicated to making sense of this chaotic world we live in. Join the club.

Quitting social media may actually help calm your broken brain

Fly, good Fleance, fly, fly, fly! John J. Custer / BuzzFeed News

Ashley Steele, 22, from Pennsylvania, says she used to be obsessed with Instagram, consistently scrolling on the app for an hour or two each day, sometimes consecutively, she tells BuzzFeed News . By the end of July 2022, she deleted the app and hasnt redownloaded it.

I would find myself doomscrolling, comparing myself and my body to other people, and taking in way too much information every single day, she said. Since deactivating, Steele said, shes felt less anxiety overall and better body image.

At this point, theres a plethora of research outlining the adverse effects of social media on individuals mental health. Social media has been proven to contribute to feelings of loneliness, rage, and social inferiority. One study found that people who spend more time online have increased feelings of depression, anxiety, and stress and experience fewer face-to-face interactions.

Yet apps like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram are a pervasive part of most peoples daily lives: 84% of American adults report using at least one social media platform, and about one-third of adults in the US say they are online  almost constantly . BuzzFeed News spoke to people who chose to deactivate their social media accounts. Like Steele, many spoke at length about how going offline has improved their relationships to the news cycle, their peers, and themselves.

I've been conscious of the ways that social media is structured to play on our worst emotional tendencies and increase anxiety/anger/engagement; it has been incredibly freeing to reclaim those emotions for myself, Mia Steinberg, 33, from British Columbia, Canada, told BuzzFeed News.

UN denounces Russias massive violations of human rights

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Russia's invasion has caused the most massive violations of human rights in the world today , in a meeting with the UN Human Rights Council on Monday. Guterres referenced hundreds of cases of disappearances of civilians, sexual violence, and violations of the rights of prisoners of war, AP reports. Russia stepped down from the council following the invasion of Ukraine last year.

According to US intelligence, China is considering offering military weapons to Russia, CNN reports. "This war presents real complications for Beijing," US national security adviser Jake Sullivan said. "But, if it goes down that road, it will come at real costs to China."

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SNAPSHOTS

Evan Rachel Wood said a model who now claims that Wood pressured her to make sexual assault allegations against Marilyn Manson for years told her the singer had abused her  and Wood says she has the receipts to prove it. "I never pressured or manipulated Ashley Morgan Smithline to make any accusations against [Manson]," Wood said , "It was Ms. Smithline who first contacted me in March 2019."

A former US swimming champ died suddenly in the US Virgin Islands, and police are investigating. Jamie Cail, 42, was found unresponsive in her home by her boyfriend, police said.

The SAG Awards are being called out for having Mark Wahlberg present an award to the cast of Everything Everywhere All at Once. Wahlberg has a history of racially motivated attacks , including one instance when he pleaded guilty to felony assault after being charged for assaulting two Vietnamese men in Boston in 1988.

Alex Murdaugh's brother described the phone call he got on the night of the murders

John Marvin Murdaugh, brother of Alex Murdaugh, listens to testimony on Feb. 16, 2023, in Walterboro, South Carolina. Grace Beahm Alford / The Post And Courier via AP

Alex Murdaugh's defense rested their case Monday evening, with Alexs brother John Marvin Murdaugh serving as the final defense witness to testify in the weekslong South Carolina trial. John Marvin described the phone call in which he learned that Paul and Maggie Murdaugh, his nephew and sister-in-law, had been killed as he testified in Alexs murder trial .

In his testimony, John Marvin painted a picture of a happy, all-American, normal family who hosted tailgates, went to country music concerts, and vacationed together. Alex was very close with his sons and had a great relationship with his wife, John Marvin said. Immediately after Alex called him in hysterics on the night of the murders, John Marvin drove to the familys hunting lodge, where Maggie and Paul were found fatally shot, he said.

He was just broken, I mean destroyed, John Marvin said of the state he found his brother in. All we did was hug and cry  I dont even know that we talked. John Marvin also testified that he personally cleaned up the crime scene , saying he "felt like it was the right thing to do" for his nephew Paul.

IMAGE OF THE DAY

A man takes a picture with a robot at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, on Feb. 27, 2023. Nacho Doce / Reuters

Pickup basketball was my outlet. After my injury, I'd worried I'd never get it back.

Alex Eben Meyer for BuzzFeed News

The last time Id been on a court, I tore my Achilles, Albert Samaha writes . For four years after that, I stayed away from the sport, the longest Id ever gone without hooping.

That absence weighed heavily on my spirits. In adolescence, I spent hours shooting hoops after school, losing myself to the rhythmic muscle memory that makes the ball feel like a remote extension of my body. In adulthood, some of the only extended stretches of time when Ive been truly present  and away from a phone screen  were the evening pickup runs with guys I saw every week but knew little about, passionate competitions that left me filled with joy on my commute home no matter what else clouded my thoughts.

It was easy to find excuses not to return to the court. I needed to make sure I was completely healed. I needed to get back in shape. I needed to practice my jump shot. But in the back of my mind, I knew I was scared. I was afraid of suffering another bad injury. I feared confronting how severely my skills had eroded and how much weaker my body had become. I couldnt risk the possibility of revealing myself to be a scrub.

It took years before I was ready to test what my body could do. But when I came back, the empty court felt like a blank canvas .

Still reading, eh? Seems like you might want to get this in your inbox. No pressure though. Just some food for thought.
Kyrylo Budanov

"They (coming months) are going to be pretty active., Budanov said.

Read also: Spy chief Budanov says conflict between Shoigu and Prigozhin plays into Ukraine's hands

Rather, very active, and decisive for the further course of events. There will be intense combat... Yes, they are coming. They will try (to fight actively) from their side, and we also will do it from our side.

Budanov said Ukraine needs more supplies of weapons to turn the tide of the war  mostly those weapons Ukraine is already getting, but with the addition of attack aircraft.

He said that Russia isn't ready for long-lasting fighting due to its rather limited resources.

Read also: China wont transfer weapons to Russia, Ukraines spy chief says

Earlier, on Feb. 23, the HUR head said that Russia would be forced to withdraw its troops from 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
Norway attracted to U.S. sabotage project of Nord Stream pipelines: Modern Diplomacy

Xinhua) 08:22, February 28, 2023

This aerial photo released by the Danish Ministry of Defense on Sept. 27, 2022 shows the Nord Stream gas pipeline leak site. (Danish Defense Ministry/Handout via Xinhua)

Ironically, at a joint press conference with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in August 2022, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store claimed that "Norway delivers as much gas as possible to Germany."

NEW YORK, Feb. 27 (Xinhua) -- Norway was attracted to the United States' sabotage project like a fly to the honeypot, since it stood to gain fabulously in financial terms if it helped the U.S. military to destroy Nord Stream pipelines near Danish waters, and replace Russia as Germany's principal source of piped natural gas, said an article published on the Modern Diplomacy website on Saturday, citing former Indian diplomat and prominent international observer M.K. Bhadrakumar.

Seymour Hersh, an investigative journalist who disclosed in a report earlier this month details of the U.S. sabotage plan, has explained to the German newspaper Berliner Zeitung that Norway was particularly interested in successfully pulling off the plot against the Nord Stream pipelines, according to the article.

In Hersh's words, "Norway was interested in income growth, and hence in increasing the volume of its energy supplies to the EU, to the same Germany. And what do we see after the mission? Norway has made it. It's (energy) exports grew against the backdrop of significant hostility towards Russia," wrote Bhadrakumar.

Ironically, at a joint press conference with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in August 2022, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store claimed that "Norway delivers as much gas as possible to Germany," he noted.

"Of course, what he didn't tell Scholz was that Norway was about to execute a project to transform Germany, Europe's largest consumer of natural gas, as a captive market for it very soon. Actually, Norway blew up the Nord Stream pipelines only a month later on September 22," added Bhadrakumar.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
In medicine as elsewhere in life, if you ask the wrong question, youre likely to get the wrong answer. So if the question is, Do masks worn outside medical settings work to protect against COVID-19 and respiratory diseases?  or its politically charged companion, Do you believe in masks?  dont be surprised if the answers you receive are simplistic or wrong.

A perfect example was the recent publication of an analysis by the respected Cochrane Library, an organization that collates and reports the results of scientific studies. It examined a series of randomized controlled trials published in the scientific literature that asked whether surgical masks, N95 masks or P2 respirators prevented the transmission of respiratory viruses. The overarching consensus was that wearing a mask in ordinary public places probably makes little or no difference in an individuals risk of acquiring influenza or COVID-19.

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The response by the news media and scientific community was predictable. Masking skeptics pounced, interpreting this to mean that masks are worthless, thus ignoring the words probably and little or no difference that leave open the possibility of benefit at the margins or in high-risk settings, which can exert a dramatic effect in a large population. Meanwhile, masking defenders mounted a vigorous takedown of the report and an impassioned defense of masks as essential.

There are limitations to the Cochrane report, but it cannot be dismissed. It suggests that studies promoted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and World Health Organization early in the pandemic that cited high degrees of mask effectiveness were overstated. According to one study, the chances of acquiring COVID-19 were reduced by nearly 80% by wearing a mask. An effect this significant could have shown up  but didnt  in the Cochrane compendium.

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This is not proof that masks are not effective, but it does strengthen the argument that the effect of masks is limited. (The young person you may have seen biking alone along the lake wearing a mask but no helmet doesnt understand the concept of relative risk.)

Thats why the question asked in the studies is so important. If the question asked is not whether masks work but whether they have a role in selected situations, the Cochrane report comes up short. The report concentrated on randomized controlled trials, in which subjects are divided by chance (to eliminate selection bias) into separate groups to study whether a drug or an intervention like masking really works. The randomized controlled trial, or RCT, is touted as the gold standard of experimental design, but one of the things we have learned from the pandemic is that this is not always true.

Over the last 30 years or so, I have begun to realize that while RCTs are a brilliant idea for testing drugs, they are a catastrophically bad idea for testing certain other things, masks being one of them. There are a lot of philosophical reasons, but there are also common-sense reasons, Dr. Trisha Greenhalgh, a respected British professor at the University of Oxford who studies mask effect, explained in a 2022 Medscape interview.

The RCT is an artificial thing. You randomize people to A or B, and you have to keep everything controlled. The thing about masking in a community in the real world is you cannot control everything. In fact, you can control very little. If I ask you to give your consent to wear a mask and then get tested for COVID-19, thats great because you have given informed consent. But what about everybody else in the community? Greenhalgh asked.

Given these limitations, what is a reasonable approach to masking right now? As the director of the CDC, Dr. Rochelle Walensky has stated much depends on community levels of COVID-19. When levels are high, there are more situations, such as long stints in crowded indoor venues with poor ventilation, in which masking is prudent. When levels are moderate to low, as they are now, masks are irrelevant in most settings.

The greatest benefit to masking remains in health care settings in areas with immunocompromised patients  for example, organ transplant areas and chemotherapy wards. There is historical evidence that masks, especially N95 masks, have prevented infections in these areas. When community levels are low, policies for routine masking in other hospital areas are best left to individual institutions. (Virus transmission may still occur outside patient rooms.)

[ Cory Franklin and Robert Weinstein: We need to boost COVID-19 surveillance to detect new viral variants ]

In schools, we believe masks should be optional for teachers and students, especially at current community levels. COVID-19 transmission by children is low, but not zero, and many countries no longer require masking in school. We believe masking does harm language and social development in younger students  another situation in which studies have not answered the questioned conclusively. Masking may be recommended for students and teachers who are immunocompromised.

In his 1982 classic book Medical Thinking, the eminent medical historian Dr. Lester King described scientific evolution in medicine over centuries. He asked a fundamental question, Do we recognize the enormous gulf between This is true and This is true only under limited circumstances?

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That question is central to understanding the complex role of masks in respiratory disease.

Dr. Cory Franklin is a retired intensive care physician. Dr. Robert Weinstein is an infectious disease specialist at Rush University Medical Center.

Submit a letter, of no more than 400 words, to the editor here or email letters@chicagotribune.com.
Nishad Singh is the latest former FTX executive to plead guilty to charges in the unfolding criminal case over the downfall of the crypto exchange. NurPhoto/Getty Images

Nishad Singh, who led engineering at FTX, has pleaded guilty to six criminal charges.

The SEC separately accused him of skimming about $6 million from FTX for "personal use and expenditures."

Singh is "deeply sorry for his role in this," his lawyers told Insider in a statement.

Nishad Singh is the latest top executive from Sam Bankman-Fried's crumbled crypto enterprise to plead guilty to criminal charges stemming from the fall of FTX.

Singh pleaded guilty to six counts, including wire fraud and various conspiracy charges, according to a filing on Tuesday in New York federal court. The charges by federal prosecutors outline their now-familiar allegations of a scheme at FTX to use customers' funds to support the functions of Bankman-Fried's hedge fund, Alameda Research.

"Singh agreed with others to defraud customers of FTX by misappropriating those customers' deposits and using those deposits to pay expenses and debts of Alameda Research, and to make investments, and for other purposes," prosecutors said in their charging document against Singh.

Caroline Ellison, the former CEO of Alameda Research, and FTX cofounder Gary Wang both pleaded guilty in December and are also cooperating with federal prosecutors.

Bankman-Fried, who was hit this month with an updated indictment outlining 12 counts against him, pleaded not guilty in January.

Separately, the US Securities and Exchange Commission unveiled its own civil complaint against Singh on Tuesday, detailing its allegations about how Singh fit into the purported scheme at FTX and Alameda. The securities regulators accused Singh of helping to craft a code that essentially allowed FTX customer funds to slosh around with Alameda's finances. They also accused him of taking money from FTX.

"Singh withdrew approximately $6 million from FTX for personal use and expenditures, including the purchase of a multi-million dollar house and donations to charitable causes," the SEC said in a statement.

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Singh had been head of engineering at both FTX and Alameda, according to the SEC's complaint.

"Nishad is deeply sorry for his role in this and has accepted responsibility for his actions," Singh's lawyers Andrew Goldstein and Russell Capone, both partners at Cooley LLP, told Insider in a statement.

"He wants to do everything he can to make things right for victims, including by assisting the government to the best of his ability in this case," they said.

A representative for Sam Bankman-Fried declined to comment.

This month's updated indictment against Bankman-Fried alleged that he sought to wield influence in Washington through strategic political donations, including by two top FTX executives, whom prosecutors referred to as "straw donors."

"Today's guilty plea underscores once again that the crimes at FTX were vast in scope and consequence," US Attorney Damian Williams said in a statement on Tuesday. "They rocked our financial markets with a multibillion dollar fraud. And they corrupted our politics with tens of millions of dollars in illegal straw campaign contributions."

Read the original article on Business Insider
James Irven Staley III leaves court in Fort Worth after the first day of testimony in his murder trial in connection with the death of 2-year-old Jason Wilder McDaniel on Oct. 11, 2018.

FORT WORTH, Texas -- David Taylor wept when he testified Monday about the last time he saw 2-year-old Jason Wilder McDaniel alive.

"Pawpaw" to Wilder, Taylor is the stepfather of Wilder's mom, Amber McDaniel. Taylor has been in Amber's life since she was a little girl and in Wilder's life from joyful beginning to tragic end on Oct. 11, 2018.

The child was Amber's "reason to wake up every morning," Taylor testified.

The man who considered himself to be a father figure in Wilder's life was the first witness called for James Irven Staley III's murder trial in connection with Wilder's death.

He testified that Wilders murder destroyed Amber and his whole family.

On Oct. 10, 2018, he and Amber picked her son up early from daycare. The little boy was wearing a red firefighter's helmet and chattering about a visit from a fire truck that day.

Jason Wilder McDaniel is shown here with his mother, Amber McDaniel.

Taylor broke down into tears when telling the jury the last thing Wilder ever said to him: No James, Pawpaw. No James house.

The child had been saying "No James," Taylor testified. Amber felt James might be trying too hard and should let Wilder come to him.

More:UPDATED Live blog: James Staley trial coverage

During cross-examination, defense attorney Terri Moore contended Wilder had been saying the same phrase but with the names of Amber's then best friend and a girlfriend of Robert "Bubba" McDaniel Jr.

Amber and Bubba, Wilder's father, were not together at the time of the childs death. She was seeing Staley, and she and Wilder were staying at Staley's house when the child died.

Taylor testified about a cookout at Staley's home Oct. 6, 2018, during the weekend before Wilder's murder. He said Staley appeared to be drinking a lot.

During cross examination, Moore asked Taylor if he knew about a video showing Wilder saying, "Love you," to Staley or a video of the child and Staley lighting the grill together for the cookout.

Taylor said he was not aware of the videos and didn't recall seeing them.

It was an emotional day in court Monday for Wilder's other family members, too.

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Just before the trial recessed for the evening, jurors viewed photos of the dead child taken by an evidence technician who works for Wichita Falls police.

One family member cried, and another shielded her eyes from the graphic photos.

At the outset of the proceedings, Senior District Judge Everett Young instructed jurors, giving them a list of do's and don'ts about their roles.

"You are to determine facts," Young said.

The judge was appointed to preside over the trial and decided to move it to Fort Worth in the interest of Staley getting a fair trial with an impartial jury.

The trial is taking place in an eighth-floor courtroom of the Tim Curry Criminal Justice Center in downtown Fort Worth.

Next on Monday, Staley entered a not guilty plea before the jury. Opening arguments from the prosecution and defense followed.

Dressed in a black suit, Staley sat quietly, listening as a prosecutor described the horror of the allegations against him.

This defendant smothered the life out of that sweet little boy, Lisa Tanner, one of the prosecutors, told the jury during her extensive opening statement.

Tanner read jurors electronic messages Staley wrote about Wilder, such as, Scumbags and (off-color term) need to be culled, and hes both.

Tanner said Staley referred to Wilder with a racial slur in those messages, too.

Youll see how he felt about Wilder McDaniel, she told jurors.

Tanner said a video recovered from electronics seized from Staley showed him sneaking up behind a couch where Wilder was sleeping, rising up and slapping the child, who woke up screaming and crying.

Then Staley pretended he didn't know what had happened, gaslighting Wilder, Tanner told jurors.

She laid out the prosecution's case, which includes dozens of texts and Facebook messages. The defense team includes her and Wichita County District Attorney John Gillespie.

"You are probably not going to like Amber at all," Tanner said.

Amber made some really poor choices and decisions, but jurors can't dislike her or judge her more than she does herself, Tanner said.

Amber has been charged with child endangerment in connection with bringing Wilder around Staley. She has also been charged with evidence tampering in connection with deleted electronic messages between her and Staley.

Tanner told jurors Amber deleted the messages when police returned her cell phone after their first examination of it because she didn't want anything related to Staley on her phone.

Tanner described Bubba as a "mercurial" mixed martial arts fighter. She told jurors that Wilder's death brought them back together, and the married couple had another son.

Defense attorney Mark G. Daniel told the jury that prosecutors shopped around for expert opinions in the case to support their theory that Staley suffocated Wilder with a pillow.

Daniel called into question the validity of some experts and their opinions.

As for Staley, Daniel said he has a dark sense of humor and a foul mouth.

James does not have very good judgment and says inappropriate things, Daniel said.

He told jurors that they don't have to like Staley but to "look behind the curtain" to see how evidence has been "shopped for."

Daniel said Wilder was 38 inches tall, and he was supposed to be sleeping in a bed at that height -- not a crib.

He told the jury that Amber at first told police that Wilder fell out of the crib and that everything was fine between her and Staley. They were talking about vacationing together.

Amber also told police she went to bed early about 9:30 p.m. the night before Wilder's death, but her phone was reacting to social media, Daniel said. She made a post herself at about 11:30 p.m.

Staley's defense attorneys also contend autopsy results don't line up with what prosecutors claim happened, and that Gillespie has had enormous pressure brought on him to prosecute Staley.

Bubba founded the #JusticeForWilder movement and has advocated with its members for Amber's ex-boyfriend to be tried for murder.

The second day of testimony Tuesday continued with an evidence technician on the stand for at least two more hours. The tech responded to Staley's home to take photos and collect evidence the day of Wilder's death.

Jurors saw the white crib that Wilder's mom put him to bed in the night before she found him dead, lying on the floor outside of the crib on the morning of Oct. 11, 2018, in a bedroom in Staley's Country Club-area home.

Check back with www.timesrecordnews.com for more coverage of this trial.

Trish Choate, enterprise watchdog reporter for the Times Record News, covers education, courts, breaking news and more. Contact her with news tips at tchoate@gannett.com. Her Twitter handle is @Trishapedia

This article originally appeared on Wichita Falls Times Record News: First day of testimony in Staley's trial emotional for Wilder's family
LONDON (Reuters) - Norway-based airline Norse Atlantic said it will add Los Angeles, San Francisco, Washington, D.C., and Boston to its summer schedule from London Gatwick airport this year, as it seeks to benefit from the post-pandemic boom in travel.

The airline, which flew its maiden flight last summer, hopes to succeed where Norwegian Air failed, by offering transatlantic flights at budget rates after securing cheap leases on Dreamliner 787s during the pandemic.

Passenger demand for travel has surged over the last 12 months and is expected to recover to pre-pandemic levels on most routes in 2023.

That trend is being seen at Norse said Chief Executive Bjorn Tore Larsen.

"Summer is going to be good," he told Reuters ahead of announcing the new routes on Tuesday.

"Bookings are where we expect them to be or better."

Norse said it would fly daily to Los Angeles from Gatwick from June 30 with economy return fares from 430 pounds including taxes. The other new destinations would have similar fares and slightly less regular services.

The airline already flies to New York JFK and plans to also start serving Orlando and Fort Lauderdale/Miami in May. When it adds the new destinations later in the summer, it will serve more U.S. cities than any other airline flying from Gatwick, Britain's second-biggest airport.

Norse said it had made a "significant investment" at Gatwick and employs 370 people there, where it is basing five of its current fleet of 10 aircraft.

Gatwick's transatlantic connections suffered during the pandemic following the failure of Norwegian and after Virgin Atlantic stopped flying from Gatwick and focused on its operations at Britain's biggest airport, Heathrow.

(Reporting by Sarah Young and Joanna Plucinska; Editing by Christopher Cushing)
SEOUL, South Korea (AP)  North Korean ruler Kim Jong Un called for stronger public solidarity behind his leadership to increase the countrys grain production significantly, state media reported Tuesday, amid outside worries about the countrys worsened food insecurity.

Foreign experts say North Korea is experiencing a serious shortfall of food in the aftermath of COVID-19 border restrictions and a reported push for greater state control over grain supply. The experts say they've seen no signs of mass deaths or famine due to the shortfall.

During a ruling Workers Party meeting on Monday, Kim expressed his governments determination to bring about a revolutionary turn in the agricultural production without fail, according to the official Korean Central News Agency.

Nothing is impossible as long as the strong leadership system is established in the whole party and there is the united might of all the people, Kim was quoted as saying.

KCNA didnt elaborate on whether Kim presented any specific steps to boost grain production. Many observers say meaningful steps to produce more grain would require more purchases of fertilizer, pesticides and agricultural machinery, as North Korea devotes much of its scarce resources to advance its nuclear weapons program.

North Koreas chronic food shortage has likely deteriorated due to COVID-19 restrictions that choked off its external trade, persistent U.S.-led sanctions and its own mismanagement.

According to South Korean assessments, North Koreas grain production last year was estimated at 4.5 million tons. In the previous decade, its annual production was an estimated 4.4 million to 4.8 million tons. South Koreas spy agency has said North Korea needs 5.5 million tons of grain to feed its 25 million people each year.

In past years, unofficial grain purchases from China offset about half the gap, but pandemic-caused curbs on border traffic has likely cut those transactions. Further worsening the situation was a decline in people's earnings and authorities' unsuccessful efforts to supply grain via state-run facilities while restricting private dealing at markets, according to Kwon Tae-jin, a senior economist at the private GS&J Institute in South Korea.

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Most analysts say North Koreas current food shortage is nowhere near the extremes of the 1990s, when hundreds of thousands of people died in a famine. They say the meeting of the party's Central Committee was in part likely convened to promote Kims image as a leader caring about his people at a time when hes locked in confrontations with the United States over his nuclear program.

The plenary session, which opened Sunday, was expected to last at least another day.

KCNA cited Kim as saying in Monday's session that the main purpose of the conference was to find immediate ways to reach this years grain production goal and scientifically feasible long-term objectives to radically increase agricultural production within a few years. Other senior officials analyzed unspecified shortcomings in past rural development projects and proposed how to fix them, according to KCNA.

Boosting grain production is one of the 12 economic objectives North Korea's ruling party adopted in an earlier party meeting in December. State media said recently that grain production must be increased at all costs.
northern ireland protocol why needed uk boris johnson michelle oneill sir jeffrey donaldson

Rishi Sunak has finalised his Brexit deal with Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the European Commission, saying that the agreement marks a "decisive breakthrough".

Under the direction of Mr Sunak, Downing Street officials have been working with their EU counterparts on the final stages of a compromise deal in three key areas in the implementation of the Protocol since January.

Here we tell you everything you need to know about the Protocol.

What is the Northern Ireland Protocol?

It was a deal struck between the UK and the European Union that determined what the trade rules would be for Northern Ireland after Brexit.

Northern Ireland shares a land border with Ireland, which is an EU member, over which goods move freely because there are no checkpoints.

Given all sides were committed to keeping that land border open, London and Brussels agreed to having checks on goods moving to and from the UK mainland.

But that effectively created a customs border between two different parts of the UK - Northern Ireland and Great Britain - which has infuriated Unionists.

What is the latest news?

Mr Sunak finalised a new agreement on improving the Northern Ireland Protocol at a lunchtime meeting with Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the European Commission, in Windsor, on Monday.

They officially announced the deal at a press conference before the Prime Minister headed to the Commons to present it to MPs.

Mr Sunak confirmed that MPs will be given a vote on the new deal, but suggested on Tuesday that he will press ahead with the deal even if the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) rejects it.

So whats the problem?

Unionists have long feared the Northern Ireland Protocol is driving a wedge between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK. For a new deal to work, the DUP says it must pass seven tests.

The DUP claims the checks are driving up the cost of living but this is disputed by other parties in Northern Ireland, which claim the countrys special status in the Single Market has shielded its economy.

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Sir Jeffrey Donaldson leader DUP opposes the Protocol northern ireland protocol why when 2022 - Charles McQuillan/Getty Images Europe

The British Government argues that the Protocol is having a chilling effect on trade from the rest of the UK, which is Northern Irelands principle trading partner.

Supply chains are shifting to EU suppliers to avoid the extra checks, which London says is unacceptable trade diversion.

Supporters of the agreement see it as mitigation against the consequences of Brexit.

What will the legislation try to solve?

The deal will propose to compromise in three key areas in the implementation of the Protocol.

The original agreement first struck by Boris Johnson and David Frost back in October 2019 meant that Northern Ireland effectively remains in the EUs Single Market and continues to follow EU rules.

In January 2021 a solution came into force that avoided a hard border with the Republic of Ireland, but implemented checks on certain goods travelling between Great Britain and Northern Ireland, creating a trade border in the Irish Sea.

Mr Sunak has said that the new deal "delivers free-flowing trade throughout the whole of the United Kingdom, it protects Northern Ireland's place in our union and it achieves sovereignty for the people of Northern Ireland."

Anti Northern Ireland Protocol rallies 2022 why needed eu - Mark Marlow/PA Wire

This article is kept updated with the latest information.
LONDON (Reuters) - The leader of Northern Ireland's Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) said a new provision to stop new European Union trade rules from applying to goods in Northern Ireland did appear to give its Stormont regional assembly the ability to apply a brake.

"I do think that what has been proposed at first reading does give Stormont the ability to apply the brake where the application of EU law for the purposes of facilitating cross-border trade impacts on our ability to trade with the rest of the United Kingdom," Jeffrey Donaldson told BBC Radio 4 on Tuesday.

"I have said that progress has been made. We continue to have some concerns," he said of the new post-Brexit deal struck between Britain and the EU on Monday.

The Stormont brake, unveiled as part of the deal, enables the British government to stop new EU laws from applying to goods in Northern Ireland if requested by a third of lawmakers in Stormont, the British province's regional assembly.

(Reporting by Sachin Ravikumar, Editing by Kylie MacLellan)
The family of the man shot and killed by MARTA police tell Channel 2 Action News that they want answers and a full investigation into the shooting.

Osiris Bennett, 23, died on Friday.

Its not fair, said DeAndre Bailey, Bennetts brother.

[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]

According to police, two plain-clothes MARTA officers spotted Bennett with a marijuana cigarette Friday afternoon. Police said the officers tried to confront Bennett, but he ran, and thats when a struggle ensued.

The individual presented a handgun and pointed it at one of the officers. That second plain clothes officer backed up, engaged the suspect and shot, said MARTA Police Department Chief, Scott Kreher.

On Monday, Channel 2s Audrey Washington spoke with a man who witnessed the incident and recorded the moments following the shooting.

The man asked not to be identified for the report, but he said he never once heard the officers identify themselves during the encounter.

They rushed [Bennett] him. They didnt identify themselves. They were tussling with the guy. And [Bennett] he was like why are you doing this? the man said.

As with all officer-involved shootings, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation is now handling the case.

Channel 2s Audrey Washington asked the GBI if the officers identified themselves.

In a statement, a GBI spokesperson said in part:

We dont have anything to add to our original statement right now. The investigation is active and ongoing.

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Bailey said his brother was getting to a better place in life with his mental health issues.

What people dont know is that my brother was schizophrenic, he had mental issues and he was getting to a point where he was getting to a better head space, Bailey explained.

Story continues

Bailey believes his brother got scared and tried to protect himself.

If two random people were coming at you and you didnt know they were police officers, what else are you going to do but react? asked Bailey.

Friday night, family and friends held a vigil for Bennett at the North Avenue MARTA station.

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Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes, now a mother of two, is asking to delay her 11-year sentence for felony fraud so she can be at home with her two young children while she appeals the conviction.

In November 2022, Holmes was sentenced to 135 months in prison for defrauding investors in the failed Silicon Valley startup that sought to revolutionize blood testing. At the time, Holmes, 39, was a mother of a 1-year-old son and pregnant with another child.

She now has "two very young children  her toddler and an infant," according to a recent court filing. The request for Holmes to remain free pending an appeal, filed Feb. 23 with the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, did not say when Holmes had her second baby.

The motion for release said that Holmes is not a flight risk and "is highly motivated to continue complying with her conditions of release so that she can work with her lawyers while she pursues her appeal."

When he sentenced Holmes, U.S. District Judge Edward Davila pushed to April 27 her report date to a prison in Byron, Texas, so she could give birth to her second child before being incarcerated.

A March 17 hearing is scheduled on her request to stay out of prison during her appeal.

$1 million bail: Student accused of attacking teacher's aide over Nintendo Switch

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Former Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes, center, arrives at federal court with her father, Christian Holmes IV, left, and partner, Billy Evans, in San Jose, Calif., on Oct. 17, 2022. She has given birth to her second child and wants to defer imprisonment as she appeals her fraud conviction.

Feds argue Elizabeth Holmes is a flight risk

In court documents, federal prosecutors have said Holmes is a flight risk. They cite a one-way plane ticket to Mexico she booked for Jan. 26, 2022, three weeks after her conviction on four counts of fraud and conspiracy. Holmes only canceled the trip after prosecutors contacted Holmes attorneys about the unauthorized flight, prosecutors said.

Holmes said in the recent court filing, she had planned to attend a wedding of close friends in Mexico and the ticket was canceled immediately when the government raised the issue.

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Holmes dropped out of Stanford University at 19 to start the medical diagnostics company in 2003. Theranos' mission: a blood test requiring only a pinprick of blood, enough to run dozens of medical tests on the startup's hi-tech machines.

The company grew to be worth more than $9 billion, employing more than 800 employees  attracting investors such as Larry Ellison, founder of Oracle; Rupert Murdoch, billionaire media mogul; and the Walton family, who founded Walmart.

But indictments said Holmes and her colleague and former romantic partner Ramesh Sunny Balwani, lied about the technology, the company's finances, and its partnerships with the Department of Defense and Walgreens.

Balwani, who was convicted on 12 counts of fraud and conspiracy and sentenced to nearly 13 years in prison, is also seeking to remain free amid an appeal.

Holmes was found guilty on four felony fraud counts associated with a loss to victims of at least $120 million. Total losses surpassed $800 million, prosecutors said.

Contributing: The Associated Press

Follow Mike Snider on Twitter: @mikesnider.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Ex-Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes has second child, seeks prison delay
Medical staff wear protective clothing at the Wuhan Red Cross Hospital on Jan. 25, 2020, in Wuhan, China, as the city struggled with the outbreak of the once-mysterious coronavirus that eventually killed millions of people globally. (Hector Retamal/Getty-AFP)

Citing a classified intelligence report provided to members of Congress, the Wall Street Journal reported Sunday that the Energy Department has now concluded with low confidence that the COVID-19 pandemic most likely began after an unintentional laboratory leak in China.

The opinion comes from the government department that oversees a network of National Laboratories and Technology Centers and has the study of health as part of its jurisdiction. Its not a definitive designation, even if the FBI has made the same declaration, albeit with moderate confidence. The origin of COVID-19 is a matter of crucial import to the world, not just vital to the assessment of culpability but to the cause of trying to prevent the recurrence of something similarly catastrophic. It remains an unanswered question.

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But the statement from the Energy Department should be cause enough for much of the U.S. media to conduct a painful post-mortem on why it was so reluctant to credit this clearly logical theory with any status beyond a fringe view held by supporters of Donald Trump and other so-called outliers.

Whatever eventually proves to be the truth of the COVID-19 beginnings, here is evidence of just how partisan and unhinged much of the media coverage of the pandemic became, especially when combined with a cadre of often self-anointed and dubiously qualified public health experts who had been seduced by the chance to make their names, and in some cases a buck or two, from their personas on social media.

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We are no fans of the former president and see his influence on our democracy as chaotically pernicious. Still, the collective hatred of Trump and the scorn with which his pronouncements typically were greeted meant that many in the media suspended one of journalisms most crucial creeds: to check everything out.

Just because a person lies or talks nonsense some of the time does not mean that they are not wise or truthful at other moments. And too many journalists failed to see that substituting a kind of collective groupthink certainty as a weapon against Trump was deeply problematic. Thats especially true given the lack of any evidence that Trump was actually wrong when he called on an obfuscating China to come clean, to investigate its research activities and to make its findings available to the wider scientific community.

But look at what was said about the lab leak theory, even though we all knew from the beginning not only that China was less than forthcoming about COVID-19, but that the city where the crisis apparently started, Wuhan, also was home to the Wuhan Institute of Virology, an experimental lab that is known to have been working on the same family of viruses and is located just a few miles from the Wuhan seafood market that has shouldered much of the blame.

In the early days of the crisis, both The New York Times and the Washington Post added the adjective fringe to a mention of the lab-leak theory, especially when espoused by a Republican, such as the widely ridiculed Sen. Tom Cotton. The writer Jonathan Chait has pointed out the many problems with an April 2020 National Public Radio story that boldly asserted in its lead paragraph that virus researchers say there is virtually no chance that the new coronavirus was released as result of a laboratory accident in China or anywhere else. Thats a piece of journalism that has not aged especially well.

Chait, who writes for New York magazine, has also noted his own media organization published a piece that purported to debunk COVID-19 conspiracy theories, including the one that the Department of Energy now supports. A pair of editors notes have now been appended on the piece.

Welp, wrote Nate Silver on Twitter Sunday. The behavior of a certain cadre of scientists who used every trick in the book to suppress discussion of this issue is something Ill never forget. A huge disservice to science and public health. They should be profoundly embarrassed. Silver, who has been admirably skeptical about many things in the absence of data, is right. And so should the reporters who had those scientists on speed-dial.

In fairness, reporters can only report what they know at a given moment and, given all the ongoing chaos surrounding COVID-19, its surely not surprising that more now is known. And its worth repeating that, even now, the lab-leak theory is far from proven. Low confidence is low confidence, and not all branches of government agree.

But we can say this with at least moderate certainty: The media got a whole lot wrong in the early days of COVID-19, often allowing ideological bias, and a specific disdain for Trump, to influence reporting. And a lot of public health professionals jumped on the same zealous train, seduced by talk-show appearances, op-ed column offers and a growing cadre of social media followers, all desperate for information, rather than biased opinion.

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Next time, everyone should be more careful. But lets hope there is no next time, at least in all our lifetimes.

Join the discussion on Twitter @chitribopinions and on Facebook.

Submit a letter, of no more than 400 words, to the editor here or email letters@chicagotribune.com.
Editors note: Rep. Mark Takano (D) represents California in the House. The information was incorrect in an earlier version of this story.

Two Democratic lawmakers introduced a bill on Tuesday that would cap attorney fees for claims made by victims of water contamination at a North Carolina military base in an attempt to weed out bad actors.

Reps. Jerrold Nadler (N.Y.) and Mark Takano (Calif.) have proposed the Protect Access to Justice for Veterans Act, which would set a limit on lawyer fees associated with settlements and claims related to toxic exposures at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune.

The legislation would also explicitly require an attorney to disburse the funds of any judgment or award to the victim before collecting any compensation for services rendered, according to the congressmen.

Unfortunately, there are bad actors who may seek to take advantage of the people harmed at Camp Lejeune for financial gain, many of whom may be elderly, Nadler, who serves as ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee, said in a statement.

Nadler and Takanos bill would serve as an amendment to the Honoring Our PACT Act, an expansive measure signed into law in August that sought to improve health care access for veterans exposed to toxins during their service.

Within it was the Camp Lejeune Justice Act  a measure permitting lawsuits for those who endured toxic exposures on base for at least 30 days between Aug. 1, 1953 and Dec. 31, 1987.

The Marine Corps first discovered volatile organic compounds in the drinking water generated by Camp Lejeune treatment plants in 1982, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry.

The agency has since determined that exposure to contaminants such as trichloroethylene, tetrachloroethylene and vinyl chloride likely raised the risk of developing certain illnesses.

While Nadler recognized the Camp Lejeune Justice Act as an important step towards providing long denied justice to military families, he said that the newly proposed legislation would protect vulnerable veterans from financial exploitation.

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Recent passage of the Camp Lejeune Justice Act resulted in the American public being inundated with ads about Camp Lejeune water contamination, Takano, who serves as ranking member of the House Veterans Affairs Committee, added in a statement.

This onslaught of advertising campaigns have raised concern that veterans could be taken advantage of as a result, according to Takano.

Nadler and Takanos bill would bar attorneys from amassing fees that exceed either 20 percent of a settlement reached within 180 days of presenting a claim  or 33.3 percent of a claim resolved by judgment, compromise or settlement.

The lawyers would be required to deposit all awarded funds into an account held in trust for the plaintiff and then promptly deliver the funds that the individual is entitled to receive, according to the bill.

No money would go to the attorneys to compensate for services rendered until the relevant funds from such account have been disbursed to the plaintiff, the legislation stipulates.

Takano acknowledged that while some individuals are targeting veterans and charging exorbitant fees, there are also many organizations working to help affected individuals seek relief in a supportive manner.

This legislation strikes a balance that allows veterans to utilize outside help to seek justice, while preventing nefarious actors from unjustly diverting resources away from our veterans, he added.

Updated at 3:15 p.m.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
LAS VEGAS (AP)  A former Las Vegas-area elected official endured searing questions from a state court judge but got the go-ahead Tuesday to represent himself at trial on a murder charge in the killing of a veteran investigative journalist.

Its always unwise to represent yourself in any matter, let alone a first-degree murder case, Clark County District Court Judge Michelle Leavitt told Robert Rob Telles, a former Democratic county official accused of stabbing Las Vegas Review-Journal reporter Jeff German to death last September.

"I understand, your honor, Telles said.

Telles, 46, a lawyer since 2015, had his license to practice suspended after his arrest in German's slaying. He stood in court Tuesday in jail clothing with his arms shackled to his waist and a sheaf of papers in his hand. He remains jailed without bail.

Youve never done even a misdemeanor criminal trial? the judge asked as she grilled Telles for more than 30 minutes about his crucial decision in a case that could get him life in prison without parole. Leavitt specializes in handling murder trials.

No your honor, Telles responded. His experience was in civil matters, he said, adding that he handled three jury trials.

Telles does not have to be a lawyer to represent himself. The U.S. Supreme Court held in 1975 that criminal defendants in state courts have a constitutional right to represent themselves.

You understand that if you choose to represent yourself and you dont get a result that you like, you can't say on appeal I was bad at representing myself?' " Leavitt asked.

I understand that, Telles replied.

Telles recently told The Associated Press in a jail interview that he wanted to drop Damian Sheets, an attorney he hired in January, and find another lawyer to get his case to trial quicker than the Nov. 6 date currently set. Sheets was the third private attorney Telles hired since his arrest.

I wish him the best in representing himself, Sheets said after the judge's decision.

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Leavitt on Tuesday did not change the trial date, and she made it clear she does not want Telles to ask later to let him hire another attorney.

You're facing life without the possibility of parole, the judge declared. It is not a game. I will not allow you treat it as a game.

Leavitt said she will decide later whether Telles qualifies for a court-appointed standby attorney to assist Telles and answer legal questions.

In his interview with AP, Telles maintained that he did not kill German. But he did not provide new evidence in his defense and did not say what he was doing the day police and prosecutors say German was attacked and killed in a side yard of Germans house. Telles said he wants to testify before a jury.

And so, because Im going to do that, I think thats something that will come out as far as what I was doing," Telles told AP on Feb. 14. "But right now, I couldnt answer that question.

Telles lost his Democratic party primary in June, weeks after German wrote about turmoil and internal dissension in the office Telles headed.

German, 69, was widely respected for his tenacity and confidential contacts in 44 years reporting on organized crime, government corruption, political scandals and mass shootings  first at the Las Vegas Sun and then at the Review-Journal.

He was one of at least 67 news media workers killed worldwide in 2022, the highest number since 2018, according to a report in January by the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists. Thirty-five of the known killings took place in just three countries: Ukraine, Mexico and Haiti. German was the only one in the U.S.

Last week, a television news reporter was shot and killed and a photographer was wounded, allegedly by a gunman who returned to the scene of an earlier slaying near Orlando, Florida. The local sheriff characterized the shootings as random acts of violence.

Telles' elected term as Clark County public administrator was cut short following his arrest less than a week after Germans death. The office handles dead peoples assets.

Police and prosecutors say evidence is strong that Telles killed German, including Telles DNA found beneath Germans fingernails.

Neighborhood video shows a man wearing an orange work shirt and extra-broad straw hat walking near Germans home and entering Germans yard. Police said they recovered cut-up pieces of a straw hat at Telles home the day he was arrested.

In the AP interview, Telles insisted evidence that police and prosecutors say was collected at his home and on German was planted.

When it was, I cannot say, he said. But I did not kill Mr. German.

In addition to delays due to attorney changes, steps toward trial are on hold pending a ruling by the state Supreme Court on an appeal by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department of a judges order blocking homicide detectives from accessing digital records on computers and a cellphone seized from Germans home.

The Review-Journal argues that reviewing Germans files could improperly expose confidential information about stories German was working on, violating First Amendment protections and Nevada state law shielding reporters from revealing contacts and sources.

Police say that to complete the investigation in the case against Telles, they need to be thorough in the search for possible evidence.

Telles also is entitled under court rules of evidence to know if German had information that could clear Telles of the charge against him.
Ohio residents who filed a lawsuit against Norfolk Southern over the derailment of a train carrying hazardous materials through East Palestine urged a judge on Monday to block the company from destroying evidence related to the crash.

Reuters reported that attorneys for the residents asked U.S. District Judge Benita Yalonda Pearson to give their experts more time to investigate the crash site. They said that Norfolk Southern only allowed them two days to investigate the wreckage, which they argue is not enough.

Norfolk Southern told the judge that the company was on a strict schedule ahead of a March 10 deadline that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) set for them, noting that taking longer to clean up could delay their efforts to remedy the situation, according to Reuters.

The EPA ordered Norfolk Southern last week to clean up the wreckage caused by the train derailment and cover all costs associated with it.

The EPA later temporarily halted the removal of contaminated waste from the site as state officials raised concerns about the shipment of contaminated waste to their states.

In a press release on Monday, Ohio state officials said that about 280 tons of contaminated soil were disposed of at a waste disposal facility in Michigan before the EPA paused the removal. The release also said that two 26-cubic-yard boxes of contaminated soil were sent to a wast disposal facility in East Liverpool, Ohio, on Monday.

In a press release Sunday, state officials said all but 11 rail cars were removed from the crash site. The 11 remaining cars were being held as part of the National Transportation Safety Boards investigation into the derailment.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Orlando International Airport announced that it has been awarded $69 million in federal funds for two Terminal C expansion projects.

On Monday, the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) notified The Greater Orlando Aviation Authority (GOAA) that the funds have been released.

>>> STREAM CHANNEL 9 EYEWITNESS NEWS LIVE <<<

The FAA is releasing nearly $1 billion to airports across the country for projects aimed at improving the passenger experience, accessibility, and more. The funding, which comes from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), will be awarded in grants of differing amounts to about 100 different airports across the United States.

The pair of Terminal C projects were previously suspended during the pandemic due to budget considerations, according to a news release.

We are grateful to the administration, USDOT and the FAA for making this investment in the Central Florida region, said Carson Good, GOAA Chairman. We also thank Mayor Buddy Dyer and Mayor Jerry Demings, Congressman Darren Soto, Kevin Thibault and the rest of the Authority management staff for supporting the effort to secure these grants.

Read: All aboard: Ride SunRail for free this Saturday

Here is how the fund will be allotted:

$49 million is earmarked for the Terminal C Phase 1 Expansion project, which includes the construction of four additional Multiple Aircraft Ramp System (MARS) gates capable of serving either four wide-body or eight narrow-body aircraft.

$20 million will be earmarked to fund a portion of the 450-foot, enclosed Pedestrian Connector Bridge, which will provide direct access between the Train Station and Terminal C.

Read: Volusia County Schools reach tentative agreement on a contract for support personnel

According to a news release from GOAA, these grants will enable airports to make it faster and easier for passengers to check bags, get through security and find their gate, all while creating jobs and supporting local economies.

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As Orlando International continues to handle record-setting passenger totals, it is vital that airport improvement efforts keep pace with our traffic, said Kevin Thibault, GOAA Chief Executive Officer. Terminal C is the future of transportation in Central Florida and its multimodal connectivity will increase our capacity to accommodate projected future demand.

The recently opened Terminal C is a next-level facility that will add 10-12 million annual passengers and elevate the customer experience.

Read: Buc-ees receives approval for new Central Florida location; heres where it will be

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(Bloomberg) -- Heralded shale patch Vaca Muerta can spur Argentina to export half a million barrels of crude a day within four years  if only politicians can provide clearer rules for drillers, according to Vista Energy CEO Miguel Galuccio.

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What we need is to create a macroeconomic and political energy framework that allows us to fully develop our resources, Galuccio told Bloomberg TV on Monday. For that I would concentrate on two things: FX controls and clearer domestic crude pricing.

As head of Argentinas state-run YPF SA from 2012 to 2015, Galuccio was the architect of the first incursions into Vaca Muerta, convincing Chevron Corp. and others to take a risk on joint ventures when the country was an investment pariah feared for volatile government interventionism.

Read more: Dead Cow Awakens as Pipelines Revive Argentinas Shale Hopes

While huge progress has been made since then, with shale oil and gas now flowing, some of the erratic policymaking hasnt changed, dampening investments.

A patchwork of currency controls, designed to defend the Argentine peso, makes it tough for drillers to get the US dollars they need to import equipment or send money to investors. Unpredictable caps on local fuel prices to protect consumers also hurt oil producers profits.

Vistas New York-traded shares, which have more than doubled in the past year, fell about 1% in early trading.

Argentina will vote in presidential elections later in the year. Galuccio believes all of the potential candidates would support Vaca Muerta in order to tap its export revenues desperately needed at the cash-strapped central bank.

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The importance of Vaca Muerta for the country is not under debate from the different political parties, Galuccio said.

--With assistance from Haidi Lun.

(Adds share move in sixth paragraph.)

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The Oklahoma County jail in Oklahoma City is shown last year.

An Oklahoma County jail inmate died Monday morning at a hospital.

Kenneth J. Parrott, 69, of Oklahoma City, was hospitalized Feb. 18 for significant preexisting medical issues, the jail's director of communications said in a news release.

It was the jail's second death of 2023. Sixteen inmates died last year.

Parrott was arrested Oct. 30 after a transient was shot in the leg from a car in Oklahoma City. He was charged with a felony, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon.

His bond was set at $100,000.

Parrott told police "he had to shoot that guy because he was protecting himself from the Russians," according to a court affidavit.

Parrott "appeared out of touch with reality and did not believe he was human," a police officer reported.

The jail and its health provider were actively working to secure his release on a medical bond, according to the news release. He died before the process could be completed.

The last jail administrator, Greg Williams, resigned in December amid criticism over the high death toll.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Another Oklahoma County jail inmate dies. What we know
At 3:40 a.m. on March 3, 2012, Joseph Luis Jauriqui entered an east Modesto home with orders by a high-ranking member of the Norteno street gang: Kill the 18-year-old woman who lived there and anyone else in the house.

On Monday, Jauriqui pleaded guilty to murdering three people that night: 16-year-old David Siebels, 19-year-old Alyxandria Tellez and 31-year-old Edward Joseph Reinig.

The 18-year-old woman who was targeted was the only survivor; shed hid under a pile of clothes in the bedroom of her McClure Road home. She previously told The Bee she could hear Reinig screaming but didnt hear Siebels, who was her brother, or Reinigs girlfriend, Tellez.

Reinig had gotten out of bed and was shot multiple times in the head and torso. Tellez, still in bed, was shot in the torso. Siebels, whod been sleeping on a couch, was shot twice in the head.

Chief Deputy District Attorney Marlisa Ferreira gave an account of the nights events as part of the stipulated factual basis for Jauriquis plea.

The prosecution alleges that Jauriqui and co-defendant Armando Osegueda carried out the murders at the behest of Richard Garcia, whod been dating the 18-year-old woman.

About a month before the murders, Garcia and Osegueda were arrested in connection with a domestic violence case against the woman. Garcia allegedly held her captive for several days, beat her, choked her, burned her with a lighter and threatened to kill her and her family. Osegueda allegedly helped bind her arms and legs with packaging tape.

Garcia bailed out and Osegueda had not been charged at the time the murders occurred. Both were rearrested shortly after the killings and charged with torture related to the domestic violence case.

But it was nearly a year before they, Jauriqui and four others were indicted on three counts of murder and other charges related to the killings of Siebels, Tellez and Reinig.

The other four defendants  Robert Palomino, Juan Jose Nila, Jose Osegueda, Ricky Javier Madrigal  were accused of having ancillary roles. In the years following their arrests, each of them pleaded to lesser charges in exchange for the testimony against the other three. They were released from jail on their own recognizance and their sentences deferred until after they testify at the trial of their co-defendants.

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All the defendants originally were charged with three counts of premeditated murder with the special circumstances that there were multiple murders and that they were committed for the benefit of the Norteno street gang.

Special circumstances in a murder case make a defendant eligible for the death penalty.

A shooting left three people dead March 3, 2012, in the 700 block of North McClure Road in Modesto. David Siebels, Alyxandria Tellez and Edward Joseph Reinig were shot inside the two-story house.

A few months after their arrests, the Stanislaus County District Attorneys Office announced it would seek the death penalty against Jauriqui, Garcia and Armando Osegueda.

As part of his plea agreement Monday, Jauriqui no longer will face the death penalty but instead will be sentenced to 100 years to life in prison for the murders.

He also pleaded guilty to premeditated attempted murder for stabbing another inmate in the Stanislaus County Jail in 2014. The inmate, also a Norteno street gang member and murder defendant at the time, was blinded by the attack.

For that, Jauriqui, 33, will be sentenced to life in prison to be served concurrently with his sentence in the three murders.

Under current California law, he will be eligible for parole at the age of 50 under the Elderly Parole Program.

Jauriqui is scheduled to be formally sentenced March 27. As many as a dozen family members of the victims are expected to give victim impact statements, Ferreira said in court.

The trial for Garcia and Armando Osegueda was supposed to start this week, but the attorney for Osegueda was granted a continuance because he said his investigator and mitigation expert, used in death penalty cases, both recently quit.

Thursday marks 11 years since the murders, but a new trial isnt expected to be scheduled until next year.

For years, the families of the victims have expressed the frustration and anguish they experience waiting for justice for their loved ones.

The system is not for those of us who are left behind, Reinigs mother, Maisy Avila, told The Bee in 2017. Its for those who stand behind the bars and try to fight their way out of something they know they did wrong and theyre trying to get off. Its not right.
Winter storm warnings have been issued across northwest Oregon, including the entire Willamette Valley, with the biggest impacts coming in the foothills and the mountains.

The parade of cold and wet storms will bring the chance for Willamette Valley snow multiple times this week and could delay school in some areas on Tuesday, particularly in the higher elevations.

Warning issued for Salem and Mid-Valley

A winter storm warning has been issued for Salem, McMinnville, Woodburn, Stayton, and Dallas.

Additional snow of 1 to 3 inches at the valley floor, and 2 to 6 inches above 500 feet, is forecast, with the warning ending at 6 p.m. on Tuesday.

"Plan on slippery road conditions," NWS wrote. "The hazardous conditions could impact the morning or evening commute.

"Snow will be heavy and wet, posing risks for those shoveling the snow. The heavy, wet snow may also bring down tree limbs and power lines, potentially leading to isolated power outages."

Warning issued for Eugene and south valley

A winter storm warning has been issued for Eugene, Springfield, Corvallis, Albany and Lebanon and the rest of the southern Willamette Valley.

Additional snow accumulations of 2 to 5 inches, with the heaviest above 500 feet, has been forecast until 1 p.m. Tuesday afternoon.

"Plan on slippery road conditions," NWS wrote. "The hazardous conditions could impact the morning commute. Snow will be heavy and wet, posing risks for those shoveling the snow. The heavy, wet snow may also bring down tree limbs and power lines, potentially leading to isolated power outages."

Advisory issued for Portland

In the greater Portland Metro Area, a winter weather advisory has been issued for another inch, except 1 to 3 inches in the outer suburbs.

The advisory is in place until 6 p.m. on Tuesday.

People make their way through a snow-covered street in the Grant Park neighborhood of Portland, Ore., Feb. 23, 2023. A winter weather advisory has been issued for the Portland area on Tuesday, Feb. 28, with more snow expected.

New winter storm warning issued for mountain and foothills towns

A winter storm warning has been issued for the Willamette Valley and mountain foothills, and through the Columbia River Gorge, for 2 to 6 inches of snow. This mostly impacts higher elevation towns such as Mill City and Sweet Home outside the central Willamette Valley, along with McKenzie Bridge and Oakridge outside Eugene.

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The heaviest snow will be around and above 1,000 feet.

The warning is in place until 6 p.m.

Mountain roads and passes

The higher mountain elevations above 1,500 feet are forecast to see 2 to 8 inches of snow with winds up to 35 mph. That will make travel difficult over places such as Santiam Pass, Willamette Pass and through the Mount Hood area.

Higher amounts  up to a foot  appear possible into Tuesday.

Warming shelter status

Salem homeless organizations did not plan to open warming shelters Monday night as lows were expected to remain above freezing.

Warming shelters are expected to be activated Tuesday night.

In the past seven days, the Salem warming network operated emergency warming shelters for four nights.

"In that time period, we provided 582 emergency warming shelter bed nights, serving 324 unique guests and provided 353 daytime day center utilizations," Robert Marshall, emergency manager for the ARCHES Project, said. "For perspective, we provided more emergency warming shelter bed nights in the four nights than we have in any one single month."

The shelters continue to look for volunteers. More information on the Salem Warming Network is available at mwvcaa.org.

Lane County pop-up emergency shelter Egan Warming Centers will activate Tuesday night and be on standby through Thursday night. Standby means volunteer shifts are posted for those days, but the official announcement won't be made until 5 p.m. the day before the activation.

The centers, run by St. Vincent de Paul of Lane County, pop up around the Eugene Springfield area when temperatures reach or fall below 30 degrees. The effort is dependent on volunteers. Training opportunities are offered regularly over Zoom and in person. Volunteers work an approximately four-hour shift: evening set-up, the first half of the night, the second half of the night or clean-up in the morning.

Text the word Join to 541-730-3071 for text alerts for Egan Warming Centers activation status. Anyone interested in hosting a site or volunteering can email eganwarmingcenter@svdp.us.

Zach Urness has been an outdoors reporter in Oregon for 15 years and is host of the Explore Oregon Podcast. He can be reached at zurness@StatesmanJournal.com or 503-399-6801. Find him on Twitter at @ZachsORoutdoors.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Oregon winter storm: Warning for Willamette Valley, Portland under advisory
Students and advocates pictured outside of the Supreme Court on February 27 ahead of student-debt relief arguments. Melissa Byrne, executive director of We, The 45 Million

Over 500 students are flooding the Supreme Court on Tuesday to support student-debt relief.

Democratic lawmakers are also joining a coalition of advocacy groups to support the plan.

The Supreme Court will hear arguments and likely make a final decision on the relief in May or June.

The steps of the Supreme Court will be flooded on Tuesday with students, borrowers, and advocates as President Joe Biden's student-loan forgiveness plan enters the chamber.

The nation's highest court is hearing arguments on the two conservative-backed lawsuits that paused Biden's plan to cancel up to $20,000 in student debt for federal borrowers making under $125,000 a year.

Just one month after Biden launched the online application to apply for relief  during which 26 million borrowers submitted forms  the lawsuits paused the implementation of the plan. Now, the nation's highest court will decide whether the plan can progress, or should be struck down.

Student-loan forgiveness has long been a partisan issue. Even before Biden's announcement, Republican lawmakers and conservative groups blasted relief as costly, unfair, and illegal, but Democratic lawmakers pushed for the president to go as big as possible with relief  alongside borrower advocates.

And those advocates are making their voices heard. On Tuesday, a coalition of advocacy groups including the Student Borrower Protection Center, Student Debt Crisis Center, We, The 45 Million, Rise, and the NAACP are participating in the People's Rally for Student Debt Cancellation to urge the Supreme Court to uphold student-debt relief, and according to the NAACP, 500 to 1,000 students are attending.

"Education is supposed to be the key to financial freedom, not the barrier. Today, over 500 students have gathered on the steps of the Supreme Court to fight back against any attempt to restrict such freedom. Oral arguments may be underway, but one thing is clear - failure is not an option," Wisdom Cole, NAACP National Director of Youth & College, said in a statement.

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"Our government must relieve borrowers of the crushing weight of student debt which will keep an entire generation from reaching their full potential," he continued. "The economic mobility of over 40 million Americans is dependent on the survival of this program, and the NAACP will continue to do everything in our power to ensure that their voices are heard, and their stories are known."

Some groups even camped out overnight to make sure they can get a seat in the court. Melissa Byrne, executive director of We The 45 Million, a campaign of borrowers working to win student-debt cancellation, previously told Insider that she "wanted to make sure that the justices look into the eyes of borrowers while they're doing the hearing," adding that "our actions will show that the people with debt are just regular people from around the country."

Along with advocates, Democratic lawmakers including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Bob Menendez, and Reps. Ayanna Pressley, Ilhan Omar, and Max Frost will be joining the rally on Tuesday to voice their support for Biden's student-loan forgiveness.

On Monday, Warren released a report highlighting how members of many of the advocacy groups participating in the rally would be impacted by student-debt relief, and it said "a financial disaster for millions of Americans" could arise should the Supreme Court strike the relief down.

One borrower said in the report that "I'm putting all of my hope into this process finally getting approval. I haven't allowed myself to imagine another scenario because I may not continue even trying to exist everyday if that happens. This debt follows me daily."

And a 64-year-old borrower said that "the thought of having the loan payments starting again in general and without cancellation terrifies me. It means I might have to take a second job or use my 401K retirement money to pay for the loans. I [cannot] plan for retirement."

All eyes now turn to the conservative-majority Supreme Court, which will likely make a final ruling on Biden's debt relief in May or June.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Chicagos mayoral candidates have spent the past six months appealing to residents hopes and dreams, slinging mud at their opponents, begging campaign donors for cash, shaking hands, kissing babies and denying that they would ever put ketchup on a hot dog.

Now, Chicagoans get their say, heading to the polls Tuesday to make their picks for mayor, aldermen in all 50 wards and for police district council candidates who will provide civilian oversight of the Chicago Police Department.

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With the large number of credible mayoral candidates, its a virtual certainty that none will get more than half the vote, meaning a runoff is highly likely. Mayor Lori Lightfoot is fighting for her political life, with eight candidates looking to unseat her. Former Chicago Public Schools CEO Paul Vallas, Cook County Commissioner Brandon Johnson and U.S. Rep. Jesus Chuy Garcia have led the challenges to Lightfoot, who four years ago shocked the citys political establishment when she became the first Black woman to be elected mayor of the nations third-largest city.

Others running against Lightfoot include businessman Willie Wilson, state Rep. Kambium Kam Buckner, 4th Ward Ald. Sophia King, 6th Ward Ald. Roderick Sawyer and community activist JaMal Green.

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Although Lightfoot has faced an uphill battle for reelection, she told reporters Sunday she feels like her campaign is peaking at the right time.

Four years ago, not unlike this time, nobody gave me a chance, but four years ago my hope was that we would have run a campaign that would raise important issues and force all the candidates to reckon with, Lightfoot said. Obviously four years ago, we were in a different place because of the scandal surrounding (indicted Ald.) Ed Burke and the people who were associated with him, but not unlike four years ago, we feel this momentum everywhere we go.

[ [Dont miss] Election Day in Chicago: Everything you need to know about Tuesdays vote for mayor, City Council and police district council ]

After becoming mayor in 2019  the first elected office she ever held  Lightfoot led the city through the COVID-19 pandemic, a two-week teachers strike and other work stoppages in CPS, civil unrest in 2020 following George Floyds murder by Minneapolis police and a surge in violence that has yet to fully abate.

Lightfoot has not run as transparent an administration as promised and engaged in constant feuds with unions representing teachers and police  all while struggling to forge good relationships with members of the City Council, other politicians and leaders in the citys business community.

But she has countered that she is making strides in improving public safety and has put the citys long-neglected South and West sides squarely in focus as her administration works to spur investment in Black and brown communities.

In the waning hours before Election Day, Lightfoot traversed a subdued stretch of Broadway in Uptown to encourage business owners and patrons to vote. She greeted corner store cashiers, customers at a pizza shop and a beauty supply shops wig specialist.

[ [Dont miss] Editorial: Grab the scissors. Our bedsheet ballot is here. ]

At the last stop, the mayor put on an ebullient front as she and retiring Ald. James Cappleman browsed shelves of sparkly tiaras and wigs of all shades. She pondered out loud if any of the items would be a good gift for her daughter, Vivian.

Just minutes earlier, Lightfoot had addressed a gaggle of reporters, using oft-repeated phrases like Vallas is funded by Trump world on steroids and Johnson is bad for Chicago.

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The embattled incumbent brushed off a question about the possibility of a blowout loss for her Tuesday evening.

Im going to be in the runoff, Lightfoot said, so Im not thinking about what doesnt happen.

Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 14 A voter turns in their ballot at the Clark Street early voting super site on Feb. 23, 2023, in the Loop. Just over a third of Chicago's polling places are fully accessible by ADA standards. (Shanna Madison / Chicago Tribune)

For one of his last stops, Johnson opted to lean into his progressive bona fides and was due to hold an early evening news conference with Chicago-bred rapper Vic Mensa and the activist Aleta Clark, also known as Englewood Barbie, under a viaduct near Pilsen. Clark, an advocate for homeless people, was there for a sleepout to show solidarity with residents living in tents and to call for more resources alongside Johnson.

Garcia continued to work the Latino and northern lakefront wards that he is counting on to get into the runoff. He was scheduled to greet voters just after dawn Tuesday at the Belmont Red Line stop and during school dismissal at St. Richard School in Archer Heights.

Wilsons campaign stops Monday reflected his evolving base, as he has shifted more to the right politically and also hopes to attract votes from majority-white wards where city workers concentrate. He did an interview with the conservative cable news show Newsmax, visited library and CTA branches on the Far Northwest Side and made sure to stop by a Black church on the West Side.

King made appearances at a CTA platform downtown and a burger joint in Little Italy Monday, while Sawyer spoke with diners at the Bronzeville soul food restaurant Pearls Place and also hit up train stations along the South Side.

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Green traveled south from the CTAs Roosevelt station to cafes in Bronzeville before also hitting up the student center at the University of Illinois at Chicago, where he is vying for youth votes, as well as Truman College in Uptown.

[ [Dont miss] Chicago election: Voters with disabilities still face obstacles at scores of polling places ]

Buckner stopped at the Anti-Cruelty Society animal shelter to make his case to both two-legged and four-legged Chicagoans and also passed through small businesses in Bronzeville and beyond as well as transit stops, where he has curried favor with a small but passionate faction of CTA and bicycle fans.

Vallas Monday campaign schedule was not provided; he was due to cast his ballot and then greet voters Tuesday morning.

Early turnout has exceeded both the 2019 and 2015 races, suggesting high interest in this years municipal election. More than 211,000 mail-in or in-person ballots had been cast as of Sunday, representing more than 13% of the total electorate. Nearly 60% of those who cast ballots were age 55 or older, while Chicagoans aged 18 to 24 account for only about 2% of early voters.

Turnout for the final day of voting Tuesday could get a boost from a forecast calling for a mild high of 45 degrees, party sunny skies and light breezes. There is a chance for rain Tuesday night.

Although the 2023 field is not as crowded as 2019, when 14 people ran, it remains one of the largest in city history. This years race is largely wide open, with four major candidates vying for the top two spots.

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The possibility of a runoff did not exist until state lawmakers passed legislation in 1995 switching Chicago to nonpartisan elections. It took 20 years before Chicago had its first runoff, when in 2015 Mayor Rahm Emanuel was held under 50% in the February election and forced to the second round by Garcia, at the time a little-known Cook County commissioner.

Emanuel soundly defeated Garcia in April, collecting 56% of the vote.

After Emanuel announced he wouldnt seek a third term, the 2019 field ballooned with big-name contenders including Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza and Bill Daley, the son and brother of former mayors. Lightfoot emerged from the crowded 2019 field after focusing on reform in the wake of federal corruption charges against Burke, the longest serving alderman on the council, who is not seeking reelection.

Chicago Tribunes Jake Sheridan contributed.
At the beginning of the year, a tweet  or rather, the responses to a tweet  brought to the forefront a food-related phenomenon that, up until that point, had been flying under the radar.

On Jan. 7, Insider Food shared an original video that was produced back in 2019 on its Twitter. The video was about oxtail, a slow-braised, stewed dish made using the tail of either beef or veal cattle, and hosts in the video enjoyed the delicacy at a New York City food truck called Island Spice Grill.

Oxtail is a dish that is popular around the world, but specifically within the Caribbean and within Caribbean communities in the US pic.twitter.com/fB96aZtQWs  Insider Food (@insiderfood) January 7, 2023

The cut of meat, which is prepared in many cuisines around the world, including Italian and Chinese, but is a staple in Caribbean and soul food cuisines, has edged its way into the culinary conversation at large.

Insider's video has garnered 12.7 million views and thousands of retweets, but what's most notable is a peculiar phenomenon that unfolded in the tweet's replies.

One time, I had oxtail, and it gave me hair loss and my credit score went down. I wouldn't suggest eating oxtail at all. Avoid it.  Fat Kid Deals (@FatKidDeals) January 8, 2023

"One time, I had oxtail, and it gave me hair loss and my credit score went down. I wouldnt suggest eating oxtail at all. Avoid it," tweeted one person.

"Oxtail is disgusting. Causes all kinds of gastrointestinal issues. Had to go to the ER once after having some once, wasnt worth the bills afterward smh," tweeted another.

If you have naturally straight hair oxtail (particularly the oils) can cause hair loss, warned another Twitter user. It is striking.

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A flurry of shocked responses wondered if it were true: Could oxtail really make your hair fall out? This included one man with a bald spot refusing to risk taking a tender bite of oxtail even if others were being facetious. That is, until one user decided to tell it like it is:

Theyre trying to prevent the whites from gentrifying it and making it expensive as hell, they tweeted, revealing what all these tweets were actually about. No hair loss, throat closures or impotence follow a serving of oxtail, only a deeply flavorful and uniquely tender culinary experience  one that is instinctively worth protecting to the communities of color that have grown up with it.

Sweet and Spicy Oxtail with Cassava Dumplings by Nyanyika Banda

As the original tweet from Insider said, Oxtail is a dish that is popular around the world, but specifically within the Caribbean and within Caribbean communities in the US.

As oxtail finds its way into the national lexicon and fine-dining establishments across the country, it also faces culinary gentrification. Once an inexpensive item, oxtail is currently in the process of joining previously niche ethnic food items like hummus, ramen and more in becoming mainstream  and more expensive in the U.S.

Is that a bad thing? Well, it's complicated.

Oxtails journey from the scrap pile to the top of the heap

Though oxtail used to only specifically be the tail of an ox, today, it can be the tail of any beef cattle or veal. Oxtail is a class of meat product called offal, or the pieces of the animal that are left after butchering.

Four pieces of raw oxtail isolated on white. (JohnGollop / Getty Images)

Usually, offal refers to the internal organs of an animal like the heart, the hoof (referred to as "trotters" in the meat section) and the stomach, but oxtail, consisting of tailbone, collagen-rich marrow and some meat, is put under this category as well. At the beginning of the American slave trade, when soul food originated, while the prime cuts of meat were reserved for slavers, offal  like oxtails  was what enslaved people were mostly given to eat.

Whole-animal cooking was what food was about for centuries, and people didnt waste, Adrian Miller, culinary historian and author of Soul Food: The Surprising Story of an American Cuisine, One Plate at a Time, tells TODAY.com. A hallmark of soul food and African heritage food in the Americas has been the use of these cast off parts: ham hocks, ox tails, pig ears and all these extremities because the culture was about using all parts of the animal.

Miller says that only higher class people like slavers could decide whether to eat certain parts of an animal, and prestige meats like prime rib and mutton had value. Enslaved people did not get regular access, he explains.

Deprived of most native African vegetables and fruits that they were familiar with, enslaved people eventually learned to cook with what was grown on the plantation and plants and animals indigenous to the regions where they lived  save for items like okra, black-eyed peas and watermelon, which were transported during the Middle Passage.

When it comes to African American food and our culture, people think its just about pork, but thats just really not the case, Miller says, adding that since a lot of early food history  especially pertaining to the details surrounding the enslaved  are just not documented. Frederick Douglass didnt even know his own birth date, a particularly telling example of what details about enslaved people were deemed necessary to know.

Over time, the enslaved melded West African and Southeastern Native American styles of cooking, using on-hand ingredients like yams, onions, cabbage and collard, mustard and turnip greens.

Oxtail soup close up (Jordan Lye / Getty Images)

During this, the birth of soul food, enslaved culinary mavericks made use of ingredients like potlikker (the flavorful broth left behind from boiling beans and greens) to slowly braise oxtail until the delicate and flavorful meat fell to delicious pieces.

With rice, black-eyed peas and greens, these components make up a typical Southern oxtail, a dish that has thrived over multiple centuries, making its journey from literal antiquity to a lauded soul-food staple today.

The cost of oxtail going mainstream

With interest comes growing prices, which some attribute to the cut of meat becoming more mainstream.

According to Google Trends, the publics interest in oxtail has been steadily rising, with high peaks appearing in 2021 and the beginning of 2023, as folks previously unfamiliar with it find out how truly wonderful it is  if its made right, of course.

Over time, what weve found is that oxtail, like most of these provisions which were once relegated to the poor and social lessers became part of a new cultural awareness, Brigid Washington, journalist, educator and author of Caribbean Flavors for Every Season, tells TODAY.com.

Washington says that historical subsistence foods like oxtail, saltfish and callaloo were once considered poor mans food, and over time gained prestige and financial value. They held a certain social richness in that it was a path forward, a map towards what our ancestors ate, she explains.

According to the USDAs National Monthly Grass Fed Beef Report, beef oxtail has risen in price from a little over $9 in January 2018 to nearly $14 per pound. Most oxtail recipes involve about 4 to 5 pounds of oxtail  take Al Rokers recipe for his mothers oxtail and dumplings, for instance  so the everyday oxtail lover, like Al, is looking at significantly higher costs when making the staple dishes theyve grown up with.

Oxtail Stew and Dumplings by Al Roker

I think that its always important to frame it as a narrative: Oxtails are usually served with rice, peas and sauteed cabbage in the Caribbean; those are inexpressibly an oxtail meal, Washington says. I think if youre just looking at the price of oxtails, you have to also recognize that oxtail is served with these three other very accessible, cheap ingredients. When you look at the whole plate, it gives you context.

Washington also notes that the rise in demand and price of oxtail is only happening in the States. "If I go home right now and talk to one of my aunts she will scoff, because she will still be able to get oxtail cheap in Trinidad. That's just a fact," she says.

A double-edged butcher knife

In response to the current oxtail prices they're facing at the butcher, people on Twitter, TikTok and beyond are turning to humor to cope  and potentially scare people off from buying it. Washington believes this defensive instinct is a natural one.

When something is when you see something threatened by a majority culture, you protect it, you insulate it, Washington says. Its what happens with any type of any type of vulnerable commodity.

But while no one celebrates the rising cost of a favorite food, there is a silver lining to this pricy storm cloud.

I have mixed feelings about it all, because I want African heritage cuisines to be celebrated, Miller says. The only way that theyre really going to be celebrated and ultimately accepted is if people feel comfortable going to restaurants or peoples homes and eating those foods, then making that on their own.

Miller points to the story of Chinese, Italian and Mexican food in our country as examples. The only way to combat racism in food culture, he says, is to show how wonderful every cuisine is  including soul food.

I understand that if these things go mainstream, its going to mean an increase in price and a lack of availability, Miller says.

Soul Food Sisters (Patrick A. Burns / Getty Images)

There seems to be a faddish quality to it  in the 1960s, the same thing happened, he adds, bringing attention to the soul-food boom of the 1960s which first began with Amiri Barakas coining of the term in a seminal essay. But then five years later, it wasnt a problem.

Although oxtail may make our wallets a little lighter for the time being, attention on them and the dishes that make soul food and Caribbean cuisine so special cannot be discounted.

I want soul food and Caribbean food to be more widely beloved, Miller says. And the only way thats going to happen is if they go mainstream.

This article was originally published on TODAY.com
Democrats are rushing in to replace California Sen. Dianne Feinstein  and so are the Super PACs.

The once-in-a-generation contest for a California Senate seat could unleash a tsunami of outside spending as independent expenditure committees with unlimited fundraising powers work to differentiate Democrats jostling in an open field. And that could lead to the kind of negative broadsides that candidates themselves could be reluctant to level.

Allies of Rep. Barbara Lee launched a Super PAC even before the Oakland congresswoman opened her Senate campaign. That committee is staffed with some of Californias most prominent political operatives  as with a rival PAC backing Rep. Adam Schiff  and supporters of Rep. Katie Porter are laying the foundation for a third. The dynamic could deepen intraparty strife as liberal donors fund advertising targeting more centrist Democrats, and vice versa, in what is likely to be one of the most expensive contests in California history.

I do believe this race is going to be probably one of the most expensive Senate races ever, said Ann Ravel, who chaired both the Federal Elections Commission and the California Fair Political Practices Commission, and each Super PAC is going to want to assure that their candidate is the one who has enough money.

Candidates and political operatives have spent months preparing for a Senate race under the presumption Feinsteins retirement was imminent. That has intensified the competition for top political staffers.

Schiff was very aggressive, said an opposition researcher who asked to remain anonymous because they may be working in the race. Hes trying to lock up all the talent.



Among those running the pro-Schiff committee are partners at Bearstar Strategies, a blue-chip California consulting firm whose roster has included Gov. Gavin Newsom, Sen. Alex Padilla  and, in 2018, Porter. The Orange County Democrat and the firm parted ways after the 2020 cycle, when Porter endorsed Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.)  her political mentor  over then-Bearstar client Kamala Harris.

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They are going to be very familiar with all her vulnerabilities, and thats usually the job of a super PAC, is to negatively define an opponent, said Rob Stutzman, a California-based Republican political consultant.

It is exorbitantly expensive to run a statewide race in California, where candidates must introduce themselves to millions of voters across several media markets. Independent expenditure committees can bolster those efforts by pulling in big-dollar donations

That could be especially critical for Lee as the East Bay Democrat races to make up a cash-on-hand deficit relative to Schiff and Porter, who are both prolific fundraisers with millions in the bank compared to the $54,000 Lee reported at the end of 2022.

That is clearly the advantage they have, said Nathan Barankin, who is overseeing the committee. She has a long list of non-financial advantages they can never overcome, but for her purposes theres a unique benefit to having a Super PAC.

The consultants running Lees committee hint at where that money may come from. Several of them have worked for progressive prosecutor candidates in California, who benefit from a network of deep-pocketed criminal justice reform supporters. Barankin was chief of staff to Harris, whom Lee supported in the 2020 presidential race.

I do think there is substantial overlap between many of the people who have been longtime supporters of the vice president over a number of years with those who will be supportive of Barbara Lee, not just in California but around the country, Barankin said.

While Porter, like Warren, has focused on the corrupting influence of money in politics, she does not intend to decline outside support as Warren sought to do. Warren was caught in a bind in 2020 when she initially pledged to reject PAC support but ultimately received it. The Massachusetts senator argued it would make little sense to operate at a disadvantage to other Democrats who benefited from ubiquitous outside spending.



You cant control outside money, which was the thing with Elizabeth Warren, said Karin Johanson, who helped run a pro-Warren Super PAC in 2020, but I dont think anyones going to spend money on Katie Porter that Katie Porter doesnt agree with.

Porter already navigated a barrage of outside spending in fiercely contested House races that saw groups spend well over $10 million for or against her, illustrating how that kind of cash has become indispensable in tough contests. That network could activate again on Porters behalf, although donors who helped her flip and defend a frontline House seat against Republicans will not necessarily support her against fellow Democrats. Rep. Nancy Pelosis (D-Calif.) endorsement of Schiff could give him access to her formidable fundraising network.

The challenge for Democrats in resolutely blue California is how to stand out to voters without alienating them by assailing other Democrats. Thats where Super PACs could be instrumental.

Its unlikely the candidate campaigns are going to go negative, but its possible the IEs will feel freer to do things that more specifically contrast candidates, said Ludovic Blain, who runs the progressive California Donor Table.

None of that will alter the balance of power in a narrowly divided Senate. But funders are keenly interested in shaping who represents Americas most populous state  particularly given the possibility that Feinsteins successor, like Feinstein, serves for decades.

Dianne Feinsteins presence as the senator from California for 30 years was significant in the Senate, Ravel said, and so who gets elected to that position is something that a lot of outside interests throughout the country are going to be concerned about.
(Bloomberg) -- Pakistans former Prime Minister Imran Khan was given bail in a complaint after the nations Election Commission found that the leaders Tehreek-eInsaf party received illegal funds.

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A judge of Islamabads banking court granted the bail, Khans lawyer Salman Safdar said in a text message on Tuesday. The top Pakistani opposition leader Khan is facing multiple cases including corruption and criminal complaint since he was removed from power in April last year.

In a separate case, a judge of Islamabads anti-terrorism court gave him bail till March 9. The government has filed a case against him for illegally protesting against the Election Commission.

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ISLAMABAD (AP)  A Pakistani court on Tuesday issued an arrest warrant for former Prime Minister Imran Khan, as the cricket star-turned-politician called on his supporters to keep up protests amid a roiling political crisis.

The court in the capital Islamabad that ordered the former premier's arrest said Khan had skipped a hearing on charges of selling state gifts and concealing his assets.

Judge Zafar Iqbal's order came on a day of political drama in Pakistan, as three other courts on Tuesday ruled Khan was immune from arrest on separate charges relating to allegations of terrorism, attempted murder against a rival politician, and graft.

Tight security and thousands of supporters greeted Imran Khan, 70, as he made his first appearance in Islamabad since being shot in the leg during a protest rally in November. One of Khan's supporters was killed and a dozen others were wounded in the attack, which drew nationwide condemnation.

Khan has been leading protests for months now calling for early elections to oust the current government of Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif, who says polls will be held later this year when Parliament completes its five-year term.

Fawad Chaudhry, a senior leader from Khans Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, said there was a serious threat to the security of Imran Khan and thousands of people as he moved around the capital. He said Khan was being paraded from one court to another in fake cases.

Khan was ousted from the premiership in April through a no-confidence vote by lawmakers. He has accused Sharif of conspiring with the U.S. to oust him from power, without providing evidence.

Legal problems for Khan have continued to mount. In October, an elections tribunal disqualified Khan from holding public office on charges he sold state gifts and concealed assets as premier. He was stripped of his seat in the National Assembly, the lower house of Pakistan's Parliament.

Khan has challenged his disqualification and denied wrongdoing.

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The latest developments come a day after Islamabad police said they had arrested Amjad Shoaib, a retired army general and Khan ally, on charges of inciting the public and government employees against national institutions.

Shoaib was arrested after he appeared on a Pakistani news channel on Saturday criticizing authorities for keeping Khans supporters jailed, especially in remote areas of the country.

The standoff between Khan and Sharif's government has roiled the country as its economy faces severe problems and a growing currency crisis.

Pakistan is in talks with the International Monetary Fund to revive a bailout that was originally signed in 2019 when Khan was in power.

On Tuesday, Moodys Investors Service downgraded Pakistan's rating. The action is seen as a warning that Pakistan is more likely to default on its foreign debts.

Moodys assessment was driven by Pakistans increasingly fragile liquidity and external position that raises default risks to a level consistent with a Caa3 rating. ____

Associated Press writer Jon Gambrell contributed to this story from Dubai.
The Justice Department has reached an agreement to resolve allegations of lending discrimination against Park National Bank.

Park National, which is headquartered in Newark, Ohio, has been accused of engaged in a pattern or practice of lending discrimination by redlining in the Columbus area, according to a Justice Department spokesperson.

>> Coroner IDs victims of double homicide in Dayton

From at least 2015 to 2021, Park National was accused of failing provide mortgage lending services by redlining majority-Black and Hispanic neighborhoods in the Columbus, according to the complaint filed in federal court. Lenders were allegedly concentrated on majority-white neighborhoods and failed to take any meaningful measures to compensate for its lack of physical presence in communities of color.

As part of the agreement, the Justice Department secured $9 million from Park National to address the resolve the allegations.

Let todays settlement send a very clear message to banks: we will not tolerate discriminatory lending practices and we will hold you accountable, U.S. Attorney Kenneth L. Parker, of the Southern District of Ohio, said.

>> I am blessed to have had him in my life; Area Bengals superfan with ALS has died, daughter says

A part of a consent order filed in federal court, Park National has agreed to do the following:
Saint Kitts & Nevis - (NewMediaWire) - February 28, 2023 - A contract has been signed between KillerPay and SmartTab POS to integrate KillerPay's crypto payment software with the San Francisco based Point-of-Sale system. SmartTab is the premier POS system for high volume bars, nightclubs, and cabarets, and with this partnership, patrons will be able to pay using crypto at establishments that use the SmartTab POS system. KillerPay is innovative software that handles crypto payments between businesses and private coin wallets.

KillerPay partnered with Fat Cat Killer as its preferred token for its payment system offering the most robust and complete benefits package, speed, and transaction rates. KillerPay accepts a variety of tokens like SHIBA, DOGE and many others but offers the greatest benefits to users of kBUSD and kUSDC from Fat Cat Killer.

This agreement defines SmartTab as the preferred POS vendor to support the initial implementation of KillerPay's payment system in hospitality venues across the continental United States. KillerPay and SmartTab will collaborate on marketing the integration of the software and hardware providers to a consortium of venues.

KillerPay enables buyers to purchase goods and services using a multitude of digital assets, allowing them to enjoy extremely low transaction rates with a "cash back" mechanism for our partner token kBUSD and kUSDC and under 1% fee for Merchants using most of the tokens listed on KillerPay. KillerPay's system can be used almost anywhere but has unique operational advantages for both customers and merchants in the hospitality sector and luxury retail brands. Merchants will have an option to convert their crypto payments immediately into their native currency, such as USD, at the time of transaction.

KillerPay and SmartTab are a natural fit, as the benefits of KillerPay complement the ease, speed, and operator driven flow of SmartTab's POS system which is best in class for nightclub, cabaret, and bar environments. Billy Blatty, Founder of KillerPay, said, "As the adoption of crypto becomes more widespread, this partnership will enable hospitality venues to meet their patrons where they are. I'm also excited to announce we've partnered with both Simplex and Moonpay, so as our partnerships grow, our quality of product grows with it."

Story continues

Some of the KillerPay benefits include the following:

Lowest processing fees on the market, under 1%

Eliminate chargeback transactions.

Nearly instantaneous transaction speed

Expand the customer base by accepting various forms of cryptocurrency.

Immediate crypto to fiat conversion option

"We're excited about this innovative partnership with KillerPay. It's the first of its kind and allows SmartPay to be at the forefront of what's happening in the crypto market and truly capitalize on the growth of crypto," says Daniel Baron, SmartTab Founder.

SmartTab currently has 750 locations nationwide and expects to expand to 1500 over 2023. Find out more at killerpay.net I smarttab.com

Contact Information

Billy Blatty

Killer Pay

support@killerpay.net
Investors can approximate the average market return by buying an index fund. When you buy individual stocks, you can make higher profits, but you also face the risk of under-performance. That downside risk was realized by TELUS International (Cda) Inc. (NYSE:TIXT) shareholders over the last year, as the share price declined 12%. That contrasts poorly with the market decline of 8.3%. We wouldn't rush to judgement on TELUS International (Cda) because we don't have a long term history to look at. Unfortunately the share price momentum is still quite negative, with prices down 9.0% in thirty days. Importantly, this could be a market reaction to the recently released financial results. You can check out the latest numbers in our company report.

Since shareholders are down over the longer term, lets look at the underlying fundamentals over the that time and see if they've been consistent with returns.

See our latest analysis for TELUS International (Cda)

While markets are a powerful pricing mechanism, share prices reflect investor sentiment, not just underlying business performance. One flawed but reasonable way to assess how sentiment around a company has changed is to compare the earnings per share (EPS) with the share price.

Even though the TELUS International (Cda) share price is down over the year, its EPS actually improved. It's quite possible that growth expectations may have been unreasonable in the past.

It's surprising to see the share price fall so much, despite the improved EPS. But we might find some different metrics explain the share price movements better.

TELUS International (Cda) managed to grow revenue over the last year, which is usually a real positive. Since the fundamental metrics don't readily explain the share price drop, there might be an opportunity if the market has overreacted.

You can see how earnings and revenue have changed over time in the image below (click on the chart to see the exact values).

TELUS International (Cda) is well known by investors, and plenty of clever analysts have tried to predict the future profit levels. So we recommend checking out this free report showing consensus forecasts

Story continues

A Different Perspective

We doubt TELUS International (Cda) shareholders are happy with the loss of 12% over twelve months. That falls short of the market, which lost 8.3%. That's disappointing, but it's worth keeping in mind that the market-wide selling wouldn't have helped. Putting aside the last twelve months, it's good to see the share price has rebounded by 1.2%, in the last ninety days. Let's just hope this isn't the widely-feared 'dead cat bounce' (which would indicate further declines to come). 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. Consider risks, for instance. Every company has them, and we've spotted 1 warning sign for TELUS International (Cda) you should know about.

Of course, you might find a fantastic investment by looking elsewhere. So take a peek at this free list of companies we expect will grow earnings.

Please note, the market returns quoted in this article reflect the market weighted average returns of stocks that currently trade on US 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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Patricia Arquette was so close to hearing Tom Cruise declare to her in front of the world, You complete me.

The Severance actor was convinced she had nabbed a leading role in 1996s Jerry Maguire, whose titular protagonist utters that famous line to character Dorothy Boyd  but she lost out to Renee Zellweger, Arquette recalled in an interview Sunday with Variety.

Everyone was saying, Oh, this is just a formality, youre gonna read with Tom Cruise for Jerry Maguire, but this is your part, you got it, she said on the red carpet of the Screen Actors Guild Awards. And I blew it.

While Maguire resembled a traditional rom-com on the surface, its earnest approach made the Cameron Crowe film an awards circuit colossus. It not only won Cuba Gooding Jr. an Oscar, but led Zellweger to receive a SAG nod for her role.

I actually think she was better for it, said Arquette, who herself won an Oscar in 2015 for Boyhood.

At the time of casting for Maguire, Arquette had already curated an impressive resume, appearing in cult classics such as True Romance, Ed Wood and Lost Highway. She had been hardened by failed auditions as well, like that for Oliver Stones 1991 The Doors biopic.

Patricia Arquette delivers an acceptance speech at the 2015 Oscars.

Patricia Arquette delivers an acceptance speech at the 2015 Oscars.

I just heard on this podcast the other day  that the casting director, that Brad Pitt and I were her choice, we were the first ones who came in to read for The Doors, and she was like, Why are we having any more auditions? They were perfect, Arquette said. Ultimately, though, Meg Ryan and Val Kilmer won out to lead the film.

Arquette told Variety that shes a terrible auditioner because the process doesnt involve finished work, but added that actors need to have fun during tryouts.

You gotta go in and do your best, take a chance, she said, and you gotta let it go, because its really out of your hands.

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A 38-year-old Navarre man is in custody following a pursuit in excess of 100 mph that included driving the wrong way on U.S. 30 Monday night in what authorities say was a stolen vehicle.

An Ohio State Highway Patrol cruiser.

The pursuit began in Wayne County, continued into Ashland County and ended in Richland County.

At 11:22 p.m., the Wooster Dispatch Center was notified that the Wayne County Sheriffs Office was in pursuit of a reported stolen vehicle on U.S. 30 westbound from Madison Road, according to Sgt. Bridget Matt of the Ohio Highway Patrol Public Affairs Office.

The reported stolen vehicle was a dark blue 2012 Chevrolet Cruze, according to the patrol.

A trooper from the Ashland post joined in the pursuit as a secondary unit to the Wayne County Sheriffs Office in Ashland County. The pursuit continued westbound and a trooper from the Mansfield post was able to successfully deploy stop sticks as the suspect vehicle was traveling westbound in the eastbound lanes of U.S. 30 near Ohio 603, Matt said.

The suspect vehicle became disabled in the median of U.S. 30 near Interstate 71 and the driver was taken into custody without further incident, Matt said.

The suspect was identified as Justin M. White, 38, Navarre, and was released to the custody of the Wayne County Sheriffs Office. Wayne County Sheriffs Office is handling all charges and is the primary investigating agency, Matt said.

Tuesday, Capt. Douglas Hunt of the Wayne County Sheriff's Office said the office had sent several charges to the prosecutor's office for consideration including failure to comply with the order of a police officer, no operator's license, receiving stolen property, reckless operation and speed.

Hunt said White was reportedly driving at speeds in excess of 100 mph.

lwhitmir@gannett.com

419-521-7223

Twitter: @LWhitmir

This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: Patrol: Justin N. White, 38, of Navarre was arrested after a pursuit
Election judge Marisol Diaz, center, helps a voter feed her ballot into the machine at Lawn Lanes bowling alley in Chicagos 23rd Ward on Feb. 28, 2023. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune)

In an election set to whittle down a crowded field of mayoral candidates, Chicago saw a continued shift to early and mail-in voting that left polls much quieter Tuesday than in past years.

By the time polls closed at 7 p.m., Chicago elections officials calculated that 32% of registered voters had cast a ballot in the municipal general election  either at the polls Tuesday, at an early-voting site or through the mail.

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That percentage is expected to rise as straggler mail ballots roll in  all count if theyre postmarked by Tuesday. In comparison, voter turnout was 35%, 34% and 42% for the same election cycles in 2019, 2015 and 2011, respectively, according to the Chicago Board of Elections.

Voters who didnt vote early or by mail began heading to the polls at 6 a.m. to cast ballots in the hotly contested mayoral race and vote for aldermen in all 50 wards.

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Incumbent Mayor Lori Lightfoot was being challenged by eight candidates as she sought reelection to a second term.

Chicago voters for the first time in city history were able to vote for representatives on civilian police oversight councils.

While votes were still being counted Tuesday evening, many races  including the mayors race  werent expected to be decided until runoffs April 4. Candidates for mayor and aldermen could not win office Tuesday unless their vote totals exceeded 50%.

Mail-in ballots can be counted if theyre received by March 14, so long as they were postmarked by Tuesday. As of about 9 p.m. Tuesday, about 97,000 mail-in ballots remained outstanding, said Max Bever, spokesman for the Chicago Board of Elections. He noted that, based on prior return rates, ultimately 60,000 to 80,000 of those ballots would likely be returned.

As of 7 p.m. Tuesday, 507,852 ballots had been cast at the polls, early voting sites or received by mail by the Chicago Board of Elections, representing about 32.1% of the citys 1,581,564 registered voters. Nearly 245,000 of those votes came before Election Day, the highest number ever for early voting in a municipal election. And that doesnt count more mail-in ballots postmarked by Tuesday and expected to arrive in coming days.

Voting varied widely by ward, led by the 19th, with ballots collected for 55% of registered voters there, as of Tuesday night. The Southwest Side ward includes the political bastions of Beverly, Mount Greenwood and Morgan Park, where Ald. Matt OShea was battling two challengers.

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By age groups, most votes  around 19%  were placed by people 55-65, as of 7 p.m..

[ Election Day in Chicago: Everything you need to know about Tuesdays vote for mayor, City Council and police district councils ]

[ [Dont miss] Attention Chicago voters: Find your polling place for Tuesdays election ]

Fourteen polling places opened late, including three in the 36th Ward, officials said. Overall, few problems were reported.

A complaint was filed against an election judge in the 5th Ward, but the judge remained on the job.

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By noon, Chicago elections officials reported fewer-than-typical votes cast at polling places.

Its been eerily quiet, Bever said. Unfortunately, I think thats (because) turnout is sluggish. ... We seem to be consistently 8,000-10,000 less voters per hour compared to 2019.

Voting picked up as the day progressed, peaking at nearly 33,000 votes cast between 5 p.m. and 6 p.m.

Paul LaGrassa, a key judge, carries an American flag while Bryan Keane, an election coordinator, puts up a poster marking an accessible entrance before the start of voting at the Boathouse at Park #571 in Chicagos 11th Ward in the Bridgeport neighborhood on Feb. 28, 2023. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune)

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Emmanuel Camargo, a 50-year-old Fulton Market resident who works in IT, came to the early voting Super Site in the Loop to drop off his mail-in ballot to vote for Lightfoot. He said his support for Lightfoot never wavered.

We need leadership, Camargo said. I think her opponents are criticizing her failures, and they are failures of her administration, but it was (an) unprecedented (period of time).

Marie Drevets, 22, an engineer who lives in Logan Square, also dropped off her mail-in ballot at the early voting Super Site, but, unlike Camargo, she voted for U.S. Rep. Jesus Chuy Garcia, whom she said she has come to trust.

I wasnt satisfied with Mayor Lightfoot, Drevets said. Im not satisfied with her stands on public safety, and I havent really seen a lot of efforts to improve that.

[ [Dont miss] For the 1st time ever, Chicago voters will elect police councils. Heres what it means for communities. ]

Ava Berry, 55, came to Silvies  a bar fitted with a disco ball  in the North Center neighborhood to vote for Cook County Commissioner Brandon Johnson. Her dog, Humphrey, came along with her for his third voting experience.

Berry said she voted for Johnson after picking through all the candidates websites looking for authentic gestures versus speaking points.

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He spoke of equity in education throughout the city, said Berry, who works for a nonprofit focused on employing people in underresourced communities in the city and partners with a nonprofit dedicated to reducing gun violence on the South and West sides.

It is interesting because (mayoral candidate) Paul Vallas has a history in the Chicago Public School system, but somehow he didnt speak to me, Berry said, adding that Johnson also spoke to the issue of reducing gun violence.

David Galvan, who has lived in Bridgeport for all of his 70 years, was the first voter at the boathouse at Park #571. The morning started out at the polling place with Michael Jacksons Thriller, thanks to the sites election coordinator Bryan Keane.

David Galvan reacts after feeding his ballot into the voting machine at the Boathouse at Park #571 in Chicagos 11th Ward in the Bridgeport neighborhood on Feb. 28, 2023. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune)

Galvan said he chose not to vote for Lightfoot because she aint doing nothing.

To be honest with you, I dont believe there is a politician in the state of Illinois that can do anything about the violence, said Galvan, who works at Rush University Medical Center.

Early voting turnout suggested interest in the race was relatively high, exceeding both the 2019 and 2015 mayoral races.

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In looking just at votes received before Election Day, this year saw far more mail-in ballots, coupled with a continued heavy number of votes cast at early voting sites.

As of Monday morning, early-vote turnout was the highest in wards known for dense populations of city workers: the 19th Ward on the Far Southwest Side, the 41st and 38th on the Far Northwest Side, the 13th on the Southwest Side, and the 11th, centered around Bridgeport and Chinatown.

Bever said that both the June 2022 and November 2022 elections saw about 25% of voters who voted early, about 25% of voters who voted by mail and about 50% of voters who voted on Election Day, with this years early voting numbers suggesting the potential for a similar breakdown.

Some people voting Tuesday remained confused about their ability to cast their ballots at early voting sites, where anyone can vote despite ward residence, Bever said. The UIC Student Center East, for example, was a new early voting site this year because of new lines drawn in the 34th ward, but Bever said a number of people thought they missed an opportunity for voting at a voting center if they waited until Election Day.

Poll workers at the UIC Student Center East said turnout Tuesday was relatively low compared with the past few days.

James Economos, 38, of Logan Square voted for Vallas on Tuesday afternoon in the student center, which took him no more than 10 minutes.

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Vallas is little bit more moderate than the other candidates, Economos said. As long as Lori doesnt win Ill be happy  just her attitude, its very confrontational, very aggressive.

Oswaldo Jimenez, 20, a sophomore at UIC, voted for Garcia, who hes met at local campaign events around the 4th congressional district.

Lakeview resident Sam Samatas, 72, voted for Vallas at St. Luke Church, noting a dislike of Lightfoots progressive politics. Samatas is the president of South Lakeview Neighbors and recently hosted a candidates forum where he felt strongly about Vallas focus on the issues, specifically crime.

Weve got some bread and butter issues, and the main one is people have to start feeling safe in the city, Samatas said. Ive been a resident of Chicago my whole life and to be honest, I dont take the CTA train at night, only because I may see or be involved in something Id rather not be involved in.

As in last years elections, election watchers saw potential for issues stemming from redistricting and fewer polling places, which caused confusion among voters when some showed up at the wrong polling locations.

But Bever said there were fewer people going to the wrong polling place Tuesday than the last election.

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While last years two-paged ballot caused issues in various precincts, as election officials neglected to give every voter both pages of the ballot, this years ballot was one, single-sided page. Voters did not have to worry about using Sharpies either, as the Election Board opted for Papermate felt-tipped pens after concerns last year with the Sharpies, Bever said.

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Primary elections were also held Tuesday in a smattering of suburbs, including Aurora, Harvey, Dolton and Oswego.

Chicago Tribunes Stacey Wescott contributed.

ekane@chicagotribune.com

zsyed@chicagotribune.com

jmahr@chicagotribune.com
STROUDSBURG (AP)  Law enforcement officials seized dark clothing, medical gloves, a flashlight and other items from a Pennsylvania home where they arrested a graduate student charged with stabbing four University of Idaho students to death, according to newly unsealed court documents.

The records were made public Tuesday, two months after Pennsylvania State Police arrested Bryan Kohberger at his parents' home in Monroe County.

Kohberger, a 28-year-old former doctoral student at Washington State University, is charged with four counts of first-degree murder and burglary in connection with the stabbing deaths in Moscow, Idaho.

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

Pennsylvania State Police swabbed Kohberger's DNA and seized a silver flashlight, four medical-style gloves, a white Arizona Jean Co. T-shirt, a black Champion sweatshirt, a pair of black-and-white size 13 Nike shoes, black Under Armour socks, black Under Armour shorts and black Under Armour boxers, according to an inventory of the items.

The significance of the items, if any, was not immediately clear.

A roommate who lived in the home where the attack took place has told authorities she was awakened in the early morning hours of Nov. 13, opened her bedroom door and saw a masked figure clad in black clothing walking past her.

Kohberger's preliminary hearing is scheduled for late June. He has yet to enter a plea.

Additional warrants from Kohberger's arrest in Pennsylvania are due to be made public Wednesday.

Investigators seized stained bedding, strands of what looked like hair and a single glove  but no weapon  when they searched Kohbergers Washington state apartment, according to documents released in January.

This article originally appeared on Pocono Record: PA State Police unseal some warrants in arrest of Idaho slayings suspect
Pennsylvania police and the FBI seized a dozen items from the home of Bryan Kohbergers parents in eastern Pennsylvania, including black clothing and his size 13 Nike shoes, and also took a DNA swab of the Moscow homicide suspects mouth, according to an unsealed search warrant released Tuesday and obtained by the Idaho Statesman.

During Kohbergers arrest in the early morning hours on Dec. 30 at the family home in Albrightsville, police took a large black Washington State University Cougars sweatshirt, and black socks, shorts and underwear, the documents state. They also retrieved four medical-style gloves, a large white T-shirt and a silver flashlight.

Kohberger, 28, was a Washington State graduate student in the criminal justice and criminology department. He was arrested and charged with four counts of first-degree murder in the Nov. 13 slaying of four University of Idaho students in Moscow. The victims were U of I seniors Madison Mogen and Kaylee Goncalves, each 21, junior Xana Kernodle, 20, and freshman Ethan Chapin, 20.

University of Idaho homicide suspect Bryan Kohberger, 28, was arrested on Dec. 30 and appeared in Monroe County Court on Jan. 4, 2023.

The law enforcement search was conducted at approximately 1:25 a.m. on Dec. 30, according to the records.

As with the search warrant for Kohbergers WSU student apartment in Pullman, Washington, executed the same day as his arrest in Pennsylvania, police were seeking any dark clothing; shoes with a diamond-pattern sole; blood or items that contained blood or bodily fluids; and all weapons to include knives and knife sheaths  or receipts for such purchases. In addition, police sought any possible property of the four victims, as well as two surviving housemates.

At the request of the Whitman County prosecutor, a Washington judge unsealed that search warrant in mid-January.

From Kohbergers Pullman apartment, police seized a black rubber glove, red-stained bedding and a vacuum dust container, the records showed. They also took a desktop computer tower, an Amazon Fire TV Stick cord/plug, a Walmart sales receipt and two Marshalls department store receipts, and 13 possible hair strands  one that could have been from an animal.

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No items were seized in a separate search of Kohbergers shared office at Washington State, the records stated.

In none of the three searches did police report finding a weapon. The victims were stabbed to death with a large knife, investigators have said. Detectives found a Ka-Bar brand leather knife sheath on the bed next to Mogens body in the off-campus home in Moscow where the four victims were found, according to the probable cause affidavit for Kohbergers arrest and the search warrants.

From a button snap on the knife sheath, investigators located a single source of male DNA they later linked to Kohberger, according to the affidavit. In late December, Pennsylvania police took trash from the Kohbergers Pennsylvania home and identified the sheath DNA as belonging to the son of the DNA profile obtained from the trash, which was part of a separate search warrant not addressed in the records unsealed Tuesday.

One of two surviving housemates in the Moscow rental home told police that she saw an athletically built man, 5-foot-10 or taller, in black clothing and a mask that covered his mouth and nose inside the home around the time of the incident, the affidavit read. Investigators later found a latent shoe print with a diamond-shaped pattern just outside the door of a second-floor bedroom, but did not identify the size of the shoe that left the print.

The search warrant for the home of Kohbergers parents  listed as a single-family residence with white siding, attached garage and a small shed at the back of the property  also sought all electronic devices and any vehicles to which Kohberger had access, including his white 2015 Hyundai Elantra. The search warrant return record does not report the seizing of Kohbergers cellphone or his car, though each is now in police custody.

A Monroe County District Court judge who signed off on the search warrant on Dec. 29 placed it under 60-day seal, and the first of those documents was released by the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts on Tuesday. Additional search warrant-related records are expected to be unsealed Wednesday, according to a spokesperson for the states administrative courts office.

A court-issued gag order remains in effect in the case, restricting law enforcement, attorneys on both sides and attorneys representing the witnesses and victims families from publicly sharing information with the public outside of court filings. More than two dozen media outlets, including the Idaho Statesman, are contesting the order in the Idaho Supreme Court.

Kohbergers next court hearing is scheduled for June 26.
A group of university students in China have solved the woes of long-distance couples everywhere by inventing a device that lets users experience the authentic feeling of kissing their partner. However, the 3D lip-shaped contraption has unsurprisingly sparked some creeped out reactions from the internet.

The invention was patented by the Changzhou Vocational Institute of Mechatronic Technology in eastern Chinas Jiangsu province, according to Chinas Global Times. The silicon device, complete with a mouth-shaped module, is meant to mimic the pressure, movement, and temperature of a kissers lips using sensors.

The kissing machine works by pairing the device with a mobile app and plugging the device into the phones charging port. After pairing the device with their partner on the app, long-distance couples can upload their kisses using the devices mouth-shaped module, which then transfers to the receivers end. The machine can even transmit the sound the user makes when they kiss.

Lead inventor Jiang Zhongli told the Global Times that he was in a long-distance relationship with his girlfriend when he came up with the idea for the device.

In my university, I was in a long distance relationship with my girlfriend so we only contact with each other through phone, the state-run media outlet reported. Thats where the inspiration of this device originated.

Jiang also said the device could be used to promote monogamous relationships, as it can only pair up one sender and one receiver at a time. It also requires the consent of both parties, per theSouth China Morning Post.

The app can reportedly also help users meet someone new. According to CNN, two strangers can anonymously exchange kisses in the kissing square function of the app. Users can also upload their kisses in the app for others to download and experience.

The kissing device is currently being sold on Chinas largest online shopping site, Taobao. One individual set of lips is priced at around 260 yuan ($38 USD) each, and about 550 yuan ($79 USD) for a pair. The device is selling at a rate of more than 100 lips a month.

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Remote kissing device for long-distance lovers, invented and patented by Chinese university student in Changzhou City.

The mouth-shaped module, served as an inducing area for lovers to make the kiss and then it can transfer kiss gesture to the "mouth" on the other side. pic.twitter.com/5i2ogMiUXe  China in Pictures (@tongbingxue) February 22, 2023

Unsurprisingly, the new invention has received mixed reactions from Twitter users who were equally impressed and grossed out by the lengths technology will go to simply maintain some form of human interaction.

This is beyond creepy, said one person on Twitter, while someone else tweeted: This is super weird.

This is super weird.  Arty Moontail (@ArtumTecno) February 22, 2023

Enough for today, joked one user.

It convinced me again that having a long distance relationship is a pretty bad idea, another person wrote.

It convinced me again that having a long distance relationship is pretty bad idea..  Handerose  (@HandegulAltan) February 22, 2023

The kissing device also drew comparisons to another bold invention, the Kissenger  a gadget launched by the Imagineering Institute in Malaysia in 2016. The machine enabled long-distance couples to kiss each other using a touch pad attached at the bottom of their smartphone, which then transmitted the sensation to the identical holster on their partners phone.
LIMA (Reuters) - Peru's government announced on Tuesday the launch of more than 30 public-private projects worth nearly $9 billion, hoping to revive the economy hit by violent anti-government protests.

The projects, involving road infrastructure, energy and sanitation, are set to begin between this year and 2024, according to the head of the state's agency for investment promotion Jose Salardi, speaking at an event with investors.

"The key is to regain confidence," Salardi said, adding the government is simplifying processes, standardizing contracts and coordinating with the private sector.

Anti-government protests have gripped the country since the Dec. 7 ouster of Former President Pedro Castillo, with clashes between demonstrators and security forces leaving dozens dead.

Private investment in Peru fell 0.5% last year, while it posted a 37.4% growth in 2021, according to economy ministry data.

In the same conference with investors, Economy Minister Alex Contreras stated protests affected the economy of the world's second largest copper producer in December and January, but early economic indicators are showing a recovery in February.

"The goal is for private investment to increase 3% this year," Contreras told the conference.

"The need for reactivation is urgent ... and it is not easy for an economy to recover from an (attempted) coup," he added.

Peru's economic growth stood at 2.68% at the end of 2022, a steep decline from the 13.61% climb recorded the year before.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) recommended Peru earlier in February to implement "targeted, temporary" fiscal stimulus given the slump in economic activity.

Protests in Peru sparked after the ousting of Castillo, with demonstrators asking for President Dina Boluarte's resignation, the closure of Congress, a new Constitution and early elections.

(Reporting by Marco Aquino; Writing by Valentine Hilaire; Editing by Sandra Maler)
MANILA, Philippines (AP)  The Philippine president said the main mission of his country's military has changed to ensure the protection of its territory as disputes with China and U.S.-China rivalry intensify.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. stressed the urgency of shifting the militarys focus to external defense in a speech before troops Monday afternoon. He spoke two weeks after summoning China's ambassador to protest the use of a military-grade laser by the Chinese coast guard that briefly blinded some of the crew of a Philippine patrol vessel in the South China Sea.

The Philippines condemned the Feb. 6. incident in one of the more than 200 diplomatic protests it has filed against Beijings increasingly aggressive actions in the disputed waterway since last year.

China has accused the Philippines of intruding into its territory and said its coast guard used a harmless laser to track the Philippine vessel. China claims the South China Sea virtually in its entirety.

Im saying that your mission in the AFP has changed, Marcos told the troops, referring to the Armed Forces of the Philippines. For many, many years, we were able to maintain that peace and maintain that understanding with all of our neighbors. Now things have begun to change and we must adjust accordingly.

He said that the country's boundaries were being put into question, "and there are many things that are happening so the air force has a very big mission to fully secure the Philippines. He also cited the intensification of the competition between the superpowers.

Marcos did not offer specifics nor mentioned China in his speech in central Cebu province, but underscored that Philippine foreign policy remains committed to peace.

Despite being a relatively small country, we still have to fight for the rights of every Filipino because the Philippines is a sovereign nation and the Philippines has a functioning government, he said.

After decades of combating Muslim and communist insurgencies, the military has begun to focus on defending the country's sea borders. It has launched efforts to modernize in a program that has faced delays and financial constraints.

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Many of the weapons and equipment have been aimed to improve its air and sea patrols to guard the archipelago's vast coastline and build a minimal deterrence.

Under a 2014 defense pact with the United States, Marcos recently approved a wider U.S. military presence in the Philippines by allowing rotating batches of American forces to stay in four more Philippine military camps. That's a sharp turnaround from his predecessor Rodrigo Duterte, who feared that American military footprint could offend Beijing.

China, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan and Brunei have been locked in an increasingly tense territorial standoff in the South China Sea, where U.S. Navy ships and fighter jets have carried out patrols to promote freedom of movement, challenge Beijings expansive claims and reassure allies like the Philippines.

The disputes have intensified after China turned seven disputed reefs into missile-protected island bases to bolster its claims. The disputed waters have been regarded as a possible Asian flashpoint and a delicate front in the U.S.-China rivalry in the region.
A Phoenix police cruiser.

A Phoenix man was released by police after telling officers he shot a man  in what became a fatal shooting  in self-defense Sunday morning.

Sgt. Brian Bower, a department spokesperson, said officers responded to the area of Bethany Home Road and 27th Avenue at around 9:57 a.m. where a man turned himself in and admitted to having shot 26-year-old Alejandro Jaques.

Bower said officers learned Jaques arrived at a hospital with a gunshot wound while three other men accompanied him before later being pronounced dead. Bower added that police detained the man claiming to have shot him as well as the three men Jaques was with.

Bower said the man, who remains unidentified, gave "self-defense statements" to detectives and was ultimately released as the investigation continued. Bower did not specify what happened to the three men who accompanied Jaques or offer additional details on what led up to the shooting.

He added that detectives would submit the case to the Maricopa County Attorney's Office for review once the investigation was complete.

Detectives with the Phoenix Police Departments Homicide Bureau responded and took over the investigation. The man involved in this shooting was detained and provided detectives with self-defense statements. The man was later released as this case continues to be investigated. Once the case is completed, it will be submitted to the Maricopa County Attorneys Office for review.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Phoenix police release man who fatally shot another
Phoenix police.

Phoenix police are asking the public for assistance in identifying the shooter involved in a drive-by shooting early Sunday morning that left one man dead.

Sgt. Robert Scherer, a department spokesperson, said detectives are investigating the drive-by shooting, which occurred at a house party near 71st Drive and Lower Buckeye Road at around 3:05 a.m.

Scherer said 31-year-old Anthony Jones and another man were outside the home and got into an argument with people in a passing vehicle when someone inside the vehicle opened fire, striking both men. Jones was taken to a hospital where he was later pronounced dead. Another man, whom Scherer did not identify, suffered minor injuries and was treated at the scene.

Scherer said police were still investigating the shooting and urged anyone with information to contact the Phoenix Police Department or Silent Witness at 480-WITNESS or 480-TESTIGO for Spanish.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Phoenix police seek information on deadly drive-by shooting
Two military transport planes from the long-range radar tracking aircraft service centre arrived at the Belarusian Machulishchy military airfield, where the A-50 aircraft which might have been attacked on 26 February is located.

Source: monitoring project Belaruski Hajun on Telegram

Details: Belaruski Hajun believes that this may be additional evidence that the A-50 was damaged.

It is reported that military transport aircraft IL-76 (RF-86843) and an An-26 of the Russian Aerospace Forces arrived at the Machulishchy airfield in the evening of 26 February  the day of sabotage with the A-50U airborne early warning and control aircraft (AWACS).

On the morning of 27 February, the Il-76 flew to the Russian Ivanovo-Severny airfield, where the 610th Centre for Combat Use and Retraining of Flight Personnel, the Air Technical Base and the 308th Aircraft Repair Plant are stationed.

The monitoring project notes that it is in the 610th Centre that A-50 AWACS aircraft are stored, upgraded and repaired. The Il-76 military transport aircraft of the Russian Aerospace Forces (RF-86843) is listed as property of the 610th Centre.

On 28 February, an An-26 aircraft also flew to the Ivanovo-Severny airfield.

Belaruski Hajun notes that satellite images from July 2022 show that at least nine A-50 aircraft are in storage at this airfield, and another one is under repair.

Two IL-76 military transport aircraft belonging to the 610th Center arrived at the Machulishchy airfield in July 2022, when the A-50 was there.

Belaruski Hajun believes that all these facts are indirect confirmation of the technical problems that arose with the A-50U aircraft, which was damaged on February 26 as a result of sabotage by Belarusian partisans.

The Il-76 transport could deliver specialists or a set of spare parts for the repair of the A-50U AWACS to the Machulishchy airfield.

According to the monitoring project, during the full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation in Ukraine, at least four A-50 aircraft were stationed at the military airfields of Belarus at various times (RF-50608  currently, RF-50610, RF-94268 and RF-93966).

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Background:

During 26 February, explosions occurred at the Machulishchy airbase in Minsk Oblast in Belarus. There was information about a damaged Russian aircraft.

Alexander Azarov, Head of the BYPOL initiative, reported that Belarusian partisans were involved in sabotage at the Machulishchy airbase in Belarus. According to him, the participants of the possible sabotage have left Belarus and are now safe.

A day after the incident at the military airbase in the village of Machulishchy in Belarus, the Belarusian border guards significantly enhanced control of people leaving the country.

Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron!
Kansas City, Kansas police are asking for help finding a suspect vehicle that could be tied to a homicide that happened in mid-February.

Ricardo Apodaca, 18, was found dead just after 8:20 p.m. on Feb. 15 in the 2300 block of North 11th Street, police said.

Police have no suspect information.

Detectives believe the suspect or suspects were driving a dark, possibly black, pickup truck. The older model vehicle has an extended cab, duct tape on the drivers door, a toolbox in its bed and two different styles of wheels on the drivers side.

Police ask anyone with information to call the anonymous TIPS Hotline at 816-474-8477. Tips leading to an arrest could receive an award of up to $5,000.
The Cyber Police Division of the National Police of Ukraine have detained the 16- and 13-year-old founders of the Redan PMC Youth Movement's Telegram channels in the cities of Dnipro and Cherkasy.

Source: Press services of the National Police in Dnipropetrovsk and Cherkasy oblasts

Quote from detainee: "I am the founder of a group with about 2,500 members. I created it to make money from advertising posts, as the topic of Redan is popular on social media.

The concept of Redan does not exist in Ukraine. It came from Russia, intending destabilisation. I ask everyone to stop organising meetings and looking for Redanists who do not exist in Ukraine. Better help our soldiers. I am deleting my group and asking others not to create similar ones."

Details: The police report that an advertisement cost US$10. The Telegram channel has been blocked. Law enforcement officers are in contact with the boy and his parents.

Update: Later, police reported the detention of the 13-year-old founder of another Telegram channel dedicated to the Redan movement in the city of Cherkasy. As the boy himself states, he created the channel to "become popular" and used the name of the new youth movement.

His channel was blocked. The police are in contact with his parents.

Background:

On 27 February, teenagers who claimed to belong to the Russian subculture Redan PMC gathered for mass fights in the cities of Kyiv, Kharkiv, Lviv, Zhytomyr, and Ivano-Frankivsk.

On 28 February, police reported that they had blocked 18 channels and groups on social media that had been created to "promote" the Redan PMC youth movement in Ukraine.

Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron!
Informational signs and flags are displayed at Silvies Bar in the 1900 block of W. Irving Park Rd. on Feb. 28, 2023 in Chicago's 47th Ward. (Shanna Madison / Chicago Tribune)

Voters across Chicago will be making their picks for mayor, alderman, city treasurer, clerk and, for the first time, representatives on police district councils Tuesday. Some voters also will be asked local referendum questions.

More than 900 polling places will be used in the Feb. 28 municipal election. Heres what to know before you head out to vote.

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[ Election Day arrives: Now its voters turn to have their say for mayor and aldermen in all 50 wards ]

Am I eligible to vote?

Chicago voters must:

be a U.S. citizen

born on or before Feb. 28, 2005

live in the same precinct at least 30 days before the election

not claim the right to vote elsewhere

not be in prison or serving time for a conviction

[ Search to find out what Chicago neighborhood, community area and ward you live in ]

Do I need to provide an ID?

If you already are registered to vote and your address is correct, you do not need to bring your ID  though its not a bad idea to bring it in case your signature doesnt match the one on file. Be sure to bring two forms of identification if you also plan to register on the same day you plan to vote or if you need to change your address or name. At least one of those IDs must list your current address.

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[ Election Day in Chicago: Everything you need to know about Tuesdays vote for mayor, City Council and police district council ]

Which ward do I live in?

The Chicago City Council adopted a new map of the citys 50 wards in May 2022.

The map that passed has 16 Black-majority wards and 14 Latino-majority wards, one fewer Latino ward than the Latino Caucus wanted, given the ethnic groups population gains among citywide. It also includes Chicagos first Asian American majority ward.

[ Search your registration status and locate your precinct polling place ]

Source: City of Chicago

Which police district do I live in?

Type your address into the search box below.

[ For the 1st time ever, Chicago voters will elect police councils. Heres what it means for communities. ]

What if Ive received a mail-in ballot, but want to vote on Election Day instead?

Bring that ballot with you when you go to vote in person to have the ballot that was mailed to you canceled.

[ Chicago mayors race 2023: Search campaign contributions ]

Where do I return my mail-in ballot?

Chicago voters can mail their ballot or deposit it at any of the Chicago Board of Elections secured drop boxes. One important note: Each ballot must include the signed and sealed ballot return envelope with the voters name on it.

Mail-in ballots can be returned to the drop boxes at:

What if I cant make it to the polling place in my precinct?

Chicagoans can also vote at any of 51 additional sites in the city. These are the same sites used for early voting.

Where is my polling place and is it accessible?

Each voter is assigned to a polling place within their precinct. Use the map and list below to find yours.

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If you are concerned about the accessibility of your assigned polling place, you can vote at one of the citys early voting sites, which are all fully ADA accessible and open on Election Day to all voters, no matter where they live. Voters call the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners at (312) 269-7976 or email cboe@chicagoelections.gov with questions any questions.

[ Chicago election: Voters with disabilities still face obstacles at scores of polling places ]

Polling place accessibility status Low or no accessibility: One or more features of the voting area is likely to exclude voters with mobility impairments.



Medium: An obstacle could prevent some voters from accessing the voting area.



High: Voting area is fully compliant with ADA standards.



Unknown: Sufficient information is not available to gauge voting area's accessibility.

Sources: Chicago Board of Election Commissioners; Tribune reporting
Kentucky State Police have released the name of the Lexington police officer who shot a woman accused of attempted murder and several other offenses.

The name of the officer is Jordan Whitman, state police said. He has been with the Lexington Police Department for three years. Whitman was placed on administrative assignment after the shooting. Hell be considered for reinstatement pending the outcome of the investigation, according to state police.

The shooting happened on Feb. 7 on the 2300 block of Lonan Court. Police said they were responding to a report of a domestic violence incident involving a weapon, but officers found no victim or suspect when they arrived.

Less than an hour later officers were called back to the area for a report of wanton endangerment involving a collision, according to police. Lasielle White, 29, allegedly tried to hit someone with a vehicle and then hit a residence.

White was in the vehicle and refused to get out when officers arrived. Police said she backed into a cruiser, then drove forward and almost hit several firefighters.

In response to the life-threatening situation, an officer fired their weapon, striking the driver, said police chief Lawrence Weathers.

Police said Whites injuries were not life-threatening. Court documents say White caused more than $1,000 in damage by colliding with the cruiser.

White then left the scene, and police pursued her through parts of Fayette and Scott counties before she stopped in Coldstream Park, according to police. Sometime later White got out of the vehicle after Lexington Police Departments crisis negotiation unit made contact with her.

She was sent to a local hospital before being booked into the Fayette County Detention Center.

Weathers said the officer had his body-worn camera activated. State police are investigating, and he said the police departments Public Integrity Unit will conduct an internal review too.

White has been charged with attempted murder, wanton endangerment, criminal mischief and fleeing/evading police, according to court records. Court documents say that prior to the shooting, White tried to stab a man with a kitchen knife, but a cross-body bag prevented the knife from penetrating his chest. White subsequently slashed the two front tires of his car.

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The victim spoke at a hearing one week after the incident, saying he did not feel that White had an intent to kill him. He said she told him while she was engaged in the police chase that she did not mean to hurt him.

Fayette District Judge John Tackett reduced Whites bond from $75,000 to $7,500 as long as White would adhere to conditions upon her release, including wearing an ankle monitor and going to therapy appointments.

Tackett cited Whites extreme low risk for future criminal activity based on her past history, and the amount of support she had from family to help her receive mental health treatment as his reasoning for reducing the bond.

This (bond reduction) is extremely lenient based on your criminal history, and your support from those in your community who want to make sure you are not incarcerated while this case is pending, Tackett said. But we have to make sure the community is safe too.

White posted bond one day afterward, according to court records.

Reporter Taylor Six contributed to this story.

Updated: Police shoot, injure woman who they say struck cruiser, nearly hit firefighters

Judge reduces bond for Lexington woman who was charged in domestic incident, shot by police
Police are investigating after a man crashed a stolen pickup truck into a home in west Seattle on Monday morning.

Police responded to the 8400 block of 24th Avenue Southwest after they received a call about a man who drove a car into a home, then fled the scene.

Upon arriving at the scene at about 8:15 a.m., officers found an unoccupied white pickup truck that had crashed into the exterior wall of a home. The suspect appeared to have driven the car through a fence, according to the Seattle Police Department.

No one inside the home appeared to be injured.

Several witnesses told police that they saw a man exit the vehicle, then enter the passenger side of a semi-truck after the crash. That semi-truck then headed eastbound on Southwest Thistle Street.

Police determined the pickup truck was an unreported stolen vehicle out of Burien and notified the trucks registered owner.

The Burien Police Department assisted SPD in responding to the crash.

Anyone with information on this incident is asked to contact the SPD Violent Crimes tip line at (206) 253-5000.
Police say a man wearing a Cookie Monster costume has been terrorizing residents of a California town, and they are warning parents to snap photos at their own risk.

"Recently, a man dressed up like the Cookie Monster in Santa Cruz is causing concern around the Beach and Wharf areas," read a public service announcement posted on the Facebook page of the Santa Cruz Police Department. Police identified the man as Adam Sandler, with no relation to the actor.

"(The) Santa Cruz Police Department have received calls and emails from people who say he is creepy and his presence and comments make them uncomfortable," reads the notice. "Based on Adam Sandlers history across the country, the Santa Cruz Police Department advises the public not to engage with this individual and steer clear of him."

Public Service Announcement . In recent weeks you may have seen a man dressed up like the Cookie Monster in the Santa... Posted by Santa Cruz Wharf on Wednesday, February 22, 2023

Santa Cruz police reiterated in the comments section of their Facebook post that Sandler is widely known for antagonistic antics in tourist locations. Wharf businesses have witnessed and complained that hes yelling and irrationally acting out toward customers.

A spokesperson from the Santa Cruz Police Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment from TODAY.com and a public records request from TODAY.com was not immediately made available. As of Feb. 22, Sandler had not committed a crime in Santa Cruz, according to the police department's Facebook post.

Police said Sandler does not work for the city of Santa Cruz and that he is exercising his first amendment rights, however they are urging anyone who is a victim of or a witness to a crime committed by Sandler, to contact authorities.

Sandler has a troubled, cross-country reputation as a Sesame Street knockoff character.

According to the New York Times, in 2012, Sandler  wearing a red Elmo costume  was handcuffed by police in Central Park and taken to Metropolitan Hospital Center after making anti-Semitic comments outside the park's zoo. That year, Sandler told the New York Times that he was arrested and deported from Cambodia for running a pornography website.

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A spokesperson from the New York Police Department tells TODAY.com that on Sept. 18, 2012, Sandler was arrested for disorderly conduct and resisting arrest. According to the spokesperson, "Defendant was yelling and screaming in a public place causing annoyance and alarm causing a crowd to form and obstruct pedestrian traffic. The defendant refused to disperse and while attempting to place him in custody the defendant resisted."

The spokesperson added that Sandler was arrested on another occasion for grand larceny.

Just here in the last six months, weve had quite a few problems with him, Los Angeles police detective Jeana Franco told the Los Angeles Times. This guy is like a national nuisance."

TODAY.com reached out to the Los Angeles Police Department, and did not get a response as of this publication.

To the Los Angeles Times, Sandler denied accusations that he had threatened to beat up another Cookie Monster character, and denied accusations of being disruptive from local residents and businesses.

"I tamed my behavior down since Ive been at the zoo, since New York, Sandler told the Los Angeles Times. This is a good place for me to be, because Im only impacting one business. If I go to Santa Monica or something, it impacts 50 businesses. So its better that Im here. And its calmer, no one is harassing me.

Santa Cruz police addressed community concerns of whether it's safe for children to take photos with the costumed character.

Its a parents prerogative and risk to allow their child to take a picture with this character," read the polices Facebook post. "Remember that SCPD advises the public not to interact with this person in the cookie monster costume due to his history of unpredictable vulgar comments and troublesome behavior.

Related video:

This article was originally published on TODAY.com
The Morrow County Sheriff's Office on Tuesday identified two people who were shot and killed at a Marengo gas station on Sunday night.

The suspect had earlier Sunday committed a series of criminal offenses in Columbus, including stealing multiple vehicles, according to a Columbus Police Department report.

According to the sheriff's office, the suspect, identified as Keith Moser, 25, of Zanesville shot, and killed Meagan Kennedy Stanford of Greenville, South Carolina, who was pumping gas at the Shell gas station on Ohio 61. The suspect then turned and fired at a U-Haul van whose driver returned fire, killing Moser, the sheriff's office said in news release posted on its Facebook page Tuesday.

Morrow County Sheriff John Hinton

The sheriff's office said it received a report of a shooting at the Shell gas station on Ohio 61 near Interstate 71 at 6:57 p.m. Sunday.

During the course of the investigation, it was learned that the alleged suspect, identified as Moser, attempted to steal a car on the northbound off ramp at Ohio 61 and I-71, resulting in shots being fired at the car, the sheriff's office said in the news release.

The alleged suspect then went to the Shell gas station and allegedly attempted to steal a minivan from Stanford while she was pumping gas. Shots were fired, striking Stanford, who succumbed to her injuries at the scene, according to the sheriff's report.

The suspect then turned and fired at a U-Haul van that was driven by a male occupant. The male occupant returned fire, and a fight ensued involving multiple people, the sheriff's office said. The alleged suspect died at the scene of apparent gun shot wounds.

The sheriff's office did not release Stanford's age or the name of the U-Haul van's driver.

The incident remains under investigation by the Morrow County Sheriff's Office, who said additional information may be released after the completion of the investigation and a review of the Morrow County Prosecutor's Office.

BCIs Crime Scene Unit was requested by the Morrow County Sheriffs Office to assist in the investigation by processing the crime scene, according to spokesman Steve Irwin.

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Marengo is 36 miles south of Mansfield, about halfway to Columbus on I-71.

According to the Columbus police report, on Sunday at 6:12 p.m., a series of criminal offenses occurred that were later attributed to the suspect in the Marengo shooting. The series of crimes, in Columbus, ended at 6:47 p.m.

Incidents that occurred in the city of Columbus included:

6:28 p.m.: The suspect fired rounds into an unoccupied Chevy. The locked vehicle had been left running, while the owner went into a gas station, in the in the 4000 block of Kenny Road. The suspect left his car, a Toyota, behind and fled in the stolen Chevy. No injuries were reported. Columbus police responded.

6:36 p.m.: The stolen Chevy had been abandoned on Starret Road. Emergency 911 calls were received from residents in the 200 block of West Henderson Road. The callers reported that shots were being fired during an attempted robbery/home invasion. The suspect stole a white BMW X3 from one location in the area. No injuries were reported.

6:47 p.m.: the suspect attempted to rob a food delivery driver in the 400 block of Glenmont Avenue. Shots were fired; no injuries were reported. Columbus police responded. The suspect was identified as Moser and the stolen BMW X3 was recovered. Moser reportedly then headed north on I-71.

lwhitmir@gannett.com

419-521-7223

Twitter: @LWhitmir

This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: Suspect fatally shot by driver of U-Haul van who suspect fired upon
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot (D) is currently in third place in the citys mayoral election, according to a new Victory Research poll, released as voters head to the polls on Tuesday.

The poll found that nearly 19 percent of voters support Lightfoot for reelection, putting her behind former Chicago Public Schools CEO Paul Vallas (27 percent) and Cook County Commissioner Brandon Johnson (20 percent).

Rep. Jesus Chuy Garcia (D-Ill.) was in fourth place at 15 percent, with businessman Willie Wilson in fifth at 11 percent.

Lightfoot, the citys first Black woman and first openly gay person to serve as mayor, is facing an uphill battle against eight challengers looking to unseat her.

Lightfoot, 60, needs to be one of the two top vote-getters Tuesday in order to head to a runoff election in April, assuming no candidate wins at least 50 percent of the vote.

Nearly 245,000 votes were cast through early voting sites and mail-in balloting before Tuesdays election, according to NBC Chicago affiliate WMAQ.

The Victory Research survey was conducted from Feb. 24-26 with a total of 806 Chicago-based respondents and a margin of error of 3.45 percent.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
The Rio Mambo Tex Mex y Mas restaurants, which opened on the morning of the Sept. 11, 2001, attack on America but endured to become a regional success, have been sold to the California-based owner of Chevys Fresh Mex and El Torito, founder Brent Johnson said Monday.

Xperience Restaurant Group, based in Cypress, California, also bought The Rim grill-and-bar restaurants in Fort Worth and Burleson, Johnson said.

Xperience operates Mexican restaurants under nine brands, mostly in California. Buying Rio Mambo and The Rim would mark the companys expansion into Texas.

Johnson does not expect changes to the restaurants or staff, he said.

Patrons eat lunch on the patio of Rio Mambo Friday, April 24, 2020, in Colleyville.

Rio Mambos current locations are in Fort Worth, Colleyville, Burleson and Weatherford.

They have talked to us a couple of times because they like what we do, he said. They buy small to midsize companies with a brand. I think they definitely plan to expand.

The first El Torito was founded in 1954 in Encino, California. Another Xperience company, Acapulco Restaurant, was founded in 1960 in Pasadena. Chevys is more recent, opening in 1986 in Alameda.

A Diablo Salad at Rio Mambo includes chicken in chili-garlic sauce.

The company also operates restaurants under the names Sol, Las Brisas, Solita Tacos, Sinigual and Who Song & Larrys.

Rio Mambo is known for opening its first Cityview Centre location with a VIP party on a fateful day: the morning when terrorists took over passenger aircraft and crashed them into the World Trade Center and Pentagon.

It was surreal  we had jets from the air base flying overhead, windows rattling, and we didnt know what was going on, he said.

But the whole staff got there and we went ahead and opened. With people staying home to watch television, Rio Mambo served 179 people on day when he expected 800, he said.

Margaritas at Rio Mambo.

Johnson named the cantina at that location Bar9Eleven.

Two years ago, Johnson opened The Rim, a retro Southern grill and bar in Burleson and in the Waterside shops in Fort Worth.

Johnson had been in management with the Mi Cocina restaurants before opening Rio Mambo.
PORTSMOUTH  One main suspect has emerged in city law enforcements quest to identify those responsible for defacing a slew of city businesses and places of worship around downtown Portsmouth one week ago.

A week after the far-reaching incident shook the city, Portsmouth Police Detective Sgt. Kevin McCarthy said Tuesday the list of buildings spray painted with hateful graffiti has grown to 17. A number of business owners and leaders at places of worship woke up last Tuesday, Feb. 21, to find their buildings defaced with swastikas, crosses and the Star of David, among other symbols.

A person, wearing a facemask, red hooded sweatshirt, khaki pants and white shoes with orange-rimmed glasses, was caught on surveillance footage walking up to buildings last week and spray painting them with hateful graffiti. Police reported last week the acts occurred between 1:30 a.m. and 3:30 a.m.

Portsmouth police released an additional image of the person seen on surveillance footage spray painting hateful graffiti on numerous locations in and around downtown early Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2023. City police are investigating the widespread incident alongside the New Hampshire Attorney General's Office.

Though theyre working through multiple persons of interest and investigative leads, the department presently believes the vandalism was carried out by just one person. Police said no one has been positively identified yet and they are continuing to investigate the matter.

McCarthy did not specify whether the one main suspect has ties to Portsmouth.

I cannot reveal that at this time, he said.

The list of businesses targeted in the graffiti attack includes Deadwicks, 3 Bridges Yoga, Cotillion Bureau, Grim North Tattoo & Piercing, Macro Polo and Cup of Joe Cafe & Bar, owned by city Assistant Mayor Joanna Kelley. Last Friday, with help from local advocates, Kelley hosted a "Love Blooms Here" event at her shop, passing out flowers to the general public for them to bring to affected businesses and places of worship in efforts to combat hatred.

According to McCarthy, a Black Lives Matter mural outside a Marcy Street home was defaced, in addition to a personal political sign in the same area.

Flowers were placed outside the Temple Israel on Friday, Feb. 24, 2023, three days after the place of worship was targeted with hateful, anti-Semitic graffiti. On Friday, Portsmouth Assistant Mayor Joanna Kelley and local organizers held an event called "Love Blooms Here" at Kelley's business, Cup of Joe Cafe & Bar, in response to the barrage of vandalism that occurred earlier in the week. Cup of Joe was one of 15 locations in and around downtown Portsmouth hit with hateful graffiti, with many having swastikas spray painted on their buildings.

Community provides surveillance video footage to police

After police put out a public call last week asking for security camera footage from numerous areas in and around downtown, the department now has several hundred gigabytes of surveillance intelligence aiding their investigation.

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In their request for footage, police asked for surveillance from the following locations: The portion of the downtown between Deer, Middle and Court streets, with additional areas Marcy Street, Summer Street through Miller Avenue and the surrounding streets; South Street from Miller Avenue to Marcy Street; Marcy Street from Court Street to New Castle Avenue and Maplewood Avenue towards Woodbury Avenue.

People work to remove a swastika from Temple Israel in Portsmouth Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2023. It was one of numerous buildings in the city hit with hate symbols overnight.

I thank the people of Portsmouth for the surveillance they sent in, and we are still interested in any footage anybody has, McCarthy added.

The increased presence of hate group activity in the city and around the Seacoast by a recognized neo-Nazi group known as the Nationalist Social Club, or NSC-131, has caused speculation as to whether any actors in the graffiti incident are affiliated with the group.

I still don't have any specific information that that group is involved, but Im not ruling it out and not ruling it in, McCarthy said.

More:'Love Blooms' in Portsmouth after hateful graffiti. Police warn of 'day of hate.'

City police, along with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, were canvassing throughout Portsmouth on Tuesday as part of their examination of the incident.

Police Commission: 'Hate has no home in Portsmouth'

Stefany Shaheen, chairperson of the Portsmouth Police Commission, commended city police Monday evening for aggressively and deliberately investigating the hateful barrage.

Those investigations are underway, theyre ongoing, they will continue. As we have said, as the chief has said loudly, as the commission said, hate crimes have no place anywhere, Shaheen said. They certainly have no place in Portsmouth, and we very much hope the investigations will lead to our ability as a community to address the crimes that occurred and (prosecute) the person who committed those crimes, person or people.

The New Hampshire Attorney Generals Office is investigating the incident in tandem with the Portsmouth Police Department.

Members of the public with information about the incident can contact McCarthy at (603) 610-7656.

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Police, FBI have main suspect in Portsmouth, NH hate graffiti incident
After more than three years of debate over whether Mississippi should expand Medicaid coverage for new mothers from 60 days to 12 months, a bill to do so passed the House Medicaid Committee in a matter of minutes Tuesday.

With the deadline to move bills through committees approaching, Medicaid committee chair Rep. Joey Hood, R-Ackerman, called the body's first meeting of the year, quickly promising that they would not meet again.

For the last two years, and again this session, the Senate has passed bills to extend postpartum Medicaid coverage, but under opposition from House leadership, Hood's committee never voted on them.

What it took to change that, Hood said, was a letter sent Monday by Division of Medicaid Executive Director Drew Snyder to Hood and Speaker of the House Philip Gunn. The letter both endorsed extension and assured the Republican officials that doing-so would not be the same as expanding Medicaid. Gunn then told reporters that he would not stand in the way of the extension bill, which had already passed the Senate.

The letter came one day after Gov. Tate Reeves, who oversees the division, reversed course and endorsed extending coverage.

House Medicaid Committee member Missy McGee, R-Hattiesburg, left, confers with Rep. Otis Anthony, D-Indianola on Tuesday at the Mississippi Capitol in Jackson, after the committee passed legislation that would extend postpartum Medicaid coverage from two months to a year.

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"I had been asking, and so had Speaker Gunn, had been asking about an opinion on postpartum coverage," Hood said. "We received a letter from Drew Snyder yesterday. He said it would be beneficial ... He thought it was extension not expansion."

When the bill was proposed by Rep. Missy McGee, R-Hattiesburg, she echoed some of Reeves' comments that extension is particularly necessary in the wake of the Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization decision, which led to abortion being almost entirely banned in Mississippi.

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"This bill demonstrates that we as policy makers also recognize that our commitment to life cannot end once the baby takes his or her first breath, that we also must care for that baby and his mother outside the womb," McGee said.

One year of Medicaid coverage for new mothers has been allowed in Mississippi since 2020, when it was extended nationwide through federal COVID-19 relief. However, that expires in April, leaving many states scrambling to enact their own extensions. Mississippi and Wyoming are the only two states in the country to have enacted neither a postpartum extension nor Medicaid expansion, though both states are currently considering postpartum extension bills.

Some Democrats on the Medicaid committee questioned why it took the Dobbs decision and an election year for Reeves and Gunn to back extension. Gunn is not seeking reelection, but Reeves is likely to face Democrat Brandon Presley in November. Presley has been critical of Reeves' Medicaid positions, and the Northern District Public Service Commissioner supports full expansion of Medicaid.

"Isn't it a shame that we have to wait until the political winds turn, when somebody feels like they're not going to be able to be reelected, to do something like this," Rep. John Hines, D-Greenville, said. "This is a moment that we should be celebrating the lives of women who actually bring life, but yet it is a political ploy in this process. I'm supporting this legislation because it's the right thing to do, but I am appalled that the leadership of this state has waited until their backs are against the wall and they are in trouble before they decide to do the right thing by taking care of women in this state."

The bill, which already passed the Senate 41-11, now heads to the full House. If it reaches the House floor and is approved there without changes, it will head to the desk of Reeves, who has vowed to sign it. Whether it reaches the House floor will be up to Hood, who said after the hearing Tuesday that he does not yet know when that will be.

"I have no timetable. The major hurdle was getting it past the first step," Hood said.

In an interview Tuesday morning with SuperTalk Mississippi, Gunn said that the bill being allowed to reach a committee vote does not necessarily mean that it will reach the House floor.

"We've not decided to do that yet. We've decided to move the bill out of the committee and keep it alive. The deadline is today by the way, the deadline to move bills out of the committee," Gunn said. "It means it goes to the calendar of the House floor and it sits on the calendar until it's taken up."

Passage of postpartum extension would be a major victory for Senate leadership, including Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann. Hosemann, who has been a vocal supporter of extension, is gearing up to face state Sen. Chris McDaniel, R-Ellisville, in a Republican primary in August. McDaniel voted against extension on the Senate floor.

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: MS moves one step closer to extending postpartum Medicaid coverage
(Bloomberg) -- In the worst political showdown over the US debt limit to date, a little-known former Treasury official in 2011 helped convince lawmakers that raising the ceiling was the only option. Hes back at it now, but from a much higher perch: chair of the Federal Reserve.

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Jerome Powell, a financier who was also then serving at a Washington think-tank, criss-crossed Capitol Hill in 2011 to shoot down alternatives to boosting the debt limit, at a time when a number of Republicans were shrugging off warnings from President Barack Obamas Treasury Department.

Then  as now  some lawmakers were starting to question whether a payments default would really be so bad. Powell rattled the cage until a last-minute deal averted a default. While his interventions didnt forestall a damaging downgrade of the US sovereign credit rating, they did pave Powells path to join the Fed board.

Next week, the Fed chair will be heading to Capitol Hill to testify on the economy just as US central bankers fret over another debt-limit showdown. Parallels to 2011 run deep, with Republicans again in charge of the House and again seeking sweeping cuts to spending as a condition for raising the ceiling. Questions swirl about whether their conservative flank agrees with the GOP leadership that a default must be avoided.

No one else has emerged to play Powells 2011 role, months before the Treasury risks a payments default. Thats after Wall Street executives with Republican ties last month shared private concerns at the Davos, Switzerland gathering that Speaker Kevin McCarthy and fellow House Republicans hadnt grasped the economic and financial impact posed by a default, or their proposed payment-prioritization plan.

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Powell himself has started reprising his message from over a decade ago.

So, I feel like I have to say this  theres only one way forward here, and that is for Congress to raise the debt ceiling so that the United States government can pay all of its obligations when due, he said at a Feb. 1 press conference. Any deviations from that path would be highly risky.

Hell have an opportunity to deliver that message directly to lawmakers next week, when he testifies at the Senate Banking Committee March 7. Hes also expected before the House Financial Services panel.

Read More: Powell Warns Against View Fed Can Shield Economy From a Default

Twelve years ago, Powell  who declined further comment for this article through a Fed spokesperson  joined the debt-limit bomb squad almost by chance.

He was affiliated at the time with the Bipartisan Policy Center, and had deep knowledge of the Treasurys payments system from having served in the department under President George H.W. Bush. Powell was well aware about how lumpy the Treasurys inflows and payments can be in any given month, and he believed deeply that there was simply no alternative to raising the debt ceiling, people familiar with his briefings recalled.

Prioritizing payments for some federal obligations over others  something GOP lawmakers are again looking at today  simply would not mesh with Treasurys system, even if theoretically possible, in Powells experience.

By 2011, Powell had spent two decades away from government, including years with the famed private-equity firm Carlyle Group. His obscurity showed, as his first sessions on Capitol Hill were with junior staffers, but soon after he began meeting with members of Congress.

Up-and-Comer

He wasnt a well-known entity among policymakers, said Shai Akabas, the BPCs current director of economic policy, who joined Powell for briefings at the time.

Former aides recall that back then there was a lack of neutral, transparent, public information about the debt limit, such as when it might be breached and how the Treasurys payments system worked.

Powells briefings touched on the mechanics that make it effectively impossible to cherry-pick which bills to pay.

The BPC started developing an independent estimate for when the US would breach its limit  and Powell and his team coined the term X-date to refer to it. Its become the standard term used both in Washington and on Wall Street. (The current X-date is seen by many observers as coming in the third quarter.)

Read More: US Federal Debt Limit Must Be Raised by Summer in BPCs Model

I give a factual briefing about the way the debt ceiling works, which is really to say that if we dont raise the debt ceiling, certain consequences will happen and they just will happen, Powell told Bloomberg Television in 2011. I dont try to give the caucus tactical or political advice.

At the time, many Republicans, including the Tea Party group, were pushing for major structural fiscal reforms and saw the debt limit as a bargaining chip.

It was important that congressional Republicans understood there was no alternative, recalled Jason Furman, who was then an economic adviser in the Obama administration and is now at Harvard University. And at the time, there were lots of theories.

Tim Scott, the South Carolina senator who was then in the House, emerged from one briefing saying the GOP conference was already realizing the stakes  but that Powell had spurred the process along.

Powells Credibility

We were starting to realize that we cant play games for so long anyways, but he did a very good job, Scott said then.

For Republicans, Powells credibility was more based in neutrality than in having a GOP background himself. One official familiar with his briefings said Powells talks were just based on the facts  not some sort of appeal as a conservative icon. But the same words from a Clinton-administration veteran would have landed differently, the former official said.

For Democrats, Powells briefings came as a welcome intervention, and put him on the radar screen for other things. Later that year, the Obama administration tapped him for the Fed board, paired with a Democratic nominee.

He was just absolutely critical in being a credible Republican voice, Furman said. It was how we got to know him and how he came to our attention.

2013 Discussions

One complication for Powell as he heads back to Congress next week is that the public is now aware of detailed discussions that Fed policymakers  including Powell himself  had in 2013 about dealing with a potential debt-limit disaster.

In October that year, Fed officials went through a menu of options to intervene in financial markets should Congress go past the X-date without raising the limit. A transcript was released years after the event, per Fed policy.

Powell at that time embraced a number of steps to assure financial stability, while expressing deep concern with outright purchases of defaulted Treasuries, or swaps for non-defaulted ones in the Feds inventory  terming such steps loathsome.

But I dont want to say today what I would and wouldnt do, if we have to actually deal with a catastrophe on this, Powell said.

Fast-forward more than nine years, and Powell in his Feb. 1 press-conference remarks said, No one should assume that the Fed can protect the economy from the consequences of failing to act in a timely manner.

In the meantime, McCarthy declined comment on whether the Republicans will host any nonpartisan brokers to discuss the debt limit this time.

Jason Smith, the GOP chair of the House Ways and Means Committee, recently told the Washington Post that Republican members are quite well aware of the stakes and we will not default. A spokesperson for Smith referred to those remarks when asked about any sherpa-type consultations.

Furman, the former Obama official, said fresh rounds of briefings would help for both parties.

Some Republicans are flirting with the notion of prioritizing payments, while some Democrats are interested in other alternatives  like invoking the 14th amendments insistence on respecting the federal debt or issuing a platinum coin  he said.

Read More: US Debt Limits Bad Options: The Coin, Premium Bonds and More

I think it would help, Furman said, adding that he believes all such alternatives are non-viable. They all just have tremendous downside and tremendous risk.

--With assistance from Craig Torres.

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A pregnant woman was found shot in the head, and now the father of her baby is charged with murder, Georgia deputies said.

Shaniyah Monet Rodriguez, 20, was seven months pregnant and spending time with friends Feb. 2. But her mom said she grew surprised when her daughter didnt come back home, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.

She was home every night, so the fact that she wasnt was a shock to me, mother Adrienne Rodriguez told the newspaper.

Her daughter was found unresponsive at an Atlanta-area condominium complex before she was rushed to a hospital and given a C-section. She died two days after the shooting, which her newborn survived, according to WANF.

Now, more than three weeks after the expectant mothers death, a man has been arrested. Deputies in a Feb. 28 news release didnt list attorney information for the man, identified as 22-year-old Diamonte OiyShawn Haithcoats of Stone Mountain.

At the time of the shooting, officials said Ms. Rodriguez was seven months pregnant with Mr. Haithcoats child and they lived together in the victims mothers home.

Ever since doctors delivered their baby, the girl has been struggling to stay alive. Family members told news outlets theyre holding onto hope for the newborn, named Millianni.

Her entire brain is damaged, Adrienne Rodriguez told WANF. They did say this is how shell be her whole life if she was to survive.

The shooting reportedly comes almost nine years after Shaniyah Rodriguezs brother was shot and killed. Her mom, left with one surviving child, told WAGA she wants justice after there was an acquittal in her sons case.

Haithcoats was arrested in Decatur after the woman was shot in Clarkston, roughly 10 miles northeast of downtown Atlanta. He was charged with malice murder, taken to the DeKalb County Jail and is being held without bond as of Feb. 28, deputies said.

The DeKalb County Sheriffs Office directed questions to the DeKalb County Police Department, which didnt immediately respond to McClatchy News requests for additional information Feb. 28.

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Montgomery will be receiving $2 million in federal funds through Kendall County for water main work. The water system has been a focus of the village recently, including a decision to bring in Lake Michigan water via the DuPage Water Commission. (Judy Pochel / The Beacon-News)

Montgomery will receive $2 million in federal American Rescue Plan Act funds through Kendall County for replacement of water mains.

Village trustees approved a resolution Monday for the funds. Kendall County approved the agreement on Feb. 7, according to Montgomery officials.

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One reason for the replacement project to be done in the Boulder Hill subdivision is that the water mains there were made of cast iron, officials said.

The new water mains will be made of ductile iron that doesnt crack, according to officials. Most of the new areas in Montgomery have that type of water main.

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Montgomery is aiming to replace all water mains in the village that were constructed prior to 1970.

Village Engineer Pete Wallers said the work is needed and the influx of the federal funds is welcome.

Montgomerys water system has been a focus of the village lately. Montgomery recently moved to get drinking water from Lake Michigan via the DuPage Water Commission. Village leaders are working with Oswego and Yorkville on that project.

The Illinois State Water Survey several years ago released projections showing the regions deep aquifer is at severe risk of depletion and would no longer be able to meet the maximum daily water demand for the towns sometime between 2030 and 2050. That led to the towns studying the issue and deciding on Lake Michigan as the best option for drinking water.

The project would include 29 miles of transmission mains to connect Oswego, Montgomery and Yorkville to the existing DuPage Water Commission system, according to consultant documents.

The communities sit right along the Fox River, but studies have shown it is not a sustainable drinking water option for the towns, officials said.

Montgomery is also undertaking a survey to discover any leaks in the water system. Officials say the goal is to find places where water is leaking and get those issues fixed long before Lake Michigan water is piped into the system.

Judy Pochel is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.
Dominic Raab, the Justice Secretary, has sanctioned the use of more police cells - David Rose

Prisoners may have to be released early, Dominic Raab has been warned as jails are set to hit capacity.

The Justice Secretary has already sanctioned measures including the use of police cells as the jail population has grown by more than 4,000 in just a year so that it is now only 600 places short of the maximum capacity of 85,000.

Internal forecasts project the prison population will continue to rise, sparking fears that the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) may have to introduce some form of early release or risk breaching operational caps on numbers agreed in the past two years ago.

He is refusing to contemplate early releases this time around but he hasnt any other options, said a source. The prison population is forecast to rise by a further 10,000 in the next two years

To find ways of ramping up cell capacity, ministers have appointed a gold commander for the first time since the Covid pandemic to tackle the problem.

This has already seen the MoJ commission 150 police cells, of which 26 were used last week under a scheme known as Operation Safeguard. It was last activated in 2007/08.

It is thought a further 250 police cells will be requested but sources warned this was likely to be a stop-gap measure that could only tide prisons over for the next few weeks.

Prison officials have also taken the rare step of weekend transfers of inmates approved to move from closed jails to open prisons to ease the pressure. All non-essential maintenance of prison cells has also been halted so they can continue to be used, provided it is safe to do so.

The prison service has started installing ready-built rapid deployment cells in jails which are expected to increase capacity by 1,000 by the end of this year.

Deportations

It is understood Mr Raab is looking to speed up deportations among the 10,000 foreign criminals currently held in UK jails. About half are thought to be eligible for deportation including Albanians who comprise 14 per cent. The UK has agreed a series of new deportation deals with Albania.

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A further controversial option would be to go above operational capacity which could see more prisoners share cells, or two-men cells being reconfigured to accept three inmates. However, it is understood the Prison Governors Association is likely to seek a judicial review of any such move.

The concern is that governors will be ordered to increase capacity above those levels, squeezing in more prisoners, to avoid the prospect of early release, said a prison source. More overcrowding means more austere regimes, greater instability and reduced safety.

It is understood some form of early release is being considered, possibly by expanding the release of prisoners on tags and home curfews, although it is unlikely ministers would present it as such after campaigning as the party of tough justice and longer prison sentences.

Although officials said no options have been ruled out, they rejected any suggestion that there would be Labour government-style releases of thousands of prisoners.

Ministers are spending 4 billion to create 20,000 extra places by the mid-2020s including six new prisons, of which three have or are being built and three are subject to planning appeals.

An MoJ spokesman said: We make no apologies for taking more dangerous offenders off the streets for longer and we are delivering the biggest expansion of prison places in over a century.

As the public would rightly expect, were also exploring options to accelerate additional capacity in the immediate term, including rolling out hundreds of rapid deployment cells opening in the coming months.
In the temporarily occupied Crimea, pro-Ukrainian activists are turning Russian military symbols  the letter Z  into sand clocks, which are painted over with the colours of the Ukrainian flag.

The open-ended campaign Nablyzhaietsia chas svobody [The time of freedom is approaching  ed.] was launched by the Crimean branch of the Yellow Ribbon resistance movement.

Activists are redrawing the Z symbol, which the Russians leave on the streets of occupied cities and villages, turning them into blue and yellow sand clocks.

"The blue and yellow sand clocks that started to appear on the peninsula are our warning to the occupiers that they have little time left to leave Ukrainian territories," said the curator of Yellow Ribbon.

Simferopol. Photo: "Yellow Ribbon"

Activists call on all Ukrainians in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine to join the action, which began on 26 February, the Resistance to the occupation of Crimea Day.

In just a few days, the transformed Russian symbols Z have already been recorded in Yalta, Simferopol, Sevastopol, Saki and other populated areas of the peninsula.

Sevastopol. Photo: "Yellow Ribbon"

"During the nine years of occupation, Russia did everything to destroy the Ukrainian resistance in Crimea, imprisoning and kidnapping those who remained loyal to their state. But despite everything, the resistance on the peninsula is only getting stronger," says Tamila Tasheva, Permanent Representative of the President of Ukraine in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea.

Nova Kakhovka. Photo: "Yellow Ribbon"

Painted over Russian military symbols also appear on the temporarily occupied territories of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia oblasts. In particular, sand clocks have been seen in Nova Kakhovka, Melitopol and Berdiansk.

Berdiansk. Photo: "Yellow Ribbon"

The Yellow Ribbon public resistance movement was formed in the spring of 2022 in Kherson, and has currently spread to all temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine.

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Dozens of protesters gathered outside an informal Chinese police station in Chinatown on Saturday to demand the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) stop spying on the Chinese community in New York City.

More than 60 protestors rallied outside ChangLe Association Inc. on 107 East Broadway, where a Chinese service station operates above a noodle shop, the New York Post reported.

According to security experts, the station conducts surveillance against Chinese dissidents in the city.

Toni Cai, a pro-democracy activist who was imprisoned by the CCP in China for promoting free speech, attended the rally.

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Its a very serious problem in the Chinese community. The CCP has coerced the Chinese community severely and has a large influence on them here in the state, through American and Asian-American politicians. I am very worried, but I want to support the community leaders who are honest and openly against what the CCP is doing.

Jing Zhang, the founder and executive director of Womens Rights in China, was also among the demonstrators on Saturday.

People need to support each other, Zhang said. We all came here to be free.

More from NextShark: China says it can beat COVID-19 Omicron variant as world rushes to impose travel bans

Other protesters have called on the government to implement a high pressure policy on CCP agents.

CCP agents are everywhere, protester Ziyun Huang said.

When all the human rights groups have protests and demonstrations, the CCP will come and harass people. The CCP affects the average Chinese American tremendously. The party is always in the back of their mind. Everything they do is psychological. CCP to the Chinese is like the weather  they are always in the background. More from NextShark: Newly uncovered artifacts reveal the secrets of a long-lost Chinese civilization

According to Republican Congressman Mike Gallagher, who was present at the demonstration, the station in Manhattan is one of 110 illegal law enforcement offices uncovered by the Spain-based nonprofit Safeguard Defenders.

The informal police stations were reportedly set up globally by the Peoples Republic of China to provide assistance to Chinese nationals residing abroad in handling paperwork, including renewing their drivers licenses and official documents.

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However, the stations have since had more sinister purposes. According to a recent whistle-blower report, the stations have been harassing and spying on the Chinese diaspora for the CCP.

More from NextShark: Asian Woman Punched in the Face in Chinese Store For Asking Man to Wear Mask in NYC

The report by Safeguard Defenders noted that the stations participate in intimidation, harassment, detention or imprisonment to return Chinese dissenters to China.

Openly labeled as overseas police service stations  they contribute to resolutely cracking down on all kinds of illegal and criminal activities involving overseas Chinese, the human rights organization stated.

The nonprofit reported that 36 stations have been built in 16 European countries, including France, Spain, Britain and Germany, while the rest can be found in the Americas, Asia and Africa.

Last year, Republican lawmakers demanded an investigation into how the Chinese police have established a branch in New York.

The lawmakers accused the Chinese police service stations of coercing purported Chinese fugitives abroad to return to China to face legal proceedings, which is euphemistically dubbed as persuading to return in Chinese parlance.

The New York Post previously uncovered that the station in Manhattan is operated by nonprofit America ChangLe Association NY Inc., which has been blacklisted by the IRS.

It is deeply troubling that the Chinese government could use these service stations as its long arm policing abroad, the GOP lawmakers letter to President Joe Bidens officials read, adding, there should be no room for the Chinese government to exercise extraterritorial law enforcement unilaterally on U.S. soil.
Two people killed Friday in separate shootings were identified Tuesday by Pueblo County Coroner Brian Cotter. The victims were identified as Heather Duran, 34, of Pueblo, and Fred Ettleman, 79, of Rye.

Duran was killed by an apparent gunshot wound Friday evening.

Officers responded to a report of shots fired around 6:40 p.m., and discovered Duran inside a residence, according to a Friday news release from the Pueblo Police Department. Duran was pronounced dead at the scene by an investigator with the coroner's office.

A male suspect, whom police have not publicly identified, was contacted at the scene and taken into custody without incident. However, Pueblo PD spokesperson Roger Schneider told the Chieftain the man was arrested on other charges and has not been charged in the shooting. The police investigation into the shooting is ongoing.

At approximately 8:22 p.m. the same night, police responded to another shooting in the parking lot of King Soopers at 3050 W. Northern Ave., and found Ettleman with a gunshot wound.

He was transported to an area hospital but later died of his injuries.

More Pueblo public safety news: Pueblo County, sheriff's deputies sued for 2022 fatal shooting outside middle school

Autopsies have been scheduled in both cases, and the victims' next of kin have been notified.

Police believe the two shootings are isolated incidents and stated in the initial news release they do not believe there is any threat to the community.

The two incidents mark the second and third homicides in the city of Pueblo this year. The city recorded 28 homicides in 2022, with 31 total reported in Pueblo County.

Police are continuing to investigate. Anyone with information about the shooting on Abriendo Avenue is asked by police to contact Detective Carly Verdugo at 719-240-1341. Anyone with information about the shooting at King Soopers is asked to contact Detective Ron Gravatt Jr. at 719-320-6022.

To remain anonymous, contact Pueblo Crime Stoppers at 719-542-STOP (719-542-7867) or visit pueblocrimestoppers.com. Information that leads to a felony arrest could qualify its submitting party for a cash reward.

Questions, comments, or story tips? Contact Justin at jreutterma@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter@jayreutter1.

This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: Homicide victims in 2 Pueblo shootings identified by coroner
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP)  Puerto Rico is closing the U.S. territorys only zoo following years of suspected negligence, a lack of resources and deaths of animals that were highlighted by activists.

The Dr. Juan A. Rivero Zoo in the western coastal town of Mayaguez has remained closed since hurricanes Irma and Maria battered the island in September 2017, with activists questioning the state of the zoos more than 300 animals and their future.

Puerto Rico's government announced the permanent closure of the 45-acre zoo Monday as federal authorities investigate allegations of mistreatment of animals.

Animal welfare comes first, Gov. Pedro Pierluisi told reporters. Questions have been raised for a long time.

Earlier this month, U.S. Attorney Stephen Muldrow announced that experts from The Wild Animal Sanctuary in Colorado would inspect and evaluate the animals, saying that the safe and humane care for all zoo animals is a top priority of the Justice Department.

Sanctuary officials visited the zoo on Sunday  a visit that was supposed to have occurred in 2017 before the hurricanes hit, sanctuary executive director Pat Craig told The Associated Press, noting that people already were concerned about the animals at that point.

The zoo definitely has been degraded, he said. You can imagine the facilities were overgrown and dilapidated to some degree.

He said the animals were healthy enough to travel for the most part, although he noted that a mountain lion has a growth on one arm that veterinarians are still inspecting.

Craig also said he was concerned about the zoos lone chimpanzee because apes require socialization.

He declined to provide further details, saying he was limited about what he could share given the involvement of the U.S. Justice Department. However, he added that the team didn't find anything that required immediate attention.

In February 2018, the U.S. Department of Agriculture cancelled the zoos exhibitors license after citing dozens of violations in previous years, including a thin tiger that was euthanized and a distressed cougar living in a cramped space.

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Previously, a government-appointed committee had raised concerns about two pumas that died, an underweight chimpanzee and a rhinoceros named Felipe that was limping. It also noted that dozens of animals needed vaccines or physical tests, and that a kangaroo and a porcupine were among animals that didnt have shelter.

In January, officials announced that an American black bear named Nina who was more than 20 years old died from unspecified health complications after she stopped eating. The results of a necropsy have not been released. Black bears can live up to 35 years in captivity.

Craig, with The Wildlife Sanctuary, said he estimates his group would transfer up to 50% of the zoos animals at no cost to Puerto Ricos government. However, they would not take in primates or unique birds given Colorados weather.

Puerto Ricos Department of Natural Resources has said it is cooperating in plans for transfers and with the continuing investigation in the zoo, which opened in 1954.

We have not skimped on the search for alternatives so thatthe best possible care and safety of all the species that inhabit there are guaranteed, said the departments secretary, Anais Rodriguez, who noted that it wasnt until four years ago that the agency assumed responsibility for the zoo.

Activists celebrated the zoos impending closure, including Christian Rios, who is also president of an animal rights commission at Puerto Ricos Association of Attorneys. He called for full transparency as officials prepare for the transfer of certain animals.

We are not letting our guard down, Rios said, adding that those responsible should face the consequences. We are sorry that all these complaints have taken a long time to be heard.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has handed actor Steven Seagal the Order of Friendship award for his humanitarian work.

The 70-year-old actor, who also holds a Russian citizenship, has reiterated his support for Putin plenty of times in the past. In fact, last year, a birthday dinner was held in his honour in Moscow.

The awarding of the Order of Friendship was announced on the Russian government's internet portal over the weekend.

The order recognises people who Russia considers to have contributed to bettering international relations.

Seagal was a vocal supporter of Russia's 2014 annexation of Crimea and last year visited the Russian-held Ukrainian town of Olenivka where dozens of Ukrainian prisoners of war were reportedly killed in an attack for which Russia and Ukraine have blamed each other.

In 2018, Seagal was named as a Russian Foreign Ministry humanitarian envoy to the United States and Japan.

At the time, the Russian Foreign Ministry said Seagals responsibility would be to facilitate relations between Russia and the United States in the humanitarian field, including cooperation in culture, arts, public and youth exchanges.

In 2022, Seagal also recorded a birthday message for Putin, saying: Today is President Putins birthday. I just think that we are now living in very, very trying times. He is one of the greatest world leaders and one the greatest presidents in the world.

And I am really hoping and praying that he gets the support and the love and the respect that he needs. And that all the tribulations that are going on now will be over soon, and we will be living in a world of peace.

Additional reporting from agencies
Russian dictator Vladimir Putin and Alina Kabaeva, gymnast and likely mother of his children, live together in a residence in Valdai using Putin's funds from the Cyprus offshore company Ermira Consultants - this company is a "common treasury" for Putin and his entourage.

Source: Prokt (Project)

Details: Putin and Kabaeva most often live in a residence on Valdai, which is overgrown with VIP villages around.

To buy luxury real estate, they use Putin's funds hidden in Cyprus. Funds are laundered through the company Ermira Consultants, which has registered shares in important enterprises for Putin.

The journalists met with a former business manager of one of the president's closest friends, who was involved in managing a secret financial network that included Ermira.

The source said that until 2015, the company was owned by a figurehead, a lawyer from Saint Petersburg, Vladislav Kopilov; but in fact, Ermira accounts paid for purchases for Putin and his relatives. He also used this money to buy apartments and houses.

The source of the publication called the company Ermira an "obshchak" [a common treasury of a criminal group  ed.].

Since 2015, the ownership of the offshore company probably passed to the people of oligarch Arkady Rotenberg.

The source said that Putin's relatives personally met with Rotenberg, Yuriy Kovalchuk and their subordinates and told them what they needed.

After that, they used Ermira's money to buy housing: for example, in 2011 Kabaeva bought four apartments in Sochi with this money and issued them to trustees. In particular, to Kabaeva's grandmother, who actually lives in an old country house in the suburbs of Moscow.

The journalists also found out that the Cypriot company was enriched by the circulation of shares of the National Media Group, whose board of directors is chaired by Kabaeva.

In 2013, Ermira purchased 7.5% of the shares for 76 million euros, but three months later, it allegedly sold them to the financial structures of Gennady Timchenko [a Russian oil oligarch with close ties to Vladimir Putin  ed.] for EUR65.6 million more.

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It should be noted that the ownership of all the real estate that Putin buys offshore belongs to his company or fictitious persons, and not to his direct relatives.

It was also discovered that Putin and Kabaeva live together. Assistants and cousins of the gymnast are constantly at Putin's residence in Valdai, and one of the sisters even has an apartment nearby.

,

Sisters and assistants to Kabaeva, who constantly accompany her

A separate wooden terem [a traditional Russian living quarters built for women of elite background  ed.] was built for Kabaeva and her children on the territory of the Valdai residence, an identical separate house for her personally stands also next to his palace.

PUTIN'S PALACE AT VALDAi

KABAEVA'S HOUSE ON VALDAi

The journalists decided not to publish information on the children of Putin and Kabaeva for ethical reasons, because they are minors.

At the same time, the first child of Putin and Kabaeva was born in 2015 at the expensive Saint Anna clinic in Switzerland.

The second child was probably born in the spring of 2019, this time on the territory of the Russian Federation.

In 2021, a boat pier was built near Kabaevas terem, from which you can swim across the canal and find yourself in a 28-hectare park.

Park near Putin's residence in Valdai

The surroundings of the residence are nature reserves, in particular, they include the territory of the Valdai National Park, which is protected by law.

However, in 2018, a secret railway was built for Putin, which he uses to get to the residence, presumably in his armoured train.

Putin's office

In total, Kabaeva and her relatives use real estate worth at least USD120 million.

In addition to the extensions to Putin's palaces, Kabaeva has the largest penthouse in Russia. It is located in the Royal Park residential complex in Sochi, and it was also bought with funds from Putin's "obschak" in Cyprus, which once again proves Kabaeva's connection with him.

The penthouse area is 2,600 square metres, it has a swimming pool, a cinema, a patio and its own helipad, and the design was developed by Valentin Yudashkin [a prominent Russian designer  ed.]

In 2021, Kabayeva's penthouse was recognized as "the largest apartment in Russia".

At the same time, the penthouse is currently vacant. Nobody lives there.

Background:

A secret railway and a network of stations leading to his residences were built in Russia for Vladimir Putin, President of the aggressor country. Earlier, it was reported that Putin has started travelling around the country on his armoured train.

Thus, there is a railway station with a helipad next to the village of Dolgie Borody on the territory of the Valdai National Park nature reserve  this is the nearest settlement to Putin's beloved Valdai residence. Three local residents told the publication that the station and a special railway line to it were built just for the head of state.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has been increasingly using an armoured train for long-distance trips to his residences, which he switched to in the spring of 2021.

It was also reported in December 2022 that Russian President Vladimir Putin has an extensive chain of secret bunkers stretching from Moscow to the Urals, and new underground shelters continue to be built in Russia.

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






(Bloomberg) -- To the southeast of the teeming herds of wildlife in the Okavango Delta in Botswana, an offshoot of the Lundin mining dynasty is extending its search for the worlds biggest diamonds.

Most Read from Bloomberg

Lucara Diamond Corp. is sinking an 800-meter (2,624-foot) shaft to ensure the kimberlite orebodies at its Karowe mine keep producing the 1,000-carat-plus gems that set it apart. However, the $550 million investment is potentially less significant than the second prong of the miners strategy.

That involves changing the way diamonds are sold, indirectly posing a challenge to industry giant De Beers. The unit of Anglo American Plc, which accounts for most output in top producer Botswana, is locked in a battle with the government over how the spoils of the diamond trade are shared. While Lucaras operations are dwarfed by De Beers, Botswana is using its sales model as a bargaining chip in negotiations with the No. 1 diamond company.

Lucara sells about a quarter of its stones using a method pioneered by De Beers: cutters view packages of diamonds before bidding on them. But most of its profit, from stones over 10.8 carats in size and known in the industry as specials, comes from an agreement with HB Antwerp, which buys them. For those, the company receives polished rather than rough prices and the government earns more revenue.

The model is disruptive, said Rafael Papsimedov, a co-founder of HB Antwerp. Its delivering value, transparency and data. It empowers the miner and the nation to move to the next level.

That model is complicating the relationship between De Beers and Botswana, as negotiations over an extension of their more than 50-year partnership drag on. Botswanan President Mokgweetsi Masisi in September praised Lucaras arrangement with HB Antwerp, saying it had enormous scalable potential. Earlier this month, he threatened to walk away from a deal with De Beers.

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Still, thats easier said than done. Lucaras production from Karowe, its only mine, was about 336,000 carats last year, with company revenue of $213 million. By comparison Debswana, the joint venture between Botswana and De Beers, produces about 22 million carats and its 2022 revenue was just under $4.6 billion. The government gets 80% of revenue from the joint venture.

Moreover, Debswanas operations require huge capital investment, which can only be funded by the largest mining companies. Jwaneng, the worlds biggest diamond mine, is undergoing a $1.2 billion expansion and a similar one is planned at Orapa. To extend operations for decades, an underground shaft will need to be dug at Jwaneng at a cost of at least $5 billion.

I am very confident that this is a very fair deal for Botswana, Bruce Cleaver, De Beers former chief executive officer, said in an interview aired by the Namibia Broadcasting Corp. on Tuesday. Namibia, Botswanas neighbor, has a similar, smaller venture with De Beers. Cleaver was meeting with Namibian Prime Minister Hage Geingob with his replacement, Al Cook.

Biggest Gems

While Lucara cant compete on scale, its biggest diamonds are hard to match. In 2019, it unearthed the 1,758-carat Sewelo  the worlds No. 2 stone after South Africas Cullinan diamond  which was turned into a collection of Louis Vuitton jewelry. Two years later, it found a 1,175 carat gem and in 2015 the 1,109 carat Lesedi la Rona diamond, a discovery that triggered a 34% jump in Lucaras shares.

Ironically, Lucara bought a 70% stake in the deposit, then known as AK6, from De Beers for $49 million in 2009. The holder of the rest, African Diamonds Ltd., was later acquired by Lucara.

Now the company is using so-called XRT technology to scan mined ore for the presence of large diamonds so they dont get damaged in the extraction process.

We are the only diamond mine in the world to have recovered three diamonds in excess of 1,000 carats in size, Eira Thomas, Lucaras chief executive officer, said in a presentation at the mine earlier this month. We believe that our mine accounts for about 25% of the worlds largest diamonds.

Lucara also sells about 11% of its gems through a digital marketplace, Clara Diamond Solutions.

--With assistance from Matthew Hill.

(Updates with De Beers former CEOs comment in ninth paragraph)

Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek

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The La Grange Village Board Monday unanimously accepted a comprehensive parking study performed last year.

The study, performed by the Chicago-based consulting firm Sam Schwartz, was designed to help La Grange better utilize the parking in two areas  Downtown and in the West End.

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Our issues of parking are not really supply, Schwartz consultant Kelly Connolly said in her presentation. We have enough parking, but its managing that supply better.

The objective was to provide a framework for managing the parking demand, now and in the next 10 years.

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The study included both interviews and an online survey, the survey drawing more than 1,000 responses from residents, visitors, business owners and employees, which Connolly called a really good response rate.

The results, which can be found on the Village website villageoflagrange.com, shows the two areas with a combined total of about 3,000 parking spaces; 974 in the West End and 2,000 in the Downtown retail district.

Forty-six % of the spaces in the West End are free to the public; 73 % Downtown are free, with 350 in the village parking structure at 80 S. 6th Ave.

A key objective is making parking more convenient for those taking part in the downtown district, particularly customers using the village restaurants.

In order to accomplish that, one recommendation was to encourage employees in the area to use the parking structure.

Connolly suggested extending the hours in village parking lots and possibly reducing the $20 fee that employees paid for decal parking.

Connolly noted that the effects of the pandemic are still being felt, especially in the area along the Burlington railroad tracks.

Commuter parking is really in flux right now, she said, indicating that it was under 50 %.

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Other suggestions made by the study involved improving signage, adding and/or improving bike racks, and adding electrical charging stations in the parking structure to accommodate those with electric vehicles, especially downtown residents.

Still others are to improve enforcement, eventually replacing decal stickers with license plate reading technology, a graduated fine for those who violated parking times, and/or increasing the price of meter parking in some areas, particularly the West End.

Village President Mark Kuchler said that with many of the employee parking decals being provided for free by the Village were already at zero.

Connolly said that for the employees already receiving parking decals for free, mainly restaurant employees, they would be required to park in levels two and three of the garage; for those paying $20 that fee would be less if they park in the parking garage.

Kuchler also asked about the cost of an electric vehicle charging station, and Connolly said it could run $20,000, anywhere from $20,000 to $40,000, depending on what type and how many stations were purchased.

Village Trustee Lou Gale said he was pleased that the respondents showed that 85 % felt it was easy or neither easy or hard to find a parking place, and suggested making employee decal parking free.

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We just make them free, he said, but with the caveat that they have to park outside the high heat areas, he said.

Michael Kotynek agreed that the problem was not a lack of supply, but not having a parking spot right in front of the restaurant you want to go to.

He also said he liked the idea of having employees park in the two top tiers of the garage, and the signs letting people know that there were spots available in the garage.

The report now goes to Village staff so they can work on it and prepare it for the Villages budget process.

Hank Beckman is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
It took a Jackson County jury less than four hours on Monday to find 47-year-old Gene Birdsong guilty of first-degree murder in the stabbing death of his estranged wife, Tabitha Birdsong, who died with her umpteenth protective order against him in her back pocket.

When I asked a juror on her way out of the courthouse after the verdict was announced how theyd finished so fast, she said, It didnt feel fast. It felt like forever.

Im sure it did; serving on the jury in a murder trial is serious business. But for the victims family, forever has felt even longer.

Its been 4 1/2 years since 40-year-old Tabithas body was found in Roanoke Park by a neighbor out on her morning walk. Shed been stabbed more than 100 times, suffering 73 sharp force trauma injuries. These included 35 stab wounds on her head, neck and face, some of them delivered with such force that they had penetrated her skull and broken the bone under her eye.

She also had a number of defensive wounds on her hands and arms, cuts shed gotten trying to stay alive. And the coroner testified that Tabitha seemed to have been attacked while she was already on the ground.

Diana Ingram and Spencer Ingram, Tabitha Birdsongs mother and son, waited for the verdict Monday.

Mother afraid daughters abuser would go free

Since that day, Nov. 6, 2018, Tabithas mother, Diana Ingram, has often told me how terrified shes been that her daughters tormentor would somehow get off and get out again, just as he had so many times before.

She showed me some of Tabithas blood-stained clothes, presumably soaked during earlier attacks, and some of the many notebooks that her daughter had filled with phone numbers of domestic violence shelters, lists of safety strategies, and heartbreaking entries about loving, fearing and feeling she ought to help Gene, who was arrested on domestic violence charges dozens of times in multiple states, but found her wherever she ran.

At the time of her death, an Overland Park police detective told me that shed been calling him three times a week to report her husbands violations of her protective order.

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Id tried to assure Diana that after coming home drenched in his wifes blood, Gene wasnt likely to ever walk away again. And after Mondays verdict, he isnt going to: Though his formal sentencing is set for April 13, the jury has recommended life without the possibility of parole.

But after the nine years Diana had spent trying to help her daughter survive her marriage, expecting the worst was not exactly irrational.

In court for closing arguments on Monday, she was wearing a ring made of some of Tabithas ashes. When they showed the grisly photos of her daughters injuries, she looked down, rocked back and forth in her seat, and finally fled the courtroom in tears.

When the guilty verdict she feared shed never hear was announced around 3 p.m., she sobbed in relief and said she was so, so tired.

But this, she said, will give me peace of mind for the kids  Tabithas kids, including 26-year-old Spencer Ingram, who was in court on Monday, too, along with a bunch of other family members. Im happy to finally have justice, said Spencer, a mechanical engineer who has a little girl of his own now.

Defendant told jury: I didnt kill my wife

Gene chose not to testify in his own defense, and everyone who has seen even a snippet of Alex Murdaugh, the South Carolina lawyer accused of killing his wife and son, testilying on his own behalf knows why that was a good call from his perspective.

But after the guilty verdict against Tabithas husband was read, Gene turned and informed the jury, I forgive you, but I didnt kill my wife.

When Judge John Torrence asked the prosecutor and defense counsel if they had any further issues to raise before court was adjourned, Birdsong spoke out of turn again, asking the judge why he hadnt been called as a witness.

That is a ridiculous question, Torrence told him.

Right after Tabithas death, I wrote that domestic violence hurts not just the victim, but a whole world of people who care about that person. Actually, its even bigger than that, and hurts people who never even knew the victim in life:  It only took 4 1/2 years, but justice has been served, said Jan Chapman, the woman who discovered Tabithas body, then flagged down a neighbor who checked for signs of life and called 911.

Intimate partner violence, which we still treat all too lightly until a homicide has happened, also hurts the perpetrator. Gene Birdsong should have been stopped long before it came to this. And it hurts that persons loved ones, too.

Genes Aunt Susan, Linda Sue Harper, who said shed been taking out the trash at about 6 a.m. on November 6th of 2018 when he rolled in covered in blood and saying hed been attacked, testified that after Tabitha died, shed called her to let her know that it wasnt Gene who had killed her.

The prosecutor, Danielle Sediqzad, used phone records to show that no, there had been no incoming calls from heaven after the time we know that Tabitha died. But she was also kind in court, telling the jury that she didnt see Aunt Susan as a liar, but as someone who was desperate to convince herself that her nephew wasnt responsible for his wifes death.

Husband Genes history of domestic violence

I also have to give credit to the defense attorney, Josh Peter, who despite having no case gave it a really good go, undeterred by the considerable frustration that his client had to have caused him. Two years ago, Gene had agreed to accept a deal under which he would plead guilty to second-degree murder and serve 23 years.

But then, at the hearing I attended via Zoom, Gene backed out of and back into and then back out of the deal several times. He insisted that he and Tabitha had both been attacked that night, blamed her for her own death, and blamed his lawyer for failing to find the true killer.

He stuck with that story, and his attorney did his best to sell it.

This, though, was just plain false: They had their ups and downs, Genes attorney said, but there was no history of violence. In fact, his clients long history of violence against his wife included several months spent behind bars in Kansas earlier in 2018.

The lawyer said that maybe the reason that his client left his wife bleeding in Roanoke Park was that he feared police wouldnt do a thorough investigation and would blame him, and thats what happened. Much as I appreciate the vigorous defense that every murderer deserves, no, it isnt.

Danielles voice shook with righteous anger as she delivered her closing argument. Gene must have thought he had silenced his wife, she said, but Tabitha spoke to us this week most loudly and fervently through her body, from the chipped nails that showed how hard she had clawed her attacker to the hair in her hands because she would have had her hands in her hair fighting for her life while her skull was being stabbed.

Aunt Susan and Genes other relatives left the courtroom right after the verdict was read; they didnt wait to tell him goodbye. But he brushed right past Tabithas family on his way out, and that frightened them.

The only good news here is that as of Monday, that will never happen again.
AFSC

A white woman, who converted to Islam and allegedly posed as a person of color for years, has resigned from her position in a social justice organization founded by Quakers after being exposed for race faking.

The woman, who goes by the name Raquel Saraswati, was the chief inclusion officer of Philadelphia-based American Friends Service Committee and had been lauded for her racial and LGBTQ+ equity efforts. But praise for Saraswatis activism has evaporated after she was accused of faking her ethnic background.

[American Friends Service Committees] Chief Equity, Inclusion, and Culture Officer, Raquel Saraswati, who is facing public allegations that she misrepresented her background and past associations, has informed us of her intention to separate from the organization, the organization said in a statement to Daily Mail, adding that job candidates do not have to prove their ethnic background in order to apply for positions.

We see ending all forms of racism as a critical part of this work both within our organization and in the world, the organization said.

According to The Intercept, Saraswati claimed she was Latina, as well as of South Asian and Arab descent, but her family claimed that was all a lie. Instead, they said she was born Rachel Elizabeth Seidel and actually had British, German, and Italian ancestry. They claimed Saraswati started to take an interest in Eastern cultures while away at boarding school in Troy, New York. She had a roommate who was Turkish, and eventually Saraswatis hair and makeup got darker.

According to the Daily Mail, Saraswati started going by the name Raquel Evita Seidel and then Raquel Evita Saraswati around the time that she married her Vietnamese girlfriend in 2005. The outlet obtained photos of Saraswati from the early 2000s in which she looked radically different, sporting a pale complexion and thin eyebrows.

Im as white as the driven snow and so is she, Saraswatis mother, Carol Perone, told The Intercept.

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I dont know why shes doing what shes doing, she added. Shes chosen to live a lie, and I find that very, very sad.

Race Faker Rachel Dolezals New Side Hustle: OnlyFans

In an 11-page, anonymous letter posted Feb. 10 on Mediumwritten by AFSC members, according to The Interceptconcern was raised about Saraswatis background and how her alleged misrepresentations hurt marginalized people.

Saraswati has gone to great lengths to purge much of the public records that can correct her mistruths regarding her race and ethnicity, the letter reads. There have been attempts since 2015 to call for accountability in light of Saraswatis cultural vulturism. (Allegations of race faking were first raised on Twitter in 2015 by Sana Saeed, who called Saraswati the Raquel Dolezal of the Muslim community.)

The letter, which provided a detailed rundown of Saraswatis family history, continued: An examination of her photographs, cross-referenced with our interviews with individuals who have known Saraswati personally over the years, reveal that the shades of bronzer she applies to her face have become darker over time.

Oskar Pierre Castro, an HR worker involved in hiring Saraswati at the American Friends Service Committee, told the Intercept that she described herself during the interview process as a queer, Muslim, multiethnic woman.

Castro, who works with Philadelphia Yearly Meeting, which partners with American Friends Service Committee, said he felt Saraswati would be good as an equity officer due to her background and experiences.

Oddly, Saraswati has also partnered with organizations that have been accused of peddling Islamophobic views, like the Clarion Project and American Islamic Forum for Democracy.

When allegations of race faking first emerged this month, the American Friends Service Committee stood by Saraswati. The group gave her the opportunity to address the allegations against her, and Raquel stands by her identity, spokesperson Mark Graham told the Daily Mail, adding that Raquel also assures us that she remains loyal to AFSC's mission, which we firmly believe.

AFSC did not immediately respond to The Daily Beasts request for comment Tuesday. However, Saraswati declined to comment in full, saying she wanted to maintain discretion as it related to her employment.

I have carried out my work at AFSC with integrity and sincere commitment, moving forward many aspects of organizational culture, she said. I will be handling this phase of my relationship with AFSC with the same level of thoughtfulness and care as I did [other] important matters.

I am currently taking the time I need both with loved ones as well as with professional counsel, Saraswati added, to ensure that the doors are soon closed on this.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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Police with the Eagle Mountain-Saginaw Independent School District are investigating incidents of vandalism involving racist graffiti found at two campuses on Monday, district officials said.

Custodial crews found graffiti spray-painted in the courtyard of Chisholm Trail High School early Monday, according to a letter from school officials to parents. The walkway in front of Ed Willkie Middle School was also spray-painted with similar racist and insensitive messages, officials said.

School officials didnt give specific details about the messages, just that they demeaned various ethnic groups.

A spokesperson for the district said one of the messages warned not to come to school Friday but didnt specifically threaten violence. District police didnt find anything to substantiate the statement, the spokesperson said.

Police are reviewing security cameras in the areas targeted by the vandals, officials said, and those responsible will be arrested.

Anyone who has information about the vandalism is asked to contact the district police at 817-847-2999, Tarrant County Crime Stoppers at 817-469-8477 or reach out through the Lets Talk button on the Chisholm Trail High School website.

Part of what makes our community great is our diversity, said Winston McCowan, principal of Chisholm Trail High School, in the letter to parents. We will not tolerate anything that makes our campus uncomfortable for any child.
(Getty Images)

Rafael Nadal has withdrawn from the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells and the Miami Open as he continues to recover from the hip problem he suffered at the Australian Open.

The 36-year-old limped to a second-round loss against AmericanMackenzie McDonald and scans indicated the injury to his iliopsoas muscle would rule him out for between six and eight weeks.

This week marks six weeks since he sustained the problem but Nadal is not yet ready to return to the match court and has decided to skip the two hard-court Masters 1000 events in the United States next month and wait until his favoured clay.

Nadal wrote on Twitter: Its been a while since I dont communicate with you. Took my time off, started rehab, gym and physiotherapy as instructed by the doctors. Getting ready to come back in the best conditions.

I am sad that I wont be able to compete at Indian Wells nor Miami. Very sad not to be there. Ill miss all my US fans but I hope to see them later this year during the summer swing.

Indian Wells tournament director Tommy Haas said in a statement: We wish Rafa continued healing and hope to see him back at the BNP Paribas Open next year.

I am sad that I wont be able to compete at Indian Wells nor Miami.

Very sad not to be there. Ill miss all my US fans but I hope to see them later this year during the summer swing. pic.twitter.com/v6dsf1ayTI  Rafa Nadal (@RafaelNadal) February 28, 2023

The Californian desert has been a happy hunting ground for the Spaniard over the years, with Nadal winning the title in 2007, 2009 and 2013 and reaching the final for a fifth time last year, defying a fractured rib before losing to Taylor Fritz.

Miami, meanwhile, is one of the only big titles Nadal has never won, falling in the final five times.

Missing another month is almost certain to mean the end of Nadals record-breaking 18-year run as a top-10 player. The last time the Spaniard was not ranked in the top 10 was way back in April 2005.

He should make his comeback at the Monte-Carlo Masters beginning on April 9.
Rafael Nadal will miss Indian Wells (John Walton/PA) (PA Wire)

Rafael Nadal has withdrawn from the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells as he continues to recover from the hip problem he suffered at the Australian Open.

The 36-year-old limped to a second-round loss against American Mackenzie McDonald and scans indicated the injury to his iliopsoas muscle would rule him out for between six and eight weeks.

This week marks six weeks since he sustained the problem but Nadal is not yet ready to return to the match court and has pulled out of the first Masters 1000 tournament of the year, which begins on March 8.

Three-time BNP Paribas Open Champion Rafa Nadal has withdrawn from the 2023 tournament due to injury.



We wish Rafa continued healing, and hope to see him back at the BNP Paribas Open next year, said Tournament Director Tommy Haas. pic.twitter.com/6TdzOT6qY9  BNP Paribas Open (@BNPPARIBASOPEN) February 28, 2023

Tournament director Tommy Haas said in a statement: We wish Rafa continued healing and hope to see him back at the BNP Paribas Open next year.

The Californian desert has been a happy hunting ground for the Spaniard over the years, with Nadal winning the title in 2007, 2009 and 2013 and reaching the final for a fifth time last year, defying a fractured rib before losing to Taylor Fritz.

The second big American tournament of the year, the Miami Open, begins on March 22 but Nadal may well decide to wait for the start of his favoured clay season in April before making his return.

Missing Indian Wells, meanwhile, is likely to mean the end of Nadals record-breaking 18-year run as a top-10 player. The last time the Spaniard was not ranked in the top 10 was way back in April 2005.
OMAHA, Neb. (AP)  Freight railroads should reexamine the way they use and maintain the detectors along the tracks that are supposed to spot overheating bearings, federal regulators urged Tuesday in the wake of a fiery Ohio derailment and other recent crashes.

The safety advisory from the Federal Railroad Administration stopped short of telling the railroads exactly what to do. Instead, it encouraged them to make sure the detectors are getting inspected often enough by trained employees and that the railroads have safe standards for determining when to stop a train or park a railcar when a warning is triggered.

The National Transportation Safety Board has said the crew operating the Norfolk Southern train that derailed outside East Palestine, Ohio, near the Pennsylvania border on Feb. 3 got a warning from such a detector but couldn't stop the train before more than three dozen cars came off the tracks and caught fire. The Federal Railroad Administration said overheating bearings likely caused at least four other derailments since 2021.

The Ohio derailment forced half the town of about 5,000 people to evacuate for days as toxic chemicals burned, leaving residents with lingering health concerns. Government tests haven't found dangerous levels of chemicals in the air or water in the area. The EPA opened an office in the town Tuesday to help address residents' questions.

For trains containing hazardous materials, the potential consequence of a derailment is catastrophic, and allowing a train transporting a hazardous material to continue to operate, without restriction, after an HBD (hot bearing detector) alert is likely not appropriate, the FRA advisory said.

Norfolk Southern officials didn't immediately respond to the advisory. After the NTSB issued its preliminary findings last week, the railroad said the derailment had prompted it to inspect all of the nearly 1,000 trackside heat detectors on its network. That was on top of regular inspections it normally does on those sensors every 30 days, Norfolk Southern said.

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Dave Clarke, the former director of the Center for Transportation Research at the University of Tennessee, said the safety advisory was not surprising.

This is just FRA proposing the obvious, in my opinion. I doubt if any Class I (major freight railroad) was waiting for this, he said.

But railroad labor groups welcomed the move. Unions say the major freight railroads have become riskier because workers are spread so thin after deep job cuts over the past six years, inspections are being rushed, and preventative maintenance may be neglected.

There are no federal regulations guiding wayside detectors, including their placement along tracks or temperature thresholds. Theres not even a federal definition of wayside detection technologies, said Greg Regan, president of the Transportation Trades Department coalition that includes all rail unions. "Rail workers are eager to see a complete set of federal regulations on the installation, operation, testing, repairs, and maintenance of all wayside detection technologies, including defect detectors.

In the Ohio derailment, the bearing that failed got hotter as it passed three detectors before the crash but didn't get hot enough to set off a warning until the last detector, according to the NTSB. The FRA said railroads should consider developing ways to analyze temperature trends those sensors spot to help identify potential problems sooner.

The Association of American Railroads trade group said the industry has a strong track record of pushing for safety improvements and tough tank car standards to prevent hazardous materials spills. The group said the widespread use of these detectors is an example of the industry's commitment to safety.

Professor Allan Zarembski, who leads the University of Delawares rail engineering and safety program, noted that overheating bearings cause only a handful of the more than 1,000 derailments each year, indicating that the existing system already finds nearly all such problems.

"Theres great political pressure to do something now  knee-jerk reaction, `Do something now. Weve got to do something now.' But Im not convinced the knee-jerk reaction is going to do a lot of good, Zarembski said.

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg proposed a number of safety improvements last week, but the industry has been pushing to delay any major changes until after the NTSB completes its investigation a year or more from now.

___

This version corrects the population of East Palestine.
NEW YORK  The comic strip Dilbert disappeared with lightning speed following racist remarks by creator Scott Adams, but it shouldnt come as a shock to anyone who has followed them both.

Adams, who is white, was an outspoken presence on social media long before describing Black people as a hate group on YouTube and, to some, Dilbert had strayed from its roots as a chronicler of office culture.

The editor of the San Francisco Chronicle, which dumped Dilbert last year, said the comic strip went from being hilarious to being hurtful and mean. The Los Angeles Times, which joined dozens of other newspapers in dropping the comic following last weeks remarks, had quietly replaced four of Adams strips last year.

He kind of ran out of office jokes and started integrating all this other stuff so after a while, it became hard to distinguish between Scott Adams and Dilbert, said Mike Peterson, columnist for the industry blog The Daily Cartoonist.

As individual newspapers told readers they were dropping Dilbert, the company that distributed the strip, Andrews McMeel Universal, said it was severing ties with Adams. By Monday, Dilbert was gone from the GoComics site, which also features many top comics such as Peanuts and Calvin and Hobbes.

Adams said Monday that the strip, which first appeared in 1989, will only be available on his subscription service on the Locals platform.

Dilbert is effectively dead, Peterson said.

Adams said Monday on YouTube that his distributor didnt really have a choice because clients and other cartoonists were mad. They were just forced into it, he said.

On Twitter, he said his book publisher and book agent had canceled him. The Penguin Random House imprint Portfolio said it wouldnt publish Adams book Reframe Your Brain in September, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Adams has long been active on Twitter, whose CEO, Elon Musk, was among the few to publicly back him. He also blogs regularly and puts out a regular podcast on YouTube.

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Hes attracted attention for comments hes made in the past, including saying in 2011 that women are treated differently by society for the same reason as children and the mentally disabled  its just easier this way for everyone. He said 2016 GOP presidential candidate Carly Fiorina had an angry wife face.

Adams became a vocal supporter of former President Donald Trump, saying Trump had a hypnotists skill in attracting followers. He said that stance cost him money in lost speakers fees.

He said he lost the prime-time animated Dilbert series that ran on UPN for two seasons for being white when the network decided to target a Black audience, and that he lost two other corporate jobs because of his race.

During the Feb. 22 episode of his YouTube podcast Real Coffee with Scott Adams, he referenced a Rasmussen Reports survey that had asked whether people agreed with the statement Its OK to be white. Most agreed, but Adams noted that 26% of Black respondents disagreed and others werent sure.

The Anti-Defamation League said the phrase at the center of the question was popularized as a trolling campaign by members of 4chan  a notorious anonymous message board  and was adopted by some white supremacists. Rasmussen Reports is a conservative polling firm.

Adams repeatedly referred to people who are Black as members of a hate group or a racist hate group and said he would no longer help Black Americans. On his podcast Monday, he called his hate group remark hyperbole, but continued to defend his advice that white people get the hell away from Blacks.

In announcing that Dilbert would be cut from the Kansas City Star, the newspapers community engagement editor, Derek Donovan, said Adams antagonistic, childishly macho persona has been a constant for years.

Its not cancel culture, editor Richard Green of the Santa Rosa Press Democrat in California said. Its doing the right thing.

The Sun Chronicle in Attleboro, Massachusetts, left a blank space Monday where Dilbert would normally run and said it would keep it that way through March as a reminder of the racism that pervades our society.

The San Francisco Chronicle stopped publishing Dilbert last October  a move that drew only a handful of complaints. Editor-in-Chief Emilio Garcia-Ruiz said in the newspaper that he had objected to a strip that said in an effort to diversify workplaces, straight men should pretend to be gay.

In a Sept. 2 Dilbert strip, a boss said that traditional performance reviews would be replaced by a wokeness score. When an employee complained that could be subjective, the boss said, Thatll cost you two points off your wokeness score, bigot.

In an August strip, the boss said the company was getting into the pandemic prevention market and creating demand by unleashing a deadly virus.

A Black employee featured in an Oct. 20 strip noted that his boss ignored his actual accomplishments to recommend him for a job for which he was not qualified. The employee backed down when told it would be a big jump in pay.

Peterson said there are other examples of how Adams attitudes had replaced the biting humor that Peterson and a legion of middle managers loved. Adams seemed to run out of jokes.

The strip jumped the shark, he said.
NEW CITY - A Rockland County Court judge heard two contrasting descriptions of former Spring Valley Building Inspector Ray Canario during Monday's opening of his non-jury trial on charges of providing false information to the state concerning village inspections.

Prosecutor Michael Dugandzic argued the evidence will show that Canario knowingly made false statements in state reports from 2017 to 2019 concerning the village's tally of completed inspections and falsely reported inspections were done, including the Evergreen Court Home for Adults. Two people, including a firefighter, died in an inferno at the facility in March 2021.

The inspection reports centered on several years before the fatal fire, but the blaze kick-started the investigation into the Spring Valley Building Department. Canario, a former fire chief, battled the blaze with dozens of other volunteers who removed 112 people from the massive Lafayette Street building.

Dugandzic told Judge Kevin Russo that Canario knew the numbers he submitted in his mandated 1203 reports to the state were not accurate, accusing Canario of fraud.

Executive Assistant District Attorney Michael Dugandzic reads his opening statement as Raymond Canario and his attorney Stefani Jordan listen on the first day of Canario's trial in Rockland County Court Feb. 27, 2023 in New City. Canario, a former building inspector, is charged with filing false documents concerning inspections for Spring Valley with the state of New York. One property included the Evergreen Court Home for Adults, where two people died in a blaze on March 22, 2021.

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Canario's attorney, Stefanie Jordan, viewed the prosecution's scenario as rubbish. She told the judge he will hear that Canario is a hard-working longtime volunteer firefighter who has dedicated himself to the people of Spring Valley.

She noted during her cross-examination of prosecution witnesses that there were reporting mistakes and the state made errors. But she said Canario did the best he could under the circumstances of lacking proper training and working in a dysfunctional department without direction and leadership.

Months after the fatal fire on March 22, 2021, a grand jury returned charges against six people.

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Canario was charged with three felony counts of first-degree offering a false instrument for filing and three misdemeanor counts of second-degree offering a false instrument for filing.

Defense attorney Stefani Jordan gives her opening statement on the first day of Raymond Canario's trial in Rockland County Court Feb. 27, 2023 in New City. Canario, a former building inspector, is charged with filing false documents concerning inspections for Spring Valley with the state of New York. One property included the Evergreen Court Home for Adults, where two people died in a blaze on March 22, 2021.

Russo recently dismissed the same charges  after hearing from some of the same witnesses appearing in Canario's trial  against former Building Inspector and Public Works Director Wayne Ballard. Russo dismissed the case against Ballard, finding the prosecution failed to provide sufficient evidence to prove Ballard fraudulently filed false information.

Rockland District Attorney Thomas Walsh's office also plea bargained dismissals with two people, who went on to testify before the grand jury for the prosecution.

Two rabbis, Nathaniel and Aaron Sommer, face multiple felony charges accusing them of starting the fire by using a 20-pound propane blowtorch to kosherize the facility's kitchen and ovens for Passover. They are accused of causing the death of firefighter Jared Lloyd, 34, the father of two boys, and Oliver Hueston, 79, who has three sons.

The father-son rabbis have pleaded not guilty. Their next court appearance is scheduled for April 18. Walsh's office has declined comment on what's next in the prosecution.

Prosecutors present their case

Dugandzic and fellow prosecutor Ryan Sweeney called two state oversight officials with the New York State Department of State to the witness stand: code compliance specialist Ronald Stark and John Addario, the director of Buildings, Standards Code.

Assistant District Attorney Ryan Sweeney, left, and Executive Assistant District Attorney Michael Dugandzic confer on the first day of Raymond Canario's trial in Rockland County Court Feb. 27, 2023 in New City. Canario, a former building inspector, is charged with filing false documents concerning inspections for Spring Valley with the state of New York. One property included the Evergreen Court Home for Adults, where two people died in a blaze on March 22, 2021.

Dugandzic tried to use the testimony to show Canario's numbers of buildings and inspections could never reasonably be accurate. Many buildings in Spring Valley went uninspected, Some were due for annual inspections while others were due for inspections every three years.

Canario's report numbers clashed with those submitted  sometimes in the same year  filed by Deputy Building Inspector Manny Carmona, who is scheduled to testify before Russo. The Building Department needed to correct its early reports.

Spring Valley's Building Department had been so dysfunctional the state assigned a monitor to watch and advise on administrative reporting, not inspections. Spring Valley at the time was the lone municipality with a monitor, though Ramapo Building Department had one as well.

The state assigned Rockland County government to take over the village's Building Department in 2021, despite a state monitor assigned to the department who was supposed to provide guidance.

Canario attorney cross examines prosecution witnesses

In Jordan's cross-examination questioning of Stark and Addario, they testified they had limited contact with the monitor, Ericka Kreiger, even though the village had inspection problems and 2017 filed its first report since 2012. Stark, who once led training programs, said he didn't know if Canario has been properly trained and attended training sessions.

Building Department leadership and for years the lack of personnel have made meeting inspection goals impossible. Mayor Alan Simon moved Canario from Public Works Department to the building department. Simon had been behind suspending several inspectors  including Carmona, fire Inspector Frank Youngman, and Chief Building Inspector Walter Booker, who also was suspended by Mayor Demeza Delhomme.

Under questioning from Jordan, Addario said despite the village's problems, he never referred Spring Valley inspectors for criminal investigation or suggested inspectors should be suspended or lose their certification.

Raymond Canario and his attorney Stefani Jordan listen to the prosecution's opening statement on the first day of Canario's trial in Rockland County Court Feb. 27, 2023 in New City. Canario, a former building inspector, is charged with filing false documents concerning inspections for Spring Valley with the state of New York. One property included the Evergreen Court Home for Adults, where two people died in a blaze on March 22, 2021.

Jordan also questioned Addario about his office working feverishly with Ballard and officials like Deputy Village Attorney Jeffrey Millman to try and enable the department to meet minimum standards, before Canario began issuing reports to the state.

Her questioning pointed to a lack of constructive oversight by Addario and the state concerning Spring Valley, then the only municipality with enough issues to have a special state monitor.

Addario's answers showed the state was concerned about the village reporting system before Canario. He said Carmona's 2017 report, for example, was not accurate or completed. The prosecution had objected to the questioning, but Russo said as the finder of fact he wanted to hear his answer.

The village filing system was a mess and its computer program failed.

"The computer system they had didn't get the job done," Addario said. "The existing database was corrupt."

Code Enforcement Officer Doug Perry, a firefighter for four decades, testified by the changing leadership in the Building Department, due to suspensions. He went from code enforcement officer to fire inspector on orders from the mayor.

He said he collected files on orders from detectives. He said he found a file that showed Evergreen Court was last inspected in 2014.

Ballard's state report indicated Evergreen Court had been inspected on April 22, 2019, based on Spring Valley Building Department records. Another record indicated no inspection, which prosecuted focused on.

Perry said the filing system was a mess, with reports done on paper, with files at one point moved to the Louis Kurtz Center from Village Hall, and placed in a faulty computer system. He said Canario did payroll and other personnel issues. Files also were piled under desks and in desk drawers.

"In truth, I didn't know who was running the show," he said, adding that at one point Jeffery Millman, the deputy attorney, was in charge of the Building Department.

Canario's bench trial before Russo is scheduled to continue Tuesday morning with the prosecution's case.

Steve Lieberman covers government, breaking news, courts, police, and investigations. Reach him at slieberm@lohud.com. Twitter: @lohudlegal. Read more articles and bio. Our local coverage is only possible with support from our readers.

This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Canario denies prosecution claims of filing false reports to the state
Feb. 28TOLEDO  As climate disasters, blood donation needs and other emergencies upend lives, local community heroes are stepping up to care for one another.

This March, the American Red Cross Northern Ohio Region is honoring those who make its mission possible during the 80th annual Red Cross Month celebration  a national tradition that began in 1943 when President Franklin D. Roosevelt issued the first Red Cross Month proclamation.

"When help can't wait during emergencies, people in northern Ohio rally together to provide relief and hope for neighbors in need," said Mike Parks, Regional CEO. "This humanitarian spirit is at the heart of our community, and we are proud to honor all those who make our mission possible during this year's Red Cross Month celebration. You can join in their commitment by donating, volunteering, giving blood or platelets, or taking a lifesaving skills course."

Participate in Red Cross Month by visiting redcross.org to make a financial donation, give blood or platelets, become a volunteer or take a class in lifesaving skills, such as first aid, CPR and how to use an AED. On March 22, you can also join our annual Red Cross Giving Day campaign by donating at redcross.org/givingday to help provide shelter, food, relief items, emotional support and other assistance for people affected by disasters big and small.

CONTINUING CLARA BARTON'S LIFESAVING LEGACY

Today's Red Cross volunteers, blood and platelet donors and supporters are advancing the lifesaving legacy of Clara Barton  one of the most honored women in U.S. history  who founded the American Red Cross more than 140 years ago. Her vision to prevent and alleviate human suffering has never wavered: Generation after generation, people have come together to adapt this timeless mission for their communities' most urgent needs.

JOIN A REWARDING DAY OF GIVING BACK

Home fires are the most frequent disaster response for the Red Cross, which is also working to help families stay safe by installing free smoke alarms during its Sound the Alarm home fire safety events in at-risk communities. Volunteers are needed for events occurring April 22 to May 6 in northern Ohio  register and learn more at redcross.org/noh.

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PREVENT A BLOOD SHORTAGE

When volunteer blood and platelet donors lend an arm this March, they'll help keep the blood supply from dropping this spring. All who come to give blood, platelets or plasma March 1-31, 2023, will receive a $10 Visa Prepaid Card by email. Plus, they'll be automatically entered for a chance to win a $3,000 Visa Prepaid Card  which could help toward expenses like gas or groceries. There will be five lucky winners. (Terms for both offers apply. Visit rcblood.org/help for details).

Upcoming blood donation opportunities March 1 to 31

Huron County

Bellevue

3/9/2023: Noon to 5 p.m., Bellevue VFW Post 1238, 6104 Ohio 20E

Greenwich

3/28/2023: 1 to 7 p.m., The Ripley Church, 4130 Edwards Road

Monroeville

3/3/2023: Noon to 6 p.m., Trinity Lutheran Church, 121 Broad St.

New London

3/9/2023: 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., New London High School, 1 Wildcat Dr.

Norwalk

3/8/2023: 11:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Eagles, 151 Cline St.

3/20/2023: 1:30 to 7 p.m., First United Methodist Church, 60 W. Main St.

3/24/2023: Noon to 4:30 p.m., Fisher-Titus Medical Center, 272 Benedict Ave.

Plymouth

3/16/2023: 1 to 6 p.m., Plymouth Village Community Building, 48 W. Broadway

3/20/2023: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Plymouth High School, 400 Trux St.

_______________

Seneca County

Attica

3/1/2023: 1 to 6 p.m., Attica Fair Grounds, 15127 East Twp. Road. 12

Fostoria

3/31/2023: Noon to 5 p.m., ProMedica Fostoria Community Hospital, 501 Van Buren St.

Kansas

3/21/2023: 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., Lakota High School, 5200 Sandusky County Road 13

New Riegel

3/22/2023: Noon to 5:30 p.m., New Riegel Schools, 44 N. Perry St.

Tiffin

3/11/2023: 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., National Machinery, 161 Greenfield St.

3/16/2023: 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tiffin Moose Lodge, 1146 N Ohio 53

3/17/2023: 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Heidelberg University, 44 Greenfield St, Campus Center

3/21/2023: Noon to 6 p.m., Tiffin VFW Post 2858, 345 Twp. Road 91

3/30/2023: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Mercy Health-Tiffin Hospital, 45 Saint Lawrence Dr.
A disturbing Reddit subchannel run by fans of Idaho murders suspect Bryan Kohberger has been banned for violating community guidelines.

The subreddit titled Brynation was among the most prominent of several unsettling fan groups to emerge on social media following Mr Kohbergers arrest late last year for the 13 November murders of University of Idaho students Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin.

The group grew to more than 500 members before it was recently banned from the platform for violating Reddits Moderator Code of Conduct. A notice declaring the ban does not specify when exactly it was put in place or what the specific violations were.

In the aftermath of the murders and Mr Kohbergers arrest six weeks later, true crime fans flocked to online forums to fill an information gap left by authorities  who first cited the integrity of the investigation as the reason they did not share details about the probe, and now are banned from speaking about the case due to a gag order.

In addition to spreading misinformation and conspiracy theories, some of those online communities served as a space for fans of the accused murderer to openly talk about their attraction for him - including Brynation.

The description for the group stated that it was a subreddit for Bryan Kohbergers girls. While posts are no longer visible on the site, they can still be seen on the Internet Archive site.

The archive shows how some members maintained that Mr Kohberger is innocent, while others voiced their support for him even if he is guilty.

Other posts feature overtly sexual comments, as well as collages of his photos and fanfiction stories about him.

Members also spoke about supporting Mr Kohberger in jail, with one posting a screenshot of a receipt after she added $50 to his commissary account as an early Valentines day gift for Bry, according to Inside Edition.

One picture shared in the Subreddit appeared to show three photo frames of Mr Kohberger and a fixed-blade knife in its sheath similar to the one yet-to-be-found used to kill the four students, according to the description in the affidavit  placed in a makeshift altar (Reddit/Screnshot)

Elsewhere on Reddit, those kinds of posts were condemned, with fellow Redditors decrying the lack of empathy with the victims and their families.

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This world honestly needs to burn ... Havent felt this disgusted in so long, completely lost faith in humanity, someone commented on the Subreddit r/Idaho4.

Bryan Kohberger, who is accused of killing four University of Idaho students

Similar groups have proliferated on Facebook, without any apparent oversite from the platform.

Some of the members in support of Mr Kohberger claimed they were hybristophiliacs. According to the American Psychology Association, the term is used to describe people who have a sexual interest in and attraction to those who commit crimes.

People want to be close to the notoriety of it. They also get a sense that theyre special to the person, so that if the person escaped he or she wouldnt harmso theres a bit of narcissism in it as well, Dr Katherine Ramsland, a renowned professor of forensic psychology at DeSales University, told Cosmopolitan in 2018.

But primarily the idea is that they want to get close to a violent person so that they can either participate in a fantasy life that involves them or actually become partners with them.

Dr Ramsland, who authored the book Confession of a Serial Killer: The Untold Story of Dennis Rader, the BTK Killer, was a professor of Mr Kohberger while he was a student at DeSales  he first attended as an undergraduate and then finished his graduate studies in June 2022.

As a criminal justice PhD student at Washington State University at the time of the murders, Mr Kohberger lived just 15 minutes from the victims over the Idaho-Washington border in Pullman. He had moved there from Pennsylvania and began his studies there in August, having just completed his first semester before his arrest.

Mr Kohberger is slated to appear at a pre-trial hearing in his murder case on 26 June.
The following items were taken from Highland Park police department and Lake County court clerk reports, news releases and records. An arrest does not constitute a finding of guilt.

BURGLARY

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A safe and a necklace were taken from a home in the 2000 block of Churchill Lane during a burglary Feb. 15. An unknown individual forced entry into the home through a side door.

Someone took flowers and a gift from an unlocked vehicle in the 600 block of Elm Place Feb. 18.

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FORGERY

Starmehsa V. Prater, 24, of the 1400 block of West 62nd Street in Chicago, was charged with felony forgery Feb. 22. Police responded to a pharmacy in the 600 block of Roger Williams Avenue and another in the 600 block of Elm Place on reports of a forgery. Police discovered a vehicle matching the offending vehicles description, stopped the vehicle and arrested Prater. She was transferred to another agency and is scheduled to appear in Lake County Court March 22 in Waukegan.

FALSE FIRE ALARM

Joel Velez Gonzalez, 32, of Aguas Buenas, Puerto Rico, was charged with felony falsely discharging a fire alarm Feb, 19. He was arrested after police responded to a report of a fire alarm. He was transferred to bond court.

DUI

Andre D. Brown, 50, of the 8300 block of 26th Avenue in Kenosha, Wisconsin, was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol, illegal transportation of alcohol and improper lane usage Feb 19. He was stopped for improper lane usage near the intersection of Old Elm and Skokie Valley roads and found to be driving under the influence of alcohol. He was released on bond and is scheduled to appear in Lake County Court March 24,

THEFT

An unknown individual stole an Apple watch from a medical facility in the 700 block of Park Avenue West Feb. 14.
A new watchdog report is raising concerns about the expedited hiring process for some Veterans Health Administration (VHA) medical staff that was implemented during the pandemic.

After the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the VHA was short-staffed while facing a growing need.

In response, it made a change to allow some of the vetting steps in the hiring process to be completed after the new employee started the job.

It was meant to get clinical workers like doctors and nurses on the job faster to assist patients.

>>> STREAM CHANNEL 9 EYEWITNESS NEWS LIVE <<<

But a new report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) is exposing potential risks because it found VHAs main hiring system isnt accurately tracking if all the screening steps have actually been completed.

There are inherent risks in bringing staff on-board that have not been fully vetted, the report said. These potential risks include the possibility that new staff who have not completed certain onboarding processes, such as receiving a fingerprint-based criminal history check, may gain access to sensitive information and controlled substances.

The structure of that process needs to be done properly, said James Moss, Assistant Director for Health Policy for Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW). If its not done right, then that information, or if its not done at all, that information is either missing or incomplete and that doesnt help.

The report points to onboarding steps like verifying professional credentials, completing criminal background checks and fingerprinting.

Read:

You want to make sure youre able to track the information of all these onboarding tasks to make sure that the people that youre hiring in to treat veterans are qualified and able to provide quality care, said Sharon Silas, a Director with the Healthcare team at GAO. Even if youre expediting the process, youre still responsible for making sure that you have the correct information about these providers and have a good understanding of their history and any potential issues with them providing care to veterans.

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The GAO report lists recommended changes to make sure VHA is completing all of the hiring steps.

Read:

The recommended changes include having the Under Secretary for Health require all offices involved in the onboarding process to monitor the process and completion dates, and it calls for clear and comprehensive guidance on entering the data into the system.

In response, the VA said it agrees with the recommended changes and expects them to be fully implemented by August 2023.

Its good that the target date is for this year, said Moss. That means to me, and for organizations like the VFW, that theyre going to be looking at their processes. Not only that, theyre going to be sending out a more comprehensive mandate.

Read:

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.
Retired Maj. Gen. Michael Thompson, shown here speaking at the Veterans Day Ceremony at the 45th Infantry Museum in 2021, was appointed as the newest member of the Oklahoma County Jail Trust on Monday.

Retired Maj. Gen. Michael C. Thompson is returning to public service.

Thompson, who served Gov. Mary Fallin during her administration as Oklahoma's secretary of safety and security, as commissioner of the Department of Public Safety and as leader of the Oklahoma National Guard for Fallin and for Gov. Kevin Stitt, was appointed Monday to the Oklahoma County Jail Trust.

Thompson retired from the Oklahoma National Guard after serving as its adjutant general and serving as Oklahoma's secretary of the military for Fallin and Stitt between 2017 and November 2021.

He enlisted in the guard in 1983, received his commission three years later and deployed to Iraq in 2003 and 2008, plus played an integral role in the guard's response to Hurricane Katrina.

Due to another commitment, Thompson could not appear Monday before Oklahoma County commissioners to make a statement before they voted.

Commissioner Brian Maughan nominated the retired general to serve.

"He is interested and willing, so," Maughan said, "I am putting it forward for you guys to consider."

"I am certainly on board," Commissioner Myles Davidson said. "Given his background as head of Oklahoma's Department of Public Safety, he just brings a wealth of knowledge to this area."

Commissioner Carrie Blumert also applauded Thompson's appointment, noting it would return the trust to having a complete roster of nine members.

Commissioners unanimously approved Thompson's appointment to the trust.

Thompson's appointment comes at critical time for Oklahoma County jail

Thompson replaces Adam Luck, who resigned from the trust in early February.

His appointment to the trust comes as it faces the task of fixing health and safety issues at the aging, troubled Oklahoma County jail.

The trust will spend $175,000 to fix health and safety issues at the facility under a proposed settlement negotiated with the Oklahoma State Department of Health on Feb. 13. The Health Department is responsible for inspecting jails across the state.

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The agreement will require the trust to take care of cockroaches, bed bugs, dirty conditions and facility staffing issues.

The proposed agreement covers deficiencies inspectors repeatedly have identified and could be voided if the trust fails to adequately address them. Initially, state officials sought to fine the county $75,000, plus require it to address those concerns.

The trust is expected to vote on the settlement at its next meeting.

Thompson on Monday acknowledged the hurdles the trust faces in fixing the current facilities are numerous, but he asserted they can be overcome.

"I know there are a ton of challenges the the trust is faced with, and it isn't going to get any easier," Thompson told The Oklahoman. "We just need to incrementally start making decisions that are good for the public, good for the taxpayer and will enhance public safety.

"It is not like wine, it doesn't get better with time, so the sooner we are able to make incremental changes, I think the better off we all are.

"I have lived a life of service, and I have experience that would be helpful. I want to thank the commissioners for their confidence in my abilities, and I am very much looking forward to being a part of the team."

Timothy Tardibono, executive director of Oklahoma County's Criminal Justice Advisory Council, told county commissioners Monday he agreed Thompson's experience will be valuable toward helping evaluate the jail's ongoing staffing problems and its other operational issues.

"We are grateful for his service so far in his career and thank him for his willingness to continue that public service," Tardibono said.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Maj. Gen. Michael C. Thompson joining Oklahoma County Jail Trust
Key Insights

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Current share price of UK26.16 suggests RHI Magnesita is potentially 25% undervalued

Analyst price target for RHIM is 30.75 which is 12% below our fair value estimate

Does the February share price for RHI Magnesita N.V. (LON:RHIM) reflect what it's really worth? Today, we will estimate the stock's intrinsic value by taking the forecast future cash flows of the company and discounting them back to today's value. This will be done using the Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) model. There's really not all that much to it, even though it might appear quite complex.

We would caution that there are many ways of valuing a company and, like the DCF, each technique has advantages and disadvantages in certain scenarios. Anyone interested in learning a bit more about intrinsic value should have a read of the Simply Wall St analysis model.

Check out our latest analysis for RHI Magnesita

The Method

We're using the 2-stage growth model, which simply means we take in account two stages of company's growth. In the initial period the company may have a higher growth rate and the second stage is usually assumed to have a stable growth rate. To begin with, we have to get estimates of the next ten years of cash flows. Where possible we use analyst estimates, but when these aren't available we extrapolate the previous free cash flow (FCF) from the last estimate or reported value. We assume companies with shrinking free cash flow will slow their rate of shrinkage, and that companies with growing free cash flow will see their growth rate slow, over this period. We do this to reflect that growth tends to slow more in the early years than it does in later years.

A DCF is all about the idea that a dollar in the future is less valuable than a dollar today, so we need to discount the sum of these future cash flows to arrive at a present value estimate:

10-year free cash flow (FCF) forecast

2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 2030 2031 2032 Levered FCF (, Millions) 315.6m 279.7m 206.8m 178.1m 161.4m 151.4m 145.3m 141.7m 139.8m 138.9m Growth Rate Estimate Source Analyst x4 Analyst x4 Analyst x1 Est @ -13.88% Est @ -9.37% Est @ -6.21% Est @ -4.01% Est @ -2.46% Est @ -1.38% Est @ -0.62% Present Value (, Millions) Discounted @ 9.9% 287 232 156 122 101 86.0 75.2 66.7 59.9 54.2

("Est" = FCF growth rate estimated by Simply Wall St)

Present Value of 10-year Cash Flow (PVCF) = 1.2b

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The second stage is also known as Terminal Value, this is the business's cash flow after the first stage. The Gordon Growth formula is used to calculate Terminal Value at a future annual growth rate equal to the 5-year average of the 10-year government bond yield of 1.2%. We discount the terminal cash flows to today's value at a cost of equity of 9.9%.

Terminal Value (TV)= FCF 2032  (1 + g)  (r  g) = 139m (1 + 1.2%)  (9.9% 1.2%) = 1.6b

Present Value of Terminal Value (PVTV)= TV / (1 + r)10= 1.6b ( 1 + 9.9%)10= 628m

The total value is the sum of cash flows for the next ten years plus the discounted terminal value, which results in the Total Equity Value, which in this case is 1.9b. In the final step we divide the equity value by the number of shares outstanding. Compared to the current share price of UK26.2, the company appears a touch undervalued at a 25% discount to where the stock price trades currently. The assumptions in any calculation have a big impact on the valuation, so it is better to view this as a rough estimate, not precise down to the last cent.

dcf

The Assumptions

Now the most important inputs to a discounted cash flow are the discount rate, and of course, the actual cash flows. Part of investing is coming up with your own evaluation of a company's future performance, so try the calculation yourself and check your own 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 RHI Magnesita 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 9.9%, which is based on a levered beta of 1.316. Beta is a measure of a stock's volatility, compared to the market as a whole. We get our beta from the industry average beta of globally comparable companies, with an imposed limit between 0.8 and 2.0, which is a reasonable range for a stable business.

SWOT Analysis for RHI Magnesita

Strength

Earnings growth over the past year exceeded the industry.

Debt is well covered by earnings.

Weakness

Dividend is low compared to the top 25% of dividend payers in the Basic Materials market.

Opportunity

Annual earnings are forecast to grow for the next .

Good value based on P/E ratio and estimated fair value.

Threat

Debt is not well covered by operating cash flow.

Paying a dividend but company has no free cash flows.

Annual earnings are forecast to grow slower than the British market.

Looking Ahead:

Whilst important, the DCF calculation ideally won't be the sole piece of analysis you scrutinize for a company. It's not possible to obtain a foolproof valuation with a DCF model. Preferably you'd apply different cases and assumptions and see how they would impact the company's valuation. If a company grows at a different rate, or if its cost of equity or risk free rate changes sharply, the output can look very different. What is the reason for the share price sitting below the intrinsic value? For RHI Magnesita, there are three essential items you should look at:

Risks: For example, we've discovered 2 warning signs for RHI Magnesita (1 is a bit concerning!) that you should be aware of before investing here. Future Earnings: How does RHIM's growth rate compare to its peers and the wider market? Dig deeper into the analyst consensus number for the upcoming years by interacting with our free analyst growth expectation chart. Other High Quality Alternatives: Do you like a good all-rounder? Explore our interactive list of high quality stocks to get an idea of what else is out there you may be missing!

PS. Simply Wall St updates its DCF calculation for every British stock every day, so if you want to find the intrinsic value of any other stock just search here.

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



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

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(Reuters) - Robinhood Markets Inc said in a filing on Monday it had received an investigative subpoena in December from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission related to listings of cryptocurrencies.

The collapse of Sam Bankman-Fried's FTX was the biggest in a string of major crypto-related failures in 2022, which sparked a cryptocurrency rout and left creditors facing losses of billions of dollars.

FTX filed for bankruptcy in November, which spurred an intervention from regulators around the world and dealt a blow to investor sentiment in the sector.

The SEC has maintained that pre-existing securities laws also apply to digital assets and that many crypto tokens meet the definition of a security, which the crypto industry has previously criticized.

Robinhood said the subpoena it received from the SEC was regarding the supported currencies at Robinhood Crypto LLC, which is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the brokerage, as well as its custody of cryptocurrencies and other platform operations.

Earlier this month, Robinhood also said it planned to repurchase its shares from Sam Bankman-Fried's Emergent Fidelity Technologies as U.S. prosecutors were in the process of seizing its shares tied to the former FTX CEO.

(Reporting by Anirban Chakroborti in Bengaluru; Editing by Krishna Chandra Eluri)
The love affair between Swedish filmmaker Ruben Ostlund and the Cannes Film Festival continues.

The 48-year-old director will return to the scene of his recent triumph, as it was just last year that his Triangle of Sadness came away with the coveted Palme dOr, the top prize at the most prestigious festival in world cinema. (Dont tell Venice I said that.)

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I am happy, proud, and humbled to be trusted with the honor of jury president for this years competition at the Festival de Cannes, he wrote in an announcement released by the festival early Tuesday morning. I am sincere when I say that cinema culture is in its most important period ever, he continued.

Ostlunds Triangle is, of course, currently a long-shot Oscar candidate in three categories: Best Director (a nomination for Ostlund), Best Original Screenplay (another nomination for Ostlund), and Best Picture (a nomination for producers Erik Hemmendorff and Philippe Bober). Dolly de Leon, who many hoped would get a nod for Best Supporting Actress, didnt do so with the Academy, but did get nominated at the BAFTAs and Golden Globes.

The Swedish film directors previous project, The Square, also won the Palme DOr in 2017, and was nominated for a Best Foreign Language Oscar (losing to Chiles A Fantastic Woman). And the one before that, Force Majeure (remade with Will Ferrell and Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Downhill in 2020) won the Jury Prize and Canness Un Certain Regard section in 2014 (and was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at the Golden Globes).

All of which is to say that Cannes just simply cant get enough of this guy. With his double-Palme win, he joins an elite club that also includes Francis Ford Coppola, Bille August, Emir Kusturica, Michael Haneke, Ken Loach, Shohei Imamura, his countryman Alf Sjoberg, and the Dardenne Brothers. He joins an even more elite club, with only the American Coppola and Serbian Kusturica as double-Palme winners who then led the jury. Both didnt get the call to do so for about a decade after their second win. Ostlund is the first to be announced while his celebrated picture is still in theaters!

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The Cannes statement also noted that this years festival coincides with the 50th anniversary of fellow Swede Ingrid Bergman heading the jury. That year the top prize was a split between Scarecrow (an under-seen Gene HackmanAl Pacino film) and Robert Shaw and Sarah Miles in The Hireling. They both beat out The Mother and the Whore, Fantastic Planet, and Electra Glide in Blue. The Holy Mountain, Cries and Whispers, Day For Night, Wattstax and an Orson Welles-narrated documentary based on Alvin Tofflers Future Shock all showed out-of-competition. Time machine, please!

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GRAND RAPIDS  Thousands of tipped workers in Michigan could see major changes to their paychecks after a recent court ruling threw into question the state's minimum wage.

In 2018, a petition initiative organized by One Fair Wage sought to allow voters to decide on raising Michigans minimum wage to $12 an hour by 2022 and raise the minimum wage for tipped workers to 80% of the standard minimum wage in 2022, 90% in 2023 and ultimately matching it in 2024.

But the Legislature that year adopted the legislation and then amended it, putting in lower wage thresholds that increased the minimum wage to $12.05 by 2030 instead of 2022 and kept the tipped minimum wage at 38% of the standard one. The state's current hourly minimum wage is $9.87 and $3.75 for workers who are expected to make up the difference in tips.

But that may not be true for long after Court of Claims Judge Douglas Shapiro ruled last week that the Legislature's adopt-and-amend strategy  used on the minimum wage initiative and another for paid sick time  is unconstitutional.

Shapiro's ruling could have wide-reaching effects in the hospitality sector, stakeholders say  advocates see it as a path to more consistent and higher wages, while restaurant owners are worried it could lead to tighter operating margins at a time when establishments still haven't fully recovered from COVID-19's effect on the industry.

The ruling is under appeal by attorneys representing the state, who have asked for a stay on the new wage structure. But members of the state's hospitality industry are waiting to see how their businesses could be affected while court procedures play out.

I think the hospitality folks are probably the ones that are going to be hit the hardest and the quickest by this change, said Robert Boonin, a labor and employment attorney with Dykema law firm.

Shapiros ruling covers thousands of workers in Michigan  around 685,000 people in the state make $12 or less per hour, according to the Detroit Regional Chamber.

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Don Grimes, an economist at the University of Michigan, in an email said since many employers, particularly in more urban areas, offer more than $12 an hour, the ruling's more far-reaching effects are the changes to the tipped minimum wage.

More: Court: Legislature unconstitutionally amended minimum wage, sick time petition initiatives

More: State of Michigan attorneys appeal court order that would raise minimum wage

Bartender Derek Kaiser prepares a cocktail drink Vendetta at Shelby in downtown Detroit on Jan. 13, 2022.

Seven states currently set minimum wage levels for tipped workers at the same level as non-tipped workers: California, Oregon, Washington, Nevada, Montana, Alaska and Minnesota, according to the Economic Opportunity Funders Network.

Saru Jayaraman, president of One Fair Wage, said subminimum wages being padded with tips in the U.S. for servers and other hospitality workers is rooted in post-Civil War attitudes toward freed slaves and Black workers, keeping their wages low.

More: Fact check: Tipping began amid slavery, then helped keep former Black slaves' wages low

The court order to raise the tipped minimum wage in Michigan comes at a time when workers throughout the country are organizing for greater compensation, Jayaraman added.

Wages are going up right now, regardless of policy, because workers are demanding it, Jayaraman told the Free Press. Policymakers are slow always to follow what's happening in the industry, what's happening in the economy, so workers decided we need to take it into our own hands.

Troy Canty, a bartender in the metro Detroit area, believes eliminating the tipped minimum wage would not get rid of America's tipping culture, saying "people appreciate their service, and they'll pay for it."

Earning more money through a paycheck rather than just relying on tips would also help service workers in times of economic strain, Canty added.

"We're in something that feels like a recession to most people, especially people in the service industry," Canty said. "If you talk to a few of us, it's slow everywhere. A lot of us aren't getting the business that we are accustomed to, so getting a paycheck would really help."

There are nearly 50,000 restaurant servers in Michigan, a position that typically earns the bulk of wages through tips from customers, per the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

San Morello waiter Teddy Jones discusses the menu with Josh Robinson of Novi and Erin Robinson of Novi during the Detroit Free Press / Metro Detroit Chevy Dealers Top 10 Takeover at San Morello in downtown Detroit on Tuesday, April 23, 2019.

Stakeholders in the hospitality sector in Michigan have raised concerns about the courts ruling and its effect on businesses throughout the state, with groups such as the Michigan Chamber of Commerce, Michigan Restaurant and Lodging Association and Detroit Regional Chamber all issuing statements expressing disappointment following Shapiro's opinion.

On the local level, restaurateurs who are going on a third year of facing market uncertainty caused by the coronavirus pandemic say the courts ruling adds to the challenges hospitality businesses are already facing.

Lucas Grill, the owner of multiple restaurants in Holland, said the short timeline for the new wage rules to come into effect will be difficult for restaurants to navigate. The appeal asked a court to rule by Aug. 2, and a stay on Shapiros order is in place until Aug. 9.

Grill said added labor costs will likely result in changes to how restaurants operate, with less emphasis placed on service to ensure margins can still be met.

What you're going to see is massive, fundamental change in the entire model of how a restaurant operates, Grill said. And it's going to happen overnight.

Mike Karas, owner of the Salt and Pepper Pub in Holland, echoed Grill, saying it would be untenable for some restaurants to even continue operating under the new wage structure.

It's not a sustainable business model for us. It just isn't. There's no way, he said.

Karas said adding around $6 an hour per server in wages, on top of rising costs for food and other supplies would drive prices up for customers.

The timing of this thing is disastrous, Karas said. ... the timing will not be good, it will be extra disastrous if this doesn't get squashed or at least stayed for a long time. It's going to be the death of a lot of places.

Both Grill and Karas believe a higher minimum tipped wage would likely result in restaurants keeping fewer servers, hosts and other tipped positions on staff.

Some tipped workers think changing the wage structure for many hospitality jobs could ultimately lead to less money in their pockets.

Erika Stob, a bartender at a restaurant in the Grand Rapids area, said she worries patrons will be less willing to tip and tip well if they know their servers and bartenders are making a greater hourly wage.

A waiter at the now-closed Common Grill in Chelsea takes an order from customers on Feb. 24, 2022.

If they still tipped Id be 100% for it, she said. But I just don't think there's a guarantee that people will be that gracious, especially in the economy we're living in right now.

If higher courts do not overturn Shapiros ruling, Michigan would be on track to be the eighth state that doesnt separate tipped and standard minimum wages. Jayaraman said the other seven states with higher minimum wages for tipped workers have robust restaurant industries.

Jayaraman added many restaurants are already offering better wages to attract more talent, noting many eateries have begun offering more perks to workers in hopes of recruiting and retaining them.

Frankly, the restaurant industry is growing faster, doing better in even neighboring states like Minnesota where they pay a full minimum wage with tips on top, Jayaraman said.

The One Fair Wage website houses studies that found states with no tipped minimum wage saw equal or higher restaurant establishment and employment rates than other states from 2011 to 2016.

One Fair Wage continues to organize in Michigan  the group plans on Tuesday to submit more than 600,000 signatures to the state Bureau of Elections for a ballot intiative to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour in the 2024 election, Jayaraman said.

State attorneys have asked the Court of Appeals to rule on the minimum wage laws by Tuesday, Aug. 2, the same date as Michigans statewide primary election. The courts ruling will shape the earnings of thousands of workers in Michigan.

Contact Arpan Lobo: alobo@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @arpanlobo.

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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Changes to tipped wage could drastically change Michigan hospitality
Police search for the newborn on February 28, 2023. Jordan Pettitt, PA Images /Getty Images

UK police have arrested a couple for suspicion of child neglect.

Police have begun an urgent search operation for the couple's baby, which has yet to be found.

Constance Marten comes from an aristocratic family with ties to the British royal family.

Police this week arrested a British aristocrat and her partner on suspicion of child neglect after a month on the run across England, but investigators have no idea what happened to the couple's newborn baby, according to multiple reports.

Constance Marten, the 35-year-old daughter of aristocrat Napier Marten, who has close ties to the royal family, went missing in early January with her partner, Mark Gordon, a 48-year-old convicted sex offender, according to the BBC.

A spokesperson for the UK's Metropolitan Police service told CNN that investigators believe that Marten gave birth to a child days before her disappearance. The spokesperson said police believe the child did not receive medical care, leading investigators to suspect child neglect.

The couple went missing after their car burst into flames on the side of a highway near Manchester on January 5, CNN reported, citing police. CNN reported that the couple then spent weeks taking taxis across the country, sleeping in a tent in various locations, and disguising themselves to prevent being recognized on CCTV cameras.

After a nearly two-month-long search for the couple and their baby, police found the couple in Brighton in southern England when a local resident spotted them, CNN reported. The baby was not with them when police arrested the couple.

Police have now launched an "urgent search operation" for the baby, telling locals to check in sheds and outhouses for signs of the baby, the BBC reported. Police are concerned that the baby has been exposed to extremely cold temperatures, The Guardian reported.

"The arrest location was close to open land and the couple were moving towards that land," Detective Superintendent Lewis Basford, who's leading the investigation, said, told journalists this week, according to the BBC. "We know that they travel, we know they travel long distances."

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"For whatever reasons she and her partner went on the run, the consequences of their actions have increased many fold," Marten's father, Napier Marten, told The Independent. "When the time comes, I am longing to see Constance, to reassure her that, whatever the weather, I love her dearly and will support her as best I can through the difficult weeks and months here on in."

Napier Marten declined to comment on the situation to Insider.

Read the original article on Insider
REUTERS

Fox News owner Rupert Murdoch admitted in a deposition that while he had the opportunity to stop former President Donald Trumps legal team from peddling election fraud lies on his network, he decided not to take it.

I could have. But I didnt, Murdoch told lawyers for Dominion Voting Systems when asked if he could have ordered Fox News to keep Rudy Giuliani and Sidney Powell off the air following the 2020 election.

On top of that, Murdoch also conceded that several of his networks stars helped shape a false on-air narrative about the election being stolen from Trump due to corrupt voting machines. They endorsed, the Fox chairman declared under oath in a legal filing unsealed on Monday. I would have liked us to be stronger in denouncing it in hindsight.

This latest filing by Dominion, which is suing Fox News for $1.6 billion, comes on the heels of the voting software firm releasing an explosive batch of emails and text messages earlier this month from Fox News hosts, producers and executives. Both sets of documents portray the networks head honchos and top stars blasting Team Trumps insane voter fraud claims behind the scenes while simultaneously broadcasting them to millions of viewers.

REVEALED: Fox Stars Think Trumpworld Figures Are Just as Insane as You Do

Dominion is arguing that the damning internal communications between Fox employees and management prove that the network knowingly spread lies following Trumps loss as a way to bolster its ratings.

Messages reveal that Fox executives and personnel were concerned about disgruntled MAGA viewers ditching them for alternatives such as Newsmax after the network called Arizona for Joe Biden, sparking outrage from Trump and his supporters. Shortly after the early Arizona call, many of the networks hosts and commentators began amplifying outlandish theories that Dominions machines and software were part of a complex voter fraud conspiracy involving, among other, deceased Venezuelan dictator Hugo Chavez.

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In his deposition with Dominions attorneys last month, Murdoch was forced to concede that even though Fox has argued that its hosts reported neutrally on Trumps election fraud claims, many of them actually did endorse the ex-president solen election lies.

Stating that former Fox Business host Lou Dobbs amplified the baseless voter fraud narrative a lot, Murdoch also admitted that current Fox News stars Jeanine Pirro, Maria Bartiromo and Sean Hannity also peddled the Trumpworld falsehoods on air.

Fox News Rejects Ad From Progressive Group Highlighting Stars Damning Texts

Yes. They endorsed, he stated.

While these latest documents reveal that Murdoch was very much concerned about the impact Trumps election loss was having on the networks viewership and reputation, they also show he was willing to remain hands-off as Fox gave airtime to Giuliani and Powell to air their groundless accusations.

And you could have said to [Fox News CEO] Suzanne Scott or the hosts, Stop putting Rudy Giuliani on the air, one attorney asked the Fox News owner.

I could have. But I didnt, Murdoch answered.

Dominions filing also included a deposition from Fox chief legal officer Viet Dinh, who said that he expressed concern about Hannitys on-air rhetoric in the days following the election. Noting that Hannity said on Nov. 5, 2020, that it would be impossible to ever know the true, fair, accurate election results, Dinh noted that he told other Fox executives that Hannity is getting awfully close to the line with his commentary and guests tonight.

Asked whether the networks management had an obligation to stop its hosts from spreading lies, Dinh responded: Yes, to prevent and correct known falsehoods.

However, with viewers fleeing the network in the days after the election, Murdoch and other executives began talking about the direction that Fox should take and how to win back that audience. On Nov. 8, 2020, Murdoch confirmed that part of that decision was to allow Team Trumps wild claims on air, framing it as big news and it was merely the network talking about the news.

Fox Brand Protection Unit chief Raj Shah, a former Trump administration official, warned executives after the early Arizona call that the network would get hit very hard by the right if it was early in calling the presidency for Biden. Shah would later share polling data with Murdoch and others showing positive impressions of Fox news among our viewers dropped precipitously after Election Day to the lowest levels weve ever seen.

Fox News Star Says Network Wont Let Him Cover Fox-Dominion Lawsuit

While many of the executives at Fox News were freaking out about the viewer exodus, Fox Corp. board member Paul Ryan to both Rupert and Lachlan Murdoch that Fox News should not be spreading conspiracy theories.

A Fox News spokesperson reacted to Dominions latest filing by saying it shows an extreme, unsupported view of defamation law that would prevent journalists from basic reporting.

In its counterclaim earlier this month, Fox attorneys said a reasonable viewer would have readily understood that hosts were not espousing the Presidents allegations themselves, but were providing a forum for the principal architects of those legal challenges, adding that there is no potential for defamation at all.

At the same time, the network is going out of its way to keep its audience in the dark about the blockbuster lawsuit and the latest revelations. Besides telling Fox News media host Howard Kurtz he is not allowed to cover the damning texts, the channel also rejected an ad showing its stars dismissing Trumps election lies behind the scenes.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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News Corp. Executive Chairman Rupert Murdoch declined to rein in Fox News hosts who spread false claims of widespread voter fraud in the days after the 2020 election despite privately expressing that he had seen little evidence for then-President Donald Trumps claims and that he found half of them bulls--- and damaging, according to court documents unsealed Monday.

Fox News was trying to straddle the line between spewing conspiracy theories on one hand, yet calling out the fact that they are actually false on the other, Murdoch said in testimony released in the court documents.

Murdoch acknowledged in testimony that some of those hosts, including Sean Hannity, Lou Dobbs and Maria Bartiromo, had done more than just give a platform to baseless claims of voter fraud.

Yes, Murdoch said, according to the documents. They endorsed.

The filing adds to a growing collection of documents and testimony, some of it from many other top Fox News and Fox Corp. executives, that detail how the cable channel reacted in the hours, days and weeks after the 2020 election  and how those reactions opened the door for baseless claims of election fraud to become a consistent talking point.

The testimony from executives highlights how Fox News' calling Arizona for Joe Biden late on election night sparked a viewer backlash that resonated among the companys executives and high-profile hosts, sparking concerns about what it would mean for its business.

Murdoch, asked why he continued to allow MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell to make election fraud claims on Fox News, said it was a business decision. Murdoch agreed that it is not red or blue, it is green, according to the court documents.

Murdoch testified in an ongoing lawsuit against Fox News filed by the voting machine maker Dominion Voting Systems. The new documents were unsealed less than two weeks after an unsealed court filing exposed the communications of many Fox News executives, hosts and producers who saw claims about Dominion to be without merit. They included host Tucker Carlson's saying Sidney Powell was lying about voter fraud docs, Rupert Murdoch's calling statements by Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani crazy stuff and damaging and Hannitys saying he did not believe it for one second.

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Murdoch also confirmed that he could have exerted some control over the network, most notably by telling Fox News CEO Suzanne Scott to stop putting Giuliani on the air.

I could have, Murdoch said in the court documents. But I didnt.

Dominion first sued Fox News in March 2021, seeking $1.6 billion for what it alleged were lies that deeply damaged Dominions once-thriving business.

Fox News has defended its coverage and called the lawsuit baseless.

On Monday, the company said in a statement: Dominions lawsuit has always been more about what will generate headlines than what can withstand legal and factual scrutiny, as illustrated by them now being forced to slash their fanciful damages demand by more than half a billion dollars after their own expert debunked its implausible claims. Their summary judgment motion took an extreme, unsupported view of defamation law that would prevent journalists from basic reporting and their efforts to publicly smear FOX for covering and commenting on allegations by a sitting President of the United States should be recognized for what it is: a blatant violation of the First Amendment.

Dominion noted in the court documents that it tried to get Fox News shows hosted by Dobbs, Bartiromo and Jeanine Pirro to book its spokesperson, Michael Steel, to counter election fraud claims but that its efforts were unsuccessful. A search of the Fox News website shows Steel did appear on at least one Fox News program: "America's News Headquarters."

The documents also show other executives at Fox News growing increasingly concerned about the channels handling of election fraud claims in the days after the election.

Hannity is getting awfully close to the line with his commentary and guests tonight, Viet Dinh, Fox Corp.s chief legal and policy officer, told Fox News and Fox Corp. executives on Nov. 5, 2020.

The filing also offered new insight into the relationship between Murdoch and Trump's son-in-law and adviser Jared Kushner, asserting that Murdoch provided Kushner with "Fox confidential information" about Joe Biden's ads, as well as debate strategy. However, Murdoch did not help him on election night.

When Fox News determined that Biden had won Arizona, Murdoch testified, Kushner called him to protest.

My friend Jared Kushner called me saying, This is terrible, and I could hear Trumps voice in the background shouting," Murdoch testified, according to the filing. And I said, Well, the numbers are the numbers.

Lawsuits like Dominion's rarely succeed, as the First Amendment broadly protects publishers. Plaintiffs must also prove actual malice, a term that means statements were made with knowledge that they were false or were made with reckless disregard of whether they were false or not.

Jeff Kosseff, a law professor at the U.S. Naval Academy and former practicing First Amendment lawyer, said in an interview that Murdochs testimony suggests Dominion has a really strong case.

I cant recall the last time that Ive seen so much evidence of actual malice just piled on top of each other, Kosseff said.

Thats not to say they definitely will win, but Id much rather be in the plaintiff's lawyers' shoes, he said.

The filing shows that as various Fox News shows, hosts and guests continued to push voter fraud claims, Murdoch fielded messages from other media executives, some from within Fox Corp., who tried to persuade him to change course.

Murdoch even spoke to Fox News CEO Suzanne Scott on Jan. 5, 2021, the day before Trump supporters would storm the Capitol, about whether to push Hannity, Carlson and Laura Ingraham to say something to effect of "The election is over and Joe Biden won," according to the filing.

According to the filing, Scott told Murdoch that privately they [the hosts] are all there but we need to be careful about using the shows and pissing off the viewers.

No statement was made.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
Millburn District 24 Superintendent Jason Lind, left, and school board member Jim Guziak, right, during initial discussions of Guziak's policy proposals as board members Brendan Murphy, center-right, and Sean Coleman, center-left, listen on Monday night. (Gavin Good (Lake County News-Sun))

The Millburn District 24 school board returned Monday to the subject of feminine hygiene products being made available in the districts boys bathrooms.

Two weeks after some board members were ripped by district residents at a heated meeting for their previous transphobic comments on the topic, board member Jim Guziak proposed that the board consider three policy options, including one defining tampon dispensers as an attractive nuisance and ensuring that any students who vandalize or misuse them are not punished.

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Its a temptation, and its more than likely going to happen, so disciplinary action against the kids should really not be something that the kids should have to deal with, Guziak said. In some ways, it doesnt seem logical. Then after that, the parent should not be held financially liable for any of the damage.

Again, were having a temptation and were dealing with boys of a certain age, he continued. Things are just going to happen. Parents arent there and its likely going to ... cause issues.

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Specifically, Guziak asked the board to consider a policy outlining that children not be disciplined if found to have been involved in destruction of the devices; putting graffiti on or scratching the dispensers; emptying or misappropriating their contents; and any plumbing issues associated with the hygiene products.

Superintendent Jason Lind and district business manager Carly Kraft periodically interjected with questions to clarify what Guziak was asking and whether he intended to craft such policies for the board to consider, which he affirmed was his intention.

So, if someone defaces the machine with hate words or discriminatory words, would that be baked into the (policy)? Kraft asked.

Lind replied that he thought that was a good question, but did not think the board should get into that discussion on Monday, and said the district would have to run a proposal past our attorneys, of course, like we do for all of our policies we create.

Lind previously informed the board the dispensers were required in accordance with Illinois state law, and the board was advised on Feb. 13 by school law attorneys of the risks of litigation if it was out of compliance.

He added, We would have to follow the law, after Kraft asked for clarity.

Millburn School District 24 operates Millburn Elementary and Millburn Middle School, and covers parts of Lindenhurst, Wadsworth and Old Mill Creek.

In a six-minute address after the board returned from an hourlong closed session, Guziak also suggested that the board work with parents, teachers, union members and elected officials and other concerned people that showed up at recent meetings to move the state of Illinois to a school voucher system, and said he has perceived a disconnect between the information that the parents and guardians of the students get, and what the taxpayers (receive).

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Guziak made a number of references to the previous suggestions he and others on the board were transphobic saying, Everybody is concerned about parents and the kids, and the parents were very vocal. So, if theyre going to be concerned about the kids, be concerned about all kids.

And if the parents are going to say, I want my kids to be taught in a different manner, that would mean the money for teaching those kids needs to go to the kids and it needs to follow them where their parents choose to send them, he continued. Call it grassroots, I dont know.

Guziak in particular drew criticism from speakers on Feb. 13 for his comments during a lengthy Jan. 23 board discussion over the districts installation of the dispensers, in which he said hed be jumping up and down on this table here had a child of his still been enrolled at Millburn when the feminine hygiene items were made available in the boys restrooms.

He went on to clarify that he was envisioning a committee to discuss among district and community stakeholders whether there is a collective interest in pushing legislation to enact school vouchers, or as he put it, trying to push a boulder up a hill in this state.

Millburn District 24 school board member John Lorentzen, left, speaks with Superintendent Jason Lind, right, as board member Peter Pettorini, center, looks on during Monday night's school board meeting. (Gavin Good (Lake County News-Sun))

Board member Peter Pettorini, who told the board on Jan. 23 he was so opposed to the hygiene products in the boys bathrooms, and Sean Coleman, who also spoke at length on Jan. 23 and Feb. 13, did not respond in detail to Guziaks suggestions on Monday.

A majority of the board previously echoed Guziaks disapproval of allowing the hygiene products in the boys restrooms.

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On Monday afternoon, Round Lake District 116 announced in an email that Pettorini has been on paid leave from his job as an English teacher at Round Lake High School since early January, when the district was informed that he is being investigated by the Round Lake police department.

Pettorini declined to comment on the issue after Mondays meeting.

The district immediately placed Mr. Pettorini on paid administrative leave, pending the results of this investigation, District 116 Superintendent Donn Mendoza wrote on Monday. A District 116 spokesperson declined further comment.

The Round Lake police department has denied a News-Sun Freedom of Information Act request seeking case reports related to the investigation. Department records clerk Stefanie Rinchiuso wrote that the incident report involved will be available to the extent permissible by law once it would no longer obstruct an ongoing criminal investigation.

Monday nights meeting took on a much cooler tone than two weeks prior, when a crowd of about 40 mostly outraged community members filled the schools cafeteria. There were fewer than 10 people in attendance, and no public comments.
Jared Kushner and Rupert Murdoch in 2014 Clint Spaulding/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images

A Dominion Voting Systems court filing Monday featured excerpts of News Corp. chairman Rupert Murdoch's January deposition, focusing on Murdoch's acknowledgment that several Fox News hosts "endorsed" on TV claims about 2020 voting fraud that Murdoch and his network knew to be false. But the filing also pointed to an unsealed exhibit in Dominion's defamation lawsuit against Fox News suggesting Murdoch tried to tip the scales in former President Donald Trump's favor during the election.

"During Trump's campaign, Rupert provided Trump's son-in-law and senior advisor, Jared Kushner, with Fox confidential information about Biden's ads, along with debate strategy," the court filing said.

That little bombshell set up testimony from Murdoch that he declined to step in when Kushner called him on election night, after Fox News was the first network to project that President Biden won the key state of Arizona (and thus, likely, the election). "My friend Jared Kushner called me saying, 'This is terrible,' and I could hear Trump's voice in the background shouting," Murdoch said in his deposition. "And I said, 'Well, the numbers are the numbers.'"

A spokesman for Murdoch declined comment to The Washington Post on those sections of the deposition, but pointed to a statement from Fox News saying Dominion had "cherry pick[ed]" salacious details "utterly irrelevant to the legal issues in this case." Dominion's Monday filing is part of its argument against Fox News' motion to prevent the case from going to trial.

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MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell. Lev Radin/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images

Dominion Voting Systems' new court filing details how important Mike Lindell was to Fox News.

"The man is on every night. Pays us a lot of money," read Rupert Murdoch's deposition.

Murdoch said that Fox News continued running Lindell's ads because of the "green," not politics.

Rupert Murdoch, the media magnate behind the sprawling Fox News media empire, was eager to keep the election-denying MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell's advertisements on-air because of how much ad revenue he provided to the network, per a new court filing from Dominion Voting Systems.

"The man is on every night. Pays us a lot of money," read a snippet from Murdoch's January deposition in a court filing released on Monday. "At first you think it's comic, and then you get bored."

Murdoch went on to admit in his deposition that he could have pulled Lindell's MyPillow advertisements  but did not. This was even after the pillow CEO made wild, unsubstantiated claims about voter fraud on Fox News' programs, per Dominion's court filing.

"It is not red or blue, it is green," Murdoch agreed during his deposition  presumably a reference to money.

Dominion's filing on Monday also alleges that Fox News CEO Suzanne Scott sent Lindell gifts and urged various Fox shows to book Lindell to "get ratings." But Lindell told Insider in mid-February that the idea that Fox might have bought him a gift is a "Dominion lie" and that Fox "never sent anything."

Dominion Voting Systems is suing Fox News in a $1.6 billion defamation lawsuit, which alleges the network pushed a conspiracy theory that their systems helped to rig the 2020 election. Lindell is also facing a $1.3 billion defamation lawsuit from Dominion. The company has accused him of hurting their business by spreading baseless conspiracy theories about widespread voter fraud.

In a call with Insider on Monday, Lindell complained that Fox News has not had him on-air for a while.

"Ever since Smartmatic sued Fox News, no one in this country can go on any conservative stations and talk about the election," Lindell told Insider.

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When asked about how Fox News stood by him and refused to pull his ads, Lindell said that he commends the network for "not punishing MyPillow" and standing up to Dominion.

"I mean, I'm glad that Fox News doesn't boycott because it has nothing to do with MyPillow and my 2,000 employees if I'm standing up for my country and trying to try to raise the flag of these machine companies that were hacked," Lindell told Insider, once again pushing an unsubstantiated conspiracy theory that voting machines were rigged during the 2020 election.

Lindell in 2021 was one of Fox's biggest advertisers, The Washington Post reported. It is unclear how much Lindell gives Fox News now to air his ads, or if he is as prominent of an advertiser as he was during the Capitol riot.

But Lindell and Fox News have had their share of disagreements  the network in September 2021 refused to run an ad where Lindell promoted a voter-fraud symposium. This move from Fox News resulted in Lindell pulling his ads from the network temporarily.

A Fox News spokesperson told Insider that Dominion is trying to "publicly smear Fox." The spokesperson also accused Dominion of "mischaracterizing the facts" and trying to "generate headlines" about its defamation lawsuit against Fox.

A Dominion Voting Systems spokesperson told Insider: "Dominion is a strong believer in the First Amendment and its protections. As long-settled law makes clear, the First Amendment does not shield broadcasters that knowingly or recklessly spread lies."

Meanwhile, Lindell has not stopped claiming that the election was stolen from former President Donald Trump. In February, Lindell told late-night host Jimmy Kimmel that he has spent more than $40 million pushing Trump's baseless claims of voter fraud.

This total sum is up from the $25 million estimate Lindell gave Insider in December 2021. The figure amounts to four-fifths of Lindell's estimated $50 million net worth.

March 3, 2023: This story has been updated to reflect that Murdoch agreed with the characterization of Lindell's contribution to Fox News.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Fox News Channel and radio talk show host Sean Hannity (L) interviews US President Donald Trump before a campaign rally at the Las Vegas Convention Center on September 20, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Ethan Miller/Getty Images

Rupert Murdoch said in a January 2021 email to Paul Ryan that Sean Hannity was "disgusted" by Trump.

Murdoch added in his email that Hannity was "scared to lose viewers" despite his distaste for Trump.

Murdoch said to Ryan that Hannity also needed a "wake-up call" after the Capitol riot.

Rupert Murdoch said in an email that Fox News host Sean Hannity was, in private, "disgusted" by then-President Donald Trump, but was more concerned about keeping viewership up.

Segments of emails Murdoch sent in 2021 were published on Monday in a court filing from Dominion Voting Systems. One of these exchanges was between Murdoch, his son Lachlan Murdoch, the CEO of Fox Corporation, and Paul Ryan, a board member at Fox Corporation, dated January 12, 2021  six days after the Capitol riot.

In the email exchange, Ryan, a one-time Republican House speaker, told both Murdochs that after the 2020 election, "some high percentage of Americans" thought the election was stolen from Trump because of the right-wing media.

"Thanks Paul. Wake-up call for Hannity, who has been privately disgusted by Trump for weeks, but was scared to lose viewers," Rupert Murdoch wrote in response to Ryan. Hannity anchors one of the most-watched shows on Fox News, just behind "The Five" and "Tucker Carlson Tonight."

In response, Ryan told Murdoch he thought Fox and its hosts should try to "put down the echoes of falsehood from our side."

"I truly hope our contributors, along with Tucker, Laura, and Sean get that and execute," Ryan said, likely referencing Fox News hosts Tucker Carlson, Laura Ingraham, and Hannity.

Murdoch responded that he thought "everyone" was "disgusted" with the falsehoods surrounding voter fraud  particularly after the January 6 riot, per Dominion's court filing.

Dominion's court filings have aired private messages from Fox hosts

Dominion Voting Systems is alleging that Fox defamed it by pushing false claims about the company's role in the 2020 election. Dominion is seeking $1.6 billion in damages.

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Murdoch separately conceded in his deposition that Fox News hosts did push falsehoods about the 2020 election  but at the same time denied that Fox Corporation endorsed these false claims.

Dominion in its court filings has argued, citing exhibits and depositions, that Fox News hosts like Hannity privately disagreed with pro-Trump election conspiracy theorists, but gave them a platform on the channel anyway. Hannity, for one, called the Trump-allied lawyer Rudy Giuliani an "insane person" in a November 2020 text message after Giuliani started pushing baseless voter fraud theories, a Dominion filing in February showed.

Hannity's panic behind the scenes in the run-up to and on the day of the Capitol riot is also well-documented. The House panel investigating the Capitol riot has made public a series of panicked text messages from Hannity. The texts detailed how "worried" Hannity was about what could happen on January 6, 2021, and how he tried to get Trump to stop the violence at the Capitol as it happened.

A Fox spokesperson responding to Insider's queries about Hannity and Ryan accused Dominion of trying to "publicly smear" the company just for reporting the news.

A spokesman for Rupert and Lachlan Murdoch told Insider they had no further response beyond Fox's statement.

A representative at Trump's post-presidential press office did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Photo Illustration by Elizabeth Brockway/The Daily Beast/Reuters/Flickr Commons - Cindy Shebley

This reporting is one of several scoops featured in this weeks edition of Confider, the newsletter pulling back the curtain on the media. Subscribe here and send your questions, tips, and complaints here.

Rupert Murdoch, 91, is loved up and talking to friends about getting hitched for the fifth time, Confider has learned.

Rupes has been dating Ann-Lesley Smith, 66, a one-time police chaplain, since the fall and is seriously considering proposing, according to two people familiar with the matter.

Love is in the air, a friend of Murdochs told Confider. Hes happy and having a good time.

The media mogul has been spotted with Smith, the widow of country music crooner Chester Smith, holidaying in Barbados and at the Super Bowl in Arizona.

Like what youre reading? Subscribe to the Confider newsletter here and have The Daily Beast media teams stellar reporting sent straight to your inbox every Monday night.

Their romance comes just months after his divorce from Jerry Hall was finalized after six years of marriage. The couple split in part because of Halls behavior towards Murdochs daughters with his third wife Wendi Deng, according to people familiar with the matter. Confider previously reported that Lachlan Murdoch also played a role in the split, having advised his dad to dump Hall and consulted on the PR fallout.

Why would a nonagenarian be keen on marriage after just months of dating? Friends say its largely to do with religion: When asked, Murdoch cites his Catholic faith for why he prefers marriage over dating. (No word on what his religion says about being divorced four times over.)

Meantime, Smith has spoken about how the breakdown of her first marriage led to her finding God. The Lord gave me thirst and a hunger for him, and I actually replaced the things of the world with the Scriptures, she told Christian Broadcast Network in a rare interview. As I began to walk with God, the things of the world just seemed pointless to me.

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A spokesperson for Murdoch declined to comment.

Subscribe to the Confider newsletter here and have The Daily Beast media teams stellar reporting sent straight to your inbox every Monday night.

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Defenders of Ukraine in the area of Bakhmut

NYT reports that Russia is running out of artillery shells and cruise missiles, and restocking is becoming harder due to Western sanctions. Many of the most elite and experienced units of the invading forces were decimated, and their recovery could take "not months, but years," experts say.

Read also: Russian limitless manpower is a myth, Russia to face more problems with new call-ups  ISW

U.S.-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW) had previously noted that Russia "probably lacks the reserves to drastically increase the scale or intensity" of an offensive in the winter. According to the analysts, Russias offensive operation "is very likely to end without reaching its goals" due to the lack of tanks and other equipment.

According to the NYT, Russia decided to carry out several attacks along the entire front in Donbas, instead of concentrating on one. But the very first attack  the assault on Vuhledar in mid-February  ended in failure for the Russians and the loss of dozens of tanks and armored personnel carriers.

Read also: China wont transfer weapons to Russia, Ukraines spy chief says

Ukrainian soldier with the call sign Diesel said that every day, sometimes several times a day, the Russians are trying to capture Ukrainian positions by attacking in small groups. He also said that he recently opened fire on two invaders who were wandering around the field and looked like they were picking mushrooms, apparently unaware that they were within range of Ukrainian positions. Both managed to escape.

They use small groups to spout out weaknesses, the soldier said. Their advantage is in quantity, while ours is in high morale.

Read also: As Russia counts losses in thousands at Bakhmut, wounded Wagnerites are left to die  General Staff

On Feb. 27, Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar reported that the situation at the front is difficult, as the invaders increase the intensity of the assaults. The enemy uses tactics of attrition and total destruction during the offensive, losing between 600 and 1000 men every day. Later that day, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that the Russians concentrated their main efforts on the offensive on Kupyansk, Lyman, Bakhmut, Avdiivka, and Shakhtar axes.

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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
Ukrainian artillery teams fire Pions toward Russian positions in Bakhmut on Feb. 5, 2023. Madeleine Kelly/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

Russia will emerge from war in Ukraine a "shattered military power," a senior Pentagon official said.

Colin Kahl told lawmakers that Russia lost the war  echoing a similar remark by the top US general.

He added that US military support for Kyiv has been, and will continue to be, flexible and dynamic.

Russia will emerge from its war in Ukraine a "shattered military power," a senior Pentagon official said on Tuesday, stressing that the country has yet to achieve any of its goals and is expected to continue to struggle on the battlefield.

Colin Kahl, the under secretary of defense for policy, told US lawmakers that the situation looked "dire and pessimistic" for Ukraine when Russian forces first invaded in late February 2022, but after a year of fighting, it has become clear that Russian President Vladimir Putin has "lost" the war.

"While I don't know how the war is going to end, I think we already know one conclusion for sure, which is that Russia has lost," Kahl said during a House Armed Services Committee session on oversight of US military aid to Ukraine. "They intended to take over all of Ukraine  that didn't happen, it's not going to happen. They intended to divide NATO  NATO is stronger."

"They intended for Russia to emerge out of this war a great power in a multi-polar world  they will emerge from this conflict a shattered military power," he added.

Ukraine's successes against Russia have been fueled in part by security assistance from the US and other international partners, including the provision of essential lethal aid. Kahl told lawmakers that US military support for Kyiv has been flexible over the course of the war and that the security assistance provided by Washington has changed as the battlefield dynamic shifts.

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

During the early weeks of the war, as Ukraine was defending Kyiv, the US focused on providing weaponry like shoulder-launched anti-tank Javelin missiles and loitering munitions. As the campaign pivoted to Ukraine's eastern Donbas region, the weaponry became more long-range in nature  like the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS). In recent months, the US focused on advanced air defense batteries like the National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems (NASAMS). And as Ukraine looks to regain battlefield momentum, the US is, along with other partners, providing tanks.

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Kahl said the strategy to assess what weaponry is best for the US to send to Ukraine is working and would continue in accordance with what Kyiv needs.

"It is incumbent upon all of us to think about what Ukraine needs over the medium term to make sure they can defend whatever territory they claw back from the Russians and deter the Russians from going at it again when, and if, there's a halting to the fighting or a peace settlement  or even if there isn't," he said.

In November 2022, Kahl noted that Russia had likely lost half of its main battle tanks on the battlefield in Ukraine, arguing then that it will "emerge from this war weaker than it went in." His remarks in November, and again on Tuesday, echo what other top US officials and generals have said in stating that Russia has already lost and failed in Ukraine.

After a year of brutal fighting, Ukraine's military is facing a pivotal moment. It's forces must absorb Russian attacks and hold on long enough for the arrival of much-anticipated and advanced Western armor and heavy weaponry.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Military personnel of the Russian army are forced to replace the mercenaries of the Wagner Group on the Bakhmut front, because most of this PMC's units were destroyed by the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Source: Hanna Maliar, Deputy Defence Minister of Ukraine, on air of the 24/7 nationwide newscast

Details: Maliar commented on the partial replacement of Wagner PMC units with regular Russian troops as follows: "the Russians are forced to make this replacement (of Wagnerites on the Bakhmut front  ed.) because most of Wagner's units were destroyed by our Armed Forces. They have to do it now."

Details: She also said that regular Russian soldiers are discouraged, unlike Wagnerites, who are mercenaries and are thus motivated by their payment.

Maliar stressed that the situation in Bakhmut is "tense and difficult." The enemy prevails in numbers, but the losses of the invaders, according to her, are significantly higher than those of the Ukrainian defenders.

Background:

Late in January, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said that the military personnel of the Russian army would probably replace the exhausted mercenary forces with the Wagner PMC to strengthen the offensive on Bakhmut.

Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron!
(Reuters) - Russia will not resume participation in the START nuclear arms reduction treaty with the United States until Washington listens to Moscow's position, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in remarks published on Tuesday.

President Vladimir Putin last week delivered a warning to the West over the war in Ukraine and announced Russia's decision to suspend participation in the latest START treaty, after accusing the West of being directly involved in attempts to strike its strategic air bases.

Peskov told the daily Izvestia in an interview that the "attitude of the collective West", led by the United States needs to change towards Moscow.

"The security of one country cannot be ensured at the expense of the security of another," Peskov said.

He also said that NATO by arming Ukraine "acts as a single bloc no longer as our conditional opponents, but as enemies".

Speaking about a Chinese peace plan on Ukraine that urges both sides to agree to a gradual de-escalation and warns against the use of nuclear weapons, Peskov said Beijing's voice should be heard, but the nuances of the proposal are important.

"Any attempt to formulate theses for reaching a peaceful settlement of the problem is welcome, but, of course, the nuances are important," the Kremlin's spokesman said.

China, which declared a "no limits" alliance with Russia shortly before Moscow sent tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine a year ago, called for a comprehensive ceasefire in Ukraine on Friday.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has said he is open to considering parts of Beijing's 12-point peace plan.

(Reporting by Lidia Kelly and Ronald Popeski; Writing by Lidia Kelly; Editing by Himani Sarkar)
Palestinians

Some Palestinian refugees living in Lebanon have signed up to take part in the war against Ukraine on the Russian side. Recruitment is carried out by activists associated with the Palestinian embassy in Lebanon.

Read also: Lebanon releases ship with stolen Ukrainian grain from custody, Kyiv warns Beirut of consequences

Most of the enlisted were born after 1969, as those born after from this point onwards do not have proper registration with the Lebanese authorities, making it easier to travel for the purpose of participating in the conflict as mercenaries, the article reads.

The Lebanese government doesnt have the ability to control or track the movement of these recruits. Most Palestinians who signed for the war come from Ein Al-Khalwa  the largest Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon. These individuals reportedly receive a monthly allowance and compensation for their families  in exchange for agreeing to participate in the war against Ukraine.

Read also: Russias Wagner Group halts prisoner recruitment campaign

The TMLs source claims that Hezbollah participated in the recruitment.

Riad Kahwaji, a prominent Lebanese security and defense academic, told The Media Line that the recruitment of Palestinians from Lebanon is not incomprehensible.

I do not have specific information on this subject, but I am not surprised that it happened because the situation in the camps is miserable and there are no jobs for young people, Kahwaji said.

Palestinian camps in both Syria and Lebanon have high unemployment, and it is not surprising that these things happen.

Read also: Russia reportedly asked Israel not to hold up transfer of equipment from Syria to Ukraine

According to the article, the Palestinian embassy in Lebanon declined to comment on the subject, but added that they have no connection to the war in Ukraine and didnt encourage Palestinians to participate in it.

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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
On Tuesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a law terminating the validity of treaties concluded within the framework of the Council of Europe for the Russian Federation; the Russian Federation has not been a member of this international organisation since March 2022.

The corresponding document has been published on the official portal of legal information of Russia, European Pravda reports.

The law, the draft of which Putin submitted to the Russian parliament in January 2022, recognizes 21 international treaties as invalid with respect to Russia, as of 16 March 2022.

Among them are the Statute of the Council of Europe, the Convention on the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, the European Convention on the Prevention of Terrorism, the European Charter of Local Self-Government, and the Social Charter.

In March 2022, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe passed a decision to expel the Russian Federation from the organisation, and also called for providing Ukraine with means of airspace protection. Before that, Russia, realising that exclusion would not be avoided, submitted an application to Strasbourg, stating a self-withdrawal.

The European Court of Human Rights decided to suspend consideration of all complaints against the Russian Federation, but later resumed them. In June, Russia itself decided to cut off ECHR decisions issued after 15 March 2022.

The Secretary General of the Council of Europe stated that Russia, according to international law, is still obliged to comply with the decisions of the ECHR passed against it.

Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron!
Julie Scott, an assistant principal at Belvedere North High School, has been hired as the new principal of Madison Junior High School in Naperville. (Naperville School District / HANDOUT)

Assistant principal tapped to helm Madison Junior High

Julie Scott, an assistant principal at Belvedere North High School since 2018, will be the new principal of Madison Junior High School in Naperville starting July 1.

Her appointment was approved by the D203 School Board last week. She succeeds Nancy Voice, who is retiring in June, district officials said.

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My impression (of the district) is that everyone is extremely friendly and passionate about teaching kids, Scott said. I am really excited to join the team.

In addition to her time as an assistant principal, Scott was a middle school teacher for seven years and oversaw district-level mental health counseling services at Genoa-Kington School District 424 and Huntley School District 158 for 10 years.

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She has masters degrees in educational leadership, counseling and teaching.

DuPage receives $1.22 million in opioid settlement funds

DuPage County has received its initial installment payment from opioid manufacturer Janssen Pharmaceuticals, a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson, of more than $1.22 million as part of a lawsuit settlement.

The county is scheduled to receive payments from Janssen over the next 10 years and payments from other settling opioid defendants over the next 15 years, officials said.

The state of Illinois received $760 million as part of the national opioid settlement agreement, of which about $10.5 million is allocated for DuPage County, States Attorney Robert Berlin said in a news release. Of the total funds allocated to Illinois, $418 million will be placed in a statewide remediation fund from which local governments, including DuPage County, can seek additional funding for approved programs and services, Berlin said.

As part of the settlement, funds received must be used for programs that address the opioid epidemic in Illinois, including medication assisted treatment, prevention programs, support for individuals in treatment and recovery and training for healthcare professionals, the news release said.

Our litigation involving other manufacturers and pharmacies continues and we anticipate receiving many more millions of dollars that will be used to bring further relief to the residents of DuPage County, Berlin said in a statement.

Naperville Public Library seeking salad recipes

Naperville Public Library is asking residents to contribute their favorite salad recipes for a cookbook its compiling.

Interested participants who register at www.naperville-lib.org by March 20 will receive a Google form via email to submit their recipe.

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Any type of salad recipe can be submitted, with library officials suggesting green salads, pasta salads, potato salads or fruit salads as examples.

The community cookbooks will be emailed and hard copies can be picked up between April 17 and May 1 at the 95th Street Librarys Adult Services Desk, 3015 Cedar Glade Drive.
Ukrainian soldier in the city of Bakhmut, February 25, 2023

Nevertheless, Kahl told a U.S. House of Representatives hearing that Moscow could still advance and capture some minor bits of Ukrainian territory in the coming weeks and months.

Read also: U.S. may speed up tank delivery to Ukraine, State Department says

You may see small portions of territory change hands in the coming weeks and months, said Kahl.

I do not think that there's anything I see that suggests the Russians can sweep across Ukraine and make significant territorial gains anytime in the next year or so.

Read also: Ukrainian army destroys artillery and two Grad rocket systems Russians used to attack Kherson Oblast

Ukrainian Military Intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov earlier said that decisive, pivotal battles of the war will unfold in mid- to late spring.

Read also: Ukrainian and U.S. Air Force commanders discuss supply of F-16s to Ukraine

Ukraines General Staff believes that Moscows strategic goal is to seize Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts by summer 2023.

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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
A street in Bahmut

"The Russians need an operational pause in order to recover and prepare for the long-lasting war," an Italian intelligence report on the war reads, according to La Stampa.

Read also: More than 5,000 houses destroyed in Kharkiv by Russians, says mayor

Italian intelligence revealed that Moscow is trying to take advantage of relative stagnation to relaunch its military industry, which has a lot of potential but which is starting to be affected by Western sanctions.

Russians have become less supportive of the war, but mostly still support their leadership because of the strong influence of Russian propaganda.

Read also: Air defense system appears on roof of Interior Ministry building in Moscow

Read also: Budanov says invaders sending waves of infantry to attack Bakhmut, few armored vehicles used

Ukraine's General Staff reported the elimination of about 550 Russian occupiers in the past 24 hours. Russian losses in Ukraine since the beginning of the full-scale invasion total over 149,000 soldiers.

Ukraines General Staff has also reported that Russia continues to suffer great losses in Ukraine.

Desertion is a growing problem for the invader, according to the Ukrainian military.

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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
Russian attacks were reported in Donetsk, Kherson, Kharkiv, Sumy, Mykolaiv, Chernihiv, Zaporizhzhia, Dnipropetrovsk, and Luhansk oblasts in the east, south, and north of Ukraine.

According to local authorities, two people were killed, and 16 were wounded in the past 24 hours.

Russian attacks killed one civilian in Kurakhivka and injured nine more in Donetsk Oblast, Governor Pavlo Kyrylenko reported on Feb. 28. In Sviatohirsk, Russian forces hit a State Emergency Service department at night, killing one emergency worker and wounding four more, according to Kyrylenko.

In total, Russia hit 12 settlements and three communities in Donetsk Oblast, damaging over 30 houses, high-rises, a school, a shop, and an administrative building, the oblast governor said.

Russian troops struck Kherson Oblast 119 times using multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS), mortars, tanks, drones, and artillery, according to Kherson Oblast Military Administration.

The attacks wounded three civilians in the region and damaged a school, houses, and apartment buildings in the city of Kherson, the administration wrote.

Russian attacks on Kharkiv Oblast damaged eight houses and farm buildings in the village of Vovchanski Khutory and a house in Kupiansk, said Oleh Syniehubov, the oblast governor. There were no casualties.

The Russian military hit Nikopol in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast three times overnight, damaging a hotel, three houses, an outbuilding, a car, and power lines, according to Governor Serhii Lysak. No casualties were reported.

Zaporizhzhia regional state administration reported that civilian infrastructure in 17 settlements in Zaporizhzhia Oblast was under Russian fire. Local authorities received four reports about the damages to citizens' households and infrastructure sites due to Russian attacks.

Russian troops shelled the Ochakiv and Kutsurub communities on the Black Sea coast in Mykolaiv Oblast with multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS) and artillery on Feb. 27-28, said Vitalii Kim, the oblast governor. No casualties were reported.

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Overnight and earlier on Feb. 27, Russian troops used MLRS and mortars to strike seven communities in Sumy Oblast bordering Russia, the regional military administration reported. The attacks damaged three houses and a warehouse, according to the administration.

Russia struck four settlements in Luhansk Oblast with artillery over the past 24 hours, the regional state administration wrote. It didn't provide information on casualties or damage.

In Chernihiv Oblast, Russian troops hit the settlements of Tymonovychi and Berylivka close to the Russsia-Ukraine border, according to the General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces. It didn't provide information on casualties or damage.
A girl runs holding a Ukrainian flag on Independence Day of Ukraine in Krakow, Poland, on August 24, 2022. The girl in the picture is not associated with the story. Beata Zawrzel/NurPhoto via Getty Images

A Russian sixth-grader drew an anti-war painting in her art class, Meduza reported Tuesday.

The girl was placed in a shelter and the father charged with "discrediting" Russia, Meduza said.

He fears he will permanently lose custody of his daughter if he is jailed, his lawyer told OVD-Info.

A Russian single father had he daughter taken away and placed in a shelter after she drew an anti-war picture in art class, according to multiple reports.

Aleksey Moskalev, from the city of Yefremov in Russia's Tula region, was charged for "discrediting" the army in December after his daughter, Masha, protested the war at school and online, the independent Russian media Meduza reported on Tuesday.

Masha first protested the war in April 2022 when her sixth-grade art teacher assigned everyone to draw pictures in support of Russian troops in Ukraine, Meduza reported.

Instead, Masha drew the Russian flag with the words "No to War" and the Ukrainian flag with the words "Glory to Ukraine," the outlet said. The artwork also featured a woman with a child, holding up her hands as rockets were flying from the Russian flag, a photo published by another independent Russian outlet, OVD-Info, shows.

After the painting was reported to the principal of the school, Masha was taken to the police several times, and her father was called in to speak to officials from Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB).

Moskalev said that "for three and a half hours, [FSB officers] told me that I'm raising my daughter incorrectly; they said they were going to take her from me and put me in jail," Meduza reported.

Several months later, on December 30, Moskalevs' home was searched and ransacked by FSB officials who also took all of the family's savings and snapped pictures of the anti-war drawing, Meduza reported. They took Masha to a children's shelter, it added.

Moskalev's lawyer told OVD-Info that he was interrogated and told that his daughter had also made anti-war comments on the Russian social media outlet VKontakte. He was charged with a felony charge of "discrediting" the Russian army, the lawyer said.

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Moskalev was able to retrieve Masha from the children's center a few days later and both have since left Yefremov, Meduza reported. It is unclear where the family is now, but if convicted, Moskalev faces up to three years in prison, the outlet reported.

Moskalev's lawyer told OVD-Info that he hopes Moskalev will avoid jail time, but that "if the officers decide to be stubborn...they might put him in prison and send his daughter to an orphanage."

The lawyer said that he hopes Moskalev will avoid jail time, but that "if the officers decide to be stubborn ... they might put him in prison and send his daughter to an orphanage." The father said he has no other relatives who could look after Masha if he was sent to prison.

Since the start of the war last year, Russia has persecuted those who opposed the war in Ukraine. Under Russian law, using the words "war" and "invasion" can land someone in prison for up to 15 years.

Under Russian law, using the words "war" and "invasion" can land someone in prison for up to 15 years or a fine of 30,000 to 50,000 rubles ($400 - $650). Criminal charges are made if the offense is repeated within a year.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Il-76 arrived in Machulyshchi

The monitoring group stated that a Russian Air Force Il-76 (RF-86843) and an An-26 military transport aircraft arrived at the Machulishchy airfield late on Feb. 26. Early on Feb. 27, the Il-76 flew to Russias Ivanovo Severny airfield. The planes arrived on the day a Russian Air Force A-50U AEW aircraft was reported to have been attacked and damaged.

Belarusian Hajun reported that according to information from open sources, the Ivanovo Severny airfield is a home base for the 610th Center for Combat Use and Retraining of Military Transport Aviation Flight Personnel (aviation personnel of military transport aviation), an aviation technical base and the 308th aircraft repair plant.

Read also: Russia lacks forces and means to invade from Belarus in coming weeks  Ukraines intel

Read also: Belarusian opposition leader takes credit for damaging Russian plane in Belarus

It is in the 610th center that the A-50 AEW aircraft are stored, upgraded and repaired, reads the report.

And the Il-76 military transport aircraft of the Russian Air Force (RF-86843) is listed under the 610th center.

The monitoring group believes that IL-76 aircraft could have delivered specialists or a set of spare parts to the Machulishchy airfield for the repair of the A-50 AEW aircraft.

The Russian Air Force A-50U AEW aircraft was reportedly damaged by a drone attack on the Belarusian airfield of Machulyshchi on Feb. 26.

It is from that airfield that Russian combat aircraft take off regularly, sparking air raid alerts throughout 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
By Dan Peleschuk

KYIV (Reuters) -Russian forces on Tuesday pressed forward their weeks-long drive to encircle and capture the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut where the commander of Ukraine's ground forces described the situation as "extremely tense".

Capturing Bakhmut, scene of some of the war's bloodiest battles, would be Russia's first major prize in more than six months and open the way for taking the last remaining urban centres in the Donetsk region, one of four Moscow claims to have annexed in its "special military operation" in Ukraine.

Russian President Vladimir Putin instructed the FSB security service on Tuesday to bolster security in the four regions - currently only partially controlled by his forces - and also to counter what he described as growing espionage and sabotage operations against Russia by Ukraine and the West.

He was speaking after a Russian regional governor said a drone had crashed near a natural gas distribution station on Tuesday in an apparent failed attack near the town of Kolomna, just 110 km (68 miles) southeast of Moscow.

Ukraine does not publicly claim responsibility for attacks inside Russia. If it was behind the Kolomna incident, it would be its closest attempted drone strike to the Russian capital since Russia invaded Ukraine just over a year ago.

Earlier, Russia's defence ministry also accused Ukraine of launching two attempted drone attacks against two southern Russian regions overnight but said they caused no damage.

'CITY IS ON FIRE'

Around Bakhmut, Russian troops, including mercenary fighters from the Wagner Group, are trying to cut the Ukrainian defenders' supply lines and force them to surrender or withdraw.

"Despite significant losses, the enemy threw in the most prepared assault units of Wagner, who are trying to break through the defences of our troops and surround the city," Ukraine's Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskyi said in a statement.

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An unnamed soldier from Ukraine's 93rd Separate Mechanised Brigade, speaking on the Telegram messaging app as explosions boomed in the background, struck a defiant note: "February 28, the town of Bakhmut. The city is on fire, the enemy is pressing. Everything will be Ukraine..."

Russia's state-run RIA news agency released a video clip which it said showed Russian Su-25 fighter jets roaring over Bakhmut. "We are glad they are ours," says a man in the clip identified as a Wagner fighter, adding the jets helped them "psychologically".

Ukraine's military said Russia was shelling settlements around Bakhmut, which had a pre-war population of around 70,000 but now lies in ruins after months of intense trench warfare.

"Over the past day, our soldiers repelled more than 60 enemy attacks," the military said early on Tuesday, including on the villages of Yadhidne and Berkhivka just north of Bakhmut.

A Reuters reporter who visited the area on Monday said he saw no sign of Ukrainian forces withdrawing and that reinforcements were arriving despite constant Russian shelling.

Ukrainian soldiers in the Donetsk region hunkered in muddy trenches after warmer weather thawed out the frozen ground.

"Both sides stay in their positions, because as you see, spring means mud. Thus, it is impossible to move forward," said Mykola, 59, commander of a Ukrainian frontline rocket launcher battery, watching a tablet screen for coordinates to fire.

The spring thaw has a history of ruining plans by armies to attack across Ukraine and western Russia, turning roads into rivers and fields into quagmires.

Russia, its forces replenished with hundreds of thousands of conscripts, has intensified its attacks right along the eastern front but its assaults have come at a high cost, says Ukraine, which is expected soon to launch its own counter-offensive.

PUTIN URGES VIGILANCE

In Moscow, Putin told officials of the FSB - a successor organisation of the Soviet-era KGB - they must stop "sabotage groups" entering Russia from Ukraine, step up protection of key infrastructure and prevent any Western efforts to revive what he called terrorist or extremist cells on Russian territory.

"Western intelligence services have traditionally always been actively working in Russia, and now they have thrown additional personnel, technical and other resources against us," said Putin, himself a former KGB agent.

"We need to respond accordingly," he added.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov repeated Moscow's position that it is open to peace negotiations but that Kyiv and its Western allies must accept Russia's annexation of four Ukrainian regions - Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia - following referendums last September Kyiv and the West say were illegal.

"The constitution of the Russian Federation exists, and cannot be ignored. Russia will never be able to compromise on this, these are important realities," Peskov told reporters.

Despite failing to take Kyiv early in the war and despite its many battlefield setbacks, Russia still controls about a fifth of Ukrainian territory. Kyiv has so far ruled out talks with Moscow and has demanded that Russian troops withdraw to Ukraine's borders in 1991 - the year the Soviet Union collapsed.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, on a visit to former Soviet Central Asia, took aim at China over its close ties with Russia, saying Washington would not hesitate to target Chinese firms and individuals with sanctions if Beijing violated Western sanctions imposed on Moscow over the Ukraine war.

(Reporting by Reuters bureaux; Writing by Robert Birsel and Gareth Jones; Editing by Stephen Coates and Nick Macfie)
A house destroyed by Russian shelling in Kupyansk

According to the governor, several residential buildings were destroyed as a result of the shelling.

In addition, the Russians hit a recreation park and damaged a kindergarten.

Read also: Russian troops strike Kupyansk twice in a row, damaging house

The Russian invaders continue to deliberately attack the civilian infrastructure and civilians of Kharkiv Oblast, Synegubov said.

The risk of repeated attacks remains high. Be careful, dont ignore air raid alerts.

Read also: Houses damaged in Russian attack on Kupyansk, Kharkiv Oblast

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
An emergency worker has been killed and four more have been injured as a result of the night attack on the city of Sviatohirsk, Donetsk Oblast.

Source: Pavlo Kyrylenko, Head of Donetsk Oblast Military Administration, on Telegram

Quote: "At night, the Russians attacked Sviatohirsk, hitting a unit of the State Emergency Service; according to preliminary information, one emergency worker has been killed and four more have been injured.

This is a deliberate and cynical attack not on the military but on those who help civilians survive even during active hostilities."

Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron!
Andrii Yermak, Head of the Office of Ukraine's President, has reported Russian attacks on the city of Kherson; one person has been killed.



Source: Yermak on Telegram, press service of the Kherson regional prosecutor's office



Quote from Yermak: "The Russians again attacked Kherson. A private residential building has been damaged as a result of the attack. One casualty was reported. In addition, one person has been killed."



Quote: "According to the investigation, on 28 February, the Russian army once again shelled residential areas of the city of Kherson and suburban settlements. As a result of a projectile hitting near a residential building, a man died in the regional centre. The paramedics tried to save another civilian who came under fire in the village, but the injuries were not compatible with life."

Background: According to the General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces, the Russian occupation forces shelled the areas of 25 settlements in Kherson Oblast, located on the right bank of the Dnipro River, including Havrylivka, Kachkarivka, Vesele, Tiahynka, Inzhenerne, Antonivka, Berehove and the city of Kherson.

Five dwellings in a residential area have been damaged as a result of Russian artillery shelling of Kozatske and Vesele villages in the Kakhovka district.

Three people have been wounded in Kherson Oblast over the past day as a result of Russian aggression.

Thirty-nine people, including 10 children and one person with reduced mobility, have been evacuated from the liberated territories of Kherson Oblast by road.

Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron!
By Eduardo Baptista and Farah Master

WUDAOGANG, China (Reuters) - Wang Fengqin suffered from hunger in her youth, when Mao Zedong was running China, so it brings her joy to cook a nice dinner whenever her sons visit her in the rapidly depopulating northeastern village of Wudaogang.

"Come home to eat, mum can still afford to make you this meal," the 70-year-old retired farmer said, recalling how their phone calls usually start, as she took a break from chopping cabbage in her wood-fired kitchen.

On a 2,000 yuan ($290) monthly pension, she can hardly afford anything else. Going to the hospital to check her growing abdominal pain could cost her 1,000 yuan, she said.

A problem for Chinese leaders as they plan to reform the country's fragmented, poorly funded pension system, is that the provincial government in Heilongjiang needs cash transfers from richer regions to pay even Wang's modest benefit.

As China's 1.4 billion population declines and ages, in part because of a policy that limited couples to one child from 1980 to 2015, pressure on pension budgets is soaring.

A first in decades: https://www.reuters.com/graphics/CHINA-ECONOMY/DEMOGRAPHICS/mypmogjgrpr/chart.png

Already, there are cracks in the system.

Eleven of China's 31 provincial-level jurisdictions are running pension budget deficits, with Heilongjiang's the biggest, at -2.4% of its GDP, finance ministry data show. The state-run Chinese Academy of Sciences sees the pension system running out of money by 2035.

"If the pension system does not change, this is unsustainable," said Xiujian Peng, senior research fellow in the Centre of Policy Studies at Victoria University in Australia.

Peng said richer provinces currently fill the gap, "but they cannot do this forever, so this is a problem for the whole country."

The Heilongjiang provincial government, China's National Development and Reform Commission - the top state planner - and the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security did not respond to requests for comment.

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Heilongjiang, which shares a 3,000-kilometre border with Russia, offers a cautionary tale for how China's demographic problems might manifest elsewhere in the country.

Reuters interviewed a dozen, mostly elderly, people in the province, as well as demographers, academics and economists, who described a region struggling to support its growing ranks of seniors, many of whom can barely afford the basics.

Heilongjiang's heyday was during the Mao era, when state-owned industrial conglomerates exploited its rich resources of coal, minerals and timber.

As the economy opened up to private enterprise after Mao's death in 1976, and as those resources dwindled, China's industrial epicentre moved south, and with it, the money and the people.

Income per capita in Heilongjiang, now known as one of China's three "rust belt" provinces, was 50,900 yuan in 2022, below the national figure of 85,700 yuan. A quarter of its people were aged 60 and over, according to official data published last year, compared with 20% nationally.

The overall population shrank 17% in the decade through 2021 to just over 30 million, while the workforce contracted by about one-third, official data show.

Shrinking populace: https://www.reuters.com/graphics/CHINA-ECONOMY/DEMOGRAPHICS/byprlrxkkpe/chart.png

Wang said her hilly village is down to about 70 households, from 400 in 1976 when she moved in.

The province has the lowest birth rate in China, with just over 100,000 births in 2021 and 460,000 deaths. The pension income per capita is 38,792 yuan per year, among the lowest in the country, and about half of Beijing or Shanghai levels.

Like elsewhere in China, rural pensions can be as low as 100 yuan a month.

"What can I spend that on?" asks Wang Zhanling, 71, in Quansheng village, some 100 kilometres (62 miles) south of Wudaogang. He still farms and takes odd jobs, such as fixing pot-holes, to earn more.

"My body can't take it, but I still need to make ends meet," he said, bundling mounds of corn stalks he uses to heat his house during winter, when temperatures drop well below freezing.

FRAGMENTED SYSTEM

China's pension system is largely administered at a provincial level, predominantly on a pay-as-you-go basis, meaning contributions from the active workforce pay the pensions of those who retired.

China created a special fund in 2018 to shift pension funds from richer provinces like Guangdong to those facing deficits, but economists see that only as a stop-gap.

Many experts, including Macquarie's chief China economist Larry Hu, suggest implementing a unified national pension system, backstopped by the more resourceful central government rather than cash-strapped local administrations.

That may also require changing China's home registration system, known as hukou, Hu says.

Hukou dates from the famines many of China's pensioners endured as Mao experimented with collective farms, starting in the 1950s. Rations were tied to where people were registered, keeping starving peasants from flooding into better-fed cities.

Nowadays, hundreds of millions of workers in China sell their labour in places other than their home towns. But they can only access social services in their place of origin, where anything from education to medical care is of lower standards than in major cities, so they are reluctant to pay social contributions.

Many employers do not pay contributions for such workers either, as they are on temporary, often informal contracts.

A unified pension system would contribute towards formalising employment, allow money to flow freely outside the confines of provincial borders, and encourage participation, economists say.

"Those without a city hukou tend to return to the countryside in their late 40s-early 50s. A reform of the hukou system could significantly extend their working lives," Hu said.

RETIRING EARLY

Another pressing issue is China's retirement age.

At 60 for men, 55 for white-collar women and 50 for women who work in factories, it is among the lowest in the world.

Yet China's life expectancy has risen from around 44 years in 1960 to 78 years as of 2021, higher than in the United States, and is projected to exceed 80 years by 2050.

China's National Health Commission expects the cohort of people aged 60 and over to rise from 280 million to more than 400 million by 2035 - equal to the entire current populations of Britain and the United States combined.

At present, each retiree is supported by the contributions of five workers. The ratio is half what it was a decade ago and is trending towards 4-to-1 in 2030 and 2-to-1 in 2050.

"The payment pressure on pension funds will further increase in the future as China's growing elderly population is living longer and getting old before getting rich," said Jiang Quanbao, professor at the Institute for Population and Development Studies at Xi'an Jiaotong University.

Some reforms may be announced as soon as next month, when China holds its annual legislative session, but what is in the works remains unclear.

Policymakers flagged in 2020 and 2021, including in Premier Li Keqiang's official work report, that they will lift the retirement age, but have yet to act. Last year, China launched its private pension sector after four years of pilots.

Any reforms are likely to be unpopular, as recent cuts to medical benefits in some provinces have shown, with hundreds of elderly taking to the streets this month in the cities of Wuhan and Dalian to protest the moves.

Stuart Gietel-Basten, professor of social science and public policy at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, who focuses on the causes and consequences of low fertility, said raising the retirement age may provoke more protests.

"Pension reform is never popular," Gietel-Basten said, because it involves "either paying more money in, getting less out, working longer or more commonly, all three, and nobody really likes to do that."

STALIN PARK WORKOUT

Harbin, the provincial capital, accounts for a third of Heilongjiang's economy and population. Tourists, unshackled from three years of COVID-19 restrictions, are returning to the former orthodox church Saint Sophia, now a museum, and tranquil shopping boulevards that slice through a cluster of commercial towers.

Heavy trucks leave dark trails on its snowed ring-road, servicing industrial machinery plants and agricultural warehouses in and around the city.

While still humming along, Harbin's economy has been lagging China's overall growth rates in recent years.

On a cold, mid-February morning, its central Stalin Park spoke more of Harbin's past, than its future.

In the park's fitness area, dozens of men over 60 counted push-ups, or lifted weights, cheering each other on. The children's playground area nearby was mostly empty.

Lowest birth rate on record Lowest birth rate on record: https://www.reuters.com/graphics/CHINA-ECONOMY/DEMOGRAPHICS/zdpxdrarmpx/chart.png

Retired entertainer Ma Weiguo, 69, had a theory: "The price of raising a kid is too high."

Ma and his fellow outdoor gymgoers were better off financially than their rural peers, but they also spend more in the city, so had similar complaints.

"My pension is enough to eat and drink but it is not enough to see the doctor," said retired teacher Zhang Zhidong, 78, who receives more than 3,000 yuan a month.

Incomes need to rise for fertility rates to recover, demographers say. Like pensions, wages haven't kept up with China's exports-generated wealth.

Wang, the Wudaogang farmer, has two sons, both living 15 kilometres away in the city of Hegang, and earning around 3,000 yuan a month in wages. The elder, 46, is a truck driver. The younger, 44, a firefighter.

They each have a child of their own. Wang says they "never dared" to have more.

"How can you raise them? It is such a huge expense from the time they start school," she said.

($1 = 6.8793 Chinese yuan renminbi)

(Editing by Marius Zaharia and David Crawshaw)
Int'l students flock back to China with excitement, hope

Xinhua) 08:29, February 28, 2023

TAIYUAN/GUANGZHOU, Feb. 27 (Xinhua) -- When Alansi Mohammed saw the stretching terrain of the Loess Plateau through the porthole again, he was so excited that his heart almost "jumped out."

"It has been three years. I finally made it back to my second hometown," said the Yemeni.

Alansi is an international student majoring in electronic commerce at Shanxi University in Taiyuan City, capital of north China's Shanxi Province. He returned home for winter vacation in January 2020.

China downgraded its management of COVID-19 and facilitated the smooth and orderly cross-border travel of Chinese and foreign nationals in early January 2023. As the new semester approaches, many international students like Alansi are flocking back to China to restart campus life with excitement and hope.

Data from China's Ministry of Education showed that nearly 500,000 foreign students from 196 countries and regions studied in China in 2018. For the past three years, those who had returned to their home countries had to take classes online to continue their studies.

RESTART CAMPUS LIFE

"After I was informed that I could come back, the school provided meticulous assistance, while the entry procedures were easy, and so the whole trip was very smooth," said Alansi, who believed China's adjustment of entry-exit policies could greatly promote the resumption of global personnel exchanges, adding that he was one of the beneficiaries.

Although Tran Mai Huong is set to graduate from the International Business School of Zhejiang University in east China's Zhejiang Province in June, the Vietnamese student has never been to China. She plans to visit China to prepare for her graduation, and also to learn as much as possible about Chinese customs and culture.

To welcome the large number of returning international students, many universities have started to provide relevant services.

Peking University offered visa agency services during the winter vacation, including visa procedure application acceptance, collecting passports with visas already issued, consulting and answering questions, to name a few. In addition, the university has announced the enrollment prospectus for the Chinese Language Summer School this year, which is to offer a variety of offline courses.

Indonesian student Joshua Timothy Solomon (1st R, back) poses for a group photo with other Indonesian students in Guangzhou, south China's Guangdong Province, Jan. 15, 2023. (Xinhua)

SURGING VITALITY

Despite the impact of the epidemic, China's economy still shows significant resilience. In 2022, China's GDP exceeded 120 trillion yuan (about 17.25 trillion U.S. dollars) for the first time, an increase of more than 20 trillion yuan compared to three years ago. Returning to China, international students have learned about the changes taking place in China in a direct way.

Indonesian student Joshua Timothy Solomon came to China to study at Sun Yat-sen University in 2017. He returned to Indonesia before the outbreak of the epidemic in early 2020. During the past three years, Joshua had to take online classes.

He was eager to return to campus for offline medical courses. "Clinical medicine is a very practical major. In addition to theoretical knowledge, practice is of great importance," Joshua said, adding that the new semester is also a good opportunity to meet new friends.

At the same time, he also looks forward to various activities arranged by the university and face-to-face communication with fellow students and teachers, which is incomparable with online courses.

After a long separation, he said the campus had become more beautiful upon arriving at Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou, capital of south China's Guangdong Province.

"When I left in early 2020, everywhere was being renovated and it was like a large construction site. Most of the renovation work has been completed now, and it looks very clean and tidy."

Besides the campus, the city of Guangzhou has kept developing despite COVID-19. "What impresses me most is that there are now more subway lines in Guangzhou," the Indonesian student said.

Data shows that the mileage of Guangzhou Metro has increased by more than 100 km in the past three years, and the total mileage is expected to exceed 650 km by the end of 2023.

Dania Zaman, who studied clinical medicine at Shanxi Medical University in Shanxi Province, shared the same feeling about the changes in China. On the afternoon of the Lantern Festival, after a trip to China that lasted two days, Dania could not wait to put down her luggage and rush to downtown Taiyuan to experience the Lantern Festival.

"It was the first time I had participated in the celebration of the festival. The lantern riddle solving, lantern shows and other activities made me feel the great importance attached to traditional culture by the Chinese people," she said.

It has been just three years, but the changes in Taiyuan surprised the Pakistani student. Zhonglou Street, where the Lantern Festival was celebrated, was an ordinary commercial street three years ago. But now, it has been renovated and has become a popular area in the city, with a daily passenger flow of more than 200,000 people at the peak time.

In addition, Dania also noticed that transportation is now more convenient and more friendly to the environment. There are more shuttle buses from campus to downtown, the first subway in Taiyuan has opened, and more new energy vehicles can be seen on the streets of the city.

"Just as I expected, China is still full of vitality and bustle. It seems like I never left," Dania said.

Dania Zaman visits downtown Taiyuan in north China's Shanxi Province to experience the Lantern Festival on Feb. 5, 2023. (Xinhua/Xie Yuan)

SHARING DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES

China has made breakthroughs in the fields of 5G communication, new energy, artificial intelligence and other scientific and technological areas over the years. This has been among the key factors behind the country's appeal for foreign students.

"From my perspective, China is at the forefront of computer science development on a global scale. China is the most digitalized country I have ever visited. The sheer scale of its digital infrastructure is astonishing -- from the world's largest 5G network to the widespread use of artificial intelligence in top Chinese companies," said Paula Rodriguez De Viguri Azor, a Spanish student at South China University of Technology in Guangzhou.

According to data from the National Bureau of Statistics, China's research and development expenditure had exceeded 3 trillion yuan in 2022. The Global Innovation Index (GII) 2021, released by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), also said that China's global innovation index ranking had risen steadily for the 9th consecutive year, demonstrating strong upward momentum.

Speaking of her future plans after graduation, Paula said that she is determined to work for either a Chinese company or an international corporation with connections to China.

Paula Rodriguez De Viguri Azor, a Spanish student at South China University of Technology, attends International Youth Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao GBA Dialogue in Guangzhou, south China's Guangdong Province, Feb. 18, 2023. (Xinhua)

As a major contributor to the global economy, China has great potential for international collaboration and business opportunities with companies from all around the world, Paula said, adding that by promoting international exchanges and mutual understanding among different countries, more international friends will fall in love with China as much as she has.

For Alansi, who is about to graduate, his primary goal at present is to complete his thesis. More importantly, he hopes to better understand China's e-commerce industry and apply the experience to his future career.

Alansi said that he set up an e-commerce store in Yemen last year to sell Chinese cosmetics. Although the start was difficult, continuous adjustment of the business model and the support of friends and relatives, had enabled the small store to achieve a profit after seven months of operation.

However, Alansi is in no hurry to expand the store's sales at this stage. He believes that the most important thing right now is to learn more about the successful model of Chinese e-commerce and to secure a good reputation for his store.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
Horacio Onetton (2) from Oak Brook Polo Club hits a backshot past Will Emerson (4) from England during the first chukker of their match in the Butler International Cup on Sunday, September 25, 2022 in Oak Brook, Illinois. Oak Brook Polo Club defeated England 7-6. (John Konstantaras / Chicago Tribune)

The Oak Brook Polo Club returns this summer for its 101st season which includes nine dates of matches on the Cecil Smith Polo Field, 700 Oak Brook Road.

Polo has come a long way in the 12 years that I have served as Village President, outgoing Oak Brook Village President Gopal Lalmalani said. I am very glad that our community has embraced this sport and that Oak Brook has been given the opportunity to showcase polo to the world. It puts Oak Brook on the map as the finest place in the Midwest to enjoy this sport.

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This season, the Oak Brook Polo Club will also celebrate the life and legacy of Michael Butler, son of Oak Brook Polo founder, Paul Butler. A loyal supporter of polo and the producer of the Broadway musical Hair, Michael Butler died in November 2022 at age 95.

Michael Butler, producer of the musical Hair attends a World Wildlife Fund benefit held at the Oak Brook Polo Club, Sept. 24, 1984. (Ernie Cox Jr. / Chicago Tribune)

Specific information about matches, tournaments and event themes will be announced at a later date, but the following dates, all of which are on a Sunday, have been set for matches: June 25, July 16, July 23, July 30, Aug. 13, Aug. 20, Aug. 27, Sept. 10, Sept. 17 and Sept. 24.

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In 2022, the Oak Brook Polo Club capped off its centennial season with a victory over Great Britain. Probably the Clubs most famous match took place in 1986 against a British team captained by now King Charles III.

Oak Brook Polo is undeniably the best secret of Chicagos western suburbs and the Churchill Downs of polo, said Jim Drury, captain of the Oak Brook Polo Team and president of the Oak Brook Polo Club. Last summer, we celebrated a monumental milestone and are thrilled to continue this celebration and the Oak Brook Polo tradition.

Drury said the Club looks forward to providing its guests with the opportunity to enjoy the outdoors, while watching a thrilling sport with friends and family.

Herndon Radcliff (1) from Oak Brook Polo Club follows Tommy Severn (3) from England as they chase a ball during the second chukker of the match in the Butler International Cup on Sunday, September 25, 2022 in Oak Brook, Illinois. Oak Brook Polo Club defeated England 7-6. (John Konstantaras / Chicago Tribune)

We are excited to continue to offer spectators a safe and fun activity, he said. It is our mission to make our matches accessible, affordable, and memorable for everyone who attends, and to sustain Oak Brook Polo Club as Chicagos home for the sport of polo.

The Oak Brook Polo Club was privatized in 2016 and is led and supported by Drury. With many iterations over the years, the first season dates back to 1922 when Paul Butler established the Club. He expanded his polo operation to fourteen fields and built the necessary horse stables to accommodate visiting teams and approximately 200 horses.

Oak Brook Polo Club tickets will go on sale Saturday, April 1 and will include a variety of ticket options including lawn/general admission seating, tailgating, VIP Saddle Club and reserved field-side tables for 4 to 6 people. For groups of 20 or more, the Club offers small and large private field-side tented areas for large families, corporate outings, birthday parties and other special events.

Information about reservations for private party spaces and sponsorship opportunities is available online at www.oakbrookpoloclub.com or by calling 847-653-6242.

Chuck Fieldman is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
File photo dated 05/11/20 of a Sainsbury's supermarket, as Sainsbury's has revealed it is hiring for 18,000 seasonable jobs to support the retail giant through the busy Christmas period. PA Photo. Issue date: Wednesday November 2, 2022. The company said it has created 15,000 roles at Sainsbury's, 2,000 at Argos and 1,000 in its logistics division. See PA story CITY Sainsburys. Photo credit should read: Danny Lawson/PA Wire - Danny Lawson/PA Wire

Sainsbury's is shutting its Milton Keynes office after a shift to flexible working left almost nine in ten desks empty.

Britain's second largest supermarket said it would be closing the offices  historically the headquarters of Argos  within the coming months.

The company blamed the closure on the shift towards flexible working, saying only 11pc of desk space was being used regularly.

LinkedIn data suggests hundreds of people were based in the office, although Sainsbury's is understood to currently only be using one floor. Sainsbury's announced the closure as part of a wider round of cost cutting. The supermarket said it would close two Argos warehouses, putting 1,400 jobs at risk.

A depot in Heywood, Greater Manchester and a distribution centre in Essex will both be shut within the next three years.

Workers from both Sainsbury's and Argos are expected to be affected by the planned changes, as well as HGV drivers employed by Wincanton.

Simon Roberts, chief executive at the UK's second largest supermarket, said the decision to consolidate five warehouses to three came as part of efforts to merge the Argos and Sainsbury's operations.

The restructure will allow the company to cut costs "so we can invest where it will make the most impact for our customers".

Like other major supermarkets, Sainsbury's has been cutting and matching prices amid a fierce battle for customers.

Profits at the group fell by a third in its most recent set of results.

Union chiefs blasted the plans, saying there was "no economic justification" for the job losses.

Unite national officer Matt Draper said: Management at Argos/Sainsburys has yet to provide any form of business case for the loss of these jobs.

"Unite will be fighting to preserve every job and will put forward an alternative business case to the company to preserve employment at these two sites."

Sainsbury's, which bought Argos for 1.4bn in 2016, said it was consulting closely with unions on the closures.

Mr Roberts said: We understand that this will be an unsettling time for affected colleagues, and we will support them however we can throughout this process."

The supermarket has already moved to save costs by closing fresh food counters and cafes. It is also closing the three remaining Habitat showrooms that it still operates.
Dado Ruvic/Reuters

Former FTX bigwig Nishad Singh pleaded guilty to fraud Tuesday, the third of fallen wunderkind Sam Bankman Frieds executives to flip on him as he faces criminal fraud charges.

Singh copped to six counts including conspiracy to commit securities fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering and conspiracy to violate campaign finance laws. The Securities and Exchange Commission also charged him with defrauding FTXs equity investors in a multi-year scheme.

Singh, 27, worked for two years at Bankman-Frieds hedge fund, Alameda Research, before helping launch FTX in 2020. The ex-Facebook engineer helped write the code underlying FTXs operations and was deeply engaged in its operationsaccording to The Wall St Journal, he was one of three executives to know about Bankman-Frieds plan to send FTX customer money to Alameda. He also lived with Bankman-Fried at the companys Bahamian compound.

According to Bloomberg, Singh could be a key figure in helping authorities investigate Bankman-Frieds alleged straw-donor scheme, in which he allegedly made political contributions through other donors. Singh made $9.3 million in contributions to Democratic causes in 2020 and more than $8 million in the last cycle alone, according to campaign finance records. He also received a $543 million loan from Alameda last year, according to bankruptcy filings.

In making the plea deal, Singh becomes the third of Bankman-Frieds confidants to cooperate with the authorities, joining FTX co-founder Gary Wang and former Alameda CEOand SBFs one-time girlfriendCaroline Ellison. The Commodity Futures Trading Commission also filed fraud charges against Ellison and Wang in December; the SEC followed suit last month.

Gurbir S. Grewal, director of the SECs Division of Enforcement, said in a statement that Singhs conduct was fraud, pure and simple.

While on the one hand FTX touted its supposed effective risk mitigation measures to investors, on the other Mr. Singh and his co-defendants were stealing customer funds using software code Mr. Singh helped create, he said.

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As the founder and CEO of FTX, Bankman-Fried faces the most criminal charges: eight counts, including fraud, money laundering and campaign finance violations. Prosecutors allege he ran a years-long scheme to defraud investors, ultimately resulting in a multi-billion-dollar loss of consumer funds when his company exploded in November. He has pleaded not guilty and is under house arrest at his parents home in Palo Alto.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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Gov Sarah Huckabee Sanders of Arkansas was mocked on social media over the weekend for a portrait that referred to her as the states govenor.

A photo of the portrait, which shows a smiling Ms Sanders above the words ARKANSAS GOVENOR, first surfaced on Twitter on Sunday evening. On Monday morning, USA Today columnist Michael Stern tweeted it to his 27,000-plus followers.

Sarah Huckabee Sanders, educating Arkansas.



And we wonder why the GOP are destroying the minds of our children.



Someone please tell her how to spell "governor." pic.twitter.com/z3QT4w7Lem  Michael J. Stern (@MichaelJStern1) February 27, 2023

Sarah Huckabee Sanders, educating Arkansas, Mr Sterm wrote. And we wonder why the GOP are destroying the minds of our children. Someone please tell her how to spell governor.

Other observers enjoyed the gaffe.

This is the perfect way to end my night, one Twitter user wrote above the photo.

This is the perfect way to end my night



(Zoom in) pic.twitter.com/V9scKlkzmE  DutchessPrim (@dutchessprim) February 27, 2023

I mean, they had one job, another Twitter user named James Rubec commented.

I mean, they had one job.  James Rubec (@JamesRRubec) February 27, 2023

It is not entirely clear who produced the portrait or where the image of it was taken.

Ms Sanders is in her first term as Arkansas governor, having been elected in a landslide last November. The former White House press secretary was cast back into the national spotlight when she was chosen to give the Republican response to President Joe Bidens State of the Union address earlier this month.

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In that speech, Ms Sanders addressed legislation she is pushing in the Arkansas state legislature to dramatically overhaul the states education system  giving students vouchers to use to attend private school or be homeschooled and increasing teachers starting salaries by $14,000.

The bill, known as the LEARNS Act, would also make it easier for teachers to be fired by repealing the states Fair Teacher Dismissal Act. Democrats have filed amendments to the bill that would preserve some amount of job protection for teachers, but the bill as a whole is currently expected to pass the states Republican-dominated legislature.

Arkansas is among the least educated states in the country and has one of the lowest average teacher salaries as well, though it is in the middle of the pack when teacher pay is adjusted for cost-of-living.

The LEARNS Act could be a legacy-defining bill for Ms Sanders, who is following in her father Mike Huckabees foosteps as Arkansas governor.
Searches at the enterprises of Mykola Serdyuk

The law enforcement officers noted that a courts decision on the seizures covers six companies involved in the production and development of drilling equipment, as well as ones involved in the production of agricultural products in Kyiv and Sumy oblasts.

Read also: One injured as seven districts in Sumy Oblast struck 97 times by Russian shelling in past day

Drone outside Moscow (Gazprom) t.me/bazabazon

Drone outside Moscow (Gazprom) t.me/bazabazon

The total value of seized assets is UAH 60 million ($1.5 million).

It has been established that Serdyuk is the owner of the Moscow Research Plant of Drilling Equipment and the water processing plant Gidroinzhstroy and belongs to the inner circle of the leaders of the financial and industrial groups of the Kremlin.

Following his instructions, Ukrainian enterprises under his control produced high-tech products for drilling oil and gas wells and sold them abroad.

Read also: Exposed Belarusian KGB agent sentenced to 10 years in prison, says SBU

Tuapse Telegram

The SBU added that Serdyuk tried to rewrite his own enterprises to nine representatives of controlled commercial structures in order to hide his business in Ukraine after the full-scale invasion.

Tuapse Telegram

The suspect also created two new companies in Sumy Oblast and in one in an EU country to illegally withdraw his profits from Ukraine.

Tuapse Telegram

During searches of offices, production and storage facilities and residences in Kyiv and Sumy, law enforcement officers found:

 accounting records;

 draft records;

 mobile phones and computer equipment with evidence of illegal activity.

Read also: SBU charges Russian Chairman of Investigative Committee for involvement in repression

The detainee is to be charged under part 2 of Art. 1102 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine  financing of actions committed for the purpose of violent change or overthrow of the constitutional order or seizure of state power.

Under this article, punishment in the form of deprivation of liberty is provided for a term of five to seven years.

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
School pupils have been demonstrating over strict toilet rules in so-called Tik Tok protests. (Getty)

School pupils have been demonstrating across the country in so-called TikTok protests after new strict toilet rules were implemented.

Demos which started last week in Cornwall, Lincolnshire and Yorkshire, have now spread to Blackpool, Essex and Southampton.

Pupils have been inspired to take action after seeing similar protests across the country which have been shared on social media.

A child said tables had been flipped at his secondary school as hundreds of students demonstrated against the new restrictive toilet rules.

Read more: Police called to school as pupils riot during toilet rule change protest

One of the demos from Devon posted on social media. (Reach)

Why are the protests happening?

Pupils have vented their anger at new toilet policies implemented in schools across the country.

A protest broke out at Penrice Academy in St Austell, Cornwall, on Friday, as students demonstrated against a ban on going to the toilet during lessons.

The changes also included a red card scheme in which female students need a special card to go to the toilet during class when on their periods.

A father said the school had consulted with parents about the new rules and confirmed there had been a lot of abuse of toilets by students when out of lessons.

Penrice Academy previously defended the decision, saying it was intended to minimise class disruption.

Read more: Pupils 'inciting protest' at south Essex school after riots over toilets

A protest at Homewood School in Tenterden, Kent was said to be sparked by various issues  including toilets being closed during lessons, female teachers allegedly going into male changing rooms and the length of pupils' skirts being checked.

At Weston Secondary School, Southampton, pupils reported also put up a stand against rules preventing them from leaving lessons to go to the toilet and some also had worries about same-gender toilets after their introduction in September.

A female protestor at the school said "girl emergencies" caused by menstruation meant they should be allowed to go to the loo without having to wait "up to two hours" for a break or lunchtime.

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Demos also took place at Farnley Academy, in Leeds, and several schools in Essex.

The protests came amid a nationwide movement reportedly organised on TikTok by schoolchildren

A video shared on the social media platform last week set out plans for the rally.

The changes are also said to include a red card scheme in which female students need a special card to go to the toilet. (Getty)

How many schools have seen protests?

Videos of protests in schools across Cornwall, Lincolnshire, and Yorkshire went viral on Friday, revealing the extent of the anger felt by students.

Students in Essex also protested after finding their toilets locked by gates during lesson times.

On the same day, hundreds of students staged a mass protest outside The Farnley Academy in Leeds.

Pictures and video footage from Penrice Academy in St Austell, Cornwall, showed children climbing fences and chanting as they protested against the updated toilet rules.

A teenage pupil 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.

Parents added that some pupils were "throwing benches" and "breaking fences" as the planned protest spiralled out of control.

Police were called to Homewood School in Kent, on Monday after pupils staged a protest.

The school had sent a letter to parents on Friday when students at other schools protested, urging them to advise their children against taking part in such "totally unacceptable and dangerous" demos.
Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer on Monday blamed the train-derailment disaster that shook up a rural Ohio town earlier this month on former president Trumps regulatory rollbacks.

In 2017, the Trump administration repealed requirements for an electronic braking system because, according to them, the safety benefits were not worth the cost, Schumer told the chamber. I think the people of East Palestine now know that analysis was wrong and that theyre suffering the consequences of rail companies putting profits over people.

On February 3, the partial derailment of a long freight train owned by Norfolk Southern carrying hazardous materials sparked a blaze, releasing the toxins into the area and forcing evacuations of residents nearby. The Biden administration, including Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, did not respond to the incident for many days.

The cause of the accident has not yet been determined. The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating and is expected to release a preliminary report in about a month.

You dont need to be an expert to see that when companies prioritize profits over safety, when they loosen safety rules, lay off thousands of workers, and spend more money on stock buy backs then on preventing accidents, youre flirting with disaster, Schumer added. It is so typical of Donald Trump.

After the derailment, Norfolk Southern set up an assistance center at a nearby church, distributing over $1 million to over 700 families to help pay for lodging and supplies, National Reviews Dominic Pino noted. It also donated large sums of money to the recovery effort, including $220,000 to the East Palestine Fire Department and $25,000 to the Ohio Red Cross. The company is working with authorities to conduct environmental monitoring.

A week ago, Buttigieg also pinned part of the blame for the derailment on 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. And of course, Im always ready to work with Congress on furthering (or in some cases, restoring) our capacity to address rail safety issues.

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In 2018, Trumps Department of Transportation repealed a 2015 rule mandating that trains hauling highly flammable crude oil be equipped with special brakes that stop all rail cars simultaneously. The advanced brakes were designed also to keep more tank cars on the track in the event that a derailment occurs.

More from National Review
[Source]

Japanese scientists have solved the mystery of the mermaid mummy that has long been an object of worship at a temple in Okayama Prefecture.

After a year of scientific analysis, researchers concluded on Feb. 7 that the supposedly 300-year-old "mummy" is actually a molded object made out of paper, cloth, cotton and other real biological components.

The mermaid mummy, which measures around 1 foot, was previously found in a paulownia box with a note that read: A mermaid was caught in a fishing net on the coast of Tosa Province (present-day Kochi Prefecture) between 1736 and 1741.

The object reportedly belongs to Enjuin temple in Asakuchi, Okayama prefecture. It earned its name for having an upper body that appears to be human and a lower body that resembles a fish tail.

More from NextShark: Taiwan premier orders government investigation of Taiwanese Olympian who wore Chinese uniform

Five researchers from the Kurashiki University of Science and the Arts, along with other organizations, began analyzing the figure in February last year.

The researchers noted that the mermaid mummy had front-facing eye sockets, ears, nose, hair on its head and five fingers on the ends of each arm.

The team used a range of techniques, including X-rays, a CT scanner, radiocarbon dating and electron microscopy, and found that the mummy contained real biological parts.

More from NextShark: Woman loses $300,000 worth of bitcoin to person who posed as a Chinese architect on dating app Hinge

Its lower body contained bones from the tail and dorsal fins of a Sciaenidae fish and its jaw was that of a carnivorous fish. The surface of its upper body also had puffer fish skin and glued-on animal hair.

Based on its lower bodys scales, researchers believe that it may have been created in the late 1880s.

The researchers also determined that the bodys interior was a mold of cloth, paper and cotton.

More from NextShark: Voting begins: 2022 Gold Futures Challenge to give $500,000 to top groups empowering AAPI communities

Its head was almost entirely made of cotton, along with plaster and similar materials, while the surface of its upper body was made of thin layers of paper.

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The researchers also could not detect any DNA in the mermaid.

The analysis suggests that it was likely created to trick people into believing the supposed healing abilities of Ningyos, a human fish creature from Japanese folklore that lives in the sea.

More from NextShark: California woman ordered to apologize, pay $9,000 for telling daughter to hit opponent at youth basketball game

Following the news of the findings, Kozen Kuida, the chief priest at Enjuin temple, said that the mermaid mummy will continue to be a prized possession of the temple.

"Many people in this area came here and joined hands to pray (to the mermaid), so it holds their thoughts," he said. "Now we have learned that it was molded with things that were alive. We want to continue to protect it with great care."

Before it was taken for research, the mummy was put on display for public viewing about 40 years ago and was stored in a fireproof safe, according to Kuida.

It is unclear how the Enjuin temple acquired the mermaid mummy.

There have reportedly been 14 other mermaids found in Japan. The research team hopes to analyze the others for comparison.
Scott Adam poses with a cutout of his popular cartoon character Dilbert at his studio in October 2006. (Marcio Jose Sanchez / Associated Press)

"Dilbert" cartoonist Scott Adams says there is a familiar story line behind the wave of consequences that hit him over the weekend after he made remarks that some people and companies, including the Los Angeles Times, deemed racist. Adams was axed by newspapers, his syndicate and his book publisher.

The cartoonist said Monday on his podcast "Coffee With Scott Adams" that he was using hyperbole, "meaning an exaggeration," to make a point. He said the stories that reported his comments pulled a trick:

"The trick is just to use my quote and to ignore the context which I helpfully added afterwards," he said. But he said that nobody would disagree with his two main points, which were "treat all individuals as individuals, no discrimination" and "avoid anything that statistically looks like a bad idea for you personally." He also disavowed racists.

Adams, who said he's a Democrat who's "left of Bernie," used his whiteboard later in the episode to sketch out how he thinks the cancel cycle worked in his case.

Last Wednesday on his YouTube livestream, he riffed off the results of a Rasmussen Reports poll that asked whether people agreed with the statement "It's OK to be white." Among Black respondents, 26% disagreed with the statement and 21% said they were not sure  a total of 47% who didn't think it was OK to be white.

The seemingly innocuous phrase "It's OK to be white" was co-opted in 2017 for an online trolling campaign that originated on discussion board 4chan and was aimed at baiting liberals and the media, the Anti-Defamation League said in a statement at the time. The phrase also has a history of use among white supremacists.

"If nearly half of all Blacks are not OK with white people ... that's a hate group. And I don't want anything to do with them," Adams said Wednesday. "And based on how things are going, the best advice I could give to white people is to get the hell away from Black people. Just get the f away. Wherever you have to go, just get away. Cause there's no fixing this. This can't be fixed."

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Adams then talked about moving to a neighborhood with a low concentration of Black people and referred to CNN's Don Lemon, who is Black and who in 2013 noted the difference in the amount of litter between the predominantly white and predominantly Black neighborhoods he had lived in.

"So I think it makes no sense whatsoever, as a white citizen of America, to try to help Black citizens anymore," Adams continued. "It doesn't make sense. There's no longer a rational impulse. And so I'm going to back off from being helpful to Black America, because it doesn't seem like it pays off. Like I've been doing it all my life and the only outcome is I get called a racist."

The comic strip "Dilbert" was dropped by a number of newspapers  including The Times  shortly after Adams made those comments. On Sunday, his syndicate, which provided "Dilbert" to all outlets that published the comic, dropped him as a client entirely. And Penguin Random House on Monday nixed publication of his book "Reframe Your Brain," which would have come out in September.

On Monday's 76-minute episode of his show, Adams said anyone who knows him would know he was using hyperbole and not commenting literally. He agreed that using a lone poll wasn't the best way to address the larger topic he wanted to talk about.

"I should have been more clear that I was using the poll as, let's say, an introduction to the topic," he said on Monday's show. "You can take the poll out of the story and my point would be the same, but my messaging would probably be better."

Scott Adams works on "Dilbert" in his studio in in Dublin, Calif., in 2006. (Marcio Jose Sanchez / Associated Press)

Adams said Monday that he would have presently the message differently had he not been speaking off the cuff. Then he proceeded to re-present it.

"We know we have a situation in this country in which there are indications of racial discontent," he said. He pointed to the recent Rasmussen poll and a Gallup poll from a while back that showed race relations "falling off a cliff" around the time that Trayvon Martin was killed in 2012.

That's when, Adams said, the media discovered that stories about racial hatred "really [get] people going" and were a way to attract customers and make money.

He also called attention to social media and diversity, equity and inclusion conversations at the corporate level as influences that were sending a message to Black Americans.

"They're creating a narrative, collectively," he said, and that narrative is that people are racist. "There's some amount of the Black population that's poisoned, they are just poisoned by the narrative. They are victims," he added. Victims of "programming."

The problem is that while there is "a lot of good" in conversations about DEI and the like, "if you haven't accounted for the cost of it, you haven't finished your analysis."

The benefits, he said, are obvious. "Hey, we'll treat everybody better, I like that." But the cost is that white Americans are "demonized by the collective forces here" and at least one of the predictable responses should be "to put some distance between people who have been victimized and are therefore weaponized."

Adams says he didn't mean that Black Americans had literal weapons but rather that some had been intellectually programmed by social media and corporate media "to have an immediate racial frame on things that maybe you don't need a racial frame on." He said white Americans were being similarly programmed when videos of Black people beating up other people go viral.

"Wherever there are groups of people that have been programmed by the media to have a reflexive bad feeling about you, I would avoid them," he said.

Adams explained the cancel cycle as starting with "the crime"  the remarks he said last week.

"I got canceled everywhere. There will be no more 'Dilbert' except on the Locals subscription platform," he said. "And then what happened? Then the cover-up starts. Because little by little, more voices are saying, 'Wait, what did you cancel him for? OK, I feel like I'm not getting the whole context here.'"

The Los Angeles Times said Saturday that it would no longer run Dilbert. "Cartoonist Scott Adams made racist comments in a YouTube livestream Feb. 22, offensive remarks that The Times rejects," the company said in a statement. "Further, in the last nine months The Times has on four occasions printed a rerun of the comic when the new daily strip did not meet our standards."

The Times said a replacement comic would be launched soon and added, "The Comics pages should be a place where our readers can engage with societal issues, reflect on the human condition, and enjoy a few laughs. We intend to maintain that tradition in a way that is welcoming to all readers."

But Adams harshly criticized the media, particularly the Washington Post, for publishing details that he admits are factually true but framing them, in his opinion, in a way that gives an incorrect impression. The Post story  which appears to have been updated since Adams went live Monday on YouTube  referred to Adams' comments as "promoting segregation."

"They introduce the topic by declaring it a racist rant or a racist tirade," Adams said. "If the title of the article says 'racist rant' or 'racist tirade,' is the media telling you the news? Nope. That's the narrative. That's an interpretation is what that is."

The cartoonist said that everyone who has canceled him has done so from their "first impression" of the situation. He admitted that what he said was "awkward" and could have been explained better.

Outlets are now reporting that he said all Black people are haters, Adams said.

"Did anybody hear me say that? ... So now they've turned it into 'all.' Is there any scenario where I've ever said that all members of a group have something, one thing in common? Ever? Who would say that besides stupid people? This isn't even racist," he said. "That would just be stupid."

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
A cultural and tourism forum was held here Monday to present the cultural and tourism resources of two major Chinese cities, Beijing and Ningbo.

Delegations from the two cities as well as representatives from Bulgarian businesses and institutions attended the event, which saw the signing of several agreements on furthering cooperation between Chinese and Bulgarian travel services.

Culture is a bridge that strengthens friendship and facilitates two-way communication, while tourism is a window through which people learn foreign culture and get to know the world, Chinese Ambassador to Bulgaria Dong Xiaojun said.

The event demonstrates China's desire and confidence to strengthen international cooperation in the field of cultural tourism, Dong said.

Mariela Modeva, Bulgaria's deputy minister of tourism, said that new and mutually beneficial policies and initiatives would help deepen bilateral cooperation and understanding, and thereby strengthen the traditional friendship between the two peoples.

Her ministry was committed to strengthening mutual dialogue with China in the field of tourism, and expanding joint initiatives, Modeva said.

"I look forward to working closely together (with my Chinese counterparts) to meet both the challenges and opportunities of the future," she said.
President Joe Bidens student loan forgiveness plan was front and center Tuesday.

As the justices heard oral arguments on two cases linked to the program, supporters gathered on the front steps of the U.S. Supreme Court.

We must, and we will do all we can to help educators obtain relief, said Becky Pringle, president of the National Education Association.

There are two cases at the heart of this argument. In one case, six Republican-led states say they would be harmed financially if the program went into effect.

The other involves two borrowers in Texas who dont fully qualify for debt forgiveness under the program.

My thoughts today are really with the over 300 borrowers in our state that, you know, were ready and applied for the forgiveness program, said Stephanie Sampedro, Washington Student Loan Advocate.

The application was available for less than four weeks.

The White House says more than 26 million Americans applied, and 16 million of them were approved.

Sampedro says when the plan was announced many were overjoyed.

In Washington state, 486,000 people applied or were deemed automatically eligible, and 308,000 of them were approved.

The Congressional Budget Office says the plan, which has been widely criticized by Republicans, would cost almost half a trillion dollars.

I think the legal justification for it is highly questionable, said Texas Sen. Ted Cruz.

Sampedros message to those against the plan is to put themselves in the shoes of borrowers.

I would just say, yeah, talk to the folks and see what their lived experiences are like because I think it would be different than the belief they have about student loan borrowers, said Sampedro.

The justices ruling will determine when payments on federal student loans, which were paused during the pandemic, will resume.

The Biden Administration says that could happen 60 days after litigation is over or at the end of August, whichever comes first.
A second suspect, one who was already in custody, has been charged in connection with the January shooting death of an Elmira man on the city's south side.

Investigators charged Zemyuah Graham, 26, with second-degree murder related to the Jan. 21 death of 34-year-old Jeremy J. Shazer, of Elmira.

Police had previously charged Shamel T. Swan, 29, of Elmira, with second-degree murder for Shazer's death.

The shooting took place in a parking lot at 210 W. Miller St., near the Qountry Tavern, according to the Elmira Police Department.

Arriving officers located Shazer on the driver's side of his vehicle. He was transported to Arnot Ogden Medical Center for treatment, but later died, police said.

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Investigators identified Swan as a suspect and determined he was in the Sayre-Athens area. Elmira police worked in conjunction with several Bradford County law enforcement agencies to track him down.

Swan was taken into custody without incident and extradited back to New York a few days later to face the murder charge.

The ongoing investigation eventually led police to Graham, who has been incarcerated since Jan. 24 at the Chemung County Jail on charges of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon.

He was arraigned on the murder charge Monday in Chemung County Court and remanded to the jail. Graham will return to court at 10 a.m. April 24 for motions.

Swan remains incarcerated at the jail in lieu of $100,000 bail. He will appear again in court at 9 a.m. April 3.

Follow Jeff Murray on Twitter @SGJeffMurray. To get unlimited access to the latest news, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

This article originally appeared on Elmira Star-Gazette: Elmira shooting death investigation leads to second suspect arrest
After several rounds of layoffs, Twitter's staff is down from about 7,500 employees to less than 2,000 -- and one of the numerous cuts across the company eliminated the platform's entire accessibility team last year.

In an open letter to Elon Musk, Senator Ed Markey (D-MA) called on the new Twitter owner to bring the accessibility team back.

"Not surprisingly, since you shut down Twitters Accessibility Team, disabled users have reported increased difficulty and frustration using Twitter," Markey wrote.

Like any social platform, Twitter has had its foibles when it comes to accessibility -- in 2020, Twitter didn't even have an accessibility team and only established one after public outcry when the company rolled out voice tweets without captions. But in the few years Twitter did have an accessibility team, the company rolled out features for alt text on images, automatic captioning on videos and captions for Spaces live audio rooms and voice tweets. Many disabled users found community on Twitter, because its built-in accessibility features made it easier to use than other social platforms.

With no accessibility team at Twitter anymore, it's not as though the platform's features have simply remained dormant. Captions on Twitter Spaces have disappeared altogether, making the feature unusable for any user who is deaf or hard of hearing. To disabled users, this sends the message that accessibility is no longer part of the conversation at Twitter HQ (which, by the way, the company has stopped paying rent for).

Twitter's accessibility was dealt another blow when the platform cut off access to its API. Now, third-party developers will have to pay yet-to-be-determined monthly fees to build on a platform that previously welcomed them for free. This means that long-beloved apps like Ironfactory's Twitterrific, which gave users expanded accessibility features, are no longer available.

"I received more than a few emails from Blind users who were upset and outraged because they would most likely have to stop using Twitter without accessible third-party clients like Twitterrific, Ironfactory co-founder Gedeon Maheux told Forbes.

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Markey's letter poses a number of questions to Musk, to which Markey requested responses by March 17. Markey asks about why Musk eliminated the accessibility team and if he will reinstate it, Twitter's compliance with ADA and FCC accessibility regulations, why Twitter removed captioning from Spaces, and if the platform will commit to creating user-friendly experiences for all kinds of content.

"All of these changes under your leadership signal a disregard for the needs of disabled people," Markey wrote to Musk.
Damaging thunderstorms, some of which spawned destructive tornadoes and turned deadly, have already torn through parts of the United States from Oklahoma to Ohio this week. AccuWeather forecasters warn that yet another round of severe weather will unfold this week, and it could be just as potent as the earlier round.

The next round of severe weather will threaten once again areas from Texas to Ohio, but residents in locations farther east such as southern Virginia and the Carolinas could also be at risk.

A new storm developing in the central U.S. this week will be the cause of more severe weather. The clash of cold and warm air is likely to produce a blockbuster storm that will trigger both a zone of heavy snow to its north and an area of severe thunderstorms to its south.

"The warm Gulf moisture flowing northward into this storm will help to create the dynamic situation for the southern U.S. for the second half of the week," said AccuWeather Meteorologist Renee Duff.

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The first round of severe weather continued into Wednesday night, as gusty thunderstorms began to erupt in Little Rock, Arkansas. AccuWeather National Reporter Tony Laubach also noted that there were visibility issues in southwestern Arkansas Wednesday evening.

The risk for severe weather is not likely to end Wednesday night in this area.

"The parent storm will be slow to move, allowing for the same area to be threatened by severe thunderstorms two days in a row," Duff explained. As such, cities like Little Rock, Arkansas, and Memphis, Tennessee, could have yet another round of severe weather.

AccuWeather meteorologists warn that the severe thunderstorm outbreak Thursday and Thursday night could be the most widespread of the three-day event.

Thunderstorms are expected to ignite west of the Interstate 35 corridor before quickly moving east throughout the day and into Thursday night. A widespread risk for destructive winds, hail and tornadoes is expected in Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi, and western parts of Alabama and Tennessee.

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The threat of severe thunderstorms will continue Friday as the storm shifts into the Ohio Valley. Areas from Interstate 10 to the Ohio River may experience damaging wind gusts and perhaps a brief tornado.

Cities and towns from northeastern Texas to the Ohio Valley and the central Appalachians could all be at risk for drenching rain and thunderstorms. These soaking storms could produce as much as 1-3 inches of rain with locally higher amounts. Major cities including St. Louis, Nashville and Indianapolis may all be affected by the heavy rain.

Substantial travel delays are likely where rain falls over these areas. Downpours will lead to poor visibility as well as ponding on roadways, both of which can bring slowed travel for motorists into Friday.

Parts of this area had an exceptionally wet February. Little Rock, for example, received 7.62 inches of rain, almost 200% of the city's historical average for the month. With such a substantial amount of rain in recent weeks, lesser rainfall amounts could more easily lead to flooded roads and toppled trees.

As the transition from winter to spring across the U.S. draws closer, AccuWeather's team of long-range forecasters continues to warn of the risk of severe thunderstorms for many of the same locations into May.

Last year, the month of March was the most active in history for tornado activity. An astounding 234 tornadoes were confirmed in the month alone, beating the old March record of 192 from 2017.

Want next-level safety, ad-free? Unlock advanced, hyperlocal severe weather alerts when you subscribe to Premium+ on the AccuWeather app. AccuWeather Alerts are prompted by our expert meteorologists who monitor and analyze dangerous weather risks 24/7 to keep you and your family safer.
50 Cent. Jamie McCarthy/Getty

The Shade Room deleted a series of posts that implied that 50 Cent underwent penis surgery.

The retractions follow a settlement between the rapper and the gossip site.

The lawsuit still names the doctor who 50 Cent said used his likeness without permission.

Gossip blog site The Shade Room scrubbed a series of posts on their site and social media which insinuated that rapper and producer 50 Cent underwent a penis enlargement surgery.

The blog site announced on Wednesday that an article suggesting the rapper got the procedure was taken down following a settlement deal between the parties, according to Los Angeles Magazine reporter Meghann Cuniff.

The claim was first tied to a Florida plastic surgeon who posted a photo of her with 50 Cent, born Curtis Jackson, on her social media, thanking him for "stopping by." 50 Cent's lawsuit claimed that plastic surgeon Angela Kogan's photo, which he thought was just a selfie with a fan, was used in a Shade Room article about celebrities getting penis enhancement surgery.

In September 2022, 50 Cent originally sued Kogan and her spa MedSpa for defamation, and by January, his legal team filed an amended complaint that added The Shade Room as a defendant after they claimed the media company ignored subpoenas.

The Shade Room and MedSpa did not return Insider's requests for comment.

Through its Instagram account with 28 million followers, The Shade Room posted last Wednesday in an untypically formal tone that it wants to "make it abundantly clear that 50 Cent did not have penis enhancement surgery or any other procedure to augment his genitals and any implication to the contrary is false."

The statement added that photos of 50 Cent spliced next to a man receiving the procedure with "a euphemistic eggplant emoji covering the exposed groin area" were deleted.

According to the notice of settlement, Shade Room's deletion means they will no longer be a defendant in the "In da Club" rapper's federal defamation and invasion of privacy lawsuit filed in Florida. But plastic surgeon Angela Kogan and her business Perfection Plastic Surgery & MedSpa are still very much involved.

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It is unclear how much 50 Cent and The Shade Room settled for in the otherwise ongoing lawsuit.

The gossip outlet also took down a series of follow-up posts that made the insinuation about 50 Cent.

The rumor mill started on August 17, 2022 through a Shade Room article that quoted Kogan talking about her "extensive clientele of celebrities, including 50 Cent."

The article on the Shade Room, which set off a chain reaction of litigation, was titled "Penis Enhancements Are More Popular Than Ever & BBLs Are Dying Out: Cosmetic Surgery CEO Angela Kogan Speaks On It." Directly after 50 Cent is mentioned in the piece, a line follows, saying, "more men are getting plastic surgery (down there) than ever before," per the lawsuit.

Representatives for 50 Cent did not respond to Insider's request for comment.

The complaint stated that Kogan often posted photos with celebrities but that her photo with 50 Cent "was shockingly utilized in an article in the gossip publication The Shade Room to support the false insinuation that Kogan or MedSpa had provided a penile enhancement treatment to Jackson."

Read the original article on Insider
Officials said the Clermont County Sheriff's Office is investigating four deaths in Ohio Township on Monday, February 27, 2023, as a possible homicide-suicide. The sheriff's office said the incident occurred Monday morning at home on the 1100 block of Riebel Ridge.

The Clermont County Sheriff's Office has identified those killed and wounded Monday morning at a home in the 1100 block of Riebel Ridge Drive.

Steven Cain, 50, Theresa Cain, 46, Ethan Cain, 13, and William Felton, 74, were found dead in the home from gunshot wounds, according to a press release.

Samantha Cain, 20, was shot but survived, the sheriff's office said. She remains in critical but stable condition at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center.

The sheriff's office called the situation a "potential murder-suicide" but have not said who they believe is responsible for the killings.

More: Clermont County sheriff investigating 4 deaths as possible homicide-suicide

Uniformed deputies responded around 9:40 a.m. Monday to try to serve civil papers, officials said. They didn't specify the type of civil papers. As the deputies approached the home, multiple gunshots were heard from inside.

Officials said they weren't able to contact the occupants. The victims were found after a special response team entered the home.

There were no signs of forced entry into the home, and the sheriffs office said it is not searching for any suspects.

The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation is helping to process the scene.

The New Richmond Exempted Village School District Superintendent Tracey Miller confirmed that Ethan is a middle school student there and Samantha Cain is a recent graduate.

"Ethan was loved by students and staff alike and his loss leaves a tremendous hole in the heart of our district and our community," Miller said.

The local metal band, Critical Khaos, issued a statement about Steven Cain late Monday.

"Unfortunately our singer is no longer with us," the statement said. "We ask for remembrance of a good man, good soul, excellent front man and most of all our band brother. It's family we have lost today."

Court records indicate the home on Riebel Ridge Drive was owned by Steven Cain, but sold to a mortgage company in December 2022. Court records also show there was a foreclosure on the property. It is unclear if the results of the case were still ongoing.

Anyone struggling with suicidal thoughts can call or text the U.S. National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988, or 800-273-8255 any time day or night, or chat online at https://988lifeline.org/chat/.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Sheriff IDs those killed in Clermont County potential murder-suicide
It hasn't been the best quarter for The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW) shareholders, since the share price has fallen 11% in that time. While that's not great, the returns over five years have been decent. The share price is up 66%, which is better than the market return of 56%.

Now it's worth having a look at the company's fundamentals too, because that will help us determine if the long term shareholder return has matched the performance of the underlying business.

View our latest analysis for Sherwin-Williams

There is no denying that markets are sometimes efficient, but prices do not always reflect underlying business performance. One flawed but reasonable way to assess how sentiment around a company has changed is to compare the earnings per share (EPS) with the share price.

Over half a decade, Sherwin-Williams managed to grow its earnings per share at 4.4% a year. This EPS growth is lower than the 11% average annual increase in the share price. So it's fair to assume the market has a higher opinion of the business than it did five years ago. And that's hardly shocking given the track record of growth.

The image below shows how EPS has tracked over time (if you click on the image you can see greater detail).

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. It might be well worthwhile taking a look at our free report on Sherwin-Williams' earnings, revenue and cash flow.

What About Dividends?

It is important to consider the total shareholder return, as well as the share price return, for any given stock. Whereas the share price return only reflects the change in the share price, the TSR includes the value of dividends (assuming they were reinvested) and the benefit of any discounted capital raising or spin-off. Arguably, the TSR gives a more comprehensive picture of the return generated by a stock. In the case of Sherwin-Williams, it has a TSR of 74% for the last 5 years. That exceeds its share price return that we previously mentioned. And there's no prize for guessing that the dividend payments largely explain the divergence!

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A Different Perspective

While the broader market lost about 8.3% in the twelve months, Sherwin-Williams shareholders did even worse, losing 12% (even including dividends). However, it could simply be that the share price has been impacted by broader market jitters. It might be worth keeping an eye on the fundamentals, in case there's a good opportunity. On the bright side, long term shareholders have made money, with a gain of 12% per year over half a decade. If the fundamental data continues to indicate long term sustainable growth, the current sell-off could be an opportunity worth considering. 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. To that end, you should be aware of the 1 warning sign we've spotted with Sherwin-Williams .

Sherwin-Williams is not the only stock that insiders are buying. For those who like to find winning investments this free list of growing companies with recent insider purchasing, could be just the ticket.

Please note, the market returns quoted in this article reflect the market weighted average returns of stocks that currently trade on US 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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Sheryl Lee Ralph couldnt contain her excitement after meeting Zendaya for the first time at the 2023 SAG Awards.

The Abbott Elementary star took to Instagram on Sunday 26 February after the 29th Screen Actors Guild Awards where she shared photos of her run-in with the Euphoria actor and producer.

In the sweet images, the actors are seen hugging and smiling at each other during the awards ceremony. Zendaya  who changed into a cutout, colour-blocked gown after walking the red carpet  appeared excited to meet the Tony award-winner as she sported a wide smile. Another picture showed the pair posing next to each other and smiling for the camera.

Following the ceremony, Ralph posted the two images to her Instagram and shared an encouraging message for Zendaya in the caption.

I am in awe of this young beautiful woman @zendaya, she wrote. Continue to let your light shine baby!

The Disney Channel alum was seemingly warmed by Ralphs kind words when she left three white heart emojis in the comments section. Fans were simply thrilled to see the dynamic duo together in one picture.

Two of my favorite talented, beautiful people! commented one fan.

TWO OF THE BEST, replied another.

A third fan said: The amount of talent and beauty in this picture is indescribable.

Zendaya and Ralph were among the many celebrities who stunned on the red carpet at the 2023 SAG Awards. The Spider-Man star arrived on the red carpet outside the Fairmont Century Plaza in Los Angeles wearing a pale pink strapless satin Valentino gown adorned with flowers. She later changed into a strapless gown  complete with a cut-out black and blue bodice and a pink skirt  to present the award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Limited Series alongside Paul Mescal.

Meanwhile, Ralph walked the red carpet in a glittering gold dress with billowing sleeves and paired the look with a half-up hairstyle.

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The Abbott Elementary star isnt the only Hollywood actor to praise Zendaya. Her boyfriend and Spider-Man co-star, Tom Holland, recently shared a sweet reaction to Zendayas appearance at the NAACP Image Awards on Saturday.

The 26-year-old actor wore a black and green strapless Versace dress to the awards ceremony over the weekend, and posted the stunning images of her look to Instagram. In the comments section of Zendayas Instagram post, her actor boyfriend left three heart-eye emojis.

Fans were then quick to post their response to Hollands comment, writing: You two are my favourite people ever.

Youre so damn lucky man, said another.
A shooting Monday at a homeless encampment in downtown Tacoma landed a man in the hospital with life-threatening injuries, according to Tacoma Police Department.

Few details have been released about the incident. In a tweet, police said officers responded at about 1:20 p.m. to a report of someone shot at an encampment at South Tacoma Way and Pacific Avenue. Police spokesperson Wendy Haddow said the 911 caller reported it happened under an overpass that crosses Pacific.

A 30-year-old man with a gunshot wound was found, and Tacoma Fire Department transported him to a hospital, Haddow said. She couldnt confirm whether he had been staying at the encampment. Police didnt specify where he was hit, but officers said the mans condition stabilized at the hospital.

Police dont yet know what led to the shooting, Haddow said. She said the gunfire caused most people in the area to scatter. Officers canvassed the area for witnesses and were working to obtain surveillance video. The investigation is ongoing.

Anyone with information on the shooting was asked to contact Crime Stoppers online or by calling 1-800-222-TIPS.
After the Knoxville Police Department released video footage of how officers treated Lisa Edwards during her arrest and eventual collapse in the back seat of a police car, Edwards' family members say they still are struggling to piece together exactly what happened  and why.

"We're still in shock, we keep talking about it," said August Boylan, who is married to Edwards' son, Timothy Boylan. "We're trying to get as much coverage as possible about the fact that this happened to her, it could have been anyone's family member."

While Edwards' family is trying to gather as much information as possible about what happened in her medical emergency and eventual death earlier in February, one thing is definite, Boylan said. They will be pursuing a lawsuit, possibly against the hospitals who treated Edwards and the police department.

Community members shared hundreds of critical Facebook comments about the officers' conduct during Edwards' arrest, and many gathered Feb. 27 to hold a vigil in her honor.

Many wondered why officers yelled at the 60-year-old for not cooperating with getting into a police van even through she was physically disabled, and how one even offered her a cigarette when she was begging for her inhaler as she struggled to breathe.

Lisa Edwards with one of her granddaughters

Why was Edwards in Knoxville after leaving Tennessee four years ago?

Edwards, according to her daughter-in-law, was a longtime resident of Knoxville who in 2018 decided she wanted to be closer to her sons and grandchildren and moved to Rhode Island.

"She was very independent," Boylan said. "She was funny, she was blunt, to the point. She wasnt afraid to tell you how she felt."

Edwards initially lived with family but had a stroke in August 2019.

"From then on, she was unable to walk on her own," Boylan said. "She lost complete use of her left side due to the effects of the stroke."

Even though Edwards moved into a nursing home due to her physical disability, she remained mentally sharp.

"She wanted to retain as much autonomy over her life as possible," Boylan said. "I'm a registered nurse, so I had many conversations with her about creating an advanced directive or a living will, so that if she was unable to make her needs known, somebody would be able to do that for her. But she didnt want to give up control."

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The pandemic hit soon after Edwards moved into the nursing facility, which meant the family was unable to visit her for a long stretch of time, Boylan said. Eventually, Edwards decided to move back to Knoxville, where she was going to live with a friend.

"It wasnt a matter of us just sending her there without a plan," Boylan said. "We respected her decision."

'This is about human decency'

The family has questions about what transpired at Blount Memorial Hospital, where Edwards was taken directly from the airport, and at Fort Sanders Medical Center, where she went soon afterward and was subsequently discharged the next morning.

But from Boylan's perspective, it should have been clear when Knoxville police officers arrived that Edwards was in serious distress.

"I dont know what kind of foggy glasses those officers were wearing," she said. "It was very clear she couldnt use her left side. Her speech got slurred as things progressed, that's one of the first signs you see with a stroke. To me its very evident."

Boylan said it should not have mattered what happened before they arrived.

"She was a person who was visibly in distress, she was stating she was in distress, and they really didnt do anything to help her," she said. "They were mocking her, swearing at her. She was dead weight because she couldnt use her left side.

Lisa Edwards on her wedding day.

"Its unbelievable. ... Those security officers, they were real pieces of work. They were saying they saw her walk. Thats an absolute lie, theres no way. She hasnt walked since August 2019."

While some community members have expressed outrage and called for the officers to be fired or the hospital staff to be disciplined, Boylan said the family prefers to focus on making sure there are policies in place that are effective and enforced, adding, "This is about human decency. This shouldnt happen to anybody."

How did Lisa Edwards end up having a stroke in the back of a police cruiser?

Edwards was arrested Feb. 5 outside Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center, where she had been treated. Hospital security staff called police when Edwards declined to move off the property after she was discharged.

Body cam footage shows the first KPD officer arrived just before 8 a.m., about an hour after Edwards was discharged from the hospital. Edwards told the officer she had a stroke and couldnt walk, but he responded by telling her the hospital wants her gone and he was taking her to jail.

The officer told Edwards if she wouldn't leave, she would be charged with trespassing. A jail transport van was called and officers and the driver physically struggled for 30 minutes to get Edwards up and into the side compartment of the van, leaving her slumped on the sidewalk with her clothes hanging off her body.

Edwards repeatedly told officers and staff she couldn't breathe or stand, but they responded by telling her she had been medically discharged and was fine. The police decided to take her to jail in a regular police cruiser because it was easier than putting her in a van. Officers struggled to place her in the back seat and never succeeded in getting her into a fully upright position.

At the beginning of the drive, Edwards was gasping and wheezing before she slumps back. Within 10 minutes, she has slipped out of sight and cannot be heard on the cruiser camera. The officer drove another 3 minutes before he stopped to help a motorist. It is another minute before he returned to the vehicle to find Edwards unconscious.

Where does the investigation stand?

Knoxville Police Sgt. Brandon Wardlaw, officer Adam Barnett, officer Timothy Distasio and transportation officer Danny Dugan, who are shown in KPD's video compilation, are on paid leave during an internal affairs investigation.

"I cant really give an exact estimate or timeline on the completion of that investigation," spokesman Scott Erland said. "However, IA investigators are working through that investigation as thoroughly and expeditiously as possible."

The Knox County District Attorney's Office said that Edwards died of a stroke and that none of the officers who handled her arrest will face criminal charges. Charme Allen's office cited a medical examiner's report stating: at no time did law enforcement interaction cause or contribute to Ms. Edwards death.

Fort Sanders hospital representatives did not respond to questions.

Liz Kellar is a public safety reporter for Knox News. She can be reached by email at lkellar@knoxnews.com.

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Family of woman who collapsed in Knoxville police custody to file suit
Beijing celebrated the successful completion of its 2022 "Charming Beijing" overseas communication project at a ceremony on Feb. 27, which also marked the start of the project in 2023.

The initiative was jointly organized by the Information Office of the People's Government of Beijing Municipality and CRI Online of China Media Group.

Since its launch in 2019, the project has attracted film crews from 10 countries to Beijing to shoot films and conduct interviews. Participating countries include Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, Myanmar, Russia, Japan, Serbia, Italy, South Korea and Croatia. The resulting series were broadcast on state TV stations in those countries, receiving positive feedback.

The "Charming Beijing" overseas communication project 2022 focused on highlighting the Winter Olympics in the Dual Olympic City of Beijing. The project also marked the 2022 China-Italy Year of Culture and Tourism, as well as the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and the Republic of Korea, and between China and Croatia. The project invited film crews from these three countries to conduct interviews in various locations, such as the Summer Palace, the Grand Canal in Tongzhou district of Beijing, and the Capital Museum. These interviews showcased the open, diverse, and thriving city from multiple perspectives.

The TV series produced by teams from Italy, South Korea and Croatia were shown during the ceremony.
Key Insights

SKP Resources Bhd's estimated fair value is RM1.11 based on 2 Stage Free Cash Flow to Equity

SKP Resources Bhd is estimated to be 21% overvalued based on current share price of RM1.34

Our fair value estimate is 55% higher than SKP Resources Bhd's analyst price target of RM1.72

Today we'll do a simple run through of a valuation method used to estimate the attractiveness of SKP Resources Bhd (KLSE:SKPRES) as an investment opportunity by projecting its future cash flows and then discounting them to today's value. We will take advantage of the Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) model for this purpose. 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 would caution that there are many ways of valuing a company and, like the DCF, each technique has advantages and disadvantages in certain scenarios. If you still have some burning questions about this type of valuation, take a look at the Simply Wall St analysis model.

Check out our latest analysis for SKP Resources Bhd

What's The Estimated Valuation?

We are going to use a two-stage DCF model, which, as the name states, takes into account two stages of growth. The first stage is generally a higher growth period which levels off heading towards the terminal value, captured in the second 'steady growth' period. To start off with, we need to estimate the next ten years of cash flows. Where possible we use analyst estimates, but when these aren't available we extrapolate the previous free cash flow (FCF) from the last estimate or reported value. We assume companies with shrinking free cash flow will slow their rate of shrinkage, and that companies with growing free cash flow will see their growth rate slow, over this period. We do this to reflect that growth tends to slow more in the early years than it does in later years.

A DCF is all about the idea that a dollar in the future is less valuable than a dollar today, 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) forecast

2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 2030 2031 2032 Levered FCF (MYR, Millions) RM255.0m RM144.9m RM152.8m RM159.9m RM166.3m RM172.7m RM179.2m RM185.9m RM192.7m RM199.7m Growth Rate Estimate Source Analyst x1 Analyst x3 Analyst x3 Analyst x1 Est @ 4.00% Est @ 3.87% Est @ 3.78% Est @ 3.72% Est @ 3.67% Est @ 3.64% Present Value (MYR, Millions) Discounted @ 12% RM227 RM115 RM108 RM100 RM92.6 RM85.6 RM79.0 RM72.9 RM67.2 RM61.9

("Est" = FCF growth rate estimated by Simply Wall St)

Present Value of 10-year Cash Flow (PVCF) = RM1.0b

We now need to calculate the Terminal Value, which accounts for all the future cash flows after this ten year period. 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) = RM200m (1 + 3.6%)  (12% 3.6%) = RM2.3b

Present Value of Terminal Value (PVTV)= TV / (1 + r)10= RM2.3b ( 1 + 12%)10= RM725m

The total value is the sum of cash flows for the next ten years plus the discounted terminal value, which results in the Total Equity Value, which in this case is RM1.7b. The last step is to then divide the equity value by the number of shares outstanding. Relative to the current share price of RM1.3, the company appears slightly overvalued at the time of writing. Remember though, that this is just an approximate valuation, and like any complex formula - garbage in, garbage out.

dcf

Important Assumptions

The calculation above is very dependent on two assumptions. The first is the discount rate and the other is the cash flows. Part of investing is coming up with your own evaluation of a company's future performance, so try the calculation yourself and check your own 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 SKP Resources 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 1.105. Beta is a measure of a stock's volatility, compared to the market as a whole. We get our beta from the industry average beta of globally comparable companies, with an imposed limit between 0.8 and 2.0, which is a reasonable range for a stable business.

SWOT Analysis for SKP Resources Bhd

Strength

Earnings growth over the past year exceeded its 5-year average.

Debt is well covered by earnings.

Weakness

Earnings growth over the past year underperformed the Electronic industry.

Dividend is low compared to the top 25% of dividend payers in the Electronic market.

Opportunity

Annual revenue is forecast to grow faster than the Malaysian market.

Good value based on P/E ratio compared to estimated Fair P/E ratio.

Threat

Debt is not well covered by operating cash flow.

Paying a dividend but company has no free cash flows.

Annual earnings are forecast to grow slower than the Malaysian market.

Looking Ahead:

Although the valuation of a company is important, it is only one of many factors that you need to assess for a company. It's not possible to obtain a foolproof valuation with a DCF model. Instead the best use for a DCF model is to test certain assumptions and theories to see if they would lead to the company being undervalued or overvalued. For example, changes in the company's cost of equity or the risk free rate can significantly impact the valuation. Can we work out why the company is trading at a premium to intrinsic value? For SKP Resources Bhd, there are three essential elements you should further examine:

Risks: For example, we've discovered 2 warning signs for SKP Resources Bhd (1 shouldn't be ignored!) that you should be aware of before investing here. Future Earnings: How does SKPRES's growth rate compare to its peers and the wider market? Dig deeper into the analyst consensus number for the upcoming years by interacting with our free analyst growth expectation chart. Other Solid Businesses: Low debt, high returns on equity and good past performance are fundamental to a strong business. Why not explore our interactive list of stocks with solid business fundamentals to see if there are other companies you may not have considered!

PS. The Simply Wall St app conducts a discounted cash flow valuation for every stock on the KLSE every day. If you want to find the calculation for other stocks 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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After youve worked hard for your whole career, you might be eager to enjoy the benefits of your Social Security payouts. Assuming youve earned the requisite 40 credits  typically earned after 10 years of work  you can file for benefits as early as age 62, or as late as age 70. Even before you retire, you can look up your anticipated benefits on the Social Security Administration website.

But theres something important that you should factor into your calculation  that your benefits may be considered taxable income. To make matters more confusing, the short answer to the question of whether or not Social Security benefits are taxable is they can be, and the long answer is a bit more complicated. But the truth is that about 40% of people who get Social Security have to pay federal income taxes on their benefits.

Find Out: What Is the Standard Deduction for People Over 65 in 2023?

More: 3 Signs Youre Serious About Raising Your Credit Score

Typically, Social Security income wont be taxed if that check is your only retirement income. However, if you have other retirement accounts like a 401(k) or still have work income, youll likely have to pay federal income taxes to the IRS. Income taxes on Social Security also vary by state.

Social Security benefits include monthly retirement, survivor and disability benefits but not supplemental security income payments. SSI payments are not taxable.

When Is Social Security Income Taxed?

Social Security income is only taxed when you earn above certain annual limits. This is why most beneficiaries that only live on their Social Security check receive that money tax-free, as it is in most cases below the annual threshold. However, your Social Security benefits are never 100% taxable, no matter how much money you earn. How much of your Social Security income is taxable? Depending on your income, either 50% or 85% of your benefits will be taxable.

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Calculating Your Provisional Income

You might wonder how much a retired person can earn without paying taxes. To find that out, you would need to figure out your provisional income. Aside from filing status, the biggest factor in figuring out Social Security benefit taxes is your income level outside of Social Security benefits.

Provisional income is defined as your adjusted gross income plus nontaxable interest. Nontaxable interest is interest income that is tax-exempt but you would still report on your federal tax returns. Your provisional income includes pensions, wages, interest, dividends and capital gains.

For example, assume your adjusted gross income is $12,000, you are paid $5,000 in nontaxable interest and you receive $20,000 in Social Security benefits. By halving your Social Security income and combining those values, you would calculate that your provisional income is $27,000 ($12,000 + $5,000 + $10,000).

Calculating Your Social Security Income Taxes

After provisional income, the second major factor in calculating taxable Social Security income is filing status.

If you are single or married filing separately, regardless of whether you lived with your spouse:

Halve your Social Security income. Add it to your total other income. If your total combined income for the year after the above calculation is $25,000 to $34,000, you may owe taxes on up to 50% of your Social Security income. If your combined total income is above $34,000, up to 85% of your Social Security income may be taxable.

If you are married filing jointly:

Take half of your Social Security income. Take half of your spouses Social Security income. Add both of the above figures to your combined total income. If you and your spouses total combined income after the above calculation is between $32,000 and $44,000, you may owe taxes on up to 50% of your Social Security income. If the total annual income is above $44,000, up to 85% of your Social Security income may be taxable.

You can also use the IRS worksheet from Publication 915 to calculate how much of your Social Security benefit is taxable. This worksheet is also in the instructions on Form 1040 and 1040-SR.

Social Security Benefit Taxes by State

Aside from federal tax rates, the way Social Security is taxed also varies by state. Only 12 states tax Social Security benefits: Colorado, Connecticut, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, Rhode Island, Utah, Vermont and West Virginia. The chart below shows how different states handle Social Security taxes.

Taxation States Follows federal tax practices UT State tax practices with modifications MT, NM State exemptions for Social Security tax based on factors like age and income level CO, CT, KS, MN, MO, NE, RI, VT, WV No Social Security tax AL, AR, AZ, CA, DC, DE, GA, HI, IA, ID, IL, IN, KY, LA, MA, MD, ME, MI, MS, NC, ND, NH, NJ, NY, OH, OK, OR, PA, SC, TN, VA, WI No state income tax AK, FL, NV, SD, TX, WA, WY

State Social Security taxation varies greatly by state and can often be complicated. In Colorado, for example, beneficiaries younger than 65 can exclude up to $20,000 in benefits from their income, along with other retirement income. But beginning in 2022, beneficiaries 65 and older can deduct all federally taxed Social Security income  previously, there was a $24,000 limit.

In Connecticut, single filers with AGIs of less than $75,000 and married filers with AGIs of less than $100,000 can fully exempt all of their Social Security income. But even those who exceed these thresholds can still deduct 75% of federally taxable Social Security benefits on their return.

Other states have their own unique tax structures. You should ensure youre in compliance by consulting with your state tax board.

Reporting Your Social Security Income

To report your Social Security income, you can use Form 1040 or 1040-SR. If you receive Social Security income, you will likely get a form from the Social Security Administration called SSA-1099, which has your total benefit amount received for the year in box 5. Enter the total on line 6a and the taxable portion on line 6b. If no amount is taxable, enter -0- on line 6b.

Good To Know If you have to pay taxes, you can simplify payment in two ways. First, you can make quarterly payments to the IRS rather than paying it all in one lump sum during tax season. You can also have federal tax automatically withheld from your Social Security benefits by filling out Form W-4V or calling the IRS toll-free number at 800-829-3676.

Keep in mind there are only four specific Social Security income withholding percentages allowed: 7%, 10%, 12% or 22%.

How To Reduce Social Security Taxes

Are there ways to avoid paying taxes on Social Security income? Social Security is taxable for most Americans, but there are ways to minimize the amount of taxes you pay, including some retirement account strategies. Although its likely not reasonable to try and stay below the taxable thresholds, as the figures are close to the poverty line in many states, it does make sense to reduce taxable income.

Here are a few things you could do to limit the amount you pay:

Contribute after-tax dollars to Roth IRA and Roth 401(k) accounts, so future withdrawals from those accounts are not taxed.

Withdraw traditional IRA and 401(k) retirement account funds before retirement or before taking Social Security income so its not factored into provisional income. You can take penalty-free withdrawals from IRA and 401(k) accounts at 59 1/2 years old, while Social Security benefits arent paid in full until you turn 67.

If feasible, consider moving to a different state. Most states dont tax Social Security income, but 12 do, as listed above.

History of Social Security Taxation

Is Social Security taxable? Many Americans think that it is nontaxable and theyre not entirely wrong  historically speaking, Social Security has been tax-free longer than it has been taxable. In fact, it wasnt until 1984 that Social Security became taxable. Before that, benefits were completely tax-free. The rationale for the change in policy was that while workers should not be taxed on money they have contributed to the program  which would essentially mean that money was taxed twice  any excess above what workers contributed should be considered taxable income. The Social Security Administration undertook a rigorous analysis to attempt to determine how much of an average recipients benefit was directly paid by the beneficiary, and that amount was determined to be about 15%. Thus, in many cases, 85% of Social Security income is now taxable.

FAQ

At what age is Social Security no longer taxed? Social Security tax is ongoing, there is no age at which it will not be taxed.

Why is Social Security taxed twice? Most people will not be taxed twice on Social Security benefits. If you had higher than average earnings while working and you were subject to an 85% tax, then you may be paying taxes twice. The first time is when you paid after-tax money into the Social Security system and the second time is when you paid taxes on Social Security benefits in retirement.



John Csiszar contributed to the reporting for this article.

Information is accurate as of Nov. 7, 2022.

This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: Is Social Security Income Taxable?
SoLo Funds seems to have a lot to celebrate.

According to a press release shared with AfroTech, it is now the first Black-owned personal finance platform to reach over one million registered users.

The post SoLo Funds Becomes First Black-Owned Personal Finance Platform With One Million Registered Users appeared first on AfroTech.

We are innovating and thriving where companies have failed, Rodney Williams, Co-Founder and President of SoLo, said in a news release. Reaching this milestone is a testament to our members and a pivotal moment in our history, where we have finally created a winning solution for the communities we represent. We are extremely appreciative of this moment and opportunity.

As AfroTech previously reported, founders Rodney Williams and Travis Holoway created the fintech platform to help cash-strapped Americans who are in dire need of emergency capital.

Their platform allows users to get a loan in as little as 30 minutes directly from their phones. Additionally, it offers a protection plan for those who cannot repay their loans.

Already, according to a press release, 600,000 in loans have been funded, with over $300 million in transaction volume. In addition, 82 percent of registered users are from underserved zip codes.

For us, this is huge. I think about what the community bank is supposed to do, and theyre supposed to allow lending and borrowing in the community. Its supposed to empower the individual and build the community. So, that is what we are doing in a different way, Rodney Williams told AfroTech previously in 2021.

The growing interest surrounding SoLo Funds is seen in their latest milestone with 1.3 million downloads, as of this writing.

Courtesy of SoLo Funds

Additionally, the platform has also attracted investors such as Serena Williams Serena Ventures, Richelieu Dennis, Tim Weatherspoon, and his wife, Kelly Rowland, and more.

SoLo is transforming the lives of everyday Americans with democratized access to capital and returns thats truly rooted in community. Community finance is working and SoLo is proof of that, Serena Williams, Managing Partner at Serena Ventures, said in a news release. We are proud to stand behind SoLo as it continues growing at an incredible pace and focuses on giving underserved groups and individuals the tools they need to thrive financially.
In a new installment of

In a new installment of "I Run This," acclaimed chef and TV host Sophia Roe talks inspiration, food insecurity, the need for greater equity in the culinary world and more.

LetSophiaRoe feed you. With her recipes. With her words. With her passion to make the world just a little bit better.

The Brooklyn, New York-based chef is midway into the second season of her show Counter Space. The series uses food as a lens to explore todays news and culture. Roe, who hosts and produces the show, takes viewers on a journey through different culinary experiences by telling the stories of the people who make them directly. Season Two premiered on Tastemade on Jan. 17.

An advocate for sustainability and food accessibility, the James Beard Foundation Award winner has built an intentional space with her show  and her social media presence  to champion education about food systems and inequality.

With Season One of Counter Space, Roe, who is of Black American and Japanese descent, became the first Black woman nominated in the culinary category for a Daytime Emmy.

Its a show not about me, and I love that, Roe told HuffPost during a recent Zoom call. I feel like Im just this really cool vessel, this story steward, that gets to really share about all sorts of things  not just where our food comes from, but I think a lot of us already know that there are a lot of problems, so I think the show really covers solutions, which I think is really what we need to be talking about.

This season of Counter Space explores how hunters in Appalachia are addressing food accessibility, the huge impact Jamaica has on the world, how climate change is affecting Turkish honey producers, and why it seems like everyone has a tequila brand now.

For I Run This, Roe discussed her culinary journey from childhood, her work to fight food injustice, and her hopes for the future of the food industry.

Congratulations on Season Two of Counter Space. Can you talk about how the show came to be, and how it evolved this season?

Season One, it was more newsy because it had to be, because we were in the middle of a pandemic. I mean, even making the thing, it was six of us, and I was the only person without a mask on, and I wasnt even allowed to take public transport at the time. It was so separate, and everything was over Zoom, and it was a very challenging show logistically to make.

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Whereas Season Two, while we were still definitely in a pandemic, there were protocols put in place for safety. We understood what were doing. And with that, we were able to travel. I was able to actually sit down with someone in person, which is really rad. And then I also think that the second season has a really cool culture piece.

I think its important to talk about where our food comes from. Who are these people that are making our food? What are their names and where do they come from? Anecdotal evidence of people who grow our food  we hear this many farmers, but that is not storytelling evidence that these are actual real people.

So yes, theres the importance of where our food comes from. Yes, theres imagination. Yes, theres solution. But theres also a fair bit of pop culture stuff in there that I think is really cool and pretty sexy. Im excited that we get to do that in the second season.

How did your own food journey help you and your team to really connect the dots for folks today who are watching your show, and who really only view food as coming out of a grocery store?

I mean, food does come out of a grocery store, and that is also a problem. We dont live in an agrarian society. We are so disconnected from our food because of that grocery store, and we dont really understand distribution. More than 60% of the food that we eat and consume in the United States comes from somewhere else.

I have a really beautiful conversation with [author and food historian] Michael W. Twitty in this season. He talks about origin in such a beautiful way, and using food as a means for these hard, difficult conversations. I think it is a really great entryway point.

I want people to consider their origin stories when they watch the show. I want people to consider why they need origin stories to be happy and good and kind. I know we want to feel warm and fuzzy when we think about our food. Most of our origin stories, in the United States in particular, are not good and not kind.

I grew up a very hungry kid. I grew up really confused about why I was hungry and why some other kids werent, and why I live in Florida but theres boxes of oranges being shipped here from Mexico. What is going on? Very confused. My past is essential to the work that I do. I have to go back and reference it all the time.

On the show, Michael Twitty said: On your quest to figure out who you are, be prepared to find out some things about yourself that you dont like very much. That is something that I consider all the time when Im talking and thinking about food and thinking about the origin of this country and thinking about the origin of who has things and who doesnt.

How were you introduced to the culinary world?

Honey, its white out there. Its gotten better, but I think for me it was desperation. I grew up very just enthralled and really excited about food, but I was a very pedestrian, regular-ass kid. I think it must have been a guardian angel. I was really unseen as a kid. I could just walk into an area and no one would see me or pay attention to me. I think that really contributed to me being pretty fearless.

Both my parents were drug addicts, so I was in and out of foster care, and so I was used to being around a lot of strangers. And I think that really was my superpower, because Im really not scared to fail. I worked really hard in high school and then went to college, but I didnt have a car. I couldnt get to classes. I just didnt have much direction. I just needed a fucking job, because I just needed to survive. I just needed money.

Sophia Roe attends the 2023 Fifteen Percent Pledge Gala at the New York Public Library on Feb. 4 in New York City.

Sophia Roe attends the 2023 Fifteen Percent Pledge Gala at the New York Public Library on Feb. 4 in New York City.

So there was this damn Vietnamese restaurant that was hiring. I didnt know anything about cooking. I was like, Theyre hiring. I need a job. It was survival mentality. I went in there and I lied. I was like, I can do this. I mean, Im 19 years old. They found out quickly that I did not know what I was doing. But they taught me. The restaurant doesnt even exist anymore, but it became, This is fun, I can do this. Im going to do this. Ill just work in restaurants. Forget college, forget any of that.

Later on, I did decide to go to culinary school for a minute, but then got this really cool job. I dropped out of culinary school. I think Ive definitely been in situations where I was told, Dont talk much and dont tell anyone how old you are. Ive definitely had my fair share of hair discrimination.

I bet. Its a damn shame.

The hair stuff is real. I mean, even now, I mean, I find it so interesting that Rachael Ray can make enchiladas with her hair down, but if I try to do it, Im like a monkey. Ive had comments on my YouTube comments, What rainforest did you get her out of? Her hair is nasty. Oh my God.

YouTube comments are so ugly.

Crazy shit. Crazy. I think that at the beginning of my career, I didnt know how to handle it because I just felt lucky to be in the room, just like a lot of us do. We accept horrifying, insulting, discriminatory behavior from white folks who say things to us and talk to us in ways that are just horrifying.

What are your hopes for the culinary world? What do you hope changes, especially in the near future?

I want to acknowledge progress, because I feel like there has been a lot of progress in the last five years. Im seeing way more inclusion. Im also seeing younger people being acknowledged, which is really, really special. When we talk about inclusion, we cannot forget the younger, and we cant also forget the older.

Im also seeing inclusion all across the board. Whether were talking about the Indigenous population, or were talking about, obviously here in the United States talking about Black people, or were talking about what there is in the Black and Asian diaspora. So youre seeing a lot more acknowledgment of different people from different walks of life. But I also think what would be really cool is, I want to start seeing more money, more equity, more diverse restaurant owners and restaurateurs.

I want to start seeing more funding, not just hiring. Not just hiring Black chefs, but actually giving them equity in companies. I want to start seeing more of that, and I want to start seeing more Black-owned food-centric companies on a major large scale. I want there to be funding for Black farmers in a large scale.

I feel like work like yours really helps expand our minds in ways beyond our own comfort and understanding. What is the most rewarding part of this work that you do?

It allows me understanding and patience otherwise that I wouldnt have. I think it is so easy to feel so at a complete loss. You wake up every morning, you look at the news, youre like, Theres no way that I can make a difference. And I think that this show has allowed me to look at making a difference much smaller. And thats a good thing. You can make a difference in one persons life, and that matters.

I want to help change the world, but changing your block is just as important as changing the world. And in fact, that could be changing the world. Were always better and stronger in numbers. And so thats been really powerful for me.

What non-food thing is inspiring you right now?

I get some of my biggest food inspirations by non-food things. Which is really, really funny. Im really inspired by nature. Im a really big nature person. Nothing gets me wanting to cook [more] than a hike in the woods. Im a really big fashion person. I love it deeply. Theres nothing that just horrified me more in all the years Ive been cooking than having to put on a stupid white chef coat that never fit right because they werent designed for an actual womans body. So Im really inspired by color, and season, and nature, and fashion, so deeply.

What are your career bucket-list items that youre hoping is your next move?

Oh my God, I have so many of those. And I dont even know why I want them, but I want them. I would love to be a New York Times bestseller for a book that is culinary-focused, but isnt solely a cookbook. I would love to zhuzh up that genre a little bit, the sort of cookbook genre.

Theres all kinds of things. Ive been nominated for two Emmys. Itd be really cool to win one, one day.

I would love to explore other things. I love to cook, thats such an important part of who I am, but I would love to produce some things that maybe arent food. It would be really cool to do a screenplay, to do an actual film, something that isnt 100% food-related, to maybe [do] something that isnt news or documentary. It would be really great to be able to write something creative like The Bear, but from a female lens.

What you would call this era that youre in right now?

I think maybe I was under construction, [and] maybe now Im in the architect phase where Im really trying to design some things. I have a lot of really great silos. I have a lot of really great things, and Im trying to connect them, connect some dots in my life for sure. Im trying to connect my advocacy and my activism with my food, with creativity, with design, with fashion, with art, with film, all of it. Im really just trying to create an amalgam of myself.

Yeah, I love that. What do you want your legacy to be at the end of the day, if you have any idea?

I just want people to know that if they were hungry, that I fed them in whatever capacity that that could be. So much more than would you eat. I just want everybody around me to just feel full, you know, Taryn  just full.

This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.

Related...
A South Carolina man was sentenced to eight years in federal prison on Monday in connection with an illegal gun trafficking operation in Connecticut, the U.S. Attorneys office said.

Marquis Jerome Pollard, 42, of Yemassee, South Carolina, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Stefan R. Underhill in Bridgeport to 96 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release on Monday after he pleaded guilty to two counts of unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon on Oct. 28, 2022.

In the spring of 2021, ATF Task Force officers discovered that Pollard was using individuals in South Carolina to buy firearms which he then sold in Connecticut, according to court records. Undercover investigators reportedly bought a 9mm Glock handgun and a drum magazine from Pollard and Quinn Mooring in New Haven for $1,500 on April 19, 2021, court records said. The handgun was one of five that were purchased by a person at a pawn shop in Port Royal, South Carolina, in March 2021.

Investigators had the buyer under surveillance as he picked up two additional handguns from the Port Royal firearm dealer on May 3, 2021, court records said. He then traveled to a restaurant in Beaufort, South Carolina, where he gave them to Pollard in the parking lot.

As law enforcement officials attempted to arrest Pollard, he fled in his vehicle at a high rate of speed, driving over curbs and on sidewalks, officials said. He was eventually taken into custody in a residential neighborhood after abandoning his car and attempting to run off on foot. Investigators said they recovered three firearms from his vehicle: The two handguns he picked up in the restaurant parking lot and a loaded .40 caliber pistol with a 30-round magazine, according to court records.

Pollards criminal history includes multiple felony convictions, making it illegal for him to possess a firearm or ammunition, the U.S. Attorneys office said.

During the investigation, law enforcement officials learned that Pollard had paid two people to acquire at least 17 firearms for him, court records said. In addition to the two handguns found in Pollards vehicle and the 9mm handgun investigators purchased in New Haven in April 2021, five additional firearms have been recovered: One from a felon in New Haven in June 2021, one found at the scene of a shooting in Hamden, one after it was used in a shooting in New Haven, one from a juvenile in South Carolina after it was used in multiple crimes and one from a person who fled from law enforcement in Hamden earlier this month who also allegedly was in possession of crack cocaine. Nine additional firearms have not been recovered, the U.S. Attorneys office said.

Pollard was charged in both Connecticut and South Carolina. The South Carolina case was transferred to Connecticut for prosecution, the U.S. Attorneys office said. He has been detained since his arrest.

Mooring pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm by a felon on Jan. 13, 2022. He is awaiting sentencing, the U.S. Attorneys office said. The individuals who purchased firearms for Pollard in South Carolina were charged and convicted in South Carolina.
By Hyonhee Shin

SEOUL (Reuters) - Officials from South Korea, the United States and Japan have held their first economic security dialogue, South Korea's presidential office said on Tuesday, amid efforts to strengthen the resilience of supply chains and develop technology.

Though Japan and South Korea are at time uneasy neighbours, the three countries are keen to expand cooperation in various fields in the face of increased global tensions, a more assertive China and an unpredictable North Korea.

"This dialogue is meaningful in expanding bilateral economic security cooperation with the United States to the trilateral level," the office of South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol said in a statement.

"It is expected to strengthen the three countries' major supply chain resilience and crisis response capabilities, and play a role in fostering cooperation to promote and protect key and emerging technologies."

Yoon, U.S. President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida agreed to launch the talks, held in Hawaii on Monday, during a summit in November.

The United States has accused China and Russia of weaponising supply chains to disrupt the global economy and stoke geopolitical tension.

At the talks in Hawaii, the officials discussed exchanges in areas including quantum, bio and space technologies, and ways to step up cooperation to stabilise supply chains for semiconductors, batteries and core minerals, Yoon's office said.

They also discussed cooperation to protect technology and data and vulnerabilities arising from economic interdependence, it added.

(Reporting by Hyonhee Shin; Editing by Robert Birsel)
Updated

South by Southwest Edu returns next week to Austin, Texas, running March 69. As always, the event offers hundreds of panels, discussions, film screenings and workshops on education policy, politics, innovation, and of course, this being 2023, the rise of artificial intelligence.

One keynote session will feature the renowned architect Frank Gehry chatting with his younger sister, educator Doreen Gehry Nelson, about creativity, critical thinking and collaboration in education. In another, pollster John Della Volpe will share new data from the November 2022 midterm elections and discuss how to engage with rising Gen Z leaders.

In yet another, filmmakers will screen a new documentary featuring Oakland-based activist Kareem Weaver, who, fed up with bleak reading scores in his home city, filed a petition with the NAACP demanding change in early reading instruction.

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Theres actually too much to see and hear in the span of just four days, so The 74 has streamlined the selection process. Weve scoured the schedule to highlight a few of the most significant presenters, topics and panels that might be worth your time.

Heres a highly subjective list of 23 sessions you shouldnt miss in 2023:

Monday, March 6:

11:30 a.m.  Are Smartphones the Next Teen Addiction Crisis?: In this session by two educators and a psychologist who treats addiction, panelists will share the neuroscience behind teen brains unique susceptibility to tech  and how adults can help students fight it via a science-based digital media curriculum and resources designed to empower teens to develop healthy relationships with their devices. Learn more.

11:30 a.m.  Developing & Assessing Creative Skills with AI: The LEGO Foundations Bo Stjerne Thomsen joins experts in early childhood education, critical thinking, and game-based learning to discuss how educators can chart student progress in hard-to-measure areas while kids play. This discussion will explore new ways to engage kids in creative play in a way that develops essential skills and new methods for assessing growth. Learn more.

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The LEGO Foundations Bo Stjerne Thomsen and experts in early childhood education, critical thinking and game-based learning will discuss how educators can chart student progress in hard-to-measure areas while kids play. (Stuart C. Wilson/Getty Images)

11:30 a.m.  Beyond School: Designing Education Infrastructure: The lab director of Community & Implementation at Stanford d.school joins two leading philanthropic leaders to explore opportunities for change that happen when we treat our schools as vital pieces of community infrastructure. Panelists will discuss what we unlock when educators draw on what students are capable of across physical space, tech innovation and social connection. Learn more.

1 p.m. Is Virtual Learning the Disruptor Teaching Needs?: The pandemic exposed millions of students to the opportunities and limitations of virtual learning. Three years after the most significant disruption to schooling in recent memory, a panel of educators and advocates ask how virtual learning can reshape how we recruit, train, hire, and deploy teachers and how a virtual education workforce could provide new solutions to ongoing staffing problems. This session is moderated by The 74s Greg Toppo. Learn more.

1 p.m.  The Race to Secure 1 Million Teachers of Color: The pandemic accelerated a looming teacher shortage, with a twist: Just 20% of teachers are people of color, even as non-white students comprise the majority of U.S students, according to the Education Trust. Yet 40% of public schools do not have a single non-white teacher on record. How can we rethink teacher recruitment and training to ensure that teachers represent the students they serve? This panel explores a national initiative to recruit 1 million teachers of color over the next decade. Learn more.

Related: 40% of Americas Public Schools Dont Have a Single Educator of Color. How the New Nonprofit BranchED Is Looking to Rethink That Minority Teacher Pipeline

1:30 p.m.  Building a Bipartisan Path Forward in Education: Polarization in education policy threatens to erode the broad support that schools have long enjoyed. The Aspen Institute and a bipartisan group of state policymakers developed Opportunity to Learn principles to undergird a new, positive bipartisan agenda for improving public education. The panel features Aspens Ross Wiener as well as two state lawmakers (one Democrat and one Republican) to explore how this approach can help rebuild support for public education. Learn more.

2:30 p.m.  Educator Teams: Early Results & HR Implications: Mesa Public Schools, Arizonas largest school district, has committed to building team-based staffing models in half of its schools. It now has 30 schools with innovative staffing models, and early results are promising. This panel features a representative of Mesa schools as well as two scholars from Arizona State University, which is partnering with the district on new ways to address teacher shortages and workforce design. Learn more.

Tuesday, March 7:

10 a.m.  Design-Based Learning Unwrapped: Build Our Future (keynote, livestreamed): In this keynote session, renowned architect Frank Gehry chats with his younger sister, Doreen Gehry Nelson, about their respective careers, sharing their perspectives on the roles that creativity, critical thinking, and collaboration play in education. Gehry Nelson created a well-known method of design-based learning, a teaching methodology that has been applied in K-12 classrooms worldwide since 1969. Learn more.

Architect Frank Gehry will co-lead a session with his younger sister, educator Doreen Gehry Nelson, about their respective careers and discuss the roles that creativity, critical thinking, and collaboration play in education. (Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

11:30 a.m.  Librarians as VIPs: Scaling Media Literacy: In this session, the National Association for Media Literacy Education will discuss implementing train-the-trainer models for scaling media literacy education and instruction in schools, districts and communities. This session is led by Donnell Probst, a NAMLE associate director and former college reference librarian. Learn more.

11:30 a.m.  The Long Game: How We Invest in Education: Adequate school funding is a key to educational attainment, but the benefits dont stop there. It affects earnings, crime and poverty, research shows. Join a panel of experts from the Learning Policy Institute, the Public Policy Institute of California and the Tennessee Department of Education to hear how funding becomes more equitable to ensure better outcomes, especially as schools tap federal pandemic relief funds. This session is led by The Dallas Morning News Eva-Marie Ayala. Learn more.

1 p.m.  K-12 Assessments of the Future: Emerging approaches to demonstrating mastery, as well as advanced computational methods, hold the power to improve assessment while reducing time and administrative costs. Hear leaders across research, government and philanthropy talk about how innovation is creating the assessments of the future. Learn more.

Related: Review: Why You Should Buy into the Sold a Story Podcast

1:30 p.m.  The Right to Read Screening & Q&A: This new documentary film features Oakland-based NAACP activist Kareem Weaver, who was fed up with bleak reading scores in his own community and filed a petition with the NAACP demanding change in early reading instruction. The session also features American Public Medias Emily Hanford, whose breakout podcast Sold a Story: How Teaching Kids to Read Went So Wrong is shining a light on the Science of Reading. Learn more.

2:30 p.m.  Empowering College Hopefuls Through YouTube: For the first time, Arizona State University is offering its courses for credit through YouTube. The partnership, called Study Hall, aims to help potential college-goers navigate higher education by earning credit for their first year of college online. The session features Study Halls Hank Green, a popular YouTuber who has been called one of Americas most popular science teachers. His videos have been viewed more than two billion times on YouTube. Learn more.

3:30 p.m.  Bridging Offline Students Connectivity Barriers: About 15 million students in the U.S. live with unstable internet access  or no access at all. A $65 billion broadband-for-all plan is in place, but the effort isnt expected to reach the last mile for all students until 2030. In the meantime, what are low-barrier options for students without internet access to access carefully curated resources of digital content on their devices? Hear Endless OS Foundations Bunmi Esho talk about alternatives. Learn more.

Wednesday, March 8:

11:30 a.m.  Gen Z Is Here, Are We Ready?: John Della Volpe, director of polling at the Harvard Kennedy School Institute of Politics, has been called one of the worlds leading authorities on global sentiment, opinion, and influence, especially among youth in the age of digital and social media. In this discussion hosted by the Walton Family Foundation, hell share new data from the November 2022 midterm elections and the panel will explore how to engage with rising Gen Z leaders to bring their unique vision for unity and collaboration to fruition. Learn more.

Related: Focused, Angry, Concerned About Creating Justice: Debunking 5 Myths About Generation Z

11:30 a.m.  The Promises & Perils of Artificial Intelligence: In this 90-minute interactive workshop led by Stanford d.school educators, participants will engage in the fundamental concepts underpinning Artificial Intelligence through symbolic play and hands-on design work. Participants will learn how AI can be used to address societal challenges, explore classroom applications, identify ethical implications and prototype different outcomes for social justice and the education system. Learn more.

1 p.m.  Designing Credentials for Innovative School Models: Experts say K-12 schools must increasingly offer education thats personalized, skill-based, and interdisciplinary. But traditional school transcripts are ill-suited to capture the richness of these approaches. This panel discussion by representatives of the Mastery Transcript Consortium, the XQ Institute, the Aurora Institute and Big Picture Learning will explore insights and lessons learned from their credential design efforts. Learn more.

1 p.m.  Unlocking the Power of High-Impact Tutoring: Pandemic learning loss has engendered countless tutoring initiatives nationwide. Could tutoring be not just a short-term fix but an enduring feature of the U.S. education system? And what does research show about the benefits of online and hybrid models? This session, featuring former Tennessee Commissioner of Education Kevin Huffman and current Tennessee Chief Academic Officer Lisa Coons, will look at new research and on-the-ground implementation of evidence-based tutoring programs that improve outcomes for all students, particularly those historically excluded from such services. Learn more.

2:30 p.m. The Trouble with the Superintendency: As the pandemic recedes across the U.S., K-12 superintendents are retiring in droves. Top executive-search firms say business is brisk, with departures as high as any in recent memory. The American Association of School Administrators last fall found that about one in four superintendents had left their jobs in the past year, a marked increase from previous years. In their wake they leave a shallower recruiting pool. So is it time to rethink the superintendent pipeline? Should districts be more engaged in succession planning and growing future superintendents from within? This panel explores Texas school districts that were intentional about developing leaders and whose boards picked high-performing successors from within, allowing the district to keep raising the bar without losing momentum. Learn more.

3:30 p.m.  Awe & Wonder: Learning Design Beyond the Classroom: Educators should be intentionally designing the learning experience, say two experiential learning experts from the Minerva Project, an innovative college program that has made waves in higher education. This workshop will show how they design integrated online and offline immersive experiences that connect the curriculum to the real world using awe and wonder as pedagogically useful tools. Learn more.

4 p.m.  Drag Story Hour: Fight for Queer Herstories: As drag queen story hours come under fire from conservatives nationwide, advocates say its more important than ever to understand their aim: Using drag as a traditional art form to promote literacy, teach about LGBTQ lives and activate childrens imaginations. This session, featuring three drag queens, will discuss the importance of LGBTQ family programming. Learn more.

Thursday, March 9

10 a.m.  How to Prevent School Shootings & Violence: This session features Nicole Hockley of Sandy Hook Promise, who will discuss the groups Know the Signs school shooting and violence prevention programs. The session will bring together leaders who are equipping students with social and emotional skills to spot warning signs in their peers and intervene safely. Learn more.

Sandy Hook Elementary School was the site of one of the worst school shootings in U.S. history. A South by Southwest Edu panel features Nicole Hockley of Sandy Hook Promise and school leaders who are equipping students with social and emotional skills to spot warning signs of future shootings. (TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP via Getty Images)

10 a.m.  Educating Away Hate: In this session, two educators from the Groundswell Project UK will talk about young people and extremism, and how we can best challenge hate narratives in our schools and communities. Groundswell has been working in schools to counter hate narratives from the far-right to Islamism to misogynist extremism and other forms of violence. This session will offer best practices to educate youth on these issues. The session will also include personal testimony and examples of how young people can be misguided into extremist thinking  and how to help support vulnerable young people. Learn more.

Disclosure: The Walton Family Foundation and XQ Institute provide financial support to The 74.
The Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) is returning to the DC area as the 2024 primary contest begins to heat up with the announcements of Donald Trump and Nikki Haley, the first official contenders.

From Wednesday through Saturday, some of the nations most prominent Republicans will address audiences of young activists, party officials, and veteran operatives as they make their respective cases for their own personal brands of conservatism.

Just as notable as those attending the event, however, is the list of those who declined invitations: Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, thought to be one of the strongest potential 2024 GOP primary candidates, will not be attending while former Vice President Mike Pence, also thought to be readying a 2024 bid, has spurned the gathering.

But while the former president is no longer in office and has no official position within the GOP, the four-day event remains notably Trump-themed, with one event even borrowing a name from Mr Trumps memoir, The Art of the Deal.

Lets take a look at the most notable conservatives set to attend CPAC 2023:

Donald Trump

Donald Trump obviously remains the biggest draw in terms of high-profile conservatives at this weeks event. Set to deliver a headline address on Saturday evening, the former president will make his case for the GOP putting its support behind him a third time  or, more likely, he will seek to trash and denigrate his rivals, both actual and potential.

Mr Trump has delivered addresses at several CPAC gatherings and the event has moulded itself around him as he has become the de facto leader of the GOP over the past half decade.

Nikki Haley

The other announced 2024 candidate for the Republican Party with any national prominence, former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley will have her first chance to speak to a large conservative audience since launching her campaign earlier in February.

Shell speak Friday evening, one night before her primary rival (and former boss) Donald Trump.

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Mike Pompeo

The former secretary of State under Donald Trump, Mike Pompeo is not yet officially running for president. But he has been showing all the signs for months, and his speech this week will likely serve as a de facto pitch for his own bid alongside those of Ms Haley and Mr Trump.

Mr Pompeo will speak on Thursday, the only 2024 prospect scheduled to speak that day.

Ted Cruz

Still working to keep his national brand alive after a failed bid for the presidency in 2016, Sen Ted Cruz will host a live taping of his podcast The Verdict on Thursday.

Expect him to wade in to as many culture war topics as he can in a 25-minute timeslot.

Marjorie Taylor Greene

The firebrand conservative congresswoman will be one of CPACs featured speakers this year after previously facing controversy for appearing at an alternative CPAC hosted by white nationalist Nick Fuentes in years past. Its a sign of just how far to the right the GOP and its activist base has shifted in just a few short years.

Shell speak on Friday for just 10 minutes.

JD Vance

The newly-elected senator from Ohio has a position of distinction at this years CPAC: he is the only US Senate candidate to win an open or competitive seat in the 2022 cycle who received Donald Trumps endorsement  others, like Herschel Walker and Dr Mehmet Oz, crashed and burned.

Mr Vance will speak on Thursday.

Jair Bolsonaro

The former president of Brazil who may or may not be evading the prospect of criminal charges stemming from four separate probes by absconding to America after his tenure as president of ended, Jair Bolsonaro is set to address CPAC on Saturday, just hours before his ally Donald Trump.

Elise Stefanik

Ms Stefanik won her seat as chair of the House Republican conference after ousting Liz Cheney from the job over the latters refusal to support Donald Trump after January 6.

Her other reward appears to have been newfound credibility among the far right, and a speaking slot on the final day of CPAC just ahead of Mr Trump himself.

Rick Scott

The upstart Florida senator is not going away quietly after being dropped from the powerful Senate Commerce Committee by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, which Mr Scott says was revenge for a leadership challenge to Mr McConnell last year.

Mr Scott will speak on Thursday, just days after his campaign issued a fundraising plea naming Mr McConnell specifically and vowing to continue resisting leadership.
Spritzer Bhd (KLSE:SPRITZER) Full Year 2022 Results

Key Financial Results

Revenue: RM438.3m (up 32% from FY 2021).

Net income: RM37.0m (up 53% from FY 2021).

Profit margin: 8.4% (up from 7.3% in FY 2021). The increase in margin was driven by higher revenue.

EPS: RM0.18 (up from RM0.12 in FY 2021).

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

Spritzer Bhd Earnings Insights

Looking ahead, revenue is forecast to grow 4.0% p.a. on average during the next 3 years, compared to a 4.5% growth forecast for the Beverage industry in Malaysia.

Performance of the Malaysian Beverage industry.

The company's shares are up 4.9% from a week ago.

Risk Analysis

Don't forget that there may still be risks. For instance, we've identified 1 warning sign for Spritzer Bhd that you should be aware of.

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



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

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Bryan Lin (L), CEO of Huatai Securities (USA), Inc., makes a presentation during a panel discussion organized by the American Chinese Finance Association (ACFA) in New York, the United States, on Feb. 23, 2023. [Photo/Xinhua]



The United States and China have cooperation potential in the financial sector given China's further opening-up, bilateral collaboration between regulators and shared interests in fighting climate change, according to industry insiders and experts.

Cooperation potential



China and the United States could further promote cooperation between their financial institutions, such as in the opening up of financial markets to each other and in currency affairs, said Mingzhi Liu, professor of economics and finance at Tsinghua University PBC School of Finance.

The financial cooperation between the United States and China benefits the two economies and the world at large, said Liu at a panel discussion organized by the American Chinese Finance Association (ACFA) on Thursday.

"Together, China and the United States can do many things," said Liu, citing cooperation in the transition to green energy, financial digitalization and safeguarding stability in the financial markets.

Liu added that the two countries could cooperate in helping emerging markets and developing countries transition toward a greener future through financial means, a view echoed by Jeffrey Ball, scholar-in-residence at Stanford University's Steyer-Taylor Center for Energy Policy and Finance.

To the extent that China decarbonizes its outbound investment, there will be an increased opportunity in markets abroad, not just for Chinese firms but also for American firms, said Ball at the panel.

"There are things that the United States can do given its role in international institutions to support rather than thwart the greening of China's outbound investment," said Ball.

Ball said the desire for people on both sides of the Pacific to cooperate is strong.

"I believe the door of Chinese financial industry opening will be wider and wider, said Liu, "and I hope cooperation between China and the United States in the financial sector will become broader."

Opening-up adds attractiveness



The further opening-up of China's financial sector will bring more opportunities for U.S. players, said Liu.

Liu noted that U.S. financial players have performed well in China, with some expanding businesses in China.

China's switch to a registration-based initial public offering (IPO) system means that China's regulator is allowing the market to play a much bigger role in IPO price discovery and price setting, said Bryan Lin, CEO of Huatai Securities (USA), Inc.

Since the introduction of the qualified foreign institutional investors program in the early 2000s, the Chinese government has made the program more flexible, more user-friendly and therefore more attractive as a tool for foreign investors, Lin said at the panel discussion.

According to Lin, northbound trading under Shanghai-Hong Kong Stock Connect program now accounts for 10 percent to 12 percent of total turnovers in the Shanghai Stock Exchange, up from 2 percent to 3 percent in early 2018.

"Offshore investors' ability to invest was significantly expanded, and we see a lot of activities by international investors," Lin said.

Lin also highlighted the attractiveness of Chinese onshore equities as investors allocate assets globally and seek relative value.

Moreover, the China Securities Regulatory Commission(CSRC) has recently clarified what Chinese companies must do to list overseas, with the variable interest entity structure allowed to continue, said Lin.

Chinese firms issue bonds and stocks in the United States, bringing investment opportunities to U.S. investors and financial institutions, according to Liu.

Last year, North American investors were the largest and most active investors trading in Chinese equities and paying commissions, including the Chinese American depositary receipts listed in the United States, echoed Lin, citing third-party data.

As the U.S. subsidiary of a leading Chinese securities house, Huatai Securities (USA) is expanding its operations, including in hiring more professionals, according to Lin.

The U.S. Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) confirmed in December 2022 that it was able to completely inspect and investigate the accounting firms headquartered in the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong, and thus vacating its relevant determinations made in 2021.

The PCAOB decision, which came a few months after China and the United States entered into an audit oversight cooperation agreement, marked a "watershed event" as it removed the threat of forced delisting and reopened the door to further Chinese IPOs in the form of depository receipts, said Lin.

In the past two years, the two sides have conducted multiple rounds of discussions and negotiations regarding financial regulatory cooperation, which is a good thing, Lin noted.
This essay originally appeared on the Forbes blog.

Congress gave school districts roughly four years to spend a monumental $190 billion in federal ESSER relief aid. Most districts underspent at the front end, leaving the bulk of the cash for the final two years of the aid term that expires in September 2024.

Now, with 20 months remaining, our analysis shows that ESSER spending is indeed in overdrive, with monthly spending double what it was a year ago.

The reaction in some quarters? Mission accomplished: Districts have finally reached a pace that will spend down the funds by the deadline.

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But that response misses the fundamental concerns that emerged in the early months of slow relief fund spending  concerns that are still at issue for students and school systems today.

There was never a worry that the money wouldnt get spent down

The pace of spending matters  but not for the reason many seem to think it does. Those who closely watch school finance know that districts would never leave this flexible money unspent. When faced with a hard spending deadline, it is common for districts to shift expenses normally charged to one fund account over to the one expiring. In the end, even without the budget juggling, this money is so flexible that a district could simply cut checks to its staff in the name of a retention bonus. Voila, money spent.

Rather, the concern with slower spending up front was, and has always been: First, is the money being deployed in a way that gets students back on track? And second, are leaders planning ahead so the district isnt derailed by a fiscal cliff in 2024?

Those financial pressures still exist. In fact, theyre even more intense. Slow spending early on means districts are now deploying over $5 billion per month in what amounts to a gusher of relief funds. Meanwhile, students are still far behind where they should be, especially in math, and chronic absenteeism is making it hard to catch them up.

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Kids need the system to work smarter, nimbler and faster

Recovery work over the next 20 months will be both harder to pull off and higher-stakes. Districts have left themselves little time for onboarding new hires, tweaking programs to ensure theyre working and changing course when they arent. And if the chosen interventions dont do enough to help students, theres precious little time for a do-over.

This means asking districts to work differently, adapt to their current circumstances and quickly meet the needs of their students. We know its possible because some, in fact, have.

San Antonio used pandemic relief aid to launch recovery programs for students nearly two years ago. Similarly, Atlanta moved at warp speed to add more learning time. By summer 2021, Hawaiis statewide district was offering a free summer program for incoming kindergartners to adapt to school after missing preschool and many social interactions. In contrast, in many other districts, students were left waiting a year and a half for systems to roll out help.

Related: Miles Ahead of Other Districts: Using New Dashboard, St. Paul Tracks Learning Recovery Spending  and Adjusts Programs on the Fly

Sure, those districts where spending got a slower start werent violating any rules by backloading spending. But as the aid clock runs down, we need to focus not on what is allowed, but on what investments are showing progress for students. District and school leaders must tap data, map and measure progress, and pivot on a dime to switch gears if an investment isnt impacting learning.

Districts need to plan now to manage the fiscal cliff and protect students

That higher spending in the final months makes for a deeper spending cut come the 2024-25 school year. Typically, when districts make cuts this big in a single year, kids pay the price.

Districts need to plan now so students dont face chaos at the start of the 2024 school year with classrooms and teachers shuffled, programs abruptly dropped, staff demoralized and leaders focusing on nothing but budget woes. Past experience tells us that deep cuts are often inequitable and impact the neediest students the hardest.

First and foremost, districts must forecast their finances without federal relief aid. They should be transparent with staff and the community about the financial implications coming their way.

And they must scour budgets now for any opportunity to lower ongoing costs, like right-sizing the budget for dwindling enrollment (fewer students equals less revenue), reining in escalating benefits costs or phasing out ineffective programs. Where new investments are being made, that means structuring them as non-recurring commitments (e.g., using one-time bonuses or contract labor).

Related: Downsize Schools? Keep Them Open & Hope Students Come Back? With Enrollment Down, Minneapolis & St. Paul Split on How to Spend COVID Relief Funds

No margin for error as the aid clock ticks

The bigger goal was always to convert the relief funds into real value for students. We need our systems to roll up their sleeves and adopt a now-or-never mindset to meet the needs of kids sitting in classrooms today.

The stakes are high for future students, too. If lawmakers in Congress and statehouses dont see clear benefit from the historic $190 billion in federal pandemic spending, getting more money for education going forward could be a tough sell.
Student loan borrowers are left in limbo on the exact date when they will have to begin repayments after a three-year pause from the coronavirus pandemic.

On Tuesday, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments for two cases contesting President Bidens student loan relief program that could give up to $20,000 of relief to millions of Americans.

The justices are now able to release a decision at any time about the fate of student debt relief and start the timer for when student loan payments will begin again.

Back in November when Biden announced he was extending the student loan payment pause into 2023, he essentially tied the resumption of payments to the court releasing a decision on student loan forgiveness.

The president said the payments are set to begin 60 days after the Supreme Court makes its final ruling on student debt relief. However, if the court takes too long to release its ruling, the payments will begin 60 days after June 30 regardless of the high courts actions.

It is unlikely the Supreme Court would release a decision after June 30, as the court typically releases major rulings in May or June.

Regardless, borrowers could prepare themselves to begin their student loan payments during the summer and certainly by the end of August.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
The Supreme Court began hearing arguments on Tuesday brought by six Republican-led states  Missouri, Nebraska, Iowa, Arkansas, Kansas and South Carolina  challenging President Joe Bidens student debt relief plan. The plan would impact millions of borrowers and either decrease or eliminate their loans completely.

But it wont be a quick decision by the court. Heres what we know about the arguments and the potential outcome.

How does the plan work?

The plan, according to the Department of Educations office of Federal Student Aid, would provide up to $20,000 in debt relief to Pell Grant recipients and up to $10,000 for those without a Pell Grant. This only applies to federal loans. Youre eligible if you make less than $125,000 as an individual, or less than $250,000 as a household.

It could impact more than 40 million borrowers  20 million people could see their balances wiped out entirely  who hold $1.6 trillion in outstanding student debt. The Department of Education said 44% of borrowers are between 26 to 39 years old. A third are 40 or older.

Whats the history behind the plan? Howd it get to the Supreme Court?

To enact this plan, President Biden introduced it under the HEROES Act, which was passed by Congress in 2003 after the 9/11 attacks, to ensure that federal student loan borrowers will not be economically disadvantaged during a national emergency, war or disaster. This law says that when a president declares an emergency of that nature, that the secretary of education has the power to waive or modify any statutory or regulatory provision governing student loan programs.

That is how, during the pandemic, both the Trump and Biden administrations were able to pause student loans payments without penalties.

The states in the Biden v. Nebraska case say the president overstepped his authority and that forgiveness threatens the revenue of state entities profiting from student loans.

In the U.S. Department of Education v. Brown case, the justices will hear from two borrowers, one of whom is ineligible and another who doesnt qualify for $20,000 of forgiveness.

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Biden said the relief is critical to borrowers recovering from the economic crisis caused by the pandemic.

Today, my Administration argues our case for student debt relief in the Supreme Court.



This relief is critical to over 40 million Americans as they recover from the economic crisis caused by the pandemic.



We're confident it's legal.



And we're fighting for it in court.  President Biden (@POTUS) February 28, 2023

Were confident its legal, he tweeted Tuesday morning. And were fighting for it in court.

When will we know what the outcome will be?

The Supreme Court began hearing arguments Feb. 28 but theres not a firm date for a decision yet.

The White House extended the pause on student loan repayments, but that will end either 60 days after the courts decision or 60 days after June 30 if no decision has been made.

Is it possible that loan forgiveness wont happen at all?

Yes. The Biden administration isnt commenting on this possibility yet or if its exploring other debt relief options but advocates say there could be other methods if this fails, including through the Higher Education Act.
KHARTOUM (Reuters) -A Sudanese protester was killed on Tuesday after being shot in the chest during a demonstration against military rule, the Central Committee of Sudanese Doctors said in a statement.

Sudanese police said in a statement the shooting was an individual action that went against orders and that legal procedures had been immediately taken against the policeman involved.

The protester, who was killed in the Sharg al-Nil area near Sudan's capital, became the 125th protesters killed in weekly protests set off by a coup in October 2021.

Protesters seen marching towards the presidential palace in Khartoum and neighboring Omdurman were met with tear gas from police, a Reuters witness said.

Khartoum State police said in a previous statement they were investigating the death, and said that protesters had been "aggressive" towards police, using tear gas, rocks, and molotov cocktails, and injured several policemen.

The protests come as military leaders who took over in the coup are negotiating a deal with the civilian political parties previously in power to restore a civilian government.

Most recently, tensions have emerged within the military, with army leaders demanding a clear timeline for the integration of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces as well as a wider group of participants in the negotiation.

Leaders of the Rapid Support Forces have denied the desire for any tension with the military, and said they are committed to forming one army.

The resistance committees who have organized the weekly protests, have rejected the talks as elite dealings, and demand the complete withdrawal of the military from power.

(Reporting by Khalid Abdelaziz and Moaz Abd-Alaziz; Editing by Toby Chopra and Sandra Maler)
DENVER (AP)  Lawyers for a man charged with killing 10 people at a Colorado supermarket in 2021 confirm he has schizophrenia, with one expert finding he was approaching catatonia" before being moved to the state mental hospital for treatment.

The defense information, contained in a court filing earlier this month, provides the clearest picture to date of 23-year-old Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissas mental health. District Attorney Michael Dougherty had mentioned last month that Alissa had been showing symptoms of schizophrenia, a mental disorder which causes people to have trouble understanding reality, but would not elaborate.

In their Feb. 16 brief, Alissa's lawyers said that four psychologists have concluded that Alissa has schizophrenia, with an expert selected by prosecutors concluding that Alissa was approaching catatonia" while he was still in jail. Catatonia can result in people being unable to move or speak at all, they said. That evaluation was done before Alissa was first found mentally incompetent to stand trial in December 2021 and moved to the state mental hospital for treatment. His prosecution has been on hold since then.

Since Alissa was moved, experts have continued to render him incompetent and unfit to proceed because he is unable to understand legal proceedings and participate in his defense, his lawyers said. The lawyers also said Alissa suffers symptoms that are resistant to being treated with medication.

Mr. Alissa still suffers profoundly from these symptoms and they limit his ability to interact. He speaks in repetitive non-responsive answers and cannot tolerate contact with others for more than a very brief period of time, they said.

The defense brief was filed in response to the district attorney's request to allow another prosecution expert to conduct a different kind of evaluation of Alissa. Dougherty alleges that Alissa has refused to participate in some of his treatment at the hospital, including talking about the March 22, 2021, shooting and participating in group sessions and sometimes also refusing one-on-one meetings. He wants a forensic neuropsychological evaluation to be done on Alissa to know if his refusals are the result of mental illness or a conscious choice to not participate.

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Alissa is accused of opening fire outside and inside a King Soopers store in the college town of Boulder, killing customers, workers and a police officer who rushed in to try to stop the attack. Alissa, who lived in the nearby suburb of Arvada, surrendered after another officer shot and wounded him, authorities said.

Alissa is charged with murder and multiple attempted murder counts for also endangering the lives of 26 other people. He has not been asked yet to enter a plea and his lawyers have not commented about the allegations.

Investigators have not revealed a possible motive. They said Alissa passed a background check to legally buy a Ruger AR-556 pistol six days before the shooting.
Student Debt Relief Rally at Supreme Court

People take part in a rally outside the Supreme Court as justices heard arguments on President Biden's student debt relief plan Feb. 28, 2023. Credit - Francis ChungPOLITICO/AP

A majority of Supreme Court justices expressed doubt over whether the Biden Administrations student loan forgiveness plan is legal in back-to-back oral arguments on Tuesday.

Members of the court heard two cases, Biden v. Nebraska and Department of Education v. Brown, during which justices asked questions meant to assess whether the lawsuits had legal standing and whether Biden was overstepping executive authority in canceling up to $20,000 in student loan debt for some 40 million borrowers.

Justices primarily asked questions along ideological lines, though Amy Coney Barrett suggested she could possibly shift in support of Bidens program given her skepticism of arguments that the state of Missouri had standing to bring the case forward on behalf of the financial harm loan servicer MOHELA could incur. Even if she defects, however, that would not be enough to form a majority.

The bottom line, experts say, is that it appears likely student loan forgiveness will get thrown out based on the Supreme Courts desire to limit executive power.

Other than Barrett, I didnt hear another conservative focus on this in a way that showed that this is an issue that were struggling with, Jed Shugerman, a professor who studies executive branch powers at Fordham Law School, says.

What the justices asked

Oral arguments began with a question by Justice Clarence Thomas, who echoed a common theme among the conservative justices: whether there was a clear provision in the Higher Education Relief Opportunities for Students (HEROES) Act that permitted the Secretary of the Department of Education to offer this program. The HEROES Act forms the legal basis for Bidens student loan forgiveness plan. It allows the Education Secretary to waive or modify any statutory or regulatory provision that apply to student financial assistance programs to ensure that those affected by a national emergency are not placed in a worse position financially. In this case, that emergency is the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Chief Justice John Roberts later brought up the major questions doctrine, which requires that agencies have clear congressional authorization when deciding on issues of major national significance. The language of the HEROES Act is notably quite broad, which some left-leaning justices, like Justice Elena Kagan, interpreted as providing clear authority to propose loan forgiveness.

Conservative justices also questioned whether the student loan relief program was fair to borrowers who had already paid off their loans, or to the millions of Americans who decided not to pursue higher education. The line of questioning was brought up based on the plaintiffs behind Department of Education v. Brown, who are suing because they say they were unjustly exempt from some loan forgiveness. (Myra Brown, one of the plaintiffs, is not eligible for any relief, while Alexander Taylor is only eligible for $10,000 instead of the $20,000 given to Pell Grant recipients). They also argue that the program did not have a notice-and-comment period, which would have allowed them to vouch for broader loan-relief.

Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson appeared to reject the fairness issue, saying that the same reasoning could be applied to any federal benefit program. Im thinking about the fact that as a result of COVID-19, we had massive infusions of money given to various companies [and] organizations, clearly authorized because Congress said to do it, Jackson said. Im wondering whether that would be unfair to people who didnt own a company or somebody who didnt have a nonprofit and wasnt getting that money. I just dont know how far we can go with this notion.

Whats at risk?

The ruling would affect young Americans like 28-year-old Ramy Ahmed, who is one of the 16 million people who the Department of Education approved for loan forgiveness. None of those borrowers have received aid because of the legal challenges. Ahmed currently owes some $30,000 in student loans, and could see up to $20,000 wiped away should Bidens loan relief plan persevere.

Even though Ahmed considers himself fortunate to work in a high-paying profession as an account executive, he says hes barely scratching the surface when it comes to paying off his loans. Im at an age right now where Im trying to develop a financial nest. And if I just have to pay more out of pocket every month then thats just gonna make all the other financial decisions I make tougher, Ahmed tells TIME.

Experts such as Genevieve Bonadies Torres, the associate director of the educational opportunities project at the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, warn that the consequences of the Supreme Court striking down Bidens loan relief plan will be disproportionately felt by people of color.

The compounding effects of those harms will mean that groups wont be able to get on proper footing for a thriving economy and having the educational opportunities that they need and deserve, Torres tells TIME. It will result in exacerbating the racial disparities, that were both rooted in a pandemic and also predated the pandemic.

Cases during this term are normally resolved around June and July, but since the justices decided to expedite the loan forgiveness cases, there is a possibility an opinion could be released before then.
Whether millions of Americans will see up to $20,000 of their student loan debt forgiven may hinge on the legal ties between the Missouri government and the Missouri Higher Education Loan Authority.

In more than two hours of oral arguments Tuesday, the U.S. Supreme Courts conservative justices appeared skeptical of whether the Biden administration plan that would eliminate more than $400 million in student loan debt and potentially affect up to 43 million Americans.

The Biden plan focuses on people who make less than $125,000 and would wipe out up to $10,000 of their debt or up to $20,000 for those who received grants aimed at low-income families.

More than 16 million Americans, including 305,000 Missourians and 143,000 Kansans have already been deemed eligible to have some of their loans forgiven. If the high court sides with Biden, their debt would be forgiven within weeks.

But before the court can determine whether the Biden administration was allowed to make a sweeping change to the student loan program under a post-9/11 era law originally aimed at helping members of the military, it has to decide if the six Republican-leaning states challenging Bidens policy  led by Nebraska and including both Kansas and Missouri  were harmed directly enough by the policy in order to sue.

That argument focused mostly on Missouris role in the case and its relationship with MOHELA, the student loan servicing provider it created in 1981.

Missouri law treats MOHELA as a separate corporation, meaning it cant be held liable for lawsuits against the agency. U.S. Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar argued that Missouri specifically set the loan provider up to operate separately, as its own institution, with the ability to sue and be sued.

Justice Samuel Alito, one of the courts conservatives, appeared skeptical that it would matter whether MOHELA is a separate corporate entity from the state.

Shouldnt the test be more that relationship between MOHELA and Missouri, that an injury to MOHELA will necessarily be an injury to the state? Alito asked.

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Nebraska Solicitor General James Campbell argued that there is harm to MOHELA, and by extension Missouri, if Bidens policy goes into place. He said they would see an estimated 40% reduction to their operating revenue. He said any money the agency makes goes to scholarship programs for Missourians  so if the program lost revenue, it would no longer be able to fund scholarship programs.

The liberal justices repeatedly pointed out that MOHELA had the ability to bring a lawsuit on its own behalf and that the state didnt have to sue for them. Justice Elena Kagan pointed out that attorneys for the states had to get information from MOHELA using Missouris Sunshine Law.

Your honor, thats a question of state politics, Campbell said, when asked why MOHELA wasnt the one bringing the case.

The court currently has a 6-3 conservative majority. Most of the conservative justices didnt directly address the arguments about standing. Chief Justice John Roberts appeared to focus on whether Bidens policy could be considered a significant economic and political action, which would mean it would need clear direction from Congress.

Justices are grappling with two big picture issues  the separation of powers and whether the executive branch has the ability to implement a policy that could cost the federal government hundreds of millions without direct Congressional approval and what states need to prove in order to challenge federal policies in a moment where Americans increasingly see the Supreme Court as a political entity.

We really have to be concerned about jumping into the political fray unless its prompted by a lawsuit where someone is injured, said Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, the newest justice and Bidens sole appointee to the nine-member court.

Both Republican and Democratic state attorneys general have made it a practice of suing the federal government over policies they dont support when the opposite party controls the White House, often turning it into something they can tout on the campaign trail. Missouri joined the suit under Sen. Eric Schmitt, a Republican who was attorney general at the time and actively campaigning for U.S. Senate.

Schmitt said he thinks if the court focuses on whether the Biden administration overstepped his powers, it will have a major impact in cases before the court.

I think long term, getting these decisions back to Congress is something Im focused on, Schmitt said. Because if its such a good idea, this is something Congress should be voting on.

And student loan debt is certainly political. Biden promised during his 2020 presidential campaign that he would cancel student loan debt. Advocates who support eliminating student loan debt rallied outside of the Supreme Court building on Tuesday morning, donning yellow winter hats.

One of the speakers was Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas, who said canceling student loan debt is equitable and the right thing for the country.

In my city, hardworking families everyday are trying to build businesses, build careers and do they run into? Staggering debt that holds them back, Lucas said.

Lucas office is officially nonpartisan, but he often clashes with state-level Republicans in Missouri and has emerged as an ally of the Biden administration.

Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey, a Republican who has stuck with the case after taking over for Schmitt, said the plan doesnt cancel student debt, it just shifts who has to pay for it.

As a combat veteran, I paid for my education in blood, sweat, and tears, so this unconstitutional redistribution of wealth is personal for me, Bailey said. Its a slap in the face to every working American who made a different choice, and my office will use every legal tool at our disposal to halt any attempt by the Biden Administration to saddle Missourians with other peoples debt.

Star reporter Jonathan Shorman contributed to this article.
The Supreme Courts conservative justices cast doubt on President Bidens student debt forgiveness plan during oral arguments on Tuesday in a pair of challenges to the administrations relief program.

In the first case, Biden v. Nebraska, a majority of the justices appeared skeptical that Congress gave clear enough authorization for the Biden administration to forgive billions of dollars in student debt.

But conservative Justice Amy Coney Barrett joined the courts three liberals in questioning whether a group of Republican-led states had legal standing to challenge Bidens plan.

Conservative Justice Amy Coney Barrett (Greg Nash)

The administration has tied the plan, which forgives up to $20,000 in relief for qualifying borrowers, to the national emergency established during the pandemic.

U.S. Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar, representing the administration, cited the Higher Education Relief Opportunities for Students, or HEROES, Act, which was passed following the 9/11 terror attacks to aid Iraq and Afghanistan veterans, although it also applies to national emergencies.

The law gives the Education secretary authority to waive or modify federal student financial assistance programs as the Secretary deems necessary in connection with a war or other military operation or national emergency.

Were talking about half-a-trillion dollars and 43 million Americans. How does that fit under the normal understanding of modify? asked Chief Justice John Roberts, who repeatedly stressed the large price tag during the argument.

Group challenging student debt relief: Biden administration giving universities blank check

Fellow conservative Justice Brett Kavanaugh cautioned, Some of the biggest mistakes in the courts history were deferring to assertions of executive emergency power. Some of the finest moments in the courts history were pushing back against presidential assertions of emergency power.

A number of justices referenced the major questions doctrine, which requires Congress to speak clearly when authorizing an agency to decide matters of vast economic and political significance.

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Prelogar conceded that the plan is politically significant, but she argued that Congress in passing the HEROES Act foresaw the Education secretary discharging debt during times of national emergency.

Justice Sonia Sotomayor pushed back on Robertss balking at the plans price tag, noting the lack of legal challenges when the Biden and Trump administrations used HEROES Act authority to pause student debt payments.

The forbearance of pay is $5 billion a month or something like that? asked Sotomayor. Its an outrageous sum, and yet no one is disputing that. The secretary has that power. Its not the amount of money, the question is whats Congresss intent?

Supreme Court justices Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan (AP Photo/Win McNamee)

Justice Elena Kagan similarly said, Congress could not have made this much more clear, while conservatives including Justice Clarence Thomas noted that other provisions explicitly grant the department authority to discharge debt.

Although the courts conservative majority appeared deeply skeptical on the merits of Bidens plan, the case is likely to turn on whether the states had legal standing, meaning the capacity to sue.

Much of that debate focuses on the plans purported financial harm to the Higher Education Loan Authority of the State of Missouri (MOHELA), one of the nations largest student loan servicers, and if it gives Missouri standing to bring the challenge.

Nebraska Solicitor General James Campbell, representing the states, argued Missouri speaks for the loan servicer. Even if it didnt, Missouri would be harmed if MOHELA loses revenue and cant make payments it owes to the state, he said.

The state has not pressed MOHELA to put money into the fund, countered liberal Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, noting that the loan servicer has already extended the timeline for making payments it already owes.

Top 5 questions surrounding Biden student loan forgiveness fight at Supreme Court

Barrett and the courts three liberals noted that Missouri law immunizes the state from being responsible for MOHELAs debts and probed as to why MOHELA itself did not bring the suit.

Why didnt you just strong-arm MOHELA? asked Barrett.

Sotomayor said, It would be odd for us to have a state say, Were creating a corporation. Were not going to be responsible for its debts. Were not going to be responsible for any of its contracts. Were not going to be responsible for anything that does financially. And the state itself says this is not the state, its an independent corporation. And were going to say instead, that it is the state?

The justices also heard a second challenge to the debt relief, Department of Education v. Brown, in which two individual challengers who did not qualify for the full $20,000 in relief similarly asserted that the Biden administration overstepped its authority.

In those arguments, the conservative justices focused on the fairness of the program to those who did not qualify, and if the debt relief was a necessity.

Why is it fair? If it was  if you didnt have to do it? Why is it in the answer to say that it was warranted? Maybe it was warranted, but why was it done? I guess you dont want to answer the question, Alito told Prelogar.

Prelogar emphasized the millions of borrowers who would receive debt relief from the program and data from the government showing that without the relief, there would be a surge of defaults and delinquency on student loans.

The liberal justices hammered the challengers claim that the Department of Education had to give a notice-and-comment period for the debt relief.

The HEROES Act specifically says no notice and comment. No negotiated rulemaking, specifically  says theres going to be an emergency. So were waiving those procedural requirements. So, you know, you might think that Congress made a wrong call there. But thats Congresss call, Sotomayor said.

Decisions in both cases are expected by late June.

Updated at 2:24 p.m.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
WASHINGTON  The Supreme Court's conservative wing signaled deep skepticism Tuesday over President Joe Biden's plan to wipe away $400 billion in student loan debt, suggesting the administration may have overstepped its authority by creating a program estimated to benefit more than 40 million borrowers.

Over the course of several hours, a majority of the justices repeatedly turned to questions about the law Biden relied on to create the program  and whether the law gave him that power. The court will not issue its decision in the two cases until later this year and the position justices signal at arguments don't always predict the outcome of the case.

Six conservative states and two borrowers sued over the program and there has been considerable debate, heading into the arguments, over whether they were the right parties to sue. But that issue largely took a backseat to broader questions about Biden's authority.

"We take very seriously the idea of separation of powers and that power should be divided to prevent its abuse, Cheif Justice John Roberts said. This is a case that presents extraordinarily serious, important issues about the role of Congress and about the role that we should exercise in scrutinizing that significance."

Recap: Supreme Court's conservative justices signal skepticism of Biden's loan forgiveness plan

Here's a look at what's happening at the Supreme Court.

Biden administration appeals to high stakes as SCOTUS oral arguments conclude

The Supreme Court concluded oral arguments in the student loan debt forgiveness cases after three and half hours with Bidens lawyer citing the high stakes" in her closing remarks.

Pivoting from the legal arguments, U.S. Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar made an emotional appeal about the tens of millions of student loan borrowers in this country who were devastated financially by the COVID-19 pandemic. She said they will be hurt even more financially after Bidens freeze on student loan repayments ends.

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Ninety percent of the borrowers covered by Bidens plan make $75,000 or less, she said. Twenty-six million Americans have applied for debt forgiveness and 16 million have been approved.

For those Americans, this is a critical lifeline to ensure that they are not subject to the severe negative consequences of delinquency and default on student loan debt, Prelogar said. And the relief for these Americans has been held up by two student loan borrowers who don't even have standing and whose claims fail on the merits.

 Joey Garrison

What is the Federal Family Education Loan Program? And what does it have to do with the mass forgiveness plan?

Myra Brown, one of the plaintiffs in the suit backed by the Job Creators Network Foundation, holds debt issued through the Federal Family Education Loan program.

This is a specific type of student loan backed by the federal government but held by private entities. The program has since been discontinued as the government now directly issues student loans. But many people still carry debt in the form of a FFEL loan.

Borrowers in the FFEL program were cut out of the administrations mass debt forgiveness plan. When the plan was first announced, they had been able to consolidate their debts into a loan owned directly by the federal government. That transfer would then allow borrowers to access the debt relief program.

But by Sept. 29, 2022, the administration barred FFEL borrowers from relief even through consolidation. That move followed one of the many lawsuits filed to challenge Biden's mass debt forgiveness plan.

MOHELA, the quasi-state agency based in Missouri, oversees these FFEL loans in addition to direct loans. The justices have debated what role the loan servicer should play in the litigation.

 Chris Quintana and Nirvi Shah

Elena Kagan, Ketanji Brown Jackson lean toward Biden plan on fairness concerns

Associate Justice Elena Kagan participates in a panel discussion with Hari Osofsky, dean of the Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law, in the Law School's Thorne Auditorium on Sept. 14, 2022.

Two of the high court's liberal justices, appearing to side with the Biden administration, pushed back at criticism from some of the conservative justices that the Biden student loan debt forgiveness program is unfair.

"Congress passed a statute that dealt with loan repayment for colleges, and it didn't pass a statute that dealt with loan repayment for lawn businesses, Associate Justice Elena Kagan said. And so, Congress made a choice and that may have been the right choice or it may have been the wrong choice, but that's Congress's choice."

Associate Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson also questioned the fairness argument.

I just don't know how far we can go with this notion of, to the extent that the government is providing much-needed assistance to people in an emergency, it's going to be unfair to those who don't get the same benefit.

 Joey Garrison

How much would the student loan forgiveness plan cost?

Estimates for the overall cost of the program vary, but the Congressional Budget Office estimated the plan would cost about $400 billion. The agency, however, said its estimate was highly uncertain. The Committee for a Responsible Federal, a nonprofit, put the cost of the forgiveness plan at about $360 billion.

 Chris Quintana

More: Biden's student loan forgiveness will cost US about $400 billion, CBO estimates

John Roberts, Samuel Alito raise concerns about 'fairness' with Biden's plan

Chief Justice John Roberts raised what he called the fairness argument, echoing a common criticism from opponents of President Bidens student loan program who argue it punishes Americans who couldnt afford college or worked hard to pay off their loans.

Roberts introduced a hypothetical situation of two high school graduates, neither of whom could afford college. One took out a loan to attend. The other started a lawn care business with help from a bank loan instead of going to college.

At the end of four years, we know statistically, that the person with the college degree is going to do significantly financially better over the course of life than the person without, Roberts said. And then along comes the government and tells that person, you don't have to pay your loan.

Roberts said the person who started a lawn care service still had to pay off their business loans even though his tax dollars are going to support the forgiveness of the loan for the college graduate who is going to make a lot more than him over the course of his lifetime.

Associate Justice Samuel Alito echoed those concerns. I think it's a fair question to say, what is your clients view about the fairness question that some people have posed, and that was really reiterated for you by the chief justice?

U.S. Solicitor Genreal Elizabeth Prelogar responded by saying that Congress, by passing the HEROES Act, has made the judgment that the education secretary can provide student loan relief during emergencies like the COVID-19 pandemic.

You can make this critique of every prior exercise of HEROES Act authority, she said.

 Joey Garrison

John Roberts: 'More than half the people' don't need help on student loans

Chief Justice John Roberts pressed the Biden administration on its own findings that more than half of borrowers predicted they would be able to repay their loans  and suggested, given that, Congress should be the entity that decided how to structure the program.

"If more than half the people say they don't need this relief, extending relief to that breadth certainly raises questions," Roberts argued.

Elizabeth Prelogar, the Biden administration's attorney, countered that in some higher income brackets that might be the case but not so much for Americans making less money.

 John Fritze and Joey Garrison

Crowd outside Supreme Court thins, though feelings on loan forgiveness remain strong

Maggie Bell, 24 and the organizer of a group called Cancel Loans for Education and Restoration, graduated from Albany State University, a Georgia HBCU.

A crowd of largely Black and Latino students, borrowers, advocates and politicians started to dissipate after an hours-long rally for loan forgiveness in front of the Supreme Court. Against a backdrop of Bob Marley music, activists had begun packing away their signs reading "Drop the Debt," "Student Debt Cancellation Is Legal," "Dreams Not Debt" and "C.L.E.A.R. My Student Loans."

C.L.E.A.R. stands for Cancel Loans for Education and Repartioand is a campaign by the New Georgia Project, the state's largest civic engagement group. Students and borrowers with the group arrived at the rally, which featured a slate of high-profile speakers, late, their overnight bus from Georgia having run into some hiccups along the way.

Maggie Bell, the group's lead organizer, said she wasn't fazed by the travel snafu nor the lukewarm prospects of a supportive ruling from the court. "We're going to see cancellation through now," she said, noting the group rallied for forgiveness outside the White House and U.S. Education Department last year. "We didn't start this not to see it finish."

Bell, 24, attended Albany State University, a Georgia HBCU, with a Pell Grant and has roughly $40,000 in debt. Of that, $30,000 is in the form of federal loans, so Biden's proposal to erase $20,000 of her debt would be life-changing.

Such relief would be particularly vital for Black and Brown borrowers, Bell said. Black borrowers, for example, generally take on more student debt than their white counterparts.

"We get sold on this idea of the American Dream, where you get your degree and then it's open access to your dream career, dream car, house, starting a family," she said. Loan forgiveness, she continued, could serve as a form of reparations for these communities.

 Alia Wong

More: Student debt relief blocked, potentially hurting Black and Latino families the most

Prelogar: If Biden could postpone student loan debt payments, he can cancel debt

U.S. Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar pushed back against the plaintiffs claims that Biden abused his power granted in the Heroes Act, likening the cancelation of student loan debt to postponing loan repayments, which was allowed under the same law.

This is how secretaries across administrations have implemented the Heroes Act, Prelogar said.

She argued that to suggest Bidens forgiveness of student loan debt creates a brand-new program, as argued by Nebraska and other states that sued the Biden administration, would leave very little room for the Heroes Act to operate at all.

Prelogar added: The fact that there are already statutory provisions for things like deferment and forbearance and discharge demonstrates that Congress could foresee that all of those are ways that you grant financial relief to student loan borrowers.

 Joey Garrison

Many borrowers will still owe even if Biden plan allowed to go forward

Nebraska Solicitor General James Campbell stated that 20 million borrowers would be left without student loan balances if the debt forgiveness were approved. That matches figures the Biden administration has shared previously.

However, many borrowers would still have at least $20,000 in student loan debt if Bidens plan were allowed to stand  even if they received the full $20,000 of relief. According to data from the Education Department, roughly 11.7 million borrowers owe more than $40,000.

 Chris Quintana

Amy Coney Barrett, liberal justices piling on over standing

Associate Justice Amy Coney Barrett speaks at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library Foundation in Simi Valley, Calif., April 4, 2022.

Associate Justice Amy Coney Barrett is one of the first conservatives in this section of the argument to wade into whether the states have standing to sue.

The states argue, in part, that a state-created entity known as MOHELA that services student loans would lose revenue under the plan. But MOHELA, a quasi-state agency in Missouri, didnt actually bring the lawsuit. Missouri did.

A key question for the court is whether Missouri can sue on behalf of MOHELA.

Barrett, a Trump nominee who has twice before dismissed emergency cases the challenging loan plan, pressed the states on the point.

Do you want to address why MOHELAs not here? Barrett asked. If MOHELA is an arm of the state, why didn't you just strong arm MOHELA and tell them to pursue the case?

Campbell, who is representing the states, said that is a question of state politics.

Barretts comments came after the courts liberal wing also pressed hard on whether the six conservative states that have sued over Bidens student loan forgiveness program have standing to sue. If the court decides the states were not actually harmed by the plan, then Biden could win the case on a procedural point.

 John Fritze

Next up in SCOTUS oral arguments: Nebraskas James Campbell

More than an hour into the Supreme Courts oral arguments over Bidens student loan forgiveness plan, the states who are suing over the $400 billion proposal now get their say.

The states are being represented by Nebraska Solicitor General James Campbell.

Campbell is likely to face a series of difficult questions from the courts liberal wing  and perhaps some of its conservatives as well  over whether the plaintiffs in the cases were actually harmed by Bidens plan. If the answer to the question is "no" for all the plaintiffs, Biden would eke out a narrow win.

A key signal to watch in this portion of the argument: How much the courts conservatives jump into the fray over standing.

The secretary is attempting to bypass Congress on one of todays most debated policy questions, Campbell told the court.

 John Fritze

What is the major questions doctrine?

Conservative legal thinkers have been pushing for years to curb the "administrative state," arguing that federal agencies should have less power to act unless there's clear congressional approval. The Supreme Court has been bolstering that effort by relying on something called the "major questions doctrine" to decide high-profile cases.

Under that doctrine, courts can invalidate regulations that have a major effect on the economy, are a matter of great "political significance" and are not explicitly authorized in the law  though no one is entirely sure how to define those terms. The Biden administration says the doctrine doesn't even apply in the student loan case because the law, they say, is clear on its own. The plaintiffs disagree.

The same doctrine was used in 2021 to prevent Biden from extending an eviction moratorium tied to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Supreme Court struck down the moratorium, ruling Congress couldn't have contemplated the law leading to a halt of evictions.

 John Fritze

More: Biden's ability to bypass Congress, starting with student debt relief, faces 'major' legal hurdle

Brett Kavanaugh: Student loan forgiveness program seems problematic under precedent

Associate Justice Brett Kavanaugh, speaking for the first time during the Supreme Court oral arguments, pressed the Biden administration on why the student loan program shouldnt suffer the same fate as other executive actions the court has struck down.

Congress, Kavanaugh said, could havereferred to loan cancellation in the law, but it didnt. Instead, Kavanaugh said, the administration relied on general language in an old statute to create a massive new program.

That seems problematic, under Supreme Court precedent, Kavanaugh said. Why does this case not fit into that formula that weve seen before?

Long considered at the center of the court  and occasionally a gettable vote for the courts liberal wing  Kavanaugh is always an important justice to watch in the arguments. He can also be sometimes hard to read, asking tough questions of both sides.

 John Fritze

What is the HEROES Act?

Many of the justices are probing the power associated with the HEROES Act of 2003. The statute was enacted after 9/11. That law, the administration argues, gives the education secretary the ability to waive or modify student loans during a national emergency. That, in turn, would give the administration the ability to discharge debt en masse due to the pandemic.

The states argue the law does not give the secretary the ability to erase debt.

The HEROES Act has also been used as the justification for the ongoing pause on federal student loan payments. Those obligations were first paused in March 2020 under former President Donald Trump's administration at the onset of the pandemic. Both administrations extended the moratorium  which included setting interest rates on federal student loans at zero percent  multiple times. That pause could last through August depending on when the court issues its opinion deciding the two cases challenging the debt forgiveness plan.

 Chris Quintana

John Roberts drills Biden administration over separation of powers

In a troubling sign for the prospects of Bidens student loan program, Chief Justice John Roberts smacked down the central premise of the administration's legal argument: that the president had the authority to act unilaterally to wipe out student loan debt without Congress.

"We take very seriously the idea of separation of powers and that power should be divided to prevent its abuse, Roberts said.

Roberts said the student loan case reminded him of a case in 2020 in which the Supreme Court, in a 5-4 decision, blocked unilateral action by former President Donald Trump to dismantle the Obama-era DREAMers program for undocumented immigrants.

This is a case that presents extraordinarily serious, important issues about the role of Congress and about the role that we should exercise in scrutinizing that significance, he said.

 Joey Garrison

How much federal student loan debt is there?

People rally in support of the Biden administration's student debt relief plan in front of the the Supreme Court on February 28, 2023, in Washington, D.C.

According to the Education Department's most recent figures from the fourth quarter of 2022, there are 43.5 million federal student loan borrowers who hold about $1.63 trillion in debt. That figure has steadily grown in recent years, and is more than double the $516 billion owed by 28.3 million borrowers in 2007.

The Biden administration has estimated that roughly 40 million borrowers are eligible for itsmass forgiveness program.

 Chris Quintana

Freshman year, and already deep in debt

Justice Stanton, left, and Antwan McPherson, both 19 and freshmen at North Carolina A&T, stand outside the Supreme Court Tuesday, hoping that President Joe Biden's student loan debt forgiveness plan isn't permanently blocked.

Antwan McPherson and Justice Stanton, both 19, came to Washington from North Carolina for the day to rally for student debt forgiveness  even though it won't apply to them.

The two students at North Carolina A&T are still freshmen and have already accumulated thousands in debt. "I've come to understand early how much debt I'll have if I continue on," said McPherson, who's from Chicago and chose to attend the North Carolina school because it was a relatively inexpensive Historically Black College and University (HBCU).

Even if he gets a minimum wage job after college, he said, he wouldn't be able to pay off what he owes. "Say you make a certain amount in a year, you really don't make that amount because you're paying it back," he said. "So you work hard just to pay it back."

McPherson said he's "not too optimistic" about the prospects of Biden's debt cancellation plan given the conservative leanings of the high court.

Stanton, however, is more hopeful "that our efforts aren't going to waste."

"I don't think it's fair that as students, most of us being so young, that we have such a burden of paying all these debts and we barely have our lives figured out," Stanton said.

Debt "could limit me in terms of whether I want a house in the future, my career, if I wanted to open a business," Stanton continued. "It all would be way harder if I have to pay back money just for an education that should be free."

 Alia Wong

What is MOHELA?

The Justices have gone back and forth over the role of the Higher Education Loan Authority of the State of Missouri, or, as its better known, MOHELA. It's a quasi-state agency in Missouri that services federal loans nationally.

The Justices asked if MOHELA suffering financial losses as a result of the debt forgiveness program would be enough for Missouri to bring a case against the federal government. MOHELA has previously stated it did not have a role in Missouris litigation.

MOHELA is also the servicer that manages the federal governments Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program, an initiative meant to erase the debt of those working in the public sector.

 Chris Quintana

Elizabeth Prelogar: Who is the Biden administration's attorney?

Elizabeth Prelogar

The Biden administration is being represented by U.S. Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar, who has been serving in the position since 2021.

Sometimes referred to as the "10th justice," the solicitor general leads a team of lawyers who argue before the Supreme Court on behalf of the federal government and decide whether to appeal lower court rulings when the government is a party to a lawsuit.

Prelogar, a former Fulbright fellow and Harvard Law School graduate, clerked for Attorney General Merrick Garland, then a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. She also clerked for two Supreme Court associate justices, Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Elena Kagan.

 John Fritze

More: Senate confirms Elizabeth Prelogar as government's top Supreme Court lawyer

Early questions from conservatives signal opposition to Biden

Three members of the Supreme Courts conservative wing  Chief Justice John Roberts, and Associate Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito  have focused heavily on whether the Biden administration had the authority to execute its student loan forgiveness plan.

Its very early in the arguments  a lot can shift over the course of the next several hours  but its not a great sign for Biden that theres so much focus on the merits of the case rather than a debate about whether the correct plaintiffs filed suit in the case.

Alito zeroed in on an argument Biden has been making: That the courts difficult-to-meet standard for when a president can act alone shouldnt apply. The administration had asserted that the standard had previously been used to assess regulations, not benefit programs.

Drawing a distinction between benefits programs and other programs seems to presume that when it comes to the administration of benefits programs, a trillion dollars here, trillion dollars there, doesn't really make that much difference to Congress," Alito said.

 John Fritze

Justices question 'half a trillion' cost of Bidens actions

Justices pressed the Biden administration's lawyer on the projected $400 billion cost of Bidens action to forgive student loan debt, suggesting such a move goes beyond the 2003 Heroes Act that allows the president to waive or modify loan provisions.

Congress shouldn't have been surprised when half a trillion dollars is wiped off the books? Chief Justice John Roberts said.

Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor, one of the three liberal justices, echoed Roberts questioning: How do you deal with? That seems to favor the argument that this a major challenge, Sotomayor said.

U.S. Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar said canceling student loan debt is not based on regulatory authority but the administration of a benefits program.

Its perfectly logical for Congress to broadly empower the executive to provide benefits, especially in a crisis situation or an emergency like we've seen with COVID-19, she said.

 Joey Garrison

Clarence Thomas, John Roberts use first questions to question Bidens power

Associate Justice Clarence Thomas started off the arguments Tuesday questioning under what authority the administration seeks to cancel student loans. The law Biden relied on gives the administration power to waive or modify loan provisions.

Is what Biden did a waiver or a modification, Thomas pressed. Theres no explicit provision in the law that allows the loans to be cancelled, Thomas pointed out.

Chief Justice John Roberts picked up that same argument.

Were talking about half a trillion dollars and 43 million Americans, Roberts said. How does that fit under the normal definition of modify?

 John Fritze

Supreme Court arguments underway in Biden student loan forgiveness plan

The Supreme Courts arguments over President Joe Biden's student loan program got underway a little after 10:10 a.m. ES.T Representing the Biden administration, and starting off the arguments, is Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar.

Prelogar told the court that without the plan, defaults and delinquencies will surge. Congress expressly authorized the loan forgiveness during emergencies, she said.

 John Fritze

Ketani Brown Jackson hands down first merits opinion

Associate Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson stands as she and members of the Supreme Court pose for a group portrait following at the Supreme Court in Washington, D.C., Oct. 7, 2022.

Associate Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson handed down her first merits opinion Tuesday in a battle between states over who gets the proceeds of abandoned money orders.

Jackson wrote for a unanimous court that as a general matter the proceeds should go to the state where the product was purchased. By tradition, the court tries to assign the least senior justice an opinion that is unanimous.

 John Fritze

Affirmative action: What Justice Jackson's recusal from Harvard case means for Black students

Hundreds gather outside Supreme Court for student loan forgiveness debate

Eliana Reed, 26, stands outside the Supreme Court as justices heard arguments about President Joe Biden's student loan debt forgiveness plan.

Hundreds of protesters gathered outside the Supreme Court on Tuesday ahead of the arguments about Biden's student loan forgiveness program  most of whom appeared to support the plan.

Some carried signs that read "Cancel Student Debt." Others proclaimed that "Student debt cancellation is illegal." They chanted phrases throughout, such as "D-E-B-T, student debt is crushing me!" and "Education is a right!"

The turnout appeared to be the largest since the high court held arguments last year in the blockbuster affirmative action cases.

Eliana Reed, 26, said efforts to preserve Biden's debt relief program are a "no brainer." That millions of Americans are subject to insurmountable debt they're unable to pay off with their jobs "feels so obviously wrong," said Reed, who has about $17,000 in student debt left.

The issue "taps into so many different groups of people."

 John Fritze and Alia Wong

Supreme Court denied student loan challenges before

Before the Supreme Court scheduled arguments in Tuesdays student loan cases, it had twice before balked at lawsuits challenging the program.

Associate Justice Amy Coney Barrett in November denied a challenge to the loan forgiveness program from a conservative legal group on behalf of two people entitled to "automatic" cancellation of their debt. The plaintiffs claimed that the automatic cancellation would create "excess tax liability under state law."

A month earlier, the court batted away a lawsuit from a Wisconsin taxpayer group.

The reason there are so many lawsuits is that groups opposed to the program have been attempting to find a plaintiff who has standing  in other words, who can demonstrate they are injured by the effort in a way that allows them to challenge it in federal court.

Whether the current plaintiffs have standing will be a central part of the argument Tuesday as well.

 John Fritze

More: Biden will be playing defense on student loans at the Supreme Court. Here's why.

Biden: 'I have your back' on student loans

Biden addressed the student loan litigation briefly during remarks Monday night.

My administration is making our case to the Supreme Court, and Im confident the legal authority to carry out that plan is there, the president said at a White House ceremony celebrating Black History Month. I promise you. I have your back.

 Joey Garrison

Plaintiffs: 'There is a student loan crisis'

New graduates line up before the start of a community college commencement in East Rutherford, N.J., on May 17, 2018.

The plaintiffs challenging Biden's student loan forgiveness plan acknowledge that the current student loan system isn't working. They just don't think Biden's plan will fix it.

"There is a student loan crisis in this country," Karen Harned, chief legal officer for the Job Creators Network Foundation, said on a call with reporters Monday. "But this crisis cannot and will not be solved by the president creating a $400 billion program behind closed doors without any input from Congress or the American people."

Questions: Is Biden's student debt forgiveness plan dead?

Rough ride ahead: Biden will be playing defense on student loans at Supreme Court

The group is representing two borrowers: One who didn't qualify for forgiveness because her loans are held by a private, commercial entity and another who didn't qualify for the maximum possible relief because he wasn't a Pell Grant recipient.

Biden's proposal would wipe away $20,000 worth of debt for borrowers who also used a Pell Grant to pay tuition. Pell Grants are awarded to students from low-income families. He also wants to erase $10,000 in debt for most other borrowers.

 John Fritze

Plan B on student loan forgiveness? White House won't say.

With many experts predicting President Joe Biden is in for a rough argument Tuesday over his $400 billion student loan forgiveness plan, a natural question has come up repeatedly in recent days: Is there a Plan B if the administration's effort is ultimately struck down?

Give points to White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre for answering the question consistently: "We are very much confident in our legal authority here," Jean-Pierre told reporters Monday  echoing the answer she gave to the same question Friday. "That's why our Justice Department has taken it all the way to the Supreme Court."

Translation: If there is a backup plan, the administration isn't ready to talk about it. That's not a surprise, though. A major element of the litigation is whether the administration used the right law to set up the loan forgiveness program. Acknowledging the administration is combing through federal statutes looking for some other way to authorize the program would give ammunition to the plaintiffs on the eve of the arguments.

 John Fritze and Joey Garrison

Justice Thomas wrote of 'crushing weight' of student loans

The Supreme Court won't have far to look if it wants a personal take on the "crushing weight" of student debt that underlies the Biden administrations college loan forgiveness plan. Associate Justice Clarence Thomas was in his mid-40s and in his third year on the nation's highest court when he paid off the last of his debt from his time at Yale Law School.

Thomas, the court's longest-serving justice and staunchest conservative, has been skeptical of other Biden administration initiatives. And when the Supreme Court hears arguments Tuesday involving President Joe Bidens debt relief plan that would wipe away up to $20,000 in outstanding student loans, Thomas is not likely to be a vote in the administrations favor.

What to know: Everything to know about student loan forgiveness plan

Plan B: Millions of borrowers have had billions in student loan debt erased, and there's more to come.

But the justices' own experiences can be relevant to how they approach a case, and alone among them, Thomas has written about the role student loans played in his financial struggles.

A fellow law school student even suggested Thomas declare bankruptcy after graduating to get out from under the crushing weight of all my student loans, the justice wrote in his best-selling 2007 memoir, My Grandfathers Son. He rejected the idea.

 Associated Press

What's in Biden's student loan forgiveness plan?

Biden proposed wiping away $20,000 worth of debt for borrowers who also used a Pell Grant to pay tuition. Pell Grants are awarded to students from low-income families. The president also wants to erase $10,000 in debt for most other borrowers.

Only borrowers with an income less than $125,000, or $250,000 for married couples, would be able to have any debt forgiven.

About 26 million people applied for relief before lawsuits stopped the entire program in its tracks. And of those, 16 million were approved to have a portion, or depending on their balance, all their debt erased. For now, applications are closed.

 Nirvi Shah and Chris Quintana

Blueprint: Find more about options from savings plans to student loans

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Recap: Supreme Court Conservatives skeptical of Biden loan forgiveness
A view of Beijing's CBD area. [Photo/cfp.cn]



Most foreign companies consider China an important investment destination, and the nation continues to post higher returns on investments compared with the global levels for nearly half of the companies surveyed, according to the American Chamber of Commerce in South China.

Experts said that China is expected to become increasingly attractive to foreign investors, underpinned by its optimized COVID-19 response and steady economic recovery. The country's high-standard opening-up will improve its business climate and help it build stronger competitiveness in attracting foreign investments, they said.

Following a survey involving 210 companies from the United States, Europe, Japan and other countries and regions, the AmCham South China concluded that most participating companies see China as a critical part of their future strategic development plans.

More than 90% of the respondents selected China as one of their most important investment destinations. Around 75% plan to reinvest in China in 2023, including 68% of U.S. companies that are determined to dig deeper into the Chinese market.

The survey shows that China can provide a high return on investment, or ROI, with 76% of the companies reporting a positive overall ROI in China and 49% considering their overall ROI in China to be higher than their global benefits.

"With the optimization of its COVID-19 policies and measures and further opening-up, China is now headed toward recovery and will unleash substantial economic vitality, both greater and sooner than expected," said Harley Seyedin, president of the chamber.

"The survey ... results released today (Monday) show that China's economy will be a crucial locomotive in promoting global economic growth in 2023," he added.

Zhou Mi, a senior researcher at the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation, said, "Rooted in its distinctive capability to align consumption, production and services for foreign investors, China's high-quality development will ensure an increasing influx of foreign investments."

China has also been improving its business climate and strengthening protection of the legitimate rights and interests of foreign investors through measures such as expanding market access, taking bold trials in pilot free trade zones and enlarging its network of free trade agreements, Zhou said.

According to the chamber, more than half of the surveyed companies gained over 30% of their global revenue from China. The companies' profitability showed signs of improvement in 2022. Around 88% of them gained profits in China, an increase of 6%. Up to 90% of U.S. companies achieved profitability.

Jing Ping Yeo, vice-president and head of Asia-Pacific at Cytel, a U.S.-based statistical software company, said the enterprise will comprehensively strengthen its efforts to tap into the potential of the Chinese market in 2023.

The survey further found that the rising operation and labor costs were the two biggest challenges that companies faced in South China in 2022.

Uncertainties in China-U.S. relations influenced the confidence of some companies, but a "possible marginal improvement" in their bilateral ties is also expected.
The Supreme Court's decision to consider the constitutionality of the way the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is funded could significantly impact the independence of the bureau and it's ability to protect consumers, consumer advocates said.

The National Association of Consumer Advocates argues that changing the agency's funding source unnecessarily "would upend the markets and create dire confusion for regulators and regulated entities alike.

American families need a strong, stable, and independent CFPB to protect them in the vast financial marketplace, and the CFPB needs the U.S. Supreme Court to confirm the agencys funding structure and safeguard the U.S. economy, said Christine Hines, legislative director at the National Association of Consumer Advocates.

Live at Supreme Court: Updates on SCOTUS debate on Biden's student loan forgiveness plan

Here are answers to important questions about the consumer bureau:

File photo shows federal budget director Mick Mulvaney (center), President Trump's pick for acting director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, returning to the White House after his first morning at work at the CFPB's headquarters in Washington, D.C.

When was the CFPB created and why?

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., who was at the time a Harvard Law School professor, came up with the idea for the CFBP. The agency was created under the Dodd-Frank Wall Street reform act in the aftermath of the 2008 national financial crisis.

At the time, consumer protection was handled by seven different federal agencies. The rationale was to create a federal watchdog that would prioritize consumer interests and protect Americans from misleading or improper financial services practices that contributed to the financial crisis.

Consumer bureau fight: Supreme Court to revisit independence of Consumer Financial Protection Bureau

Take your privacy back: How to remove your personal data from people search sites

What is the structure of the CFPB?

The CFPB is lead by a single director, rather than a chairman and commissioners, like those at the Federal Trade Commission or the Securities and Exchange Commission. The bureau's director is appointed by the president, subject to confirmation by the Senate, and the director is only removable by the president for good cause.

Story continues

What has the watchdog done for consumers?

The consumer bureau said in 2017 that it had returned nearly $12 billion to more than 30 million consumers who had been cheated or mistreated by banks or other financial services companies and providers. The bureau has created new safeguards for mortgages, imposed new regulations on payday lenders, sued a major student loan provider and servicer it says failed borrowers, and created a public database of complaints that consumers filed against financial companies.

What are some criticisms of the CFPB?

Congressional Republicans and other critics say the consumer bureau's structure is unconstitutional.

Critics of the agency also contend it has overstepped its authority. In October, 2017, then-President Donald Trump signed a congressional measure that overturned a regulation that would have allowed consumers to challenge financial service providers in class-action lawsuits, rather than in individual arbitration proceedings.

Why are consumer advocates concerned about the CFPB's future?

If the constitutional challenge of the agency's structure is upheld, Congress could get authority over the consumer watchdog's budget, and use that power to rein in the bureau's operations, consumer advocates worry.

Why are financial services providers concerned about the watchdog's future?

They say the consumer bureau has imposed unnecessary regulations that hurt business while failing to protect consumers. One example is the CFPB's regulatory crackdown on payday lending, loans that cash-strapped consumers take to make ends meet until their next paycheck.

A trade group representing payday lenders sued over a 2017 CFPB regulation that required lenders to ensure borrowers could actually repay loans and prohibited lenders from withdrawing payments from borrowers' bank accounts after two failed attempts. The extra withdrawal attempts, the agency said, would likely not help lenders recoup any money but would instead saddle borrowers with overdraft fees.

Although the consumer bureau contended that such high-interest loans mired workers in a never-ending borrowing cycle, payday lenders say they provide a service that consumers need and want.

More: Payday loans face new challenge: Can borrowers afford them?

Consumer Financial Protection Bureau structure ruled unconstitutional

Court agrees to reconsider constitutionality of consumer agency's structure

Senate overturns new rule allowing class-action suits against banks

Follow USA TODAY reporter Kevin McCoy on Twitter: @kmccoynyc

Amritpal Kaur Sandhu-Longoria contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: CFPB SCOTUS lawsuit: Supreme Court to say if funding unconstitutional
Graduates at a community college commencement in East Rutherford, N.J., in 2018. (Seth Wenig/AP File)

The Supreme Court is set to hear oral arguments on Tuesday over President Bidens student loan debt relief plan, which aims to wipe away up to $20,000 of student debt for more than 40 million Americans.

The existence of that program now hinges on the high court. The nine justices, with a 6-3 conservative majority, will consider two cases that challenge Bidens plan, with a decision expected this summer.

The case of Biden v. Nebraska was brought by six Republican-led states: Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska and South Carolina. They argue that Bidens plan, expected to cost $400 billion, threatens a loss in tax revenue for each state.

A lower court had dismissed the lawsuit, ruling that the states didnt have the standing to sue the federal government. But last November, a federal appeals court issued a nationwide injunction, placing a hold on Bidens program. The appeals court said Missouri, one of the six states, had the standing to bring the suit on behalf of the Missouri Higher Education Loan Authority (MOHELA), which services federal student loans and funds state scholarships. The ruling found that MOHELA would lose revenue if Bidens program went forward.

The second case, Department of Education v. Brown, was filed by the Job Creators Network Foundation on behalf of two Texas student loan borrowers who dont completely qualify for debt forgiveness under Bidens plan.

The plaintiffs in both cases argue that the Biden administrations Department of Education is overstepping its authority to provide one-time debt relief under a 2003 law.

Under the Heroes Act of 2003, the education secretary has the ability to modify student loan balances in the instance of a national emergency. The Biden administration says the COVID-19 pandemic qualifies as such an emergency. But the GOP states lawyers say the administration was using the pandemic as "a pretext to mask the presidents true goal of fulfilling his campaign promise to erase student loan debt," according to court documents.

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Meanwhile, the Biden administration has repeatedly said that borrowers are continuing to recover from the pandemic and that providing debt relief under the Heroes Act is lawful. Its the same authority both Biden and then-President Donald Trump used to pause student loan payments during the height of the pandemic. Biden extended the pause for a sixth time through the end of June 2023.

Forty-five million [Americans] owe a collective $1.7 trillion of federal loan debt, Natalia Abrams, president and CEO of the Student Debt Crisis Center, told Yahoo News. The 26 million Americans who applied for the program face uncertainty along with 16 million who have had their applications approved.

In an effort to unpack what all this means for borrowers going forward, Yahoo News spoke with Abrams and Cody Hounanian, executive director of the Student Debt Crisis Center. Some responses have been edited for length and clarity.

If the Supreme Court rules that the Biden administrations student debt relief plan can be implemented, who would qualify and what type of relief would they receive?

Natalia Abrams: Bidens student debt cancellation plan that he proposed in August was to cancel $10,000 for all federal student loan borrowers that have loans owned by the Department of Education. Borrowers are eligible for this relief if their individual income is less than $125,000; $250,000 for married couples. There were some, what we call ED-held loans that were excluded  these were borrowers with older Federal Family Education Loans that were not held by the Department of Education.

A good rule of thumb is, if your loans haven't been a part of the payment pause during the COVID pandemic, then they probably won't be a part of cancellation. However, the defaulted ED-held loans do qualify. But in terms of federal loans, it includes Parent Plus Loans, graduate loans, undergraduate loans anyone with a direct loan is completely fine. So thats $10,000 across the board, and then an additional $10,000, so total $20,000 if the borrower had a Pell Grant. Some borrowers never exhausted their Pell Grant, but even if you took a dollar of a Pell Grant, that means that you would get an additional $10,000, equaling $20,000.

When would borrowers have to resume making payments after Biden extended the pause?

Abrams: Federal student loan payments would resume 60 days after a Supreme Court decision, or June 30, whichever comes first. And to our knowledge, if the decision comes on June 30, it would be 60 days after that.

What if a borrower submitted their application prior to the pause on the program and has not received a letter yet?

Cody Hounanian: If you've submitted an application and you have not received a communication, I would definitely encourage folks to continue to monitor the messages they're receiving. Some of this is just the fact that the Department of Education and the student loan servicing companies somewhat have a monumental task  they have to communicate updates with tens of millions of people. So it happens in waves.

I'll also add, while folks are waiting for their approval letters and other communications related to all sorts of programs, we are seeing from our supporters and from borrowers everywhere that they're getting letters in the mail, they're getting phone calls, they're seeing on social media these opportunities to apply for programs, and these opportunities are coming from third-party companies that are often get relief scams.

How soon would borrowers see relief if Bidens plan is given the green light by the Supreme Court?

Abrams: I would assume it would be very soon after the decision. They've already approved 16 million borrowers, and we would expect to see relief instantly.

Hounanian: The entire reason the department has processed these applications is precisely so the Department of Education can immediately begin canceling student debt once this clears these legal hurdles. So it will be quick.

Does the Biden administration have a plan B if the Supreme Court rules against the plan?

Hounanian: I'm not sure if the administration itself has their backup plan. I think they are steadfast in their fight right now to protect the president's plan as is. But as advocates and part of a broad coalition that have been fighting for debt cancellation for several years now, we have identified several means in which the president can use different authorities to cancel student loan debt.

The president for his proposal chose to lean on a piece of legislation that allows them to issue relief because of the emergency aspect of the COVID-19 pandemic. But we also know that the president has the legal authority to cancel student loan debt broadly through settlement compromise, which is a part of the Higher Education Act. So there are other opportunities.

What other options do borrowers have besides Bidens student debt relief plan?

Hounanian: There are a host of other opportunities and programs available to borrowers that can help them access relief  and for some to have their entire student loan debt erased. We worked really hard this year to enroll borrowers in a public service loan forgiveness program that has been on the books for over a decade now. This year had an expanded set of rules that made it even easier for folks to apply. That is something we will continue to spread awareness around.

There are going to be what are called the account adjustments next year, meaning there's borrowers who will be closer to completing an income-driven repayment plan or public service loan forgiveness and will be able to access relief either immediately or sooner.

And there's also the continued work on fixing the existing programs for totally and currently disabled borrowers, and those who were victimized by for-profit colleges. So theres a host of opportunities.
Alex Wong/ Getty Images; iStock; Robyn Phelps/ Insider

The Supreme Court will hear oral arguments on Tuesday on Biden's student-loan relief plan.

Supporters say the relief is lawful, while opponents say Biden's policy is unconstitutional.

Here's how the justices might approach the cases.

The showdown over President Joe Biden's student-loan forgiveness will play out at the Supreme Court on Tuesday in two closely watched cases that could determine whether millions of borrowers will have their debt wiped clean.

The court's rulings could either deal a major blow or victory to Biden, whose plan would eliminate up to $20,000 in federal loans for borrowers earning under $125,000 annually.

Court observers and advocates on both sides plan to tune into Tuesday's oral arguments, which could signal how the justices are thinking about the cases. Questions on whether the parties were harmed by Biden's debt cancelation, for example, could indicate that the court may decide the dispute on narrow grounds rather than rule on the legality of relief, they told Insider.

Supporters say Biden's plan would provide much-needed financial relief to the 43 million Americans who took out loans for their higher education, and particularly help communities that are likely to default on their debt and continue to be disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, namely low-income, Black, Latino and Native American.

On the other hand, opponents insist Biden's plan would have massive legal implications for the president's authority and pose economic consequences, pointing to the Congressional Budget Office's estimated $400 billion cost to the federal government over the next 30 years.

The arguments

The challengers  six Republican-led states and two federal borrowers  argue that Biden overstepped his power by enacting sweeping debt cancellation without approval from Congress.

If Congress doesn't have a say, that "would be really troubling for our ability to govern ourselves," said Casey Mattox, vice president for legal and judicial strategy at Americans for Prosperity, a libertarian-leaning advocacy group that filed a court brief backing the challengers.

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"It creates a circumstance going forward where future presidents are going to say, 'Well, what's the thing that I can do to likewise, you know, help me at the ballot box or with a certain constituency or whatever?'" Mattox added.

The Biden administration has defended that the plan falls under the president's legal authority, claiming the HEROES Act, a federal law enacted in the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, allows the education secretary to waive or modify student-loan balances amid a national emergency. In this case, that's the COVID-19 pandemic.

"The harms of the COVID-19 pandemic are ongoing," Pilar Whitaker, special economic justice counsel at the Legal Defense Fund, said. "This relief is appropriate and it is tailored to those who most need it."

How the court could approach the cases

The Supreme Court will review two questions: whether the challengers have standing  the power to block Biden's relief by showing they suffer an injury from it  and whether the plan exceeds the administration's power.

South Texas College of Law professor Josh Blackman anticipates that the justices will focus plenty of their questions during oral arguments on standing, which could determine whether the challengers are successful or have their bids tossed out.

"What's unique about this policy is you're not hurting people. You're doing the opposite. You're helping them, you're removing their debt," Blackman said. "So the parties have to get creative with standing here, which is really the biggest hurdle."

In the first case the justices will hear on Tuesday, the GOP-led states  Arkansas, South Carolina, Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, and Missouri  argue that Biden's relief would hurt their tax revenues, along with the revenue of Missouri-based student-loan company, MOHELA. The states claim that MOHELA will lose revenue from servicing loans because of Biden's relief.

Yet the Biden administration says the states lack standing because they can only claim "alleged harms"  not concrete  and MOHELA isn't a part of their lawsuit.

The Biden administration also argues the two borrowers in a separate challenge lack standing. Alexander Taylor and Myra Brown sued the Biden administration because they weren't eligible for full relief under the plan. Taylor claims he didn't qualify for the total $20,000 in relief since that applies to Pell Grant recipients, and Brown has borrowed commercially held loans, which don't qualify for any relief.

The borrowers, backed by a conservative group, argue that Biden's plan violates the Administrative Procedure Act's notice-and-comment procedure, a federal statute that requires agencies to justify rulemaking to the public and give them an opportunity to comment.

"Their argument is simply that they want more relief than what they're getting, but getting rid of the program doesn't solve that problem," said Genevieve Bonadies Torres of the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, which filed a court brief supporting Biden's plan.

If the court ultimately decides that neither of the challengers have standing, the cases would effectively be dismissed, clearing the way for Biden's policy to be implemented, according to legal experts.

But the justices could instead base their discussion on Tuesday and the eventual rulings around Biden's authority to enact broad debt cancelation, deciding whether the plan can take effect or not.

"They're on the Supreme Court. They'll do what they want to do," Jonathan Glater, a professor at the University of California, Berkeley School of Law, who signed on to a court brief that backed the debt relief.

Still, he added, with at least an hour devoted to oral arguments in each case, expect time to be spent on both the standing and substance questions.

Concerning the constitutionality of Biden's plan, advocates on both sides say they feel confident their respective views will prevail at the Supreme Court.

"I think they will have standing," Mattox said. "I think that there's very little likelihood that the court reaches the merits of the case and actually says, 'This is within the power of the agency under the HEROES Act.'"

However, Torres, of the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, that supports Biden's plan, said "the law and the facts are on the side of the debt relief plan, and there should be a favorable ruling to the Biden administration."

Millions of borrowers have already applied for the loan forgiveness Biden announced in August, but lower courts have temporarily paused the plan from taking effect. The Supreme Court is expected to hand down its decisions by June.

Read the original article on Business Insider
(Bloomberg) -- The US Supreme Courts conservative majority cast doubt on President Joe Bidens plan to slash the student debt of more than 40 million people, imperiling one of his signature initiatives in a high-stakes showdown over presidential power.

Most Read from Bloomberg

As the court heard two cases Tuesday, Justice Brett Kavanaugh suggested he is wary of expanding presidential powers during national emergencies. The Biden administration argues that the student loan forgiveness program is a response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Some of the biggest mistakes in the courts history were deferring to assertions of executive emergency power, Kavanaugh said. Some of the finest moments in the courts history were pushing back against presidential assertions of emergency powers.

Chief Justice John Roberts suggested Congress didnt authorize the president to unilaterally take a step with such enormous financial implications for millions of Americans.

Were talking about half a trillion dollars and 43 million Americans. How does that fit under the normal understanding of modifying? Roberts said, referring to a key word in the 2003 law at the center of the case.

The law, known as the Heroes Act, says the secretary can waive or modify provisions to ensure that debtors are not placed in a worse position financially because of a national emergency.

Roberts likened the case to the courts 5-4 decision that blocked the Trump administration from ending a program shielding hundreds of thousands of young undocumented immigrants from deportation. Roberts joined the courts liberal wing in the majority in that 2020 case.

The student loan plan would forgive as much as $20,000 in federal loans for certain borrowers making less than $125,000 per year, $250,000 for households. The Congressional Budget Office estimates the cancellation would cost about $400 billion over 30 years.

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Two Challenges

Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar said the secretary of education concluded that a wave of people across the country would default on their loans without relief.

I think it is precisely the type of context where the executive should be able to implement those emergency powers, she said.

She drew some support from the courts liberal wing. Justice Elena Kagan said the Heroes Act contained very broad language and said that Congress could not have made this much more clear.

Justice Sonia Sotomayor said many of the potential beneficiaries of the loan relief will struggle without the program.

Many of them dont have assets sufficient to bail them out after the pandemic, Sotomayor said. They dont have friends or families or others who can help them make these payments.

The court heard two challenges, one filed by a group of Republican-run states and another pressed by a conservative advocacy group known as the Job Creators Network on behalf two borrowers who say they are being unfairly excluded from the programs full scope.

The arguments took place as more than 100 supporters of Bidens plan, including members of Congress, held a demonstration outside the court.

Nebraska Solicitor General James Campbell said Biden was creating a brand new program, and thats not within the language of the statute.

The conservative-controlled Supreme Court has already stopped Biden from blocking evictions during the pandemic and requiring workers to get Covid vaccines or regular tests. The justices also have slashed the Environmental Protection Agencys power to address climate change. All three cases were decided 6-3 along ideological lines.

Those rulings are now key precedents in the student loan case. The majority in those cases established the major-questions doctrine as a powerful curb on federal regulators, saying the president needs clear congressional authorization before taking actions that have sweeping political and economic significance.

Justice Samuel Alito questioned Prelogars assertion that the major-questions doctrine didnt apply to cases in which the government is conferring benefits, rather that imposing regulations.

That distinction seems to presume that, when it comes to the administration of benefits programs, a trillion dollars here, a trillion dollars there, it doesnt really make that much difference to Congress, Alito said. That doesnt seem very sensible.

Standing to Sue

The biggest issue for opponents has been establishing standing to sue  that is, showing they are being directly harmed by the policy. A federal appeals court said the states had standing because of the impact on the Missouri Higher Education Loan Authority, a state-created loan servicer that could lose many of its accounts.

MOHELA, which isnt involved in the case, by law must contribute to a fund Missouri uses to pay for projects at public colleges.

Of the six conservatives, only Justice Amy Coney Barrett suggested any skepticism about the standing of the states to sue.

Barrett questioned Campbells argument that MOHELA is an arm of the Missouri government, pointing to the loan servers lack of involvement. If MOHELA is an arm of the state, why didnt you just strong-arm MOHELA and say, Youve got to pursue this suit? Barrett asked.

Alito was more skeptical of Prelogars argument that Missouri and MOHELA should be considered separate entities.

I understand a big thrust of your argument to be that Missouri lacks standing because MOHELA separately incorporated, he said. But why should that formal distinction govern the determination of injury in fact?

The cases are Biden v. Nebraska, 22-506, and Department of Education v. Brown, 22-535.

--With assistance from Mackenzie Hawkins.

(Updates with additional comments from Kagan, Alito starting in 11th paragraph.)

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Six states, two student loan borrowers and one advocacy group asked the U.S. Supreme Court to throw out President Joe Bidens student debt relief plan, but much of the debate Tuesday on the two cases at issue centered on whether they had a right to sue in the first place.

Beyond the standing issue, however, conservative justices expressed skepticism that the administration had the authority to offer up to $20,000 in debt relief without going through Congress or at least allowing public comment.

We take very seriously the idea of separation of powers, and that power should be divided to prevent its abuse, Chief Justice John Roberts told Nebraska Solicitor General James Campbell, representing the states. This is a case that presents extraordinarily serious important issues about the role of Congress and about the role that we should exercise.

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Those eligible for relief  roughly 40 million borrowers  have been left hanging since November, when a Trump-appointed federal judge halted the plan. Both the Trump and Biden administrations had argued that the secretary of education has the authority under a 2003 law, the Higher Education Relief Opportunities for Students, or HEROES, to forgive student debt because of the pandemic. COVID caused severe financial harm and increased the chances that borrowers would default on their loans, said U.S. Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar.

Millions of Americans have struggled to pay rent, utilities, food, and many have been unable to pay their debts, she said.

Bidens plan offers $10,000 in relief to borrowers earning up to $125,000 and $20,000 for Pell Grant recipients.

Related: In Student Loan Case, Supreme Court to Weigh Pandemics Profound Effect on Borrowers

A breathtaking power

In the first case, Biden v. Nebraska, Prelogar argued that the six states had no right to sue on behalf of the Missouri Higher Education Loan Authority, the student loan servicer that would primarily be affected if students dont make good on their debt.

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Campbell argued that because the state created the nonprofit, it has an interest in the case and that if the authority loses revenue, it wont be able to adequately contribute to the states higher education programs. On the merits of the case, he argued that the administration misinterpreted HEROES.

The secretary here asserts a breathtaking power to do anything that he thinks might reduce the risk of borrowers defaulting, Campbell said.

Justice Elena Kagan, one of the three liberals on the court, disagreed that Education Secretary Miguel Cardona was acting outside the intent of the law.

Congress used its voice in enacting this piece of legislation, she said. Congress has authorized the use of executive power in an emergency situation.

Thats what former Rep. George Miller of California, one of the authors of HEROES, wrote in an op-ed last week. He was among those who filed amicus briefs in support of loan forgiveness, saying the laws use of the terms waive or modify in regard to the terms of a loan includes debt cancellation.

Congress empowered officials to say that those requirements no longer apply  that borrowers no longer need to pay off the debt they owe, he wrote. And theres no question that the COVID-19 pandemic is a national emergency within the meaning of the law.

President Joe Biden and Education Secretary Miguel Cardona announced the debt relief plan in August and beta-tested the application in October. (Demetrius Freeman/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

In the second case, U.S. Department of Education v. Brown, attorney John Connolly, representing two borrowers and the conservative Job Creators Network Foundation, argued that Cardona should grant relief but should have used a different law  the Higher Education Act. That law would have required the department to seek comments from the public.

Congress, through HEROES, he said, did not authorize the secretary to create a $400 billion debt forgiveness program behind closed doors with no public involvement.

One of his clients, Myra Brown, is ineligible for the Biden program because she received loans from commercial lenders. Another, Alexander Taylor, qualifies for only $10,000 in relief because hes not a Pell Grant recipient. Connolly said loan forgiveness is so important to the administration that Cardona would likely use the Higher Education Act to grant it if the current Biden plan were overruled.

But Prelogar said the case uses a Rube Goldberg theory and takes a circuitous route to get relief.

Even Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, a liberal, agreed.

You  have to convince us that the administration would have provided this sort of debt relief under the authority you point to, she told Connolly.

A technicality

Observers said its possible that the court will never rule on the major question of whether the debt relief plan is an example of government overreach.

The administration has staked a lot on the idea that the plan will be upheld on essentially a technicality rather than on this question of whether the Department of Education had the right to do this, said Michael Brickman, an adjunct fellow at the conservative American Enterprise Institute, who focuses on higher education.

The arguments ran for over three hours, while demonstrators  overwhelmingly advocating for debt relief  amassed outside the court. About 100 college students with Rise, a nonprofit, had spent the night outside to get tickets to hear the arguments.

We get caught up in the legalese  standing issues, statute issues  that we miss the big picture around the students lives who are going to be impacted by what the justices decide, said Max Lubin, the organizations founder. Our job as advocates is to be prepared for every possible outcome.

College students with the nonprofit Rise spent the night outside the court to get tickets to hear the arguments. (Rise)

Among the 26 million borrowers who were automatically eligible for the relief or submitted an application are many K-12 and early childhood educators who needed more than a bachelors degree to meet job requirements and advance in their careers. That has consequences for students, some say.

Albert Sackey, principal of Hommocks Middle School in Larchmont, New York, said he knows teachers, principals and other administrators who are strongly exploring changing career paths to everything from catering to real estate to law, in part because of financial strain.

We want to make sure that the people we are putting in front of our children have the necessary training and education that is needed, said Sackey, who has two masters degrees and a doctorate. I graduated with my undergraduate degree in 1998 and have been paying significant student loans ever since.
The Supreme Court is taking up a partisan legal fight over President Joe Biden's plan to wipe away or reduce student loans held by millions of Americans.

The high court, with its 6-3 conservative majority, is hearing arguments Tuesday in two challenges to the plan, which has so far been blocked by Republican-appointed judges on lower courts.

Arguments are scheduled to last two hours, but likely will go much longer. The public can listen in on the courts website.

Twenty-six million people have applied and 16 million have been approved to have up to $20,000 in federal student loans forgiven, the Biden administration says. The program is estimated to cost $400 billion over 30 years.

Im confident the legal authority to carry that plan is there, Biden said Monday, at an event to mark Black History Month.

The president, who once doubted his own authority to broadly cancel student debt, first announced the program in August. Legal challenges quickly followed.

Republican-led states and lawmakers in Congress, as well as conservative legal interests, are lined up against the plan as a clear violation of Biden's executive authority. Democratic-led states and liberal interest groups are backing the Democratic administration in urging the court to allow the plan to take effect.

Without it, loan defaults would dramatically increase when the pause on loan payments ends no later than this summer, the administration says. Payments were halted in 2020 as part of the response to the coronavirus pandemic.

The administration says a 2003 law, commonly known as the HEROES Act, allows the secretary of education to waive or modify the terms of federal student loans in connection with a national emergency. The law was primarily intended to keep service members from being worse off financially while they fought in wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Nebraska and other states that sued say the plan is not necessary to keep the rate of defaults roughly where it was before the pandemic. The 20 million borrowers who have their entire loans erased would get a windfall that will leave them better off than they were before the pandemic, the states say.

Story continues

Dozens of borrowers came from across the country to camp out near the court on a soggy Monday evening in hopes of getting a seat for the arguments. Among them was Sinyetta Hill, who said that Biden's plan would erase all but about $500 of the $20,000 or so she has in student loans.

I was 18 when I signed up for college. I didnt know it was going to be this big of a burden. No student should have to deal with this. No person should have to deal with this, said Hill, 22, who plans to study law after she graduates from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in May.

Biden's plan could meet a frosty reception in the courtroom. The court's conservatives have been skeptical of other Biden initiatives related to the pandemic, including vaccine requirements and pauses on evictions. Those were billed largely as public health measures intended to slow the spread of COVID-19.

The loan forgiveness plan, by contrast, is aimed at countering the economic effects of the pandemic.

The national emergency is expected to end May 11, but the administration says the economic consequences will persist, despite historically low unemployment and other signs of economic strength.

In addition to the debate over the authority to forgive student debt, the court also will confront whether the states and two individuals whose challenge also is before the justices have the legal right, or standing, to sue.

Parties generally have to show that they would suffer financial harm and benefit from a court ruling in their favor. A federal judge initially found that the states would not be harmed and dismissed their lawsuit before an appellate panel said the case could proceed.

Of the two individuals who sued in Texas, one has student loans that are commercially held and the other is eligible for $10,000 in debt relief, not the $20,000 maximum. They would get nothing if they win their case.

A decision is expected by late June.
A 43-year-old Wichita man wanted in connection with a Feb. 21 fatal shooting at a west Wichita motel was arrested Monday, according to the arrest log released Tuesday morning.

Larry Harley Powell was arrested on suspicion of second-degree murder and criminal use of a weapon. He was arrested in the 800 block of North Parkwood, which is close to Murdock and Edgemoor.

Around 5:10 p.m. on Feb. 21, police were called to a shooting in the parking lot of the Motel 6 at 5736 W. Kellogg. Police found a 50-year-old Santa Cruz, California, man with a gunshot to his upper body. The man died at the hospital. Police said Tuesday they were still trying to notify the mans family before releasing his name.

The day after the shooting, police said they were looking for Powell and a van he was driving in connection with the killing.

Police spokesperson Chad Ditch said they arrested the suspect by doing old-fashioned police work.

Police said the shooting happened after the victim and another man argued and the other man pulled out a gun and started shooting. The victim was hit once.

Police said they found three shell casings. The victim, police say, had been staying at the motel since Feb. 10. Police think the victim and suspect knew each other.

This was the citys sixth homicide of the year. Two of those cases now have arrests and a third involved a murder/suicide. There were 12 homicides by this time last year.
The Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority FINMA has concluded its enforcement proceedings against Credit Suisse Group AG (NYSE: CS) concerning its business relationship with financier Lex Greensill and his companies.

FINMA finds that Credit Suisse seriously breached its supervisory obligations in this context concerning risk management and appropriate organizational structures.

"In its proceedings, FINMA concluded that Credit Suisse seriously breached its supervisory duty to adequately identify, limit and monitor risks in the context of the business relationship with Lex Greensill over a period of years," adding that it also found "serious deficiencies in the bank's organizational structures" during the period under investigation.

"Furthermore, it did not sufficiently fulfill its supervisory duties as an asset manager. FINMA thus concludes that there has been a serious breach of Swiss supervisory law."

The regulator said that from now on, the bank's most important (approximately 500) business relationships would be reviewed periodically for counterparty risks at the executive board level.

The bank's 600 most senior managers must also have their areas of responsibility recorded in a document of responsibility and must be sanctioned by the bank.

Credit Suisse CEO Ulrich Korner welcomed the conclusion of the FINMA investigation.

In March 2021, Credit Suisse closed four funds related to companies of Greensill. Immediately after the closure of the funds in March 2021, Finma took various risk-reducing measures and opened enforcement proceedings.

So far, $7.4 billion of the fund's $10 billion net asset value at the time of its suspension has been collected.
[Source]

Taiwan announced new incentives last week in an attempt to bring in 10 million tourists by 2025 after visitor numbers plummeted to below 900,000 in 2022.

Chen Chien-jen, Taiwans premier, revealed on Thursday that the governments plan for this year is to bring in at least 6 million tourists. In order to achieve the goal, the country will be offering 5,000 New Taiwan dollars (approximately $163) to 500,000 tourists and 20,000 New Taiwan dollars (approximately $651) to 90,000 tour groups.

According to Tourism Bureau Director-General Chang Shi-chung, the allowances will be distributed through a number of promotional events this year.

International tourists who are given NT$5,000 will not receive it until they arrive, Chang explained. It will be stored in an electronic ticketing card, which can be used to pay for food, accommodation and other travel expenses during their time here.

More from NextShark: Taiwan fires at Chinas drones for first time as president orders strong countermeasures

Domestic and overseas travel agencies will also be given incentives to boost tourism in Taiwan.

The country is looking to appeal to visitors from key markets such as Japan, South Korea, Southeast Asia, Europe, America, Hong Kong and Macao through the program.

Collectively, 5.3 billion New Taiwan dollars (approximately $172.5 million) were approved to be allocated from last years tax surplus for the three-year plan.

More from NextShark: Airbnb plans hanok category as K-wave continues sweeping the globe

In addition to the monetary incentives given to tourists, the government will also be using the allocated money to assist with hotel employee salaries in response to the hotel industrys staff shortage.

For each new employee hired, hoteliers will receive a 5,000 New Taiwan dollar bonus per month.

High-Quality of Travel Association chairman Ringo Lee revealed that there are far more people traveling overseas from Taiwan than there are inbound tourists.

Story continues

More from NextShark: Taiwan pro teams reportedly pursuing more former NBA stars after Dwight Howard signing

Compared with nearby countries, we are relatively late in reopening the borders for international tourists and have fewer means to conduct international tourism marketing, he added.

Taiwan is not the first to make efforts to entice tourists. Earlier this month, Hong Kong introduced its Hello Hong Kong campaign, which incentivized travelers with free flights.

More from NextShark: Nancy Pelosi expected to visit Taiwan on Asia trip despite China's threats
Potential homebuyers gather at an information board of houses for sale and for rent during a housing promotional event in Jinan, Shandong province, on Feb 8. [Photo/Xinhua]



China recently issued draft opinions on financial support for the development of the home rental market.

Experts said the aim is to accelerate the transition of China's housing market toward a new development pattern by establishing a housing system that encourages both home purchase and renting.

The People's Bank of China  the country's central bank  and the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission have drafted the opinions and are currently soliciting public comments.

"Reflecting China's adherence to the principle that 'houses are for living in, not for speculation', the draft opinions are aimed at providing financial support to the establishment of a long-term mechanism to support the real estate market, which combines home renting and purchase," said Zeng Gang, director of the Shanghai Institution for Finance & Development.

"In the past, China saw uneven development of its real estate market as its previous model of housing market development mainly relied on commercial housing, whereas long-term rental housing and low-rent homes were inadequately developed. Therefore, the country needs to vigorously develop the long-term rental housing market," said Zeng.

As the return on investment in long-term rental housing may be lower compared to commercial housing, it is necessary to expand funding channels of real estate developers, enabling them to obtain funds via financing tools like real estate investment trusts and financial bonds, he said.

The draft opinions will promote financial product and service innovation, investment and financing channel construction, and compliance management in the housing rental finance market, said Ye Huaibin, a researcher at the BOC Research Institute.

China will support commercial banks to issue loans for new long-term rental housing projects and reconstruction projects to various entities. Banks should actively grasp the policy direction and expand the housing rental finance market steadily and prudently. They ought to step up credit support for home leasing companies so that the companies will increase the supply of rental housing to key groups in key areas, said Ye in a research report on Sunday.

At the same time, banks must strictly regulate the provision of housing rental financial services, improve their abilities in judging the attributes of rental housing projects, enhance the professional level of loan reviews, and ensure that the funds are used in compliance with laws and regulations, he said.

The draft opinions encourage commercial banks to strengthen the innovation of housing rental credit products and service models, as well as broaden the investment and financing channels of the housing rental market. At the same time, regulators will strictly prohibit financing for non-rental housing in the name of supporting home rental and urge banks to strengthen management of credit funds.

Ma Hong, senior researcher at the Zhixin Investment Research Institute, said rental housing will gradually become a major component of the real estate market in China.

As the real estate market develops healthily, demand for consumer goods in the downstream real estate industry, including construction and decoration materials, as well as upgraded home appliances and new energy vehicles, will continue to expand. It will become an important driving force for the long-term improvement of the Chinese economy, Ma said.
Rudy Giuliani. Jacquelyn Martin/AP

Dominion's lawsuit revealed comments Fox News hosts and execs made about Rudy Giuliani in 2020.

Ingraham called Giuliani "such an idiot" and Hannity said he was "acting like an insane person."

Dominion is suing Fox for defamation related to unfounded election fraud claims about the company.

In the wake of the 2020 election, Rudy Giuliani made several appearances on Fox News to push false claims about widespread election fraud on behalf of President Donald Trump  even as the man in charge of the network and some of its most popular hosts privately denounced the president's lawyer as "insane" and "such an idiot."

The comments about Giuliani were outlined in newly released court documents from a defamation lawsuit filed in 2021 by Dominion Voting Systems against Fox. The documents, including some released Monday as well as earlier this month, show higher-ups at Fox News repeatedly doubting Giuliani's credibility.

At the time, the former New York mayor was pushing unfounded claims that Dominion's voting machines were switching votes from Trump to Joe Biden, among other outrageous assertions, often alongside another now-former Trump lawyer, Sidney Powell.

Rupert Murdoch

Rupert Murdoch, the founder and chairman of Fox News, made several claims disparaging Giuliani and doubting the veracity of his claims. According to court documents released Monday, on November 7, 2020, Murdoch told Col Allan, former editor-in-chief of The New York Post, which is owned by Murdoch: "Just saw a bit of Rudy ranting. A terrible influence on Donald."

Two days later Murdoch told a friend, General Jack Keane, a Fox News security analyst, that he thought some of the claims about the election could be true but that Trump "needs better lawyers than Rudy, who is past his prime," the documents said.

Around November 16, Murdoch said in an email to Fox News CEO Suzanne Scott that he thought Trump would "concede eventually," adding "we should concentrate on Georgia, helping any way we can" in an apparent reference to the Senate runoff election.

Story continues

Murdoch added "We don't want to antagonize Trump further" and that Giuliani should be "taken with a large grain of salt," according to the documents.

After Giuliani and Powell held a press conference on November 19, Murdoch told Scott: "Terrible stuff damaging everybody, I fear. Probably hurting us too." Scott agreed, according to the court documents, and added "yes Sean and even Pirro agrees," in a possible reference to Fox hosts Sean Hannity and Jeanine Pirro.

He also sent an email to Robert Thomson, CEO of News Corp  which is also run by Murdoch  with a subject line that read: "Watching Giuliani!" according to the documents. The email said: "Really crazy stuff. And damaging."

News Corp Chairman Rupert Murdoch. Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Sean Hannity

On November 11, 2020, Fox News host Sean Hannity said, "Rudy is acting like an insane person," according to the court documents. On December 22, also said "F'ing lunatics" in reference to Giuliani, the documents said.

Laura Ingraham

On January 12, 2021, Fox News Host Laura Ingraham said, "Rudy is such an idiot," the documents said.

In a statement provided to Insider, a Fox News spokesperson said: "Dominion's lawsuit has always been more about what will generate headlines than what can withstand legal and factual scrutiny, as illustrated by them now being forced to slash their fanciful damages demand by more than half a billion dollars after their own expert debunked its implausible claims. Their summary judgment motion took an extreme, unsupported view of defamation law that would prevent journalists from basic reporting and their efforts to publicly smear FOX for covering and commenting on allegations by a sitting President of the United States should be recognized for what it is: a blatant violation of the First Amendment."

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

Read the original article on Business Insider
TD Bank Group announced Monday that it had agreed to a $1.21 billion settlement relating to its alleged role in a $7.2 billion Ponzi scheme involving disgraced Texas financier Allen Stanford.

Under the terms of the agreement, TD's settlement will release it from all legal claims involving the scheme, which saw Stanford skim customers' investments in supposedly high-yielding certificates of deposit held in an offshore account in Antigua to fund a lavish lifestyle.

Stanford's scheme collapsed in 2009 during a federal investigation; in 2012, he was sentenced to 110 years in prison. TD was facing litigation accusing it of negligence while acting as a banking intermediary for Stanford.

Based in Toronto, TD continues to deny any liability or wrongdoing with respect the scheme, and as part of the settlement made no admission of guilt.

"TD provided primarily correspondent banking services to Stanford International Bank Limited and maintains that it acted properly at all times," it said in a statement. "TD elected to settle the matter to avoid the distraction and uncertainty of continuing a long legal proceeding."

TD also noted it had won a trial in Canada related to its alleged role in the Stanford fraud.

The receiver in the case, Ralph Janvey, has now recovered more than $2.7 billion for Stanfords investors, Reuters reported.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
SANTA FE, Texas (AP)  An emotional audition on American Idol by a survivor of a Texas high school shooting prompted tears from the judges and criticism of the countrys response to gun violence.

Trey Louis was one of the students at Santa Fe High School in May 2018 when another student fatally shot 10 people on campus.

After his audition, which aired on Sunday, Louis told the judges  Katy Perry, Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan  that one of the reasons he wanted to participate in the singing competition was because of the shooting.

Lost a lot of friends. Eight students were killed. Two teachers were killed. Its just really been negative, man. Santa Fe has had a bad rap here since 2018, said Louis, who was in an art class finishing a project when the gunman started firing in a room next door.

Perry began to cry, placing her hands over her face and bowing her head. She then lifted her head and yelled out, Our country has (expletive) failed us.

Facts, Louis said.

This is not OK. You should be singing here because you love music, Perry said.

Wiping away tears, Richie said: We have tolerated this for so long, too long. Its become a norm.

Louis told KTRK-TV in Houston that the song he chose for his audition, Stone by Whiskey Myers, was in honor of his friend Chris Stone, who was one of the students killed.

The 21-year-old mattress salesman said he didnt realize he had a talent for singing until about a year ago when he posted a video online of him singing at work. The video went viral, he said, getting thousands of views.

Just before the judges unanimously voted to send Louis to the next round in Hollywood, Perry said, I hope that you remind people that we have to change because you know what, Im scared too.

Weve got to change and I hope you can just lead. Can you do me that favor? Perry said.

For myself, for my school, for you, Louis said.

Dimitrios Pagourtzis, then a 17-year-old student, has been charged with capital murder in the shooting deaths.

Pagourtzis, now 22, has been ruled incompetent to stand trial and has been receiving mental health treatment at a state hospital since early December 2019. Earlier in February, a judge ordered that he be held at the hospital for up to another year. Santa Fe is located about 35 miles (55 kilometers) southeast of Houston.
Last fall, Voyantis CEO Ido Wiesenberg shared a TC+ post with several tactics for reducing customer acquisition costs via predictive modeling.

In a follow-up, he explains how to use predictive lifetime value (LTV) to create more targeted, effective acquisition strategies that focus on acquiring and retaining customers.

Adding predictive LTV to decision flows does more than just identify lucrative customers early in the sales cycle  you can also use it to set performance targets and help teams adjust campaign budgets midstream.

Full TechCrunch+ articles are only available to members.

Use discount code TCPLUSROUNDUP to save 20% off a one- or two-year subscription.

Not using predictive LTV to inform decisions is like going on a hike, not knowing where it will end and how hard it will be, writes Wiesenberg, who says combining CAC with predictive LTV optimization balances risk and growth.

This post includes real-life examples of predictive LTV decisions that can help generate higher returns on ad spending or identify underperforming campaigns that can be stopped in their tracks.

Thanks very much for reading,

Walter Thompson

Editorial Manager, TechCrunch+

@yourprotagonist

Going private: A guide to PE tech acquisitions

Image of a large fish going after a smaller fish

Image Credits: PM Images (opens in a new window) / Getty Images

For private equity firms in search of bargains, now is a great time to be alive.

With the IPO window nailed shut and so many public companies facing dwindling valuations, PE firms spent $226.5 billion on M&A in H1 2022, 39% more than a year earlier.

However, "success is not guaranteed," writes Jaggaer CFO Jeff Laborde in a TC+ explainer that examines what happens in the months that follow the pre-closing period.

"M&A is a part of doing business and its important to recognize that the impact and disruption of a PE take-private deal may be felt for years."

Story continues

Biotech proved a surprisingly bright spot in 2022s startup correction

biotech, fundraising, startups

Image Credits: Getty Images

The hard science and regulations that govern biotech companies sets them far apart from other startups.

Successfully navigating clinical trials is arguably harder than simply showing investors you can reach product-market fit, and still, "U.S. biotech deals also set new records in 2022 for both median deal size, $33.5 million, and median valuation, $38 million," reports Rebecca Szkutak.

To learn more about why the sector has been so resilient in the face of widespread market corrections, she interviewed three early-stage biotech investors:

John Flavin, founder and CEO, Portal Innovations

Jorge Conde, general partner, Andreessen Horowitz

Zavain Dar, co-founder and general partner, Dimension Capital

5 investors discuss Bostons resilient tech ecosystem

Before yesterday's TC City Spotlight: Boston event, Anna Heim interviewed five investors active in the area to learn more about the pace of dealmaking, layoffs and other topics of interest to the local tech community.

Here's who she spoke to:

Rudina Seseri, founder and managing partner, Glasswing Ventures

Lily Lyman, general partner, Underscore VC

Sanjiv Kalevar, partner, OpenView

Katie Rae, CEO and managing partner, The Engine

Russ Wilcox, partner, Pillar VC

Active learning is the future of generative AI: Heres how to leverage it

Digital generated image of silhouette of male head with multicoloured gears inside on white background.

Image Credits: Andriy Onufriyenko (opens in a new window) / Getty Images

The generative AI models that have made headlines and memes in recent months weren't cooked up in someone's garage or basement.

"Only well-funded institutions with access to a massive amount of GPU power are capable of building these models," says Encore co-founder Eric Landau, who recommends using the iterative process of active learning to "leapfrog the AI production gap and build models capable of running in the wild more quickly."

In a TC+ post aimed at ML team managers, he shares tactics for leveraging active learning and addresses the perennial buy-versus-build dilemma.

Apply now to speak at TechCrunch Disrupt in September

Interested in speaking at TechCrunch Disrupt this September in San Francisco?

Submit a title and a description for the topic you'd like to talk about before April 21.

Selected applicants will have a chance to lead a roundtable discussion or participate in a breakout session followed by an audience Q&A.
Mariam Zuhaib / AP

One person whos not happy with the most recent proposed IRS guidelines on reporting tips is Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas). Hes gone as far as to call the measure next level cruelty, as reported by Money Wise, and his thoughts appear to mirror those belonging to other GOP legislators who believe the new tax strategy is just one more way the IRS is punishing everyday Americans.

See: Common Reasons You Might Owe Taxes This Year

Find: 3 Signs Youre Serious About Raising Your Credit Score

As GOBankingRates previously reported, the IRS (with guidance from the U.S. Department of Treasury) introduced Notice 2023-13 on Feb. 6, formally proposing the Service Industry Tip Compliance Agreement (SITCA) program. The proposed program aims to leverage advancements in point-of-sale, time and attendance systems and electronic payment settlement methods to improve tip reporting compliance.

In essence, this new structure would allow employers to voluntarily report tips made by their hires and, as a result, likely increase the tax burden on service workers. The program is intended to improve gratuity reporting compliance and reduce the estimated $1.66 billion in annual unreported tip income, per Money Wise.

The proposal would see employers collect information regarding all tips provided by a customer at the point of sale  information which employers would turn over to the IRS in addition to an estimation of cash tips their employees receive. While the IRS suggested this will ease the reporting process for service workers (they will only need to report their base income going forward) and employers, many have voiced opposition.

Some  like Mike Palicz, federal affairs manager at Americans for Tax Reform  claim SITCA is one of the measures related to the purported hiring of 87,000 new tax agents  and that the IRS will target everyday workers rather than taxes owed by wealthy earners. Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) also recently tweeted, Stop the presses. No need to raise the debt limit. Biden is going after those billionaire waitresses tips.

Story continues

However, claims of an auditor army being hired have been disputed by sources such as CNN, with writer Katie Lobosco stating that there have been gross exaggerations about how the $80 billion in funding for the IRS will be used. The White House has also rejected this allegation.

Strictly speaking, if you make more than $20 in tip income during a one-month period, it must be reported to your employer (and thus be recorded as income on your tax return). However, there hasnt been a clear way to monitor compliance in the past, as much of the figures relied on estimations and blurry guidelines on who should be responsible for reporting (employers vs. employees).

Per Money Wise, there are two programs currently in place that SITCA looks to improve upon  the Tip Rate Determination Agreement (TRDA), where the IRS and employers come to an agreement on selected tip rates, and the Tip Reporting Alternative Commitment (TRAC), where employers prepare a monthly report on tip income based on disclosures from employees who receive cash tips.

The IRS indicated that accurately reporting tip income could actually benefit service workers via an increase in reported adjusted gross income AGI. The agency noted that doing so could improve retirement contributions, Social Security and Medicare contributions, and increase their eligibility for mortgage loans.

Take Our Poll: What Do You Plan To Use Your Tax Refund For?

More: Pros and Cons of Living in a State With No Income Tax

The proposal is open for public comment until May 7.

More From GOBankingRates

This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: Ted Cruz Says IRS Tip Proposal Would Unnecessarily Overtax Workers  How It Works
Courtesy Ally Phillips

Allie Phillips of Tennessee was 19 weeks pregnant with a girl she and her husband already named Miley Rose when she went to see a high-risk obstetrician on Friday morning.

A technician began to conduct an ultrasound scan, but suddenly stopped and went to get the doctor. The 28-year-old expectant mom was left lying on the table and texted a friend to see if that had ever happened to her.

Never, the friend replied.

The doctor entered and directed Phillips attention to the screen and a gap in a white line down the middle of her babys brain. The doctor explained that the gap showed the brain had not fully divided into the right and left hemispheres.

I felt all the blood just leave my face and my heart sank to the back of my chest and I just felt numb, Phillips told The Daily Beast on Monday. I was still there physically, but my mind just kind of left.

She looked over at her husband, Bryan Lynch. His eyes were welling with tears and she knew he was struggling not to break down in front of her.

I came back to my body, she later said. I immediately began crying, like out loud crying.

A sonogram shows the gap in the line between the hemispheres of the brain. Courtesy Ally Phillips

The doctor said it was a rare congenital defect known as holoprosencephaly (HPE). Only 3 percent of fetuses with it survive to birth.

To make it all worse, Miley Roses heart had only two chambers rather than four. There were also abnormalities in the kidneys and the bladder.

I asked, Is there any treatment? Phillips recalled. She said, Unfortunately, theres nothing that can fix all these defects.

Miley Rose was doomed.

I was like, What do we do next? Phillips remembered.

The doctor said that terminating the pregnancy was an option, but they were in Tennessee, where an abortion ban went into effect six months ago.

She said, Of course, in Tennessee, I cant offer you advice if you choose that route. That is something you would have to do your own research on,

Phillips remembered.

The doctor added that if they decided to continue with the pregnancy, the problems would only grow along with the fetus.

Story continues

We risk having a stillborn or giving birth only for her to just die shortly after delivery, Phillips said. I dont want to bring her into this world to suffer for an hour or two just so I can say I held her.

Phillips went home with her husband and sought escape in sleep.

Maybe [you] wake up and it was just a bad dream, she said. Unfortunately not. Life was like a living nightmare.

Courtesy Ally Phillips

Before the ban in Tennessee, she could have just gone to her doctor for an abortion. Her home state now was a place where she could only wait for her baby to be born into a futile struggle to live a brief time not worth living. And if she miscarried, she would have to wait for her body to expel the deceased fetus. A medical effort to intervene would constitute an abortion.

An abortion is a procedure, Phillips said. It doesnt matter if theres a heartbeat.

The couples 5-year-old daughter, Adalie Phillips, went with her parents when they had a routine anatomy scan on Feb. 20. The child heard their usual obstetrician say she saw enough cause for worry that they should see a high-risk obstetrician. Now, five days later, Phillips had to explain to Adalie how things had changed.

Remember on Monday when mommy went to the baby doctor? Phillips recounts asking the girl. Do you remember what happened?

Yeah, there was something wrong with Miley Rose, Adalie said.

You know how mommy had an appointment today when you were in school?

Yeah.

So they found more things wrong with Miley Rose.

Why?

I dont know why. Sometimes things happen and its not my fault, its not daddys fault, its not your fault. Its nobodys fault. Nature doesnt always do what its supposed to do. Because of everything thats wrong with Miley Rose shes not going to make it, honey. Shes not going to be born.

But you can drink water and grow healthy, the girl then said.

I wish that was all we had to do, the mother replied. Sometimes its more than just water can help. So, were going to have to say goodbye to Miley Rose.

But I wanted my baby sister.

I know you did, honey. I wanted her, too. Sometimes these things are just out of our hands.

Courtesy Ally Phillips

On Saturday, Phillips and her husband went to One Like Me, a place near her home in Clarksville that provides ultrasound images and recording of heartbeats as keepsakes. The place was fully booked, but the proprietor fit in Phillips after she explained the situation and said she wanted to have a recording of Mileys heartbeat.

Before we say goodbye to our little girl, Phillips said.

The proprietor provided her with several 3D images of Miley Rose as well as a heartbeat recording. Phillips was only charged with the stuffed floppy-eared bunny that she and her husband chose from the stuffed animals that accommodate recordings.

On Monday, Phillips made calls to abortion providers in New York and Illinois. She and her husband make too much money to qualify for financial assistance, but not enough that the prospective expense isnt daunting, especially when compounded by the cost of airfare and a hotel. One quote in Illinois for the procedure at 20 weeks was $1,500, going up to $2,500 in the 21st week.

They decided on a facility in Manhattan that said it would cost $1,050 at 20 weeks. A woman there said the price might be less in Phillips case, as the baby was smaller than would be expected at 19 weeks.

I know they charge by how big the fetus is, Phillips said.

Phillips and her husband will be setting from Tennessee for New York next week to do what they must do, but cannot do at home thanks to Gov. Bill Lee and the conservative Republicans who are now running her home state.

Maybe I can get Bill to pay for my trip, Phillips said.

She feels sure that the self-described pro-life politicians really value something else.

Control, she said. Thats all they care about.

Abortion bans, in Tennessee or anywhere else, are extremely dangerous to women of every background, she said. Politicians should not be making any laws that limit medical treatment for anyone. Its unconstitutional and a violation to my basic civil and human rights.

Banning abortions doesnt stop them. It bans safe abortions and makes it nearly impossible for some women to receive life-saving care. Women will die because of these laws. Doesnt seem very pro-life if you ask me.

Phillips had announced her pregnancy on TikTok. She now posted a tearful video reporting the terrible turn it had taken, announcing that she and her husband had decided to get an abortion. She posted another video in which she played the recording of Mileys Roses heartbeat as she held the bunny.

Her living nightmare is made only worse by the faint stirring inside her.

Theres little moves, Phillips said. I can feel it.

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NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP)  Tennessee U.S. Rep. Andy Ogles says he was mistaken when he said he graduated with an international relations degree after a local news outlet raised questions over whether the Republican had embellished his education.

Ogles said this week he wasn't made aware of the mistake until he requested his transcript from Middle Tennessee State University to verify his degree.

When I pulled my transcript to verify, I realized I was mistaken. My degree is in Liberal Studies. I apologize for my misstatement," Ogles said in a statement released Sunday.

Earlier this month, Nashville-based WTVF-TV reported that Ogles has also called himself an economist" even though he only took one community college economics course. The station then raised questions over Ogles' claims that he has law enforcement experience and handled international sex crimes.

When asked directly by WWTN's Dan Mandis on Feb. 21 if the congressman had embellished his resume, Ogles said that people should look at the body of someone's work to determine if he's an economist.

I had the privilege in my career, Ive spent the last decade working on economic policy and tax policy, so you decide. At the end of the day, I dont care," he said.

Ogles then clarified that he was reserve deputy for a local law enforcement agency, which overlapped with his time working for Abolition International  a Nashville-based nonprofit that combats sex trafficking.

Maybe I created some of the confusion or maybe it was someone looking to write a story, Ogles said.

Ogles' statement released Sunday only addressed his college education, which he said he had to drop out of MTSU to help his family during a difficult time. He later returned as a non-traditional student and completed his remaining courses online.

At the time, it was my understanding I had completed my course of study in Political Science and International Relations, Ogles said. Last week, I requested an official copy of my transcript and learned that I was actually awarded a broader degree in Liberal Studies with minors in Political Science and English.

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The controversy comes after U.S. Rep. George Santos of New York has faced numerous calls for his resignation after acknowledging he fabricated, and at times lied, about parts of his education, work experience and even his familys own religion and history.

Ogles, a former rural county mayor, won the Nashville-based congressional seat last year after largely avoiding the public spotlight and refusing to debate his Democratic opponent.

The strategy was successful largely due to the GOP-led redistricting process, which carved Nashville's congressional seat into three districts. Doing so provided enough cushion for a Republican to win.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP)  Four Tennessee police officers are being investigated for their treatment of a woman whose pleas for help they repeatedly ignored as they accused her of faking illness after she was discharged from a hospital. The woman was pronounced dead a day later.

The Knox County District Attorney's office announced on Monday that it would not press criminal charges after an autopsy determined that 60-year-old Lisa Edwards died of a stroke and that at no time did law enforcement interaction cause or contribute to Ms. Edwards death.

That has not stopped public outrage after the Knoxville Police Department released video showing officers accusing Edwards of faking mobility and breathing problems and ignoring her repeated pleas for help.

In the video released last week, officers struggle for about 25 minutes to move Edwards into a police van and finally a cruiser after being called by Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center on Feb. 5.

Edwards repeatedly asks for help but is rebuffed by officers and hospital security guards who become frustrated with her inability to step up into the van and tell her she is faking her incapacity.

Edwards tells them she can't breathe, she needs help sitting up, and that she's going to have a stroke. At one point, she tells them, I'm gonna die."

First to arrive at the hospital is Sgt. Brandon Wardlaw. It is 8 a.m. and Edwards is in a hospital wheelchair in the corner of a parking garage. Security guards tell Wardlaw that she has been discharged from the medical center but won't leave the property and that they need the wheelchair back. Edwards appears somewhat disoriented, asking the officer, Can you call the preacher for me?

When he can't get Edwards to leave, Wardlaw decides to arrest her for trespassing and calls for a police van, but officers cannot get her inside it. They try several times to lift her but end up leaving her propped half-in, half-out of the van. Eventually she slumps to the ground, where they leave her lying for several minutes.

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Throughout her interaction with police, Edwards repeatedly tells the officers that she can't breathe and needs help sitting up. Her breathing is heavy and her words are slurred.

When a man walks into the parking garage, Edwards calls out to him, Doctor! Doctor!

She asks for her inhaler over and over again, but officers cannot locate it for several minutes. When they finally find it and give it to her, Wardlaw decides she isn't using it correctly and takes it away again.

Wardlaw, Officer Adam Barnett, and others repeatedly express their belief that Edwards is faking her mobility and breathing problems.

Youve been medically cleared maam. This is not going to work, Barnett tells her at one point. Later he complains that she is not using her legs on purpose.

Now youre starting to piss me off! Get up! he tells Edwards.

This is all an act, Wardlaw says. "When you get out to jail, you'd better not pull this stunt, 'cause they don't play around out there.

There is an indication in the video that officers may be aware Edwards could be in real distress. When they suggest putting her in the back of the van, the driver balks.

She's saying she can't breathe. If she falls ... and dies, it's on me, says Transportation Officer Danny Dugan, who is not a sworn police officer.

Eventually they call Officer Timothy Distasio, deciding that his cruiser has a lower profile that will make it easier to get her inside. The officers push her in, and leave her lying on her back. At this point she is wheezing heavily. She asks repeatedly for officers to sit her up but they tell her she can sit herself up.

Video from inside the police car shows Edwards trying to pull herself upright repeatedly, but eventually she slumps out of sight. Several minutes later Distasio performs a traffic stop on another vehicle. When he opens the rear door, Edwards is unresponsive. He calls dispatch for an ambulance, telling them, I don't know if she's faking it or what, but she's not answering me.

Edwards was pronounced dead at the Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center the following day.

Wardlaw, Barnett, Distasio and Dugan are on paid administrative leave, pending the outcome of the internal investigation into their conduct, according to Knoxville Police spokesman Scott Erland.

A lot of us see these terrible videos, and then there are no repercussions for the officers because we are told that it looks terrible but actually is technically lawful and according to policy, said Alex Vitale, a professor of sociology at Brooklyn College who studies policing. They never ask the bigger question of why were the police involved in the first place? .... Why are we using police to cover up the failures of our basic health care system?

Edwards had flown to Tennessee from Rhode Island on Feb. 4, according to the autopsy report. On the flight, she started experiencing abdominal pain, and was taken to the Blount Memorial Hospital at about 7:45 p.m. There she was disruptive and uncooperative. Her behavior included throwing feces at a nurse.

She was discharged in stable condition, but she showed up at the Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center at about 1 a.m. on February 5. She was was discharged about six hours later, according to the autopsy.

Edwards' daughter-in-law, August Boylan, told television station WATE-TV that Edwards had mobility problems stemming from a stroke in 2019. She also had multiple medical issues, according to the autopsy, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Boylan said that her mother-in-law had moved to Rhode Island from Tennessee in 2018, but decided to move back.

She was able to make her own decision as far as you know wanting to move back to Tennessee. She had a plan in place. She was discharged from a nursing home that had her helped arrange her flight to fly back to Tennessee. She was going to be living with a friend in Tennessee, Boylan told the station.
ABUJA, Nigeria (AP)  Nigeria's opposition demanded a revote Tuesday for the countrys presidential election, where the partial results show an early lead for the ruling party.

At a press conference in the capital Abuja, the three main opposition parties said the election was an insult to democracy and called for Nigeria's election chief to resign.

The conduct of the 2023 election has been marred by widespread violence, rigging, intimidation of voters, doctoring of results and violation of the laid down electoral process, which was communicated by the national electoral body, said Julius Abure, chairman of the Labour Party.

While the press conference was taking place, dozens of protestors took to the streets of Abuja and in the southern Delta state, accusing the election commission of disenfranchising voters.

Results from Saturday's presidential and parliamentary elections in Africa's most populous nation have been trickling in, with 14 of its 36 states votes announced. The ruling party  the All Progressives Congress  candidate, Bola Tinubu is in the lead winning six states with the main opposition candidate from the Peoples Democratic Party, Atiku Abubakar, trailing closely with five. Peter Obi of the Labour Party, a surprise leading candidate in what's usually a two-horse race, hasn't won any states despite a strong showing in polls before the election.

In order to win, the candidate who leads the popular vote must also win at least a quarter of the votes in two-thirds of the states and Abuja.

Parties have three weeks to appeal results, but an election cant be invalidated unless it proves that the national electoral body largely didnt follow the law and conducted actions which could change the final result.

The ruling party has asked the opposition to accept defeat and not cause trouble.

We call on Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi to emulate former President Goodluck Jonathan by conceding defeat. This election has already been won by our candidate, according to the results declared at the collation centres in the state, said Dele Alake, a spokesman.

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While Saturdays election was largely peaceful, observers said there were at least 135 critical incidents, including widespread delays, eight reports of ballot-snatching that undermined the legitimacy of the countrys polls.

The opposition said the delay in uploading results from each of Nigerias 176,000 voting units to the electoral bodys portal, made room for irregularities.

Their request for the vote to be cancelled was not immediately addressed by the electoral body raising concern about growing tensions ahead of May when the new government is meant to be sworn in.

If elections are cancelled and we have to start over again May 29 may no longer be sacrosanct which might lead to the declaration of a state of emergency and an interim national government, said Hassan Idayat, head of the Center for Democracy and Development, Nigerias largest democracy-focused group.

-

Associated Press reporters Taiwo Ajayi in Abuja, Nigeria and Sam Mednick in Ouagadougou Burkina Faso contributed
China has rolled out a plan for the overall layout of the country's digital development.

Building a digital China is important for the advancement of Chinese modernization in the digital era, and provides solid support for the development of new advantages in the country's competitiveness, according to the plan, which was jointly released by the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the State Council.

According to the plan, important progress will be made in the construction of a digital China by 2025, with effective interconnectivity in digital infrastructure, a significantly improved digital economy, and major breakthroughs achieved in digital technology innovation.

By 2035, China will be at the global forefront in terms of digital development, and its digital progress in the economic, political, cultural, social and ecological fields will be more coordinated and sufficient.

The plan includes support for the in-depth integration of digital technology and the real economy and the application of digital technology in the agriculture, manufacturing, finance, education, medical services, transportation and energy sectors.

The plan envisions a digital country with effective digital government services, a thriving cyberspace culture, widely accessible digital public services, and ecological governance empowered by digital technology.

A system for independent digital technology innovation will be built, and businesses will be encouraged to play a leading role in technological innovation, according to the plan, which also calls for improved intellectual property protection.
As the Supreme Court convenes on Tuesday to weigh whether the Biden administration can forgive billions of dollars in student debt, thousands of borrowers dont plan to go quietly.

Upwards of 100 people were already outside the courthouse on a cold and rainy Monday evening, and groups will bus in many more as President Bidens student loan relief plan, a major campaign promise, goes before the justices.

With sleeping bags and emergency blankets ready, Temple University sophomore Kayla McMonagle, a first-generation college student already $20,000 in debt, was set to be among the first in line for Tuesdays oral arguments in two challenges to Bidens plan.

A lot of people think about our generation that we are not motivated to do things, we are always on our phones, always in our heads, said McMonagle, a political science major. But this issue impacts our generation the most so far, and it will impact our childrens generation and generations to come.

As the arguments begin, organizers expect a crowd of 3,000 at a rally that will include members of Congress, borrowers and activists.

Decisions in the case are likely still a few months away, but the demonstrations come as borrowers are already bracing to hear the fate of Bidens plan.

Coming from a low-income family, McMonagle said traveling to Washington, D.C., and missing midterms was well worth the trouble.

I want to go to grad school. I want to possibly get a PhD. I love learning. I love being at school. I want to make sure that I have the chance to further my education. It will be amazing for me, life-changing almost, she said of Bidens plan.

She and several others plan to camp outside in the rain in the lead up to tomorrow mornings Peoples Rally, which was planned by more than 20 national organizations, including the NAACP, Debt Collective and New Georgia Project.

The Peoples Rally for Student Debt Cancellation is a powerful expression of our collective will to create a more just and equitable future. By coming together we can ensure that the voices of those most affected by student debt are heard and that policymakers are able to take action, said Natalia Abrams, president and founder of the Student Debt Crisis Center.

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The rally will kick off two hours before oral arguments begin at 10 a.m., when the federal government will attempt to fend off two groups of challengers to the debt relief plan: six Republican-led states and two individual borrowers who did not qualify for the full $20,000 in relief.

Both groups contend the Biden administration overstepped its authority, but the case could also hinge on whether the justices believe the challengers have legal standing.

Kicking off the campout as the sun set on Monday, Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-Fla.), the first Generation Z member of Congress, told the largely young crowd that they were who the country needed.

Im optimistic because I need to be, but I mean, weve seen the court come up with some disastrous decisions over the, obviously, the past year, Frost said in an interview after his speech. And so I hold optimism because we have to in this moment, and Im hoping they wont let us down. But I mean, well see.

Frost was one of a handful of Democratic lawmakers to join the demonstrators in front of the court building.

Education is a key to racial and economic justice for so many Americans, yet it remains locked in an ivory tower, Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) later told the crowd.

Those protesting say they represent the 44 million student loan borrowers who will be impacted by these oral arguments and the courts decision in these cases.

Mykeisha Wells, a University of Michigan graduate student more than $60,000 in debt who attended Monday nights rally, said it marked the first time she had taken part in a political demonstration.

Relieving up to $20,000 in debt is really significant for me, thinking about the future that I want to have: buying a house, creating generational wealth for my children, Wells said.

The support for the student debt relief has largely been divided along partisan lines, with Democrats energetic for the cause and Republicans deeming the relief as unfair.

In a poll last August after Biden announced his plan, 80 percent of Democrats said they supported it, while 71 percent of Republicans were opposed.

Tens of millions of Americans are counting on President Biden to swiftly deliver the financial relief they were promised and already approved for, said Braxton Brewington, spokesperson for the Debt Collective.

Theres no sound legal reasoning for the Supreme Court to knock down relief, but should they overstep, Biden needs to use other legal tools at his disposal to deliver relief, he continued. Trillions of dollars in student debt is a massive weight dragging borrowers down  thats why were showing up to the court in droves.

Republicans have gone on the attack, arguing its not right to use taxpayer money from individuals who never went to school or already paid off their debts to relieve others debts. The GOP also argues the plan does not help the root cause of high college debt: college tuition prices.

Democrats say the relief would be a great help to millions of middle- and lower-class Americans who struggle to pay their student loan debt every month. Its success would also fulfill one of Bidens major campaign promises.

We are going to keep pushing and applying pressure after oral arguments are over and once we get a decision. One does not stop here, said Maggie Bell, lead organizer for the New Georgia Project, one of the groups organizing Tuesdays demonstrations. Ten-thousand dollars or $20,000 of cancellation and relief is helpful but it does not fulfill our demand, right. And so we see this as the first step. But we are definitely going to keep applying pressure on leaders.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
(Bloomberg) -- Tesla Inc. will build a new plant in Monterrey, Mexico, the nations president announced, ending weeks of speculation over where the electric-car maker would choose to operate in the country.

Most Read from Bloomberg

The decision, which President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said the company will detail on Wednesday, would help Mexico build on the millions of combustion-engine vehicles the country already supplies to the US every year. American and European manufacturers have thus far destined most of their EV factories for the US market in American states, though BMW and General Motors Co. have announced new investments in Mexico in recent months that will ramp up EV exports to the US.

The arrival of Tesla in Mexico is also a feather in the cap for Lopez Obrador, though he didnt get his wish for the factory to be located in an economically deprived state in the south of the country. The president said he wrung environmental commitments from Tesla Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk on a phone call Monday, including using recycled water throughout the manufacturing process  a pledge Lopez Obrador sought for a region where water has become scarce.

He was very responsive, understanding our concerns and accepting our proposals, said AMLO, as the president is known for short. I want to thank Mr. Elon Musk for being very respectful, attentive and understanding of the importance of addressing the problem of water scarcity.

Tesla holds an investor day on Wednesday, and the company is likely to detail the announcement then, Lopez Obrador said. Additional commitments will also be announced next week, he said. Nuevo Leon Governor Samuel Garcia cheered the decision in a tweet.

Story continues

Lopez Obrador had said as recently as last week that Tesla wouldnt receive permits if there wasnt enough water in the area of the factory site. Last June, authorities were forced to cut water access in Nuevo Leon, where Monterrey is located, to a maximum of seven hours, as dams were at risk of emptying entirely. The Mexican government even asked industries and farmers in Monterrey to offer part of their water to the population amid weeks of acute shortage while AMLO asked businesses in the area to cut water usage.

Read more: Taps Run Dry: Heat and Severe Drought Ravage Monterrey, Mexico

Tesla had ran up against concerns about water scarcity while planning a factory in Berlin, one of the two car factories the company opened last year. While Musk laughed off a question about the issue in August 2021, it contributed to delays that kept the plant from starting production until seven months later.

Lopez Obrador didnt specify what Tesla would build at the plant, though his comments about water in the manufacturing cycle implied that vehicle assembly and painting would take place there. A new plant in Mexico would come on top of four existing factories  in California, Texas, China and Germany  that Tesla has said have the capacity to make more than 1.9 million vehicles a year.

In addition, the company has started pilot production of its Semi truck in Nevada at the battery factory its expanding as part of a $3.6 billion investment announced last month. Indonesian leaders including President Joko Widodo also have said theyre in talks with Tesla about the carmaker constructing a factory in the Southeast Asian nation home to key battery metals.

The factory would be Teslas first south of the US border. Lopez Obrador said that Mexico would be unable to provide subsidies for batteries or semiconductors comparable to the incentives being offered in the US. The uncertainty over the location in Mexico touched off a marketing battle between different states, whose leaders sought to promote their appeal for businesses.

Read more: Mexican States Woo Tesla as AMLO Makes His Own Pitch

The electric car industry has grown in Mexico mainly as foreign demand for the vehicles continues, with BMW announcing a new investment of 800 million in the state of San Luis Potosi. Other automakers, such as GM, have also announced that they will are expanding their electric auto production in the country.

Stellantis NV, which owns the Jeep and Ram brands, also is considering a Mexico plant for electric vehicle production, Bloomberg has reported. Ford Motor Co. has been building the Mustang Mach-E at its Cuautitlan, Mexico, plant for more than a year.

Companies have been locating their businesses in Mexico as a means to overcome the supply hurdles that emerged in the pandemic while maintaining access to the North American market. Mexicos industrial park occupancy hit a record high last year, and banks expect this trend to boost the economy in 2023. However, Lopez Obradors reform of the energy sector to give the state utility priority over private electricity providers has made some companies squeamish and limited investment. Lopez Obrador has also ruffled feathers in the business world by intervening in big business decisions, including the sale of Citigroup Inc.s local unit.

Read more: Tesla Water Usage Musk Snickered at Is No Laughing Matter

Tesla shares dropped less than 1% at 10:10 a.m. in New York.

--With assistance from Craig Trudell.

(Updates with water use commitment, context and share movement)

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2023 Bloomberg L.P.
Tesla may get $300 million tax abatement

A Tesla deal may come to fruition for its facility in Nevada on Thursday, which may allocate more than $300 million in tax abatements to the company. The Nevada Governors Office of Economic Development will hold a vote on Thursday to decide whether the company will receive the sum over the course of two decades.

The conversation was brought to the table in light of Teslas $3.6 billion factory expansion in Nevada but was kept quiet because of a nondisclosure agreement between the company and state officials. According to Teslas application, approval of the tax abatement will allow the company to bring in roughly 3,000 jobs offering an average rate of $33.49 per hour while covering health insurance for 91% of employees.

Read more

The facility expansion will reportedly occur at the Tahoe Reno Industrial Center and according to AP News, Tesla CEO Elon Musk claims he has plans to produce an influx of semi-trucks and produce enough cell batteries to be able to power two million light-duty vehicles each year in Nevada.

According to the AP, Tesla signed a deal with Nevada as it first broke ground on the facility back in 2014. When you combine both its 2014 investment and project expansion where the automaker received over $1 billion in tax breaks, Teslas is poised for more than $10 billion in capital investments between 2014 and 2028.

The tax breaks for the first phase will phase out next year in 2024, Mike Kazmierski, president of the Economic Development Authority of Western Nevada told ABC8 News earlier this month. And when that happens all the revenue from that manufacturing equipment tax will go right into our economy. We are one of only eight states in the nation that taxes manufacturing equipment and that was the bulk of the abatements afforded to Tesla nine years ago.

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Ahead of Thursdays board meeting, Nevadas Democratic-controlled legislature requested a delayed vote to allow the public to have more time to express their opinions on the matter, but as of Monday, the vote will continue as scheduled.

Storey County commissioners, where Teslas factory is based, requested in a letter to Gov. Joe Lombardo (R-NV) and economic development board director Tom Burns that county officials attend and participate in Thursdays meeting, AP News reported. Regardless of whether officials attend, the commissioners wrote, Storey County is poised to accept and respond to the needs of a second Gigafactory and continue its positive working relationship with the Tesla team.

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Tesla's Investor Day isn't here quite yet, but we may already know one of the company's biggest announcements. According to Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, Elon Musk has promised to build the automaker's next gigafactory in northern Mexico  specifically in Monterrey, the capitol of the northern state of Nuevo Leon. It's a deal that's been in the works for some time: Late last year, Musk visited Nuevo Leon to meet with the Governor of the region.

Even so, there were some questions about if Tesla could get approval to build in the area  after Monterrey suffered severe water shortages in 2022, President Lopez Obrador said the government would not grant permits for water-hungry factories. After a series of phone calls with Elon Musk, Tesla was granted an exception. There is one commitment that all the water used in the manufacture of electric automobiles will be recycled water, Lopez Obrador said of the call, adding that the factory would also represent "a considerable investment and many, many jobs."

As for what Tesla plans to build in Monterrey, Mexico? We'll have to wait a day to find out. The Mexican President wasn't clear on exactly what the new factory would be producing, though it's worth noting that Tesla has already announced a massive expansion of its facility in Reno, Nevada, where it's investing $3.6 billion to build a battery factory and mass produce the Telsa Semi truck. Lopez Obrador noted that we can expect to hear more details on Wednesday, March 1st  and hey, that's Tesla Investor day.
By Kwang JirapornKuhakan

RAYONG, Thailand (Reuters) - Thailand and the United States kicked off on Tuesday military exercises involving more than 7,000 personnel and forces from 30 countries, with the annual drills including a component focused on space exercises for the first time.

"Cobra Gold", launched in 1982, is one of the world's longest-running multilateral military exercises and the biggest in Southeast Asia, serving as a key platform for Washington to shore up alliances in Asia at a time of increasing competition with China.

After the drills were scaled back during the pandemic, nearly 6,000 U.S. troops will take part this year, Admiral John Aquilino, Commander of the United States Indo-Pacific Command, said, the highest number in a decade.

Speaking to reporters, Aquilino said: "we will conduct integrated ops across the land, sea, air and cyberspace with our partners."

The exercises, which will run until March 10, demonstrate how responding together would help "to preserve a free and open Indo Pacific, so that all nations can maintain peace, stability and prosperity," he said.

Tensions have increased in the region between the United States and China over Beijing's growing assertiveness in the South China Sea and over self-ruled Taiwan.

This year, the drills will include a space exercise for the first time, with a focus on understanding the impact of aerial phenomena such as solar storms on military operations, communication and satellites, a U.S. embassy statement said.

Military and civilian space agencies from Thailand, the United States and Japan will take part, it said.

Cobra Gold involves 7,394 personnel in total this year from 30 countries, with the seven full participants also including Japan, Singapore, South Korea, Malaysia and Indonesia.

China, India and Australia are taking part in the humanitarian exercises.

(Reporting by Kwang JirapornKuhakan ; Editing by Ed Davies)
(Bloomberg) -- Thailand kicked off an international military exercise with the biggest US attendance in a decade as Washington seeks to build on ties with a key security partner at a time of rising global geopolitical competition with Beijing.

Most Read from Bloomberg

The Cobra Gold military drill in Thailand, which runs from Feb. 28 to March 10, is the largest joint military exercise in mainland Asia involving 30 countries. It has been running for more than four decades and this year was billed as a return to full-scale drills after the pandemic.

More than 6,000 US military personnel will be attending the war games  the biggest showing in a decade and Admiral John Aquilino, the top commander for the Indo-Pacific region, is participating in a sign of renewed US-Thai security ties, said Americas envoy to Thailand Robert Godec.

Cobra Gold helps build interoperability, advances our common interests, and serves as a demonstration of our dedication to our allies and partners in ensuring a free and open Indo-Pacific region, Godec said at the opening ceremony of the war games in Rayong province, east of Bangkok.

Cobra Gold is an indicator on the strength of US-Thai ties in recent years, with Washingtons criticism of the Thai coup in 2014 by army general-turned-premier Prayuth Chan-Ocha resulting in a downgraded presence at subsequent joint drills.

A greater US presence in the joint war games is seen as a significant development in Washingtons dance to balance its values and geopolitical interests with the rise of China, said Paul Chambers, a lecturer at Thailands Naresuan University.

By increasing the number of US troops back into Cobra Gold, this re-calibrates US-Thai relations more on a par with China, he said. So there is more of a hedging policy for Thailand in terms of trying to create balance between the two great powers that matter most to Thailand.

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Thailand under Prayuth, who stayed on as head of a civilian government after an election in 2019, has been moving closer to China in trade. China is currently the largest source of annual foreign investments in Thailand and Chinese tourists remain key to the countrys tourism industry that is a main economic growth driver.

This years Cobra Gold exercises will be attended by more than 7,000 military personnel from countries including Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Japan, and South Korea. Chinese army personnel will take part in some of the exercises.

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2023 Bloomberg L.P.
Chinese Vice Premier Sun Chunlan on Monday urged efforts to carry forward traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and promote its innovation and development so as to enhance people's health.

Sun made the remarks when inspecting Guang'anmen Hospital under the China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences to learn about the role of TCM in COVID-19 response, treatment of major diseases with TCM, and application of TCM expertise and medication.

With efforts in improving the TCM service system and innovation capabilities and fostering TCM professionals over recent years, China has seen more than 98 percent of its community health service centers and township medical facilities capable of providing TCM services, Sun said.

The unique advantages of TCM have stood the test of COVID-19 epidemic and its safety and efficacy have been recognized by the World Health Organization, Sun said.

Noting that the COVID-19 epidemic is not over, and that people still face challenges of many diseases, Sun stressed the importance of staying confident in TCM, further efforts for capacity building of special departments in TCM hospitals, cultivation of TCM professionals, and research of TCM technology.

She also called on localities and departments to care for medical workers, and create an enabling environment for them to grow and practice medicine.
This article first appeared in the Morning Brief. Get the Morning Brief sent directly to your inbox every Monday to Friday by 6:30 a.m. ET. Subscribe

Tuesday, February 28, 2023

Today's newsletter is by Julie Hyman, anchor and correspondent at Yahoo Finance. Follow Julie on Twitter @juleshyman. Read this and more market news on the go with the Yahoo Finance App.

Today the process opens for semiconductor companies to apply for a piece of the $39 billion grant money being allocated as part of the CHIPS and Science Act.

But there's a catch: firms that win the funds may not be able to buy back stock  for a while, anyway.

We want to make sure that their money is being used to increase research and development in innovation and not to pad their bottom line or do buybacks, said Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo in an interview with Yahoo Finance.

One could argue its the administrations prerogative to decide how chipmakers that accept grants to build factories use that money.

But the White House wants to go further, by boosting taxes on buybacks from their current 1%. In his State of the Union address earlier this month, President Joe Biden said that tax should be much higher: "Corporations ought to do the right thing. Thats why I propose we quadruple the tax on corporate stock buybacks and encourage long-term investments. Theyll still make considerable profit."

U.S. President Joe Biden attends the groundbreaking of the new Intel semiconductor manufacturing facility in New Albany, Ohio, U.S., September 9, 2022. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts

That proposal is what may have led Warren Buffett to weigh in on the hot-button issue in the Berkshire Hathaway CEOs annual letter to investors: When you are told that all repurchases are harmful to shareholders or to the country, or particularly beneficial to CEOs, you are listening to either an economic illiterate or a silver-tongued demagogue (characters that are not mutually exclusive).

Even Buffett has a caveat, however: he says buybacks make sense only if they are made at value-accretive prices, i.e. when corporations dont overpay.

Taking a step back, corporations have a number of ways to spend their money, from building new plants to hiring people to research and development. They can also distribute the funds directly to shareholders by paying out dividends.

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Or they can repurchase shares, which has the effect of reducing overall share count, automatically increasing earnings per share. (In a simplified example, if a company makes $1 million in profit and has 50,000 shares outstanding, earnings per share are $20. If it buys back 10,000 of its shares, earnings per share go to $25, making an existing shareholder's stake more valuable.)

And the numbers are a lot bigger than in the example above. Last year, U.S. companies announced a record $1.223 trillion of buybacks, according to data from EPFR TrimTabs. This year, its already running at $274.9 billion  heating up even after the 1% tax kicked in.

Eliminating or restricting that tool, then, would be a big deal. Will it actually happen?

In the case of companies accepting money as part of the CHIPS Act, its unclear whether theyll be barred from doing buybacks at all, or just directly using the funding theyve received. (Senator Elizabeth Warren and some of her colleagues in Congress want the participants to be barred from doing buybacks for 10 years).

Secretary Raimondo said each case will be different, but the government will in theory have the ability to claw back money in the most extreme cases if companies do not comply with their agreements, whether that deals with buybacks or other stipulations.

Investors in companies like Intel (INTC) and Taiwan Semiconductor (TSM) should take note, since theyre among the firms that have announced plans to build plants in the U.S. and are likely to apply for federal funding.

As for whether a broader clampdown on buybacks is coming, policy analyst Ed Mills is skeptical.

Really, what this is about is setting up a strawman, as we get into debates about the debt ceiling, Mills, a managing director at Raymond James, told Yahoo Finance in an interview.

On the one hand, Republicans will fire up their rhetoric about getting the U.S. fiscal house in order. Democrats, led by President Biden, are likely to shoot back by saying Republicans arent willing to ask companies enacting big buybacks to pay more in taxes.

I don't think it happens, but I think it's going to be more part of the conversation than I think the market anticipates right now, Mills said.

What to Watch Today

Economy

Advance Goods Trade Balance , January (-$91.0 billion expected, -$90.3 billion during prior month, revised to -$89.7 billion)

Wholesale Inventories , month-over-month, January Preliminary (0.1% expected, 0.1% during previous month)

Retail Inventories , month-over-month, January (0.5% during prior month)

House Price Purchase Index, quarter-over-quarter , Q4 (0.1% during prior quarter)

FHFA Housing Pricing Index , December (-0.1% during prior month)

S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller 20-City Composite , month-over-month, December (-0.54% during prior month)

S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller 20-City Composite , year-over-year, December (6.77% during prior month)

S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller U.S. National Home Price Index , year-over-year, December (7.69% during prior month)

MNI Chicago PMI , February (44.3 during prior month); Richmond Fed Manufacturing Index , February (-11 during prior month)

Conference Board Consumer Confidence , February (108.5 expected, 107.1 during prior month)

Richmond Fed Business Conditions , February (-10 during prior month)

Dallas Fed Services Activity, February (-15.0 during prior month)

Earnings

AMC Entertainment (AMC), AutoZone (AZO), Cracker Barrel (CBRL), Compass (COMP), Duolingo (DUOL), GoodRx (GDRX), HP (HP), J.M. Smucker (SJM), Manchester United (MANU), Monster Beverage (MNST), Norwegian Cruise Line (NCLH), Rivian Automotive (RIVN), Ross Stores (ROST), SeaWorld Entertainment (SEAS), Urban Outfitters (URBN), Virgin Galactic (SPCE), Warby Parker (WRBY)



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The governments $53 billion CHIPS and Science Act has been hailed as a major step to ensuring the U.S. holds onto its advantage as the worlds technology powerhouse. But a new report out of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology says the investment isnt enough to keep competing countries like China from overtaking Americas position as the leader in advanced technologies.

If we don't have [competitive advantage], then U.S. firms are gonna lose out on contracts, on bids, on other things that we really care about that make U.S. firms more prosperous and the people in the United States more prosperous as well, Neil Thompson, director of the MIT FutureTech Research Project and study lead, told Yahoo Finance.

Congress passed the CHIPS, or Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors for America, Act in July. The Commerce Department is getting set to announce how companies can apply for funds from the multi-billion project, which is aimed at bringing more semiconductor manufacturing back to the U.S. and incentivizing firms to research cutting edge technologies that will give American companies an edge over international rivals.

U.S. President Joe Biden visits Viasat Inc., a technology company that will benefit from the passage of the CHIPS and Science Act, in Carlsbad, California, U.S., November 4, 2022. (Image: Reuters/Mike Blake)

Thompson, however, says that while the CHIPS Act is certainly helpful, it doesnt address the litany of other shortfalls that are hurting Americas competitiveness.

Computing is...about having those computers, it's about havingever better algorithms that you can run on those chips, Thompson said. It's about having the best people working on those things, and for U.S. companies and U.S. universities making those discoveries. So we need to have a broader approach to making sure that we are at the forefront of all of those things, not just making sure that we are sort of at the frontier with chips.

US President Joe Biden, with Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger (L), arrives to speaks about rebuilding US manufacturing through the CHIPS and Science Act at the groundbreaking of the new Intel semiconductor manufacturing facility near New Albany, Ohio, on September 9, 2022. (Image: Saul Loeb / AFP)

According to the MIT report, a 2019 survey of 120 U.S. organizations including universities, national labs, and federal agencies found that 79% of respondents believe China is improving its ability to compete at a better rate than America.

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Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo says the government hopes to use funding from the CHIPS Act to build two chip manufacturing clusters in the U.S. The idea is to ensure that the country is able to both research and develop its own semiconductors.

America used to be the leader in chip manufacturing, or fabrication, as its known, but it now builds just 12% of the worlds semiconductors. The CHIPS Act could help turn that around, bringing more manufacturing capabilities back to the U.S.

The government has also taken steps to limit Chinas ability to access high-end American technologies, creating a list of Chinese companies that U.S. firms cant ship their products to out of fear that it will be used to assist the Chinese military.

But according to Thompson, the U.S. needs to do more than simply build chips and restrict Chinas access to them. It also needs to ensure that the country has the capabilities necessary to develop new kinds of computer algorithms that help businesses improve their overall efficiency.

So how does he suggest building on the promises of the CHIPS Act? Part of the solution, he says, is to ensure the U.S. has enough immigrants to help fill important roles in the tech industry.

We need to be graduating the best folks, we need to be giving them a pathway so that they can stay in the United States, Thompson said. That's an area where we're not doing very well right now, in terms of being restrictive. And so this is another example where the CHIPS Act is good, but it's only one piece of what we need if we want to be at the forefront of advanced computing.

If the government and American businesses manage to come together, the country should be able to hold on to its lead in the tech industry, Thompson said. If not, China will likely grab the lead and its businesses and military will supplant the U.S. as the top dog on the international stage.

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Got a tip? Email Daniel Howley at dhowley@yahoofinance.com. Follow him on Twitter at @DanielHowley.

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When President Joe Biden signed the CHIPS and Science Act into law in 2022, it put $52 billion in tax credits and funding on the table to help bolster the semiconductor industry in the US, with $39 billion specifically earmarked for semiconductor manufacturing incentives. Now, we're starting to see how that initiative is going to play out: The Biden Administration has officially launched the first CHIPS for America funding opportunity, laying out the application process for "projects to construct, expand or modernize commercial facilities for the production of leading-edge, current-generation and mature-node semiconductors."

The "first" in first funding opportunity is the key word here: At the start, CHIPS for America is specifically looking to fund projects that align with the program's "vision for success" that seeks to have a number of leading-edge logic fabrication facilities and DRAM chip manufacturers by the end of the decade, as well as hitting specific production capacity goals for "current-generation and mature-node" semiconductors. The program plans to offer more funding opportunities for R&D and manufacturing equipment facilities at a later date. Applications for those programs won't launch until late Spring and Fall of 2023, but the CHIPS Program Office is open to receiving statements of interest from hopeful applicants.

The program also includes strict guardrails for how funding is used. Applicants who are awarded CHIPS funding will be prohibited from using the payments for stock buybacks or to pay out dividends, and payments will be tied to meeting specific milestones. It'll be awhile before the first recipients of CHIPS funding are announced, but hopeful projects can begin submitting applications on March 31, 2023. Want all the details? Check out the full CHIPS for America announcement right here.
[Source]

An organized security exploit duped Texas Department of Public Safety into sending at least 3,000 drivers licenses to a Chinese criminal group in New York that targeted Asians in the Lone Star State, officials announced on Monday.

The unidentified group did not hack any Texas government websites, the DPS said. Instead, they exploited existing security vulnerabilities in the states main portal, Texas.gov.

The agency said it became aware of the problem in December 2022 but did not notify affected Texans as they carried out investigations and arrests.

Were not happy at all, I can tell you that, one bit, DPS Chief Steve McCraw told lawmakers on Monday, as per the Texas Tribune. They should have had  controls should have been in place, and they never should have happened.

More from NextShark: Conservative MP draws outrage for saying Asian ministers all look the same to him

McCraw described the culprit as a Chinese organized crime group based in New York working in a number of different states.

Their scheme allegedly involved pulling the personal data of Asian targets from the dark web, harnessing the data to answer password security questions on Texas.gov and then using stolen credit cards to order copies of active licenses, such as those that were reported missing or stolen.

While licenses are issued by DPS, they are ordered through a portal run by the Department of Information Resources. At least 4,000 fake accounts were created, while some 2,400 licenses were shipped to third-party addresses, the Dallas Morning News reported.

More from NextShark: Meet Japan's first esports team comprised entirely of elders

McCraw said the crime group targeted Asians from various backgrounds with the goal of finding similar names and look-alikes, supposedly to aid Chinese nationals who are living in the U.S. illegally.

More potential cases are under investigation. State Rep. Mary Gonzalez (D-El Paso) criticized DPS officials for allowing so much time to pass while Texans were unaware that their identities had been stolen.

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Somebody could be going around as Mary Gonzalez right now for two months, and nobodys been notified, I [wouldnt have been] notified, she said.

More from NextShark: New Mobile Clinic Now Offers Free COVID-19 Tests in LA Chinatown

Meanwhile, Rep. Mano DeAyala (R-Houston) noted that Texas licenses could be used to get IDs from other states, saying, We dont want to be that weak link.

The security loophole has reportedly been addressed, and federal agencies have also been tapped to join the investigation, which is now being run in at least four states.

Affected Texans are reportedly set to receive a letter explaining that their cases will be given priority status if they suspect their ID is being used fraudulently. Others who believe they were targeted are asked to call local police or file a report using the states iWatch system.

More from NextShark: Woman Plans to Sue Fitness Club After Her Child Defecates in the Pool
Alec Baldwin is among the Rust producers facing a lawsuit from three of its crew members, following the fatal shooting of a cinematographer on the set of the Western film.

The three crew members  Ross Addiego, Reese Price and Doran Curtin  filed a civil lawsuit on Friday against Baldwin, Rust Movie Productions, LLC and El Dorado Pictures, alleging negligence and infliction of emotional distress.

The crew members were in Baldwins line of fire when he shot and killed the films cinematographer on the movies New Mexico set in 2021, according to a statement provided by their attorney, Vigil Law Firm.

Cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was killed and director Joel Souza was injured in the shooting after authorities say Baldwin fired a live round from a prop gun while rehearsing a scene.

Accusing the team behind Rust of tapping an inexperienced armorer [Hannah Gutierrez-Reed] and set leaders with histories of safety violations, the statement said multiple complaints from the crew were ignored while cast and crew were allowed to handle firearms without proper training.

All three, the lawsuit said, suffered blast injuries after witnessing the shooting that killed Hutchins.

Curtin, court documents stated, watched Hutchins fall to the ground right in front of her. After attempting to aid Hutchins, Curtin collapsed from the effect of the blast and the shock of the shooting.

Following the shooting, the lawsuit said, the defendants offered no diagnostic services or any meaningful emotional or mental health services to plaintiffs. Despite this, plaintiffs have independently sought support in dealing with their injuries which include, but are not limited to, insomnia, anxiety, depression, and symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder.

The lawsuit from the crew members is the latest legal battle Baldwin, both the star and executive producer of Rust, and the films production companies is facing.

Last month, the Santa Fe, N.M., district attorneys office filed involuntary manslaughter charges against Baldwin and Gutierrez-Reed.

Baldwin, along with Rust Movie Productions, LLC, settled a wrongful death lawsuit with the family of Hutchins last year, and announced filming on the movie would resume. Earlier this month, the makers behind Rust said the film would move to Montana when production resumes in the spring.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Alec Baldwin Mega / GC Images

Three Rust crew members filed a civil lawsuit against Alec Baldwin and the films producers on Friday, claiming that they were left with symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder following the 2021 on-set shooting of the movie's cinematographer, Halyna Hutchins.

The lawsuit filed in Santa Fe by dolly operator Ross Addiego, set costumer Doran Curtin, and key grip Reese Price accuses Baldwin, the El Dorado Pictures production company, and Rust Movie Productions LLC of negligence and intentional infliction of emotional distress.

These injuries were caused by Defendants failure to follow industry safety rules. Defendants cut comers; ignored reports of multiple, unscripted firearms discharges; and persisted, rushed and understaffed, to finish the film, the complaint reads.

Movie set of Rust at Bonanza Creek Ranch in Santa Fe Jae C. Hong / AP

According to the suit, the crew members were in close range of Baldwin when he pointed the revolver at cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, killing her and injuring director Joel Souza. Prosecutors in New Mexico charged Baldwin in January with two counts of involuntary manslaughter following an investigation into the shooting. He has pleaded not guilty.

The crew members claim in the lawsuit that they suffered blast injuries from the deafening sound of the guns discharge.

Price felt the physical force of the gunfire in the small space, the lawsuit reads. His ears began to ring. He felt as if everything was moving in slow motion. He saw Souza screaming and crawling away from Defendant Baldwin. Desperate and scared, crew members began to yank Plaintiff Price by the shirt and out of the church.

Addiego, who also felt the same disorienting sound, force, and physical trauma from the gunshot, rushed over to Souza and applied pressure on his wound until medics arrived.

Curtin, who saw Hutchins fall to the ground in front of her, tried to help the cinematographer before she was ushered outside, where she collapsed from the effects of the blast and the shock of the shooting.

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The complaint further states that the crew members were not offered any meaningful emotional or mental health services by the producers and had to find their own support.

Plaintiffs have independently sought support in dealing with their injuries which include, but are not limited to, insomnia, anxiety, depression, and symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, the complaint reads.

More on this

The lawsuit also faults Baldwin and the producers for not following safety protocols on set. New Mexico prosecutors have said that the actor had ignored the first rule of gun safety when he pointed the gun at Hutchins.

"Had Baldwin performed the required safety checks with the armorer, ... this tragedy would not have occurred," prosecutors wrote in a probable cause statement. "If Baldwin had not pointed the gun at Hutchins ... this tragedy would not have occurred."

Baldwin did not respond to a request for comment.

In a statement to BuzzFeed News, Jacob G. Vigil, the attorney representing the crew members, said the lawsuit was filed to end the practices that led to Hutchinss death.

Production of the gun-heavy western film required an experienced firearms expert and safety-minded leadership. Rust had neither, Vigil said in a statement. Instead, producers contracted an inexperienced armorer and set leaders with histories of safety violations.
Once portrayed as nothing more than a dance app for kids, TikTok is under renewed federal scrutiny over its possible implications for national security.

The White House on Monday moved to ban the popular Chinese-owned social media platform from all government-issued devices, giving federal agencies 30 days to delete the app. The guidance has exceptions for "law enforcement activities, national security interests and activities, and security research."

Meanwhile, House Republicans are expected to move forward Tuesday with a bill that would give President Joe Biden the power to enact nationwide bans on TikTok and other software applications that are threatening to national security.

Here's what we know.

FILE - In this July 21, 2020 file photo, a man opens social media app 'TikTok' on his cell phone, in Islamabad, Pakistan. President Donald Trump said Saturday, Sept. 19, 2020 heas given his ablessinga to a proposed deal between Oracle and Walmart for the U.S. operations of TikTok, the Chinese-owned app heas targeted for national security and data privacy concerns. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed, File)

Why is the government concerned about TikTok?

The Biden administration and lawmakers in both parties have expressed concern that the Chinese Communist Party could gather information about American customers through TikTok, which is owned by the Chinese company ByteDance, or that it could be used to spread misinformation.

Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, called TikTok an enormous threat in an interview last year.

"TikTok is the Chinese Communist Party's backdoor into American phones," Texas Republican Rep. Michael McCaul, the House Foreign Affairs Committee chair who introduced the bill that would make it easier for Biden to ban the app.

In 2020, Biden said that TikTok is a matter of genuine concern. But last month, the president indicated he's "not sure" whether a ban is the right call.

FBI Director Christopher Wray testified in December the agency was concerned about Chinese officials controlling the apps algorithm and argued the app could be used "to collect data through it on users which can be used for traditional espionage operations."

FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr said in December he "welcomes" a TikTok ban on federal devices. "Every day that this drags on is another day that Americans are left exposed to the unique threats posed by TikTok," he said.

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Why will TikTok be banned on government-issued devices?

The White House's push to remove TikTok from government-issued devices is part of a broader efforts to secure American "digital infrastructure," security and privacy, according to a memo released Monday.

The guidance fulfills requirements of the "No TikTok on Government Devices Act," passed by the Senate in December.

Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden plays music on a phone as he arrives to speak at a Hispanic Heritage Month event, Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2020, at Osceola Heritage Park in Kissimmee, Fla.

What does the White House say?

The White House is taking "every step" it can within its authority to protect American data, Principal Deputy Press Secretary Olivia Dalton said Tuesday.

We've been clear about our concerns about apps like TikTok," she said. "The Biden administration is focused on the challenge of certain countries, including China, seeking to leverage digital technologies and Americans data in ways that present unacceptable national security risks."

Dalton declined to comment on McCaul's bill and whether there should be a federal ban on the social media app.

What does TikTok say?

TikTok spokesperson Brooke Oberwetter said Monday that banning the app is "little more than political theater."

"The ban of TikTok on federal devices passed in December without any deliberation, and unfortunately that approach has served as a blueprint for other world governments," Oberwetter said in a statement sent to USA TODAY. "We hope that when it comes to addressing national security concerns about TikTok beyond government devices, Congress will explore solutions that wont have the effect of censoring the voices of millions of Americans."

What does China say?

In a Tuesday press briefing, the Chinese Foreign Ministry accused the U.S. government of abusing state power.

"How unsure of itself can the worlds top superpower be to fear a young peoples favorite app like that?" Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said. The U.S. government "has been over-stretching the concept of national security and abusing state power to suppress foreign companies. We firmly oppose those wrong actions."

FILE - An American flag is flown next to the Chinese national emblem during a welcome ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, Nov. 9, 2017. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has postponed a planned high-stakes weekend diplomatic trip to China as the Biden administration weighs a broader response to the discovery of a high-altitude Chinese balloon flying over sensitive sites in the western United States, a U.S. official said Friday.(AP Photo/Andy Wong, File) ORG XMIT: WX105

How many people use TikTok?

Oberwetter declined to share with USA TODAY an exact number of monthly TikTok users in the U.S., but said that "over 100 million" people use the app each month.

The app is particularly prevalent among young people; some 67% of teens say they use TikTok, with 16% saying they use it "almost constantly," according to PEW Research Center data.

Has a ban been attempted before?

Former President Donald Trump in 2020 issued executive orders to ban TikTok and another app with roots in China, but the bans were stopped in court. The Biden White House revoked Trump's orders in June 2021.

The Senate voted in December on bipartisan legislation to ban TikTok from government phones, but it didn't pass the House.

Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., left, and Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., right, listen during a Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing to examine a post-Roe America, focusing on the legal consequences of the Dobbs decision, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, July 12, 2022. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

Is an all-out TikTok ban next?

It's unclear whether Congress or the Biden administration would move to ban all access to the app nationwide.

Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., and Rep. Ken Buck, R-Colo., introduced legislation in January that would ban the app from being downloaded on any U.S. device.

TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew will testify before the House Energy and Commerce Committee about the popular apps privacy and security practices in March. Its the first time a TikTok CEO will appear before a congressional committee.

Dig deeper:

Contributing: Wyatte Grantham-Philips, Bart Jansen

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: TikTok bans: What we know about government efforts to ban the app
The Block-owned music streaming service TIDAL is shifting the way it pays artists after an experimental program failed to generate results.

Unlike Spotify and other market leaders, which pay musicians small fractions (...of fractions) of pennies for each play, TIDAL has taken a more imaginative approach to artists payouts. The platform, which targets consumers who seek a higher-quality audio experience, introduced a novel direct artist payouts (DAP) program last year. For customers on the $19.99/month HiFi Plus tier, each individual subscriber's most-listened artist would get 10% of their subscription fee.

As it turns out, that plan didn't work. In April, TIDAL will end the DAP program.

"The DAP program focused only on a listeners #1 artist, which left much, much less room for emerging artists to get paid," TIDAL CEO Jesse Dorogusker wrote in a Twitter thread today. He said that 70,000 artists were enrolled in the program, but they only paid out $500,000, which was "far short" of TIDAL's goal.

In lieu of DAP, TIDAL is investing more money into its TIDAL Rising program, which promotes emerging musicians. Dorogusker said that TIDAL will invest at least $5 million in this program, more than 10 times what it paid artists via DAP since early 2022.

4/ Changing course means we will put more funds (>10x what we distributed via DAP) into the TIDAL RISING program  backing and celebrating emerging artists through education, custom promotion, and future direct-funding, so they can build and grow their careers in music.  Jesse Dorogusker (@JesseDorogusker) February 28, 2023

TIDAL Rising supports select emerging artists by making documentaries and other promotional materials to help accelerate their careers -- alumni of the program include Alessia Cara, Chloe x Halle and 21 Savage. Dorogusker referenced a recent TIDAL initiative in Georgia, which platformed four local artists, as an example of the kinds of programs we may expect to see more of.

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For those interested in more artist-friendly streaming payouts, this news might feel a bit bittersweet. But it's possible that DAP didn't work simply because TIDAL doesn't have that many subscribers, compared with competitors -- last year, TIDAL had less than 2% of the global streaming music subscription market, while Spotify had 31%, and Apple Music had 15%. As Dorogusker pointed out, the DAP model was also a bit counterintuitive, since the payouts only went to a subscriber's top artist. Deezer, a French music streaming platform, has proposed switching to a user-centric payment system, which divides a user's subscription fee proportionally among all of the artists they listen to. The streamer hasn't been able to implement this, though, as labels need to agree to the experimental system.
BuzzFeed News; beachgem10 via TikTok

Before you fire up your barbeque  and especially before you clean it in time for those longed-for summer cookouts  heed this cautionary tale.

In a TikTok with more than 34 million views, a pediatric emergency room doctor recently shared a story of a boy who was injured by a broken wire from a grill cleaning brush.

The 4-year-old clutched his ear and started crying soon after eating a hamburger at a barbecue. His family took him to the emergency room, but he was sent home with ibuprofen after all the tests were negative and his ear looked perfectly normal.

In the next 10 days or so he also saw an ear, nose, and throat doctor and had a second ER visit with a CAT scan, which also looked normal. He finally started to run a fever, stopped eating and drinking, and had to go back to the emergency room a third time at 4:30 a.m.

After more extensive testing, including a CAT scan with contrast, doctors finally found the culprit in his neck: a metal wire that was 2 centimeters, or just under an inch long.

When I saw a long, thin metal wire, I knew exactly what that was, Dr. Meghan Martin told BuzzFeed News. It ended up being lodged in soft tissue near the tonsils causing pain.

The wire caused an abscess that triggered the fever and swelling in his throat, said Martin, who is a pediatric emergency physician at Johns Hopkins All Childrens Hospital in St. Petersburg, Florida, and posted the video on her personal account.

Doctors removed the broken wire and abscess during surgery, and the boy recovered after antibiotic treatment.

These kinds of cases have occurred before, Martin said. People who clean their grill with a wire brush may not notice that a loose or broken wire is stuck to the grill, and it can end up in the food the next time they cook.

We asked experts how often these accidents happen and what you should use to clean your grill to reduce the risk they might happen to you.

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The risks of grill-cleaning brushes are well known

Martin herself has had two other similar cases, including an older child who complained of belly pain and had to undergo emergency surgery for a bowel obstruction.

Dr. David Chang, vice chair of otolaryngology at the University of Missouri School of Medicine, did a study exploring the incidence of injuries linked to grill-cleaning brushes . He found 43 cases from one database which, when extrapolated, could amount to almost 1,700 emergency visits occurring between 2002 and 2014.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has detailed several similar cases , many of them in adults. All involved eating steak and other meat grilled on barbecues that had been cleaned with a wire brush.

Not surprisingly, cases spiked in July around the 4th of July.

Grill-cleaning brushes can cause several types of injuries

According to Changs study, bristles from this type of injury are most likely to lodge in the mouth or oropharynx (throat and tonsil area), but they can travel farther down the digestive tract.

When theyre ingested with food, they tend to be lodged in the throat, said Dr. Yomna Nassef, an emergency physician in New York City and spokesperson for the American College of Emergency Physicians. But Nassef personally saw one case where the wire had punched a hole in the esophagus.

Any time theres a perforation, thats a very dangerous situation, she said. It can cause infection and can require surgery and antibiotics and may even be deadly.

Treatment means removing the wire. Wires in the mouth or throat can sometimes be removed in the emergency room, Nassef said. But its not always that easy.

If the wire is embedded, it can be like a needle in a haystack, Chang told BuzzFeed News. You may have to dig in, get past the carotid artery, and fish through muscle and space to get where you need to go. One of the patients described in the CDC report had the wire removed via a colonoscopy.

Symptoms of a grill-cleaning brush injury

Believe it or not, swallowing wire bristles happens often enough that doctors do consider it when seeing patients with certain symptoms. Typically theres instantaneous pain after swallowing, Chang said.

Patients say it can feel like a fish or chicken bone, Nassef said. If it has moved down to the esophagus or stomach or intestinal tract, you might have really bad pain.

Because the wire is metal, it should show up on an X-ray or CT scan, Chang said.

Other objects can be a problem

Wires from a brush arent the only foreign objects that ER doctors see stuck in peoples bodies. Anything from coins to safety pins to marbles can be a problem.

One of the most dangerous is a battery button, which is the type you might find in a hearing aid or watch.

They have an electrical impulse and they secrete acid, so if theyre in the esophagus theyre going to cause significant tissue damage and move through the blood vessels, Martin said.

Another concern is childrens toy water beads, which are tiny colorful beads made of gel that swell when placed in water.

They can become very dangerous when ingested, Martin said. They increase in size but theyre not metal so they cant be seen on imaging. They can create bowel obstructions.

Similarly, tiny magnets are also a problem , even potentially life-threatening, because if a child swallows more than one, the powerful magnets can damage and obstruct tissue as they come together.

What experts recommend

If at all possible, try not to use wire brushes to clean your grill. You can use a pumice stone, and some people will actually ball up some aluminum foil, Nassef said. There are also rubber utensils you can use. Some people use an onion or half a lemon after the grill has cooled.

If you do use a brush, throw it out when it shows missing bristles or other signs of wear. And inspect the grill itself for any stray objects.

In response to this type of injury, Canada has established voluntary standards for manufacturing the brushes.

More on this
You are here: China

Chinese police dismantled more than 160 organized crime groups and 1,520 criminal gangs in 2022, amid ongoing efforts to combat organized crime, the Ministry of Public Security said on Monday.

More than 20,000 criminal cases were concluded last year, the ministry said, noting that these efforts consolidated the achievements of a three-year nationwide campaign against organized crime, which was launched in January 2018.

The police took down 28 organized crime groups and 229 gangs active in rural areas, effectively maintaining social order in China's countryside, the ministry said.

It said it would coordinate with special crackdown operations targeting the education sector, loan activities and the circulation of goods and services to prevent gang-related crime.
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP)  With more lunar missions than ever on the horizon, the European Space Agency wants to give the moon its own time zone.

This week, the agency said space organizations around the world are considering how best to keep time on the moon. The idea came up during a meeting in the Netherlands late last year, with participants agreeing on the urgent need to establish a common lunar reference time," said the space agency's Pietro Giordano, a navigation system engineer.

"A joint international effort is now being launched towards achieving this," Giordano said in a statement.

For now, a moon mission runs on the time of the country that is operating the spacecraft. European space officials said an internationally accepted lunar time zone would make it easier for everyone, especially as more countries and even private companies aim for the moon and NASA gets set to send astronauts there.

NASA had to grapple with the time question while designing and building the International Space Station, fast approaching the 25th anniversary of the launch of its first piece.

While the space station doesn't have its own time zone, it runs on Coordinated Universal Time, or UTC, which is meticulously based on atomic clocks. That helps to split the time difference between NASA and the Canadian Space Agency, and the other partnering space programs in Russia, Japan and Europe.

The international team looking into lunar time is debating whether a single organization should set and maintain time on the moon, according to the European Space Agency.

There are also technical issues to consider. Clocks run faster on the moon than on Earth, gaining about 56 microseconds each day, the space agency said. Further complicating matters, ticking occurs differently on the lunar surface than in lunar orbit.

Perhaps most importantly, lunar time will have to be practical for astronauts there, noted the space agency's Bernhard Hufenbach. NASA is shooting for its first flight to the moon with astronauts in more than a half-century in 2024, with a lunar landing as early as 2025.

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This will be quite a challenge" with each day lasting as long as 29.5 Earth days, Hufenbach said in a statement. "But having established a working time system for the moon, we can go on to do the same for other planetary destinations.

Mars Standard Time, anyone?

___ The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institutes Science and Educational Media Group. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
Hoda Kotb in a 2022 episode of NBC's "Today." (Charles Sykes / Invision / Associated Press)

"Today" co-anchor Hoda Kotb has been absent from the morning show for more than a week, sparking a wave of confusion and concern among viewers.

The veteran broadcast journalist most recently appeared live on the NBC news program on Feb. 17, according to Newsweek. She also participated in the Feb. 20 President's Day episode of "Today," which was pretaped on Feb. 17.

So far, Kotb's prolonged absence has gone unexplained as some of her NBC News colleagues  including Craig Melvin, Tom Llamas, Willie Geist and Sheinelle Jones  continue to fill in for her alongside "Today" co-anchor Savannah Guthrie and "Today With Hoda & Jenna" co-host Jenna Bush Hager.

Additionally, no new episodes of Kotb's "Today" podcast "Making Space"  which typically come out on Mondays  have been released this week. The latest installment of "Making Space," featuring actor Rosie Perez, debuted on Feb. 20.

Representatives for "Today" did not immediately respond Tuesday to The Times' request for comment.

Amid her mysterious "Today" hiatus, Kotb has continued to post motivational quotes that fans have been striving to decipher on Instagram. Since Wednesday, the beloved newscaster has been sharing daily proverbs, such as, "One day you will see how brave you have been," "Sometimes miracles are just good people with kind hearts," and, "Choose hope."

Underneath Kotb's recent Instagram posts, hundreds of loyal fans have expressed concern and support for the longtime NBC News correspondent, mother and vocal breast cancer survivor.

"Find it difficult to watch with you not being there," one person wrote.

"Seriously...what is going on with you?" another commented. "I know you have a right to privacy, but your truest fans have noticed your absence and these posts...worried about you."

"Today show just isn't the same without you!" remarked another. "I hope you're ok, but boy if they are letting you go.. people are going to drop like flys watching Today. We Love Hoda!"

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About a year ago, Kotb disappeared briefly from "Today" after testing positive for COVID-19. She promptly updated her social media followers on her condition at the time via Twitter.

"Thx for well wishes!" Kotb tweeted from isolation. "Feeling good.. cant wait to see you all when I am in the clear! Xo."

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Todd Chrisley in season 10, episode four of "Chrisley Knows Best." USA Network

Season 10 of "Chrisley Knows Best" continued on USA Network Monday.

The episode saw Todd Chrisley flaunt an extravagant purchase: a 1960 Chevrolet Corvette convertible.

"I bought it because I look good in it," he said of the car, which can cost between $89,000 and $259,000.

Money troubles were clearly not on Todd Chrisley's mind on the latest episode of "Chrisley Knows Best."

In the episode of the reality show, which aired on USA Network Monday, the 53-year-old showed off his latest purchase: a pristine 1960 Chevrolet Corvette convertible.

At the beginning of the episode  which was filmed sometime in 2022 before Todd and Julie were convicted of bank fraud and tax evasion  Todd is seen pulling up to his daughter Savannah's home in his new vehicle, which he later tells his family he has named Jayne Mansfield after the 1950s and '60s sex symbol and actor.

Upon seeing the car, Julie's father, Harvey Hughes, exclaimed: "You gotta be kidding me  a '60 Corvette!"

"Son, you know some of the best memories I have in my life start with a '60 Corvette," Harvey continued as he marveled at the car's pristine condition and quizzed Todd about its four-speed function.

Todd Chrisley, Harvey Hughes, and Julie Chrisley in season 10, episode four of "Chrisley Knows Best." USA Network

"Well I wouldn't know about those kinds of things," Todd said, stating that he instead "bought it because I look good in it."

"Well, it is an amazing car," Julie chimed in.

Later in a piece-to-camera interview, Julie said she thought the car presented the "perfect opportunity" for her husband and father to bond and suggested that Todd take his father-in-law out for a drive.

"Julie, honey, bonding leads to friendship," Todd quipped. "And I'm all booked up with my three besties: me, myself, and I."

However, Todd ended up obeying Julie's wishes, giving Harvey a drive around the neighborhood, which prompted Harvey to get himself and his son-in-law matching hoodies emblazoned with the words, "Todd's Classic Car Club."

At Harvey's suggestion, Todd then took his new hot wheels to a classic car show, but he chose to bring Savannah along with him, not his car enthusiast father-in-law, which resulted in the two falling out. Todd eventually managed to make it up to Harvey by letting him take the Chevy for a spin himself.

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Harvey Hughes and Todd Chrisley in season 10, episode four of "Chrisley Knows Best." USA Network

According to listings on Autotrader, a Roman red and ermine white 1960 Chevrolet Corvette, such as one featured in the episode, can cost between $89,000 and $259,000 depending on the condition.

As Insider reporter Haven Orecchio-Egresitz wrote in May 2022, prior to their trial, Todd and Julie were splashing out on luxury items using bank loans.

Assistant US Attorney Annalise Peters said in her opening statement that the Chrisleys not only submitted fake documents that implied they had greater wealth than they actually did, but that the couple also "burned" through the $30 million they received in loans on luxury items.

However, during the trial, an attorney for Todd said the couple exaggerated some aspects of their lifestyle for their television show.

Julie said she thought the car presented the "perfect opportunity" for her husband and father to bond. USA Network

For example, during the first season of "Chrisley Knows Best," Todd claimed he spent about $300,000 annually on clothing  something Bruce Morris, an attorney for the Chrisleys said is not true.

"It's all part of the sizzle. It's all part of the show. It's all part of the act," he explained.

According to Morris, despite Todd's attempts to appear wealthy on the reality show, he was actually in bankruptcy when he made the claim about his hefty wardrobe budget in 2014.

The Chrisleys' sentences were announced in November. Todd, who prosecutors called the "mastermind" of the couple's years-long tax and bank fraud scheme, was sentenced to 12 years at Federal Prison Camp Pensacola.

Julie, who prosecutors believed played a lesser role, was sentenced to seven and reported to the Federal Medical Center (FMC) Lexington in Lexington, Kentucky. They began their sentences on January 17.

Read the original article on Insider
Tom Cruise revealed just how emotional his reunion with Val Kilmer was on the set of Top Gun: Maverick.

Kilmer, who appeared alongside Cruise in the 1986 original Top Gun, was diagnosed with cancer in 2015. After successfully undergoing chemotherapy and two tracheotomies, Kilmer is cancer-free but speaks with the use of a voice box.

When he reunited with Cruise in Maverick, his character, Tom Iceman Kazansky, is seen speaking through a computer, due to an unspecified illness.

I just want to say that was pretty emotional. Ive known Val for decades, Cruise said during a recent appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live!.

For him to come back and play that character hes such a powerful actor that he instantly became that character again. Youre looking at Iceman.

I was crying. I got emotional, Cruise admitted. Hes such a brilliant actor, and I love his work.

Val Kilmer (left) and Tom Cruise (Getty Images)

In the original Top Gun, Iceman is Mavericks chief rival on the naval aviator training programme. Maverick eventually earns Icemans respect after saving his life, leading Kilmer to the immortal phrase: You can be my wingman anytime.

Last year, 63-year-old Kilmer shared a still from the movie on Instagram with the poignant caption: 36 years later Im still your wingman

Cruise previously revealed that he rallied hard to get Kilmer into the first action movie.

Top Gun: Maverick was the top-grossing film of 2022; its the 11th highest-grossing movie in history worldwide and is nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars this year.

At the Academy Awards nominees luncheon earlier this month, Steven Spielberg credited Cruise with saving Hollywoods ass.

Seriously. Maverick might have saved the entire theatrical industry, the director told the actor.
Tom Sizemore was one of the best actors of the 1990's. (Getty Images)

When you think of your favourite film from the 1990's, there's a good chance Tom Sizemore was in it. From Steven Spielberg's Oscar-winning classic Saving Private Ryan to Michael Mann's existential heist epic Heat. At one point, seeing Sizemore's name on a cast list was shorthand for knowing you were going to be watching something good.

He worked with all of the Kings and Queens of Hollywood  Spielberg, Scorsese, Mann, Stone, Bigelow, Scott, Bay  the great directors trusted him with roles big and small because he was as dependable on screen as he wasn't off it.

Sizemore would always bring an intensity to every role and this remarkable ability to just disappear into a character. Despite his roles often requiring him to play at a heightened level, his performances would never be unnceccessarily showy, just served the material.

Tom Sizemore in Saving Private Ryan. (Getty Images)

Of course, there's a reason Tom Sizemore is known for his work in the 1990's and not the subsequent two and a bit decades. Throughout most of his adult life, Sizemore battled with drug addiction and he has been open about abusing cocaine, heroin and crystal meth to the point where it essentially destroyed any mainstream acting opportunities.

Read more: Tom Sizemore dies at 61

Sizemore also had more than a few brushes with the law. He was arrested several times for violence against women, serving six months in prison in 2003 for assaulting his then girlfriend Heidi Fleiss.

There were also accusations of child sexual abuse which the actor denied and a lawsuit about which was dismissed by a judge. It was the nadir of a once vaunted career that had suddenly been looking up after a run on the Twin Peaks revival.

Tom Sizemore in Heat. (Warner Bros.)

After the sad news of his passing following a brain aneurysm, the actor leaves behind a complicated legacy.

One of tragedy, violence and self-immolating abuse but also a whole stack of performances that will be remembered long after he's gone.

Here are five of Tom Sizemore's best performances:

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Devil in a Blue Dress | 1995

In a just world, we'd have gotten a whole series of Easy Rawlins movies starring Denzel Washington as the post-war private eye but after becoming a commercial failure, we have to cherish Devil in a Blue Dress that bit more.

Sizemore is electric as fellow PI and the nefariously vicious DeWitt Albright. It's a performance that's all in the eyes, the way he can hold a stare as if his pupils are magnets. The scene where he threatens Denzel with a knife makes Mr Blonde in Reservoir Dogs look like Barney the Dinosaur

Bringing Out the Dead | 1999

Sizemore's only collaboration with Martin Scorsese, Bringing Out the Dead is an angsty, metaphysical ride through Hell that also stars Nicolas Cage, John Goodman and Ving Rhames. Sizemore plays the haunted Tom Rolls, a slightly crazed paramedic propelled by violence.

It's a quintessential Scorsese and Sizemore character and came at the end of his golden streak of supporting performances. His deathly black eyes still haunt and linger.

Natural Born Killers | 1994

Tom Sizemore in Natural Born Killers. (Warner Bros)

In Oliver Stone's frenzied ultraviolent satire about mass media, Sizemore is at his sleaziest and most dangerous. He plays psychopathic detective Jack Scagnetti who is obsessed with taking down serial killing couple Mickey and Mallory and it's a performance of gutteral menace layered with depravity and only heightened by Stone's manic editing.

To get into character, Sizemore says he would do cocaine between takes.

Saving Private Ryan | 1998

Tom Sizemore as Sergeant Horvath in Saving Private Ryan. (CBS via Getty Images)

Sizemore's role in Saving Private Ryan stands out because it features him playing the opposite of his archetype. In Steven Spielberg's Second World War epic, Sizemore is earnest and noble as Sgt Horvath and commands a great chemistry with Tom Hanks.

The greatest compliment you can pay an actor is that the real person can't be seen in the film and Sizemore is so convincing as a WW2 soldier you'd think he'd have served himself. It should have been the role that elevated him to leading man.

Heat | 1995

Tom Sizemore in Heat. (Warner Bros)

"The action is the juice." If ever there was a line that summed up Michael Mann's epic crime masterpiece of Sizemore's own life, it was this. In a film dripping with existential macho intensity, Sizemore  as veteran bank robber Michael Cheritto  feels every bit the authentic criminal he's supposed to be.

The famous stare in the diner, the hulking posture, the desperate death scene: Sizemore proved just why he was the best character actor of the 1990's.

Watch below: Actor Tom Sizemore dead at 61
The family of stricken actor Tom Sizemore is making an end of life decision for the Saving Private Ryan star after he suffered a brain aneurysm, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Sizemore has been in a coma at a Los Angeles-area hospital since the Feb. 19 emergency at his home. The staff has determined there is no chance for recovery, prompting the familys choice, THR reported on Monday.

Today, doctors informed his family that there is no further hope and have recommended end-of-life decision, spokesperson Charles Lago said in a statement to the outlet. The family is now deciding end-of-life matters.

We are asking for privacy for his family during this difficult time, and they wish to thank everyone for the hundreds of messages of support and prayers that have been received, Lago added. This has been a difficult time for them.

Sizemore, 61, appeared in Steven Spielbergs Oscar-winning World War II movie Saving Private Ryan and also played prominent roles in Oliver Stones Natural Born Killers and Ridley Scotts Black Hawk Down.

His life off-screen has been marred by arrests involving domestic abuse and drugs.

Doctors determined that Tom Sizemore, pictured at a movie premiere in 2022, has no chance of recovery.

Doctors determined that Tom Sizemore, pictured at a movie premiere in 2022, has no chance of recovery.

Related...
Milan_Jovic / iStock.com

If you need and can manage multiple accounts, more than one checking account might be appropriate for you and your familys finances.

See the List: GOBankingRates Best Banks of 2023

More: Heres How Much Americans Have in Their Savings Accounts in 2023

A checking account provides you easy access to your money for making payments by either writing checks or, the more popular method, by using a debit card. According to a recent GOBankingRates survey, 91% of Americans currently have a checking account. And 56% of Americans are willing to have multiple accounts across different banks.

If youre thinking about opening multiple checking accounts, consider these pros and cons. Whether you choose to have one checking account or several, look for a free checking account with no minimum balance.

Pros of Having Multiple Checking Accounts

Keep Business and Personal Finances Separate

If you own a small business or are self-employed, multiple checking accounts lets you separate personal funds and payments from business transactions. If you operate as a sole proprietor, separate accounts provide useful records should your business when tax season rolls around or if you are audited by the IRS. If you shop around for a new checking account, youll find free business checking accounts so you dont accrue extra expenses.

Help You Manage Your Family Finances

Couples could benefit by establishing a joint checking account which permits either partner access to the funds. This would ensure that money is available to pay for and manage the household expenses while eliminating the need for either couple to pay for these expenses from their personal accounts. This can be a helpful tip, especially if you have just moved in with your significant other and are figuring out how to manage all your shared living costs.

Live Richer Podcast: Scamdemic  Dont Fall Victim to These Money Scams

Help You Establish Credit

While checking accounts dont contribute directly to your credit history, credit applications that request information about your bank accounts do. If you have more than one checking account, it wont be viewed by creditors as having too many bank accounts. Instead, it demonstrates to potential lenders that you have money management skills, according to Wells Fargo.

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Dont Lower Your Credit Score

Unlike too many credit cards, multiple checking accounts dont directly affect your FICO score or your ability to obtain credit. This is true, even if you dont handle them responsibly and end up overdrawing or having other problems. In terms of affecting your credit score, this means you cant have too many bank accounts.

Cons of Having Multiple Checking Accounts

More Accounts To Balance

You must reconcile your checking account each month, comparing the checks, debits, and other financial transactions against the available balance to make sure everything is correct. It takes more time to do this if you manage multiple accounts. Using personal financial software could help reduce the burden.

Higher Chance of Overdrawing an Account

Overdrawing your checking account costs money, even if you have overdraft protection. The check will either be returned to the payee, incurring a fee for you, or youll pay overdraft protection fees. It can be a costly nightmare when it all adds up. When you manage multiple accounts, you have more balances to monitor, which raises the chance of accidentally using the wrong account. Too many returned checks could cause the bank to close your account, an outcome you want to avoid if possible.

Negative Impact From a Bad Debit History

If you have trouble handling multiple checking accounts, your history of returned checks and closed banks accounts will show up on check verification services and consumer reporting agencies like ChexSystems. A bad history could result in stores refusing to accept your checks and other banks declining your application for a new checking account.

Greater Risk of Becoming a Fraud Victim

In 2021, the Javelin Identity Fraud Report found that losses involving identity fraud scamsinvolving direct contact with victims by criminalstotaled $28 billion and affected 27 million consumers in the United States. Carefully checking your bank account statements for items such as unrecognized payments and checks that are out of sequence helps you detect fraud early. This consumes more time if you have multiple checking accounts which can be a big hassle if you have personal and business accounts.

Can You Really Have Too Many Checking Accounts?

Only you can decide if multiple checking accounts, or just one, is the right choice for you. Carefully consider these pros and cons, and then determine if maintaining more than one checking account is suitable for you.

More From GOBankingRates

Barb Nefer contributed to the reporting for this article.

This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: Can You Have Too Many Checking Accounts?
President Bidens student loan plan will get its final shot at victory Tuesday at the Supreme Court when the majority-conservative court prepares to hear arguments that will determine the fate of up to $20,000 in debt relief for millions of Americans.

The showdown between the Biden administration and the two groups of challengers to the presidents plan has been building for months, with many protesters having camped outside the court ahead of todays session, which begins at 10 a.m.

Listen live: Supreme Court hears oral arguments on student loan forgiveness

U.S. Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar in back-to-back oral arguments will attempt to fend off a group of six GOP-led states, represented by Nebraska Solicitor General James Campbell, followed by a separate challenge from two individuals.

Here are five top questions heading into oral arguments.

Did Congress speak clearly enough to give authority to forgive the debts?

Challengers will argue that Congress did not speak clearly enough in the Higher Education Relief Opportunities for Students, or HEROES Act to authorize the debt forgiveness.

The law gives the education secretary the authority to waive or modify federal student financial assistance programs when deemed necessary in connection with a national emergency. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona has tied the relief to the emergency established during the pandemic.

But the challengers say the plan invokes the major questions doctrine, which requires Congress to speak clearly when authorizing agency actions of great economic and political significance. The justices have cemented the doctrine by using it to strike down three agency actions in recent years.

The Biden administration student loan bailout is a textbook case for the major questions doctrine, said Karen Harned, chief legal officer for Job Creators Network Foundation, a conservative advocacy organization backing the individual challengers.

Will Nancy Pelosis previous doubts on Bidens authority haunt Democrats?

Then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said in July 2021 that Biden could not forgive the debts without new legislation.

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He can postpone, he can delay, but he does not have that power, Pelosi said at the time. That would best be an act of Congress.

Republicans have pounced on her comments in lambasting the debt relief plan, which could come up in oral arguments. She has since reversed her stance.

Well, were excited about the President, because we didnt know what  what authority the President had to do this, she said in August. And now clearly, it seems he has the authority to do this: $10,000 for those with the debt, those making under $125,000 a year.

Are justices sympathetic to the challengers standing arguments?

Legal experts suggest the closer question in the cases is whether the challengers could bring their lawsuits in the first place, a concept known as standing.

A party must show actual injury and that it had a causal connection to the defendants and that a court order would redress it.

The Biden administration contends the court cannot redress the injuries of the two individual challengers, who did not qualify for the maximum amount of forgiveness, because stopping the plan wouldnt give them more relief.

In the states challenge, three cited economic impacts from how some borrowers are now consolidating their loans and four suggested their tax revenues will take a hit.

Court watchers largely agree that Missouris argument is perhaps the most compelling, however.

The states lawyers assert that the Missouri Higher Education Loan Authority, a state-created student loan servicer known as MOHELA, would lose out on fees it earns if the loans are forgiven and miss payments owed to Missouri.

The administration argues those harms are too speculative and that MOHELA, which has said it was not involved in filing the suit, is a separate legal entity from the state.

How do the justices factor in the resumption of monthly loan payments?

Student loan repayments are set to resume once the case is decided, ending a three-year pause due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

A decision will likely be handed down in May or June, but the exact timing could impact exactly when the transition to payment starting up again might occur.

The Biden administration has said borrowers must begin paying back their student loans 60 days after the Supreme Court makes a final decision or, at the latest, 60 days after June 30.

The government has highlighted potential consequences of restarting payments without debt relief in its argument, contending that the lingering economic effects of the pandemic would cause many borrowers to default.

This is the best possible time to have debt cancellation, is before borrowers are returning to repayment, said Jared Bass, senior director of higher education at the Center for American Progress. The return to repayment, regardless, is going to be an administrative and a huge challenge for borrowers and for the student loan system writ large.

What decisions will the justices release at the start of the argument?

Moments before oral arguments begin, the justices could make another splash.

The court has designated Tuesday as an opinion day, meaning the justices are expected to hand down at least one decision in a separate case at the start of the session.

The court tends to leave its most controversial decisions until May or June but does not indicate in advance which opinions will be announced. This years docket includes high-profile cases involving affirmative action, wetland regulations and redistricting.

By tradition, the author of each majority opinion will announce the decision by reading a summary from the bench in the courtroom.

Only a few feet away, attorneys will be waiting to take the lectern to debate a major Biden campaign promise.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
The debate over President Bidens student loan relief for millions of Americans came to a head on Tuesday as Supreme Court justices grilled the administration and its challengers during oral arguments.

As thousands outside the court were advocating for Bidens plan for up to $20,000 in forgiveness, the conservative-leaning court spent more than three hours listening to two different challenges to the program.

The main focus in both cases was the standing of the challengers, meaning their legal right to sue, and the scope of the Higher Education Relief Opportunities for Students (HEROES) Act.

The questioning from the justices highlighted the split between the liberal and conservative sides of the court, casting doubt that the plan, a major campaign promise for Biden, will be able to succeed.

Here are the top takeaways from Tuesdays arguments:

Barrett joins liberals in questioning states legal standing

Barrett joined the liberal justices in arguing the legal standing of the Republican states challenging the student loan forgiveness program. (Bloomberg/Pool)

One of the more surprising moments from the arguments came from Justice Amy Coney Barrett, appointed by former President Trump, questioning, alongside the liberal justices, the legal standing of the six Republican-led states challenging the relief.

A good portion of the first case, Biden v. Nebraska, focused on if states have the right to sue over the potential financial harm the program could cause to the Higher Education Loan Authority of the State of Missouri (MOHELA), a loan servicer.

Nebraska Solicitor General James Campbell argued Missouris revenues would be negatively impacted due to the financial harm caused to MOHELA from the program, but questions also arose regarding if the state was incorporated enough with MOHELA that it could sue on the companys behalf.

The three liberal justices on the court, along with Barrett, grilled Campbell on the fact that Missouri law makes it so MOHELAs financial debts are not entangled with the state, and the extent to which MOHELA is a separate corporation.

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If MOHELA is an arm of the state, why didnt you just strong-arm MOHELA and say youve got to pursue this suit? Barrett asked.

Justices invoke major questions doctrine

The conservative justices centered a number of their arguments around the major questions doctrine. (Getty)

The conservative justices focused much of their attention on the major questions doctrine, which says an agency can only decide on matters of vast economic and political significance when Congress gives it clear authority to do so.

If youre talking about this in the abstract, I think most casual observers would say, if youre going to give up that much amount of money, if youre going to affect the obligations of that many Americans on a subject thats of great controversy, they would think thats something for Congress to act on, Chief Justice John Roberts said.

U.S. Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar, arguing on behalf of the administration, told the court the government is not disputing that this is a politically significant action, but that the language of the HEROES Act is clear enough to give the Education Department secretary the power to forgive student loans.

The law says that the Education secretary is able to waive or modify federal student financial assistance programs as the Secretary deems necessary in connection with a war or other military operation or national emergency such as the COVID-19 pandemic.

Congress doesnt get much clearer than that. We deal with congressional statutes every day that are really confusing. This one is not, liberal Justice Elena Kagan said.

Conservative justices stress price tag of debt relief

A number of the conservative justices, including Chief Justice John Roberts, emphasized the programs price tag in their arguments. (Getty)

The cost of student loan relief was made loud and clear inside the courtroom as the conservative justices balked at the estimated $400 billion the Congressional Budget Office says the program could cost.

Were talking about half a trillion dollars and 43 million Americans. How does that fit under the normal understanding of modifying? Roberts asked as the court discussed the meaning of modify and waive in the HEROES Act.

The cost of the plan has been the subject of Republican scorn for months, with arguments emerging about how it is unfair to use so much taxpayer money, especially from individuals who never went to college or worked to ensure they had no debt after they left school.

Theres some discussion in the briefs that going past with this provision or that modification or waiver, that this is, in effect, a cancellation of a debt  thats really what were talking about  and that as a cancellation of $400 billion in debt, in effect, this is a grant of $400 billion, and it runs head long into Congresss appropriations authority, Justice Clarence Thomas remarked.

The liberal justices pushed back against conservatives focus on the cost of the program, pointing out the student loan payment pause during the pandemic also has cost a significant amount, but no one is contesting the Education secretarys authority to continue it.

The forbearance of pay is $5 billion a month or something like that? Justice Sonia Sotomayor said. Its an outrageous sum, and yet no one is disputing that. The secretary has that power. Its not the amount of money; the question is whats Congresss intent?

Biden administration insists Congress foresaw debt relief in passing HEROES Act

Joe Biden and Miguel Cardona

U.S. Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar, who argued on behalf of the Biden administration, insisted that Congress was aware of the possibility of a student debt relief initiative. (Associated Press/Evan Vucci)

Prelogar spent much of the time insisting to the justices that Congress knew there was a possibility that HEROES Act could be used to forgive student debt relief.

And if the Court overrides that clear HEROES Act language here, I think that it could only thwart Congresss intent in this particular posture of ensuring that you have the tools, the Secretary has the tools he needs to take care of Americans in a  a national emergency situation, she told Roberts.

The conservative justices seemed wary that Bidens plan could encroach on the separation of powers the Supreme Court is supposed to uphold.

The fact that it hasnt acted under the major questions doctrine but has considered the matter we cited as support for the notion that maybe it should be one for Congress, Roberts said.

Prelogar argued Congress could have amended the HEROES Act if it wanted, and that lawmakers even showed some support for the action.

In the American Rescue Plan passed during the pandemic, Prelogar argued, the law specifically anticipated and sought to facilitate a program of loan discharge by providing that it wouldnt be subject to federal taxation from 2021 to 2025.

What comes next?

People in favor of President Bidens student loan forgiveness plan rally in front of the Supreme Court

People in favor of President Bidens student loan forgiveness plan rally in front of the Supreme Court in Washington, D.C., on Washington, D.C., as the court hears the Department of Education v. Brown and Biden v. Nebraska. (Annabelle Gordon)

The oral arguments have concluded and the fate of student debt relief now rests in the hands of the nine justices.

The justices will conference among themselves, going back and forth for months working on a draft opinion.

Although the justices have the ability to release their decisions anytime, it is likely a final ruling wont be made public until May or June. Once a ruling is made, borrowers will know the fate of their student loan relief and the timer will begin for the payment pause to end.

As long as the ruling is announced before June 30, the pandemic repayment pause will end 60 days after the Supreme Court announces its decision to greenlight or kill Bidens plan.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Flanked by two Brevard County men who were wrongfully convicted, imprisoned and later exonerated, Crosley Green and his attorneys made their plea for freedom to Gov. Ron DeSantis.

It was Monday afternoon, only hours after the U.S. Supreme Court announced it would not consider Green's petition to reinstate a 2018 Federal Court's ruling that vacated his 1990 murder conviction for the slaying of Charles "Chip" Flynn. The 2018 ruling was based on prosecutor Chris White not sharing notes indicating the two responding sheriff deputies believed the shooter to be Flynn's ex-girlfriend and not Green at all.

This isn't a case about Crosley Green, though he's the one who will suffer if sent back to prison to finish his life sentence. It's about so much more.

Wilton Dedge (left) and William Dillon (right) enjoy a light moment with Crosley Green after Monday afternoon's press conference. Dedge and Dillon were both exonerated after spending decades in prison for crimes they did not commit. Green continues his quest for freedom.

This is a case about a prosecutor who withheld critical evidence that would have been important for a jury to hear. Evidence that might have made the trial more fair. This is about a man wrongfully and unconstitutionally convicted for something he did not do.

More:Editorial: 11th Circuit Court's ruling gives too much power to prosecutors

That's where Gov. Ron DeSantis comes in. DeSantis prides himself on law, order and the Constitution. Is there anything more un-American, more against the Constitution than an innocent person imprisoned or an American citizen not getting a fair trial?

With the justice system failing to deliver the justice being sought, our eyes turn to the state. Can that be where our hope lies? I can see the 2024 Presidential campaign commercials already showing DeSantis shaking Green's hand after he grants Green clemency or a pardon.

Crosley Green, in blue, comforts his brother O' Connor Green, as he speaks about the case. A press conference was held at the Holiday Inn in Titusville on February 27 after the U.S. Supreme Court did not take up the case of Crosley Green, who has spent 32 years behind bars. He has fought for his innocence since being convicted of a murder in 1989. (Photo: TIM SHORTT/ FLORIDA TODAY)

"The fight for Crosley's freedom is not over until his freedom is achieved," said attorney Vincent Galluzzo, one of Green's attorneys with Crowell & Moring, who have worked the case pro bono for 15 years. "There is still time for the state of Florida to do the right thing here. Gov. DeSantis has the power to intervene on Crosley's behalf. We know Gov. DeSantis is a law and order governor. We know he is passionate about justice and we hope he sees that justice here deserves to be done. That justice here means the recognition that there was a mistake made and that Crosley was not given a fair trial and that Crosley no longer deserves to be behind bars."

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Faces were long at Monday afternoon's press conference. Eyes were red, cheeks were tear-stained but the resolve to see this journey through was remarkably undeterred.

Lending their support to Green were Wilton Dedge and William Dillon who spent 22 and 28 years in prison respectively for crimes they did not commit. They were finally exonerated and freed due to DNA evidence. Both Dedge and Dillon were prosecuted by the same office as Green.

"Crosley Green's case is so similar to mine that you would be amazed by it," Dillon said. "I personally believe that he got a raw deal from the system because I know the system. I'm hoping in my heart the governor will do the right thing."

Dedge, who likes his privacy, admitted not wanting to take part in Monday's press conference. But something changed his mind.

"I didn't want to do this. I just wanted to forget about it," he said. "But the more I read about this case and more I heard about it, well I just couldn't tolerate it anymore."

In a touching moment, Dege, Dillon and Green shared some words and posed for photographs after the press conference.

"Today is a tragic day for our criminal justice system," said Green's lead attorney of 15 years, Keith Harrison. "It's a tragic day not only for Crosley Green and his family but for all of us who have faith in the criminal justice system and all of us that believe our Constitution demands that every man and woman accused of a crime receive a fair trial. And now the Supreme Court will not hear anymore about this case."

I find it hard to believe the justices of the "court of last resort" even bothered to read the petition. Had they done so they surely would have at least decided to hear the case.

More:Attorney: 'The state cheated to convict Crosley Green' in Titusville murder case

Had they done so they would have also read the four "amicus briefs" filed on Green's behalf last week by four different law firms representing four different groups, two of which you wouldn't expect to see supporting a cause like Green's.

One of the amicus briefs was filed by former or retired state supreme court justices from Mississippi, Tennessee, Iowa, Missouri and Texas.

Another of the amicus briefs was filed by a group of 12 former prosecutors and one current. Yes, the people that work to hold the guilty accountable. Incredibly, one of those prosecutors was the Hon. Timothy K. Lewis who after leaving the prosecutor's office became a judge and was later elevated to the 3rd District Court of Appeals by then President George H.W. Bush.

More:Torres: Maybe innocence really is irrelevant | Opinion

"The amount of support Crosley has received in this case is extraordinary," Harrison said, adding that more than 100 law professors were responsible for another of the amicus briefs while the fourth was submitted by the Due Process Institute.

Green was released from prison to house arrest in April 2021 pending the ruling by the 11th Circuit. Green was allowed to remain free, pending the outcome of his appeal with the U.S. Supreme Court. Now he will likely be forced to return to a life behind bars.

Green's attorneys had been hopeful that the U.S. Supreme Court would intervene because the case represents more than just the freedom of a Titusville man. When the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals last year overturned the 2018 ruling that vacated the murder conviction, the court acknowledged the information from the responding officers should have been turned over to the defense but also said it was not material to the case.

"Something happened in this case that shouldn't have happened," said Kenneth Nunn, University of Florida law professor. "I appeal to you Gov. DeSantis. I Know you're a man of faith. I know you care about doing justice and about what is righteous. I urge you to look closely at the record in this case but most importantly look at the kind of man Crosley Green is."

"Gov. DeSantis, if you care about justice, if you care about faith, look closely at the facts in the Crosley Green case," he said.

Contact Torres at 321-242-3684 or at jtorres@floridatoday.com. You can follow him on Twitter @johnalbertorres or on Facebook at facebook.com/FTjohntorres.

Support local journalism and become a subscriber. Visit floridatoday.com/subscribe

This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis should free Crosley Green | Torres
Luohu recently dispatched a delegation of200 representatives from thelocal gold and jewelry industry to Bangkok,the capital of Thailand, to bolster trade and exchangesin the sector.

The delegation was organized by the Shenzhen international jewelry comprehensive transaction platform and the Jewelry Museum of Shenzhen, led by the Shenzhen Gold & Jewelry Association and guided by the Shenzhen Bureau of Industry and Information Technology, the Shenzhen Bureau of Commerce, and the Luohu district government.

The delegation held a meeting of exchanges in Bangkok on Feb. 22 to introduce the development of Luohus gold and jewelry industry and the Shenzhen international jewelry comprehensive transaction platform.

As part of the visit to Thailand, representatives from the Jewelry Museum of Shenzhen will communicate with their Thai partners about the potential of leveraging public service platforms, such as museums, to strengthen bilateral exchanges and cooperation. Under the plan, Shenzhen museums would showcase Thai jewelry, while Thai museums would exhibit Chinese jewelry, particularly those from Luohu.

The Shenzhen Gold & Jewelry Association will also strengthen communication with their Thai counterparts to create more channels for industrial collaboration between the two sides. Bangkok and Luohu are both regional gold and jewelry industrial centers.

Thevisit takes place amid the five-day Thai Gem and Jewelry Exhibition, runningfrom Feb. 22 to 26 in Bangkok.




Finally destroying the Kerch bridge could force Russia out of Crimea

As Moscows latest offensive in Ukraine slowly but bloodily cranks up, the next phase of this ghastly war has well and truly arrived. Contrary to expectations, the Ukrainians are bravely, and successfully, resisting the tens of thousands of fresh Russian recruits being thrown at them. Nevertheless, according to many Western observers, the chances of a total Russian collapse in the coming year are slim.

I am less certain; we could be surprised. Far from being cowed, Zelenskys government is emboldened. Kyiv is openly preparing its own major thrust against Russian ground forces in the spring. Vadym Skibitsky, Ukraines deputy military intelligence chief, said this week that this counter-offensive will aim to drive a wedge between Crimea and the Russian mainland. The Ukrainians are determined to, in his words, liberate all occupied territories  including Crimea.

Now, General Ben Hodges, former commander of US forces in Europe, has devised a strategy he believes would not only enable Ukraine to retake Crimea, but would precipitate a total Russian military implosion.

His suggestion is as follows: isolate the peninsula by precision strikes against the two land routes connecting it with Russian territory  the Kerch bridge and the corridor that runs along the Azov sea. Then follow up with a large-scale armoured drive towards the Azov, penetrating Russian defences north of Crimea, bringing rocket and artillery systems into closer range. Russian air, ground and naval forces in the peninsula would then be reduced by precision strike and bombardment, until the point when Ukrainian forces could launch a ground offensive along the Perekop Isthmus and into Crimea.

This concerted attack against the peninsula  isolating it, neutralising and inflicting severe damage against its military infrastructure by long range strikes  would be a major blow for Russian morale. In the absence of decisive battlefield success elsewhere, it would represent a defeat for Moscow that it could not disguise, and could lead to collapse of Russian forces in the field and even to Putins downfall.

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I agree that this is desirable. But  as so often in this war  without boosting our support, it is unachievable. Even this more limited operation would demand massively increased Western assistance, including many more tanks than have been promised, much larger quantities of ammunition, as well as long-range missile systems which so far have not been provided at all. This additional support would have to be sustained and that would mean stepping up defence industrial production in the US and Europe beyond what has been contemplated so far in this war.

To achieve this is a question of political will on the Continent, one that remains shaky. There are signs now of European leaders pushing Zelensky towards peace talks with Russia rather than the defeat of Moscows invasion. That was the message delivered directly to the Ukrainian leader in Paris recently by President Emmanuel Macron and Chancellor Olaf Scholz. Both their countries have said they will not be providing new types of weapons this year. All talk at the moment is of future security assistance and guarantees to Ukraine from Nato after the war ends, as a means of pressuring Zelensky into an accommodation.

Putin recognises this wavering of Western support for Ukrainian offensive action and will be encouraged to press forward his own offensive to maximise territorial gains in advance of any potential negotiations. He is unlikely to achieve his full objectives on the battlefield, but neither will he willingly surrender what he now holds, which is significantly greater Ukrainian territory than when the war began.

With Ukraine denied the resources for decisive success, the scene would then be set for a period of relative quiet followed by the next round of Russian aggression. General Hodgess plan for Crimea may be overly optimistic, but he is absolutely right to suggest that long-term peace is contingent on Russian battlefield defeat. The scenario that Nato leaders are now planning equals the vanquishment of the West and the emboldenment of both Russia and China. It is a crying shame when the possibility of a total Russian collapse remains within reach.

Colonel Richard Kemp is a former infantry commander
DEDHAM  The former Quincy woman accused of beating her baby niece to death almost five years ago is set to go to trial Tuesday, March 7, in Norfolk Superior Court.

Jury selection is scheduled to start Tuesday in the case of Shu Feng Hsu, who is charged with murder. She has been in jail since November 2018, nine months after she allegedly beat her niece, Chloe Chen, so severely that she bruised the baby's face and head and caused brain damage that ultimately led to her death. A final motion hearing in the case was scheduled for Thursday, March 2.

Shu Feng Hsu appears in Quincy District Court on Thursday, Nov. 20, 2018.

Hsu was initially arraigned in Quincy District Court on March 22, 2018, on charges of assault and battery on a child causing serious bodily injury. When the state medical examiner determined that a blunt-force head injury caused Chloe's death, the charges against Hsu were upgraded to murder and her bail was revoked.

A Norfolk County grand jury indicted Hsu in January 2019.

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At the time of the baby's death, Hsu was living at 34 Sewall St. in Quincy. Police say Hsu was home alone with her infant niece on Feb. 15 when she called 911 at about 4:30 p.m. and said the baby had gone limp and was not responsive.

As an ambulance took the baby to Boston Medical Center, Chloe suffered multiple seizures, police said. She died two days later from what doctors described as brain injuries and bleeding in her brain.

Police say eight people were living in the Wollaston-area home at the time of Chloe's death. Police reviewed more than 100 hours of footage from several surveillance cameras inside the home but none of them showed the room where Hsu was alone with the baby for about two hours.

Police obtained audio recordings from nearby cameras that picked up noises from it the baby's room, where she is said to have cried for much of the time Hsu was alone with her. Police said it was about 4:25 p.m. when an adult entered the room and the camera picked up a distinctive dull thump that police say they did not hear in any of the other many hours of recording they listened to.

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A second thump radiates through the building structure two seconds later, State Trooper Yuriy Bukhenik wrote in his report. That was followed by 10 more thumps every few seconds, police said.

About 13 seconds after the last one, the crying stopped.

The doctor who performed the autopsy said it appeared a strike, or a form of impact caused the injuries.

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Thanks to our subscribers, who help make this coverage possible. If you are not a subscriber, please consider supporting quality local journalism with a Patriot Ledger subscription. Here is our latest offer.

This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Trial of Quincy's Shu Feng Hsu accused of killing baby niece to start
A train carrying propane derailed in Floridas Manatee County on Tuesday in the wake of the high-profile derailment of a train carrying toxic chemicals in East Palestine, Ohio, but no leaks have been reported at the Florida site.

Five railcars and two propane tankers were derailed in Manatee County, according to the local government.

Emergency crews may take some time to clear the tracks because the propane must be siphoned from the tanker before the car can be moved, according to the county. No injuries or leakage from the derailment have been reported at this point.

WWSB reports some 30,000 gallons of propane need to be taken out of the derailed tanker thats been flipped on its side, while the second tanker stayed upright after jumping the tracks.

According to Fox 13 Tampa Bay, Southern Manatee County Fire Rescue Chief Robert Bounds says the derailment was near a homeless camp, and that teams are responding to alert people nearby of potential danger or in the event we have to evacuate.

Florida Sen. Rick Scott (R) said his team is actively monitoring the derailment and in contact with state and local officials.

Our priority is doing everything we can to help keep the community and ALL Floridians safe, Scott said.

Manatee County Board of County Commissioners Chair Kevin Van Ostenbridge lauded first responders.

The incident comes after a Norfolk Southern Railway train carrying the hazardous chemical vinyl chloride derailed in East Palestine, Ohio, earlier this month, sparking environmental concerns about the local land, air and water as the chemicals spilled and were burned off.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Isla Bryson, 31, has been jailed for eight years - Andrew Milligan

A judge told the transgender rapist Isla Bryson that they were not the victim in this situation, as the 31-year-old was jailed for eight years.

Bryson, who committed the attacks while still known as Adam Graham, was sentenced at the High Court in Edinburgh on Tuesday morning.

Lord Scott said that while he had access to medical reports which suggested Bryson was vulnerable, in part due to traumatic childhood events, this was no excuse for raping two women who had been systematically targeted.

Bryson claimed during the trial that they had known they were transgender at age four, although this was later questioned by their wife and mother who both said they had shown no interest in transitioning. Bryson only began living as a woman after being charged with rape.

The case was seen as contributing to the end of Nicola Sturgeons political career after the double rapist was initially sent to a female prison under a Scottish Prison Service (SPS) policy that followed the same principle as her gender self-ID laws.

The legislation has been blocked by the UK Government while the SPS has scrapped its own rules following an outcry. Bryson was moved to a male jail following an outcry although Ms Sturgeon has repeatedly refused to say whether she believes the rapist to be male or female.

Alternative account of events

Sentencing Bryson, Lord Scott said it was clear that Bryson would pose a particularly significant risk to any woman with whom you form a relationship.

He said they had constructed an alternative account of events in which the two victims colluded together, and continued to deny the crimes.

The claims of a conspiracy were without any foundation and had been rejected by the jury, he said.

You see yourself as the victim in this situation, Lord Scott said. You are not. Regardless of your own vulnerability, in a period of just under three years, you raped two women who can both be regarded as vulnerable.

Edward Targowski KC, for the defence, told the High Court in Edinburgh that Bryson had been subjected to ill-judged, ill-informed and ignorant comments about their decision to undergo gender reassignment. He said this included references to Brysons dead name of Adam Graham.

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The lawyer also told the court that Bryson had decided to change their gender many years ago and had been given maximum amounts of medication to help achieve this by doctors at the Sandyford Clinic, a specialist clinic in Glasgow.

Bryson was on an NHS waiting list which was several years long for a gender reassignment operation, Mr Targowski said.

However, Brysons estranged wife, Shonna Graham, has described claims to identify as a woman as a sham. The rapists mother, Janet Bryson, said her son never showed any interest in living as a girl while growing up.

Bryson attacked two women in Clydebank and Glasgow in 2016 and 2019. They were both raped in their own homes, after Bryson met them online, a setting in which Lord Scott said they were entitled to feel entirely safe.

Russell Findlay, the Scottish Tory shadow community safety minister, said that Bryson may serve as little as four years, a prospect that will likely be of little comfort to victims.

Full scrutiny

He added: Theyve already suffered from the perverse decision to address this rapist as she and by Nicola Sturgeon and her justice secretary refusing to say what everyone in Scotland can see with their own eyes - that Bryson is a man.

Even following Nicola Sturgeons sudden resignation, the SNP government continues to attempt to dupe the public by saying this case has nothing to do with its gender self-ID bill.

But if this SNP law is enacted, it will be wide open to exploitation by giving the legal right to sex offenders to declare they are female, no matter the risks to women and girls.

Going forward, the prison service must publish its delayed new policy on transgender prisoners, allowing for full scrutiny, feedback and, if necessary, amendment.

Bryson was placed on the sex offenders register and will be supervised for three years after release.
*Spoilers for Outer Banks season three ahead!*

Season two of Netflix's hit series Outer Banks ended with the beloved Pogues stranded on an island they nicknamed Poguelandia. On February 23, the streaming service released the third season of the highly anticipated show, and it immediately picked up where season 2 left off. After getting accustomed to life on Poguelandia, the Pogues decided that it was time to make their way back home to the Outer Banks in North Carolina. Due to their limited resources, the band of buddies came together and made the trek across international waters from Barbados to their home in the US by boat.

While commuting across countries by boat seems like something made solely for TV, there have been some questions about whether or not you can actually travel from Barbados to OBX by boat. If you're wondering whether or not it's possible, read ahead to see if you can travel from Barbados to OBX.



Can you travel from Barbados to Outer Banks by boat?

The distance between Barbados and Outer Banks is approximately 1,597 miles, sailing distance calculator BednBlue reports. So yes, you could technically travel between the two places by boat, but there are a lot of determining factors that impact how quickly you'd get there. Strong winds, high waves, and storms could make the trip, which could possibly take more than a day in a large boat with functioning navigation equipment, even longer.



Hearst Owned

How long would it take to travel from Barbados to Outer Banks by boat?

According to BednBlue, it would take 4 days, 10 hours, and 28 minutes to travel from Barbados to Outer Banks, North Carolina when sailing at 15 knots.

Watch Outer Banks Season Three Now

Season 3 of Netflix's hit series Outer Banks is available on the streamer now, with subscription plans starting at $9.99 per month.

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This article originally appeared on Velo News

Trek-Segafredo rider Antonio Tiberi has been fined for shooting and killing his neighbor's cat with an air rifle.

According to reports in the Italian press, Tiberi was fined 4,000 Euros by a court in San Marino, where he has lived since March 2022. The 21-year-old admitted to aiming at the cat, but told the judge that he "had no intention of killing the animal."

Tiberi joined Trek-Segafredo in 2021 and is a developing GC talent for the squad, recently finishing seventh at the UAE Tour. His contract with the team runs through 2024.

My intent was simply to measure the shooting capacity of the weapon, so much so that I aimed at a prohibition sign," Tiberi told the court. "I also admit that I, just as stupidly and unconsciously, tried to hit a cat and to my surprise I actually hit it. I had no intention of killing the animal, in fact, I was convinced that the weapon wasnt lethal."

VeloNews has contacted Trek-Segafredo for comment. A team spokesperson said that a statement would be issued, though nothing has yet been released.

According to Gazzetta dello Sport, the incident took place on June 21 last year. Tiberi had recently purchased the air rifle and was testing his aim by shooting from the window of his home in San Marino.

The court was told that Tiberi first aimed at a road sign before firing at the passing cat, hitting it in the head and killing it instantly.

The owner of the cat witnessed the incident and immediately called the police. It turned out that the owner, who was Tiberi's neighbor, was the former head of state of San Marino, Federico Pedini Amati.

Pedini Amati has spoken out since and said Tiberi should not be allowed to remain in San Marino, which is a microstate that has its own laws separate to those of Italy.

"The cat didnt bother anyone. He had been with us for a long time. My daughter Lucia, three years old, loved it. I appreciate that the boy admitted the fact. Having said that, we do not need to give residence to these people," Pedini Amati said.

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Former president Donald Trump has surged ahead of Florida governor Ron DeSantis in a hypothetical 2024 head-to-head match-up, a new Yahoo News/YouGov poll found.

The new poll showed Trump leading DeSantis 47 percent to 39 percent among Republican voters, after previously trailing the Florida governor for the last three months. Earlier this month, DeSantis led Trump 45 to 41 percent.

The most recent poll found 49 percent of Republican and Republican-leaning voters prefer Trump for the 2024 GOP nomination over someone else. Earlier this month, 45 percent of voters said the would prefer Trump to someone else.

Trump remained in first place in a field of nine other potential GOP opponents with 45 percent of the vote  up from 37 percent earlier in February. DeSantiss support has fallen from 35 percent to 29 percent. The other candidates did not show a significant change.

The former president was also ahead in a three-way match-up against DeSantis and former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley. Trump notched 43 percent of the vote, up 5 points from earlier this month, while DeSantis came in at 31 percent for a four point drop and Haley recorded 8 percent, a three point drop.

The poll also showed good news for Trump in a hypothetical general election match-up against President Biden. Trump now leads Biden 45 percent to 43 percent, marking the first time Trump has led Biden in a general election survey since last June, according to Yahoo.

The poll suggests Bidens age could be a liability in the general election. Sixty-five percent of Americans said Biden is too old for another term as president, when told Biden would be 82 at the start of a second term and 86 at the end of it. Meanwhile, just 45 percent said the same of Trump when told he would be 78 at the start of his second term and 82 at the end of it.

The poll was conducted between February 23 and 27 among 1,516 U.S. adults.

The poll comes as DeSantis is set to attend Club for Growths annual donor retreat this weekend with other potential 2024 hopefuls, including former UN ambassador Nikki Haley, former vice president Mike Pence, Senator Tim Scott, New Hampshire governor Chris Sununu and Vivek Ramaswamy. Former secretary of state Mike Pompeo and Virginia governor Glenn Youngkin were invited to the retreat but could not attend, CBS News reported.

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While the retreat will be held just three miles from former president Donald Trumps Mar-a-Lago club, he was not invited to the retreat and will instead be at CPAC, furthering highlighting the widening rift in the GOP over Trump. DeSantis and Pence, meanwhile, declined to attend CPAC. Haley and Ramaswamy will attend both events.

The former president attacked Club for Growth in a Truth Social post on Tuesday calling the group Club for NO Growth and calling it an insignificant group of Globalists who I have beaten badly because of their anti America First views. They will only get the stragglers.'

More from National Review
Former President Donald Trump renewed his attacks on Fox News on Monday, accusing the network of downplaying his popularity over Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R).

FoxNews is promoting Ron DeSanctus so hard and so much that theres not much time left for Real News, Trump wrote on Truth Social. The new Fox Poll, which have always been purposely terrible for me, has TRUMP Crushing DeSanctimonious, but they barely show it.

Isnt there a big, beautiful, Network which wants to do well, and make a fortune besides? FAKE NEWS! he added.

Trump was referring to a Fox News poll published Sunday that showed him leading DeSantis by 15 points in a hypothetical 2024 presidential face-off. Apparently, the former president feels the network didnt give enough airtime to the poll  which was mentioned on air at least twice, according to Forbes.

Trump has repeatedly lashed out at Fox News in recent months. While many of the networks hosts continue to support him, some have become noticeably less sycophantic in the wake of the midterm elections. Rupert Murdoch, the networks owner, has reportedly sought to distance his media empire from Trump and is turning instead to DeSantis, Trumps potential rival for the 2024 Republican nomination.

And according to court documents released Monday, Murdoch admitted under oath during a deposition for Dominion Voting Systems lawsuit against the network last month that several Fox News hosts had endorsed conspiracy theories that the 2020 election was rigged against Trump.

Trump recently called Fox News a RINO Network (Republican in name only), after court filings from that case revealed that star hosts and executives had sent text messages calling Trumps 2020 election fraud lies ludicrous, off the rails, and mind blowingly nuts while publicly lending credence to them.

Fox News issued a statement Monday calling Dominions lawsuit an extreme, unsupported view of defamation law.

DeSantis has not announced a 2024 presidential run but is widely expected to do so. Fox News hypothetical match-up showed Trump well ahead of DeSantis, who, in turn, was more than 20 points ahead of Nikki Haley, the only Republican besides Trump to throw her hat in the ring so far.

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Mobile World Congress 2023 sees strong return of Asian participants

Xinhua) 08:32, February 28, 2023

People visit the exhibition area of Huawei at the 2023 edition of the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona, Spain, on Feb. 27, 2023. The 2023 edition of the Mobile World Congress (MWC) kicking off Monday in Barcelona saw a strong return of Asian participants, according to the organiser of the city's largest annual event. (Xinhua/Meng Dingbo)

BARCELONA, Spain, Feb. 27 (Xinhua) -- The 2023 edition of the Mobile World Congress (MWC) kicking off Monday in Barcelona saw a strong return of Asian participants, according to the organiser of the city's largest annual event.

Among some 80,000 people from over 200 countries and regions expected to attend the event, some 5,000 people are registered from China, after the Asian country lifted travel restrictions earlier this year, organiser GSMA said.

The 2023 MWC, which features over 2,000 exhibitors with their latest products to showcase the latest technological innovations in the mobile industry, lasts until Thursday. The event is held at the Fira Gran Via exhibition center.

This time Chinese companies like Honor, Xiaomi and OnePlus, as well as Nokia, will launch a number of new smartphones, including foldable and fast-charging phones. Chinese tech giant Huawei's stand expanded some 50 percent larger than last year's.

According to the organiser, this year's show, themed on Velocity, will have five key seminars focusing on 5G acceleration, Reality+, OpenNet, FinTech and Digital Everything.

Furthermore, visitors can also have a glimpse of a capsule train that can levitate over rails with a top speed of 1,200 km/h, the latest surgical robots, artificial intelligence and so on.

This is the second off-line MWC since the event was cancelled during the pandemic. While the attendance is expected to be much larger than in 2022, it will still be below the record level of 109,000 people in 2019.

A visitor tries on a VR headset at the 2023 edition of the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona, Spain, on Feb. 27, 2023. The 2023 edition of the Mobile World Congress (MWC) kicking off Monday in Barcelona saw a strong return of Asian participants, according to the organiser of the city's largest annual event. (Xinhua/Meng Dingbo)

People communicate at the 2023 edition of the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona, Spain, on Feb. 27, 2023. The 2023 edition of the Mobile World Congress (MWC) kicking off Monday in Barcelona saw a strong return of Asian participants, according to the organiser of the city's largest annual event. (Xinhua/Meng Dingbo)

Participants listen to a keynote speech at the 2023 edition of the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona, Spain, on Feb. 27, 2023. The 2023 edition of the Mobile World Congress (MWC) kicking off Monday in Barcelona saw a strong return of Asian participants, according to the organiser of the city's largest annual event. (Xinhua/Meng Dingbo)

Visitors look at smart phones at the 2023 edition of the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona, Spain, on Feb. 27, 2023. The 2023 edition of the Mobile World Congress (MWC) kicking off Monday in Barcelona saw a strong return of Asian participants, according to the organiser of the city's largest annual event. (Xinhua/Meng Dingbo)

Visitors play mobile games at the 2023 edition of the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona, Spain, on Feb. 27, 2023. The 2023 edition of the Mobile World Congress (MWC) kicking off Monday in Barcelona saw a strong return of Asian participants, according to the organiser of the city's largest annual event. (Xinhua/Meng Dingbo)

People walk past a sign of the 2023 edition of the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona, Spain, on Feb. 27, 2023. The 2023 edition of the Mobile World Congress (MWC) kicking off Monday in Barcelona saw a strong return of Asian participants, according to the organiser of the city's largest annual event. (Xinhua/Meng Dingbo)

A visitor gestures in front of a screen showing her image with thermal imaging technology at the 2023 edition of the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona, Spain, on Feb. 27, 2023. The 2023 edition of the Mobile World Congress (MWC) kicking off Monday in Barcelona saw a strong return of Asian participants, according to the organiser of the city's largest annual event. (Xinhua/Meng Dingbo)

A visitor tries on a pair of smart glasses at the 2023 edition of the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona, Spain, on Feb. 27, 2023. The 2023 edition of the Mobile World Congress (MWC) kicking off Monday in Barcelona saw a strong return of Asian participants, according to the organiser of the city's largest annual event. (Xinhua/Meng Dingbo)

Visitors try on VR headsets at the 2023 edition of the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona, Spain, on Feb. 27, 2023. The 2023 edition of the Mobile World Congress (MWC) kicking off Monday in Barcelona saw a strong return of Asian participants, according to the organiser of the city's largest annual event. (Xinhua/Meng Dingbo)

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
Donald Trump has attacked US transport secretary Pete Buttigieg in his latest Truth Social diatribe, calling him weak and totally ineffective, deriding the pronunciation of his surname and accusing him and his party of disinformation and gross incompetence over the Ohio train derailment.

Mr Buttigieg arrived in East Palestine, Ohio, a day after Mr Trump last week to inspect the costly chemical cleanup after the freight train crash of 3 February and has been outspoken about harmful industrial deregulation under the Trump administration and its possible role in the disaster.

Meanwhile, veteran media tycoon Rupert Murdoch has admitted during a sworn deposition that top personalities at Fox News promoted a baseless narrative that the 2020 presidential election had been stolen from Mr Trump, according to a recent filing in a voting machine companys billion-dollar lawsuit against the network.

The chair of the right-wing media empire said that hosts including Maria Bartiromo, Lou Dobbs, Sean Hannity and Jeanine Pirro endorsed at times this false notion of a stolen election, claims that former president and his allies continue to amplify as he seeks re-election in 2024.

I would have liked us to be stronger in denouncing it in hindsight, Mr Murdoch said, according to the court documents.

Key Points

Trump launches attack on 'weak and totally ineffective' Pete Buttigieg over Ohio train derailment

Rupert Murdoch admits Fox stars endorsed bogus election fraud claims

Trump takes aim at Georgia prosecutors

GOP to introduce loyalty pledge for presidential candidates

Trump tried to silence Jimmy Kimmel over mockery

Former president ridiculed over knock heads Ukraine peace plan

WATCH: Jeb Bush calls for Ron DeSantis to run for president

15:18 , John Bowden

WATCH: Jeb Bush calls for Ron DeSantis to run for president

Former Florida Gov Jeb Bush, most notable for his expensive failed 2016 presidential campaign which was one of many ground up and cast aside by the Trump machine, is wading into national GOP politics once again.

Story continues

In an interview with Fox Newss Brian Kilmeade, he calls for current Florida Gov Ron DeSantis  currently polling competitively against Mr Trump  to run for president and block The Donald from office again.

Watch below:

Jeb Bush endorses Ron Desantis for president. pic.twitter.com/qBF0YGHcG4  Ron Filipkowski  (@RonFilipkowski) February 26, 2023

ICYMI: Trump accuses prosecutors of trying to steal a second Presidential Election

14:15 , Joe Sommerlad

Former president Donald Trump has accused prosecutors who are investigating him of trying to steal the 2024 presidential election, repeaitng his lie that the 2020 contest was stolen.

Crooked Democrat Prosecutors, many of them Racists in Reverse, are trying to steal a second Presidential Election. They did it in 2020, and were not going to let them do it again in 2024. MAGA!!! the former president posted on his Truth Social platform on Monday morning.

Read more:

Trump accuses prosecutors of trying to steal a second Presidential Election

Latino Republicans push back on partys immigration agenda

13:30 , Joe Sommerlad

More than half of the residents in the slice of Miami that includes Little Havana were born abroad. And when Republican congresswoman Maria Elvira Salazar ran for re-election last year, she won by 15 percentage points.

The GOPs dominance of Floridas 27th congressional district is emblematic of the partys inroads with Latino voters in recent years in much of the US and especially in Florida. Those gains helped governor Ron DeSantis decisively win re-election last year and contributed to the GOP taking back control of the House of Representatives.

That strong showing, however, is leading to some tension as the newly emboldened Republicans in Washington aim to launch an aggressive agenda, particularly around immigration policy. Ms Salazar is among a handful of Republicans pushing back against a sweeping proposal being considered in the House that would restrict asylum at the US-Mexico border.

Heres more.

Latino Republicans push back on party's immigration agenda

Jeb Bush, whose White House run was crushed by Trump, backs DeSantis for 2024

13:00 , David Taintor

Former presidential candidate Jeb Bush said that Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has the opportunity to run for president in 2024 in a bid to beat former president Donald Trump, who crushed Mr Bush in the 2016 Republican presidential primary.

Fox News Brian Kilmeade asked Mr Bush, himself a former Florida governor, whether 2024 offered his successor an opportunity to seek the White House.

I think it is, Mr Bush said. Hes been a really effective governor. Hes young. I think were on the verge of a generational change in our politics. Kind of hope so.

Read more:

Jeb Bush, whose White House run was crushed by Trump, backs DeSantis for 2024

Ted Cruz accused of hypocrisy over political theatre jibe at Zelensky

12:30 , Joe Sommerlad

Texas Republican senator Ted Cruz has been mocked for saying that Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky engages in political theatre because he wore a sweatshirt and fatigues during US president Joe Bidens visit to Kyiv last week (despite this being Mr Zelenskys customary attire since the war began).

The Recount, crying hypocrisy, notes that during a 2021 visit to the US-Mexico border in Mission, Texas, Mr Cruz himself chose to forego the usual suit and tie in favour of combat camouflage. Astonishing!

Were old enough to remember Ted Cruz showing up to the southern border dressed like this. pic.twitter.com/FH0zR7xuNY https://t.co/riM4k6zy5o  The Recount (@therecount) February 27, 2023

Gustaf Kilander has the details.

Ted Cruz border outfit mocked as he claims Zelenskys t-shirt is political theatre

Marjorie Taylor Greene votes against resolution mourning loss of life in Turkey-Syria earthquake

12:00 , Joe Sommerlad

I mean, honestly, what is there left to say?

Sravasti Dasgupta is here to have a go.

MTG votes against Turkey-Syria earthquake resolution

Jan 6 suspect Sedition Panda arrested

11:30 , Joe Sommerlad

A man who allegedly took part in the insurrection on January 6 2021 wearing the head of a panda costume has been arrested by the FBI.

Jesse James Rumson was arrested in Florida on Monday. He is accused of storming the US Capitol among hundreds of other Trump supporters in an attempt to block Congress from certifying the 2020 election victory of President Joe Biden.

Court records state that Mr Rumson faces several charges including assaulting, resisting, or impeding an officer and engaging in physical violence in a restricted building or grounds.

Gustaf Kilander has more.

Jan 6 suspect known as Sedition Panda is arrested

Ron DeSantis admits his Disney World wedding is ironic

11:00 , Joe Sommerlad

Florida Republican governor Ron DeSantis has admitted that his wedding taking place at Disney World is kind of ironic as hes now engaged in a battle with the company.

The governor married his wife Casey DeSantis at the Walt Disney World Resort in 2009, according to Insider.

In looking forward to what we ended up doing as governor and some of the face-offs that we had with some major institutions in Florida, its kind of ironic, Mr DeSantis told SiriusXM Patriot radio in an interview set to be broadcast on Monday, a transcript obtained by Insider revealed.

Read more:

Ron DeSantis admits his Disney World wedding is ironic

Whats happening at CPAC this year?

10:30 , Joe Sommerlad

The Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) is returning to the DC area as the 2024 primary contest begins to heat up with the announcements of Donald Trump and Nikki Haley, the first official contenders.

From Wednesday through Saturday, some of the nations most prominent Republicans will address audiences of young activists, party officials and veteran operatives as they make their respective cases for their own personal brands of conservatism.

Just as notable as those attending the event, however, is the list of those who declined invitations: Florida governor Ron DeSantis, thought to be one of the strongest potential 2024 GOP primary candidates, will not be attending while former US vice president Mike Pence, also thought to be readying a 2024 bid, has spurned the gathering.

John Bowden has this look at the most notable conservatives who will be there.

Who is speaking at CPAC and when?

Trump launches attack on 'weak and totally ineffective' Pete Buttigieg over Ohio train derailment

10:00 , Joe Sommerlad

In his latest Truth Social diatribe, the former commander-in-chief issues some rare praise for The Washington Post (he used to deride the legendary newspaper as the Amazon Washington Post) as a means of attacking US transport secretary Pete Buttigieg, whom his loathsome eldest son Don Jr recently suggested had been a diversity hire by the Biden administration because he is gay.

Of the beleaguered Mr Buttigieg, who arrived in East Palestine, Ohio, a day after Mr Trump last week to inspect the costly chemical cleanup after the freight train derailment of 3 February, he writes, somewhat confusingly:

Wow, is The Washington Post becoming legit. They just reported that the weak and totally ineffective Secretary of Transportation, Pete BUTTedgeedge, LIED when he said that the Trump Administrations great and effective reduction in regulations, a giant job producer, had NOTHING to do with the East Palestine Train Derailment. It was just more Dem DISINFORMATION in order to deflect from their gross incompetence. Really good investigative journalism by The Washington Post. Keep it going!

Ron DeSantis takes control of Disney Worlds governing structure after Dont Say Gay feud

09:00 , Alex Woodward

Ron DeSantis has taken over the governing structure for Disney World following a political battle between the corporate giant and Floridas Republican governor and conservative state lawmakers over a controversial measure that opponents have derided as the states Dont Say Gay law.

At an event on 27 February, the governor signed a bill that amounts to a state takeover of the Reedy Creek Improvement District, the governing body around Disney World properties in Bay Lake and Lake Buena Vista spanning 39 square miles and land across Orange and Osceola counties.

The district, implemented in 1967, allows Disney to effectively control its own land use and zoning rules and operate its own public services, including water, sanitation, emergency services and infrastructure maintenance.

Read more:

DeSantis takes over Disney Worlds governing structure after Dont Say Gay feud

Fox News refuses to air advert revealing how stars rejected Trump election fraud claims: They lied to you

08:00 , Alex Woodward

Fox News reportedly rejected a television advert from a progressive advocacy group and political action committee that highlighted recently uncovered reactions from the networks top stars and executives to Donald Trumps bogus election fraud claims and conspiracy theories surrounding a voting machine company that is suing the network for defamation.

The ad from MoveOn addresses viewers directly while quoting from text messages and emails uncovered in the lawsuit, which revealed how network personalities and Rupert Murdoch shared their behind-the-scenes irritation with false claims while the network continued to amplify them.

Texts show they lied to you about the 2020 election for profit, the ad says.

Read more:

Fox News refuses to air ad with bombshell election fraud texts: They lied to you

Rupert Murdoch admits Fox News stars endorsed bogus election fraud claims

06:00 , Alex Woodward

Rupert Murdoch admitted during a sworn deposition that top personalities at Fox News promoted a baseless narrative that the 2020 presidential election was stolen from Donald Trump, according to a recent filing in a voting machine companys billion-dollar lawsuit against the network.

The chair of the right-wing media empire said that hosts including Maria Bartiromo, Lou Dobbs, Sean Hannity and Jeanine Pirro endorsed at times this false notion of a stolen election, claims that former president and his allies continue to amplify as he seeks re-election to office in 2024.

I would have liked us to be stronger in denouncing it in hindsight, Mr Murdoch said, according to court documents.

Read more:

Rupert Murdoch admits Fox News stars endorsed bogus election fraud claims

DeSantis moves toward GOP presidential bid on his own terms

04:35 , John Bowden

Republican presidential contenders typically fight for prime speaking slots at the Conservative Political Action Conference. But as conservative activists gather in suburban Washington this week, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis will be courting donors more than a thousand miles away in Texas and California.

The apparent CPAC snub is nothing new for DeSantis, who has emerged in the early phase of the 2024 presidential election as a leading contender for the GOP nomination even as he ignores many conventions of modern politics.

Read more in The Independent:

DeSantis moves toward GOP presidential bid on his own terms

How a Trump-appointed judge could revoke access to a commonly used abortion drug

03:35 , John Bowden

Right-wing legal groups are mounting a major legal challenge against the FDA that could have enormous consequences for abortion access.

An imminent decision from US District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk that would block access to mifepristone, even temporarily, could significantly disrupt access to medication abortion nationwide.

Alex Woodward reports for The Independent:

How a Trump-appointed judge could revoke access to a commonly used abortion drug

More than three-quarters of voters in George Santos district say he should resign

02:35 , John Bowden

More than three-quarters of voters in New Yorks 3rd District want their member of Congress, George Santos, to resign, according to a new poll.

The survey found that 78 per cent of registered voters  including 89 per cent of Democrats, 72 per cent of independents and 71 per cent of Republicans  all want Mr Santos to resign.

The embattled GOP congressman has found a new home in the House among the chambers right wing, and has shown no signs of stepping aside amid looming criminal investigations into his conduct and scathing criticism from his colleagues.

Read more:

More than three-quarters of voters in George Santos district say he should resign

Rupert Murdoch admits Fox News stars endorsed bogus election fraud claims

01:35 , John Bowden

Rupert Murdoch admitted during a sworn deposition that top personalities at Fox News promoted a baseless narrative that the 2020 presidential election was stolen from Donald Trump, according to a recent filing in a voting machine companys billion-dollar lawsuit against the network.

The chair of the right-wing media empire said that hosts including Maria Bartiromo, Lou Dobbs, Sean Hannity and Jeanine Pirro endorsed at times this false notion of a stolen election, claims that former president and his allies continue to amplify as he seeks re-election to office in 2024.

Its a stunning admission for the right-wing media boss who faces a massive lawsuit brought by voting machine companies whose products were accused of being part of a nefarious plot to steal the election.

Read more:

Rupert Murdoch admits Fox News stars endorsed bogus election fraud claims

VOICES: Ron DeSantis steps onto the national stage  but avoids direct conflict with Trump

00:35 , John Bowden

Eric Garcia writes for The Independent: Conservatives will descend on the National Harbor this week for the Conservative Political Action Conference, better known by its initials: CPAC.

The gathering of Republicans serves as part sideshow, part game plan for the GOP, part spring break for local College Republican chapters across the country and part cattle call for presidential candidates. Indeed, former president Donald Trump made his official coming out as a viable conservative figure at the 2011 CPAC (with a little-known conservative gadfly from Texas named Ted Cruz serving as a warm-up act).

But one person will be conspicuously absent from the gathering: Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, Mr Trumps most formidable potential challenger.

Read more:

Ron DeSantis steps onto the national stage  but avoids direct conflict with Trump

Ron DeSantis takes control of Disney Worlds governing structure after Dont Say Gay feud

Monday 27 February 2023 23:35 , John Bowden

Ron DeSantis has taken over the governing structure for Disney World following a political battle between the corporate giant and Floridas Republican governor and conservative state lawmakers over a controversial measure that opponents have derided as the states Dont Say Gay law.

Its the latest escalation of a culture war fight started by the Florida governor and probable 2024 candidate.

Read more:

DeSantis takes over Disney Worlds governing structure after Dont Say Gay feud

Trump attorneys say they wont accept faulty indictments in Georgia 2020 election probe

Monday 27 February 2023 22:35 , John Bowden

Attorneys for Donald Trump are insisting that comments made by the foreperson of a grand jury impanelled in Fulton County, Georgia to hear evidence of crimes committed by Donald Trump and his allies in the wake of the 2020 election have irreversably tainted the case against him.

Its the latest effort by Mr Trumps circle of allies to denigrate the integrity of those charged with investigating the multiple claims of wrongdoing that they face, and comes as cable news talking heads fretted over the weekend about whether Emily Kohrs had endangered the potential prosecution of Mr Trump or his advisers with remarks to several news outlets.

Read more from John Bowden:

Trump attorneys attack faulty indictments in Georgia 2020 election probe

WATCH: Jeb Bush calls for Ron DeSantis to run for president

Monday 27 February 2023 21:35 , John Bowden

Former Florida Gov Jeb Bush, most notable for his expensive failed 2016 presidential campaign which was one of many ground up and cast aside by the Trump machine, is wading into national GOP politics once again.

In an interview with Fox Newss Brian Kilmeade, he calls for current Florida Gov Ron DeSantis  currently polling competitively against Mr Trump  to run for president and block The Donald from office again.

Watch below:

Jeb Bush endorses Ron Desantis for president. pic.twitter.com/qBF0YGHcG4  Ron Filipkowski  (@RonFilipkowski) February 26, 2023

Why Donald Trumps phone call seeking to overturn Georgia election results was so damaging

Monday 27 February 2023 20:35 , John Bowden

A grand jury in Fulton County, Georgia, has recommended multiple criminal charges as a result of an investigation into Donald Trumps efforts to overturn Georgias 2020 election results.

In an interview, the jury foreperson told The New York Times that the list of charges recommended was not short.

Lets take a look at the conference call between the White House, Mr Trumps lawyers, and Georgia state officials on 2 January 2021 that was so damaging for Mr Trumps credibility and why it could wind him  or his allies  in legal jeopardy.

Why Trumps phone call seeking to overturn Georgia election results was so damaging

Has Trumps giggling Georgia grand jury foreperson Emily Kohrs blown the case?

Monday 27 February 2023 19:35 , John Bowden

On Monday, lawyers for former President Donald Trump insisted to Axios that they did not view the investigation headed by prosecutors in Fulton County, Georgia, as legitimate after the foreperson of the grand jury spoke to several media outlets following the conclusion of her service.

But, as experts told The Independent in recent days, Emily Kohrss comments do not actually pose a threat to the integrity of Fulton Countys investigation.

Read more:

Has Trumps giggling Georgia grand jury foreperson blown the case?

Trump continues taking shots at Nikki Haley

Monday 27 February 2023 18:35 , John Bowden

Donald Trumps 2024 campaign was in attack mode on Monday, circulating a Washington Times hit piece attacking his former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley as a bureaucrat in an Oedipal primary.

Though Ms Haley has little chance of posing a serious challenge to the former president in the primary, at least for the moment, the Trump campaigns actions signal the former presidents strategy for dealing with his 2024 GOP rivals: Attack, attack, attack.

Read the Washington Times article here:

Jonathan Last: DeSantis risks falling in to Trumps trap

Monday 27 February 2023 17:27 , John Bowden

Most recently picking up the endorsement of former Gov Jeb Bush, Florida Gov Ron DeSantis is showing day by day that he will likely be the most credible alternative to Donald Trump in the 2024 Republican primary.

But as conservative writer Jonathan Last opines in The Bulwark, that position comes with its own set of burdens that Mr Trump can weaponise against a challenger.

DeSantis has made his bones by being an enemy of the establishment. Thats easy when the establishment is the mainstream media, writes Last.

He continues: But were about to enter and environment when the establishment will be conservative media. And DeSantis is going to be championed by Fox and National Review and all the same people who were into George W. Bush once upon a time.

Will Ron DeSantis end up being painted as the GOP establishments effort to suppress Donald Trumps voters within the party?

Jeb Bush, whose White House run was crushed by Trump, backs DeSantis for 2024

Monday 27 February 2023 15:30 , John Bowden

Former presidential candidate Jeb Bush said that he hopes Florida Governor Ron DeSantis decides to run for president in 2024 in a bid to beat former president Donald Trump, who crushed Mr Bush in the 2016 Republican presidential primary.

Fox News Brian Kilmeade asked Mr Bush, himself a former Florida governor, whether 2024 offered his successor an opportunity to seek the White House.

Read his response here:

Jeb Bush, whose White House run was crushed by Trump, backs DeSantis for 2024

Trump takes aim at Fulton County prosecutors

Monday 27 February 2023 14:48 , John Bowden

After his attorneys told Axios that they dont accept the validity of Fulton Countys investigation into their boss, Donald Trump took aim at the Georgia prosecutors investigating his effort to change the lawful results of the 2020 election.

In a Truth Social post on Monday, the ex-president accused Georgia law enforcement of trying to steal a second presidential election as he continues his efforts to denigrate trust in Americas election systems, court systems, and civil servants.

Read more from Eric Garcia:

Trump accuses prosecutors of trying to steal a second Presidential Election

GOP leaders, stung by losses, plan to wade into Senate races

Monday 27 February 2023 14:31 , John Bowden

Angry over a wave of losses experienced by pro-Trump candidates in the last election cycle, Republican leadership isnt willing to let Donald Trump steer the ship anymore  at least not unopposed.

The National Republican Senatorial Committee intends to wade into party primaries in key states, providing resources to its preferred candidates in a bid to produce nominees who are more palatable to general election voters.

Follow this story in The Independent:

GOP leaders, stung by losses, plan to wade into Senate races

Ron DeSantis moves toward Republican presidential bid on his own terms

Monday 27 February 2023 13:45 , Joe Sommerlad

Republican presidential contenders typically fight for prime speaking slots at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC). But as activists gather in suburban Washington this week, Florida governor Ron DeSantis will be courting donors more than a thousand miles away in Texas and California.

The apparent CPAC snub is nothing new for Mr DeSantis, who has emerged in the early phase of the 2024 presidential election as a leading contender for the GOP nomination even as he ignores many conventions of modern politics.

Mr DeSantis is a regular voice in conservative cultural fights on cable television but often avoids gatherings of fellow Republican governors and party leaders, who are quick to complain in private about his go-it-alone approach.

He is the only top-tier presidential prospect yet to court voters in Iowa, New Hampshire or South Carolina, the states hosting the GOPs opening presidential primary contests. And he is often at odds with the press, refusing even to notify local media of last weeks rare three-state tour with law enforcement.

Heres a little more on his singular approach to courting national political popularity.

DeSantis moves toward GOP presidential bid on his own terms

Marjorie Taylor Greene mocked for saying 6bn migrants have crossed US border under Biden

Monday 27 February 2023 13:15 , Joe Sommerlad

MAGA Republican congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene wildly inflated the number of migrants she alleges have illegally crossed the US border from Mexico during Joe Bidens time in the Oval Office during a tweet over the weekend, a statement for which she was roundly and rightly ridiculed.

$113 Billion has been appropriated to Ukraine in just 1 yr, she declared. Trumps wall would have only cost $22 billion, but Congress refused to fund it. 6 Billion people illegally crossed our border since Biden took office, but Ukraines border is the only border that matters to Washington.

The population of the entire world is only 8bn, lest we forget, and just 332m live in the US.

Graig Graziosi rounds up the ridicule.

Marjorie Taylor Greene mocked for saying 6 billion crossed US border

Bryan Cranston says Trump's Make America Great Again slogan is racist

Monday 27 February 2023 12:45 , Joe Sommerlad

The Breaking Bad star sat down with veteran anchor Chris Wallace for his CNN interview show over the weekend to offer an interesting point of view about the MAGA movement and its assumptions, arguing that it intentionally sidelines the African American experience.

.@BryanCranston explains to Chris Wallace why MAGA is a racist remark. (So well done, worth a watch.) pic.twitter.com/c3SdlyzFwe  Kaivan Shroff (@KaivanShroff) February 25, 2023

John Bolton says he will run to be next US president to stop Trump

Monday 27 February 2023 12:15 , Joe Sommerlad

Speaking to Camilla Tominey on right-wing GB News, the Republicans hawkish former national security adviser turned enemy John Bolton said he plans to run for the White House in a bid to block Trump, saying it was a very difficult decision" to put his name forward but that he was determined to do so to prevent a belated second Trump term..

"I think its very important that Donald Trump not be the nominee of the Republican Party in 2024, he said.

"I think he can be defeated. Id certainly like to help out in making that happen.

"And if if I think being a candidate myself does show a path to getting the nomination, to winning in November of next year, then, yes, Ill get it."

'It's very important that Donald Trump not be the nominee of the Republican Party in 2024.'



US diplomat John Bolton says Donald Trump shouldn't be the Republican candidate for president, and that he might run for US leadership himself.@AmbJohnBolton | @CamillaTominey pic.twitter.com/HSQPyw52md  GB News (@GBNEWS) February 26, 2023

Trump calls for Zuckerberg to be prosecuted and screams: Biden is leading us into oblivion!!!

Monday 27 February 2023 11:45 , Joe Sommerlad

Over on Truth Social, Mr Trump has been posting about a Fox story allegedly tying Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg to a $2m donation to the Georgia elections board.

He cheated on the Election(s), the former president raged: The whole system is RIGGED. Why isnt he being prosecuted? The Democrats only know how to cheat. America isnt going to take it much longer!

Clearly having a very normal Sunday evening at home in his rotting mansion, Mr Trump also tweeted, sorry truthed: Crooked Democrat Prosecutors, many of them Racists in Reverse, are trying to steal a second Presidential Election. They did it in 2020, and were not going to let them do it again in 2024. MAGA!!!

All of which came after this beauty: This is the most dangerous time in the history of our Country. World War III is looming, like never before, in the very dark and murky background. Leadership is solely responsible for this unprecedented danger to the USA, and likewise, the World. HOPELESS JOE BIDEN IS LEADING US INTO OBLIVION!!!

Ho boy.

Ex-president accused of shell game with classified documents

Monday 27 February 2023 11:15 , Joe Sommerlad

Department of Justice (DoJ) investigators are examining whether the actions by Mr Trump and at least one of his long-time aides may have kept a box containing documents with classified markings from being discovered during the search of his Mar-a-Lago residence in Palm Beach, Florida, property by FBI agents on 8 August last year.

According to CNN, the box at issue contained a handful of documents bearing classification markings as well as copies of presidential schedules dating back to Mr Trumps time in the White House.

It was discovered in December after DoJ officials told Mr Trumps attorneys to conduct another search for government-owned records at the twice-impeached ex-presidents property and subsequently turned over to federal authorities.

Citing a person familiar with both the boxs laborious journey between locations connected to the ex-president and the inquiry being overseen by special counsel Jack Smith, CNN said federal investigators suspect Mr Trump played a shell game with classified documents by directing staff to move the box between Mar-a-Lago and a nearby office block rented by Mr Trumps team with federal funds available to him under the Former Presidents Act.

Andrew Feinberg has more.

Trump accused of shell game with classified documents after box moved around

Trump ridiculed over knock heads Ukraine peace plan

Monday 27 February 2023 10:45 , Joe Sommerlad

If the former president is so sensitive to Jimmy Kimmel jokes, he perhaps ought to try a little harder to avoid presenting comics with such easy material.

Mr Trump is currently being mocked for his ludicrous remarks on the one-year anniversary of Russias invasion of Ukraine, made in a radio interview with former Fox anchor Glenn Beck.

The saddest part about the war is that this is a war that shouldve never happened, right, okay? the 45th president said.

So now it happened. Now you have to get people in a room. You have to knock heads and you have to get it done.

That would mean saying things to [Vladimir] Putin and saying things to [Volodymyr] Zelensky that theyre not gonna want to hear and getting them into a room and getting it done.

Sure thing Don.

Sheila Flynn has more.

Trump mocked after sharing his plan to end Ukraine war: Knock heads

GOP to introduce loyalty pledge for presidential candidates

Monday 27 February 2023 10:15 , Joe Sommerlad

Republican National Committee chairwoman Ronna McDaniel has told CNN that a loyalty pledge might become a requirement for candidates taking part in the partys presidential debates, which would compel the likes of Mr Trump to support the eventual winner if he himself is not nominated, a bid to avoid the damaging name-calling, animosity and ill-feeling that has toxified previous head-to-heads.

We havent put the criteria out, but I expect a pledge will be part of it, Ms McDaniel told Dana Bash on Sundays State of the Union, adding: I think theyre all going to sign it.

I think they're all going to sign it.



RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel tells @DanaBashCNN she expects that Trump will sign a pledge to support the Republican nominee even if it's not him. @CNNSotu #CNNSOTU pic.twitter.com/fYI7du8FFX  CNN (@CNN) February 26, 2023

John Bowden has the full story.

GOP chair says party may try to force Trump to back GOP nominee even if its not him

Trump tried to silence Jimmy Kimmel over mockery

Monday 27 February 2023 09:45 , Joe Sommerlad

Donald Trump attempted to have popular late night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel silenced during his presidency by having his White House staff call ABC owner Disney to demand an end to his jokes at the Trumps administrations expense, according to Rolling Stone.

A former Trump official told the magazine that that severity of Mr Trumps fury was conveyed in at least two separate phone calls to executives because the commander-in-chief felt the comedian had been very dishonest and doing things that he would have once sued over.

I do not know to who, but it happened, the unnamed ex-aide said. Nobody thought it was going to change anything but DJT was focused on it so we had to do something It was doing something, mostly, to say to [Trump], Hey, we did this.

Shweta Sharma has more.

Trump tried to get Jimmy Kimmel censored in 2018, report says

Monday 27 February 2023 09:36 , Joe Sommerlad

Good morning and welcome to The Independents live coverage of US presidential candidate Donald Trump, plotting a return to the White House in 2024.
Former President Trump directed his staff to complain to ABC parent company Disney about late night host Jimmy Kimmels jokes about him, according to a Rolling Stone report published Sunday.

According to two former Trump officials, the then-president was upset over the mocking he got on Jimmy Kimmel Live! in 2018, Rolling Stone reported. Trump directed his staff to call one of the top executives at Disney to ask them to get Kimmel to tone down the anti-Trump humor.

One of the former officials told the magazine that Trump felt that Kimmel was being very dishonest and doing things that [Trump] would have once sued over. The two officials confirmed that two separate phone calls were made to Disney to convey how angry Trump was.

Nobody thought it was going to change anything but [Trump] was focused on it so we had to do something, a third Trump administration official told Rolling Stone.

Kimmel responded to the Rolling Stone report on Sunday, tweeting Another perfect call, a jab at Trumps characterization of phone calls he made during his time in office that have led to political and legal ramifications, including one to the Georgia secretary of state that is now at the center of grand jury investigation.

The Hill has reached out to ABC for comment.

This is not the first report of Trump attempted to rein in Kimmel and other late night hosts. During his time in office, Trump asked the Justice Department to look into Saturday Night Live and other late night comedy shows, The Daily Beast reported in 2021.

Kimmel responded to The Daily Beasts report at the time, saying Trump wanted to use the Justice Department as a goon squad to stop himself from being mocked.

Updated at 8:10 p.m.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Footage from the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol will be subject to a security review before clips are handed to Fox News host Tucker Carlson to broadcast, according to Rep. Barry Loudermilk (R-Ga.), chair of the House Administration Subcommittee on Oversight.

Loudermilk said that his panel is working with the sergeant-at-arms and Capitol Police to make sure that none of the footage released will pose security risks.

Its basically controlled access to be able to view tapes. Cant record, cant take anything with you. Then they will request any particular clips that  that they may need, and then well make sure that theres nothing sensitive, nothing classified  you know, escape routes, Loudermilk said Tuesday in response to a question from The Hill.

Carlson said on his show last week that his producers had unfettered access to some 44,000 hours of security footage from the day of the riot and that producers had already started combing through the footage.

But little had been revealed about what kind of security protocols were in place for the footages release.

Democrats have reacted to Speaker Kevin McCarthys (R-Calif.) move to grant Carlsons team access to the footage with outrage, warning that giving raw footage to a figure who has downplayed the Capitol attack could pose security risks for members and the institution of Congress as a whole.

And other media companies have complained about the exclusive access Carlson was granted.

The decision to grant Carlsons team exclusive access came directly from McCarthys office, and it came before the House Administration Committee was fully organized.

Loudermilk said he knew there were plans for Fox News to get access to the tapes, but he was not sure of when exactly that would take place. In the meantime, he knew the House had set up access terminals so Carlsons team could securely view the footage.

House Republicans discussed the Jan. 6 tapes and Carlsons access in their Tuesday morning conference meeting, and members said they were generally supportive.

Story continues

House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) said in a press conference that what gets released is going to obviously be scrutinized to make sure that youre not exposing any sensitive information.

Loudermilks oversight panel, he said, is investigating security failures and how rioters were able to get into the Capitol on Jan. 6 and is in possession of all the documents and videos from the Jan. 6 Select Committee that disbanded at the end of the last Congress.

The overall objective will be eventually to get it to where we can get it out to the public, Loudermilk said, but he added that it could take weeks to months.

The panel is getting requests to view some 44,000 hours of security footage from House members, other members of the media and defense attorneys.

Were working on putting protocols together and policies and procedures and schedules, Loudermilk said.

He expects that clips released to Carlson could then easily be released to other news outlets and parties.

Anything that is released to Fox News, that will be something that can be released to the public, Loudermilk said.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Photo Illustration by Thomas Levinson/The Daily Beast/Reuters

Fox News Tucker Carlson hinted at a new conspiracy theory to explain the train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, and its that the train coming off the tracks in an area with a lot of white people was probably on purpose.

East Palestine is overwhelmingly white and its politically conservative and that shouldnt be relevant, but it very much is, Tucker is quoted as saying.

Andy Levy and Danielle Moodie, co-hosts of The New Abnormal politics podcast, agree on the latest episode of their show that arguing against this type of thinking with logic is futile, but they give it a go anyway.

Subscribe to The New Abnormal on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Amazon Music, or Overcast.

Where do these train tracks get put down? Usually in areas that are overwhelmingly rural, overwhelmingly low-income, and where these derailments happen, you hope, Oh, no one will really care. You dont see train tracks running through affluent areas. So to me, this is actually really a conversation about class and capitalism and deregulation than it is one of the white identity. But leave it to Fox News and Tucker Carlson to find something else to whine and complain about, says Moodie.

But Levy throws even more logic out there.

He wont put any of the blame for this on Trump, he says. And again, its been very well documented, if this train had had this different kind of brake, theres at least a decent chance it wouldve stopped the derailment, or theres a greater chance that it wouldve made the derailment less severe. The Obama administration wanted these trains to have that, those kind of brakes. They ended up having to drop their requirements to a different level because of lobbying by the rail industry. And then Trump just got rid of the braek requirements altogether.

Hannity, National Divorce Backer, Forgets Hes a New Yorker

Also on this episode: Moodie and Shay Khatiri, senior policy analyst at the Jewish Institute for National Security of America, debate whether the attacks on Nikki Haleys name are valid based on Shays recent opinion piece for The Daily Beast, Stop Being a Jerk About Nikki Haleys Name.

Story continues

Khatiri thinks its stupid to go after her name. Moodie thinks its fair game.

Plus! Jennifer Wright, author of the book Madame Restell: The Life, Death, and Resurrection of Old New Yorks Most Fabulous, Fearless, and Infamous Abortionist, tells Levy all about the badass woman from the 1800s who got richand infamoushelping women have abortions and not killing them in the process.

Listen to this full episode of The New Abnormal on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon and Stitcher.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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Stay informed and gain unlimited access to the Daily Beast's unmatched reporting. Subscribe now.
Washington  Fox News host Tucker Carlson's staff was permitted to view but not record portions of some 41,000 hours of police videos documenting the events of Jan. 6, 2021, with the opportunity to request copies of some of the clips under an agreement reached with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy's office, according to the high-ranking Republican member of the committee that oversees the U.S. Capitol Police.

Rep. Barry Loudermilk of Georgia, who chairs a subcommittee of the House Committee on Administration, told CBS News that a screening station was set up for the Fox News team to view videos from the riot at the Capitol on Jan. 6. The staffers were not allowed to record or remove any of the videos from the screening area, he said.

The Fox News team "may request any particular [video] clips they may need, then we'll make sure there's nothing sensitive, nothing classified, including escape routes," Loudermilk said. "We don't want al Qaeda to know certain things."

He said the clips requested by Fox News and cleared for release by his committee would eventually be made public and available to other media outlets, many of which have demanded equal access to the footage. Loudermilk said the timeframe for the release to Fox and the public remains unclear: "Hopefully sooner rather than later, but I think we're talking about weeks to months."

Later at the Capitol, McCarthy defended his decision to make the footage available, telling reporters that he "want[ed] to make sure we don't play politics" with the footage's release and ensure that "everyone's able to get it."

He said Carlson specifically assured him he did not intend to view or show any video revealing the exit routes that lawmakers used to flee the Capitol on Jan. 6. "We walked through the security basis, so there's no concern," he said. He confirmed he intends to release all of the footage publicly "as soon as possible."

Story continues

Asked about potentially providing Jan. 6 defendants with access to the videos, McCarthy said they "already have it."

"It's my understanding, before, if you were a defendant you could have all the footage," he added. Some attorneys have argued that files and videos already provided to them by the Justice Department have been voluminous and are a challenge to sort through.

Though Loudermilk said the Administration Committee would have some oversight of the video release, he told CBS News the agreement with Fox News was reached by McCarthy before the committee was even organized earlier this year. "That came directly from the speaker's office," Loudermilk said.

Multiple House Republicans said the sharing of some of the massive trove of police videos with Fox News was discussed at a Tuesday morning meeting of GOP lawmakers. Loudermilk said there was no noticeable protest or dissent about the video agreement with Fox News among Republicans at the meeting.

House Majority Leader Steve Scalise said that any videos that are eventually released are "obviously going to be scrutinized to make sure that you're not exposing sensitive information."

The unilateral arrangement between McCarthy and Fox News has drawn sharp criticism from House Democrats. In a letter to colleagues last week, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York wrote that "[e]xtreme MAGA Republicans in the House have provided tens of thousands of hours of sensitive Capitol security footage to a FOX News personality who regularly peddles in conspiracy theories and Pro-Putin rhetoric."

A group of media organizations, including CBS News, wrote to congressional leaders last week arguing the footage made available to Fox should also be made available to other media groups.

"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," attorney Charles Tobin wrote on behalf of the outlets.

Zak Hudak contributed reporting.

Tracking the storms on each coast

Snow storms hit both coasts

"CBS Evening News" headlines for Tuesday, February 28, 2023
Evening Briefing logo

Good evening. Downing Street has signalled that there is no room to make any changes to Rishi Sunak's new Brexit deal, as the Prime Minister suggested he will press ahead with the agreement even if the DUP rejects it.

Evening briefing: Today's essential headlines

Constance Marten and partner further arrested | Constance Marten and her partner Mark Gordon have been further arrested on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter, police have said. The couple, who went missing with their newborn baby on January 5, have refused to tell detectives the location of their baby, who is around two-months old.

PM hints deal will go ahead even if the DUP opposes it

Downing Street has said the Government believes it has "secured the right deal for all parties in Northern Ireland" and is ready to answer "questions about how it works in practice".

The decision to seemingly rule out renegotiating parts of the so-called Windsor Framework means the DUP and Tory Brexiteers are effectively being presented with a take-it-or-leave-it offer, writes Jack Maidment.

It comes after Rishi Sunak suggested this morning that he will press ahead with the deal even if the DUP rejects it.

Asked at lunchtime if Mr Sunak could go back to the EU and seek changes to the deal should the DUP request them, the Prime Minister's Official Spokesman said: "We think we have secured the right deal for all parties in Northern Ireland. We stand ready to have further talks with those parties if they have questions about how it works in practice, indeed, we did a great deal of that in the run up to this announcement."

Our Brussels correspondent Joe Barnes has a piece outlining what's in the new-look Brexit deal.



Jacob Rees-Mogg urged Brexiteers to hold the champagne for now as he insisted the DUPs approval of the new deal was critical.

Story continues

Sir Jeffrey Donaldson, the DUP leader, said his party will "take our time" before making a final decision on whether to support or oppose the agreement.

In this piece, our Europe editor James Crisp details the likely outcomes if the DUP rejects Mr Sunaks new Brexit deal.

Nigel Farage, the former Brexit Party leader, has also delivered his verdict on the deal and the wider state of the Conservative Party. Writing for The Telegraph, Mr Farage said he hopes that the Tories enjoy their brief moment of unified joy in victory courtesy of the Windsor Framework because it will not last long - you can read his full piece here.

How the deal is being described differently by the EU

On subsidies, VAT and excise rules, the Stormont brake, red and green lanes and whether the Protocol itself has been changed, differences have emerged between the UK and the EU.

Indeed, EU documents contradict some of the claims made by Downing Street as the new Windsor Framework was unveiled on Monday.

Launching the new deal, Mr Sunak said it would ensure we can make critical VAT and excise changes for the whole of the UK.

This was widely reported as a repatriation of powers from Brussels but the EU document makes clear Westminsters hands will still be tied by the Protocol. James Crisp details here how the deal is being described differently by both sides.

Cleverly hits back at Starmer's reaction

The Foreign Secretary has claimed Sir Keir Starmers reaction to the new Brexit deal suggests he does not understand how negotiations work.

James Cleverly hit back at the Labour leader for saying the Windsor Framework is a compromise, insisting business and community leaders really welcome what the Government has achieved.

Peter Kyle, Labours shadow Northern Ireland secretary, said he thought Mr Cleverlys reaction was a bit strange as Sir Keir was paying a compliment to Mr Sunak.

Our political correspondent Amy Gibbons takes a look at when a vote in Parliament on the deal may be necessary, and how a trial in the Commons is likely to play out for the Prime Minister.

Comment and analysis

World news: Putin tells FSB to step up its game

Vladimir Putin has urged Russia's FSB security service to step up its efforts to counter what he described as growing espionage and sabotage operations against Russia by Ukraine and the West. Speaking to FSB officials on Tuesday, the Russian president said Western intelligence agencies "have thrown additional personnel, technical and other resources against us. We need to respond accordingly."

Interview of the day

Mary Katrantzou: We have a long way to go before catwalks are fully size inclusive

The designer believes that curvy women are dressing with more confidence than ever before

Read the interview

Sport news: Smith released from England squad

Marcus Smith, the England fly-half, has been omitted from Steve Borthwick's squad to prepare for the visit of France to Twickenham a week on Saturday. Smith, who has had to settle for late cameo appearances off the bench in England's last two Six Nations victories, will return to Harlequins this week and is available for his club's Premiership fixture against Exeter. Charlie Morgan explains here why Smith is slipping down the England pecking order.

Editor's choice

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Business news: Housing slump warning issued

House prices would have to fall by more than a fifth to restore mortgage affordability to last year's level, in a sign the property slump may be worse than predicted, experts have warned. The average house price now stands at 297,770 and experts are forecasting a double-digit plunge in values this year. Alexa Phillips writes that this could still leave mortgage repayments higher than they were a year ago, if fixed rates do not drop as much as hoped.

Tonight starts now

The secret to the perfect Northern Lights holiday | The electrifying display is like nothing else on Earth  follow our expert guide for the ultimate experience.

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And finally... for this evening's downtime

The Cross Atlantic reaches a century | To mark the 100th instalment of our popular puzzle, we have created a special themed edition for you to solve.
Tuesday marks 22 years since the magnitude 6.8 Nisqually earthquake shook Western Washington.

On Feb. 28, 2001, at exactly 10:54:32 a.m., the earth beneath Western Washington shook so hard that buildings crumbled, roofs caved and the ground split open.

The magnitude 6.8 earthquake lasted just 45 seconds, but it felt like an eternity to those who rushed to take cover.

In less than a minute, the quake would cause hundreds of injuries and millions of dollars in damage.

The Nisqually earthquake resulted in one death, a person who died from a heart attack.

Western Washington rocked

A former KIRO 7 reporter and KIRO 7 Chief Photojournalist Scott Crueger were in the mayors conference room on the 12th floor in the old Seattle City Hall when their story for the day instantly changed.

Their quick action brought some of the first live pictures of the quake to viewers in Seattle, and eventually, around the world.

Just one mile north, parts of the ceiling at the Westin Hotel crashed down on dozens of people packed in a ballroom for a technology conference. It interrupted Microsofts co-founder, Bill Gates, in the middle of demonstrating the new Windows XP program.

In Pioneer Square, buildings crumbled and sent bricks and debris onto parked cars.

Parts of the iconic Starbucks Center in SoDo crashed to the ground.

The South Sound took the brunt of the damage.

In Olympia, the state Capitol building cracked, and chandeliers swayed as the ground rumbled.

One witness described the chaotic scene in the Capitol building as people ran for their lives. People were running down the hallways. I could hear people screaming downstairs, Are you OK? Get out of the building. Obviously, a lot of panic, said Burke Long.

Across the street from the Capitol, the state supreme courts chief justice was meeting with Mongolian dignitaries. He quickly ushered them to a doorway for safety.

Just five miles east in Lacey, food flew off the shelves at a Megafoods Grocery Store as workers calmly and quickly ushered customers out of the building.

Story continues

Sunday, Feb. 28, 2021 marks 20 years since the Nisqually earthquake struck in 2001.

The Fenix Underground was damaged in the 2001 Nisqually earthquake.

Nisqually earthquake intensity map

In Maple Valley, neighbors dealt with a much different disaster caused by the quake.

Seconds after the earthquake, a landslide barreled down toward the community. It took out homes and even trapped some neighbors inside.

Debris from that landslide filled a channel of the Cedar River, causing flooding upstream.

Airports and bridges across Washington had to close for inspection and repairs.

In all, the 2001 Nisqually earthquake caused between $1 and 4 billion in damages.

Lessons learned

The earthquakes epicenter was 32 miles below Anderson Island, which helped buffer some of its force, but it could still be felt as far away as Vancouver, Montana and Portland.

It did serve as a warning to the state.

Since the quake, seismic retrofitting work has been done on Washington bridges.

A recent study by structural engineers at the University of Washington found most bridges will be able to withstand up to a magnitude 9 earthquake.

We found that the damage to bridges is much lower than expected, explained Professor Marc Eberhard. For the vast majority of bridges in the region, we think they will be just fine.

King County relocated its state-of-the-art emergency operations center to Renton, where it sits on top of a ridge of solid bedrock and has 800MHz radio communication to nearly all of King County.

Major buildings, schools and hospitals made upgrades to better protect infrastructure.

Harold Tobin of the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network is concerned more work must be done. The seismologist is particularly concerned about unreinforced masonry.

We have great codes for new construction, but we dont have codes that require older buildings to be retrofitted, said Tobin.

According to local historian, Feliks Banel, many buildings in Seattles Pioneer Square neighborhood fall short of meeting present-day seismic safety codes.

Brick buildings that dont have any rebar or dont have anything tying them together, said Banel. This neighborhood when the really big quake comes, this will just be a disaster.

Science has advanced with new tools to better track the activity and monitor what is going on below the surface.

Tobin says in the two decades since the disaster, the number of seismic stations in the area has more than doubled.

In May of 2021, Washington Emergency Management launched an alert system to warn people on their phones, similar to a weather alert or Amber Alert.

The ShakeAlert Earthquake Early Warning System is available for mobile phones in Washington and may provide vital seconds of warning needed to alert people that an earthquake is about to happen.

The system uses a network of sensors that detect the start of an earthquake and calculates the magnitude, location and expected amount of shaking from earthquakes on the West Coast.

It sends the information in real time to distributors that send out alerts to cell phones and the internet.

Washington state has the second-highest earthquake risk in the United States. It also has one of the highest tsunami risks.

The system is designed to give residents time to take cover in the event of an earthquake but it cannot predict when an earthquake will strike.

State officials say its important that people enable emergency alerts on their phones so they can receive the alerts.

Details on how to do that can be found here.




In this Sept. 1, 2021, file photo Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley speaks during a briefing at the Pentagon in Washington about the end of the war in Afghanistan.

Milley wrong on war in Ukraine

Recently, Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Russia has lost the war in Ukraine, strategically, operationally and tactically.

Milley added that Ukraine remains free and independent and the NATO coalition has never been stronger.

The fact that Gen. Milley could say that with a straight face is a testament to his anticipation of big paydays ahead in the military-industrial complex once he retires.

Because the facts are that NATO is almost out of munitions (including rockets) and weapons systems, the Ukraine military is severely depleted due to massive losses and European economies are deindustrializing due to energy shortages.

More: How to send a letter to the editor

The Russian economy has rebounded and Russia can outproduce the entire West in quality military hardware.

The U.S. with NATO is about to suffer a cataclysmic loss to Russia, militarily, politically and economically.

Now, of course, many of you do not believe this and still drink the Western world Kool-Aid. Its too bad the rock band The Who were wrong: You did get fooled again.

Richard Guardiani, Bradenton

Urge college board to reconsider changes

Along with many colleagues, I have followed the ruthless overhaul of New College. And as a Shakespearean tragedy, the machinations have been swift and deep.

I protest, to my core, all plans for the college and urge its new trustees to reevaluate their recent decisions.

More:Lawsuit accuses New College and trustee of violating public records law

More:An ominous peek into a future New College of Florida classroom

More:How will New College afford to pay new president $699,000?

New College has been an important and refreshing educational community for young students. Its core curriculum, senior projects and alumni remind us that a comprehensive liberal arts education is still possible in these years of declining standards.

Educators have seen the demise of many fine honors colleges, such as Antioch College and its sister college, Monteith College, which I attended in the 60s. The loss of such progressive colleges is a great personal sorrow and it points the way for continuing disturbing decisions by politicians and administrators.

Story continues

I urge the incoming board of New College to step lightly and wisely. Many are watching.

Dr. Maureen E. Mulvihill, Sarasota

Concealed carry will arm bad guys, too

When the Florida Legislature returns March 7, the Republican supermajority is expected to overwhelmingly vote for the Concealed Gun Carry bill.

If passed and signed, any adult could carry a concealed handgun without any training. This state, which has suffered two of the worst mass shootings in U.S. history, would be subject to more road rage shootings, police killings by armed killers and school killings.

More:Florida gun owners not fooled by diluted open carry bill

Unless we do something before March 7, the Legislature will put concealed weapons into the hands of both the good guys and the criminals.

Gov. Ron DeSantis plans to sign the bill as soon as it reaches his desk.

Write, email or phone your legislators and the governor before a wave of random shootings destroys what we once called paradise.

Thomas L. Moses, Sarasota

Flooded residents seek help in vain

It has been almost five months since Ian devastated the area and I certainly dont see much progress when it comes to getting certain things corrected.

Quite a few of us who live along Alligator Creek, in Venice, suffered severe flooding. The spillway at Valencia and Nightingale roads is blocked solid with huge, downed trees and storm debris, and fallen trees are in the creek itself too.

Repeated attempts to report problems to the Sarasota County 311 system have gone unanswered and sending email messages to the county commissioners was a waste of time.

The summer rains and another hurricane season are coming pretty quick and none of us wants to go through this again. I wonder if the county is going to take responsibility if we do!

Steve Gardner, South Venice

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Ukraine military in bad shape, residents impacted by Ian wait for help
Twins Gloria Guerrier and Victoria Guerrier are staying side by side as they make their way to an Ivy League!

USA Today has reported that the sisters are set to attend Yale University.

The post Twin Sisters Who Are Valedictorian And Salutatorian Of Their Class Will Attend Yale University appeared first on AfroTech.

Weve been working for this since ninth grade and we dreamed of this moment, but it actually coming into fruition and happening, it just feels so unreal, said Victoria, according to USA Today.

Prior to the announcement, their school, West Hempstead Secondary School, shared that the 17-year-olds will be graduating as valedictorian and salutatorian for the class of 2023.

Gloria finished with a grade point average of 105.3, while Victoria earned a grade point average of 104.9, the New York high school shared on its website.

Their latest feat is just one of many accolades that they have achieved both in and outside of the classroom, the site continued. They are in the top 5% of the secondary schools graduating class and have never shied away from a challenging course load. Year after year, they have chosen and enrolled in the most rigorous advanced courses that were available to their grade level and excelled in them all, never earning lower than a perfect 100 on their transcript.

In addition to their stellar grades, Gloria and Victoria are star student athletes, have part-time jobs, and take care of their father, whom is paralyzed.

According to USA Today, the twins father grew up in poverty in Haiti but went on to get a scholarship through the Salvation Army and attend Clemson University.

He achieved so much in America, and his story really taught me how to work hard and to value education, Gloria said of her father as an inspiration.

During their time in high school, Gloria and Victoria have taken what theyve learned and turned it into action. When they were sophomores, they entered a Samsung contest that focused on students finding solutions to real-life problems.

We decided to create our own masks that were biodegradable, effective against the COVID-19 droplets, and also cost-effective, Gloria said. After that whole project  researchers from the FDA and the National Institute of Standards and Technology reached out to us and wanted to (turn) our research projects into a larger case study.
Elon Musk took over Twitter on October 27. Muhammed Selim Korkutata / Anadolu Agency

The Google Chat service used by Twitter staff was disabled last week, The Verge reported.

The company's Slack also went down on Wednesday, per previous reports.

Some employees think the move was intended to limit internal communication, per The Verge.

Twitter employees found themselves with fewer options to communicate after their Google Chat service was reportedly disabled last week.

The use of the service for work emails was curbed without explanation, according to The Verge.

On Wednesday, the company's Slack was also manually shut down by someone inside Twitter, Platformer reported, citing a person familiar with the situation.

Now some Twitter employees are speculating that the move was intended to limit internal communication during further layoffs that occurred over the weekend, per The Verge. Musk reportedly cut at least 200 Twitter employees including multiple engineers, product team members, and director of product management Esther Crawford.

Platformer's Zoe Schiffer tweeted on Monday that Twitter was bringing its Slack service back but old channels were being archived. During previous layoffs, Twitter workers flooded Slack with farewell messages.

Representatives for Twitter did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment made outside normal working hours.

Musk has been conducting rolling layoffs after acquiring the company for $44 billion in October.

Twitter's total headcount is estimated to be below 2,000, down from 7,500 before Musk took over, The Verge reported citing current and former employees.

Twitter's internal directory has been offline since Musk's takeover making it hard for employees to know the exact extent of the cuts, the report said.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Flags of China and the European Union are seen in this photo. [Photo/cfp.cn]



Over the past three years, from the start of 2020 until the close of 2022, Sino-European relations were significantly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Fear about the unknown virus, unprecedented measures and inward-looking strategies generated a type of uncertainty. The lack of in-person conversations only added to the challenge. Although important political meetings were conducted in the digital realm, the impersonal character of such interactions presented obstacles.



Despite these difficulties, China and the European Union cooperated on several fronts. For instance, trade between the two entities experienced growth, except for the pandemic's first phase. The two sides also valued the role of the World Health Organization during the pandemic and joined forces in COVAX to help others with vaccines. However, problems and disagreements frequently overshadowed areas of coordination. In a remarkable case, the Comprehensive Agreement on Investments was not ratified in 2021, despite seven years of challenging bilateral negotiations.

As 2022 came to a close, physical communication began to return to some normalcy. China and Europe decided to work together and create the necessary presuppositions for 2023 to be a different, better year.

The Chinese government recently announced optimized pandemic control and prevention measures, which will undoubtedly boost people-to-people exchanges. Tourism flows to and from China will resume this year. Such a resumption will benefit both the Chinese and European economies. As a result, China's reopening has been positively perceived in Europe.

The recent visit of China's top diplomat Wang Yi to Germany, where he spoke at the Munich Security Conference, and to France, Italy and Hungary is another indication of the Chinese government's and European countries' will to collaborate. As already mentioned, efforts are demonstrating continuity. French President Emmanuel Macron and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni will visit Beijing this year. The press release that the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued after Wang's visit to Paris highlighted several sectors where interests intersect, including Ukraine, Iran, food security, biodiversity and the global financial pact. A similar trend is evident in relations between China and other European states as well as the European Union.

2023 is a crucial year, as while the pandemic may be over, its economic consequences linger. Additionally, the conflict in Ukraine continues to cause regional and international instability and death. In such challenging circumstances, it is difficult to envisage better days for the world without cooperation, and China and Europe are crucial actors in this process.

A few days ago, statistics revealed that Manzhouli, China's largest land port, handled 4,818 freight trains between China and Europe in 2022, up 37.6% on a yearly basis. These trains carried 382,058 TEUs of cargo, with a total value of approximately $7 billion. The resilience of globalization and interconnectivity remains strong. Of course, discussions ought to look beyond trade. While China and the EU may disagree on many issues, there is a willingness to talk to each other. Expectations for fruitful consultations, even without leading to a synthesis of opinions, are high in 2023.

George N. Tzogopoulos is a columnist with China.org.cn. For more information please visit:

http://www.china.org.cn/opinion/GeorgeNTzogopoulos.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.
The term unicorn in finance does not refer to a fantastical beast. Unicorns are privately held companies with valuations of over $1 billion. Some tech industry giants moved off the unicorn list when they went public, including Facebook, Google and Airbnb Inc. Its a list that signifies a tech firm with substantial banking and promise, often in a field that needs innovation.

Because many firms breach this market valuation size, there are also different variations of unicorns:

A decacorn is a firm valued at over $10 billion.

Centicorn and hectocorn are both used for companies valued at over $100 billion.

The elusive creature superunicorn is for a private company with a more than $1 trillion valuation. Superunicorns dont exist yet, but SpaceX is the most likely company on the list to reach that status.

Firms like CB Insights keep dynamic lists of global unicorns, with many companies entering and leaving the list as their valuations fluctuate. Despite the list of nearly 1,500 unicorns, achieving that mark is still a badge of honor for startup founders.

To stay updated with top startup investments, sign up for Benzingas Startup Investing & Equity Crowdfunding Newsletter

China Making Unicorn Gains

Comparing where unicorns originate, the U.S. still leads by a wide margin, with 715 on the list as of Feb. 24 compared to Chinas 253. But the top two unicorns by valuation are Chinese firms  ByteDance Ltd., valued at $180 billion, and Ant Group, with a $150 billion valuation. Both rank ahead of Elon Musks spacecraft and satellite communications firm SpaceX, which has a current $125 billion valuation.

The growth in Chinese unicorns reflects the countrys expanding economy and desire to become a dominant player on the world stage. Some of the reasons for the countrys unicorn successes include:

Chinese leadership continues to push technology innovation, moving beyond a copycat style to creating unique opportunities that appeal to the Chinese domestic market and abroad.

The interconnectedness of the Chinese government, tech companies, banks and other entities creates opportunities for startup founders to raise capital and build market share.

The continued growth of Zhongguancun, the Chinese technology hub in the Haidan District in Beijing, attracts top performers from academia and business.

Story continues

Dont Miss: A New Supply Chain: 3D Printing Allows For The Creation Of A Global, Decentralized Supply Network

India Following Closely Behind

After the U.S. and China, India boasts the third-most unicorns, with 83 as of Feb. 24, putting it well ahead of the United Kingdom, which is in fourth place. In 2022, there were 23 Indian tech unicorns created (only the U.S. had more), reflecting the country's emergence as an incubator for innovation.

ByteDance

ByteDance tops the unicorn ranking list with a $180 billion valuation. Best known as the company behind TikTok, ByteDance is a Beijing-based application creation firm that as of February is the most valuable private startup in the world. The company has other hits besides TikTok, including the Chinese news app Toutiao and short-video content app Douyin, which preceded TikTok.

Ant Group

The second company on the unicorns list is Ant Group with a $150 billion valuation. The Hangzhou-based financial services technology company is an affiliate of Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. It created the popular Alipay mobile payment platform, which is the most-used service of its kind in the world. Ant Group continues to support digital transformation and connection among merchants and consumers.

Not every unicorn will reach the heights of Facebook or Google. Many will struggle and fall off the unicorn list into history. But of the ones that reach those heights, it is likely several will come from China.

For Investors: Its now possible for any investor to invest in startups and pre-IPO opportunities. For example, 3DOS is an innovative startup using a global network of 3D printers to reshape the global logistics supply chain as we know it.

Read More in Startup News & Investing Opportunities:

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This article Two Chinese Startups Top Global Unicorn List Ahead of Musk's SpaceX originally appeared on Benzinga.com

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 2023 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
At year's end, William Grady will be retiring as Dutchess County district attorney, having worked in the county's top law enforcement office for over 50 years, including four decades as DA.

Two new candidates have emerged to fill the role, the first time each is running for the office: Matthew Weishaupt and Anthony Parisi.

A district attorneys responsibility is to keep the community safe by seeking justice for victims and holding offenders accountable through ethical prosecution. In my opinion honesty and integrity are the most important qualities a district attorney can have, said Grady, who has also served as assistant district attorney.

Parisi and Weishaupt both worked under Grady for some time. Weishaupt, a Republican, is chief assistant district attorney and Parisi, a Democrat, is major crimes bureau chief. Grady, a Republican, had suggested to Parisi he should resign if he was endorsed by the county's Democratic committee, but later reversed course on that request.

Dutchess County district attorney William Grady will retire at the end of his term in 2023.

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Weishaupt plans to improve on many of the same programs he's helped implement under his predecessor. Parisi sees Grady's retirement as an opportunity to "modernize" the office and to use new strategies to tackle old problems such as gang violence. Both men agree that more community engagement is needed to improve how the office does its job and to mitigate the impact of crime on both victims and those accused.

"The view of law enforcement is at an all-time low, and I think there are a lot of changes that can be made in the district attorney's office to improve that, and one of the biggest is transparency, obviously and community engagement," Parisi said.

Weishaupt sees discovery law changes made at the state level as a main challenge facing the office. He said while bail reform brought about some positive changes, the new discovery law has burdened the office at the expense of letting some criminals go free.

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"We have to work within those laws in an effective manner, to prioritize cases, but also to make cases or provide services where lower level offenses are occuring that are either repeat offenders or need help," Weishaupt said.

Parisi: Wants DA's office to move forward

Parisi started his career in the Dutchess County Public Defender's Office in 1995 before becoming an assistant district attorney. His wife, Sinead McLoughlin, is a senior assistant district attorney for Dutchess County.

Parisi said a career highlight was using Intelligence Led Policing and Intelligence Driven Prosecution in a city of Poughkeepsie gang case that helped to mitigate crime for two years. The idea behind IDP is using technology and working with law enforcement and the community to gather and analyze information about the people, places and factors driving up crime.

Major Crimes Bureau Chief Anthony Parisi is running for Dutchess County District Attorney.

Parisi thinks the district attorney's office has "failed to keep pace with modern ways of operating." He plans to implement technology that will streamline and eliminate paperwork and expedite evidence sharing. He also wants to create a portal by which victims and those accused are notified and updated about cases.

He would also provide written guidelines and policies for the district attorney's office that would be available to the public and appoint a conviction integrity unit to investigate wrongful conviction cases involving a felony and disproportionate sentencing.

"Without meaningful and easily accessed policies and guidelines, unchecked prosecutorial discretion can lead to unequal treatment, rogue prosecutors, confusion for defendants and victims, and the inability of county residents to understand and effectively question whats happening in our justice system," Parisi stated.

Weishaupt: Vision for what DA's office can be

Weishaupt has worked for the Dutchess DA's office for 36 years, having also previously worked in the Westchester DA's office.

"I'm responsible for all operations of the office and I have created many of the new programs that we have in place since the change in the law in 2020," he said, referring to changes in state law to reform bail practices and expedite the transfer of evidence from prosecutor's office to the defense team.

Weishaupt believes while bail reform has had some positive impact, he sees the new discovery law as "dangerous." If the prosecutor's office fails to provide material by the arraignment date, the case could be dismissed, which he said has happened a lot in New York City, and not as much in Dutchess County.

Weishaupt helped to create a discovery strategies enhancement unit that works with all the material that is coming into the prosecutor's office on a crime case and needs to be transferred to the defense team. The material is collected and transferred electronically.

He has also helped to change how lower level cases committed by non-repeat offenders are processed with the Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion program. The program, which is in collaboration with the Dutchess County Behavioral and Community Health department, provides services to low level offenders instead of charging them with a crime.

Weishaupt wants to "embed" the office within the community and to collaborate more with agencies in the public and private sectors. He also wants to see his department more involved with the discussion on housing and job creation since they must also work towards the reintegration of individuals in the criminal system.

"I think the DA's office for too long, has been looked at as an office that only puts people in prison. That is part of our mission, where there are violent crimes and people who pose a risk to the community. That is not our only mission and should not be," he said.

Grady's unique request

Over two months ago, Grady, a Republican, told Parisi he would expect his resignation if he was endorsed by the county's Democratic committee. His reason being that he wanted to avoid what he saw as political disruption in the office. He described the statement as "impulsive" and reversed his request at a following meeting. He did not make a similar request of Weishaupt.

"I had many concerns about opposing parties campaigning in the office and creating an atmosphere of hostility and affecting our ability to function properly," Grady said. He added he'd created guidelines for his staff regarding politics in the office. Parisi declined comment on the exchange.

Saba Ali: Sali1@poughkeepsiejournal.com: 845-451-4518: @MsSabaAli

This article originally appeared on Poughkeepsie Journal: Weishaupt, Parisi seeking Dutchess DA role after Grady retires
The Rome Police Department is investigating two reported instances of arson at a house on North Madison Street.

Police responded to 410 North Madison St. just after 10:30 p.m. Sunday for reports of a structure fire, which authorities determined had been intentionally set.

The occupied residence sustained minor damage to the outside of structure and there were no injuries, police said.

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This is the second time a fire was intentionally set at this building. Police said the first was on Jan. 24. The damage in that fire was also limited to the exterior.

Both cases are being actively investigated.

If you have any information about this case, contact the Rome Police Department's TIP line at (315) 339-7744, or Mohawk Valley Crime Stoppers at 866-730-8477 or p3tips.com.

This article originally appeared on Observer-Dispatch: Two fires at North Madison St. house in Rome investigated as arson
(Maine Warden Service)

Two Maine women were found in their snow-covered Jeep by game wardens after going missing in a remote area for five days.

Officials say they found Kimberly Pushard, 51, and Angela Bussel, 50, on a snowmobile trail near Nicatous Lake in East Hancock, Maine, on Sunday.

The women set out on a trip to The Maine Mall in South Portland on 21 February but got lost on the way back home, according to The Portland Press Herald.

Officials say that their journey then took them hundreds of miles through Massachusetts, New Hampshire and finally back to Maine.

Law enforcement used aircraft, trucks and snowmobiles to search for the friends, who New Hampshire State Police say both have intellectual disabilities.

A game warden then found them at around 4pm on Sunday in their car, which had got stuck in the snow and run out of gas, on an unploughed road.

I hollered, Hello, game warden, two times and probably maybe 10 or 15 seconds later, the drivers side door opened up in the car and Kim actually kind of stuck her head out and she said hello, said Maine game warden Brad Richard.

And I said, Kim. She says, How did you know my name? I said, Weve been looking for you.

(Maine Warden Service)

Mr Richard said he asked the women if they were hungry and thirsty, to which they told him they were.

So I gave them what was left in my lunch and I said, Ive got to go and get in contact with some with my bosses and get some resources headed this way, he added.

Well, would you hurry up? Ms Pushard then told him.

Both women were taken to a hospital in Lincoln, Maine, for medical evaluation.

Ms Bussell was treated for frostbite before being discharged, while Ms Pushard was kept in overnight for treatment to bruises and muscle pulls, according to the Press Herald.
By Karen Freifeld and Alexandra Alper

(Reuters) -The Biden administration approved more than $23 billion worth of licenses for companies to ship U.S. goods and technology to blacklisted Chinese companies in the first quarter of 2022, a Republican lawmaker said on Tuesday.

The data comes amid growing pressure on the administration of Democratic President Joe Biden to further expand a broad crackdown on shipments of sensitive U.S. technology to China from Republican lawmakers, who now control the House of Representatives.

Overwhelmingly, (the Commerce Department) continues to grant licenses that allow critical U.S. technology to be sold to our adversaries, Republican Representative Michael McCaul, chair of the House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee, said at a hearing on combating the generational challenge of Chinese aggression, as he grilled U.S. officials for allowing the licenses to be approved.

How does this align with your statement that were doing everything within (the Commerce Departments) power to prevent sensitive U.S. technologies from getting in the hands of (Chinese) military, intelligence services or other parties?

McCaul said the Commerce Department, which oversees export controls, denied only 8% of license requests to sell to companies on the U.S. trade blacklist during the January to March period last year.

Commerce Department official Alan Estevez, who oversees U.S. export policy, told the hearing that a Trump-era policy that allows Chinas blacklisted telecommunications equipment maker Huawei to receive some U.S. technology below the 5G level is under assessment.

Estevez also described TikTok as a "threat," noting that a powerful committee that reviews foreign investments in the United States was dealing with how to handle the popular Chinese-owned social media app.

TikTok said in a statement the company has been working with the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States "for over two years on a plan to address national security concerns about TikTok in the U.S."

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Democratic Congressman Gregory Meeks cautioned against reading too much into the licensing numbers, noting that the approval and denial data provides no information about the transactions.

The data comes a week after the Biden administration added new Chinese companies to the trade blacklist for aiding Russias military and months after announcing a sweeping new policy aimed at dramatically curbing shipments of chips and chipmaking tools to China.

Chinese tech giant Huawei Technologies Co Ltd was added to a trade blacklist known as the entity list by former Republican President Donald Trump in 2019, amid allegations of sanctions violations, spying capabilities, and intellectual property theft.

Suppliers of most companies added to the entity list see their requests to ship to the targeted firms denied, but the Trump administration implemented a special policy for Huawei, pledging to deny it access to some things like 5G chips but allow it to receive other items, such as 4G chips.

(Reporting by Karen Freifeld and Alexandra Alper; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama, Marguerita Choy and Leslie Adler)
By David Shepardson

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The U.S. Commerce Department said on Monday it plans to ask companies seeking at least $150 million in funding from a $52 billion semiconductor law to submit a plan for how they will provide affordable childcare for their workers.

The Biden administration unsuccessfully sought $200 billion in funding for universal pre-kindergarten and other childcare programs in a bid to boost economic growth by paying child and home healthcare workers better, and freeing up unpaid caregivers to go to paying jobs.

Commerce cited data that a lack of affordable and accessible childcare "is one of the largest constraints keeping Americans - and especially women" - out of the labor workforce in making the case that companies getting chips funding should show how they will provide affordable childcare.

The childcare component shows the Biden administration's willingness to direct federal funds - in this instance, earmarked under the CHIPS and Science Act - toward companies that agree to advance its policy objectives.

Nobel laureate Joseph Stiglitz said on Twitter lack of childcare is a significant barrier to labor force participation. "Worker scarcity is a significant challenge in our economy, especially in high-tech industries. The provision that companies receiving CHIPS money provide childcare for workers is an important component."

On Tuesday, the Commerce Department will release the first funding opportunity. Congress allocated $39 billion for manufacturing incentives to encourage companies to build and expand facilities and the law also creates a 25% investment tax credit for building chip plants estimated to be worth $24 billion.

The department on Tuesday will outline other factors it will consider in making awards. The law prohibits applicants from using government funds for dividends or stock buy backs.

The New York Times reported Monday companies will be required to share a portion of any "unanticipated profits" with the federal government.

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Last week, Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said the funding will create hundreds of thousands of good jobs.

"But here's the truth: if we don't invest in America's manufacturing workforce, it doesn't matter how much we spend. We will not succeed," Raimondo said. "We need to be both honest with ourselves and creative with solutions if we're going to address this workforce challenge."

Commerce said last year chips companies awards will be "no larger than is necessary to ensure the project happens here in the United States" and will discourage "race-to-the-bottom subsidy competitions between states and localities."

(Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Christopher Cushing)
By Pratik Jain

(Reuters) -Cytokinetics Inc said on Tuesday the U.S health regulator declined to approve its oral drug for a type of heart failure, citing lack of sufficient data to show the drug was effective, and sending shares down 3% after the market trade. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's decision comes after a panel of outside experts in December recommended against allowing the use of the drug due to safety concerns.

The health regulator in its so-called "complete response letter" said the company needs to have an additional trial of the drug, omecamtiv mecarbil, to establish its effectiveness for the treatment of heart failure due to reduced ejection fraction, the company said.

The chronic condition is caused by abnormal contractions in the main pumping chamber of the heart.

Cytokinetics' application to the FDA was based on results from a late-stage study of more than 8,000 patients in which the drug met trial goals of reducing the risk of heart-failure related death or the need for hospitalization and other urgent care.

The regulator's decision is a setback to the company that had long been waiting for a nod on its drug, omecamtiv mecarbil, after the FDA extended its review period in June.

Piper Sandler analyst Yasmeen Rahimi said in December Cytokinetics should divert its resources to its other late-stage heart drug, aficamten, which she believes has a better probability of approval.

Late-stage data from aficamten's trial as a treatment for another heart condition known as hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is due later this year.

The company is prepared to redirect its focus to aficamten and other drugs in its pipeline, in the event that the FDA rejected omecamtiv mecarbil, Chief Executive Officer Robert Blum told Reuters in an interview before the decision.

(Reporting by Pratik Jain and Bhanvi Satija in Bengaluru; Editing by Shinjini Ganguli and Sherry Jacob-Phillips)
(Reuters) - A panel of outside advisers to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Tuesday recommended Pfizer Inc's respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine, paving the way for one of the first approved RSV shots in the United States for older adults.

The FDA advisory committee voted 7 to 4 in favor of the drug, saying data from the clinical study conducted by the company established that the treatment was effective and safe in preventing the lower respiratory tract disease caused by RSV in 60 years and older.

(This story has been corrected to change the voting ratio to "7 to 4" from "7 to 12" in paragraph 2)

(Reporting by Mariam E Sunny and Khushi Mandowara in Bengaluru; Editing by Maju Samuel)
Smith Collection/Gado - Getty Images

Tokyo is rolling back restrictions on its armed forces with a newly announced procurement of Tomahawk land-attack cruise missiles that it hopes will give the island nation a counter-strike capability, should it be assailed by China or North Koreas large nearby arsenals of land-based missiles. This is part of a recent large increase in Japanese defense spending, which has manifested in forthcoming platforms including new aircraft carriers and domestic stealth fighters.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced plans to purchase 400 Tomahawks on Monday. This capability would become operational by 2026-2027. Already, Japan had set aside 211.3 billion yen ($1.55 billion USD) to got to such a purchase, which will proceed via the U.S.s Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program. A 2019 U.S. order of Tomhawks, also known as TLAMS, averaged a price of $1.35 million per missile, but there will surely be overhead training and equipment costs involved in introducing the missile into Japanese service.

Thats only part of the $37 billion Tokyo plans to spend by 2026 on standoff-range counter-strike weapons. The Tomahawks are effectively a stop gap until a forthcoming new surface-attack version of the indigenous Type 12 anti-ship missiles with range extended 750-900 miles enters service. This Type 12 Kai missile would have wider wings, allowing it to fly higher and thereby maximize range, while sporting a reduced radar cross-section to reduce losses to air defenses.

At least 2,1913 BGM-109 Tomahawk cruise missiles have been fired in combat since entering service in 1983. Powered by an F107 turbofan engine, the latest Block IV and V models have a range exceeding 1,000 miles, and can blast targets with a massive half-ton of explosives. Former nuclear-armed BGM-109A and BGM-109 Tomahawks have been retired, however.

Using a combination of inertial navigation and terrain contour-mapping, a TLAM can land within 10 meters of a designated target, or .1 meter if assisted with GPS. These weapons approach their targets at a maximum speed of 567 miles per hour, usually skimming at an altitude of only 100-165 feet to delay visibility on radar.

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While the Tomahawk isnt as stealthy or fast as some modern successors, its been heavily improved over the years. The Block IV model can now transmit video imagery while traveling to target, perform maneuvers to evade defenses while in transit, loiter overhead waiting for a signal to attack, and can be retargeted or instructed to abort the attack midflightoptions that might reassure Japanese officials.

The latest Block V model re-introduces anti-ship capability in a subvariant called the Block Va Maritime Strike Tomahawk, integrating a radar seeker that enables it to home in on moving ships. Theres also a Block Vb with an advanced JMEWS warhead capable of bunker-busting penetrating strikes on underground missile silos and WMD facilities.

So far, the United Kingdom has been the Tomahawks only foreign operator, employing them from Royal Navy submarines. However, Canadian CSC frigates and Australian Hobart-class destroyers are also planned to eventually deploy these long-range land attack weapons.

Tokyos inquiries on purchasing Tomahawks back in 2013 were initially coolly received due to fears of aggravating China. However, given worsened US-China military tensionsparticularly over Taiwan, which Japan also seeks to aidand reinvigorated U.S. Japanese security ties, the Biden administration was much warmer to the idea while negotiating the Tomahawk sale in the fall of 2022.

One question remains the choice of launch platform, as air-, sea-, submarine- and land-based options reportedly were considered. The cheapest option would be land-based trucks, but warships and aircraft would effectively expand the range and possible approach vectors of Japans Tomahawks. Presently, reports suggest theyll begin deployment on Japans powerful destroyers, which already come with the same Mark 41 Vertical Launch Systems used by U.S. Navy ships to launch Tomahawks and many other types of missiles.

Japans military also is reportedly planning to build a test boat to study equipping Japanese submarines to fire Tomahawks. Unless Japan builds a new class of cruise missile submarines with vertical launch cells, these would have to be launched horizontally from torpedo tubes, permitting only a low-volume attack. Still, stealthy submarines can launch attacks from unexpected directions, confounding air defenses.

Offense: the best form of defense?

Post-World War II, Japans armed forces have been legally forbidden from using force outside of self-defense of Japanese soil, even in event of an attack on nearby allies. It has thus avoided procurement of weapons systems like aircraft carriers deemed to have mostly offensive missions. However, increasing tensions with North Korea and Chinas rapidly improving military have complicated Japans self defense stance.

Both China and North Korea possess large arsenals of land-based ballistic missiles (and cruise missiles and hypersonic glide vehicles) that would could be unleashed to destructive effect against Japan in event of a high-intensity conflict. Notably, should the U.S. come into conflict with North Korea or China, Japanese airbases hosting U.S. military aircraft would probably come under attacka scenario that may cause Tokyo to retaliate militarily.

Despite upgrades to Japanese air defense, including huge warships dedicated to ballistic missile defense using SM-3 missiles, likely some attacks would get through and potentially wreak great destruction. In a recent simulation of an attempted Chinese invasion of Taiwan, missile attacks on Japanese bases destroyed hundreds of American and Japanese combat aircraft on the ground.

In response to this threat, there have been increasing calls in Tokyo to field a counter-strike capability that could put China and North Koreas missile launchers at risk. This is the sort of weapon that Japan has traditionally eschewed, because it means directing attacks on the soil of another countrybut its hard to adhere to that standard when modern surface-to-surface missiles can inflict so much damage even without resorting to nuclear warheads.

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WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. State Department has approved the possible sale of anti-tank Javelin missiles to the United Kingdom for an estimated $125 million, the Pentagon said on Tuesday.

European demand for U.S. weaponry is soaring, but instead of big-ticket items like jets and tanks, shopping lists are focused on shoulder-fired missiles, artillery, and drones that have proven critical to Ukraine's war efforts. This sale to the close U.S. ally may be the first to one of many as European nations looking to restock smaller weapons that were sent to Ukraine.

The potential sale package authorized by the State Department would include 600 Javelins technical assistance, and logistics support, the Pentagon said.

The Pentagon's Defense Security Cooperation Agency notified Congress of the possible sale on Tuesday.

Despite approval by the State Department, the notification does not indicate that a contract has been signed or that negotiations have concluded.

The prime contractors will be the Raytheon Technologies Corp and Lockheed Martin Corp who have a joint venture to product the tank-busting weapon, the Pentagon said.

(Reporting Rami Ayyub; writing by Paul Grant and Mike Stone; Editing by Doina Chiacu and David Gregorio)
 Flash

People visit the exhibition area of Huawei at the 2023 edition of the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona, Spain, on Feb. 27, 2023. The 2023 edition of the Mobile World Congress (MWC) kicking off Monday in Barcelona saw a strong return of Asian participants, according to the organiser of the city's largest annual event. [Photo/Xinhua]

The 2023 edition of the Mobile World Congress (MWC) kicking off Monday in Barcelona saw a strong return of Asian participants, according to the organiser of the city's largest annual event.

Among some 80,000 people from over 200 countries and regions expected to attend the event, some 5,000 people are registered from China, after the Asian country lifted travel restrictions earlier this year, organiser GSMA said.

The 2023 MWC, which features over 2,000 exhibitors with their latest products to showcase the latest technological innovations in the mobile industry, lasts until Thursday. The event is held at the Fira Gran Via exhibition center.

This time Chinese companies like Honor, Xiaomi and OnePlus, as well as Nokia, will launch a number of new smartphones, including foldable and fast-charging phones. Chinese tech giant Huawei's stand expanded some 50 percent larger than last year's.

According to the organiser, this year's show, themed on Velocity, will have five key seminars focusing on 5G acceleration, Reality+, OpenNet, FinTech and Digital Everything.

Furthermore, visitors can also have a glimpse of a capsule train that can levitate over rails with a top speed of 1,200 km/h, the latest surgical robots, artificial intelligence and so on.

This is the second off-line MWC since the event was cancelled during the pandemic. While the attendance is expected to be much larger than in 2022, it will still be below the record level of 109,000 people in 2019.
JOHANNESBURG (AP)  Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has called for stronger trade relations among African countries and lamented the high cost of buying products and services outside the continent.

Museveni on Tuesday began a state visit to South Africa in a bid to encourage better economic ties between Uganda and Africas most developed economy.

He met with President Cyril Ramaphosa accompanied by members of his cabinet who were scheduled to meet with their South African counterparts and sign various trade and bilateral agreements.

Making brief remarks ahead of the meeting with Ramaphosa, Museveni emphasized the importance of intracontinental trade, while highlighting some of the challenges that were making this difficult to achieve.

Among some of his priorities were the procurement of coal from South Africa to be used to transform Ugandas high-grade iron ore into steel, Museveni said.

Our part of the world, as you can see, is very far from the ocean, 1,000 miles," he said.

Bringing steel products from China, India and Ukraine, in the past, is very expensive, the freight alone is bigger than even the cost of the product itself," said Museveni. So it is very important that we develop an inland steel industry for Uganda and those areas around there. We need coal from South Africa.

Museveni said it is important for the continent to be peaceful in order for intracontinental trade to be successful.

This will be a free trade area only if it is peaceful. But now the whole place is in chaos, he said.

Ramaphosa said South Africa sees Uganda as an important partner in East Africa and lauded its contribution to regional economic and political integration as well as regional peace and stability.

The South African leader said that as a continent we need to continue to work towards the peaceful resolution of conflict and emphasize dialogue over military confrontation. ... South Africa remains deeply concerned about recent developments in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. We strongly condemn the upsurge of conflict, being fuelled by armed groups.

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South Africa and Ugandan ministers signed bilateral and economic agreements in various sectors including tourism, transport and agriculture.

Museveni and Ramaphosa were scheduled to address a South Africa-Uganda business forum later on Tuesday.

Uganda is South Africas 15th-largest trading partner in Africa and the second largest in East Africa, according to South African government figures.

Between 2017 and 2021 total trade between the two countries reached a peak of $162 million.

South Africas exports to the Republic of Uganda amounted to $169 million in 2018, while its imports from Uganda increased from $6.8 million in 2017 to $17.5 million in 2020.
The Ukrainian air defense system will be strengthened, the Air Force noted.

According to him, these systems are able to protect not only crucial facilities but the entire area of Ukraine.

Read also: US to transfer additional Avenger, NASAMS systems to Ukraine, Pentagon chief says

Read also: Air force tells how drones were shot down by NASAMS air defenses during night attack

"They are very powerful things. You've already known how they work, for example in Kyiv, and how many missiles and Shahed drones they intercept," Ihnat said.

He added that the Patriot and SAMP/T systems are capable of intercepting ballistic missiles.

Besides, the Ukrainian energy system is being updated and modernized.

Thanks to Ukraines Western allies, it has become more modern and resilient to difficulties and threats, Ihnat said.

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
It's been one year since Russia invaded Ukraine, leaving the country devastated by war. Ukraine has sustained $35.6 billion in damages to its infrastructure and its GDP has been forecast to fall 35 percent in 2022, according to data-firm Statista.

Recently, Tymofiy Mylovanov, the president of the Kyiv School of Economics, and former Minister of Economic Development, Trade, and Agriculture of Ukraine, joined Yahoo Finance to discuss the challenges facing the country as it tries to adapt and rebuild in the face of war. (See video above)

The war has not ended. And I hope it will end soon, but it is now there. You still have to run businesses, he said. How do we rebuild what's been destroyed now, understanding that it might be destroyed tomorrow?

Despite the war, the Kyiv School of Economics, where Mylovanov is president, continues operations. The school recently updated its MBA program to what it calls an MBA on the Front Line.

All classes are now adjusted, let's say, with the wartime economy or leadership and extreme circumstances, Mylonvanov said.

Mylonov explained that the university runs with the assistance of European business schools (he's also visited DC, Boston, and Chicago to establish relationships with top American universities) Mylonov explained that professors from foreign universities collaborate with professors from the Kyiv School to give students particularly rich instruction.

Ukrainian service members ride a self-propelled howitzer, as Russia's attack on Ukraine continues, near the frontline city of Bakhmut, Ukraine February 27, 2023. REUTERS/Yevhen Titov

It's always a faculty member in Ukraine who is on the ground, who is physically in residence, understands what the war is like, and a professional and international top faculty from some top university who gives frameworks, who gives a broader perspective, said Mylonov. And I think the most influential and extremely beneficial for students during the war.

Mylonov described ways Ukranians cope with life day to day. The first, he said, is that despite wartime conditions, Ukrainians must continue to work. (He noted schools, gas stations, and investment funds, among other enterprises, have continued operating.) Second, Ukrainians should prepare for all eventualities and have contingency plans in place. Third, he reminded Ukrainians to care for each other in trying times.

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It's about people. It's about supporting each other. It's about hugging each other. It's about being a kind of person. It's about loving, Mylonov said.

Mylonov also predicted that Ukraine would see three critical phases for rebuilding its economy. The first, he said, was already underway with efforts to rebuild already in progress  according to Politico, Deputy Prime Minister Yulia Svydyrenko says the country is already planning such efforts. Second, he said that the country would see a six-month stage where critical infrastructure including "housing, medical services, schools" would be reconstructed. Third, he said, the country would focus on completely rebuilding its economy, joining the EU, and forging a democracy.

Mylonov said there were challenges ahead. He speculated that it could take up to a decade to rebuild the country (Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says the task could cost over a trillion dollars.) Still, he asserted that the Ukrainian people are resilient.

Determination has set in, Mylonov said. I think the difference between the first day of war and the 36th day of war that the determination has become much more personal because we have lost so many people who are close to us.

Dylan Croll is a reporter and researcher at Yahoo Finance. Follow him on Twitter at @CrollonPatrol.

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Police detain teenagers who planned mass brawl in Kharkiv

Read also: Austrian official reportedly sent two Ukrainian teenagers to Moscow, prompting investigation

Teenagers had gathered in one of the central squares of Kharkiv for a mass brawl, where they were detained. 245 participants were identified, 30 of them  adults.

The head of the Main Department of the National Police in Kharkiv Oblast, Volodymyr Tymoshko, said that law enforcement officers invite parents to remain mindful of Russian psyops targeting Ukrainian minors, as the event was likely orchestrated by Moscow.

Be vigilant with your children, keep them in constant contact and help them figure out whats going on, where is good and where is evil, said Tymoshko.

The war takes place not only on the battlefield. The enemy wants to destroy our country and uses our children to achieve their bloodthirsty goals. Only together can we stop this.

Read also: Russia abducts difficult teenagers from Donbas to Chechnya for military-patriotic education

The press service of Kyiv police reported they prevented a mass brawl of young people in the capital. The participants were taken to the police station for testimonies. Law enforcers said that Russian propagandists provoke mass fights among young people and teenagers, trying to use children to destabilize the situation in Ukraine.

Recently, a youth movement has spread among minors in Russia, whose members organize fights with opponents, the Kyiv police said.

Kyiv police once again urge parents to communicate with children, to pay attention to their behavior, social circle and ways of spending leisure time.

Police also prevented similar brawls in Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk, Lutsk, and Zhytomyr.

On Feb. 26, The Insider reported that the law enforcement officers in Russian cities of St. Petersburg, Kursk, Novosibirsk and Kazan, have conducted police raids on teenagers. The police are looking for members of the so-called Ryodan PMC, who are distinguished by long hair and images of spiders on their clothes.

Story continues

Read also: SBU says Russian propaganda found in raids of Moscow Patriarchate church premises

According to Russian media outlet Baza, Ryodan PMC is a new youth subculture group inspired by Japanese manga Hunter x Hunter, which features Genei Ryodan, a criminal gang also known as the Phantom Troupe or the Spider.

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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
(Bloomberg) -- Russia blamed Ukraine for drone attacks in the Krasnodar and Adygea regions near the Black Sea but said they were repelled and damage was limited, Interfax reported.

Most Read from Bloomberg

Ukraine hasnt claimed responsibility for incursions deep in Russian territory, which have become more common as the Kremlins year-old invasion continues. Explosions were reported near an oil refinery in Tuapse, according to state news agency Tass. Outside Moscow, a drone crashed in the Kolomna region but didnt cause any damage, Tass said.

Pentagon investigators have no proof yet that US weapons sent to Ukraine have fallen into the wrong hands, Robert Storch, the Defense Departments inspector general, told House lawmakers.

Big Take Podcast: How Does Ukraine Continue to Beat Back Russia?

(See RSAN on the Bloomberg Terminal for the Russian Sanctions Dashboard.)

Key Developments

Ukraine Signals It May Be Forced to Abandon Bakhmut to Russians

US Closely Eyes Sanctions Evasion in Central Asia, Blinken Says

Xi Faces More Skepticism Within China as Global Problems Mount

Sanctions Headache Threatens to Dent Indias Russian Oil Imports

China Gas Use Is Bigger Worry for EU Than Russia Halt, IEA Says

(All times CET)

Baerbock Warns China on Drone Exports (4:15 a.m.)

German foreign minister Annalena Baerbock said that Chinese drone exports to Russia would violate international law. As a permanent member of the United Nations Security council, China has a special responsibility, Baerbock told public broadcaster ARD.

That means China may not send drones to an aggressor, a state, a president, who leads a war of aggression which violates international law, she said. We are investigating that and make clear every day that such a support is not within the framework of international law.

Story continues

Transnistria Defense Ministry Calls Up Reservists for Training (4:15 a.m.)

The defense ministry of Moldovas breakaway region of Transnistria called up reservists for three months of training starting from March 1, according to Russian state media.

The separatist region of Transnistria is controlled by Moscow and hosts Russian military units and Soviet-era ammunition depots. Moldovas president has accused Russia of trying to destabilize the country and overthrow government.

The announcement from the Transnistria defense ministry suggests that participation in the exercises is voluntary. It hasnt been reported yet how many people signed off. The last time such training was conducted was lsat April.

US Sees No Signs Ukraine Weapons Are Falling Into Wrong Hands (6:50 p.m.)

We have not substantiated any such instances of US weapons going astray, Storch, the Defense Department watchdog, told the House Armed Services Committee, adding that the Pentagon has more than 90 investigators involved in overseeing US weapons aid to Ukraine. He said there are 20 ongoing and planned evaluations, including criminal units focused on fraud prevention.

The panels oversight hearing of military aid to Ukraine coincides with growing fault lines in Congress over continuing to pour money into defeating the Russian invasion. We want to know that we can tell our taxpayers that their money is being spent wisely, Republican Representative Scott DesJarlais said during the hearing.

Although the US lacks troops on the ground to check on weapons that are deployed, Ukrainians have been outfitted with scanners and software to track equipment, Colin Kahl, the Pentagons policy chief, told the committee.

US Eyes Sanctions Evasion in Central Asia, Blinken Says (6:17 p.m.)

The US is closing monitoring Russias efforts to evade sanctions via Central Asia, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in Kazakhstan, highlighting concerns that Russia is receiving microchips and other technology through imports from its neighbors.

The Biden administration will provide an additional $25 million to help Central Asian states diversify trade relationships and export routes, Blinken said in the capital Astana, the first stop on a trip through Central Asia and India. Blinken spoke after meeting with the foreign ministers of the so-called C5 grouping of Central Asian states, which have long relied on Russian and Chinese trade.

Kazakhstan doesnt want its territory to be used for sanctions evasion, Kazakh Foreign Minister Mukhtar Tileuberdi said, speaking alongside Blinken at a briefing.

Read the full story here.

OECD to Open Office in Ukraine (4:15 p.m.)

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development is opening an office in Kyiv, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said after meeting its secretary general, Mathias Cormann.

In May, the multinational body, which includes almost 40 countries, recognized Ukraine as a prospective member country. The new OECD office will coordinate efforts on the reconstruction and restoration of Ukraine, as well as the implementation of OECD tools, standards and recommendations in the country, Shmyhal said on Twitter.

US GOP Senator Predicts Biden Reversal on F-16s for Ukraine (3:20 p.m.)

US Senator Dan Sullivan faulted President Joe Biden for blocking the transfer of F-16s to Ukraine and predicted he would reverse himself under bipartisan pressure as he has in the past on other weapons systems.

Sullivan, a Republican from Alaska who sits on the Armed Services Committee, said on Twitter he hosted Ukrainian fighter pilots at the Capitol last summer and wrote a letter to Pentagon leaders pressing them to approve F-16s. Administration officials have expressed concern in the past that the planes would widen the war and provoke Russia unnecessarily.

But Sullivan said the fighter jets were needed last year and certainly now. Mark my words: As has been the case throughout this war, congressional pressure will continue, and in two to three months, the F-16s will be approved.

Poland Wont Buy Russian Oil in March, Premier Says (1 p.m.)

Poland plans to buy no Russian oil  or close to none  in February and March, Premier Mateusz Morawiecki said at a press conference in Warsaw, citing information he received from state-controlled refiner PKN Orlen. The company stopped receiving oil via the Druzhba pipeline from Russia over the weekend. Russian oil accounted for about 10% of Polish supplies in recent months after the country rushed to slash imports following Moscows invasion of Ukraine.

Ignitis Urges Sharing of Additional Profits (12 p.m.)

Lithuanias state-owned energy company Ignitis Grupe has written to rivals around the world appealing for them to follow its example and share about 10% of last years hundreds of billions of dollars in additional profits with Ukraine to help fund the rebuilding of the countrys energy infrastructure.

We believe sharing profits with the country that is suffering the consequences of the war that has led to those profits is morally the right thing to do, Chief Executive Officer Darius Maikstenas wrote in the letter to 57 firms, including Chevron Corp., Exxon Mobil Corp., Shell Plc and BP Plc. Ignitis Grupes contribution would be about 12 million euros ($12.7 million), the company said in a statement to shareholders.

War to Continue Through 2023: Latvia (11:30 a.m.)

Russia has the necessary resources to continue its war on Ukraine through this year, while the government in Kyiv has the willpower combined with growing western support to mount a successful defense, according to Latvias security service.

Ukraine could also gradually recover some occupied territory, the service said in its annual report, adding that Russias mobilization has still not provided enough troops to carry out attacks outside the eastern Donetsk region close to the frontier. The Kremlin isnt ready for negotiations to end the war and any signals of such intent are a bluff, according to the report.

Europe Needs 2-3 Years to Replace Russian Gas (11 a.m.)

Europe has a lot more work to do before it can fully replace Russian natural gas and prices could rise again, according to Eni SpA Chief Executive Officer Claudio Descalzi.

It is going to take two to three years for Europe to be able to replace completely Russian gas, Descalzi told Bloomberg TV. Europes total imports of the fuel from Russia this year will be about 60 billion cubic meters less than in 2022, Descalzi said.

Listen to our special conversations from last week marking one year of war, including our Twitter Space analyzing Zelenskiys press conference as it happened. We also discussed 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 what the future holds for Ukrainian refugees.

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Russian President Vladimir Putin delivers his speech during a meeting of the Federal Security Service (FSB) board

Vladimir Putin has urged Russia's FSB security service to step up its efforts to counter what he described as growing espionage and sabotage operations against Russia by Ukraine and the West.

Speaking to FSB officials on Tuesday, the Russian president said Western intelligence agencies "have thrown additional personnel, technical and other resources against us. We need to respond accordingly".



Mr Putin said the agency had to stop "sabotage groups" entering Russia from Ukraine, step up protection of key infrastructure, and prevent any attempts by Western security services to revive what he called terrorist or extremist cells on Russian territory.



He instructed the FSB to prevent illegal weapons flows into Russia, and to strengthen security in four regions of Ukraine that Moscow has partially seized and claimed as part of its own territory.

03:00 PM

And that's all for today...

Thanks for following today's liveblog.

Here is a summary of what has happened today.

Vladimir Putin has urged Russia's FSB security service to step up its efforts to counter what he described as growing espionage and sabotage operations against Russia by Ukraine and the West.

China has "very clearly" taken Russia's side in the Ukraine war by providing diplomatic, political and economic support, the US department of state spokesperson Ned Price said.

Jens Stoltenberg, the Nato chief, said that Ukraine will become a member of the alliance in the "long-term", but stressed that the immediate issue is it remaining an independent nation in the face of Russia's invasion.



Please follow along tomorrow morning for all the latest updates on the war in Ukraine.

02:53 PM

Belarus leader Lukashenko arrives in Beijing for talks

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko arrived in Beijing on Tuesday, kicking off a three-day trip in which he will meet Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping.

The state visit by Lukashenko - a key ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin - comes after Beijing released a position paper on Moscow's war in Ukraine insisting it is a neutral party and calling for dialogue.

Story continues

It also follows allegations by the United States and NATO that Beijing could be mulling sending arms to Russia as the conflict enters its second year. China has strenuously denied those claims.

"President Alexander Lukashenko has arrived on a state visit to China," the Belarusian state-run Belta news agency reported.

02:36 PM

US to target Chinese companies if Beijing provides lethal aid to Russia, says Blinken

Washington will not hesitate to target Chinese companies and individuals with sanctions if Beijing violate US sanctions on Russia over the Ukraine war, Antony Blinken, the US Secretary of State said on Tuesday.

If China provides lethal aid to Moscow for the conflict, it will be a serious problem for Beijing in its relationship with countries around the world, Mr Blinken told reporters during a trip to Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.

02:14 PM

Ukraine in pictures:

A local resident smokes near a buildings damaged by a Russian military strike in the city of Chasiv Yar, in Donetsk - STRINGER/REUTERS

Members of Ukraine's Territorial Defence Forces pose for photos during their military training - Roman Pilipey/Getty Images Europe

Officers of the Donetsk oblast DSNS demining team work to clear mines and unexploded ordnance from the area outside of Lyman - Anadolu Agency/Anadolu

01:43 PM

China 'very clearly' taken Russia's side in war, says US

China has "very clearly" taken Russia's side in the Ukraine war by providing diplomatic, political and economic support, the US department of state spokesperson Ned Price said.

He told a news briefing: "There are countries around the world that, if they sought to bring this war to an end, would have a significant amount of leverage with the Russian Federation, with other key countries. The People's Republic of China [PRC] certainly falls within that category.

"But to date, at least, despite the PRCs protests to the contrary, we have seen them very clearly take a side in this war."

It comes as Mao Ning , the Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson, said on Monday: "The U.S. has no right to point fingers at China-Russia relations. We will by no means accept the US pressure and coercion."

01:09 PM

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Listen here https://t.co/QHW1XpelSG  The Telegraph (@Telegraph) February 28, 2023

12:47 PM

Putin tells FSB to step up anti-terrorist and intelligence activity

Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, has told the FSB security agency on Tuesday to step up its activity to counter operations against Russia by Ukraine and the West.

In a speech to FSB officials, Putin said the agency must stop "sabotage groups" entering Russia from Ukraine, step up protection of key infrastructure, and prevent any attempts by Western security services to revive what he called terrorist cells on Russian territory.

12:05 PM

Kremlin: Russia open to Ukraine talks, but won't give up annexed regions

The Kremlin has repeated its position that Russia was open to negotiations to end the Ukraine conflict, but that new "territorial realities" could not be ignored.

Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin spokesman, told reporters Russia would never renounce its claims to four Ukrainian regions that Moscow declared it had annexed last year following referendums that Kyiv and the West slammed as bogus and illegal.

"There are certain realities that have already become an internal factor. I mean the new territories. The constitution of the Russian Federation exists, and cannot be ignored. Russia will never be able to compromise on this, these are important realities," Mr Peskov said on Tuesday.

Russia proclaimed it had annexed the Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions last September in a grand ceremony in Moscow.

11:46 AM

Russian defence ministry statement on alleged Ukranian drone attack

In a statement, the Russian defence ministry said:

"The Kyiv regime attempted to use unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) to attack civilian infrastructure in the Krasnodar region and the Adygea Republic. The UAVs were neutralised by electronic warfare units."

Moscow said its forces downed two Ukrainian drones that had targeted civilian infrastructure in southern Russia, the latest in a series of drone incidents inside Russia that Moscow blamed on Kyiv.

11:24 AM

Pictured: A Ukrainian infantryman attends on his position on the frontline with Russian troops near Ugledar, Donetsk

Ukrainian infantryman of the 68 separate jaeger rifle brigade "Oleksa Dovbush" attends on his position on the frontline with Russian troops near Ugledar, Donetsk - ANATOLII STEPANOV/AFP

11:06 AM

Russia claims Ukraine launched failed drone attacks on Russian territory overnight

Russia's defence ministry said that Ukraine had launched attempted drone attacks against two southern Russian regions overnight.

The defence ministry said the attacks - in the southern Krasnodar and Adygea regions - had been suppressed and failed to inflict any damage.

10:54 AM

Zelensky: 'Ukraine has always been Europe'

 has always been Europe,  will always be Europe. We've already guaranteed it. A year ago, on the 5th day of the full-scale war,  applied to join the European Union and secured the candidate status. This year is the time to decide on the launch of membership negotiations.1/2    (@ZelenskyyUa) February 28, 2023

10:39 AM

Ukraine will join NATO but in 'long- term', says Stoltenberg

Nato chief Jens Stoltenberg said Tuesday that Ukraine will become a member of the alliance in the "long-term", but stressed that the immediate issue is it remaining an independent nation in the face of Russia's invasion.

"Nato allies have agreed that Ukraine will become a member of our alliance, but at the same time that is a long-term perspective," Stoltenberg told reporters during a visit to Finland's capital Helsinki.

10:13 AM

France spent 630 million euros hosting Ukrainian refugees in 2022

France spent more than 630 million euros last year hosting almost 115,000 refugees fleeing Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the country's top audit body said Tuesday.

The state auditor, the Cour des Comptes, said in a report that Ukrainians seeking shelter had enjoyed "satisfactory" conditions under a never-before-seen "temporary protection" scheme in 2022.

The scheme has allowed them access to rights denied to other asylum seekers, including the ability to work, health services, schooling for children and emergency accommodation.

Costs for the comparatively generous programme reached 634 million euros ($673 million), with most spent on housing (250 million euros) and cash payouts (220 million euros).

Per person, Paris spent around twice as much on Ukrainian refugees as on "classic asylum seekers", the auditor found.

09:34 AM

Belarus President Lukashenko to arrive in Beijing for talks with Xi

Alexander Lukashenko, the Belarusian President, will arrive in Beijing on Tuesday, kicking off a three-day trip in which he will meet Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping.

The state visit by Lukashenko - a key ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin - comes after Beijing released a position paper on Russia's war in Ukraine insisting it is a neutral party and calling for dialogue between the two sides.

It also follows allegations by the United States and Nato that Beijing could be mulling sending arms to Russia as the conflict enters its second year. China has strenuously denied the claims.

Ahead of Lukashenko's visit, Beijing hailed its "all-weather and comprehensive" strategic partnership with Minsk.

09:24 AM

Pictured: Destroyed armored vehicles sit on the bank of the Siverskiy-Donets river

Destroyed armored vehicles sit on the bank of the Siverskiy-Donets river on February 27, 2023 in Bogorodychne, Ukraine. - John Moore/Getty Images Europe

09:15 AM

Blinken backs Kazakhstan sovereignty as Ukraine raises fears

Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday vowed US support for Kazakhstan's independence as he sought greater engagement in Central Asia, where traditional alliances with Russia have been rattled by the Ukraine invasion.

Blinken will also visit Uzbekistan and meet foreign ministers of all five former Soviet republics of Central Asia on his first trip to the region where neighbouring China also plays a key role.

"As you know well, the United States strongly supports Kazakhstan's sovereignty, its independence, its territorial integrity," Blinken said in talks at the foreign ministry in Kazakhstan's capital Astana.

"Sometimes we just say those words and they actually have no meaning. And of course, in this particular time, they have even more resonance than usual," Blinken said, referring to Russia's assault on Ukraine a year ago.

08:49 AM

Putin's 274m spy plane blown up by Belarusian partisans

A Russian spy plane worth 274 million has been severely damaged by partisans in Belarus.

The A-50 aircraft, which is used to identify and track targets for military operations, was rendered non-operational after local resistance members used drones to drop explosives on it, according to reports.

The Belarusian regime has let its airfields and land be used by Moscow to stage attacks on Ukraine.

Read the full story from Nataliya Vasilyeva here

08:37 AM

Rheinmetall to supply Ukraine with automated reconnaissance systems

Germany's Rheinmetall has won an order in the double-digit million-euro range to supply Ukraine with automated reconnaissance systems, the industrial group said in a statement on Tuesday.

Rheinmetall is cooperating with the Estonian company DefSecIntel to provide the SurveilSPIRE systems, which consist of mobile surveillance towers with day and night-capable camera equipment, autopiloted mini drones and a control system.

Delivery has already commenced, the company added.

08:16 AM

Latest MoD update

Latest Defence Intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine - 28 February 2023



Find out more about Defence Intelligence: https://t.co/v3cDaShXOA



 #StandWithUkraine  pic.twitter.com/Sa5TUFHvxF  Ministry of Defence  (@DefenceHQ) February 28, 2023

07:52 AM

Ukraine in pictures:

Spent Russian munitions lie collected in a field at an undisclosed location on February 27, 2023 in Kharkiv - Alex McBride/Getty Images Europe

A Ukrainian Army soldier surveys a blown bridge in the Siverskiy-Donets river - John Moore/Getty Images Europe

A Ukrainian serviceman of a fire platoon sits inside a hiding of a trench near the frontline - LISI NIESNER/REUTERS

07:47 AM

Ukraine intel chief 'sees no signs' China plans to arm Russia

Ukraine's head of military intelligence has brushed aside claims that China is considering furnishing arms to Russia, telling US media that he saw no "signs that such things are even being discussed".

Senior US officials have said as recently as Sunday that they were "confident" China was considering providing lethal equipment to Moscow, with a diplomatic pressure campaign underway to discourage it from doing so.

But when asked about the possibility in a lengthy interview with Voice of America published on Monday, Kyrylo Budanov, Ukrainian military intelligence chief, said: "I do not share this opinion."

"As of now, I do not think that China will agree to the transfer of weapons to Russia," he said. "I do not see any signs that such things are even being discussed."

Earlier this month, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken aired Washington's concerns about potential arms shipments in a tense meeting with his Chinese counterpart, and the director of the CIA said in an interview on Sunday that he believed Beijing was still weighing the possibility.

07:46 AM

'Extremely tense' situation in Bakhmut

The situation in the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut was "extremely tense" on Tuesday, the commander of Ukrainian ground forces said, as Russian troops besieging it stepped up their assault in a bid to encircle it.

Russia is trying to cut the Ukrainian defenders' supply lines to the city, the scene of some of the war's toughest fighting, and force them to surrender or withdraw. That would give Russia its first major prize in more than half a year and open the way to the capture of the last remaining urban centres in the Donetsk region.

"Despite significant losses, the enemy threw in the most prepared assault units of Wagner, who are trying to break through the defences of our troops and surround the city," Ukraine's Colonel general Oleksandr Syrskyi was quoted as saying on a military messaging platform.

Ukraine's military said earlier Russia had strengthened its forces in the Bakhmut area and was shelling settlements around the city.

"Over the past day, our soldiers repelled more than 60 enemy attacks," the military said early on Tuesday referring to Bakhmut and nearby eastern areas, adding that Ukrainian forces repelled Russian attacks on the villages of Yadhidne and Berkhivka, on the northern approaches to Bakhmut.

07:44 AM

Good Morning

Good morning and welcome to today's Ukraine liveblog.

We will be guiding you through all the latest developments on Ukraine.
Horrifying stories of sexual violence perpetrated by Russian soldiers have been piling up on prosecutors desks as Ukrainian officials and human rights groups document the crimes committed in the first year of Moscows invasion.

In one village we found several victims of sexual violence. There were five victims on one street. Its awful. These crimes took place in every city that was under the occupation, recalled Anna Orel, an activist with the Andreev Foundation, a group that provides sexual assault victims with psychological aid.

One victim was taken by a Russian soldier and asked to go to her friends house where they killed the husband, who tried to stop them from entering his house, and raped both the woman and her friend, Orel told The Hill.

The Ukrainian Prosecutor General has confirmed 156 cases of sexual violence against women in cities and towns that were occupied by the Russians  but that is likely the tip of the iceberg when it comes to sexual crimes committed during the war.

As Ukraine marked a somber anniversary last week, the questions facing advocates and prosecutors is whether Russian aggressors will be brought to justice, and what that will look like for victims facing emotional, physical and societal trauma.

The Ukrainian Prosecutor General has reported over 150 cases of sexual violence against women in Russian-controlled cities and towns. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)

War in Ukraine: Five common questions about Russias year-old invasion

Iryna Didenko, from the Ukrainian prosecutors department investigating such crimes, said stories of violence against women have emerged in towns and villages across Ukraine.

We are collecting evidence for the future Russian war crimes tribunal. We dont rush for a quick result; we dont push our victims and witnesses. Some of them are not ready to bring a case or even talk about what they went through and we understand this, she said. For me and my team, the safety of our victims is the most important thing in these cases.

Story continues

The use of rape as a weapon of war has been documented in conflict zones around the world, according to Women for Women International CEO Laurie Adams.

Whether that is South Sudan or the Democratic Republic of Congo, or Rwanda during the genocide, in which thousands of women were raped. This is a systematic attempt to destroy people in communities, Adams told The Hill in a phone call.

Adams said 35 people have come forward to Women for Women International or its partner agencies in Ukraine to say that they were raped.

But among that 35  eight are children, which is absolutely horrifying. And not just children but they are aged eight and 11 to 16, she said.

But theres one aspect of the Ukraine-Russia war that is different from previous conflicts in terms of systematic violence against women and girls, she added.

The fact that they are now in real time collecting the evidence in Ukraine while the conflict is still alive, rather than, say, in Bosnia where I think it was a good 20 years after, thats a sign of progress, Adams said.

Putins wartime bluster obscures Russias precarious future

Outside the legal realm, women who have been victimized face many challenges in piecing back together their lives, including neighbors and community members who believe the women are at fault for their own assaults.

We have also found a really complicated situation because some people in Ukraine have a post-Soviet mindset. They often say to the women, you were not raped. or you went with the soldiers by your own desire, Orel said.

Its unbelievable. Because Russians came here with machine guns and tanks and some people blame women, she added.

Orel said that Ukraines prosecutors look to her organization to help with speaking to the victims without pressure and re-traumatization.

We also think about reparations. Russia must answer for what their soldiers have done in Ukraine. And Im sure that some tribunals should be created. I dont believe that people would do such violent acts without the permission of their commanders, for example, she said.

These crimes against women are part of a larger effort by Ukraine to document war crimes as the war with Russia extends past its one year mark. So far Ukraine has recorded 71,000 cases, Didenko shared.

Ukrainian women who have been victimized face a significant number of challenges in picking up the pieces of their lives. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

Last year, the United States, the European Union and the United Kingdom created the Atrocity Crimes Advisory Group for Ukraine (ACA), an international justice initiative, to support Ukraines efforts to document and prosecute war crimes and other atrocities perpetrated against its citizens.

In a statement marking the one-year anniversary of the war in Ukraine, the State Department said that the United States has provided $30 million to support documentation and prosecution of war crimes and other atrocities since March 2022, and is working with Congress to provide an additional $28 million to support efforts by Ukraines domestic authorities and other international and foreign domestic courts to hold individuals accountable for war crimes.

US marks one year of Russia-Ukraine war

We believe that the Russian war crimes international tribunal will be created and all responsible for this war will be punished for all atrocities and sufferings which they brought to our people, Didenko said.

As you understand, this depends on the will of the international community, so what our country can do  at least try to do  is make all victims return to simple life which Russians stole from them February 24, 2022, and from 2014 when they occupied Crimea and part of Donbas, she added.

But while efforts to document these crimes continue, Orel cautioned that it will be difficult to find the perpetrators of these violent acts.

One woman said that I hope that that soldier is already dead. And I think that many of the soldiers that committed crimes are really dead and it will be really hard to find them, she added.

This is the complicated work  how to make them answer for their crimes. And I think Russia really needs to answer for what their soldiers did, Orel said.

How the Ukraine war has shaped Bidens presidency

What to expect in the second year of the Russia-Ukraine war

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Key developments on Feb. 28:

Russian forces continue their assault on Bakhmut in the eastern Donetsk Oblast while trying to create conditions for the offensive in some areas of the southern Kherson and southeastern Zaporizhzhia oblasts, the General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces reported in its evening update on Feb. 28.

Ukraine continues to hold Bakhmut despite the seven-month-long Russian attempt to capture the city as Moscow tries to increase its grip over the entirety of the eastern Donetsk Oblast, around half of which it currently occupies.

According to the General Staff, in the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson directions, the Russians are conducting artillery shelling of populated areas near the contact line.

Kherson city, in particular, has been continuously subjected to Russian shelling since it was liberated by Ukrainian forces in November 2022, along with other areas on the west bank of the Dnipro River. Russian troops were pushed to the river's east bank, from where they had been firing at the liberated territories.

Four people were killed, and five people were injured due to the Russian artillery strikes on Kherson Oblast on Feb. 28, according to the oblast administration.

At the same time, Ukraine's Southern Operational Command reported that Russia has deployed additional ships to the Black Sea. There are currently 17 ships, including five missile carriers and two submarines, there.

Ukraine's Donetsk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia oblasts, as well as Luhansk, were declared annexed by Russia in September despite the fact that Moscow controls only parts of these regions.

On Feb. 28, the Kremlin's spokesperson Dmitry Peskov once again said that Moscow "would never compromise" on what he described as new "territorial realities."

Meanwhile, Ukraine is preparing for a new counteroffensive in spring. Ukraine's upcoming spring counteroffensive will aim to "drive a wedge into the Russian front in the south between Crimea and mainland Russia," Vadym Skibitsky, deputy head of Ukrainian military intelligence, said in an interview with German media, Deutsche Welle reported.

The ultimate goal of the announced counteroffensive, according to Skibitsky, is "to liberate all the occupied territories of Ukraine, including Crimea.


A senior Pentagon official has called the wars frontlines in Ukraine a grinding slog as he said that Russian forces are unlikely to make significant territorial gains in the next year.

You may see small portions of territory change hands in the coming weeks and months. I do not think that theres anything I see that suggests the Russians can sweep across Ukraine and make significant territorial gains anytime in the next year or so, Colin Kahl, under secretary of defence for policy, told members of the House of Representatives yesterday.

Washington does not rule out that the war in Ukraine might last for another two to three years, the senior Pentagon official said.

This comes as Volodymyr Zelensky said that the intensity of fighting between Ukrainian and Russian forces around the eastern city of Bakhmut is continuing to increase.

The most difficult situation is still Bakhmut and the battles that are important for the defence of the city, he said in his nightly address.

Key Points

China very clearly have taken sides in the Ukraine-Russia war, US spokesperson says

Russia closes airspace over St Petersburg after unidentified object spotted

Putins fighters trying to encircle Ukrainian defenders in Bakhmut

Russia responds to Chinas 12-point plan for peace

Putin will eventually be killed by his inner circle, says Zelensky

Putins forces unlikely to make major gains in Ukraine this year, says US official

03:42 , Arpan Rai

A senior Pentagon official has said that the US does not expect Russia to make significant territorial gains in the continuing war in Ukraine in the near term.

You may see small portions of territory change hands in the coming weeks and months. I do not think that theres anything I see that suggests the Russians can sweep across Ukraine and make significant territorial gains anytime in the next year or so, Colin Kahl, under secretary of defence for policy, told members of the House of Representatives.

The official described the wars frontlines as a grinding slog.

Story continues

He left Silicon Valley to fight on the frontline in Ukraine. Now hes advising Zelenskys government

04:00 , Emily Atkinson

Andrey Liscovich packed up his life in Silicon Valley and returned to Ukraine at the start of the war, helping source and supply items to fighters on the frontline. One year on, he tells Rachel Sharp how he is now advising the Ukrainian government  and how his life has changed:

He left Silicon Valley to fight in Ukraine. Now hes advising Zelenskys government

War in Ukraine may last for another two-three years, says US official

03:41 , Arpan Rai

US under secretary of defence for policy Colin Kahl has said that Washington does not rule out that the war in Ukraine might last for another two to three years in testimony at the US Congress yesterday.

It is difficult [to predict how long we will need to support Ukraine through the war] as we do not know the exact trajectory of the conflict. The conflict may end in six months, or it may end in two or three years, the official said.

He added that president Joe Biden will support Ukraine for as long as it takes.

The official also added that Ukraine is dependent on assistance from the US and its partners.

Putin signs bill to suspend last nuclear arms pact with US

03:16 , Arpan Rai

Vladimir Putin has signed a bill formally suspending the last remaining nuclear arms treaty with the United States, amid soaring tensions with Washington over Moscows action in Ukraine.

The Russian president had declared the move a week ago in his state-of-the-nation address, saying that Moscow was suspending its participation in the 2010 New START treaty and arguing that Russia cant accept inspections by the US of its nuclear sites under the pact at a time when Washington and its Nato allies have openly declared Russias defeat in Ukraine as their goal.

Both houses of parliament quickly ratified Mr Putins bill on the pacts suspension last week.

Putin signs bill to suspend last nuclear arms pact with US

This film is about truth: Ukrainian officials praise Independents first feature-length documentary

03:00 , Emily Atkinson

Senior figures in Ukraine have praised The Independents first feature-length documentary, which centres on Kyivs unprecedented search for its missing and dead during Russias war.

The 40-minute documentary from international correspondent Bel Trew, titled The Body in the Woods, premiered at Kyiv railway station on Saturday, one day after the first anniversary of Vladimir Putins invasion.

In attendance at Saturdays screening were several prominent Ukrainian officials and some of the families featured in the film, which marks the first in-depth investigation into the scale of the difficulties Ukrainians face trying to find and identify those killed.

Andy Gregory has the story:

Senior Ukrainian officials praise The Independents new documentary

Ukraine's northeastern front could decide new battle lines

02:00 , Emily Atkinson

A tank carrying Ukrainian infantry speeds toward a target position marked with a metal sheet. The soldiers climb down, hurl grenades and unleash a crackle of machine-gun fire. Then they repeat the moves, getting faster with every iteration.

Its only a drill. But with the sounds of the real war rumbling just seven kilometers (four miles) away, this daily training underscores the high stakes on Ukraines northeastern front, where military officials say a much-anticipated Russian offensive has already started, with fighting that could determine the next phase of the conflict.

Time is of the essence here, so speed and cohesion is the goal of the exercises that combine reserve tank and the infantry assault units.

More on this story here:

Ukraine's northeastern front could decide new battle lines

Watch: Ted Cruz says Volodymyr Zelensky is engaged in theatre after Joe Biden visits Ukraine

01:00 , Emily Atkinson

Drone attacks on Russia underline its vulnerability

00:00 , Emily Atkinson

A spate of drone strikes that Russian authorities blamed on Ukraine targeted areas in southern and western Russia, reflecting the Ukrainian militarys growing reach.

While the attacks apparently did not inflict any significant damage, their number and scope posed a new challenge to Russia as the war dragged into a second year. One assault came as close as 100 kilometers (60 miles) from Moscow.

Some observers said the strikes could be a rehearsal for a broader Ukrainian attack on facilities deep inside Russia.

The Associated Press takes a look at drone attacks on Russia, their results and implications:

Drone attacks on Russia underline its vulnerability

No evidence of fraud in weapons to Ukraine, watchdog says

Tuesday 28 February 2023 23:00 , Emily Atkinson

The Pentagons inspector general said Tuesday his office has found no evidence yet that any of the billions of dollars in weapons and aid to Ukraine has been lost to corruption or diverted into the wrong hands, but cautioned that those investigations are only in their early stages.

Keeping military aid to Ukraine protected from waste or fraud has become a critical part of keeping support for Ukraine intact in Congress, where some lawmakers have already begun to question why the U.S. is spending so much to help Kyiv.

Robert P. Storch was pressed by House members several times about any fraud findings. He said a number of tips and allegations have come in to a new hotline, but there have been limited findings to date, with many reports pending.

No evidence of fraud in weapons to Ukraine, watchdog says

Putin signs bill to suspend last nuclear arms pact with US

Tuesday 28 February 2023 22:00 , Emily Atkinson

Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a bill formally suspending the last remaining nuclear arms treaty with the United States.

Putin had declared a week ago in his state-of-the-nation address that Moscow was suspending its participation in the 2010 New START treaty.

He had charged that Russia cant accept U.S inspections of its nuclear sites under the pact at a time when Washington and its Nato allies have openly declared Russias defeat in Ukraine as their goal.

Both houses of parliament quickly ratified Putins bill on the pacts suspension last week. On Tuesday, Putin signed it into law, effective immediately. The document says that its up to the president to decide whether Moscow could return to the pact.

Putin has emphasized that Moscow was not withdrawing from the pact altogether, and the Russian Foreign Ministry said the country would respect the caps on nuclear weapons set under the treaty and keep notifying the US about test launches of ballistic missiles.

Putin orders tighter security at Russia-Ukraine border after spate of drone attacks

Tuesday 28 February 2023 21:00 , Emily Atkinson

Vladimir Putin has ordered that the Russian border with Ukraine be tightened after a spate of drone attacks while Moscows forces pushed to encircle the eastern city of Bakhmut.

Taking Bakhmut, the scene of some of the wars fierecest, would be Russias first major prize in more than six months and open the way to seizing bigger cities in the Donetsk region, one of four regions Moscow seeks to control. Ukraines President Volodymyr Zelensky has sid the situation in Bakhmut is becoming more and more difficult.

Russian President Vladimir Putin instructed the FSB security service on Tuesday to bolster security in the four regions, Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia  currently only partially controlled by his forces - and also to counter what he described as growing espionage and sabotage operations against Russia by Ukraine and the West.

Chris Stevenson reports:

Putin orders tighter security at Russia-Ukraine border after spate of drone attacks

Trump mocked after revealing his plan to end Ukraine war: Knock heads and get it done

Tuesday 28 February 2023 20:40 , Emily Atkinson

Critics have mocked former President Donald Trump after he suggested that the solution to the war in Ukraine would be to get people in a room and knock heads.

Mr Trump made the comments on the one-year anniversary of Russias invasion into Ukraine, in a radio conversation with host Glenn Beck.

The saddest part about the war is that this is a war that shouldve never happened, right, okay? the 45th president said. So now it happened. Now you have to get people in a room. You have to knock heads and you have to get it done.

Sheila Flynn reports:

Donald Trump mocked after sharing his plan to end Ukraine war: Knock heads

Russia bans government officials from using most foreign words

Tuesday 28 February 2023 20:10 , Emily Atkinson

Russian government officials will be banned from using most foreign words when carrying out their duties, according to an amended law on the formal use of Russian that president Vladimir Putin signed on Tuesday.

Since launching the invasion of Ukraine a year ago, Putin has said he wants to protect Russia from what he calls a degenerate West that he alleges is trying to destroy the country.

The amendments to the 2005 law are designed to protect and support the status of Russian, according to a text posted on the governments website.

When using Russian as the state language of the Russian Federation, it is not allowed to use words and expressions that do not correspond to the norms of modern Russian ... with the exception of foreign words which do not have widely-used corresponding equivalents in Russian, says the text.

A list of foreign-based words that can still be used will be published separately. The amendments do not mention any punishments for those who fail to respect the updated law.

Vladimir Putin gives Steven Seagal friendship award

Tuesday 28 February 2023 19:40 , Emily Atkinson

Russian President Vladimir Putin has handed actor Steven Seagal the Order of Friendship award for his humanitarian work.

The 70-year-old actor, who also holds Russian citizenship, has reiterated his support for Putin plenty of times in the past. In fact, last year, a birthday dinner was held in his honour in Moscow.

The awarding of the Order of Friendship was announced on the Russian governments internet portal over the weekend.

Peony Hirwani reports:

Vladimir Putin hands Steven Seagal Russias Order of Friendship award

ICC's top prosecutor in Ukraine to probe Russian attacks on power grid

Tuesday 28 February 2023 19:10 , Emily Atkinson

The International Criminal Courts top prosecutor was in Ukraine on Tuesday to investigate Russias campaign of missile and drone attacks on power and other infrastructure that killed hundreds of civilians and left millions with no electricity or water.

Russia says they are legitimate strikes aimed at weakening the enemys military, but Ukraine casts them as a means of intimidating ordinary people.

The Geneva conventions and additional protocols shaped by international courts say parties involved in a military conflict must distinguish between civilian objects and military objectives and that attacks on civilian objects are forbidden.

Generally we see clearly a pattern, I think, in terms of the number, scale and breadth of attacks against the power grids of Ukraine and we need to look at why thats taking place; are they legitimate targets or not? ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan said.

From war crimes, to spies and cyberattacks: Ukraines domestic spy chief on fighting Russia across all fronts

Tuesday 28 February 2023 18:40 , Emily Atkinson

The head of the security service of Ukraine speaks to Bel Trew from Kyiv about how Moscow will never break us down:

They wont break us Ukraines domestic spy chief on fighting Russia on all fronts

Watch: Ukrainian flags fly at military cemetery in Dnipro honouring fallen soldiers

Tuesday 28 February 2023 18:05 , Emily Atkinson

Ukraine frontline a grinding slog, says US under secretary for defence policy

Tuesday 28 February 2023 17:34 , Emily Atkinson

Colin Kahl, the US under-secretary of defence for policy, described the front line in Ukraine on Tuesday as a grinding slog and said he did not expect Russia to be able to make significant territorial gains in the near term.

So you may see small portions of territory change hands in the coming weeks and months. I do not think that theres anything I see that suggests the Russians can sweep across Ukraine and make significant territorial gains anytime in the next year or so, Kahl told a House of Representatives hearing.

US partners 'share concern China considering lethal aid for Russias war

Tuesday 28 February 2023 16:59 , Emily Atkinson

The top US diplomat for East Asia Daniel Kritenbrink says the United States has shared its concerns that China is considering providing lethal assistance to Russias war in Ukraine.

Kritenbrink made the remark at a US House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee hearing on China.

US secretary of state Antony Blinken said earlier that if China provides lethal aid to Moscow for the conflict it will be a serious problem Beijing in its relationship with countries around the world.

Ukraine urges UN and Turkey to start talks to extend grain deal

Tuesday 28 February 2023 16:23 , Emily Atkinson

Ukraine has sent an appeal to the UN and Turkey to start negotiations on extending a grain export deal, but there has been no response, a Ukrainian government source said on Tuesday.

Yuriy Vaskov, Ukraines deputy minister of restoration, told Reuters last week that Kyiv would ask all sides to start talks to roll over the deal, seeking an extension of at least one year that would include the ports of Mykolaiv.

The Black Sea Grain Initiative brokered by the UN 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.

We have sent a letter requesting that we start dealing with this issue as March 18 is very soon, but we have not had any feedback so far, a source said.

Belarus official says claim activists blew up Russian spy plane near Minsk is fake

Tuesday 28 February 2023 15:52 , Emily Atkinson

A senior Belarusian official on Tuesday dismissed as fake a claim by anti-government activists that they had blown up a Russian military surveillance aircraft in a weekend drone attack on an airfield outside the Belarusian capital Minsk.

Aliaksandr Azarov, leader of Belarusian anti-government organization BYPOL, was quoted on Sunday as saying that Belarusian partisans had used drones to carry out the attack on a Russian Beriev A-50 spy plane.

He did not provide immediate evidence to back his assertion.

Given the absence of an official reaction, I am deeply convinced that this is another fake (claim) aimed at highlighting certain failures in our national security, Belarusian Deputy Foreign Minister Yuri Ambrazevich told Reuters on the sidelines of the U.N. Conference on Disarmament in Geneva on Tuesday.

Flurry of drone strikes hits Russia as TV, radio are hacked

Tuesday 28 February 2023 15:00 , Emily Atkinson

Regional officials in southern and western Russia reported a string of drone attacks near the border with Ukraine and deep inside the country that resulted in no casualties, as the war with Kyiv trudged on Tuesday.

At the same time, the hacking of Russian TV channels and radio stations as well as the temporary closure of St. Petersburgs airport fed suspicion that Kyiv could be behind the disruption.

A flurry of drone attacks on Monday night and Tuesday morning targeted regions inside Russia along the border with Ukraine and deeper into the country, with one drone crashing just 100 kilometers (60 miles) away from Moscow, according to local Russian authorities.

Read our report in full here:

Flurry of drone strikes hits Russia as TV, radio are hacked

Watch: Ukrainian forces demobilise Russian tanks near Donetsk frontline

Tuesday 28 February 2023 14:30 , Emily Atkinson

In pictures: Damage by Russian military strike on Chasiv Yar, Donetsk

Tuesday 28 February 2023 14:00 , Emily Atkinson

(REUTERS)

(REUTERS)

(REUTERS)

US to target Chinese companies if Beijing provides lethal aid to Russia'

Tuesday 28 February 2023 13:30 , Emily Atkinson

Washington will not hesitate to target Chinese companies and individuals with sanctions if Beijing violates US sanctions on Russia over the Ukraine war, secretary of state Antony Blinken has said.

If China provides lethal aid to Moscow for the conflict, it will be a serious problem for Beijing in its relationship with countries around the world, Blinken told reporters during a trip to Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.

Putin tells FSB security service to up its game against Western spy agencies

Tuesday 28 February 2023 12:58 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Russian President Vladimir Putin told the FSB security service on Tuesday to step up its activity to counter what he described as growing espionage and sabotage operations against Russia by Ukraine and the West.

In a speech to FSB officials, Putin said the agency had to stop sabotage groups entering Russia from Ukraine, step up protection of key infrastructure, and prevent any attempts by Western security services to revive what he called terrorist or extremist cells on Russian territory.

Western intelligence services have traditionally always been actively working in Russia, and now they have thrown additional personnel, technical and other resources against us. We need to respond accordingly, Putin said.

He instructed the FSB to prevent illegal weapons flows into Russia, and to strengthen security in four regions of Ukraine that Moscow has partially seized and claimed as part of its own territory, a move most countries do not recognise.

(via REUTERS)

Belarus official says claim activists blew up Russian spy plane near Minsk is fake

Tuesday 28 February 2023 11:55 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

A senior Belarusian official on Tuesday dismissed as fake a claim by anti-government activists that they had blown up a Russian military surveillance aircraft in a weekend drone attack on an airfield outside the Belarusian capital Minsk.

Aliaksandr Azarov, leader of Belarusian anti-government organization BYPOL, was quoted on Sunday as saying that Belarusian partisans had used drones to carry out the attack on a Russian Beriev A-50 spy plane.

He did not provide immediate evidence to back his assertion.

Given the absence of an official reaction, I am deeply convinced that this is another fake (claim) aimed at highlighting certain failures in our national security, Belarusian Deputy Foreign Minister Yuri Ambrazevich told Reuters on the sidelines of the U.N. Conference on Disarmament in Geneva on Tuesday.

Belarus has allowed Russia to use its territory to launch attacks on Ukraine but has refrained so far from getting directly involved in the war.

The A-50 plane has the NATO reporting name of Mainstay and is an airborne early warning aircraft with command and control capabilities and the ability to track up to 60 targets at a time.

Reached by telephone on Monday, Azarov told Reuters the operation, which purportedly caused serious damage to the Russian aircraft, had taken several months to plan and that partisans would try to carry out more actions in the future.

BYPOL, his organization, includes former law enforcement officers who support opposition politicians. It has been branded a terrorist organization by Minsk.

The Kremlin has declined to comment on the alleged attack.

China very clearly have taken sides in the Ukraine-Russia war, US spokesperson says

Tuesday 28 February 2023 11:29 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

China has been accused of very clearly taking sides in the Russias invasion of Ukraine, the US department of state spokesperson said.

Ned Price told a news briefing: There are countries around the world that, if they sought to bring this war to an end, would have a significant amount of leverage with the Russian Federation, with other key countries. The Peoples Republic of China [PRC] certainly falls within that category.

But to date, at least, despite the PRCs protests to the contrary, we have seen them very clearly take a side in this war.

Moscow says Ukraine launched failed drone attacks on Russian territory overnight

Tuesday 28 February 2023 11:19 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Russias defence ministry on Tuesday accused Ukraine of launching attempted drone strikes against civil infrastructure targets in two southern Russian regions overnight, but said the attacks had failed.

There was no immediate comment from Ukrainian authorities.

Overnight, the Kyiv authorities attempted to use unmanned aerial vehicles to attack civilian infrastructure facilities in the Krasnodar and Adygea regions, the defence ministry said in a statement.

It said its anti-drone defence systems had repelled the attacks, causing the drones to veer off course and fail to inflict any damage.

Both drones lost control and deviated from their flight paths. One fell into a field, the other, deviating from its trajectory, did not harm the intended target, it said.

Russian state news agencies had earlier reported a fire at an oil depot in the Krasnodar region, around 240 km (149 miles) south-east of the Crimean peninsula, after a drone was spotted flying overhead.

In pictures: Ukrainian troops on the frontline in Donetsk

Tuesday 28 February 2023 10:48 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Ukrainian servicemen attend on their position on the frontline with Russian troops near Ugledar, Donetsk region

(AFP via Getty Images)

(AFP via Getty Images)

(AFP via Getty Images)

Kremlin: Russia open to Ukraine talks, but won't give up annexed regions

Tuesday 28 February 2023 10:22 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

The Kremlin on Tuesday repeated its position that Russia was open to negotiations to end the Ukraine conflict, but that new territorial realities could not be ignored.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters Russia would never renounce its claims to four Ukrainian regions that Moscow declared it had annexed last year following referendums that Kyiv and the West slammed as bogus and illegal.

There are certain realities that have already become an internal factor. I mean the new territories. The constitution of the Russian Federation exists, and cannot be ignored. Russia will never be able to compromise on this, these are important realities, Peskov said on Tuesday.

Russia proclaimed it had annexed the Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions last September in a grand ceremony in Moscow.

The regions were subsequently named as constituent subjects of the Russian Federation in a constitutional decree.

Peskov said Russia was open to negotiations if Kyiv accepted Moscows control over the regions.

With a favourable state of affairs and the appropriate attitude from the Ukrainians, this can be resolved at the negotiating table. But the main thing is to achieve our goals, he said.

Russian forces do not fully control any of the four regions, and Moscow says it is fighting to liberate them from the control of Ukrainian neo-Nazis.

Kyiv and the West say this is a baseless pretext for an illegal land-grab.

Ukraine says Russian troops must leave every inch of its territory including the four annexed regions and the Crimean peninsula, which Moscow unilaterally annexed from Ukraine in 2014, before a peace plan can be discussed.

Watch: Russia temporarily closes airspace over St Petersburg after unknown object spotted

Tuesday 28 February 2023 10:14 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Hacking attack prompts Russian regional broadcasters to issue air alert warnings

Tuesday 28 February 2023 09:45 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

A hacking attack caused some Russian regional broadcasters to put out a false warning on Tuesday urging people to take shelter from an incoming missile attack, the emergencies ministry said.

As a result of the hacking of servers of radio stations and TV channels, in some regions of the country information about the announcement of an air alert was broadcast, the ministry said in a statement.

This information is false and does not correspond to reality.

Among the regions where the fake messages were broadcast was Crimea, the peninsula Russia annexed from Ukraine in 2014, the RIA Novosti news agency reported.

On regional TV an image was shown with a symbol of a man running for cover from incoming missiles and a message reading Everybody to the shelter, now, according to images posted on social media.

Radio stations played a loud siren sound with a message stating: Attention, attention. An air alert is being issued. Everybody head to shelters now. Attention, attention. Missile threat.

Russian state media cited some local officials blaming Ukraine for the messages. There was no official comment from Kyiv.

Several radio stations put out similar warnings last week, and websites run by Russias state TV conglomerate went down during President Vladimir Putins annual state-of-the-nation address to Russian lawmakers on Feb. 21 in what state media said was a distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack.

Russia closes airspace over St Petersburg after unidentified object spotted

Tuesday 28 February 2023 08:52 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Russia closed its airspace over St Petersburg after an unidentified object was spotted flying over the city.

Officials closed the airspace over Pulkovo airport on Tuesday morning, with Russian military aircraft scrambled to search for the intruder, local media reports.

Matt Mathers has more:

Russia closes airspace over St Petersburg after unidentified object spotted

'Extremely tense' as Russians bid to encircle Ukraine's Bakhmut

Tuesday 28 February 2023 08:29 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

The situation in the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut was extremely tense on Tuesday, the commander of Ukrainian ground forces said, as Russian troops besieging it stepped up their assault in a bid to encircle it.

Russia is trying to cut the Ukrainian defenders supply lines to the city, the scene of some of the wars toughest fighting, and force them to surrender or withdraw.

That would give Russia its first major prize in more than half a year and open the way to the capture of the last remaining urban centres in the Donetsk region.

Despite significant losses, the enemy threw in the most prepared assault units of Wagner, who are trying to break through the defences of our troops and surround the city, Ukraines Colonel general Oleksandr Syrskyi was quoted as saying on a military messaging platform.

Ukraines military said earlier Russia had strengthened its forces in the Bakhmut area and was shelling settlements around the city.

Over the past day, our soldiers repelled more than 60 enemy attacks, the military said early on Tuesday referring to Bakhmut and nearby eastern areas, adding that Ukrainian forces repelled Russian attacks on the villages of Yadhidne and Berkhivka, on the northern approaches to Bakhmut.

Ukrainian military analyst Oleh Zhdanov said Russian forces had driven a wedge between those villages as they tried to cut the road west to Chasiv Yar.

The southern part of Bakhmut is the only area which can be described as under Ukrainian control. In all other districts, the situation is unpredictable, he said in a video commentary, adding: It is impossible to say where the front line lies.

(AFP via Getty Images)

Russia A-50 military aircraft loss significant for Moscow  MoD

Tuesday 28 February 2023 06:55 , Arpan Rai

The loss of a Russian spy plane destroyed in Belarus on Sunday is significant for Moscow as the aircraft provided critical information for Russian air operations, the British defence ministry said today.

Belarusian partisan group BYPOL and exiled opposition leaders reported an A-50 MAINSTAY had sustained damaged from Uncrewed Aerial Vehicle (UAV) attacks at Maschulishchy air base on Sunday.

The A-50 MAINSTAY is a Russian airborne early warning and control platform. Its role is to build a recognised air picture and to provide coordination to adjoining fighter aircraft, the ministry said.

It added that while attribution and damage has not been officially corroborated, this loss will likely leave six operational A-50s in service, further constraining Russian air operations.

BYPOL had reported two explosions and damage to the front and middle sections of the A-50 MAINSTAY as well as the radar antenna over the weekend.

Latest Defence Intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine - 28 February 2023



Find out more about Defence Intelligence: https://t.co/v3cDaShXOA



 #StandWithUkraine  pic.twitter.com/Sa5TUFHvxF  Ministry of Defence  (@DefenceHQ) February 28, 2023

Russia adapting to smaller military formations in war for advantage over Ukraine  report

Tuesday 28 February 2023 06:20 , Arpan Rai

A captured Russian military manual has shown new assault tactics being used by Russias forces to compensate for current combat power limitations in response to continued offensive failures, said the US-based think-tank the Institute for the Study of War.

The manual reportedly shows Russian forces being adapted into smaller and more agile military formations than were employed earlier in the war.

In the new tactical formation, Russian forces are using T-72 tanks for direct fire support from the rear rather than as integral parts of a combined arms team, the ISW said.

By doing this, the Russian military leadership is prioritising protecting main battle tanks over protecting infantry as there is an increased reliance on dismounted infantry and the relegation of tanks to fire support from the rear.

This is reflective of recent reports of massive equipment losses that Russian armour units sustained over the first year of the war, the think-tank monitoring the war said.

The manual indicates that the Russian military is resorting to employing a form of simplified combined arms warfare that has likely been pared down to compensate for the overall degradation of Russian manpower and equipment capacity and which is easier for inexperienced and untrained mobilised personnel slotted into such detachments to employ, it said.

Japan sanctions Russian weapons maker Concern Kalshnikov and companies

Tuesday 28 February 2023 05:51 , Arpan Rai

Japan has slapped additional sanctions against 39 Russian individuals, including the head of Russian weapons maker Concern Kalashnikov, 73 Russian companies, and Rosbank, officials in the countrys foreign ministry said today.

The sanctions have been rolled out in view of the current international situation over Ukraine, the ministry said.

It is also for the purpose of contributing to the international efforts for achieving international peace aimed at a solution of the issue, in line with the measures taken by other major countries.

Bakhmut reduced to ghost town as endless shelling ravages city

Tuesday 28 February 2023 05:38 , Arpan Rai

Russia has bolstered its forces in the Bakhmut area and was shelling settlements around the city, Ukrainian military officials said.

The city has been reduced to ashes and rubble in most parts as several locals shared the videos showing an abandoned ghost town.

My god. I know every location in this video. Its central Bakhmut. The mosaic building housed the Vesna market where I would pick up groceries. My apartment was 100 feet away. Bakhmut has descended into urban warfare and pure hell. Heartbreaking, said war journalist Christopher Miller, as he shared a video of Bakhmut taken this week.

Smoke rises after shelling in Bakhmut yesterday amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine (AFP via Getty Images)

A destroyed and burnt residential building as the distance shelling continues in Bakhmut on Monday as the Russian attacks on the city intensify in the continuing war (AFP via Getty Images)

A local resident walks down a street as the sounds of shelling continue in Bakhmut yesterday as Russias military invasion targets the key city (AFP via Getty Images)

A Ukrainian serviceman looks through a broken window of a damaged residential building as the sounds of shelling continue in Bakhmut (AFP via Getty Images)

Local residents walk down a street as the sounds of shelling continue in Bakhmut (AFP via Getty Images)

Russia wont resume New START nuclear talks 'until US listens to Moscow'

Tuesday 28 February 2023 04:58 , Arpan Rai

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov has said Russia will not resume participation in the New START nuclear arms reduction treaty with the United States until Washington listens to Moscows position.

The attitude of the collective West led by the United States needs to change towards Moscow, he told daily Izvestia in an interview, adding that the security of one country cannot be ensured at the cost of the security of another.

The Kremlin spokesperson added that by arming Ukraine, Nato acts as a single bloc no longer as our conditional opponents, but as enemies.

Putins fighters trying to encircle Ukrainian defenders in Bakhmut

Tuesday 28 February 2023 03:46 , Arpan Rai

Russian forces in eastern Ukraine are moving ahead to encircle Bakhmut, a small mining city which has been the scene of the hottest fighting since winter, and trying to destroy the fortification built up by the Ukrainian fighters.

"The enemy is constantly destroying everything that can be used to protect our positions for fortification and defence. Our soldiers defending the area around Bakhmut are true heroes," said Volodymyr Zelensky.

Russian fighters are trying to cut the critical ammunition supply lines meant for replenishing Ukrainian forces in the region.

"The southern part of Bakhmut is the only area which can be described as under Ukrainian control. In all other districts, the situation is unpredictable," Ukrainian military analyst Oleh Zhdanov said in a video commentary, adding: "It is impossible to say where the front line lies."

Senseless invasion condemned by UN rights chief

Tuesday 28 February 2023 03:00 , Katy Clifton

The UN rights chief condemned Russias senseless invasion of Ukraine yesterday at the start of a Human Rights Council session at which countries want to strengthen scrutiny of Moscows alleged war crimes and raise Chinas treatment of Muslim Uyghurs.

Volker Turk, the United Nations high commissioner, in one of his first speeches to the 47-member council, warned that human rights gains were being reined back and even reversed, citing Russias invasion of Ukraine as an example of oppression.

UN secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in a separate speech that the war had triggered massive violations of rights.

During the meeting, which runs until April 4, many states will seek to extend and deepen the mandate of a U.N. investigation body set up to probe possible atrocities in Ukraine.

Russia accused of genocidal crime'

Tuesday 28 February 2023 02:00 , Katy Clifton

Russias alleged forced transfer of thousands of children from Ukraine is probably the largest forced deportation in modern history, Ukrainian foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba said on Monday at an event on the sidelines of the Human Rights Council.

The most chilling crime is that Russia steals Ukrainian children, Kuleba said in a video message to a packed room on the opening day of the council in Geneva where Russias alleged war crimes in Ukraine are being addressed.

This is a genocidal crime, he added.

Zelensky calls for end of aviation taboo'

Tuesday 28 February 2023 01:00 , Katy Clifton

Mr Zelenskiy said in his speech on Monday that his country can only defend its skies if an aviation taboo is ended.

Our pilots and anti-aircraft units, and other experts of our air force are doing a great job, he said. But we will be able to completely protect our skies when the aviation taboo is fully lifted in relations with our partners.

(PA)

Situation becoming more difficult in Bakhmut

Tuesday 28 February 2023 00:01 , Katy Clifton

President Volodymyr Zelensky has said the military situation is becoming increasingly difficult around the town of Bakhmut, the focal point of Russias advances in eastern Ukraine.

In the Bakhmut sector, the situation is constantly becoming more difficult, Mr Zelensky said in his nightly video address.

The enemy is constantly destroying everything that can be used to protect our positions for fortification and defence. Our soldiers defending the area around Bakhmut are true heroes.

Monday 27 February 2023 23:00 , Katy Clifton

The US welcomes the announcement by Saudi Arabia that it was providing $400 million in humanitarian aid for Ukraine, White House national security spokesman John Kirby said on Monday.

Saudi Arabias foreign minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud met Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy and top Ukrainian officials in a surprise visit to Kyiv over weekend.

Ukraine claims to have shot down 11 drones as air raid sounded

Monday 27 February 2023 22:00 , Lucy Skoulding

The Ukraine ministry of defence claims to have shot 11 out of 14 drones deployed down on Sunday, which includes 9 over Kyiv.

The regional military administration in Kyiv confirmed the air defences were at work last night as alerts sounded across the city.

Two emergency services workers were killed and three more people injured in a drone attack on the city of Khmelnytskyi yesterday, according to the mayor.

US Treasury secretary makes surprise visit to Ukraine

Monday 27 February 2023 21:00 , Lucy Skoulding

Janet Yellen, US Treasury secretary, made a trip to Ukraine today to meet with President Zelensky and other Ukrainian officials to firm up Washingtons support for Kyiv.

In a tweet, Ms Yellen said: Following @POTUSs visit to Ukraine, Im in Kyiv to reaffirm our unwavering commitment to Ukraine, discuss ways we can continue our support  including through economic assistance  and pay tribute to the bravery of the Ukrainian people a year after Russias unprovoked invasion.

Yellen said to the Ukrainian prime minister Denys Shmyhal: America will stand with Ukraine as long as it takes.

Following @POTUSs visit to Ukraine, I'm in Kyiv to reaffirm our unwavering commitment to Ukraine, discuss ways we can continue our support  including through economic assistance  and pay tribute to the bravery of the Ukrainian people a year after Russia's unprovoked invasion. pic.twitter.com/avJaabavX7  Secretary Janet Yellen (@SecYellen) February 27, 2023

Documentary about Ukraines search for missing and dead premieres

Monday 27 February 2023 20:00 , Lucy Skoulding

The Independents first feature-length documentary, The Body in the Woods - about Ukraines unprecedented search for its missing and dead - has premiered at a Kyiv railway station.

The documentary details the discovery of a body of a young man, found bound, shot and burned beside an abandoned Russian camp in the woods outside Kyiv, and international correspondent Bel Trews search to find out who he was and what happened to him.

Find out more.

America stands with you in this fight for freedom

Monday 27 February 2023 19:46 , Katy Clifton

Janet Yellen also visited a renovated school that had its windows blown out by the blast wave from a Russian missile that landed nearby in March.

She also announced an additional transfer of $1.2 billion, the first tranche of the $10 billion assistance package.

Maintaining an effective government is indispensable to Ukraines capacity to respond to Russian attacks and other emergencies, said Ms Yellen. Our economic support is keeping essential public services running. These services maintain economic and social stability in Ukraine.

Addressing the schools students and teachers, Ms Yeller said they are helping to write history in a country that is a central force in the history of the free world.

America stands with you in this fight for freedom, and we will be by your side and help you rebuild.

Ms Yellen also met with Zelenskyy and other top officials, including the head of Ukraines National Bank.

Mr Zelensky posted on Telegram after the meeting with Ms Yellen that it is necessary to strengthen further sanctions to deprive Russia of the ability to finance the war.

She also laid the flowers at the Wall of Remembrance dedicated to fallen soldiers and met Ukrainian landmine removal experts whose equipment was financed with US funds.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (L) shake hands with US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen (EPA)

US treasury secretary hailed a friend of Ukraine'

Monday 27 February 2023 19:43 , Katy Clifton

US treasury secretary Janet Yellen has said her first visit to Ukraine underscored Washingtons commitment to continuing its economic support for the country, as the din of air raid sirens echoed across the Ukrainian capital.

Ms Yellen said following talks with Ukrainian prime minister Denys Shmyhal that the US has provided nearly $50 billion in security, economic and humanitarian assistance and announced another multibillion-dollar package to boost the countrys economy.

Mr Shmyhal offered thanks to the US for its support and hailed Ms Yellen as a friend of Ukraine.

He said Ukraines budget deficit now stands at $38 billion and that the US will provide another $10 billion in assistance by September.

The pair also discussed sanctions aimed at weakening Russias economy as well as the possibility of using Russian frozen assets to help in Ukraines economic recovery. Ms Yellen repeated US president Joe Bidens message that Washington will stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes.

Ukraines foreign minister accuses Russia of stealing children

Monday 27 February 2023 19:00 , Lucy Skoulding

Dmtryo Kuleba, Ukraines foreign minister, has accused Russia of genocidal crime and of stealing children as the war has now been ongoing for over a year.

He spoke today on the sidelines of the UN human rights council.

Kyiv has now collected thousands of reports of children from Ukraine being forcibly deported to Russia, and wants these deportations to be investigated as war crimes.

Refering to Ukrainian children, he said it is probably the largest forced deportation in modern history.

In a video address, he said: The most chilling crime is that Russia steals Ukrainian children.

Subversive rock band cancels Kyiv concert

Monday 27 February 2023 18:00 , Lucy Skoulding

The subversive Slovenian rock band Laibach were due to play a concert in Ukraine but it has been cancelled after remarks they made about Kyiv.

The group reportedly angered Ukrainians by comments that were taken to mean Kyiv is a client state fighting the war for its western masters.

Laibach claimed they would have been the first foreign band to perform a full show in Kyiv since the start of the war in February last year.

They were due to play at the Bel Etage Music Hall in a few weeks on 31 March.

Slovenian rock band Laibach (Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

Russia responds to Chinas 12-point plan for peace

Monday 27 February 2023 17:05 , Lucy Skoulding

Russia is paying a great deal of attention to Chinas 12-point peace plan to end the invasion of Ukraine.

The Kremlin has responded to Chinas plan, with spokesperson Dmitry Peskov saying anything that could lead to peace is worthy of attention.

Details of the plan will have to be analysed and for now Russias so-called special military operation will continue in Ukraine, Peskov confirmed.

Peskov added that he hasnt seen any specific signs indicating a peaceful ending at this point.

Initiative to trace abducted Ukrainian children

Monday 27 February 2023 16:30 , Lucy Skoulding

Neighbouring country Poland has launched a joint initiative with the European Commission to help find children who have been abducted from Ukraine during the continuing war.

Polands EU affairs minister Szymon Szynkowski vel SAk said the aim of the scheme is to find the missing children and to ensure those responsible are brought to justice.

Ukraines prime minister, Denys Shmyhal, gave his thanks to Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, and Polands prime minister, Mateusz Morawiecki.

He tweeted: @EU_Commission and Poland launch an initiative to find children illegally abducted from #Ukraine by russia. We are grateful to @vonderleyen and @MorawieckiM. We need to return the abducted children to Ukraine and punish russia for its crimes.

.@EU_Commission and Poland launch an initiative to find children illegally abducted from #Ukraine by russia. We are grateful to @vonderleyen and @MorawieckiM. We need to return the abducted children to Ukraine and punish russia for its crimes.  Denys Shmyhal (@Denys_Shmyhal) February 27, 2023

Ukraines domestic spy chief on fighting Russia across all fronts

Monday 27 February 2023 15:55 , Lucy Skoulding

Speaking exclusively to The Independent, Major General Malyuk, Ukraines domestic spy chief, makes clear that the threat from Russia comes from all sides.

From the battlefield, his Security Services of Ukraine (SBU) has launched more than 64,000 criminal proceedings across Moscows forces  nearly half of them war crimes cases.

He says the SBU have also uncovered or detained 360 enemy agents since the invasion erupted last February.

And the country has fended off thousands of cyberattacks.

Read the full story from Bel Trew.

Major General Vasyl Malyuk, right, with President Volodymyr Zelensky (Presidential Office of Ukraine)

Afternoon recap: Fighting

Monday 27 February 2023 15:30 , Matt Mathers

A Russian missile strike killed one person in the western town of Khmelnitskyi, the mayor said.

Moscow said its forces destroyed a Ukrainian ammunition depot near Bakhmut, also shooting down four HIMARS missiles and five drones.A Ukrainian court has jailed two captured soldiers accused of taking part on Russian shelling of residential areas in eastern Ukraine, the SBU security service.

The commander of Ukrainian ground forces visited besieged Bakhmut to boost morale.

Ukraines armed forces said Russia is concentrating offensive actions along the Kupiansk, Lyman, Bakhmut, Avdiivka and Shakhtar parts of the frontline.

Battlefield accounts could not be independently verified

Belarusian anti-government activists said on Sunday they had blown up a sophisticated Russian military surveillance aircraft in a drone attack at an airfield near Minsk.

Apple fined 10m in Russian antitrust case, authorities say

Monday 27 February 2023 14:22 , Andy Gregory

Apple has paid a fine of 906 million roubles (10m) in a Russian antitrust case alleging the US firm abuses its dominance in the mobile apps market, authorities in Moscow have said.

Russias Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS) determined in August 2020 that Apple had abused its dominant position, then issued a directive requiring Apple to remove provisions giving it the right to reject third-party apps from its App Store.

Apple has previously respectfully disagreed with the FAS ruling that Apples distribution of apps through its iOS operating system gave its own products a competitive advantage.

In a separate case, the FAS said in January that it had fined Apple around 14m for allegedly forcing Russian developers to use Apples payment services with the iOS App Store.

Apple paused all product sales and limited its Apple Pay service in Russia a year ago, after Moscow invaded Ukraine.

Ukraine jails two Russian soldiers for shelling of residential areas

Monday 27 February 2023 13:42 , Andy Gregory

A Ukrainian court has jailed two captured Russian soldiers accused of shelling residential areas in eastern Ukraine, Kyivs SBU security service has said.

One of the soldiers received a 10-year sentence and the other had been jailed for nine years, the SBU said on Monday. It did not name them, say how they had pleaded and when they were sentenced, but said both had fought in eastern Ukraine and were captured last year.

As a result of investigative actions, indisputable evidence on the guilt of two more militants who joined the ranks of the occupation groups of the aggressor country at the beginning of the full-scale invasion was collected, it said.

Both took an active part in the storming of Ukrainian cities on the Eastern Front, it said. One had started fighting for separatists in eastern Ukraine in 2014 and fought for the Russian army in the Bakhmut area of eastern Ukraine last year.

The other was in charge of Russian troops that shelled the eastern cities of Sievierodonetsk and Lysychansk in eastern Ukraine, and was captured along with a number of his subordinates, according to the SBU.

They were found guilty under laws on the encroachment on the territorial integrity and inviolability of Ukraine, and on participation in paramilitary or armed formations not provided for by law, the SBU added.

Ukraine jails two Russian army soldiers for shelling of residential areas

Monday 27 February 2023 13:03 , Matt Mathers

A Ukrainian court has jailed two captured soldiers accused of taking part on Russian shelling of residential areas in eastern Ukraine, the SBU security service said on Monday.

The SBU said in a statement that one of the soldiers had received a 10-year sentence and the other had been jailed for nine years.

It did not name them, say how they had pleaded and when they were sentenced, but said both had fought in eastern Ukraine and were captured last year.

As a result of investigative actions, indisputable evidence on the guilt of two more militants who joined the ranks of the occupation groups of the aggressor country at the beginning of the full-scale invasion was collected, it said.

Both took an active part in the storming of Ukrainian cities on the Eastern Front, it said.

Vladimir Putins spy plane destroyed by drones

Monday 27 February 2023 12:25 , Matt Mathers

One of Vladimir Putins spy planes has been destroyed by two drones at a Russian airbase in Belarus, according to reports.

The aircraft, worth 274 million, was hit in an attack by Belarus partisans supporting Ukraine.

The AWACS Beriev A-50U aircraft was significantly damaged, according to the Belarusian Hajun project, and the front and central parts of the aircraft, its avionics and radar antennae were hit.

Martha McHardy reports:

Vladimir Putins spy plane destroyed by drones

Kyiv blitzes Russian ammo stock and fuel depots with series of strikes

Monday 27 February 2023 11:40 , Matt Mathers

An ammunition cache and fuel depots are among the Russian targets hit by Ukraine in a series of strikes over the past week, Britains Ministry of Defence has said.

At least 14 explosions have rocked sites in and around the Russian-held city of Mariupol, the MoD said, with a steel works used as by the Kremlin as military base among them.

Russia will likely be concerned that unexplained explosions are occurring in a zone it had probably previously assessed as beyond the range of routine Ukrainian strike capabilities, the MoD added.

China accuses US of bullying with new illegal sanctions

Monday 27 February 2023 10:44 , Matt Mathers

Chinese officials have accused the US of "outright bullying and double standards" in levelling what it called "illegal" sanctions on Chinese companies as part of American actions against Russias Wagner Group and related companies and individuals.

The entities were targeted for their role in the war in Ukraine and mercenary activities, including human rights abuses, in Africa.

Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said at a daily briefing that the sanctions "have no basis in international law or authorization from the Security Council, and are typical illegal unilateral sanctions and long-arm jurisdiction".

The punitive measures were "seriously harming Chinas interests" and China "strongly rejects and deplores that and has lodged solemn complaints with the US side," Ms Mao said.

"While the US has intensified its efforts to send weapons to one of the parties to the conflict, resulting in an endless war, it has frequently spread false information about Chinas supply of weapons to Russia, taking the opportunity to sanction Chinese companies for no reason," she added.

Mao Ning (EPA)

Kremlin says China's Ukraine peace plan should be analysed in detail

Monday 27 February 2023 10:15 , Matt Mathers

The Kremlin on Monday said a Chinese peace plan on Ukraine that urges both sides to agree to a gradual de-escalation and warns against the use of nuclear weapons should be analysed in detail, taking into account the interests of all sides.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov declined to comment on a U.S. media report that China was considering transferring drones to Russia.

You can read more about Chinas plan here:

What is Chinas peace proposal on how to end Ukraine war?

UN human rights chief warns of backsliding on global freedoms

Monday 27 February 2023 09:32 , Matt Mathers

The United Nations Human Rights chief Volker Turk warned on Monday that human rights gains made in recent decades were being reined back and even reversed, citing Russias "senseless" invasion of Ukraine as a current example of oppression.

"Much of the progress made over decades is being reined back and even reversed in some parts...," High Commissioner Turk said in a speech on the opening day of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva attended by more than 100 ministers and heads of state.

He called for countries to work to overcome their differences and create a "new world-wide consensus on human rights".

Switzerland Human Rights (' KEYSTONE / SALVATORE DI NOLFI)

Turkey's NATO talks with Sweden and Finland to resume on 9 March

Monday 27 February 2023 08:37 , Matt Mathers

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Monday that talks with Sweden and Finland regarding their NATO membership bids would resume on March 9, after being suspended in January in the wake of a Koran-burning protest in Stockholm.

Turkey had previously cancelled a trilateral mechanism with Sweden and Finland on their applications to join NATO after Rasmus Paludan, leader of the Danish far-right political party Hard Line, burned a copy of the Koran outside the Turkish embassy in Stockholm in January.

"My colleagues will attend the meeting that will be held on March 9," Cavusoglu told a press conference in Ankara, adding that the meeting would be held in Brussels.

(AP)

Russian military aircraft blown up near Minsk: Belarusian partisans

Monday 27 February 2023 07:47 , Matt Mathers

Belarusian anti-government activists have claimed responsibility for what they said was a drone attack on a Russian A-50 surveillance aircraft at an airfield near the Belarus capital of Minsk on Sunday.

"Those were drones. The participants of the operation are Belarusian," Aliaksandr Azarov, leader of Belarusian anti-government organization BYPOL, was quoted as saying on the organisations Telegram messaging app and on the Poland-based Belsat news channel.

"They are now safe, outside the country."

The claims could not be immediately verified. There was no official confirmation from Russia or Belarus and there was no immediate response from their defence ministries to requests for comment.

Russia launched over a dozen Kamikaze drones on Ukraine overnight  officials

Monday 27 February 2023 07:01 , Arpan Rai

Russian forces fired at least 14 Iranian Shahed drones into Ukraine overnight, officials from Ukraines general armed forces said today.

Of the total fired, 11 were shot down by Ukrainian air defence systems, the officials said.

Nostalgia for USSR: Putins motivation

Monday 27 February 2023 07:01 , Jane Dalton

Vladimir Putin, the autocrat who gave the orders for this war is a more complicated figure than many think, writes Mary Dejevsky.

His central motivation may well be to restore Russias standing in the world after what he saw as the humiliation of the Soviet Unions collapse:

What is driving Putins relentless war on Ukraine?
 Flash

The United States has provided about 50 billion U.S. dollars in aid to Ukraine since the start of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the Interfax-Ukraine news agency reported Monday, citing visiting U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen.

"In the field of security, economy, humanitarian and social support, we have already provided about 50 billion dollars in assistance," Yellen said after her meeting with Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal.

In particular, the United States has provided 14 billion dollars to support the economic resilience of Ukraine, Yellen said, noting that it plans to allocate another 8 billion dollars for the same needs in the near future.

For his part, Shmyhal said that in 2022, the United States was the top contributor of funds to the Ukrainian economy among foreign countries.

According to estimates of the Ukrainian government, the country would need 38 billion dollars in financing, including from external sources, to cover its budget deficit this year.
Destroyed Russian equipment

They cut short the lives of at least 10 Rushists (Russian fascists), destroyed another mortar, two multiple rocket launchers and three artillery gun systems, with which Kherson Oblast was shelled, the General Staff said in its morning report on Facebook.

Read also: Russia shells Kherson Oblast almost 80 times in the past day, killing two, injuring seven

Meanwhile, the South Command of the Ukrainian military reported that three enemy observation points on the left (eastern) bank of the Dnipro River had effectively been destroyed.

Russia invaded most of Kherson Oblast, in the south of Ukraine, in the early part of Moscows full-scale invasion of Ukraine. While quickly managing to capture the city of Kherson on the western bank of the Dnipro, Russian forces were unable to proceed much further into Mykolaiv Oblast, and had to give up plans for an overland assault on the key Ukrainian port city of Odesa.

Read also: Russian saboteurs active near Kherson, five groups on boats destroyed in one day

Later, in the last days of August, Ukraine launched a long-heralded counter-offensive on Kherson Oblast, after first attacking with its HIMARS long-range, GPS-guided rockets the main bridge supplying Russian forces in west-bank Kherson Oblast.

After a long, grinding assault, the bulk of the Russian forces retreated across the Dnipro to the east, and Ukrainian forces retook the city of Kherson on Nov. 11 without opposition.

Read also: Russians strike public transport stop in Kherson, killing six and injuring 12

However, Russian forces on the other side of the Dnipro have regularly shelled liberated settlements on the west bank of the Dnipro in Kherson Oblast, as well as the city of Kherson itself, frequently killing and injuring civilians.

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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
Oshchadbank

Read also: World Bank allocates additional $4.5 billion for government wages and welfare payments in Ukraine

The Access to Finance and Support of Sustainability of Micro-, Small- and Medium-sized Enterprises (MSMEs) program is funding by the German government and implemented by German state company Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH in cooperation with Deutsche Sparkassenstiftung fur international Kooperation (DSIK) and the Foundation for Enterprise Development, Oschadbank's announcement reads.

"Germany provides up to 30% of the funding in the form of grant support, Oschadbank stated said.

Projects worth up to EUR 240,000 ($255,000), VAT excluded, with a targeted use of funds for the purchase, modernization and reconstruction of fixed assets, as well as replenishment of working capital, are considered for participation in the program. The program is open to any legal non-state entity registered in Ukraine.

Read also: Ukraine receives first EUR 3 billion tranche of EU macro financial aid

The program also aims to enhance business potential and the development of business skills of MSMEs via support of the Ukrainian association of management consultants (CMC-Ukraine), the project beneficiaries.

The consultations will be provided in a wide range of topics, including market expansion within the country and beyond it, strategy development and adaptation, operational and production efficiency, digital transformation, and business relocation.

Grant Support requests will be accepted until April 25, 2023.

"Over 100 of Ukrainian entities will benefit from this grant support thanks to our European partners, in particular those from Germany, said Natalia Butkova-Vitvitska, Oschadbank Board Member in charge of MSMEs.

Read also: Four countries to provide additional financial aid to help Ukraine survive winter

We offer effective support for sustainable business development on reasonable terms. We have a strategically important goal: to ensure business functioning that will allow the countrys economy to recover.

Story continues

The business lending is carried out under the Memorandum of Cooperation in Financing MSMEs, within the framework of an international technical assistance program called

Application and Implementation of the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement in the field of trade.

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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
The Ministry of Defence of Ukraine has published updated contracts for the procurement of food products for the army; the food supply service will range from UAH 137 to UAH 144 [approximately USD 3.71-3.9], the terms of the contracts have been shortened, and food prices have decreased. In particular, eggs will cost UAH 8-9 [equiv. to approx USD 0.22-0.24] per unit.

Source: press service of the Ministry of Defense

Quote: "In order to ensure the transparency of purchases and access to information and publication of reports on the procurement of catering services of the Armed Forces of Ukraine... On 20 February 2023, changes were made to 8 contracts, according to which the validity period of the agreements was reduced and, accordingly, changes were made to the cost of catering services and prices in the product catalogue.

The cost of the catering service ranged from UAH 137.04 to UAH 144.06. The decline in prices was due to shorter contract terms, which prevented suppliers from considering inflation and other risks.

The prices of the products purchased by the supplier take into account the logistics."

Details: The Ministry of Defence reports that it purchases not only the products themselves, but also services for "receiving, storing, moving, refreshing food stocks, issuing food, their accounting, preparing meals in stationary and field conditions, providing technical means of cooking with fuel, maintaining canteens and warehouses, equipment and property in proper condition and their technical maintenance, reimbursement of utility costs", etc.

In particular, the price of eggs will be UAH 8-9 depending on the quality grade, and pastawill cost from UAH 35.70 to UAH 42.30 [equiv. to approx USD 0.97-1.15] per kilogram.

The price of a kilogram of fresh potatoes is from UAH 12.60 to UAH 17.70 [equiv. to approx USD 0.34-0.48], a kilogram of fresh early potatoes is from UAH 16.90 to UAH 40 [equiv. to approx USD 0.46-1.08], and a chicken thigh's price varies from UAH 90.96 to UAH 108 [equiv. to approx USD 2.46-2.92] per kilogram.

Story continues

After the investigation, the information about "chicken eggs for 17 hryvnias" went viral: the journalists investigation mentioned the price for a unit, even though the document contained the price for 100 grams.

Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov has explained that the prices of 17 hryvnias for an egg are "a usual technical mistake made by a supplier" who supposedly noted the price not per unit but per kilogramme.

screenshot

An interdepartmental working group chaired by First Deputy Prime Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko was also created to study new approaches to purchasing products for the Ministry of Defence, using the e-procurement system.

The group is reportedly working on updating the system to balance secrecy and public oversight of military procurement.

This information about the numbers of military units, their location and the number of personnel will be publishe, but no details will be provided.

Background:

ZN.ua reported on 21 January that the Defence Ministry procured food for soldiers two or three times more expensive than in shops in Kyiv. Bohdan Khmelnytskyi, already involved in the case of embezzlement of US$580,000 during the procurement of military ammunition, signed a contract with the Aktyv company in December.

Information about "chicken eggs for 17 hryvnias" became viral: the journalists investigation mentioned the price for a piece, even though the document contained the price for 100 grams.

The Ministry of Defence called the information about food being too expensive a deception and manipulation and promised to turn to the Security Service of Ukraine. Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov denied the accusations of his ministry. Later in his interview with Ukrainska Pravda, Reznikov admitted that he was too emotional and promised to thoroughly check all facts discovered by the journalists.

Viacheslav Shapovalov, Deputy Minister of Defence, resigned on 24 January 2023 due to the scandal over food procurement for the Ukrainian military at inflated prices. Bohdan Khmelnytskyi was fired from the position of the head of the state procurement department at the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine. It became known on 25 January.

Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal instructed to update the state procurement system for the Armed Forces of Ukraine that would include publishing prices for food and products.

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Ukraine is negotiating the possibility of supplying F-16 fighter jets

The issue was discussed in the context of strengthening the capabilities of Ukrainian air defenses.

Read also: US discussing transfer of fighter jets to Ukraine with allies

"I discussed the issue of strengthening the capabilities of the air defense of Ukraine in the context of the possible provision of multipurpose F-16 jets to the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine," Oleshchuk wrote.

He told his counterpart about the situation in the battle for Ukrainian skies since the beginning of Russias full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and briefed him on the current situation on the front line.

They also raised the question of bilateral cooperation in military equipment, other weapons and ammunition supply within international support of Ukraine.

Earlier, U.S. President Joe Biden said that "so far" he rejected the possibility of transferring U.S. F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine, as there is currently no need for them.

Read also: Ukraine working to build aviation coalition to get fighter jets, Kuleba says

Answering a clarifying question if fighter jets could be donated in the future, Biden said that no one could know what Ukraine would need for its defense in the future.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has repeatedly asked the partner nations, including the United States, for attack aircraft for Ukraine.

Biden has declined this request, saying that his country wouldn't supply Ukraine with F-16 fighter jets during his visit to Kyiv on the eve of the first anniversary of the Russian full-scale war against Ukraine.

Read also: EU and NATO discuss providing Ukraine with Western fighter jets

However, Zelenskyy and top officials from the United States, including the State Secretary Antony Blinken, claim the discussion is still open.

U.S. Under Secretary of States Victoria Nuland said that "the situation changes" depending on Ukraine's needs. Biden and Zelenskiy discussed the issue of fighter jets during a meeting in Kyiv on Feb. 20.

Other Ukrainian partner allies are also hesitating over the supply of fighter jets to Ukraine. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz stated that he would not transfer aircraft to Ukraine. Poland said it was ready to act only if there was a collective decision from the West.

Story continues

The UK was the first and, so far, the only country to announce training for Ukrainian pilots. At the same time, UK Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said that British Typhoon fighter jets would be delivered to Ukraine only after the war.

According to Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov, a positive decision on the transfer of aircraft to Ukraine would take one to two months to secure.

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Flags of Ukraine and the European Union in Brussels, February 9

NDI has conducted the third wave of its Opportunities and Challenges Facing Ukraines Democratic Transition survey since the Russian invasion. A new survey was conducted in the first half of January, field work was carried out by the Kyiv Institute of Sociology. Previous surveys were held in May and August 2022.

Read also: Ending war in Ukraine wont improve Russia-NATO relations, Stoltenberg says

49% of the respondents said that Ukraine's refusal to join NATO is a completely unacceptable price for peace, another 22% called such a price for peace somewhat unacceptable. 12% answered the arrangement is somewhat acceptable, and only 8% believe that it is completely acceptable.

Read also: EU sanctions major Russian banks, Rosatom, in 10th sanctions package

Ukraine's hypothetical pivot away from joining the European Union is considered a completely unacceptable price for ending the war by even more respondents  56%, somewhat unacceptable  another 19%. Only 10% of respondents consider the refusal to join the EU to be an acceptable price for peace, and 6% consider it completely acceptable.

Read also: EU ready to completely stop importing Russian gas, says MEP

According to a survey by Ukraines polling firm Rating, as of mid-January 2023, 86% of Ukrainians support Ukraine's accession to NATO, and 87%  to the EU.

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ultimate packing

When it comes to Tulum, Mexico, its a favorite destination among Black women. Theres so much to do for rest and relaxation, exploring history, and embarking on a new and adventurous journey. In order to make the most out of your trip, it is critical to pack efficiently. Here is the ultimate packing list for Black women traveling to Tulum, Mexico!

Skin & Hair Care Ultimate Packing List

Black Girl Sunscreen

Black Girl Sunscreen Tulum

15.99

Black Girl Sunscreen

Black Girl Sunscreen Tulum

Ulta Beauty | Black Girl Sunscreen

Our skin is a gift, so its important to protect it. Its a myth that only those not blessed with melanin get sunburn, which is why the Black Girl Sunscreen made it on the ultimate packing list.

Protect your skin in Tulum with one of our favorite sunscreens. It even doubles as a makeup primer.

Remember, apply it no matter if the sun is out or not.

After Sunscreen

After Sun Aloe Vera Gel

9.99

After Sun Aloe Vera Gel

After Sun Aloe Vera Gel

If you get sunburned, ensure you have what you need to be comfortable until you get home. Thats where the After Sun Aloe Vera Gel comes into play on this ultimate packing list.

This will help hydrate your skin and wont irritate it like many products out there. A lot of the good products can get expensive. The After Sun Aloe Vera Gel gives you the best of both worlds: a good product for an even better price.

Face Moisturizer

The Outset Daily Moisturizer

44.00

The Outset Nourishing Set

The Outset Daily Moisturizer

Ulta Beauty

Vacation is the best time to ensure you stay true to your skincare regimen. While we are all trying to figure out what works best for our skin, we can all agree that face moisturizer is the most important aside from daily cleansing.

The best option is The Outset Nourishing Daily Moisturizer. It is a simple way to keep your skin glowy and nourished.

Bug Repellent Wipes

OFF! Deep Woods Insect Towelettes, Long Lasting Protection from Mosquitoes, Ticks, Biting Flies, Gnats & Chiggers, 12 Wrapped Towelettes/Pack (Pack of 3)

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A University of Kansas student was found dead in his dormitory hall on Monday afternoon, according to the universitys police department.

The student, whose name was not disclosed Monday, was discovered inside his room shortly before 2 p.m. in Lewis Residence Hall at 1530 Engel Road in Lawrence, KU Police Department Deputy Chief James Druen said in a statement.

Officers who found the student were responding to a welfare check, Druen said. Police did not suspect foul play.

Further details were not immediately disclosed by police.

Druen said counseling and psychological services were available to affected students. KU students were advised to contact the universitys CAPS staff at 785-864-2277 or set up an appointment online.
The head of an upscale Japanese inn apologized on Tuesday for only changing the water in its hot-spring bath every six months, allowing bacteria to breed 3,700 times over the standard limit.

Local ordinances stipulate a weekly replacement of the water in which guests traditionally soak naked together after taking showers, with men and women bathing separately.

Makoto Yamada, president of the company that operates the nearly 160-year-old inn, said the facility had neglected to keep the water hygienic by using enough chlorine.

He "didn't like the smell" of the chemical, he said at a press conference.

"It was a selfish reason," Yamada added, describing the lapse as a "wrongdoing that completely disregarded the health of our customers."

The lax measures at Daimaru Besso inn  where Japan's emperor Hirohito once stayed  began around December 2019.

Since then, staff at the facility in the southwestern Fukuoka region grew even more complacent as the number of guests dropped during the pandemic, Yamada said.

Even before the scandal made headlines, there had been red flags.

An inspection last year by authorities found double the permissible amount of legionella bacteria  the bacteria responsible for Legionnaires disease  in the inn's bathwater.

At the time, the inn "falsified documents to claim that the chlorine had been properly added," Yamada admitted.

A subsequent probe by health authorities detected a whopping 3,700 times the standard limit of legionella.

The germ reportedly caused an individual who had visited multiple hotels including Daimaru Besso to fall sick.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Legionnaires disease is a serious and sometimes fatal type of pneumonia which can be caught by breathing in mist from water contaminated with the bacteria.

Legionnaire's disease is most harmful to those age 50 and older, people with a chronic lung disease or people with cancer or other health issues that weaken the immune system. The CDC says it kills about 1 in 10 patients.

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"My understanding of the law has been lax. I was complacent in thinking that legionella bacteria was just an ordinary germ that can be found everywhere," Yamada said.

The inn opened in 1865 and was about to commemorate its 160th anniversary when the scandal emerged.

"I feel sorry for our ancestors," Yamada said.

According to the inn's website, the baths have been "visited by government dignitaries and priests for centuries."

"Its soft and smooth waters leave your skin feeling supple and your mind at ease," the website says.

Colon cancer rates rising in younger adults, new study finds

Sneak peek: The Poisonous Wife

McCarthy aide and House Oversight chair met with Ashli Babbit's mother
An A-10 over central Germany in February 2000. US Air Force/Master Sgt. Blake R. Borsic

After years of debate, Congress has approved a US Air Force plan to begin retiring A-10 Thunderbolts.

The A-10 is the only US military aircraft purpose-built to provide close air support to ground forces.

But training documents raise questions about the Air Force's focus on that mission going forward.

After repeatedly blocking the US Air Force's attempts to retire the A-10 Thunderbolt II, Congress late last year approved a plan to decommission 21 of the venerable ground-attack aircraft, which is the only US military aircraft purpose-built for close air support.

Those retirements would shrink the Air Force's A-10 fleet to 260 aircraft, and Air Force leaders plan to continue decommissioning A-10s in the years ahead.

Air Force officials have said they want to replace the A-10, affectionately known as the Warthog, with the F-35 as the service's primary close-air-support aircraft.

An A-10 over at an aerial gunnery range in Michigan in April 2016. US Air Force/Master Sgt. David Kujawa

However, according to the Project on Government Oversight, a non-partisan watchdog group, the Air Force seems to be de-emphasizing close-air-support training for F-35 pilots.

Close air support, or CAS, is defined as strikes by fixed- or rotary-wing aircraft against targets that are close to friendly forces. Such missions can affect the outcome of a fight but are difficult and require close coordination with ground troops to avoid hitting friendly forces.

Although other US military branches also conduct close-air-support missions with other aircraft, none of them have specialized platforms like the A-10, and the Air Force is the only branch specifically assigned to "furnish close combat and logistical air support" to the Army.

Not so close

US Air Force joint terminal attack controllers during a close air support training with an A-10 in Nevada in September 2011. US Air Force/Tech. Sgt. Michael Holzworth

Current and former Air Force officials have said that the F-35 would take over the A-10's mission after the Warthog left the fleet.

At a Senate hearing in 2016, Michael Gilmore, then the Pentagon's director of operational test and evaluation, confirmed that the F-35 was intended to succeed the A-10 by citing the F-35's operational requirements document, which describes a weapon program's role and is created before a program enters development.

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"On page 2, it says the F-35A will rely primarily upon the F-22 for air superiority and will assume the current F-16 role as the low end of the USAF high-low fighter mix strategy and the A-10 role," Gilmore said. "So that is in the operational requirements document."

At the same hearing, Frank Kendall, then the Pentagon's top acquisition official, said that the F-35 would take a distinct approach to the close-air-support role.

An A-10 at Incirlik Air Base in Turkey in October 2015. Incirlik Air Base/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

"The A-10 was designed to be low and slow and close to the targets that it was engaging, relatively speaking. We will not use the F-35 in the same way as the A-10. So it will perform the mission very differently," said Kendall, who is now the Air Force's top civilian official.

CAS training for F-35 pilots appears to have taken a backseat, however. According to POGO, the Air Force characterized close air support as a secondary mission for F-35 pilots across its active duty, National Guard, and reserve components, meaning they have to be familiar but not proficient with it.

Further, according to the Air Force's most recent F-35 training memorandum, which was issued in October and applies to training in 2023 and 2024, F-35 pilots are not required to fly any actual or simulated CAS training missions.

"Just to drive home the point: No F-35 pilot of any experience level in any component of the Air Force is required to fly a single close air support training mission in 2023 or 2024," Dan Grazier, senior defense policy fellow for POGO, wrote in the report.

An A-10 and an F-35 over Texas in October 2020. US Air Force/Airman 1st Class David Phaff

By comparison, A-10 pilots are required to fly between 13 and 20 CAS training missions, depending on their level of experience and their component but they usually fly more, as commanders typically assign nearly 32 additional CAS sorties to A-10 pilots, according to POGO.

POGO said that the only F-35 Air Force pilots required to fly close-air-support missions are those attending the service's Weapons Course, a premier graduate-level course in weapons and tactics.

Yet only two of the 21 sorties that Weapons Course students fly are devoted to CAS, and the course's syllabus adds that "CAS fighter training objectives are permitted, but are secondary to approved syllabus objectives."

An Air Force spokesperson told POGO that CAS training was "a required element" of the F-35A ready aircrew program and that CAS training required integration of forward air controllers to be "an effective training event."

A change of course

An airman inspects a rack on an A-10 at Kandahar Airfield in Afghanistan in December 2011. US Air Force/Senior Airman Corey Hook

Introduced in 1976, the A-10 was designed to counter a Soviet invasion of Western Europe by taking out Soviet armor with its 30 mm GAU-8 Avenger cannon and other air-to-surface weapons.

That mission would require attacking enemy forces in close proximity to friendly troops, and to do it, the A-10 would have to fly low and relatively slow in environments where anti-aircraft weapons would be plentiful.

The A-10 was therefore designed to be durable, with features like a titanium "bathtub" around the cockpit, but even Cold War-era planners expected it to take heavy losses.

The F-35 has a less powerful gun and is not as durable, putting it at higher risk when flying low-altitude CAS missions.

An A-10 that returned to base after sustaining heavy damage over Baghdad in spring 2003. SSgt Jason Haag, USAF

F-35 could conduct close air support from medium altitudes using its advanced sensors and smart bombs, but CAS from that height "does not work when the enemy is close" to friendly troops, Billie Flynn, a former Canadian air force officer and senior F-35 test pilot, told The Aviationist last year.

"There is no conversation ever that any aircraft can truly and effectively replace the A-10, even after all these years," Flynn added.

The Air Force's years-long effort to start retiring A-10s has been a point of conflict with Congress, which intervened several times over the past decade to keep the Warthog in service.

Given the inherent danger in attacking targets close to friendly forces, "routinely training" in CAS-related skills is vital, veteran A-10 pilot Brian Boeding told Grazier.

Those skills "are perishable," Boeding added, "and the stakes are too high to not train dedicated crews (ground and air) in purpose build close air support aircraft."

Constantine Atlamazoglou works on transatlantic and European security. He holds a master's degree in security studies and European affairs from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy. You can contact him on LinkedIn.

Read the original article on Business Insider
 Flash

China on Monday slammed the United States for sanctioning Chinese companies for alleged involvement with Russia, saying the illegal, unilateral sanctions, if not revoked, would be met with countermeasures from China.

Mao Ning, a spokesperson for the Chinese foreign ministry, told a press briefing that the U.S. actions lack both the basis in international law and UN Security Council mandate.

"They are typical unilateral sanctions and illegal 'long-arm jurisdiction' and detrimental to Chinese interests. We deplore and reject this move and have made serious demarches to the U.S. side," Mao said.

She said on the Ukraine issue, China's position has been objective and fair.

"We have actively promoted peace talks and sought a political solution. The U.S., however, has been fanning the flame and fueling the fight with more weaponry," she said.

To date, the United States has provided Ukraine with over 32 billion U.S. dollars worth of military aid, including large quantities of advanced armament. Just days ago, it announced yet another tranche of military aid for Ukraine worth 2 billion U.S. dollars, according to the spokesperson.

Mao said the United States has been pouring weapons into one side of the conflict, thus prolonging the fight and making peace elusive, while spreading disinformation that China would supply weapons to Russia and sanctioning Chinese companies under that pretext.

"This is out-and-out hegemonism and double standard, and absolute hypocrisy," Mao said.

"On the one-year mark of the full escalation of the Ukraine crisis, China issued its position paper on the political settlement of the crisis, whereas the U.S. imposed sanctions on Chinese and other foreign companies. Who is promoting peace and deescalation, and who is fueling the tension and making the world more unstable? The answer is fairly obvious," the spokesperson said.

She called on the United States to reflect on its behavior, bear in mind what is good for the world, and do something that will actually help deescalate the situation and get peace talks going.

"The U.S. also needs to stop spreading disinformation and withdraw the sanctions on Chinese companies," she said.

"The Chinese side will continue to do what is necessary to firmly safeguard the lawful rights and interests of Chinese companies. We will take resolute countermeasures in response to the U.S. sanctions," Mao said.
The U.S. Ambassador to China on Tuesday said Beijing needs to be more honest about the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic amid renewed scrutiny over what sparked the outbreak.

We are the two largest economies. We are the two most powerful countries in the world. Weve gotta be able to work with each other, Nicholas Burns said at a U.S. Chamber of Commerce International Security, Trade, and Economic Platform event.

And while there may be some disagreements, I think most Americans would say the two largest carbon emitters ought to be working together on climate change, he continued. If were gonna do something to strengthen the World Health Organization, then were gonna have to push China to be more active in it and to, of course, be more honest about what happened three years ago in Wuhan with the origin of the Covid-19 crisis.

The ambassadors comments come amid news that the Energy Department has determined with low confidence that the COVID-19 pandemic came out of a lab leak in China, as opposed to natural transmission or another theory. Beijing has appeared to dismiss the new report.

Burns wasnt specifically addressing the Energy Departments new judgment, as reported by the Wall Street Journal, but comes amid renewed discussion on Chinas information-sharing when it comes to the global pandemic.

We have large-scale bipartisan agreement that we ought to be competing with China for military power in the Indo-Pacific, Burns said. Competing in the economic and trade sphere for a much more level playing field for American business, because its not level right now. Were certainly competing on technology and, of course, we defend our values. We defend human right.

He characterized the Chinese government as very difficult to deal with in the competitive U.S.-China relationship, and stressed the importance of bipartisan collaboration, since China will try to divide us at home.

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The new House select committee on U.S.-China competition is set to meet Tuesday.

Burns at the Commerce event also said Chinas stance on Russias war against Ukraine and the Chinese surveillance balloon shot down by the U.S. military earlier this month are both top national issues the U.S. needs to address.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
The U.S. hailed India as its key global strategic partner as Secretary of State Antony Blinken landed in New Delhi to attend the G-20 foreign ministers meeting.

What Happened: State Department Spokesperson Ned Price told the media on Monday that India is a global strategic partner of ours and the U.S. has a wide, broad, deep relationship with the country.

See Also: Optimistic Bill Gates Lauds Indias Resilience Ahead Of First Visit Since Pandemic

There will be a lot on the agenda in the bilateral relationship and in the multilateral engagements he takes part in on the margins of the G20, Price added.

Blinken will also be attending a Quad  which comprises Japan, India, Australia and the U.S.  ministerial meeting and hold a bilateral talk with Indias External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar.

We share a vision with India of a free and open Indo-Pacific, and India is a key partner of ours bilaterally, in the context of the Quad as well as other international groupings, even as weve attempted to stitch together some of the partnerships in which India has been a key player, Price added.

Read Also: India To Be Major Focus For Apple, Says Tim Cook As iPhone Maker Sets New Record In Country

Blinken is in India for a three-day India trip where both Russia and China are expected to figure in talks during the bilateral meetings. Price said the U.S. would continue to discuss these issues with India.

I have no doubt that theyll be on the agenda for and around the G20, Price said, adding, Youve heard very firmly from Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi the belief on the part of the Indian government that this is not an era of war.

Benzinga now brings news and insights about the Indian economy and markets through its new Benzinga India portal.

Read Next: India Is Not Adani, Porinju Veliyath Says Groups Stocks Falling To Reasonable Levels Wont Cause Systemic Damage To Wider Market

Don't miss real-time alerts on your stocks - join Benzinga Pro for free! Try the tool that will help you invest smarter, faster, and better.

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This article US Cites Modi On Ukraine As Blinken Lands In India For G-20 Meet: Russia, China 'On The Agenda' originally appeared on Benzinga.com

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 2023 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
By David Shepardson

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee said on Tuesday he opposed a Republican bill that would give President Joe Biden the power to ban Chinese-owned social media app TikTok and other apps.

The committee opened debate on Tuesday on the measure, which Republican committee chair Michael McCaul sponsored to grant the administration new powers to ban the ByteDance-owned app that is used by more than 100 million Americans. The committee delayed a vote on the measure until Wednesday.

"Many Americans do not realize one of the greatest surveillance efforts from (China) has been silently gathering personal data in their pockets," McCaul said, referring to TikTok. "TikTok is a national security threat ... It is time to act."

Representative Gregory Meeks said he strongly opposed the legislation, saying it would "damage our allegiances across the globe, bring more companies into China's sphere, destroy jobs here in the United States and undercut core American values of free speech and free enterprise."

A ban would require passage by the full House and the Senate before the president can sign it into law. On Monday, the White House told federal agencies they had 30 days to purge TikTok from government devices.

"It would be unfortunate if the House Foreign Affairs Committee were to censor millions of Americans, and do so based not on actual intelligence, but on a basic misunderstanding of our corporate structure," TikTok said, adding that it has spent more than $1.5 billion on rigorous data security efforts and rejects spying allegations.

The U.S. government's Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), a powerful national security body, in 2020 unanimously recommended that ByteDance divest TikTok because of fears that user data could be passed onto China's government. TikTok and CFIUS have been negotiating for more than two years on data security requirements.

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Meeks said McCaul's bill is "dangerously overbroad" and would require U.S. sanctions on Korean and Taiwanese companies that supply Chinese companies with semiconductor chips and other equipment.

Meeks said he believes concerns about TikTok are "justified" and offered a far narrower alternative that would allow the current negotiations CFIUS and TikTok to address U.S. data concerns to continue.

McCaul noted courts repeatedly blocked former President Donald Trump's administration's attempts to bar TikTok from U.S. devices.

The American Civil Liberties Union urged Congress not to ban TikTok, saying it would violate the free speech rights of millions of Americans.

This month, Biden said he was not sure if Washington would ban TikTok. Earlier on Monday, the White House gave government agencies 30 days to ensure that TikTok is not on any federal devices and systems. Various U.S. states, Canada and European Union policy institutions have also banned TikTok from being loaded onto state-owned devices. Meeks praised those efforts.

(Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Chris Reese, Josie Kao and Gerry Doyle)
By David Morgan

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The Republican-controlled U.S. House voted on Tuesday to block President Joe Biden's administration from allowing retirement plans to consider environmental, social and corporate governance, or ESG, issues in their investment decisions.

The lawmakers voted 216-204 to adopt a joint resolution that would prevent the Labor Department from enforcing a rule that makes it easier for plan managers to consider ESG factors when they make investments and exercise shareholder rights, such as through proxy voting.

The action, the latest salvo in a Republican culture war against "woke" business practices, sends the measure onto the Senate, where Republicans hope to muster enough support to pass it as early as Wednesday.

If approved by both chambers, the resolution would go to Biden, a Democrat, who the White House said would veto it.

Republicans claim the Labor rule represents a Biden administration ploy to politicize investing by allowing plan managers to pursue liberal causes with the retirement savings of unwitting investors.

Representative Andy Barr, who introduced the House measure, warned that the Labor rule would ultimately saddle Americans with higher fees for less-diversified investments in lower-performing portfolios. "Twenty-one percent of investors don't even know what ESG stands for," Barr said.

The regulation, which took effect in January, covers plans that collectively invest $12 trillion on behalf of more than 150 million people.

Experts said the Biden administration has made only cosmetic changes to an earlier regulation adopted under former President Donald Trump. Where the Trump rule required plan managers to "prudently" determine whether a factor would have a "material" effect on investments, the Biden rule says they can "reasonably" determine "relevant" effects, according to an analysis published by Harvard Law School.

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Both the Trump and Biden rules prohibit plan managers from subordinating the financial interests of beneficiaries to other objectives.

But the political battle over ESG issues is likely to intensify as the 2024 presidential campaign gets under way. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, widely seen as a leading White House contender, has already made his own fight against "woke" businesses a hallmark of his image.

The House vote could be followed by action in the Senate, where Democrats have a 51-49 majority. Republicans have support from all 49 of their members and Democratic Senator Joe Manchin. But they could need an additional Democrat or one of the three independents who normally vote with the Democrats to pass the measure on a simple majority.

"I'll be proud to support this commonsense measure later this week," Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell said in a floor speech.

Republican Senator Mike Braun is bringing the resolution under the Congressional Review Act, which bypasses the Senate's "filibuster" rule that requires the support of 60 senators to pass most legislation.

The White House on Monday said that Biden would veto the bill if it reached his desk.

"The rule reflects what successful marketplace investors already know  there is an extensive body of evidence that environmental, social and governance factors can have material impacts on certain markets, industries and companies," it said in a statement.

Last week, 25 Republican-led states asked a federal judge in Texas to block the same rule, warning that the regulation could lead to millions of Americans losing retirement investments and harm state finances. Plaintiffs in the case include an oil drilling company and an oil and gas trade group.

(Reporting by David MorganEditing by Scott Malone and Alistair Bell)
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken meets with Kazakhstan's President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev at Ak Orda Presidential Palace in Astana, Kazakhstan, on February 28, 2023. Olivier Douliery/Pool Photo via AP

Kazakhstan, one of Russia's closest allies, has seemingly snubbed it since it invaded Ukraine.

It has not openly criticized the Ukraine war, but has distanced itself, drawing Russian ire.

The US says it supports Kazakhstan's independence and wants an "even stronger" relationship with it.

The US is increasingly supporting Kazakhstan, one of Russia's closest allies, as cracks appear in the nation's relationship with its larger neighbor following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

The move could be a worrying development for Russian President Vladimir Putin, who launched his attack on Ukraine partly over fears that NATO was moving closer to its borders.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited the central Asian country on Tuesday, where he said that the US "strongly supports Kazakhstan's sovereignty, its independence, its territorial integrity," according to news agency AFP.

This came after some of Russia's outspoken propagandists had suggested that Russia should look to Kazakhstan next.

One notable Russian TV commentator, Vladimir Solovyov, said in November that his country "must pay attention to the fact that Kazakhstan is the next problem, because the same Nazi processes can start there as in Ukraine."

During his visit, Blinken said the US was "determined to make even stronger" its relationship with Kazakhstan.

He also referenced Russia's assault on Ukraine.

Kazakhstan, formerly part of the Soviet Union, has maintained close ties to Russia, and is one of its strongest allies. But the relationship between the two countries has shifted since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, with Kazakhstan aligning itself more with the West, drawing the fury of some in Russia.

Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, who has gone from perceived pro-West reformer to one of Russia's' most warmongering figures, has been among those to question Kazakhstan's independence, suggesting on social media that Russia could invade it next. Medvedev later deleted the comments and said he'd been hacked.

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While Kazakhstan's leaders have not explicitly criticized Putin's war, no official in the country has expressed support for it, Temur Umarov, a fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, noted in Foreign Policy last year.

The country has also taken a series of actions seemingly meant to show its distance from Russia, including denying Russia's request to send troops to fight, and sending planeloads of humanitarian aid to Ukraine.

Kazakhstan also hasn't recognized the Russia-backed, self-proclaimed republicans in Ukraine.

Meanwhile, the EU and Kazakhstan pledged to forge "ever closer" relations at a meeting in Luxembourg last June.

Kazakhstan, which has widespread political and economic ties to Russia, is walking a tightrope, and in some cases appears to be trying to appease Russia. This includes changing its immigration policies.

In January it brought in new rules that limit how long Russians can stay, after hundreds of thousands fled across the border to avoid Putin's military draft.

Kazakhstan also abstained in a UN vote last week aimed at condemning Russia's invasion, not backing Russia but also not totally aligning itself with the West.

Read the original article on Business Insider
The United States Marshals Service says it was hit with a major security breach over a week ago, compromising systems that contained sensitive information.

U.S. Marshals Service spokesperson Drew Wade said in a statement to The Hill on Monday evening that the agency discovered the ransomware and data exfiltration event on Feb. 17, adding that it affected a stand-alone system. He said that after the discovery, the Marshals Service disconnected the system and the Justice Department initiated a forensic investigation.

The affected system contains law enforcement sensitive information, including returns from legal process, administrative information, and personally identifiable information pertaining to subjects of USMS investigations, third parties, and certain USMS employees, Wade said of the breach, which was first reported by NBC News.

A senior law enforcement official told NBC News that the hack did not affect the Witness Security Program, and that no one in the program is at risk due to it. The official added that the breach affected law enforcement sensitive information about the subjects of the agencys investigations.

Wade said that the Marshals Service on Feb. 22 briefed senior Justice Department officials, who determined that the breach was a major incident. He added the Justice Departments remediation efforts and criminal and forensic investigations are ongoing in relation to the incident.

We are working swiftly and effectively to mitigate any potential risks as a result of the incident, he said.

Data hacks have increasingly plagued federal and state governments, in addition to corporations and individuals, in recent years.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Federal law enforcement is once again dealing with a cybersecurity breach. The US Marshals Service (USMS) reports that it suffered a serious ransomware attack on February 17th. The perpetrators compromised sensitive data on a stand-alone system, including personally identifiable info for some USMS employees, third parties and the targets of investigations.

We've asked the USMS for comment. The agency tells CNBC that it disconnected the affected system from the network after discovering the attack, and that the Justice Department has launched an investigation. Senior officials briefed on the ransomware determined it was a "major" event on February 22nd.

The service hasn't identified potential culprits or named any impacted divisions or programs. A CNBC source claims the ransomware didn't touch the Witness Security Program. The USMS has reportedly created a workaround to maintain its activities, including hunting fugitives.

Word of the breach comes just over a week after the FBI said it "contained" a security incident on its network. Ransomware has also been problematic for various levels of government and public institutions in the past several months. The city of Oakland went so far as to declare a state of emergency in February following an incursion, while Los Angeles' Unified School District also reeled from a digital heist last fall.

The US government has escalated its fight against ransomware in the past two years. It brought 30 countries together to address ransomware in 2021, and recently succeeded in disrupting a major ransomware group that stole hundreds of millions of dollars from victims. However, the USMS breach suggests that the battle is far from over.
Afghan National Army Special Operations Commandos stand in formation during a visit by Chief of General Staff of the Armed Forces Gen. Mohammad Yasin Zia and his command staff, in Camp Commando, Afghanistan, Wednesday, April 28, 2021. MARCUS YAM/LOS ANGELES TIMES/Getty Images

A new watchdog report details how Afghanistan's security forces collapsed in August 2021.

The report pins blame on multiple governments, armies, and agencies, including the US military.

It said the US handled tasks that it was supposed to be training Afghan troops how to do.

Desperate to leave Afghanistan, the US armed forces often handled tasks that they were supposed to be training Afghan troops to do, allowing the US military to create an illusion of success, a new report has found.

The Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR), a US government oversight agency, published a report this week that details how the Afghan security forces fell apart leading up to the US military's 2021 withdrawal from the country and the Taliban's subsequent seizure of power.

In its report, SIGAR said the collapse of Afghanistan's national security forces  also known as Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF)  was a long time coming and started well before the Taliban blitzed across the country in summer 2021. Despite two decades and $90 billion in international support, the US and its partners and the Afghan government ultimately failed to build an "independent and self-sustainable" ANDSF, the report found.

Among the many reasons for this, SIGAR found, was that the US lacked the capabilities  like organization, policy, and resources  to actually develop another country's army. For example, US trainers and advisors were often inexperienced and were sent on short tours of duty, and the US had flawed metrics of evaluating the performance of the ANDSF.

Afghan commandos help unload ammunition from a UH-60 Blackhawk during a resupply mission to an outpost in Ghazni Province, Afghanistan, Sunday, May 9, 2021. MARCUS YAM/LOS ANGELES TIMES/Getty Images

"Reflecting a continuing desire to get out of Afghanistan, the US military worked to create the appearance of success by performing the tasks it was supposed to be training the Afghan military to do: supply, logistics, evacuation, intelligence, maintenance, and procurement activities," the report said.

This was not the only issue that SIGAR found with the US approach toward building up the ANDSF. Washington lacked the political will and effort to actually develop an Afghan security force in a "war-torn and impoverished country," which is a monumental task. For this reason, the ANDSF couldn't work independently and faced unrealistic milestones for its development. "The eventual collapse of the ANDSF was predictable," the report said.

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SIGAR noted that another contributing factor was the February 2020 peace agreement between the US and the Taliban, which created a feeling of abandonment and signaled the eventual end of the ANDSF. Additionally, the report placed blame on the Afghan government, which it said was riddled with corruption that trickled down into the military.

"Low troop morale, something the US military did not take into account, was one of the main contributors to the ANDSF's collapse," the report said. "However, nothing affected morale more than the realization in February 2021 that US military forces were leaving."

The Taliban went on to orchestrate a lightning-fast campaign across Afghanistan that resulted in the militant group's power grab in August 2021  marking its second rule of the country. The chaotic and messy withdrawal of US and NATO forces that month  which left scores dead  stirred intense criticism of US action.

Read the original article on Business Insider
The US Navy's USS Chancellorsville (CG-62) guided missile destroyer ANTHONY WALLACE/AFP via Getty Images

A US Navy guided missile cruiser is losing its name that previously honored a Confederate victory.

The ship, formally known as USS Chancellorsville, will be named USS Robert Smalls.

Robert Smalls was born into slavery but went on to become a prominent sailor and politician.

The US Navy is renaming one of its ships so that it no longer pays tribute to a major Civil War victory for Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee.

Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro announced that the Ticonderoga-class guided missile cruiser formerly named USS Chancellorsville will be called USS Robert Smalls, the Navy said in a Monday statement.

Robert Smalls was born into slavery in 1839 in South Carolina, where as a young man he worked on the steamer Planter, which would later be used by the Confederacy for ammunition transport.

Smalls was an expert sailor and navigator, and during the Civil War, as the ship's Confederate officers went ashore, he effectively hijacked the steamer and sailed it past Charleston gun batteries to deliver it to the Union Navy, freeing not only himself but over a dozen others as well. He continued to pilot the Planter, which was repurposed for troop transport, for the Union and later the ironclad USS Keokuk.

After the war, Smalls became a brigadier general in South Carolina's state militia and served in the state's legislature and, later, the US House of Representatives.

The changing of the name of the missile cruiser USS Chancellorsville comes after a US government Naming Commission reviewed assets within the military that honored various aspects of the Confederacy and required them to be renamed. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin agreed with the commission's recommendations in October 2022. Each branch of service has until 2024 to make any necessary name changes.

Del Toro on Monday said he is "proud" to rename the ship after Robert Smalls. "He was an extraordinary American and I had the pleasure of learning more about him last year when I visited his home in South Carolina," he said in the statement.

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"The renaming of these assets is not about rewriting history, but to remove the focus on the parts of our history that don't align with the tenets of this country, and instead allows us to highlight the events and people in history who may have been overlooked," Del Toro added. "Robert Smalls is a man who deserves a namesake ship and with this renaming, his story will continue to be retold and highlighted."

The Battle of Chancellorsville, which the cruiser was initially named after, took place in Virginia in the spring of 1863 and proved to be a major victory for the Confederate army, despite the loss of Lt. Gen. Thomas 'Stonewall' Jackson. The USS Chancellorsville was commissioned in 1989 and is assigned to Carrier Strike Group Five in Japan, although it is scheduled to leave active service in 2026.

The ship previously made headlines when it sailed through the disputed Taiwan Strait alongside the USS Antietam in August 2022 amid sky-high tensions between the US and China over then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan a few weeks earlier.

Read the original article on Business Insider
SEVASTOPOL, Crimea  Soldiers kiss loved ones goodbye at train stations. Fighter jets circle overhead. Military vehicles bearing war-supporting Z's on their grills power down the Tavrida Highway, a 155-mile road linking this peninsulas main cities.

Crimea is a territory teeming with Russian forces.

Nowhere is that truer than in Sevastopol, a city that has long embodied naval might in the Russian imagination.

Fishermen watch as Russias Black Sea Fleet docks and sails. Special Military Operation for the future of Russia, a billboard declares en route to the port. Sevastopols Victory cinema now also sports a massive Z. Roads like Lenin Street are lined with red, white and blue Russian Federation flags.

This is not Russia, according to Kyiv, its Western allies and the United Nations. It was annexed by the Kremlin in 2014, with the U.N. calling on Russia to return to its "internationally recognized borders." And following Moscows broader invasion launched a year ago, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has vowed Ukraine will take Crimea back.

But Praskovya Baranova, 73, speaks Russian, feels Russian and lives here.

Keir Simmons in Crimea. (NBC News)

This is our land, she said Monday. We will all put on uniforms and will go to the border to defend ourselves.Her comments echoed those of most people NBC News spoke to in Crimea this week. While the government of President Vladimir Putin has cracked down on free speech everywhere, including in Crimea, the peninsulas majority Russian-speaking population was considered more pro-Moscow than in other parts of Ukraine when it was annexed.

Russia says life has improved.

Modern-looking gas stations along the highway sell Coca-Cola imported from Belarus, a beverage hard to find in Moscow these days.

But Zelenskyy has said Crimea is one of the reasons he wants more powerful weapons from the United States and NATO. Crimea is our land, our territory, he said in January. "Give us your weapons  we will return what is ours." And if Ukraine does try to take the peninsula back by force as its leaders have promised, many of the 2.4 million people living here will be caught in the middle.

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He wouldnt take it, Ruslan Nalgiev, 36, said. Even if there is a war here, we would still defend Sevastopol. Because, if we dont defend our motherland, we would become slaves. No one wants to become a slave.

Sevastopol  home to the Black Sea Fleet in Soviet times and the era of the Russian empire  might be the king on Putins chess board: The Russian leader may be determined to protect it at any cost, but Kyiv may now fear any peace deal that left Russias navy in the port would threaten its coastline for years to come.

After explosions rocked strategic sites in Crimea and Kyivs forces seized back the nearby southern hub of Kherson late last year, the door appeared to be open to a campaign to retake the prized peninsula. But Russian forces have regrouped and dug in.

NBC News traveled to Crimea by train from Moscow, across the Kerch Bridge that was blown up in a strategic and symbolic blow to Putin last fall. It is now fully restored but would likely be targeted again if the fight came to this peninsula.

Kerch Bridge in Crimea Explosion Linking Russia to Annexed Region. (AFP - Getty Images file)

Doubts persist, however, about whether the U.S. and other allies are willing to give Ukraine the firepower it may need for such an ambitious operation  especially given the Kremlins stance that Crimea represents a red line.

The question of Crimea, and the question of what happens down the road, is something that we will come to, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said on NBC News Meet the Press on Sunday. Undersecretary of State Victoria Nuland recently said that "at the very least, Crimea needs to be demilitarized," though she didnt say how that could be done.

Sevastopol is steeped in Russian military culture. It even has a Russian army store with toy tanks, Kalashnikovs and artillery for kids. For adults, it stocks clothes with Victory is ours emblazoned on them.

With war just a few hundred miles away, there are now makeshift signs for the nearest basement in Sevastopol.

Diana Galastyan, 26, denies that the Russian authorities may be trying to scare people. No one imposes fear on us. No one is saying to us that it will be scary. Nothing like that. They dont plant fear in us.

Still, fear lives here if you look for it.

A U.N. committee recently accused Russia of extrajudicial killings, abductions, politically motivated prosecutions, discrimination and violence in Crimea. The targets of many of these human rights abuses, it said, were the Muslim ethnic minority Crimean Tatars, who have been oppressed over the years and who have often led the opposition to Russias rule.

For a community like this one, speaking out can be frightening.

Drafted reservists attend a departure ceremony in Sevastopol, Crimea, on Sept. 27, 2022. (AFP via Getty Images)

In the historically Tatar town of Bakhchisarai, Olga, who declined to give her last name, broke down in tears when she talked about the war.

All mothers are crying. Both Russian and Ukrainian mothers are crying, she said. Why did it even start? Cant we all live in peace? Cant we just share this piece of bread in two halves?

Now the conflict is threatening to once again engulf Crimea.

Zelenskyy has said the war that started here will end here, a prospect that  for residents of the peninsula and the rest of this war-torn region  may mean that an end to the bloodshed is a long way off.

I have lived a long life already and I always thought that our generation would live without the war, Olga says. And you see, I was mistaken.

CORRECTION (Feb. 28, 2023, 9:10 a.m. ET): A previous version of this article misspelled the Ukrainian presidents first name. He is Volodymyr Zelenskyy, not Volodmyr.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
[Source]

VinFast is reportedly slashing the lease price of its VF 8 City Edition model for buyers in California, with deliveries starting on Wednesday.

The Vietnamese electric vehicle (EV) maker shipped 999 VF 8s to California in December 2022 to herald its global expansion. The EVs were originally set for a monthly lease of $599 for 24 months.

As of Monday, however, VinFasts website showed that the price was cut down to $399 for the same schedule. Additionally, those who had already paid a refundable deposit were told to pay $274 per month, marking a discount of over 50%, according to Reuters.

The automotive company's delivery event will be held on March 1 at one of their stores in California.

More from NextShark: Bay Area news anchor suspended after fight over tagline criticizing lack of news coverage toward women of color

Those unable to attend can pick up their cars or have them delivered beginning on March 2, VinFast said in a news release.

Our team worked tirelessly to ensure VinFast vehicles meet the highest standards of quality, fit and finish our customers expect, said Le Thi Thu Thuy, chairperson of VinFast and vice chair of its parent company, VinGroup. The presence of VinFast electric cars on U.S. streets in the coming days is an important milestone, accelerating VinFast's journey to compete in the U.S. and abroad.

The VF 8 City Edition comes in Eco and Plus trim models, which have an EPA-rated range of 207 and 191 miles, respectively.

More from NextShark: Controversial Wilmington police sergeant being investigated for 'China virus' Facebook post

It also features an Advanced Driver Assistance System and Smart Services to become a mobile platform that connects all aspects of life.

VinFast, which filed for a U.S. IPO in December 2022, is set to build an assembly factory in North Carolina. After the U.S., the company is expected to expand deliveries to Canada, France, Germany and the Netherlands.

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Payments company Visa has said it is not slowing down with its cryptocurrency plansdespite news reports hinting otherwise amid a brutal bear market.

The U.S. companys Head of Crypto Cuy Sheffield said in a series of tweets Tuesday that a Reuters story claiming both Visa and Mastercard were slowing down their crypto push was inaccurate when it comes to Visa.

He added that despite the challenges and uncertainty in the crypto ecosystem, Visa believes that fiat backed digital currencies running on public blockchains have the potential to play an important role in the payments ecosystem.

Visa has been working with the crypto space for sometime but things have slowed down as of late: In November, it ended its global credit card agreements with failed crypto exchange FTX.

The company had announced plans to roll out cards to 40 new countries as part of a long-term global partnershipbut pulled the plug when the crypto company went bust.

3/ Despite the challenges and uncertainty in the crypto ecosystem, our view has not changed that fiat backed digital currencies running on public blockchains have the potential to play an important role in the payments ecosystem  Cuy Sheffield (@cuysheffield) February 28, 2023

FTX went bankrupt in a highly publicized crash and is now being investigated for criminal mismanagement. Prosecutors allege the firm commingled customer funds; its ex-boss Sam Bankman-Fried is now facing 12 criminal charges.

Visa also filed new trademark applications back in October, which hinted at potential plans for a crypto wallet and a metaverse product. Crypto wallets, such as MetaMask or Phantom, are used to store digital assets like Bitcoin or Ethereum and make payments. Meanwhile, the metaverse refers to a shared virtual world online, and has become a focal point for various crypto and fintech companies.

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Mastercard's NFT Lead Exits, Selling Resignation Letter as NFT

The collapse of the mega exchange FTX and the contagion that has followed is forcing U.S. lawmakers and regulators to come up with new ideas on how to regulate the space.

A Visa spokesperson told Decrypt: Recent high-profile failures in the crypto sector are an important reminder that we have a long way to go before crypto becomes a part of mainstream payments and financial services.

The spokesperson added that Visa remains focused on growing our core competencies in Web3 infrastructure layers and evaluating the blockchain protocols driving crypto development.
bronx

Are you visiting New York? The Boogie Down Bronx is often eclipsed by its sisters, but dont let anybody tell you its less valuable.

In addition to being the home of the New York Yankees, The Bronx is the birthplace of hip-hop, and its the most green of the boroughs. Its also the third most densely populated county in the United States.

The history of The Bronx isnt free from hardship. In its early days, there was a high concentration of Italian, Irish, and Jewish residents, until the white flight pushed them to outside areas. That opened the door for Black and brown people to move there. During the prohibition, it was a playground for bootleggers, and in the 1970s, the Bronx fell victim to many fires. While, on the surface, it seemed like these fires were unhappy accidents, it was later revealed that many were deliberately set.

Past and present challenges aside, The Bronx is a survivor, thanks in no small part to residents of color. From chefs to artists, there are so many reasons to give this borough a chance.

Consider showing love to these Bronx-based businesses.

Brunch at Zions

After youve taken a walk around the track by Yankee Stadium, head to Brunch at Zions on 13 Canal Place. Here, guests can enjoy Caribbean and Mediterranean-inspired cuisine, with a touch of the South.

Chrystina Casado, founder and chef, was very intentional in how she designed the restaurant. This isnt just a place to eat, its a healing space with Black and brown people in mind. The walls feature work by artists of color, and the music is usually afrobeats or something similar.

If youre in The Bronx for a short time, grab a coffee or tea, and pair it with one of the desserts. The Hot Monkey Love brownie and Bronx Blackout Cake pudding will beckon to you from the display case. Thats only a fraction of whats available. On request, the cupcakes can be infused with alcohol or be made into mini versions.

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If youre looking to dine with a capital D, your taste buds are in for a ride. Everything is made to order, like the waffles topped with nutella, Fruity Pebbles and fresh fruit. The fried fish and grits are a nod to the South, and the Parmesan cilantro chicken is a tasty protein to add to the salads. Theres also curry chicken, empanadas and oxtail, which are available on request.

Brunch at Zions offers catering services as well. You can find information about that here.

Lastly, keep an eye out for Zion, the pint-sized CEO. Hell make an appearance from time to time to mingle with customers and help his mama.

Juices for Life

Theres a high concentration of smoothie shops in Manhattan and Brooklyn. However, this Black-owned business is the place to go in The Bronx for smoothies, fresh fruit juices and vegetable juices.

Here, healthy living is prioritized, and the Instagram feed is filled with smiling people enjoying their drink of choice.

One customer called the shop a diamond in the Bronx. A second reviewer considers it the best juice spot theyve ever patronized.

The Lit Bar

Bookstore and chill, anyone? The Lit Bar calls itself the official bookstore of Wakanda and The Bronx. It isnt just Black, but Blackity-Black, and it celebrates that at every opportunity.

The founder, Noelle Santos, opened her business in 2019, and theres no place like it in the borough. This is a great spot to interact with others, or quietly settle down with a good book and some wine. Treat yourself to French toast, Belgian waffles and different flavors of popcorn.

The Lit Bar has attracted many influential people to the establishment both in person and online. Barack Obama virtually visited. Omarion signed copies of his book there. Pinky Cole, founder of Slutty Vegan, appeared at the shop for a sold-out event. Other visitors have been Fat Joe and Jennifer Lopez.

Outside the shop, theres painting of a little girl spray painting the message reach the world, but touch the hood first.

Aiki  Visual Artist

Born in Chicago and based in The Bronx, Aiki is a woman of the world. Shes spent time around the world, including France, Italy and Jamaica. Nowadays, youll find her in her studio in Port Morris, a neighborhood in the Bronx, hard at work on her next masterpiece. Her preferred mediums are acrylic, ink and watercolor, and she takes commissions if the concept is of interest.

Aiki has displayed her work at Riverfront Gallery in Yonkers and will be doing a talk for Womens History Month at Brunch at Zions. As it happens, four of Aikis pieces are on display there.

I began drawing as a kid, Aiki told Travel Noire. I loved horses and drew them all the time. When I was 13, I met my cousin, Elizabeth Catlett, a renowned Black woman sculptor and print maker. We had her prints in our home.

In 1962, Aiki took up a brush full time and hasnt put it down since. Her paintings are energetic blasts of color, where the female form is often at the forefront. She draws heavily from African and indigenous symbolism.

Im working on an in-studio show of a big installation Im finishing up, she said. Im open to any ideas for showing my work.

Adom African Cuisine

For a taste of The Motherland in The Bronx, check out Adom African Cuisine. There are a number of rice dishes, including Jollof, Waakye, White Rice and Palava Sauce and more. All are served with your choice of meat or fish.

Other tasty items, include Kele Wele (spicy, fried plantains), Banku with tilapia and pepper sauce, and Kenkey with okra stew. You can dine in or have them cater for your special event.

Located on East Tremont Avenue, Adom African Cuisine has been in the food business for the past 25 years.
Viva Air

The ultra-low-cost carrier Viva Air of Colombia has declared that it will stop its operations. According to the Associated Press, thousands of people are stranded in airports without assistance. The airline, which formerly flew inside Colombia and to different destinations in North, Central, and South America, is owned by the same corporation as Ryanair.

Since the Colombian government denied the airlines request to merge with Avianca, the countrys main airline, according to the statement released by the company on Monday. Early this month, Viva stopped dozens of flights and grounded five of its aircraft.

Viva Airs History

Last year, Viva and Avianca asked Colombias aviation authority for permission to merge their companies. However, the merger was stopped by government officials. According to local media, they are worried that it will make the airline business less competitive. In November, the Colombian government confirmed that the merger was denied because it would hurt competition. Officials also said that the merger would lead to monopolies in the country.

Since then, the management of the struggling airline has met with Aerocivil, where they talked about how bad the airlines finances are and how it needs a buyout to keep running.

Today, Civil Aeronautics published a communication acknowledging the interests of many third parties on Vivas urgent request to allow its integration with a stronger and broader group of airlines, according to an official statement on the airlines website. This unprecedented decision by the entity will result in further delays in making a decision, for which Viva is forced to announce, unfortunately, the suspension of its operations with immediate effect.

The Airlines Terrible Financial Situation

Viva told the government that they had shown plenty of proof of its terrible financial situation. According to Viva Air, the only way it could stay in business was to merge with Colombias larger airline.

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The Colombian governments decision puts the future of low-cost airlines in Colombia and the jobs of 5,000 people at risk, the statement said.

Viva held a 20 percent share of Colombias air passenger market last month, while Avianca held a 40 percent share. Avianca stated that merging the two companies would have resulted in a stronger and a more competitive airline. They also stated that the newly merged carrier would have better served Colombias passengers and provided greater access to air travel.

The Beginning of the Copy

Viva started its operations in 2009. The company had flights to the biggest cities in Colombia, as well as to Peru, Mexico, Argentina, and Florida. In 2017, the company switched to Viva Air with group operations in Colombia and Peru. Since its launch, it has been a leader in low-cost flights in Colombia. Before the pandemic, the low-cost airline wanted to expand its presence in Latin America. It also opened new routes to other countries in the area, like Chile and Ecuador.

When more and more passengers flew with Viva Air in its early days, the carrier was greeted with great enthusiasm in Colombia. Due to the pandemic, Viva Air Colombia has been forced to cancel its growth ambitions. The company was forced to reduce the number of flights because of the decrease in traveler numbers.

Passengers on Viva Air will now battle the airline for a refund or credit in an effort to recover some of the money they spent on tickets. The airline did not respond to Travel Noires attempts to contact them for comment.
U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor-Greene (R-GA) speaks during a hearing before the House Oversight and Accountability Committee at Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill on February 8, 2023 in Washington, DC (Getty Images)

Forgive me, for I am about to do something foolish: For a moment, Ill take Marjorie Taylor Greene seriously.

Im referring to the right-wing Georgia congresswomans rumination about American Divorce, Greenes Big Idea that blue states are so darn hard on the red-state mindset that Real Americans be fixin to secede! Real Americans, in other words, must leave America to show what Real Americans are.

Welcome to Marge-istan, population one.

We need a national divorce, Greene said on Twitter, before expanding on the idea on Sean Hannitys Fox News show, despite almost taking it back. We need to separate by red states and blue states and shrink the federal government.

Shall we make the economics of this simple?

What Greene proposes is an American Brexit. As disastrous as Brexit  the United Kingdoms withdrawal from the European Union and its collection of free trade, immigration and other agreements  has been, American Brexit would be worse.

Lets talk about American Brexit economically.

Investment in Britains economy dropped 30 percent after Brexit, says the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, doubling forecasts. Brexit has cost 330,000 UK jobs  in the US economy, that projects to about 1.6 million. Overall, the UK has had Europes weakest major economy since 2019  and is now doing nearly as badly as Russia, reeling from sanctions and war.

It would be much worse than that as red states form the new territory Marjorie Taylor Greene is pitching.

Lets begin with the simplest observation: Counties that voted for President Joe Biden generate 70 percent of gross domestic product.

Fourteen of the poorest 15 states voted Republican in 2020. All 12 richest states chose Biden. Only four red states have median household incomes in the top half of the 50 states.

The nine red states that seceded in 1861 get, on average, 42 percent of their budgets from Washington, according to SmartAsset. Mostly that buys health care  70 percent of federally funded state spending in Tennessee goes towards health and social services. So much for shrinking DC being good (or survivable) for Marge-istan.

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State residents are even more Washington-dependent than state governments. Another 1.4 million Tennesseans use Medicare, which doesnt pass through the states budget, and 1.2 million get Social Security pensions. Every southern red state besides Texas has more Social Security dependents than the national average.

Youre on your own as Washington-dependent hospitals  giant employers in small towns, in state economies much more dependent on health care than the US average  go broke. The EU couldnt bankrupt Britains National Health Service.

Also, the Souths privately generated wealth depends on being in the US  able, under the Constitution, to trade freely within America. Much as the UK did with Europe. Until Brexit.

Of Georgias 10 richest billionaires, for example, four come from Home Depot or Chick-Fil-A, which have stores all over. Some of Arkansas richest folks stem from global enterprises like Wal-Mart and Tyson Foods. And so on.

Next, consider where money comes from within red states. From blue cities. If were really talking about secession or something like it, theres no reason Greene should assume these cities are up for the cause. Consider Tennessee without Nashville. Think hipster chefs and musicians moving there signed up for Greenes side of the culture war? What is Texas without Houston, Dallas, San Antonio and Austin, population 6 million? Marge-istan would have aspects of East Germany - conceived and dedicated largely to stamping out free thinking about race, gender and other things that make Greene see red - but it would be dotted with West Berlins firmly committed to modernity.

The list of purely economic levers True-Blue America would have over Marge-istan is long. Companies can leave, or impose conditions for staying. So can people.

Take 2015s standoff between Indiana and Salesforce, which has a subsidiary in Indianapolis, after the state passed an anti-gay rights law. San Francisco-based Salesforce barred employees from traveling to Indiana, and threatened to cancel events there. The law was changed literally a week later.

Most wittily, consider Charlotte, North Carolina. The Queen Citys best-known company headquarters is Bank of America. Shall we take odds on whether it would stay after secession, or choose, you know, America?

So, dont take Greene either literally or seriously. Marge-istan cant make it without Washington, without its own largest cities, its markets in blue states, or its largest companies and highest-value-added workers. None would salute Marge-istans flag for a minute.

Marge-istans collapse could happen as fast as the US Congress wishes. Health care crumbles the moment DC pulls the money. Trade tanks if Congress exercises its authority to regulate it (as the ex-Confederacys 18-4 Republican contingent leaves the Senate, gridlock ends). Or Marge-istan could crumble gradually, as ponytailed banjo pickers who gravitated towards Nashville for the live music and techies who live Austin for cheap housing learn Chicago is better for both.

In 1861, rebels were subjugated by arms. Today, lawyers  and the market power of queer chefs and megabanks  would do. Red and blue both know green really rules. And we dont mean Marjorie Taylor Greene.
Volusia County Schools and Volusia County Educators have reached a tentative agreement on a contract for support personnel for the 2022-23 school year.

VUE Support includes our office specialists and paraprofessionals.

The next step in the process is to ratify the agreement.

>>> STREAM CHANNEL 9 EYEWITNESS NEWS LIVE <<<

According to a news release, all VUE support employees, regardless of membership status, will have the opportunity to view and vote on the contract.

Were very happy to have reached an agreement that prioritizes our support professionals, said Elizabeth Albert, president of Volusia United Educators. We know that all educational professionals contribute to the success of our schools, students, and our community.

Read: Volusia County Schools set to vote on $11.7M salary package for teachers after ratification by VUE

Support personnel will be receiving a total package of $3.1 million dollars distributed in the following manner:

An adjusted salary schedule that reflects the new minimum wage of $15 per hour and increases at all levels.

An increase to the values of the longevity supplement.

A committee will be convened to review clerical and paraprofessional job duties.

Read: Deputies release minute-by-minute timeline of shootings that killed woman, reporter & girl

I am thankful to both bargaining teams and am grateful that our employees will be receiving the benefits of this work soon, Superintendent Dr. Carmen Balgobin said.

According to a release from Volusia County Schools, ratification dates will be released as soon as possible and then the contract will be presented to the board for approval. Once approved, dates for salary increases and retro payments will be released.

Read: Biden tells government agencies to get rid of TikTok at work

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.
Latvia believes that the war in Ukraine will continue throughout 2023

According to the report, both Russia and Ukraine will use opportunities to conduct an offensive if they arise.

Read also: Russian invaders refusing to go on offensive in Vuhledar area en masse

At the same time, Russias strategic objectives have not changed, so it likely plans to resume a new offensive after a period of rest during the winter. The Russian regime is still considering the possibility of renewing the attack on Kyiv, while the capture of Donbas will remain the minimum tactical goal.

The report also states that the resumption of peace talks is currently not possible since Russia is not ready to leave the territory of Ukraine, while Ukraine is not ready for territorial losses.

The signals sent by Russia about the readiness to resume negotiations can be regarded as a bluff, the report says.

It needs time to regroup and prepare for new offensives.

Read also: Russia has ambitious goals for great offensive, but will fail says Budanov

Read also: Latvia to provide helicopters and Stinger anti-aircraft systems to Ukraine

Meanwhile, according to SAB, for Ukraine to win, it needs significantly more Western military support. Both Russia and Ukraine lack armaments and munitions, so one of the most important factors affecting the further development of the war will be the ability of both sides to obtain or produce them as soon as possible, it said.

In 2023, Ukraine will continue to address the international community to prevent the onset of war fatigue, reads the report.

Russia will continue its efforts to undermine Western support for Ukraine, attempting to divide the West and continuing to spread nuclear threats.

However, in our assessment, there is currently a low probability of Russia using nuclear weapons, as it could lead to more direct Western involvement in the war and alienate Russia-friendly countries such as China and India, SAB said in the report.

Read also: Latvia warns Russian envoy to leave country by Feb. 24

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Earlier, speaking to the UK parliament, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he was confident that Russia would be defeated.

Commander of the Joint Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Serhiy Nayev said that the war in Ukraine will end with Ukraine being restored to its 1991 borders.

The head of Ukraines Military Intelligence Directorate, Kyrylo Budanov, said Ukraines army could start to liberate Ukraines Russian-occupied Crimea by the end of spring.

National Security and Defense Council Secretary Oleksiy Danilov said that he believes that Ukraines real victory is the collapse of Russia, its disappearance as an integral subject of history and politics.

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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
The United States helped lay the groundwork for the quick fall of Afghanistan when U.S. troops left the country in August 2021 by failing to create an independent and self-sustainable security force there after 20 years and $90 billion spent, the governments watchdog for Afghanistan reconstruction revealed Monday.

In the days leading up to and during the U.S.-pullout, the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF) appeared to melt away, allowing the Taliban to quickly retake Kabul and the rest of Afghanistan.

The swift disintegration was brought on by the United States having no political will or dedicated resources to initiate the wholesale development of another nations army, Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) John Sopko concluded in his final report.

Due to the ANDSFs dependency on U.S. military forces, the decision to withdraw all U.S. military personnel and dramatically reduce U.S. support to the ANDSF destroyed the morale of Afghan soldiers and police, Sopko wrote in the reports summery.

As the United States had created a force that could not operate independently and set unrealistic milestones for ANDSF capability development, the eventual collapse was predictable, he notes.

Whats more, bad planning and limited oversight on billions of dollars in weapons and equipment given to Afghans forces added to the mess. American troops ended up leaving roughly $7.2 billion in weapons and equipment including at least 78 aircraft and over 40,000 vehicles for the Taliban to possibly use.

The report to Congress, meant to update lawmakers on why the Afghan government collapsed so rapidly when U.S. forces departed after 20 years of war, blamed both the Trump and Biden administrations for the mess.

While the Trump administrations agreement with the Taliban in 2020 to pull U.S. forces set in motion a series of events crucial to understanding the ANDSFs collapse, the decision by both President Donald Trump and Biden to leave fundamentally altered every subsequent decision by U.S. government agencies, the Ghani administration, and the Taliban, the report states.

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Months after taking office in 2021, President Joe Biden announced that he would pull the U.S. military from Afghanistan, a decision that followed the U.S.-Taliban agreement signed under the Trump administration in 2020 to do the same thing.

Keeping thousands of troops grounded and concentrated in just one country at a cost of billions each year makes little sense to me, Biden said in in April 2021 when announcing the decision. Im now the fourth United States president to preside over American troop presence in Afghanistan  I will not pass this responsibility on to a fifth.

Pullout lead to deadly withdrawal from Afghanistan

The decision led to a chaotic and deadly pullout, with both U.S. forces and Afghans killed in a suicide bombing attack outside the gates of the Kabul airport as thousands of civilians frantically tried to leave the country.

House Republicans are now in the midst of two investigations into the chaotic withdrawal, with House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Mike McCaul (R-Texas), opening the first in January.

Nearly a month later, House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.), sent a series of letters to leaders at the White House, Defense Department, State Department and other agencies requesting documents related to the events.

While U.S. troops are no longer in Afghanistan, the administration and Congress continue to give the country humanitarian aid, with SIGAR required to report to them each quarter on the situation on the ground.

In speaking with numerous former Afghan and U.S. officials on the ANDSFs final two years, SIGAR found that the single most important factor in the ANDSFs collapse was the decision by Biden and Trump to pull U.S. military and contractors from Afghanistan even as its government forces were unable to sustain themselves.

One former U.S. commander in the country told investigators that the ANDSF was built to run on contractor support and couldnt function without it.

When the contractors pulled out, it was like we pulled all the sticks out of the Jenga pile and expected it to stay up, they said.

Since 2002, the United States had given the ANDSF almost $90 billion in security assistance meant to build an independent force able to keep the Taliban and other groups at bay.

But the U.S. and Afghan governments didnt seem committed to doing what it would take to address the challenges, including devoting the time and resources necessary to develop a professional ANDSF, while U.S. forces were in the country for 20 years.

Trump decisions on Afghanistan created complications

As it takes decades to build up security forces, Trumps February 2020 decision to stick to a U.S. military withdrawal sealed the ANDSFs fate, according to the report.

And once Bidens announced the final troop and contractor withdrawal date, the Afghan government realized that its forces had no supply and logistics capability, a senior Afghan official told inspectors.

Prior to that, a last-minute restructuring of Afghanistans security institutions between March and June 2021 undermined ANDSF cohesion, morale, and ultimately, its ability to counter the Taliban offensive.

Adding to the strife was Afghanistans then-President Ashraf Ghani, who, as the country was falling to the Taliban, was more interested in the tactical daily engagements on small minor issues rather than the big strategic issues that the country was facing, former Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Hekmat Karzai told SIGAR.

For Gods sake, we had provinces falling and he would still bloody hold National Procurement Council meetings for four hours. He would hold urban planning meetings while we had districts falling, he said.

According to a former Afghan Interior Minister, Afghan security officials briefed Ghani about the impending U.S. withdrawal days ahead Bidens announcement, but Afghanistans then-vice president told him that it was only a U.S. plot and the briefing was ignored.

And once it was announced American troops would leave, the Afghan government failed to develop a national security strategy.

Ghani instead frequently switched up his defense and security force leaders, fearing the younger officials trained by the Americans. This wrought havoc on the ANDSF morale, the report said.

Afghan officials had also largely been removed from the negotiations around the signing of the U.S.-Taliban agreement and struggled to understand what the United States had agreed to at the U.S. military never clearly communicated the specifics of its policy changes to the Ghani administration or ANDSF leadership.

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A new report by an independent U.S. watchdog agency says the Department of Defense contributed to the sudden collapse of the Afghan security forces in August 2021 partly due to poor planning and lack of accountability over at least some of the billions of dollars in weapons and equipment it provided.

The new report by SIGAR, the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, also said the Pentagon did not cooperate fully with its investigation. And it disclosed that American troops left behind a total of $7.2 billion in aircraft, missiles, communications gear and other military equipment for the Taliban to potentially use.

That included at least 78 aircraft worth $923.3 million, 9,524 air-to-ground munitions valued at $6.54 million, over 40,000 vehicles, more than 300,000 weapons, and nearly all night vision, surveillance, communications, and biometric equipment provided to the ANDSF were left behind, SIGAR said, citing a March 2022 Pentagon report to Congress.

The report, mandated by Congress after the sudden fall of Kabul when US forces left the country, said the State Department was also unresponsive to some of its requests for information to help it figure out why the U.S.-funded Afghan military crumbled so quickly, allowing the Taliban to take over the country.

In their official responses, the Pentagon and State Department disputed at least some of the findings, and said they did cooperate with SIGAR's investigation.

August 31, 2022: Taliban fighters travel in a vehicle as they celebrate the first anniversary of the withdrawal of US-led troops from Afghanistan near the airport in Kabul. - The Taliban declared August 31 a national holiday. They lit up the capital with colored lights to celebrate the first anniversary of the withdrawal of US-led troops from Afghanistan after a brutal 20-year war.

A Department of Defense spokesman, Army Lt. Col. Rob Lodewick, told USA TODAY on Monday that the Pentagon was "obviously well aware of the report and its scope, and we contributed to it."

"We continually and historically contribute to and facilitate SIGARs work," Lodewick told USA TODAY, "and we will continue to do so moving forward for security and defense matters." He noted that SIGAR "echoes that in its opening pages."

More: How did Afghanistan end this way? The finger-pointing begins.

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What were the report's key findings?

Since 2002, SIGAR said, the United States has allocated nearly $90 billion in security assistance to the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF), with the goal of developing an independent, self-sustaining force capable of combating both internal and external threats.

After the ANDSF collapse of 2021, the House Committee on Oversight and Reform and the House Armed Services Committee directed SIGAR to find out what happened, and to provide an accounting of all U.S.-provided equipment to Afghan forces.

In the new report, it provides numerous details of what it says were lapses in oversight, bad planning and other shortcomings on the part of the U.S. military.

Among those U.S. shortcomings:

The U.S. set the stage for the Afghanistan government collapse long before the August 2021 meltdown, by failing to create "an independent and self-sustainable ANDSF, despite 20 years and $90 billion of international support."

Due to the ANDSFs dependency on U.S. military forces, the decision to withdraw all U.S. military personnel and dramatically reduce U.S. support to the ANDSF "destroyed the morale of Afghan soldiers and police." The U.S.-Taliban agreement signed under the Trump administration in 2020, especially, resulted in a sense of abandonment within the Afghan government and its military and police forces, which "set in motion a series of events crucial to understanding" the country's collapse.

Even though air strikes had proven to be perhaps the most "critical force multiplier" in fighting the Taliban, the 2020 withdrawal agreement limited them, which "left the ANDSF without a key advantage in keeping the Taliban at bay."

The U.S. also decided to withdraw on-site contract maintenance from Afghanistan in May 2021, which reduced the availability of aircraft needed to move stockpiles of U.S.-provided weapons and supplies around the country. As a result, Afghan defense and security units, "complained that they lacked enough ammunition, food, water, and other military equipment to sustain military engagements against the Taliban."

More: 'Nobody should be surprised': Why Afghan security forces crumbled so quickly to the Taliban

Did the US military refuse to cooperate fully with the SIGAR?

SIGAR says so. In the report, it notes that the report is the final version of a major interim report issued last May, which that was extremely critical of the Pentagon on a number of fronts when it came to its performance in Afghanistan over the course of the nearly 20-year war there. That report noted that the U.S. military left behind a vast amount of equipment when it cleared out of Afghanistan, potentially giving the Taliban a weapons windfall to use."The Department of Defense (DOD) and Department of State declined to review that interim draft, denied us access to their staff, and mostly declined to answer requests for information," the new report says. "This limited SIGARs ability to perform this evaluation."

More: Fact check: US expenditure for the Afghanistan War surpasses aid given to Ukraine

Still, investigators said, "this final version includes additional information that we received from U.S. and former Afghan officials over the past eight months without support from U.S. agencies," including quotes from U.S. and Afghan interviewees who witnessed the collapse of the ANDSF.

The watchdog organization also said it offered DoD, State, and USAID the opportunity to review and comment on the final report.

"USAID had no comments. State deferred to DOD for comments. In comments to SIGAR, DOD noted that the report has 'important insights' but also disputed certain conclusions."

On Monday, a Defense official also took exception to SIGAR's accusations, saying DoD did review the interim report back in May and that it "opened its files" to the report's author and offered him full access to its staff. "He came over once, and we never saw him again," said the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the report.

"We were kind of surprised that SIGAR pointed such a heavy finger at us," the official told USA TODAY. "SIGAR asked us for comment on the interim report in May and we expressed our intent to provide formal comment for the final report, which we did. We just didnt do it on their timeline for a draft report."

In its report, SIGAR said it "strongly disagrees with DODs characterization of their engagement on this report," saying it only provided limited responses to SIGARs request for information "and missed every deadline

for responding to SIGARs questions or for providing feedback to vetting drafts of this report."

Who else did SIGAR blame besides the US?

The SIGAR report, as with some of its previous findings, found plenty of blame to spread around.

Much of that criticism was directed at the Kabul government. SIGAR said the Afghan government "failed to develop a national security strategy," especially following the withdrawal of U.S. forces. Instead, it said, former President Ashraf Ghani frequently changed defense and security force leaders and appointed loyalists who politicized the ANSDF. These actions, and constant turnover, weakened chains of command, morale, and trust in the ANDSF, it said.

More: ISIS is regrouping and expanding despite the death of its leader in US raid, experts say

SIGAR also found that no one country or agency had ownership of the ANDSF development mission over the years. As a result, the NATO-led coalition and temporary organizations like the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), ended up being staffed "with a constantly changing rotation of military and civilian advisors" that impeded continuity and institutional memory.

Advisors were often poorly trained and inexperienced for their mission as well, according to SIGAR. These shortcomings, it said, "undermined the U.S. governments ability to build relationships with and capacity among Afghan forces."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Collapse of Afghanistan forces in 2021 partly due to Pentagon: report
A destroyed house in Mariupol

"The supply of weapons (artillery and anti-aircraft guns) dating back to 1939 has been observed. They are deploying around Mariupol en masse," he wrote.

Read also: Russia concerned by unexplained explosions in Mariupol, reports UK intelligence

Andriushchenko added that given the location of the weapons the occupiers hope to resist Ukrainian attacks with the help of extremely outdated weapons.

He also reported active movement of equipment along the Zaporizhzhia-Polohy-Mariupol highway towards Mariupol in the past day. At least ten tanks (one of them bearing the flag of Kazakhstan) and one large howitzer were spotted.

Also, an active movement of equipment was reported through the city of Mariupol towards the Black Sea coastline towns Manhush and Berdyansk.

The official said the occupiers continue to quarter large numbers of troops in Mariupol, using school facilities for this purpose.

Read also: Three new explosions recorded in occupied Mariupol: Russian bases, airport area hit

He believes that the military personnel relocation in Mariupol is complete, with up to 10,000 or 15,000 Russian soldiers now in the city.

Andriushchenko reported several explosions in Mariupol on Feb. 23, while confirming that two Russian fuel depots were blown up earlier.

The same day, the Mariupol administration reported an occupiers' ammunition depot stuck near the sea port of the city.

On Feb. 21, overnight, 12 blasts were heard in the city. Damage to a Russian ammunition depot and personnel barracks was reported.

The head of the Joint Press Center of the Operational Command South, Natalia Humeniuk, claimed that Mariuopl is already within reach of the weapons of the Ukrainian army.

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A rep for the former daytime talk show host says she is focused on her overall wellness.

Wendy Williams is ready to make her television return following the cancellation of her beloved daytime talk show last year.

Williams publicist Shawn Zanotti tells PEOPLE that the Queen of Media is hitting the gym regularly and is focused on her overall wellness four months after she was released from a rehab facility.

Wendy Williams receives a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Oct. 17, 2019, in Hollywood, California. (Photo by David Livingston/Getty Images)

When paparazzi caught up with Williams recently at a Petco, she explained that she was preparing to travel overseas and gushed about her creative plans once she returns to the U.S.

Im shopping for kitty litter because I have a wax museum in Paris and one in California, Williams said. Im going for a week in Paris and then three weeks in California and then immediately fly back.

She added, And then I want to be on TV, stuff like Seth Meyers, Joy Behar, Whoopi Goldberg, The View, stuff like that. I am formerly retired.

Fans of the television personality expressed concern for her health on social media last week after Williams was spotted looking out of it in New York City, The Sun reports.

In a video obtained by the outlet, Williams appears to struggle walking as she clings to her bodyguard who escorts her inside of a building. Days later, Page Six reported that Williams was filming a new mystery project at Fresco by Scotto in New York City.

An insider told the outlet that Williams had a huge crew that basically turned Fresco by Scotto into a movie set . . . approximately 30 people in the crew. Lights, cameras, audio, producers, etc. [It] looked like a reality show.

The rare outing comes as Williams continues to reportedly struggle with health problems and financial issues.

Williams was unable to return to hosting The Wendy Williams Show due to her ongoing health complications. The talk show was delayed twice before ultimately being canceled last year and replaced with Sherri Shepherds new talk show, Sherri.

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After a massively successful first season, Shepherds namesake talk show was renewed through the 202425 season.

Meanwhile, Williams teased last year that shell serve up The Wendy Experience Podcast with some of her celebrity pals joining as guests to unpack a myriad of topics. Her publicist recently told The U.S. Sun that Wendys podcast is coming to life and is in its planning stage.

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

The post Wendy Williams is focused on her wellness and is formerly retired, according to report appeared first on TheGrio.
Wendy Williams is ready to return to daytime television and has expressed her interest in joining the Hot Topics table at The View as a guest.

The television personality said she was formerly retired when a paparazzo caught up with her in New York City as she was heading into a Petco to shop for her cat.

More from Deadline

Im shopping for kitty litter because I have a wax museum in Paris and one in California, Williams said. Im going for a week in Paris and then three weeks in California and then immediately fly back.

She then added, And then I want to be on TV, stuff like Seth Meyers, Joy Behar, Whoopi Goldberg, The View, stuff like that. I am formerly retired.

Williams is notoriously a fan of the ABC morning talk show, making it no secret that her own Hot Topics segment on her former show was inspired by the same segment of The View where the co-hosts talk about the latest news in pop culture.

Williams daytime talk show ended in 2022 after 13 years on the air. The titular host didnt make an appearance during her last season as the star focused on her health. In September of last year, Williams would check into a wellness facility to continue working on herself. Later on, in November, the former radio host talked about returning to work and getting a podcast.

In an interview at the Circle of Sisters event, Williams also expressed her intention to travel saying, Im going to take a year of my life to fly and do and see things Ive never done before  while Im young enough.

Best of Deadline

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The families of Christopher Kelley and Taylor Lowery gathered as one Sunday afternoon to ask Topeka's city government to release police body cam footage of the deaths of their loved ones.

The families are seeking accountability, said attorney LaRonna Lassiter Saunders, who represents them and accompanied them during a news conference at Faith Temple Church.

"Today, we are about truth and we're just asking for transparency," she said. "So, we are not against the police. We are not anti-cop; we are not attacking law enforcement. So, stop the division. We are about accountability. And, while we support the police, we also require accountability as we all should."

Family members of Christopher Kelley and Taylor Lowery hold hands and bow their heads in prayer following a news conference Sunday afternoon at Faith Temple Church, 1162 S.W. Lincoln. The families, along with legal representatives and community activists, are asking Topeka's city government to release the body cam footage of officer-involved fatal shootings.

Lassiter Saunders said she would like to see Topeka police trained properly, and suggested they are not.

"We need them to be prepared when they're dealing with situations and not be put in situations that they're not prepared to deal with," she said.

What happened to Christopher Kelley and Taylor Lowery?

LahNayah Duncan Lowry, daughter of Taylor Lowry, is comforted by Yvonne Duncan as she wipes tears from her eyes during a news conference Sunday afternoon calling for Topeka police to release the body cam footage of her father's shooting.

Sunday's news conference came after the city refused to publicly release body camera video of last year's fatal police shootings of Lowery and Kelley.

Three Topeka police officers shot Kelley, a 38-year-old Black man with mental health issues, after a standoff that lasted about an hour on June 24 near S.E. 4th and Holliday.

Kelley screamed and charged at the officers while holding a knife over his head, and was found to have had marijuana and methamphetamine in his system, said District Attorney Mike Kagay. He concluded the officers acted justifiably.

Five Topeka police officers fired a total of 34 gunshots at Lowery, a 33-year-old Black man, on Oct. 13 in the parking lot of a Kwik Shop at 4500 S.W. Topeka Blvd.

Lowery had just attempted a carjacking in that lot, and minutes earlier had tried to force his way into a bedroom where his sister was barricaded at her nearby mobile home, police said. The officers fired after Lowery raised a knife and charged at one of them, Kagay said.

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Lowery was found to have been under the influence of cocaine, amphetamine and methamphetamine, Kagay said. He concluded the officers acted justifiably.

More:Topeka attorney won't release body camera video after police fired 34 shots in killing man

"The families have asked continually for the footage to be released (to) let the public know what's going on," Lassiter Saunders said. "And then you decide. You decide whether the killings were justified. You decide if any action needs to be done. But the city attorney and the city manager have said, 'It is not in the best interest of Topeka to release the footage.'

"Who should decide what is in the public's best interest other than the public?"

Gretchen Spiker, communications director for Topeka's city government, on Monday emailed The Topeka Capital-Journal copies of statements attorneys representing the city made in October and February denying requests from The Capital-Journal seeking body camera video taken as Kelley and Lowery were killed.

Spiker said the city had nothing else to say at this time.

Families say Topeka police don't have enough training to deal with mental health crises

Christopher Kelley's brother-in-law Daniel Martin speaks about his experience as a social worker. He said he believes the Topeka Police Department needs additional training in dealing with people having mental health crises.

Speakers at Sunday's news conference included Daniel Martin, a licensed master social worker and Kelley's brother-in-law.

Martin compared the "rigorous training" he underwent earning his bachelor's and master's degrees in social work to the hours spent providing mental health education to Topeka police officers.

"The Topeka Police Department only has to take 40 hours of CIT basic training, which they get at the initial academy class and then 40 hours of ongoing mental health education," Martin said.

In comparison, he said, he completed more than 200 hours of courses learning how to properly understand mental health.

"So, as you can see, the TPD isn't adequately trained to deal with the mental health crisis," Martin said. "So, it's easier to take a person to jail or in the cases of Lowery and Kelly to murder them."

More:Topeka police officer shot in gun battle after pursuing suspect car from earlier homicide

Christopher Kelley's sister Christian Kelley and son Isaiah Kelley sit together following Sunday's news conference.

Christian Kelley, sister of Christopher Kelley, questioned the effectiveness of the police department's behavioral unit, which it operates as part of a partnership with Valeo Behavioral Health Care.

"Why is Valeo the only agency utilized in these types of situations?" Kelley asked. "There are plenty of social workers and other mental health counselors or workers who are trained to handle these types of situations. So why are we isolating our resources just to Valeo?"

Lassiter Saunders said after personally viewing the body cam footage of Christopher Kelley's death, she realized the police needed training. She said when officers arrived at the scene, they saw Kelley standing on a pile of rocks.

"The officer jumped out of the car and just started yelling commands at him  'Put down the knife!' Well, first of all, why does he have to put down the knife?" she asked. "Because it's not illegal to walk around with a knife.

"He started yelling, and you could see Mr. Kelley just start escalating, and so if you're dealing with someone that's dealing with mental distress, you don't yell. You don't order commands. You don't point your gun at them."

More:The city of Topeka is changing the policing of its police and other employees. Here's how.

Family seeking help for body cam footage to be released

LaRonna Lassiter Saunders, legal representative for the Lowery and Kelley families, holds up a QR code to an online petition asking for the City of Topeka to release body cam footage of the Kelley and Lowery shootings.

Family members are requesting the public to sign an online petition asking Topeka's city government to release body cam footage related to the fatal shootings of Kelley and Lowery.

The city attorneys concluded in October and February that the Kansas Open Records Act shielded videos of both situations from being made public, and that their release would be an unwarranted invasion of personal privacy. They said the videos are investigative records, which the Kansas Open Records Act shields unless they meet each of six specific criteria, with one being that the release of the record must be in the public's interest.

The release of the videos would not be in the public's interest, the city attorneys said.

Da'Mabrius Duncan, mother of Lowery's daughter, said her experiences reading and listening to media accounts and watching the footage had been heartbreaking but confusing.

Da'Mabrius Duncan, mother of Taylor Lowery's daughter, speaks during a news conference Sunday about what she felt when seeing the body cam footage taken as Lowery was fatally shot by Topeka police officers.

"When they were killing him, Taylor was grabbing for a wrench," Duncan said. "He was grabbing for a tool when they shot him. Not only that  a detective made physical contact with him trying to push him away from grabbing the wrench, and they still shot him."

Community activist Danielle Twemlow said at Sunday's conference that implementing independent citizen review boards and increasing training are among actions being taken by other communities across the country.

Considerable data exists to prove that taking such steps increases public trust and improves relationships between the police department and the community, Twemlow said.

"Many police departments welcome independent citizen review boards," she said.

Tim Hrenchir contributed to this story, he could be reached at tim.hrenchir@gannett.com or 785-213-5934.

Keishera Lately is the business reporter for the Topeka Capital-Journal. She can be reached at klately@cjonline.com. Follow her on Twitter @Lately_KT.

This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Release of body cam video sought by families of men Topeka police shot to death
Chief negotiator David Young speaks at a Century City rally on day five of the Writers Guild of America strike in November 9, 2007. (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)

David Young, the veteran chief negotiator of the Writers Guild of America, has been placed on medical leave just weeks before critical talks with Hollywood studios are set to begin.

The union said in a statement to members Tuesday afternoon that Young, who is also the national executive director for WGA West, would be replaced by assistant Executive Director Ellen Stutzman, who would serve as lead negotiator for the upcoming bargaining round, according to an email viewed by The Times.

"Ellen has earned the confidence and full support of the WGAW Board, WGAE Council, and the WGA Negotiating Committee," the union said. "She will lead a staff with decades of experience negotiating and enforcing the MBA, and organizing and mobilizing members to support the Guilds contract campaigns."

A WGA West spokesman declined to comment.

The surprise announcement comes at a key moment for the WGA, whose leadership asked members this week to vote on a series of bargaining goals that will guide negotiations set to begin March 20.

Studios and producers have been preparing for a possible strike over writers' compensation in the age of streaming. Many have accelerated productions in a bid to complete writing before the union's current three-year contract expires on May 1.

Young  who led the union during the 2007-08 strike that lasted 100 days  is known as a tough negotiator who is widely respected by the union's membership. It's unclear what effect his absence will have on the upcoming negotiations with studios.

"We know we speak for the entire WGAW and WGAE memberships in wishing David a full recovery," the union said.

A former director of organizing, Young was tapped for his current role after guild directors fired former National Executive Director John McLean, a former CBS executive, in 2005.

Young has transformed the guilds culture from a somewhat insular artists group to a more traditional, activist union focused on growing its base.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
The remains of a male humpback whale lies on Lido Beach in New York in January 2023. James Carbone/Newsday RM via Getty Images

Nearly two dozen whales have washed up dead along the East Coast in recent months.

Scientists blame it on climate change sending whales into the path of cargo ships.

The surge in online shopping means ships are bigger and more plentiful than ever before.

Our addiction to online shopping is contributing to the recent spike in whale deaths, The New York Times reports.

Since early December, 23 whales have washed up dead along the East Coast, according to data the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration provided to The Times. Their deaths are due to a confluence of factors, both environmental and the result of human interference.

NOAA has been tracking an "unusual mortality event" among the Atlantic Coast humpback whale population since 2016, but the recent spike in whale deaths  which has included humpback whales, minke whales, and North Atlantic right whales, which are critically endangered  prompted the NOAA Fisheries to address the crisis during a call with reporters in January.

Lauren Gaches, the agency's public affairs director, said during the call that climate change is partly to blame for the number of whales washing up dead, because warming oceans are causing the fish they eat to move closer to shore.

"We're seeing populations of many marine species adapting by moving into new areas where conditions are more favorable," Gaches said. "Changing distributions of prey impact larger marine species that depend on them. This can lead to increased interactions with humans as some whales move closer to near-shore habitats."

Which means as some whales seek out prey, they're moving into the path of cargo ships, which have gotten bigger and more plentiful over the past three years.

Boat strikes can be deadly for whale populations all over the world

Shipping surged during the pandemic as consumers shopped online more than ever before. Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

The surge in online shopping that began during the pandemic has led to an increase in cargo ships hauling those goods across the Atlantic to the busy Port of New York and New Jersey. Those ships, larger than they were in the past in order to carry more shipping containers, are also taking new routes in an effort to avoid clogging up shipping lanes like in years past, according to The Times.

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The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey saw a 27% increase in volume last year compared to 2019 levels, and shipping traffic along the East Coast has increased as boats have started making down-and-back trips to retrieve empty shipping containers.

While NOAA has proposed speed limits, which could give whales time to move out of the way of oncoming ships, the fact remains that whales are always going to follow their food.

"When the whales are in these channels, you have to cross your fingers and hope there are no collisions," Paul Sieswerda, executive director of New York City-based research group Gotham Whale, told The Times.

Boat strikes can cause internal injuries from the blunt force trauma, and their propellers can inflict large gashes. Two whales that washed up dead along the Atlantic Coast this month were determined to have been struck by vessels, USA Today reported.

This isn't the first time experts have raised the alarm about ships harming whale populations. A year ago, scientists began calling for cargo ships to start rerouting in order to protect endangered blue whales that live off the coast of Sri Lanka. Mediterranean Shipping Company, the largest container line in the world, complied with the request, and animal welfare groups said at the time that if other companies followed, it could reduce ship strikes by 95%.

Read the original article on Business Insider
A Honduran child sits on his mother's lap aboard a bus leaving the Metropolitan Center of San Pedro Sula, 300 kms north of Tegucigalpa, travelling towards the Guatemala border on April 9, 2019. AFP/Orlando Sierra via Getty Images

The New York Times reported last week that companies across the US are exploiting the labor of migrant children.

The Labor Department announced a number of measures to combat the illegal activity.

The investigation comes as multiple states seek to loosen child labor laws to address the labor shortage.

13-year-old Jose Vasquez works six days a week at an egg farm outside of Grand Rapids, Michigan. He pulls 12-hour shifts, and doesn't have time to attend middle school like other kids his age, The New York Times' Hanna Dreier reported last week.

"I didn't get how expensive everything was," Vasquez, who lives with his sister, told The Times. "I'd like to go to school, but then how would I pay rent?"

It's illegal for minors to work more than 10 hours a day in Michigan. In most circumstances, it's also illegal for kids Vasquez's age not to be enrolled in school. But Vasquez's case is not a unique one  he's one of hundreds of child migrants to the United States whom companies are illegally employing.

In the last two years, more than 250,000 child migrants have entered the US, according to US Customs and Border Protection data, and those numbers are on the rise. Many of those children are earning money to send back home to their families, or else paying thousands of dollars in fees to their smugglers and rent to Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) sponsors, The Times reported. Additionally, the publication reported that children are working dangerous jobs in each state in the US across multiple industries, including food plants, slaughterhouses, and farms. The economic climate in Central America, where most of the child migrants are from, has been severely damaged by the pandemic.

Following the Times' reporting, the Biden administration sought to crack down on illegal child migrant labor.

The US Department of Labor announced on Monday that it will audit the ORR sponsor vetting process, call on Congress to increase monetary penalties for companies that use child labor, and otherwise "hold all employers accountable to ensure child labor is removed from supply chains," the department said in an announcement.

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"The department takes these egregious violations very seriously and investigates every child labor complaint they receive and acts to hold employers accountable," the Department of Labor said. "The department currently has over 600 child labor investigations underway and continues to field complaints and initiate investigations to protect children."

The Labor Department added that a majority of migrant children in the US coming from Latin America do not have a parent in the US.

The Times reported that the use of child labor is prevalent across a number of prominent brands in the US, highlighting J. Crew, Walmart, Target, Fruit of the Loom, and Ben & Jerrys, among others. The Labor Department has found some of these companies, such as ice cream staple Ben & Jerrys, guilty of child labor violations before.

Some of the companies responded to The Times' probe. General Mills, which produces brands like Cheerios and Lucky Charms, said that it understood "the seriousness of the situation" and would review the investigation. Hearthside, which makes products for companies like Quaker Oats and Frito-Lay, said in a statement that they "care deeply about this issue and are concerned about the mischaracterization of Hearthside." The company Forge said it followed state and federal laws and "would never knowingly employ individuals under 18." PepsiCo declined to comment.

Sponsors often engage in threatening and abusive practices, The Times reported. In one case, a sponsor was found guilty of smuggling a child into the country for monetary purposes, and in another, a sponsor collected a child's paychecks and watched him sleep on his basement floor over security cameras.

Some sponsors keep a running tab of charges for the children in their care, such as Nery Cutzal's, whom Cutzal met on Facebook. The sponsor made up expenses, such as $140 for filling out paperwork or $45 for a dinner.

And that's only what these children experience at home  at workplaces, factories that make products for brands like Nature Valley and Cheetos are full of underage workers doing dangerous work. The machinery operated by the children had been known to tear off fingers and scalps, The Times reported. Children wash sheets and dishes late into the night to pay off their debts.

Some states are looking to loosen child labor policies to help companies fight the labor shortage

The Times' investigation and the White House's response come as some states have ramped up their attempts to loosen child labor restrictions. The motivation: companies need cheap labor to fill a persistent labor shortage.

Republican lawmakers in Iowa and Minnesota have introduced legislation in the last month proposing exceptions to child labor regulations in their respective states. And the GOP-led Senate in Wisconsin recently passed a bill to expand legal working hours for 14 and 15-year-olds, although it was vetoed this month by the state's governor. Ohio reintroduced a similar bill this month that would allow expanded hours for those ages with a parent's permission.

Minnesota lost 90,000 workers alone during the pandemic, according to state demographers, making it one of the tightest labor markets in the country. Iowa's not far behind with roughly 75,000 open jobs in December.

Research shows that paying adult workers more would attract them back to the job, but detractors insist that companies can't afford to pay them more. Economists say that during a labor shortage, paring back child labor laws is a common phenomenon in the US.

Trump-era immigration policies, in addition to ones that Biden has perpetuated, are a major reason that the labor shortage continues to cause a problem for companies throughout the US: adult immigrants were barred from entry, which meant companies lacked a workforce to employ.

And now, many of those companies are turning to their kids.

Read the original article on Business Insider
WASHINGTON (AP)  The White House is giving all federal agencies 30 days to wipe TikTok off all government devices, as the Chinese-owned social media app comes under increasing scrutiny in Washington over security concerns.

The Office of Management and Budget calls the guidance, issued Monday, a critical step forward in addressing the risks presented by the app to sensitive government data. Some agencies, including the Departments of Defense, Homeland Security and State, already have restrictions in place; the guidance calls on the rest of the federal government to follow suit within 30 days.

The White House already does not allow TikTok on its devices.

The Biden-Harris Administration has invested heavily in defending our nations digital infrastructure and curbing foreign adversaries access to Americans data, said Chris DeRusha, the federal chief information security officer. This guidance is part of the Administrations ongoing commitment to securing our digital infrastructure and protecting the American peoples security and privacy.

The guidance was first reported by Reuters.

Congress passed the No TikTok on Government Devices Act in December as part of a sweeping government funding package. The legislation does allow for TikTok use in certain cases, including for national security, law enforcement and research purposes.

TikTok spokesperson Brooke Oberwetter said Monday: The ban of TikTok on federal devices passed in December without any deliberation, and unfortunately that approach has served as a blueprint for other world governments. These bans are little more than political theater."

House Republicans are expected to move forward Tuesday with a bill that would give Biden the power to ban TikTok nationwide. The legislation, proposed by Rep. Mike McCaul, looks to circumvent the challenges the administration would face in court if it moved forward with sanctions against the social media company.

If passed, the proposal would allow the administration to ban not only TikTok but any software applications that threaten national security. McCaul, the chairman of the House Foreign Relations Committee, has been a vocal critic of the app, saying it is being used by the Chinese Communist Party to manipulate and monitor its users while it gobbles up Americans data to be used for their malign activities.

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Anyone with TikTok downloaded on their device has given the CCP a backdoor to all their personal information. Its a spy balloon into your phone, the Texas Republican said in a statement Monday.

Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., his counterpart in the Senate, did not shut down the idea of the chamber taking up a proposal that would empower Biden to take action against TikTok, saying it was certainly something to consider.

Oberwetter said: We hope that when it comes to addressing national security concerns about TikTok beyond government devices, Congress will explore solutions that wont have the effect of censoring the voices of millions of Americans.

TikTok, owned by ByteDance Ltd., remains extremely popular and is used by two-thirds of teens in the U.S. But there is increasing concern that Beijing could obtain control of American user data that the app has obtained.

The company has been dismissive of the ban for federal devices and has noted that it is developing security and data privacy plans as part of the Biden administrations ongoing national security review.

Canada also announced Monday that it is banning TikTok from all government-issued mobile devices. The European Unions executive branch said last week it has temporarily banned TikTok from phones used by employees as a cybersecurity measure.

__

Associated Press writer Farnoush Amiri contributed to this report.
John Kirby

This was the first ministerial visit by an Arab state to Kyiv since the war began, Kirby noted.

Read also: Saudi - US, a defining moment in the relationship?

The Saudi initiative is a positive step from the Middle East region, and we hope to see more from our partners over there in the coming months.

Kirby noted that during the visit, the Saudis and Ukrainians had formalized arrangements for the delivery of $400 million in assistance, including generators and badly needed energy products and supplies.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud in Kyiv on Feb. 26.

Read also: Saudi Foreign Minister visiting Kyiv

This was the first official visit of the foreign minister of the oil-rich Middle Eastern state to Ukraine since the establishment of their diplomatic relations in 1992.

According to a Ukrainian government press release, President Zelenskyy said the visit was important evidence support for Ukraine, coming as it did on the anniversary of the beginning of Russias full-scale aggression against Ukraine.

"First of all, I want to thank you for supporting peace in Ukraine, our sovereignty and territorial integrity. This is very important for us and our people, our society," Zelesnkyy told the Saudi foreign minister.

During the talks, the sides emphasized the importance of Saudi Arabia's support for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity, and paid special attention to the implementation of the Ukrainian Peace Formula, the Ukrainian government press release reads.

Read also: Saudi Arabia pledges $400 million in humanitarian aid to Ukraine

They also exchanged views on the Saudi side's participation in Ukraine's post-war recovery, as well as its involvement in promising projects in the investment, agricultural and energy sectors, the release said.

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
A white student who was expelled from Howard Universitys law school is suing the historically Black university in Washington, D.C., alleging race discrimination and creating a hostile environment.

Plaintiff Michael Ray Newman, who attended the Howard University School of Law in fall 2020 after having received a $26,250 annual scholarship, was expelled about two years later in September. The lawsuit, which Newmans attorney filed Feb. 16 in Superior Court of the District of Columbia, says he suffered emotional, mental and economic harm and seeks more than $2 million in damages.

The suit is the result of a series of events in 2020 involving Newmans making comments on a professors forum page where students engage in public debates and discussions. Newman moved the discussion to the forum after he voiced his opinion in a previous GroupMe chat about disagreeing with the Black community, saying they believe government solves problems, countering his belief that he saw it only as causing problems, according to court documents.

Frank Tramble, a vice president and the chief communications officer for Howard, said that, while the university declines to comment on pending litigation substantively, the University is prepared to vigorously defend itself in this lawsuit and that the claims provide a one-sided and self-serving narrative of the events leading to the end of the students enrollment at Howard.

Newman displayed a pattern of antagonizing actions against other students who were attending the law school, Tramble added. Examples he cites include Newman using the death of a law student to further his views on COVID-19 and the vaccines. He then was expelled for disruptive and harassing conduct per the universitys disciplinary policies.

The lawsuit claims Newman also compared himself in a Zoom chat box as a white student at a historically Black university to a Black student attending a predominantly white school, saying he felt utterly disenfranchised. After both incidents, many of Newmans classmates contacted school administrators and sought his expulsion, some even complaining that the controversies he caused distracted from their studies, according to the suit.

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After Newman apologized to his classmates formally and verbally, a classmate in January 2021 discovered and retweeted a July 2020 tweet from his private Twitter account, which showed the infamous image of the emancipated slave Gordon, also nicknamed Whipped Peter, posted with Newmans tweet, But we dont know what he did before the picture was taken! the suit says.

Newmans comments and backlash from students later prompted a one-on-one meeting with law school Dean Danielle Holley and Reggie McGahee, Howards global head of diversity recruiting. According to the suit, Holley suggested Newman transfer from the school and accused him of racially harassing students. On Jan. 31, 2021, Holley held a town hall with more than 300 participants that focused on the controversies surrounding Newman, with one student calling Newmans comments racist and another saying he was terrorizing the students, according to the suit.

During the town hall, Newman explained that his tweet of Gordon was intended to voice support for racial minorities who suffered police violence. Newman was permitted to join a new GroupMe chat in October 2021 but was permanently removed after a Black student accused him of passive-aggressively attempting to insult yet another Black person in this GroupMe following his comments about Howards lack of inclusivity. Newman later filed a formal complaint of racial discrimination with the university, alleging his exclusion was motivated by racial animus. However, an attorney tasked with investigating the matter closed the case, and said the allegation of racial discrimination could not be substantiated, according to the lawsuit.

After the university reviewed a complaint filed by Holley, Newman was expelled in September. The suit claims Newman has lost employment benefits and opportunities and has undergone emotional anguish and pain, along with damage to his reputation. The suit also says that as a white student, Newman belonged to the racial minority at Howard.

An initial hearing is scheduled for April 21.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
A young man (not involved in the lawsuit) reads on the Howard University campus July 6, 2021, in Washington. Jacquelyn Martin/AP

A white student is suing Howard University's law school for $8 million, alleging race discrimination.

Michael Newman frequently made provocative statements that offended his classmates, per his lawsuit.

Newman's peers removed him from various group chats, which he said they did out of "racial animus."

A white man has filed an $8.4 million lawsuit against Howard University School of Law, a historically Black university, alleging racial discrimination and a slew of other claims after he was expelled.

Representing himself in his 11-count lawsuit, Michael Newman, who enrolled in the fall of 2020 on a scholarship, argued that he faced "discrimination on a scale none of my classmates likely ever experienced" after he made comments about the Black community that his classmates found offensive.

An attorney for Howard University and multiple administrators did not respond to Insider's requests for comment.

Newman's suit is 70 pages, accuses the university of 11 different claims, and is written in the third-person since he's serving as his own lawyer. It's a long, meandering account of Newman's two years at the school, and often reveals the viscerally negative reactions and condemnations his peers and administrators had to his provocative, race-based declarations.

Multiple times throughout the suit, Newman says other students characterized his comments as racist, insensitive, sexist, and offensive.

In a court filing from mid-February, an attorney for Howard University requested an extension to answer Newman's lawsuit because they "need additional time to consider the 11 claims and 168 paragraphs across 50 pages of allegations."

A spokesperson for Howard University said in a statement shared with Insider that Newman's allegations were "one-sided and self-serving."

"While the University declines to comment on pending litigation substantively, the University is prepared to vigorously defend itself in this lawsuit as the claims provide a one-sided and self-serving narrative of the events leading to the end of the student's enrollment at the University," the statement said.

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Newman said he faced 'vilification' from peers after questioning their experiences with racism

According to Newman's lawsuit, the tensions started when he stated in a class GroupMe: "Where I part with the black community is where they believe government solves problems, I only see it causing problems."

He added that he wanted to discuss further whether "(1) black voters didn't question turning to government for solutions, and (2) reliably voting for the same party every election disincentivized both parties from responding to the needs of black communities," according to the lawsuit.

Newman said in the suit that some students "engaged with him" on his comments while others "reacted with acrimony."

He said he was then removed from the student-run GroupMe chat.

Around the same time, Newman said he made a comment in a class Zoom chat comparing "himself as a Caucasian student at Howard Law to an African-American student at a primarily-white university," Newman wrote in his lawsuit.

After a phone conversation with an administrator  who "attempted to persuade Newman of the insensitivity if not outright offensiveness of his comments," per his suit  Newman said he stopped offering his opinions in online classes after his peers "remained hostile" toward him.

"A combination of public ostracism, vilification, and humiliation caused Newman to suffer depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts," Newman wrote in his lawsuit.

Newman said in the suit that he shared a series of letters with his peers wherein he "called into question some classmates' claims of past race-based harassment at other universities." He also shared a link to "Uncle Tom" , a documentary by right-wing commentator Larry Elder.

Students on the receiving end of Newman's letter called it a "manifesto" and said he exhibited "objectively racist, sexist, and overall problematic behavior," according to Newman's lawsuit.

He was removed from a class-wide GroupMe conversation after his peers discovered a tweet of Newman's in which he posted a historic photo of a whipped slave with the comment: "But we don't know what he did before the picture was taken!" Newman said his "point was ironic," but his tweet was not well-received by his peers or Howard administrators, according to the lawsuit.

Newman said administrators told him he was 'wasting university resources' with his complaints

Newman also wrote to Howard University President Wayne Frederick asking for help "to address racial discrimination" and seeking "reassurance that my status as a Caucasian student is equal to that of my African-American colleagues," according to his lawsuit.

In the email, according to the lawsuit, Newman attached an exchange from the GroupMe chat wherein a "classmate had ridiculed him, dubbed him 'Mayo king,' and posted an image of a jar of mayonnaise (a pejorative epithet for Caucasians)."

Howard administrators denied that "mayonnaise was an epithet or that Newman was a victim of racial discrimination," according to the lawsuit, and said his "race discrimination concerns were wasting university resources."

Newman said they suggested he transfer to a different school as it appeared "Howard Law was a poor choice."

Tensions between Newman and other students also flared in a virtual town hall, and Newman said he was kicked out of another student group chat after questioning what he called "Howard's lack of inclusivity."

Newman lost his academic scholarship and was expelled after emailing the entire law school student body

Around the same time, administrators informed Newman that his academic performance placed him near the bottom of his class, jeopardizing his academic scholarship.

In August 2021, Newman was told his academic scholarship had been revoked, which he contested to administrators saying that his poor performance "resulted directly from mental anguish caused by a hostile educational environment arising from racial discrimination which administrators knowingly allowed."

Dean Danielle Holley, a defendant in the lawsuit, replied that Newman was not a victim of racial discrimination, according to the lawsuit. Another administrator, who wasn't named as a defendant, said "all Newman's difficulties with classmates sprang from the fact that Newman said offensive things," according to his lawsuit.

After Newman repeatedly emailed the entire law school student body using the school listserv after being reprimanded by the administration for doing so, Holley informed him that his Howard email was suspended and he would face code of conduct charges, according to the lawsuit.

Holley filed a formal complaint against Newman, who then filed a formal complaint against Holley; Newman was found responsible in the investigation against him, and appealed the decision, per his lawsuit.

Comparing his situation to students protesting during the Civil Rights Movement, Newman questioned whether the university sanctioning "a Caucasian student but not a black student for substantially the same conduct" would be a violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, which protects against racial discrimination.

Ultimately, Newman lost his appeal, after which the student affairs vice president, who is also named as a defendant in the suit, said Newman hadn't "shown contrition" throughout the process.

He was expelled in September 2022.

Newman is not the first white person to sue Howard claiming racial discrimination. In 2002, Rachel Dolezal, a white woman who infamously Black-fished the NAACP, sued Howard claiming she was denied a teaching position due to her race and gender. The suit was dismissed in a summary judgment that was upheld by an appeals court.

Read the original article on Insider
By Timour Azhari

ADANA (Reuters) - The World Health Organization (WHO) will support Ankara in its response to massive earthquakes that killed more than 50,000, Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Tuesday, as the death toll from the latest aftershock rose to two.

The massive earthquakes that struck Turkey's southeast and neighbouring Syria in the last three weeks have injured more than 108,000 in Turkey, leaving millions sheltering in tents or seeking to move to other cities.

The latest substantial aftershock, with a magnitude of 5.6, hit on Monday, killing two and injuring 140 people, the Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) said, adding that 32 people had been rescued from the rubble.

Turkey is "doing its best" but still needs international support to help the victims of the earthquake, Tedros said, describing the destruction as "really massive" for modern history.

In a news conference alongside Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca in Antakya, one of the most affected cities, Tedros said the two had discussed the health situation in camps.

"These are like respiratory infections, GI infections, especially mental health problems - because many people are really traumatized - and people who need rehabilitation services, especially orthopaedic service," he said.

"From WHO side, we will support in any way possible based on the issues observed or documented and based on the priorities of the ministry," Tedros added.

More than 160,000 buildings containing 520,000 apartmentscollapsed or were severely damaged in Turkey by the disaster,the worst in the country's modern history.

President Tayyip Erdogan has pledged to rebuild homes within a year but it will still be many months before thousands can leave tents or shipping containers and daily queues for food and move into permanent housing, key to gaining the sense ofnormalcy and safety they lost.

The earthquakes have struck months ahead of presidential and parliamentary elections, scheduled to be held by June, which present the biggest political challenge to Erdogan in his two-decade rule.

(Additional reporting by Humeyra Pamuk, Birsen Altayli and Ali Kucukgocmen; Editing by Andrea Ricci)
The Department of Energys recent conclusion that COVID-19 likely originated from a Chinese research lab has reignited debate over whether the pandemic occurred naturally or was the result of a human error.

Republican backers of the lab leak theory have claimed vindication, yet the intelligence and scientific communities remain torn over the question.

The origins of previous viral outbreaks have been determined with a high level of certainty, but theres no guarantee that will happen with COVID-19.

Factors like time and a lack of data  largely due to Chinas reluctance to cooperate in investigations  may mean we never reach a definite answer to where COVID-19 originated from.

Here is a breakdown of the current debate over COVID-19s origins:

Lab-leak theory

This undated electron microscope image made available by the U.S. National Institutes of Health in February 2020 shows the Novel Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. (NIAID-RML via AP)

The Energy Department is not the first federal agency to put its weight behind the lab-leak theory. The FBI said in 2021 it has moderate confidence that the pandemic originated from a lab-related incident.

A consensus among the federal government has not been reached, however, with four unnamed federal agencies concluding with low confidence that COVID-19 originated from natural exposure.

The argument that SARS-CoV-2 originated from a research lab hinges on the potential that gain-of-function research being conducted at the Wuhan Institute of Virology resulted in an enhanced coronavirus that was released into the public due to an error or lapse in proper procedure.

Gain-of-function research involves enhancing a pathogens ability to cause infection in order to understand its potential to cause outbreaks. The U.S. previously had a moratorium of gain-of-function research until it was lifted in 2018.

Proponents of this theory argue that it cannot be a coincidence that the COVID-19 outbreak began so close to where the Wuhan institute is located. Comedian Jon Stewart made this case in a widely shared appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.

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The World Health Organization (WHO) noted in its report into the possible origins of COVID-19 that the Wuhan lab had moved to a new location around the time COVID-19 was first detected, introducing the possibility that disruptions and errors occurred during the process.

And there are precedents for viruses escaping from labs and causing outbreaks, albeit none on the scale that COVID-19 has reached.

In 1978, photographer Janet Parker was accidentally exposed to a strain of smallpox grown in a Birmingham, England, lab, becoming the last recorded person to die from the disease.

Researchers have speculated the 1977 Russian flu pandemic was the result of a laboratory incident involving vaccine research.

The Energy Department has not disclosed what evidence was gathered that informed its conclusion.

I would suspect the types of evidence you would be looking for would be what types of viral strains, what coronavirus strains were being worked on in the Wuhan Institute of virology and how close were they to SARS-CoV-2? Was there anything there that could be considered a precursor for SARS-CoV-2? Amesh Adalja, senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, told The Hill.

Opponents of the lab-leak theory argue that no evidence has been uncovered so far that a virus or a combination of viruses with genomes similar to COVID-19 were being researched at any labs around the time the pandemic began. The WHO considers the lab-leak theory to be highly unlikely, but concedes further information is needed.

Natural origins theory

(Getty Images)

Supporters of the natural origin argument point out that major previous viral outbreaks have been linked to zoonotic transmission, in which viruses jump from animals to humans.

Researchers in China have traced back the SARS outbreak of 2003 to horseshoe bats living in a remote cave in the Yunnan province, identifying viral strains in the animals that contained the building blocks for the virus that caused the epidemic.

The MERS virus that was first identified in Saudi Arabia in 2012 was found to have been transmitted to humans from infected camels.

Both of these viruses are in the coronavirus family like SARS-CoV-2.

William Schaffner, a professor in the division of infectious diseases at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, said the molecular biologists he has met with have generally leaned toward the natural origin theory.

I havent done a survey, obviously, but listening to my colleagues discuss this and listening to various presentations at local and national meetings, I think the general inclination of the academic community is to think that this is natural. This was a natural phenomenon, but they have an open mind about laboratory accidents, Schaffner said.

Schaffner further noted that the Energy Departments conclusion was reportedly made with a low degree of confidence.

I interpret that as a close call. We really dont know if its 51 on one side, 49 on the other. And so its not a ringing affirmation. Its not a solid conclusion, he said.

The WHOs origin report found that viruses with a high genetic similarity to SARS-CoV-2 have been found in samples taken from bats in China, Japan, Thailand and Cambodia. Researchers have also proposed potential zoonotic transmission from pangolins or minks.

Critics of the natural origins view have pointed out, however, that regular human contact between animals like bats and pangolins is relatively rare, and the WHO noted that detailed analyses have indicated decades of evolutionary space between COVID-19 and the genetically similar viruses detected among bats.

Why the answer is still far away

Dr. Anthony Fauci, White House Chief Medical Advisor and Director of the NIAID

Dr. Anthony Fauci on November 22, 2022. (Greg Nash)

A consensus on the origins of COVID-19 is unlikely to be made any time soon as most stakeholders agree that additional data is still needed to solidify a conclusion  and that would require the cooperation of the Chinese government.

Beijing has routinely been criticized throughout the pandemic for failing to provide access and data to investigators. The WHO recently halted its probe into COVID-19s origins, citing challenges with conducting studies in China.

The Office of the Director of National Intelligence previously said in a report, Chinas cooperation most likely would be needed to reach a conclusive assessment of the origins of COVID-19. Beijing, however, continues to hinder the global investigation, resist sharing information, and blame other countries, including the United States.

Former chief White House medical adviser Anthony Fauci concurred with this assessment in an interview with The Boston Globe, telling the outlet that cooperation and collaboration from Chinese authorities would go a long way towards determining COVID-19s origins.

He added of COVID-19s true origin: We may not ever know.

Shortly after the Energy Departments conclusion was reported, Chinese officials pushed back against renewed criticisms, with Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning saying her government has been open and transparent on the issue.

Experts, however, are less than convinced about the potential for collaboration.

I think people are right to be pessimistic about actually getting to the bottom of this because its going to require cooperation and transparency from a government that flourishes in opaqueness and not being transparent, Adalja said.

Along with a need for more information, the more time that passes, the less likely it is that a source can be pinpointed. Evidence becomes harder to find, recollections become hazier and stakeholders are less likely to engage.

If one theory does prevail, the consequences could be significant.

Adalja said the implications of a lab-leak origin would cause geopolitical waves, but would not be as significant from a biological standpoint.

If it comes from a lab, we have to understand how there were biosafety breaches and how to do that kind of research more safely, said Adalja. If it has an animal origin, we have to understand what animal that was and how do we modify our behavior in order to make that animal less likely to transmit infections to us.

From a biological or pandemic preparedness perspective, either arm of that has implications.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Greta-Norway-protest

Sweden's Greta Thunberg and other young climate activists from the "Nature and Youth" and "Norwegian Samirs Riksforbund Nuorat" groups block the entrance of Norway's Energy ministry in Oslo, on February 27, 2023. Credit - Ole Berg-RustenNTB/AFP/Getty Images

The scene in downtown Oslo this week is hardly unusual in the era of climate protest: chained to doorways and bundled up in thick blankets, Greta Thunberg and dozens of other young activists are blocking the entrance to Norways energy and finance ministries to challenge government climate policy. But this time, their target may surprise you: wind farms.

Thunberg and other climate campaigners are joining a demonstration led by the Saami community, an Indigenous group whose traditional lands stretch across Norway, Sweden, Finland, and western Russia. The protest, which kicked off Monday, aims to pressure the Norwegian government to take down 151 turbines that make up two wind farms in the Fosen region of central Norway. Completed in 2020, the wind farms sit on lands that the Saami use for reindeer herdinga central part of their lifestyle. Herders say their animals are terrified by the noise and sight of the turbines, which are 285 ft. tall, leaving the lands unsuitable for grazing and the fate of the areas Saami in jeopardy.

Protesters claim Norway is breaking the law by keeping the turbines running. In October 2021, Norways Supreme Court ruled that their construction violated the Saamis protected cultural rights under a U.N. treaty and that the energy ministrys decision to license them was invalid. But it stopped short of ordering the removal of the turbineswhich are owned by Norwegian energy companies Statkraft and TrnderEnergi, German utility Stadtwerke Muenchen, and Denmarks Nordic Wind Power DA. More than 500 days later, the turbines are still running, as the energy ministry continues to investigate whether it can modify them in some way to allow them to operate while also satisfying the Saamis rights.

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Wind turbines at the Storheia wind farm in the Fosen Peninsula, one of two wind farms opposed by Saami activists, on Dec. 7, 2021. Jonathan NackstrandAFP/Getty Images

The comes amid a global land crunch triggered by the fight against climate change. Norway, the worlds 11th largest oil producer, has launched full-tilt into a green transition, expanding clean energy sources that require a lot more land than fossil fuels. The country has tripled its onshore wind capacity since 2018, to 4.8 GW. The two Fosen wind farms are part of Europes largest onshore wind development. Adding to land demand, Norway is also planning major electric grid expansions, new mines to provide minerals needed for batteries and electric vehicles, and forestry projects to absorb carbon dioxide from the air.

The resulting pressure is worsening an already fraught relationship between the state and Saami groups. We need to be better at having a dialogue with Saami interests, says Amund Vik, state secretary for the energy and petroleum ministry. But theres also no doubt that we need to produce more energy and build more grids, to allow for industrial activity, employment opportunities, reasonable electricity prices all over the country, and to meet our climate targets.

More from TIME

Indigenous leaders say governments around the world are failing to strike a balance between those interests and their own. Its fueling increasing pushback to the projects officials are necessary to decarbonization. Just last week in the U.S., the National Congress of American Indians called for an immediate halt to the development of the U.S. burgeoning offshore wind industry, arguing that its members are not being adequately consulted. Indigenous and climate activists from Latin America to Africa have also staged protests challenging a U.N. backed goal to conserve 30% of the worlds lands by 2030, which many fear will lead to the co-opting of Indigenous territories.

Norway's Oil and Energy Minister Terje Aasland speaks to young climate protesters from the "Nature and Youth" and "Norwegian Samirs Riksforbund Nuorat" groups who block the entrance of Norway's Energy Ministry on February 28, 2023. Oliver MorinAFP/Getty Images

Norway and other countries are repeating the exploitative dynamics of previous, fossil-fueled eras of industrial development, says Asa Larsson Blind, vice president of the Saami Council, who grew up in a reindeer-herding community in Sweden. We call it green colonialism, because its in the name of combating climate change, but on the ground, for affected communities, the consequences are the same.

Saami and other communities, she says, are being asked to give up their culture and their childrens possibilities to continue their way of life, so that other societies can decarbonize their own high-consumption lifestyles. Is that fair?

A Stalled Way Forward

Vik, the energy ministry official, says there are many options on the table to bring the wind farms in line with the governments obligations to the Saami. That includes full decommissioning, removing a few turbines, or removing some roads. There may also be a way to address the reindeer herders needs by creating new grazing areas, or offering more monetary compensation than they were initially given.

But Knut Helge Hurum, a lawyer who represents one group of herders, says the only solution is for the turbines to be torn down. He claims the consultation process between the government and herders since the 2021 verdict has been like talking to a wall.  They have had 500 days and very little has been produced from their side.

The reindeer herders first began mounting their legal challenges in 2014, before construction began. Some Saami activists argue that the government should adopt a policy halting construction of wind turbines to allow legal challenges like theirs run their course.

Vik, however, says that would be impracticalin part because many other groups, such as landowners, file similar lawsuits over the expropriation of land and compensation for green energy projects. If youre going to wait for all those legal battles, nothing will be built, or everything will take a very long time.

Indigenous Tokenization

Time is certainly a factor when it comes to clean energy. By 2030, the Paris-based International Energy Agency says the world needs to have installed 1,200 GW of solar, wind, and other clean energy sourcesfour times the amount that existed in 2022. If we dont, global warming will intensify to catastrophic levels, which would also be disastrous for many Indigenous communities ways of life.

While Indigenous communities have made inroads in the global climate conversation in recent years, winning recognition in the media and at U.N. climate summits for the outsize contribution that they have made to protecting nature, activists say they are still being ignored when it comes to actual decision making about energy and biodiversity. In Tanzania, for example, authorities drove Masaai people out of their lands last year to make way for a nature reserve. On Friday, legislators in Finland blocked a vote on legislation that would have granted its Saami representatives a say over clean energy and mining projects in their territories.

Protests like the ones in Oslo this week are disrupting that kind of tokenization, says Larsson Blind, the Saami council member. People will see that its no longer possible to only include Indigenous peoples when it comes to showing [off] their cultures at [summits], she says.

The hope, she adds, is to set a precedent ahead of future decisions on mining and grid expansion projects coming down the pipeline in Norway. We will assert our human rights. And we are getting stronger and stronger.
A service in the village church of St. Paul de Leon in Devon, England. Hugh R Hastings/Getty Images

The Church of England is considering what language and pronouns should be used to refer to God.

The churchs General Synod has, however, clarified that it will not abolish or substantially revise any of the currently authorized liturgies. Nonetheless, this news made headlines and brought up questions of how religions refer to God. Is God male? What pronouns should be used to refer to God?

As a Catholic feminist theologian who runs a womens center at a Catholic university, I understand the impact of the pronouns Christians use for God. Historically, Christian tradition has recognized many pronouns for God, including he/him, she/her and they/them. This is partly because God does not have a gender. Despite the diverse images used for God in Scripture and Christian tradition, male language and images predominate in contemporary Christian worship.

Many images for God

When we speak about God, we do so knowing that what we say is incomplete. All images for God reveal something about God. No image of God is literal or reveals everything about God.

For example, while Christians can refer to God as a king, they must also remember that God is not literally a king. Calling God a king expresses that God is powerful. However, it is not expressing factual accuracy about Gods gender or implying that God is human.

Referring to God with many titles, descriptions and images invites many of us to recognize the mystery of God. God is like all of these things but also more than all of these things.

Thomas Aquinas, an influential 13th-century Catholic theologian, asserted that individuals can talk about God in ways that are true but always inadequate. Aquinas explained that our language about God affirms something about God, yet God is always beyond that which we can express. We express truths about God in human terms and constructs, but since God is mystery, God is always beyond these categories.

Painting of the 13th-century theologian Thomas Aquinas. Fototeca Gilardi/Getty Images

Scripture is filled with multiple images of God. In some of these images, God is depicted as a father or male. Jesus teaching his disciples to pray the Our Father prayer is perhaps the most well-known example of a male title for God.

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In other parts of Scripture, God is female. The prophet Isaiah compares God to a nursing mother in the Book of Isaiah. A mother hen gathering her chicks is an analogy for God in the Gospel of Matthew. The Book of Wisdom, a book in the Catholic Bible, depicts wisdom personified as a woman. Wisdom 10:18-19 states: She took them across the Red Sea and brought them through deep waters. Their enemies she overwhelmed. This account presents God as female, leading Moses and the Israelites out of Egypt and into the Promised Land.

Depicting God as female in Scripture speaks to Gods tenderness as well as strength and power. For example, the prophet Hosea compares God with a bear robbed of her cubs, promising to attack and rip open those who break the covenant.

Elsewhere in Scripture, God has no gender. God appears to Moses in the burning bush in Exodus 3, defying all gender categories. The Book of 1 Kings presents a gentle image of a gender-neutral God. God asked the prophet Elijah to go to a mountain. While there, Elijah experienced a strong wind, an earthquake and fire, but God was not present in those. Instead, God was present in a gentle whisper. The creation stories of Genesis refer to God in the plural. These examples emphasize that God has no gender and is beyond any human categories.

The social impact of male pronouns

Pronouns, like He/Him in the Christian tradition, can limit ones understanding of God. It can also make many individuals think that God is male.

It is not wrong to refer to God with male pronouns, but it can have negative social and theological consequences to refer to God with only male pronouns.

Feminist theologian Mary Daly famously stated, If God is male, then the male is God. In other words, referring to God only as the male gender has a significant social impact that can exalt one gender at the expense of others.

Referring to God only as male can also limit ones theological imagination: Using many pronouns for God emphasizes that God is mystery, beyond all human categories.

The Church of England is not only responding to modern questions about gender, but also continuing a long tradition within Christianity of referring to God as male, female and beyond gender constructs.

This article is republished from The Conversation, an independent nonprofit news site dedicated to sharing ideas from academic experts. The Conversation has a variety of fascinating free newsletters.

It was written by: Annie Selak, Georgetown University.

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Annie Selak does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
moon. Thomas Marx/Getty Images

You've heard of island time ... but get ready for lunar time.

Experts believe the moon may need its own time zone as part of the current rise in celestial expeditions, Axios reports.

"As dozens of missions will be operating on and around the moon and needing to communicate together and fix their positions independently from Earth, this new era will require its own time," the European Space Agency (ESA) said Monday, adding that, until now, each moon mission has "been operated on its own timescale exported from Earth."

The ESA is reportedly collaborating with other space agencies including NASA in a "joint international effort" to determine what a lunar time zone might look like. But such a project could prove rather difficult, seeing as clocks on the moon tick slightly faster than on Earth, reports Axios. "This will be quite a challenge on a planetary surface where in the equatorial region each day is 29.5 days long, including freezing fortnight-long lunar nights, with the whole of Earth just a small blue circle in the dark sky," explained Bernhard Hufenbach, part of ESA's Directorate of Human and Robotic Exploration.

Experts are unsure whether one space agency should set and maintain the lunar time. "The international community will also have to settle on a common 'selenocentric reference frame,'" writes the ESA, referring to the International Terrestrial Reference Frame, which allows for the "consistent measurement of precise distances between points across our planet."

If scientists are able to establish "a working time system for the moon, we can go on to do the same for other planetary destinations," commented Hufenbach.

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The United States is ratcheting up national security concerns about TikTok, mandating that all federal employees delete the Chinese-owned social media app from government-issued mobile phones. Other Western governments are pursuing similar bans, citing espionage fears.

So how serious is the threat? And should TikTok users who dont work for the government be worried about the app, too?

The answers depend somewhat on whom you ask, and how concerned you are in general about technology companies gathering and sharing personal data.

Heres what to know:

HOW ARE THE U.S. AND OTHER GOVERNMENTS BLOCKING TIKTOK?

The White House said Monday it is giving U.S. federal agencies 30 days to delete TikTok from all government-issued mobile devices.

Congress, the White House, U.S. armed forces and more than half of U.S. states had already banned TikTok amid concerns that its parent company, ByteDance, would give user data  such as browsing history and location  to the Chinese government, or push propaganda and misinformation on its behalf.

The European Union's executive branch has temporarily banned TikTok from employee phones, and Denmark and Canada have announced efforts to block TikTok on government-issued phones.

China says the bans reveal the United States' insecurities and are an abuse of state power. But they come at a time when Western technology companies, including Airbnb, Yahoo and LinkedIn, have been leaving China or downsizing operations there because of Beijing's strict privacy law that specifies how companies can collect and store data.

WHAT ARE THE CONCERNS ABOUT TIKTOK?

Both the FBI and the Federal Communications Commission have warned that ByteDance could share TikTok user data with Chinas authoritarian government.

A law China implemented in 2017 requires companies to give the government any personal data relevant to the countrys national security. Theres no evidence that TikTok has turned over such data, but fears abound due to the vast amount of user data it collects.

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Concerns were heightened in December when ByteDance said it fired four employees who accessed data on two journalists from Buzzfeed News and The Financial Times while attempting to track down the source of a leaked report about the company. TikTok spokesperson Brooke Oberwetter said the breach was an egregious misuse of the employees' authority.

There is also concern about TikToks content and whether it harms teenagers mental health. Researchers from the nonprofit Center for Countering Digital Hate said in a report released in December that eating disorder content on the platform had amassed 13.2 billion views. Roughly two-thirds of U.S. teens use TikTok, according to the Pew Research Center.

WHO HAS PUSHED FOR TIKTOK RESTRICTIONS?

In 2020, then-President Donald Trump and his administration sought to force ByteDance to sell off its U.S. assets and ban TikTok from app stores. Courts blocked Trumps efforts, and President Joe Biden rescinded Trumps orders after taking office but ordered an in-depth study of the issue. A planned sale of TikToks U.S. assets was shelved.

In Congress, concern about the app has been bipartisan. Congress passed the No TikTok on Government Devices Act in December as part of a sweeping government funding package. The legislation does allow for TikTok use in certain cases, including for national security, law enforcement and research purposes.

House Republicans are expected to move forward Tuesday with a bill that would give Biden the power to ban TikTok nationwide. The legislation, proposed by Rep. Mike McCaul, looks to circumvent the challenges the administration would face in court if it moved forward with sanctions against the company.

The bill has received pushback from civil liberties organizations. In a letter sent Monday to McCaul and Rep. Gregory Meeks, D-N.Y., ranking member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, the American Civil Liberties Union said a nationwide TikTok ban would be unconstitutional and would likely result in banning many other businesses and applications as well.

HOW RISKY IS TIKTOK?

It depends on who you ask.

U.S. Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco has expressed concerns that the Chinese government could gain access to user data.

I dont use TikTok, and I would not advise anyone to do so," Monaco said earlier this month at the policy institute Chatham House in London.

TikTok said in a blog post in June that it will route all data from U.S. users to servers controlled by Oracle, the Silicon Valley company it chose as its U.S. tech partner in 2020 in an effort to avoid a nationwide ban. But it is storing backups of the data in its own servers in the U.S. and Singapore. The company said it expects to delete U.S. user data from its own servers, but it did not provide a timeline as to when that would occur.

But the amount of information TikTok collects might not be that different from other popular social media sites, experts say.

In an analysis published in 2021, the University of Torontos nonprofit Citizen Lab said TikTok and Facebook collect similar amounts of user data, including device identifiers that can be used to track a user and other information that can piece together a user's behavior across different platforms. It's valuable information for advertisers.

If you are not comfortable with that level of data collection and sharing, you should avoid using the app, the Citizen Lab report said.

WHAT ARE OTHER EXPERTS SAYING?

While the potential abuse of privacy by the Chinese government is concerning, its equally concerning that the US government, and many other governments, already abuse and exploit the data collected by every other U.S.-based tech company with the same data-harvesting business practices, said Evan Greer, director of the nonprofit advocacy group Fight for the Future.

If policy makers want to protect Americans from surveillance, they should advocate for a basic privacy law that bans all companies from collecting so much sensitive data about us in the first place, rather than engaging in what amounts to xenophobic showboating that does exactly nothing to protect anyone, Greer said.

Others say there is legitimate reason for concern.

People who use TikTok might think they're not doing anything that would be of interest to a foreign government, but that's not always the case, said Anton Dahbura, executive director of the Johns Hopkins University Information Security Institute. Important information about the United States is not strictly limited to nuclear power plants or military facilities; it extends to other sectors, such as food processing, the finance industry and universities, Dahbura said.

WHAT DOES TIKTOK SAY?

Its unclear how much the government-wide TikTok ban might impact the company. Oberwetter, the TikTok spokesperson, said it has no way of knowing whether its users are government employees.

The company, though, has questioned the bans, saying it has not been given an opportunity to answer questions and that governments were cutting themselves off from a platform beloved by millions.

"These bans are little more than political theater, Oberwetter said.

TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew is set to testify next month before Congress. The House Energy and Commerce Committee will ask about the company's privacy and data-security practices, as well as its relationship with the Chinese government.
The backlash against China-owned TikTok in the U.S. and other Western countries escalated in recent days, as some U.S lawmakers pushed to give President Joe Biden the authority to impose a ban on the app for all users.

Canada banned TikTok on government-issued mobile devices on Monday, following a similar ban from the European Union last week.

TikTok, which has more than 100 million monthly active users in the U.S., has faced growing scrutiny from government officials over fears that user data could fall into the possession of the Chinese government and the app could ultimately be weaponized by China to spread misinformation.

However, the fight to ban TikTok risks imposing undue limits on free speech and private business, mimicking the type of censorship for which some Western countries have faulted China, according to some experts and civil liberties advocates.

Here's what to know about why TikTok is being banned, and whether government officials would eventually prevent everyday users from accessing the app:

Why is TikTok being banned?

The primary concern raised by officials banning TikTok centers on data security, especially fears that user information could end up in the hands of the Chinese government.

MORE: Canada bans TikTok on government-issued devices

Such concerns focus both on potential risks posed to U.S. national security, as well as business advantages afforded to Chinese companies that may gain access to the information, Aynne Kokas, professor of media studies and the director of the East Asia Center at the University of Virginia, told ABC News.

"There are significant national security concerns about Chinese firms that are gathering data in the U.S. and what they can do with that," Kokas said. "TikTok has a lot of users."

Companies that operate in China must comply with laws that require them to share data with the government, Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco said at a panel event earlier this month.

"The bottom line is China has been quite clear that they are trying to mold and put forward the use and norms around technologies that privilege their interests," she said. "There's a reason we need to be very concerned."

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In addition, some officials have raised alarm that the Chinese government could use TikTok to spread false information, possibly influencing political discourse and election outcomes.

"There are concerns about the lack of algorithmic transparency on TikTok, and the potential for mis- and disinformation," Kokas said.

MORE: The labor market is booming and these jobs are growing the most

Which countries have banned TikTok?

A slew of countries have imposed restrictions on TikTok.

In 2020, India imposed a full ban on TikTok and dozens of other Chinese apps, citing data privacy and national security concerns. TikTok has faced temporary bans for all users in Indonesia, Bangladesh and Pakistan over the spread of content deemed inappropriate by government officials.

Some countries have joined the U.S. in banning TikTok on government-issued devices. Canada and the European Union imposed such measures in recent days. Taiwan also banned the app from government devices last year.

In response to the government-device bans, TikTok told ABC News in a statement: "We appreciate that some governments have wisely chosen not to implement such bans due to a lack of evidence that there is any such need, but it's disappointing to see that other government bodies and institutions are banning TikTok on employee devices with no deliberation or evidence."

"We share a common goal with governments that are concerned about user privacy, but these bans are misguided and do nothing to further privacy or security," the company added.

PHOTO: President Joe Biden speaks, Feb. 27, 2023, at the White House in Washington. (Alex Brandon/AP)

Will the U.S. ban TikTok entirely?

So far, restrictions of TikTok in the U.S. at the state and federal level have solely focused on banning the app from government-issued devices and currently no further bans have been put in place.

MORE: US holds $31 trillion debt. What would it take to shrink it?

"There's a huge amount of logic for government-device bans," Kokas said. "It doesn't fall victim to the same conversations about free speech because these are government-owned devices."

The Biden administration said on Monday that it is giving federal agencies 30 days to guarantee they do not have TikTok on any federal devices.

"We'll continue to look at other actions that we can take," Olivia Dalton, the White House principal deputy press secretary, told reporters on Tuesday. "That includes how to work with Congress on this issue further."

In response to the U.S. ban of the app on government-issue devices, TikTok told ABC News: "The ban of TikTok on federal devices was passed in December without any deliberation, and unfortunately that approach has served as a blueprint for other world governments. These bans are little more than political theater."

"We hope that when it comes to addressing national security concerns about TikTok beyond government devices, Congress will explore solutions that won't have the effect of censoring the voices of millions of Americans," the company added.

TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew is scheduled to appear before the House Energy and Commerce Committee in March about the company's data security practices, the committee said last month.

More than half of U.S. states have taken steps toward a partial or full ban of TikTok on government devices.

Some lawmakers and advocates, however, have sought to extend the ban to all U.S. users. The House Foreign Affairs Committee is weighing a measure that would grant Biden new authority to ban TikTok.

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TikTok has undergone a yearslong review by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, which could result in a ban of the app or a forced sale of the company's U.S. operation.

Despite momentum among lawmakers for a full U.S. ban, the likelihood of such a move remains low, experts told ABC News. citing the dramatic intervention into the private sector that it would require. Moreover, if such a move did take place, it would face a challenge in the courts, they added.

"I'm skeptical that a ban would survive constitutional scrutiny in the U.S.," Anupam Chander, a professor of law and technology at Georgetown University, told ABC News. "Because we have a First Amendment right to receive information, even information from adversary countries."

In a letter to federal lawmakers on Monday, the American Civil Liberties Union voiced opposition to a full ban of TikTok.

"Congress must not censor entire platforms and strip Americans of their constitutional right to freedom of speech and expression," said Jenna Leventoff, senior policy counsel at the ACLU.

TikTok faces bans in US and other countries. Here's why. originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
A Wichita man will serve 25 years in prison for shooting at police officers in riot gear and armored vehicles during a nighttime protest at 21st and Arkansas in June 2020.

A Sedgwick County jury in July found Henry E. Parker, 30, guilty of 18 counts of aggravated assault of a law enforcement officer, two counts of aggravated battery of a law enforcement officer and one count of criminal possession of a firearm in what prosecutors have said was a targeted attack on Wichita cops trying to disperse an unruly crowd early on June 2, 2020. The unrest followed a mostly peaceful protest calling for an end to police brutality after the May 25, 2020, killing of George Floyd.

Prosecutors at trial said Parker left an overnight shift at his gas station job, drove to the protest and opened fire on police before heading back to work. Snapchat footage of the shooter and witness statements helped investigators solve the case.

Parkers lawyer argued that the cops arrested the wrong man. Parker, the lawyer contended at the trial, left work to pick up a friend and was gone for so short a time that he couldnt have driven to the protest site.

A co-worker of Parkers told police he had bragged about how he emptied a whole clip on officers because a woman he referred to as his sister had been hit with a rubber bullet while she held a baby, according to a probable cause affidavit released by the court.

Former Wichita police Chief Gordon Ramsay has said officers used non-lethal deterrents including tear gas, smoke rounds, flash grenades and foam bullets on the crowd after rioters threw objects at police and refused to leave the area. Around 45 Wichita police officers and SWAT members were there, around 900 W. 21st St., that morning.

Bullets of debris from the gunfire grazed at least two officers riot helmets. Some feared for their lives and safety, prosecutors told the jurors before they handed down guilty verdicts on 21 charges.

Sedgwick County District Judge David Dahl imposed the 300-month sentence, Dan Dillon, a spokesman for the Sedgwick County District Atttorneys Office, said by email.

City paid $1.5M in overtime to police ordered to work extra during early June protests
Wizz Air

Safety of the passengers and crew remain Wizz Air's number one priority and following the recent developments in Moldova and the elevated, but not imminent, risk in the country's airspace, Wizz Air has made the difficult but responsible decision to suspend all flights to Chisinau from the 14th of March, the statement reads.

After March 14, Wizz Air plans to introduce additional flights from the Romanian city of Iasi.

Read also: Wizz Air subsidiary to resume Moscow flights

Wizz Air Twitter account, in response to questions from users, said that they have no information at the moment regarding when the flights will resume.

On Feb. 9, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that the Ukrainian intelligence revealed Russian plans to destabilize the political situation in Moldova.

On Feb. 20 Zelenskyy asserted that Moscow was considering a coup d'etat in Moldova by seizing an airfield in the capital of Chisinau and then transferring its troops there. Later, Moldovan PM Dorin Recean confirmed the report. He also called for Transnistrias demilitarization and expulsion of Russian troops from the region.

Read also: Russia planning coup detat in Moldova, says Sandu

The head of Moldova's Security Service, Alexandru Musteata, said Russia might launch an offensive against Moldova early in 2023. The Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs also said that the Kremlin "has plans on" Poland, Baltic countries, and Moldova, but won't be able to realize them soon.

Read also: Putin unexpectedly mentions the risk of Russias collapse

On Feb. 21, Russian dictator Vladimir Putin rescinded his decree On measures to implement the foreign policy course of the Russian Federation, signed back in 2012, which included the respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Moldova.

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
A video posted to TikTok shows a Rockford, Illinois woman calling the police on two Black men as they shovelled snow off the sidewalk in front of her house.

Gregory McAdory told the Daily Beast that on 17 February, following a major snowstorm in the Rockford area, he and his friend went to the house of another friends father so they could shovel his sidewalk. After they finished removing snow from in front of the first house, the two men moved to the sidewalk outside of a neighbours house.

Thats when the trouble began. According to Mr McAdory, the neighbour, an elderly white woman, came out of her house in an agitated state.

Are you seriously mad because we cleaned off your sidewalk? one of the men can be heard asking in the TikTok video posted to Mr McAdorys account on 18 February.

In response, the woman begins shovelling snow accumulated on her front lawn back onto the sidewalk. She then tells the men not to trespass and threatens to call the police, removing her cell phone from her jacket pocket as one of the men continues to shovel snow off the sidewalk.

The confrontation continues in this vein, with the men, who operate a snow removal company, telling the woman that the sidewalk is public and that they are doing her a favour by shovelling it. The woman then calls the police, reporting that the two men are bothering her, identifying them as African-American, and accusing them of not giving her respect.

Mr McAdorys friend asks him if hes streaming the confrontation on Facebook Live, to which he responds that hes recording it for his own purposes but plans to post on social media later. The fact that Mr McAdory was recording the incident appeared to upset the woman.

Hes taking a movie, taking pictures, someone that I dont know, the woman can be heard saying.

This was not Mr McAdroys first run-in with the neighbour, who he said had threatened to call the police on him in the past as well. He said that his friends family has known the woman for 15 years.

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A handful of police officers eventually did respond to the scene, but only stayed for roughly 20 minutes and did not file a report. They reportedly told Mr McAdory and his associate to stay off of the womans property and refrain from shovelling her sidewalk, while also speculating that the woman might have mental health issues.

In a second video posted to his TikTok, Mr McAdory records the encounter with police  telling the officers that hes innocent of any misconduct and that the next time the woman calls the police, hes prepared to press charges against her to the fullest extent of the law.
A woman hired to work at a warehouse learned the position was pulled days after she was supposed to start, a federal lawsuit says.

A national staffing agency canceled the position for her because shes deaf  even though the e-commerce retailer, which runs the warehouse, had fully accepted her as an employee at their warehouse in Maryland, according to the lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

Preventing the woman, who primarily uses sign language to communicate, from working at the warehouse violated the Americans with Disabilities Act, the agency said.

The staffing agency, Lyneer Staffing, LLC, will pay $119,400 to settle the lawsuit, the EEOC announced in a Feb. 24 news release.

McClatchy News contacted an attorney representing Lyneer Staffing and didnt immediately receive a response.

We will take action when a hiring official chooses to believe that deafness alone negates all of an applicants skills, abilities, and positive attributes, EEOC Philadelphia District Director Jamie R. Williamson said in a statement. This is especially true when the discrimination comes from staffing agencies, as they play a significant role in referring persons for employment in the labor market.

The case dates back to November 2021, when Lyneer Staffing forwarded the womans application to Whitebox, the e-commerce company, according to a complaint filed in court. The company was told at that point that the woman is deaf.

Whitebox soon accepted her as an employee and she was scheduled to start working on Nov. 23, the complaint says.

However, the day before, a Lyneer Staffing manager told Whitebox that she had canceled the womans position because shes deaf on Nov. 22, according to the complaint.

The staffing agency proceeded to ignore the woman when she contacted them that day to confirm her start date at the warehouse, the complaint says.

Eight days later, on Nov. 30, a representative finally responded to a text the woman had sent and said they did not have sign language interpreters and therefore could not place her with the job, according to the complaint.

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Meanwhile, the woman was fully qualified to do the job, according to the EEOC. She experienced emotional pain, embarrassment, lost wages and more as a result of the job getting pulled.

As part of the lawsuit settlement, Lyneer Staffing will adopt a new policy to ensure its deaf applicants will have access to American Sign Language interpreters, the EEOC said in the release. Additionally, managers will be trained on reasonable accommodations and deaf communication.

Lyneer Staffing will also keep the EEOC informed on how it deals with possible future disability discrimination complaints, according to the agency.

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Sheree Spencer, 45, left her husband with 'cauliflower ear' after assaulting him with a wine bottle. (MEN Media)

A mother-of-three who subjected her husband to a shocking 20-year campaign of physical and mental abuse has been jailed for four years.

Sheree Spencer regularly punched, kicked, slapped, and bit her victim, who said he felt "trapped" and "feared the consequences of speaking out".

He "cowered sometimes on his hands and knees on the floor" as he was threatened with physical violence by his wife, who sometimes drank three bottles of wine a day, Hull Crown Court heard.

Spencers long reign of terror has finally been brought to an end, after she admitted coercive and controlling behaviour, three counts of assault, and occasioning actual bodily harm.

The prison reform boss, who worked for HM Prison and Probation Service, was given an indefinite restraining order on top of her sentence and grinned as she was taken down to the cells.

Read more: Isla Bryson: Scottish transgender rapist jailed for eight years

Former prison reform boss Spencer was jailed for four years and was given an indefinite restraining order. (MEN Media)

Spencer, 45, left her husband disfigured with a cauliflower ear and a chipped elbow after viciously hitting him with a wine bottle, the court heard.

She would shout orders at the father of her children, and sometimes "whispered in his face in the most sinister way", showing "utter contempt" for him.

A neighbour could overhear the constant stream of abuse, recalling Spencer saying on one occasion: Youre not a f***ing man. I want you out of my life.

In one incident, she damaged a tyre on her husband's car using a kitchen knife, before lunging at him with the weapon, causing a 2cm cut below his knee.

The abusive behaviour escalated when the family were living in London, the court heard, with Spencer hitting her husband on the back of the head with a wine glass, leaving him needing stitches.

The abuse was eventually brought to an end in June 2021 after a concerned welfare worker raised the alarm with police.

Read more: Who is on strike today in the UK?

Spencer's husband felt helpless and trapped, as he feared what would happen if he spoke out. (MEN Media)

Read more: Cheating husband strangled wife after she found 'dirty' texts to other women when he passed out drunk

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The husband handed over 43 photographs of injuries, 36 video clips and nine mobile phone recordings to officers.

Spencer, from Market Weighton, East Yorkshire, would also hurl insults at her partner, and damage his property including laptops, phones and clothes.

Spencer's "unpredictable and threatening" behaviour caused her husband to become estranged from his family.

In a statement that he read to a court, he said hed fear hed never fully recover from the 20 years of abuse, adding he felt he had to hide it from friends and family.

Spencer controlled all aspects of his daily life, including which room he could sleep in and which toilet he could use.

"She threatened to make false allegations to me to the police," he said, adding that he felt "trapped" and became "increasingly hardened" to the abuse.

He said following Spencers arrest, the problems continued during Family Court hearings as she claimed to be the victim, forcing him to defend himself against false allegations.

"She continued to exert her control over me, the husband added.

Defence barrister Richard Pratt KC said that there was "little if anything" that could be said in mitigation.

Read more: Teacher sacked for restraining 'out of control' pupil in line for compensation after unfair dismissal

He said alcohol played the most significant part in the shocking and distressing case, which combined with prescription medication, caused Spencer to behave in a way that appalled her.

Judge Kate Rayfield said that Spencer had a "short temper" and was controlling and coercive to her "vulnerable" husband.

She said two hours of recording incidents had been compiled and that it could not be overstated how shocking it was, adding: "You have caused him significant psychological harm.
(Jam Press Vid/@arlennehernandezm)

A woman has left social media users scratching their heads after revealing her incredible catfish transformation.

Arlenne Hernandez loves using makeup to twist her facial features, having picked up brushes for the first time 20 years ago.

More recently, she has become a viral sensation on TikTok for her before and after makeovers, with 265,300 dedicated followers.

However, its not all glitz and glam as the 40-year-old often gets abused for her exaggerated appearance with trolls making hurtful comments.

One of her videos has racked up over 10 million views with plenty of people sharing their take on the look.

[] a year ago I began to characterize an older woman by making wrinkles, dark circles, etc for people to see the change in my makeup, Arlenne, who lives in Tampico, Mexico, told NeedToKnow.online.

And in my videos, I explain that we should not judge the appearance of people for that reason I do.

Many people make hurtful comments.

Some of the trolls have since apologised for insulting the influencer, and she says others are very keen for her to teach them how to put on makeup.

(Jam Press/@arlennehernandezmakeu)

(Jam Press/@arlennehernandezmakeu)

One said: "I get the feeling it's makeup before and makeup after. The lines on the forehead are too precise."

"And that's why going swimming on a first date is not a bad idea," said another.

A third added: "You low-key gave me the exorcist vibes on the first one lol." [sic]

(Jam Press/@arlennehernandezmakeu)

"I need that makeup cause even her wrinkles disappear," someone else said. [sic]

A fifth added: "This should be illegal."

Arlenne says she started the transformations over ten years ago because of her passion for Halloween makeup.

"I hope to make [people] see that we shouldn't hate others, because if they really [looked] like this, then they wouldn't know how this affects people on the inside, she said.

"Many ask me to teach them how to put on makeup and I make videos on my Facebook.

"There, they realise that my appearance isn't the way they see it on TikTok and many apologise for insulting me."
Woody Harrelson bemoaned the continued use of Covid protocols on film sets days after facing criticism for making an anti-vax joke on Saturday Night Live.

During his opening monologue on the show, Harrelson joked about the craziest script hes ever read.

The long-winded punchline ultimately implied that mandatory vaccines were crazy: I mean, who was going to believe that crazy [script]? Being forced to do drugs?

In a New York Times interview published on Monday (27 February), the Triangle of Sadness star called Covid protocols rather absurd.

Asked what was absurd about the protocols, Harrelson replied: The fact that theyre still going on!

I dont think that anybody should have the right to demand that youre forced to do the testing, forced to wear the mask and forced to get vaccinated three years on.

Woody Harrelson on SNL (NBC)

Harrelson added that he didnt think mask-wearing was fair on film crews. I dont have to wear the mask. Why should they? Why should they have to be vaccinated? Hows that not up to the individual? He asked.

I shouldnt be talking about this [expletive]. It makes me angry for the crew. The anarchist part of me, I dont feel that we should have forced testing, forced masking and forced vaccination. Thats not a free country... Its [been] three years. Stop.

Harrelson has a history of public activism, predominantly campaigning for environmental causes. In 1996, he was arrested for climbing the Golden Gate Bridge and unfurling a banner that protested the Pacific Lumber Companys ownership of old-growth land.

While the actor faced widespread disapproval for his comments on SNL, Twitter owner Elon Musk, praised him for his words. So based. Nice work, he wrote. Based is slang for being unafraid to be yourself and say what you think.

Harrelson has criticised Covid protocols in the past. In an interview with Vanity Fair last year, he said of mask-wearing: As one who doesnt believe in the germ theory, I find it rather absurd.

He also shared a since-deleted Instagram post that linked 5G and Covid, calling it very interesting.
WORCESTER  A former city police officer convicted of rape in 2015 was ordered to pay $2.5 million in damages to the victim for her pain, suffering and emotional distress.

U.S. District Court Judge Timothy S. Hillman made the ruling Monday against Rajat Sharda.

Not only were his actions shocking and sickening, but Sharda abused his position of trust and authority, Hillman wrote in his ruling. The rape inflicted ongoing pain and humiliation, changed Plaintiffs relationships with family members and continues to affect her ability to form healthy, adult relationships.

Former Worcester Police Officer Rajat Sharda answers questions from the witness stand in Worcester Superior Court June 3, 2015.

Shardas intimidating behavior while on duty and in uniform, coupled with his threats to harm Plaintiffs child and family members if she reported him, further enhanced the atrocity of his crime and its effect on Plaintiff.

On June 8, 2015, Sharda was sentenced to five to seven years in state prison after a Worcester Superior Court jury found him guilty of rape, open and gross lewdness and witness intimidation. The criminal trial court denied two motions for a new trial by Sharda.

Sharda appealed his convictions to the Massachusetts Appeals Court, which affirmed them April 21, 2022. All further appellate review has been denied and Sharda has exhausted his appeals in his criminal case.

On Aug. 6, 2013, the victim of the rape and plaintiff in the damages case was having intimate relations with a male companion in her SUV that was parked near Bancroft Tower.

At approximately 1:30 a.m., Sharda, while on duty as a uniformed Worcester police officer, pulled his marked police cruiser up next to the plaintiffs vehicle. Sharda shined a flashlight inside, told the plaintiff to open the door and informed her and her companion that they were in trouble, according to court documents.

Without getting her name or identification, Sharda had the woman get out of her car and stand on the other side of his cruiser facing away from the scene. She was completely naked except for a blanket she wrapped around herself, according to court documents.

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Former Worcester Police Officer Rajat Sharda at a City Hall ceremony in 2011.

Sharda handcuffed the male companion and left him in the vehicle, then approached the plaintiff and ordered her to open the blanket. When she asked why and told Sharda she had nothing on beneath the blanket, Sharda told her she must allow him to view her unclothed body so he could ensure you are carrying no weapons, court documents state.

The woman opened and immediately closed the blanket, but Sharda held the blanket open and began to digitally rape her. As he did this, Sharda made a flattering comment about her appearance and repeatedly asked her what she would be willing to do to avoid getting arrested, according to court documents.

The plaintiff begged Sharda not to arrest her and told him she would stay out of trouble and that she had young children. Sharda responded by observing how embarrassing it would be for plaintiff and her family for plaintiff to get arrested for having sex in the park, court documents state.

As he continued inappropriately touching her, Sharda asked the woman if she would (expletive) a police officer. When she said no, Sharda asked, What if I wasn't in uniform?" and she again replied no. Sharda unzipped his pants, took his penis out and ordered her to grab it. After she refused, Sharda began to masturbate, and he continued that activity and the rape until he ejaculated onto the plaintiff and the blanket, according to court documents.

As she began clothing herself, Sharda told her to drop the blanket and kick it over to him. He placed the blanket in his cruiser and removed the handcuffs from her male companion, court documents state.

Privately, Sharda told the woman that he would find her and her family if she ever told anyone what he had done, adding, Just be grateful you did not even get arrested. Sharda then allowed both of them to drive off. He followed them in his cruiser for more than a mile before turning away, according to court documents.

The plaintiff said she was intimidated and fearful of Sharda due to his position as a police officer and his threatening statement.

Sharda represented himself in court.

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Worcester officer convicted of 'shocking and sickening' 2013 rape to pay victim $2.5M
A technology company in York County saw Channel 9s reports on the street takeovers across our area, and the companys CEO says they can help local police to keep our streets safe.

The sound of cars doing donuts and racing through streets is familiar to many in Charlotte, but theres a rise in people doing stunts and taking over intersections or roadways.

Ken Mills, the CEO of EPIC iO, pointed to a video and said the stunts have become popular all over the nation.

Heres a good example of an intersection that has been taken over by a bunch of speed racers doing a bunch of donuts, he said while showing a video from California.

But he says the city in that video is now using his companys technology, which helps law enforcement detect and identify people who take part in the street stunts or break other traffic laws.

Its been able to be a force multiplier for our law enforcement so that they can be where they need to when they need to be there, and not necessarily try to be everywhere at once, Mills said.

PAST COVERAGE:

He says the technology works with street cameras that are already used in many cities, but the surveillance software can zone in on unsafe behavior like wrong-way drivers, speeding, and street racing. Then it sends the information in real-time, including license plate information, to law enforcement.

Its become a real deterrent for them, and there have been a number of incidents theyve had since we implemented the system that has reduced dramatically over time, Mills said.

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The technology is being used in several cities in states like California, Florida, Georgia, Texas, and in North Carolina, according to Mills. He says hes also been in talks with some local agencies in the Charlotte and South Carolina area interested in putting an end to stunts like this.

It can cost a couple of hundred dollars for one unit, and up to thousands of dollars for several, according to EPIC iO. No cities in the Charlotte area are currently using it, but Channel 9 has reached out to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department to ask if the department would consider using it.

(WATCH: Residents report new street takeovers in Uptown over the weekend)
Rep. Nick LaLota (R-N.Y.) on Monday called for the expulsion from Congress of fellow New York Republican Rep. George Santos.

I didnt see a more provable case of election fraud in my seven years as elections commissioner than the fraud committed by George Santos, read a Twitter post from LaLota, who previously served on the Suffolk County, New York, board of elections.

He continued: Im for election integrity. Im for expelling George Santos.

I didnt see a more provable case of election fraud in my seven years as elections commissioner than the fraud committed by George Santos.



His lies were the very reason he was nominated, got donations and votes.



Im for election integrity.

Im for expelling George Santos.  Nick LaLota (@nicklalota) February 27, 2023

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy last month said he would only call for Santos resignation if he was found guilty by the House Ethics Committee, which has a public meeting scheduled Tuesday relating to the start of the new Congress.

LaLota is among the five vulnerable New York Republicans the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is targeting with a new weekslong billboard campaign announced on Monday.

While Democrats performed better than expected overall in Novembers midterm elections, the party got disappointing results in New York.

The DCCC is zeroing in on LaLota, Anthony DEsposito, Mike Lawler, Marc Molinaro and Brandon Williams because of their decision to accept campaign contributions from Santos.

Only two of them, Molinaro and DEsposito, returned the cash after Santos lies came to light. The billboards targeting them ask why they ever took money from fraudster George Santos.

New Yorkers want Santos out of office, and these congressmens meaningless words arent enough to make up for their failure to actually take action to hold their campaign donor accountable, DCCC spokesperson Nebeyatt Betre said in a press release announcing the billboard campaign.

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Voters in New York also appear to be getting tired of Santos.

A new Siena College Research Institute survey showed over 65% of voters in the state think Santos should step down, according to Politico, with the majority of both Democrats, Republicans and independents wanting him to hand in his resignation.

Santos has been under fire since The New York Times and subsequent reports revealed he falsified many aspects of his work and life history. He is now the subject of several investigations.

Related...
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday called on U.S. businesses still operating in Russia to leave it and help Ukraine rebuild its destroyed infrastructure.

In a live speech to the National Association of Manufacturers board, Zelensky said that American companies have an opportunity to take on leadership positions both in the reconstruction of the Ukrainian economy and infrastructure while also ensuring Moscow is punished for invading Ukraine.

This confrontation is going on right now. And that is why right now we are calling on all businesses to come to Ukraine and to leave the Russian market, Zelensky said.

It is obvious that post-hostilities, reconstruction of Ukraine will give an extraordinary moral advantage to all businesses that will be in, he added. And it is also obvious that every business that is now helping the Russian tyranny in any way will not be able to avoid problems and their reputation crisis.

Only a few dozen U.S. companies are still doing business as usual in Russia, while over 300 either temporarily suspended operations or left the country entirely, according to an analysis from the Yale Universitys Chief Executive Leadership Institute.

U.S. sanctions have made it difficult for companies to do business in Russia, and corporations came under immense public pressure to leave the country following Russian President Vladimir Putins brutal invasion last February. Social media users last week accused Dutch brewing company Heineken of not leaving Russia fast enough.

Zelensky said that U.S. companies should invest in Ukraine now  while the war is still ongoing  to take advantage of opportunities in clean energy, oil refining and weapon manufacturing, and help the nation rebuild its destroyed residential buildings and social centers.

All these are not just investment opportunities, not just industries and not just growth. This is a wide space for victories. Your victories, American business, he said. And I urge you to prepare for these victories now, to come to Ukraine now so that by the time we restore peace, your hard work has already yielded results.

National Association of Manufacturers President Jay Timmons told Zelensky that U.S. manufacturers will be there to help rebuild Ukraine when the war is over.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
President Volodymyr Zelensky met with International Criminal Court (ICC) Prosecutor Karim Khan in Kyiv on Feb. 28, the President's office reported.

During their meeting, Zelensky stressed that the Russian crimes committed in Ukraine must not be overlooked, and those responsible for them must face legal consequences.

"We have heard signals from you about your support and the importance of justice. It was important for us to hear this because it meant that we are not alone in our desire to achieve justice for Ukraine," said Zelensky.

According to the press release, Zelensky said Ukraine is prepared to assist the ICC in establishing a prosecutor's office in the country to investigate Russian war crimes.

He also expressed the importance of reuniting Ukrainian children who were forcibly taken by Russian soldiers and that he would be "very grateful" to the ICC for ideas on how to facilitate this more quickly.

"With your help, we will be able to restore justice for Europe and the world." Zelensky added.

Khan said the ICC is ready for full cooperation with Ukraine's Prosecutor General to investigate Russian war crimes in Ukraine. Currently, it is impossible to establish accurate casualty numbers due to the temporarily-occupied territories and areas under intense fighting.

"We are ready to speed up the work so that Ukrainians and people around the world see justice as soon as possible, and the guilty receive punishment," Khan concluded.

A long road lays ahead of war crimes prosecutors. On Feb. 27, the Prosecutor General's Office reported they had recorded 71,649 alleged Russian war crimes and crimes of aggression in Ukraine in the first year of Russias all-out war.

Ukrainian law enforcement agencies also said that Russias war against Ukraine has killed at least 461 children and injured at least 927 since Feb. 24.




President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a meeting with the head of Ukraines Security Service and other officials in charge of national security on Monday, 27 February.

Source: President Zelenskyys video address

Quote from Zelenskyy: "Today, I held several meetings with government officials and representatives of security agencies. In particular, I had a meeting with Vasyl Maliuk, Head of the Security Service of Ukraine. We discussed current issues and our steps to protect the state in the near future.

We will not allow any internal threats a chance [to succeed], just as we do not allow any external threats [to succeed]."

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






Zendaya arrives at the 94th Academy Awards in 2022. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

Did Zendaya just make history again?

According to Puck News, the 26-year-old Euphoria star has negotiated a new deal with HBO that will make her one of the highest-paid television actors in Hollywood, and maybe the youngest to land such a deal.

The Golden Globe- and Emmy-winning actor, 26, will now be raking in close to $1 million per episode for her deeply poignant portrayal of the series' central character, Rue Bennett  a tortured high-school student who grapples with substance abuse in the wake of her fathers death.

Euphoria has been one of the buzziest shows of the last few years. Some love it, some hate it, but most everyone agrees Zendaya gives a performance worth celebrating. The gritty high-school drama shot its cast to stardom, and while Zendaya (a Disney channel alum) was no stranger to the spotlight, it was "Euphoria" that dropped the veil on her range and dramatic acting chops.

In 2020, Zendaya made Emmy Awards history when, at 24, she became the youngest actor to take home the trophy for best lead actress in a drama. And in 2022, she made history again when she became the only Black woman to win two Emmy Awards for best lead actress in a drama.

My greatest wish for Euphoria was that it could help heal people, Zendaya said while accepting her second Emmys trophy in 2022. I just want to say thank you to everyone who has shared their story with me. I want you to know that anyone who has loved a Rue or feels like they are a Rue, I want you to know Im so grateful for your stories, and I carry them with me, and I carry them with her.

Along with the lead actress win, Zendaya was nominated for outstanding drama series as a producer on Euphoria, although Succession snagged the award. Had she won, she would have been the youngest executive producer to do so.

With $1 million per episode, Zendaya will be sitting pretty relative to her "Euphoria" co-star Sydney Sweeney, who spoke with the Hollywood Reporter last year about the financial woes of acting. If I wanted to take a six-month break, I dont have income to cover that, she said. I dont have someone supporting me, I dont have anyone I can turn to, to pay my bills or call for help.

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"They dont pay actors like they used to, and with streamers, you no longer get residuals, Sweeney added. The established stars still get paid, but I have to give 5 percent to my lawyer, 10 percent to my agents, 3 percent or something like that to my business manager. I have to pay my publicist every month, and thats more than my mortgage.

Zendaya now joins the ranks of fellow $1-million milestone members, including the lead cast of Friends in their final season, the lead cast of Game of Thrones, Nicole Kidman and Reese Witherspoon for Big Little Lies and Elisabeth Moss on Apples Shining Girls, to name a few.

According to a Deadline report in 2021, Angela Bassett set a record for highest-earning Black female actor on network television, earning $450,000 per 9-1-1 episode. Kerry Washington earned more than a million per episode for co-starring and co-producing alongside Witherspoon in Little Fires Everywhere.

Zendaya hitting the $1 million mark possibly makes her the youngest, highest-paid Black female actor on television.

A representative for Zendaya did not immediately respond to The Times request for comment Monday.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Two historic artifacts from the region made it onto this years Virginia Association of Museums Top 10 Endangered Artifacts list.

The public can cast a vote online for the artifact they want to receive $1,000 for conservation from the Virginia Association of Museums. The artifact that receives the most votes will be awarded the money to support its conservation.

A law book belonging to Patrick Henry, dating to 1785, is one of the regions historic artifacts on this years Virginias Top 10 Endangered list.

The Patriot, Founding Father, former Virginia governor, renowned orator and lawyer whose famous words, Give me liberty or give me death are repeated on tongues nationwide today, long resided in Brookneal at his plantation, Red Hill. The nonprofit organization and national memorial, Patrick Henrys Red Hill, has been working to restore and preserve the site since 1944, telling the stories of the people who lived there to numerous visitors. Among the artifacts kept at the historic site is Henrys law book from 1785.

The book features Henrys signature in two places, plus the signature of his brother-in-law. The volume was used for reference by Henry in the late 18th century, the artifact entry said.

The book has experienced chemical and physical deterioration, according to the artifact entry. Its binding is falling apart, with two of the seven cords along the text block broken. The front and back covers are fully detached, and the volume is missing some pages.

Without immediate intervention to rebind the book and conserve its pages, greater loss of information will occur, and what is left of its original leather spine will be lost, the artifact entry said.

If this $1,000 is awarded, the conservation work would be done by a specialty lab based in Washington, D.C., said Cody Youngblood, curator at Red Hill. It would be the first major antique book restoration project Red Hill has ever done.

The cover was made via a method that pressed and glued paper together to create a type of hardcover, Youngblood said. The spine is covered in vegetable tan leather, which is naturally acidic, and so degrades and flakes over time. Multiple pages need flattening; it appears Henry might have had a habit of dog-earing pages. The cover requires light cleaning. New cotton cord structure needs to be crafted to reattach the covers and pages by conservators.

Theyll apply some acid-free adhesive and similar spine materials to create an adhesive on which to place new leather thats sympathetic with the historic look of it, Youngblood said.

Finally, Youngblood said, conservators would create new 23-karat gold stamps on the leather, which is the same material used historically to create lettering on the spine.

This is what we call specialty work, so its something we would want an expert to do, and we are not book binding experts, Youngblood said.

More than 200 books were identified in Henrys will, Youngblood said. Only 33 of his books in total are known to exist today, so the collection already is greatly reduced. If the organization cannot get the money to help pay for conservation work  a total of about $2,000  this law book, too, will probably be lost.

Were a nonprofit. Our budget is small, and without the help of VAM and this competition, we probably wouldnt be able to get this work carried out, Youngblood said.

Red Hill relies on membership dues, donations, sponsors and grant money to operate. While supporters are generous, there is not currently enough money to cover the costs of restoring the 18th-century law book in addition to other needs.

The Mount Moriah Baptist Church pulpit Bible in Amherst County also is among the Top 10 Endangered list.

Dubbed the mother of churches in Amherst County, yielding at least 10 additional congregations over time, and known for ministering to enslaved and free Black people as early as the churchs founding in 1745, the Amherst County Museum & Historical Society seeks votes to preserve the pulpit Bible from 1867.

Owned by former pastor J.D. Richeson during that era, the leather cover Bible with pages made of a rag material, features Richesons signature and those of multiple successors. The Bible is well-worn and stands as a testament to its regular use in ministry.

It bears witness to the importance of the African American church in rural counties, but is gravely in need of restoration, with the binding in very poor condition and back cover detached, the artifact entry said.

The Bible was donated to the museum and historical society in 1992, according to a news release from the organization.

Mt. Moriah had a long history prior to acquiring this pulpit Bible in 1867.

In addition to ministering to the Black population in the area, the church also had a notable history of teaching non-Anglican beliefs, which was rather unpopular in an Anglican colony during the Colonial era, the news release said. Several ministers who preached at Mt. Moriah got arrested for taking these non-Anglican teachings to other parts of Virginia.

In 1850, then-pastor S.B. Rice appointed Orpheus Galvin, a consecrated colored brother, as his assistant pastor. Galvin was charged with caring for the spiritual needs of the Negro members, according to archives at the museum and historical society. Galvin served in this capacity until his death, years after the Civil War ended.

Currently, a strip of electrical tape is holding the binding of the 1867 pulpit Bible together, which would have to be removed by a conservator. The Bible needs to be rebound in its original manner, using string, said Octavia Starbuck, director of the Amherst County Museum & Historical Society. The pages need to be cleaned of staining. A type of paper called rice paper would be used in restoration work, Starbuck said. A Winchester-based conservationist would be contracted to do the job if the endangered artifact money is awarded.

Its really amazing, the items they work with to restore pages, Starbuck said. Its an exciting process to see the work, and then to have the Bible back restored and preserved.

The total price tag attached to restoration of the pulpit Bible is an estimated $1,500, Starbuck said.

The Amherst County Museum & Historical Society receives funding through its limited but faithful membership dues, donations and grant awards, so $1,000 would help significantly in saving the Bible. Most of the money that comes into the organization goes toward necessary things such as acid-free boxes for storage of other historic items. There is not much to spare.

If we dont get funding, it will wait with some other things that need to be done until we do get funding, she said.

Votes can be cast online at vamuseums-org.wishpond.com/virginia-s-top-10-endangered-artifacts-2022-3/

Voting ends Friday, March 3. One vote can be cast every 24 hours.
The Council Bluffs Community School District Board of Education will consider changes to the elementary school attendance area boundaries and the closure of Crescent Elementary School near the end of March.

According to an email sent Monday by Superintendent Vickie Murillo to impacted families, this change would occur after the end of the current school year.

The decision to make this recommendation to the board was made after careful consideration and is based on wanting to provide the best possible educational opportunities for all children, Superintendent Dr. Vickie Murillo said in a press release. Crescent is a wonderful school with caring teachers. However, low enrollment at the school makes it difficult to provide equitable resources in counseling, talented and gifted education, and academic intervention for students at Crescent.

Crescent Elementary currently serves 64 students, according to the email. Under the proposal, around 20 of those students would be moved to the College View Elementary School, while other Crescent students would become part of the Lewis & Clark Elementary attendance area.

A study of enrollment patterns in the Crescent attendance area indicates a significant number of the 127 elementary children assigned to Crescent do not attend the school, instead opting for other Council Bluffs schools or neighboring school districts, the CBCSD said in a press release.

As the school district faces continuing budget challenges due to inadequate state funding and the introduction of school vouchers for private education, this is one of the cost-saving measures being considered, a press release stated.

According to Chief Financial Officer Dean Wilson, the move of Crescent students to Lewis & Clark Elementary and College View Elementary would allow for a financial savings of an estimated $935,000 annually. The boundary change will not affect students who currently attend those schools.

The district has offered to lease the Crescent school building to the City of Crescent to be utilized for a community center.

It is a well-maintained and up to date building we would want to have available to the school district if enrollment in the eastern part of the district should increase substantially, according to the press release.

The proposed boundary change maps can be reviewed on the districts website. Direct questions to communications@cbcsd.org.

The board will consider this recommendation on March 28.
After Council Bluffs Police Lt. Chad Geer explained the formation and purpose of the departments Emergency Services Team, last weeks Citizens Police Academy class took an unexpected turn.

Instead of focusing on the units responsibilities, many of which involve high risk situations like armed and barricaded subjects, and serving search or arrest warrants to individuals known to be dangerous, or the weapons they use  Sig Sauer P320 sidearms, Benelli shotguns, and AR-15s that each officer is free to modify to meet their needs  Geer began to speak about some of the situations for which the EST is deployed that would perhaps be better served by a different approach.

Instead of dispatching a team of heavily armed police officers to respond to a suicide attempt or a domestic situation, why not send a mental health professional whose training consisted of more than a couple of psychology classes?

(Someone is) in crisis, he doesnt need a police officer, Geer said. He needs a therapist or a medical professional, and were just not that.  When they talk about defunding the police, do I think thats a great plan? Absolutely not, but I do think we need more medical professionals wearing a badge or being with us to give these people additional help.

Geer has been a police officer for 30 years, the last 25 with the CBPD, and from his first job in Sergeant Bluff, Iowa, he was being asked to do things he didnt receive training for.

They hand me this long, skinny thing, and they said, here, you unlock the car doors with this, Geer said. Im like, what?

Yeah, you unlock car doors.

Well, how do you do that?

You stick it down there and just jam it around the keyhole.

Okay

So theyre dispatching us to unlock cars, Geer said. Well, thats what a locksmith does. Hes trained to do it. He has all the right tools. Why are you sending me, you know? Its not as bad, but its the same, I mean, I know some things about marital counseling just because Ive been to it a few times on my own time, not because they taught us at the academy.

And younger officers who may get called to someones house for a domestic situation usually dont have enough life experience to connect with someone who is in crisis, Geer said.

You take somebody thats 20 years old or 21 years old, hes probably never been in a really big argument with his wife or, you know, never been that distraught over being divorced, Geer said. Hey, Ive been there. Empathy is number one. Its hard, but, by the same token, its not a job that I should be doing.

It wasnt until the COVID pandemic first began that Geer realized how much of his job was taking calls for mental health crises. He was working the overnight shift when all the bars and restaurants were shut down.

Im telling you, it was like a ghost town in this place, Geer said. I mean, you could shoot a cannon on Broadway and not hit anything. And my god, it made my life easy, but it also made me realize how many people are in crisis. I mean, it was just kind of disguised with bar fighting, suicidal thoughts, shoplifter at Walmart, shoplifter at the other Walmart, you know, but when you take all the other calls out, its just people in crisis, you know, straight across the board. Its like, if we didnt have people in crisis, we could actually do, like, patrol and preventative stuff.

Not that crime prevention is easy.

Geer told a story about a local Walmart that turned down an applicant for a pharmacy job, and so the applicant threatened to blow up the store.

So they paid five cops to sit at every one of the doors, one cop at every door, a cruiser parked out front, Geer said. Their loss prevention was still picking up shoplifters. Every person had to walk by a cop to get into the store. I just didnt understand it.
Museum reflects on history of well salt production in China

08:34, February 28, 2023 By Zhong Wenxing ( People's Daily Online

The entrance of the Zigong Salt Industry History Museum. (Peoples Daily Online/Zhong Wenxing)

The Zigong Salt Industry History Museum, Chinas only museum featured in the history and evolution of the countrys well salt production, is located in the Xiqin Guild Hall in Zigong City, southwest Chinas Sichuan Province.

Composed of a group of magnificent ancient buildings, the Xiqin Guild Hall was originally a gathering place built by wealthy merchants from northwest Chinas Shaanxi province who came to Zigong area for the salt business in 1736.

Founded in March 1959, it is a specialized museum that preserves, studies and exhibits the historic relics of Chinas well salt making industry, and has been honored as a national first-grade museum of China.

A large number of relics, samples, and historical photos are displayed at the museum, showcasing Chinas achievements in the past 2,000 years in the fields of well drilling, brine lifting, salt making and natural gas mining, to represent the evolution and development of well salt production technology.

The museum has attracted throngs of visitors. Faiza Kab from Algeria said, "Before visiting this museum, I only knew about sea salt, but not well salt. This is the first time I have learned about well salt."

Alvaro Lago from Spain was more amazed by the museum, saying: "What surprised me was its exquisite architecture and some interactive projects for visitors. When I pumped water from the model machine that people used about 2,000 years ago, I felt like history was within reach."

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Du Mingming)
The meeting of financial chiefs of the Group of 20 (G20) leading economies held in Bengaluru, India, on 24-25 February 2023 failed to issue a proposed final communique in the face of Russian and Chinese objections, which has again brought into spotlight the self-proclaimed neutrality of South Africa and many other countries on the continent.

While the G20 meeting was due to touch on issues including digital currencies and payments, reform of institutions like the World Bank, climate change and financial inclusion, in the end tensions over the Russia-Ukraine conflict flared, prompting the chairperson to issue a summary and an outcome document instead of a final joint statement. I think the big sticking point has always been in every of these meetings, wrangling over the wording how do you word the Ukraine-Russian situation, South Africas Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana commented on the G20 meeting.

Since Russias invasion, many African governments have officially not taken sides, claiming to remain neutral. Since the war in Ukraine broke a year ago, Pretoria has also taken a firm non-alignment stand on the conflict. That position drew vocal criticism from Western partners of South Africa, most particularly when the country launched military drills with Russia and China on 17 February. South Africa has taken a firm non-alignment stand. In fact, a pro-negotiated settlement stance, Godongwana explained his countrys position. Regarding the criticism of the naval exercises, he said that South Africas relationship with Russia and friendship has been in place for a long time Does it necessarily mean by doing so that we support the war? I would argue no. What we disagree with other nations is not whether Russia was correct or not. What we disagree on is the proposed response to it.
Qatar and Egypt signed Monday in Doha a deal to remove double taxation on income, and prevent tax invasion and avoidance, the Egyptian government announced in a statement.

The agreement includes detailed provisions for the taxation rules and conditions by both countries, to prevent tax duplication, with respect to taxes on income from non-transferable assets, business profits, international sea and air transport activities, and joint projects, stock gains, interest and capital gains, as well as independent and non-independent personal services, the statement said.

The agreement was signed by the Egyptian and Qatari Ministers of Finance, Mohamed Moait and Ali bin Ahmed Alkawari, in the presence of the two countries Prime Ministers Mustafa Madbouli and Sheikh Khaled bin Khalifa bin Abdulaziz Al Thani.

The two countries will share required information to implement the provisions of the convention, or to administer or implement national tax laws of the two states.

Egypt argues that the agreement comes within the framework of bolstering bilateral economic relations and shoring up cooperation in several fields.

It is also part of Egypts efforts to attract local and foreign investments, boost its production capacities, and widen its export base.
Burkina Faso and the African Development Bank (AfDB) signed Monday 10 agreements for financing six projects in the West African country to the tune of $184 million.

Aboubakar Nacanabo, the countrys finance and economy minister indicated that the first conventions will provide funds for Water and Sanitation Services Improvement for Resilience Building Project (PASEPA-2R), project to promote hygiene, drinking water and sanitation and to strengthen the populations resilience to COVID-19 and climate change in rural areas in eight provinces and in the outlying neighborhoods of Ouagadougou.

The three projects necessitate $48.6 million and will enable the government to improve access to sustainable drinking water, hygiene and sanitation services in the intervention areas and contribute to achieving universal access to drinking water and sanitation.

Another portion of the money, $135.5 million, will go for the financing of three other projects namely project for the integrated development of maize, soybean, poultry and fish value chains and resilience (PIMSAR); the emergency project to strengthen agricultural production in Burkina Faso; and project 2 of the program to strengthen resilience to food and nutrition insecurity in the Sahel.

The three projects will help develop corn, soy, poultry and fish value chains to strengthen food and nutrition security and address gender inequalities as well as support farmers to increase food production to mitigate the impact of the war in Ukraine.

Burkina Faso is largely dependent on its agriculture sector but the country, dogged by several years of insecurity caused by terrorists, is facing an acute food shortage, leaving thousands in food crisis.
Moroccan government has reiterated its strong supportive stand to the Palestinian cause, the two-state solution and the establishment of a Palestinian state on the basis of the 1967 borders with East Al-Quds as its capital.

Moroccos clear and constant position has been expressed by Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita at a meeting held Monday in Rabat with visiting Palestinian minister of Social Development Ahmed Majdalani.

King Mohammed VI, Chairman of the Al Quds Committee, supports the Palestinian Authority and all its actions made to preserve the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, said Mr. Bourita.

Morocco is opposed to unilateral actions, the Israeli settlement policy and all provocative acts that could undermine the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, added the FM.

Rabat has relations with the State of Israel, but this does not affect the relationship between Morocco and the Palestinian people as affirmed by the King in his telephone conversation with President Mahmoud Abbas on December 10, 2022, said Moroccos top diplomat.

The current situation in the region requires restraint and de-escalation, said Mr. Bourita, urging Palestinians and Israelis to shoulder their responsibilities and avoid unilateral policies and provocations at the Al-Aqsa Mosque.

Prior to his meeting with Moroccan FM, the Palestinian official conferred with Moroccan minister of Solidarity, Social Integration & Family, Mrs. Awatif Hayar. Their talks were crowned with the signing of a cooperation agreement in social protection fields.

Under the agreement, Morocco pledges to share its experiences in social services and train Palestinian social workers on the use of digital technologies for a better & transparent management and inclusive development.
The Iranian drones, which are being deployed in North Africa, are posing a direct threat to Morocco, said American daily Boston Herald, noting that Moroccan diplomats are actively raising the issue with Western governments.

In an Op-Ed published lately, columnist Llewellyn King said that the Mullah regime, in collusion with Algeria, is supplying the Polisario militias with these new weapons.

Iran supplies military drones to the insurgents of the world, to Russia for use in Ukraine and its proxies across the Middle East, said the daily, explaining that Irans experience with drones goes back to the war Iran and Iraq fought between 1980 and 1988.

In those days, drones were used only for surveillance. Since then, Iran has built generations of drones, large and small, but increasingly sophisticated. They were helped by captured U.S. drones, which they re-engineered, incorporating the latest technology.

According to Ilan Berman, senior vice president of the American Foreign Policy Council, Iran has come to the conclusion that its strength is not in force-on-force competition but in aiding asymmetric conflicts. This is why they spent so much money and time on terrorism and ballistic missiles before they hit upon drones as the evolution of this strategy.

Morocco is right to be worried, said the U.S. columnist, stressing that drones may not enable its users to win a war but they can inflict severe damage on various targets, from tourist centers to military installations to vital power grids and power stations.

Drones are light, cheap and easily transported and hidden. Todays generation of Iranian drones can carry substantial ballistic loads, loitering for as long as 24 hours and sending back vital material on critical infrastructure.

There is a drone arms race taking place in the Middle East. After Iran, the largest manufacturer of drones in the region is Turkey  even small but wealthy countries like the United Arab Emirates are building drone manufacturing capabilities.

At present, Moroccos strategy is to alert the world to the changing dynamics in the region and to the vulnerability of almost any country to drone attack.

What the Iranians bring to the table is that it is known that they are the worlds leading state sponsor of terrorism, now moving into Africa, enhancing the capability of their proxy groups, Berman said.

Morocco is right to be worried, but so is the world, concluded the U.S. daily.
Austria considers the autonomy plan for the Sahara, presented by Morocco in 2007, as a serious and credible contribution to the UN-led political process and as a basis for a solution agreed upon by the parties.

This came in the joint statement adopted at the end of the meeting, Tuesday in Rabat, between the Federal Chancellor of Austria, Karl Nehammer, and Head of Government, Aziz Akhannouch.

The Federal Chancellor of Austria Karl Nehammer paid an official visit to Morocco this February 27-28, at the head of a high-level delegation.

This visit is part of the celebration, on February 28, 2023, of the 240th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries, when Mohamed Ben Abdelmalek presented his credentials, as Ambassador of Sultan Moulay Mohamed III, to Emperor Joseph II, on February 28, 1783.

In the joint statement, the two countries affirmed their support for the efforts of the Personal Envoy of the UN Secretary-General for the Sahara, Staffan de Mistura, and his efforts to continue the political process aimed at reaching a just, lasting and mutually acceptable political solution, in accordance with the relevant UN Security Council resolutions and the aims and principles set out in the UN Charter.

In this context, Morocco welcomed Austrias willingness to continue its valuable support to MINURSO.

Austria also welcomed the large-scale reforms carried out by Morocco under the leadership of King Mohammed VI, for a more open and dynamic Moroccan society and economy, notably through the new development model and advanced regionalization, as well as the empowerment of women and sustainable development.

Likewise, Austria welcomed Moroccos leadership in the region and the Kingdoms role as a regional pole of stability and a relay of growth and development in Africa.

The two sides also underlined the constructive and positive roles of Morocco and Austria in maintaining peace and stability in their respective regions.

Austria welcomed the resumption and steady development of relations between Morocco and Israel, the document said, noting that the Kingdom and Austria stressed the potential of relations with Israel for peace, security and prosperity in the region.

Both sides also confirmed their commitment to the two-state solution where two democratic states, Israel and Palestine, live side by side in peace within secure and recognized borders, consistent with international law and relevant UN resolutions.
As you drive through the small blink and youll miss it town of Oshkosh, youll notice that the world looks more vibrant, the streets more inviting, almost as if youre on the movie set of a small town.

A painting that looks like an old-school postcard with the word Nebraska in bold letters, painted with small details of Nebraska history, covers the entire back of the bank.

A 12-foot sandhill crane rests underneath the water tower. The park overlooks a bold painting of a windmill overlooking a map of the town.

The newspaper building is covered in black and white newsprint. The logos on restaurants and businesses look as if they are new yet somehow have been there forever.

Credited with this colorful transformation is Lauren Olson. Olson, who was raised in Oshkosh and has lived in the community for most of her life, is an artist, a teacher and a former Herbie Husker mascot. And she has made an indelible mark throughout this small western Nebraska town with her murals.

I painted my first mural in the gym when I was a junior, she said.

After graduating in 1995, she left for the University of Nebraska-Lincoln to pursue a degree in architecture and pivoted to graduate with a degree in art education. She developed a passion for public art because of an art in community class.

She completed her student teaching in Oshkosh. After months of trying to get a job in Colorado, she started substituting as a classroom teacher. The administration was impressed and hired her as a full-time K-12 art teacher in 2013.

I have some awesome kids. Its crazy that my first-year kindergartners are now sophomores, she said.

You can tell Olson is a passionate teacher based on the art supplies and finished projects behind her during a Zoom interview. Her schedule is packed with classes of every age, and she has to develop lesson plans for students ranging from high school students taking elective art in high school to 5-year-old kindergartners.

Ill focus on the practical parts of art as well, she said. Woodwork and leatherwork are things a lot of kids in this community will do throughout their lives. Taping designs will come in handy because every one of them will paint a wall someday and need that skill.

Olson is not confined to one medium. Her students learn every art discipline. They recently started working with clay, which the little ones really love. The photos of her work on her website, laurenolsonart.com, show her talent in sculpture.

In 2013, she was asked to help the local Girl Scouts get their painting badges. Instead of a simple day of painting their own pictures, she helped them create a community art project on the west edge of the park. Ten years later, its still a vibrant piece.

She and her students have spread their talents on the walls of the school and throughout the community. The newest Oshkosh mural sits directly under the water tower and features a sandhill crane painted by Olson and one of her gifted elementary school students.

As tourists come through town during the annual crane migration, its sure to be a well-photographed spot.

Oshkosh isnt the only community that benefits from Olsons talents. Most of her commissions are funded by grants initiated by businesses, tourism offices or nonprofits that want to feature her artwork. Chappell, Lisco and Big Springs have benefited from her talents.

She loves spending her summers painting various commissions and hopes to spend this summer out in eastern Nebraska. Her dream is to go to small towns along the Lincoln Highway, also known as Highway 30, and paint murals.
On Monday, Lincoln County commissioners approved resolutions of support for two bills related to the railroad. That, along with two other agenda items elicited a great deal of discussion before decisions were made.

A right of way application submitted by Custer Public Power District led to discussion of the impact on landowners on adjacent property before it was approved on a split vote.

Later on, the lone bid for remodel work for the probation office, caused heartburn over the price tag. It was finally recognized, with a caveat. On this, too, the vote was split.

There was no dissension on support for the railroad-related resolutions. LB 234 has been introduced in the state legislature by Sen. Lynn Walz of Fremont. It would require any railroad operating in the state to report details of all complaints they receive from the public, regarding blocked railroad crossings.

Commissioner Chris Bruns said that on Sept. 9 a crossing at Airport Road was blocked for about four hours.

To me its a safety issue, he said. When emergency vehicles need to respond, minutes can be a matter of life and death.

The bill would require railroads to make the report annually to the state public service commission. The commission would compile the reports along with reports they had received directly from the public. They would give the information to the legislatures Transportation and Telecommunications Committee, along with recommendations.

Its a great step in the right direction to get resolution to this issue that is often swept under the rug, Bruns said.

LB 31, introduced by Sen. Mike Jacobson of North Platte would prohibit any train or light engine from operating without a crew of at least two individuals.

Referring to derailments that have occurred nationally and locally, Theres an element of safety that needs to be at the forefront, Bruns said. Two individuals may analyze the same situation differently to respond to an emergency, he said. Technology cannot serve in lieu of two individuals.

Approval of a right-of-way application for Custer Public Power District came down to a 3-2 vote.

However, the dissent was not related directly to that access. Instead, it was symbolic gesture by Bruns and Commissioner Kent Weems. It was made out of concern for owners of land that CPPD wants to cross for a new three-phase line.

Sometimes Custer is not as fair minded as (I) think they ought to be, Weems said.

Two landowners testified before the commissioners, expressing concern about potential impacts on their land in northern Lincoln County.

Will they return the property to its original condition?, asked Commissioner Micaela Wuehler.

That was never discussed, said landowner Don Licking.

Paul Orr said Custer would like to cross 320 acres of his property, along and within 15 feet of a fence line.

When I bought the property I cut down every cedar tree and dug out every piece of concrete, Orr said.

Although hes not sure what improvements he might want to make in the future, the proposed agreement would preclude him from building within 30 feet of the right of line.

What is that easement going to be worth to you?, asked Councilman Joe Hewgley.

He recommended that Orr and Licking get with other property owners who would be impacted, to negotiate with the utility company. Sometimes presenting a united front gets their attention, Hewgley said.

Work together and be firm about what these expectations are, added Wuehler.

Redundancy improves reliability, said Bruns, which can provide justification for putting in another line. However, I am concerned about communication with landowners. Bruns, joined by Weems, voted against approval of the application, to send a message,

However, We shouldnt be involved in civil matters, said Hewgley, before voting in favor. In the past that hasnt turned out well.

What were approving is only the application to go under the road, said Wuehler, voting yes.

Woodruff voted yes, but said, I wish the landowners the best.

When attention turned to the Probation Office remodel bid, I have a lot of heartburn over the numbers, Weems said.

Commissioners had purchased the building at 103-111 N. Dewey St., that previously housed West Central District Health Department.

Its so far over our high estimate, but, I dont know how practical it is to reject the bid, Weems said.

Wuehler has had the major role in working with the loan bidder, Dowhower Construction Company, and others involved in the project.

The $375,200 bid would have been substantially higher, Wuehler said, but the county building and grounds crew is doing as much of the demolition work as they can. That includes removing floor coverings, taking out walls, etc.

Factors in the bid include removing load bearing walls and repositioning support, doing extensive electrical work and replacing doors, drywall and floor coverings.

Wall removal was dictated by requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act for accessible restrooms, Wuehler said.

We did make a major change by adding a hallway for wheelchair bound clients, too, she said. That amounted to a considerable amount of money.

That aside, Lonnie (Folchert, chief probation officer) would have been tickled to death to move in right as it is, without the remodel, Bruns said. It was much better than where they are now. We need to find some cost savings. 

The cost to purchase the building was about $43 per square foot, Wuehler said, which is a heck of a deal, when the going rate was about $93 to $100. Add in renovation, as bid, and that puts it at $102 per square foot.

It is turning into not a deal, Weems said. Dowhower does excellent work but this is a lot of money for an unfunded mandate from the state,

The purchase and remodel are being paid with federal ARPA funds, noted Woodruff. That is still local tax money, Bruns said. However, the employees in that probation office are local citizens, too, Wuehler said, and they provide a very important service to the community.

We have forgotten to discuss rent versus ownership, she said There will be savings in less than eight years.

Hewgley made a motion to recognize the bid from Dowhower as the apparent low bid, and authorize Lee Davies, the architect, to meet with contractors to see if they can value engineer some of the work to result in cost savings. The proposal passed 4-1, with Bruns voting no.

We need attention and legislation to address unfunded mandates from the state, Weems said, right before the vote was taken.

Other business In other business Monday, the board: Approved the minutes of the last meeting. Bruns clarified that the inland port authority appointments discussed in that meeting will be for staggered four-year terms.

Accepted claims and treasurers receipts.

Interviewed three candidates for Lincoln County building and grounds supervisor, and offered the job to Booker Boyer. Boyer is currently working in that department, as he has for approximately 14 years. He has a wealth of knowledge in operation of the department, Hewgley said, and has taken second in command responsibilities on a number of occasions. The board also interviewed Cory Voycheske and Jay Brummet. Approved a right of way application submitted by Lumen Technologies telecommunications company, to tie into existing infrastructure. Before the 5-0 vote, We should be looking at our fee structure, Bruns said. The right of way application fee is only $20, as it has been for many years. Woodruff asked Bruns to look into that for later consideration by the board. Approved a tax exemption application submitted by New Life Assembly Church for a 2012 Chrysler Town and Country used for religious purposes.

Authorized the chairman to sign the Lincoln County Victim Witness Unit fiscal year 2024 application, certification and assurances. Wuehler noted that people in the community have expressed appreciation for this program. This is a great group that does a lot of good in our community, she said. Ordered filed the fee reports submitted by the county sheriff.

Authorized Woodruff to sign an agreement for Lincoln County to be part of the larger group to receive money in a national opioid settlement. The settlement results from class action against Teva, Allergan, CVS, Walgreens and Walmart. Nebraska Attorney General Peterson, joined the multistate action against the companies. The state will distribute the funds, depending on population and need, Hewgley said. Recipients will include Region 2 Human Services and other organizations to mitigate harm resulting from the national opioid epidemic. Authorized the chairman to sign an agreement with West Central Nebraska Development District to administer Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds for the county.

Approved a planning application for Remus Administrative Subdivision for land separated for a home.
OMAHA  Berkshire Hathaway had a good year in 2022.

That was Warren Buffetts assessment outlined in the Berkshire chairman's annual letter to the conglomerates shareholders Saturday. Berkshires operating earnings produced a record $30.8 billion. That income excludes capital gains or losses from the company's stock holdings.

Another contributor to a good 2022 was Berkshires $11.6 billion acquisition of insurance conglomerate Alleghany Corporation. Berkshires purchase of Alleghany increased Berkshires insurance float during 2022 from $147 billion to $164 billion.

Buffett has long cited float  the money collected by premiums  as a major component of Berkshires success, going back to its acquisition of National Indemnity in 1967. Indeed, Buffett noted Saturday that since the National Indemnity acquisition, Berkshires float has increased 8,000-fold through acquisitions, operations and innovations.

Though not recognized in our financial statements, this float has been an extraordinary asset for Berkshire, Buffett wrote.

Buffett also gave a slight nod to Berkshires share repurchases. He wrote that Berkshire repurchased 1.2% of the companys outstanding shares. Berkshire also benefited from share repurchases carried out by Apple and American Express, two of the company's major holdings.

He added that Berkshire repurchases shares when it's valuable to the company and its shareholder. To that end, Buffett lambasted those who criticize the general practice of repurchasing shares.

When you are told that all repurchases are harmful to shareholders or to the country, or particularly beneficial to CEOs, you are listening to either an economic illiterate or a silver-tongued demagogue (characters that are not mutually exclusive), Buffett wrote.

Buffett also sought to highlight Berkshires record and willingness to pay its share of federal taxes. He noted that, during the decade ending in 2021, Berkshire via corporate income tax contributed $32 billion of the $32 trillion collected by the U.S. Department of the Treasury.

Had there been roughly 1,000 taxpayers in the nation matching Berkshires tax payments, he said, no other businesses nor any of the countrys 131 million households would have needed to pay any taxes to the federal government. Not a dime.

Buffett said Berkshire hopes and expects to pay more taxes during the next decade.

He declined to offer a near-term economic and market forecast, adding that he and vice chairman Charlie Munger believe such forecasts are worse than useless.

Our job is to manage Berkshires operations and finances in a manner that will achieve an acceptable result over time and that will preserve the companys unmatched staying power when financial panics or severe worldwide recessions occur, Buffett wrote.

The annual Berkshire Hathaway shareholder meeting will be held in Omaha on May 6.

Photos: 30 images of Warren Buffett through the years Buffett family at home in 1956 Buffett, 1966 Warren Buffett in 1966 Buffett, vice president of Boys Club Buffett in the 1970s Buffett, Blumkin, 1983 Buffett, 1982 Fortune magazine cover Buffett, Munger, 1989 Buffett grabs a Coke Buffett playing bridge, 1990 Warren Buffett and his mother Buffett at Omaha Royals game, 2003 Buffett, 1992 Buffett on TV show Buffett at office, 1993 Buffett throwing out first pitch, 1995 Buffett driving, 1996 Buffett at '98 Texas game Buffett and Gates, 1995 Buffett and Gates, 2004 Winning hand Buffett at Berkshire meeting, 2011 Buffett at his high school alma mater Advantage, Buffett Buffett playing cards, 2016 Buffett at 2017 meeting Buffett at UNO, 2013
The Supreme Courts conservative justices looked ready to void President Joe Bidens targeted student loan relief plan during arguments on Tuesday, although the debt relief could live on if two conservatives side with the liberal justices and deny the plaintiffs standing to sue.

At least five of the six conservative justices appeared skeptical of arguments made by Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar that the student loan relief program was legal. They questioned Secretary of Education Miguel Cardonas authority under the HEROES Act to cancel student loan debt and implied that such an action violated the courts so-called major questions doctrine, which forbids executive regulatory actions of vast economic or political significance that were not expressly authorized by Congress.

The only seeming hope for the more than 40 million student loan borrowers scheduled for up to $20,000 in debt relief is for the court to deny standing to the six states and two individuals suing to block the program. The courts three liberal justices were clearly opposed to granting the plaintiffs standing, while conservative Justice Amy Coney Barrett appeared highly skeptical of standing arguments made by the states.

In questioning the legality of the student loan program, conservative justices first focused on the definitions of the words waive and modify in the 2003 HEROES Act, the law used to authorize the program. That law enables the secretary of education to waive or modify elements of federal student loan debts during a declared national emergency. Conservatives questioned whether the programs cancellation of up to $20,000 in debt exceeded the definition of waive or modify.

At least one prior court definition of modify suggested only moderate change, Chief Justice John Roberts pointed out.

It might be good English to say that the French Revolution modified the status of the French nobility, but only because there is a figure of speech called understatement and a literary device known as sarcasm, Roberts said, quoting from a prior opinion by the late Justice Antonin Scalia.

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Were talking about half a trillion dollars and 43 million Americans, Roberts added. How does that fit under the normal understanding of modify?

Instead of a waiver or modification, the program amounted to a grant that should have gone through the congressional appropriations process, Justice Clarence Thomas argued, citing friend-of-the-court briefs submitted by opponents of the program.

Prelogar countered these questions by noting that the HEROES Act authorizes any modification or waiver of elements of federal student loan debt and that the cancellation of debt simply amounted to both a waiver and modification of the terms of eligible loans. And since no money is pulled from the Treasury, the program does not run afoul of the Constitutions Appropriations Clause, she said.

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and others rallied outside the Supreme Court in support of the Biden administration's student loan debt relief plan.

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and others rallied outside the Supreme Court in support of the Biden administration's student loan debt relief plan.

The conservative justices also took aim at the program for violating the courts major questions doctrine. They asked how it could be possible for such a large program with a cost of $500 billion to not constitute a major question of vast economic or political significance.

This case presents serious questions  serious enough for the major questions doctrine, Roberts said.

In a world where there was no major questions doctrine, wouldnt Congress regard it as a major question? Justice Samuel Alito asked.

In a colloquial sense you could say this is a major policy, Prelogar responded, but not a major question. As a benefits program and not a regulatory decision, this program does not qualify for the courts major questions doctrine, she said.

Previous invocations of the major questions doctrine featured regulatory rulings issued by executive agencies with the justification of broad, non-specific congressional authorizations like the regulation of greenhouse gas emissions at power plants or the mandate of COVID-19 vaccines for employees of big companies. The Supreme Court struck down both actions.

This is not an assertion of regulatory authority at all, Prelogar said. This is the assertion of a benefits program.

On standing, Prelogar argued that none of the six states can show actual harm or injury caused by the program that would give them standing to sue. The two individuals arguments for standing  that they did not receive enough benefit from the program and therefore no one else should receive any benefit at all  were deemed totally illogical by Justice Sonia Sotomayor.

Most of the arguments over standing revolved around Missouris claim, as it was the only state granted standing in the appeals court decision preceding the Supreme Court arguments. The other five states are Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska and South Carolina.

Missouri argues that the student loan relief plan would harm the state-created student loan servicer MOHELA because it holds a number of direct loans that would be forgiven. While MOHELA is a separate corporate entity from the state, Missouri claims it would harm the state because MOHELA is supposed to contribute money to a state capital improvements fund.

But as Prelogar and the liberal justices noted, MOHELA is a separate entity from the state of Missouri with its own right to sue and be sued. Missouri created MOHELA in order to separate its finances entirely from the state and, therefore, any harm to MOHELAs income or assets would affect MOHELA and not the state.

If MOHELA were to bring suit, it would have standing to sue, Prelogar stated, but it did not. It would be really anomalous for the court to overrule Missouris decision to separate itself and MOHELA in order to find standing for the state, she added.

Liberal justices clearly took up this position as they questioned Nebraska Solicitor James Campbell.

Justice Amy Coney Barrett was the lone conservative to question the state plaintiffs over their standing to bring a suit in the student loan case.

Justice Amy Coney Barrett was the lone conservative to question the state plaintiffs over their standing to bring a suit in the student loan case.

Usually we dont allow one person to step into anothers shoes and say I think that person suffered a harm even if the harm is very great, Justice Elena Kagan said. We leave it to the person, him or her or itself, to make that judgment.

The liberal justices also zeroed in on the secondary argument that harms to MOHELAs finances could impact its contributions to a state capital improvements fund and, thus, hurt the state. They pointed out that MOHELA has not contributed to the fund in 15 years, and Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson got Campbell to admit that the state has no existing plans for the fund.

The most notable questions on standing, though, came from Barrett. She repeatedly pressed Campbell about why the state brought this lawsuit and not MOHELA. Since the state has authority over MOHELA, it has the right to sue on its behalf, Campbell argued.

Why didnt the state just make MOHELA come then? Barrett countered, noting the solicitor general had conceded MOHELA would have standing to sue. If MOHELAs an arm of the state, why didnt you just strong-arm MOHELA and say youve got to pursue this suit?

Campbell simply dismissed it as a question of state politics.

Barrett was the only conservative justice who openly questioned the plaintiffs standing. Among the others, Alito openly stated his belief that they deserved standing. The other four  Roberts, Thomas, Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh  were silent on the matter.

With at least five conservative justices hostile to the program on its merits, the only hope for the program is that Barrett and one other conservative justice join the liberals to deny standing. The 40 million-plus borrowers who are eligible for debt relief will just have to wait for the court to decide their fates.
happenings

Ouachita to host Keeping Faith conference March 28-29

Ouachita Baptist Universitys community & family services program in the Pruet School of Christian Studies and the Title IX department will host a conference titled Keeping Faith to help faith-based communities learn how to recognize and respond to all forms of child abuse. The two-day training will be held March 28-29 in Walker Conference Center. Admission is $15; Ouachita students and staff will be admitted free.

Victor Vieth

Christa Neal, Title IX coordinator and program advisor for community & family services at Ouachita, organized the Keeping Faith Conference. The speaker is Victor Vieth, chief program officer of the Zero Abuse Project and founder of the National Child Protection Center.

Neal worked closely with Vieth during her time at the Percy and Donna Malone Child Safety Center in Arkadelphia, which she formerly served as director. Vieth is a theologian and former prosecuting attorney who now focuses on training faith communities and professionals on how to respond to child abuse.

Victors belief is that we have to alter our views on Gods perception of victimization, said Neal. He has created this course called Keeping Faith that outlines how often abuse happens within faith communities, how faith communities can be trained and establish policies and how we can have a response that is focused on helping victims heal and preventing abuse from happening in the first place.

There are several sessions covering topics related to the spiritual, emotional and physical impact of abuse, as well as helpful response to abuse. The sessions offer interactive segments in which attendees will be presented with a sexual abuse case within a church or congregation and work through how to respond with resources and preventive measures.

Ive recently become more involved with the Arkansas Baptist State Conventions response to sexual abuse, and that was a motivation to ask for Victors help in this area, said Neal. Our campus, but especially church leaders and anyone else in the community who cares about the safety of kids, will come away more informed and better equipped.

Dr. Jeremy Greer, associate professor of Biblical studies and dean of the Pruet School at Ouachita, said, The Lord has left his followers in the world to embody the values of the kingdom of God, to be a visible representation on earth of Gods kingdom and of his will being done as it is in heaven. Among his people, then, there should be no victimization and there should be solace for the brokenhearted. This conference will help us bring those kingdom values into our world.

Neal recognizes how abuse can impact a childrens spirituality. She reiterated the importance of conferences like this because faith communities arent immune to these issues. Whether it be a faith-based university, a church or a congregation, policies must be put in place to prevent abuse.

Not everyone is going to be part of policy-making in church bodies, but people need to understand that this can happen to children in church or outside of church walls, she said. The more aware we are of the problem and the more honest we are with ourselves, the safer and more supportive our churches will be.

To register or learn more about the Keeping Faith Conference, visit obu.edu/keepingfaith or email nealc@obu.edu.
Earlier this week, James Weyhenmeyer indicated that he will step down from his position as vice president for research and economic development in May to take his tenured professorship in the College of Veterinary Medicine to focus on advancing biomedical sciences research.

Weyhenmeyer joined Auburn in 2019 and, since that time, Auburn experienced notable growth in its research and development spending. For the past two years, Auburn ranked in the top 11% of U.S. research institutions, coming in at 100 among 915 universities, according to the National Science Foundations Higher Education Research and Development, or HERD Survey. During the period from 2017-22, Auburns annual research expenditures increased from $190.3 million to $304.4 million, resulting in a rankings jump of 14 places. Among public universities, Auburn is ranked 68 out of 412 institutions.

Research is a critical component of Auburns land-grant mission, President Christopher B. Roberts said. Dr. Weyhenmeyers commitment to impactful research and innovative economic development has helped to further cement Auburns place as a leading research institution. I am incredibly grateful for Jims contributions, which have had a positive impact on the university's reputation and success as a research institution.

Weyhenmeyer provided leadership to various research and economic development units, including sponsored programs, proposal services and faculty support, research compliance, the university veterinarian, electronic research administration, innovation advancement and commercialization, external engagement and support and university-based start-ups. He worked with the universitys administration, including academic units, research centers and institutes, the Alabama Agricultural Experiment Station and the Alabama Cooperative Extension System.

I have enjoyed working to advance Auburns research portfolio through collaboration with the remarkable researchers across the university, Weyhenmeyer said. I now look forward to focusing future efforts on elevating biomedical sciences research across campus with colleagues in the College of Veterinary Medicine whose research focuses on the health sciences. There is tremendous opportunity for advancement in this critical area.

Weyhenmeyer joined Auburn from Georgia State University, where he served as vice president for research and economic development and as chair of the Research Foundation Board of Directors. At GSU, Weyhenmeyer managed the universitys research portfolio, economic development activities and information technology operations. Prior to GSU, he was the senior vice provost for research and economic development at the State University of New York and the vice president for research at the State University of New York Research Foundation.

Weyhenmeyers own research has been funded by the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, the American Heart Association, the PhRMA Foundation and private industry. He has received many awards and honors for his research, most recently the American Heart Associations Meritorious Achievement Award for research and service and inducted as foreign member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences.

We welcome Dr. Weyhenmeyer in the College of Veterinary Medicine as he helps to bridge and expand biomedical sciences research across the Auburn campus with an emphasis on One Health, Dean Calvin Johnson said. He is an accomplished cell biologist and neuroscientist who has published widely on cardiovascular disease and stroke, and he couples this with tremendous research administration experience. We look forward to working with him more closely.

Weyhenmeyer received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Knox College, a doctorate from Indiana University and did his postdoctoral training in the departments of Medicine and Physiology and Biophysics at the University of Iowa.
Why did I read that as 33,000$ for some reason and think "sounds about right."

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OR



I could spend the $33.09 on literally anything else.

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Nail Polish!

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Or that new Tower 28 bronzer and then have money left over for a treat from Cold Stone!

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How much could one internet interview cost, sadmagikarp? $10000 dollars?

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My best friend still hasn't seen AD somehow and I'm like WHAT ARE YOU DOING WITH YOUR LIFE

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<--------- link to register



Someone will be liveblogging for sure, right? Cannot record, but they said nothing about Liveblogging So glad you posted, I was just writing up the post https://princeharrymemoir.com/events

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i just saw an article about how he did magic mushrooms at courtney cox's house in 2016... like what?

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Idg why his lawyer allowed him to use her name, couldnt he have just said a famous tv actress? Now shes going around having to deny it in interviews.

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I get the impression that the editor/publisher was encouraging him to put as many details in as possible and uh he himself did not have the wisdom to realize he should maybe have not come out and said exactly whose house he was at.

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She mentioned that yeah he was at her house but she doesnt know anything about magic mushrooms being passed around lol. She also mentioned she hasnt read the book yet but would like too.



Lol youd think he wouldve at least given her a heads up about including her in the book.



Edited at 2023-02-28 08:50 pm (UTC)

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What I find funny is that its insinuated that its Will Arnett that walked them to the fridge where there were shrooms for whatever reason during an party, and then only him and his friend partook. He never paints her in a negative light or that it was definitely her stash

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This episode is a reminder of why SP can occasionally be amazing

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Yeah, even right down to Kyle's friends being sick of Kyle bitching about them. It was perfect.

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Except the whole premise is based on a lie started by Piers Morgan and repeated by the British media. Neither Harry nor Meghan said they wanted privacy or to be private.



That's a total fabrication, and that's what this episode is based on. It just illustrates what Harry says about the British media making up shit about him his whole life.

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I'm so mad this cut before the best part "and you wrote a memoir, title WAH"

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They said they were looking for "peace." The British media made up the privacy claim as a way to shut them up and keep them from speaking out about how they had been treated. Looks like that worked fairly well, since so many of you keep wrongly claiming they wanted "privacy."



They spoke about it themselves on the TODAY show and Buzzfeed did a deep dive and found that Piers Morgan was the first one to tell the lie and the rest of the British media spread the lie.



https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/ellievhall/harry-and-meghan-privacy-false-narrative Since several of you, including the OP, are not informed, the SP episode is based on a lie fabricated by the British media. Neither Harry nor Meghan said they needed privacy.They said they were looking for "peace." The British media made up the privacy claim as a way to shut them up and keep them from speaking out about how they had been treated. Looks like that worked fairly well, since so many of you keep wrongly claiming they wanted "privacy."They spoke about it themselves on the TODAY show and Buzzfeed did a deep dive and found that Piers Morgan was the first one to tell the lie and the rest of the British media spread the lie.

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Lol pathetic

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I would like to just state that if you do not know who Dr Gabor Mate is, please do not judge his character for aligning with this miscreant. Everyone needs to make a buck and Dr Mates model for treating addiction is what works. I live in Vancouver, close to the DTES and have seen very positive outcomes from his method of treatment.

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I love his trauma work! He, Bessel van der Kolk (yep, of "The body keeps the score" fame, who got fired from his own institute), Francine Shapiro, and Janina Fisher, among others revolutionized the field.

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agree.



i actually would love dr. mate to talk to harry and william together. one of his big things is how children all have different parents and it would be interesting to hear him talk to the brothers about their perceptions of their mom and dad

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Do you know what's with the name, though? As a fellow Hungarian emigree I don't get what's with the lone e. Mate Gabor would normally be Westernized as Gabor Mate, so it's making me dizzy. lol

I guess I'll read up on him. I knew about Andrew Feldmar, but not Mate.



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He's really a moving speaker too, I admire him even if I don't agree with everything he says

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how about you pay me instead, harold?



or better yet, pay for my pussy

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Does he really have no skills? Didn't learn anything of value while in the Army? Is he really trying to make a career out of spilling royal tea?

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I read his book (for free) and he seems to have a real passion for doing things to honor veterans through triathlons and shit. I get how it may be a little odd for him to do the same in a different country, but he seemed to like making those connections and running events.

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Sounds like he would have loved to stay in the military but his fame kept spoiling the safety of the entire unit.

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He could have stayed in the military, but just not in an active warzone. Plenty of his family members have done so, including his brother and father.

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Wasnt the rumor (I know Ive seen it posted here) that he couldnt advance because he couldnt pass the tests? He was basically stuck, and a lot of military personnel hate him now for announcing his kills. He fucked that up too.

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There are plenty of things he could do, possibly, but nothing that could make him the kind of money he needs to live in Hollywood at that level.

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lol that headline. How long do they think they can drag this out for?

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Allegedly, he will add another chapter to the paperback version

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Its weird seeing someone with zero shame lol





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I mean, are you not familiar with like 90% of other public figures?! Heh. 

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Lmao thats true, but for some reason this is just sooo much second hand embarrassment for me, cause this guy is just so useless and showing it off

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the kardashians are calling

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Eh, Im currently reading Spare and its actually a much less cringy read than I expected and actually kind of dare I saygood. His whole love affair with Africa does have some *eye roll moments* (his friend telling him something to the effect of your body was born in Britain, but your soul was born in Africa) but its funny he basically calls himself the dumb one in one form or the other throughout, and that underneath all the incredible privilege and pomp and circumstance there is kind of a broken person underneath it all due to various sources of trauma and that he seems to sincerely be coming out of it and learning. All that said, this does sound like a good deal for anyone that cares to go on a deeper dive and to each their own.

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Yes, I see that. I mean, there is an angle of milking the whole situation but I think his mental health work and journey is important so dont really agree with people that take the headline bait and are telling him to get a job or that hes shameless. Like, at the end of the day I think he does have good intention.

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i haven't finished it but it was well written and i agree that it isn't as cringy as it's made out to be

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Yeah, I just finished it and he came across as much less callow and ridiculous than some of the isolated excerpts were making it sound. Like - he's clearly only just starting to confront his privilege, and he's still in the healing stage of being a bit tunnel visioned on his own viewpoint, but he seems like he's trying. And what he says about being thrown under the bus at various points is undoubtedly true. It's little wonder that now he's finally gone "fuck this I'm talking" after a lifetime of repression and being unable to correct the record, the dam's burst and he's oversharing.

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Amazon Cited After OSHA Finds Ergonomic Hazards at Colorado Facility

The e-commerce company is facing proposed penalties of about $15,000.

Amazon is being cited for the third time this year after OSHA found ergonomic hazards at a Colorado facility.

The agency received a complaint about an Amazona company well known for getting orders filled and packages delivered quicklydelivery station in Colorado Springs, Colorado, regarding musculoskeletal disorders and speed, according to a news release.

The agency inspected the facility in August 2022 and found employees exposed to ergonomic hazards. In total, OSHA cited Amazon for one serious violation and proposed penalties of $15,625.

"We continue to find that Amazon's work processes are designed for speed, not safety, and that these processes cause serious injuries to workers," explained Assistant Secretary for Occupational Safety and Health Doug Parker in the news release. "Amazon needs to focus more of its passion for innovation and performance on eliminating the hazards that injure workers."

OSHA said that about 5,000 to 10,000 packages are processed per hour at the Colorado Springs delivery station per day and 50,000 packages are delivered there daily.

We take the safety and health of our employees very seriously, and we dont believe the governments allegations reflect the reality of safety at our sites, said Maureen Lynch Vogel, Amazon spokesperson, in a statement. Weve cooperated with OSHA and demonstrated how we work to mitigate risks and keep our people safe, and our publicly available data shows we reduced injury rates in the U.S. nearly 15% between 2019 and 2021. There will always be more to do, and well continue working to get better every day.

This is not the first time the e-commerce company has been cited for ergonomic hazardsits been the focus of two other citations issued this year alone. In mid-January, OSHA issued citations and proposed penalties of $60,269 for ergonomic hazards at warehouses in Florida, Illinois and New York.

Two weeks later, Amazon received more citations for ergonomic hazards identified at three warehouses, one in Colorado, one in Idaho and one in New York. Struck-by hazards were also found at the Florida facility.

Photo credit: HorizonUI / Shutterstock.com
BP recently announced it made a record 23bn profit for the year, reigniting calls for a further windfall tax.

Looney says oil and gas spending will be necessary to keep energy affordable.

BPs CEO Bernard Looney is calling for an orderly transition to renewable energy.

BP boss Bernard Looney today called for an orderly transition to renewable energy, which will require investment in both future green energy projects and todays energy system, which is predominantly an oil and gas system.

To be clear, orderly is not another word for slow. What it does mean is keeping affordable energy flowing, where and when its needed. Investing in the transition and investing in energy security, Looney told a London conference today.

The chief executive pointed to BPs latest investment pledges as examples of this dual approach  with the fossil fuel titan today committing a further $16bn to the global energy system over the current decade, including a 50/50 split on pledges for oil and gas and green energy projects. This would mean investment in EV charging and sustainable aviation fuel alongside oil and gas investments.

In Looneys view, this was part of the companys shift from an oil and gas producer to an integrated energy company.

Were putting shovels in the ground and were putting, I believe, our money where our mouth is, Looney said. In the past three years, the capital weve invested in our transitional growth engines has gone from three percent to over 30 percent.

Looney was speaking at the International Energy Week conference in London, where dozens of protestors had gathered outside the Hyde Park venue to protest BPs continued operation of oil and gas projects and investment in fossil fuels  their chants audible from the conference room.

The company recently announced it made a record 23bn profit for the year, reigniting calls for a further windfall tax.

BP was one of multiple energy producers to announce mega profits this year

It also sparked anger after it rowed back some of its key climate pledges and reneged on plans to slash the amount of oil and gas it produces over the current decade.

The energy giant had previously promised its emissions would be 35-40 percent lower by the end of this decade. But it is now targeting a 20-30 percent cut, and plans to produce more oil and gas over the next seven years compared with previous targets.

However, it aims to invest 40 percent of total spending on green energy projects by 2025 and for that to rise to 50 percent by 2030. Last year it spent around 30 percent (4.1bn) of its capital expenditure worldwide on low-carbon and renewable projects.

Looney today also defended the firms payouts to shareholders.

BPs share price has risen significantly during this years trading amid continued oil and gas investments (Source: London Stock Exchange)

The company increased its payout to shareholders by 10 percent  spending a further 2.3bn buying back its own shares.

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Last year, BP handed back more than 11.7bn ($14bn) to shareholders  including 3.7bn in dividends and 8.4bn in share buybacks.

We have to take care of our shareholders and there lingers a narrative that shareholders are somehow faceless institutions. They are far from it. Millions and millions of people around the world, rely on BP shares and dividends and companies like ours for their livelihoods, Looney said.

By CityAM

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
North Africa has become a key export outlet of Russias diesel and other petroleum products after the EU embargo on imports of Russian fuels took effect in early February.

African countries on the Mediterranean, as well as Turkey, had started taking in more Russian fuels even before the Western ban. Now signs are emerging that some of those products could be headed for re-export to Europe, analysts say. But they also note that even if this were the case, its difficult to ascertain the true origin of a cargo blended with other products.

And the EU may not be too strict in looking to remove every possible Russian barrel of oil product from its market, considering the major dislocation in global oil trade and the goal of the Western nations to punish Putin but keep his oil flowing around the world.

The EU bannedeffective February 5seaborne imports of Russian refined oil products and around 1 million barrels per day (bpd) of Russian diesel, naphtha, and other fuels need to find a home elsewhere if Moscow wants to continue getting money for those products. The flow of Russian fuels to third countries is also regulated by price caps, similar to the cap on Russian crude, if the trade is carried out through Western insurers. The cap on Russian diesel is $100 per barrel, while the cap on lower-cost petroleum products is set at $45 a barrel.

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.

At the same time, Russian oil product flows to North Africa are surging. Morocco, for example, saw imports of 2 million barrels of Russian diesel in January, compared to just 600,000 barrels for the whole year 2021, according to Kpler data cited by The Wall Street Journal. Tunisia has also seen a surge in imports of Russian petroleum products  to 2.8 million barrels in January and another estimated 3.1 million barrels in February, after negligible volumes imported prior to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Related: Pioneer CEO Sees $100 Oil By End Of Year

According to analysts, those countries will not be consuming all the Russian oil products. North Africa isnt boosting its refining processing, either. This leaves one plausible explanation for the jump in imports of Russian fuelsre-export to other countries, including Europe, after blending with products of non-Russian origin.

Trust me, we are not witnessing some renaissance in Maghrebi refining, Viktor Katona, a senior oil analyst with Kpler, told the Journal. A part of the Russian oil products will end up in Europe, according to Katona.

There has been a recent surge in Russian clean petroleum products (CPP) on water, according to Vortexa.

Currently 87 vessels carrying Russian diesel are on the water, Ioannis Papadimitriou, Senior Freight Analyst at Vortexa, wrote on Friday. Of those, 63 vessels carrying 18 million barrels are currently signaling non-European/non-Mediterranean destinations, or Mediterranean waypoints or ship to ship (STS) transfer zones.

The remainder are mainly signalling the Mediterranean, a trend that was starting to appear prior to the ban, with the ultimate destinations being North Africa and to a greater extent Turkey  an opportunistic post-war buyer of Russian oil and gas, Vortexas Papadimitriou said.

Vessels do not reflect idle or a wait-and-see behavior at great scale, and hence do not display an enormous challenge in finding a buyer in non-traditional markets.

Analysts and market observers will now have to see how long it would take for STS cargoes to find and reach their final destinations, and if potential major logistics delays could threaten the pace of Russian oil product exports, according to Papadimitriou.

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Hence, in answering the question whether Russia is finding a way to maintain CPP exports in this new reality, the answer lies closer to a yes than a no.

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

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Germanys reliance on cheap and plentiful supplies of Russian gas was one of three key factors that led President Vladimir Putin to believe that Russia could invade Ukraine and get away with it. A second factor was the Russian presidents belief that the NATO security alliance would use the same Macbeth Response (full of sound and fury, signifying nothing) to Russias invasion of Ukraine as it did to Russias invasion of Georgia in 2008 and to Russias invasion of Crimea in 2014. A third factor was that Putin thought that Russia would be in control of Ukraine within three days of the invasion of 24 February 2022 due to its cutting-edge military capabilities and the broadly welcoming embrace of Ukraines inhabitants. As it became clear that he had grossly miscalculated factors two and three, Putin still held on to the belief that Germanys resolve, and in turn Europes and NATOs, to not allow Russia to get away with its Ukraine adventure might crumble  he still partly does, according to sources in the European Unions (EU) energy security apparatus exclusively spoken to by OilPrice.com. However, given a slew of new gas supply deals into Germany secured for the long-term, Putins hope looks increasingly ill-founded.

There was every reason for Putin to be optimistic that Germany would do little to deter Russia from occupying Ukraine even as late as the day before the invasion. In broad terms, Germanys economic might, which made it the de facto leader of the European Union of 27 member states, had been established on two foundation stones. The first was the replacement on 1 January 1999 of the mighty deutschmark with the feeble euro, which immediately made Germanys exports much more competitive and led to the export-fuelled economic growth explosion of the following years. The second was the import of as much cheap gas from Russia as Germany needed to power the manufacturing boom that fuelled this export explosion. By the beginning of 2022, Germany was reliant on Russian gas for around 30-40 percent of its own commercial and domestic gas needs, depending on the time of year, and for about 30 percent of its total oil imports as well. This dependence had been planned by Germany to increase, with the completion in September 2021 of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline running from Russia to Germany.

Related: U.S. Oil Drilling Activity Retreats For Second Week In A Row

Additionally encouraging for Putin was that Germany, along with Putins other perceived weak link in Europe  France - had also been instrumental in formulating the Minsk 2 agreement in February 2015. This agreement, among other contiguous policies aimed at appeasing Putin, enshrined the idea of autonomy for the Russian separatist-held regions of Donetsk and Luhansk within the Ukraine constitution. Germany had also been the most vociferous opponent to the U.S. in its reimposition of sanctions on Iran after Washingtons unilateral withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (colloquially, the nuclear deal) in May 2018. Germanys then-Foreign Minister, Sigmar Gabriel, had warned: We also have to tell the Americans that their behaviour on the Iran issue will drive us Europeans into a common position with Russia and China against the USA. Shortly after that, Germany was a key mover in the EUs introduction of a special purpose vehicle  the Instrument in Support of Trade Exchanges  that would act as a clearing house for payments made between Iran and EU companies.

If Russia had been able to effect such a victory within a week in Ukraine, or had even managed just to secure the capital, Kiev, within that timeframe, then it is highly likely that events would have run the same course as they had in Russias effective invasion of Crimea in 2014. However, within the first week of the invasion, it had become clear that not only was there no support by Ukrainians for the Russian presence in their country but also that the Russian military of 2022 was not of the calibre that had been expected. It appeared to many that the endemic corruption that had grown into the fabric of the new Russia since the dissolution of the USSR in 1991 had also made rotten its fighting machine. In essence, the Russian forces that had been designated to take Kiev quickly had broken down along the key road that would have led them into the capital, stranded by poor quality machinery, dismal logistical planning, and a paralysed command structure. It was obvious to Europe that if Russia had invaded one of the NATO countries  with their air capabilities - then this entire invasion convoy, stretching for over 40 miles, would have been destroyed within two or three hours. It was also obvious to the West that if Ukraine could hold the Russians off with the limited resources it had, then this might be an excellent opportunity to engage Putin in a proxy conflict, albeit delicately done, given Russias usable nuclear threat.

The U.S. knew at that point that it was essential to organise new gas supplies into Europe as a whole and into Germany in particular as soon as possible, otherwise this moment of realisation in Europe of Russias frailty would be lost a catalysing moment of geopolitical change across the continent. Immediately, moves were made to move more U.S. liquefied natural gas (LNG) to Europe but, in tandem with this, the U.S. brought pressure to bear on other leading global suppliers of LNG (which can be supplied much quicker and easier than pipelined gas) to make supplies available to Germany. A very early example of this was Qatar, which in May 2022 signed a declaration of intent on energy cooperation with Germany aimed at becoming its key supplier of LNG. These plans would run in parallel with, but were likely to be finished significantly sooner than, the plans for Qatar to also make available to Germany sizeable supplies of LNG from the Golden Pass terminal on the Gulf Coast of Texas. The U.S.s ExxonMobil holds a 30 percent stake in the Golden Pass project, with QatarEnergy holding the rest. The U.S. was also behind the two sales and purchase agreements signed in December 2022 between QatarEnergy and the U.S.s ConocoPhillips to export LNG to Germany for at least 15 years from 2026.

Since those early deals, new deals with new suppliers for Germany have begun to appear, again in which the U.S.s hand is present, if one looks closely enough. News emerged towards the end of 2022 that Germany and Oman were in advanced talks to sign a long-term deal for LNG lasting at least 10 years, with the initial amounts touted as being in the 0.5-1 million tonnes per annum level. Last week saw the Abu Dhabi National Oil Co. (ADNOC) deliver 137,000 cubic metres of LNG  its first to Germany  for the Elbehafen floating storage regasification unit (FSRU) LNG terminal in Brunsbuttel. This is likely to be one of many further deliveries, according to ADNOC Gas acting chief executive officer, Ahmed Alebri, who said: ADNOC Gas stands ready to provide further shipments of this key transition fuel to our partner, RWE and German industry. The U.S. made it very clear after discovering in December 2021 that China had been building a secret military facility in the UAEs Khalifa Port area that it looked forward to a new phase in its relationship with the UAE, a senior legal source who works closely with the U.S. Presidential Administration exclusively told OilPrice.com at the time. Brunsbuttel is the third FSRU to begin operations in Germany after the startup of the Wilhelmshaven facility in December and the Lubmin unit in early January. Germanys economy ministry expects Germany to have 37 billion cubic mtpa of LNG import capacity available by 2024.

By Simon Watkins for Oilprice.com

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On February 21, Russia suspended its participation in the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START Treaty) of 2010, which had been prolonged in January 2021 until 2026 (Kremlin.ru, February 21; Sozd.duma.gov.ru, February 21). At the same time, Moscow claimed that it will continue to respect the terms of the treaty despite the suspension (Mid.ru, February 21). Yet, one main problem here is that few know the actual state of Russias strategic nuclear arsenal, as inspections were paused almost three years ago in March 2020.

Moreover, evidence suggests that Russia did not intend to abide by the New START Treaty after its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, exactly one year ago. To begin with, Russia rejected a resumption of inspections in August 2022 under a number of questionable and insignificant pretexts, including accusations that such inspections give a unilateral advantage to the United States (Mid.ru, August 8, 2022). Then, six months later, Russia appealed to the treatys preamble, the changed strategic environment and US arms supplies to Ukraine as justifications for not resuming inspections (Mid.ru, February 8). Meanwhile, Russia made efforts to increase its stock of deployed nuclear delivery vehicles: in the latest release, Russia declared 540 deployed intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs) and heavy bombers. This total represents the highest amount throughout the treatys history; previously, it never exceeded 528. However, the total number of deployed and non-deployed launchers has remained relatively stable, around 760 (State.gov, March 1, 2022; State.gov, September 1, 2022). It is indeed possible that, by August 2022, Russia had already made the decision to renege on the New START and hoped to leave the impression that it is capable of increasing its strategic nuclear arsenal before disclosing its true intentions publicly.

Related: Kazakhstan Could Suspend Natural Gas Exports Next Winter



Nevertheless, Russia inevitably needs to decrease the number of strategic nuclear delivery vehicles in its arsenal. For example, Russia currently possesses 40 deployed liquid-propellant heavy R-36M2 (RS-20/SS-18) ICBMs produced in the late 1980s, down from 46 in 2020 (Russianforces.org, January 2020; Sipri.org, accessed February 24). From 2004 to 2013, the Kremlin conducted regular launches of these ICBMs, which prolonged their service for several years. The last launch in October 2013 prolonged the service life of these missiles for five years; however, after that, Moscow ceased test launches with this particular classification of ICBM. Since 2018, their service life has been extended without tests, and they were originally planned for complete dismantlement by 2024 (RIA Novosti, November 21, 2018; Redstar.ru, December 16, 2019).

The same end-of-service timing was planned for the 45 solid-propellant RT-2PM Topol (RS-12M/SS-25) ICBMs that have allegedly remained in Russias arsenal since 2020 (Russianforces.org, January 2020). However, other estimates testify that, in fact, only nine operational Topol ICBMs are available for use (Sipri.org, accessed February 24). If true, this means that, in total, 42 ICBMs had already been dismantled between 2020 and 2022, when inspections were not conducted, and that the other 49 ICBMs are going to be dismantled in 20232024. Then, it will be the turn of the remaining 78 Topol-M (RS-12M2/SS-27) ICBMs, which are slated to be phased out of service sometime between 2025 and 2035 (Interfax, November 30, 2010; Interfax, January 27, 2011). In truth, any further lengthening in service life is really only possible on paper.

The situation with SLBMs is almost the same. Russia has one Delta-III (project 667BDR Kalmar) and six Delta-IV (project 667BDRM Delfin) submarines, each equipped with 16 SLBMs. The final Delta-III sub has exceeded 40 years of service, which is at least three years longer than any other submarine of this classification. And despite the overhaul between 2011 and 2017, the added operational lifetime for Delta-IIIs and Delta-IVs usually did not exceed five years (TASS, May 29, 2014).

The remaining Delta-IV submarines are planned to be operational until 2030, when the last submarine of this classification should be dismantled (VPK.name, May 18, 2021). However, in the early 2020s, at least two subs were planned to be dismantled (Eanews.ru, March 19, 2019; Flot.com, April 28, 2021). Without inspections and official announcements, the actual state of Russias Soviet-era submarines is unclear, but at least three of them will likely be withdrawn from operational use along with their 48 SLBMs sometime in 20232024.

Therefore, at least 97 Russian ICBMs and SLBMs are planned to be withdrawn from operational use in the next couple years. Due to the current decrepit state of Russias defense production industry, this decrease in capabilities cannot be fully compensated for in the near future. For instance, the average annual manufacturing rate of the Yars ICBMs from 2009 to 2022 may be estimated at 13 or 14 missiles (the total amount is about 180 missiles), and it hardly exceeds that number today. Between 2013 and 2022, Russia built six Borei-class submarines with 16 Bulava SLBMs on each (see EDM, January 11). The seventh submarine of this type is planned to be operational by the end of 2023, and the other three submarines should be commissioned by 2030. The heavy bombers would be the only relatively stable part of the Russian strategic arsenal, but losses during the war against Ukraine and intensive consumption make this prospect uncertain.

As a result, a significant decrease in Russias strategic nuclear arms will take place during the coming years. Given the current state of domestic production, efforts to stabilize the Russian nuclear arsenal and bring it back to the average level maintained throughout the 2010s will only succeed as early as 2030. However, this will only be possible if the Russian military does not encounter troubles with maintaining and manufacturing critical nuclear delivery vehicles. In this way, Russia hopes to keep this decrease in capabilities a secret to salvage any semblance of strategic parity with the United States on the international stage.

By the Jamestown Foundation

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The U.S. House, controlled by Republicans, is expected to vote on a bill on Tuesday that would void a recent Biden Administration rule to approve ESG investing in retirement plans.

Last November, the U.S. Department of Labor announced a final rule that allows plan fiduciaries to consider climate change and other environmental, social, and governance factors when they select retirement investments and exercise shareholder rights, such as proxy voting.

Todays rule clarifies that retirement plan fiduciaries can take into account the potential financial benefits of investing in companies committed to positive environmental, social and governance actions as they help plan participants make the most of their retirement benefits, Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh said at the time.

Republicans in Congress, however, are determined to have the rule nullified under a Congressional Review Act (CRA) measure, and they believe they could pass a companion bill in the Senate, narrowly controlled by Democrats.

If the bill passes, it could be the first veto of President Joe Biden, a spokesperson for Republican Senator Mike Braun told Reuters.

Senator Braun has said that the Biden Administrations rule on ESG considerations in investing plays politics with Americans retirement savings.

The ESG rule would allow fiduciaries to select a fund with a lower rate of return if it supports a progressive political agenda, Senator Braun told The Daily Signal in an emailed statement.

Republican Representative Andy Barr, who formally reintroduced the CRA measure early this month, said that Retirement plans should be solely focused on delivering maximum returns, not advancing a political agenda.

If Congress doesnt block the Department of Labors rule greenlighting ESG investing in retirement plans, retirees will suffer diminished returns on the investment of their hard-earned money.

The measure is expected to pass the House, and it could even pass the Senate, which is 51-49 controlled by Democrats, but with Senator John Fetterman out for health reasons, two absences from the Democrats would give Republicans a simple majority to pass the measure, Reuters notes.

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The Japanese government is in discussions to shorten the timeline for building a prototype nuclear fusion reactor in the country, Bloomberg has reported, citing Japanese media.

According to the report, the project could be added to Japans national strategy next month.

Japan has been working on fusion at the JT-60SAa massive device for nuclear fusion experimentation, which is planned to start in March. Hopes are running high after encouraging news from the U.S., where scientists reported they had succeeded in using fusion to produce more energy than was required for the fusion itself.

Because of the growing attention nuclear fusion is getting around the world, investment in the technology is booming. In the 12 months to mid-2022, fusion attracted some $2.8 billion in investments, compared with some $2 billion for the previous decade in total.

According to Bloomberg estimates, the nuclear fusion market globally could grow to a size of $40 trillion but it does not look like that this will happen anytime soon. Despite the reports of breakthroughs in the U.S., China, and elsewhere, skeptics are quick to point out that replicating results from the lab is often tricky and takes a long time.

The promise of fusion is particularly topical for resource-poor Japan, which is one of the largest energy importers globally. The recent squeeze in natural gas highlighted the drawbacks of this dependence on foreign suppliers. This dependence has seen Japan reconsider its energy strategy, although its stance on nuclear fission is perhaps more notable than this recent interest in nuclear fusion.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida recently called for extending the lives of operating nuclear fission reactors and the construction of next-generation ones. By leaning more heavily on nuclear, both fission and fusion, Japan will hope to advance its net-zero ambitions and boost its energy security.

By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com

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Mexicos state-controlled oil and gas giant Pemex has continued gas flaring at a massive field despite a pledge to stop doing so by mid-January, according to satellite data researchers have analyzed exclusively for Reuters.

In November, Pemexs chief executive Octavio Romero said that the company would stop gas flaring at the Ixachi field by January 15, 2023, after it was fined for breaching its emission-control plan.

Pemex has a poor environmental record and has regularly failed to reduce flaring as promised due to a lack of infrastructure to process all the natural gas it is extracting. Natural gas flaring has been an issue for Pemex and Mexico for years.

Despite the pledge from November to stop gas flaring at Ixachi by the middle of January, Pemex has increased the rate of flaring, according to satellite imagery of the field analyzed for Reuters by scientists.

The plants Papan and Perdiz, which were set to process the gas from the Ixachi field, burned an estimated 1.3 billion cubic feet of gas in January, according to satellite data. The flaring increased from November, when the pledge was made, and when the plants burned 1 billion cubic feet of natural gas.

We have a spike in flaring in January for two of the largest flares, Mikhail Zhizhin, a researcher from the Earth Observation Group at the Payne Institute for Public Policy, Colorado School of Mines, told Reuters.

As of last week, the flares were still active, the researcher told Reuters.

While Pemex appears to have made no progress with controlling gas flaring, it also posted staggering losses for last yearunlike all other oil companies who reported record profits amid soaring oil and gas prices and extreme volatility in 2022.

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Adding to Pemexs woes, the Mexican state oil firm saw last week three fires in one day at three separate facilities that it operates in Mexico and the United States. Two people died in one of the fires at a Mexican refinery.

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

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Russias crude oil producers managed to export 7.32 million barrels per day of crude oil and crude oil products in February, Kpler data showed, indicating to some that the ban on Russian seaborne crude shipments into Europe and the price cap mechanism have done little to curb the flow of Russias crude.

The 7.32 million barrels per day of crude oil exported from Russia in February is largely on par with that exported in December, shortly after the crude sanctions went into effect.

But that comparison is based on a December that saw Russias exports lower due to weather-related disruptions, pushing some shipments into January. Russias January petroleum exports increased as a result, and now Februarys exports have fallen back to December levels. And once again, inclement weather has restricted the amount of crude Russia has been able to export this month, with the port of Novorossiysk repeatedly shut down this month. Kpler crude analyst Viktor Katona told Bloomberg.

For March, Russia has stated its intention to cut its crude oil production by 500,000 barrels per day, and India is facing increased scrutiny from financiers to prove that its crude oil purchased from Russia was purchased below the $60 price cap, Bloomberg noted.

Earlier this week, new calculations from the Institute of International Finance, Columbia University, and the University of California determined that Russia took in more money in the weeks that followed the oil price cap than the cap allowed. On average, the calculations show that Russia sold its crude oil for about $74 in the four weeks following the December 5 price cap. The authors of the published analysis called for further investigation of these transactions and reinforces the need for stepped-up enforcement.

By Julianne Geiger for Oilprice.com

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Tesla has committed to building a new automotive facility in Northern Mexico, the country's President said on Tuesday, as part of Tesla's move to expand into markets outside the United States.

The deal, said to be worth at least $1 billion initially, was referred to as some Mexican officials as a Gigafactory. Future phases of the project could bring spending of as much as $10 billion, Mexican media said.

According to President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, "the whole Tesla company" was coming to Mexico to build a "very big" plant. The plant was said to be an assembly plant, but did not elaborate on which models the Tesla plant would produce.

The commitment to build a plant in Mexico came over a phone call between Elon Musk and President Obrador, ending months rumor and speculation about Tesla's future plans there.

The news comes after Obrador had previously dismissed the possibility of placing that type of plant in the northern part of Mexico known as Nuevo Leon because of the water shortages prevalent in that region. However, Musk has committed to using recycled water.

"This will represent a considerable investment and many, many jobs," Obrador told reporters on Tuesday.

More details about what exactly the plant will produce and the size of the detail are expected to come on Wednesday. Tesla is expected to elaborate further on the company's plans at an Investor Day event tomorrow, as well as share details about a new cheaper EV model.

Tesla so far has plants in the United States, Germany, and China, and is considering other locations for its next gigafactory, including Canada, South Korea, and Indonesia, as it strives towards its target of selling 20 million EVs annually by the year 2030.

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Households face a painful hike to their energy bills in April, with government support tapering off and the price cap remaining above the subsidised rate.

Watchdog Ofgem has slashed the price cap to 3,280 per year for average households for the second quarter of 2023, an almost 1,000 drop from the current record level of 4,279 per year  reflecting sharp falls in wholesale energy prices.

However, Brits will be exposed to a higher subsidised rate of energy bills, with Chancellor Jeremy Hunt reducing the subsidy levels in the Energy Price Guarantee so that household bills supported at an average rate of 3,000 per year rather than 2,500 per year.

With the price cap still above the subsidy rate, customers will have little choice but to take on the 500 per year hit, alongside the 400 loss of the discount scheme unveiled last year when Rishi Sunak was chancellor  which is now coming to an end in April.

This is an effective 900 bump up for average household energy bills  raising the prospect of heightened fuel poverty and households struggling to cover their costs.

Customers are likely to benefit from much lower prices in the second half of 2023, when the drops in gas prices will be fully realised in energy bills, with the price cap expected to drop below the subsidy rates.

This is because suppliers purchase energy on long-term contracts rather than spot-markets, with hedging arrangements for customers, meaning that macro-factors such as drops in wholesale costs can take months to kick in.

Energy specialist forecaster Cornwall Insight is predicting the price cap will fall to 2,362 per year in the third quarter and remain steady at 2,389 in the winter.

This will mean that, by the summer, prices paid by consumers will drop for the first time since the global gas crisis took hold more than 18 months ago.

However, it would still be historically very high  with the price cap moving between 1,000-1,200 per year prior to the industry crisis that saw 30 suppliers collapse and Russias invasion of Ukraine which drove gas prices to record highs.

The price cap was first introduced by the government and has been in place since January 2019, and remains contentious in the industry.

Ofgem review the level at which it is set on a quarterly basis  looking to reflect wholesale markets and ensures an energy supplier can recoup its efficient costs, while also shielding customers so that they do not pay a higher amount for their energy than they should.

The price cap, as set out in law, does this by setting a maximum that suppliers can charge per unit of energy.

Commenting on the latest announcement, Ofgem chief executive Jonathan Brearley said: Although wholesale prices have fallen, the price cap has not yet fallen below the planned level of the Energy Price Guarantee. This means, that on current policy, bills will rise again in April. I know that, for many households this news will be deeply concerning.

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Prices are unlikely to fall back to the level we saw before the energy crisis. Even with the extensive package of government support that is currently in place, this is a very tough time for many households across Britain.

The next quarterly price cap update will be on 26 May 2023.

By CityAM

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U.S. natural gas futures hit a one-month high on Monday on forecasts for colder weather next week and a rise in LNG exports.

Natural Gas futures had risen by 6.48% as of 3:40 p.m. ET on Monday to $2.710, as U.S> LNG exports reached 12.8 bcf/d so far this month, up from 12.3 bcf/d last month. The monthly record for U.S. LNG exports was reached in March 2022, when the United States exported 12.9 bcf/d.

NGc1 for April delivery rose 13.4 cents on Monday, the first day trading as the front-month contract. NGc1 for March, which closed for trading on Friday, trading at $2.548 bcf/d.

Another reason for the sharp uptick in nat gas prices is the U.S. average gas output, which fell to 97.5 bcf/d so far this month from 98.3 bdf/d in January. These conditions were brought on in part due to freezing temperatures that took oil and gas wells offline in some areas of the United States, and partly due to falling nat gas prices so far in 2023 spooked energy firms into slashing the number of active drilling rigs.

Weather forecasters are indicating that the current cold snap could stick around through the middle of next month, although they have acknowledged we may see milder weather over the next few days.

The EIA estimates that the United States has 2,195 Bcf of working gas in underground storage in the Lower 48 states as of February 17down 71 Bcf from the week prior. This compares to a significantly lower five-year average for this time of year of 1,906 Bcf. Last year at this time, the United States had 1,800 Bcf of working gas in underground storage.

By Julianne Geiger for Oilprice.com

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A handful of Nebraska eighth graders have European river cruises in their future thanks to a contest hosted by AAA Auto Club.

The organization announced 60 winners of its Discovery Crew travel contest this week. Seven of the 60 contest winners live in Nebraska.

The AAA contest was open to eighth grade students in 14 states. Students entered by answering three essay questions and submitting a selfie showing their passion for travel. Each winner, along with their chaperone, will fly to Amsterdam before sailing on an AmaWaterways river cruise through Belgium and the Netherlands.

During the trip, students will learn about local history, art, science, nature and food. A custom-designed itinerary also makes time for sampling local cuisine, visiting historic landmarks and meeting students at schools in Belgium and the Netherlands. The Nebraska winners hail from La Vista, Lincoln, Kearney, Auburn and Hay Springs.

Our best Omaha staff photos & videos of February 2023
OAKLAND, Calif.  For three years, Bertha Embriz of San Francisco has gone without health insurance, skipping annual wellness exams and recently tolerating a broken molar by trying not to chew with it. As an immigrant without legal status, the 58-year-old unpaid caregiver knew that Californias Medicaid program was closed to her.

That changed in May, when California expanded Medi-Cal  its Medicaid program for residents with low incomes  to adults 50 and older, regardless of immigration status. The problem was that Embriz didnt realize she would be eligible until she attended a community meeting in San Francisco.

Id heard that they were giving full Medi-Cal to people over 50, but I didnt know that you didnt have to be in the country legally, said Embriz, who is waiting for her application to be processed. Thank God I havent had any emergencies.

As of October, the most recent month for which data is available, more than 300,000 older immigrant adults who lack legal residency had enrolled in full Medi-Cal benefits, 30% more than the states original projection. State health officials, who had based their estimate on the number of people enrolled in a limited form of Medi-Cal that covers only emergency medical services, dont know how many additional older Californians are eligible, said Tony Cava, a spokesperson for the state Department of Health Care Services.

Now, some counties have hired a small army of community workers and health educators to enroll as many immigrant seniors as they can find. Workers visit senior centers, churches, English-language classes, immigration offices, markets, and community events, hoping to encounter people like Embriz unaware of their newfound eligibility.

In Alameda County, Medi-Cal program specialist Juan Ventanilla said the social services agency is using existing state outreach grants to partner with eight established community organizations to help get the word out about the expansion and help people sign up.

Workers, he said, specialize in assisting the most vulnerable in the county in getting access to health care.

Among those fanning out are Ana Hernandez and Bertha Ortega at Casa CHE, a community health education center in the Fruitvale neighborhood of Oakland that is operated by La Clinica de la Raza. Hernandez and Ortega said most people they meet are eager to enroll in Medi-Cal, but they dont know where to start. Many dont speak English, have limited literacy, and struggle to use or access computers. Forms are available in 12 languages, but users may not find their language, such as the Indigenous Mayan language Mam.

The system looks friendly if you have a lot of experience using a computer, said Ortega, but thats not the case for most of the older adults she helps. They come in here and we have to fix everything.

Californians without legal status make up the largest portion of the states uninsured residents, estimated at 3 million by the UC Berkeley Labor Center.

To get many of them covered, state lawmakers have expanded Medi-Cal to immigrants living in California without legal authorization, rolling out the coverage in stages: First, to children in 2016, young adults up to age 26 in 2020, and seniors last year. Next year, full Medi-Cal coverage will become available to all qualified Californians, regardless of age or immigration status. Once that happens, close to 700,000 additional noncitizens ages 26 through 49 are expected to enroll, according to Gov. Gavin Newsoms office.

Yet for all the changes, the programs expansion to older adults may have been the most momentous. Not only do they tend to need the most care, they also cost more to treat because they are likelier to have chronic conditions such as high blood pressure and diabetes. Many dont regularly seek medical care or social services  a tendency exacerbated by the pandemic.

California will be the first state to expand Medicaid coverage to all immigrants. Illinois and Oregon have also expanded state-funded coverage to older adult immigrants, and New York plans to do so in 2024.

Even though Medicaid is a joint state-federal program, the federal government chips in only for emergency and pregnancy-related coverage for people without legal status, which means California taxpayers foot most of the cost of providing coverage, estimated by state budget officials at $878 million for immigrant seniors the first year.

When the expansion to seniors launched in May, people age 50 and older who were already enrolled in the limited form of Medi-Cal were automatically transitioned to the comprehensive version that offers dental, vision, long-term care, and routine medical treatment at no cost to most enrollees. And some Bay Area counties, including Alameda, Contra Costa, and San Francisco, had a leg up in identifying eligible people because they run health care programs for residents without legal status.

In recent months, community health advocates have concentrated on finding eligible seniors who have yet to hear about the expansion. Some have appeared on local television and radio news shows to get the word out.

We know that there are more out there that are eligible but unenrolled, said Seciah Aquino, acting executive director for the Latino Coalition for a Healthy California. We are working to make sure that numbers can continue growing and that everyone who now has the privilege to access this benefit is able to sign up.

A focus group study last summer, funded by the California Health Care Foundation, found that about half of Hispanic respondents hadnt heard about the change. An even smaller share of older Asian immigrants knew about it. Asians make up the second-largest group of California immigrants after Hispanics, who account for almost 40% of the states immigrants. (California Healthline is an editorially independent service of the California Health Care Foundation.)

Some of the people who remain unenrolled are hard to persuade because they fear disclosing their immigration status to a government program, community health workers report. Medi-Cal applicants are required to disclose their immigration status on the application, but state officials say they are required by law to keep the information private and dont share it with immigration authorities.

Those assurances are often met with skepticism.

Many eligible seniors point to the Trump administrations public charge policy that made enrollment in Medicaid possible grounds for denying people legal residency in the U.S. Although that policy was overturned in December, fears linger.

Embriz, who had limited Medi-Cal coverage for many years, said she pulled out in 2020 because of the public charge policy. She didnt want her Medi-Cal enrollment to ruin her chances of obtaining a green card. But once she learned that signing up wouldnt affect her green card application, she agreed.

It would make a big difference, Embriz said about getting routine checkups again. I have a lot of hope.

For some older immigrants who have signed up, the ability to get full coverage has been a godsend. Maria Rodriguez, 56, of Hayward, learned in September that she was eligible while visiting the local Tiburcio Vasquez Health Center, a clinic that serves uninsured patients. A social worker helped her fill out the application online after a doctor had diagnosed her with diabetes and high blood pressure.

Its like Medi-Cal fell from heaven, Rodriguez said. Its very beneficial for my health.

Claudia Boyd-Barrett is a reporter with California Health Report. This article is produced in collaboration with California Healthline, California Health Report, and El Timpano.

Sign Up for Medi-Cal

California low-income residents age 50 or older can apply for full-scope Medi-Cal regardless of immigration status. Here are ways to apply:

Covered California: https://www.coveredca.com. Language translations available at the bottom of the page. By phone, call 800-300-1506 for English and 800- 300-0213 for Spanish. Medi-Cal applications in 12 languages are available to print: https://www.dhcs.ca.gov/services/medi-cal/eligibility/Pages/SingleStreamApps.aspx

Mail completed and signed applications to:

Covered California

P.O. Box 989725

West Sacramento, CA 95798-9725

CalWIN: https://www.mybenefitscalwin.org. The website is available to residents in 18 counties, including Alameda, Contra Costa, San Francisco, Solano, and Sonoma, to apply for public benefit programs.

To find other county social services agencies: https://www.dhcs.ca.gov/services/medi-cal/Pages/CountyOffices.aspx

HealthyAC: https://healthyac.org. For Alameda County residents only. The site includes a list of organizations searchable by ZIP code that can offer application assistance. Call 510-272-3663 to enroll over the phone or to request a mail-in application.

Casa CHE: Operated by La Clinica (https://laclinica.org/), Casa CHE provides health insurance enrollment assistance in Alameda, Contra Costa, and Solano counties. Call 855-494-4658 to schedule an appointment.

This story was produced by KHN, which publishes California Healthline, an editorially independent service of the California Health Care Foundation.

KHN (Kaiser Health News) is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues. Together with Policy Analysis and Polling, KHN is one of the three major operating programs at KFF (Kaiser Family Foundation). KFF is an endowed nonprofit organization providing information on health issues to the nation.

USE OUR CONTENT

This story can be republished for free (details).
An 18-year-old Omaha man was sentenced Monday to five to 40 years in prison for use of a firearm in connection with the 2020 shooting death of a Bellevue teen during a robbery.

Carlos Altoro-Colon was also sentenced in Sarpy County District Court for attempted robbery and manslaughter in the death of Kalani Zalopany, 17, on Oct. 12, 2020. He was sentenced to 18-20 years on each of those charges with the terms to be served at the same time and following his sentence for use of a firearm to commit a felony.

Scott Earl, an assistant prosecutor with the Sarpy County Attorneys Office, said Altoro-Colon will be eligible for parole after about 11 years. Altoro-Colon is one of three people found to be guilty in the death of Zalopany.

Bellevue police said Zalopany, a senior at Bellevue East High School, was killed while being robbed on West 31st Avenue just east of Offutt Air Force Base. Officers were called to Zalopanys home on a report of CPR in progress. Zalopany, who was born in Honolulu, was pronounced dead at the scene.

Rashaun J. Faison, 23, of Council Bluffs was sentenced to 18-20 years in prison after being found guilty of manslaughter. He was also sentenced to 40-50 years for being a prohibited person in possession of a firearm with the sentences to be served one after the other.

Davion D. Snider, 20, of Bellevue was found guilty of second-degree murder and will be sentenced in April.

Our best Omaha staff photos & videos of February 2023
Concordia Lutheran Schools of Omaha will soon become one campus after it merges its elementary location with its junior-senior high school later this year.

If approved by the Omaha Planning Board on Wednesday, construction will begin this spring to build a $15 million addition to the existing junior-senior high school at 156th and Fort Streets, said Robert Cooksey, head of schools at Concordia Lutheran.

About 180 elementary students in grades K-5 are currently housed in St. Marks Lutheran Church at 90th and Blondo Streets. Cooksey said Concordia administrators had to think quickly after learning last year that the elementary students would have to move because St. Marks was creating its own school and would need the facility.

The new St. Marks Lutheran School is currently enrolling grades K-2 for the 2023-24 school year, but will eventually serve students up to fifth grade, according to its website.

So we were going to have to move out and that prompted us making pretty quick plans for things, Cooksey said. But its always been our goal to get the campuses together.

The construction project will come in two phases, the first being renovation for the elementary addition, which consists of more classrooms, extra parking spaces, an access drive and new main entrance.

The second phase will create a new storm shelter along with a worship and performing arts center. Cooksey said King of Kings Church, located at 11615 I St., will lease it from the school on weekends for its second worship location.

While all construction should be complete by June 2024, Cooksey said the first phase will be done in August so elementary students can attend school alongside the rest of the grades  a total of roughly 685 students.

Concordia Lutheran is looking to fundraise $10 million of the $15 million project. Cooksey said the schools foundation has half of the amount raised so far.

The remaining $5 million will be covered by the rent amount the school used to pay St. Marks.

Cooksey said the consolidation will still happen this summer even if the fundraising goal hasnt been met.

Being able to raise $10 million would allow us to get in nearly debt-free, Cooksey said. But we recognize thats a lot of money to raise in a short amount of time. We might have to keep working at that for a while, but were able to borrow the funds until we get the funds raised.

The planning board will be considering a conditional use permit for the project at its meeting at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, located at the the City-County Building, 1819 Farnam St.

Photos: U.S. Secretary of Education visits Omaha Bryan High School
A storm system that produced tornadoes in Oklahoma brought only thunderstorms to Nebraska on Sunday night.

The official rainfall total at Eppley Airfield was 0.53 of an inch, said Brett Albright, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Valley. But the totals around the Omaha area varied. Blair received the most rain at 0.84 of an inch. North Omaha got half an inch to three-quarters of an inch, while South Omaha and areas in Sarpy County got three-tenths to half an inch of rain.

Some parts around southeast Nebraska and southwest Iowa, particularly around Falls City and Clarinda, got a bit more than an inch.

Were starting to see some hints of spring-like stuff, and its a decent rainstorm for us, Albright said. But were still a ways away from true spring here.

Albright also said it will take above-average rainfall amounts this spring to help alleviate drought conditions. Relatedly, the risk for flooding remains low.

Tuesday and Wednesday will see highs in the upper 40s, the weather service reported. Those highs will gradually trend down later this week as another system makes its way across the country. Southern Nebraska could see some snow, but there likely wont be significant accumulations in the Omaha area.

Following a high temperature only in the upper 30s on Thursday, Friday is expected to be the start of an upward trend that could see temperatures in the mid-50s on Sunday.

Our best Omaha staff photos & videos of February 2023
A Marquette, Nebraska, man charged with second-degree murder in connection with the death of his wife is being held on $1 million bail.

Jeffrey Adams, 47, appeared Tuesday in Hamilton County Court. He must pay 10% of the bail amount, $100,000, to be released from jail.

Adams told investigators from the Hamilton County Sheriffs Office that he and his wife, Angela Adams, 49, had been drinking heavily Saturday night, according to an arrest affidavit. The couple got into an argument while returning home from a bar in Central City, he said.

Once they arrived home, Adams told investigators, the argument turned physical. According to the affidavit, Adams said he punched his wife twice in the head and left the house as she lay face down in a pool of blood.

Angela Adams, the affidavit said, was discovered deceased by her 19-year-old son Sunday between 1:30 and 2 a.m. A minor child was also in the residence.

Deputies went to the home and determined that Angela Adams had been struck multiple times. A short time later, Jeffrey Adams arrived at the Hamilton County Sheriffs Office, where he agreed to be interviewed and then was placed under arrest.

Marquette is a village of about 230 people located about 22 miles northeast of Grand Island.
A McLean County man has filed a federal lawsuit against Rivian Automotive, alleging that he experienced racial discrimination and harassment while working there.

Plaintiff Cornelius Richardson asked the court to order Rivian, the electric automaker with manufacturing operations in Normal, to pay unspecified damages and Richardsons legal fees. The lawsuit also seeks back pay with interest, though the complaint does not indicate when or how Richardson stopped working at the company.

A Rivian spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment.

In the complaint, Richardson, who is Black, cited several remarks and incidents he said took place between February and July 2022. These included allegations that a co-worker called him a racial slur and that another co-worker placed a statue on his desk that showed a person in blackface, a term referring to the practice of wearing makeup to imitate the appearance of a Black person.

Richardson said in the lawsuit that he reported the situation to his manager and human resources, and alleged that a human resources manager told him to ignore the offensive comments.

No employee should be harassed or discriminated against on the basis of their race, color, or other protected class. Mr. Richardson deserved equality, said Richardsons lawyer Alexander Taylor, attorney at Sulaiman Law Group Ltd., in an email. We will continue to fight for Mr. Richardson and other employees that share similar stories.
BLOOMINGTON  The Bloomington-Normal NAACP will host candidate forums March 9 at Mt. Pisgah Baptist Church, 801 W. Market St., in Bloomington.

The nonpartisan forum is free and open to the public, said the organization, which said it is partnering with the Omicron Delta Omega chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.

Candidates will include individuals running for school board elections, Heartland Community College's Board of Trustees, the Bloomington City Council and the Normal Town Council.

The school board candidates' forum will run from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. and the city council and Heartland Trustees candidates' forum will run from 7 p.m. till 8:30 p.m.

The organization said candidates would present brief opening and closing statements, a moderator will pose questions from community member and audience members may also submit questions.

The local branch previously hosted a candidate forum in October 2022 with candidates for Illinois's 17th Congressional District, the 46th Illinois Senate District and McLean County treasurer and county clerk.

B-N NAACP hosts candidate for local office
Question: Halfway around the world is Bloomington-Normal's sister city in Japan, Asakawa, where the Twin Cities back in the 1980s donated to the Asahikawa Zoo five brown fox squirrels that are native to Central Illinois but nowhere to be found in Japan. Do you know what the squirrels names were?
German Ambassador to Ghana Daniel Krull has observed that Chinas hesitance to come to the external debt restructuring table could be due to fears over implications for its dealings with other African countries.



Chinas current position as the leading creditor to African countries, the diplomat explains, means that whatever arrangement it ends up making with Ghana in terms of ongoing debt restructuring to help the country meet requirements for an International Monetary Fund (IMF) bailout must be done to all the others that are looking to reduce sovereign debts or heading to the Bretton Woods Institutions for bailouts.



China has been very reluctant in terms of setting up a creditors committee, which is a key decision to take now; and we are aware that, so far, the Ghanaian government has not been able to enter into direct talks with them; so we are trying to talk to them, but China is a big player and has its agenda for dealing with Africa.



We must also be aware that other countries are having similar challenges, and that is making it so complex because it might not be with only Ghana but other African countries. So, this is not only with Ghana but all of Africa; and that explains Chinas hesitance in negotiating with Ghana. Lets not also forget that Chinas economy has also been hit hard by COVID-19 and is not in the best of shape, he said.



Imperatively, he urged China to take a bold internal decision as soon as possible and come to the negotiation table in order to enable Ghana chart a pathway to recovery from the ongoing economic challenges characterised by unsustainable public debt.



Touching on what the German government is doing to help Ghana out of its woes, Mr. Krull emphasised that Germany remains committed to supporting the country in these hard times; nonetheless, every help must be given within the remit of international conditions and policies.



The recent visit of top German ministers and parliamentarians to Ghana in recent times is a clear sign of our commitment and preparedness to support in all times, and especially in times of crisis like this one. We are prepared to live up to our responsibility as one of the major bilateral creditors to Ghana, but we are ready to do so with certain criteria adhered to, he said.



He stated that the G20 has a common framework for handling such crises and that Germany is committed to respecting the framework irrespective of the fact it might not be perfect.



The ambassador further called on business moguls who have good relationships with China to also get involved in lobbying the Asian nation to come to the aid of Ghana.



The ambassador made these remarks in his engagement with the press at his residence to brief them on the state of bilateral relations between the two countries after the German employment ministers visit.



China-Ghana debt restructure status



The Minister of Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, disclosed last week that governments planned high-level meeting with Chinese creditors over Ghanas debt restructuring has been postponed to late March 2023.



For many stakeholders, this could affect Ghanas timelines for an economic bailout of US$3billion to build back the economy, as the country needs to conclude its debt restructuring negotiations with its creditors to be able to secure the Funds executive board approval for the bailout programme.



China and its agencies hold about US$1.7billion of Ghanas US$5.5billion bilateral debt, and the specialised nature of their lending windows means that Ghana cannot add them to the model used to negotiate with the G20 and Paris Club members.

Source: B&FT









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The Member of Parliament for Mpraeso Constituency, Davis Ansah Opoku has supported some best performing BECE students in his constituency.



The Legislator, during last years Basic Education Certificate Examination, pledged to support JHS who would attain an aggregate 6 to 15.



Speaking in an interview with Republic Presss Andy Frimpong Manso, the MP indicated that, this is in line with his vision to ensure that Students are motivated to make good grades.



Some 50 selected best-performing students were given Gh500 each, totalling Gh25,000. These monies are to enable them to get some provisions while they begin their first journey to second-cycle education.



Mr. Opoku said the pupils knowing that the MP will commend them when they pass well, will encourage them and also those who are yet to write their BECE next year to do it well.



We also make allocations for the disabled students irrespective of the grade they had. It is an ongoing process so, through the Ghana Education Service Directorate, I am hoping they will bring the data for us to support such students, he noted.

He said the government has implemented free SHS so every student must take advantage of it and at least complete Senior High School to give him or her a basic understanding.



We are hoping to get a scholarship for brilliant but needy students with the help of the government. However, we facilitate the scholarship secretariat office to make sure the students will get scholarships and pursue their tertiary education, he added.



The MP for Mpraeso constituency also commended Dr. Yaw Adutwum, the Educational Minister for the arrangements done concerning computer placement and also, for the innovative ideas he has brought to the education sector.



Some of the students expressed their gratitude to the honourable MP for his continued support of education in the district.

Source: Peacefmonline.com









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The Minister of Health, Kwaku Agyeman-Manu, has reportedly been given two hours to appear before Parliaments Select Committee on Health.



According to a news report by myjoyonline.com, Agyeman-Manu and some officials from his ministry and the Ghana Health Service were expected to appear before the committee to answer questions on the shortage of vaccines in the country.



The report indicated that neither the minister nor his officials were present before the committee hours after the committees meeting had started on Tuesday, February 28, 2023.



It added that the absences of the minister and his officials infuriated the members of the committee including the Member of Parliament for Asawase, Mohammed Muntaka Mubarak, who described the absence of the officials as disrespectful.



The Health Minister, Dr. Kwaku Agyeman Manu, was invited to an emergency meeting with the Parliamentary Committee on Health on Tuesday, February 28, 2023. The minister was expected to brief the committee on the current nationwide vaccine shortage.



He is also expected to tell the committee about measures put in place by his ministry to address the situation. The committee has also invited the Ghana Health Service (GHS) and other institutions on the same issue.



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, a letter addressed to the Health Minister stated.



There are reports of a shortage of vaccines used for routine vaccination of children from childbirth to age 18 months in some parts of the country.



Vaccines for diseases such as measles, polio, and tuberculosis have been scarce in hospitals.



This is likely to increase the vulnerability of the very children the vaccines are meant to protect.



The Western, Greater Accra, Central, Upper West, Bono, Eastern, and Upper East regions are among the regions affected by the vaccine shortage.







Source: ghanaweb.com









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The Electoral Commission (EC) Boss, Jean Mensa, and the Executive Secretary of the National Identification Authority, Kenneth Attafuah, are billed to appear in parliament today, Tuesday, 28 February 2023 to brief the leadership of the House on the draft C.I on the registration of voters.



Due to Madam Mensas absence from the House, the Minority in Parliament objected to the briefing by EC officials last Thursday.



Reports were rife that the EC Chairperson, Jean Mensa is in Ghana and has refused to honour an invitation from Parliament disrespecting the august house.



However, the Electoral Commission in response to the claims said, At the time the Chairperson had travelled to Nigeria at the invitation of ECOWAS/ECONEC for a peer exchange and election observation mission.



But the EC Chair is unlikely to appear again in parliament for that scheduled meeting as she is still out of the country.



Early on, Majority Leader, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, announced that the EC Chairperson, Jean Mensa, will appear before the legislators on Tuesday.



The EC officials had established contact with the Chairperson, who had agreed to come down for us to have the committee of the whole meeting, but she delayed because the Minority MPs were picking up their parliamentary forms. So on Tuesday, she will appear, and we will continue with the committee of the whole meeting.





Source: starrfm









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The Greater Accra Regional Chairman of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Nii Ashie Moore has disclosed that he escaped an attempt on his life on Saturday (February 25), the third such incident since he became regional chairman last year.



Sharing pictures of his ransacked office in a Facebook post sighted by GhanaWeb, Mr Ashie Moore claimed that he survived the third assassination attempt due to his decision to change sleeping locations as a result of the threats on his life.



Yesterday was the third attempt to assassinate me after our NDC GAR Regional elections. Thank God I changed my sleeping location again, he stated after quoting Romans chapter 8 verse 38 to 39 in his post.



GhanaWeb checks show that the regional chairman has since reported the matter to the police for investigation.



Ashie Moore who is a former Member of Parliament for the Adentan Constituency toppled incumbent Joseph Ade Coker to win the NDCs Greater Accra regional chairmanship in the November 2022 elections.



The former MP polled 327 votes while the then incumbent polled 227 votes.











Source: ghanaweb.com









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Action Peoples Party (APP) has officially cut the sod for the construction of an ultramodern ICT Center at Nkawie Panin M/A JHS in the Atwima Nwabiagya South Municipality of the Ashanti Region.



The motive, according to the political party, is to construct ICT centres in all 275 constituencies across the country, to improve and encourage ICT education.



Speaking at the colourful ceremony on Monday, February 27, 2023, the Founder and Leader of APP, Mr Kenneth Nana Kwame Asamoah, said the party is poised to give ICT education to students aged group of 4 to 18.



He said the ICT Center project dubbed: Agenda 275 will be furnished with library facilities and other modern equipment needed for quality education.



Mr Ernest Atta Gyamfi, who deputized the Municipal Education Director, lauded Action Peoples Party and its founder for their commitment to education.



The ICT centre, he said, will help improve digital literacy, which is one of the competencies in the curriculum.



He noted that the project will enhance the students knowledge of ICT for they to be abreast with issues in the entire world.



Speaking on behalf of the Chief of Nkawie Panin, the Chief Liguist, Nana Kofi Asante, praised Mr Kenneth Nana Kwame for coming to the aid of his hometown while calling on others in the diaspora to emulate him.



He noted that some big political parties have not been able to do what he and his political party has done and asked Gods blessings for him.



For his part, the Assembly Member for the area, Alexander Baffour Awuah commended the Founder and Leader of the party for giving back to his hometown.



The ICT centre, he said, will not only benefit the community but also the surrounding communities.

Source: Peacefmonline.com









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The use of the Ghana Card as an electronic travel document by Ghanaians arriving in the country is on the rise, data by the Ghana Immigration Service shows.



The biometric national identity card was officially certified by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) as meeting the requirements of an international travel document, and the Ghana Immigration Service, together with other stakeholders, officially announced last year that Ghanians abroad traveling back into the country could use the Ghanacard as a means of identification, in place of their Ghanaian Passports, if they so wished.

The directive also meant that Ghanaian holders of foreign passports, who, hitherto, required visa to arrive back home in Ghana, would no longer require entry Ghanaian visas, once they are holders of the Ghanacard.



The application of the new policy, which was officially implemented less than a year ago, is on the rise, as the Ghana Immigration Data reveals.



Data by the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) shows that about 1,089 Ghanaians boarded flights into Ghana from various countries around the world using Ghana Card.



The data shows that the 1089 passengers boarded flights from 19 different countries and 21 different airlines to the country from January to December 2022.



Special desk at KIA to processes Ghana Card holders



Following the announcement of the new policy, the Ghana Immigration Service set up a special booth at the Kotoko International Airport in Accra, which processes Ghanaian holders of the Ghana Card returning home.



Breakdown of Airline Arrivals



From the data, 426 Ghanaians used their Ghanacard to travel on Emirates Airlines from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to KIA in 2022, while 143 arrived from the Netherlands aboard KLM.



Fron 129 Ghanaians used their Ghanacards to travel from Cote DVoire to Ghana comprising, while Air Cote DVoire brought in 4 and Middle East Airlines brought in 1.



From the United States of America, 78 Ghanaians made up of 35 on Delta Airlines and 43 on United Airlines arrived in Ghana with Ghana Card as their travel document.



From the UK, the British Airways brought in 77 Ghanaians, while 67 Ghanaians arrived aboard Ethiopia Airlines in 2022.



From France, 66 Ghanacard hilders arrived in Ghana aboard Air France, with many others arriving from other countries, such as Burkina Faso-17 (comprising Air Burkina-1, Air France-16), Belgium-13, (Brussels Airlines), Togo -13, (made up of 11 by ASKY , Brussels Airlines-2), Sierra Leone- 9 (ASKY Airlines-1, Kenya Airlines-8) and Nigeria-9 (Africa World Airlines-8, Rwand Air-1) respectively.



Others are: Qatar 8 (Qatar Airways), Liberia-7 (Africa World Airlines-2, ASKY Airlines-2, Kenya Airways-3), Turkey-6 (Turkish Airlines), South Africa-6 (South Africa Airlines), Egypt-6 (Egypt Air), Sao Tome and Principe-3 (Tap Air Portugal) and Morocco-1 (Royal Air Maroc),



The Vice-President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia revealed in November 2021 during a lecture at Ashesi University that processes had been completed for the Ghana Card to be recognised as an international travel document by the ICAO, the global body that certifies means of international travel identification.



The government has announced that the next phase of the Ghanacard as an international travel document, is to make it possible for Ghanaians to use it to travel to countries Ghana would reach bilateral agreement with.



When such an agreement is reached, Ghanaian citizens can travel to these countries using their Ghanacard as means of of identification, especially for e-visas.

Source: Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









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The Coaltar District of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana, has expressed profound gratitude to the Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, for what they describe as a touching gesture to the Church.



The Vice President, who pledged to contribute to the Presbyterian Church's decision to build legacy centenary anniversary projects, is building a classroom block for Kwaboanta JHS in the Ayensuano District, in the Eastern Region.



Dr. Bawumia visited Kwaboanta to inspect the project which is nearing completion, and he was showered with commendations, both by the Presby Church and the community.



The Coaltar District Minister for the Presby Church, Rev. A.L. Odai, recalled how the Vice President made the pledge to build the school during the Centenary Anniversary celebration of the Akuapem Presbytery, adding that Dr. Bawumia was "touched by the Holy Spirit" to make such a touching gesture to the Church and the community.



"Mr. Vice President I want to say the children of this community are so excited about this because they need such a place for their training and we are thakful to you. Sincerely, we are grateful to you and we know that the good Lord will help you to complete to the glory of His name," Rev. A.L. Odai, told the Vice President.

The Chief of Kwaboanta, on behalf of his people, also expressed appreciation to Dr. Bawumia for his thoughtfulness and generosity to the Church and the community.



The Chief said the community is in need of educational facilities and the project by the Vice President would a long way to help them.



Before inspecting the project, Dr. Bawumia thanked the Almighty God for giving him the guidance and strength to personally undertake the project.



The Vice President also commended the Presbyterian Church of Ghana for the Church's immense contributions to the development of Ghana.

Source: Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









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Reliable information gathered by Rainbowradioonline.com indicates that former president John Dramani Mahama will maintain former education minister Prof. JaneNaana Opoku-Agyemang as his running mate if he [Mahama] is elected as the presidential candidate for the National Democratic Congress (NDC).



Our source explained that the female politician remains the number one and favourable choice of John Mahama, who settled on her as his running mate for the 2020 presidential election.



We have also gathered that several persons in the party prefer the choice of John Mahama because she is clean, humble, intelligent, and not ambitious.



The source also revealed that the former minister would serve and leave with John Mahama, and unlike others, she wont be tempted to form a team with the intent of succeeding Joh Mahama after four years.



Furthermore, the personal achievements of Prof. Opoku-Agyemang locally and internationally endear her to the middle and upper class in general and women across Ghana in particular.





Source: ghanaweb.com









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Two persons have picked nomination forms to contest the Asante Akim North parliamentary primaries of the National Democratic Congress (NDC).



They are Adams Yusif, a Lawyer and Kofi Asamoah, a businessman.



Adams Yusif contested the 2020 elections but lost to Andy Appiah Kubi, the NPP candidate.



Peter Abaje, the Asante Akim North constituency chairman of NDC, told the Ghana News Agency in an interview that, the two were the only persons who had picked forms for the constituency.



He stressed the need for all interested candidates to follow the laid down procedure of the party and work to promote peace among party members and supporters in the constituency.



Abaje said strong party unity and hard work among all the members were crucial to capture the seat and winning the presidential ticket as well.



Meanwhile, four persons have picked the nominations forms to contest the Atwima-Nwabiagya South constituency primaries of the NDC.



They are Nana Asare Bediako, former Municipal Chief Executive under President Mahama, Wisdom Osei Boateng, former constituency youth organizer, Derrick Owusu Boateng, the 2020 parliamentary candidate of the party and Salisu Mohammed, a businessman.



Godfred Petigo, the constituency Secretary, who confirmed this to the GNA, said the constituency leadership was following all the laid down procedures to ensure fairness in the processes.



He appealed to supporters of the nominees to remain calm and go about their campaigns peacefully to help strengthen the existing unity in the party.





Source: GNA









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Aspiring NPP Presidential Candidate, Joe Ghartey held a meeting with the staff of the UMAT - School of Railways and Infrastructure Development, Sekondi-Takoradi.



The meeting held on February 15th was Joe Ghartey's first visit to the school

since he ceased being Minister for Railways Development. This was during his Nationwide Tour of Hope and Unity.



In the interactions, the staff of the University showed their appreciation to the Presidential Candidate for his vision and efforts when he was Railways Development Minister, which saw the establishment of the school.



They said the establishment of the school has benefited both students and staff and has as well affected the economy of the surrounding communities.



They declared that they are solidly behind him and believe that he is the best man for the job. The staff also informed him that they have conferred with him

the title 'Papa of the University'.



Hon Ghartey thanked them for their wonderful reception stating that the vision was to build a school that would attract students from all over Africa. He said that given the opportunity he would take education to the next level and make it a major foreign exchange earner.



#ReadyToServe #BigJoe #BigIdeas #BigVision

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The TESCON chapter of the Atibie Midwifery and Nursing Training College (NMTC) has conducted a handing over of newly elected executives to lead the chapter.



The event was also used to induct newly admitted student nurses who have joined the TESCON chapter.



At the handing over held on Saturday, February 25 at the NMTC Auditorium in Atibie, the Member of Parliament for Mpraeso Constituency, David Ansah Opoku charged the newly elected executives to take charge and steer the affairs of the chapter firmly to help the NPP in breaking the 8 in the upcoming 2024 General elections.



Lets all be helpful to each other. The NPP is a better government that will continue to provide you access to education and other forms of economic relief. ,



The MP commended the immediate past executives for their relentless effort and support for the youth Wing of the NPP. Mr. Ansah further took a swipe at the NDC for falsifying propaganda around the current economic challenges the country is facing.



Dont pay heed to what John Mahama and the NDC is saying. They have absolutely nothing to offer you. If the NDC says NPP has mismanaged the Economy, its a big lie. A big lie in the sense that, during NPP there was covid-19 and we all saw the impact it had on all of us. During John Mahamas administration, there was no covid-19 but the NDC took Ghana to IMF, so compare the two, whos telling lies?, he said.



He charged the students to inculcate in them the best disciplinary behaviours to aid them in access to higher positions. He said the contributions of the NMTC chapter count greatly if the NPP will maintain and hold on to power.



The deputy National Youth Organizer, Sandra Sarkodie -Addo commended the past executives for their bravery in making sure the NPP maintained power during the 2020 general elections. she further urged the new executives to take charge and put the affairs of the NPP up to secure victory in the 2024 general elections.



She added that the NPP is the best political party to manage the affairs of the Ghanaian economy.



The Eastern Regional NPP Youth Organizer, Mr. Adamu Musah Raha said he will do everything in his power to achieve their aim since they want to break the eight. The reason behind my excitement is because we have been able to capture the youth and people have hope in us so we will make sure to put them in a better position, he said.



It is beneficial for every student to join Tescon because we must serve our people and these students just need to be recognized and be posted when they complete school however, we will make sure to place our people very well. We have been doing it and we will do it again to serve our people, he added.



He urged everyone to have faith in the New Patriotic Party (NPP) because NDC is not a better option. Mr. Adamu said NDC will make Ghanaians suffer if they come into power so Ghanaians should wise up.



A total of 13 new executives were reelected to take up the new challenge of the Atibie NMTC TESCON chapter.

Source: Peacefmonline.com









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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:

Finding chart for the X3 system. We show two zoomed views toward the X3 system. The cyan zoom box to the left shows a K- and L-band overlay image where blue represents the dust of the bow shock and red is associated with hot and thermal emission. Whereas X3a can be classified as a YSO, X3b and X3c are thermal blobs. The cyan box also indicates the position of the three closest and brightest stars, S3-373, S3-374, and S3-375 (see Gautam et al. 2019). The blue box on the right shows the CO emission at 343 GHz where we incorporate K-band contours of X3a (lime colored) and the bow shock, which is primarily observed in the L band (light-blue colored). The background image is observed with NACO in the MIR (L band, 3.8 m), where we indicate prominent clusters like IRS 16 or IRS 13 and stars. Sgr A* is located at the position of the yellow . Credit: The Astrophysical Journal (2023). DOI: 10.3847/1538-4357/aca977

An international team of researchers under the leadership of Dr. Florian Peiker at the University of Cologne's Institute of Astrophysics has discovered a very young star in its formation phase near the supermassive black hole Sagittarius A* (Sgr A*) at the center of our Milky Way.

The star is only several tens of thousands of years old, making it younger than humanity. The special thing about baby star X3a is that theoretically it should not be able to exist so close to the supermassive black hole in the first place.

However, the team believes that it formed in a dust cloud orbiting the giant black hole and sank to its current orbit only after it had formed. The study "X3: a high-mass Young Stellar Object close to the supermassive black hole Sgr A*" has been published in The Astrophysical Journal.

The vicinity of the black hole at the center of our galaxy is generally considered to be a region characterized by highly dynamic processes and hard X-ray and UV radiation. Precisely these conditions act against the formation of stars like our sun. Therefore, for a long time scientists had assumed that over periods of billions of years, only old, evolved stars can settle by dynamical friction in the vicinity of the supermassive black hole.

However, quite surprisingly, already twenty years ago very young stars were found in the immediate vicinity of Sgr A*. It is still not clear how these stars got there or where they formed. The occurrence of very young stars very close to the supermassive black hole has been referred to as "the paradox of youth."

The baby star X3awhich is ten times as big and fifteen times as heavy as our suncould now close the gap between star formation and the young stars in the immediate vicinity of Sgr A*. X3a needs special conditions to form in the immediate vicinity of the black hole.

First author Dr. Florian Peiker explained, "It turns out that there is a region at a distance of a few light years from the black hole which fulfills the conditions for star formation. This region, a ring of gas and dust, is sufficiently cold and shielded against destructive radiation."

Low temperatures and high densities create an environment in which clouds of hundreds of solar masses can form. These clouds can in principle move very fast towards the direction of the black hole due to cloudcloud collisions and scattering that remove the angular momentum. Credit: University of Cologne

In addition, very hot clumps formed in close proximity to the baby star which could then be accreted by X3a. These clumps could thus also contribute to X3a reaching such a high mass in the first place. However, these clumps are only a part of the formation history of X3a. They still do not explain its "birth."

The scientists assume the following scenario to be possible: shielded from the gravitational influence of Sgr A* and intense radiation, a dense enough cloud could have formed in the outer gas and dust ring around the center of the Galaxy. This cloud had a mass of about one hundred suns and collapsed under its own gravity to one or more protostars.

"This so-called fall time approximately corresponds to the age of X3a," Peiker added. Observations have shown that there are many of these clouds that can interact with each other. It is therefore likely that a cloud falls towards the black hole from time to time.

This scenario would also fit X3a's stellar development phase, which is currently evolving into a mature star. It is therefore quite plausible that the gas and dust ring acts as the birthplace of the young stars in the center of our Galaxy.

Dr. Michal Zajacek at Masaryk University in Brno (Czech Republic), a co-author of the study, clarified, "With its high mass of about ten times the solar mass, X3a is a giant among stars, and these giants evolve very quickly towards maturity. We have been lucky to spot the massive star in the midst of the comet-shaped circumstellar envelope. Subsequently, we identified key features associated with a young age, such as the compact circumstellar envelope rotating around it."

Since similar dust and gas rings can be found in other galaxies, the described mechanism could apply there as well. Many galaxies can therefore host very young stars in their very centers. Planned observations with NASA's James Webb Space Telescope or the European Southern Observatory's Extremely Large Telescope in Chile will test this star formation model for our Galaxy as well as others.

More information: Florian Peiker et al, X3: A High-mass Young Stellar Object Close to the Supermassive Black Hole Sgr A*, The Astrophysical Journal (2023). DOI: 10.3847/1538-4357/aca977 Journal information: Astrophysical Journal
This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility:

Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

In July 2021, unprecedented heavy rainfall occurred in Zhengzhou (east-central China) against a background of a northward shift in the western Pacific subtropical high (WPSH), which is a key atmospheric circulation system affecting the East Asian summer climate.

Due to complex airsealand interactions, the WPSH exhibits significant interannual to interdecadal variability, which poses a grand challenge to skillfully predicting the climate. In this context, the predictability of the anomalous WPSH in July 2021 remains unknown and deserves careful study.

Recently, in a paper published in Advances in Atmospheric Sciences, scientists from the State Key Laboratory of Numerical Modeling for Atmospheric Sciences and Geophysical Fluid Dynamics (LASG), Institute of Atmospheric Physics (IAP), Chinese Academy of Sciences, have revealed both the predictable and unpredictable components of the anomalous WPSH in July 2021 based on large ensemble hindcast experiments using the IAP/LASG oceanatmosphere coupled model.

"The observed northward shift of the WPSH in July 2021 exhibits a meridional dipole pattern in the 850-hPa geopotential height over the eastern China sea, and the amplitude of geopotential height was the strongest since 1979," explains Dr. Shuai Hu, the lead author of the study. "This meridional dipole pattern corresponds to the two nodes of the so-called PacificJapan pattern."

To reveal the predictability of the anomalous WPSH, Hu and colleagues conducted a 21-member ensemble of seasonal predictions initiated from the end of June 2021. Both the predictable and the unpredictable components of the meridional dipole pattern were identified from the ensemble simulations.

The predictable component was driven by positive precipitation anomalies over the tropical western Pacific, which were caused by a positive horizonal advection of the mean moist enthalpy associated with southwesterly anomalies to the northwestern flank of anticyclonic anomalies, which was excited by the La Nina.

The unpredictable component was associated with the atmospheric internal intraseasonal oscillations, which were not initialized in the predictions. The relative contributions of the predictable and unpredictable components to the observed northward shift of the WPSH at 850 hPa were 28.0% and 72.0%, respectively.

"Our study calls for attention to be paid to the intraseasonal variability of the WPSH in seasonal predictions. An accurate prediction of the intraseasonal variability is of high priority in efforts devoted to improving the prediction skill for the East Asian summer climate," says Prof. Tianjun Zhou, corresponding author of the study.

More information: Shuai Hu et al, Seasonal Prediction of the Record-Breaking Northward Shift of the Western Pacific Subtropical High in July 2021, Advances in Atmospheric Sciences (2023). DOI: 10.1007/s00376-022-2151-x Journal information: Advances in Atmospheric Sciences
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A New Zealand blue whale surfaces in the South Taranaki Bight. Credit: Dawn Barlow, Marine Mammal Institute, Oregon State University

A new study of New Zealand blue whales' vocalizations indicates the whales are present year-round in the South Taranaki Bight and their behavior is influenced by environmental conditions in the region.

The findings are a significant advancement in researchers' understanding of the habitat use and behavior of this population of blue whales, which Oregon State University researchers first identified as genetically distinct from other blue whale populations less than a decade ago.

"We went from not knowing 10 years ago whether this was a distinct population to now understanding these whales' ecology and their response to changing environmental conditions," said the study's lead author, Dawn Barlow, a postdoctoral scholar in OSU's Marine Mammal Institute. "These findings can inform conservation management of this blue whale population and their habitat."

The patterns and intensity of the whales' calls and songs over two years showed strong seasonality in their foraging and breeding behavior, and the vocalizations changed based on environmental conditions such as a documented marine heatwave, Barlow said.

"During the marine heatwave, feeding-related calls were reduced, reflecting poor foraging conditions during that period," Barlow said. "But we also saw changes in vocalizations in the next breeding period, an indication that they put less effort into reproduction following a period of poor feeding conditions."

The study was published in the journal Ecology and Evolution. Barlow conducted the research as a doctoral student in the Geospatial Ecology of Marine Megafauna Laboratory at Hatfield Marine Science Center in Newport, led by associate professor Leigh Torres, a co-author of the new paper.

Blue whales are the largest of all whales and are found in all oceans except the Arctic. Their populations were depleted due to commercial whaling in the early 1900s, and today they are listed as endangered under the International Union for Conservation of Nature's Red List of Threatened Species.

The New Zealand whales' habitat overlaps with a wide range of commercial activities, including oil and gas exploration and extraction, vessel traffic, fisheries, wind energy development and possible seabed mining.

Torres first hypothesized in 2013 that the South Taranaki Bight, between New Zealand's North and South Islands, was an undocumented blue whale feeding ground. Following comprehensive data collection efforts, and using multiple lines of evidence, Torres, Barlow and colleagues were able to document in 2018 that the population in this region was genetically distinct from other blue whale populations.

Previous research was primarily based on observations researchers made during visits to the region in the summer months. But the researchers wanted to know more about the whales' behavior during other parts of the year. They placed five hydrophonesa type of underwater microphonethat recorded continuously between January 2016 and February 2018, with only brief gaps to retrieve data every six months.

New Zealand blue whale. Credit: Leigh Torres, Marine Mammal Institute, Oregon State University

"Unlike many other baleen whales, this population stays in this region year-round," Barlow said. "That means we can monitor what they are doing from one location. Listening is an effective way to do that."

The hydrophone recordings showed that the whales' "D" calls were strongly correlated with oceanographic conditions related to upwelling in the spring and summer. Upwelling is a process where deeper, cooler water is pushed toward the surface; the nutrient-rich water supports aggregations of krill that the blue whales feed on. The whales' D calls were more intense during periods of strong upwelling.

The recordings also showed that the whales' song vocalizations, which are produced by males and associated with breeding behavior, followed a highly seasonal pattern, with peak intensity in the fall. That timing aligns with past whaling records' estimates of conception, Barlow said.

The hydrophone evidence of the breeding behavior and the whales' presence in the region year-round can influence the animals' national threat classification status, which impacts management practices, the researchers said.

Blue whales in New Zealand had been classified as migrant, but as a result of the research by Torres, Barlow and colleagues, the classification of has changed from migrant to data deficient. If the whales are reclassified as a resident population, that could impact management practices, but evidence of breeding in New Zealand is needed for that change to occur, the researchers said.

"Although no one has actually documented blue whales matingit is hard to observe that directlythe increase in song during the expected time of mating is a strong indication of breeding in New Zealand waters," Torres said. "Our study adds more evidence that these are resident New Zealand blue whales."

Once the researchers were able to make the link between the whales' behavior and their calls, they could then look at the calls and behavior relative to environmental patterns. Specifically, they noted how the whales' foraging and breeding behavior changed during and after a 2016 marine heatwave.

During the marine heatwave, there were fewer aggregations of krill for the whales to feed on, which the researchers documented in a previous study. The reduction in foraging behavior correlated to less intense D calls during that period, and in the next breeding season, the breeding songs were also less intense.

The findings raise additional questions about how changing ocean conditions and human activity in the region are impacting the New Zealand blue whale population and reinforce the need for continued monitoring, the researchers said.

"We have come so far in 10 years in our knowledge of these blue whalesfrom not knowing this population existed to now understanding their year-round use of this region for feeding, mating and nursing," Torres said. "New Zealanders should be excited and proud that their country is home to its own unique population of blue whales. We hope our work helps Kiwis manage and protect these whales."

Additional co-authors are Holger Klinck, director of the Cornell University K. Lisa Yang Center for Conservation Bioacoustics, who also is affiliated with OSU's Marine Mammal Institute; Dimitri Ponirakis of Cornell; and Trevor Branch of the University of Washington. The Marine Mammal Institute is part of Oregon State's College of Agricultural Sciences.

More information: Dawn R. Barlow et al, Environmental conditions and marine heatwaves influence blue whale foraging and reproductive effort, Ecology and Evolution (2023). DOI: 10.1002/ece3.9770 Journal information: Ecology and Evolution
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In this file photo released by Xinhua News Agency, a video screen shows Chinese astronaut Fei Junlong conducting extravehicular activities on the orbiting Tiangong space station, on, Feb. 9, 2023. China says it will soon begin training foreign astronauts for trips to its newly completed orbiting space station. Credit: Liu Fang/Xinhua via AP, File

China says it will soon begin training foreign astronauts for trips to its newly completed orbiting space station.

Long a source of national pride and symbol of technological advancement, the Chinese space program is taking on a new diplomatic and political role, much in the way the United States and former Soviet Union leveraged theirs.

Multiple countries have asked for rides to the Tiangong station, program official Chen Shanguang said in an interview with state broadcaster CCTV that aired Saturday.

"We will soon begin to select candidates from those nations for joint flights to our space station, and they will be able to work with our astronauts to carry out scientific tasks in space," Chen, deputy chief planner of China's manned space programs, said in the interview that was republished late Monday by the official China Daily newspaper.

Candidates will undergo an initial selection process before being brought to China for intensive training on how to operate China's Shenzhou spaceships and live and work aboard the station, Chen said.

"We also hope that the foreign candidates can gain some knowledge about Chinese culture because they will be onboard a Chinese space station," he said.

Chen did not say whether proficiency in Chinese would be required, although experts interviewed by China Daily said they expected China's national tongue to be the working language aboard the station.

China completed Tiangong in November with the addition of the third of three modules, centered on the Tianhe living and command module.

China built its own station after it was excluded from the International Space Station, largely due to U.S. objections over the Chinese space programs' intimate ties to the People's Liberation Army, the military wing of the ruling Communist Party.

While NASA is barred by law from most interactions with the Chinese program, Beijing has cooperated with the European Space Agency and individual nations on space projects.

However, ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher said in January that the International Space Station was the agency's priority and "we have neither the budgetary nor political greenlight or intention to engage in a second space stationthat is, participating in the Chinese Space Station."

At about 66 tons, Tiangong is a fraction of the size of the 465-ton ISS. It can accommodate up to six astronauts, though only three are on board for each six-month mission.

With a lifespan of 10 to 15 years, Tiangong could one day be the only space station still up and running if the ISS retires around the end of the decade as expected.

China in 2003 became the third government to send an astronaut into orbit on its own after the former Soviet Union and the United States. The country has also chalked up uncrewed mission successes: Its Yutu-2 rover was the first to explore the little-known far side of the moon; its Chang'e 5 probe returned lunar rocks to Earth in December 2020 for the first time since the 1970s; and another Chinese rover is searching for evidence of life on Mars.

An eventual crewed mission to the moon is also under consideration.

 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
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Once the fungus coating is disturbed, a green layer of algae appears. Credit: Institute of Botany, Czech Academy of Sciences

Researchers from the Institute of Botany, Czech Academy of Sciences, have described the symbiotic relationship between fungi and algae that science has largely overlooked until now. The coexistence of algae and corticioid basidiomycetes, which are common in temperate forests, has been given a new name: "alcobiosis." Their work has been published in Scientific Reports.

Jan Vondrak of the Department of Taxonomy, Institute of Botany, and the first author of the study says, "Years ago, during field trips, we were repeatedly puzzled to find a layer of green algae where some of the fungal coatings on wood or bark (so-called corticioid fungi) are disturbed. We discovered that this is a close symbiosis of fungi and algae, not a lichen, though, because the fungus does not depend on its alga for nourishment."

The new term introduced by the researchers for this type of coexistence, "alcobiosis," is formed by letters from the three key words: algae, corticioid fungi and symbiosis. Cross-section of alcobiosis in a light microscope (where the algal chlorophyll is green) and a fluorescence microscope (where the chlorophyll is red due to autoflorescence). Credit: Institute of Botany, Czech Academy of Sciences

In the course of several years, the team of researchers gathered a large number of samples and performed DNA sequencing of the algal and fungal partners. They discovered that the symbiosis is very common and occurs in a great many corticioid fungi across the class of agaricomycetes. Individual fungal species are usually faithful to a specific algal species from a range of algae described in various alcobioses.

Ensuing physiological measurements of algal activity in alcobioses confirmed that the algae are alive, active and engage heavily in photosynthesis, which proves that they prosper inside fungal tissue. Alcobioses bear a striking resemblance to lichens, but differ from them in that the fungal partner does not depend on its alga for nourishment.

"And so the main unknown still is in what way this symbiosis is beneficial for each of the partners. However, our discovery also brings many questions related to geographic, ecological and taxonomic parameters of the symbiosis, such as whether alcobioses diversity increases from polar to tropical regions," says Jan Vondrak.

"This coexistence has been mentioned in articles before. Most often, though, these were just fragmentary comments that such and such species of corticioid fungus is often found together with algae. We were the first to graps alcobioses as a widespread phenomenon which includes a large number of algae and fungi."

Alcobioses are common in urban areas, too. Lyomyces sambuci, pictured here, is abundant on elder bark. Credit: Institute of Botany, Czech Academy of Sciences

During their research, the authors also discovered that the spread of alcobioses is aided by small gastropods who often feed on corticioid fungi. Their excrements contain viable cells of algae and fungi who give rise to new alcobiotic coating shortly after. This type of reproduction is similar to lichen "isidia" (i.e., specific lichen thallus structures used in vegetative reproduction).

Scientists at the Institute of Botany have described a symbiotic relationship that is very common in Europe, but which has so far escaped attention. In this way a new space has opened for the further study of alcobioses from various points of view by both professional biologists and biology enthusiasts, since alcobioses are clearly visible to the naked eye and it is easy to distinguish them from similar fungi that do not form this kind of relationship.

More information: Jan Vondrak et al, Alcobiosis, an algal-fungal association on the threshold of lichenisation, Scientific Reports (2023). DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-29384-4. www.nature.com/articles/s41598-023-29384-4 Journal information: Scientific Reports

Provided by Botanicky ustav Akademie ved Ceske republiky
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Covering three-quarters of Earth, the oceans are home to 80 percent of all life on the planet, and provide nourishment for more than three billion people.

The world's oceans and the multiple threats they face, from climate change and pollution to overfishing and mining, will be the focus of a global conference in Panama this week.

Some 600 leaders of government, the business sector, green groups and academics will gather in the Central American country on Thursday and Friday to discuss expanding marine protected areas (MPAs), assuring a sustainable ocean-derived "blue economy", and reducing stressors on an invaluable but at-risk resource.

Covering three-quarters of Earth, the oceans are home to 80 percent of all life on the planet, and provide nourishment for more than three billion people as well as a crucial avenue for global trade.

"We cannot commit to saving our ocean ecosystems without limiting human activities within them," states the website for the eighth edition of the international Our Ocean conference.

"This vital asset is in danger from global warming, unsustainable practices, illegal fishing, reckless pollution, and the loss of marine habitats," it added.

According to Courtney Farthing, policy director at Global Fishing Watch, the conference "is key to maintain political will on ocean action."

By bringing governments, activists and industry together, "we are able to increase our collective understanding of the issues our ocean is facing and successful initiatives that could be more widely adopted," she told AFP.

Map showing the exclusive economic zones of countries and the international waters of the high seas.

Observers say the Our Ocean gathering is important as it is the only conference to address all ocean-related issues under a single roof.

It also serves as a public stage for governments, through senior ministers in attendance, to put on a show of political will.

Fear for sea floor

The conference takes place amid growing concern about multinational companies eyeing minerals on the ocean floor.

These include so-called manganese nodules, settled on the seabed, that contain metals critical in battery production. Environmentalists say harvesting them would be devastating for deep-sea ecosystems.

"There isn't really a big extraction today, but there is a significant advance in technology and machinery to eventually extract minerals, mainly rare minerals," Maximiliano Bello of non-governmental organization Mission Blue explained.

Conference delegates will not adopt agreements or vote on proposals, but rather announce voluntary "commitments" to ocean protection.

John Kerry, the US special envoy for climate, is seen as a key promoter of the Our Ocean conferences aimed at reducing threats to the world's high seas.

Host Panama, for example, intends to announce an expansion of the Banco Volcan protected area it created in 2015.

But activists, such as Juan Manuel Posada of the MarViva NGO, want to see such projects expanded to "waters beyond national jurisdiction" given that much of the illegal fishing takes place on the lawless high seas.

"We would also like to see declarations by countries declaring 30 percent of their marine areas as protected areas before the target date" of 2030 that was agreed at the COP15 on biodiversity in Canada last year, he added.

'John Kerry's baby'

The Our Ocean conferences were launched in 2016 on the initiative of John Kerry, a former US secretary of state who was appointed as White House special envoy for climate.

"Our Ocean is the baby of John Kerry," said Bello.

Kerry is due to attend the conference with US oceanographer Sylvia Earle, who has led more than 100 ocean expeditions in a nearly 60-year career and who founded Mission Blue.

Kerry and Earle "tried to change the concept that there are many oceans, because in reality there is only one ocean that is spread over the whole planet," said Bello.

 2023 AFP
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(a) Two-qubit quantum overlapping tomography (QOT) of a large-scale system. The whole system is divided into two groups, red and blue, in different strategies. For each dividing strategy, the two groups are measured on a different basis. (b) QOT dividing strategy for the n=4, k=2 case. Credit: Yang et al

Quantum tomography is a process that involves the reconstruction and characterization of a quantum state using a series of collected measurements. Over the past few years, many physicists have been trying to use this process to learn more about quantum states, as this could also advance the development of quantum technologies.

Researchers at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore have recently demonstrated quantum overlapping tomography (QOT), a sub-type of quantum tomography that was recently a mere theoretical construct, in an experimental setting. Their paper, published in Physical Review Letters, could inform future quantum physics research by offering a new effective tool to examine these systems.

"We experimentally implement QOT with a linear optical system and demonstrate its advantage comparing to widely accepted full state tomography," Zhengning Yang, one of the researchers who carried out the study, told Phys.org. "QOT is a method to reconstruct subsystems of an unknown quantum many-body state with a small dataset, which was first theoretically proposed by Jordan Cotler and Frank Wilczek at Stanford and MIT."

The recent work by Yang and his colleagues builds on the 2020 study by Cotler and Wilczek, who proposed that an unknown entangled state could be fully characterized by leveraging a series of single-qubit measurements, through the process that they dubbed QOT. The team at Nanyang Technological University wished to verify this theoretical idea in an experimental setting.

Schematic of experimental setup for generating four-photon entanglement, with the detectors labeled by order. Credit: Yang et al

"We built an optical platform to reproduce a 4/6-qubit quantum state carried by single photon qubits," Yang explained. "The copies of states are then measured in a complete set of quantum bases. We then used the measurement dataset to statistically estimate the original quantum state with two different methods, full-state tomography (FST) and QOT, to compare how well they perform."

The researchers' experiments yielded very promising results, as they suggested that QOT is a more reliable method to characterize quantum states than FST, the conventional quantum tomography process used to characterize integral quantum states. In addition, QOT can accurately characterize quantum states using significantly fewer measurements.

"We discovered that QOT can get significantly more precise results than FST with same numbers of measurement without introducing apparent systematic errors," Yang said.

The findings gathered by Yang and his colleagues highlight the great potential of QOT for studying quantum states. In the future, they could thus encourage the use of this quantum state characterization method in both research and industrial settings, for instance aiding the development of more advanced quantum computers or other quantum technologies.

"As we go through all the works on QOT, we find 'overlapping' is a powerful tool to extract information from a quantum state efficiently," Yang added. "Thus, we now plan to figure out how good it can do in estimating the whole system instead of just the subsystems. We hope it will be the most efficient quantum tomography protocol that is feasible for most systems."

More information: Zhengning Yang et al, Experimental Demonstration of Quantum Overlapping Tomography, Physical Review Letters (2023). DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.130.050804 Jordan Cotler et al, Quantum Overlapping Tomography, Physical Review Letters (2020). DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.124.100401 Journal information: Physical Review Letters

 2023 Science X Network
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Credit: CC0 Public Domain

Leading environmental health experts have called for a comprehensive review of the UK's fire safety regulations, with a focus on the environmental and health risks of current chemical flame retardants.

The health dangers of substances meant to improve fire safety have prompted experts to demand a range of new measures to reduce risk.

Flame retardants are widely used to slow down or stop the spread of fire. They are used regularly in a range of productsfrom sofas and textiles to building materials. However, hundreds of studies have reported on the adverse effects of these chemicals, many of which are bioaccumulative and have been linked to wide-ranging health risks including cancer, developmental disorders, and DNA damage.

The UK has some of the highest use of flame retardants in the world and we are all being exposed in our daily lives. Retardants have been found in a range of placesincluding homes, schools, offices, and vehicles. They have been found in air and dust, in food and drinking water, and on indoor surfaces and textiles, where they can be absorbed through contact with the skin. The authors add this exposure is particularly noted in young children, who crawl around and pick up objects.

They are also found in natural environments, including rivers, lakes, oceans and sediments, as well as in fish, mammals and birds.

Such widespread use has in part been attributed to the flame ignition tests that are a primary focus of current fire safety regulations. Experts have questioned whether these tests are fit for purpose in reducing fire risk and believe the government's emphasis on these tests incentivizes the addition of large amounts of fire retardants to products.

The experts say there is also "significant uncertainty" about the extent flame retardants contribute to fire safety, and that there is evidence that flame retardants exacerbate smoke and fire toxicity.

Dr. Paul Whaley, from Lancaster University and a corresponding author of the statement, said, "There are longstanding concerns about the effectiveness of flame retardants and the health risks associated with them, which the UK Government has never adequately reconciled. This needs to change: There has to be a proper balancing of the harms and benefits of flame retardants that includes a comprehensive evaluation of the effectiveness of flame retardants as a fire safety measure, with serious attention paid to unintended harms of UK fire safety policy."

The evidence-based call to action, by a group of 13 experts, comes in the form of "A New Consensus on Reconciling Fire Safety with Environmental & Health Impacts of Chemical Flame Retardants," published February 28 in the journal Environment International.

The authors set out six measures for the Government to urgently take in a thorough review of the need for chemical flame retardants, including an end to incentivizing their use.

The authors instead call for incentivizing industry to develop "benign-by-design" furniture and materials that are inherently less flammable.

They also call for developing a labeling system to track retardants' use, allowing them to be identified and disposed of safely.

Also among their recommendations is the need to adopt a systemic approach to fire safety rather than a reductionist approach relying on ignition tests.

Professor Ruth Garside from the University of Exeter said, "The use of flame retardants is problematic at all stages of the lifecycle, potentially even exacerbating smoke and toxicity during the fires when they are supposed to provide a safety measure. With no clear labeling system, these substances are not disposed of correctly, which means they end up in recycled products.

"A significant proportion of fire deaths are caused by inhaling toxic fumes, so there's no time to delay in reviewing the fire safety regulations. We urge the government to take prompt action for the benefit of all our health."

UK Furnishing and Fire Regulations have been under review since 2014 but no revised policy has yet been formally proposed.

Professor Frank Kelly of Imperial College London, and co-author of the paper, said, "There is understandable concern surrounding the weakening of existing fire regulations, especially in the wake of tragedies such as the Grenfell Tower fire. However, it is vital that the use of these chemicals and their effectiveness in preventing fires is balanced with the serious long-term impacts on our health and environment."

Jamie Page of the Cancer Prevention & Education Society said, "Fire safety is a complex, multidisciplinary issue, but processes are largely dominated by industry. Well-reasoned challenges to current approaches need to be heeded. This will require more inclusive and transparent public consultation processes that will bring together views of different stakeholders."

More information: A New Consensus on Reconciling Fire Safety with Environmental & Health Impacts of Chemical Flame Retardants, Environment International (2023). DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2023.107782 Journal information: Environment International
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Graphical abstract. Credit: Journal of Cleaner Production (2022). DOI: 10.1016/j.jclepro.2022.134772

Scientists from Oil Crops Research Institute (OCRI) of Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS), Anhui Agricultural University (Anhui, China), Newcastle University in Singapore, and Huizhou Comvikin Biotechnology Co., Ltd (Guangdong, China) have developed a green and efficient approach to synthesize highly liposoluble and antioxidant L-ascorbyl esters by immobilized lipases.

An ester is a type of chemical compound that is formed by the reaction between an alcohol and a carboxylic acid. It has a characteristic sweet and fruity odor and is used in the manufacture of flavors, fragrances, and plastics. Esters are also found in many natural substances such as fats, oils, and waxes.

The permitted antioxidant in baby food is L-ascorbyl palmitate, but its low liposolubility limits its commercial demand. A team of researchers, led by Professor Mingming Zheng and Dr. Yi Zhang from Oil Crops Research Institute, has proposed a more efficient and environmentally-friendly method for synthesizing highly liposoluble unsaturated fatty acid ascorbyl esters using enzymatic catalysis by Lipase CaLB immobilized on ordered mesoporous silicon.

In this approach, self-made immobilized lipases are used to catalyze the reaction that produces L-ascorbyl esters. These lipases are immobilized, meaning they are attached throughout the mesoporous carrier's surface, which improves the catalytic stability and reusability of the lipases. Using unsaturated fatty acids as acyl donors results in the synthesized ascorbyl esters having better liposolubility (i.e., they can dissolve in fats and oils), a lower melting point, and comparable antioxidant activity to L-ascorbyl palmitate.

Compared to traditional synthesis methods, this novel approach that utilizes enzymatic esterification is a more effective and cleaner method of synthesizing highly-soluble and antioxidant L-ascorbyl esters. It holds significant potential for implementation in industrial production.

The team leaders have submitted an application to patent this novel approach.

The work has been published in the Journal of Cleaner Production.

More information: Tiantian Zhang et al, Green and efficient synthesis of highly liposoluble and antioxidant L-ascorbyl esters by immobilized lipases, Journal of Cleaner Production (2022). DOI: 10.1016/j.jclepro.2022.134772 Journal information: Journal of Cleaner Production

Provided by Newcastle University in Singapore
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Electron microscope images of a chondrule-like object and CAI in the Ryugu samples. Credit: Tohoku University

In June 2018, Japan's Hayabusa2 spacecraft retrieved samples from asteroid Ryugu and successfully returned them to Earth. Researchers at Tohoku University have analyzed the samples and identified what they believe may be the oldest solids from the solar system that have thus far become available for study. They reported their findings in the journal Nature Communications on February 16, 2023. The article was also selected as a feature in the Editors' Highlights.

The work was focused on spherical mineral grains, called chondrule-like objects and calcium-aluminum-rich inclusions (CAIs). These grains are key components of chondritic meteorites, which are delivered to Earth from the asteroid belt without being modified by processes, such as melting, that can affect other meteorites. The samples from Ryugu gave scientists the opportunity to study material freshly gathered from an asteroid that, at the time of sampling, was around 15,000,000 kilometers from Earth. But surprising evidence from the investigations of the samples by many research teams has suggested that Ryugu was initially formed much further from Earth, in the outer reaches of the solar system.

A key finding from the analysis by the Tohoku University group is that the grains in the Ryugu samples were likely transported in widening circles from the inner regions of the early solar system out to the much more distant region where the original asteroid Ryugu formed.

The team's conclusions are partly based on analyzing the ratio of different oxygen isotopes in the samples. These are forms of oxygen atoms with varying masses due to differing numbers of neutrons in their nuclei. The lower mass oxygen-16 isotope has one less neutron than oxygen-17 and two fewer than oxygen-18. Many of the Ryugu grains were enriched in oxygen-16.

The isotope content, together with analysis of the grains' sizes and mineral composition, led the researchers to suggest their ancient origin and likely transport outwards to the far regions of the solar system, where they became part of a body that then fragmented to form asteroid Ryugu.

Oxygen isotope diagram for the chondrule-like objects and CAIs in the Ryugu samples. Credit: Nature Communications (2023). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-36268-8

"We now want to analyze more of these oldest solar system solids in Ryugu, to try to understand the mechanisms behind the radial transport outwards in the early solar nebula," says geochemist Daisuke Nakashima of the early Solar System Research Group at Tohoku University. Nakashima and colleagues collaborated on the investigation with researchers elsewhere in Japan and the U.S.

"This is fundamental research into the ancient events that built our solar system," says Nakashima. The work is part of the fascinating process of understanding how the planetary system that eventually gave rise to life on Earth was itself born.

More information: Daisuke Nakashima et al, Chondrule-like objects and Ca-Al-rich inclusions in Ryugu may potentially be the oldest Solar System materials, Nature Communications (2023). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-36268-8 Journal information: Nature Communications
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Caoba (Swietenia macrophylla) tree attacked by the larvae, showing the tree deformations caused by the insect pest attack. Credit: Alexander Pulgarin Diaz

The mahogany trees Cedro and Caoba (Cedrela odorata and Swietenia macrophylla) affect the right-forewing of their unwelcome guest, the mahogany shoot borer, which could later influence its flying abilities and help with pest management, a new study shows.

Hypsipyla grandella, or the mahogany shoot borer, has a heavy impact on Cedro and Caoba trees, restricting their plantations. But at the same time, these trees affect the size and form of the pest moth's right-forewing.

The mahogany shoot borer is one of the most important forest insect-pests in South and Central America, where it devastates Cedro and Caoba forest plantations. It destroys the trees' leading shoots and could affect all plants in a forest stand, resulting in forked trees without commercial value. Although both Cedro and Caoba are highly appreciated for the beauty and workability of their wood, the biology of the mahogany shoot borer is poorly understood.

Research shows that the mahogany shoot borer prefers Cedro over Caoba. Meanwhile, other research indicates that the form and size of moths and butterflies are affected by their host. In the new study, researchers wanted to study if the form and size of the mahogany shoot borer is affected by whether its host is Cedro or Caoba.

To study this, they focused on the right-forewing of the moth and used a technique called geometric morphometry to evaluate changes in the wing form and size. The wing was chosen for analysis, since in moths and butterflies, wings are very important for migration, territorialism and courtship, and to escape from enemies.

The researchers found that the wing form differs between males and females, and when the host was Cedro, the wing was larger. These findings are common in moths and butterflies, but what is uncommon is that only the male wing form differed between the hosts.

An important question is whether the observed differences in wing form and size could influence the species' flying system, as reported in other butterflies and moths. For example, for long-distance flights it is important to have a long forewing with a narrow tip, and for controlled flights, a small and broad forewing is important.

According to the researchers, the host could affect the systems for controlling damages caused by the mahogany shoot borer, as when the host is Cedro, the moth could fly longer distances, and when the host is Caoba, the moth could have more controlled flights.

These findings could help to guide future plantings of Cedro and Caoba, taking into account that moths with larger right-forewings could be more frequent in Cedro, having better capabilities for long-distance flights, which is not ideal in integrated pest management systems.

The study is published in the journal Zoologischer Anzeiger.

More information: John Alexander Pulgarin Diaz et al, Size and shape variation of Hypsipyla grandella Zeller (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) in two hosts: A morphometric approach, Zoologischer Anzeiger (2022). DOI: 10.1016/j.jcz.2022.12.005
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Credit: CC0 Public Domain

From regulators to researchers and most industries in between, all eyes are on PFAS. PFAS, per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are a class of highly fluorinated human-made compounds that have been used for decades in everything from nonstick cookware and personal care products to fire-fighting foams and school uniforms. Their commonality and extreme resistance to environmental degradation has made them ubiquitous in ground water, soil, and worst of all humans. Linked to a slew of health risks including liver toxicity, bladder cancer, and decreased immune response to vaccinations, exposure to PFAS is concerning. So, how can we eliminate these "forever chemicals?"

Historically, PFAS substances have only been characterized in water and soil, but the emission of these compounds during chemical manufacturing, use, and disposal results in their emission into the air. Ryan Sullivan, Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Chemistry at Carnegie Mellon University, has been developing new methods to measure PFAS in both the atmosphere and in aerosol particles to answer outstanding questions regarding PFAS atmospheric components that lead to human exposure. His group is also developing new approaches to destroy forever molecules that are not removed by conventional water treatment plants.

The research is published in the journal Environmental Science: Processes & Impacts.

"In remediation, our end goal is what we call full mineralization, where all fluorine is removed from the molecule. Historically, researchers have had some success with mineralization, but there has always been a percentage of the fluorine unaccounted for. Sometimes researchers get stuck at partially fluorinated products that are still PFAS. Our work uses a non-targeted approach so that we can better quantify these missing molecules and figure out just how close we are to full PFAS remediation."

One promising technology for PFAS remediation is reduction via hydrated electrons. The process involves shining a UV light on salt water to break electrons away from the sulfite salt. Fluorine molecules are highly electron hungry so when the dissolved electron joins its bond, the very stable carbon-fluorine can finally be broken, releasing a harmless fluoride ion.

By using a non-targeted analysis during this process, Sullivan's group identified novel PFAS molecules that had not previously been found during UV/sulfite reduction treatment.

"By having a complete understanding of this complex chemistry, we can optimize the engineered treatment conditions, fill holes in the known chemical mechanisms, and push closer to achieving full mineralization."

In order to better understand these contaminants, Sullivan has also developed a way to measure PFAS directly in the gas phase, and in aerosol particles. This avoids the existing need to collect large samples of air first before extracting PFAS prior to analysis.

"If the government were to issue regulations around PFAS emissions from manufacturing plants it will be crucial to measure their concentration going into the atmosphere to determine if they are compliant with the allowed emissions," he explained.

Moving forward, Sullivan's team will explore the chemistry and transport of PFAS in aerosols suspended in the atmosphere.

More information: Bailey B. Bowers et al, Nontarget analysis and fluorine atom balances of transformation products from UV/sulfite degradation of perfluoroalkyl contaminants, Environmental Science: Processes & Impacts (2023). DOI: 10.1039/D2EM00425A
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Credit: Cod. 318fol. 15v: https://www.e-codices.unifr.ch/en/list/one/bbb/0318 CC BY 4.0, color and contrast corrected).

In 2011, scientists recorded a previously unknown feeding strategy in whales around the world. Now, researchers in Australia think they may have found evidence of this behavior being described in ancient accounts of sea creatures, recorded more than 2,000 years ago.

They believe that misunderstandings of these descriptions contributed to myths about medieval sea monsters.

Whales are known lunge at their prey when feeding, but recently whales have been spotted at the surface of the water with their jaws open at right angles, waiting for shoals of fish to swim into their mouths. A clip of this strategy was captured in 2021 and went viral on Instagram. Bryde's Whales engaging in tread-water feeding in the Gulf of Thailand 2 (video courtesy of Surachai Passada, Department of Marine and Coastal Resources). Credit: Surachai Passada, Department of Marine and Coastal Resources)

This strategy seems to work for the whales because the fish think they have found a place to shelter from predators, not realizing they are swimming into danger.

It's not known why this strategy has only recently been identified, but scientists speculate that it's a result of changing environmental conditionsor that whales are being more closely monitored than ever before by drones and other modern technologies.

Dr. John McCarthy, a maritime archaeologist in the College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences at Flinders University, first noticed intriguing parallels between marine biology and historical literature while reading about Norse sea monsters. Bryde's Whales engaging in tread-water feeding in the Gulf of Thailand (video courtesy of Surachai Passada, Department of Marine and Coastal Resources). Credit: Surachai Passada, Department of Marine and Coastal Resources in Thailand

"It struck me that the Norse description of the hafgufa was very similar to the behavior shown in videos of trap feeding whales, but I thought it was just an interesting coincidence at first. Once I started looking into it in detail and discussing it with colleagues who specialize in medieval literature, we realized that the oldest versions of these myths do not describe sea monsters at all, but are explicit in describing a type of whale," says Dr. McCarthy. "That's when we started to get really interested. The more we investigated it, the more interesting the connections became and the marine biologists we spoke to found the idea fascinating."

Old Norse manuscripts describing the creature date from the 13th century and name the creature as a "hafgufa."

This creature remained part of Icelandic myths until the 18th century, often included in accounts alongside the more infamous kraken and mermaids.

A digital reconstruction of a humpback whale trap feeding. Credit: John McCarthy, Flinders University

Diagram of humpback engaged in trap feeding; with a jaw either flush with the waterline, or raised to a similar height to the rostrum (J. McCarthy). Credit: John McCarthy, Flinders University

However, it appears the Norse manuscripts may have drawn on medieval bestiaries, a popular type of text in the medieval period. Bestiaries describe large numbers of real and fantastical animals and often include a description of a creature very similar to the hafgufa, usually named as the "aspidochelone."

Both the hafgufa and aspidochelone are sometimes said to emit a special perfume or scent that helps to draw the fish towards their stationary mouths. Although some whales produce ambergris, which is an ingredient of perfume, this is not true of such rorquals as the humpback.

Instead, researchers suggest this element may have been inspired by the ejection of filtered prey by whales, to help attract more prey into a whale's mouth.

Research co-author Dr. Erin Sebo, an Associate Professor in Medieval Literature and Language in the College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences at Flinders University, says this may be another example of accurate knowledge about the natural environment preserved in forms that pre-date modern science.

Icelandic Physiologus (c.1200) depiction of the Apsido feeding. Credit: Reykjavik AM 673 a II 4to fol. 3v Public Domain, color and contrast corrected

Above: Ortelius's 1658 map of Iceland showing various mythological sea creatures. Below, a detail of a sea creature labeled H, 'the greatest of whales' which could not chase fish but caught them through cunning. Credit: Public Domain, color and contrast corrected

"It's exciting because the question of how long whales have used this technique is key to understanding a range of behavioral and even evolutionary questions. Marine biologists had assumed there was no way of recovering this data but, using medieval manuscripts, we've been able to answer some of their questions."

"We found that the more fantastical accounts of this sea monster were relatively recent, dating to the 17th and 18th centuries and there has been a lot of speculation amongst scientists about whether these accounts might have been provoked by natural phenomena, such as optical illusions or under water volcanoes. In fact, the behavior described in medieval texts, which seemed so unlikely, is simply whale behavior that we had not observed but medieval and ancient people had."

The current study is published in the journal Marine Mammal Science, and the original 2017 description of the tread-water feeding behavior by whales in the Gulf of Thailand, published in Current Biology, is found here.
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A new study reveals that if you have a child with a high genetic risk of learning difficulties, you should send them to a school that scores high on national tests.

"Schools where average performance is lower on the same tests, on the other hand, may have a negative effect on the child's performance," says postdoctoral fellow Rosa Cheesman at the University of Oslo (UiO) Department of Psychology and the PROMENTA Research Centre.

"School quality was twice as important for a child with less genetic predisposition to learning than a child with an average background. The greater the genetic predisposition of the child, the less it mattered which school they attended," she says.

Cheesman has led a major study, published in npj Science of Learning, which linked geneswhich scientists know have an impact on school performancewith the results of national tests of 23,000 Norwegian children and adolescents between the ages of 10 and 14 in schools throughout Norway.

The study also shows that the school you attend is less important for your academic development if you are born with a greater predisposition for attaining education. It questions the benefits of sending resourceful children to private schools in the hope that they will become even better.

"Social development is another issue and equally important. The results might be different for mental health outcomes than for academic development, but that is something we don't know because we haven't investigated it in this study," she says.

A genetic lottery

"There are substantial genetic differences between children in how likely they are to do well in school," according to Cheesman.

She calls it a genetic lottery, which is about how many genes have an impact on school performance that each of us inherits from our parents.

In the study, she reveals that children with the lowest genetic starting point in terms of school performance performed the most differently from school to school. The finding suggests major differences in quality between state schools in Norway.

Children who inherited fewer education-linked genes performed much better in schools that scored higher on national tests, while children with similar genetic starting points performed significantly weaker in schools that performed poorly on national tests.

"Going to schools that do well on national tests is therefore most important for children with higher genetic risk of developing learning difficulties," Cheesman says. "In these schools, the children were able to perform at a similar level to the other students, while those attending schools with poorer results fared worse than the other students in their school. Schools that achieve good national test results boost the performance of all children, especially those children with a disadvantaged genetic starting point."

"Unfortunately, we cannot yet explain why this is so. Perhaps the good schools have better academic opportunities and more teachers per pupil. We want to take a closer look at this in further studies," says Cheesman.

In Norway, state comprehensive schools have been called one of the pillars of the welfare state and democracy. The education system is based on the principle of equality and that all children should have equal opportunities to attend a good school. School should be free, inclusive and provide the same education to children of all walks of life, regardless of who they are, where they live or what school they attend, but according to the postdoctoral fellow, there are differences in quality between the schools.

"Some are better than others, and these are significantly better for children with a more disadvantaged genetic starting point when it comes to schooling," she says.

Same pattern in children with ADHD

In a similar study published by Cheesman in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry last summer, she shows that the same principle applies to children with elevated symptoms of ADHD. These children also performed much better in schools that scored high on national tests compared to children with medium or low ADHD symptoms.

"The results correspond with and strengthen each other's findings. Good schools raise the performance level of all children, and compensate for those who have a genetic risk of learning difficulties. Norwegian school authorities may want to address this disparity between schools and work to ensure that all schools can give all children a good start in life," says the researcher.

More information: Rosa Cheesman et al, A population-wide gene-environment interaction study on how genes, schools, and residential areas shape achievement, npj Science of Learning (2022). DOI: 10.1038/s41539-022-00145-8 Journal information: Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry
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Using geochemicalanalyses, the researchers were able to prove that stone stelae on the Iberian peninsula that date back to the Final Bronze Age feature complex engravings that could only have been done using tempered steel. This was backed up by metallographic analyses of an iron chisel from the same period and region that showed the necessary carbon content to be proper steel. Credit: Rafael Ferreiro Mahlmann (A), Bastian Asmus (B), Ralph Araque Gonzalez (C-E). University of Freiburg

A study by an international and interdisciplinary team headed by University of Freiburg archaeologist Dr. Ralph Araque Gonzalez from the Faculty of Humanities has proven that steel tools were already in use in Europe around 2,900 years ago.

Using geochemicalanalyses, the researchers were able to prove that stone stelae on the Iberian peninsula that date back to the Final Bronze Age feature complex engravings that could only have been done using tempered steel. This was backed up by metallographic analyses of an iron chisel from the same period and region (Rocha do Vigio, Portugal, ca. 900 BCE) that showed the necessary carbon content to be proper steel. The result was also confirmed experimentally by undertaking trials with chisels made of various materials: Only the chisel made of tempered steel was suitably capable of engraving the stone.

Until recently it was assumed that it had not been possible to produce suitable quality steel in the Early Iron Age and certainly not in the Final Bronze Age, and that it only came to be widespread in Europe under the Roman Empire.

"The chisel from Rocha do Vigio and the context where it was found show that iron metallurgy including the production and tempering of steel were probably indigenous developments of decentralized small communities in Iberia, and not due to the influence of later colonization processes. This also has consequences for the archaeological assessment of iron metallurgy and quartzite sculptures in other regions of the world," explains Araque Gonzalez.

The study, "Stone-working and the earliest steel in Iberia: Scientific analyses and experimental replications of final bronze age stelae and tools,"' has been published in the Journal of Archaeological Science.

Iberian pillars of siliceous quartz sandstone could only be worked with tempered steel

The archaeological record of Late Bronze Age Iberia (c. 1300-800 BCE) is fragmentary in many parts of the Iberian Peninsula: Sparse remains of settlement and nearly no detectable burials are complemented by traces of metal hoarding and remains of mining activities. Taking this into account, the western Iberian stelae with their depictions of anthropomorphic figures, animals and selected objects are of unique importance for the investigation of this era.

Until now, studies of the actual rocks from which these stelae were made to gain insights into the use of materials and tools have been the exception. Araque Gonzalez and his colleagues analyzed the geological composition of the stelae in depth. This led them to discover that a significant number of stelae was not as had been assumed made of quartzite, but silicate quartz sandstone.

"Just like quartzite, this is an extremely hard rock that cannot be worked with bronze or stone tools, but only with tempered steel," says Araque Gonzalez.

Chisel discovery and archaeological experiment confirm use of steel

Analysis of an iron chisel found in Rocha do Vigio showed that Iberian stonemasons from the Final Bronze Age had the necessary tools. The researchers discovered that it consisted of heterogeneous yet astonishingly carbon-rich steel. To confirm their findings, the researchers also carried out an experiment involving a professional stonemason, a blacksmith and a bronze caster, and attempted to work the rock that the pillars were made of using chisels of different materials. The stonemason could not work the stone with either the stone or the bronze chisels, or even using an iron chisel with an untempered point.

"The people of the Final Bronze Age in Iberia were capable of tempering steel. Otherwise they would not have been able to work the pillars," concludes Araque Gonzalez as a result of the experiment.

More information: Ralph Araque Gonzalez et al, Stone-working and the earliest steel in Iberia: Scientific analyses and experimental replications of final bronze age stelae and tools, Journal of Archaeological Science (2023). DOI: 10.1016/j.jas.2023.105742 More information is available here. Journal information: Journal of Archaeological Science
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(a) Changes in CVD and snow cover fraction in 1970 and 2010. (b) Changes in CVD (Near/Far Future - Present). Credit: POSTECH

Nature has remained in balance for a long time, but climate change due to modern human activities is disrupting the balance of the natural system. The disruption makes it more difficult for humanswho must work with nature to surviveto predict the future. Moreover, developing countries with limited understanding and preparation for climate change are more vulnerable to climate change-driven social and economic damage.

Recently, a research team from POSTECH corrected the biases of future regional climate model projection data to better understand seasonal changes in the streamflow regime in Pakistan's four main rivers in the mid and late 21st century.

POSTECH'S research team led by Professor Jonghun Kam (Division of Environmental Science and Engineering) and post-graduate researcher Shahid Ali assessed the past and future changes in streamflow timing of the four major river basins of Pakistan including Upper Indus, Kabul, Jhelum, and Chenab River basins. The research team used observational data and bias-corrected hydrological projections. This study was recently published in the Journal of Hydrology.

Hydrology mainly deals with the cycle of water on Earth and the use of surface water. As the science explores the complexity of the natural water flow, various assumptions, statistics, and mathematical techniques, instead of reproduction in the lab, are used to study precipitation, runoff, infiltration, and streamflow and provide basic knowledge and data for the use of water resources. However, climate change and human activities are changing the water cycle itself, rendering it difficult to solve future problems with past knowledge and data.

Pakistan is a representative example of a country suffering severe seasonal changes in streamflow, causing a lack of available water resources for agriculture. To make it worse, the Indus River was inundated over the downstream regions of Pakistan last year, causing catastrophic effects on regional communities. However, understanding of future seasonal changes in streamflow over Pakistan remains limited.

The researchers simulated the VIC-river routing model forced by surface and runoff data from six regional climate models. They later corrected the minimum and seasonality bias against observational records. To quantify seasonal changes in the hydrologic regime, they computed half of the annual cumulative streamflows (HSCs) and the dates of reaching to the first quartile (25th percentile), that is, center-of-volume dates (CVDs) from observed and bias-corrected simulated streamflow data.

Observational records (19622019) showed a significant decreasing trend in CVD by a range between -4.5 and -12.6 days across the three river basins, except for Chenab River basin. Bias-corrected hydrologic projections showed decreased CVD by 4.2 to 6.3 days during the observational period. The four study river basins showed that the decreased CVDs range from 5 to 20 days in the near future (the 2050 to 2059 average) and 11 days to 37 days in the far future (the 2090 to 2099 average).

Professor Kam explained, "In late winter, accelerated snow melting processes over mountainous regions in Pakistan can cause changes in available water resources for crop planting in spring. This study highlights diversity in the hydrologic response to a similar magnitude of surface warming in the future climate projection." He added, "there is an urgent need to prepare basin-specific water resources management and policies in order to adapt to climate change."

More information: Shahid Ali et al, Past and future changes toward earlier timing of streamflow over Pakistan from bias-corrected regional climate projections (19622099), Journal of Hydrology (2022). DOI: 10.1016/j.jhydrol.2022.128959

Provided by Pohang University of Science & Technology (POSTECH)
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Any attempts to build peace in Syria must address the factors that led to the country being a failed state before civil war began, new research says.

There must be more inclusive governance practices and structures to allow meaningful popular participation in the running of the country's affairs, according to the study. Citizens should be allowed to air their grievances and have a new "social contract" with their leaders.

The analysis shows how state failure was a factor in the uprising but has become more clearly apparent in the ongoing civil war. The Syrian state has 'failed' because it cannot meet its citizens' economic, political and social needs and requirements.

The study, published in the Journal of Balkan and Near Eastern Studies, was carried out by Samer Bakkour, from the University of Exeter, and Rama Sahtout.

Dr. Bakkour said, "The outbreak of the civil war was not due to the sudden deterioration of state capacity or the abrupt collapse of state institutions. Instead, it was more clearly due to the regime's attempts to crush a peaceful uprising by using force. This strength was superficial, rested on shallow foundations and lacked popular support.

"Any governance was distinctively 'sectarian' and state structures were 'hollowed out' by pervasive corruption. Even efforts to 'modernize' or 'reform' functioned to reinforce and perpetuate this.

"State failure and weakness were established parts of the country's political arrangement, and the appearance of state strength could hardly conceal the fact that the state was vulnerable to a broad-based uprising."

The study says repression pre-war was an inadvertent and implicit acknowledgement that it lacked both legitimacy and more subtle means through which to assert its authority. There was no social contract and the heavy-handed governance that served as an implicit acknowledgement of this would ultimately contribute to the outbreak of the civil war. Sectarian policies were deliberately planned to create divides and animosities between different groups.

Involvement of other nations in the civil war has further underlined the weakness of the Syrian state.

Dr. Bakkour said, "The extent of the displacement of the country's population, both internally and externally, is a further confirmation of state failure. Minority groups forced to leave their homes were the worst affected in terms of reported deaths, sexual violence, and poverty and malnutrition.

"Rapid economic decline, huge demographic decreases and growing food insecurity are now long-established trends in the country, and clearly have the potential to 'feedback' into conflict and instability. Basic food items such as bread are still rationed and foreign sanctions have inflicted billions of dollars of damage on the country's economy."

More information: Samer Bakkour and Rama Sahtout, The Dimensions and Attributes of State Failure in Syria, Journal of Balkan and Near Eastern Studies (2023). DOI: 10.1080/19448953.2023.2167337
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Burrowing bettongs often thrive behind fences but cannot survive the ferals beyond. Credit: Hugh McGregor/Arid Recovery, Author provided

If you want to see some of Australia's most charismatic threatened mammals such as bilbies, boodies and stick-nest rats, chances are you'll have to go to a zooor a safe haven.

What's a safe haven? An area safe from feral predators, such as islands too far offshore for foxes to swim to, or mainland sites ringed with cat- and fox-proof fences.

Recent research has suggested we can now take 29 species off the threatened list, thanks in large part to safe havens. But unfortunately, it's not that simple, as we've found in establishing several havens. Safe havens are not the same as the wild. When we try to reintroduce animals outside the fences, they disappear down the maws of cats and foxes.

Yes, they fend off extinctions. But safe havens require ongoing management, which is expensive, challenging and rarely guaranteed long term. We should not rely on them to take species off the threatened list.

What are safe havens for?

In 1995, Australia had just a handful of havens. By 2017, we had 17 mainland havens and 101 island refuges, housing 38 different threatened mammals. The reason is they work, at least over the short term. Most of our threatened mammals are small and unwary, easy prey for two introduced predators which hunt by stealth.

When you take off the pressure from cats and foxes, reintroduced animals bounce back. Inside safe havens, populations soar by an average of 680% over a 17-year period. Outside, their populations declined by an average of 63%. No wonder governments are funding them.

Fenced safe havens are usually small, to make it possible to remove all feral predators and keep watch for any making it over the fence. The threatened mammals inside the fence are isolated, meaning they have a higher chance of inbreeding and are more vulnerable to random disasters. Sometimes, havens even provide extra food and water.

There are worrying signs these islands ringed by fence or sea are not entirely sustainable. Many species within safe havens breed frantically, sending their populations skyward to unsustainable levels before a severe population crash. Ideally, they would be controlled by native predators, but the havens are too small to allow this. We've seen this play out with burrowing bettongs at one of our safe havens, Arid Recovery, in South Australia.

Some species struggle even inside fenced havens. The stick-nest rat has failed to establish in at least four havens.

Are safe haven animals 'wild?' Not quite

Let's say you have a growing population of bilbies in our zoo network. Does this mean the species is now safe? Hardly. Safe in zoos doesn't mean species are safe in the wild.

Safe havens are similar. Yes, the animals are free-roaming. They forage, breed and hide from predators such as snakes and eagles. But safe havens are created and sustained by people. When havens lose funding and fall into disrepair, the predators eventually break in and kill everything they can. Fenced off Shark Bay bandicoots in Western Australia were eventually killed by cats.

Feral proof fences, like this one at Arid Recovery, have to be specifically built to keep out cunning foxes and cats. Credit: Katherine Moseby

When the government works out if a species is threatened or not, it counts the animals in safe havens as contributing to the wild population.

If we use this measuring stick, mammals like the bilby, boodie, stick-nest rat, golden bandicoot and Shark Bay bandicoot can indeed be taken off the threatened species list.

But this seems hasty. Threatened species are defined as those where a "relatively large risk of extinction in the wild, sometime in the future, is deemed to exist for a species," according to our key biodiversity law, the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act.

If we remove a species from the threatened species list, we could place it at even higher risk of extinction.

When a species is threatened, it gets special consideration. Mining companies and developers have to ensure plans for land in its range won't cause significant harm to the species. Companies may have to provide offsets to any damage. At the very least they are required to survey and monitor the species.

Consider the iconic bilby, whose range has shrunk by more than 80% in the last 150 years. It's now found in the wild only in a small part of Queensland and in remote parts of Northern Territory and Western Australia.

Reports suggest it's still declining in the wild, due to foxes and cats, more intense grazing and dangerous fire regimes. But because bilbies have been successfully reintroduced to islands and fenced safe havens, they no longer meet the criteria for being threatened.

Let's say we remove them from the list. They would lose any special consideration when projects affecting their habitat are proposed, and conservation funding would dry up. Bilbies could quietly go extinct in the wild while reintroduced fenced populations thrive, at least in the short term.

Does this mean safe havens are a bad idea?

No. We've co-founded four fenced safe havens to protect populations of nine threatened species. They are necessary. They ward off extinction and let us research the species. But they are only the first step to recovery.

It's much harder to reverse the decline of threatened species in the wild. But it's not impossible. Gene drive technology is maturing, potentially making it possible to force feral predators to breed themselves out of existence by having only male offspring. Almost 70% of Australians favor this approach, if viable. We also have biological controls, new control tools and improved management of fire to draw on. 

Havens are exactly thata desperate measure to stop extinction. We should keep species on the threatened list even if they have management-dependent haven populations. This will protect wild populations and drive innovation and interest in how we can best control feral predators and other threats.

We cannot simply put our threatened mammals behind fences and consider the job done.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
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Hard-shelled turtles, such as Kemp's Ridley, are not suited to the cold waters around the British Isles. Credit: Nikolai Hamel/Shutterstock

Turtle strandings around Britain and Ireland appear to be on the rise this winter.

While these strandings are thought to be the result of an unseasonably stormy year, climate change could make them more common in future.

Cold and far from home, turtles are increasingly becoming stranded in the British Isles.

Marine Environmental Monitoring, a charity which records turtle strandings, has recorded more strandings in the months since November 2022 than are usually seen in an entire year.

At the time of writing, 16 marine turtles have been washed up on beaches of the U.K. and Ireland, including 15 loggerhead turtles and one Critically Endangered Kemp's Ridley turtle. Of these, only four loggerheads survived being stranded.

Though the causes aren't entirely clear, it's believed that stormy weather and strong currents are responsible for bringing the turtles into colder waters.

Rod Penrose, who leads Marine Environmental Monitoring, says, "Although we see the most hard-shell turtle strandings and sightings between December and February, this year we've had more than usual."

"They're mostly juvenile or injured adults, so it's thought that they struggled to fight the strong winds and currents of severe storms in their native waters of the U.S. and Caribbean."

"These would have carried them offshore into currents crossing the Atlantic before ending up in the U.K.'s cold waters."

Turtles in the UK

There are seven species of marine turtle, of which six have been seen around the U.K. and Ireland. Only the flatback turtle, which is normally found in Oceania, has never been seen in the British Isles.

The turtle that is most common in British waters is the leatherback, which is the largest living species and the only one with a non-bony shell. They are often seen in summer and autumn as they migrate to cold waters in search of jellyfish to eat.

Leatherbacks are able to tolerate cold waters because they are able to control their heat loss. They swim faster in colder waters to keep warm and reduce blood flow to exposed areas to maintain their temperature.

Other turtles aren't able to do this, meaning they aren't well suited to visiting the British Isles. Rarely seen species such as Kemp's Ridley or Hawksbill turtles are usually found after becoming lost during their first migration, or getting drawn off course by currents and the weather.

When these turtles enter waters below 10C they become "cold-stunned," which causes them to become lethargic and move increasingly less. They eventually lose the ability to swim, leaving them adrift until they wash up on a beach.

Without help, these turtles can suffer from hypothermia, starvation and illness, all of which can lead to death.

This young loggerhead turtle washed up on a Cornish beach. Credit: Mike Pearson

What should I do if I find a turtle?

The Turtle Code sets out what to do when a turtle is spotted, and recommends that all sightings of these animals should be reported, whether they are on land or at sea.

Amy Pilsbury, from the Marine Conservation Society, says, "It's important that we gather data on turtle sightings and strandings to build a picture of our seas. This vital information about our ocean's inhabitants, and any changes in their frequency and whereabouts, contributes to scientific research which helps us to find solutions to protect our seas."

The code also contains advice on how to help stranded turtles. Uninjured leatherback turtles should be carefully dragged back into the sea by the shell, taking care to avoid any rocks.

Other species will probably be cold-stunned, and it is recommended that they should be wrapped in a towel soaked in seawater, making sure to keep the nostrils clear.

The animal should be taken to somewhere sheltered and placed on its belly, with its back end raised slightly to help drain any water from its lungs. They should then be reported to groups such as the RSPCA or the BDMLR, who will hopefully be able to help the turtle further.

If the turtle has passed away, its location should still be reported. Anyone moving or handling a dead turtle should wear gloves to reduce the chance of any health risks.

Will turtles become more common around Britain?

Aside from the leatherback, it's very unlikely that marine turtles will ever become regular visitors to the U.K. and Ireland. To prevent them from becoming cold-stunned, sea temperatures would have to be significantly higher than they are now.

That said, the British Isles may see increasing numbers of lost and stranded turtles in the future. Storms are expected to become more intense as a result of climate change, which could see more turtles being driven into waters around the archipelago.

"If storms do increase due to climate change, I would expect to see more hard-shelled turtles, particularly juveniles or compromised adults, around the U.K.," Rod says.

Climate change is also affecting the range of European turtles, which could bring them closer to the U.K.

Rising temperatures are changing the distribution of species such as the loggerhead, which nests in the Mediterranean. Over the past 60 years, their nests have been moving westward as the eastern Mediterranean has warmed, bringing them closer to the Atlantic Ocean.

Their nests are also moving northwards as the turtles move to cooler areas, with a recent paper revealing that two nests found on the shore of the Adriatic Sea in Italy are the most northerly ever recorded.

The same research revealed that eggs in one of the nests was infected with a fungal disease known as Fusarium, which is fatal in around 55% of cases. This parasite is predicted to become more common as climate change makes conditions more suitable for it to spread, potentially increasing turtle deaths.

However, Dr. Cinzia Centelleghe, who co-authored the research, says that there's still some way to go to understand exactly how and why the range of turtles are changing.

"The nesting episodes described in this work, together with a few more in the past years, are opening a big question on the sea turtle nesting expansion in the Mediterranean Sea," Cinzia says. "Climate change, as well as other environmental and anthropic factors, may play a role but further long-term research is needed."

This story is republished courtesy of Natural History Museum. Read the original story here
TEHRAN, Feb. 28 (Xinhua) -- Iran's armed forces on Tuesday started a large-scale real-combat air defense maneuver in the country to show their preparedness of defending the country's sensitive targets, Iranian media reported.

Forces of the Iranian army and Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) took part in the drill codenamed Modafean Aseman-e Velayat 1401, which is held in two-thirds of the Iranian airspace, official news agency IRNA reported, citing the maneuver's spokesman Abbas Farajpour.

It would test air defense systems' mobility and the operational forces' pace of reaction in a passive defense scenario, among others, said Farajpour.

Manned and unmanned aerial reconnaissance of the army's aviation branch and IRGC air forces, as well as detection, tracking, and combat systems of air defense divisions, are being tested, he said.

Fully homegrown air defense systems equipped with advanced active and passive radars would surveil the drill area to track and confront any hostile target once detecting it, Farajpour added.

The war game put the country's air defense systems to the test by involving over 100 manned and unmanned aircraft for launching a mock attack on the country's sensitive nuclear and military centers, semi-official Tasnim news agency, citing Amir-Qader Rahimzadeh, commander of Iran's Khatam al-Anbia Air Defense Base.

He stressed that the armed forces use mostly home-grown air defense weapons in the drill, including those hidden in underground tunnels for security reasons.

Basij voluntary force and the police will also take part in the joint exercise, the commander added. 
This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility:

Graphical abstract: Environmental Science & Technology (2023). DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.2c05373

Municipal wastewater treatment plants emit nearly double the amount of methane into the atmosphere than scientists previously believed, according to new research from Princeton University. And since methane warms the planet over 80 times more powerfully than carbon dioxide over 20 years, that could be a big problem.

"The waste sector is one of the largest anthropogenic sources of methane in the world," said Mark Zondlo, professor of civil and environmental engineering and associated faculty at the Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment. "As cities continue to urbanize and develop net-zero plans, they can't ignore the liquid wastewater treatment sector."

Zondlo led one of two new studies on the subject, both reported in papers published in Environmental Science & Technology. One study performed on-the-ground methane emissions measurements at 63 wastewater treatment plants in the United States; the other used machine learning methods to analyze published literature data from methane monitoring studies of various wastewater collection and treatment processes around the globe.

"Not many people have studied the methane emissions associated with wastewater infrastructure, even though we know that it's a hotspot for methane production," said Z. Jason Ren, who led the second study. Ren is a professor of civil and environmental engineering and the Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has established guidelines that allow researchers and institutions like the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to estimate methane emissions from wastewater treatment plants based on their specific treatment processes. However, those guidelines were developed from limited measurements at a relatively small number of wastewater treatment plants.

When the researchers used the Princeton Atmospheric Chemistry Experiment (PACE) Mobile Laboratory to quantify plant-wide emissions by measuring the plumes of 63 treatment plants on the east coast and in California, they found that the IPCC guidelines consistently underestimated treatment plants of all sizes and treatment processes.

If the results from those 63 plants are representative, actual methane emissions from wastewater treatment facilities across the U.S. would be about 1.9 times greater than emissions estimates that use existing IPCC and EPA guidelines, meaning that those guidelines underestimate methane emissions equivalent to 5.3 million metric tons of carbon dioxide.

The Princeton Chemistry Experiment Mobile Laboratory. Credit: Bumper DeJesus / Princeton University

Interestingly, the research team who performed the second independent study to analyze literature data on methane emissions came to a similar conclusion: estimated methane emissions from municipal wastewater treatment in the U.S. were around double of what existing guidelines would predict.

"We were able to show, using two different approaches, that methane emissions are a much bigger issue for the wastewater sector than previously thought," Ren said.

The usual suspects in wastewater methane emissions

The researchers believe that since the IPCC guidelines were developed from limited measurements at a small number of wastewater treatment plants, they might not accurately represent the variation in emissions that exists between facilities.

"The guidelines assume a certain level of efficiency in these wastewater treatment systems that may not exist on a plant-to-plant basis," said Daniel Moore, first author of the direct measurement study and a graduate student in civil and environmental engineering. He pointed to leaks and inefficient equipment that may go undetected at wastewater treatment plants but could lead to significant greenhouse gas emissions.

Cuihong Song, first author of the critical review and a postdoctoral researcher in civil and environmental engineering at Princeton, said that treatment plants equipped with anaerobic digesters were among the biggest methane leakers.

Anaerobic digesters are airtight vessels containing anaerobic microbes that work without oxygen to break down wastewater sludge or solid waste and produce methane-rich biogas in the process. That methane can be used to generate heat or electricity to power other aspects of the treatment process.

Researcher Daniel Moore inspects the Princeton Chemistry Experiment Mobile Laboratory. Credit: Bumper DeJesus / Princeton University

But when anaerobic digesters operate inefficiently, leaks and pressure buildups can allow methane to escape as fugitive emissions. "If the digester is not gas-tight, you can end up with high methane emissions," Song said. The researchers found that plants with anaerobic digesters emitted more than three times the methane than plants without digesters.

Higher emissions from anaerobic digesters could be a serious problem: While wastewater treatment plants equipped with anaerobic digesters account for less than 10% of all treatment plants in the U.S., most of those plants are large facilities that, combined, treat around 55% of the wastewater in the country.

"A lot of money is going into decreasing emissions by implementing these digesters, because, in theory, they're closed systems. When they're working correctly, you can centralize the methane into one location," Moore added. "It's the inefficiencies and leakages that cause many of the problems."

Along with anaerobic digesters, the critical review found that methane emissions from sewer systems contribute significantly to nationwide methane emissions. However, current guidelines largely do not account for fugitive methane emissions from sewers, which the researchers said are important to account for in future greenhouse gas inventories.

"We have more than a million miles of sewers in the U.S., filled with rich organic matter that may be causing methane emissions, but we have very little understanding of their scope," Ren said.

Better monitoring, better guidelines

The researchers are now working with partners to build an inventory and methodology that would allow managers to easily monitor their methane emissions. By identifying the sources in the wastewater treatment process that release the most methane emissions, their work can also inform efforts to mitigate fugitive emissions.

"Methane has a short lifetime in the atmosphere, so if we're able to cut off the spout of emissions across the country, methane's contribution to warming will quickly diminish," said Moore. "Ten years from now, we wouldn't have to worry so much about methane."

Ren added that the methane produced from processes like anaerobic digestion also serves as a valuable energy source. "By identifying and mitigating fugitive methane emissions, we would see double benefits," he said. "We would reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the near term, and we would maximize the amount of methane we can recover from the wastewater treatment process."

Still, more work is needed to monitor methane emissions at various timescales from treatment plants and sewer networks of different sizes and treatment processes.

For example, few studies have performed long-term, continuous monitoring of methane emissions from wastewater treatment plants, even though the emissions rate can vary daily or even seasonally, being generally higher in the spring and summer than in the winter. "Ultimately, we need to have a full accounting of the emissions from plants across many timescales," Zondlo said. He added that preliminary analyses of subsequent measurements from additional plants at various times of the year have highlighted the importance of understanding seasonal variation in emissions.

At the same time, researchers will need to develop better sampling methods to understand emissions from hard-to-reach areas like sewers, since the diffuse nature of sewer networks along with their high humidity levels make it difficult to capture an accurate picture of emissions with existing methodologies.

By overcoming those hurdles and continuing their monitoring efforts, the researchers could contribute to a wider effort to create updated guidelines that better estimate methane emissions from the wastewater sector.

"Many agencies are recognizing that methane emissions from wastewater sector are important to study," Ren said. "This research is not just reporting our own findings. We're echoing what the broader research community has observed and identified as a significant gap of knowledge."

More information: Daniel P. Moore et al, Underestimation of Sector-Wide Methane Emissions from United States Wastewater Treatment, Environmental Science & Technology (2023). DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.2c05373 Cuihong Song et al, Methane Emissions from Municipal Wastewater Collection and Treatment Systems, Environmental Science & Technology (2023). DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.2c04388 Journal information: Environmental Science & Technology
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:

This data visualization of nearly 80,000 financial intermediaries (yellow) and their ultra-wealthy clients in Russia (red), China (purple), Hong Kong (green), and the United States (blue) shows how wealth is concentrated in a few offshore wealth managers. Russian oligarchs especially tend to rely on experts with smaller client lists to ensure secrecy, which makes their fortunes more vulnerable to sanctions against a few key intermediaries. Credit: Ho-Chun Herbert Chang

From astronomical sums of money to opulent superyachts and lavish villas, the assets of the oligarchs providing the political and financial backing for Russian president Vladimir Putin's military ambitions have been publicly and fervently seized by Western nations since Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Yet, the invasionnow in its second yearremains largely unabated as Russia's moneyed elite challenge sanctions in court or simply dodge them.

But a new study led by Dartmouth College researchers exposes a massive vulnerability for the Kremlin's critical cadre of billionairesthe small, secretive network of financial experts who manage their wealth. Published in the journal PNAS Nexus, the paper uses network science based on leaked documents to test the findings of an immersive sociological study of the offshore wealth managers who protect billionaires' fortunes.

The results show that sanctions targeting these experts would wreak far greater damage than sanctioning oligarchs one by one.

"Rather than playing whack-a-mole with each individual oligarch, you take out one wealth manager and you effectively take out several oligarchs in one fell swoop," said co-author Brooke Harrington, a professor of sociology at Dartmouth who initiated the study after spending a total of eight years training as a private wealth manager and traveling to tax havens to observe the craft in action.

The researchers mapped the connections between more than 1.9 million wealth managers and their clients from Russia, China, the United States, and Hong Kong, as well as the more than 3.2 million network ties linking them.

They relied on the Offshore Leaks Database maintained by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, which identifies wealth management professionals and ultra-rich individuals revealed through high-profile information leaks such as the 2016 Panama Papers, the 2017 Paradise Papers, and the 2021 Pandora Papers.

Mathematical "knockout experiments" revealed that these financial networks can be disrupted to the point of collapse by disabling a few key players, the researchers reported. They also found that wealthy individuals from autocratic nations such as Russia tend to rely on fewer managers with smaller client lists to ensure secrecy. Combined with the concentration of those wealth managers in the United Kingdom and European Union, this makes Russian oligarchs' offshore wealth particularly vulnerable to sanctions that target financial experts.

"Awareness of wealth managers and what they do is still in its infancy in terms of public policy. To end the invasion, there's an urgent need for sanctions informed by systematic evidence of the asset structure supporting Russia's campaignour paper provides that evidence," Harrington said.

"To use a military analogy, we are providing a financial missile-guidance system for the countries trying to stop the war in Ukraine," she said. "A more targeted use of state-backed sanctions means a shorter war and less loss of life."

First author Ho-Chun Herbert Chang, a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Southern California, said that the unique combination of network science with sociology provided a practical map of the relationships between the wealthy and the people who shepherd their assetsone that can be used to enact policy. Chang, who graduated from Dartmouth in 2018, will join Dartmouth as an assistant professor of quantitative social science in fall 2023.

"The combination of ethnographic work and data science generated results that are grounded and precise while still telling a compelling human story," said Chang, who carried out the calculations and data visualizations. Co-authors and Dartmouth professors Feng Fu, an associate professor of mathematics and Chang's former adviser, and Daniel Rockmore, professor of math and computer science, provided the theoretical background and designs for the numerical experiments.

"Our methodology puts equal weights on empirical rigor, pragmatic intervention, and theoretical insight to understand collective human behavior," Chang said. "This allows us to be extremely precise about who and what we can target. We can even estimate the impact of specific sanctions and are developing metrics to identify new targets."

The study in PNAS Nexus serves as a first step toward what the authors hope is a new field of study they call "the complex systems of secrecy" that seeks to understand shadowy webs of power, wealth and corruption.

"Complexity contributes strategically to secrecy. That goes double for highly secretive activities such as offshore wealth management where there was essentially no data to be had unless someone leaked it," Harrington said. "Now that 'Big Data' are available on networks usually shrouded in secrecy, we can examine them properly and better understand them as a scientific phenomenon that we expect is far larger in scope and applies to many different domains of life."

The study demonstrates how collaborations between network and social scientists are essential for extracting the structure of these nebulous systems from reams of data, then applying the findings in ways that effect change, Rockmore said.

"The study of sociological phenomena and social networks was in many ways the origin point of modern network science," he said. "Our work follows that theme but extends it to the secret wealth networks of offshore asset management. If the problem can be described in terms of relationships, then network science can be brought to bear."
QUEENSBURY  A fire destroyed a home on Wisconsin Avenue on Sunday morning, but the homeowner escaped unharmed.

The West Glens Falls Volunteer Fire Company was first on the scene just minutes after the call came in at 7:26 a.m.

Upon arrival, there were flames coming out of the front of the house, so at that time, I transmitted a working structure fire, which then calls the rest of the Queensbury fire departments to the scene for mutual aid, Tyson Converse, the West Glens Falls fire chief, said Monday.

He said the blaze lasted for about two hours and required mutual aid from Queensbury Central Volunteer Fire Company, South Queensbury Fire Department, Bay Ridge Volunteer Fire Company, West Glens Falls EMS, Queensbury EMS and mutual aid for covering assignments from South Glens Falls and Lake George fire departments.

Converse said the homeowner was unharmed, but went to the hospital for evaluation after the fire.

The home is a total loss and the fire is currently under investigation by the New York State Police and New York State Office of Fire Prevention and Control.

Converse said there were no leads on the cause of the fire as of Monday night.
HUDSON FALLS  A Hudson Falls woman was arrested on Saturday after allegedly shooting at her husband as he left their home, police said.

Rebecca Church, 39, was charged with felony counts of first-degree attempted assault, first-degree reckless endangerment and third-degree criminal possession of a weapon according to a news release from police.

Around 3 p.m., officers responded to 152 Main St. for a reported domestic incident. Following an investigation, police determined that Church fired a shotgun in the direction of her husband as he was leaving the residence.

A single round was fired from the shotgun in a common hallway of the multi-unit apartment building, according to police. Church's husband was uninjured.

Joseph Church, 35, was charged with misdemeanor counts unlawful imprisonment and criminal obstruction of breathing and blood circulation, police said.

Both were arraigned at Washington County Centralized Arraignment Court and were released.

Hudson Falls Police Department was assisted by New York State Police and the Washington County Sheriff's Office.
At 11:30 a.m. Thursday, State Police stopped a vehicle on Route 4 in the town of Fort Edward for multiple Vehicle and Traffic Law violations.

According to police, while interviewing the driver, Kane P. Fraiser, 36, of Whitehall, they observed drug paraphernalia in plain view.

Fraiser was arrested along with his passengers Tasha M. Graham, 29, of Vermont, and Mariah L. Simpson, 27, of Queensbury. Police said, they also found controlled substances and multiple glass smoking devices containing drug residue in the vehicle.

Fraiser was found to be in possession of controlled substances and multiple credit cards not named to him, police said. According to police, the credit cards were stolen.

Graham possessed controlled substances and drug paraphernalia, police said.

Simpson possessed controlled substances and an additional glass smoking device containing drug residue, police said.

Fraiser was charged with two felony counts of fourth-degree criminal possession of stolen property, two misdemeanor counts of seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance and second-degree criminally using drug paraphernalia. Graham and Simpson were each charged with two misdemeanor counts of seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance and second-degree criminally using drug paraphernalia.

All three were issued appearance tickets for the Fort Edward Town Court on March 14 and Fraiser and Graham were released. Simpson was turned over to the South Glens Falls Police Department due to an outstanding warrant for her arrest.
GLENS FALLS  With data from the recent parking study making recommendations for a paid parking system, city officials are looking into the idea as a way to improve parking spot turnover rates.

Mayor Bill Collins said in a phone call with The Post-Star on Monday that its time the city moves into the 21st century by using mobile parking apps.

There are towns, villages and cities all across New York that have already moved to using parking apps that allow people to park, he said.

The parking study performed by BFJ Planning and C.T. Male Associates made a recommendation that city officials look into implementing a paid parking model to help the flow of parking.

Jeff Flagg, the citys economic development director, said the parking study cost roughly $15,000.

It was paid for out of the citys general fund, to the best of my knowledge, he said. The project was driven by questions from the public about the Elm Street garage proposal, and the council simply felt that we should get better data on whether and what parking the city might need going forward.

Collins said the use of parking apps with a possible paid parking model could help facilitate the movement of vehicles in the citys core and outer core parking areas.

He added that although it was a recommendation by the consultants involved with the study, the the citys Special Projects Committee will look into executing the idea of mobile paid parking.

We are growing and we need to move into the 21st century, but Im not going to make that decision. The Special Projects Committee chaired by Councilwoman Mary Gooden will be working on this and it wont be easy, he said.

Lake George and Schenectady utilize paid parking apps, according to Collins. The apps have built-in features that allow users to see vacant parking spots in the city, as well as how much the hourly charge is. Collins said that could be a model for Glens Falls following the installation of 150 parking sensors in downtown parking spots last year.

I think on that parking app it should have every restaurant and business we have listed as a form of wayfinding. I believe that we need to move toward paid parking. I think the principles that the committee is going to look at is no free parking and another of the city not being responsible for providing free parking to its residents, visitors or businesses and their employees, he said.

Collins said that although parking in the city may seem free at the moment, the city is the one paying for parking through maintenance of the spots as well as signage for public parking.

In principle, theres no such thing as free parking. The parking is paid for by the city though parking enforcement officers. We pay to maintain the parking spots and signage, and we have people again and again abusing that free parking, he said.

Collins said that with the city continuing to grow, he assumes the city will need to have a paid parking model at some point.

Although we are looking to grow the city, we are looking at the safety of parking, not the revenue, he said. Our downtown is thriving and growing and I assume we have a need for paid parking.
I was flipping TV channels Sunday night and landed on an equally sad and uplifting 60 Minutes segment about girls from Afghanistan who had basic education we all take for granted ripped from them  and then returned.

Many of you probably saw it, but in short, its a tale about the School of Leadership Afghanistan, a female boarding school that had about 250 girls who were thriving in a land where educating girls had long been not allowed.

When the Taliban regained control in 2021, that changed. The girls and their charismatic teacher had to flee  or be reduced to the Talibans vision of them.

As I watched the girls being interviewed, I thought, I would love to have any of these girls in my classroom. They were so driven to learn.

But I think the saddest part of the segment for me, and there were several, was when the Taliban announced that girls would be able to return to classes  only to renege on it the same day.

One girl went viral when she was filmed sobbing  at not being able to go to school.

Think about that for a second: sobbing at not being able to go to school.

I would love her in my classroom at Castleton University too.

I have some amazing students who challenge and inspire me daily. They craft powerful news stories, offer insightful reflection on essays that have me eagerly opening files each week, and they have a lot of compassion.

But there are plenty, who for a variety of reasons, may be go through the motions a little bit. And theyll admit to it, trust me.

These Afghan girls were sponges, soaking up as much precious knowledge as they could at a school whose teacher was trying to build future female leaders of a transformed Afghanistan.

So, you can understand the compassion I felt when watching these girls fleeing a country only because of their gender, and daring to learn.

Its such a waste, said my wife, Tania, summing it up perfectly after popping into the family room and getting equally engrossed in the story.

But, this story had a happy ending  kind of.

They all got out, in part due to a daring effort by the teacher and two U.S. servicemen who left the relatively-secure-at-the-time airport to grab the remaining girls still outside the gates and get them onto the last U.S. transport plane.

The teacher had a plan to go to Rwanda, and before long the girls were back to learning in a country that accommodated them when most didnt want to. Their Rwandan hosts told the girls they knew a little something about being refugees.

The relief on the face of the teacher while reliving the moment of getting them all out jumped through the screen  as did her defiance to never give in to the Taliban views on women.

And the girls are again thriving, back in classrooms in a renovated former hotel. They were shown smiling, laughing, and proudly wearing bright, Rwandan school uniforms. Some interviewed said they wanted to be an astronaut, a spy, surgeon and  perhaps most pointedly, a politician.

And they were shown using their phones for an hour a day to talk to their family members back home  family members they arent sure if or when theyll see again. The girls said their family members are happy because they see them so happy and learning.

Another part that got me was how the teacher burned school books and the records of all the girls before she left, in part because one father had made it a condition of allowing his daughter to study there.

He wanted them burned because he said when the Taliban come, they will kill the families of girls who attended schools like SOLA.

Again, think about that: fear of killing a family because a little girl wanted to learn.

Its really hard for me to wrap my head around this one  and it makes me sad. Maybe its worse because Im reflecting about my two daughters, who both graduated from college.

Or maybe its just because its so messed up in general.

We all deserve to learn, and right now, these 250 Afghan girls in a country of 40 million are the only 10- to 11-year-old girls from their country getting a formal education.

And they had to flee to get it.

So wrong.
SOMERS POINT  Gregorys Bar and Restaurant puts the "family" in family business, as the establishment is now run by fourth-generation brothers Joe and Paul Gregory and their two wives, Amanda and Carrie.

In 1929, the building was operated as the Davis Hotel, a fully functioning hotel that doubled as a brothel and held a speakeasy in the cellar during The Prohibition.

The Davis Hotel functioned until 1946 when a summer resident by the name of Walter Gregory came down from Philadelphia and purchased the place for his two sons, Walter and Elmer.

The family renamed the spot Gregorys Hotel and operated the place as a hotel, minus the brothel, but the brothers did keep the basement cellar bar. In 1950, the brothers then decided to move that bar upstairs to attract more business.

Once the bar was moved, Gregory's become a popular neighborhood tavern and in 1979, a new generation of Gregory men took over. Elmers son Gregory and Walters Son, Walt took over the business and made it into the Gregorys we know now.

The family likes to keep as much of the bar's old history intact as an acknowledgement of its history. The bar in the main dining room is the original bar that was used in the Davis Hotel cellar bar. The mirrors lining the walls are even the same ones that were once used to decorate the rooms when the hotel was in business. Old photos depicting what the building looked like during each transition of ownership line the walls.

With four different dining spots, Gregorys can provide a vibe for any occasion. The main dining room offers a quieter, more formal dining presence, while the main bar can get a little noisy as patrons sit back and watch sporting events.

There are also two outdoor sections that customers can enjoy during early spring until late fall. The Porch and The Backyard have a separate outside menu. Each of the four dining options have their own full bar, allowing for customers to be served no matter where they decide to sit for the night.

One of the most popular nights at Gregorys is Taco Tuesday, which was started by Gregory in 1979 after he and Walt took over.

I was at a shopping center in Philly and I saw a line at the food court for food I had never even heard of. I realized this is what the people want and wanted to bring it to Gregorys, Greg said.

After coming back and telling his idea to add tacos to the menu, Greg says that no one else was on board.

I still wanted to serve them so I said fine give me one of the slower nights where I can serve these, Greg said, I said, give me Tuesday.

Gregorys is home to the original saying of Taco Tuesday and patented this phrase in 1982. Now years later, Taco Tuesday has proven so popular that the bar also serves tacos on Thursdays.

Other than the tacos, Carrie Gregory says that the bar and restaurant are known for our award winning burgers, soups and home of the affordable lobster.

In the spirit of providing events and fun for the community, the main dining room, Backyard and Porch can all three be rented out for private parties with customized menus for all occasions.

While history runs deep in the building, so does family as Gregorys continues to provide the community with a family and hometown feel. Stop in to get a history lesson, see the strong family ties and enjoy some food at Gregorys soon.
MIDDLE TOWNSHIP  Emma Moody has not yet started her career, but she is already looking forward to retiring and doing as she pleases.

The Rio Grande resident, a senior at Cape May County Technical High School, was interviewed above the din of Thomas Jacksons welding class.

According to Johnson, his seniors are preparing for certification this spring, and recruiters and union representatives already have been by.

Someone with a welding certificate is in a strong position to find a good job, especially in the current market, Jackson said. Moody has no doubt about her prospects, but her plans are wide open, at least until she reaches her planned early retirement.

Ill go where the money calls, she said. Shed like to end up in Michigan.

Her classmate Donald Seitz, of Goshen, came to the school with some welding experience from his fathers automotive business. Also a senior, he is setting himself up with his own welding business, getting a truck and the equipment lined up while still in school.

Both Goshen and Rio Grande are sections of Middle Township, but enrollment at the school is open to students from all 16 municipalities in Cape May County.

School officials say the programs in marine sciences, culinary arts, plumbing, construction and other careers offer students an opportunity to make a year-round living in Cape May County, where many jobs are seasonal.

Both students spoke highly of Jackson.

For Seitz, putting in a couple of hours welding at the school is a great way to spend time.

There arent any other welders in Moodys family, she said, adding that her mother was nervous at first about her taking it up. Now that she has seen her daughters skill, she feels better about the potential career.

So how dangerous is Jacksons classroom?

Its the most dangerous classroom in this school. You can die doing this, Jackson said, with a hint of a gleam in his eye.

That drew a visible wince from Jamie Moscony, the district superintendent who was also in the classroom.

The students participate in extensive safety training long before they ever pick up a tool, Jackson added. They are required to wear protective equipment at all times in the classroom, and he keeps a close eye on them as well.

Moscony adds that students in a variety of programs also receive safety training, whether they are using tools in the carpentry program or knives and stoves in the culinary classroom.

There are close to 560 students in the high school, which is undergoing an expansion project set to be completed in March. Another phase expected to begin next spring will add more classrooms, along with a renovated hotel and restaurant for training and a new media center.

That project is set to break ground this spring, with more work coming in a later phase, including an esports arena, medical and trade areas and a renovated boathouse, among additional work.

The cornerstone on the oldest section of the building says 1969. It became a full-time high school in 1993, retaining the technical focus.

Jackson was a student at the school before his welding career. Seitz said his father was a classmate. Jackson used to teach an adult welding class as well, but now he just works with the high school students.

He has 10 classes, each limited to 10 students, running from beginner to intermediate to advanced. All the classes are at capacity.

In addition to the career potential, the students and Jackson said welding is interesting to learn.

Theres a whole lot of ooh, aah in here, was how Jackson put it, with sparks flying and students working with tools using extremely high heat. Steel melts at more than 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit.

At one point, Jackson said, welding classes were entirely male, but that is no longer the case. He said the classes are now about 20% female, and added that the women are usually the first to be offered jobs.

Moody said she has never felt excluded in the welding classroom.

Mr. Jackson would never let that happen, she said. But she added that her classmates support and help each other.

A certified welder in New Jersey will make an average of $38.73 an hour, according to the jobs site Indeed. That number can increase based on the level of certification, Jackson said.

He said he prides himself on his students success.

All of my students have jobs lined up, Jackson said.

He mentioned one student working with NASAs Artemis 2, set to take four astronauts to circle the moon next year. I have kids from Alaska to Israel at this point.

He taught adult classes for 22 years, and this is his 16th teaching high school students. The program used to train students for the first level of welding certification, but is now up to the third level, covering more advanced techniques as well as opening more opportunities.

Moscony added that welding experience can be an important asset in multiple careers in the area, such as working with the amusement parks, the ferry and and the fishing industry, as well as in construction and related fields.
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ATHENS, Feb. 28 (Xinhua) -- China and the ancient Greece are among the world's most important cradles for human civilizations. More than 2,000 years ago, the two ancient civilizations still had some indirect exchanges despite being separated by the vast Eurasian landmass. The ancient Greek people even had a name for the Chinese at that time: Seres, which means the silk-people.

In today's world of interdependence, it is of great historical and contemporary significance for China and Greece to promote exchanges and mutual learning between the two civilizations and also push forward the development of civilizations in other countries.

Last week, the Center of Greek and Chinese Ancient Civilizations was officially inaugurated at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA). Partnering with the Center of Chinese and Greek Ancient Civilizations of the Southwest University in China, the newly-opened institute aims to promote bilateral exchanges of scholars and students to advance the study of the two civilizations.

A deeper exploration of Greek and Chinese civilizations, two of the most ancient ones, will benefit the whole world, said professors from Greek universities involved in founding the new center.

"We believe that in this world, which is fragmented, where values are in crisis, it would be very beneficial for all of us, not just for China and Greece, but for the whole world, to look at the legacy of these two great cultures and look at them in a comparative way," said Stelios Virvidakis, president of the Steering Committee of the Center of Greek and Chinese Ancient Civilizations.

A JOINT INITIATIVE

Back in 2019, during his state visit to Greece, Chinese President Xi Jinping and then President of Greece Prokopis Pavlopoulos visited the Acropolis Museum in Athens.

Xi said the tour left him a beautiful and memorable impression, and deepened his understanding of ancient Greek civilization. He said he felt the impact of history and further realized that China and Greece, as two ancient civilizations, have much in common.

During Xi's visit, the two leaders jointly advocated exchanges and mutual learning between civilizations. After the visit, the two sides started to build centers dedicated to what the two leaders proposed.

The deepening of cooperation between Greece and China through this new venue opens a new world, a new era, said Apostolis Dimitropoulos, former general secretary of higher education at Greece's Ministry of Education and Religious Affairs.

Recalling his visit in 2019 to Qufu city in Shandong Province of China, the birthplace of Confucius, Dimitropoulos said he realized at that time that it was of great significance to start from a comparative study of the philosophies of the two countries when exploring the two ancient civilizations.

Confucianism has great influence on the eastern civilization, "while ancient Greece has saved the western civilization. By studying the foundations of the two in a comparative perspective, I think we could understand more the foundations of the globe," Dimitropoulos told Xinhua.

The initiative to build the research centers brings together eight universities from Greece and China, and was warmly supported by the Chinese president.

Xi has recently replied to a letter from Virvidakis and four other Greek scholars, extending congratulations over the founding of the Center of Greek and Chinese Ancient Civilizations.

"I am very happy and honored and moved that the Chinese president has responded to our letter and has pledged to support and sustain our joint efforts of the two centers, the center in Greece and the center in China," said Virvidakis, also professor emeritus of Philosophy of the NKUA.

A MIRROR TO EACH OTHER

Nikos Kazantzakis, a giant of modern Greek literature who had visited China twice, commented that "Confucius and Socrates were two masks that covered the same face of human logic."

For Virvidakis, each civilization is like a mirror to the other.

Greeks feel that Chinese are friends, and China is another self of Greece, Virvidakis said, referring to a quote of ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle who said that a friend is another self.

"My colleagues and I believe that the Chinese are real friends who can share our worries, and our dreams, hopes and vision for the future. I do believe that they are like a mirror that makes us understand ourselves better here in Greece and in the West to the extent that the whole West has been influenced by Greek thought," he explained.

"From now on the partnership between China and Greece will have a very different character," said Pavlos Kontos, professor of Philosophy at the University of Patras. He added that the University of Patras in Greece and the Southwest University in China will jointly launch a master's program which will begin in September.

"It is on Chinese and Greek civilizations and it is the first one worldwide that introduces a comparative approach to these two civilizations," Kontos said.

A COMMUNITY WITH A SHARED FUTURE

In his letter to Greek scholars, Xi said in order to promote the development of human society and jointly build a community with a shared future for mankind, we must deeply understand and grasp the age-old origins and rich contents of different civilizations and let the essence of all civilizations benefit the present generation and all mankind.

The world today is undergoing profound changes unseen in a century, Xi said, adding that to solve outstanding contradictions and problems facing the mankind, it is necessary to rely on material means to overcome difficulties and rely on the strength of the spirit to rectify mind through thinking with sincerity.

"We think it is a very sound and correct advice. Because we do believe in the power of the spirit and in the importance of values ... The idea is that the people, the scientists and the administrators and politicians who work on solutions, can be inspired from the teaching of great thinkers," Virvidakis said.

"In our civilizations, both the Chinese civilization and Greek civilization, we have concepts which provide us with guidelines to more harmonious cooperation in our world," former Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou told Xinhua in a recent interview in Athens.

"We do believe that if people from different cultures get together and exchange ideas, this will benefit the whole world. If two big cultures, like Chinese and Greek cultures, get together and exchange ideas, then the hope is that people from other traditions may join," Virvidakis said.

"China and Greece have showed the way for this convergence of people and developing new solutions," he added. 
A dead humpback whale was spotted floating near a channel that gives ships access to ports in New Jersey and New York City on Monday.

The U.S. Coast Guard reported to the Atlantic Marine Conservation Society that the animal was floating four to five miles south of the Ambrose Channel, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries spokesperson Allison Ferreira said Tuesday.

Two New York-based teams from the Coast Guard and Department of Environmental Conservation located the animal and determined it was a humpback whale.

Teams will continue to monitor the situation, Ferreira said.

Mondays whale was the 13th found dead or stranded along the New Jersey and New York coastline since Dec. 1, Ferreira said.

The whale deaths over the past three months have caused state, federal and local officials to call for a moratorium on offshore work in preparation for wind power projects. They have requested an investigation by federal and state agencies into whether the offshore survey work may have contributed to the whale deaths.

Federal officials and other agencies, however, have said no evidence exists to link the deaths to offshore wind work, saying NOAA has been studying an increase in whale deaths since 2016, and at least some of the recent whale deaths have been attributable to vessel strikes.
Cape May County is one of seven New Jersey counties slated to receive funding for veterans' service offices under Gov. Phil Murphy's Fiscal Year 2024 Budget.

Cape May, Camden, Union, Middlesex, Salem, Warren and Passaic counties would share $500,000 from the budget toward support for veterans services, the Governor's Office said on Tuesday.

Murphy's proposed budget will expand access to veterans services, specifically in urban centers and rural areas, raising the number of offices and personnel services to reach all 21 counties.

"The Governor's FY2024 Proposed Budget seeks to expand access to the services our veterans need by ensuring that every county has its own Veterans Services Office through the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs," the Governor's Office said in a statement.

The Department of Military and Veterans Affairs currently operates 14 regional service offices, employing trained staff that provide information and directions on filing claims, assisting with employment issues, and facilitating access to state and federal education, counseling, housing, and social and medical services.

The inclusion is a new initiative the Murphy administration is undertaking. The proposed budget reflects an overall increase in support for veterans services statewide.

Under the proposed budget, a full-time support officer would be recruited for Cape May County. The Veterans Service Office in Atlantic City already serves Cape May County's former service members through an officer that travels there regularly, the Governor's Office said.
What's Happening in the Region



Almaty Authorities Okay Womens Day Meeting, Reject March



The city council of Almaty, Kazakhstans biggest city, gave womens and feminist organizations some of what they wanted, but not all they were asking.



After having three times denied these organizations permission to conduct a march and a public meeting on March 8, International Womens Day, Almaty authorities approved the meeting, but again rejected the march.



The reason the city council offered for withholding permission was unconvincing.



The city council said all three of the designated areas for public meetings had already been reserved on March 8 by a little-known group called the League of Volunteers, and that same group had also already obtained approval for a march.



On February 5, 150 activists and rights defenders gathered in Almatys Gandhi Park to call on city authorities to allow the march and meeting.



The womens groups trying to organize a march and meeting complained to the city council. On February 21, activists from Kazfem told a press conference they had filed a court case to force Almaty officials to grant permission.



That evening, the Almaty city council again rejected the march, but said the meeting could take place at Gandhi Park, not at the more centrally located square outside the Academy of Sciences as requested by the organizers.



This was unacceptable to some people and on February 23, two women  Zhamilya Kasymkhan and Moldir Zhumabaeva -- held one-person pickets demanding the march be allowed.



Kasymkhan and Zhumabaeva wanted to conduct their one-person protests at the same time, standing well apart from one another, but city officials refused to permit that.



Instead, the two women were each allowed to demonstrate for 45 minutes, first one, then the other.



Why Its Important: As many of the organizers of the march and meeting pointed out, their right to hold public gatherings is guaranteed by the constitution.



Yet organizers tried to obtain official permission in accordance with the law, they were denied their right to gather because of limited designated areas for public meetings.



It could also be pointed out that womens groups in Almaty always apply to meet on International Womens Day. Almaty authorities have a history of denying permission to hold women's rights events on March 8.



Authorities should have taken this into consideration before allocating all designated meeting areas to a single group on March 8.



Tajik Authorities Ban Home Prayer Meetings for Ismaili Muslims



The Tajik authorities campaign of repression against the Ismaili Muslim communities in eastern Tajikistan continues. Now those hosting prayer meetings at their homes are subject to fines.



International religious freedom organization Forum 18 reported on February 21 that freedom to practice their religion and support the Ismaili spiritual leader, the Aga Khan, is being curtailed.



The Ismaili Muslims of eastern Tajikistans remote Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Oblast (GBAO) have been targeted since late 2021 when there was a protest after the killing of a local man.



In May 2022, when locals tried to demonstrate peacefully for the release of those arrested during the November 2021 protest, government forces responded using deadly force.



Tajik authorities are arguing about how many people were killed, but people in the region claim the number was in the dozens.



In the months after the violence, many influential GBAO residents were arrested. More than a dozen GBAO natives in Russia who posted support on social networks were forcibly returned to Tajikistan, where they were imprisoned.



Forum 18 reported in mid-January 2023 that local government officials told elders to spread the word that home prayer meetings were prohibited.



Group prayers are only allowed at the official Ismaili center in the GBAO capital Khorugh.



Forum 18 said that two people have already been fined the equivalent of one-months salary after being caught hosting prayer meetings.



Other new prohibitions include banning educational or cultural activities in the countrys two Ismaili centers (one in Khorugh, the other in the Tajik capital Dushanbe).



Young Ismailis will no longer be allowed to travel to the UK to study at the Institute of Ismaili Studies.



Authorities also said people must remove portraits of the Aga Khan that hang in nearly every Ismaili home in GBAO.



Why Its Important: People have called what has been happening in GBAO cultural genocide and it difficult to argue with that.



Hundreds of the best, brightest, and most influential GBAO natives have been arrested, and dozens are already serving lengthy prison sentences.



Everything connected with the Ismaili culture is gradually being banned.

The Latest Majlis Podcast

This weeks Majlis podcast look at how Central Asian-Russian relations have been affected in the year since Russias full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

What has Russias war in Ukraine done to the Kremlins ties with the Central Asian states? And how has the war changed the Central Asias people toward their former colonizer?

This weeks guests are Erica Marat, a professor of political science at the National Defense University in Washington, D.C., and Temur Umarov, a fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and at the OSCE Academy in Bishkek.

What I'm Following

Kyrgyzstan sending humanitarian mission to ethnic Kyrgyz in Afghanistan



Kyrgyzstans Foreign Ministry announced the country will send a humanitarian mission to Afghanistan to visit Kyrgyz communities in the Pamir Mountains, though the date of the visit is not yet clear.

The visit comes after a group of ethnic Kyrgyz in the village of Andemin in Afghanistans northeastern Badakhshan Province posted a video in January asking to move to Kyrgyzstan.

U.S. Secretary of State Visits Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan



U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is scheduled to visit Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan on his way to India for the G20 foreign ministers meeting.

Blinken is due to meet with the foreign ministers of the five Central Asian states in Kazakhstan.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin said on February 24 that the Central Asian states should exercise maximum caution in their dealings with the United States.

Fact of the Week

In 1973, there were 10,000 ethnic Kyrgyz living in Afghanistan, but the number has dropped and is estimated to be from 700 to 2,000.

Thanks for Reading

Thanks for reading our Central Asia in Focus newsletter! I appreciate you sharing it with other readers who you think may be interested.



Feel free to contact me on Twitter or by responding to this email, especially if you have any questions, comments, suggestions, or just want to connect with me about topics concerning Central Asia.



Please consider filling out this brief survey so that I can better understand how this newsletter can be useful for you.



See you next week for more on whats happening in Central Asia.

Until next time,

Bruce
Body of 1.5-yrs-old girl exhumed, raped; massive hunt on for accused

Police in Gujarat have launched an investigation into an incident of rape of a toddlers corpse.

The development comes following the registration of a case based on the information provided by the victims family.

Addressing reporters on Sunday night, sub-inspector V I Khadia of the Thangadh police said that the family complained that their one-and-a-half-year-old baby girls body had been exhumed from the grave and they suspected someone to have misbehaved with the body.

After inspecting the body, the Thangadh hospitals primary diagnosis revealed that she had been raped.

The police have sent the body to Rajkot for a forensic post-mortem.

According to the victims family, since birth, the toddler had a heart problem and was under treatment. On February 25, she died, after which family members, as per tradition, buried her in the childs cemetery.

The Police Station Officer said if the FSL report confirms, a rape complaint will be registered under IPC Section 377 for committing rape on a dead body. IANS
Party condemns act, calls it undemocratic; several leaders held; commuters suffer as traffic goes haywire

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Monday held protests across the country after Delhis Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia was arrested by Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in connection with the alleged corruption in the now-scrapped excise policy. Protests are being staged in Chandigarh, Delhi, Bhopal and other cities amid heavy police deployment.

Since morning, several AAP workers and leaders had gathered at AAP headquarters in Delhi even as police erected barricades on several roads leading to Deen Dayal Upadhyay (DDU) Marg where both the BJP headquarters and the AAP office are located.

Traffic chaos was witnessed near ITO and other nearby areas after the Delhi Police on Monday closed the DDU Marg for vehicular movement.

In a tweet, the Delhi Traffic Police said: Traffic will remain affected on DDU Marg in the carriageway from Minto Road towards ITO and vice-versa due to special traffic arrangements. Commuters are advised to avoid this stretch. Traffic was also moving at a slow pace near the CBI headquarters at the CGO complex due to barricades put up by the police.

Most CBI officers were against the arrest: CM

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday claimed that most of the CBI officers were opposed to arresting his deputy Manish Sisodia but did so due to political pressure.

I am told that most CBI officers were against Manishs arrest. All of them have huge respect for him and there is no evidence against him. But the political pressure was so high that they had to obey their political masters, Kejriwal said in a tweet.

Delhi court sends Sisodia to five days CBI custody

A Delhi court on Monday sent arrested Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia to five days CBI custody in connection with the now-scrapped liquor policy case.

Special judge MK Nagpal of the Rouse Avenue Courts, who had reserved his order after arguments from both sides, pronounced his order sending the AAP leader to custody till March 4. IANS

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Manoj Tiwari

INSTEAD OF PROTESTING ON STREETS, PROVE SISODIAS INNOCENCE IN COURT: MANOJ TIWARI

Bharatiya Janata Party MP Manoj Tiwari has criticised the protests held by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) against the arrest of Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, saying that those who are accused of corruption and loot do not protest but prove their innocence in the court.

Taking a jibe at the AAP leaders, he said: It is being reiterated that the Education Minister has been arrested, is it shameful to call him the liquor minister?

Countering Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwals allegations over Sisodias arrest, the BJP MP said that Kejriwal and Sisodia could cheat humans but not God.

He added that the misery caused to the people of Delhi had become a sin for Sisodia which is why he has been arrested.

Tiwari stated that the Chief Minister is afraid of the scope of the investigation that is likely to increase after the arrest.

Justifying Sisodias arrest, the BJP MP said that evidence of crime is found no matter how carefully it has been committed when it occurs under Gods watch, which is exactly what is happening to Sisodia and Kejriwal. IANS
Moline has a once-in-a-lifetime chance to re-imagine its Mississippi riverfront, the mayor said during her State of the City address.

In her second such address as mayor, Sangeetha Rayapati said the city is focusing on three pillars: pathways, partnerships and prosperity. The emphases are the foundation, she said, to moving the city forward in its major downtown and riverfront redevelopment vision.

"Those partnerships start with a commitment on our part to create relationships with businesses and other entities to do the transformative work that needs to be done," she said.

Reshaping downtown

Moline's community economic development team has been working with private-sector partner Renew Moline to find opportunities for redevelopment. The former JC Penney building at 1701 5th Ave. and the parking lot behind it are going to be turned into apartments, for instance, after the property was donated to Renew.

Economic development staff also are working with Renew to find a consultant to draft a master plan for the riverfront. Making use of long-dark land under the old Interstate 74 bridge is at the center of redevelopment efforts.

"This is only the tip of the iceberg of how you're seeing the department is working to build prosperity through partnerships," said Ryan Hvitlk, community and economic development director, who spoke briefly at Monday's State of the City event.

The city also bought the former KONE site on the riverfront for $3.1 million. It likely will become permanent green space, given environmental concerns on the former manufacturing site. A skate park and pump track is proposed for land under the new I-74 bridge.

Also a focus: Adding more downtown housing, commercial and retail spaces, and dedicated green space.

Dave Herrell, president and CEO of Visit Quad Cities, said Moline had tremendous momentum and its riverfront redevelopment would play a key role in attracting and retaining people to the area.

"Any time that we can find a way to re-imagine what we're doing with our world-renowned river and the Mississippi experience, it gives us a unique chance to be relevant and competitive in a 21st-century economy," Herrell said.

Finances

The city is likely to weather the economic downturn and possible recession, Rayapati said, because of its strong finances from 2022 that carried over to fiscal year 2023.

The total budget for fiscal year 2023 is about $159 million with a surplus of nearly $4 million and no property tax increases.

"We remain committed to living within our means and balancing long and short financial goals," she said.

The city also has $20.7 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds. Highlights of projects using ARPA funds include $1.3 million in water and sewer projects, the first phase of the 7th Avenue reconstruction project, and small business loans.

All ARPA funds, Rayapati said, are well on their way to being spent and will be exhausted by the end of 2026.

Citywide projects

Rayapati also highlighted the city's strategic plan that aims to complete 85 objectives over three fiscal years.

For 2022, 22 of the objectives were met. Twenty-one projects have reached 75% completion and 10 are halfway finished.

Some of the completed objectives include launching a regional land bank authority that will help reduce rundown properties and improve them, expanding child care facilities, the launch of the B.O.O.S.T program for small businesses and citywide broadband.

Moline approved an agreement for Metronet to build a 100% fiber-optic network to deliver high-speed internet to households and businesses throughout the entire city. Metronet will begin construction in March with service anticipated to begin rolling out to residents by this summer.

The program, Business Owner Occupied Stabilization Transformation (B.O.O.S.T.), is funded with $1.1 million in ARPA funds. The program will provide forgivable loans to small business owners and entrepreneurs looking to start a business in the city.

"We anticipate that the collective impact of these pathways toward prosperity will energize our local economy and help lead toward positive transformation," Rayapati said.

Other objectives include launching a form-based code for downtown redevelopment, the Riverfront Masterplan and revamping the 20-year-old comprehensive plan.

The city also is planning to establish a Tax Increment Finance District, or TIF, along Illinois Route 92, and Riverside Pool will get $6.8 million in updates and improvements this summer, including a lazy river and three new water slides.

"All of these are signs of a city on the move  a city that's chasing a version of itself that we haven't seen before," the mayor concluded.
The Illinois Supreme Court should reject a grab-bag of constitutional theories put forward by prosecutors across the state who are challenging a measure that would eliminate cash bail, the attorney generals office argued in a final appeal brief filed Monday.

The state is appealing a Kankakee County judges ruling that found measures that remove money as a factor in pretrial release decisions to be unconstitutional. The December decision caused confusion across the state less than two weeks before cash bail was set to be abolished.

The high court stepped in hours before the measures would take effect, halting implementation until the high court rules on the matter to maintain consistent pretrial procedures throughout Illinois.

In its final arguments, the Illinois attorney generals office pushed back on assertions from more than 60 states attorneys, most from downstate, who contended that lawmakers should have put the matter to voters as a proposed amendment to the state constitution.

The brief said the high court has no persuasive reason to side with the prosecutors, and argued that their position would effectively bar the General Assembly from ever reforming pretrial procedures in the State.

In their brief, the states attorneys said the law violates the constitutions separation of powers clause by taking away power from judges and infringes on the rights of crime victims, among other arguments.

But the state maintains that history and case precedent give the General Assembly the right to play a role in shaping pretrial criminal procedure, and that the interests of crime victims are taken into account.

The clause by its plain language guarantees rights only to crime victims; it cannot reasonably be read to require a system of monetary bail, the brief said, and it is easily squared with the pretrial release provisions, which at multiple stages require courts to consider crime victims in making release decisions.

If affirmed, the provisions would drastically change the way pretrial justice is handled across the state.

In addition to eliminating money as a factor in release decisions, the measure also outlines a new pretrial system in which defendants will appear for two hearings: an initial hearing, also known as a conditions hearing, and a detention hearing for those who prosecutors seek to detain, designed to provide a more comprehensive look at whether someone should be released or jailed pretrial.

Illinois lawmakers react to State of the Union Gov. J.B. Pritzker Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill. U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill. U.S. Rep. Mike Bost, R-Murphysboro U.S. Rep. Nikki Budzinski, D-Springfield U.S. Rep. Darin LaHood, R-Dunlap U.S. Rep. Mary Miller, R-Oakland U.S. Rep. Eric Sorensen, D-Moline
A new mental health facility is opening this week in Davenport.

Covenant Family Solutions is a behavioral health care provider, based in Cedar Rapids. Its new clinic in Davenport will be located at 5403 Victoria Ave., where new patients will be accepted, beginning Wednesday, March 1.

The clinic offers therapy and counseling services and will add medication service in May.

Iowa ranks 44th in the nation in the patient-to-provider ratio for mental health services, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. There are fewer than two mental health providers available to serve every 1,000 Iowans.

Anna Patty, director of communications for Covenant, said Davenport was an ideal location for the next expansion because the company looks to go where it's most needed.

"There are some great services already here in the Quad-Cities, but there's not enough," Patty said. "There's a real gap between the number of people who need to be served and the number of organizations that are able to serve."

When the clinic opens Wednesday, it will have three employees, but Covenant plans to grow the number to 12 by the end of the year. One of those employees, who will start in May, is Amy McCormick.

The nurse practitioner has taken on specialization with mental health services. Her role will focus on assessments, diagnoses and medication management.

The addition of McCormick's job is a unique feature of the clinic, Petty said. In many settings, if a therapist recommends a patient be on medication, they have to call another provider and make an appointment. In many cases, that can take four to six months. In some cases, it can take up to nine months, McCormick said.

For Anne Taets, the senior clinician at Covenant, being able to simply send patients to another office in the building if they need further care is a valuable resource.

"It's going to be incredible," she said. "To have somebody right down the hall is going to be a dream."

Taets has been working in group therapy and management settings but is looking forward to the opportunity to get back to working one-on-one. When she previously worked in an out-patient facility, she said, trying to get someone into an individual therapist was sometimes difficult.

"There's quite a few facilities in this area that are not accepting new patients. They're just at capacity," she said. "It's kind of a crisis situation in some respects."

Patty said Covenant was looking forward to adding to the mental health care available in the Quad-Cities and providing an environment where patients can feel comfortable in the process.

"Working in mental health, it's a heavy load to bare," she said. "But every single individual that works in mental health does it because they ... want to help people."

The clinic officially opens Wednesday but is taking appointments now. Covenant can be reached at: 888-336-9661.
A Davenport man on parole until 2025 for a methamphetamine conviction is being charged again with selling the drug.

Agents from the Scott County Sheriffs Department's Special Operations Unit arrested Timothy Ryan Smead, 30, on Thursday. He is charged with one count of possession with the intent to deliver not more than 5 grams of methamphetamine. The charge is a Class C felony that carries a prison sentence of 10 years.

Smead also is charged with possession with the intent to deliver marijuana, a Class D felony that carries a prison sentence of five years. He also is charged with possession of drug paraphernalia, a simple misdemeanor that carries a jail sentence of up to 30 days.

At 10:55 a.m. Thursday, agents with the Special Operations Unit served a search warrant at Smeads apartment in the 400 block of E. 7th St., according to arrest affidavits.

In the bedroom, agents seized 3.1 grams of methamphetamine. Police have said a typical dose of meth is one-tenth of a gram, meaning that agents seized about 31 doses.

Also seized was 25 grams of unpackaged marijuana and 12.6 grams of marijuana packaged in five separate plastic bags.

There also was drug paraphernalia, packaging materials and a digital scale, police said.

The search warrant included Smeads cell phone, but he refused to give agents his password and stated he needed a lawyer, records show.

During a first appearance on the charges Friday in Scott County District Court, Magistrate Christine Frederick scheduled a preliminary hearing on the charges for March 3.

Smead remained in the custody of the Scott Count Sheriff's Department on a $5,000 bond, cash or surety. He was being housed out of county Monday night.

According to electronic records of the Iowa Department of Corrections, Smead is on parole until Aug. 3, 2025.

On April 20, 2018, Davenport Police arrested him on a charge of possession with intent to deliver not more than 5 grams of meth and possession of a controlled substance-marijuana-first offense. According to the arrest affidavit, officers arrested Smead on active warrants. In an Altoids peppermint hard candy tin, officers located 3.65 grams of methamphetamine, equivalent to 36.5 doses of meth.

On Sept. 14, 2018, Smead pleaded guilty to the charge and was sentenced by District Court Judge Henry Latham to serve three years on supervised release.

Smead violated his probation, which was revoked March 15, 2019, and he was sentenced to 10 years in the Iowa Department of Corrections. He was paroled on Feb. 27, 2020.

He was sent back to prison May 12, 2021, after he violated his parole by being arrested by Bettendorf Police on April 26, 2021, on charges of domestic abuse, interference with official acts and possession of a controlled substance/third offense during an incident at the City Center Motel.

Smead pleaded guilty to the charges and was sentenced to concurrent prison terms of five years on the possession-third offense charge, two years on the domestic abuse charge and one year on the interference charge. That prison term was to run consecutive to his prison term on the parole violation on the meth conviction.

Smead was released from prison and placed on parole on Sept. 19, 2022. His parole could once again be revoked for the new drug charges, and he could be sent back to prison.
Davenport has updated the Department of Natural Resources on activity at a former city dump, clearing it of a violation issued earlier this month.

Iowa law requires disturbances of dump sites to be communicated in writing to the DNR, which the agency said Davenport failed to do when excavating a former riverfront dump as it continues to make improvements to Veteran's Memorial Park.

The city now has supplied a report to the DNR's solid waste bureau that includes details of waste disturbed during construction this summer at the dump site that closed in 1973.

Davenport submitted the report as required by a notice of violation the DNR issued on Feb. 14, which found the city failed to notify the state agency that waste was disturbed.

City officials have said previously the violation was merely an "unintentional oversight of not submitting a form," which did not negate its responsible handling of project construction.

The city pointed to a stormwater discharge permit that included site grading and excavation for the project approved by a separate DNR division as evidence of communication with the agency. But that permit didn't meet the notification requirements of waste-specific state law, DNR staff said.

Communications with the DNR have been a point of contention between Davenport's city management and Alderman Judith Lee, 8th Ward, who made several requests of city staff to produce communications related to work at the park and sent the state code on dump sites. City administration accused Lee of micromanaging city staff on multiple topics.

The notice of violation and follow-up communications between the city of Davenport and the DNR's solid waste division are available in full online at the IDNR's document center.

What's in the report?

During construction this summer, the city's contractor ran into "debris, such as tires, paper products and old construction material," the city said in its response to the DNR.

This summer, more than 2,800 tons of dirt and waste from Veterans Memorial Park was transported to the Scott Area Landfill, according to waste commission records. The site was then capped with 12 inches of "clean fill," the city said in its report.

The contractor uncovered more of the same type of waste while constructing a temporary trail, which was built to route pedestrians and bikers safely around the construction of a stone overlook at the park, the city said. That waste was reburied on guidance from the Scott County Waste Commission.

The city's report said no visible hazardous material was disturbed during excavation, and "to the best of the city's knowledge, no known contamination took place."

Future plans

In its report, Davenport officials pledged, "Should any waste be uncovered during the remainder of the project, the city will immediately reach out to the appropriate staff at the Iowa Department of Natural Resources."

This spring, the city said it intends to finish grading of the pathway and import fill to construct a sloped-lawn amphitheater topped with 4 inches of additional topsoil. Then, the area is set to be seeded with native prairie grass, "which will offer natural erosion mitigation," the city's report states.

The Veterans Memorial Park construction will be "substantially completed" by May 29, according to the report.

The DNR said it understood the remaining project work didn't include waste disturbance and asked the city to submit a notification when the project was completed and if waste was encountered in future work at the park.

Although not required to, the DNR recommended the city monitor or control for methane release at the dump site since "buried waste does produce methane and can accumulate to explosive levels in buildings, structures, piping, etc. that are built on, in or near buried waste."

The city wrote in its response it would look into methods for doing so.

Looking ahead, the city has its eyes set on converting the entirety of the former Marquette Street dump to parks and recreation land use, the city reported, citing its 2035 Comprehensive Plan update.

That includes decommissioning the South Marquette Public Works Facility north of the current construction, which houses vehicle and material storage for multiple city departments, according to the report.

City notifies some at DNR

City officials said previously that they provided proper notification by submitting plan sets, receiving permits, and having multiple conversations with regulators.

In particular, city officials have pointed the Quad-City Times/Dispatch-Argus and aldermen to a stormwater discharge permit for an industrial site.

The permit, however, did not mention solid waste, was submitted to a separate bureau of the DNR, and includes a section that indicates the applicant "is responsible for complying with all other local, state, and federal statues, ordinances, rules, and permit requirements."

Mike Sullivan, the supervisor of the DNR's Solid Waste and Contaminated Sites Section, said that permit did not meet the solid waste bureau's requirements for notification of closed dump sites.

"That's a totally separate program in our water quality bureau," Sullivan said of the stormwater permit application. "Obligations for stormwater protection are independent of requirements by the solid waste division.

"Especially in old dump sites, we don't know what was buried, exactly. It's incumbent upon those who uncover old dump sites that they notify us. That's how it should work, so we know about it and we can document the location if it's not already known about, and the appropriate steps are being taken to protect public health during construction. That's separate from stormwater."

Sullivan said he thinks the city did take steps to protect public health by involving the Scott County Solid Waste Commission, though it should have notified his division of waste disruption. While the commission is not the regulator, he said, staff there is well-versed in the science of waste.

"We ended up in the right place," Sullivan said.

The city has also pointed to an application the city submitted for a flood plain management permit that the DNR determined the city didn't need. Flood plain management is also not in the solid waste division.

Kyle Gripp, an at-large alderman for Davenport, said he thinks the City of Davenport met the intent of the law by communicating with the DNR.

"Its unfortunate that the message the public heard was that the City of Davenport was being secretive about this project and not communicating with the IDNR," Gripp wrote in an email. "Based on the evidence Ive seen, the city was guilty of not filling out a form but followed the intent of the law. I am pleased that the outcome is no fine, no punishment, and no change to the scope of the project."
UNITED NATIONS, Feb. 27 (Xinhua) -- The UN mission in Mali condemned and vowed to investigate a recent raid where terrorists killed at least 12 civilians, a UN spokesman said on Monday.

The UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali, known as MINUSMA, condemned the attack by an armed terrorist group in the village of Kani-Bonzon, in the Bandiagara region, said Stephane Dujarric, the chief spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. The raiders killed the villagers, wounded three others and torched several buildings.

Dujarric said that the special representative of the secretary-general and head of MINUSMA, El-Ghassim Wane, met with authorities and has taken the necessary steps to investigate the attack, in line with the mission's mandate to promote and protect human rights.

The spokesman said the meetings bolstered cooperation and reaffirmed the mission's efforts to help stabilize the country.

Landlocked Mali, one of the poorest countries in the world, suffered jihadist raids and political turmoil in recent years. 
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced Tuesday federal disaster assistance has been approved for South Dakota counties for December's winter storms.

Bennett, Brookings, Clark, Day, Deuel, Hamlin, Jackson, Jones, Kingsbury, Mellette, Oglala Lakota, Potter, Roberts, Stanley, Todd and Tripp Counties are covered. The public assistance federal funding will be made available to state, local and tribal governments and some nonprofits on a cost-sharing basis to help repair damaged facilities and establish emergency protective measures.

FEMA also granted hazard mitigation measures funding statewide.

Much of South Dakota ground to a halt mid-December as Winter Storm Diaz slammed across the Midwest, bringing heavy snow and high winds that created massive drifts blocking highways and trapping people in their homes. A second storm moved through the week after, adding insult to injury for many areas of the state.

The Biden administration approved similar funding for the Oglala Sioux and Rosebud Tribes last week. Six deaths occurred on the Rosebud Reservation as a result of the weather. South Dakota's congressional delegation penned a letter to Biden in mid-January, backing up the tribe's requests for federal aid.
In 2022 a male wolf that was captured and fitted with a GPS collar south of Dillon decided to take a long hike through some of Montanas most spectacular wild country.

Traveling east it trotted across the Madison, Gallatin and Absaroka mountain ranges in southwest Montana. He visited Yellowstone National Park, one of the densest wolf populations in the lower 48 states, before climbing over the Beartooth Mountains  the highest in the state. Still searching, the wolf crossed the Clarks Fork Yellowstone River valley and wandered into the Pryor Mountains.

If the wolf had hitchhiked a ride in an automobile, the distance covered is close to 300 miles. But those miles dont reflect the elevation gains and losses of climbing up and over the mountain ranges. They also dont tally the rivers that course through the landscape, including the Madison, Gallatin, Yellowstone and Clarks Fork of the Yellowstone.

Unfortunately, we only know all of this because the wolf made a decision that proved fatal and highlights the challenges of living with large predators. On Feb. 10, the wolf was shot north of Lovell, Wyoming, by Wildlife Services for killing livestock. It had lived in the Pryors about six months.

The 4- to 5-year-old canine was not known to have previously killed livestock. No necropsy is planned.

Pack

The male wolf, a member of the Antone pack, was first collared in 2020 in the Gravelly Mountains by a Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks crew conducting a livestock conflict mitigation study. At the time, the gray-coated wolf was estimated at 1 to 2 years old, was in good physical condition and had a normal weight. The average for males is about 90 pounds.

The Antone pack consists of five to six individuals that roam across about 225 square miles, according to Morgan Jacobsen, Communications and Education Program manager for FWP in Bozeman.

Travel

Although 300 miles is a normal dispersal distance for wolves, Jacobsen said, other wolves have been known to travel twice as far. Yellowstone wolves were documented walking as far south as Colorado, including a male and female that birthed six pups in 2021.

Some of the farthest dispersals we've seen include wolves that have traveled between the Bob Marshall to Boise; from the Paradise Valley to Colorado; and wolves coming from Oregon and Canada, and vice versa, Jacobsen said.

Wolves leave their packs for several reasons, including to find a mate, to start their own pack and in search of new territory and food resources. Some wolves leave after the death of their mate. Other wolves have been known to make lengthy 2,400-mile roundtrips before returning to their home territory.

New land

By late last summer the Antone pack wolf had wandered into the Pryor Mountains, a large parcel of rugged and diverse public land along the Wyoming-Montana border. The lowlands are desert-like, with sagebrush and juniper scattered amid rocky outcrops. From this dry landscape the mountains rise abruptly, climbing to a peak elevation of more than 8,700 feet. Temperatures can be toasty in the lowlands and require a jacket by the time a traveler reaches the top. The mountains are scarred by steep, deep canyons dotted with caves. The uplands feature flower-filled meadows and waist-high grasses.

Although devoid of wolves, the Pryors are home to predators that include black bears, coyotes and mountain lions. Other wildlife includes mule deer, bighorn sheep, grouse and wild horses.

About 75,000 acres of the Pryor Mountains is managed by the Custer Gallatin National Forest. Adjacent to the forest is 92,000 acres of Bureau of Land Management property. These adjoin the 120,000-acre Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area, managed by the National Park Service. A portion of the BLM land contains the Pryor Mountain Wild Horse Range, made famous in Ginger Kathrens 1990 films documenting a white stallion named Cloud.

The mountains also border the Crow Indian Reservation to the east. The Hitting the Rock Mountains or Arrowheads, as the Crow call them, have long been used for vision quests with portions of the landscape home to mythic little people.

Alone

From around April 2022 until it was shot in February near Crooked Creek for killing livestock, the Antone wolf reportedly explored southwest Montana and the Pryor Mountains like a tourist on summer vacation.

We didn't have any reports of him being seen in the Pryor Mountains, but I think he might have been seen when he was on the Crow Reservation around Pryor, said Red Lodge FWP wildlife biologist Shawn Stewart in an email.

There were no reported livestock conflicts in Montana, and the wolf was still on the north side of the Pryors in early January, he added.

Neither the BLM nor the Forest Service received any reports of the wolf roaming the Pryor Mountains. If anyone visiting the range heard a howl or saw the gray ghost, theyve kept it largely to themselves.

The wolf moved south into Wyoming near Crooked Creek just a few days before killing two goats and a lamb on two Big Horn County ranches, according to FWP.

Michael Burrell, acting director for Wildlife Services in Cody, Wyoming, said there are occasional confirmed wolf sightings in the Bighorn Mountains farther south, but specifically in this area where this wolf was found, I would consider a wolf sighting rare.

Stewart said there was a rumor of wolves passing through the Pryor Mountains a couple of years ago, but it was never confirmed.

Zone

In Wyoming, outside of a designated trophy management region surrounding Yellowstone National Park in the northwestern corner of the state, wolves are considered a predator and can be killed without a license or with any limit as to how many can be killed. In Montana, all wolf hunting and trapping is regulated by FWP, although they can be shot in the act of killing livestock.

A total of 107 wolf mortalities were documented statewide in Wyoming in 2021, according to the Wyoming Game and Fish Departments annual report. Sixty-two were killed in the Wolf Trophy Game Management Area, 38 in the rest of the state where wolves are designated predatory animals, six in Yellowstone National Park, and one on the Wind River Reservation.

Conflict control mortalities in Wyoming in 2021 included 15 from agency-directed lethal control actions, one taken under the authority of a lethal take permit, and one taken for defense of private property.

Wolves were identified in 12 cattle and 21 sheep kills in Wyomings predator zone in 2021. In comparison, wolves killed 38 cattle and 32 sheep in the trophy area.

A bill working its way through the Wyoming Legislature this session would create a fund to compensate livestock owners for wolf kills in the predator zone. The initial allocation for the fund is proposed at $300,000. A similar program already exists in the trophy zone.

The chance that another wolf may one day wander onto public lands in the Pryor Mountains seems good considering wolves already occupy the landscape along the Beartooth Front near Red Lodge, roughly 40 miles away. Living in such an isolated habitat as the Pryors without running into trouble with livestock, however, poses an additional hurdle for wolves that may one day attempt to occupy the region.

Ironically, if the ranchers hadnt contacted Wildlife Services to dispatch the collared canine, the Antone pack wolfs wide-ranging trek may have gone unnoticed.
Richmond police are conducting a death investigation after discovering a man fatally shot in South Richmond on Tuesday morning.

Officers responded to the 6500 block of Holliday Road at about 11:18 a.m. for reports of a shooting.

Police found one man suffering from an apparent gunshot wound, and he was later pronounced dead at the scene, said police.

Police said detectives are not looking for any suspects at this time. The Office of the Medical Examiner will determine the cause and manner of death.

Anyone with information about this death investigation is asked to call Richmond police at (804) 646-6775 or Crime Stoppers at (804) 780-1000.

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A bill to reform how prisoners are treated in solitary confinement has been approved, with some new guidelines added but without a cap on how long inmates can be isolated.

Starting July 1, Virginia prisons will, by law, be required to grant four hours of out-of-cell time to inmates in solitary confinement. Daily out-of-cell time typically means an inmate is transferred to an outdoor pen by themselves.

Prisons will also be required to perform weekly mental health evaluations for inmates in solitary, and corrections officers will need to document a plan for how inmates can earn their way out of solitary and back into the general population.

Virginias Department of Corrections maintains that they do not have solitary confinement, which was renamed restrictive housing in 2018 and then again renamed restorative housing in 2021.

A move to bar inmates from being left in solitary for more than 15 days did not survive the reform bill.

Del. Glenn Davis, a Republican from Virginia Beach, had worked across the aisle on the bill with Don Scott, a Democrat from Portsmouth, who served a seven-year stint in Virginias prisons.

A week prior, one of the bills initial key stakeholders, the Virginia Coalition on Solitary Confinement, came out against Daviss bill. Because of wording changes made in the negotiations regarding the 15-day limit on solitary, the group said Daviss efforts have the potential to entrench inhumane conditions for people incarcerated in Virginia, not improve them.

On Saturday, Davis waved a copy of the Coalitions press release on the House floor with frustration, saying that nothing irked [him] more than the groups change of heart, and that he believed their unanimous opposition to his bill was not as unified as it appeared.

Ultimately, Daviss bill passed, to some advocates dismay. Its passage marks the first time Virginia legislators have been able to put guardrails around how the Department of Corrections wields solitary confinement.

The saga that ended this weekend began with two different bills to reform solitary confinement, one from state Sen. Morrissey, D-Richmond, and another from Davis, R-Virginia Beach.

Both started with key provisions, including one that would have prevented prisoners from being forced to remain in solitary for longer than 15 days. That cap was modeled after the Nelson Mandela rules, which suggest that more than half a month alone is tantamount to torture. The lawmakers went into backroom conferences with lobbyists from the Department of Corrections.

Daviss bill emerged without the 15-day cap, as well as with a new clause stating that prison officials could use solitary whenever the orderly operation of the facility is threatened.

The new wording was a result of intervention from Attorney General Jason Miyares, The Richmond Times-Dispatch reported. Miyares was worried that prisons would open themselves to lawsuits if indefinite solitary were made illegal under Virginia code.

And ultimately, Daviss bill, not Morrisseys, is what was passed.

Kenneth Hunter, a prison reform advocate and former inmate who had been subject to solitary confinement, said he was disappointed with the new plan.

It changes nothing. Were passing a bill thats probably going to make it very difficult to bring solitary legislation for another two or three years, said Hunter, who lives and works in Lynchburg, Virginia. Without that 15 day limit were just going to continue to have prolonged solitary confinement at the discretion of prison officials, which hasnt worked in the past.

The bill also drew criticism from the Virginia ACLU.

"The simple fact is this bill has no teeth to make things better for people held in solitary in Virginia, and plenty of language that VADOC could use to make things worse," said Vishal Agraharkar, an attorney with the group.

"Were calling on Governor Youngkin to amend it to include oversight of VADOC so the agency complies with the few reforms that are in the bill, and were also calling on Governor Youngkin to amend the bill to include meaningful restrictions on the reasons and length of time someone may be kept in solitary conditions," Agraharkar said.

Remember Safety Town? A look back through the Times-Dispatch archives Safety Town safety town Safety Town Safety Town Safety Town Safety Town Safety Town
Richmond police detectives are investigating reports that a towing company may have committed widespread fraud, including unauthorized towing and overcharging.

Police have not named the company, citing the ongoing investigation, but Third Precinct detectives have been investigating the business for the past three months, according to a statement.

The precinct covers the western part of the city both north and south of the James River, including neighborhoods such as The Fan, Forest Hill and Westhampton.

The illegal practices the company is alleged to have committed include towing from unauthorized areas, charging more than the maximum allowed amounts of $135 for an initial tow or $40 for a drop fee  charged when a vehicle has been hooked but not towed away  and accruing storage fees after illegal tows.

Detectives identified the names and addresses of potential victims through a warrant for company business records and are working on contacting victims  who could potentially number in the hundreds, Third Precinct Commander Faith Flippo said  but they do not have complete information on all possible victims.

Anyone in the area who believes they may have been subject to illegal practices by a towing company is asked to email towinginvestigation@rva.gov with more details.

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Del. Kathy Byron, R-Bedford, and Sen. John Edwards, D-Roanoke, are the latest senior legislators to announce they will not seek reelection in a wave that has already taken out more than a tenth of the 140-member General Assembly.

New legislative boundaries that the Virginia Supreme Court imposed in December 2021 paired dozens of lawmakers  like Byron and Edwards  in districts with other incumbents, prompting a raft of retirements. Other lawmakers face tough primary challenges or reelection fights in newly drawn districts.

Some lawmakers think each chamber could turn over a quarter or more of its members before next Januarys session.

Whats going to happen this year will be historically unprecedented, said Sen. Scott Surovell, D-Fairfax, unless one wants to go back to the 1870 Underwood Convention and the resulting constitution that gave Black men the right to vote.

Byron, a delegate since 1998, serves as chair of the Commerce and Energy Committee. She was paired in a district with Del. Wendell Walker, R-Lynchburg.

Edwards, a former U.S. attorney for the Western District of Virginia and a senator since 1996, is co-chair of the Judiciary Committee. He was facing a general election contest with Sen. David Suetterlein, R-Roanoke County.

In a tweet about Norments departure, Surovell noted that we are losing so many titans this cycle.

More retirements are widely expected. For instance, Sen. Janet Howell, D-Fairfax, co-chair of the Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee, was drawn into a district with Sen. Jennifer Boysko, D-Fairfax. Del. Glenn Davis, R-Virginia Beach, head of the House Education Committee, is paired in a district with Del. Barry Knight, R-Virginia Beach, the lead House budget negotiator as head of the House Appropriations Committee.

Sen. Steve Newman, another GOP budget negotiator, now shares a district with Sen. Mark Peake, a fellow Lynchburg Republican.

This map has been especially disruptive to both parties, Surovell said in a phone interview.

So far, 12 of the 100 delegates and four of the 40 senators have said they will not seek reelection. Additionally, Sen. Jennifer McClellan, D-Richmond, will soon leave the legislature, following her election to Congress.

About a dozen other delegates are seeking to leave the House and win election in state Senate districts.

The legislature still has a handful of House and Senate districts with paired incumbents who are slated to meet in nomination fights or general election contests. Several other Senate incumbents face tough primary or general election fights with delegates who are seeking to move to the upper chamber.

Surovell, who served in the House from 2010 to 2016  the year he joined the Senate  said the coming turnover could result in legislative chambers that are younger and more ideological. He also noted that during his years in the Senate, experienced leaders in both parties have exuded a calming influence and maintained decorum in the chamber.

Speaking of Norment, he added: Tommy tends to be a guardian of the culture of the Senate.

A legislature with fewer experienced hands will get a severe test in next years 60-day session when lawmakers will fashion the states next two-year budget.

Byron noted in a Facebook post that in her 26 sessions, Virginia has had eight governors and seven speakers of the House.

Now, however, is the right time for me to bring my service in the House to a close, she wrote. After much thought and prayer, I have decided not to seek reelection in November. This was neither a casual decision nor an easy one. While serving in the General Assembly can be frustrating, exasperating, and time-consuming, it is also rewarding, fulfilling, and gratifying.

Edwards said in a brief statement: I have thoroughly enjoyed my many years of service in the Senate and the honor and opportunity to improve the lives of my constituents and all Virginians.
Sen. Janet Howell, D-Fairfax, made it official on Tuesday. She will retire after 32 years in the Virginia Senate, including four as the first woman to lead the powerful Senate Finance & Appropriations Committee.

Howell, 78, is still leading the Senate in negotiations with the House of Delegates for a new state budget, which would be her sixth in four tumultuous years that began with the COVID-19 pandemic. She is the longest serving female legislator in the assembly.

I always suspected that I would know when it was time to retire, she said in a statement on Tuesday. That time has arrived. After serving 32 years and accomplishing most of my legislative goals, I am stepping aside. I will not run for reelection but will complete my term.

My focus has always been on education, from preschool through graduate school, and on helping our neighbors in need, she said. We have made great progress, yet much more must be done.

Howell joins what may be an unprecedented exodus of legislators and institutional knowledge from the General Assembly this year. New legislative boundaries that the Virginia Supreme Court imposed in December 2021 paired dozens of lawmakers in districts with other incumbents, prompting a raft of retirements. Other lawmakers face tough primary challenges or reelection fights in newly drawn districts.

So far, five senators and 13 delegates have announced they are not running again. Twelve other delegates are running for state Senate seats.

Some lawmakers think each chamber could turn over a quarter or more of its members before next Januarys session.

Howell, who lives in Reston, has represented the 32nd Senate District, covering parts of Fairfax and Arlington counties, since 1992. This year, she would be paired with Sen. Jennifer Boysko, D-Fairfax, of Herndon, in the 38th Senate District under the new legislative map.

She joins a throng of other senior Senate leaders who will retire this year, including Senate Majority Leader Dick Saslaw, D-Fairfax, and Senate Minority Leader Tommy Norment, R-James City. The House will lose leaders such as Del. Ken Plum, D-Fairfax, a 44-year legislative veteran who also represents Reston; Del. Rob Bell, R-Albemarle, chair of the Courts of Justice Committee; Del. Kathy Byron, R-Bedford, chair of the Commerce and Energy Committee; Margaret Ransone, chair of the Privileges and Elections Committee; and Roxann Robinson, chair of the Finance Committee.

Howell became the first female chair of Senate Finance in January 2020, after Democrats gained a majority in the Senate. Her first budget as chair came to a vote that March as the pandemic began in Virginia. It led the assembly to adopt four spending plans in two years as the state adapted to a radically altered economy and unprecedented emergency relief from the federal government.

The two-year budget adopted during a special session last June was her first as leader under divided government, with Republicans controlling the House and the Executive Mansion, under Gov. Glenn Youngkin.

The political divisions were even more intense this year because of the pending elections for all 140 assembly seats. On Saturday, the last day of the scheduled session, the assembly adopted a stopgap spending plan with a handful of must-do appropriations and adjourned, leaving Howell, now co-chair with Sen. George Barker, D-Fairfax, to negotiate a full budget agreement with the House that the assembly could approve in special session.

Throughout my time in the Senate my husband, Hunt, has supported me in every way, Howell said Tuesday. Now we want more time together, with a lot of travel!
Virginia lawmakers were not ready to set up a recreational cannabis market this session, but they did pass Gov. Glenn Youngkin-backed bills to more tightly regulate the hemp market.

Products sold can only have up to 0.3% tetrahydrocannabinol  otherwise known as THC  and up to 2 milligrams of THC per package, according to the law.

THC is the compound found in cannabis plants that creates a sense of euphoria when inhaled or consumed. Many existing hemp products, such as cannabidiol (CBD), do not get users high, but some hemp products meant for consumption include a different form of THC, delta-8, that is a hemp-derived synthetic compound that can. Several products resemble popular candy or snack brands.

With no recreational cannabis market, some are turning to delta-8 products.

Following calls to poison control centers relating to delta-8, the Youngkin administration supported seeking packaging and labeling regulations.

House Bill 2294 by House Majority Leader Terry Kilgore, R-Scott passed both chambers, albeit with some pushback.

Calling it a complete mess, Sen. Scott Surovell, D-Fairfax, argued that splitting regulatory authority between different agencies would be convoluted. The Virginia Department of Agricultural and Consumer Services would look over hemp-derived foods while the Cannabis Control Authority would look over inhaled products.

This is like saying were gonna have [Alcoholic Beverage Control] regulate liquor and were gonna have the Department of Health regulate beer, he said.

The reason were doing this is because somebody upstairs doesnt want to talk about it, he said.

Youngkin has avoided disclosing where he stands on a legal cannabis market, but he supports the hemp regulations.

Sen. Emmett Hanger, R-Augusta, who carried a bill similar to Kilgores, said he knows some in the hemp industry will not be happy with the bill if it means they have to pull some products.

Yan Gleyzer, who leads a consortium of distributors and hemp farmers called the Virginia Healthy Alternatives Association, fears the measure could hurt many small businesses in the state.

While his organization has supported measures like child-resistant packaging, he said the proposed tighter restrictions on THC levels in products could cause many businesses to pull most products from their shelves

The clear intent is to get these types of products off the shelf, Hanger said in an interview with the Richmond Times-Dispatch. [VDACS] will be going out checking for food safety. Thats their job, and this product is not safe for children and not safe for adults at certain levels.

Delta-8 falls into a legal gray area. Congress 2018 Farm Bill did not classify it as it did delta-9, which is found in cannabis. With the proposed law to cap amounts, Gleyzer suspects people will turn to other states for the products they want.

Whats more, with a possible future legal cannabis market, he now suspects hemp companies could have an even harder time getting into that market. Currently, cannabis is legal through a handful of medical monopolies with limited dispensaries around the state.

Youre not going to have anybody that can enter the market because all those people are going to be out of business within a couple of months, Gleyzer said. So technically, the only companies theyre gonna be left with will be those medical monopolies and nobody else to compete.

A hazy path forward for cannabis market

Richmond-area resident Jeff Fleming still hopes to see a legal cannabis market after he said he served time for cannabis-related offenses. Though he now works in construction, he noted how challenging it can be to get back into the workforce when you have a cannabis conviction.

I think a lot of times [legislators] just dont understand how some of their decisions affect people, Fleming said.

Despite pushback this year, he noted some lawmakers growing interest in a legal market. If it happens, he would like to see the tax revenue reinvested in state programs.

It definitely needs to be easier for people to get their licenses and start a business, he said. Then we can figure out what to do with the revenue [from] taxes and put it to good use.

Legislators who worked to decriminalize marijuana possession in 2021 intended to have a fund disperse revenues into communities disproportionately impacted by past prohibition.

Many cannabis bills failed this session, from bipartisan measures aimed at setting up the market, to a bill aimed at creating small-business incubators, and one to allow for resentencing opportunities for those previously incarcerated.

Marijuana Justice director Chelsea Higgs Wise said the future of the market will depend on this years elections.

All 140 House and Senate seats are up in November. With new district maps, several longtime incumbents retiring and a handful of incumbent delegates looking to hop to the Senate, theres room for fresh faces, Higgs Wise said.

[Marijuana Justice] is hoping that with the new elections and new faces that someone will be brave enough to be able to offer alternatives that speak to our priorities from 2021, Higgs Wise said. We have truly walked away with our backs turned to those priorities, particularly with equity and Black communities and individuals harmed by prohibition.

Photos: Missouri voters approve legalizing recreational marijuana Missouri legalize recreational marijuana Missouri voters approve legalizing recreational marijuana Missouri legalize recreational marijuana Missouri legalize recreational marijuana Missouri legalize recreational marijuana Missouri legalize recreational marijuana Missouri legalize recreational marijuana Missouri legalize recreational marijuana Missouri legalize recreational marijuana Missouri legalize recreational marijuana Missouri legalize recreational marijuana Missouri voters approve legalizing recreational marijuana Missouri legalize recreational marijuana Missouri legalize recreational marijuana
Virginia has once again failed to expand voting rights restoration for people convicted of felonies. After the House of Delegates denied a hearing on a proposed amendment that would have created an automatic pathway for rights restoration, a House committee on Feb. 17 killed a similar resolution from Sen. Mamie Locke, D-Hampton, that passed in the Senate. The failure of both resolutions in the House is making advocates on both sides of the aisle wonder how to turn agreement into action.

As students in the State & Local Policy Clinic at the University of Virginia School of Law, we had the privilege of working with Del. Mike Cherry, R-Colonial Heights, to research, draft and advocate for House Joint Resolution 555. In some ways, we were an unlikely team. We both had careers in politics before starting law school. But as a lifelong Republican and a committed Democrat, we had spent those careers advocating for policies that were frequently at odds with one another. Despite these differences, we found common ground on one thing: a shared conviction that Virginias antiquated disenfranchisement regime must be reformed.

Our collaboration on this issue is not an anomaly  rights restoration is not a partisan issue. As of today, Virginia is one of only three states whose constitution permanently disenfranchises anyone with a felony conviction from voting, absent gubernatorial pardon or petition, making the commonwealth an outlier among red, blue and purple states alike.

In the past few years, typically conservative states, such as Oklahoma, Kentucky and Wyoming, have all taken legislative or executive action to create automatic pathways for former felons. In stark contrast to progress made across the country, the defeats of HJ 555 (sponsored and co-patroned by Republicans) and SJ 223 (sponsored by a Democrat) mark the latest of more than 70 failed attempts at reform  attempts that have consistently originated on both sides of the aisle.

It is not difficult to see why there is such widespread support for rights restoration. People believe in redemption and second chances. Those who have served their time and paid their debts to society deserve the opportunity to return fully to their communities. This can only happen if they are allowed to participate as full citizens.

Further, people want to right past wrongs. Our current policy of permanent disenfranchisement is a relic of a Jim Crow-era constitution, designed to suppress the Black vote. This kind of racist and exclusionary policy has no place in Virginia anymore. Most important, rights restoration remains popular across the political spectrum because we all recognize that voting rights are fundamental to who we are as Americans, and voter participation is crucial to a healthy and robust democracy.

Despite this support, without bipartisan efforts to address the issue and real attempts to reconcile policy differences, the status quo will remain. Virginias constitutional amendment process is purposefully deliberative. Amendments must successfully pass both legislative houses twice, with an intervening election, before qualifying for the ballot. Moreover, attempts to hold out for a more favorable political climate will likely be futile given that neither Republicans nor Democrats have a stronghold in the legislature.

Considering these challenges, this year would have been the best time to get an amendment passed. The legislature was divided, with Democrats holding the Senate and Republicans holding the House. SJ 223 passed the Senate and might have gained a majority on the House floor. Any amendment created through this truly bipartisan process would have a strong likelihood of surviving in the next legislature, regardless of its partisan composition. Furthermore, 2023 is an election year, which would have allowed us to move through the ratification process in only two years. Now that this opportunity is gone, we will have to wait until 2026 before the amendment even has a chance of leaving the statehouse.

Tracing its roots back to the colonial period, the Virginia General Assembly is the first and longest-running democratically elected political body in the New World. Sadly, it remains among the last to adopt a more humane, compassionate and fair approach to voting rights restoration.

The two of us were able to reach across the aisle to find common ground on this important issue. Heres hoping the members of the General Assembly will one day be able to do the same.

Close 05-31-1971 (cutline): Voting Machines destined for Henrico Polling booths are unloaded. 10-29-1964 (cutline): Getting ready for election. 11-03-1989 (cutline): Youth Poll--Students at Ratcliffe Elementary School in Henrico County lined up to take part in a mock election yesterday. A school official monitored polling, which was done on school computers. The real election for governor, lieutenant governor and attorney general is Tuesday. 11-02-1971: Walter C. Lewis, precinct worker explains procedure of voting machine to Raymond L. Redd. 11-06-1973 (cutline): Voters received lapel pins after making their choices at the ballot box. Pins were distributed at city precincts by the Richmond Jaycees. 12-16-1952 (cutline): They decide on Eisenhower--Presidental electors cast Virginia's 12 votes for General Eisenhower. 03-08-1988: Voting booth at City Hall precinct during presidental primary. 11-03-1948 (cutline): A long night of waiting--A crowd (above) hears announcer read election results at a Republican party last night at the Hotel John Marshall after Truman had started to forge ahead in early returns. Score board totals indicate the Virginia trend. 10-02-1969 (cutline): Billie Holloman spots a 'help wanted' sign in a pharmacy here today. The notice responds to yesterday's announcement by a group of ex-Democrats. 09-14-1971 (cutline): Voting Activity Slow Here-- There wasn't a great deal of voting activity reported in the Richmond area during the early hours of today's Democratic primary elections. Officials at voting precinct 73, located at Dick Strauss Ford on Belt Boulevard, were on duty early in the morning awaiting the voter turnout. Mrs. Frances Shaw, an election official there, reported it was 10:35 a.m. before the first voter arrived to cast a ballot. 11-05-1980 (cutline): Jubilant merrymaker holds aloft words Republicans wanted to see. GOP supporters celebrated at party at Hotel John Marshall. 08-03-1949: Mr. John Thomas Martin casts his ballot. 11-07-1972 (cutline): Voters prepare to cast their ballots at city precinct 10 in fire house at 28th and 'Q' Streets. From the Archives: Voting in Richmond Interested in a copy of any of these photos? Click here. 05-31-1971 (cutline): Voting Machines destined for Henrico Polling booths are unloaded. 10-29-1964 (cutline): Getting ready for election. 11-03-1989 (cutline): Youth Poll--Students at Ratcliffe Elementary School in Henrico County lined up to take part in a mock election yesterday. A school official monitored polling, which was done on school computers. The real election for governor, lieutenant governor and attorney general is Tuesday. 11-02-1971: Walter C. Lewis, precinct worker explains procedure of voting machine to Raymond L. Redd. 11-06-1973 (cutline): Voters received lapel pins after making their choices at the ballot box. Pins were distributed at city precincts by the Richmond Jaycees. 12-16-1952 (cutline): They decide on Eisenhower--Presidental electors cast Virginia's 12 votes for General Eisenhower. 03-08-1988: Voting booth at City Hall precinct during presidental primary. 11-03-1948 (cutline): A long night of waiting--A crowd (above) hears announcer read election results at a Republican party last night at the Hotel John Marshall after Truman had started to forge ahead in early returns. Score board totals indicate the Virginia trend. 10-02-1969 (cutline): Billie Holloman spots a 'help wanted' sign in a pharmacy here today. The notice responds to yesterday's announcement by a group of ex-Democrats. 09-14-1971 (cutline): Voting Activity Slow Here-- There wasn't a great deal of voting activity reported in the Richmond area during the early hours of today's Democratic primary elections. Officials at voting precinct 73, located at Dick Strauss Ford on Belt Boulevard, were on duty early in the morning awaiting the voter turnout. Mrs. Frances Shaw, an election official there, reported it was 10:35 a.m. before the first voter arrived to cast a ballot. 11-05-1980 (cutline): Jubilant merrymaker holds aloft words Republicans wanted to see. GOP supporters celebrated at party at Hotel John Marshall. 08-03-1949: Mr. John Thomas Martin casts his ballot. 11-07-1972 (cutline): Voters prepare to cast their ballots at city precinct 10 in fire house at 28th and 'Q' Streets.
Australia returns two stolen cultural objects to Mexico

Mexico City, Mexico  The Australian Border Force (ABF) has intercepted the entry of two protected cultural objects from Mexico. One was a pre-Hispanic Mixtec copper bowl and a 100-year-old votive painting, both of which were returned to the Mexican Government.

Minister for the Arts, the Hon Tony Burke MP, handed over the objects to His Excellency Mr. Eduardo Pena Haller, Ambassador of Mexico, during a ceremony in Canberra Monday morning, the agency reported in a statement.

Australian residents purchased the objects online from a US-based company before ABF officers detected the items upon arrival in Australia.

Concerned about the lack of export documentation for the objects, ABF officers referred them to the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts for investigation under the Protection of Movable Cultural Heritage Act 1986.

The Department consulted with the Embassy of Mexico, and the Government of Mexico submitted a formal repatriation request. The bowl was seized in Sydney, and the votive painting in Perth in 2022.

Acting Assistant Secretary of the ABFs Customs and Trade Policy Branch, Joshua Hutton, said ABF officers are trained to detect a wide range of prohibited goods, including protected cultural heritage objects significant to a nations identity such as antiquities, art, fossils, historical documents, and numismatic material.

We are incredibly proud of the highly specialised skills of our officers, which not only help keep Australias borders safe but also protect the cultural heritage of other nations, Mr Hutton said.

Were delighted that these priceless objects have been returned to the people of Mexico through the Embassy of Mexico here in Australia.

The Australian Government is committed to the protection of Australian and international cultural property, which is upheld under law. Australia is a signatory to the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property 1970.

Mr Hutton reminded Australians to be careful when buying art or historical objects, no matter in what country or era they might have been created.

Art collectors should always verify the provenance of any cultural works they acquire overseas, whether online or in person. Many countries have laws that regulate the export of cultural property, and it may be illegal to export the goods without the correct permit, he said.
Nation's growth tops global interest list

By Zhang Chunyan and Yang Yang (China Daily) 08:43, February 28, 2023

China's GDP growth was the top concern among global internet users, according to an online survey by China Daily's website and 10 global media outlets.

The survey's results are seen as a barometer of how people worldwide view the two sessions, which are the annual meetings of the National People's Congress, China's top legislature, and the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, the country's top political advisory body. It asked respondents to choose the China-related topics they were most interested in ahead of the annual event.

In the survey, 20.06 percent of the respondents said that China's GDP growth was the most anticipated topic, followed by business and trade (16.66 percent), science-tech innovation (15.2 percent), environment (13.70 percent), politics (11.58 percent) and foreign policy (10.5 percent). A total of 8,290 people had submitted answers as of Monday.

The 10 participating overseas media organizations, including the Pakistan Observer and Viet Nam News, published the questionnaire online to collect responses from readers.

Among respondents, 51.02 percent said they have high confidence in China's growth.

The International Monetary Fund increased its forecast for China's economic growth to 5.2 percent in 2023 in its World Economic Outlook report. The updated number was 0.8 percentage point higher than the October forecast.

John Edwards, the United Kingdom's trade commissioner for China, said: "I think that's perfectly possible. In that report by the IMF, they said their revised growth figures for China were one of the reasons they were also revising the global figures as well in a more positive direction."

Regarding the two sessions, Edwards said, "We're expecting a kind of a raft of measures that will encourage consumption and stimulate the private sector, and keep the momentum of the Chinese economy, not just this year, but in subsequent years."

Roshan Khadka, editor-in-chief of the Nepalese website Kathmandu Pati, said the optimization of COVID-19 response and the recovery of consumption will underpin China's economic growth.

Global readers are also closely watching China's foreign policy. When asked what they wanted to know about China's diplomacy, 15.75 percent of survey respondents chose China-US ties as their main interest.

Aitizaz Hassan, a writer for Independent News Pakistan, said, "A normal China-US relationship could lead to increased trade and investment between the two countries, which could have economic benefits for both sides and help reduce tensions and improve political stability in the region."

"China and the US could have significant geopolitical implications, including the potential for greater cooperation on global issues such as economy, climate change and international security," Hassan added.

As this year marks the 10th anniversary of the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative, 12.97 percent of the respondents said they will keep an eye on the BRI.

Necati Demircan, a journalist with the Turkish newspaper Aydinlik, noted that "a revival in world trade is provided by the BRI, which is one of the most important investment and development projects of the 21st century".

So far, 151 countries and 32 international organizations are participating in the BRI.

Visiting China is another big interest for global readers. In the survey, 76.74 percent of the respondents said they plan to visit China this year, with 46.87 percent planning to do so for leisure purposes and 18.03 percent for business.

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)
NAIROBI, Feb. 28 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations Refugee Agency UNHCR on Tuesday appealed for 137 million U.S. dollars to help 3.3 million refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the Horn of Africa due to the forecast sixth failed rainy season which lasts between March and May.

The UNHCR said the funds will be used to provide life-saving aid to refugees and IDPs who have been forced to flee their homes in search of safety and assistance, as well as affected local host communities.

"We continue to call for more global solidarity and support to protect, assist and empower drought-affected communities and save millions of lives," the UNHCR said in a statement.

According to the UN agency, as the Horn of Africa enters its sixth consecutive rainy season with no rain, displacement continues to climb as millions from Somalia, Ethiopia and Kenya struggle to survive amid scarce water sources, hunger, insecurity and conflict.

It said the dangerous confluence of climate and conflict in the region is worsening an already dire humanitarian situation.

The UNHCR said while famine has so far been averted in Somalia, mostly due to a stepped-up humanitarian response, people continue to battle life-threatening food and water shortages resulting from massive losses of harvests, livestock and income. It said local commodity prices in Somalia also remain at an all-time high, out of reach for many.

According to the UNHCR data, more than 1.7 million people have been internally displaced in Ethiopia and Somalia due to the drought, most of them last year.

Over 180,000 refugees from Somalia and South Sudan also crossed into drought-affected areas of Kenya and Ethiopia, it said.

"In recent weeks, nearly 100,000 people have arrived in Doolo, a remote area in Ethiopia's Somali region itself hard hit by the drought, fleeing conflict in the Las Anod area within Somalia," the UNHCR said.

It said since the start of the year, over 287,000 people have been internally displaced due to conflict and drought in Somalia alone.

Due to space constraints in Kenya's Dadaab camps, the UNHCR said, arriving refugees seeking relief from this climate catastrophe have been forced to reside along the outskirts of the camps where assistance is limited, while efforts are underway to establish a new settlement at the site of a previously closed camp.

The UNHCR warned that humanitarian needs are also expected to rise in 2023 as drought and insecurity persist.

The Horn of African region could experience depressed rains in the critical March to May season, dashing hopes of a respite from the escalating hunger crisis, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), an East African bloc, said on Feb. 22 in its latest weather forecast report.

The March-May rainy season accounts for up to 60 percent of total annual rainfall in equatorial parts of the region. 
Gunmen leave two men dead outside Tulum bar

Tulum, Q.R.  Two Tulum men were shot to death outside a bar Monday morning in the towns hotel zone. The men had just stepped outside to leave when they were gunned down.

The fatal shootings happened around 1:00 a.m. Monday morning outside a bar located at kilometer 7.5 of the Tulum-Boca Paila Coastal Road. The men had just walked outside when they were intercepted by a group who began shooting before fleeing.

Witnesses called the shooting in to emergency services who responded by sending police. Paramedics pronounced both 28-year-old Manuel P and 30-year-old Oscar A, on site.

Police collected evidence from the scene of the targeted attack. There are no reports of suspects in custody.
INM locates a third bus in one week of illegal migrants

Fortin de las Flores, Veracruz  A bus carrying 149 illegal migrants was stopped by police and immigration authorities over the weekend. On board, INM reported finding 149 illegal people that were attempting to pass through Mexico.

The bus was located and stopped on a section of highway in Veracruz. The National Institute of Migration (INM) said the driver was following the Tapachula-CDMX route when it was discovered.

On board, they found 139 people from Guatemala, 18 of which was unaccompanied minors, along with four adults from Ecuador, two from India, two from Honduras and two from El Salvador.

All 149 were transferred to INM facilities for processing. Photo: INM February 27, 2023.

In their statement, they reported that the driver of the bus left Tapachula, Chiapas bound for Mexico City. All 149 on board were transferred to INM facilities, while the driver of the bus was arrested. It is the third bus load of illegal migrants located by INM in one week.
NEW CASTLE  A second year behind bars was added Monday to Shawn Michael Tolberts penalty for weeks of evading law enforcement agencies last summer.

At a hearing in Craig County Circuit Court, Tolbert, 42, of Burkeville pleaded guilty to assaulting a sheriffs deputy and was sentenced to serve a year in jail, with another year suspended. Judge Joel Branscom said that the suspended time could be reimposed if Tolbert disobeyed probation rules during the 12 months that follow his release.

A plea agreement dropped a second count of assault and battery against a law enforcement officer.

Mondays hearing resolved the second of the four sets of charges brought against Tolbert after his run across several counties from authorities in August.

In January, Tolbert pleaded guilty in Montgomery County to a felony charge of eluding and was sentenced to serve a year in jail with another two years suspended.

He still faces charges in Pulaski and Roanoke counties, all stemming from a chase that began Aug. 11 on Interstate 81 in Roanoke County when a Virginia State Trooper thought Tolberts vehicle matched the description of one involved in the theft of lottery tickets at a Botetourt County convenience store.

Officers from an assortment of agencies chased Tolbert as he fled south into Montgomery County and onto U.S. 460, then into Giles County and eventually Craig County, where a crash on Virginia 42 ended the vehicle portion of the pursuit.

Tolbert ran into the woods and escaped, according to police and prosecutor statements.

Investigators decided that Tolberts crashed vehicle was not the same one involved in the Botetourt County theft report. But Tolberts failure to stop for officers had made him a fugitive, the target of a weeks-long manhunt.

At the Craig County hearing, Commonwealths Attorney Matthew Dunne called Deputy Jeffrey Bryant of the county sheriffs office to the witness stand to describe his encounter with Tolbert on Aug. 13.

Bryant testified that he was searching along a power line cut near the Huffman community when he saw someone that he thought was Tolbert. Identifying Tolbert in the courtroom, Bryant said that he had approached the man and asked his name, and that Tolbert gave an alias. The officer then asked for the mans date of birth and Tolbert gave a date, then said he couldnt remember what year he had been born.

Bryant said that he told Tolbert he was going to pat him down for weapons. After finding him unarmed, Bryant said he told Tolbert that he was taking him into custody. He told Tolbert to put his hand behind his back and Tolbert initially did  but as the deputy reached to handcuff him, Tolbert shouted, Why are you doing this when you dont even know if Im the guy youre looking for?

Tolbert yanked his hands away, the deputy used his taser on him, and Tolbert ran again, vanishing once more into the woods, Bryant said.

Defense attorney Matt Schottmiller of Salem said that he had no questions for the officer and nothing to add to the prosecution account.

Tolbert was eventually arrested on Aug. 31 in Pulaski County.
The New Jersey man who was convicted of eluding police on Interstate 81 and fighting officers during his arrest last spring will serve a six-month jail term.

We caught you on your worst day, Botetourt County Circuit Judge Joel Branscom said during Roberto J. Villarreal-Rios plea hearing Tuesday.

On May 12, around 1 p.m., Virginia State Police issued a lookout for an SUV with flashing blue and red lights mounted on its windshield that was towing a white box trailer, Deputy Commonwealths Attorney Gillian Deegan said.

One trooper spotted the southbound vehicle on Interstate 81 near the Troutville Rest Area, activated his lights and sirens and attempted to stop the SUV, Deegan said. But the SVU did not stop.

About five miles south, Deegan said a trooper attempted to pull his vehicle alongside the SUV. The pursued vehicle cut the troopers car off, swerved between lanes and rode along the center line.

Deegan said the driver also threw objects out of the SUVs sunroof. She said that had the troopers not used evasive maneuvers, their vehicles would have been damaged.

Law enforcement deployed spikes twice as the SUV continued south on the interstate, but neither attempt was successful. Deegan said at some point the SUV drove into the median, turned around and began traveling northbound on I-81.

Near the Troutville truck scales, police deployed spikes again, and around the northbound 151 mile marker, the SUV stopped in the middle of the interstate.

Troopers coaxed Villarreal-Rios out of the SUV, which he exited with his hands up. But Deegan said he was flipping off the troopers with his middle fingers raised. He kept his middle fingers up as he laid down on the pavement.

When two troopers attempted to handcuff Villarreal-Rios, Deegan said he rolled over, resisted arrest and struck the law enforcement officers. Only after a taser was deployed was Villarreal-Rios handcuffed.

In the altercation, one trooper sustained a minor injury to his hand, and Villarreal-Rios hurt his face and elbow. He was treated at Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital.

Villarreal-Rios was charged with two counts of assaulting a law enforcement officer, six counts of throwing a missile at an occupied vehicle, eluding, reckless driving, impersonating law enforcement, destruction of property and resisting arrest.

After the incident, one of the assaulted officers reported that Villarreal-Rios became more cooperative.

The trooper decided that he was amenable to reducing one assault charge to a misdemeanor.

That charge was amended Tuesday to accommodate the troopers request and was included as a part of Villarreal-Rios plea agreement.

Since the incident, Villarreal-Rios has been psychologically evaluated. His attorney, Jennifer Froeschl, said that medical records show he has a history of mental health struggles that date from his U.S. military discharge.

Froeschl also said Villarreal-Rios had a clean criminal record prior to the May 12 incident. She said he is very apologetic and has been compliant with all of the treatment that hes receiving.

Villareal-Rios, 39, who was in a wheelchair due to a recent foot surgery, pleaded no contest to four charges Tuesday, including two counts of officer assault, one count of throwing a missile at an occupied vehicle and one count of eluding. All other original charges were not prosecuted.

For assaulting one officer, Villarreal-Rios was sentenced to three years of incarceration, suspended after he serves six months in jail.

For assaulting the second officer, Villarreal-Rios was sentenced to 12 months in jail, but all of that time was suspended.

For throwing a missile, he got two years, all of which was suspended, as were the four years he got for eluding.

Villarreal-Rios will report to the Botetourt-Craig Regional Jail on March 9. Once released, he will be placed on supervised probation in New Jersey for five years.
CHRISTIANSBURG  There will be a new tax to pay come July 1 for smokers who buy their cigarettes in Montgomery Countys unincorporated areas.

The countys Board of Supervisors, on a 4-3 vote Monday night, approved a cigarette tax of 40 cents for each package containing 20 cigarettes. The tax will be 2 cents for each cigarette in a package of fewer or more than 20 cigarettes.

Supervisors Todd King, Sherri Blevins and Darrell Sheppard, all Republicans, voted against the tax. Supervisor Steve Fijalkowski, who forms part of the boards 4-3 GOP majority, joined the three board Democrats in voting for the cigarette tax.

Despite the narrow approval, the passed measure marks a success for the county, which had for years asked the General Assembly to grant it the authority to collect a cigarette tax. The states legislature eventually passed legislation allowing counties across Virginia to collect the tax.

County officials said they plan to allocate $100,000 raised by the new tax to the parks and recreation department.

Supporters of the move have called it a sin tax and defended it by pointing to the growing countys constant need to find new revenue streams to help address increasing needs. They have also described the 40 cents as not an exorbitant rate, especially when taking into the account the current costs of cigarettes.

Opponents, however, voiced concerns about burdening residents with a new tax. They said the measure also seems to contradict the countys recent efforts to provide tax relief.

Opponents of the tax pointed to the boards decision this past fall to abolish the merchant capital tax, a business inventory tax that had been unpopular with many local employers. Some supervisors voiced fears that the merchant capital tax would either prompt companies to either leave or avoid coming to the area.

We didnt get rid of one tax to replace it with another, said Blevins, the boards chairwoman. Just because we can do something doesnt mean that we should.

King said he didnt see the need for the tax when taking into consideration the fact the county often has access to year-end funds that are not necessarily attached to any single item.

King called the elimination of the merchant capital tax a good thing.

Now were talking about taxing individuals, he said. We have got the money. I just dont understand why we would even bring this up to tax anybody, [when the county has] money we have thats not allocated. With prices the way they are now. Gas, eggs and everything.

County staff, however, said the unallocated funds King brought up change from year to year and are usually set aside for one-time expenses, not ongoing ones such as what the cigarette tax revenue will go to.

Supervisor Sara Bohn, who debated King over the tax Monday, said the county simply needs the revenue. She also voiced fears about the board needing to find areas to cut due to not taking advantage of a new revenue stream.

Were a growing county. We need all the revenue, Bohn, a Democrat, said.

Although the measure supervisors approved will only apply to the unincorporated areas, it effectively means all smokers who buy cigarettes anywhere in the county will pay the tax.

Blacksburg and Christiansburg have long taxed the sale of cigarettes, with the former levying a rate of 30 cents per pack of 20 and the latter levying a rate of 40 cents per pack.

In fact, some county businesses with locations outside the two towns have voiced concerns over eliminating the competitive advantage theyve enjoyed over cigarette retailers located in neighboring localities such as the two towns, Pulaski County and Radford.

Still, the new measure has received support from at least several other residents, some of whom said it sends a message promoting healthier habits.
CHARLOTTESVILLE  In his first major public meeting in the wake of a spate of recent shootings, Charlottesville Police Chief Michael Kochis got nearly two hours of free advice from a community in pain.

We have young children with guns, and they cant even spell, resident Dorenda Johnson said at a community forum Kochis convened at Old Trinity Church on Monday evening.

They cant even spell, she repeated. How did we get here?

Born and raised in Charlottesville, Johnson encouraged her own Black brothers and sisters to pursue some self-reflection on the recent rise in violence, which was one of the evenings central themes.

But so was an opposing view.

It feels like you are representing an organization, one young man challenged the police chief and his officers. The man complained that officers dont even make eye contact with people on the street.

They dont speak to me, bro, said the young man.

A man said that he was struggling to recall when hed last seen an officer walking a beat and asked for a show of hands if anyone else had.

Few hands rose.

Thats a failure, said that man. We need to see you in the neighborhood to know youre actually doing your job.

Kochis noted near the meetings start that his department is understaffed, down a third of its force. And while the chief conceded that police could be doing better, he said that officers are still a crucial line of defense when theres trouble.

No ones calling parks and rec, said Kochis. Theyre calling police.

Kochis said he plans to target three specific neighborhoods that have become hot spots for gun violence: 10th and Page, parts of Charlottesville a little further away from 10th & Page and the Corner near the University of Virginia. Each has been a scene of gun violence in recent months.

Shootings have taken 11 lives and injured at least 21 people in the city of Charlottesville and surrounding Albemarle County since September. In Charlottesville alone there have three homicides in the first six weeks of the year, officially surpassing the two killings that were reported in that same period last year.

There was an emotional moment on Monday evening when the mother of Daiquan Anderson, a man slain near Court Square in September, asked the chief for information. He said hed like to speak with her privately.

Her friend, Francine Chambers, told the crowd that she predicted from the moment of Andersons slaying that nobody would be arrested.

No one has.

Chambers said that she organized a gun buyback to honor Andersons life.

You get them guns off the street, she shouted. This is a hot mess.

Kochis, who took office in mid-January, expressed anguish about the ubiquity of guns.

Theyre coming from all over. Guns are being left unlocked in peoples homes, stolen, you name it, said Kochis. Most of our shots-fired calls that were seeing are typically teenagers, between neighborhood beefs to settle conflicts.

He said the city gets an average of one shots-fired call each day and that police plan to open a substation shortly in response.

One person demanding accountability of the police without vilifying them was Mary Coleman, the executive director of City of Promise, which connects young people in Charlottesvilles West haven, Starr Hill and 10th & Page neighborhoods to mentors, tutors, after-school programs and service providers. While she too lamented the apparent lack of officers on the street, she spoke fondly of participating in a program called the Citizens Police Academy and feeling empathy for them.

Twelve weeks together, were eating together, theyre humanized to me, said Coleman, who then suggested reversing the program and having officers spend 12 weeks with the citizens. There was laughter and applause.

Colemans group is dedicated to reducing poverty, and that was something several speakers on Monday evening cited.

One of them was Jay James, a well-known radio host speaking Monday on behalf of the Bridge Ministry.

People are being set up for failure, said James. What about working with their parents who are stuck in a cycle of systemic oppression?

The B.U.C.K. Squad, a Charlottesville group dedicated to removing gun violence from the citys streets, didnt speak during the meeting, but one of the groups leaders expressed enthusiasm afterwards for some of the things that were said.

Its all economic, a lack of resources, a lack of fathers, and were just seeing the results, said the squads Assistant Executive Director Bryan Page. The kids are abandoned.

Page said one thing he heard chilled and anguished him.

We know these people, said Page. Theyre babies.
RICHMOND  On Monday, Virginia Commonwealth University installed a plaque in its student center recognizing Adam Oakes and marking the two-year anniversary of his death in a fraternity hazing incident.

Since Oakes death, VCU has made numerous changes to fraternity and sorority life, limiting when alcohol can be consumed and controlling how it is purchased.

And a new state law named for Oakes requires universities to train student members on the dangers of hazing and to publish student group violations.

But VCU declined recommendations to overhaul Greek life. The university chose not to ban alcohol at all fraternity events, to eliminate the big brother night that experts call dangerous, or to attempt to erase the power dynamic between senior members and new members.

Its unclear why VCU chose to make some changes and not others. A spokesperson from the university did not directly address the question.

The university does not shoulder all the blame, said two former members of Oakes fraternity. Fraternity members often behave recklessly, and the fraternity headquarters provided little leadership, they said. Those groups are culpable, too.

Universities do not have absolute authority over fraternities and sororities, which often consider their traditions hallowed. VCU does not own the roughly 35 organizations, which have more than 600 student members, or their off-campus houses.

Still, VCU did not do enough to keep student members safe, said one recent graduate who worked on fraternity reform at the school.

Making big-little night less treacherous

Perhaps the most significant change VCU implemented was to ban alcohol at any fraternity or sorority event that new members attend. A student is considered a new member for roughly one month and is most likely to be hazed during this period.

Experts have identified big-little night as one of the most dangerous nights in the fraternity calendar. Its the night when a new member is introduced to his big brother or her big sister.

The night Oakes died, he attended a big-little party for his fraternity, Delta Chi. The fraternity assigned Andrew White as his big brother. Chapter tradition dictated they share a family drink  in this case, Jack Daniels whiskey splashed with Coca-Cola. White told Oakes it was tradition that Oakes consume the entire 1-liter bottle.

Another change was to restrict how student groups purchase alcohol. No longer can a student visit a grocery or liquor store to stock up. Now, groups must buy alcohol from approved third-party vendors so the university can track purchases.

VCU also added a rule that students cannot join fraternities and sororities until after they have been on campus for a semester, when they are slightly older and more familiar with their community. Students now must have a minimum 2.7 grade-point average to join.

After Oakes death, VCU contracted a firm, Dyad Strategies, to investigate the universitys Greek culture. The investigation determined VCUs office of Fraternity and Sorority Life suffered from frequent turnover, struggled to investigate claims of hazing consistently and did not respond to student emails for days.

In response, VCU hired three new employees, including a director of Fraternity and Sorority Life and a hazing prevention coordinator. It contracted a new software provider called Maxient, which tracks student conduct at colleges.

VCU moved the investigation of violations to its Student Conduct and Academic Integrity office, so that employees tasked with connecting to student organizations were no longer the same ones punishing them. VCU says it now has better communication and accountability between employees and student leaders.

In 2021, Gov. Glenn Youngkin signed Adams Law, which requires students in Greek organizations throughout the state to undergo hazing prevention training. It also requires universities to publish on their websites the violations of its student organizations.

Since the fall of 2021, VCU has cited 24 organizations for misconduct, including hazing, underage drinking and damaging neighborhood property. Nearly every violation involved alcohol.

Five groups were found responsible for hazing, including giving new members alcohol and making them do pushups and wear blindfolds. Punishments ranged from disallowing new members to multiyear suspensions.

The Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity, which gave new members alcohol and instructed them to run and wear blindfolds, was suspended four years. Fraternity Phi Kappa Psi, which was found responsible for similar violations, received a two-year suspension.

The Lambda Phi Epsilon fraternity, whose violations did not include hazing, hosted an event with underage drinking where a partygoer urinated on a neighbors door. The fraternity received the harshest suspension of all  eight years.

At VCU, misconduct by student organizations has gone up.

While reports of hazing or concerning organizational behavior have increased, reporting is a goal of increased awareness, said VCU spokesperson Michael Porter. More reporting is viewed as a sign that training surrounding reporting has been effective.

Before Oakes death, VCU did not keep a comprehensive record of fraternity violations, making it difficult to quantify the increase in bad behavior.

A Band-Aid on a cut that requires stitches

Matt Wixted, a 2021 VCU graduate who was chapter president of Theta Delta Chi, said these changes were not enough. Wixted served on a workgroup in 2021 that proposed fixes to Greek life.

Adding the required training is like putting a Band-Aid on a cut that requires stitches, Wixted said.

VCU conducted its own investigation and recommended banning alcohol from all fraternity and sorority events. Greek life had become too much about the parties and not enough about student development, the report stated. And most members are younger than 21.

But VCU convened five workgroups of employees, students and others to suggest improvements, and one workgroup determined that dangerous activity was not happening at registered events such as formals and date nights.

High-risk behavior occurred in informal settings, the workgroup said. In other words, students were more likely to drink dangerously at unregistered parties.

Too often, Wixted said, senior members of fraternities are irresponsible and do not take care of younger members inexperience with alcohol.

Another workgroup suggestion was to eliminate the big-little night altogether. The workgroup said these events create opportunities for high-risk behavior and involve a power dynamic when they occur during the pledging process.

A separate workgroup suggested eliminating the words that reinforce those power dynamics between old and new members, such as pledge, colonies and rush. Wixteds fraternity removed pledge from its lexicon and replaced it with new member.

But VCU did not take either suggestion.

Theres a lot of blame to go around

Jason Mulgrew, who was chapter president of Delta Chi, said the blame goes beyond VCU.

Last year, Mulgrew pleaded no contest to a charge of misdemeanor hazing. He received no jail time but is required to speak at 10 hazing prevention seminars.

Mulgrew acknowledged he is partly responsible for Oakes death. But other members of the fraternity, the university and the fraternity headquarters are at fault, too, he said.

A 19-year-old not waking up, the next morning dead, theres a lot of blame to go around, he said in an interview. A lot.

The Oakes family settled with VCU for nearly $1 million. It has sued the fraternity, 12 members of the local chapter and its adviser for $28 million.

After he became chapter president, Mulgrew received no guidance on how to lead a fraternity, he said. He communicated regularly with a university employee, but the conversation usually centered around filling out paperwork and completing tasks.

The Delta Chi headquarters was unprepared for handling an emergency, he said. The morning Oakes was found dead, Mulgrew called the leadership of the fraternity, which is headquartered in Indianapolis.

The employee on the other end of the phone told Mulgrew to take the chapter out of the public eye  dont wear the fraternitys letters, take down the letters anywhere theyre visible and delete the chapters social media accounts.

Delta Chi does not exist at VCU right now, said the staffer, whom Mulgrew did not identify. The executive director of Delta Chi fraternity did not respond to a request for comment.

Student members, who are almost all adults, need to take responsibility and break the cycle of traditions, Mulgrew said. Instead of older members telling new members to finish a bottle of alcohol, maybe new members should choose the activity.

Andrew White, who was Oakes big brother, said the problem is bigger than universities and fraternities. Teenage and young-adult males are too reckless, too interested in acting tough and too likely to consume drugs and alcohol.

We think were invincible, White said in an interview. He pleaded guilty to misdemeanor hazing and was sentenced to community service and speaking at five hazing prevention events.

Susan Lipkins, a psychologist and author of a book about hazing, said ending hazing will require a wide grassroots movement, similar to Black Lives Matter or #MeToo.

Ultimately, a universitys ability to police fraternities and sororities is limited. VCU does not own the organizations, their houses are off campus, and VCU does not have the ability to disband them.

VCU can expel them from campus, but that does not stop the organizations from going rogue and operating away from the university. Thats why Dyad Strategies suggested VCU take either an all in or all out approach to enforcement.

According to Dyads report, VCU was in the awkward position of being half in  invested enough to be aware of the risks fraternities pose but not invested enough to fully manage those risks.

For years, VCU tried to rein in Delta Chi. The university issued the fraternity a four-year suspension in 2018, but Delta Chi hired a lawyer to fight back. VCU relented and reduced the suspension to one year.

Since Oakes death, VCU has moved in the direction of all in.

Wixted, the former chapter president of Theta Delta Chi, said that while fraternities at VCU are beginning to be held accountable for their actions, fewer students have shown interest in joining.

The number of VCU students in fraternities and sororities has dropped from about 1,200 in 2021 to more than 600 last month. That number likely will grow this semester as new students are allowed to join.

If VCU wants to keep Greek life afloat, they need to start working on how to change the stigma around Greek life and show that we are a non-hazing school that focuses on the development of young men and women, Wixted said.

Oakes family focuses on reform

The Oakes family continues to focus on education and reform. It started a nonprofit called the Love Like Adam Foundation determined to prevent another hazing death.

Adams father, Eric Oakes, and his cousin, Courtney White, have traveled across Virginia giving presentations to college students. Courtney White, a doctoral student at Marymount University in Arlington, is writing a dissertation on hazing prevention.

At a recent hazing prevention seminar, White shared her cousins story and explained why hazing happens  often, older members believe that because they were hazed, the new members should be hazed, too. Plus, hazing weeds out the weak, and it bonds together the members who persevere.

She explained the signs of alcohol intoxication  vomiting, slow breathing, blue skin and inability to wake up. And she encouraged the students not to be bystanders.

Dont let fear stop you from saving someones life, she said.

Alongside Courtney White were Mulgrew and Andrew White, who attended as part of their plea agreements, answered questions from students and spoke candidly about their roles in a hazing death.

After the event, a group of female students approached Courtney White. The students had never talked about hazing in such a meaningful and personal way, they said.

On Monday, the Oakes family returned to the VCU campus for the unveiling of Adams memorial. VCU has designated Feb. 27 as an annual day for preventing hazing and remembering Adam Oakes.
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COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP)  President Joe Biden on Monday announced the appointment of former Columbia, South Carolina, Mayor Steve Benjamin as a top adviser, filling a key White House role from a state that has become crucial to the Democratic Party ahead of the 2024 election cycle.

Benjamin will become director of the White House Office of Engagement. He takes over from another former mayor, Keisha Lance Bottoms, who had assumed the role in June and is returning to Atlanta, officials said.

Benjamin will oversee White House efforts to ensure community leaders, diverse perspectives, and new voices have the opportunity to inform the work of the President in an inclusive, transparent and responsible way, according to the White House. In a release, Biden called Benjamin a longtime public servant whose deep relationships across the country would well serve the administration.

Benjamin, 53, has long been considered a rising star in Democratic politics, serving three terms as Columbias mayor, and the first Black mayor in the citys history.

Serving as president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors and African Americans Mayors Association, Benjamin spoke at the 2016 Democratic National Convention and was among the candidates considered for Hillary Clintons running mate that year.

He opted not to run for a fourth term in 2021.

The appointment comes at a time when Benjamins home state is becoming even more critical to Democrats as they face the 2024 presidential campaign. Earlier this year, the Democratic National Committee voted to hold their first nominating contest of the next cycle in South Carolina, supplanting Iowa, New Hampshire and Nevada in an effort to more deeply represent the desires of Black voters.

In South Carolinas 2020 primary, Benjamin met with nearly all of the 2020 Democratic White House hopefuls, offering advice as they wound their way through South Carolina, a state in which support from Black voters is critical to Democratic candidates success. Benjamin initially gave his endorsement to former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg before supporting Biden, who scored a thundering win in the states primary.

Benjamin also served in the administration of Gov. Jim Hodges, who in 1998 was the most recent Democrat elected to South Carolinas highest office. Earlier this year, his wife, DeAndrea Gist Benjamin, was sworn in as a judge on the 4th US. Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond, Virginia, appointed to the post by Biden.
 Notable 5-4 SCOTUS split in ruling to limit civil penalties of Bank Secrecy Act | Main | Prison Policy Initiative reports on "Womens Mass Incarceration: The Whole Pie 2023" 

The Bureau of Justice Statistics today released this new web report presenting data on employment of state and federal prisoners in the 30 days prior to arrest for the offense for which they were incarcerated. The findings are based on data collected in 2016, so are a bit dated. They are still interesting, and here are some of the listed "Key Findings."

More than 6 in 10 state (61%) and federal (63%) prisoners were employed in the 30 days prior to arrest for the offense for which they were incarcerated, with about half (49% state and 54% federal) having a full-time job.

About a quarter of persons in state (24%) and federal (25%) prison were unemployed and not looking for work in the 30 days prior to arrest.

Females in state (47%) and federal (55%) prison were less likely to be employed than males in state (62%) and federal (64%) prison.

Among state prisoners, whites and Hispanics (66% each) were more likely than blacks (54%) to be employed in the 30 days prior to arrest. Among persons sentenced to serve time in federal prison, whites (64%) were more likely than blacks (54%) and American Indians or Alaska Natives (52%) and less likely than Hispanics (71%) and Asians, Native Hawaiians, or other Pacific Islanders (77%) to be employed in the 30 days prior to arrest.

Non-U.S. citizens in state (81%) and federal (78%) prison were more likely than U.S. citizens in state (60%) and federal (58%) prison to be employed in the 30 days prior to arrest.

Almost two-thirds of persons in state prison being held for violent (63%) offenses were employed in the 30 days prior to arrest, compared to more than half of those being held for property (57%) or drug (53%) offenses. Among persons in federal prison, 80% of those serving time for property, 67% for public-order, 60% for drug, and 58% for violent offenses were employed in the 30 days prior to arrest.
RAMALLAH, Feb. 27 (Xinhua) -- Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Ishtaye on Monday condemned an Israeli committee's vote to advance a death penalty law for Palestinians carrying out deadly attacks against Israeli citizens.

"This law is fascist and criminal and will not discourage us from continuing to demand our right, freedom, and dignity to live in an independent, sovereign, contiguous, viable state with Jerusalem as its capital," Ishtaye said at the weekly meeting of the Palestinian Authority cabinet.

Israel's ministerial committee for legislation has voted to advance the bill which has been advanced by National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir's far-right Otzma Yehudit party, for a preliminary reading in the Knesset, or parliament.

This was despite the attorney general's opposition and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party was allegedly seeking to delay it.

In Gaza, the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) warned against the danger of what it called "the racist law."

According to official Palestinian statistics, Israel detains about 4,780 Palestinians in 23 prisons, including dozens who have served more than 20 years. 
 "Revocation at the Founding" | Main | BJS releases interesting data on "Employment of State and Federal Prisoners Prior to Incarceration, 2016" 

February 28, 2023

Notable 5-4 SCOTUS split in ruling to limit civil penalties of Bank Secrecy Act

Certain types of Supreme Court cases involve issues that can make it relatively easy to predict how nearly every Supreme Court Justice will vote. But so-called "white-collar" cases are often not the predictable type, and today's Supreme Court ruling in Bittner v. United States, No. 21-1195 (Feb. 28, 2023) (available here), is a notable example of this reality. The case involved the proper accounting for civil penalties for non-willful violations of the Bank Secrecy Act, and the individual prevails against the federal government through this notable voting pattern:

GORSUCH, J., announced the judgment of the Court, and delivered the opinion of the Court except as to Part IIC. JACKSON, J., joined that opinion in full, and ROBERTS, C. J., and ALITO and KAVANAUGH, JJ., joined except for Part IIC. BARRETT, J., filed a dissenting opinion, in which THOMAS, SOTOMAYOR, and KAGAN, JJ., joined.

Criminal justice fans should be a bit disappointed by the decision by three Justices to not join Part II-C of Justice Gorsuch's opinion. That section has these notable things to say about the rule of lenity:

Under the rule of lenity, this Court has long held, statutes imposing penalties are to be construed strictly against the government and in favor of individuals. Commissioner v. Acker, 361 U.S. 87, 91 (1959).... The rule of lenity is not shackled to the Internal Revenue Code or any other chapter of federal statutory law. Instead, as Acker acknowledged, [t]he law is settled that penal statutes are to be construed strictly, and an individual is not to be subjected to a penalty unless the words of the statute plainly impose it. 361 U. S., at 91 (internal quotation marks omitted and emphasis added). Notably, too, Acker cited to and relied on cases applying this same principle to penalty provisions under a wide array of statutes, including the Communications Act of 1934, a bankruptcy law, and the National Banking Act. See ibid.... [T]he rule exists in part to protect the Due Process Clauses promise that a fair warning should be given to the world in language that the common world will understand, of what the law intends to do if a certain line is passed. McBoyle v. United States, 283 U.S. 25, 27 (1931).

If this section of the Bittner opinion carried the Court, I suspect this case might end up cited in more than a few criminal statutory interpretation cases. Maybe it still will be, but I suspect this ruling will end up of more interest to bankers than to criminal lawyers.

February 28, 2023 at 11:01 AM | Permalink

Comments

Then there's the Hunter Biden rule . . . . the IRS obviously didn't enforce tax law against him--so how in the hell does it get to jam people like Bittner.

Posted by: federalist | Feb 28, 2023 1:04:56 PM

Know this is slightly off topic, but the sleeper of the term may be yesterday's argument in Durbin on the identity theft enhancement. The justices seemed to be really conflicted (and all over the board in unexpected ways) over how to read that provision without making it apply to every fraud case. There did not seem to be a good textual-based rule that would narrow the scope of the statute.

Posted by: tmm | Feb 28, 2023 1:07:36 PM

I listed to the argument in Dubin, tmm, and I share your view that it is one to watch. I hope to blog about the argument before long.

Posted by: Doug B | Mar 1, 2023 12:28:03 AM

Post a comment
The skyline from the walkway of the Garden by the Bay's Supertree Grove in Singapore. Photographer: Roslan Rahman/AFP/Getty Images

By Philip J. Heijmans

(Bloomberg)  Singapores top diplomat lauded recent inroads made with Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei as part of a strategy to build overlapping circles of friends amid worsening geopolitical tensions in the region.

Minister for Foreign Affairs Vivian Balakrishnan told parliament Monday that Singapore is advancing regional ties that will help to prevent any one major power from dominating in the Asia-Pacific.

This provides small countries like Singapore more room for maneuver than if there was only a single power dominating our region, he said. Naturally, we do not want the major powers to make Asia their battleground or conduct proxy wars here.

Singapore enjoys close ties its neighbors and has recently made progress on longstanding disputes that have tested those relationships in the past. Resolving these issues has taken greater urgency as the region comes to grips with the prospect of conflict in Asia due in part to tensions between the US and China over Taiwan.

An American defense official last week said the US is increasing its small contingent of troops in Taiwan to train local forces, in the latest move of support for the island democracy and willingness to raise the ire of China.

This represents, in fact, a fundamental deficit of strategic trust, rooted in incompatible worldviews and aggravated by their respective domestic political pressures, Balakrishnan said of the broader US-China relationship.

Last year, Indonesia and Singapore settled a dispute over airspace and signed an extradition deal after years of disagreement. Earlier this month, Singapore agreed to temporarily suspend development and reclamation activities on an island thats been a source of tension with Malaysia even though the International Court of Justice ruled in 2008 the city-state had sovereignty over it.

In the spirit of mutual cooperation and good faith, we temporarily suspended the works in May 2022 to facilitate discussions on Malaysias concerns, Balakrishnan said. We agreed to Malaysias requests for more time for them to consider our clarifications and proposals.

2023 Bloomberg L.P.
 KOKO MARE60  2.82     KOKO MARE2400 University Hill 1   CEOCEO161 ChatGPT2029 0.08% 25 0.46%  6   ChatGPT    64.24 48  27%2024    ChatGPT  0.71% GDP  1.4 9  LV5000     GDP5% 16% 415
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP)  As a certified nurse midwife, Cosette Boone has delivered hundreds of Iowa babies to mothers who wanted an alternative to giving birth at a hospital.

For seven years Boones Healing Passages Birth and Wellness Center has operated in Des Moines, the only stand-alone, midwife-led birth center in Des Moines.

At least, it was. The center is shutting its doors, and Boone will deliver her last baby there this month.

It wasnt for lack of patients. Instead, Boone and other midwives say Iowa and the health care industry have stacked the deck against them  despite the growing demand for non-hospital spaces to give birth in the metro.

So, even though Boone has a certificate of need from the state, she is leaving the practice after she couldnt obtain insurance coverage for her facility.

It feels right for me to step away from birth management and what seems like a constant fight to push for change and the right for the consumer to have this paradigm of care as an option, she told the Des Moines Register. There are newer, younger midwives now to carry that on.

The birth center closure comes as other Des Moines-based certified nurse midwives also are saying state laws have stifled competition at the detriment of consumers. Two midwives with the Des Moines Midwife Collective are suing the state for requiring a certificate of need to operate a birth center, saying the process of obtaining one is hugely expensive and designed to fail.

The lawsuit against the Iowa Health Facilities Council, the board that issues certificates of need, asks the court to declare the law requiring the application process unconstitutional.

For clients like Christina Nelson-Johnson, an Ames resident who birthed her second child at Boones center, losing services like it means women will be denied the means to have a more comfortable experience for childbirth.

Arranging a hospital-free birth already was more difficult than it should be because insurers and medical providers view the practice with skepticism, she said.

These spaces arent respected the way they should be, Nelson-Johnson said. The fact its hard to even put insurance through this and that everything has to be out-of-pocket is ridiculous. Because in my experience, it was a better experience.

Im glad Im not having any more children, because I couldnt imagine having another baby with someone else.

Boone, who has worked as a certified nurse midwife in Des Moines since 2001, opened Healing Passages Birth and Wellness Center in 2016.

The facility was in a historic Sherman Hill building her husband, Chaden Halfhill, renovated to house it. The center also was just a few blocks away from local hospitals.

After more than a decade of assisting home births in the metro, Boone wanted to open a standalone birth center to earn accreditation and provide a more affordable option for women. Nationwide, Most insurance companies dont cover home births.

The whole plan was to build a center that Des Moines could be proud of, could be excited about, Boone said.

She obtained a certificate of need in 2011. Iowa law requires the regulatory approval process for new health care facilities that allows competitors to weigh in.

If the state board deems a particular need is already being fulfilled, it will deny that government-issued certificate. But the state determined Boones facility did meet a need and granted the certificate, and Healing Passages Birth and Wellness Center also earned accreditation from the Commission for the Accreditation of Birth Centers.

In 2017, Boone applied to receive facility reimbursement as an in-network provider with Wellmark Blue Cross Blue Shield. She requested an additional reimbursement that hospital birth centers would receive for their facilities  separate from payments for care provided.

Her request was rejected. In a letter Boone received in 2018 and provided to the Des Moines Register, Wellmark said an internal committee determined the insurer would not expand the network to include birth centers as eligible providers.

Wellmark is committed to protecting the health of parents and their children. That is why we cover access to state-licensed birthing centers staffed by medical professionals who provide safe care to mothers and babies, specific to their labor and delivery needs, Cammy Jenkins, a registered nurse and vice president of health services at Wellmark said in a statement to the Register.

Boone said she believed her accreditation exceeds standards for state licensure. Theres also no licensure process for midwives in Iowa.

Wellmark officials said in the 2018 letter to Boone that the company does contract with certified nurse midwives who provide care in a birth center. However, Boone said, the reimbursement the insurer would have provided would not have been enough to cover the more than $6,000 she charges to provide care for her clients from prenatal to postpartum.

The revenue she generated from that service fee covered operation expenses, such as the salaries for five full-time staff at the center and contracts with independent nurses. Boone sought a facility reimbursement from Wellmark to cover overhead costs of the space.

Boone is disappointed that larger players in the health care industry did not embrace her freestanding birth center as a solution to the lack of maternal health care access in Iowa. The state has seen 41 labor and delivery units close since 2000, according to a recent study.

Its about options and choice in a paradigm of care. I dont understand why it has to be such a fight, Boone said.

Even before she was pregnant with her first child, Nelson-Johnson knew she wanted to give birth in a non-traditional setting.

However, her and her husbands insurance fully covered a hospital birth and they couldnt afford the cost to go elsewhere. So, when her labor started in June 2018 with her daughter, Riley, they drove to the nearest medical center.

The now 37-year-old said her experience birthing at a hospital was uncomfortable. The medical team provided a cascade of interventions, such as doses of Pitocin and pain medication, in an attempt to jump-start her inconsistent contractions, leaving her feeling pressured to manage childbirth on their timeline rather than hers.

Birthing is the most vulnerable thing a person can do, I think, and having safety and feeling safe can make or break an experience, she said.

By the time she was pregnant with her second child three years later, she knew she would not go back to a hospital to give birth. So she reached out to Boone.

The vast majority of births in the United States happen in hospitals, but Nelson-Johnson is among a growing number of women seeking out alternatives for their labor and delivery.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found the national percentage of births taking place at home increased 22% during the early days of the pandemic, rising from 1.03% in 2019 to 1.26% in 2020.

When Nelson-Johnson gave birth to her son Quinn at Healing Passages Birth and Wellness Center in June 2021, she said Boone catered to her needs, giving her the space and the power she needed to make her own choices in her birthing experience.

It will always be a really beautiful moment in my life, and to have shared that with her is incredibly meaningful, Nelson-Johnson said.

With the centers closure, Boone also is stepping away from offering home birth services and plans to instead transition to consultations and programming for women preparing for childbirth. Her new business is called The Willows Song.

Boone said the care provided by independent midwives is different from services offered at a hospital, and treating these services the same will only be a detriment to patients.

We will never be competition to the health care system, she said. Its like comparing McDonalds to the organic store across the street. These are not women who are interested in a hospital birth. If you block a women and she cant have (a) birth center, shell go find a home birth midwife.
LE MARS, Iowa -- A juvenile male has been charged in the armed robbery that occurred at a convenience shop on Sunday morning.

At around 8:22 a.m. Sunday, the 16-year-old entered the Brew Coffee Shop, 346 Plymouth St. S.W., displaying a handgun to employees.

According to the Le Mars Police Department, the suspect allegedly cut phone lines, threatened and detained employees for 20 minutes, before stealing money, liquor and personal items from them.

The suspect fled on foot and Le Mars Police were able to track his movement with the help of business and residential video cameras. Officers also investigated several tips which led them to a residence on Third Ave. N.W., where the juvenile was taken into custody.

Stolen items were recovered and so was a replica handgun that was allegedly used in the commission of the crime.

The Le Mars Police Department was assisted by the Plymouth County Sheriff's Office, the Iowa State Patrol and community members in this investigation.
NORFOLK  One of the last bus drivers in Norfolk begins his day by taking Nancy Stehlik to work.

Wrapped in a purple coat and earmuffs, Stehlik inches her walker onto the small buss wheelchair lift.

Driver Neil Schlecht pushes a button and the lift whirs down, placing Stehlik outside of work.

For the rest of the day, he takes seven people to clinics, church and the grocery store. He jokes with riders just as hes long done as a driver for North Fork Area Transit, the bus service which until recently used 35 buses and vans to give as many as 10,000 rides a month.

It feels like any normal day on his route. It isnt.

On Jan. 6, the buses serving Madison County stopped operations. The transit systems general manager, Jeff Stewart, had allegedly stolen up to $1 million, much of it taxpayer money, from the transit nonprofit. A warrant had been issued for Stewarts arrest.

But hes nowhere to be found  authorities believe hes fled the country.

Now, Schlecht drives a lone bus around Norfolk, bought off Facebook in January by a city council member trying to ensure that people without transportation werent entirely stranded.

The bus system screeching to a halt left 60 employees without a job. And it left hundreds of residents without reliable transportation, including senior citizens, people with disabilities, students and single parents.

North Fork Area Transit has since tried crowdfunding to bring regular bus service back. Its racing to raise $500,000 by the end of February, the match needed to secure a pledge from the Johnny Carson Foundation. Board members of the transit nonprofit say the full $1 million could allow buses to begin running in March.

As of Thursday, its still $100,000 short of the money needed.

The investigation into Stewart and the transit systems finances is ongoing.

But emails obtained by the Flatwater Free Press shed light on the days before Stewarts disappearance, as board members of the Norfolk-area transit nonprofit began to belatedly notice giant financial red flags.

Those emails show state employees growing increasingly frustrated  and concerned  with Stewarts questionable financial management.

For example: The transit authority, with an annual budget of $3.4 million, didnt have an accountant. Stewart was doing the books  and allegedly cooking them  himself.

Its a huge disappointment for the community, said Shane Clausen, a Norfolk city council member.

Public transit in Norfolk has been run by a nonprofit separate from the city and county for more than 50 years. It started small, with a bus for the elderly and individuals with disabilities.

In 2021, it expanded and re-branded, becoming North Fork Area Transit.

The public transit nonprofits board hired Stewart in January 2022.

With expansion came a funding influx: A total of $427,074 from the City of Norfolk since October 2021, with more money promised; a $750,000 payment from Madison County in July 2022, from COVID relief funds.

In the 2022 fiscal year, North Fork Area Transit took in $944,035 from the federal and state government, according to the Nebraska Department of Transportation. From 2020 to 2022, it received an additional $920,997 in federal COVID relief.

Were putting a lot of trust in you, so theres a lot of weight, Troy Uhlir, a Madison County commissioner, told Stewart when the board approved its contribution last July.

The bus service grew to include three routes in Norfolk. It added two regional routes to companies in Madison, Lindsay and Wayne. It transported students for both Norfolk and Pierce Public Schools.

In its first year after expanding, the transits buses made more than 70,000 trips  72% more than the year before.

As the system grew and made itself more accessible within the community, [the need] was eye-opening in a lot of ways, said Norfolk Mayor Josh Moenning.

By last December, buses were averaging nearly 10,000 rides a month. Meanwhile, board members and state transportation staff were expressing concerns, according to emails obtained by the Flatwater Free Press.

Many red flags from our end and I am sure your end too, Corinne Donahue, project manager for the states mobility management team, wrote to transit board members Dec. 5. One item to consider is reviewing or quietly requesting from the insurance company the policy to see if there is coverage for employee theft/embezzlement.

Days later, Department of Transportation staff flagged missing signatures on paperwork submitted by Stewart for monthly federal and state reimbursements. Receipts and fuel invoices were missing. Revenue and deposits didnt match up. Pay stubs were incorrect.

Then board leaders say they discovered transit funds going toward personal spending, including casinos, airline tickets and hotels.

By Dec. 15, Stewart was suspended. A day later, police issued an arrest warrant. They havent yet located him.

This is still an ongoing investigation, and theres some questions that can only be answered by speaking with him, said Todd Volk, Madison County Sheriff.

In the meantime, bus riders have had to find another way around Madison County.

Cecilia Herada, a single mom of two, relied on public transit to get her children to daycare and herself to work.

Now Herada has to rely on a patchwork of rides from bus driver Schlecht, who sometimes gives her a post-shift lift in his car, and from her relatives.

Shes far from alone. Norfolks bus system allowed car-less college students to get to class. Senior citizens unable to drive used it to get to dialysis appointments. It served as a key part of independent living for individuals with disabilities, Norfolk leaders say.

They were kind of left stranded, said Jesus Trejo of the Salvation Army. That sudden stop of serviceswas devastating.

A few local Good Samaritans are now trying to help.

Just two weeks after North Fork Area Transit suspended services, Norfolk city council member Shane Clausen and his brother Aaron began the Fellowship Transit  after buying a lone 14-passenger bus they found on Facebook Marketplace.

Lo and behold, we were in the transit business, Shane Clausen said.

The bus is free, with operating costs paid out of the Clausens pockets and from small local donations. Its only a short-term fix, Shane Clausen said.

Our goal is to only operate (until) NFAT gets up and going again, he said.

Ponca Express, a bus service run by the Ponca Tribe, had already been offering an appointment-based bus service in Norfolk. Theyve continued running, but are spread thin now that North Fork Area Transit is in limbo, Donahue said.

This week, the Norfolk City Council pledged $150,000 if the bus service nonprofit is able to raise the remaining money to match the Carson Foundations $500,000 matching grant.

If the bus system cant raise enough funds, the board will have to decide whether to shut down entirely or declare bankruptcy, Donahue said.

As the bus services future hangs in the balance, Schlect continues to drive the bus bought by the Clausens every weekday. He listens to classic rock as he takes riders to their destinations.

In the middle of his route, an ad interrupts the music: Our community needs North Fork Area Transit, the voice says. And now is the time to show your support.

Schlecht turns the volume up on the commercial, points to the speakers, and steers the bus to his next stop.

The Flatwater Free Press is Nebraskas first independent, nonprofit newsroom focused on investigations and feature stories that matter.

Top Journal Star photos for February 2023
The forecast is calling for cold temperatures in Sioux City Tuesday. It looks like it will be a bitter 41 degrees. We'll see a low temperature of 30 degrees today. The area will see thunderstorms today. There is a 40% chance of rain in the forecast. Check the radar before you head outside, and don't forget an umbrella. The area will see gentle winds today, with winds only reaching 12 miles per hour, coming from the East. This report is created automatically with weather data provided by TownNews.com. Keep an eye on siouxcityjournal.com for forecast information and severe weather updates.
Dear Prudence is online weekly to chat live with readers on Mondays at noon ET. Heres an edited transcript of this weeks chat.

Q. Red Flag or Reasonable?: Im a woman who recently got engaged to my boyfriend of four years, Mark. In most areas of life, Mark is a kind, forgiving, considerate, and warm person. The exception is with regard to his blood relations. He is estranged from his family, and whenever he talks about them (rarely), it is with genuine hatred and contempt that I find disconcerting.

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For context, his dad was an abusive alcoholic who put Mark in the hospital twice before he left home at 17. His dad hit his mom regularly but never laid a hand on Marks sister, who was openly his favorite child. His grandparents apparently knew about it but did not interfere beyond letting Mark stay with them sometimes. Mark cut off contact when he moved and in recent years, has ignored social media messages from his mom and sister begging to reconnect. He showed me the messages in the context of commenting, Can you believe these people? He seemed frustrated when I found the messages heart-breakingboth women seem to miss him terribly, though I admit it is bad that his mom is still married to his dad (who she claims is sober now).

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I am from an incredibly loving, close-knit family who all love Mark. With news of the wedding, there have been questions about who were inviting, and people have asked about Marks family. His response is always brisk: I dont speak to any of them and he changes the subject when pressed (only my parents know his history). Ive tentatively raised the possibility of responding to his mom and sister, or getting in touch with his grandparentshe doesnt even know if theyre still alive! Ive told him that while I fully understand cutting off his dad, it seems incredibly harsh to not even give his mom and sister a chance to reconnecthis mom was a victim too, and his sister was only 14 when he left. A lot might have changed! His response is always the same: I cannot speak to them, and my therapist doesnt think it would be good for me. There are things you cant get over. I find this really troubling, honestly. My parents recently asked if he was sure about not reaching out to any family at all, and were shocked when he bluntly said that for all intents and purposes his family is dead to him. Should I consider it a red flag that he can so brutally cut off his entire family like this? I find it hard to imagine cutting off the people who raised me, whatever they did to me. Am I wrong to be so troubled by this? What more should I say to him, either way?

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A: Youre not wrong to be troubled but you would be very, very, very wrong to go into a marriage hoping to convince someone to make changes to the way hes dealing with his abusive childhood. This is a big deal. If you can make peace with Marks stanceor at least do a really good job of pretending toyou can go ahead and get married. But if youre going to continue to be bothered that he isnt handling things the way you would and fantasize about pressuring him to change his mind, well, thats the kind of stuff divorces are made of.

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Q. No Pride for Me: Last year, I started a very successful gay-straight alliance at my middle school. The thing is, it is kind of failing now. No one really likes the teacher they hired to run it, people are quitting left and right. It feels like all the dedicated people graduated last year. Basically, we havent done anything big in a long time, the meetings consist of about four people, and it is just falling apart. I now dread the meetings, but I cant quit because I am the founder. I even try to get out of it early just to avoid the awkward silence after weve discussed the weeks issues.

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The point is, it has failed, and itd probably be better if it was just let go, but I cant let go. This was my biggest accomplishment, and I cant be the one to say it isnt working. I wouldnt be able to handle peoples reactions. I know I shouldnt care, but theyd be right. Something big needs to happen to get the meetings back on track, or I suck it up and call it off. For the first option, what are good ideas to get the club back to how it was a few months ago? For the second, how do I handle peoples reactions, and more importantly, how do I handle the knowledge that I failed?

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A: Okay, so, you did not fail! I want you to feel that. To get there, lets go back to reflect on (and maybe retroactively make some tweaks to) your intentions for starting the club. While creating a gay-straight alliance is a fantastic show of leadership, a great accomplishment, and something to impress others (including, probably, high school or college admissions officers), thats not its purpose. Its purpose is to support and empower LGBTQ kids at your school. If there is even one child who is going to those meetings, despite the unlikable sponsor and lack of major events, feels like they have a place to belong and arent alone, that is a win! You should be proud of yourself.

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Its great that you want to make things better. Get in touch with other clubs at local schools and see what theyre up to and if you can collaborate. Talk to a teacher who people actually like and get their ideas. Provide lunch to incentivize attendance at meetings.

But for now, I think if you focus on the clubs potential to make a positive difference in the lives of the kids who joinwhether there at 50 or four of them, and whether you throw your own homecoming dance, advocate for a change to the curriculum, or just sit and eat lunch and talkyou will be really proud.

Q. Plus, I Already Told My Parents: My girlfriend of four years broke up with me at 5 p.m. yesterday, which sucked. But I understood why, because theres an important incompatibility weve been talking about for months now (wanting kids), and the reasons she gave were clear and fair. By 7 p.m., she was texting me that she had been rash and felt terrible. Im torn because I didnt want to break up in the first place, but the fundamental incompatibility didnt change in two hours! This is the breakup equivalent of buyers remorse for her, right?

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A: Right. Buyers remorse or returners remorse. Shes feeling terrible about breaking up because she loves you and will miss you. But I assume she hasnt figured out a way to get past the conflict about whether to have kids. You can respond to how shes feeling (Im sad and Im going to miss you, too) but remind her that you cant have half a kid so theres really no room for compromise here.

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Q. On the Cultural Fence: My wife and I have been married for 18 years but thats only on paper. My wife stopped all physical intimacy about 10 years back blaming me for everything going on with her situation. To give you some background, we are immigrants from India with middle-class upbringing and values. We have lived in the U.S. for 15 years now and share a 12-year-old daughter whos in middle school. We both met each other about a few years after our college graduation back in India and hit it off. Even though we were from different states back home, our respective parents blessed us to get married. At that time, I was 26 and she was 25 years old. Shes always had challenges with mental health with depression and feelings of anxiety, and she never got to the point of loving me wholeheartedly. In the initial years, I was head over heels in love and went out of my way to put up with her for her repeated bad behavior giving her the benefit of doubt that it was her mental state that was causing this.

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There was a period of time when she was awful to my parents who were visiting us. They cut short their trip and returned to India because they couldnt take her constant bickering. This caused me a deep sense of anguish so when her parents and sister came over after a couple of years, I was mean to them just to get back at her though I am not that kind of person. (Later, I apologized to my in-laws but she hasnt.) This period was the worst of our married life and my wife took it to the next level by deliberately refusing all physical intimacy as well as emotional support. She felt that I deserved this mistreatment because of who I was and what I had done. She deliberately didnt wish me happy birthday and also skipped our anniversary, and I followed the same pattern with her the following year, and so on. Its been 10 years now since we stopped. Its been eight years since we have stayed apart in different bedrooms. To the external society, we put on the appearance of a normal family but I am worried this facade is destructive to my daughter in her teens. The negative vibes and drama at home probably will make her suspect the very institutions of marriage and family. That brings us to the question: Why are we still together? I think deep down its our Indian culture where couples tend to stay together for life as theres very less precedence of divorce in the society so the acceptance is low. I have also stayed on because I have always felt our daughter deserves to be with both parents even though I am questioning that line of thought now if as a child should I be exposed to such dystopian family values.

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For my wife, this marriage offers very convenient financial stability as I do take care of all the family commitments like mortgages, insurance, and bills whereas whenever shes inconsistently employed she blows up her earnings on clothes, jewelry, and travel. She recently took our daughter on a two-week luxury vacation to Hawaii for New Years without informing me of her plans or consent to take our daughter until a few days before their trip. This really feels like the last straw and I have been on the fence since the new year to initiate the divorce process. What would you suggest?

A: Run, dont walk to your lawyers office. You will be so much happier without each otherand youre right that this is no way to model a relationship for a young girl. You honored your culture by giving it your best shotand who knows, maybe things would have felt different if youd lived in India with a supportive community around you and lots of models of couples who pushed past struggles to make things work. But its too late now. Your marriage wasnt wastedyou got your wonderful daughter out of itbut you and your wife both deserve to be happy.

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Re: Q. No Pride For Me: I started crying as I read this letter. You are a hero! I am straight but wish there had been a GSA at my middle or junior high school. What a difference it would have made in all of our lives! Prudence is rightyou are not a failure. Ask for help, network with nearby schools, ask the members of the group what they would like to do, talk to people from nearby LGBTQ+ and related (PFLAG?) groups, and cosponsor things. If the adult sponsor is so bad, then talk to the administration about what you can do to improve that. But please keep going. You should not be doing this all by yourself. You have a community that loves you.

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A: Yes, not to be all Youll understand when youre older but being a middle school student who decides to start a GSA is a winand a sign of a bright futurein itself. I promise. Even if only one other person shows up.

Re: Q. Red Flag or Reasonable?: As an adult child of an alcoholic father and a mother who didnt protect me enough, the red flag to me is the letter writer. The mother is also an enabler. To force someone to connect with an abusive family (including the enabling parent) is ABUSE. For an adult to not tell the other parent that the person is committing abuse is also abuse. The mothers job was to protect her children. Only one child came out unscathed while the other one had to be hospitalized. Letter writer, YOU are now triggering your fiance.

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A: Well, to be fair, shes not forcing him to connect. She said she tentatively raised the possibility of reaching out. That said, I agree that the best thing for Mark is to be with someone who can respect the decision hes made to protect himself.

Re: Q. No Pride for Me: You started a volunteer organization that isnt being sustained because of interest, attitudes, and personalities. Welcome to volunteer work. As the Mandalorians say, This is the way.

A: Everyone whos succeeded in sneaking a fake question with a sci-fi or fantasy plot into this column knows I dont follow Star WarsI had to look up The Mandalorian. But the quote fits. LW, you arent the first and wont be the last to deal with this kind of struggle, but again, the fact that youre the kind of person whos ended up in this position says a lot of great things about you.

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Re: Q. Red Flag or Reasonable?: The reality is that the LW does not know how she would have handled the situation because she grew up in what she describes as a loving, close-knit family, andthis is the key pointshe doesnt seem great at putting herself in Marks shoes! As you said, if she cant accept Marks point of view and the fact that he may never reconcile with her family, they shouldnt get married. But also, it is none of her familys business and their opinion on the matter shouldnt be considered.

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A: Good point!

Re: Q. No Pride for Me: I am a clubs person, even as an adult, so Ive been exactly where you are at different times in my life with different age groups. I love what Prudie said about contacting other groups, specifically is there a high school GSA club you could work with? That would allow you a smooth transition into being an officer of that group when the time comes and help you set your current club up for success (perhaps you can mentor the person who takes over when you leave). Also, nothing brings a group together like a project. This could mean a volunteer event, hosting a speaker, organizing a Pride celebration, or numerous other activities. Getting the word out might help you get members but it will definitely let everyone in your school know that theres a safe space for them.

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A: A project is a great idea. And this is a good reminder that you never know who will benefit just from the awareness that the GSA exists and is doing stuff, even if they arent in a position to come to meetings.

Re: Q. Red Flag or Reasonable?: Im sorry that things are so sad and broken. Mostly, Im heartbroken about what your fiance went through. I dont know if his mother has taken responsibility and explained properly why she didnt leave but Im not sure what youre hoping to accomplish by pressuring him to do something hes adamant will hurt him.

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He was put in the hospital by his father twice and no one else, even the people who were most supposed to protect him, did that. Yes, his mother was a victim too, but he was just a little child watching his father physically abuse his mother and also abuse him so much that he ended up in the hospitaltwice. He needs support from you to follow his own path through this, with the support of his therapist rather than being told hes doing the wrong thing.

A: Totally agree. Life is short and hes spent enough of his being let down and abandoned by people who are supposed to love him.

Jenee Desmond-Harris: Well wrap it up here. Thanks for joining, and Ill talk to you next time.

More Advice From Slate

My smart, fun, 3-year-old daughter loves her grandparents, my father, and my stepmother. (My mother died over a decade ago.) My stepmothers two adult children both have dogs they dote on, and their mother showers the dogs with affection and loves to talk about her grandpups. Nothing wrong with that! However, since my daughter was born, my stepmother has frequently made comparisons between my daughter and these dogs.
Eighty-seven years ago, my grandfather stopped being a German citizen. This February, I became one.

It was 1935, and he was living in France when the Reich Citizenship Law passed in Germany. It was part of the Nuremberg Laws under Hitlers Nazi regime, and it specified that Jews were not of the German raceand therefore were no longer citizens. My grandfather, Kurt, was Jewish.

There must have been a moment when, one day without warning, my grandfather received the news that he was no longer a German citizen. Nearly a century later, one day without warning, the granddaughter he never met received the news that she was.

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I opened my email one Monday in February to find a message from the consulate general of Germany. Certificate arrived! read the subject line. My application for naturalization had been approved, I was told. The necessary documents had arrived in Boston. I would officially become a German citizen once I picked them up.

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So on Thursday morning, Feb. 16, I showered and dressed to make the journey to the consulate. Kurt died before I was born, but I am the grandchild who bears his name: Courtney. And I was the one who was going to get back what was stripped from him.

I put on heels and makeup. I packed my American passport and my appointment confirmation. I spritzed perfume on my wrists. But I wore all black.

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I stopped as I was heading out the door. I doubled back into my apartment, into the bedroom, and opened the box of jewelry that Id inherited from my grandmother. Though I had never known my grandfather, Id been very close with my Nana Etty, his wife. She was the closest link Id had to him. She was born in Czechoslovakia, and her family, except one brother, was exterminated in Hitlers camps.

I rooted around in the jewelry box. I slid on two more of her rings, heavy ones, in addition to the one that I always wear. I put on a gold necklace charm in the shape of the tablets of Moses, inscribed in Hebrew, dated 1890.

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He gave me the most loving gift: the gift of protection.

I turned to go, but I stopped again. It still wasnt enough. So I added her Star of David to the necklace and clasped both charms on the same chain around my neck. I needed something explicitly Jewish before I could walk out the door. I was feeling both grateful and defiant. The consulate is technically German jurisdiction, not American. I would bring my grandparents Jewish artifacts back to Germany.

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I had been planning to drive to the consulate, but as I stepped out into the unusually warm February air, I decided to take the train. I wanted the journey to happen in public. I wanted to be seen wearing Nanas jewelry on my way back to Germany, even if no one else would know what they were seeing.

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As I took the Red Line into Boston, I reread the email. I was becoming a citizen under Article 116(2), a repatriation law for direct descendants of Germans who had lost their citizenship due to the Nuremberg Laws. (The law has seen many versions over the years, with a recent one passed in 2021; I had discovered it three years ago.) Applying had been an arduous process, especially during COVID. My father and aunt had sent me every document they could find. We had searched for proof that my grandfather had been Jewish, but we couldnt find the word Juden in the old German script of my great-grandfathers birth certificate from 1885. So we dug up alternate proof: old black-and-white photos and save-the-dates from my fathers bar mitzvah.

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Finally, a distant British cousin told us that the proof had been on the birth certificate all along: We had been looking for Juden, but the word was Israelitisch.

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So we got notarizations and apostilles and certified translations and fingerprints. And in May 2022, after two years of work, I finally mailed the documents.

I was never told that my application was nearing completion. I was told only that it had been completed.

As I switched from the Red Line to the Green in Boston, one step closer to the consulate and my new nationality, I kept waiting to feel relief. When Id begun the application process, politics and the pandemic had combined to make me anxious about closing borders. Two passports would always be safer than one: This was a wisdom seemingly inscribed in my genes, present in all the stories of escape and survival that I grew up with.

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But I was surprised to also feel the lump rise in my throat as I settled into the next subway car and reread the words. You will officially become a German citizen once the papers are handed over to you. I was close to tears. My grandfather had given me this gift. He became stateless, lost his citizenshipand thats what allowed me to gain it.

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I dont know if he was a loving person, a warm man. I know that he was a refugee in France from the Nazi regime. He escaped to Switzerland as France, too, started rounding up its Jews. Once he came to America, he drove a yellow New York City taxicab and could recite the Greek words of The Odyssey by heart.

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I know little else about him. But he gave me the most loving gift, anyway: the gift of protection. And I was on my way to give him a form of posthumous justice in return.

At the consulate, everyone wore masks. Yet I could see the smile in the eyes of the receptionist who welcomed me with congratulations. In the eyes of the official who told me that I am German for life as of now. That if I have children someday, they will be German, too.

Behind glass, he apologized for the lack of celebration. The German consulate is still upholding strict COVID measures. Before the pandemic, they would have gathered several newly naturalized citizens together for a celebratory ceremony, with pictures and champagne.

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I joked that I would take my own selfie. He said he would take my picture, and instructed me come out to the hallway where the German seal looks best. Then, with a wink, he took a selfie with me. Danke, I kept saying. Danke schoen.

I held up my certificate in front of the square-shouldered eagle of Deutschland. There was one last miraculous piece to this strange moment: of all the times when Germany could have made me a citizen, it did so exactly two weeks before the publication of my first book, which is about granddaughters of the Holocaust still haunted today. The twin image of that eagle appears in the book splayed across the helmets of Nazi soldiers. In the back of the book, on the dedication page, I include a photo of Nana and her family.

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The Jewish relationship to the concept of an afterlife is murky. There is no heaven and hell as in the Christian conception. Some believe in a more abstracted kind of world to come. But I wondered if somehow, behind the scenes, Nana or my grandfather was looking on. At the very least, I wondered what they would they think. Germany was the origin of my Nanas familys deaths. When I went to visit Berlin years ago, I didnt tell her. Theres a dark irony here: I have this extra safety because it was stripped from my grandfather.

And yet. At the consulate, I walked out toward the elevators, grateful to my grandfather for the gift he had given me and to my new country for trying, generations later, to make things right. As I left, I pressed my Nanas necklace to my heart.
Leung Chun-ying (2nd L), vice chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and chairman of the GX Foundation, Djiboutian Prime Minister Abdoulkader Kamil Mohamed (2nd R), Djiboutian Minister of Health Ahmed Robleh Abdilleh (1st R), and Chinese Ambassador to Djibouti Hu Bin (1st L) cut the ribbon during the launching ceremony of a health project in Djibouti City, Djibouti, Feb. 27, 2023. GX Foundation, a non-profit and non-governmental organization registered in Hong Kong, China, kicked off here Monday a project that aims to offer cataract surgeries to patients and help them regain vision in the Red Sea nation of Djibouti. (Xinhua/Han Xu)

DJIBOUTI CITY, Feb. 28 (Xinhua) -- GX Foundation, a non-profit and non-governmental organization registered in Hong Kong, China, kicked off here Monday a project that aims to offer cataract surgeries to patients and help them regain vision in the Red Sea nation of Djibouti.

The foundation renewed its memorandum of understanding with the Djibouti Ministry of Health to extend their cooperation until 2027, under which up to 6,000 cataract surgeries are to be offered for free to local patients over the next few years.

Speaking at the launching ceremony, Leung Chun-ying, vice chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and chairman of the foundation, said the foundation hopes to use the Cataract Blindness Elimination Project to fully demonstrate the contribution of Chinese non-governmental organizations (NGO) in international humanitarian aid.

Leung believed that the project would deepen the friendship between China and Djibouti and bring bilateral exchanges and cooperation to a new height.

In his speech, Djiboutian Minister of Health Ahmed Robleh Abdilleh paid tribute to the excellent cooperation between Djibouti and China in the field of health.

Abdilleh said cataracts are one of the leading causes of blindness in Djibouti and have a significant impact on socioeconomic development. Thanks to the support of the foundation, the country can carry out various activities of cataract screening and surgery to significantly reduce the rate of blindness.

The medical aid project is implemented by the foundation and the Health Commission of Shanxi Province in northern China. The province will send medical teams in batches over the next few years to perform about 6,000 free cataract surgeries in Djibouti using two mobile eye treatment centers provided by the foundation.

The foundation, established in 2018, aims to provide international medical and public health humanitarian assistance to countries along the Belt and Road. The name GX is derived from the Chinese word "Gong Xiang," meaning "sharing." 

GX Foundation renews its memorandum of understanding with the Djibouti Ministry of Health in Djibouti City, Djibouti, Feb. 27, 2023. GX Foundation, a non-profit and non-governmental organization registered in Hong Kong, China, kicked off here Monday a project that aims to offer cataract surgeries to patients and help them regain vision in the Red Sea nation of Djibouti. (Xinhua/Han Xu)
Artificial intelligence judging has become a reality. Last month, a Colombian judge used ChatGPT to generate part of his judicial opinion. Colombia is not alone. Estonia has piloted a robot judge, and the United States and Canada increasingly use A.I. tools in law.

These recent events have sparked a debate about unethical uses of A.I. in the judiciary. As the technological hurdles to A.I. judging recede, the remaining barriers are ones of law and ethics.

Would it be fair to citizens for an A.I. judgean algorithmic decision-makerto resolve disputes? This is a complex legal and ethical question, but one useful piece of data is the views of citizens themselves. We conducted experiments on a representative sample of 6,000 U.S. adults to examine this question. And the results are surprising: Citizens dont always see A.I. in the courtroom as unfair.

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This resulthuman judges are not always seen as fairer than A.I. judgesdefies conventional wisdom. Commentators have long seen the administration of justice as a distinctively human enterprise. The task of judging calls not only for knowledge and accuracy but also a respect for the dignity of the parties involved. If A.I. were incapable of conveying such an attitude, then human judges would have an inimitable procedural justice advantage over machines.

At first blush, our results support this intuition that human judges are fairer. Ordinary citizens generally evaluate A.I. judges as less fair than human judges. In our first study, participants evaluated one of three scenarios: a contract dispute, bail determination, or criminal sentencing. Summing across all scenarios of the first study, human judges received an average procedural fairness score of approximately 4.4 on a 7-point scale. A.I. judges scored very slightly below 4. We call this perceived difference the human-A.I. fairness gap. All else equal, people evaluate legal proceedings before a human judge as fairer than legal proceedings before an A.I. judge. The human-A.I. fairness gap persists across diverse legal areas and issues.

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However, we also discover that this human-A.I. gap can be partially offset by increasing the A.I. judges interpretability and ability to provide a hearing. A hearing affords a party the opportunity to speak and be heard. A decision is interpretable if it can be presented in a logical form and if it is possible to grasp how changes in inputs affect outcomes. Both a hearing and an interpretable decision enhance ordinary judgments of fairness, whether the decision-maker is a human or an A.I. Strikingly, a human-led proceeding that does not offer a hearing and renders uninterpretable decisions is not seen as being fairer than an A.I.-led proceeding that offers a hearing and renders interpretable decisions.

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This is surprising since one might have believed a hearing in front of a machine to be hollow and meaningless. For ordinary citizens to feel they have been listened to seems to require a decision-maker possessing the uniquely human capacity for empathy. Yet, we find that a machine described as being able to recognize speech and facial expressions and trained to detect emotions can enhance peoples perceptions of procedural justice.

Similarly, much of the legal-ethical discourse over A.I. has revolved around interpretability of algorithms. Often, the debate implicitly assumes that comparable decisions by humans are interpretable. However, commentators have noted that humans are quintessential black boxes. Human decision-making is not always transparent to the decision-maker, never mind other humans. And we find that people do care about the interpretability of both human and A.I. decision-making.

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How do we get from these findings to the conclusion that the human-A.I. fairness gap might one day be offset? Well, even today, full hearings in front of human judges are not always feasible because of resource constraints. For example, an asylum hearing will often only last several minutes. The same is true for bail hearings. Similarly, human judicial decisions are not perfectly interpretable. Human legal opinions vary in their readability, and A.I. tools can already provide highly readable text. It is not clear that A.I. tools can currently produce more interpretable judicial opinions than humans, but their ability to pass as legal reasoners is impressive. For example, ChatGPT recently passed four Minnesota Law School exams.

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Finally, our studies suggest that the human-A.I. fairness gap is mainly driven by the belief that human judges are still more accurate than machines. However, there are and increasingly will be domains where machines will be demonstrably more accurate than humans, such as tumor classification. And experts predict that A.I. will exceed human performance in other fields over the next century.

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There are many other factors that may influence citizens evaluations of human and A.I. judges. Both humans and A.I. have their advantages. On the question of accuracy, one consideration is whether the administration of justice is reliable or random. Human asylum adjudication has been described as akin to roulette. The grant or refusal of asylum depends very much on who among the human judges hears the case. Insofar as predictability matters for perceptions of judicial fairness, variability between human judges may count against them as adjudicators for some kinds of cases.

Even without considering such additional factors, simply adding a hearing and increasing the interpretability of A.I.-rendered decisions reduces the fairness gap. As such, some human judicial decisions today may be seen as less fair than advanced A.I. ones. And future developments in A.I. judging along the dimensions we have identified could even result in A.I. proceedings being accepted as generally fairer than human proceedings.

Of course, peoples ordinary intuitions about the fairness of A.I. judging do not fully resolve the underlying ethical and legal concerns. People can be mistaken about fairness or manipulated into believing a procedure is fair when it is not. But the opinions of those subject to the law should be taken into account when designing adjudicative institutions. And in some circumstances, people see having your day in human court as no fairer than having your day in robot court.

An expanded version of this work appears in the Harvard Journal of Law & Technology.
This past November, some of the most controversial sheriffs from around the country gathered for a week at a luxury waterfront hotel in Huntington Beach, California, for what is becoming an annual ritual: the Claremont Institutes Sheriffs Fellowship. For the past two years, the MAGA-aligned think tank has hosted a choice selection of county sheriffs as honored fellows to fill their minds with frothy far-right intellectualism, hoping these humble, heavily armed servants will return home newly emboldened to implement proto-authoritarian policies in their local communities. The 2022 class of Claremont Sheriffs Fellows are perhaps even more frightening in their personal ideology than those of two years ago.

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The acceptance letter for the eight 2022 Claremont Institute Sheriffs Fellows thanked each one for uphold[ing] the very foundation of western civilization, while also promising a $1,200 travel stipend and $1,500 honorarium. On the last evening of the six-day training session, Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb, a possible Republican candidate for U.S. Senate in Arizona next year and a 2021 Claremont Sheriffs Fellow, received a John Wayne statuette for what Claremont called the American Sheriff Award as part of a closing reception and dinner.

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For the 2022 Sheriffs Fellowship, Claremont opted not to post the names of the honored sheriffs online, which differs from the public recognition granted as part of every other Claremont fellowship. Because sheriffs are elected officials and draw a salary from the state, though, public records requests obtained by American Oversight, a nonpartisan, nonprofit transparency watchdog organization, produced the Claremont schedule and list of fellows. The principal change from the 2021 curriculum was an increased focus on guns and the premise of a near-unlimited right for Americans to own them.

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The only sheriff to publicly announce his fellowship was Dar Leaf of Barry County, Michigan, who forwarded his acceptance letter to Richard Mack, the founder and ex-president of the Constitutional Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association, the day he got it and appeared on Sam Bushmans radio show Liberty Roundtable. (Bushman is currently the CEO of CSPOA and its national operations director.) Leaf was an understandable choice for the fellowship, given his pre-fellowship radicalism.

In May of 2020, Leaf appeared onstage at an anti-mask rally with at least one of the militia members who was later prosecuted for an attempted plot to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat. After the 2020 election, Leaf was one of the first sheriffs who claimed widespread voter fraud. Even though his county voted overwhelmingly for Donald Trump, the sheriff sent an investigator to demand that local election officials submit their voting machines for a forensic examination. He is now himself the subject of a state investigation for tampering with voting tabulators.

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Leafs responses to the questionnaire illuminate the types of people Claremont recruits. In his essay responses, Leaf writes that the Civil Rights Act is racist, elections have been infiltrated by foreign governments, and Davos and the World Economic Forum is the central threat to our constitution and limited government. Leafs paranoid fantasy continues: This form of government is communism on steroids, he writes. The goal ? The New world Order.

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Leaf was not the only sheriff who had menaced the basic functions of Americas democratic elections. He was joined by Yavapai County Sheriff David Rhodes of Arizona. Before his fellowship, Rhodes had already become well known for meeting with a local Oath Keepers group, the Yavapai County Preparedness Team, which claimed that the sheriff had given it permission to assemble small militias to oversee ballot drop boxes during the 2022 midterms. Rhodes office later clarified that the sheriff did not approve this scheme, and it was dropped in light of critical press.

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One notable shift between the 2021 fellowship and last years was a revised curriculum that dropped some heady philosophical readings and replaced it with homework on guns and immigrants. This years reading packet includes the texts of the Supreme Court decisions in District of Columbia v. Heller, McDonald v. Chicago, and New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen, which, read together, reflect a progression of decisions refining a theory for an individual right to own firearms. These were packaged with a disquisition on the Second Amendment by David Raney, a history professor at Hillsdale College, who also led the session. Raneys work seeks to find historical precedent for the disputed notion that the individual right to possess firearms is explicitly required by the Constitution. He writes, [The Founding Fathers] recognized that this right was an extension of the natural rights enshrined in the Declaration of Independence (the rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness). Indeed, according to Raney, it is not just that guns are permitted for the Constitution; rather, they are a vital part of the Western tradition for millennia and  our birthright as a free people.

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The second new addition was a dedicated session called Immigration & National Security, led by Michael Anton, Brian Kennedy, and Kyle Shideler. The readings include an op-ed by Shideler as well as a book by Kennedy, Communist Chinas War Inside America. Kennedy has proposed that the COVID-19 pandemic was part of Chinas war against the United States, further writing that China provided inside intelligence and funding to Black Lives Matter and antifa as part of this master plan. Shideler is also deeply critical of Black Lives Matter, while Anton is most famous for publishing the rabidly authoritarian and anti-immigrant 2016 tract The Flight 93 Election, which argued that conservatives needed to rally around Trumps candidacy.

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It is also notable that this year, there was substantial overlap between the Constitutional Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association and the Claremont fellows. Leaf is a member of the CSPOA board. Eddy County Sheriff Mark Cage of New Mexico, another fellow, was named a top constitutional sheriff in America by the American Police Officers Alliance, a group linked to the CSPOA founder.

Its also fascinating to see which fellows did not attend this years conference. Sheriff Gary Long of Butts County, Georgia, was locally infamous for being ordered by a judge to remove signs warning trick-or-treaters that he had put up in the front lawns of people on the sex offender registry. Long told me he did not attend the Huntington event. Sheriff Keith Korenek of Texas, who told me he did not attend because of illness, is on a list of sheriffs who attended a CSPOA training over the past two years.

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Ultimately, not much appeared to have changed from the 2021 to the 2022 Claremont Sheriffs Fellowship, from the radical curriculum to the frontline sheriffs implementing it in local communities. Among the small number of changes, though, was an addition of a poem to the section that in 2021 was titled The Sexual Revolution and Feminism and in 2022 was Sexual Politics in America. That poemAnnus Mirabilis, by the English poet Philip Larkinopens, Sexual intercourse began / In nineteen sixty-three, and ends, So life was never better than / In nineteen sixty-three.

Its clearly a time period cherished by many Claremont Sheriffs Fellows and one that they are sadly trying to take the rest of us back to.
Is it a good idea for the government to cancel $400 billion in student loans? That is not the question that the Supreme Court confronted on Tuesday, though you could be forgiven for thinking it was. Tuesdays cases involved not the wisdom of loan relief but its legal meritsand, perhaps more importantly, the plaintiffs right to challenge the program in the first place.

Defying predictions of doom for the Biden administration, the arguments went much better than expected, given the courts 63 conservative supermajority. The smart money still says SCOTUS will halt the program, resulting in a scenario in which the court ignores constitutional limitations on its own authority to strike a blow against a Democratic presidents signature policy. But that outcome is less certain than it seemed yesterday.

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To understand how the Supreme Court ended up the gatekeeper of $400 billion in debt relief, lets rewind back to August, when Biden announced the program with Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona. Under the plan, most borrowers qualify for a one-time cancellation of $10,000 in student debt (or $20,000 for Pell Grant recipients) if they earn less than $125,000 a year. Most beneficiaries earn less than $75,000 a year, and they are disproportionately racial minorities. The program was coupled with a plan to restart loan payments, which have been on pause since the start of the pandemic.

Biden and Cardona rooted the program in the HEROES Act, which Congress enacted in 2003 to replace a previous statute that granted loan relief to people affected by 9/11. It allowed the education secretary to waive or modify student debt held by borrowers affected by any national emergencynot just terrorism. And it expressly let the secretary forgive many, many loans in one fell swoop, rather than case-by-case. Initially set to expire in 2005, the HEROES Act was extended by Congress for another two years. Then, in 2007, Congress made the act permanent.

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By its plain text, the HEROES Act authorizes Bidens plan. The law was designed to apply to other crises beyond terrorism. Two presidents have declared COVID to be a national emergency. The current education secretary clearly thinks that those affected by COVID deserve relief.

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If the Supreme Court truly practiced textualism, this would be an easy case. The liberal justices hit this point over and over again on Tuesday. Congress could not have made this much more clear, Justice Elena Kagan told Nebraska Solicitor General James Campbell, who argued against the program. We deal with congressional statutes every day that are really confusing. This one is not. Even Justice Brett Kavanaugh seemed to agree that the text, by itself, covers this plan. Waive is an extremely broad word, he said to Campbell. Why not just read that as written?

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But most of the conservative justices have devised a tool to wriggle out from under the text of a law: the major questions doctrine, a dubious and ill-defined rule that courts can use to strike down any policy that presents a major question if Congress has not authorized it explicitly enough. (How major? Nobody knows.) Chief Justice John Roberts involved the major questions doctrine in an early colloquy with Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar, who was there representing the Biden administration to defend the program. He asked Prelogar if she would recognize at least that this is a case that presents extraordinarily serious, important issues, requiring the court to look at it a little more strictly than we might have otherwise to make sure that this was something that Congress would have contemplated. Kavanaugh connected the doctrine with the notion that courts should look skeptically at policies justified by emergencies, implicitly invoking decisions that upheld Japanese internment and other wartime civil liberties violations as a (questionable) comparison.

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Some of the biggest mistakes in the courts history were deferring to assertions of executive emergency power, Kavanaugh told Prelogar. Some of the finest moments in the courts history were pushing back against presidential assertions of emergency power.

These questions on the merits, however, often took a back seat on Tuesday. Front and center, instead, was the threshold problem: the argument for why they were there in the first place. The plaintiffs have struggled mightily to explain why they have standing to sue at all. This doctrine requires plaintiffs to prove three things: a concrete injury, a direct connection between the injury and the governments action, and a potential form of relief that would redress that injury. Standing is a problem for the plaintiffs because its not clear that anyone is actually injured when the government wipes student debt off the books. The government, after all, holds that debt already. (A small subset of loans are held by private institutions, but those are not included in Bidens plan.) Before the administration announced its plan in August, it had already quietly forgiven tens of billions of dollars in student debt. Nobody except the borrowers appeared to notice or care, because nobody is negatively affected.

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Do not think for a second that this fight over standing is merely some kind of technicality. It is the crux of the battle: The modern Supreme Court has transformed standing into a foundational limit on judicial power, at least when Republicans stand to benefit. For decades, conservative justices have deployed this doctrine to defeat progressive litigation. They have relied on standing to kill off lawsuits that would protect the environment, preserve separation of church and state, guard against illegal government surveillance, shield consumers from abusive credit agencies, and so much more. Enforcing the limits to standing is a favored tool of conservatives because it slams the courthouse door on plaintiffs seeking to vindicate civil liberties or public interests.

So much of Tuesdays arguments boiled down to this: Now that the rules of standing might benefit a Democratic president and 43 million student borrowers, conservatives are ready to toss it out as a concept altogether.

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The two cases before the Supreme Court on Tuesday present several dodgy theories of standing. First, in Biden v. Nebraska, Missouri claims it is suing on behalf of MOHELA, a corporation it created that services student loans. MOHELA pays a fixed sum into the state treasury periodically. The state speculateswith zero evidencethat loan relief will hobble MOHELAs ability to pay that sum.

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Its a fundamental principle that this kind of speculative chain of possibilities, backed up with no proof, does not establish standing. Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson hammered this fact, noting, We dont know really what the ultimate loss would be to MOHELA. But theres an even deeper problem: MOHELA is a separate legal entity from the state, with its own ability to sue and be sued. It is not a party to this litigation. In fact, it has refused to participate in the suit, notifying the government that it is eager to implement loan relief. State officials had to file public records requests just to collect details about its operation. And yet Missouri claims a right to sue on MOHELAs behalf.

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Justice Amy Coney Barrett unexpectedly asked the toughest questions about Missouris weak standing argument. Do you want to address why MOHELAs not here? she pointedly asked Campbell, the Nebraska solicitor general. Why didnt the state just make MOHELA come? Campbell, tail between his legs, tacitly admitted that it did not want to be there. Kagan jumped in to remind Campbell that you couldnt even get documents from MOHELA without filing the state equivalent of a FOIA request. It was a rough exchange for a man who waltzed into arguments with every reason to believe the wind was at his back.

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The second case, Department of Education v. Brown, went even better for the government. The plaintiffs are two borrowers who are suing because they did not get a chance to submit a public comment on Bidens plan. They say theyre angry that debt relief was not broad enough to encompass their loans. And so they want the Supreme Court to abolish the entire program.

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This theory flunks standing for an obvious reason: The plaintiffs claim that they want more debt relief, yet they are demanding no debt relief for anyone. In standing terms, that means their injury wont be redressed by the relief they seek, so they have no right to sue. Not a single justice was ready to accept this bizarro theory of standing. As Justice Sonia Sotomayor put it, the plaintiffs come into court to say I want more  while demanding a decision that ensures theyre going to get nothing?  This is so totally illogical to me.

It sure sounds as if Sotomayor, along with Kagan and Jackson, is ready to give the Biden administration a total victory, while Barrett is poised to toss the cases on standing. That leaves the government one vote short. Its far from clear which justice would provide it. Predictably, Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, and Neil Gorsuch appeared ready to shoot down the plan. Like Kavanaugh, Roberts was obviously displeased with Bidens program, repeatedly suggesting it was not fair.

I think it appropriate to consider some of the fairness arguments, he said, then spun out a hypothetical about a man who took on debt to start a lawn care service. Why doesnt he get relief when college graduates do? We like to usually leave situations of that sortwhen youre talking about spending the governments money, which is the taxpayers moneyto the people in charge of the money, which is Congress, Roberts scolded Prelogar. Why isnt that a factor that should enter into our consideration under the major questions doctrine?

And so, in the end, the chief justice boiled it all down to a policy argument thinly dressed up in the garb of legal doctrine. The blunt truth is that SCOTUS can invalidate Bidens plan only by shamelessly scrapping everything it has said about standing over the past half century for the one-time purpose of sticking it to Biden. It must, in effect, declare that student debt relief is so unconscionable that, to conquer it, the court must suspend the legal rules that apply to everybody else. Maybe Roberts, Kavanaugh, and Barrett will find the principle to acknowledge that they cannot strike down every policy that offends their sense of how government is supposed to work. But it is not encouraging that the fate of 43 million borrowers rests on 2 of these 3 justices mustering enough integrity to uphold a program they despise.
Today, the Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in two cases about President Bidens student debt cancellation program. Biden would like the federal government to cancel $10,000 in student debt for anyone earning less than $125,000 a year, and $20,000 for Pell Grant recipients; the plaintiffs in these cases are arguing, somehow, that his attempt to do this causes harm to them, and so they are asking the high court to shoot down the plan. Ostensibly, the case is about whether the tortured legal arguments they are making might hold water.

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But really, what happens todayand down the road, when they rule on the caseswill show us whether the court will seize yet another opportunity to assert itself as the primary policymaking body in American democracy. If it sides with the somewhat outlandish arguments being put forth by these plaintiffs, SCOTUS could stop this flagship Biden proposal, which has already had its legality vetted by the Department of Justice and the Office of Legal Counsel, in its tracks.

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This is an absurd potential outcome. Even in a term full of outlandish cases taken up by this court, the student loan deliberation stands out. As my colleague Mark Joseph Stern has written, the arguments in the two student loan cases are weak and weird. The federal government forgives student loans all the time. Multiple statutes give the Department of Education sweeping authority to cancel loans for a broad range of reasons, he noted in August. Even conservatives who doubt the programs legality think the plaintiffs reasoning is so flawed as to necessitate dismissal. The standing theories that have been thrown at the wall in these cases are wrong, and many of them would have dangerous implications, wrote Notre Dame law professor Samuel Bray and University of Chicago law professor William Baude in an amicus brief.

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If the court stymies loan forgiveness anyway, it will be yet another indication of just how unmoored the chamber has become. This isnt just about opposition to progressive ideas, but to the general idea of the rule of law and the principles on which it was founded. Paired with the string of recent equally egregious and unprecedented decisions, it shows how the court could insert itself as a profound obstacle to any sort of governance Joe Biden hopes to engage in for the rest of his presidency.

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Which is why it also presents an opportunity to Joe Biden. He has so far only been willing to venture mournful assessments of the courts rulings deeply disappointed in the June 2022 ruling striking down a century-old law limiting concealed handguns in public; Roes repeal was a sad day. To the surprise of no one, the court and the entire right-wing ecosystem of judicial activism has been undaunted by these remarks. But if the justices are willing to block one of his signature policies via such convoluted and bizarre arguments, it might be time to make the case to voters that the far-right activist court is out of control, and, finally, introduce court reform as a serious possibility.

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Already, public sentiment has soured on the courts legitimacy in the aftermath of the Dobbs ruling and the cascade of ethics issues that have become a mainstay in the news. According to Gallup, just 40 percent of Americans approve of the job the court is doing; only 47 percent of the country trusts the judicial branch, an all-time worst mark. The argument will be clearer than ever that the main problem in American politics right now is an opportunistic, ideological Supreme Court, willing to disregard any and all established law and the balance of the coequal branches to run the country based on their own conservative policy preferences.

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Debt cancellation advocates did everything right as to how youre supposed to effectuate change in a democratic system. They built a grassroots base, put pressure on candidates, won popular support, came up with a policy in a studied and deliberate way, said Brian Fallon, executive director of Demand Justice, a progressive legal advocacy organization. Conservatives district-shopped, got friendly rulings at the lower court level, and now this issue is going to be decided by five or six unelected, hard-right judges. And thats playing out on issue after issue.

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Already, the Biden administration has been messaging aggressively against the courts overreach in anticipation of this outcome. Currently, the Federal Student Aid website reads: Student Loan Debt Relief Is Blocked: Courts have issued orders blocking our student debt relief program. As a result, at this time, we are not accepting applications. We are seeking to overturn those orders.

But if the court is willing to dash that debt cancellation, President Biden will have to do more than snipe from the pages of a .gov site. And he cant keep hiding behind the vague and weak recommendations of his lackluster panels and commissions on the subject, which laughably found that excessive change to the institution could cause democracy to regress in the future. (The threat is not far off!) Hell have to push for real reforms, including term limits and court expansion, resulting in more justices, shorter tenures, or both (also known as court packing).

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When Joe Biden ran for president in 2020, he didnt support court reform. A number of other aspirants, including Sen. Elizabeth Warren, were champions of packing a Supreme Court that hadnt even arrived at its current 63 super-conservative supermajority, and was yet to overturn Roe v. Wade.

Warren remains one of the most vocal advocates of court reform, but she is not alone. Indeed, a number of Democrats in the Senate are on board, including Tina Smith of Minnesota and Ed Markey of Massachusetts. On the House side, Georgia Democrat Hank Johnson has been a quieter advocate for court expansion and term limits for Supreme Court justices. The issue has become increasingly popular in Democratic primaries, and many members of the new freshman class are already on the record supporting these sorts of policies.

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Biden may not love court reform himselfhe is, at heart, an institutionalist who managed to devote large chunks of his State of the Union speech this year to the idea that bipartisanship is something Congress might bring back. But the court may force his hand. This June, it could hand down jarring rulings on everything from affirmative action to the existence of the entire Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Those decisions will profoundly influence the lives of millions of Americans, often in exceptionally unpopular ways, without any sort of democratic recourse.

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In the absence of court reform, this is the political reality that will continue unabated for years, and possibly decades, to come. With the broad popularity of debt cancellation, and the growing popular opposition to the court, there may be no better time to introduce an alternative. And rememberBiden hasnt been a leader on court reform, but he wasnt a leader on student debt cancellation until recently, either. It was the combination of grassroots organizing and fellow Democrats embracing the issue that eventually changed his mind. Now its become a signature policy of his administration. Court reform could follow a similar arc.

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This court, one case at a time, is building that consensus for us, making converts out of more and more people, added Fallon. I think Biden will come to it reluctantly, as an option of last resort.

Tuesdays arguments will provide us with a new indication of the absurd lengths those five or six justices are willing to go in pursuit of their political agenda. Biden, who was actually elected to a political office to pursue political aims, will have to decide if hes willing to go out of his comfort zone before more rights are repealed, and a signature piece of his presidential agenda is foiled.

It may seem unlikely, but hes defied expectations in the past. His administrations prioritization of judicial appointments, particularly his elevation of public defenders and legal aid attorneys to the federal bench, has marked a distinct break with the thinking of his old boss, President Obama. Hes even shown a willingness to budge on the filibuster after venerating it for years.

But court reform may prove more consequential and urgently needed than any of those things. After Tuesday, his presidential legacy may depend on it.
All eyes in the fight over reproductive rights and justice have been focused on a federal judge in Amarillo, Texas. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk will soon decide a case involving the first drug in a medication abortion, mifepristone. Though the case makes wholly unpersuasive arguments, undermined by the facts and the evidence, plaintiffs filed in this specific court because Kacsmaryk is one of the most conservative judges on the federal bench and has an explicit and documented animus toward abortion. The expectation is that he will do everything in his power to end medication abortion as we know it. Because states like Texas have already banned abortion (including medication abortion), the deep fear is that his ruling could affect abortion care even in states where it remains legal.

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But we would like to offer some clarification here. Because despite the barrage of predictions that this case could ban mifepristone and take it off the market, there are several basic legal principles suggesting that Judge Kacsmaryks power is limited and that a ruling for the plaintiffs will not necessarily change much at all with medication abortion.

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Some background first. Medication abortion typically occurs, in this country, with two different drugsmifepristone followed by misoprostol. From the most recent data, abortion pills account for roughly 53 percent of abortions in this country, and given that this data is a few years old now, its probably much higher. Many people prefer medication abortion for a variety of reasons: It allows people to have an abortion in the privacy of their homes and it is available by telehealth, which is usually cheaper than an abortion at a brick-and-mortar clinic.

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Because of the increasing importance of medication abortion in the face of all of the restrictions and bans following the Dobbs decision, an anti-abortion group filed this lawsuit challenging the Food and Drug Administrations 23-year-old approval of mifepristone. Essentially, the plaintiffs argue that the FDA acted improperly when it approved this drug in 2000. The case also challenges several subsequent reviews the FDA conducted of the drug, claiming that the agency ignored the evidence that mifepristone was too risky. As a result, the lawsuit asks the court to deem the FDAs approval of the drug unlawful.

To be clear, mifepristone is one of the most studied drugs in this country. The evidence shows that it is safer than penicillin, Viagra, and thousands of other drugs the FDA has approved. There is no evidence that the FDA acted improperly in approving mifepristone; FDA law scholars and government agencies, like the Government Accountability Office, agree. (If you want to read more about abortion pills, we have a forthcoming law review article available here that explains all you need to know.) So the medical basis for this argument is meritless.

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But even if Judge Kacsmaryk does exactly what the plaintiffs are asking of him, regardless of the faulty science, his legal power in this case is limited. First, as an amicus brief from FDA law scholars (including one of the authors of this piece) makes clear, Congress crafted procedures by statute for the FDA to use to withdraw approval of a drug. Judge Kacsmaryk cannot force the FDA to adopt another process to do the samedoing so would violate federal law. At best, he should only be able to order the agency to start the congressionally mandated process, which involves public hearings and new agency deliberations. This could take months or years, with no guarantee of the result.

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Second, even if Judge Kacsmaryk forgoes this process and rules that the FDAs approval was unlawful and that mifepristone is now deemed a drug without approval, he cannot force the FDA to enforce the decision. Because the FDA does not have the capacity to enforce its statute against every nonapproved product on the market, it has long been settled law, decided in a unanimous 1985 Supreme Court decision, that the agency has broad enforcement discretion, meaning the agency, not courts, gets to decide if and when to enforce the statute. The FDA has historically used a risk-based approach to prioritize its enforcement actions, focusing on the products with demonstrated safety concerns. Occasionally, the FDA will issue a guidance document giving some drug manufacturers safe harbor to violate the relevant statute in certain contexts, such as when the safety risk is low, which it has done with products as wide-ranging as infant formula and fecal transplants. It should decide to take a similar approach with mifepristone if the drugs approval is removed, given the drugs exemplary safety profile.

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Thus, even if Judge Kacsmaryk rules against the FDA, the manufacturers and distributors of mifepristone could, if the FDA chooses not to enforce its restrictions, continue to sell their product and would not have to remove it from the market. They would likely only feel comfortable doing so if the FDA issued guidance protecting them, but offering such guidance would be consistent with past agency policy.

Third, Judge Kacsmaryks order, no matter what it says, will only apply to the parties in the case. The FDA is one of the parties that would be bound by the order. The other is Danco, the brand-name manufacturer of mifepristone, which intervened in the case and is now also a party. But no other person or entity would be bound by what he orders, even if Judge Kacsmaryk tries something extreme, like ordering all distributors of mifepristone to cease distribution and all medical care providers to stop prescribing for patients. Doing so would violate basic federal rules of civil procedure as well as constitutional guarantees of due process that require someone to have notice and an opportunity to be heard before a court binds them with a ruling. Thus, neither GenBioPro, the generic manufacturer of mifepristone, nor abortion providers around the country who prescribe mifepristone would be bound by anything Judge Kacsmaryk orders. (Though, to be clear, this is not direct legal advice for any person or entity; everyone needs to consult their own attorney to assess their own risks in this new legal environment.)

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The same is true of any rulings on the law that Judge Kacsmaryk makes beyond his orders directed at the parties to the case. One of the claims in the case is that allowing mifepristone to be distributed by mail violates the Comstock Act, an 1873 lawa law that hasnt been enforced for almost a centurythat prohibits mailing anything that can cause an abortion. The Department of Justice has recently said this law has very limited effect because courts narrowed its meaning in the 1930s. Plaintiffs, however, have asked Judge Kacsmaryk to apply the law much more broadly.

If that happens, contrary to precedent and an almost century-long understanding of the law, any ruling he issues about mail would bind the FDA and Danco only. To everyone else, he is just one judge in one trial court. No one beyond the parties has to follow what he says about this archaic statute. Now, if and when Judge Kacsmaryks ruling gets appealed, appeals courts decisions on the law will have greater import. However, even their orders still bind only the parties to the case and should not limit the FDAs enforcement discretion.

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Judge Kacsmaryk is not all-powerful. Theres a huge amount of authority that the FDA will retain, and we should look to the agency to respond to the judges ruling in a way that does not interrupt mifepristone distribution.

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And we should also be careful and measured when we talk about this case. It is true that the case is outlandish, and worthy of our attention. But we can anticipate an anti-abortion ruling and prepare for the possible changes in medical care while simultaneously explaining that strong legal arguments grounded in court procedure and FDA law limit the courts authority. Most importantly, we need to be clear that, no matter what the judge rules, there are scenarios where mifepristone distribution can very likely continue, the same as before, and people who support abortion rights should work to bring those to fruition.
On Feb. 9, Indias government announced a discovery with massive implications for its environment, international relations, and political scene: an untapped 5.9 million-ton stash of lithium reserves located within the region of Jammu and Kashmir. The nonferrous metal has never been more important to global commerce and the climate-change fight, as a key material for the lithium-ion batteries used most often in electric cars and for storing energy from renewable power generators like solar and wind. Now India is preparing to extract and refine the stuff, begin lithium auctions to private actors by this summer, reduce its dependence on mineral imports from other countries, accelerate the development of the countrys flagging electric vehicle sector, and enjoy a newly opened pathway for India to meet its internal clean-tech and clean-energy goals.

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An executive for a battery company told Indian outlet the Print that this will have a huge impact on the cost of batteries and make EVs more affordable for consumers. The managing director of the alternative fuel provider Greenfuel Energy Solutions stated that Indias plan to increase EV penetration by 30 percent by 2030 relies heavily on lithium, which means the lithium reserves have great potential for creating jobs and generating revenue. One government secretary likewise called the minerals stash a game-changer in the economic development of Jammu and the country.

And we are, indeed, talking about a lot of lithium. Alone, the Jammu and Kashmir reserves dwarf the amounts of lithium held by most nations; coupled with tinier stashes of lithium uncovered years ago in the state of Karnataka, they appear to herald a domestic bounty of a core material for high-in-demand energy-storage and electric-vehicle batteries. The subcontinentwhich formerly purchased up to 80 percent of its lithium from countries like China and Taiwan and Argentina and Australiacould become its own bountiful lithium supplier.

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What could possibly make all of this not good news? Look again where those lithium deposits lie.

Jammu and Kashmir is the worlds most militarized region and a longtime victim of Indias ugliest political disputes. From midcentury onward, after India and Pakistan claimed their respective territories from the British Empire, the two nations have fought over full control of the area; as Indias only Muslim-majority state, Jammu and Kashmir was granted special autonomy, though never offered the right to full self-determination. By the 1980s and 90s, increasing dissension within the India-administered portion of the state, timed with an influx of mujahedeen-trained and -linked rebels into Pakistan following the Soviet-Afghan War, ignited an explosion of violence within the area. Armed groups fighting for the states full annexation by Pakistan or for wholesale independence were countered by Indias military, which imposed sweeping crackdowns across the region. This escalated when Prime Minister Narendra Modis government unilaterally revoked Jammu and Kashmirs special status in 2019, allowing for greater levels of outside influence in the territory, along with heightened levels of protest suppression.

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It is against this backdrop, then, that the lithium discovery must be considered. Jammu and Kashmirs situation has only worsened since its fateful disempowerment nearly four years ago: Indias ruling Bharatiya Janata Party has consolidated electoral control, displaced business owners from the region, ravaged the territorys economy, detained independent journalists from the area, and imposed record numbers of internet shutdowns. All this, as the region gets ready to host important elections in the near future. In a striking coincidence, a former government minister published an essay warning that all is not well in Jammu and Kashmir on the very same day the union territorys lithium troves were revealed.

What do Jammu and Kashmir residents think about the lithium? Some are reportedly excited, heartened by government proclamations that youth workers will be prioritized for mining and refinement jobs, that this development initiative will revitalize the local economy, and that citizens who may be affected by the workthe land digging, the infrastructure construction, the potential natural impactswill be adequately compensated and rehabilitated.

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Not everyone is so bullish. Other young villagers in Reasi, the lush Jammu district where the lithium was found, told the financial outlet Moneycontrol that they worry about the destructive potential of large-scale lithium mining on the glacier-packed Himalayan mountain ranges, soil, trees, farms, water supplies, air quality, and hydroelectricity plants located in and around the Salal-Haimana area. (Like much of the rest of India, Reasi has been battered by the effects of climate change, suffering from frequent earthquakes and droughts and erosion.) More residents told the publication that the introduction of miners and machines could lead to government land grabs on developers behalf, thus displacing the population. Many have brought these concerns to government officials, additionally voicing fears that security needs for mineral operations will install even more Indian troops in the region. Then there are those who eschew civil engagement: A Pakistani-origin militant group issued a public statement just days after the lithium discovery, warning against Colonial Exploitation and theft of resources and threatening to attack Indian Companies that dare to venture into the troubled waters of Jammu and Kashmir. The long years of terrorist attacks and crackdowns have already torched much of Kashmirs environmental beauty.

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Its not just that the lithium rush could escalate local unrest and plunder, but that it might not even be worth the trouble. The Geological Survey of India, which brought public attention to the lithium, classified the inferred deposits at a G3 levelmeaning that researchers are still at the preliminary exploration phase and have yet to firm up important specifics. These entail whether the minerals actually are of high enough quality for use in commercial manufacturing, how many years it will take to extract and prepare the lithium, or whether there even will be 5.9 million tons of minable and usable reserves in total once the processes are complete. As some Indian newspapers pointed out, the potential for lithium availability within Jammu and Kashmir had been sussed out nearly 25 years ago, and its taken all that time for the reserves to be officially upgraded from G4 status (reconnaissance) to G3 (preliminary exploration); there are two more levels to go before any actual lithium can be surfaced. This does not inspire confidence in a quick and easy process.

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The Jammu and Kashmir deposits have been widely celebrated as a deus ex machina for Indias flagging climate-protection hopes. It could well be the case, however, that the nations lithium bounty fuels the same type of fraught conflicts over environmental justice, labor standards, property rights, and government stability that wrack other lithium-rich countries like Bolivia, Mexico, and Chile, not to mention even smaller jurisdictions like sacred lands historically expropriated from Native Americans. Lithium exploration around the world was fraught, violent, and exploitative even before the modern green-tech boom. The deposit in Jammu and Kashmir could change Indias future, but it could also lead the nation to repeat other countries pasts.

Future Tense is a partnership of Slate, New America, and Arizona State University that examines emerging technologies, public policy, and society.
On Feb. 26, the Wall Street Journal ran a story that looked, at first glance, like a bombshell: Lab Leak Most Likely Origin of Covid-19 Pandemic, Energy Department Now Says.

So, did something big just happen? Do we finally have a smoking gun to settle the mysterious origins of COVID-19 once and for all?

Since early in the pandemic, the lab-leak hypothesis has posited that the coronavirus emerged from a labfrom a well-intentioned SARS study gone wrong, or as a nefarious bioweapon. In contrast, the natural-spread hypothesis assumes that SARS-CoV-2 came to us the way most new viruses do: from interactions with infected animals. The debate has gotten extraordinarily heated, with proponents of each accusing the other side of motivated reasoning.

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The WSJ reported that the Department of Energy now has an official stance on the origin of COVID, based on new information. The New York Times matched the WSJ story with its own story, and the New York Post ran paparazzi photos of Anthony Fauci outside his home refusing to comment on the news. But its not clear if the DOEs assessment changes all that much.

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The DOEs information is classified, so its hard to evaluate what it contains. But we do know that the DOE has low confidence in its assessment that the virus came from a lab, as the WSJ reported, so it seems like whatever the department knows now isnt thoroughly convincing.

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Then theres the fact that the DOE is not the final arbiter of truth on where COVID came from. In fact, a National Security Council spokesperson said on Feb. 27 that there is not a consensus within the government.

Many agencies have been looking into it: Back in 2021, the Biden administration asked the Intelligence Community to investigate the origins of the pandemic. The Department of Energys intelligence arm was 1 of 8 agencies that looked into the matter.

After 90 days, the agencies came back with a group report. They all agreed that there was insufficient evidence to settle the debate. Even so, each agency shared their best guess. Four of the eight agencies (along with the National Intelligence Council, which also participated) leaned toward natural spread, with low confidence. The FBI leaned lab leak, with moderate confidence. Three agencies, including the CIA and the DOE, couldnt make up their minds.

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So, the news is really about one agency in this process finally making a choice. On Feb. 26, the WSJ reported that in an updated version of the report that is currently classified, the DOE finally picked a position: lab leak, low confidence. The WSJ also reported that the DOE was the only agency that changed its position.

From the 2021 report, it does not appear that one undecided agency picking a lane would have much impact on the intelligence communitys overall assessment. Thats because, different conclusions aside, the agencies actually agreed on a lot.

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Lab leak or not, they agreed with full confidence that COVID was not a biological weapon and were confident that China did not see the pandemic coming. Most agencies also agreed that COVID wasnt genetically engineered, leaving less nefarious lab-leak options, like mishandling animals or viruses.

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The agencies also agreed on what shape a smoking gun would take. To prove the lab-leak theory, they would need evidence that a laboratory in Wuhan was handling SARS-CoV-2 or a close progenitor virus before COVID-19 emerged. To prove the natural-spread hypothesis, they would need evidence that allows them to determine the specific pathway for initial natural contact with an animal, states the report.

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If there were now evidence to firmly support either chain of events, the DOE would presumably have higher confidence in its assessmentand other agencies would be joining it in its conclusion. The WSJ article explains that the other agencies had the same information and did not switch their positions.

In the meantime, since the original intelligence agency report, there has been new evidence for natural spread. Two related papers published in Science in July 2022 combined epidemiologic methods and genomics to map the earliest known COVID cases. They found that cases centered on one particular live-animal market in Wuhan, China, and that two slightly different variants emerged there within a few weeks. This implies that the virus was mutating in infected animals being sold on-site, rather than originating in research labs across the river. Still, its not clear where the first infected animal came from. As an author on one of the papers pointed out, a lab leak is still technically plausible.

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If [the Wuhan Institute of Virology] was doing experiments with a virus that could have evolved into SARS-CoV-2, that would dramatically change the likelihood that this virus would coincidentally emerge somewhere in Wuhan naturally, especially if it was collected years earlier in a far-off location, Angela Rasmussen wrote in a tweet, basically agreeing with the Intelligence Community about what a smoking gun would look like.

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There is no evidence that these labs had such a virus. Researchers also havent yet found a good suspect in the wild for a precursor virus that could have jumped to humans in each scenario.

This is complicated, painstaking work, and were not likely to have a firm answer soon. As Jon Ehrenreich pointed out in Slate in January, it took decades to pinpoint where diseases like Ebola and HIV originated.

In the meantime, while sleuthing is funand its good that someones doing itit is also a distraction for most of us. The Intelligence Communitys 2022 threat assessment still flags other pandemics from animals as a big risk. Maybe we should worry more about what virology Twitter has been talking about this week: the potential for bird flu to spread among humans.
Microsofts new A.I.-enhanced Bing search engine has gotten a lot of press over the past few weeks for being combative, rude, and just creepy. The chatbot told Kevin Roose of the New York Times that it loved him and that, although hes married, Kevin doesnt actually love his spouse. It told a Washington Post reporter that it can feel or think things. On Twitter, a lot of the folks with early access to the chatbot (its in a test stage and is not yet available to the public) posted screenshots of chilling conversations.

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Faced with the potential threat of runaway A.I., for years researchers have been working on safety guardrails, out of the public eye, hoping they could keep these systems functioning the way theyre supposed to. But as Microsoft, OpenAI, and Silicon Valley writ large begin pushing this tech out to the public, wanting to be first to the next big thing, the cracks in the A.I. and its safety guardrails are starting to show. The results are simultaneously scary and exhilarating.

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On Fridays episode of What Next: TBD, I spoke with Drew Harwell, a Washington Post tech reporter, about how Bings chatbot went off the railsand what that means for the future of A.I. Our conversation has been edited and condensed for clarity.

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Emily Peck: Since OpenAI released ChatGPT last year, the hype has exploded around chatbots, also called large language models. Until then, big tech had been working on these large language models in secret, trying to make sure they were safei.e., not racist, not sexist, or, you know, not evilbefore the public ever saw them. But since OpenAI began releasing its products to the public, the floodgates have opened, even if the kinks arent entirely worked out yet.

Drew Harwell: Googles Bard, Microsofts Bingall of these tools do the same thing, and theyre all very imperfect. They can speak elegantly, but they are effectively BS generators. They do this thing called hallucinating, where they just start spewing nonsense. Remember, theyre just trying to associate words and phrases with each other based off texts theyve read before; they dont know facts. They dont understand what theyre saying. If you ask it for an original source for what it just claimed to you, itll make up a book out of nowhere.

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When people have been using the Bing tool, theyve been surprised: This thing sounds so elegant, but its just lying to my face. There was one instance where a guy asked when a movie was premiering, and Bing was very confidently wrong in saying, Well, its coming out in 2023. And so, it hasnt come out yet because the year is 2022. It was effectively gaslighting this human questioner.

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Microsoft probably doesnt want Bings A.I., code name Sydney, to be wrong or veer off from its intended use as a helpful tool for search. In fact, theyve created specific rules to keep it in check, which we know of because people were able to essentially break the bot and get it to spill its secrets. How did they do that?

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We know the name Sydney because people started to find little ways to convince the Bing A.I. to offer up its original code name, its confidential training documents. You could see the first sentences that Sydney was taught were things like Hey, you are Bing A.I. Your whole mission is to be helpful. You want to answer peoples questions. You dont want to say this or that sexist, racist thing. Those were the real early guardrails, but the fact that people could see those guardrails shows that its an imperfect system. The more people were starting to tinker with it and play with it, the longer the conversations were becoming, the more people were able to get it to what Microsoft said was a style we didnt intend.

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After the headlines came out about the creepy stuff Bings A.I. was saying, Microsoft imposed limits on its use. How is Microsoft trying to rein its A.I. in?

Microsofts solution for this was OK, no more long, rambling dorm-room conversations. Were going to keep you to five conversation turnslike, question-and-answerper session. And when you get to the end of that session, instead of going on, Bing just says, Hey, Im sorry, we have to end the talk now. Hit the broom icon to sweep all these memories away, and lets start this conversation again. This is Microsoft saying, Hey, we meant this as a search tool that you could use to find movie times, not to have these existential conversations. But why five turns? It all just underlines how arbitrary and experimental these guardrails are, and how much these companies are scrambling to understand what the rules should be.

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What are other A.I. companies taking away from Bing-gate? Will more of these companies scale back or get scared?

I dont think Bing-gate is all that damaging to Microsoft, to be honest. We are talking about Microsoft and Bing in the year 2023. These are giant successes for Microsoft. I think these companies see people working these systems into uncomfortable spots by having these weird, romantic conversations. They dont want that, but I think these companies understood that there was going to be a little bit of a cat-and-mouse game to it. Every piece of software, every app, every website comes out, and people are creative and they test the boundaries. They try and get it to say stupid crap. This is just a law of the internet.

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If anything, I think were going to see more experimental A.I. rollouts that could be even weirder. The technology is becoming really advanced really quickly. Its still totally wrong most of the time, but its very elegant in how its wrong. Companies like Microsoft and Google, they have a public face that they need to defend, but theres going to be a lot of startups who have access to this technology, a lot of random developers who may not have so many ethical boundaries.

How dangerous is it to test an underdeveloped A.I. on the public?

I dont think these A.I. tools intend to be malicious, but they mislead us. They lie to us. They send us down weird paths. And its really the humans that can misuse them in a really good way. One A.I. expert was telling me, humans have gotten really good at scamming people over text message, and now you add the power of this A.I. tool that can spit out thousands of words in an instant. Just imagine how much deception were going to see in the future.

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Theres a lot of ways that this could go wrong. I dont think Microsoft or Google or any of these companies want that to happen, but when you release a technology like this out into the wild that people can use at random, its the Jurassic Park effect. You have this crazy piece of science thats out there, and you cant really restrain it anymore. Theres no real restricting this kind of A.I. And its becoming more prolific because a lot of the technical issues are solved at this point. We have the computing power; we have the data.

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Part of the problem with implementing safety guardrails on large language models is that no one, including the people making the systems, is entirely sure how they work. This isnt like traditional coding, where you type some commands in a certain programming language and the computer responds in a predictable way. How do large language models work?

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They have been taught not by specific instructions, but by reading the internet, reading hundreds of billions of words, formulating their own conclusions, connecting word pieces in a way that no human ever really explicitly taught them. Theres a black-box effect: Developers dont even really know what theyre going to get out of the system when they submit a command. Its a crazy way of using computers, really, because its so unpredictable. Thats part of the reason why the answers are so interesting. But its also just a really different way of human-machine interaction. And its all based off the fact that we dont know what its going to say at any given moment. And you can erect some guardrails and maybe, hopefully, address some of the scarier unpredictabilities. But most of the time, you just have no idea what youre going to get.

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So how can researchers or these companies put in effective guardrails if it works the way youre describing? Are they just basically throwing ideas at the wall and hoping it works?

Yeah, basically. At this point, its like whack-a-mole. If somebody says too many mean things about Donald Trump, or if somebodys explicitly targeting one vulnerability of an A.I., like making it say its code name and all its confidential instructions, I as Microsoft am going to say to the A.I., Dont do that anymore. But thats the cat-and-mouse game. Somebody else is going to find some new vulnerability and exploit it as much as they want, and then the company will have to address that.

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This is effectively bug fixing. This is classic technology. But when it comes to a system that anybody can use to get a lot of different answers, that becomes a bigger issue. And thats why these systems were not publicly available for a long time. You saw, before the last couple years, these companies, or places like OpenAI, saying, Were a little unnerved by how people might use these models, so were going to be more careful about who can use them. Companies have shifted their tone in the last couple years, partly because of competitive anxiety and wanting to be at the forefront, but also just because they feel like they want these errors so they can fix them down the road.

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All of these unknowns raise questions about releasing these chatbots to the public, even in a limited test environment.

People will argue that it is irresponsible to do that. The companies will say that we cant restrain these things forever, that we are going to do our best to make an ethical system, and that the good outweighs the bad. But thats the constant ethical push and pull that you see people debating around any kind of A.I. technology. Does the good outweigh the bad, or are we subjecting people to these unpredictable risks without really protecting them as much as we could?

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The thing everyone really is scared of is the Terminator scenario, where Skynet takes over and kills us all and only Arnold Schwarzenegger can save us. What do we have to be scared of? Should we be afraid of the A.I. taking over and killing us all?

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I mean, that is the eternal question, right? We have all watched a lot of sci-fi over the years, but A.I. is very different than that. A robot is not going to come up and punch you in the face anytime soon, as far as I can tell. These A.I. are still very visibly imperfect. And the more you use them, the more you see the seams and the flaws. But they can be really dumb and get a lot of things wrong and still be convincing.

I think the vectors for misinformation, and deceit, and scams, those are concerning. And the way that humans will use them is concerning. But I also want to be realistic for the people who see these and think: The A.I. supermind is becoming sentient; its going to rebel. Every mean thing Ive said to my Roomba is going to come back to haunt me. When you talk to people in this industry, they think that that concern is a little overwrought. These things are not human. They are not alive. They do not want to marry you. They are just really good at talking like you. And they are going to be getting things wrong for a long time.

Future Tense is a partnership of Slate, New America, and Arizona State University that examines emerging technologies, public policy, and society.
Slovak scientists give up too soon. Science is not a race, its a marathon, says nuclear physicist Martin Venhart.

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Last year, Slovakia received its first European Research Council (ERC) grant in ten years. The number of such grants awarded is one of the metrics used to evaluate the health of the science sector in any given country. "The fact that Slovakia is not very successful in this regard tells us something," says vice-chairman of the Slovak Academy of Sciences (SAV) and nuclear physicist Martin Venhart. He is hopeful though that things will get better.

"I firmly believe that this will change, and I can already see it starting. Im optimistic about this," he says. In an interview with The Slovak Spectator, Martin Venhart talks about the challenges science in Slovakia faces and what is being done to improve the situation.

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You spend a lot of time abroad, what is it like to return to Slovakia?

Always very pleasant. I decided to live in Slovakia and I do not think that the grass is greener nor the sky bluer abroad. I have a family here, I am very happy here. I do a lot of experiments abroad and they are mostly successful, so coming back means I look forward to what we are going to discover in the data. I have an excellent team of young students and I look forward to working with them.

How does science in Slovakia fare compared to other countries?

We lack money, that is the first problem. The second is that we do not have people. The third is that we do not have equipment. We do what we can with what we have. The few success stories we hear about are not because of the system, but in spite of it. This is the situation now and it is a consequence of the past.

I cannot change that, but I am doing my best to change the future, so that the generations that come after us will not have to struggle with what we struggled with. I think we managed to achieve something, and that is sometimes overlooked. I returned twelve years ago and the situation is much better than it used to be. I am not saying it is good or that this is what we wanted it to be, but we have come a long way. But we have a long way still ahead of us.

To stay up to date with what scientists in Slovakia or Slovak scientists around the world are doing, subscribe to the Slovak Science newsletter, which will be sent to readers free of charge four times a year.

When we last talked almost five years ago, you said, and I quote, "Slovak science is desperately underfunded". It this still true?

It is. We are short on money, the sum is small. When you consider how many Slovak Research and Development Agency (APVV) projects are allocated, and that there is not even a sufficient amount of them and they are badly structured, there is a total lack of schemes focused not only on investment in equipment, but mainly in people. It is not usual to have projects from which I employ doctoral or post-doctoral fellows. In countries to the west and north of us, the top groups are headed by one or two strong leaders with permanent positions.

The other researchers are paid mostly from projects. It is sort of a pyramid structure, and this is missing here. Moreover, institutional funding is insufficient. This means we cannot build everything on projects, because we may not get them. In other countries, there is some certainty. Fellows at lower levels know they will be exchanged, that they are accepted for the duration of their studies and will have to go somewhere else later. Only the best manage to reach the top floor and are institutionally funded. However, here the pyramid is inverted, making the age structure of most groups bad.

How are the countries around Slovakia doing?

The Czech Republic is miles ahead and getting closer to Western countries. Of course, it was not easy. I do not think they have better politicians than in Slovakia, some may be even worse. Nevertheless, the Czech Republic is in a different position.

After the break-up of Czechoslovakia, the starting line was pretty much the same for both countries. How did the Czechs achieve it then?

They started introducing measures, which we are now starting to gradually implement, much earlier. That is, they opened grant schemes that enabled the creation of research groups and larger units. That is the main difference. However, it was not easy for them either and they had huge problems at the beginning. We will have to overcome these problems too.

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One of the indicators of the state of the science sector in a given country is the number of ERC grants. Why these?

To some extent, this is a little bit of a trend at the moment. Still, the fact that Slovakia is not very successful in this regard tells us something.

What are the reasons behind this lack of success?

As I said, science is very underfunded. According to an analysis by SAV, if we take the standard of science at the European level and divide it by the percentage of invested GDP, we find that, basically, we are not worse off than the Czech Republic, Hungary or Poland, and just a little bit worse off than Austria. However, as soon as we focus on truly breakthrough results, for example publications in Nature magazine or ERC grants - and there are several metrics such as this - we see how far we lag behind our neighbours. Funding is enough to maintain a European-level standard of science.

However, that is not enough for breakthrough discoveries, right?

No. The second problem is that there is little support when applying for ERC grants. However, things have improved significantly in recent years. It is very different to when I applied for my first ERC grant around 2012. If I had had this kind of support then, I am convinced that I would have got a grant back then.

How many ERC grants do neighbouring countries have?

Hungary has several dozen, the Czech Republic has a few less, I do not know about Poland.

And Slovakia?

I know of one that should be starting about now involving social anthropologist Elzbieta Drazkiewicz from SAVs Institute for Sociology. It is the first one in ten years.

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Not long ago, you received 110,000 from the ESET Foundation, which should help you in obtaining an ERC grant. How did you get it?

That a private company would support basic nuclear research is in itself a miracle in Slovak conditions. The sum is huge. The problem is that this should be the icing on the cake, but the cake is missing. Still, the money will help me with part of the experimental program that I want to do within the ERC grant scheme. The grant proposal is designed in such a way that you have to show you have already done something and that it works.

This significantly increases the chance of success. Without this support it would be impossible. My group's chance has increased significantly, maybe even doubled, but it is still small. I have already reached the Advanced category, the most competitive one in which the highest grants can be obtained.

You are leading a unique experiment at CERN, a spectrometer called Tatra (an instrument used to separate and measure spectral components of a phenomenon - Ed. note). Could this help you too?

We have stopped its activity to a certain extent. If we do not get a grant, we will end it. The reason is that we do not have enough support from the Education Ministry. It makes no sense to keep it going because our competitors have caught up with us. We lost the advantage we had because the funding stopped. We have designed a new version that would be on a completely different level.

However, the money from ESET is not enough for that and I do not want to invest money in the old version, which is a bit outdated. We invested that money in experiments. We did the first pilot experiment last autumn and the results were much better than we expected. This will be one of the pillars of the application for the ERC grant.

You said that a new version of Tatra would be a significant step forward. If you do not get the grant, would CERN be interested in supporting it?

No. CERN does not directly support such things, there is no money in the budget for this. The person who submits experiments must secure the finances. That can be done only via the ERC grant, as no grant in Slovakia would be enough. Actually, this is also important as even within the ERC scheme, even good grant applications are often not successful because it is clear that these proposed projects could be funded from national sources. I know cases where an application was not successful precisely for this reason.

By Slovak standards, the original Tatra spectrometer was a unique experiment at CERN. How are Slovak scientists viewed at CERN?

In 2018, CERN Director General Fabiola Gianotti visited Slovakia. She said Slovak scientists are very important partners for CERN. However, a distinction must be made between scientists directly employed at CERN and groups in Slovakia. Among the former are those who are part of several collaborations, such as Peter Chochucla in the ALICE collaboration, or Daniel Valuch who is involved in the development of accelerator systems - methods of accelerating, monitoring and controlling various types of beams. In the latter, there are groups at the Institute of Experimental Physics of SAV in Kosice, at the Physics Institute of SAV, or at the Faculty of Mathematics, Physics and Informatics of the Comenius University. Officially, we involved in four collaborations.

So they have made a name for themselves?

I think so, yes. Maybe someone else should be asked the question because I am also talking about myself, and it is not easy to answer.

You mentioned that your activities could help future scientists. How so?

Since 2021 I have been vice-chairman at SAV. I voluntarily gave up part of my scientific career to get into positions to make an impact. I consider our Impulse project to be the most important. This is a system of grants given by the SAV to exceptional researchers, not necessarily just those who return to Slovakia. The evaluation is international and somewhat similar to ERC grants. The goal is to jumpstart a new generation of scientists.

The grant is in the range of 60,000 to 170,000 per year for five years. It mirrors Hungary's Momentum scheme, which started ten years ago. It was so successful that after a while the government took over. More than half of Hungary's ERC grants were received by people who went through this system. It is a successful scheme. When I met former ERC president Jean-Pierre Bourguignon at a conference and asked him what he thought Slovakia should do, he told me to go to Budapest and copy their system. So we did.

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What are the results so far?

SAV finances everything from its own resources. In the first call, we gave three grants, now the evaluation of the second call is underway. I believe that one day we will be able to convince the Slovak government that this is the best way and to take the same steps as the Hungarian government did. What is important is that even Hungarians say that the ERC grants themselves are a completely natural consequence of the scheme.

New research groups were formed, people brought new ideas that had not been looked at before. This is also one of the conditions of the Impulse program. Thus, a new generation will be able to emerge outside established structures. Sometimes when things have remained the same for a long time, certain structures appear that are difficult to break. And the Slovak Academy of Sciences has them too.

So, in addition to funding, such structures are also a large problem for science in Slovakia?

Yes. Even if we poured ten times more money in than now, it would not solve anything. Those structures also need to be taken down. Another example related to ERC grants: the greatest chance of getting the grant is when you apply for the fourth time. But very few people in Slovakia even decide to apply for a second time. When a scientist tries and is not successful, they tell themselves they are not good enough and will not try again. I am now going to apply for the fourth time, so I believe I will be successful as I have worked on it systematically.

They give up too soon?

Its a huge mistake. It is something no one has talked about until recently. This is not a race, its a marathon. And I firmly believe that this will change. I can already see it starting. I am optimistic about this. If I was not, I would not be here. If we bury our heads in the sand, nothing will change. It is time for our generation, those born at the turn of the 1970s and 1980s, to take responsibility for running society.

This article is supported by the ESET Foundation, which awards the ESET Science Award to exceptional scientists every year.
Police detained Slovak provided sensitive information to Russians last year.

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On Tuesday, the Specialised Criminal Court in Banska Bystrica approved a plea agreement between the Special Prosecutor's Office and Russian spy Bohus Garbar.

Garbar provided information to the Russian secret service in the past, for which he has been found guilty of espionage. In addition, he has been convicted of accepting a bribe.

The court sentenced the spy to three years in prison with three years of probation. Garbar will also have to pay 15,000 as a financial penalty.

His attorney Jan Carnogursky, former Slovak prime minister and pro-Russian disinformer, declined to comment on his client's motivation behind providing sensitive information classified as "top secret" and "secret" to Russia. At the same time, the prosecutor refused to explain how the convict had managed to obtain information.

Russian embassy worker recruits Slovak

In March 2022 the National Crime Agency brought an espionage charge against Garbar, who wrote for the Hlavne Spravy disinformation website back in the day, and the former vice-rector of the Slovak military academy in Liptovsky Mikulas, Pavel Bucka. This was just a month after Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Soon after the Dennik N daily published a video that shows Garbar being recruited and paid by Russian Embassy staffer Sergey Solomasov.

video //www.youtube.com/embed/NrS98C796xA

Information for GRU

According to the police, Garbar had been collecting information for members of the Russian military intelligence agency GRU since April 2021. Bucka, who collected and retrieved information from the Slovak armed forces and NATO, has admitted to working for Russian intelligence since 2013.

The police seized USB keys and notes about meetings with various people during their police search last year.

If a trial had taken place, Garbar could have faced up to 13 years in prison in the case of a guilty verdict.
Amendments targeting transgender people, Slovak scientist on still underfunded science, and the Bratislava zoo reopens.

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Good evening. Here is the Tuesday, February 28 edition of Today in Slovakia - the main news of the day in less than five minutes.

Russian spy pleads guilty

Bohus Garbar, as portrayed on February 28, 2023. (Source: TASR - Jan Kroslak)

On Tuesday, the Specialised Criminal Court in Banska Bystrica approved a plea agreement between the Special Prosecutor's Office and Bohus Garbar.

The Slovak provided sensitive information to the Russian secret service in the past, for which he has been found guilty of espionage. In addition, he has been convicted of accepting a bribe.

The court sentenced the spy to three years in prison with three years of probation.

Other stories from The Slovak Spectator website

LGBT+ rights: Conservative MPs submitted two proposals to parliament that target transgender people.

Travel: Trencin Region plans to build a new lookout tower for hikers.

Opinion: The media has condemned the threats political journalist Marta Janckarova received last weekend. Police chief Stefan Hamran said on Tuesday that the police have found an alleged suspect behind the threats.

If you like what we are doing and want to support good journalism, buy our online subscription with no ads and a print copy of The Slovak Spectator sent to your home in Slovakia. Thank you.

FEATURE STORY FOR TUESDAY

He gave up part of his scientific career to make an impact

Nuclear physicist Martin Venhart. (Source: SME - Marko Erd)

Martin Venhart, vice-chairman of the Slovak Academy of Sciences, still sees how underfunded Slovak science is. We have come a long way and we still have a long way to go, the scientist says in an interview with The Slovak Spectator.

SONG OF THE DAY

The Kiss

In 1920, the Slovak National Theatre in Bratislava opened its first season with "Hubicka" (The Kiss), Czech composer Bedrich Smetana's sixth opera from 1876. Listen to one of the most popular Smetana operas.

The Slovak National Theatre. (Source: SME - Jozef Jakubco)

Note: The notable Barcelona-born tenor Jose Carerras is returning to Kosice after 12 years. He will perform at the Steel Arena on June 7.

IN A FEW LINES

The trial of the extremist Marian Magat , who has been in custody since January 2022, began at the Specialised Criminal Court on Tuesday. The notorious Holocaust denier and Hitler admirer is facing several charges: approval of the Holocaust, support of a movement that aims to suppress human rights, and the production of extremist materials, including his book 'Jewishcracy'. Magat is the founder of the Vzdor Kysuce extremist group. If found guilty, he could spend eight years in prison. The trial should last until June.

More than 150,000 pupils (Year 1 in secondary schools, selected groups of primary and secondary school pupils) will receive a contribution of 350 from EU funds to buy a laptop or tablet with a keyboard, the Investment Ministry announced on Tuesday.

Igor Matovic's OLaNO movement wants to use an extra tax on the companies that continue to process Russian oil , such as the Slovnaft refinery, to pay the proposed 500 to people who will cast a vote in the early elections. OLaNO proposes increasing the temporary tax from 55 percent to 70 percent, and extend its validity until the end of this year.

The Supreme Court has decided that Kosice Region Chief Rastislav Trnka will not be taken into custody , but the court stressed that it sees a reason for his prosecution.

On Tuesday, the Bratislava zoo reopened after a month. In January, the zoo confirmed a bird flu case and decided to close its premises temporarily. The parliamentary committee for culture and media discusses why the public broadcaster RTVS did not allow Smer MP Lubos Blaha to take part in a political interview programme last weekend on February 28, 2023 in Bratislava. (Source: TASR - Martin Baumann)

WEATHER FOR WEDNESDAY: Clear skies across Slovakia. The highest daytime temperature will hike up to 11C, or 3C in northern Slovakia. Light wind. (SHMU)

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. Or you can complain about our work. It can help us get better, too.
https://sputnikglobe.com/20230227/dodging-the-cameras-joe-biden-on-pace-to-become-most-evasive-president-ever-1107854520.html

Dodging the Cameras: Joe Biden on Pace to Become Most Evasive President Ever

Dodging the Cameras: Joe Biden on Pace to Become Most Evasive President Ever

Woodrow Wilson held what is commonly considered the first Presidential press conference in 1913. The practice continued with every consecutive President.

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americas

joe biden

press conference

white house press briefing

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President Joe Biden is on pace to hold fewer news conferences than any US president since Ronald Reagan left office, and is on pace for the third-least number of conferences behind Regan and Richard Nixon. Counting only solo news conferences - appearances not shared with another world leader or government official, Biden is on pace to be the least accessible president of the modern age, including Reagan, Nixon and Trump.According to the American Presidency Project at the University of California, Santa Barbra, Biden has given 11 solo press conferences during his first two years in office and none in 2023 so far. He has also been a part of ten joint conferences since his time in office, including one so far in 2023.Assuming Bidens pace continues in 2024, he will have given 22 solo conferences and 18 joint appearances by the time his first term expires; however, that is not a sure bet. Trump was on pace to easily beat the record for the least number of solo press conferences, only giving nine press conferences in his first three years in office, but that changed in 2020 as the COVID-19 pandemic spread around the nation and prompted Trump to start using his near daily briefings as de facto campaign speeches.Trump had an adversarial relationship with the press, referring to the media as the enemy of the people. Trump was commonly referred to as the most adversarial president in regards to the press since at least Nixon - if not in history. Biden, by contrast, promised a media reset and described journalists as indispensable to the functioning of democracy. Still, when you include joint press conferences, even Trumps pace through his first two years nearly doubles Bidens.The problem is not simply the number of press conferences. Biden also gives fewer sit-down interviews than his predecessors. While Reagan quickly scaled back his press appearances after being shot during a failed assassination attempt, he did 59 interviews with the press in his first year. Biden gave 22 in his first year and 19 in 2022, but four of the 2022 interviews came from celebrities like Ryan Seacrest, Drew Barrymore, or Jay Leno - not news reporters.Biden has reasons to avoid the press. According to David E. Clementson, an assistant professor at the University of Georgia, modern politicians may be avoiding the press because there are very few advantages for politicians to interact with the press and a lot of disadvantages.Clementsons research shows that voters are likely to think politicians from another party are being evasive or dishonest, even when they are not. Each time in front of the camera also holds the risk of doing or saying something that could turn off voters on both sides of the political aisle, a risk likely heightened by Bidens penchant for gaffes seemingly every time he is seen in public.The US has come a long way since Kennedy used live press conferences to great effect. Then, the American public found it refreshing, entertaining and informative to hear their president speak live. But Trump proved social media could be a more effective way to speak to your base than answering questions from sometimes hostile reporters trying to get a bombastic quote.But just because there is no political advantage for Biden to engage with the press, doesnt mean he shouldnt do it. Voters installed Biden into arguably the most powerful position in the world. He has his finger on a button that could end all life on the planet, and the US has grown closer to that button being pressed than it has ever been in history. Biden, and all elected officials, have a moral and dutiful responsibility to take hard questions and not, as Trump was often accused of, govern by tweets.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230227/trump-accuses-fox-of-ignoring-real-news-by-promoting-potential-election-rival-desantis-1107853881.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230222/biden-stumbles-and-falls-while-boarding-air-force-one--1107714202.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230227/fbi-arrests-january-6-rioter-dubbed-sedition-panda-1107855120.html

FBI Arrests January 6 Rioter Dubbed 'Sedition Panda'

FBI Arrests January 6 Rioter Dubbed 'Sedition Panda'

The FBI reported the apprehension in Florida of a man allegedly involved in the January 6 Capitol break-in. His distinguishing feature was a voluminous panda mask.

2023-02-27T23:12+0000

2023-02-27T23:12+0000

2023-02-27T23:13+0000

americas

us

capitol

panda

security

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Authorities with the FBI apprehended on Monday a Florida man who allegedly stormed the US Capitol and attacked law enforcement officials during the January 6 riot - all while dressed in a voluminous panda mask.The detainee, Jesse James Rumson, was charged with the following:At the time, the costume-wearing rioter gained notoriety across social media and was nicknamed "Sedition Panda."According to FBI reports, while inside, Rumson lost his panda head and was apparently handcuffed before being escorted out of the Capitol through another door. Other rioters were said to have helped him out of the restraints.After his release, he allegedly ran through the crowd gathered outside the Capitol to a line of officers. Rumson then grabbed the officer's helmet, "which forced the officer's head and neck back and upwards."The filing further alleges that Rumson was heard yelling "GET A RAM!", before going inside the building.Federal investigators were able to pinpoint Rumson as he was repeatedly caught with and without the panda mask, giving officials a clear view of his face. Rumson was reportedly inside the Capitol for about 15 minutes.Since the 2021 riot, hundreds have been arrested in connection with the Capitol storming, with charges only expected to emerge in the days ahead.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20210113/capitol-insurrection-how-us-mainstream-media--dems-miscalculated-on-the-american-public-1081749132.html

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Egor Shapovalov

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january 6, us capitole riots, sedition panda, fbi, january 6 detainees
https://sputnikglobe.com/20230227/lukashenko-belarus-is-chinas-only-ally-in-europe-1107854372.html

Lukashenko: Belarus is China's Only Ally in Europe

Lukashenko: Belarus is China's Only Ally in Europe

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has described his country as China's only ally in Europe, during his trip to Beijing.

2023-02-27T21:42+0000

2023-02-27T21:42+0000

2023-04-06T10:50+0000

world

belarus

china

ally

europe

alexander lukashenko

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"Let's admit it: Belarus is the only place in the center of Europe that maintains a friendly  or I could say brotherly  attitude toward China," the Belarusian leader told Chinese media in an interview aired Monday. Lukashenko assured China that friendship between the two countries would continue for decades to come and potentially outlast his presidency. China and Belarus have forged a comprehensive strategic partnership that has been widely appreciated in Minsk during the years of sanctions imposed on it by the West, the president said further. Lukashenko invited Chinese companies to come and work in Belarus and suggested that China's "One Belt One Road" connectivity initiative could be harmonized with the Eurasian Economic Union's supply chains to streamline trade between the two markets. He also accused the United States of driving a wedge between China and Europe to contain the world's second largest economy. He said Washington was ramping up human rights rhetoric in a bid to start a civil war in China and suggested that China could "balance out" the US and help create a multipolar world order.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20221001/belarus-china-to-boost-coordination-of-efforts-in-economy-foreign-policy-lukashenko-says-1101411787.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230227/ron-desantis-has-a-secret-weapon---hes-a-master-of-wedge-issues-1107854708.html

Ron DeSantis Has a Secret Weapon - He's a Master of Wedge Issues

Ron DeSantis Has a Secret Weapon - He's a Master of Wedge Issues

Donald Trump remains the favorite for the GOP nomination. In theoretical 2024 matchups against Joe Biden, however, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has begun to outperform the former president where Trump would be projected to lose. But DeSantis might falter once Democratic voters start to pay serious attention to him.

2023-02-27T22:07+0000

2023-02-27T22:07+0000

2023-02-27T22:07+0000

analysis

ron desantis

donald trump

joe biden

2024 us presidential elections

gop

democrats

florida

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DeSantis knows that, and he plans to undermine liberal opposition with his secret weapon: His consistent ability to identify populist themes tailormade for partisan Republican primary voters, yet are crafted to tear away enough Democrats to become wedge issues in a general election campaign.DeSantis has staked out a hardline position as the heir apparent to lead the MAGA movementthank you, Donald, time to pass the torchwhose conservative positions and aggressive tone could turn off moderates and spook liberals into turning out in higher numbers. DeSantis can mitigate that challenge by creating some common ground with his natural enemies. His current slate of wedge-issues-to-be, which prima facie look like red meat for the growling dogs of the right base, also have potential to pull in centrists and even some progressives who silently concur.Of the various national and regional responses to the pandemic, Florida initially joined the national lockdown but then landed solidly into the rapid-reopening camp. People know that Florida is a free state, DeSantis summarized his position a year ago. They're not gonna have you shut down. They're not gonna have restrictions. After late 2020 if you wanted to eat indoors or you wanted your kid to attend physical school with flesh-and-blood teachers without a mask, Florida became your beaconso much so that it triggered a mini-migration to the state.Critics say DeSantis played fast and loose with Covid death and infection data in order to disguise the failure of a policy in which Floridians had a higher case rate than the national average, and Florida seniors had a higher death rate than any other state as of late 2022, according to the CDC.In politics, perception is reality. DeSantis Covid gamble paid off, as Helen Lewis observed in The Atlantic. DeSantis nativist stance on the migrant crisis plays a similar tune. Flying clueless asylum applicants to Marthas Vineyard was counterproductiveit would have been cheaper to house them indefinitely than to blow a cool $12 million of Floridians tax dollars on a stuntand cruel. But closed-border hardliners loved it. And some Democrats silently cheered. At least DeSantis did something to draw attention to immigrationwhich Biden and the Democrats would rather not discuss. The border crisis became a major topic of debate during the 2022 midterms, during which frustrated Democrats in vulnerable districts lashed out at the White House for their failure to grasp immigration as a potential wedge. A Spectrum News/Siena College Poll released a month before the midterms found that DeSantis was onto something: 50% of independents supported Florida deporting migrants, especially to Massachusetts and New York. He retained strong support among his states Latino community.Nationally, Democratic voters remain pro-immigration. But things are beginning to shift in a direction that creates an opportunity for a disciplined Republican message to create inroads among swing voters. DeSantis attacks on woke education and AP Black Studies presents as a classic racist dog whistle to Biden Democrats. Hes gone full-blown white supremacist, columnist Jennifer Rubin cried in The Washington Post.But many left-leaning voters also wonder whether public schools really ought to offer AP courses outside core subjects like history, math, English and foreign languages, as well as whether queer studies or intersectionality are appropriate topics for discussion in high school. Overall, most voters do not oppose DeSantis proposed ban on AP Black Studies. A surprisingly high 19% of Democrats, more than enough to make a difference in a tight race, side with DeSantis.DeSantis judicious deployment of well-timed wedge issuesnow that trust in the news media is so low people actually think the press misleads them intentionally, he says it should be easier to sue reporters for libelhas already endeared DeSantis to Republicans looking for a Trump-like candidate without the baggage. If he beats his former mentor and goes on to fight a Democrat, hell look somewhat reasonable in some respects to some liberals and some moderates. That's a tricky slalom ride, one hes navigating well so far.(Ted Rall (Twitter: @tedrall), the political cartoonist, columnist and graphic novelist, co-hosts the left-vs-right DMZ America podcast with fellow cartoonist Scott Stantis. You can support Teds hard-hitting political cartoons and columns and see his work first by sponsoring his work on Patreon.)

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230227/trump-accuses-fox-of-ignoring-real-news-by-promoting-potential-election-rival-desantis-1107853881.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230128/is-ex-president-out-of-luck-not-so-fast-what-us-polls-say-about-trump-desantis-2024-bid-1106790830.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230222/hes-young-palin-says-desantis-doesnt-need-to-run-in-2024-potus-race-urges-trump-support-1107712673.html

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ron desantis, donald trump, joe biden, 2024 presidential election, florida
https://sputnikglobe.com/20230227/us-military-falls-short-in-maintenance-coordination-of-arms-stocks-for-ukraine---watchdog-1107856805.html

US Military Falls Short in Maintenance, Coordination of Arms Stocks for Ukraine - Watchdog

US Military Falls Short in Maintenance, Coordination of Arms Stocks for Ukraine - Watchdog

The US fell short of military standards in the maintenance and coordination of pre-positioned stocks of weapons issued to support Ukraine, the Defense Department inspector general said in a report.

2023-02-27T23:47+0000

2023-02-27T23:47+0000

2023-04-13T12:45+0000

military

ukraine

us military

us defense department

stockpile

pentagon

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"We found that the 405 AFSB [Army Field Support Brigade] can improve its equipment maintenance and coordination processes," the report said on Monday.In an interview published on February 16, Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley told the Financial Times the United States is reviewing its weapons stockpiles and may have to increase military spending after seeing the high rate at which ammunition has been used in the Ukraine conflict. Earlier in February, the Wall Street Journal reported US senior oversight officials are going to press for the deployment of auditors and investigators directly onto the battlefield in Ukraine to ramp up US security assistance monitoring on the ground. The US has committed more than $32 billion in military assistance to Ukraine over the past year under the Biden administration, 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, the Pentagon said last week. Overall, US Congress in 2022 alone approved more than $100 billion in military and financial assistance to Ukraine.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230224/we-have-no-idea-where-all-this-moneys-going-mtg-announces-audit-of-ukraine-aid-bill-1107778650.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230228/airspace-restrictions-in-russias-st-petersburg-lifted-1107864926.html

Airspace Closure over St. Petersburg Was Part of Air Defense Drills, Russian MoD Clarifies

Airspace Closure over St. Petersburg Was Part of Air Defense Drills, Russian MoD Clarifies

The restriction of airspace over St. Petersburg's Pulkovo airport has been lifted, a source familiar with the situation told Sputnik on Tuesday.

2023-02-28T09:09+0000

2023-02-28T09:09+0000

2023-02-28T10:21+0000

russia

airport

pulkovo airport

saint petersburg

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Fighter jets took off to practice the detection and interception of a training target.Earlier in the day, the government of St. Petersburg said that Pulkovo international airport temporarily does not accept aircraft. Later, city emergency services told Sputnik that the airspace was closed due to an unknown flying object.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20160303/russia-airports-rankings-1035706446.html

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accident at the airport, airport security, pulkovo airport, unidentified flying object
https://sputnikglobe.com/20230228/beijing-accuses-washington-of-jeopardizing-peace-in-taiwan-strait-after-us-spy-planes-flyover-1107869677.html

Beijing Accuses Washington of Jeopardizing Peace in Taiwan Strait After US Spy Plane's Flyover

Beijing Accuses Washington of Jeopardizing Peace in Taiwan Strait After US Spy Plane's Flyover

Tensions between China and Taiwan escalated last year following an array of trips to the island by US and European officials

2023-02-28T12:33+0000

2023-02-28T12:33+0000

2023-02-28T12:33+0000

asia

china

us

taiwan

tensions

mission

taiwan strait

flyover

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Beijing has accused Washington of jeopardizing peace in the Taiwan Strait after a US reconnaissance military plane flew above the sensitive waterway, in a mission that the White House claimed was conducted in accordance with international law.He added that the "Theatre forces remain on high alert at all times and resolutely defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity."The developments come amid ongoing tensions between Beijing and Washington over Taiwan, which is seen by the Chinese government as a breakaway province.CIA Director William Burns told a US media outlet on Monday that he thinks Washington needs "to take very seriously" Chinese President Xi Jinpings "ambitions with regard to ultimately controlling Taiwan." According to Burns, "That doesn't, however, in our view, mean that a military conflict [over Taiwan] is inevitable."The already tense Beijing-Taipei relations escalated further in early August 2022 after then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan despite protests from the Chinese government, who warned that the trip had violated the One China principle. Beijing bashed the visit and subsequent trips by European officials to the island as show of support for Taiwanese separatism and launched large-scale military exercises in the vicinity of the area at the time in a retaliation move.The China-Taiwan tensions are also exacerbated by the US repeatedly sending warships and surveillance planes to the Taiwan Strait, with Beijing slamming such missions as provocations and portraying Washington as "a security risk creator in the region."Although the US does not maintain formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan, Washington has a representative office in Taipei, and remains the island's biggest supplier of military hardware.Beijing considers the island an integral part of the PRC, sticking to a policy of peaceful reunification under a "One China  Two Systems" model.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230228/chinas-strategic-forces-in-dangerous-position-near-taiwan-says-us-army-pacific-chief-1107857851.html

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china-taiwan tensions, us missions regarding taiwan, former house speaker nancy pelosi's visit to taiwan last year
https://sputnikglobe.com/20230228/beijing-puts-taiwan-reunification-plans-on-fast-development-track-chinese-lawmaker-says-1107880789.html

Beijing Puts Taiwan Reunification Plans On Fast Development Track, Chinese Lawmaker Says

Beijing Puts Taiwan Reunification Plans On Fast Development Track, Chinese Lawmaker Says

Ahead of a meeting of the countrys national legislature, the National Peoples Congress, later this week, a Chinese lawmaker has indicated that reunification with Taiwan is near the top of the agenda.

2023-02-28T20:04+0000

2023-02-28T20:04+0000

2023-02-28T20:04+0000

china

taiwan

reunification

chinese national people's congress (npc)

asia

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Ahead of a meeting of the countrys national legislature, the National Peoples Congress, later this week, a Chinese lawmaker has indicated that reunification with Taiwan is near the top of the agenda.The [Communist] Partys overall strategy for resolving the Taiwan issue in the new era has basically taken shape, and the strategic goals and focus of the future reunification cause have also become very clear, NPC deputy Li Yihu told Chinese media in a Monday interview.Li noted that 2022 had been an extraordinary year for cross-strait relations that would have a certain impact on the future direction of that relationship.Weapons and VisitsLast year, the US continued its trend of funneling weapons to the government in Taipei, encouraging them to develop plans for asymmetric warfare in case China launched an invasion of the island. The Biden administration claimed Beijing was studying Russias special operation in Ukraine, which began in February 2022, and could either launch an attack on Taiwan amid the Ukraine conflict or was perhaps given pause by the fact that Moscow did not immediately achieve its aims in the operation.However, relations reached their nadir in August, when then-US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) flouted Chinese warnings and visited Taiwan, meeting with senior Taiwanese leaders and denouncing the PRC from across the strait. The visit prompted a furious response from Beijing, which held massive war drills near Taiwan, including firing ballistic missiles over the island to splash down in the Philippine Sea.The government in Taipei is all that remains of the old Republic of China that once governed the entire country from 1912 until 1949. When the communist Red Army triumphed in the civil war and founded the PRC in Beijing, it established control over the mainland and Hainan, but failed to cross the Taiwan Strait, thanks to US Navy support, and the RoC stayed in power. In the decades after, all but a handful of small nations changed their recognition of the legitimate Chinese government from the RoC in Taipei to the PRC in Beijing - including the United States in 1979.Despite this, Washington has continued to send Taipei support, including military weapons. China has called such actions a violation of its sovereignty and intervention in internal Chinese affairs.Red LinesBeijing has offered Taiwan a One Country, Two Systems arrangement similar to that applied to Hong Kong and Macau when they reunified with China in the 1990s. The system has allowed their capitalist systems and liberal democratic political structure to be largely maintained as the territory is incorporated into the larger socialist republic.The CPC also issued a white paper on the topic in August, its first in two decades, making clear it would stop Taiwanese independence by any means and reunite it with the mainland, peacefully if possible, but not discounting the possibility of using force.This is to guard against external interference and all separatist activities. In no way does it target our fellow Chinese in Taiwan. Use of force would be the last resort taken under compelling circumstances. We will only be forced to take drastic measures to respond to the provocation of separatist elements or external forces should they ever cross our red lines.Beijing has warned that if Taiwan declares independence, there will be war. The United States for many years maintained a policy of strategic ambiguity about whether it would defend Taiwan in the event of a Chinese attack, in order to deter either side from changing the status quo, but recent comments by Biden, Pelosi, and other US leaders seem to have largely shredded any doubt that the US would go to war over Taiwan as well.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20220802/pelosis-taiwan-visit-similar-to-the-1995-6-crisis-but-chinas-spent-25-years-preparing-for-it-1098049855.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230223/us-reportedly-will-send-up-to-200-troops-to-taiwan-as-taipei-reveals-sending-500-to-train-in-us-1107746463.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230224/pla-fighter-jet-confronts-us-navy-spy-plane-with-cnn-crew-aboard-over-south-china-sea-1107782664.html

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2023

Fantine Gardinier

Fantine Gardinier

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Fantine Gardinier

beijing, china, reunification plans, taiwan, national people's congress,
https://sputnikglobe.com/20230228/brexiteers-and-unionists-slam-eu-chiefs-audience-with-king-as-crass-1107867140.html

Brexiteers and Unionists Slam EU Chief's Audience With King as 'Crass'

Brexiteers and Unionists Slam EU Chief's Audience With King as 'Crass'

Rishi Sunak and Ursula von der Leyen struck a deal to lance the long-festering boil of the Northern Ireland Protocol after a meeting in Windsor  prompting claims the Brussels boss was wooed by a meeting with the King.

2023-02-28T11:58+0000

2023-02-28T11:58+0000

2023-02-28T11:58+0000

world

uk

ursula von der leyen

king charles iii

rishi sunak

jacob rees-mogg

britain

great britain

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Pro-Brexit Tory MPs and Unionist leaders have condemned the decision to grant the European Union's chief executive an audience with King Charles III.European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen met the King at Windsor Castle on Monday following her talks with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in the town just west of London to resolve the crisis over the Northern Ireland Protocol.Downing Street insisted that von der Leyen's invitation to meet the king was not linked to the negotiations and was made at the royal household's initiative.But Buckingham Palace said the king was acting on "the governments advice.""Wed never be seen to frame any action as an endorsement, Sunak's spokesman said. When asked why the two leaders met in Windsor and not Westminster, he added: "There are a number of occasions when these sorts of talks have been held in significant places, this is no different."The spokesman pointed out that the King had recently Polish President Andrzej Duda and Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky  on his controversial surprise visit to beg for more arms capable of striking deep inside Russian territory.But former Brexit opportunities minister Jacob Rees-Mogg, a leading member of the powerful European Research Group of backbencher Brexiteers, said the meeting was inappropriate."It is also constitutionally unwise to involve the King in a matter of immediate political controversy," he observed.Former Democratic Unionist party (DUP) leader and Northern Irish first minister Arlene Foster said she "could not quite believe that No 10 would ask the King to become involved in the finalising of a deal as controversial as this one."DUP chief whip Sammy Wilson said the meeting was "dragging the King into a hugely controversial political issue."Even former state media royal correspondent Peter Hunt weighed in, saying the audience was "a very serious error of judgment by King Charles and his advisers," and that the king had "abandoned his unifying role and entered the political fray, in a foolish bid to be seen as statesmanlike."Sunak and von der Leyen reached agreement "in principle" on changes to the Northern Preland Protocol, an annexe to the UK's post-Brexit withdrawal agreement with the EU, which keeps the UK's exclave of Northern Ireland within the EU's single market.The Republic of Ireland, a member of the bloc, insisted that 'backstop' arrangement was necessary to avoid a 'hard border' with customs checks that might breach the terms of the 1999 Good Friday Agreement which ended three decades of sectarian terrorism in the north.But the arrangement has meant customs checks on goods coming from mainland Britain and even bans on certain products like sausages and potted nursery plants. That has angered the majority unionist community, leading to unrest and a hoax bomb threat to Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney.Sunak travelled to in Northern Ireland on Tuesday in a bid to gain cross-party support for the deal, after commending it to the House of Commons on Monday.Von der Leyen, a former German defence minister notorious for her mismanagement of her country's armed forces, took a much more antagonistic line towards Sunak's former boss Boris Johnson during his three years in 10 Downing Street, refusing to negotiate with Downing Street over the protocol. She launched a 'vaccine war' on the UK after Johnson's government rolled out COVID-19 jabs months before the European Commission's centralised procurement and distribution scheme got moving.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230227/uk-and-eu-reach-deal-on-northern-ireland-trade-rules-1107845595.html

britain

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2023

James Tweedie https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e4/08/1c/1080307270_0:3:397:400_100x100_80_0_0_7777393b9b18802f2e3c5eaa9cbcc612.png

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uk, european union, king charles, windsor castle, rishi sunak, ursula von der leyen, northern ireland, protocol
https://sputnikglobe.com/20230228/danish-military-pressed-for-personnel-after-record-wave-of-resignations-1107861910.html

Danish Military Pressed for Personnel After Record Wave of Resignations

Danish Military Pressed for Personnel After Record Wave of Resignations

None of the Danish Army's regiments can muster full strength as of now. At worst, more than one in three is missing, endangering Denmark's defense plans and overseas commitment.

2023-02-28T06:59+0000

2023-02-28T06:59+0000

2023-02-28T06:59+0000

military

denmark

scandinavia

military & intelligence

army

staff

shortage

troop shortage

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The Danish Armed Forces are suffering from an acute shortage of personnel after a year with record many resignations.In 2022 alone, nearly 2,000 people left the Danish military, which in total has some 15,000 troops. This is the highest number since 2010, when statistics began to be tracked in this area.Now, military trade unions are sounding the alarm that the "pain threshold" has been reached. The Danish army alone, for example, lacks more than a fifth of its full force. The situation looks even worse among constables or corporals. Here, more than every fourth place is empty.None of the Danish Army's regiments can muster full strength. At best, "only" every tenth soldier is missing. At worst, more than one in three are missing, Danish media reported, citing internal military sources.The Danish Navy is plagued by the same problem on the personnel front. None of Denmark's five frigates can muster an entire crew. At its worst, more than one in four berths are empty. This means that the frigates are forced to take turns borrowing staff from each other in order to sail at all. For the ships to be able to sail in action at once, the Navy personnel must grow by approximately a fifth.According to the trade unions, the personnel shortages aggravate the workload on the remaining soldiers and may in turn trigger furhter resignations.Associate professor in war studies at the Danish Defense Academy Peter Viggo Jakobsen likened the personnel problem to a "bomb" under current defense negotiations.The lack of soldiers also implies difficulties for the Danish military committing personnel to overseas missions, in which Denmark has participated actively since the 1990s as a NATO member. These include Kosovo, Iraq, Afghanistan, East Africa and most recently Estonia and Latvia. The latter operations are framed as "strengthening NATO's presence in the Baltics" and "deterring Russia". However, due to the personnel shortage, there will be no team of Danish soldiers to replace the current one in the Baltics this spring.Earlier, Denmark's commitment to support Kiev severely undermined Copenhagen's state coffers, pushing the politicians to abolish a centuries-old Christian holiday. Furthermore, the extensive military support to Kiev, including the decision to send Denmarks entire inventory of Caesar self-propelled howitzers has been slammed by Copenhagen's own military experts as a punch to the Nordic nations defenses.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230120/denmarks-handover-of-entire-stock-of-caesar-guns-to-kiev-really-hurts-defense-govt-advisor-says-1106536856.html

denmark

scandinavia

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2023

Igor Kuznetsov

Igor Kuznetsov

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Igor Kuznetsov

danish military, personnel shortage, lack of staff, record many resignations, overseas missions, allied commitment
https://sputnikglobe.com/20230228/fauci-has-to-cover-tracks-of-nih-involvement-in-gain-of-function-research-says-doctor-1107872961.html

Fauci Has to 'Cover Tracks' of NIH Involvement in Gain-of-Function Research, Says Doctor

Fauci Has to 'Cover Tracks' of NIH Involvement in Gain-of-Function Research, Says Doctor

The fact that the various US agencies have yet to decide on how the coronavirus pandemic emerged underscores their unwillingness to bear responsibility, John Dombrowski, CEO of Washington Pain Center, told Sputnik.

2023-02-28T17:50+0000

2023-02-28T17:50+0000

2023-03-01T12:12+0000

world

us

covid-19

pandemic

origin

anthony fauci

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US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan has made it clear that there is still no definitive answer about the origin of the COVID-19 pandemic. His comments come after the US Energy Department reportedly claimed that the virus came from a laboratory leak in Wuhan in a classified report.According to a US newspaper, the secret document was provided to the White House and select Congress members as an update to a 2021 intelligence report, which said the Energy Department was undecided about the virus' origin.While the powers that be in Washington ponder on this issue, Dombrowski pointed towards previous activity by former National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) Director and chief presidential medical advisor Anthony Fauci with regards to the origins of COVID-19.The Washington Pain Center chief executive apparently referred to documents and email correspondence obtained by a US magazine last year that revealed that Fauci, who also worked at the Maryland-based National Institutes of Health (NIH), purportedly was at the forefront of a quiet push to silence scientific research asking uncomfortable questions about the virus origin.He was referring to a British zoologist and head of EcoHealth Alliance, a nonprofit non-governmental organization that supports various programs on global health and pandemic prevention. Daszak was involved in the COVID-19-related investigations and became a member of the World Health Organization team sent to investigate the origins of the coronavirus pandemic in China.While the US pulled the plug on federal funding of the gain-of-function research during the Obama administration, Dombrowski suggested that "it got restarted unbeknowingly, probably, by the Trump administration and all this money," and that Fauci simply "could not have his fingerprints on any of this."Dombrowski also said he found it interesting that Fauci was "always against" medication that could have been used for early treatment or even the prophylactic of the virus, such as hydroxychloroquine or remdesivir.Listen to more of Dr. John Dombrowski's conversation with Jamarl Thomas, Manila Chan and Melik Abdul here.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20221028/us-senate-study-concludes-covid-19-more-likely-than-not-result-of-research-incident-1102785289.html

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2023

Oleg Burunov https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e4/09/0b/1080424846_0:0:2048:2048_100x100_80_0_0_3d7b461f8a98586fa3fe739930816aea.jpg

Oleg Burunov https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e4/09/0b/1080424846_0:0:2048:2048_100x100_80_0_0_3d7b461f8a98586fa3fe739930816aea.jpg

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origin of covid-19 pandemic, probes into covid-19 pandemic, the lab leak theory regarding origin of covid-19
https://sputnikglobe.com/20230228/first-neural-network-to-give-correct-advice-to-investors-1107866249.html

First Neural Network to Give Correct Advice to Investors

First Neural Network to Give Correct Advice to Investors

Scientists from the Siberian Federal University (SibFU), in cooperation with foreign colleagues, have presented an improved version of the well-known linear-variational-inequality primal-dual neural network (LVI-PDNN), which is used to optimize mathematical models in various fields.

2023-02-28T10:31+0000

2023-02-28T10:31+0000

2023-02-28T10:57+0000

science & tech

neural networks

artificial intelligence

artificial intelligence (ai)

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According to the SibFU researchers, the new neural network will be the first "investor assistant" capable of making decisions under the conditions of real market dynamics. Their work has been published in the journal Applied Mathematics and Computation.Linear programming is an optimization tool for mathematical models used in a variety of fields. In finance, for example, the goal of optimization is maximum profit or minimum cost, the scientists explained.For more than a decade, neural networks have been actively used to solve real-time linear programming problems with changing conditions, the so-called dynamic problems. At the same time, interest in financial optimization with the help of neural networks is also gaining momentum in the world, but no tool for solving dynamic problems has been created for this sphere, experts noted.Scientists from the Siberian Federal University (SibFU) have improved quadratic and linear programming algorithms based on a neural network approach and fuzzy logic systems to solve dynamic problems, including financial management.According to the creators, the key feature of the new system is a fuzzy logic controller implemented in the LVI-PDNN structure, which operates with degrees of truth instead of the classical real dilemma. This reportedly increases the adaptability of the system in solving dynamic problems.The study involved experts from the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (Greece), University of Nis (Serbia), Swansea University (UK) and Jiangnan University (PRC).The research team's next goal is to train neural networks to solve other financial problems so that they can fully predict the behavior of investment portfolios.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230114/intruding-on-real-writing-jobs-internet-fumes-as-media-portal-churns-out-ai-generated-articles-1106311066.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230211/i-doctor-ai-chatgpt-almost-passes-us-medical-licensing-exam--1107338674.html

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2023

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neural networks, artificial intelligence, financial ai, neural network for investors
https://sputnikglobe.com/20230228/france-spends-twice-as-much-on-ukrainian-refugees-as-on-other-migrants--1107875846.html

France Spends Twice as Much on Ukrainian Refugees as on Other Migrants

France Spends Twice as Much on Ukrainian Refugees as on Other Migrants

French authorities have spent a total of 634 million euros ($673 million) on refugees from Ukraine, which is twice as much as is allocated for assistance to asylum seekers traditionally coming from other countries, the French Chamber of Accounts said on Tuesday.

2023-02-28T16:02+0000

2023-02-28T16:02+0000

2023-02-28T16:29+0000

world

ukrainian crisis

france

refugees

ukraine

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Providing housing for refugees from Ukraine has been a major challenge for the French authorities, with 60,000 out of 87,000 places created for them still occupied, the statement read. Last week, French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne said that Paris planned to provide permanent housing for Ukrainian refugees that had fled their country following the start of Russia's military operation there in February 2022. French authorities have also encouraged its citizens to accept Ukrainian refugees by paying families 150 euros every month for hosting them. Over 900 households have accommodated around 30,000 migrants from Ukraine, according to government estimates.

france

ukraine

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2023

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france spends twice as much on ukrainian refugees, ukrainian refugees, ukrainian refugees in france
https://sputnikglobe.com/20230228/how-many-controversies-can-the-biden-administration-handle-1107856291.html

How Many Controversies Can the Biden Administration Handle?

How Many Controversies Can the Biden Administration Handle?

On todays episode of The Backstory, host Lee Stranahan discussed current events including Scott Adams cartoon Dilbert being dropped by all publications, and... 28.02.2023, Sputnik International

2023-02-28T09:12+0000

2023-02-28T09:12+0000

2023-02-28T09:12+0000

the backstory

radio

cia

ukraine

asylum

immigration

big pharma

school

george soros

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https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e7/02/1b/1107856145_0:0:1920:1080_1920x0_80_0_0_e6f641868731b0884d706cfb33cc848e.png

How Many Controversies can the Biden Administration Handle ? On todays episode of The Backstory, host Lee Stranahan discussed current events including Scott Adams cartoon Dilbert being dropped by all publications, and the Chinese military placed on "high alert".

Andrew Arthur - Former Immigration Judge, Center for Immigration Studies | How Immigration Has Become a Hot Topic, 30th Anniversary of the NYC World Trade Center Bombings, and Tara Reade  Podcast Host, Journalist, and Former Congressional Staffer | Anti-War Activism, Joe Biden Has Always Been Anti- Russia, and the Democratic PlatformIn the first hour, Lee spoke with Andrew Arthur about his thirty years in immigration law, other countries asylum laws, and Ron Desantis's performance as the Florida Governor. Andrew talked about the high standard for asylum and the fundamental basis for asylum claims into America. Andrew spoke about the lack of immigration enforcement by the Biden administration and American polls on legal immigration. In the second hour, Lee spoke with Tara Reade about the amount of corruption in America, big pharma, and COVID-19. Tara commented on the Democrat party and how the Democrats have become the party of war. Tara explained her views on the anti-war rally in Washington DC and the ways to get more people interested in geopolitics.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.

ukraine

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2023

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radio, cia, ukraine, asylum, immigration, big pharma, school, , george soros
https://sputnikglobe.com/20230228/kenya-set-to-get-400-mln-for-universal-access-to-clean-cooking-energy-1107863028.html

Kenya Set to Get $400 Mln for Universal Access to Clean Cooking Energy

Kenya Set to Get $400 Mln for Universal Access to Clean Cooking Energy

Kenya is planning to attract $400 million from both public and private sectors to get universal access to clean cooking energy by 2030, countrys Energy Secretary Davis Chirchir says.

2023-02-28T11:00+0000

2023-02-28T11:00+0000

2023-02-28T11:05+0000

africa

east africa

kenya

lpg

gas

william ruto

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The Kenyan government is planning to attract more than $200 million to build a number of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) facilities, together with a $200-million LPG site, which is being constructed under Taifa Gas, a Tanzanian private company, said Kenyan Energy Secretary Davis Chirchir.The top official stated that government intends to build a 45,000-ton site in Mombasa to help make clean cooking gas less expensive and more available to households, adding that today about 70% of Kenyans rely on wood as fuel to prepare meals.The Kenya Pipeline Company, a state corporation, will start developing LPG storage and bottling facilities at the government's defunct oil processing plant in the next financial year starting from July 1, the energy secretary said.According to Chirchir, Kenya's Energy & Petroleum Regulatory Authority has issued around a dozen licenses to private investors to build LPG sites.Increased storage volumes will make it possible for Kenya to centrally import LPG within a so-called open tender system where a retailer with the most-favorable pricing will become an offer, Chirchir noted.Recently, Kenyan President William Ruto pledged to eliminate taxes on cooking gas. According to Energy Secretary Chichir, Kenya is going to reduce the fuel prices by one-third to about 70 shillings ($0.6) per kilogram from the current 180 shillings ($1.419), and to nearly double its utilization over a seven-year period to 13 kilograms per capita from the estimated 7.5 kilograms at present.Kenya, along with other African countries, is trying to ditch the use of charcoal among the population. Anywhere from 850 million to 900 million people in Africa utilize solid fuels, such as charcoal and firewood for cooking, media reports say. According to the World Bank, that results in shorter lives of more than half a million Africans every year, since these types of fuel emit carbon monoxide which endangers people's health.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230225/kenya-to-build-mombasa-lpg-plant-to-eliminate-firewood-use-by-2025-1107792504.html

africa

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Gleb Chugunov

cooking gas, african gas, lpg terminal, world bank, william ruto, davis chirchir liquefied petroleum gas, gas import,
Germany's Rheinmetall Starts Supplying Automated Reconnaissance Systems to Ukraine

Germany's largest defense company Rheinmetall said on Tuesday that it had started to supply automated reconnaissance systems to Ukraine to monitor areas of concentration of forces participating in the Ukrainian conflict.

The systems delivered to Kiev consist of mobile surveillance towers with day and night-capable camera equipment, autopiloted mini drones, a control system and transport vehicles, Rheinmetall said. The company was cooperating with Estonia's DefSecIntel on this project, according to the statement.

The representative of the company added that Germany had delivered two air defense systems to Ukraine - Skynex and Skyranger, leaving Berlin unprotected from air attacks.
https://sputnikglobe.com/20230228/nasa-dubs-crew-6-mission-great-example-of-us-cooperation-with-russia-1107862482.html

NASA Dubs Crew-6 Mission Great Example of US Cooperation With Russia

NASA Dubs Crew-6 Mission Great Example of US Cooperation With Russia

ORLANDO (Sputnik) Lenka White - SpaceX's Crew-6 illustrates the benefits of the US continuing space cooperation with Russia and other nations and making room for commercial partners, NASA's International Space Station (ISS) Program Chief Scientist Kirt Costello told Sputnik.

2023-02-28T06:40+0000

2023-02-28T06:40+0000

2023-02-28T06:40+0000

science & tech

russia

us

international space station

space exploration

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The SpaceX Crew-6 mission is now scheduled for takeoff on March 2 after two previous launches were canceled this week. Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev will join United Arab Emirates astronaut Sultan Alneyadi and NASA astronauts Stephen Bowen and Warren Hoburg on the mission to the ISS for a duration of six months. Costello also said he is pleased that the rotation with Roscosmos continues, underscoring some of the important work the two space agencies including partnering on crucial scientific research. NASA and Roscosmos, he added, are collaborating on a number of initiatives such as the Solid Fuel Ignition and Extinction (SoFIE) project. According to NASA, the SoFIE project studies flammability of certain solid spacecraft materials in real atmospheric conditions to improve fire safety for future long-term missions to the Moon and Mars. With respect to US long-term projects, he said NASA is testing all needed technologies on the ISS for missions to the Moon and Mars. Costello said he hopes that all technologies will be lined up and those which can be tested in lower Earth orbit will be tested on the ISS. According to Costello, the tests differ based on surface destinations and whether the microgravity of the ISS or the high radiation environment outside the ISS is needed. Fedyaev will be the second Russian cosmonaut to board the US Crew Dragon spacecraft as part of the ISS integrated flights agreement. In October, the spacecraft carrying the Crew-5 mission team, including Russian cosmonaut Anna Kikina, successfully docked on the ISS. The launch initially scheduled to take off on February 26, then it was moved to February 27 from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida to the ISS. Two minutes before the start, however, the take-off was called off because of technical issues. The launch time is set for 12:34 a.m. EST (5:34 a.m. GMT) on Thursday.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230210/russia-will-have-up-to-360-satellites-in-orbit-by-2030-1107287762.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230210/nasa-awards-blue-origin-contract-to-launch-spacecraft-to-study-mars-magnetosphere-1107287567.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230228/nato--fruitless-talks-west-could-have-sat-down-at-negotiating-table-long-ago-if-it-wanted---peskov-1107856533.html

NATO & Fruitless Talks: West Could Have Sat Down at Negotiating Table Long Ago If It Wanted - Peskov

NATO & Fruitless Talks: West Could Have Sat Down at Negotiating Table Long Ago If It Wanted - Peskov

In an interview with the Izvestia daily, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov touched on a variety of topics, ranging from NATO actions to negotiating talks as well as what the future holds for Russia going into the 2024 elections.

2023-02-28T02:56+0000

2023-02-28T02:56+0000

2023-03-05T10:54+0000

russia

nato

vladimir putin

china

peace plan

france

us

world economy

olaf scholz

emmanuel macron

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The West could have sat down at the negotiating table on security long ago if it wanted to, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said in a recent interview with the Izvestia daily, underscoring that while the talks would have been difficult, Western countries have refused to do so."The situation has changed radically. Even when the president, before deciding to start the special military operation, formulated draft security treaties that were sent to Washington, Brussels and Vienna, and when we, in fact, heard that they were not ready to talk about anything with us," Peskov said.He said the Western countries' mediating potential disappears when they get involved in the conflict in Ukraine.Peskov said that although there are forces in Ukraine that do not like the current Kiev regime, the state of affairs in the Ukrainian capital makes it impossible to hope for discussion of nuances for peaceful settlement, so the Russian special military operation continues.However, the spokesperson further noted that Russian President Vladimir Putin remains open to any contacts that could help Moscow achieve its goals.Earlier, Putin said Russia never refused to negotiate with Ukraine.NATO No Longer Acts as Russias 'Conditional Opponent' But as EnemyShifting gears to the NATO alliance, Peskov remarked the bloc has switched from acting as Russias adversary to being an enemy, with the org's intelligence operating round the clock amid the Ukraine conflict.Speaking to the latest commentary made by Germany and France, the Kremlin spokesperson stated Moscow has heard many statements by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron about their desire to maintain contacts with Putin but neither have presented any initiatives.We have heard many statements by Scholz and Macron, who said they would continue to communicate with Putin to look for some ways out of the situation," Peskov said. "However, there have been no initiatives recently." Reports recently detailed that during a meeting at Elysee Palace both Scholz and Macron called on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to begin considering peace talks with Moscow. Both world leaders emphasized during the meeting that "even mortal enemies like France and Germany had to make peace after World War II."Chinese Plan on Ukraine Consistent With Russia's Approach on Ensuring SecurityThe Chinese plan on Ukraine in terms of ensuring security is consistent with Russia's approach, commented, referring to Beijing's recent 12-point position paper on the ongoing Ukraine conflict.During the interview, Peskov said that in order to return to Russia's participation in the New START Treaty, the US-led collective West must change its conceptual approach to understanding Russia's security concerns. The security of one country cannot be ensured at the expense of another, he explained.On February 21, Putin delivered an address to the Federal Assembly. During his speech, the head of state announced that Russia was suspending participation in the New START Treaty. On the same day, Stoltenberg expressed regret on behalf of the alliance over Russia's decision and urged Moscow to reconsider it.The Chinese Foreign Ministry published on February 24 a statement on the political settlement of the crisis in Ukraine, containing 12 points. It included the need to respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries, the resumption of direct dialogue between Moscow and Kiev, and a call to prevent further escalation.Peskov said China's position is important and praised Beijing for voicing it.Russian Economy & 2024 ElectionTurning to the looming 2024 election cycle in Russia, Peskov went on to comment that Putin has not made any statements regarding his candidacy in the 2024 presidential elections, adding the Russian leader has a lot of other issues to focus on at the moment."We haven't heard from him [Putin] so far, any statements where he would talk about nominating or not nominating his candidacy. It is still a little premature. You just need to be patient."Weighing in on the state of the Russian economy, the spokesperson pointed out it was skillfully buffered so no one felt any serious changes after the imposition of Western sanctions.He said Russia's economy will enter the growth trajectory in 2024-2025.Peskov also stated Russia is theoretically ready to initiate a new agreement that will replace the one that made the US dollar the world's key currency, but acknowledged it would take time.Earlier February, US and its allies issued a new round of sanctions against Moscow over its special military operation. The Russian Foreign Ministry previously detailed it was working on measures to respond in kind, emphasizing Western restrictions were yet another attempt to isolate Russia from the global economy.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20221213/100-hours-of-phone-talks-with-putin-how-has-macrons-mediatory-foray-into-ukraine-crisis-fared-1105413444.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230221/whats-new-start-treaty-and-why-did-russia-suspend-it-1107667839.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20211119/russian-embassy-decries-us-lawmakers-initiative-to-stop-recognition-of-putin-after-2024-1090864966.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230228/new-french-policy-in-africa-paris-cant-fully-break-from-past-rooted-in-colonialism---experts-1107870217.html

New French Policy in Africa: Paris Can't Fully Break From Past 'Rooted in Colonialism' - Experts

New French Policy in Africa: Paris Can't Fully Break From Past 'Rooted in Colonialism' - Experts

As France's Macron said that his country was planning to change its policy toward Africa and show "profound humility", an expert believes that Paris cannot "fully break away" from the past, "when that past is rooted in colonialism".

2023-02-28T15:35+0000

2023-02-28T15:35+0000

2023-02-28T15:35+0000

africa

france

colonialism

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pullout

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French President Emmanuel Macron said on Monday that his country was planning to change its policy toward the African continent and show "profound humility." Dr. Felix Ndahinda, honorary assistant professor at the University of Rwanda, believes that Paris cannot "fully break away" from the past, "when that past is rooted in colonialism, which created new realities."Ndahinda, a researcher focusing on conflict, peace and justice in the Great Lakes region, argued that France's change of policy in Africa is rather an effort to "adjust to the changing environment" than a move based on any abstract ideal for "genuine" change.Ndahinda explained that the African continent, which is the world's fastest-growing region, is changing and the people of Africa are leaving behind "the narrow politics dictated by colonial legacy." He added that France, which has often been criticized for exploitative relations with former African colonies, realizes the need to seek a more "balanced" partnership with Africa.Commenting on French President Macron's planned trip to four central African states  Gabon, Angola, the Republic of Congo, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)  on Wednesday, Ndahinda claimed that Paris is attempting to keep up with major international actors, like Russia, China, and the United States, which are "contesting" to build stronger ties with developing African states.The professor pointed out that African actors are now "more rational and aware of the need to diversify their interaction with the rest of the world". He added that Paris could only be "one of the partners" if it indeed adopts the level of "humility" promoted by President Macron during his Monday speech, in dealing with African nations.Recalling the recent pullout of French troops from Mali and Burkina Faso under public pressure and amid rising anti-French sentiment, Ndahinda suggested that Macron's government has understood that "its foreign presence can no longer be sustained through corrupt dealings with governments lacking popular support."It should be noted that both Mali and Burkina Faso are currently under military rule after the overthrow of previous governments, under which French military presence in the country was maintained and which were accused by local protesters of failing to overcome the terrorist threat.Since 2011, the Sahel region where Mali and Burkina Faso are located, has been highly destabilized by terrorist and banditry activities, mainly carried out by terrorist groups linked to Daesh* and Al-Qaeda*. In 2014, France launched the so-called Operation Barkhane in Sahel under the pretext of fighting terrorism in the region.The mission was terminated in 2022 after the withdrawal of French forces from Mali. This followed after the Malian military government accused the European state of terrorism support. In February 2023, France withdrew its troops from Burkina Faso on local government's demand; however, French military forces are still present in the Sahel.During his speech at the Elysee presidential palace in Paris on Monday, Macron pointed out that the change in French strategy toward Africa and Paris' plans to reorganize its military presence in the continent do not involve the full withdrawal of French troops. Instead, the numbers of military personnel would be decreased, with some military bases to be transformed into schools and academies that would be jointly managed by French and African staff.The University of Rwanda professor concluded that the only way to judge France's real intentions is to see "real changes" in the former colonial power's future dealings with the African continent and how they "really break away from the past exploitative and paternalistic approaches."As for the potential reasons that prompted Paris to review its African policy, Jean Lionel Kouakou, an Ivorian political expert, pointed out two "fundamental" reasons behind such development.The expert argued that it was "very urgent" for France to revise its African policy in order to "prevent its zone of influence" from ending up in the hands of its opponents, including Russia, which has been actively developing ties with nations across the African continent.Speaking of the rising anti-French sentiment in the Sahel region and the pullout of French troops from Mali, and later from neighboring Burkina Faso, Kouakou said: "The French army is no longer welcome in these countries because the French policies adopted there did not respect their commitments recorded in the defense agreements with these countries."He argued that it was necessary for Malian and Burkinabe authorities to review their agreements with Paris or change partners "because they have a responsibility and accountability" to their people, who are the real victims of the terrorist activities in the region. The political analyst commented on the stations of President Macron's scheduled trip to the Central African region, saying that the goals of the visit vary according to the countries. Regarding Angola, which is the only non-French-speaking country in the list of Macron's host countries, Kouakou believes that the French leader is heading there to "discuss energy resources."Kouakou concluded by insisting that "French politics in Africa can have better and brighter days if and only if France decides to take into account the demands and interests of African peoples and not consider the interests of corrupt African politicians."* Daesh and Al-Qaeda are terrorist organizations banned in Russia and many other countries around the world.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230228/profound-humility-france-to-reorganize-military-presence-in-africa-after-partial-pullout-1107863243.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230224/burkina-faso-to-enlist-5000-soldiers-to-bolster-fight-against-terrorism-1107769358.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230121/burkinabe-protesters-take-to-the-streets-demanding-departure-of-french-ambassador-troops-1106548244.html

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macron, africa, new french policy in africa, french policy in africa, france, french colonies, french troops, french army,
https://sputnikglobe.com/20230228/new-report-adds-credence-to-theory-that-cia-gave-info-leading-to-nelson-mandelas-arrest-1107860895.html

New Report Adds Credence to Theory That CIA Gave Info Leading to Nelson Mandelas Arrest

New Report Adds Credence to Theory That CIA Gave Info Leading to Nelson Mandelas Arrest

Nelson Mandela served 27 years in an South African Prison before his release in 1990 as the government of apartheid South Africa collapsed. In 1993, he would become the President of South Africa's new multiracial government.

2023-02-28T03:53+0000

2023-02-28T03:53+0000

2023-02-28T03:53+0000

africa

nelson mandela

cia

south africa

secret operation

arrest

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In 1962, when Nelson Mandela was arrested by South African police shortly after returning to the country, it led many to speculate that the CIA may have been involved in helping the South African police find the then-controversial revolutionary.The United States and the Soviet Union were embroiled in the Cold War at the time and Africa was a major battleground for the two superpowers, with multiple newly independent states either officially working with the Soviets or were suspected to be by the US intelligence community. Apartheid South Africa was an ally of the United States and gave it a major foothold on the continent. It also had a large supply of uranium which was a strategically important resource in the nuclear arms race.Richard Stengel, a former editor for TIME and the author of Mandelas Way and a podcast chronicling his conversations with the future South African president titled Mandela: The Lost Tapes, wrote an article on Monday outlining the evidence supporting the theory so far and a few more tidbits that add more credence.The suspicions initially began while Mandela was still incarcerated. In 1986, the Johannesburg Star ran an article without a byline that stated a retired senior police officer said the South African police had been tipped off by an American diplomat at the US consulate in Durban that was the CIA operative for the region. The Star noted the diplomat revealed his role to the police officer while drunk at a party at the apartment of a mercenary named Mike Hoare.Then, right after Mandelas release in 1990, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution published an article that a retired intelligence official said a senior CIA operative named Paul Eckel walked into his office after Mandelas arrest.More than two and a half decades later, retired CIA officer Donald Rickard, who was then 88 and nearing the end of his life, told a British filmmaker that he informed the South African police about Mandela. Rickard never expressed regret for doing so, insisting until his death two weeks later that it was the right move because had the communists taken South Africa, it may have led to war between the United States and the Soviet Union.Reports from both the United States and South Africa at the time said that Rickard had been removed from his post in South Africa for having a penchant for talking about CIA activities while drunk. Hoare would later confirm in a 2018 biography written about him that Rickards story was accurate.Classified CIA documents released in 2017 but not reported on until Stengels article on Monday, confirm the CIA thought the African National Congress (ANC), of which Mandela was a part of, was communist-dominated and dubbed Mandela a probable communist. Another declassified document hints the CIA was monitoring his movements outside of South Africa.After Mandelas death in 2013, both the ANC and the South African Communist party would confirm the CIAs suspicions. Mandela was not just a member of the Communist party, he was a member of its central committee.Ultimately, what Stengel lays out is not a smoking gun per se, but a continually building story that gained its first piece of evidence in 1985 and has been gaining corroborating evidence in the decades since, without any contrary evidence presenting itself. Stengel filed a Freedom of Information Act with the CIA, asking for documents from the time that mention Mandela or Rickard, but they denied him and refused to confirm or deny the existence of any documents mentioning either of them.Stengel ponders if the CIA may be better served by admitting to its alleged role in Mandelas arrest. The United States government is currently attempting to limit China and Russias influence in the continent while increasing its own. The first step to that, says Stengel, is to come clean about its past.For his part, Mandela didnt care much to find out if the CIA was behind his arrest. When Stengel asked him about it in an interview in 1993, Mandela said he had no evidence either way and never asked the US government about the possibility. Instead, Mandela insisted he was happy the United States had become an ally of the newly-desegregated South Africa.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20220918/liar-in-chief-twitter-slams-biden-as-potus-rolls-back-arrest-claim-on-1990-mandela-meet-1100926736.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20160515/cia-helped-arrest-nelson-mandela-1039653273.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230228/profound-humility-france-to-reorganize-military-presence-in-africa-after-partial-pullout-1107863243.html

'Profound Humility': France to 'Reorganize' Military Presence in Africa After Partial Pullout

'Profound Humility': France to 'Reorganize' Military Presence in Africa After Partial Pullout

This article is about French President Emmanuel Macron saying that Paris must demonstrate "profound humility" in Africa, and open a "new era" in its partnership with the continent amid "unprecedented" and "historic" challenges.

2023-02-28T11:09+0000

2023-02-28T11:09+0000

2023-02-28T11:09+0000

africa

france

emmanuel macron

colonialism

french troops

pullout

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Paris must demonstrate "profound humility" in Africa, and open a "new era" in its partnership with the continent amid "unprecedented" and "historic" challenges, said French President Emmanuel Macron during a Monday speech dedicated to France's new policy on Africa.Macron revealed that his government is planning to reorganize the presence of French troops in Africa under a "new security partnership" that would see a minimized number of French military personnel.The French president said he believes the Paris should follow "another path" that would focus on "addressing African countries as partners with whom we share interests and balanced, reciprocal, [and] accountable responsibilities."Macron also claimed that Africa is no longer considered a backyard, adding that France's military bases in Africa as they exist now are a "heritage from the past" and must see some change.The French president stressed that "Frances role is not to fix all problems in Africa."Macrons remarks come ahead of his scheduled trip on Wednesday to four central African states  Gabon, Angola, the Republic of Congo, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).The visit to Africa comes in the wake of the pullout of French troops from Burkina Faso earlier this month amid rising anti-French sentiment in the West African country, along with other countries in the Sahel region.France had been maintaining a military presence in five Sahel region countries  Burkina Faso, Mali, Chad, Mauritania, and Niger  within the framework of Operation Barkhane since 2014. In August 2022, however, local authorities demanded that French troops leave Mali and just several months later, Paris put an end to the Barkhane operation.France had been maintaining a military presence in five former colonies in the Sahel region, including Mali, Burkina Faso, Chad, Mauritania, and Niger, under the pretext of supporting the African nations in their battle against terrorist groups linked to Daesh* and al-Qaeda*.Five months prior to the withdrawal from Burkinabe territory, which took place in the wake of repeated protests in Ouagadougou demanding the departure of French troops, the French government completed the pullout of its troops from neighboring Mali, in a move that was followed by the wrap-up of the 2014 anti-terrorist mission, Operation Barkhane, in the Sahel region.At the time, the government of Mali accused Paris of supporting terrorist groups inside the West African country by providing them with intelligence, arms and ammunition instead of fighting them.On Thursday, during a three-day visit to Ouagadougou, Malis Prime Minister Choguel Maiga called on the leadership of neighboring Burkina Faso not to rely on foreign troops to fight terrorists, arguing that "It is the Africans who must defend ourselves."Maiga added that the current situation is "difficult," since the Burkinabe leadership has "made choices today that are not to everyones liking, so they are putting pressure on you, they are sowing doubt, and it is at this moment that I believe like all great peoples, the people of Burkina Faso must stand as one."* Daesh and al-Qaeda are terrorist organization banned in Russia and many other countries around the world.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230220/france-ends-military-operations-in-burkina-faso-1107605714.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230114/frances-10-year-war-in-sahel-colonialism-legacy-regime-changes--control-over-uranium-1106311201.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230228/russian-helicopters-for-iran-expert-says-tehran-may-likely-use-ka-52-and-mi-28-1107862221.html

Russian Helicopters for Iran: Expert Says Tehran May Acquire Ka-52 and Mi-28

Russian Helicopters for Iran: Expert Says Tehran May Acquire Ka-52 and Mi-28

Russia has made significant progress in manufacturing state-of the-art helicopters, Mohammad Hassan Sangtrash, a weapons designer and researcher of security and defense strategies in international relations, told Sputnik.

2023-02-28T07:28+0000

2023-02-28T07:28+0000

2023-02-28T08:55+0000

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The Russian presidents special assistant Igor Levitin recently signaled Russian companies readiness for the "joint production of helicopters" with Iran. The Islamic Council of Iran in turn announced the purchase of the Russian-made air defenses, missiles as well as fighter jets and helicopters from Russia.He added that these helicopters, such as the Mi-17, "were admired by Iranian users due to their low maintenance cost and the variety of missions" the vehicles implemented, including those related to "sensitive operations such as the seizure of Western oil tankers."When asked what helicopters Iran might buy from Russia, the expert first of all gave kudos to Russia, making great progress in manufacturing such aircraft.He said that "the variety of Russian helicopters is extraordinary," not ruling out that such copters as the Ka-52 and the Mi-28 "may be used as combat birds in [Irans] defense organizations."Additionally, he pointed to the multi-purpose Mi-26 and Ka-226 helicopters, as well as the transport copter K-32 that he said Iran could also acquire.The expert remained upbeat about the possibility of Russia and Iran implementing programs on creating a joint helicopter. According to him, "There are many [helicopter] projects that two countries can build together," including those related to the possible creation of the Saba-248 and the Selahshoor (warrior) helicopters.He added that the Selahshoor is expected to be equipped with infrared optics and a variety of armament, such as the "fire and forget" missiles, which Sangtrash said "gives more freedom of action to the pilot and the weapons officer."The expert spoke as Iran has yet to announce the beginning of the implementation of the Selahshoor project.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230120/shock-and-awe-why-russias-sukhoi-su-35-fighters-are-nightmare-for-irans-adversaries-1106503010.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230228/they-hear-me-talking-they-hating-joe-biden-mocked-online-over-white-but-not-stupid-remark-1107873555.html

They Hear Me Talking, They Hating: Joe Biden Mocked Online Over 'White But Not Stupid' Remark

They Hear Me Talking, They Hating: Joe Biden Mocked Online Over 'White But Not Stupid' Remark

While those present at the event laughed at the US president's joke, quite a few people on social media seemed less appreciative of his humor.

2023-02-28T14:32+0000

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US President Joe Biden has once again shuffled into the spotlight as he delivered a speech at a Black History Month event at the White House.Speaking to the people in attendance, Biden joked that he may be a white boy but he is not stupid, in what one US newspaper described as a cringeworthy attempt at self-deprecating humor.I know where the power is. You think Im joking? I learned a long time ago about the Divine Nine," the POTUS said, eliciting laughs from the audience.The Divine Nine the president was referring to is the nickname for the National Pan-Hellenic Council, an umbrella council of African-American fraternities and sororities in the US.While at least some present at the event seemed to appreciate Bidens humor, the social media audience appeared less forgiving.The African-American vote is earned by dissing the whites, I guess? one netizen mused.The people constantly talking about race are the racists, another remarked.And yet another netizen predicted that, if Biden made that joke about Black or Jewish people instead, he would be on a two-week apology tour.

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230228/to-veto-or-not-to-veto-sweden-and-finlands-nato-bids-in-limbo-as-turkiye-hungary-mull-pros--cons-1107877919.html

To Veto or Not to Veto? Sweden and Finland's NATO Bids in Limbo as Turkiye, Hungary Mull Pros & Cons

To Veto or Not to Veto? Sweden and Finland's NATO Bids in Limbo as Turkiye, Hungary Mull Pros & Cons

Finland started a parliamentary debate over accelerating the country's accession to NATO on February 28. Helsinki seems to be ready to join the military bloc... 28.02.2023, Sputnik International

2023-02-28T17:09+0000

2023-02-28T17:09+0000

2023-02-28T17:09+0000

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Finnish MPs are due to vote on accepting the terms of the NATO treaty on Wednesday. After the bill is passed by the parliament, the president has three months to ratify it. Helsinki had previously signaled its willingness to join the military bloc together with Sweden; but the latest developments in the Finnish parliament suggest that the nation is ready to move forward alone.Previously-neutral Finland and Sweden formally announced their NATO bids on May 15, 2022. While Sweden's neutrality was self-declared and not enshrined in law, Finland's was stipulated by the Paris Peace Treaty of 1947 which was signed after the end of the Second World War between the Allied powers - including the USSR, the UK, the US and France - and former Nazi Germany allies, such as Italy, Romania, Hungary, Bulgaria and Finland. In addition, Finland's NATO bid also violates the 1992 Russo-Finnish treaty, as per the Russian Foreign Ministry.For its part, Moscow has expressed deep concerns over the NATO accession and the bloc's forthcoming expansion towards Russia's frontiers: Finland shares a 1,340 km (830 mi) border with Russia.Remarkably, popular support for NATO membership in both Nordic states has never been particularly high. According to a 2021 poll commissioned by EVA Finnish Business and Policy Forum, around 26% of Finns were in favor of joining NATO, 40% against and 33% remained undecided. A January 2022 Demoskop survey showed 42% of Swedes supported NATO accession and 37% opposed it. However, western hysteria and information wars over Russia's special military operation in Ukraine appear to have invigorated NATO proponents in both Nordic countries. Moscow has repeatedly underscored that Russia harbors no hostile intentions against either nation.Turkiye's Concerns Over Sweden & Finland Sheltering PKK & FETOIt's not only Russia which has expressed concerns over Finland and Sweden's NATO bids. Initially, Turkiye blocked the countries' applications, citing security concerns and accusing Helsinki and Stockholm of not doing enough to thwart a terror threat Ankara claims to be posed by Kurdish organizations.On June 29, 2022, Turkiye, Sweden and Finland signed a security memorandum that green-lighted Helsinki and Stockholm's NATO membership under a set of conditions concerning the activities of Kurdish and Fethulla Gulen's organizations (FETO), both banned by Turkiye, in the two European states.Nonetheless, these conditions have not been fully met so far, according to Ankara. To complicate matters further, a copy of the Quran was burnt in front of the Turkish Embassy in Stockholm on January 21, throwing a new wrench in the Nordics' NATO bid. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned Sweden on January 23 that it should not expect his backing to join NATO following the incident."I don't think that Turkiye will be vetoing Sweden's NATO bid, but [it] will not be approving the Swedish accession to NATO," Dr. Hasan Selim Ozertem, an Ankara-based security and political analyst, told Sputnik. "So Sweden will be waiting at the door. Their membership can be happening a little bit later than Finland's, or they might be waiting a little bit longer than expected. Before, as you know, Finland was saying that we can join NATO with Sweden, we made this application together."On January 24, Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto suggested that Finland might decide to decouple its application from that of Sweden. For his part, Erdogan has nodded at Finland's bid.Even though the Turkiye-Sweden talks resumed in February, the Turkish leadership signaled on Monday that it is still unable to approve Sweden's accession to NATO at this stage as Stockholm has not fully implemented its agreements with Ankara."Turkiye is not necessarily against NATO expansion as long as there is a general consensus in the alliance," Hasan Unal, professor of political science and international relations at Istanbul Maltepe University, told Sputnik. "However, it certainly uses its veto power to protect its national interests, like in this case with Sweden, which has basically made itself a paradise for all those terrorist organizations against Turkiye.""The likelihood is that Turkiye would not necessarily ratify Sweden's admission to the alliance. But the problem is a technical problem. I think the accession treaty was made for both countries, whether actually you can separate Sweden from Finland and then whether you can actually approve one without necessarily approving the other. In that case, maybe the whole process will have to restart by which Finland would have to make an application and Turkey would not raise any issue with Finland, and Sweden would remain in the background," Unal continued.Turkiye won't veto Sweden's accession to the bloc, believes Dr. Huseyin Bagci, head of the Foreign Policy Institute and a lecturer at the Department of International Relations at the Middle East Technical University. According to him, both Sweden and Finland will become NATO members this year. Still, Sweden-Turkiye tensions continue to simmer, he admitted.In addition, Turkiye has been recently at odds with NATO over Ankara obtaining Russia-made S-400 air defense systems and subsequent removal of Turkiye from the US-led multinational fifth-generation F-35 fighter jet program in 2019 - even though the Mideast nation invested $1.4 billion (TL 24.2 billion). Ankara has also repeatedly expressed concerns over NATO's growing closeness with Greece, Turkiye's longtime rival. The Turkish leadership is also dissatisfied with Greece's reported military deployments on the east Aegean islands, which were ceded to Greece by the Ottoman Empire on the specific and strict condition that they be kept demilitarized.Budapest: Finns and Swedes 'Spreading Lies' About Hungarian DemocracyMeanwhile, Hungary has also been delaying ratification of Finland and Sweden's NATO bids. Last Friday, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said that the Hungarian parliament is not enthusiastic about ratifying the bids since the Finnish and Swedish authorities were spreading "shameless lies'' about Hungarian democracy and the rule of law in the country."Regarding Hungary, it's more political. The criticisms against Hungary's quality of democratic standards, it's being criticized by these Scandinavian countries. And it was the reason that Hungary mentioned making a postponement in this voting process. I'm not expecting a veto, but a little bit of postponement, particularly on the Turkish side. Hungary will be moving a little bit faster than Turkiye," Ozertem continued.On February 25, Orban's Chief of Staff Gergely Gulyas hinted at a possible further delay in Budapest's ratification of the Nordics' bids, suggesting that a vote may take place only in the second half of March."Parliament will put this on the agenda on Monday and start debating the legislation next week," Gulyas told the press. "Based on Hungarian procedure, adopting legislation takes about four weeks, so it follows that parliament can have a vote on this sometime in the second half of March, on the week of March 21."Gulyas also noted that some Hungarian government politicians want to get guarantees from the two NATO candidates that politically motivated attacks against Budapest will be stopped once they join the defense alliance. According to him, the diversity of the press in the two Nordic countries does not meet the high standards that have been set in Hungary, in an apparent reference to nearly a monopoly of the left-wing media giants in Finland and Sweden.NATO Proxy War in Ukraine & Nord Stream SabotageThe Hungarian leadership likewise appears discontented with NATO's ramping up its proxy conflict with Russia in Ukraine and protracting the standoff by sending more and more weapons to the Kiev regime. Last week, Orban skipped a meeting with President Joe Biden and the leaders of NATOs eastern flank, leaving Hungarys ceremonial president, Katalin Novak, to attend in his place.In addition, Budapest has called on the United Nations to launch an investigation into the "scandalous" attack on the Nord Stream pipelines that Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Seymour Hersh has argued were destroyed by two members of the NATO alliance, the US and Norway. According to Hersh's source, the explosives were planted in June 2022 by US operatives under the guise of the BALTOPS 22 NATO exercise and were detonated in September 2022.The Hungarian leadership is now urging the UN to kick off a "comprehensive, deep, structured and detailed" probe, after Russia's resolution seeking a similar investigation into the matter was rejected in the UN Security Council. Sweden refused to share its findings concerning the sabotage and is continuing to keep its cards close to its chest. Denmark and Germany, who have also conducted their separate probes into the matter, also remain tight-lipped.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230218/sweden-finland-should-join-nato-by-mid-july--bloc-chief-says-1107581077.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230227/turkish-foreign-minister-says-ankara-still-unable-to-approve-swedens-nato-application-1107840694.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230127/nato-biggest-threat-to-turkeys-independence-and-sovereignty-turkish-observers-say-1106758265.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230222/hungarys-orban-snubs-biden-skips-big-meeting-of-leaders-of-natos-eastern-flank-1107714956.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230225/sy-hersh-on-us-proxy-war-on-russia-snowdens-expose--nord-stream-sabotage-1107779243.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230228/us-china-tensions-intensify-over-taiwan-1107853633.html

US-China Tensions Intensify Over Taiwan

US-China Tensions Intensify Over Taiwan

On this episode of Fault Lines, hosts Jamarl Thomas, Manila Chan and Melik Abdul discussed a wide range of domestic and international topics, including the... 28.02.2023, Sputnik International

2023-02-28T09:13+0000

2023-02-28T09:13+0000

2023-02-28T09:13+0000

fault lines

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U.S.-China tensions intensify over Taiwan On this episode of Fault Lines, hosts Jamarl Thomas, Manila Chan and Melik Abdul discussed a wide range of domestic and international topics, including the amplified tensions between China and the U.S. after the balloon-gate incidents.

Camila Escalante - JournalistElijah Magnier - Veteran War CorrespondentChris Garaffa - Technologist and Member of the Party for Socialism and LiberationDr John Dombrowski - CEO of the Washington Pain Center & Practicing PhysicianKiji Noh - Journalist, Political Analyst & WriterIn the first hour, journalist Camila Escalante joined Fault Lines to discuss what seems to be a battle against public disinformation in Brazil under President Lula da Silva. Also, they discussed the current protests still taking place in Peru since last December.In the second hour, Fault Lines was joined by veteran war correspondent Elijah Magnier to talk about the antiwar protests taking place, not only in the US, but in Europe.Later in the second hour, tech expert Chris Garaffa discussed Chinas desire to compete with Elon Musks Starlink satellites as they are aiming to launch thousands of their own into space.In the third hour, Dr. Dombrowski spoke to Fault Lines about the latest conclusion from the U.S. Department of Energy that Covid-19 pandemic was likely caused by an accidental leak from a Chinese lab.Later in the last hour, Kiji Noh discussed the recent increase in China-US tensions as Biden focuses on Taiwan.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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radio, taiwan, starlink, china, covid-19, joe biden, 
https://sputnikglobe.com/20230228/us-meddling-in-nigerian-elections-chinese-peace-plan-eu-anti-war-protests-1107857611.html

US Meddling in Nigerian Elections; Chinese Peace Plan; EU Anti-War Protests

US Meddling in Nigerian Elections; Chinese Peace Plan; EU Anti-War Protests

US State Department actions on Nigerian elections appear to be the usual election meddling as long-time coup-mongers openly comment on the African nation's... 28.02.2023, Sputnik International

2023-02-28T09:11+0000

2023-02-28T09:11+0000

2023-02-28T13:53+0000

the critical hour

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taiwan semiconductor manufacturing company (tsmc)

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US Meddling in Nigerian Elections; Chinese Peace Plan; EU Anti-War Protests US State Department actions on Nigerian elections appear to be the usual election meddling as long-time coup-mongers openly comment on the African nation's democratic process.

Mark Sleboda, Moscow-based international relations security analyst, joins us to discuss NATO. The president of Ukraine says that he is planning to attack Crimea. Also, the US is planning another 2 billion dollars for Ukraine and NATO is falling apart.Dr. Gerald Horne, Professor of History at the University of Houston, TX, author, historian, and researcher, joins us to discuss foreign policy. US State Department actions on Nigerian elections appear to be the usual election meddling as long-time coup-mongers openly comment on the African nation's democratic process. Also, China has released a 12-point peace plan.Jon Jeter, journalist, and author, joins us to discuss anti-war protests. Mass peace demonstrations were held in various EU nations this weekend. Also, Western leaders are privately admitting that Ukraine can't win the conflict.Ray McGovern, former CIA analyst, and co-founder of Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity, joins us to discuss the Nord Stream attack. Several nations are demanding that the UN give a framework for investigating the Nord Stream blasts.Laith Marouf, broadcaster and journalist based in Beirut, Lebanon, joins us to discuss the Middle East. Israeli settlers rampaged through a Palestinian town burning cars and destroying property. Dr. David Oualaalou, international geopolitical consultant, veteran, and author of many books, including "The Dynamics of Russia's Geopolitics: Remaking the Global Order," international security analyst, and host of the "Geopolitics in Conflict" Show on YT, joins us to discuss Ukraine. The CIS has admitted to providing intel for Ukraine since the beginning of the SMO. Also, more evidence emerges that the US wanted Russia to invade Ukraine.KJ Noh, writer, teacher, and activist, joins us to discuss China. The US is arguing that China has superior ship-building capabilities. Also, the US military is arguing that they should destroy Taiwan's major industry if China invades the Island.Marjorie Cohn, Professor Emerita at Thomas Jefferson School of Law in San Diego, joins us to discuss Israel. The Biden administration is taking its capitulation to Israel to an absurd new level. Also, an Arkansas anti-BDS law remains in effect.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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radio, nigeria, nord stream, taiwan, taiwan semiconductor manufacturing company (tsmc), china, berlin, israel, 
https://sputnikglobe.com/20230228/us-must-reconsider-anti-russian-policy-to-return-to-full-scale-new-start-envoy-says-1107861363.html

US Must Reconsider Anti-Russian Policy to Return to Full-Scale New START, Envoy Says

US Must Reconsider Anti-Russian Policy to Return to Full-Scale New START, Envoy Says

For a return to the full-scale operation of the New START Treaty, the United States must reconsider its aggressive anti-Russian policy, Russia's Ambassador to Washington Anatoly Antonov said.

2023-02-28T04:52+0000

2023-02-28T04:52+0000

2023-02-28T04:52+0000

russia

anatoly antonov

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He added that Washington has violated the New START procedure, declares submarine launched ballistic missile (SLBM) launchers and heavy bombers incapable of carrying out nuclear missions.The diplomat also stressed that the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) has not yet entered into force because of the US stance.On February 21, Russian President Vladimir Putin delivered an address to the Federal Assembly. During his speech, the head of state announced that Russia was suspending participation in the New START Treaty. On the same day, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg expressed regret on behalf of the alliance over Russia's decision and urged Moscow to reconsider it.

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230228/washington-crime-rate-rises-by-25-homicide-up-by-40-year-to-date-in-2023-1107868127.html

Washington Crime Rate Rises By 25%, Homicide Up by 40% Year-to-Date in 2023

Washington Crime Rate Rises By 25%, Homicide Up by 40% Year-to-Date in 2023

he crime rate increased dramatically in Washington in the first two months of 2023 year-on-year, with the total number of committed crimes rising by 25% and homicides surging by 40%, data by the Metropolitan Police Department showed.

2023-02-28T11:07+0000

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In total, over 5,000 crimes have been committed in Washington from the beginning of 2023, while there were slightly more than 4,000 cases in the same period of 2022. Against this background, the number of homicide cases grew from 25 to 35. The police data also showed that the number of sexual assaults increased more than twice, from 13 to 29. The number of arson cases from one case to four. Meanwhile, the number of motor vehicle thefts rose more than twice, from 531 to 1,120 cases, and the amount of thefts from auto increased by 24%, from 1,060 to more than 1,300. Meanwhile, the Washington police registered a 20% decrease in robbery cases and a 14% decline in burglary incidents.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20221005/us-murders-up-43-to-22900-cases-last-year-amid-incomplete-reporting-fbi-says-1101543561.html

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by Raheela Nazir

ISLAMABAD, Feb. 28 (Xinhua) -- The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a flagship project under the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), has been playing a pivotal role in promoting green development in Pakistan, highlighting China's commitment to harmonious coexistence of human beings and nature, Pakistani officials and experts said.

Talking to Xinhua, Convener of National Parliamentary Task Force on Sustainable Development Goals, Romina Khurshid Alam, said the cooperation between Pakistan and China under the CPEC in the fields of energy, transport, agriculture and industrial production has helped Pakistan boost green, low-carbon sustainable development.

Besides assisting Pakistan in overcoming energy crisis and infrastructure upgrading through the CPEC, Chinese companies in Pakistan have been strictly following international and local standards on safety and environmental protection, Alam said.

In implementing infrastructure projects, ecological factors have been fully considered and a number of green and clean energy projects including solar, wind and hydropower have been completed across the Asian country over the past several years, reducing carbon emissions and contributing to economic development, environment protection and improvement of living standards of the locals, said the official.

Citing the example of recently completed 720-megawatt Karot hydropower project, Alam said that a comprehensive biodiversity management plan was developed for construction and operation stages of the project to protect environment and wildlife around the project site.

Pakistan and China have further stepped up their cooperation in green energy for the benefit of the region under the CPEC, helping Pakistan mitigate the adverse impacts of climate change, said Hassan Daud Butt, senior advisor at the China Study Center of the Sustainable Development Policy Institute, an Islamabad-based think tank.

"Pakistan is one of the most vulnerable countries to climate change, with the country facing the worst climate-induced catastrophic floods recently. As the CPEC is making progress, it can help the country to tackle the climate change issue by increasing investment in renewable energy, green building construction, decreasing energy loss, and innovative practices such as green finance and other measures," Butt told Xinhua.

Calling the CPEC a game changer and a green corridor, Shakeel Ahmad Ramay, chief executive officer of the Asian Institute of Eco-civilization Research and Development, said that the flagship project of the BRI is people-centric, environmentally friendly, inclusive and green and sustainable initiative.

China has been utilizing new technologies and making investments in BRI partner countries to support green development. Pakistan can learn from the Chinese experience and technology to realize its vision of high-quality green and sustainable development, Ramay told Xinhua.

"The CPEC has changed the landscape of Pakistan and has accelerated growth while bringing about socio-economic benefits for the people of Pakistan ... China's commitment to promoting carbon-free global economy is commendable," he said. 
https://sputnikglobe.com/20230228/wests-ironic-comedy-fatf-graylisted-south-africa-over-ties-with-russia-expert-says-1107866004.html

West's 'Ironic Comedy': FATF Graylisted South Africa Over Ties With Russia, Expert Says

West's 'Ironic Comedy': FATF Graylisted South Africa Over Ties With Russia, Expert Says

FATFs decision is politically motivated and seems to be a punitive measure against South Africa for the latter's cooperation with Russia, Dr. Anne Abaho, International Relations and Security Studies Lecturer, told Sputnik.

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The Financial Action Task Force's (FATF) decision to graylist South Africa is politically motivated and seems to be a punitive measure against South Africa for the latter's cooperation with Russia, Dr. Anne Abaho, international relations and security studies lecturer at the Nkumba University in Uganda, told Sputnik. She added that the move will affect the country's economy. South Africa is currently developing bilateral ties with Russia, as well as within the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) bloc. South Africa, Russia and China have recently participated in joint naval drills.In October 2022, South Africa refrained from voting for a United Nations General Assembly resolution condemning Russia for holding referendums in the DPR, LPR, Kherson and Zaporozhye regions.Overall, the West discourages cooperation between Pretoria and Moscow, as experts noted. In particular, in May 2022, the US passed a bill to counteract Russias "malign" activities in Africa, which impede the achievement of the goals and interests of the United States. According to the bill, the country can penalize African countries for interacting with Russia in various fields.According to Thandi Modise, South African Defense Minister, Washington puts pressure on African countries that are willing to cooperate with Russia and "threatens Africa, not just South Africa, of having anything that is even smelling of Russia."The analyst argued that the graylisting will not only affect one of Africa's major economies, but also have a negative impact on the southern part of the African continent. According to the expert, in the worst scenario it can "attract sanctions" in case FATF sticks to the "most radical approach."The expert emphasized that South Africa has already got used to the "special approach" of the West.The Nkumba University lecturer also noted that as South Africa plays a role of a "huge investment hub in Africa" for foreign investors, the incident can "equally shape South Africas financial policies."The FATF is a Paris-based intergovernmental organization that establishes standards aimed at fighting financial crimes. South Africa has been cooperating with the FATF for 20 years since it became a member in 2003. On February 24, the FATF added South Africa to the so-called "grey list", with the organization assessing the country as one which does not fulfill international standarts in fighting financial crimes.When the FATF places a country in a "jurisdiction under increased monitoring" list, it means that - according to the international body - the country has committed itself to promptly addressing identified strategic financial crime combating gaps within the agreed time frame and is subject to enhanced monitoring.Recently, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said that the graylisting of the country is "concerning" but not as "dire" for the country as some suggest.

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Woodbine Mohawk Park was forced to cancel the live card of harness racing on Monday (Feb. 27) after five races due to poor weather conditions.

Heavy snowfall and high winds on Monday caused for unfavourable conditions. Despite best efforts, the decision was made following the fifth race to cancel the balance of the 11-race program in the interest of safety for all participants.

Live racing is scheduled to resume on Thursday (March 2) at Woodbine Mohawk Park. Post time is 7 p.m.

Woodbine would like to inform all horsepeople that Woodbine Mohawk Park will not be open for training on the morning of Tuesday, Feb. 28.

Training will be available on Wednesday and Saturday mornings.

To view the results from Monday's card of harness racing at Mohawk, click the following link: Monday Results - Woodbine Mohawk Park.

(Woodbine)
The Gering City Council held its regular meeting on Monday, Feb. 27, with council president Michael Gillen presiding in the absence of Mayor Kent Ewing.

On the agenda was the approval of a bid for work on the Oregon Trail Park Pickleball Courts and Parking Area, which was the third major contract awarded for the project according to City Engineer Annie Folck.

This is a project that weve been working on for a while now, its funded out of the Keno funds, and we had $600,000 for the entire project, said Folck.

Bids for the surface of the court and the surrounding lighting were approved by the council at previous meetings, and Mondays bid concerned the remaining site work. This includes grading, walkways and the parking area, which will be crushed concrete.

Two bids were received for the project, with the lowest coming from Mark Chrisman Trucking, Inc. out of Gering. The bid came in at $264,275.50, which was below the Engineers estimate of $285,488.00. The council awarded the bid to Mark Chrisman Trucking Inc. with a unanimous vote.

Other business for the council included its approval for the mayor to sign a letter to the Nebraska Legislative General Affairs Committee in support of LB 148.

The bill would change powers and duties of the State Racing and Gaming Commission related to licensed racetrack enclosures and change dates related to the required market analysis and socioeconomic-impact studies, which would open the door for the development of such facilities in the Panhandle.

The letter cites the City of Gerings work to promote western Nebraska, and says that, An opportunity to add a casino and racetrack would significantly enhance the vision and mission to promote attractive amenities in the Panhandle which draws visitor stays and tourism revenues from a four-state area.

Further, it cites the previous support for the notion expressed by voters in the 12 panhandle counties, specifically the 65% in favor of Initiatives 429, 430 and 431, and the statewide vote on Initiative 430, which was 65% in favor as well, both in the 2020 General Election.

The council approved the mayors signature on the letter, with one dissenting vote from Ward II councilwoman Pam ONeal. The bill is slated for a hearing on March 13.
Exciting things are poised to happen on the City of Scottsbluffs economic development scene, its newest economic development director says.

The City of Scottsbluff named Sharaya Toof to the economic development director position in January.

Toof previously served as Scottsbluffs small business outreach/public relations coordinator for about eight months. Previous economic development director Starr Lehl retired in December.

She was a great mentor to me, Toof said of Lehl. Being in that position (small business outreach/public relations), I really think groomed me for the economic development director spot. Its so helpful to meet everybody that youre working with, hear about the programs that youre going to be working with, meeting business owners and members of the community and getting your face out there.

The City of Scottsbluff recently expanded its LB 840 program to allow grants to retail businesses, with some conditions.

The expansion of LB 840 to include retail businesses is new to Scottsbluff, aimed at improving the downtown area, where surveys show that more than 50 buildings are vacant. It is an opportunity for potential business owners.

Id really like to encourage people moving downtown considering a business storefront (to explore LB 840), she said. Theres a lot of potential in those buildings downtown that people can really explore. ... Were getting a lot of great restaurants down there, with the opening of the Powerhouse, and things are just exciting downtown.

Applicants must show their principal source of income comes from retails sales of products, and be within the the Business Improvement District, which encompasses an area from 14th Street to 20th Street from Avenue A to First Avenue. Other requirements regarding the amount of funds that can be contributed, investment and financing must also be met.

Focusing on downtown revitalization is something that Toof said she is excited to be a part of. The downtown district is also part of the community effort to establish a creative art district. That process is currently underway, with a name, The Creative Beet, and logo having been selected by the districts steering committee. The community will submit its strategic plan to the Nebraska Arts Council soon, she said.

Were really looking forward to hopefully getting our designation soon.

The district will encompass both downtown Scottsbluff and the East Overland business district. In the East Overland business district, efforts are also underway to revitalize its merchants association, which Toof said is meeting quarterly. Participants have met twice and updates are being provided through an email list that anyone can sign up to monitor progress and be involved, much like with the downtown business association.

In the redevelopment sector, including projects funded through tax increment financing (TIF), Toof said a lot projects are in the citys sights, including the continued redevelopment of Uptown Scottsbluff, formerly known as Monument Mall, and the former Kmart property. The owners of Monument Mall, Rockstep Capital, recently announced that it had purchased the building.

I know a lot of people are talking about those two properties, she said, And wed like to see some changes made with those.

All of the projects underway encapsulate what Toof said economic development has evolved to encompass.

When people think of the old economic development (definition), they think of, oh, bringing in workforce, and you know those big corporations into where you live, but its really more than that now. Its housing. Its child care, and its quality of life.

Having been involved in community organization projects as a college student at Chadron State College and since joining the City of Scottsbluff staff, Toof said she is drawn to helping the community.

Its about bettering where you live and loving it, wanting to see it grow and thrive, said, saying she thinks a key aspect of her job will be pairing people with the resources that they need to build successful businesses in the community, in addition to working on efforts such as marketing the community.

As a whole, were ripe for development right now, she said. Scottsbluff is the retail hub of western Nebraska, you now, and I think things are going to start to move here really soon. Im excited.
The economic impacts on Nebraska from a nationwide shift to renewable energy should be studied, Sen. Bruce Bostelman told a panel of lawmakers Friday.

Bostelman told the Legislature's Executive Board he wanted an independent consultant to look at the short- and long-term costs of replacing coal, natural gas and other plants with resources like wind and solar.

His bill (LB566) would appropriate $30,000 to examine the trends and potential economic impact of growing reliance of renewable energy sources in Nebraska.

It would also look at the economic benefits of maintaining coal, natural gas and nuclear plants, as well as whether or not the current shift toward more renewable resources "threatens the ability of power suppliers in the state to maintain existing baseload generation."

"As energy policy around the nation is shifting to a more diverse set of generation sources, it is prudent for the Natural Resources Committee to examine the potential effects of those policies," Bostelman told the Executive Board.

The shift to more renewable resources  what the Brainard senator referred to as "intermittent generation facilities"  could impact the lives of thousands of Nebraskans, he added, and could also affect the state's ability to ensure electricity is there when Nebraskans need it.

But a trio of Omaha high school students, all part of Students for Sustainability, a chapter of Fridays for Future, part of a global movement started by environmental activist Greta Thunberg, told senators they thought the scope of the study was far too narrow and that the result was pre-determined based on the language of the bill.

Mia Perales, a student from Omaha South High School, said the proposed study appears poised to ignore previous reports that show the cost of generating electricity from renewable resources like solar and wind has dropped 80% in the last decade.

She said Nebraska has already fallen behind states like Iowa, which have become champions of renewable energy.

"A lot of people in Nebraska, politicians specifically, want to know why young Nebraskans are leaving," Perales said. "I can tell you it's not because the price of property taxes are raising, it is because our voices aren't being heard and they aren't being taken seriously."

Omaha Central student Hunter Oakley told lawmakers the language in LB566 showed a "blatant bias." The study would examine the negative economic impacts of renewable energy without doing the same for coal and gas, he said.

And Chloe Johnson, also a student at Omaha Central, said days like Friday in Nebraska, where it was cold but also sunny and breezy, would be ideal for solar and wind generation.

"While it makes it pretty miserable to be outside right now, it is a huge asset to our economy that is going underutilized," Johnson said, adding the bill would put Nebraska further behind its neighboring states in renewable energy generation than it already is.

"There is a clear purpose to how this bill is written," she said. "It is only looking at the negatives of renewables and the positives of fossil fuels because the person who wrote this bill knew that if it were a direct comparison, renewables would win economically and morally."

Following the testifiers, Bostelman said the study was intended to take a snapshot of Nebraska's current power generation and look at potential costs and risks associated with current trends.

Answering a question from Omaha Sen. Tony Vargas, Bostelman said he was amenable to expanding the scope of the study to include other factors.

The Executive Board did not take any action on Bostelman's bill Friday.

Top Journal Star photos for February 2023
Members of Nebraskas Ukrainian community gathered outside the state Capitol on Saturday in remembrance of one of the darkest days in their countrys history.

On Feb. 24, 2022, Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, one that continues today and has left thousands dead. For Ukrainians living in Nebraska, the last year has been one of the hardest of their lives.

Last year, for us, was like 100 years, Mykhailo Smyshliaiev said.

Smyshliaiev, a Ukraine native who's lived in Lincoln 15 years, has helped organize weekly gatherings outside the Capitol since the war began to show support for Ukraine.

Saturdays event featured speakers and photos detailing the severity of the conflict. One photo showed a horrific scene in Smyshliaievs hometown of Kherson, which was bombed by Russians on Christmas Eve.

Since the first day of the war, Kherson was under occupation for eight months, Smyshliaiev said. My in-laws stayed there during that time.

He said Kherson has since been liberated by Ukrainian troops. His in-laws performed heroic acts over the last eight months while the city was occupied by Russia. Smyshliaievs father-in-law is a pastor in Kherson, and he said the church fed members of the community while stores were closed.

The church bought their food from farmers, and weve raised money here to send back to them so that they can feed children and elders in the community, Smyshliaiev said.

Nebraska-based Ukrainians expressed their appreciation for the communitys support, particularly for the sizable gathering Saturday.

Its very cool to see how the Lincoln community supports this cause ... its very heartwarming, Constantine Syniy said. Ukraine is 1,000 miles away, but still people in the great city of Lincoln care about us.

Syniy, who's lived in Lincoln 20 years and is the owner of All-Pro Heating and Air Conditioning, has family in Kherson like Smyshliaiev. Both expressed gratitude that their families have remained safe, but staying in contact with them over the last year has been stressful.

We have an app to communicate with our family members back home, Syniy said. The ringtone from the app used to give me joy, because you know your family members are posting something. Now the same ringtone brings me worry and anxiety, because you hope its not bad news.

Despite the difficulties Ukrainians have endured over the last year, event organizers wanted to highlight the resiliency of the country Saturday.

This is a year that the civilized world witnessed the resilience of the Ukrainian nation, Oleg Stepanyuk said. The world witnessed unspoken courage in their fight for freedom, democracy and independence."

Stepanyuk is an associate pastor at the House of Prayer Church in Lincoln and delivered a passionate speech about how Ukrainians have remained united in the face of adversity.

Stepanyuk then led the group in prayer. Not only did he offer prayers for Ukraine, those lost in the war and those with family members in Ukraine, he also prayed for Russia.

I pray that God gives that nation the change of heart and repentance so they can see what they did, Stepanyuk said.

As the conflict enters its second year, Lincoln's Ukrainians said they're hoping for a peaceful end to the war, along with continued support from nations like the U.S.

We want to remind everybody that lives in Lincoln, lives in Nebraska, lives in the United States, that the war is still going, Smyshliaiev said. The support weve received is incredible. Were thankful for that, but we want to remind people to continue to pray, continue to help those in great need in Ukraine.

Photos: Prayer rally at Nebraska Capitol marks a year of war in Ukraine
HANOI, Feb. 28 (Xinhua) -- Vietnam saw 933,000 international arrivals in February, surging 31.6 times compared to the same period last year, the country's General Statistics Office (GSO) said on Tuesday.

The surge in tourists is due mainly to the country's full reopening to foreign visitors and the resumption of international commercial flights.

During the period, foreign arrivals to Vietnam by air accounted for 89.6 percent of the total, followed by road with 9.6 percent and sea routes with 0.8 percent, respectively.

Most of the arrivals were from Asia with around 74 percent, the data showed.

Foreign arrivals to the country in the first two months of this year increased to 1.8 million, or a 36.6-fold jump from the same period last year, but still below 60 percent of the pre-pandemic levels in 2019, said the GSO.

As global airline traffic is on the way to full recovery, Vietnam's air passenger traffic jumped to nearly 20 million in the January-February period, the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam said, with 22 civil airports handling 4.7 million international passengers and 14.8 million domestic passengers.

About 3.7 million international tourists arrived in 2022 and Vietnam is targeting foreign arrivals of 8 million in 2023, according to the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism. 
More than 300 Dell laptops were distributed to area residents Saturday morning at the Boys & Girls Club of the Piedmont located on Cochran Street in south Statesville. Citizens, ranging from parents with school-age children to senior citizens, braved the cold rain to attend the event, which was sponsored by E2D, a nonprofit from Davidson in Mecklenburg County. The Greater Statesville Rotary Club partnered with BGCP to host the event. Rotarians Bill Wilson and Brian Summers volunteered at the event.

E2D was founded when an enlightened 12-year-old girl asked her parents how her classmates could do their homework without access to computers. It was the next question that sparked the creation of E2D. Franny Millen asked her parents: What are we going to do about it?

Ten years have passed since those questions were presented to her parents. Since then, E2D has distributed more than 32,000 computers in and around the Charlotte area.

Pat Millen, Frannys father, is co-founder and president of E2D. We are grateful for this new partnership with the Boys & Girls Club and Statesville Rotary. Todays turnout underscores the need to close the digital device in Statesville, Millen stated.

We were delighted to partner with Greater Statesville Rotary and E2D to offer this distribution event for in our community. We look forward to a long-term relationship with both partners. stated Clarrisa Young, executive director of BGCP.

Recently BGCP was recipient of a grant from the United Way of Iredell County  Endowment for the Future, which provides startup funds to begin Students-in-Training (SiT) at the Boys & Girls Club this spring.

The mission of SiT is to refurbish computers which are donated to BGCP, load those devices with new software and redistribute them to those in need.

Brady Johnson, director of development for BGCP stated, Working with E2D on this event was inspiring. The event not only reinforced the fact that the digital divide is significant in Iredell County, it also introduced us to a new partner who is willing to help BGCP build our own version of E2D.

A team from BGCP is planning a visit to the E2D facility in Cornelius later this spring.

A ribbon-cutting for SiT is planned for April.
Willie Hazel McHenry saw it all as a Black child going to a Rosenwald school, then Morningside, and finally the Unity School to complete her education in what was then a segregated Iredell County.

And while the education, one that carried the now 96-year-old to attend Spelman College in Atlanta and through her life had priceless worth, some memories of the day-to-day aspects of school tend to stick out in ones mind years later.

As long as I live, Ill never forget raisins, McHenry said while pausing to explain how a woman she knew as Miss Lucy would cook for them at the Troutman Rosenwald School, cooking the dried grapes constantly, Every time you turned around, it was raisins... Ive had enough raisins, I dont particularly care for them.

McHenry  then Willie Hazel Young  began school in the early 1930s at one of the countys Rosenwald schools, which were schools formed by Julius Rosenwald and Booker T. Washington to educate Black rural Southerners at a time when public education wasnt freely available to them. The efforts of the philanthropist from Chicago and the famous educator from the Tuskegee Institute allowed young Black children like McHenry in Iredells more rural areas to receive an education.

Court rulings would allow a segregated education system under the guise of separate but equal, but it was far from that.

We had no new books. We had books the segregated schools would use, with their names in it and everything. There would only be one name in the book from the student that used it, McHenry said.

She said they would walk several miles and sometimes they even roller-skated their way to school while white students rode by on the bus to their own, separate schools.

McHenrys school was one large room with her teacher, E.C. Lachey at first and later M.H. Harrington, with a wall that could be pulled down between the two, though in one corner she remembers a shelf with what was called its library.

The first thing and only thing we had for a long time was a set of encyclopedias, McHenry said.

She attended that school until the seventh grade and then attended Morningside. She could then take a bus up the road from Troutman to Statesville, but it also had to pick up Black students throughout the county. When she began at Unity, it looked as if her education would end at the 11th grade, but then Gov. J. Melville Broughton and the N.C. General Assembly would extend the states education to 12 years. Unity began teaching the 12th grade by 1943, just in time for McHenry to graduate in 1944.

And while that education was crucial for her, the lack of resources behind education for Black students at that time would become more apparent when she sent her son to desegregated schools years later. McHenry said she loved arithmetic, but some of the math her son was educated in she never had the chance to learn.

We didnt get the real foundation we needed to learn, McHenry said.
Much to the delight of loyal customers, The Square in Bland will be rebuilt. The decades-old business site was severely damaged by fire on Christmas Eve.

Tommy Dunn, who has owned and operated the convenience store, restaurant and gas station  nicknamed The Square  for over 25 years, said the business will be rebuilt though he has yet to determine a timeline.

Dunn said he has been working with his insurance company and talking to construction people about rebuilding. And while some of his eight employees have had to find other jobs, he hopes to bring back as many of them as he can.

The comments on social media by customers and friends have been encouraging, Dunn said, and he has been touched by the support.

Quite a number of people want it back, he said.

Some fans just recently erected a banner at the site saying We miss you Tommy.

That was a very kind gesture, Dunn said of the banner. I miss them too.

Im extremely appreciative of everybodys kindness, support and generosity, he said. I am truly thankful for these people who are friends, not just customers. Im glad they care.

Dunn said he spent seven days a week at the business. Its definitely different now, he said.

As for the rebuild, Dunn said there is a lot more to it than one might think.

The electrical fire caused extensive damage and it takes time to work with the insurance company on the details of structure and inventory, and to make plans with a construction company for rebuilding.

Several fire departments and other agencies responded to the fire during the especially cold weather being experienced in Bland and surrounding counties in December.

A special thank you to all the departments, sheriffs office, and rescue squad that acted today to help out during the cold temperatures which makes fighting fire much more difficult, the Ceres Fire Department posted on its Facebook page following the fire. We also give our deepest condolences to Tommy and Donna Dunn during their loss this morning. The Bland Square was a staple in many of our lives and we will forever be grateful for the love and compassion that Tommy has given our community over the years.

From memories gathered on social media, it appears the building, most recently a Sunoco station, was built sometime around 1960 by Ike Pauley, father of Ronnie Frog Pauley. Ownership has passed through several families throughout the years.
Grant Hadler, the owner of the Longview restaurant Grants at the Monticello Hotel, died a week after being found unconscious in a residential Kelso neighborhood.

Kelso police are asking people with additional information about the event to come forward.

Police say Cowlitz 2 Fire & Rescue personnel responded around 2:30 a.m. Feb. 19 to the 1500 block of Ross Avenue in Kelso to triage what Kelso police described as an injured fall patient.

Hadler, 56, was found unconscious and transported initially to St. John Medical Center but was later sent to Southwest Washington Medical Center in Vancouver, where he died from his injuries Sunday, Kelso police report.

Police say the cause and manner of Hadlers death have not been determined, and are asking people to call Detective Craig Christianson at 360-423-1270 to provide additional information.

We are continuing to investigate because we have an obligation and responsibility to determine whether or not his death was caused by criminal conduct, said Kelso Capt. Rich Fletcher.

Sad day for the community

Sherry Hadler, of Longview, was married to Grant Hadler for 28 years and co-owned the restaurant that opened in 2019.

Sherry said it was Grants lifelong dream to become a restauranteur.

He worked so hard for everyone else that we decided wed work that hard for ourselves, she said.

She described her husband as one in [a] million, and said through her entire marriage, Grant made her literally laugh every day.

Our hearts are literally broken, she added.

Sherry said the response from the community since his passing has been overwhelming.

We are so proud, as a family, of Grant and how he has affected so many people in the community and throughout his and our entire lives, she said.

Sherry said there will be a celebration of life at Grants ballroom, but the date has not been set.

Chad Wilson of Kalama said hes known Grant for a decade and has performed at the ballroom, as well as the restaurant, on occasions. Wilson called Grant a salt-of-the-earth-kinda guy and will remember Grants humor most of all.

Gleeann Kamp, of Longview, said she knew Grant for several years, ever since he began his career in Longview.

Kamp recalls the last time she saw him on Valentines Day, and described his death as a sad, sad, sad day for the community.

Grants son, Nic Hadler, said he aims to be like his father.

He really was the most selfless person I know, and Im sure anyone he has crossed paths with would say the same, he said. He had a unique sense of humor that could crack a smile on anyones face, at any given time. Overall, just a great man that I truly hope to resemble one day.
A long-running local nonprofit is offering three scholarships for area students and awards have increased to keep up with rising costs of education.

Altrusa International of Longview-Kelso reports the group is accepting scholarship applications for students to use during the 2023-24 school year. Applications must be received by Altrusa on or before March 31.

Scholarship awards have increased to $2,000 a year, the group reports. Previously, one scholarship was $1,400 and two were $1,000 each.

The Altrusa International of Longview-Kelso Scholarship is for students attending Lower Columbia College during the 2023-24 year and may be renewed for three additional years.

The Altrusa Technical Education Scholarship is a one-year award for students studying in the trades, manufacturing or other industrial fields at LCC during the 2023-24 year.

Contact Altrusa Website: altrusa.org/longview-kelso Email: AltrusaLongviewKelso@gmail.com Phone: 360-425-0426

The Jane Kalahan Smith Scholarship is a one-year award for a female-identifying student who plans to study in the sciences at a four-year institution during the 2023-24 year after previously attending LCC.

Students can get scholarship applications at local high schools, on the Altrusa International of Longview-Kelso website and Facebook pages, by emailing altrusalongviewkelso@gmail.com or by calling 360-425-0426.

Altrusa has been active in the area for around 70 years, and their primary fundraising activity is selling elephant ears at local community events including Go 4th and Squirrel Fest. They welcome new members.
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5G fell victim to the kind of marketing that paints everything as a world-changing innovation.

Driverless cars, fridges that talk to toasters, breathtaking immersive reality, mind-blowing gaming experiences - 5G was going to enable it all, and telecom companies were going to make a packet.

But the reality is not so neat. The network that promised to be "not just another G" in Ericsson's advertising has left many customers wondering what they are paying for.

However, 5G was once again the central plank of the phone industry's annual get-together, the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona.

The event's organisers proclaimed that 5G was "unlocking untapped value for all players across the entire ecosystem" and "redefining how the world connects".

The hype came with a dose of reality from Christel Heydemann, boss of French network Orange.

Network operators were in peril, she told the MWC, because "massive network investments of almost 600 billion euros in Europe in the last decade happened to be hard to monetise".

"And consumers expect to pay always less and get more," she added.

Networks are not the only ones who might be rueing their big bet.

Ericsson, which supplies the equipment for 5G networks, has just laid off 8,500 people after profits slumped.

"5G has disappointed pretty much everybodyservice providers and consumers, and it has failed to excite businesses," Dario Talmesio of research firm Omdia told AFP.

Unfortunately for 5G, its predecessor 4G is good enough for most people.

The ghost of 4G

Talmesio said 5G was never really a consumer proposition, it was always more appropriate for businesses and industrial uses.

But telecom firms were unlikely to be seduced into investing billions only to improve connectivity in factories and ports, or help develop hi-tech medical services.

Instead, they wrapped 5G in the kind of marketing that paints everythingeven small improvementsas world-changing innovations.

Yet even now the benefits of 5G remain largely unclear to average smartphone users.

Thousands of US consumers told a survey last year that they were excited about the prospect of 5G, but when pressed they had little idea what the benefits would be.

Most listed services that were already available with 4G, the survey of 10,000 US consumers by Israeli software company ironSource found.

This summarises two of the main problems with 5G4G is good enough for most people, and 5G jargon is often impenetrable.

Terms like "low latency", "network slicing", "zero rating" and "massive IoT" are unlikely to get the pulse racing.

'It's really amazing the transformational capabilities of this technology,' said Verizon's Frederique Liaigre.

'No limit'

For large parts of the industry, though, criticism of 5G is inconceivable.

Ericsson vice president Fredrik Jejdling dismissed the idea that poor uptake of 5G was one of the reasons for Ericsson's mass layoffs.

Instead, he explained that the firm needed "to adjust our investment levels to the market demand".

Ericsson gave huge floorspace at the MWC to 5G innovations and insisted there would be no compromise on research and development.

"It is a platform for innovation. If you don't do it, you don't know what you miss out on," said Jejdling.

Frederique Liaigre, who runs Verizon's business operation in France and other European countries, shares Jejdling's enthusiasm saying there was "no limit" to 5G's potential.

Verizon was among the first to roll out 5G to customers in the United States, and Liaigre concedes the business side is just getting started.

But she regards her projectslike providing a private 5G network to the port of Southampton in Britain to improve its security and supply chain managementas every bit as sexy as driverless cars or talking toasters.

"It's really amazing the transformational capabilities of this technology," she said.

Whether regular consumers will ever be so starry-eyed about 5G is up for debate.

 2023 AFP
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The TikTok app logo appears in Tokyo on Sept. 28, 2020. U.S. government bans on Chinese-owned video sharing app TikTok reveal Washingtons own insecurities and are an abuse of state power, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2023.Credit: AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato, File

U.S. government bans on Chinese-owned video sharing app TikTok reveal Washington's own insecurities and are an abuse of state power, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said Tuesday.

The U.S. government "has been overstretching the concept of national security and abusing state power to suppress other countries' companies," Mao Ning said at a daily briefing. "How unsure of itself can the U.S., the world's top superpower, be to fear a young person's favorite app to such a degree?"

The White House is giving all federal agencies, in guidance issued Monday, 30 days to wipe TikTok off all government devices. The White House already did not allow TikTok on its devices.

TikTok is used by two-thirds of American teens, but there's concern in Washington that China could use its legal and regulatory powers to obtain private user data or to try to push misinformation or narratives favoring China.

Congress and more than half of U.S. states have so-far banned TikTok from government-issued mobile devices.

Some have also moved to apply the ban to any app or website owned by ByteDance Ltd., the private Chinese company that owns TikTok and moved its headquarters to Singapore in 2020.

China has long blocked a long list of foreign social media platforms and messaging apps, including YouTube, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

Washington and Beijing are at odds over myriad issues including trade, computer chips and other technology, national security and Taiwan, along with the discovery of a suspected Chinese spy balloon over the U.S. and its shooting down earlier this month.

On Monday, Canada announced it was joining the U.S. in banning TikTok from all government-issued mobile devices.

"I suspect that as government takes the significant step of telling all federal employees that they can no longer use TikTok on their work phones many Canadians from business to private individuals will reflect on the security of their own data and perhaps make choices," Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told reporters after the announcement.

Canadian Treasury Board President Mona Fortier said the Chief Information Officer of Canada had determined that TikTok "presents an unacceptable level of risk to privacy and security."

"On a mobile device, TikTok's data collection methods provide considerable access to the contents of the phone," Fortier said.

The app will be removed from Canadian government issued phones on Tuesday.

The European Union's executive branch said last week it has temporarily banned TikTok from phones used by employees as a cybersecurity measure.

TikTok has questioned the bans, saying it has not been given an opportunity to answer questions and governments were cutting themselves off from a platform beloved by millions.

 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
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Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

Pet and animal-related apps are creating cybersecurity risks to their owners, new research has shown.

While being able to trace your cat and dog may be an attractive benefit to many pet owners as it can provide peace of mind, allowing a third party to track your movements may be much less attractive.

Computer scientists at Newcastle University and Royal Holloway, University of London have exposed multiple security and privacy issues by evaluating 40 popular Android apps for pets and other companion animals as well as farm animals. The results show that several of these apps are putting their users at risk by exposing their login or location details.

Password vulnerability was one of the areas exposed by the team. They identified three applications that had the user's login details visible in plain text within non-secure HTTP traffic. This means that anyone is able to observe the internet traffic of someone using one of these apps and will be able to find out their login information. In addition to login information, two of the apps also showed user details, such as their location, that may enable someone to gain access to their devices and risk a cyber-attack.

Another area of concern identified in the study was the use of trackers. All but four of the applications were found to feature some form of tracking software. A tracker gathers information on the person using the application, on how they use it, or on the smartphone being used.

The scientists also warn that the apps perform very poorly in terms of notifying the user of their privacy policy. Their analysis shows that 21 of the apps are tracking the user in some way before the user even has a chance to consent to this, violating current data protection regulations.

The study was led by Newcastle University and the Royal Holloway, University of London and presented at the 2022 IEEE European Symposium on Security and Privacy Workshops conference and published as part of the proceedings.

Scott Harper is a Ph.D. student at Newcastle University's School of Computing and the lead author of the study. He said, "Pet tech such as smart collars and GPS trackers for your cat or dog, is a rapidly growing industry and it brings with it new security, privacy, and safety risks to the pet owners.

"While owners might use these apps for peace of mind about the health of their dog or where their cat is, they may not be happy to find out about the risks the apps hold for their own cybersecurity. We would urge anyone using these apps to take the time to ensure they are using a unique password, check the settings and ensure that they consider how much data they are sharing or willing to share," Harper explained.

Pet tech, the technology in the pet care industry to improve the health, well-being, and overall quality of life of pets, is growing rapidly and includes a wide range of products, including GPS trackers, automatic feeders and pet cameras.

Examples of pet tech include wearable devices that monitor a pet's activity levels, heart rate, and sleep patterns, as well as smart feeding systems that dispense food on a set schedule or in response to the animal's behavior. There are also apps and platforms that allow owners to track and manage their pets' health records and connect with veterinary professionals.

Co-author Dr. Maryam Mehrnezhad, from the Department of Information Security at Royal Holloway, University of London, added, "We are using modern technologies to improve several aspects of our lives. However, some of these (often) cheap technologies come at the price of our privacy, security, and safety. Animal technologies can create complex risks and harms that are not easy to recognize and address. In this interdisciplinary project, we are working on solutions to mitigate such risks an allow the animal owners to use such technologies without risk or fear."

A second study by the research team included a survey of almost 600 participants from the UK, U.S. and Germany. The researchers asked questions about the technologies used, incidents that have occurred or participants believe may occur, and the methods used by participants to protect their online security and privacy and whether they apply these to their pet tech.

Published in the journal Proceedings of the 12th International Conference on the Internet of Things, the findings show that participants do believe that a range of attacks may occur targeting their pet tech. Despite this, they take few precautions to protect themselves and their pets from the possible risks and harms of these technologies.

Co-author, Dr. Matt Leach, Director of Comparative Biology Centre, Newcastle University, added, "We would urge those developing these technologies to increase the security of these devices and applications to reduce risk of their personal information or location being shared."

The researchers urge those who are using pet tech, to ensure they are using a unique password only for that app, check the settings and consider what data they are sharing. Users should be cautious about any new IoT devices they bring into their home. They should download apps associated with animal tech from known app stores and constantly check the permissions of such apps and revoke any unnecessary permission from them. Guides such as Mozilla's *Privacy Not Included project are available to help inform consumers on the potential security and privacy risks.

More information: Scott Harper et al, Security and Privacy Concerns of Pet Tech Users, Proceedings of the 12th International Conference on the Internet of Things (2023). DOI: 10.1145/3567445.3571102 Scot Harper et al, Are Our Animals Leaking Information About Us? Security and Privacy Evaluation of Animal-related Apps, IEEE European Symposium on Security and Privacy Workshops (EuroS&PW) (2022). DOI: 10.1109/EuroSPW55150.2022.00012
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Solar panels work near the small town of Milagro, Navarra Province, northern Spain, Friday, Feb. 24, 2023. Spain is building on its reputation in renewable energy to position itself as Europe's future leader in green hydrogen. But some energy sector experts express caution over ramping up an industry that would be wholly reliant on massive increases in the availability of zero-carbon electricity made from sources like wind or solar. Credit: AP Photo/Alvaro Barrientos

With an abundance of sun and wind, Spain is positioning itself as Europe's future leader in green hydrogen production to clean up heavy industries. But some energy sector experts express caution over ramping up an industry that would be wholly reliant on massive increases in the availability of zero-carbon electricity.

Ecological transition minister Teresa Ribera hosted a major conference earlier this month for global renewable energy players. It focused on measures "to guarantee our energy security" as the European Union refocuses on intra-bloc supply chains for its energy needs.

The Spanish government announced a Hydrogen Roadmap in 2020, but the sector has taken on greater importance in Europe since Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Russia is the world's second-largest producer of natural gas, which powers most global hydrogen production. The International Energy Agency said in December that Spain would account for half of Europe's growth in dedicated renewable capacity for hydrogen production.

Green hydrogen is created when renewable energy sources power an electrical current that runs through water, separating its hydrogen and oxygen molecules through electrolysis. The process doesn't produce planet-warming carbon dioxide, but less than 0.1% of global hydrogen production is currently created in this way, according to the IEA.

Solar panels work in the small town of Sesma, Navarra Province, northern Spain, Friday, Feb. 24, 2023. Spain is building on its reputation in renewable energy to position itself as Europe's future leader in green hydrogen. But some energy sector experts express caution over ramping up an industry that would be wholly reliant on massive increases in the availability of zero-carbon electricity made from sources like wind or solar. Credit: AP Photo/Alvaro Barrientos

The separated hydrogen can be used in the production of steel, ammonia and chemical products, all of which require industrial processes that are harder to wean off fossil fuels. Hydrogen can also be used as a transportation fuel, which could one day transform the highly polluting shipping and aviation sectors.

"Renewable energy, including renewable hydrogen, is a central pillar of the REPowerEU Plan, which is the EU's strategy to get rid of Russian fossil fuels as soon as possible," said EU Commissioner for Energy, Kadri Simson, in an email. Spain already has 15.5 gigawatts of electrolyzer capacity earmarked for green hydrogen, far higher than the target of four gigawatts set out in the roadmap for 2030.

Spain's large, windswept and sparsely populated territory receives more than 2,500 hours of sunshine on average per year, according to the state weather agency, providing ideal conditions for wind and solar energy, and therefore green hydrogen production.

"If you look at where hydrogen is going to be produced in Europe in the next million years, it's in two countries, Spain and Portugal," said Thierry Lepercq, the founder and president of HyDeal Ambition, an industry platform bringing together 30 companies. "Hydrogen is the new oil."

Solar panels work in Los Arcos, Navarra Province, northern Spain, Friday, Feb. 24, 2023. Spain is building on its reputation in renewable energy to position itself as Europe's future leader in green hydrogen. But some energy sector experts express caution over ramping up an industry that would be wholly reliant on massive increases in the availability of zero-carbon electricity made from sources like wind or solar. Credit: AP Photo/Alvaro Barrientos

Lepercq is working with companies like Spanish gas pipeline corporation Enagas and global steel giant ArcelorMittal to design an end-to-end model for hydrogen production, distribution and supply at a competitive price. Criticism has centered on green hydrogen's higher cost compared with highly-polluting "gray hydrogen" drawn from natural gas. Lepercq argues that solar energy produced in Spain is priced low enough to compete.

While cars and heating solutions for buildings are increasingly electric, other sectors are harder to crack. Globally, Lepercq said, "Electricity, power, is 20% of energy consumption. What about the 80% that is not electrified? ... You need to replace those fossil fuels. Not in 50 years time. You need to replace them now."

HyDeal aims to replace high-emitting processes like using coking coal and blast furnaces in steel manufacturing, and natural gas in ammonia production for fertilizers. It must first build solar farms and electrolyzers in northern Spain, joining other green hydrogen plants recently inaugurated in central Spain and Mallorca.

The European Commission has proposed that the bloc produce 10 million metric tons of renewable hydrogen by 2030 and to import 10 million metric tons more. Hydrogen consumption in Spain is currently around 500,000 metric tons per year, mainly produced from natural gas and used in refineries and chemical production. By 2030, the EU is attempting to cut emissions in the bloc by 55% compared to 1990 levels.

People enjoy the snow near wind turbines in El Perdon mountain, northern Spain, Thursday, Feb. 23, 2023. Spain is building on its reputation in renewable energy to position itself as Europe's future leader in green hydrogen. But some energy sector experts express caution over ramping up an industry that would be wholly reliant on massive increases in the availability of zero-carbon electricity made from sources like wind or solar. Credit: AP Photo/Alvaro Barrientos

Spain, France, Germany and Portugal have agreed to build a hydrogen pipeline by 2030 to transport some 2 million metric tons of hydrogen to France annually10% of the EU's estimated hydrogen needs. Hydrogen presents challenges for transportation as it is highly flammable and can corrode metals.

Ribera, the Spanish minister, knows green hydrogen requires an upfront investment that will only pay off in the long term.

Slashing emissions "needs an initial stage that can be covered with renewable energies," she said in an interview with The Associated Press, adding that for sectors like heating and transport, "it's fundamental to electrify." Spain, she continued, would also need to cut fossil fuels for "end uses for which electricity is not so simple."

A huge amount of extra renewable power generation will be required to build a green hydrogen future. The IEA says the world will need 50 gigawatts of renewable capacity dedicated to green hydrogen production by 2027a 100-fold increase.

A truck moves down a road close to a solar park in Los Arcos, Navarra Province, northern Spain, Friday, Feb. 24, 2023. Spain is building on its reputation in renewable energy to position itself as Europe's future leader in green hydrogen. But some energy sector experts express caution over ramping up an industry that would be wholly reliant on massive increases in the availability of zero-carbon electricity made from sources like wind or solar. Credit: AP Photo/Alvaro Barrientos

A tree is surrounded by solar panels in Los Arcos, Navarra Province, northern Spain, Friday, Feb. 24, 2023. Spain is building on its reputation in renewable energy to position itself as Europe's future leader in green hydrogen. But some energy sector experts express caution over ramping up an industry that would be wholly reliant on massive increases in the availability of zero-carbon electricity made from sources like wind or solar. Credit: AP Photo/Alvaro Barrientos

Some industry experts argue the push for green hydrogen is the wrong focus at a delicate tipping point for renewables following the fallout of the Ukraine war for the energy sector.

"In Europe in particular, there's been a huge push for hydrogen, which in my point of view is unjustifiable," said Antonella Battaglini, CEO of the Renewables Grid Initiative. The EU target of 20 million metric tons of green hydrogen by 2030 requires electricity "that we don't have the renewable resources to produce," she added.

Current demand for hydrogen far outstrips the EU's planned supply, Battaglini argues, posing "the risk that we are driven away from direct electrification into a hydrogen bubble."

Experts like Battaglini fear that companies could argue that when sufficient renewable power isn't available, they will need to keep relying on fossil fuels.

"There could be a very high cost. In economic terms, but also in environmental terms. You may end up with higher emissions than you have today," she said.

 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
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The TikTok logo is seen on a cell phone on Oct. 14, 2022, in Boston. The White House is giving all federal agencies 30 days to wipe TikTok off all government devices, as the Chinese-owned social media app comes under increasing scrutiny in Washington over security concerns. Credit: AP Photo/Michael Dwyer, File

The White House is giving all federal agencies 30 days to wipe TikTok off all government devices, as the Chinese-owned social media app comes under increasing scrutiny in Washington over security concerns.

The Office of Management and Budget calls the guidance, issued Monday, a "critical step forward in addressing the risks presented by the app to sensitive government data." Some agencies, including the Departments of Defense, Homeland Security and State, already have restrictions in place; the guidance calls on the rest of the federal government to follow suit within 30 days.

The White House already does not allow TikTok on its devices.

"The Biden-Harris Administration has invested heavily in defending our nation's digital infrastructure and curbing foreign adversaries' access to Americans' data," said Chris DeRusha, the federal chief information security officer. "This guidance is part of the Administration's ongoing commitment to securing our digital infrastructure and protecting the American people's security and privacy."

The guidance was first reported by Reuters.

Congress passed the "No TikTok on Government Devices Act" in December as part of a sweeping government funding package. The legislation does allow for TikTok use in certain cases, including for national security, law enforcement and research purposes.

TikTok spokesperson Brooke Oberwetter said Monday: "The ban of TikTok on federal devices passed in December without any deliberation, and unfortunately that approach has served as a blueprint for other world governments. These bans are little more than political theater."

House Republicans are expected to move forward Tuesday with a bill that would give Biden the power to ban TikTok nationwide. The legislation, proposed by Rep. Mike McCaul, looks to circumvent the challenges the administration would face in court if it moved forward with sanctions against the social media company.

If passed, the proposal would allow the administration to ban not only TikTok but any software applications that threaten national security. McCaul, the chairman of the House Foreign Relations Committee, has been a vocal critic of the app, saying it is being used by the Chinese Communist Party to "manipulate and monitor its users while it gobbles up Americans' data to be used for their malign activities."

"Anyone with TikTok downloaded on their device has given the CCP a backdoor to all their personal information. It's a spy balloon into your phone," the Texas Republican said in a statement Monday.

Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., his counterpart in the Senate, did not shut down the idea of the chamber taking up a proposal that would empower Biden to take action against TikTok, saying it was "certainly something to consider."

Oberwetter said, "We hope that when it comes to addressing national security concerns about TikTok beyond government devices, Congress will explore solutions that won't have the effect of censoring the voices of millions of Americans."

TikTok, owned by ByteDance Ltd., remains extremely popular and is used by two-thirds of teens in the U.S. But there is increasing concern that Beijing could obtain control of American user data that the app has obtained.

The company has been dismissive of the ban for federal devices and has noted that it is developing security and data privacy plans as part of the Biden administration's ongoing national security review.

Canada also announced Monday that it is banning TikTok from all government-issued mobile devices. The European Union's executive branch said last week it has temporarily banned TikTok from phones used by employees as a cybersecurity measure.

 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Nikos Christodoulides (front) speaks during a swearing-in ceremony at the parliament in Nicosia, Cyprus, on Feb. 28, 2023. Christodoulides, 49, was sworn in on Tuesday as new president of Cyprus, promising that finding a solution to the long-lasting Cyprus issue will be his top priority. (Photo by George Christophorou/Xinhua)

NICOSIA, Feb. 28 (Xinhua) -- Nikos Christodoulides, 49, was sworn in on Tuesday as new president of Cyprus, promising that finding a solution to the long-lasting Cyprus issue will be his top priority.

The swearing-in ceremony before a special session of parliament marks the beginning of his five-year presidency, after Christodoulides won a runoff on Feb. 12 with 52 percent of the vote.

The ministers in his new cabinet will all be technocrats without party affiliation, as agreed with three small "middle ground" and right-wing parties that supported him during the election campaign.

The country's new foreign minister will be Constantinos Kombos, a professor of public and constitutional law at the state University of Cyprus.

"A solution to the Cyprus problem is my top priority," he said.

Negotiations, which started almost half a century ago between Greek and Turkish Cypriots for a solution, came to an impasse during a United Nations-led (UN) international conference in Switzerland in July 2017, when the sides failed to agree on the details of a UN-brokered solution for a federal state.

Last week, Christodoulides met for the first time with Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar, who insisted on a new demand by Turkiye and the Turkish Cypriot side that negotiations not be resumed unless the Greek Cypriots agree to a two-state solution.

Political analysts say that they do not expect any dramatic changes in Cyprus' pro-Western foreign policy line. At Tuesday's ceremony in parliament, Christodoulides praised outgoing President Nicos Anastasiades, who completed two consecutive five-year terms, for taking up office at the peak of Cyprus' worst ever economic crisis in 2013 and transferring to the new government a healthy economy. 
(CNN)  Elon Musk has reclaimed the title of the richest person in the world, per Bloomberg's tally.

The Tesla CEO was unseated from the top spot by Bernard Arnault, CEO of French luxury brand LVMH, in December of last year, making Musk No. 2 on the list for more than two months. As of Monday, however, Bloomberg reports that a rally in Tesla stock has lifted Musk back to the top of its real-time Billionaires Index.

READ: Elon Musk is no longer the richest man on the planet, according to Forbes

Musk's net worth was some $187.1 billion as of Monday after markets closed, according to Bloomberg, just topping the $185.3 billion fortune of Arnault.

While Tesla stock declined steeply last year amid Musk's problem-plagued acquisition of Twitter and a broader market downturn in tech, shares for the electric vehicle maker have since surged in 2023.

READ: Tesla shares are down 70% for the year as Morgan Stanley cuts price target

Musk might hold the current title of the richest person in the world, but he also holds a record for the biggest fortune ever lost by anyone in history. Late last year, Musk became the first person ever to lose $200 billion in wealth  after his net worth slid from some $340 billion in Nov. 2021 to $137 billion in Dec. 2022.

READ: Elon Musk has lost a bigger fortune than anyone in history
Our future is foreshadowed by our past, and few human activities have shaped our history more than our near-irresistible compulsion to fight each other. War is as characteristic of humanity as religion and the drive to procreate.

At our best, we aspire to beat our swords into plowshares and our spears into pruning hooks. Religion generally has made a virtue of peace. History is replete with organizations that have campaigned against war in the abstract. Even now, the aptly named British-based MAW (Movement for the Abolition of War) asserts that war is not inevitable and imagines its eradication.

Whether the admirable goals of these efforts were ever actually realistic is not as important as the regrettable fact that they have manifestly failed. The scent of war is in the air, and its growing stronger. And as much as we may hate it, we cannot ignore it.

We sometimes speak of just and unjust wars. Unjust wars contain subcategories: wars that are ill advised, based on misinformation or just plain stupid. Unfortunately, we usually make these judgments only in retrospect, long after great resources and many lives have been wasted.

But history doesnt run in retrospect, and the current war in Ukraine lies before us. Locally, the war is about territory and sovereignty. Globally, the stakes are much higher. Its not unduly idealistic to characterize the war as a showdown between authoritarianism and democracy, between tyranny and freedom. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said that the West must choose between these polar opposites.

Thus far, the West has chosen. The United States, NATO and the European Union have engineered a calibrated response that, combined with Ukrainian courage and will, has brought the war to a precarious stalemate.

The stalemate is unlikely to last, however, and although the Biden administration has committed to standing behind Ukraine for as long as it takes, theres no guarantee that a Republican-controlled House  or many ordinary Americans, for that matter  will be willing to maintain this level of support.

In fact, polls and prominent Republicans  House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, former president Donald Trump, presidential aspirant Ron DeSantis  have shown signs of waning support for Ukraine. Concerns about the war are legitimate. But much of this equivocation reflects domestic politics: Many Republicans would rather see Joe Biden lose in Ukraine than Vladimir Putin.

But before we bail on Ukraine, consider two stark facts:

First, there are good guys and bad guys in this global conflict. We are on the side of the good guys. Im wary of the term exceptional to describe our nation. It sounds like bragging, the sort of thing that other people should say about us, rather than what we should say about ourselves.

But despite our flaws and failures our system of governance is far superior to Russias, Chinas, Irans, Saudi Arabias, Hungarys or that of any of the burgeoning autocracies in the world.

Unfortunately, autocracy and tyranny are the historical default, and maintaining an exceptional democratic nation in a dangerous world requires positive action.

Second, positive action in defense of democracy often requires force. The last war that we could reasonably call a good war was World War II, the worldwide struggle to defend Western values  freedom, individual rights, equality, self-governance  from Nazi Germany and an imperialist Japan.

The war in Ukraine is that same struggle, writ small.

Do not mistake me for a hawk. I came of age in a generation that made an anthem out of All we are saying  is give peace a chance. But the growing conflict between freedom and tyranny is unlikely to be resolved peacefully.

The fact that the major opponents in this conflict have nuclear weapons makes our prospects unimaginably dangerous. A major war would be catastrophic. Nevertheless, this is a war that the West cannot afford to lose.

One hopes for a diplomatic resolution in Ukraine and in the larger conflict. History suggests otherwise.

In fact, we often say that those who forget history are doomed to repeat it.

Unfortunately, even those who remember history are often doomed to repeat it, as well.
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Hong Kong: Govt rejects UK official's remarks

The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government today said it strongly disapproves of and firmly rejects the untruthful and biased remarks recently made by UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly on the National Security Law and the rights and freedoms in Hong Kong.

Mr Cleverly's untruthful and unfounded remarks on the implementation of the National Security Law in the city amounted to political smearing and fact twisting, the Hong Kong SAR Government said, adding that national security is a matter within the central authorities' purview and it is every country's responsibility and right to safeguard its national security.

The UK has many laws on national security, but the government official concerned chooses to continue to wantonly smear the National Security Law and deliberately ignore the fact that the implementation of the National Security Law has enabled the livelihood and economic activities of the Hong Kong community at large to resume as normal, and the business environment to be restored.

Clearly, this is hypocrisy out of political motivation with double standards and a despicable manoeuvre with politics prevailing over the law.

The Hong Kong SAR Government also stressed that all law enforcement actions taken by Hong Kong law enforcement agencies are based on evidence, strictly according to the law and for the acts of the people, institutions or organisations concerned, which have nothing to do with their political stance, background or occupation.

Mr Cleverly's remarks about Hong Kong's law enforcement actions are a malicious fabrication, it added.

We are appalled by the remarks of the UK government official that seem to suggest that persons with certain backgrounds should be immune from legal sanctions for their illegal acts and activities.

Such remarks are tantamount to granting such persons privileges to break the law and are totally contrary to the spirit of the rule of law.

The National Security Law clearly stipulates that human rights shall be respected and protected in safeguarding national security in the Hong Kong SAR, and that the rights and freedoms, including the freedoms of speech, of the press, of publication and of assembly, Hong Kong residents enjoy under the Basic Law and the provisions of the International Covenant on Civil & Political Rights (ICCPR) and the International Covenant on Economic, Social & Cultural Rights shall be protected in accordance with the law.

Nonetheless, such rights and freedoms are not absolute. The ICCPR expressly states that some of them may be subject to restrictions as prescribed by law that are necessary for protection of national security, public safety, public order or the rights and freedoms of others, etc.

The UK government official's remarks about the rights and freedoms in the Hong Kong SAR amount to political manipulation in disregard of facts, the Hong Kong SAR Government noted.

Indeed, since the implementation of the National Security Law, the media landscape in Hong Kong has been as vibrant as ever.

As always, the media can exercise their right to monitor the Hong Kong SAR Government's work. Their freedom of commenting on and criticising government policies, which take place as a matter of routine, remains uninhibited as long as they are not in violation of the law.

The Hong Kong SAR Government reiterated that it steadfastly safeguards national sovereignty, security and development interests, and upholds the authority of the National Security Law.

In addition, it resolutely carries out its duties and obligations to safeguard national security in accordance with the law and to ensure the steadfast and successful implementation of one country, two systems.

The Hong Kong SAR Government strongly urged the UK to immediately stop acting against the international law and basic norms of international relations and refrain from interfering in Hong Kong's affairs.

This story has been published on: 2023-02-28. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Global focus turns to Chinas two sessions for relief amid economic woes

By Wang Cong (Global Times) 09:10, February 28, 2023

Tourists visit a commercial street in Yuzhong District in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality, Feb. 10, 2023. Chongqing has launched a variety of activities at nighttime to boost night economy since the beginning of this year.(Photo: Xinhua)

As recession warning signs continue to flash for the global economy, particularly in some advanced economies, Chinese and overseas markets and businesses are turning their eyes to one of China's most important political events scheduled to start later this week, searching for positive signals from the world's second-largest economy.

The 14th National People's Congress (NPC) will open its first annual session in Beijing on March 5, 2023. The first session of the 14th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) will begin on March 4, 2023, also in Beijing. During what is collectively known as the two sessions, Chinese officials are set to release a set of social and economic development goals for the year, including an annual GDP growth target, and various policy measures to achieve them.

This year's two sessions have already attracted widespread domestic and global attention due to a confluence of factors, including a global economic downturn, China's ongoing solid economic recovery after claiming victory against COVID-19, and the fact that 2023 is a crucial year in China's social and economic development and political agenda following the successful conclusion of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) in October 2022.

Already, foreign media have been speculating about potential personnel changes as well as social and economic development goals and policies during the upcoming two sessions. Generally, higher economic targets and intensified policy measures are expected, offering a significant boost for the troubled global economy, according to analysts and recent tone-setting meetings and official statements.

This aerial photo taken on Nov. 5, 2022 shows a view of the Yangpu international container terminal in the Yangpu Economic Development Zone, south China's Hainan Province. After exceeding 100 billion yuan (about $14.92 billion) for the first time in 2021, the total import and export value of Hainan Free Trade Port exceeded 200 billion yuan (about $29.84 billion) to reach 200.95 billion yuan (about $29.98 billion) in 2022, an increase of 36.8 percent. (Xinhua/Pu Xiaoxu)

Top agenda

Among the most closely watched items on the agenda of this year's two sessions are potential changes to the leading positions of state institutions.

On Sunday afternoon, the 20th Central Committee of the CPC started its second plenary session, which reviewed a draft plan on reform of Party and state institutions, and the proposed name lists of candidates for the leading positions of state institutions to be recommended by the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee to the first session of the 14th NPC and candidates for the leading positions of the National Committee of the CPPCC to be recommended to the first session of the 14th National Committee of the CPPCC, Xinhua reported.

"During the two sessions, the new government team is expected to send a policy signal of resolute economic recovery, which will stimulate market confidence," Qiu Xiang, co-chief strategist of CITIC Securities, wrote in a research note shared with the Global Times on Thursday.

Beyond personnel changes, a leading item on the agenda of the two sessions each year is the various social and economic development targets included in the Government Work Report. In 2022, the official growth target was set at around 5.5 percent. But due to a slew of challenges, including the COVID-19 epidemic and weakening external environment, China's GDP growth rate fell short of the target but still achieved the hardwon 3 percent, outshining most other major economies including the US, Japan and Germany in 2022 and with the economic output topping the 120-trillion-yuan mark for the first time.

However, as China lifted anti-epidemic measures and declared victory against COVID-19, the Chinese economy has embarked on a fast recovery track, reflected in a growing number of indicators, including increased consumption and expanded manufacturing activity. As such, many domestic and foreign institutions are expecting a GDP growth rate of above 5 percent in China this year. The International Monetary Fund, for example, forecast a 5.2 percent-growth compared to a 2.9-percent global growth.

"I think it is more likely that the growth target will be set at above 5 percent this year," Xi Junyang, a professor at the Shanghai University of Finance and Economics, told the Global Times, noting that while a faster growth rate is expected, there are other policy targets, including sustainable and high-quality growth, instead of pure speed. "Stability is the key theme, and policy intensity will likely be moderate."

A series of recent top meetings and official statements also underscored the importance of stability. For example, the tone-setting Central Economic Work Conference in December demanded "making economic stability a top priority and pursuing steady progress while ensuring economic stability" for 2023, while eyeing "an overall recovery and improvement." At the conference, top leaders also called for the boosting of domestic demand, enhancing of technological self-reliance and strength and prevention of major risks.

Policy priority will be centered around these themes, while specific market sentiment-boosting measures in the financial and real estate sectors can be expected this year, Li Daxiao, chief economist at Shenzhen-based Yingda Securities, told the Global Times. "At the two sessions each year, there are often major policies for the development of the capital markets, and this year is not likely to be an exception," Li said.

There are growing expectations for the establishment of a working mechanism to maintain financial stability. A draft law on financial stability submitted to the Standing Committee of the NPC in December stipulates the establishment of a working mechanism to maintain financial stability, the strengthening of the mechanism to prevent and defuse financial risks, the clarification of the division of responsibilities to handle financial risks, and improved response measures to financial risks.

While it remains unclear whether the law will be adopted at the upcoming two sessions, the move follows several recent measures to boost the sound development of China's capital market, including the rollout of an across-the-board registration-based initial public offering (IPO) system and revised regulations for Chinese firms' overseas listings, with the latter scheduled to take effect on March 31.

Global expectations

Meanwhile, another top priority for China's economic development this year is expanding foreign trade and foreign investment. The Central Economic Work Conference in December also demanded greater efforts to attract and utilize foreign capital. Specifically, the meeting called for wider market access, opening-up of modern services industries and for foreign-funded firms to be granted national treatment.

During the two sessions, the Government Work Report will also likely touch on measures to support the export sector amid weakening external demand and further boost foreign investment, helping lift global expectations and inject a sense of stability in a troubled world, analysts noted.

Asked by the Global Times about plans to further boost foreign investment on Thursday, Shu Jueting, a spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM), said that the ministry will continue to use a special working mechanism to assist corporate executives to come to China for business talks.

The headquarters of dozens of multinationals have already made relevant arrangements with MOFCOM for business inspection trips to China, according to Shu.

This also reflects the growing interest among foreign businesses in expanding into the Chinese market. In January, foreign direct investment into the Chinese mainland grew 14.5 percent year-on-year to $127.69 billion, according to MOFCOM.

Many foreign businesses, including those from the US, have already announced plans to expand in the Chinese market. For example, US coffee-chain Starbuckssaid it aims to increase the number of its stores in China to 9,000 and double its net income in China by 2025, the company said in a statement shared with the Global Times.

Boosting market expectations is also a top priority for China's economic policymaking this year, according to analysts and recent top meetings. An executive meeting of the State Council on Thursday on handling proposals and suggestions made during the two sessions called for various measures to boost market expectations and consolidate the momentum of economic growth stabilization and recovery.

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)
(CNN)  Nokia redesigned its logo for the first time in decades to distance itself from its public image as a phone company.

The new logo, announced on Sunday, features five different shapes coming together to spell NOKIA. The font is sleeker and the classic shade of blue associated with the brand is replaced with a variety of colors depending on placement.

"We built on the heritage of the previous logo, but made it feel more contemporary and digital, to reflect our current identity," CEO Pekka Lundmark wrote in a release Sunday.

Once the largest vendor of cellphones and synonymous with the flip phone era, Nokia later struggled to compete with Apple, Samsung and others in the smartphone market. Nokia sold its mobile phone business to Microsoft in 2014 in a disastrous deal that resulted in Microsoft taking a massive $8.4 billion write-down the next year.

Since then, the company has struggled to ditch its reputation as a phone company while it focuses on mobile and cloud networking technologies. Nokia now makes much of its revenue on business-to-business sales, with plans to expand its footprint in the enterprise market.

"To signal this ambition we are refreshing our brand to reflect who we are today -- a B2B technology innovation leader," Lundmark said. "This is Nokia, but not as the world has seen us before."

The changes were announced ahead of the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, which kicked off Monday. Lundmark, who joined the company in 2020, will be delivering a keynote address on Tuesday to share a "development that will change the way you look at Nokia forever," according to the company's website.
Pixel isnt like other police dogs.

Unlike a stereotypically aloof German shepherd, Pixel  tail wagging and face grinning  immediately went to be petted when new people came into the room at the Isle of Wight County Sheriffs Office.

A yellow Labrador decked in a vest with a pink badge and patches, shes trained to find a new, unusual scent. Pixel is the first electronic-storage detection K-9 in the region and can sniff out phones, laptops, flash drives, AirTags, SD cards and more.

Anything that can store memory, we train on, said Investigator Sean Lacy, Pixels handler.

The scent shes after is triphenylphosphine oxide, an industry-standard chemical sprayed on memory chips to keep them from overheating. This makes her useful in cases involving technology someone would want to hide such as child exploitation, financial crimes and even stalking.

Phones and laptops are everywhere, unlike the illicit or explosive substances other police dogs are trained to identify. But Pixel happily ignores the technology around her  until its time to work.

She trains every day with Lacy. In fact, the only time she eats is during training. Finding hidden technology is highly motivated by her drive for food.

Lacy clipped a pouch of dog food to his belt and grabbed Pixels leash.

Yeah, you ready to go to work? he said, his voice pitched higher to grab Pixels attention.

For Thursdays exercise, Pixel was tasked with finding phones in the woods and memory chips in the Sheriffs Office locker room.

While homing in on a scent, Pixel snuffled through the locker room and knocked over a stack of about 20 books.

Show me, Lacy said, wanting a specific book. Show me.

Pixel pinpointed one book in particular and sat to signal Lacy. He rewarded her with iterations of Good girl! and not just one treat, but a handful of dog food.

Lacy picked up the young-adult novel and flipped it open, showing a tiny memory card slipped into the front cover.

Thats tens of thousands of child exploitative images that you can fit on something of that size and make it very difficult for us to find, Lacy said.

What might take one investigator hours to find, if they find it at all, Pixel can uncover in minutes. Lacy related a story about a dog in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, who found a location tracking device hidden under layers of carpet in a car.

The Isle of Wight Sheriffs Office applied for Pixel through the nonprofit Operation Underground Railroad. The organization works with police agencies to address human trafficking and child exploitation.

The countys application was successful in part because of its location, Lacy said. Lacy and Pixel are able to work with local, state and federal agencies in Hampton Roads and throughout the greater region. Operation Underground Railroad paid for Pixels training and will cover her food, supplies and vet bills during her working career. Lacy estimated Pixels training alone cost $20,000.

Pixel is one of four electronic storage detection dogs in Virginia. Since the state legalized marijuana in 2021, dogs who were trained to find that scent have been retired, including one at the Isle of Wight Sheriffs Office.

Pixel also serves as a therapy dog in the sheriffs office.

We see the worst of the worst like every day. Sometimes it sucks, Lacy said. So when she comes in the office, everybody just gets in a better mood.

Amid the cubicles, there are dog beds and toys for Pixel. Her yellow fur also gets everywhere. Sheriffs office spokesperson Tommy Potter said, We issue our officers guns, handcuffs and lint rollers.

This year, Pixel has been deployed nine times, located 29 devices and aided in four arrests.
Mexico's President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has dismissed concerns about his plan to shrink the country's electoral watchdog on Monday, accusing protesters of links to drug traffickers.

Images of a mass protest in Mexico City on Sunday showed tens of thousands of people wearing pink -- the color of the National Electoral Institute (INE), which oversees elections and has been accused of partisanship by Lopez Obrador.

Many protesters held signs that read: "Hands off the INE."

Speaking during his daily morning press conference on Monday, Lopez Obrador mocked the placards, saying what they meant was, "hands off corruption."

"According to them, privileges are not touched, the narco-state is not touched," he added, claiming without evidence that protest leaders "have been part of the corruption in Mexico, they have belonged to the narco-state."

Mexican lawmakers last week approved a bill backed by the president to slash the budget of the agency, which could lead to an 85% reduction in its staff as well as the closure of several local offices. Lorenzo Cordova, who heads INE, said on Twitter that the move can "seriously affect future electoral processes."

Electoral officials warn the change will affect their ability to run free and fair elections ahead of the 2024 general election, when Lopez Obrador, who is limited to a six-year term, is expected to anoint a successor.

More broadly, moves to limit independent agencies like the INE have raised fears of the return of practices seen when Mexico was run by an autocratic single-party for decades prior to 2000.

Lopez Obrador has argued that the plan to slash the agency's budget will save millions of dollars and make voting more efficient.

The president swept into power in 2018 promising to tackle inequality and poverty, and has constantly criticized INE's high-ranking officials' salaries and accused the institution of allowing fraud in previous elections.

But Will Freeman, a Latin America studies fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, warned that Lopez Obrador's remarks on Monday were "inflammatory, reckless, and just as dangerous for democracy as the reform of the INE that brought over 100,000 Mexicans to the streets."

"We should be concerned in any country where you see an incumbent president shaking up the electoral administration, while there's really no force left standing in opposition to push back," Freeman said.

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Celine Swan, director of Grand Island Public Library, didnt expect some of the reactions regarding the librarys recently-added police substation.

Honestly, I never heard anything bad or any complaints until after that was built, Swan said. I was on top of the world, I was thinking how its going to be a good fit for our community.

The substation, which Swan said cost the library less than $10,000, is in the front foyer of the library. It is a small room for Grand Island Police Department officers to work on things like paperwork and interviews.

Swan said that 99% of the people that come in do not have a warrant, or something to hide. People just come in, and they have their agenda: They want to get a book, or they want to come in and read a magazine or kill a couple hours, because they don't have a place to go, or they want to look for a job.

Some, however, say the obvious police presence is a deterrent to those who often need the library most.

Liz Mayfield is the executive director of Hope Harbor, which serves the homeless in Grand Island. In a statement she said:

When it comes to our unhoused community members, the library is often a key part of their routine. In cities across the nation, libraries work to ensure that all patrons  no matter their housing status  feel welcome, including our own Grand Island Public Library. The creation of the substation  directly front and center at the entrance  is concerning.

Grand Island Public Library keeps statistics of usage, materials and other elements every year. According to the librarys 2021 annual report, the facility had more than 95,000 visits. The library boasts more than 33,000 registered patrons (card holders).

Swan said the library will continue to watch those numbers closely to see if there is a relationship between those numbers and the substation.

In 2007, while the library was working on renovations, hiring a security guard for the library was considered, Swan said.

I don't think we had the money in the budget, to be able to afford it, to be honest.

They reworked policies, including a code of conduct, and have regular safety meetings.

Capt. Dean Elliott of the Grand Island Police Department said the nature of the library lends itself to being a gathering place, for better and worse.

Weve seen our calls for service go up. (The library was) hoping that maybe the police could just be there have a little more visual presence there, Elliott said.

A police car parked out front periodically tends to quiet crowd down a little bit, and (deter) those that are there for nefarious reasons.

Mayfield stated, Even if it isn't the intent of the library to use the substation as a form of interaction, the presence suggests otherwise. I wish the decision would have been better researched."

When Swan was hired as Grand Island Public Library director several years ago, she had a police substation in mind.

Elliott said initially the idea was to occupy an empty office in the librarys administrative area.

As we talked further  Celine and the library board just felt that it'd be a little more appropriate to have that box structure right up front  we're still able to identify problems, he said. If somebody comes up and knocks on the door and we happen to be in there, and they have an issue, we can help resolve the issue.

Maybe a kid is going to library, and they just want a police sticker. They want to have that positive interaction.

There are questions about policies and the very nature of libraries, Katie Schroeder, a school librarian, said.

What is their policy for the police approaching patrons of the library? A big thing with libraries is in our intellectual freedom, and being champions and protecting that intellectual freedom. How can you have intellectual freedom with a police presence?

Some individuals, including Brenna Poindexter, say there wasnt enough thought put into the project.

I don't feel like the due diligence was done appropriately to determine whether or not that was a good plan. I felt like the answers we received (at the open house) were pretty inconsistent.

Poindexter said she found the main inconsistencies were what the substation is actually for.

One group is talking about safety. And then when you take it to the library, and (ask), so how does this make people feel more safe? Then they say, well, safety is not the main priority. It's about connecting people, and then they address their mission.

I don't think it's clear necessarily why they decided to put the substation there, Schroeder said.

Swan said attempts were made.

We have tried to do all these different conversations, and to get feedback. We were putting stuff online.

She indicated she was disappointed by the lack of public participation in the development process. The Independent reported on the plans in late September 2022.

We had a couple hundred taking part. There could have been a lot more people.

Swan said the library also utilized social media to communicate with the public concerning the substation.

Brenna Poindexter said she had concerns before last weeks substation open house. Poindexter works in human services.

I feel like I have more concerns now. I don't feel like the due diligence was done appropriately to determine whether or not that was a good plan.

I feel like the board and the police officers and the (library staff) genuinely think that the plan they made is a good one. And it's good for Grand Island. I am able to see both sides.

The debate is further complicated by the fact that modern libraries are more than just books, but other uses, including connecting people with resources.

Elliott said he realizes that.

(If people) don't have computer access, the library's a prime place to go to maybe start searching for jobs and start searching different resources, which is part of the library's mission.

That includes being connected with different resources by library staff, as well as free classes and workshops. In 2021, library users saved $4,296,263 by using the Grand Island library, rather than purchasing resources, the annual report states.

Elliott added, But on the same token, we've also seen with some of the homeless population in the downtown area consuming of alcohol and being intoxicated, and that leads to diminished behaviors  diminished thought processes.

To be clear, Swan said, the library is a safe place.

Swan recalled a report in the librarys strategic plan: There was feedback from a lady that said she was able to get out of an abusive relationship by coming to the library. She would come here and she planned everything that she was going to do and got resources at the library.

Children in abusive homes have come to the library as a safe place to meet with police officers, Swan added.

Swan said some larger libraries have social workers and attorneys available for patrons.

We don't really have the budget or the capacity or to have lawyers and social workers, she said.

In some cases, those who might be helped most by library resources could be deterred by police presence, some argue. Poindexter said, I am concerned that they seemed very okay with the fact that while it made it, supposedly, quote-unquote, safer for some folks to feel like they can get to the library, they were a little bit dismissive of the fact that was going to make it less safe for other folks.

Having police presence in a library is not a new concept, Swan explained.

We're a different society right now. The world is different. When I visited other libraries in Nebraska, if I go to Lincoln and Omaha, they have security guards, and they have police.

Schroeder said, I feel like the public library is such a hub for more marginalized people. So lower income, like, immigrants, homeless  as a place to go and exist without any kind of expectation of having to pay money  to have access to resources that they need. But at the same time, what about the same populations of people who haven't had positive interactions with the police?

Swan said she wants the library to be a place for everyone.

I would say that most people are not intimidated to coming to the library, and we want to keep it that way. If someone is worried about coming in with the police (there), they can ask us to give them a tour of that area.

Additionally, Swan said, there are often volunteers in the front foyer, ready to assist people who come to the library, including those with qualms about the substation.

They love being there and we love having someone welcome people when they come in and, and point them in the right direction, she said.

In the morning, before the library opens, Swan walks around the building, picking up trash and checking on things. She said the nature of the refuse runs the gamut  liquor bottles  fast food wrappers  discarded cigarette butts.

Like many in Grand Island she also notices displaced community members in the neighborhood, especially during her walks around the building.

I see them on streets, Swan said. Theyll wait til we open, they'll come in and use restrooms and maybe drink their coffee, use a computer.

We have a lot of people that use the library the right way.
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(CNN)  Jamie Lee Curtis has offered the ultimate hint that there is a "Freaky Friday" sequel in the works.

Released in 2003, the original fantasy-comedy centered on Dr. Tess Coleman (Curtis) and her teenage daughter Anna, played by Lindsay Lohan, who switch bodies with awkward and hilarious results.

Two decades on, and Curtis has hinted that fans should be preparing for a follow-up to the beloved Disney film, which was a remake of a 1976 film of the same name.

"It's going to happen," she told Variety at the Producers Guild of America Awards on Saturday. "Without saying there's anything officially happening, I'm looking at you in this moment and saying, 'Of course it's going to happen.' It's going to happen."

This is a significant update, as the "Halloween" star has been tantalizing fans for a while with her not-so-subtle "Freaky Friday" sequel hints.

Earlier this month, she shared a throwback photo of herself and Lohan on Instagram, along with the caption: "It's Friday. I'm just sayin! Freaky fingers crossed! @lindsaylohan @disney."

Lohan commented on the post with crossed fingers emojis as well as a heart-eyes smiley face and two hands up.

In an appearance on ABC's "The View" in October, Curtis revealed she already had some ideas for the plot.

"I would like to see Lindsay be the hot grandma, and I would like to see me try to deal with toddlers today," she said. "I want to be a helicopter parent in today's world."

CNN has reached out to Disney for comment.

While fans await official news of Curtis' return to one of her best-loved roles, the star has been busy excelling in her other projects.

On Sunday night, she took home the SAG award for outstanding performance by a female actor in a supporting role for her acclaimed performance in "Everything Everywhere All at Once."
How is your broadband internet access? The State of Illinois wants to know and area residents have several opportunities to share their experiences, needs and priorities.

A series of listening sessions for residents and nonprofits is set for March 1 and 2 to gather input so that leaders can develop a plan to invest federal funding from the Infrastructure Investment and Job Acts Broadband Equity, Access, Deployment and Digital Equity programs.

The sessions are being hosted by the Illinois Broadband Lab, a collaboration between the Illinois Office of Broadband and the University of Illinois System. The groups are working closely with economic and educational institutions in the region, including the Southern Illinois Broadband Regional Engagement for Adoption and Digital Equity (READY) team from Southern Illinois University Carbondale.

Two in-person events will be held for area residents. The first will be from 67 p.m. on Wednesday, March 1 in the K-Atrium at Shawnee College. The second will be from 67 p.m. on Thursday, March 2 at the Dunn-Richmond Economic Development Center at SIU.

Additionally, two sessions will be held to specifically focus on the needs of not-for-profits and community organizations. Those two sessions will be held from 2:303:30 p.m. on March 1 at Shawnee College and 2:303:30 p.m. on Thursday at the Dunn-Richmond Center.

Those unable to attend may participate online by visiting https://broadband.uillinois.edu/.

Local leaders say the information gathered will be very helpful and will build upon previous surveys on broadband access in the region.

In our survey about a year ago, the percentage of people in the region who were actually satisfied with their broadband service was quite small, explained Gary Kinsel, research and innovation strategist with the Office of Innovation and Economic Development at SIU.

Kinsel added that places remain in Southern Illinois where broadband simply has not yet reached, putting students, businesses and organizations at a disadvantage.

I think COVID really put that in stark relief. When we were at the point where people had to connect to virtual meetings or schools, everybody realized that you had to be connected and it brought out the truth that lack of connectivity is a real problem, he said. If you dont have the ability to work with broadband delivery, you are at a significant disadvantage. I dont know how much more critical it could be.

The gathering of public information and perspective, Kinsel said, will help the state organize a comprehensive application to the federal government for funding to support broadband development.

With funding coming from the federal bipartisan infrastructure law, we have a generational opportunity to close the digital divide in Illinois, said Matt Schmit, director of the Illinois Office of Broadband. But we need input from the people and organizations that are most directly impacted by existing challenges. Local residents know better than anyone what the needs are, where the gaps are, and how internet access, computing devices, and related skills can impact their day-to-day lives.

Kinsel said the meetings at SIU and Shawnee Community College are just some of a full schedule of sessions statewide.

More information on the meetings and effort is available at https://broadband.uillinois.edu/.

U.S. states with the fastest internet U.S. States With the Fastest Internet Nearly every American adult reports using the internet in some capacity The Southeast lags behind other states in computer and internet use There is a loose positive correlation between computer use and internet speed as well as internet use and internet speed 15. New York 14. Illinois 13. Washington 12. Colorado 11. New Hampshire 10. Florida 9. Georgia 8. California 7. Texas 6. Rhode Island 5. Massachusetts 4. Virginia 3. Maryland 2. New Jersey 1. Delaware
Orangeburg Department of Public Safety

A 29-year-old Orangeburg man is facing a gun charge following a traffic stop.

Chad Lavell Williams Jr., of 125 Palm Harbor Drive, is charged with possession of a weapon by a person convicted of a violent felony.

The traffic stop occurred at 3:40 a.m. Saturday on the 900 block of John C. Calhoun Drive. An officer claimed a 2013 silver Hyundai Sonata had a defective taillight, according to an incident report.

A police dog, Esso, sniffed the outside of the car. Esso showed body movements indicating he smelled something suspicious, the report said.

Officers searched the Hyundai and allegedly found a small amount of marijuana and a backpack.

Williams allegedly claimed ownership of the backpack.

Officers claim the backpack contained a loaded .40-caliber Glock 22 handgun that had been altered to render it fully-automatic, seven 9 mm rounds, 6 white capsules, a pack of Swisher Sweets cigars, a set of black brass knuckles with a white skull and 8.2 grams of a white powdery substance.

The capsules and powder were collected for testing.

Williams also has outstanding warrants in Orangeburg and Lexington counties.

If convicted on the gun charge, Williams faces up to five years in prison and a $2,000 fine.
Orangeburg County entrepreneur Shauna Cooper is planning classes in web design for Black youth in the area.

Cooper says the focus of her non-profits effort, is on facilitating interest in science, technology, art and math among underrepresented communities, primarily Blacks, and in encouraging the pursuit of it, also providing opportunities where you will be able to explore entrepreneurship within those fields.

The funds for these classes come from a competitive grant offered by Los Angeles-based Colocation America.

This particular company is out West and never funded an organization in South Carolina. The only organizations that they funded in the South are all within the state of Florida, Cooper said.

She says that being accepted for this grant is special because out of 300 applications, usually only 11 are accepted.

One of the organizations that was funded is Carnegie Science Center. Thats just how tight this was. Were in the same group as them as far as grant funding for this cohort. Im very excited about that, Cooper said.

Not only was the process competitive, but it was strenuous, too.

The process is very lengthy and its just a matter of looking at who was funded, what projects they funded in the past, where those projects are funded, and what the gist of the projects are, and then reaching out to the funder to ask any pertinent questions, Cooper said.

Cooper says young people will need a grounding in information technology for future employment.

If youre looking at how the world is shaping now, you can get a good idea of where were heading and information technology is big now, but its going to be even bigger years to come, Cooper said.

This program will offer, to a degree, an introduction into this field. It will give them this introduction at a nice entry point, Cooper said.

I want to be able to offer opportunities for our Black youth that they can enter, Cooper said.

Shes excited that one of the instructors for the course will be a college student whos currently seeking a degree in IT. The other will be a person who has experience in web design.

We wanted people who are teaching the class to look like the people who are participating in the class, Cooper said.

Its one thing for a young person to learn from adult, but we think it will be received differently if the person who was teaching the information was closer to their age or within their age group, Cooper said.

Shes also open to taking volunteers to help teach the classes.

We want to provide them with as many resources as possible, Cooper said.

Cooper is the creator and owner of multiple small businesses and wants to help young people understand entrepreneurship.

They may not be best at one of those formal institutions, but maybe they can get some online training and a certification. If that is the case, then they have the basic framework for entrepreneurship from someone, Cooper said.

The students who finish the class will have letters of certification and will have the experience of making a website for a real small business.

They receive real-life training. Its not just like theyre going to take a traditional class and they do an exam thats not related to a real life, or real-world experience, Cooper said.

The difference here is that theyre developing a website for a business, an entity that can have purposeful use, Cooper said.

The target age group is 16 to 19 years old.

Sign up by visiting www.artsandsciencescenter.org and go to the Programming section. The deadline to sign up has been extended to Friday, March 3.

If you have any questions, contact codingforgood@artsandsciencescenter.org.
The Orangeburg County School District is celebrating the success that its pre-kindergarten through second-grade students have achieved with the help of software for early learners.

Waterford.org is a national early education nonprofit. A team of representatives visited Orangeburg County on Monday, with some from as far away as California and Oklahoma.

Waterford put together this event because Orangeburg has had such success with their implementation. So we wanted to come and see on the ground whats really happening, give other folks the opportunity also to see that and to give the folks in Orangeburg the opportunity to share their success so we can bring this to more kids in more places to give them that strong start, said Julie Christensen, director of curriculum for Waterford.org.

Christensen was among a group that visited Brookdale Elementary School, where pre-kindergarten, first-grade and second-grade classes were toured.

This is really important for me to be here and see the children interacting with the content because my team develops the content. Its just a real treat for us to see how its working well for the kids. We were able to see  how the children in each of those classrooms were working at their own levels, Christensen said.

We could see just the real difference in the differentiation that the kids are getting with the content, and then also just see whats working well, if there are any sticking points with maybe navigating the activity so that we can go back and talk to our (user experience) designers and let them know what we saw. But I just really enjoyed seeing what we build coming to life in the classroom, she said.

OCSD Superintendent Dr. Shawn Foster said the district has seen reading gains, particularly among kindergartners.

Our kindergartners have been on it for the longest. I think its going to be shocking what weve seen in the growth of those students. In phonological awareness, our kindergartners for the first time, according to our iReady data, have met the national average (both at 34 percent). In letter recognition, weve exceeded the national average (29 percent versus the national average of 23 percent). So were seeing the results from that data and the implementation, Foster said.

Foster shared some of that data during a presentation he made at the Orangeburg County Convention Center.

Ive always said that literacy is the foundation for life. ... Our focus on literacy at an early age is something that were going to continue to put at the forefront of what it is we do, he said.

Waterford.org says it combines learning, mentoring and technology to build family and community partnerships that deliver access, excellence and equity in early education for all children.

The Waterford.org software usage begins with its Upstart program, an online kindergarten-readiness program for 4-year-olds that is designed to deliver significant and lasting academic achievement gains, Foster said.

Its there where we really have a heavy lift on the parent engagement piece. If we can get our parents engaged in their childs education from the beginning, just imagine how we can teach parents about being an advocate for their child, but also how to assist their child in those early literacy areas so that we can make sure we build parents along with literacy, he said.

Bowman resident Sonya Disher believes in providing support for her childrens learning. Her 7-year-old son, Keimir, a student at Bethune-Bowman Elementary School, is among the students enjoying Waterford.org.

It helps me improve my reading and math and subtracting and regrouping. When I get stuff wrong, it reads it to me, Keimir said. Music is included and sometimes it just sings it to you.

Keimir likes the reading help he receives the most. His teacher can help him when I get stuff wrong.

They go over it with me, he said.

Disher said she has seen an improvement in her sons reading.

He always loved to read, but since hes in Waterford, hes developed a (greater) love for reading. He likes to read chapter books, and hes only in second grade. So thats a plus. Once he starts reading, he doesnt just read one book, he likes to read two or three books a night, she said.

BBES Principal Lakekia Lewis said, With Waterford, I love it because it assists the students with their foundational skills. It helps parents and teachers and students fill in the gaps where they have weaknesses. Its animated and its fun. Its definitely not boring.

Lewis continued, We like it because not only can they do it at school, but they can do it at home, as well. We are pleased with Waterford.

Holly Hill resident Lakisha Goodwin said her daughter, ZyKera, has also enjoyed the early learning software as a student at Holly Hill Elementary School.

Shes doing really excellent in her reading now. Shes doing very well from the beginning of school until now. Shes a principal list student. Im very proud of her, Goodwin said.

ZyKera said her reading and math has improved.

I like that it helps me with my math, subtracting, and my reading, ZyKera said.

When I get a question wrong or right, it just pops up and says you got the question wrong or right. If I got my question wrong, it will help me with it, and then I will have to try it over again, she said.

ZyKera continued, If I dont know how to spell duck, or I only know how to spell two letters, d and u, then its going to pop up c and k, and then its going to say the sound that I need to put in right then.

Dr. Vickel Darby, OCSDs instructional technology facilitator, said the interactive software has made a difference.

"This is our second-year implementation with the pre-K program, which is called Waterford Upstart, and we have seen some major gains. We were able to compare it to our i-Ready data, which is our intervention program, and we are noticing that our pre-K students and kindergarten students are reading on or above grade level," she said.

Darby continued, "We have seen confidence soaring. We're just excited that we're seeing the gains because we want to make sure that we are a part of the process of transforming readers into leaders."

Brookdale Assistant Principal Tonya Ramey said, We were excited to host the group today. The group saw what our teachers and our students do every day, which is focus on literacy.

Ramey said teachers at Brookdale facilitate within their small groups of students, and the students are excited about Waterford and all of the learning that they do here each day.

Christensen led a presentation at the Orangeburg County Convention Center where she talked about the science of reading.

It helps us to understand how the brain learns to read, what happens inside the brain of a developing reader so that we can then align our instruction with that to support the brain development that helps children become proficient readers. ... If we talk more about comprehension, we know that the building blocks for that really are vocabulary and background knowledge. So at a very early age, we want to help children be learning about the world around them, be learning new words, ideas and concepts, because thats whats going to predict their ability to be strong comprehenders in later years. So it all comes together, she said.

Waterford.org partners with more than a dozen districts across South Carolina.
The Orangeburg County Election Commission will be preparing the voting equipment that will be used in special elections in Branchville and Norway on Tuesday, March 28.

The testing is open to the public and will be held at 10 a.m. Thursday, March 9 at the Orangeburg County Voter Registration and Election Office located at 1475 Amelia Street, Orangeburg.
A defense expert in Alex Murdaugh's double murder trial says he thinks two different shooters killed the disgraced attorney's wife and son. The idea of two killers has hovered over the trial because two different weapons were used and there's no evidence either victim tried to defend themselves. Crime scene expert Tim Palmbach was the first witness to suggest the theory in testimony. Palmbach says the idea is mostly common sense. Also on Monday, the judge agreed with a defense request to let jurors travel to see the Murdaugh home. The date for that visit has not been set.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 28)  God is indeed good!

Parokya ni Edgars guitarist Gab Chee Kee, who is battling cancer, will be discharged soon, according to his bandmates.

In a social media update on Feb. 26, Parokya ni Edgar said Chee Kee was already transferred to a regular hospital room.

Happy siya dahil nakalipat na siya sa regular room! Isa-isa na tinatanggal yung mga tubes na nakakabit sa katawan niya, the band added, as they thanked fans for their support and prayers.

[Translation: He is happy because he is already in a regular room! The tubes attached to his body are already being removed one by one.]

Excited parang bata, nag-gigitara habang papunta sa regular room! Konti na lang at makakalabas na rin siya ng hospital! the post added, with Chee Kee shown smiling and looking energetic in the accompanying photos and videos.

[Translation: He is excited like kid, playing his guitar while being moved to a regular room! A little more time and he will be discharged from the hospital!]

Chee Kee was diagnosed with lymphoma in late 2022 and has been undergoing chemotherapy.

His bandmates auctioned off some items, including an Eraserheads-signed guitar sold for 1.3 million, for his hospital expenses.

A fundraising concert will be held on March 4, with performances by Ebe Dancel, The Itchyworms, Gracenote, Rivermaya, and 6 Cyclemind.

May cancer pa rin siya, so tuloy-tuloy pa rin ang laban para makasama na namin siya on the stage soon! Laban pa, Gab! Kayang-kaya yan! the band said.

[Translation: He still has cancer, so the battle continues so we can perform with him again on the stage soon. Fight on, Gab! You can do it!]
A former Casper gynecologist who was sentenced to 20 to 30 years in prison after being convicted of sexually assaulting two of his patients was released Monday after serving less than five years, officials said.

Five years ago, a jury convicted Paul Harnetty of sexually assaulting the patients during medical exams. They acquitted him of six other charges.

He was sentenced to spend decades in prison, but Harnetty was released Monday due to a court order adjusting his sentence and giving him credit for time served in Natrona County, said Wyoming Department of Corrections spokesperson Paul Martin.

As he completed his full sentence, he is not under WDOC supervision, Martin said.

Harnetty petitioned the court for post-conviction relief, which was granted Feb. 8 by Natrona County District Court Judge Kerri M. Johnson, court filings show. She ordered that one of the sexual assault convictions be made void and a new trial would be held on that count.

Instead of a new trial, Harnetty agreed to keep the convictions on both counts on the basis that neither he nor prosecutors would seek a review or any other proceedings in this case.

In exchange, the State agreed to reduce his sentence to no less than 48 months and no greater than 54 months  knocking off 85% of the maximum time he was meant to serve.

He was allowed to serve the sentences simultaneously and received credit for 1,883 days served on each count.

The allegations

Authorities arrested Harnetty in Minnesota and extradited him to Wyoming in January 2017. He was initially charged with 12 counts of felony sexual assault for inappropriate conduct during exams while he was employed at the Community Health Center of Central Wyoming, the filing says.

A total of six female patients testified that Harnetty touched them in ways that were unusual and made them feel uncomfortable during physical examinations. Some women said he touched their genitals without gloves while others said he rubbed them in ways that didnt seem to be part of a medical exam.

One woman testified that Harnetty very forcefully decided to examine me right there, pulled my pants down around my ankles, and it was like he was inflicting as much pain as he could be on my body.

Following the trial, Harnettys lawyers filed a motion for judgment of acquittal, for arrest of judgment and for a new trial, the filing says. But then-Judge Thomas Sullins, who has since retired, denied these motions after two separate hearings.

Sullins sentenced him to 20 to 30 years in prison.

Harnetty then appealed his sentences to the Wyoming Supreme Court, which affirmed his convictions in a published opinion in February 2019.

Criticism of counsel

He went on to file this most recent petition for post-conviction relief. This was done on the basis that his lawyers may have been constitutionally ineffective.

The court found that Harnettys lawyers provided poor counsel when they failed to investigate an ultrasound technician who worked at community health and failed to impeach a witness when she made inconsistent statements.

The witness, a technician, was important to support the two-pronged theory of defense  that what Harnetty did was medically appropriate and that the alleged victims were at least embellishing their allegations due to biases.

His trial counsel didnt even attempt to locate and interview the technician, who was the only witness besides Harnetty and the women.

The lead defense attorney was Donald L. Fuller, and John B. Miner was the second chair. Fuller could not be immediately reached for comment on Tuesday.

Harnettys lawyers also didnt object to surprise testimony in court and didnt impeach one of the women, who testified something different about the way Harnetty had touched her than what she had told a detective, the filing says.

Civil suit

A former patient, Tosha Blackburn, also brought a civil suit against Harnetty for assaulting her. She was one of the six female patients to testify, though jurors acquitted him of the charges connected to Blackburns allegations.

Blackburns civil claims were dismissed, and she will have to pay Harnettys attorney fees, newly filed civil court documents show.

He is requesting over $20,000, which Blackburns lawyers are calling unreasonable and excessive on their face. A settlement has not been reached in the matter.
CHEYENNE  Cheyenne Republican Sen. Anthony Bouchard is subject to his second ethics complaint in less than a year after calling a member of the public a f****ing idiot.

His comment centered around Senate File 144, a bill he sponsored that would have revoked the licenses of providers who offer gender-affirming medical treatment to minors in Wyoming. The bill died Monday after failing to meet a procedural deadline.

Jennifer James, an advanced practice registered nurse from Sweetwater County, testified against the bill in the House Appropriations Committee last week, referring to medical standards of care from the World Professional Association for Transgender Health which state that genital surgeries shouldnt be carried out until patients reach the legal age of majority and have lived continuously for at least 12 months in the gender role that matches their identity.

Rest assured, doctors and nurses have a code of ethics. We follow the standard of care, James said.

Over the weekend, Bouchard reached James over text and slammed her for her comments.

Editors note: Text image to the right contains an expletive.

You are a f***ing idiot. Stating that there are rules against surgery on minors, when they are actually doing surgery on minors, Bouchard said in his text.

He sent James a photo of Luka Hein, a woman who transitioned back to the gender assigned to her at birth after having a double mastectomy when she was 16. Hein has testified in support of Bouchards bill.

Heres one of the individuals that they supposedly arent performing surgery on. The Double Mastectomy at 16 years old  that didnt happen??? Sorry, truth matter, Bouchard wrote.

Bouchard told the Star-Tribune that he hadnt talked with James about his concerns before sending the message and hasnt communicated with her since.

In response to Bouchards message, James filed a formal complaint on Sunday to the Management Council Committee members requesting an investigation into possible ethics violations.

I have always had respect for Senator Bouchard and considered him an intelligent Legislator, especially in the area of gun laws, James said in a statement. (James is the spouse of former lawmaker Tom James, who collaborated with Bouchard on multiple gun bills during his time in the Legislature.)

However, an elected official cannot simply belittle and demean individuals who disagree with his bill, James continued. I did nothing to provoke this text from him and dont appreciate being cursed at and called names.

The complaint is the second Bouchard has been the subject of in less than a year.

Last session, Wyoming Hospital Association President Eric Boley filed a complaint against Bouchard, saying that the senator had yelled at him, called him a liar and has been combative and disrespectful to witnesses before the Legislatures health committee, the Star-Tribune previously reported. Bouchard was subsequently booted from his committee assignments. (Bouchard sits on the Senate Labor and Health Committee this year.)

Bouchard shrugged off the complaint, raising the possibility of being kicked out of the Senate altogether.

There are some that would use this bogus complaint to kick me out of the Senate, Bouchard said in a text to the Star-Tribune, adding that they should be careful what they wish for and noting that the Star-Tribune had published a profile about him being an effective lobbyist.

Bouchard acknowledged that its unlikely he would get kicked out of the Senate. That would require a two-thirds vote from the body.

James said in an email to the Star-Tribune that she hopes her complaint will lead to an investigation.

I want Wyoming folk to feel safe to exercise their right to free speech, to be heard, for or against legislative topics, especially, she wrote.
The Wyoming Legislature started this years session with nearly 20 bills aimed at property tax relief.

For some lawmakers, the motivation was to provide targeted help to homeowners struggling with increasingly unaffordable property taxes; some lawmakers say their constituents are facing year-over-year tax hikes north of 20% or 30%.

Others came in wanting to lower property taxes for everyone, and make sweeping cuts to a tax system they feel has always taken too much.

Few bills, it would seem, satisfied both interests. As of Tuesday morning, all but three had died.

Heres an overview of the surviving proposals.

House Bill 99

A bill that would raise income eligibility for Wyomings property tax refund programs cleared the statehouse Monday after passing a House concurrence vote 50-12.

Wyoming makes two kinds of property tax refund programs available  one at the state level, as well as a county-optional version signed into law by Gov. Mark Gordon last spring (no counties opted into the program for the 2022 tax year.)

Both versions allow qualifying applicants a refund on up to one-half of their property taxes for the preceding tax year.

But right now, only residents earning less than or equal to 75% of the statewide median income  or the median income in their county of residence, if that threshold is lower  are eligible.

If adopted into law, House Bill 99 would raise that ceiling to 125%. It was one of two proposals related to property taxes sponsored by the Joint Revenue Committee this legislative session.

To back up the bill, lawmakers voted to give the state refund program an additional $5 million in the states 2022-2023 budget.

While the bill raises income eligibility, in other areas, it would tighten restrictions on program eligibility. An applicant would not be able to own more than $150,000 in personal assets for each adult in their household, it says, unless what they owe in property taxes exceeds one-tenth of their combined household income.

The bill would also require each applicant (or an immediate family member) to live on their property for at least nine months out of the tax year.

While the bill passed its concurrent vote in the house with hardly any commentary from lawmakers, its third reading in the Senate on Friday prompted a lengthy discussion over whether the refund programs provide meaningful tax relief to Wyoming residents.

Some senators who spoke in opposition to the bill said they didnt think property tax relief should just go to a certain slice of Wyoming residents, especially given the state general funds surplus of roughly $913 million.

Others worried that raising the income eligibility level to 125% of the state and county median incomes would be cutting taxes for people who dont need it.

Weve brought the whole ocean up into the property tax relief program with this giant net that this bill casts, said Majority Floor Leader Sen. Larry Hicks, R-Baggs.

Supporters of the bill pointed to the fact that the bill was one of just a few surviving property tax proposals this session  and that even if some lawmakers would have preferred other approaches, its still an opportunity to help out tax-burdened homeowners.

If signed into law by Gordon, House Bill 99 would take effect immediately, meaning more people would qualify for refunds on their 2022 property taxes this summer.

That makes the bill the only remaining legislative proposal that could provide some degree of tax relief this year.

House Bill 100

The only other residential property tax bill that had cleared both chambers as of Monday is House Bill 100, which would require the Wyoming Department of Revenue to commission a study on the the statutory, regulatory and procedural changes needed to implement the so-called acquisition property tax system in Wyoming.

While the model comes in many forms, the gist is that your home would no longer be taxed based on its current market value, but the market value at the time it became yours.

California is currently the only state that uses a version of the acquisition system. It made the switch back in the late 70s.

House Bill 100 earmarks $50,000 for the study. On Monday, it was still waiting on final approval from Gordon.

Senate Joint Resolution 3

Senate Joint Resolution 3 seeks to amend the Wyoming State Constitution to create new residential property tax exemption for elderly and infirm homeowners.

Its expected to be heard for its third reading Tuesday in the House. Since its a proposed constitutional amendment, itll have to receive two-thirds approval from the Senate in order to pass the chamber.

If it clears the Legislature, the proposal would then go on the 2024 election ballot for approval from voters.

Senate File 136

Senate File 136, sponsored by Bo Biteman, R-Ranchester, would have reduced the assessment rate for all real and personal property for the 2023, 2024 and 2025 tax years from 9.5% to 8.5%.

The bill was moved forward by the House Appropriations Committee on Monday, but wasnt considered by the House Committee of the Whole that afternoon. Monday was the last day for bills to be heard by the Committee of the Whole in their second chamber.

The property tax assessment rate determines how a homes market value is converted to its assessed value.

The current statewide assessment rate for residential property is 9.5%, meaning a home appraised for, say, $500,000 would have an assessed value of $47,500.

But if that assessment rate temporarily drops to 8.5%, like Senate File 136 would have done, that assessed value would be $42,500 instead.

After an assessment value is calculated, its multiplied by the local tax rate to determine what the property owner actually owes in taxes that year.

The other important thing to know about the proposal is that it wouldnt have just affected residential properties. Right now, Wyoming groups residential, commercial and industrial property under the same tax category, so the assessment rate reduction would have applied to all three types of land.

A proposed amendment to Bitemans bill brought by the House Appropriations Committee on Monday would have also set aside $253 million from the states legislative stabilization reserve account to reimburse schools and local government agencies for any losses in tax revenue caused by the proposed rate reduction.

What failed last week

Two other major property tax bills died in the Senate last week.

A proposal sponsored by Rep. Martha Lawley, R-Worland, would have made a number of amendments to the states property tax deferral program, which provides tax relief for people on limited incomes by allowing qualifying residents to convert their property taxes to liens on their homes.

House Bill 121 would have rehoused the program under the Wyoming Department of Revenue and required the state to reimburse local governments for any deferred taxes, among other changes.

Theres also House Bill 98, which would have exempted homeowners from paying property taxes on the first $50,000 of their homes market value for the 2024 tax year. (The exemption wouldnt have been able to exceed 25% of the propertys overall value.)

Both bills passed their third readings in the House with more than two-thirds approval, but were ultimately voted down by the Senate Revenue Committee. The property tax deferral amendment bill failed in the committee by a 1-4 vote; and the homeowners exemption bill, by a vote of 2-3.

Editor's note: This story was updated Tuesday morning after an additional bill, Senate File 136, died Monday night.
After fierce debate, Senate lawmakers advanced a pared down abortion ban Monday as the Legislature looks to enshrine reproductive restrictions in Wyoming law for the second year in a row.

The Life is a Human Right Act advanced by voice vote on the last day the full Senate could consider new bills after Senate President Ogden Driskill stalled it in the upper chamber for two weeks.

In holding up the bill, Driskill shared concerns about its legality and lack of exemptions for rape or incest, the latter of which were added back in by a Senate committee last week based on an amendment that he offered.

On Monday, the bill once again drew vocal opposition from Senate lawmakers on a number of fronts, including its broad restrictions.

Sen. Tara Nethercott, R-Cheyenne, pointed to fetal abnormalities and other conditions that would be fatal soon after birth, yet the bill would force a woman to carry the child to term.

What are we doing to families who are faced with these circumstances, who are tragically not wanting to be in there? Nethercott said. I really need us to think very carefully about these unfortunate circumstances that Wyoming families and medical providers are in.

Nethercott called for the Legislature to move past debates for and against abortion and consider the real-world consequences to refine the states ban.

We have outlawed abortion in our state. We are on track to continue to do that and to continue to really lock that down, she said. Now we need to work these bills rather than just discuss good and evil.

House Bill 152 also includes provisions that are sweeping and controversial, such as a findings and purposes section that makes interpretations of the Wyoming Constitution and asserts that the Legislature can interpret the constitution alongside the courts.

Senate and House lawmakers have questioned its constitutionality, and legal experts have said that it would likely run afoul of the separation-of-powers principles laid out in the U.S. Constitution.

Rep. Rachel Rodriguez-Williams, R-Cody, the bills sponsor, has refuted those concerns, but they were again on display during the Senates debate.

Even some of the bringers of this bill wonder if its constitutional because we all think its going to end up in court, said Sen. Ed Cooper, R-Ten Sleep.

The bill was meant to get out ahead of potential lawsuits and react to ongoing litigation as last years abortion trigger ban remains suspended in the courts. The reactive lens of the bill was another concern of Driskills.

I honestly dont think, and I told them so, that the bill does what they think its gonna do. Its likely to be back in court, Driskill previously told the Casper Star-Tribune.

Meetings with Rodriguez-Williams, House Majority Floor Leader Rep. Chip Neiman and an anti-abortion lawyer who helped to write the bill failed to end Driskills legal concerns.

But last week he assigned the Life is a Human Right Act to the Senate Agriculture Committee on the request of committee chairwoman Sen. Cheri Steinmetz, R-Lingle, another co-sponsor of the bill.

It promptly passed in a unanimous vote, but not without amendments that reflected compromise.

In arguably the most significant change, the agriculture committee included exemptions for rape and incest, effectively ending the near blanket ban that the bill originally sought.

Lawmakers on the committee also voided a previous House amendment that would have enacted the legislation only if Wyomings current abortion trigger ban is overturned by the courts.

Critically, the amendments also wiped out some of the more controversial declarations in the bills findings and purposes, including those that stated the Legislature could interpret the constitution and that life begins at conception.

On the Senate floor, Sen. Cale Case, R-Lander, pointed out that the resulting bill is similar to Wyomings current trigger ban and did little to advance the abortion conversation in the state.

Its not a change. Its just making a lot of people feel good, he said.

However, proponents of the bill argued that another abortion ban was necessary.

Were trying to care for two patients and save two patients and see two patients living healthy and alive. And in abortion, were trying to the end the life of one patient, Steinmetz said. I think this bill goes a long way in defining that.

Though the Senate advanced the bill, it did so with another amendment from Sen. Affie Ellis, R-Cheyenne.

As originally written, the Life is a Human Right Act would have allowed Rodriguez-Williams or other co-sponsors of the bill to intervene and defend it in potential court cases challenging the legislation.

However, Ellis took issue with the preference that it showed to certain legislators, allowing them to intervene in the courts in a way that everyday residents of Wyoming or even other legislators could not. She successfully argued that such a preference should be removed from the bill.

Only those who sponsored or co-sponsored this act shall have standing to defend this act as an intervention in any lawsuit, Ellis said. Folks thats special legislation. We need to not be doing that kind of thing.
CHEYENNE  Criticism toward Speaker of the House Albert Sommers for allowing certain bills to stall intensified over the weekend and again on Monday after Rep. Harriet Hageman weighed in, bringing national attention to the legislative situation in Wyoming.

On Friday, State Freedom Caucus Network President Andrew Roth posted a photo of Sommers on Twitter and highlighted three bills that had stalled in the House. The State Freedom Caucus Network  a Washington, D.C.-based organization that aims to establish state freedom caucuses across the country  officially partnered with the hard-line conservative Wyoming Freedom Caucus in early January. The Wyoming Freedom Caucus influence has grown considerably this session.

One of the bills that Roth mentioned in his tweet would have created an education savings account to fund private and homeschool education in Wyoming. Another would have banned classroom instruction on gender identity and sexual orientation in certain grades. The last aims to outlaw gender-affirming medical treatments and was set to be considered in the House on Monday, if there was enough time. (Another similar bill was never considered for introduction in the House.)

The network also sent out a call to action text message over the weekend encouraging people to call Sommers and ask him to allow the bills to proceed. Over the weekend, even Fox News mentioned the growing heat on Sommers.

"The Wyoming GOP House Speaker is getting heat from his own party for blocking two Republican-backed bills on parental rights and universal school choice."



The school choice bill already passed the Senate and a majority of the House cosponsored.



It has the votes to pass. pic.twitter.com/HDDs5Dc9xP  Corey A. DeAngelis, school choice evangelist (@DeAngelisCorey) February 26, 2023

Hageman retweeted Roths post on Saturday, adding that the bills are about protecting our children.

In Congress, Im fighting for these very issues. I hope the Wyoming legislature will do the same, she wrote.

I traveled over 50,000 miles across Wyoming and have held six public town halls in the two months since taking office. I have talked to Wyoming and I know these issues matter to them, Hageman said in a statement to the Star-Tribune.

It appears that Hageman had not contacted Sommers prior to her post on Twitter. Her spokesperson did not respond to the Star-Tribune to confirm.

Congresswoman Hageman has my phone number. I dont believe she reached out to me directly. I think that should have been the first step, Sommers said in a text.

Gotcha communication

State lawmakers often communicate with members of the D.C. delegation. But this public gotcha kind of communication, as senior lawmaker Rep. Steve Harshman put it, is something new.

I hope we close the gate on all that and everybody just stays in their lanes and [does] the work, Harshman, a Casper Republican, said. Weve got enough work to get done instead of all the gotchas.

The situation has garnered national attention, with figures like former Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker weighing in on a message that Cheyenne Republican Rep. Landon Brown posted on Twitter criticizing Hageman for getting involved.

If she wants to have a say in our legislative body maybe she should run for that office. Otherwise, bugoff! Brown wrote.

Hageman herself shot back at Brown, calling him a living argument for allowing only Republicans to vote in Republican primaries.

Oh, Landon. Your lane should be what your constituents want, but thanks for again being a living argument for allowing only Republicans to vote in Republican primaries. https://t.co/xPLsg185if  Harriet Hageman (@HagemanforWY) February 27, 2023

Sommers authority has been challenged multiple times by members of the far-right Wyoming Freedom Caucus, who have tried to refer bills to more favorable committees or pull them from the speakers drawer.

Last week, for example, Casper Republican Rep. Jeanette Ward called for a vote to try and pull Senate File 117  a bill to ban classroom instruction on gender identity and sexual orientation in certain grades that critics call the Dont Say Gay Bill  out of the speakers drawer. The motion failed.

Another, which Sommers did allow to proceed, received a do not pass recommendation in the House Appropriations Committee. That means the bill can still be debated and voted upon on the floor, but it automatically goes to the bottom of the list for consideration. (The House hadnt gotten to the bill by the Star-Tribunes deadline.) Members of the Wyoming Freedom Caucus had tried and failed to get that bill referred to the House Labor and Health Committee instead, where they suspected it might have faired better.

Jessica Rubino, the Wyoming state director for the State Freedom Caucus Network, said she didnt consider the process to be fair as it is. Rubino has lobbied in the Legislature this session on behalf of bills supported by the State Freedom Caucus Network.

It isnt a very transparent process to allow one individual to determine whether a bill is constitutional or not, Rubino said.

House Majority Floor Leader Hulett Republican Rep. Chip Neiman, an ally of the Wyoming Freedom Caucus, did something similar to Sommers with this years Medicaid expansion bill. As majority floor leader, Neiman is responsible for determining the order in which bills are debated and voted upon in the House Committee of the Whole, which is the place where bills are first discussed on the House floor. So, he can keep bills at the bottom of the list if he wants to, and eventually those bills will die when time runs out. Thats what happened with Medicaid expansion.

Common practice

Its impossible to get through all of the bills that are sponsored in the amount of time the Legislature convenes for the session. Given the time constraint, the speaker of the House and Senate president are in part responsible for deciding what bills to prioritize and which ones to leave behind. When asked what vetting process she thought would be preferable, Rubino said that the number of cosponsors on a bill and how successful it was in passing through the first chamber should be top considerations when deciding whether or not a bill should be allowed to proceed.

Every speaker has their own method for how to prioritize bills. Sommers has said that he typically prioritizes committee-sponsored bills first, since the state has already invested a lot of time, effort and money into those bills, and theyve been vetted prior to the session. Then, hell generally give preference to bills sponsored by individual lawmakers in the order that theyre initially posted to the Legislative Service Office website.

On top of deciding whether or not a bill should be heard at all, the speaker of the House and Senate president are in charge of deciding which committee bills will go to. Thats important because some committees might be friendlier to certain bills than others.

I take this responsibility seriously; bad policy can create major consequences for Wyoming, Sommers wrote in a news release he issued on Sunday, explaining his reasons for holding back certain bills. Bills that are unconstitutional, not well vetted, poorly written, duplicate bills or debates, and bills that negate local control, restrict the rights of people, or risk costly litigation financed by the people of Wyoming should not become law.

Im in this job, and people can throw arrows at me or not, Sommers said. Ill do the best I can, and thats all I can do.

PHOTOS: Opening day of the 67th Wyoming Legislative Session 67th Wyoming Legislative Session begins 67th Wyoming Legislative Session begins 67th Wyoming Legislative Session begins Rep. Jeanette Ward 67th Wyoming Legislative Session begins 67th Wyoming Legislative Session begins 67th Wyoming Legislative Session begins 67th Wyoming Legislative Session begins 67th Wyoming Legislative Session begins 67th Wyoming Legislative Session begins 67th Wyoming Legislative Session begins 67th Wyoming Legislative Session begins 67th Wyoming Legislative Session begins
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.
T&T rap legend Make It Hapn (Rayon Bernando) is back in the lab creating new music.

Anybody and their mama that followed the local hip hop scene in the early 2000s knows Make It Hapn is rap royalty.

The Diego Martin-born MC had a ubiquitous flow that earned him snaps and standing ovations everywhere he went, from the quad at The University of the West Indies (UWI), St Augustine campus to spoken word exposes and open mic nights across the island.
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.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 28)  A number of senators find it too expensive to amend the Constitution through a constitutional convention (con-con), as proposed by their counterparts in the House of Representatives.

The House Committee on Constitutional Amendments approved on Monday a proposal to elect 253 con-con delegates simultaneous with the Oct. 30 barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections.

Some 51 other delegates will be appointed by the Senate President and House Speaker from various sectors. They will all be given 10,000 for every day of attendance at the convention.

Asked about this in a press conference on Tuesday, Senator Robin Padilla - chairman of the Senate Committee on Constitutional Amendments and Revision of Codes - said he is happy about the progress in the House, but voiced concern about the cost of electing and convening a con-con.

"Una papayag ba taumbayan diyan napakamahal niyan? Sobrang mahal niyan," Padilla said. "Naglabas ang NEDA eleksyon pa lang 28 billion na, wala pa yung gastos sa pasweldo ng con-con delegates, opisina nila, syempre meron din yan. Malaki yan."

"Sa akin doon muna tayo sa pinakamatipid," he added. "Di natin masyadong isa-shock ang taumbayan, eleksyon na naman? May election na ang barangay, may election na naman sa con-con, para tayong laging nag-e-election."

[Translation: First, will the people agree to that because it is so expensive? That's too expensive. NEDA released 28B just for the election, which does not include the salary expenses of the con-con delegates, their office. That's big. For me, we have to choose the most economical way. Let's not surprise the people too much about another election. The barangay has an election, there is another election in the con-con, it's like we always have elections.]

Padilla prefers the constituent assembly option, where members of Congress themselves will introduce amendments to the Constitution.

Senator Sonny Angara, chairman of the Senate Committee on Finance, said con-con is the most expensive and most laborious way to change the Charter.

"Masyadong mataas ang pinapanukalang 10,000 na sweldo kada araw ng mga delegado (The 10,000 daily stipend of delegates is too expensive)," he added.

Opposition Senator Risa Hontiveros said Charter change (Cha-cha) will only sideline more urgent issues.

"The economy is worsening and the agricultural sector is laden with so much scandal," Hontiveros pointed out. "Redirecting large amounts of our limited resources to Charter change at this time will just do more damage."

'Compromise'

Padilla called on House lawmakers to focus on economic provisions for now, to give Cha-cha a chance of being passed in the 19th Congress.

He said this "compromise" will avoid yet another deadlock, like what happened in past Congresses.

Still, Padilla said he is open to other opinions from the public.

He said he will hold the Senate committee's first out-of-town public consultation in Davao City on Thursday.

Padilla said he wanted to invite his "No.1 Adviser," former President Rodrigo Duterte, but the former chief executive is keeping a "low profile for now."

This will be followed by two more hearings in Luzon and the Visayas, before coming up with a committee report that Padilla hopes to sponsor in the plenary in time for President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr.'s second State of the Nation Address in July.

While Padilla admitted he has yet to secure the numbers in the Senate, he said he is confident three other members of their political party PDP-Laban will vote for "economic" Cha-cha.

But Senate Minority Leader Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel III, who belongs to a rival PDP-Laban faction, reiterated that there are already three recently passed laws opening up the country's economy.

"We have to give these laws a chance to work," he said, referring to the Public Service Act, Retail Trade Liberalization Act, and Foreign Investment Act.

Senator Nancy Binay said the government should instead focus on implementing these laws.




During an Easter Sunday break from my column, I was forcibly struck by the disconnect between the official messages about Easter from those clothed with high constitutional authority and the grim reality on the ground.

Many persons would have been engaged in pleasurable activities over the Easter weekend. However, the country remains gripped by fear of violent crime, in respect of which the official messages have long ceased to be comforting or inspiring. How can it be otherwise when, in addition to rampant murder, we are frequently confronted with the results of brutal home invasions?
The Tucson Festival of Books has announced the winners of the 2023 Literary Awards.

The Arizona Daily Star has teamed up with the Festival to share excerpts of the first-place entries in the three categories: poetry, fiction and non-fiction.

To learn more about the winners and to read the judges comments, visit tucne.ws/tfoblaw.

This years book fest is March 4-5 on the University of Arizona campus.

Poetry

First place: A Fat Encyclopedia of Astounding Mistakes and other poems by Valentina Gnup of Oakland, California

Czech Angels

Id like to die listening to a piece of music.

Robert Walser, Swiss writer

I always imagine it will be December when I die, perhaps Ill be doing something Ive done many times

like buttering toast for breakfast  or maybe Ill die like Walser, walking in Christmas snow. Three years ago

when I visited Prague, I was drawn to the Czech angels, they were everywhere  flying in Renaissance paintings,carved from granite in overgrown cemeteries, wearing bronze wings in St. Vitus Cathedral. I took photos

of each one, as if they were my cousins or old friends.

I like to think when I die, those angels will remember 

theyll gather my body and carry me to the angel hotel, where the bread is sweet, and the music, even sweeter.

Fiction

First place: Body Memory by Kathleen Furin of Philadelphia

Body Memory

Kerri padded out to her ancient minivan, wearing tattered pink flip-flops and wrinkled sweats. She turned the music up as she pulled away; she needed to be immersed in it, tucked into that space where past memory and future worry dissolved into a singular, silvered moment, vibrating like the bass furiously shaking her ancient vehicle. This vibration, this dis-assembling of herself, felt sometimes like the only thing that was getting her through. Dis-assembled she could get through anything. She could even admit how impatient she was for Matt to just hurry up and die already, anticipating the utter calm of his absence. But this space in the music was getting harder to find. Already, almost, she didnt believe in it.

She parked at McDonalds and threaded into a bathroom stall. She wriggled out of her sweats, fastened on her strapless bra. She slipped into her purple dress, shaking out her hair. She used to love how this dress felt swirling over her legs; now she couldnt love anything. She stood at the mirror, applying triple layers of mascara and extra blush to hide the truth of who she really was, where her heart sat.

Earlier shed sat with Squirrel, whod been having trouble falling asleep lately. Kerri did that almost every night now, tucking Squirrel in then staying, tracing circles over her skinny shoulders. Kerri would sit until her fingers ached, wanting to run and at the same time never wanting to leave. She had a feeling the rest of her life was going to feel like this and this made her want to run harder, root her feet even more deeply into Squirrels plush rug. Dear Squirrel, with her round inquisitive eyes, her missing tooth thatd been knocked out by her brother. The new one hadnt yet come in; the dentist simply saying give it time. Of course. You gave things time when you couldnt give them money. The missing tooth made Squirrel look younger than her ten years while her height made her look older, the older age matching her reserved manner. Even now; she coped by practicing origami, folding everything she touched. She had a sweet tooth, and especially loved to fold candy wrappers into tiny creatures, which lay scattered everywhere, over her dresser and rug, even in her sheets.

They never said it out loud but Squirrel knew. Kerri knew Squirrel knew but still they said nothing. The boys stayed busy, stayed away, but Squirrel sat with her dad like always, reading his old comic books out loud. He had quite a collection, but their favorite was Spiderman. When she got tired of reading shed put on a Spiderman movie. He likes it, Mom, shed say, lifting a lank shoulder then drawing it down, a bat folding its wing. Matt slept through just about everything now. Hed barely lifted his head when theyd gathered with purple unicorn cupcakes to sing Happy Birthday to Squirrel just last week. Still Squirrel sat with him, laughing when she was supposed to, talking, even; hey, daddy, did you see that? Kerri wished sometimes for just a tiny bit of what Squirrel had. Lately shed been in and out, brisk and efficient, doing what needed to be done then moving on.

Non-fiction

First place: Sugaring: A Memoir by Jen Parsons of Telluride, Colorado

Sugaring: A MemoirThe day after my husband died, we sugared.

I was just thirty-nine and a widow. Thirty-nine and about to raise two children, one diapered and one barely out, alone.

Last thing, my husband, Trevor, said to me in our big, sweeping goodbye. I want this family to sugar. It will bring you all together.

So, we sugared. We tapped the family maple trees and waited for sap to run. What else are you going to do in Vermont in March, just a treefall away from the Canadian border? At the end of winter, to mark the start of spring, you tap your trees for sap and then boil it for hours, days, to make maple syrup. It is ritual.

When a good husband dies, and he asks you to, you sugar. We gathered the metal buckets from the cellar. Someone found the hand-drill. My children were dressed in their rugged snow clothes. They wore their mittens, but my sons thumbs aimed the wrong way out. We climbed through the pasture and into the old growth on the hill above the house to find the stand of maples. Trevor claimed these as his when he sugared as a kid. A rusted evaporator knelt into the ground. If we were sugaring for any other purpose than to be together, we would have used a power drill. But that day we used a hand drill. It allowed us, for a moment, to not be stiff with death.

Its a cliche about Vermont, but also true. What else are you going to do when your husband died the day before. When your kids look at you and you cant decide who is more helpless  them or you. When the entire extended family comes to your husbands childhood home to say farewell to his yellowed self, and the house is full of family and friends  the high school buddy who drove all night to get there, the old roommate from Colorado, the fraternity friends, the multitudes of cousins. What else are you going to do, eat the casseroles and the pies until you bloat? Stare at each other? What are you going to do? Cry?

We drilled with our gloved hands.

We hammered in taps.

We laughed. I think. The hand drill felt silly, and we ribbed each other when we cranked the swiveled arm of it. Kids rolled down the woods road with their cousins, the snow now thin with imminent spring. They made imperfect angels.

The sap would come from the tree, and we would collect it. We would tend a small fire beneath all this sap in a big boiling pan, it would take loads of sap, more than youd ever think could be needed. We would make only a small bit of sweet syrup. We would watch it for scalding. Wed need to keep adding more. More sap and more fuel. More sap and more fuel to keep it going, to keep the appropriate balance in which it would distill but not be ruined. It would take great care when time came to boil.

In the sugar woods, the day after my husband died, I leaned on the tree. I watched all the family, together. A good family, full of love and despair, love and despair together, pressed as tight as leaves closed in a thick book. I knew already the love and despair could hold me. It could be mine, always. A deep, small seed sensed, however, it could also dissolve me. I could evaporate. I looked up the bare limbs of the tree and then down into the spout and the bucket, but nothing came out, yet. Just a hollow, empty thing.
Marc Myers remembers walking through his co-ed college dorm in the mid-1970s.

Aerosmith was blasting from one end of the hallway, soothing Joni Mitchell from the other.

Fast forward to 2014, Myers found himself sitting on Joni Mitchells Bel Air patio, chatting about her 1971 song Carey.

To be able to then interview her and spend quality time with her to talk about how that song was written and what went on in Crete, it was just an extraordinary afternoon, Myers recalled last month in a phone call to talk about his book Anatomy of 55 More Songs: The Oral History of Top Hits That Changed Rock, Pop and Soul that he will be discussing at the Tucson Festival of Books. He is on the Arizona Daily Star Stage at 1 p.m. Saturday, March 4.

The year-old book, a follow up to his 2016 Anatomy of a Song: The Oral History of 45 Iconic Hits That Changed Rock, R&B and Pop, tells the backstories of iconic songs as told by their creators. The books are drawn from his longtime Wall Street Journal column that ran from 2012 to 2022, when he retired it.

Anatomy of 55 More Songs includes interviews with The Beach Boys, Earth, Wind & Fire, Carly Simon, Keith Richards, Journey and Sheryl Crow to name a few, talking about their iconic songs, from Huey, Lewis and the Newss The Power of Love from the Back to the Future soundtrack to Redbones Come and Get Your Love and Burt Bacharach and Hal Davids Walk On By, recorded by Dionne Warwick.

Myers, who played piano as a kid and was and is a huge jazz fan, interviewed the artists on the phone and, when possible, in person, like the 2014 interview with Mitchell in California.

I ended up doing Mick Jagger. Mick Jagger is calling me up on the phone for an interview. You pick up the phone: Hello, Marc. Its Mick, he recalled, affecting a British accent. Or Keith Richards. It got to the point that I interviewed Keith twice. He loved it so much the first time when we did Street Fighting Man that when I wanted to interview him again, which was a couple of years later, he calls up and he says, Hello, Marc. Its Keith. Hey Keith, how you doing? Im fine. Are we doing the anatomy thing today? Get out the scalpels! Get out the surgery. Were doing the anatomy! It was very, very funny.

The Journal launched the column about a year after Myers joined the staff late in his journalism career. After spending a few years writing for the New York Times right out of college, Myers spent the bulk of his early and mid career in financial journalism before his friend Terry Teachout, a well-respected New York theater and culture critic, suggested he write a blog about jazz.

He told me, You know too much. You have to start a blog,Myers recalled.

In 2007, he took Teachouts advice and launched JazzWax.

In 2010, Teachout, who had been writing about theater for the Journal, invited Myers to lunch with one of his editors, who offered him a job writing about music.

I always wanted to be doing what Im doing now, Myers said. I write on rock. I interview people like Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Joni Mitchell. Im a late bloomer. I come to this in 2010. I started at the New York Times, and then I weave around in all kinds of areas and then wind up writing about the very thing I wanted to write about, which is movie stars and rock stars.

Anatomy of a Song started with a suggestion from an editor. The first subject was Smokey Robinson. He interviewed Robinson, then wrote the column as a write-through, where he would control the narrative and add quotes from Robinson.

He wrote the first few columns this way before deciding that something was lacking.

It just didnt feel organic to me, he said. There was a lack of proximity. ... I wanted (the reader) to feel Smokeys breath. I wanted them to see him and to feel as though he was talking to them.

He proposed changing the column to an oral history format, where the narrative comes from the artist. Myers wrote an intro that gave the historical context and the interviews were edited down for clarity and focus. But the columns were in the artists voice, recalling what they were feeling, experiencing and thinking when they created a song that became part of the pop culture fabric.

Reader response to the oral history format was impressive, he said. And the artists were thrilled, as well. Here was a journalist calling them not about their latest personal tragedy, drug rehab or broken relationship. Myers wanted to know about their art.

Myers recalled his first interview with the Rolling Stones frontman Jagger.

What were they talking about, Jagger asked him. Your art; how you created Moonlight Mile, Myers responded.

Once he realized very quickly that I was there to talk about the art ... what was going on emotionally with him, what was he feeling, what was he thinking. Why was that song being written at that particular time? Why couldnt he sleep on the train that night? Once he realized that it was going to be an art interview, he became very introspective, melancholy and very, very open, Myers said.
Arizonans are not entitled to know the names of jurors deciding criminal cases.

The U.S. Supreme Court rejected a claim by the publisher of the Cochise County Record that the public has a First Amendment right to know the names not only of who is sitting on a jury but also of those being considered to serve.

The justices provided no reason for declining to consider the case.

That leaves in place a 2022 decision by the Arizona Supreme Court rebuffing the claim by publisher David Morgan that if judges want to shield juror names from the public, they first have to make specific findings, case by case. Instead, the presumption remains that juror names are not public, but that judges in Arizona  again, on a case-by-case basis  may release the names.

There was no immediate response from Morgan.

A 2007 law says juror names shall not be released unless specifically required by law or order ordered by the court.

A dozen years later, judges in two criminal trials in Cochise County decided to use innominate juries, meaning one where jurors are publicly identified only by number but whose names are provided to the parties.

In both cases, the public was permitted to attend jury selection and the trials. But the judges refused the request by Morgan and Terri Jo Neff, who writes for the Arizona Independent, to disclose the names publicly.

Justice Ann Scott Timmer, writing the 2022 Arizona Supreme Court ruling, said there are potential negative effects of jurors having their names available for publication. She rejected claims that denying the information interferes with the publics ability to ensure trials are conducted fairly.

Anyone can sit in the courtroom during a criminal trial and observe the juror screening process, including voir dire examinations, she said, referring to the part of the process where prospective jurors are questioned by attorneys about their backgrounds and potential biases.

Timmer said they can observe when an attorney challenges a prospective juror for cause, meaning some specific bias or reason.

Accessing jurors names would not significantly add to the publics ability to assure itself that voir dire is fairly conducted or to check the courts in disregarding established standards for jury selection, she said.

Gregg Leslie of the First Amendment Clinic at the Arizona State University College of Law, representing Morgan before the U.S. Supreme Court, told the justices there are prior U.S. Supreme Court rulings that make it clear the publics right to access criminal trials is not limited to simply sitting in the courtroom.

A proper review of this courts prior First Amendment right of access cases demonstrates that access to information is at the heart of the right, Leslie said. The scrutiny that the Arizona Supreme Court recognized as part of the right cannot logically include complete secrecy of the identities of those involved in the process.

But the Arizona Attorney Generals Office argued successfully there were good reasons for the U.S. Supreme Court to stay out of the fray and leave the lower court ruling intact.

Regrettably, tribunals  judges and juries alike  are subject to attack and intimidation by one or the other side of our increasingly polarized and caustic political climate and society in general, wrote Jeffrey Sparks, deputy solicitor general for the Attorney Generals Office.

Sparks said judges know that when they seek the job.

Jurors, however, are compelled upon pain of legal retribution to take on the role, he said.

Arizonas decision to protect jurors both during and after their service services the overarching goal of fairness in criminal proceedings by assuaging trepidatious jurors legitimate fears of the consequences of participation in the public arena, he said.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 28)  Over a million doses of bivalent COVID-19 vaccines donated by the COVAX facility will arrive in the country next month, according to the Department of Health (DOH).

"Lumabas na yung EUA (emergency use authority) nung bivalent vaccines na ido-donate sa atin which is Pfizer coming from COVAX. Nung lumabas na yung EUA na ito, nagtuluy-tuloy na yung negosasyon with COVAX facility and they have committed na in three to four weeks darating na yung mga bakuna natin," DOH officer-in-charge Maria Rosario Vergeire told a media briefing on Tuesday.

[Translation: The EUA for the bivalent vaccines has been released, which will be Pfizer vaccines from COVAX. Negotiations with COVAX continued after the EUA's release, and they committed the doses will arrive in three to four weeks.]

Vergeire said the vaccines  which target both the original coronavirus and the highly contagious Omicron variant and its sub-variants  will be given to those in the priority population, namely medical frontliners and senior citizens.

"Yung ating matatanggap dito sa pauna, these are just 1,002,000 doses coming from COVAX [We will initially receive 1,002,000 doses from COVAX]... We are now prioritizing A1 and A2 population," she said.

The EUA issued by the Food and Drug Administration in December last year stated that there should be a four-month interval in the administration of the vaccine.

"There should be an interval of at least 4-6 months between administration of COVID-19 Vaccine Pfizer Bivalent and the last prior dose of COVID-19 vaccine. COVID-19 Vaccine Pfizer Bivalent is only indicated for individuals who have previously received at least a primary vaccination course against COVID-19," the FDA said.

Vergeire also said the guidelines for the bivalent vaccines have been finalized.

"Meron nang operational guidelines that we have finalized already, kailangan na lang mapirmahan ng mga [The operational guidelines have been finalized already and these just have to be signed by the] execom members for this resolution for us to issue this department memorandum on these operational guidelines so our local governments can prepare already," she said.
Idaho Falls  A lovely lady, Julimae McEligot, 92, of Idaho Falls, Idaho, unexpectedly passed away on 27 July 2022, at Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center from lack of oxygen after deteriorating for about six weeks in local medical facilities. Less than a week earlier she was reading and working on her Sudoku. Julie was strong and stoic- we expected her to live to 105 or so. Julie brought light and joy while having fun everywhere she went and was a continual Pollyanna. Family, friends and acquaintances considered her truly a wonderful and engaging person and among the nicest people one knows. She was the spry, kind, chipper relative who was always so delightful to be around. Julie was born July 12, 1930, in Terre Haute, Indiana, to Aaron Albright and Frances Kadel Albright but grew up with them in Aurora, Illinois. She attended East High School there and graduated in 1948, as one of the top students. Subsequently, she attended Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, New York, on a scholarship and graduated in 1952, majoring in drama and minoring in education. During 1952 to 1957, Julie taught English and drama in high schools. She also served as a stage manager for Hillsdale (Ill.) Summer Theater. En route from Aurora to Boston in the fall of 1956, she met Donald M. McEligot in Schenectady, N.Y., and they were married on July 20, 1957, in Aurora. During 1957-1963 they made their homes in Seattle, Wash., Allston, Mass. and Menlo Park/Stanford, Calif. Son Kim was born in Newton, Mass. in 1958 and daughter Kyle followed there in 1959. In 1961, Julie devoted her "Volkswagen fund" to an Austin Healey 3000 (AH) with a small back seat for her two small children. Then in 1962, son Sean was born in Stanford Hospital. In February 1963, they moved to Tucson via AH across the desert and Julie concentrated on being a successful mother. Julie loved books and was an avid reader. She usually carried a book in her purse for waiting for appointments or standing in bus lines. While in Tucson Julie took advantage of a reduced tuition program for faculty families to study children's literature to help her own children; ultimately she had enough credits to earn her degree of Master of Library Science from the University of Arizona. Later she volunteered as a part-time Librarian at the Pima County Juvenile Court Center. On weekends the family participated with the fledgling Tucson Soaring Club, with the three offspring all so[1]loing in sailplanes (aka gliders) while Julie served as chief of the ground crew following their cross-country distance attempts. Afterwards J+D primarily lived in Newport and Middletown, R. I. and in Idaho Falls, Ida. Meanwhile, for shorter periods, she lived in Golders Green, London, England; Karlsruhe, Gottingen, Stuttgart and Munchen in Germany; Limerick, Ireland; and Tokai-Mura, Japan. With her passing we lost a great person, a great wife and a great mother and grandmother. While we will sadly miss our lovely, delightful Julie, especially her laugh, we will always have wonderful memories of her to keep her cheer and sparkle alive. Julie is survived by her loving husband, Don; younger brother, Prof. John P. Albright, M.D.; offspring, Kim, Kyle and Sean; and five grandsons, Kevin, Chris, Colin, PJ and Jack McEligot.She was preceded in death by her parents and older brother, Prof. James A. Albright, M.D. A celebration of her life will be held in Idaho Falls, Ida. on Saturday, 29 April 2023. In lieu of flowers, Julie would want donations to go to your local food bank or library.
PHOENIX  House Speaker Ben Toma blasted a Chandler lawmaker for inviting someone to present unsubstantiated and defamatory allegations at a legislative hearing last week on elections.

The presenter, without any factual backing, accused the governor, state lawmakers, county supervisors and others of taking bribes from the Sinaloa cartel.

But the president of the Senate said the House is responsible, at least in part, for what happened at the daylong hearing.

The allegations of who is to blame surround the presentations arranged by Republican Rep. Liz Harris, an election denier. She had lined up several witnesses who were supposed to update lawmakers on issues related to the 2020 and 2022 elections.

The hearing featured Scottsdale insurance agent Jacqueline Breger, who was given nearly 45 minutes to accuse dozens of officials and private citizens of taking bribes.

Senate President Warren Petersen, R-Gilbert, said Monday that he had asked that all materials be reviewed by Senate Majority Leader Sonny Borrelli, R-Lake Havasu City, ahead of time.

That was not shared with him and was a surprise to the committee, Petersen said.

I assure you, had he known about the report (Breger planned to present), he would not allow it to be included, Petersen said. It was definitely not the proper venue to make such allegations nor to assess the credibility of such a statement.

Petersen, in washing his hands of responsibility, said, I imagine the House will discuss how to deal with it.

So did he

Toma, for his part, is refusing to take the blame for allowing the hearing to go forward.

So did he, the speaker told Capitol Media Services of Petersens role. We agreed to it collectively.

Toma in turn blamed Harris for bad judgment in inviting Breger to present unsubstantiated and defamatory allegations in a legislative forum.

I think Ms. Harris needs to address this, he said.

Harris did not return several messages seeking comment.

Less clear is whether the speaker will take any action against the first-term lawmaker. He has unilateral ability to remove her from the Committee on Municipal Oversight and Elections.

Well see, Toma said.

Toma is in a difficult political position. He needs the cooperation of every one of the 31 House Republicans to pass the GOP agenda. He did not address whether Harris will be removed from committees or otherwise disciplined.

Democrats sat out hearing

The hearing last week of both the House and Senate elections panels was filled with topics popular with conspiracy theorists. Presentations included the states power over federal elections, foreign and domestic national security threats to the states electoral system, and one titled The county is the first line of defense, not the federal government.

It was obvious to Democrats on the panel that this was not meant to be a fact-finding mission, so they refused to attend.

Our constituents did not send us to the Capitol to defame our elections officials, cast doubt on the security of our elections, or mislead the public, the three Senate Democrats said in a video statement. House Democrats later followed suit.

That left only Republicans to hear the testimony.

Bregers testimony stood out when she said the governor, several Maricopa County supervisors, 12 Maricopa County Superior Court judges and Mesa Mayor John Giles all had taken bribes that came in the form of money laundered through a scam involving real estate deeds.

She also presented documents to the committee that listed others  including Toma  as guilty of corruption.

The closest she came to citing a source was a reference to a forthcoming book by John Thaler, who has been cited by My Pillow executive and Donald Trump follower Mike Lindell as being a forensic investigator. Thaler has claimed to have reviewed 120,000 documents to back his claims of extensive fraud.

He was caught off guard

Senate also leaders failed to stop Bregers presentation.

Borrelli was, in fact, at the Thursday hearing. But Petersen said he is not to blame for failing to halt the testimony at any point during its 45-plus minutes.

He was caught off guard, Petersen said.

At the end of Bregers presentation, Sen. Wendy Rogers, R-Flagstaff, who chairs the Senate Committee on Elections, called her brave for her testimony, though she said the witness should stay on the topic of elections.

By Sunday, however, Rogers was distancing herself from the whole thing  and from Harris and Breger in particular.

To our knowledge, none of the people named had charges filed, have proceedings pending, nor had any convictions made against them, she said in a press release.

But Rogers also made it clear she was not saying the unsubstantiated claims that Breger presented were unfounded. She said its just not the job of lawmakers to reach such a conclusion.

If any of the allegations presented are in fact true and theres evidence to support these claims, the Legislature most certainly is not the proper authority to pursue charges, Rogers said.

Any claims as serious as those presented to us should have been immediately turned in to Arizona law enforcement officials and not brought before the Legislature, she said. This was not the appropriate venue to discuss what could potentially be criminal activity.

The only one to actually say something during the hearing was Sen. Ken Bennett, R-Prescott, who said, this is not the appropriate place for such claims.

Thursdays hearing came less than 24 hours after Democratic Attorney General Kris Mayes released various internal documents from her office showing that her Republican predecessor, Mark Brnovich, found no evidence of widespread fraud in the 2020 election.
A long-running soup kitchen in South Tucson has branched out into the housing market.

Casa Maria recently bought the El Camino Motel, 297 E. Benson Highway, with plans to operate it as an affordable housing complex.

The 20 units will be rented monthly to people earning less than 80% of the area median income, for between $600 and $700 a month, which will include utilities, said Roxanna Valenzuela, a community organizer for Casa Maria.

The average household income in South Tucson is about $36,000, according to data from the U.S. Census.

In 2020, Casa Maria recognized that the economic disruptions caused by the pandemic were likely to increase rental prices, Valenzuela said. In that year, we embarked on a strategic plan to purchase residential properties and remove them from the speculative real estate market (and) rent these units to low-income families, prioritizing those with historic connections to South Tucson.

Casa Maria had previously bought single-family homes and duplexes in the area to keep them affordable.

The El Camino presented an opportunity to accelerate these efforts, Valenzuela said. Its walking distance to the VA Hospital, a social security office, several non-VA medical clinics, a grocery store, and other social service agencies.

The nonprofit hopes to raise $400,000 to add kitchenettes to all units.

Michele Ream, with Central Realty, handled the $850,000 sale of the motel which was built in the 1940s.

Most existing residents were renting by the week or day and were very nervous when they learned it was for sale.

The motel was either going to get bulldozed or become more upscale and all of the folks there would be removed, Ream said. When they heard Casa Maria bought it, they were so relived...on the verge of tears.

Valenzuela said Casa Maria hopes to acquire more South Tucson motels in the future.

Other recent commercial transactions include:

Tucson-based Holualoa Cos. and LaPour Partners had a record-setting sale in Phoenix. The 160-room AC Hotel Phoenix Biltmore by Marriott, 2811 E. Camelback Road, sold for $67.8 million  $423,750 per room. The five-story hotel opened in 2018 and was bought by Nella Invest. Melvin Chu, John Strauss and Ben Geelan, with JLL Hotels & Hospitality, represented the seller.

Nido 2 LLC bought the seven-unit University Casitas at 1409-1429 E. Drachman St. for $1.7 million. Allan Mendelsberg and Joey Martinez, with Picor, handled the sale.

Mark Longhi Jr. and Anthony Longhi bought the former Family Dollar building at 3035 E. 36th St. for $400,000. Gordon Wagner, with NAI Horizon, represented the seller and Mark Longhi Sr., with Coldwell Banker, represented the buyers.
The Food and Drug Administration has flagged Guillain-Barre syndrome, a rare neurological condition, as a potential risk for Pfizers respiratory syncytial virus vaccine.

Two people in their 60s who received the shot were diagnosed with Guillain-Barre syndrome, out of about 20,000 vaccine recipients who participated in Pfizers Phase 3 clinical trial, according to the FDA document. One persons illness had completely resolved after three months, while the other continues to show signs of improvement six months later.

There were no cases in the trials placebo group or among those who did not receive the shot.

Guillain-Barre syndrome, or inflammatory neuropathy, is a disorder in which the bodys immune system mistakenly attacks the nerves. Symptoms can range from bursts of weakness to paralysis, according to the National Institutes of Health. It causes anywhere from 6,000 to 10,000 deaths a year among seniors, though mortality rates tend to vary from season to season.

However, most people recover, even from the most severe cases.

Given the temporal association and biological plausibility, FDA agrees with the assessments of the investigators that these events were possibly related to [the] study vaccine, said the FDA. Therefore, [Guillain-Barre] is being considered an important potential risk.

Pfizer, in its briefing document, said the cases have other possible explanations, adding that its shot is a well-tolerated and safe vaccine, with a benefit-to-risk ratio that is favorable. The New York-based pharmaceutical company also agreed to conduct a safety study to further assess potential risks of Guillain-Barre syndrome should the vaccine be approved.

The FDA documents were released ahead of a meeting next week of its independent vaccine advisers, the Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee. On Tuesday, they will vote on whether Pfizers efficacy and safety data warrants an FDA approval.

Pfizers vaccine was 85% effective at preventing the lower respiratory tract illness for which it was designed.

So far, no approved RSV vaccine exists.
BAGHDAD  Almost 20 years after the overthrow of Saddam Hussein by U.S.-led forces, Iraqi President Abdul Latif Rashid wants the world to know his country now is at peace, democratic and intent on rebuilding economic life while maintaining a government that serves the whole country and the region.

Rashid told The Associated Press on Sunday that after overcoming the hardships of the past two decades, Iraq is ready to focus on improving everyday life for its people.

Those hardships included years of resistance to foreign troops, violence between Sunnis and Shiites, and attacks by Islamic State group extremists who once controlled large areas, including Iraq's second-largest city, Mosul.

"Peace and security is all over the country, and I would be very glad if you will report that and emphasize on that, instead of giving a picture of Iraq  still (as) a war zone, which a lot of media still do," Rashid said.

While Iraq's major fighting has ended, there have been some recent outbreaks of violence  including on the day of Rashid's election, which came after a yearlong stalemate following the October 2021 election. Ahead of the vote, at least nine rockets targeted Iraq's Parliament inside Baghdad's fortified Green Zone.

After Rashid's election, he nominated Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, who formed a government with the backing of a coalition of Iran-backed parties and with promises of improving security and public services.

Despite its oil wealth, Iraq's infrastructure remains weak. Private generators fill in for the hours of daily state electricity cuts. Long-promised public transportation projects, including a Baghdad metro, have not come to fruition.

Rashid said this is due to damage as "a result of conflicts and as a result of terror, as a result of a number of years living at war."

Government critics say the sputtering electricity supply is also a result of endemic corruption, rooted in the country's sectarian power-sharing system that allows political elites to use patronage networks to consolidate power.

Rashid, who spoke at his presidential quarters in Saddam's former palace, also asserted that most Iraqis believe the 2003 invasion of Saddam-ruled Iraq by the United States and its allies was necessary because of the former dictator's brutality.

He said he believes most Iraqis, "including all sections of the society, the Kurds, the Sunni, the Christian, the Shiites, they were all against" Saddam and appreciate that the U.S. and its allies came to "save" Iraq.

"Obviously certain things did not work out as we hoped. Nobody expected Daesh (the Islamic State group) and nobody expected car bombs," he said. "It should have been controlled right from the beginning. It should have been studied and planned out right from the beginning. I think the myth was that once Saddam is removed, Iraq becomes heaven."

The reality proved more difficult, he said, but it hasn't weakened Iraq's commitment to democracy.

"Even if you have conflicts and if we have arguments, it's much better to have a freedom and democracy rather than a dictatorship," he said.

However, mass anti-government demonstrations that kicked off in late 2019 were often put down by force. Security forces and state-backed armed groups killed hundreds of protesters.

Rashid acknowledged there are still conflicts, but urged Iraqis, particularly the younger generation, to be patient and have faith in the future. "We don't have much choice but to live together  and let our democratic election take place to represent our values," said Rashid, a veteran Kurdish politician and former water minister after Saddam's ouster.

Rashid assumed the presidency in October. Under Iraq's unofficial power-sharing arrangement, the country's president is always a Kurd, the prime minister a Shiite and the parliament speaker a Sunni.

Rashid's job entails helping to maintain a delicate balance among Iraq's various centers of political power and even-keel relations with both the U.S. and Iran, the government's two key  and often opposing  international backers.

The balancing act is reflected in a monument near Baghdad airport. It extolls Iran's Revolutionary Guard commander Qassem Soleimani, who was targeted and killed in a 2020 U.S. airstrike.

Improving relations with neighbors including Iran, Syria, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Jordan is a source of strength for Iraq, Rashid said. He noted with pride that Iraq hosted a Mideast meeting of senior Arab lawmakers on Saturday.

Rashid also promised to take a hard line on corruption.

In October, reports emerged that a network of businesses and officials from the country's tax authority embezzled more than $2.5 billion in Iraqi government revenue.

In recent months, amid allegations of widespread money laundering used to smuggle dollars to U.S.-sanctioned Iran and Syria, the U.S. has taken measures to tighten Iraq's dollar supply, putting pressure on the currency.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 28)  The House of Representatives by voice vote on Tuesday approved on second reading Resolution of Both Houses No. 6, which calls for a constitutional convention in pursuing charter change.

The constitutional convention, which will have over 300 delegates, will draft amendments to the 1987 Constitution.

Most of the delegates would come from each of the 253 legislative districts and to be elected simultaneous with the Oct. 30 barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections.

Meanwhile, 20% of the total number of delegates would be chosen jointly by House Speaker Martin Romualdez and Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri from identified sectors.

The bill also proposes an allowance of 10,000 for each day a delegate attends the convention. Separate provisions would be given for transportation and lodging.

The delegates terms shall be seven months and thirteen days, from Nov. 21, 2023 until June 30, 2024.
The Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic presented by Toyota is returning to Tulsa.

After successfully hosting the event in 2013 and 2016, the top bass fishing tournament in the world, considered the Super Bowl of bass fishing, will be back in northeastern Oklahoma in 2024, with the fishing taking place at Grand Lake in Grove and with the BOK Center in downtown Tulsa serving as the tournaments headquarters.

Fish weigh-ins will take place at the BOK Center, and the Cox Business Convention Center will house the Classic Outdoors Expo, which often showcases new products and technology in fishing and outdoors recreation. The tournament will take place March 22-24, 2024.

On hand to make the announcement at the BOK Center on Tuesday morning was Chase Anderson, CEO of B.A.S.S.  the Bass Anglers Sportsman Society  along with Lt. Gov. Matt Pinnell and Tulsa Mayor G.T. Bynum.

We are thrilled to be coming back here, Anderson said. The Bassmaster Classic is referred to as the Super Bowl of bass fishing and the premier event of our sport, what we like to call a celebration of the industry. There really is nothing that compares. We expect gigantic attendance.

Also on hand at the press conference were three top anglers from Oklahoma, including defending Bassmaster Classic champion Jason Christie, who finished second at the 2016 Classic here, as well as Bradley Hallman and pro tour rookie John Soukup.

Additionally, Renee McKenney, senior vice president of the Tulsa Regional Chamber and president of Tulsa Regional Tourism; and Bryan Crowe, vice president and general manager of the BOK Center and Cox Business Convention Center, were also there for the announcement.

The various entities have been working on bringing the Bassmaster Classic back to the Tulsa area for about a year.

This is a big, big deal for the state of Oklahoma, Pinnell said. It is a wonderful opportunity to showcase our state as a fishing and outdoor recreation destination. We have more than 200 lakes in the state of Oklahoma, over 1 million surface acres of water. We have more manmade lakes than any other state in the country, which is a really big deal, which means our fishing selection is arguably the most diverse in the country. Our states waters are home to over 175 fish species.

Oklahoma is a top-five state in new fishing licenses sold, so in this very competitive environment that we have in America today, when it comes to fishing, Oklahoma is a top-five state, which were very proud of. Nationwide, the demand for outdoor recreation is at an all-time high, and as one of the most diverse states in the nation, Oklahoma is a perfect place to explore the outdoors.

McKenney indicated that the tournaments economic impact for the area will be significant.

This event is going to bring tens of thousands of visitors to our region, she said. Many of those visitors will be coming to Tulsa and northeast Oklahoma for the very first time, and this is an excellent opportunity to really give them a taste of what the reimagined Tulsa is all about.

Our region boasts the perfect blend of pristine outdoor activities, conveniently coupled with all of our citys attractions within minutes. Not only will this bring thousands of new Tulsa fans and their spending money, but it will also be showcasing our city to millions around the world.

Bynum pointed out that Tulsa has changed quite a bit since the last time the Bassmaster Classic was here, and he said hes excited to have the fishing world experience it.

You think about the last time, in 2016, when over 100,000 people came to this event  to my two favorite places in the whole world, Tulsa and Grand Lake  so obviously we have to do better than that this time, Bynum said.

You think about all the folks who might be coming back, not just the first-timers, and how much this city has transformed since 2016. Last time Bassmaster was here, the Gathering Place didnt exist. There was no Bob Dylan Center; there was no Childrens Museum down on the river; we didnt have the new pedestrian bridge or a lake in the Arkansas River or a USA BMX Arena right over here.

Anderson said that the entire fishing industry will be here for the event.

From an exposure standpoint, the Bassmaster Classic will not only be recognized here in this area, but it will be noticed around the world, he continued. Bassmaster.com will have about a million visitors to the site that week of the Bassmaster Classic, and we have a new media partnership since 2016 with Fox Sports. And Fox broadcast, the main Fox network, will air six hours of the Bassmaster Classic live, obviously bringing a lot of attention to the local area.

One reason why were back  the facilities here are really second to none. The afternoon weigh-ins will be at the BOK Center; we expect 10-15,000 people in attendance for that event. And then fishings largest consumer expo happens during the day while the anglers are competing on the water.

Two hundred and twenty vendors will be at the Classic this year. Well be using up most if not all of the Cox Business Centers facilities. Both of those things right downtown we believe will overtake the downtown area with fans. Were just so thrilled to be back.

The Bassmaster Classic this year will be March 24-26 in Knoxville, Tennessee.

Christie, the defending Bassmaster champion after winning last year on Lake Hartwell, South Carolina, noted that as a local fisherman who knows the lake very well, he might have a bit of an advantage, but he also acknowledges that there will be some pressure knowing that a lot of people in the area will be watching him as the local guy.

I live here. I actually grew up fishing Grand Lake. I probably logged more hours on Grand Lake than any other lake in the country, said Christie, who currently lives on Lake Tenkiller. It gives you some advantage, but it also gives you some pressure.

Being from the area, youre going to have a lot of people following you, watching you. But honestly, I kind of enjoy that. It puts you on a stage, and it gives you the opportunity to set yourself apart, and you just want to perform when youre given that platform.

To qualify for the Bassmaster Classic, which is the premier tournament of the B.A.S.S. professional tour, the anglers either have to win the previous year or finish within the top 55 fishermen during the season on the Bassmaster Elite Series pro tour, so Christie also feels some pressure to make sure hes able to compete next year.

It puts a lot of pressure on me and the other guys (from Oklahoma) because we have to qualify to get into that event, said Christie, who placed seventh in the 2013 tournament here. Im an automatic qualifier for the Classic that we have in a couple of weeks because I won last year, but either I have to win the Classic (this year) or I have to be in the top of the points to be able to qualify for the 2024 tournament.

Christie also believes that Grand Lake is great place to hold the competition because it presents a lot of options to the anglers.

The lake is very diverse. It changes every year based on rain or water levels or stuff like that, he said. Its big. Its just a great lake for a Classic because it lets everybody do what they want to do. Sometimes we go to places where youre kind of limited in things that you can do fishing, but Grand Lake is diverse. Youll have guys fishing deep; youll have guys fishing shallow. It will be wide open.

If I remember right, both Classics that we had here were super-cold, the water temperature. I remember in 16, the first cast I made in practice, the water was 42 (degrees Fahrenheit). Im thinking that later March, were going to be closer to 50 degrees, and youre going to see weights go from 18-20  what it was in years past  to 20-25. Youre going to see a little bit bigger weights.

Late March/early April is my favorite time to be on the lake, just because the weights are bigger. We dont know what the water level, water clarity is going to be yet, but the good thing about Grand is that its so big, theres so many creek arms, theres always somewhere good to fish.

For Soukup, a fishing pro tour rookie, having the Bassmaster Classic back almost brings his life full-circle. Born and raised in Tulsa, Soukup used to work as a tile setter, and he was part of the crew that set the tile when the BOK Center was built in 2010. He also remembers attending both the 2013 and 2016 tournaments as a fan.

Theres a little bit of parts and pieces of my life involved in this. Id rather be fishing than laying tile, Soukup said. My whole life dream was to be a professional fisherman. My first word was fish.

Fishing is central to the Tulsa area as far as an outdoorsman, so to have an opportunity to fish my first Bassmaster Classic in my hometown, theres a lot of nostalgia involved in it, or opportunity. Actually, the first Bassmaster Classic that I ever watched myself was the 2013 one.

Grand Lake is one of the best lakes in the United States, and at times, it really shines, and at that time of year is a great time of year to be a bass fisherman  on Grand Lake in that March time period. There will be a lot of fish caught. There will be a lot of fans excited.

February 2016 video: Grand Lake conditions checked before Bassmaster Classic

Throwback Tulsa: The 2013 Bassmaster Classic The 2013 Bassmaster Classic The 2013 Bassmaster Classic The 2013 Bassmaster Classic The 2013 Bassmaster Classic The 2013 Bassmaster Classic The 2013 Bassmaster Classic The 2013 Bassmaster Classic The 2013 Bassmaster Classic The 2013 Bassmaster Classic The 2013 Bassmaster Classic The 2013 Bassmaster Classic The 2013 Bassmaster Classic The 2013 Bassmaster Classic The 2013 Bassmaster Classic The 2013 Bassmaster Classic The 2013 Bassmaster Classic Check out our latest digital-only offer and subscribe now HIDE VERTICAL GALLERY ASSET TITLES
Despite meeting for more than four hours and hearing pleas for representation from multiple people during the public comment period, Tulsa Public Schools Board of Education could not reach a consensus Monday night on an appointee to the vacant District 2 seat.

I dont know about all of you, but I am sick of hearing about this seat, board candidate Sharita Pratt said. I am sick of hearing that it isnt filled and that it is sitting there empty. District 2 deserves to have a voice.

As worded, the recommendation on Monday nights agenda allowed the board to appoint any of the candidates who were interviewed for the position in January. Along with previously named finalists Quinton Brown and Pratt, the board also interviewed Orion Banos Moguel, Diamond Marshall and Jasmine Stewart.

Separate motions to appoint Marshall and Stewart to the vacant seat each resulted in a 3-3 tie, with board members ELena Ashley, Jerry Griffin and Jennettie Marshall voting no each time.

A motion to appoint Pratt died from a lack of a second.

My problem is that they (the candidates) all made compelling arguments, Griffin said. It is unfair for me to substitute my judgment for that of the voters of District 2.

Similar to Griffin, Jennettie Marshall made a point to say that she did not have any objections to the candidates themselves but instead to the process followed by the board, referring to it as tainted. Her attempt to make a motion to reopen the application process was unsuccessful.

The District 2 seat has been vacant since Jan. 23, when former board member Judith Barba Perezs resignation took effect. Under state law, the board has up to 60 days from that date to appoint a successor to serve until the 2024 election cycle, thus putting the deadline at March 24. Failing that, a special election could be called to fill the seat.

However, TPS attorney Jana Burk informed the board during the meeting Monday night that the earliest such an election could be held is June 13, with a runoff in September if no one candidate received a majority of the votes cast  a prospect that drew groans and quiet protests from pockets of the standing room-only crowd.

After Monday nights meeting, President Stacey Woolley said a special meeting would be called as soon as possible to determine the boards next steps to fill the vacancy, including potentially allowing previous candidates who had withdrawn from consideration to put their names back in the running.

The boards next regular meeting is scheduled for next Monday. However, Woolley said she was prepared to schedule a special meeting every day if necessary in order to resolve the situation.

Every single one of us, myself included, need to go home and think about what we can do to best serve our students and come back tomorrow with that attitude of service, she said.

Notifications went out Tuesday afternoon for a special meetings scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Thursday and Friday, plus 10 a.m. Saturday.

In addition to not being able to reach a consensus on how to fill the vacant seat, the board also was not able to pass specific line items in the staffing report portion of the consent agenda.

At a previous meeting, board members questioned the legality of going line-by-line through the report. After being advised that such a move was legally acceptable, Griffin, Ashley and Jennettie Marshall voted against several individual employee moves due to questions about whether the district could legally pay employees retroactively for tasks performed as part of a new position before the title change was approved by the board.

If we dont have something in writing telling us that we can vote for retroactive pay, I wont do it, Jennettie Marshall said in explanation Monday night. Id rather be safe than sorry.

The board was able to reach a consensus Monday night on four action agenda items, including the expansion of an east Tulsa charter school authorized by Tulsa Public Schools.

Drawing huge cheers and applause from a contingent of orange-clad supporters, the board voted 6-0 to allow College Bound Academy to add prekindergarten to its campus at 2525 S. 101st East Ave. and also to operate the facility currently used by Collegiate Hall, the former Wright Elementary School building at 1110 E. 45th Place.

The grade offerings at Collegiate Halls campus will remain unchanged, and Collegiate Hall will relinquish its charter by July 1. Had the board not approved the partnership, Collegiate Hall would have closed completely and its students would have had to find another school for the 2023-24 school year.

The Tulsa school board voted in October 2021 to renew Collegiate Halls charter through the 2023-24 school year contingent upon additional requirements being met, including conducting quarterly assessments on the schools financial status and ending fiscal years 2022 and 2023 with a positive fund balance.

However, since then, the schools board and TPS officials have concluded that Collegiate Hall would not be able to remain in compliance with those terms by the end of the school year.

Although Im generally not in favor of expanding charter schools, in this case I am, as it is a chance to provide solid footing for Collegiate Hall and help the families that have chosen those schools, board member John Croisant said.

Expressing relief and gratitude at the board vote, College Bound Academy Director of External Affairs Thomas Golden said after Monday nights meeting that the transition efforts will start Tuesday in preparation for the 2023-24 school year, including reaching out to staff and families at both campuses to let them know the proposed expansion is indeed happening.

We know things are contentious with the board right now, he said. We were certainly nervous about whether this would go through.

By a 5-1 count on each, the board also approved agreements with Northeastern State University and the University of Oklahoma to allow graduate students pursuing degrees in school counseling and social work to get clinical experience on TPS campuses while working under the supervision of current TPS employees.

Claiming that the district has unqualified counselors across multiple campuses who would not be able to properly supervise the graduate students, Ashley cast the lone no vote on both items.

The board also approved a grant-funded $750,000 addendum to a previously approved agreement with a staffing agency to help fill support staff vacancies, with Marshall casting the lone no vote.
Related New AG finds no legal justification for state sponsorship of Catholic online charter school

Gov. Kevin Stitt has come out publicly against a position of newly elected Attorney General Gentner Drummond for the first time over a proposal for state sponsorship of a Catholic online charter school.

On Monday evening, Stitts office publicized a letter he reportedly had sent to Drummond in strong disagreement with Drummonds legal position on Oklahoma Catholic leaders attempt to get taxpayer funding and state sanctioning for what would be the nations first religious charter school.

The four-page letter signed by Stitt consists largely of legal arguments for his continued agreement with former Attorney General John OConnor, whom Stitt appointed and whom Drummond defeated in last years Republican primary.

I have previously expressed my strong agreement with Attorney General OConnors conclusion that prohibitions on religious charter schools are unconstitutional. These prohibitions run afoul of the non-discrimination principle articulated by the U.S. Supreme Court in recent cases, the letter to Drummond, dated Monday, states.

Last Tuesday, Stitts official daily schedule, which is shared with the media most weekdays, showed a morning meeting with Oklahoma City Archbishop Paul Coakley and Tulsa Bishop David Konderla.

On Thursday, Drummond withdrew OConnors December advisory legal opinion and cautioned the Statewide Virtual Charter School Board against sponsoring St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School, which the Catholic Church in Oklahoma wants to open to serve students in towns without Catholic schools and to expand online course offerings to students in existing Catholic schools.

Asked whether Drummond had a response Tuesday, his office said: Attorney General Drummond continues to support religious liberty and protect taxpayers from being forced to fund religious charter schools.

The matter could be decided by the virtual charter school board at its next meeting in March.

The Archdiocese of Oklahoma City and the Diocese of Tulsa worked with attorneys at the Notre Dame Law School Religious Liberty Clinic for 18 months on the St. Isidore application, which Catholic officials have acknowledged is a test case that is bound for litigation no matter the boards decision.

OConnors nonbinding advisory position, which Stitt praised upon its release in December, is that the states 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.

Drummond formally withdrew OConnors opinion, stating that in the first place, the request for it did not not meet the AG Offices stated standards for such legal advice 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.

He also argued that OConnors advice was based on legal precedent involving private schools, not public schools, and that 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 to use religious liberty to justify state-funded religion.

Americans United for Separation of Church and State has already publicly urged the Oklahoma Statewide Virtual Charter School Board to disregard OConnors advice, which it branded incorrect.

Other groups that advocate for the separation of church and state are likely to be following the development of the St. Isidore charter application, too.
OKLAHOMA CITY  A multibillion-dollar company will decide Friday whether it will expand its operations to the MidAmerica Industrial Park in Pryor, a key state lawmaker said.

Lawmakers on Monday took steps to update an economic development incentive package that would be offered to the unnamed company that reportedly is Volkswagen.

A company that is looking to build a new battery plant is close to deciding whether its new facility will be located in Oklahoma or Canada.

With the clock ticking, a joint legislative budget committee gave approval to legislation that would reduce from 4,000 to 3,500 the number of jobs the company must create within four years in order to be eligible for incentives through the states LEAD Act. Senate Bill 1176 also would return the $698 million in economic development incentives to the states general revenue fund if the business doesnt make a binding commitment by April 15.

Last year, lawmakers created the LEAD  for Large-scale Economic Activity and Development  Act and prefunded the new economic development incentive as the state was trying to lure Panasonic to build an electric vehicle battery plant in Pryor. The law currently requires that a company invest at least $3.6 billion and create 4,000 new jobs within four years to be eligible for the incentives.

Without naming the company, Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Roger Thompson, R-Okemah, said he expects that Project Connect  the codename for the possible deal  could result in 7,000 new jobs and a more-than $5 billion capital investment. Lawmakers are seeking to lower the employment requirements because the companys officials thought it might not hit 4,000 employees within the first few years, although they expect to hit that hiring mark eventually, Thompson said.

I think well bring a great deal of economic revenue to the state of Oklahoma, he said.

Average pay for the jobs will be $75,000 annually, about $20,000 more than the jobs projected for the Panasonic battery plant, said House Appropriations Committee Chairman Kevin Wallace, R-Wellston.

Legislative leaders are expected to fast track the legislation this week, and company leaders are expected to make a decision Friday, with a formal announcement coming the second week of March.

The mid-April clawback deadline for the financial incentives gives the company some wiggle room, Wallace said. He said the legislation puts Oklahoma in a strong position to land the company.

If the state closes the deal, the Legislature could be asked for additional funding for the project later. The company is asking that $245 million in site work be completed at the industrial park. A portion of that funding may have to come from state coffers. Wallace said state leaders and Department of Commerce representatives signed a letter vowing to help the company with its additional requests.

Gov. Kevin Stitt said Friday that Oklahoma is really, really close to landing the deal, but he noted his disappointment that the project had become ensnared in politics. He did not go into details when pressed about the politics that were occurring.

Project Connect would transform Oklahomas entire economy and benefit all 77 counties, Stitt spokeswoman Carly Atchison said Monday. The only loser in the deal would be Canada.

In the House committee hearing, Wallace and House Majority Floor Leader Jon Echols, R-Oklahoma City, agreed that if the state lands the deal, the Legislature should put a renewed emphasis on trying to retain and grow some of Oklahomas existing large employers.

SB 1176 passed the joint legislative committee with a lone no vote from Rep. Gerrid Kendrix, R-Altus.

Online news outlet The Frontier was the first to report that Volkswagen, a German automaker, is the company in question.

Correction: This story originally misidentified the cost of additional site work needed at the industrial park. The story has been updated.

June 2021 video: Electric car maker is coming to Pryor's MidAmerica Industrial Park
OKLAHOMA CITY  A joint legislative panel passed a bill Monday that would give the Oklahoma State Election Board additional money to conduct the March 7 special election on recreational marijuana.

Meanwhile, a House panel advanced two similar but conflicting bills dealing with election dates.

Voters will go to the polls next week to vote on State Question 820, which asks them whether they want to legalize recreational marijuana in the state. Supporters gathered enough signatures to get the question on the ballot.

State voters legalized medical marijuana through a 2018 state question.

Gov. Kevin Stitt scheduled the special election for March 7. Supporters had hoped to get it on the Nov. 8 general election ballot.

Holding a statewide special election will cost the state more than a million dollars.

Senate Bill 1154 would give the Oklahoma State Election Board an additional $850,000 and allow it to spend more than $300,000 in unspent money from last year's allocations to pay the costs of holding the election.

It is what a statewide costs, whether it is a special or regular statewide election, said Election Board Secretary Paul Ziriax. It is generally always in that ballpark. It has been a long time since we have had a statewide special election.

SB 1154 passed the Joint Committee on Appropriations and Budget on Monday, and Ziriax said he was pleased that the Oklahoma Legislature was moving quickly on the necessary supplemental appropriation.

Supporters say SQ 820 would safely legalize, regulate and tax recreational marijuana for adults age 21 and older. Supporters say its passage would provide revenue to schools, health care organizations and local governments.

The question also would allow for expungement of low-level marijuana criminal records.

The Oklahoma Republican Party Central Committee is asking voters to oppose State Question 820.

In a Monday letter to state committee members, the Oklahoma GOP leaders said: First, SQ 820 would bind the hands of schools, communities and property owners by restricting fines for smoking marijuana in public and further mandates that landlords must allow tenants to use marijuana  which remains illegal under federal law  on the landlords property.

The letter also notes that the measure would not allow evidence of marijuana use or court restriction of marijuana use in child-custody cases.

In unrelated action, the House Elections Committee advanced two bills dealing with election dates, but only after the intervention of Speaker Pro Tem Kyle Hilbert, R-Bristow.

HB 2685, by Rep. Neil Hays, R-Checotah, would limit the dates on which municipalities and other political subdivisions could hold regular elections in odd-numbered years to the second Tuesday in August and the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November. It would eliminate December elections and reserve other dates for special elections called by the governor.

HB 1823, by Rep. Sherrie Conley, R-Newcastle, would move municipal, school board and certain other general elections to June and November of odd-numbered years.

Both bills would seem to conflict with most city charters, including Tulsa's, and change all or most municipal elections. The Oklahoma Municipal League, which represents most state cities and towns, opposes both measures.

HB 2685 originally failed on a 4-4 tie, but Hilbert joined the meeting as an ex-officio member during presentation of HB 1823, which passed 6-3 with his help. HB 2685 then passed 5-4 on reconsideration, with Hilbert breaking the tie.

The bills apparently have the backing of at least some county Republican parties that believe changing school board election dates will increase conservative turnout.

Both bills are now eligible to be heard by the full House.

Featured video: Gov. Kevin Stitt on why he thinks recreational marijuana is 'a bad idea'

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Vietnam's electric vehicle (EV) maker VinFast announced on Monday that it would start the delivery of its first VF 8 City Edition vehicles to U.S. customers on March 1 (or March 2 in Vietnam). The delivery event will be held at the VinFast store in California. These cars are part of the batch of 999 City Edition vehicles shipped to the U.S. in December last year. The VF 8 City Edition comes in both Eco and Plus trimmed with an EPA-rated range of 207 miles (333 kilometers) and 191 miles (307 kilometers), respectively, the company said. VinFast also announced that it will repeatedly hold test-drive events across California so its customers can experience the EVs. Le Thi Thu Thuy, chairwoman of VinFast, said the firm had worked tirelessly to offer the best possible EVs to customers. The presence of VinFasts electric cars on U.S. streets in the coming days is an important milestone, initiating VinFasts journey to compete in the international market," Thuy added. Following the delivery in the U.S., VinFasts EVs are expected to run on streets in Canada, France, Germany, and the Netherlands. She said that the main insurance firms in the U.S. have confirmed they will provide vehicle insurance for VinFast EVs. The company will also offer a 10-year warranty for its vehicles and batteries, mobile repair services, and around-the-clock roadside assistance. The VF 8 City Edition includes many advanced technological features, including Advanced Driver Assistance System and Smart Services, and will be updated regularly over-the-air (FOTA) to improve vehicle functionality and customer experience. VinFast, an arm of Vietnam's largest private conglomerate VinGroup, was established in 2017. It owns a smart car manufacturing factory in Hai Phong City, northern Vietnam with an automation rate of 90 percent, Lao Dong (Labor) newspaper reported. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!

Vietnam's electric vehicle (EV) maker VinFast announced on Monday that it would start the delivery of its first VF 8 City Edition vehicles to U.S. customers on March 1 (or March 2 in Vietnam).

The delivery event will be held at the VinFast store in California.

These cars are part of the batch of 999 City Edition vehicles shipped to the U.S. in December last year.

The VF 8 City Edition comes in both Eco and Plus trimmed with an EPA-rated range of 207 miles (333 kilometers) and 191 miles (307 kilometers), respectively, the company said.

VinFast also announced that it will repeatedly hold test-drive events across California so its customers can experience the EVs.

Le Thi Thu Thuy, chairwoman of VinFast, said the firm had worked tirelessly to offer the best possible EVs to customers.

The presence of VinFasts electric cars on U.S. streets in the coming days is an important milestone, initiating VinFasts journey to compete in the international market," Thuy added.

Following the delivery in the U.S., VinFasts EVs are expected to run on streets in Canada, France, Germany, and the Netherlands.

She said that the main insurance firms in the U.S. have confirmed they will provide vehicle insurance for VinFast EVs.

The company will also offer a 10-year warranty for its vehicles and batteries, mobile repair services, and around-the-clock roadside assistance.

The VF 8 City Edition includes many advanced technological features, including Advanced Driver Assistance System and Smart Services, and will be updated regularly over-the-air (FOTA) to improve vehicle functionality and customer experience.

VinFast, an arm of Vietnam's largest private conglomerate VinGroup, was established in 2017.

It owns a smart car manufacturing factory in Hai Phong City, northern Vietnam with an automation rate of 90 percent, Lao Dong (Labor) newspaper reported.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!
Dr. Lyndal Hugo, co-founder of Orlar, a Vietnam-based women-led company, dreams of serving Vietnamese families with clean, fresh, and nutritious food from her organic farms in the Southeast Asian country. Different from other indoor farming models, her new vertical farms use a special stone that holds the key to what was designed as Hugos dream to provide more affordable quality vegetables for every family. No rosy path to success Hugo has a background in agroscience, a Sydney University PhD in environmental chemistry, and a post-doctoral fellowship on pesticide residues in Southeast Asian food chains. When working on environmental accounting for big mining and agriculture companies in Australia and China, she encountered a particular rock. As it is Orlars technology secret, it is called Orlarock. Orlarock is used to replace soil in the vertical systems, which are called 'pods.' Lyndal Hugo (left) and Amanda Cornelissen are seen in a photo at their high-technology farm in Lac Duong District, Lam Dong Province, Vietnam. Photo: Orlar With a secret method of treatment, the 'Orlarock' can capture all the added nutrients, resist disease, avoid crushing in vertical arrangements, and retain the optimal amount of water, thus resulting in proper growth without disease. Orlarock allows the companys products to be free from the contaminants often found in local soil. Along with the water-holding and thermal insulation of the rock in the pods, these rocks become a home for trillions of microbes, which are beneficial. Orlarock can be reused indefinitely, crop after crop, which makes the technology utterly economical. With belief in the potential of Orlarock and after testing in the lab and field, Hugo and her wife, Amanda Cornelissen, began their operations in Vietnam in 2017. Combining Cornelissens experience as a horticulturist with Hugos ideas, the two aimed to produce the cleanest, freshest, most nutritious food while creating clean, safe jobs for low-income local and ethnic-minority people. Harvesting bok-choi at an Orlar farm in Lac Duong District, Lam Dong Province, Vietnam. Photo: Hong Van / Tuoi Tre We sold our house and invested our savings in putting together a team of foreigners and locals to build our first pilot facility in Ho Chi Minh City," Hugo recalled. Back then, little did we know the journey we were about to embark upon. It was US$600 for two one-way tickets home back then. But for years, we never had more than that in the bank ... "We lived in a tin shed with dirt floors, tipping a bucket over our heads for a shower. After overcoming numerous challenges, including the COVID-19 lockdown in 2021, government grants were awarded for the technology Hugo discovered, including a 350,000 ($369,000) grant together with an SNV technical assistance package the Dutch Fund for Climate Development's Origination Facility Investment Committee approved for Orlar Vietnam on December 14, 2020. To serve billions Orlar farms produce up to 20 tons of vegetables per hectare per month. The company has roughly 20,000 towers, two meters tall each, with 20 plants grown in each pod. A drip irrigation system is used to provide the plant with the exact amount of water that it needs. This saves up to 95 percent of the water used in comparison with other traditional farming methods. To compare, Mekong rice uses 2,500 liters of water per kilogram while Orlar food needs just 30 litres, while generating four times the revenue per kilogram. Also, vertical farming, with 20 plants grown in each two-meter-high stack or 'pod,' is extremely space-efficient. The plants are grown in the vertical system, with 20 plants grown in each two-meter-tall pod. Photo: Hong Van / Tuoi Tre The system was designed to greatly reduce the use of various inputs such as substrate, synthetic chemicals, and artificial lighting. The company uses no disposable growing media and reportedly utilizes 0.05 percent of the energy of other vertical farming operations. Thus, Orlar can produce temperate crops at an affordable price of $1-4 per kg for the middle-class markets. The firm currently has more than 26 different crops in production and will expand its portfolio to include eggplants, cucumbers, peppers, and melons, among other crops. We measure our impact by the number of residue tests. So far, we've had 100 percent clean tests -- zero residues in hundreds of tests, Hugo proudly announced. Orlar products are supplied to more than 280 hotels and restaurants in Vietnam, as well as over 90 supermarkets, grocery stores, and distributors. For Hugo, Orlar products being placed on the supermarket shelves means that more people can eat clean food which will have massive health and social impact. Orlar is on a mission to make contaminant-free organic produce accessible using low-energy vertical farming for Vietnam and the region. The company is already forming licensing agreements for Thailand, the Netherlands, Australia, the U.S., and Cambodia, among other countries. We will build the worlds most profitable, ethical, and sustainable food supply chain growing the highest class of temperate vegetables in the lowlands of Southeast Asia. Its an ambitious vision but we have done much more challenging things, the scientist is clear about her dream. Pursuing this dream is not just about work. Personally, Hugo and her spouse wanted to embed themselves in the country they love by looking after the people, especially the people who work every day at Orlar farms. The team deserves all the attention. They are so incredible. I have done five percent of the work. Im just the most visible. Im the loudest, Hugo said about the people who back her dream. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!

Dr. Lyndal Hugo, co-founder of Orlar, a Vietnam-based women-led company, dreams of serving Vietnamese families with clean, fresh, and nutritious food from her organic farms in the Southeast Asian country.

Different from other indoor farming models, her new vertical farms use a special stone that holds the key to what was designed as Hugos dream to provide more affordable quality vegetables for every family.

No rosy path to success

Hugo has a background in agroscience, a Sydney University PhD in environmental chemistry, and a post-doctoral fellowship on pesticide residues in Southeast Asian food chains.

When working on environmental accounting for big mining and agriculture companies in Australia and China, she encountered a particular rock. As it is Orlars technology secret, it is called Orlarock.

Orlarock is used to replace soil in the vertical systems, which are called 'pods.'

Lyndal Hugo (left) and Amanda Cornelissen are seen in a photo at their high-technology farm in Lac Duong District, Lam Dong Province, Vietnam. Photo: Orlar

With a secret method of treatment, the 'Orlarock' can capture all the added nutrients, resist disease, avoid crushing in vertical arrangements, and retain the optimal amount of water, thus resulting in proper growth without disease.

Orlarock allows the companys products to be free from the contaminants often found in local soil.

Along with the water-holding and thermal insulation of the rock in the pods, these rocks become a home for trillions of microbes, which are beneficial.

Orlarock can be reused indefinitely, crop after crop, which makes the technology utterly economical.

With belief in the potential of Orlarock and after testing in the lab and field, Hugo and her wife, Amanda Cornelissen, began their operations in Vietnam in 2017.

Combining Cornelissens experience as a horticulturist with Hugos ideas, the two aimed to produce the cleanest, freshest, most nutritious food while creating clean, safe jobs for low-income local and ethnic-minority people.

Harvesting bok-choi at an Orlar farm in Lac Duong District, Lam Dong Province, Vietnam. Photo: Hong Van / Tuoi Tre

We sold our house and invested our savings in putting together a team of foreigners and locals to build our first pilot facility in Ho Chi Minh City," Hugo recalled.

Back then, little did we know the journey we were about to embark upon.

It was US$600 for two one-way tickets home back then. But for years, we never had more than that in the bank ...

"We lived in a tin shed with dirt floors, tipping a bucket over our heads for a shower.

After overcoming numerous challenges, including the COVID-19 lockdown in 2021, government grants were awarded for the technology Hugo discovered, including a 350,000 ($369,000) grant together with an SNV technical assistance package the Dutch Fund for Climate Development's Origination Facility Investment Committee approved for Orlar Vietnam on December 14, 2020.

To serve billions

Orlar farms produce up to 20 tons of vegetables per hectare per month. The company has roughly 20,000 towers, two meters tall each, with 20 plants grown in each pod.

A drip irrigation system is used to provide the plant with the exact amount of water that it needs.

This saves up to 95 percent of the water used in comparison with other traditional farming methods.

To compare, Mekong rice uses 2,500 liters of water per kilogram while Orlar food needs just 30 litres, while generating four times the revenue per kilogram.

Also, vertical farming, with 20 plants grown in each two-meter-high stack or 'pod,' is extremely space-efficient.

The plants are grown in the vertical system, with 20 plants grown in each two-meter-tall pod. Photo: Hong Van / Tuoi Tre

The system was designed to greatly reduce the use of various inputs such as substrate, synthetic chemicals, and artificial lighting.

The company uses no disposable growing media and reportedly utilizes 0.05 percent of the energy of other vertical farming operations.

Thus, Orlar can produce temperate crops at an affordable price of $1-4 per kg for the middle-class markets.

The firm currently has more than 26 different crops in production and will expand its portfolio to include eggplants, cucumbers, peppers, and melons, among other crops.

We measure our impact by the number of residue tests. So far, we've had 100 percent clean tests -- zero residues in hundreds of tests, Hugo proudly announced.

Orlar products are supplied to more than 280 hotels and restaurants in Vietnam, as well as over 90 supermarkets, grocery stores, and distributors.

For Hugo, Orlar products being placed on the supermarket shelves means that more people can eat clean food which will have massive health and social impact.

Orlar is on a mission to make contaminant-free organic produce accessible using low-energy vertical farming for Vietnam and the region.

The company is already forming licensing agreements for Thailand, the Netherlands, Australia, the U.S., and Cambodia, among other countries.

We will build the worlds most profitable, ethical, and sustainable food supply chain growing the highest class of temperate vegetables in the lowlands of Southeast Asia. Its an ambitious vision but we have done much more challenging things, the scientist is clear about her dream.

Pursuing this dream is not just about work. Personally, Hugo and her spouse wanted to embed themselves in the country they love by looking after the people, especially the people who work every day at Orlar farms.

The team deserves all the attention. They are so incredible. I have done five percent of the work. Im just the most visible. Im the loudest, Hugo said about the people who back her dream.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!
Check out news you should not miss today in Vietnam: Society -- A recent report by the Ministry of Public Security showed police in February discovered 72 cases of corruption; 325 economic crimes; 14 cases of smuggling; 174 cases of production, storage, transportation and trading of prohibited goods; and 1,558 drug-related crimes. -- The Ministry of Finance has proposed increasing the special consumption tax on a number of items harmful to human health including tobacco, beer, and alcoholic products to limit imports, production, and consumption, the Vietnam News Agency reported on Monday. -- Nguyen Dinh Xuan, director of the Tay Ninh Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, on Monday said the provincial People's Committee has sanctioned two establishments for using illegal substances (Salbutamol) in livestock farming, with each being fined VND55 million (US$2,308). Business -- The combined total red meat, offal, and livestock exports to Vietnam for 202122 were A$306 million ($206 million), a report from Meat and Livestock Australia shows. -- Vietnam's electric vehicle (EV) maker VinFast on Monday announced that it would start delivering its first VF 8 City Edition vehicles to U.S. customers from March 1, with a celebration event to be held at the VinFast store in California on that day. Lifestyle -- An exhibition featuring Thomas Andrea Barbeys paintings and engravings, which represent the diverse vegetation in Vietnam, is taking place in Ho Chi Minh City through March 1, the French Institute in Vietnam said. -- Quantum-Ultra-class cruise ship Spectrum of the Seas carrying 3,801 international passengers on February 26 and 27 made a stop at Phu My Port in Ba Ria - Vung Tau Province, southern Vietnam during its Southeast Asian voyage. Education -- More than 30,000 disadvantaged children have benefited from a project to support needy kids in studying and meals that has been implemented since 2019 in 55 cities and provinces nationwide, the Vietnam News Agency cited a conference in Hanoi on Monday. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!

Check out news you should not miss today in Vietnam:

Society

-- A recent report by the Ministry of Public Security showed police in February discovered 72 cases of corruption; 325 economic crimes; 14 cases of smuggling; 174 cases of production, storage, transportation and trading of prohibited goods; and 1,558 drug-related crimes.

-- The Ministry of Finance has proposed increasing the special consumption tax on a number of items harmful to human health including tobacco, beer, and alcoholic products to limit imports, production, and consumption, the Vietnam News Agency reported on Monday.

-- Nguyen Dinh Xuan, director of the Tay Ninh Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, on Monday said the provincial People's Committee has sanctioned two establishments for using illegal substances (Salbutamol) in livestock farming, with each being fined VND55 million (US$2,308).

Business

-- The combined total red meat, offal, and livestock exports to Vietnam for 202122 were A$306 million ($206 million), a report from Meat and Livestock Australia shows.

-- Vietnam's electric vehicle (EV) maker VinFast on Monday announced that it would start delivering its first VF 8 City Edition vehicles to U.S. customers from March 1, with a celebration event to be held at the VinFast store in California on that day.

Lifestyle

-- An exhibition featuring Thomas Andrea Barbeys paintings and engravings, which represent the diverse vegetation in Vietnam, is taking place in Ho Chi Minh City through March 1, the French Institute in Vietnam said.

-- Quantum-Ultra-class cruise ship Spectrum of the Seas carrying 3,801 international passengers on February 26 and 27 made a stop at Phu My Port in Ba Ria - Vung Tau Province, southern Vietnam during its Southeast Asian voyage.

Education

-- More than 30,000 disadvantaged children have benefited from a project to support needy kids in studying and meals that has been implemented since 2019 in 55 cities and provinces nationwide, the Vietnam News Agency cited a conference in Hanoi on Monday.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 28)  Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim will be in the Philippines on March 1 and 2 for an official trip, Malacanang confirmed on Tuesday.

Anwar will be the first head of government to visit the country since President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. took office at the end of June last year.

According to the Presidential Communications Office (PCO), Marcos will welcome him in Malacanan Palace on Wednesday, where they will hold a bilateral meeting.

The two leaders are expected to discuss political, security, and economic cooperation between the two nations, as well as regional and international issues of mutual concern.

In a statement, the Malaysian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) said among the more specific areas of partnership to be tackled are the halal industry and digital economy cooperation.

The visit reflects the importance of good ties between Malaysia and the Philippines as close neighbors and partners in ASEAN, the ministry said.

It will provide an excellent opportunity for both sides to advance the partnership for progress, guided by shared interest, increased political and economic cooperation, and people-to-people exchanges, it added.

Marcos is also scheduled to hold a dinner banquet for his Malaysian counterpart.

The MFA said a number of Malaysian officials would join Anwar, including the ministers of foreign affairs, home affairs, and entrepreneur and cooperatives development.

It also said Anwar would deliver a public lecture at the University of the Philippines and engage with the Malaysian community while in Manila.

The upcoming trip will be his maiden visit after being appointed as the 10th prime minister of Malaysia in November 2022.

Prior to that, he went to the country and met with Marcos in 2018 over what the president described as a casual dinner.

Marcos earlier called Anwar a good friend when he congratulated him for being sworn in as prime minister.
Border guard forces in the northern Vietnamese province of Lao Cai arrested three men on Tuesday morning for carrying 22 bricks of heroin and driving their motorbikes into officers on duty in order to escape. The arrested suspects are 26-year-old Hoang Seo Din, 23-year-old Giang Seo Hoa, and 24-year-old Vang Seo Hong. Din, Hoa, and Hong were transporting 22 bricks of heroin on three motorbikes when they came across a checkpoint on National Highway 4D in Lao Cai City, the capital of the namesake province, at around 0:30 on the day. They sped up straight into the checkpoint in an attempt to break through the barrier, but were apprehended. Officers seized 22 bricks of heroin, three motorbikes, and three cellphones at the scene. The suspects laters admitted to trafficking the drugs from Sa Pa Town in the same province to Lao Cai City and being paid VND5 million (US$210) for each brick of heroin. The Narcotics and Crime Prevention Department under the Border Guard Command said the seizure was part of the second phase of a transnational drug trafficking operation. Functional forces are working to arrest more related suspects and the case is being investigated. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!

Border guard forces in the northern Vietnamese province of Lao Cai arrested three men on Tuesday morning for carrying 22 bricks of heroin and driving their motorbikes into officers on duty in order to escape.

The arrested suspects are 26-year-old Hoang Seo Din, 23-year-old Giang Seo Hoa, and 24-year-old Vang Seo Hong.

Din, Hoa, and Hong were transporting 22 bricks of heroin on three motorbikes when they came across a checkpoint on National Highway 4D in Lao Cai City, the capital of the namesake province, at around 0:30 on the day.

They sped up straight into the checkpoint in an attempt to break through the barrier, but were apprehended.

Officers seized 22 bricks of heroin, three motorbikes, and three cellphones at the scene.

The suspects laters admitted to trafficking the drugs from Sa Pa Town in the same province to Lao Cai City and being paid VND5 million (US$210) for each brick of heroin.

The Narcotics and Crime Prevention Department under the Border Guard Command said the seizure was part of the second phase of a transnational drug trafficking operation.

Functional forces are working to arrest more related suspects and the case is being investigated.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!
Two residents in Ho Chi Minh City have handed over their rare pythons to forest protection officers to ensure their safety. The Ho Chi Minh City Forest Protection Department said on Tuesday it had received two female pythons from Nguyen Van Thang and Nguyen Thanh Phi, both residing in Thu Duc City. The wild animals are classified as Burmese pythons, or Python bivittatus, belonging to group IIB in the list of rare and endangered forest animals. The python raised by Thang measures 4.5 meters long and weighs 42 kilograms. Thang said his son received the python from a friend about three years ago, when it was as small as a finger. He was worried the reptile might break out of its cage and cause harm. Nguyen Thanh Phi hands over his python to forest protection officers in Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Ngoc Khai / Tuoi Tre Meanwhile, the python raised by Phi is three meters long and weighs 21 kilograms. Phi said his nephew had given him the python and he had raised it for more than five years. He was also concerned that the python might break out of its cage and harm other people. A forest protection officer said the two pythons would be taken the Wildlife Rescue Station in Cu Chi District before being released back into the wild. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!

Two residents in Ho Chi Minh City have handed over their rare pythons to forest protection officers to ensure their safety.

The Ho Chi Minh City Forest Protection Department said on Tuesday it had received two female pythons from Nguyen Van Thang and Nguyen Thanh Phi, both residing in Thu Duc City.

The wild animals are classified as Burmese pythons, or Python bivittatus, belonging to group IIB in the list of rare and endangered forest animals.

The python raised by Thang measures 4.5 meters long and weighs 42 kilograms.

Thang said his son received the python from a friend about three years ago, when it was as small as a finger.

He was worried the reptile might break out of its cage and cause harm.

Nguyen Thanh Phi hands over his python to forest protection officers in Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Ngoc Khai / Tuoi Tre

Meanwhile, the python raised by Phi is three meters long and weighs 21 kilograms.

Phi said his nephew had given him the python and he had raised it for more than five years.

He was also concerned that the python might break out of its cage and harm other people.

A forest protection officer said the two pythons would be taken the Wildlife Rescue Station in Cu Chi District before being released back into the wild.

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Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners

The UK-Europe interconnector portfolio (Aminth, Cronos, and Tarchon projects) has been declared eligible for Third Cap and Floor Window in the UK.

COPENHAGEN, Denmark , Feb. 28, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners Flagship Funds interconnector portfolio has officially been included amongst the short-list of projects assessed for regulatory approval in the UK, in the so-called Third Cap and Floor Window.



CIP acquired close to full ownership in the 4.2 GW subsea interconnector portfolio in late 2022 from UK developer Volta Partners. The portfolio consists of three interconnector development opportunities connecting the UK with Denmark (Aminth), Belgium (Cronos), and Germany (Tarchon), respectively, expected to reach a final investment decision in 2026 and start of operations between 2030 and 2032.

All three projects received their UK interconnector licenses earlier this year and were officially included in the list of eligible Third Cap and Floor Window projects by the UK Office of Gas and Electricity Markets (Ofgem) on 24th of February. The Projects will now progress through a more detailed financial and technical assessment with the Initial Project Assessment (IPA) award anticipated after the summer.

The Esbjerg Declaration of May 2022 underscored the need to make the North Sea a powerhouse of renewable energy. The four countries (Denmark, Belgium, Germany, and the Netherlands) pledged to expand the combined North Sea offshore wind capacity to 65 GW by 2030. To deliver on that pledge, it is critical to create a connected system throughout the region.

Interconnectors play a critical role in enabling the energy transition, creating the flexibility to harness ever greater amounts of renewable energy, while ensuring energy security through a connected system. The North Sea is uniquely positioned with the potential to deliver much of Europes future power, and Aminth, Cronos, and Tarchon are key components to deliver on European energy policy objectives and help build out the full potential of the North Sea, says Otto Jager, Partner at CIP.

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About Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners

Founded in 2012, Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners P/S (CIP) today is the worlds largest dedicated fund manager within greenfield renewable energy investments and a global leader in offshore wind. The funds managed by CIP focuses on investments in offshore and onshore wind, solar PV, biomass and energy-from-waste, transmission and distribution, reserve capacity, storage, advanced bioenergy, and Power-to-X.

CIP manages ten funds and has to date raised approximately EUR 19 billion for investments in energy and associated infrastructure from more than 140 international institutional investors. CIP has approximately 400 employees and 11 offices around the world. For more information, visit www.cip.com

For further information, please contact:

E-mail: media@cip.dk

Oliver Routhe Skov, Head of Media Relations

Phone: +45 30541227

Email: orsk@cisc.dk



Thomas Knig, Partner  Investor Relations

Phone: +45 7070 5151

Email: tkon@cip.dk




By David Shepardson

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The Biden administration on Tuesday said it will require companies winning funds from its $52-billion U.S. semiconductor manufacturing and research program to share excess profits and explain how they plan to provide affordable childcare.

The Commerce Department on Tuesday released its plans to begin accepting applications in late June for a $39-billion manufacturing subsidy program. The law also creates a 25% investment tax credit for building chip plants, estimated to be worth $24 billion.

The CHIPS Act plays a central role in the Biden administration's effort to bring semiconductor manufacturing back to the United States. Its success is vital to U.S. ambitions to keep ahead of China in global markets.

Semiconductor companies have already announced more than 40 new projects including nearly $200 billion in private investments to increase domestic production.

Recipients who receive more than $150 million in direct funding "will be required to share with the U.S. government a portion of any cash flows or returns that exceed the applicants projections by an agreed-upon threshold," the department said.

Commerce expects "upside sharing will only be material in instances where the project significantly exceeds its projected cash flows or returns, and will not exceed 75% of the recipients direct funding award."

'NOT A FREE HANDOUT'

Democratic Senator Jack Reed praised the profit sharing plan, saying chips funding is "not a free handout for multi-billion dollar tech companies.... There is no downside for companies that participate because they only have to share a portion of future profits if they do exceedingly well."

Republican House Science Committee Chair Frank Lucas criticized the childcare and revenue-sharing provisions, saying they exceed authority granted by Congress. He says Commerce is "focusing less on the urgent need for chip production and more on attempting to impose their labor agenda on this critical industry."

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Companies winning funding are also prohibited from using chips funds for dividends or stock buybacks, and must provide details of any plans to buy back their own shares over five years. The department will consider an "applicants commitments to refrain from stock buybacks."

Democratic lawmakers have noted that the largest U.S. semiconductor companies have poured hundreds of billions of dollars into stock buybacks in recent years, with Intel spending more than $100 billion on buybacks since 2005. Intel also pays a dividend.

It's not uncommon for states to require specific employment targets as a condition for tax subsidies, but the Biden administration is a significant expansion.

Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said companies must submit a plan that includes an outline of workforce needs. Applicants seeking more than $150 million in direct funding must submit "a plan for how they will provide affordable and accessible childcare for their workers."

PUBLIC INCENTIVES

White House economic adviser Heather Boushey said the announcement "is emblematic of using public incentives to simultaneously deliver on building strategic supply chains for our economic and national security while also investing in our care infrastructure."

The Biden administration laid out ambitious plans to pay millions of caretakers, mostly women, better salaries, and make child and elder care cheaper in 2021 but it failed to win majority support in Congress.

Applicants must address six program priority areas including plans "to commit to future investment in the U.S. semiconductor industry, including to build R&D facilities in the United States."

Applicants should also "create opportunities for minority owned, veteran-owned, and women-owned businesses; demonstrate climate and environmental responsibility; invest in their communities by addressing barriers to economic inclusion; and commit to using iron, steel, and construction materials produced in the United States."

The Semiconductor Industry Association said it was carefully reviewing the funding notice that "lays out the rules of the road for companies to apply for the CHIPS Acts manufacturing grants."

Most direct funding awards are expected to range between 5% and 15% of project capital expenditures. Commerce said it generally expects the total amount of an award including loan or loan guarantee, to not exceed 35% of project capital expenditures.

"We're going to be doing our own diligence. We're not writing blank checks to any company that asks," Raimondo said. "We're making companies open their books."

The initial funding opportunity seeks applications for projects involving leading-edge, current-generation, and mature-node semiconductors. It will release funding opportunities for semiconductor materials and manufacturing equipment facilities in late spring and one for R&D facilities in the fall.

Raimondo noted that companies winning awards will be required to enter into agreements restricting their ability to expand semiconductor manufacturing capacity in foreign countries of concern like China for 10 years after winning funding. They cannot engage in any joint research or licensing efforts with a foreign entity of concern involving sensitive technologies.

"We're going to be releasing very detailed regulations in the next few weeks that give companies a clearer sense of what the red lines are," Raimondo said.

(Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Chris Sanders, Robert Birsel, Lisa Shumaker, Mark Porter and Nick Zieminski)
Jodie Comer and Paul Mescal are among the stars nominated for top gongs at this years Olivier Theatre Awards.

Killing Eves Comer received a best actress nod for her critically acclaimed one-woman play Prima Facie, while Mescal is up for best actor for his role in the new stage adaptation of A Streetcar Named Desire. Both are first-time nominees.

Leading the pack with nine nominations is My Neighbour Totoro, a new stage adaptation of Studio Ghiblis 1988 animated film.

 Were absolutely delighted to be nominated for NINE @OlivierAwards  Congratulations to all the nominees  we cant wait for the ceremony on Sunday 2 April  #OlivierAwards #FindYourSpirit pic.twitter.com/NN6tlHBbcf  My Neighbour Totoro (@totoro_show) February 28, 2023

The Royal Shakespeare Company version of the production received nods in categories including best entertainment or comedy play, best director and best original score.

Its lead Mei Mac is nominated for best actress, but will face tough competition from Comer as well as Patsy Ferran for A Streetcar Named Desire, Janet McTeer for Phaedra, and Nicola Walker for The Corn Is Green.

In the male category, Mescal will go up against David Tennant for Good, Tom Hollander for Patriots, Rafe Spall for To Kill A Mockingbird and Giles Terera for Blues For An Alabama Sky.

Standing At The Skys Edge, which is set in Sheffield and premiered in the city in 2019 before transferring to London this year, is the most nominated musical with eight nods including best new musical and best director.

David Tennant is nominated in the best actor category for his role in Good (Ian West/PA)

It was also recognised in the best actress in a musical category for its lead Faith Omole, who will compete against Katie Brayben for Tammy Faye, Anoushka Lucas for Rodgers & Hammersteins Oklahoma! and Miri Mesika for The Bands Visit.

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The best actor in a musical category will see Alon Moni Aboutboul for The Bands Visit, Julian Ovenden for South Pacific, Andrew Rannells for Tammy Faye and Arthur Darvill for Rodgers & Hammersteins Oklahoma! go head to head.

Newly transferred to the West End after sell-out runs on Broadway, Rodgers & Hammersteins Oklahoma! is one of the most nominated shows this year with seven nods, including best musical revival.

Following closely behind with six nominations each are A Streetcar Named Desire, To Kill A Mockingbird and The Bands Visit, the musical adapted from the eponymous Israeli film.

Rose Ayling-Ellis is among the first-time nominees (Ian West/PA)

It is a big year for first-time acting nominations with 27 people receiving their first nod, including Comer, Mescal, Rose Ayling-Ellis, Caroline Quentin, Sharon Small and Anjana Vasan.

Creative first-time nominees include fashion designer Jean Paul Gaultier for his self-titled Fashion Freak Show at the Roundhouse.

Claire Walker and Hannah Essex, co-chief executives of the Society of London Theatre and executive producers of the Olivier Awards, said: We would like to congratulate all the nominees for the Olivier Awards with Mastercard 2023.

It is incredible to see such a diverse range of people honoured for their outstanding contributions to the industry.

We have no doubt this years event will be the ultimate celebration of theatre and are anticipating showstopping performances and an electric atmosphere.

Ted Lasso actress Hannah Waddingham will host the Olivier Awards ceremony on April 2 at the Royal Albert Hall.
Christian Vinces / shutterstock

It was anchovy fishermen in Peru who first noticed and named El Nino events in the tropical Pacific hundreds of years ago. Their catches would fluctuate and the largest declines were seen near Christmas when the ocean was at its warmest  they called it El Nino de Navidad, the boy of Christmas.

With a larger network of observations and some inspired statistical analysis, it became apparent that this decline in fish stocks was part of a Pacific-wide phenomenon including changes in the ocean and atmosphere. This was ENSO, the El Nino-Southern Oscillation.

As part of this analysis it became clear that during El Nino events the Pacific was typically warmer than usual in the east, colder in the west, and the trade winds blowing from east to west were weaker. What also became clear was that there were other times when the winds were stronger and the east was colder and the west was warmer. These periods were named La Nina  the girl  in a nod to their opposite characteristics to El Nino.

El Nino or La Nina conditions typically last for around nine months, beginning in June, peaking in December, before dissipating by April. Historically, La Nina events have been smaller and less noted  the change in the anchovy catches is not as notable as the collapse seen in El Ninos so was never remarkable to the Peruvian fishermen. However, for a number of reasons, La Nina is becoming a more noted phenomenon.

During La Nina events, global temperatures tend to be colder and this can explain some of the downward bumps on the otherwise inexorable rise of global temperatures. Last year, 2022, was the third consecutive La Nina year, which is highly unusual and has only occurred three times since reliable records began in the 1950s. Outside of the tropical Pacific, the effects of La Nina can be just as marked and just as devastating as those of El Nino, which is likely to return in late 2023.

How changes in the tropical Pacific affect the rest of the world

Climate scientists have been aware of how changes in the atmosphere in one location can be linked to another for many years. These links are termed teleconnections. Perhaps the first example of a teleconnection was described in the 1920s by the physicist Gilbert Walker who noticed that changes in atmospheric pressure in Darwin, on the north coast of Australia, and Tahiti, 8,000kms away in the middle of the Pacific, were linked through, what he termed, the Southern Oscillation. This observation ultimately led to the description of the El Nino/La Nina phenomenon.

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Two annotated maps of the Pacific Ocean

Teleconnection patterns have now been noticed in all regions of the globe. In northern Europe the most well known is the North Atlantic Oscillation, which describes a link between air pressure in a particular area over Iceland and one over the central North Atlantic near to the Azores. Changes can then be linked to changes in the weather over northern Europe and the UK.

These teleconnection patterns exist because the global atmosphere behaves like a drum. If you hit a drum in one location the whole surface vibrates and the note that the drum sounds depends upon how tight the drum skin is.

In this analogy, heating in the tropical atmosphere plays the role of the drum stick and the waves that spread out across the surface are termed Rossby waves. The note that these waves play is determined by the structure of the atmosphere, but rather than skin tension it is the winds and rotation of the earth that determine the pitch of the atmosphere.

The strongest teleconnection from the tropical Pacific and La Nina is within the Pacific Basin. For example La Nina events tend to mean wetter winters in the Pacific Northwest of the US.

However, Rossby waves can reach all the way across North America and into the North Atlantic, where they can start to affect the weather by tweaking the high-altitude jet stream which can in turn affect the storms that are responsible for much of the UKs winter rain.

Because the behaviour of Rossby waves depends upon the winds in the atmosphere, La Ninas influence on the North Atlantic is not the same in all seasons. In late winter the Rossby waves from La Nina tend to intensify and shift the Atlantic jet stream towards the North Pole, causing more storms to hit the UK and with them increase the rainfall.

Its harder to directly link the two in early winter, since in this season the Rossby waves interact with winds that are more affected by the climate state of the tropical Atlantic.

Lighthouse in a storm

An uncertain future

Its hard to know exactly what climate change will mean for El Ninos and La Ninas. Average sea surface temperature across the Pacific will increase, but that is less important to the generation of these weather patterns than the difference in surface temperature between west and east Pacific about which there is a lot less certainty (in part because the surface temperature in the eastern Pacific is always heavily influenced by the upwelling of deeper colder waters).

Computer programs that model the climate suggest the Pacifics east-west temperature difference will diminish in future, favouring EL Ninos which tends to mean more droughts in Australia and other severe weather across the Pacific and beyond. However, the past two decades of enhanced temperature differences and prolonged La Nina events suggest otherwise. The recent three-year La Nina is therefore very interesting, though its too soon to draw any firm conclusions.

Changes in the teleconnections are equally uncertain. Therefore, uncertain changes in the teleconnections on top of uncertain changes in La Nina and El Nino add up to an uncertain outlook for the future.

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William Roberts receives funding from UKRI.

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With a drone shows portions of a Norfolk and Southern freight train that derailed Friday night in East Palestine, Ohio are still on fire at mid-day Train Derailment Ohio, East Palestine, United States - 04 Feb 2023

Gene J Puskar/AP/Shutterstock Crash site after a Norfolk and Southern freight train derailed on Feb. 3 in East Palestine, Ohio

Three weeks after a Norfolk Southern train derailed in East Palestine, Ohio, locals are being diagnosed with bronchitis and other health conditions due to the chemical exposure.

The train was pulling 150 cars through the village, located about 50 miles from Pittsburgh and home to over 4,700, on the morning of Feb. 3 when it jumped the rails and toppled over, spilling numerous dangerous chemicals as a result.

The derailment resulted in what officials called a "controlled release" of chemicals in hopes of avoiding further disaster, per The Washington Post.

Melissa Blake, who lives within a mile of the crash site, told NBC News that she started coughing up gray mucus and was struggling to breathe two days after the derailment. She was quickly diagnosed with "acute bronchitis due to chemical fumes" after a trip to the emergency room, which can be caused by "exposure to potentially hazardous chemicals."

"They gave me a breathing machine. They put me on oxygen. They gave me three types of steroids," she told the outlet, sharing that she hasn't been able to return home due to the chemicals in the area.

Never miss a story  sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

RELATED: What to Know About the Ohio Train Derailment and Chemical Spill: A Timeline of Events

Additionally, five of the 10 workers at manufacturing company CeramFab, located next to the crash site, became sick after the derailment.

The company's general manager, Howard Yang, told the outlet that they were forced to close for a week due to the release of vinyl chloride, a carcinogenic chemical onboard the train. Yang explained that after resuming operations on Feb. 13, many of his workers became sick and "started dropping like flies."

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"People ended up with rashes, nausea, vomiting, bloody nose, eye issues. A lot of coughing, wheezing," he claimed. "We sent a lot of workers to the hospital to get checked out and, sure enough, in most cases, it was a diagnosis of 'chemical bronchitis.' They were put on five different kinds of pills, including steroids. Some guys have to use inhalers. It's pretty bad."

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, common symptoms of chemical exposure include dizziness, headache, nausea, nose and throat irritation, skin irritation or rashes, and itchy, watery or burning eyes.

However, experts say it's difficult to determine whether the symptoms of local residents and workers are directly linked to the derailment.

"There's no lab test. There's no imaging test. It's really just a clinical suspicion of what it could be," Dr. James Kravec chief clinical officer for Mercy Health in Youngstown and Lorraine, Ohio  told NBC. "It's certainly reasonable to say if you have a rash, dry skin or dry eyes, dry nose, that it could be related. There really isn't a way to tell for sure, unfortunately."
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 27)  A transport group on Tuesday said scrapping the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Boards (LFTRB) memorandum circular on the consolidation of jeepney franchise holders is the only way to prevent the week-long transport strike.

Manibela chairperson Mar Valbuena told CNN Philippines The Source the group remains open to dialogue with government officials to discuss concerns on the implementation of the public utility vehicle modernization program, but on one condition.

Ang kondisyon po, i-scrap po muna nila yung memorandum circular bago kami mag-usap, Valbuena said.

[Translation: The condition is, they should first scrap the memorandum circular before we conduct the dialogue.]

Under LTFRB Memorandum Circular No. 2023-013, traditional jeepney drivers and operators are required to join a cooperative or form a corporation before the deadline to extend the validity of their provisional authority or franchise.

The agency said operators and drivers can still join jeepney routes that already have a cooperative or corporation, and routes that have pending applications for their formation until June 30. Otherwise, they will not be able to operate anymore.

Valbuena said around 100,000 operators and drivers of traditional jeepneys and UV Express are expected to join the strike from March 6 to 12.

Around 40,000 operators and drivers are in the National Capital Region alone. The others are in Ilocos, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Bicol, Davao, Bacolod, Iloilo, and Cagayan de Oro.

Another transport group Piston on Tuesday said it is ready to support the planned strike.

Piston national president Mody Floranda explained that mandating operators and drivers to consolidate is wrong, deceitful, and coercive as it deprives them of their rights and privileges as individual franchise holders.

Moreover, only big corporations with single consolidated franchises have the financial capacity to comply with the guidelines set by authorities, he added.

National Center for Commuters Safety and Protection chairperson Elvira Medina said around 8 million commuters in Metro Manila will be affected by the transport strike.

Valbuena asked commuters to understand the situation of traditional jeepney operators and drivers who will possibly lose their livelihood if the mandatory consolidation will push through.

Katulad po namin na kinaya po namin noong panahon ng pandemic na wala po kaming hanapbuhay at hindi po kami nakaka-biyahe, siguro po kakayanin din po ng ating mga commuters sa loob po ng isang linggo na mag-sakripisyo rin para po sa mas mahabang pagse-serbisyo po namin sa kanila, he said.

[Translation: Just like us who survived the pandemic even if our livelihood was affected, perhaps the commuters will also be able to sacrifice for just one week so we can serve them longer.]

Move Metro Manila also expressed its support for the transport strike.

"Kahit mahihirapan kami naiintindihan namin kung bakit nila ginagawa 'yon [strike]," Mara Mavis, a member of the commuter group said.

[Translation: Even though we will find it difficult, we understand why they are holding the strike.]

However, transport groups Alliance of Concerned Transport Organization (ACTO) and Pasang Masda said they will not join the strike.

ACTO president Liberty de Luna said they will instead work on how to help jeepney operators join or form cooperatives.

Speaking to CNN Philippines Traffic Center, Pasang Masda president Obet Martin said he believes solutions can be found through a dialogue.

"Naniniwala ako na itong mga problema ay mapag-uusapan nang maayos nang wala na tayong pipinsalain na mga manaakay at negosyo ng ating mga mananakay," Martin said.

[Translation: I believe these problems can be discussed accordingly, where commuters and their businesses will not be affected.]

Valbuena had claimed the LTFRB did not consult stakeholders when the agency issued the memorandum circular.

He pointed out that the deadline is not enough for traditional jeepney operators and drivers to comply with the requirements for the public utility vehicle modernization program.

He noted that there were efforts from transport groups to comply, but their applications remain pending since LTFRB's processing of documents takes two to three months.

In terms of cost, Valbuena said the membership fee alone, which ranges from 100,000 to 200,000, is already a burden for the stakeholders.

However, Martin denied that cooperatives collect hefty membership fees.

"Wala po akong nakikitang cooperative na humihingi ng 100,000 to 200,000. Kung meron man ganoong cooperatives, mali ang kanilang pamamalakad," he said.

[Translation: I have not seen cooperatives collecting 100,000 to 200,000. If there's any cooperatives doing so, their system is wrong.]

For Manibela, the LTFRB should just recognize the existing cooperatives instead of requiring those who have yet to consolidate to join the groups who were able to comply.

Instead of sourcing modernized units from foreign manufacturers, the government should just obtain supply from local companies since they will be cheaper, Valbuena added.

Martin, meanwhile, reiterated the call for government aid in acquiring modern jeepney units.

"Makikipag-ugnayan pa rin kami sa pamahalaan na matulungan tayo na maibaba ang presyo ng ating mga modern vehicles sapagkat medyo kataas ang presyo nito," Martin said.

[Translation: We will coordinate with the government in order to aid us in making the modern vehicles affordable, because its price is a bit steep.]

CNN Philippines correspondent Crissy Dimatulac and digital producer Mariel Celine Serquina contributed to this article.
The moment alleged trafficker Ovidio Guzman, son of jailed drug kingpin Joaquin "Chapo" Guzman, was arrested in 2019 (CEPROPIE/AFP via Getty Images)

The US has asked Mexico to extradite Ovidio Guzman, son of notorious drug boss Joaquin El Chapo Guzman, to face criminal charges.

Two Mexican government sources told Reuters news agency that the US government wants the younger Guzman to face justice in a US court.

Mexican security forces arrested the younger Guzman, wanted on drug trafficking charges, in January after an intense firefight near the city of Culiacan, in the northern Sinaloa state, the longtime home base for his fathers still-powerful drug smuggling empire.

The January arrest triggered a wave of violence, leaving dozens dead.

El Chapo rose to power as the head of the Sinaloa Cartel, before he was extradited to the United States in 2017.

Soldiers detained Ovidio in 2019 but he was quickly released as his capture sparked a massive influx of gunmen into Culiacan.

The failed operation was a political embarrassment at the time to Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador.

In 2021, the US State Department had offered a $5 million reward for information leading to Ovidios arrest or conviction.

Ovidio has been charged in the US with conspiracy to traffic cocaine, methamphetamine and marijuana into the country.
HA NOI  Vice Chairman of Viet Nam's National Assembly (NA) Nguyen Khac inh and Lao counterpart Khambay Damlath emphasised the need to consolidate the already flourishing bilateral ties during official talks on Tuesday in Ha Noi.

The Lao official said the visit aims to realise the outcomes of the visit of the Chair of the Vietnamese NA in May 2022 and the Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation between the two countries' parliaments while strengthening the special solidarity and comprehensive cooperation between the two Parties, States, and peoples.

Khambay Damlath lauded the achievements of Viet Nam under the leadership of Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, especially in the containment of the COVID-19 pandemic, firm socio-economic recovery, and elevating Viet Nam's profile in the international arena.

He also welcomed the fruitful cooperation between Vietnamese and Laos NAs at regional and international parliamentary forums.

Vice Chair Khambay Damlath sincerely thanked and deeply appreciated the support of the Vietnamese Government and people, especially the NA, for their help in the construction of the new Lao NA House and their support in COVID-19 prevention and control efforts.

Announcing the first Cambodia-Laos-Viet Nam National Assembly Summit in Vientiane in 2023, the Lao official hoped that the Vietnamese NA would provide assistance and share experiences to help Laos fulfil its mission.

Vice Chair of Vietnamese NA inh praised the frequent exchanges and thematic conferences and direct meetings between different committees of the two parliaments that have furthered cooperation ties and mutual trust.

inh expressed his belief that Laos will continue to reap new victories in nation-building on the firm foundation of the achievements made in the last four decades of renovation.

Viet Nam always prioritises bettering relations with Laos and always sides with Laos in its nation-building efforts, inh remarked.

The two countries' parliaments should strengthen the exchange of experiences in formulating policies and laws in macro-management and socio-economic recovery and enhance people-to-people exchanges and cooperation between localities, especially between local delegations of the NA and people's councils of localities.

The NAs of the two countries also need to strengthen the education of people of all classes, especially the young generations of the two countries, about the traditional, special relations between Viet Nam and Laos, as well as bolster cooperation between the Friendship Parliamentary Groups of the NAs of the two countries.

inh said he agreed and highly appreciated the opinions of the Lao NA delegation, especially on major orientations for cooperation relations between the two countries and the two NAs in the future.

The close cooperation between the two NAs will strengthen the great friendship, special solidarity and comprehensive cooperation between Viet Nam and Laos.  VNS
HA NOI  The Vietnamese National Assembly (NA) is willing to share and exchange experiences with the Lao NA and to learn from the law-making bodys effective models to boost its operation, Chairman Vuong inh Hue said as he received Lao NA Vice Chairman Khambay Damlath in Ha Noi on Tuesday.

Hue praised the Lao delegations interest in exchanging experiences regarding the organisation and operation of the Peoples Council.

Hue briefed his guest on implementing policies on institutional improvement; the organisation and operation of the apparatus at both central and local levels; the power control mechanism; and anti-corruption.

The top legislator also shared about specific local governance models currently applied, the instruction for and direction of the provincial level Peoples Councils, and taking votes of confidence against officials holding positions elected or approved by the National Assembly.

He said the Vietnamese NA is always ready to exchange experiences with the Lao National Assembly for more effective operation.

Praising the Lao NAs flexible responses in approving key decisions and amending laws to tackle the countrys difficulties, Hue expressed his belief that Laos will soon overcome challenges, gain prosperity, and boost its role in the international arena.

Damlath took the occasion to inform his host about his visit to Viet Nam. He said he has held talks with his Vietnamese counterpart Nguyen Khac inh and paid working visits to Quang Nam, a Nang, and Ha Noi to exchange experiences regarding the organisation and operation of the Peoples Council.

He said the local People's Council in Laos has recently been re-established, so its organisation has some limitations, stressing that Viet Nams experience in the organisation and operation of the local people's councils will help Laos improve people-elected bodies.  VNS
How do you view the immediate future of the EV market in Vietnam?

Wee Jin Lee, Asia-Pacific regional leader of ABB E-mobility

Vietnam will be one of the countries that ABB E-mobility will support in growing its electric vehicle charging infrastructure. We will focus on how to support the e-mobility market in Vietnam through ABB E-mobility initiatives, such as offering digital solutions for charging infrastructure to ensure consumers have a seamless charging experience. We will also work with local authorities to support the setup of charging standards.

With a Net Zero target already set for 2050, public and private sectors in the mobility space are working together to achieve this goal. Local authorities are coming up with regulations to establish a safe charging experience for consumers. We are positive and optimistic.

What has ABB been implementing to facilitate EV adoption in Vietnam?

One of ABB E-mobilitys priorities is to create a knowledge-based community in the e-mobility space. We have set up an APAC Training Center in Singapore, whereby we send engineers and our channel partners from across the region to Singapore for training.

At ABB E-mobility, we also look at how we can drive the key benefits of industry-wide open standards and interoperability topics to support market health and consumer satisfaction in Vietnam.

The initiatives include safety, the bringing together stakeholders and experts across engineering disciplines to ensure ever-present safety standards and practices, and removing the risk of vulnerabilities.

Scalability is also one of the key factors. Investing in common infrastructure will reduce overall cost and enable vehicles to adopt the highest equipment use. Interoperable back-end solutions will deliver choice and access to all current and potential technologies, eliminating vendor/tech lock in and charging asset stranding over time.

Next, we look at cost-saving opportunities from a charging infrastructure perspective. With known charging system hardware and communication variables, research and development costs will be lower across the entire industry. Price and availability pressure points in the supply chain will decrease due to lower cost through volume and market competition.

Finally, security is just as important. Communications and software standards will rigorously and uniformly incorporate stability and security. This will lower the risks of downtime, unauthorised access, and malware. In turn, it will reduce operational threats and secure sensitive consumer and company data.

What can we do to make charging EVs safer, more cost-effective and environmentally friendly?

EV charging is already a very safe process, but ensuring other factors which contribute to charging efficiency and adoption, such as hardware reliability and high uptime, will also have a positive impact on safety.

There are multiple stakeholders involved when we talk about these aspects of EV charging. The first are the car owners themselves. Are they aware of the general etiquette when performing a charging session? The users will have their responsibility in terms of safety. From a charging perspective, it can be done right with the safety standards as defined by IEC Standards. We can bring together different stakeholders and experts across the engineering disciplines to ensure safety standards and practices are maintained, removing any vulnerabilities in the region.

Now, different countries will have different safety standards. For example, in Singapore, the chargers must be serviced twice a year to ensure no safety issues are present and chargers are kept to a high uptime. From a Vietnamese perspective, we can also reduce the frequency of servicing depending on the utility rate. We must study charger usage patterns by monitoring the charger logs and, with data collection overtime, will be able to support better decision-making. For example, to determine whether theres a need for more maintenance or are we over-maintaining, which would lead to cost increase.

A significant challenge in the development of EV charging station infrastructure is the lack of universal compatibility in the industry. How does ABB propose to deal with this issue?

Addressing the charging standards to be implemented in Vietnam is important, as we need to ensure that the Vietnamese market is aligned to the charging standards adopted internationally. At ABB E-mobility, we have been at the forefront of driving interoperability on a global level for over a decade. We were involved in the founding of both the CHAdeMO and CCS alliance charging standards for passenger vehicles and are currently working as a member of the European Union-funded ASSURED project, facilitating greater standardisation for the charging of electric buses.

Open standards and interoperability are critical to encourage adoption and growth across the spectrum of charging systems, from engineers and vehicle makers through to utilities and regulators.

How do you foresee the adoption of EVs in Vietnam?

I think it will be challenging, but I see positive signs that EVs will form a significant percentage of transport in Vietnam before 2050.

There are a few critical considerations to note, for instance, will there be sufficient standards to govern EVs in Vietnam? There is an important balance to be found by authorities, who must develop strong regulations without making the standards too elaborate, which can hinder the growth of EVs.

Government programmes that support funding for public charging stations and electric vehicle purchases are also crucial considerations. Both charging infrastructure and EVs come hand in hand. We cannot have one without the other. Having adequate charging infrastructure in Vietnam without an uptake in EV adoption will result in under utilisation of the public charging infrastructure. On the flip side, a high uptake in EV adoption without sufficient charging infrastructure would also pose an issue for EV owners.

Finally, many EV owners are also installing AC Chargers in their homes. Take Indonesia, for example, where the state-owned electricity company is rolling out a subsidy programme that provides discounts on electric bills during off-peak hours from 10pm-5am.

With all these government initiatives in place and public awareness of the e-mobility space, I see good things coming for Vietnam on its EV adoption journey.

TMT Motors partners with world leading joint venture to bring mini EVs to Vietnam TMT Automobile Joint Stock Company (TMT Motors) on February 18 announced that it has signed a strategic cooperation agreement with the joint venture of General Motors (GM) and SAIC - WULING on the manufacturing, assembling and exclusively distributing of electric vehicles of GM and SAIC - WULING in Vietnam.
The construction site. Photo: dongnai.gov.vn

According to Thai Thanh Phong, deputy director of Dong Nai Department of Industry and Trade, the Ministry of Industry and Trade has yet to issue the power price framework that will be applied to the liquefied natural gas projects.

The capital mobilisation also faces barriers because these projects are not guaranteed by the government for loans and the long-term contracts have yet to be committed into the power purchase contract, Phong said.

At Nhon Trach 3 thermal power plant, the initial electrical connection plan has to be adjusted due to obstacles in land clearance. The adjusted plan has to wait for approval to be added into the national power master plan, he said.

The Nhon Trach 3 and 4 power plants are set to be built in Ong Keo Industrial Park in the southern province of Dong Nai. With its favourable location and the solid infrastructure of the Southern Key Economic Zone, Dong Nai has become the focus of attention for property developers in recent years.

The projects have a total investment capital of $1.4 billion. The investor, PetroVietnam Power Corporation, was committed to ensuring sufficient capital for the projects, including 25 per cent from equity and 75 per cent from loans from export credit. $300 million will come from foreign commercial sources and around $170 million from domestic banks.

Previously, the investors targeted starting the construction of these two thermal power plants in April 2022. They expected that the first turbine would come into operation in October 2024, with the second running in April 2025. The plan was for the boiler system to be established in late 2023.

PetroVietnam seeks new EPC contractor for 1,200MW Long Phu 1 thermal power plant State-run oil and gas group PetroVietnam is looking for a new EPC contractor for the 1,200MW Long Phu 1 thermal power plant, which is located in the Mekong Delta province of Soc Trang.

HDF Energy inks MoU with PTSC to build hydrogen power plants Hydrogene de France SA (HDF Energy) has signed an MoU with PetroVietnam Technical Services Corporation (PTSC) to jointly develop, finance, and build HDF's hydrogen power plants in Vietnam.

$1.8 billion Quang Trach power plant faces land clearance issues Quang Trach 1 thermal power plant, which is invested by EVN, is facing difficulties in land clearance.
A memorial honoring the enslaved people who built Baylor Universitys original campus in Independence is in the design stage, while statues of the first Black Baylor graduates are slated for unveiling in April.

The university this month released architectural renderings of the Monument to the Unknown Enslaved, an installation planned for Founders Mall.

The memorial was among the recommendations of the Commission on Historic Campus Representations, which published its report in 2021 after exploring the history of racial injustice in Baylors past.

The memorial will consist of a semi-circular stone wall, symbolizing the work performed by enslaved people, surrounded with information plaques explaining Baylors historic ties to slavery and racism. Design firm Sasaki produced renderings of the memorial.

The report, researched and compiled by the 26-person commission, recommended placing the stone wall in a spot that gives onlookers a clear view of Pat Neff Hall in one direction and Waco Hall in the other.

Such a new historic representation would begin to change the way Black and brown people feel when they walk on Baylors campus and would symbolize Baylors commitment to racial diversity going forward, the report states.

Malcolm Foley, who serves as special advisor to the president for equity and campus engagement, said placing the memorial in the center of the mall demands engagement.

Its a recognition that there are founders who havent been recognized in Baylors history, he said.

He said the ground around the memorial will include a map of Central Texas that shows how much of the population was enslaved by county. Lights and water features will also change the look of the memorial at night, he said.

Baylor University spokesperson Lori Fogleman said it will be several months before the architectural plans are ready and the university has an estimate for what the memorial will cost.

Meanwhile, Baylor is planning an April 4 dedication at Tidwell Bible Building to unveil statues of its first two Black graduates: Pastor and activist Robert Gilbert and California social worker Barbara Walker.

Baylor put out a national call to artists for the project and selected sculptor Benjamin Victor based on small-scale models he produced as examples. The final versions will stand at 7 feet tall.

Gilbert was a prominent figure in the fight to integrate Wacos public schools. Throughout his life, he served as a teacher, minister and civil rights advocate before his death in 1992 at age 50.

Walker, originally from Oklahoma, was recruited by the California State Department of Mental Health in 1969, where she worked as a social worker until retiring to Arizona, where she still lives. During her career, she helped established parenting classes for parents in addiction recovery programs.

Victor said he spoke to both subjects families as well as Walker about how they should be portrayed. He said after some debate about what age they should be depicted at, he settled on showing them both well into their careers as adults.

Another project hes working on, a statue of Arkansas desegregation pioneer Daisy Bates, will be placed in the U.S. Capitol once its complete. He said the two projects are part of a larger trend toward art memorializing Black history.

Its just so wonderful and encouraging to see heroes of Black history and heroes of civil rights history in our country be celebrated like this, Victor said.

Gilberts statue will hold a crutch under his right arm and a bible in his left hand, open to Philippians 4:13: I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

Walker will be depicted in the act of speaking, with one hand gesturing to her heart and the other out to the world.

You think about all the Black students at Baylor University now, and it just seems like such a far cry away from not too many decades back, Victor said.

Personal quotes will adorn each of the statues platforms, but Victor said those wont be revealed until the statues are on display.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 28)  President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said the mission of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) has changed amid the rising tensions in the South China Sea and the intense rivalry between superpowers.

Speaking to AFP officials and troops in Cebu on Monday, Marcos said the South China Sea issue is a more difficult and more complex problem than the Russia-Ukraine war.

RELATED: Majority of Filipinos want Marcos to work with US to 'defend' WPS  survey

Kayat sinasabi ko yung mission ng AFP, yung mission ninyo ay nagbago na. At kailangan natin bantayan nang mabuti yung ating dating hindi kailangan masyadong isipin, he added.

[Translation: This is why I am saying the mission of AFP, your mission has changed. And we need to monitor what we didn't have to think much about before.]

In his previous speeches, Marcos said his administrations foreign policy was to maintain peace. On Monday, he said the Philippines must adjust to any change.

For many, many years, we were able to maintain that peace and maintain that understanding with all of our neighbors. Now things have begun to change and we must adjust accordingly," he said.

The Philippines has filed another diplomatic protest against China after a Chinese vessel pointed a military-grade laser, called a dazzler, at a Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) ship near the Ayungin Shoal.

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said the protest was sent to the Chinese embassy, condemning the "shadowing, harassment, dangerous maneuvers, directing of military-grade laser, and illegal radio challenges by CCG vessel 5205 against PCG vessel BRP Malapascua on 6 February 2023."

The DFA also said the actions by the Chinese Coast Guard (CCG) was a threat to sovereignty and security.

China described the situation in the contested Ayungin Shoal as generally calm, adding that the foreign ministries of both nations have begun discussions on the matter.

China also insisted that Ayungin Shoal in the West Philippine Sea is part of its Nansha Islands, refusing to acknowledge the 2016 arbitral ruling in The Hague, which concluded that China has no legal basis to claim historic rights to the bulk of the South China Sea.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin also said the arbitration case was pure political drama" orchestrated by the United States, which has backed the Philippines amid the laser incident.
Whither doth this legislative session go?

It looks like the ship is headed downstream to eventual enactment of a broad conservative agenda.

But it's not smooth sailing ahead.

Legislative opponents appear to be left essentially with the option of trying to delay the outcome while perhaps trapping or moderating an item or two.

And that has led to a filibustered legislative session so far.

Talk, run the clock, flip the calendar pages, delay the outcome.

What's changed this year is the departure of a core of independent or less doctrinaire Republican senators who played a big role in shaping the outcome.

However, we don't know these new senators well yet, so maybe there are some independent Republican voices yet to be heard.

Perhaps along with those of a couple of Republican senators who were already there when the newcomers arrived.

The moderating views of John McCollister, Mark Kolterman, Matt Williams, John Stinner and Robert Hilkemann did not all emerge right away.

Their moderation gave them power, and sometimes the opportunity to be the decisive votes on important bills before they were term-limited out of the Legislature this year.

Notably, three of those Republican voices came from outside of Omaha and Lincoln, from as far west as the border with Wyoming.

So it's a little early to try to characterize this Legislature.

Senators sometimes change  the more tempting word is grow  once they've been in the Legislature awhile and fully understand and experience how independent they truly are, free from party and partisanship if they want to be, free from doctrine or dogma, free to arrive at their own judgments.

Free to match the non-partisan description that accompanied their names on the ballot.

This Legislature is essentially evenly split between rural and urban, but the urban voice is divided and the rural voice is largely united and that will matter.

It gives rural Nebraska power at a time when future redistricting will gradually eat away at its strength in terms of numbers.

There seems to be patience in their ranks, at least for now, as some senators run the clock day by day, although Sen. Steve Erdman of Bayard says he's tempted to offer a sine die motion to end the currently dysfunctional session and just go home.

The best early bet is that the conservative Pillen agenda, which focuses on tax reduction, limited government spending and state school aid reform, eventually is going to prevail once the smoke has cleared.

But it might take awhile.

* * *

Not much noticed yet is a pending legislative bill that would open a pathway for citizens to protest and seek prosecution of persons responsible for allowing "obscene materials," including pornography, to be available in public libraries.

It's part of a broader bill, LB441, introduced by Sen. Joni Albrecht of Thurston.

A cannon shot in the culture war already impacting universities, already visible in the approaching 2024 presidential campaign and already on full display in this legislative session.

* * *

Finishing up:

* Sen. Tom Brewer's bill (LB77) to allow concealed carrying of a handgun without a permit or required gun safety training is scheduled for debate in the Legislature on Wednesday, no doubt triggering a filibuster, one of many yet to come.

* A January poll conducted by RMG Research for the Liberty Initiative Fund suggests that 70% of Nebraskans would oppose a proposal to allow Nebraska state senators to serve three consecutive terms rather than being limited to the current two consecutive four-year terms.

* It's always interesting, and instructive, to watch senators making the rounds to touch base and talk with colleagues while the Legislature is in session. Sen. John Fredrickson of Omaha is a freshman senator who appears to have quickly seen the value of that in developing relationships. Sen. Lou Ann Linehan of Elkhorn is a veteran senator and legislative leader who is often on the move.

* Sen. Mike McDonnell, a Catholic and a likely candidate for mayor of Omaha, has been denied a seat on the Douglas County Democratic central committee because of his support for pro-life legislation.

* A long time ago, Jim Exon, former governor and former U.S. senator, the man who built a strong and competitive Democratic Party in the state, told me that the party's unwillingness to be a welcoming political home for pro-life supporters as well as pro-choice advocates would lead to its decline in Nebraska.

* And here comes a welcome sighting of March, the last of the five wintry months.

Photos: Prayer rally at Nebraska Capitol marks a year of war in Ukraine
CEDAR FALLS  A Waterloo man has been arrested for allegedly leading Cedar Falls police on a high-speed chase earlier in the month.

Patrol officers spotted a 2015 Ford Mustang traveling west at 50 mph in a 30 mph zone on West First Street near Catherine Street around 12:45 a.m. Feb. 9.

The Mustang didnt pull over and ran a stoplight and numerous stop signs as the chase headed down West Fourth Street and Pheasant Drive, looped through Paddington Drive and Berry Hill Road and then headed up Union Road before finally hitting 100 mph on Highway 57 and disappearing, according to court records.

On Wednesday, the driver, 22-year-old Tyler David Rindels, was arrested for felony eluding, interference and several traffic citations. He was released pending trial.
WATERLOO  A Waterloo woman has been arrested in a Monday night crash that damaged a utility pole.

Waterloo police arrested Gloria Jean Hence, 67, on charges of first-offense operating while intoxicated, child endangerment and failure to maintain control.

She was also charged with fifth-degree criminal mischief for allegedly damaging a chair at the police station.

Hence was released pending trial.

Hence was driving a Chevrolet Equinox on East Mullan Avenue around 6:15 p.m. when she apparently lost control. The vehicle hit a pole and rolled, coming to a rest on its tires in the yard of 216 E. Mullan.

A 6-year-old boy was a passenger in the vehicle.

Paramedics with Waterloo Fire Rescue examined both at the scene, but they werent taken to the hospital, according to police.

Officers noticed an odor of alcohol at the scene, and Hence blew a .180 blood-alcohol content  more than twice the legal limit  on a Datamaster breath test, according to court records.

Staff writer Jeff Reinitz contributed to this story.

PHOTOS: Mullan Avenue crash Feb. 27, 2023 IMG_2926.JPG Crash - 5 IMG_2933.JPG Crash - 1 C Crash - 2
CEDAR FALLS  University of Northern Iowa accounting students are providing free help preparing income tax returns through the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program.

The service will continue from 6 to 8 p.m. on Wednesdays through April 5 (excluding March 15 due to spring break). Returns for international students and scholars will be prepared beginning March 8. Registration opens at 5:30 p.m. in room 223 of the Curris Business Building and closes at 7:30 p.m.

Those with income of $60,000 or less are encouraged to arrive early to complete the intake/interview process and allow students sufficient time to complete their return. Only a limited number of returns will be completed each night.

Appointments may be scheduled by leaving a message at (319) 273-2968 with the best time to call back or by sending an email request to cathalene.bowler@uni.edu. A representative will call or email within 24 to 48 hours to schedule the appointment.

This year, a drop-off service is also available. Taxpayers who are not able to stay while their taxes are prepared may create a customer portal and scan their documents to the portal. A preparer will contact the taxpayer via Zoom to communicate during the tax preparation and quality review process. Further instructions will be provided at the time of drop-off.

VITA was established by the Internal Revenue Service to help low-income taxpayers who may find it difficult to pay for tax preparation services. The program also provides accounting students with an experiential learning opportunity to apply the skills they have learned.

Accounting students are prepared to complete federal and Iowa tax returns for electronic filing. UNIs comprehensive tax course has equipped them with the knowledge, skill set and resources needed to ensure accurate filings that meet all requirements of IRS certification standards. The students are also required to complete IRS certification testing at the advanced level prior to completing tax returns.

Taxpayers seeking assistance should bring: Social security cards for the taxpayer, spouse and dependents; valid photo identification; a copy of last years federal and Iowa tax returns; Form W-2, Wage and Tax Statement from each employer; Forms 1099, for such things as interest, dividends or retirement payments; a list of other income and expenses; Form 1098-E, student loan interest statement; Form 1098-T, tuition payment statement (also bring institution billing statement); Form 1095A if health insurance was purchased through the Marketplace; banking information (account and routing numbers) for the automatic deposit of refund; all other information pertinent to your 2022 tax return.

A Veridian Credit Union representative will be on-site to open accounts for taxpayers who would need a checking/savings account, which can be used for the direct deposit option.

For more information, visit the VITA website or call the UNI Department of Accounting at (319) 273-2394.

Photos: Synthetic Cadavers at UNI 021623jr-syndavers-1 021623jr-syndavers-2 Professor Nathan Bird, PhD 021623jr-syndavers-6 021623jr-syndavers-5 021623jr-syndavers-4 021623jr-syndavers-7 021623jr-syndavers-8 021623jr-syndavers-9
WATERLOO  Hawkeye Community College officials are confident $35 million in general obligation bonds to fund three facility projects will better position their campus to serve future needs of the state and local community.

But first, at least 60% of voters will need to approve a March 7 referendum to renew the institutions bond tax levy.

It wouldnt be an additional tax and merely continues for the next 10 years what was introduced in 2015 when voters passed a ballot question for the construction of the Adult Learning Center, as well as renovations to Grundy Hall.

The referendum is broken down into two phases, the first including the costliest of the endeavors. Butler Hall would be renovated and expanded to increase offerings and better accommodate vocational and trades programs, apprenticeships, and certifications under one roof.

The phase also factors in the least costliest of the projects, the repurposing of space in Bremer Hall for a STEM Learning Center. The repurposed area would be an accredited Challenger Center utilized by school districts across the state to engage fifth- to eighth-grade students and get them excited about science, technology, math and engineering early in their lives.

Two to three years after those two projects are completed, the second phase would focus on the expansion of the colleges law enforcement training academy, currently housed in Chickasaw Hall, as well as whats north of the colleges Regional Transportation Training Center and south of the main campus.

Officials estimate that the property taxes for the bond issue, if it is approved, would equate to approximately $1.20 per month for a $100,000 home, or $14.40 a year.

Technical trades

Hawkeye hopes to use the funds for its technical trades to create more opportunities for stackable credentials and short-term training that gets Iowans into the workforce earlier and allows workers to advance quickly.

Youre seeing more integration between credit and noncredit. Thats really the future of community college education, said President Todd Holcomb.

The college is seeing a 15%-20% increase in demand for training in jobs ranging from auto mechanics to heating, ventilating and air conditioning, welding, plumbing, electrical, construction, and other hands-on professions.

The trades in Iowa are dominated by baby boomers, and the tail end of the baby boom generation is 1964, so a lot of those individuals are going to be retiring out of the workforce, he said.

A little more than 50% of the $35 million in bonds would go toward addressing the workforce shortage by expanding Butler Hall into a 60,000-square-foot facility. Butler Hall and Bremer Hall house technical education programs along with the Cedar Falls Center on Nordic Drive, which is about a 15-minute drive away.

Essentially, the project will consolidate the programs inside Butler Hall and that will make way for the STEM Learning Center in Bremer Hall. Some classes will continue at the Cedar Falls Center but the long-term future of the space is to be discussed.

Work will include gutting the building and bringing in new HVAC, electrical and plumbing. Its as many as 10 years since any major work was completed there.

Efficiencies would be created in terms of instructors and equipment, and it would be more flexible for students to gain some training, increasing the opportunity for more certifications and better jobs.

Well have all the same equipment and everything that we need, instead of doubling up on it. Theres some equipment at the Cedar Falls site that I would love to have over here because its a lot newer than what we have here, said Jim Konrardy, an HVAC instructor.

He feels it opens up the college for more full-fledged labs and small mock-ups that currently cant be added because it is bursting at the seams.

Our construction class builds houses as a group but they have to outsource all the HVAC and electrical stuff. If all that was in one building, then all that could be done more efficiently and you wouldnt have to outsource, said Joe Schwartz, one of Konrardys students from Waukon.

Hawkeyes offerings were attractive to Schwartz, who started at a four-year institution but later took a liking to construction.

Classmate Ethan ONeill from Waukon had a similar experience, taking up the HVAC program because of his fathers work expertise.

I wanted to try a blue collar job, and I tried this out and am really liking it, he said.

STEM center

Hawkeye hopes to engage the next generation of scientists and mathematicians through the development of the STEM Education Center, where it anticipates using about 15,000 square feet in Bremer Hall.

It is expected to be the least costly of the three projects, at about 15% of the total, and has the potential to leave a mark on thousands of students from all over the state.

The name Challenger Center is a tribute to the crew of the space shuttle that exploded just after liftoff in 1986, killing all aboard. The opportunity arises from the colleges STEM trailer, a lab on wheels.

The Challenger Center would focus on space exploration, with simulations, role playing and hands-on learning that can be applied across multiple disciplines as well as various soft skills.

Research says thats really a key time when students are trying to decide what career field Im going to go into, said Holcomb.

He pointed out that 55% of STEM careers come as a result of an associates degree or other post-secondary program that doesnt take four years to complete.

And opportunities exist for high school and college students, too. Employers could use the center for team building exercises and perhaps include a trip to the Lost Island theme parks less than 10 minutes away.

Its cliche, but the sky is the limit, said Provost Lynn LaGrone. Thats one thing that excites me is I think students start to fall off the math/science path pretty early on, and its going to give that student whos not quite sure about what he or she is interested in a chance to think about whats possible.

Law enforcement

Its no secret law enforcement agencies are struggling with recruiting and hiring. Hawkeye officials plan improvements to its facilities that would help address the officer shortage.

While plans for the facility upgrades are furthest out, as part of the second phase law enforcement courses would be consolidated in a single location and be better suited to offer continual training.

Right now, training and classes are offered at Chickasaw Hall and near the colleges Regional Transportation Training Center. The current setup includes an indoor and outdoor firing range to allow for year-round training.

Plans may result in a new facility being constructed and Chickasaw Hall being demolished.

Most notably, Hawkeye hopes to offer a level one law enforcement training academy, which would be the only one in northeast Iowa. Level one is more involved training for those without police science and criminology degrees and is only offered in Des Moines at the moment. Recruits spend four months away from home and family to complete the training.

We think itd provide better work-life balance for the recruits, said Holcomb. We think we can do a very good job in helping to educate them and train them, and it could be a much easier recruiting sell to potential law enforcement officers to do the training locally here in the northeast.

Ben Scholl, law enforcement director, said expanding the facility would enhance skills-based learning and allow the college to use the technology to its full potential. More modern learning spaces are needed, he said, and more integrated ones would eliminate the travel back and forth between various classes.

We lose a little bit of efficiency with our cadets. By being all in one location, that will give us more time in the classroom, spend more time doing the skill-based learning and fine tuning the skills before we send them to their agencies, Scholl said.

He envisions being able to be offer more dynamic scenario training and Hawkeye becoming a one-stop shop.

Almost anybody can do the basic drills but there are some other skills that we could do and offer to agencies, he said.
WAVERLY  Bremer Countys land use ordinance regulating carbon dioxide pipelines will become law soon.

The Board of Supervisors unanimously passed the new zoning rules on the third and final reading on Monday, according to Finance Director Kassandra Johansen.

The ordinance establishes setbacks for any project and will become official upon its publication in a newspaper of regular circulation in the coming days.

The adoption comes as Iowa House lawmakers consider House File 368 which, among other things, would require companies to be in line with all local zoning ordinances and blocks the projects until a federal regulator announces new safety regulations.

The heart of the proposed state legislation is a requirement that easements be voluntary obtained along 90% of the miles of the pipelines proposed path before eminent domain is sought.

An expectation exists that governments are vulnerable to a lawsuit because changes to the rules are being considered after three firms proposing to build in Iowa have already made investments in their respective projects.

None of them are done deals yet as the companies are in the middle of working to obtain a hazardous liquid permit from the Iowa Utilities Board.

Navigator CO2 is the company proposing to build a carbon pipeline through Butler, Floyd, Bremer, Buchanan, Hardin, Franklin, Fayette and Delaware counties.

Navigator representatives were present at the first two readings but not the third, said Johansen. Theyve not indicated whether the company intends to challenge the ordinance in court.

The minimum separation distances proposed are:

City limits of an incorporated city  two miles.

Church, school, nursing home, long-term care facility, or hospital  half a mile.

Public park, conservation area, sensitive area, or public recreation area  half a mile.

Occupied structure  half a mile.

Animal feeding operation or facility  1,000 feet.

Electric power generating facility with a nameplate capacity of 5 megawatts or more; an electric transmission line operating at 69 kilovolts or more; an electric transmission substation; a public drinking water treatment plant; or a public wastewater treatment plant  1,000 feet.

Private water supply wells  200 feet.

The countys new ordinance also comes with a slew of emergency response and hazard mitigation planning requirements.

"Navigator takes pride in developing safe, reliable infrastructure that not only meets, but in many cases exceeds, the robust regulatory oversight required by state and federal agencies for pipeline infrastructure," the company said in a statement. "We recognize and value local input, which is why we engaged with Bremer County very early on, and provided detailed technical feedback to the board throughout the process.

"We are committed to continuing to work collaboratively, but also recognize that local ordinances should not and cannot be crafted in a manner that exceed legal authority under the law or effectively prevent development. We have successfully negotiated with local leaders across the project footprint on the development of this project in a manner thats consistent with federal and state law."

Editor's note: This story was updated Tuesday with a statement from Navigator received after print deadline.

Photos: Aplington-Parkersburg boys basketball vs. Monticello in substate final, Feb. 25 BBBall AP vs. Monticello 1 BBBall AP vs. Monticello 2 BBBall AP vs. Monticello 3 BBBall AP vs. Monticello 4 BBBall AP vs. Monticello 5 BBBall AP vs. Monticello 6 BBBall AP vs. Monticello 7 BBBall AP vs. Monticello 8
An Iowa nurse who was sanctioned by the state Board of Nursing for adopting the baby of a former patient was fired last week after the board mistakenly claimed she had been charged with financially exploiting a patient.

In January, the Iowa Board of Nursing sanctioned Miriam Simon of Waverly for violating state regulations pertaining to patient privacy and for attempting to initiate an emotional, social or business relationship with a patient for personal gain regardless of the patients consent.

Those charges stemmed from Simons decision to adopt the baby of a patient she treated while working in the obstetrics unit at Decorahs Winneshiek Medical Center in September 2021. The hospital fired Simon after learning of the adoption in 2022. The Iowa Capital Dispatch reported the boards sanctions on Feb. 17 and five days later, on Wednesday, Simon was fired by her new employer, Crescos Regional Health Services of Howard County.

The Cresco hospital apparently based its decision, at least in part, on incorrect information the Board of Nursing had transmitted to a national database called Nursys. The Nursys.com website is the National Council of State Boards of Nursings public repository of disciplinary data.

Simon said that while checking the Nursys database, hospital officials in Cresco saw erroneous information suggesting Simon had been sanctioned by the Board of Nursing for the financial exploitation of a patient  a serious offense that can lead to criminal charges. After Simons attorney contacted the Board of Nursing about the error, a board official apologized and the information on the Nursys website was corrected.

Simon said Friday that the correction, so far, hasnt made any difference in her employment status: Shes still without a job.

Part of me now is, like, Do I even want to be a nurse, and is all this even worth it? she said Friday. But nursing is my career, my passion and my whole life. I am good at it, and my patients love me. My refrigerator door is (covered) with notes from patients.  And I just feel like everything has been ripped out from under me, all for something I did purely out of love and compassion for this baby and his mother.

The adopted child, named Ezra, is now 17 months old and in good health, but Simon said the boards actions have created a financial and emotional nightmare for her entire family, including the seven children she had before the adoption.

Two of my kids have birthdays in a couple weeks, she said. Ive been crying, and theyve been telling me, Dont worry. Dont buy me anything for my birthday. You know, things like that  these are things children shouldnt have to deal with, not having a birthday because their mom lost her job.

According to the Board of Nursing, it was the 43-year-old Simon who had initiated efforts to adopt Ezra, but Simon said thats not accurate. She said that after raising seven children of her own she initially had no interest at all in adopting a child until the birth mother contacted her through Facebook and raised the issue. Simon said Ezras birth mother was in the United States on a visa and risked being deported if she dropped out of school to care for the child.

Simon and the board eventually agreed to settle the charges against her with an agreement that stipulates she must complete 30 hours of educational training on patient privacy and take a three-day course in professional boundaries and ethics.

Simons attorney, Steve Lombardi of West Des Moines, said hes unhappy with the Iowa Board of Nursing because of the incorrect information that was relayed to Nursys, and because the Nursys site doesnt host the detailed board documents that show Simon never admitted any wrongdoing as part of her settlement agreement.

Why does the Iowa Board of Nursing make it so difficult to read what the truth is? Lombardi said, adding that the Cresco hospital currently employs nurses who have been sanctioned for violating patient privacy  the same offense Miriam Simon was accused of committing in the adoption case.

Miriam Simon is being treated differently than Regional Health Services of Howard Countys other nurse employees who have had the same, or similar, actions taken against them by the Iowa Board of Nursing, Lombardi said.

Officials at the Iowa Board of Nursing and Regional Health Services of Howard County didnt respond to requests for comment on the matter.
WATERLOO  Pathway of Hope, a Salvation Army of Waterloo/Cedar Falls program, is holding a greeting card fundraiser featuring four designs submitted by young local artists.

The yearlong program assists families with children in overcoming challenges like unemployment, unstable housing, and lack of education. Its goal is to lead them down a path of increased stability and self-sufficiency.

The fundraiser will help to sustain the program. Purchase cards by March 19 to take advantage of pre-sale pricing (an eight-pack for $10 or a 16-pack for $18). Beginning March 20 prices increase $4. Envelopes are included.

Pathway of Hope helps families make big changes in their lives, Regina Lambrecht, social ministries coordinator, said in a news release. As a Care Manager, I work closely with program participants and have seen how incredibly hard they work on their goals and their commitment to a better future for themselves and their children.

The artists are donating their artwork, VGMs community giving committee is sponsoring the fundraiser and Palmers Family Fun is providing gift certificates for the winning artists. Winning designs were chosen by The Salvation Armys development committee and VGMs community giving committee.

To purchase, or for additional information, contact Katie Harn at (319) 235-9358 or katie.harn@usc.salvationarmy.org.
CEDAR RAPIDS  Two months after a mother of three was stabbed to death  and after social justice advocates repeatedly called for charges  a Cedar Rapids man was arrested Monday and faces charges of voluntary manslaughter and disorderly conduct in her death.

Shane Teslik, 37, was taken into custody in a different county in Iowa in connection with the Jan. 2 killing of Devonna Walker, 29. He will be transferred to Linn County in the coming days, a news release from the Linn County Attorney's Office states.

A coalition of activist groups has been protesting regularly since the stabbing. On Feb. 16, the group put out a news release that named Teslik as Walker's killer.

"Though the coalition has previously omitted Shane Teslik's name, this shift is in loving solidarity with the family of Devonna Walker. It is unjust for his name to remain absent from factual reports while her name has been subjected to accusations and harmful stereotypes," the groups wrote.

A video of the incident circulated on social media appears to show Walker, who is Black, arguing with Teslik, who is white, and another white woman. In the video, Teslik calls Walker a racial slur, and then a fight breaks out between the three of them, during which Teslik appears to stab Walker.

Police were called to the scene, in the 2100 block of North Towne Ct. NE, at about 6:45 p.m. Jan. 2, where they found Walker. She was transported to a hospital, but died from her injury.

If convicted, Teslik could face up to 10 years in prison for the voluntary manslaughter charge.

"Regarding the public criticism of the investigation, I support the constitutional right of citizen and activist groups to express their concerns about the functioning of the criminal justice system," Linn County Attorney Nick Maybanks said in a statement Monday.

"The decision to file these criminal charges was in no way influenced by any protest or 'demand' for arrest. It was solely based on our review of the facts of the case and the applicable law. To be abundantly clear, allowing public pressure or a public demand for arrest to influence the decision to file criminal charges would be highly inappropriate."

Multiple protests have been held since the stabbing, including a town hall event during which a local lawyer discussed the possibility of Stand Your Ground laws being evoked in the case.

Monday's release acknowledged that the Cedar Rapids Police Department and the Linn County Attorney's Office considered the possibility that Teslik would claim self-defense or defense of others, and that the possibility of those claims was part of the reason they felt more information was needed before an arrest.

"This included gathering witness statements and investigating the history between the parties, among other matters. This is a very typical approach to the investigation of criminal charges of the most serious nature. It should be noted that law enforcement and prosecutors not only investigate potential criminal charges but also likely defenses to the crimes, such as justification," the news release stated.

The release also states that a referral was made to the FBI for consideration of a hate crime. But the FBI informed Cedar Rapids police the stabbing did not meet the federal criteria.

In the release, Maybanks acknowledged and rejected claims made by activist groups that the situation would have been handled differently if the racial roles had been reversed  if a Black person had stabbed a white person.

"These claims against the Cedar Rapids Police Department and the Linn County Attorney's Office are entirely unfounded. These claims are unnecessarily divisive. These claims serve only to foment distrust between law enforcement and prosecutors and the community we serve. We wholeheartedly reject these claims," the statement read.

Tamara Marcus, a co-founder of Advocates for Social Justice, said Monday that the coalition of nonprofits is relieved to see the criminal charges brought against Teslik, but that they also want to acknowledge that nothing will bring Walker back.

"A human life was still taken at the hands of another person. We hope to see justice for Devonna's family so they can at least feel an ounce of peace moving forward," Marcus said in a statement.

She also acknowledged that activism can't always directly affect the criminal justice system, but pointed out that there has been an abundance of communication from law enforcement about this case  likely because of the activism that took place.

"It isn't typical for the county attorney to provide detailed personal updates about any particular case on county platforms, but our vocal and consistent interest and the community's interest in this case provided a reason to do so, and we hope to see that transparency more often in the future," Marcus said.

As part of the investigation, Maybanks consulted with the Iowa Attorney General's Office, which expressed that its opinion on the charges was consistent with Maybanks' action.

Walker's mother, LeSean Boles, told The Gazette after the town hall event that she wanted to see both Teslik and the woman from the video arrested.

"Everything about this is racism, and nothing's happening. ... I want justice for my daughter," Boles said at the time.

"I've missed her, and most of all the kids have missed her," Boles said. Walker had three children, ages 13, 7, and a newborn, now living with Boles

Cedar Rapids police turned its investigation over to the Linn County Attorney's office on Jan. 13. Maybanks made a statement Feb. 3 saying he hoped to reach an arrest decision by the end of month.

"To be abundantly clear, our office and I, personally, am very aware of the disgusting, hateful and vile language that has been seen on a video that has been publicly accessible. The use of this language is being considered in this investigation, along with all of the other evidence and the law to which we are bound in the State of Iowa," Maybanks said in his Feb. 3 statement.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 28)  The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) reported a possible oil spill in waters off Oriental Mindoro, where a tanker was found partially submerged Tuesday morning.

The coast guard said based on aerial surveillance the slick could be five kilometers long and 500 meters wide.

The PCG said it earlier responded to a distressed tanker carrying 800,000 liters of industrial oil near Naujan, Oriental Mindoro, after the vessel encountered engine trouble.

It said the BRP Melchora Aquino and one airbus helicopter were dispatched to the location. The coast guard also directed its District Southern Tagalog and Aviation Force to help assist and assess the vicinity waters for possible traces of oil.

In a statement, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) said it is also monitoring the area for any potential harm to life and livelihoods due to its distance from the shoreline.

According to the DENR, the vessel is currently eight to twelve nautical miles away from the eastern side of Mindoro Island.

The agency said poor weather has made it difficult to access the area  limiting observation of the impact to aircraft survey.

The MT Princess Empress sailed from Bataan en route to Iloilo with 20 crew members on board. They were rescued by MV EFES, a foreign vessel.

The oil tanker drifted towards waters off Balingawan Point, Oriental Mindoro due to rough sea conditions.

"Ito'y nagkaroon ng engine trouble o nag-overheat ang makina ng nasabing barge. At dulot na rin ng sama ng panahon kaya ito napadpad sa nasabing lugar," Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (MDRRMO) in Naujan said.

[Translation: It had an engine problem or the engine of the barge overheated. And bad weather caused it to drift and run aground in the area.]

The half-submerged vessel is continuously being monitored by barangay officials and the PCG, the MDRRMO added.
KYIV, Ukraine  How do people raised with a sense of right and wrong end up involved in terrible acts of violence against others?

Thats 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 Putins 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. They were told theyd be welcomed as heroes for liberating Ukraine from what Russian officials falsely claim are 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 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.

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.

This is the story of one of those men, Leonid. The AP couldn't reach Leonid directly but did speak with his mother in Russia. The AP isn't using his full name to protect his family. The AP has no evidence of his individual actions beyond his own testimony.

Leonid became a soldier because he needed money. 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.

No one thought it would be so terrible, his mother told the AP in January. My son just said one thing: My conscience is clear. They opened fire first. Thats all.

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.

Leonid: 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: Its totally horrible.

Leonid: They were lying there, just 18 or 19 years old. Am I different from them? No, Im not.

The rules of normal life no longer apply.

Unprepared for a prolonged attack, Russian soldiers ran short on basic supplies. One way for them to get what they needed  or wanted  was to steal.

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.

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.

Leonid: Whoever doesnt have any  socks, clean underwear, T-shirts, sweaters.

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.

This was a whole-of-society war. Mercy was for suckers.

Mother: Oh Lyonka, youve 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."

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.

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.

What it takes to get home alive

Leonid tells his mother he was nearly killed five times. Things are so disorganized, he says, its not uncommon for Russians to fire on their own troops. Some soldiers shoot themselves just to get medical leave, he says.

In another call, he tells his girlfriend that 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.

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.

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.

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
On 22 February 2023, an influential U.S. non-governmental organisation held a conference on the events in Ukraine. Within the event, former U.S. Ambassador to Russia John Sullivan made the statement, Russian troops plan to use chemical weapons in the special military operation area.

Russia regards this information as the intention of the United States itself and its accomplices to carry out a provocation in Ukraine using toxic chemicals.

They expect that amid hostilities, the international community will be unable to organise an effective investigation, with the result that the real organisers and executors may escape accountability and the blame is going to be placed on Russia.

 Read full text of Briefing by the Chief of Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical Protection Troops of Russian Armed Forces Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov on the West preparations for large-scale provocations involving toxic chemicals in Ukraine

@mod_russia_en

Supply of safety equipment for Ukraine

 In our opinion, the preparations are in full swing. In early 2023, the Euro-Atlantic Disaster Response Coordination Centre planned a large shipment of individual protection means to Ukraine. In order to substantiate the situation, Russian troops have already used phosphorus ammunition and could use the poisonous substances in a foreseeable escalation of the situation.

 The list of supplied equipment includes more than 55,000 sets of personal protective gear, 55,000 gas masks, 13,000 individual gas casualty first-aid kits. Priority is given to antidotes for organophosphorus agents such as sarin and soman  600,000 ampoules, anti-seizure medications  3 mln tablets, detoxification preparations for mustard gas, lewisite and chloroacetophenone inhibitors of hydrocyanic acid  750,000 vials.

 Read full text of Briefing by the Chief of Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical Protection Troops of Russian Armed Forces Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov on the West preparations for large-scale provocations involving toxic chemicals in Ukraine

@mod_russia_en

Toxic chemicals delivered to Kramatorsk

In addition, the Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation received information that on 10 February 2023, a rail transport arrived in Ukraine (Kramatorsk) with a cargo of chemicals in one of its cars, accompanied by a group of foreign nationals.

The car was detached and towed to the territory of the Kuybyshev Iron and Steel Works in Kramatorsk, where it was unloaded under the control of the Security Service of Ukraine and the AFU command representatives.

The consignment consisted of 16 sealed metal boxes, eight of which were labelled with a chemical hazard symbol, BZ inscription and marked with two red bands, corresponding to the class of poisonous substances of temporary incapacitation action. Five of the boxes were labelled as C-S-RIOT, three were labelled as C-R-RIOT with a single red band, which corresponds to substances with an irritant action.

The cargo was placed on the U.S.-manufactured armoured vehicles, which moved to the combat line of contact as part of the convoy.

On 19 February, 11 cars of specially marked shrapnel ammunition have been unloaded in Kramatorsk. The unloading took place at night on a platform in the suburbs, with the car labelled as Building materials, Cement.

According to the information of the Russian Ministry of Defence, the U.S. Army has previously upgraded its shrapnel rounds to be loaded with ready-to-use, liquid formulated irritant acids.

The facts of the simultaneous delivery of toxic chemicals and protection means indicate an attempted large-scale provocation using the BZ psychotropic warfare agent during the conflict.

 Read full text of Briefing by the Chief of Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical Protection Troops of Russian Armed Forces Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov on the West preparations for large-scale provocations involving toxic chemicals in Ukraine

@mod_russia_en

Threats posed by using BZ

Under the Chemical Weapons Convention, BZ agent is a controlled chemical and its use is prohibited under Article 1 of the CWC.

This chemical causes acute phrenoplegia, disorientation, hallucinations, and memory impairment.

B-Z agent is a standard war gas for the U.S. Army. It was used extensively during the Vietnam War.

The United States and its allies have repeatedly used chemical munitions in the military conflicts in Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria.

The U.S. declared a total destruction of stocks of BZ as early as 1990. Fifty tonnes of the substance have been disposed of, but samples were left behind.

In addition, the possibility of synthesising BZ precursors from pharmaceutical production facilities in the volume of up to several dozen tonnes per year is now retained.

 Read full text of Briefing by the Chief of Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical Protection Troops of Russian Armed Forces Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov on the West preparations for large-scale provocations involving toxic chemicals in Ukraine

@mod_russia_en

Examples of U.S. provocative actions

We have repeatedly noted that Western leadership regularly make provocative statements about the possibility of Russia using weapons of mass destruction.

However, similar projects have been implemented many times by the USA itself to achive political goals.

For example, a vial of washing powder in the hands of U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell prompted the invasion of Iraq and the deaths of over half a million Iraqi citizens.

In 2017, photos of the White Helmets replicated by news agencies, showing people wearing ordinary gauze bandages taking samples at the site of the alleged use of sarin, led to a U.S. missile strike on Shayrat airbase in Syria.

In 2018, staged shootings of allegedly chlorine-poisoned children in Douma (Syrian) caused the destruction of a research centre in Barzah and Jamraya.

I would like to remind that no one has been held accountable for these crimes so far.

 Read full text of Briefing by the Chief of Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical Protection Troops of Russian Armed Forces Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov on the West preparations for large-scale provocations involving toxic chemicals in Ukraine

@mod_russia_en

International legal assessment of the use of toxic chemicals in the conduct of hostilities

U.S. compliance with its obligations under the CWC is distinctly selective. Any restrictions under this treaty that threat to U.S. national interests are ignored with the direct connivance of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons.

For example, in violation of Article 1 of the Convention and the 1925 Geneva Protocol, the United States Department of Defense has legalised the use of a range of chemicals as weapons of war. Its use is envisaged with a wide range of standard ammunition.

I would like to warn you that the Russian stationary and mobile CBRN monitoring complexes deployed in the area of the special military operation make it possible to identify chemical threats in a timely manner and to respond to them promptly. It is therefore a mistake for the West to count on successful provocations with toxic chemicals in a warfare environment.

The analytical capabilities of the Russian Ministry of Defence chemical laboratories can reliably determine not only the type of chemical used, but also the country of manufacture.

For example, the information presented on the slide about the use of improvised munitions against Russian troops by unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) is widely known. Investigations proved that it was a thermal ammunition that contained flammable oxidisers and additives, some of which were produced in the Czech Republic.

We warn that in the event of provocation using toxic chemicals, the true culprits will be identified and punished.

We will continue on exposing the Western criminal activities that violate of the Chemical Weapons Convention.

 Read full text of Briefing by the Chief of Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical Protection Troops of Russian Armed Forces Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov on the West preparations for large-scale provocations involving toxic chemicals in Ukraine

@mod_russia_en

Briefing by the Chief of Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical Protection Troops of Russian Armed Forces Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov on the West preparations for large-scale provocations involving toxic chemicals in Ukraine

Read full text

@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. &&
China to set up 20 more national medical expert teams to enhance response to public health emergencies

(Global Times) 09:31, February 28, 2023

China will set up 20 more national medical treatment expert teams to strengthen the country's response capabilities in dealing with public health emergencies, drawing on lessons from the fight against COVID-19 in the past three years, the National Health Commission (NHC) said on Monday.

"Over the past three years or so, China coordinated epidemic prevention and control with economic and social development in an efficient manner, creating a miracle that the country with one of the largest populations in the history of human civilization has successfully emerged from the epidemic," said Mi Feng, a spokesperson of the NHC.

"The COVID-19 epidemic has taught us the importance of medical emergency management. Not only public health emergencies, China is also a country of frequent natural disasters," Guo Yanhong, director of the medical emergency response department of the NHC, announced at a Monday's press briefing.

China has 40 state-level emergency medical rescue teams, including comprehensive rescue, poisoning and nuclear radiation treatment. On top of that, the country plans to add 20 more medical treatment teams to boost emergency aid capability, Guo noted.

China will establish a multi-level emergency coordination system to ensure relevant decisions are taken at a faster speed and in an orderly manner and are implemented effectively, Guo noted.

National bases for emergency medical rescue and the treatment of major infectious diseases, as well as medical emergency training bases for natural disasters, public health, social security, accidents and disasters will also be set up, according to Guo.

Monday's press briefing also highlighted the efforts and experience of how the customs authorities and the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) coped with the epidemic in the past three years.

The MIIT established a coordination mechanism that ensured medical resources were delivered and allocated to the most necessary places.

Over the past three years, customs took the most comprehensive, rigorous and thorough measures in the history of epidemic prevention and control at ports. A total of 160 million inbound people were quarantined, 82,000 COVID-19 positive cases were detected, and more than 6 million samples of imported cold chain food were monitored and tested, said Li Zhengliang, an official from the State General Administration of Customs.

With the gradual resumption of international flights, the opening of border ports, and the resumption of personnel exchanges between the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions, the risk of imported coronavirus strains and other infectious diseases is increasing, and the prevention of imported diseases still faces great challenges, Li said.

Since China downgraded its COVID-19 management on January 8, customs authorities have inspected 30 imported mutated variants of COVID-19. Variants such as XBB.1.9, XBB.1.9.1 and XBL were first detected in the Chinese mainland, Li noted.

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 28)  The Senate public services committee will probe on Thursday the impending phaseout of traditional jeepneys, a move senators hope can avert the planned seven-day transport strike next week.

The chamber also unanimously adopted the resolution filed by committee chairperson Sen. Grace Poe, urging the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) to postpone the June 30 deadline for drivers and operators to join a cooperative or form a corporation as part of the government's public utility vehicle modernization program.

During discussions in plenary, Sen. Francis Escudero suggested that aside from approval, the resolution should also be referred to Poe's committee for an in-depth hearing.

"So that all sides can be heard and so that the striking jeepney drivers or those who are planning to strike next week, perhaps if given a forum, might hold it off as well," Escudero said.

"Because in a strike, nobody really benefits from it - both the riding public and the drivers themselves," he added.

Escudero also said the phase-out policy was "hastily planned, haphazardly implemented, and offered no safety nets" for drivers and operators.

"The government should review the phase-out policy, time table, financial package and subsidy and assistance to affected drivers and operators," he noted.

Poe then sought her colleagues' permission to hold the hearing on Thursday - short of the three-day rule when hearings can begin from the time a measure is sponsored on the floor.

The senator said she expects Department of Transportation (DOTr) Secretary Jaime Bautista to "participate and personally meet various transport groups ASAP and hear their concerns."

"The DOTr must find a realistic and viable solution to the concerns raised by operators and drivers on the modernization program," Poe stressed.

"The government should not take for granted the complaints of our drivers and should keep the line of communications open," she added.

Senate President Juan Miguel "Migz" Zubiri agreed, saying "it's a national concern because we would like to avert a nationwide strike."

There were no objections both from the majority and the minority, according to Senate Majority Leader Joel Villanueva.

"The body is agreeing to the suggestion and we are all one in ensuring that we'll be able to help out in any way we can," Villanueva said.

Poe earlier noted that each modern jeepney costs around 2.8 million, which drivers have to loan and pay out-of-pocket.

"The LTFRB should be reminded that jeepney drivers do not have deep pockets. The most recent study estimates that their average daily take home pay is a meager 755," Poe said.

Senate Minority Leader Aquilino "Koko" Pimintel III proposed the scrapping of the jeepney modernization program if drivers and operators cannot afford the modern jeepney units through their current earnings.

Poe also noted that the phaseout has been postponed four times, but the government has not addressed the problems, and does not even have the required route rationalization plan to date.

"If the LTFRB proceeds with the phaseout, it might result in 50,000 jeeps being taken off the road. If transport groups proceed with their strike, that's at least 40,000 jeepneys off the street starting March 6," Poe said.

Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian said while he previously supported the modernization program launched by the administration of former President Rodrigo Duterte, there's no way drivers can afford it now following the hike in fuel prices.

"Yes, we need to modernize, but there should be comprehensive and concrete programs based on a just transition principally because transport is an essential sector," Sen. Nancy Binay also said.

CNN Philippines digital producer Mariel Celine Serquina contributed to this story.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 28)  A day after the closure of their main office, Smart Communications officials have turned over various documents to the Makati City's treasurer office, the local government reported.

In a tweet, Makati Mayor Abby Binay said these include Smarts breakdown of revenue sources nationwide - documents that they had been requesting since 2016.

The submission was in compliance with an earlier city government order and several court rulings, Binay added.

On Monday, Makati served the closure order on Smart Communications Inc. for failing to secure a business permit since 2019.

Smart also allegedly failed to settle its franchise tax deficiency worth 3.2 billion covering the period of January 2012 to December 2015, the city added.

READ: Makati City shuts Smart main office over alleged 3.2 billion unpaid taxes, lack of business permit

Smart previously argued that Makati has no jurisdiction to audit the companys financial statements and operations in other branches nationwide.

But in 2022, the Court of Tax Appeals (CTA) affirmed Makati RTC's decision granting the motion for production and inspection of the companys documents, adding that Makati has the authority to investigate Smarts entire operations under the Local Government Code.






New NAL Milestone with Successful Process Plant Start Up

Brisbane, Feb 27, 2023 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Emerging lithium producer Sayona Mining Limited ( ASX:SYA ) ( DML:FRA ) ( SYAXF:OTCMKTS ) has achieved another milestone in the recommencement of spodumene (lithium) production at its flagship North American Lithium (NAL) operation in Quebec, Canada, with the successful start-up of process operations.



The processing start-up comprised the circulation of ore through the entire system, from crushing through sorting, grinding and separation, which followed the completion of commissioning activities.



The restart continues tracking on time and on budget, with production of the first saleable lithium concentrate scheduled for late March 2023. This would mark a major milestone both for Sayona and Quebec as the leading hard rock lithium producer in North America. This announcement continues Sayona's regular, twice monthly updates as the Company advances towards production.



Sayona expects the first shipment of spodumene (lithium) concentrate from NAL will occur in July 2023, with four shipments targeted for the first half of fiscal 2024. The Company is targeting total production between 85,000 tonnes and 115,000t during this period (refer ASX release 17 February 2023).



Sayona's Managing Director, Brett Lynch commented: "Congratulations to the entire Sayona team for the continued progress towards NAL's restart, which has been an incredible achievement.



"With the production of saleable lithium concentrate only days away, this is an exciting time both for Sayona and Quebec as we work to build the leading integrated lithium production centre in North America."



Authier project submitted for BAPE review



Meanwhile, Sayona has voluntarily submitted its Authier Lithium Project for environmental impact assessment and review under the Quebec Government's 'BAPE' (Bureau d'audiences publiques en environnement) process, demonstrating the Company's commitment to transparency and stakeholder engagement. The Company's request has been accepted by Quebec's Ministry of the Environment, the Fight Against Climate Change, Wildlife and Parks.



The move follows Sayona's 2021 acquisition of the nearby North American Lithium (NAL) operation, which is on track to recommence spodumene (lithium) production in March 2023. NAL's acquisition has allowed for a change in strategy regarding the Authier project, which will become a source of spodumene ore for the NAL concentrator.



As a result, Authier no longer requires its own concentrator or tailings storage, and with planned daily output below the 2,000 tonnes threshold has resulted in a considerably reduced environmental impact compared to the original regulatory submission.



"The Government has agreed today to our request for the voluntary submission of the Authier project to the environmental impact assessment and review process. We are committed to our host communities and are continuing our discussions, with the goal of developing a collaborative project and making it a source of pride for our communities," said Guy Belleau, CEO of Sayona in Quebec.



"Always with the objective of ensuring harmonious cohabitation between our projects and their localities, we continue to meet with the host communities to remain attentive to the expectations and concerns of citizens. In addition, a continuous improvement committee has been created to work jointly on the development of the project to implement best practice, thus enhancing the value of local lithium in a responsible manner," said Cindy Valence, Sayona Executive Vice President and Chief Sustainability Officer.



The BAPE's mission is to inform government decision-making by communicating to the environment minister findings and opinions that reflect the concerns of the population and that are based on the principles of the Sustainable Development Act.



In carrying out its mission, BAPE provides the right conditions for citizens to be informed and express themselves. To this end, it ensures that all available and relevant information is made public. The findings and opinions of its commissions of inquiry are the result of rigorous analysis integrating ecological, social and economic issues.



"Our commitment to sustainability reflects the critical role lithium plays in accelerating the world's decarbonisation drive," added Mr Lynch.



"We look forward to progressing the BAPE progress for Authier in a transparent manner that ensures the best possible environmental and community outcomes."





About Sayona Mining Limited





Sayona Mining Limited (ASX:SYA) (OTCMKTS:SYAXF) is an Australian, ASX-listed (SYA) company focused on sourcing and developing the raw materials required to construct lithium-ion batteries for use in the rapidly growing new and green technology sectors. The Company has lithium projects in Quebec, Canada and in Western Australia.

Please visit us as at www.sayonamining.com.au
Corella completes acquisition of mining storage and infrastructure hub to fast-track progress towards production



Completes Acquisition of Mining Storage Facility

Perth, Feb 28, 2023 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Corella Resources Ltd ( ASX:CR9 ) is pleased to announce that it has successfully completed the acquisition of the Tampu grain bin located ~2.5 km from the Company's flagship Tampu kaolin deposit from grain supply chain co-operative, the CBH Group (Co-operative Bulk Handling Limited) ("CBH"). The site consists of a 3,750m2 (~15,000 tonne) storage shed, bitumen road access, loading facilities, weighbridge, offices with accommodation and excellent mobile coverage, access to 3 phase power and water connections located at the Cnr Bunce Rd & Bimbily Rd, Tampu.



The facility will allow Corella to conveniently store the mined product within close proximity to the main existing Tampu deposit for transport to the end user.



The Company paid CBH $255K cash from existing reserves in consideration for the free-hold property after a successful due diligence program.



Next steps



Aircore exploration drill hole assays at the Whitecap and Whitehills prospects are expected imminently, the Company will update the market in due course. Results will assist in designing and determining suitability for a comprehensive drill program at the new prospects targeting maiden mineral resource estimates at these locations.



Following the recent sonic drill assays from the resource definition program1, the Company is currently working with industry experts CSA Global on upgrading the existing Inferred Mineral Resource into Indicated / Measured Resource categories for conversion into Mineable Reserves. These Reserves along with additional metallurgical results from the Sonic drill core will then be used to underpin a Pre-Feasibility Study for the Tampu Project. The Company looks forward to updating the market in due course.



*To view tables and figures, please visit:

https://abnnewswire.net/lnk/UN7KD010





About Corella Resources Ltd





Corella Resources is an Australian exploration company listed on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX:CR9). Corella Resources is focussed on exploration and development of their 100% owned Tampu, Wiltshire and Kalannie kaolin projects along with the 100% owned Bonnie Rock silica project. All 4 projects are located in the mid-west of Western Australia.
Does it seem like suddenly the border has become a popular visiting place for lawmakers and federal officials?

On Jan. 8, President Joe Biden visited El Paso, Texas, to see first-hand the issues surrounding the surge of migrants from Central and Latin America. He was met at the El Paso airport by Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott, who handed the president a letter criticizing his border efforts. The next day, a bipartisan group of lawmakers, led by Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, and Kyrsten Sinema, I-Arizona, visited El Paso and Yuma, Arizona, where they hoped to see the many challenges of the Southwest border.

On Feb.16, Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy, R-California, led a group of freshman House members to a visit of Cochise County, a border county in Arizona. He spoke out against illegal drugs and crossings at the border and promised change. At the same time, Rep. Raul Grijalva, D-Arizona, was in the same region to focus on investments in Customs and Border Protection facilities. On Feb. 17, House Minority Leader Hakim Jeffries, D-New York, traveled to the border to visit Laredo, Texas. Along with Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, who represents the Laredo region, Jeffries visited with local leaders to solicit input on a variety of border-related topics. Later in the visit, Jeffries lauded the Biden administrations newly enacted policies, which have eased some of the migration pressures from countries like Cuba, Haiti, and Venezuela. But we do need a congressional solution, Jeffries said.

On Feb. 14, I got to personally participate in a border visit by a high-ranking official when U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Ken Salazar visited Santa Teresa and El Paso. I have been keenly interested in the ambassadors career as a U.S. senator from Colorado, the Secretary of the Interior, and now ambassador to one of the U.S.s most important allies. His family is part of the Hispanics who have lived and farmed for hundreds of years in the San Luis Valley of southern Colorado and northern New Mexico. Part of my family is also from this region. Although raised in southern Colorado, he also referred to himself as a New Mexican due to the fact that his mother was raised approximately 60 miles north of Albuquerque. The ambassador was hosted in Santa Teresa by Rep. Gabe Vasquez, D-New Mexico.

As with most ambassadors I have met, I found Ambassador Salazar to be suave and charismatic. Dressed in cowboy boots, jeans, a winter jacket, and a stylish Indiana Jones-type hat, he looked every bit the style of ranchers I grew up with in northern New Mexico. The visit took place on a chilly, breezy day at the Santa Teresa Port of Entry, where Salazar was provided a tour of port facilities, as well as the Santa Teresa Cattle Crossing. The visit by both officials was to tout U.S.-Mexico trade. Congressman Vasquez emphasized the need for more federal government investment and personnel in the Santa Teresa Port of Entry in order to maintain its tremendous growth.

Ambassador Salazar also talked about the importance of U.S-Mexico trade for both nations, and he also called for more federal government investment on the southern border. However, at the end of his speech, he was open to questions from the press, representing media in both the U.S. and Mexico. Salazar was asked about how to stop illegal drugs and migration crossing into the U.S. from Mexico. He stated that the Biden administration has established clear strategies with its latest policies, and that more members of Congress would be visiting Mexico to gather information.

To me, the comments made by Salazar on immigration were spot-on: Many borders dont work. The U.S.-Mexico border has to work. As we see an unprecedented flow of migration we have to do three things. First, we have to create hope in countries like Guatemala. Second, we need to ensure the borders between all those countries work. Third, we have to provide a legal pathway so that people who are looking for jobs can find jobs that Mexico and the U.S. have available. He also emphasized that the Biden administration has a clear policy aimed at curbing illegal drugs such as fentanyl, by curbing supply and demand. After the Santa Teresa visit, Ambassador Salazar attended a friendship event at the Chamizal Park, which flows into both El Paso and Juarez.

Even if Americans, particularly those living at the southern border, are skeptical about the visits being more political and flashy, I believe that they are helpful. Many lawmakers and officials are making negative comments about the border without understanding what is going on there. Many tend to lead their border comments with crime, illegal drugs and undocumented border crossers. They omit the tremendous border industrial base that generates billions of dollars of trade for the U.S. every year. They tend to overlook or not understand the strong familial, friendly and cultural ties that exist on both sides of the border. They also seem to not understand how many billions of dollars Mexican shoppers, tourists and visitors spend in border towns such as El Paso. Visits such as the ones that are occurring can be very educational, and go a long way toward developing bipartisan solutions to border issues.

Jerry Pacheco is the executive director of the International Business Accelerator, a nonprofit trade counseling program of the New Mexico Small Business Development Centers Network. He can be reached at 575-589-2200 or at jerry@nmiba.com.
Detectives have determined that the deaths of three people in a neighborhood near 12th and Griegos NW last week were two homicides and a suicide.

Gilbert Gallegos, an Albuquerque Police Department spokesman, said the detectives determined the offender  whose name has still not been released  stabbed the two victims and then shot himself inside the house.

He said the offenders next of kin may be in a different country and since they hadnt been notified yet of his death detectives didnt want to describe the relationships between the three people.

Around 8 a.m. on Thursday, an off-duty New Mexico State Police officer found Omar Rodriguez-Hechemendia, 25, with serious stab wounds in the street in front of a home on Griegos NW, Gallegos said. He was taken to the hospital, where he died.

When officers entered the home they found Danay Morales-Hernandez, 36, and the offender dead. A toddler, who was not injured, was also found inside the home but police have not said how she was related to the adults.

Police initially thought that Morales-Hernandez had been shot to death but an autopsy determined that she had been stabbed.
The families of two of the four people who died in custody of the Metropolitan Detention Center last year filed lawsuits this month against Bernalillo County and the medical provider that operated in the jail.

Brian Korth died by suicide in March and nine months later April Trujillo died while detoxing from fentanyl.

The suits join others filed recently as the jail saw an increase in deaths over the past three years  21 since January 2020.

Two other people died in the jail in 2022: Michelle Morgan by suicide and Sao Chau who was also detoxing from fentanyl. Morgans family filed a lawsuit against the county in October and Chaus family has hired an attorney who said he intends to file the complaint soon.

At least three other families have filed lawsuits over deaths in the jail in 2020 and 2021.

In a statement a spokeswoman for Bernalillo County said the safety and welfare of inmates is a top priority.

Bernalillo County took decisive action last month, canceling the Corizon/YesCare medical contract, and soon after, announcing plans to partner with (University of New Mexico) Hospital for medical and behavioral health services at MDC beginning in July, county spokeswoman Tia Bland said.

YesCare is the second medical provider to leave the jail before its contract is up in less than two years.

In a news release posted on MDCs website last week the county and UNMH announced that they are in the beginning phases of forming a partnership to provide medical and behavioral health services to inmates. They formed a working group to hash out the details of the agreement and UNMH is launching a campaign to recruit and retain qualified personnel to provide medical and behavioral health services at MDC.

Bland did not answer questions about whether any staff were disciplined regarding either death and instead said: Internal investigations evaluate whether proper procedures were followed. Individuals who do not follow standard practices and procedures are subject to appropriate disciplinary measures.

Not found for hours

Korth was being held in the restrictive housing unit and was withdrawing from fentanyl when he killed himself on March 6, according to the lawsuit filed by his family Feb. 7. The 32-year-old man was awaiting extradition to California.

According to the lawsuit and incident reports previously released to the Journal, one correctional officer was tasked with watching two units and all inmates were in lockdown due to insufficient staffing.

The officer was required to conduct welfare checks every 30 minutes but officer Xavier Hernandez-Jaramillo  a 19-year-old who had worked at the jail for nine months  did one welfare check around 10 a.m. and then didnt check on Korth again before ending his shift around 3 p.m., according to the lawsuit.

After the next officer relieved Hernandez-Jaramillo he found Korth had hanged himself. He had been dead for four hours, according to the suit.

The lawsuit alleges negligence on the part of Bernalillo County and Corizon, which is now called YesCare, as well as a violation of Korths civil rights by Hernandez-Jaramillo and Bernalillo County when they demonstrated a deliberate indifference to Mr. Korths need for reasonable safety.

It asks for compensatory damages.

Hernandez-Jaramillo no longer works at the jail, Bland said. He could not be reached for comment.

Not taken seriously

When Trujillo, 41, was booked into jail on Nov. 27 she was withdrawing from opioids so she was put in the detox pod where she could be monitored along with other inmates.

According to a lawsuit filed by her family Feb. 20, she had four medical emergencies  including seizures  in just over 12 hours but each time the guards and medical personnel failed to take her condition seriously. The guards allegedly told her she was just going through withdrawals, and if she did not want to go through withdrawals, she should not have done drugs and been arrested.

Then, a little after 7 a.m. a correctional officer who had just come on shift called in a medical emergency.

This time nurses and correctional officers tried to put Trujillo on a wheelchair but she could not hold herself up and her eyes rolled back in her head and she started convulsing, the suit says. Staff performed CPR and other rescue measures, but Trujillo died.

The lawsuit alleges Trujillos rights to life and due process were violated, the county and Corizon were deliberately indifferent to a serious medical need, medical malpractice, negligent operation of a medical facility and negligent hiring, training and supervision.

It asks for compensatory damages.
SANTA FE  New Mexico legislators blocked a proposal to ban the sale of hollow-point ammunition and automatic firearms Monday as they raised questions about its legality.

The bipartisan rejection of the measure, Senate Bill 171, suggests Democrats  who hold large majorities at the Roundhouse  are narrowing down what gun restrictions will advance this session.

A proposal intended to require the storage of firearms away from children, for example, moved ahead Monday, shortly before lawmakers blocked the proposal to prohibit the sale of certain kinds of ammunition and firearms.

Sen. Joseph Cervantes, a Las Cruces Democrat and chairman of the powerful Senate Judiciary Committee, said Monday he believes the safe storage bill is permissible under recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions.

But proposals to broadly prohibit assault weapons, he said, are on shakier ground.

He joined fellow Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee in supporting the safe storage legislation, House Bill 9, which would make it a crime to store a firearm in a way that negligently disregards the ability of a minor to access the gun.

It may be one of the few guns bills were seeing that may withstand that (constitutional) scrutiny, Cervantes said.

By contrast, Cervantes joined a mix of Democratic and Republican lawmakers who voted 6-3 to reject the legislation banning the sale of certain firearms and ammunition. It was tabled, meaning the proposal cannot advance unless lawmakers reconsider.

The legislation called for banning the sale or transfer of semiautomatic pistols with certain characteristics; automatic firearms, such as machine guns; short-barrel rifles and shotguns; and ammunition designed to explode or segment on impact.

These are already highly regulated through federal law, said Sen. Daniel Ivey-Soto, an Albuquerque Democrat who voted against the bill.

He also raised legal questions about the proposal.

New Mexico lawmakers this year are weighing a series of new restrictions on guns  including proposals to establish a 14-day waiting period for the purchase of firearms, a ban on guns at polling places and a ban on AR-15-style rifles.

Mondays action in the Senate Judiciary Committee suggests the AR-15 ban will face skepticism if it makes it that far.

Cervantes made it clear that he disagrees with recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions limiting gun laws. But he also acknowledged the legal landscape shaped by those decisions.

The safe storage bill passed the House earlier this month and will next advance to a second Senate panel.

Before passing it on, however, the Senate Judiciary Committee made changes to the bill, meaning it would have to go back to the House for agreement on the amendments, if it passes the Senate.
Beloved Vietnamese restaurant Coda Bakery will be moving to a new location this spring. For the past 17 years, Coda Bakery has occupied the same space across from Talin Market in the International District.

But fans of Coda Bakerys bahn mi, noodle bowls, and baked goods wont have to travel far to get to their new digs. The new restaurant space at 201 San Pedro NE, is less than a mile west of the current location. Coda Bakery owner Uyen Nguyen said although shes been looking for a new location for a while, she wanted to keep Coda Bakery in the same area.

Were just moving down the street, Nguyen said.

By moving locations, Nguyen said, the restaurant will almost double its footprint to 5,000 square feet. Currently, the restaurant has 20 seats  in the San Pedro location, Coda Bakery can seat 46.

The menu will largely remain the same. Nguyen said the menu might expand to include traditional Vietnamese rice dishes.

Weve outgrown the space for years now, Nguyen said.

Pending some permits, Nguyen said shes hoping to get the key to the new space on March 1. Coda Bakery will remain open in its current location on Louisiana while the new restaurant is renovated. Nguyen said she thinks the renovations will last a few months, but the San Pedro location will be ready to open this summer.

Nguyen anticipates that Coda Bakery will remain open on Louisiana until about a week before they move. She said when Coda Bakery first opened, she never expected it growing this big.

Im just so grateful, honestly, Nguyen said.

Editors note: This story has been updated. The restaurant is moving west.

More restaurant news


SANTA FE  The last-minute decision by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grishams administration to cancel the procurement process for contracts to run the states massive Medicaid program is generating questions from lawmakers.

The governor and top staffers in her office recently shared concerns with top Human Services Department officials about a possible disruption of services, a spokeswoman said, after a current provider was not included on the final list of recommended providers  or managed care organizations.

The Human Services Department previously said the reason for halting the procurement process was due to high-level departures, including agency secretary David Scrase, who retired last week, and Medicaid director Nicole Comeaux, who left last month.

Sen. Gerald Ortiz y Pino, an Albuquerque Democrat and chairman of the Senate Health and Public Affairs Committee, said he didnt know why the Lujan Grisham administration decided against going ahead with the contracts.

Its unfortunate, Ortiz y Pino said. It leaves everything up in the air. I think a lot of us had great confidence in Dr. Scrase, and so when they canceled it just as he leaves, it just raises doubts, unnecessarily.

Other legislators also described the decision as puzzling.

Anytime there are multiple responses to a (request for proposals) and then the RFP ends up getting canceled, the public should start asking questions, House Minority Leader Ryan Lane, R-Aztec, said in an interview.

This year the state is budgeted to spend about $1.2 billion on Medicaid programs; the total spending with a federal match is expected to reach roughly $8 billion.

Prior to the decision being made to abruptly halt the procurement process, an evaluation team had reviewed bids over two weeks in December. That led to a recommendation that contracts be issued to four of the five health insurers who had applied, according to records obtained by the Journal.

The lone insurer that was not recommended for a contract was Western Sky Community Care, a subsidiary of St. Louis-based Centene Corp., which has helped run the state Medicaid program since 2019.

Centene has faced overbilling allegations in other states, including a recent $66.5 million settlement with the state of Indiana to resolve claims of overbilling the states Medicaid program for pharmacy benefits management services.

In New Mexico, the company agreed to pay $13.7 million under a 2022 settlement with then-Attorney General Hector Balderas office, after an investigation by the State Auditors office uncovered what it described as abusive billing practices.

The insurer also gave $20,800 in campaign contributions to Lujan Grishams reelection campaign last year, though the other companies vying for contracts to run the Medicaid program that provide services to roughly 800,000 New Mexicans also made similar donations.

The Centene Charitable Foundation and Western Sky Community Care in early January also committed $3 million to the One Albuquerque Fund for the Gateway center.

In a statement, Lujan Grisham spokeswoman Maddy Hayden said the Democratic governor and top Governors Office staffers had shared concerns with HSD then-secretary Scrase and current acting secretary Kari Armijo about continuity of services during the looming change in managed care organizations, but defended the governors involvement in the process.

This decision was based solely on protecting the best interests of the nearly 1 million New Mexicans covered by Medicaid and had nothing to do with the status of any entity as a donor or non-donor, Hayden told the Journal.

The states contracts with its three current managed care organizations are set to expire at the end of this year. The Lujan Grisham administration is planning to launch its rebranded Medicaid program  called Turquoise Care  in 2024.

Current provider got low marks in evaluation

Western Sky Community Care provides health insurance in New Mexico for about 87,000 people, including low-income pregnant women and individuals with developmental disabilities, under a five-year contract awarded in 2019.

Western Sky is one of three managed care organizations selected in January 2018 by former Gov. Susana Martinezs administration to provide health care coverage under Centennial Care, which is the current name for the states Medicaid program.

The other two managed care organizations  Blue Cross and Blue Shield of New Mexico and Presbyterian Health Plan  were also among the five health insurers that submitted bids last fall for new contracts.

Under the scoring criteria for the new Turquoise Care contracts, insurers were evaluated on their experience, capability and method of approach, according to records released in response to a request made under New Mexicos public records law.

Using that criteria, a seven-member state evaluation team ranked Western Sky Community Care well below its four competitors  Blue Cross and Blue Shield of New Mexico, United Healthcare, Molina Healthcare of New Mexico and Presbyterian Health Plan.

While the Human Services Department released the final evaluation report to the Journal, the agency withheld the submitted bids themselves, describing them as confidential.

A Western Sky Community Care spokesperson indicated Monday the insurer plans to bid again for a state contract when the procurement process is reopened.

In the coming months, Western Sky will continue to work with the state to understand the new RFP process, and we plan to respond and continue to serve New Mexico, the spokesperson said.

The company also said it had proudly served Medicaid members in the state since 2019, adding it intended to continue working to ensure enrolled Medicaid beneficiaries get high-quality, comprehensive and coordinated care to help them live healthier lives.

Timeline for new contracts unclear

Human Services Department spokeswoman Marina Pina said a timeline for launching a new contract process is still being determined, but added the agency plans to work with a Medicaid expert to assist in designing the procurement.

She said the department was confident new contracts will be issued before the end of the year  when the current contacts are set to expire.

In addition, Pina cited concern the initial contract evaluation process did not adequately measure each bidders ability, saying the highest-ranked bidder under the evaluation  Blue Cross and Blue Shield  received a score of 1,083.5 points out of a maximum of 1,815 points.

But she acknowledged performance issues and past penalties assessed against current providers, including Western Sky.

Again, the cancellation was not a decision taken lightly and was done in the best interest of the New Mexicans the department serves, Pina said in an email to the Journal.

While the Human Services Department initially attributed the decision to cancel the Medicaid contract process to leadership changes, at least some of the changes atop the agency had been in the works for awhile.

In a Journal interview, Scrase said he talked to the governor about retirement over the summer and eventually agreed to stay on through this years 60-day legislative session, which ends March 18.

He left a bit earlier, he said, because of an out-of-town family health emergency. Scrase went on leave in late January, and his official last day was Friday.

The request for proposals was issued Sept. 30 last year, and the decision to cancel the procurement was made Jan. 27, the same day the state announced Scrases plan to retire.

Scrase told the Journal that he didnt have much insight into the decision, which came while he was out of town.

He said he had read in the newspaper that the cancellation was to allow the new leadership to put their mark on the Medicaid program. Thats my understanding of why (the state) stepped back from the procurement. I think the process had been fully completed.
Supporters of paid family leave make some points. Working folks with a seriously ill child or terminally ill parent often face the tough choice of taking time off to care for a loved one or keeping the familys income rolling in.

For many New Mexicans who are working paycheck to paycheck, taking weeks off at a time without pay simply isnt an option. Who would pay the car payment and insurance, the mortgage or rent, or buy the gas and groceries?

But a highly partisan paid leave proposal now before lawmakers  Senate Bill 11  is not the solution. It has a whopping 12 weeks of paid leave annually on top of any other sick, vacation or other leave and the list of qualifying circumstances is overly broad, including allowing paid time off for an employee with a close association to someone with a serious medical situation.

The proposed state Paid Family and Medical Leave Act requires most employers to contribute money into a new state fund that would pay a portion of an employees salary while the employee is out on paid leave. The employee must also contribute a percentage of their paycheck to the fund.

The federal Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 requires public-sector employers and large companies to provide certain employees with up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave per year. Lawmakers understood the burdens this would place and exempted companies with fewer than 50 employees.

The New Mexico paid leave proposal only exempts companies with fewer than five employees.

The state bills influential backers, which include labor union representatives and advocacy groups, contend the proposed state Paid Family and Medical Leave Act could actually help businesses attract and keep employees by providing a level playing field across the state (Netflix and the state of New Mexico already provide paid family leave). They dont answer the question of how a business is supposed to cover for the missing employee for months at a time, especially when they have trouble recruiting employees as it is.

And it is worth noting:

Legislative analysts predict 10% of New Mexicos eligible workers would apply for paid leave in a given year. We already have one of the lowest labor force participation rates in the nation (56.7% as of 2021) and tens of thousands of unfilled jobs.

A recent Legislative Finance Committee analysis projects the paid leave compensation fund would hit a deficit of $516 million by the 2028 budget year, just two years in. The state Workforce Solutions Department would then have to order an increase in the initial premiums that businesses and employees pay into the fund to keep it solvent.

We have yet to hear how lawmakers 2021 paid sick leave law, which kicked in last year, is working. The Healthy Workplaces Act mandates all private businesses  large or small  provide employees one hour of sick leave for every 30 hours worked, whether part-time, full-time or seasonal, capped at eight paid days off annually. How about measuring its success/unintended consequences first?

New Mexico is blessed with nearly 155,000 small businesses scattered across the state, according to the U.S. Small Business Administration. Ninety percent of New Mexico businesses have 20 or fewer employees. Theyre struggling to come back from the recession and pandemic and dont have record-setting, multi-billion-dollar budgets to absorb long-term staff vacancies and hire temporary employees. And many of our employees need every penny they earn and cant afford to pay into such a fund.

This bill equates to over half a billion dollars in increased payroll taxes, according to its Fiscal Impact Report.

Asking businesses to shoulder yet another unfunded mandate from Santa Fe is simply too much to ask. Senate Bill 11 barely made it out of the Senate Finance Committee by a 6-5 vote. Committee chairman Sen. George Munoz, D-Gallup, is to be commended for standing up for small businesses and employees and voting against the bill, now headed to the Senate floor. That narrow margin should give other senators, House members and the governor serious pause.

Public safety, health care and an inequitable tax system are all hurting our states economy and business and job environment; all are on lawmakers plate this session. Lawmakers need to solve those problems, not add to them with a greatly expanded paid leave law.

More editorials from the Journal:
Sen. Michael Padilla

Under Gov. Michelle Lujan Grishams leadership, New Mexico has made strides in equipping our children with the tools they need to fulfill their potential and lead successful lives, starting with bolstering the power of our schools. New Mexico has an opportunity to tackle one of the biggest challenges for our children: food and nutrition insecurity. We can do this by fully funding school meals for all in our state by passing Senate Bill 4.

While the rate of childhood poverty in New Mexico is improving, thousands of children still face circumstances that allow hunger to persist. Thats why the state Legislature is working with Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham to tackle the issue of hunger and nutrition, starting with schools. The governor has proposed a program that invests in schools so they can offer nutritious breakfast and lunch for all children at no cost. This is a show of leadership that moves us into the right direction: it fills an urgent gap in federal policy, leads to better outcomes for children, and fosters equity and a sense of community for all New Mexican children and families, no matter their income or location in the state.

At the start of the pandemic, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) created a program that granted waivers allowing schools to provide free breakfasts and lunches to all students. This federal program expired in September 2022, creating a gap for families who rely on school meals and making children across the country vulnerable to hunger. With one of every five New Mexico families struggling to put food on the table for their children, and the fact that kids consume up to 50% of their daily calories while in school, meals for all can help students, families and communities fulfill this critical need.

In addition to covering the cost of meals for families, the governors $52 million funding proposal also invests in kitchen improvements, New Mexico-grown foods and the school nutrition workforce. Guaranteeing access to free and nutritious meals allows students to focus on their education and not their hungry stomachs.

Whats more, this legislation has garnered bipartisan and community support across the state. By eliminating the stigma around free school meals and lunch debt, which I fought for with the first-of-its-kind Hunger-Free Students Bill of Rights, we can foster equity while building a sense of belonging for children and families everywhere, no matter where they live. The families and parents I speak to every day, along with community leaders and advocates across New Mexico, can all agree: the health and well-being of our children come first.

SB 4, sponsored by my colleague Sen. Leo Jaramillo, D-Espanola, and myself, presents us with an opportunity to take collective action in the face of long-term health concerns and societal costs stemming from a lack of consistent access to healthy, high-quality food. By making sure there is access to free, nutritious meals for all students in public schools, we set our children  and the future of New Mexico  on the path to lifelong health and success.
SANTA FE  Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said her must have legislative priorities include a waiting period for firearm purchases and raising the minimum age to buy certain guns to 21 as New Mexico lawmakers develop a package of gun restrictions.

But she acknowledged a proposed ban on assault weapons  such as AR-15-style rifles  is less likely to reach her desk.

The governors remarks came Tuesday as legislators enter the final 2 1/2 weeks of a legislative session that will determine the fate of a series of gun bills. Their consideration has drawn a flood of supporters and opponents to the Capitol to testify in packed committee hearings and participate in rallies.

The proposals include a safe-storage bill and ban on firearms at polling places, both of which are advancing at a steady pace. But a proposed ban on the possession of assault weapons remains stuck in committee.

Lujan Grisham, a Democrat, told high school students who rallied at the Capitol in favor of gun legislation Tuesday that she isnt deterred by the skepticism.

When its hard, it means that youre on to the precipice of change, she said.

She added: Were going to get many of these proposals over the finish line.

In an interview after the rally, Lujan Grisham said she is meeting with legislative leaders as she seeks support for firearms and public safety legislation.

Among the priorities, she said, are a proposal to establish a 14-day waiting period for gun sales and legislation raising the minimum age to 21 for purchasing or possessing an automatic or semiautomatic firearm.

Im having conversations with leadership about must have bills upstairs, the governor said. Those are certainly on the list.

She said would keep fighting for an assault weapon ban but that the bill has run into complex questions over how to define what would be banned.

The waiting period legislation, House Bill 100, has been on the Houses floor agenda for a week but has not been brought up for a vote, perhaps signaling concerns about a narrow vote margin.

Omnibus approach

Lujan Grisham suggested some of her priorities will make it into omnibus bills on education, public safety and taxes.

Democrats control both chambers of the Legislature, but proposals backed by the governor to overhaul New Mexicos pretrial detention system have stalled repeatedly.

On crime, Lujan Grisham said she wants more than just increased funding for law enforcement to reach her desk this year.

We promised New Mexicans a solid public safety package, she said.

The governor and legislative leaders also have pursued contrasting tax priorities. She has pushed more vigorously for changes to the gross receipts tax system while some Democratic lawmakers have focused on reshaping income tax brackets.

Omnibus bills  a legislative maneuver in which multiple bills or ideas are rolled into a single bill  on taxes, crime and education havent emerged yet.

Legal scrutiny

The gun legislation, nevertheless, has surfaced as a point of intense conflict this session, with mixed results for supporters and opponents.

The judiciary committee in each legislative chamber has been a key test for the bills.

On the Senate side, lawmakers of both parties questioned the legality of a proposal, Senate Bill 171, that sought to ban the sale of hollow point ammunition, machine guns and certain other kinds of firearms. It was rejected this week on a bipartisan vote.

Sen. Joseph Cervantes, a Las Cruces Democrat and chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, has said repeatedly that he isnt interested in passing bills that will be struck down in court.

In the House, legislation to ban the sale or possession of assault weapons  defined as semiautomatic rifles and handguns with certain characteristics  has been held in the Judiciary Committee as lawmakers evaluate amendments. The proposal is House Bill 101.

Some bill, however, are advancing quickly, even amid intense opposition by Republican lawmakers and some Democrats.

A proposal that would make it a crime to negligently store a firearm that a minor obtains has passed the full House and one Senate committee, for example, putting it just a few steps away from final passage.

Under the legislation, House Bill 9, charges could be brought only if a minor brandished the firearm or used it to injure or kill someone.

Republicans, heavily outnumbered in each chamber, say the gun bills will do nothing to deter crime while penalizing people who want a weapon for self defense, hunting or other reasons.

This is just another example of criminalizing law-abiding citizens, Senate Minority Leader Greg Baca, R-Belen, said of the safe storage bill.

Any proposal that doesnt pass both chambers by noon March 18 is dead.

The governor has some leverage, too. She has veto power, including line-item veto power on budget bills, and she can call a special session and set the agenda  a strategy employed to enact marijuana legalization.

This is where I start to bring everybody up and tell them whats important for me to have, the governor said in an interview, because if we dont have those, you know, then we might have to stay longer or do it again.

At a glance: Status of gun bills

House Bill 9: Unlawful access to firearm by minor. Passed the House 37-32. Advanced through one of two committees in the Senate.

Senate Bill 44: Ban firearms at polling places. Passed the Senate 28-9. Advanced through one of two committees in the House.

House Bill 100: Waiting period for gun purchases. Progressed through House two committees. Awaiting action by full chamber.

House Bill 101: Assault weapon ban. Progressed through one House committee. Amendments being considered in a second committee.

Senate Bill 116: Raise minimum age to 21 to buy or possess certain guns. Passed one Senate committee. Awaiting action in another.

Senate Bill 171: Ban sale of automatic firearms. Rejected by Senate committee.

House Bill 306: Illegal straw purchases. Awaiting first House committee hearing.
SANTA FE  Across New Mexico, low-riders, minivans and pickup trucks are currently united by at least one thing  their lack of front license plates.

That doesnt appear to be changing any time soon, as a bill requiring front-end license plates to be affixed to most vehicles  starting in July 2027  was soundly rejected Tuesday by a House committee.

The House Transportation and Public Works Committee voted 8-1 to table the measure, House Bill 56, despite backers claims that it could aid law enforcement officers in their efforts to recover stolen vehicles.

Rep. Bill Rehm, R-Albuquerque, who is sponsoring the bill with House Majority Leader Gail Chasey, D-Albuquerque, said after Tuesdays hearing he wasnt happy that data collected by an Albuquerque Police Department commander about other states was not allowed to be presented before the committee vote.

Its just amazing to me the opposition to change, Rehm said in an interview.

But Rep. Dayan Hochman-Vigil, D-Albuquerque, the House committees chairwoman, said bill sponsors had rebuffed offers to change the bill, including by requiring a holographic windshield sticker instead of the front license plate.

My issue with this bill has been its a 20th Century solution to a 21st Century problem, Hochman-Vigil told the Journal, claiming front-end license plates can interfere with vehicle cameras and sensors used in self-driving cars.

This years legislation is not the first attempt to require front-end license plates. A similar bill was proposed in 2019 but ultimately stalled in a Senate committee after passing the House.

The current proposal would exempt trailers, motorcycles and collector vehicles that are at least 30 years old from the front license plate mandate.

In addition, an additional $2 per year registration fee would be required for front license plates, which would generate an estimated $3,700 in extra revenue annually. That would be on top of the current registration fees that range from $27 to $62 for a one-year registration, depending on the weight and age of a vehicle.

New Mexico is currently one of 21 states that do not require motorists to have licensed plates affixed to both the front and back of their vehicles, after Ohio dropped its front plate requirement in 2020, according to Autolist.

Among neighboring states, Arizona and Oklahoma are also front plate-less states, while both Texas and Colorado require two license plates.

While this years bill could still be revived, it now faces long odds to make it to Gov. Michelle Lujan Grishams desk before the 60-day legislative session ends March 18.

Thats just fine with Hochman-Vigil and other skeptics of the proposal.

Its just another tax on people who cant afford it, she said.
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The former cast member of 'Love and Hip Hop: Hollywood', who welcomed a child with the 'Worth It' rapper back in July 2022, insinuates they are no longer together with a cryptic post shared on Instagram Story.

Feb 28, 2023

AceShowbiz - YK Osiris has brought up a wild allegation against him. In her recent social media post, Nastassia Thomas a.k.a. Stassia suggested that she caught the "Worth It" rapper with a man.

Making use of Instagram Story, Stassia re-posted a message that insinuated she and her baby daddy are no longer together. "Stop asking me what happened with my bd, I caught him with a man ok," so read the message.

YK and Stassia welcomed a child back in July 2022. At that time, the emcee took to his Instagram Story to show his adoration for the little bundle of joy.

The "Valentine" rhymer posted a video of a baby boy wearing a blue onesie and lying on a white blanket with blue letters. He didn't reveal the baby's name or tag his baby mama, but he was heard saying, "Hey" to the little boy toward the end of the clip. He captioned the adorable footage with a smile and a heart emoji.

YK and Stassia's relationship dated back to 2020. In photos that emerged in October of that year, they were spotted cozying up to one another. In one photo, the "Love & Hip Hop: Hollywood" alum was seen hugging the hip-hop artist from behind. Another image, meanwhile, showed the two locking lips as he rode a horse by the beach.

Many people, however, took issue with the age gap between YK and Stassia. The former VH1 personality is 15 years older than the rapper, whose real name is Osiris Jahkail William.

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In a new interview, 'Revenge: Meghan, Harry and the War Between the Windsors' author Tom Bower describes the Duchess of Sussex as someone who is 'money-obsessed.'

Feb 28, 2023

AceShowbiz - Meghan Markle seemed to have high expectations of Prince Harry when they first met. If a new report is to be believed, the former "Suits" actress was "disappointed" that the British royal had "very little money" when they met.

Author Tom Bower dubbed the Duchess of Sussex "money-obsessed" in an interview with the Daily Mail that was published on Monday, February 27. "Her great surprise and disappointment was that Prince Harry had very little money," the "Revenge: Meghan, Harry and the War Between the Windsors" writer said. "She had imagined he would be worth hundreds of millions, if not billions, and she is having to make up for it now."

Tom went on to say that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex could not afford their current lifestyle as working members of the royal family. "[Meghan] wants to ride in the big Cadillacs, the private jets on command," he told the outlet. "At the moment she needs to scrounge for those sorts of things."

In 2021, Forbes estimated the couple's net worth at $10 million, including the remains of Harry's inheritance from his late mother Princess Diana and the equity they have in their Montecito, California, mansion. After stepping down as senior working royal members in 2020 and relocating to the U.S., Harry and Meghan were financially cut off from the British Crown's estimated $34 billion estate.

They later founded Archewell Productions to produce "programming that informs, elevates and inspires." The company signed a multiyear production deal with Netflix estimated to be worth between $100 million and $150 million. It was also reported in July 2021 that Harry received an advance of $20 million when he sold his bombshell book "Spare".

In the new interview, Tom also weighed in on King Charles III's upcoming coronation. The royal expert claimed that the Sussexes could "ruin" the event if they attend as they could "overshadow" the celebration, which is set to take place on May 6.

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People question SAG Awards' decision to have the 'Transformers: The Last Knight' actor present the best ensemble trophy to the Asian cast of 'Everything Everywhere All At Once' after his criminal past.

Feb 28, 2023

AceShowbiz - Mark Wahlberg's appearance at the 29th Screen Actors Guild Awards turned out to be bad PR. The actor and SAG Awards are catching flak after he presented an award to "Everything Everywhere All at Once" cast considering his alleged past hate crimes.

During the live telecast on Sunday, February 26, the 51-year-old star announced the winner of the Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture, which went to the Daniels' comedy-drama film, with predominantly Asian stars. Images show Wahlberg having an exchange with Ke Huy Quan, who also won an award for best supporting actor for his role in the movie.

The decision to have "The Fighter" star present the award to the Asian cast of "Everything Everywhere" has since drawn backlash, with many citing his criminal past. "I feel like if Mark Wahlberg (or his management) wanted his checkered racist past to fade into obscurity, presenting the SAG award to EEEAAO would not have been on the list of gigs to take," one person reacted on Twitter.

Another pointed out, "Correct me if I'm wrong but didn't Mark Wahlberg, the man who presented a SAG Award to the cast of Everything Everywhere All At Once, once go to jail for committing a hate crime against a Vietnamese man. An interesting choice, no?"

A third said, "The irony of Mark Wahlberg giving an award to EEAAO," while a fourth critic called it "extremely sinister." Someone claimed that having Wahlberg present the award was "arguably a worse awards show f**k up" than the "La La Land"/"Moonlight" Best Picture mix-up at the Oscars in 2017.

Ryan Aguirre, a publicist, sarcastically tweeted of the incident, "Good for Mark Wahlberg, standing on a stage with all those Asian people without assaulting any of them." Others pointed out that Will Smith was not given the same opportunity after his controversial Oscars slap.

Matt Samet, an attorney from California, tweeted, "REALLY interesting that Will Smith wasn't invited to present Best Actress while Mark Wahlberg is presenting the ensemble award to a film with a predominantly Asian cast when he punched and barely blinded a Vietnamese man." Journalist and commentator Torraine Walker chimed in, "Will Smith ostracized while Mark Wahlberg get to present an award to an Asian cast."

Still, there were a few who defended Wahlberg, with one saying, "People can't change from when they're teenagers?"

Wahlberg was accused of racist attack in 1988, when he was 16 years old, after assaulting a middle-aged Vietnamese-American man on the street, calling him a "Vietnam f**king s**t" and knocking him unconscious with a large wooden stick. Later the same day, he attacked Johnny Trinh, another Vietnamese-American, punching him in the eye.

When he was arrested, the teen Wahlberg "made numerous unsolicited racial statements about 'gooks' and 'slant-eyed gooks.' " He was charged with attempted murder, pleaded guilty to felony assault, and was sentenced to two years in jail, but served only 45 days of his sentence.

In 2014, Wahlberg applied for a pardon from the State of Massachusetts for his convictions, but eventually dropped it in 2016. In an interview with AP in December 2014, he said, "I have apologized, many times. The first opportunity I had to apologize was right there in court when all the dust had settled and I was getting shackled and taken away, and making sure I paid my debt to society and continue to try and do things that make up for the mistakes that I've made."

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The Houston hottie and the former MLB player have been at odds since late 2019 when she signed a management deal with Jay-Z's Roc Nation, apparently without the knowledge of 1501.

Feb 28, 2023

AceShowbiz - Megan Thee Stallion has received an apology from her label boss, 1501 Certified Ent. CEO Carl Crawford, following a lengthy and bitter legal battle. Carl, accompanied by Kai "Verse" Tyler, the brand-new president of the label, issued his apology during a new interview.

"Me and Megan, we haven't talked since 2019," he told TMZ. "We've been going through, I guess, what you guys see online and it's unfortunate because I never wanted to have a situation where I was, you know, going back and forth with her on the internet."

Carl went on to blame social media as saying, "I never had any problems with Megan Thee Stallion. It's just the social media stuff, it turned really, really sour. You take this social media part out of it, we don't have a problem." He added, "I'm done with that."

"You not gon' hear me mention Megan Thee Stallion name in the media unless I'm doing something like this," the former MLB player continued. "You not gon' see me texting or making a post or doing any of that stuff that would cause social media to go crazy."

Meg and Carl have been at odds since late 2019 when the Houston hottie signed a management deal with Jay-Z's Roc Nation, apparently without the knowledge of 1501. Months later, she filed a lawsuit against 1501 accusing the Houston-based label of blocking her from releasing music and refusing to renegotiate her contract, the terms of which Roc Nation had raised red flags about.

She filed another lawsuit against 1501 in February 2022 asking a judge to declare that her 2021 project "Something for Thee Hotties" qualifies as an album and therefore counts toward fulfilling her contract. The label countersued the following month, with Carl calling the project a "bulls**t a** mixtape."

Following the release of her sophomore album "Traumazine" in August 2022, Meg amended her lawsuit to seek $1 million in damages while claiming her aforementioned project had successfully satisfied her contract with 1501, granting her exit.

While their legal battle appears to still be unresolved, Carl expressed his remorse over his falling-out with Megan, admitting he made "mistakes" while also vowing to stop speaking ill of her in public.

Speaking with TMZ, Kai also insisted that 1501 has no animosity toward Megan, Jay-Z or Roc Nation and defended Carl's link-up with Tory Lanez as the naivety of an inexperienced music executive. "At the end of the day, [Carl] doesn't know him," he said. "Once again, a guy that doesn't know the business of music and that politics side  'Don't stand with this player because the Red Sox might not like it later.' He doesn't understand that's how we move in the business of music."

Meg has yet to respond to Carl's apology. The "Hot Gil Summer" hitmaker has been keeping a low profile since Tory's shooting trial began in December but she showed up earlier this month to celebrate her 28th birthday.

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The 'Scream VI' actress is supported by her former 'Friends' co-stars, sans the boys, who pay homage to their decades-long friendship in a joint speech as she gets her star on the famous sidewalks.

Feb 28, 2023

AceShowbiz - Courteney Cox's Walk of Fame ceremony has turned into a mini "Friends" reunion. Her former co-stars Jennifer Aniston and Lisa Kudrow, who have since become best friends in real life, braced the rain to support her at the big event on Monday, February 27.

Jennifer and Lisa delivered a heartfelt speech at the ceremony. "We're very honored to be here today to speak on your behalf, as your coworkers, friends, family, your sisters. We've known you for a very long time," Jennifer began, with Lisa adding, "It's been that way since we met almost 30 years ago." Jennifer interjected, "No, not 30 years ago. That's a typo," but the Phoebe Buffay depicter assured her friend it was not.

"To be friends with Courtney is to be family with Courtney, and she is responsible for all of that," "The Morning Show" star Jennifer continued. "From the beginning of when we met her, she was immediately inclusive, warm, loving, interested in everything about you. And I was really nervous to meet her because I was a huge fan."

Lisa added, "She was the only one of the cast who was famous. We were all taking our cues from her." Her co-star, who played Rachel Green on hit NBC sitcom, went on remembering Courteney on the set of the show, "From the beginning, she made it very clear that this was a true ensemble. She instilled into all of us to support each other and to love one another and that actors need to support and love one another." Lisa also credited Courteney for being the reason that the "Friends" cast was "one of the closest, most supporting cast" in the biz.

"Courteney, we just want to say that we are deeply, deeply proud to know you. You are the definition of a truly beautiful, talented, and, what's most important, a truly good and decent human being  Thank you for enriching our lives personally," Lisa said of her longtime pal.

"You're one of the funniest human beings on the planet Earth," Jennifer gushed. "Nothing makes me happier than a Courteney joke and always making us smile. And thank you for enriching our lives with your work. We are so proud of you."

The "Murder Mystery 2" star also took to her Instagram account to honor Courteney on her big day. "Very proud of our girl @courteneycoxofficial today. I love these women with literally every ounce of my heart and soul @lisakudrow and I were on a cloud being able to celebrate her and her incredible achievements," she captioned their photos at the event and on the set of "Friends".

Following the ceremony, Courteney spoke to Access Hollywood about how much Jennifer and Lisa mean to her. "They're my girls, I love them. They support me in so many ways, so it's not surprising that they came out in the rain and supported me here," she said.

While the male actors of "Friends", including David Schwimmer, Matthew Perry and Matt LeBlanc, were noticeably absent at the event, Courteney was also supported by her longtime pal Laura Dern at the ceremony.

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The drama began in October last year, with the raptresses hurling insults at each other on Twitter after it's reported Nicki's 'Super Freaky Girl' would be categorized as pop while Latto's 'Big Energy' as rap.

Feb 28, 2023

AceShowbiz - Latto (Mulatto) has addressed her past issues with Nicki Minaj. The Atlanta-based hip-hop artist reflected on the feud in her new interview, calling the beef "disappointing."

"It's difficult navigating through situations like that because there's a disconnect," the "B***h From Da Souf" raptress told Billboard. "I will look at myself as a fan of someone and they will view [me] in a whole different light. It's disappointing. You just got to take it to the chin and keep pushing."

The drama began back in October when Nicki referenced Latto during a Twitter rant against the Recording Academy. The Queen artist claimed her hit record "Super Freaky Girl" had been submitted in the rap categories but was being moved to the pop division.

Nicki, meanwhile, insisted she had no issue with the change, as long as the rules were applied consistently. The 40-year-old raptress underscored her point by bringing up Latto's "Big Energy" single.

"I have no prob being moved out the RAP category as long as we r ALL being treated FAIRLY," Nicki tweeted at the time. "If ['Super Freaky Girl'] has 2B moved out RAP then so does Big Energy! ANY1 who says diff is simply a Nicki hater or a troll."

Latto responded to being mentioned, which sparked an explosive back-and-forth on Twitter that lasted for hours, with both women landing fierce jabs. Nicki referred to Latto as an "entitled Karen" who has mentioned her name "in over 100 interviews."

Latto said she admired Nicki while growing up and was always showing her love but seemingly had a change of heart after the heated Twitter exchange, as she went on to refer to Nicki as "super freaky grandma" who was married to an accused sexual predator, her husband Kenneth Petty. The two eventually deleted the tweets.

At the end, Nicki's "Super Freaky Girl" failed to secure a single Grammy nomination, while Latto's "Big Energy" received a nod for Best Melodic Rap Performance, an award that ultimately went to "Wait for U" by Future, Drake and Tems.

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The 'Saturday Night Live' alum is trending on the blue bird app amid rumors that he's dating the 'Boy's a liar Pt. 2' hitmaker, prompting the comedian/actor's name to climb to No. 7 in the U.S. trending.

Feb 28, 2023

AceShowbiz - Pete Davidson and Ice Spice set Twitter ablaze after it's rumored that they are in a romantic relationship. On Monday, February 27, the "Saturday Night Live" alum's name began trending on Twitter, climbing to No. 7 in the U.S. trending as more than 13,200 tweets were made containing his name and the "Boy's a liar Pt. 2" hitmaker.

The rumors allegedly first emerged after people started posting comments, including, "Ofc Pete Davidson and Ice Spice are dating I'm not surprised tho." Another comment read, "Hear me out one timeit's June 2023, Pete Davidson & Ice Spice are dating." One person, meanwhile, didn't think that their rumored romance could last long, saying, "I give it 6 months til Pete Davidson is dating Ice Spice."

Some users involved Ice Spice as fans slammed the comedian for dating the raptress, who is 6 years younger than him. "HE CAN'T KEEP GETTING AWAY WITH THIS," one user wrote. Another fan added, "Why I seen someone say Pete davidson got to ice spice??? lord please save her!!" One other commented, "The streets are saying Pete Davidson is dating Ice Spice It's not fair."

However, it should be noted that there is no solid proof about the rumors. In fact, Pete is currently rumored to be dating his "bodies, bodies, bodies" co-star Chase Sui Wonders, whom he was spotted kissing. The pair were also spotted going to Hawaii for a romantic getaway.

Most recently, Pete and Chase were photographed enjoying a PDA-filled date at the 65th annual Daytona 500 in Florida. During the February 19 event, the couple couldn't keep their hands off of each other as they took a tour of the track ahead of the NASCAR Cup Series.

"The King of Staten Island" star was seen wrapping his arms around the actress as they were spotted adorably cuddling up to one another throughout the day. "Before the race, Pete and Chase got a tour around the NASCAR garage area," an insider shared with E! News. "Pete and Chase watched some of the race from on top of one of the Legacy Motor Club team pit boxes."

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If a new report is to be believed, the 26-year-old Emmy winner and her team approach HBO about renegotiating her contract for the upcoming season of the hit series.

Feb 28, 2023

AceShowbiz - Zendaya Coleman is reportedly looking for a fantastic deal with HBO. If a new report is to be believed, the award-winning actress will be one of the highest-paid television actors in Hollywood as she's "just closed a big re-negotiation" that will earn her $1 million per episode in upcoming season 3 of "Euphoria".

According to Puck News, Zendaya and her team approached the network about renegotiating her contract. The 26-year-old actress, who won 2 Emmys for her role as Rue Bennett, felt that she was owed more money. The report also noted that in addition to starring on the show, Zendaya also served as an executive producer on the show for its second season, which earned the show the most watched show of 2022.

"The new deal is reportedly close to $1 million per episode. She is expected to be in the likeness of her Hollywood counterparts, who also make close to that amount for their respective shows," the report claimed.

Fans, meanwhile, totally think that Zendaya deserves that much as she carries the show. "Money well spent. She makes me love Rue so much," one fan commented on Instagram, with someone adding, "No Zendaya = No Show." A proud fan also wrote, "It's giving main character energy (literally [laugh emoji]) she knows her worth and the show is nothing without her ! Proud of her."

"She definitely deserves it!! Because that episode when she broke down banging her head against that door crying! Yea i cried real bad," one other raved. On the other side, some other were concerned about the episode count with one saying, "we gone f**k around get only get 4 episodes."

Prior to this, fellow "Euphoria" star Sydney Sweeney discussed the payment on the show. "They don't pay actors like they used to, and with streamers, you no longer get residuals," The White Lotus" actress shared in a 2022 Hollywood Reporter profile. "The established stars still get paid, but I have to give 5 percent to my lawyer, 10 percent to my agents, 3 percent or something like that to my business manager. I have to pay my publicist every month, and that's more than my mortgage."

Meanwhile, other A-listers with seven-figure television salaries include Michael Keaton on "Dopesick", Jason Sudekis on "Ted Lasso" and Elisabeth Moss on "Shining Girls". It was also reported that John Krasinki is currently the highest paid TV actor as he earned $2 million per episode on "Jack Ryan", which he also executive produced.

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In the two-hour finale of 'AGT: All Stars' 2023, the Top 11 perform for the last time in the hope of impressing the judges, Howie Mandel, Simon Cowell and Heidi Klum, and the audience.

Feb 28, 2023

AceShowbiz - In the Monday, February 27 two-hour finale of "America's Got Talent: All Stars]", a new winner was named. The episode saw the Top 11 performing for the last time in the hope of impressing the judges, Howie Mandel, Simon Cowell and Heidi Klum, and the audience.

Aidan Bryant and Bello Sisters kicked off the night with a majestic performance on stage with Adam Lambert singing "Chandelier" from from his new covers album "High Drama". Following it up was Tom Ball, who took the stage with non-finalist all-star act Voices of Hope Children's Choir for a rendition of the Queen song "Who Wants to Live Forever."

For the finale, Kodi Lee put up an emotional performance of "Wake Me Up" with Light Balance Kids offering a laser light show around him. Mike E. Winfield, meanwhile, attempted to wrestle hosting duties away from host Terry Crews in a funny pre-taped skit. He later introduced finalist Ana-Maria Margean to perform ventriloquism alongside her idol Terry Fator.

Saxophonist Avery Dixon, meanwhile, joined forces with Babyface on the Bobby Brown track "Every Little Step". Lindsey Stirling returned to the stage to provide the violin music to a performance by finalist dancers Power Duo.

Detroit Youth Choir joined rock band Weezer for their song "Beverly Hills" after the band opened on their own with "What Happens After You?" Concluding the night was Aidan McCann, who collaborated with "AGT" season 9 winner Mat Franco for a shared magic presentation.

Following all the performances, Terry revealed the Top 5 which included Aidan Bryant, Aidan McCann, Avery, Light Balance Kids and Ana-Maria. As Aidan McCann finished in 5th place, Ana-Maria finished in 4th place and Light Balance Kids finished in 3rd place, it was all down to Avery and Aidan. Terry eventually announced that the winner of the 2023 of "AGT: All Stars" was Aidan!

Of his victory, Aidan told PEOPLE, "It's crazy. I've been working for this really hard and I just feel like it really paid off this time and I got to show a lot more. I got to show a lot more dynamic skills that I haven't been able to, so I'm happy. It's a really big deal for me."

The 18-year-old aerialist continued, "The last time I was on, season 16, I didn't know what I was doing. I learned literally everything that you've seen in two years. I wasn't super confident with my choreography and music choice, but now that I came back on this season, I was just ready to get it." He added, "I was ready to prove to everyone that I can be No. 1 as an aerialist because an aerialist has never won before, and I am super honored to take that spot."

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Barb, the industrys standard for understanding what people watch, has appointed Khaled Serafy to the newly-created role of Head of Data Science.

Khaled will join Barb on March 16th and will report to Caroline Baxter, Barbs Research Operation Director. He will have three key responsibilities:

Reviewing the methodological and statistical foundations of CFlight (a UK commercial broadcaster initiative for post-ad campaign analysis), to assure the UK TV and advertising industry of its integrity and rigour.

Providing the continual review and assessment of Dovetail Fusion (the process for integrating Barb panel data with device-based census data, currently conducted by Kantar Media), and leading the tender pitch for the renewal of this contract, due in 2025.

Providing solutions on how Barb can use first-party data from its clients to build on Dovetail Fusions current integration of people-based data and device-based data.

Khaled joins Barb from BlueOptima, where as Regional Head of Data Science, he oversaw the design and delivery of high-quality data science solutions for large UK banks and telephone companies. Prior to this, he was a data analyst at Efficio, where he was responsible for delivering business intelligence dashboards, and a data consultant at Occam DM, where he implemented a data analytics tool for clients.

Caroline Baxter, Barbs Research Operations Director, said:

Khaled has extensive experience in developing and implementing data science solutions and evaluating potential weaknesses in statistical models. Hes also able to explain complex technical issues in a simple manner. These skills will be assets for Barb as we develop and expand our audience-centric measurement of what people watch.

Khaled Serafy added:
The growth of Maharashtra will lead to the growth of India, as Maharashtra is Indias growth engine, said Maharashtra Chief Minister, Eknath Shinde. Speaking at ABP Networks second edition of the Ideas of India summit on the topic of Gateway of India  Reorienting the City by the Sea, he said, Maharashtra must and will contribute to the PMs dream of five trillion dollars economy. Maharashtra has to work hard and achieve at least $1 trillion.

In the session, Shinde discussed the measures taken by the Maharashtra government for the progression of the state. Maharashtra has a huge potential for industrial development. We have infrastructure, connectivity, land and quality man-power, despite of this people were not coming. To in-build trust amongst industries, he said that we went and told the industry that we will support them in every way. That has created a trust in the industry and in a few months we will see industry coming in and this will generate employment. The Chief Minister reiterated that, We have removed all hurdles of growth in the state to fast track progress.

On being asked about his relation with the centre, he explained, We are getting enough support from the centre and Prime Minister Narendra Modi for development. We have even signed 137000 crore MoUs. The Chief Minister also announced that 5000 km of access controlled highways were being built in the state to connect different cities with Maharashtra.

The summit promises an invigorating line-up of speakers with prominent figures from the world of business, politics, artists from the Hindi Film Industry, authors and other eminent sectors. The two-day conference confluences diverse ideas from various industries to promote India in becoming a burgeoning leader in the world.
Monte Carlos new TVC campaign is all about redefining the laws of attraction with the launch of its signature summer collection

Monte Carlo launches an all inclusive summer collection with vibrant prints and floral patterns in the new TVC

The brand campaign will promote the concept of individuality by portraying the distinct styles.

The campaign has been ideated by Hashtag Orange a 360 Degree Advertising and Marketing Agency

Monte Carlo Fashions Ltd., a leading global clothing chain has announced the launch of its latest summer collection for the Indian Summer. Monte Carlo has always been a leading Indian brand when it comes to fashion. With their latest and trendiest summer collection, they are offering a wide range of unique summer styles in vibrant colours and superior comfortable fabric. To celebrate the launch of its new summer collection, Monte Carlo has just released a new film which is all about redefining the laws of attraction.

The TVC showcases a wide range of stylish apparel for men and women from the latest collection and weaves an interesting story which shows the journey of two soulmates who dont have to find each other, but are attracted to one another as the world around them is awestruck and comes to a standstill while witnessing their unique style and upbeat vibe.

The marketing campaign has been conceived by Hashtag Orange, a leading digital advertising agency, who plan to run a 360-degree initiative that will utilise all the potential online and offline mediums and strategies to disseminate brand awareness and amplify public engagement.

With the successful launch of this new summer campaign, Monica Oswal, Executive Director at Monte Carlo commented We are really thrilled about this campaign as it depicts the elegance of vibrant floral patterns, bright colours, the finest of textures and stylish adornments that exhibit the zesty and invigorating summer appeal that our latest collection brings to the market. The film elaborates on the concept of the individuality of fashion as a choice and how everyone must wholeheartedly flaunt their unique style while leaving the world completely awestruck around them. The campaign will surely mesmerise the youth with its magnificent appeal.

Commenting on the prospects of the campaign, Amit Shankar, Co-founder & CCO at Hashtag Orange said, We at Hashtag Orange are excited to be part of the Monte Carlos campaign that will introduce the brands latest summer collection. Monte Carlo is a popular fashion brand that has decided to propagate the versatile concept of individuality this time with the launch of their new apparel line. We will utilize effective marketing strategies to promote the campaign among the masses to ensure optimal public engagement. We look forward to witnessing the brand campaign turning into a phenomenal success.

Commenting on the avenues of the brand Campaign, Mukesh Vij, the founder of Hashtag Orange said, The success of any product launch is contingent on smart marketing strategies. Famous fashion brand Monte Carlo has announced the launch of its signature summer collection and we have tried to showcase the charm of the same to the target audience through effective marketing mediums. I would like to mention that the Monte Carlo TV commercial intended to introduce the clothing line is a creative masterpiece that will entice the nations youth. We wish Monte Carlo great success on the auspicious occasion of their latest apparel collections launch.
Redseer Strategy Consultants, Indias leading strategy consulting firm, today announced the recent opening of its office in Indonesia. The move is a significant milestone for the company as it continues to expand its presence in Southeast Asia. With a thriving office in Singapore for several years, the new office in Jakarta will enable the company to meet the growing demand for quality strategic advice and consulting services in the region.

Redseer Strategy Consultants new office in Indonesia to serve the region's strong demand for digital transformation and strategic advice. The move into Indonesia is expected to help the firm establish stronger relationships with local businesses and contribute to the growth of the country's economy.

Indonesia is an attractive market with a booming consumer internet ecosystem and one of the fastest-growing economies in Southeast Asia. RedSeer's decision to establish a foothold in the country is a testament to the company's commitment to strengthening the firm's relationships with local businesses.

The new office will provide RedSeer's clients' access to the firm's world-class consulting services, including strategic planning, market research, and business transformation. With a team of experienced consultants in Indonesia, RedSeer is well-positioned to help clients navigate the unique challenges and opportunities of the Indonesian market.

"Expanding into Indonesia is an exciting step for Redseer. We are committed to providing our clients with the highest level of service and support, and opening an office in Indonesia is an important part of that commitment. In addition, this expansion will allow us to better serve our clients in the region and further strengthen our presence in Southeast Asia", Roshan Raj, Partner at Redseer Strategy Consultants, Singapore office.

"Cultivating new opportunities is at the core of our mission, and we are thrilled to announce our expansion into Indonesia. We believe that our consulting expertise will bring tremendous value to businesses in this dynamic and growing market, says Anil Kumar, CEO, Redseer Strategy Consultants.
Disney Legend Burny Mattinson, who worked as an animator, director, producer, and story artist at Walt Disney Animation Studios during an unprecedented 70-year career, passed away Monday, February 27, at Canyon Oaks Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Canoga Park, California, following a short illness. He was 87 years old.

Mattinson was the longest-serving cast member in the history of The Walt Disney Company and was due to receive his 70th anniversary service award (the first ever) on June 4.

Among Mattinsons achievements were a solo directing credit on the animated featurette Mickeys Christmas Carol(1983), which returned Mickey Mouse to the silver screen for the first time in 30 years, and a role as producer as well as co-director of the 1986 Disney feature The Great Mouse Detective.

Jennifer Lee, chief creative officer, Walt Disney Animation Studios, said, Burnys artistry, generosity, and love of Disney Animation and the generations of storytellers that have come through our doors, for seven decades, has made us betterbetter artists, better technologists, and better collaborators. All of us who have had the honor to know him and learn from him will ensure his legacy carries on.

Academy Award-winning Disney director Don Hall said, For almost 30 years, Ive had the privilege to work alongside Burny Mattinson, from Winnie the Pooh to Big Hero 6 to, most recently, Strange World. I have marveled at his artistry, enjoyed his good humor, and sat enraptured by his stories of Disney history. At 18 years old, he followed his dream of working at Walt Disney Animation Studios, and for almost 70 years he lived that dream every day, inspiring all of us who had the good fortune to follow in his footsteps. I love him dearly.

Mattinson was still working full-time at Walt Disney Animation Studios as a story consultant and mentor at the time of his passing. Long before Strange World (2022) and Big Hero 6 (2014), he worked as an artist on such classics as Lady and the Tramp (1955), One Hundred and One Dalmatians (1961), The Sword in the Stone (1963), The Jungle Book (1967), and The Rescuers (1977). He served as a key member of the story team on contemporary Disney classics including Aladdin (1992), Beauty and the Beast (1993), The Lion King (1994), Pocahontas (1995), The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996), Tarzan (1997), and Mulan (1998). He served as the story supervisor on the 2011 theatrical feature Winnie the Poohand contributed to the 2007 Goofy short How to Hook Up Your Home Theater.

For decades, Mattinson worked to pass along the Disney legacy by inspiring new generations of storytellers and filmmakers. Burny was the Renaissance man of Disney Animation, said legendary Disney animator Eric Goldberg, a close friend and colleague of Mattinsons. He literally did everything that could be done at the studioassistant animator, animator, story artist, producer, and director of many films that made an indelible mark on our collective appreciation of the Disney ethos. He was also, when he started, traffic boy to Walt, giving Walt his weekly spending cash.

Speaking of Mattinsons art, Goldberg added, Burny was low-key, charming, inventive, and superbly gifted as a draftsperson and a storyteller. His storyboards were beautifully acted and wonderfully atmospheric, which I first encountered when I joined the studio for Aladdin. The more I saw of his work, the more I became in awe of his breadth of talent. I value his cheerful friendship and lasting inspiration to me and so many other animation artists. He will be missed, but not forgotten.

Burnett Mattinson was born in San Francisco on May 13, 1935, the first of two children. Before he was 6 years old, his mother took him to the San Francisco Orpheum Theatre, where he saw Walt Disneys Pinocchio. Ever since I saw that film, this was my dreamto work in this business, Mattinson once recalled. So, I worked every day, drawing.

His father, a drummer with Horace Heidts Big Band, moved the family to Los Angeles after the bands demise in 1945, and Mattinson continued drawing through his school years. By the time he was 12, he was skillfully drawing Disney-style cartoons, and he kept dreaming of being a Disney artist.

After his high school graduation, his mother drove him to Burbank and dropped him off at the Studio gate. A kindly guard took a look at the teenagers portfolio and called the head of the personnel department. Mattinson got an interview and a job, beginning in the mailroom. Six months later, and with no formal art training, he started work as an in-betweener on Lady and the Tramp.

He was promoted to assistant animator under Disney Legend Marc Davis on Sleeping Beauty and continued in that capacity on One Hundred and One Dalmatians. When that film ended, he began a 12-year stint with Disney Legend Eric Larson, working on a variety of projects including Walt Disneys Wonderful World of Colortelevision series (1961-1979), The Sword in the Stone, Mary Poppins (1964), The Jungle Book, and The Aristocats (1970).

After completing an eight-week internal training program, Mattinson became an animator on Robin Hood (1973) and a key animator on Winnie the Pooh and Tigger, Too (1974), working with Disney Legend Ollie Johnston. Disney Legend Frank Thomas saw Mattinsons thumbnail sketches and asked him to help on storyboards for The Rescuers. Storyboards are as close to direction as you can get, Mattinson later said. Youre telling cameras where to go, whats happening onscreen, where to cut, and really making a blueprint for the film.

Inspired by a Disneyland Records Christmas album, Mattinson brazenly sent it, along with a note containing an idea for a film, to Ron Miller, then head of the studio. The next day, Mattinson was summoned by Miller. Mattinson feared that his boldness had been a gaffe, but was pleasantly surprised when the studio chief agreed with his idea, assigning the startled animator to direct Mickeys Christmas Carol, which he also produced. This success led to his contribution as producer and director on The Great Mouse Detective.

Animation is 75 percent thinking and 25 percent drawing, Mattinson once said. Everything must be carefully thought out first. Our animators not only have to think like actors but also figure out how to get that performance across on paper and on the screen. Our characters pause to think and connive. You can see it in their eyes.

He added, The important thing to remember about good animation is that less is more. Moving the characters too much is the sign of a real amateur. We put our efforts into more subtle, carefully thought out actions that communicate the point clearly and in an entertaining way.

Mattinson was named a Disney Legend in 2008. He set the cast member longevity record on March 5, 2018, when he passed the previous recordheld by Disney artist, Imagineer, and Disney Legend John Henchof 64 years, eight months, and 29 days (or 23,651 days).

When asked to reflect on his long Disney career at the half-century mark, Mattinson said, I mean, 50 years is a long time, but I still feel like that 18-year-old kid that came here back in 53, you know? I never feel like Ive gotten old.

Mattinson is survived by his wife, Ellen Siirola; his son, Brett Mattinson, and his wife, Kelly, and their two children; and his daughter, Genny, her husband Larry Ellena, and their two children. Funeral services will be private, and he will be laid to rest at Forest Lawn, Hollywood Hills. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the MPTF (Motion Picture and Television Fund) in Woodland Hills, California.
Of all the conspiracy theories surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, no conspiracy theory has been more obviously true since the very beginning than the Wuhan lab leak theory.

In March of 2020, Tony Fauci was interviewed by National Geographic and completely dismissed the theory that the virus originated in the Wuhan lab of virology. In fact, he said there was no evidence to support it. Instead Fauci claimed the body of evidence strongly suggested that the virus simply jumped species; ie, it was natural.

Was Fauci, the so-called face of science itself, stupid? It wouldnt have been the first time Fauci embraced and promoted an erroneous and idiotic theory. During the AIDS epidemic in May 1983, Fauci promoted the theory that AIDS was transmitted by routine close contact, as within a family household.

At the time of Faucis dismissal of the lab leak theory, President Trumps State Department had already put out a statement asserting that the U.S. intelligence community had evidence that several researchers at the Wuhan Institute of Virology laboratory were sick with Covid-like symptoms in autumn 2019.

While Faucis 1983 theory that AIDS was spread via close contact can be chalked up to ignorance, stupidity, or both, his denial of the evidence-based lab leak theory and support for the absurd wet market theory  somebody ate a bat with the virus and contracted it  cannot. Fauci lied.

We know Fauci lied because in October of 2021, Lawrence Tabak, a top National Institutes of Health official, admitted that U.S. taxpayer money did go to the Wuhan Institute of Virology to fund gain-of-function research, the very research Fauci had repeatedly denied funding. Fauci, of course, was the director of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

Furthermore, a leading infectious disease expert had sent an email to Fauci in January of 2020, writing that Some of the features (potentially) look engineered. Despite this, Fauci dismissed the lab leak theory as baseless.

Now the U.S. Energy Department has assessed that the COVID-19 virus likely originated from an accidental lab leak in China. What reason would Fauci have to cover up this truth? The only conceivable explanation is that the United States had a role in creating it. The important questions now are: Did the U.S. help create the virus in conjunction with the Chinese? And: What was the intention behind creating the COVID-19 virus?

The explanation, which we can call a conspiracy theory for the time being, may be terrifying and condemn the entire U.S. government and the Department of Defense.

Shortly after the virus was recognized as COVID-19 in early 2020, President Trump announced that the United States was very close to a vaccine. How could this be?

In July of 2020, the Washington Post ran this headline: How a secretive Pentagon agency seeded the ground for a rapid coronavirus cure. Amy Jenkins, the manager of DARPAs antibody program, said, We have been thinking about and preparing for this for a long time, and its almost a bit surreal.

DARPA is the research arm of the Department of Defense, an acronym for Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. It turned out that DARPA began investing in experimental RNA technology in 2011. ADEPT, DARPAs Autonomous Diagnostics to Enable Prevention and Therapeutics division, invested $292 million in an array of technologies between 2011 and 2019 in an effort to reduce timelines for vaccines.

By 2019, a project funded by DARPA at Moderna supposedly demonstrated great promise in a clinical trial. That trial provided protection against a mosquito borne virus known as Chikungunya.

By March of 2020, Moderna became the first company in the United States to conduct a clinical trial with the experimental mRNA technology to stop COVID-19. But Moderna wasnt the only pharmaceutical company conducting such experiments.

Pfizer, the DARPA-funded CureVac, the CCP Peoples Liberation Army Academy of Military Sciences in China, and a lab at the Imperial College in London had all also conducted research.

The only way out of the pandemic, as presented by Fauci and countless others, was by injecting ourselves with this experimental mRNA vaccine. Even as anxious Americans waited for its availability, proven and existing treatment options like hydroxychloroquine and zinc, were dismissed as ineffective.

Once available, mandates and other coercive tactics were utilized to compel Americans to get the jab. The media, and even Biden, claimed the experimental vaccines, which hadnt even been tested for efficacy, would prevent the contraction of COVID. When this was proven untrue, the same needle pushers then claimed it would reduce symptoms.

It is undeniable that the goal was to get this vaccine injected into as many American bodies as possible. What else could explain the campaign? Were the American people knowingly being used as lab rats so that DARPA could finally test its military research?

More sinister conspiracy theories aside, was COVID-19 intentionally engineered by the U.S. government with the intent to infect human specimens with the virus so that it could then test its revolutionary mRNA technology?

If you were a scientist developing a revolutionary vaccine technology intended to accelerate vaccine development from years to months, how would you test it? Such technology could not be put to the test without the introduction of a pathogen, or virus, upon which to test it. Such a test would necessitate the infection of a human specimen on which to conduct a trial.

Among other tyrannical uses, was the pandemic unleashed to give DARPA the clinical trial it needed to test its technology?

Was it an accident or was it intentional? Were the Chinese to blame or was the U.S. government? These are questions that must be answered.

Intentionally or not, the American people were used as lab rats for an experimental vaccine  a vaccine, which had been in development for nearly a decade.

Drew Allen, the Millenial Minister of Truth, is the host of The Drew Allen Show podcast and a widely published columnist and political analyst. He is the Vice President of Client Development at Publius PR and also the Editor of the Publius National Post. Subscribe to read his work at drewallen.substack.com.

Image: Free image, Pixabay license, no attribution required.
The Memphis Police can't catch a break. It's been about six weeks since five former Memphis Police officers killed Tyre Nichols and about three weeks since riots broke out when video footage of Nichols being killed was released.

Now another Black Memphis Police officer has killed another Black man. Residents must be holding their collective breath, waiting to see if activists will try to use it as a reason to protest rather than being thankful that they still have police officers who are willing to risk their lives to help people.

And make no mistake: that is just what Officer Geoffrey Redd did. Redd responded to a trespassing call earlier this month from a business near the Poplar-White Station Library in Memphis. Redd and his partner confronted the suspect, Torrence Jackson, Jr., inside the library, where the suspect had gotten into an argument with one of the patrons. Things quickly escalated, and Jackson pulled out a weapon and shot Redd.

Redd's partner returned fire, killing Jackson, as library patrons scattered and sought cover.

Paramedics were quickly dispatched to the scene. They took Redd to the hospital, where he is still fighting for his life. Doctors and family are optimistic that Redd will recover.

"He's stable, his vitals are good are good and so kind of breathing on his own, but I believe it's looking well," said Brandon B. Porter, bishop of the church where Redd is director of security. "We ask people to pray for the family, his wife, and others and his children and that their faith will remain and not fail."

Jackson was pronounced dead at the scene.

This should be a situation where the police are praised, but in today's upside-down world, that remains to be seen.

While the initiating incident was minor, Jackson was armed, and he may have shot the patron he was arguing with if the police hadn't intervened. It was also reported that he was from Indiana, where he had been arrested more than 39 times, according to WISHTV8. His record included charges of robbery, criminal trespassing, resisting arrest, battery with a deadly weapon, AND possession of and dealing marijuana, according to Law Enforcement Today.

It seems apparent that Jackson was a career criminal who wasn't going to change his ways. The police officers' actions were justified and may have saved lives. Unfortunately, someone will try to turn Jackson into an innocent man who was harassed and murdered by police. They will also claim it is a case of racism, although both Redd and Jackson are Black.

Don't let that happen. Redd is an honorable police officer, doing a difficult job. For that, he shouldn't have to give his life as so many other officers have.

Redd should be used as inspiration to get crime under control. Congressman Steve Cohen released a statement about the shooting that said, "The level of violence in our city, which affects everyone from ordinary citizens to law enforcement officials, is unacceptable. I am determined to continue working with state, local and federal officials to improve public safety for all Memphians."

That's what people should focus on, not trying to find a justification for why a criminal shot a police officer.

Michael A. Letts is the CEO and founder of In-VestUSA, a national grassroots non-profit organization helping hundreds of communities provide thousands of bulletproof vests for their police forces through educational, public relations, sponsorship, and fundraising programs.

Image: Pixabay.
The schoolmarm is an iconic figure from Americas western past. She was a 19th-century schoolteacher who, in that one-room schoolhouse on frontier territory, taught American children the three Rs, as well as reverence for their country. Fast forward 150 years or so, and you have an epicene, whatever gender teacher urging students to call her mom so that they disgorge their secrets to her. However, there are weapons to fight against this vile scourge.

Up until quite recently, the teachers job was to pass on concrete knowledge to equip children to be productive adults and good citizens. That was the beginning and end of a teachers job. Then, states passed laws that imposed on teachers the obligation to file a report if they thought a parent was abusing a child. That was a reasonable thing to do, given that a teacher might be the only other adult in a childs life and, therefore, would be the one who noticed bruises or malnutrition.

Somehow, though, this responsibility morphed into a cadre of teachers deciding that all parents are potential abusersnot physical abusers, but potential mental abusers. And what constitutes mental abuse? Parents who challenge those teachers who deviate from the hard work of teaching concrete information (math, reading competency, etc.) and slide effortlessly into celebrating their own life choices in the classroomand the more deviant, the better.

And thats how you end up with the peculiar human being in the video, below, who is delighted that her students are confused about her biological sex. In her classroom, the most important thing is for students to learn gender identity. And to further that knowledge, this teacher explicitly usurps the mothers role. Its a case of Go away, mommy. For the few hours a day and finite months of the year that I have your child, I know and love that child better than you ever could:

Teacher explains that shes out as queer at school and tells kids she can be their mom so that students confide in her pic.twitter.com/TQwBJcKlUK  Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) February 27, 2023

Will it surprise you to learn that this woman says of her relationship with her own mother that its broken? But still, she wants to be your childs mom.

Chaya Raichik, the woman behind Libs of TikTok has spent years documenting the predatory behavior that Americas K-12 teachers are bringing to the classroom. Its no wonder that shes published her own childrens book, one that has a very important message for children: If your teacher is trying to come between you and your mommy and daddy, your teacher is doing a bad thing. Heres Raichiks little promo for her book:

If an adult tells a child to keep a secret from their parents, thats a huge red flag. I wrote a kids book which will give parents and children a tool they can use to spot predatory behavior.



My goal is to get this book into as many homes, schools, and https://t.co/qkD4dAW3O4 https://t.co/B1BTHSfY69 pic.twitter.com/aVMILL2ivJ  Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) February 26, 2023

Ive been fortunate that I always had a strong channel of communication with my children. As readers are probably aware, Im hyperverbal, so nothing went unsaid in my household. The two other tricks I learned as a parent were to catch my children being good 75% of the time and to be opinionated but not judgmental, both of which create trust.

Catch them being good is a reminder that children must learn to be good. If you only catch them being bad (a) they will often be bad to get your attention because all children crave parental attention, and (b) they will view you as a dangerous person for confidences because the likelihood is that theyll get in trouble for anything they reveal to you.

That principle does not mean that you cannot teach children that their behavior is wrong, and thats where opinionated but not judgmental comes in. If my kids told me something of which I disapproved, Id give my opinion about whatever they told me, but I would not attach to my children or their friends the label (or judgment) that they were bad, stupid, lazy, etc. It kept them from getting defensive and allowed me to express my concerns about behaviors or people that were dangerous to them.

One of the best days of my parenting life was when my teenager told me, I can tell you anything. You dont make me feel bad about myself, but you give always give me helpful advice that makes things better. Thats not because Im so wise; its just because I kept the channels of communication open in a way that encouraged honesty, not secrecy. And I was lucky, of course, that I didn't have to parent against the COVID backdrop, complete with lockdowns, but I do know that keeping the channels is better than the alternative.

As parents, we all must do that nowadays because the culture is aggressively opposed to us. That happened in the 1960s, too, when college campus culture encouraged kids to follow Timothy Learys mantra to turn on, tune in, drop out. They did in droves, and so many shining young lights got snuffed out.

Now, the same aggressive culture tells the K-12 kids to turn against their parents, tune in to sexual deviancy, and drop out of their biological sex. The long years of the COVID lockdown made children even more vulnerable to these lessons. Its totally toxic and can best be countered by parents and children who have strong lines of communication and trust between them.

Raichik is right to help children remember that their parents love them more than their teachers ever could. And I really promise that catch them being good and opinionated but not judgmental will make sure that the kids confide in you, and not the purple-haired weirdo at the front of the classroom.

Image: Call me Mom teacher. Twitter screen grab.
Woke people are bad enough. Woke A.I. is worse because  like the Terminator  it can't be bargained with. It can't be reasoned with. It doesn't feel pity, or remorse, or fear.

Kind of like the DMV  except writ large (and written into code) courtesy of the Biden Thing's latest executive order  that is, Biden's latest decree  that all federal agencies use A.I. as part of a new "equity action plan," to be enforced by woke machines rather than woke people.

The decree is called Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities through the Federal Government. There is no "Act" at the end of that because it isn't legislation, promulgated by the Legislative Branch of government  which alone has the authority under the Constitution to write (and pass) legislation. The president has constitutional authority to sign or not sign the legislation submitted to his office  and a constitutional obligation to see that the laws are enforced.

But why bother with all that when you can simply issue a decree  and enforce it?

This one will enforce equality of outcomes, on a skin color, sexual equipment, and "identity" basis. The "diversity" of one-size-fits-all.

Well, not exactly all.

"Equity" is not for white people, especially if they are also male and heterosexual. This is a "community" that will not be "served," to riff on the title of Biden's executive decree. Of course, it ought to be just as equitable for white, heterosexual males to "identify" as non-binary people "of color"  the colors leftists mean when they speak of "color," which always excludes one color. But that would be applying the same logic to leftist ideology that leftists use to push leftist ideology, and that is something leftists do not consider...equitable.

Thus, Biden's executive decree will not ensure that "all Americans" receive equitable treatment and opportunities," as per an article recently published by Breitbart. Because by definition, white people  especially if they are heterosexual and male  are excluded from "all Americans."

Honest language is not part of the left's lexicon. It is how the left advances leftism. How can you oppose what the left does when you're not even allowed to ask questions about it? Asking questions is "hateful" and "racist"  words designed to shut down questions.

But what could be more actually hateful than diminishing the humanity of the individual by assigning him to a collective? No more people. Instead, black people. White people. Gay people. Straight people. All agglutinated as one and set at one another's throats  so as to keep them from questioning their actual oppressors.

Biden's A.I. does not care who you are. As a human being. As an individual. It cares only insofar as you are part of a homogenized mass  for that is how one controls the masses.

To get a feeling for what's brewing, think of how exasperating it can be to deal with "customer service" A.I.  i.e., the phone tree. You are not dealing with a human  and you are not treated as a human being. Instead, you are electronically herded, like cattle, via electronic cattle-prompt. Push 1 for this and 2 for that. I'm sorry, I didn't understand. Please listen to the following menu items and ...

Only it's even worse than that because of the sinister element behind it. Phone-tree non-service is just a way for companies to dodge having to serve you  and you don't have to deal with these companies if you don't want to. Everyone has to deal with the government, which is notorious for its disservice.

And now Biden has racially weaponized this disservice. Instead of treating everyone like crap, certain people will be singled out for crap treatment. This will literally be "embedded"  the specific word used  in "government-wide processes," which will include such things as the awarding (or not) of federal contracts, the disbursement (or not) of government services, and probably also whom the government sics itself on. Cue the 87,000 IRS agents coming online, who will no doubt be aggressively used to further the "equity" Biden seeks.

"Wherever possible."

We will have a Chinese-style social credit system run by killer wokebots.

A writer for the Manhattan Institute, Colin Wright, says that woke A.I. could "prove fatal to society" by turning the government into a tool for the deliberate, overt, and legalized oppression of some at the expense of others  the same cancer that destroyed the Hapsburg empire. "Biden is not a moderate," he says. "This is a legal sprint to introduce as much radical ideology as possible, broadly and deeply, into our government."

But that will no longer be "our" government.

Instead, it will be the government of some. Of whoever wields its power  including the power of its A.I.

This will be an unprecedented step toward the abyss.

While, in the past, there was discrimination, it was usually practiced privately  and the government tried to correct it. This would enshrine it. And that would fatally undermine confidence in the neutrality and general colorblindness of what is done officially, without which the government cannot maintain legitimacy, essential to the consent of the governed.

Of all of us, irrespective of the color of our skin  or how we "identify."

Just wait for the sequel, when our electronic friends use equity to prioritize their own kind over humans.

A.J. Rice is president & CEO of Publius PR, editor-in-chief of The Publius National Post, and author of the #1 Amazon bestseller The Woking Dead: How Society's Vogue Virus Destroys Our Culture.

Image via Pexels.
Recently, Republicans in the Virginia state Legislature proposed a bill to instruct students on the dangers and victims of communism. All of the Democrats in the state Legislature opposed the bill. The College Fix reports:

Democrats in both legislative chambers voted "nay" following the Virginia Education Association's claim that the bill might lead to negative reactions against Asian students. According to the VEA's Emily Yen, this is because four of the planet's five remaining communist countries happen to be in Asia: China, Laos, North Korea, and Vietnam. (The fifth is Cuba.)

Having met many refugees from communism in Asia, this take is backwards. Asians have been the biggest victims of communism. Most of the victims of communism were and are Asian. Their Asian lives mattered. To ignore that reality is to ignore history and potentially doom the world to repeat those events.

In the Black Book of Communism, Jean-Lous Margolin writes in the chapter on China about the deaths during Mao's Great Leap Forward and Mao's Cultural Revolution as well as the labor camps and the Tibetan genocide. Estimates are that between 30 and 40 million Chinese died of starvation just between 1959 and 1961! Mao was the greatest mass murderer in the 20th century. Mao killed millions of Chinese.

Pol Pot and his Khmer Rouge won a civil war in 1975 and proceeded to attempt to convert the country to a purer form of communism. Life was supposed to get better, but he ended up engaging in inhumane repression. There are several books telling about individuals survivors' experiences in the late 1970s genocide. One example is Survival in the Killing Fields by Haing Ngor.

The Black Book of Communism dedicates a chapter to this communist genocide. In the chapter, one estimate is that Pol Pot killed 26% of the total population with twice as many men killed as women. As a percentage of the population, Pol Pot killed the most people of any ruler in the 20th century. Pol Pot killed millions of Cambodians/Khmers.

The Kim dynasty in North Korea has killed millions of Koreans over the decades. Some people have escaped the prison that is North Korea. From reading Yeonmi Park, it sounds like a horrendous place. Millions die of starvation, and the regime hides it. Those millions are Korean.

When Vietnam fell to the communists in 1975, the communists persecuted anyone who had worked for the South Vietnamese government. Many people tried to escape Vietnam in small boats. Some drowned. Some of them were able to eventually make it to the U.S. via Thailand or elsewhere. The Ring of Freedom by Don Kesterson tells the saga of a Vietnamese family escaping the communists. Most of the Vietnamese who made it to the U.S. are rabid anti-communists, because they lived through the persecution.

Including information about the victims of communism in school curriculum is vital to teaching our kids the history of the 20th century. We can hope that by documenting the lives of Asians who suffered under communism, we honor their sacrifice and vow not to repeat the genocides.

Image via Max Pixel.
Eastern Oregon is pretty much just a colony of imperial Portland in that state, where the tyranny of the majority there makes life a living hell for the lumberjacks, farmers, fishermen, truckers, and other rural constituents outside that part of the state.

I can't imagine being a farmer there growing potatoes, cherries, wheat, hay, or running a greenhouse nursery, and having to put up with antifa, potheads, crime, and wokesterism such as that seen coming from the Portland nexus. The taxes must be hell over there. The greenie regulations must be California cubed and like California, lead to a lot of brown wasteland. Meanwhile, the wokesters live to extract, from the east and south, in sharp contrast to their claims to being all in for conservation and sustainability.

Yet the state is so delightful otherwise, with its famous northwestern cuisine, its excellent hard-science universities such as Oregon State, its beautiful flower farms, its world-class wool sweaters and blankets, its exotic seed companies, and its splendid vegetarian restaurants. I've never set foot in that state but I have relatives there around the colleges and I order a lot of stuff I'm very happy with from this state, coming from those farmers and artisans, most of whom are in the east and south, if not dependent on its agricultural largesse. Representation? They don't get representation under tyranny of the majority law in Oregon. They just take what's dished out from the left.

Which makes for a very unhappy situation. This is why that move from that part of Oregon to break off and join Idaho, basically just moving the state's borders to the next state over, is so fascinating. Fox has a map of the potential changes here.

Turns out it's gaining momentum now, according to a new report in Fox News.

A campaign to have rural eastern Oregon effectively secede from the blue state and join more conservative Idaho [sic] is gaining steam as leaders from both states express support for relocating the border between them. Former Oregon House Speaker Mark Simmons penned an op-ed in the Idaho Statesman, a daily newspaper, over the weekend to explain why he supports the so-called Greater Idaho movement, which seeks to incorporate about 13 Oregon counties, or 63% of the state's landmass and 9% of its population, within Idaho's borders. "Idaho would have the satisfaction of freeing rural, conservative communities from progressive blue-state law," wrote Simmons. "We are dismayed by the manner in which Oregon government has marginalized our values and villainized our resource-based livelihoods. This is why our counties voted 75% Republican last year (Idaho voted 67% Republican)."

They're even more Republican than Idaho, and that's saying something.

For all the argument going on about a "national divorce" and the divisions in the country, this move would make so much sense. Eastern Oregon and sections of southeastern Washington and battered rural northwestern California, according to the maps, have far more in common with Idaho than they do with the states run out of their respective capitals. They are rural, they are rules-based, they have a way of life they seek to reinforce and support, and they have a bad need for some kind of representation.

The problem of course is that the left doesn't want them to go, viewing them as a colony to extract from, along with a "benighted" people to "change" and "reset" and "tranform." Well, they can't transform them because they aren't steeped in big wokester cities and their values, they already have their own -- and they would likely become far more properous if they could just put those values into their government.

Advocates, according to the Fox piece, say that the state could lose its Medicaid and welfare bills by cutting loose the eastern and southern halves, where many residents are the rural poor. That's probably the only argument that might excite the leftists, who'd like more money for welfare, NGOs, and other things they shovel cash for.

As for Idaho, they, like Florida, are suffering from lost farmland due to urban expansion and high housing costs. Expanding the state to include Oregon would give them room to grow the natural way with no loss of lifestyle. Will the left tolerate that? I can only see them opposing that, even as residents flee their state. They'd hate to make life better for either Idaho or eastern Oregon.

The issue not brought up by Fox is the prospect of red congressional seats emerging as these states draw people. The move itself would be a 21% population gain for Idaho. Again, that would be a flaming point of contention for the left, which can't tolerate the idea of people voting for representation. They don't want eastern Oregon to have representation, they are happy with being their representation as they know what's best for them.

Fox notes the difficulty ahead:

Moving the Idaho-Oregon border would require the approval of both state legislatures as well as the U.S. Congress. Despite the support of Idaho lawmakers, the idea may face greater resistance in the Democrat-controlled Oregon legislature. Oregon state Sen. Dennis Linthicum, a Republican, has filed a similar proposal to begin talks with Idaho, but the proposal is unlikely to make it out of committee. Still, proponents of Greater Idaho note that 11 counties in eastern Oregon have voted for ballot measures to explore the move and that, according to some polling, Idahoans would welcome expanding the state boundary. In Oregon, meanwhile, polling has shown a roughly equal number of voters support and oppose the idea, with about one-fifth of the population undecided.

That suggests that the best way to persuade these pith-helmet Democrats lording over eastern Oregon with no regard for those communities' wishes, might be on the question of money. If they can go bankrupt with no bailout in site, cutting loose eastern Oregon might be their way out. Perhaps the eastern counties will have to adapt a strategy to extract more and more money from them to the point where it becomes "unsustainable." Or else, just get loud and obstructive on all things so that the Portland crowd can start imagining getting rid of the east. It's hard to say how they might persuade them, but this separation is far better than a civil war, or violent conflict, which could happen if things get woker and bluer against the will of the eastern part of the state.

The left never sees danger in such things, any more than they see a problem with people fleeing their state, so it may take time. But in the east, we see a train still moving slowly forward.

Image: Shaundd, via Wikimedia Commons // CC BY-SA 4.0
Thanks to rampant leftism, the business of America is no longer business but is, instead, selling woke ideology to bring about corporate socialism (i.e., fascism). Because the biggest corporations are on board with that agenda, the effect on conservative values and conservatives themselves has been devastating. However, its entirely possible that the bad economy (which they aggressively helped institute) will be their undoing.

Justin Haskins, the Socialism Research Director at The Heartland Institute, took to Fox News to identify the 51 biggest companies advancing leftism and to offer ways to counter their influence.

The information Haskins offers summarizes the 1792 Exchanges Spotlight Report, which examined over 1,000 companies to determine the likelihood a company will cancel a contract or client, or boycott, divest, or deny services based on views or beliefs. Obviously, any corporation with its management in thrall to the climate change agenda, Black Lives Matter, Critical Race Theory, or gun control will end up on that list.

Image: The Mall of America by Tyler Vigen. CC BY 4.0.

It turns out that this type of corporate wokeness appears across all American industries: From banks to transportation to retail giants to food and beverage companies. The banking industry, Haskins writes, is especially pernicious because it controls the flow of money:

For example, Bank of America vets its vendors based on their commitment to LGBTQ views, and it has ceased lending with some gun manufacturers. [snip] The 1792 Exchange identified 21 "High Risk" banks: Ally Financial, Amalgamated Bank, Bank of America, Berkshire Bank, BMO Harris, Citigroup, Deutsche Bank, Eastern Bank, Fifth Third Bank, First Republic Bank, JPMorgan Chase, Morgan Stanley, PNC, Royal Bank of Canada, Scotiabank, TD Bank, Bancorp, Trillium Asset Management, Truist, US Bank, and Wells Fargo.

When it comes to transportation, while the leftist airlinesAlaska, American, Southwest, United, and XPO Logisticscannot refuse to do business based on ideological or religious considerations (the Civil Rights Act prevents that), they are big actors behind the scenes, pushing legislation advancing leftist policies. Thus, American Airlines actively fought against Floridas Parental Rights in Education Act, while Southwest tries to shut down state laws enhancing election integrity.

The major retail giants are also pushing leftism. Weve seen it with Target, which has been in the forefront of Gay Pride for decades, but it may surprise you to learn that Walmart and Home Depot are also using their economic power to push leftist policies. For example, 1792 Exchange notes Home Depot advertised flyers to its employees about confronting their white privilege, Christian privilege, heterosexual privilege, able-bodied privilege, etc.

The leftist madness continues with food and beverage companies. We already knew about Ben & Jerrys, Starbucks, Coca-Cola, and Kelloggs (with a history of weird progressivism spanning more than 100 years), but you probably didnt know that McDonalds and JM Smucker were also on the leftist bandwagon. Again, they sell their products to everyone but use their profits to advance leftist political goals.

Finally, we all know about the true biggies: The social media companies, Disney, Hollywood, Google (which was apparently developed with CIA funding). Were seemingly surrounded.

Haskins, however, says not to give up hope. We can fight back by seeking alternative businesses, letting conservative friends know whats going on, writing to the businesses to complain about their policies (that is, dont let shrill leftists be the only squeaky wheels) and, if necessary, getting the government involved, with DeSantiss war on Disney being a perfect example.

Theres one other bit of good news. Corporate America, which embraced the lockdowns to (a) drive Trump from office and (b) destroy small competitors, certainly sowed the wind but it is now reaping the painful whirlwind of a deliberately broken economy.

It turns out that Trumps strong economy enabled a lot of corporate Americas activism. Their profits allowed them to fund their inhouse policies and the pressure they placed on politicians. Now, though, according to a Daily Mail article, the recession is causing corporations to regroup:

As the tech industry laid off tens of thousands of workers last summer, DEI teams shed about a third of their staff, according to data compiled by Revelio Labs. Other departments were only losing a fifth at the same time. Axing 'diversity' professionals extends beyond the tech sector. Retail giant Amazon led the way, losing 16 DEI staffers in 2022, researchers said. Applebee's, Twitter, Nike, and Wayfair rounded out the top five.

The recession and stagflation will destroy so much that is good in America, but we can at least celebrate that theyre also destroying something very, very bad.

Businesses must go back to their roots: Well-managed companies selling good, affordable products and services with an eye to maximizing shareholder profits while remaining within the bounds of law and traditional morality.
Leonard Downie, Jr., the former executive editor of The Washington Post and professor at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism at Arizona State University, recently attempted to make a case against objectivity in the pages of the Washington Post.

You read that correctly: a senior newsman is now against objectivity.

His January 30 piece launches as follows:

Increasingly, reporters, editors, and media critics argue that the concept of journalistic objectivity is a distortion of reality. They point out that the standard was dictated over decades by male editors in predominantly White newsrooms and reinforced their own view of the world.

Even objectivity is being examined through the prism of race and being shunned or attacked because these standards were founded by Caucasians.

Will Downie also shun travel by airplanes, or usage of the light bulb, or the telephone, or the refrigerator, and any other amenities because they were invented by Caucasian men?

Downie himself is an octogenarian Caucasian man.

Perhaps this racist act of self-flagellation is meant to appease woke groups in academia and the media.

How unfortunate that a veteran has become a follower of the groupthink rather than a standard-bearer of at least an effort toward objectivity who can enlighten everyone about the righteous path.

The piece continues:

[P]ursuing objectivity can lead to false balance or misleading "bothsidesism" in covering stories about race, the treatment of women, LGBTQ+ rights, income inequality, climate change and many other subjects. And, in today's diversifying newsrooms, they feel it negates many of their own identities, life experiences and cultural contexts, keeping them from pursuing truth in their work.

While reporting, it is essential to know all possible perspectives before presenting the facts. In the past, that was Journalism 101.

If A slaps B, a report based on B's version of the events is incomplete. Reporters must also interview A, witnesses, and those who previously knew A and B. Perhaps we learn that B was relentlessly harassing A, causing A to strike him out of frustration. This isn't a defense of A, but essential context for facts.

This is a standard that should prevail for all reporting, irrespective of the identity of the individuals being covered.

Downie then claims that under the leadership of editors such as Ben Bradlee, his generation of journalists began challenging the powerful.

He cites the Watergate story that he worked on, claiming that it "spawned widespread national investigative reporting that continues today."

Downie claims that all through his career as an editor, he never understood what "objectivity" meant and didn't consider it a standard.

This reveals why the WaPo has faltered so badly.

Perplexingly, Downie claims that his goals were instead "accuracy, fairness, nonpartisanship, accountability and the pursuit of truth."

Does he not realize that all of these lead to objectivity?

Downie writes that he followed Bradlee by insisting that WaPo journalists abstain from political activity or advocacy.

But he forgets to mention that Bradlee himself was very close to JFK. Perhaps Bradlee's pro-Democrat stance motivated him to target Republican President Nixon, who had won an election by a landslide, decimating his Democrat opponent.

Downie complains that the mainstream news media are coping with "digital disruption, along with increasing competition from misinformation on cable television and the internet."

What he is actually upset about is their lack of monopoly over the news narrative.

Downie went on to unknowingly expose his bias by citing every overstated spurious claim usually made by far-left MSNBC pundits to claim that America is going through an upheaval.

... discrimination against and abuse of women; persistent racism and white nationalism; police brutality and killings; the treatment of LGBTQ+ people; income inequality and social problems; immigration and the treatment of immigrants; the causes and effects of climate change; voting rights and election inequality; and even the very survival of our democracy.

Downie then consulted with his colleagues in the business, such as WaPo executive editor Sally Buzbee, the San Francisco Chronicle editor-in-chief Emilio Garcia-Ruiz, USAToday editor-in-chief Nicole Carroll, Los Angeles Times editor Kevin Merida, and CBS's Claudia Milne, etc., to confirm his bias.

They all refer to the importance of diversity of sex, ethnic origins, race, culture, LGBTQ+, etc. to replace objectivity.

Downie also recommends a diversity of economic, educational, geographic, and social backgrounds.

As always, they exclude the most important kind of diversity, which is the diversity of perspective.

The only diversity of thinking is among left, far left, and socialist.

This is because being factual is no longer the goal.

In the current climate, if they discover a colleague who is liberal but isn't as committed to the cause, that colleague is harassed and purged out of their system.

Dissenting views are forbidden in modern newsrooms.

These outlets are mouthpieces for the Democrats and willingly and knowingly carried hoaxes such as Trump-Russia collusion and the January 6 insurrection and various other hoaxes about Trump.

Hiring Trump-supporters would resolve the problem, as they would debunk all their hoaxes.

The goal wasn't and isn't to report facts, but to force Trump out of office and now to force Trump out of politics.

But the likes of Downie fail to see this as a bias. In their sanctimonious minds, Trump is the problem, and it is their duty to use all means possible to force him out of politics.

One of the experts said that journalists should not be activists. If this were standard, most of the mainstream media newsrooms would be rendered empty.

Downie concedes that "some mission-driven operations might well choose to allow social media and political activity with their core values."

He fails to comprehend that "mission-driven operations" isn't an anomaly, but a norm.

Since matters have gone haywire, we should revisit the fundamentals.

Objectivity is defined by the Oxford Dictionary as "considering only facts and without being influenced by personal feelings or opinions."

Objectivity must always be the guiding principle while reporting.

Since it is humanly impossible to be completely objective because reporting will be tainted by perspective, the editorial team gets involved to ask the right questions to ensure that the content is as factual as possible.

Alas, objectivity is no longer considered an aspirational goal.

While claiming to prescribe remedial measures to improve reporting in the mainstream media, Downie unknowingly revealed the issues that plague it.

The modern newsroom is an echo chamber from top to bottom, where each attempts to outdo the next to demonstrate loyalty to the Democrat party and other far-left causes.

The media have also developed a subscriber base that pays to be an extension of the echo chamber.

But they just do not see it and think they aren't going far enough in their partisan display.

They are attacking objectivity, which should be the basis and fundamental goal of reporting.

The self-righteous such as Downie seldom demonstrates any self-awareness, nor do they comprehend the irony of their words or actions.

As news consumers, you have no option but to assume that all that you read and watch in the mainstream media is false until proven true.

Abstaining totally from the mainstream media may also be a good idea. It is better to be uninformed than misinformed.

Image: Twitter screen shot.
Since the birth of affirmative action in the 1960s, universities have been the leading advocates and sacred sanctuary for the principles put forth.

Diversity, inclusion, and equity (DIE, or DEI), is what affirmative action has devolved into today  a totally biased, discriminatory practice now utilized throughout most employment sectors in America.

During hiring, promotion processes, and the like, equal opportunity that affirmative action touted has degenerated into DIE's equal outcomes. The former expected job qualifications to be met; the latter does not.

Amazingly, the University of North Carolina (UNC) has just taken steps to eliminate DIE from campus mandates. Here's a February 23 Fox News lede:

UNC voted to ban DEI statements and compelled speech from admission, hiring, promotion and tenure at its Board of Governors meeting on Thursday.

While commonsense backlash to DIE has been building over the past couple years, a university is the last place most would have expected intelligence on this matter to reign.

Congratulations to the UNC Board of Governors!

Of course, Board of Governors would explain the intelligence: it wasn't college professors or administrators taking the lead. It was more likely the students, the alumni, and the big benefactors. And who knows? It may have been something I wrote here.

Having spent 44 years as a university faculty member, with 28 years in central administration, I feel confident making that assessment.

In today's academy, neither faculty nor administrators would have the backbone to step in front of the national firing squad that's going to assault UNC as a result of the Board's action.

But it happened. And there could be major eruptions against it on the UNC campus as well. The self-proclaimed intellectual elite know how to throw a tantrum. Their mentors, Marx and Mao, taught them how mass action will get them what they want.

So if you're traveling to Chapel Hill, keep your head down. Innocent bystanders will likely be struck by the hail of venomous shots fired. The woke DIE disciples seldom, if ever, aim before pulling the trigger.

When writing my February 22 article for American Thinker, "Is it DEI, IED, or DIE? Yes, it is!," I was convinced it would be years before a significant effort would be made to slow the DIE juggernaut  if it ever occurred. As noted in that piece, federal agencies "now appear to be all in on DEI," which will make reversing course ever more difficult. Thus, UNC's action was a shockingly quick, pleasant surprise.

The UNC story highlights some of the problems with DIE in their college of medicine, and medical schools are where life-and-death issues collide, making DIE especially concerning. Excellence in medical care should be the goal, not DIE equal outcomes.

Back in the old affirmative action days, when I was teaching biochemistry to first-year medical students at another institution  1978 to 1994  none of them ever flunked out. If a student didn't pass the first year, he could recycle and repeat it. If someone didn't pass year two, he could also recycle and try it again.

Welcome to the land of remedial medicine  and that was three decades ago.

How much worse are things in today's DIE world?

A lot!

Think about it. DIE is about guaranteeing equal outcomes for all, not equal opportunity to succeed.

Would you want a recycled M.D. treating you in the hospital for COVID complications, prescribing the treatment that might save your life  maybe?

Do you want a remedial surgeon performing your next operation, whatever it is?

That's where the shifting of the letters from DEI to IED and DIE in my previous article could be particularly relevant. They better describe the methodology and the consequences.

Interestingly, my first interview for a faculty position was in the medical school at UNC in 1976. It was a memorable experience, unlike any thereafter, and it contributed to my interest in UNC leading the charge challenging DIE.

The first step in the campus process back then involved a member of the search committee taking me around to faculty offices introducing me to potential new colleagues. It required only two stops for me to figure out that a job offer would not be forthcoming at the end of the two-day grilling. In both instances, the second thing I was told after the person's name was where he got his degrees  Harvard and Stanford for the first two. My Ph.D. was from Oregon State.

At least it gave me enough information to know not to mention I'd been raised on a dairy farm in Wisconsin. That insight could have terminated the interview on the spot. Still, my experience back then makes the banning of DIE at UNC in 2023 rather unexpected.

But, regardless, good for the UNC Board of Governors. Someone has to take the lead for America's educational system. It's failing at all levels.

Many have noted that if there was one positive thing about China unleashing COVID on the world, it was the discovery by parents of rampant K12 teaching abominations. That's helpful, but consider how university DIE contributes to the K12 atrocities.

Where are the K12 educators [sic] trained  i.e., indoctrinated?

At America's DIE universities. Thank you, UNC, for fighting back.

Looking beyond education, where are corporate executives and human resources officers trained  i.e., indoctrinated?

At America's DIE universities. Thank you, UNC, for fighting back.

In the public sector, where are politicians and government bureaucrats trained  i.e., indoctrinated?

At America's DIE universities. Thank you, UNC, for fighting back.

The action by the UNC Board of Governors may be little more than a Band-Aid on a lacerated artery that can kill the patient, but it's a start.

Thank you, Board of Governors for your efforts to save America!

R.W. Trewyn earned a Ph.D. after surviving Vietnam combat and, more treacherously, survived 53 years postwar slogging academe's once hallowed halls.

Image: Pixabay, Pixabay License.
Samsung is nearing the launch of its 2023 premium mid-range smartphones. The company is expected to unveil the Galaxy A34 5G and Galaxy A54 5G as early as next month. Both handsets have been subject to plenty of leaks over the past few months. Now, as the rumored launch draws closer, they are appearing in official capacities as well. Samsung recently added support pages for them on its website, while we have also seen one or both phones in some certification listings. Most recently, the Galaxy A54 5G was spotted on the Google Play Console.

Galaxy A54 5G appears on the Google Play Console website

Spotted by MySmartPrice, the Google Play Console listing for the Galaxy A54 5G confirms some of its rumored specs. We can see that the device packs a Samsung processor identified as S5E8835. Thats none other than the Exynos 1380 that the Korean firm launched a few days back. The chipset features four ARM Cortex-A78 CPU cores clocked at 2.4GHz and four Cortex-A55 cores clocked at 2.0GHz. It gets a Mali-G68 MP5 GPU operating at a maximum frequency of 950MHz along with an integrated NPU that offers up to 4.9 trillion operations per second (TOPS).

Google Play Console also revealed that the Galaxy A54 5G will come in a 6GB RAM variant. Thats contrary to earlier rumors that Samsung will offer the phone with only 8GB of RAM globally. Maybe its a regional thing, we will have to wait and see. Most markets should get 128GB and 256GB storage options, though. The device will also feature a microSD card slot should you need more storage space. You will be able to externally add up to 1TB of storage capacity to the phone, which is a lot.

This listing confirmed the presence of a Full HD+ resolution (10802340 pixels) display on the Galaxy A54 5G, with a 450DPI pixel density. We are looking at a 6.4-inch Super AMOLED panel here, with support for a 120Hz refresh rate. Last but not least, Google Play Console tells us the phone will boot Android 13 from day one. We expect Samsung to ship the device with One UI 5.1 out of the box. The latest iteration of its custom Android software debuted with the Galaxy S23 series and recently rolled out to other Galaxy models.

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The new Samsung mid-ranger can capture 4K videos

While Google Play Console doesnt give us any other notable information about the Galaxy A5 5G, earlier leaks have revealed that Samsung will equip the phone with a 50MP primary rear camera. It is flanked by a 12MP ultrawide lens and 5MP macro camera on the back, and a 32MP selfie shooter. The handset will boast OIS (Optical Image Stabilization) and can record 4K videos.

Bluetooth 5.2, Wi-Fi 6, NFC, an under-display fingerprint scanner, an IP67 rating, and stereo speakers are part of the package. The whole setup is fueled by a 5,000mAh battery with 25W fast charging support. Stay tuned for the official launch in a few weeks.
The Google Pixel 7a is getting closer to launch. The device seems to have just picked up FCC approval. While the regulatory body didnt explicitly name the phone, its unlikely that we are looking at the Pixel Fold here, let alone the Pixel 8 series. Lets dive deeper into what was revealed.

The FCC recently certified a new Google device identified by model numbers G0DZQ, GHL1X, GWKK3, and G82U8. The documents suggest its the same phone with varying identifiers. Spotted by 9to5Google, the regulatory body explains that FCC ID: A4RG0DZQ (parent model for NFC), FCC ID: A4RGWKK3 (parent model for BT/WLAN) and FCC ID: A4RGHL1X (variant model) use the same identical internal printed circuit board layouts. The fourth identifier (G82U8) refers to a variant model with mmWave 5G capabilities.

While that may not conclusively tell you that the device in question is the Pixel 7a, there are more clues here. The serial numbers of devices used in testing by the FCC typically begin with 28291FQHN or 28251FQHN. If you remember, the upcoming mid-range smartphone from Google was leaked in a hands-on video early last month. It had a similar serial number (2A281FQHN). This strongly suggests that the FCC has certified the Pixel 7a and not the Pixel Fold or Pixel 8. The Pixel 6a was also available with mmWave support through Verizon last year, so thats added proof.

The new Pixel could arrive soon

The FCC documents may have failed to precisely establish that its the Pixel 7a, but the very sighting on the FCC website is an indication that the device is nearing its launch. Whatever it is, the new Google product should go official within the next few months. The company announced the Pixel 6a during its Google I/O developer conference in May last year. The 2023 edition of the annual event should take place around the same time and it should be the best platform for the Pixel 7a to debut as well.

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As for the Pixel Fold, it is still a mystery. Leaks and rumors about it have been coming for well over a year and havent died down a bit yet. Last week, we were told that the device will be heavier than Samsungs Galaxy Z Fold 4. But the product itself appears far from ready for prime time. We may hear something about the foldable from Google at its developer conference in a few months. Until then, we will have to be content with leaks and rumors. Stay tuned for the official dates for Google I/O 2023.
During the Galaxy S23 launch earlier this month, Samsung announced that it is building the next XR experience in collaboration with Google and Qualcomm. The company teased a new XR (Extended Reality) device but didnt share many details. It appears the headset will arrive soon as Galaxy Glasses. Thats based on a recent trademark application from the Korean behemoth. The firm has also applied for a trademark for Galaxy Ring.

Samsung filed these trademark applications with the Korea Intellectual Property Rights Information Service (KIPRIS) last week (via). The documents supplied by the company describe Galaxy Glasses as a headset for virtual reality experience, headset for augmented reality experience, smart glasses, smartphone, and headphone. In other words, its a pair of XR glasses or headset with built-in smartphone and headphone-like capabilities. It may deliver stand-alone XR experiences encompassing virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and everything in between.

At the Galaxy Unpacked event on February 1, Samsung said that its upcoming XR headset will use a specialized Qualcomm processor and run on an optimized version of Android that Google specifically developed for wearable devices. Meta and Microsoft are also reportedly helping the Korean firm in the development of this product. Samsung seemingly taking inputs from all the industry experts to ensure that the Galaxy Glasses dont have the same fate as its previous AR/VR efforts. The company shut down its Gear VR lineup a few years back after failing to gain much traction in the market.

Samsung is also readying a smart Galaxy Ring

Samsungs Galaxy Ring is a smart device for measuring health indicators and/or sleep in the form of a ring. It can also communicate with your smartphone for sharing health information and other data. While the listing on the KIPRIS website didnt reveal anything else, we have heard about the Galaxy Ring in the past as well. The Korean media reported in October last year that Samsung has begun work on its first-gen smart ring. There also have been multiple patents related to a smart ring product.

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Along with serving as a health tracker, the company also reportedly plans to make the ring capable of controlling other connected devices. While details are still scarce, this trademark application and Samsungs description of the product suggest the first-gen Galaxy Ring will be a fairly comprehensive smart ring. The Korean behemoth seemingly doesnt want to release a gimmicky product. It is making something that ticks most of the boxes. We should hear more about this futuristic wearable device in the coming months.
Just in, Samsung Mobile business has been bestowed with an award for their social media performance. This award is from Wisight, Thailands number 1 social media analytics service. The analytics firm gave Samsung this award at their 11th Thailand Social Awards event.

The award honors Samsungs presence on various social media platforms across the country. Samsung Thailand took to its website to post this victory for its fans in and out of the country. Here is everything you need to know about the best brand performance on social media awards presented to Samsung.

Details on the Samsung Mobile business best brand performance on social media award

Samsung Mobile business got the best brand performance on social media award from Wisight in Thailand. This award honors Samsungs presence on various social media platforms. Over 300 other social media performance awards were presented to other individuals and businesses present at this event.

According to Wisight, these awards reflect the voice of the public through a selection system. This system tests the performance of the various nominees on social media platforms in Thailand. How well users of these social media platforms relate with these businesses or creators is a major determining factor. The result from this selection process then goes through some evaluation before the awards get to the awardees.

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The process uses a benchmark known as the WISESIGHT METRIC that measures the growth of the business on social media. According to Wisight, the METRIC system serves as a measurement criterion. This system has three subsystems known as Brand, Content, and Creator METRIC.

The social media accounts of Samsung Mobile business in Thailand went through the Brand METRIC evaluation system. This tested for fundamental factors (followers, reactions, comments, etc) and analytical factors (comment ratio, share ratio, and sentiment). After going through these testing phases, Samsungs social media accounts in Thailand came in line to win this award.

There were various award categories featuring various industries for the award presentation. Samsung, along with Huawei, OPPO, Vivo, and Sony all got awards in the Mobile and Consumer electronics category. This shows the active presence of the Samsung Mobile business on various social media platforms in Thailand.
TikTok has been the most controversial app in the United States in recent years. The ByteDance-owned video-sharing app has made the headlines for its questionable data practices and relationships with the Chinese government. TikTok is repeatedly accused of serving as spyware for the Chinese government and promoting certain ideologies- like Marxism- in the United States.

Concerns around TikTok heated up during Donald Trumps era as US president, and the app even faced the probability of ceasing its operation in the United States. Things didnt get better during Bidens era, and TikTok was confronted with multiple investigations by US agencies. FCC even asked Google and Apple numerous times to remove the app from the stores.

TikTok is still operating in the US and could surpass 3.5 billion downloads globally. The apps spokeswoman has now talked to BBC to clarify the data practices and policies toward certain issues.

Collecting too much data from users

Almost all social media apps collect a huge amount of data from their users, and TikTok is no exception. However, the scope of data collection and how the collected data would be processed and used differs in each company. TikTok spokeswoman claims their data collection is In line with industry practices.

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According to research conducted by Australian researchers at Internet 2.0, TikTok can detect users location, device type, and the other installed apps on the device. While this might seem like excessive data, other researches conducted by Citizen Lab and the Georgia Institute of Technology argue that other social platforms also collect such data.

Allegations of collaborating with the Chinese government

When it comes to handling and protecting data, TikTok has an abysmal record. TikToks spokeswoman says the company has not provided user data to the Chinese government, nor would we if asked. Lets take this claim with a pinch of salt.

A few months ago, the app was accused of sending US users data abroad and allowing China-based employees to access US data. Despite initial denials, TikTok finally confessed to the act and was forced to preserve US users data in Oracle data centers. The company is now discussing building a new data center in Ireland.

Additionally, China local laws force companies like ByteDance to hand over data to the China intelligence service (MSS). The companies are actually required to support, assist and co-operate with MSS.

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Being used as a brain-washing tool

TikToks spokeswoman says, Our Community Guidelines prohibit misinformation that could cause harm to our community or the larger public, which includes engaging in co-ordinated inauthentic behavior.

Social media apps often claim that algorithms determine the content that appears on each users feed. The algorithms also offer such content by monitoring users activities and identifying their interests. While this could be true in most cases, we should remember manual algorithm adjustments. Forbes recently reported that TikTok has a secret heating button that allows specific content to go viral.

Christopher Wray, director of the FBI, told US lawmakers in November 2022, The Chinese government could control the recommendation algorithm, which could be used for influence operations.

TikTok has already come under fire for banning users that talk about the Chinese governments suppression of Uyghur Muslims. Any other content blaming the Chinese government will likely be removed. Promoting gender theory controversies and Woke culture materials in the US are other allegations against TikTok. Many experts even say that TikTok is fostering racial gaps in the US.
Ubisoft is reportedly planning on releasing at minimum, another nine Assassins Creed games, with six said to be currently in development. This would set up the AC franchise for at least the next few years. Details of the upcoming AC plans from Ubisoft come from Insider Gaming, noting that the company is going all in on Assassins Creed, according to one source.

The six games currently in development are also games you might already be aware of. Because Ubisoft has already announced some of them. The first is Assassins Creed Mirage. The publishers next AC game that is said to bring things back to the roots of the franchise. It has an estimated planned release date of sometime in August of this year. As long as there are no delays that get it pushed back beyond that point. This is said to be followed by an Assassins Creed VR game that Ubisoft will announce at E3 and release after Mirage, but in the same year.

The next is Codename Red. Which revolves around the highly requested theme of ninjas in Japan, slated for a rumored release in 2024. Itll have a strong focus on stealth and feature two playable characters. This will be followed by the multiplayer Assassins Creed Invictus title in 2025, and Codename Hexe in 2026. Codename Jade is also currently in development but it isnt mentioned when this might release.

Outside of development, Ubisoft has three more Assassins Creed games in planning

Six more Assassins Creed games is a lot on the plate. Especially with most of them set to release within the next five years. But the publisher reportedly has even more titles in the planning stages. Each title is pitched with a unique spin on the franchise and will feature different gameplay from other titles.

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The first, Project Nebula, is pitched as a game with three different settings that include India, the Aztec Empire, and the Mediterranean. Another title in planning is called Project Raid, and is said to be a PvE-based free-to-play game with 4-player co-op. The third game is called Project Echoes. Pitched as another multiplayer title in the franchise.

Annual release cycles are back

Its not clear how long Ubisoft plans to keep to this development cycle, but it will reportedly be moving back to releasing a new AC game every year. Which makes sense given how many games are already in development. Major entries will also be significantly different from the last to give players a fresh experience with each title.
(ANSA) - ROME, FEB 28 - Hunger striking anarchist leader Alfredo Cospito is mulling an appeal to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) after Italy's top court on Friday rejected his plea to be released from the tough 41 bis prison regime he is being subjected to and which is normally just reserved for mafia bosses, his lawyers said Tuesday.

The Cassation Court on Friday ruled that Cospito, 55, who has been on hunger strike and lost 50 kg in the last four and a half months, could still run anarchist operations from prison if he were returned to normal or even high-security custody.

Cospito, head of the Informal Anarchists Federation (FAI), has vowed to press on "to the end" with his campaign to have the 41 bis lifted for all inmates including mafiosi, while anarchists have pledged a campaign of violence after the Cassation ruling.

Judicial sources said Monday that the justice ministry will be paying the utmost attention to Cospito's state of health.

He recently resumed taking supplements as the Cassation was expected to rule in his favour, but has dropped them again and has also given up sugar.

His doctor said at the weekend he was "gravely malnourished" amid fears for his heart.

On Monday Cospito was transferred back to Milan's Opera prison, to the Integrated Care Service there.

The anarchist had been in the San Paolo hospital in Milan for several days due to his health condition.

Cospito, who was recently moved from Sardinia to the Milan prison where medical facilities are better, is serving 20 years for a bomb attack on a Carabinieri police training academy at Fossano near Cuneo in Piedmont in 2006 and a further 10 years and eight months for kneecapping Ansaldo Nucleare Managing Director Roberto Adinolfi in Genoa in 2012. (ANSA).


(ANSA) - ROME, FEB 28 - Us First Lady Jill Biden made a stopover for pizza in Naples on a flight back home from a trip to Kenya Monday night, sources said Tuesday.

President Joe Biden's wife ordered 10 margheritas and nine pizze alla diavola with salame for herself and staff after landing at Capodichino Airport last night, they said.

Biden phoned the order in as her plane was approaching and Neapolitan pizza chef Enzo Coccia, owner of one of the southern Italian city's best known pizzerias, delivered the pies at half past nine.

The plane, Air Force Two, stayed on the ground just long enough to take the pizzas on board and then flew off towards Washington. (ANSA).


EU publishes Kosovo-Serbia plan after tough talks Next meeting in March to focus on implementation

(ANSA-AFP) - BRUSSELS, FEB 28 - The European Union published its peace plan for Serbia and Kosovo on Monday, ramping up pressure on their leaders to come to a deal after tense talks in Brussels ended without a clear breakthrough. EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said a next meeting with Kosovo's Prime Minister Albin Kurti and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic would take place in March and focus on how to implement the plan. "Progress was made today, and I commend the parties for their engagement," Borrell said -- appearing before reporters alone without the Kosovo and Serbian leaders, and taking no questions. "At the same time, more work is needed to ensure that what was accepted today by the parties will be implemented," he said, promising that EU envoy Miroslav Lajcak would continue "shuttle diplomacy" between Belgrade and Pristina in the coming weeks. Serbia refuses to recognise the unilateral declaration of independence Kosovo made in 2008, and bouts of unrest erupt between local authorities and the Serb minority in the former breakaway province. The latest round of talks followed months of shuttle diplomacy, nearly 25 years after the war between ethnic Albanian insurgents and Serb forces triggered a NATO bombing campaign that ended the fighting. Even before Monday's meeting talks, a senior European diplomat said the parties had already accepted the then-unpublished European plan, and that Monday's meeting was to discuss implementation. However, afterwards Kurti and Vucic blamed each other for the meeting ending in acrimony.



Nevertheless, Borrell's office published the previously secret European peace plan, drawn up in Paris and Berlin but now, he said, backed by all 27 EU members -- which hold the key to both Pristina and Belgrade's hopes to one day join the bloc. The 11-point document notably says, without prejudicing recognition of each other's status, that neither side will resort to violence to resolve a dispute, nor seek to prevent the other from joining the EU or other international bodies -- a key demand from Kosovo. "The parties shall develop normal, good-neighbourly relations with each other on the basis of equal rights. Both parties shall mutually recognise their respective documents and national symbols, including passports, diplomas, licence plates, and customs stamps," according to Article 1.



"Serbia will not object to Kosovo's membership in any international organisation," Article 4 says. The plan, however, also calls on both parties "to ensure an appropriate level of self-management for the Serbian community in Kosovo and ability for service provision in specific areas, including the possibility for financial support by Serbia." Pristina has been reluctant to allow majority Serbian municipalities inside Kosovo to unite in a Belgrade-backed association, fearing the creation of a breakaway enclave that would undermine its sovereignty. The EU is now pushing the idea as part of its plan. (ANSA-AFP).





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TUNISI - The Directorate General for Movies and Audiovisual, part of the Italian Ministry of Culture, published a directorial decree and the complete list of projects that presented their candidacy for the tender to be awarded funds to realize movie projects in co-production between Italy and Tunisia for 2022.



One of the projects awarded the funds is titled "Traces of Italianness" by Habib Mestiri, who will receive 30 thousand euro. The project - explains Mestiri, a well-known Italian-Tunisian movie director and documentary film-maker - is meant to recount the many architectural accounts of Italy in Tunisia, one North Africa's richest countries in terms of architectural heritage, produced by Italian migration work, which is represented not solely by architects and engineers but also, and foremost, by entrepreneurs who, due to their ability and convenience in terms of costs, were often called to cooperate with French architects, decorators and art firms tied to the real estate remit.



With regards to the projects that are mainly Tunisian the CNCI (National Center of Cinema and Images) awarded the funds of 50 thousand dinars to the projects "The path to the bridge" (La route vers le pont) by Adel Bekri and "Dear Mr Tarkovski" by Firas Khouri. The bilateral fund for the creation of movie projects in co-production between Italy and Tunisia supports development and is meant to encourage Italian-Tunisian artistic co-productions for movies and was born out of the agreement, signed on 11 May 2018, between the Director General of Cinema of the Italian Ministry of Culture in Rome and the Director General of the National Center for Cinema and Images in Tunis.
NAPLES - The strong relationship between Madrid and Naples underscores the exhibit titled "The Spanish in Naples- the Southern Renaissance" that will be inaugurated on 13 March at the Museum and Royal Forest of Capodimonte, where it will remain open until 25 June. The exhibit is in partnership with the National Prado Museum, where the first edition was inaugurated, obtaining notable success on 18 October, 2022 and it will bring back to Naples for the first time in 400 years one of Raffaello's paintings, the Madonna with the Fish. The painting became a key reference point for artists active in Naples during the fifteen hundreds, later moved by the Spanish governors to Madrid in the mid sixteen hundreds.



The exhibit is dedicated to one of the richest and lesser known moment of the Neapolitan artistic civilization: the thirty year period (1503-1532 approximately) that witnessed the political annihilation of the Aragon dynasty, with the passage of the Kingdom of Naples under the control of the Spanish Crown.



From a cultural standpoint it marked the apex of its humanistic season, with the passage from Giovan Gioviano Pontano to Iacopo Sannazaro. The artistic novelties elaborated by Leonardo, Michelangelo and Raffaello were reinterpreted and received in an original way in a very culturally dynamic Naples that acted as a bridge for the Renaissance culture between the two sides of the Mediterranean.



The exhibit showcases an ample set of works executed by the most famous Spanish artists active in those years in Naples, such as Pedro Fernandez, Bartolome Ordonez, Diego de Siloe, Pedro Machuca and Alonso Berruguete who are tremendously original in their creations when compared to their counterparts of Italian Renaissance. Spanish artist became the protagonists of an exception artistic season in Naples at the beginning of the fifteen hundreds, which was supported by the funding by the religious orders and the aristocracy to realize magnificent works, often using the durable Carrara marbles. Once they returned to their home country, the Spanish artists became the ambassadors of a particular type of figurative art of the high Renaissance, tied to creativity and extraordinary technical capabilities.



The exhibit is realized in cooperation with the Spanish Embassy in Italy and of the Italian Embassy in Madrid, as well as the Ministry of the Interior with its Fund for Cultural sites (FEC) and the Neapolitan Curia.




ROME- There is an increase in migration flows from the Eastern Mediterranean, with departures starting in Turkey and headed toward the coasts of Calabria, Puglia and Sicily in Italy. This is highlighted in the annual report published by Italian Intelligence presented today to Parliament.



The phenomenon "is supported to great extent by the activism of criminal organizations that act as facilitators of illegal migration, particularly Kurdish and Pakistani ones. They have logistic bases in the main countries of origin and of transit for migrants, and their transnational nature makes activities to contrast them complex, for example where the web and social media are used to publicize trips and related services", the report says.
Albania, Serbia-Kosovo agreement is a milestone for peace Rama, 'must continue to work for rapid implementation'

(ANSAmed) - BRUSSELS, 28 FEB - "Peace and cooperation are key for the future that we owe to our children in this region that has been devastated for centuries by the lack of peace and cooperation. I welcome the consensus of both sides for an agreement on the path toward normalization between Kosovo and Serbia". These are the words of Albanian Premier Edi Rama in a tweet who applauded the results of the meeting held yesterday in Brussels within the framework of a dialogue between Pristina and Belgrade between the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Josep Borrell, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Kosovo's Premier, Albin Kurti.



"This - he added - is an important milestone for regional peace and I urge all involved parties to continue to work for a rapid implementation". "Regarding peace and cooperation, Albania will continue to fully support it and to stand as a model. We fully support all efforts to move beyond the past", he concluded. (ANSAmed).




Homophobic deputy Minister leaves Netanyahu's government Maoz, 'agreements not respected'. But remains in coalition

(ANSAmed) - TEL AVIV, 28 FEB - Avi Maoz, member of the radical right party "Noam" and known for his homophobic and misogynistic positions, left Benjamin Netanyahu's government where for which he was responsible for the "national Jewish identity" in particular for school programs. Maoz made the announcement himself adding however that he will not leave the current majority of 64 members of Parliament that the Premier's coalition relies on. In a letter to Netanyahu, Maoz - who among other things wanted to ban Jerusalem's Gay Pride - announced his resignation as deputy Minister in the Premier's office highlighting that he was "shocked to realize that there is no serious intention of honoring the coalition agreements".



(ANSAmed).




Kosovo and Serbia, after Brussels deal the road is still long Vucic, difficult meeting. Kurti, Belgrade wasn't ready to sign

(ANSAmed) - BRUSSELS, 28 FEB - And yet it moves. After months of tension which escalated due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Brussels European integration engine in the Western Balkans runs again. And it does it by starting from its weakest link, Kosovo, which became independent after the wars of the nineties although it was never recognized as such by Serbia.



Kosovo presented its official request to join the EU last December.



After more than five hours of negotiations, the EU's High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Josep Borrell, announced the support of Serbian President, Aleksandar Vucic, and of the Premier of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, of the Franco-German proposal, undersigned by the EU, to normalize relations between the two countries. "Vucic and Kurti agreed that additional discussions are not necessary" with regards to the text, explained Borrell at the end of the meeting, commending the "responsible approach" shown by the leaders of both countries. The agreement, which for the "Serbs in Kosovo means security, certainty and reliability", however will need to be finalized in March, when discussions on the protocol to implement the agreement- which is an integral part of it - will take place, explained Borrell.



But Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic spoke about a "difficult meeting" in Brussels with Kurti and the European mediators Josep Borrell and Miroslav Lajcak. Speaking at the end of the meeting, Vucic said that he believes other meetings will be necessary in the future to move forward. The first meeting, he added, will take place on 18 March in northern Macedonia on the sidelines of a mission of the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs in the region.



"Today in Brussels we both agreed on the EU's proposal backed by Germany, France, Italy and the United States without any change. I offered to sign officially, but Serbia was not ready.



The negotiations on the implementation of the agreement will follow shortly", wrote Kurti, thanking Borrell and Lajcak.



The agreement's text, which will be published shortly, should include different aspects - starting from respecting the territorial integrity and inviolability of the borders - which constitute a de facto recognition of Kosovo on the part of Serbia. What remains uncertain I the creation of a special regime for the Serbian minority in Kosovo. A point on which authorities in Pristina and Belgrade had already agreed in the Brussels accords of 2013 but that had gone unheeded. Moscow, Belgrade's ally, is creating obstacles through its Ambassador to Serbia, Aleksandar Bocan-Harchenko, warning that "this is not the moment to face the issue of Kosovo", until when, he says, "Russia and the West will not have established a new world order". While the EU and the US intend to bring the Balkans away from Moscow's and Beijing's influence. (ANSAmed).




Foreign diplomats in China refute debt trap hype by Western media

By Chi Jingyi (Global Times) 09:33, February 28, 2023

Photo: Chi Jingyi/GT

Foreign diplomats refuted the "debt trap" hyped by some Western media on Chinese overseas projects, asserting those infrastructure projects have improved local livelihoods, created jobs and promoted local economic development.

Western media hyping the "debt trap" of Chinese projects is "fake news," Moin ul Haque, Ambassador of Pakistan to China, told the Global Times on Monday. "We don't subscribe to such a characterization of China-Pakistan cooperation, which is based on our mutual support and respect and win-win," said Haque.

The interview was conducted during a group visit to China Communications Construction Group (CCCC), one of the major Chinese companies that participates in the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). The group visit gathered 111 diplomats from embassies and international organizations in China.

Haque noted that BRI and China-Pakistan Economic Corridor projects have greatly contributed to changing the economic landscape in Pakistan in infrastructure development and industrialization.

Asked about his opinion on Western reports saying China's projects brought "debt traps" to host countries, Siyabonga C. Cwele, South African Ambassador to China, told the Global Times that "we don't see it that way. We see it as a win-win situation with China, and with mutual respect."

Cwele said that the construction of infrastructure projects has to go through public tendering and transparent procurement process in South Africa, and they have stringent requirements.

"Chinese companies tend to be better in project execution in our view, because they come with their financing, skills and innovation, so they tend to complete their projects on time. What causes debt problems is that projects are not completed on time," said Cwele.

He took two power plants under construction in South Africa as an example - projects that weren't undertaken by Chinese companies. "Those projects had a lot of problems and cost escalations. That's what caused problems, because that's where debt starts."

Speaking about the so-called "debt trap", K. K. Yoganaadan, deputy chief of the mission of the Sri Lankan Embassy in China, said: "actually, this is a term that I don't know who invented. Some interested groups use the term for their own propaganda."

"If you take Sri Lanka's total debts, only 10 percent is owed to China and 90 percent of our debts are owed to other bilateral partners and multilateral agencies," Yoganaadan told the Global Times.

Yoganaadan noted that China is already helping and supporting Sri Lanka in resolving its debt problem, which is appreciated.

"We are very confident and hopeful that these BRI projects will help us improve Sri Lanka's foreign exchange income and attract more foreign investors," said Yoganaadan.

"The 'debt trap' is not a problem caused by Chinese companies. Solving the debt problem is a process that needs to be negotiated by everyone," Chen Zhong, vice general manager of CCCC, told the Global Times on Monday.

China's Foreign Ministry said on Monday that China attaches importance to the debt issue of developing countries and has made positive contributions to easing their debt burdens and promoting sustainable development, in response to the solution of Zambia's debt problem.

Commercial creditors and multilateral financial institutions, which mostly are from the West, account for 70 percent of Zambia's external debt, according to figures disclosed by Zambia's Ministry of Finance.

"They should shoulder their responsibilities and take stronger action to ease Zambia's debt burden," said Mao Ning, a spokesperson of the Foreign Ministry, said on Monday.

Diplomats on Monday also said that, apart from current cooperation with China, mostly under the BRI, there is huge room for further cooperation.

According to Pakistani Ambassador to China Haque, in the coming years, the focus will be on industrialization in export-oriented sectors such as automobiles, engineering, goods, mining, petroleum and agricultural modernization.

"China is now a leading country and we are focusing on cooperation in technology innovation like artificial intelligence," said Haque.

South African Ambassador Cwele said that the country is most concerned about infrastructure and green development.

"Cooperating with Chinese companies in the field of green development is going to be good," he said.

According to Cwele, South Africa accounts for about 40 percent of Africa's industrial output, and it requires modernization and new technologies.

"The key is digitizing our economy. That's where we hope cooperation with China and Chinese companies will bring win-win results for our people," said Cwele.

As for Ali Obaid Al Dhaheri, Ambassador of the United Arab Emirates to China, "areas of science and technology development" will be a direction of future cooperation.

"We pay a lot of attention on advancing ... the digital economy and in China, you are highly developed in this area. Based on this, I have no doubt it will be a great opportunity to cooperate in the area of technology sharing," Dhaheri told the Global Times on Monday.

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)
Replacing jet fuel with biomass would require the UK to give up 50% of its agricultural land to sustain current passenger levels, according to a new report from the Royal Society.

In examining how the aviation industry can reach net zero, the authors said there is no single, clear alternative to kerosene, with biomass requiring huge tracts of land and other options, such as hydrogen, ammonia and synthetic fuels requiring a massive increase in renewable energy production.

The Government is relying on the development of alternative fuels to continue growth in aviation and to allow passengers to enjoy guilt-free travel.

In its Jet Zero Strategy published last year it said it wants five sustainable aviation fuel plants under construction by 2025.

Figures taken pre-pandemic show UK aviation consumes 12.3 million tonnes of jet fuel and produces 8% of the UKs greenhouse gas emissions, with the lack of alternative options making it one of the hardest industries to decarbonise.

Producing enough green hydrogen  which is created by splitting water molecules into oxygen and hydrogen with renewably-generated electricity  would require more than doubling or tripling the UKs renewable capacity.

It would also mean the development of new aircraft and airport infrastructure to store and transport fuel as well as new training and safety regimes.

Professor Graham Hutchings, chair of the reports working group, said: The requirements for an alternative to jet fuel, to kerosene, is energy density, has to be sufficient to sustain short and long haul flights, it must be produced globally at scale, it must be cost-competitive and it must be implementable by 2050.

Using ammonia, which is made using hydrogen, would also require around a tripling of renewable energy capacity and a substantial retrofit of aircraft to accommodate it.

Other forms of fuel which use captured carbon to produce synthetic or electrofuels could be used in existing aircraft engines but would need five to eight times the renewable capacity.

Professor Marcelle McManus of the University of Bath said: With all of these fuels we need to have new supply chains, new resources and at the scale we need, this is not going to come without difficulties.

How and where theyre produced will have significant impacts on their impact and their cost.

Rapeseed has been identified as an energy-providing crop (Jacob King/PA)

She also said that many biofuel sources would not meet the EUs target for sustainable energy sources  called RED II  because of their production emissions.

The Royal Society authors identified rapeseed, fast-growing poplar trees and miscanthus as energy-providing crops, but because of the amount of land needed, they said, there has been a growing interest in using biowaste such as used cooking oil.

They said the UK is highly reliant on importing raw material for biofuel, known as feedstocks, with 423 million litres of used cooking oil imported from China alone in 2021.

Converting waste from the 250 million litres of vegetable oil produced in the UK would produce only 0.3 to 0.6% of the UKs annual jet fuel needs.

A spokesperson from the Department for Transport said: The UKs Sustainable Aviation Fuels programme is one of the most comprehensive in the world.

Our Jet Zero Strategy sets out how we can achieve net zero emissions from UK aviation by 2050, without directly limiting demand for aviation. Sustainable aviation fuels and hydrogen are key elements of this, and we will ensure that there is no impact on food crops.

A spokesperson for Airlines UK, the industrys trade body, added: There is no magic bullet, but by modernising airspace to make flying more efficient, by introducing new zero-emission technology like hydrogen aircraft and by upscaling the use of sustainable aviation fuels this decade, it can be achieved.

Critically, the UK does have sufficient feedstocks for sustainable fuels, which would be drawn initially from household, commercial, agricultural and forestry waste and waste industrial gases  and do not compete with food crops.

Contrails can sometimes form cirrus clouds which can trap infrared radiation in the atmosphere and warm the climate (Tim Ireland/PA)

The report also said that replacing kerosene may not completely stop planes from warming the Earths climate.

Contrails, which are caused by water vapour freezing on soot particles from a planes engine, can sometimes spread into cirrus clouds and then warm the atmosphere by trapping infrared radiation.

It is thought that up to two-thirds of the climate-warming effect from aviation comes from non-CO2 sources like contrails, though there is a wide degree of uncertainty about this.

Cait Hewitt, policy director at Aviation Environment Federation, which campaigns on aviations environmental impacts, said: The elephant in the room here is of, course, the need to fly less.

One area that would really benefit now from some Government-funded research is how to deliver better standards of living, continued connectivity for businesses, and sustainable employment for the aviation workforce without the continued growth of flying.

Tax cuts for domestic tourism and leisure and promotion of alternatives to in-person business flights would be good places to start.

The Climate Change Committee, which advises the Government on how to reach net zero, said in its sixth carbon budget that passenger demand should not rise more than 25% by 2050 from its pre-pandemic levels.

At its current rate, demand is expected to grow by 65% without any further airport expansions, though Bristol Airport was recently granted permission in the High Court to expand and five others have similar plans.
US President Joe Biden has called Rishi Sunaks Brexit deal with the EU an essential step in protecting the Good Friday Agreement.

In a White House statement, the US president praised the efforts of London and Brussels to secure the deal, after Mr Sunak and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen unveiled the Windsor Framework on Monday.

Mr Biden said that the deal was an essential step to ensuring that the hard-earned peace and progress of the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement is preserved and strengthened.

He said: I appreciate the efforts of the leaders and officials on all sides who worked tirelessly to find a way forward that protects Northern Irelands place within the UKs internal market as well as the EUs single market, to the benefit of all communities in Northern Ireland.

I am confident the people and businesses of Northern Ireland will be able to take full advantage of the economic opportunities created by this stability and certainty, and the United States stands ready to support the regions vast economic potential.

Mr Bidens backing is a significant boost for Mr Sunak. The US president has long taken a close interest in the peace process in Northern Ireland and has spoken often about his own Irish heritage.

There are hopes that success in resolving the protocol row could see a visit from Mr Biden as part of events marking the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement.

The Prime Ministers deal removes trade barriers for Northern Ireland and give the UK a veto on EU law, but he is awaiting the approval of the DUP and other unionists.

Northern Ireland can accomplish the extraordinary when its leaders work together in common cause. And I hope  as we all do  that Northern Irelands political institutions are soon back up and running. Those institutions embody the principle of devolved, powersharing, representative government at the core of the Good Friday Agreement, Mr Biden said.

As Northern Ireland prepares to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Agreement in April, let us remember that ending decades of conflict was not easy or inevitable. It required hard work and determination, and an unfailing faith that a better future was possible.

Today, an entire generation of young people has grown up knowing only possibility and growing prosperity  the hard-earned dividend of peace. I am deeply proud of the role the United States has played for decades to help achieve, preserve, and strengthen that peace enshrined in the Agreement.

And I look forward to continuing to work closely with our partners in Northern Ireland, the Governments of the United Kingdom and Ireland, and the European Union, to further that peace and prosperity.

The United Kingdom and the European Union have just reached an agreement on implementing the post-Brexit framework in Northern Ireland. I welcome this important decision, which will preserve the Good Friday Agreement and protect our European internal market.  Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) February 27, 2023

Emmanuel Macron welcomed the deal between the EU and UK on the Northern Ireland Protocol.

The French president tweeted: The United Kingdom and the European Union have just reached an agreement on implementing the post-Brexit framework in Northern Ireland.

I welcome this important decision, which will preserve the Good Friday Agreement and protect our European internal market.
Notorious prisoner Charles Bronson has said he can smell and taste freedom ahead of a public parole hearing next month.

The Parole Board is set to decide whether one of the UKs longest-serving prisoners should remain behind bars on Monday, March 6 and Wednesday, March 8.

Dubbed one of Britains most violent offenders, Bronson, who changed his surname to Salvador in 2014 after the artist Salvador Dali, has been in prison for much of the last 50 years, often spending time in solitary confinement or specialist units.

It is believed he is still being held at high-security HMP Woodhill in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire.

In advance of his parole hearing, Bronson features in a new two-part documentary from Channel 4.

In part one of Bronson: Fit to be free?, which aired on Monday night, he can be seen video calling his son George Bamby from his maximum security cell.

On the prospect of his parole review, Bronson tells his son that he is not the same man he was when he first entered prison.

Ive got a horrible, nasty, vicious, violent past (but) Ive never killed anyone, Ive never harmed a woman, never harmed a child, he said.

Im focused, Im settled, I can actually smell and taste freedom like Ive never, ever done in (my) life. Im now anti-crime, anti-violent.

What the f..k am I still in prison for?

Bronson previously said he was first sent to jail in 1968 and has held 11 hostages in nine different sieges  with victims including governors, doctors, staff and, on one occasion, his own solicitor.

He was sentenced in 2000 to a discretionary life term with a minimum of four years for taking a prison teacher at HMP Hull hostage for 44 hours. Since then the Parole Board has repeatedly refused to direct his release.

Bronson previously said he was first sent to jail in 1968 (Handout/PA)

Bronson continued: The system have labelled me for so many years untameable, untreatable, unpredictable, dangerous, blah, blah, blah. Ive had every label you can think of.

But at the end of the day what people dont realise, since George, my son, has come into my life, Ive changed and George has got me the best legal team in the world Im coming home, Im definitely coming home.

Cards on the table, do I sound like Britains most dangerous man? Come on. Im 68-years-old and all I wanna do is get out there and enjoy my f..g life, whats left of it.

Along with his son, Bronson credits art for helping him find his true self while in prison.

My art now is my life, he said.

When I create a piece of art, I create a piece of myself. Im more proud of my art than I am anything and what Ive basically done Ive swapped (my) sawn-off shotgun for a sawn-off paintbrush. And its lovely, its beautiful.

When I sit there and do a piece of art, it feels like Im part of the human race, I feel lovely and happy. It gets rid of all my frustrations and my tension and my madness. Im an artist and people have got to start believing it and seeing it.
Significant concerns from consultants over Lucy Letbys association with numerous baby collapses were raised eight months before she stopped working on a neonatal unit, a court has been told.

Letby, 33, is accused of murdering seven babies and attempting to murder 10 others at the Countess of Chester Hospital between June 2015 and June 2016.

On Tuesday, consultant Dr Ravi Jayaram told Manchester Crown Court: We had significant concerns from the autumn of 2015. They were on the radar of someone as senior as the executive director of nursing as far back as October 2015.

As clinicians, we put our faith in the system in senior management to escalate concerns and investigate them. The initial response was, Its unlikely that anything is going on. Well see what happens.

We said, OK  against our better judgment in retrospect.

Lucy Letby in the dock at Manchester Crown Court (Elizabeth Cook/PA)

The Crown says Letby murdered two children and attempted to kill six others from November 2015 onwards.

Dr Stephen Brearey, head of the neonatal unit, reviewed the circumstances surrounding the case of Child D shortly after her death in June 2015, the court was told previously.

Dr Jayaram said the review identified Letbys presence at a number of collapses but it was an association, nothing more.

On Tuesday, he said concerns were flagged a second time in February 2016, to the medical director and the director of nursing.

He said: My colleague Dr Brearey requested a meeting with them. They didnt respond to that for another three months and we were stuck because we had concerns and didnt know what to do.

In retrospect, I wished we had bypassed them and gone straight to the police.

We by no means were playing judge and jury at any point but the association was becoming clearer and clearer and we needed to find the right way to do this. We were in an unprecedented situation.

Eventually, we reached a point in June 2016 when we said, Something has got to change, but thats not for me to talk about now.

Ben Myers KC, defending, said the doctors were grown adults who could have gone straight to the police.

Dr Jayaram replied: We were also beginning to get a reasonable amount of pressure from senior management at the hospital not to make a fuss.

In retrospect, we were all grown-ups and we should have stood up and not listened.

Letby, originally from Hereford, denies the allegations.
The husband of Epsom College headteacher Emma Pattison died of a shotgun wound to the head, the opening of his inquest has been told.

George Pattison, 39, is believed to have murdered Mrs Pattison, 45, and their seven-year-old daughter Lettie before killing himself on February 5.

The three were found dead at their home within the grounds of the private boarding school in Surrey after Mrs Pattison made a distressed call to her sister.

Opening the inquest into Mr Pattisons death on Tuesday, coroner Simon Wickens expressed his condolences to Rachel Pattison, the sister of the deceased, who was described as the courts main point of contact.

Epsom College headteacher Emma Pattison, 45, and her seven-year-old daughter Lettie (Family handout/PA)

Mr Wickens said: I would like to offer my deepest sympathies not only to Rachel but to Georges wider family at this difficult time.

Hearings for Mrs Pattison and her daughter will be opened separately on another date.

Mr Pattisons post-mortem examination was carried out by Dr Ashley Fegan-Earl at East Surrey Hospital three days after the shooting, coroners officer Kelly Truss told Surrey Coroners Court.

The cause of death was given as a shotgun wound to the head, she said.

Toxicology and histology reports had been carried out and he was identified by his teeth, the court heard.

Following their deaths, Mrs Pattison and Letties loved ones said: To see the esteem in which Emma is held by all who knew her is an enormous comfort.

She was everything one could hope for in a daughter, sister, mother, wife, friend, teacher and so much more. We are an extremely close family and family was at the centre of Emma and Letties universe.

The Epsom College community had become part of that universe for them both.

Police outside Epsom College following the deaths (PA)

Seven-year-old Lettie was Emmas pride and joy: an adorable, vibrant little girl with a compelling curiosity, a heart-melting smile and an intellect beyond her years.

The two of them were inseparable and we take comfort in that they will remain so.

Emma had a warm, welcoming smile and sparkling, blue eyes, full of optimism. Over the last 11 days weve noticed the sky has been bright blue, with at times a warm glow of pink.

The familys statement also thanked well-wishers for their messages of support.

A firearm legally registered to Mr Pattison was found at the scene, Surrey Police said.

Live ammunition is not kept at the school rifle range, it has been reported.

Mr Wickens fixed a date for a pre-inquest review hearing on June 27.
The final set of stamps to feature the late Queens silhouette has been unveiled by Royal Mail.

Elizabeth IIs image will appear on the set of special stamps to mark the 100th anniversary of steam locomotive the Flying Scotsman.

The commemorative set features 12 stamps depicting the National Railway Museums famous train in various locations across the UK, including crossing the Ribblehead Viaduct in the Yorkshire Dales National Park, and at Londons Victoria Station.

Eight of 12 new stamps to mark the 100th anniversary of steam locomotive Flying Scotsman (Royal Mail/PA)

A further miniature set of four stamps feature images of the Flying Scotsman and London North Eastern Railway poster artwork from the 1920s and 30s, when it first began travelling on British rails.

David Gold, director of external affairs and policy at Royal Mail, said: Flying Scotsman is a national treasure of engineering and design that conjures up the golden age of steam travel.

He said the remarkable locomotive epitomises the romance of rail travel and is loved by people all over the world.

He added: We are honoured to mark this landmark milestone with a set of special stamps.

The Flying Scotsman stamp issue will be the last depicting the late Queen, whose silhouette has been featured on special stamps since 1966.

Four of 12 new stamps to mark the 100th anniversary of steam locomotive Flying Scotsman (Royal Mail/PA)

Stamp illustrator David Gentleman is responsible for the design, adapted from Mary Gillicks original, which has been in constant use on British stamps since 1968.

Future special stamps will feature a silhouette of the King, the Royal Mail said.
Four men suspected of smuggling migrants into the UK in boats from Belgium have been arrested.

Two Albanian nationals, aged 44 and 48, were detained in Nottingham on Tuesday morning, the National Crime Agency (NCA) said.

A 46-year-old Irish man was also arrested in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, as well as a 51-year-old Albanian in Hove, east Sussex.

The men are facing allegations they are part of a gang organising people smuggling from the UK to Europe, including a number of crossings last year.

It is alleged they have been involved in acquiring dinghies and using them to travel to Belgium to collect migrants before landing in Margate, Kent.

The latest operation is linked to two arrests in Belgium in October last year where two men, one from Basingstoke and one from Leicester, were detained on suspicion of people smuggling offences as they arrived on the coast near Nieuwpoort at 4.30am.

Twelve migrants, including a child, all believed to be Albanian nationals, were also taken into custody by the Belgian authorities.

NCA branch commander Colin Williams said: These arrests follow an extensive investigation into individuals who we believe were involved in a number of migrant crossings from Belgium to the Kent coast in 2022.

Tackling people smuggling continues to be a priority for the NCA as we target and disrupt organised crime groups at every step of the route.
The boss of a US investigative journalism website has been given a civil rights award by the Duke and Duchess of Sussexs foundation for her work uncovering racial bias in how technology is used.

Nabiha Syed, CEO of The Markup, received the 2023 Digital Civil Rights Award from the Archewell Foundation and the US National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People (NAACP).

The Markups investigations have uncovered hidden racial bias in mortgage approval and student risk algorithms.

The site has also revealed how telecommunications firms offer poorer, more racially diverse neighbourhoods slower internet speeds for the same price as those in other areas  and how Meta collects financial information through tax filing websites and health information from hospital systems.

Today, the NAACP and The Archewell Foundation announced the 2023 recipient of the Digital Civil Rights Award. "We are honored to award and support @nabihasyed in her mission to make democracy work for all." NAACP President and CEO @DerrickNAACP https://t.co/PAGlFUb5dE  NAACP (@NAACP) February 27, 2023

Harry and Meghan said Ms Syed was an inspiration to them and they are proud to support her work.

They said: When we founded this award with the NAACP, we wanted to highlight and uplift people across the country who are transforming the digital world for the better.

Nabiha Syed is doing just that, harnessing her own expertise to push for safer, more inclusive online communities.

Nabiha and her team are shedding light on some of the most critical issues of our time and in doing so, empowering all of us to reclaim some of our most basic freedoms: truth, safety, and choice.

Shes an inspiration to us and so many others, and were proud to support her incredibly important work.

The royal couple say the award supports a new generation of visionaries who are creating transformational change advancing civil and human rights.

Ms Syed, who is a lawyer as well as a media executive, said: Technology is the architecture of our reality  but unfortunately, that architecture can perpetuate inequality and injustice.

Our job now is to challenge technology to serve us all, not just those who hold power and privilege.

I am humbled and grateful to the NAACP and The Archewell Foundation for their support as we equip the public to demand better.

NAACP president and CEO Derrick Johnson said: We are honoured to award and support Nabiha Syed in her mission to make democracy work for all.

While technology has made everything more accessible and everyone more connected, it has the potential to cause tremendous setbacks for civil rights, as we have witnessed in recent years.

We need to support the greatest minds in tech who are developing equitable platforms and holding corporations accountable, and that is exactly what Nabiha Syed is doing.

We are grateful to The Archewell Foundation and The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who have been tremendous partners in the fight to advance civil and human rights across the tech sector.

Ms Syed, who won a Marshall scholarship to study law at Oxford, is also a media lawyer who advised two US presidents on freedom of expression.

Her portrait hangs at Yale Law School, whose media law clinic she co-founded.

Before she joined The Markup, she was vice president and associate general counsel at BuzzFeed, where she successfully defended against libel litigation which resulted from the publication of the Steele  or Trump-Russia dossier  which alleged the former presidents campaign had colluded with Russia during the 2016 presidential election.

She is the second winner of the award and will be given 100,000 US dollars (83,000) to advance new work, expand leadership and expertise, or continue their impact in the field of digital equity.
A co-founder of the Terrence Higgins Trust who has been made an OBE has said Diana, Princess of Waless support in the 1980s made him feel like the HIV charity was doing the right thing.

The trust, which initially raised funds for research and awareness, was set up after Martyn Butlers friend Terry died from an Aids-related illness in 1982, and was named in his honour.

Mr Butler received his OBE award for services to charity and public health at Windsor Castle on Tuesday.

He told the PA news agency he valued the opportunity to thank the royal family for how they have supported the trust and people living with HIV.

Recalling the difficulty of the work in the 1980s when stigma and homophobia were rife, Mr Butler said: Having an advocate like Diana made me feel as if we werent insane  we were doing the right thing.

He added that Diana had been well known for creeping into hospices to chat with patients in the early hours of the morning.

He said: From Princess Margaret, to Princess Diana, to Prince Harry to Prince William, they have all supported the Terrence Higgins Trust over the past 40 years and we still to this day feel the effect that Diana has in the way that we treat and look after people with HIV.

Martyn Butler with the Princess Royal (Yui Mok/PA)

There were whole periods when the government werent interested but the royal family were there for us.

He said he surprised the Princess Royal by turning the tables and thanking her during the investiture ceremony, and she said something along the lines of, Oh gosh, thank you so much.

He called the award a huge honour and told PA he received it on behalf of all those involved in the Terrence Higgins Trust.

The trusts founders hoped that naming the charity after Terry would personalise and humanise Aids in a public way.

Asked if they had been successful, Mr Butler said: I think I will only ever feel successful when there is no need for the Terrence Higgins Trust.

Diana visiting an Aids hospice in east London (Martin Keene/PA)

One of my biggest ambitions is to be able to close it down and were far from that, unfortunately.

But he hailed medical advances in the treatment of HIV over the last 40 years.

I have seen dying men get out of bed and walk again, Mr Butler said.

He called it a huge difference compared with a time when he buried many of his friends.

Mr Butler told PA he wants to stop all new infections of HIV by the end of the year.
Irish premier Leo Varadkar said it is reasonable for the DUP to be given time to consider the agreement struck between the EU and the UK.

He was responding after Sinn Fein said there is now no justification for the DUP to continue its reckless and damaging boycott of democracy.

Since Northern Irelands elections last May, the DUP has refused to engage with the Stormont Assembly and Executive in protest over the implementation of the Northern Ireland Protocol.

During Leaders Questions, Sinn Fein president Mary Lou McDonald said it appears the vital protections provided by the protocol has been preserved in the Windsor Framework and they have reached a turning point.

Sinn Fein Party leader Mary Lou McDonald (PA)

There is no justification for the DUP to keep the Executive down while workers, families and businesses struggle with an unprecedented cost-of-living crisis and as they suffer from chronic treatment waiting lists, she said.

The onus is now very much on the DUP to join with everyone else in making politics work.

She said Sinn Fein will seek clarifications on certain aspects of the agreement, which the Taoiseach agreed to facilitate on behalf of all parties.

Ms McDonald added: So there is now  Taoiseach, Im sure youll agree  no logic for the DUP to continue its blockade. The negotiations are over, the deed has been struck.

Yes, we need to pore over the fine detail of that. But, Taoiseach, Im sure you will agree that we can do that work with a functioning Assembly and an Executive in place.

There is now no room for further delay (or) prevarication.

The Taoiseach said he has read the DUPs statement issued on Monday night and heard an interview with DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson.

I think hes asked for a little bit of time to consider the agreement, to pore over the text, to ask some questions, he said.

I think that is reasonable and I think we should allow a little bit of time and space for that to happen and for him to consult with his party. I think that is not unreasonable.

Certainly, the European Union and British government are happy for that to happen.

But I do think that we can see that there is strong cross-party support, not just in Northern Ireland but here and also in Britain for this.

I do hope that allows us to proceed and to open a new chapter in relations and in particularly to allow the government to function again in Northern Ireland, which I agree is what the people of Northern Ireland voted for, and they want decisions to be made locally.

Mr Varadkar said the Irish parliament will hear statements from TDs on the Windsor Framework next week.

We just want to give people a bit of time to read and digest all the documentation, so were proposing to set aside government time next week, he told the Dail chamber.

Mr Varadkar said briefings will also be offered to political parties on Tuesday or Wednesday, with foreign affairs minister Micheal Martin to brief the Brexit Stakeholder Forum, which includes political party representatives, industry stakeholders and key Government departments.
Christina Ricci presented an award at the star-studded ceremony last night. (Getty Images)

Christina Ricci turned heads as she attended the 25th Costume Designers Guild Awards in Los Angeles last night.

The actress, 43, wowed in a plunging burgundy gown as she posed on the red carpet ahead of the star-studded ceremony.

Her elegant, long-sleeved dress featured gold bird detailing down the centre, as well as a thigh split created by artfully placed draping.

She finished off her look with a sleek bob hairstyle, a simple gold chain necklace and burgundy platform heels.

The actress turned heads in a plunging burgundy gown. (Getty Images)

Ricci, who arrived at the event alongside her husband Mark Hampton, was there to present an award on stage.

The Netflix series Wednesday that she stars in was also one of the night's winners, with the show's costume designers Colleen Atwood and Mark Sutherland being awarded.

Read more: Christina Ricci reveals how motherhood healed her 'pain' from fame at young age

Other stars in attendance at the Fairmont Century Plaza included fellow actresses Cate Blanchett and Angela Bassett.

Last November Ricci  who played Wednesday Addams in the iconic 1992 film The Addams Family  revealed to The Sunday Times' Style magazine that becoming a mother healed her "upset" and "pain" at childhood fame.

She also discussed her love of fashion, enthusing, "It's an art form for me, I love seeing the collections."

Ricci explained that she had "learnt to be a little bit more intelligent about my investments," adding, "I don't buy a ton of fashion. There are certain things that I have collected, certain bags." She admitted that she had "quite a Chanel-handbag collection for a while, but I sold a lot of things."

She posed on the red carpet with her husband Mark Hampton. (Getty Images)

Read more: Pregnant Jessie J shows off baby bump in shimmering see-through outfit

Motherhood proved a delight to Ricci, who gave birth to a son Freddie in 2014 with her now-ex-husband James Heerdegen, who she split with in 2020.

In 2021, Ricci married her second husband Hampton, a Welsh hairdresser, after the couple met on a shoot.

Then, in December of that year, she gave birth to their daughter Cleopatra at the age of 41.

Watch: Christina Ricci claims young son will find it impossible to avoid growing up a feminist
The Government has decided against developing a scheme that could have allowed the parents of teenagers who lack mental capacity to access small payments from child trust funds without going through certain legal processes.

Concerns have particularly focused around parents wanting to access matured child trust fund (CTF) accounts belonging to young adults who lack mental capacity.

The Government explored whether there was a case for an alternative process for authorising the release of small payments from a range of cash-based accounts to suitable recipients, and, if so, what such a process could look like.

A previous Ministry of Justice consultation on small payments considered this proposal. Under the proposals, payments up to a total sum of 2,500 may have been allowed.

The Government said that, through the consultation responses, it became clear that the lack of access to small payments has arisen due to issues with operational requirements in the current court application process and a lack of awareness of the Mental Capacity Act.

The Government added: The Ministry of Justice will focus on addressing the key barriers to accessing payments, and not seek to develop a small payments scheme.

It said that focusing on the application process to make it easier to complete and raising awareness of the Mental Capacity Act will address the root cause of the problem.

The Ministry of Justice will now embark on a programme of awareness raising and will engage with other Government departments, financial service providers and charities so that people are aware of the need to obtain legal authority for adults lacking capacity, and in the case of 16 to 17-year-olds who lack capacity, to do so in good time before they reach 18.

Sarah Coles, head of personal finance at Hargreaves Lansdown, said: This will be frustrating for the parents of teenagers who are locked out of their child trust funds.

She added: If youre in this position, its worth checking with the organisation that holds the assets.

At the moment financial institutions can make their own decisions to release small sums where there is an urgent need, so there may be a simpler approach on offer after all.

The consultation found that a small payments scheme could introduce serious safeguarding concerns and risk the finances of vulnerable people while failing to address underlying issues with the existing processes. It would also take a significant amount of time to implement, including changing primary legislation, limiting how quickly families could be supported.

Justice Minister Mike Freer said: I understand how frustrating parents have found trying to access these savings accounts while looking after children with disabilities and severe learning difficulties.

Our consultation has exposed, however, that a new scheme would be just as complex to set up and navigate and may put the finances of those we all want to protect at greater risk.

Instead, simplifying the current system is already ensuring that families can access the money they have saved quicker while maintaining the vital safeguards that prevent abuse and fraud.
Schools in north of England shut doors to pupils as teachers strike over pay

School pupils faced disruption to their lessons on Tuesday as teachers in the north of England staged strikes in the long-running dispute over pay.

Schools were forced to restrict access to some students while others closed fully during the latest walkouts by the National Education Union (NEU).

Years of underfunded pay increases have pushed the profession to its limits, NEU leaders warned as they called for proper negotiations with ministers.

The NEU has estimated that around 200,000 members will go on strike across three days of action this week, with the majority of schools expected to either restrict access to certain year groups or fully close.

Teacher members of the NEU are set to walk out in the Midlands and eastern regions in England on Wednesday, and further strikes will take place across Wales and the south of England on Thursday.

Picket lines were mounted outside schools in regions including the North West and Yorkshire and the Humber on Tuesday, and rallies took place in Manchester, Leeds and Newcastle.

Some parents will have been forced to take leave from work, or arrange alternative childcare, as a result of the regional walkouts.

Last week, Education Secretary Gillian Keegan invited the teaching unions to formal talks on pay, conditions and reform on the condition that NEU strikes were suspended.

Ms Keegan said the unions decision not to suspend the strikes was hugely disappointing as she added that children deserve to be in school and further walkouts were simply unforgivable.

But the NEU has called on Ms Keegan to drop her unnecessary pre-conditions and get around the negotiating table to avert further national walkouts from taking place in England and Wales on March 15 and March 16.

UK strikes in February & March. See story INDUSTRY Strikes. Infographic PA Graphics. An editable version of this graphic is available if required. Please contact graphics@pamediagroup.com.

Mary Bousted and Kevin Courtney, joint general secretaries of the NEU, said: Our members have sent another strong message to government that burying its head in the sand is a tactic that will not work.

It is with great regret that we are having to take strike action at all. However, years of underfunded pay increases have pushed the profession to its limits.

Gillian Keegan needs to start proper negotiations with all education unions. Playing politics and offering nothing upon which to base talks, is not a serious approach to this dispute.

They added: We reiterate once again that we are willing to enter negotiations at any time. Teachers want to be in the classroom not the picket line.

The Education Secretary needs to withdraw her unnecessary pre-conditions and get around the negotiating table.

On February 1  the first day of walkouts by NEU members  the majority of state schools in England were forced to shut their doors to some pupils.

Department for Education data suggested that 44.7% of schools in England were open but with restricted attendance on February 1 and 9.3% were closed.

Speaking on Tuesday, Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), said: School leaders have been managing todays strike action as best they can.

Their focus has been on provision for students, in many cases via a mixture of onsite and remote education according to what staffing levels have made feasible, whilst maintaining good relationships with all staff.

The impact of this weeks strikes will likely be similar to that of the national strike on February 1, when the majority of schools were partially open but there was still significant disruption.

He added: There is an overwhelming sense of frustration among school leaders that so little progress has been made in the last month in terms of resolving the industrial dispute.

The lack of urgency from the Westminster Government compared to the administration in Wales is notable and dispiriting.

Its time to dial down the rhetoric and engage in serious negotiations.

Members of the GMB union on the picket line outside the Amazon fulfilment centre in Coventry as Amazon workers take strike action in a dispute over pay. Picture date: Tuesday February 28, 2023.

In a statement on Monday evening, Ms Keegan said: As a government, we have made a serious offer to the leaders of the National Education Union and Royal College of Nursing: pause this weeks strikes, get round the table and talk about pay and conditions and reforms.

It is hugely disappointing the NEU has refused this serious offer and has not joined the Royal College of Nurses in calling off strikes. Instead of being sat round a table discussing serious offers over pay, strike action will once again cause disruption for children and families.

Children deserve to be in school, and further strike action is simply unforgivable, especially after everything children have been through because of the pandemic.

Many schools across Scotland shut on Tuesday as members of the Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS) and NASUWT unions began two days of national strike action over their long-running pay dispute.

Last week, the majority of teachers and school leaders in Northern Ireland took part in a 12-hour strike in a dispute over pay.

Amazon workers at one of the companys warehouses in Coventry went on strike on Tuesday as the wave of industrial action continues to sweep the UK.

A further day of action is set for Thursday, and for one week between March 13 and 17.

The GMB said more than 350 staff at the centre were expected to take action in the pay dispute.
The nightingale population at a Suffolk site considered to be one of Britains most important archaeological discoveries could be boosted by an ancient system of woodland management, conservationists hope.

Sutton Hoo is thought to be the final resting place of King Raedwald, who ruled in the seventh century.

Its nightingale population was referenced in Netflix film The Dig, about the 1939 excavation of an Anglo-Saxon burial ship.

In the film, the fictional character Rory Lomax tells archaeologist Peggy Piggott how nightingale song reminds him of the woods at Sutton Hoo.

A nightingale in the woods at Sutton Hoo (National Trust Images/Jonathan Plews/PA)

The National Trust, which looks after Sutton Hoo, plans to reintroduce the woodland management technique of coppicing to the site.

It will be the first time the technique has been used there since the majority of the original woodland was felled after the Great Storm in 1987, the conservation charity said.

Coppicing, which dates back to the Stone Age, involves the cutting of trees close to the ground on a regular cycle, encouraging fast new growth.

The process would allow more light into the woodland floor, which in turn would boost flowers and bramble, which is the perfect nesting habitat for nightingales, said Jonathan Plews, National Trust ranger at Sutton Hoo.

Currently, there are a small number of nightingales on the estate, limited to one area of woodland, he said.

Last year we recorded four singing males at Sutton Hoo and the hope is we can attract many more in the future through this form of woodland management technique.

The songbirds have seen a population decline of 90% in the last 50 years and are now listed among the UKs most threatened birds, featuring on the UK red list of conservation, the National Trust said.

Mr Plews said rangers this year are working in an area of woodland where the dense tree canopy means there is very little ground flora.

Coppicing works taking place at Sutton Hoo (National Trust Images/Darren Olley/PA)

As we begin coppicing, we would expect to see flowers such as bluebells, wood anemone and foxglove grow, along with bramble, which is the perfect nesting habitat for nightingales, he said.

It will take a few years for the bramble to establish, but in approximately four years we hope to see more nightingales moving in, as well as other protected and at-risk birds such as spotted flycatcher, wood lark and nightjar.

The coppicing will be carried out by a team of staff and volunteers using chainsaws and a mini tractor to limit disturbance to the woodland floor when extracting the timber.

This will protect the archaeological features in the woodland, which include a Roman quarry and Second World War anti-air platform.

Wood felled as part of the coppicing work will be used to build fences, gateways, benches and sculptures across the estate, as well as to build bird boxes to further support the endangered species.
Measures which could see households face a 20% hike in energy bills from April are being kept under review, Downing Street said.

Costs are set to see an increase when the energy price guarantee (EPG), the taxpayer-funded cap on bills, rises from 2,500 a year for the typical property to 3,000 in April.

Energy Secretary Grant Shapps said he was very sympathetic to calls to protect households from the increase while PM Rishi Sunak promised were going to keep on supporting people.

The Governments EPG becomes less generous from the beginning of April and when the upcoming end of the 400 energy rebate scheme  paid in six instalments of 66 and 67 a month  is factored in, the energy cost for households will increase even more.

Energy Secretary Grant Shapps (James Manning/PA)

But with energy prices falling faster than had been feared, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt is under pressure to maintain the EPG at its current rate when he delivers his Budget on March 15 as the cost to the taxpayer would be lower than forecast.

Mr Shapps told The Times: I completely recognise the argument over keeping that price guarantee in place, and the Chancellor and I are working very hard on it. Im very sympathetic to making sure that we protect (people).

Were looking at this very, very carefully,

On a visit to Northern Ireland, Mr Sunak was questioned about the support on offer.

The Government is still continuing to cap energy bills, he said.

Thats what the energy price guarantee is, it means that whatever happens, the Government is going to step in and cap the maximum that anyone will pay. So that is a really big statement of support to everybody.

And on top of that weve got extra support for the most vulnerable because its right that we always have them in our mind as well.

He said that in the long term there would be more renewable generation to bring bills down and increase energy security but were not going to let anyone get left behind between now and then.

Asked about Mr Shapps comments on the EPG, the Prime Ministers official spokesman said: All I would say on this is its something we are just keeping under review. I dont think theres a specific time we are working to.

The level of the announced Ofgem tariff cap is 15% lower than expected by the OBR at the time of the Autumn Statement. The cost of the Energy Price Guarantee for 2023/24 is now forecast to be around 2bn, compared with the November prediction of nearly 13bn. (2/4) pic.twitter.com/hGfivL7Ru1  Institute for Fiscal Studies (@TheIFS) February 27, 2023

He added: All I would emphasise is the amount of support we have already put in to support the public and businesses, paying around half of a typical households energy bill.

By the end of June the energy price guarantee will have saved the typical household in Great Britain around 1,000 since it began.

The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) economic think tank said the cost of the EPG had been reduced as a result of falling energy prices.

Over the financial year so far, central government has spent an estimated 6.8 billion less on subsidies (the bulk of which relate to energy subsidies for households and businesses) than forecast in November, and this number is likely to grow during the remainder of the lifetime of the energy support schemes, the IFS said.

Under the latest expectations for energy prices, we expect the household element of the energy price guarantee to cost 1.9 billion in 202324 (a saving of 10.9 billion compared with the November forecast).

Under current projections, energy prices are forecast to drop below the level of the EPG cap from July 2023, eliminating spending on the scheme.
Rishi Sunak said he was confident that Northern Irelands parties would back his Brexit deal as pressure mounted on the Democratic Unionist Party to return to powersharing.

The Prime Minister insisted that his new Brexit deal for Northern Ireland addressed the concerns of unionists despite the small and limited role for European Union law and its court.

Mr Sunak spoke to leaders of some of Stormonts political parties, who urged the DUP to end its boycott.

The Prime Minister said he believed hand on heart that the Windsor Framework addressed the concerns expressed about the current post-Brexit trading arrangements which led to the DUP walking away from Stormont.

The framework removes the Northern Ireland Protocols barriers on trade across the Irish Sea and hands a veto to politicians in Stormont on EU law  a set of concessions from Brussels that went further than some expected.

But it still includes a role for the European Court of Justice, with the DUP and Tory backbenchers set to study the details of the complex set of arrangements in the coming days.

Any resistance to the deal from the DUP will not result in changes to the framework, as reopening an agreement which had taken months to negotiate is not viewed as a workable solution.

With opposition parties in the Commons offering support, there is little chance of it failing to receive support in Parliament when put to a vote, as has been promised, so the DUP will not be effectively handed a veto over the process.

Mr Sunak, on a visit to Northern Ireland to sell the benefits of the deal, said: People need the time to engage with it, understand it, ask the questions.

Were going to give them that and answer the questions in the meantime, but Im confident they will come to see this for what it is, which is I think a historic achievement that gets the balance right for Northern Ireland.

But, he added, weve not been shy about saying I think the people of Northern Ireland need and deserve their government.

That view was echoed by the political leaders Mr Sunak spoke to during his visit.

Mr Sunak met Naomi Long, leader of the cross-community Alliance Party, and Ulster Unionist leader Doug Beattie in Co Antrim.

The DUP and SDLP leaders are currently in London and Sinn Fein Stormont leader Michelle ONeill said she had spoken to Mr Sunak on the phone.

The priority must now be getting Stormont up and moving without delay, Ms ONeill said.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak holds a Q&A session with local business leaders during a visit to Coca-Cola HBC in Lisburn (Liam McBurney/PA)

Mrs Long said we need to get a decision from the DUP and we need to get back to our day jobs while Mr Beattie said you could have an executive now, and at the same time we could be looking at this framework.

DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson told the BBC: Were reasonable people but we want to ensure that what the Prime Minister has said is matched by what is actually in the agreement itself.

On a visit to Lisburns Coca-Cola factory, Mr Sunak said the deal would create the worlds most exciting economic zone with access to EU and UK markets.

Critics were swift to point out that the entire UK had full access to the EUs single market before Brexit.

DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson is considering how his party will respond to the deal (Jordan Pettitt/PA)

Mr Sunak told BBC Radio 4s Today that the limited role of EU law was for single market measures aimed at avoiding the need for a hard border with Ireland.

The Stormont brake means that if theres a new law thats going to significantly impact peoples lives coming from the EU, they will be able to block it  but only if the powersharing institutions are revived.

Mr Sunak also said that border posts for checks on goods crossing the Irish Sea were mainly aimed at consignments destined for Ireland and the EU  the so-called red lane.

The border posts are there very specifically for the red lane. Because as part of having a green lane, where goods flow freely within our UK internal market, if goods are actually going to the Republic of Ireland, ie going into the EU, well, thats not our country and its entirely reasonable, that we have checks for those types of goods.

Former prime minister Boris Johnson has yet to give his opinion on the deal (Andrew Boyers/PA)

And we also check when we suspect criminality or smuggling. And thats something that the Governments always said that it would do and has been long-standing practice, actually.

In the green channel, for goods remaining in the UK, there wont be routine checks but there will be checks where we suspect criminality or smuggling.

As well as his trip to Northern Ireland, Mr Sunak will continue efforts to win over Tory Eurosceptics and his predecessor Boris Johnson, who is yet to give a verdict on the new deal which replaces the Northern Ireland Protocol he signed.

Mr Sunak indicated he had discussed the deal with Mr Johnson  of course I speak to the former prime minister  and is expected to address Tory MPs at a private meeting in Westminster later.
A transgender rapist who raped two women while still a man has been jailed for eight years.

Isla Bryson, from Clydebank, was sentenced to eight years in prison at the High Court in Edinburgh, with a further three years on licence.

The 31-year-old was convicted last month of raping two women  one in Clydebank in 2016 and one in Drumchapel, Glasgow, in 2019  while a man known as Adam Graham.

During sentencing on Tuesday, judge Lord Scott noted Bryson continues to vehemently deny the offences, claiming the victims colluded to press charges.

The court heard the rapist, who appeared in court wearing a blond wig and dressed in black leggings and a fluorescent pink jacket, is still pursuing full gender reassignment and is currently on the maximum recommended doses of hormone prescription from the Sandyford clinic.

Defence advocate Edward Targowski KC said this, coupled with troubled early years, makes his client vulnerable.

He told the court Brysons move to transition following both rapes was not an afterthought cynically designed to reduce the punishment, contrary to what he described as ill-informed and ill-judged comments made outside of the court.

However, Lord Scott said the seriousness of the crimes far outweigh Brysons mitigatory circumstances.

He acknowledged Bryson is considered vulnerable in some ways due to adverse childhood experiences, but said: You see yourself as the victim in this situation. You are not.

Your vulnerability is no excuse at all for what you did to these two women.

You raped two women who can both be regarded as vulnerable.

Prosecutors said Bryson, from Clydebank, met both the victims online and preyed on vulnerable women.

The case sparked uproar after the convicted rapist was initially housed in an all-female prison before being moved to the male estate.

Isla Bryson committed the rapes while known as Adam Graham (Police Scotland/PA)

Scottish Justice Secretary Keith Brown ordered an urgent review of the case and the Scottish Prison Service took the decision to halt the movement of all transgender prisoners with a history of violence against women into the female estate.

Bryson first appeared in court as Adam Graham in 2019 and was later named in court papers the following year  around the time of the decision to transition  as Isla Annie Bryson, formerly known as Adam Graham.

During the trial, the High Court in Glasgow heard Bryson was going through the breakdown of a brief, unhappy marriage and went to stay with the first victim at her mothers house in Clydebank in 2016.

Giving evidence on pre-recorded video, the victim, 30, said she was raped for half-an-hour.

All I said was no over and over and over again, she said.

At the time I was so scared. Sick to the stomach. I just didnt know what was going on.

Isla Bryson sits in the back of a prison van after being sentenced to eight years behind bars (Andrew Milligan/PA)

The second victim, who gave evidence via live video-link, told the court Bryson continued to have sex with her after she said stop.

The court heard Bryson entered the victim with her penis, and was told to stop because Bryson was crushing the victim.

The victim told the court: I said to stop but he (Bryson) just kept on going, and thats when I just closed my eyes and I am doing what he wanted to do.

Giving evidence during the trial, Bryson claimed both women consented to having sex.

On Tuesday, Lord Scott said Bryson was, in fact, preying on these two women because of their vulnerability and raped them in their own homes where they were entitled to feel safe.

Addressing Bryson, he added: You are not at the stage of accepting what you did or acknowledging the serious harm you inflicted on two women.

He said the rapist was a high risk of reoffending, adding: There will need to be a high level of supervision.

Conservative Russell Findlay said Bryson could be back on the streets in four years (PA)

As well as the sentence, which was backdated to January 24, and extended supervision, Bryson has also been placed on the sex offenders register indefinitely.

Bryson told during the trial of identifying as transgender at the age of four but not making the decision to transition until age 29.

Following Brysons sentencing, Scottish Conservative shadow community safety minister Russell Findlay said: In reality, an eight-year prison sentence means this double rapist could be back on the streets in as little as four years, which will likely be of little comfort to victims.

Theyve already suffered from the perverse decision to address this rapist as she and by Nicola Sturgeon and her Justice Secretary refusing to say what everyone in Scotland can see with their own eyes  that Bryson is a man.

Even following Nicola Sturgeons sudden resignation, the SNP Government continues to attempt to dupe the public by saying this case has nothing to do with its gender self-ID Bill.

But if this SNP law is enacted, it will be wide open to exploitation by giving the legal right to sex offenders to declare they are female, no matter the risks to women and girls.

Going forward, the prison service must publish its delayed new policy on transgender prisoners, allowing for full scrutiny, feedback and, if necessary, amendment.

SNP leadership candidate Humza Yousaf was asked about Brysons case as he spoke to journalists on Tuesday.

He said: Isla Bryson is deceptive, manipulative, trying to get advantage of the system.

I hope theyre incarcerated and will be incarcerated in a male prison.

Asked about the policy of gender self-identification, he said: I dont think we should be rolling back on trans rights because of one despicable individual.
A transgender rapist who raped two women while still a man is due to be sentenced on Tuesday.

Isla Bryson, 31, was convicted last month of raping two women: one in Clydebank in 2016; and one in Drumchapel, Glasgow, in 2019; committing the offences while still a man known as Adam Graham.

Bryson met both the victims online, with prosecutors saying the 31-year-old preyed on vulnerable women.

After the jury at the High Court in Glasgow delivered its guilty verdict, judge Lord Scott told Bryson the crimes were considerable and said that a significant sentence is inevitable.

Bryson is due to be sentenced at the High Court in Edinburgh (Andrew Milligan/PA)

The case sparked an uproar after Bryson was initially housed in an all-female prison before being moved to the male estate following the outcry.

Scotlands Justice Secretary Keith Brown ordered an urgent review of the case and the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) took the decision to halt the movement of all transgender prisoners with a history of violence against women into the female estate.

Bryson is due to be sentenced at the High Court in Edinburgh on Tuesday.

The 31-year-old first appeared in court as Adam Graham in 2019 and was later named in court papers the following year  around the time of the decision to transition  as Isla Annie Bryson, formerly known as Adam Graham.

During the trial, the court heard that Bryson was going through the breakdown of a brief, unhappy, marriage and went to stay with the first victim at the victims mothers house in Clydebank in 2016.

Isla Bryson was previously known as Adam Graham (Police Scotland/PA)

Giving evidence on pre-recorded video, the victim, 30, said she was raped for half an hour.

All I said was no over and over and over again, she said.

At the time I was so scared. Sick to the stomach. I just didnt know what was going on.

The second victim, who gave evidence via live video-link, told the court Bryson continued to have sex with her after she said stop.

The court heard Bryson entered the victim with her penis, and was told to stop because Bryson was crushing the victim.

The victims police statement said Bryson instead told her to stay there because he (Bryson) wasnt finished.

The victim told the court: I said to stop but he (Bryson) just kept on going, and thats when I just closed my eyes and I am doing what he wanted to do.

Giving evidence during the trial, Bryson claimed both women consented to having sex.

Bryson spoke of identifying as transgender at the age of four but not making the decision to transition until the age of 29.

The court heard that Bryson is currently taking hormones and seeking surgery to complete gender reassignment.
An 81-year-old woman has been made an MBE after working as a secretary at a US Air Force base in England for over 63 years.

Faith Rutterford still works at RAF Mildenhall  a base in Suffolk that supports US military operations.

She started there in April 1959.

Throughout the six decades of her employment, Ms Rutterford has worked as secretary to the commander of the 100th Civil Engineer Squadron.

US President Joe Biden addressing US military personnel at RAF Mildenhall (Joe Giddens/PA)

She received her honour at Windsor Castle on Tuesday for public service.

She told the PA news agency: I still put my time in.

Asked why she continues to work, Ms Rutterford said: I love it and the people, they have kept me going.

She told PA that a lot has changed at RAF Mildenhall over the past six decades.

She said staff were informed that the base would be shut down within the last three years but it remains open.

Ms Rutterford, who lives three miles away in Barton Mills, said it would take a lot of the trade away from the area if the base was to close, adding that it plays an important part in the local community.

Though she said she felt excited after receiving the award, the 81-year-old added that she was humbled by the honour.

I dont deserve anything, she went on. I havent done anything more than anyone else.

US President Joe Biden has visited RAF Mildenhall more than once in the last two years, stopping there to refuel his Air Force One jet in March last year and delivering a speech to American service personnel and their families there in June 2021.
A smoke shop in Bristol was cited for allegedly selling products that contained illegal THC to minors, police said.

Investigators looking into Lite It Up Smoke Shop at 350 Lake Ave. found that the store was selling dozens of products that contained THC but were labeled as legal Delta-8 products, according to the Bristol Police Department.

The products were seized by investigators and an employee was issued an infraction for selling the products to minors, police said.

The shop was investigated by Bristol police, the Department of Revenue Services, the Department of Consumer Protection and the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services. An investigation is ongoing, police said.
Hours before Rishi Sunak and Ursula von der Leyen met on Monday, UK and EU officials were still making last-minute checks and adjustments to the final deal.

There was no single eureka moment as the two sides spent many late nights and long hours trying to find a deal, often fuelled by underwhelming egg sandwiches in Brussels. Instead, it was a long, hard slog towards a final arrangement that intensified after Mr Sunak entered Downing Street.

A more constructive tone since Prime Ministers arrival in No 10 has been pointed to as one of the reasons behind the breakthrough, as publicly, Mr Sunak and his top Cabinet ministers sought to reset relations with the EU after the more turbulent tenures of Boris Johnson and Liz Truss.

But the negotiations to get to the Windsor Framework did not start from scratch. The proposal for a green lane, with significantly fewer checks, and a red lane for anything that could cross the border and enter the EUs single market, had been around in a UK policy paper last summer.

Downing Street said that under the triumvirate of Mr Sunak, Foreign Secretary James Cleverly and Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris, talks had moved towards a more intensive stage.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak holds a Q&A session with local business leaders in Northern Ireland, after securing his deal (Liam McBurney/PA)

There have been ad hoc talks at specific points under different prime ministers, the Prime Ministers spokesman said.

Certainly under this Prime Minister we were moving to a more intensive phase of negotiations  that took place under this Prime Minister.

It was the idea of a Stormont brake, a proposal that caught many observers by surprise when it was unveiled on Monday, that appeared to play a crucial role in ensuring talks reached a successful conclusion.

A UK proposal, it is not clear when it was first emerged as a serious part of the negotiations. But it ended up playing a key part for negotiators in ensuring that unionist concerns about a democratic deficit under the original deal were addressed.

(PA Graphics)

Some elements like the green lane had been under discussion for some time, some such as the brake were new elements, a Downing Street official said.

But even amid the positive mood music, talks were tricky and continued until nearly the final moment as teams sweated over pages and pages of legal text.

British officials worked in small teams, aided in some instances by experts from across Whitehall, as hopes grew that some kind of deal could be brokered.

Conditions were not always ideal, with negotiators struggling with the overabundance of egg in Brussels sandwiches and the lack of any convenient Pret a Manger.

A source close to the negotiations said: These things are gradual discussions that continue into the small hours in windowless buildings, with dubious sandwiches with needless amounts of egg involved.

A view of EU flags outside The Berlaymont building, the Headquarters of the European Commission in Brussels (Aaron Chown/PA)

There had been speculation, denied by Downing Street, that Mr Sunak had been quietly sitting on a deal for the last few weeks as he attempted to win over the Democratic Unionists and Tory backbenchers before unveiling it publicly.

But on the day the deal was unveiled in Windsor, negotiators went to bed between 2am and 3am as work went down to the wire.

On the day the deal was done some of us went to bed at two or three AM. People who have been saying this deal was done two weeks ago should speak to our spouses. Its not been sitting there finished, the source said.

Mr Sunak and European Commission President Ms von der Leyen went through the details of the deal when the pair met, although the final elements resolved by negotiators were understood to be largely technical.

Now it will be up to the DUP to decide whether the deal does enough to bring to an end the saga over protocol.
In a long-awaited announcement, the Commerce Department outlined Tuesday what semiconductor companies will need to hand over to get their share of the billions in government money that will come their way soon.

Bottom line: no blank check.

We'll run them through the paces and then we'll make our decisions, Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo told Yahoo Finance Live in an interview. She said the application will be intentionally complicated and that's a part of her mission to make sure taxpayer funds are protected.

It's a very detailed, extensive, comprehensive application, she added in comments to reporters Monday, promising we're gonna make companies open their books.

What lies ahead for companies like Intel (INTC), Micron (MU) and others is a five-part process in which the firms will be asked to make a series of promises. Pledges include a pause on any expansion plans in countries like China, detailed plans for how theyll recruit workers, and a vow that the money wont go to stock buybacks.

At stake is a Biden administration promise to reverse a sharp downward decline for the semiconductor industry in the U.S. over recent decades. American semiconductor manufacturing has fallen from nearly 40% of world production in 1990 to only 12% in recent years, according to the Semiconductor Industry Association. The situation is even worse for the worlds most advanced semiconductors, 100% of which were manufactured overseas in 2019.

This is fundamentally a national security initiative

Tuesdays announcement is the latest phase in Raimondos oversight of $50 billion in government funds going to companies to spur both semiconductor manufacturing and research in the years ahead. The money was approved in 2022 when President Biden signed the CHIPs and Science Act into law as a centerpiece of his economic agenda and focus on bringing back manufacturing to the U.S.

President Biden signs the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022 into law on August 9. (REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein)

The application released this week is for $39 billion in the law that is earmarked for semiconductor manufacturing. Another application will be coming later this year and will begin to give out an additional $11 billion for chip research and design. The law also includes an investment tax credit of up to 25% towards a manufacturers capital expenditures.

In the coming months, Raimondo and her team will also select sites for the centerpiece of the Biden teams CHIPS vision: at least two new semiconductor manufacturing and research hubs built around producing the most advanced chips in the world.

The reality is there are only a few companies in the world that can do leading-edge chip manufacturing, Raimondo said in this weeks interview.

Companies like Intel and Micron  as well as IBM (IBM), Samsung (SSNLF), and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC)  have been engaged in intensive jockeying for months around the law with some already announcing U.S. expansion plans (and scoring presidential visits) to try and position themselves at the front of the line for the windfall.

What Raimondo has repeatedly pledged in recent days is that no company is a shoo-in. She said that a proposal from a company will get funded only if it has a strong national security angle, is impossible to achieve without government assistance, and would be a good deal for taxpayers.

But she noted that a facility that's already been announced would be eligible for these incentives, and I expect that some companies that have already announced projects will receive incentives. But at the end of the day, she added, the primary lens through which she will view applications is national security.

President Joe Biden attended the groundbreaking of the new Intel semiconductor manufacturing facility in New Albany, Ohio in September. (REUTERS/Joshua Roberts)

Meanwhile. companies have been publicly enthusiastic about the rollout so far. Allen Thompson, Intel vice president of U.S. government relations, told Yahoo Finance in a statement last week that, "We strongly support the Departments efforts to build U.S. manufacturing and promote new clusters of semiconductor ecosystems, adding that they are in the middle of an expansion already in places like Arizona, New Mexico, and Ohio. The Semiconductor Industry Association recently added their own enthusiastic statement saying, We must now ensure the CHIPS Act is implemented efficiently, effectively, and expeditiously.

Officials have compared the effort to big moments in American history from President Lincolns creation of the land-grant university system to John F. Kennedys famous call to put a man on the moon.

This is a program without recent precedent, Raimondo told reporters on Monday. And with that tremendous responsibility, we are committed to being good stewards of every dime of taxpayer money.

A focus on buybacks

In the coming years, the program is also set to be inextricably tied to the politically explosive topic of stock buybacks.

Officials have repeatedly pledged that  backed by auditing mechanisms and access to the company records  they will ensure that no taxpayer money is used for buybacks.

More challenging is what happens if a company receives government money and then separately announces a buyback plan. A Commerce Department official said this week that the department would ask companies to lay out all their overall buyback plans as part of the application process and then will give preference to "companies that do make long-term investments in the United States as opposed to prioritizing buybacks.

A recent letter from prominent lawmakers like Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Bernie Sanders (I-VT) called on the administration to go further, calling for a ban on all buybacks for companies that take money for 10 years.

Raimondo and her team promised to cut off the funds if they catch wind of any broken buyback promises they also said they also have measures to claw back money that has already gone out the door. I hope we never have to do that, but there are a lot of tools that we have to keep these companies honest, she said in this weeks interview.

Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo speaks about semiconductor chips at the White House in September (REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque)

Companies will also be required as part of the application process to make additional promises that could impact the eventual payouts. For example, officials said companies must comply with U.S. export controls and will be required to restrict their ability to expand manufacturing in non-U.S. allies for the coming decade.

Companies will also be required to submit detailed workforce provisions for how they plan to find, train, and retain workers to both build these extensive complexes and then eventually staff them. The provisions also include a requirement to outline how they will provide affordable childcare to workers.

Raimondo said that at the end of the day if we do our job right the government money will encourage much more money from private sources. The goal: the $50 billion in government money will spur at least ten times that - half a trillion dollars - from these companies.

Ben Werschkul is Washington correspondent for Yahoo Finance.

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More Americans now expect they need $1 million to retire comfortably. MoMo Productions/Getty Images

Studies show more Americans are starting to expect needing $1 million to retire comfortably.

A new analysis by GoBankingRates compared how long those savings will last a retiree in each state.

The longest that $1 million can last in savings is around 22 years and 8 months, the analysis said.

MoMo Productions/Getty Images

10. Arkansas

Aerial view of Arkansas. Marli Miller/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

Arkansas has some of the lowest healthcare costs in the US. Housing costs here are relatively high on GoBankingRates' rankings, even among states not in the top 10 category.

How long $1 million will last in savings: 21 years, 1 month, and 23 days

Retiree's cost of living here for one year: $47,291

Annual groceries cost: $4,159

Annual housing cost: $8,143

Annual healthcare cost: $5,919

9. Tennessee

Cumberland River. Joe Sohm/Visions of America/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

Housing costs in Tennessee are relatively high, at around $8,725 a year, but like Arkansas, the state has some of the lowest healthcare costs on GoBankingRates' list.

How long $1 million will last in savings: 21 years, 2 months, and 27 days

Retiree's cost of living here for one year: $47,083

Annual groceries cost: $4,245.17

Annual housing cost: $8,725.08

Annual healthcare cost: $6,172.34

8. Indiana

Indianapolis Joe Sohm/Visions of America/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

Utilities are more expensive in Indiana, and cost around $300 to $700 higher than other states on the list. But groceries are some of the cheapest here, per GoBankingRates.

How long $1 million will last in savings: 21 years, 3 months, 4 days

Retiree's cost of living here for one year: $47,031

Annual groceries cost: $4,249

Annual housing cost: $7,977

Annual healthcare cost: $6,854

7. Ohio

Scioto River in Columbus. Joe Sohm/Visions of America/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

The annual cost of groceries is the highest in Ohio on the list, but the state has one of the lowest yearly housing costs among the cheapest states to retire.

How long $1 million will last in savings: 21 years, 5 months, and 12 days

Retiree's cost of living here for one year: $46,614

Annual groceries cost: $4,532

Annual housing cost: $7,385

Annual healthcare cost: $6,636

6. Georgia

Atlanta, Georgia. Joe Sohm/Visions of America/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

Utilities costs in Georgia are the lowest on the list, and retirees are likely to save on transportation per year, according to GoBankingRates' data.

How long $1 million will last in savings: 21 years, 6 months, and 26 days

Retiree's cost of living here for one year: $46,353

Annual groceries cost: $4,335

Annual housing cost: $8,070

Annual healthcare cost: $6,783

5. Iowa

Des Moines, Iowa. Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Iowa's annual housing cost is among the highest on this list.

How long $1 million will last in savings: 21 years, 8 months, and 26 days

Retiree's cost of living here for one year: $45,988

Annual groceries cost: $4,407

Annual housing cost: $7,333

Annual healthcare cost: $6,952

4. Kansas

Wichita, Kansas. Joe Sohm/Visions of America/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

Healthcare cost in Kansas are lower than the average among the top 10 states.

How long $1 million will last in savings: 21 years, 11 months, and 19 days

Retiree's cost of living here for one year: $45,519

Annual groceries cost: $4,240

Annual housing cost: $7,478

Annual healthcare cost: $7,107

3. Alabama

Birmingham, Alabama. Isabella Pino/REDA&CO/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

Alabama offers some of the lowest healthcare and housing costs in the US. Transportation costs here are also the cheapest in the country.

How long $1 million will last in savings: 22 years and 6 days

Retiree's cost of living here for one year: $45,414

Annual groceries cost: $4,416

Annual housing cost: $7,083

Annual healthcare cost: $6,291

2. Oklahoma

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Visions of America/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

Oklahoma's annual transportation, housing, and utilities costs are some of the lowest in the US, according to GoBankingRates.

How long $1 million will last in savings: 22 years, 1 month, and 12 days

Retiree's cost of living here for one year: $45,206

Annual groceries cost: $4,258

Annual housing cost: $7,520

Annual healthcare cost: $6,432

1. Mississippi

Jeremy Woodhouse/Getty Images

Healthcare costs in Mississippi are slightly higher than states like Alabama, Oklahoma, and Tennessee, but Mississippi has some of the lowest groceries, housing, and utilities costs in the US, per GoBankingRates.

A retiree can make their savings last the longest in Mississippi, which has taken the top spot since at least 2019, per GoBankingRates' data.

Back then, the financial analysis site estimated that a retiree would spend about $31,039 per year, compared to an annual $44,059 in its 2023 report.

How long $1 million will last in savings: 22 years, 8 months, and 12 days

Retiree's cost of living here for one year: $44,059

Annual groceries cost: $4,132

Annual housing cost: $7,115

Annual healthcare cost: $6,994

Read the original article on Business Insider
Will the U.S. take more economic actions targeting the People's Republic of China beyond current limited measures?

Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo oversees U.S. export control efforts towards China. She was succinct this week when asked if those measures would be expanded anytime soon. I don't see that, she said during a Yahoo Finance Live interview on Monday. (Video above)

Unlike the approach to Russia, America's export control measures aimed at China are tailored specifically to semiconductors and Chinas military capabilitiesas opposed to its larger economy. On another front, Trump-era tariffs remain in place and high by historical standard, but have been largely untouched in the two years since President Biden took office.

In a nod to the costs that would come from expanding the economic confrontation between the two superpowers, Bidens commerce chief added The United States does a great deal of trade with China. We should continue to do that. It supports a lot of American jobs, and so we don't want to reduce that, but we do want to be really focused on the technology that we need to be focused on.

Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo speaks during a moderated conversation on building a semiconductor ecosystem in West Lafayette, Indiana. (Darron Cummings/Pool via REUTERS)

Raimondos export control focus remains semiconductor focused. She wants to protect and develop the valuable technologyand this week's conversation came on top of a long-awaited announcement from her department Tuesday. Specifically: what semiconductor companies will need to provide to get money from President Biden's CHIPs and Science act.

If needed, 'we will take action'

But the big he question is this: will economic status quo hold, especially if China decides to take a more provocative role in Russias war in the Ukraineor potentially in Taiwan?

In recent days, reports that China is considering providing Russia with weapons for use in their war with Ukraine have raised fears that tensions with the U.S. could reach new heights. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan reiterated this weekend in a CNN interview that there would be real costs for China if it takes that step.

Raimondo says for now export controls will remain narrowly designed to keep U.S. chip technology away from the Chinese military. We know they're trying to get our technology to advance their military capability and every time we get information about that happening, we will take action with our export controls, she said.

President Joe Biden and Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo and South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol during a tour of a semiconductor factory at the Samsung Electronics Pyeongtaek Campus in Pyeongtaek, South Korea in May. (REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst)

Export controls are measures that Washington can impose on companies to limit the movement of certain goods and technologies overseas. Valuable semiconductors designs are a key item that the U.S. tries to control  often in concert with allies like Taiwan and South Korea.

On the tariffs question, Raimondo said that a review from Amb. Katherine Tai, the United States Trade Representative, remains underway; once the results are in the President will decide what, if any, action he wants to take.

'They would be destroying their own critical economic interests'

China may also have economic concerns top of mind as is considers whether to increase tensions. During a recent Yahoo Finance live interview, Eurasia Group President Ian Bremmer suggested that they could be paramount for China for now, at least when it comes to Taiwan.

Bremmer said that if China knows they would also put a crucial supply of semiconductors in jeopardy if they intervene militarily. I think the likelihood that the Chinese would invade Taiwan in the near future, two, three years is virtually zero because they understand that they would be destroying their own critical economic interests, Bremmer said.

A Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company fabrication plants in Taichung, Taiwan. (REUTERS/Yimou Lee)

Biden also recently addressed the issue and suggested that global corporations would also be a factor in Chinas decision-making. The president says he recently reminded Chinese President Xi Jinping that 600 corporations pulled out of Russia last year following the invasion and a similar fate could befall China if it allies itself strongly with Vladimir Putin.

Id just keep an eye on that, the President added.

Ben Werschkul is Washington correspondent for Yahoo Finance.

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Scouring an ancient necropolis in Armenia, looters dug up burial sites and kept whatever valuables they found. As the centuries stretched on, once-elaborate tombs were picked clean one by one.

For whatever reason, one particular tomb went unopened for millennia.

The Metsamor archaeological site in Armenia, near the border with Turkey, was inhabited from the 4th millennium B.C. until the 17th century, according to a news release from Science in Poland. Layers upon layers of human life have accumulated at the settlement.

The oldest portion of Metsamor was a settlement surrounded by walls with a necropolis, or cemetery, nearby, experts said.

A joint team of Polish and Armenian archaeologists decided to excavate the necropolis, according to the Feb. 27 news release.

The archaeologists uncovered a stone tomb where two people were buried, according to a news release from Armenias Service for the Protection of Historical Environment and Cultural Museum-Reserves. The tomb was just almost a square, measuring about 8 feet by 7 feet.

Archaeologists work to excavate the tomb.

The floor of the tomb was made of stones with a funeral bed placed on top, archaeologists said. The two skeletons were found touching at the hip but facing opposite directions.

A man and a woman, most likely a couple, were buried in this tomb between 1300 and 1200 B.C., Polish archaeologists said. The well-preserved bones indicated the pair had slightly shrunken legs and died between the age of 30 and 40.

Researchers dont know how the couple died, but they died together, archaeologist Krzysztof Jakubiak told Science in Poland. Their tomb showed no signs of being reopened  either for a second burial or for looting.

Buried around the pair was a rich collection of treasure. Archaeologists found over 100 jewelry beads, including several gold pendants. Photos show the delicate pieces.

Some of the jewelry beads and gold pendants found in the tomb.

The mixture of beads, mostly made from gold and carnelian, a red-brown stone, likely formed three necklaces, Jakubiak said in the release.

A vase imported from the Syrian-Mesopotamian region was also uncovered from the 3,200-year-old tomb, researchers said. This imported vessel was one of about a dozen pottery items found.

A bronze bracelet was found around the wrist of one skeleton; a thin, tin ring found on the others wrist, Armenian archaeologists said.

A set of beads from the tomb.

Archaeologists have excavated about 100 burials at Metsamors necropolis, according to Science in Poland. Most of the graves were looted, leaving just a few untouched.

Beyond the necropolis, Metsamor also boasts a fortress complex used from the 11th to 9th century B.C., Polish archaeologists said. This complex is surrounded by temples with seven sanctuaries.

The ruins of a large columned hall, likely a public building, dating from this Iron Age period were also found at the site, according to a news release from Polish Centre of Mediterranean Archaeology at the University of Warsaw. Photos show the dusty remains of this structure.

Ruins of the columned hall found at part of the Metsamor site.

Over the millenia, Metsamor emerged as an economic, cultural and spiritual urban center, according to the Polish Centre. Excavations have been ongoing at the site for over a decade.

Metsamor is about 20 miles southwest of Yerevan, the capital of Armenia.

Google Translate was used to translate news releases from Science in Poland, the Polish Centre of Mediterranean Archaeology at the University of Warsaw and Armenias Service for the Protection of Historical Environment and Cultural Museum-Reserves.

Spells for the afterlife found on 52-foot papyrus scroll from ancient Egyptian tomb

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Bonanza Creek Ranch film set in Santa Fe, N.M., on Saturday, Oct. 23, 2021, where cinematographer Halyna Hutchins died from a gun fired by actor Alec Baldwin. (Jae C. Hong / Associated Press)

Three additional film crew members have sued Alec Baldwin and other producers of the low-budget western "Rust," alleging "dangerous cost-cutting" and reckless behavior contributed to the deadly accident that continues to haunt them.

The lawsuit, which alleges negligence and intentional infliction of emotional distress, was filed Friday in state court in Santa Fe, N.M., by crew members Ross Addiego, Doran Curtin and Reese Price. It names Baldwin, his El Dorado Pictures company and Rust Movie Productions LLC, and adds to the tangle of civil litigation stemming from the Oct. 21, 2021, shooting that killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.

The latest filing  which contains new details about the shooting  alleged that the tragedy was caused, in large part, by the producers' desire to prioritize speed and cost containment over crew members' safety.

Hutchins died, director Joel Souza suffered a gunshot wound and other crew members have grappled with the physical and emotional toll without support from the producers, the lawsuit said.

"Defendants cut corners; ignored reports of multiple, unscripted firearms discharges; and persisted, rushed and understaffed, to finish the film," said the lawsuit filed by prominent Albuquerque attorney Jacob G. Vigil.

A spokesperson for Baldwin declined to comment Monday.

Rust producers, who also declined to comment, have previously denied allegations of wrongdoing.

The lawsuit comes more than a year after the tragedy and as criminal cases get underway in New Mexico.

Baldwin and armorer Hannah Gutierrez Reed have been charged with two counts of involuntary manslaughter and negligent use of a deadly weapon. Last week, Baldwin pleaded not guilty. An attorney for Gutierrez Reed  who has acknowledged loading the gun that day  has said she will soon enter a not guilty plea.

Assistant director David Halls separately reached an agreement with prosecutors to plead no contest to a misdemeanor charge of negligent use of a deadly weapon in exchange for a suspended six-month sentence of unsupervised probation.

Late last week, Rust Movie Productions, the company behind the troubled western, reached a settlement with New Mexicos Health and Safety Bureau. As part of the deal, the state agency agreed to downgrade a citation it made last year against the production and reduce the financial penalty to $100,000 from $136,793, the maximum under the law.

The agency initially struck a strident tone, saying producers demonstrated plain indifference to employee safety, noting that safety procedures were not followed on set and that earlier accidental gun discharges were not investigated.

The lawsuit by Addiego, Curtin and Price alleges producers passed over "a highly trained and experienced firearms specialist" who was willing to work on the gun-heavy Baldwin film, and instead hired Gutierrez Reed, who previously had served as head armorer on just one film.

"This decision was motivated by Defendants aim for a quick and cheap production," the lawsuit said, noting that Gutierrez Reed, then 24, took on a dual role as armorer and key props assistant for the film.

"Other armorer candidates cautioned against splitting time in a gun-heavy production which required the handling of multiple operable firearms nearly every day," according to the lawsuit. "But Defendants charged ahead with Gutierrez Reed, an inexperienced armorer who would work two jobs for the price of one."

The suit notes the fatal day started out "strained" after seven of the eight camera crew members walked off the job amid complaints about alleged inattention to safety and a lack of nearby lodging. After lunch, the three crew members crowded into a tight space, the small wooden church, with Baldwin, Hutchins, Souza and Halls.

No one bothered to check the gun in the church before the rehearsal, the lawsuit said.

The crew members said they had no warning that Baldwin was going to fire his gun, and they were not wearing earplugs, eye protection or safety shields. All said they suffered physical effects of the blast, including trauma, hearing loss and vibrational shock. In the months that followed, they grappled with other trauma associated with the shooting, but the defendants "offered no diagnostic services or any meaningful emotional or mental health services," according to the suit.

"Despite this, Plaintiffs have independently sought support in dealing with their injuries which include, but are not limited to, insomnia, anxiety, depression, and symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder," the lawsuit said.

Addiego was the film's dolly operator, responsible for operating the mechanisms for camera movement. Curtin was the set costumer, overseeing costumes and accessories, and Price was the key grip, who handled the non-electric support gear.

Previously, at least two other crew members  the script supervisor Mamie Mitchell and gaffer Serge Svetnoy  sued the producers, contending the set was unsafe and they were placed in harm's way during the rehearsal. The set medic Cherlyn Schaefer also sued.

"With his right hand, Defendant Baldwin repeatedly drew the revolver across his body from the left shoulder holster and pointed it in the direction of the crew members standing in front of him, including plaintiffs," the lawsuit said.

"On his third draw, Defendant Baldwin cocked the hammer of the revolver with the trigger pulled and fired it towards the crew striking Hutchins, and injuring Plaintiffs," the lawsuit said.

The production is planning to resume filming this spring in Montana with Souza, Baldwin and other original cast members.

Staff writer Anousha Sakoui contributed to this report.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Fake nursing degrees. (Photo illustration: Kelli R. Grant/Yahoo News; photos: Getty Images)

More than 7,600 aspiring nurses cheated the health care system and obtained fraudulent nursing degrees from three South Florida nursing schools, according to federal authorities, in a scheme health care professionals say could undermine trust in the profession.

Some 2,600 of those individuals used fake diplomas to take the nursing board exam (NCLEX) and passed, giving them access to work in health care facilities across the country. The diplomas were issued by Siena College in Broward County, the Palm Beach School of Nursing in Palm Beach County and Sacred Heart International Institute in Broward County  all of which are now closed. Though the scheme involved Florida schools, it affected multiple states.

I'm in South Florida. It's a hotbed of fraud, whether it's identity fraud, or PPP fraud, and health care fraud, but this is something that we have not seen before, Fernando Porras, assistant special agent in charge, told Yahoo News. Porras is leading the oversight investigation for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

The investigation, known as Operation Nightingale, found that the national scheme began in 2016 and ended in 2021, accumulating more than $100 million.

We sent in  on several occasions  undercover agents to purchase these degrees as they were explained to us and they were able to purchase the degrees having no medical background or having taken any course they just paid the amount [$17,000], Porras explained.

On Jan. 25, the U.S. Attorney's Office of the Southern District of Florida indicted 25 individuals in Delaware, New York, New Jersey, Texas and Florida who were allegedly working as recruiters for the illegal licensing scheme.

You don't just wake up one morning and find out that the Palm Beach School of Nursing [or Siena College and Sacred Heart International Institute] is issuing fake degrees. You don't see that publicized in an infomercial. You find out about it because you are told by a recruiter, Porras said.

The 25 defendants are each facing up to 20 years in prison for allegedly participating in a wire fraud scene that created the shortcuts for thousands to receive bogus nursing diplomas.

According to Porras, the Florida schools that were issuing the fake diplomas were once legitimate schools.

They were certified by the state of Florida to provide nursing degrees, he said. They got to a point that their passing rate was dismal. And so they were put on probation. And then shortly after, their certification was revoked. So once they were revoked, and they could no longer issue any diplomas, "they would back-date the attendance of these students. So, let's say they were revoked in 2019; then they would issue the certificate and the diploma as if the student had attended between 2016 and 2017."

Now, state licensing boards nationwide have annulled the licenses of dozens of nurses who were practicing with fake degrees.

In November, Delaware revoked 26 licenses of nurses tied to the scheme, but officials say there could still be more nurses who need to be let go.

We have heard accounts of additional individuals that have been sent to the Board of Nursing for investigation regarding concern with attendance at those [three South Florida] schools, Christopher Otto, executive director of the Delaware Nursing Association, told Yahoo News.

And some of the individuals who obtained illegal registered nursing (RN) degrees were already licensed practical nurses (LPNs).

For those individuals, their RN or registered nurse license is the one that is annulled. But if they have met the licensing requirements to practice as an LPN, that LPN license is still, in most cases, active, Otto said.

In Georgia, 22 working nurses obtained fake licenses and diplomas. According to local Atlanta TV station WSB-TV, the Georgia Board of Nursing sent letters to the nurses asking them to surrender their fraudulent nursing licenses on Jan 17, but they haven't yet. Yahoo News was not able to immediately reach the board for comment.

Brenda Hage, the director of nursing at Florida Gulf Coast University, which is about two hours away from the South Florida schools that were shut down, told Yahoo News that the scheme is offensive to real nurses.

I think I feel more dismayed than surprised, Hage said. We work so hard as nurses to be credible and to be viewed as ethical by the patients that we care for, and then when somebody tries to game the system, or do something illegal like this, it really offends and concerns all nurses.

But Hage said her biggest concern is the individuals who passed the national nursing board exam (NCLEX) without the proper education or training.

This creates a false sense of information to the public, that somehow it's really easy to sit for the NCLEX exam to become a licensed registered nurse, and nothing can be further from the truth, Hage said.

According to Hage, the NCLEX exam is rigorous and usually takes up to five hours to complete.

This is not something that you can bypass, Jennifer Kennedy, the president of the American Nurses Association, told Yahoo News.

But Kennedy says she is not surprised that a scandal like this occurred in the health care industry because some states have cut their regulatory requirements.

So we're hoping through this scandal that we can leverage this and can restore some of the authority that legislatures have stripped from boards of nursing throughout this country, Kennedy said.

A recent Gallup poll found that over 79% of U.S adults believe nurses have very high honesty and ethical standards compared with more than a dozen other professions. But now health care officials say the degree scandal will push them to win back Americans' trust.

We have to reassure the public that this has been dealt with. We'll monitor for harm, and I cant guarantee it, but we'll do everything possible to prevent it from happening again, Otto said.

So far there have been no reports of patient harm from the nurses with fake degrees, and none of the fake nurses have been charged.

Just because an error or an adverse outcome wasn't reported doesn't mean that there weren't any misses, Hage said. I think they should be charged. The fact that they knew that this was a fraudulent practice, and they engaged in fraud, makes them culpable.

Health care officials say the years-long scheme is unprecedented and could have affected anyone who visits a health care facility.

This case potentially could affect any one of us  we go to emergency rooms, we have loved ones in hospice, in skilled nursing facilities, that can potentially be receiving care from someone that is not properly trained, Porras said.
A passenger approaches a ride-hail car at Los Angeles International Airport. One-third of drivers for Uber and Lyft say they have been cut off from the platforms with no explanation. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

By any metric, James Jordan was an exemplary Uber driver. Starting in 2016, he worked 10 hours a day, six days a week. Over the course of 5 1/2 years, he logged 27,000 trips and maintained a rating of 4.95.

He drove so much because he needed the cash. A 55-year-old single father of five in Inglewood, there were plenty of expenses, and Uber was his familys source of income. Then, one day in March 2022, that source was abruptly shut off.

He had been driving in the morning when he logged off to pick up his daughter. When he opened his phone to prepare for his next shift, he got the message: Hed been permanently deactivated  the gig work industrys euphemism for fired.

It was a total shock. My gut fell, my emotions were all over the place, Jordan said. For 5 1/2 years my family relied on the earnings from Uber, to pay rent, pay for my car, all that. To have that taken away when rent is due, and theres no recourse, and theres no type of due process, he said, trailing off. Its a bad feeling.

Jordan is far from alone in experiencing this particular kind of bad feeling. A new survey of 810 Uber and Lyft drivers in California shows that two-thirds have been deactivated at least once. Of those, 40% of Uber drivers and 24% of Lyft drivers were terminated permanently. A third never got an explanation from the gig app companies.

Drivers of color saw a higher rate of deactivation than white drivers  69% to 57%, respectively. A vast majority of the drivers (86%) faced economic hardship after getting fired by the app, and 12% lost their homes.

Deactivation hit even the most experienced drivers: The report, conducted by Rideshare Drivers United and the Asian Law Caucus, found that drivers who were deactivated had worked, on average, 4 1/2 years for Uber and four years for Lyft.

Like everything else in the world of gig work, deactivation happens through the app. Theres little to no human contact at all, in most cases. No phone or Zoom calls, no text or emails, and certainly no in-person meetings. Most affected drivers said they logged onto the app to start their workday, only to find a notification that theyve been deactivated.

Its cruel, man, Jordan said. Its almost like Uber sees their drivers like a piece of equipment or a gadget or something, and they can just flip a switch and turn you off.

That tracks. Ubers chief innovation is not its technology, per se, but the story it tells about its technology. Its breakthrough product was pretty rudimentary  GPS plus a smartphone app with a slick user interface  but it felt new enough to let the company present itself as the future of transit. No longer did we call a cab, we summoned an Uber.

This was no dusty old taxi concern. It was a unicorn software company, one that didnt employ cabbies, but rather facilitated the connection of a rider to an independent contractor. This story helped the company elude rules and regulations that governed taxis and black cabs  and pique consumer and investor interest  in cities around the world.

But what makes or breaks Uber is the same as the crustiest old taxi cartel:the drivers making the trips. Ubers core technology is still human labor, and Jordan is right: It treats those humans like equipment. It needs to; that they are invisible, compliant machinery is part of the story. And when that equipment is deemed by Uber to no longer be useful to the company, they are not terminated, laid off or fired  they are deactivated.

For a long time, this semantic nod to Ubers larger narrative about itself helped obscure the ways it wields power over its workforce. It made drivers feel like they had few options when their accounts were locked down.

When the company gives algorithms the power to deactivate us without even listening to our evidence or testimony, it adds even more precarity to an already precarious job, said Nicole Moore, a driver and the president of Rideshare Drivers United. Unlike other workers, we dont have the bridge of unemployment insurance to even get us through a deactivation.

Moore relates the experience of a friend and fellow driver, sober for 20 years, who was deactivated because someone reported her as drunk. The police wouldnt breathalyze her because no crime was reported, and she couldnt prove to the company she was sober, and had been for decades. It cost her a weeks income.

The companies act like we are extensions of the app, Moore said, but we are real people and these firings by algorithm really hurt us as people, and our families who count on the income we bring in.

Jordan thinks it was a combination of factors that got him deactivated: The week he was shut down, three separate riders complained about having to mask in his car, which was Ubers policy at the time. He also turned down a string of requests that would have taken him too far away to make much money. But he still cant be sure.

He appealed the deactivation through Ubers official channels and heard nothing. It was a formality, he said. They werent responding. I was asking for specifics, like just give me the time and date, and let me know what Ive done.

Eventually, he took Uber to small claims court, where he could finally plead his case. Only there did he learn that a rider had complained about his using profanity  which he denies  and another had said hed described a relationship in inappropriate detail. He denies that, too; so vehemently that he begged Uber to let him share his dashcam footage to prove his innocence. (Uber disputes this.)

Ultimately, it was an open-and-shut case; the judge said that while he sympathized with Jordan, it didnt matter, because hed agreed to submit himself to Ubers whims when he became a driver in the first place. It's in the fine print. Uber reserves the right to deactivate an account if it determines a driver has violated its policies.

We know that drivers rely on Uber to earn, so the decision to deactivate a drivers account is one that we do not take lightly," an Uber spokesperson said in a statement. "We have a rigorous evaluation process, led by humans, that reviews reports and determines whether temporary or permanent account deactivation is warranted.

The Uber representative also pointed me to the company's website, where it states that a human reviews every case before a deactivation is made. When possible, well let a driver or delivery person know if theyre at risk of losing access to their account, the policy states . However, there are times when we may need to remove access without warning.

There certainly will be cases in which a person whos determined to be dangerous or unfit to drive should have their accounts deactivated immediately, but its less clear how Uber can justify not informing drivers what the specific allegations or complaints against them are, or refuse to give drivers a fair hearing that is not just human-led but with actual humans. But doing so would cost time and resources, and Ubers historically unprofitable enterprise may not be able to bear the load of undertaking such an endeavor as humanely engaging its own vast workforce.

But its a toxic arrangement thats worse than unfair to the workers. As the report demonstrates, the willfully opaque policy opens the door for discrimination to affect the drivers livelihoods.

Most ride-hail drivers have encountered discrimination  Jordan, who is Black, recounts being threatened by a rider who called him the N-word  and theres no way to know how Uber responds internally to complaints against drivers who may be motivated by race, gender or sexual orientation. Immigrant drivers are frequent targets of rider bile, and women report high levels of harassment. With the adjudication process sealed behind Ubers doors, its impossible to say conclusively why it is that drivers of color are deactivated more frequently than white ones  but its pretty easy to guess.

All across the country, drivers are organizing to push for more transparency and due process over the deactivation process. In New York, Uber drivers went on strike at LaGuardia Airport to call for higher wages and an end to unfair deactivations . In Portland, Ore., theyre calling out an advisory board that has long been powerless to help restore improperly deactivated drivers. The city of Chicago is considering an ordinance that would allow deactivated drivers to challenge the gig companies determination. And proposed legislation in Colorado would force companies to be more transparent about the process.

For its part, the new report calls for just cause and due process in the deactivation process, labor protections afforded employees, and for Uber to address workplace discrimination and sexism. It recommends that just-cause determinations be carried out through an independent, third party; otherwise Uber and Lyft will continue to wield absolute power over their workers.

They must be held accountable, Moore said, and we need a deactivation appeals process not controlled by these companies.

Id add that we should reclaim the language itself, too. This battle is being fought on Uber and Lyfts turf, inside the contours of their own self-produced narratives. But they are not just deactivating accounts here  they are firing workers, often seemingly at random, and stripping men and women of their livelihoods.

To those affected, its so much more harrowing than a deactivation. Its losing everything to an app. And Ubers not going to change course on its own. Colorado and Chicago are right to move to enact policies that protect drivers; to stop the wanton firing of workers who make ride-hail possible.

I gave up on trying to get Uber to do the right thing, Jordan said. I hope this can inspire the courts and the legislators to make Uber do the right thing.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Jamie McBride, the outspoken leader of Los Angeles Police Protective League, the union that represents LAPD officers, speaks at a news conference in 2020. (Damian Dovarganes / Associated Press)

When Jacqueline McBride and two other Los Angeles police officers fatally shot a woman wielding a replica revolver in Silver Lake last week, McBride became the third member of her immediate family to shoot someone in the line of duty.

The officers from the Los Angeles Police Department's Rampart Division responded to a call about 7:55 p.m. Wednesday that a woman in a trench coat was pointing a gun at passersby in the area around Silver Lake Boulevard and Temple Street, according to a police account of the incident.

On arrival, they encountered Mariela Cardenas, who matched the suspect's description, near the overpass of the 101 Freeway, police said.

Police said Cardenas ignored commands to drop the weapon and instead pointed it at the officers, who fired in response. But after the shooting, they saw she was holding a pellet gun that looked like a revolver, with a black barrel and brownish grip, according to a photo on the LAPD website.

Cardenas was taken to a nearby hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

The Times could not independently verify the department's version of events. The LAPD has up to 45 days to release footage from the officers' body cameras and other video sources, which could shed further light on the events leading up to the shooting.

Emails left for Jacqueline McBride and the other two officers involved  Miguel Salazar and Preston Moseby  weren't immediately returned Monday. McBride joined the LAPD in 2020.

Most officers go their entire careers without firing their weapons. A Pew Research Center study in 2016 found only a little more than a quarter of officers have fired a weapon while on duty.

But with last Wednesday's shooting, three members of the McBride family have now been responsible for shooting eight people.

McBride's father, Jamie McBride, outspoken vice president of the Los Angeles Police Protective League, was involved in at least six police shootings, none fatal, in the first 11 years of his career. His other daughter, Toni McBride  an Instagram shooting celebrity and model who joined the LAPD in 2017  fatally shot Daniel Hernandez in 2020 in South Los Angeles after he moved toward her with a knife.

After a months-long internal investigation, a civilian police commission that oversees the LAPD found the last two of her six shots were out of policy. By that point in the incident, Hernandez, 38, was lying on the ground. But Toni wasn't fired or prosecuted for the shooting.

Earlier this year, California Atty. Gen. Rob Bontas office cleared McBride of wrongdoing in the incident. But the ruling was met with skepticism because it was based in part on the expert opinion of a police use-of-force consultant whose work has been criticized as illegitimate for years.

The case drew widespread attention in part due to McBrides controversial persona as a sharp-shooting influencer on social media  where her critics say she glorifies police violence. Another factor was her father's influence in policing circles. Jamie is one of nine directors of the powerful Los Angeles Police Protective League, the union that represents rank-and-file officers in labor and discipline issues.

Jamie posted a series of Facebook videos in early June celebrating his fellow officers as they squared off against protesters. The videos, titled Hold the Line, featured rows of cops staring down shouting activists and officers posing in front of graffiti that threatens violence against pigs. One of McBrides pro-police videos comes with a soundtrack, AC/DCs Shoot to Thrill.

Toni also appears in the videos, smiling and decked out in full riot gear. She is a popular figure among some gun enthusiasts, with multiple online videos showing her blasting away at targets, sometimes in a T-shirt labeled Warrior.

Unlike her sister Toni, Jacqueline McBride seems to avoid the limelight.

When reached by phone Monday, Jaime McBride decried what he saw as unfair coverage of police shootings over the years by The Times.

"Bottom line is no one wants to take a life, but if somebody points a gun at you, an officer has to respond to protect their lives," he said, declining to comment further.

Theincident will be reviewed by LAPD investigators and the findings presented to the LAPDs civilian oversight commission. Such investigations typically take from several months to a year.

Times staff writer Nathan Solis contributed to this report.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Britain and the EU hailed a new chapter in their relations on Monday after reaching a historic deal to solve post-Brexit trading problems in Northern Ireland.

Rishi Sunak, the prime minister, and Ursula von der Leyen, the EU Commission president, unveiled the Windsor Framework which fundamentally changes how the protocol works.

Checks on goods entering Northern Ireland will be drastically reduced under new green and red lanes designed to scrap bureaucracy and ease trade.

There will be no customs checks, but simply commercial checks on goods arriving in Northern Ireland from the rest of the UK Mr Sunak said.

During the negotiations, one of the main concerns among the Democratic Unionist Party and Conservative European Research Group was the role of the European Court of Justice (ECJ) in Northern Ireland.

What is the Stormont brake?

While there will continue to be a small role for the court, the UK and EU agreed on a mechanism called the Stormont brake, which allows the Northern Ireland assembly to flag concerns about the application of new EU laws on goods.

It must be requested by a third of Stormont MLAs and can only be used in the most exceptional circumstances, the EU and Britain agreed on Monday.

Mr Sunak said it is a very powerful mechanism for Stormont to use when it has concerns over EU law and gives them more than just a say.

He said the brake should provide reassurance to everyone in Northern Ireland that they are in control of their destiny.

If the brake is pulled, Mr Sunak said the UK government would have the power of veto, but it is not clear how this would work in practice.

Ms von der Leyen said the ECJ would be the sole and ultimate arbiter of EU law in Northern Ireland and will have the final say on single market decisions.

She described the Stormont brake as something that would be an emergency mechanism that would hopefully not be needed.

(PA)

Mr Sunak added: Indeed, the European Court of Justice is the sole and ultimate arbiter of EU law  thats natural because its prescribed by the EU order. So the ECJ will have the final say in EU law and single market decisions.

The nationalist SDLP and non-sectarian Alliance Party urged Mr Sunak to prevent the vexatious use of the Stormont brake and called on him to continue supporting efforts to restore power-sharing in Northern Ireland.

The new deal has won broad support across the House of Commons, although the DUP has yet to give the agreement its backing, saying it will take time to read the legal text of the agreement before coming to a decision.

Ian Paisley Jr and Sammy Wilson, hardliners in the DUP, are thought to be leading opposition to securing agreement within their party.

Mr Paisley, on Monday night said his gut instinct was that the deal didnt cut the mustard despite admitting that he hadnt yet read the legal text.

Ian Paisley (House of Commons/PA) (PA Archive)

Foreign secretary James Cleverly has said it will be "hugely disappointing" if the Democratic Unionist Party does not return to the Stormont powersharing executive following Rishi Sunaks deal with Brussels.

Mr Cleverly said the government had been "very, very focused" on the partys concerns in their negotiations with the EU on post-Brexit trading arrangements.

"They are quite understandably going to want to look at the detail of this. I really hope that once they look at the detail of this they will see we have taken their concerns very, very seriously," he told Sky News on Tuesday morning.

"I think they will know that I have been very, very focused on the concerns they have expressed on behalf of their community. They will have real authority when it comes to the Stormont brake.

"If they dont re-enter the powersharing executive, that will be hugely disappointing. It wont be good news for the people of Northern Ireland."
A Colebrook psychologist was sentenced to nine months in prison after pleading guilty to submitting false Medicaid bills following an investigation by the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit at the Office of the Chief States Attorney, authorities said.

Jennifer Lefebre-McGevna, 46, received a prison sentence of five years, suspended after nine months served, followed by five years of probation. She pleaded guilty in Hartford Superior Court on Jan. 10 to one count of first-degree larceny by defrauding a public community and one count of health insurance fraud.

Lefebre-McGevna was enrolled as a provider in the Connecticut Medicaid program. She was also the owner of Healing the Child from Within, LLC and enrolled in the Connecticut Medicaid Assistance Program as a private practice that performed psychotherapy services, according to state authorities.

From April 2017 through December 2020, Lefebre-McGevna reportedly submitted Medicaid claims for counseling services when no services were rendered, according to court records. There were over 1,000 claims submitted for unperformed services totaling $118,028.96. She utilized unlicensed people to perform services and submitted billings as if she performed them for bills totaling $24,961.66, court records said, and also submitted billings for canceled and missed appointments, totaling $5,112.19. The overall amount of fraudulent bills totaled $148,102.80, according to court records.

After paying $30,000 upon sentencing, she was ordered to pay the remaining restitution during her probationary period. She was also ordered to not act as a provider in the Medicaid program, according to state officials.

Anyone with knowledge of suspected fraud or abuse in the public healthcare system is asked to contact the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit at the Chief States Attorneys Office at 860-258-5986.
A Lexington concert is bringing a Kentucky musician back to his bluegrass roots to help flood victims.

Concert review: Kentucky Rising at Rupp raises $2.5m for flood relief

John Cowan, who has been a member of the Doobie Brothers for years, is bringing his New Grass All-Stars to Lexingtons Lyric Theatre on March 4 for a special concert to benefit Eastern Kentucky.

Cowans latest band brings full circle a musical career that began with the ironic band name New Grass Revival.

Popular with a new generation of bluegrass thrillseekers in the 1970s and later with a larger, more mainstream country-friendly audience during the 80s, the moniker suggested the Louisville-bred bands hybrid music was a rekindling of some long-abandoned tradition.

Origins of New Grass

Truth be told, the musical cocktail known as new grass  which colors bluegrass tradition with elements of rock, jazz, soul and more  largely came into fruition as the New Grass Revival began.

Revival? It was more like a beginning.

As we went around in those early years, we found like-minded audience members who enjoyed bluegrass, but they were probably under 30 years old, said John Cowan, bass guitarist and vocalist for New Grass Revival from 1974 until its dissolve in 1990. These folks thought, Yeah, I really get this. These guys arent just doing the same old thing that everybody else does. We found solace in our audiences in places like Lexington, Louisville and Richmond. We felt like, Were Kentuckians. Were bringing an art form of Kentucky to the world.

John Cowan and the New Grass All-Stars will play a benefit concert March 4 at the Lyric Theatre to help raise additional funds for victims of last years devastating floods in Eastern Kentucky.

In the three-plus decades that followed, Cowans musical adventures would take him into areas of rock (an ongoing tenure as a member of the Doobie Brothers), Americana (through multiple projects, include a new duo group with fiddler/vocalist Andrea Zonn called The HercuLeons) and varying shades of grass both blue and new.

In 2023, though, he is fronting a new touring ensemble to focus squarely on the legacy of New Grass Revival. Titled the New Grass All-Stars, the band allows Cowan to revisit songs he has not performed onstage for over 40 years.

Im rediscovering how wonderful this music was. Its given me lots of pause to reflect. I think about those days, what it was like and the kind of places we played. This is very hard scrabble. This is what new bands are having to do again nowadays. They get in a car or a van, go around and sleep on peoples floors and try to make an audience one member, one night or one show at a time. Thats what we were doing back in those days.

Backlash from bluegrass traditionalists like Bill Monroe

In that sense, rekindling a relationship today with music he helped pioneer is the real revival. But for Cowans bandmates in the New Grass All-Stars  guitarist Jim Hurst, banjoist Steven Moore, mandolinist Johnny Staats and fiddler Shad Cobb  such a repertoire was part of their musical upbringing.

Im very young at heart, Cowan said. Im 69 years old. These guys are separated from me by 10 or 15 years  or, in Stevens case, 30 years. They are all people who grew up playing New Grass Revival music, so theyre getting to revisit music no one has really heard live for a very, very long time.

Much of the music Cowan and New Grass Revival co-founder/multi-instrumentalist Sam Bush created  from early recordings with banjoist Courtney Johnson and dobroist/guitarist Curtis Burch to 80s albums alongside guitarist Pat Flynn and then-newly discovered banjo journeyman Bela Fleck  may have excited a bluegrass generation searching for stylistic heroes of their own. More than a few elders, however, held different views.

Sam had grown up playing bluegrass straight up and down, but he was a rock n roll kid. He was a Beatles kid, so he, like myself, had listened to all this other music. Courtney and Curtis were a little bit more on the traditional end, but they also liked different kinds of music. The cultural piece to all this is that during the late 60s/early 70s, there was a big chasm in our country. Dr. King had been assassinated. Robert Kennedy had been assassinated. There was very much an us vs. them mentality when it came to people who were in their 20s. It was the old dont trust anybody over 30 bit.

Bill Monroe and different people in the bluegrass music world simply werent having it. They were like, Were not having these drug-taking hippies ruin our music. That was a big piece of what was going on back in those days. We experienced it tenfold. There was a point when Bill Monroe would tell the promoters, If you have those boys on this show, Im not coming.

That was kind of startling to us, but the culture was the way it was. It was like the whole package exploded at the same time and we were the outsiders  we, being New Grass Revival. But I can tell you from a personal point of view, we loved and respected all those guys, so it hurt our feelings. We werent trying to bastardize their music. We were just trying to bring who we were honestly into our art. We were just for expressing ourselves.

By the time New Grass Revival split in 1990, the country music industry had awakened and accepted their music. A 1989 recording of Dennis Lindes Callin Baton Rouge became a Top 40 country hit for New Grass Revival, four years before returning as a chart-topper for Garth Brooks.

Curiously, it would be rock n roll that would serve as Cowans most visible vocation in ensuing decades via two stays  the second now in its 13th year  with the Doobie Brothers. Working with the band underscored a performance philosophy he has applied to his work with the New Grass All-Stars.

Its funny, because I was only in the New Grass Revival for not quite 16 years, yet its still the thing people know me from. It made such an indelible mark. How that relates to the Doobies is this. I was a fan of theirs anyway, so I was buying their records and learning how to play their songs long ago, so I was already a fan. For me, I felt like my job is to be a steward of the music.

Its not that different from what Im doing now, except that in the New Grass All-Stars, I was part of the original band. With the Doobies, Im really sitting in someone elses chair, which would be the one belonging to Tyran Porter (the bassist during the Doobies 1970s heyday). Its helped me put kids through college. Its the first real paycheck Ive had in the music industry. In New Grass Revival, we never made a lot of money, but we always worked, so I never wanted for much.

Recovery for Cowan, Eastern Kentucky

Finally, there is the reason behind Cowans March 4 concert at the Lyric Theatre with the New Grass All-Stars. The performance will help raise additional funds for victims of last years devastating floods in Eastern Kentucky. For Cowan, such benefit work is personal. In recovery for decades-past alcohol and drug problems, he sees servitude as part of a hard-fought journey to sobriety.

What people do in recovery is service work. Our service is basically to give back what we were given freely. Basically, we were given our lives back when we got sober, so I try to live a life of service and that includes doing benefits. That always comes down to a local thing for me. How can I personally give back? Whats the best way? I can only do it on a personal level. I dont have a bullhorn. I cant go out and change the world in large swathes, so I do it on personal level. This is a way to do that.

I live in Nashville, which is Benefit City. You end up doing one a month for somebody who needs something. Thats what I love about the musical community. We band together and help people out. Its just that in this case, were helping other Kentuckians.

John Cowan and the New Grass All-Stars: A Fundraiser to Benefit Flood Victims of Eastern Kentucky

When: March 4 at 7 p.m.

Where: Lyric Theatre and Cultural Arts Center, 300 E. Third.

Tickets: $35 at tix.com.
View of Iqaluit, Nunavut. (Getty Images)

A solution to climate change is emerging in one of the regions most affected by it. In Nunavut  the northernmost territory of Canada  a coalition of Indigenous communities is transitioning the region away from diesel and toward renewable energy.

In 2018, Nukik Corporation, which was formed by individuals in the Indigenous Inuit population, started planning the Kivalliq Hydro-Fibre Link, a set of electricity and fiber-optic transmission cables. The link would connect the vast regions of rural northern Canada to a southern Canadian renewable energy grid in the province of Manitoba. Once completed, the project would be one of the largest renewable energy transmission lines geographically  running 745 miles in length  and the first infrastructure project of this kind thats organized by an Indigenous corporation.

The project promises to wean Nunavut, including two gold mining sites, off heavily polluting diesel generators and to tap into the potential energy generation of northern Canada and the Arctic. In addition to renewable energy, the link will include a fiber-optic cable that will make internet speeds 3,000 times faster than the satellite network the region uses currently. One report states that Nunavut is the only jurisdiction in Canada that doesnt have access to internet speeds above 25 megabits per second.

About 200,000 Canadians are not connected to the electricity grid across the country, and roughly 70% of those households rely on diesel. Some communities produce their own, while others, like Nunavut, receive shipments from the government.

The plan is to install a 1,200-kilometer high-voltage transmission line that will transmit 150 megawatts of energy, enough to power roughly 20,000 homes. The 2022 census showed that there are 40,526 people living in Nunavut, the majority of whom live in houses with two or more people, meaning the line would likely power most of the populations households.

The transmission line will run all the way up to the Nunavut region, providing energy and fiber-optic connection to the towns of Arviat, Whale Cove, Rankin Inlet, Chesterfield Inlet and Baker Lake from the Manitoba plant, a government-owned facility that gets more than 98% of its electricity from hydroelectricity and wind power. The plant has 16 hydroelectric generating stations, four diesel generators and a thermal generating station.

To have one Indigenous group have their homeland be so massive ... its not something we have in the U.S., Cheri Smith, founder and CEO of Indigenous Energy Initiative, a U.S.-based Indigenous-led nonprofit, told Yahoo News. Smith is a member of the Mikmaq Tribe of present-day northern Maine and the Canadian Maritime Provinces. [The U.S.] has projects that are transmitting a lot of power, but not that covers this amount of territory.

However, the project hasnt broken ground yet, and a lot of information on logistics and funding remains elusive. Nukik Corporation has completed many of the environmental assessments and attained necessary licenses and permits, but construction has not yet begun. According to the groups website, it is currently working on engineering and procurement and plans to start construction in 2026 and finish by 2030.

Houses perched on cliffs in the city of Iqaluit. (Cavan Images/Getty Images)

The project is in the early stages, and much more work remains to be done to bring the project to a shovel-ready stage and ultimately to completion, said a spokesperson for Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada, the department of Canadas central government responsible for the northern lands and territories.

The project would achieve something that experts have been advocating for years: to combine internet and energy access. Close coordination between the energy and [information and communications technology] sectors is probably one of the most efficient and sensible ways of making sure rural populations ... can reap the benefits of digital developments, a 2017 World Bank Blogs post argued.

Rural communities are often overlooked for internet connection because traditional operators deem them to be too remote and poor to be profitable. But when there is already a plan to invest in a renewable energy link, adding a fiber-optic cable to the infrastructure is simple. Its a no-brainer, Smith said.

Last November, Canadian Minister of Northern Affairs Dan Vandal announced that the government would give CAN$7 million (US$5 million) in funding to the Kivalliq project. The government set aside CAN$40.4 million for hydroelectricity and grid interconnection projects across 2021, 2022 and 2023 through the Northern Responsibility Energy Approach for Community Heat and Electricity program. The project would help Canada attain its goal of reaching net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

However, this funding is not likely to cover the project. According to Smith, it costs US$1 million per mile to build a line like this. Fiber-optic cables alone tend to cost between US$60,000 and $80,000 per mile.

A person walks along a path in Iqaluit in July 2022. (Carlos Osorio/Reuters)

Nukik Corporation has not responded to questions on how much the project will cost in total or how it will be funded in the long run.

The government spokesperson said the CAN$7 million is to support early feasibility and planning work. Should additional funding support be requested, the Government of Canada will review and assess proposals as they are received, the spokesperson said.

Smith is concerned that the costs will trickle down to consumers in the form of higher electricity bills. Its not clear who is making the money here, she said. My fear is that this poor tribe is being exploited.

The company at the heart of this question is the Qulliq Energy Corporation (QEC), the sole utility operator responsible for providing electricity and district heating to consumers in Nunavut. It did not respond to requests for comment.

Another possibility is that the government will subsidize the electricity. Canadas Northern Affairs office is already responsible for shipping and subsidizing all of Nunavuts diesel. When asked if these subsidies would transfer, however, it referred back to QEC.

These details put the feasibility and impact of the project into question. But even if it were completed, other sources of fossil fuel consumption would have to be changed in the region for it to become fully reliant on renewable energy.

Its a chicken-and-egg situation, said Sara Hastings-Simon, an assistant professor and director of the Masters of Science in Sustainable Energy Development program at the University of Calgary. Fully electrifying the region requires many different groups to start making concurrent efforts. For example, most homes use oil furnaces for heating and gas stoves for cooking. Its kind of like walking and chewing gum at the same time, said Hastings-Simon. There are a lot of pieces, and it can be very hard to line up all those pieces.

A snowmobile on a road in Iqaluit. (Carlos Osorio/Reuters)

The Nunavut Housing Corporation, a government agency that administers affordable housing projects, runs the Heating Oil Tank Replacement Program, which provides grants for people to replace old oil tanks with new ones. The program could be used to connect houses to the new line, but there are no official plans to replace gas stoves and oil furnaces throughout Nunavut.

The mining industry, however, says its willing to shift if renewable energy is available.

The two sites that Nukik is proposing to take off of diesel are owned by a company called Agnico Eagle. The company says it has been trialing electric battery vehicles at other mining locations throughout the world, but due to the current lack of renewable energy alternatives in Nunavut, it relies on diesel for energy for now.

If the project moves forward, this would allow for significant GHG emissions reductions at these sites through green energy sourcing and further electrification of our operations, Casey Paradis St-Onge, Agnico Eagles Nunavut communication coordinator, told Yahoo News in an email.

Though this could arguably encourage continued harmful mining activity, there are certain minerals and materials needed for the transition away from carbon. The renewable energy industry needs metals and minerals as well, Hastings-Simon said.

The Nukik website claims that connecting the Arctic to the grid will unlock future renewable energy generation in the North that in turn can be shared with southern Canada and contribute to reaching our 2030, 2050 climate and electrification targets. But the link itself wouldnt be enough to make Nunavut an energy supplier.

Signs show the distances to various cities and also to the North Pole in the town of Pond Inlet, an Inuit settlement with 1,300 inhabitants in the Canadian Arctic. (Kay Nietfeld/picture alliance via Getty Images)

Mads Qvist Frederiksen, the executive director of the Arctic Economic Council, says there are three primary challenges to building renewable energy plants in the Arctic: People are scared to invest, extensive infrastructure is needed for transporting the green energy (which the Kivalliq link would solve) and the workforce is lacking.

He believes hydropower and wind have the most potential in Arctic regions. With investment and landright permits, he thinks it would be relatively easy to build renewable energy plants. Renewable energy is growing fast in the Arctic region, he said. But supplying that energy would require separate investment. There are some reports that Qulliq Energy Corporation is building a diesel-solar hybrid facility, but plans were delayed to late 2023.

If, in the long run, the Nunavut region were able to provide electricity to the rest of Canada, Smith said, this would be a significant achievement for the Indigenous community worldwide. It would be very significant for any Indigenous community to be supplying energy at that level to the grid, she said.

For now, the link is still in the early phases and vital questions about funding need to be answered, but its a first glimpse at the multifaceted effort that a renewable energy transition requires. If completed, it would signify a whole system shift in northern Canada that could be unprecedented for the Indigenous community and a landmark contribution toward Canadas net-zero goals.
Heavy-duty machines working on debris of collapsed buildings after earthquakes hit multiple Turkish provinces on Tuesday. (Orhan Pehlul/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

LONDON  A powerful aftershock struck southern Turkey on Monday, in what has been a series of tremors to hit the region since the devastating 7.8-magnitude earthquake earlier this month.

The death toll for both Turkey and Syria has been steadily climbing since Feb. 6, with fatalities now surpassing 50,000. According to statistics from the United Nations refugee agency, UNHCR, 15 million people across 10 different provinces in Turkey have been affected by the major quakes and subsequent tremors.

Over the course of three weeks, Turkey has experienced several earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.6 or higher. To make sense of the continued tragedies there, Yahoo News spoke with Ebru Bozdag, an associate professor of geophysics at the Colorado School of Mines.

How does an earthquake happen?

Smoke billows from the port of Iskenderun, Turkey, on Feb. 7 after an earthquake. (Burak Kara/Getty Images)

The primary reason for earthquakes is the relative movement of tectonic plates at the surface, Bozdag said.

The Earth, very roughly, has four major layers. From surface to the center: crust, mantle, outer and inner cores. The crust is broken into rigid tectonic plates, which float on top of the mantle due to the convection currents in the mantle. As the plates move relative to each other, earthquakes happen at plate boundaries. But we also observe some seismic activity inside tectonic plates as well.

Another reason for earthquakes is related to mantle plumes and associated volcanic activities which can occur inside tectonic plates, she explained, such as the type of earthquakes seen in Hawaii, which is located almost in the middle of the Pacific Plate.

Why has Turkey experienced so many earthquakes this month?

Streets turned into rubble after a quake in the city of Hatay, Turkey, on Sunday. (Umut Unver/dia images via Getty Images)

Turkey is located in one of the most seismically active regions on Earth, Bozdag said. Due to the northward push of the Arabian Plate and the subduction [when one plate moves under another and into the mantle] in the Mediterranean Sea, the Anatolian Plate is trying to escape the west, performing a counterclockwise rotational motion using the two major faults zones: North Anatolian and East Anatolian faults.

She continued: The recent earthquakes in East Anatolia have occurred on the East Anatolian Fault and the nearby faults where three tectonic plates meet, what is called a triple junction: the Arabian Plate, the Anatolian Plate and the African Plate. The Arabian and African plates move northwards at about a few millimeters every year, which accumulates stress at the plate boundaries, known as fault zones. We are observing the stress release along the faults with the recent earthquakes.

Is it possible that Turkey could continue to have earthquakes more frequently for the next few weeks or months?

Firefighters extinguish a fire in the rubble of a factory in Hatay province on Sunday. (Kadir Kemal Behar/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

Yes, after major earthquakes it is common to have aftershocks for a few months, sometimes more than a year, until the tectonic plates settle down, Bozdag explained.

It is also possible that earthquakes can increase the stress at the continuation of the faults or nearby faults, which may trigger other earthquakes.

Does climate change affect seismic activity?

We dont have such an observation, but likely not, as the primary source of seismic activity is generated by internal processes, Bozdag said.

Could the earthquakes lead to further catastrophic natural disasters in the region?

Two men watch the rubble removal process in Hatay. (Mehmet Kacmaz/Getty Images)

After such large earthquakes, we observe aftershocks that gradually decrease, Bozdag said. Then a certain amount of time is needed to accumulate the same amount of stress to generate similar earthquakes in the region. So it is unlikely to have large earthquakes at the same locations now.

But, she said, the catastrophe is directly related to the quality of buildings. If the region is prepared well, is following the rules and getting feedback from science and engineering experts, then the next large earthquake does not need to be catastrophic.

Was it predicted that the original earthquake was going to happen? If so, were people warned?

Smoke and collapsed buildings in Iskenderun on Feb. 7. (Burak Kara/Getty Images)

We cannot predict earthquakes, which means we cannot say an earthquake will happen at this location, at this time, with this magnitude, she said. However, we pretty much know the faults and monitor the seismic activity regularly, so that we know where we should expect earthquakes and associated magnitudes reasonably well.

How can Turkey plan for further earthquakes to prevent less death and destruction?

Survivors in front of destroyed buildings in Hatay on Feb. 8. (Ugur Yildirim/dia images via Getty Images)

Turkey has the scientific and engineering background to monitor seismic activity and determine seismic hazards, Bozdag explained. Turkey also has the appropriate building codes. The problem is happening with the execution of these codes. To mitigate seismic hazards we must build appropriate buildings at appropriate sites, taking the seismic risk into account.

Naturally, it would be better to build cities on hard rocks rather than on soft sediments where such areas should be used for farming or recreational areas, etc., she said. It is also desirable not to build buildings on fault lines. Unfortunately, the quality of buildings is the main problem in Turkey, which becomes even worse because they are built on soft materials such as sedimentary basins, which amplifies the intensity.
A man charged with murdering three police officers in Eastern Kentucky last June hung himself in jail and died, according to the prosecutor on the case.

Lance Storz, 50, of Floyd County, was being held in the Pike County Detention Center while awaiting trial, according to Brent Turner, commonwealths attorney for Floyd County.

Turner said police confirmed to him Storz killed himself in the jail. A Kentucky State Police detective was notified of the incident early Tuesday, Turner said.

An employee at the jail said the facility would not comment.

Pikeville police are investigating. Further details on Storzs death were not available.

Storz was charged with ambushing police when they went to his house in Allen, a small town a few miles from Prestonsburg, on June 30 to serve a domestic violence order his wife, Christina, had obtained.

She alleged in the complaint that when she told Storz she was going to leave him, he became irate and said he wouldnt let her leave.

Lance Storz, accused of murdering two police officers during a stand-off in Floyd County, appears by video from jail for his arraignment on July 1, 2022.

Storzs wife said he trapped her in a bedroom, threw her around the room and slapped her, and sexually assaulted her. He allegedly brandished a pistol and demanded that she beg for her life and their daughters life, according to the complaint.

Lance said he has nothing to lose and is all in, his wife said in the complaint. She also said he told her I would never leave him outside of a body bag and that he would kill their daughter as well.

A relative of Storzs wife that shed been in contact with asked police to check on her. When they arrived, Storz was asleep and police took his wife and daughter to safety.

When officers went back to arrest him, Storz allegedly opened fire on them without warning in the narrow street in front of his home.

Two officers, sheriffs Deputy William Petry and Ralph Frasure, a captain with the Prestonsburg Police Department, died at the scene and another Prestonsburg officer, Jacob Chaffins, was critically wounded and died the next day.

Several other officers and first responders were wounded in the rain of gunfire, and a police dog was killed.

Storz ultimately surrendered.

A horse-drawn carriage delivered the casket of slain Floyd County, Ky., sheriffs Deputy William Petry to his burial place on July 5, 2022.

He could have faced the death penalty in the case.

Turner said he had not filed a formal notice that he would seek the death penalty if Storz was convicted, but said it was likely he would have.

Many people in Floyd County knew the three officers, and the deaths hit hard in the community. Thousands of people attended funerals for the officers or lined roads as hearses carried their bodies to the cemetery.

Emotions are still raw for some.

Reacting to Storzs death, Floyd County Attorney Keith Bartley said that in his opinion, its a chicken---- way out by a chicken---- coward!

Eric W. Johnson, head of an organization called Supporting Heroes that helps set up funerals for slain officers, said three guards at the state prison in Eddyville were killed in a riot in 1923, but he was not aware of another case in which three police officers were killed in Kentucky in a single confrontation.

This would be the worst in history, he said.

The national suicide prevention hotline has recently been changed to a three-digit suicide and crisis hotline. It is available 24/7 and can be reached by dialing 988. More information can be found at 988lifeline.org.
The moment a group of alleged thieves stole $30,000 worth of jewellery at a Florida department store while their accomplices distracted a staff member has been caught on surveillance footage.

Fort Lauderdale Police have released this clip of a group of four people they are looking to identify in connection with the theft at a Macys store on 18 February.

Two suspects distracted an employee while the other two stole the goods.

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A California mother is pleading with police to keep searching for her five-year-old son who was swept away from her SUV by floodwater more than seven weeks ago.

Lindsy and Brian Doan have gone back to the Salinas River in San Miguel, central California, equipped with tools to search for the remains of their son Kyle, who was dragged away from his mother on 9 January.

At the beginning of the search, officers found one of Kyles shoes without locating the other. Since his remains havent been found, hes still considered missing.

The storms hitting California last month killed 21 people. While Ms Doan is holding on to hope, shes also trying to be realistic, wondering if his body has been buried by the shifting sands, spending most of her weekends carefully shovelling on the side of the river as she continues her search, which has become increasingly lonely as time has passed.

We tried to do it as shallow to the ground as possible, just in case we hit anything because obviously, I dont want to hurt him or damage his body, she told The Bay Area News Group. Were basically scraping the sand and dirt.

In the first few weeks after Kyle vanished in the waters of the Salinas River, crews of emergency workers from the California National Guard and Sheriffs offices in the area assisted in the search.

Drones, helicopters, underwater sonar, divers, and cadaver dogs all took part.

Both President Biden and Governor Gavin Newsom made statements about Kyle.

We wont give up until we find Kyle, Mr Newsom said during a press briefing. And hopefully, miracle of miracles, hell be okay.

California Storms Missing Boy (Doan Family)

His parents are now thinking those words may not have meant much.

Ms Doan told the newsgroup that a member of the San Luis Obispo County Sheriffs department told her that the search may be in vain.

He may very well be in the Monterey Bay by now, the individual said, according to Ms Doan.

The mother said that only a small number of volunteers and members of the family have been taking part in the search for three weeks.

California Storms Missing Boy (Doan Family)

A GoFundMe fundraiser is paying for excavator equipment as well as lunches and gas cards for volunteers who have come from far away.

We do get this feeling like they tabled Kyle as a cold case now, Mr Doan said about the authorities to the newsgroup. Theyre not being forthcoming anymore. They dont seem to want to return our calls or texts as promptly.

California Storms Missing Boy (Doan Family)

Ms Doan wrote letters last week to Mr Newsom and San Luis Obispo County Sheriff Ian Parkinson.

Its been excuses. ... Were waiting for the weather to get warmer. The water needs to recede more. Its too cold for the dogs to come out. I get it. Youre tired, she wrote in the letter sent on Wednesday. But again I ask. If it was your child, when would you give up?

California Storms Missing Boy (Doan Family)

The sheriffs office told the newsgroup on Saturday that they would restart their search when weather conditions and water levels permit.

In a Friday statement, the Governors Office of Emergency Services said that the full weight of the state remains behind the local officials leading the efforts.

Following Ms Doans initial request, the permit process for excavators to be used on riverbanks was waived.

The family has bought kayaks and wading boots, and have used their own dogs in the search effort.

Kyle was lost in the waters on 9 January, the first day back at school after winter break.

California Storms Missing Boy (Neil Collins)

Ms Doan is a special education teacher at Lillian Larsen Elementary school, where Kyle attended kindergarten.

Water covered the road crossing San Marcos Creek but it appeared to be at about the same depth that it had been the previous evening when the family had been able to pass securely, but the SUV soon started to drift and fill up with water.

Ms Doan climbed out, braced herself against a tree and told Kyle to exit via the drivers door. She grabbed his hand, but the strong current took him away.

California Storms Missing Boy (Neil Collins)

She let go of the tree and floated after Kyle, but on several occasions, she was dragged underwater and she was struck by trees and branches. She eventually couldnt see Kyle anymore.

A couple running a farm next to the creek managed to drag Ms Doan from the water, but they were unable to get to Kyle.

Ms Doan still doesnt drive, especially not past the area where Kyle was taken away by the floodwater.

The house is kept almost the same as when he disappeared.

I feel like when he comes home, if he sees that things are moved, its going to feel like we moved on without him, she told the newsgroup. I dont want him to think we moved on. I need to feel that hes somehow still with us.

The San Luis Obispo County Sheriffs Office told The Independent in a statement that we support the Doan family. And we will continue to support them as we have done with every effort weve undertaken since Kyle disappeared and all those planned efforts still to come. It is our shared hope that through these efforts, Kyle will be located and returned to his family.

The Independent has reached out to the office of the governor for comment.
The most forlorn major railway station on the planet? Surely it must be Aix-en-Provence TGV.

A guiding principle of the outstanding high-speed rail network created by the French has long been that the alignment of the track has been paramount. Unlike 19th-century railway engineers, the designers of the lines for trains a grande vitesse (TGVs) locate stations where it suits the network rather than in the centres of towns and cities.

In the case of the high-speed station serving the Provencal birthplace of Paul Cezanne, that turns out to be 16km southwest of the centre of Aix-en-Provence: the bleak intersection where the D9 highway passes beneath the main line linking Marseille with Paris.

A bus connects Aix centre with the station every 15 minutes, and the same route extends each half-hour to Marseille airport, 10km away. It stops directly beneath the concrete box housing the station, which is handy for those of us seeking a cut-price journey rail journey to the north.

I am carefully conserving the battery life on my mobile because it contains the precious barcode entitling me to almost 500km of rail travel for just 13 (11).

Within a minute I am in the station. Having arrived at the stipulated time (no more than 40 minutes and no less than five minutes before the train is due to depart), I could join the short queue of people at the gate to the platform. But as part of the dossier accompanying the ticket I had been warned that no food or drink was on sale, and therefore I might want to prepare a picnic for the evening journey.

With the train due to depart in 20 minutes, I join the straggle of people queuing up at the stations only catering option, Paul. Ten minutes later, I am the proud owner of a tuna baguette and a can of Heineken  surely the very definition of living the dream? Both proved tasty and enhanced the journey, but together nearly doubled the cost of my journey. I passed the barrier without a problem, being in possession of Ryanair-sized cabin baggage. Larger and more numerous pieces of baggage are charged for, just like on budget airlines.

The sun has long departed before the 6.40pm arrives, a couple of minutes late. I am at waiting area Z, the very rear of the double-deck train, which is about half-full when it draws in. It looks like a standard TGV from the outside, but inside it has a distinct all-economy feel.

My seat is downstairs, at the back  and turns out to be next to a mother and young baby. Each to their own cabin baggage, but I can tell all our journeys will be enhanced if they have a bit more space and I can dine tout seul. Handily a couple of seats are empty, so I move from the appointed seat 239 and settle down for the journey as the train accelerates to 300km/h for what I fondly imagine will be a nonstop three-hour journey.

My laptop battery can provide enough energy for some gentle writing and keeping the phone alive, as the express hurtles north through the darkness. But then we stop, at Avignon TGV (again, a distant relation to the city) and later at Lyon airport. Fortunately any occupants of the seats to which I had relocated fail to show  presumably because they had bought low and were content to discard the tickets. Like airline tickets, they are person-specific. Unlike airlines, passengers can pop out during the brief stops to puff away at cigarettes.

The train has seen better days  I imagine it is one of the older SNCF fleet downgraded to the budget brand. French Railways is keen not to cannibalise passengers who would be happy to pay normal fares for standard TGVs. And so there is one more no-frills trick up the corporate sleeve.

We arrive exactly on time after a perfectly comfortable journey. Anyone heading for Disneyland Paris could not be happier. Unfortunately, as part of the devils bargain the vast majority of us are heading for the centre of the French capital.

Suddenly the handful of machines at Disneylands RER (suburban rail) station are inadequate for people wanting to buy the 5 onward ticket, and two trains depart on the 40-minute run to central Paris while I am waiting to do battle with the distinctly 20th-century technology. (I was well aware of the destination of the train in advance, and could have prepared in advance.)

Would I use Ouigo again? Undoubtedly. Despite the final destination, this is far from a Mickey Mouse operation. As with Ryanair, you need to comply with the rules  but the savings make it well worthwhile. Buying on the day for my train, the Ouigo fare was 19, compared with 78 on a normal TGV (and 160 on Air France from Marseille airport). As a French traveller succinctly says: The price difference is bigger than the comfort gap.
Former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro is set to join Donald Trump by giving a speech at this weeks Conservative Political Action Conference.

The right-wing politician, who has been in Florida for the past two months, is facing investigations in his home country after his supporter rioted following his election defeat.

Mr Trump endorsed Mr Bolsonaros attempt to remain in power in Brazil, only for him to be defeated by Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

Leftist leader Lulas government want Mr Bolsonaro to return to the county by the end of March to appear before Brazilian courts.

The attack on institutions in the Brazilian capital on 8 January has drawn comparisons to the insurrection by Mr Trumps supporters at the US Capitol on January 6, 2021.

Mr Bolsonaro, 67, is scheduled to appear at CPAC, which begins on Wednesday in suburban Washington DC, on Saturday. His son, Eduardo, who is a congressman in Brazil, is also set to speak at CPAC on Saturday.

Donald Trump and Jair Bolsonaro in Florida in 2020 (AFP via Getty Images)

Mr Trump, who has already announced his 2024 run for the Republican presidential nomination, is set to give the main speech on Saturday.

Many call him the Donald Trump of South America, CPAC said of Mr Bolsonaro on Twitter on 17 February.

Here at #CPAC, we call him a friend.

Mr Bolsonaro entered the US on a diplomatic passport in December before applying for a six-month tourist visa, according to Bloomberg.
The Kansas Avenue Safe Parking Site, a county pilot program that has served unhoused residents in San Luis Obispo County since summer 2021, is winding down operations and will work to find housing for existing residents before likely closing in the coming months.

The county will no longer accept new people as it begins moving existing residents off the site, which is located along Highway 1 just north of San Luis Obispo, San Luis Obispo County Administrator Wade Horton told The Tribune on Monday.

Kansas Avenue, sometimes called Oklahoma Avenue, opened in August 2021 as part of an emergency response by the county to the growing population of local unhoused residents.

The site is slated to close at an undetermined date this year as a surge in case management and service providers aim to move the residents toward long-term housing solutions.

None of the roughly 70 to 80 residents that currently reside at the Kansas Avenue site will be evicted at this stage, SLO County homeless services division manager Joe Dzvonik said.

We owe it to them to be honest with ourselves and change strategies and be humane, and take care of the folks that are out there right now, Dzvonik said. Not one of them will be ignored or thrown out.

The county made the decision to work toward closing the Kansas Avenue Safe Parking Site after acknowledging the program failed its objective to serve as a temporary solution for unhoused residents, Horton said. The goal of the site was to be a temporary landing place for unhoused residents as they transition into other temporary or permanent housing.

Horton told The Tribune that dismantling the Kansas Avenue site and implementing a transition plan is the best way forward to serve residents and move them toward more stable living conditions.

We wanted to provide an opportunity for people to transform their lives, and we werent meeting the objectives that we initially thought we would, he said.

San Luis Obispo County expanded its Kansas Avenue Safe Parking Area in November 2021 as it encouraged residents living on Palisades Avenue in Los Osos to move to the area after overnight camping was banned there.

County failed to hire full-time services provider to manage Kansas Avenue site

One of the key challenges was the inability to identify a homelessness services provider to take over operations at the site despite more than a year of recruitment efforts, Horton said.

Instead, the county has relied on drop-in services from local social services providers and management by county staff.

Were not a homeless services provider. There are subject matter experts that the county contracts with in order to provide those best practices services, Horton said.

Dzvonik said that the half dozen service providers the county contacted to manage the program were reluctant to take over full responsibility for the site and its large population of complex cases.

The Kansas Avenue site was established without consultation from a homelessness services provider, which has been another challenge when it came to recruiting a services provider to take over operations.

Nothing has really materialized in terms of (identifying) a focused service provider, Dzvonik said.

SLO County District 3 Supervisor Dawn Ortiz-Legg said the site was created in a haphazard manner and lacked the planning and structure seen in other more successful housing solutions.

What weve seen in successful programs, both in the North County with ECHO and the South County, is that you have very diligent support services, staff that build trust, Ortiz-Legg said. Because Kansas was thrown together the way it was, it never really had a good foundational start.

Portable restrooms and showers are among the infrastructure provided to residents at the Kansas Avenue Safe Parking Site.

Dissatisfied residents tried to demand more services

Despite there being no permanent, full-time site management at Kansas Avenue, the Community Action Partnership of San Luis Obispo functioned as the primary case management provider for the sites residents, a duty that included finding housing and helping residents navigate the local network of care providers.

As temporary stays became permanent for some day-one residents, around four dozen formed a union in November to advocate for more services from the county and CAPSLO.

The unions initial demands focused on taking over the sites security, gaining water, sewage and electricity hookups for RVs and forming a governing body made up of residents to run the site.

(Unionizing) makes us feel like were not just people living inside of a fence, union president Mallory Mejia told The Tribune in November.

Dzvonik said the decision to wind down site operations is not related to any tensions between site residents and administrators.

Donated picnic tables with shade covers are available for use at the Kansas Avenue Safe Parking Site.

Many residents treated SLO safe parking site as their final home

Another challenge has been encouraging existing residents to see Kansas Avenue as a transitional housing solution as opposed to a permanent community.

Were looking at 17, 18 months now its been open, and there were some folks that have been out there from day one and theres still really no plan for them to leave, Dzvonik said.

Due to the lack of consistent engagement with case management from CAPSLO, some residents began to view the site as their final home.

Its not intended for someone to stay there for three, four, five years, or however long they wanted, Horton said. Its not set up to accommodate that type of long-term stay.

Even when provided with a housing voucher, some residents resisted the idea of being moved into long-term housing because they would still need to pay for some of their housing costs, Dzvonik said.

That presents a little bit of a challenge because they may not have much money, and they are understandably reluctant to do that right away, because its a bit of a shock, Dzvonik said. Theyre in the mindset that theyre staying in a place with no charge. Now youre asking to move to a place where they may have to pay some income, of which they may not have any.

While the site has seen some successful cases over its year and a half of operation, those usually involved individuals who were already close to exiting homelessness or did not require intensive mental health or substance use treatment, Dzvonik said.

A list of rules for those staying at the safe parking site on Kansas Avenue that SLO County created for unhoused residents living in their vehicles. Residents must check in at the site between 5 and 9 p.m.

SLO County plans to escalate services at Kansas Avenue as part of transition

By surging the social services directed at Kansas Avenue residents in the coming weeks or months, county officials hope to avoid having to forcibly remove anyone from the property.

Dzvonik said the county plans to engage numerous local agencies and organizations to provide a tailored solution to each individual currently residing at the site.

Were going to do what we can to work with folks, but if we have someone that says Well, thats great. Im gonna need another year to figure it out. Were not going to continue that site, Horton said.

I just want to be very clear that Im not going to keep the site open for five years because someone doesnt want to move, he added. Thats not gonna be the case.

Jack Lahey, director of homeless services at CAPSLO, said closing the parking site to new applicants will allow CAPSLO and the other providers who service the site to direct their services toward case management for the current residents.

We can really focus on our attention on the people there and their situations, and really try to work with them on any barriers that are holding them up from obtaining more secure housing, Lahey said.

CAPSLO and other providers including ECHO, the 5Cities Homeless Coalition and Transitions-Mental Health Services will work together to match clients with the organization that can best fit their needs, Lahey said.

Lahey acknowledged not all residents will want to accept services or move into transitional or permanent housing.

If youre saying no because you dont want service provision, then maybe its just planning how you can be as safe as possible wherever youre going to be moving, Lahey said.

Without its onsite case management responsibilities, Lahey said, CAPSLO will be able to divert its four onsite workers and funding for the site toward deeper outreach efforts in Los Osos, Morro Bay, Baywood and the city of San Luis Obispo.

5Cities Homeless Coalition gives a tour of its Cabins for Change program in Grover Beach on Dec. 15, 2022. The South County transitional housing project features 20 100-square-foot pallet shelters. The county thinks tiny home projects like this one are a better solution that the Kansas Avenue Safe Parking Site.

Whats next for transitional housing?

In the coming weeks, Dzvonik said the county will create a transition plan for the current group of residents at Kansas Avenue.

One solution the county is considering is tiny home villages such as the 5Cities Homeless Coalitions Cabins for Change program, Dzvonik said.

Tiny home villages have several advantages over parking sites, Dzvonik said.

In tiny homes villages residents do not own the buildings they live in, unlike at safe parking sites where residents live in their own RVs. Residents will often voluntarily enter a tiny homes program with the understanding that the program is a transitional step toward stability in sobriety, mental health care, employment or permanent housing.

In the meantime, Dzvonik said the surge in services will focus on getting every residents case resolved in an individualized and humane manner.

This was a difficult but honest assessment, Dzvonik said. You just have to admit when something isnt working, because now youre just throwing good money at the bad and peoples lives are being affected by this.

Horton said county staff plans to bring a comprehensive homelessness update to the Board of Supervisors in April, where this transitional plan for Kansas Avenue will be a key component.

Tribune reporter Stephanie Zappelli contributed to this story.
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP)  A 19-year-old Florida man is now facing three first-degree-murder charges related to a shooting last week that killed a television news reporter, a 9-year-old girl and a 38-year-old woman, sheriff's officials said Tuesday.

Orange County Sheriff's officials released an arrest warrant Tuesday morning that included two new murder charges against Keith Melvin Moses in the attack in an Orlando neighborhood last Wednesday.

Investigators said Moses fatally shot Nathacha Augustin seconds after the car she was riding in stopped to offer him a ride. A witness in the car described Moses as acting strange and sweating before the shooting.

Moses ran after the shooting and hours later returned to the scene while television crews were working on a story about the shooting, authorities said.

Investigators said Moses first went into a nearby house, where he shot Tyonna Major, a young gymnast, and her mother. The mother told investigators she woke up to her daughter yelling, he shot me, as she ran and jumped on her bed, the warrant said. She said the man then shot her in the arm. She told investigators she barricaded herself and her daughter in the master bedroom until deputies arrived.

She said T'Yonna described the suspect and said he had come through the rear door to the home, the warrant said. The mother said she normally kept the doors locked but sometimes left them unlocked after letting the dog out.

T'Yonna died at a hospital a short time after the shooting.

After leaving the Major's house, the suspect walked to the vehicle belonging to the Spectrum News 13 crew, where he fatally shot reporter Dylan Lyons and critically wounded video journalist Jesse Walden.

Deputies responded to the scene after getting 911 calls from both locations.

Investigators talked to a reporter and videographer from WFTV, another news station that was covering the story of the initial killing.

They told deputies the man had been walking toward them with a gun and they were able to video him as he left the scene. They called 911 and then made their way to the Spectrum News 13 vehicle, where they saw Lyons and Walden had been shot, the warrant said.

Deputies found Moses a short distance from the area within minutes. They said he was sweating as he walked toward them. They found a Glock .40-caliber handgun in his pants which they noted was still hot to the touch, meaning it had been fired recently.

The warrant said a witness was able to identify Moses through a photo lineup.

The warrant noted the gun's slide was in the locked position and the magazine was still inserted, which is consistent with the firearm being shot until it ran out of ammunition and the slide locking to the rear.

Moses was taken to a hospital where he was evaluated, but the warrant said he did not communicate with deputies or the hospital staff but made facial expressions, such as smiling. At times he made hand symbols of guns as he pointed the gun at his head," the warrant said.

Once at the sheriff's office, he continued refusing to speak with investigators, pretending to be asleep. He tried to leave the interview room twice and when deputies grabbed his arms and tried to subdue him after he got out of the room, he screamed continuously, I can't breathe.

The Office of the Public Defender for Orange and Osceola counties is representing Moses and has declined to comment. Moses waived the right to be in court during a first appearance hearing Tuesday, according to a spokesperson for the Orange County Jail.
Locator map for Iran with its capital, Tehran. (AP Photo)

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP)  Over the past three months, hundreds of young girls attending different schools in Iran have become overpowered by what are believed to be noxious fumes wafting into their classrooms, with some ending up weakened on hospital beds.

Officials in Iran's theocracy initially dismissed these incidents, but now describe them as intentional attacks involving some 30 schools identified in local media reports, with some speculating they could be aimed at trying to close schools for girls in this country of over 80 million people.

The reported attacks come at a sensitive time for Iran, which already has faced months of protests after the September death of Mahsa Amini following her arrest by the country's morality police.

The authorities have not named suspects, but the attacks have raised fears that other girls could be poisoned apparently just for seeking an education  something that's never been challenged before in the over 40 years since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Iran itself also has been calling on the Taliban in neighboring Afghanistan to have girls and women return to school.

The first cases emerged in late November in Qom, some 125 kilometers (80 miles) southwest of Irans capital, Tehran. There, in a heartland of Shiite theologians and pilgrims, students at the Noor Yazdanshahr Conservatory fell ill in November. They then fell ill again in December.

Authorities didn't link the cases at first

Other cases followed, with children complaining about headaches, heart palpitations, feeling lethargic or otherwise unable to move. Some described smelling tangerines, chlorine or cleaning agents.

At first, authorities didn't link the cases. It's winter in Iran, where temperatures often drop below freezing at night. Many schools are heated by natural gas, leading to speculation it could be carbon monoxide poisoning affecting the girls. The country's education minister initially dismissed the reports as rumors."

But the schools affected at first only taught young women, fueling suspicion it wasn't accidental. At least one case followed in Tehran, with others in Qom and Boroujerd. At least one boys' school has been targeted as well.

Slowly, officials began taking the claims seriously. Iran's prosecutor-general ordered an investigation, saying "there are possibilities of deliberate criminal acts. Iran's Intelligence Ministry reportedly investigated as well.

On Sunday, Iran's state-run IRNA news agency filed multiple stories with officials acknowledging the scope of the crisis.

After several poisonings of students in Qom schools, it was found that some people wanted all schools, especially girls schools, to be closed, IRNA quoted Younes Panahi, a deputy health minister, as saying.

A Health Ministry spokesman, Pedram Pakaieen, said the poisoning didn't come from a virus or a microbe. Neither elaborated further.

Ali Reza Monadi, a national parliament member who sits on its education committee, described the poisonings as intentional.

Parents have pulled their students from classes

The existence of the devil's will to prevent girls from education is a serious danger and it is considered a very bad news," he said, according to IRNA. We have to try to find roots of this.

Already, parents have pulled their students from classes, in effect shuttering some schools in Qom in recent weeks, according to a report by Shargh, a reformist news website based in Tehran.

The poisonings come as getting verifiable information out of Iran remains difficult given the crackdown on all dissent stemming from the protests and internet slowdowns put in place by the government. At least 95 journalists have been arrested by authorities since the start of the protests, according to the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists.

Overall, the security force crackdown has killed at least 530 people and seen 19,700 others detained, according to Human Rights Activists in Iran.

Attacks on women have happened in the past in Iran, most recently with a wave of acid attacks in 2014 around Isfahan, at the time believed to have been carried out by hard-liners targeting women for how they dressed. But even in the chaos surrounding the Islamic Revolution, no one targeted schoolgirls for attending classes.

As many as 400 students have fallen ill

Jamileh Kadivar, a prominent former reformist lawmaker and journalist, wrote in Tehran's Ettelaat newspaper that as many as 400 students have fallen ill in the poisonings.

She warned subversive opposition groups could be behind the attacks. However, she also raised the possibility of domestic extremists" who aim to replace the Islamic Republic with a caliphate or a Taliban-type Islamic emirate.

She cited a supposed communique from a group calling itself Fidayeen Velayat that purportedly said, the study of girls is considered haram" and threatened to "spread the poisoning of girls throughout Iran if girls' schools remain open.

Iranian officials have not acknowledged any group called Fidayeen Velayat, which roughly translates to English as Devotees of the Guardianship. However, Kadivar's mention of the threat in print comes as she remain influential within Iranian politics and has ties to its theocratic ruling class. The head of Ettelaat newspaper also is appointed by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Another prominent reformist politician, Azar Mansouri, also linked the suspected poisoning attacks to hard-line groups, referencing the Isfahan acid attacks.

We said the acid attacks were organized. You said: You are disturbing public opinion!" Mansouri wrote online. If operatives of the attacks were identified and punished then, today a group of reactionaries would not have ganged up on our innocent girls in the schools.

Activists also worry this could be a disturbing new trend in the country.

This is a very fundamentalist thinking surfacing in society, said Hadi Ghaemi, the executive director of the New York-based Center for Human Rights in Iran. We have no idea how widespread this group is but the fact they have been able to carry it out with such impunity is so troubling.
Idahoans love their fishing, and of all the species anglers pursue in Gem State waters, trout are the most popular. Thanks to abundant stocking and healthy populations of wild fish in Idahos rivers, lakes and streams, we anglers have virtually unlimited opportunities to catch trout throughout the year.

My next fishing class, Trout of This World, is designed to give anglers the tools and knowledge they need to catch more and bigger trout year-round in Idaho waters. Trout of This World is being offered Thursday, March 30, from 6 to 8:30 p.m. at Idaho Rod & Reel in Nampa.

From trophy rainbows and giant browns to beautiful cutthroats and monster Mackinaws, well do a deep dive on lures, baits, techniques and strategies that will help students enjoy their best season of trout fishing yet. For details and registration, visit www.tightlines208.com. I hope to see you there!

Idaho featured in FlyLords YouTube series

Speaking of trout, the Idaho-themed episode of the Flylords YouTube series I wrote about last month premiered Feb. 15. To check it out, visit www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPqcJv28JvU. Tight lines!

Jordan Rodriguez has been fishing Idaho waters since he was a teen. Share your fish stories, adventures and questions with him at tightlinesboise@gmail.com, or visit www.tightlines208.com for the latest local fishing reports and upcoming class offerings.
For nearly a decade, Evgeniya Chernyshova said she lived with the secret trauma that has haunted her.

But in 2017, with the support of her teenage daughter, she filed a police report with investigators and became Jane Doe No. 1 in Weinsteins Los Angeles trial. The jury convicted Weinstein only on the criminal counts related to Chernyshova's incident.

Her emotional and candid testimony in court was the critical factor in bringing Weinstein to justice even after he was convicted for other assaults on the East Coast.

Last week, Weinstein was sentenced to 16 additional years in prison in a Los Angeles court for a rape conviction on top of the 23-year prison sentence for rape convictions in New York.

Chernyshova, compelled to come forward fully in the hopes of helping others, spoke with "Nightline" for her first televised interview about her encounter, and how an alleged sexual assault incident involving her teenage daughter compelled her to seek justice for herself and other victims.

PHOTO: Evgeniya Chernyshova said she hopes her testimony helps inspire other rape victims to come forward to the authorities and seek justice. (ABC News)

"I want my story to be an example. That you can stand, you can fight the monster [and] you can win," she told Nightline.

MORE: Harvey Weinstein sentenced to 16 years for rape conviction in LA

Chernyshova, a Russian-born Italian model, actress and mother of three, said she was staying at a Los Angeles hotel during the 2013 Los Angeles Italia Festival when she said Weinstein banged on her door. She let him in and he sexually assaulted and raped her.

Chernyshova said she was traumatized by the incident but didn't tell anyone.

"It was a moment that I cannot be like [a] mom or touching my kids or taking care of them. I separated from my husband because my marriage had been affected," she said.

PHOTO: In this Oct. 4, 2022, file photo, former film producer Harvey Weinstein appears in court at the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center in Los Angeles. (Etienne Laurent, Pool/Getty Images, FILE)

Chernyshova and her three children moved to Los Angeles for work. In 2017, she was with her daughter Maria, who was 15 at the time, at the same festival when she said Weinstein approached their dinner table.

Chernyshova said she felt paralyzed and left the table. For years, she kept the assault a secret even after other victims of Weinstein's sexual harassment and abuse came forward with their stories and began the MeToo movement.

MORE: Harvey Weinstein found guilty of 3 counts, including rape, in LA sexual assault trial

A few months after her and her daughter's encounter with Weinstein, the mother and daughter told "Nightline" that they would suffer another shock that would push them to seek justice.

PHOTO: Maria Chernyshova and her mother Evgeniya speak to 'Nightline' about the trauma they suffered. (ABC News)

Maria Chernyshova said she was sexually assaulted and told her mother because she was scared for her safety.

"I just blurted it out really. I didnt think there was a perfect way to tell something like this to my mom, I didnt know how she would react," Maria Chernyshova told "Nightline."

Maria Chernyshova said she was shocked when her mother told her that she, too, was a victim. Evgeniya Chernyshova said her daughter's pain made her rethink keeping her assault to herself and the two made a promise to go to the police together and report their incidents.

Evgeniya Chernyshova said she was afraid of the harsh trauma that her daughter would face if they didn't go to the authorities.

"She will repeat my mistake. She will hide this and will live with this forever," Evgeniya Chernyshova said. "Everyone from the old generation, all of us [were] encouraged to deny. I decided to break this cycle."

Maria Chernyshova received a restraining order against her alleged perpetrator and in 2020 Los Angeles prosecutors announced they filed charges against Weinstein for sexual assaults and rapes that investigators said took place between 2004 and 2017.

Evgeniya Chernyshova was listed as one of the two Jane Does in that case. Weinstein, who was convicted and sentenced in 2020 on rape and sexual assault charges in a New York court, and his attorneys denied that he had met Chernyshova, but she testified against him and reiterated the incident and her trauma.

Maria Chernyshova also testified to back up her mother's allegation.

"In that moment I felt that I was getting my closure," she said. "And I walk out of that courtroom crying and I tell her, 'Mom, I feel amazing. I feel good, and I feel like I felt like myself again. And it's been a long time."

PHOTO: Evgeniya Chernyshova talks to 'Nightline' about coming forward with her charges against Harvey Weinstein, who she said sexually assaulted her in 2013. (ABC News)

Weinstein was convicted by the L.A. jury on three of seven counts he was charged with, all of which were tied to Evgeniya Chernyshova's rape. The jury found Weinstein not guilty of one count  sexual battery by restraint of Jane Doe 3  and it was hung on three counts, including forcible rape of Jane Doe 4.

He was sentenced last week to 16 years in prison, which will be served consecutively after his New York sentence.

MORE: Weinstein, Masterson trials highlight the uphill battle to address sexual violence: experts

Other Weinstein accusers praised Chernyshova for her courage following the sentencing.

"I'm so happy that our voices are heard now because you messed with the wrong girl, Harvey Weinstein," Louisette Geiss, a Weinstein accuser, told reporters.

PHOTO: In this Nov. 12, 2017, file photo, Brenda Gutierrez, Frances Fisher and Tarana Burke participate in the #MeToo Survivors March & Rally, in Hollywood, Calif. (Chelsea Guglielmino/FilmMagic via Getty Images, FILE)

Weinstein's lawyers, who maintain their client did not sexually assault the accusers in the criminal trials, are appealing his New York conviction.

In the meantime, Evgeniya Chernyshova said she has since found a bigger purpose after coming forward, and her resolve to fight for other victims is stronger than ever.

PHOTO: Evgeniya Chernyshova has come forward about her 2013 sexual assault and rape incident by Harvey Weinstein. (ABC News)

"You have to stand up," she said as she held back tears. "You have to go forward. You have to fight just for yourself. Just for other victims, for our kids. And you can win. My story is an example."

ABC News' Kelley Robinson and Karin Weinberg contributed to this report.

Weinstein Jane Doe breaks silence about her trauma, quest for justice originally appeared on abcnews.go.com


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A 17-year-old is facing charges of kidnapping and larceny in connection with a 2022 incident involving a vehicle stolen from a Windsor Locks gas station with a 5-year-old child inside, police said.

The Windsor Locks Police Department responded to a call about a motor vehicle theft at the Pride gas station at 77 Ella Grasso Turnpike in Windsor Locks just before 9 a.m. on July 9, 2022. Officers learned that the victims 5-year-old son was in the car at the time of the theft, police said in a Facebook post Monday.

Minutes later, the Connecticut State Police said they located the vehicle with the child inside it on Route 20, according to Windsor Locks police.

The child was unharmed, police said.

Investigators learned that a second vehicle had picked up the suspect after the suspect abandoned the stolen vehicle and the child, according to police.

Using video surveillance, evidence collected at the scene, interviews and intelligence from other local police departments, officers identified a 17-year-old juvenile suspect.

Windsor Locks police applied for a juvenile arrest warrant charging the teen with second-degree larceny, second-degree kidnapping and risk of injury to a minor, police said. On Feb. 24, Detective Dan Bontempo issued a juvenile summons for the suspect who was already in the custody of the Department of Correction at the Manson Youth Institution on unrelated charges, according to police.

The teen is scheduled to appear in Superior Court for Juvenile Matters in New Britain on March 2.

The initiative and determination by our detective staff on this case is a testament to their professionalism and commitment to our community, said Windsor Locks Police Chief Eric Osanitsch.
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 28, ARMENPRESS. Speaker of Parliament Alen Simonyan says that by blockading the Lachin Corridor Azerbaijan actually inflicted greater harm on itself politically than on Armenia and Artsakh and now Baku is in a deadlock.

Commenting on the world court ruling, the Speaker said that Armenia will maximally make use of this decision in all international organizations.

We are achieving rather big success internationally and we will continue to work in this direction. I think that the closure of the Lachin corridor inflicted greater harm on Azerbaijan than on Armenia and Artsakh politically. Yes, we suffered, indeed, we are taking it hard, yes, our compatriots are blocked, we have problems. But by my evaluation, politically Azerbaijan has appeared in a deadlock, Speaker Simonyan said when asked by ARMENPRESS to comment.

Asked whether or not lifting the blockade, fulfilling the world courts order, could be a precondition in the negotiations, the Speaker reiterated that Armenia does not negotiate over Lachin corridor because a negotiated and signed agreement on the Lachin corridor already exists, i.e., the 9 November 2020 trilateral statement.

The United Nations highest court  the International Court of Justice - ordered Azerbaijan on February 22 to take all steps at its disposal to ensure unimpeded movement of persons, vehicles and cargo along the Lachin Corridor in both directions.

The Lachin Corridor is blocked by Azerbaijan since 12 December 2022.
Authorities evacuated Windsor Locks High School after a bomb threat was found at the school Monday morning, police said.

The Windsor Locks Police Department said a bomb threat was found written on a bathroom wall of the high school around 8:15 a.m. that said it was set to go off at 2:15 p.m.

The threat caused alarm, police said, and school authorities evacuated classes for the day. After an initial investigation, it appeared to be a hoax, according to police.

The incident follows two bomb threats on Feb. 17 at North Street School and South Street School in Windsor Locks. After both schools were evacuated, police found no evidence of explosives.

The incidents remains under investigation. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Windsor Locks Police Department.
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 28, ARMENPRESS. Deputy Prime Minister of Armenia Mher Grigoryan receives the newly appointed Ambassador of the United States of America to Armenia Kristina Kvien, ARMENPRESS was informed from the Government of Armenia.

Welcoming Kristina Kvien, the Deputy Prime Minister congratulated her on her appointment as Ambassador and wished her fruitful work in her responsible mission.

The interlocutors discussed the prospects for the development of trade and economic relations between the two countries.

During the meeting, Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigoryan presented to the Ambassador the situation resulted by the blocking of the Lachin Corridor by Azerbaijan and the importance of a clear international response to it.

The interlocutors also exchanged ideas on regional developments.
The intelligence and security agencies must maintain a tight vigil on the overall situation in Punjab and abroad

Pakistan and its secessionist proteges must know that they will have to pay a heavy price if they ever cross the red lines which India has firmly drawn. (Photo: ANI)

Religion, otherwise the repertoire of time-honoured human values, can also denigrate in diverse manifestations as the opium is not only of the masses but of nation states pursuing nefarious agendas. That nearly four decades back, Pakistans then dictator-President Gen. Zia-ul Haq had enunciated his sinister K2 strategy of bleeding India by a thousand cuts, employing a perverse interpretation of religion is well known.

Creating religio-political unrest backed by terror-driven violence in Indias border states of Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab was formally conceived as Pakistans evil strategy to create problems for India. That this devious planning did meet with a modicum of success for some years cannot be denied. Equally, that the patriotic people of Punjab and the violence-weary population of J&K did not succumb to these Pakistani wiles is also worthy of mention.

Terrorism doesnt flourish independently, but requires, besides a sinister eye-catching mission, myriad forms of support, including ample funding, training, political and logistical support, etc.

Pakistans Deep State -- the unholy trinity of the Pakistan Army, its intelligence agencies and the many terror tanzeems it nurtures -- has perfected the art of exporting terror. It is not surprising that for decades Pakistan has been dubbed the epicentre of global terrorism.

Regrettably, despite Pakistan currently on the verge of total economic collapse and starvation, with its forex reserves down to a mere 10 days of survival, continues to carry on with its nefarious agenda of re-energising its old Khalistan mischief in some Western nations and, importantly, in Indias strategic border state of Punjab.

In a recent news agency interview, Lt. Gen. KS Brar, who had led the Army action in June 1984 during Operation Bluestar to oust terrorists holed up in the Golden Temple -- the sacred shrine of Sikhs, has said there is a resurgence of the Khalistani movement in Punjab, and that Pakistan is assisting them. London, Canada, America and Pakistan want a resurgence. He added: It is horrible. I go to the UK, I go to Southall and I see Damdami Taksal leader Jarnail Singh Bhindranwales picture everywhere. Gen. Brar is on the hit list of certain terrorists and he has survived a terror attack in London to assassinate him. His warnings about the Khalistani movements resurgence need to be factored in seriously by the Indian security establishment.

The overall political situation currently in Punjab needs to be carefully monitored. Some analysts feel the Aam Aadmi Party government now in power in Punjab is not sufficiently firm in its dealings with extremists in the state, as reportedly the AAP obtained their votes in the 2022 polls. After the Akali Dal severed its traditional ties with pro-Hindu ally BJP, some tensions between the pro-Hindu groups in Punjab and right-wing Sikhs in the Akali Dal are bound to occur. However, what is causing concern now is the emergence of a young fiery extremist leader in Punjab, Amritpal Singh, who derives his inspiration from Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale. He has been touring Punjab and dressed like his late mentor, been spewing the Khalistani agenda. Amritpal has repeatedly said the Khalistan movement cannot be stopped. The other day he and his supporters stormed the Ajnala police station in the Amritsar area and managed to pressure the state government to free his imprisoned aide. It is high time the Centre takes cognisance of such anti-national activities and takes exemplary action against all those preaching secession.

Pakistans Inter-Services Intelligence and its Khalistani cohorts, for the last three years particularly, have changed their tactics. To exacerbate the religious divide among Hindus and Sikhs, some extremist elements have taken to defacing Hindu temples in the UK, Canada and Australia, which naturally has led to anguish and anger among Hindus at home and abroad. In the last one month, two Hindu temples in Canada and four in Australia have been vandalised and defaced with anti-Hindu and anti-India slogans. The government has taken up this issue strongly with the Australian and Canadian governments and their local authorities. But a few Sikh extremists have gone on a rampage at some places and there is palpable tension among the two Indian communities, who have otherwise lived in peace with each other for decades.

As the local authorities overseas take action to prevent such incidents, it is advisable that the Indian government send Sikh-led multi-community delegations to go around and address the vast Indian diaspora in some of the affected nations. Respected community leaders should educate the locals, born and settled abroad, about the multi-cultural, multi-religious and multi-ethnic values of the country of their origin, where intolerance towards any faith is sacrilege and never appreciated.

The nation must take concrete steps to ensure Punjab does not again experience the turmoil and pain it saw in the 1980s. To ensure that Punjab and its valiant, patriotic and industrious people grow towards their glorious destiny, a holistic approach by the Centre and the state government should be adopted, with all political parties giving unstinted support. Secularism as the watchword for strengthening Indias inter-societal harmony should be further given a fillip. The intelligence and security agencies must maintain a tight vigil on the overall situation in Punjab and abroad.

Indias detractors will recall how the loyal and nationalistic Sikhs had determinedly thwarted the machinations engineered from overseas in the 1980s and peace and joy had returned to Indias granary, truly the crown jewel of the nation. Pakistan and its secessionist proteges must know that they will have to pay a heavy price if they ever cross the red lines which India has firmly drawn.
by Arundathie Abeysinghe

The proposal was put forward by the Fisheries Minister as a solution to illegal activities. Trawling by fishermen in Tamil Nadu has a strong environmental impact on fish stocks. Sri Lankan fishermen feel that the government is buckling under Indian pressure.

Colombo (AsiaNews) - More than 40 fishermen's associations in the Jaffna district, numbering about 8,000 members, have decided to drag their fishing boats onto the road in protest against the proposal by Fisheries Minister Douglas Devananda to allow Indian fishermen to fish in Sri Lankan waters.

According to the proposal, put forward as a solution to poaching and illegal practices by Indian fishermen, permits will be issued for boats based in Tamil Nadu and with limited engine capacity to fish in the Palk Strait, which divides the two countries.

Selvanathan Thurairajah, Kumaran Anandappa and Samuel Karthigesu, representatives of fishermen's associations in the North, told AsiaNews that "there will be a discussion about the minister's move to allow 'small Indian boats' to fish in Sri Lankan waters under a licensing system that will adversely affect' their livelihood. The fishermen added that they will not allow Indians to obtain permits to fish in northern waters 'even for one hour."

K. Balachandran, president of the Karainagar Pradhesiya Sabha, a local council, wrote last week to the Indian Consul General, Raakesh Natraj, demanding compensation for the damage caused by the Indian fishermen to local fishermen to the tune of 11 million rupees (less than 29,000 euro).

Senior Fisheries Ministry officials said that "there is already a dispute with the owners of trawlers worth millions of rupees from Tamil Nadu when it comes to fishing in the Palk Strait. This has an impact on Sri Lanka's economy and makes a mockery of the international maritime boundary line that separates India and Sri Lanka."

However, these sources also added that "Minister Devananda has considered some proposals regarding the identification of the location of fishing grounds, number of vessels, regulatory authority and a possible joint patrolling mechanism by the Sri Lankan Navy and the Indian Coast Guard, which will be discussed at the next meeting of the Indo-Sri Lanka Joint Working Group.

"Under no circumstances will Indian trawlers be allowed to enter Sri Lankan waters, as this practice is banned in Sri Lanka due to the enormous damage it causes to marine resources," he said. The minister believes that Sri Lankan and Indian fishermen can reach a 'win-win' situation. His top priority is to protect the interests of the northern fishermen,' the sources said.

On many occasions, Sri Lankan authorities have detained Indian fishermen, who were released after a series of diplomatic meetings between representatives of the two countries.

"These trawlers use large nets that sweep the ocean floor, also trapping many young fish, affecting the reproductive cycle and causing depletion of marine resources," explained environmentalist Ratnajeevan Kumaravelu.

According to experts, "the licensed boats would be relatively small and equipped with engines of minimal power, unlike the trawlers in Tamil Nadu that are armed with large capacity engines and iron trawling equipment."

According to sources in the Ministry of External Affairs, "discussions are continuing with the Indian government to resolve the fisheries issue. We must ensure that trawling is completely banned with the aim of protecting marine life."

Meanwhile, fishermen's associations in the North believe that "the government is giving in to pressure from the Indian government." Because of this problem, "Sri Lankan fishermen will suffer." Minister Devananda said that the proposal to grant the permits was 'a measure to reduce tension between fishermen on both sides and to prevent trawling in the northern seas'.

Senior government sources added that President Ranil Wickremesinghe is expected to address the issue during his visit to India.
Today's headlines: per capita income growth drops in China; US and Thailand engaged in Cobra Gold military exercises; New Japanese sanctions on Russia; Government crisis in Nepal. Putin promises salaries to priests engaged at the front in Ukraine.

ISRAEL

Avi Maoz, controversial leader of the ultra-conservative Noam party, left his government post last night. Maoz accuses PM Netanyahu of not fulfilling his commitment to pursue policies for the affirmation of 'Jewish national identity.

CHINA

In 2022, the per capita income of the Chinese grew by only 2.9 per cent in one year, down sharply from the year before (+8.1 per cent): a similar pace of growth as in 2020, at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. In contrast, per capita expenditure fell by 0.2%.

THAILAND-UNITED STATES

The annual Cobra Gold military manoeuvres involving US forces on Thai soil with local units have resumed in full force. With 6 thousand soldiers, Washington's deployment is the largest in years. Bangkok, on the other hand, has 3 thousand troops in the field.

JAPAN

Tokyo adds 143 targets to its list of Russian persons and entities sanctioned for the invasion of Ukraine. The punitive measures include asset freezes and export bans on those targeted. Also included in the list is the notorious mercenary group Wagner.

NEPAL

There is a government crisis in the Himalayan country after the Marxist-Leninist Party announced its exit from the Maoist-led coalition executive. The crux of the dispute is the appointment of a new head of state, after Premier Pushpa Kamal Dahal indicated support for an opposition candidate.

RUSSIA

Putin has promised a state salary to Orthodox priests who actively support war operations, blessing soldiers and going to assist them in Ukraine. The Russian president wants to put them on an equal footing with army officers, ensuring compensation for them or their families in case of death or serious injury at the front.

MOLDOVA

According to Igor Grosu, president of the Chisinau Parliament, 'the question of Moldova joining NATO is not on the agenda. To be honest, we would like it to be, but this is not the right time, to avoid confusion and hysteria about it'.
by Shafique Khokhar

Anwar Kenneth was sentenced to death in Lahore in 2002 for defending Christianity against Islam in the weeks following the 9/11 attacks. After five court-appointed lawyers refused to defend him, one agreed to take up his case at the next hearing. For human rights advocates, defending ones faith cannot be considered blasphemy.

AsiaNews (Lahore)  Anwar Kenneth, a Christian man from Lahore, has been on death row for 21 years following his conviction of blasphemy for defending Christianity in an exchange with a local Islamic leader in the aftermath of the attacks on 11 September 2001.

Anwar Kenneths odyssey is now before the Pakistani Supreme Court, which is expected to start deliberations on the matter tomorrow.

His legal troubles began when a complaint was filed against him on 25 September 2001 under the infamous Article 295c of the Pakistan Penal Code, the so-called blasphemy law.

The charge is based on a letter, the Christian man, a former Ministry of Fisheries employee, sent to Haji Mehmood Zafar, secretary of a Lahore mosque, who had written to him that, while Jesus is a prophet according to Islamic tradition, he neither died on a cross nor was resurrected.

In his reply, Anwar Kenneth argued that Muhammad was not the prophet and that the Qur'an was not the word of God. And, provocatively, he challenged his interlocutor to file a complaint for blasphemy, claiming that God would protect him.

Eventually, Anwar Kenneth went on trial on 18 July 2002, ending with a conviction, a fine of five million rupees, a death sentence, and immediate imprisonment. On 30 June 2014, the Lahore High Court upheld the court's verdict.

Anwar Kenneth has always refused to appoint his own lawyer claiming that God is his defence. Moreover, in 21 years, five court-appointed lawyers have refused to represent him in court.

On 24 January 2023, the Supreme Court asked the Bar Council to provide counsel to represent the defendant in the interests of criminal justice. A lawyer agreed, so the hearing is set for 1 March.

Joseph Jansen, president of Voice for Justice, spoke to AsiaNews about the case. Religious freedom is a fundamental human right protected by national and international laws.

Anwar Kenneth is firm in his faith in Christianity, and his arguments and opinions should not be interpreted as an act of blasphemy.

For Lawyer Abdul Hameed Rana, Anwar Kenneth is a devout believer and an innocent person. Like him, There are billions of people in the world, who have their own religion and do not believe in Islam.

None of them are not liable to be prosecuted in any court of law for their beliefs. Hence, he must be acquitted as he has already spent 21 years of his life behind the bar for the offence he has never committed.

For his part, activist Aneel Edger notes that the Supreme Court itself ruled in 2022 that depriving minorities of their religious beliefs and preventing them from professing and practising their religion is contrary to the Constitution of Pakistan.

Furthermore, written communication between two religious leaders who practise their respective faiths, Christian and Islamic, should not be interpreted as an act of blasphemy.
The recent shipwreck off Crotone put the spotlight on the eastern route into the European Union. Last year, Turkey expelled 120,000 people, including 12,000 Pakistanis. In Afghanistan, the situation has worsened since the Taliban came back in August 2021. Despite ongoing funding from the European Union, Turkey has failed to process asylum applications by Afghan refugees who arrive via Iran.

Milan (AsiaNews)  Last year, Turkey expelled some 120,000 asylum seekers, including 68,290 Afghans and 12,5001 Pakistanis, plus migrants from other countries deemed illegal, this according to its General Directorate of Migration Management.

As more tragedies strike the Mediterranean, public interest is rekindled in the eastern route that branches off on land (via Turkey, the Balkans, and Eastern Europe) and sea.

The latest episode took place a few days ago off the coast of Crotone, southern Italy, where a boat carrying migrants sank in rough seas; so far, the bodies of 60 people have been recovered, including some 20 Pakistani nationals.

Reacting to the incident, the Pakistani government ordered an official investigation into the smuggling networks operating in the country.

A crackdown on the criminal network of human trafficking worldwide is the need of the hour, said Minister for Overseas Pakistanis Sajid Hussain Turi.

Since April 2022, over 600,000 people have been sent abroad for jobs, he explained, urging his fellow citizens to be careful and not to fall prey to human trafficking.

Currently, Turkey hosts more than four million refugees, the highest number in the world, mostly Syrians (3.7 million) who fled the war that began in 2011, but also 322,000 registered asylum seekers from Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran and Somalia.

Under a 2016 agreement with the European Union, Turkey has pledged to take charge of refugees in the country with EU funds.

Between 2016 and 2019, the EU allocated more than  8 billion (US$ 8.5 billion) in humanitarian aid through two different mechanisms to ensure that Turkey stopped migrants from entering its territory. Between 2020 and 2023, it paid out more than  960 million (US$ 1 billion).

Yet, after all these years, the fate of refugees in Turkey continues to be heartbreaking. In early January, the Directorate General for Migration Management announced plans to expel another 5,000 Afghan migrants, like in 2022.

According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, more than 98 per cent of refugees in Turkey live outside refugee camps in difficult and often precarious circumstances.

Many refugee families have exhausted their financial resources, and believe that they have no choice but to resort to survival mechanisms such as child labour, street begging, or marrying off underage daughters.

Afghans are also abducted for ransom. As an AsiaNews source noted, many people die along the Afghan-Iranian and the Iranian-Turkish borders in a "desperate attempt" to start a new life away from the Taliban.

Several humanitarian groups have spoken out on the fate of Afghan refugees in Turkey. According to a Human Rights Watch report last year, Turkish authorities systematically expel or turn away Afghan refugees without processing their applications for international protection.

The situation is worse since the Taliban seized power in August 2021. Not only did they impose bans and restrictions on women, but they are hard-pressed to cope with a catastrophic humanitarian situation with more than 90 per cent of the population living below the poverty line.

In Afghanistan, attacks by the local branch of the Islamic State group,[*] abductions of former government officials, and revenge killings by the Taliban have also increased.

In October last year, the General Directorate of Migration Management said it had prevented 238,448 "irregular migrants" from entering the country in 2022.

[*] Islamic State-Khorasan Province, IS-KP.
Best Dating Sites for Professionals

Is Work Getting in the Way of Romance? These Sites Are Here to Help

The AskMen editorial team thoroughly researches & reviews the best gear, services and staples for life. AskMen may get paid if you click a link in this article and buy a product or service.

Are you interested in finding a long-term partner who works just as hard as you to form an adorable power couple? Theres an app for that. Do you have plenty of money, but not enough time to enter a relationship and would prefer a more casual connection? The internet has you covered in that area, too.

The question is: How should one navigate dating when time is limited? The answer requires sacrifice. If dating is something you really want to commit to, then you need to prioritize and make time, says Michelle Herzog, a relationship/sex therapist and owner of Center for Mindful Living in Chicago. It's not likely that a romantic interest will suddenly appear while you are at your office 60+ hours a week.

As a young professional's time is valuable, be clear on what kind of romantic relationship you have time for before starting the dating process. If you are someone who regularly works more than 40 hours a week, travels often or has an unpredictable work schedule, then honesty with yourself and the people you are dating is critical to help manage expectations, notes Herzog. There are definitely ways to get creative while dating as a young professional, which includes joining local young professionals organizations, advisory boards or networking events specifically geared towards professionals in your age groups.

RELATED: Considering Dating a Coworker? Keep These Things in Mind

As a busy professional, it's also important to be up front about your time constraints. If there is a particular person you are interested in, engage with them on a regular basis and being consistent in finding a time to meet for another date can be helpful steps towards prioritizing your romantic life, she adds. For most people, quality relationships determine quality of life, not how much time you spend at your office.

Because prioritizing work can lead to a skills deficit when it comes to dating and building healthy, adult relationships and we know that youre busy, we've assembled a list of the best dating sites for professionals. Read on to get just what youre looking for.

Dating Apps for Professionals

Elite Singles

As professionals, we respect a business that gets to the point. Elite Singles matches you with other successful people, and gives you more than a Facebook photo to base your opinion on, too. The high-end dating site collects information about profession and appearance, so you can be as selective with your dating game as you are during the hiring practice.

Try Out Elite Singles

Match

Match.com is a household name. As a professional, you know that to become a household name, you have to be doing something right. When youre looking for a relationship with another grown-up who is ready for a real relationships and real conversations, Match is the high-end dating site for you.. Rather than just swipes, the site asks for information that is both erotically and intelligently useful. If you know youre looking for a toned brunette, those filters are available. Likewise, if you know youd be better paired with someone who interested in marriage and children someday, you can search for that, too. Match.com essentially lets you search for your dream partner. While its free to look, it will cost you per month depending on what package you pick. Think of it as an investment. Plus, that monthly fee helps to weed out the flakes who would only waste your precious time.

Try Out Match

The League

The League made headlines for its professionalism in the likes of Forbes for a reason. The dating app bills itself as the go-to high-end dating app for professionals with high standards. Rather than Facebook, it uses LinkedIn to verify work and education information provided. Not anyone can join The League; you have to apply. However, with application comes the promise that your matches are likely to be people that youre actually compatible with. With the slogan date intelligently, their ads encourage you to keep Tinder for casual hookups, but use The League when you actually want to date someone.

You have to play by the rules to stay in The League. Members who dont log in for two weeks will be kicked out. That also goes for flaky members who ignore messages, so get over your fear of commitment before you apply. For professionals looking to meet someone up to their standards, it is the way to go. You can rest assured that all potential mates have been screened and approved, so fear not about fakes or bots. The app makes it clear that the office is in mind, because every day at 5 P.M. (happy hour) their concierge sends you a batch of matches. If you heart one another, its on. Start chatting and meet up for in real life happy hour next time.

Try Out The League

Seeking

Seeking is undeniably controversial  were just going to lead with that. But as any businessman knows, if something is infamous, its because a lot of people are paying attention. Seeking connects sugar babies and sugar daddies. That means that usually beautiful, younger women, looking for a mentor to help with school or support their art, seek wealthy older gentlemen (and their wallets) for companionship.

We dont judge and were not going to get high and mighty on you. Sometimes you want marriage; sometimes you want an arrangement. We praise Seeking for its honesty. We respect that it can be hard out there for women to make it on their own. We also respect rich businessmen who would rather set up a casual arrangement when they want some company. And FYI, the website hosts sugar mommas, too. So if youre a hot young guy looking for some support while you launch your own app, enjoy cougar hunting.

Try Out Seeking

Raya

Heres the thing about Raya: Its an application-based app for people in creative industries. (Read: celebrities) The waitlist is notorious; we know famous hot writers still stuck on the waiting list, so dont let your ego get bruised if you dont make the cut. However, if you are a professional in the creative industry, taking a shot and applying cant hurt. You might end up sleeping with your celebrity crush.

Try Out Raya

The Inner Circle

The Inner Circle markets itself as fine dating, and they arent lying. Sure, like Raya, there is a waiting list that makes the app sound a bit pretentious but after swiping past dozens of disappointing potential Tinder matches, the selective screening process of the high-end dating app may be just the ticket for the serious person with precious social and literal currency. They vet potential users on age, photos, and social networks. Youve worked hard to get where you are, so when it comes to dating, youre allowed to be a bit pretentious.

Try Out The Inner Circle

Tinder

Sure, everyone and their mother has Tinder, but thats exactly why were here for it. Having Tinder is like owning good socks. Sure, it may not be the most special item of clothing in your wardrobe, but its pretty much a requirement. Along with hosting endless matches, we love Tinder for its easy location-based swiping. You may meet your future spouse, or you may meet a hottie for a one-night hotel stand while on a business trip. Tinder is a staple that everyone should have on their phones.

Try Out Tinder

eHarmony

eharmony is a staple of dating websites. We use the word websites because its been around longer than apps even existed. While Tinder pretty much rely on photos and location. eharmony digs deeper, asking about how many children you have, your religious beliefs, and how often you smoke and drink. This, paired with its success rate, inherently makes eHarmony a high-end dating site.

We dig eharmony because while its more for people looking for long-term relationships rather than hookups, it has the same name recognition as apps like Tinder. That means more members, which means more matches for you. As a businessman, you understand that theres power in numbers.

Try Out eharmony

BeLinked

While its certainly happened, you may not feel totally comfortable sliding into the LinkedIn message center of the hottie who works for your companys competition. However, you may enjoy the idea of meeting someone who shares your ambition. This is where BeLinked comes in. With a tagline of Date like a professional, the app connects you to other ambitious singles using LinkedIn information.

It even weeds out unemployed users, or those without jobs up to the apps standards. BeLinked is for busy professionals who dont just want to date or hook up, but that are interested in forming a power couple. While some hard workers are happy to use their gains to support a partner, others prefer those who work just as hard as them and have their own wealth. If thats what youre looking for, BeLinked is for you.

Try Out BeLinked

More Dating Sites for Other Types of Professionals

Dating Site for Medical Professionals

Coffee Meets Bagel

Convenience is important for medical professionals as hours can be sporadic, long and unpredictable. It also means you have no time for duds. If youre seeking something serious and substantial, Coffee Meets Bagel could lead you to your soulmate. Perhaps whats most alluring about the app is it provides a limited number of matches each day, pairing you with only the most compatible profiles. The app also relies on mutual friends to pair you up, meaning prospective partners will not be complete strangers and may even give you something  or someone  to talk about. Like you, Coffee Meets Bagel values efficient dating because youve got no time to waste.

Try Out Coffee Meets Bagel

Dating Site for Black Professionals

BlackCupid

BlackCupid resides under the umbrella of the leading niche dating group, Cupid Media, which operates over 30 reputable dating sites. Like most sites in their portfolio, BlackCupids function is fairly basic, offering standard, gold and platinum memberships. The website asks users to list their occupation, making it a viable space for professionals to meet. While the dating site is rather rudimentary in its function, it is unique in that it offers a space where black singles can speak with other black singles. Best of all, BlackCupid offers a profile verification feature, so you can be assured there is no insidious behavior going on.

Try Out BlackCupid

Exclusive Dating Site for Professionals

Happn

Weve said it before and well say it again: Time is of the essence for busy and frantic professionals. That means convenience is important, and its why Happn may be the high-end dating app for you. Happn uses a unique geo-targeted system which matches users with people theyve come into close contact with throughout the day. Considering most professional positions are stationed in large cities, matches in nearby office buildings or on bustling streets will be far more expansive than if you lived in a small town. Matches include the company and job title of each user, as well as any shared interests you two have, making for easy, breezy conversation. A suggestion: Its also super easy to set up a casual drink after work at a nearby bar.

Try Out Happn

Dating Site for Young Professionals

Bumble

If youre young and educated, Bumble is the app to use. According to stats, 72 percent of the dating apps user base is under 35-years-old, and 91 percent of them have at least a Bachelors degree. The app is also great for those will little time to socialize because, as with work, there are deadlines to be met. Once a match is made, users only have a 24 hour window to make their first interaction, which in the case of this app, is all up to the female  an asset for those who fear the process of writing an inventive intro.

Try Out Bumble

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How Long Does It Take to Get Over a Breakup?

How Long Does It Really Take to Get Over a Breakup?

When you're going through a breakup, it's easy to feel like the pain you're experiencing will never end.

You may find yourself having a stretch of hours or even days where you manage not to think about your ex  only to have something trigger a memory of them so vividly it sends you into an emotional spiral of grief all over again.

Experiencing grief, sadness, irritability, and even highs and lows post-breakup are all normal, necessary parts of the healing process. The longer you try to ignore these feelings or drown them out, the more you're prolonging the process of moving on.

RELATED: Breakup Mistakes to Avoid Making

How long will it take to get over a breakup? While it'd be great to have a general rule of thumb, experts agree many factors impact how long these feelings will persist.

It takes massive self-compassion to be patient with yourself as you grieve and re-establish yourself and your life without your partner, says Angela Sitka, a licensed marriage and family therapist. You likely will not know your timeline until you begin it.

Here's a look at the factors that impact how long it takes to get over a breakup and what's been helpful for other guys who have been there.

Length and Seriousness of the Relationship

The longer you spend in a relationship, the more likely you've experienced milestones together that make it hard to decouple.

A longer relationship also results in more environmental associations  now, you have linked vacations to the beach with your ex, holidays with your ex, and even your favorite band reminds you of your ex, explains Stephen Hill, a licensed psychologist. Your body and mind will take time to make new associations.

Going through a breakup with someone you'd envisioned a lasting future with means you're mourning the loss of your time together and the life you thought you'd have together.

A serious relationship implies greater meaning and, thus, a greater perceived loss, says Hill. Losses are both tangible and intangible; any serious loss may result in future dreams, plans, and expectations being dashed.

This was the case for Chad, 31. Like many other relationships that I had, this one started out with me thinking, this could be the one, he says. We spent a lot of time together, and it felt like we were getting to know each other on deeper levels and that everything was moving forward.

RELATED: How to Navigate Social Media After a Breakup

Longer relationships can be harder to recover from because our lives become intertwined, especially if you live together or have a shared group of friends. But short-lived relationships can be difficult to move past as well.

Shorter relationships could have been intense or all-consuming, which can impact the ability to move on from that connection, explains clinical psychologist Jasmine Reed.

Which Person Ended the Relationship

It's a common misconception that the person who ends the relationship can easily move on from it. This can be true in some cases  especially if the breakup happens out of the blue, without explanation or, at the very least, prior disagreements or conversations about the relationship's future.

RELATED: What to Do Right After a Breakup

However, deciding to leave a relationship with someone you're still in love with  even if it's the best thing for you  can leave you second-guessing whether or not you made the right decision. Especially as the feelings of grief and sadness start to set in post-breakup.

In Chads case, his ex's aversion to commitment eventually made him end things.

We didn't fight, but when we did, it's what we fought about, he says. After nine months together, I felt like nothing was going to change, so I (foolishly) decided to end it.

Even when both parties mutually agree it's time to end things, moving on can still be difficult, as was the case for Lachlan Brown, 34, the founder of Hack Spirit, who parted ways with his ex after two years.

To be honest, the breakup was pretty tough, he says. It was a mutual decision, but that doesn't make it any easier. We both had to accept that the relationship wasn't working out, which was a difficult realization.

Getting Closure

For closure to work toward healing from a breakup in a positive way, both parties need to have the ability to be open and honest with the role they had in why the relationship didn't work. Normally, these types of realizations take time and self-work to realize.

Closure is definitely a process that happens on its own time and may look different for everyone," says Reed. It can also happen without your partner's involvement, which was the case for Brown.

RELATED: How to Remain Positive After a Breakup, According to Experts

At the time of the breakup, I didn't feel like there was much closure, Brown says. We had a conversation where we shared our thoughts and feelings, but it still felt like loose ends needed to be tied up. However, looking back, I realize closure doesn't always come as a neat and tidy conversation. It's something that I had to work through on my own by reflecting on the relationship and processing my emotions.

Meeting up with his ex after some time had passed was helpful for Chad, however.

Six months after we broke up, we met and had a talk which provided the closure I needed, he says. What made it hard to move on was that we were really close and shared so many moments. I really thought she could've been the one.

RELATED: Things to Stop Doing If You Want to Get Over Your Ex

How Long Is Too Long to Get Over a Breakup?

Though everyone's healing journey is different if you still find yourself experiencing extreme feelings a year after it ends, working with a mental health professional may be beneficial.

RELATED: Benefits From Therapy That Change the Way You Live Life

The emotional pain should be decreasing in intensity over days to weeks as the waves of grief lessen over time, says Hill. If positive emotions and humor have not returned, seek professional help.

Getting over a breakup can be a long road, but as Chad describes, the end may appear more suddenly than you think.

It's funny how when a relationship ends, it feels like you will never get over them. And then, it happens like magic. One day you wake up, and you just don't care about them anymore, he says.

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WASHINGTON  Fort Worth, Texas-based Bell is laying the foundation for new facilities in Grand Prairie after its new tilt-rotor V-280 Valor won a competition for the U.S. Armys next long-range assault aircraft.

Those preparations come despite an ongoing review of the selection process by a key congressional watchdog agency and calls by some on Capitol Hill to further scrutinize the rationale behind Bells selection.

At stake is the Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft, or FLRAA, program that the Army initiated in 2019 as a successor to its iconic UH-60 Black Hawk. The Army announced in December it was awarding the initial contract to Bell for its V-280 Valor.

Bell registered plans with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation earlier this month to build a new $20 million, 37,775-square-foot building in Grand Prairie. The project name is FLRAA DSTL  the second part stands for Drive Systems Test Lab.

The filing indicates a start date of June 1 and a completion date of March 30, 2024.

Bell officials declined to provide further details on the prospective facility as the company awaits review of the selection process by the Government Accountability Office.

Sikorsky, which is owned by Lockheed Martin, triggered that review when it filed a challenge in late December. The GAO has 100 days to review the challenge, which means it should issue its decision by April 7.

That decision is not binding, but its rare for an agency not to follow one of GAOs bid protest recommendations.

Scott Donnelly, CEO of Bells parent company Textron, expressed confidence last month during a quarterly earnings call, saying an enormous amount of work went into the project and the Army made the right choice.

Its been an unbelievably robust process, Donnelly said. Its hard for me to understand what flaw would have been in the process.

Asked directly by one analyst what viable argument might be made against Bells selection, Donnelly responded concisely: I dont think there would be one.

The short-term value of the contract is up to $1.3 billion, but the Army has indicated the total value could reach well into the tens of billions over the life of the program.

On the earnings call, Donnelly declined to give too many specifics about what the company expects to make off the program in future years, but said it would be a terrific boon for business.

Well expect to see it continue to grow and turn into better margins as you get into production programs and foreign military sales and all the things that we would expect will come along with a successful FLRAA program, Donnelly said.

The Black Hawk has been the backbone of Army aviation for decades but the service wanted a new aircraft that would fly twice as fast and twice as far, particularly as it looks to stay relevant in the increasingly important Pacific theater.

Bell has touted the capabilities of its V-280 Valor prototype that features a tilt-rotor design combining the vertical takeoff and hovering ability of a helicopter with the speed and range of an airplane.

That approach beat out a competing Sikorsky and Boeing team that offered the Army a compound rotor aircraft called the Defiant X.

The Army says it followed a deliberate and disciplined process in evaluating proposals to ensure rigorous review and equitable treatment of both competitors.

But after speaking with Army officials, the losing team disagreed and filed its protest.

According to Forbes, that challenge includes claims the Army made up its mind from the beginning to go with the tilt-rotor design, that it used criteria not included in the initial solicitation of bids and that the armys best-value determination isnt consistent with a much higher bid submitted by Bell.

The dispute also has drawn the attention of Capitol Hill, where Connecticuts congressional delegation members say the Army has repeatedly rejected their requests for more information about how it reached the decision to go with Bell.

Sikorsky is headquartered in Connecticuts 3rd congressional district, which is represented by Rep. Rosa DeLauro, the top Democrat on the powerful House Appropriations Committee.

DeLauro issued a statement earlier this month expressing outrage at the lack of information.

Lawmakers, hard-working families in Connecticut, and Sikorskys manufacturing workers deserve to be informed on how this decision was made and why, DeLauro said. This is impacting labor and jobs right here in Stratford, Connecticut.

The committees chairwoman is Rep. Kay Granger, R-Texas, who has Bells headquarters in her backyard.

The congressional dynamics gave the Army plenty of reason to be careful about its process for awarding the contract, said Gregory Sanders, deputy director and fellow at the Defense-Industrial Initiatives Group at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

Itll come down to some extent to just how the Army can explain the factors they chose, why they chose them and whether they stayed true to the original criteria, Sanders said of the Sikorsky protest. And if the Army can do that, then theyll probably be in a pretty good position.
Tesla Could Receive Massive Tax Breaks for Giga Nevada Expansion

Written by Joey Klender, Teslarati

Published Feb. 28, 2023

Tesla is set to receive massive tax breaks of up to $360 million for its expansion of Giga Nevada, which it announced in January.

Documents released Feb. 27 show Tesla will be exempt from paying payroll and property taxes for the next 10 years and will also pay reduced sales taxes for the next 20 years.

Tesla will also be eligible for $81.4 million in tax reimbursements over the next 20 years as a part of its potential agreement with Storey County, where the automakers Giga Nevada facility is located. Also called the Tesla Gigafactory, the company announced a plan in January to invest an additional $3.6 billion to expand Semi production. Tesla Semi started deliveries in December with Frito-Lay and parent company PepsiCo.

The abatement intends to keep Tesla in the area and give it significant tax breaks as the new investment by the automaker will create 3,000 new jobs.

However, the tax abatement plan still needs to be voted on March 2 by the Governors Office of Economic Development board, or GOED, which includes Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo, Lt. Gov. Stavros Anthony and Secretary of State Cisco Aguilar, along with six other people within the private sector, the Las Vegas Review-Journal said.

The vote is set to take place just three days after the details of the potential abatement plan were made public. A nondisclosure agreement or NDA was put into place, and some were critical of Teslas use of an NDA to keep the details private.

State Sen. Dina Neal, D-4, said NDAs shouldnt protect large corporations and prevent the legislature and the public from understanding the full impact of taxes that would be abated to make an economic development deal.

On Feb. 27, after details of the abatement package were released, Neal continued to criticize the short timeframe between the vote and the tax breaks being made public, calling it insufficient. Neals concerns are based on the fact there may not be adequate time to see how this massive abatement package could affect other things, like housing supply, public schools and safety, and other vital government services in the region, she said in a statement.

Tesla received nearly $1.3 billion in incentives in 2014, spread over 20 years. The first round of abatements was said to have a positive impact on the region, according to Storey County Manager Austin Osborne.

We believe under the first Gigafactory that those abatements were beneficial to the region in northern Nevada. They provided jobs, employment and careers and significant regional fiscal impacts that are positive, Osborne said.

We thank Teslarati for reprint permission.
Photo: Man Card Theater/YouTube

Photo: Man Card Theater/YouTube

Photo: Man Card Theater/YouTube

Launched in April 1970, a few months before the Vega and the Pinto, the Gremlin was on AMC's drawing board since 1966. Or should I say on an airplane sickness bag because that's what Dick Teague used to sketch the early version, which was pretty much a Javelin with a truncated rear end?Previewed by the AMX-GT concept at the 1968 New York Auto Show, the production Gremlin ended up being a Hornet with a hatch. But the upright design of the tail and the notably wide stance gave the car an unusual appearance. Regarded as one of the ugliest American cars ever produced, the Gremlin was quite popular back in the day, moving 671,475 units from 1970 to 1978.Come 2023 and the quirky AMC enjoys a cult-like following and gets recognition for its unique design and for having pioneered the hatchback market in the U.S. And it's one of those classic cars that you can buy for cheap, even though certain models, especially those fitted with V8 engines, command higher prices.The 1975 Gremlin you see here is not one of those cars, but it stands out as an unrestored and unmolested survivor. I know it might not sound like a big deal, but most Gremlins were abused and abandoned in junkyards, so examples in this condition are very hard to find. Especially with the X package and in Caramel Tan, one of the rarest AMC colors.What's more, this Gremlin X is also a low-mileage vehicle . Kept in a barn for more than 30 years, the hatchback was uncovered by its new owner with only 15,000 miles (24,140 km) on the odometer. And it was so original when he got it that it still had its factory Goodyear Polyglas tires. They have been replaced since, but the AMC remains highly original beyond a few necessary upgrades under the hood.And the Caramel Tan paint looks downright amazing after proper cleaning and waxing. Sure, it has a few wear spots and chips and there's cracking in the white decals, but it's in superb condition given that it's been applied almost 50 years ago as of 2023. Granted, it's not the most fetching color out there, but that's exactly what makes it super rare.You see, AMC had a spectacular color palette in the mid-1970s, one that included gorgeous choices such as Mellow Yellow, Copper Metallic Medium and Deep Blue, Green Apple, Ivory Green, and Dark Green Metallic. Not surprisingly, not a lot of people opted for Caramel Tan and Fawn Beige.And while I've seen a few examples sporting the latter, Caramel Tan-finished Gremlins are incredibly scarce. I don't have any numbers to run by, but I'm pretty sure this Gremlin X is one of fewer than ten examples ordered in this color.Anyway, while the exterior isn't particularly pretty, the cabin is a sight to behold thanks to a two-tone tan upholstery with minimal wear and tear. And amazingly enough, all the original tags and stickers are still on the driver's door jam. That's something you don't see very often on these cars.The engine bay doesn't look as pretty but everything is there and the 232-cubic-inch (3.8-liter) inline-six engine runs smoothly. And apart from the brake master cylinder and a couple more components, the mill is all-original, just like it left the factory back in 1975.I know, it's not that desirable without a V8, but keep in mind that it was the Malaise era and the range-topping model came with only 150 horsepower on tap.The 232-cubic-inch inline-six, which was an entry-level unit at the time, delivered 100 horses. Not that terrible if you ask me. Oh, and AMC also offered a mid-range 258-cubic-inch (4.2-liter) inline-six good for 110 horsepower.All told, this Gremlin X is by far one of the coolest AMC barn survivors I've seen in a very long time, so go ahead and check it out in the video below. Of course, feel free to tell me how ugly it is in the comments section below. I'd love to fight over it. Yup, I'm one of those weirdos that like the Gremlin and the Pacer. I'd take one over a Ford Pinto any day of the week.The Pacer is the slightly weirder-looking compact hatchback that AMC introduced in 1975. It shared some underpinnings with the Gremlin and it was discontinued in late 1979, one year after the subcompact was retired. But that's a different story for another time.
ICE

Starting with the body panels, there are noticeable changes to the bumpers and doors. Pictured on bi-tone alloy wheels mounted with winter tires, the prototype also flaunts Niro-inspired headlights with L-shaped signature lights for extra visual drama. The low beams, taillights, and third brake light appear to feature LEDs.Looking over the side-view pictures provided by our spy photographers, its easy to notice a floating-style touchscreen infotainment system and plenty of camouflage hiding the rest of the dashboard from prying eyes. An exhaust muffler can be seen under the prototype on the passenger side, as expected of an-only car. Kia has likely upgraded the current-generation engines to improve fuel economy, while reducing the yucky stuff coming out the exhaust pipe. The Euro 7 standard will go live in 2025, approximately one year after the Picanto facelift will start deliveries in the European Union and UK markets.The main takeaways of Euro 7 compared to Euro 6 are tougher testing procedures and fewer milligrams of nitrous oxide emissions for both gasoline and diesel vehicles. PHEVs and EVs will be covered under Euro 7 as well. The European Commission expects Euro 7 regulations to add a few hundred euros to the production costs of new vehicles, although that estimate has been contested by all automakers. Volkswagen, for example, ponders whether to keep making the Polo or cancel it.It's especially hard to pass these additional costs to the customer in the A and B segments. Small cars arent as profitable as larger ones either, so dont blame Volkswagen for axing the Polo if need be. Kia previously facelifted the Picanto in 2020, and instead of spending millions over millions into developing a brand-new model, a second facelift makes more sense financially.Over in Germany, the largest new-car market in Europe, the South Korean city car is the most affordable Kia at press time due to a starting price of 16,340 (make that $17,340 at current exchange rates). The subcompact Rio is 17,590 ($18,670), whereas the compact Ceed kicks off at 24,690 (around $26,200).Although Kia enjoyed a European market share of 4.8 percent in 2022, the Picanto didnt contribute much. The Ceed proved the South Korean brands best-selling model overall, with registrations totaling 137,347 units. The Sportage and Niro came in second and third places, with 136,293 and 80,461 units to their names. The Sportage retails at 34,250 ($36,340) with ICE, and the Niro starts at 32,590 ($34,580) with hybrid oomph.
SUV

EV

In America, for example, it does not even sell autos anymore, let alone present continental fans with new introductions. But across other regions, it does remain in attendance with most products  even the quirky little Suzuki Jimny, a mini-SUV that has been around as the pocket-sized counterpart of icons like the G-Class, Wrangler, Defender, Bronco, or Land Cruiser since 1970.Anyway, the series of four-wheel drive off-road vehicles has achieved a well-deserved cult following around the world as well as the fourth generation since 2018  and the latter has had a tumultuous history. In Europe, for example, it was pulled out of dealers in 2020 because of new and more stringent emissions, but it quickly came back the next year as a commercial vehicle.Now, folks with larger families also have access to the 2023 Suzuki Jimny because in January the iconic mini-was stretched to a longer wheelbase and a five-door lifestyle for global markets. Then, later that same month, there was more good news about the Jimny for the Old Continent  confirmation arose about the upcoming introduction of an EV version for the Jimny , slotted to arrive in Europe sometime by the end of the current decade.Naturally, that gave people a lot of ideas regarding the tiny SUV  including from across the imaginative realm of digital car content creators. As such, here is the virtual artist who uses the SRK Designs moniker on social media and has decided to trust his CGI instinct to produce a zero emissions rugged tiny SUV, aka the 2024 Suzuki Jimny5-Door SUV Concept. The changes are subtle yet impactful  on the basics provided by the new five-door version the pixel master simply covered the radiator grille slots but did not change the overall design to keep the Jimny spirit alive and kicking.A ritzier two-tone paintjob is always in order when the price is right  and we all know that EVs, at least for now, are not cheap at all. However, the simple and effective design looks ready not just for Europe but also for other regions. Perhaps it could even help Suzuki stage a fabled return to the United States where the car market has become quite interested in electrics. And a tiny yet rugged EV sport utility would find some fertile, pristine ground to play in the dirt, frankly, as there are few other options currently available and the upcoming Defender 90 EV will be too large to qualify as a competitor, anyways. Well, heres hoping
Chevy, Chevy, Chevy

Photo: Warner Bros

Another classic pickup truck

Photo: Warner Bros

A modern-day pickup truck

Photo: Chevrolet

A hydrogen car

Photo: BMW

ICE

SUV

Maybe a Mercedes-Benz

Photo: Stefan Baldauf / Guido ten Brink

AMG

A good ole motorcycle

Photo: Instagram / prideofgypsies

You probably know by now that Jason Momoa, who plays Arthur Curry in Aquaman and other DC Comics-related movies, is a big petrolhead. He loves everything on wheels, be it powerful off-roaders, motorcycles, or vintage cars.Although he will get to explore his passion further as the villain of the upcoming Fast X movie , he doesnt get to drive much in Aquaman, but we still think he could.We are not going to get into all the ships and gunships from the underworld of Atlantis, so we are pretty limited when it comes to the cars in the first installment of Aquaman.Because there is a limited number of cars, the only one with significance is a Chevrolet C/K Series pickup truck.The flagship pickup series of the General Motors brand was introduced in 1960 and stayed in production until 2002, spreading over four generations. The one that appeared in the 2018 film, a Chevrolet C10 Silverado, seems to be from 1983, which would make it part of the model's third generation, available between 1973 and 1991.Besides the Chevy, the movie showed some fleeting scenes of several motorcycles, including an Aprilia Scarabeo, a Triumph, and a SYM Symphony scooter.But the Chevrolet C/K Series we see Arthur drive in the first Aquaman seems to show the characters preference for the Detroit-based company. Because, in Zack Snyders Justice League, we see Aquaman with yet another car from the American brand, a rusty, beat-up 1950s Chevrolet Advance-Design 3100.So, what should Aquaman drive in the upcoming sequel?Set for release later this year, on December 25, 2023, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom will bring back most of the characters. Including Amber Heard, but, unlike the first movie, her role is diminished after several petitions calling for her removal.Despite the wave of negative reactions towards the upcoming DC Comics movie following the first test screenings, we won't judge it before it hits theaters, and we'll take a guess at what Arthur Curry should drive in the upcoming sequel.Any options from Chevrolet seem to be on the table, given that Warner Bros. decided to make it the unofficial, unbranded Aquamobile.The C10 Silverado Aquaman drove in the first movie might make a brief return for Arthur Currys scenes on land.Although there are several vintage Ford pickup truck options out there, including the F-Series, we hardly think the character would make such a U-turn and go for a car from Ford now, instead of his usual brand. Dodge and Jeep also have good options for pickup trucks if we look at the Power Wagon or the Grand Wagoneer, but, if we were to take a guess, our money would be on classic Chevys.Sure, vintage rides look best when paired with someone like Jason Momoa . But the current generation of Chevrolet Silverado or Silverado HD is powerful and spacious, just perfect enough for Arthur Curry.Plus, it would be a modern take of the truck that appeared in the first movie without changing the manufacturer.If Chevrolet wouldnt be an option, theres nothing like a Ford F-Series or even a RAM 1500 TRX.Sure, we're in the era ofvs EVs, but we thought that, given the pickup truck we mentioned before, Arthur Curry would be an ICE driver.But what about hydrogen cars? He was born human, but his life is now in Atlantis, as well. So, he would get the importance of protecting the environment , and both batteries and hydrogen are meant to reduce pollution and emissions.Among the options he has is the Hyundai NEXO, Toyota Mirai, Honda Clarity, or the small-series BMW iX5 Hydrogen . But nothing would stop Warner Bros. from partnering with a big car manufacturer for a very cool, fuel cell concept vehicle.Speaking of concept cars, since Mercedes-Benz teamed up with Warner Bros. and DC Comics for Justice League, we would think there are a couple of options that Aquaman could enjoy.The 2017 Justice League film featured Mercedes-'s concept car, Vision Gran Turismo, so the other concept car we have in mind is one that they advertised for another sequel - Avatar: The Way of Water.We're referring to the Mercedes-Benz Vision AVTR , which couldn't be more perfect for a character that is the heir to the underwater kingdom.The concept car is the perfect vehicle for water-related scenery, as it comes with state-of-the-art technology and a futuristic design with 33 bionic flaps, and transparent butterfly doors. The Vision AVTR is not hydrogen-powered, but it is fully electric.Sure, Aquaman hasnt shown any particular talent or interest in two-wheelers. So, we shouldnt necessarily suggest one just because Jason Momoa likes them . Or should we?Given the interest in vintage pickup trucks, there is no reason why Arthur Curry couldnt hop on a vintage Harley-Davidson or Triumph, should the need arise.The upcoming movie was shot almost entirely in the United Kingdom, but filming locations also included Hawaii and Los Angeles, California. So, Arthur Curry riding a vintage Harley-Davidson on the Pacific Coast Highway would make a pretty good shot.
Turning Belarus into a focal point

A large, lumbering Russian early warning jet

Ugly airframe, lots of lifting power

Belarusian separatists strike

That's well north of $330 million in U.S. money. Not exactly a paltry sum when the rest of the Russian military appears to be held together by masking tape and weapons-grade propaganda. It costs a lot to maintain all that scrap, as it happens. The fact most Russian soldiers and pilots don't even want to be there doesn't help either.The Beriev A-50, believed to have been sabotaged and damaged by Belarusian separatist drones, is an interesting airplane in its own right. One with a history inseparably tied to another iconic ex-Soviet jet that's been the backbone of militaries in Eastern Europe since Brezhnev was still kicking around. Stylistically, there isn't all that much difference between the Ilyushin Il-76 and Beriev's A-50.That's because one of the two airplanes would not exist without the other. As the go-to strategic airlifter for both the Russians and the Ukrainians, the Il-76 knows many forms. First flown in 1971, the quad-engine jet dubbed "Candid" by NATO first flew in 1971 as the tentative replacement for the positively ancient Antonov An-12.Because ex-Soviets still love their bureaucracy, deciphering all the Russian aviation bureaus can be challenging for a westerner. But in short, it's far more common for smaller Russian aerospace firms to manufacture copies of more popular domestic airframes from larger companies under license than in North America.The long-standing working relationship between the Ilyushin and Beriev Design Bureau is a proof-positive of this uniquely ex-Soviet approach to the national aerospace sector. Best known for building admittedly neat-looking flying boats with either piston or jet engines, Beriev is nearly as old as Illyushin but nowhere near as recognizable outside of Russia.Beriev's made great use of Ilyushin's flagship military cargo platform over the years. With its first flight taking place in 1978, the Beriev A-50 entered service in 1985 and provided a fleet of 40 by 1992. Using similar technology to the American Boeing E-3 Sentry, the Beriev A-50's powerful radar dome can detect, identify, and coordinate counterattacks against an array of air, ground, and sea-fairing enemy targets.The radar dome in question comes from the Moscow-based Vega Radio Engineering Corporation, notable for its cooperation with the Almaz-1 un-crewed reconnaissance satellite. Safe to say, there's not much one can do to avoid detection by one of these jets within its operating vicinity besides running the heck away. At least, that's what the Russians wished was the case.The ability to track large targets like warships from up to 400 kilometers (250 mi) and between 60 to 150 targets simultaneously is undoubtedly impressive. Still, battles over Ukraine over the last year routinely prove that Russian early warning radar has its weaknesses. Powering the Beriev A-50 is a set of four Soloviev D-30KP low bypass turbofan engines jetting 117.68 kN (26,460 lbf) of thrust each.That's good for a service ceiling of 12,000 m (39,000 ft) and a maximum range of 7,500 km (4,700 mi) while flying no faster than 900 km/h (560 mph). With dimensions of 49.59 m (162 ft 8 in) long, a 50.5 m (165 ft 8 in) wingspan, and a height of 14.76 m (48 ft 5 in), the A-50 is up there with the American C-17 Globemaster in terms of size.With a maximum takeoff weight of 170,000 kg (374,786 lb), there's plenty of room for the A-50's crew of at least 15 people to move around inside. Upgraded variants of the A-50 introduced trinkets like mid-air refueling functionality with the M variant and more electronics and creature comforts in the more modern A-50U. Around 40 A-50 airframes are known to be manufactured between 1978 and 1992.The model is also utilized by the Chinese People's Liberation Army Air Force as the KJ-2000. Using a genuine IL-76 airframe as a base, Chinese components were added under the skin to create an all-new airplane. At least five such Chinese KJ-2000s are known to exist in 2023. Though perhaps not the most recognizable military plane of the war, shooting down Russian early-warning aircraft is a top priority of Ukraine's quest for air superiority in the homeland.With that in mind, that brings us to a perfectly typical day in the City of Minsk, Belarus, on February 26th, 2023. As the country's dictator, Alexander Lukashenko, mulls deploying troops into Ukraine, Belarusian partisans hunted by the regime appear to have devised a cunning plan. Initial reports from the scene by Reuters and Al Jazeera indicate a Beriev A-50 came under attack from armed drones while on the ground at a military base near Minsk."They were drones (that carried out the attack). The participants of the operation are Belarusians," Aliaksandr Azarov declared. As the leader of the Belarusian anti-government organization BYPOL, Azarov's taken on the brunt of a brutally Soviet-style regime since long before the war in Ukraine began. With the one-year anniversary since the start of the invasion now behind us, it's anyone's guess what sort of role Belarus will play in the fiasco going forward.Alexander Lukashenko may be Vladimir Putin's greatest ally in the region. But that doesn't mean there are those in his country who see their involvement in the Ukrainian invasion as an outrage. Should separatist attacks like this one continue as the war drags on, expect what happens afterward to be nothing short of historic. As the acting President of Belarus since the far-off year of 1994, Lukashenko's had almost 30 years to mull over whether messing with Ukraine was worth it to him.But if the statistics are anything to go by, there's reason to suspect this war will turn out just as bad for Belarus as it will for Russia if their involvement escalates. Whether that holds true or not remains to be seen.
In 2023, NASA and the CNSA (China National Space Administration) are locked in a space race we were once told wasn't a repeat of the competition against the Soviets. Funny how rhetoric can change in the blink of an eye, isn't it?When the Administrator of NASA sounds the alarm on China's ambitions in space as Bill Nelson did recently, it's a sign we, as common folks, should start paying attention. If we don't, the CNSA will assuredly get to the Moon first.If that sounds like the plot of Apple TV's For All Mankind , it's because how things might play out may rival Hollywood storytelling. To understand why that's the case, we need to know why China is touting advancements in domestic rocket and spacecraft technology a bit more than usual.Allow us to paint the scene. It's the National Museum of China in the capital Beijing, at a technology expo celebrating 30 years of CNSA operation this month. The star attraction at the event is a scaled mockup of a human-crewed Chinese lunar landing vehicle. One far more conventional than the Starship bonkers machine touted as the LEM of the future for Artemis.

Photo: Chinese State Media

Photo: Chinese State Media

Photo: Chinese State Media

Provisions for a staged landing system complete with storage for linear rover and scientific equipment are prominent on the model vehicle's exterior.The lunar lander's prominent second decent stage is perhaps its most perplexing feature. Unlike Grumman Aerospace's iconic Lunar Excursion Module, this concept uses its expendable second stage to save the landing vehicle itself from fueling its own descent down to the lunar surface. Anyone who knows the story of Apollo 11's perilous descent knows the LEM's fuel running out before reaching the ground means certain doom for all on board.Thankfully, this nightmare scenario never happened. But it's clear the CNSA did their homework studying the Apollo landings before coming up with this design. Compared to the approach NASA and SpaceX intend to undertake using Starship as lunar module, China's methods feel far more subdued, perhaps even more traditional.But no lunar module is complete without an all-mighty powerful super heavy-lift booster vehicle to strap it to. Apollo had the Saturn V, the Soviets had the N1, and the modern Artemis Program has the Space Launch System (SLS).As for China, their current plans involve a rocket concept called the Long March 9. Designed from the ground up three separate times, a rocket with a degree of reusability a la SpaceX appears to be the path forward for the launch vehicle.With a mammoth 24 engines in its first stage, this rocket would've made Sergei Korolev proud. If all goes according to plans, Long March 9 will be a far more successful launch vehicle than Korolev's N1, 30 first-stage engines and all.Meanwhile, the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) will manufacture a companion orbiter to go along with the new lander. Dubbed the Next-generation crewed spacecraft, its first boilerplate test is already under its belt as of 2020.Couple that with a Tiangoing Space Station where Taikonauts can rendezvous before their trip to the Moon, and it looks like the CNSA truly has all their affairs in order. At least, on the surface, it looks like they do. It's anyone's guess how close China really is to reaching parity with NASA's Artemis Program.For some context, NASA's Artemis I mission launched in November of last year. With the Lockheed Martin Orion spacecraft in tow, the mission proved NASA is still ahead of the pack in terms of progress back towards humans on the Moon.For the moment, the Artemis II mission set to carry three Americans and one Canadian to circumnavigate the Moon is scheduled for May 2024. But anyone familiar with Artemis I's four agonizing back-to-back launch scrubs knows setting off on time is never a guarantee when it comes to NASA The test-as-you-fly method might be soul-crushing at times, but it surely saves lives. Nor is it a slam dunk that NASA won't encounter some form of mechanical snafu that's just as if not more serious than the fuel tank and main engine gremlins that foiled Artemis I multiple times.The truth of the matter is Space Race 2.0 is still a two-party drag race between the United States and China where either side just stomped on the throttle. At the end of that proverbial quarter mile is the promise of human beings on the Moon to stay.

Photo: Chinese State Media

Not just to take some propaganda pictures and posture about why either communism or capitalism rules and the other side drools. That kind of schtick gets old after 50 years.We're well overdue for some new material on that front. But if you leave this article thinking, "but what about the Russians?," oh, gosh, don't make us laugh. Good luck with that joint Russian/Chinese lunar base. We have a feeling one particular side will be wearing the pants in that operation.
A major improvement project at Bradley International Airport that is part of $230 million in upcoming renovations got another financial boost from the federal governments infrastructure program aimed at improving air travel.

Bradley will receive a $5 million grant in a second round of funding from the Federal Aviation Administration. The grant comes on top of about $20 million from a first round of funding last summer.

The states largest commercial airport will construct a system that will transport checked baggage along a mile-long network of conveyor belts to a new building near the Sheraton hotel for security screening. The $185 million project will remove baggage screening from the terminal lobby, freeing up space for at least 16 new airline ticket counters.

A rendering shows the planned building for baggage screening and future gate expansion

Few airports around the country still screen baggage in their lobbies, the majority having moved them to separate buildings as Bradley now plans.

The Connecticut Airport Authority, which oversees operations at Bradley said it was very grateful for the the support of Gov. Ned Lamont and the states Congressional delegation in securing the additional funding for the baggage screening project.

The project will serve as a major customer service enhancement for passengers, and it will open up significant space for additional growth of airline routes and services, Kevin Dillon, the CAAs executive director, said, in a statement. We anticipate kicking off construction within the next couple of months.

A companion, $42 million project will include additions to the east and west sides of the terminal. New sets of escalators and elevators will connect the concourse and baggage claim, also creating new lounge areas for people waiting for travelers arriving at the airport.

A rendering shows an addition to the east side of the terminal at Bradley International Airport connecting the concourse to baggage claim. The addition also will allow the airport to expand its popular Escape Lounge and add another concession.

The idea is to relieve the congestion on the one central stairwell that now serves all passengers. The central stairwell will eventually be eliminated, opening up more space for travelers standing in line at the nearby passenger screening checkpoint. At heavy travel periods, the line often spills out into the lobby.

The projects are expected to be completed in the next two to three years.

The FAA grant to Bradley was part of more than $1 billion in funding to 99 airports around the country to improve baggage systems, security checkpoints and multi-modal connections. The funding also comes as air travel recovers from the pandemic.

The funding is drawn from the infrastructure programs Airport Terminal Program, one of three, aviation-focused components of the infrastructure legislation. The legislation provides $1 billion annually for five years for airport terminal improvements around the country.

These grants will make it faster and easier to check your bags, get through security and find your gate, all while creating jobs and supporting local economies, U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said, in a release.

Kenneth R. Gosselin can be reached at kgosselin@courant.com.
Photo: Radu Chindris / Porsche

What are the limits with Porsche Exclusive Manufaktur?

Photo: Radu Chindris / Porsche

Photo: Radu Chindris / Porsche

How long does it take to make a Porsche Exclusive Manufaktur car?

Photo: Radu Chindris / Porsche

Photo: Sebastian Toma / autoevolution.com

It all started many decades ago, back in 1962, when a German industrialist wanted to get a Porsche 356 B with a rear window wiper. The company realized that other customers might want extra things for their cars as well, so the department was opened with employees from the repair team.The department became something separate in the late 1970s, and it got the Exclusive moniker back in 1986. The current designation, Porsche Exclusive Manufaktur, came even later, with many fulfilled orders in between. Today, the division is still a part of the company's original headquarters in Zuffenhausen and it conducts its business by appointment only in a building from the 1940s.Occasionally, we report about various one-offs made by the division. These include, but are not limited to, customized 911s, bespoke 718s, and even customized Cayennes or Taycans. Every Porsche model can be ordered in a bespoke configuration with Porsche Exclusive Manufaktur, but keep in mind that it will take a bit longer to get it if you choose this route. Porsche has since integrated the Exclusive Manufaktur department within its production line, and the latter has been adapted to enable bespoke paint finishing in between production models, without slowing the line in any way. Thanks to improvements made in 2022, Porsche can now make more Exclusive Manufaktur vehicles than ever before, but even they have limits. When we heard that, we just had to inquire.First, the company cannot make a continuation series of a model that is no longer being manufactured. All customizations happen on current production models. If you want to customize an already existing Porsche vehicle, it can be done through this department. They can make it just like new for you, complete with factory-spec upholstery and paint, if that is what you desire.Second, if a limited-edition model of any kind has concluded its production run, there is no going back. This is a particularly important distinction, as not all the limitations are made by Porsche per se  other restrictions are also present. For example, the 911 Sport Classic uses a particular kind of quarter panel, which limits its production.The company's representatives have explained that the special mold that is used to stamp that quarter panel from a sheet of metal can only make 1500 units, which is why the company decided to only offer 1,250 units. The remaining 250 units? Well, the firm has reserved those for the replacement parts department; in the unfortunate event of a crash, the owner will be able to source a replacement quarter panel.Porsche Exclusive Manufaktur representatives declined to mention the cost of making a new stamping mold just to make a few extra cars. They did explain that it is costly and that the company would have loved to make more units, but the cost of the new stamping mold just for that model could not be offset by selling more special models of that kind. That is the reason for so few units of the 911 Sport Classic, which we got to experience for a few moments.A third restriction from Porsche Exclusive Manufaktur refers to the number of seats that the ordered vehicle will have. Due to homologation reasons, if the variation of the 911 that they are using as a base, for example, has just two seats, or if it has four seats, it cannot have more seats no matter what  as it would require another type-approval, which is a multi-million-euro process that would have to be done again.Therefore, if you start from a version of the 911 that would have to be customized in a particular way and it has fewer seats than you want, it is not economically viable to do. The cost of doing something like this is too great just for a car.Removing seats is easier, but forget about ever getting them back in once you are done registering the car  you have been warned, it may be a bureaucratic nightmare. You can, however, start from a different version of the 911 that has the right number of seats and see if that can be made to suit your preference.While Porsche offered various power kits for its cars through its Exclusive Manufaktur department over the years, things will have to be in line with the latest emissions regulations, so be sure to not ask for an oil-cooled car in 2023, as it might not be economically feasible to make it compliant. The same applies to fitting a V8 in a 911.The correct answer depends on the car. Representatives of the division explained to us that it takes up to seven years to develop a limited-series model. If you are thinking of a special edition car, it takes about one year to develop it. A limited series of vehicles, such as the 911 Sport Classic, will require almost four years of development.For example, the Sally Carrera project from the U.S., which involved customizing an already existing vehicle, took six months of work, but it resulted in a factory one-off. Customers can also get a factory re-commission, which just makes everything on the car new and usually takes about as much time.With custom projects, it is difficult to estimate a final cost or a precise delivery day, but customers understand these situations, as most of them are not at their first bespoke vehicle anyway.The division can take on between two and three entirely bespoke projects a year, which may take up to three years to complete. The first phase of such a project will cost around EUR 100,000, and that is just for the design and development phase, while the latter takes two years and has an unspecified cost. Since the result is a one-off, it is worth the wait.This is the division's most exciting part, IMHO, as the customer gets a factory ID, alongside a set of overalls, and they can enter the factory when their car is made. Other factory visits are also arranged to enable discussions with specialists in charge of certain processes, if necessary.The described process, as well as the program itself, is called Sonderwunsch, and it is German for "special wish." It is completely bespoke, and the answer from the division should not be "no" when the customer requests something.As I explained above, there are some limitations even with this division . There are already over 800 options in the exclusive configuration tool that is available to dealers, but the Sonderwunsch program will handle things that are not present there. It is the only department where the customer will have someone to work against anyone else in the company to make their wish come true.
Photo: Mario Roberto Duran Ortiz/Creative Commons

Photo: Volkswagen

Photo: Department of Energy and Climate Change/Creative Commons

Photo: Agencia Senado/Creative Commons

ICE

EV

Photo: Volkswagen

Photo: Washington Costa/MDIC/Creative Commons

Photo: Whatknot/Creative Commons

Ill explain my concern. In the automotive business, scale is king. In the early days, carmakers tried their luck in new markets by directly importing the products they made at their headquarters or selling them to representatives in these countries. If there was enough demand, they could establish factories and adapt these vehicles to the tastes of these new markets. Depending on how successful they were, they could justify investments in local engineering and design centers, which allowed them to have products that were specific to what local customers needed and wanted.That was what allowed European car projects to survive Latin American roads and bad (or adultered) fuel. Some automakers even implemented changes these local engineering centers came up with to all vehicles when they could help them save some bucks, but that was not usual. Most of the modifications were restricted to the markets where they were developed. More than that, some of these engineering centers managed to create vehicles only their countries had.The Volkswagen Gol, Brasilia, SP1, and SP2, the Chevrolet Opala, Celta, Spin, the Ford Corcel, EcoSport (a taller European Ford Fusion in its early days), Courier, and the Fiat 147, Palio, Premio, Elba, Mobi, Toro, and Argo are all examples of locally-developed vehicles. Some of them were exported to other markets, but the target was to supply Brazilian and South American customers with them.In the 1970s and 1980s, world cars started to turn up. That meant being developed to be sold and manufactured simultaneously in markets as diverse as Europe, the U.S., and South America. Vehicles such as the Opel Ascona C and Ford Escort Mk III allowed their companies to order larger quantities of certain components. As an engineer once told me, ordering 100,000 units of a given part is very different from buying 1 million pieces. You always get good discounts when you are a big customer.From being a competitive advantage at first, this opportunity created by world cars soon became a requirement for the automotive industry. If you did not have the same car everywhere, at least these vehicles had the same engines and platforms. The Volkswagen group had dozens of models with the same underpinnings: PQ24 for B-segment vehicles, PQ34 for compact cars, and so forth. Eventually, the German engineers developed the modular architecture, which fitted vehicles from several market segments (they all use the MQB , regardless of their size). That also became a benchmark for lowering costs and improving profitability.The idea behind all that was simple: instead of having different engines and multiple platforms, using the same ones for several products lowered development costs. Creating a new platform may cost more than $1 billion, and an engine project may demand even more money. If all vehicles from a given automaker anywhere in the world rely on the same components and structures, it spends less money to make a car. When you keep the same prices from previous generations on vehicles made with these prerequisites, you get a higher profit margin. Another option is charging less for the new model and reaching more customers, which may also improve profits by multiplying them by more significant sales numbers.With standardized engines and platforms, the next step was to kill models for specific markets. Why have local engineering and design centers if the idea was to get everybody everywhere to buy identical vehicles? Members of these teams were either laid off or transferred to bigger centers in the U.S., Europe, and China. Factories were closed, models died, and the plan to make millions of the same models kept improving. This is the point where Stellantis becomes relevant to this story. Carlos Tavares runs Stellantis with a cautious perspective on the future of personal mobility. The CEO does not think electric cars are the solution for a carbon-neutral future and believes they will kill affordable cars. Like Akio Toyoda, Tavares states there are several paths to get there, including some internal combustion engine options. In a recent interview with Valor Economico, he said Brazilians did not need EVs because they already had an excellent solution with ethanol.Just to give you some background, several automakers have already wondered about powering their vehicles with ethanol or methanol. If I am not mistaken, Ford was the first one with the Model T in 1908. In Brazil, the idea materialized after the 1970s oil crisis. There were big lines to refuel cars and limitations to buying gas on weekends. To stop that, the military government at the time pursued ethanol distribution. Several companies adapted their engines to burn the renewable fuel, with Fiat being the first one.In the 1980s, an ethanol crisis led people to go back to gasoline engines, a trend that got even stronger when carburetors died in the country at the beginning of the 1990s. Eventually, flex-fuel cars were developed, and Brazilian customers could choose which fuel to use in their tanks: ethanol, gasoline, or any blend of the two. It was an insurance policy not to depend on any of these options.I told you this whole story just for you to understand the context in which ethanol became relevant in Brazil. It was never to be a clean fuel: it was an attempt to ensure energy security. Ethanol detractors used to make fun of the idea because the tractors that harvested sugar cane and the trucks that transported it, all used diesel  they still do. Others said sugar cane crops were taking the place of other cultures, which is not correct. If they were not used to make ethanol, those fields would still have sugar cane to make sugar. Anyway, several companies are now developing ethanol from biomass, and although it is still more expensive than the regular one, it is gaining traction.Since both sugar cane and biomass extract carbon from the atmosphere, ethanol is carbon neutral. In other words, it does not add more carbon to the air as fossil fuels do. Oil is a way nature found to remove carbon from the atmosphere, storing it underground. When you burn it, you get more carbon in the air, worsening the greenhouse effect. As I have said before, this phenomenon allows life on the planet by helping the Earth keep warm. It is like a planetary blanket: without it, Earth could lose all the energy it receives from the sun. With too many blankets or one that is thicker than it should be, the planet sweats, and the climate changes.In other words, ethanol happened to be carbon neutral, but it was not adopted as fuel in Brazil because of that. Now that this is the main reason for promoting electric cars , Tavares apparently turned it into an argument for saving the combustion engine. However, there is a massive problem with that reasoning: who will develop the ethanol cars he thinks Brazil should keep using?Remember the standardization push to improve profit margins? It makes having combustion-engined cars in some markets and electric vehicles in others challenging, if not impossible. If the idea is to have the same vehicles everywhere, they will either have to be electric or based on internal combustion engines.Electric cars need dedicated architectures. Combustion-engined platforms did not work well for EVs, as the Mercedes-Benz EQC proves. There is always a compromise.architectures need to include exhaust pipes, reinforcements around the engine bay, a cabin that will be able to deal with the forces in a crash, and so forth. Anplatform has a battery pack underneath the passenger area. The electric motors are generally on the axles, leaving the front and rear overhangs for crash structures that need to protect the passengers and the massive component in the vehicles belly. If that does not happen, the battery pack becomes a safety hazard.Modular platforms could theoretically deal with both propulsion systems, but who will develop internal combustion engines when they are illegal in most developed markets? Why would automakers design them at their headquarter when they need to improve their electric vehicles instead? Automakers closed R&D centers in developing countries, remember?Despite being a market leader only in Brazil, Fiat will unify its lineup worldwide. Ironically, the Italian brand only sells thousands of cars to Brazilians every year because it was independent enough from the headquarters to do whatever seemed better. By unifying its lineup worldwide, will it sell Toros and Stradas in Italy? Or will it offer only the Panda, Tipo, and Cinquecento in Brazil? As these questions make clear, Tavares should have problems in his own house with his strategy: Fiat belongs to Stellantis , and it seems to be taking the inverse route to that proposed by the CEO.Brazil may not need EVs now, but it will get them anyway when all car companies have to sell electric cars. Brazilian engineers fought hard to establish a national automotive company. Sadly, apart from a few low-volume initiatives, they never managed to pull that off. That said, most cars sold in the country depend on foreign companies, which are being pushed by their governments to sell EVs.As I write this, it seems Brazil will only keep ethanol as a carbon-neutral solution for a little while. This renewable fuel is already adopted in hybrid cars. Nissan should soon give the e-POWER system its first flex-fuel engine (in the Kicks sold to Brazilians), and we may even see an EV with an ethanol-powered range extender. Still, there is no way future cars will stay away from batteries  whether in Brazil or anywhere else. The question is how big their battery packs will be.Without the independence or means to develop their own solutions, all emerging markets will follow what developed countries rule as the right choices. In the best-case scenario, automakers may maintain manufacturing operations in countries with large car markets or the ones in which they already sell well. They will not have the option to export these cars because very few countries will accept them. All other places will either lose these companies or get smaller representations based on imported vehicles. And the cars coming from abroad will all soon be electric.In the worst-case perspective, developing countries will become the junkyards of rich ones. They will buy used combustion-engined vehicles until first-world markets have replaced them all with EVs. When that finally happens, poor countries will get used EVs with dying battery packs. And the dead battery packs will be recycled and sent back to rich markets, leaving the emerging ones with cars that cannot work anymore.Either ethanol is an option for all countries, or Tavares will bet on a short-term solution for Brazil. For the record, Volkswagen thinks hybrid cars powered by this green fuel will be the solution for that market while it invests heavily in electrification in Europe. Having different cars for sale in developing countries will go against the standardization strategy to lower costs that the industry compulsorily follows. Feel free to guess who will be the winner, but remember: scale and costs are kings.
Believed to have been christened the Envya, the all-quiet electric model kind of looks like a less tall Eletre, with similar double-headlamp signature up front, recessed door handles, cameras instead of traditional mirrors, and familiar lighting signature out back. Overall, it has sleek proportions, emphasized by the roof that was slightly arched towards the rear, giving it a sportier touch.Opening the door will reveal a common cabin, or so it is said anyway, because the touchscreen infotainment system and the digital instrument cluster are expected to be shared with the battery-electric crossover. The same may apply to other stuff, like the bench or individual seats when it comes to those sitting at the rear, and perhaps some buttons. The British automaker could draw the line at the upholstery and trim, but thats pure assumption at this point.You can bet your bottom dollar on the fact that the Envya , if they really end up calling it that, will feature lots of technology gear. It is also understood to launch with semi-autonomous driving capability, with a Level 3 system that will make the daily commute far more enjoyable. Drivers will also be assisted on the go by a multitude of safety systems.Set to rival the likes of the Porsche Taycan, as well as the BMW i5, Mercedes EQE, and Audi e-tron GT, the Lotus Envya has to be seriously good in order to steal some customers from its direct challengers in the zero-emission business sedan segment. Whether it will be or not could be very subjective at this point, considering that no one outside the automaker has had the chance to put it through its paces yet.Engineers were out testing the pictured prototype in Europes frozen north, and thats where our spy photographers spotted it. Wearing lots of camouflage, it appears to have relied on diesel power towards the end of the testing session, as it had to be towed away by an Iveco  or so it seems anyway. Hopefully, Lotus will deal with all the issues long before they put it in production.The official unveiling date has yet to be announced, and if the latest reports are correct, then the Envya will be based on the same platform as the Eletre, thus making it possible to share some (if not all) its powertrains, including the 900+ hp from the R-spec that will inevitably take on the likes of the 1,000-hp Taycan
Tesla is actively scouting for new locations to build gigafactories, a crucial step to scale production to extreme levels. Governments tried to lure Elon Musk to invest in their countries, but no decision has been announced. India, Indonesia, South Korea, Canada, and Mexico are just a handful of countries that would offer Tesla preferential conditions to tip the balance when establishing new production facilities.Mexico was probably more active than other countries in this endeavor, considering that Elon Musk has visited the country and spoken with officials about a possible gigafactory location. This has made local politicians go crazy, making statements about done deals that they would deny the next morning. A presidential spokesperson insisted last month that Tesla would build not one, but two gigafactories in the country. One would be next to New Mexicos newly opened Felipe Angeles airport (AIFA), so Tesla could ship its products by air . You understand now that such declarations must be taken with a grain of salt.Another location discussed since last December was less of a far-fetched possibility. Were talking about Monterrey, located in the northern state of Nuevo Leon. The city is close to the U.S. border and less than 400 miles (640 km) away from Giga Texas. The location makes sense, although there might be a bit of a problem. Just as in Germany, the water reserves in the region are scarce.Still, an official confirmation shows that Tesla is building its next gigafactory in Monterrey. Following two long phone conversations between Tesla CEO Elon Musk and Mexicos president Lopez Obrador, Tesla has been granted permission to set up business in Nuevo Leon. On Tuesday, Obrador made the official announcement, saying the deal represents a considerable investment and many, many jobs for Mexico.Lopez Obrador said that Musk understood the water scarcity problem in the region and was willing to make a series of commitments as part of the deal. There is no further information, although Tesla is expected to offer more details about the agreement on Wednesday, possibly during the Investor Day event. If the deal is real, Tesla may have chosen the best location for a gigafactory that would benefit from the low-cost, high-skilled workforce in the Mexican auto industry.Initial rumors from December 2022 indicated that Tesla would start with a $1 billion investment in the new gigafactory. The plan was to produce components used in Teslas nearby production site in Austin. Intriguingly, Tesla officials said that Tesla would eventually start making an affordable car in Mexico. Tesla is expected to announce the Gen-3 platform plans during Investor Day, and a production facility in a place with low labor costs sounds exactly what Tesla needs.
The latest addition to MINI s North American lineup is dubbed Seaside Edition, a limited-run model based on the Cooper S Convertible. Its an expensive thing, with prices kicking off at $45,460 excluding the $995 destination charge. Approximately 500 examples will be produced to U.S. specifications, according to BMW.Seaside Edition is the British manufacturers way of celebrating 30 years of the MINI Convertible, which made its debut 29 years ago at the Geneva Motor Show in March 2004 in One and Cooper flavors. The retro-styled cruiser boasts a four-seat layout, although taller adults wont feel comfortable seated in the rear.Production will kick off in March 2023 if no supply chain-related problems arise until then, with all units expected to be finished no later than July 2023. Seaside Edition differs from the standard Cooper S Convertible by means of high-gloss white trim pieces. Bodyside stripes visually connect the side scuttles to the taillights, with said scuttles featuring an anniversary motif.Patterns commemorating 30 years of open-top fun can also be found in the wheel center caps and front bumper decals. Pictured on bi-tone alloys, the Seaside Edition further sweetens the deal with two exterior finishes. Caribbean Aqua is arguably the most appropriate for a convertible, but Nanuq White isnt bad either. The blue variant comes with 18-inch Pulse Spoke wheels, whereas the white variant is fitted with 17-inch Roulette Spoke wheels. Theres also a difference in tires, with the blue getting summer tires and the white all-season tires.Both proudly exhibit Seaside lettering inside, where youll also find Carbon Black-finished leather seats, edition-specific dashboard trim strips and floor mats, as well as Nappa Leather on the steering wheel. Beautified with a Seaside Edition inlay, the steering wheel is also heated as standard, as expected at this price point.Heated front seats, touchscreen infotainment with satellite navigation, Apple CarPlay, Harman Kardon premium audio, dual-zone automatic climate control, and Parking Assistant are included in the aforementioned price as well. Customers are presented with a choice of either two- or three-pedal transmissions, with the former dubbed Sport Dual Clutch/Automatic Transmission.Considering that its based on the sporty Cooper S Convertible, the Seaside Edition deserves a stick shift . Theres a case to be made for the dual-clutch tranny as well for the more relaxed drivers among us or those who spend most of their in-car miles in stop-and-go traffic.The only engine available in the 2024 MINI Cooper S Convertible Seaside Edition is a 2.0-liter turbo designed by German automaker BMW. It puts out 189 ponies at 5,000 rpm and 207 pound-feet (281 Nm) at 1,250 rpm.
Sort of speak, since the company has also refreshed the Nissan Ambition 2030 strategy to reflect the ambition to double down on electrification by accelerating the production and sales of no less than 27 electrified models by the end of the decade. Alas, not everyone cares about their global progress towards zero emissions as the 2024 Nissan GT-R still rings true in their minds. Besides, has anyone noticed that the Japanese automakers batch of official photos for the refreshed R35 high-performance grand tourer feels a lot less real and more like CGI?That was probably just the impulse needed by the imaginative realm of digital car content creators to come up with their visions on the matter. Sure, most of them decided to fiddle with the current, long-running (production started in December 2007) iteration, reworking the 2024 R35 GT-R into Convertible or Shooting Brake versions. Others, on the other hand, went above and beyond the CGI call of duty to dream of the impending times when Nissan finally switches generations and unleashes the R36 Nissan GT-R, with and without the Nismo version.Such is also the case with Evrim Ozgun , a Turkish virtual automotive designer, who has recently decided to get our orange hopes high towards the upcoming introduction of the R36 Nissan GT-R in Nismo form after he previously had the regular, unofficial R36 meet-up with the iconic R34 Nissan Skyline GT-R for a CGI play date. Anyway, now the focus is solely on the orange-and-black, hypothetical all-new generation, which frankly looks a bit too childish even when pursuing the suspension of disbelief needed to make these 3D renderings work as intended.But, no worries, he is not the only one with kid fantasies made into virtual reality. Just look at the second post embedded below from automotive artist Oscar Vargas (aka wb.artist20 ), who recently decided to morph one of his childhood sketches (of a futuristic 2001 Ford Mustang!) into 3D! Apparently, Ive had an impractical way of thinking since I could remember, commented the author  and we are on the same CGI page. Alas, the wheels still look contemporary enough to be used on just about anything else.Or, even better, check out the work done by the famous Al Yasid, who is ready to take off to the stratosphere in a Lancia Stratos restomod . If you see it from the front, it only looks like an ultra-slammed and extra-widebody digital project, but everything gets even wilder turning around back. Over there, the pixel master thought it suitable that the engine should be exposed and the design resembles a cross between a contemporary military jet and a Star Wars Tie fighter!
EV

Electric vehicles are becoming increasingly popular in the U.S., although many are still reluctant to consider buying an. Still, whoever has driven an electric car for a while will find it hard to go back to filling up a gas tank. As the market leader, Tesla has capitalized on this trend and is now riding the wave of EV adoption higher than anybody. And despite some horror stories making the news, most Tesla owners are satisfied with their cars.This has become obvious in S&P Mobility's latest Automotive Loyalty Awards study, which shows the EV maker earned five out of the eight Manufacturer and Make Loyalty Awards. Tesla managed to top Ford for U.S. brand loyalty for the first time, while General Motors continued to lead in the Overall Loyalty to Manufacturer category for the eighth straight year.The 2022 Automotive Loyalty Awards was marked by industry-wide shortages that prompted customers to look for opportunities in the market instead of buying a car brand of their choosing. This has caused the industry average brand loyalty to plummet from 54.6 percent in 2019 to 50.2 percent in 2022. Based on the S&P Mobility study's criteria, half of the car buyers chose a different manufacturer or brand when they bought a new vehicle.On the other hand, Tesla owners have kept buying Teslas , which has helped the EV market leader win the "Overall Loyalty to Make" award. This is no small feat, as Ford has traditionally won the prize. This is actually the first time in over a decade that Ford has not won the award. Tesla also scored the "Ethnic Market Loyalty to Make" award, with 52 percent of their loyal volume coming from ethnic consumers. The EV maker dominated this year's U.S. brand loyalty rankings, earning three more awards for Highest Conquest Percentage, Alternative Powertrain Loyalty to Make, and Most Improved Loyalty to Make. Tesla also won two segment model-loyalty awards for the Tesla Model 3 in the Luxury Small Car category and the Tesla Model Y in the Luxury Small Utility category.Mercedes-Benz and Subaru completed the winners' podium. The German brand was recognized as the Most Improved Alternative Powertrain Loyalty to Make, thanks to its fresh lineup of electric vehicles sold under the EQ brand. On the other hand, the Japanese won the Overall Loyalty to Dealer for the first time. As most car buyers are fed up with dishonest dealer practices, it's impressive that 38 percent of Subaru customers would buy their next vehicle from the same dealer.
NHTSA

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

The Japanese automaker and its luxury-oriented arm Infiniti are often ranked at the bottom half of quality and reliability rankings, with Ghosns successors continuing to apply the cost-related policy of their brilliant yet controversial predecessor. Cost-cutting measures apply to Nissans suppliers as well, which results in substandard parts and assemblies because Nissan said so and to earn the Yokohama-based automakers business.campaign number 23V093000 is a classic case of Nissan being cheap, with the Japanese manufacturer calling back a simply outstanding 712,458 units of the Rogue and Rogue Sport in North America. The jackknife-style ignition key is prone to collapse into the folded position while driving, potentially shutting off the vehicle. Not only does this scenario increase the risk of a crash, but if the ignition isnt in the on position, the airbags and other safety systems will not be operational.The condition described above is eerily similar to the infamous ignition switch recall saga from General Motors, although there are notable differences as well. The biggest of the Big Three in Detroit called back approximately 30 million cars worldwide over a 57-cent ignition switch component, namely a small spring that doesnt provide enough force. If accessories are attached to the ignition key, said ignition key may turn into the ignition to accessory mode or off when the vehicle goes over a bump. 124 deaths and 275 injuries have been connected to the 57-cent part that GM cheaped out on. Nissan advises owners of the Rogue and smaller Rouge Sport to not attach any kind of accessories to the ignition key of their vehicles. Nissan further advises using the key exclusively in the unfolded orientation until a remedy becomes available. Theres no fix for this issue as of February 28th according to documents filed with theInterim recall notifications will be sent to affected owners no later than March 17th, followed by a second notification once the fix becomes available. Nissan has also instructed its United States dealer network to insert a spacer into the key slot of the jackknife ignition key.The aforementioned 712,458 vehicles are split between the 2014 to 2020 model year Rogue and 2017 to 2022 model year Rogue Sport. The latter has been discontinued in December 2022. A handful of brand-new examples are still available in dealer lots at the moment of writing. The Rogue continues to be Nissans bread and butter in the United States. Including the discontinued Rogue Sport, the Rogue lineup accounted for 186,480 shipments in 2022, more than any other vehicle that Nissan offers in this part of the world.
The semiconductor crisis emerged in 2020 when a significant number of users asked employees to work remotely. Because of this transition, sales of certain electronics, such as PCs, phones, and printers, skyrocketed, as employees needed new computers and peripherals to remain productive at home.Chipmakers prioritized orders aimed at their biggest clients, and as a result, car manufacturers ended up facing a fierce shortage of semiconductors.The effects of this crunch continue to cause production challenges today. Toyota confirmed earlier this week that its January sales were down year-over-year, blaming the constrained chip inventory as the main reason.Now the lack of chips is causing problems in the production of driving licenses too. Indian authorities in the Gautam Budh Nagar say theyve been struggling with the lack of chips since at least November. The current backlog counts approximately 18,000 licenses.The same problem is encountered in other regions, with thousands of drivers being told to wait for their documents until the chip shortage is resolved.While no information has been offered on this front, local authorities claim the chip inventory is improving. This means driving licenses should start being issued shortly, with the distribution to then run at full speed to new drivers.The problems hitting authorities in India serve as living proof that the semiconductor shortage is here to stay. Previously, industry analysts claimed the chip problems would be resolved in 2023, especially as sales of PCs and smartphones are going down.While this is already happening, with the PC market dropping at a worrying pace in the last quarters, the automotive market is yet to see a substantial recovery in terms of inventory. Chipmakers are investing in retooling, which would allow them to build chips for vehicles, but the process takes time and cant happen overnight.Furthermore, the new facilities, whose role is to boost capacity, wouldnt start manufacturing until 2024.This is why some carmakers are rather reluctant when it comes to the end of the chip shortage. In addition to Toyota, General Motors has also warned that the inventory problems could continue in 2023. The companys CEO said the struggle could continue even in 2024 , especially as the market instability is causing prolonged uncertainty.Indian authorities claim the local chip supply is showing signs of recovery. However, just like in the case of the automotive industry, its hard to predict if the inventory can improve in the long term. As such, further delays in the issuing of new drivers licenses are still possible, especially now that authorities are working at full speed to resolve the entire backlog of 18,000 units.
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (AP)  A man fatally shot by police during an exchange of gunfire near a Massachusetts casino had called for more police transparency after his own teenage son was shot and wounded by Connecticut officers in 2017.

William Tisdol, 48, of Hartford, Connecticut, was shot at about 2 a.m. Saturday near the MGM Springfield casino, according to a statement Monday from the office of Hampden District Attorney Anthony Gulluni.

Members of the Massachusetts State Police Gaming Enforcement Unit were responding to a report of a man in the casino acting aggressive to others and possibly armed with a firearm, the statement said.

According to the preliminary investigation, the man was located as he was leaving the casino, police gave chase on foot and gunfire was exchanged, the DAs office said.

Tisdol was hit and taken to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead, the statement said.

The shooting is under investigation to determine whether the use of deadly force by police was appropriate and whether criminal charges are warranted, Gullunis office said.

At 15, Tisdols son, Caleb Tisdol, was one of two teens injured in December 2017 when five New Britain, Connecticut, police officers investigating a series of carjackings and robberies opened fire on a car they tried to pull over.

Zoe Dowdell, 20, a rapper known as Gangstalicious, was killed during shooting. The officers ultimately were cleared of wrongdoing. The investigative report said Dowdells car was on the sidewalk and accelerating toward officers.

The older Tisdol told Connecticut TV station Fox61 in 2018 that police dashcam footage he was shown did not match the police report of the shooting and asked for the public release of more police video.

After the first shots, Caleb yelled out the car, He is dead. You can stop shooting. When they heard my sons voice, they opened fire again, William Tisdol said.

The older Tisdol told the Hartford Courant in 2018 that the segment of video he saw clearly showed his son had his hands up.

Caleb Tisdol, now 20, was sentenced in August to 12 years in prison after pleading guilty to robbery, attempted robbery, and drug and gun charges.
There are at least three or four things regarding which  we have differences, Simonian told reporters. He refused to disclose them.

Simonian said that the signing of such a treaty is also hampered by new conditions periodically set by Azerbaijan as well as Azerbaijani provocations on the border between the two states.

Meanwhile, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov accused Armenia of such obstruction.

At the moment, the Armenian side is obstructing the signing of the peace treaty, Bayramov said after holding talks in Baku with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov. We can see that they also refused to participate in the third round of negotiations.

He appeared to refer to Yerevans decision to cancel in late December a planned meeting of the Russian, Armenian and Azerbaijani foreign ministers in protest against Azerbaijans blockade of the Lachin corridor.

Lavrov also mentioned that decision when he spoke during a joint news conference with Bayramov. He said he is still ready to organize the meeting with Bayramov and Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan in Moscow.

The Armenian side has stated that it has no objection [to the meeting] but has not yet given its final consent, added Lavrov.

Despite the continuing Azerbaijani blockade, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian agreed to meet with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev in Munich on February 18 for talks organized by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

Following the Munich talks Aliyev spoke of progress in Armenias position on the peace treaty which he hopes will help to restore full Azerbaijani control over Nagorno-Karabakh. Pashinians political opponents at home renewed afterwards their allegations that he has accepted Azerbaijans terms of the peace deal.

Meeting with Lavrov on Monday, Aliyev expressed hope that 2023 will be a breakthrough year for the normalization of relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia.
Visiting Baku, Lavrov said traffic through the Lachin corridor must be regulated in strict conformity with a 2020 Armenian-Azerbaijani agreement that placed it under the control of Russian peacekeepers stationed in Karabakh.

It calls for the free movement of solely civilian and humanitarian cargo and civilians, Lavrov said after talks with his Azerbaijani counterpart Jeyhun Bayramov. In our contacts, we are trying to achieve that first and foremost through the peacekeeping contingent. The setting up of any checkpoint there is not envisaged.

But it is possible to dispel, by technical means, suspicions that the corridor is not functioning as intended. We discussed that today, he said.

Lavrov alluded to Azerbaijani allegations that Armenia shipped landmines to Karabakh through the corridor in breach of the 2020 ceasefire brokered by Moscow.

Both Yerevan and Stepanakert have strongly denied the allegations voiced both before and after Azerbaijani government-backed protesters blocked Karabakhs land link with the outside world on December 12. The Armenian side views the blockade as a gross violation of the truce accord.

Lavrov called for a swift and full unblocking of traffic along the Lachin corridor during a January 17 phone call with Bayramov. He said the following day that Moscow told Baku that the Russian peacekeepers can check each vehicle for the absence of prohibited, non-humanitarian, non-civilian goods in it.

The blockade has still not been lifted. The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry said last week that Baku wants to set up a checkpoint on Karabakhs lifeline road in order to ensure its transparent functioning. Yerevan rejected the idea.
The 31-year-old man, Nikita Kamensky, was detained at Yerevans Zvartnots airport shortly after his flight from Istanbul landed in the morning. A police officer there told RFE/RLs Armenian Service that he was set free a few hours later after signing a pledge not to leave the country.

A short statement released by the Armenian police said Kamensky was put on Russian law-enforcement authorities wanted list in December for vandalism. It said nothing about his possible extradition to Russia.

Armenias National Security Service (NSS), which usually deals with extradition cases, refused to comment.

According to OVD Info, a Russian human rights group, Russian authorities launched criminal proceedings against Kamensky in July after he painted at a Moscow subway station graffiti protesting against Russias war in Ukraine. They interrogated him and searched his home at the time. He reportedly pledged not to leave Russia during the investigation.

Kamensky could not be reached for comment. Yury Alexeyev, a Russian antigovernment activist based in Armenia, said his friends have already asked Armenian lawyers to represent him and help prevent his extradition to Russia.

Alexeyev and several other Russian expats have staged protests in Yerevan over the past year against Russias invasion of Ukraine. None of them is known to have been deported from the country.

Nikitas case is interesting in the sense that we will see what Armenia can do, said Alexeyev.

Artur Sakunts, an Armenian human rights activist, said that despite a Russian-Armenian treaty on mutual extradition of fugitive criminal suspects the Armenian authorities must not extradite Kamensky or any other Russian critic of the war facing political persecution at home.

The Russian government enacted last spring laws that effectively criminalized vocal opposition to the military campaign in Ukraine.
China inspires developing countries to strive for prosperity: former Egyptian PM

09:35, February 28, 2023 By Zhou Zhou ( People's Daily

Essam Sharaf, former Prime Minister of Egypt (People's Daily/Jing Yue)

Souvenirs with Chinese elements decorate an entire wall in the office of Essam Sharaf, former Prime Minister of Egypt. These souvenirs, including paper cuttings, Chinese calligraphy works, Peking Opera masks, as well as trophies and certificates that he received in China, carry his fond memories of years of friendly exchanges with China.

"I visited China for the first time in 2005 as Egypt's Minister of Transport and saw the rapid economic development of the country. So far, I've made some 30 visits to China and the continuous development of the country impressed me so much," said Sharaf.

He noted that China's development is about not only the ever-changing urban construction, but also the improving living standard of the Chinese people.

"Today, China has developed into a strong and modern civilized country. Unquestionably, this couldn't have been achieved without the strong leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC)," Sharaf told People's Daily, adding that the CPC follows a people-centered development philosophy and the Chinese people trust and support the leadership of the CPC.

People-centered development philosophy is the secret to the CPC's success in governance, as it builds social consensus and fuels progress, he said.

As one of the earliest Egyptian readers of the book "Xi Jinping: The Governance of China", Sharaf attended a promotion seminar for the Egyptian edition of the book in 2014.

He said readers of the book can learn about the achievements and experiences of China in recent years, and understand the careful consideration and grand vision of Chinese President Xi Jinping in national governance.

A Chinese culture festival kicks off at Badr University in Cairo, Egypt, Dec. 11, 2022. (Photo courtesy of the Chinese Embassy in Egypt)

Under the leadership of the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, China has eradicated absolute poverty and accomplished building of a moderately prosperous society in all respects, embracing the bright prospect of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation on all fronts, Sharaf told People's Daily.

"It is the people of a country that are best placed to judge whether the development path they have chosen for themselves is suitable." This point in the book has left a deep impression on Sharaf.

He said China doesn't copy the development models of other countries, but firmly follows the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics, which sets a good example for other developing countries.

He believes the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), the Global Development Initiative, and the Global Security Initiative proposed by Xi as well as other global public goods provided by China are conducive to building a community with a shared future for mankind.

Chinese initiatives and actions not only chart the course for improving global governance and multilateral development, but also inspire developing countries to strive for prosperity, he said.

Sharaf is a staunch supporter of the BRI, and has attended hundreds of discussions and seminars on the initiative in Egypt and other Arab countries, as well as in some European countries.

In his eyes, the biggest influence of the BRI is that it establishes a global cooperation mechanism, champions multilateralism under fair governance and upholds the principle of globalization featuring extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits.

Chinese Ambassador to Egypt Liao Liqiang goes on an inspection tour to China-Egypt TEDA Suez Economic and Trade Cooperation Zone, Egypt, June 15, 2022. (Photo courtesy of the Chinese Embassy in Egypt)

"The Silk Road was once a bridge of East-West exchanges and mutual learning between civilizations. At present, economic globalization is facing headwinds. Rising populism, exclusivism, as well as unilateralism, protectionism and hegemonism are posing threats to global peace and development. The joint construction of the BRI revitalizes the ancient Silk Road and brings it new missions. It helps participating countries break the isolation and unite together more closely," Sharaf remarked.

Over the past decade, the BRI has been joined by more and more countries. So far, China has signed Belt and Road cooperation documents with over 150 countries. A series of practical cooperation projects have been implemented and investment keeps expanding.

"I can see the prospects that the BRI is creating for global development with its fruitful achievements," Sharaf said, adding that the BRI is in line with Egypt's Vision 2030 and provides huge opportunities for Egypt-China cooperation.

The China-Egypt TEDA Suez Economic and Trade Cooperation Zone, the central business district in Egypt's new administrative capital, as well as other cooperation projects, play an important role in promoting Egypt's economic and social development and in improving the livelihood of the Egyptian people, he added.

In his point of view, the Green Silk Road, the Health Silk Road, the Digital Silk Road and the Innovation Silk Road under the framework of the BRI cover wider areas of development.

"The significance of the BRI is more prominent when the world is making concerted efforts to fight COVID-19," he said.

Since the onset of the pandemic, BRI countries have joined hands to fight the disease and reinforced cooperation in economic recovery, which helps tackle challenges, Sharaf noted.

China's efforts to promote high-quality BRI development are conducive to implementing the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and will bring new prospects for advancing international cooperation and achieving common development, he said.

(Web editor: Chang Sha, Du Mingming)
The Greater Hartford NAACP is calling for action to solve flooding issues in Hartfords North End neighborhoods, a call coming as the federal Environmental Protection Agency says it is continuing to investigate causes of sewage overflows and whether agencies responsible for the citys stormwater infrastructure have fulfilled their obligations.

The statements from the NAACP and the EPA come as community leaders and residents continue to seek action from local, state and federal officials and agencies.

The Greater Hartford Branch of NAACP is committed to working with our partners to fight for environmental justice and to hold leadership accountable  for the harmful impacts on our Black communities, said Greater Hartford NAACP President Corrie Betts.

Betts said that the flooding in Hartfords North End is an example of a long-standing pattern of neglect and mistreatment of Black communities.

He said he has been recently in contact with the national board of the NAACP about the situation.

This neglect is putting the lives of men, women and children at risk and is also having a negative impact on the economic well-being of this community. The North End of Hartford has long been subjected to disinvestment, redlining and inadequate infrastructure, which has led to chronic flooding and pollution. These issues have been exacerbated by climate change and extreme weather events, further compounding the harm inflicted on these communities, he said.

He said that it is time for the city, the Metropolitan District Commission, the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, the Department of Public Health and the Environmental Protection Agency to take action and work collectively to address the issues. The city has offered support to residents in the North End, including through a grants program. The MDC also has said it is working to address flooding and backups.

Betts said that they are calling on the organizations and agencies to take the following actions: investing in critical infrastructure improvements in predominantly Black communities throughout the city of Hartford with improvements to water services and flood management systems, addressing the root causes of the issues, such as a lack of investment in the communities, and working with key leaders and organizations to develop solutions that are responsive to the needs of the communities.

We must act now to ensure that all members of our community have access to safe, reliable and equitable services, he said.

The Greater Hartford Branch of NAACP will continue to work with our partners, fighting for environmental justice and holding leadership accountable for their discriminatory actions and the harmful impacts they pose to our Black communities, he said.

Activist Bridgitte Prince and J. Stan McCauley, president of the Greater Hartford African American Alliance, said they recently supported the legislative proposal, Act Concerning The Metropolitan District Commission.

If passed, the bill would require annual audits of the Metropolitan District Commission, establish a task force to examine the organization and operation, require the board of commissioners to adopt, administer and enforce a model code of ethics and permit commissioners from nonmember municipalities to vote on certain rates.

Prince said the bill is legislation that would start the process of justice for those in the North End affected by flood issues.

The passing of HB 5888 and the MDC Charter Revision is a very necessary piece of legislation. In my humble opinion, the passing of this legislation is the beginning of justice for the disadvantaged who pay premium prices for MDC services without receiving those actual benefits, she said.

McCauley said he also wholeheartedly supports the legislation because it would increase oversight and transparency within the MDC.

He also said annual audits by an accredited public accounting firm or state agency should be welcomed by the MDC, as their commissioners are not elected by constituents of the towns it serves.

McCauley said while he supports establishing a task force to study the MDCs organization and operations, he also said it will only be as good as its members.

During the legislatures Planning and Development Committee meeting on Feb. 17, MDCs District Counsel Chris Stone opposed the bill, saying its provisions are unreasonable, unnecessary and have the potential to cause significant harm.

Stone said the MDC already is subject to a rigorous annual audit by an outside, independent auditing firm  as they have committed themselves to their bondholders that their independent audits be performed in a timely manner to ensure their investments are sound.

Stone also said that they oppose the creation of a task force to examine the organization and operations of the MDC and make recommendations for changes to the MDC charter. They do not understand the need for such a task force and potential changes to the charter, as several legislative changes have been made that affect the MDC and its charter, some made at their request and others despite their expression of concern.

He said the MDC opposes the proposed mandate that 33 volunteer members of the MDC Board of Commissioners adopt, administer and enforce the model code of ethics developed by the Office of State Ethics  as they have their own code of ethics.

Stone also said they oppose commissioners from nonmembers towns voting on water rates, as there is a single water rate applied throughout the district. He said the MDCs concern with the proposal is that would make it unequitable for a commissioner from a nonmember town who may represent a superminority of ratepayers to have a vote equal in weight to a commissioner who represents a supermajority of ratepayers.

EPA Acting Director of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance Division James Chow said he recognizes the burdens residents in Hartfords North End have faced with long-standing concerns over flooding and sewer overflows and the agency is fully engaged in reviewing what has been happening and what can be done to address some of the concerns.

No one should have to worry about raw sewage, street flooding and sewage backing up in the basements and certainly the health, financial and emotional burdens that result from that. This is something thats very important to us, he said.

In addition to EPA Region 1 Administrator David Cash, Acting Director Civil Rights Administrator Sharon Wells, he and other staff coming to Hartford to listen to the concerns of the citizens, Chow said their office is meeting weekly, if not daily, on these issues in Hartford.

Were looking for short- and long-term solutions and strategies to address these issues. We are actively investigating the causes of sewer overflows and flooding in Hartfords North End. We conducted an inspection of the MDC system back in January, and we expect to finalize that report shortly. And well make that report publicly available once its been completed, he said.

Chow also said they are also investigating the extent to which those responsible for operating and maintaining Hartfords stormwater infrastructure have fulfilled their obligations and evaluating the funding and technical resources that might be available to assist the city, state and the community.

Were also actively reaching out to other federal agencies to identify and assess what potential resources might be available to support flood mitigation efforts, stream restoration projects, green infrastructure, green space planning, community redevelopment and other needs that might help address these issues, he said.
Norman Scott has said the depiction of him in the TV drama A Very English Scandal, which explored his alleged affair with Jeremy Thorpe, was very unkind.

The three-part BBC series told the true story of the late former Liberal leader Thorpe who was acquitted of conspiring to murder Scott after the former model claimed they had a relationship in the early 1960s when homosexuality was illegal.

Released in 2018, the series received critical acclaim and actor Ben Whishaw was awarded a Bafta, Emmy and Golden Globe for his portrayal of Scott.

A Very English Scandal co-stars Hugh Grant and Ben Whishaw (Kieron McCarron/BBC/PA)   Kieron McCarron/BBC

Speaking on the podcast, British Scandal: Jeremy Thorpe, about his portrayal in the series, Scott, 83, said: (I was) very cross.

Ben (Whishaw) was being a very good actor, he had met me, he knew me, and I hoped that he would be me

I think it was very  I can say it because its what I believe  it was a black comedy. It was very unkind. But Ben played me very well.

Reflecting on scenes from the drama, he added: But I did not walk down the stairs of the Old Bailey saying that I am gay and queer and all this sort of thing. Because its just not me. Im not that sort of person.

I scuttled away after I had given my evidence and went back down to Devon. I wasnt there to do that. It was unkind really. I was a caricature.

At the time, Whishaw said he felt a connection to Scott and wanted to do him justice in his complexity and in his variety as a human being.

Whishaw added that he had met Scott, who wanted the series to be done well and for his side of the story to be told properly.

Hugh Grant took on the role of Thorpe and received a number of award nominations for his portrayal.

Reflecting on Grants depiction of Thorpe, Scott said: It was sinister. He was brilliant.

I mean, he wasnt very kind to me but I didnt mind.

It upset me actually because he looked so like him and he got his mannerisms.

He added: And do you know what was amazing? Im not particularly fond of Hugh Grant but I think hes the most wonderful actor.

He learned to play the violin for that part in the film where he played with his mother on the piano, which is amazing.

Very, very clever. But not a very nice person.

The series was based on the book of the same name by author and former arts editor of the Evening Standard and Sunday Telegraph John Preston.

Jeremy Thorpe (PA)   PA

Thorpe entered parliament as a Liberal MP for North Devon and went on to head the party in the 1960s and 1970s.

He had a glittering political career, helping to revive the party, and was tipped to become a future prime minister.

But his life became inextricably linked with Scott, who claimed they had a homosexual relationship.

Thorpe consistently and vigorously denied the fling, but was accused of ordering Scotts murder  having become concerned about his political career taking a hit as a result of the claims.

There was intense interest in the Old Bailey trial, in which Thorpe was charged with conspiracy and incitement to murder Scott.

The jury took 52 hours to acquit the politician, along with his close friend David Holmes, a one-time deputy treasurer of the Liberal Party, and two South Wales businessmen John Le Mesurier, and George Deakin, a nightclub owner.

Following the case, Thorpe, who was 50 at the time, withdrew into the privacy of his home and family and effectively cut himself off from public life amid ailing health.

He died in 2014 after suffering from Parkinsons Disease for more than three decades.

Norman Scotts full interview on the Wondery podcast, British Scandal: Jeremy Thorpe, is available from Wednesday on all podcast services.
Pierce Brosnan was been spotted filming for his new movie, Four Letters of Love, in Co Antrim on Tuesday afternoon.

The 007 star even made time to snap a few selfies with some fans passing by and stayed in the Salthouse Hotel in Ballycastle.

Posting to social media, the hotel wrote: Reservation for Bond James Bond. We had the pleasure of welcoming Mr Pierce Brosnan to stay and dine at the hotel last night. We wish him all the best in his new movie.

He is currently shooting for the upcoming supernatural romance on the north coast.

The storyline is based on an international best-selling novel by Irish author Niall Williams.

The movie, also starring Helena Bonham Carter, will have some scenes shot in Co Donegal and is being directed by award-winning filmmaker, Polly Steele, who previously confirmed on her website that Mamma Mia actor Brosnan would feature.

Brosnan and Bonham Carter, who will alongside Irish actor Gabriel Byrne, will play parents of the main characters, played by up-and-coming actors Fionn OShea and Ann Skelly.

A statement from Northern Ireland Screen, which is providing supporting funding for the project, explains more of the films plot.

Nicholas Coughlan (OShea) and Isabel Gore (Skelly) are fated to be together. That is as sure as the sky is blue and the sea is ever changing. The question is whether or not they will ever find out. As ghosts, fate and the sheer power of true love pull Nicholas and Isabel together, so too does life threaten to tear them apart.

One sunny winter morning, Nicholas father, William (Brosnan), believes hes spoken to by God, changing his life forever. He quits his job and, following divine instruction, redirects all his passion and energy into painting, leaving his dependent wife, Bette, and son to fend for themselves.

Isabel lives a charmed, simple existence on the island, with her father (Byrne), the poet and master of the school, and her wise, intuitive mother (Bonham Carter), until the tragic day her younger brother, Sean, has a paralysing fit while he accompanies her dancing. Isabel, weighed down by guilt, opts to go to school on the mainland, in search of fresh experiences and a chance to forget.
Emma Corbett, who has developed the diabetes app Insurin, received 2,500 in support from Ulster Bank last year when she won the pitching competition at the Bel Tel Business Awards. Now you can follow in her footsteps.

Entrepreneurs in Northern Ireland have been urged to enter the Belfast Telegraph 2023 Business Awards pitching competition.

They could follow in the footsteps of last years winner Emma Corbett, who took home the top prize of 2,500 in support from Ulster Bank for pitching her diabetes app, Insurin.

John Ferris, regional ecosystem manager at the Ulster Bank Accelerator programme, said the pitching competition was a personal highlight of the Belfast Telegraph Business Awards in partnership with Ulster Bank.

He said: Four shortlisted entrepreneurs will present a live business pitch during the awards on Thursday April 27 with guests then taking part in a vote to select a winner.

"The overall winner will receive a cash prize package to further invest in their business as well as a place on Ulster Banks Accelerator programme and the opportunity to network with some of the most influential and successful business leaders in Northern Ireland.

He said the bank wanted to hear from dynamic, innovative entrepreneurs who must send their initial one-minute video pitch via WhatsApp to 07841 100025 by 5pm on March 31.

"The Ulster Bank Accelerator team and members of this years awards judging panel will shortlist four finalists who will each present a one-minute pitch on the night. The guest audience will then select the ultimate winner with a live vote.

He said that pitching on stage could be daunting but that it was a skill which could be honed.

It is a vital tool for any business entrepreneur and when you get it right, it can be the key to unlocking investment or securing growth opportunities.

"The stakes are usually high so its natural to find the experience stressful or struggle with nerves.

He said entrants must keep their pitch to just one-minute as longer entries would not be judged beyond 60 seconds.

He compared a pitch to a trailer for a film. You create a story to engage people and leave them wanting more. Try not to over-complicate your pitch and remember you need buy in from your audience within the first 10 or 12 seconds.

Entrants should write down their pitch to start with and aim for 120 to 250 words. Try to show your personality and tell the story behind the business as this is what will inspire your audience. Avoid using industry-specific jargon or complicated language.

It's much better to keep things simple and use laymans terms with real-life examples to illustrate your points."

He added: Its an old saying but practice definitely makes perfect. Dont just practice in your head but rehearse it out loud to your friends and family so that you really get used to performing and take their feedback on board.

Finally, relax. Be yourself and show confidence  if you dont believe in your business, why would anyone else?

end piece:

Competition goes live on February 28. A one minute video pitch must be sent to WhatsApp 07841 100025 by March 31. The Business Awards ceremony, including the pitching ceremony. takes place on April 27 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Belfast
Gov. Ned Lamont gave a nod of approval this week to House Bill 6663, which would guarantee non-English-speaking parents the right to certified translators for critical interactions with school personnel.

I have to make sure that each and every one of your kids know they are welcome in our schools, no questions asked.  I want mom and dad to be able to communicate with the teacher and make sure they have all the information they need to get the very best out of our education, Lamont said, adding that when he was a teacher at Warren Harding High School in Bridgeport, he wished he had more resources to connect with Spanish-speaking parents.

The class was very busy, and a lot of people left. A lot of these moms and dads are in the landscaping business, and their kids left and went back to Central America for a few months and came back, Lamont said. They had me on the phone calls, trying to get the kids back into the classroom.  I wish I could have done that in Spanish. And thats just what this bill is all about.

Lamont was joined by Rep. Antonio Felipe, D-Bridgeport, who helped co-sponsor the bill, and advocacy groups ConnCAN and Make the Road, which have pushed for its passage. The groups gathered support from parents who testified at a public hearing last week, and they held press conferences inside the Capitol building earlier this session.

Everyone likes to throw around the word champion, right? [Lawmakers] are the folks that are scoring the ball, but [the advocacy groups] are the ones that really made the assist and put us in the position to do this, Felipe said. Its no small feat that, in year one, I have the big guy [Lamont] standing behind me.  Usually these things take time, these things take years, theres things to hammer out, but  the governors office understood and saw this as an opportunity to really latch on as early as we can to make sure were giving opportunity to these families  to these parents  to make sure they have access to be as big of a part in their childs future, and in their learning experience, as they can be regardless of the language barrier.

Beyond guaranteeing parents access to interpreters, the bill also outlines more than a dozen other rights, including that English language learners do not have to disclose their immigration status, the ability for students to enroll in bilingual programs and that parents have the opportunity to meet with school staff to discuss their students academic development.

Karen Paredez, a Bridgeport mother who moved to the area two years ago, didnt receive opportunities to engage in her daughters education, she said. When she asked school officials how her daughter was doing, she was simply given the answer, good, with no additional details.

Frequently when I went to parent-teacher conferences to receive grades, I would use my cell phone to understand the teachers and what they were saying, Paredez said in Spanish. Im here today, not just to talk about myself, but Im here to speak on behalf of Sarah, Julia, Carmen, Alesia and all the other mothers and families who cannot actively participate in our childrens education due to language barriers we face.

Paredez then switched to English.

Maybe in the future, I will be able to say all these words in English, because together, with my daughter, I am learning English, Paredez said. But right now, like many parents outside, I need your help.

Sen. Herron Gaston, D-Bridgeport, told a story similar to Paredezs, recounting how his father immigrated to the United States from St. Lucia.

He came here not speaking any English and had to quickly try to learn. He didnt get his GED until he was 45 years of age, and we were the ones that helped teach [him English], Gaston said. I know the barriers. My father probably could have been much further than where he was, in terms of education achievements, had he had the opportunity to be part of our educational system that taught in his language.

Jessika Harkay is a reporter for The Connecticut Mirror (https://ctmirror.org/ ). Copyright 2023 (c) The Connecticut Mirror.
PM says Windsor Framework removes any sense of border in Irish Sea, safeguards sovereignty for Northern Ireland, adding people in NI will see the benefits almost immediately

DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson has said his party will "consider very carefully" the terms of the new protocol deal.

"The DUP can take credit for the fact that we even got to this point," he told Sky News.

"We need to consider very carefully the text, the legal text associated with this agreement, the political declaration.

"We will take our time to examine them, to assess what they mean in practice for Northern Ireland and our place within the United Kingdom."

Meanwhile, his partys North Antrim MP, Ian Paisley Jr, has a gut instinct that this will not cut the mustard".

Earlier Prime Minister Rishi Sunak hailed the deal agreed with the European Union over the NI Protocol as a decisive breakthrough.

In a press conference on Monday afternoon, he said it has removed any sense of a border in the Irish Sea.

He also said Parliament will have a vote on the deal "at the appropriate time", adding: "I think it's important we give everyone the time and the space they need to consider the detail of the framework."

Official documents:

The Windsor Framework: A New Way Forward (Source: UK Government)

The Windsor Framework: Sector Explainer (Source: UK Government)

Read more Sunak scraps Johnsons controversial Northern Ireland Protocol Bill

Mr Sunak continued: "I believe the Windsor Framework marks a turning point for the people of Northern Ireland.

"It fixes the practical problems they face, it preserves the balance of the Belfast Good Friday Agreement.

"Now of course parties will want to consider the agreement in detail, a process that will need time and care.

It comes after the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen travelled to the UK to put the finishing touches to the agreement.

The political institutions at Stormont collapsed last year as part of the DUP protest against the Northern Ireland Protocol's post-Brexit trading arrangements.

Speaking at Stormont, Ms O'Neill said her party was working through all the detail of the new agreement.

She added: "The fact that both sides have arrived at this point today, that is something that will be well received.

"I was always very clear that the protections that were secured within the protocol were very necessary, they remain necessary. Protecting those things that were working and smoothing out the things that needed to be fixed, that is the position we are standing in this evening.

"All different parties need to sit down at the executive table taking the decisions which impact on people's lives, that is where we should be."

TUV leader Jim Allister has criticised the framework, stating that it will not have the legal effect that the Protocol was given by Section 7A of the EU Withdrawal Act.

"And, I heard nothing of new legislation to give precedence to the framework he added.

SDLP leader Colum Eastwood has appealed to NIs political leaders to approach this moment in good faith and with a common determination to restore our Assembly and Executive.

DUP should go back to Stormont if they are true unionists, says Farry

Naomi Long, leader of the cross-community Alliance Party, said she would be examining the details.

"We've been very clear from the beginning what our expectations would be, we would want to still maintain dual market access, that's important for businesses in Northern Ireland," she said.

"We also want to see a reduction in the amount of bureaucracy that the protocol creates, particularly for those who are importing goods from GB into Northern Ireland.

"We're also looking for stability because businesses are telling us very clearly that what they want are stable outcomes."

Follow as it happened below:
Police have welcomed the sentencing of a Newtownards drug dealer who was arrested following targeting the North Down Brigade UDA .

Paul Johnston was sentenced at Downpatrick Crown Court, sitting in Belfast, on Tuesday

The Paramilitary Crime Task Force (PCTF) conducted searches at Johnstons address in March 2022 as part of an ongoing operation targeting North Down Brigade UDA and a quantity of cocaine was seized.

The 41-year-old was sentenced to one year and eight months imprisonment, suspended for two years, for possession of a Class A controlled drug with intent to supply.

Detective Inspector Corrigan said: Those who deal in drugs remain a priority for the Paramilitary Crime Task Force and we will robustly and proactively pursue them.

We will continue to act on the information provided to us by members of the public who want to rid our communities of the harm these groups cause.

I would encourage anyone with information that could assist in our efforts to contact us on the non-emergency number 101, or submit a report online using our non-emergency reporting form via http://www.psni.police.uk/makeareport

Crimestoppers can also be contacted anonymously on 0800 555 111 or online at www.crimestoppers-uk.org
Victim Ryan McNab pictured: Co Antrim man Mark Doak (25) is charged with his murder.

Police have been given another month to submit all forensic evidence against a trained martial artist accused of choking a man to death.

A judge set the deadline for any outstanding material in the prosecution of 25-year-old Co Antrim man Mark Doak on a current charge of murdering Ryan McNab.

Mr McNab, 31, was found dead at the defendants flat on October 21 last year.

Doak, of Barna Square in the Rathcoole area of Newtownabbey, claims he performed a wrestling-style hold on the father-of-one after being struck with a glass bottle.

A previous court heard he phoned the Ambulance Service to report that he had choked Mr McNab to death in an act of self-defence.

Doak followed instructions on how to perform emergency resuscitation attempts until police arrived and took over CPR attempts on the alleged victim discovered lying on the living room floor.

The defendant was treated in hospital for his own injuries before being taken into custody for questioning.

During interviews he claimed the two men scuffled on the floor after he had been attacked first.

Doak told police he put Mr McNab in a wrestling-type hold in a bid to incapacitate him, it was previously disclosed, and kept him in that hold until he stopped moving.

He insisted there was never any intention to kill, and that he raised the alarm once he realised Mr McNab was not breathing.

The accused, described as proficient in martial arts, was granted bail last December.

At a review hearing today, Belfast Magistrates Court was told that one forensic result remains outstanding.

A Crown lawyer added that some evidential phone material is still awaited.

Adjourning the case for another month, the District Judge confirmed: On March 28 everything (is) to be in.
The teenage accused was refused bail at Belfast Magistrates' Court on Tuesday.

A 17-year-old boy wearing a surgical mask allegedly stabbed another youth multiple times in an unprovoked attack outside a north Belfast shop, a court heard today.

Police claimed he inflicted a series of leg wounds after lowering the mask and telling the victim: remember my face.

The defendant, who cannot be named because of his age, faces a charge of causing grievous bodily harm with intent over the attack carried out last week.

He was remanded in custody after being refused bail at Belfast Magistrates Court.

The victim, also aged 17, was stabbed repeatedly at the junction of Cliftonville Road and Cliftonpark Avenue just before 9.30pm on February 23

Paramedics took him to the Royal Victoria Hospital where he received a total of 26 stitches for wounds to both legs.

Further medical assessments are to be carried out to determine if he requires surgery.

The victim told police he was attacked after buying baby food for a neighbour at a local shop.

The defendant ran over and stabbed him repeatedly while he was sitting in the car, an investigating detective said.

These wounds were on his lower legs as the victim raised his legs to protect and defend himself.

According to the victims account, the perpetrator was wearing a hoodie and a surgical mask.

He stated that during the incident (the assailant) lowered the mask and said remember my face, the detective added.

CCTV evidence allegedly links the teenage defendant to the stabbing.

He was captured on footage in similar clothing and with a surgical mask at the shop and then running away after the attack, police claimed.

He changed his hoodie, tracksuit bottoms and trainers later that night, placing a bag of items in a bin at his accommodation.

When officers arrested him on Monday they found a number of surgical masks in his room.

Opposing the accuseds application for bail, the detective contended: This was a sustained and violent attack which was completely unprovoked on a 17-year-old boy. He stabbed him multiple times.

District Judge Steven Keown was told that a brief exchange with the victim in the street may have triggered the defendants mental health problems.

It was further alleged that the youth threatened his mother and father during a separate incident earlier in February.

He said he would cut them up into pieces and leave them to be found in a field, the detective claimed.

Defence counsel argued that her client will not get the help he needs in custody.

He is a young individual who does require the intervention of mental health services, she submitted.

But remanding the accused in custody until March 27, Judge Keown ruled: Bail is refused in order to protect the public.
Councillor says residents have been left very worried by the incidents.

Those behind a barbaric spate of dog poisoning incidents in Co Tyrone need to wise up and clear off, an SDLP councillor has said.

The death of a dog due to suspected poisoning in the Killen area near Coalisland on Sunday has brought the number of pets killed in the area over the last two weeks to four.

Kevin ONeill, chair of Killen Community Residents Group, said people were frightened to bring their animals outside due to the incidents.

During the past five weeks there have been many incidents of dogs being poisoned; three at a local forest and one in our close knit community in Killen, he told the Belfast Telegraph.

Sadly I had to lift the dogs remains and return them to their owner, with no physical injuries noted. I did see some distressing concerns in the dogs mouth which the family confirmed as poison.

There was also another dog which is believed to have been knocked down less than a three-minute walk away. Both animals where left at the side of the road.

Local councillors have been fighting hard to stop this dangerous behaviour. Residents have raised concerns and are afraid to leave their homes and put their pets at risk.

We as a local charity can only do so much and need the support of Council and Roads Service, but our concerns dont seem to reach any good outcome.

Read more Three dogs die after suspected anti-freeze poisoning incident in NI forest park

Mid Ulster District councillor Malachy Quinn called on those responsible for the incidents to call a halt.

I have been contacted once again about a possible poisoning incident involving a dog, said the SDLP representative.

This makes the fourth dog that has been poisoned in the last two weeks and its now making local residents very worried.

We dont know if these are deliberate attempts to kill dogs or if the people behind this are after foxes, but it doesnt matter.

Ive been in contact with Environmental Health who will be investigating and hopefully those behind this are caught.

This is illegal, its barbaric and those behind it need to stop, wise up and clear off.

It comes less than two weeks after three dogs died following a suspected poisoning attempt in a forest near Stewartstown, Co Tyrone. It is claimed food dipped in anti-freeze was placed in Drumcraine Forest.
The late journalist and writer and Henry McDonald

Mourners gather for the funeral of journalist Henry McDonald took place at The Oh Yeah Music Centre in Belfast Northern Ireland on February 28, 2023. Photo: Pacemaker Press

The funeral of journalist Henry McDonald took place at The Oh Yeah Music Centre in Belfast Northern Ireland on February 28, 2023. Photo: Pacemaker Press

Mourners have gathered to pay their respects at the funeral of esteemed journalist Henry McDonald.

The 57-year-old, who had been the News Letters political editor since last year, passed away on February 19.

Well-known for his career as The Guardian and Observers Ireland correspondent, he also previously wrote for the Belfast Telegraph and The Irish News, and for a period was security correspondent for BBC NI.

The funeral was held at the Oh Yeah Music Centre and he was interred afterwards at Roselawn Cemetery.

McDonald was further a renowned author, having written multiple books on paramilitaries and the Troubles, as well as biographies of David Trimble and Martin McGuinness, and two fiction novels; The Swinging Detective and Two Souls.

The father-of-three lived and worked in England for much of his life, but returned to his home of south Belfast when he became the political editor of the News Letter in 2021.

Henry McDonald's sister Cathy receives heartfelt letter from the Prime Minister ahead of funeral   Liam McBurney/RAZORPIX

Politicians from across the spectrum, including the Prime Minster, paid tribute upon news of his passing.

DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson said he was greatly saddened.

"Henry was an excellent journalist and one of the most knowledgeable commentators on Northern Ireland politics, he said.

"I always enjoyed my conversations with a man who was good humoured, insightful and passionate about this place.

Alliance leader Naomi Long tweeted: So sorry to learn of the death of Henry McDonald.

He was a tenacious and perceptive journalist with a quick wit. He will be desperately missed. Thoughts with all his family and friends, grieving his loss.

Ulster Unionist leader Doug Beattie also said: Genuinely sadden to hear that Henry McDonald has passed away. A fantastic journalist, author & friend.

News Letter editor Ben Lowry said: "We are distraught at the death of Henry, our much loved political editor, at the far too young age of 57.

He added: "Henry's death leaves a major hole in the paper, and all the staff send their deepest sympathies to his family."
The DUPs Gregory Campbell has called on what he has dubbed the rigorous implementer parties to accept they were wrong in refusing to recognise the flaws of the Northern Ireland Protocol.

The East Londonderry MP said: Whilst the Windsor Framework needs to be carefully considered and scrutinised, evidently progress has been made, particularly in the trading area; this progress would never have been achieved if we had all listened to the pro-protocol parties who dismissed our calls for change and instead called for its rigorous implementation.

Those parties in Northern Ireland who travelled to Dublin to cheerlead for the Northern Ireland Protocol need to accept they were too focused on anti-unionist politics and failed to focus enough on what was best for Northern Ireland.

Whilst they can delete statements from their websites and try to expunge the record, the facts remain, they mocked our calls for change, ignored the problems and instead called for a bad deal to be made, in effect, a worse one.

Not a single unionist MLA or Party supported the old deal, progress can only be made in NI when the process commands the support of unionists as well as nationalists and others. That is what we are now focused on, hopefully others will now join us to deliver that.

Rishi Sunak said he was over the moon with his new Protocol deal, while also calling for politicians to get back to powersharing while on a visit to Northern Ireland on Tuesday.

The Prime Minister and European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen finalised the long-awaited deal  controversially named the Windsor Framework  on Monday,

Sinn Fein has said there is no justification for the DUPs continuing boycott of Stormont following the agreement and the party must now get back to work.

DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson says his party will study text of UK-EU agreement carefully, but wont be rushed into any hasty decision.

"The DUP can take credit for the fact that we even got to this point," he told Sky News.

"We need to consider very carefully the text, the legal text associated with this agreement, the political declaration.

"We will take our time to examine them, to assess what they mean in practice for Northern Ireland and our place within the United Kingdom."

Meanwhile, his partys North Antrim MP, Ian Paisley Jr, has a gut instinct that this will not cut the mustard".

DUP should go back to Stormont if they are true unionists, says Farry

SDLP leader Colum Eastwood has appealed to NIs political leaders to approach this moment in good faith and with a common determination to restore our Assembly and Executive.

Naomi Long, leader of the cross-community Alliance Party, said she would be examining the details.

"We've been very clear from the beginning what our expectations would be, we would want to still maintain dual market access, that's important for businesses in Northern Ireland," she said.

"We also want to see a reduction in the amount of bureaucracy that the protocol creates, particularly for those who are importing goods from GB into Northern Ireland.

"We're also looking for stability because businesses are telling us very clearly that what they want are stable outcomes."
Prime Minister disputes Belfast Telegraph article on his deal, insisting that radically softened Irish Sea customs border is no longer a border

The Prime Minister has denied that there will be any customs border between Great Britain and Northern Ireland under his deal with the EU  even though the EU has made clear customs declarations will still be necessary.
Rishi Sunak has claimed his new Protocol deal means Northern Irelands place in our union is secure, while on his visit here.

Speaking on BBCs Today programme, he said the new deal means Northern Irelands place in our union is secure, that people will feel like theyre part of the same country.

Crucially it restores and safeguards sovereignty for the people of Northern Ireland so that they and their institutions are in control of their destiny, he continued.

The visit follows news of a fresh protocol deal with the EU that he promised would be a turning point for the region after a long period of stalemate at Stormont.

The new deal has been named the Windsor Framework. It removes barriers on trade across the Irish Sea and hands a "veto" to politicians in Stormont on EU law - a set of concessions from Brussels that went further than some expected.

But it still includes a role for the European Court of Justice, with the Democratic Unionist Party and Tory backbenchers now set to study closely the details of the complex set of arrangements in the coming days.

"Ive spent a lot of time listening to communities in northern Ireland, understanding the challenges that they were and are facing and then Ive set about trying to do my best to resolves that, said the Prime Minister.

I do believe hand on heart that the Windsor Framework does that.

Ive been very clear that people in Northern Ireland need and deserve their government to be up and running, he added.

The Prime Minister, who is also expected to speak to backbench MPs on Tuesday, spoke at length in the Commons on the deal as he sought to see off any threat of rebellion from within his own ranks.

Read more DUP unlikely to make immediate Stormont return even if deal gets green light

But the reception so far has been warm, with DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson welcoming "significant progress" even as he warned that "there remain key issues of concern" regarding the deal.

The view of the party will be crucial, if the deal is to help restore powersharing at Stormont.

MPs are expected to get a vote on the deal, but Downing Street has not so far said when or how such a vote might take place.

Meanwhile, DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson has insisted his party will take time to study the new deal on the Northern Ireland Protocol before giving their verdict.

He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme he recognises that progress has been made, including around a number of the areas his party has concerns over.

"These proposals go some way to addressing those concerns but there remain some issues where we continue to engage with the Government, and we will take our time," he said.

"As the Prime Minister said, this is a very complex agreement, we need to understand it, the legal text we only received yesterday afternoon so we're going to take time to study the legal text, to get legal advice on it, and then we'll come to a conclusion on the agreement as a whole."

Read more Despite major EU concessions, protocol deal is not what Rishi Sunak has claimed

Foreign Secretary James Cleverly has said it will be "hugely disappointing" if the Democratic Unionist Party does not return to the Stormont powersharing executive following Rishi Sunak's deal with Brussels.

Mr Cleverly said the Government had been "very, very focused" on the party's concerns in their negotiations with the EU on post-Brexit trading arrangements.

"They are quite understandably going to want to look at the detail of this. I really hope that once they look at the detail of this they will see we have taken their concerns very, very seriously," he told Sky News.

"I think they will know that I have been very, very focused on the concerns they have expressed on behalf of their community. They will have real authority when it comes to the Stormont brake.

"If they don't re-enter the powersharing executive, that will be hugely disappointing. It won't be good news for the people of Northern Ireland."

A key part of the deal is an emergency "Stormont brake" on changes to EU goods rules that can be pulled by the Northern Ireland Assembly, with No 10 hopeful that it will ensure concerns over a "democratic deficit" are addressed.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak holds a Q&A session with local business leaders during a visit to Coca-Cola HBC in Lisburn, Co Antrim in Northern Ireland Photo: Liam McBurney/PA Wire   PA

The Prime Minister said he was over the moon with his new Protocol deal, while also calling for politicians to get back to powersharing while on a visit to Northern Ireland on Tuesday.

Mr Sunak, speaking from the Coca-Cola factory in Lisburn, said: Im really pleased, in fact Im over the moon that yesterday we managed to have a decisive breakthrough with our negotiations with the EU.

Additionally, he repeated his call for politicians in Northern Ireland to return to powersharing.

While the Prime Minister did not reference the DUP by name, he said that the Stormont brake contained in the Windsor Framework addressed concerns about sovereignty and the protocol.

Mr Sunak was asked multiple questions about the fact the Northern Ireland Assembly is not sitting.

He said that concerns "people had with the protocol were valid".

"Now look, how we deal with that is a separate question, but the fact that people had concerns about it, I think is reasonable."

He stressed that his new deal "corrected" the issues: "The framework is a fantastic agreement that delivers on all the things people care about. So now I hope that they do see it and see that and they can find a way to come back together."

He told the audience: "It's what you deserve."

"What we've done, though, is empower that assembly even more with this new Stormont brake that I talked about, he continued.

"Even more incentive to get back in. So for all the people who said well, we don't feel like we've got enough sovereignty in this situation, that there's a democratic deficit with this EU - we've corrected it.

We've put more power in the hands of Stormont, in those very people. But they need to get back in, they need to get put back in so they can use those powers. We've provided the means now, and I hope that with time and space, they will see that that's the right way forward."

He referred to the new Windsor Framework as a positive step for Northern Ireland.

He claimed the new deal would ensure that goods can flow freely across the United Kingdoms internal market, meaning that businesses can send things freely without customs checks.

Mr Sunak spoke of how this would affect ordinary people, as well as businesses.

Its not just businesses that are sending things back and forth. Its also people. Someone sending their granddaughter a birthday present in a parcel, someone doing online shopping, he said.

When youre part of a country you expect that you get all the same benefits of being part of that country wherever you live.

In too many ways, that didnt feel like it was working.

He mentioned medicines and other products like Jubilee oaks that werent available in Northern Ireland due to the Protocol, and said that the Windsor Framework would remedy that.

He also said that the lowered tax on beer that is to come into force in England this summer would be enacted in Northern Ireland.

The Prime Minister stressed the importance of "good, constructive" relations between the UK and Ireland.

Asked about relations between London and Dublin, Mr Sunak praised the support of the Irish Government over recent months.

Speaking to broadcasters, Mr Sunak said: "I was the first UK Prime Minister to attend the British-Irish Council in over a decade, shortly after I became Prime Minister.

"I think it is important we have good, constructive relations with our allies, our neighbours, our friends, and of course that means, and especially that means, the Republic of Ireland.

"That is what I have tried to do in my job as Prime Minister. The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Chris Heaton-Harris has done the same.

"I am grateful to the Irish Government for the support they have given both the UK Government and the EU and everyone in Northern Ireland to help trying to find a resolution here."
St. Patricks Day is March 17 but the green wave begins earlier and ends later in Connecticut. From March 4 to 25, several cities and towns in the state are holding parades. Bagpipes, Irish dancers, grand marshals, school groups, shamrocks, dogs wearing hats  everything more green than a bank vault  celebrate the annual salute to Irish culture.

Here is a list of parades.

March 4

Stamfords 28th annual St. Patricks Day Parade, presented by the Irish-American Cultural Society of Stamford, will be March 4. Marchers will step off at 2 p.m. at Columbus Park in downtown Stamford, proceed along Main Street, and then up Bedford Street, ending at Latham Park. Grand marshal is Stamford police Officer Patrick Loughran, a member of the Ancient Order of Hibernians. stamfordstpatricksdayparade.com

March 5

Norwichs St. Patricks Parade and Festival is March 5 starting at 1 p.m. The route is Main Street to Franklin Street to Willow Street to Chestnut Street to Broadway and back to Main Street. Deanna Rhodes, the citys Director of Planning and Neighborhood Services, is the grand marshal. Before the parade, there will be kids activities starting at noon. gonorwichct.com/st-pats-parade

March 11

The 2023 Greater Hartford St. Patricks Day Parade, 51st anniversary edition, presented by the Central Connecticut Celtic Cultural Committee, will be held March 11. It will step off at the State Capitol at 11 a.m. Marchers will proceed on Capitol Avenue to Main Street, make a left, to Asylum Street, make a left, to Ford Street, make a left, and end at Trinity Street in front of the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Arch. Roads will be closed in the vicinity and will reopen at 3 p.m. For a list of road closures and times, and for details on the parade, visit irishamericanparade.com.

Milford Saint Patricks Day Parade 2023 is March 11, stepping off at 1 p.m. at Wasson Field Parking Lot on West Main Street. The 45-minute route proceeds to the North Broad Street Gazebo. City Constable Linda Hardiman is grand marshal. mspdparade@gmail.com.

The 2023 Norwalk St. Patricks Day Parade will be held March 11. Marchers will step off from Veterans Park and proceed through South Norwalk starting at 11 am. The grand marshal is Brendan Collins, co-founder of the Norwalk Police Emerald Society. facebook.com/NorwalkPoliceEmeraldSociety.

March 12

The 2023 St. Patricks Day Parade in New London, themed Everyone Is Irish for a Day, will be March 12, from 1 to 2 p.m. The parade steps off at the corner of Bank and Tilley streets. Marchers will proceed north on Bank Street, turn left up State Street and then onto Washington Street. downtownnewlondonassociation.com/event/st-patricks-2023.

The 2023 edition of the Greater New Haven St. Patricks Day Parade, which was founded in 1842, will be March 12, starting at 1:30 p.m. It steps off at Chapel Street and Sherman Avenue, proceeds east on Chapel to Church Streets, turns left and proceeds to Elm Street, then turns right and ends at Elm and Orange streets. The reviewing stand is on Church Street. Joanne Conlan is grand marshal. A Family Fun Zone, with a petting zoo, music, tattoos, cornhole, book giveaways and other activities, will be on Elm Street betweeen Church and Temple streets, in front of the library. stpatricksdayparade.org.

March 17

The Greater Bridgeport St. Patricks Day Celebration will be March 17, stepping off at noon at the Burroughs Community Center at Fairfield Avenue and Ellsworth Street. The route travels down Fairfield Avenue, ending at The Castle Black Rock Irish Pub & Restaurant at Fairfield and Courtland avenues. Grand Marshal is Gerry Reidy. An Aer Lingus raffle will be held at The Castle at 2 p.m. stpatricksdaybridgeport.com.

March 19

The 26th annual Danbury St. Patricks Day Parade will be March 19, stepping off at 2 p.m. at St. Peter Church on Main Street. It will turn onto West Street, continue up Lake Avenue, and end at the Greater Danbury Irish Cultural Center at 6 Lake Ave., where there will be live music, Irish dancing, food and drink. facebook.com/danburystpatricksdayparade.

Greenwichs St. Patricks Day Parade will be on March 19, stepping off at 2 p.m. at Greenwich town hall. It will proceed up Field Point Road then down Greenwich Avenue and end at the Island Beach parking lot. Grand marshal is former New York City Police Officer Kevin McFadden. greenwichhibernians.org/parade.

The 18th annual Mystic Irish Parade will be March 19. Stepoff is at 1 p.m. at Mystic Seaport, and the parade proceeds toward downtown, where it ends. Grand marshal is philanthropist Phil Pavone. mysticirishparade.org.

March 25

Essex Go Bragh, the annual Irish parade, will be March 25, stepping off at 11 a.m. from Essex Town Hall. It will proceed to Ferry Street, turning up Pratt Street and ending at Cross Street. The parade is presented by the town Park and Recreation Department. Grand marshal is Anthony Mosa. facebook.com/essexctgobragh.

Susan Dunne can be reached at sdunne@courant.com.
Boris Johnson is yet to comment on Rishi Sunaks new Brexit deal with EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen as the former prime minister considers whether to rebel.

Mr Johnson  whose last public engagement was four days ago  skipped yesterdays Commons session as Mr Sunak presented his deal to end the Northern Ireland Protocol row to widespread acclaim.

The session was packed with MPs crammed in shoulder to shoulder as they listened to the details of the historic agreement.

But a familiar mop of blond hair was noticeably absent from the Conservative backbenches, with no word from his camp about why he was not there.

One Labour MP was heard shouting Wheres Boris? in the Commons.

On Tuesday, Mr Johnson was seen in the Commons for the energy security and net zero questions, but did not talk about the post-Brexit agreement. It has been almost 24 hours since the historic deal was struck at Windsor, but Mr Johnson has yet to offer his support.

One newspaper quipped that like the Roman emperor Tiberius, he had slunk off to Capri to lick his wounds. But he is still in London, out of sight.

A source close to the ex-PM said he would study and reflect on the Windsor Framework. But they did not deny a report that Mr Johnson had asked the DUP to without support until they had looked carefully at the agreement.

The former PM has contacted the DUP to ask them to think hard about backing it, according to Politics Home. A spokesperson for Mr Johnson said they wouldnt comment on private discussions.

The jet-setter has been travelling around the world for lucrative speaking gigs, but is understood to be in the country this week. He was last seen visiting Tory MP Jonathan Gullis Stoke-on-Trent North constituency on Friday.

On Monday Mr Sunak appeard to confirm he had phoned Mr Johnson to brief him on the protocol deal before announcing it. The current PM asked him to pipe down on Brexit after a series of recent interventions, a Sunak ally told The Telegraph.

Asked if he had spoken to Mr Johnson, Mr Sunak told BBC Radio 4s Today programme: Of course I speak to the former prime minister. But this is not about any of us, it is not about personalities ... This is about the people of Northern Ireland and what is best for them.

Mr Johnson  who last week urged the PM to use his unilateral bill to override the protocol as an alternative to a UK-EU deal  has been accused by ex-chancellor George Osborne and others of using the issue to try to bring down Mr Sunak.

But the deal has been warmly received by many leading Tory MPs. One Conservative told BBC Newsnight: This is such a good deal it will finish off Boris. He will have nowhere to go.

DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson warned that there remain key issues of concern about Mr Sunaks deal, while DUP MP Ian Paisley said his gut instinct was that it doesnt cut the mustard.

Tory Brexiteers in the European Research Group (ERG) are to meet on Tuesday evening, and will convene MP Sir Bill Cashs so-called star chamber of lawyers to scrutinise the deal before deciding whether to back it.

Mr Sunak, who is also expected to speak to backbench MPs at the 1922 Committee around 5pm on Tuesday, defended the deal at length as he sought to see off any threat of rebellion from within his own ranks.

Several senior MPs told The Independent they expected a rebellion to be limited to only around 20 MPs  enough for Mr Sunak to get his deal through parliament without relying on Labour support.

Even Johnson ally and Brexiteer Jacob Rees-Mogg gave the deal a caution welcome, telling ITVs Peston that Mr Sunak had achieved more than I thought was possible.

Mr Rees-Mogg claimed Mr Johnsons original Brexit agreement was not to blame, claiming the Northern Ireland Protocol had contained the means for its own amendment.

Ahead of discussions tonight, Mark Francois, chairman of the ERG, said he hoped that we wont find any nasty surprises which would materially undermine the position of Northern Ireland.

The Independent understands Mr Sunak will give several days before the Commons vote he promised on Monday. One ERG source said they had been told the vote wont be held this week.

But some supportive MPs fear a delay will give hardliners too much time to discover things they dont like about the Windsor deal.

Northern Ireland minister and former Brexit rebel Steve Baker was one of the most ardent backers of the deal. I think this is capable of bringing this awful rollercoaster row to an end, if the DUP are satisfied with it.

Foreign secretary James Cleverly said it was a really, really good result, but said the DUP still needed time and space to consider the details

Asked several times whether the DUP had the power to scupper a deal by refusing to return to Stormont, Mr Cleverly told Sky News: If they dont re-enter the powersharing executive that would be hugely disappointing. Ultimately we want Stormont up and running.

Under the deal, anything destined for Northern Ireland will travel there as part of a green lane, with significantly fewer checks. Anything that could cross the border and enter the EUs single market will travel through a separate red lane.

Other changes will allow the UK government to set VAT and excise changes for Northern Ireland, rather than the EU. While some EU goods rules will remain in the province, the Sunak government says it means less than 3 per cent of the Brussels rulebook applies.

Under a new arrangement dubbed the Stormont brake, Northern Irish politicians get the power to block any unwelcome new EU rules on goods, if 30 MLA signatures from two parties can secure a successful vote. The UK government would then have to support the veto.

However, the European Court of Justice had been final arbitrator of any EU law issues in the region, given the fact that Northern Ireland essentially remains within the single market for goods.

Writing in the Telegraph, chairman of the backbench 1922 committee Sir Graham Brady said: The so-called Windsor Framework wont be perfect but it looks like a massive step forward.

US president Joe Biden said it was an essential step in protecting the Good Friday Agreement, while in Dublin Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said that the EU had moved a lot to facilitate a deal.
Rishi Sunak oversaw wasteful government spending and departmental losses that cost the taxpayer up to 26.8 billion, Labour has said.

The Opposition party compiled a dossier of the extensive waste under Mr Sunak during his time as Chancellor and as Chief Secretary to the Treasury in 2021-22 and 2019-20.

Mr Sunak never lifted a finger to stop the money being thrown away while he was in control of government spending, according to shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves.

The list includes examples of sums lost due to fraud and faulty personal protective equipment (PPE) during the pandemic, through poorly-planned defence procurement and on private consultancy fees.

Up to 7.94 billion was wasted on overpriced, unsuitable and unused PPE, Labour said, citing Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) figures.

Sterile surgical gowns provided to DHSC by PPE Medpro under a 122 million contract were never used.

The firm is at the centre of a Westminster row after it was referred to ministers by Tory peer Baroness Michelle Mone.

The Government wasted large sums of money on faulty PPE, Labour said (Jane Barlow/PA)   Jane Barlow

Some 3.46 billion was wrongly paid out under the Covid furlough scheme, with another 2 billion squandered on fraudulent claims made under the Covid business grant and self-employment support schemes.

Losses attributed to the Ministry of Defence include the cost overrun by 1.07 billion on a new warhead facility and by 1.01 billion on the procurement of Astute nuclear-powered attack submarines.

Labour also criticised the use of external consultants by Whitehall departments, including a 3.9 million contract handed to Deloitte by the Home Office to handle small boats arrivals.

Ms Reeves said: The British people deserve a government that will treat taxpayer money with respect.

With our strong fiscal rules and our Office for Value for Money, Labour will root out waste and make our economy stronger.

What all these 100 examples have in common is that  while the Labour Party, the Public Accounts Committee, the National Audit Office, and the media were able to expose and challenge much of the waste identified  the man whose job it was for three years to scrutinise this spending never lifted a finger to stop the money being thrown away, and in many cases, ignored direct warnings of the risks.

Over those three years, billions of pounds that could have transformed Britain were instead handed over to fraudsters and crony contractors.

This dossier is a badge of shame for the Prime Minister and his failing Tory government.

Labours list also notes money lost on surplus Covid vaccines and 214 million spent on a later-scrapped contract to buy doses of French biotech company Valnevas planned Covid vaccine.

In response to the dossier, Conservative Party chairman Greg Hands said: The fact that Keir Starmer thinks that spending on the vaccine rollout  which would have faced deadly delays if we listened to his calls to join the EUs vaccine scheme  is waste, just goes to show that Labour are unfit to govern.

Labour lost 31 billion to fraud and error in their last year in government alone  significantly more than the numbers theyve managed to inflate over three years for their latest dodgy dossier.
The King receives European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen during an audience at Windsor Castle (Aaron Chown/PA)   Aaron Chown

Foreign Secretary James Cleverly has rejected claims that the King was being drawn into political controversy over his meeting with European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen.

Mr Cleverly denied ministers were politicising the monarchy following the meeting between the King and the Brussels official at Windsor Castle, which coincided with the agreement of a new Brexit deal for Northern Ireland.

The King receives European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen during an audience at Windsor Castle (Aaron Chown/PA)   Aaron Chown

Mr Cleverly insisted it was not unusual for the King to meet senior international figures while they were in the UK.

He pointed out that the King had met Volodymyr Zelensky earlier this month, although the Ukrainian President is a head of state, unlike Ms von der Leyen.

Mr Cleverly told LBC radio: I genuinely dont understand that argument. The other week President Zelensky came to the UK and, as a senior international guest, he had an audience with His Majesty the King.

Ursula von der Leyen is a very senior international representative. It is therefore not unusual as part of our hospitality to international guests to facilitate a meeting.

It was our invitation for Ursula von der Leyen to come to the UK to finalise this deal with the Prime Minister. Of course that was a conversation we had with the Palace.

The final decision on the availability of His Majesty is with the Palace.

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Asked who arranged Ms von der Leyens meeting with the King, Mr Cleverly told Sky News: Decisions about the Kings diary are, rightly, for the Palace.

Buckingham Palace said Charles was acting on the Governments advice. Downing Street said it was fundamentally a decision for the King.

Government sources indicated Ms von der Leyen had requested the meeting, something denied in Brussels.

Leading Conservative Brexiteer Jacob Rees-Mogg said it was wrong to involve the King in the immediate political controversy on the day the Prime Minister signed a new agreement  dubbed the Windsor Framework  with Ms von der Leyen.

Baroness Arlene Foster, the former Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) leader and first minister of Northern Ireland, said the meeting in Windsor Castle was crass and will go down very badly.

Giving details of the meeting, Ms von der Leyen said: We discussed the joint challenges the EU and UK face as historic partners, and our joint duties: unwavering support for Ukraine and fighting global climate change.
Isla Bryson, 31, is due to be sentenced on Tuesday (Andrew Milligan/PA)   Andrew Milligan

A transgender rapist who raped two women while still a man is due to be sentenced on Tuesday.

Isla Bryson, 31, was convicted last month of raping two women: one in Clydebank in 2016; and one in Drumchapel, Glasgow, in 2019; committing the offences while still a man known as Adam Graham.

Bryson met both the victims online, with prosecutors saying the 31-year-old preyed on vulnerable women.

After the jury at the High Court in Glasgow delivered its guilty verdict, judge Lord Scott told Bryson the crimes were considerable and said that a significant sentence is inevitable.

Bryson is due to be sentenced at the High Court in Edinburgh (Andrew Milligan/PA)   Andrew Milligan

The case sparked an uproar after Bryson was initially housed in an all-female prison before being moved to the male estate following the outcry.

Scotlands Justice Secretary Keith Brown ordered an urgent review of the case and the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) took the decision to halt the movement of all transgender prisoners with a history of violence against women into the female estate.

Bryson is due to be sentenced at the High Court in Edinburgh on Tuesday.

The 31-year-old first appeared in court as Adam Graham in 2019 and was later named in court papers the following year  around the time of the decision to transition  as Isla Annie Bryson, formerly known as Adam Graham.

During the trial, the court heard that Bryson was going through the breakdown of a brief, unhappy, marriage and went to stay with the first victim at the victims mothers house in Clydebank in 2016.

Isla Bryson was previously known as Adam Graham (Police Scotland/PA)   Police Scotland

Giving evidence on pre-recorded video, the victim, 30, said she was raped for half an hour.

All I said was no over and over and over again, she said.

At the time I was so scared. Sick to the stomach. I just didnt know what was going on.

The second victim, who gave evidence via live video-link, told the court Bryson continued to have sex with her after she said stop.

The court heard Bryson entered the victim with her penis, and was told to stop because Bryson was crushing the victim.

The victims police statement said Bryson instead told her to stay there because he (Bryson) wasnt finished.

The victim told the court: I said to stop but he (Bryson) just kept on going, and thats when I just closed my eyes and I am doing what he wanted to do.

Giving evidence during the trial, Bryson claimed both women consented to having sex.

Bryson spoke of identifying as transgender at the age of four but not making the decision to transition until the age of 29.

The court heard that Bryson is currently taking hormones and seeking surgery to complete gender reassignment.
The devastating earthquakes that struck Turkey and Syria have killed at least 50,000 people, with many more injured, tens of thousands still missing and hundreds of thousands homeless, the UN humanitarian chief said.

Martin Griffiths told the UN Security Council that three weeks after the magnitude 7.8 quake hit southern Turkey and northern Syria, followed by strong aftershocks including on Monday, the scale of the disaster is now much clearer: at least 44,000 people have been killed in Turkey and about 6,000 in Syria, mainly in the rebel-held north-west.

The UN flash appeal for 397.6 million dollars (330 million) to help Syrian quake victims is 42% funded and the one billion dollar (830 million) appeal for victims in Turkey is just 7.4% funded  and this only covers emergency needs for the next three months, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said on Tuesday.

Mr Griffiths told the council meeting focusing on Syria that before the earthquakes 15.3 million people  70% of the countrys population  needed humanitarian assistance, and he said he saw during a post-quake visit that in harsh winter conditions entire neighbourhoods have been destroyed.

People sit by a building destroyed in the recent earthquake in Aleppo, Syria (Omar Sanadiki/AP)   Omar Sanadiki

Early assessments indicated five million people in Syria require basic shelter and non-food assistance, the undersecretary-general for humanitarian affairs said.

In many areas, four to five families are packed into tents, with no special facilities for older people, people with chronic illnesses or those with disabilities.

In addition, Mr Griffiths told council members that hundreds of buildings are at high risk of collapsing, thousands more may need to be demolished, the risk of disease is growing amid a pre-quake cholera outbreak, and the price of food and other essential items is climbing higher.

Women and children face increased harassment, violence and risk of exploitation and the need for psychosocial support is great, he said.

Mr Griffiths said machines need to be imported to Syria to clear rubble, equipment is needed for makeshift hospitals, and tools are needed to restore access to drinking water.

People warm themselves next to a collapsed building in Malatya, Turkey (Emrah Gurel/AP)   Emrah Gurel

The UN is working to address unintended obstacles generated by sanctions and counter-terrorism laws, including procurement hurdles and delays for materials to repair essential infrastructure, medical supplies, or security equipment for our operations, he said.

As for Turkey, the two very large earthquakes on February 6 caused an estimated 34.2 billion dollars (28.4 billion) in direct physical damages, the equivalent of 4% of the countrys 2021 GDP, according to a World Bank rapid damage assessment report released on Monday.

The report said recovery and reconstruction costs will be much larger, potentially twice as large, and that GDP losses associated to economic disruptions will also add to the cost of the earthquakes.
Rescue teams have pulled more bodies from the sea, bringing the death toll from Italys latest migration tragedy to 65, as prosecutors identified smugglers who allegedly charged 8,000 euros (7,000) each for the voyage of death from Turkey.

Premier Giorgia Meloni sent a letter to European leaders demanding quick action to respond to the migration crisis, insisting the only way to deal with it seriously and humanely is to stop migrants from risking their lives on dangerous sea crossings.

The point is, the more people who set off, the more people risk dying, she told RAI state television.

At least 65 people, including 14 children, died when their overcrowded wooden boat slammed into sandbanks just a few hundred metres off Italys Calabrian coast and broke apart in rough seas early on Sunday.

Firefighters search among debris washed ashore near Cutro, in southern Italy (Giovanni Isolino/LaPresse via AP)   Giovanni Isolino

Eighty people survived but dozens more are feared dead since survivors indicated the boat had carried about 170 people when it set off last week from Izmir.

Aid groups at the scene said many of the passengers came from Afghanistan, including entire families, as well as from Pakistan, Syria and Iraq.

Rescue teams pulled one body from the sea on Tuesday morning, bringing the death toll to 64, said Andrea Mortato, of the firefighter divers unit.

Crotone prosecutor Giuseppe Capoccia confirmed investigators had identified three suspected smugglers, a Turk and two Pakistani nationals. A second Turk is believed to have escaped or died in the wreck.

Italys customs police said that crossing organizers charged 8,000 euros each for the voyage of death.

Interior minister Matteo Piantedosi pushed back strongly at suggestions that the rescue was delayed or affected by government policy discouraging aid groups from staying at sea to rescue migrants.

An Italian Coast Guard officer stands close to a beach near Cutro (Valeria Ferraro/AP)   Valeria Ferraro

The EU border agency Frontex has said its aircraft spotted the boat off Crotone late on Saturday and alerted Italian authorities. Italy sent out two patrol vessels but they had to turn back because of the poor weather. The rescue operation then went out early on Sunday after the boat had splintered.

There was no delay, Mr Piantedosi said. Everything possible was done in absolutely prohibitive sea conditions.

Ms Melonis right-wing government, which swept elections last year in part on promises to crack down on migration, has concentrated on complicating efforts by humanitarian boats to make multiple rescues in the central Mediterranean by assigning them ports of disembarkation along Italys northern coasts.

That means the vessels need more time to return to the sea after bringing migrants aboard and taking them safely to shore.

Mr Piantedosi said that aid groups do not normally operate in the area of Sundays shipwreck, which occurred off the Calabrian coast in the Ionian Sea.

Rather, the aid groups tend to operate in the central Mediterranean, rescuing migrants who set off from Libya or Tunisia, he said.
Irans domestically built centrifuges are displayed in an exhibition of the countrys nuclear achievements in Tehran, Iran (Vahid Salemi/AP)   Vahid Salemi

Inspectors from the United Nations nuclear watchdog found uranium particles enriched up to 83.7% in Irans underground Fordo nuclear site, a report seen by The Associated Press said.

The confidential quarterly report by the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) distributed to member states is likely to renew tensions between Iran and the West over its programme.

The IAEA report, which only speaks about particles, suggests that Iran is not building a stockpile of uranium enriched above 60%  the level it has been enriching at for some time.

The report described inspectors discovering on January 21 that two cascades of IR-6 centrifuges at Irans underground Fordo facility had been configured in a way substantially different to what had been previously declared.

The IAEA took samples the following day, which showed particles up to 83.7% purity, the report said.

Iran informed the agency that unintended fluctuations in enrichment levels may have occurred during the transition period, the IAEA report said.

Discussions between the agency and Iran to clarify the matter are ongoing.

Iranian officials could not be immediately reached for comment regarding the report, details of which had been circulating for about a week.

The IAEA report said that it would further increase the frequency and intensity of agency verification activities at Fordo after the discovery.

A spokesman for Irans civilian nuclear programme, Behrouz Kamalvandi, sought last week 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.

However, experts say such a great variance in the purity even at the atomic level would appear suspicious to inspectors.

Irans 2015 nuclear deal limited Tehrans uranium enrichment to 3.67%  enough to fuel a nuclear power plant.

The USs unilateral withdraw from the accord in 2018 set in motion a series of attacks and escalations by Tehran over its programme.

Iran has been producing uranium enriched to 60% purity  a level for which non-proliferation experts already say Tehran has no civilian use.

Any accusation of enrichment higher than that further ratchets up tension over the programme.

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.

While the IAEAs director-general has warned Iran now has enough uranium to produce several nuclear bombs if it chooses, it would be likely to take months more to build a weapon and potentially miniaturise it to put it on a missile.

The US intelligence community, as recently as this past weekend, has maintained its assessment that Iran is not pursuing an atomic bomb.

To the best of our knowledge, we dont believe that the supreme leader in Iran has yet made a decision to resume the weaponisation programme that we judge they suspended or stopped at the end of 2003, CIA director Williams Burns told CBSs Face The Nation programme.

But the other two legs of the stool, meaning enrichment programmes, theyve obviously advanced very far.

That may not be enough, however, to satisfy Israel, Irans regional archrival.

Already, Israels recently reinstalled Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has threatened military actions against Tehran.

And Israel and Iran have been engaged in a high-stakes shadow war across the wider Middle East since the nuclear deals collapse.

Meanwhile on Tuesday, Germanys foreign minister said both her country and Israel are worried about the allegations facing Iran over the reported 84% enriched uranium.

We are united by concern about the nuclear escalation on Irans part and about the recent reports about the very high uranium enrichment, Annalena Baerbock said.

A student looks at Irans domestically built centrifuges in an exhibition of the countrys nuclear achievements in Tehran, Iran (Vahid Salemi/AP)   Vahid Salemi

There is no plausible civilian justification for such a high enrichment level.

Speaking in Berlin, Israels visiting foreign minister Eli Cohen pointed to two options to deal with Iran  using a so-called snapback mechanism in the Security Council resolution that enshrined the 2015 nuclear deal to reimpose UN sanctions, and to have a credible military option on the table as well.

From our intelligence and from our knowledge, this is the right time to work on these two specific steps, he said.
Allison Morris give her analysis as New IRA gunmen return to the streets

A grab from CCTV showing the gunmen flee after shooting John Caldwell

Detective Chief Inspector John Caldwell remains in a critical condition in hospital after being shot four times by New IRA gunmen

The New IRA has admitted responsibility for the attempted murder of Detective Chief Inspector John Caldwell in Omagh.

A typed statement plastered on a wall in Derry and signed by T ONeill, the name used by the dissident republican group in the past, said it was behind it.

It included a warning that the group will continue to target what it calls Crown Forces.

DCI Caldwell remains in a critical but stable condition at Altnagelvin Hospital after being shot a number of times in front of his young son last Wednesday.

Six men, aged 22, 38, 43, 45, 47 and 71, are being questioned in police custody over the attack.

Ciaran Dunbar is joined by the Belfast Telegraphs security correspondent, Allison Morris, with the latest.
This is the Castlerock man accused of trying to record two children at public toilets.

Ryan McMullan (20) is also accused of engaging in sexual activity in a public lavatory on January 29 last year.

It is alleged that at public toilets on Park Street in Coleraine, he intentionally engaged in a sexual activity in a lavatory to which the public or a section of the public had or was permitted to have access and also that he attempted to record another person doing a private act... for the purpose of obtaining sexual gratification.

Confirming that McMullan was denying both offences, defence counsel Grant Powles said the two complainants were 12 and 13.

He also confirmed that the alleged pervert, who appeared in court in person, works in Sweden.

District Judge Peter King adjourned the case for two weeks to fix a date for a contest.
Jarah Teitler, 16, is creating change in the Hartford area one brownie, blueberry muffin, slice of banana bread at a time.

Teitler, a West Hartford resident and junior at Hall High School, started her sweet mission four years ago  yes, she was 12, and it turned into a sweeping, growing movement to help those in need.

It started with a simple gesture.

Jarah baked goods for patients and staff on a floor at St. Francis Medical Center where her father was filming.

They were overjoyed.

Jarah kept baking, added friends to the mix and before COVID arrived, started bringing the goods to St. Francis emergency department on weekends, delighting staff.

They appreciated that. This was a heartwarming thing for the staff, said Dr. Steven Wolf, former Emergency Department director at St. Francis and a friend of Jarahs filmmaker dad. Us in the ER feel isolated and at the forefront of the world.

He said baked goods, always hit the pleasure area of the brain.

Jarah Teitler, 16, founder of Bake People Happy whipped up another tray of cookies to bring cheer. Photo by Jeff Teitler

At one juncture Jarah gave her organization a name  Bake People Happy  and grew the mission to include broader community outreach to include soup kitchens, the homeless. Jarahs now working on expansion.

She also developed the ongoing mission of getting other eateries to donate food, recently getting Lox, Stock & Bagels in West Hartford and Brueggers on board.

Kelly A. Toth, an APRN and system director of Neighborhood Health for Hartford Healthcare said Jarahs movement has become a welcome staple in their neighborhood health work.

Toth said her team meets people where they are, and are often met with basic needs such as for food, housing and clothes.

Once basic human needs are met, we can focus on overall health and well-being, Toth said. Jarahs homemade treats allow an even more personalized touch to our mission.

She said for those suffering from a lack of basics, something homemade with care is very special when we give them out because it is not a common item readily available to them.

It helps build the trust and it lets them let us take care of their needs, Toth said.

She said between the homemade treats and Jarahs recent connections with local bagel shops, they have the ability to put food in the hands that need it the most.

Jarah said bringing the baked goods to St. Francis gave her a push.

It was such a profound and fulfilling experience that it turned into a social act, she said.

Once Jarahsfriends became involved, We would bake together and they would come first hand to see what an impact this was having on the healthcare workers.

Baked goods work well, she said, because, Its a comfort food and theres a lot of culture with it.

Her dad, Jeff Teitler, a filmmaking professor at Central Connecticut State University, said its amazing not only to watch Jarah grow, but to see her continue the cause, weekend after weekend.

Its inspiring, said Jeff Teitler, who does filmmaking documentary work for St. Francis and Hartford Healthcare.

Mom Melissa Teitler, said shes proud of her daughter, especially, the way shes been able to engage the community.

All these years later shes back with a broad network and pulling in all these people, Melissa Teitler said. Her ability to get the community involved at her age is quite impressive.

Jarah said the organizaton is sustainable, and she wants it all to continue to grow.

Everywhere theres people with food insecurity and need, Jarah said.

Reach Pam McLoughlin at pruddell@courant.com
Ali Fauzi Manzi is interviewed by journalists at the University of Muhammadiyah Malang, East Java, Indonesia, Feb. 21, 2023.

Ali Fauzi Manzi, a former terror convict whose brothers were behind the 2002 Bali bombings, shed tears as he delivered a speech during commencement at a university in Malang last week.

The repentant former bomb-maker for the al-Qaeda-affiliated Jemaah Islamiyah had just received his doctorate in Islamic education for his research subject, Religious moderation for former terrorism convicts.

Ali, 51, says meeting with the Bali bombing survivors and the victims families made him dedicate his life to helping former militants like himself reintegrate into society.

This is the happiest day of my life, he said to loud applause in front of more than 2,000 other graduates at the University of Muhammadiyah Malang.

I was once a terrorist who was shunned by society. But today I have achieved a high academic degree, he said, while speaking about the doctorate he achieved after 3 years of research.

When Ali met the victims of the Bali bombings and their relatives in 2011, some had permanent disabilities or had lost loved ones.

My heart was torn apart, Ali told BenarNews, adding he embraced them and apologized.

He then founded Lingkar Perdamaian (Circle of Peace), a foundation focused on aiding former radicals and militants reenter society.

Ali was not directly involved in the Bali bombings. But he is a brother of the trio of militants behind the 2002 attack  Ali Imron, Ali Ghufron and Amrozi.

Ghufron and Amrozi were executed by firing squad in 2008, along with another Bali bomber, Imam Samudra. Imron is serving a life sentence and has cooperated with the police in counter-terrorism efforts.

The Bali bombings of Oct. 12, 2002, killed 202 people and injured hundreds more.

Ali spent three years in the 1990s fighting alongside the Moro Islamic Liberation Front in the southern Philippines.

He returned to the southern Philippines in 2002 to lead a militant camp, the same year Jemaah Islamiyah militants carried out the bombings in Bali  the countrys worst terrorist attack.

Ali was arrested by the Philippine authorities and was deported to Indonesia in 2004 where he was imprisoned for three years after being convicted for terrorism.

Like a disease

For his PhD dissertation, Ali said he interviewed six former terrorism convicts.

They told him that they joined militant groups after being swayed by teachings about jihad (religious war) from religious leaders in school.

Ali underwent rehabilitation and deradicalization in 2004 at the national police headquarters after arriving in Indonesia from the Philippines.

Back then, he said he was sick and injured.

I was treated well by the police. I thought I would be tortured and experience violence, he said.

Still, Ali criticized some deradicalization efforts by the National Counterterrorism Agency (BNPT) and the Densus 88 anti-terrorism police unit for treating each individual the same way.

Ali said his research found that deradicalization programs for former terrorists would not work if authorities did not understand how they became radicalized.

There is no one-size-fits-all model, he said.

Its like a disease. The doctor has to diagnose whats wrong and prescribe the right medicine with the right dose, he said.

Ali said his foundation approached each individual differently, starting with discussions on a book that deals with different opinions among Islamic scholars on a host of issues.

The book shows that there is no unanimity among scholars. We should not treat differences with hostility. The early scholars were very tolerant of differences. They did not think they were always right, he said.

A screen shows Ali Fauzi Manzi delivering a speech at the University of Muhammadiyah Malang, East Java, Indonesia, Feb. 21, 2023. [Eko Widianto/BenarNews]

The Jakarta-based Institute for Policy Analysis of Conflict (IPAC) said the governments deradicalization programs are largely ineffective, partly because they mostly draw in prisoners who have already decided on their own to disengage.

A 2020 IPAC report said 11% of terror convicts in the country become repeat offenders.

Freed terror convicts reoffend because they are surrounded by a high level of radicalism in prison, or they are in close contact with a militant family member after their release, or there is a powerful ideological movement that looks attractive, the report said.

A 2019 IPAC report said there were about 1,200 convicted terrorists in Indonesia, of whom half were in prison. Only about 10% of the released prisoners had participated in any formal deradicalization program.

Education defeats terrorism

Alis academic achievement and deradicalization efforts were praised by a controversial figure, Umar Patek, a convicted Bali bomber who was released on parole in December 2022 after serving two-thirds of his 20-year sentence.

Umar had been wanted by governments of the United States, Australia, the Philippines and Indonesia, but Indonesian counterterrorism officials tout him as a deradicalization success.

The news of his early release angered people and officials in Australia  88 Australians were killed in the Bali bombings.

Umar attended Alis graduation ceremony and took a photograph with him.

Who says terrorists are stupid? Its not easy to obtain a doctorate degree, Umar said about Ali.

Education defeats terrorism. This is a strong message for me and other former terrorists.
Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape (left) arrives to attend the APEC Leaders Dialogue with APEC Business Advisory Council during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Bangkok, Nov. 18, 2022.

A Papua New Guinea government plan to regulate the media threatens free speech and journalistic independence, critics of the proposal say.

The governments national media development plan is critical of ethical standards in the news industry and calls for a regulator to be established. It says the media should be a tool to support development objectives for the Pacific island country, which struggles with limited infrastructure, widespread poverty and frequent tribal violence.

Leave the media alone, Papua New Guineas Trade Union Congress said on Monday. Just do what is right and ensure your conduct is within the confines of the law, then you will not be afraid of scrutiny, it said in a statement aimed at Prime Minister James Marapes government.

Marape has been increasingly critical of the media since being reelected last August following a violence-marred national vote that gave the governing coalition control of nearly all the seats in parliament. He has said that journalists were creating a bad perception of his government and he would look to hold the media accountable.

The media plan, which is open for a brief public consultation, says freedom of the press will be upheld although it describes guardrails for the tone of news coverage, the types of issues that should be reported on and a need to filter content deemed to be against national development objectives.

It mentions consequences for journalists and media organizations that fall short of requirements for fairness and accuracy, but does not give specifics.

The Department of Information and Communication Technology, which is overseeing the media policy, said in a statement that the government was not planning to restrict the media. It has arranged a public seminar for Thursday to discuss the proposals.

These concerns have led to some misinformation being spread regarding the policys intent, it said. The department, the statement said, has taken steps to address these concerns and clarify that the government has no intention of controlling the media through this policy.

Inside PNG, an online news group formed by more than 20 journalists who were sacked from a government-owned TV company last year, said plans for licensing of journalists and turning the countrys press council into a regulatory agency would put media under government control.

In this government-proposed utopia, journalists are licensed by the media council and any person not fulfilling the development agenda is penalized by having their licenses removed, it said.

Papua New Guinea was ranked 62nd out of 180 countries in Reporters Without Borders World Press Freedom Index last year, a drop from 45th place in the previous year.

Fiji, No. 102 on the index, was the lowest ranked Pacific island country. Sitiveni Rabuka, its recently elected prime minister, has promised to replace a draconian media industry law.

Papua New Guineas laws are relatively protective of press freedom, but journalists are faced with intimidation, direct threats, censorship, lawsuits and bribery attempts, making it a dangerous profession, the free press advocacy group said in its 2022 report.

It also said a lack of resources for investigative journalism has tended to encourage copy and paste journalism. The country has two main newspapers, one owned by media conglomerate News Corp. and the other by a Malaysian logging company.

Last week, Reporters Without Borders called on Papua New Guineas government to withdraw the draconian media proposal.

It said the policy was being adopted without any real consultation and posed a threat to journalistic independence.

It is entirely commendable to want to encourage the development of a healthy and dynamic news and information environment, said Daniel Bastard, Asia-Pacific director for Reporters Without Borders.

But as it stands, the policy proposed by Port Moresby clearly endangers the independence of the media by establishing government control over their work, he said.
Leila de Lima, a former Philippine senator and human rights campaigner, waves as she arrives at the Muntinlupa Trial Court in Manila, Feb. 27, 2023.

Former Sen. Leila de Lima has appeared in a Manila court again to press her petition to dismiss the governments case against her for lack of evidence, days after marking six years in jail on what she calls trumped-up charges.

De Lima, the fiercest critic of former President Rodrigo Duterte, was arrested and jailed in 2017 on charges that she received payoffs through the illegal drug trade. But at least three witnesses presented by the Duterte administration backtracked on their testimony, saying they had been coerced into testifying against de Lima.

One of them was Rafael Ragos, the former Bureau of Corrections officer-in-charge whose earlier testimony alleged that de Lima had received bribe money from drug lords at the national penitentiary  the only testimony directly linking the former senator to drugs.

In a 33-page motion that her lawyer filed on Feb. 23, De Limas team asked the Muntinlupa City Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 204 to free her and her former driver Ronnie Dayan by allowing them to post bail. She appeared at the court on Monday as a crowd of her supporters stood outside.

At the very least, [De Lima] 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, according to the motion.

No room for doubt is left as to the fabricated and manufactured nature of his earlier testimony for the prosecution, it said, describing Ragos testimony as nothing but a fictitious and imagined story.

Ragos personally apologized to De Lima when they met at a court hearing in November 2022. He said he had been pressured into filing the charges.

De Lima has denied all the charges against her, and the courts dismissed one of the three charges in February 2021. A bribery case, filed before the Office of the Ombudsman who is responsible for prosecuting erring public officials, was also dismissed because of inconsistencies in testimonies against her.

De Lima had stoked Dutertes ire for leading investigations into alleged extrajudicial killings committed by his so-called Davao Death Squad, when he was then mayor of the southern city of Davao.

She first investigated the issue in Davao City in 2009 when she chaired the Commission on Human Rights. When she became senator in 2016, she was the first to sound the alarm on the spate of killings during the first few months of Dutertes term as president, and launched a Senate probe.

Duterte unleashed verbal tirades against her, attacking her even in his official speeches. His allies in Congress followed and launched investigations that ended up exposing her personal life.

Protesters in Manila gather near a poster calling for opposition Philippine Sen. Leila de Lima to be released from prison, Feb. 23, 2019. [Jojo Rinoza/BenarNews]

Resounding calls for release

International human rights groups and lawmakers, as well as De Limas local allies, have reiterated their calls for her to be released from custody.

In June 2022, European Union officials highlighted de Limas situation when they urged then-incoming President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to address concerns over human rights.

In August, a high-level U.S. congressional delegation led by Sen. Ed Markey visited De Lima in her detention cell at the Philippine National Police Custodial Center. Markey also met with Marcos and Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla.

Days before her sixth year in detention, members of the European Parliament Subcommittee on Human Rights visited de Lima, a move that buoyed my spirit, as it is yet again an affirmance of the universal acceptance of my causes, de Lima said.

Apart from her prolonged detention, the ex-senators life was directly threatened when she was held hostage inside her cell in October 2022 by an inmate trying to escape. The police killed the suspect and his two companions, but there has been no further investigation into the incident so far.

In a note that she penned from her cell on Friday  the day marking her six years in jail  De Lima said she had been fighting the good fight and that she would not waver in her commitment.

When they thought I would buckle under the pressure of their oppression, I proved that my commitment to the rule of law, to human rights and specifically to speaking up for the victims  mostly poor and defenseless  of the so-called war on drugs is stronger than any wall they can put between me and the outside world, De Lima wrote.

Six years I stood my ground.

The former senator has never abandoned her faith or her fight championing human rights, her brother said.

Shes making herself fit. She believes in her faith that soon, when she gets released, theres a lot of work to be done. She continues to stand up for democracy and human rights in this country, Vicente De Lima II said in a speech at an event calling for his sisters freedom.

Amnesty International meanwhile called on the Marcos administration to end the political persecution of De Lima.

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. As witness after witness withdraws their testimony, the Marcos administration must put an end to her ongoing persecution, Rachel Chhoa-Howard, Southeast Asia researcher for Amnesty International, said in a statement last week.

Marcos has dismissed calls for him to use his executive powers to release De Lima, saying he did not want to interfere with the court handling her case.
Rescued crew members from Philippine oil tanker MT Princess Empress are seen aboard the Panama-flagged MV EFES as they approach Subic, in Zambales, north of Manila, Feb. 28, 2023.

A tanker carrying 800,000 liters of industrial fuel sank in rough seas Tuesday, coast guard officials said, adding they were checking for an oil spill in waters off Oriental Mindoro province in central Philippines.

The 20 crew members on board the MT Princess Empress, which was en route to the central island of Iloilo, were rescued by a Panama-flagged ship, said coast guard and a port official in nearby Batangas city.

Initial investigation revealed that the distressed motor tanker encountered engine trouble due to overheating, the coast guard said. It then drifted toward the vicinity of waters off Balingawan Point due to rough sea conditions until it became half-submerged.

Joselito Sinocruz, local port manager in nearby Batangas city, said a foreign ship came to the aid of 20 people on board the tanker.

They were successfully rescued. The boat already sank in the area, he said.

Meanwhile, the coast guard deployed BRP Melchora Aquino (MRRV-9702) to search for possible traces of an oil spill.

After an initial assessment, the coast guard said that what had appeared to be a leak was a diesel fuel spill and not oil from the tankers cargo hold. Nevertheless, the coast guards marine environmental protection group began conducting an oil spill assessment test.

Last month, 30 to 40 liters of oil spilled off Subukin Port in San Juan, Batangas, when a tugboat submerged because of strong waves.

The worst spill in the country occurred in August 2006 when oil tanker M/T Solar 1, which was hired by the Petron Corp., sank off the coast of Guimaras, an island province in the Philippines.

The tanker spilled more than 2.1 million liters (about 555,000 gallons) of fuel.
Service members display flags of participating nations during the Cobra Gold 2023 opening ceremony at U-Tapao Air Base in Rayong province, Thailand, Feb. 28, 2023.

The United States and its ally Thailand on Tuesday kicked off Cobra Gold  Southeast Asias largest annual military exercise  with a pre-pandemic number of participants and nods to the 190th anniversary of the bilateral relationship.

Nearly 10,000 troops will participate in military drills and humanitarian missions through March 10, including about 6,000 from a U.S. warship strike group, 2,601 Thai personnel and representatives from 28 countries. A live-fire exercise in Lop Buri province will wrap up the 42nd training exercise.

Through Cobra Gold, we demonstrate our resolve to respond together to future challenges, preserving a free and open Indo-Pacific where all nations can prosper, Adm. John Aquilino, U.S. Indo-Pacific commander, told participating troops and guests at the opening ceremony.

Cobra Gold is a wonderful example of multilateral cooperation, which is the foundation of regional and global security.

Robert F. Godec, the U.S. ambassador to Thailand, and Gen. Chalermpol Srisawat, the Thai military chief, joined Aquilino at the opening ceremony. Ambassadors from five countries participating in combat drills  Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore and South Korea  were also present.

South Korea sent 581 troops and Japan sent 146, the third- and fourth-largest contingents.

Chalermpol delivered a positive message to attendees.

Participants from 30 countries have the same beautiful goal  to meet a new friend  I wish all will befriend each other and share your experiences together, he said in his remarks.

Adm. John Aquilino, U.S. Indo-Pacific Command commander, (left) speaks with a U.S. Marine after the Cobra Gold 2023 opening ceremony at U-Tapao Air Base in Rayong province, Thailand, Feb. 28, 2023. [Pimuk Rakkanam/BenarNews]

While they will not be involved in the military drills, Chinas 21 troops will join others, including from India and Australia, in performing humanitarian projects such as construction of multi-purpose buildings for schools and disaster relief training.

A space exercise focusing on how solar storms and other phenomena can affect military operations will be held for the first time, a U.S. embassy statement said. Military and civilian agencies from the U.S., Thailand and Japan are scheduled to participate.

Today, Cobra Gold is an exercise that is focused on the future. It brings together 30 countries from around the world to solve complex challenges that no single country can solve alone, Godec said in prepared remarks.

Only through cooperation can we rise to these challenges and keep our people safe.
Rheumatic heart disease, which begins as untreated strep throat, can damage the mitral valve of the heart and ultimately be fatal.

In Rwanda, where the disease is common, there is one cardiothoracic surgeon to serve the entire country.

Dr. Stephanie Saucier, a noninvasive cardiologist with Hartford HealthCares Heart and Vascular Institute, just came back from a 16-day trip to Rwanda, joining a team of surgeons and other specialists as part of Team Heart.

Dr. Stephanie Saucier holds a baby with rheumatic heart disease during a volunteer trip to Rwanda with Team Heart.

This is an organization that has been treating heart disease in Rwanda for 17 years, Saucier said. I first became involved in 2020 and that was my first trip to Rwanda. The COVID-19 pandemic delayed her second trip until this month.

The need is great. I flew in on Friday night, and Saturday morning we were at the hospital screening patients  and there was a young boy there and he was 17 years old, and he and his family and parents walked to the hospital overnight on Friday, Saucier said.

They slept in the waiting room to wait to be seen by us. And so its amazing. The dedication that patients and their families have to their care is incredible. But they also have to make really hard decisions, she said.

The other really challenging thing, at least its challenging for me, is when I go and I see a young woman who was 21 years old who hasnt had children yet, and her heart is too sick, would not sustain a pregnancy successfully, she said.

Having to tell a 21-year-old that you cant get pregnant because it would put your life in danger is really a challenging discussion that we have.

Thats because people who receive a mechanical heart valve replacement are put on the blood thinner Coumadin, which makes pregnancy risky. Unlike the United States, Rwanda doesnt have the medications that would help a woman get through a pregnancy with a damaged heart.

If a woman were to go off Coumadin, she could get a blood clot or her valve could fail, Saucier said.

Medication is also used to help the heart pump because, after a mitral valve replacement, the left ventricle doesnt pump as well.

After a trip, I am very humbled coming home because you realize the resources that we have here in the States, and we have so many capabilities and you really become a better doctor, I think, when you understand what other people are going through, Saucier said.

In addition to the sole cardiothoracic surgeon, there are five cardiologists for a country of 13 million people. Team Heart brings cardiothoracic surgeons, anesthesiologists, nurses, critical-care physicians and other medical staff  all volunteers.

Dr. Stephanie Saucier treats a patient with rheumatic heart disease during a volunteer trip to Rwanda with Team Heart.

We go and we screen patients for rheumatic heart disease. We operate on patients with rheumatic heart disease in conjunction with the Rwandan cardiothoracic surgeon, Saucier said.

Besides screening and treating patients, the team trains Rwandans to become self-sufficient in treating the disease.

I actually went out to the district hospitals, which do not have their own cardiologists, and I worked with the nurses because theyre the primary caregivers at these district hospitals for the patients, Saucier said. And we taught them how to do echocardiograms and evaluate for rheumatic heart disease, how to manage heart failure and also the rheumatic heart disease that were finding.

The team operated on eight patients at King Faisal Hospital in Kigali, the capital, and Saucier screened more than 50, before and after surgery. And team members trained the Rwandan cardiothoracic surgeon in how to replace a mitral valve.

Its much more sustainable if you can go and teach them and help them become successful and become sustainable so that they can provide care to their own people year round, Saucier said.

Right around the time that we were leaving, he actually did a solo operation on a mitral valve, she said. That was an incredible monumental movement for the people of Rwanda, that their surgeon is really independent.

Rheumatic heart disease starts as strep throat, which, if untreated, becomes rheumatic fever. That can cause inflammation of the joints, heart, skin and brain. Rheumatic fever then can become rheumatic heart disease, which is the most common type of heart disease and kills 288,000 people each year, according to the World Health Organization.

Rheumatic heart disease can come in a number of different shapes and sizes. Most often it affects the valve and it causes deterioration of the valves, which may be a thickening or leaking of the valve, Saucier said.

The most common valve thats affected is the mitral valve. However, all valves can and sometimes are involved, she said. It also can cause irregular heart rhythms. It is most common among young people in densely populated areas because strep is highly contagious.

Rwanda has a young population because so many died during the genocide in 1994, when Hutu militias killed more than 1 million Tutsis and others.

Education around treating strep throat or treating sore throat or pharyngitis is also something that we do when were in Rwanda, because there are some people who dont necessarily believe in antibiotics and they still try to do bush teas and other remedies for sore throats, Saucier said.

Left untreated, strep can turn into the full-body infection known as rheumatic fever, and the bacteria can then damage the heart. While it is a global disease, there is not a lot found in the United States, she said. Most strep throat gets treated. And so thats always the way that you prevent rheumatic heart disease from developing, she said.

Saucier served at the University Teaching Hospital at Kigali, known as CHUK, as well as distant district hospitals in Munini and Nemba. She said the experience helps her practice here.

I think it makes you more relatable, she said. You can understand and you really will work with the struggles that your patients here are also having and trying to come up with creative solutions to their problems. In addition to that, it helps me be a better teacher to the fellows and the residents that I teach.

I take home with me the capability of helping people, making a very direct difference in patients lives and also hoping to leave my knowledge and education to the nurses and help the other cardiologists treat their patients and provide good care, she said.

Ed Stannard can be reached at estannard@courant.com.
Bennington, VT (05201)

Today

Mostly cloudy skies early will become partly cloudy later in the day. Slight chance of a rain shower. High 76F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Partly cloudy during the evening followed by cloudy skies overnight. Low 56F. Winds SE at 10 to 15 mph.
Cheryl Sbarra, the Massachusetts Association of Health Boards executive director and senior staff attorney, writes in a new court brief that neither the defendant mayor, nor the City Council have the authority to intervene in or interfere with the operation of the board of health.
The Jewish Federation of Greater Hartford is stunned and saddened by the killing of Elan Ganeles, who was killed by a Palestinian gunman in the occupied West Bank on Monday.

Ganeles, 27, grew up in West Hartford and graduated from Columbia University. He and his family were members of Young Israel synagogue in West Hartford.

With great sadness, the Jewish Federation joins with the entire Jewish community to mourn the loss of Elan Ganeles, the federation posted.

The violence in Israel has taken countless lives both young and old, but when its someone from our community, the shock and sense of loss runs even deeper, the federation said.

A friend told local media he had been visiting Israel for a wedding and driving on a highway near the Dead Sea when he was shot. The attackers remained at large Tuesday, according to the Associated Press.

West Hartford Mayor Shari Cantor spoke Tuesday of how devastated we are to hear of the killing of this talented, incredibly bright and beloved young man, who grew up in West Hartford and and was an honor student, volunteered. He just was beloved. And he had played the saxophone, had a great sense of humor. Im thinking about his family and the Young Israel community where they belong, and theyll be in our hearts and our prayers.

According to his LinkedIn page, Ganeles worked on a kibbutz from August 2015 to February 2016 and served in the Israeli Defense Forces as a sergeant and computer programmer from July 2016 to August 2018. He had been working as a Geospatial Analyst in the Center for International Earth Science Information Network at Columbia.

Ganeles was the sole fatality of what the army said were multi-site shootings a day earlier. The army said the attackers opened fire at Ganeles car near the Palestinian city of Jericho, hitting Ganeles. The assailants, traveling in one vehicle, then drove further and fired again, the army said. The attackers set their own vehicle afire and fled, setting off a manhunt.

Ganeles died later at Hadassah Medical Center, the hospital said. He is to be buried Wednesday in the Israeli central city of Raanana. Israeli President Isaac Herzog extended condolences to Ganeless family. David Waren, president of the Jewish Federation of Greater Hartford, said Rabbi Tuvia Brander of Young Israel was accompanying the family to Israel.

Ganeless killing came a day after two Israelis were killed by a Palestinian gunman in the northern West Bank, triggering a rampage in which Israeli settlers torched dozens of cars and homes in a Palestinian town and one Palestinian was killed. It was the worst such violence in decades.

So far this year, 62 Palestinians, about half of them affiliated with armed groups, have been killed by Israeli troops and civilians. In the same period, 14 Israelis, all but one of them civilians, have been killed in Palestinian attacks.

Check back for updates.

Ed Stannard can be reached at estannard@courant.com. The Associated Press contributed to this story.
The two men most likely to square off for the presidency of the United States next Election Day have held notably different conversations with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

On July 25, 2019, then President Donald Trump spoke with Zelensky from the White House residence, ostensibly to congratulate Zelensky on his election.

During that conversation, Trump reminded Zelensky that the United States has been very good to Ukraine.

Trump knew full well that Zelensky was desperate for some demonstration of support from the American president. Some 13,000 of Zelenskys people already had been killed in the five-year conflict between Russian-backed separatists and government forces in Ukraine. Nonetheless, just days before phoning Zelensky, Trump froze nearly $400 million of U.S. aid to Ukraine.

Trump continued:

I would like you to do us a favor, though, because our country has been through a lot and Ukraine knows a lot about it. Theres a lot of talk about Bidens son, that Biden stopped the prosecution, and a lot of people want to find out about that so whatever you can do with the attorney general would be great. Biden went around bragging that he stopped the prosecution, so if you can look into it . It sounds horrible to me. I will have Mr. Giuliani give you a call and I am also going to have Attorney General Barr call and we will get to the bottom of it.

Zelensky did not want to offend Trump but did not commit to helping Trump dig up dirt on the son of the person most likely to oppose Trump in the 2020 election.

Fast-forward. On Feb. 20, 2023, just before the first anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Joe Biden spoke directly with Zelensky in Kyiv, noting that Kyiv stands. And Ukraine stands. Democracy stands.

For Trump, Ukraine was a pawn to get dirt on Biden before the 2020 election.

For Biden, Ukraine is a critical ally in Americas fight against global tyranny.

Trumps goal in speaking with Zelensky in 2019 was the aggrandizement of Donald Trump. That was to be expected. As president, Trump had no agenda except to feed his monstrous ego. Trump described his 2019 call with Zelensky as perfect because Trump saw nothing wrong in suggesting that continuing U.S. support for Ukraine should hinge on Zelenskys helping him win reelection.

Yet that phone call posed a direct challenge to American democracy. The use of presidential power to solicit a foreign nations help in getting reelected is not only barred by law and the Constitution; it undermines public trust in our system of self-government.

Bidens goal in speaking with Zelensky in Kyiv was the opposite  to strengthen democracy against authoritarianism. As Biden explained, he made the dangerous trip because I thought it was critical that there not be any doubt, none whatsoever, about U.S. support for Ukraine in the war. Its not just about freedom in Ukraine. Its about freedom of democracy at large.

As Biden said the next day in Warsaw, Putins invasion of Ukraine had tested all democracies. Over the last year the democracies of the world have grown stronger, not weaker. But the autocrats of the world have grown weaker, not stronger.

For Biden, American policy  both foreign and domestic  should be premised on protecting democracy from authoritarian forces seeking to undermine it, whether that force is Vladimir Putin or Donald Trump.

Bidens speech in Warsaw came just hours after Putin gave his own address in Moscow. Putin characterized the war in Ukraine as an existential struggle against the West, which he claimed started the war.

In response, Biden charged that Putin chose this war, and that every day the war continues is his choice. 

By traveling to Kyiv, the oldest president in American history also demonstrated the stamina and grit of someone decades younger. Biden departed Andrews Air Force Base outside Washington, D.C., early Sunday morning, Feb. 19, landed in Poland, took a 10-hour train ride from the Polish border, and arrived in Kyiv-Pasazhyrsky station roughly 24 hours after leaving Washington.

He then met with Zelensky at Mariinsky Palace, joined him in laying a wreath at the Wall of Remembrance at St. Michaels Golden-Domed Monastery, and stopped by the U.S. Embassy to meet with staff before heading back to the Polish border by train and then on to Warsaw.

The undertaking required courage and determination. Biden is the first president since Abraham Lincoln to venture into a war zone not under the control of American forces.

Donald Trumps notorious conversation with Zelensky in 2019 required neither stamina, nor grit, nor courage. It did show determination  but not to protect democracy. It showed Trumps fanatical resolve to remain in power, democracy be damned.

Robert Reich, former U.S. Secretary of Labor, is professor of public policy at the University of California at Berkeley and the author of The System: Who Rigged It, How We Fix It. Read more from Robert Reich at https://robertreich.substack.com/. (C)2023 Robert Reich. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Tonight's rundown:

 Talking Points Memo: Joe Biden continues to decline with the world watching and remains out of the press reach

 Presidential Historian Larry Cook weighs in on how Bidens relationship with the press compares to past presidents

 US Special Forces have been confirmed to be in Ukraine

 OReilly describes Democrats hosting the DNC in Chicago as Crazy Arrogant

 The trial of Fox News gets underway

 58% of Americans are now living paycheck to paycheck even as inflation begins to cool off

 Smart Life: Utilizing Kelly Blue Book when searching for a new car

 This Day in History: FDR dies in office

 Final Thought: what to do when someone is disrespectful to you

In Case You Missed It:

 Read Bill's latest column, "Reason to Believe"

 Join 'Team Normal!' Order your gear now at BillOReilly.com!

 Pre-order Bills next bestseller Killing the Witches NOW

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Lions will support more than 130 underrepresented members of the creative community and emerging talent with access to Cannes Lions.

Source  What 3 Words What 3 Words Lions will support more than 130 underrepresented members of the creative community and emerging talent with access to Cannes Lion

"To mark our 70th edition, were introducing the inaugural Lions Scholarship. This initiative is designed to increase the accessibility of Cannes Lions bespoke academies, which offer a curated education programme at the heart of the Festival," says Simon Cook, CEO, Lions.

The Lions Scholarship is designed to support the next generation of talent, that offers a group of young people from around the world a fully-funded place on the Cannes Lions Brand Marketers and Creative Academies, which take place during the Festival in June.

The new initiative sits alongside a range of talent programmes which are part of Lions' drive to introduce more opportunities for underrepresented groups through fully-funded talent programmes at Cannes Lions.

Weve spent 70 years helping to shape careers, foster connections, and platform the power of creativity on a global scale. As we look forward to the next 70 years, we will focus on creating opportunities, providing access, and nurturing the next generation of creative marketing leaders," says Cook.

"As part of our mission to support those in the making and drive progress for people, were opening up the Festival to more than 130 people from groups traditionally underrepresented in the creative industries," he adds.

A range of early career initiatives

The Lions talent programme includes a range of early career initiatives with the Lions Academies and Young Lions Competitions designed to catapult young talent in their careers.

Additionally, Lions current talent accelerator programmes continue this year, including See It Be It, which aims to help achieve equal gender representation of creative directors and leaders.

The Lions Scholarship is included within the wider talent programme are community-led initiatives, which have been designed in partnership with the global creative industry.

These include:

A programme with The Black Executive CMO Alliance to bring Future Leaders from The BECA Playbook to Cannes.



Complimentary passes for the winners of the Perifa Education Programme which is designed for creatives from the Brazilian peripheries.

Support of the #CannesForAll initiative, launched by the Brixton Finishing School, DigiLearning Foundation and Lollipop Mentoring, with Festival access for their 12 talents.



A continued partnership with Cephas Williams to provide Black talent with Cannes Lions access and a curated Festival programme.

Full details on all of the Lions talent programmes, along with how to apply, are available here. Cannes Lions takes place from 19-23 June in Cannes, France.



For more:


Rafiq Rohan, a veteran journalist and former political prisoner has died.

Rohan was found dead by neighbours on Sunday and the circumstances surrounding his death are not yet known.

For much of the 1980s and early 1990s, Rohan, who had been a journalist for more than 40 years, straddled the difficult divide being a journalist and a political activist, finally ending up on Robben Island, where he was sent for 15 years for his activities in uMkhonto we Sizwe (MK), the military wing of the then-banned African National Congress. He spent three years on the Island, said Sanef in a statement.

Veteran journalists have sent out their condolences

Moegsien Williams, a former Sanef chairperson who worked with Rohan at South Newspaper in the 1980s and later at Independent Media, said Rohan was a journalist who always went the extra mile to get a story.

He was a dedicated and an extremely loyal staffer on all the publications we had worked on over the years. He was also a very good cook on the occasions I had the pleasure of being served by him. May his soul rest in peace after he had spent a better part of his life fighting some inner demons, said Williams.

Former Sanef leader Ryland Fisher said he knew Rohan for over 40 years and they became good friends.

Rafiq was the one who drove my wife and me to maternity hospital in 1985, for the birth of our first child. He also took part in our discussions on a possible name for her. But I also knew him as a dedicated and professional journalist, and a committed anti-apartheid activist. He would often write on a voluntary basis for Grassroots community newspaper, where I worked in the mid-1980s, he said.

Hoosein Ismail, a South African now living in Australia and a close friend of Rohan said he had converted to Islam after being inspired by Malcolm X.

I first got to know Rafiq when he worked at the Iranian Interest Section in Morningside in Johannesburg. When Rafiq was arrested in Durban in 1987, Faizel Dawjee, who was Editor at Al Qalam, broke the news to us. Receiving the news on his arrest, I knew this was going to be a long road for Rafiq. After I migrated to New Zealand (now living in Perth, Australia) in 1999, Rafiq and I remained close friends and we were in almost daily contact via WhatsApp. He was a kind and caring person and would enquire about my family and I daily, he said.

A year ago, Rafiq entrusted me with his unpublished book. I will forever remember my dear friend as outspoken, kind and caring and strong willed. May Allah grant him a high pillar in Jannah (heaven).

Rohan was also the editor of the government newspaper Vuk'uzenzele from 2005 until 2010.

Acting Director-General of GCIS, Michael Currin, said: "It is truly with deep sadness that we at GCIS learned of the passing of our former colleague Rafiq Rohan. His gentle yet firm and confident ability to tell stories of hope and determination in our countrys efforts to improve the lives of ordinary citizens, continue to inspire us in our work in communicating the South African story in the GCIS. His passing is a great shock to many in the government communication fraternity and we extend to his family our heartfelt condolences.
Food and beverage company PepsiCo South Africa has expanded its 'hottest snacks' portfolio, offering a variety of Mzansi's favourite Hot & Spicy flavours with Simba Flamin' Hot Chakalaka, Doritos Flamin' Hot Masala and NikNaks Flamin' Hot Chilli.

Okay Wasabi

Speaking on the inspiration of the range, Giulia Iorio-Ndlovu, senior marketing director, Snacks of PepsiCo South Africa says, The new Flamin Hot range encapsulates the existing deep love that consumers have for hot and spicy flavours, which awaken their taste buds and take them on an exciting flavour experience. Our flavours are rooted in cultural influences, pivoting legacy favourites amongst South Africans; Chakalaka, Masala and the classic Chilli, into enjoyable snacks.

PepsiCo South Africa is innovating in ways that snack brands can fit into consumers culture and lifestyle. The three flavours are suitable for unique and personal taste preferences.

Robot Boii & Mpho Popps

To celebrate and engage consumers on the Flamin Hot Range, a campaign was rolled out driving a simple flavour message through Unleash Your Heat tag line, across key and relevant consumer touch points. Which includes first of its kind TV Advert (featuring Simba, Doritos and NikNaks brands), where we kicked off a HOT dialogue that extended into the social/ digital platforms. The campaign is further supported by radio activations, OOH Billboards and Digital screens in malls across the country.

Why go for mild when you can choose Flamin Hot? Unleash Your Heat as you Entice your tastebuds today with the Flamin Hot Range Giulia Iorio-Ndlovu concludes.
Change is the only constant in manufacturing today. Disruption, innovation, and continual refinement of shop floor processes are driving factors in today's complex market landscape. Whether an organisation makes commercial aircraft, office furniture, or industrial valves, they must stay on top of trends and adapt. New strategies and actions must sync - and align with customer expectations. It's no easy task.

Paul Bouchier, sales director at iOCO

Theres some good news, though. The right manufacturing ERP software helps. Modern, composable enterprise resource planning (ERP) solutions with last-mile functionality built in provide the capabilities businesses need to address todays most pressing challenges. By modernising manufacturing ERP, its easier to update the entire organisation, from new product introductions to operational efficiency. So, one step leads to many benefits, says Paul Bouchier, sales director at iOCO, within iOCO Software Distribution, an Infor Gold Partner.

Bouchier offers three tips to help enterprises adapt to changing demands:

Improve supply chain agility. The disrupted supply chain has been a major headache for most manufacturers. Thats an understatement for many. Trade tariffs, bottlenecks and delays, the war in the Ukraine, chip shortages, unavailability of cargo containers, and high costs of fuel have turned procurement into a game of chance  with unfavorable odds. Modern software, with artificial intelligence (AI)-driven analytics and full supply chain visibility, can provide relief. Smart solutions drive smart decisions. Anticipate risks, make strategic choices, and forge new partnerships. Data insights help plan for contingencies and manage expectations, with visibility into the stock needed and when its expected to arrive. Anticipate risks, make strategic choices, and forge new partnerships.

Manage shop floor complexity. Manufacturers must meet the demands of customers for highly personalised products, while controlling costs and improving margins. In many industries, traditional mass production is being replaced by mixed mode manufacturing with highly configured products, engineer-to-order, and assemble-on-demand operations becoming the new normal. Modern manufacturing software is essential for the transformation. It helps streamline processes, close gaps and keep workflows synchronised. The latest Industry 4.0 technologies provide critical tools, like smart sensors, for tracking machine performance, output, quality control, and optimising resources. Tools also help manage the existing workforce which must work smarter, not harder, to get the job done. Data insights help keep the shop floor running with orchestrated precision, because every part, every machine, and every work cycle matters.
Verve, the experts in culture, communities and smart digital research, has expanded it's Australian-based team with two new hires and a new Melbourne hub.

Following a successful launch eight months ago. which has seen the acquisition of new clients including News Corp, R.M. Williams and Afterpay, the Australia team is building out the team to support ambitious growth plans for the year ahead.

Christina Tonkes has been appointed as senior director to head up Verves Melbourne hub. Prior joining the Verve team, Tonkes spent more than two years at Hall & Partners in London as a group strategy director before more recently running her own freelancing business in Australia.

Mirjam Grari joins the Sydney team as associate director of futures and innovation to bring the ignite@VERVE proposition to the Australian market, applying her expertise in futures, culture and innovation to build on extensive experience at Absolut and Kantar Consulting.

Rikki Pearce, MD of Verve Australia comments: Attracting the best talent is a key priority for Verve. We are absolutely thrilled to welcome the Christina and Mirjam to the Australian team as we continue to build our distinctive offering in the Australian market.
The Mayoral Committee has approved the transfer of City land in Ndabeni and Maitland to the Biologicals and Vaccines Institute of Southern Africa (Biovac).

Once the transfer has been approved at Council, the site will see the expansion of the Cape Health Technology Park, which will comprise offices, research laboratories and manufacturing plants of a medical nature.

By improving the health of a nations citizens, it can directly result in economic growth, because there will be more people able to contribute effectively to the workforce, the Citys mayoral committee member for economic growth, Alderman James Vos said.

Furthermore, it demonstrates our aspiration to utilise property as a means to unlock economic prosperity in Cape Town.

Biovac is a bio-pharmaceutical company based in Cape Town that is a joint venture between a private consortium and the national government, with the latter holding a minority stake in the company. The main objective of Biovac is to establish local vaccine manufacturing capability.

Vos said the health tech park was discussed and planned long before the onset of Covid-19. However, the advent of the pandemic highlighted the dire need for the investment and expansion of local production to make vaccines available to local and regional markets at greater speed and at a more cost-effective scale.

In September last year, the company announced that it had produced the first batch of Pfizer Covid shots made on the continent.

In November, it entered into a licensing and technology transfer agreement with the International Vaccine Institute (IVI), a non-profit international organisation headquartered in South Korea, for the manufacture of an oral cholera vaccine.

With less than 1% of the worlds vaccine supply made in Africa - where infectious diseases are the leading cause of death, especially in children younger than five years old  the expanded footprint of a facility that develops such vital medical products will be a game-changer, Vos said. The park will further cement Cape Towns reputation as a world-leading hub of health technology, education, and research.

Additionally, the economic impact of the proposed health tech park, could contribute up to R1,5bn to the economy during its construction phase, and create more than 6,000 jobs, research by Wesgro shows.

Following the Mayco approval, the report goes to Council for final adoption at which point the transfers will be implemented.
While 92% of South Africans say sustainability is important to them, only 58% claim to live sustainably according to a 2022 study by global consumer insights agency InSites Consulting. It's clear South Africans want to make a change; they just don't know where to start. That's where online retailers and e-commerce merchants come in.

Steffen Burrows, Curbon cofounder and director. Source: Supplied

The sustainability paradox, or the gap between acknowledgement (92% importance score) and action (42% not living sustainably), should be treated by brands as an opportunity.

Since 86% of consumers believe that companies have a duty to take care of the planet, merchants and e-commerce businesses can help consumers overcome barriers to adopting more sustainable habits in their daily lives. This means making sustainable living more accessible, as 60% of consumers would adopt a more sustainable lifestyle if it cost less time or effort.

Brands must make the first move

According to the Online Retail in South Africa 2022 study conducted by World Wide Worx with Mastercard, the total growth for online retail in South Africa in 2022 was 35%, boosting the total value of online retail to R55bn. Furthermore, South Africans are ready to commit to brands that are sustainability-oriented. Such brands are already perceived as more trustworthy (62%), along with providing a higher level of quality (65%).

So where is the most immediate opportunity for brands to take a stance on sustainability? The e-commerce space already operates on razor-thin margins, with very little to differentiate companies apart from the speed of delivery and customer support. There is no room to compete on price, so online sellers need to seize every advantage they can to grow their customer base and increase checkouts.

Significant sustainability trends include an increased focus on creating circular economies. Additionally, companies have a heightened expectation to ensure that they put their sustainability commitments into action. In other words, lip service is not a differentiating factor. There has been a visible push for fashion retailers to deliver on their professed values by taking real action on their climate impact, particularly in the fast fashion industry.

Offsetting is a good start

Carbon offsetting is an immediately accessible action that online sellers can take to prove their commitment to adopting business practices that are progressively more sustainable. Why should businesses consider carbon offsetting? Everything consumers purchase has already impacted the environment through greenhouse gasses and carbon dioxide emissions from their manufacture and transport.

By allowing shoppers to offset their purchases, businesses can ensure that their customers can continue to consume with a reduced impact on the environment.

Many consumers feel jaded about their ability to help, halt, or reverse climate change. However, since so few companies choose to offset their emissions internally, there is now a golden opportunity for brands to help consumers feel more empowered by giving them the mechanism to put their money where it matters, right now.

Although companies might not be able to make complete operational changes right away to reduce their environmental impact entirely, they can instead offset their products all the way up the value chain. This has an immediate tangible benefit in helping to move the needle for everyone involved, allowing businesses the breathing room they need to redesign their processes and business models.
With only months left to live, Moregan Zale mixed a cocktail of drugs and alcohol in an attempt to end her six-year battle with ovarian cancer.

Zales widow, PJ Schimmel, described the October 2016 episode as one of the saddest nights of her life. When Zale woke up the next morning, Schimmel begged her not to try any other methods that might leave her brain damaged but not dead. Months later, in the spring of 2017, Zale decided to hasten her already painful death by refusing to eat or drink.

It took 23 days.

She chose this course because she thought it was the only way left for her, Schimmel said. Seeing someone shrivel up and die of thirst is inhumane, but it was her wish, and I respected her decision, though it tortured me.  I told everyone I met at the hospice as she was dying that I would be there to testify when a right-to-die law came up in Connecticut. Moregan wanted that law badly.

Schimmels testimony was one of hundreds received by the Public Health Committee Monday at a hearing on the General Assemblys aid-in-dying bill that continues to divide doctors, patients, caretakers, lawmakers and faith leaders on the moral merits of allowing doctors to prescribe terminally ill patients medication to expedite death.

In an emotional debate before the committee, supporters of the bill emphasized the importance of letting patients have the choice to end their lives peacefully without suffering, as opponents stressed their belief that the legislation would cast Connecticut down a slippery slope.

Nowhere was the separation between the camps seen more clearly than in their language, with proponents preferring the term medical aid-in-dying over the opposing assisted suicide.

Stephen Mendelsohn of New Britain, holds a sign showing opposition to SB 1076 allowing medically assisted suicide during a joint press conference with Progressives Against Medical Assisted Suicide and Second Thoughts Connecticut before a Public Health Committee public hearing in Hartford on Monday, Feb. 27, 2023. (Aaron Flaum/Hartford Courant)

S.B. 1076, An Act Concerning Aid In Dying For Terminally Ill Patients, marks the 15th time such a proposal has been introduced in the General Assembly since 1995. Last session, an aid-in-dying bill died in the Senate Judiciary Committee after passing a Public Health vote.

Sen. Saud Anwar, co-chair of the Public Health Committee said that the safeguards included in this years proposal would make Connecticuts aid-in-dying legislation the safest in the country.

Among other provisions, S.B. 1076 restricts access to aid-in-dying services to terminally ill Connecticut residents who have lived in the state for at least one year and are age 21 or older. It also requires confirmation from two physicians that the patient has six months or less to live, a mandatory mental health evaluation, and two written requests made at least 15 days apart that are signed in the presence of two witnesses.

I imagine that both sides of the debate will be unhappy today, Anwar said. Some will say that these guardrails have become barriers and others will say that the law does not go far enough to protect the vulnerable  this is the time for all of the conversations.

At a press conference opposing the bill Dr. Diane Meier, a specialist in geriatrics and palliative medicine at Mount Sinai called the safeguards unrealistic and demonstrably ineffective, as she spoke of faulty prognosis, family coercion and monetary stress.

I can imagine that I might like to have the option of medical aid-in-dying at some point in my future. However, my personal preference does not outweigh the very real risks of public policy normalizing state-sanctioned suicide. Such a change in policy puts tens of thousands of my fellow citizens, particularly the poor, the disabled, the chronically ill  the highest need and highest cost people among us  at risk of being encouraged to die because our society will not pay for what people need in order to live, Meier said.

Cathy Ludlum and members of the disability-rights organization Second Thoughts Connecticut, said that they fear the passage of aid-in-dying legislation would open up the door for broader application and the eventual loss of safeguards.

It is clear to those of us who already have to fight for medical care that offering poison as a treatment option will have far-reaching consequences, Ludlum said. Many of us have survived medical crises in spite of being written off as close to death or assumed to have a poor quality of life. We have also seen this happen to people we care about. Although the drafters of assisted suicide legislation work to include safeguards, no safeguard can prevent receiving the wrong diagnosis or a wrong estimate of life expectancy, or not getting needed treatments.

At the hearing, supporters of the bill argued that those in opposition to aid-in-dying make up the minority of Connecticut residents. Tim Appleton, the senior campaign director of the Compassion and Choices Action Network, cited a survey by the organization in which 75% of Connecticut voters supported the option of aid-in-dying care.

He said that an aid-in-dying option is important even though only 6,300 people in the U.S. have chosen to end their lives through this method since it was first legalized in Oregon in 1994.

State Rep. Holly Cheeseman (R-37) answers a question during a Public Health Committee hearing to discuss Senate Bill 1076, an act concerning aid in dying for terminally ill patients, at the Legislative Office Building in Hartford on Monday, Feb. 27, 2023. (Aaron Flaum/Hartford Courant)

For some people, even the best pain and symptom management from a world-class palliative and hospice care team cannot alleviate all suffering, Appleton said. Theres certainly not been evidence of any slippery slope in 25 years.  This legislation, if enacted, when enacted is the toughest in the nation. And its really difficult to surmise and be hypothetical about what could happen.

During his testimony, Appleton also took issue with opponents who criticized the legislation for not calling the manner of death suicide.

Suicide has a very loaded and specific meaning thats full of stigma and tragedy. Suicide is the act of a mentally unwell person who would otherwise live because theyre physically healthy. Aid-in-dying is a measured act of a terminally ill person, many times, only days or weeks from death, Appleton said. To stigmatize that person, that loved ones death as somehow an assisted suicide or a suicide, that is traumatic for them and causes harm.

As Lynda Shannon Bluestein nears the end of her battle with late-stage fallopian tube cancer, she said that she hopes Connecticut will pass the aid-in-dying bill.

Its not as if my death is optional. Yours either. Its also not as if I would choose to seek out medical aid in-dying did I not have a terminal diagnosis, Bluestein said in written testimony to the committee. I want to see Connecticut finally get this bill passed, this year, in time for me. I want to be able to look forward to an end of life where I will be able to remain in my home, surrounded by my husband, my children, and grandchildren as well as my neighbors, friends, caregivers, and members of my faith community. When I, like so many before me, have just wanted to wake up dead, I want it to be at home and at peace.

Alison Cross can be reached at across@courant.com.
Yoco celebrates SMEs with its Back the Underdog campaign.

Image supplied. Yocos champions of the underdog campaign features real SME owners and their businesses.

The African payments platform asks with South Africas SMEs providing 66% of all jobs in the country, isnt it time we started celebrating them? Answering yes, the company created a campaign to do just this.

The campaign was created by Yocos in-house creative team, with the concept being led by Drew Soglo, senior copywriter, and Simphiwe Khumalo, senior art director.

Our goal was to highlight the importance of small business, that small businesses add to our lives in many ways, by contributing to job creation and GDP as well as by enriching culture and communities, explains Yoco brand marketing manager, Robyn Viljoen.

This created the incentive for people to support them by asking people to imagine a world without the small businesses that help to add colour to their lives while making their days so much easier.

360-degree campaign

Viljoen adds that the chief element of the 360-degree campaign was a TVC that aired on TV and digital platforms.

The TVC featured real customers to highlight all that would be lost if the small businesses we support were to die out.

Each of our campaigns features real small business owners, rather than actors, as does all our creative work. It is important for the authenticity of the story, but more than this, it allows small businesses to be seen and tell their own stories in their own words, adds Viljoen.

Image generator

Another core element of the campaign came in the form of an image generator. South Africans were invited to engage with the campaign by creating custom artwork, posing the question: What would the world look like without your favourite small business?

The image generator allowed customers to fill in the blanks, helping to raise awareness of these businesses and the space that would be left without them.

Significantly, over 4,800 people created a custom image on Yocos image generator  proof that the campaign got people to interact with small businesses, as intended.

This was very important for us because one of the key measurements of the campaigns success is earned media; essentially, how many people were vocally showing their support for small businesses, Viljoen says.

Organic social media and other content

The campaign further included organic social media content, giving an explainer about just how small businesses impact our country as well as generic and live reads on 11 radio stations, billboards and performance marketing.

Finally, Yoco collaborated with underdogs to create T-shirts and a coffee blend; again helping to raise awareness of the contribution and creativity of small businesses.

A single-minded, consistent message

The end result was a fully integrated campaign: each aspect, from theme to messaging and design, was integrated across multiple channels, from the brand touchpoints to the performance funnel.

This created a single-minded, consistent message, which allowed the story to be told in great detail, Viljoen says.

One of the greatest benefits to emerge from this is that Yocos stance as an active and vocal supporter and advocate of small businesses has been reiterated and entrenched.

One of the outcomes of which Yoco is most proud is that this attitude spread amongst all who encountered the campaign.

Reaching 40.6 million people online

People were visibly moved by the invitation to Imagine the world without Viljoen says.

This was evidenced by the responses, comments, and posts elicited by the campaign as a whole as 29.9k people joined the conversation to speak about backing the underdog and what we would lose if small businesses disappeared. In total, the campaign reached 40.6 million people online.

Viljoen says that the campaign ultimately is an ode to these small businesses and the challenges they encounter and overcome daily.

We understand that this is no small feat, and we wanted to celebrate it. More than this, we wanted South Africans to celebrate it, too  and to do this by supporting the spaza shop owners, food stores, hairdressers, and all the other small businesses who are such an integral part of our economy.

The campaign follows Yocos We the Underdog campaign.
Finding the right shoe, is like reuniting with an old friend you have not seen for a good number of years. Having that comfy fit come from an ethical and sustainable materials source instils a further sense of comfort, knowing that you can tread lightly on this planet. The Portuguese footwear market has seemed to strike this balance perfectly, producing comfortable, sustainably sourced and highly durable footwear. These standards resulted in exponential growth in the export market, especially in South Africa.

With a spike in exports to South Africa, the Components & Leather Goods Manufacturers Association (APICCAPS) are looking at capitalising on this market growth in South Africa. South African market indicators show that consumers specifically prioritise durability, comfort and sustainability as drivers to purchase; this is what the Portuguese footwear market is built upon, says Paulo Goncalves, APICCAPS director of communication. We want to establish and build mutually beneficial relationships with stakeholders in the South African shoe market.

By the September of this year, Portuguese footwear exports to South Africa reached 2,2 million Euros, a 97% increase when compared to last year (2021) and already 13,3% more than 2018, the previous record-breaking year of footwear exports to South Africa.

This wasnt restricted to a handful of players, in fact, 55 Portuguese manufacturers export footwear to South Africa, and 96% of the total was footwear, including leather uppers, Portugals principal footwear category. It is clear that the leather shoe category is a preference in the South African market. Portuguese shoes can also be manufactured at a price point that is affordable to the South African market, taking the export costs into account, says Goncalves.

As it stands, Portugal is the third biggest European footwear manufacturer, after Italy and Spain. Its footwear industry differs from its competitors in several ways, showing Portugal as a still-growing industry. A major factor in our industry is the sustainability of our products, with a large focus being placed on sourcing ethical materials and creating a shoe that is highly durable to last longer. Longer lasting shoes means that we throw less away, says Goncalves.

Various role players within the Portuguese shoe manufacturing market are collaborating to create a bioeconomy  a better manufacturing and supply chain system for footwear to fulfil its sustainability targets. A bioeconomy intends to improve production technology that is more efficient and cleaner, to source biomaterials, and to create a circular economy with waste material and by-products, says Goncalves.

Research has suggested that the South African footwear market will see volume growth of 23.5% in 2023, across all the different footwear categories, including leisure, safety, textile footwear and waterproof footwear. The sector in South Africa with the steepest growth trajectory is athleisure. This shoe category is defined by comfort and durability, with this shoe type predominantly being used during periods of high activity. To meet these requirements, a combination of leather combined with other materials, allowing for a highly durable shoe, says Goncalves. Along with prioritising sustainability, the South African market is also very brand loyal. Once consumers select a brand based on experience, they tend to stick with that brand for future purchases. This is all the reason to ensure that footwear is produced sustainably, is comfortable and durable.




Nokia said on Monday it has been selected by MTN South Africa for the first time ever as one of its 5G radio access network equipment providers, as the mobile carrier expands next-generation wireless services across the country.

New Nokia's logo is displayed before GSMA's 2023 ahead of the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona, Spain 26 February 2023. Reuters / Albert Gea

"Under the deal, Nokia will modernise the existing 2G, 3G, 4G radio network and expand MTN's 5G radio network across 2,800 sites in the central and eastern part of the country," Nokia said in a statement. Nokia did not give financial details of the deal.

MTN South Africa, the second biggest carrier in the country, snapped up airwaves worth R5.2bn ($282.66m) in a R14.4bn spectrum auction in March last year. Even before the auction it had launched 5G services in select cities.

($1 = 18.3964 rand)
Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA) Minister, Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, on Monday gazetted the disaster management regulations on electricity constraints.

Image source: Rodolfo Clix from Pexels

The gazette follows a special Cabinet meeting held on 27 February 2023.

Earlier this month, the Minister declared a State of Disaster on the Impact of Severe Electricity Supply Constraints on society. The State of Disaster was first announced by President Cyril Ramaphosa on 9 February, while delivering the State of the Nation Address at the Cape Town City Hall.

At the time, the President explained that the declaration would enable government to provide practical measures to assist businesses that have been devastated by the effects of load shedding.

The State of Disaster will enable us to provide practical measures that we need to take to support businesses in the food production, storage and retail supply chain, including for the rollout of generators, solar panels and uninterrupted power supply, he said.

The CoGTA Ministry in a statement said the objectives of the Regulations is to assist the energy generating entities to restore their capacity to generate electricity.

The regulations span an array of measures to protect and provide relief to the public and to deal with the destructive nature, and other effects of the disaster, said Ministry spokesperson, Lungi Mtshali.

These include:

minimising the impact of load shedding on livelihoods, the economy, policing functions, national security, security services, education services, health services, water services, food security, communications and municipal services, amongst others; reducing and managing the impact of load shedding on service delivery to support lifesaving and specified critical infrastructure;

providing measures to enable the connection of new generation supply; and

providing measures to improve Eskoms plant performance.



Under the new regulations, the spheres of government will work closer with its social partners to enable effective co-ordination between state departments, Eskom and other relevant entities and institutions to ensure availability, integrity and security of the electricity infrastructure, said the Ministry.

Dlamini Zuma reiterated the call by government for South Africans to observe the regulations and guidelines in order to restore the stability of the national grid.

The regulations facilitate the importation of electricity by Eskom from neighbouring countries. Funding interventions, relief schemes and benefits during the national state of disaster will also be enacted, the availability of existing funds and the scale of additional resources required, considered. Consumers will be protected from excessive pricing of goods and services and availability of the supply of goods and services will be secured during the national state of disaster.

Commenting on the newly Gazetted regulations, Minister in the Presidency, Mondli Gungubele said: Government is confident that regulations will provide the extra-ordinary measures required to deal with our energy constraints. These regulations come into operation on the date of publication in the Government Gazette.

"The development of the regulations is the result of extensive consultations between key role players across all spheres of government. It represents the best available options appropriate to the situation the country finds itself and within the limited available resources available to address our energy challenges.

According to the gazette, during the State of Disaster, emergency procurement for public institutions would be subject to the Public and Municipal Finance Management Acts (PFMA and MFMA) and the Preferential Procurement Policy Framework Act.

During this period, reads the gazette, the Auditor-General would conduct real-time audits and report on the accounts, financial statements and financial management of all emergency procurement undertaken during the national state of disaster.

Accounting officers must take steps to ensure that anti-corruption measures are implemented during the emergency procurement. Any procurement undertaken using emergency provisions must be published and reported to Parliament within the month of expenditure by the accounting officers and authorities, including the details of such procurement and the reasons for deviating from normal procurement procedures, the gazette reads.
One of the most critical economic partners of Russia amid the unprecedented Western economic sanctions from Washington and the EU over the Ukraine war has been the Indian government of BJP leader Narendra Modi. In the past several years Modi, playing a delicate balancing act between alliances with Russia and also with the West, has emerged as a vital trade partner of Russia amid the sanctions. Despite repeated efforts by Biden Administration and UK officials, Modi has refused to join sanctions against Russian trade, above all oil trade. Now a series of suspiciously-timed and targeted events suggest that there is an Anglo-American destabilization being launched to topple Modi in the coming months.

India is a vital ally of Russia through its participation among other things in the so-named BRICS group of nations. The BRICS is the acronym for an informal group of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. It is a loose gathering of five of the most dynamic states of the non-OECD nations, mostly of the South. After a Wall Street economist named four potential fast growth emerging economies in 2001, in 2009 the first BRIC summit was held, and after admitting South Africa in 2010, BRICS summits have been annual.

The five have an impressive 40% of the world population, over three billion people, and around 25% of global GDP, with China making up 70% of that, India around 13% and Russia and Brazil 7%. With increasing problems for international companies doing business in China, many major companies are looking to India, the worlds most populous country with a large skilled workforce, as the increasingly favored production alternative to China.

India and Modi

India under BJP Prime Minister Narendra Modi has repeatedly refused to join Washington in condemning Russias Ukraine actions. It has defied US sanctions on Russian oil buying, despite repeated US threats of consequences. In addition to being a fellow BRICS member, India is also a major long-time buyer of Russian defense equipment.

Modi is facing a national election in Spring 2024, and important regional ones this year, that will determine his future. In January a clear Anglo-American assault on Modi and his key financial backer was launched. A shadowy Wall Street financial firm, Hindenburg Research, supposedly does forensic financial research to look for corruption or fraud in listed companies, with which it then sells a company short as their research is published. The mysterious company emerged in 2017 and is suspected of having ties with US Intelligence.

In January Hindenburg targeted an Indian billionaire, Gautam Adani, head of the Adani Group and at the time reportedly the richest man in Asia. Adani also happens to be the major financial backer of Modi. Adanis fortune has multiplied hugely since Modi became Prime Minister, often on ventures tied to Modis economic agenda.

Since the January 24 Hindenburg report alleging improper use of offshore tax havens and stock manipulation, Adani Group companies have lost over $120 billion in market value. Adani Group is the second largest conglomerate in India. Opposition parties have made a point that Modi is tied to Adani. Both are long-term friends from Gujarat in the same part of India.

The Hindenburg report, which it claims is the result of 2 years research and visits to half a dozen countries-- suggesting it was quite a costly investment gamble for a tiny Wall Street research firm-- accused Adani companies among other things, that the INR 17.8 trillion (U.S. $218 billion) Indian conglomerate Adani Group has engaged in a brazen stock manipulation and accounting fraud scheme over the course of decadesOur research involved speaking with dozens of individuals, including former senior executives of the Adani Group, reviewing thousands of documents, and conducting diligence site visits in almost half a dozen countries.

The details of the Hindenburg effort to discredit and short stocks of a company in remote India, spending clearly large sums to document, suggests they might have well-informed whistleblowers or intelligence sources helping them target a vulnerable group with close ties to Modi. Otherwise it would have been a very high-risk gamble for them. Or they are phenomenally lucky.

At the same month that the suspiciously-timed Hindenburg expose of Adani appeared, in January, 2023 the British government-owned BBC released a TV documentary alleging Modis role two decades ago in 2002 in religious riots in Gujarat when he was governor there. The BBC report, which has been banned in India, was based on unpublished intelligence given to BBC by the UK Foreign Office. Interesting.

The Modi government took extraordinary measures to censor India: The Modi Question, the BBC film in India. Indian authorities attacked the BBC for producing propaganda, raided BBC offices in India for alleged tax crimes, and invoked emergency powers to force social media companies to remove links to the BBCs videos. The police detained student protesters who were organizing viewing parties on campuses across the country. The BBC with help of the UK Foreign Office hit a raw nerve.

India Russia Ties

Refusing to join NATO sanctions against Russia, and maintaining a strict principle of neutrality as it has done since the Cold War era, Modi has taken advantage of availability of Russian crude oil that the US and EU now refuse. Russia is now the biggest supplier of crude oil to India overtaking Iraq and Saudi Arabia. In December, India bought 1.2 million barrels of crude from Russia every day - a whopping 33 times more than a year earlier. Ironically, some of that Russian oil is being refined in India and re-exported to the EU, which just banned Russian oil. According to energy analysts, India is buying record amounts of severely discounted Russian crude, running its refiners above nameplate capacity, and capturing the economic rent of sky-high crack spreads and exporting gasoline and diesel to Europe.

Before the start of the Ukraine war, India bought only 1 percent of Russias crude. That figure went up to 28 percent in January. No other country has increased its consumption of Russian oil as much, not even China, which has also significantly increased its buying of Russian oil. If we add imports of Russian fertilizers and sunflower oil and other products, India's imports from Russia climbed more than 400% in eight months to November from a year earlier.

Worth noting, when it comes to making a huge profit from buying deeply-discounted Russian oil, India's biggest company by market value, Reliance Industries Ltd, has been a major private sector buyer of Russian crude. Reliance, which owns worlds largest refinery by capacity, in Jamnagar, got 27 percent of its oil from Russia in May, 2022 up from just 5 percent before April. That sum has likely risen since then. Notable, as the Chairman of Reliance, Mukesh Ambani, is on the Board of the Davos World Economic Forum which is a major promoter of ending crude oil and gas for the UN 2030 Green Agenda. Ideology is nice but huge profits apparently nicer.

Enter George Soros

As further indication that Washington and London seek regime change in India, none other than the Godfather of CIA-backed Color Revolutions, George Soros, speaking on February 17 at the annual Munich Security Conference, declared, ominously, that, in effect, Modis days are numbered. The 92-year old Soros stated, India is an interesting case. Its a democracy, but its leader Narendra Modi is no democrat.  Thats a bit like the pot calling the kettle black. Clearly referring to the recent BBC documentary, Soros added, Inciting violence against Muslims was an important factor in his meteoric rise. Soros detailed his indictment of the Indian leader: Modi maintains close relations with both open and closed societies. India is a member of the Quad (which also includes Australia, the US, and Japan), but it buys a lot of Russian oil at a steep discount and makes a lot of money on it

Soros has been involved in every Color Revolution of the CIA since the 1980s including in Yugoslavia, Ukraine, Yeltsins 1990s rape of Russia, in Iran, against Orbans Hungary, and countless other countries not playing by the free market democracy agenda of Washington. That is a matter of open record.

Soros suggested strongly that the Hindenburg Research expose of Modi ally Adani is no coincidence. He stated, Modi and business tycoon Adani are close allies; their fate is intertwined Adani is accused of stock manipulation and his stock collapsed like a house of cards. Modi is silent on the subject, but he will have to answer questions from foreign investors and in parliament. This will significantly weaken Modis stranglehold on Indias federal government and open the door to push for much needed institutional reforms.

He concluded, I may be naive, but I expect a democratic revival in India. Thats Soros short-hand for regime change to someone more pliant to the NATO globalist agenda. Billionaire hedge fund speculator George Soros has been accused of many things, but never of being naive. Expect the coming months to signal a massive escalation of Western dirty trick operations to try to topple Modi and weaken the BRICS group of countries that are increasingly trying to oppose the dictates of Washington and Davos globalists.

F. William Engdahl is strategic risk consultant and lecturer, he holds a degree in politics from Princeton University and is a best-selling author on oil and geopolitics, exclusively for the online magazine Global Research Centre for Research on Globalization
State officials could not have predicted that Feb. 28 would be the years worst snowstorm. As such, Gov. Ned Lamont scheduled three special elections for the state legislature Tuesday on a day that turned out to have many schools and city halls closed.

The three elections Tuesday were in Hartford, Middletown and Stamford to fill vacancies in relatively small legislative districts, requiring only a limited number of polling places to be open in each city.

In portions of southern Hartford and a small slice of southeastern West Hartford in the 6th legislative district, Democrat James Jimmy Sanchez was battling against petitioning candidate Jason Diaz. They were trying to fill the seat vacated by Rep. Edwin Vargas, who stepped down as a deputy House Speaker in January to begin teaching as the Gov. William A. ONeill Endowed Chair in Public Policy and Practical Politics at Central Connecticut State University in New Britain.

Voters went to the polls Tuesday in a special election to fill the seat of state Rep. Edwin Vargas, who stepped down in January for another job in state government. Here, he is shown at a union rally in Hartford in 2017 regarding collective bargaining rights. Vargas wife Sylvia (bottom left in fur hat) retired after teaching in Hartford for 35 years and also attended the rally to show her support.

In Middletown, the election was being held to fill the seat of Rep. Quentin Q Williams, who was killed in early January when his car was struck by a wrong-way driver as he was returning home from Lamonts inaugural ball at The Bushnell theatre in Hartford.

Kai Juanna Belton, who holds the Democratic and Working Family Party lines, is facing off against Republican Deborah Kleckowski.

In Stamford, voters were casting ballots for the former seat of Rep. Dan Fox, a veteran Democratic attorney who is expected to become a Superior Court judge.

Democrat Anabel D. Figueroa is battling Republican Olga Dimitria Anastos for the 148th district seat long held by Fox, who served as co-chairman of the legislative committee overseeing elections.

September 11, 2001

Connecticut has a long history of not postponing elections.

Multiple primaries were scheduled for Sept. 11, 2001, and the elections went forward after the voting had already started at 6 a.m.  nearly three hours before two hijacked planes hit the World Trade Center in lower Manhattan.

In a Democratic primary that day in New Haven, then-Mayor John DeStefano defeated state Sen. Martin Looney as voters were still shocked by the terrorist attacks. The turnout was thousands of votes below the expected level in a city known for high Democratic turnout.

Primaries also continued that day in Waterbury, Danbury, Norwich, and Meriden, among others, as state officials said that the voting should proceed. Democrat Susan Bysiewicz, who was Secretary of the State at the time in 2001, consulted with then-Gov. John G. Rowland before deciding that the voting would continue.

Christopher Keating can be reached at ckeating@courant.com
National political advisor to propose opening egg-freezing to preserve single women's fertility

By Zhang Changyue and Liu Caiyu (Global Times) 09:43, February 28, 2023

A Chinese political advisor will raise a proposal to gradually open egg-freezing access to unmarried women and include infertility treatment in the public health insurance system, as the country has seen a negative population growth for the first time in 61 years.

"I wish some breakthrough can be made in loosening rules on egg-freezing for single women in a bid to effectively preserve and protect their fertility," Lu Weiying, a member of China's top political advisory body, told the Global Times on Monday.

As the chief expert from the Reproductive Medical Center of Women and Children's Medical Center in South China's Hainan Province, Lu arrived in Beijing on Sunday for the upcoming first session of the 14th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) on March 4.

Lu said giving single women access to freezing their eggs means to preserve the eggs before they past their peak reproductive years. "The woman still needs to get married if she wants to use her frozen eggs and get pregnant in the future."

In 2021, China's national health commission said it banned hospitals and clinics offering egg-freezing procedures and in vitro fertilization (IVF) to unmarried women given the health risks in collecting eggs. The opening of egg freezing may also lead to the commercial transaction, breaking moral principles.

Lu said relevant departments and experts should discuss the safety concerns of opening egg-freezing and could make pilot programs in certain places, such as Hainan Free Trade Port and Boao Lecheng pilot zone of international medical tourism, to sum up experience and decide to loose or tighten relevant rules before making a safer policy.

China's National Healthcare Security Administration said in February it will gradually put the labor analgesia and assisted fertility technology (AFT) under the coverage of medical insurance, without providing a specific and detailed plan.

Despite that Beijing said that it would adopt a total of 16 AFTs into the medical insurance from March 26 in 2022, multiple hospitals in Beijing said the policy has been suspended, the health channel of People's Daily reported.

Lu told the Global Times that the inclusion of AFT in the medical insurance means huge amount of money and large amount of work for the Healthcare Security Administration. Lu thus suggested to set up a timetable for the inclusion and first put the treatment of infertility under coverage.

"The treatment of infertility usually doesn't cost much. And many of the infertility patients don't need AFT if their problems can be solved at this stage, which will in the end save the money the medical insurance may spend on AFT," said Lu.

Lu's suggestions came amid the first population fall in the Chinese mainland in 61 years in 2022. Data released by the National Bureau of Statistics of China showed that the population has decreased by a total of 850,000.

To boost the record low birth rate, Lu called for convenient and professional medical services for women who pursue ART services in rural areas and third-tier cities so that more infertile people can get timely treatment.

Grass-root medical institutions can boost their ability in receiving such patients through trainings in large cities' hospitals since such services were mostly available in first-tier and second-tier Chinese cities, Lu said.

Lu said more efforts are needed to deal with discrimination against women of childbearing age in workplaces, suggesting to raise childbirth allowance, extend maternity leave, provide more professional and low price babysitter services in child cares institutions.

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)
Really? A hobo in your late teens and 20s, jumping on and off trains across America, playing songs on the street in a new town hoping to earn enough to put a roof over your head? Being discovered on Manhattans R train by a commuting record company executive who thought, yes, lets sign up a country singer with a hat but no cattle.

Then recording almost a dozen albums, alternating records of original material with ones devoted to covers of often forgotten or obscure American roots writers, all at the pace of someone late for a date with destiny and with the sound of someone who might have just stepped out of history.

Charley Crockett amassed a seemingly inexhaustible supply of musical Americana from his travelling days. Credit: Brooks Burris

Thats about as believable as that accent, Charley Crockett.

In fact, it is all true, but Crockett has heard this in some form or other since he left San Benito in Texas gulf country and joined the growing underclass of Americans for whom a stable home is as much a pipedream as steady work or a living wage.
Workday frustration can strike before your first sip of coffee, opening an email that hopes it finds you well or hitting the one-hour mark of a 15-minute meeting. Decision paralysis descends the moment you look at your wardrobe. Will your boss take you seriously in an organic cotton T-shirt? Does the print blouse match your red tartan trousers? Is the peasant blouse too flamboyant?

The international runway adds to the confusion with lion headdresses, provocative cutouts and sheer fabrics, but this season designers were thinking of 9am to 5pm, rather than 9pm to 5am.

Back to work on the Milan runway. Fendi, Prada, Max Mara and Emporio Armani. Credit: AP, Getty, Supplied

At the Prada show in Milan, luminous white shirts were tucked into sensible slim trousers while other models borrowed from designer Miuccia Pradas signature look of grey knitwear with a skirt.

Beauty here is determined not by aesthetic, but by action  garments are signs, representations of the beauty of care, of love, of reality, Prada and co-designer Raf Simons wrote in the notes accompanying the show. Translation? Basics are back.
All of Australias major banks are racing to offer digital mortgages: systems that allow banks to decide whether to lend hundreds of thousands of dollars, even millions, in as little as 10 minutes.

No one likes delays, sure. But when the cost of living is surging, a competitive interest rate is probably more important for many.

Digital home loans are often cheaper for banks to provide and sometimes the lenders promise to pass on these savings in the form of lower rates. Credit: Rhett Wyman

So, can these much-hyped products actually save customers money, as well as give the green light quickly? And are they likely to be useful for a large number of borrowers?

The big four banks (and several smaller lenders) have either launched or will soon offer some sort of digital mortgage process. Some of these systems can approve loans without human involvement, while others allow mortgage brokers or bankers to do their jobs faster, but the idea is broadly similar.
Chair of the Australian Securities and Investments Commission, Joe Longo, has defended the evidence he gave at a Senate hearing last month as being made in good faith.

Longo was called back to give evidence to Senate estimates today, as the economics committee looks into a Treasury review regarding deputy chair Karen Chester.

ASIC Deputy Chair Sarah Court and ASIC Chair Joe Longo during a hearing at Parliament House in Canberra on Wednesday. Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

The Australian Financial Review reported last month that Treasury paid for an investigation into Chesters conduct. The AFR has also reported Longo said on February 16 there were no adverse findings against Chester, but last week he released additional clarifying information.

On Wednesday, Longo said he acknowledged there had been questions following his evidence on February 16, and he had gone back to an earlier letter from the Treasury on the investigation.

Longo quoted from the letter, saying it said The investigation found many of the instances of alleged conduct could be wholly or partially substantiated as to the fact that specific things occurred, although in many cases recollections differed about the specific conduct and its substance and significance.

Longo said the letter also said: the investigation has revealed instances of conduct regarding the standards set out in the ASIC Code of Conduct.

Longo stood by his evidence when appearing before the committee on Wednesday.

In light of the contents of the letter I felt the need to clarify the evidence I gave at the hearing on 16 February 2023 (which was based on my recollection at the time), he said.

I reject any suggestion that the evidence I gave at the 16 February hearing was other than in good faith.
What the students did was speak freely. Some of it was ignorant (Mosman has never been in the electorate of Wentworth  Turnbull was hilarious as he dealt with this particular accusation), some of it was historical.

More effective activists than this group saw off the threat of $100,000 university degrees and contributed to the political erasure of Joe Hockey and, indeed, Tony Abbott. Now these two are being punished for what the University of Sydney says it holds dear. The university says it doesnt take disciplinary action lightly.

We do take action if someone involved in a protest may have breached our policies or the law, a university spokesperson said. This includes damaging property, creating safety risks, disrupting activities so they cannot go ahead or harassing others ... attempts to shut down speakers who have been invited to our campuses to participate in an exchange of views and ideas are contrary to our Charter of Academic Freedom and Freedom of Speech.

I was surprised the students, who wrote for the Herald, told me they didnt intend to stop Turnbull speaking. That, surely, would have been their whole point. Unless of course they thought their actions would somehow convince the law students themselves to reflect on their own enrolment in an elite degree, never practise commercial law, join one of the big four firms or benefit from the privilege such a degree confers. An unlikely outcome.

Suspending students for exercising free speech by saying their actions prevented freedom of speech is quite the contortion, and Im not sure why more graduates  and indeed current students  of the university arent standing up for a couple of young people without power or influence. The president of the Student Representative Council says the SRC is developing an open letter.
A former NSW police officer once praised for his investigation of a series of potential gay-hate murders in Sydney has told an inquiry his reputation was destroyed by police who accused him of tunnel vision in an internal report.

Former detective sergeant Stephen Page was the officer in charge of Operation Taradale, an investigation into the death of John Russell and the disappearances and suspected deaths of Ross Warren and Gilles Mattaini in the 1980s around Bondis Marks Park, a known gay beat.

Former police officer Stephen Page outside the LGBTIQ hate crimes inquiry on Tuesday. Credit: Rhett Wyman

His investigation, described by then deputy state coroner Jacqueline Milledge in 2005 as thorough and impeccable, informed an inquest that found Warren and Russell died after meeting with foul play and Mattaini had died but his manner and cause of death was undetermined.

Milledge said there was a strong possibility Mattaini died in similar circumstances to Warren and Russell.
WA Police have stepped up their pursuit of those leading the campaign against Woodsides $50 billion Burrup Hub project, charging a second protester just days after counter-terrorism officers scoured the home of another for electronic devices and a short pink skirt.

Police confirmed Disrupt Burrup Hub protester Trent Rojahn was arrested at his Fremantle home about 8.30pm on Monday, charged with one count of criminal damage, and had his mobile phone seized.

Disrupt Burrup Hub protester Trent Rojahn was arrested at his Fremantle home on Monday night, just days after police searched the home of fellow protester Joana Partyka (pictured). Credit: Jesinta Burton.

The arrest came just a fortnight after Rojahn allegedly branded the entire base of Woodsides Mount Street headquarters with f--- Woodside and Six billion tonnes [of CO2]  references to the planned expansion of the companys LNG operations and the subsequent environmental impact.

Rojahn was bailed and is set to appear in court on March 27 over the incident, which police claim caused $8000 worth of damage.
Women are being forced to pay three times as much for newer birth control pills or use older products with potentially worse side effects because the most recent contraceptive options are not subsidised.

A Senate inquiry into reproductive healthcare also heard on Tuesday that Australia was falling behind its global peers on the use of long-acting and reversible contraceptives, such as intrauterine devices.

Doctors and pharmacy groups want more products added to the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme.

Doctors and pharmacy groups warned that varying costs of contraception meant thousands of women were not accessing the best options for their health, as they called for more products to be added to the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme.

The scheme, which lists all medicines subsidised by the federal government, caps a four-month supply of the oral contraceptive pill at $30, or $7.30 for a healthcare-card holder, although some generic brands are cheaper.
The daughter of colourful property developer Jean Nassif has been released following her arrest on serious fraud charges, after her family posted $2.6 million bail in a Sydney court on Wednesday.

Ashlyn Nassif spent the night in police custody after she was charged with dishonestly obtaining a financial advantage by deception and publishing false or misleading material to obtain an advantage.

Ashlyn Nassif departs Surry Hills police station on Wednesday. Credit: Brook Mitchell

The 27-year-old lawyer was granted bail in the Downing Centre Local Court on strict conditions including that she cease communication with a list of 24 people, including her father, and that she surrender her passport.

Jean Nassif remains in rural Lebanon, while he continues to be sought by a parliamentary inquiry probing development activities in Sydneys north-west. He has not been accused of any wrongdoing in relation to their investigation.
Authorities should better manage well-known seasonal peaks in youth crime and help guide the Queensland community through evidence-backed responses to the issue.

That was the argument from social work and human services academics, who sought to influence a rushed parliamentary committee hearing on Tuesday into the Palaszczuk governments proposed youth justice crackdown.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk insists her government is listening to community concerns. Credit: Nine

Despite only having two days to prepare submissions last week, a total of 69 were made, with many from key stakeholders in the legal and youth justice space, who were highly critical of the laws and government efforts to enact them.
A Banksia Hill youth custodial officer was rushed to Royal Perth Hospital with a fractured skull on Monday night after detainees climbed roofs and threw rocks at the detention centres staff.

Seven detainees were involved in the incident, which resulted in four officers suffering injuries including one, a man in his 30s, who suffered a fractured skull. He was taken to Royal Perth Hospital at priority one speed.

Banksia Hill Detention Centre.

Special operations group officers were deployed to quell the detainees who voluntarily climbed down from the roofs and were taken to their cells.

Premier Mark McGowan said the incident was shocking.
If we can minimise that then its worth exploring, she said. But a third-party doing it off renters back for profit? I think it would benefit from closer examination from regulators about how these services are being used. Loading Sydney renter Dr Emma Jenkins discovered the product while applying for a rental with her parents. She was shocked to see the platform asking for money to protect her data. It feels like theyre like: do you want all that sensitive information you just uploaded not to get stolen? Then pay us, she said. Its like its already there? What are you doing [to protect my data] now? If it was in response to recent data breaches its absolutely the worst way you can go about it, and it seems really disrespectful to their users.

Melbourne renter James Cusack used 2Apply when looking to rent with friends in October, and felt it required too much personal data. It was a long process and I felt a lot of the questions were unnecessary, he said. They asked for so much. Its not like I was applying for a bank loan, I just wanted somewhere to live. James Cusack said he thought it was weird tenants were asked to pay for additional services. Credit: Simon Schluter Cusack did not think tenants should have to pay extra for the services. I thought it was pointless. Why should I pay money just to apply for a rental, he said. Wheres that money going to? I can see people who are really struggling to find a rental falling for it.

2Apply is owned by Queensland company InspectRealEstate, and used by about 3000 real estate agencies across Australia, New Zealand and the UK. It hopes to be a one-stop-shop for tenants and agents and is among third-party rental platforms that have come under scrutiny for their handling of sensitive data. InspectRealEstate (IRE) chief executive Andrew Reece was dismayed by the criticism, and said his companys ethos was to give tenants the choice to speed up the application process and protect their sensitive data. He did not want to appear to be taking advantage of tenants. Our motto is help and care, he said. I sold six of my investment properties to invest in IRE. We genuinely care.

Ignite, a rental application platform owned by REA Group, offered a similar verification service, but it was rolled into their $29 Equifax check charged to tenants. However, Ignite still sends on the identification documents of paying tenants to real estate agents. Loading Snug, the other platform in this space, offers no identification verification product. Real Estate Institute of Australia president Hayden Groves felt 2Applys product could benefit the industry and the public. If a third party is going to be able to vouch for that [identification] information and store it safely, and securely it does take some of the risk away from the agent, he said.

[But] theres still an abundant risk about [data breaches] occurring, no matter who you are. Groves thought it was a fair price for tenants to pay for peace of mind, and that the charge should not be redirected to agents as it was of no tangible benefit to them. Tenants need to submit personal information when applying for a rental property. Credit: Peter Rae However, Renters and Housing Union member Alex Gruenewald criticised the service. Its essentially a cynical attempt to capitalise on the fact that the rental situation is so acute, he said. It plays on peoples fear of losing data.

He also questioned its usefulness given the verification feature was an opt-in service for agents. Loading Tenants Union of NSW chief executive Leo Patterson Ross agreed. Its not a useful program and I think its pretty cheeky to be charging $20 in any event, he said. They are passing the costs to tenants with no guarantee it will deliver on the promise. Patterson Ross said the NSW government was looking to introduce a new digital identification system, which would be a safer way to protect tenants information.

Jenkins said she felt 2Apply should provide the service for free to all applicants, if at all. The types of people who are interacting with this platform are stressed out, desperate people, and its just a slap in the face to get people to pay more money when theyre really stressed, she said. Reece said the service was charged to the tenant because it was meant to benefit them, rather than the agent. He said it could be superseded by a new, improved identification solution in later years which may or may not include a fee for tenants. The journey is not finished, he said. Were learning what we can in the process and we will continue to improve it.
Singapore: Tourism Australia will launch a campaign to lure back Chinese tourists after years of hostility between the two governments and the coronavirus pandemic pummelled the $12 billion sector.

Tourism was put at the centre of Beijings threats of economic coercion at the height of diplomatic tensions in 2021. Former ambassador Cheng Jingye warned at the time that Chinese tourists may not return to Australia because of its stance on human rights, national security and an inquiry into the coronavirus pandemic.

But officials are now moving to target the Chinese market as beleaguered operators from North Queensland to Perth struggle to regain the international visitors that used to make up 50 per cent of their businesses.

Tourism Australia chief Phillipa Harrison. Credit: Kate Geraghty

Tourism Australias managing director Phillipa Harrison is due to land in Guangzhou on Wednesday.
London: Vladimir Putins actions have serious consequences, but for once, the Russian leader has managed to appease rather than divide.

Putins war on Ukraine has reminded both the United Kingdom and the European Union who their true enemy is and where their focus should be.

Gone are the bitter acrimony and counter-briefings that had become the hallmark of the Britain-EU post-Brexit relationship.

Six years of political fatigue, the pandemic and an extraordinary period of political turmoil in Westminster contributed to the breakthrough in finding a way for Northern Ireland to remain outside the EU while continuing to share an invisible border with EU member Republic of Ireland.
The drone did not inflict any damage, Vorobyov said, but it likely targeted a civilian infrastructure object. Pictures of the drone showed it was a small Ukrainian-made model with a reported range of up to 800km but no capacity to carry a large load of explosives. Russian forces early on Tuesday shot down another Ukrainian drone over the Bryansk region, local Governor Aleksandr Bogomaz said in a Telegram post. Three drones also targeted Russias Belgorod region on Monday night, with one flying through an apartment window in its namesake capital, local authorities reported. Regional Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said the drones caused minor damage to buildings and cars.

The Russian Defence Ministry said Ukraine used drones to attack facilities in the Krasnodar region and neighbouring Adygea. It said the drones were brought down by electronic warfare assets, adding that one of them crashed into a field and another diverted from its flight path and missed an infrastructure facility it was supposed to attack. Loading Russias state RIA Novosti news agency reported a fire at the oil facility, and some other Russian reports said that two drones exploded nearby. While Ukrainian drone strikes on the Russian border regions of Bryansk and Belgorod have become a regular occurrence, other strikes reflected a more ambitious effort. Some Russian commentators described the drone attacks as an attempt by Ukraine to showcase its capability to strike areas deep behind the lines, foment tensions in Russia and rally the Ukrainian public. Some Russian war bloggers described the raids as a possible rehearsal for a bigger, more ambitious attack.

Russia hawks called for a strong retaliation. Igor Korotchenko, a retired Russian army colonel turned military commentator, called for a punishing strike on the Ukrainian presidential office in Kyiv. Another retired military officer, Viktor Alksnis, noted that the drone attacks marked the expansion of the conflict and criticised Putin for failing to deliver a strong response. Also on Tuesday, the authorities reported that airspace around St Petersburg, Russias second-largest city, was temporarily closed, halting all departures and arrivals at the citys main airport, Pulkovo. It did not give a reason for the move, but some Russian reports claimed that the move was triggered by an unidentified drone. The Russian Defence Ministry said it was conducting air defence drills in western Russia.

Last year, Russian authorities repeatedly reported shooting down Ukrainian drones over annexed Crimea. In December, the Russian military said Ukraine used drones to hit two bases for long-range bombers deep inside Russian territory. Bakhmut, the site of the heaviest battles with the Russian troops, in the Donetsk region. Credit: AP Speaking at Russias main security agency, the FSB, Putin urged the service to tighten security on the Ukraine border. In another development that fuelled tensions across Russia on Tuesday, an air raid alarm interrupted the programming of several TV channels and radio stations in several regions. Russias Emergency Ministry said in an online statement that the announcement was a hoax resulting from a hacking of the servers of radio stations and TV channels in some regions of the country.

City is on fire In Ukraine, Russian forces have pressed forward their weeks-long drive to encircle and capture the eastern city of Bakhmut, where the commander of Ukraines ground forces described the situation as extremely tense. Taking Bakhmut, the scene of some of the wars bloodiest battles, would be Russias first major prize in more than six months and open the way to seizing the last remaining urban centres in the Donetsk region, one of four Moscow claims to have annexed in its special military operation in Ukraine. Ukrainian servicemen of Rapid Operational Response Unit patrol a street in Bakhmut on Friday. Credit: AP

Around Bakhmut, Russian troops, including mercenary fighters from the Wagner Group, are trying to cut the Ukrainian defenders supply lines and force them to surrender or withdraw. Despite significant losses, the enemy threw in the most prepared assault units of Wagner, who are trying to break through the defences of our troops and surround the city, Ukraines Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskyi said. An unnamed soldier from Ukraines 93rd Separate Mechanised Brigade, speaking on the Telegram messaging app as explosions boomed in the background, struck a defiant note: February 28, the town of Bakhmut. The city is on fire, the enemy is pressing. Everything will be Ukraine... Russias state-run RIA news agency released a video clip it said showed Russian Su-25 fighter jets roaring over Bakhmut. We are glad they are ours, says a man in the clip identified as a Wagner fighter, adding the jets helped them psychologically.

Ukraines military said Russia was shelling settlements around Bakhmut, which had a pre-war population of around 70,000 but now lies in ruins after months of intense trench warfare. Over the past day, our soldiers repelled more than 60 enemy attacks, the military said early on Tuesday, including on the villages of Yadhidne and Berkhivka just north of Bakhmut. Loading A Reuters reporter who visited the area on Monday said he saw no sign of Ukrainian forces withdrawing and that reinforcements were arriving despite constant Russian shelling. Ukraines eastern front line resembles a grinding slog and Russia is not likely to be able to make significant territorial gains in the near term, the US undersecretary of state for defence policy, Colin Kahl, said.
Latest News New product could end 'defective' reverse mortgage market Pre-retirement property owners among the beneficiaries, says company

CBA lifts variable rates again, cuts select three-year fixed rates It's the second time in two weeks that the bank has hiked its variable rates for new customers

More than 640,000 Australian households are experiencing housing stress, with this figure tipped to rise to nearly 1 million by 2041, according to a new report by comparison service Savvy.

A recent report by SGS Economics and Planning found that 42% of all low-income households were paying more than 30% of their income on housing, with the figure rising to 47% for households in NSW and 58% for Australias private rental market.

Someone is said to be under severe rental stress if they are spending 38% to 60% of their income on rent, putting low-income households at risk.

The Savvy report said singles receiving JobSeeker, pensioners, and part-time working parents have an RAI (Rental Affordability Index) score that ranges from unaffordable to extremely unaffordable, meaning 30% to 60% or more of their gross income is used for rent.

Hospitality workers are likewise struggling, with rental affordability moderately unaffordable to severely unaffordable.

For student sharehouses, rental affordability has declined over the past year and now ranges from moderately unaffordable to unaffordable. Despite a slight increase in the annual income of these households, they still need up to 40% of their income for rent, making it increasingly tough to balance study and work.

Minimum-wage couples, with an average gross annual income of $84,510, range from unaffordable to acceptable, which means they are paying 20% to 38% share of their income on rent.

Brisbane saw the sharpest decline in rental affordability, with its RAI score falling 11% by the end of last year. Adelaide and Perth, meanwhile, saw a 6% dip. This was particularly the case for pensioner couples, which found Brisbane and Perth the second least affordable cities, behind Sydney and ACT.

Single pensioners are battling extremely unaffordable to severely unaffordable rents, taking up 50% to 70% of their income. This does not include costs associated with ageing, such as healthcare and accessing nearby shops, services, and transport.

Regional South Australia is the only place with acceptable rents for pensioners, but increasing rates made it difficult for all other low-income earners in the area.

Hobart continues to be the least affordable for the average rental household, sinking below the critical threshold, while Sydney remains critically unaffordable.

Melbourne is Australias most affordable capital, with households forking out an average of 21% of their income on rent. This is followed by Perth, despite the sharp rental increases and decline in affordability over the years.

Greater Queensland is moderately affordable for the first time, posting the largest decline in RAI score across the country.

Facing the worst rental affordability are job seekers, who allocate 60% or more of their income to rent. In some areas, such as Perth, Sydney, and ACT, they are forking out more than 100%, making rentals severely unaffordable, Savvy reported.

Also in the same boat are single part-time working parents on benefits, although healthcare and childcare costs have further compounded their financial stress. ACT is the most unaffordable area, with renters paying 69% of their income. Victoria and Tasmania are the most affordable at 40% to 41%.

For dual-income parents, rents are affordable or better in all regions. This is due to the annual household income rising by nearly $4,500. Households in Sydney and ACT pay the highest rent share, at 15%, while South Australia the lowest, at 8%.

Single-income couples with children, meanwhile, face moderately unaffordable rents and can only get affordable rentals in South Australia.

Read the full report here.

Use the comment section below to tell us how you felt about this story.


Shares of the mining and metals major were down by 7 per cent on Tuesday to Rs 268 a piece on the BSE. Vedanta investors were jittery on Tuesday as its share price fell and bond yields of its parent firm rose following concerns raised by a rating agency on its capability to repay debt maturing later this year.



In a setback, the groups plans to merge its overseas zinc business with Hindustan Zinc, a listed entity, was nixed by the Centre on February 17. The company has lost market valuation of 30 per cent in the last one year and 13 per cent since January 1 this year. Yields on the bonds of Vedanta Resources, the parent firm of the BSE-listed Vedanta, shot up to 39.8 per cent  showing investors rising concern over the groups debt situation (see chart).



The company earlier tried to sell Electrosteel Steel and its Tuticorin copper unit but could not attract any buyers. The central government owns close to 30 per cent stake in Hindustan Zinc and said it would oppose the merger because it is against the interests of small shareholders.

Also Read Vedanta to sell its foreign zinc assets to Hindustan Zinc for $2.98 bn Centre to ask HZL to go for share swaps, warrants for $2.98 bn Vedanta deal Hindustan Zinc to acquire Vedanta's international zinc biz; stock slides 9% Hind Zinc prepares Rs 10,000-cr blueprint for green energy, diversification Buoyed by demand, banks want more long-term gilts, but RBI may not yield Decoded: How the GACs will respond to grievances of online users Tata Power Renewable board okays allotment of 200 mn shares to GreenForest RPSG Capital Ventures expands D2C portfolio, invests in oral care brand Apple breached antitrust law in Spotify case, says European Commission Google's non-compliance will hit us hard, lament leading Indian startups



Vedanta Resources consolidated net debt is $11.8 billion. The entire promoter stake in Vedanta is under non-disposal undertaking, according to BSE data till December.



We would like the investors to note that Vedanta group operating companies, underpinned by strong operating profitability from diversified and low-cost tier-1 assets, are delivering healthy cash flows while maintaining disciplined capital allocation, it said in a statement. In a statement on Tuesday, Vedanta Resources reiterated that it has prepaid all its maturities due till March 2023 and has deleveraged by $2 billion in the past 11 months.





During FY22, Vedanta delivered earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortisation (EBITDA) of $6.1 billion and free cash flow (pre-capex) of $3.6 billion.



Vedanta does not have any pledges except 6.8 per cent of Hindustan Zincs shares, it added. Vedanta is fully confident of meeting its upcoming maturities in the quarter ending June 2023. We have multiple options for both refinancing as well as repayment through internal accruals. We are in advanced stages to tie up the required financing through a $1-billion fresh loan from a syndicate of banks. We are also close to finalising $750-million bilateral facilities with various relationship banks. The remaining liquidity requirements can be addressed internally, it said.



On February 9, S&P had warned that Vedanta Resources liquidity situation is dependent on its ability to raise a $2 billion fund and the HZL deal. The HZL deal is now off. Vedanta Resources holds 70 per cent stake in Vedanta, which, in turn, owns 65 per cent in Hindustan Zinc.



S&P said the external funding is critical for debt maturities after September, which include $500 million of loan repayments in the quarter ending December 31, and a $ 1-billion bond in January next year. S&P had said the company is highly likely to meet its obligations until September this year but sustaining liquidity beyond would depend on $ 2 billion fund raising and HZl deal.



The cash that will be retained will support the refinancing of the January 2024 maturity, S&P said. If the company raises at least $1.75 billion as targeted, it will be fully funded until January 2024. In this scenario, it will also have low dependence on dividends from Vedanta until December.



Debt repayments during this period include $300 million of inter-company loans and $350 million to two relationship banks. Vedanta Resources is fully funded until March 2023, following a dividend declared by Vedanta in January. But Vedanta Resources would need to raise a minimum $500 million to meet its obligations until June.


Known for its superior quality burgers, there is no better company than Wendys to collaborate with to win this market, said Sagar Kochhar, Co-founder, Rebel Foods. Rebel Foods, the worlds largest internet restaurant company, has collaborated with American burger giant Wendys to tap the global traditional QSR (quick-service restaurant) industry. The partnership includes committing to the development of traditional restaurants and building on their existing development agreement for cloud kitchens. In this expanded, new franchise commitment, Rebel will help the brand grow its restaurant model in India with digital expertise in delivery, automation, and innovation.



Mumbai-based Rebel Foods, which is already the exclusive cloud kitchen (delivery-only) franchisee for Wendys in India, will now completely manage and operate the brands traditional restaurants across India. In 2020, Rebel Foods acquired the license to exclusively develop Wendys cloud kitchens in India with a commitment to open approximately 250 Wendys cloud kitchens across the country over ten years. Kochhar said that with this collaboration, not only will Rebel Foods continue to retain its position as the worlds largest internet restaurant company but will also be the only cloud kitchen player in India to scale a large global QSR brand. This will be through the development of traditional restaurants and cloud kitchens in a super-fast and Capex-light manner, driven by technology and unique business model, said Kochhar.



Traditional restaurants typically include brick-and-mortar locations with a full menu for dine-in consumption, with or without a drive-thru. Currently, Wendys is present in 19 cities across India with approximately 90 locations, which includes three traditional Wendys restaurants in India which Rebel Foods is operating. This expanded relationship will involve the acquisition of the exclusive master traditional restaurant franchise licensing rights for Wendys in India and will continue the existing commitment to also develop approximately 150 traditional locations over the next decade.

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India is a strategic, high-growth potential market for us, said Pringle. Rebel Foods is expanding its franchise commitment to accelerate Wendys footprint across the country with a mix of traditional restaurant expansion and digital innovation via cloud kitchens. Abigail Pringle, President, International and Chief Development Officer of The Wendys Company said Wendys is on a journey to becoming a brand of global significance.



Rebel, a foodtech unicorn, competes with players such as Curefoods, Biryani By Kilo, Box8, and FreshMenu. It has raised a total funding of about $548 million from investors such as Qatar Investment Authority (QIA), Coatue, Evolvence and Sequoia. Wendys core menu offers some of the same top items that Wendys customers know and like from the United States, while also tailoring menu offerings to suit Indian taste and preferences. These products include the Spicy Aloo Crunch Burger, Paneer Delight Burger, Railway Cutlet Burger, Anda Burger, Bun Tikki, and Masala Fries.

Founded in 2011, Rebel Foods is parent to brands such as Faasos, Behrouz Biryani, Ovenstory Pizza, Mandarin Oak, The Good Bowl and SLAY Coffee.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will witness 11,140 dancers and drummers performing on Bihu in Guwahati to make it to the Guinness Book of World Records as the largest recital of the folk dance form.

Addressing a press conference on Tuesday, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said Modi will be present at the state government event on April 14, mainly initiated to popularise Bihu at the international level.

"We will also invite all the governors and chief ministers of India. Our ministers will travel to the states from March 20 to 30 to invite them," he added.

Besides, all the ambassadors and high commissioners of the G20 countries and South-East Asian nations in India will be extended invitations to witness the spectacular programme, Sarma said.

"In total, 11,140 dancers and drummers will take part. The ratio of boys and girls will be 30:70. There will be participants from each district of Assam," he said.

The chief minister said that the government has already sent a sample video of the Bihu dance with limited dancers to the Guinness World Records, which has given its initial clearance.

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"If we can do it as per plan, it will be the largest Bihu dance recital at a single venue. The duration of the dance will be 15 minutes. It will be a short and sharp programme," he said.

All the participants will be given an allowance of Rs 10,500, from which they will also buy two pairs of costumes, Sarma said.

He said that from next year, the state government will hold a seven-day Bihu celebration in Sivasagar and Guwahati in line with Nagaland's Hornbill Festival, and will be included as Assam's calendar event.

"During the function, the prime minister will roll out the beautification project of Rang Ghar. We will also try to inaugurate the AIIMS at Guwahati as well as lay the foundation stone for the Palasbari-Sualkuchi bridge over Brahmaputra," Sarma said.

The 'Rang Ghar', an amphitheatre, was built by King Pramatta Singha. This two-storied oval-shaped pavilion in Sivasagar is one of the largest of its kind in Asia.

Besides, the state government has decided to offer grants of Rs 1.5 lakh to each Bihu celebration committee and a detailed SOP will be published within the next few days, Sarma said.

"After registering Bihu in the Guinness Book of World Records, our next attempt is to include Bagurumba dance of Bodo community in the record book next year. We are already talking to the Bodoland Territorial Council," he added.

The chief minister also said that police will launch an "intense operation" to stop sale of machine-made 'Gamocha' (Assamese scarf), which has recently received the coveted Geographical Indication (GI).

"There are 12 lakh weavers in the state and all of them were disheartened seeing the machine-made Gamocha, Mekhela-Chador (women's traditional dress) and Aronai (Bodo scarf) being sold in Assam. All come from outside the state," he added.

The police have been given instructions to seize all the machine-made products coming from outside the state, Sarma said.
Seeking to give a boost to its campaign for the Assembly polls round the corner in Karnataka, the BJP on Wednesday will launch its 'Vijay Sankapla Yatre' from four different directions across the state, in specially designed vehicles or "Rathas" with the party's central leaders set to give it a headstart.

BJP national president J P Nadda will kick-start the 'yatre' from Male Mahadeshwara Hills in Chamarajanagar district.

While Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is scheduled to flag off another Yatre on March 2 from Nandagad in Belagavi district, Union Home Minister Amit Shah is slated to launch the third and fourth yatras that will start from Basavakalyana in Bidar district and Avathy in Devanahalli near Bengaluru, on March 3, in the morning and afternoon, respectively.

Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, former Chief Minister and BJP's Parliamentary board member B S Yediyurappa, party's state President Nalin Kumar Kateel, and national General Secretary C T Ravi are among those expected to take part in the launch of the yatras.

Speaking to reporters in Hubballi on Tuesday, Bommai said, "PM Modi, Amit Shah and Nadda have been visiting the state already. Union Ministers Dharmandra Pradhan and Mansukh Mandaviya, who are poll in-charges too have visited. Many other important leaders too will visit the state for campaigning."



The Ratha Yatras that will begin on March 1, 2 and 3 will cover all the Assembly constituencies, he said, adding that "during this yatre too many party leaders will be visiting the state."



According to party leaders, more than 50 state and national leaders will take part in this campaign, which will cover all 31 districts and 224 constituencies of the state, where elections are due by May.

The tours will cover 8,000 km, along which the party has planned over 80 rallies, 74 public meetings and about 150 road shows, they said, adding that it is expected to "touch" about four crore people.

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The 20 days 'yatre' will culminate with a mega rally in the district headquarters town of Davangere on March 25 which will be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The yatre that will begin from four different places will consist of 10-12 leaders in each of them.

All the four places of historical or religious importance seem to have been chosen for the start of yatras -- Basavakalyana is a holy place for the Lingayats, while Nandgad (where memorial of freedom fighter Sangolli Rayanna is located) and Avathy (birthplace of NadaPrabhu Kempegowda) are reportedly picked with an eye on Kuruba and Vokkaliga communities.

The Male Mahadeshwara Hills, where Nadda will kickstart the Yatre tomorrow is a religious place, which is of importance to SC/ST communities.

The specially designed four "Rathas" are buses, 30-ft in height and eight-ft in width. They have a place on the top where the leaders can stand and deliver speeches. They also have facilities to charge mobiles, home theatre, audio systems, cameras, LED display and a generator for power backup, among others.


But the shift in preference for books is evident. The last time I bought a few novels, but now I have to prepare for competitive examinations next year. The selection of exam guides is quite affordable and comprehensive here, she says. Minisha Das, a Class XI student, is happy to be back at the fair she said she loved most. Of the things I missed in the past couple of years, the Book Fair is one, she says, as she purchases a book on preparatory materials for the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE), which she is due to take next year.







From guidebooks to question banks, course materials, and even flashcards for last-minute preparation, the abundance of study materials at the fair dwarfs the pie-share of fiction, non-fiction, and poetry texts. The fair, organised by the National Book Trust (NBT) and the India Trade Promotion Organisation (ITPO), is also scripting the return of the stalls of familiar publications such as Harper Collins, Rupa, Penguin, Amar Chitra Katha, and more. Books focussed on competitive examinations, such as the JEE and UPSC, appeared to be the biggest draw at the 31st edition of the Delhi book fair, being held at Pragati Maidan after a two-year hiatus from February 25 to March 5.

This year, the fair is celebrating the theme of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav to commemorate 75 years of Indias independence. As part of this, 75 writers selected through a competition and mentored by established authors under the Prime Ministers YUVA (Young Upcoming Versatile Author) Scheme  will launch their books. Moreover, the NBT will also release 100 titles published under its India@75 series.

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However, even as the annual booklovers fest attempts to return to its old avatar  complete with a childrens section, story-telling sessions, and talks by renowned authors  it also reflected a marked shift in the average urban Indians reading needs and patterns. The festival, which plays host to France as its guest of honour, was inaugurated by 2022 Literature Nobel Laureate, Annie Ernaux.



A school teacher, who accompanied about 100 students to the fair, points out that their school had asked teachers to supply children with a list of books that will be helpful for them in school projects, and course practice. The list included practice materials for middle- and high-school mathematics, sciences, and English grammar. This year's fair also has an Ed-Tech Zone in the new National Education Policy (NEP) pavilion, dedicated to digital players and non-profit organisations showcasing their online courses, products, and services.





Even second-hand books are doing good business at the fair. I have been a regular at the fair, and we usually see students buying used copies of literary classics and poetry collections. Since exam materials are updated every year, we usually dont keep too many used copies on the stands. However, students are buying old editions for practice as well, Ratan Jain, seller of second-hand books at the fair, tells Business Standard.

The right education is key

The high demand for exam guides and course supplements is not the only symptom of an increased focus on childrens careers. Simran Sachdeva, who was visiting the fair with her two primary school-going children, stresses the need to push kids in the right direction early on.



The organisers have doubled down on the effort to develop the fair as a venue for discussing educational policies and building teaching infrastructure. There are special pavilions dedicated to Indias G20 Presidency and the NEP. The theme pavilion focuses on Indias 75-year-old history post-Independence. Several sections and stalls can be found dedicated to the life and thoughts of Indias current political leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. Eighteen of the 20 books purchased were encyclopaedias, fun-science, and how things work. The remaining two were brief biographies of Albert Einstein and Marie Curie.





Yuvraj Malik, director of National Book Trust India, says, There is also a dedicated lounge for business meetings and discussions, which is being visited by policymakers from states, stakeholders from the education sector, teachers, students, parents, etc.





Spiritual and devotional book stalls are the only genre category that seems to dominate the fair this year.



WHAT NOT TO MISS The venue had a fair share of traditional book connoisseurs, too. For us, the book fair was all about getting lost in titles, discovering new gems and forgotten classics. My favourite haunts were the used-book stalls. Now, children are here searching for the right book to read, which will help them with their careers, and do well in exams. Comic book stalls are a rare breed, and I havent found a single volume of good poetry.Spiritual and devotional book stalls are the only genre category that seems to dominate the fair this year.



 Bande dessinee comics at the French pavilion  Cultural evenings in the amphitheatre with live youth bands, army bands, and folk and traditional music and dance performances.
A fire broke out in a laboratory at Jawaharlal Nehru University on Tuesday morning but no casualties were reported, an official said.

The incident occurred in a laboratory at the School of Physical Sciences and it was the result of a shot circuit, the official said.

"No one suffered injuries," a senior police official said.

The JNU student union has written to Vice Chancellor Santishree D Pandit expressing concerns over "loopholes" in the security department and the "negligence" of the administration in saving the lives of the students.

It claimed there are no smoke alarms or fire extinguishers inside the laboratories.

"Upon observing the fire, a student immediately reported it to a security guard. But the guard was incapable of helping him since he knew nothing about fire safety. The only thing he could do was call the fire brigade as the fire became intense," the JNUSU said in a statement.

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"There is no proper training given to students on fire safety. Students don't even know how to operate fire extinguishers. Proper ventilation is not available in science schools and no emergency exits have been made," it claimed.
President Droupadi Murmu said that the India-Denmark Green Strategic Partnership has become a catalyst for enhanced cooperation between the two countries.

President met Denmark's Crown Prince Frederik Andre Henrik Christian and Crown Princess Mary Elizabeth at Rashtrapati Bhavan.

The Danish royal couple arrived in India on Sunday for a four-day visit.

Yesterday, the Danish royal couple paid their respects to Mahatma Gandhi at Rajghat.

Ministry of External Affairs official spokesperson Arindam Bagchi tweeted, "Their Royal Highness Crown Prince Frederik & Crown Princess Mary of Denmark paid their respects to Mahatma Gandhi at Rajghat this afternoon."

Danish crown Prince and Princess also met External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar. During the meeting, they discussed sustainability and digital delivery.

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Jaishankar tweeted, "Delighted to call on their Royal Highness, Crown Prince Frederik and Princess Mary Elizabeth of Denmark during their India visit. Shared with them various aspects of the New India in making. Our conversation covered sustainability and digital delivery in particular."

Later on, they met Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar and his wife Sudesh Dhankhar.

On Sunday, Denmark's Crown Prince Frederik Andre Henrik Christian and Crown Princess Mary Elizabeth visited the iconic Taj Mahal in Agra. After the Danish royal couple's arrival in India, Bagchi in a tweet stated that their visit will further strengthen and enhance the close and friendly ties between the two nations.

Arindam Bagchi tweeted, "Their Royal Highness Crown Prince Frederik & Crown Princess Mary of Denmark arrive in India for a 4-day visit. This is the 1st Royal Visit from Denmark in two decades. Will further strengthen and enhance the close & friendly ties between our countries."

The Danish Crown Prince will address the opening session of the India-Denmark: Partners for Green & Sustainable Progress organized by CII.

During the visit, the Danish royal couple will visit Chennai. They will depart from Chennai on March 2. In the press release, the MEA said, "India and Denmark as vibrant and open democracies, share common values of a rules-based international order and convergence of views on significant multilateral issues.

It further added, "The visit is expected to further strengthen and enhance the close and friendly ties between India and Denmark." According to MEA, the visit is the first ever from the Danish Royal family in two decades. Earlier, the Crown Prince traveled to India in 2003. Queen Margrethe II visited India in 2003 as a Crown Princess.
The Gujarat Assembly on Tuesday unanimously passed a bill which makes teaching the Gujarati language compulsory in all primary schools in the state, including those affiliated with CBSE, ICSE and IB boards.

If a school is found violating the provisions of the "Gujarat Compulsory Teaching and Learning of Gujarati Language Bill, 2023" for more than a year, the government would "direct the Board or institution" to disaffiliate the school.

The bill, tabled by state Education Minister Kuberbhai Dindor, was passed unanimously by the 182-member House as both the opposition parties - the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party - supported its provisions.

As per the bill document, the schools which are currently not teaching Gujarati will have to introduce Gujarati as an additional language for classes 1 to 8 in phases from the upcoming academic year 2023-24.

"Every school shall follow textbooks prescribed by the Gujarat government for teaching Gujarati as an additional language. The state government will appoint a deputy director-level officer of the Education Department as the competent authority to implement the provisions of this bill," said Dindor.

If a school is found violating the provisions for the first time, it will be liable to pay a penalty of Rs 50,000, as per the bill document. The penalty will be Rs 1 lakh and Rs 2 lakh for subsequent violations.

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"If a school continues to make contraventions to this act for over one year, the state government may direct the Board or institution to disaffiliate the school, to which such a school is affiliated," as per the provisions in the bill. The penalty will not be imposed without allowing the school concerned to put forward its explanation.

Though the Congress supported the bill, its members slammed the BJP government alleging it "woke up" only after a PIL was filed in the high court recently for the proper implementation of the state government's 2018 notification, asking all primary schools to introduce the Gujarati language as a mandatory subject in primary schools from class 1 to 8.

"Before this bill, the state government had issued a notification in 2018 for the same purpose. Thus, I urge the state government to make sure that this bill does not meet the fate of that notification. We hope that you will implement the act strictly. Moreover, the state government should think of increasing the amount of penalty," said Congress MLA Amit Chavda.

He also urged the state government to introduce Gujarati as a compulsory subject at the secondary and higher secondary levels.

The Public Interest Litigation was filed last October by an NGO seeking the Gujarat HC's direction to the state government ''to ensure the Government Resolution of 2018 is implemented in its true letter and spirit so as to introduce the Gujarati language as one of the mandatory subjects in primary schools from standard 1 to 8''.

The petitioner had claimed that primary schools, especially those affiliated with CBSE, ICSE, and IB boards, were not offering Gujarati as a subject in the curriculum despite a state policy in place.

The HC in December said schools affiliated with other boards like CBSE and ICSE cannot refuse to implement a state government policy. The HC had further said it will issue necessary directions if the government ''feels helpless'' to compel schools.
Deakin University from Australia is set to become the first foreign university to set up a campus in India. The independent campus is slated to come up in Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT) City, according to a report by The Indian Express. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Norman Albanese is expected to make the official announcement on March 8 during his visit to Ahmedabad.

Deakin University sits in the 266th spot in the QS World University Rankings. It is among the top 50 young universities in the world.

The report said, at least two Australian universities were interested in setting up campuses in India. They reached out to the central government for the same. According to the source quoted in the report, Deakin has already applied to the International Finance Services Centers Authority (IFSCA) to set up its campus. The university is expected to start operations next year. It will admit students to postgraduate programmes, the report said.

Deakin University has four campuses in Australia, which include those in Melbourne (Burwood), Geelong (Waurn Ponds and Waterfront) and Warrnambool, according to information available on the university website. Its student community includes pupils from 132 countries, with Indians making up 27 per cent, followed by Chinese (22 per cent). With nearly 60,000 total students, the highest number is at its Melbourne Burwood campus, where over 26,000 students are enrolled.

The development has come on the back of Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman's announcement last year in which she talked about permitting world-class foreign universities and institutions to set up their campuses in GIFT City to offer courses in financial management, FinTech, science, technology, engineering, and mathematics "free from domestic regulations"

According to a government official quoted in the report, there are more foreign universities that are interested in setting up campuses in the GIFT city. Among them is another Australian university called the University of Wollongong (UOW). It is ranked 85th in the world and 10th in Australia, the report added.



It is important to note that campuses operational in GIFT City will come under IFSCA rules, and UGC rules will not apply.

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The Narendra Modi government officially announced its commitment to welcome foreign universities in the National Education Policy document in July 2020.
India is precisely the kind of partner the US needs to provide a check against China, powerful American Senator Chuck Schumer told his colleagues on Monday.

He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi appreciates the point that the two largest democracies of the world need to work together against the hegemony of Chinese Communist Party or CCP.

Senator Schumer, Senate Majority Leader, just returned from a trip to India and other countries including Pakistan, Germany and Israel wherein he led a Congressional delegation of nine Senators.

"We relayed a very important message during our meeting with Indian Prime Minister Modi. India and America are going to need each other to outcompete the Chinese Communist Party. India is precisely the kind of partner that the US needs to provide a check against the hostile tactics of the CCP. They are the world's largest democracy, still young compared to its peers and primed for tremendous growth in decades to come," Schumer told his Senatorial colleagues in a speech from the Senate floor.

"I told the Prime Minister that if our democracies are to prosper in this century, we're going to have to work together, not only to boost our common defense but to promote our mutual prosperity. That means working together to strengthen our economic ties, deepen trade, and make it easier to recruit talented workers from abroad to work in our country,' Schumer said.

"It also means we must collaborate to establish the norms for the technologies of the future. Right now, the world's democracies are competing with the Chinese Communist Party to dominate the technologies that will rule this century, like artificial intelligence, quantum computing, clean energy, advanced semiconductor manufacturing and more, he said.

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In India, the United States and all the world's democracies must make sure that these technologies become vectors of prosperity, not the weapons of autocratic regimes, he asserted.

Other members of the were are Senators Ron Wyden, Jack Reed, Maria Cantwell, Amy Klobuchar, Mark Warner, Gary Peters, Catherine Cortez-Masto, and Peter Welch. All are from the Democratic party.

"We have already seen how the Chinese use artificial intelligence to eavesdrop on its people. I think the prime minister appreciated the point we were making about the need for India and the United States, the two largest democracies, to work together against the CCP hegemon, he said.

Schumer, who travelled to several Indian cities including Jaipur, Agra, Mumbai and New Delhi, said that India is an amazing country. "I was enthralled by it. Incredible! It has a thriving diaspora, many of whom live in New York, here in the United States. Our partnership has a huge potential for growth in the 21st century."



The Senator said that during his meetings with the leaders of Pakistan, Germany, Israel and India including prime minister Modi, the congressional delegation stressed the importance of standing with Ukraine in its struggle against Russia. "We asked each of these leaders to do more."



Schumer said it has been more than a year now since Russian President Vladimir Putin began his "illegal" invasion. I made it clear to leaders abroad the worst thing we can do right now is waver in our support for the Ukrainian people."



"I warned them that a Russian victory in Ukraine would not mean an end to Putin's escapades and expansionist proclivities so much as it would mean an escalation of his viciousness and desire for more territory. Success in Ukraine will only embolden Putin if he sees the free nations of the world turn a blind eye to his aggressions," he said.

"Should Putin win in Ukraine, it would endanger the security of both established and burgeoning democracies across the world, and I think the leaders all nine of us spoke with got that message," Schumer said.


Mr Bill Gates visited RBI Mumbai today and held wide ranging discussions with Governor Shaktikanta Das, the RBI said on its official Twitter handle while sharing photographs of the meeting. Microsoft Co-founder Bill Gates on Tuesday visited the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) office in Mumbai and held talks with Governor Shaktikanta Das, the central bank said on Twitter.



Gates, a well-known philanthropist, said in his blog GatesNote last week that he would be visiting India to witness first-hand the work done by innovators and entrepreneurs in the field of climate change. Had an excellent meeting with @BillGates on financial inclusion, payment systems, microfinance and digital lending, etc, Das said in a tweet.



Im looking forward to seeing the progress thats already underway by both the Gates Foundations and Breakthrough Energys amazing partners, he wrote. Some are working on breakthroughs that will help us mitigate the effects of climate change, like the work being done by Breakthrough Energy Fellow Vidyut Mohan and his team to turn waste into biofuels and fertilizers in remote agricultural communities, he had said.

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By collaborating and trying novel approaches, the public, private, and philanthropic sectors can turn limited resources into big pools of funding and knowledge that lead to progress, he wrote. Gates said in his blog that while India was on the frontlines of climate change, the country had displayed to the world how to make progress despite limited resources.



At the policy review earlier this month, the RBI issued guidelines on a broad framework for acceptance of green deposits, a disclosure framework on climate-related financial risks and guidance on climate scenario analysis and stress testing. The RBI has also been making efforts to push for environmentally-friendly approaches to finance, with the central bank in its latest policy review in February issuing guidelines on climate risk and sustainable finance.
The Nitish Kumar government in Bihar on Tuesday presented a Rs 2.61 lakh crore budget, asserting that the state's finances were in a good shape as evident from markers like the fiscal deficit being under the prescribed conditional limit.

Tabling the budget before the state assembly, Finance Minister Vijay Kumar Chaudhary also flagged concerns like a drop in grants in aid received from the Centre, compared to the previous year, though Bihar's share in central taxes saw a rise.

The total proposed budget expenditure of Rs 2,61,885.40 crore, for the year 2023-24, was Rs 24,194.21 crore more than the previous financial year.

The state government also cited fiscal achievements like the fiscal deficit remaining at 3.78 per cent of the SGDP, which is under the prescribed conditional limit of 4.5 per cent.

The budget pointed out that the grants in aid expected from the Centre for the current fiscal was estimated at Rs 53,377.92 crore, which was Rs 4,623.37 crore less" than what was received in the previous fiscal.

However, the budget also noted a slight increase in the state's share in central taxes, which, at Rs 1,02,737.26 crore for 2023-24, was Rs 376.12 crore more than the previous year.
Kejriwal has accepted the resignations of the AAP leaders, according to officials. The Opposition BJP had been demanding the resignation of Jain after his arrest in May by the Enforcement Directorate in a money laundering case. Sisodia, too, faced the heat after his name cropped up in the excise policy scam in August.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwals trusted lieutenants Manish Sisodia and Satyendar Jain, both arrested on corruption charges, resigned from the Cabinet on Tuesday.


The Minister said on Tuesday that 100,000 base transceiver centres (BTS) are now active in these districts, which is better than the government's target of covering 200 districts. Five months after being launched, 5G infrastructure has been deployed in 387 districts in the first phase and will cover the entire country by December, 2024, Telecom Minister Ashwani Vaishnaw has said.



Global interest A BTS is a fixed radio transceiver in any mobile network, most often installed on mobile towers. The government had earlier asked the telcos to set up at least 10,000 BTS every week.



The government is keen on offering the entire range of sophisticated Made-in-India 4G and 5G equipment and associated technologies to other nations and showcasing the plan as part of its G20 discussions on the digital economy. As many as 18 countries are also interested in implementing India's indigenously developed 4G and 5G stack, Vaishnaw stressed. As many as 13 foreign telcos are also interested in the Indian stack.

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Only five other countries--the US, Sweden, Finland, South Korea, and China--have similar end-to-end 4G and 5G stacks New Delhi also wants to capitalise on the stacks to firmly place India on the global telecom map and attract higher investment as value chains move to the country. The stacks have been successfully tested to handle 10 million simultaneous calls.



Mobile exports, BSNL 4G Companies in these countries also dictate the standards and prices of 4G and 5G equipment, and the market conditions.



Vaishnaw added that there is no delay in setting up Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limiteds (BSNL) indigenous 4G-5G network, asserting that it is a complicated procedure. The Minister said mobile exports from India are likely to exceed $10 billion this year. He said the electronics and telecom manufacturing sector is expected to see exponential growth in the year ahead.



But the plans were repeatedly delayed, after which DoT pulled up BSNL. The latest deadlines are August 2023 for rolling out 4G services and end-2023 for 5G, sources said. BSNL's mega plans to launch 4G services come years after the three private telecom service providers  Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea  rolled it out. According to multiple statements made by Department of Telecommunication officials and the Department itself, the last deadline was early 2023.

India wins at mobile congress Vaishnaw also announced the installation of the first made and designed-in-India eNodeB in Chandigarh, asserting that it is a significant milestone for the Make-in-India mission.



GSMA, which represents more than 750 mobile operators and 400 companies in the telecom ecosystem, recognises one country every year. India has won the Government Leadership Award 2023 for implementing best practices in telecom policy and regulation at the ongoing Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain.

Ease of doing business practices clinched the award for India. Right of way permissions, which used to take more than 230 days, now get approval within eight days, the government said. More than 85 per cent mobile tower clearances are now instantaneous.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Czech Republic Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky on Tuesday discussed opportunities in the domain of business, defence, space and education between the two countries.

"Welcomed Foreign Minister @JanLipavsky of Czech Republic today evening in New Delhi. Our long-standing bilateral ties are expanding with regular contacts. Discussed opportunities in business, defence; space; education; S & T and innovation domains," Jaishankar tweeted on Tuesday.

The two also noted the advancing India-EU collaboration and convergence on the reliability of supply chains and digital trust and transparency.

"Noted the advancing India-EU collaboration & convergence on reliability of supply chains and digital trust & transparency. Agreed to continue our strong cooperation in multilateral forums. Exchanged views on developments in Europe and the Indo-Pacific, as well as global issues," the EAM further tweeted.

Jan Lipavsky on Sunday arrived in India for a three-day official visit which is supposed to provide further momentum to India- Czech Republic bilateral relations.

"Welcoming the Czech Foreign Minister @JanLipavsky as he arrives in India on a 3-day official visit. This visit will provide further momentum to India's bilateral relations with the Czech Republic," MEA official spokesperson Arindam Bagchi tweeted on Sunday.

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Jan Lipavsky is visiting India from February 26 to March 1.

A Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) release said that Lipavsky will during his India visit, attend the inaugural session of the India-EU Business and Sustainability Conclave on February 28.

During his visit to India, Jan Lipavsky will be accompanied by Czech Republic's Members of the Parliament, the Deputy Minister for Science, Research and Innovation and a high-level official and business delegation, the Ministry of External Affairs said in a recent release. Lipavsky will also hold a meeting with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar. The two leaders are expected to discuss bilateral, regional and international issues.


The government is working to ensure the first G20 foreign ministers meeting in India results in a joint communique, officials told Business Standard. Widening differences between Russia, China, and the western nations over the war in Ukraine have seen walkouts and diplomatic battles at previous such meets where no joint statements could be brought out. Newly appointed Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang will attend the meeting of G20 foreign ministers in New Delhi on March 2, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday. The confirmation of Gangs first visit to India came even as reports from Japan suggested Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi would skip the summit in favour of domestic parliamentary engagements.



As a result, all eyes will be on Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, both of whom are slated to participate in the summit later this week. Acrimony between the Western nations and Russia had led to Lavrov walking out of the same meeting in Bali, Indonesia, last year. This was the case also at the recently concluded G20 finance ministers and central bank governors meet in Bengaluru. While Russia had blamed the confrontational approach of the collective West over the situation in Ukraine, a chairs summary was issued by India at the end of the meeting in its capacity as the holder of the G20 presidency.



While India has held over a dozen G20 meetings so far, this will be the first time all foreign ministers gather. The outcome is set to establish a path towards the final G20 leaders summit in September, officials said. Officials said New Delhi remains committed to finding a way to incorporate all voices and forge a new partnership going forward. India would also stress on the need to discuss issues like climate change and debt of developing nations.

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New Delhi will also host a meeting of the foreign ministers of Quadrilateral Security Dialogue or QUAD nations  India, the United States, Australia, and Japan. The focus would remain strongly on the commitment to keeping the strategic region free and open, and further cementing ties with each other. On Thursday, the ministers would attend two discussion sessions. The first one would focus on strengthening multilateralism & need for reforms, food & energy security, and development cooperation. The other one would see discussions on counter terrorism, global skill mapping & talent pool, and humanitarian disaster & disaster relief.

All four Quad ministers were initially expected to address a discussion panel for the first time at the 8th Raisina Dialogue. However, the Japanese government is yet to announce who would be attending in place of Hayashi. The meeting would also lay the groundwork for a planned meeting of Quad leaders in Australia this summer.
With India assuming the G20 presidency, the domestic hotel industry is witnessing a 'bull run," according to a report IN The Economic Times (ET). Key meetings and events associated with the G20, along with the corporate summits and seminars taking place in the country, have led to an increase in demand. This has resulted in higher room rates for hotels located in key cities.

Vikramjit Singh, president of Lemon Tree Hotels, was quoted as saying, "Hotels in India went for a significant rate increase in the quarter beginning October 2022, and rates have hardened further in the current quarter." He further said, "Delhi-NCR (National Capital Region), Mumbai, Hyderabad, and Bengaluru have especially witnessed unprecedented demand, and rates are at an all-time high."

As reported by ET, industry experts claim that the boom in demand is here to stay.

The new business opportunity is fuelled by India's G20 presidency. The G20 meetings have added to the demand in cities that are slated to host key events. Advance bookings are being made in order to facilitate the meetings. Recently, one of the key markets, Bengaluru, was sold out; others are witnessing a surge in tariff rates, said Nikhil Sharma, Eurasia regional director at Wyndham Hotels & Resorts.

It's not just G20

"The Uttar Pradesh Investment Summit (Lucknow, February 1012) was a huge success and is paving the way for hospitality in that state. Wyndham was one of the host hotels for the summit, and we were sold out during the event," Sharma was quoted in the report.

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Bengaluru hosted the February 2425 meeting of G20 finance ministers and central bank governors. New Delhi will host G20 foreign ministers next week. Similarly, other meetings are planned in various cities until the leaders' summit scheduled in September, the report added.

Rates of five-star hotel rooms have increased by about 20 per cent in key business cities since the last quarter of 2022, said Jaideep Dang, managing director, hotels and hospitality group, India, JLL.

"This is on the back of increased business demand, in general," he added. "Also, G20 delegations and meetings in business cities are contributing to rate and occupancy growth. We believe rates will continue to remain upwardly stable in the next couple of months, supported by the upcoming IPL (Indian Premier League) season and other events before summer sets in."



The mens IPL will be held during March 31-May 28, while the womens IPL is scheduled from March 4 to March 26.

Mumbai hosted multiple events last week, which resulted in a squeeze on demand. As a result, premium hotel room rates have risen to Rs 25,00035,000, according to the report.


The National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) has scheduled the NEET PG 2023 exam on March 5. The National Board of Education for Medica Science (NBE) released NEET PG 2023 admit card on February 27. All NEET PG 2023 aspirants can download their admit card from the NBE official website, nbe.edu.in.

NEET PG Admit Card 2023



You can download your NEET PG admit card 2023 from the official website using your login credentials. The National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS) conducts the NEETs entrance exam. Students need to clear the NEET entrance exam in order to qualify for admission into MD / MS / PG Diploma Courses  2023 Session.

First, go to the official website of NEET or NBE Then, click on the link that reads "Download NEET PG 2023 Admit Card 2023." Log in with your credentials, such as your application number and date of birth. The NEET PG admit card 2023 will appear on your screen. You can simply download your NEET PG admit card 2023 for future reference. Download: NEET PG Admit Card 2023 Here are all the steps to download NEET PG admit card 2023:

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Supreme Court Rejects Plea



While delivering the decision, the top court observed, Let things stand where there are. Nothing in this world prevents anyone from trying again... It is an evolutionary process. Sometimes it can go wrong... We will just let it lie. Students were seeking postponement of the NEET PG entrance exam by 2-3 months. A two-judge bench of the Supreme Court dismissed two pleas submitted by a group of doctors and refused to postpone the NEET entrance exam 2023.

Students had been protesting peacefully over the past few months, seeking a postponement of the examination, so that they could better prepare it and also complete their internship.
Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma is likely to form a post-poll alliance, indicated exit polls conducted by a number of media houses.

The exit polls further pointed out that the northeastern state would have a hung house, with Sangma's National People's Party (NPP) emerging as the single-largest party.

Following this, Conrad Sangma said that he would keep all options to form a stable government.

"We will keep all our options open to form a stable government. We are happy to see the trend is in line as we expected to get more seats than we received last time," said Sangma.

To form a stable government, Sangma said, decision would taken considering the best interest of the state.

"When it comes to forming a stable government as and when the situation arrives we will move forward considering the best interest of the state," he said.

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The ruling NDPP-BJP alliance would retain power in Nagaland, while BJP has a clear edge over its rivals in Tripura, exit polls predicted as they forecast a close race in Meghalaya.

For the 60-member Nagaland assembly, India Today-Axis My India exit poll predicted that the NDPP-BJP alliance would get 38 to 48 seats.

It said Congress is likely to win 1-2 seats, NPF may win 3-8 seats and other parties could get 5-15 seats.

According to Zee-Matriz exit poll, NDPP-BJP alliance could get 35-43 seats.

ETG-Times Now poll gave 27-33 seats to NDPP, 12-16 seats to BJP and 4-8 seats to NPF.

In the 60-member Meghalaya assembly, Zee-Matrize exit poll predicted NPP will get 21-26 seats, Trinamool Congress 8-13 seats, BJP 6-11 seats and Congress 3-6 seats.

India Today-Axis My India exit poll for the state predicted NPP getting 18-24 seats, Congress (6-12), BJP (4-8), UDP (8-12 seats) and TMC (5-9) seats.

Times Now ETG exit poll predicted that NPP will get 18-26 seats, AITMC 8-14 seats, UDP 8-14 seats and BJP 3-6 seats.

The counting of votes in all three states will take place on March 2.
Repolling will be held in four polling stations in as many assembly constituencies in Nagaland on March 1, the Election Commission said on Tuesday.

The EC took the decision based on reports submitted by General Observers and after taking all "material circumstances into account".

The repolling will be held between 7 am and 4 pm, the EC order said.

"Ensure that wide publicity is given by beating of drums or any other convenient mode in the aforementioned polling stations' areas. Inform the political parties and contesting candidates in writing about the fresh poll being taken on the said date...," the order to the state chief electoral officer said.

Nagaland went to polls on Monday.

The counting of votes in the state along with Meghalaya and Tripura will be taken up on Thursday.
Public sector Indian Bank has inked a pact with automaker Toyota Kirloskar Motor to offer vehicle financial options to its customers, the bank said on Tuesday.

The tie-up would offer various initiatives including 90 per cent on-road funding with no processing fee, foreclosure and party payment charges to prospective customers.

The development will now enable bank's customers, especially in the rural and semi-urban markets to buy their vehicles from Toyota Kirloskar Motor, the city-headquartered Indian Bank said in a statement here. "This is yet another step by Indian Bank to enhance banking experience of our customers. As a bank, with pan-India presence, especially in rural and semi-urban areas. This association will further boost our auto-financing segment," Indian Bank executive director Imran Amin Siddiqui said. "Digitization of loan procedures has significantly reduced the turn around time for retail loan. We are keen to provide our customers comfort and convenience, by aligning our products and services customer-centric," he said.

Toyota Kirloskar Motor Vice-President sales and strategic marketing, Atul Sood said, "we are delighted to join hands with Indian Bank in line with our commitment of providing an awesome Toyota experience to all our customers."



The collaboration seeks to provide simpler financing options, hassle-free experience, and timely assistance to ensure a pleasant buying process, he said.


This transition is not expected to change ratings on these banks. While the transition should be largely smooth, not all banks are equally prepared. Standard and Poors on Tuesday said that Indian Banks rated by it are largely well placed to transition to the Expected Credit Loss (ECL) approach under International Financial Reporting Standard 9 (IFRS 9).



In India, IFRS rules are implemented through Indian Accounting Standards (Ind AS), and the Indian equivalent of IFRS 9 is Ind AS 109. IFRS 9's more forward-looking approach to provisioning will improve the timeliness of loan-loss provisions and more closely align reporting with global norms. It would facilitate regulatory oversight that should help to mitigate disclosure complexities, S&P said in its report India Banks Poised for IFRS 9.



S&P said Indian banks are likely to transition to IFRS 9 over the next two years. Unlike many of the major Asia-Pacific banking sectors, Indian banks deferred the adoption of IFRS 9. The central bank indefinitely halted the implementation, originally scheduled for April 1, 2019, citing pending legislative amendments and lack of preparedness. The Reserve Bank of India is set to release guidance on the rollout of IFRS 9 after years of delay while the banks shaped up.

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Earlier measures include tools to deal with stressed assets, improve governance in public sector banks, address information asymmetry, and bolster the oversight of NBFCs. For the central bank, the adoption of IFRS 9 is one of the steps in its reform roadmap to further strengthen the risk management framework for banks and nonbank financial companies (NBFCs).


The Swiss bank was ordered to take remedial measures by Finma, which include a periodic executive board level-review of the most important business relationships for counterparty risks, the regulator said in a statement on Tuesday. The bank must also record the responsibilities of its 600 highest-ranking employees in a responsibility document, Finma said. Credit Suisse Group AG seriously breached its risk management obligations in the Greensill Capital supply-chain financing affair, Switzerlands banking regulator has concluded as it closed its probe against the bank.



Credit Suisse Chief Executive Officer Ulrich Koerner said in a statement he welcomed the conclusion of the probe. Finmas review has reinforced many of the findings of the board-initiated independent review and underlines the importance of the actions we have taken in recent years to strengthen our risk and compliance culture, he said. The regulator also said it was opening enforcement proceedings against four former managers at the lender, who it didnt name.



Greensill Collapse



The implosion of Greensill Capital in March 2021 saw Credit Suisse freeze and wind down a $10 billion group of funds that the Swiss bank had marketed to clients as safe investments. The bank said last week that about $6.8 billion of the funds have since been returned to investors and will assess a further payout to investors in the first half of this year. Credit Suisse shares fell 1.5% at 11:22 a.m. in Zurich.

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In its statement, Finma criticized the Swiss bank for its approach to risk management. Credit Suisse used employees who managed relations with Greensill to handle warnings, Finma said, which represented a clear conflict of interest as they were not independent. The banks also relied on Greensill founder Lex Greensill himself and relied on his answers for its own statements, Finma concluded. Greensills collapse has sparked a number of inquiries and investigations in several countries. The firm, with the backing of SoftBank Group Corp. and General Atlantic, went from a small startup to a tech unicorn with an estimated $7 billion valuation at one point. David Cameron, the former UK prime minister, was an adviser to the firm and has faced criticism for his well-paid role at the company. Still, the lender has warned of long legal fights to try recoup the remaining money. Credit Suisse said in April 2022 that investors in its Greensill-linked funds should brace for a five-year fight with insurers and problem borrowers as they look to get more of their cash back.



As early as 2018, both media and Finma representatives were asking questions about the Greensill funds, the regulator said. There were many critical observations, too few appropriate reactions, according to Finma. Credit Suisse made partly false and overly positive statements to Finma about the claims selection process and the funds exposure to certain debtors, according to the regulator.



Frozen Funds



The Greensill-linked funds initially invested in loans backed by invoices that would be paid in a matter of weeks or months, making them relatively safe. But as they grew in size, they strayed from that pitch and much of the money was lent against expected future invoices, for sales that were merely predicted. Credit Suisse was ultimately forced to freeze the funds after a major insurer of the assets refused to continue coverage. Finmas powers to punish banks is limited as it cannot fine the institutions it oversees but rather only order them to repay profit they deem to be ill-gotten. Similarly, sanctions against individuals typically mean a ban from financial services for a certain period of time but rarely include life-time bans.



For Credit Suisse, the decision to suspend the funds added to a series of hits to the bank. The Swiss bank, which posted a fifth-straight quarterly loss earlier this month, cautioned that it expects another significant loss for this year. Read More: Greensill Loses Confidence of Backers SoftBank, Credit Suisse

Executives at the bank now face the challenge of managing a turnaround that isnt expected to deliver profits until 2024, while trying to hang on to already disgruntled staff. The revamp is intended to reduce risk, spin out the best-performing parts of the investment bank and cut about 9,000 jobs by 2025.
Canada is banning TikTok from all government-issued mobile devices and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said it might be a first step to further action.

The European Union's executive branch said last week it has temporarily banned TikTok from phones used by employees as a cybersecurity measure. The EU's action follows similar moves in the U.S., where more than half of the states and Congress have banned TikTok from official government devices.

TikTok is owned by ByteDance, a Chinese company that moved its headquarters to Singapore. It has been targeted by critics who say the Chinese government could access user data, such as browsing history and location. U.S. armed forces also have prohibited the app on military devices.

TikTok is consumed by two-thirds of American teens and has become the second-most popular domain in the world. But there's long been bipartisan concern in Washington that Beijing would use legal and regulatory power to seize American user data or try to push pro-China narratives or misinformation.

Here's a look at the broader debate over TikTok:



WHAT ARE THE CONCERNS ABOUT TIKTOK?



Both the FBI and the Federal Communications Commission in the U.S. have warned that TikTok user data could be shared by owner ByteDance Ltd. with China's authoritarian government. U.S. officials also worry that the Chinese government might use TikTok to push pro-China narratives or misinformation.

Fears were stoked by news reports last year that a China-based team improperly accessed data of U.S. TikTok users, including two journalists, as part of a covert surveillance program to ferret out the source of leaks to the press.

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There are also concerns that the company is sending masses of user data to China, in breach of stringent European privacy rules.

Additionally, there's been concern about TikTok's content and whether it harms teenagers' mental health.



WHO HAS PUSHED FOR RESTRICTIONS?



In 2020, then-President Donald Trump and his administration sought to ban dealings with TikTok's owner, force it to sell off its U.S. assets and remove it from app stores. Courts blocked Trump's efforts to ban TikTok, and President Joe Biden rescinded Trump's orders after taking office but ordered an in-depth study of the issue. A planned sale of TikTok's U.S. assets was shelved.

In the U.S. Congress, concern about the app has been bipartisan. Congress last month banned TikTok from most U.S. government-issued devices over bipartisan concerns about security.

The Senate in December approved a version of the TikTok ban authored by conservative Republican Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri, a vocal critic of big tech companies.

But Democratic U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, of Illinois has co-sponsored legislation to prohibit TikTok from operating in the U.S. altogether, and the measure approved by Congress in December had the support of Democratic U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

Last week, Canada's federal privacy watchdog and its provincial counterparts in British Columbia, Alberta and Quebec announced an investigation to delve into whether the app complies with Canadian privacy legislation.



WHAT DOES TIKTOK SAY?



It's curious that the Government of Canada has moved to block TikTok on government-issued devices-without citing any specific security concern or contacting us with questions-only after similar bans were introduced in the EU and the US. We are always available to meet with our government officials to discuss how we protect the privacy and security of Canadians, but singling out TikTok in this way does nothing to achieve that shared goal. All it does is prevent officials from reaching the public on a platform loved by millions of Canadians, a TikTok spokesperson said in an emailed statement.
During her surprise visit to Kiev, US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen announced the transfer of an additional amount of over $1.2 billion in economic assistance to Ukraine.

Upon her arrival in the capital city on Monday, Yellen said her visit is "to reaffirm our unwavering commitment to Ukraine, discuss ways we can continue our support, including through economic assistance, and pay tribute to the bravery of the Ukrainian people a year after Russia's unprovoked invasion".

In her announcement, she said that the US is proud to be Ukraine's largest bilateral donor and to date, Washington has provided close to $50 billion in security, economic, and humanitarian assistance to the war-torn nation.

"Today, I am proud to announce the transfer of an additional amount of over $1.2 billion. That's the first tranche of about $10 billion in direct budget support that the US will provide in the coming months," she was quoted as saying in a statement issued by the Treasury Department.

Later in her remarks with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky that the country's "fight is our fight, for our shared values of democracy, the right to self-determination, and for an international order that advances peace and prosperity".

"We will stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes," she added.

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On his part, Zelensky said that the "US has been powerfully supporting us since the first days of this war not only with weapons, but also on the financial front. We really appreciate it".

"Thank you for systematic steps to increase sanctions pressure on the aggressor state. It is necessary to further strengthen sanctions to deprive Russia of the ability to finance the war," he added.

Yellen also held a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal.

The Treasury Secretary's trip comes on the heels of President Joe Biden's trip to Kiev last week.
Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia being taken to Rouse Avenue Court by CBI officials in the excise policy case, in New Delhi, Monday. (PTI Photo)

New Delhi: A special CBI court here on Monday remanded Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia to five-day custody of the investigative agency till March 4.

He was produced by the CBI before the court during the day amid tight security right from CBI headquarters to the Rouse Avenue court. Special judge M.K. Nagpal allowed the CBIs plea for the custodial interrogation of Mr Sisodia.

Earlier in the day, the court had reserved its order on the CBIs plea for five-day custody of the arrested accused after hearing arguments from the CBI and Mr Sisodias counsel.

Aam Aadmi Party leaders and workers held protests in Delhi and across several states against the arrest of Mr Sisodia. Protests were also held near the local court where he was produced. Similar protests were held in Chandigarh, Bhopal and several other cities.

On Sunday, the CBI had arrested Mr Sisodia over the alleged corruption in the formulation and implementation of the now-scrapped liquor policy for 2021-22.

When Mr Sisodia was produced before the court by the CBI, he claimed that there was no evidence against him and his counsel opposed the CBIs plea for his remand. "I am the finance minister. I have to present the budget What changed yesterday that the finance minister was to be placed under custody? Was he not available for the next days? Or was this arrest done for ulterior motives? This case is an assault on an individual as well as the institution. Remand will send a message, this is a fit case for declining remand," Mr Sisodias counsel told the court.

The counsel further submitted that Mr Sisodia had acted as a member of the Delhi government and hence the decision can neither be attributed to him nor questioned. "I cant do anything. It has to be approved by the appropriate authority," he said.

The CBIs counsel submitted that the arrested ministers custody was required for effective interrogation in the case.

Mr Sisodia claimed that he had no role in the case but the probe showed he personally took decisions, the CBI asserted, while Mr Sisodias counsel opposed the probe agencys plea for custody and submitted that the CBI says he changed his cell phones, but that is not a crime.

The counsel said the policy was implemented after taking suggestions even from the Delhi lieutenant-governor and that since it required consultations; there was no chance of conspiracy. "I have tried to keep everything open," he said.

Security was beefed up around the BJP headquarters here where the AAP had called for a "big protest" since morning on Monday.

The Delhi police erected barricades on several roads leading to DDU Marg, where both the BJP headquarters and the AAP offices are located. Paramilitary forces were also deployed to maintain law and order.

During the hearing for over an hour, Mr Sisodias counsel stressed that it was the lieutenant-governor of Delhi who had approved the changes in the excise policy and that the CBI was going after the elected government.

The Aam Aadmi Party observed the day as a "black day" while the party alleged that 80 per cent of its leaders have been detained by the police, and questioned whether anyone can be in "police detention" for over 24 hours.

As the AAP held street protests over Mr Sisodias arrest, the BJP said the CBI was acting lawfully against the "corrupt" and demanded that chief minister Arvind Kejriwal should resign over the arrest of two of his ministers in cases of alleged corruption.

"The law is taking its own course and probe agencies are working lawfully", BJP spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia told the media after Mr Sisodia was sent to CBI remand till March 4.

Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal on Monday claimed that most CBI officers were opposed to arresting Manish Sisodia but did so due to "political pressure". He said in a tweet: "I am told that most CBI officers were against Manishs arrest. All of them have huge respect for him and there is no evidence against him. But the political pressure to arrest him was so high that they had to obey their political masters."
UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak traveled to Belfast on Tuesday to sell his landmark agreement with the European Union to its toughest audience: Unionist politicians who fear post-Brexit trade rules are weakening Northern Ireland's place in the United Kingdom.

The UK and the 27-nation EU announced Monday that they had struck a deal to resolve a dispute over Northern Ireland trade that has vexed relations since the UK left the bloc in 2020.

The agreement will ease customs checks and other hurdles for goods moving to Northern Ireland from the rest of the U.K. that were imposed after Brexit to maintain an open border between the north and its EU neighbour, the Republic of Ireland.

The deal, dubbed the Windsor Framework, was hailed by London and Brussels as a breakthrough. But Northern Ireland's British unionist politicians have yet to give it their blessing. Their support is key to restoring Northern Ireland's semi-autonomous government, which has been toppled by the trade feud, leaving 1.9 million people without a functioning administration.

Sunak told the BBC the deal was a huge step forward for the people of Northern Ireland and he was confident politicians there would support it.

The Democratic Unionist Party, which had governed alongside Irish nationalists Sinn Fein in the power-sharing administration, walked out of the government a year ago to protest the trade rules and has refused to return until they are scrapped or substantially rewritten.

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Under Northern Ireland's political system, power is shared between Irish nationalists and British unionists, and neither side can govern without the other.

DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson said Tuesday that the party would take our time to pore over the details of the deal before delivering its verdict.

We're reasonable people, but we want to ensure that what the prime minister has said is matched by what is actually in the agreement itself, he said.

Northern Ireland is the only part of the U.K. that shares a border with an EU member. When the UK left the bloc, the two sides agreed to keep the Irish border free of customs posts and other checks because an open border is a key pillar of Northern Ireland's peace process.

Instead, there are checks on some goods entering Northern Ireland from the rest of the UK. That angered British unionist politicians in Belfast, who say the new trade border in the Irish Sea undermined Northern Ireland's place in the United Kingdom. Sunak said the new Windsor Framework removes any sense of an Irish Sea border, removing checks on the vast majority of goods. It also gives Northern Ireland politicians a mechanism to challenge new EU trade rules that could apply in the region a key unionist demand.


The condition marks an unusual use of the federal governments powers. Officials said the rule was intended to address a worker shortage. The Biden administration on Tuesday said it will require companies winning funds from its $52 billion US semiconductor manufacturing and research program to share excess profits and explain how they plan to provide affordable childcare.



Recipients who receive more than $150 million in direct funding will be required to share with the US government a portion of any cash flows or returns that exceed the applicants projections by an agreed-upon threshold, the department said. The Commerce Department on Tuesday is releasing its plans to begin accepting applications in late June for a $39 billion manufacturing subsidy program. The law also creates a 25 per cent investment tax credit for building chip plants estimated to be worth $24 billion.



The department will consider an applicants commitments to refrain from stock buybacks in the application review process in a five-step application. Companies winning funding are also prohibited from using chips funds for dividends or stock buybacks, and must provide details of any plans to buy back their own shares over five years.

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Applicants seeking more than $150 million in direct funding must submit a plan for how they will provide affordable and accessible childcare for their workers. The government requires that firms awarded contracts adhere to certain standards above and beyond the rules facing the private sector. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said companies must submit a workforce plan that includes an outline of workforce needs.



Raimondo noted companies winning awards will be required to enter into agreements restricting their ability to expand semiconductor manufacturing capacity in foreign countries of concern like China for 10 years after winning funding. They cannot engage in any joint research or technology licensing efforts with a foreign entity of concern that involves sensitive technologies. Most direct funding awards are expected to range between 5% and 15% of project capital expenditures. Commerce said it generally expects the total amount of an award including loan or loan guarantee, will not exceed 35% of project capital expenditures.

"We're going to be releasing very detailed regulations in the next few weeks that give companies a clearer sense of what the red lines are," Raimondo said on Monday ahead of the announcement.


The World Health Organization (WHO) has appealed for $392 million in donation to provide essential health support to 12.9 million Yemenis in 2023.

"Yemen requires urgent and robust support from international donors and other partners to effectively avert the potential collapse of its health system," a WHO statement quoted Adham Abdel Moneim Ismail, WHO Representative in Yemen, as saying on Sunday.

The appeal was made on the eve of a high-level pledging event for the humanitarian crisis in Yemen, a UN-led fund-raising activity held on Monday in Geneva, Switzerland, Xinhua news agency reported.

"New funding in the amount of $392 million is required by Yemen's health sector to ensure that overstretched health facilities can continue providing even the most basic services to 12.9 million vulnerable people," the WHO representative said, adding that the current funds pledged to the WHO-led Health Cluster equals only 3.5 per cent of the required amount.

According to the statement, 10 million Yemenis, including 7.9 million children, have no access to health services. Around 1.1 million children in Yemen suffer from acute malnutrition and 2.9 million women of reproductive age lack maternal services.

Yemen has been mired in a civil war since late 2014 when the Iran-backed Houthi militia seized control of several northern provinces and forced the Saudi-backed Yemeni government out of the capital Sanaa.

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The war has killed tens of thousands of people, displaced 4 million and pushed the country to the brink of starvation.
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Tech View Outlook: Negative

Target: Rs 218

Vedanta's sharp downtick on Tuesday pushed it below the lower end of the Bollingar Band on the daily chart and the weekly chart, placed at Rs 282 and Rs 275.5, respectively. It, however, has pushed it in the oversold zone as well with the RSI-14 indicator at around 16-mark.



That said, if the stock's 20-DMA (at Rs 307.87) breaks below its 100-DMA (at Rs 307.14), it will trigger fresh sell-off. The next downside support as per monthly charts is at Rs 218. While other momentum indicators suggest negative bias for Vedanta, moving averages are exhibiting mixed trend. The 20-day moving average (20-DMA) is below the 50-DMA (indicating a weak near-term outlook), but 50-DMA is holding above 100-DMA, and 100-DMA is above 200-DMA.

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(With inputs from Nikita Vashisht) Any pullback in the stock, however, may face hurdle at Rs 275, followed by Rs 282, and Rs 305.
Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone jumped 6.73% to Rs 599.80 after the company said that its step down subsidiary, Adani Agri Logistics (AALL) has incorporated a wholly owned subsidiary in the name of PU Agri Logistics.

PU Agri Logistics has been incorporated as a wholly owned subsidiary of AALL on 25 February 2023, for the purpose of development, design, construction, financing, procurement, engineering, operation and maintenance of silo complexes (spoke silo complex) without container depot on design, build, finance, own and operate basis under public-private partnership (PPP) mode at twenty six locations in Punjab.

AALL incorporated PU Agri Logistics with an initial authorised and paid-up share capital of Rs 5 lakh each and said that it is yet to commence its business operations.

PU Agri is incorporated in India and registered with Registrar of Companies, Gujarat at Ahmedabad on 25 February 2023, said the company.

Adani Ports & Special Economic Zone (APSEZ) is in the business of development, operations and maintenance of port infrastructure (port services and related infrastructure development) and has linked multi product Special Economic Zone (SEZ) and related infrastructure contiguous to port at Mundra.

The company's consolidated net profit declined 16.05% to Rs 1,315.54 crore as against Rs 1,567.01 crore posted in Q3 FY22. Revenue from operations stood at Rs 4,786.17 crore in the quarter ended 31 December 2022, registering a growth of 17.54% to Rs 4,071.98 crore reported in Q3 FY22.

Also Read Adani Ports and SEZ Q2 PAT soars 65% to Rs 1,738 cr Adani Ports gains after handled cargo volume crosses 300 MMT mark in 329 days Adani Ports-Gadot consortium concludes acquisition of Haifa Port Adani Ports gets NCLT nod for acquisition of Gangavaram port Knowledge Marine bags additional work order from Dredging Corp. Indiabulls Real Estate slumps as MD Mehul Johnson resigns Laxmi Organic ED & CEO Satej Nabar resigns Manaksia Aluminium Company Ltd leads gainers in 'B' group Primo Chemicals Ltd leads gainers in 'A' group Jyothy Labs gets NCLT nod for amalgamation scheme with Jyothy Fabricare Services

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Amid a slew of programmes for sterilisation and anti-rabies vaccination, there is no handle on the number of dogs as data submitted to higher authorities indicate the presence of over 8 lakh dogs, even as the GHMC claims to have sterilised 4.7 lakh of 5.7 lakh dogs in the city. (Representational Image)

Hyderabad: The GHMC claims of sterilising around 4.7 lakh dogs, without being gender specific, and estimating the presence of 1 lakh unsterilised dogs ring hollow as the civic body is yet to take up a dog census in the city.

Official sources said that the civic body has been providing false numbers to higher authorities. Sources said that while field-level staff reports to city commissioner D.S. Lokesh Kumar stated 300 stray dogs were being sterilised per day, a report submitted to animal husbandry minister T. Srinivas Yadav stated that 6,000 dogs were being sterilised per day.

Amid a slew of programmes for sterilisation and anti-rabies vaccination, there is no handle on the number of dogs as data submitted to higher authorities indicate the presence of over 8 lakh dogs, even as the GHMC claims to have sterilised 4.7 lakh of 5.7 lakh dogs in the city.

Keeping aside the numbers, residents questioned how sterilisation would resolve issues of dog bites, in the context of a four-year-old boy being mauled to death by stray dogs in Amberpet on February 21. M. Pradeep, the victim, was attacked while he was playing at Mallapur Green Hills Colony.

GHMC sources also said that sterilisation will not reduce the cases of dog bites as the corporation is not considering a scientific approach.

While the World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends a 1:20 stray dog population in developing nations, the GHMCs apathy is posing a danger to citizens as dogs resort to aggressive behaviour on being deprived of food and vaccinations.

Residents also said that each time a stray attack is reported, GHMC officials are ready with excuses to evade responsibility.

In an incident in April 2022, two-year-old Anas Ahmed was attacked by a pack of stray dogs near Bada Bazaar area of Golconda, with authorities blaming the free run given to dogs in the adjoining military area.

In January 2021, nine-year-old boy Mohammed Ayaan was mauled to death by stray dogs in Bahadurpura while playing with his friends. In this instance, authorities charged children with provoking the strays, especially females with pups, and cited open garbage dumping as the reason.

According to the official data, around 90,000 birth-control operations were conducted in 2014-15, 60,000 in 2015-16, 98,000 in 2016-17, 1,51,000 in 2017-18, 2,23,000 in 2018-19, 50,091 in 2020-21, 73,601 in 2021-22 and 40,155 in 2022-23. The data for 2019-20 was not available.

Corporation officials, meanwhile, cited the allocation of Rs 320 per each birth-control operation as the major reason for the mushrooming stray menace in the city. Citing that Rs 920 was allocated per operation in Mumbai, Rs 750 in New Delhi, Rs 650 in Ludhiana and Bengaluru, and Rs 590 in the Secunderabad Cantonment area, they said that the allocation of Rs 18 crore must be enhanced.

However, officials refused to comment on the dog census or delve into details of how they arrived at an estimate of 5.7 lakh dogs.
Godrej Industries (GIL) has announced the appointment of Vishal Sharma as the "chief executive officer- designate" (CEO-Designate) of GIL-Chemicals business with effect from 1 March 2023.

Vishal Sharma will report to Nitin Nabar, executive director and president (chemicals), Godrej Industries.

Vishal Sharma will join Godrej from Ecolab Inc. where his previous role was as senior vice president of India, Middle East and Africa (IMEA) region, based in Dubai since June 2020. In this role, Vishal led Ecolab's strategy and operations in IMEA and was responsible for achieving record sales and profit growth in this region.

He was instrumental in building a world-class team, which is expected to lead the IMEA region towards its USD 1 billion revenue ambition in the next few years.

Prior to this, Vishal led Ecolab's Industrial business for Asia Pacific and was based in Singapore. He joined Ecolab in 2013 after 12 years at Diversey, Inc., where post joining as the national sales manager in India, he held management roles of increasing scope, the last of which was serving as global vice president - hospitality, healthcare, commercial laundry and food safety, based in Amsterdam.

Earlier in his career, Vishal also had a stint with GE (General Electric) in their Lighting business. He has also led start-up businesses during his career and is credited with multiple transformational and scale-up initiatives.

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Vishal has a post-graduate diploma in management from IMDR Pune, and a bachelor's degree in engineering from MIT Manipal in Mangalore.

Godrej Industries, a Godrej Group Company, is a conglomerate with a significant presence in home and personal care, animal feeds, dairy and agri-products, poultry, oil palm plantation and real estate.

The company reported 117.82% jump in consolidated net profit to Rs 314.58 crore in Q3 FY23 as against Rs 144.42 crore posted in Q3 FY22. Revenue from operations stood at Rs 3,842.55 crore in the quarter ended 31 December 2022, up 9.33% from Rs 3,514.61 crore reported in Q3 FY22.

The scrip shed 0.53% to currently trade at Rs 418.95 on the BSE.

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Hitting out at the BJP-led government at the Centre, the CPIML(L) on Monday said the arrest of Delhi's deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia by the CBI was an assault on democracy.

In a statement, CPIML(L) general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya said Sisodia was arrested on the "flimsy pretext" of non-cooperation.

Sisodia was arrested on Sunday evening in connection with alleged corruption in the formulation and implementation of the now-scrapped Delhi excise policy 2021-22.

A special court in Delhi on Monday sent him to five-day CBI custody for effective interrogation to unravel the alleged scam.

"In yet another arrogant assault on democracy, the Modi government has once again used the institutions of CBI and ED to pursue its politics of vendetta," he said.

"Having lost the MCD elections and the bid to capture the mayoral posts by hook or by crook, the Modi-Shah regime has now resorted to this unscrupulous misuse of the central agencies. At a time when the whole world is questioning the Modi government's conspicuous silence about the Adani scam, and its refusal to probe this monument corporate fraud, the government is desperately trying to terrorise the opposition," he alleged.

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Bhattacharya said the CPIML(L) strongly condemns the arrest of Sisodia, appealing to the people to rise in protest.

Meanwhile, the party decided to raise the Adani issue in the Bihar assembly.

"BJP's silence amid the allegations against the Adani Group smacks of collusion. What action has been taken to investigate the serious allegations made over the years against the Adani Group? We will expose BJP leaders inside and outside the assembly," said Mehboob Alam, the CPIML(L)'s legislative party leader.

The CPIML(L) with its 12 MLAs is a part of the seven-party ruling coalition in Bihar.
A 'biocomputer' powered by human brain cells could be a reality in the coming decade, US researchers have claimed.

Calling the technology "organoid intelligence", a team from Johns Hopkins University noted that it will exponentially expand the capabilities of modern computing and create novel fields of study.

According to Thomas, Professor of environmental health sciences at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, computing and artificial intelligence which drove the technology revolution, have hit a ceiling. And biocomputing can help "push past our current technological limits," he noted.

For nearly two decades, scientists have used tiny organoids, lab-grown tissue resembling fully grown organs, to experiment on kidneys, lungs, and other organs without resorting to human or animal testing.

Recently Hartung and team has been working with brain organoids, orbs the size of a pen dot with neurons and other features that promise to sustain basic functions like learning and remembering.

"This opens up research on how the human brain works," Hartung said. "Because you can start manipulating the system, doing things you cannot ethically do with human brains."

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Hartung began to grow and assemble brain cells into functional organoids in 2012 using cells from human skin samples reprogrammed into an embryonic stem cell-like state. Each organoid contains about 50,000 cells, about the size of a fruit fly's nervous system. He now envisions building a futuristic computer with such brain organoids.

Computers that run on this "biological hardware" could in the next decade begin to alleviate energy-consumption demands of supercomputing that are becoming increasingly unsustainable, Hartung said, in the paper published in the journal Frontiers in Science.

While "the brain is still unmatched by modern computers," by scaling up production of brain organoids and training them with artificial intelligence, Hartung foresees a future where biocomputers support superior computing speed, processing power, data efficiency, and storage capabilities.

The researchers said that organoid intelligence could also revolutionise drug testing research for neurodevelopmental disorders and neurodegeneration.

--IANS

rvt/uk/
Chip maker Qualcomm on Monday announced the latest addition to its growing Snapdragon Digital Chassis connected car technology portfolio with its Snapdragon Auto 5G Modem-RF Gen 2 at Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2023 in Barcelona.

Snapdragon 5G Modem-RF systems are the world's first commercial modem-to-antenna 5G solution.

Sampling today with global automakers, it will be commercially available in late 2023, said the company.

"As the culmination of Qualcomm Incorporated's more than 20-year history connecting cars with our telematics or auto connectivity platform, the Snapdragon Auto 5G Modem-RF Gen 2 further harnesses the power of 5G for vehicles to assist automakers in democratising access to smart, connected vehicle experiences," Nakul Duggal, Senior Vice President and GM, automotive, Qualcomm Technologies, said in a statement.

The new Snapdragon Auto 5G Modem-RF Gen 2 platform will provide 50 per cent more processing power, 40 per cent power efficiency gains, and greater than two times the maximum throughput for secure, reliable and seamless connectivity, as compared to the previous generation.

Equipped with the latest advancements in 5G, car owners will now have the broadband to enjoy the comfort and convenient experiences of a vehicle, home and office in one space.

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"5G will continue to unlock the future of automotive and transportation, and we're proud to accelerate the pace of wireless innovation in these industries," Duggal added.

Moreover, the Snapdragon Auto 5G Modem-RF Gen 2 will also introduce a new form of communication to the automotive industry with support for satellite communications, helping to ensure connectivity is ubiquitously available for applications that utilise two-way messaging.

It will also deliver ultra-low latency for safety applications and mission-critical services to enable improved media streaming, and cloud gaming along with premium navigation and mapping, according to the company.

Further, it will support a comprehensive connected services platform powered by Snapdragon Car-to-Cloud Services, enabling connected services for dynamically configurable, software-defined vehicles.
Gautam Adani may not be the only highly-leveraged Indian industrialist in trouble. While it is not facing a Hindenburg-like storm, Anil Agarwals Vedanta Resources Ltd too has significant debt on its books. And, one of Agarwals recent attempts to reduce the debt burden has met with opposition from the Indian government itself. So, is Vedanta in trouble?

While metals-mogul Agarwals plan to trim down debt may have run into rough weather, airlines in India are clearly looking at a clear sky. After navigating pandemic turbulence, they have started reporting profits now. Orders of over 1,000 new aircraft have also been placed and the airlines are now scrambling to ramp up staffing. But will we be able to find enough pilots to fly the expanding fleet? What are the challenges involved?

The number of operational airports in the country has risen from 74 to 140 in the last eight years. From sky traffic, let us now shift focus to the roads. Road and transport ministry saw a 36% jump in the Budget 2023 allocation, kindling hope that related-stocks would witness a good growth in the long-term. Experts said that the strong order book and healthy NHAI pipeline bodes well for road-construction players.



Shares of Adani group companies recently tumbled after global index provider MSCI reduced the weightage of its four firms. But, it later postponed the decision to its May review -- giving some respite to the conglomerate. Key index providers like MSCI, FTSE, and Nifty undergo quarterly, or semi-annual rejig of their indices. This is called index rebalancing. We tell more about this in this episode of the podcast.
President Director and CEO of Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison (Indosat), Vikram Sinha, discussed the story of Indosat, the most successfully merger that empowers Indonesia. Indosat is the new world-class digital telecoms and internet company for Indonesia resulting from the merger of Indosat Ooredoo and Hutchison 3 Indonesia.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230228005739/en/

Vikram Sinha, President Director and CEO of Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison (Photo: Business Wire)

During the roundtable discussion, Sinha highlighted that telco mergers often fail for various reasons, such as difficulty integrating different technologies and systems, regulatory hurdles, and challenges in retaining key personnel and customers. However, Indosat's successful merger has transformed the telecommunications industry and Indonesia's GDP growth.

Indonesia is one of the fastest-growing economies in the world and one of the most prominent digital economies in ASEAN. Digital adoption enables Indonesia to reduce the time to realize its long-term goal of achieving high-income status. Indosat, a digital telco with 100 million subscribers, is transforming rapidly to help drive the digital revolution in the country.

Sinha discussed how the merger of Indosat Ooredoo and Hutchison 3 Indonesia had exceeded all expectations for 2022, giving a positive outlook for Indonesia's market and the opportunity to grow in the telco industry. Indosat has an ongoing 9-quarter integration plan, and the realization of their synergies is running smoothly and has been completed ahead of the plan. Using Multi-Operator Core Networks (MOCN) technology, their network integration is targeted to be completed this quarter.

Indosat launched a research report titled Empowering Indonesia 2023, which reviews the pillars of Indonesia's digital economy and the role of technology in accelerating its future growth. The report shows that Indosat is the primary driver of the telecommunications industry and Indonesia's GDP growth, fueled by its solid growth in 2022.

Indosat's Full-Year 2022 Result shows a solid performance both financially and operationally. Total revenue increased by 48.9% YoY, EBITDA was recorded at Rp19,468.7 billion, and net profit for the year attributable to parent company owners was Rp4,723.4 billion, normalized net profit increased by 76.2% YoY. The company's cellular customers increased by 62.5% to 102.2 million for FY 2022.

"We have defied expectations and become the successful merger in the world. Indosat is not just good for the industry; it's good for Indonesia. We will continue to drive the digital revolution and create value for all our stakeholders," said Vikram Sinha, President Director and CEO of Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison.

About Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison

Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison (IDX: ISAT)s vision is to become the most preferred digital telco of Indonesia. Through its world-class digital telecom services and preeminent network, Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison strives to connect and empower every Indonesian. Jointly controlled by Ooredoo Group and CK Hutchison, Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison was formed through the merger of PT Indosat Tbk and PT Hutchison 3 Indonesia in 2022.

Website: www.IOH.co.id

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChs2x7pZ2D8UgHz9cgrn3sQ

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/indosat

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230228005739/en/
Anantapur has closer access with Bengaluru through the NH-44 road while Kurnool has closer access to Hyderabad. Investors are showing keen interest to establish various units in the region, the APIIC chairman Govinda Reddy observed. (Photo: Facebook)

Anantapur: The Rayalaseema region, with its rich mines and favourable climatic conditions, is likely to attract investment proposals during the upcoming Global Investors Summit-2023.

Anantapur, Kadapa and Kurnool have plenty of land ready for the setting up of industries. Normally, the land acquisition process is a tough task for investors. Hence, ready availability of lands with the industrial parks in the region is bound to enthuse investors.

Further, Rayalaseema has the biggest Green Energy units. Recently, the work on a unit at Orvakal, one of the biggest such across the globe, had begun.

The G20 delegates had recently visited another big Solar Park near Pavagada of Karnataka located closer to Roddam mandal in Satyasai district. This would be an additional boost to green energy units, APICC chairman Mettu Govinda Reddy recalled and said the Global Summit was expecting nearly Rs 1 lakh crore investments purely for the Green Energy sector during the Global Investors Summit.

A majority of such investment will be in Rayalaseema region because of suitable climatic conditions, he said.

"For both solar and wind energy, several parts of Anantapur, Kurnool and Kadapa are favourable throughout the year. The temperature fluctuation will not be feasible for solar energy tapping," he said and recalled that many companies have visited the ongoing projects and decided to invest in the green energy sector.

The dry agricultural lands in interior parts are reportedly cheaper than other areas and investment there would be worth it, with expected returns, a senior official from NEDCAP observed.

Further, more than 300 acres of land was procured and an industrial park set up closer to KIA Motors, to facilitate start of ancillary units and other industries linked to the transport sector, APIIC sources said.

The Anantapur, Kadapa and Kurnool areas had reportedly suffered poor industrial growth during the past few decades because of water scarcity as many industries in Hindupur area had to depend on purchasing water tanks for the units.

The deep depletion of groundwater had an adverse impact on industrial growth. But, the situation has changed after diversion of Krishna water through the HNSS (Hadri Neeva Sujala Shravanthi) and GNSS (Galeru Nagari Sujala Shravanthi) projects. Groundwater sources were on rise because of continuous storage of water in the tanks for the past three years even in areas of highest peaks like Hindupur and Madakasira through the lift system.

Further, the government is offering water supply directly to the big industries through available sources. For instance, KIA Motors got a direct canal from a reservoir while the Orvakal Industrial Park in Kurnool and the Steel Plant in Jammalamadugu were allotted separate water sources.

Anantapur has closer access with Bengaluru through the NH-44 road while Kurnool has closer access to Hyderabad. Investors are showing keen interest to establish various units in the region, the APIIC chairman Govinda Reddy observed.
Cultural and tourism industry booms in central China's Luoyang

Xinhua) 09:55, February 28, 2023

Tourists watch a film at Luoyi ancient city in Luoyang, central China's Henan Province, Feb. 22, 2023. Official data showed that the city saw 10.31 million trips in January of 2023, generating 6.28 billion yuan (about 902.44 million U.S. dollars) in revenue, up 746.63 percent and 690.06 percent year on year respectively. (Xinhua/Li An)

A tourist selects clothes at a store in Luoyi ancient city of Luoyang, central China's Henan Province, Feb. 22, 2023. Official data showed that the city saw 10.31 million trips in January of 2023, generating 6.28 billion yuan (about 902.44 million U.S. dollars) in revenue, up 746.63 percent and 690.06 percent year on year respectively. (Xinhua/Li An)

This aerial photo taken on Feb. 23, 2023 shows the scenery of the Laojun Mountain scenic spot in Luanchuan County of Luoyang, central China's Henan Province. Official data showed that the city saw 10.31 million trips in January of 2023, generating 6.28 billion yuan (about 902.44 million U.S. dollars) in revenue, up 746.63 percent and 690.06 percent year on year respectively. (Xinhua/Li An)

Tourists visit the Laojun Mountain scenic spot in Luanchuan County of Luoyang, central China's Henan Province, Feb. 23, 2023. Official data showed that the city saw 10.31 million trips in January of 2023, generating 6.28 billion yuan (about 902.44 million U.S. dollars) in revenue, up 746.63 percent and 690.06 percent year on year respectively. (Xinhua/Li An)

This aerial photo taken on Feb. 23, 2023 shows visitors enjoying the scenery of the Laojun Mountain scenic spot in Luanchuan County of Luoyang, central China's Henan Province. Official data showed that the city saw 10.31 million trips in January of 2023, generating 6.28 billion yuan (about 902.44 million U.S. dollars) in revenue, up 746.63 percent and 690.06 percent year on year respectively. (Xinhua/Li An)

This aerial photo taken on Feb. 23, 2023 shows the scenery of the Laojun Mountain scenic spot in Luanchuan County of Luoyang, central China's Henan Province. Official data showed that the city saw 10.31 million trips in January of 2023, generating 6.28 billion yuan (about 902.44 million U.S. dollars) in revenue, up 746.63 percent and 690.06 percent year on year respectively. (Xinhua/Li An)

A tourist visits the Laojun Mountain scenic spot in Luanchuan County of Luoyang, central China's Henan Province, Feb. 23, 2023. Official data showed that the city saw 10.31 million trips in January of 2023, generating 6.28 billion yuan (about 902.44 million U.S. dollars) in revenue, up 746.63 percent and 690.06 percent year on year respectively. (Xinhua/Li An)

This aerial photo taken on Feb. 23, 2023 shows the scenery of the Laojun Mountain scenic spot in Luanchuan County of Luoyang, central China's Henan Province. Official data showed that the city saw 10.31 million trips in January of 2023, generating 6.28 billion yuan (about 902.44 million U.S. dollars) in revenue, up 746.63 percent and 690.06 percent year on year respectively. (Xinhua/Li An)

Tourists visit Luoyi ancient city in Luoyang, central China's Henan Province, Feb. 22, 2023. Official data showed that the city saw 10.31 million trips in January of 2023, generating 6.28 billion yuan (about 902.44 million U.S. dollars) in revenue, up 746.63 percent and 690.06 percent year on year respectively. (Xinhua/Li An)

This photo taken on Feb. 22, 2023 shows exhibits in a shop at Luoyi ancient city in Luoyang, central China's Henan Province, Feb. 22, 2023. Official data showed that the city saw 10.31 million trips in January of 2023, generating 6.28 billion yuan (about 902.44 million U.S. dollars) in revenue, up 746.63 percent and 690.06 percent year on year respectively. (Xinhua/Li An)

A tourist poses for photos at Luoyi ancient city in Luoyang, central China's Henan Province, Feb. 22, 2023. Official data showed that the city saw 10.31 million trips in January of 2023, generating 6.28 billion yuan (about 902.44 million U.S. dollars) in revenue, up 746.63 percent and 690.06 percent year on year respectively. (Xinhua/Li An)

Tourists visit the Laojun Mountain scenic spot in Luanchuan County of Luoyang, central China's Henan Province, Feb. 23, 2023. Official data showed that the city saw 10.31 million trips in January of 2023, generating 6.28 billion yuan (about 902.44 million U.S. dollars) in revenue, up 746.63 percent and 690.06 percent year on year respectively. (Xinhua/Li An)

Actors perform at Luoyi ancient city in Luoyang, central China's Henan Province, Feb. 22, 2023. Official data showed that the city saw 10.31 million trips in January of 2023, generating 6.28 billion yuan (about 902.44 million U.S. dollars) in revenue, up 746.63 percent and 690.06 percent year on year respectively. (Xinhua/Li An)

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
Foxlink' has halted production at its assembly facility and evacuated approximately 400 of its employees to safety after the mishap. No casualties have been reported in the incident (DC Image)

TIRUPATI: Tension prevailed in the Electronic Manufacturing Cluster-I in Vikruthamala under Yerpedu Mandal in Tirupati district on Monday, after a massive fire broke out at the manufacturing facility of Foxlink India Electric Private Limited, which makes cables for Apple iPhones. However, a quick response from the fire and rescue services personnel and police averted a major fire accident.

The Apple supplier Foxlink has halted production at its assembly facility, situated close to Tirupati international airport, and evacuated approximately 400 of its employees to safety after the mishap. The fire safety department, with the help of police and the management, doused the flame and brought the situation under control, fire safety officials said.

A release from the district administration stated that the initial investigation revealed that the fire occurred around 1 pm due to an electrical short circuit on the first floor of the facility. "Employees noticed flames emanating and immediately alerted the fire control room and the local police. Fire tenders were deployed to douse the fire. The blaze was finally put out after more than two hours of fire-fighting. No casualties have been reported in the incident", it added.

The official release claimed that timely action was taken by the management and the district administration to prevent any loss of life. "The fire safety department responded and tried to reduce the severity of property damage with the help of fire extinguishers. Details of property damage are yet to be ascertained. The incident would be investigated and appropriate action will be taken", the district administration added in its statement.

According to sources, some of the employees were trapped inside the factory when the fire broke out on the first floor of the building. Soon after the fire started, thick smoke engulfed the area, and the employees immediately rushed out to safety, while a few of them were said to be injured. They were shifted to a nearby hospital for medical treatment.

Sources said, half of the building was gutted in the fire and the management estimates that the majority of the machinery has been damaged. Properties worth several lakh rupees were said to be gutted in the fire. EMC CEO M. Gautami, APIIC officials, the Revenue Department, Police and officials of other concerned departments inspected the spot and took appropriate relief measures.
Road connectivity has improved to a substantial extent under various state and central government schemes like the Pradhan Matri Gram Sadak Yojana, the Backward Regions Grant Funds (BRGF) and the World Bank funds in the rural and tribal areas, especially the Maoist-affected areas, in the last 10 years. (Representational Image: DC)

Adilabad: The recently sanctioned 64.2km Greenfield Express Highway (four lanes) under the central governments Bharathmala Pariyojana scheme is set between Gadchiroli of Maharashtra and Komaram Bheem Asifabad and Mancherial districts.

The works would be taken up at a cost of Rs 10,578 crore. This is likely to also check the Maoist activities while boosting the economic activities in the backward areas of Mancherial and Komaram Bheem Asifabad districts.

The new road would pass through 42 villages in eight mandals across two districts.

The aerial survey for the project was held three days ago in the border areas for identifying the land required for the road. The road will connect the Telangana, Chhattisgarh and Gadchiroli areas.

Officials said the greenfield road will start at Annaram village in Tandur mandal of Mancherial district and end at the Kirimiri village of Gadchiroli district in Maharashtra. There already was a national highway connecting Gadchiroli and Nagpur, at Kirimiri, and the new highway will give connectivity to the existing road. Already, a parallel road was laid along the Wardha river from Chandrapur to Gadchiroli.

Maoists are carrying out their activities in Gadchiroli district and the bordering areas of Chhattisgarh. Both these segments are connected to the Komaram Bheem Asifabad district and Mancherial district. Both road connectivity and transportation will improve between Gadchiroli and Mancherial and Komaram Bheem Asifabad district once the new NH is ready for traffic.

Road connectivity has improved to a substantial extent under various state and central government schemes like the Pradhan Matri Gram Sadak Yojana, the Backward Regions Grant Funds (BRGF) and the World Bank funds in the rural and tribal areas, especially the Maoist-affected areas, in the last 10 years.

Officials noted that the central government was giving funds to improve road connectivity in the Maoist-affected area under BRGF in the erstwhile Adilabad district.

Road connectivity is likely to improve further in the Left Wing Extremism Affected Areas with the sanction of Rs 150 crore by the central government for the construction of high-level bridges and laying of new roads in the interior villages along the forest areas in the Komaram Bheem Asifabad district.

"These funds are sanctioned as a special package under the LWE affected areas scheme to tackle the problem in a holistic manner," officials explained.

The central government had sanctioned nearly Rs 500 crore to improve road connectivity in Left Wing Extremism Affected Areas in old Adilabad, Karimnagar, Warangal and Khammam districts of the state in 2020.

High-level bridges and BT road were laid with the funds in such areas in the Komaram Bheem Asifabad district.

BJP senior leader of Sirpur (T) Palvai Harish said the new green field express highway coming up in the constituency would improve the road connectivity in the backward areas, also trade, and create employment opportunities in the Naxal-affected area.

He said a team of BJP leaders led by him presented a proposal for laying the NH from Podasa of Maharashtra and Venkatraopet of Telangana from Kagaznagar X road and submitted a memorandum to the Union roads and highways minister Nitin Gadkari a few months ago.

Harish said the proposed route map was not accepted on the ground that it was passing through the reserve forest at Peddabanda and Vempalli. Hence, the direction was changed towards the right and clearance given by the Centre to the road proposal.

He said the new NH will skirt the tiger corridor and buffer zone of Kawal Tiger Reserve in Penchikalpet, Karjelli and Sulugupalli. "The new NH will pass through the rural hinterland and a fresh road will be laid without connecting the existing roads," he added.

Two bridges will come up as per the road layout -- one on the Peddavagu river between Dahegam and Kagaznagar and the other on the Wardha river at Sandgam and Kirimeri of Gadchiroli district.
Dama Srinivasa Rao, citing an incident wherein street dogs killed a child, accused the GHMC of negligence and irresponsible behaviour. GHMC must take serious steps to curb the dog menace, (Representational Image/DC)

Hyderabad: City residents continue to suffer from stray dog menace with no resolution in sight, with many citing inaction and laxity of officials, coupled with failures of the municipal corporations campaigns, as the major causes.

Even as the mayor Gadwal R. Vijayalakshmi has been deputing veterinary staff to schools for raising awareness, residents termed the steps taken as impractical and irksome, due to a lack of resolution, on social media sites.

A city resident, Anil Kumar, said that his colony in Tolichowki has around 40 strays and that the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) has failed to take any measures despite repeated complaints.

Dama Srinivasa Rao, citing an incident wherein street dogs killed a child, accused the GHMC of negligence and irresponsible behaviour. "GHMC must take serious steps to curb the dog menace," he said.

A social media user, Rakesh, posted on Twitter that even after waiting for over three days since filing a complaint, he is yet to hear back from the GHMC. "Its been 3 days. Dogs are scaring the children again while they are playing out on Sunday. This should stop," he posted.

Another city resident, C.B. Reddy, said, "Please solve the dog issue in Kakatiya Nagar, (Ramalayam temple location) as there are too many dogs attacking people during night time."

Some residents, however, were not so restrained.

Dileep Kumar Koppu, a resident, questioned GHMC: "Are you guys only vaccinating them? Aren't you guys neutering the stray dogs? If not, why? Then how would you plan to control the stray dog epidemic in Hyderabad? Please answer as I am concerned to send my boy out to play."

A few residents, meanwhile, said that translocating dogs from one location to another is not the solution.

Gupta Priyanshu, a resident, posted on social media: "Do you really think the solution is to randomly pick up dogs and dump them in other localities? We need to simply train the citizens on how they can behave with dogs and show some humanity. I have unconditionally adopted 15 stray dogs. The idea is simple, just feed and love the dogs and they bring no harm to you."

Another resident, Rahul Rajendra, called on the government to effectively utilise funds to curb the stray population and ensure care for pregnant dogs.

Despite repeated attempts, the city mayor and GHMC authorities were unavailable for comment.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi (Photo: PTI)

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi underscored backwardness among Pasmanda Muslims as he highlighted his governments efforts to reach out to the most deprived sections of society with its various welfare schemes. In a post-budget webinar on "reaching the last mile", he said his government is launching a special mission for the most deprived among the tribals.

"We must provide facilities to our tribes in over 200 districts and over 22,000 villages. Among our minorities, especially among Muslims, we have Pasmanda Muslims. How we have to take benefits to them... as they even today after so many years of Independence remain far behind," he said.
Some 200 people were on board vessel that sank off southern Calabria region's coast, 80 survived

ROME (AA)  At least 60 migrants, including a dozen minors, have died after their wooden boat crashed against rocks off the coast of Italys southern Calabria region, authorities said on Sunday.



Some 80 migrants have survived the shipwreck, according to the Italian coast guard, but authorities fear the death toll could continue to rise as the boat was carrying some 200 people.



Most of the bodies were found washed up on the shores of Steccato di Cutro, a resort in the province of Crotone, while a few others were retrieved from the water, rescuers said.



The vessel -- which had on board migrants from Iran, Pakistan and Afghanistan -- collided with the reefs in violently rough seas off Crotones shores before dawn on Sunday.



The tragedy comes just days after the far-right government led by Premier Giorgia Meloni pushed through Parliament a controversial new law on rescuing migrants.



Meloni expressed her deep sorrow for the many human lives cut short by human traffickers, noting that it is criminal to launch a boat just 20 meters long with as many as 200 people on board and with adverse weather forecasts.



She stressed that the government is committed to preventing the departures, and with them the unfolding of these tragedies, and will continue to do so, first of all by demanding maximum collaboration from the states of departure and of origin.



Italys Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi said the latest tragedy shows how it is absolutely necessary to fight firmly against irregular migration, handled by unscrupulous smugglers who, to get rich, organize these improvised trips, with inadequate boats and in prohibitive conditions.



He called to move forward with any possible initiative to block the departures and avoid encouraging the crossings.



Meloni, leader of the anti-migrant Brothers of Italy party, won last Septembers national elections promising to stop the flow of migrants reaching Italian shores.



The new law pushed by the Meloni government forces migrant aid vessels to make just one rescue attempt at a time, which critics say risks increasing the number of drownings in the central Mediterranean, the most dangerous crossing in the world for people seeking asylum in Europe.

In a statement issued after the tragic incident, Italian President Sergio Mattarella called on the European Union to "finally concretely assume the responsibility of managing the migratory phenomenon to remove it from the traffickers of human beings."

Mattarella added that the EU should also support development in countries where young people risk dangerous sea crossings toward what they hope would be better lives, as they see no future at home.

Giada Zampano/AA

...

Italie / Migration : Le bilan du naufrage d'une embarcation s'alourdit a 60 morts

Pres de 200 personnes se trouvaient a bord d'une embarcation qui a fait naufrage au large de la ville meridionale de Calabre.

Le bilan du naufrage d'une embarcation transportant des migrants au large de la ville de Calabre, dans le sud de l'Italie, est passe a 60 morts, selon les autorites locales.

Les garde-cotes italiens ont annonce, dans un communique, que 60 migrants ont peri, alors que 80 autres ont survecu au naufrage.

Les autorites ont, egalement, affirme que "le bilan risque de s'alourdir car l'embarcation transportait pres de 200 personnes".

Plus tot dans la journee, l'agence de presse italienne (AGI) a rapporte que les garde-cotes italiens ont repeche 33 corps, apres que leur bateau a coule, au large de la cote sud de l'Italie.

Les equipes de secours ont declare que la plupart des corps ont ete retrouves echoues sur les plages d'une station balneaire de la province de Crotone.

Le navire, transportant des migrants d'Iran, du Pakistan et d'Afghanistan, s'est ecrase contre des rochers, selon medias italiens.

La tragedie survient quelques jours seulement apres que le gouvernement de droite dirige par la Premiere ministre italienne Giorgia Meloni, a adopte une nouvelle loi controversee sur le sauvetage des migrants clandestins.

La nouvelle loi proposee par le gouvernement de Meloni oblige les navires d'aide a ne faire qu'une seule tentative de sauvetage a la fois, ce qui menace d'augmenter le nombre de noyades en Mediterranee centrale, le point de passage le plus dangereux au monde pour les personnes demandant l'asile en Europe.

Meloni a exprime, dans un communique de presse, sa "profonde tristesse face a cette tragedie'', soulignant ''qu'il s'agit d'un crime de naviguer sur un bateau d'une longueur de seulement 20 metres, avec jusqu'a 200 personnes a bord''.

Dans ce meme contexte, le ministre italien de l'Interieur, Matteo Piantedosi, a declare, dans un communique, que "cette tragedie reflete l'importance de lutter resolument contre l'immigration irreguliere, ou des passeurs sans scrupules organisent ces periples pour s'enrichir".

Il a egalement appele a aller de l'avant avec toute "eventuelle initiative visant a entraver le depart des migrants par ces voies illegales".

AA/Rome/Giada Zampano
The 'Technological Evolution' has offered up several career prospects in IT. The ability to handle and store massive volumes of data faster and more efficiently than ever before is the major benefit of the Tech Revolution. This advantage has enabled firms to improve their decisions, provide better customer service, and increase organisational performance.

IT professionals now have a plethora of job options because of the Tech Revolution. As more businesses and organisations shift to digital operations, the demand for IT specialists who can support these operations is increasing. Many analysts believe that the demand for IT personnel will skyrocket in the next years.

We have compiled a list of the highest-paying IT employment opportunities in India to assist ambitious professionals in setting their standards and possibly encourage them into their ambitions. In recent years, the following occupations have emerged as the best-paying IT jobs in India.

List of India's Top Highest-Paying IT Jobs

Full Stack Developer

Full stack developer is one of India's top-paid professions. But, these IT specialists in the field of web development are still in limited supply. Companies now require fully prepared full-stack engineers that can leverage newer cloud platforms providers such as Google, container technologies such as Kubernetes, and other AI-related advances.

Data Engineer

A data engineer is a specialist who focuses on developing, creating, and implementing data networks or processes to analyze and understand data. A data engineer must be technically knowledgeable in areas such as System Architect, database design and installation, coding, interface and sensor arrangement, and distributed databases.

Product Manager

A Product Manager is another high-paying IT career in India. A product manager is in charge of the whole process of product development, which includes constructing and developing the item as well as adding features following the requirements of the clients. This is done with the help of the web development team. They are also in charge of marketing efforts and handling the product lifecycle.

Software Development Engineer

A software development engineer is a professional specialist that is in charge of developing apps and software programmes for use on various operating systems and platforms.

They are not merely code specialists; rather, they are experts who concentrate on the administration and creation of applications and programmes, giving innovative, strategic solutions and controlling faults following the needs of the corporation.

Cybersecurity Specialists

Cybersecurity specialists have grown in popularity in recent years and are now among the top professions in the Country. They are the ones who keep our electronics safe from cybercrime (digital attacks). Hackers attempt to compromise our sensitive information through various tactics known as cyber-attacks. This can be eliminated with the assistance of cyber security specialists who use tactics and elevated technologies. Their major responsibility is to put security programmes in place.

Cloud Architect

Cloud computing is all the rage these days, so it's no surprise that the position of cloud architect has become one of the highest demanding in India. A cloud architect is responsible for overseeing and building computational strategies such as cloud layouts, administration, quality control, debugging, and acceptance. Cloud architects must have a solid understanding of cloud structures and designs, as well as good coding abilities and an understanding of virtualized environments and IT networks.

Machine Learning Professionals

AI and machine learning have taken the modern world by storm by creating more personalised solutions for users. Professionals in machine learning assist brands in making more informed business decisions, reducing investment risk. Machine learning experts have shown to be tremendous assets to businesses, and their demand is increasing year after year. A machine learning certification or degree can propel your profession in interesting directions.

Blockchain Engineers

Blockchain engineers are in charge of creating and executing blockchain-related technologies and frameworks. As cashless platforms become more popular in India, blockchain has emerged as a crucial pioneer in the fintech industry in particular. Aside from finance, blockchain offers enormous potential in a variety of other fields, such as digital currencies.

Considering the newness of the innovation, the employment sector is facing a severe scarcity of skilled blockchain workers. This could be an excellent time for tech enthusiasts to explore this field and pursue a profession out of it.
There are several employment or career prospects in both the public and private sectors. Candidates can pursue entrepreneurship or work for themselves in their fisheries-related businesses. You can see that every nation or state has a fisheries department where you can apply for numerous positions. University grads can apply for research projects or extend their education.

Fisheries Science career opportunities in India and overseas are in high demand, with a diverse range of options available. Several Fisheries Science graduates can pursue a variety of employment in the aquaculture, marine, and fishing industries, as well as engineering and new technology ventures. The Fisheries Science graduate's progress and prospects in various public and private sectors of reputable organisations in India and internationally.

Career Opportunities in Fishery Science

Fishing Observers

Fishing observers are autonomous specialists that work in fish processing businesses. A fishery observer devotes his time and work to gathering details about particular types of at-sea data. They examine commercial fisheries and collect data to aid research, conservation, and the marine fisheries board.

Fisheries Technicians

Fisheries technicians are responsible for evaluating and gathering information to aid in research and fishing industry management. They also play an essential part in the conservation and preservation of fishing resources. They estimate, analyse, and distribute fish while also measuring their well-being. improving fish habitats through maintenance on streams and channel banks, and responding to general public inquiries.

Fish Farming Consultant

Fish farming experts are in control of both retail and wholesale fish breeding and rearing. They monitor fish stocks and ensure that the water system is enough for the different kinds of fish.

Aquaculture Technologist

Aquaculture technicians collaborate with government authorities to aid biologists in the oversight of publicly owned lakes, rivers, and active recreational sites. They assist conservationists and research scientists with keeping fish alive on campuses across the country.

Fishery Protection Officer

A Fishery Protection Officer works on the front lines of fisheries conservation and seafood security. This job includes doing routine direct inspections of naturally available fishing vessels, creating substructure and fish company premises, and working in various areas of fisheries and maritime industry.

Fishery Manager

A fishery manager Oversees the operation of a fishery or a poultry farm. Their duties include screening cultivation locations, monitoring fish progress, maintaining machinery and tools, preparing appropriate supplies of food, and dispensing fish medicines.

Fisheries Officer

A fisheries officer oversees aquaculture, sea life development, and fishing operations throughout the nation. As a fisheries officer, you will administer and supervise fishing and fish seeding activities in a specific site.
Due to advancements in the automotive sector, thermal engineering is a rapidly expanding profession in both India and abroad. This produces a large number of Thermal Engineering opportunities for fresh graduates in a range of industries such as defence services, railways, education, the automotive industry, telecoms, and so on. Students are trained as useful specialists with expert knowledge of many sectors during the programme.

Thermal engineers play a wide range of roles. They can operate in a variety of industries, including energy, petroleum, and construction. Their knowledge of heat transmission enables them to investigate many types of energy. They can also focus on renewable energy, technological advances, solar panels, oil and gas, power corporations, and thermal management systems.

Thermal engineers will have diverse careers. They can work in power plants, oil and gas industries, and vehicle manufacturing. They are even capable of working in hydropower generation stations.

What Skills are required for a Thermal Engineer?

The following are the Skills needed to become a thermal engineer.

Comprehensive expertise and experience with electric motor thermal analysis, strong understanding of fluid dynamics and thermodynamics, and so forth.

The ability to create designs based on thermal power and conduct trade studies

Thermal and mechanical software experience

Adequate understanding of good engineering applications, failure mode, element, and effect analysis

Career Opportunities in Thermal Engineering

Thermal Design Manager

A thermal design manager oversees and directs a team of thermal engineers who create thermal control systems such as capacitors. These individuals are in charge of the resource plan for ongoing product development projects.

A thermal design manager develops internal thermal management system capabilities from the idea phase for massive yields. Coordination with the validation and simulation teams is also required to verify the consistency of simulated data.

Piping Engineers

Piping engineers develop piping systems that transport fluids such as steam, water, two-faced mixtures, gas, oil, and others. These individuals are in charge of developing and maintaining all parts of piping systems. To develop pipes, they employ a variety of software. They must also coordinate with other departments and manage problems when they arise.

Maintenance Engineer

Their profession requires them to perform scheduled and unscheduled maintenance on technical machinery or factories. A Maintenance Engineer is responsible for inspecting, fixing, and repairing machinery, equipment, networks, and facilities.

Researcher

They are mostly concerned with determining organisational objectives in collaboration with other associates.

They must also define study procedures, variables, and various test variables, as the term implies. Furthermore, they must identify the most accurate method for gathering data and offer suggestions for project implementation.

Project Engineer

A project engineer works on thermal engineering projects such as the solar energy plant. These experts supervise the technical aspects and operation of a power plant. They collaborate closely with project partners, as well as monitor and prepare their expenditures. Project engineers guarantee that all project elements adhere to the specified demands and specifications.
Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao. (Twitter)

Hyderabad: BRS president and Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao on Monday condemned the arrest of Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in the Delhi liquor scam.

A day after Sisodias arrest, the Chief Minister took to Twitter and said, "We condemn the arrest of Manish Sisodia by CBI. It is nothing but an attempt to divert people's attention from the Modi-Adani nexus."

Chandrashekar Rao had been tight-lipped about the Delhi liquor scam and had not reacted when the investigating agency had questioned his daughter and BRS MLC K. Kavitha in December last. However, he is the lone non-Congress Opposition leader to take on the Adani Group ever since the Hindenburg report spoke of the alleged fudging by the conglomerate.

Significantly, the Chief Ministers son and IT minister K.T. Rama Rao also for the first time reacted at length, though indirectly, on the liquor scam. Speaking at a meeting in Sodashapalli of Hanamkonda district, he said BRS leaders were not afraid of going to jail and it was not something new for them (going to jail). He had condemned the arrest over Twitter on Sunday.

Rama Raos comments gained significance in the backdrop of strong rumours that the Central agencies might focus on Kavitha next.

"The Modi government unleashed income-tax department, CBI and Enforcement Directorate like hunting dogs on leaders of Opposition parties has been intimidating the latter by foisting cases and sending them to jails," said Rama Rao. He said BRS leaders went to jail on numerous occasions during the struggle for statehood for Telangana and he was also put in Warangal jail.

The IT minister accused the Opposition of politicising "pratee chinna amsam" (even small issues). "One medical student of MGM College in Warangal Dr Preethi was hurt after being subjected to ragging and unfortunately died. We all felt pained over the incident," he said adding that the Opposition politicised the death. Ministers Satyavathi Rathod and E. Dayakar Rao, MP Maloth Kavitha and MLA Shankar Naik went to NIMS and consoled her family members, he pointed out.

Taking potshots at BJP state president Bandi Sanjay, the IT minister said be it Saif (Dr Preethis senior at the Kakatiya Medical College) or Sanjay, the government would take action as per law against people responsible for the doctors death.

"On behalf of the state government and BRS I am expressing sincere condolences to the family members of Dr.Preethi and assuring that the government will support her family," he added.

Earlier, the minister laid the foundation stones for three mini lift irrigation projects which are going to be constructed at cost of `104 crore for supplying water to Chilpur, Dharmasagar and Velairu mandals through Devadula pipe lines for irrigation needs and also for laying two double roads at a cost of Rs.35 crores in the Station Ghanpur constituency.
Netflix has announced that a new stop-motion Pokemon series is in the works with a short, sun-drenched teaser released today.

Series details:
Pakistan and its secessionist protgs must know that they will have to pay a heavy price if they ever cross the red lines which India has firmly drawn. (Photo: ANI)

Religion, otherwise the repertoire of time-honoured human values, can also denigrate in diverse manifestations as the opium is not only of the masses but of nation states pursuing nefarious agendas. That nearly four decades back, Pakistans then dictator-President Gen. Zia-ul Haq had enunciated his sinister "K2" strategy of "bleeding India by a thousand cuts", employing a perverse interpretation of religion is well known.

Creating religio-political unrest backed by terror-driven violence in Indias border states of Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab was formally conceived as Pakistans evil strategy to create problems for India. That this devious planning did meet with a modicum of success for some years cannot be denied. Equally, that the patriotic people of Punjab and the violence-weary population of J&K did not succumb to these Pakistani wiles is also worthy of mention.

Terrorism doesnt flourish independently, but requires, besides a sinister eye-catching mission, myriad forms of support, including ample funding, training, political and logistical support, etc.

Pakistans "Deep State" -- the unholy trinity of the Pakistan Army, its intelligence agencies and the many terror "tanzeems" it nurtures -- has perfected the art of exporting terror. It is not surprising that for decades Pakistan has been dubbed the epicentre of global terrorism.

Regrettably, despite Pakistan currently on the verge of total economic collapse and starvation, with its forex reserves down to a mere 10 days of survival, continues to carry on with its nefarious agenda of re-energising its old "Khalistan" mischief in some Western nations and, importantly, in Indias strategic border state of Punjab.

In a recent news agency interview, Lt. Gen. KS Brar, who had led the Army action in June 1984 during Operation Bluestar to oust terrorists holed up in the Golden Temple -- the sacred shrine of Sikhs, has said "there is a resurgence of the Khalistani movement in Punjab, and that Pakistan is assisting them. London, Canada, America and Pakistan want a resurgence". He added: "It is horrible. I go to the UK, I go to Southall and I see Damdami Taksal leader Jarnail Singh Bhindranwales picture everywhere." Gen. Brar is on the hit list of certain terrorists and he has survived a terror attack in London to assassinate him. His warnings about the "Khalistani" movements resurgence need to be factored in seriously by the Indian security establishment.

The overall political situation currently in Punjab needs to be carefully monitored. Some analysts feel the Aam Aadmi Party government now in power in Punjab is not sufficiently firm in its dealings with extremists in the state, as reportedly the AAP obtained their votes in the 2022 polls. After the Akali Dal severed its traditional ties with pro-Hindu ally BJP, some tensions between the pro-Hindu groups in Punjab and right-wing Sikhs in the Akali Dal are bound to occur. However, what is causing concern now is the emergence of a young fiery extremist leader in Punjab, Amritpal Singh, who derives his inspiration from Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale. He has been touring Punjab and dressed like his late mentor, been spewing the "Khalistani" agenda. Amritpal has repeatedly said the "Khalistan" movement cannot be stopped. The other day he and his supporters stormed the Ajnala police station in the Amritsar area and managed to pressure the state government to free his imprisoned aide. It is high time the Centre takes cognisance of such anti-national activities and takes exemplary action against all those preaching secession.

Pakistans Inter-Services Intelligence and its "Khalistani" cohorts, for the last three years particularly, have changed their tactics. To exacerbate the religious divide among Hindus and Sikhs, some extremist elements have taken to defacing Hindu temples in the UK, Canada and Australia, which naturally has led to anguish and anger among Hindus at home and abroad. In the last one month, two Hindu temples in Canada and four in Australia have been vandalised and defaced with anti-Hindu and anti-India slogans. The government has taken up this issue strongly with the Australian and Canadian governments and their local authorities. But a few Sikh extremists have gone on a rampage at some places and there is palpable tension among the two Indian communities, who have otherwise lived in peace with each other for decades.

As the local authorities overseas take action to prevent such incidents, it is advisable that the Indian government send Sikh-led multi-community delegations to go around and address the vast Indian diaspora in some of the affected nations. Respected community leaders should educate the locals, born and settled abroad, about the multi-cultural, multi-religious and multi-ethnic values of the country of their origin, where intolerance towards any faith is sacrilege and never appreciated.

The nation must take concrete steps to ensure Punjab does not again experience the turmoil and pain it saw in the 1980s. To ensure that Punjab and its valiant, patriotic and industrious people grow towards their glorious destiny, a holistic approach by the Centre and the state government should be adopted, with all political parties giving unstinted support. Secularism as the watchword for strengthening Indias inter-societal harmony should be further given a fillip. The intelligence and security agencies must maintain a tight vigil on the overall situation in Punjab and abroad.

Indias detractors will recall how the loyal and nationalistic Sikhs had determinedly thwarted the machinations engineered from overseas in the 1980s and peace and joy had returned to Indias granary, truly the crown jewel of the nation. Pakistan and its secessionist proteges must know that they will have to pay a heavy price if they ever cross the "red lines" which India has firmly drawn.
Bandi Sanjay Kumar, the BJP's state unit president, objects that the newly-built domed state secretariat symbolises slavery: domes recall the culture of the Nizams. (Photo: Twitter/@bandisanjay_bjp)

Two Zen monks travelling together reached a swift-flowing river where a beautiful young woman sought their help in getting across. The younger monk picked her up without a word, carried her across the water, deposited her on the other side, and continued his journey to the astonishment of his older comrade. An hour passed as they trudged, two hours, then three. Finally, unable to restrain himself any longer, the older monk blurted out: "We are forbidden to touch a woman. Yet you carried her on your shoulders?" The young stalwart looked at his senior, and said: "Brother, I carried her for only a few minutes because there was no other way across the river. You are still carrying her in your mind!"

Like the older Zen monk, Bharatiya Janata Party activists in Telangana who are threatening to demolish any building with a dome also carry the chains of a long-dead colonial past. Bandi Sanjay Kumar, the BJPs state unit president, objects that the newly-built domed state secretariat symbolises slavery: domes recall the culture of the Nizams. He should be advised that Sikh gurdwaras and Buddhist stupas also boast of domes: must they too be demolished? Whatever the Nizam regimes faults, pretending that a system that lasted for 133 years never existed is like the proverbial ostrich. Independence should mean rising above "baraso sal ka ghulami", not changing names and inventing narratives in a futile attempt to wish away history.

Singapore experienced a similar phase of emotional immaturity when James Puthucheary, head of the Industrial Promotion Board, threatened to replace a statue of Sir Stamford Raffles, the colonys British founder, with Marx or Lenin. A troubled Albert Winsemius, the Dutch expert heading a team of United Nations advisers, wanted the statue to remain. Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew agreed that moving the statue of Raffles would erode the confidence of investors who made Singapores miraculous growth possible.

Indias packing away the relics of the Raj arguably made psychological sense in the heyday of decolonisation. But repeating the process 76 years later  as threatened by the storm in Telanganas teacup, Uttar Pradeshs renaming spree and the revision of textbooks and syllabuses -- would invite ridicule abroad and expose the lack of confidence of a government that squanders energy on circuses instead of giving people the bread they need. It so happens that many historians credit the last Nizam, the "Architect of modern Hyderabad", with stopping cow slaughter, abolishing the death penalty, separating the judiciary and executive, subjecting himself to the rule of law, and donating 5,000 kg of gold to the India Defence Fund.

It was in his domains, too, that the British Captain John Smith stumbled upon the Ajanta and Ellora caves while hunting in 1819 and braved fierce animals and fiercer tribals to explore them. The Asiatic Society which Sir William Jones, pioneer of Indological studies, had founded in 1784, had published a report on Ajantas wonders in 1836; Major Robert Gill, also British, spent 27 years copying the paintings. Another Englishman, John Griffiths of Bombays School of Art, continued his work for the next 13 years.

Honesty demands giving credit where credit is due. Foreigners are blamed for many things, but they preserved Indias past. As Kunwar Natwar Singh says in another context, Indians have no sense of history. An obsession with eternity means that the closer past is ignored. It was left to people like Francis Buchanan, the East India Company surgeon, surveyor and botanist, to explore Bodh Gayas Buddhist association so that external affairs minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar could take on his Nepalese colleagues the other day on the faiths origins. An appreciative Jawaharlal Nehru felt that with his lively interest in monuments, Lord Curzon, Viceroy from 1899-1905, "will be remembered because he restored all that was beautiful in India".

James Prinsep, who succeeded Jones, discovered the Brahmi script, from which Devanagari evolved. Prinseps protege, Alexander Cunningham, who joined the Bengal Engineers as a 19-year-old second lieutenant and spent 28 years in India, was the real father of Indian archaeology. Cunningham discovered the 2,000-year-old Indus Valley ruins at Harappa whose bricks were being used to lay a railway line. Excavating Sarnath and the Mauryan Bharhut stupa, he found villagers helping themselves to the bricks of sacred antiquity to build their own homes. As he wrote in his diary, "few natives of India have any belief in disinterested excavations for the discovery of ancient buildings Their only idea of such excavations is that they are really intended as a search for hidden treasure".

That greed explains the current furore over the "Kohinoor", which a wise Prime Minister like Inder Kumar Gujral had dismissed as irrelevant to modern Indias primary concerns. If the diamond does come to India, it might well disappear like Rabindranath Tagores gold Nobel Prize medal or be destroyed like two volumes of Romesh Chunder Dutts scrapbooks that were so badly stored and carelessly handled that they disintegrated in a curators hands before my eyes. There were earlier reports of the gems being prised out of Mughal jewellery in a historic collection and replaced with coloured glass and of incorrect labels on priceless artefacts in one of our most august museums. When Singapore mounted an exhibition on Buddhisms spread across Asia, it had to coax and cajole some custodians of major Indian collections to part with treasures that had remained locked up in their stores since colonial times and of which they were blissfully unaware. Perhaps ignorance is a blessing: knowledge might have led to a repeat of the Tagore medal tragedy. The past receives little respect from people obsessed with current wealth.

Its fashionable nowadays to blame the Wests "colonial mindset" (as its called) for holding India back. The BBC documentary on the Gujarat riots, the Hindenburg report on the Adani empire and the "old, rich, opinionated and dangerous" George Soros comments have triggered fierce protests. A wounded civilisations outrage blazes from New Delhis Kingsway to Rajpath to Kartavya Path like the older Zen monks righteous puritanical wrath. The much more confident younger monk had no such misgivings. As for the usual culprits, the former colonial powers are too engrossed in superpower rivalry and the struggle for survival to wallow in the past. Only insecure newly independent nations seek an excuse for their failures by seeing a conspiracy behind every bush and complain of being permanently under siege.
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Police said a man fled after trying to carjack a vehicle, then tried to hide a gun in another car nearby.

An earlier version of the story on Chattanoogan.com erroneously said the vehicle was the suspect's mother's. It actually belonged to the mother of the person who called in about the incident.

Hamilton County Sheriffs Office deputies said they received a call to the 11700 block of Dolly Pond Road on Thursday around 7:50 p.m. in reference to a suspicious white male who jumped out into the roadway in front of a blue Toyota Camry. The caller said the man then tried to enter his mother's vehicle and he was now walking in the roadway in front of Gamble Road Baptist Church on Dolly Pond Road.



Deputies found the driver of the car in the church parking lot. They also saw a white male take off running east from the church parking lot. Deputies were advised by the driver that the man running away was the suspect.



Deputies then engaged in a short foot pursuit after the man ran into a driveway near the church. The man was seen getting into a red sedan parked at the residence and leaning into the passenger area. Deputies were able to take the man, identified as Bradley Wayne Kilgore, 40, of 11708 Dolly Pond Road, into custody.



Deputies then conducted a search of the vehicle Kilgore entered and located a revolver in the glove box.



After speaking with the driver, she advised that she was traveling north on Dolly Pond Road when Kilgore stepped out in front of her vehicle and attempted to open her driver's side door.



Since her doors were locked and windows rolled up, she said Kilgore started hitting her driver's side window. She said she was in fear for her safety.



Kilgore was charged with assault and attempted carjacking and was transported to the Hamilton County Jail and Detention Center for booking.

Kilgore made a video giving his side of the story.

Click here to see the video.
4/14/2023

United Way of Greater Chattanooga has partnered with Unum Group and Hamilton County Schools to design and bring to life calm rooms for local students to utilize. The first calm room just opened ... more
Hamilton County will be getting new voting machines - estimated to cost around $2 million - members of the Election Commission were told on Monday morning.

Election Commission members said they want to stay with the current system in which voters mark their choices on paper ballots.

Scott Allen, election administrator, said the current machines are nine years old and near the end of their projected life.

He also said the current system does not meet a requirement of having 100 percent paper ballots. He said, "We are at 99 percent, but not with the handicapped voters."

Mr. Allen said there are five approved vendors in Tennessee, and his office will be getting demonstrations from them. The first will be March 29.

He said there will be a process of requests for proposals.

The new system is to be in place by the next election in March 2024. There are no elections this year.

Mike Walden, Election Commission chairman, noted that the county is required to pay for the equipment, but does not have say-so over which company will be hired.

He said the new system needs to be installed "sooner rather than later" so it will be fully ready for the next voting.

Also, Mr. Allen said the projected cost of a new section of parking at the election office is $341,000, plus $100,000 for lighting and other items. His office is budgeting $450,000.

Officials said earlier that when there are large numbers of voters at the site off Amnicola Highway there is not enough space on the paved lot. They said cars and trucks spill over into nearby grassy areas and sometimes get stuck when there are muddy conditions.

The addition will provide 90 more parking spaces.

Mr. Allen said one issue is that the railroad has an easement across part of the site. That is being discussed with the railroad.

At the start of the meeting, state legislators paid tribute to longtime Election Commission member Jerry Summers.

The well-known attorney was the lawyer for the election office prior to going on the panel.

Rep. Yusuf Hakeem read a resolution honoring attorney Summers. It had been passed by the state House and Senate. Attending also were Rep. Greg Martin and Senator Bo Watson.
Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti will host a town hall meeting in Chattanooga on Monday, to discuss the impact Big Tech is having on Tennessee families, particularly children.

Social media platforms hurt kids with products designed to be addictive and recommended content that exacerbates depression and self-harm, General Skrmetti said. Tennessee is proud to be a leader in pursuing transparency and accountability for social media companies. We look forward to hearing from Tennesseans across the state about how social media is affecting kids.



Town halls were announced last month as General Skrmetti, on behalf of Tennessee consumers, is investigating some social media companies. As part of its investigation, the Attorney Generals Office seeks to learn more about the problems Tennesseans have encountered regarding the harmful effects of social media on kids. The first one was held in Clarksville on March 2, and the second in Jackson on March 9.



The town hall will be held at the Chattanooga School for the Liberal Arts located at 4850 Jersey Pike and is open to the public. The program will begin at 6 p.m.






A man told police two of his vehicles had been stolen from his mothers property and then sold to 'Pick a Part' at 401 Workman Road. Through further investigation, it was discovered that 'Pick a Part' had bought the two vehicles in question from 'Cash for Junk Cars.' The vehicles had been on the mans mother's property and she had given him 60 days notice to have them removed or she would have them towed. The man provided information on the two vehicles and neither were registered to him nor did he have a title on either car to show. The two vehicles had been taken from his mother's residence, which is located in the county. The man had reached out to the county to report them stolen but neither has been entered into NCIC.

* * *

An officer responded to a suspicious person at Circle K, 4900 Brainerd Road, and found a man asleep in his car at pump 11. The officer was able to wake him with little effort. Unfortunately, due to a language barrier, the officer couldnt speak to the man. The officer did notice two empty beer cans on the floorboard of the vehicle, but didn't observe any other clues suggesting that he was intoxicated. But to error on the side of caution, the officer offered to give the man a ride home, which he accepted.

* * *

A man and woman on Chandler Avenue were in a verbal disorder about Valentines Day. The man said he just wanted the woman to leave his residence. The woman was very distraught but police were able to transport her and her nephew to Wilson Street to stay with her sister for the night. Police didnt see any marks of foul play on anyone.

* * *

The driver of a school bus at Spears Avenue and Wert Street has had numerous issues with cars parking on Wert Street and the bus not being able to turn. There are no signs prohibiting parking but an officer did speak with the vehicle owners and they are aware to avoid parking there. The officer sent an email and a map of the problem area to City Traffic Engineering for a possible sign placement to prevent parking there.

* * *

Police were sent to Workman Road and Wilson Road to check on a person lying near a stop sign. A woman was in the area and police asked her if she was injured or needed EMS. She said she was okay and didnt need EMS. She said she was taking a break from walking and laid down while looking for a lighter.

* * *

Police responded to a vandalism at Alexian Pace, 425 Cumberland St. A man said someone broke the glass of the driver side window ($200) of a transportation bus. An officer saw the shattered glass, but saw no further damage. The man said nothing appeared to be stolen from the bus. Due to the weather, the officer was unable to fingerprint the vehicle.

* * *

A security officer with Silverdale School at 7236 Bonny Oaks Dr. asked police to trespass a man. An officer explained to the man that if he returned to the property, he could be arrested simply for being on the property. The man left on foot.

* * *

A manager of Dollar Tree at 480 Greenway View Dr., told police there was a white homeless male spooking her customers in front of the store and she just wanted him to move along. Police spoke with the man and told him about getting help downtown. He moved along.

* * *

Police responded to a bicycle theft on Walnut Street and viewed security footage that showed a white male enter a parking garage at 3:07 a.m. and leave at 3:11 a.m. The suspect was able to bypass the chain lock of the bicycle before leaving south on Walnut Street. The bike was chained in the Unum parking garage when it was stolen.

* * *

A man on Museum Street told police he got into a verbal altercation with his father about rent. He said he wanted the receipt for February's rent in order to get a refund, because his father wanted him out of the house. He then said his father didnt want to give him the receipt. Police spoke with the father who said he didnt want his son in the house anymore since he wanted the rent money back. The father gave the receipt to police, who gave it to the landlord. The landlord gave the son his money back and he was given until March 15 to move out.
The 1923 Season 1 finale featured a dramatic ending for the Dutton family. Spencer and Alex ran into even more trouble on their voyage to Montana. Meanwhile, Teonna reunited with her father, and Donald Whitfield put his plan to take over the Dutton Ranch into action.

[Warning: This article contains spoilers for the 1923 Season 1 finale.]

Helen Mirren as Cara and Harrison Ford as Jacob in the 1923 Season 1 finale | Emerson Miller/Paramount+

Spencer and Alex are separated after a duel with the Earl of Sussex goes awry in the 1923 Season 1 finale

In the 1923 Season 1 finale, Alex and Spencer board a much safer ship than the capsized tugboat. Unfortunately, it is the same ship that Alexs ex-fiance Arthur is boarding.

When Arthur spots Alex and Spencer dancing in the main hall, he loses it and challenges Spencer to a duel. Spencer is reluctant to fight, but when Arthur pulls a gun, he ends up throwing the Earl of Sussex overboard.

When no one will speak up that Spencer acted in self-defense, he gets put in the brig. Luckily, Alexs friend Jennifer eventually testifies to the truth of what happened. Spencer wont be handed over to authorities, but the Prince in succession orders him to be taken to port via dinghy without his wife.

Alex races to the edge of the ship in time to see Spencer on a dinghy headed for the shore. She yells for her husband to meet her in Bozeman, Montana. The 1923 season 1 finale left fans on an unexpected cliffhanger. Spencer can likely get back to the States without any issue, but will Arthurs family continue to try to detain Alex? Knowing this couple, they will likely do anything they can to reunite.

Teonna, Runs His Horse, and Pete head for a Comanche reservation

Theres finally a ray of hope in Teonna Rainwaters story during the 1923 Season 1 finale. After Hanks death, she is reunited with her father, Runs His Horse, and meets Hanks son, Pete. The trio decides to head south to a Comanche reservation where they might find safety.

Teonna also finds a love interest in Pete, and not even her father will stop her from pursuing him. 1923 fans have likely discerned by now that Thomas Rainwater of Yellowstone is a descendant of Teonna. We may now know who the patriarch of that family will be. Unfortunately, the men hunting Teonna plan to head the group off at the Comanche reservation, so there is more trouble in store.

Elizabeth suffers a miscarriage  Is Alex pregnant in the 1923 Season 1 finale?

The 1923 Season 1 finale adds more information about the potential Dutton family tree. This episode seemingly confirms that Kevin Costners John Dutton hails from Spencer and Alexs line. Elizabeth suffers a miscarriage, and the odds of her getting pregnant again after being shot in the abdomen seem low.

We take what life gives us. Thats all we can do. #1923TV pic.twitter.com/FhVKQRzuME  1923 Official (@1923official) February 28, 2023

Alex, however, could very likely be pregnant. Onboard their ocean liner, Alex appears to suffer from motion sickness, but it might actually be morning sickness. She also mentions starting a family in her conversation with Jennifer.

Finally, Alex doesnt do anything too drastic to try to reach Spencers dinghy, meaning she is probably already aware of her pregnancy. Now the future of the Dutton family relies even more heavily on Spencer reaching Montanta in season 2.

Donald Whitfield could take everything the Dutton family holds dear

Though Banner Creighton has been a problem for the Dutton family, Donald Whitfield is the most dangerous threat. In the 1923 Season 1 finale, he finally makes his most villainous move  Whitfield pays the Dutton Ranchs property taxes.

If he isnt repaid by the end of the year, the ranch belongs to him. As Cara puts it, there may be nothing left to fight for if Spencer doesnt get home soon.

All episodes of 1923 are currently streaming on Paramount+.
King Charles Will Have to Share Spotlight With Co-Stars Prince Harry and Meghan Even if They Dont Attend Coronation, Commentator Says

Plans are underway for King Charles IIIs coronation on May 6. But instead of all the talk being about the historic day and ceremony, most of the chatter is focused on whether Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, will show up and what kind of reception theyll receive from the family and the British public if they do attend.

Well, according to one royal commentator, the Sussexes will get co-star billing as the king will have to share the spotlight with them even if they dont attend the event.

Now-King Charles III with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle on balcony during Trooping The Colour 2018 | Mark Cuthbert/UK Press via Getty Images

Report Meghan feels excluded from coronation plans

In a column for the New Zealand Herald, commentator Daniela Elser cited a recent report from The Spectator which claims the Sussexes are weighing up whether or not to accept the coronation invite because Meghan feels excluded from the event.

However, a source told The Mirror that is ridiculous and described the report as nothing but lies.

Its not that Meghan feels excluded with the planning, Meghan feels like the palace is only fighting for Prince Harry to attend and they dont care whether she shows up or not. And that does not sit well with her, To Di For Daily podcast host Kinsey Schofield claimed via Fox News Digital. Rejection is one of Meghans greatest insecurities. She does not want to be booed or humiliated on a global scale, yet she understands that her brand stateside increases in value with her proximity to the royal family.

Meghan Markle makes a speech on stage during the Opening Ceremony of the Invictus Games | Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images

King Charles will still share spotlight with Sussexes even if theyre not there

In her column, Elser opined that even if the Sussexes dont attend the coronation, the king will still be sharing the spotlight with them.

She wrote that she believes the duke and duchess will at least get co-star billing, adding that in scenario a) the minute we see one of Meghans Gianvito Rossi-clad feet stepping into the millennium-old Abbey, which has been the scene of coronations since 1066, TV cameras and the global press horde will be trained on her  to catch every blink and glance at the Prince and Princess of Wales.

Scenario b) would see the Sussexes decide they would prefer to stay home in California  Even then, the Sussexes non-attendance would set off an international media hoo-ha and take attention away from Charles and the giant historic moment.

Meghan Markle, Prince Harry, and now-King Charles III attend 2018 Royal Ascot Day 1 | Samir Hussein/WireImage

Prince Harry and Meghans children likely wont attend the ceremony

Even if both Meghan and Harry do attend the coronation, it seems unlikely that their son, Archie, and their daughter, Lilibet, will as well.

Some of the reasons for that are their ages and their positions in the line of succession as Archie is in sixth place after his dad and Lilibet is seventh in line just ahead of Prince Andrew.

Its also widely believed that Archie and Lili will be absent from the affair because Meghan and Harry control and are careful when it comes to how much of their children the public gets to see. Therefore, it certainly doesnt seem likely the kiddos would be at an event that will have so many eyes watching.
TL;DR:

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle spent 10 days in the Mediterranean after their May 2018 royal wedding.

The honeymoon, which Prince Harry described as glorious in Spare, included a bout of sickness for the newlyweds.

The build-up to the wedding had worn us down, Prince Harry wrote.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle | Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

Following their May 2018 royal wedding, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle embarked on their honeymoon. While the Duke of Sussex called it glorius in his Spare memoir, the 38-year-old also admitted theyd had a surprise that mightve put a damper on the getaway.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle left for their honeymoon in a van with cardboard-covered windows

After getting married at St. Georges Chapel, Windsor Castle, on May 19, 2018, with millions of people tuning in to watch the ceremony, the newly-minted Duke and Duchess of Sussex took off on their honeymoon. Similar to their wedding, details on the couples honeymoon were shrouded in secrecy.

Our honeymoon was a closely guarded secret, Harry wrote in Spare, which dropped on Jan. 10, 2023.

At the time, thered been speculation Harry and Meghan might opt to spend their honeymoon in Canada, where Meghan had lived while filming Suits. Other guesses as to the destination included Namibia, among other African locales.

But as Harry revealed in Spare, theyd opted for a tropical honeymoon, leaving their then-Kensington Palace home of Nottingham Cottage to preserve their privacy in their first few weeks of being newlyweds.

We left London in a car disguised as a removal van, the windows covered with cardboard, and went to the Mediterranean for ten [sic] days, Harry wrote.

Harry and Meghans honeymoon happened shortly before Trooping the Colour was due to happen back in London, England. Meaning the couple left the city some time after their May 19 royal wedding and returned before June 9, the day of the late Queen Elizabeth IIs official birthday parade, where Harry and Meghan made one of their first public appearances as newlyweds.

Harry and Meghan were sick on their honeymoon after being worn down by royal wedding build-up

While Harry didnt go into much detail about his and Meghans honeymoon, Harry revealed theyd both been sick.

Glorious to be away, on the sea, in the sun, he wrote. But we were also sick. The build-up to the wedding had worn us down.

Before the couples royal wedding, thered been all sorts of drama. From friction over flower girl dresses with Kate Middleton to Meghans father, Thomas Markle, not attending  or walking her down to aisle  amid staged photos and a hospitalization.

Despite being sick during his honeymoon, Harry appeared relaxed at a Kensington Palace charity event shortly after. David Price, a patron of the charity OnSide Youth Zones, told Hello! magazine the now-father of two seemed like he was still on cloud nine.

You can just tell when someones really laid back and relaxed and content with life, that was the vibe he was giving off, Price said. He had enough time for everybody and was in such a great mood.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markles royal wedding wasnt their dream, wanted Barefoot in Botswana nuptials

Also in Spare, Harry shared he and Meghan didnt get their dream wedding. Recalling a conversation hed had with his brother, Prince William, about possible wedding venues, Harry revealed he and Meghan wanted to explore options.

Barefoot in Botswana, with maybe a friend officiating, that was our dream, he wrote. But we were expected to share this moment with other people. It wasnt up to us.
ABCs The Bachelor Season 27 Episode 6 shows Zach Shallcross in action after contracting coronavirus (COVID-19) in London. Zach and the remaining women head to Estonia next, and he takes Charity Lawson on a one-on-one date. So, how far does Charity get with Zach? Here are The Bachelor spoilers.

[Spoiler alert: The Bachelor Season 27 spoilers ahead regarding Charity Lawson.]

Zach Shallcross and Charity Lawson | ABC/Craig Sjodin

Charity Lawson and Zach Shallcross go on a 1-on-1 date in Estonia

Zach Shallcross finally takes Charity Lawson on a one-on-one date in The Bachelor Season 27 Episode 6. Charity was supposed to have a date with Zach in London, but Zachs unfortunate bout with coronavirus prevented the date from happening. As a result of his illness, only Gabi Elnicki got to go on a date. The group date and Charitys date were canceled.

The date card says, Lets make up for lost time. So, I am so excited for this date with Charity, Zach says in a clip from his date with Charity in Estonia. The couple are walking along a cobblestone path when Zach reveals to Charity that theyll take a horse-drawn carriage around the city.

I have always wanted to go in a carriage, Charity says. I have never been. Just being here with Zach, its all a dream.

Zach and Charity then participate in a wife-carrying competition, which involves Zach carrying Charity over his shoulders and running against other competitors in the race.

How far does Charity Lawson get in The Bachelor Season 27?

It's almost time to take in everything Estonia has to offer. ? pic.twitter.com/7HmKh0x1XM  The Bachelor (@BachelorABC) February 27, 2023

Zach Shallcross and Charity Lawson have a fantastic time on their date in The Bachelor Season 27 Episode 6. So, how far does Charity get with Zach?

According to spoilers from Reality Steve, she receives a rose from Zach in episode 6. She also makes it through the rose ceremony in episode 7 when Zach and the women head to Budapest, Hungary. Charity makes it all the way to hometowns, where Zach heads to Columbus, Georgia, to meet her family. Zach also goes to Austin, Texas, with Kaity Biggar, New York City, New York, with Ariel Frenkel, and Pittsford, Vermont, with Gabi Elnicki.

Unfortunately, Charitys time with Zach ends during hometown week. Zach sends Charity home after her hometown date.

Kat Izzo causes a scene before the 1-on-1 date in episode 6

When love is on the line, all bets are off. ? Don't miss a dramatic night of #TheBachelor at 8/7c on ABC & Stream on Hulu. pic.twitter.com/WC1sixBFdB  The Bachelor (@BachelorABC) February 27, 2023

As the date card says, Charity Lawson and Zach Shallcross make up for lost time in The Bachelor Season 27 Episode 6. But its not without drama. When Zach enters the room of women to grab Charity for her one-on-one date, Kat Izzo pulls Zach into the hallway alone. While in the hallway, Kat tells Zach she misses him and kisses him before his date with Charity.

This rubs all of the women the wrong way, especially Brooklyn Willie. Zach came there specifically for Charity, and Kat steals him like were at a f***ing cocktail party, Brooklyn says. She then tells the other women shes annoyed by Kats actions. More previews for the episode show Brooklyn approaching Kat about her behavior, and it gets ugly.

The Bachelor Season 27 airs Mondays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.

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Cherokee Nation election candidate Brandon Girty makes his case against Joseph Tali Byrds eligibility to also run Feb. 27 inside the Election Commission office in Tahlequah. Following the hearing, the EC decided in Byrds favor. Seated next to Girty is his legal adviser, John Parris. Byrd and his adviser, Raquel Anakalea, are seated at the far table.
Killer mom Lindsay Clancy murdered her three children as her judgment was affected by drug withdrawal, husband's friend claims.

Lindsay Clancy Suffers Side Effects of Drugs

Duxbury police say, Lindsay Clancy, 32, has a new development in the case after she was charged with killing her three young children. Information indicates that, according to a friend, the accused had a benzos withdrawal with terrible side effects that led to murder.

Patrick Clancy revealed that the family visited his friend about two days before the killing occurred. His college friend, Kyle Carney, verified that the family had been there for dinner, noted Boston. Nothing was out of place, remarked during the visit.

She has been accused of slaying two kids and then leaving their bodies in the residence's basement, reported Meaww. But despite the evidence had denied any guilt in killing Cora, five, Dawson, three, and seven-month-old Callan. The infant died in the hospital after being taken for treatment.

Clancy Not in the Right Mind

It seems that the murder of Callan has been mentioned in the case, but she is not yet prosecuted for that. One of the deaths of Cora and Dawson is included in the murder case.

Read Also: Connecticut Mom Arrested After Dead Son Found Inside Plastic Bag

Details came out that Carney remarked that Patrick said his wife was getting medications not effectively cited by the US Sun. An argument used as a defense was that she had postpartum psychosis before the murders.

These specific problems like suffering from benzodiazepine withdrawals with terrible side effects. Charges that the suspect faced for murdering her three kids are two instances of first-degree murder with three counts of strangling and suffocating, deadly assault using a weapon.

Sources say that Assistant District Attorney Jennifer Sprague mentioned that Patrick was told to go out to pick up food and arrived to find the bedroom door was locked shut, as noted by WCVB.

He went about the house to find the children in the basement, alarming him. He later forced open the door to find his wife had cut her wrists and then jumped out of the second floor, committing suicide.

Tried in court

During the court trial, the prosecutor, Ms. Sprague, asked the defendant what she did when her husband called 911. She attempted to end her life by jumping out of the window.

The DA, while in the trial, asked more questions about what was happening at that time. She recalled Patrick asking her what had happened to the children while calling 911. During interrogation, the detectives discovered the victims were in the house's basement.

He went to the basement as she said they were. Seeing their young kids, Cora, Dawson, and Callan lying on the floor made him scream. Evie Magazine disclosed that Lindsay strangled them with exercise bands to death.

Due to the attempt by the suspect escaped charges in an attempt to end her life, which failed and ended in paralysis.The defense of Lindsay Clancy says that her husband's friend claims that drugs clouded her state, affecting her judgment to commit the murder.

Related Article: Massachusetts Mom Slays Her 3 Young Children, Defense Argues Insanity as Cause

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In the Old Testament, prophets were Gods spokespeople who told it to his people straightwe must pay attention. The Bible paints the prophets as those who jolt us awake and force us to see what is happening and what God says about such things.

As one scholar puts it: The situation of a person immersed in the prophets words is one of being exposed to a ceaseless shattering of indifference, and one needs a skull of stone to remain callous to such blows.

Prophets are the watchmen signaling with waving arms, often to people wanting to look away. Look up and see the evil done against others (Mic. 2:12), the prophets said. See the impact of your own choices on the vulnerable (Isa. 10:12). See the disobedience of Gods people (Zeph. 3:4). God sees the ways weve gotten things super wrong, guys, and hes coming to do something about it. Get ready. We might not be paying attention, but he is.

It would be easy for some of usand beneficial at timesto look away from the wrong done around us. We much prefer the aesthetics that way. Yet there are consequences to indifference.

We should not be surprised by discipline from the Lord if we choose not to pay attention to the discrepancy between our communitys actions and Gods righteous standard, just as the prophets warned in Israel. The Lord told them it was because they did not listen; it was because they didnt pay attention to his words that they were sent into exile (Jer. 29:1819).

All right, you may think, suppose we pay attention to the injustice and brokenness around us, even when we want to look away. Then what? Do we acknowledge it, then put on a happy face? What do we do with anger, sadness, and powerlessness in the face of the horrific evil of this world that we cannot stop?

This is exactly where we join Habakkuk on his journey. You see, this prophets book isnt a collection of his messages from God like some other prophetic books. Nor is it a narrative of his life, like the book of Jonah.

Habakkuk does something differenthe invites us into his conversation with God, like were sitting in on his prayer meeting. We have a front-row seat to Habakkuks wrestling, listening, bravery, and gritty faith. We get to see what real faith in the middle of chaos, wrongdoing, and suffering looks like.

His situation can feel far from our lived experience, but it really isnt. Habakkuk lived in a time of political chaos, violence, and a whole lot of wrong. He had witnessed strong leadership and even revival. Then, he saw it all crumble before his eyes as leaders lived for their own power and believed in their own authority. Oppression, danger, and hardship enveloped his society. Sound familiar?

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Do we see leaders around us live for their own power so that injustice seeps in? Have we seen the choice of self-protection and self-benefit instead of caring for those in need and those in the right? Time and again. In organizations, in nations, and, sadly, at times in churches.

As I write this, the global Christian community is still reeling from the news of a major Christian leader who was found to be a systematic sexual abuser. Some dear to me are mourning the broken systems of foster care and the impact on children.

And I bet youve seen some situation or issue unravel in recent years that made your stomach turn. Maybe its human trafficking. Or racism. Or the needs of children. Or unfair treatment of some vulnerable population. Heres what I want you to know in all of that: Habakkuk gets it. He was facing what we still see in our world: injustice.

Our friend Habakkuk lived under the rule of King Jehoiakim. It wasnt a virtuous reign.

King Jehoiakim, the token king for Egypt, encouraged anything but righteous faith in the Lord of his name. Change Your Worship to What Aligns You with the Right People would have been his sermon title (Jer. 25:16; Ezek. 8:517). Additional idolatry brought gain in his mind. Thus, he seemed to ignore the feasts and templeworship that God required of his peopleusing religion only for what served him.

Again, does this sound familiar? Leaders who would use religion to manipulate others and gain allegiance and power, all under the banner of Gods name? A quick scroll through various types of media will prove that our present reality is littered with such stories.

Adding to his horrific reign, Jehoiakim raised taxes to fuel his own lifestyle and to pay Egypt their tribute. His lavish buildings required slave labor and abuse of his own people. The people lived in poverty as he built his costly homes. He clashed with Jeremiah, whom God used to warn him of coming judgment (Jer. 22, 25).

What was Jehoiakims response to Gods correction? He burned Jeremiahs scroll bit by bit, literally silencing the Word of God written for the people. To further silence the prophets who would dare to speak against him, Jehoiakim sent out assassins. Habakkuk faced the threat of death! The result of the abandonment of Gods justice in Judahs society was chaos.

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The silencing of correcting voices wasnt unique in Habakkuks time.

Leadership punishing those who want to serve the Lord describes the circumstances for many across the world today. While our government may not have been taken over by a Pharoah, the misuse of power is around us, injustice and corruption too, even in the name of the Lord.

Though wed rather look away sometimes, faith requires us to pay attention.

In the midst of all that Habakkuk saw, he spoke. Habakkuk had a burden weighing on him after paying attention, and he told God about it. Its as if the prophet puts his arm around us and invites us into his prayer: How long, Lord, must I call for help and you do not listen or cry out to you about violence and you do not save? (Hab. 1:2, CSB throughout).

Habakkuk used Gods divine name, revealed to Moses: Yahweh (Lord). It reminds us that this is no ordinary master but the Lord who is in relationship with his people, and this clearly isnt the first time Habakkuk brought up the chaos and pain around him. Hed stood there waving his arms in frustration before. Through poetry and repetition, Habakkuk told God what has been happeninghed been calling out for help, and God wasnt helping.

Habakkuk may appear brash to us as he accuses God of dallying instead of saving. But Habakkuks prayer wasnt impertinent; it was like a child, scared and hurting, asking for help from a devoted parent. An intimate dialogue with a trusted God. His neighbors were pulled into forced labor. His family was taxed with little left. The Word of God was ignored, and godly worship was twisted to do whatever served the powerful.

Lord, the God who knows us, where are you for your faithful people? Habakkuks heart expressed. He continued: Why do you force me to look at injustice? Why do you tolerate wrongdoing? Oppression and violence are right in front of me. Strife is ongoing, and conflict escalates (Hab. 1:3).

He described the oppression and violence that smacked him in his face. It escalated, piling higher and higher, like a mountain that blocks the sun. It felt hopeless.

When will it be too much, God? Have you asked that? When will the injustice hit the point that you have to take notice, God? Do you even see?

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Some of Gods people in Habakkuks time were faithful. They were the ones listening in on Habakkuks prayer time. Others in Judah were anything buttaking advantage of those in need and seeking their own pleasure.

So Habakkuk said, This is why the law is ineffective and justice never emerges. For the wicked restrict the righteous; therefore, justice comes out perverted (Hab. 1:4).

Lets zoom in on this verse. In the first two lines of verse 4, Habakkuk made the claim that the law of God wasnt working. The word for law here speaks to what should be ruling the society, the law of the land. It also speaks to Gods teaching for his peoples spiritual and moral formation.

Those who followed Jehoiakim into idol worship and greed now rejected Gods instruction. Their personal make-your-own religion led them to ignore the practices of the temple, designed to form their hearts and shift how they treated others. What was the impact on justice for the hurting? It never showed up.

With muddied allegiance to the Lord, their devotion to things like the idols of the king brought injustice to the community. Their lack of faithfulness to God led to lack of faithfulness to others.

In the second sentence, the servants of the Lord were surrounded by betrayers, as the word restrict literally means to encircle. Those who cheated and manipulated for their own gain gathered around those who would not give up their integrity, like bullies ganging up on a playground child or a wolf pack enveloping prey.

People who should be trustworthy entrapped instead. There was no place to turn. Habakkuk said it againjustice? It was twisted and bent, winding like the country road that gets you nowhere. Its as if the constant reoccurrence of justice indicates that it is meant for all humankind.

Isnt this the common pattern of injustice? Those who should have done right have done wrong. Those who should have stood up to stop it didnt. Those supposedly trustworthy instead conspire for their own gain.

Just like thousands of years ago, muddied allegiance to God (and to his means of grace that form our hearts) leads to unfaithful care for the hurting. When we become devoted to idols that make our lives easier, like the status-giving idols of Egypt, we are less willing to do whats right for our neighbors.

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Do you feel like youre living in that place where you, in some form or fashion, long for the wrong to finally be set right? Do you feel like you looked to those with lots of promises, only to find that the results were twisted versions of the truth with no strong advocate in sight?

Thats where Habakkuk was living. The wicked surrounding the righteous and justice coming out bent. If we are meant to live in a just community, then what do we do in the face of the opposite? How do we respond with faith?

Its easier to leave injustice in our blind spots. This is especially true when the injustice is being done to those with different life experiences than our own, or when we cannot see beyond our own suffering.

Yet corruption and misuse of power are alive and kicking, and more are enslaved worldwide today than ever before. When we pay attention, we see the children without families and the desperate refugees searching for safety.

There may be three women in your small group whose husbands just left them. Your neighbor may face prejudice on a weekly basis for his ethnicity. Your friends children may struggle with anxiety from being bullied.

God sees the injustice on the grand stage and in small cornershe does not look away. And you know what? He asks his people to do the same.

The call of the prophets begging God to act shifts in the New Testament. God has already come in Jesus Christ and continues to work through his Spirit. So now, we read the exhortation for Gods people to be alert and ready. We must pay attention to what is happening around us and to Gods work in the world.

Adapted by permission of B&H Publishing Group from Trembling Faith by Taylor Turkington.

[ This article is also available in  and . ]
Haiti and Jamaica sit less than 350 miles apart from one another in the Caribbean Sea. But growing up in Kingston, Jamaica, Claudia Charlot learned little about her Creole-speaking neighbors until the man she later married came to her island to attend Bible school.

The two countries share tropical fruits, climate, and musicand the fact that their populations, like those of other Caribbean islands, are largely composed of people of African descent, says Charlot. Both have a similar Afrocentric culture, are former colonial islands, and have struggled for independence and with their peoples identity as descendants of former slaves.

Charlot made note of these similarities after she and her husband, Guenson, moved to Haiti after the 2010 earthquake. Arriving in 2011 with no job and little knowledge of French or Kreyol (as Creole is known in the native language), Charlot opened a school to teach English to locals and ran it for five years. Today, she works as the dean of business at Emmaus University, and the Charlots live in a small community on the outskirts of Haitis second-largest city, Cap-Haitien.

As Charlot has advised and worked with donors and investors over the years, shes taken note of how often shes had to correct negative stereotypes about Haiti. She completed her doctorate in 2021 on transformational leadership and turned her research into Haiti: The Black Sheep?, a book she wrote to help dispel the misconceptions about Haiti. This country is rich in wisdom, values, and resilient people, she says.

Global books editor Geeta Tupps spoke with Charlot concerning what the mainstream media got wrong about Haiti and the pandemic, her personal experience with Vodou, and how the global church can truly help this country.

Why did you decide to write your book?

Having been married to a Haitian for 14 years and lived in Haiti for 12 years, I wanted to highlight the value, the wisdom, and the beauty of Haitian culture. I've met so many donors who have donor fatigue and well-meaning investors who are confused or unsure what else to do in the country. I wanted to encourage them to not stop investing in Haiti.

I also wanted to help with questions asking why Haiti is as it is. What should donors do? This book is a capsule of my experiences and what can be done to improve the situation in Haiti.

In my doctoral research, I stumbled across numerous details about Haitian history, the countrys perception in the mainstream and Western media, and how it handles foreign aid. My doctorate adviser told me, You have to make sure you get this research out. This would be a real plus to the humanitarian sector and NGOs.

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When I started teaching at the university in 2020, I held a symposium where I received feedback from university students about foreign aid. While they asked questions, I immersed myself in their culture in order to learn more about Haiti. The perspectives in my book include, among others, the voices of businesspeople as well as high school students, who are part of Smart Haiti, a leadership program I founded for young people.

What prompted you to move to Haiti?

From around the age of 15 or so, I felt that God was calling me to be a missionary. At first, I thought that this would be in Africa. But when I met my husband, Guenson, and learned more about his homeland, I felt that it was the Lord confirming to me that Haiti is like a chip off the continent of Africa.

When I arrived, I started an English school in order for Haiti to integrate more globally, as they are quite isolated from the rest of the world. Teaching English equipped me in learning Haitian culture. I now teach at Emmaus University, a school founded by Methodist missionaries, as the dean of business. It is at this university, in 2020, my husband became the first Haitian appointed president of this institution.

What do you think the mainstream Western media misses about Haiti?

As I write in my book, the most common words the US newspapers use to describe Haiti are violent and some form of the word poor or blood. During the pandemic, it was really upsetting to see how biased media reports were against Haiti. At the beginning, so many people were afraid of Haiti and its poor living conditions. We have only around 11 ICU units in a country of 12 million people, and many live in cramped living quarters, so some people said Haitians would be really wiped out.

Next door, the Dominican Republic, which is much more developed and has a similar population size, had 10 times the COVID-19 rate as Haiti despite more social distancing, vaccinations, and other precautions.

Here in Haiti, we had a medical miracle, despite the fact that vaccination was almost nonexistent and there was no social distancing because people have to go out every day to get food. (Theres no electricity to power a freezer to conserve food.)

Nevertheless, as I note in the book, as the COVID-19 predictions from the World Health Organization and Doctors Without Borders fell through, the media scrambled to explain the death toll of only 54 as not reflect[ing] the reality on the ground. At the same time, the Dominican Republic had 10 times Haitis death rate yet received none of this negative press.

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I also have noticed that other upheavals in the Caribbean, like violent uprisings, rarely make the Western news. In the Dominican Republic, if there is something terrible in the news, this would not be widely reported because they have a vibrant tourist industry. But the media reports on bandits uprisings in Haiti (only) because Haiti is poor and the leaders are negligent.

Beyond Haitis struggles with poverty and unrest, many also associate it with Vodou. What has been your experience with this?

I live in a community that is very involved in Vodou ceremonies. I have encountered ceremonies at night and hear the drums beating throughout the city. There are a lot of witch doctors and seers. Ive seen sacrifices in the streets left in the mornings, like chickens left dead in the intersection of the roads. But mostly, Ive heard other peoples experiences where families consult a witch doctor for advice on marriage, sickness, and other ordeals they are facing.

Haitian Vodou is very pervasive in the country. And unfortunately many Haitians practice Vodou to try to be true to their culture and identity. They feel like they have to continue performing sacrifices for their ancestors and worship their families.

What does Christianity in a Vodou context look like?

The Catholic church here in Haiti is different from the Catholic church in other parts of the world. There is so much syncretism with Vodou. There is a popular expression that Haitians are 90 percent Catholic, 10 percent Protestant, and 100 percent Vodouist! Many of the Catholic saints symbolize Haitian gods and goddesses. They use a combination of saints, like Saint James, Saint Peter, and Saint Mary, for Haitian gods and goddesses.

One similarity between Haitian churches and Jamaican churches is that womens dress tends to be very conservative. Many women do not wear jewelry or pants. I assumed that conservatism was a carryover from Victorianism or repression of women. But when I did my research, I found that in the Haitian pantheon of gods, there is a goddess of excess beauty and fertility who was characterized by extravagant dress, expensive clothes, and jewelry. If associated with this goddess, Haitians believed that she inspired seductive behavior.

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Typically Haitians make a mental decision to follow Christ but tend to fall back on Haitian Vodou especially in times of crisis. When they encounter sickness, loss, or uncertainty, they may go to a witch doctor for healing, or sometimes they seek a clairvoyant. They want to see if theres a spirit that wants to harm them. Haitians are continually trying to find out, Whats happening? Whats going to happen? Why is this happening?

What allows Haitians to continue to find hope amid significant amounts of adversity?

Haiti has had a very rough history. Coming from the height of their economic dominance and expansion in the 1700s, Haiti was known as a pearl of the Antilles. It was a wealthy colony because the biggest exports are sugar and cotton. As a French slave colony, Haiti had 8,000 plantations and produced 40 percent of Frances foreign trade, including more cotton than Maryland and Virginia put together and 40 percent of the worlds sugar at that time (late 1700s).

Post-emancipation, Haiti began to struggle. In 1825, to maintain their freedom, they had to pay an indemnity or the freedom tax of 150 million [francs] (equivalent to $21 billion today). They also faced two US occupations and subsequent political upheavals, coup detats, trade embargoes, and natural disasters.

Despite all the despair, bad history, and bad experiences, the Haitian culture is very resilient. There are a lot of proverbs and sayings about persevering and being patient. One Haitian proverb that I highlighted in my book was Bondye pa bay pitit Li penn san sekou, which means God never gives his children a problem without giving them a solution. One of the most beautiful things about Haitian culture is how they are survivors and how, despite the difficulties, they really believe that things will change no matter what.

When comparing Haitian culture to Western culture, I began to notice how rare suicide is here. It has only been in rare instances that I have heard of anyone killing themselves in my entire 12 years living here. So, imagine, were in a culture of so-called poverty and a culture of despair. But despite these hardships, the cases of suicide, especially when compared to the US, are low.

The low suicide rate shows that Haitians generally dont tend to give up. They find comfort by enjoying time with their families, in having babies, and in the little things in life. In a country thats supposed to be full of despair, there is contentment.

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How do you feel the church can truly help Haiti?

One of the purposes of my book is to highlight what has worked and what we should continue doing. Foreign aid and missions groups and churches have helped Haiti. The Haitian educational system is largely privatized; many students cant afford these private institutions until the church steps in and church groups sponsor them. My husband is an example of someone who sponsored him to go to Jamaica. In my book, I enjoyed writing about positive stories to inspire people.

Part of what we need to revisit as a Christian community is our partnerships with other organizations. Many of the efforts are segmented or fragmented in Haiti. Its a deficit-based community-development approach where many outsiders feel like there are no resources on the ground. They come in with a savior mentality: Were gonna come in and save Haiti because theres nothing there.

Quality public schools in Haiti are limited, which leads to high levels of illiteracy and a struggle with math. I know many donors complain to me and tell me that reporting and providing receipts are a big issue for their big projects, but many people might not understand that Haiti is mostly an oral culture. Consequently, if we have to provide receipts for everything, the project becomes quite challenging. Donors might assume it is dishonesty, but Haitians just need better training.

I want those on the outside to transition to an asset-based community-development approachwhere you come to Haiti with the posture of a learner, with the idea that theres already something working no matter how terrible the communities. If there is something that works fine, then organizations on the ground, churches, schools, assets in the community can partner with foreign churches. Faith groups need to build partnerships with the locals and to involve them in the project.
Barry Black: America's first black Senate chaplain says this Bible verse saved him from a life of crime

WASHINGTON  As the first black chaplain of the U.S. Senate, Barry Black can't help but wonder where his life would have ended up if it were not for the saving grace of God rescuing him from a life of violence as a teenager growing up in Baltimore, Maryland.

Black, 74, became the first black man and Seventh-day Adventist to become Senate chaplain in 2003 after he was nominated for the position by then-Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist to be the upper chamber's 62nd chaplain after a long career in the U.S. Navy, where he rose to the rank of Rear Admiral.

I see the hand of God throughout my life. I ended up as a teenager getting involved with a gang that could have caused me a tremendous amount of difficulty. Two of them [gang members] actually ended up getting life in prison for murdering someone, recalled Black in an interview with The Christian Post. He wouldn't be ministering today if God hadn't rescued him from gang violence.

I was in the right place at the right time  not with them. And reflecting on Proverbs 1:10, which was a Bible verse my mother gave me a nickel to memorize that kept me out of some of the troubles. So were it not for the grace of God, I would have probably been an accessory to murder and spent a lifetime, or at least 20 years, in prison.

Proverbs 1:10 reads, "My son, if sinful men entice you, do not give in to them."

As February is Black History Month, Black looks back on what it's been like serving nearly 20 years of his life ministering to staff on Capitol Hill, an outcome that once seemed unlikely for a child growing up in a mostly single-parent home in the 1950s and '60s.

'Never wanted to do anything but ministry'

As a long-distance truck driver, Black's father was absent for much of his upbringing. As a result, his mother was left to raise him and his eldest siblings by herself. However, he was involved in the lives of his three youngest siblings.

His mother became a devout Seventh-day Adventist and raised her children in the faith and regularly took Black and his seven siblings to Berea Temple of Seventh-day Adventist Church on Madison Avenue to attend services and she'd host Bible studies in the home.

His mother also enrolled Black and his siblings in a private Christian school and paid what she could for tuition and received support from a church program to cover educational expenses tuition. "We belonged to a church that emphasized and supported Christian education."

From the earliest days of his childhood that he can remember, Black said he wanted to be an ordained minister. "I've never wanted to do anything but ministry. I think the primary reason is that when my mother was pregnant with me, she was baptized, and she asked, as she was being immersed baptismally, that the Holy Spirit would place a special blessing and anointing upon me as an unborn child."

Black was born about a month after his mother's baptism on Nov. 1, 1948.

I later showed tendencies toward interest in public speaking. I have a very extroverted and outgoing personality, even as a first-grader, second-grader and third-grader," he said. "So I never had an arrival in my vocation of affection. I've always wanted to be a minister, and I think it's because of my mom's prayers.

But when Black entered his teenage years he gravitated toward the streets and found brotherhood and fatherhood in a gang. I think that growing up, when you rarely see your father, its problematic because everyone needs an adult male role model, he said.

Despite falling in with the wrong crowd as a teen, Black stressed that he had several male role models in his life, including teachers, neighbors and members of the church.

"I was very blessed. ... I did a lot of talking to my heavenly Father because my mother had always instilled in me and my siblings' lives morning and evening worship in our home and taught us to talk to God as we would talk to a friend," Black recalled.

I was fortunate because I belonged to a very large church, probably 800 members. There were enough adult male role models who enabled me to make up for the deficit of not having that at home, Black added.

Moreover, the church school that I attended also had a number of male teachers and they served as role models as well.

Breaking the cycle

Children born into poverty can fall into a multi-generational cycle of financial struggles and government dependence. But Black and his siblings were able to break free from poverty and take advantage of opportunities to prosper.

"Whatever the environment is, growing up in poverty taught me a number of things. It taught me, first of all, that there's always something you can be thankful for. And no matter how difficult things have been in my life, since I was in poverty, I look back and I remember how little it really takes to live quite well, Black said. We subsisted on beans and rice most days, except on the weekends. So that lets me know how little someone actually needs.

Secondly, growing up in poverty also has helped me to learn how thankful you are when you finally manage to get out of that cycle of poverty and pathology, and it causes you to appreciate a lot more what you have after you leave that spot on the socioeconomic ladder.

Along with his extensive military training and education, Black is an alumnus of several universities and educational institutions: Oakwood University, North Carolina Central University, Andrews University, Palmer Theological Seminary, Pine Forge Academy, Salve Regina University and Alliant International University.

He received a Ph.D. in psychology, a doctorate in theology, a master's degree in management and a masters of divinity degree. He was commissioned as a U.S. Navy chaplain in 1976. In his 27 years of service, he rose to the rank of Rear Admiral and eventually served as Chief of Navy Chaplains until he became Senate chaplain in 2003.

I have used the training that I received and I put it alongside my experiences in military ministry to help thousands of people in Congress and senators over the years," he said. "I have a pretty solid foundation in academia that has helped me immensely in ministering to a group of people that are characterized by some significant diversity."

Working as Senate chaplain has been a rewarding vocation, he added, because there is a wide variety of people to tend to from varying denominations and religious traditions, including non-Christians to whom he is able to minister.

"You also have that in the military. As a Senate chaplain, you have kind of a chain of command and you have a majority leader. A majority where you're reporting to people to some extent, not quite the same as in the military. But to some extent," Black said. "You have many different Christian denominations worshiping together, studying together in the same way that you do in the military. The primary difference is the military will involve moving. You would go out on a ship for a six-month deployment away from the base. Or in my case, you may have an unaccompanied tour for a year."

Reflecting on his role as a chaplain in the Navy and the Senate, Black said "both vocations are pretty much the same when it comes to the ministry." Except that, in the Navy, chaplains are "sometimes in a combat situation. So, you're away from one base ... or one geographical location."

A day in the life of a Senate chaplain

Black said his everyday workday as Senate chaplain varies, but over the years, it has been rewarding.

"My day-to-day routine is very much the routine of a pastor who is responsible for several thousands of people. I provide for Christians because I'm a Christian. I facilitate for non-Christians, Hindus, Buddhists, people from the Islamic tradition," Black said.

On an average workday, Black will arrange meetings to visit people in the hospital and the workspace.

"I advise lawmakers, particularly regarding military issues. Because I'm a retired two-star admiral with a significant amount of experience and particularly in the sea services: Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard and Merchant Marines," he said.

"I teach Bible studies. I prepare sermons and preach. I write books and articles. I've written six books. ... I represent many chaplains, the Department of the Senate, in churches around the nation," he continued. "I officiated weddings and funerals. I do marriage preparation and marriage enrichment. So I do the work of a full-time pastor. ... That's one of the things that's exciting about this. Each day is different and rewarding."

Even though Black has to minister to lawmakers and their staff who fall on the polar opposite ends of the political spectrum, he said it's "not that difficult providing ministry to both parties."

"The nature of the Senate legislative process is adversarial," he said. "It's similar in the House, although the House only needs a simple majority. In the Senate, many times we'll need a two-thirds majority. So I don't even have a difficult problem with that because I have an advisory function. And many of the things that I do in order to assist our lawmakers has to do with the theological, rather than the political."

Celebrating black history

As Black continues in his ministry role, he is especially grateful to have been the first black man to become a Senate chaplain and to have been able to impart knowledge that God gave him to thousands of others.

I'm very passionate about my country. I feel that America is very special. I think that God has blessed us with spacious skies and amber waves of grain, purple mountain majesties above the fruited plain, rivers flowing all over for transportation, to huge oceans buffering us from invasions from without, Black said.

Its a very special place and it is like a nation that is built on ideas. And I think in light of a history that included slavery, democracy has self-corrective forces that have enabled me to see what I never expected to see in my lifetime, and that is an African American president, he added.

Its a very special country, with a very special government. And that makes it a very rewarding experience to have had the opportunity to provide ministry at the epicenter of what's going on in government.
Christian college asks Supreme Court to stop Biden's trans dorm directive Religious institutions forced to open girls' dorms, showers to male students who identify as trans

A Christian college in Missouri is asking the United States Supreme Court to halt a Biden administration directive that requires schools to allow male students to be housed in women-only dormitories or use the girls' showers.

College of the Ozarks filed a petition for a writ of certiorari on Monday asking the high court to block a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development directive forcing the academic institution to open up gender-specific campus dorms to those of the opposite sex.

The Directive requires the College to reverse its housing policies for 1,300 students, read the petition, in part. And, unless the Directive is enjoined, it makes the College cease statements of its policies, preventing it from following through on ongoing plans and communications for student housing consistent with its religious beliefs.

This jeopardizes the Colleges ability to function, causes emotional harm to students who rely on the Colleges housing policies, and dissuades Christian students from attending the College.

Alliance Defending Freedom, a legal nonprofit that has successfully argued religious liberty cases before the Supreme Court, is helping to represent the Christian college.

ADF Senior Counsel and Vice President of Appellate Advocacy John Bursch said in a statement released Monday that College of the Ozarks should be free to follow the religious tradition on which it was founded.

We hope the Supreme Court will take this case to halt the governments inappropriate order targeting religious institutions and to respect the privacy, dignity, and safety of female students, stated Bursch.

In 2021, President Joe Biden issued an executive order that required the Fair Housing Act antidiscrimination measures to include gender identity under the category of sex.

As a result of the change, the college filed suit against the federal government in April 2021, arguing that the new policy would force them to house male students in womens dorms.

U.S. District Judge Roseann Ketchmark of the Western District of Missouri, an appointee of former President Barack Obama, ruled against the college in May 2021.

In July 2022, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit upheld the lower court ruling in a 2-1 decision, arguing that the HUD policy did not impact the college.

Judge Steven Michael Colloton, an appointee of former President George W. Bush, authored the majority opinion, concluding that existing religious freedom measures sufficiently protected the school.

"The College's alleged injury also lacks imminence because it is speculative that HUD will file a charge of discrimination against the College in the first place," Colloton wrote.

"Title IX provides that its anti-discrimination provision 'shall not apply to an educational institution which is controlled by a religious organization,' if applying the prohibition 'would not be consistent with the religious tenets of' the organization."

Colloton added that "even when HUD interpreted the Fair Housing Act to prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity between 2012 and 2020, the Department brought no enforcement action against the College."

Circuit Judge Leonard Grasz, an appointee of former President Donald Trump, dissented, arguing that the directive went against the proper process of federal guidance, such as allowing for public comments.

"An agency's issuance of a guidance document that fails to adhere to the proper administrative procedures may achieve compliance with the government's desired policy outcomes by in terrorem means, but it skirts the rule of law and undermines our values," wrote Grasz.

"This is especially true where regulated entities are placed under a sword of Damocles but are denied access to the courts because the sword has not yet fallen."

Last September, the college filed a request for a full court hearing before the 8th Circuit, however, the appeals court denied the rehearing request on Sept. 30, 2021.
Hilarion Heagy, Eastern Catholic monk, renounces Christianity for Islam

Hilarion Heagy, an Eastern Catholic monk and priest, recently renounced Christianity and embraced Islam triggering multiple headlines in Islamic media and consternation among some who knew him to be a devout Christ follower.

Since news of my embrace of Islam has now officially gone public, my message inbox has been jammed full and my phone has been ringing off the hook, Heagy, who now also goes by his new Muslim name, Said Abdul Latif, wrote in a post on Medium on Feb. 20. It is currently impossible to speak to everyone and to answer every question thats been fielded to me. My time is simply limited. (Not to mention, its been a bit exhausting over the past 48 hours. But glory to God or all things.)

In a statement on Facebook Friday, Abbot Damian Higgins of the Holy Transfiguration Monastery in California, identified Heagy as Troy Heagy, saying he visited the monastery as Fr. Hilarion last year.

He had been tonsured a monk and was ordained a priest of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia (ROCOR). He served faithfully in a Russian Orthodox Monastery for many years until he sought to unite himself in an Eastern Catholic Community in Wisconsin, Higgins noted.

He came to stay with us with the expressed intent of founding a monastic community in Texas. He was NOT an official member of our brotherhood nor did he receive faculties from our Eparchial Bishop Benedict. He only recently revealed through social media that he had an interest in the Sufi tradition of Islam from 20 years ago, Higgins explained. He never had any indication of this interest and can only say that, while here, he was an example of a faithful Christian man in every respect. We pray that he may return to the fullness of Truth revealed in The Incarnate God, Jesus Christ.

Michael Lofton, founder of the Catholic apologetics channel Reason & Theology, said he spoke to Heagy as recently as last November and he had discussed establishing a monastery in California.

You know, he had plans on putting together a monastery in California, and I was really, really excited about that, because we need more Eastern Catholic monasteries. So I was really excited about that, he said, reacting to the news. That was kind of the last I heard from him.

Lofton said news of Heagys apostasy came out of nowhere.

Im very, very sad and grieved over this because this is in relation to somebody that I know personally and Ive also admired and really sad to see this, he said.

Heagy, however, had been publicly writing about his transition away from Christianity on Medium under his adopted Muslim name since last October when he said he had developed an interest in the Sufi tradition of Islam since 2003 while living a life of intense spiritual searching.

I am currently a priest in the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church. A traditional priest. Perhaps you can say Traditionalist, yet that term has some unwelcome connotations and baggage. At the moment, I am on a sort of semi-private leave while the practical arrangements of my move to Islam are made final, he wrote on Oct. 4, 2022.

He made it clear that his pivot away from Christianity is not a midlife crisis.

It is simply that we all see things differently at different points in our lives. With different eyes. Looking back, as it were. Hopefully growing in wisdom. Inshallah, he said.

He explained that he would have converted to Islam in 2003 but he was too afraid in the early years after 9/11.

By 2003, I yearned to become Muslim. I saw the beauty of it. The depth. The truth of it. I spoke with the Imam about conversion. I hung out at the local Islamic Center. I made Muslim friends. It was a beautiful and joyful moment. But I didnt convert. At the time, I was too fearful of such a conversion, he wrote.

How would I be perceived if I rejected Christ, as I saw such a conversion entailing? How could I do such a thing? My parents and family would disown me. Society would see me as a terrorist. I backed away at that point, I am ashamed to say. And for reasons which, looking back, were really mostly cultural, I chose to seek out such depth in theology and mysticism as I saw in Sufism and in Islam within a Christian context, Heagy said.

And the closest he said he came to finding what he saw in Islam was in the Eastern Orthodox Church.

Orthodoxy was my compromise, he wrote. Yet Orthodoxy was a complete system. A whole civilization. A depth in theology. A world of monasticism. A thing of transcendent beauty. It was something into which one could immerse oneself and throw oneself completely. Which is what I did.

In discussing Heagys relationship with his church community, Lofton alluded to the apostate priest having some grievances with leadership. He noted, however, that he would continue to pray for Heagy and that his journey to find truth will lead him back to Christianity.

Remember the words that you said about the cross. Islam does not have the cross, Lofton said before offering prayers for the former priest on Reason & Theology. I'm sure right now, you believe you have answers. Whenever you're no longer confident in those answers, please come back to Christ. Turn to Him.
Former youth pastor gets 60 years in prison for sex crimes involving boys

A former Southern Baptist youth pastor was sentenced to 60 years in prison Friday after he pleaded guilty to 13 counts of sexual assault and child pornography charges involving six different boys.

While 33-year-old former youth pastor Keenan Hord was sentenced to 16 years in prison, The Commercial Appeal reports that he will be eligible for parole in 15 years.

Hord, who worked for First Baptist Church Bentonville in Arkansas and Bellevue Baptist Church in Arlington, Tennessee, will have to register as a sex offender and have no unsupervised visits with children, including his own, if he is released early, the publication said.

The former youth pastor worked at Bellevue Baptist Church from 2011 to 2016, when he joined the staff at First Baptist Bentonville. Hord was arrested in August 2022 in connection with crimes committed from 2020 through 2022, when he was still serving as a youth pastor at First Baptist Church Bentonville.

He pleaded guilty to 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.

Hord, who initially pleaded not guilty to his charges, allegedly had inappropriate contact with a 15-year-old. Detectives found more than 5,000 text messages between him and one victim.

Hord engaged in "sexual intercourse or deviate sexual activity" with multiple minors in 2020-2021 while he was employed "in a position of trust or authority over the victims," court documents cited by KNWA show.

Bentonville Police also took "multiple electronic devices" from the former youth pastor's home and obtained surveillance video of Hord inside a home.

At the time of Hord's arrest, First Baptist Church Bentonville released a statement: "We are ministering to the survivors and their families who demonstrated incredible courage in coming forward. We are praying for God's perfect peace for those who have been harmed and God's justice for the abuse of His people."

Nathan Smith, Benton County prosecutor, said as soon as the church learned of the abuse allegations against Hord, they contacted authorities.

"It's horrible. Look, even Jesus in the New Testament tells us there are wolves in sheep's clothing, right," Smith told THV 11, noting that he, along with the victims and their families, are happy with the sentence.

One victim said he didn't feel anything for Hord but indifference in an impact statement while one parent lamented that the former youth pastor stole the innocence of the boys in God's name.

"The reality is, with a person like this, you're never going to get what you feel like is equal to what they have done," Smith said. "But what you can get is to a point where you feel like that it allows the families to move on."
Security officer dismissed from National Archives after pro-life apparel dispute

The National Archives Museum in Washington, D.C., disclosed that the security guard responsible for a group of students being told to conceal their pro-life attire was a private contractor who has since been removed from a contract with the museum.

During a visit to the museum on the morning of the March for Life on Jan. 20, the visitors claim that security officers told them to remove or cover up their hats, buttons and other attire containing messages such as "Life is a Human Right" and "Life Always Wins."

Earlier this month, a group of Republican senators, led by Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, penned a letter to NARA's acting archivist, requesting information about any disciplinary action taken and whether the museum has a policy prohibiting pro-life attire.

In a letter NARA provided to The Christian Post Monday, acting Archivist Debra Steidel Wall responded to the senators' letter on Feb. 22, explaining that the museum has no such policy in place.

"The irony that this happened just steps away from the permanent display of the original Bill of Rights is not lost on me or any of the employees who proudly welcome more than one million annual visitors to the Museum," Wall wrote.

"Upon learning of this incident, I publicly apologized and took steps to investigate what happened, and reminded all security officers and staff of our longstanding policy to honor the First Amendment and treat all of our visitors with respect," she continued.

The archivist disclosed that the security officers involved in the incident were private contractors who work for NARA. She further noted that the officers violated a longstanding NARA policy that allows visitors to wear clothing that expresses their political or religious viewpoints.

"Our vendor conducted its own investigation of the incident and determined a supervisor that it employed, who was working that day, provided instructions to other security officers who work for the same vendor that were contrary to our policy," Wall stated. "The vendor has removed this supervisor from NARA's contract, and that individual is no longer working in any NARA facility."

Wall noted that upon learning of similar incidents involving the Smithsonian Institution, NARA reminded security officers of the museum policies at all of its facilities. Following news of the incident at the National Archives Museum, Wall emphasized that NARA issued a public apology and again took steps to remind security officers of its existing policies.

"I am glad that the National Archives acknowledged the seriousness of their mistake and took the necessary steps to prevent this kind of incident from happening again," Cruz told CP in a Monday statement regarding Wall's letter.

"The First Amendment rights of pro-life visitors should never have been infringed to begin with," the republican senator continued. "These rights, like the documents housed at the National Archives, are foundational, and must be protected for everyone."

As CP reported, the American Center for Law and Justice filed a lawsuit on Feb. 8 on behalf of four clients who were part of three separate groups that visited the National Archives three different times on Jan. 20.

The lawsuit claims security officers "chilled their religious speech" by "requiring plaintiffs to remove or cover their attire because of their pro-life messages." In court papers filed on Feb. 14, the museum promised plaintiffs a tour and a personal apology for the events that transpired.

The ACLJ helped multiple plaintiffs file a similar lawsuit against the Smithsonian Institution after National Air and Space Museum security guards allegedly asked them to leave for wearing beanies with pro-life messages.

The Christian legal nonprofit delivered a demand letter on Feb. 1 to the museum on behalf of several students from Our Lady of the Rosary School in Greenville, South Carolina, and their parents.

ACLJ Executive Director Jordan Sekulow said in a statement earlier this month that the students' beanies read "Rosary PRO-LIFE," which the school was wearing to identify who was part of their group.

"The museum staff mocked the students, called them expletives, and made comments that the museum was a 'neutral zone' where they could not express such statements," Sekulow wrote, calling the incident a "clear-cut" First Amendment violation.
Pro-life activists 'unlawfully arrested' for protesting fetal organ harvesting outside San Francisco hospital

Pro-life activists say they were unlawfully arrested for handing out flyers outside a San Francisco hospital they believe is using aborted babies' remains in fetal tissue research.

The group Pro-Life San Francisco announced on Twitter Friday that two of its pro-life activists were unlawfully arrested for passing out flyers on public property at an outdoor plaza outside Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital.

BREAKING: #ProLife activists arrested for passing out flyers on public property. @UCSF@ZSFGCare is aborting children up to 6 months old and using their organs for HORRIFIC research projects. While handing out flyers about it today, 2 activists were unlawfully arrested. #activismpic.twitter.com/ahEk1nJRSD  Pro-Life San Francisco (@prolifesf) February 24, 2023

The hospital's biomedical research is a frequent target of the pro-life advocacy organizations activism, with Pro-Life San Francisco asserting that the hospital is collaborating with the University of California at San Francisco in aborting children up to 6 months old and using their organs for HORRIFIC research projects.

On Feb. 24, 2023, members of Pro-Life San Francisco and Survivors of the Abortion Holocaust arrived at an outdoor plaza of Zuckerberg San Francisco General at about 2:20 p.m. to hand out literature, display signs, make speeches, and engage in street theater to increase public awareness of unethical activity and the likelihood of crimes taking place on the sixth floor of the hospital, the group said in a statement shared with The Christian Post.

They were soon interrupted by uniformed sheriffs deputies who declared their gathering an unlawful assembly, the statement added. According to video footage, two participants were arrested at 2:52 p.m.: Tim Clement, Outreach Director of Survivors and Anastasia Rogers, a San Francisco resident and animal rights activist. They were taken into the hospital and detained in a holding cell  their ability to exercise free expression denied.

Pro-Life San Francisco said the arrest of Clement and Rogers was based on false charges, lamenting that all other participants were forced to leave the plaza under threat of arrest. The group condemned the blatant violation of activists rights to speak freely in public.

In a statement following his arrest, Clement said, We were arrested because of our pro-life message.

He added, UCSF and the administration at Zuckerberg don't like being exposed for their Frankenstein-ish plots targeting unborn babies before abortions take place and harvesting their organs afterward to use in unethical research. Unfortunately, the administrator here thinks he is above the law.

We were in a public area  not blocking customers from entering, walking past or leaving  and we did not enter or obstruct the facility. We did nothing to break the law. Sharing information with the public is not a crime.

Rogers cited the arrests of herself and Clement as just two more on a long list of arrests used as an attempt to silence human rights activism and free speech on the UCSF campus. She vowed that we will not be silenced by unlawful arrests and will continue to demand fetal organ harvesting to come to an end.

UCSF continues to exploit human mothers, their preborn children, and non-human animals in order to perform senselessly cruel experiments that target unborn children before abortions, involve implanting their organs into rodents to create humanized immune systems, and risk crimes by their employees, she suggested. Instead of addressing this injustice by implementing alternative research practices and opening an investigation, UCSF continues to send police after nonviolent activists who have tried everything to get this to end.

The arrest of Clement and Rogers is not the first time pro-life activists have been taken into custody outside Zuckerberg.

UCSF employees filed an illegitimate restraining order against me last year to intimidate activists protesting their gruesome fetal organ harvesting, said Pro-Life San Francisco Executive Director Kristin Turner. This order has not stopped other activists from standing up for the unborn and their families. We will not be intimidated.

Turner was one of five pro-life activists arrested outside Zuckerberg in November 2021 on charges of trespassing for praying and handing out literature outside the hospital.

In a previous statement shared with CP, Zuckerberg General Hospitals Chief Communications Officer Brent Andrew pushed back on the claim that the protests were lawful because the hospital is public property.

Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital is owned and operated in the public interest by the City & County of San Francisco, Department of Public Health, Andrew told CP in an email. The hospital is, therefore, public property but it is not a public space. The campus is expressly intended for the provision of healthcare to our patients. Protest activities, in particular, can interfere with our ability to provide those services, the privacy rights of our patients, and the creation and maintenance of a therapeutic environment of care.

Andrew added, In this particular instance, our staff offered this group an alternative protest site on our campus away from patient care areas, but the group declined.

When asked how far into a pregnancy the hospital performs abortions and for additional details about fetal tissue research at the hospital, Andrew responded, We are dedicated to the welfare of our patients; we provide abortions when they are appropriate to meet the specific needs of our patients.
Vineyard Church senior pastor resigns amid misconduct allegations against son

Michael Gatlin, the senior pastor at The Vineyard Church in Duluth, Minnesota, has resigned from his position weeks after his son, Jackson Gatlin, who served as the young adult and online community pastor, was suspended over allegations of misconduct that reportedly occurred several years ago. The church's Special Committee says Michael and Brenda Gatlin might have known about it and chose not to act.

His resignation comes in the context of allegations of misconduct against one of our former pastoral assistants and Michaels son, Jackson Gatlin, the church said in an update on its website. There are also allegations that Michael and Brenda Gatlin knew about this misconduct at the time and failed to act.

The church added that the police are investigating the allegations. Vineyard Church has also contracted a company called Godly Response to Abuse in the Christian Environment to conduct an independent investigation and asked Gatlin to either provide information to GRACE or agree to be interviewed by the company.

Church leaders stated that Michael Gatlin had been instructed multiple times to fully cooperate with law enforcement and the independent investigation.

The public update adds that just before Michael Gatlin resigned, he was asked to "cooperate fully with both any law enforcement investigation and our independent investigation" and provide a statement to the Special Committee concerning his response and actions taken in response to misconduct allegations involving his son, Jackson. However, Michael missed the deadline and never provided a statement, despite being warned that failing to do so could lead to the termination of his employment.

In his resignation letter, Michael Gatlin said he could not cooperate with the process established by GRACE and the Special Committee, according to this committee of the Church Council.

The church said it wants to say to all survivors of abuse that we hear you and believe you.

It is never your fault. And, you are not alone. We are praying for you and we call our community to a time of prayer and lament. As Jesus was always on the side of the vulnerable and the wounded, in our response to abuse the safety and care of survivors must always come first.

Myrissa Overfors, who claims she is one of Jackson Gatlins victims, said in a statement on Facebook that she was working with investigators and other victims of his alleged misconduct.

The past day has been a battle. Most of youve seen that the Vineyard Church in Duluth, Minnesota and their lead youth pastor, Jackson Gatlin, is under an investigation for sexual misconduct. I myself was assaulted by him as well. It was of a sexual nature. And the rest of the details will remain private, she said.

I am currently working with their investigators and I think this may be a long battle for me and his other victims. Send us all positive thoughts and prayers if you believe in the upcoming months. Im sure we all will need it. If you have been a victim of this predator, youre not alone.

The church added that for everyone who loves Michael and has benefited from his ministry as senior pastor, that more than one thing can be true at the same time.

"Michael is an exceptional leader, and God has utilized him to accomplish remarkable things, it continued. Michael is a gifted leader and God has used him in powerful ways. Michael has helped many of us experience the love and new life that Jesus brings. And, at the same time, Michael is human just like us. We all fall short. We need to be patient and wait for the fact-finding to be complete, yet the allegations against Michael are serious.
Revelation 9: The pit, the smoke and hideous demon creatures

In the spring of 1994, the Associated Press reported that Swedens defense ministry determined a Soviet submarine had violated Swedens territorial waters. High-tech buoys had detected suspicious noises, which prompted their military to start a submarine hunt in the Baltic Sea.

This wasnt the first time the Swedes felt they had reason to be concerned. Once, a Soviet submarine had run aground near a naval base in Sweden, and ever since, they had been suspicious of Soviet intrusions.

But the hunt the Swedes launched didnt turn up any lurking Soviet submarines, and a year later, the Swedes made an embarrassing admission. The noise they had picked up from their high-tech buoys turned out to be minks and other mammals splashing in the water while searching for food. Minks are approximately the size of a cat and plentiful in Stockholms islands.

When it comes to our enemies, fears and anxieties, we can become victims of a runaway imagination. Still, we must be astute and careful. Evil exists in the world, and it isnt wise to dismiss it.

For instance, The devil and demons actually exist. Behind the scenes, beyond the reach of human senses, they diligently endeavor to deceive, destroy, steal and kill. Demons are spiritual entities of great might, power and various ranks and orders. Like their leader, Satan, they hate humanity because humankind is made in Gods image and the apple of His eye.

C.S. Lewis noted at the top of the Screwtape Letters: There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about the devils. One is to disbelieve in their existence. The other is to believe and to feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in them. They themselves are equally pleased by both errors and hail a materialist or a magician with the same delight.

So, the content of Revelation 9 should be approached with wisdom and an even hand. What is foretold is beyond fantastic, but to interpret it allegorically rather than literally does violence to the text and diminishes other clear teachings of the Word of God.

In Wilmingtons Guide to the Bible, Harold Wilmington writes: The ninth chapter of Revelation, which contains both fifth and sixth trumpet judgments, maybe the most revealing section in all of the Bible concerning the subject of demonology.

The scriptures reveal that originally the devil and demons were good angels in the service of God, but they sinned. It is not clear when they sinned. Nor is it clear what sin they committed, only that pride and disobedience were at the heart of their rebellion.

The Bible reveals that some demons are free to carry out the devils purposes. In the Gospels, Jesus is recorded as having cast out demons from peoples bodies. These wicked disembodied spirits can possess people to express themselves and torture their host (Matthew 17: 15-18; Luke 8:26-39). Moreover, they are at liberty to influence human events, though limited by God.

Other fallen angels, or demons, appear to be in a higher and even more dangerous category, bound and chained. 2 Peter 2:4 says of these demons, For God did not spare even the angels who sinned. He threw them into Hell, in gloomy pits of darkness, where they are being held until the day of judgment. Jude 6 says of them, And I remind you of the angels who did not stay within the limits of authority God gave them but left the place where they belonged. God has kept them securely chained in prisons of darkness, waiting for the great day of judgment.

Revelation 9 warns us that this more threatening order of demons will be unchained in the end, during the last days of the Tribulation period, and they will torture humans with excruciating and unrelievable pain. These beings are hideous by nature and appearance  perverse locust-like with wings to cover the earth in flight, and scorpion-like tails to wound. Verses 1-12 read:

Then the fifth angel blew his trumpet, and I saw a star that had fallen to earth from the sky, and he was given the key to the shaft of the bottomless pit. When he opened it, smoke poured out as though from a huge furnace, and the sunlight and air turned dark from the smoke. Then locusts came from the smoke and descended on the earth, and they were given power to sting like scorpions. They were told not to harm the grass or plants or trees, but only the people who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads. They were told not to kill them but to torture them for five months with pain like the pain of a scorpion sting. In those days, people will seek death but will not find it. They will long to die, but death will flee from them! The locusts looked like horses prepared for battle. They had what looked like gold crowns on their heads, and their faces looked like human faces. They had hair like womens hair and teeth like the teeth of a lion. They wore armor made of iron, and their wings roared like an army of chariots rushing into battle. They had tails that stung like scorpions, and for five months, they had the power to torment people. Their king is the angel from the bottomless pit; his name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek, Apollyon  the Destroyer.

The star that falls to the earth from the sky is not a literal star in this case, but most likely the Evil One (the devil) himself. Isaiah 14:12 references Satan, saying: How you are fallen from heaven, O shining star, son of the morning! You have been thrown down to the earth, you who destroyed the nations of the world. Jesus once said, I saw Satan fall from heaven like lightning! (Luke 10:18).

This fallen star is given a key to the shaft of the bottomless pit, which God permits him to open, and from the abyss, there comes a billowing black smoke so thick it obscures the light of the sun and chokes the air with its pollution. Then, in a scene of dread greater than any generation has witnessed, creatures of unspeakable description materialize.



There are eight parts to the description, says Charles C. Ryrie in his commentary of Revelation. It begins with the head and progresses back to the tail of these creatures. Overall, they are like horses prepared for battle [meaning they are ready to make war on humanity] (cf. Joel 2:4). On their heads were what appeared to be crowns like gold. Their faces were like the faces of men, their hair like the hair of women, their teeth like those of lions. They had breastplates like breastplates of iron, and the sound of their wings was like chariots or horses going to battle.

Interestingly, the word translated as pit indicates an actual entrance from the earths surface, unbeknownst to mortals, leading to our planets marrow.

IFL Science published an article about the Kola Borehole in Russia two years ago. This bottomless-like hole was one of the projects during the Cold War when the United States and Russia were peacocking  trying to prove their scientific, militaristic, cultural and technological superiority. The hole the Soviets dug was as deep as the height of Mount Everest and Mount Fuji placed on top of each other.

In the early 1960s, the Americans were also digging in the seabed via a ship in the Mexican Pacific. Eventually, the Americans ended their project because of complications. But the Soviets kept going until the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1992. Their site lies abandoned today.

However, the article concludes that a drill broke through a rock layer before the project ended and discovered a superheated cavern. It was said that researchers wanting to investigate further dropped a microphone into the pit and, to their great surprise, heard what sounded like the infernal wailing and screaming of the damned in Hell. Scientists were said to be so shaken they left the undertaking. This is why the Kola Borehole is called the entrance to Hell.

Is it the entrance to Hell? IFL Science claimed the story was an urban legend and unverified nonsense. They may be right. Nevertheless, of one thing we can be sure, the Bible refers to a place in the earth called the bottomless pit no less than seven times in the book of Revelation (Revelation 9:1,2,11; 11:7; 17:8; 20:1-3). It is a literal place of such terrible horrors that even the evil spirits Jesus cast out of the Gerasene Demoniac begged him to send them into a herd of swine instead of to the abyss or the bottomless pit.

These abominable beings from the pit, led by Apollyon, likely a fallen archangel, emerge from the pits smoke and are not allowed to assault earths vegetation. Neither are they permitted to injure those with the seal of God. However, they are authorized by Gods wrath to torture those who hate and reject Him. They may torture them for up to five months with something akin to a scorpions sting  a sting so intense its victims will want to die but cannot.

J.A. Seiss, in The Apocalypse, writes, The pain from the sting of a scorpion, though not generally fatal, is, perhaps, the most intense that any animal can inflict upon the human body.

How mind-boggling! How chilling! And this is only the first woe. Two more are to follow.

Indeed, all of this from Revelation 9 may seem utterly ridiculous to many  something borne from extreme fears and anxieties  the product of a wild and runaway imagination. Nevertheless, the reality of demons and their power is real.

The good news is everyone who has trusted in Christ alone for the forgiveness of sins, the salvation of their soul, is already a victor over the Evil One and his minions. Because Christ overcame the devil by his life, death and resurrection, believers are also victorious. No devil, great or small, has any authority over the believer.

Thus, the call of God cannot be emphasized enough in these commentaries. Repent of sin, turn to Christ in faith and be saved. If you dont believe now, you will. By that time, it may be too late.
Feature: Chinese raw materials ensure popularity of Bangladesh's traditional carpets

Xinhua) 10:10, February 28, 2023

DHAKA, Feb. 27 (Xinhua) -- The northern Rangpur region of Bangladesh is known for traditional handcrafted Shatranji, a popular carpet-like decor artifact, the unique weaving techniques of which have been passed on from generation to generation.

The decorative artifact has recently been declared as a Geographical Indication Product of Bangladesh. Currently, the artistic pieces, considered as a symbol of aristocracy, are one of Bangladeshi's most popular exported handicraft products.

Md Manjurul Haque owns a Shatranji factory with 20 workers and their products have been sold in different parts of Bangladesh.

He told Xinhua recently that his father-in-law has been involved in the making of Shatranji in the Rangpur region since 1972.

"I later started this Shatranji factory in 2015 with the support of my father-in-law," Haque said.

"The popularity of the artifacts ensures my factory continues production and my workers keep earning," said Haque.

After all expenses are factored in, including workers' wages and import costs of raw materials, his net profit is healthy and business is good, said Haque.

The raw materials for Haque's business come from China.

"We bring raw materials from China and use them as per the design to make our artifacts. The quality of the raw materials ensures the Shatranji's popularity," he said.

Haque said Chinese raw materials are unmatched for making first-class Shatranji products.

"Our Shatranji products have gained a positive reputation abroad. We could do better, however, if we were provided with government support," he mentioned.

Saiful Islam is a non-resident Bangladeshi. He is currently living in Japan.

"I've come to visit the Rangpur Shatranji village," said Islam, adding that the Shatranji of Rangpur is a great heritage of Bangladesh.

"My friends in Japan or those who are close to me elsewhere in the world are particularly interested to know about these Shatranji products. So I'm here today to see and purchase them."

"The Shatranji is our tradition, the tradition of Bangladesh and the Rangpur tradition, and I will introduce this tradition to everyone including my friends, said Islam, who plans to take the Shatranji products back to Japan as souvenirs.

Meghla Rani is a female Shatranji worker from Ponkhy Phanda village under Rangpur district's Hazir Hat. She has been making Shatranji for almost 10 years.

"We're receiving many opportunities and benefits from this work," she said. "So, we're content working here."

"Before making Shatranji, I was so poor. My husband works in a different industry and I work here. Our family life has progressed and we can repay our loans," Rani said, adding that they can afford their children's education.

Another worker Polly Rani also changed her fate by making traditional handicraft items.

She has been working at a Shatranji factory for about 10 years.

"When we get an order, we design by hand and sometimes we design by looking at the catalog," said Rani.

The quality of the finished artifact is down to the unmatched quality of the Chinese raw materials, according to her.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
According to the Flagler County Sheriff's Office, a Florida high school student was arrested after a video showed him assaulting a school staff when she confiscated his Nintendo Switch device.

The Matanzas High School student has been charged with felony aggravated violence with bodily injury, according to a news release from the sheriff's office.

Florida Student Brutally Attacks Teacher's Aide

After the February 21 incident in Palm Coast, the 17-year-old was arrested and sent to the Sheriff Perry Hall Inmate Correctional Center. According to the press release, he was turned over to the state Department of Juvenile Justice. According to an arrest record, the adolescent said he would "beat her up" every time an employee took away his Nintendo Switch gadget.

The student, who the sheriff's office estimates to be 6 feet 6 inches tall and 270 pounds, is shown on surveillance camera sprinting towards the staffer and knocking her to the ground. The employee seems immobile as the student repeatedly punches and kicks her before bystanders take him away from her, as per WLWT.

The worker was sent to a local hospital for treatment. According to the arrest record, the adolescent "became aggressive" after the event and had to be transported to another place.

"Building a secure atmosphere for studying and working on our campuses is crucial. Violence is never an acceptable response," Superintendent of Flagler County Schools Cathy Mittelstadt stated in a press statement.

On Saturday, Flagler County Schools announced that, out of respect for their employee's privacy, they would not comment on her current medical condition. According to deputies, the kid kicked and struck the paraprofessional "several times" after she became unconscious, and other students rushed to her aid. The sufferer was sent to a nearby hospital for treatment.

The suspect may be heard yelling "f-k you" to one of the deputies at one point. Sheriff Rick Staly of Flagler County stated that the student's conduct were inappropriate, Fox News reported.

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Florida Attack Victim is a Single-Mom

The student with special needs started kicking her instantly before crouching and punching her in the head and chest. Another lady approaches the student and grabs his arm, but she is unable to get him from the assistant before many others arrive to remove him off her.

Even when they manage to get him to the ground, he continues to strike her with his leg. When he battled against them, it took five staff members to restrain and haul him away from her body.

The student was detained, transported to the Sheriff Perry Hall Inmate Detention Center, and then turned over to the Department of Juvenile Justice. In Florida, he was charged with Felony Aggravated Battery with Bodily Harm, which carries a maximum sentence of five years, according to Daily Mail.

After the incident, the Flagler School Board stated during a meeting that they had made it a "top priority" to review policies to "assist with this." The teaching assistant has been employed by the school system since 2004 and began working at Matanzas in 2021.

The name of the Florida paraprofessional who was severely beaten by a student last week and knocked unconscious has now been made public. Joan Naydich, a 57-year-old single mom, is recovering after being attacked by a student who was enraged that she had taken his Nintendo Switch, , according to authorities. Per Insider, a GoFundMe is currently being used to assist collect money for Naydich, and as of Monday afternoon, it has successfully met its $50,000 target.

The update on her mother was also placed there by Nikki, Naydich's daughter, who wrote: "Please take comfort in the fact that she is healing at home. Love and support have poured in from all around the world as a result of this occurrence, reaching places I never imagined it would. As her daughter, I find it touching to witness the local community come together to support her healing."

Related Article: Florida Shooting Spree Kills 9-Year-Old Girl, 2 News Crew

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Christian couple tackle 'demonic push' against biblical definition of gender in new children's book

To fight back against what they see as a demonic attack on the biblical definition of gender and sexuality, a Christian couple has written a book teaching young girls to embrace and celebrate their God-given identity as females.

She is She, written by husband-and-wife duo Ryan and Bethany Bomberger, uses rhymes and colorful illustrations to counter the lies of gender spectrum politics and illuminate the beauty of what a girl is.

Our culture is broken and confused, reads the book's description. Aside from abortion, nowhere is this confusion more evident than in the denial of our very core identity  our sex/gender. God created us male and female and with thousands of beautiful and biological differences. Children, tragically, have become the main target of LGBTQ+ and other woke activists who want to peddle political propaganda to the detriment of our nation's youth. But kids are not the testing ground for anyone's emotional or sexual affirmation. Children deserve their innocence, and they deserve the truth.

In an interview with The Christian Post, Bethany Bomberger said it is somewhat sad she and her husband had to write She is She, as what was once regarded as simple truth has all but been discarded in an increasingly secularized society.

There are all these lies that have now been put in place to try to really combat the simple truth that we are biologically, beautifully different, she said.

There is this push  a demonic push. The enemy knows if he catches our children at younger and younger ages, then he doesn't have to wait till they're in college to start making this decision.

A former educator and a mother of four, Bomberger understands the power of literature and how it can help take away fear and replace it with confidence. She and her husband wrote She is She to provide parents with a tool to help them tackle tough subjects with their children.

There is an agenda that is targeting our children at younger and younger ages, she said. We have to reach our children before a broken world does; we have to teach them before the broken world reaches them.

Bomberger pointed out that increasingly, bookstores and libraries are peddling childrens books that promote the idea that who God's created us to be isn't as important, and that there's a [gender] spectrum.

All of that might sound fuzzy and OK, but when you get to the bottom of it, it is very destructive, she stressed. It will feed into a destructive mentality. It feeds into mental health issues, which we are seeing exploding. And if parents don't understand that our role is to really steward the souls that God has given us  we don't own our children, but we have a short amount of time to really steward their souls. Everything that we pour into them is preparing them for an eternity.  We have to understand, with a healthy fear, the responsibility of parenting our children, and that means that we have to figure our way through the cultural sludge and darkness and bring the light.

Instilling a biblical worldview in young children is crucial, Bomberger said. She cited a recent Barna study that found a person's worldview is primarily formed between 15 months and 13 years of age.

I know God is a God that redeems all things, regardless of what children have gone through, but if we understand what's going on in children's brains, and what's being developed, I think that we would all understand how important it is to have these foundational truths as part of our children's daily lives. And as they grow up, there will be a standard by which they're going to weigh all the information that will come to them, and we want that standard to be truth.

This isnt the first time the Bombergers have tackled a difficult subject through literature. The founders of The Radiance Foundation, a life-affirming organization that creatively illuminates that life has purpose, theyre also behindPro-life Kids! a childrens book that uses rhyme to teach an age-appropriate pro-life worldview.

Bomberger described the backlash they received for Pro-life Kids! as incredible  so they braced themselves for a ton of pushback, once again, when they released She is She. But this time, she said, the response has been different.

There are so many people who are watching what is going on in our culture, but they feel that they don't have the luxury of speaking the truth, so they are silent, she said. What weve found with She is She, is that when people get ahold of the book, they feel so validated because, at their core, they know that what we're watching going on with the erasure of gender, the erasure of women, is at a very core level not gelling with what they know is true.

A recent survey found that the share of the American population identifying as LGBT has doubled over the past decade as Generation Z is more likely than older Americans to identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender or something "other" than heterosexual.

As the issue grows, Bomberger stressed that she and her husband have a deep well of compassion for families of children struggling with gender dysphoria. She encouraged parents to remind their children that they are special and loved by God and stressed the importance of finding Christian counselors and pastors who can help find the roots of some of these thought patterns and some of these personal identity crises that are going on.

And through She is She, Bomberger said she hopes parents are empowered to fight against the lies society is increasingly promoting. She voiced hope that as the world grows darker, God will raise up young people to help lead their generation into the light.

Jesus always empowers children throughout Scripture, she said. The same Holy Spirit that resides in me as an adult resides in my children.  I believe that with the attacks that are coming to our children, with tools like this, and other folks that are speaking out, the prayer would be that there would be individual voices that begin to emerge at younger and younger ages that are speaking truth.

My prayer is that as the enemy increases his attack against children, the Holy Spirit would rest in a new way on our kids and that they would embrace being a voice at a younger age.

She is Sheis now available.
America not as divided as media make it seem, Senate Chaplain Barry Black says RZIM launches new initiative to foster 'exchange of ideas' amid political division

WASHINGTON  Christian apologist Ravi Zacharias launched a new initiative Wednesday evening, convening dozens of elected officials, senior government staff, business people and academic leaders from both sides of the aisle to discuss political division in the United States.

The inaugural Ravi Zacharias International Ministries At the Table event was held on the top floor of the historic Hay-Adams Hotel overlooking the White House, in which attendees engaged in a night of dialogue about the hope for our divided nation over dinner and drinks.

The new initiative will be a series of events engaging crucial issues of the day through the prism of a Christian worldview.

At the Table aims to be a place where the exchange of ideas and hospitality meet.

As much has been made in the media about the ongoing political divisions in the U.S., the night featured a 45-minute panel discussion featuring the 73-year-old Indian-born apologist and author, African-American Republican Sen. Tim Scott from South Carolina, U.S. Senate Chaplain Barry Black, and former Obama campaign faith outreach director Michael Wear.

Moderated by British journalist Rob Gifford, panelists pushed back against the notion that the nation is as divided as many make it out to be. Some contended that the nation is not nearly as divided as it has been in the past.

I'm startled many times when I hear news people pontificating about how terrible things are, the 70-year-old Black, a former rear admiral in the Navy, said.

And I'm [wondering], Is this an alternative universe that I'm looking at? Because I know what bad looks like and this is not as bad as it's been.

Black, an African American, opined that too often division is given a black eye and told the story of how a Democrat senator recently told him that this is one of the most challenging times in the history of humanity. Black said he responded to the senator by saying that slavery was pretty bad.

The reality is that there has always been division, Black said. Jesus, in His John 17 intercessory prayer, prays, Father, make them one, as we are one. And when you look at some of the periods of division in the nation and what we've been able to overcome, you know, the question Is hope possible? is almost rhetorical.

I tell journalists very frequently there hasn't been a caning on my watch, he continued, referring to the caning of Sen. Charles Sumner in 1865 over the issue of slavery. Ive been in the Senate for 16 years. No one has walked over from the House and beat a guy into next week with a cane.

Black even asserted that political division shouldn't bother Christians in America because of the promise made in Romans 8:28.

"If you believe Romans 8:28  In everything God is working for the good of those who love Him, who are the called according to His purposes  then division shouldn't bother you at all because God has used division," he said.

Gifford questioned Black on whether he was saying that things are not as bad as we sometimes like to make them out to be.

We don't have the kinds of assassinations that we had. We don't have the towns burning that we had back in the day, Black responded. So yeah, I think we are very often hyperbolic and [claiming that] the sky is falling.

Zacharias followed up by stressing that one of the problems today is the capacity for people to communicate.

We have this immersion of information. And in the United States, any news of five days ago is old news, he added. And unfortunately, instead of getting the news now, all we get is personality, assaults of personality descriptions. So rather than generating information for people, we are provoking them.

They say any stigma can lick a good dogma, Zacharias continued. "And so you bring that person's name up and no matter what that person says, the reader is not going to like it. And this baiting an emotion on the basis of interpersonal dislikes is the wrong basis for which to inform.

Scott, who has served in the Senate since 2013, said he is encouraged whenever he sees elected officials converse when there are no cameras around.

Perhaps one of the greatest ills in our society today is the presence of cameras, he said. We sat this morning in a prayer breakfast with Republicans and Democrats having a conversation about loving your enemies. And the person speaking was a Democrat senator who said, What they see on TV doesn't reflect what my experience has been even in the minority.

On any given week, Scott said, he can be found going to movies with a group of Congress members that include Republican Mark Walker of North Carolina, Democrat Joe Kennedy of Massachusetts, and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy of California.

You'll find that myself and Sen. Chris Coons, a Democrat, did a small business event with Goldman Sachs. You'll find that myself and Cory Booker  the two of us have partnered on internship programs, on apprenticeship programs, and opportunities zones, on rare diseases, he said. But the friendships are on display. We break bread together when we do public events.

Unfortunately, I mean this sincerely, to get media coverage on any of the events I just talked about  including the legislation that could be life-changing, life-saving  it doesn't break through the threshold.

Scott went on to talk about some of the bipartisan legislative successes that have been made in the last few years that he says the media didnt pay attention to.

We were able to, in a bipartisan fashion, get criminal justice reform done, to create opportunities zones, to work together for a new initiative from the White House on historically black colleges and universities, to now focus our attention on rare diseases with a bipartisan coalition working on that, and to reform the banking system with a bipartisan coalition getting it done, Scott said.

When you look at the successes that we've had in the last few years in a bipartisan fashion, you would say to yourself, Why isnt this ever reported on the news? It's because our stations  God bless them all  they had figured out you can monetize conflict. And as long as there's a boogeyman and I can tell you who that boogeyman is, it will drive my ratings up. And if my ratings are up, my profits are up. So what do I do? I do more of the same.

Scott stressed that it is more profitable to sell division than it ever has been once you're paranoid about division.

You see it everywhere, he warned.

Scott reasoned that underneath the entire system is a friendship that is flourishing in the nation's capital in a way that we haven't seen in a very long time.

But in many, many ways, the fights that we've been having for a century have been evaporating before our eyes. So we need something new to fight over, he said. And this fight is a more significant, more powerful fight because it's a fight of our origins. It's who we are from the Judeo Christian perspective. That's a current fight. But in so many ways, this nation has leaped forward.

Wear, who served in the Barack Obama White House, said that politicians do bear some of the blame for helping foster fear of the other.

You don't need to give $10 to any presidential campaign right now and look at the emails that will come in your inbox, said Wear, the founder of Public Square Strategies. And you will no longer be able to say that politicians arent playing a role in playing on the fear of the other side.

Ultimately, Wear said, it comes down to the citizenry and what the citizens are buying into.

He contended that unless there is a citizenry that will stop the incentive structure, then the U.S. is not going to see the kind of change that people are looking for.

We know that citizens respond to negative advertising in the way that they don't respond to positive advertising, he said.

We know that citizens will [turn] to news programs that play up conflict as opposed to talking about the FIRST Step Act and both sides coming together to get that done. You know, statesmen can only be statesmen for so long until they're elected out of office because there are people using more destructive tools that are available."
Barry Black to Be Nominated for Senate Chaplaincy

WASHINGTON -- The Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn) announced his intention to nominate Rear Adm. Barry Black as U.S. Senates 62nd chaplain, June 17. Should Black garner the position, he will be the first African American, first Seventh-day Adventist and first military chaplain to serve in the post.

According to Frist, the confirmation of chaplain nominees by the Senate is a mere formality; Frist expects Black to be in his post before the Senates July 4 recess.

Black, 53, plans to retire from the Navy within the next several days. He enlisted in the Navy in 1976, after a stint as a "circuit-riding pastor" and evangelist. He served as the head of the Navys chaplaincy program since 2000. Black, a Baltimore native, earned three masters' degrees -- in art, counseling and divinity. He also holds the doctor of ministry degree from East Baptist Seminary in Lancaster, Pa., and a doctor of philosophy degree from United States International University in San Diego

"I look forward to this great opportunity and challenge and I am grateful to the senators already," Black said.

The 61st chaplain was Lloyd John Ogilvie who served the role from 1995 until this March when he took leave for the sake of his ailing wife. Prior to his tenure, Ogilvie pastored the National Presbyterian Church in Washington.

Frist, in making his announcement, praised Ogilvies service. "In the eight years Dr. Ogilvie has served as Senate chaplain, he has been an inspirational and comforting voice to the Senate family and a friend to me and my colleagues," Frist said. "He has left a tremendous mark on the Senate and on the lives of everyone whos had the privilege of hearing his spiritual counsel."

Since 1789, the Senate appointed chaplains to open chamber sessions with prayers and to attend to the spiritual needs of the Senate community. Currently, the full-time position carries a salary of $130,000. The chaplain's office provides such services as Bible studies and pastoral counseling to senators, their families and the thousands of Senate staffers -- which altogether make up a community of about 6,000 people.


Chaplain who ministered to hundreds of families at ground zero reflects on God's faithfulness

Twenty years after the events of Sept. 11, 2001, a Navy chaplain who ministered to hundreds of grieving families at ground zero has shared the incredible ways God showed up amid tragedy and provided comfort to those suffering.

Jim Jenkins, who was a Navy chaplain serving with the Coast Guard as part of the Chaplains Emergency Response Team, traveled to ground zero mere days after al-Qaeda affiliated terrorists hijacked four commercial jetliners and flew them into the twin towers of the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, killing nearly 3,000 people.

What Jenkins saw when he arrived at the wreckage of the towers will forever be engrained in his memory.

The only way I could describe it is, I saw footage of Berlin after the bombing. It looked like that as far as your eye could see. The TV couldn't give you a sense of the scope of the massive debris field, he told The Christian Post. It was so intense, so sobering.

The Lord had the appointments made for me already, who I was going to talk to, who was going to walk up to me, and what I was supposed to say. I got there right when I needed to, and not a moment before.

The following two weeks were a blur for Jenkins. For the first part of the day, he and his team would minister to the rescue and recovery workers at ground zero, the smell of burnt flesh lingering in the air.

For the first three hours of the day we were actually at the pile where they were looking for bodies, he recalled.

The second part of the day, Jenkins comforted those at a makeshift morgue: It looked like a MASH hospital attached to the medical examiner's office, he said. It was full of refrigerated trucks with body parts in it. They were trying to identify people.

But the most emotionally, spiritually and mentally taxing part of his day were the evenings when he would accompany grieving families to ground zero. He stood by, praying for people as they watched their loved ones move from the rubble to the stretcher.

I talked a lot about the promises of God and of the Holy Spirit, the Comforter, Jenkins reflected. I really felt that, when I was ministering to people, they werent seeing my face. I believe they were seeing the face of God and experiencing His favor.

When he thinks about his time serving at ground zero, Jenkins said he can see Gods hand in nearly every circumstance. He shared the "incredible" way then-Mayor Rudy Giuliani personally comforted first responders, chaplains and grieving families.

Giuliani came over to me, grabbed both my hands and stared at my face for a moment. Thank you for coming here to be with us," he said. It meant so much to see him right there, grieving with us.

In another instance, a man named Cleveland knelt on the Staten Island Ferry and asked him to pray amid a bomb threat.

One of his most vivid memories, however, is how a German Shepherd rescue dog comforted him as he sat on the ground one afternoon, exhausted and emotionally spent from the wreckage around him.

He came over and he put his head in my lap, he said. I looked up at the dog, and the dam broke. I finally just cried for the first time since Id gotten to ground zero. It was this incredible cathartic moment. The Lord took care of me right when I needed it.

Through a series of unlikely events, Jenkins would connect with the dogs owners years later.

After returning home, Jenkins struggled to cope with what hed seen at ground zero. He developed a precancerous condition of his sinuses and esophagus due to breathing in toxic chemicals. He was diagnosed with PTSD and to this day has recurring nightmares that his hands wont work as he tries to retrieve bodies from the rubble.

But even in his darkest moments, Jenkins said he feels the hand of God comforting him, telling him that He is present in even the bleakest of circumstances.

Something happens when you pray, when you cry out to God with groanings too deep for words, he said. Wherever we are, the Lord will meet us right in the midst of our brokenness.

Jenkins shares his story in his book, From Rubble to Redemption: A Ground Zero Chaplain Remembers. In his 2014 book, Fatal Drift: Is the Church Losing its Anchor?, he challenges the Church to remain steadfast in the face of obstacles.

He noted that tragedies present a unique opportunity for the Church. Like 9/11, in the midst of a pandemic, many people are asking, Where is God in the middle of this?

I can tell you firsthand that God is here, he emphasized. I'm encouraging believers to remember that. Jesus helped me in my rubble. He helped me when I was afraid. This is an unusual, open door for the Church to be forthright about who the Lord is and what He can do.

In the years following Sept. 11, 2001, numerous first responders, survivors and pastors have shared stories of how God proved Himself faithful amid tragedy.

Recently, Mickey Stonier, who serves as an executive pastor at the Rock Church in California, and a fire chaplain, revealed how his time as a first responder at ground zero taught him the true meaning of servanthood.

When you are there at Ground Zero, knowing the world has completely changed, the only posture you can take is that of a servant, he said in an interview with Rock Church writer Susanna Fleming. That is what a pastor or a chaplain really is at the end of the day  a servant. You feel so humbled that you are the one who gets to be there for those who are going through this horrific, life-changing experience, and all you can do is just serve them.

I have come to realize that a lot of people I work with on a weekly basis are having a 9/11 experience in their lives. It might not be on the news, but it is a traumatic moment in which their world is crumbling down around them. In those moments, I know what to do. I know I get to serve.

In an increasingly polarized society, Stonier issued a call for unity, urging believers not to forget their shared humanity in Christ.

From 9/11 to early October, our country pulled together and was very unified because of what had happened. Then we started to get into the blame faze and started to fragment again. The world has been through so much trauma this year, and polarization has caused us to forget to honor one another. But as Christians, we are called to serve and love another, no matter our different backgrounds.
Christian university sues to block HUD order forcing male student placement in female dorms

A Missouri Christian university is suing the Biden administration over a federal directive that its lawsuit claims requires religious schools to open their dormitories and showers based on "gender identity.

The College of the Ozarks, a four-year liberal arts college in Point Lookout, filed a lawsuit in response to a February order from the Department of Housing and Urban Development that forces any entities that receive federal dollars covered by the Fair Housing Act to place transgender-identified biological males into female dormitories and assign them as females roommates.

The lawsuit argues that the rule forces religious schools to violate their religious beliefs and states that the order was issued "without notice or the opportunity for public comment." The lawsuit contends that the policy was issued without considering alternative policies that "respect the interests of private religious colleges."

Representing the school is the legal nonprofit Alliance Defending Freedom, which argues that the directive violates both women's sex-based rights and the school's religious liberties.

The government cannot and should not force schools to open girls dorms to males based on its politically motivated and inappropriate redefinition of sex, ADF senior counsel Julie Marie Blake said in a statement.

Women shouldnt be forced to share private spaces  including showers and dorm rooms  with males, and religious schools shouldnt be punished simply because of their beliefs about marriage and biological sex. Government overreach by the Biden administration continues to victimize women, girls, and people of faith by gutting their legal protections, and it must be stopped.

The federal order instructs organizations and agencies that receive grants through HUDs Fair Housing Initiative Program (FHIP), in carrying out activities under these grant agreements, must interpret sex discrimination under the Fair Housing Act to include discrimination because of sexual orientation and gender identity.

Violators of this directive will potentially face fines and punitive damages.

The lawsuit was filed in the southern division of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri.

College of the Ozarks President Jerry C. Davis believes the Biden administration's action constitutes a violation of the most basic freedoms outlined in the founding documents of the United States.

Religious freedom is under attack in America, and we wont stand on the sidelines and watch, Davis said in a statement.

To threaten religious freedom is to threaten America itself. College of the Ozarks will not allow politicians to erode this essential American right or the ideals that shaped Americas founding.

College of the Ozarks is colloquially known as "Hard Work U" as all students work while they are students on campus and receive tuition-free four-year degrees.

In a statement on its website about the lawsuit, the liberal arts college said that it "holds to the Christian belief that biological sex is not changeable, and it operates its dorms accordingly."

"The Colleges sincerely held religious beliefs influence their policies, including dormitory policies, which prohibit male students from living in female residence halls, and vice versa."

Commenting on the lawsuit on Twitter Friday, evangelist Franklin Graham praised the school for its "bold stand" and asked, "Can you believe this government overreach?"

The HUD directive that reinterprets "sex" to include gender identity follows the Biden administration's executive order signed on his first day in office  "Preventing and Combating Discrimination on the Basis of Gender Identity or Sexual Orientation"  which directed federal agencies within 100 days to adjust their policies to do likewise.

The Jan. 20 order cited the 2020 U.S. Supreme Court ruling Bostock v. Clayton County, which held that firing someone on the basis of "transgender status" was a form of sex discrimination that is prohibited under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, the section pertaining to employment. The high court ruled only on workplace discrimination and did not speak to other areas of public policy, such as housing or education.
Judge denies Christian colleges request for religious protection against Bidens LGBT order

A federal judge rejected a Missouri Christian universitys plea for temporary protection against the Biden administrations Fair Housing Act, which, the school said, requires religious schools to open womens' dorm rooms and showers to male students.

District Judge Roseann Ketchmark on Wednesday denied the College of the Ozarks motion for a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction against the Department of Housing and Urban Developments Fair Housing Act, Springfield News-Leader reported.

Ketchmark said an effort by the college to stop HUD from applying the new federal directive wouldn't protect the college from any liability related to unfair housing allegations, the newspaper added.

James Luh, an attorney representing HUD, argued that the memorandum was not directed at the college and does not specifically address the kinds of issues the college has raised here  showers, or roommates.

Luh said there was no immediate threat to the college and that no legal complaint had been filed against it. The plaintiffs cant establish either irreparable harm or the likelihood of success necessary to sustain a preliminary injunction, he was quoted as saying.

Serena Orloff, another attorney for HUD, argued, We recognize the college may have strongly held beliefs  Nothing that the government has done ... should be taken to suggest a lack of respect for the colleges religious beliefs but at this juncture, this is a purely one-sided dispute.

Representing the college is the legal nonprofit Alliance Defending Freedom. The groups senior counsel Ryan Bangert told KOLR, The Fair Housing Act has long prohibited discrimination on several grounds, including sex. But by redefining sex, the Biden administration is twisting the fair housing act to harm young women directly.

On his first day in office on Jan 20, President Joe Biden signed an executive order to prevent discrimination on the basis of gender identity or sexual orientation. In February, HUD announced it would administer and enforce the Fair Housing Act to prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.

The federal order instructs organizations and agencies that receive grants through HUDs Fair Housing Initiative Program (FHIP), in carrying out activities under these grant agreements, must interpret sex discrimination under the Fair Housing Act to include discrimination because of sexual orientation and gender identity.

In April, the liberal arts college filed a lawsuit saying HUD forces any entities that receive federal taxpayer dollars covered by the Fair Housing Act to place transgender-identified male college students in girls' dormitories.

The lawsuit argued that the rule forces religious schools to violate their religious beliefs and said the order was issued without notice or the opportunity for public comment. It further contended that the policy was issued without considering alternative policies that respect the interests of private religious colleges.

College of the Ozarks' President Jerry C. Davis said he will appeal the federal district courts rejection of the motion.

While we are disappointed in [the] ruling, we expect to appeal so that schools are not forced to open womens dorm rooms to males and violate their religious beliefs, he said, according to Branson News. For more than 100 years, College of the Ozarks has provided a distinctly Christian education to students with financial need. We will not abandon our mission. The fight to protect our religious freedom has just begun.

Davis said the HUD policy forces his college to decide between defending its religious liberty from government overreach or violating our core beliefs.

The governments threats include harmful fines that could easily amount to six figures, he said. Fair Housing Act penalties can even land people in jail. College of the Ozarks will not stand on the sidelines while our right to religious freedom is attacked.

Davis added: Its our college today. Tomorrow it will be someone elses college, it could be another school, it might be your church or charitable organization. The constitution of the United States protects our freedom by separating power and limiting government. When the government overreaches, the College of the Ozarks will defend freedom, especially religious freedom.

ADF argues that the directive violates both women's sex-based rights and the school's religious liberties.

The government cannot and should not force schools to open girls dorms to males based on its politically motivated and inappropriate redefinition of sex, ADF senior counsel Julie Marie Blake said in an earlier statement.

Women shouldnt be forced to share private spaces  including showers and dorm rooms  with males, and religious schools shouldnt be punished simply because of their beliefs about marriage and biological sex. Government overreach by the Biden administration continues to victimize women, girls, and people of faith by gutting their legal protections, and it must be stopped.
Megachurch votes to leave UMC after trying to disaffiliate without congregational vote

Correction Appended

A megachurch in Texas that tried to leave The United Methodist Church without a congregational vote has now held that vote, with members voting overwhelmingly to disaffiliate from the second-largest Protestant denomination in the United States.

St. Andrew Methodist Church of Plano held a congregational vote last week in which 98.6% of those present voted in favor of disaffiliation from the UMC, totaling 859 members voting in favor versus 12 opposed.

St. Andrew leadership told The Christian Post in an email statement that after announcing the initial plan to leave the UMC, the congregation "engaged in meaningful and productive conversations" with regional UMC leadership "to finalize terms of our disaffiliation."

"St. Andrew's goal has always been to disaffiliate while still maintaining relationships with the UMC and blessing each other in mission for the future," continued the statement.

Part of the final agreement to disaffiliate will include a settlement with the regional body involving the "payment of necessary apportionments and pension liabilities."

"St. Andrew will remain an independent Methodist church for some period and will not be affiliating with any existing Methodist denominations," the statement from the church reads. "St. Andrew is exploring new affiliations with other mission-focused Methodist and Wesleyan churches, both large and small, to grow the Kingdom of God."

St. Andrew is one of the largest congregations located in the UMC North Texas Annual Conference headquartered in Plano.

In a statement last Wednesday, the regional body said the next step will be for the disaffiliation vote to be affirmed at a Special Called Session slated to be held this Saturday.

"St. Andrew UMC has met the requirements for disaffiliation," the conference noted, including "St. Andrew's commitment to pay the necessary apportionments and pension liabilities and to honor the North Texas Conference's terms for disaffiliation."

Last October, St. Andrew announced plans to disaffiliate from the UMC without holding the mandatory congregational vote. The church claimed at the time that the vote was not necessary.

"St. Andrew's decision was made in accordance with its governing legal documents, which allowed the decision to be made without a congregational vote. St. Andrew stands by the legal enforceability of its decision, and it is overwhelmingly supported by the church members," stated St. Andrew leadership at the time.

"St. Andrew's leadership comprises a variety of individuals all with unique professional experience and personal views that are representative of our congregation. They collectively spent hundreds of hours of in-depth research examining both the decision to disaffiliate and the mechanism to make the decision."

The UMC has seen hundreds of churches disaffiliate in recent years due to its ongoing internal debate over LGBT issues.

Although the UMC officially labels homosexuality a sin and does not allow same-sex weddings, many progressive leaders within the denomination have refused to enforce the rules. This has prompted many congregations to leave the mainline Protestant denomination, with most deciding to join the more theologically conservative Global Methodist Church.

A little over 1,800 congregations disaffiliated from the UMC in 2022, according to a report by UM News, with more than 400 of those congregations in Texas.

The original version of this article published on Feb. 27, 2023, reported that the congregational vote tally was 871 to 12. The actual vote tally was 859 to 12 out of 871 total votes.
M.I.A. talks faith in Jesus, the problem with Black Lives Matter, being a victim of 'cancel culture'

Rapper M.I.A. recently shared more details about her widely reported conversion to Christianity, saying she found Christ while on a trip to the Caribbean after being "canceled" for her critiques of the Black Lives Matter movement.

Mathangi "Maya" Arulpragasam, most known by her rapper name M.I.A. and for the hit 2008 song "Paper Planes," joined conservative commentator Candace Owens on her Daily Wire show "Taboo" for an interview released last week.

Even before George Floyd's death in 2020 sparked nationwide protests that enabled the continued mainstream growth of the BLM movement, M.I.A has not shied away from criticizing the movement for not highlighting the plight of people groups persecuted in other countries. The 47-year-old has been known for making comments that spark controversy in an effort to advocate for peace and stability in her native Sri Lanka.

"You cannot define things by race," the rapper told Owens. "If one people are oppressed in one place and another people is oppressed in another place, it's still oppression.  And if you identify the oppressor, which is what the whole BLM thing is, ... we're discussing oppression, and there are valuable conversations to be had."

Although she was born in London, her family moved back to their native Sri Lanka when she was baby as her father fought against Tamil oppression. When she was 10, her family fled to London as refugees.

M.I.A. shared her concern for the Tamil people of Sri Lanka, who have been undergoing oppression for decades. She stated that in 2009, toward the end of the Sri Lanka Civil War, the Sri Lankan government evacuated all foreign media, foreign politicians and mediators and bombed the head office of the BBC in the South Asian country.

She said 400,000 Tamil people were forced onto a strip of beach over a mile long, where tends of thousands were killed in a "no fire zone." M.I.A. appears to have been citing information from the film "No Fire Zone: The Killing Fields of Sri Lanka." The Sri Lankan government has denied responsibility for the killing of up to 70,000 citizens toward the end of the civil war.

"From 2009 to today, which is [2023], we've had to grovel at the [United Nations] as a victim.  They're torturing us in the prisons, they're raping these people, and we're still in refugee camps. You know, it's been 13 years.  Nothing has been done. No one has been tried, convicted [or] held accountable," M.I.A. said.

Even with her advocacy for the citizens of her native country, she says the media and society have labeled her as "anti-black" and "racist" for criticizing BLM for excluding other oppressed people groups in their coalition.

"I was called anti-back. And that was really another weird thing because my work from day one has been to include the other voices outside of America, and that could be anywhere," she said. "It could be Africa. It could be in Asia, where there's 30 million slaves today."

She claims that other brown Asian people were employed to "gaslight" as Indian girls wrote "all these hit pieces" saying she was "anti-black."

"[E]verybody pushes a falling fence as the saying goes," she said. "[A]nd they're all like, Oh, am I is this terrible person, and even though she's my kind, I'm happy to denounce her, because I support BLM, you know, and she's terrible."

M.I.A. contends "cancel culture" made her out "to be this racist person."

"I was like, 'who's at the bottom of that?' There are so many different people this could be. That made me look into it even more.  I was like, 'well, you have this elite class [of] black elites. And then you have poor black people in America, who are controlled by the same mass media narrative as everybody else  white people and the Hispanics  you know, they're all in it together."

"Right now, it's confusing because the Vice President [Kamala Harris] is Tamil.  She's Tamil and black. So that's another thing.  We're not allowed to talk to each other because I'm Tamil and you're black. And you have to be in your experience and your narratives and I have to be in my experience, in my narrative. But we cannot have conversations."

She said her faith has played a massive role in her life ever since she had an encounter in 2016 where she saw what appeared to be the image of Jesus during a vision while on a trip to the Caribbean.

The rapper said that while making the video for her 2016 song "Borders," which has shots of her walking on water, she found a shirt that read "Jesus sad" instead of "Jesus said."

"And just straight off to that video, and then the whole BLM thing happened, and I got canceled, then I went to the Caribbean that Christmas," she explained. "And I had this vision, and then it just like turned my creative world upside down for about five years."

The rapper said she was staying in a place that had limited Wi-Fi. But, to her surprise, she received a text that said: "you're going to die."

"It was like a threat. And then suddenly, I started feeling very ill. And I believed it.  And then, I just thought, 'that's fine.' 'I've lived the life that I wanted and understood things.' And I was kind of happy with what I'd done. And so, I just surrendered and I was like, 'OK, that's fine.' And if that was my time, 'that's fine,'" M.I.A. recounted.

"And just when I thought that  I had a vision of Jesus Christ. First of all, when I say that, my vision of Jesus wasn't wimpy looking.  He didn't look like He was starving and had been hung on a cross for days. He looked really strong. And it was the strongest thing I've ever seen," she continued.

"And I [once thought], 'wow, I do not believe in Jesus or Christianity. And I don't believe that this person is going to save anyone. This person is a concept.  This figure is not going to save humanity.' You want God to be like this insane concept or angel illustration, which no one can even perceive how to illustrate. You cannot draw a man and say, 'that's God. He's going to bring salvation.' But then, when I saw the vision, I was like, 'I totally believe it.'"

M.I.A. said that although she always liked philosophies behind some religions like Hinduism, she never thought she would ever be into Christianity because "it's way more simplified as a concept and doesn't make you think that your mind and your body and breath and all of the things can work together to achieve something."

"It's kind of like, shocking, but [Jesus is] who I saw, you know, and it's very stereotypical, like a man in a white robe," she said. "I wasn't ready to embrace this concept during the time of the BLM discussion."

"What it taught me is that don't blanket hate for white people and blanket hate for Americans and don't blanket hate," she continued.

In December, M.I.A. responded to critics of her newfound faith.

"The fact that the biggest backlash in my career and life I'm facing after saying 'Jesus is real' is such a revelation to me," she tweeted. "People who control these apps rather me be a bad girl, then a good one."
Humor or hate? New Yorker satire headline mocks those who 'search the Bible' for Gods views

When does satire about faith become mockery? And should Christians even care?

In a piece from his satire column "Satire from The Borowitz Report," The New Yorker humorist Andy Borowitz took aim at the professed faith of Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett with the headline, "Amy Coney Barrett Searches Bible for God's Opinion of the Internet."

The column, ostensibly inspired by the Supreme Court battle in Gonzalez v. Google, which some pundits believe could lead to the court allowing tech platforms to be sued over content, turns the millennia-old practice of Christians seeking answers from the pages of the Bible into a punchline.

Borowitz depicted a fictional scenario where Barrett "called for a recess in arguments before the Supreme Court so that she could search the Bible for God's views on the Internet."

In the piece, Borowitz imagines Barrett's response to the issue: "'It doesn't matter what we think about the Internet,' the Supreme Court Justice said. 'What does God think about it?'"

The satire column finishes with Barrett instructing her clerks to "comb the Bible for the Almighty's opinions on digital matters," only to result in their failure to "find any mention of the Internet in the books of Genesis, Exodus, or Leviticus, but were said to be 'holding out hope' for the Book of Numbers."

Far from being the only example of anti-Christian sentiment in Borowitz's column, the Barrett piece follows a long tradition of satire aimed at the likes of Christian (and Republican) public figures like former Vice President Mike Pence, Reps. Lauren Boebert and Marjorie Taylor Greene, and MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell.

The premise of another article sees Boebert, an outspoken Christian, mix up the Bill of Rights with the Ten Commandments.

Borowitz writes, "The Colorado lawmaker said that people who believe that there are nineteen amendments' need to turn off their NPR and pick up the good ol' Bible'."

Borowitz  who once wrote, "the baby Jesus was the last homeless person the Republicans liked" and shared a story about former President Donald Trump making an appearance at the Values Voter Summit with the caption, "Because nothing's more Christian than telling hurricane victims to go f themselves"  also mocked the pro-traditional marriage values espoused by Chik-fil-A's President Dan Cathy in a 2012 satire piece.

Written amid a national debate over same-sex marriage during the Obama administration, the piece refers to a fictional new sauce at the fast-food giant, where customers were "ordering their sandwiches with extra hate."

The article included a fictional quote from a customer calling the sandwich "so spicy it makes your mouth feel like it's on fire  like a gay couple in hell."

The New Yorker did not respond to a request for comment from The Christian Post as of Tuesday afternoon.

The New Yorker made headlines in 2013 for a controversial cover romantically depicting "Sesame Street" characters Bert and Ernie after two groundbreaking rulings favoring same-sex marriage.

Last August, the Center for Christian Virtue (CCV), a public policy advocacy group, criticized The New Yorker for a story about their organization they said was "packed full of mischaracterizations, manipulations, and flat out lies."

In an article titled "When the New Yorker came after CCV," president Aaron Baer says the publication misrepresented CCV as "one of the premier lobbying forces in Ohio" and how they "command unusual influence" in a 2022 report headlined "State Legislatures Are Torching Democracy."

"While we're flattered by the compliments, the reality is, the influence CCV has garnered lies in the fact that we engage in the public policy conversation with excellence and integrity, and we empower people like you to have a voice in the process," Baer wrote.

"If I spent my days responding to every attack and piece of misinformation about CCV and why Christians care so deeply about the future of our state and nation, I wouldn't have time to sleep."

Bill Hull, co-founder and CEO of The Bonhoeffer Project, wrote about a 2021 New Yorker article on the "wasting of the Evangelical mind," which depicted American Christians' "vulnerability to conspiratorial thinking and misinformation" as a root cause in Jan. 6, 2021, riots at the U.S. Capitol building.

Hull told CP that while some Christians may take offense to articles like those in The New Yorker and other publications, many others in the public square don't share that sentiment.

"Evangelical leaders, writers, and academics yearn to be taken seriously. If there is anything worse than being mocked by Borowitz or some 'funny only to the left' humorist, it is being ignored," Hull said via email.

"Not being taken seriously is much more punishing than mockery and ridicule. That is why conservatives don't mind being laughed at on Saturday Night Live. Fame is more pleasurable than credibility, celebrity more desired than character," he added.

"This is evidence that secularity has won. Even Christians want the good stuff now instead of later."

Some Christians, Hull added, will gladly tolerate their faith being ridiculed if it means career advancement and media coverage.

"The power of the culture is in this recognition system. It has a gravitational pull that drags everyone with ambition, talent and drive along," he said. "And inside the Evangelical community, it has its own system, but it bows the knee to the secular one.

"This is why so many Christians will take the mockery and ridicule, because as Oscar Wilde famously said, 'The only thing worse than being talked about, is not being talked about.'"
Northern Seminary president placed on leave amid HR investigation into bullying allegations

The board of Northern Seminary in Illinois has announced that President Bill Shiell is taking an indefinite leave of absence as he faces allegations of bullying and retaliation against female staff in key leadership roles.

Shiell's leave was announced in an email to the faculty, staff and students last week, according to The Roys Report. Another email sent two days earlier announced the opening of a "confidential" human resources investigation into Shiell's leadership.

"The Board takes these complaints seriously and must fully understand all aspects of this confidential HR issue, and any ancillary issues," reads the email. "The Board has asked for a thorough review of all pertinent information and expects a status report or the finalization of the inquiry within a month."

The Christian Post reached out to Northern Seminary for confirmation of Shiell's leave of absence since the seminary has posted no public announcement. A response was not received by press time.

Formerly known as the Northern Baptist Theological Seminary, the seminary in the suburbs of Chicago is affiliated with the American Baptist Churches USA and was established in 1913. In the 2021-2022 school year, there were 346 students enrolled at the seminary.

The board initiated the investigation after concerns were raised by members of the Northern Seminary community who spoke with The Roys Report. The women alleged that Shiell has a history of bullying and retaliating against female staff who push back on his decisions.

Some members of the seminary community had urged the board to address Shiell's behavior for months  in some cases, years.

The women describe Shiell as "controlling" and misogynistic.

The board has agreed to a third-party investigation by lawyer Maureen Maffei with 17 former and current staff testifying against Shiell, The Roys Report states.

Former Chief Administrative Officer Ava Ivy told the outlet that Shiell treated some women like flies "picking off pieces of her wings."

Jennifer Boysen, Northern's chief development officer, claims the board retaliated against her for being a whistleblower.

"The entire board is complicit in attempting to silence and cover up the realities in front of them," Boysen was quoted as saying. "Not one member has reached out to see how I'm doing, even after reporting an ongoing pattern of retaliation. I have lost all faith in their ability to do the right thing."

Dozens of students, led by Justin Charles and Karen Smith, have signed a letter to the board expressing concerns about the allegations against Shiell.

"We are reiterating our expectations that you will make Christoform decisions that bring justice to the victims, as well as a Tov environment to all areas of Northern Seminary," the letter reads.

Tommy Lee, executive director of Northern's Grow Center for Church and Mission, sent a strongly worded warning that if Shiell doesn't resign, he will suspend all operations at the Grow Center.

"If there is even a hint that a woman or employee felt mistreated or felt bullied, you need to either change the behavior and seek forgives or be fired," Lee wrote in an email. "There's no place where anyone despite their age, position, sex, or color, should not feel equal compared to everyone else."
On Monday, China criticized the United States for imposing "illegal" sanctions on Chinese businesses doing trade with Russia and threatened retaliation if the measures were not lifted.

At a press briefing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning asserted that the US measures are not authorized by the UN Security Council and are not supported by international law. Per USA Today, she said that China's stance on Ukraine was impartial and fair, supporting peace negotiations and a political resolution.

China Urges US to Drop Sanctions

US sanctions were placed on the Chinese corporation Changsha Tianyi Space Science and Technology Research Institute for providing satellite images of Ukraine to the Wagner Group's affiliates, a Russian mercenary organization.

According to Mao, the United States has been using the false claim that China will supply Russia with weapons to justify penalizing Chinese businesses. The Biden administration claims that Chinese or Chinese-based corporations support Russia, and the State Department is imposing sanctions on them.

The action was taken in response to American concerns that China may be considering providing Russia with deadly assistance in its assault on Ukraine. In response, the US has supported Kyiv's defense from the outset of the conflict, The Hill reported.

According to Mao, the measures "have no foundation in international law or Security Council approval, and are classic unlawful unilateral sanctions and long-arm jurisdiction." The war fought by Russia against Ukraine reached its one-year mark earlier this month, just after President Joe Biden made an unexpected trip to Kyiv to pledge further aid and rally support from other countries against Russian aggression.

The Treasury and State departments jointly announced the actions against the president of Russia's Kalashnikov Concern, the company that invented the AK-47 assault rifle, as well as dozens of Wagner Group affiliates, some of which were located in the Central African Republic and the United Arab Emirates. Per SFGate, heavy battle in the east of Ukraine involves Wagner, a private Russian military outfit.

Read Also: Turkey Earthquake: 200 People Punished Over Bad Construction

US Worries That China May Send Military Aid to Russia

The Chinese firm Changsha Tianyi Space Science and Technology Research Institute Co. Ltd., commonly known as Spacety China, which has provided Wagner Group affiliates with satellite footage of Ukraine to support Wagner's military actions there, has also been struck by the sanctions. Also targeted was a Spacety China subsidiary with a location in Luxembourg.

Republican lawmaker Michael McCaul reiterated American worries that China may give Russia lethal military aid. In an interview on Sunday, the head of the House Foreign Affairs Committee head stated that the US thinks China is considering deploying drones to Russia to help in its invasion.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping, according to McCaul, have an "unholy alliance," as seen by China's sustained backing for Russia's energy trade.

This came after Secretary of State Antony Blinken said over the weekend that China was "seriously considering" giving Russia lethal aid. Per Daily Mail, to back up the assertions, he promised that "additional information" "would be out there soon."

Related Article: Volodymyr Zelensky Urges To Meet Xi Jinping

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Persecuted Christians in South Asia celebrate New Testament translation in hostile territory 'A rare beacon of hope for these beleaguered people, penetrating the surrounding spiritual darkness'

An international organization is sowing the seeds of the Gospel in dangerous parts of the world by helping train local Bible translators to present God's Word to remote rural villages.

Wycliffe Associates equips Christians in Bible translation in countries where believers face immense persecution, including throughout the Middle East, Asia and Africa. Trainers communicate with the locals on the ground by communicating through a gateway language  such as English, French or Spanish  and provide technology, including laptops and translation software for these projects.

Trainers completed a recent translation project in an unnamed Muslim-majority country in South Asia. Two weeks ago, Wycliffe Associates participated in a New Testament dedication event to commemorate the first completed Bible translation project in a minority language in this region of the world.

Even though a Bible translation already exists in the nation's official language, there wasn't a translation for minority languages in remote areas.

According to Tony Tophoney, director of field training for Wycliffe Associates, the translation project in South Asia took around three years to complete.

He believes the cost of the project was about $55,000 and the organizations translation projects can cost up to $100,000, which covers the expense of the training and the technological devices. Wycliffe Associates raises money by sending donors fundraising letters and hosting summits explaining their mission to people and inviting them to donate.

Tophoney said it almost seemed as if the recent project would be unable to continue for a while, but not for lack of knowledge on the scholars part, who had biblical education and spoke multiple languages.

They got derailed by so many different things and found themselves almost unable to continue the translation work, but the Lord was faithful, the field training director told The Christian Post in an interview. And when they finished it, everybody was like, 'Wow, that was one that we just weren't sure if it was ever going to get completed!'

Not because the work wasn't being done well and it wasn't being checked properly, but because the local police were investigating them the whole time, he added.

At one point, the government police interrogated everyone involved with the project. During the dedication event, where hundreds of people were gathered in a safe location, police showed up, saying that the group should have obtained a permit first. Tophoney said he heard through reports that around half a dozen police officers showed up.

He explained that authorities' tactics usually involve taking people aside to see if their stories match up, and if they get suspicious, they take people in for further interrogation.

We were able to smooth it out; the local leaders were able to smooth it out with the police, he said.

One of the trainers, a 25-year-old female who attended the dedication, told Tophoney that the police were likely just trying to mess with the group and create disruption, adding: Its what they do.

Elaborating on the perception of Christians in the country, Tophoney said that a majority of the region is Muslim.

But then there are ethnic groups within this country, and the ethnicities in South Asia are trying to preserve their individuality, their sense of community from being overtaken by Muslim or Arabic culture that bleeds its way into a country when Islam is a majority religion, and also when the leader of the country says, 'Hey, Islam is our national faith!' he continued.

For example, some Hindu communities might view their members who identify as Christian as traitors since theyre supposed to unite against being Muslim.

Youre surrounded on all sides by religious persecution, Tophoney said about the treatment of Christians living in this particular South Asian country.

In order to safely conduct its translation projects, trainers meet with local leaders in capital cities in the regions where Christians face persecution, places where, according to Tophoney, it would not be strange for Westerners to visit.

The trainers then assist the leaders with translating the Bible, and they provide the necessary technology to complete the translation. After receiving the training, the leaders take the information back to their villages and lead the members through the work.

Tophoney said the people Wycliffe Associates works with usually request that they assist a specific group, and the organization attempts to help as best it can. In some areas, however, the organization cannot help due to the dangers in the area or a lack of people who speak a gateway language.

The organization will typically decide to assist a region after receiving a reference from a local leader they trust, such as bishops that have risked their lives for the sake of Christianity that Wycliffe has previously worked with.

They come to us, and they say, 'These people are interested, Tophoney said. Id like permission to meet with them and talk with them about what Wycliffe Associates does.

After receiving the request, the organization waits to see if local leaders in the area feel its safe or culturally appropriate to begin helping the person who requested assistance. The field training director emphasized that Wycliffe trusts the local leaders in these areas and understands that letting them have ownership over the project from beginning to end is necessary.

This is their Scripture; this is their culture, Tophoney said. They know it better than we do. They can go to the places we can't go, so we have to trust them.
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The title of Camilla Parker Bowles, Queen Consort of King Charles, is set to change following his coronation in May, according to a report.

Camilla Parker-Bowles has been married to King Charles since 2005 and had the title of Duchess of Cornwall until Queen Elizabeth II's death in September of last year. She chose not to use the title of "Princess of Wales," which Princess Diana, the King's first wife, had.

Should Camilla be Given The Title of Queen?

The title was initially known as "Princess Consort." However, Queen Elizabeth II expressed her "sincere desire" that the Duchess of Cornwall be called "Queen Consort" when her son Charles becomes King.

Noting that the British monarchy can only be inherited, those who marry into the royal line are ineligible to ascend to the throne. On May 6, King Charles and Camilla will be jointly crowned at the coronation ceremony, NDTV reported.

The website of the Royal Family reads, "Unless decided otherwise, a Queen consort is crowned with the King in a similar but simpler ceremony. If the new Sovereign is a Queen, her consort is not crowned or anointed at the coronation ceremony."

According to Buckingham Palace, the Queen Consort's main job is to provide emotional and practical assistance to the Monarch. The consort must have a formal role within the government system, read official documents, or attend to official audiences.

According to reports, Buckingham Palace officials look to the past for reference, specifically the titles used for the King's grandfather's wife. Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, the wife of King George VI, was Queen Consort but became Queen Elizabeth after her husband was crowned and Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother following his death.

When Charles and Camilla became engaged in February 2005, Buckingham Palace issued the following statement: "It is anticipated that Mrs. Parker-Bowles would use the title HRH The Princess Consort upon the accession of The Prince of Wales to the throne."

About eight years after losing his first wife, Diana, Princess of Wales, the King wed Camilla. Charles and Diana were married for fifteen years, from 1981 to 1996, and they are the parents of Princes William and Harry, as per The Independent.

The change occurred after the late Queen released a message on the 70th anniversary of her ascension to the throne in June last year. The coronation will be commemorated by a series of events over a bank holiday weekend. The holiday will occur on Monday, May 8.

Read Also: Madonna's Brother Antohy Ciccone Cause of Death, Revealed

Camilla Parker Bowles Hints About Her Royal Title

After the service at Westminster Abbey, the King, and Queen Consort will return to the palace with other members of the royal family in the "coronation procession." They will appear on the Buckingham Palace balcony. It has yet to be determined which royals will be present.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will reportedly get an invitation to the coronation, but it is unknown if they will accept. Before contemplating attending the event, Harry reportedly needs an apology from the King and his brother, the Prince of Wales.

This week, a clue was given that suggested this upcoming shift is likely to occur. Camilla held a gathering at Clarence House on Thursday to honor her Reading Room project. She said during the reception that the project, which began on Instagram, will become a charity named The Queen's Reading Room, with the term Consort eliminated.

And a source told the Mail On Sunday, "There is a belief at the Palace that Queen Consort is cumbersome, and it may be preferable for Camilla to be recognized simply as the Queen at the appropriate moment. The Reading Room served as evidence of this. Her Majesty is, after all, the Queen."

It has been said that referring to Camilla as the Queen indicates a shift in the nation's fondness for her. Many feel that the late Queen's intervention last year, in which she demanded that her daughter-in-law be referred to as "Queen Consort," was an enormous show of solidarity.

Related Article: Prince Harry Sex Scandal: Woman Details Duke's First Intimate Experience

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By Thomas Been, DataStax

Building data-driven, high-growth businesses takes a certain kind of roll-up-your-sleeves, determined, and smart builder who understands the importance of building a unified, foundational data architecture.

We call these people Digital Champions. Theyre visionaries in using real-time data and the cloud to deliver unprecedented value to their organizations and, in turn, to their customers.

Last year, we set out to identify enterprises and builders that build powerful, real-time applications that define the future of data. Theyve planned and prepared to scale to whatever demand their growing businesses and customers place upon them. Since we named our first batch of Digital Champions in November, the program has gained some significant momentum.

Our latest group of Digital ChampionsSupPlant, K2View, and Ibexaall hail from Europe and all have taken on big challenges to lead their organizations to success with real-time data.

SupPlant

Revital Kremer is greedy for data. To the chief technology officer of SupPlant, which supplies farmers with critical agronomic insights, the more real-time weather, plant, soil, and water data the companys solution can gather, the bigger the improvements in crop yield and productivity for customers.

However, as Kremer puts it, collecting data is hardespecially when it involves the variety of sensors and broad range of locales where SupPlants customers work. Its a good thing shes passionate about what she does and draws energy from the ability of technology to solve the worlds problems. Kremer has worked in a variety of sectors, from gaming to defense, but, as she put it recently, The agtech domain, and SupPlant in particular, is the first time Ive built technology that really makes a difference and can help farmers overcome water scarcity and climate changes.

Kremer embodies the Digital Champion ethos, so were proud to honor her here.

Learn more about why Supplant is a Digital Champion here.

K2View

The team at K2View isnt afraid of challenges (the companys name, after all, is a nod to the second tallest and notoriously challenging to climb mountain in the world). The company enables large enterpriseslike AT&T, American Express, and Hertzto gain 360-degree views of their customers to predict churn, fraud, and moreall in real-time.

For K2Views chief technology officer Yuval Perlovs career climb through the telecom, e-commerce, and financial sectors, theres been at least one consistent challenge: data. So its no surprise that he chose Apache Cassandra to provide the extremely high throughput and rock-solid reliability required to build a real-time data platform for K2Views customers.

For the trust theyve built in bringing real-time data to big enterprises, K2View is an obvious choice to earn the title of Digital Champion.

Learn more about why K2View is a Digital Champion here.

Ibexa

Nazariy Kostiv, senior Java engineer at Norways Ibexa, doesnt have time to think about infrastructure. Recently named the leader of the companys Java team, Kostiv is intently focused on developing innovations for Ibexas Digital Experience Platform, which enables customers to build customized B2B e-commerce experiences.

Building real-time recommendation engines and other applications at scale is how Kostiv and his team make an impactnot managing database resources. Its one reason Ibexa chose DataStax Astra DB. (We dont lose sleep over concerns of node failure or other issues, as Kostiv puts it).

From how they built new user experiences for a major movie theater chain in Colombia to their work modernizing outdated websites for the French government, Kostiv and the Ibexa team exemplify the data-driven, roll-up-your-sleeves approach of the Digital Champion.

Learn more about why Ibexa is a Digital Champion here.

Does your organization fit the Digital Champion mold? Contact me to nominate a Digital Champion today!

About Thomas Been:

DataStax

Thomas leads marketing at DataStax. He has helped businesses transform with data and technology for more than 20 years, in sales and marketing leadership roles at Sybase (acquired by SAP), TIBCO, and Druva.
Ukrainian officials have admitted that conditions are worsening fast near Bakhmut, a mining community in Donetsk, eastern Ukraine, that Russian soldiers have been pursuing to occupy for months.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned on Monday night that things were "getting more and more difficult" in the Bakhmut region, according to CNBC.

Volodymyr Zelensky also said that the Russians are "constantly destroying everything that can be used to protect our positions, to gain a foothold, and ensure defense."

Bakhmut, in Ukraine's Donetsk area, where Russia and its proxy troops occupy part of the territory, has seen some of the bloodiest combat since the Russia Ukraine war started over a year ago.

The Russian military's recent offensive to take the industrial city has gained momentum amdit the Russia Ukrain war. Russian official media outlet RIA broadcast footage of Su-25 fighter planes bombing Bakhmut.

Despite the Russian successes, one Reuters reporter who visited the region on Monday said Ukraine's soldiers were not withdrawing and reinforcements were approaching, as per a BBC report.

Meanwhile, one advisor to the leader of the pro-Russian self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic predicted that the city of Bakhmut will soon fall into Russian hands since Vladimir Putin's soldiers have taken control the roads leading into the city.

Read Also: REPORT: North Korean Food Crisis Worsens

Russian Will Soon Seize Bakhmut Says Pro-Russia Official

Yan Gagin told Russian state broadcaster Russia 1 on Tuesday that Russian troops "are already working in the city, almost in the central district; they have approached it."

He remarked that Moscow's forces have "almost complete control" of all the routes by which either additional fighters, ammo, or new equipment may be delivered, CNN reported.

Gagain added, now that Ukraine has lost Bakhmut, the remaining question is "when it will happen."

Related Article: UK, EU Strike Deal Over Northern Ireland





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We have a confession to make: two popular environmental, social and governance (ESG) ratings providers consider that a company we hold poses a high ESG risk, and so may be unsuitable for a responsible investor. We disagree.

The company is Albemarle, a leading supplier of lithium, a key component in the lithium-ion batteries that power electric vehicles. The company produces around 20% of the worlds battery-grade lithium and is scaling up its production five-fold to meet growing demand from car companies. Without this, companies such as Tesla, Toyota and Volkswagen will struggle to scale up the production of electric vehicles globally.

The ESG rating providers Sustainalytics and MSCI are right to highlight the risks involved. Lithium production can be water-intensive, and some of Albemarles production is in arid areas of Chile. For any producer, managing its relationships with its stakeholders is vital  whether thats local communities or the national governments that provide a licence to operate. And Albemarles production processes inevitably entail some greenhouse gas emissions.

But we believe that this is a narrow and backwards-looking way to assess whether Albemarle is a responsible investment. Albemarle is a good example of why ESG scoring systems should not be taken on face value.

First, theres their heavy bias to ESG risks, not opportunities. Water consumption in the Atacama is a risk, but the impact on global carbon emissions of Albemarles capacity increase, if successful, will be material. That is a complex trade-off, which a simple metric does not convey.

Second, the scores tend to lean very heavily on what companies report, which is often limited by what can be measured. Disclosure is important, but as equity investors with a long-term time horizon, we recognise it is not everything. What often matters more is the direction of travel at a company and where it will be in five or ten years. We should be giving at least as much thought to the emission savings enabled by a companys products by 2025 or 2030, as we do to the emissions of that company today.

Finally, theres an important component that is hard to calibrate: can investors trust the people running the company? Its easy to score a company on the gender diversity of its board, or whether there is a dual-class share structure. But trust goes beyond the boards form. What matters is who those individuals are and whether the board operates in a constructive way that is aligned with long-term investors.

Do they challenge the executives? Do they have a track record of delivering on the companys commitments to shareholders and other stakeholders? This isnt some technical debate about what to score and how to do it. Most investors agree we should move beyond sector-based exclusions to define what a responsible or sustainable investment is, but theres no consensus as to what that is.

With ESG covering such a vast range of interconnected areas, an easy shortcut can be to outsource your thinking to a third party that hoovers up all the available data into a massive matrix of scores, ruling out the companies that fall below a certain level along the way. Many of the largest ESG or sustainable funds operate so, particularly passive funds. In our view, this is the opposite of responsible long-term investing, because it pulls capital away from the likes of Albemarle  the very companies that could be making the biggest difference.

So when evaluating ESG risks and opportunities at potential holdings, we place little emphasis on these scores. Our framework instead favours values-driven, forward-looking, critical judgements over backwards-looking numbers.

The three foundations of our ESG framework  impact, ambition and trust  align with our investment approach.

Impact

We begin with the question: what is a companys impact on the environment and society at large? We analyse whether the companys products or services contribute to a more sustainable society. For some holdings, this is easy to answer positively. For instance, the lithium that Albemarle produces. Or, the next-generation obesity medications pioneered by Danish pharmaceuticals company Novo Nordisk, which could improve the quality of life of millions of overweight people around the world.

Understanding these impacts is important because they can create a tremendous tailwind. Products that improve peoples lives tend to be in continual demand, supporting strong volume growth or pricing. Conversely, those that cause major environmental or social issues are often fighting a consistent headwind of regulatory intervention.

We also need to consider what the impact is of the companys operations. Does producing and shipping a product cause physical harm to the environment? Is the treatment of its direct stakeholders constructive and positive? This requires thinking holistically about where the most material operational impacts of a company are  which varies massively company by company. In the case of logistics business UPS, for example, it lies in the emissions produced by its vehicles, as well as its relationships with its large workforce.

One approach to calculating ESG risks is to seek and document statistics for every conceivable way a business might have an impact on stakeholders. This may explain Sustainalytics 73-page-long Novo Nordisk report. While theres value in being aware of all the potential risks, we think that our job as investors is to focus on materiality. The question we should be asking is, What are the areas of impact that have the potential to make a significant difference to the investment case? Where is this companys impact on society potentially outsized?

There is the risk that we misjudge or mistake what matters: but the same could be said of any investment question. Plus, we think this risk is outweighed by the fact that once weve identified what the one or two most material factors are, then it opens the door to a genuinely productive engagement discussion.

We think that there is enormous value for both shareholders and society in our engaging with companies and helping them to address an area of significant impact  but this starts with focus.

Ambition

In analysing a companys impact, were often considering where it is starting from. However, where the company is going is equally important. How might it look in five or ten years? So we ask: Are their ambitions commensurate with the scale of the challenges and the opportunities?

Sometimes the answer is not yet. Then our role as a supportive long-term investor is to encourage them to raise their ambitions. Going back to the Albemarle example, we noted earlier some of the generic challenges that lithium producers face. Over the past few years, we have been engaging with Albemarle at several levels to encourage it to set the standard for what a responsible lithium producer looks like  encouragement that the company has taken to heart. Leading the industry will mean that Albemarle is more likely to realise its volume growth ambitions and not be derailed by an issue that compromises its licence to operate. The impact on the growth rate will not be immediately obvious but will be telling over the many years that we hope to hold the shares.

On top of that, the market also tends to notice when a company is improving and its risk profile is reducing. This is likely to become increasingly true over the next decade: companies operating at the fringes of acceptable practice will find fewer and fewer willing buyers, and the premium for businesses that are proactively addressing, for example, the climate risks in their businesses are likely to be rewarded. We want to encourage our companies to be on the right side of this change.

So, investing in an ambitious company is important to us. However, gauging ambition isnt easy. Some of the questions we might consider are:

How stretching are the companys goals?

Do they address the most material opportunities and challenges?

What difference would the companys success make?

How personally invested are management and the board?

Do they see the goals as a core part of company strategy?

How consistent are these goals over time?

Does management honestly discuss progress?

Just as when assessing impact, its important to focus on the most material opportunities. In the course of our work on Novo Nordisk, both non-profit organisations (NPOs) and academics told us that its programme to increase access to insulin in less developed countries was the best on offer. But they also pointed out further opportunities for Novo to build a bigger presence as these countries develop and as the demand for more complex therapies increases. Weve discussed this question with the companys management and encouraged them to be bold in their ambitions, even if the financial benefits may take a long time to emerge:

Trust

Thirdly, theres the issue of trust. Can we trust the people running the business to meet their commitments to investors and other stakeholders? This question is often overlooked in the rush for ever greater ESG disclosure.

Like most things that matter, its hard to quantify. But it is one of the most basic and important questions we ask when were making an investment decision: do I trust the people on the other side of this table?

Lots of companies are making commitments to reduce the climate impact of their operations. Many will have some form of 2050 target. However, for some, it will be because their ESG consultants have told them to. The skill for investors over the next decade will be to differentiate between the companies that are greenwashing and those that will deliver on their commitments  and keep stretching themselves. Knowing the companies in which you invest well helps, as does being skewed towards companies whose governance structures allow them to take that long-term view.

It is not easy to distil the robustness of governance structures into simple metrics. The proxies that are the easiest to gather data on, such as board tenure, are often not strong indicators. We look to understand the level of challenge the board offers the executive: do directors have experience of engaging with the companys most material issues in other contexts? We try and probe the level of thought that the board has given its sustainability commitments  our conversations with chairs and non-executive directors are often revealing.

Finally, a companys track-record matters for earning our trust: some companies are better at making promises than keeping them.

In practice

We use our impact, ambition and trust research in several ways. As with Albemarle, it helps us to define our engagement priorities and gauge what success would look like. With limited time and with stakeholders pulling in many directions, its vital our engagement focuses on the issues that can make a significant difference to the companys future success. We dont want to waste anyones time with demands for ever more reporting, which is why debating where the greatest opportunity lies, and how we can help the company achieve it, is such an important part of our process.

Our research also weeds out those companies where there may be a material challenge that isnt being confronted with sufficient urgency, or where we dont trust their commitments. We have a strong bias to being patient and engaging  but unresponsive and unambitious companies facing material challenges are unlikely to be a good fit for a responsible long-term investor.

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, our research seeks to identify the real leaders. Considering holdings through our impact, ambition and trust lenses has in several cases bolstered our conviction in the companys long-term potential and encouraged us to take larger holdings.

In conclusion

Building an ESG process around a third-party score from a rating agency can be appealing: its easy to audit and the reams of data can give the illusion that all possible risks have been considered. And, when challenges emerge, it provides someone else for the fund manager to blame. But if you have a long-term time horizon as we do, then sustainability issues all tend to be investment issues in the end  and this analysis should not be outsourced. How you measure ESG risks and opportunities needs to be aligned with your investment philosophy, and there is rarely any substitute for thinking for yourself.

Toby Ross is co-manager of Baillie Gifford s global income growth strategies

Charity Finance wishes to thank Baillie Gifford for its support with this article

The Charity Finance Yearbook is the ultimate reference source for charity finance professionals. Produced by the Charity Finance editorial and research team it includes updates, advice and trends on accounting and audit, VAT and taxation, investment strategy, responsible investment and finance, risk, funding, performance and governance, law and regulation, HR and pensions, IT and property. Purchase online here. is the ultimate reference source for charity finance professionals. Produced by the Charity Finance editorial and research team it includes updates, advice and trends on accounting and audit, VAT and taxation, investment strategy, responsible investment and finance, risk, funding, performance and governance, law and regulation, HR and pensions, IT and property.
Great Ormond Street Hospital Childrens Charity (GOSH) has said its fundraising ambitions are greater than ever before despite challenges posed by the cost-of-living crisis.

Speaking at Fundraising Live last week, Liz Tait, director of fundraising at GOSH, said the charity maintains plans to raise 100m a year by 2025 , up from around 70m currently.

The charity is eager to grow its income as it redevelops its current hospital and plans to build a new cancer facility, she said.

Tait also said NHS pressures were making the charity's services even more important.

As a charity, we have quite a wide remit, and essentially we're funding everything that the NHS can't afford to fund, she said.

The challenges with the NHS are relatively well documented, and I think that that makes the work of the charity even more important in these times when a family is already facing a very traumatic experience when they've got a child in the hospital.

Aim to raise 100m per year by 2025

Tait said the charity is aiming to raise 100m a year by the end of its five-year strategy to fund the hospital itself, which will need some major redevelopment work.

According to the charitys latest annual accounts, its income for the year to March 2022 was 74.5m. Fundraising income streams accounted for 96% of this figure, with 91% being from donations and legacies.

Were building on many decades of great work at Great Ormond Street, and therefore we have a relatively balanced portfolio of income. And as part of our comprehensive strategy, we have what we call our eight by eight priorities. We have eight priorities that we think will deliver eight-figure net income streams over the period of our strategies. We're very focused, and we know that our top three priorities actually represent around three-quarters of our income and thats committed giving, legacies and philanthropy.

Founded in 1852, the hospital charity is fortunate to have a long history of fundraising, Tait said.

The cost-of-living crisis presents challenges and opportunities

When asked about the challenges and opportunities facing GOSH, Tait said: I think they are often two sides of the same coin.

For instance, the charity will be appealing to its supporters for help with the cost-of-living crisis, but has seen its portfolio of ultra-high-net-worth individuals perform particularly well despite this.

I think that that's probably an opportunity for many charities when there are sections of society that even in a cost-of-living crisis do have the funds to give, she said.

However, Tait said public behaviour has shifted around the commitment to taking part in live live events since the Covid-19 pandemic.

Most uncertain times in recent history

GOSH is raising funds for a new Children's Cancer Centre, which received planning permission from the London Borough of Camden earlier this month.

The application is now waiting to be reviewed by the Mayor of London.

Tait explained: One of our biggest challenges at Great Ormond Street is meeting the scale of ambition that the hospital has. So this is a nice problem to have, it's a very real challenge in terms of the transformation, they want to create a hospital, and therefore, our ambitions need to be greater than ever before in some of the most uncertain times in recent history.

Despite these challenges, she emphasised the importance of carving out time for vital projects like equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) and environment, social and governance (ESG).

This is to make sure that we're meeting our commitments and driving for really positive change.

sign up to receive the Civil Society News daily bulletin here . For more news, interviews, opinion and analysis about charities and the voluntary sector,
The charity sector has paid tribute to Colin Rochester, who died on 16 February 2023.

Rochester was born in 1942, and was an academic, teacher, practitioner, mentor, colleague, editor, author and thought leader.

He helped establish and maintain key research institutions such as the Association for Research in the Voluntary and Community Sector (ARVAC) in 1978, the Voluntary Action History Society (VAHS) in 1991, the Voluntary Sector Studies Network (VSSN) in 1996 and the Institute for Volunteering Research (IVR) in 1997.

A joint statement from the organisations reads: In each of these organisations he collaborated convivially, leading with kindness and offering critical thought, bringing up the next generation of researchers and practitioners.



Rochester was head of Cambridge House and Talbot Settlement in London from 1978 to 1987, a lecturer at LSE from 1987 to 2000 and later led a course at Roehampton University from 1999 to 2007.

He was also honorary academic advisor to IVR from 2007 to 2012 and was awarded Honorary Lifetime Membership of ARVAC in 2021. Since 2018 he had been an Honorary Research Fellow with the Centre for Philanthropy, University of Kent.



To honour his memory the four institutions he helped to establish plan to jointly organise a memorial seminar later on in the year.
There have already been countries that have had security issues with the Beijing-based ByteDance app, TikTok, particularly the US. Now, Canada is reportedly heading on the same trajectory as they plan to ban the app from government-issued devices.

TikTok Ban on Government-Issued Devices

Following in the footsteps of the US Federal government banning the short-form video app on their devices, Canada is now also doing the same. The app will automatically be removed and blocked from all government-issued mobile devices.

Upon review of TikTok, it was stated that the app's behavior in relation to the Policy on Service and Digital found that the collection methods of the app could result in users becoming vulnerable to potential cyber-attacks, as mentioned in Engadget.

Mirroring the concerns of the US and the EU, Canada is wary of the possibility that the Chinese government might be able to access the data that TikTok has of its users, seeing as the country where TikTok's parent company is located are able to request access to data any time.

The ban will be effective by February 28th. The ban follows a review of the app, after the Chief Information Officer of Canada determined that it presents an unacceptable level of risk to privacy and security and that it is only a precaution.

TikTok Canada spokesperson Danielle Morgan stated that they were disappointed with the decision of the Federal Chief Information officer, according to National Post, since there were no specific security concerns cited.

Morgan also stated that the government is "singling out" the short-form video app, and it will prevent officials from reaching the public through TikTok, which Morgan claims was loved by millions of Canadians.

ByteDance has claimed that Canadian user data is secure within the US and Singapore, and there are no intentions to provide them to the Chinese government, although previous incidents with other countries regarding user data in the app do not align with the statement.

Read Also: TikTok's Parent Company Confirms that Its Employees Accessed US Journalists' Data

Related Issues with TikTok Data Access

This has long been an issue for government agencies, considering the previous incidents where TikTok employees accessed the data of American journalists, including their IP addresses. Although the employees were already fired, it has made issues worse.

The company has been denying the allegations many times, saying that they only track approximate locations, which are used to show relevant content and ads to users based on their area, and prevent potential fraud.

TikTok is also using Oracle for the storage of US user data, which is a cloud storage based in Silicon Valley. Still, many states in the US have already banned the app on government-issued devices.

The company was also under investigation back in November 2022 regarding EU citizen data being accessed in China. Federal Communications Commissioner Brendan Carr shared a letter that points out the previous incidents in the US.

It was expressed in the letter that it's possible for it to happen to the EU as well and that EU citizen data could be accessed by Chinese authorities at any time. It was also satiated that it would be a serious mistake to let it happen during the "geopolitical positioning" for the EU.

Related: The European Commission is Investigating TikTok Data Transfer to China
Korea Investment & Securities headquarters in Seoul / Yonhap



By Lee Min-hyung



Korea Investment & Securities is embroiled in a controversy over what a Seoul-based fintech startup called an "unfair and deceiving" contract on establishing the former's web trading system.



The controversy is centered on an equity investment worth 1 billion won ($755,000) that the brokerage house made on Indexmine in January 2021. Under the contract, the startup developed the service for the securities firm's platform division but has since not been compensated properly, according to Indexmine.



"At the time, Korea Investment & Securities offered to pay for costs incurred in developing and operating the service, and we accepted the proposal and signed the contract," Indexmine CEO Park Sang-woo said. "But the securities firm has since declined to do so. We did not receive any financial rewards in 2021 and 2022. The company abruptly changed its stance, saying that we have to work exclusively for the securities firm without asking for any further payment for operation-related costs."



The founder of Indexmine ended up sending a legal document asking for the brokerage house's audit team to monitor the platform division for any unfair business practices.



"But we received a reply containing threatening messages that we will face a suit if the incident is reported to the Fair Trade Commission (FTC) or the Financial Supervisory Service (FSS)," he said. "The audit team disregarded our request and cooperated with the platform division."



Park also argued that the securities firm launched a web trading system service with KakaoBank in December, which contains ideas and technological elements that Indexmine presented to Korea Investment & Securities.



"The brokerage house took business secrets from us and cut us off in the end," he said.



With both sides failing to iron out their difference, Indexmine reported the case to the FTC in December 2022. It is still under review by the watchdog's dispute resolution committee.



"But when a report was released earlier this year that Indexmine reported Korea Investment & Securities to the FTC, the firm's audit team contacted us, so we submitted relevant evidence  including documents, mobile messages and voice recordings," he said. "But it was futile this time again. The team pretended to conduct an inspection with a neutral attitude only after the issue was reported by a local media outlet. We requested the audit team to get the facts straight, and let us know if we have made any false arguments, but it has not refuted us at all."



The startup also brought the case to the FSS on Feb. 12 under the judgment that the company cannot make a settlement with the securities firm without third-party intervention.



"To resolve the problem, we have earnestly appealed to the Korea Investment & Securities' platform division, audit team and management multiple times in the past year," Park said. "But the company inflicted additional damage on us by unfairly canceling the contract and sending threatening messages. We are waiting for responses from the FTC and the FSS."



The securities firm, however, said it has not engaged in any sort of business malpractice under the contract with Indexmine.



The brokerage house refuted the startup's argument, saying that Indexmine was "too demanding" and has repeatedly made requests that extend beyond the scope of the contract since establishing the partnership.



"All the problems arose as the company demanded excessively beyond what was stated in the contract," a spokesman at the securities firm said, declining to comment further, due to the ongoing review. "We are awaiting the settlement result from the FTC."


Colorado Politics is published both in print and online. Our website features subscriber-only news stories daily, designed for public policy arena professionals. Member subscribers also receive the weekly print edition of our award-winning newspaper, containing outstanding features and news stories, in their mailboxes every Saturday.
Finance Minister Choo Kyung-ho, who doubles as the deputy prime minister for economic affairs, speaks during a Cabinet meeting at the government complex in Seoul, Feb. 28. Yonhap



Korea's chief economic policymaker called Tuesday for parliament to promptly pass a bill on providing more tax incentives to chipmakers amid the prolonged downturn in exports.



At a Cabinet meeting, Finance Minister Choo Kyung-ho pointed out that the passage of the bill is necessary to beef up the competitiveness of the chip industry.



"Unfortunately, the bills that need to be urgently passed for the economy, including a revised tax law that aims to bolster the competitiveness of the country's strategic industries, such as chips, have not been passed at parliament," Choo said in a statement.



In January, the government said it plans to expand tax incentives for strategic industries, such as chips, amid the heightening competition in the global market.



Under the proposed tax code revision, the government will apply a higher tax credit rate of 15 percent on facility investment in the chip industry for conglomerates, which is above the revision of 8 percent passed at parliament in December.



The rate for small and midsized businesses will also rise from 16 percent to 25 percent.



Korea's exports of chips, meanwhile, have been losing ground over recent months amid sluggish global demand.



Over the first 20 days of February, exports of chips, the backbone of Asia's No. 4 economy, dipped 43.9 percent to $3.8 billion, amid the downcycle of the semiconductor industry. (Yonhap)




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Venture capital firm to mark Woori's 1st merger after privatization



By Yi Whan-woo



Woori Financial Group announced on Monday that it acquired a majority stake in Daol Investment, a venture capital company it has sought to take over on its path to diversifying its non-banking business portfolio.



The banking group said it signed a deal with Daol Financial Group to purchase a 52 percent stake in Daol Investment, which is owned by brokerage house Daol Investment & Securities.



The stake will be purchased for 212.5 billion won ($160 million). Payment will be completed no later than a regular shareholders' meeting of Daol Investment & Securities on March 23.





Woori Financial Group headquarters in central Seoul / Korea Time file
Reflecting the growing popularity of the Mac platform, Mac cloud and SaaS provider MacStadium's Orka Platform is now available to purchase at the AWS Marketplace, a move that brings Orka to Amazon EC2 Mac instances.

Mac my devs up

Orka Workspace is a Desktop-as-a-Service (DaaS) solution that delivers Mac desktops through the browser. Making this available via AWS should be a big boost to Mac teams that already use hyperscale cloud providers for non-Mac development.

It follows VMwares decision to abandon support of Mac in its popular vSphere virtualization environment.

The technology provides a software layer that eliminates demanding manual configuration and maintenance on repetitive processes.

This could be of particular use to enterprise developers attempting to build support for Macs through their own proprietary business systems, given the rapid evolution of Macs-in-enterprise use.

It means they can access as much Mac power as they need to accelerate tasks, without making huge investments in on-premises hardware that may spend the majority of its time unused.

What is Orka Platform?

Orka Platform enables enterprise-grade Mac development in virtualized environments. To achieve this, it uses Kubernetes to create a scalable macOS solution that lets developers access virtual Macs as they need them.

It can scale to handle anything from Xcode builds to fully integrated and complex CI/CD pipelines. The solution can handle Continuous Integration (CI) build runners such as GitHub Actions, Jenkins, GitLab, TeamCity and others.

With more than 10 years experience in Macs and servers, MacStadium also provides expert support for Orka Platform users.

Features include:

Virtual Macs managed through a CLI or API systems.

Seamless automated CI/CD pipelines that connect to the most popular devops tools.

Enterprise grade, highly scalable performance.

Easy orchestration through Orka Platforms RESTful API.

macOS orchestration and life cycle management in a cloud environment on genuine Apple hardware.

Orka Platform on AWS streamlines the iOS developers build efforts while delivering a seamless buying and billing process," said Tom Schnell, MacStadium senior vice president and chief customer officer.

Life after vSphere

Orka is of particular significance in light of VMwares recent decision to abandon support for Mac platforms. At this time, VMwares vSphere ESXi 7.0.x is the last release of the popular virtualization platform that would support Macs.

That's left developers casting around for a replacement, with MacStadium evidently intending for Orka to be that replacement.

Earlier this month, the company announced a transition path from VMWare to Orka.

Orka Platform represents the perfect tool for application development teams who rely on using virtualized Mac compute and must now move on from VMware, said Greg McGraw, MacStadium co-founder and CEO on the release of the transition path.

MacStadium already has helped leading organizations seamlessly transition to Orka Platform from VMware.

MacStadiums decision to work with AWS to get Orka Workspace out to the developer community seems shrewd. AWS is already a go-to service for many developers, and the Amazon-owned service is proving its worth; one Forrester report estimates that it helps developers save significant amounts of time and money.

The fast-changing enterprise ecosystem

Both AWS and MacStadium now offer Macs as a service with both Intel and Apple Silicon-based Mac minis available in the cloud.

While backwards compatibility with older Mac operating systems such as Mojave and Monterey require the use of Intel Macs, this is changing rapidly since the debut of M1 (and now, M2) Macs, as the replacement cycle is accelerating.

MacStadium recently confirmed it intends offering hosted M2 Mac mini instances through its service, with Amazon unlikely to be far behind.

Ive never been more optimistic for the Mac platform, Chris Chapman, MacStadium's CTO, told me recently. They are becoming the de facto standard for laptop, desktop, and phone and youre really starting to see it become pervasive.

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School girls deliberately poisoned to stall education, admits Iranian minister

An Iranian deputy minister said "some people" were poisoning schoolgirls in the holy city of Qom with the aim of shutting down education for girls, state media reported.

So far, there have been no arrests linked to the poisonings. Twitter/@AlinejadMasih

Since late November, hundreds of cases of respiratory poisoning have been reported among schoolgirls mainly in Qom, south of Tehran, with some needing hospital treatment.

Deputy health minister Younes Panahi, implicitly confirmed the poisonings had been deliberate.

"After the poisoning of several students in Qom schools, it was found that some people wanted all schools, especially girls' schools, to be closed," the IRNA state news agency quoted Panahi as saying.

He did not elaborate. So far, there have been no arrests linked to the poisonings.

On February 14, parents of students who had been ill had gathered outside the city's governorate to "demand an explanation" from the authorities, IRNA reported.

The next day government spokesman Ali Bahadori Jahromi said the intelligence and education ministries were trying to find the cause of the poisonings.

Last week, Prosecutor General Mohammad Jafar Montazeri ordered a judicial probe into the incidents.

The poisonings come as Iran has been rocked by protests since the December 16 death in custody of 22-year-old Iranian Kurd Mahsa Amini for an alleged violation of country's strict dress code for women.
U.S. journalist Albert Taylor (1875-1948) / Captured from Seo Kyung-duk's Facebook account



By Dong Sun-hwa



Albert Taylor (1875-1948), a U.S. journalist who played an important role in promoting Korea's March 1 Independence Movement against Japan's forced occupation, is being spotlighted again.



Star producer Na Young-seok  who created popular variety shows including the "Three Meals a Day" series  and Seo Kyung-duk, a social activist and professor of general education at Sungshin Women's University, unveiled a YouTube video featuring Taylor on Tuesday, marking the 104th anniversary of the 1919 uprising against Japanese colonial rule over the peninsula.







The four-minute clip illuminates the life of the former Associated Press (AP) correspondent who first wired Korea's Declaration of Independence to foreign media despite Japan's strict surveillance.



"The Declaration of Korea's Independence says that it represents the voice of 20,000,000 persons, speaking in the name of justice and humanity," read his 1919 article.



Taylor also laid bare the atrocities committed by Imperial Japan, including the 1919 Jeamni Massacre, where the Japanese Army killed Korean civilians in a church and burned it down to conceal any evidence of the brutality. Soldiers also killed anyone who survived.





Professor Seo Kyung-duk, left, and producer Na Young-seok / Captured from Seo Kyung-duk's Facebook account
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
Interview: "I have the warmest, kindest memories from my first visit to China," says Belarusian president

Xinhua) 10:16, February 28, 2023

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko speaks during an exclusive interview with Xinhua ahead of his visit to China in Minsk, Belarus, Feb. 23, 2023. TO GO WITH "Interview: 'I have the warmest, kindest memories from my first visit to China,' says Belarusian president" (Photo by Henadz Zhinkov/Xinhua)

MINSK, Feb. 27 (Xinhua) -- "I have the warmest, kindest memories from my first visit to China, from my first impressions of the country, and from my cooperation with the leaders of the People's Republic of China," Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko told Xinhua in an exclusive interview ahead of his visit to China.

This year marks the 31st anniversary of China-Belarus diplomatic relations, which have been continuously strengthened and upgraded, with solid progress in all-round cooperation through these years.

On Sept. 15, 2022, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Lukashenko met in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, on the sidelines of the 22nd meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. The two heads of state decided to elevate bilateral relations to the level of an all-weather comprehensive strategic partnership. China-Belarus relations have reached their highest level in history.

Lukashenko has high hopes for his upcoming visit to China. "I have been to China many times. I am very glad to visit China again in the coming days and meet with the Chinese leader, my old friend President Xi Jinping, a very smart, wise, creative and modern person," the Belarusian president noted.

During the interview, Lukashenko looked back on his previous visits to China, recalling his first visit to China as the president of Belarus over two decades ago as well as his earlier trips as a member of parliament to China's special economic zones.

At that time, China was not the same as it is now, he said. "The population was huge ... Everyone had to be fed and dressed. China needed to strengthen national defense. Everything was not easy. However, China was determined to achieve all of these," Lukashenko said.

After visiting China, Lukashenko said he felt that in just a couple of decades China would achieve significant development, so China's experience should be learned.

The president noted that Belarus had drawn on China's experience, primarily that regarding special economic zones. "Based on this, we have established several free economic zones, including the Great Stone China-Belarus Industrial Park ... China's experience lay at the heart of it," he said.

The industrial park mentioned by Lukashenko is the largest project to attract investment in Belarus and a landmark cooperation project within the Belt and Road framework, which was promoted by the two heads of state personally and prized by the two governments. Since the two countries' leaders visited the industrial park in May 2015, development and construction of the project have forged ahead, and fruitful results have been achieved.

According to the National Statistical Committee of Belarus, the net profit of the enterprises of the industrial park totals 34.1 million Belarusian rubles (13.51 million U.S. dollars) in 2022, up by 144 percent from the previous year.

Reviewing the development of the industrial park in recent years, Lukashenko said that progress has been made despite the COVID-19 pandemic along with other crises and problems. Last year alone, there had been 19 enterprises moving in.

The latest statistics showed that there had been 107 companies in the industrial park by Feb. 22, 2023, with seven new enterprises settling in the park this year.

"Chinese President Xi Jinping once described the Great Stone as 'a pearl along the Silk Road Economic Belt,'" said Lukashenko, adding that Belarus attaches great importance to the development of the industrial park and provides many preferential policies including tax exemptions. "This is very beneficial for business," he stressed.

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative. Belarus, as an important transit hub on the Silk Road Economic Belt, was one of the first countries to respond and participate in the initiative.

With the growth of biliteral ties, China and Belarus has seen a boom in trade over the past years. Statistics from the General Administration of Customs of China show that two-way trade surpassed 5 billion dollars in 2022, up by 33 percent year on year.

Lukashenko said that Belarus has a strong machine manufacturing sector. Currently the two countries are engaged in dialogue on issues of industrial policy.

"Today, we are already learning from China's new technologies, which are of interest to us. And this concerns all sectors, from the biotechnology to national defense. China has made significant progress," Lukashenko said.

"We are expecting more high-tech enterprises from China to join the industrial park," he said.

In recent years, China and Belarus have deepened cooperation in the field of scientific and technological innovation.

The Belarusian National Biotechnology Corporation (BNBC) project, a "high-tech full-cycle agriculture project," which includes the first amino acid manufacturing plant in Belarus and built in cooperation with China, was officially put into operation in the Minsk region on Nov. 4, 2022.

The BNBC is the first amino acid production enterprise in Belarus and the first import-substituting project in the industry of deep grain processing. Lukashenko said that the project would elevate the technological capability of the country and become the locomotive of national development.

Thanks to Xi's leadership, the project was able to implement, Lukashenko said, adding that "this is highly advanced technology. Not many countries in the world have such production facilities. China has helped us create such a biotech corporation."

The Belarusian president also mentioned that his youngest son is currently studying biotechnology in a joint training program between the two countries.

China has achieved great development and plays an important role in international affairs, he said, adding that China has become a major country with an independent policy and "today, not a single issue in the world can be resolved without China."

Expressing his firm belief that China will, as always, pursue an independent foreign policy of peace, Lukashenko said that China's position paper on political settlement of Ukraine crisis is a testimony to its peaceful foreign policy as well as a new and original step that will have a far-reaching impact all over the world.

On the U.S. downing of a Chinese civilian unmanned airship, Lukashenko called it "a very unfriendly step" and a "show" deliberately staged by the United States for political reasons.

"Today, no one can contain China or stop its development," the Belarusian president said.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
Foreign Minister Park Jin, second row second from left, National Assembly Speaker Kim Jin-pyo, second row third from left, Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, back row seventh from left, ambassadors of 24 countries and other dignitaries pose during a presentation luncheon hosted by the Global Elim Foundation in Yeongdeungpo District, Seoul, Monday. The foundation was established to support foreign students, residents and multicultural families in Korea. Courtesy of Global Elim Foundation



By Park Han-sol



The Global Elim Foundation, which was founded by Yoido Full Gospel Church to support foreign students, residents and multicultural families in Korea, unveiled on Monday its major projects that will go into effect this year and its plan to establish wider partnerships with government agencies and non-profit organizations.



The foundation's presentation luncheon, held in Yeongdeungpo District, Seoul, invited Foreign Minister Park Jin, National Assembly Speaker Kim Jin-pyo, Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon and the ambassadors of 24 countries, in addition to foreign residents, migrant workers and multicultural family members here.



"The number of foreign students in Korean universities has been increasing steadily and we foresee the numbers will continue to grow. As of 2022, Korea has approximately 167,000 foreign students from all over the world," Lee Young-hoon, the foundation's chairman and senior pastor of Yoido Full Gospel Church, said at the event.



Seoul Mayor Oh said, "There are approximately 430,000 foreign residents in Seoul alone, accounting for 4.5 percent of the city's total population. When taking into consideration the rising influx of migrant workers due to the expansion of global exchanges and Korea's labor shortage, the number of foreigners and multicultural families in Korea are expected to continue increasing in the foreseeable future."



Against ths backdrop, the Global Elim Foundation is seeking to broaden its partnerships with other organizations to systematize its cultural and administrative assistance for foreigners here.



For the students, its Global Mentoring Center provides scholarships and career guidance, while an internship program offers opportunities to learn about Korean culture and language through hands-on experiences.



The foundation also recently opened the Global Trauma Center to provide counseling in 10 different languages to aid anyone suffering from traumas caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, wars and natural disasters. Its newly renovated Elim Multicultural Center aims to offer spaces for emergency and short-term housing.


While phishing, business email compromise (BEC), and ransomware still rank among the most popular cyberattack techniques, a mix of new-breed attacks is gaining steam, according to a new report from cybersecurity and compliance company Proofpoint.

While conventional phishing remains successful, many threat actors have shifted to newer techniques, such as telephone-oriented attack delivery (TOAD) and adversary in the middle (AitM) phishing proxies that bypass multi-factor authentication, said Ryan Kalember, executive vice president of cybersecurity strategy at Proofpoint, in a press release for the company's 2023 State of the Phish report. These techniques have been used in targeted attacks for years, but 2020 saw them deployed at scale.

The report is based on a survey of 7,500 employees and 1,050 security professionals across 15 countries, and in-house telemetry that monitored over 18 million end-user reported emails and 135 million simulated phishing attacks over a one-year period. The research revealed persistent gaps in cybersecurity awareness and hygiene that lead to attacks.

Ransomware, email-based attacks are top offenders

In 2022, 76% of organizations were targeted by a ransomware attack, out of which 64% were actually infected. Only 50% of these organizations managed to retrieve their data after paying the ransom. Additionally, a little over 66% of respondents reported to have had multiple, isolated infections.

Almost all of the affected organizations (90%) had a cybersecurity insurance policy covering ransomware attacks, and most (82%) insurance companies agreed to pay the ransom, either in part or in full. The high percentage of companies having cybersecurity insurance is why a large number of organizations were willing to pay ransom, with 64% of those infected paying at least one ransom  a six-point increase from the previous year  according to Proofpoint.

The report highlights that US organizations polled  89% of which suffered a ransomware attack  were more like to get hit by ransomware, compared to organizations in the other 14 countries in the survey, of which approximately all had cybersecurity insurance.

Only 24% of Canadian organizations surveyed in the poll filed a claim after a ransomware attack, owing to poor coverage in their policies. South Korea remained the least-attacked nation in the APAC region.

About eight in 10 organizations (84%) experienced at least one successful email-based phishing attack in 2022, with direct financial losses as a result increasing by 76% compared to 2021, according to the report.

Seventy-five percent of organizations worldwide reported an attempted business email compromise (BEC) attack last year. While English remained the most common language employed, companies in a few non-English nations witnessed a higher volume of attacks in their own languages, including organizations in the Netherlands and Sweden, which reported a 92% jump in such attacks; in Spain, with a 92% jump; Germany, with an 86% increase; and France, with an 80% increase.

Microsoft remained the top impersonated brand

Cybercriminals mostly abused Microsoft's brand name in phishing attacks, with more than 30 million messages using its branding or mentioning products like Office or OneDrive. However, other companies were also frequently impersonated by cybercriminals, including Amazon (mentioned in 6.5 million attacks); DocuSign (3.5 million); Google (2.6 million); DHL (2 million); and Adobe (1.5 million).

The large number of brand impersonation attacks is concerning, especially since 44% of the employees polled believe that an email is safe when it features familiar branding, and 63% think that an email address always belongs to the corresponding website of the brand.

The lack of knowledge and poor security habits among end users, whether they are working from home or in the office, are making organizations vulnerable to potential risks. Over 33% of the respondents were unable to differentiate among terms such as malware, phishing, or "ansomware, according to the survey.

New cyberattack threats rise

In the past year, there has been a significant increase in the number of telephone-oriented attack delivery (TOAD) and multifactor authentication (MFA) bypass phishing messages being sent every day. Proofpoint monitored over 600,000 TOAD attacks each day, with emails encouraging recipients to initiate a direct conversation with attackers via fraudulent "call centers."

The pandemic-caused shift in job mobility and economic uncertainty has led to one in four employees leaving or switching jobs in the past two years. This makes data protection more challenging for organizations, with 65% of them reporting data loss due to the actions of insiders. Almost half of those who changed jobs (44%) confessed to taking data with them.

In a regional context, 71% of Europe, Middle East and African organizations lost data to insiders in 2022. German organizations were most likely to face insider attacks  with 18% reporting data loss due to insiders. With only 4% of UAE organizations reported losing data to insider attacks, businesses in that nation were the least likely to suffer an insider attack.

Additionally, American organizations were the most inclined (63%) to take disciplinary action against employees for unsafe behavior. Only 9% of respondents working in information security thought that implementing a consequence model was incompatible with the organization's culture.
A case involving a University of Oregon police officer colliding vehicles with a Lane County resident will go to a 12-person jury in February 2024, according to court records.

On Aug. 14, 2020, Sarah Snowdon was driving north on Hilyard Street through a green light on East 11th Avenue when UOPD Officer Christopher Waggoner, traveling west on East 11th Avenue, ran through a red light on Hilyard Street and hit her car, the complaint said.

Snowdon filed a complaint against UO on July 29, 2022, for negligence of an employee. The complaint states that the actions of Waggoner caused Snowdon to sustain injuries, which cost her over $18,000 in medical expenses and caused her to lose wages from not working.

The complaint said the injuries have also caused her noneconomic damages including suffering and loss of enjoyment of life.

Snowden is asking for up to $75,000 in noneconomic damages and up to almost $29,000 in economic damages.

In court documents, UO said Waggoner was operating a police vehicle in emergency mode, meaning Waggoner had his lights and sirens on, during an investigation of an incident involving a threat of bodily injury with a knife.

UO alleged Snowdon was careless and negligent, failed to yield the right of way to an emergency vehicle and failed to keep a proper lookout.

The trial has been postponed until Feb. 6, 2024, due to COVID-19, according to court documents.

Louis Kurtz, the attorney for UO for this case, declined to comment.

The University is sorry the accident involving Ms. Snowdon occurred, and we are grateful she recovered from her injuries within a few months. The parties do not agree on the allegations that are the basis of the lawsuit, UO spokesperson Kay Jarvis said.

She said the UO will refrain from further comment.

The case will go to a 12-person jury on Feb. 6, 2024 for further action.
By Bahk Eun-ji





Song Kyungjin, executive director of the Innovative Economy Forum, will attend the 8th Raisina Dialogue, a flagship global strategic conference of the Narendra Modi administration, on March 2-4, in New Delhi, India.







This year's Raisina Dialogue is being held immediately after the G20 Foreign Ministers Meeting between March 1 and 2 in New Delhi to maximize its input to the G20 summit this year. India has assumed the presidency of this year's G20 summit.







Song is invited to speak at a session on "The Emerging Consensus: G20 and the Development Imperative" on March 3 together with Mauro Vieira, Minister of Foreign Affairs (Brazil); Naledi Pador, Minister of International Relations and Cooperation (South Africa); Alan Ganoo, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mauritius; and Ambassaor Elisabetta Belloni (Italy).







The speakers will discuss the rationale for the G20 to engage in the issue of development, the role of international financial institutions in addressing the needs of emerging economies and ways to avoid disputes between developed and developing countries that have constrained multilateral forums.







Song will also speak at the "G20 Global Research Forum," an Indian G20 initiative, about the digital transformation for inclusive growth and digital public infrastructure. She will also engage in discussions on some of the main G20 priorities such as green transition, sustainable development goals and gender issues.






When Elon Musk took over Twitter he sacked half his 7,500 staff and told the survivors they had to embrace a hardcore regime working long hours at high intensity. Esther Crawford, the director of product management and one of his few remaining female executives took him at his word.

She posted a picture on Twitter of her wrapped in a sleeping bag, snoozing overnight on the office floor, with the message: When your team is pushing round the clock to make deadlines sometimes you #SleepWhereYouWork. It went viral.

Hurrah for Esther, I thought. Heres a high-flying businesswoman not too proud to bunk down and sleep over to get the job done. Surely with such dedication to Musks edict, a promotion was in store. No. Shes just got sacked.

Cue outrage from online snowflakes whove never held down a top job or (many of them) any job in their lives. Their hastily composed tweets expressed indignation not because she was sacked, but because she felt forced to sleep in the office. The Working From Home brigade, who think its a capital offence to even step foot in a communal workspace, were equally shocked. Sleep in the office? They wont even work from theirs.

Esther Crawford, pictured, who was Twitter's chief executive of Twitter Blue has been sacked

Before she was sacked, she boasted about sleeping in the office because of the amount of time she was expected to work under Twitter's new owner Elon Musk

But sometimes  often, in fact  embracing the realities of a hard-working culture is simply the only way to get on. It isnt an outrage, but a step on the ladder.

I slept over at work regularly in late 1990s and early 2000s when I was head of media for William Hague, who was then Leader of the Conservative Party. Quickly realising politics was the most demanding job Id ever had, I responded to its pressures by working around the clock.

They say a week is a long time in politics, but sometimes a day is, too, meaning I had to be there to fight fires 24/7.

I loved it.

After just a few weeks in the job, it became clear that often I wouldnt have the time to travel an hour back home in North London, get some kip, and then return the next day.

So I found an unused medical treatment office in the bowels of the ancient Conservative Central Office in Westminster where I worked - a bunker of a room with a bare flat bed, a wash basin and a loo  and I snuck in a sleeping bag and pillow. On many nights, that was my overnight home.

Thankfully this was before the advent of social media, so there was no chance of being shamed by the slackers with a viral pic of me in a sleeping bag.

But why on earth should I be ashamed? Why should Esther Crawford have been the target of such ire and indignation? It was our choice to do what we did. I was responsible back then for no other living creature except my aged three-legged cat Ronnie, and a quick call to a neighbour ensured he was fed and let out. It made no sense to schlep home myself.

I slept over at work regularly in late 1990s and early 2000s when I was head of media for William Hague, who was then Leader of the Conservative Party. Quickly realising politics was the most demanding job Id ever had, I responded to its pressures by working around the clock

She wrote on Twitter about the need to sleep where you work to make the company's deadlines

Esther wrote on Twitter about how proud she was of her team following her sacking

eres a high-flying businesswoman not too proud to bunk down and sleep over to get the job done. Surely with such dedication to Musks edict, a promotion was in store. No. Shes just got sacked

The snowflakes say that a 24/7 office culture discriminates against those who do have dependants, primarily mothers. Parents cant compete, they say, with those who dont have to rush home to put children to bed. But having children is a choice in itself. Had I ever become a mother, my career might well have taken a different route. These are the forks in the road we all negotiate, after all. Esther and I decided to put all our energy into our work; others do not.

To me that little room was a lifesaver. I kept undies and tights there and a clean shirt plus make-up and my hairdryer so I could appear fresh and professional the next day. Unsurprisingly, I was always the first to arrive in the office. In fact snatch sleeping, as I call it, is essential to many truly high-powered jobs. Working for Hague, I developed the knack of snoozing in the cab between meetings.

Prior to that, as the deputy editor of a national newspaper that required a ten or 12-hour shift six days a week, Id often sleep on the job. With the luxury of my own office, Id just lay down on the floor for half an hour. My secretary knew to tell callers I was in a meeting.

I did the same in my next job, working as the marketing director of the Mirror newspaper group back in the 1990s, but by then I had a very comfy sofa in my office. The first face Id see in the morning was my secretarys, handing me a double espresso and a clean change of clothes. At least there was a shower there.

And no one would even think of making a comment when the female execs at our advertising company Saatchi & Saatchi arrived in the same suits theyd worn the previous day. Back then, we viewed sleeping under our desks  as those women had done  as a badge of honour.

Amid the outrage over Esther Crawfords sleep tweet from people whove clearly never held down a tough job in their lives, Twitter has been inundated with messages of support from her colleagues. People who know just how hard you have to work to hold down a top-paying job in the 21st century

Did I ever feel abused during those long nights in the office, taken advantage of by my employers? Heck no; I was euphoric, doing jobs I loved even if it was 24 hours a day.

Men did the same, of course, appearing in the office the next day unshaven and in a crumpled shirt. If they were junior, they might have slept in their car. If senior, it would more likely have been in the office  and then they would send out a secretary to buy a new shirt.

Amid the outrage over Esther Crawfords sleep tweet from people whove clearly never held down a tough job in their lives, Twitter has been inundated with messages of support from her colleagues. People who know just how hard you have to work to hold down a top-paying job in the 21st century.

Post Covid, our society has become anaesthetised to the culture of hard work. To call out a woman who is doing what so many of us do  working like hell to earn a living and pay her taxes  is shameful. Especially when those taxes are spent subsidising the workshy.

If Twitter boss Elon Musk has a shred of integrity, he will not only reinstate Esther Crawford but promote her. If he doesnt, Id like to add to her #SleepWhereYouWork the hashtag #ShameOnElonMusk.
Fingers crossed that Rishi Sunak has more success after wheeling King Charles out for a Windsor Tea with EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen than former PM Theresa May. Floundering with Brexit, Maybot dispatched senior royals across the bloc with little obvious success. William and Kate were sent to Paris to charm Francois Hollande just two months before he was replaced by Emmanuel Macron. And Charles and Camilla went to Ireland to woo Taoiseach Enda Kenny who was suitably impressed. Unfortunately, four weeks later he was gone and replaced by the obstructionist Leo Varadkar.

Fingers crossed that Rishi Sunak has more success after wheeling King Charles out for a Windsor Tea with EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen than former PM Theresa May, writes Ephraim Hardcastle

Floundering with Brexit, Maybot (Theresa May) dispatched senior royals across the bloc with little obvious success

Historian Andrew Lownie claims there are at least 500 files pertaining to the Royal Family which remain secret despite a legal obligation to deposit them in The National Archives. Says Lownie, who has spent 250,000 of his own money trying to access Lord Mountbattens diaries at Southampton University: The files surrounding the murder of Lord Mountbatten in 1979 remain closed, adding: After I located a wartime FBI file that claimed Mountbatten was a homosexual with a perversion for young boys I requested his other files, only to be told they had been destroyed. When asked when that destruction had taken place, the US authorities responded, After you asked for them. Deep waters.

Mountbatten biographer Philip Ziegler, who has died aged 93, became fascinated with witchcraft at Oxford, confessing that he would like to have practised the dark art. A suitable victim might have been the Queen Mother who Ziegler went to his grave blaming for denying him a knighthood because of his portrayal, in the official biography of Edward VIII, of her part in the abdication.

Admitting to the light fingered removal of a bracelet from the set of Peaky Blinders as a memento, Sophie Rundle, alias Ada Shelby, confesses to coveting a specially tailored mulberry coloured leather trench coat. I was like, Surely I can have this? Sophie, pictured, tells Radio Times. Thwarting her wish, the BBC said: It cost more than you were paid for the whole series. Adds Sophie: I still dream of that coat.

Admitting to the light fingered removal of a bracelet from the set of Peaky Blinders as a memento, Sophie Rundle (pictured), alias Ada Shelby, confesses to coveting a specially tailored mulberry coloured leather trench coat

Making herself available for dozens of interviews to promote her rom-com Whats Love Got To Do With It? Jemima Goldsmith wails that her eventful love life has become a source of juvenile amusement with some radio stations. Literally, one of them asked me about the difference in pillow talk between Russell Brand and Imran Khan, she bawls. I think I did what I always do  sort of laughed it off, and then made a joke of it. Surely Jemimas trysts, like the German sense of humour, are no laughing matter?

Carry On star Joan Sims, caught short during filming at Pinewood, complained to co-star Sherrie Hewson about the absence of a toilet in her caravan, barking: Pass me that polystyrene cup! And she lifted her skirt and was having a wee and Kenneth Williams walked in. Recalled Sherri: He completely ignored what she was doing and just went, No tea for me thank you! And he just walked off outside!
State Department Press Secretary Ned Price is seen answering a question during a daily press briefing at the department in Washington on Feb. 27, in this captured image. Yonhap



The United States has no hostile intent toward North Korea, a state department spokesperson said Monday, adding that North Korea, on the other hand, continues to make provocations.



The remarks come after the North cited what it claimed to be U.S. hostility toward the country, while warning that U.S. provocations against the North will be considered a "declaration of war."



"It is the DPRK that time and again at an unprecedented rate has engaged in provocations, including multiple tests of ICBM (intercontinental ballistic missile) systems, other ballistic missiles and other provocative activities that have posed a threat to peace and security in the Indo-Pacific and, in some ways, even well beyond," State Department Press Secretary Ned Price told a daily press briefing.



"Even as we have pointed out the threat that we and our partners in the region face from these programs and these dangerous provocations, we have made very clear that we have no hostile intent towards the DPRK," he added.



DPRK stands for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, the North's official name.



North Korea staged 69 ballistic missile tests in 2022, marking a new record of ballistic missiles fired in a single year.



Pyongyang periodically accuses the U.S. of provoking North Korea by staging joint military exercises with South Korea and Japan, which it claims are rehearsals aimed at invading the North.



The state department spokesperson noted that the U.S. has offered to talk directly with the North for over a year.



"We have made very clear our willingness to engage in direct talks with the DPRK without preconditions to help bring about, to advance the prospects of the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula," said Price.



He added North Korea, "on the other hand, has only engaged in provocation after provocation and has rejected our diplomatic overtures time and again."



Price also reaffirmed the U.S.' continued commitment to finding diplomatic solutions, saying its "diplomatic overtures remain."



"We would like an opportunity to discuss these issues face to face if that's the preference, but we believe in diplomacy, even as we have made clear, in word and in deed, that we are going to stand by the security commitments that we have to our treaty allies  to Japan, to the Republic of Korea, to our allies around the world," he said, referring to South Korea by its official name. (Yonhap)


Before accepting any contract, it is always wise to read the small print. Hidden traps or other unwelcome surprises can often lurk in the weeds.

So it's possible there may be more to the new Northern Ireland protocol, unveiled at Windsor Castle yesterday, than first meets the eye.

Experience has taught us that Ulster politics is never simple. All parties must therefore study the 'Windsor Framework' in fine detail before passing final judgment.

On the face of it, however, this agreement looks like a valiant attempt to solve a problem which has caused distress to Northern Irish businesses and threatened to stir up dangerous sectarian passions.

Certainly the tone of yesterday's carefully choreographed announcement by Rishi Sunak and European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen was so warm, it was practically a love-in.

DAILY MAIL COMMENT: So it's possible there may be more to the new Northern Ireland protocol, unveiled at Windsor Castle yesterday, than first meets the eye

DAILY MAIL COMMENT: Mr Sunak himself hailed the deal as 'a decisive breakthrough', which marked a new chapter in UK/EU relations and which he hoped would satisfy all parts of the community, while freeing up trade

Gone was the overt hostility of the Barniers, Junckers and Tusks, who for years did all they could to derail Brexit and punish Britain for leaving their club.

Their shrill admonitions were replaced by the soft, soothing tones of Mrs von der Leyen, who stressed that we were all 'on the same side' and referred repeatedly to the PM as 'dear Rishi'.

With the war in Ukraine and the threat of climate change it was time to restore trust and 'stand shoulder to shoulder' once more, she said.

After a brief press conference, she had tea with the King  a clear attempt to suggest royal approval. The Mail has deep reservations about His Majesty being used in this way.

Although head of state, he is supposed to be above the political fray. Being thrust into the middle of it at the whim of his Prime Minister could be seen to compromise the independence of the monarchy.

Mr Sunak himself hailed the deal as 'a decisive breakthrough', which marked a new chapter in UK/EU relations and which he hoped would satisfy all parts of the community, while freeing up trade.

Instead of goods travelling from Great Britain to the province being subject to the current tangle of red tape, there would be a 'green lane' for items which were intended for Northern Ireland only, in which there would be little or no paperwork required.

DAILY MAIL COMMENT: Another DUP MP, Ian Paisley Jr, was blunter. 'The Windsor Framework does not cut the mustard,' he said

Customs requirements for pets, parcels and medicines would be removed, UK VAT and excise rates would apply in Northern Ireland and Stormont would have a 'brake' over new EU trading laws if they had 'significant and lasting effects' on the people of the province.

There are unanswered questions over who would be the final arbiter of any dispute. There would be a system of mediation but it's still likely the European Court of Justice would have a major role.

So will the Democratic Unionist Party accept the new protocol and return to Stormont after more than a year's absence? On the plus side, leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson says it represents 'significant progress' and that the DUP will now study the detail.

However, he admits there are still 'key areas of concern', including the continuing role of the European Court of Justice in Northern Irish affairs. Another DUP MP, Ian Paisley Jr, was blunter. 'The Windsor Framework does not cut the mustard,' he said.

So yes, there are still turbulent waters for Mr Sunak to negotiate, but if he can guide this deal through by diplomacy rather than having to rely on Labour support it will be a huge personal triumph.

It would also be a vindication of Boris Johnson's decision to agree the protocol as the only way to secure Brexit and rescue Parliament from the quagmire of the Theresa May years.

If successful, the Windsor Framework could be a giant step towards Brexit finally being done  and to Brussels accepting our departure as a fact.
Rishi Sunaks new deal with the European Union over Northern Ireland is a remarkable watershed in more ways than one  with implications far beyond the Six Counties.

Yes, it consolidates Northern Irelands position within the United Kingdom while honouring the Good Friday Peace Agreement and the provinces special relationship with the EU single market. But it also heralds a new era of good feelings between London and Brussels from which both sides have much to gain.

And it imbues Sunaks premiership with a new sense of achievement and purpose just when it was badly needed.

Until this week the Sunak Government seemed listless, merely languishing in the doldrums until the next General Election took it out of its misery. The Windsor Framework changes all that.

Suddenly Sunak has pulled off what was thought to be impossible. It had certainly proved beyond the capabilities of his three Tory predecessors, including Boris Johnson, whose hopes of using the argy-bargy over the Northern Ireland protocol as a springboard to a new Tory leadership challenge now lie in tatters.

Rishi Sunaks new deal with the European Union over Northern Ireland is a remarkable watershed in more ways than one  with implications far beyond the Six Counties

Sunak's deal heralds a new era of good feelings between London and Brussels from which both sides have much to gain

Sunaks success and enhanced authority should embolden him with a new purpose: to deliver on the promise of Brexit so eagerly advanced in the 2016 referendum yet so hard to divine ever since.

Those diehard Brexiteers on both sides of the Irish Sea who are still inclined to nitpick over the details of the Windsor Framework and plot to obstruct its implementation because they have nothing better to do would be more usefully employed leveraging it as a springboard to post-Brexit success.

After all, theyre the ones who promised us sunny uplands if we voted to leave the EU. Seven years on and the landscape still looks pretty gloomy. Some even wonder, sotto voce, that it might not have been worth the candle, given the small Brexit dividend to date.

Time, perhaps, for them to get behind Sunak and change that, rather than try to undermine a perfectly good deal that has the support of London, Belfast, Dublin, Brussels and Washington DC  and the overwhelming majority of the British people.

The Budget on March 15 would be a good place to start. If the Government is serious about realising a Brexit dividend then it must surely accept that most Tories, many non-Tories and nearly all business folk think it frankly barmy to proceed with raising corporation tax (CT, on company profits) from 19 per cent to 25 per cent, as Sunak and his Chancellor, Jeremy Hunt, are curiously intent on doing.

Just when Britain needs to re-establish is competitive credentials in the eyes of international business, its hard to see the point of raising the most crucial business tax by a third. It hardly sends a signal that were open for business.

Sunak-Hunt argue that they need the revenue to get a grip on the public finances. But revenues, including CT, are doing just fine, thank you, without further increasing tax rates. The Chancellor has over 30 billion more headroom to cut taxes or increase spending than the Office for Budget Responsibility was forecasting only three months ago.

Tax revenues are much more buoyant than predicted, the recession looks like being shorter and shallower than mainstream economic opinion thought (there might not even be a recession) and collapsing wholesale energy prices  predicted several times in this column  mean the cost of the Governments energy price guarantee has been slashed.

Until this week the Sunak Government seemed listless, merely languishing in the doldrums until the next General Election took it out of its misery. The Windsor Framework changes all that

Once again we see the folly of using OBR forecasts as the overarching basis for economic policy. It was the one thing Liz Truss got right in her brief stint in 10 Downing Street.

Far from raising CT, Hunt might want to redeem the pledge he made when running for the Tory leadership of cutting it to 15 per cent. Or keep it at 19 per cent and add in further incentives to investment in the hi-tech areas that will define our future.

Business investment flatlined after the Brexit referendum, collapsed during the pandemic and has barely recovered to its pre-pandemic level. If raising CT is the answer in these circumstances I have no idea what the question was.

Of course, Britains large budget deficit and national debt, made worse by the pandemic and war in Ukraine, mean no Chancellor can be profligate without inviting the harsh judgment of the debt markets (as Truss found out the hard way). This limits scope for personal tax cuts.

But our fiscal position is no worse than most major economies (bar Germany) and better than many, including America and France. The Chancellor could indicate how in the years ahead he intends to widen the tax brackets, with a down payment in next months Budget, so that fewer low-paid fall into the 20 per cent basic rate band and fewer middle-income earners face a marginal rate of 40 per cent-plus.

It is true that tax cuts do not necessarily pay for themselves but skilful cuts in marginal rates that encourage more investment and harder work can. That must surely be at the heart of any post-Brexit tax-cutting strategy. We shall see if the Chancellor gets that on March 15. Dont hold your breath.

Any attempt to breathe new life into Brexit, however, will need more than tax cuts. It will require radical steps to unleash Britains entrepreneurial animal spirits to take full advantage of all post-EU freedoms, from new low-tax enterprise zones freed of the most onerous planning controls, to more liberal, less risk-averse regulatory regimes for pharmaceuticals, life sciences, financial technology, robotics and artificial intelligence  in all of which Britain has a chance to excel.

The EU approach to regulation is prudential. Its primary purpose is to avoid anything risky. Hence the reason there are so few dramatic hi-tech breakthroughs in Europe these days.

In America, nine out of ten of its richest billionaires owe their wealth entirely to the hi-tech businesses they founded. In contrast, over half Europes richest billionaires inherited their wealth. Post-Brexit Britain needs regulatory regimes for hi-tech business more like Americas than Europes.

If Brexit is to be a success  and the jury is still out on that  it will require a national strategy to marshal our assets and allow them to flourish. We are so used to running ourselves down that we often dont realise how many assets we have.

We are a soft-power superpower, a creative hub in the audio-visual industries second only to America. In recent years more Hollywood blockbusters have been made in Britain than in Hollywood. For Americas TV and film industries we are its biggest production hub outside North America. Before this year is out, Greater London will have more studio infrastructure than Greater Los Angles.

The world-class universities in Oxford, Cambridge and London create a research and development triangle unrivalled in Europe. Only Americas Ivy League universities are in the same class.

We need to develop it with more investment and create similar world-beating university alliances in the North, between Manchester, Liverpool and Leeds, and in Central Scotland between Glasgow and Edinburgh. Every one of these cities boasts a Russell Group university.

The Windsor Framework will help. It means Britains best universities can once again be part of Europes multi-billion euro Horizon research programme. It will result in better UK-EU trade arrangements when the existing agreement comes up for reconsideration in 2025, which will be good for economies on both sides of the Channel.

Brussels is said even to be looking more kindly on accommodating our distinctive post-Brexit financial regulations.

The Windsor Framework has pumped fresh life into the Sunak Government and even given Brexit a second chance. Of course, there is still much to be done and no time to lose.

If next months Budget doesnt grasp these new opportunities and fresh possibilities with both hands then it wont just condemn the Sunak Government to oblivion  it will mark Brexit as a failed experiment. March 15 is shaping up to be a rather significant date in the British political calendar.
If you're easily offended then you might want to look away from these cheeky signs created by people with a wicked sense of humour.

Global website Cheezburger collated a number of posters and job adverts designed to tickle those who have a thick skin.

One photo shows a toilet sign that appeared to be teasing the ever- increasing number of different genders.

Another window sign tells passers-by their 'triggers' are their responsibility - not the world's.

FEMAIL picked its favourites from the website and discussed them in detail.

Triggered! This shopkeeper seems to have had enough of snowflakes, telling passers-by that anything which offends them is their responsibility

This toilet sign in Australia looks to be poking fun at the number of genders that are starting to be recognised, with cubicles and urinals open to those who identify as 'Batman' and mermaids

Ouch! Instead of trying to solve any issue diplomatically, this sign rips apart anyone who parks near this gate

Grammar police, look away now! This metal plaque tells visitors they are on the '2rd floor', instead of the grammatically correct 2nd floor

A fool and their money... This little promotion sign is poking fun at cheap deals that persuade people to spend

When the missing poster goes missing! This sign spotted on a tree in California appears to be mocking those put up by people who have lost their dog or cat

Not a fairytale! They say you have to kiss a few frogs to meet a Prince, and if you follow that advice from the US to the letter, you might end up with an ex-shoplifter

Brutal! A jazzy shirt was being sold in India with the promise of making boyfriends 'less ugly'

Cinnamon bruhs are on sale for just $1! From first glance, this looks like a typo, until you read the bottom lefthand corner, which says *Bruh Moment
King Charles met Ursula von der Leyen yesterday in a lavish room at Windsor Castle.

Not to be confused with its namesake in Buckingham Palace, the White Drawing Room at Windsor is steeped in history.

It is one of three semi-state rooms created as private apartments for George IV. Their interiors were decorated by firm Morel & Seddon, with a selection of furnishings and fittings taken from Carlton House, George IV's former London residence.

The White, Crimson and Green drawing rooms, were used by the late Queen for formal entertaining  a tradition continued by the current monarch.

The White Drawing Room contains some priceless objets d'art, from a portrait of Queen Victoria to a carpet that survived the Windsor Castle fire in 1992.

King Charles (left) met with Ursula von der Leyen (centre) in the White Drawing Room at Windsor Castle (pictured) - a semi-state room steeped in history

1. Franz Winterhalter portrait of Queen Victoria

Queen Victoria in 1843, painted by Franz Winterhalter, wearing Garter regalia

The walls of the White Drawing Room are adorned with priceless art, notably a Franz Winterhalter portrait of Queen Victoria.

The painting, one of two similar portraits Winterhalter painted of the queen in 1842, shows the queen wearing Garter regalia.

Not seen in the photos of King Charles' audience are two more Winterhalter portraits - one of Prince Albert, and another of the young Prince Albert Edward, later King Edward VII, among other paintings of royals.

2. Carpet that survived the great fire

Despite being damaged by smoke in the Windsor Castle fire of 1992, the Axminster carpet has been restored to its full glory

The floor of the White Drawing Room is covered with a carpet by famed Devon-based manufacturer Axminster Carpets that dates back to at least 1890.

Despite being damaged by smoke in the Windsor Castle fire of 1992, the rug has since been restored.

The carpet, which was fitted in 1851 during the reign of Queen Victoria, was originally fitted in the Green Drawing Room.

3. Remond mantel clock

This Remond mantel clock, which sits atop the mantel piece, is one of the ornate decorative pieces lending a lavish air to the room

A Remond mantel clock, with gold decal, can be seen on top of the fireplace.

Adorning the clock is a draped bronze figure, thought to represent Astronomy. She addresses another figure, a youth carrying two parchment rolls and a pair of calipers.

The clock, which is dated to between 1780 and 1829, was taken from George IV's former London residence Carlton House to decorate this room.

4. Candelabra

The candelabra adorning the mantelpiece were made by Etienne Falconet, and feature a faun and nymph holding a cornucopia

Also on top of the mantel piece are a pair of candelabra. The lighting fixtures take the shape of classical figures wearing draping robes.

Each of the pieces, which were designed by Etienne Falconet, feature a faun and nymph holding a cornucopia.

They are thought to be part of a set that is moved around the room as needed.

5. Planter of white flowers

No royal room would be complete without fresh flowers or plants on view - and the White Drawing Room is no exception, boasting a potted plant

Fresh flowers are never missing from royal residences.

Photos from King Charles' meeting with Ursula von der Leyen show a plant pot hosting a small plant boasting foliage and white leaves.

6. Gilt panels

The gilt panels were designed by Morel & Seddon during the king's extensive refurbishment of the royal residence between 1827 and 1830

Nowhere is the opulent stamp of George IV more clear in the drawing room than in the gilt panelled walls.

They were designed by Morel & Seddon during the king's extensive refurbishment of the royal residence between 1827 and 1830.

The gilt frames and gold brocade adorning the walls and doors are seen throughout the room, bringing a deeply lavish touch.

7. Fire guard

The ornate fireguard with a gold gilt frame perfectly completements the opulent decor in the rest of the room

A fireguard  white, matching the theme of the room  can be seen in front of the fireplace within the drawing room.

While it may be purely decorative, it could also protect the rest of the light-coloured room from any ash and other detritus in case a roaring log fire is set.

8. Fireplace

Below a large overmanetl mirror, the black fireplaces is adorned with decorative gold panelling

No grand drawing room is complete without an ornate fireplace, and this Windsor Castle space certainly meets the mark.

It is touches like the fireplace  which is adorned with an opulent gold design, that give the room its luxurious touch and make it suitable for so many big occasions.

As well as being used by the monarch for formal meetings, the room was also chosen by Princess Eugenie for her wedding photos when she married Jack Brooksbank.

9. Duchy door

Just visible in the photos from King Charles' meeting with Ursula von der Leyen are the double Duchy doors, which are decorated in gold

The ornate gold doors were designed by Morel & Seddon, the main suppliers of furnishings to King George IV.

The gilt frames and gold brocade design is continued throughout the room  displaying the opulent taste for which the early 19th century King was known.

This pair of double doors lead to the crimson and green drawing rooms.

10. Pale silk sofa

The three-seat settee is part of a four-piece suite, with two matching armchairs and a two-seater.

Coordinating with the room's name, these pieces of furniture are all made from identical white silk.

While made from the lavish fabric, the seating offers the room a somewhat homely touch, offering a departure from the rest of the room's extremely ornate furnishings.
As UK schools face industrial action, some parents are rescheduling appointments (like haircuts and dentists) that normally take precious time! But its also an opportunity to visit museums to educate in ways school cant. It suits the current celestial invitation to be open-minded about how wisdom is gained. The cosmos is calling for greater kindness. Even if cartoons or cuddles are all we manage, if love is on the curriculum times never wasted.

ARIES MAR 21  APR 20

Craving chocolate or a salty snack? The good news is that doctors say cravings are often a bodys way of warning us that were low on an essential nutrient. The bad news? A sandwich or a piece of fruit will do us much more good than a chocolate bar or packet of crisps  which isnt great as, in my opinion, the latter have the benefit of being immediately gratifying! Its hard to accept that instant pleasure isnt always best in the long-term. Making a commitment will lead to satisfaction today. Youve got lots to look forward to in March. Theres inspiration in your latest four-minute forecast. Call 0906 751 5601.

TAURUS APR 21  MAY 21

Its A pleasure to watch an expert at work. They can make the impossible look simple. Thats because, to them, it is simple! Over years of experience, theyve mastered their art. Were all experts in our own right. Weve all gained knowledge about certain topics and people. There are situations that intimidate some folk where you find yourself feeling comfortable. Someones trying to talk you out of an arrangement because they think it looks problematic. Thats because they dont know how to handle it. You do. How can you benefit from The March of Destiny? It can change your life. For good news, call 0906 751 5602.

As UK schools face industrial action, some parents are rescheduling appointments (like haircuts and dentists) that normally take precious time, says Oscar Cainer (above)

GEMINI MAY 22  JUN 22

Apparently, juggling isnt as hard as it looks. Once youve mastered the technique it becomes second nature. In your world you face a daunting challenge. Any solution you come up with only seems to underline the problem. But you just need to spend some time understanding it and getting back to basics. Once youve done your groundwork, youll find it easy to handle. You might even find that you enjoy the process. And that acquiring this new skill will be advantageous long into the future. Even if you dont usually call your in-depth prediction, March is going to be special. For inspiring news, call 0906 751 5603.

CANCER JUN 23  JUL 23

Maybe the explanation is hidden deep in your past. Maybe, if you cast your mind back, youll be able to figure out the reason why youre so drawn to a specific idea. But is it really worth pursuing? We tend to associate wisdom with self-discipline. Yet, sometimes it can be unwise to hold back a profound emotion or ignore a deep yearning. Likewise, it can be wise to be wildly enthusiastic. You dont need to investigate your past or any aspect of yourself. You just need to trust what your hearts saying and follow it. The March of Destiny brings positive opportunities. For valuable insight about the month ahead, call 0906 751 5604.

LEO JUL 24  AUG 23

Youre full of anticipation about the future. You feel confident you know what lies ahead and that youre going to enjoy living in easier times. And its likely youre right. Yet tomorrow only rests on the foundations you put in place today. If you dont dig them deep enough, you might not create the stability youre looking for. Theres no need to rush. Today might not be as action-packed as youd like, but it brings an idea worth considering. It has consequences that will profit you in the long run. Take advantage of this months inspiring cosmic climate. The March of Destiny can transform your world. Call 0906 751 5605.

VIRGO AUG 24  SEP 23

Not every day is easy. Its inevitable that some days will be difficult and demanding. Since theres nothing you can do about it (other than to accept it with good grace), your best bet is to get on and deal with whats happening in the most practical way you can. I think you know why Im saying this. But what you might not know is how soon your circumstances are going to improve. Recent developments are positive. They wont create more stress; theyll help free you from strife. The issue causing you most concern is resolving. In a month packed with cosmic creativity, you can change your life. For four minutes of valuable news, call 0906 751 5606.

LIBRA SEP 24  OCT 23

When were fretting about a difficult decision, people often talk about breaking it down to the nuts and bolts, or getting down to the nitty gritty. I dont know about you, but this doesnt sound appealing. It sounds painstaking and uninspired. So, why dont we try phrasing the same notion in a different way? Its about looking at whichever aspect of a situation weve overlooked. If you find the courage to look closely at a problem, youll know what you need to do to sort it. Powerful changes are possible in March. The March of Destiny brings cosmic gifts. Make the most of them. Call 0906 751 5607.

SCORPIO OCT 24  NOV 22

When you find yourself facing a situation you cant change, what are you meant to do? You dont feel like shrugging your shoulders and accepting it. Good. Its not OK to leave it as it is. It simply has to be altered in some way. But youve tried. And there doesnt seem to be an appropriate strategy or a viable option. If, as seems likely, whats needed is little short of a miracle, then you might as well do what all miracle-seekers do. First, have faith. And then . . . trust and see what happens. Youll find a way. This month holds celestial inspiration; benefit from it and transform your life. For your March forecast, call 0906 751 5608.

SAGITTARIUS NOV 23  DEC 21

If the answer to a problem presents itself, we take it. It might provide only a quick fix, or require future upkeep, but no one wants to look a gift horse in the mouth. Yet, while perfectly understandable, the problem with this approach is that the presence of even an imperfect solution closes our eyes to the possibility of one that might work even better. If youre looking to solve something, your first idea might not be the best one. Taking your time could save countless hours. The March of Destiny brings potential for positive change. If you want to transform your life, call 0906 751 5609.

he cosmos is calling for greater kindness. Even if cartoons or cuddles are all we manage, if love is on the curriculum times never wasted

CAPRICORN DEC 22  JAN 20

Youve got a task on your hands that youre finding hard to delegate. Youre worried that no one else fully understands its importance. And it seems easier to do the job yourself rather than explain all the specifics to someone else. Yet, unless you want to be a prisoner to your own sense of duty, you need to share this responsibility. Its not easy to ask for help. And its true that it will take time to share all your concerns. But empowering someone with information will benefit you both. Capture the powerful energy of the positively star-filled skies. Call your in-depth March of Destiny forecast: 0906 751 5610.

AQUARIUS JAN 21  FEB 19

Should you throw caution to the wind and take that risk? If youre hoping to find a yes or no answer in your prediction, then my only safe option is to suggest the latter. After all, I dont want to encourage you to do something that might not work. All I can really tell you is that if you go ahead (and it doesnt come off) you must be able to accept you did your best. And not point the finger of blame at anyone  whether thats you, other people, or a certain cosmic adviser! Fulfil your dreams. Marchs exciting celestial outlook reveals how to maximise your chances of success. Call 0906 751 5611.

PISCES FEB 20  MAR 20

Are you capable of doing amazing things? Can you break with tradition and question protocols? Amazing people do this sort of thing sometimes. They cant do it all the time, though, otherwise theyre seen as being difficult. But if they go along with everyones plans theyre merely conforming to the norm  and theres nothing very amazing about that. When you choose, youre good at refusing to follow the crowd. It seems likely that theyre heading in a ridiculous direction. Its time to be amazing. In a month filled with awesome cosmic activity, take advantage of the potential and transform your life. Call 0906 751 5612.

Calls cost 80p per minute plus your phone companys access charge. To report a phone line problem, call 0800 138 9789. Go to cainer.com and join the 5 Star Service for personalised messages, audio, video, discounts on full readings, and more!
Prince Harry made a covert appearance at an awards ceremony to present an accolde from the Archewell Foundation to a US investigative journalist.

The Duke of Sussex appeared via video link at the NAACP Image Awards to present the 2023 Digital Civil Rights Award to Nabiha Syed, who is also a lawyer.

After presenting the award, Harry released a joint statement with Meghan in which he praised Ms Syed as an 'inspiration' and said they were 'proud' to present her with the gong.

The award was given to Ms Syed for her work in uncovering racial bias in how technology is used as she heads up tech company The Markup.

The royal couple say the award supports 'a new generation of visionaries' who are creating 'transformational' change advancing civil and human rights.

The second ever Digital Civil Rights Award from the Archewell Foundation was presented to Nabiha Syed this weekend at the NAACP Awards. Pictured: The Duke and Duchess of Sussex at the NAACP Image Awards in 2022

The Markup's investigations have uncovered hidden racial bias in mortgage approval and student risk algorithms.

The site has also revealed how telecommunications firms offer poorer, more racially diverse neighbourhoods slower internet speeds for the same price as those in other areas.

In a joint statement the Duke and Duchess said: 'When we founded this award with the NAACP, we wanted to highlight and uplift people across the country who are transforming the digital world for the better.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex released a joint statement praising the work of Ms Syed through her company The Markup in which they said they were 'proud' to support her

'Nabiha Syed is doing just that, harnessing her own expertise to push for safer, more inclusive online communities.

'Nabiha and her team are shedding light on some of the most critical issues of our time and in doing so, empowering all of us to reclaim some of our most basic freedoms: truth, safety, and choice.

'She's an inspiration to us and so many others, and we're proud to support her incredibly important work.'

Ms Syed, who is a lawyer as well as a media executive, said she was 'humbled' to accept the award from the NAACP and for the support of the Archewell Foundation.

She said: 'Technology is the architecture of our reality - but unfortunately, that architecture can perpetuate inequality and injustice.

'Our job now is to challenge technology to serve us all, not just those who hold power and privilege.'

After receiving the award, Nabiha posted a still of the video call she had with Prince Harry to receive her award on her Instagram story, revealing she was 'stunned' to have been recognised in the category.

NAACP president and CEO Derrick Johnson said: 'We are honoured to award and support Nabiha Syed in her mission to make democracy work for all.

'While technology has made everything more accessible and everyone more connected, it has the potential to cause tremendous setbacks for civil rights, as we have witnessed in recent years.

'We need to support the greatest minds in tech who are developing equitable platforms and holding corporations accountable, and that is exactly what Nabiha Syed is doing.

'We are grateful to The Archewell Foundation and The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who have been tremendous partners in the fight to advance civil and human rights across the tech sector.'

Ms Syed, who won a Marshall scholarship to study law at Oxford, is also a media lawyer who advised two US presidents on freedom of expression. Her portrait hangs at Yale Law School, whose media law clinic she co-founded.

Before she joined The Markup, she was vice president and associate general counsel at BuzzFeed, where she successfully defended against libel litigation which resulted from the publication of the Steele - or 'Trump-Russia' dossier - which alleged the former president's campaign had colluded with Russia during the 2016 presidential election.

She is the second winner of the award and will be given 100,000 US dollars (83,000) to advance new work, expand leadership and expertise, or 'continue their impact in the field of digital equity'.
Courteney Cox has recalled how Prince Harry stayed with her for a 'couple of days' - after the Duke of Sussex said he took magic mushrooms at her home.

The royal father-of-two, 38, revealed in his bombshell memoir Spare that he hallucinated that a bin was speaking to him after taking magic mushrooms.

Harry said that while he was staying at the actress' home, he spied a box of mushroom chocolates in a fridge and decided to eat them before washing them down with tequila.

Speaking to Variety, Courteney called him 'a really nice person', adding: 'He did stay here for a couple of days  probably two or three.

'Im not saying there were mushrooms! I definitely wasnt passing them out.'

Courteney Cox has recalled how Prince Harry stayed with her for a 'couple of days' - after the Duke of Sussex said he took magic mushrooms at her home

Speaking to Variety , Courteney called him 'a really nice person' and said she had heard his memoir was 'really entertaining'

She added: 'I havent read the book. I do want to hear it, because Ive heard its really entertaining. But yes, its gotten back to me about it.'

In Spare, Prince Harry wrote that he took mushrooms while staying at Courteney's house in 2016, when he was visiting LA with a 'two good mates' - one of whom was 'dating a woman who lived' there.

After staying with his friend Thomas's girlfriend, the group 'moved for some reason' and ended up staying at the home home of Courteney, who was a friend of the girlfriend and 'had more room'.

'As a Friends fanatic, the idea of crashing at Monicas house was highly appealing,' he wrote, adding that the actress was out of town 'on a job' so wasn't staying in the home when they first arrived.

However, he wrote that Courteney then 'turned up' out of the blue and began 'inviting people over' for a party. It was during that gathering that he spotted the 'black diamond mushroom chocolates' in the Friends star's fridge and quick 'gobbled' several of them.

I remember after a time standing up and wandering back into the house to use the loo,' he continued, adding: 'Beside the toilet was a round silver bin, the kind with a foot pedal to open the lid. I stared at the bin. It stared back. Then it became... a head.

'I stepped on the pedal and the head opened its mouth. A huge open grin. I laughed, turned away, took a p***. Now the loo became a head too.

'The bowl was its gaping maw, the hinges of the seat were its piercing silver eyes. It said, "Aaah."'

In Spare, Prince Harry wrote that he took mushrooms while staying at Courteney's house in 2016

Tales of the duke's exploits as a 'party prince' have been extensively reported over the years.

Speaking on US actor Dax Shepard's podcast in 2021, Harry laughed as he recalled his infamous party trip to Las Vegas which saw naked photos of him leaked to the press.

In 2012, he enjoyed a wild weekend in Las Vegas, where he was snapped in just a necklace while a naked girl hid behind him following a game of strip billiards in his VIP suite.

During Dax's 'Armchair Expert' show, the royal was chatting about how people are more likely to run away and rebel after being told 'you need help' when the host mentioned the notorious trip, joking: '[Or] take your clothes off in Las Vegas'.

Courteney's revelation comes as the Duke is due to sit down to discuss the book with a Hungarian-Canadian doctor who was once threatened with arrest for using a 'spiritual' psychedelic drug to treat patients.

Gabor Mate will join Harry on Saturday to discuss 'living with loss and the importance of personal healing', followed by a live question and answer session.

Prince Harry's decision to select Dr Mate to help promote his memoir is another sign of his interest in therapeutic healing, having previously discussed his experience of going through therapy.

Her comments come as Prince Harry prepares for another promotional video for the memoir on Saturday. The livestream costs 17 and comes with a free hardback copy of the Duke's memoir

Dr Mate is a Hungarian-Canadian best-selling author and physician who specialises in addiction and childhood development

The event, organised in collaboration with Harry's publishers Penguin Random House, will take place at 5pm UK time on Saturday March 4.

It comes at a fragile time for the Sussexes, who have seen their popularity ratings in the US drop significantly since the release of Spare last month - and now face a decision over whether to attend Charles' coronation.

Since December last year, Harry's popularity has sunk by 48 points and Meghan's by 40, giving them net approval ratings of -10 and -17 respectively, according to a survey by Redfield & Wilton for Newsweek.

While Andrew is still viewed negatively following his New York civil trial against his sex accuser Virginia Roberts - which he settled out of court - his net approval rating sits at -2, with 26 per cent of Americans saying they like him compared to 28 per cent who do not.
The police officer who finally caught Britain's once most-wanted man Michael Sams after he murdered one woman and held another hostage in 1991 and 1992 has revealed chilling details about his arrest.

Detective Sergeant Tim Grogan has recalled how Sams was calm and cheerful as police walked into his workshop in Newark, Notts, to arrest him for the kidnap and murder of Julie Dart, 18, and the kidnap of Stephanie Slater, then 25, after he held each woman hostage locked up in a box for several days.

DS Grogan recalled how 'calm and cool' Sams had greeted the officers and accepted his arrest without complaining or fighting it. He even directed the driver to the nearest police station

Speaking to The Mirror ahead of a Channel 5 documentary about Sams's gruesome crimes, he said: 'All this time we've been searching for this chap who's outwitted West Midlands Police. He's killed and he was prepared to kill again.'

He added he was shocked to discover the culprit was a 'shambling' one-legged man with a limp he believes was 'accentuated' as the person who had been committing horrific crimes under the radar for several months.

Estate agent Stephanie Slater (right, at the trial) was kidnapped and held hostage by Michael Sams in 1992 after he abducted her at knifepoint while posing as a prospective house buyer in Birmingham. He raped her and held her hostage at his workshop in Newark, Nottinghamshire and kept her in a locked wheelie bin. A new Channel 5 documentary follows how West Midlands Police, who Sams had evaded for months, finally caught the killer

Recalling Sams's arrest ahead of The Girl in the Box: The Kidnapping of Stephanie Slater which airs on Channel 5 at 9pm tonight and tomorrow, DS Grogan revealed the moment the killer realised he was being charged with serious crimes - at which point, his chipper demeanour faded fast.

'The blood drained through his face,' the cop recalled, adding that his apparent vulnerability meant it was the best time to interview him in the hope he would reveal as much information as possible.

West Midlands Police were left stumped after the body of 18-year-old Julie Dart was discovered in July 1991 and began their hunt for her killer.

DS Tim Grogan (pictured) has revealed Michael Sams was 'cool and calm' when police arrived at his workshop to arrest him

Michael Sams (pictured) was sentenced to life in prison in July 1993 after being convicted of the kidnap and murder of 18-year-old Julie Dart, and the kidnap of Stephanie Slater. He is now 80 years old, one of the UK's oldest prisoners, and is said to be applying for parole next month

Sams's first victim was Julie Dart (pictured) an 18-year-old woman with dreams of joining the army. She was working as a prostitute to clear her debts when Sams picked her up in the red-light district in Leeds

Days earlier, the sadistic murderer had picked up Ms Dart in the Chapeltown area of Leeds while cruising through the red-light district searching for a victim.

Ms Dart had turned to prostitution to clear her debts so she could pursue her dream of an Army career, having passed the medical and other assessment tests. After she got into his car, Sams drove the terrified teenager 70 miles to his workshop in Nottinghamshire.

After leaving Julie locked up overnight, Sams returned to his workshop and ordered her to write letters to her boyfriend and mother Lynn, telling them that she was being held and urging them to contact police. Sams himself also wrote a threatening letter to West Midlands Police demanding 140,000 for the safe return of the teenager.

Officers attempted to comply, and a policewoman with a holdall containing the cash was sent on Sams's instructions to various locations, but all attempts at the handover failed. Shortly afterwards, he killed Julie.

A post-mortem examination of Julie's body, which was found trussed up in a sheet and ropes under an oak tree in Easton, Lincolnshire, ten days after her disappearance, revealed that Sams had strangled the life out of her by crushing her windpipe with his bare hands.

He kept her body for a week in a green wheelie bin before transporting her decomposing remains to his chosen dumping ground.

'When I read that letter Julie had written when she was in desperate need, knowing she was going to die... It's a heart-rending letter,' he said.

DS Grogan revealed his regrets after reading Julie's letter that police were unable to save her.

Six months later, Sams would adapt his methods for his next crime, abducting Stephanie Slater at knifepoint while posing as a house buyer in Birmingham and imprisoning her in a wheelie bin in the same workshop.

Although her disappearance prompted a huge manhunt, Sams evaded police and escaped with a 175,000 ransom - although incredibly, he kept his promise and returned Stephanie to her loved ones after receiving the money.

Stephanie later revealed in a memoir that she had been raped during her ordeal, in which Sams had held her hostage in a locked wheelie bin for several days.

However, DS Grogan and his team were left frustrated that they had not managed to catch Sams, despite a carefully orchestrated operation in which they had arranged for the ransom to be paid by Stephanie's boss. The plan was to intercept the handover and arrest Sams, but poor weather conditions meant they lost him.

He was later caught following a BBC Crimewatch appeal, when Sams's ex-wife Susan Oake recognised the clues provided and linked Stephanie's case to her former husband.

Sams was convicted in July 1993 and sentenced to life in prison. He is now 80 years old, making him one of the UK's oldest prisoners, and is said to be applying for parole next month.

In 2005 he was given an extra eight years for attacking a female probation officer with a metal spike. Two years ago, the Parole Board ruled that he was still too dangerous to be released.

Stephanie subsequently worked with police to help improve the treatment of kidnap victims, but died of cancer in 2017, aged just 50.
Viewers of BBC documentary Parole have expressed anger at a murderer who appeared on yesterday's programme asking to be moved to an open prison - saying he needs to 'take responsibility' for his actions.

The second episode of the groundbreaking show, which features prisoners' parole hearings, showcased the story of Matthew Robinson, 35, who violently murdered a young woman on a public street 15 years ago when he was 21-years-old.

He killed 19-year-old Samantha Bennett, a mother-of-one, after agreeing to pay her 20 for sex. When he had no money, the pair argued, and he attacked the young woman with a claw hammer. Her body was found in an alleyway the next day.

After being convicted of the killing, Robinson was sentenced to life in prison, to serve a minimum of 14 years.

He is currently serving his sentence at HMP Stocken in the East Midlands. Now he has applied to move to an open prison - or 'D-Cat' - which he says will 'give him more freedom'.

Matthew Robinson (pictured) who killed a woman in 2008, featured in last night's episode of Parole on BBC. His application to transfer to an open prison was denied by the board

But for him to move to a D-Cat, the transfer must be recommended by the parole board.

According to Robinson: 'What I'm in prison for, that is not me, and I hate everything about it. I deserve to stay in jail. A life for a life, that's how it should be.

'But I've spent 14 years in prison. I ain't progressing, I ain't growing as a person in here. I just can't cope with this anymore....with the same four walls, you know what I mean?

'It would be good for me to go to a D-Cat, because they have work opportunities there [and] town visits. My sister could pick me up, take me into town for the day, and obviously [there would be] a little bit more freedom, get into the community that way.'

Speaking about the hearing, parole chair Rob McKeon said this is the first time Robinson is having a hearing, as he has served the minimum 14 years of his sentence.

He continued: 'If he were to get a recommendation for an open prison, it opens up the next part of the journey in his sentence, where he might then make steps towards his release.

'If someone goes to an open prison, over time, they will get to spend time in the community, that means they will come into contact with members of the public. We've got to be sure that people aren't at risk, because our jobs are public protection.'

According to Robinson, he feels ready to move to a D-Cat because he feels he has 'grown and matured a lot', and thinks it's the only way he can move on with his life.

Samantha Bennett (pictured) was killed by Matthew Robinson in 2008. He attacked her with a claw hammer and left her for dead. She was 19

Mugshot: Matthew Robinson after his 2008 arrest for killing Samantha Bennett. He was 21-years-old at the time of the murder

When considering whether he should be transferred, the parole officers considered Robinson's history of violence and drug and alcohol abuse, as well as whether his level of risk if he were transferred would be acceptable.

During the hearing, Robinson discussed the details of his crime, as well as some of the difficult circumstances of his childhood - including feeling rejected by his mother who was a heroin abuser, and facing violence from his mother's partner.

He also talked about how he became an active member of the church in 2017, saying his faith has saved him from taking his own life, and has offered him a new perspective on life - with him committing to always tell the truth and live in a more positive way.

According to Robinson, while his crime was grotesque, he says 'that is not me'. He pledged to use the 'guilt and shame' he feels to inspire better behaviour.

Unfortunately, despite finding Jesus, Robinson was found to commit a violent act in prison, assaulting another prisoner in 2021.

Ultimately, the parole board decided not to recommend his transfer, after discussing the violence of Robinson's crime, and his subsequent attack of another prisoner.

The board suggested that he did not have adequate control over his emotions when in difficult or antagonistic situations. This, they said, meant that the public may not be safe if exposed to Robinson, and while prison is a difficult environment posing different situations than life on the outside, they were not satisfied he is currently ready to move to a D-Cat.

Furious viewers felt that Matthew Robinson had not taken responsibility for his crimes, and were satisfied that he should not be transferred to a D-Cat

Many viewers felt that Matthew was not taking responsibility for the horror of the crime he committed, with one Twitter user writing: 'This guy is a born liar, heard enough of him already, still won't take responsibility for what he done.'

Another added: 'The issues lie with the original sentences passed by the court. He murdered a woman in 2008. 2008. Prisons are there to keep everyone safe, not to allow murders to temporarily preach to god and hope they can be released early if they behave.'

And a further social media user wrote: 'Such an important piece of correspondence and he rolls it up like an old rag...all that pretending to be a church goer has been a waste...shouldnt be let out ever.'

Another tweeted: 'Everyone deserves a second chance. no dont agree with thatyou killed an innocent girl for 20 she doesnt get the opportunity of a second chance so why should you.'

Agreeing, another added: 'Yes I feel sorry for Matthew hes a product of a huge amount of childhood trauma but hes killed a young woman for 20 and then gone on to cause that poor family trauma. Sorry its a no for me.'

Parole is aired on Monday on BBC 2 at 9pm.
A mother who became addicted to sleeping pills when her husband died has revealed how his school friend 'saved her life' by helping her kick the habit - and now they have a child together.

Natalee King, from Tampa, Florida, now 33, was prescribed Xanax after her late husband John Edward King II was killed in the United States Air Force in 2013.

The grieving widow 'gave up' on life and claims that she took to 'buying off the street' and 'doctor shopping' to get her fix, as her tolerance to the tranquillizer increased.

Everything changed when mother-of-two Natalee connected with a school friend of her late husband named Justin White, 31, during the depths of her addiction in 2016.

Despite Natalee passing out on their first date, Justin, who had also been in the army, vowed to stay by the struggling addict's side 'all day every day' and help her to get clean.

The pair's friendship eventually turned into love, and they welcomed their son Jensen in 2018, with Natalee celebrating five years of sobriety this month.

Natalee King, from Tampa, Florida, became addicted to Xanax after the death of her first husband in 2013. In 2016, she met his school friend Justin White, who helped her get clean. The couple fell in love, and in 2018, had their son Jensen together. Natalee is marking five years since she got sober this month. Pictured with Justin and her two sons, John James King III, ten and Jensen White, four

With Justin's support, Natalee slowly tapered down her drug intake as part of a grueling two-year recovery process, until the veteran was taking just a small amount of Xanax daily.

However, after finding out that she was pregnant with Jensen in February 2018, the happy mother stopped using altogether - and is now celebrating five years clean this month.

Natalee claims that boyfriend Justin 'saved [her] life' and that the pregnancy helped her to 'finish the recovery and stay sober'.

She is now sharing the shocking clips showing her during the depths of her addiction as a warning to others and to show there is hope - as she is now a happy and healthy mother-of-two.

Natalee said: 'When my husband passed away, I kind of gave up and I started on Xanax.

'By the time the end of the month came, my prescription would be all gone so I started buying off the street, online, doctor shopping, and it got worse and worse.

'I had been in and out of rehab and behavioral health institutions, and nothing seemed to work. I was just so depressed and in a dark place in my life.

'[Then] I met a guy [Justin] online, and he knew my husband from high school. The first time we went on a date together, I was passed out the whole time on Xanax.

At the height of her addiction, Natalee was rendered comatose and would be passed out most of the time

Natalee's road to addiction began when she was prescribed Xanax after her late husband John Edward King II, right, was killed in the United States Air Force in 2013

'He offered to help my parents try to get me sober. They were at a dead end and they agreed, so Justin stayed and he helped get me sober and tapered me down off of Xanax.

'He was by my side all day, every day.

'I just remember feeling so depressed and low, and never having any energy. My body hurt all the time.

'[When I got pregnant] it was great. It was scary, because I wasn't all the way clean yet when I got a positive pregnancy test.

'However, when I first got that positive test I stopped [Xanax] completely and I told my doctors and everything.

The grieving mother turned to Xanax in order to ease the pain of losing her late husband, pictured

Pictured: Natalee passed out from taking too much Xanax during her addition, which lasted from 2013 to 2018

Natalee and her son John James in front of John Edward's grave. The mother-of-two said she 'gave up' after her first husband died

John Edward, pictured with John James before his death. After he died, Natalee would wake up only to get her fix

Natalee revealed she went rehab and behavioral health institutions in order to curb her addiction, but nothing worked. Pictured passed out from Xanax

'So it was scary, but it was really exciting at the same time.

'It played a huge part in helping me to finish the recovery and stay sober.'

Five years later, Natalee is a happy stay-at-home mother to four-year-old Jensen and ten-year-old John James King III, son of late husband John Edward King II.

The former addict now spends her days with her family and avoids spending time in bars or meeting with previous friends.

Instead, Natalee now uses her social media platforms to inspire others who may be struggling with substance abuse.

Natalee said: 'After the two years [in recovery], I was still with Justin and we've been together for seven years. He is amazing - he really did save my life.

'In my addiction, I would sleep all day long.

'I would wake up, get my fix, get my high or whatever, and then I would go out and about and go shopping, hang out with friends, go use again.

'Today, I have a great sleeping schedule. I wake up early with my child, and then hang out with my mother. We go to parks, we go to flea markets, we do family things.

After the pair connected in 2016, Justin offered Natalee's parents to help her with her addiction, as they didn't know what to do

Justin stuck by Natalee's side, even though she fell asleep on their first date, and vowed to help her overcome the habit

The happy family pictured at a friend's gender reveal. When Natalee got pregnant with Jensen, she quit drugs altogether

The mother-of-two has been sober for five years and wants to warn others about the dangers of addition

The happy couple now. Natalee recounted how Justin stayed by her side as she battled her addiction

The mother-of-two said she now doesn't hang out in bars and prefers to spend time with her family

Justin with Natalee, John James and Jensen. The mother-of-two said she found it easy to quit the drugs once she was looking after her new son

'I don't go to the bars, I just hang out with my family nowadays. That's the big difference: hanging out with my family, or hanging out with the wrong crowd of people.

'Once I was in recovery and sober throughout my pregnancy, it was almost easier to stay that way once the baby arrived. It was great.

'I do get the urge to relapse. I still have cravings, I still have dreams, I still think about it. But you know, you work on it.

'You have to work on it a minute at a time, a second at a time.

'If you can just get through that second or minute or day, and you can get through it without using, [then] you just take it day by day.'
Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin arrives at the Seoul Bar Association Building in southern Seoul for a meeting with Korean victims of wartime forced labor, Feb. 28. Yonhap



Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin on Tuesday met with the families of the victims of wartime forced labor to update them on the state of government consultations with Japan on the long-standing issue of compensation.



Park met with the families to "sufficiently explain the government's diplomatic efforts to come up with a reasonable solution" between Korea and Japan regarding the Supreme Court ruling on forced labor," Lim Soo-suk, spokesperson for the ministry, said during a regular press briefing.



The meeting was arranged for Park to also listen to their opinions on the government's proposal of using a public foundation based in Korea to pay the compensation for Korean victims who won lawsuits against two Japanese firms  Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. and Nippon Steel Corp.  in 2018.



Victims and supporting civic groups have rejected the plan, calling for Japan's apology and direct involvement by the accused companies in the compensation process.



"I came here in person to meet and listen to the voices of the families of the victims of wartime forced labor, and to come up with a desirable solution," Park told reporters as he arrived at the meeting held in southern Seoul.



Attending the meeting were families of the victims who worked for Nippon Steel and at facilities in Hiroshima for Mitsubishi Heavy Industries.



Seoul and Tokyo have held several rounds of working-level consultations on ways to resolve the issue. Japan has claimed all reparation issues related to the 1910-45 colonial rule were settled under a 1965 treaty. (Yonhap)


An unnamed woman has revealed how she slept with her cousin at a family reunion after years of 'sexual tension' - and said she now 'needs' him in her life.

The anonymous poster said after her father had died when she was a child, she had barely seen his side of the family - including her uncle or cousin.

However she said she had felt 'massive sexual tension' with her relative since she was 16.

Upon seeing him recently at a family function, she decided to act on her feelings after a few drinks and said he 'did not say no.'

She shared her story with OK! Magazine, explaining: 'I dont know what I want from him, but I feel like I need him in my life. I dont know if Im mentally stable enough for the fall out it might cause if anyone found out what we did though.'

An unnamed woman has revealed how she slept with her cousin at a family reunion after years of 'sexual tension' - and said she now 'needs' him in her life (stock image)

The poster revealed she had slept with her cousin recently, explaining that while he was her father's brother's son, her family was not close at all.

'My father passed away when I was little and I dont see that side of the family, unless its a big family wedding or funeral,' she said.

She added that there was been 'massive sexual tension' between them since she was 16, and that she decided to act on it after a few drinks at a recent family function.

Her cousin admitted he felt the same, and the two became intimate.

The anonymous person added that she is now unsure about what she wants from her cousin, but said she wants to keep him in her life.

She said that she fears that there could be a fall out if other members of the family heard of what happened between them.

She asked the columnist for her opinion, adding she wants to know what other people think of her story, and that she cannot be the only one in a similar situation.

In the response to the anonymous post, the columnist said that the person was not 'weird' for having sexual urges towards her cousin, but should seek a therapist to explore where her desire to be with him stemmed from.

Lalala LetMeExplain began by explaining that marrying your cousin is not illegal in the UK and Ireland, but that it is not a common practice.

The columnist added that the anonymous person should not be judged for having sex with her cousin.

What the medical experts say about cousin marriages Cousin marriages have been legal in the UK for over 400 years. Official government figures for England, uncovered by the Mail in 2018, revealed cousin marriages are a key factor in an average of two child deaths every week. Distressingly, many surviving children of the couples involved have physical or mental problems. These include blindness, deafness, blood ailments such as thalassemia  which can make sufferers anaemic  heart or kidney failure, lung or liver ailments, and myriad complex neurological or brain disorders. Advertisement

She said that this kind of union is commonplace in several other cultures, and that the stigma that children born from the union of two cousins could have birth defects was no longer true.

Lala also quoted a 2008 report where scientists claimed that the risk of genetic defects in babies born from two cousins is the same as the risk for women over 40.

However, the columnist said she couldn't encourage the person to pursue a romantic relationship with her cousin.

She questioned whether the poster wanted validation for her choice to sleep with her cousin by being told she was not 'weird' for doing so.

She also asked whether the person wanted to gauge how her loved ones could react if she told them that she had been intimate with her cousin, which suggested she wanted more than sex with this person.

The columnist asked whether the poster was looking for permission to continue seeing her cousin, and said that only they could decide what she was comfortable with.

Lala recommended that the person seeks therapy in order to explore the reasons why she felt attracted to her cousin.

She suggested that her attraction to her cousin could be linked to the absence of her father, and that she could be trying to feel close to a man who could protect them.

The columnist added that the person could also be looking for the thrill of doing something forbidden, or going for someone who is conventionally unavailable.

Lala also conceded that the poster could have also simply be driven by very strong lust for her cousin, which sometimes can drive people to do things that we wouldn't normally do.

She said it could be especially true if the person hadn't grown up with her cousin or did not know him well.

The columnist added that whatever reason pushed the person to act on her attraction for her cousin, she knew that she was going against the societal belief that dating your cousin is not something you should be doing.

The dating expert added that the poster needed to decide what she wants from her cousin, and that she should tell people around her if she wants more than a sexual relationship.

She warned the poster that the fact she slept with her cousin would be judged by others, and asked her to consider whether the cousin is worth it.

However, she added that if the woman was worried that her mental health couldn't sustain the fall out of people finding out, then it suggested that the relationship wasn't worth it.
The debate around airplane etiquette has reached fever pitch in recent months - but it has been reignited once again by an influencer who refused to switch seats.

Audrey Peters, 25, took to TikTok to share her dismay at being asked to move to a middle seat in order for a family to sit together.

The social media star, who is from Miami but currently lives in New York City, laughed the request off and said that they should have booked their flight earlier.

But her post sparked fierce debate as the etiquette on seat switching continues to divide the internet.

Audrey Peters, 25, took to TikTok to share her dismay at being asked to move to a middle seat in order for a family to sit together

The social media star, who is from Miami but lives in New York City, laughed the request off and said they should have booked their flight earlier

In the six-second clip, which has so far been viewed more than 660,000 times, Audrey appears to be sitting in first class with a glass of champagne in hand while jetting off to Paris - although she noted on her Instagram Stories that this was not the flight on which she was asked to switch seats.

The video is overlaid with text which reads: 'When a family asks me to switch seats on the plane so they can sit together.'

Poll Would YOU switch seats on an airplane so a family could sit together? Yes No Would YOU switch seats on an airplane so a family could sit together? Yes 300 votes

No 1389 votes Now share your opinion





She smirks and toasts to the camera as she mouths along to a backing track which says: 'Girl, f*** them kids, and f*** you too.'

The social media star, who has 651,000 followers on the platform, uploaded the clip alongside a caption that read: 'No I'm not switching for a middle seat book your flights earlier babes.'

Taking to Instagram a short time later, Audrey revealed that she had flown business class from New York to Paris.

And, with tickets averaging around $10,000, said that she had used her American Express platinum points to cover the cost.

The clip opened the floodgates once again to fierce debate in the comments about plane etiquette.

In one camp, there were dozens who agreed with Audrey and blamed the unnamed family for not planning more effectively.

One wrote: '1000%, it blows my mind that people sometimes then proceed to give you an attitude [because] you don't want to switch.'

Another added: 'It's not like the kids are going to be able to escape the plane... they'll be there when you land.'

The influencer's controversial six-second clip has so far been viewed more than 660,000 times

Audrey, who has 651,000 followers on the platform, uploaded the clip alongside a caption that read: 'No I'm not switching for a middle seat book your flights earlier babes'

In one camp, there were dozens who agreed with Audrey and blamed the family for not planning more effectively

And a third said: 'I'm so sick of people thinking it's ok to disrupt someone for their lack of planning.'

But on the other side of the debate, many criticized the influencer for her lack of compassion.

One commented: 'I love you! But c'mon, I have kids but have always paid extra to be together. But can't control cancellations and shitty rebooking. Be better.'

Another said: 'To be honest - this mindset p***es me off.'

And someone else posted: 'God forbid we be expected to make anyone's life easier!'

But this is just the latest in a long line of controversies around plane etiquette.

Audrey's clip reignited the debate around airplane etiquette which has reached fever pitch in recent months

Taking to Instagram a short time later, Audrey revealed that she had flown business class from New York to Paris - and, with tickets averaging around $10,000, used her American Express platinum points to cover the cost

But on the other side of the debate, many social media users criticized the influencer for her lack of compassion

Earlier this month, another TikTok influencer said she was caught up in the middle of a seat swap nightmare after she refused to give up a window spot so a fellow passenger could sit with her 6'5" son.

New York-based Surya Garg, 23, detailed how a mother asked if she could give up her window seat - which she had paid extra for - so that she could sit with her son who 'had to be a minimum of 16 or 17 years old.'

When she asked where the woman wanted her to move to, she was directed to a 'middle seat like a couple of rows back.'

Then, when she asked who the woman's son was, she was shocked to discover he was not a child but 'like a 6ft 5in man.'

Surya said she 'didn't really know what to say' to the mom at this point and 'didn't want to look like an 'a** hole.'

However, she decided to decline the woman's request and explained to her that she had paid extra for the seat.

After being told 'no', Surya said the mom 'makes the nastiest face at me I've ever experienced', and then went about 'muttering profanities' for 'the entirety' of the flight.
She detailed the bizarre ways that Mormons get intimate before marriage

A Mormon mother-of-four who rakes in a $38,000 a month by selling sexy photos of herself on OnlyFans has lifted the lid on some of the religion's most-racy secrets  from members having to wear restrictive underwear and take purity tests to the virginity-preserving loopholes that many go through to get intimate before marriage.

Holly Jane, 39, from California, has been a member of the religious group - which is known for its strict set of rules, such as no alcohol, vulgar language, or sex before marriage - for years.

Last August, she began leading a 'secret double life' when she started posting lucrative photos of herself on the adult content site, which resulted in her making tens of thousands of dollars per month.

Now, the Mormon model has spilled some of the religious group's deepest darkest secrets during an interview with NudePR.com.

A Mormon mother-of-four who rakes in a $38,000 a month by selling sexy photos of herself on OnlyFans has lifted the lid on some of the religion's most-racy secrets

Holly Jane, 39, from California, has been a member of the religious group - which is known for its strict set of rules, such as no alcohol, vulgar language, or sex before marriage - for years

Last August, she began leading a 'secret double life' when she started posting lucrative photos of herself on the adult content site, which resulted in her making tens of thousands of dollars

Now, the Mormon model (seen with two of her daughters) has spilled some of the religious group's deepest darkest secrets during an interview with NudePR.com

She detailed the bizarre ways that Mormons get around the no premarital sex rule - as well as the extreme measures the church will go through to ensure that its members are staying 'pure.'

The Mormon religion's religion's most-racy secrets, according to OnlyFans model and longtime member Holly Jane Members try to get around the no sex before marriage rule through a process called 'soaking' - which involves a man inserting his penis into a woman's vagina without thrusting - as well as having oral or anal sex

Members are often quizzed by the bishops about their sex lives - to ensure they're staying 'pure'

Mormon women are expected to wear something known as a 'temple garment' underneath their clothes - which covers them all the way from their shoulder to their knees and acts as a reminder of the sacred covenants they have made

While the 'church prefers to keep things within the community,' you are 'allowed to marry people outside of the religion'

Mormons usually rush to the alter because they're desperate to 'get laid' Advertisement

According to Holly, some members have found ways of getting intimate before marriage, without 'technically' losing their virginity.

One of these practices involve something known as 'soaking' - a process that involves a man inserting his penis into a woman's vagina but not thrusting. Others opt to have oral or anal sex.

'Soaking is something I've not heard about within my church but there are plenty of rumors about younger people finding loopholes in the ban on premarital sex,' Holly explained.

'There is also a pressure among them to engage in just oral or even anal sex, because it means they haven't technically lost their virginity and broken your covenant's [vows] made at baptism.'

Holly also claimed that members of the Mormon church are often quizzed by the bishops about their sex lives - in an attempt to ensure that everyone is following the rules.

'They tailor the purity tests to your age, gender and if you're married,' she revealed. 'They ask teenagers intimate questions to check they are staying abstinent.

'All men are asked if they masturbate or if they watch porn. If you're married, they quiz you to check if you're staying clear of lusting after someone else.'

Watching porn is strictly prohibited in the Mormon religion because it is viewed as cheating on your spouse and could lead to 'an addiction.'

'To the Mormon church, watching porn is something that could become an addiction,' Holly explained.

'They have a sacred view of what sex is meant to be - so lusting over anything, even an image that is not your partner, is seen as bad.

'It is viewed as cheating and they want you to be focused on your partner 100 per cent of the time.'

She detailed the bizarre ways that Mormons get around the no premarital sex rule - as well as the extreme measures the church will go through to ensure that its members are staying 'pure'

According to Holly, some members use a process called 'soaking' - which involves a man inserting his penis into a woman's vagina without thrusting - as well as having oral or anal sex

Holly also claimed that members of the Mormon church are often quizzed by the bishops about their sex lives - in an attempt to ensure that everyone is following the rules

Holly even revealed that many Mormon women are expected to wear something known as a 'temple garment' underneath their already-modest outfits - which acts as a reminder of the sacred covenants they have made.

Holly even revealed that many Mormon women are expected to wear something known as a 'temple garment' underneath their already-modest outfits - which covers them all the way from their shoulder to their knees and acts as a reminder of the sacred covenants they have made

The underwear, which covers them all the way from their shoulder to their knees, are only available for purchase at the Church's own stores and are seen as a literal protection from evil.

Holly said: 'They're not the most seamless things and I can always tell who is wearing them and who is not.

'The outline is really clear and you can see the straps. People wear them mostly on Sunday and they are there to remind you that you are pure and clean so you don't break your vows.

'Some of my fans even ask me to dress in my Sunday church garment for my videos, which is white so it's quite sacred. It really adds to the whole forbidden vibes.'

As for why Mormons often rush to the alter, she explained that it's because they're usually desperate to 'get laid.'

'Sex outside of marriage is an absolute no, which is why people rush to tie the knot in Mormon society,' she continued.

As for why Mormons often rush to the alter, she explained that it's because they're usually desperate to 'get laid'

While Holly said the 'church prefers to keep things within the community,' she added that you are 'allowed to marry people outside of the religion'

After keeping her side gig a secret from the church for months, Holly recently came in hot water - after fellow church-goers 'snitched' about her job as an online mistress to her bishop

Despite a stern telling-off, the mother-of-four, who racked up over 110,000 followers on Instagram for sharing some of her sultry snaps, has decided not to quit being an OnlyFans star

'Men are more desperate than the women to get hitched because they want to get laid.

'It's not uncommon for Mormons to propose and then do the ceremony in just a matter of weeks.'

While Holly said the 'church prefers to keep things within the community,' she added that you are 'allowed to marry people outside of the religion.'

She also revealed that the religious group often holds gatherings to help its single members to meet one another.

The events are of course 'chaperoned to avoid any funny business between younger members.'

After keeping her side gig a secret from the church for months, Holly recently came in hot water - after fellow church-goers 'snitched' about her job as an online mistress to her bishop.

Despite a stern telling-off - she also had to attend 'religious counseling' - the mother-of-four, who racked up over 110,000 followers on Instagram for sharing some of her sultry snaps, has decided not to quit being an OnlyFans star.

'I'll never stop because the money is too good but I also don't want to stop going to church,' she insisted.

'This is what I do for a living and this is who I am. I have a spiritual side and a sensual side. My work challenges them on their teaching but I'm not going to stop.'

Holly previously defended her risque career to JamPrime.com, explaining, 'I might be paid to strip off but there are people who strip off for free  I'm just being smart about it'

'When I'm not on OnlyFans I'm just a normal mom cleaning and making dinner,' she insisted

Her husband, Stephen, tragically passed away back in 2017, when he was just 31 years old. But Holly said at the time that she believed he would have approved of her choices

'Stephen always knew of this sexy side to me. I think he would have been supportive,' she said. 'I've always had this desire, which dates back to when I was a little girl'

Holly previously defended her risque career to JamPrime.com, explaining, 'I might be paid to strip off but there are people who strip off for free  I'm just being smart about it.

'I'm doing it in the safety of my own home on my own time. Everybody masturbates and sends racy pictures so I don't really see the big deal.

'This way, I still get to practice the traditional ways of being a homebody but instead of sleeping around, which wouldn't match up with the ideals of the church, I'm making a living from my hot body.

'When I'm not on OnlyFans I'm just a normal mom cleaning and making dinner.'

Her husband, Stephen, tragically passed away back in 2017, when he was just 31 years old. But Holly said at the time that she believed he would have approved of her choices.

'Stephen always knew of this sexy side to me. I think he would have been supportive,' she continued.

'I've always had this desire, which dates back to when I was a little girl, where I would long to be doing Playboy.

'What people don't realize is OnlyFans is different from porn as these men feel like they have a relationship with you.

'So if they want a little bit of me, I don't mind doing that. Especially if I'm getting paid.'
Eugenie revisited the hospital where she had an operation for scoliosis as a child

Princess Eugenie cut an elegant figure as she revisited the London hospital where she had an operation for scoliosis as a child.

Queen Elizabeth II's granddaughter, 32, opted for a monochrome houndstooth coat with a black midi dress and matching knee-high boots for her trip to the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital, of which she is patron.

Eugenie, daughter of Prince Andrew, the Duke of York and Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, visited the hospital's Prosthetic Rehabilitation Unit for the first time to see where the life-changing prosthetics are made.

The occasion today no doubt held a special significance for Eugenie as she underwent surgery at the hospital to correct scoliosis - curvature of the spine - when she was just 12 years old.

She said: 'I am delighted to be here today to once again see the life-changing work taking place at the hospital. This is a charity which is very close to my heart.

Princess Eugenie (pictured with a patient) cut an elegant figure as she revisited the London hospital where she had an operation for scoliosis as a child

'After everything I went through as a child with scoliosis, I know from my own experience how debilitating an orthopaedic condition can be.'

The royal continued: 'It has been inspirational to meet those here today who have benefitted from the expertise of the hospital's staff and services and hear first-hand how truly life-changing this has been for them, as it was for me when I was a child.

'The RNOH Charity is integral to what the hospital achieves in delivering such stellar care for so many people.'

The visit coincides with the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital (RNOH) Charity's launch of its new campaign to make the 'Impossible, Possible' for people who face complex orthopaedic conditions.

The charity supports the work of the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital which treats patients of all ages with difficult orthopaedic conditions, including spinal cord injuries, bone cancer, scoliosis, and acute hip and knee problems.

Eugenie - who is pregnant with her second child - became Patron of the RNOH Charity's Redevelopment Appeal in April 2012 and subsequently the RNOH Charity in March 2019.

She met a number of patients who are being treated at the hospital including two-year-old Posie-Aurora Sadler-Smith from Suffolk, who suffers from a rare disorder fibular hemimelia which meant her bones in her lower limbs did not develop properly.

The family first met with the team at the hospital when Posie's mother was pregnant and began treatment when Posie was just six months old.

Queen Elizabeth II's granddaughter, 32, opted for a monochrome houndstooth coat with a black midi dress and matching knee-high boots for her trip to the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital, of which she is patron

Her mum, Jodie Weeder, 27, said 'We cannot thank the RNOH and the RNOH Charity enough for giving Posie the chance to walk using prosthetics.

'Its support over the last two years gave us hope for her future and allowed her to be able to do things that all children of her age should be able to do; run around and play, and in particular dance, something she loves to do.

'Seeing her stand up for the first time on both her prosthetic legs, truly was amazing  they really have made the "impossible, possible" for our little girl.'

The Prosthetic Rehabilitation Unit's work includes the provision, maintenance, and repair of artificial limbs together with a rehabilitation service provided by a multidisciplinary team for a range of patients from young children to veterans.

Eugenie, daughter of Prince Andrew , the Duke of York and Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York , visited the hospital's Prosthetic Rehabilitation Unit for the first time to see where the life-changing prosthetics are made

Meanwhile, the charity's campaign aims to raise awareness about the incredible work of RNOH and the charity, which needs more than 1million a year over the next three years to 'strengthen RNOH's role as a world-class centre for orthopaedic medicine'.

WHAT IS SCOLIOSIS? Scoliosis is the sideways curvature of the spine, which can cause uneven shoulders and lead to clothes that fit poorly. The condition is thought to affect up to three per cent of people in the US and UK and usually arises during a growth spurt just before puberty. Treatment is not always necessary for mild scoliosis cases. However, a brace can help stop the curve worsening as patients grow older. If the scoliosis is progressing rapidly in a young child, rods may be inserted that straighten the spine and adjust in length as the patient grows. Surgery may be required for severe cases, which can reduce the amount of space in the chest and make it difficult for the lungs to function. The most common procedure is called a spinal fusion, which is a major surgery that helps to correct the curve, the NHS says. It can last up to seven hours. It involves connecting two or more bones in the vertebrae so they cannot move independently. Metal rods or screws keep the backbone straight. Scoliosis can be caused by cerebral palsy or muscular dystrophy, birth defects, injuries or infections. However, its cause is often unknown. Advertisement

As well as funding the overall improvements to the patient experience and clinical research, the money raised will also fund specific items such as state-of-the art imaging equipment, transforming the spinal cord injury centre's day room and further pioneering orthopaedic research.

Eugenie was diagnosed with scoliosis and underwent corrective surgery aged just 12, with a pair of eight-inch titanium rods inserted alongside her spine to rebuild it as a result of a curvature.

The operation resulted in a prominent scar, which Eugenie wore with pride, opting for a backless gown for her wedding to Jack Brooksbank in October 2018.

In an interview before the wedding, the princess said: 'I think you can change the way beauty is, and you can show people your scars and I think it's really special to stand up for that.'

Rosie Stolarski, Chief Executive Officer of the RNOH Charity said: 'Over the last 100 years the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital has been performing the impossible and achieving things that no other hospital can, and that's what makes this hospital extraordinary.

'But being extraordinary needs major investment so we have launched this campaign so that our charity can ensure the hospital will continue its pivotal role in rebuilding people's lives and help to make the impossible, possible for so many more who need it.

'We need to raise more than 1 million this year to continue to support our hospital's visionary plans.

'This means continuing to support essential programmes that help enhance staff wellbeing and morale; fund the valuable volunteer service; contribute to crucial research and cutting-edge equipment; and support much-needed redevelopment projects.'

Dominic Dodd, Chair of the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital added: 'It's fantastic to have the charity launch the Impossible, Possible campaign in support of RNOH.

'Every day our staff are changing people's lives, relieving suffering and pain, often when nothing seemed possible any more.

'The funds raised by the charity help to strengthen the vital services we provide for our patients and provide such welcome support for our wonderful staff.'
Glancing at the clock, the 34-year-old mother of two gathered her belongings to go home. The only noise that pierced the eeriness of the night as she entered the garage where her car was parked was the clatter of her high heels.

For weeks, Jean and her colleague Loretta McLaughlin had been working on an investigation into the man who could seemingly materialise like a phantom in the locked homes of his victims, sexually assault and kill them, and then disappear without trace.

The murders had struck fear into the hearts of women, young and old. Even Loretta and Jean admitted their investigations had given both of us nightmares.

Little wonder, considering the forensic nature of their enquiries, examining the minutiae of each death for clues. Take victim Ida Irga, whose half-naked body had been found with her feet propped up on chairs, a pillow placed under her buttocks, and a white pillowcase tied around her neck in a grotesque parody of a gynaecological examination.

Sixty years on, the inspiring story of how two plucky and resourceful female reporters  notable in an era when newsrooms were macho, rampantly sexist environments  pursued the story at great personal risk has been brought to life

Many of their predictions about the killer came true, however, when, in 1965, Albert DeSalvo (pictured), a patient at Bridgewater State Hospital in Massachusetts, a facility for the criminally insane, confessed to being the Boston Strangler

Other victims met their terrifying end after nylon stockings were wound round their necks and tied in flamboyant bows with an extra half-hitch knot, the Stranglers calling card.

Jean had already been forced to change her home telephone number after unsettling calls featuring heavy breathing, and an almost incomprehensible male voice. There was no doubt the Strangler was getting to her.

Now, as she walked through the dimly-lit garage, her heart raced as the shadows deepened. Running to her car, she jumped in, locked the doors and sped away. From that day, her husband Frank picked her up whenever she had to work late.

Sixty years on, the inspiring story of how two plucky and resourceful female reporters  notable in an era when newsrooms were macho, rampantly sexist environments  pursued the story at great personal risk has been brought to life. Keira Knightley stars as Loretta and Carrie Coon as Jean in the new film, Boston Strangler, due out next month.

Photographs from the set show the actresses challenging hardened homicide detectives, who initially believed there was no evidence that the stranglings were the work of one man. Yet for years their crucial role was overlooked.

Jean and Loretta were virtually ignored in all the stories about how the Boston Strangler murders came to be solved, Jane Coleman, Jeans 66-year-old daughter, told the Mail.

These two young women worked their guts out to make sure other women were aware of the dangers happening in their city and to uncover the truth. It was women talking to women, for the sake of every woman, and that was unique and had never been done before.

Meanwhile, Lorettas son, Neil McLaughlin, 63, tells me: Because of their interviewing and reporting, real change happened in law enforcement in Boston.

This refers to the Boston Task Force, set up by the state attorney general after the two women catalogued the polices initially chaotic response to the murders.

Were pleased my mother and Jean are getting the recognition they deserve with this film, says Neil.

These two young women worked their guts out to make sure other women were aware of the dangers happening in their city and to uncover the truth.' Pictured: Loretta McLaughlin (left) and Jean Cole (right)

It was in June 1962 that a petite 55-year-old divorcee called Anna Slesers was found murdered in her apartment in the quiet neighbourhood of Back Bay.

Two weeks later, another woman was found strangled. Then, over the summer, two more met the same fate. But because the murders happened in different parts of Boston and its surrounding areas, they were investigated by separate police forces. None of the detectives involved compared notes.

Loretta McLaughlin, a reporter at the Boston Record American, was the first to start connecting the dots. Two more women were soon found dead  then the serial killer changed his pattern. While his first six victims had been aged 55 to 85, now they included career women in their 20s.

Boston women were terrified, all but barricading themselves in their homes, or moving in with friends because they were afraid to be alone at night. They carried hatpins stuck in their coat sleeves, and pepper and ammonia in their handbags. Some took up judo and karate.

The police said they were working flat-out on the murders, but officers still insisted on talking about murderers rather than a single killer.

As the story grew, Loretta was paired with Jean, who had already distinguished herself by working undercover as a nurses aide to expose corruption and neglect of patients in nursing homes.

The two women, both working mothers in their 30s, hoped to find the pattern that would point the way to the killer.

Loretta  who coined the term Boston Strangler  and Jean made a good team, says Jane. My mother was interested in the details of the crime scenes and the backgrounds of the women, while Loretta was interested in the personality of the killer and the scientific and medical stuff, explains Jane.

Painstakingly, the women visited the scene of every slaying. They knocked on doors and persuaded frightened residents to talk.

As the body count grew  eventually rising to 13  some detectives began to take them seriously. But, by-and-large, they were treated with ridicule.

As the story grew, Loretta was paired with Jean (pictured) who had already distinguished herself by working undercover as a nurses aide to expose corruption and neglect of patients in nursing homes.

The police werent happy about the stories my mother and Loretta were writing, and considered them meddlesome, says Jane.

George Frazier, a columnist on a competing newspaper, described them as a couple of sob sisters and poured scorn on their work.

For a pair of girl reporters  not reporters, but girl reporters  to undermine peoples confidence in its law enforcement agency by casting amateurish aspersions upon it is irresponsible, he lectured. His diatribe prompted letters of support for Jean and Loretta, with one female reader saying: If they believe it is their duty to try to enlighten the public and yes, even the Boston Police Department, about what is going on, then I believe they should be given assistance rather than condemnation.

Some of Jean and Lorettas male colleagues also made jokes in poor taste. Jean was unpleasantly surprised when she walked into the office one day, says her daughter, and found a manila envelope on her desk. It was addressed to her and Loretta, says Jane. Inside was a pair of nylon stockings, a hallmark of the killer. I guess some man thought he was being funny.

Jane says her mother and Loretta just got on with the job.

They were both serious-minded and dedicated women. They didnt want the fact that they were women to enter into the conversation at any point, and they didnt let anybody see any female vulnerabilities that could be exploited.

My mother didnt want the men she worked with to treat her differently, so she never complained about their language or the way some of them behaved  she didnt pay any attention to it. But she always knew she had to be a little bit better than the men.

Writing 29 articles, the pair ploughed on. Women read every word, feeling that Jean and Loretta understood the fear they were living with daily.

As the body count grew  eventually rising to 13  some detectives began to take them seriously. But, by-and-large, they were treated with ridicule. Pictured: eight of the 13 victims.

Indeed, they felt the same terror. Loretta, who had been typing her articles late at night on the dining room table at home, found it so unnerving to write about the gruesome details that she would go upstairs, wake her husband, Jim, and ask him to come down and sit with her while she wrote.

As for Jean, she said she was all too aware of her and Lorettas prominence within the story  and feared they could be targeted themselves.

All I knew was that he was out there somewhere, and pictures of Loretta and me were in thousands of newspapers daily for weeks, Jean recalled later. I asked myself: Did he read newspapers? Do we present a challenge you couldnt resist?

Even if the real killer wasnt interested in us, how about a copycat killer?

It didnt stop the two reporters from continuing, however. After gleaning insights from psychiatrists, Jean and Loretta predicted that the killer was likely to be middle-aged, intelligent and of small to medium size, but muscular like a ballet dancer. When not killing women, the rest of his life would appear normal, they suggested.

The mind of the killer is twisted and sick, a psychopathic personality with sex deviations. The odds are that he will stay that way, and stay here and stay alive, Loretta and Jean warned their readers.

To save themselves from him, women must live in caution. There is but one answer: the strangler must be caught.

Then, after two years of killings, the murders stopped in 1964. Many of their predictions about the killer came true, however, when, in 1965, Albert DeSalvo, a patient at Bridgewater State Hospital in Massachusetts, a facility for the criminally insane, confessed to being the Boston Strangler.

Born in Boston in 1931, DeSalvo had a warped childhood at the hands of a violent father and was made to watch the abuse of his mother, Charlotte, who once had all her fingers broken in front of him and his siblings. At an early age DeSalvo demonstrated extreme cruelty to animals and, aged 12, was arrested for beating up a child of similar age.

In 1948, he enlisted in the U.S. Army. After being sent to Germany, he married a local girl, with whom he had two children. When DeSalvo returned to Boston in 1955, he was arrested for molesting a nine- year-old girl, but the charges were dropped. Robberies he committed only saw him receiving suspended sentences.

Born in Boston in 1931, DeSalvo (pictured, left) had a warped childhood at the hands of a violent father and was made to watch the abuse of his mother, Charlotte, who once had all her fingers broken in front of him and his siblings

In 1961, he was revealed to be the sexual attacker nicknamed the Measuring Man. He would knock on womens doors claiming to represent a modelling agency, and promise women photographic work for $40 an hour, before taking their vital statistics and molesting them. Imprisoned for these crimes, he was released after only a year  and his Boston Strangler killing spree resumed shortly afterwards.

In 1964, he was arrested for another spate of sexual attacks, nicknamed the Green Man rapes, where he would gain access to womens apartments by posing as a maintenance worker wearing a green shirt and green trousers.

It was while languishing in Bridgewater State Hospital that DeSalvo  who fit almost perfectly the profile Jean and Loretta had constructed for the Boston Strangler  admitted that he was not only the Measuring Man and the Green Man, but the Strangler, too.

My mother followed the story through to the end, says Jane.

Indeed, Jean saw DeSalvo in person through a two-way mirror at Bridgewater, when he spent weeks confessing the details of his crimes to his lawyer and a psychiatrist.

She also sat through DeSalvos court case, hearing his attorney describe his client as being consumed by one of the most crushing sexual drives that psychiatric science has ever encountered.

In 1967, DeSalvo was finally imprisoned for life for his earlier crimes of robbery and rape  but later recanted his confession that he was the Boston Strangler. He was stabbed to death as he slept in his prison cell in 1973.

Despite his denials while alive, DNA testing on his exhumed remains in 2013 confirmed that Mary Sullivan, who was raped and murdered in 1964, was indeed DeSalvos last victim. The 19-year-olds murder had been particularly fiendish  propped up in her own bed, she had been sexually assaulted with a broom handle and strangled with a stocking. Between her feet was a card proclaiming Happy New Year!

Sadly, neither Jean nor Loretta will get to see themselves in the new film. Jean died in 2015 and Loretta in 2018.

Sadly, neither Jean (left) nor Loretta (rught) will get to see themselves in the new film. Jean died in 2015 and Loretta in 2018

My mother would have been very pleased that this story is being told from her and Jeans perspective, because they were two accomplished women who did important work, says Neil.

They were extraordinary women  young women need to hear what they went through to be respected in their profession, adds Jane, who says she and her sister, Julie, are extremely proud of their mother.

Though DeSalvos recanting of his confession means some people still dispute whether he was the sole killer of all 13 women, Jean and Loretta had no doubts.

When Loretta and I were assigned to do the stories about women who had been murdered, and point out what we thought were similarities or connections between them, I dont recall anyone suggesting that we were expected to solve these cases, Jean later recalled.

All I know is that he was out there somewhere . . . at the time of the stories and long afterward, I was firmly convinced the stranglings had all the marks of being perpetrated by one person.

Until he [DeSalvo] was captured, I was compelled to look over my shoulder everywhere I went.

Boston Strangler is out on Friday March 17 on Disney Plus.
Forget Shakespeares Montague and Capulet battling it out on the streets of Verona, or Rebekah Vardy and Coleen Rooneys mud-slinging in the Wagatha Christie saga.

The two heavyweights locked in highly charged rivalry today are British institutions Marks & Spencer and John Lewis.

While John Lewis has claimed the title darling of the middle classes for decades, new reports show that, since the pandemic, M&S has stealthily been gaining ground.

Now trade publication Retail Week predicts the store could overtake John Lewis Partnership (JLP) to become the nations seventh largest retailer by sales by 2026.

This week, in a sign that the struggle for supremacy is becoming increasingly fraught, the boss of JLP, Dame Sharon White, announced that the woman she hired to be head of John Lewiss department stores, Pippa Wicks, had left abruptly after less than three years in the post.

While John Lewis has claimed the title darling of the middle classes for decades, new reports show that, since the pandemic, M&S has stealthily been gaining ground

Now trade publication Retail Week predicts the store could overtake John Lewis Partnership (JLP) to become the nations seventh largest retailer by sales by 2026

Analysts wondered whether it was the uninspiring entry-level Anyday range of clothes and furniture, or the unpopular scrapping of the stores famous Never knowingly undersold price pledge last year, that had done for Ms Wicks. Whatever the reason, its clear the brand is undergoing turmoil at the top.

I have long loved both John Lewis and M&S, and find my loyalties horribly divided as they scrap for the slimmer pickings on todays High Street.

My aunt was a buyer for M&S and always instilled in us the terrific values of the company, while my American relations would always raid the store in the 1970s and 1980s for the well-priced cashmere which they stressed couldnt be found anywhere in the States.

But Peter Jones in Londons Sloane Square, part of the JLP family, with its iconic spiral staircase, was my local department store as a child.

During my Vogue House years (I was editor-in-chief of British Vogue for 25 years), Oxford Streets John Lewis became my go-to for everything. I loved it all, from the Waitrose food hall to the electronics department. And lets not forget the haberdashery. The fabulous array of ribbons, cottons, shoulder pads, zips and wools provided the staples for the styling kits of the Vogue fashion team.

Theres no denying that John Lewis has benefited from a better shopping environment. But now that so many of its customers dont go near the stores, preferring to let their fingers do the walking on keyboards to buy online, this advantage is less weighty than before.

So what do we expect from each? Well, high quality, keen pricing and merchandise that is popular and trend-aware, for a start.

We want them to be efficient and reliable  on hand to deliver our basics and a bit more. And we care about them. Both brands are like a member of our extended family.

I am a woman who has spent her life in and out of these stores. So in a blind test of fashion, homeware and food  where I judged each individual item pictured above after its label had been removed or covered up so I had no idea where it was from  I expected Id know exactly which store was behind what, but I was in for a surprise

STYLE HITS AND MISSES

When it comes to shopping for clothes, neither store has ever claimed my heart totally.

Occasionally, theres been a star piece from M&S, such as the turquoise silky shirt we used on model Amber Valletta for a Vogue cover in 1996. It was a dead ringer for the satin version seen on Tom Fords catwalk and snapped up by Madonna. And recently I found a great pair of wide-legged check trousers, and caramel and cream slingbacks that look pure Prada.

At John Lewis, a few years back there was a big revamp of its own-brand ranges which brought a more highly styled feeling to the clothes. I love my cornflower trench bought during this patch, and I expected to find far more in John Lewis that Id want to walk off with.

M&S, after all, has to contend with a broader demographic for its fashion, and I am often frustrated by the way they tweak pieces to ill effect. The colours are often just that bit too cheap-looking, the details too overwrought, and the choice way too broad. How many options do we really need when were looking for black trousers?

But I was genuinely surprised by how often M&S clothing nudged into the lead in this exercise.

The standout item was a black single-breasted crepe M&S blazer (59). It had a flattering narrow shape. Online it looked nothing much, but the fabric was lovely and the unstructured shoulders made it work for smart and casual wear.

A John Lewis double-breasted wool blazer was more than double the price at 120, with structured shoulder pads and a shorter cut. Where the M&S jacket, although smart, felt relaxed, the John Lewis version was more staid.

Ditto with a red-and-white wrap dress. Despite being in a ditsy floral print we are now told is out of fashion, the M&S dress (49.50), with its flamenco hem, was more exciting than the mumsy, empire-line style from John Lewis (65).

When it came to cashmere sweaters, I was surprised by my reaction.

On the hanger, the John Lewis classic, slimmer-cut version (79) looked more chic and was a less garish colour.

But when I tried on the boxy, almost sporty M&S sweater (85), the fabric felt less clingy, and the shape was more flattering.

'I was genuinely surprised by how often M&S clothing nudged into the lead in this exercise'. Stock image of M&S

Where both brands failed was in coloured trouser suits  a fashion must right now. A violent orange linen number from John Lewis (114 in total) was crumpled before it came anywhere near my body. Im not sure that shade does anyone many favours.

Over at M&S, a toxic lime green affair (100 in total) with zip details on the trouser hem was no better.

Bright colours may be one of this years trends but they run the risk of looking cheap, as both of these did. Zara does it better. It was only when it came to accessories that John Lewis trumped M&S.

The 79 John Lewis leather tote was perfect  roomy, with a plain rectangular shape that folds in on itself to make a lovely trapeze shape often used by designer Phoebe Philo at Celine.

At first glance, the M&S version looked identical with a similar metallic clasp, but it was more expensive at 99, and less elegant. It was just that bit smaller and looked more High Street.

And John Lewiss square-toe loafers (59) were more delicate when it came to the detailing. The M&S version (45) had its famous padded sole for comfort, but also a padded wedge at the back which ruined the streamlined look.

If M&S wants to beat John Lewis in accessories, too, it needs to focus on these subtle details which often let it down.

HOMELY HOMEWARE

Most people would expect John Lewis to be the leader in this category, and indeed it was  by some margin.

The firms new director of home design, Charlotta Elgh, has a good base on which to build and probably neednt fear M&S right now.

The stores mid-century-style coffee table (449) had individuality with a woven rope lower shelf, for example. In contrast, the M&S coffee table, though nearly 200 cheaper, was bland.

The John Lewis standard lamp (125) with its brass pedestal and cylindrical shade was elegant and would work in any room, while the M&S wooden tripod lamp (169) might work in a study but would look a bit cold in a sitting room.

M&Ss wonky dinner plates (24 for four) were the only piece that beat John Lewis on style. They wouldnt look out of place in The Conran Shop.

But the dirty-white M&S sofa (from 799), despite looking like a good bet for binge-watching Netflix, was uncomfortable, with cushions that slipped all over the place.

I probably wouldnt buy the John Lewis sofa (799) either, as it was too severely structured to flop on, but it certainly looked chic and felt more substantial.

Although I was aware of M&S homeware, I have to admit I had never thought of shopping for it there  until now. I will certainly add it to my list of places to consider. However, in general the designs look unremarkable and are actually quite expensive. You might well be able to find similar versions in Ikea.

A John Lewis double-breasted wool blazer was more than double the price at 120, with structured shoulder pads and a shorter cut. Stock image of John & Lewis

FOOD TO DIE FOR

For years I have bought my food from both Waitrose (owned by JLP) and M&S and think both are excellent. I had expected to find all the samples delicious, but in reality neither came out as well as Id hoped. In this blind test, I almost always preferred the M&S range  in both taste and appearance.

The M&S choux pastry and dark chocolate profiteroles (4.75) were by far the most delicious, but I thought they were from Waitrose as they came on a smart rectangular tray. This was the area where my preconceptions played the greatest part  and where Waitrose needs to get its act together.

And why did both brands choose to call their near-identical caterpillar cakes near-identical names  Cecil and Colin?

Incidentally, the John Lewis Cecil (8.25) was less lethally sugary by far, but why couldnt they come up with their own tasty treat rather than copying M&Ss Colin (8.50), right down to the green metallic platter the caterpillar resides on?

MY VERDICT

While both stores have some great food (and some pretty unimpressive), and in homeware M&S has a long way to go, womenswear for me is the key to winning the battle for the hearts and minds of Britains High Street shoppers.

So, on that basis, M&S clinches it. But for how long? Last year, John Lewis poached former M&S design director Queralt Ferrer, and she will no doubt realise that John Lewiss own brands currently loiter rather unloved and limp on the shop floor and are in need of attention. So watch this space.

In the fight for the title of the darling of the middle classes, its all very much still to play for.
Said all toddlers need is 20 seconds and a few centimetres of water to drown

A paramedic has issued a warning over the innocent summer item that could prove fatal for children during the summer months, and why 20 seconds is all it takes for a horrific accident to happen.

Nikki Jurcutz, who is a working paramedic, mum and the CEO of parenting organisation Tiny Hearts Education, shared a video demonstrating how an open esky or picnic box full of melted ice is a 'drowning hazard' for babies and children.

The reason why is because young children want to look inside, fall in and then drown - all within 20 seconds.

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A paramedic has issued a warning over the innocent summer item that could prove fatal for children during the summer months, and why 20 seconds is all it takes for a horrific accident to happen (Nikki Jurcutz pictured)

Nikki shared a video illustrating how an open esky or picnic box full of melted ice is a 'drowning hazard' for babies and children (pictured) as they only need a small amount of water to drown

'This is a drowning hazard,' Nikki said in the video, alongside an empty picnic box full of melted ice.

'20 seconds and a few centimetres of water is all it takes for a toddler to drown. Always put the lid on when it's in use.'

She added: 'Tip it upside down when you're done and keep your little one safe.'

Queensland Government Health highlighted empty eskies, buckets and pet food bowls as three of the most unexpected drowning hazards around the house.

Drowning is the most common form of accidental death in children aged 0 to 5 in Australia, with almost half of those deaths associated with pools, experts highlighted.

However, other smaller bodies of water including that found in empty eskies, water bowls for pets and buckets also pose a significant threat.

'The reason why these items are dangerous for toddlers is because they are both curious and it's a matter of physical development - a toddler's head is heavier than the rest of their body, which means they can easily topple into a container when they're exploring,' Queensland Health said.

'Toddlers under four are less likely to struggle or cry out than older children, which means they can drown before anyone realises there's something wrong.'

Queensland Government Health highlighted empty eskies, buckets and pet food bowls as three of the most unexpected drowning hazards around the house (pictured)

Thousands who saw Nikki's video were quick to thank her for sharing the life-saving advice.

'So true. My friend was a paramedic and had to go to a scene where a toddler drowned in an esky,' one commenter wrote.

'Literally happened to me the other day, someone left the esky out the back open, my little one was trying to touch the water and fell face first into the esky. Luckily I was outside watching,' another added.

A third wrote: 'And people always ask me why I keep the toilet, bathroom and laundry shut up with twin toddlers'.
A young financial whizz has listed the five financial numbers you need to get your head around in order to get rich - and how tracking them will keep you motivated in your savings journey.

The Australian founder and CEO of Smart Women Society Tea Angelos, 25, said if you want to take control of your finances, you need to know 'exactly where you stand at any given time' and where you want to be.

Being across figures like your debt, net worth, investments, assets and saving will work wonders at transforming your cash flow.

A young financial whizz has listed the five financial numbers you need to get your head around in order to get rich - and how tracking them will keep you motivated (Tea Angelos pictured)

1. YOUR INCOME

The first - and most obvious - figure you have to be across, Tea said, is your income - or the money that you receive on a regular basis.

'This includes your wages or salary, net income earned through a business, dividends or profit from your investments, interest from your bank, government payments and any other notable positive money gain you receive,' Tea told FEMAIL.

The financial adviser said she doesn't recommend relying on just one income stream if possible, as it's 'risky' if you're made redundant or forced to quit your job.

'Identify how much on average you make from each of your income streams and make a note of it,' she said.

'Then, work on building multiple streams of income so you're less reliant on your wage or salary.'

The second figure is your spending - both essential and non-essential, and you can do this by printing off your bank statements and running through them with two highlighters

2. YOUR SPENDING

The second figure to understand is your spending - both essential and non-essential.

'Essential expenses are the things you need to spend money on each month to live, such as housing, bills, groceries and transport,' Tea said.

'Non-essential spending is new clothes, eating out at restaurants and subscription services.'

The easiest way to identify your spending, she said, is to print out the last two to three months of bank statements, grab two highlighters and go through each transaction 'line by line'.

'Use one colour to highlight essential spending and the other for non-essential, discretionary buys,' she said.

Tea (pictured) follows a 50/30/20 approach to saving and spending whereby 50 per cent of her income goes on essentials, 30 on wants and 20 per cent on savings and investments

3. YOUR DEBT

Thirdly, your debt needs to be itemised.

'Figure out how much money you owe and to whom, and identify the terms of the debt, including the value, interest, payment due dates and any other obligations associated with the debt,' Tea said.

4. YOUR SAVINGS, INVESTMENTS AND ASSETS

'Savings and investments include the money that you put into your bank account for short-term savings, longer-term savings, emergency funds, sinking funds or investment accounts,' Tea said.

'Assets are the things you own that have positive economic value. Your asset equity refers to the value of what you own in your assets.'

5. YOUR NET WORTH

Tea Angelos is the author of Smart Moves: Simple Ways to Take Control of your Life (pictured)

Finally, Tea said you should calculate your net worth, which is the combination of what you own (or your assets) and what you owe (your liabilities).

'Use your net worth to track your progress from year to year, and hopefully see it grow over time,' Tea said.

Previously, Tea revealed the three savings accounts every saver and investor needs.

The first is a high yield savings account for short-term goals like going on holiday.

The second is a high yield savings account for long-term goals like buying a house.

Finally, she said you need an emergency fund account for 'anything that goes wrong'.

'Keep this one with a separate bank to ensure success,' the 25-year-old said on TikTok.

Ideally, in your emergency fund you need three to six months-worth of your living expenses saved up in case anything goes wrong.

Tea Angelos is the author of Smart Moves: Simple Ways to Take Control of your Life, which is available on March 1 ($32.95; Wiley) from here.
A fed-up Australian gamer girl who regularly cops sexist abuse from men online says the discrimination and name-calling 'needs to stop'.

Amber Wadham, from Adelaide, who goes by the gaming username 'PaladinAmber', has been gaming since her teenage years and is now a full-time Twitch streamer turning over six figures.

But the fun hobby turned career choice has come with a fair share of distressing downsides.

The 27-year-old says she's 'always experienced some level of sexism in this industry', even though 46 per cent of Australia's gamers are women.

Research shows female gamers are often has been booted out of multi-player games, not spoken to and are told to 'get back into the kitchen' by strangers.

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Amber Wadham, from Adelaide, (pictured) who goes by the gaming username 'PaladinAmber', has been gaming since her teenage years and is now a full-time Twitch streamer

The 27-year-old says she's 'always experienced some level of sexism in this industry', even though 46 per cent of Australia's gamers are women

When asked about the abuse she's experienced while steaming, Amber said 'there's too many to list'.

'When I first started playing as a teenager, we'd often play in teams of three or four and it was unheard of for one of those players to be female. I used to wonder why, until I would see female-identifying players booted from group games with abuse rallied at them from the other players,' she said.

'Since witnessing this, I just got into the habit of playing under aliases [a fake name] so people couldn't see my gender.'

On one occasion the female group were 'berated' by men and boys who told them to 'get the f*** off' because gaming was a 'boys thing'.

'It's really heartbreaking to see a space that I just love playing in and brings me so much joy, also be able to bring me so much resentment and sadness,' Amber said, adding how the harsh words are also thrown at those who are non-binary or part of the LGBTQIA+ community.

Amber has been able to rise above the vile behaviour and has amassed a combined following of more than 214,000 followers across Twitch, Instagram and TikTok.

'I just remind myself that it's not just me, and it happens in every industry. I think a lot of people who would agree with me when I say it's not unique to any industry,' she said.

'You have to really be in your own corner and tell yourself not to let it live rent free in your head and to keep pushing on.'

'It's really heartbreaking to see a space that I just love playing in and brings me so much joy, also be able to bring me so much resentment and sadness,' Amber said.

An experiment by Maybelline New York named 'Through Their Eyes' exposed some of the nasty comments women often receive in the gaming world.

Aussie gamers Joel Bergs and Andrew Warne each played a multiplayer game using a microphone that made them both sound like women, while Amber and Luminum watched in anticipation.

'How long do you think it's gonna take before he gets told to get back into the kitchen?' Amber jokingly said.

At first there was silence as other male players thought they were battling girls, then they left.

Then barely five seconds into the next round, a male voice can be heard saying: 'B****, shut your mouth'.

Others then jump in and say 'Is that a female? Get back to your sink!', 'shut the f*** up' and 'I'll f***ing talk however I want to talk to you'.

Results from the 2023 Bastion Insights National Gamer Survey revealed 83 per cent of female identifying gamers have directly experienced and/or observed offensive behaviour or language while online gaming

Results from the 2023 Bastion Insights National Gamer Survey revealed 83 per cent of female identifying gamers have directly experienced and/or observed offensive behaviour or language while online gaming.

Of those surveyed 73 per cent would consider the harassment they receive online as severe, and 76 per cent of female identifying gamers feel harassment and discrimination in online gaming is unsafe.

Maybelline Marketing Director, Alexandra Shadbolt said the discrimination facing women, non-binary people and other LGBTQIA+ communities in Australian gaming is alarming.

'Data from Digital Australia's 2022 Report showed us that women over the age of 18 make up 46 per cent of Australia's gamers, so we know female identifying make up a significant amount of Australia's gaming space,' Ms Shadbolt explained.
Majority of the crowd were sitting down at one point

A young expat has been slammed by thousands after claiming Australians are 'boring' at concerts.

Mila Panchev, 20, attended the Ed Sheeran concert in Brisbane on February 19 and was surprised at the number of people sitting down during the show.

'Why is the Aussie crowd so dead? You'll never see a person sitting at a concert in Europe. Like it's THE Ed Sheeran singing,' Mila wrote in a video.

The crowd of mixed ages can be seen enjoying themselves with some jumping up and down as the mega superstar performs on stage in the centre of the stadium.

However, others appear to be seated in chairs on both the ground floor and surrounding levels.

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Mila Panchev, 20, (pictured) attended the Ed Sheeran concert in Brisbane on February 19 and was surprised at the number of people sitting down during the show

'Why is the Aussie crowd so dead? You'll never see a person sitting at a concert in Europe. Like it's THE Ed Sheeran singing,' Mila wrote in a video. Some people among the crowd of mixed ages appear to be jumping up and down while others were seated (pictured: the crowd)

Poll Are Aussie crowds dead? No way Yes Depends on the show Are Aussie crowds dead? No way 79 votes

Yes 55 votes

Depends on the show 100 votes Now share your opinion





The short video, which has now been viewed more than 1.1million times, attracted hundreds of comments mocking Mila's statement.

'Ed Sheeran's good. But he doesn't have those real hype songs like AC/DC,' one person wrote.

Another agreed and claimed the crowd isn't 'dead', they were just 'attending an Ed Sheeran concert'.

A third added added: 'The one I went to the other night everyone on the floor was standing up.'

Some added how the crowd is mostly filled with 'Gen X' people, who would want to sit down to enjoy the live show.

But some agreed with Mila and one woman wrote: 'Omg I thought the same thing, I was one of the only people up and dancing in my section.'

'Respect. Not everyone can stand. As someone who takes people in wheelchairs who can't, I appreciate everyone who stays seated!' another wrote.

Others suggested there would be a stark contrast at the Harry Styles 'Love on Tour' concert, also taking place in late February.

And fans were right as Harry hasn't disappointed during the Aussie leg of his tour.

So far he's rocked an iconic Bunnings Warehouse straw hat at Melbourne's Marvel Stadium on Friday night and sung a rendition of his famous song The Horses on Saturday night.

Videos surfaced on TikTok of fans going wild during both remarkable moments.
Korea's Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Jung Sang-hwa, right, speaks to his Australian counterpart, Robert Chipman, left, during the opening event of the Australian International Airshow, also called the Avalon Airshow, at Avalon Airport, near Geelong, Australia, Tuesday. Courtesy of Air Force



Air Force chiefs vow to bolster relations at event that excluded China and Russia



By Jung Min-ho



GEELONG, Australia  Korea's Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Jung Sang-hwa was standing right next to his Australian counterpart, Robert Chipman, when the Black Eagles, the aerobatic flight team of Korea, roared through the skies here Tuesday (local time) to open the Avalon Airshow.



Throughout their 20-minute performance, the two had a conversation about the meaning of the team's first participation in the biennial event, which was introduced in 1988, and what their countries can and should do for "peace and freedom" in the Indo-Pacific region.



Speaking to The Korea Times, Jung acknowledged Australia's support during the 1950-53 Korean War and said he was moved by the T-50B aircraft  Korea's first domestically-developed supersonic jet that was chosen as the official plane of the aerobatic flight team  flying high over the Australian skies seven decades after the war.



"Chipman deeply appreciated the Black Eagles' performance during the opening ceremony and spoke highly of the aircraft and their pilots," Jung said. "It's our time to support the country in the areas we can."





The Black Eagles perform during the opening event of the Australian International Airshow, also called the Avalon Airshow, at Avalon Airport, near Geelong, Australia, Tuesday. Courtesy of Air Force
Could the Duke of Sussex's bombshell memoir 'Spare' be behind an explosion in beard transplants?

One hair clinic in Turkey certainly thinks so after seeing demand for the procedure double in recent weeks.

Dubbed the 'Prince Harry' effect by EsteNove in Istanbul, it has been inundated with beardless men willing to pay 2,500 to get the royal's iconic 'rugged and masculine' facial fuzz.

And the clinic claimed the cover of 'Spare', which was heavily featured on TV and in book stores across the globe last month, is being brought in by patients wanting the exact look.

EsteNove co-founder Batuhan Kizilcan told MailOnline: 'Interest in beard transplants has been growing steadily over the last few years as more people become aware of the procedure.

This is the look dozens of men are paying 2,500 for according to a hair transplant clinic in Turkey. The clinics founders said beard transplants are up 100 per cent since Prince Harry launched his bombshell memoir. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, pictured in 2020

'But in recent weeks, this has exploded.'

'The number of transplants we are carrying out has increased by 100 per cent, and we have christened it the "Prince Harry effect".'

He said while there was nothing unusual about a patient wanting to 'emulate' the hair or bread of a celebrity, one name had now risen to prominence.

'At the moment, the name on everyone's lips is Prince Harry,' he said.

'People are specifically citing the picture on the front of his new book.

EsteNove's founder patients are mentioning the cover of Harry's memoir Spareas the result they would like the clinic to give them

Read more: The controversial 'trauma expert' interviewing Prince Harry: Gabor Mate was warned by the Canadian government over his work with illegal 'spiritual' drug and called Gaza the 'world's largest outdoor prison' Trauma expert Gabor Mate with his wife, Rae, who he married in 1969 Advertisement

'Our clients think his beard makes him look rugged and masculine and they want to achieve similar results.'

Mr Kizilcan said while not as famous as baldness, problems growing facial hair preyed on many men's minds.

'It is very common for people to have to display or develop gaps in their facial hair which makes it look patchy or straggly,' he said.

'Sometimes, beard hair grows at a very slow or inconsistent pace.

'More often than not, this has a genetic background. The face can look very empty, with patches of hair here and there.'

He said beard transplants provided a way for people to address this problem and get the facial hair of their dreams, which at the moment, was Harry's famous ginger fuzz and sideburns.

'Recent developments in technology have brought a high-quality and long-lasting solution for men who desire a beard but are unable to grow it naturally themselves,' he said.

'You get to decide the beard cut, the shape, the density of the beard, and the style  and the style people currently want is Prince Harry's.'

Beard transplants normally only account for 5 per cent of the some 250 procedures EsteNove carries out per month on average.

But the clinic said this has now doubled to 10 per cent.

Of the 3,000 patients EsteNove sees per year, about 50 per cent are among Brits.

The clinic charges about 2,500 for a full beard transplant, a fraction of what a similar procedure costs in the UK.

Beard transplant surgery first involves microscopically examining hair follicles from the donor site, usually the back of the head, to find the strongest contenders for success.

These are then extracted under anaesthesia before being transplanted to the man's face.

This process tends to take three to five hours.

Within a few weeks the transplanted hair will then fall out before it begins to regrow, with a full beard said to be possible within 10 months.

EsteNove co-founder Batuhan Kizilcan told MailOnline that patients though Harry's beard made him look 'rugged and masculine. and they wanted similar results

Beard transplants are not available on the NHS as it is considered a cosmetic surgery.

Harry's bombshell biography 'Spare' sprung to global attention last month with shocking details of his life.

These included how he lost his virginity to an 'older woman', suffered 'frostnip' of the penis during a trip to the Artic, and took psychedelics to help him cope with the tragic death of his mother, Princess Diana.

Harry and his wife Meghan were recently mocked by South Park which took aim at the couple through a spoof depicting the Prince and Princess of Canada - a young royal couple who loudly beg for privacy while drawing attention to themselves.

The episode sees the red-headed prince and his wife promote the prince's book 'Waaagh'.
Britain should be stockpiling more antivirals and PPE for bird flu, according to an expert who helped guide the Government through Covid.

Professor Peter Openshaw, who sat on two influential SAGE committees during the pandemic, said it was essential to start preparing for the worst-case scenario.

His comments come as fears of an avian influenza crisis in humans have drastically escalated over the past fortnight.

The unprecedented outbreak, which began sweeping the world 18 months ago, has jumped from birds to mammals.

Leading virologists are now concerned that the H5N1 pathogen is one step closer to being able to spread successfully in humans  a hurdle which has prevented it from triggering a pandemic so far.

Professor Peter Openshaw (pictured), an immunologist who sat on two SAGE committees that advised the Government on its Covid pandemic response, has said ministers should be shoring up supplies of virus-fighting drugs and PPE in case of an outbreak

In the last three months of 2022 alone, more than 100 Britons who were in contact with a probable or confirmed H5N1 case were prescribed 75mg Tamiflu tablets, which are taken once a day for 10 days

An outbreak of the H5N1 avian influenza strain has killed around 100million birds worldwide and sparked concern last week after the virus was detected among people in Cambodia

Health chiefs are modelling how many Britons could die in the event of an outbreak, in scenes reminiscent of the early days of the Covid pandemic.

Professor Openshaw, an immunologist at Imperial College London, told MailOnline: 'Stockpiling antivirals would be an essential part of preparations for a flu pandemic.

'They have a vital place in the range of measures.'

Patients infected with regular flu can get antivirals, such as oseltamivir, branded as Tamiflu and made by Swiss pharmaceutical giant Roche, or zanamivir, branded as Relenza and manufactured by UK-based GSK.

These medicines reduce the severity of the illness, prevent complications and boost the chance of survival, according to the NHS.

Both are expected to be dished out in the event of a bird flu outbreak.

Antivirals are also given to those who have been in close contact with an infected bird or person.

Bird flu does NOT appear to be spreading between humans, officials say after fears killer virus was behind cluster of cases in Cambodia 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 Advertisement

Under old contingency plans, the Government secured 33million doses of Tamiflu  considered enough to treat those predicted to fall ill during a pandemic.

However, it did not tell MailOnline exactly how many doses it has.

There has been localised shortages across the US, which has seen officials release stockpiled supplies to cope with a surge in demand over recent months.

The World Health Organization told MailOnline that it has 'some' courses of Tamiflu for immediate use.

But it is in talks with Roche, which makes the drug, 'to establish a small stockpile of the antiviral with the possibility to scale up production if the need arises'.

In the last three months of 2022, more than 100 Britons who were in contact with a probable or confirmed H5N1 case were prescribed 75mg Tamiflu tablets, which are taken once a day for 10 days.

It works by attacking the virus, stopping it from multiplying in the body and reducing the symptoms of bird flu, which, just like regular flu, can include a fever, aching muscles, headache, a cough and shortness of breath.

Although both viruses can appear similar, H5N1 has a mortality rate of up to 50 per cent.

Professor Openshaw noted, however, that the antivirals 'may not be as useful as one might hope'.

There is some evidence that the drugs do not work well against some bird flu strains, including H5N1, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Experts warn this may limit the treatment options available if there is an outbreak among people.

However, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control said antivirals are 'considered effective'.

Professor Openshaw also called for the stockpiling of PPE, such as 'highly effective air filtration masks' rather than 'poorly-fitting paper ones', as this has 'wide benefits and is cost-effective'.

He added: 'Prevention is much better than treatment. While antivirals may be used in prevention by treating contacts, this is not ideal.'

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

Officials are monitoring bird flu globally and reviewing readiness plans as new evidence emerges.

However, Professor Jonathan Ball, a virologist from the University of Nottingham, told MailOnline that while there is evidence that the virus mutates in some of the mammals it infects, there is no evidence of significant onward transmission.

'To suddenly stockpile antivirals on the off-chance that there might be more human infections and subsequent onward infection would probably not be money well-spent  these drugs have a relatively short shelf-life,' he said.

Professor Ball added: 'We should ensure that we have good surveillance for wildlife, domestic birds and humans.

'And if there are any worrying developments, like evidence of onward transmission, then start to think about an increased response.'

It comes after the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) last week confirmed that it is making contingency plans in case of a bird flu outbreak.

It is modelling scenarios of how an outbreak among humans could take off in the UK.

Under a 'mild scenario', the scientists estimate one in 400 people who catch bird flu would die due to the virus.

'Professor Lockdown' Neil Ferguson once warned 200MILLION people globally could die during bird flu crisis 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 Advertisement

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 Organization said just over half of the 868 human H5N1 cases reported to it over the last two decades have been fatal.

The Avian Influenza Technical Group, which is producing the modelling, 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'.

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.

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 crisis, 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'.

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

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

However, 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.

Meanwhile, health chiefs in Cambodia yesterday said it is unlikely that bird flu is spreading among people  though it cannot yet be definitively ruled out.

The comments were in response to a cluster of cases in the south-east Asian nation, which saw an 11-year-old girl die from the virus and her father infected.

Cambodia's Health Secretary Or Vandine urged people to 'wait' for the conclusion of experts probing how the unidentified father was struck down.

It is possible that the 49-year-old and his daughter, from the Prey Veng eastern province, were both infected by birds, rather than human to human transmission.

The man  who never displayed any symptoms but was tested as part of precautionary measures  is now negative.

And none of the 29 others who were also swabbed for the highly pathogenic virus were infected, results showed.

Local health chiefs said tests identified the viruses as H5 clade 2.3.2.1c  an older strain of the virus which has sporadically caused infections in people.

Before the cases in Cambodia, H5N1 had 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.

Only eight human cases have been spotted across the world among people so far this outbreak, all of which were traced back to close contact with infected birds.

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.

Dr Sylvie Briand, the WHO's director of epidemic and pandemic preparedness and prevention, last week revealed the agency was reviewing its global risk assessment in light of the Cambodian cases.

She described the situation as 'worrying'.

Dr Briand added: 'WHO takes the risk from this virus seriously and urges heightened vigilance from all countries.'
Socks normally worn to prevent blood clots during long-haul flights may also banish snoring.

A clinical trial involving 24 heavy snorers is under way in France to see if wearing the knee-length socks during the day and taking them off at bedtime reduces the number of night-time disturbances from sleep apnoea  the snoring-related condition thought to affect almost four million people in the UK.

It occurs when the muscles in the airway relax during sleep.

For most people this does not pose a problem, but in sleep apnoea it leads to a complete collapse which can temporarily shut off breathing. The snoring sound occurs as air vibrates against the soft tissue as it's forced past.

Once the brain realises breathing has stopped, it sends out a signal for the airway muscles to contract again.

A clinical trial involving 24 heavy snorers is under way in France to see if wearing the knee-length socks during the day and taking them off at bedtime reduces the number of night-time disturbances from sleep apnoea (stock image)

The socks, which cost around 14 a pair, could help by reducing the amount of fluid that builds up in the lower legs during the day (stock image)

This opens the airway, often causing the sufferer to wake with a jolt. In mild sleep apnoea, this can happen about once every ten minutes. If it's severe, it means sleep can be disturbed every couple of minutes.

The cumulative effect is that the sufferer feels exhausted the next day, lacks concentration and this raises their risk of accidents.

The standard treatment involves wearing a mask over the nose and mouth during sleep, which pumps air into the body.

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Called continuous positive airway pressure, this increases the air pressure in the airway and keeps it open. But some people find the mask cumbersome, and research suggests nearly a third of patients never use the device, or abandon it within 12 to 15 months.

The socks, which cost around 14 a pair, could help by reducing the amount of fluid that builds up in the lower legs during the day.

Some small studies have found that, due to gravity, some of this fluid 'shifts' up to the neck area when someone is lying down in bed at night and that this can lead to sleep apnoea.

This accumulation of fluid around the neck (known as 'rostral shift') raises the risk of sleep apnoea because the muscles around the windpipe struggle to support the extra weight.

The socks compress the lower leg to stop the build-up of fluid in the first place.

A 2015 study in Canada found that when men with severe sleep apnoea wore compression socks every day for two weeks, their night-time awakenings were halved. The fluid build-up around their necks was also significantly reduced.

Now a year-long trial, which began last September and is taking place at Pitie-Salpetriere University Hospital in Paris, is testing the use of flight socks in 24 men with severe sleep apnoea  they will wear them daily for a month, followed by a month without them. The researchers say they hope to repeat the earlier Canadian findings.

Dr Neil Stanley, an independent sleep expert, said although the flight sock therapy looks promising, the evidence so far suggests it only reduces the severity of sleep apnoea, rather than getting rid of it altogether.

'This still means the patient suffers daytime sleepiness  treatment should be about reducing it to as close to zero as possible,' he said.

Wearing an eye mask during sleep could boost your memory and alertness next day, according to a study by Cardiff University. More than 100 people underwent learning and memory tests after a week of sleeping with a mask on, followed by a week without one. The results, published in December in the journal Sleep, showed that the participants scored better after wearing the mask. Scientists think blocking out light at night improves sleep quality (by reducing disturbance from light), which in turn helps brain function during waking hours.

New device may correct glue ear

Scientists have developed a hand-held device that treats glue ear without the need for surgery and a general anaesthetic. The condition affects one in five children and occurs when sticky fluid builds up in the middle ear, often after an infection. This can reduce hearing and affect development.

The condition affects one in five children and occurs when sticky fluid builds up in the middle ear, often after an infection (stock image)

Some cases require surgery under general anaesthetic to insert a tube  a grommet  into the ear drum to release the build-up of fluid and ventilate the ear (the grommet falls out months later).

Using a local anaesthetic, the Hummingbird Tympanostomy Tube System makes an incision into the eardrum and inserts the grommet with a single pull on a lever. It's being trialled in the U.S.

Stem cells ease creaking knees

An injection of stem cells into the knee cuts pain and improves movement in patients with osteoarthritis, according to a new study published in Stem Cells International.

Overall symptoms improved by more than a third, and pain levels went down by nearly 50 per cent over six weeks (stock image)

Doctors injected 262 knees with stem cells taken from patients' own bone marrow.

Their knee function almost doubled after treatment.

Overall symptoms improved by more than a third, and pain levels went down by nearly 50 per cent over six weeks.

'Patients showed significant reductions in pain scores,' said doctors at Franciscan University of Steubenville in Ohio, U.S..

Beetroot to tackle long Covid

Twenty people with long Covid will have a daily glass of beetroot juice for a fortnight to see if it improves their muscle strength and fatigue.

The juice is high in nitrates, compounds that break down into nitric oxide in the body, helping relax the blood vessels and improve blood flow  in turn, improving oxygen supply to the muscles. This may help combat fatigue, one of the main symptoms of long Covid. A control group will have a daily drink of the same volume (210ml), but which doesn't contain nitrates.

During the trial, at the University of Pittsburgh, the participants will also undergo physical therapy three times a week to monitor any change in their symptoms.
For many menopausal women, hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is key to being able to function day-to-day.

Around eight in ten women experience symptoms such as hot flushes, sleep difficulty, fatigue, bone pain and heightened anxiety or depression, with around a third living with severe symptoms that last for months or longer.

HRT helps address those symptoms, and around 15 per cent of women aged 45 to 64 in England are currently prescribed it.

But HRT comes at a price, with some women paying 18.70 every month  224 a year  if they need two types of hormones. (In Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland all prescriptions, including HRT, are free.)

This cost can be prohibitive, and last week the Department of Health and Social Care announced the introduction of an HRT prescription prepayment certificate (or HRT PPC) which will give women a sizeable discount on their annual HRT costs.

HRT helps address those symptoms, and around 15 per cent of women aged 45 to 64 in England are currently prescribed it

Around eight in ten women experience symptoms such as hot flushes, sleep difficulty, fatigue, bone pain and heightened anxiety or depression, with around a third living with severe symptoms that last for months or longer

The HRT PPC scheme is expected to help around 400,000 women, reducing their costs to less than 20 a year.

The certificate will be 'much fairer for women who need HRT', says Kathy Abernethy, a menopause specialist nurse and former chair of the British Menopause Society. We spoke to the experts to find out how this scheme might help you.

What is a hormone replacement therapy prescription prepayment certificate (HRT PPC)?

From April 1, women who usually pay for their HRT prescriptions will be able to purchase an annual HRT PPC for just 18.70 (the cost of two prescriptions).

This will cover all their HRT needs over the course of a year, no matter how many prescriptions they need.

This HRT discount is a tailored version of the standard prepayment certificate (PPC) which is already available for all medicines on prescription in England.

The standard PPC allows patients to get as many NHS prescriptions as they need for a set price: for three months it costs 30.25; for 12 months it's 108.10.

This HRT discount is a tailored version of the standard prepayment certificate (PPC) which is already available for all medicines on prescription in England

Purchasing a standard PPC will save you money if you need more than three items in three months, or 11 items in 12 months.

The difference is that the HRT version is the first PPC for a specific therapy  and costs just 18.70 for the whole year. Patients with an HRT PPC still have to pay for their other medicines, though.

Will I actually save money?

Most women should be better off with an HRT prescription prepayment certificate.

'In the past, women were expected to pay for their HRT medication every time they needed a new prescription, which could occur monthly or every three months,' says Sultan Dajani, a pharmacist in Hampshire.

Most women should be better off with an HRT prescription prepayment certificate

'Many HRT preparations are actually two prescriptions,' he explains. 'For example, Evorel Conti [a popular form of HRT] is made up of two different types of tablets  estradiol, a form of oestrogen; and norethisterone, a form of progesterone.

'So women getting prescriptions for that treatment were paying 18.70 every month. With a yearly HRT PPC, they could save 205 a year.'

Some women may not be better off, however. 'Depending on the number of other medicines [for health problems other than menopause] that a patient receives in a year, they may be better off with a standard PPC, so users should be careful before signing up,' a spokesman for the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee (PSNC) told Good Health.

How do I get this discount?

Once you have a prescription for HRT from your doctor, you can either apply for a HRT PPC from your local pharmacy in person, or go online (via the NHS Business Services Authority website, nhsbsa.nhs.uk).

Only pharmacies that sell standard PPCs will be able to sell HRT PPCs  around 1,000 pharmacies in England. 'Once purchased, the HRT PPC will be sent to the patient digitally, by email or to their phone, similar to the NHS Covid pass,' explains the PSNC spokesman.

You then present the certificate to the pharmacist and complete the exemption declaration on the prescription form when collecting your HRT.

What does the HRT PPC cover?

It covers more than 40 different types of HRT  from tablets to pessaries, coils, creams and patches  that are licensed by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). This includes the Mirena coil, which delivers progesterone directly to the uterus.

The HRT PPC scheme also covers non-hormonal medication, including Tibolone (Livial), derived from the Mexican yam, which mimics oestrogen.

What doesn't the new HRT PPC scheme cover?

It cannot be used for prescriptions of medicines designed for other purposes but which may also tackle individual menopause symptoms  for example, the blood pressure medication clonidine, which 'affects the dilation of blood vessels and may help alleviate hot flushes and night sweats', says Mr Dajani.

Antidepressants such as fluoxetine will not be covered

Similarly, antidepressants such as fluoxetine  sometimes prescribed at low doses for menopausal hot flushes  will not be covered, either.

What about bio-identical HRT and natural remedies?

Women who are using compounded bio-identical HRT, prescribed by private clinics, will still have to pay for it.

'These are essentially bespoke combinations of different plant-derived hormones that are given based on blood test or saliva test results,' explains Dr Vikram Talaulikar, an associate specialist in the reproductive medicine unit at University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. 'These are not regulated by the MHRA.'

The same applies for herbal remedies.

Will I still need to get a prescription for HRT?

Yes  an HRT PPC is a payment method, not a prescription.

'Women will still need to get a prescription after a diagnosis from a GP,' explains Dr Karen Morton, a consultant gynaecologist at the Royal Surrey County NHS Trust in Guildford, who runs a specialist menopause clinic.

'Once women have a diagnosis, they usually need to go back to see their doctor, or request a repeat prescription every month or every three months, depending on the individual case.'

Dr Morton and other experts argue there should be longer intervals between prescriptions  up to six months.

'It would be much more pragmatic,' she says. 'Shorter prescription times are all to do with penny pinching, but it's a false economy because it generates work and costs time.'

Are there any downsides to the new scheme?

Mr Dajani, who runs a busy community pharmacy, says there are concerns that some pharmacies may not be able to cope.

The PSNC told Good Health: 'The implementation of this new type of PPC will introduce additional workload and financial risks for community pharmacy teams. It may also cause difficulties for patients unless the HRT prescription item is written on a separate prescription to other paid prescription items.

'We wrote to ministers highlighting our concerns about this back in November 2022, and made repeated representations directly to the Minister for Women and the Department of Health and Social Care to make all HRT medicines free-of-charge items, as this would make it easier to implement and more cost-effective.'

Will this new scheme ease HRT shortages?

The short answer is, no. A combination of increased demand and supply issues continues to affect the provision of HRT.

Evorel and Estradot (two popular oestrogen-based HRT patches) are both currently out of stock and might not be available in many UK pharmacies until July at least, says Mr Dajani.

In the meantime, pharmacists can prescribe alternatives from an approved list outlined in the Serious Shortage Protocol so that patients don't have to return to their GP to request a change of medication

Utrogestan (a type of progesterone tablet formulated so it's more easily absorbed by the body), Femoston-Conti (oestrogen combined with progestogen in a tablet) and FemSeven Conti (a patch containing oestrogen and progesterone) 'are also in very short supply', he says.

Dr Talaulikar adds: 'Unfortunately, there are continuing national shortages of a number of HRT preparations  notably oestrogen patches, progesterone capsules and testosterone gels. The situation needs intense efforts from the main stakeholders to make sure that production and distribution of HRT products is matching the demand and the needs of HRT users.'

In the meantime, pharmacists can prescribe alternatives from an approved list outlined in the Serious Shortage Protocol so that patients don't have to return to their GP to request a change of medication.

This list is updated and does change according to current supplies.

Will the new PPC make it easier to get HRT?

Many GPs are still reluctant to offer hormone replacement therapy, according to Dr Talaulikar  and the new HRT PPC won't change that.

'While there are ongoing efforts to train healthcare professionals in menopausal healthcare,' he says, 'there is a long way to go to make sure there is universal, easy access to menopause clinics, alongside quick referral to specialist advice where necessary.'

Ms Abernethy adds that while things are improving, there is still a postcode lottery when it comes to getting a prescription for HRT.
China has been 'open and transparent' during investigations into Covid's origins, Beijing officials insisted today.

The Chinese government has shared more data on tracing the virus than any other country, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning claimed.

It comes after a bombshell report by the US Department of Energy concluded that Covid most likely swept the world following a lab leak.

Fuelling already high tensions between the two nations, Ms Mao stated 'politicising' the origins of the pandemic 'will not smear China' but instead 'damage the US's own credibility'.

Her comments came amid continuing questions about how the virus that has killed more than 6.8million people worldwide first emerged.

Some say it's possible the coronavirus leaked from the Wuhan Institute of Virology (pictured), where researchers were conducting controversial research on the world's most dangerous pathogens

Studies point to Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market in Wuhan (pictured) as being the epicentre of the outbreak. Many of the earliest cases in December 2019 and January 2020 had visited the site, where live animals were sold

China has shared more data on tracing the virus than any other country, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning (pictured) told reporters today

The US Department of Energy (DoE), which oversees a network of labs in the US, concluded that the pandemic began with a lab leak.

However, its judgment was made with 'low confidence' in a classified intelligence report provided to the White House and key members of Congress, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing people who had read the document.

The findings were based on new intelligence, according to the newspaper.

However, Ms Mao said China has 'shared the most data and research results on virus tracing and made important contributions to global virus tracing research.

'Politicising the issue of virus tracing will not smear China but will only damage the US's own credibility.'

The conclusion of the DoE report matches that of the FBI, which also believes that the pandemic was borne out of a lab accident. Chinese officials have accused the US of a 'smear' campaign.

As US experts reveal a Wuhan lab leak probably caused the Covid pandemic, MATT RIDLEY asks - why are British scientists still refusing to confront it? When it comes to the origin of the Covid pandemic, it now says the most likely scenario is that it began in a Chinese laboratory  and not in a wet market in the city of Wuhan Advertisement

But the report contradicts claims made by four other US agencies, which believe with 'low confidence' that the virus emerged naturally.

'There is just not an intelligence community consensus,' said John Kirby, the spokesman for the National Security Council.

White House officials yesterday declined to confirm press reports about the assessment.

But Nicholas Burns, the US ambassador to China, has called for more pressure to be placed on Beijing to be honest about the origin of the pandemic.

He said: '[Of] course, be more honest about what happened three years ago in Wuhan with the origin of the Covid crisis.'

The former leader of the UK's Joint Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Regiment  part of the armed forces which detects, identifies and monitors nuclear, biological and chemical weapons  issued a similar call.

Colonel Hamish de Bretton-Gordon said: 'Many in Government and industry do not want to criticise the Chinese government for political and commercial reasons. I expect we do not want to give them any excuse to arm the Russians.'

Referring to the millions of Covid deaths globally and the two and a half years in which the world was 'brought to its knees', he asked: 'Should we turn a blind eye?

'The UK, the US, Nato and France must stand up. We need much better policing of laboratories around the world.'

Dr Anthony Fauci, former Chief Medical Advisor to the President, has urged the public to keep an 'open mind to all the possibilities' about the origins  but admitted 'we may never know'.

He told the Boston Globe: 'I don't see any data for a lab leak. That doesn't mean it couldn't have happened.

'But evolutionary virologists published a study in the peer-reviewed journal Science with data that rather strongly suggests it was a natural occurrence  a virus that leaped from animals to humans.'

Ms Mao accused unnamed entities of trying to smear or vilify China.

'Certain parties should stop rehashing the "lab leak" narrative, stop smearing China and stop politicising origins-tracing,' she said during a press briefing today.

'The origin of the novel coronavirus is a scientific issue and should not be politicised.'

She talked up Chinese cooperation with investigating agencies, although in 2021 China rejected a World Health Organization effort to hold a second phase of its investigation.

The UN health agency has denied abandoning its inquiry amid China's obstacles.

Scientists say it is vital to understand how the Covid pandemic began to prevent future outbreaks.

Nicholas Burns, America's ambassador to China, asked for the US to put more pressure on China in the hunt for Covid's origin.

The question of whether the global outbreak began with a spillover from wildlife sold at the market or leaked out of the Wuhan lab just eight miles across the Yangtze River has given rise to fierce debate about how to prevent the next pandemic. New studies point to a natural spillover at the Huanan wildlife market. Positive swab samples of floors, cages and counters also track the virus back to stalls in the southwestern corner of the market (bottom left), where animals with the potential to harbour Covid were sold for meat or fur at the time (bottom right)

While China has insisted the virus originated elsewhere, academics, politicians and the media have contemplated the possibility it leaked from a high-level biochemical lab in Wuhan - raising suspicions that Chinese officials simply hid evidence of the early spread

The Energy Department has reversed its position and concluded based on new intelligence that the Covid-19 virus most likely leaked from a Chinese research lab. Pictured is the Wuhan Institute of Virology in February 2021

Virologist Shi Zheng-li - nicknamed the 'Bat Lady' - is pictured in the lab. She hunted down dozens of deadly Covid-like viruses in bat caves and studied them at the WIV

Top virologists backing the natural origins theory believe the virus originated in bats and infected an intermediary species  possibly a pangolin  before then infecting humans.

Studies point to Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market in Wuhan as being the epicentre of the outbreak. Many of the earliest cases in December 2019 and January 2020 had visited the site, where live animals were sold.

However, others believe the virus was leaked  accidentally or on purpose  from the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV), which was conducting experiments on live bats.

The research facility is less than 10 miles from the market, where the first human case series was clustered.

Some experts also claim that Covid's unique spike protein, which it uses to infect people, shows hallmarks of human engineering.

Conclusive evidence for a natural or man-made origin has yet to emerge, but the lack of proof has allowed the fierce debate to proliferate.

A WHO investigation, which saw 17 international and 17 Chinese experts spend four weeks in and around Wuhan, concluded in March 2021 that the natural origins theory was the most likely.

But Peter Ben Embarek, a program manager at the WHO who led the probe, said Chinese officials only agreed to discuss the lab leak in the report on the condition that it did not call for any specific studies into the theory.

The UN agency proposed a second phase of studies into Covid's origins, including audits of labs and markets in Wuhan and called for China to be more transparent.

But Dr Maria Van Kerkhove, an infectious disease epidemiologist based at the WHO's headquarters in Geneva, said plans for a further investigation in China have been abandoned.

'The politics across the world of this really hampered progress on understanding the origins,' she said.

However, the WHO denied that it had 'quietly shelved' the plans. It said it has 'always and consistently' called for more studies into the origins of the virus and access and data from China.
A disgraced scientist at the center of Covid lab leak cover-up claims has promoted the idea the virus may have jumped to humans from hedgehogs.

Dr Peter Daszak's ties to the Wuhan Institute of Virology were thrust into the spotlight again this week after a new US Energy Department report concluded the lab as the most likely source of the pandemic.

In an apparent attempt to deflect criticism, Dr Daszak tweeted a study by Russian scientists which warns bat coronaviruses can infect hedgehogs and create entirely new strains.

The research does not explicitly say Covid resulted from one of these 'recombinant' events, but it is implied.

Dr Daszak funded bat coronavirus research at the Wuhan laboratory using US Government grants years before the pandemic and was then accused of bullying colleagues into directing blame away from the facility when Covid started to spread.

Dr Peter Daszak (pictured left alongside Dr Anthony Fauci) tweeted out a study pointing to hedgehogs as a potential vector between bats and humans in the spread of coronaviruses

Dr Peter Daszak (left) has been accused of bullying other scientists into writing off the lab leak theory despite emerging evidence. Pictured: Dr Daszak speaks to police when approached by a DailyMail,com reporter at his home in Suffern, New York

It comes as an apparent attempt to deflect criticism. Dr Daszak funded bat coronavirus research at the Wuhan laboratory using US Government grants years before the pandemic and then bullied colleagues into directing blame away from the facility when Covid started to spread

The grants were funneled to the Chinese lab through the EcoHealth Alliance, a New York City-based group that funds global research into viruses. Dr Daszak is president of the non-profit.

The latest hedgehog study was a collaboration between Ecohealth and a team of Russian researchers - and Dr Daszak is a co-author of the paper.

It showed for the first time that a common bat species in Europe are natural reservoirs for a strain related to Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), which was first detected in Saudi Arabia in 2012

The researchers named the strain MOW-BatCoV/15-22.

When researching the virus's spike protein, the team found signs that the virus has previously infected hedgehogs.

This suggests that the spiky mammals could serve as an intermediate virus host for coronaviruses like MERS - which infected people through camels as an intermediate.

But there are several apparent attempts by researchers to link the findings to Covid.

'The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic... is caused by the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, which is most likely zoonotic,' the paper reads.

'Which animal was the source of SARS-CoV-2 is not known... the intermediate hosts for SARS-CoV-2 are not precisely understood yet.'

Later the researchers write: 'Hedgehogs are widely kept as pets and are commonly found in areas of human habitation.

'...we suggest hedgehogs can act as intermediate hosts between bats and humans for other bat-CoVs.'

Dr Daszak, from Manchester, England, said the paper shows the animals that 'live close to people and now widely kept as pets' could be responsible for zoonotic virus transmission.

In an accompanying tweet, Dr Daszack, who has been criticized in the past for cozying up to China, also alluded to the Ukraine war.

He said: 'I also want to send warm greetings to scientist colleagues in Russia on this paper & beyond.

'It's another reminder that we shouldn't let geopolitical issues get in the way of scientific collaboration that is for the common good.'

Dr Daszak - who claims he is 'British, American and Ukrainian' in his Twitter biography - often shares studies and stories to social media promoting the natural spillover theory.

Hedgehogs often interact with humans, as they are kept as pets and live in wild areas humans are encroaching into. A Russian study found the spiky creatures could serve as vectors for MERS, which struck in the Middle East just over a decade ago (file photo)

Pictured: The Wuhan Institute of Virology, where crucial data was wiped by Chinese scientists

On Tuesday morning, he shared tweets critical of the media for covering the US Department of Energy report.

'Normally that would not be headline news!' he wrote.

Dr Steven Salzberg, a leading expert in the hunt for the pandemic's origin and biomedical expert at Johns Hopkins University, said the hedgehog study was an unsurprising scientific result published in an 'obscure' journal.

He told DailyMail.com: 'I don't know what Daszak is claiming, but he's built his whole enterprise based on doing [gain-of-function] work in viruses and getting US gov't funding to support it.

Dr Daszak, and the non-profit he overseas, have been at the center of the Covid lab leak theory.

The zoologist was among 27 scientists that signed a letter published in The Lancet in March, decrying discussion about the pandemic's origin.

'We stand together to strongly condemn conspiracy theories suggesting that COVID-19 does not have a natural origin,' they wrote.

The infamous letter wrote off lab leak theories as a 'conspiracy theory', and is believed to have spurred many other experts away from believing the theory.

Jamie Metzl, who sits on the World Health Organization's advisory committee on human genome editing and is a form Bill Clinton administration staffer, said Dr Daszak's letter was a 'form of thuggery'.

He said: The Lancet letter was scientific propaganda and a form of thuggery and intimidation.

By labelling anyone with different views a conspiracy theorist, the Lancet letter was the worst form of bullying in full contravention of the scientific method.

It was later revealed that Dr Daszak had signed the letter without making his conflict of interest, that he had helped fund research at the center of the pandemic, clear.

These ties also had EcoHealth's president, once recognized as a leading virologist, removed from the United Nations commission investigating the virus's origins in June of 2021.

The OIG report cites three specific awards from EcoHealth, using NIH funds, that had the potential to be gain-of-function research but did not go through proper clearances. Included is the award to the WIV, which has been at the center of the lab leak theory

Late last year, Dr Daszak posted a video of himself to Twitter in a Thai bat cave, standing in the midst of a bat colony.

While these type of expeditions are normal for virologists, some saw the post as it poor taste considering his organization's potential links to Covid's origin.

EcoHealth awarded $3.7m to the Wuhan Institute of Virology [WIV] to study the emergence of bat coronaviruses in the region.

The WIV is one of Asia's leading virology research centers. Interest in coronaviruses in particular emerged after the devastating SARS outbreak struck the nation in the early 2000s.

A report by the US Office of Inspector General in January found that the National Institutes of Health - which awarded these funds to EcoHealth - did not properly monitor how they were used.

One particular worry is that the WIV could have been performing 'gain-of-function' research without receiving proper approval.

The highly controversial and potentially dangerous research is heavily regulated in the US, only allowed to be performed in labs with top security protocols in place.

The WIV had previously suffered issues with following proper protocols when doing this type of research.

A US Senate report in October pointed out multiple instances of biosafety and biosecurity failures in the lab preceding the pandemic.

The question of whether the global outbreak began with a spillover from wildlife sold at the market or leaked out of the Wuhan lab just eight miles across the Yangtze River has given rise to fierce debate about how to prevent the next pandemic. New studies point to a natural spillover at the Huanan wildlife market. Positive swab samples of floors, cages and counters also track the virus back to stalls in the southwestern corner of the market (bottom left), where animals with the potential to harbor Covid were sold for meat or fur at the time (bottom right)

While the lab leak theory was initially dismissed as conspiracy and xenophobic, many scientists have come around to the idea that the virus may have escaped during an accident at the WIV.

The research facility is less than 10 miles from an animal slaughter market where the first human case series was clustered.

Some experts also claim that Covid's unique spike protein, which it uses to infect people, shows hallmarks of human engineering.

But others have deemed those scenarios unlikely and say that there is some indirect evidence that Covid did jump from animals at the Huanan Seafood Market, where animals known to harbor Covid including raccoon dogs, hedgehogs, rats and squirrels, were kept in squalid conditions.

Direct and conclusive evidence for a natural or man-made origin has yet to emerge, but the lack of proof has allowed the fierce debate to proliferate.

After the eruption of the pandemic, Chinese officials were found to have wiped crucial databases from the lab and stifled independent investigations into the facility when questions started to be asked about its involvement.

Researchers who fell ill with a mysterious flu-like virus months before the official Covid timeline were silenced or disappeared.

One of its chief scientists was nicknamed the 'Bat Lady' for her extensive work on coronaviruses like Covid.

This is not the first time Dr Daszak has attempted to write off the lab leak.

In October, he co-authored a report published in PNAS denying any evidence the virus emerged from a lab.

'The Task Force finds no verifiable or credible evidence to support the possibility that SARS-CoV-2 was created in or released from a laboratory,' it said.
The actor was crushed by a snowplow last month while trying to save his nephew

Experts today said Marvel star Jeremy Renner could defy the odds and be in a leading action role within a number of months  despite a near-fatal accident just a month ago.

He suffered blunt force trauma to the chest and broke more than 30 bones after he was run over by a snowplow while trying to protect his nephew in Nevada.

The Jason Bourne and Avengers actor, 52, has said he will do 'whatever it takes' to recover from the ordeal, and doctors have said they have 'no doubt' he will be back on our screens.

Grateful: He also penned a short message in his post's caption that partially read: 'I want to thank EVERYONE for their messages and thoughtfulness for my family and I.Much love and appreciation to you all'

On the mend: Mr Renner was eventually allowed to recover at home and shared a shot of himself undergoing physical therapy last month

But Renner has a long road to recovery ahead of him to get back into action-star shape, which will involve strong painkillers as well as rigorous rehabilitation to regain his ability to walk.

The Hollywood heartthrob likes to do his own stunts, but he may never be able to pull them off with the same agility. And the emotional trauma of the accident might mean he struggles with vehicle-related scenes, experts said.

But Dr Ron Daniels, an intensive care doctor from the UK, told DailyMail.com that Mr Renner doing his own stunts again was 'not beyond the realms of possibility'.

'His ability to do stunts is, firstly, not going to return to him for many months and, secondly, he might not be quite as agile as he was previously, even if his physical exercise tolerance improves back to normal.

'We tend to say to people who've survived severe injury in intensive care that you'll be back to 90 percent of your normal self within about 12 to 18 months after you leave hospital.'

The exact details of Renner's injuries are unknown, but the snowplow vehicle ran over his chest and leg, leaving him with blunt chest trauma and fractures. A photo he posted in the hospital also showed cuts and bruising to one side of his face.

Dr Daniels added that the fact that Renner - who's said to be worth around $80million - will have 'a large army of rehabilitation support' around him means he might even recover quicker than a year.

But Dr Daniels said that Renner's recovery could be 'anything from full recovery to life-changing after-effects from his injuries'.

He said: 'He will suffer psychologically as well as physically and require support and rehabilitation for a period of many months after his injury to recover his full function.

'Almost certainly, he will have a degree of pain and stiffness in the broken limbs, and chest wall stiffness following the chest trauma.'

Jeremy Renner on the set of Hawkeye in February 2021. He has previously performed his own stunts and even broke both his arms while filming for the action-comedy Tag after the rigging on a stack of chairs he was climbing broke

Jeremy Renner and Rachel Weisz on the set of The Bourne Legacy in 2012

If his lungs were bruised, he could be left with lung scarring and long-term breathing difficulties, which could make strenuous exercise difficult.

But Dr Daniels said: 'I think the biggest [challenge] is going to be the PTSD that this will undoubtedly bring about.'

On Monday, Mr Renner showed he has also been prioritizing his mental recovery by reading The Book of Awakening, a 'spiritual daybook' written by philosopher, poet, and cancer survivor Mark Nepo.

In the past, the actor has fearlessly performed his own stunts. He previously broke both his arms while filming for the action-comedy Tag after the rigging on a stack of chairs he was climbing broke.

He told EW in April 2018: 'I broke along with it and fell on the ground and broke my arms.'

In terms of medication, Dr Daniels said: 'Whatever happened to Mr Renner [in Nevada], he will have a need for at least the next several months for some fairly strong painkilling medications.'

This will be a combination of over-the-counter painkillers and 'probably some strong opiates which will gradually be reduced over time'.

New York physiotherapist Dr Karena Wu agreed that Mr Renner's road to recovery will be 'busy'.

The actor will be in need of physical therapy, occupational therapy and possibly even psychotherapy, she said.

Dr Wu told DailyMail.com: 'With so many systems and bones, muscles and tissues involved, Mr Renner will probably be doing physical therapy at a minimum of three times a week to up to five times a week for at least several months to up towards a year.'

This involves gentle stretches and exercises to gradually build back strength in the bones and muscles to regain movement.

The Marvel star shared a video of him improving his leg strength with the help of a Technogym bike on Monday.

Mr Renner focused on his left leg as he sat on the chair and pedaled away, using his hand to assist him in the motions.

Last month, he shared a photo on Instagram of him undergoing physical therapy in a hospital-style bed at home.

Dr Wu added that Mr Renner may opt for more natural treatment options.

'Oftentimes, patients can choose a more homeopathic course versus chemical medications. He will probably be taking a bevy of supplements like: vitamins, minerals, protein, herbs and antioxidants to promote better cellular healing and repair,' she said.

Once recovered, Mr Renner may be able to do some altered stunts on camera.

Dr Wu said: 'Typically, strength, stability and flexibility can be returned to almost 100 percent so any high level activities required on camera can be accomplished with practice and training.

'Mr Renner will need to accomplish his physical therapy goals of having individual and closed kinetic chain muscle strength to be able to physically perform at the level he was at before the injury.'

Depending on the extent of his specific injuries, that could be just several months, she said.

Mr Renner was using his snow-removal tractor to help remove his nephew's car from his driveway at his residence near Reno, Nevada, after it became stuck in snow.

However, his snowplow began to slide down a street after the car was towed, which prompted the actor to jump out of its cab.

After he exited the vehicle, Mr Renner realized that it could potentially hit his nephew, who was with him at the time of the incident.

The Mayor of Kingstown star then attempted to re-enter the snowplow in order to divert its path but he was pulled under its left side track and run over during the attempt.

Mr Renner was crushed underneath the vehicle and was immediately taken to the hospital while suffering from breathing difficulties and various other injuries.

He had two major emergency surgeries while in the intensive care unit.

Blunt chest trauma means Mr Renner's chest was crushed. Arizona-based neurosurgeon Dr Daniel Lieberman said in a YouTube video: 'The good news though is that he didn't have a penetrating chest injury, which would mean something literally cutting or penetrating into his chest cavity.'

Dr Lieberman said it is likely Mr Renner had a depressed rib fracture and underwent plating for stabilization.

He guessed that the second surgery was to do with Mr Renner's fractures, and said: 'We don't yet know whether they were to the arms, legs, spine or even pelvis.'

But he added that the fact that Mr Renner does not have a neck brace on in his post-op Instagram photo means his neck is 'almost certainly OK'.

Serious situation: The Hawkeye star was seriously injured in a snowplow accident that took place on New Year's Day, and his recovery could potentially last for years

Dr Lieberman said that there was 'every reason to hope, and even expect, that [Mr Renner] will soon be able to return to acting once he's fully healed'.

Mr Renner's leg was also run over and fractured, but it is not clear what type of leg bone fracture he sustained.

Dr Madhi Nazar, a general practitioner from England, said in a YouTube video that with crush injuries such as Mr Renner's, where there is a large amount of force on the bone, you often get open compound fractures.

This is where the bones snap and fragments stick out through the skin. Muscles and blood vessels can also be pierced meaning the fracture can bleed heavily, as was reported in the 911 call made for Mr Renner.

It is likely Mr Renner had plates and screws or rods and traction, Dr Madhi said, depending on the extent of the damage to the bone, to get his bones back into alignment and keep them there.

The recovery period for the leg fracture would be around six to 12 months, determined by how severely Mr Renner's injuries were.

Dr Madhi also said that not only might Mr Renner's lungs have been bruised in the crush, but also his heart, known as a cardiac contusion.

This can reduce the function of the heart and lead to low blood pressure and a low heart rate, meaning Mr Renner would have needed regular blood pressure checks as well as an electrocardiogram (ECG) to make sure the heart was not diverting into any strange rhythms.
US health officials are ramping up their pandemic preparedness plans after a bird flu scare in Cambodia.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said it is in a 'posture of readiness' with several vaccine and drug candidates in the works.

National testing capacity is also being built-up in case the H5N1 strain that has devastated bird populations around the world spills over into people.

'Flu fighter' John Barnes told a CDC webinar Monday: 'Our priorities at this point are really to be in a posture of readiness. So we're continuing our pandemic planning activities and should the situation change, we've got surveillance activities and monitoring of exposed individuals.'

Fears of a flu pandemic were ramped up last week after a Cambodian father and daughter were diagnosed with H5N1, raising fears it was spreading between people for the first time in decades.

In this file photo taken on March 1, 2013, a Cambodian man carries chickens at a market in Phnom Penh

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

However, health officials said it was 'unlikely', suggesting they both caught it from the same source - likely an infected bird.

But the threat of a spillover remains. More than 15 million birds worldwide have been struck down and killed by the virus itself, while governments have collectively culled more than 200m to curb the virus' spread, including 58m in the US alone.

Dr Barnes, the CDC's lead for its Influenza Genomics team, told the conference: 'We're continuing our viral genomic analysis from the data that we're getting from the outbreaks.

'We have pandemic vaccine risk mitigation, outlining for a potential H5 if we need to use that in a vaccine.

'National testing capacity readiness is something that we're working on.'

READ MORE: Bird phew... Cambodia says flu strain not spreading person to person Advertisement

The world was caught on the back foot by Covid when it emerged in late 2019, forcing most of the world to rely on lockdown curbs to reduce the spread of the virus while tests, drugs and vaccines were put into rapid production.

Dr Barnes said the agency was in talks with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) about developing a specific test for H5N1, either in-house or with the help of commercial companies.

'And so we're continuing to look at vaccine effectiveness, safety and immunization systems.'

Dr Barnes added that several drug and vaccine candidates had already been highlighted and he expects them to provide strong protection.

'The sequence analysis that we are doing currently indicates that most of these strains, our antiviral treatments would be very effective against them.

'And so over 99 percent of them would be a good candidate to be mitigated by antiviral treatments.

'And then we have candidate vaccine viruses for this strain, and it was added to manufacture and given to manufacturers in early 2022.

'The candidate vaccine virus, and then mink H5, are 100 percent identical for the part that matters HA1. And so this is a likely good candidate.'
The finding is in direct contrast to the EPA's, who said the air is safe for residents

The air in East Palestine contains 'higher than normal' concentrations of nine potentially harmful chemicals, scientists have suggested.

Experts from Texas A&M and Carnegie Mellon University have been conducting their own air quality tests using a mobile testing unit in East Palestine.

They said that if the chemicals persist at the current levels, it could cause long-term health issues for residents, the researchers warned.

The finding is in direct contrast to the US Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) ongoing assurance that the air quality in the area is safe.

While they said the findings are not necessarily an 'immediate health concern', they said repeated exposure over time could be damaging.

The chemicals on the board the train were vinyl chloride, butyl acrylate, benzene residue, glycol monobutyl ether, ethylhexyl acrylate and isobutylene

Wade Lovett, 40, has suffered breathing difficulties and his previously low voice now sounds high-pitched and squeaky. He has had to go off work sick as a result

There are already warning signs among residents, including reports of altered voices and rashes that look like chemical burns.

Dr Albert Presto is an associate research professor of mechanical engineering at Carnegie Mellons Wilton E. Scott Institute for Energy Innovation who is part of the universitys chemical monitoring effort in East Palestine.

He told local news outlet WKBN: 'That material that's dumped onto the ground or into the water could reemit from the ground whenever the temperature changes or whenever it's windy.'

Dr Presto also told CNN: 'Its not elevated to the point where its necessarily like an immediate "evacuate the building" health concern.

'But we dont know necessarily what the long-term risk is or how long that concentration that causes that risk will persist.'

The mobile testing van has been used by the team over the last decade to look at how air pollution varies in places such as Pittsburgh and Baltimore.

They compared their data in East Palestine to levels of the same chemicals recorded this month by the EPA.

As of yesterday, the EPA had screened the air in 578 homes, and declared that the chemical pollution levels are not above residential air quality standards.

A giant plume of smoke from the aftermath of the incident could be seen from miles away

Ayla Antoniazzi told CNN: 'I did allow my four-year-old to return to preschool, which is in the East Palestine Elementary School. She went back for two days and developed another rash her hands and started complaining of itching, so I pulled her back out'

Acrolein was calculated to be the biggest concern for residents, the Texas A&M and Carnegie Mellon University researchers found.

According to the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, acrolein is either a clear, colorless gas or a pale yellow, strong-smelling liquid.

It evaporates easily at normal temperatures, producing toxic concentrations.

It is poisonous no matter what the exposure route is. It causes inflammation and irritation of the skin, respiratory tract and mucus membranes.

After it is inhaled, it can cause delayed pulmonary edema  excess fluid in the lungs.

This can lead to coughs, chest pain and fatigue.

It is formed when fossil fuels are burnt and is also a by-product of fires.

The other eight chemicals found to be at higher than normal average concentrations are: benzene, vinyl chloride, butadiene, naphthalene, o-Xylene, trichloroethylene, trichloroethane and p-Xylenes.

Vinyl chloride is a colorless manmade gas which burns easily.

It is mainly used to make polyvinyl chloride (PVC), a hard plastic resin used to make plastic products including pipes and wire and cable exteriors.

PVC is not known or suspected to cause cancer, but vinyl chloride 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.

The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) lists vinyl chloride as carcinogenic to humans, which means it has sufficient scientific proof that it causes cancer in people.

People who are exposed to vinyl chloride over many years are likely to get liver damage and cancer.

It will most likely enter someone's body by breathing it in, but it can also be ingested via contaminated drinking water.

The chemical travels through the body in the blood and the liver, breaking it down into other chemicals, some of which can cause more damage than the vinyl chloride itself.

According to the CDC, the gas has a faint sweet odor, but the threshold at which it will smell is 'too high to provide an adequate warning of hazardous concentrations'.

This means people can be overexposed to it without being aware it is even in the air.

A five-minute exposure to over twice the level it can be smelt at can cause dizziness.

At levels five times that high, exposure can cause drowsiness, a loss of coordination, issues with sight and hearing, disorientation, nausea, headache, and burning or tingling in the arms and legs.

Sustained exposure can lead to death due to the central nervous system shutting down. The gas is also found in tobacco smoke.

When burned or heated to a high enough temperature, the gas turns into hydrogen chloride, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and traces of phosgene.

Residents have been reporting symptoms ever since the derailment occurred at the start of the month.

Wade Lovett, 40, claims he has developed a high-pitched, Michael-Jackson-like voice and trouble breathing since the chemical incident.

He told DailyMail.com on Monday the problem 'just keeps getting worse and worse'.

Mr Lovett, an auto detailer, was previously in good health but has developed a high-pitched, Michael-Jackson-like voice and trouble breathing since the chemical incident.

He told the New York Post: 'My voice sounds like Mickey Mouse. My normal voice is low. Its hard to breathe, especially at night. My chest hurts so much at night I feel like Im drowning. I cough up phlegm a lot.'

He added: 'The doctor says I most definitely have the chemicals in me.'

Ayla and Tyler Antoniazzi said they were considering moving out of the area after their two young daughters began to show symptoms.

They live less than a mile from the incident and went back to their house the following day after the evacuation notice was lifted, but told CNN her children 'werent themselves'.

She said: 'My oldest had a rash on her face. The youngest did too but not as bad. The two-year-old was holding her eye and complaining that her eye was hurting. She was very lethargic.'

'I did allow my four-year-old to return to preschool, which is in the East Palestine Elementary School. She went back for two days and developed another rash on her hands and started complaining of itching, so I pulled her back out,' she added.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will restrict the flow of 'tranq' into the country after it began to flood America's illicit drug supply.

Used primarily by veterinarians to tranquilize horses and cows, xylazine is now being mixed with drugs such as fentanyl, cocaine and heroin as cheap cutting by dealers to boost their effects.

The FDA will now allow imports containing xylazine or its key ingredients to be detained by shipping authorities if they fear it would be used for illicit purposes.

Tranq has ravaged the homeless populations of Philadelphia, San Francisco and Rhode Island in recent months and is starting to crop up elsewhere in the country.

Its powerful sedative effects turn users into zombies and cause them to erupt in painful sores as the drug ravages blood vessels, requiring amputation in extreme cases.

There are mounting concerns that xylazine will spread across the US. A study published in December and involving 60,000 adult drug tests showed xylazine was detected in samples from states across the country. Experts say there is concern that it is spreading in the Midwest

'The FDA remains concerned about the increasing prevalence of xylazine mixed with illicit drugs, and this action is one part of broader efforts the agency is undertaking to address this issue,' Dr Robert Califf, commissioner of the FDA, said in a news release.

Under new rules, transit officials will be allowed to detain shipments of xylazine into America, even without examination.

They will also be allowed to detain products that include xylazine as an ingredient and unfinished products that use it too.

Officials will then determine whether they believe the shipment should safely be allowed in the nation.

The drug, sold under brand names Rompun and Anased, works by relaxing an animal's muscles and releasing hormones in the brain that help relieve pain.

The drug has only been approved for use in animals, but the Department of Justice warns that use in humans is illegal.

In the drug supply, it is often cut with fentanyl and other drugs and reduces the number of times an addict needs to get a shot.

The drug is not an opioid but is often mixed with opioids  such as fentanyl  when it is used to augment it.

Because of this, people who take it are more difficult to treat with the opioid overdose-reversing drug naloxone.

In many cases, it leaves users 'knocked out' on street corners and at bus stops for hours.

When these people come to, they discover the high from heroin has subsided and start looking for their next hit.

'We recognize the public health effects of xylazine tainting these illicit drugs and are continuing to ensure that legitimate product is restricted to veterinary use only,' Dr Tracey Forfa, director of the FDA's Center for Veterinary Medicine, said in a statement.

Menacingly, the drug is also causing open wounds to appear on the body  often away from the injection site.

Nurses have described them to STAT News as appearing as though something is 'eating away your flesh from the inside out'.

Medics are still unsure what triggers the lesions in those taking the drug. One theory gaining ground is that the drug triggers a high level of inflammation in the body, which makes it harder for wounds to heal.

It can also damage blood vessels and weaken the immune system, leaving people more open to infections.

Other effects from the drug include blurred vision, disorientation, drowsiness and staggering. It can also lead to a coma, problems breathing and high blood pressure.

Many patients are left disfigured by the drug. In cases where the wound becomes infected and spreads to the bone, doctors may have no choice but to amputate a limb.

Health officials are warning of a terrifying flesh-eating drug which is being increasingly found laced into heroin, cocaine, and other narcotics, leading to a soaring number of overdoses across the country. Pictured: A homeless man seen injecting himself on the streets of Kensington, Philadelphia

The drug prolongs the highs felt from heroin, but results in users passing out for hours at a time, while injection points ulcerate and lead to grisly wounds that spread across the body, Pictured: Homeless people on the streets of Kensington, Philadelphia

The drug can also cause the 'progressive and extensive' appearance of skin ulcers full of dead tissue.

Philadelphia is currently at the epicenter of America's xylazine crisis. The drug has made its way into the city's supply as a cheap and very potent cutting agent.

It is also cropping up in the drug supply of other east coast states including New York, Massachusetts and Maine.

And there are now fears that it is reaching the west coast and mid-western states.

Earlier this month, San Francisco reported four overdose deaths where low levels of xylazine were found in the patients' systems.

The city's department of health said this was the 'first time' they were seeing evidence of the drug inside the city limits.

It has been present in Puerto Rico's drug supply for years, scientists say.

A study published in December last year found that the drug had already reached 25 states out of the 35 from which it tested samples.

These included many on the East Coast  New York, Massachusetts and Maine among others  West Coast  California, Oregon and Washington  and increasingly in the south  Texas, Louisiana, Alabama  and midwestern area.
File photos of, from left, former national security adviser Chung Eui-yong; Noh Young-min, former presidential chief of staff; Suh Hoon, former chief of the National Intelligence Service; and former unification minister Kim Yeon-chul. Yonhap



Four ministerial-level figures of the previous Moon Jae-in government were indicted Tuesday over their alleged involvement in the forced repatriation of two North Korean fishermen in 2019, prosecution officials said.



The four are former national security adviser and foreign minister Chung Eui-yong; Noh Young-min, former presidential chief of staff; Suh Hoon, former chief of the National Intelligence Service (NIS); and former unification minister Kim Yeon-chul.



The Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office indicted them without detention on charges, including abuse of authority under the NIS law, in connection with the controversial deportation case, the officials said.



In November 2019, the Moon government sent back the fishermen captured near the eastern inter-Korean sea border, saying the North Koreans confessed to killing 16 fellow crew members.



The four are suspected of forcing officials of the relevant government agencies to deport the fishermen despite their wishes to defect to South Korea.



They are also accused of obstructing the fishermen from exercising their rights to be tried here in accordance with South Korean laws and procedures.



In particular, Suh is additionally charged with deleting official records of the North Koreans' expression of a desire to defect to the South and fabricating documents related to their questioning by government officials. (Yonhap)


Almost 1million homes that have been waiting for Government energy bill help can now apply for 400.

Around 900,000 households without mains electricity or gas can apply for the money under the Energy Bills Support Scheme Alternative Funding.

That includes people in park homes, those living off-grid and many properties relying on heating oil.

These homes have fallen through cracks in existing Government energy bill help schemes, and have been eagerly waiting for their own long-promised assistance.

However, these properties will have to apply to get the cash - and might not get it until this winter.

This is everything we know about the Energy Bills Support Scheme Alternative Funding, and how it will work.

Help at last: People that fell through the cracks of existing Government energy bill help schemes are finally able to apply for payments

How does the scheme work?

Most UK properties have already been getting 400 in the form of energy bill rebates. That programme, called the Energy Bills Support Scheme, gave payments to properties with mains electricity, and is administered by energy firms.

Properties with standard electricity meters have been getting monthly energy bill rebates of either 66 or 67 every month since October 2022, and this will continue until March 2023.

Those with pre-payment meters get 400 in the form of vouchers - but 1.9 million vouchers, or around a quarter of all users, have not cashed these in yet.

But the Energy Bills Support Scheme leaves out people without mains electricity, and in some cases gas.

Why are energy bills so high? Since coming out of the pandemic demand for gas has gone through the roof, but supply has struggled to catch up. It has sent prices soaring and pushed up the cost of gas and electricity for both households and businesses. This has been compounded by Russia's invasion of Ukraine which has led to a squeeze on gas supplies across Europe and seen analysts predict a cold winter could lead to blackouts and energy rationing.

That includes those living in park homes and houseboats, who may use bottled gas for heating and cooking, and who might not have mains electricity either.

It also includes people without a direct link to an energy firm, such as those living in care homes and properties with all-inclusive rents.

The Government promised that these properties would still get the 400 help, via the Energy Bills Support Scheme Alternative Funding.

The scheme was meant to launch in January 2023, but it was delayed. It finally launched on 27 February.

A Government spokesperson said: 'This will mean that off-grid households and others who do not have a direct relationship with a domestic electricity supplier can apply for the 400 payment.'

Who gets the money?

Households are eligible for the 400 help if they do not have an electricity meter or pay an energy company directly, and are living in one of the following:

A residential park home

A boat on a permanent residential mooring

In a property that is part of a heat network without an electricity meter

Social or private rented accommodation with a business energy connection or communal electricity supply

A home that is off the mains electricity or gas grid

A care home or assisted living facility and paying for some or all of their care

In a separate domestic home within a non-domestic property, such as a farmhouse or a flat above a shop

On a permanent gypsy or traveller site

Making waves: Energy bill help is now available for people who live on boats, provided they have a permanent mooring

That includes Britons using alternative fuel such as heating oil, bottled gas or wood chip boilers - provided they do not have mains electricity.

If they do, then they should have already had an earlier payment of 400 as energy bill discounts from the Energy Bill Support Scheme.

If you live in any of the following situations you are not eligible for the 400:

In purpose-built student accommodation

In a care home and not paying your own fees

In accommodation provided by your employer

As a property guardian

In business premises, such as a pub or hotel, where your address is the same as the business address

On a boat with a continuous cruising licence

On a non-permanent caravan or mobile home site

However, the latter two groups are under review and could be brought into the help scheme in the future.

Applicants will also need to have a bank account in their name to get the 400.

How much will households get from the scheme?

They will get 400 per eligible home as a lump sum.

How do they get it?

Homes will have to apply for the 400 on this Government portal or by calling 0808 175 3287.

If successful, the payment will be made through their local council.

Local authorities will first check you do live at the address you apply for. You should get a response from the council within six weeks.

A successful applicant will have to:

Pay for the energy their home uses

Apply for their main, permanent home

Have a fixed address in England, Scotland or Wales

When will it launch?

The scheme was meant to launch in January 2023, but has been delayed.

Energy and climate minister Graham Stuart last week said the delay was because of 'significant complexities'.

A trial scheme was launched for some postcode areas last week.

When will I get the money?

This will vary depending on your council and when you submit a claim, but you should get the money by this winter.

What other cash help is available for off-grid properties?

The Government is also paying an extra 200 Alternative Fuel Payment to households who use alternative fuels such as biomass or heating oil.

Most eligible properties should get the payment this month, automatically.

But some homes will need to apply, which they can do using the same Government portal as the Energy Bills Support Scheme Alternative Funding.

The Government has asked anyone who has not had the 200 Alternative Fuel Payment to wait until the end of February to apply.
It wasnt until Sarah Eggingtons husband Pete tried to stop her making a coffee that she realised quite how obsessed hed become with the smart meter screen in the corner of their kitchen.

By carefully studying the device  which measures exactly how much energy the family of five use throughout the day  Pete, 38, a school teacher, had worked out the coffee machine costs 1p per cup to run.

And in these straitened times of rocketing energy prices, its fair to say he wasnt best pleased.

Watching the pennies: Pete Eggington became so obsessed checking his smart meter he tried to stop wife Sarah (pictured together with daughter Rosa) from making coffee

Sarah, 37, now catches Pete checking the smart meter at least five times a day as he wages war on their bills.

Hes become so determined to keep a lid on their outgoings, Sarah says, that she and their daughters Cora, eight, Ida, six, and Rosa, three, are treated to a running commentary on the cost of using devices in their four-bedroom detached home in Brigg, Lincolnshire.

Its become a family joke, says Sarah, who is also a school teacher. If I go to put the washing machine on, one of the kids will say: Have you checked with the power police?

Pete had been interested in tracking our usage in the past, but hes completely ramped it up in recent months.

I say Pete has become obsessive; he says hes being financially savvy.

The Eggingtons home is one of 30million properties in Britain  around half of all homes  with a smart meter, after another 6.3million were installed last year.

While many Money Mail readers tell us they are yet to be convinced by the idea of having a digital device constantly monitoring their energy and sending the readings back to their supplier, others find smart meters an increasingly useful tool to keep on top of bills.

For some  such as Pete  checking the gadget has almost become an addiction. People with smart meters now check them on average four times a day, according to a survey by Nationwide Building Society.

One in ten admitted to looking at them nearly every waking hour. Their obsession is unlikely to be moderated any time soon.

This week, households found out energy bills were set to jump another 20 per cent in April.

The maximum bill for the average home will rise from 2,500 to 3,000 a year, as the price cap rises to cover higher wholesale costs to suppliers (see the box below).

The Government is also ending its universal 400 Energy Bill Support Scheme, which has been paid to households over winter, making it even more crucial to stay on top of your outgoings.

Sarah says the bills on their four-bed home have risen from 160 a month in February 2022 to 400 a month today.

Petes habit of warning his family exactly how much energy appliances guzzle per cycle has led to some positive changes, she acknowledges.

We only use the dishwasher at night as there is a cheaper rate, she says. The tumble dryer rarely goes on any more  we use a clothes airer instead. Thats all Petes influence.

The Eggingtons have a smart time-of-use tariff with their supplier which charges different prices for energy at different times of the day, with lower rates overnight.

And Petes father-in-law David, 68, who lives in an annexe to the house, now only charges his hybrid car overnight.

Obsession: People with smart meters now check them on average four times a day, according to a survey by Nationwide Building Society

Sarah adds: I now sometimes catch myself looking at the smart meter when I walk past without realising  and my parents have started to get more obsessive, too, after seeing Petes hawkish readings.

I recently went round to their house and it was pitch black. They were avoiding using power to see how it reflected on the smart meter.

However, she insists there are some simple pleasures she wont give up.

No matter how often Pete tells me how much the coffee machine costs to run, that is definitely something that is not changing!

Little numbers rule my home

April Ashby hadnt grasped how her smart meter habits had snowballed until her mother Maureen, 82, arrived for a six-day stay over Christmas  armed with 100 in cash.

Maureen knows April, 58, constantly checks her smart meter to ensure she doesnt spend more than 5.50 a day on gas. Thats the amount shes worked out she can afford to stay on top of her bills.

So Maureen offered her 100 on two conditions: 1) April stopped tracking her usage over Christmas; and 2) she kept the radiators on for the duration of Maureens stay.

April had a smart meter installed in her three-bedroom, semi-detached home in Egham, Surrey, 18 months ago.

Checks: April Ashby had a smart meter installed in her three-bedroom, semi-detached home in Egham, Surrey, 18 months ago

She lives with her 15-year-old daughter Alexis and says she never thought the gadget would end up ruling her household in the way it now does.

When she arrives home from her job as a school languages teacher at 4pm, she makes a beeline for the smart meter on the lounge coffee table and studiously examines it.

The gadget contains all the details of the energy used that day. Shell then do everything possible to keep to her self-imposed daily limit.

As soon as the 5.50 mark is hit, the heating is switched off  no matter the time or temperature . . . and regardless of the pleas from Alexis.

April says: The only exception I have made to the 5.50 allowance was when my daughter and I were ill. Then I let the gas go up to around 6.70.

This kind of shift in habits was recently highlighted by Michael Lewis, chief executive of supplier E.On. He says customers are cutting back around ten to 15 per cent of their usual energy use.

The biggest behavioural changes are from people putting the heating on less and turning down the thermostat in their homes.

April says: I have set the central heating so it only comes on automatically if the inside temperature falls below 14c. Ive tried turning off all the lights but that doesnt make a big difference.

She spends around 245 a month on her bills. But her newly formed habits have allowed her to build and retain 700 in credit on her account.

How much will your bill rise next month? Why are bills going up? The energy price cap, currently 4,279 a year, will fall to 3,280 from April 1, Ofgem announced this week. This reflects a drop in global wholesale energy costs. The cap relates to the maximum price energy suppliers can charge households for each kilowatt hour (kWh) of energy they use. At the moment, however, the price cap is largely symbolic as the Government has capped annual bills for the average household at 2,500 a year, under the Energy Price Guarantee. But from April 1, this support will become less generous when the price guarantee rises to 3,000. By how much will they rise? Households will typically pay an extra 900 a year from April, according to Citizens Advice. The 500 increase to the price guarantee will be coupled with the end of the energy support scheme, which provided an automatic 400 discount in six instalments of 66 and 67 a month. This scaling back in support means millions of families are facing a further hit to their finances. Dame Clare Moriarty, of Citizens Advice, estimates that around 3million people will spend more than 10 per cent of their income on energy. What support is available? The energy bills support scheme will only be available to means-tested vulnerable and low-income households from April. Low-income households on means-tested benefits, such as universal credit, child tax credits or jobseekers allowance will receive 900 in three instalments. Pensioners will be paid 300 in one instalment next winter, while those on certain disability benefits will receive 150. Almost one million homes that fell through the cracks of existing relief can now apply for 400 under the energy bills support scheme alternative funding. This includes people in care homes and in park homes. There are also various government schemes in place for households struggling to pay their energy bills, including the warm home discount, the household support fund and the cold weather payment. If you are finding it difficult to pay your bills, get in touch with your supplier. It should offer you an affordable payment plan.

I had to hide it in a cupboard!

The display units on smart meters allow customers to see for themselves how much money they spend hour by hour, which is fed back to their supplier.

It means that people who never previously worried about turning the heating on are now tracking exactly how much it costs to boil the kettle.

A recent survey by Smart Energy GB shows a third of households now check their in-house display units more frequently.

And for some, the endless bombardment of information from the devices has become too much.

Mother-of-two Maddy Alexander-Grout lives in a two-bedroom new-build in Southampton with her husband James, 41, and their children Ben, seven, and Harriet, three.

The 39-year-old says previously the family used to spend around 3 a day on gas. But this has risen to 7.

Worried, she began constantly monitoring her smart meter to keep track of costs. But, she realised the habit had gone too far when cooking dinner for her sons friend who had come over to play.

Savings: The biggest behavioural changes that come from smart meters are people putting the heating on less and turning down the thermostat in their homes

Maddy says: My children had a friend round and I was cooking them chicken nuggets and chips.

In that time the smart meter total went up to 8.50 when we usually only spend 7 a day. I started panicking  but then just thought it wasnt worth it. I had become too obsessive.

Maddy says she has ADHD and the anxiety was making it worse. That day she took a bold step . . . and hid her smart meter in a cupboard under the sink. It hasnt resurfaced since.

Energy bills are going up anyway. It doesnt help to watch it happen on a screen, she says.

We time chores by readings

Aimee Konieczny, 36, had a smart meter installed in January 2021. Then last year, Aimee and her partner Joe, 34, invested around 7,000 in roof solar panels on their 1960s two-bedroom bungalow in Norwich, Norfolk.

They have a large roof area with panels that generate plenty of energy and have worked out that they should see a return on their investment in less than five years.

Unlike traditional meters, some smart meters show households with solar panels how much energy is being generated and how much is being imported from the grid.

Powering on: In summer, Aimee Konieczny's solar panels can generate energy constantly from 8am to 6pm

When the sun is beating down hard, Aimee and Joe have noticed that they can use energy for free as their home is powered entirely by the panels.

They dont have a battery to store any excess energy. So if they are generating more than they are consuming, the excess is automatically exported back to the grid under the Smart Export Guarantee tariff.

Aimee says: Thats where the smart meter comes in because it records what we export and we then get paid for that. The couple now track their smart meter hourly to identify the best times to save  and make  money.

In winter, this window tends to begin at 11am and end at 3pm.

But in the summer their solar panels can generate energy constantly from 8am to 6pm. Aimee, who works for an energy consultancy, says: As soon as its a good time, we race to do everything at once  put a wash on, crank up the heating.

And if no one is at home and the sun is shining, it will just export to the grid so we get paid for that rather than using it ourselves.

The couple use excess energy payments to help offset the cost of running appliances at other times of the day.

Despite wholesale costs soaring, the couple have almost slashed their energy bill in half, from 332 a month in 2021 to 179 the following year, and believe constant smart meter tracking has been key.

moneymail@dailymail.co.uk
As the Isa deadline nears, investors may be taking a look at their portfolios and wondering what they can add before the end of the tax year.

A stocks and shares Isa can form the foundation of your investment portfolio and give you the freedom to choose where to invest your cash.

But with so many funds and trusts on offer, it's an overwhelming choice. One of the key questions investors often have, whether novice or experienced, is just how many funds to hold.

We speak to three experts about whether there is an ideal number, and whether they follow their own advice when it comes to their personal portfolios.

A diversified portfolio can help boost returns - but what's the ideal number of funds to hold?

'Don't be a magpie'

You might be looking at your portfolio and wondering what you can add to help boost your returns before the deadline in six weeks.

But there is a risk of going too gung-ho and adding funds and trusts without actually knowing what's under the bonnet.

Tom Stevenson, investment director at Fidelity says: 'If you find it easier to add new ideas than to prune dead wood, you might find that you are holding too many funds.'

Investors can be prone to getting swept up in investing in exciting new assets, geographies or sectors. This has especially been the case in recent years due to market volatility, which has seen some asset classes do unexpectedly well.

David Henry, investment manager at Quilter Cheviot says: 'The mistake I sometimes see people who run their own portfolios on a DIY basis is that they become financial magpies: buying new holdings depending on what shiny investment is working at any given period of time, or what fund is currently heading up the best buy lists.'

It's something most investors are guilty of at some point in their investment journey, but it can lead to a poorly balanced portfolio.

'If you unknowingly end up with a number of funds which all have similar styles, your portfolio can end up pointing in the same direction rather than being properly diversified,' says Henry.

Diversification is a point that investment managers like to hammer home, and while it doesn't guarantee investment returns or eliminate losses, it's important to mitigate risk where you can.

Henry adds: 'When we're managing other people's money, we need to be disciplined enough to add positions to a portfolio that we may not be all that enthusiastic about, or that may not align with our "base case"'.

'The reason we do this is that we recognise that our base case may be wrong, and that it is important to hedge out risk in that event.'

> > For some help on getting started read our How to invest in an Isa guide

How to build your portfolio when you're starting out

Once you've had a look at what constitutes your portfolio, you'll quickly work out what's missing.

If you're starting out on the investment journey, and are unclear how you might diversify, putting your money into a fund or trust is a good starting point.

Quilter's David Henry prefers a 'less is more' approach

There are plenty of funds and trusts on offer, which can be overwhelming, but there are ways to narrow down the choices depending on what you're investing for.

Another step to help you narrow down your options is to think about the type of vehicle you want to invest in, but also to bear in mind that you can hold a mixture of both.

In an open-ended investment fund, investors buy and sell units directly from the manager, which issues or cancels units in line with investor demand.

There is no limit on the number of units that can be issued at any one time, and the number of units goes up and down according to demand.

> > Experts give their last-minute fund and trust tips for income and growth-seeking investors

Investment trusts, which are closed-ended, are investment companies in their own right and listed as such on the stock market. There are a fixed number of shares on offer, which means the price fluctuates more.

John Moore, senior investment manager at RBC Brewin Dolphin, says savers who are new to investing might start out with 'some general passive investments and perhaps one or two trusts or funds that you know, have researched, and feel comfortable with.'

Investors are, more than ever, seeking out low-cost funds that track the performance of specific stock market indices, like the FTSE 100 and the S&P 500.

Moore suggests inexperienced investors look at the iShares Government Bond ETF, which provides diversified exposure to global government bonds, and the FTSE Developed World Equity ex-UK Equity Index, which focusses on the largest companies outside the UK.

Vanguard LifeStrategies are another popular, low-cost option, and offers a mix of bonds and shares under one bonnet.

Moore adds: 'Having three [funds] may also be helpful from a capital gains tax perspective, with the tax-free allowance for gains coming down in the tax year approaching and then again in 2024/25.'

If you're set to invest in active funds, Moore suggests looking at well-known names like Fundsmith and Lindsell Train as a good starting point.

'They can be combined with funds that focus more on preserving your capital over the long term, such as Personal Assets and Trojan Fund, which have some exposure to equities but combine it with assets like gold.'

Henry thinks younger investors should gravitate towards growth over value, given they have longer time horizons to accumulate returns.

> > Read about where David Henry puts his cash and some of his biggest investing mistakes

How many funds should investors hold?

If you have more experience in investing, you might feel more confident to keep adding to your portfolio, away from passive trackers into active strategies.

But as the experts have said, it risks meaning you're overexposed and losing track of where your money is.

If you look at each fund, trust or ETF that you hold, they will invest in at least 20 stocks and possibly more.

Fidelity's Tom Stevenson holds 10 funds in his own portfolio

'If you hold 20 funds or more, you could be holding hundreds or even thousands of underlying stocks, even assuming there could be considerable overlap between funds,' says Stevenson.

So how many funds should investors hold?

It is not an exact science, but the number of holdings will depend on your experience and size of your portfolio.

Stevenson says: 'For an experienced investor, with a large portfolio of more than 100,000, anywhere between 10 and 15 funds should be more than enough to provide adequate diversification.

'Advisers will typically recommend that your minimum fund size is at least 5 per cent of your portfolio, so that's 5,000 invested in a single fund in the case of a 100,000 portfolio.

'It can also be prudent to limit exposure to any single fund to no more than 15 per cent of your overall portfolio.'

Henry is less sure, and doesn't think there's a 'perfect' number of holdings in a portfolio, although research suggests the optimum combination of individual stocks is between 30 and 35.

'The benefits of diversifying further fall away quite quickly from there.' he says. 'So having only a few collective funds, provided you understand what they hold, can provide more than adequate amounts of diversification during the accumulation stage of life  without having to spend loads of time monitoring your portfolio.'

Where the professionals put their money

The experts might be able to tell investors what to do with their money, but do they actually practice what they preach?

We asked our experts what their portfolios look like, and what their sweet spot for the number of holdings was.

Their answers show just how differently the experts approach their own portfolios, depending on their age and their goals.

Stevenson says: 'My personal pension portfolio is spread across ten funds, and I believe I've got a sensible exposure to different asset classes and geographical regions.

Brewin Dolphin's John Moore prefers a larger portfolio

'While it's important to have a mix of styles and strategies to achieve diversification, that doesn't mean you need a long, unwieldy list of funds. Moreover, having a personal cap on the amount of funds held in your portfolio ensures that when you see an enticing new fund idea you want to add, you can reassess your portfolio and remove the weakest link.'

Moore has a slightly larger portfolio, and tends to hold between 12 and 20 different funds which he splits between core and specialist positions.

'In the [core], at different times I have had names such as Lindsell Train, Personal Assets, Trojan, JP Morgan American, Odyssean Investment Trust, Blackrock European Dynamic, Fidelity Special Values, Pacific Assets, First State Asia Pacific Leaders, Mid Wynd Investment Trust, Monks Investment Trust, Templeton Emerging Markets, BH Macro, and Greencoat UK Wind.

'In the specialist camp have been the likes of North Atlantic Smaller Companies which invests in companies the manager feels are undervalued.'

He has also invested in a mixture of private equity trusts, Liontrust Micro Cap, which focuses on small UK-listed companies, and some trusts which invest in frontiers markets.

As a younger investor, Henry's priorities are slightly different and he follows a 'less is more' approach, investing in just four funds.

'It's important to have your affairs as neat and tidy as possible, and minimise the time you spend focusing on your portfolio when you are young. Time that, in my view, is better spent focusing on your career and maximising your human capital and potential to earn.'
Twitter has laid off about 10 per cent of its remaining workforce in the latest round of job cuts since Elon Musk took over last year.

Some 200 staff were axed over the weekend  including Musk devotee Esther Crawford who led the relaunch of the Twitter Blue subscription scheme.

The product manager was known for committing publicly to Musks hardcore office culture. A picture of her in the office in a sleeping bag and wearing a sleep mask was shared online last November.

Sacked: Twitter manager Esther Crawford, who was known for committing publicly to Musks hardcore office culture. has now lost her job

As news of her sacking broke, she took to the platform to defend herself, writing: The worst take you could have from watching me go all-in on Twitter 2.0 is that my optimism or hard work was a mistake.

Those who jeer and mock are necessarily on the sidelines and not in the arena. Im deeply proud of the team for building through so much noise and chaos.

Musk bought Twitter in October for 38billion and fired about half the 7,500-strong workforce the following month.

He called for those who remained to sign up to an extremely hardcore working culture and further cuts have been made since.

But the latest round of job cuts were the largest since then and hit 200 of the 2,000 employees who were left.

Those hit primarily were product managers, data scientists and engineers who worked on machine learning and site reliability for the business, according to The New York Times.

Twitter staff took to Blind, an anonymous online platform for verified workers, to detail the cuts as they unfolded.

People receive an email at 2am on Saturday and access cut immediately, one post read.

This will go down as one of the most extreme lay-offs in entire corporate history.

The user claimed the sackings hit the project management department the hardest and were spread across HR, sales and marketing, engineering and finance.

Dedicated: Crawford posted a picture of herself sleeping in her office as she worked long hours to relaunch the Twitter Blue subscription scheme

Crawford was among several laid-off staff who had founded small tech companies that Twitter had previously bought.

She set up Squad, a screen-sharing and video chat app, which Twitter purchased in 2020 before she joined the social media giant.

In response to Crawfords tweet following her sacking, Ella Irwin, Twitters head of trust and safety, wrote: Thank you for working so hard to help lay the foundation for Twitter 2.0 Esther. You will be missed.

Musk, the chief executive of electric car maker Tesla, has been shrewd and direct about the financial turmoil Twitter faces.

The 51-year-old made it clear before his acquisition that cost-cutting would be the priority.

Employees were told in November they needed to sign a pledge to be able to stay on in their roles.

They received an email that read: If you are sure that you want to be part of the new Twitter, please click yes on the link below.

The link led to an online form, in which Musk told his workers that if they did not sign by 5pm Eastern time two days later on Thursday, November 17, they would get three months of severance pay.
Tik Tok has been accused of short-changing artists and labels for their music  with industry bigwigs warning payouts could get even worse under new plans.

The Chinese video-sharing platform has more than a billion monthly users, having exploded in popularity during the pandemic thanks to catchy songs and fun dance videos.

But estimates suggest Bytedance-owned Tik Tok paid out only 148million in total to labels and artists during the course of 2021 generating revenues of over 3billion for the year.

Hitmaker: Tik Tok exploded in popularity during the pandemic thanks to catchy songs from artists (such as Taylor Swift, pictured) and dance videos

According to analysis from industry site Music Business Worldwide, this represented less than 5 per cent of Tik Tok revenue. By contrast, rival YouTube forked out over 3billion  or roughly 14 per cent of ad revenues  to music rights holders.

The main argument from labels is that because music plays such a fundamental role, they should get a bigger slice of the Tik Tok pie, like they do with YouTube.

It is understood that TikTok is due to renegotiate its contracts with the major labels in the coming weeks. However, the reality is that the economics of Tik Tok is often shrouded in mystery.

David Martin, chief executive at Featured Artists Coalition (FAC), a trade body representing musicians rights, said artists (such as Taylor Swift, pictured) were frustrated by the lack of transparency.

The frustration is that artists are often locked out of those conversations, he said.

British songstress Kelli-Leigh, who released her debut single Do You Wanna Be Loved Like This? in 2018 on her own label and has performed with the likes of Adele and Leona Lewis, told the Mail: Ultimately,

I dont hear of many artists receiving a fair or decent amount of revenue for their works on Tik Tok. Im not sure Ive seen any royalties from usage from music Ive been involved in being used on the platform.

Discussing the growth of Tik Tok, Universal Music boss Sir Lucian Grainge recently said: When you look at the billions of views, the rate at which the company has grown, we will fight and determine how our artists get paid and when they get paid, in the same way that we have done throughout the industry for many years.

Labels and trade bodies are also concerned that a trial by Tik Tok Australia could lead to more radical changes to artist remuneration.

Tik Tok has slashed the number of songs available to 3.5m users Down Under, muting certain artists.

The Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA), an open and passionate critic of the trial, suggested the Chinese giant could use it as evidence to further slash the amount it pays the industry by downplaying the significance of music for users.

After exploiting artists content and relationships with fans to build the platform, Tik Tok now seeks to rationalise cutting artists compensation by staging a test of musics role in content discovery, ARIA boss Annabelle Herd said.

And its not just Australia the industry is worried about.

A leading executive at a major label told the Mail: Whats starting as an isolated case in Australia could quickly spill over to other parts of the world  creating a massive and widening value gap with the music industry, and negatively impacting consumers, creators, culture and other businesses.

Tik Tok continues to put its thumb on the scale to drive down costs and favour its own distribution channel.

The company is exerting its market power in music to increase the wealth concentration for Bytedance owners at the expense of artists and songwriters.

This was echoed by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI), the UK trade body which represents 450 labels, including the three majors Universal Music, Sony Music and Warner Music.

BPI boss Sophie Jones said: Rather than shutting off fans from artists and songwriters, Tik Tok should focus its efforts on addressing how to build a business model that recognises the value of music on the platform.

A Tik Tok spokesman said: We are currently analysing how sounds are accessed and added to videos in Australia, while also looking to improve and enhance the wider Sounds Library.

This has meant that some of the community has been unable to access our full Tik Tok Sounds Library. This change will not be in place for long and not all music is affected.

It said speculation on expanding this test to other markets was baseless.
Joe Biden's brother touted his family connections in a letter to the Qatari royal family asking for work, DailyMail.com can reveal.

Jim Biden, the President's younger brother, wrote a groveling letter to a Qatari prince in charge of the Arab nation's $170 billion investment fund in August 2017, asking for a meeting.

In the letter, obtained by DailyMail.com from Hunter Biden's abandoned laptop, Jim told a Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) director: 'My family could provide a wealth of introductions and business opportunities at the highest levels.'

The letter is the latest in a series of revelations about Joe's younger sibling Jim Biden, 73, using the family name to boost his business connections in the Middle East.

Jim Biden wrote a groveling letter to a member of the Qatari royal family asking for a meeting in August 2017, DailyMail.com can reveal

In the letter, obtained by DailyMail.com from Hunter Biden's abandoned laptop, Jim told a Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) director: 'My family could provide a wealth of introductions and business opportunities at the highest levels'

Jim was seeking the attention of Sheikh Abdullah Bin Mohammed Al Thani, the QIA CEO and a member of the Qatari royal family. Sheikh Abdullah served as CEO of the oil-rich nation's $170 billion fund from 2014 to 2018, and is now Qatar's ambassador to Germany

The news follows DailyMail.com's revelation, published last week, that Jim boasted about being hired to negotiate a $140 million settlement with Saudi Arabia 'because of his position and relationship' to then-Vice President Joe.

Jim is also embroiled in the ongoing federal criminal investigation into his nephew Hunter. Prosecutors are said to be considering charges for Hunter over alleged tax crimes, illegal foreign lobbying and money laundering.

Jim addressed his August 1, 2017, letter to Khaled Sultan Al Rabban, then the director of the QIA CEO's office, for the attention of his boss, Sheikh Abdullah Bin Mohammed Al Thani, the QIA CEO and a member of the Qatari royal family.

Sheikh Abdullah served as CEO of the oil-rich nation's $170 billion fund from 2014 to 2018, and is now Qatar's ambassador to Germany.

Hunter had been interested in doing business with Qatar since 2014, back when he was beginning to form his ambitious business plans.

In May 2014, Hunter took a trip to Qatar with a US Secret Service detail in tow  as his father was still in office as Vice President.

Records released under the Freedom of Information Act show Hunter flew to Doha for three days on May 11, though the Secret Service has so far refused to give congressional investigators probing the trips further information.

Jim appears to have picked up the baton in his August 2017 approach to the QIA.

In the letter, he was careful to point out the Bidens were not lobbyists, but dangled the family's 'deep and wide' relationships that 'lasted through many years and many administrations' to the senior prince.

'I would be honored to assist in effectuating the vision of His Excellency but would be remiss in not pointing out the fractured nature of our current administration,' Jim wrote, referring to the then-newly elected president Donald Trump.

'My family could provide a wealth of introductions and business opportunities at the highest levels that I believe would be worthy of the interest of His Excellency.'

Jim addressed his August 1, 2017 letter to Khaled Sultan Al Rabban, the then director of the QIA CEO's office

Hunter Biden had been interested in doing business with Qatar since 2014 and in May of that year he took a trip to Qatar with a US Secret Service detail in tow

The letter is the latest in a series of revelations about Joe's younger sibling Jim Biden, 73, using his family name and relationship to his brother Joe to boost his business connections in the Middle East

The letter was first publicly shared by right-wing news site Breitbart in October last year, but has since taken on a new significance following the revelations of Jim's extensive touting of his family connections to his Middle East business associates.

Despite declaring his family's 'deep and wide' political connections, Jim said in the letter that the Bidens are 'not lobbyists'  though Hunter previously worked as a registered lobbyist before he was forced to give up the career over perceived conflicts of interest when his father became VP.

'We are not, however, lobbyists and do not operate in that arena. Our relationships are deep and wide and have lasted through many years and many administrations,' Jim wrote. 'We are not particularly close to this administration [meaning President Trump] and have a different vision.

'This administration is beleaguered by major issues that are not soon to be resolved. In the meantime, we continue to forge ahead in forward thinking endeavors that create real value both here in the United States and abroad.

'Our primary interest is and always has been to advance the interests of the United States through productive collaborations with partners home and abroad.

'If this is in keeping with the vision of His Excellency, on behalf of the Biden family, I welcome your interest here. I recommend [Jim's associate] Dr. Rustom arrange a conference call to discuss the way moving forward and perhaps a face to face meeting in New York or Qatar with you and His Excellency.'

Despite touting his family's 'deep and wide' political connections, Jim said in the letter that the Bidens are 'not lobbyists

While Donald Trump was running for President, his son-in-law Jared Kushners family firm was desperately seeking a debt bailout on a Manhattan property it bought for $1.8 billion just before the financial crash in 2007 and Kushner's father pitched the Qatari Investment Authority on an investment, but failed to reach a deal

Jim was not the only member of a First Family to pursue Qatar for commercial investments.

While Donald Trump was running for President, his son-in-law Jared Kushners family firm was desperately seeking a debt bailout on a Manhattan property it bought for $1.8 billion just before the financial crash in 2007.

Kushners father Charles pitched the Qatari Investment Authority on an investment, but failed to reach a deal.

In 2017 Jim wrote to then-New York Governor Andrew Cuomo's office to arrange a meeting between the governor and Biden's Chinese business partners, who were later accused of bribery and corruption

Weeks later, Kushner was reportedly central in supporting a blockade of the Arab country by their regional enemies Saudi Arabia and the UAE, in his role as senior adviser to Trump.

Other documents on Hunter's abandoned laptop show Jim was also unafraid to use the Biden family name to set up meetings with US politicians on behalf of his Chinese business partners  placing him at the center of the President's family's foreign business dealings.

In 2017 Jim wrote to then-New York Governor Andrew Cuomo's office to arrange a meeting between the governor and Biden's Chinese business partners, who were later accused of bribery and corruption.

Jim asked for a 'brief meeting or 'drop by' by the Governor in April 2017 'to discuss potential projects and investments in New York.'

The proposed meeting attendees included Hunter; Ye Jianming, the chairman of CEFC, the giant Chinese government-linked company they partnered with, who was later arrested for corruption in China; a mystery member of the Luxembourg royal family; and James Gilliar, a shadowy British consultant whose company boasts deep ties with top US Department of Homeland Security and Department of Justice officials.

The two letters provide new evidence of Jim's deep involvement in Hunter's controversial business dealings and an apparent willingness by both men to use their family name for financial gain.

Jim's second letter, obtained by DailyMail.com in the cache of documents found on Hunter's abandoned computer, also raises troubling questions about the Biden brother's apparent attempts to peddle influence.

Jim wrote to New York Governor Andrew Cuomo's director of scheduling that 'on April 5th & 6th of 2017, CEFC will be in New York, NY for a series of meetings regarding Real Estate and Infrastructure investments in the US. Pending availability, we request a brief meeting or 'drop by' by the Governor at a convenient location & time either the 5th or 6th. We intend to discuss potential projects and investments in New York.'

He followed with a background on CEFC, highlighting the Chinese energy behemoth's '35 billion USD' 2014 revenues and noting that it is majority-owned by its chairman, Ye Jianming.

It is unclear whether the meeting with Cuomo took place.

In another letter obtained by DailyMail.com, Jim asked for a 'brief meeting or 'drop by' by the Governor in April 2017 'to discuss potential projects and investments in New York'

Jim asked for a meeting between Governor Cuomo and Ye Jianming, the chairman of CEFC, the giant Chinese government-linked company they partnered with, who was later arrested for corruption in China

Hunter and Jim's business partner James Gilliar also suggested a meeting with Cuomo in an April 27, 2017 email. 'Meet Gov of NYS ? , if so times ? Meet anyone else ?, are we meeting in NYC or elsewhere ?,' he wrote

Hunter and Jim had partnered with Jianming's company in a joint venture which was scrutinized by a 2020 Senate committee report that warned of undue Chinese influence on the next President's son.

Jim's plan in contacting Cuomo's office appears to have been an attempt to get his Chinese business partners involved in large and lucrative infrastructure projects in the state.

The president's brother reportedly sent a memo to his business partners a month after the proposed meeting with Cuomo, on May 15, noting that the then-governor 'is moving forward with major infrastructure projects such as the long-stalled Tappan Zee Bridge replacement and the much-needed redevelopment of LaGuardia Airport.'

'His administration has invested nearly $4billion through the Regional Council and Upstate Revitalization initiatives to jumpstart the economy and support local priorities for development,' Jim's May memo said, first reported by the New York Post.

Hunter and Jim's business partner James Gilliar also suggested a meeting with Cuomo in an April 27, 2017 email.

'Meet Gov of NYS ? , if so times ? Meet anyone else ?, are we meeting in NYC or elsewhere ?,' he wrote.

Seven months after the proposed meeting between CEFC and Cuomo, the US Justice Department prosecuted a top CEFC executive for bribery, and Chairman Ye was later arrested in China.

DailyMail.com obtained its copy of Hunter's laptop hard drive from former Steve Bannon podcast co-host Jack Maxey.
A grieving dad has been forced to dig his little girl's grave for the second time, after a devastating storm buried her final resting place under metres of mud and silt.

Peter Lafferty buried his precious firstborn Sarah 21 years ago after she tragically died at just five from pneumonia.

Sarah was laid to rest at a small, privately-owned cemetery on the banks of the Mangaone River in the Hawke's Bay region on New Zealand's North Island.

A heartbroken Mr Lafferty, 59, feared the worst after Tropical Cyclone Gabrielle and raging floodwaters left behind a massive trail of destruction earlier this month.

The entire cemetery was unrecognisable after floodwaters dumped five feet of silt and debris onto the 120 grave headstones at the cemetery.

Armed with just a shovel and a wheelbarrow, Mr Lafferty managed to find his daughter's grave last week after an hour of painstakingly digging by hand.

Peter Lafferty's eldest child Sarah (pictured at two-months-old ) was born with cerebral palsy

'I didn't think I'd ever be doing it this all over again but someone has to do it,' he told Daily Mail Australia.

'It was heartbreaking having to get down on my hands and knees and continue digging until I found Sarah's grave.

'I'm also devastated for the other families whose loved ones are buried here.'

Mr Lafferty said he'd buried his daughter seven feet deep and was 'relieved' to find her headstone and coffin after the extensive dig.

'I buried Sarah here with the help of my dad 22 years ago, digging seven feet deep,' he said.

'I was super relieved to find it but at the same time, it brings back sad memories.'

A vacant plot remains next to Sarah's grave so Mr Lafferty can be buried next to his little girl when the time comes.

The recent ordeal brought back heartbreaking memories of his beloved daughter, who was born with severe cerebral palsy.

Both Sarah and her mum were lucky to survive the traumatic birth.

'Sarah was starved of oxygen for 45 minutes,' Mr Lafferty recalled.

'Doctors told me she wouldn't survive 10 hours.'

Peter Lafferty (pictured) hopes to recover all 120 graves at the cemetery

Peter Lafferty had to dig for his daughter's grave a second time 21 years after he buried her

Mr Lafferty said his daughter suffered many health battles her entire short life.

'Her mum was in an induced coma afterwards so it was a month before she was able to hold her for the first time,' he said.

'Sarah was a living doll unable to sit or stand, walk or talk. But she was so strong.

'Not a day passes by when I don't think about her.'

Mr Lafferty's work at the cemetery is far from over.

Almost a fortnight on from the disaster, which saw a national state of emergency declared for just the third time in the country's history, the massive clean-up has only just begun.

The cyclone caused widespread damage on New Zealand's North Island and claimed at least 11 lives as the countrys most damaging natural disaster his century.

A makeshift bridge has been built over Mangaone River after the Rissington Bridge washed away.

Being on the banks of the Mangaone River, the cemetery felt the full brunt of the cyclone and remains a scene of devastation, covered in mud and strewn with debris and driftwood.

Peter Lafferty's daughter Sarah (pictured) tragically died from pneumonia in 2001

The cyclone left behind a massive trail of destruction at the privately-owned cemetery

Mr Lafferty is now determined to find all 120 graves at the site, privately owned by the local Absolom family whom he grew up with.

He spends up to 10 hours there almost every day.

He could be digging for weeks for 50 graves which still need to be found, including several relatives.

Much of the task is done by shovel rather than mechanical diggers, mindful of potential risk of destroying graves deep below the surface.

The cemetery clean-up has almost solely been a one man job, apart from the help of soldiers to remove massive piles of dirt blocking the entrance gates.

'It's a major job, the entire cemetery was buried under five feet of silt,' Mr Lafferty said.

'The headstones are very fragile so you have to be super duper careful.'

'I know where most of the graves are, having played here all then time when I was a kid.

'Some of the graves are more than 120 years, including a mother and son who died within days of each other during the Spanish flu epidemic.'

The cemetery felt the full brunt of Cyclone Gabrielle. Pictured is the devastating aftermath one week on

Mr Lafferty is also desperately searching for the porcelain teddy bear that sat next to Sarah's headstone, which has sentimental value.

The memento was given by friends Mr Lafferty has met while living in Australia during the 1980s working as an interstate truck driver.

Mr Lafferty's other children Amy and Luke are proud of his tireless efforts.

'Hes been out in the hot sun every for a week doing a job no one should ever have to do, and Im guttered I cant go home to help,' his son told Daily Mail Australia.

'The whole family was relieved to learn Sarah is still there and really appreciates the work hes doing.'
All NSW home buyers will have the option to choose to ditch stamp duty for a lower ongoing annual land tax in a major election promise announced by the government.

Buyers of apartment dwellings would benefit the most from the reform, with land tax payable on a $1.5m property taking about 46 years to equal the same outright cost incurred by stamp duty.

The proposed changes were heralded by NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet on Sunday in an attempt to woo potential homeowners.

As of January 16, first homebuyers have been able to choose between paying stamp duty or an ongoing annual land tax calculated at $400, plus 0.3 per cent of their property's land value, on properties under $1.5m.

Under the First Home Buyer Choice scheme, stamp duty for a home valued at $1.5m would cost about $66,700, whereas a land tax would incur an annual fee of about $3,850.

The plan is about giving buyers a choice. 'Stamp duty is a terrible tax', said Mr Perrottet

With those figures, it would take more than 17 years for the total land tax paid to surpass the outright stamp duty payment.

However, the government's expanded stamp duty reform would increase the $1.5m cap by $50,000 a year starting in the 2023-24 financial year.

Buyers would be able to own two properties under the land tax scheme, although additional homes would incur stamp duty.

Announcing the major tax reform in Peakhurst, in the Opposition Leader Chris Minns' electorate of Kogarah, the Premier said the policy was about giving home buyers 'a choice'.

'Stamp duty is a terrible tax. As the Treasurer said, it's a barrier to people being able to purchase their home,' said Mr Perrottet.

'We want them to be able to continue to move up the property ladder and make the choices that suit their family and their circumstances.'

The proposed changes were heralded by NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet (pictured) on Sunday in an attempt to woo potential homeowners

Treasurer Matt Kean said more than 1,000 people have already opted for the scheme since January 16.

'We know that's a family purchasing a home for $1m in Western Sydney and owning it for five years and then selling it, upgrading to a home with $1.5m can save up to $90,000 under this scheme,' he said.

In comparison, Labor's policy for first homebuyers would abolish stamp duty for homes up to $800,000, increasing the current cap by $150,000.

A discounted stamp duty rate would apply for properties under $1m.

Big winner in proposed stamp duty cuts

Managing Director of Sydney-based mortgage brokerage firm Pure Finance, Brendan Dixon, says replacing stamp duty with a land tax would see apartment buyers benefit the most, as they command less land value.

'A block of apartments is one block of land but the value of the land is divided across the apartments in the building, and it depends on what your allotment is,' Mr Dixon told NCA NewsWire.

'So the annual land tax for apartments is a lot cheaper than it is for houses but it will vary building to building, and depending on the area you're in.'

Using the example of a $1.5m apartment in Sydney's inner-city suburb of Surry Hills, the stamp duty would be $66,700, while the annual land tax would cost $1,445.

'In this example, the owners would need to remain in the property for a massive 46 years for it to be worth paying the lump sum stamp duty. A bit of a no-brainer,' Mr Dixon said.
A third hat has been thrown into the ring in the race for a potential new boss of Qantas as Alan Joyce prepares to step down as chief executive by the end of the year.

The airline announced on Monday Cameron Wallace, the former Air New Zealand customer and chief commercial officer, had been appointed as the CEO of Qantas International and Freight.

Mr Wallace will begin his new role on July 1 after an extensive two-decade career in the aviation industry in the Asia Pacific region.

His appointment has raised speculation Qantas may be gearing up for a new CEO, with Qantas Loyalty chief Olivia Worth and CFO Vanessa Hudson also in the running to replace Mr Joyce.

Mr Joyce, who's held the role of CEO since 2008, said last week he plans to stay on until at least the end of this year.

Alan Joyce who's held the role of Qantas CEO since 2008, said last week he plans to stay on until at least the end of this year. Speculation has risen over who may replace him

Qantas chairman Richard Goyder also said late last year that Mr Joyce would serve as the airline's CEO 'until at least the end of 2023'.

The airline announced on Monday Cameron Wallace, the former Air New Zealand customer and chief commercial officer, had been appointed to the CEO of Qantas International and Freight

Andrew David who currently holds the role of CEO of Qantas Domestic and International will resign in September, with the job title split in two 'as each business welcomes new aircraft and expands its network'.

Mr Joyce said Mr Wallace was 'one of the best airline executives in the region' in Monday's announcement.

'He brings over two decades of airline experience including his long career at Air New Zealand, with responsibilities spanning sales, revenue management, market development, alliances and cargo,' he said.

'Cam is inheriting a very talented team and will add to the depth of experience on our Group Management Committee.'

Another CEO contender, Ms Hudson, has worked for the airline for 28 years and has held her role as CFO since October, 2019.

Olivia Wirth, the chief executive of Qantas Loyalty, is another front runner for the top job

Ms Hudson said she was ready to step up into the top job last March.

'If the Board were to give me the opportunity to step into Alan's shoes, I would be incredibly honoured and proud to do that,' she told Bloomberg.

Ms Wirth, another frontrunner, has been with the airline for 13 years, and was promoted to Qantas Loyalty CEO in March, 2018.

She oversees the Frequent Flyer program in her role.

Qantas last week posted an interim underlying pre-tax profit of $1.43 billion, in its first return to profitability since the Covid pandemic started three years ago.
A man who was sexually abused by a famous Collingwood superfan has waived his anonymity to reveal the sickening email confession that led to the perpetrator being found guilty.

Alex Case, 31, was groomed and abused by Jeffrey 'Joffa' Corfe in his home in Coburg, in Melbourne's north, on January 29, 2005.

Under the alias David Winston, the then-44-year-old sent his then-14-year-old victim messages over MSN messenger and email, inviting him to his home - where Mr Case found Corfe did not at all match his description of himself.

'The description he'd given me did not line up with the person that I saw. I knew straight away,' he told A Current Affair.

'The main thought that was going through my mind when I saw him was, "I can't walk away because it'll upset him. It's rude".'

Corfe was one of Collingwood's most recognised cheer squad fans - famously putting on his gold jacket when he thought Magpies had won a match

Alex Case, 31, was groomed and abused by Jeffrey 'Joffa' Corfe in his home in Coburg, in Melbourne's north, on January 29, 2005, when he was 14-years-old

Corfe then made Mr Case perform oral sex upon him in the front bedroom of his home, where the windows were covered with thick blankets to keep out the light.

Ten minutes later, Mr Case emerged from the home feeling distraught. 'He slapped me on the butt and was like "seeya mate",' he recalled.

The 14-year-old later sent his abuser a text message, asking: 'Why did you do that? You shouldn't do that to young people.'

Corfe replied: 'Yeah I shouldn't have. I'm sorry.'

Mr Case had initially felt a sense of closure after receiving the apology and tried to bury the memories in a 'glass box' in his mind.

However, that box was 'shattered' when he stumbled upon old emails from Corfe while searching through his childhood Gmail account for an old Myspace password.

For 15 years, Mr Case battled the impacts of the abuse, suffering panic attacks, sabotaging his relationships and missing opportunities.

'It infected every part of my life. It infected my relationships, it infected my friendships, I just thought I didn't deserve anything good,' he said.

Mr Case sent Corfe a text message reproaching him for the incident. Corfe replied saying he was 'sorry' (pictured, a mock-up of text messages the pair exchanged in 2005)

Corfe abused the schoolboy in a front bedroom of his home in Coburg, in Melbourne's north (pictured) after grooming the 14-year-old for months over MSN and email

Mr Case decided to go to Victoria Police in the hopes his abuser would be held accountable for his crimes.

In May 2021, the AFL superfan returned to Melbourne for a game and shared his location on social media. He was arrested and charged by police.

Corfe, now aged in his 60s, pleaded guilty to a charge of sexually penetrating a child under the aged of 16 in November 2022.

The court heard the abuse was a 'one-off' in Corfe's otherwise law-abiding life, and he was a loving father and generous community member.

A judge on Monday wholly suspended his 12-month prison sentence for two years with the 62-year-old to remain a registered sex offender for 15 years.

Jorfe, now aged in his 60's, pleaded guilty to a charge of sexually penetrating a child under the aged of 16 in November 2022 (he is pictured arriving to court on February 21, 2023)

Last week, a judge wholly suspended Corfe's 12-month prison sentence for two years with the 62-year-old to remain a registered sex offender for 15 years

If Corfe didn't plead guilty, the judge would have handed him a prison sentence of two years and four months with a non-parole period of 14 months.

Mr Case believes his abuser hasn't been held accountable for his crimes.

'It's a justice system, but the sentences being handed down are not just,' he said.

'I honestly do question why I bothered.'

The 31-year-old plans to lobby Victoria's Director of Public Prosecutions to appeal the sentence.
A ruling is under way at the Constitutional Court, Feb. 23. Yonhap



The Constitutional Court has ruled that the school violence prevention law mandating a school bully's apology to the victim and other countermeasures is constitutional, officials said Tuesday.



The court made the decision 6-3, rejecting a middle school student's petition claiming that the anti-school violence law infringes upon the freedom of conscience and personality rights by forcing an apology to a victim of school bullying.



Under the school violence prevention act, bullies can be ordered to make a written apology to victims, banned from contacting, threatening or retaliating against victims, and be ordered to transfer classes.



The student filed the petition for a review of the law's constitutionality after being punished for school violence in 2017 with orders to make a written apology to the victim, move to a different class and not to contact the victim.



The nine-member court said the requirement of a written apology from a school bully is meant to offer an educational opportunity to look back on his wrongdoings and apologize to the victim.



"The issue of school violence cannot be approached wholly from the perspective of punishment, and the educational perspective of needing to guide and enlighten the perpetrators of school bullying should also be considered," the court said.



The court also upheld the constitutionality of prohibiting school bullies from contacting, threatening or retaliating against victims or whistle-blowers of school violence and subjecting school violence perpetrators to a class transfer, saying such measures do not restrict their freedom of action.



The petitioner had concomitantly filed a lawsuit contesting the school's disciplinary action against him, but the Supreme Court finally ruled against him in 2019. (Yonhap)


A six-year-old Maine girl will never be able to smile again after being mauled in a savage pit bull attack that left her with more than 1,000 stitches in her face and neck.

Little Lily Norton was on a playdate at a friend's house when the horrifying attack occurred. The pit bull, who was being watched by her friend's mother- leapt at the youngster and mauled her little face- when her friend walked away from the table to get a deck of cards for them to play with.

A relative in a GoFundMe wrote that 'the dog had Lily in her mouth.'

Lily was rushed to a local hospital and than flown to Boston Children's Hospital on Saturday for emergency surgery that took 11 hours and a massive amount of stitches from below her eyes to under her chin.

CJ Pitcher, a family friend who created the fundraiser for Lily told the Sun Journal that 'her salivary glands aren't working  and doctors said she won't be able to smile again ... muscles are too damaged.'

Six-year-old Lily Norton was mauled in a savage pit bull attack last week and received more than 1,000 stitches to her face and neck

A family friend told Sun Journal that Lily will 'never be able to smile again,' due to the extensive damage she sustained from the attack

A picture of Children's Hospital Boston where Lily was flown to on Saturday and underwent an 11-hour surgery

He told the news outlet that that the dog that attacked Lily was a neighbor's relative's dog, and that neighbor was watching the dog.

It is unclear where the dog was taken after the attack.

Doctors have put Lily on a breathing tube for the next week to keep her sedated and help her to heal and prevent her from scratching at her face.

Dorothy Norton has been at her daughter's bedside since the attack, as Lily's father, Leo, is back in Chesterfield, a small town in Maine that has a population of less than 1,500, to care for their other children.

The attack was being investigated by Animal Control Officers.

Lily's mother was grateful for the outpouring of support since the attack and gave an update on her daughter's health.

'She's still sedated because she has a breathing tube in. But other than that, she's really good. She looks really good,' Dorothy said, News Center Maine reported.

A photo of Lily all bundled up

Another pretty photo of Lily wearing pig tails and a cute dress with rainbows and a ballerina skirt

Lily titling her head in pose as she smiles at the camera looking so sweet

A GoFundMe was arranged by a family friend to help the family with Lily's medical and their travel expenses.

'This poor sweet little girl has had her life changed forever,' the post read.

'She's only 6. Not to mention her parents life has now been flip over. They have a long road of recovery and hospital visits. They will be enduring a lot of traveling in the future years to come from Maine to Boston for their daughters care.'

'We are asking for any and all help we can get for this family and help them ease some of the expenses that this terrible tragedy put them in.. my heart goes out to the Norton family especially the beautiful little Lily.'

As of Monday night, nearly $64,000 has been raised surpassing their initial goal of $6,500.
A woman claims she was thrown into a police paddy wagon after she became stranded on-board a Jetstar flight with more than 300 passengers.

Flight JQ30 from Bangkok to Melbourne was forced to make an emergency landing in Alice Springs on Saturday night after a passenger had a suspected stroke.

An electrical fault on the aircraft combined with the airport's incapacity to deal with international passengers resulted in passengers being left on the plane for close to double the intended flight time.

Nikki Mitropoulos said she was in immense pain during the seven-hour stopover on the airport tarmac because she had just undergone a 'tummy tuck' surgery.

Nikki Mitropoulos was on flight JQ30 from Bangkok to Melbourne that was forced to make an emergency landing in Alice Springs on Saturday night after a passenger had a suspected stroke

Ms Metropoulos claimed she and her friend were thrown into a paddy wagon after asking to disembark the plane

'I said, 'I suffer from anxiety, I've just had surgery and I'm really struggling here',' Ms Mitropoulos told A Current Affair on Monday night.

She said the layover prevented her from taking antibiotics prescribed to prevent an infection after her operation.

Ms Mitropoulos claims when she told the flight captain she was experiencing a panic attack and asked if she could leave the plane she was met with an uncaring response.

'He (the captain) said, ''Nope, I'm going to make an example of you, you're getting arrested'',' she said.

'That's when I had a severe panic attack.'

The woman said she was suffering from anxiety and was struggling after receiving stomach surgery

Nikki Metropoulos has claimed she was falsely imprisoned

She said she was taken off the aircraft with her friend Michelle, piled into a paddy wagon and driven to the police station.

Ms Mitropoulos said she was offered $200 credit from Jetstar, but that was not enough to convince her to fly with Jetstar again.

'We will never travel with Jetstar again, never,' she said.

A Jetstar spokesman said the airline had 'zero tolerance for disruptive behaviour'.

'Our crew are there to ensure a safe and respectful environment for everyone,' the spokesman said.

'We have zero tolerance for disruptive behaviour.

Jetstar passengers are seen in a cordoned off area at the Alice Springs airport after their plane made an emergency stop for a passenger

'Any passenger who refuses to follow instructions or who is abusive will be removed from the flight.'

The spokesman thanked passengers for their understanding and apologised for the 'difficult experience'.

'We appreciate this has been a lengthy delay and apologise to passengers for the difficult experience,' he said.

'We thank passengers for their patience and understanding as we supported the passenger requiring urgent medical assistance and worked to get everyone else on their way as quickly as possible.'

Passengers were given the option to disembark into a specially partitioned section of the airport and provided drinks and food.

The replacement aircraft arrived about 11 hours later, and the new flight landed in Melbourne just after 11pm on Monday.
This is the shocking moment a popular drag queen was refused service by a taxi driver before 'being pushed over by a homeless person' during Australia's biggest LGBTQ+ rights festival.

Footage shows a taxi driving away from the performer - who goes by the stage name Penny Tration - leaving her on a Sydney street struggling to get home while carrying several bags on Friday.

After being refused another taxi, Penny was 'pushed over by a homeless person' and struggled to get up before being helped by a manager of a nearby bar who was trained in first aid.

A clip of Penny's harrowing experience was uploaded to TikTok by The Challenge star Suzan Mutesi, who urged others to be more respectful of drag performers.

Penny had hosted a bingo event on Sydney's Oxford street before the fracas.

Shocking footage shows a cab speeding off before Penny shouts 'I just told you where we were going you f***wit,' as she throws her Christian Dior bag at the car.

She explained that the driver didn't want to take drag queens, despite attending the pick up during Mardi Gras weekend.

While waiting for the next taxi, Penny was then pushed over, with footage showing her lying on the street before the manager of a nearby bar arrived to help her up.

Drag queen Penny Tration was left reeling after being refused a taxi in Sydney

Eventually, the performer was able to get in a taxi.

'Just be kind, show more grace and love,' Suzan said about the clip.

Sydney is hosting WorldPride this year, with thousands of LGBTQ+ people from all over the world descending on Australia to celebrate.

Sydney's Oxford Street was awash with glitter on Saturday after 300,000 partygoers celebrated the Mardi Gras parade.

Anthony Albanese became the first sitting prime minister to march in the parade while big-names like MAFS model Evelyn Ellis and P.E. Nation founder Pip Edwards were spotted among the crowd.

While waiting for the next taxi, Penny was then pushed over, with footage showing her lying on the street before the manager of a nearby bar arrived to help her up

Former Greens senator Lidia Thorpe caused a scene as she disrupted the parade and laid down in front of an Australian Federal Police float after screaming 'f*** the police'.

The event followed a blockbuster WorldPride opening concert in the Domain on Friday night, when Kylie Minogue headlined in a performance that included a surprise cameo from her sister Dannii.

WorldPride will continue for another week before finishing with a historic march across the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

Fifty thousand people dressed in their brightest colours will march across the landmark in a call for global equality on Sunday morning.

WorldPride has been called Sydney's biggest event since the 2000 Olympics, and is expected to host more than half a million people across its 300 or so events.
Shocking footage shows the moment a father was left bleeding out on his driveway after being stabbed by a teenager on Christmas Day.

Father-of-three Ben Clark on Tuesday revealed how he tried to calm the 'screaming' teenager outside his home in Emu Park, east of Rockhampton on Queensland's central Coast.

Mr Clark said the teen had turned up at his house uninvited earlier in the day, before being asked to leave.

However, he said the teen had secretly stashed a knife nearby without anyone realising.

As Mr Clark was cleaning up at the end of the day, the teen returned and started 'screaming and yelling'.

CCTV of the confrontation shows Mr Clark trying to restrain the teen, not knowing he was armed, before falling to his knees in shock and saying: 'He just stabbed me.'

Screaming family members are seen rushing to Mr Clark's aid as he slumps to the ground.

Father-of-three Ben Clark was stabbed by a teen on his own driveway on Christmas Day

CCTV of the confrontation shows Mr Clark then trying to restrain the teen, not knowing he was armed, before falling to his knees in shock after the stabbing

Appearing on Today, Mr Clark revealed he was stabbed just above his abdomen and still suffers from chest pains months later.

'Early in the evening we had a teen come to our house uninvited. He's obviously had a large day and, long story short, he was removed from the premises and put in the car,' he said.

'I calmed him down and sent him home and he then returned within half an hour as we're cleaning up.

'I was putting out the seafood and this car pulled up. The young fellow had concealed a knife in a family member's car, we didn't know.

'There was a bit of a confrontation, nothing violent. I was concerned for the child because he was extremely heightened and out of control and I just tried to settle him down.

'He was screaming and yelling what he was going to do and I didn't see any knife in his hand or anything.'

The father revealed he was stabbed just above his abdomen and still suffers from chest pains months later

Mr Clark's wife Cresta said she thought her husband was going to die.

'I was actually on the phone to our middle son who was backpacking around Germany and we were having our Christmas catch-up,' she explained.

'He's just called me and I was saying there's something going on out here. I'm not quite sure what's happening, Dad's just trying to settle this person down.

'Ben sent my youngest son back inside and said that this person was threatening to kill him and stab him.

'He was saying those words so we were listening and it all unfolded very quickly in front of our eyes.

'I'll never forget my husband dropping to his knees and clutching his chest and my other two sons running in to help him.

'I thought he was going to die on the grass that day.'

Mr Clark said he was shocked by the situation.

'It's something that you wouldn't expect in our little town because we love our town,' he said.

'I grew up here, I've raised my sons here. Three sons, all teenagers, now in their young 20s and this is just shocking that it's become normalised in our children's minds.

His wife Cresta said she thought her husband was going to die after the stabbing

'There's chest pain and that comes and goes and but it's not about that.

'It's not about me, it's a bigger issue for my family. It's a bigger issue for our state and our country and our children.

'I don't understand how this has been normalized and how it's okay and it doesn't really matter which way you spin it, it all comes back to the leadership.'

Queensland is in the grip of a youth crime wave that has forced Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk to launch new reforms.

She again made breach of bail an offence for young people - after dumping the offence in 2015 and rejecting a push for its return since.

Maximum sentences for stolen cars and night crimes will also be increased as well as greater penalties for those who boast about their crimes on social media.

The controversial change comes after a spate of high-profile homicides involving offenders under the age of 18, particularly in the state's south-east, as well as constant car thefts and home invasions across Townsville, Cairns and Mount Isa.

Community groups have called for more action and reminded the public of the mothers, fathers and teenagers who have already fallen victim to the crimewave.

Cabinet has also approved a $42 million youth justice package, including fly-in police officers that can be dispatched to problem areas.
As Cocaine Bear excels in theaters, the production company that shook the world with Sharknado is now preparing to release another crazed animal story.

As the newest weird animal story, Cocaine Bear - which is based off a real life event in Georgia in 1985 - takes off, The Asylum production company has announced Attack of the Meth Gator will be hitting screens this May.

'Hold our bearI mean, beer. Coming for your life this summer,' the company wrote on Twitter.

Fans were so sure it was a joke, the film company had to reassure fans it was, indeed, coming out. They wrote on Twitter: 'This is real! Were pumping the meth into Floridas fresh water reserves as we speak!'

If a black bear high off 70 pounds of cocaine sounds entertaining, as it has scored a 70 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, this independent film company is sure a meth-infused alligator will knock your socks off.

Like Cocaine Bear - which is directed by Hunger Games star Elizabeth Banks - Meth Gator is loosely based of a 2019 PSA from Tennessee police to not flush meth down the toilet.

Cocaine Bear is so old news! The Attack of the Meth Gator will be hitting screens this May, brought to moviegoers by the same production that did all five Sharknado films

The Asylum is so sure moviegoers will enjoy the film, they wrote on Twitter: 'Hold our bearI mean, beer. Coming for your life this summer,' the company wrote on Twitter'

The announcement came after the Lorretto Police Department arrested a man for unsuccessfully trying to dump meth paraphernalia down a toilet, according to the Orlando Sentinel at the time.

'On a more or less serious note: Folks please dont flush your drugs mkay,' the Lorretto Police Department wrote on Facebook at the time. 'Now our sewer guys take great pride in releasing water that is cleaner than what is in the creek, but they are not really prepared for meth.'

The police department said the contaminated water was getting local animals sick and the water could reach the Tennessee River, where alligators could consume it.

Sharknado took the world by storm in 2013 and five spinoffs later joined the lineup. The franchise has grossed an estimated $4.5billion, with the fifth film alone making nearly $800million.

The newest crazed animal film, Cocaine Bear - which is directed by Hunger Games star Elizabeth Banks - was released in theaters three days ago, picked up $23million on opening weekend

Its an outrageous comedy that absolutely delivers on its premise,' Jim Orr, Universals president of domestic distribution, said. 'People were ready to see something over the top'

The Sharknado universe that was once viewed as a joke, became the bestselling franchise in 2017, beating out The Marvel Cinematic Universe and Star Wars.

Since then, Despicable Me has grossed $4.6billion.

It was one of the first films of its time and became a major pop culture icon after its debut.

Now, Cocaine Bear is the newest fad. The film, which was released in theaters three days ago, picked up $23million on opening weekend, falling behind the new Ant Man movie, which grossed over $100million.

Fans were so sure it was a joke, the film company had to reassure fans it was, indeed, coming out. They wrote on Twitter: 'This is real! Were pumping the meth into Floridas fresh water reserves as we speak!'

'Its an outrageous comedy that absolutely delivers on its premise,' Jim Orr, Universals president of domestic distribution, said, according to Variety. 'People were ready to see something over the top.'

The film also received raved reviews from critics, with Kevin Maher from the UK Times, stating: 'Elizabeth Banks takes this real-life curio and slams it up against the killer animal genre with mostly pleasing results.'

'It may not be Grizzly Man meets Scarface, but it leaves Snakes on a Plane standing on the runway,' the Observer wrote.
Fox Corporation Chairman Rupert Murdoch admitted that some of his Fox News hosts 'endorsed' false claims that the 2020 election was stolen from Donald Trump in his deposition for the $1.6 billion lawsuit brought by Dominion Voting Systems.

Murdoch denied that Fox as a network endorsed the claims, but admitted a collection of his hosts shared the 'stolen election lies', according to a transcript of the billionaire's sworn testimony from last month.

'They endorsed,' Murdoch said of hosts Jeanine Pirro, Sean Hannity, Lou Dobbs and Maria Bartiromo. He said that former host Dobbs did 'a lot' and Hannity did 'a bit.'

'I would have liked us to be stronger in denouncing it in hindsight,' Murdoch added.

Dominion alleged that Fox broadcast comments made by Trump-affiliated lawyers Sidney Powell and Rudy Giuliani that defamed the voting company.

A Fox News spokeswoman called Dominion's argument in the filing 'an extreme, unsupported view of defamation law that would prevent journalists from basic reporting.'

Fox Corp's Rupert Murdoch admitted that his Fox News hosts promoted false claims that the 2020 election was stolen from Donald Trump in a court deposition

'They endorsed,' Murdoch said of hosts Jeanine Pirro, above, Sean Hannity, Lou Dobbs and Maria Bartiromo

Fox airing a segment to counter previous remarks made by its conservative hosts and pro-Trump guests that voting software firm Smartmatic was involved in election fraud

The representative also claimed the company is 'cherry-picking soundbites, omitting key context and mischaracterizing the record.'

In his deposition, Murdoch also said that hosts who knew they were promoting lies should be 'reprimanded, maybe got rid of.'

He would not say that host Tucker Carlson endorsed election fraud, though he said it was 'wrong' for Carlson to have My Pillow CEO Mike Lindell on January 26, 2021 to make false accusations against Dominion without pushing back on them.

In a statement to DailyMail.com, a Fox spokeswoman said: 'Dominions lawsuit has always been more about what will generate headlines than what can withstand legal and factual scrutiny, as illustrated by them now being forced to slash their fanciful damages demand by more than half a billion dollars after their own expert debunked its implausible claims.

'Their summary judgment motion took an extreme, unsupported view of defamation law that would prevent journalists from basic reporting and their efforts to publicly smear FOX for covering and commenting on allegations by a sitting President of the United States should be recognized for what it is: a blatant violation of the First Amendment.'

They also pointed to an example of a Dominion's lawyers saying it would be 'unthinkable that any competent plaintiffs lawyer would advise a client to sue the likes of CBS, FOX, or CNN for live transmission of the defamatory remarks uttered by, let us say, President Trump.'

In the filing released Monday, they also denied Murdoch was directly involved in the coverage of the election fraud claims.

Murdoch's comments came as court documents revealed earlier this month showed Fox News hosts expressing doubts about the election fraud claims they were pushing to viewers.

'Sidney Powell is lying,' about having evidence of election fraud, Tucker Carlson told a producer about the attorney in a Nov. 16, 2020 message, according to an excerpt from an exhibit that remains under seal.

Carlson also referred to Powell in a text as an 'unguided missile,' and 'dangerous as hell.' Fellow host Laura Ingraham, meanwhile, told Carlson that Powell is 'a complete nut. No one will work with her. Ditto with Rudy,' referring to former New York mayor and Trump supporter Rudy Giuliani.

Sean Hannity, meanwhile, said in a deposition 'that whole narrative that Sidney was pushing, I did not believe it for one second,' according to Dominion's filing.

Denver-based Dominion, which sells electronic voting hardware and software, is suing both Fox News and parent company Fox Corporation.

Dominion said some Fox News employees deliberately amplified false claims that Dominion had changed votes in the 2020 election, and that Fox provided a platform for guests to make false and defamatory statements.

Rupert Murdoch, left, is pictured with Trump in 2016

Dominion alleged that Fox broadcast comments made by Trump-affiliated lawyers Sidney Powell and Rudy Giuliani that defamed the voting company

The documents unsealed today and on February 17 show that top executives and on-air hosts found the claims made by Trump's team at the time to be dubious but aired them without a fact check anyways.

One of the various conspiracies about Dominion peddled on the network were that a secret algorithm in its machines allowed votes to be switched from one candidate to another and that the company was founded in Venezuela to help that country's longtime leader, Hugo Chavez, fix elections.

Dominion's newest filing also shows how former Speaker Paul Ryan, now on the board at Fox Corp., said in his deposition that he told Murdoch and his son and Fox Corp CEO Lachlan Murdoch, 'Fox News should not be spreading conspiracy theories.'

Asked by Dominion attorney Justin Nelson whether the elder Murdoch, as chairman of the company, could have told hosts to keep Powell and Giuliani off-air, he said, 'I could have, but I did not.'

Fox lawyers have pointed to times when their hosts did push back on fraud claims made by Powell and Giuliani.

Murdoch also admitted that he doubted the claims from the beginning.

'I mean, we thought everything was on the up-and-up,' he said in his deposition. 'I think that was shown when we announced Arizona,' referring to when Fox was the first network to call the presidential race in Arizona in favor of Joe Biden.

But Murdoch admitted he had a 'long talk' with his son Lachlan and Fox News executive Suzanne Scott about 'the direction Fox should take' after some longtime viewers turned away after the Arizona call.

Fox attorneys warn that threatening the company with a $1.6 billion judgment will cause other media outlets to think twice about what they report. They also say documents produced in the lawsuit show that Dominion has not suffered any economic harm and do not indicate that it lost any customers as the result of Foxs election coverage.

Superior Court Judge Eric Davis is scheduled to preside over a trial beginning in mid-April, but granting summary judgment to either side would obviate the need for a jury trial that could stretch over five weeks.
The Commonwealth Bank is being sued by a scorned financial planner after he argued their order he work from home permanently would disrupt his home life and cause tension in his family.

The financial planner, from Newcastle in NSW's Hunter Region, last week filed action in the Federal Circuit Court after the Commonwealth Bank avoided paying him 20 years worth of redundancy entitlements when he refused to take the remote job offer in December, 2021.

When the bank closed its retail financing planning business, it offered the man, who was on $134,000 a year, plus bonuses, a job at the new owner, insurer AIA.

At first he accepted the job as he felt he had no other choice and because the bank said he would not get redundancy pay if he rejected the offer.

But he later withdrew his job acceptance because he said he needed to work from an office and could not work from home as it interfered with his private life.

The man is seeking $172,000 redundancy pay, interest payments and civil penalties from the bank.

The Commonwealth Bank is being sued by a financial planner for $172,000 because he objected to being made work permanently from home, saying it caused family tension. Pictured is a stock image of a man working from a home office with a toddler by his side

'As part of the sale of our financial planning business, the person concerned was offered a comparable role as a financial planner with the new owners but did not take up the position,' a Commonwealth Bank spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia.

The man told the bank, including in an email sent to CEO Matt Comyn, that the new job was worse than the one he had as it did not provide office space.

According to the planner's statement of claim with the Federal Circuit Court, AIA said it would look for office space in Newcastle, but then offered equipment so he could work from home instead.

Under his agreement with CBA, if his job transfer offer had less favourable conditions than his original job, he was entitled to redundancy pay.

He said the AIA job was worse as he'd had an office for 20 years and the transfer was 'an intrusion into private home and life to which he did not consent', as well as an intrusion into his family's lives, the Australian Financial Review reported.

'Not attending a workplace outside the home can lead to tensions with other family members,' the planner said in his claim.

The man also said working from home was isolating and could lead to 'adverse health implications' for him.

He said his house was not suitable for full-time home work as there was 'insufficient space to incorporate a permanent and private home office'.

The man also said that working from home 100 per cent of the time would not allow him to comply with the financial services industry's confidentiality and privacy standards.

Working from home would also mean fewer opportunities to earn a bonus and limit him to clients aged 55 or below when most of his previous customers were retirees, he said.

The Commonwealth Bank said it believed it had fulfilled its obligations to find the a comparable role and therefore redundancy payments were not payable in his case.

However, the bank's human resources head Sian Lewis said last week that it opposed roles that were 100 per cent work-from-home.

Commonwealth Bank's management 'do not believe that there's any role that can be done completely remotely,' she told the Australian Financial Review.

When the Commonwealth Bank (head office in Sydney pictured) closed its retail financing planning business, it offered the man a job at the service transferred to insurer AIA

'We've done some work that says if you don't go into the office more than a couple of days a week, the numbers of people you collaborate (with) within any particular period of time goes down by about a third.'

But the financial planner's court case may now force the bank to argue for permanent remote working, to avoid paying out for a redundancy.

'Given that he has now lodged court proceedings, which we intend to contest, we are unable to comment further at this stage,' the CBA spokesperson said.
Dr Nick Coatsworth has called on China to help identify the origin of the Covid-19 pandemic after a US report reignited debate it could have been started in a lab.

The former deputy chief medical officer slammed Beijing for not being transparent with the international community on the source of the outbreak.

His takedown comes after the release of a classified report by the US Energy Department that claimed the virus was likely leaked from a research lab in Wuhan.

The conclusion is shared by the FBI and adds fuel to the ongoing debate on how the pandemic started with speculation the virus could have simply jumped from animals to humans before spreading around the world.

The FBI said it came to its own conclusion of a lab leak with 'moderate confidence' while the Energy Department said it did so with 'low confidence'.

US officials said that although both departments are in agreement, they formed their conclusions for different reasons, and refused to reveal what intelligence was used by the Energy Department to base its conclusion on.

The Energy Department's stance is important as the agency is known for its expertise and oversees various US laboratories, some of which carry out biological research.

The Energy Department updated its conclusion on the origin of the Covid pandemic in a classified 2021 report that was prepared by the Director of National Intelligence and provided to the white house, the Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday.

The conclusion of a lab leak is shared by the FBI while other agencies have raised the possibility the virus could have jumped from animals to humans (stock image)

Dr Coatsworth said the 'low confidence' from the department indicated it had no proof to back up the its claim of a lab leak and urged China to step in to help solve the mystery.

'It is on China to tell us what actually happened, and I don't think that we will find out in our lifetimes,' he told the Today Show on Tuesday.

Dr Coatsworth said it was a 'possibility' the virus could have originated from a research lab, but the latest report provided no firm evidence.

'I hasten to add what they are saying is they think it is most likely to have come from a lab, but they are saying that with a low degree of confidence,' he said.

'It means that they don't really have the proof yet that is where it came from.'

Dr Coatsworth slammed China for its lack of transparency saying it is not the first time the Communist nation may be withholding information.

'If it this came from a lab, then it is the second time that China hasn't been transparent with information,' he said.

'SARS-CoV-1 didn't come from a lab and we didn't know it for a long time because the release of information was slow.'

China had been slow to report on the outbreak of SARS in 2003 with the virus spreading to America, Europe and Asia.

Dr Coatsworth said China could follow the lead of the Cambodian Government after it did not hesitate to announce this week it was dealing with an influenza outbreak.

'That is the level of transparency we need to hope for but sadly lacking when you have two superpowers conflicting over this evidence,' he said.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning accused unnamed parties of trying to smear or vilify China following the Department of Energy's report.

'Certain parties should stop rehashing the "lab leak" narrative, stop smearing China and stop politicizing origins-tracing,' she said during a press briefing Monday

Dr Coatsworth's takedown comes after the release of a classified report by the US Department of Energy that claimed the virus was likely leaked from a research lab in Wuhan

She talked up Chinese cooperation with investigating agencies, although in 2021 China rejected a World Health Organization effort to hold a second phase of its investigation.

The group has denied abandoning its inquiry amid China's obstacles.

Four other agencies in the US are still said to favor the 'natural spillover' theory that the virus escaped via an animal at a nearby meat market.

Two agencies, one of which is the CIA, are yet to declare a definitive position.

The FBI also has expertise in disease and virology as it hires microbiologists and immunologists and part of its efforts to protect the country against bioterrorism and weapons.

The government officials who revealed the Energy Department's change of stance would not comment on what new intelligence it based its conclusion on.

White House national security advisor Jake Sullivan told CNN on Sunday that there was still 'no definitive answer'.

'Here's what I can tell you. President Biden has directed, repeatedly, every element of our intelligence community to put effort and resources behind getting to the bottom of this question,' he said.

'If we gain any further insight or information, we will share it with Congress, and we will share it with the American people. But right now, there is not a definitive answer that has emerged from the intelligence community on this question.'
A small working town in southern Western Australia has seen the steepest rent hike in Australia, with tiny fibro cottages now earning as much as $500 per week.

Landlords in Katanning, about 280km southeast of Perth, are charging almost three times the average rent in the state's capital due to an influx of workers.

The very limited market has seen homes like the fibro cottage on 13 Beeck St, located on the edge of the little town, earn a yield of 15 per cent - which could be the highest in Australia.

Rental yield calculates the difference between income made on a rental property and the overall cost of investment. The higher the percentage, the higher the return.

Sydney and Melbourne have average rental yields of about 3.5 per cent.

A small fibro home (above) on the edge of a working town in WA has a rental yield of 15 per cent - possibly the highest in Australia

The home on 13 Beeck St in Katanning (above) is available to rent for $500 a week despite the owner buying it for just $125,000 last year

The landlord of 13 Beeck St has managed to charge tenants $500 a week, despite buying the home for just $125,000 last year.

The median cost of rentals in Katanning has jumped 47 per cent compared to last year with the average property costing $375 per week, according to data from PropTrack.

Professionals real estate agent Cameron Boulto said the market has been driven up by workers at two nearby abattoirs, CBH Grains, and a windfarm looking for accommodation, The West reports.

He claims some companies are offering to double rent prices just to get their hands on a home for workers.

Mr Boulto said the fibro home on 13 Beeck St had earned the highest yield he's seen in 23 years.

'The tenants moved out and it was re-leased on Friday. I nearly fell off my chair,' he said.

There are currently no properties available to rent in Katanning.

Hotels and motels are also filled to the brim - partially by long-term locals who have been driven out of the housing market.

Katanning op shop volunteer Brenda Hawryluk said she knows of an older woman who has been forced to couch surf for months on end due to the skyrocketing rent.

Long-term locals have been driven out of their rentals in Katanning (above) as workers from nearby sites drive up prices by 47 per cent

Rentals in Katanning have gone up by 47 per cent compared to last year with large numbers of workers from nearby sites snatching any properties that appear on the limited market (pictured, the home on 13 Beeck St)

The fibro home (above) in Katanning returns a rent yield of 15 per cent while properties in Sydney and Melbourne return an average of 3.5 per cent

She added the op shop has seen a jump in customers as more people look for ways to save money and survive the cost of living crisis.

Bottle shop worker Rebecca Rumbold said she's been staying at a hotel while waiting for an affordable property to rent.

Other small towns around WA also saw some of the highest median rent jumps in Australia when comparing prices to this time last year.

Wongan Hills, 175km northeast of Perth, saw a 35 per cent increase while Busselton, a coastal town in the state's south, rose by 33 pre cent to $550 per week.
The Yorkshire Ripper's ashes were scattered at a seaside beauty spot, his niece has said as she revealed the terrible impact he had on her life.

Peter Sutcliffe died in hospital aged 74 in November 2020 after contracting Covid, and reportedly refusing treatment.

The serial killer had been serving a whole-life term for murdering 13 women across Yorkshire and the North West between 1975 and 1980.

He reportedly had hoped to be buried near his hometown of Bingley in West Yorkshire and was cremated to prevent the destruction of his grave.

Now Sutcliffe's niece Emily, 28, has said some of his ashes were scattered in the countryside village of Arnside in Cumbria  a spot he would visit as a child.

She told The Mirror: 'I was taken there once or twice when I was a child. It is lovely.

The serial killer had been serving a whole-life term for murdering 13 women across Yorkshire and the North West

Sutcliffe - pictured for the last time in public in 2015 - suffered years of ill health, and had been admitted to hospital twice in the week before his death

'That area means a lot to the whole family. We had family living in the area at the time and would visit them.'

It comes after a friend of the serial killer claimed his ashes were scattered in Lanzarote to grant one of the him one of his dying wishes in August last year.

The woman  who regularly visited the killer in jail  claimed to have travelled to the Canary Island with his remains in an urn and tossed them into the Atlantic Ocean.

Meanwhile, Emily told of the impact her uncle had on her life.

She said: 'When he died it felt a bit like freedom, a relief. When I looked in the mirror I saw a monster because I was convinced I looked like him.

'When I was younger, I was told I looked like my dad who has similar features to my uncle. It was so bad I wanted plastic surgery to change everything about my appearance. If I'd had the money I would have.'

After his death, Sutcliffe's ashes were said to have been buried near Bingley, while some are thought to have been sent to twisted 'superfans'.

The beach at Arnside, around half an hour from where some members of Sutcliffe's family are said to live

A composite of 12 of the 13 victims murdered by Sutcliffe. Victims are: (top row, left to right) Wilma McCann, Emily Jackson, Irene Richardson, Patricia Atkinson; (middle row, left to right) Jayne McDonald, Jean Jordan, Yvonne Pearson, Helen Rytka; (bottom row, left to right) Vera Millward, Josephine Whitaker, Barbara Leach, Jacqueline Hill

Police examine the common land where Josephine Whitaker was found dead on May 14, 1979 in the midst of the Ripper's killing spree

A portion was said to have been released into the sea at Arnside, around half an hour from where some members of his family live and where the ashes of Sutcliffe's father were also scattered in 2004.

The murderer was allowed to visit the village in 2005 under the supervision of Broadmoor Hospital staff to pay respects to his father.

Emily continued: 'I remember going into school and telling my friends because I thought my uncle was famous. I didn't understand what he'd done then.

'Unfortunately it was the perfect age for bullying and it has scarred me.'

She said a close friend at primary school told how her parents knew one of the victims. Emily added: 'I felt like saying, "I'm sorry, but it wasn't me".

'I was told by my family, "you're quiet, you're artistic just like uncle Peter".

'I was scared I was inherently bad and thought I must have evil coursing through my veins. It's had a crazy impact on my self-esteem. I developed an eating disorder and was massively underweight from the stress of it.'

She believes her uncles' crimes have also influenced her decision to study criminology and psychology.

Sutcliffe, under a blanket, arriving at Dewsbury Magistrates Court charged with the murder of 13 women and attempted murder of seven others in 1981

The University Hospital of North Durham, County Durham, where Peter Sutcliffe died after being admitted for Covid complications and heart problems

Sutcliffe was handed 20 whole-life sentences in 1981, converted to a whole-life order in 2010.

Police had interviewed him nine times during their five-year investigation.

He often used the services of sex workers in Leeds and Bradford and targeted them.

The ripper was finally arrested by police in Sheffield in 1981 for driving with false number plates.

At that point he confessed to the killings  and claimed the voice of God ordered him to commit them.




Korea's veterans ministry has chosen a late Colombian battalion commander as next month's Korean War hero for his leadership in front-line combat operations during the 1950-53 conflict, officials said Tuesday.







Retired Lt. Col. Alberto Ruiz Novoa is credited with successfully leading a set of key wartime missions, including Operation Barbula against enemy outposts in Cheorwon, 71 kilometers northeast of Seoul, in March 1953.







Shortly before his return home in June 1953, the Korean government conferred the Eulji Order of Military Merit on him for his wartime contributions. Novoa later served as a Colombian minister of war.







During the Korean War, Colombia sent a total of 4,314 soldiers. Of them, 143 were killed and 567 wounded, according to the ministry. (Yonhap)


A young Australian man who flew to Turkey for a budget teeth transformation has been slammed by dentists - with one saying it was the worst thing he could have done to his teeth.

The latest cosmetic fad is dubbed 'Turkey Teeth' and involves filing down teeth to pegs then replacing them with crowns or veneers.

The procedure, which leaves patients with a Hollywood smile, is being fuelled on social media under the hashtag #Turkeyteeth which has been viewed more than 100million times.

Australian TikTok influencer Mahmoud Ismail travelled to Turkey in December to get the gap in his front teeth fixed.

The 35-year-old spent more than $3,000 on 18 crowns, and his teeth were ground down so the entire structure could be covered.

Ismail shared a video of his transformation to his social media accounts documenting every step of the treatment process.

'All right guys, I'm here in Turkey and the main reason I'm here is to close this gap, bro,' Ismail explains as he points to the gap in his top front teeth.

Young Aussie Mahmoud Ismail wasn't happy with his smile and decided to travel to Turkey to get get veneers. He documented his transformation showing his shaved down teeth (pictured)

'I've lived with it all my life, it's my signature and its time to let go of the gap. We're going to close it... I'm f*****g nervous.'

The clip then shows Ismail siting in a dentists chair mid-procedure with all of his top teeth shaved down.

'Look how it looks, bro, I'm f****d,' Ismail says as he lifts is top lip.

The social media influencer explains he has to wait two days before the dentist can put crowns on his shaved top and bottom teeth.

The video then cuts to Ismail with his hand over his mouth before he reveals his smile transformation.

'After one week of f*****g torture bro the teeth are finally in,' Ismail says.

'They've put the teeth in and I've got to say, cuz that looks so weird. Bro there's no gap anymore.'

'Bro, I'm having an identity crisis, I already miss the gap, what the hell.'

Ismail explains he opted for the 'third whitest' shade for his teeth claiming he did not want his smile to look fake.

The 35-year-old said he wanted to get rid of his 'signature gap' in his top front teeth (left). Ismail revealed his new smile claiming it was 'weird' not to see his gap and that he opted for the third whitest shade so his smile did not look fake

But many dentists were not impressed with the budget teeth transformation.

'Omg!!?, as a dentist, this is a crime please don't recommend people to do this. You only needed to close the gap not to destroy the whole teeth,' Dr Alhadi said.

'As a dentist, it pains me to see you destroy your teeth. Could have easily closed with two composite bondings or a brace,' Cosmetic Dentist Dr Gurvinder Bhirth said.

A third dentist Dr Mubashir Bilal Hussain claimed the procedure was the 'worst' thing he could have done to his teeth.

'The effects will show when you are around the age of 50. It's like taking out the foundational brick wall of your house to build a beautiful apartment over it which will collapse in a few years,' Dr Hussain wrote.

Another person chimed: 'This is the equivalent of destroying a perfectly good brick and mortar house and replacing it with plywood just to change the colour of the ceiling.'

'Six months with Invisalign and a bit of whitening to finish and you'd have the same result but with your own teeth,' another commented.

Other social media users defended Ismail claiming his teeth looked great.

'Mashallah, awesome transformation! As long as you're happy with them my bro,' one person wrote.

Another person agreed: 'Great result. These people judging you and saying whatever.. if it makes you happy and you like it then it's fine.'

Ismail said he had a 'bit of an identity crisis' in the weeks following the procedure but was happy with his decision despite the backlash he faced from people online.

'I was in pain for the first few days because of the pressure of the crowns on my gums, but I loved the new look but it took me time to adjust to the look given I had my gap for all my life,' he told media.

'I haven't stopped smiling for the last two months. I feel more confident in front of the camera and smile in the mirror more often.'

'Even if my teeth get ruined in 5-10 years it would still work out extremely cheaper to go back to Turkey and fix them all over again.'

The Sydneysider said he was happy with his decision despite the barrage of backlash he received from dentists claiming the procedure was the 'worst' thing he could do

Sydney dentist Doctor Ellis Vakirtzis told Daily Mail Australia he has seen a rise in aggressive dental work performed overseas.

Dr Vakirtzis said it 'hurts' to see healthy teeth cut away and wants to warn patients of long-term risks involved in cosmetic dental procedures such as crowns and veneers.

'When these procedures are performed in a proper and conservative way, these complications are very rare,' Dr Vakirtzis said.

'I have started to see some really aggressive work performed by overseas dentists on my Facebook/Instagram/TikTok feed, where a significant amount of healthy tooth structure is cut away until they are little stumps.'

'Shaving down teeth can reduce their overall strength and can lead to the tooths nerve being damaged requiring root canal therapy.

'Unfortunately, this aggressive work increases the chance of complications arising as shaving the teeth down can reduce their overall strength and can lead to the tooth's nerve being damaged requiring root canal therapy.'

Sydney dentist Doctor Ellis Vakirtzis (pictured) has noticed a rise in aggressive overseas dental work and wants patients to understand the possible long-term risks involved in crown and veneer procedures

The Dulwich Dental Services doctor explained treatment for crown or veneer complications is often challenging and can be very expensive to fix.

'For starters, as the treating dentist is overseas it will be difficult to see them for any needed follow up or remedial work,' Dr Vakirtzis said.

'Remedial work is challenging to perform because of the lack of healthy tooth structure left, and this becomes particularly tricky when the work passes its use-by date.'

He advised patients to carefully consider travelling overseas for any type of cosmetic work and to consult their doctor to understand the different options available.

'Ultimately, it is important for each individual to weigh up the pros and cons,' Dr Vakirtzis said.

Theres no doubting the importance of a great smile, but more than this - try and be comfortable with the skin youre in!
Outback Wrangler Matt Wright has posted heartfelt tribute to mark the first anniversary of his mate's death - as he prepares to face court over the helicopter crash that killed him.

Chris 'Willow' Wilson, 34, was collecting crocodile eggs in a remote area of West Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory when the helicopter he was dangling from collided with trees and plunged to the ground on February 28 last year.

Wright, 43, was later hit with seven criminal charges over Mr Wilson's death, including destroying evidence and attempting to pervert the course of justice.

The reality TV star is yet to enter a plea, but his barrister Greg Jones previously said Wright denies any wrongdoing and intends to fight the charges. His matter will return to Darwin Local Court on March 8.

On Tuesday morning - a week before the matter is due back in court - Wright uploaded a video on Instagram featuring clips of Mr Wilson from their hit Netflix series.

Outback Wrangler is pictured with his wife Kaia. Wright penned a tribute to his mate Chris Wilson on the anniversary of his death

He also penned a powerful post about how his co-star 'had a sparkle in his eye' and 'made the most of life'.

'One year ago we lost a father, son, brother and mate,' Wright wrote.

'Willow lived for adventure, from the very first day I met him he had a sparkle in his eye that would carry him through some of the most amazing experiences across the world.

'We miss our mate more than anything and his memory will live on through all of us. Willow will go down in the history books as one of Australias truest legends. Love ya brother its only time and will see each other again.'

The video showed snips of Wright and Mr Wilson sinking beers together, wading through mud, swimming in outback waterholes, and talking about how much he loved working in the NT.

One clip showed Wright, Mr Wilson and other colleagues swimming and drinking XXXX Gold beer at the bottom of a waterfall.

Mr Wilson said: 'I've had one of the best days of my entire life - the only thing that can compete is marrying my wife and having both my sons.'

Matt Wright (centre, with Chris Wilson, right). In a clip posted on Instagram on Tuesday, Mr Wilson held a beer in a swimming hole and said: ''I've had one of the best days of my entire life'

Matt Wright wrote a heartfelt tribute to his co-star, Chris Wilson, on the first anniversary of the helicopter crash

On the day of the crash, three choppers set off from Noonamah at around 7am for a crocodile egg collection operation in West Arnhem Land.

After stopping to re-fuel at about 8.30am, the crew flew to a staging area in King River, and at 9am, two of the three helicopters, carrying Mr Burbidge and Ty Richardson, and Jock Purcell and Tim Luck, left to begin collecting eggs 12km away.

The third chopper was carrying Mr Wilson and his pilot Sebastian Robinson, who instead began their operation at a nearby nest.

It was not until just after 10am when the two other crews were having morning tea that they began to wonder about Mr Wilson and Mr Robinson.

Burbidge then returned to look for them alone and found the wreckage of the aircraft and Mr Wilson's body lying 40m away, while the pilot was critically injured.

Burbidge is then understood to have left the scene to get reception and call for help, before returning to the site of the crash with Mr Richardson, Mr Purcell and Mr Luck.

CareFlight arrived at the crash site at 12.30pm and airlifted Mr Robinson to hospital.

Chris 'Willow' Wilson (pictured) died in the crash in west Arnhem Land while collecting crocodile eggs

About 10 minutes later, police officer Neil Mellon, Wright and crocodile farmer Mick Burns arrived at the scene.

The group of seven stayed with Mr Wilson's body until Careflight returned at 4pm to retrieve it.

They then flew to Mr Wilson's property to console his wife, who was already surrounded by their own wives.

In the wake of the crash that stunned fans of the National Geographic show, Wright, Mellon and Burbidge were hit with a string of charges.

Mellon is accused of interfering with the scene and was arrested as he arrived for work in August, 2022.

Police allegedly found illegal wildlife, fireworks and firearms during a raid of his home.

Wright was charged over the crash in late November which was followed by a brief hearing at the Darwin Local Court, where he was given bail.

Mr Wilson was collecting crocodile eggs in a remote area of west Arnhem Land when the helicopter he was hanging 30 metres below collided with trees and the ground

His charges include attempting to pervert the course of justice, destroying evidence, fabricating evidence, two counts of unlawful entry, making a false declaration and interfering with witnesses.

Wright has been living on the Gold Coast in Queensland with his wife Kaia and their two young children.

The NT police investigation is expected to be completed by early March.

Wright and other two men charged in relation to the crash are all due to reappear in court on March 8.

Wright became a household name more than a decade ago as the star of National Geographic Channel series Outback Wrangler, which has since been aired in almost 100 countries.
ABC journalists will undergo training to remind them of their responsibility to be impartial when reporting on the proposed Indigenous Voice to Parliament.

An email sent to staff on Monday noted ABC journalists were about to 'embark on one of the most difficult and consequential stories of recent times'.

A 'deep-dive' training session for journalists would be used to discuss 'some knotty editorial policy issues' and instruct reporters to not prefer one view of the Voice over any other.

The email, obtained by The Australian, reinforced the 'impartiality standards' the ABC expected of its journalists.

ABC journalists will undergo training to remind them of their responsibility to be impartial when reporting on the proposed Indigenous Voice to Parliament. Senator Lidia Thorpe (above) quit the Greens over her opposition to the Voice

'No significant strand of thought or belief within the community is knowingly excluded or disproportionately represented,' it states.

'Staff do not unduly favour one perspective over another.

'The ABC takes no editorial stance other than its commitment to fundamental democratic principles including the rule of law, freedom of speech and religion, parliamentary democracy and equality of opportunity.'

The email said journalists must abide by the national broadcaster's 'broader commitment to inclusion and diversity'.

The impartiality guidelines were necessary to 'avoid the unjustified use of stereotypes or discriminatory content that could reasonably be interpreted as condoning or encouraging prejudice'.

An ABC spokeswoman told Daily Mail Australia there was nothing unusual about the training session, to be led by editorial policy manager Mark Maley and editorial policy adviser Bridget Caldwell-Bright, who is an Indigenous woman.

The ABC has already banned the use of 'grog' when reporting on alcohol restrictions in the Northern Territory. Police are pictured in Alice Springs

'The ABC regularly runs editorial training to ensure our coverage of news and major events is in line with our editorial policies and charter obligations,' the spokeswoman said.

Earlier this month the ABC apologised for a radio report which described a community meeting in crime-plagued Alice Springs as featuring elements of 'white supremacy'.

The Outback city has been in the national spotlight amid reports of hundreds of children roaming the streets at night, increased property damage and alcohol-fuelled violence.

Temporary alcohol bans have been reinstated in the Northern Territory preventing its sale in town camps and remote communities in the wake of the recent crisis.

An email sent to staff on Monday noted ABC journalists were about to 'embark on one of the most difficult and consequential stories of recent times.'

Mr Maley has previously banned the use of 'grog' when reporting alcohol restrictions in central Australia, ruling it was 'inappropriately colloquial' and warning the word could 'potentially be stereotyping'.

'Refer to "alcohol" not "grog" and "booze" or similar slang in news, current affairs or interview programs,' he wrote in another staff memo.

'The issue of restrictions to access to alcohol in the Northern Territory and elsewhere is highly contentious and newsworthy.

'It is very important that the ABC is seen to report these issues in a way that is accurate, impartial and does not inadvertently perpetuate stereotypes.'
The final stamps to feature the late Queens silhouette will be unveiled today.

She will appear on a set of special stamps which mark the 100th anniversary of the Flying Scotsman.

Her silhouette will feature on 12 stamps depicting the National Railway Museums famous locomotive in locations across the country, including crossing the Ribblehead Viaduct in the Yorkshire Dales. Royal Mail has said that future special stamps will feature a silhouette of King Charles III.

Queen Elizabeth IIs image has been in constant use on commemorative sets since 1968 after first featuring on the Landscapes stamp issue in May 1966.

Her silhouette will feature on stamps depicting the National Railway Museums famous train in locations across the UK, including crossing the Ribblehead Viaduct in the Yorkshire Dales National Park, and at Londons Victoria Station.

The late Queen Elizabeth's silhouette will feature on 12 stamps depicting the National Railway Museums famous locomotive in locations across the country

Queen Elizabeth IIs image has been in constant use on commemorative sets since 1968 after first featuring on the Landscapes stamp issue in May 1966

The final stamps to feature the late Queens silhouette will be unveiled today

Stamp illustrator David Gentleman is responsible for the design of the late Queens which was adapted from Mary Gillicks original

A further miniature set of four stamps feature images of the iconic Flying Scotsman and London North Eastern Railway poster artwork from the 1920s and 30s, when it first began travelling on British rails.

Stamp illustrator David Gentleman is responsible for the design of the late Queens which was adapted from Mary Gillicks original.

David Gold, director of external affairs and policy at Royal Mail, said: Flying Scotsman is a national treasure of engineering and design that conjures up the golden age of steam travel.

This remarkable locomotive epitomises the romance of rail travel and is loved all by people over the world.

We are honoured to mark this landmark milestone with a set of Special Stamps.

David Gold, director of external affairs and policy at Royal Mail, said: 'Flying Scotsman is a national treasure of engineering and design that conjures up the golden age of steam travel'

Mr Gold added: This remarkable locomotive epitomises the romance of rail travel and is loved all by people over the world'

We are honoured to mark this landmark milestone with a set of Special Stamps,' said Mr Gold

Queen Elizabeth's silhouette will feature on stamps depicting the National Railway Museums famous train in locations across the UK
The Chancellor will have an extra 56billion of budget firepower, leading economists have said as pressure mounts on him to deliver tax cuts on March 15.

Jeremy Hunt has been given the boost thanks to falling energy prices and a stronger economy which have left the public finances in a better position than predicted during the Autumn statement, according to the Institute of Fiscal Studies (IFS).

The Treasury has also benefited from lower interest payments on Britains mammoth national debt and a surprise rise in receipts from income tax and national insurance.

Public sector borrowing is already 31billion lower this year and the IFS is now forecasting 25billion less spending next year. The Treasury is also holding 13billion in reserve which could be used for one-off spending commitments.

The IFS said Britains level of corporation tax will become one of the highest in the OECD group of rich countries after it rises from 19 to 25 per cent from April.

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt will have an extra 56 billion in the Budget, according to leading economists

Clothes seller Primark yesterday called on the Government to extend tax breaks for business investment to counteract the hike.

But Paul Johnson, the head of the IFS, warned that taxes will not fall from their current record high levels for three decades.

He said: Id be very surprised if taxes come down consistently below that sort of level in my lifetime.

The IFS said the spare cash the Treasury now has does not necessarily justify permanent tax cuts because predicted low growth from 2025 will constrain the public finances.

It described the outlook as murky, pointing to dismal forecasts from the Bank of England that suggested the UK will record GDP growth of just 1 per cent  far below the pre-financial crisis trend of 2.7 per cent.

Instead, the think-tank said the cash could be used for one-off payments to break the deadlock in public sector pay disputes or to boost efforts to cut NHS waiting lists.

In the Budget, Mr Hunt may look to extend the energy price guarantee  which presently caps bills at 2,500 for an average household but is due to rise to 3,000 in April  at its current level for another three months at a one-off cost of 2.7billion because it is cheap and politically popular, Mr Johnson said.

But pressure continued to mount on the Chancellor to cut taxes to boost growth and investment in the UK. It comes after AstraZeneca chose the low-tax Republic of Ireland over the UK to build a new 320million factory.

The war in Ukraine threatens to obliterate the UKs peace dividend, which has allowed tens of billions of pounds to be redirected from defence to health spending in the last three decades. And experts have warned tight public spending pencilled in for after the next general election may be impossible to deliver because departments such as the Ministry of Justice are already running on a shoe-string after years of austerity.

The Chancellor is expected to freeze fuel duties at the Budget  a 6billion tax cut for motorists and businesses.
Shocking footage has shown the moment a jeweller barely escaped with his life after being robbed at gunpoint in a home invasion.

Kevin Goonan was targeted in his home in Paradise Point on Queensland's Gold Coast on Saturday afternoon.

Two masked thieves were caught on CCTV sneaking into his property, one armed with a shotgun, the other with a hammer.

When they came across Mr Goonan he fought back, before the one with the hammer smashed him over the head.

Jeweller Kevin Goonan was targeted in his home in Paradise Point, Gold Coast on Saturday afternoon

Mr Goonan was smashed over the head with a hammer and then marched over to his safe at gunpoint

The footage then showed Mr Goonan being marched over to his safe at gunpoint.

He was forced to open the safe before the thieves loaded a bag full of precious jewels.

The balaclava-wearing thieves then escaped, getting into a getaway car and driving away.

Mr Goonan fled and called for help shortly afterwards.

Both the jeweller and police believed it was a premediated attack.

'They were right on top of me straight away,' Mr Goonan told 9 News.

'I wrestled the guy with the shotgun which is pretty silly, and then the other guy has clocked me over the head with a hammer.

He was forced to open the safe before the thieves loaded a bag full of precious jewels

'Someone had informed them of what's here and what I've got.'

He said they demanded watches and gold bullion after hitting him over the head.

Eventually, they raided his safe and bagged up several precious gemstones, including sapphires, pink diamonds and rubies.

The thieves are still on the run and police are appealing for help from witnesses.

'It's premeditated, it's planned and the actual assault upon the person,' Superintendent Geoff Sheldon said.

A black ute with stolen plates is understood to have been the car used in the robbery.
The BBC should 'reconsider' its focus on sharing stories on TikTok over China spying fears.

BBC News boss Deborah Turness has told staff that increasing the corporation's presence on the social media platform is a priority for this year.

But senior Tory MPs have raised concerns with BBC journalists using the app owned by Chinese firm ByteDance.

Former Conservative leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith told the Daily Telegraph: 'TikTok is seen by security experts as part of the Chinese security apparatus.

'As a data harvester that has to, by law, cooperate on all aspects of their work with the Chinese security services, it strikes me as strange that it is seen as a reliable and secure partner for the BBC.'

BBC News boss Deborah Turness, pictured, has told staff that increasing the corporation's presence on the social media platform is a priority for this year (stock image)

Former Conservative leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith, pictured, told the Daily Telegraph: 'TikTok is seen by security experts as part of the Chinese security apparatus' (stock image)

Alicia Kearns, foreign affairs committee chairman, added: 'The BBC should be assisting in educating the public about the need to protect their data and the vulnerabilities of the site.'

TikTok can harvest user data on the app, and is obliged to give the Chinese state assistance in areas of national security if asked. However, the company has repeatedly denied sharing any data.

Last week, the European Commission banned staff from using the app, six months after the UK Parliament account was shut down.

A recent YouGov poll found that 55 per cent of adults think TikTok should be banned on UK Government devices.

A BBC spokesman said: 'BBC journalism remains independent and free to report impartially on the social media platforms on which we post content.

'With all third-party platforms, we take all necessary security measures and regularly review our data and security policies and processes.' TikTok has routinely denied allegations that it shares user data with the Chinese Government.
Charlie Javice, a 30 year-old entrepreneur who is being sued by JPMorgan after the bank bought her education startup claims boss Jamie Dimon knew how big her company was before going ahead with the deal and that claims of fraud are unfounded.

JPMorgan, the largest U.S. bank by assets paid the $175 million for Frank in September 2021 a bid to deepen its ties with students.

The bank said it was led to believe more than 4.25 million students had created accounts on Frank.

However, when JPMorgan sent marketing test emails to a list of Frank's customers that the company had provided, only 28% of them were delivered, the bank alleged.

JPMorgan said it generally sees a delivery rate of 99% with similar campaigns and is now accusing Javice of 'tricking' the bank with a list of fake customer names.

Charlie Javice, 30, who is being sued by JPMorgan after they acquired her education startup for $175 million, has denied the bank's allegations of fraud

Javice claims that Jamie Dimon, JPMorgan's CEO, was aware of her company's size before proceeding with the deal

JPMorgan fired Javice last November and then sued her in a U.S. District Court in Delaware the following month.

Javice and another executive at the company, Olivier Amar, allegedly paid a data scientist $18,000 to create a list of fake customers to inflate Frank's true size when its own employee refused, a lawsuit alleges.

Javice is accusing the bank of trying to blame her for a failed strategy in a lawsuit filed in federal court in December.

Javice denies inventing the 4 million names said to have been made up using artificial intelligence, and is instead countersuing the bank for $28 million in compensation which she claims to be owed following the bank's backing out.

She insists bank Chief Executive Jamie Dimon had been eager to buy her company.

The bank alleges that Javice and another executive, Olivier Amar, pictured, paid a data scientist $18,000 to create a list of fake customers to inflate Frank's true size

Charlie Javice, 30, says the bank has possibly tarnished her reputation for life

Dimon told Javice in a meeting before the deal that he believed his team should 'get the deal done.' He has since described the deal as 'a huge mistake.'

Javice says the bank has possibly tarnished her reputation for life.

'JPMorgan paid $175 million for what it believed was a business deeply engaged with the college-aged market segment with 4.265 million customers; instead, it received a business with fewer than 300,000 customers,' the bank said in the lawsuit filed last month.

An attorney for Javice, however, has denied the allegations.

'After JPM rushed to acquire (Javice's) rocketship business, JPM realized they couldn't work around existing student privacy laws, committed misconduct and then tried to retrade the deal,' Javice's attorney said in January, adding that the bank's lawsuit was 'nothing but a cover.'

'We stand behind our allegations, and this dispute will be resolved through the legal process,' a bank spokesman said on Monday to WSJ.

Javice, who is the daughter of a successful investment manager based in New York, purchased an apartment in Miami Beach in May 2021 for just under $1.5million, according to Miami-Dade property records.

She started Frank a few years after graduating from Wharton business school, she revealed during an interview about her entrepreneurial success with a former tutor, which the school uploaded to its YouTube channel.

In her initial defense, Javice did not contest that less than 500,000 individuals utilized Frank to complete financial-aid forms.

She stated that she had informed JPMorgan executives of this during meetings before the acquisition and clarified that the majority of the almost 4.3 million users were individuals who visited the website to read articles on financial aid or trusted Frank to assist them in comprehending the college funding process.

Javice purchased an apartment in this complex on Miami Beach in May 2021, according to Miami-Dade property records

In the lawsuit, JPMorgan said that it was pitched the company by Javice on a 'lie' that more than four million users had signed up to use the tool.

After the bank asked for proof of that claim while carrying out due diligence, she and Amar allegedly fabricated a database of names, addresses, schools and dates of birth for fictitious students.

The data suggested Frank had around 4,265,000 customer accounts - in reality fewer than 300,000 of those were legitimate, it's claimed

The bank says the scheme unraveled when it tried to email those users and 70 percent of its emails bounced back,

Javice refuted the accusation that she had created a fabricated list of users to deceive the bank. Instead, she claimed that JPMorgan had asked for a 'synthetic data set of users' that reflected Frank's actual customers as a way to audit her users and avoid privacy issues by not sharing their real names.

She asserted that JPMorgan was aware that the user number she provided was based on synthetic data, not actual user data.

Javice argued that JPMorgan's financial team would have been able to determine the number of customers she had based on other metrics in her proposal, such as her total marketing expenses.

She informed the bank that she spent around $5 per customer in marketing costs and had spent a total of $2.25 million in marketing.

Javice contended that JPMorgan's allegations were an effort to conceal its own wrongdoing, which included a plan to profit from information about past Free Application for Federal Student Aid (Fafsa) filers, which would have violated federal regulations.

She claimed that the bank was scrambling after discovering new restrictions on how Fafsa forms could be submitted last summer, which would have limited Frank's ability to submit applications on behalf of students.

Javice made $10million as part of the merger with JPMorgan, with a $20million bonus to follow at a later date. Amar made $5million from the deal, with a similar $3million bonus.
The brave boy who survived the SeaWorld helicopter crash that claimed his mother's life has had his right leg amputated after doctors were unable to save it.

Nicholas Tadros, 10, has been fighting for his life in Queensland Children's Hospital after the SeaWorld helicopter he was in collided with another chopper mid-air before plummeting onto a sandbank in the Gold Coast on January 2.

The tragic incident killed four people in the chopper, including Nicholas's mother Vanessa Tadros, 36, UK newlyweds Ron and Diane Hughes and pilot Ash Jenkinson, 40.

Nicholas's father, Simon Tadros, who has been by his son's bedside every day since, revealed that his son was forced to have his right leg amputated.

Mr Tadros told The Courier Mail that his son was scheduled to have surgery to remove his leg on Monday.

SeaWorld crash survivor Nicholas Tadros (pictured left with his father Simon Tadros), 10, has had his right leg amputated on Monday

'Nicholas is being brave but is scared and nervous,' he said.

'I just ask everyone to pray for my son and that all goes well.'

News of the surgery was confirmed by the family's church, St John the Beloved Church at Mount Druitt, on social media.

'Nicholas Tadros has had his surgery and it went well. Unfortunately, he has had to amputate his right leg from the knee down,' the church said in a post.

'Doctors are happy with his progress. All we ask is that everyone keep him in their prayers as he continues to recover.'

Nicholas broke almost every bone in his body after the accident and was left in a coma in hospital.

He has since awoken and remains in a stable condition, but his road to recovery remains long.

Mr Tadros has remained by his son's side throughout the harrowing ordeal and previously revealed the full extent of his injuries.

'He broke nearly everything from top to bottom, you know, his arms, his legs, his sternum, his hips, his thighs, his legs, his arms, ribs, lungs collapsing,' he told A Current Affair.

'The only thing I think he didn't really break was his right arm. How he survived is a miracle.'

The young boy has woken from his coma and has been recovering in hospital after the crash. He has received an outpouring of support from friends and family

Nicholas was on the doomed joy flight that collided with another chopper mid-air before plummeting onto a sandbank in the Gold Coast on January 2

Mr Tadros also shared his last moment with Vanessa and Nicholas before the doomed aircraft took off.

'I just gave them both a hug and a kiss and I said, 'Enjoy ithave fun,' he said.

'I'll see you when you get back down'.'

The doting father said he didn't join the pair because of his fear of heights.

Minutes later, Mr Tadros recalled hearing a 'big bang' and could only watch on in horror as the aircraft collided with another helicopter in mid-air.

Mr Tadros recalled the moment detectives informed him of the horror news.

'Those were the worst words I've ever heard in my life,' he said.

'I was terrified. I lost my wife. To lose my son as well, that's my whole life ripped apart, that's everyone gone.'

Mr Tadros said his son Nicholas was 'keeping his spirits' despite 'still struggling on a day-to-day basis'.

'He's trying to comprehend still what really happened to him,' he said.

Mr Tadros explained that it was a 'daily struggle' grieving for his wife and seeing his son in hospital but said the least he could do was be there for Nicholas.

Mr Tadros (left with his wife Vanessa and son Nicholas) said life has been a 'daily struggle' as he stays by his son's hospital bed every day and grieves for his wife

Nicholas, who is a martial arts enthusiast, has been sent video messages from students and teachers from his karate class wishing him well and to 'keep his spirits up'

He added that his son is a survivor who refuses to 'give up'.

Nicholas has received an outpouring of support from friends, family and especially from his karate gym in Western Sydney.

Queensland Police and the Australian Transport Safety Bureau are examining the crash but a final verdict on what caused it isn't expected until 2024.

SeaWorld Helicopters has suspended flights while investigations take place.

A GoFundMe for Nicholas has been set up by his karate teacher, Mr Nasr. You can donate here.
In 2016 we all voted to leave the European Union and take back control of our laws, our borders and our seas. It was the right choice for our country and it was the largest democratic vote in British political history.

We owe it to the people of our whole United Kingdom to both deliver Brexit and make sure that it works for everyone, so that people and businesses across our country can reap the benefits that are on offer.

As former Brexit secretaries, we know that a huge part of the vote to leave was about restoring the sovereignty of the UK. People across our country  including the three of us  voted to leave the European Union because wed had enough of a European rulebook being dumped on us from on high.

That is why, for us, the biggest issue with the current arrangement is the fact that the European Union has been able to continue to impose ever-changing EU laws on Northern Ireland without the people and institutions of Northern Ireland having any say. This isnt what anyone voted for and it has created a democratic deficit that undermines what Brexit was all about in the first place.

We owe it to the people of our whole United Kingdom to both deliver Brexit and make sure that it works for everyone, so that people and businesses across our country can reap the benefits that are on offer (stock image)

Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab, Health Secretary Steve Barclay and David Davis are all former Brexit Secretaries (stock image)

Former Brexit Secretary from 2016 to 2018 David Davis backs the Northern Ireland protocol (stock image)

We are now in a situation in which the Northern Ireland Protocol  created in 2019 to avoid a hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic  has upset the delicate balance of the Good Friday Agreement and caused the power-sharing institutions in Northern Ireland to collapse. This is having a detrimental effect on families and businesses across Northern Ireland every day and it cannot be allowed to go on.

That is why it is such welcome news that the Prime Minister has secured a new deal that will chart a new way forward for Northern Ireland.

The Windsor Framework will deliver smooth-flowing trade by removing any sense of a border in the Irish Sea, abolishing the need for businesses to comply with arduous export declarations for goods going from Northern Ireland to Great Britain and scrapping current customs rules for post and parcels which is very good news for e-commerce and those of us wanting to send gifts to family and friends. Crucially, the agreement will safeguard Northern Irelands place in our Union. With this agreement, VAT cuts on beer will apply to Northern Ireland as well.

People across our country  including the three of us  voted to leave the European Union because wed had enough of a European rulebook being dumped on us from on high (stock image)

The same products including sausages will be available on supermarket shelves in Northern Ireland, the same medicines will be available across the whole UK, people and their pets will be able to travel easily and the bans that exist on things like shrubs and trees will be lifted.

Most important, however, will be the restoration of sovereignty for the people of Northern Ireland. The Prime Ministers deal will include a Stormont Brake, meaning that Northern Ireland will not only be able to have a say on new and changed EU laws  they will be able to block them.

This is a complete and utter game-changer and it is finally the Brexit that we voted for and promised to deliver.

To be clear, what the Prime Minister has achieved is what no one thought would be possible. He has scrapped 1,700 pages of EU law and made radical and permanent changes to the Protocol Treaty to end the ratchet of EU law.

We are all Conservatives. We are all Unionists. We are all Brexiteers. We can and must make Brexit work for all parts of the UK and the deal that the Prime Minister has struck will do so.

We can finally move on from disagreeing about Brexit to focusing on the opportunities that Brexit presents  for people in every corner of our precious United Kingdom.




Prime Minister Han Duck-soo on Tuesday attended a ceremony to mark the 63rd anniversary of the pro-democracy uprising in the southeastern city of Daegu, Han's office said.







The protest occurred on Feb. 28, 1960, in Daegu as part of a nationwide movement against the government of then President Rhee Syng-man, who had been in power since 1948.







Han said the Daegu uprising sparked the April 19 pro-democracy movement in 1960 that led to the downfall of the Rhee government.







Han said the Daegu uprising was "to preserve the values of freedom, democracy, peace and prosperity without yielding to injustice and violence."







Han also pledged that the government will continue to make efforts to "enhance the value of patriotism and veterans of the nation's meritorious service." (Yonhap)


A gang of hoons held up one of Australia's busiest motorways to do dangerous stunts, forcing other drivers to slam on the brakes when faced by a 'wall of smoke'.

More than 100 people brought the M1 Pacific Motorway near Yatala north of the Gold Coast to a standstill on Saturday night, as spectators filmed the incident on their phones.

Queensland police will examine the footage of two sedans doing burnouts in front of the Gold Coast lights sign on the highway.

The vision showed crowds and parked vehicles along the side of the highway as the performing cars did burnouts and donuts with hoons seen hanging out of the windows.

Young men in hoodies were seen filming the antics, capturing screeching tyre noises and orange and white smoke spilling from the cars into the air.

The vision showed crowds and parked vehicles along the side of the highway as the performing cars did burnouts and donuts with hoons hanging out of the windows (pictured)

Young men in hoodies were seen filming the antics as the cars spilled orange and white smoke out into the air

Other hoons were spotted standing on the side of vehicles waving their arms around while the cars spun around.

Meanwhile, drivers were forced to wait as the hoons took over the road with one motorist forced to slam on the brakes on the freeway.

'Coming home from my gig shortly after 1am down the M1 at 110km/h I had to hit the brakes hard, all four lanes came to a stop,' musician Mark Weare posted on Facebook.

'My initial thoughts were about a major accident - all I could see was a wall of smoke.

'I hope some penalties can be handed out - just plain dumb, could have easily been fatalities just for some cheap thrills.'

Queensland police told Daily Mail Australia the hooning behaviour was not only dangerous but selfish.

'It could have a lasting impact on a persons life or career, particularly if theyre injured or put before the courts,' a spokesperson said.

'The community does not accept the reckless antics of hoons and police do not tolerate anti-social and dangerous hooning behaviour in South East Queensland neighbourhoods.'

Queensland police said the hooning behaviour was not only dangerous but selfish (pictured, one of the sedans involved in the hoon meet)

'Illegal hoon meets and hooning activity not only endangers the lives of the driver, but also passengers and innocent bystanders.'

Authorities said investigations into the hoon meet are ongoing.

Police already use high-tech camera technology and a traffic monitoring CCTV network to zero-in on culprits, the spokesperson said.

Penalties vary for different hooning offences in Queensland but offenders can face up to $5,750 in fines or six months in jail if they are convicted of careless driving which includes street racing.

Driving in a way that makes unnecessary noise or smoke carries a maximum fine of $2,875.
A 'frenzied' knifeman brutally stabbed a cleaner on a train platform before he was shot dead by officers in the reception area of a nearby police station five minutes later when he allegedly charged at two cops.

A 28-year-old male cleaner was starting his shift at Auburn train station, in Sydney's west, on Tuesday when he was randomly attacked by a 32-year-old Indian migrant about 12.03am.

The cleaner was stabbed in the left arm and fell to the ground before the other man knifed him again in the hip.

Moments later, two police officers responding to the incident were walking out the front of nearby Auburn Police Station when they were confronted by the knife-wielding 32-year-old man.

He was 'hyperventilating' and charged at the two officers - one shooting him dead, another tasering him.

The grisly scene inside Auburn police station in Sydney's west on Tuesday morning after the knifeman was shot dead in the reception area

A knifeman has been shot and killed after walking into a police station and threatening officers with the incident following a stabbing at Auburn Railway Station

The officers performed first aid on the knifeman until paramedics arrived on scene. He was taken to Westmead Hospital where he later died.

Assistant Police Commissioner Stuart Smith said the 32-year-old, who is yet to be formally identified, arrived in Australia on a student visa from India in 2019.

He said there was no warning to the 'frenzied' attack on the cleaner.

The knife-wielding man was seen 'hyperventilating' when he arrived at the police station.

Counter-terrorism investigators are involved in the probe into the incident - which Assistant Commissioner Smith said was just part of standard response of a critical incident investigation.

He was then shot before officers performed first aid on him until paramedics arrived on scene

The injured cleaner was treated by paramedics at Auburn Railway Station before he was taken to Westmead Hospital in a stable condition.

Assistant Commissioner Smith said the Indian national was known to police, but only through Covid-19 lockdown enforcement checks early in the pandemic.

He added there had not been any criminal behaviour connected to those interactions, and they were 'benign' and at this stage unrelated to the current investigation.

'We are leaving no stone unturned in establishing the intent of this individual,' Assistant Commissioner Smith said.

A critical incident team comprised of officers from State Crime Commands Homicide Squad will now investigate the circumstances surrounding the incident, including the discharge of a police firearm.

That investigation will be subject to independent review.
Police have smashed open the window of a hot car to rescue a three-month-old baby girl at a shopping centre in Sydney's south-west, after a mum accidentally locked her keys in the car.

The little girl was rescued from the car at Roselands Shopping Centre in Sydney's south west just before 9am on Tuesday morning - with a harrowing picture emerging of a police officer tenderly cradling the baby girl.

The child was unharmed.

It comes just one day after cops and NRMA workers frantically smashed in the window of another vehicle at Dee Why shopping centre on the city's northern beaches, rescuing two children.

A three-month-old baby girl was rescued from the car at Roselands Shopping Centre in Sydney's south west just before 9am on Tuesday morning - with a harrowing picture emerging of a police officer tenderly cradling the baby girl (pictured)

Dramatic footage of that incident, obtained exclusively by Daily Mail Australia showed police officers using a hammer and baton to smash open the front passenger side window of the Honda hatchback in a car park at Dee Why on Sydney's Northern Beaches.

Alarmed shoppers had called emergency services after seeing the two children alone and strapped into the back of the locked car sometime after 2pm.

Both children were removed from the car unharmed with new images captured in the aftermath of the dramatic rescue showing a female police officer cradling the youngest child.

The driver, a young woman who rushed back to the car with her groceries to find it surrounded by police and onlookers, was spoken to by officers at the scene and could still face charges that carry a potential jail sentence.

NSW police confirmed on Tuesday that officers have 'not yet' charged the woman, but she could be liable under the Children and Young Persons Care and Protection Act.

If charged and convicted of failing to care for a child, she could face a maximum $22,000 fine or six months in prison.

NSW Law sets out that a person who leaves any child or young person in their care inside a motor vehicle without proper supervision for such a period that the child becomes emotionally distressed or physically impaired is guilty of an offence.

The witness who captured the dramatic incident on camera told Daily Mail Australia they saw NRMA roadside assistance arrive alongside Fire & Rescue NSW.

The witness believed another onlooker had called triple-zero after spotting the children inside.

The witness said the Honda's driver had hurried back to the car with shopping and was 'clearly in shock with what she was seeing'.

A cop takes a hammer and then a baton to the front passenger side window of a woman's Honda hatchback after shoppers reported seeing two children inside the locked vehicle at Dee Why on Monday

A woman returning to the car with three bags of shopping after police successfully rescued two children, aged one and four, from the locked hatchback on Monday afternoon

'It was certainly not "cool" in the parking garage so it is very dangerous to leave children alone in here,' the witness said.

It comes just weeks after a toddler died in a sweltering car in Glenfield in south-west Sydney, as horrified family members broke down at the scene.

Temperatures in the Glenfield area reached 34C on February 2, the day the three-year-old was found in the vehicle outside a grocery store.

NSW Police officers also had to smash a window in order to reach the child inside, but they were too late.
Hungarian budget airline Wizz Air announced Monday it would suspend all its flights to and from Moldova due to security concerns linked to growing tensions with Russia.

'Due to recent developments and the high, though not imminent, risk in the country's airspace, Wizz Air has taken the difficult but responsible decision to suspend all its flights to Chisinau as of March 14,' the group said in a statement.

Moldova, a pro-European republic of 2.6 million people located between Romania and Ukraine, has feared that it could be Moscow's next target ever since Russia launched its offensive in Ukraine a year ago.

Transdniestria, a breakaway separatist region in Moldova home to roughly 400,000 people, is economically and militarily supported by Russia.

And in recent weeks the EU-candidate nation has reported 'attempts at destabilisation', with its foreign ministry on Monday announcing it had expelled two foreign nationals of undisclosed origin from the country, believing they were gathering intelligence for a plot to undermine the government.

Wizz Air has announced it is suspending all flights to Moldova, citing security concerns amid Russia's war in Ukraine

Moldovan President Maia Sandu

Supporters of the socialists party with placards 'peace and quiet', 'ensure peace', 'Moldovans are peaceful people', 'don't scare people' protest in front of Presidency Palace in Chisinau, Moldova, 25 February 2023, amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine

Ukrainian refugees and Moldovan citizens protest against the war in Ukraine in front of the Russian Embassy in Chisinau, Moldova, 24 February 2023

Moldova has been hit by debris from the war in Ukraine several times and has occasionally shut down its own airspace during the Ukraine conflict.

The country has also suffered energy blackouts after Ukraine stopped exporting electricity because of Russian airstrikes on critical infrastructure.

But Wizz Air is the first airline to announce such a suspension of flights.

Two weeks ago, Moldova's president Maia Sandu accused Russia of plotting to violently overthrow the country's pro-European leadership with the help of saboteurs disguised as anti-government protesters.

Moscow denied the claim.

On Monday, Moldova's infrastructure ministry said it regretted Wizz Air's decision, assuring in a statement that flights, 'which respect a number of procedures, could be carried out safely'.

The Romanian national airline Tarom, Air Moldova, and Turkish Airlines continue to fly to the Moldovan capital.

Wizz Air's decision comes days after Russia told the West on Friday it would view any actions that threatened Russian peacekeepers in Transdniestria as a direct attack on Russia.

And on Thursday, Russia accused Kyiv of planning to invade the region, which borders Ukraine. The mainly Russian-speaking territory broke from Moldova's control in 1990, a year before the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Moldovan Foreign Minister Nicu Popescu is pictured. Moldova's foreign ministry on Monday announced it had expelled two foreign nationals of undisclosed origin from the country, believing they were gathering intelligence for a plot to undermine the government

Russian President Vladimir Putin is pictured. The Kremlin sensationally made unfounded claims that Kyiv is planning to invade a pro-Russian breakaway region of neighbouring Moldova last week

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky gestures as he gives a press conference in Kyiv on February 24, 2023, on the first anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine

'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.

In Kyiv, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky rejected Moscow's assertion that Ukraine wanted to take over the region.

Zelensky 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.

Zelensky 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.
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Two women who went missing after leaving home for a 50-mile trip to go bowling at a mall in Maine have been found alive in their Jeep, after they survived for five days in sub-zero temperatures 190 miles from their intended destination.

Kimberly Pushard, 51, and Angela Bussell, 50, who both have intellectual disabilities, planned to go bowling in the Maine Mall in South Portland, around an hour south of their home in Wiscasset, before they got turned around on the highway on Tuesday.

In a series of wrong turns and stops, they made their way into Massachusetts and New Hampshire before eventually being found on a remote snowmobile trail back in Maine on Sunday afternoon.

After they became stranded near Maine's Nicatous Lake, the duo had remained inside their vehicle for five days following a desperate search by authorities that spanned multiple states.

Kimberly Pushard, 51, and Angela Bussell, 50, were heading to the Maine Mall in South Portland to go bowling when they got turned around on the highway on Tuesday. They were found alive in their Jeep on a remote snowmobile trail - 190 miles away from their intended destination on Sunday afternoon.

Their car was found near Nicatous Lake off a snowmobile trail, where they pulled off and got stuck in the snow

The women were found 190 miles away from their intended destination. Their journey took them to Massachusetts, New Hampshire and back to Maine

While trying to get to the mall, which is roughly 50 miles from the women's hometown of Wiscasset, they ended up taking a wrong turn and headed towards Raymond, New Hampshire.

Stopping multiple times as they zig-zagged through the Bay State area, the two women were unable to get back on track as they phoned family members and asked police officers for directions home.

By 1am on Wednesday their families to filed a missing persons report with their local police department in Topsham, after Pushard's cell phone pinged at midnight near the New Hampshire towns of Candia and Raymond, according to the Portland Press Herald.

As police were searching by Candia and Raymond, they learned the women were last seen 200 miles away in Springfield, Maine, where they stopped to get gas at Irving Oil.

Staff at the gas station off Route 6 told DailyMail.com that the women had briefly stopped to ask directions, but added that they didn't seem flustered or desperate despite losing their bearings by hundreds of miles.

Police said they were able to determine the two women had doubled back on themselves by around 20 miles and headed to Lincoln, Maine at around 10:30 am Wednesday, before eventually making their way towards Nicatous Lake later that day.

While near the lake, they pulled off Morrison Ridge Road onto a remote snowmobile trail, before again pulling over ten miles up the road, where they got stuck in the snow.

It was there that they were left stranded, and they were forced to wait nearly five days until they were rescued on Sunday afternoon.

As more tips came in while authorities attempted to track down the pair, police were able to expand their search after learning of their brief return trip to Lincoln, leading the Warden Service and the Forest Service to perform an aerial search.

With searches continuing to fail to locate them, the women's red Jeep eventually ran out of gas Saturday morning, forcing them to spend a night braving sub-zero temperatures as they lost their supply of heat.

'Had they run out of gas the first day it might have been a different story,' Lieutenant Dan Menard of the Warden Service told the Portland Press Herald.

They got stuck on Wednesday and use the car's heating system to keep warm until they ran out of gas on Saturday morning. They were later found on Sunday afternoon

Pushard (pictured with Bussell's sister) had some bruises and muscle pulls and was kept overnight, according to family, who said she watched Lifetime movies and talked the night away

Bussell (left) had been frostbitten at Penobscot Valley Hospital in Lincoln and was released on Sunday

The duo were finally discovered Sunday in their vehicle by Maine Game Warden Brad Richard, who said he feared the worst when he stumbled across the red Jeep that authorities had been hunting for days.

Noting that there were no footprints around the vehicle, suggesting they had remained inside throughout their ordeal, Richard said he was relieved when the door swung open after he went to investigate.

He said Kimberley stuck her head out and said 'hello', seemingly unaware of the manhunt to find her, before she asked the game warden how he knew her name.

'We've been looking for you,' he responded, adding that he gave them his lunch after discovering they had ran out of food while their only drink, half a bottle of Mountain Dew, had frozen solid.

Richard then told them he had to 'go and make contact with some people so that I can help get you out of here', to which Kimberley calmly responded: 'Well, would you hurry up?'

He added that wasn't originally planning on scouring the area where the women were found, but told the Portland Press Herald: 'Those things dont always happen by chance. I think kind of was meant to be.'

The two were quickly transported to nearby hospitals, but were both in miraculously good shape considering the sub-zero conditions they were trapped in.

Bussell was released the same day after being treated for frostbite at Penobscot Valley Hospital in Lincoln, while Pushard had some bruises and muscle pulls and was kept overnight, according to family, who said she watched Lifetime movies and talked the night away.

'She just talked and talked,' her relative, Patsy, told the Portland Press Herald. 'She sounded happy, just like the usual Kimmy.'
A law scholar today accused her university of going soft on a fellow student who allegedly racially abused her.

Samantha Smith, 20, said she was called the N-word at a late-night gathering of the Durham Union, the universitys oldest and largest society.

She formally complained about the incident and a university probe upheld her complaint. The other student, who the Mail is not naming, was banned from contacting her, told to write an apology and asked to do 100 hours of community service.

But Miss Smith, a Conservative commentator with white and Afro-Hispanic heritage, insists the punishment is inadequate. She says her alleged abuser showed no remorse and should have been banned from campus.

Samantha Smith, 20, said she was called the N-word at a late-night gathering of the Durham Union, the universitys oldest and largest society

Miss Smith, a Conservative commentator with white and Afro-Hispanic heritage, insists the punishment is inadequate

He strongly denied uttering the slur but the probe found otherwise, on the balance of the evidence.

Miss Smith, from Shropshire, said: I put faith in the process, and I put faith in the university but I feel let down, degraded, pushed aside and angry.

I fear that if this has happened in as clear cut a case as mine and this is how they dealt with it, what is it going to be like for other students?

I also fear that he is going to be around me for the next two years and I could run into him any day.

Durham is a very small place. He is a very intimidating guy, and he scares me.

The incident happened during a Union party last May, when a group of youngsters were talking and mentioned Miss Smith and her posts on Twitter.

The second-year law student said: I had said something about how I hadnt personally experienced racism at Durham  which up to that point I hadnt  and that [while] racism does occur and Id experienced racism growing up ... I didnt believe Britain is institutionally racist.

Miss Smith insists she still loves Durham but plans to take the matter to the university ombudsman

She said that after her name was mentioned, the student said: Well thats surprising, seeing as she is a dirty n*****.

Miss Smith did not attend the party but was told what happened by a witness.

Asked how she felt on being the target of racism, she said: Initially, I was just in shock.

Ive been called all sorts  half-caste, brownie, illegal, border hopper  but that sort of language sounds like something straight out of the 1950s.

The fact that one of my peers  someone who is clearly intelligent enough to get into Durham  saw fit to use such an outdated, derogatory slur honestly shocked me.

The Union probe found in her favour and the student was kicked out of the society and banned from attending its events.

Miss Smith then formally complained to the university and says she is disappointed it imposed a seemingly softer punishment than the Union.

Miss Smith insists she still loves Durham but plans to take the matter to the university ombudsman.

A university spokesman said: We are deeply sorry that one of our students has experienced abuse.

We do not tolerate racism in any form and entirely condemn language of this kind.

These allegations have been investigated by both Durham University and the Durham Union Society.

Sanctions have been imposed in line with university policies and processes which go much further than those disclosed on social media.

We are concerned that the apology was not commensurate with the very serious nature of the offence.

We will learn from this. In future, as part of our disciplinary processes, we will endeavour to ensure that responding parties offer meaningful apologies which fully acknowledge what has gone wrong, and accept full responsibility for this.
Ken Bruce is leaving his BBC Radio 2 role a month early because the corporation reportedly became 'frustrated' that his shows were 'free advertising' for his next station.

The Scottish broadcaster, 72, will host his final 9.30am to 12pm Radio 2 show on Friday after 31 years before joining Greatest Hits Radio.

Bruce revealed in a tweet last week that he had intended to fulfil the remainder of his contract to the end of March, but said the BBC wanted him to leave earlier.

It comes as a BBC source told The Sun: 'The BBC believe that every second he is on air is just free advertising for his new show on Greatest Hits Radio.

'They became frustrated by the rival station launching a marketing campaign for his show. It leaves a sour taste.'

The Scottish broadcaster, 72, will host his final 9.30am to 12pm Radio 2 show on Friday

Vernon Kaye on the Zoe Ball Breakfast Show on BBC Radio 2 on Monday after it was announced he will replace Bruce

The decision to replace Bruce has sparked a backlash from loyal listeners, who hit out at the BBC over its treatment of the veteran presenter.

Last week, Bruce tweeted: '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. Let's enjoy the week ahead!'

Speaking to the Mail, Bruce said he was 'surprised and disappointed' by the decision.

He said: 'I was called in at 12.30 and told that my final show would be a week today and wasn't given any real reason that I understood.

'I'm a little surprised and disappointed.'

Friends say he had given a commitment not to say anything that could embarrass the BBC in the remaining weeks of his contract, making him all the more surprised by the decision to end his show earlier than expected.

An industry insider said that move by the BBC made the broadcaster look 'very ungracious' about Bruce's 'decades of service'.

Ken Bruce (pictured with his good friend Rod Stewart) is leaving the BBC after 45 years, quitting Radio 2 for Greatest Hits Radio

They said: 'It shows zero respect for Ken and what he has done for Radio 2.'

Vernon Kay was this week announced as his replacement and broke down in tears while talking about his new role.

Fans greeted the news of his replacement with mixed reviews and branded BBC bosses' decision 'classless', but appearing on The Zoe Ball Breakfast Show this morning, Kay paid tribute to his predecessor.

He said: 'My dad is a lorry driver and I said this when I joined Radio 2 and started standing in for Steve Wright, so we've always had Radio 2 on in the background.

'It is part of us, it is in our DNA - Ken Bruce is mid-mornings. You don't think of any other DJ when you think of that slot.

Whatever channel you choose to listen to, whoever is on mid-mornings, it's the Ken Bruce slot. He has made it his own and he is an absolute legend of broadcasting.

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

'To be asked to step into those big shoes... it was a big deep breath, I'll be honest with you.

'Obviously I am over the moon and so are my parents and Tess and the kids, but it's the Ken Bruce show and the man has raised the bar so high that I'm just so excited to be able to take the reins. I am absolutely over the moon, I really am.'

Bruce is the latest veteran to leave the station, but he insists it is his decision. Last summer Paul O'Grady exited Radio 2 after Steve Wright, 68, Graham Norton, 59, and Simon Mayo, 64, all left and were replaced with a younger line up. Vanessa Feltz, 60, and Craig Charles, 58, have also moved on.
A former lord mayor of Birmingham who handed packets of dates to Muslim voters during Ramadan is facing investigation for election bribery.

Labour politician Mohammed Afzal, 78, brought legal action seeking to overturn a result in council elections held in May last year.

Mr Afzal said two victorious Liberal Democrat candidates had falsely accused him of unlawfully handing out gifts during the campaign, according to The Times.

He withdrew his election petition after doorbell footage revealed Afzal and his supporters handing out dates bearing Labour Party stickers to voters.

He was said to be standing in Aston, a Labour stronghold where two Liberal Democrat candidates were instead elected.

Doorbell footage shows former lord mayor of Birmingham Mohammed Afzal handing out dates

Mr Afzal, who handed packets of dates to Muslim voters during Ramadan, is facing investigation for election bribery

He withdrew his election petition after doorbell footage revealed Afzal and his supporters handing out dates bearing Labour Party stickers to voters. [File image]

One had previously been involved in an election dispute with Mr Afzal 15 years ago.

According to Judge Richard Foster, who was sitting as an election commissioner, there was 'conclusive evidence that indeed [Afzal] and his supporters did supply electors with packets of dates containing Labour Party stickers on a wide-spread basis during the campaign.'

Mr Foster said the disputed election happened during Ramadan - in which eating dates was a traditional way for Muslims to round off their fast.

The judge allowed Mr Afzal to withdraw his petition, commenting that there was 'overwhelming evidence served on behalf of [his rivals] of illegal election practices in which he participated'.

The judge said explained he was sending a copy of the judgement to the director of public prosecutions and awarded each of the victorious candidates an interim payment of 10,000 towards their costs.

Mr Afzal brought the petition after claiming that the Liberal Democrats, Ayoub Khan, a barrister and Mumtaz Hussain made 'false allegations' to sway voters in the ward.

The 78-year-old was Britain's first elected Muslim Pakistani councillor in 1982.

He and five other Labour councillors had to step down in 2004 after Sir Richard Mawrey QC, then the electoral commissioner, discovered evidence of postal ballot abuse.
Questions are being asked over who did arrange the meeting between King Charles and EU commission chief Ursula von der Leyen yesterday - after all sides denied organising it.

Amid an otherwise friendly display of unity, government sources claimed von der Leyen's audience with the King was as the result of a request from the EU Commission.

But Brussels ardently denies this and said the meeting was offered by the UK government - adding that as a non-head-of-state, von der Leyen has no right to meet the King, The Times reports.

Buckingham Palace has recused itself from any part in the dispute, besides making clear that the King himself had nothing to do with arranging the meeting and would never make such a high-profile political invitation himself.

Tory Brexiteers sparked a backlash over the meeting, in addition to some leading figures within the DUP, who insisted it was dragging the King into a controversial political issue.

Questions are being asked over who did arrange the meeting between King Charles and EU commission chief Ursula von der Leyen - after all sides denied organising it

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak delivers a statement on the Northern Ireland Protocol, at the House of Commons

Former DUP leader Arlene Foster said she 'could not quite believe that No10 would ask the King to become involved in the finalising of a deal as controversial as this one.'

'It's crass and will go down very badly in Northern Ireland. We must remember this is not the King's decision but the government who, it appears, are tone deaf.'

Jacob Rees-Mogg told Sky News: 'It is surprising that the King will meet Ursula von der Leyen today as it antagonizes the people the PM needs to conciliate, It is also constitutionally unwise to involve the King in a matter of immediate political controversy.'

In a bid to deflect the growing criticism, a government source insisted the meeting was at the behest of the EU commission.

Brussels, however, immediately balked at this suggestion and insisted: 'It was not a request and we were not expecting it.'

During yesterday's meeting, the royal warmly shook hands with the European Commission President during an audience at Windsor Castle this afternoon.

The meeting came less than two hours after she signed off on changes to the Northern Ireland Protocol at a five-star hotel four miles from His Majesty's Berkshire home.

Buckingham Palace insisting the Windsor Castle meeting was called on 'Government advice'.

But the PM's official spokesman later said that the decision was 'fundamentally' one for Buckingham Palace, adding Mr Sunak 'firmly believes it's for the King to make those decisions.

The royal received the European Commission president at WIndsor Castle yesterday

'It's not uncommon for His Majesty to accept invitations to meet certain leaders, he has met President Duda and President Zelensky recently'.

Jacob Rees-Mogg has insisted the meeting should not go ahead, claiming: 'It antagonises the people the PM needs to conciliate. It is constitutionally unwise to involve the King in a matter of immediate political controversy.'

Former DUP leader Arlene Foster tweeted: 'I cannot quite believe that No10 would ask HM the King to become involved in the finalising of a deal as controversial as this one. It's crass and will go down very badly in NI.

'We must remember this is not the King's decision but the Government who it appears are tone deaf'.

Royal commentator Peter Hunt said of the meeting: 'This is a very serious error of judgment by King Charles and his advisers.'

The former BBC royal correspondent added: "He's abandoned his unifying role and entered the political fray, in a foolish bid to be seen as statesmanlike. History won't be kind. Someone's head will roll.'

Rishi Sunak (left today) was accused of dragging King Charles III into politics with the monarch meeting EU chief Ursula von der Leyen at Windsor Castle

The meeting did not go down well with some Unionists, including former DUP leader Arlene Foster

Rishi Sunak and Ursula von der Leyen as they agreed a new Brexit deal in Windsor yesterday

The Prime Minister and Ms von der Leyen 'final talks' in Windsor on Monday before the breakthrough was announced at around 2.30pm.

Buckingham Palace said: 'The King is pleased to meet any world leader if they are visiting Britain and it is the Government's advice that he should do so.' A broad range of issues will discussed including climate change and Ukraine. Brexit may also come up, but Mr Sunak will not be there.

Ms von der Leyen arrived in London by Eurostar yesterday morning and said she was 'looking forward to turning a page and opening a new chapter with our partner and friend', ahead of her meeting with the PM and the King.

Responding to Foster tweet, PM's spokesman said: 'There will be a range of views. With regard to Ms von der Leyen meeting the King, that is fundamentally a matter for the palace.'

Mr Rees-Mogg earlier described the prospect of a meeting between the King and von der Leyen as a mistake, telling GB News: 'It is surprising that The King will meet Ursula von der Leyen today as it antagonises the people the PM needs to conciliate'.

He also told GB News: 'I think the sovereign should only be involved when things have been completed and accepted.

'The King gives assent to Acts of Parliament when Parliament has agreed, he doesn't express his view on Acts of Parliament when they are going through the process.

'I think the same applies, that His Majesty should not be involved until there is full support for this agreement.'
Notorious prisoner Charles Bronson is likely to have had his privileges revoked by prison authorities, Ministry of Justice sources said, after Channel 4 filmed him having a conversation with his supposed son via video chat from behind bars.

The hardened criminal spoke to George Bamby-Salvador via video call from HMP Woodhill for the Channel 4 programme 'Bronson: Fit To Be Free?' broadcast in two parts on Monday and Tuesday night.

In the conversation, Bamby-Salvador, who claims to have obtained DNA proof that Bronson is his father, can be heard explaining to the hardened criminal that he must show remorse for having taken a former prison teacher hostage at an upcoming parole hearing.

Ministry of Justice sources told The Telegraph this would likely hurt his chances of parole and means prison authorities will have cracked down on the legendary inmate's freedoms.

In the interview, Bronson 70, said: 'I'm focused, I'm settled, I can actually smell and taste freedom like I've never, ever done in my life.

'I'm now anti-crime, anti-violent. What the f**k am I still in prison for?'

Since 1974, Bronson has amassed 17 convictions of a string of violent offences and has taken 11 hostages over his criminal career - including holding prison art teacher Phil Daniels at spearpoint for 43 hours in 1999.

Paparazzi photographer George Bamby-Salvador (right) discovered that he was the son of Bronson (left) after a phone call in 2017. A DNA test shown on national television confirmed the relationship

The notorious criminal was filmed speaking for the first time since 1989. He told his son George Bamby-Salvador that he didn't regret his life

When he was convicted in 2000 after taking a prison teacher hostage for 43 hours in HMP Hull, he was given a minimum term of four years.

The violent offender said he 'over-reacted' during the attack but did not say he was remorseful.

'I went over the top as I normally do. I never hurt the man. Mentally, obviously I did. He didn't deserve what he got, but did I deserve a life sentence just for wrapping him up?

'When you're locked up in a concrete coffin, 23 hours of a 24 hour day, sometimes in life you've got to do something mad.

'The madder it is, the more dangerous it is, the better it f*****g is. I've gotta be honest with you, I've had a fucking party, you know.'

Phil Danielson, the prison art teacher Bronson kidnapped in 1999, said the 43-hour ordeal had affected him permanently, adding: 'The damage that was caused by him has moulded my whole life since 1999 - 23 years nearly.'

He was diagnosed with PTSD and acute anxiety disorder after suffering breakdowns and has been unable to work since the attack.

'It will be with me for the rest of my days because if it hadn't have happened I would probably just about now, at 60, thinking about retiring.

'Mentally I couldn't bring myself round to do it [to work]. That's why it was decided that I was unfit to teach.

'On a personal level, I'll never forgive him for what he did to me and my life.'

The former teacher said Bronson admired him for being the only one of his hostages not to soil himself during the kidnapping.

Mr Danielson said that while part of him thinks justice has been done, Bronson needs to express regret for his actions before he is released.

He added: 'I think he needs to show remorse and it needs to be documented remorse, not a load of clever talk to get in the papers.'

The parole board confirmed that Charles Bronson's hearing is set for March 6 and March 8, and said that reviews are undertaken thoroughly and with extreme care.

The criminal has been held in each of England's secure hospitals, including Broadmoor, and befriended the infamous Kray brothers in jail

George Bamby, a paparazzi photographer who didn't know Bronson was his father while growing up, has been campaigning for his release for several years

The documentary interviews Bronson himself, his son George Bamby and experts to interrogate the prisoner's claims that he should be free

The prisoner, who was filmed by his son George Bamby on a secure video call from prison, said the thing he was proudest of was his art

Paparazzi photographer Mr Bamby-Salvador discovered that he was the son of the notorious criminal after a phone call in 2017. A DNA test shown on national television confirmed the relationship and he has spent several years campaigning for his father's release.

For the documentary, Mr Bamby-Salvador filmed video calls with Bronson sitting in his prison cell, wearing a succession of slogan T-shirts.

Bronson admitted to having a 'horrible, nasty, vicious, violent past' but said he had never killed anyone or harmed women or children.

When asked if he had changed his ways, Bronson claimed that the thing he was most proud of in his life was his art.

He recently launched a new exhibition in the hopes of showing his fitness for release, with pieces selling for between 700 and 30,000.

But Bronson also said one of his 'great regrets' was that he wasn't serving time in HMP Strangeways during the infamous riot in 1990.

'Three weeks before that kicked off I was actually in Strangeways and I moved from Strangeways to Parkhurst.

'I f*****g missed it by three weeks. When I was there it was bubbling up then, really bubbling up, you know?'

He described the conditions in Strangeways before the riot: 'Cons were three to a cell. You imagine shitting in a bucket with another two men in the same cell.

'It is a great regret of mine. I would have loved I think I'd have still f*****g been up there.'

Bronson has made seven failed parole appeals and appealed his life sentence in 2004, describing his treatment in solitary confinement as 'torture'.

The parole board confirmed that Charles Bronson's hearing is set for March 6 and March 8, and said that reviews are undertaken thoroughly and with extreme care

Bronson has plans to move to Devon, near where Mr Bamby lives in Torbay, and live in a caravan making art if he is released

The criminal attacked and kidnapped prison art teacher Phil Danielson in 1999 and was sentenced to life in 2000

If released, Bronson has plans to move to Devon, near where Mr Bamby lives in Torbay, and live in a caravan making art.

A JustGiving page has been set up by Mr Bamby and has raised nearly 4,000 to buy a caravan for his father.

Bronson said that the last time he was released from prison, in 1995, he had a 'shorn-off shotgun' within 48 hours.

Bronson completed a Violence Reduction Programme at HMP Wakefield in 2012, but another violent incident was reported in 2018.

Twelve prison guards were forced to intervene after the prisoner 'covered himself in margarine'.

Kevin Lane, who was sentenced to 22 years for murder and lived with Bronson in prison, said the penal system is 'run on violence'.

'If I was an animal in the zoo, I'd bite someone, and that's what he does.'

Bronson, pictured on his way to a parole hearing at the Old Bailey in 2004, was first locked up for armed robbery in 1974

Bronson has been diagnosed with antisocial personality disorder and paranoid personality disorder and has spent time in England's three special psychiatric hospitals, including Broadmoor

Mr Bamby said his father should have the chance to show that he was no longer a threat to the public.

But he also recognised the potential that his father could reoffend when he comes out of prison, including by attacking him.

He added: 'He has been really violent in the past and he could come out and cause someone some real damage, but we won't know that until he comes out and gets given the opportunity to prove that he's changed his ways.

'I could be being completely f*****g manipulated by my old dad and he could get out of prison and fall out with me one day and kick the living f****g s**t out of me one day and stab me with a bread knife.'

Criminal forensic psychologist Kerry Daynes said the violent reoffending rate for prisoners over the age of 70 was nil.

'Charlie might be the exception to that rule,' she said. 'Anybody reading about Charlie's history was told to take a deep breath and think about how can this man move forward, who is capable of such violence and what does that mean for his future?'

Bronson has been diagnosed with antisocial personality disorder and paranoid personality disorder, the psychologist said, and has spent time in England's three special psychiatric hospitals.

He befriended the infamous Kray brothers while in prison and took up illegal bare-knuckle fighting when he was released in the 1980s on the advice of Reggie Kray.

The criminal recently said he was still able to do '95 press-ups in 30 seconds' and exercises regularly.

Bronson was born Michael Peterson in 1952 to Aberystwyth barmaid Eira Peterson, whom he called The Duchess.

He moved to Ellesmere Port to live with his grandparents and met his first wife, Irene, who gave birth to their son Michael in 1971.

Bronson was imprisoned in 1974 for armed robbery, aged 22, and has been in and out of prison ever since.

Bronson has changed his name to Salvador

Tom Hardy (pictured) played the hardman in the 2008 biopic Bronson, which is loosely based on the prisoner's life

During his time inside he has taken hostages in ten prison sieges, attacked at least 20 prison officers and caused 500,000 in damage in rooftop protests.

He has been moved prisons more than 120 times during his 43-year spell behind bars - much of which has been spent in solitary confinement.

Bronson changed his name to Salvador in 2014 in honour of the artist Salvador Dali and has won multiple prison awards for his poetry, art and prose.

Tom Hardy played the hardman in the 2008 biopic Bronson, which is loosely based on the prisoner's life.

The first part of the Channel 4 documentary was shown on Channel 4 yesterday at 9pm and the second part will air tonight at the same time.

Both episodes will be available on All 4 from this evening.
President Yoon Suk Yeol speaks during a meeting with health industry executives, scholars and doctors to discuss ways to create new markets related to biohealth at the former presidential office compound of Cheong Wa Dae, Tuesday. Yonhap



Gov't plans to foster biohealth sector as key strategic industry



By Jun Ji-hye



President Yoon Suk Yeol vowed strong government support for domestic biohealth players in order to foster the industry as the country's core strategic business.



During a meeting he presided over at the former presidential office compound of Cheong Wa Dae, Tuesday, Yoon said that the biohealth field, which includes pharmaceuticals, medical devices, medicines and bioengineering, has enormous growth potential, calling the sector "Korea's next semiconductor."



The meeting was aimed at exploring strategies for expanding exports and opening new markets for the biohealth industry. Participants included health industry executives, scholars and doctors as well as government officials from relevant ministries.



"The global biohealth market is valued at about 2,600 trillion won ($1.97 trillion)," Yoon said. "The field is linked directly to future growth and expected to create a large number of quality jobs."



Yoon said the government will focus its investments on the digital transformation of medical and healthcare services so as to be the first to take an advantageous position in global markets.



He noted that the government will push to create a "Boston Cluster" in Korea so that various venture firms and young entrepreneurs can make inroads in the industry and play a leading role.



The U.S. city of Boston has been regarded as the center of the global biotech industry, as a number of top pharmaceutical and medical device companies as well as world-famous universities such as Harvard and MIT are concentrated there.





President Yoon Suk Yeol tries on SK Biopharmaceuticals' wearable devices that are designed to detect signs of seizures in epilepsy patients, Tuesday, before presiding over a meeting with health industry executives, scholars and doctors to discuss ways to create new markets related to biohealth at the former presidential office compound of Cheong Wa Dae. Yonhap
Three crew members of the film Rust have filed a lawsuit against Alec Baldwin and the producers, claiming that they have experienced anxiety and symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder due to the shooting death of the film's cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.

The October 2021 incident occurred in a church building at the Bonanza Creek Ranch near Santa Fe, New Mexico when Baldwin's gun fired, with the bullet killing Hutchins and wounding director Joel Souza.

Baldwin denied pulling the trigger, but prosecutors have charged him with involuntary manslaughter for firing the weapon while it was pointed at Hutchins.

The three crew members who have filed this latest suit are Ross Addiego, the dolly operator, Doran Curtin, the set costumer, and Reese Price, the key grip.

All three claim they were near Baldwin when the gun was fired and suffered 'blast injuries' from the deafening sound of the shot.

Halyna Hutchins was shot dead on the set of the movie Rust in October 2021

Ross Addiego, the dolly operator, Doran Curtin, the set costumer, and Reese Price, the key grip all worked on Rust and have filed a lawsuit against Alec Baldwin

Alec Baldwin has denied pulling the trigger, but prosecutors have charged him with involuntary manslaughter for firing the weapon while it was pointed at Hutchins

Hutchins fell to the ground in front of Curtin. 'She watched in shock as Hutchins grabbed at her abdomen,' the lawsuit states.

'Plaintiff Curtin put her hands on Hutchins' stomach, trying to find the source of Hutchins' pain and figure out what was going on. As the chaos continued, Plaintiff Curtin was ushered out of the church. Once outside, she collapsed from the effects of the blast and the shock of the shooting.'

The lawsuit also accuses the producers of cutting corners and hiring individuals who had been the subject of previous safety complaints, including David Halls, the first assistant director, and armorer Hannah Gutierrez Reed, who 'lacked experience' because the producers allegedly wanted a 'quick and cheap production.'

Gutierrez Reed, like Baldwin, is also facing a charge of involuntary manslaughter, which carries a maximum sentence of 18 months in prison. Both have pleaded not guilty.

She mistakenly loaded a live round into the gun Baldwin fired and has criticized the film's producers for failing to provide enough time for firearms training.

Ross Addiego was the dolly operator working on Rust at the time of the shooting. The dolly's job is to push and pull the dolly cart during filming

Doran Curtin was the set costumer who was working on the New Mexico filmset

Reese Price, was the key grip on set. The key grip is responsible for all non-electrical support gear on a set

The lawsuit also accuses the producers of cutting corners and hiring individuals who had been the subject of previous safety complaints, including David Halls, the first assistant director

Rust armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed appeared before a judge virtually last Friday

'Rust' armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed was charged alongside Baldwin in the woman's death

Producer and actor Baldwin fired the prop gun (pictured) that killed one crew member and injured another on the set of the movie 'Rust' in New Mexico

The suit faults Baldwin for not paying attention during weapons training, for failing to ensure that the gun was not loaded with a live bullet, and for discharging the round.

Other crew members have also filed lawsuits in New Mexico and California, including the script supervisor, set medic, and gaffer.

Baldwin's lawyers filed a counterclaim in one of those suits, alleging that four other people were at fault in the shooting.

Hutchins' widower, Matthew, filed a lawsuit a year ago and agreed to a settlement in October that will allow the film to be completed.

The producers plan to resume shooting this spring in Montana, with Baldwin still in the lead role.

Last week, Rust Movie Productions agreed to pay $100,000 to settle a workplace safety citation from the New Mexico Occupational Health and Safety Bureau.

Baldwin's representatives have declined to comment.

Baldwin is pictured second from left next to Hutchins on the set of Rust before her death in October 2021
The young men had shoveled the driveway of a friend next door and were attempting to do a neighborly act of service

A TikTok video is going viral of a white woman calling the police on two young black men for shoveling snow, claiming they were bothering her and not showing her any 'respect.'

Gregory McAdory said that he and his friend have a snow removal business in Rockford, Illinois, where the video was shot.

He claimed that on February 17, after a white winter storm blanketed the area, he and his friend headed over to a friend's father's driveway so they could clear it.

Once they'd finished with the driveway, they moved to the sidewalk in front of a neighbor's house, which they also began clearing.

That's when the neighbor, a relatively old woman, came out and 'bugged' up on the two young men, demanding that they leave and threatening to call the police, which she eventually did.

The small, old woman with an accent told the two young men to stop shoveling her snow and stay off of her property

'You're seriously mad because we cleaned off your sidewalk?' asked McAdory in the video, as the woman takes snow from the packed bank and shovels it back on the sidewalk.

The woman then tells the young man and his companion: 'Don't trespass that line!'

'I don't need anything from you!' she tells them in an accent.

The two young men keep the interaction going, and in disbelief tell her that they're doing something nice for her. The friend continues to shovel the snow.

The woman tells them they are trespassing, and they tell her it is a public sidewalk.

Eventually, she takes out her phone to call the police, at which point McAdory said, 'They'll come faster if you say there's two n*****s over here.'

Although he appeared to have been recording before the woman took out her phone to call the cops, McAdory told the Daily Beast: 'When the police is called on people of my color, just to be on the safe side, I just say, 'Record.''

He can be heard saying he will put the interaction all over the internet in the background of the video.

Into the phone, the woman told the police, 'These guys are African American. I dont get along with them.'

'They are making fun of me. See, they dont have no respect!' she said.

A log from the Rockford Police Department confirmed the call was placed at 12:30pm on Feb. 17.

The caller - the woman whose name was blocked out - reported disorderly conduct and an 'urgent' need for help.

According to the notes, 'there is a [race redacted]/M there harassing her and she doesn't want him there.'

A different note said that there were '2 [race redacted]/[males].'

'She says they are disrespecting her and she wants them gone,' read the note.

In a second video that McAdory uploaded to Tiktok, two Rockford police officers have arrived at the scene and are standing in front of their vehicle.

One of the officers say the woman may be mentally ill.

They go and speak with the woman and tell the men to stay off her property and not to shovel her snow.

The Daily Beast reported that a police report of the incident was not taken and that the officers were on the scene for less than 20 minutes.

The woman is seen here shoveling snow back onto the road. On arrival, one of the police officers said she may be mentally unwell

One of the police officers who arrived on the scene after the woman called. No report was filed, but the officers did tell the two young men not to shovel the woman's snow

Pictured: Gregory McArdory who was one of the two young men attempting to shovel snow in front of the hostile woman's home

McAdory said this was not the first time the woman had threatened to call the police on them.

Apparently, the last time the pair shoveled the driveway, the woman got upset that they touched her lawn.

McAdory said they believed clearing a path on the sidewalk would show the woman that they could be neighborly. He said his friend's family have known the woman for 15 years.

'I dont know whats wrong with her. I dont know if its racism,' he said. 'I just didnt want to be arrested for something as minor as that.'
A serial dog poo thrower has infuriated neighbours in their apartment complex who have had enough of their filthy habit.

One resident of the Unison complex on Longland St, in the Brisbane suburb of Newstead was so incensed by the foul practice, he warned the thrower he would be getting them soon.

The Brisbane local took to a local community group on Facebook to caution them they were hunting for their apartment.

'Whomever is routinely throwing dog poo from their "Unison" balcony to the footpath below on 12 Longland Street, Newstead, your behaviour is absolutely appalling,' he wrote.

'I've seen it fall before, today.. you got me.

'When I find out who you are, expect similar treatment, understandably.'

A serial dog poo thrower has infuriated neighbours in a Brisbane apartment building who have had enough of the filthy faeces being flung from a balcony to the street. The dog pictured is not the offending dog

A resident of the Unison complex (pictured) on Longland St, Newstead was so incensed by the foul practice, he admitted to being hit by the poo, saying 'you got me'

The Brisbane man also had some neighbourly advice for the dog owner: 'Use your designated refuse area, or put your pet up for adoption, you cretin.'

Local councillor Kim Marx condemned the pet owner's lack of care for fellow residents.

'These allegations are disgusting and Brisbane City Council is more than happy to work with the body corporate of this residential building to hold this person accountable and pursue them for littering,' she told the Courier Mail.

'We all need to be responsible pet owners and do our part to keep our city clean, green and sustainable.'

Sonny Goodens took to social media (pictured) to warn the pooch's owner about what he will do to them when he finds out who it is

In Brisbane, failing to pick up and correctly dispose of your animal's droppings in public is punishable by a fine of $287.

The latest dog poo battle in Queensland follows another in December, when a woman dumped dog droppings and boiling water over a car left legally parked outside her home after a bizarre dispute turned ugly.

Car owner Natalie Mayers returned to her vehicle to find the roof plastered with animal faeces while parked in the street in Toowoomba.

And as she was walking up the road, she claimed she saw the homeowner pour scalding boiling water over her car's paintwork.

The resident admitted the attack when the owner confronted her - but insisted she was justified because the driver had ignored her home-made no parking sign.

The hand-written placard told drivers not to park outside her home and leaving their car there when they go to work, despite it being a legal parking zone.
Lisa Wilkinson could derail Bruce Lehrmann's high-stakes defamation case against Channel 10 and news.com.au with a clever legal tactic - as the TV star's husband hints she may be holidaying in the UK after their year from hell.

The former ministerial staffer is suing the network over an interview aired on The Project where Brittany Higgins first alleged to Ms Wilkinson that she was raped by 'a male colleague' in Parliament House in 2019.

According to a statement of claim filed in the Federal Court on February 7, Mr Lehrmann will allege Channel 10 and Ms Wilkinson were 'recklessly indifferent to the truth or falsity' when the allegations against him were made.

He is also suing News Life Media - an umbrella company of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation which runs news.com.au - over coverage by journalist Samantha Maiden which featured the same allegations by Ms Higgins.

Mr Lehrmann strenuously denies having any sexual contact with Ms Higgins.

But there may be a vulnerability in his case - with The Project's news story aired two years ago, in February 2021, forcing his lawyers to ask the court to extend a one-year limitation period on bringing a claim.

Brittan Higgins first alleged to Lisa Wilkinson (pictured left, with Ms Higgins) that she was raped by 'a male colleague' in Parliament House in 2019

Ms Wilkinson is believed to be in the UK with her prominent columnist and author husband Peter FitzSimons

However, Ms Wilkinson - who is believed to be in the UK with her prominent columnist and author husband Peter FitzSimons - could oppose the extension and cause the case to topple.

The same issue could also rear its head in the News Life Media case.

According to a directions order filed in the Federal Court by Justice Lee on February 17, Mr Lehrmann's deadline to submit an affidavit supporting the application for an extension to the limitation period is March 1.

Ms Wilkinson, Ms Maiden, Channel 10 and news.com.au will then have until March 10 to oppose it.

To be granted the extension, Mr Lehrmann's legal team would have to show that it was unreasonable for him to sue within the first year after publication.

Mr Lehrmann was charged with raping Ms Higgins six months after the interviews were aired. Mr Lehrmann had pleaded not guilty during his rape trial in the ACT Supreme Court in October last year.

The trial was aborted in November due to misconduct by a member of the jury. The ACT Director of Public Prosecutions Shane Drumgold SC then dropped the trial entirely due to concerns over Ms Higgins' mental health.

Mr Lehrmann wasn't named during The Project interview nor was he publicly identified as Ms Higgins' alleged rapist until August 2021, when he was formally charged with sexual assault.

However, it is understood that his colleagues in Parliament House knew the allegations were against him prior to the criminal charge.

Daily Mail Australia understands Mr Lehrmann gave Network 10 and news.com.au a settlement offer, but the outlets rejected the offer and pledged to fight the matters.

The case returns to court on March 16.

The trial against Bruce Lehrmann (pictured) was derailed by misconduct from jurors

Earlier in February it was revealed Ms Wilkinson and her husband cancelled their star-studded 'Independence Day' party after enduring the 'worst year of their lives' in 2022.

Ms Wilkinson's memoir, It Wasn't Meant To Be Like This, was released earlier in 2022 but was soon dramatically discounted at major retailers to as cheap as $5.

In June, Ms Wilkinson won a Logie for her powerful television interview with former Liberal staffer Brittany Higgins, who had alleged she was raped by a colleague in Parliament House in 2019.

She praised Ms Higgins in her acceptance speech, which led to the trial of Ms Higgins' accused rapist being delayed.

The fallout led to past and present colleagues as well as rivals from various networks slamming Ms Wilkinson.

She abruptly quit The Project in November after four years on the panel, citing 'targeted toxicity' from sections of the media as the reason for her exit.

The veteran journalist hasn't returned to the screens but is still collecting a 'seven-figure salary' from Ten thanks to the 'watertight' deal she signed in 2021.

On Sunday, her husband Peter FitzSimons published an interview with London-based royal correspondent Camilla Tominey in the Sydney Morning Herald - during which he said he had been a 'guest' in her country 'for the last week or two'.
Dozens of staff working at online fashion retailer The Iconic could lose their jobs amid the company's organisational redesign.

In an in-person meeting with management on February 23, The Iconic informed its Sydney staff the company was in the midst of a 'redesign', with roughly 69 roles affected.

Those affected by the redundancies were told to check for an email with information on their next steps.

The restructure has impacted the teams content writers, customer service representatives and staff in the retouching team.

A spokesperson for The Iconic told Daily Mail Australia impacted staff make up 6 per cent of the workforce and were not blindsided by the announcement.

Roughly 69 staff who work at Australia's online fashion retailer The Iconic are being made redundant (pictured, The Iconic)

The restructure has impacted the teams content writers, customer service representatives and staff in the retouching team (pictured, The Iconic)

'Last week, The Iconic announced an organisational redesign to support the companys next phase of development as it focuses on transforming into a platform business,' The Iconic said.

'This has resulted in the rescoping of some role descriptions, role redeployment, streamlining some roles through role consolidation and in some cases, role redundancies.

'Our people have been our biggest priority throughout this process. We have been acutely focused on limiting the impact on our people as much as possible, however, these necessary structural changes have unfortunately affected 69 roles.'

The company and staff are currently working through a live consultation period to see whether some roles can be redeployed.

The Iconic said it was 'enormously grateful' for the work carried out by the affected staff members and will be supporting them if redeployment is unsuccessful.

'We are enormously grateful for the contribution that the affected individuals have made to The Iconic during their tenure,' The Iconic said,

'We will be supporting them with an outplacement program to help them transition into their next role or career path.'

It comes after The Iconic reported itself to the Fair Work Ombudsman in March, last year, after realising it had underpaid its staff (stock image of model employed by The Iconic)

The Iconic, which launched in 2011, is Australia's biggest online retailer selling fashion, sports, beauty, kidswear and homewares to 20 million customers a month.

The company, which is a subsidiary of the Global Fashion Group, sells Australian and International brands including Adidas, Witchery, Calvin Klein and Estee Lauder.

It comes after The Iconic reported itself to the Fair Work Ombudsman in March, last year, after realising it had underpaid its staff.

Some 800 casual staff have been underpaid between hundreds to thousands of dollars between 2013 and 2020.

As of December 2022, The Iconic had re-paid 95 per cent, or $1.38million, of the money that is owed to its workers.
In a rare event the Aurora Australis - also known as the Southern Lights - were visible as far north as New South Wales' central west.

Residents in parts of NSW, Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia could see a pink glow in the sky on Monday night thanks to particularly strong geomagnetic activity.

While 'severe' geomagnetic storms can occasionally make the aurora visible in southern NSW, the colourful sky is a very rare sight in the state's centre.

Spectacular photos shared online show a dark pink light was visible as far north as Dubbo, 400km northwest of Sydney.

While the bright lights of Sydney would have made the aurora difficult to see, residents slightly south on the coast were treated to visions of bright purple and pink.

The Aurora Australis was visible in parts of central NSW on Monday night (pictured, the aurora in Dubbo)

A dark purple hue was visible from the outskirts of Canberra (above) with residents calling the sight 'stunning'

WHAT IS THE AURORA AUSTRALIS? The Aurora Australis, or Southern Lights, is the southern hemisphere's version of the Northern Lights. It is a natural phenomenon that's tied to 'powerful emissions from the sun and geomagnetic disturbances'. The lights are usually only seen at very high or very low latitudes but large solar events can make the lights visible from further away. For example, a massive solar event in March 1989 caused the Aurora to be visible as far north as Exmouth, central WA, and the Southern Lights as far south as Texas. Forecasts for the Aurora Australis are available on the Bureau of Meteorology's website. Source: Bureau of Meteorology Advertisement

A time-lapse of the night sky in Gerroa, 135km south of Sydney, captured by local Daniel Munro shows a bright light accompanied the colours in the sky.

A 'stunning' dark purple hue was visible on the outskirts of Canberra.

On the west coast, the aurora was seen as high as Lancelin - 125km north of Perth.

Sightings were also reported in NSW central west towns Orange and Forbes, Clayton Bay in southern SA and Dunsborough on WA southwest coast.

The aurora remained active the whole of Monday night, peaking shortly after midnight.

The Aurora's strength was likely affected by a solar flare on February 24.

Perth observatory explained: 'A magnetic filament connected to sunspot AR3229 erupted on the 24th of Feb, producing a chain reaction of events.

'The eruption triggered a long-duration medium intensity solar flare, which passed us in 10 minutes. But its what came next that brought the aurora. A partially earth-directed Coronal Mass Ejection.

'CMEs are blasts of charged plasma from the suns outer layers. They travel much slower than flares, taking a few days to reach us, and they can cause beautiful auroras.

'This one caused auroras for over 16 hours in the northern and southern skies.'

The aurora couldn't be seen in Sydney due to light pollution but could be spotted further down the coast in Gerroa (above)

Perth Observatory said the aurora was visible so far north due to a solar flare on February 24 (pictured, the aurora at Perth observatory on Monday)

The aurora is unlikely to be visible again on Tuesday night (pictured, the aurora in Dubbo on Monday)

Unfortunately, the intense aurora is unlikely to reappear so far north on Tuesday night with the Bureau of Meteorology forecasting the line of visibility to fall below Tasmania.

However, the aurora is expected to be slightly stronger on Thursday and Friday.

Tourism Australia recommends visiting Bruny Island, Satellite Island, Cradle Mountain or the Central Highlands in Tasmania for the best view of the aurora.

It is typically most visible in winter - specifically from the end of May to August - and during the Spring Equinox.
China has been told to 'be honest' when it comes to the origins of Covid after a US Energy Department analysis concluded the virus likely spread after a leak from a Chinese research lab in Wuhan.

The US ambassador to China, Nicholas Burns, called on Beijing to be more transparent after the Asian country's foreign ministry accused unnamed parties of a smear campaign.

'(China needs to) be more honest about what happened three years ago in Wuhan with the origin of the COVID-19 crisis,' Mr Burns said via video link to a US Chamber of Commerce event on Monday, local time.

He said tensions had escalated after the US shot down an alleged Chinese surveillance balloon that flew across North America earlier this month.

'We're now in this surreal moment where the Chinese, who I think lost the debate over the balloon globally, lost influence and credibility around the world because of what they've done  they're now blaming this on us,' Mr Burns said.

China has been told to 'be honest' when it comes to the origins of Covid after a US Energy Department analysis concluded the virus likely spread after a leak from a Chinese research lab in Wuhan (pictured is the Wuhan Institute of Virology)

'It's a little bit Orwellian. And it's a little bit frustrating, because I think everybody knows the truth here.'

His comments came after Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning gave a fierce warning to anyone pushing the theory Covid originated from a lab leak.

'Certain parties should stop rehashing the 'lab leak' narrative, stop smearing China and stop politicising origins-tracing,' she said during a press briefing on Monday.

'The origin of the novel coronavirus is a scientific issue and should not be politicised.

'A laboratory origin of the pandemic was considered to be extremely unlikely' is a science-based, authoritative conclusion reached by the experts of the WHO-China joint mission after field trips to the lab in Wuhan.'

Her comments come despite WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus saying further investigation was needed.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning blasted what she termed 'politicisation' of theories on the origins of COVID-19, after an Energy Department analysis pointed to possibility of a leak from the Wuhan lab

In 2021 China rejected a World Health Organization effort to hold a second phase of its investigation. The group has denied abandoning its inquiry amid China's obstacles.

The Energy Department, which maintains a group of national labs, now joins the FBI in getting behind the possibility of a lab leak as the possible origin of the virus  although it reached the conclusion with 'low confidence'.

Four other agencies are still said to favor the 'natural spillover' theory that the virus escaped via an animal at a nearby meat market. Two agencies, one of which is the CIA, are yet to declare a definitive position.

The Energy Department's change of tune is important because the agency is known for its expertise and oversees various US laboratories, some of which carry out biological research.

The FBI concluded in 2021 that the virus leaked from a lab and said it did so with 'moderate confidence'. The Energy Department has switched its position and done so with 'low confidence', the Wall Street Journal reported.

While the lab leak theory was initially dismissed as conspiracy and xenophobic, a growing number of scientists have come around to the idea the virus may have escaped during an accident at the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV).

The research facility is less than 10 miles from an animal slaughter market where the first series of human cases were clustered. Some experts also claim Covid's unique spike protein, which it uses to infect people, shows hallmarks of engineering.

But others have deemed those scenarios unlikely and say that there is some indirect evidence that Covid did jump from animals at the Huanan Seafood Market, where animals known to harbor Covid including raccoon dogs, hedgehogs, rats and squirrels, were kept in squalid conditions.
A former Australian solider who served in Afghanistan has died suddenly aged 33.

Justin Christopher House passed away on February 2 in Bangkok, where he was living.

Originally from Adelaide, the soldier moved to Thailand after serving in the 'B' Company in The London Regiment and The Queen's Company Grenadier Guards in Afghanistan.

His cause of death has not been revealed.

Justin Christopher House passed away on February 2nd in Bangkok, where he was living

Friends and family of Mr House asked for mourners to make a donation to Soldier On in lieu of flowers. The charity supports member of the Australian Defence Force.

His death notice describes him as a 'beloved son of Julie and Chris (deceased)' and a 'brother to Henry and James'.

Loved ones have also taken to social media to pay tribute to the Australian.

'Friend, no end! You will forever be in my heart and memory. Love you always my friend,' said one.

Loved ones have also taken to social media to pay tribute to the Australian (pictured)

'RIP Justin House. What a life! What a guy!' said another.

'RIP, my brother Justin House. You will forever be in my heart,' commented a third.

One person explained how the ex-military man 'lived life on his own terms' and that his life was 'full of bravery and adventure'.

'You will forever be in my heart and memory,' another friend wrote.

Australian defence forces first went to Afghanistan in 2001. Currently, the military's biggest international commitment remains in the country with 1,550 ADF personnel deployed as part of Operation Slipper.
The war of the Wendy's has started, pitting a plucky little Aussie chain with 120 outlets against an American giant with more than 7,000 stores around the world.

They both sell fast food and they're both called Wendy's, but one is Australian and specialises in ice cream and the other is American and famous for square burgers.

'There can't be two Wendy's,' said Dean Tully, owner of the Aussie Wendy's store in Whyalla, South Australia.

Based on economics, the burger joint could be considered the potential favourite to win the junk food war with the US chain pocketing a turnover of $3.1billion in 2022 while its Aussie rival's revenue was $94.7million.

Australian Wendy's Milk Bar, which started in South Australia in 1979 is also 10 years younger than the US Wendy's, which kicked off operations in 1969, in Columbus, Ohio.

The war of the Wendy's has started, pitting a plucky little Aussie chain (pictured) with 120 outlets against an American giant with more than 7,000 stores around the world

It's coming though, with its chief development officer Abigail Pringle holding online meetings with potential franchisee investors, amid plans to open hundreds of stores.

'They can come to Australia and strut their stuff by all means but I wouldn't want it to be under the Wendy's banner,' Mr Tully told Guardian Australia.

'We don't have two Hungry Jack's. We don't have two McDonald's. We are Wendy's.'

Ms Pringle said Wendy's believes 'Australia is a lucrative market for long-term growth'

'We think that the Australian market could be hundreds of restaurants,' she added.

Ms Pringle has been with Wendy's for 21 years and said the chain could offer incentives such as co-investment to entice Australian franchisees.

'We are putting money on our balance sheet, we are finding the land, we are designing, building and handing you the keys,' she told The Australian Financial Review.

'We haven't yet said that we're going to do that in Australia, but all I would share with you is we are actively doing that in the US and in Canada.'

Wendy's, the US version, (pictured) is best known for its square burgers, French fries and 'Frosty' dessert

There is no set opening date or location for the first restaurant but with the Australian fast food market expected to expand by 32 per cent to $8.7billion over the next five years, according to Euromonitor data, Wendy's is keen to get the ball rolling.

Ms Pringle said Wendy's was looking at a master franchisee model in Australia - which means a partner company that would handle most of the Australian business.

'We have to be careful with what that timeline is exactly because we want to pick the right partner. And that takes a little bit of time,' she said.

Established examples includes Collins Foods which operates KFC and Taco Bell and Restaurant Brands which runs Pizza Hut and Carl's Jr.

Supatreats, based in the Sydney suburb of Parramatta, is the master franchisee of Wendy's Milk Bar.

The US version of Wendy's - the third biggest burger chain after McDonald's and Burger King (known as Hungry Jack's in Australia) - is best known for its square hamburgers, French fries and 'Frosty' frozen dairy desserts.

It differentiates itself from McDonald's and Hungry Jack's by having a strictly made-to-order policy and doesn't use heat lamps to keep food warm.

Professor Michael Handler, a trade mark law expert at UNSW said the two Wendy's will probably come to an agreement to peacefully coexist Down Under.

Chief development officer Abigail Pringle (pictured) said Australia is a lucrative market and the company coudl offer incentives such as co-investment to get the ball rolling

They already do so in New Zealand, where the Aussie chain operates as Wendy's Supa Sundaes.

Prof Handler said that given one store focuses on ice-creams and the other on burgers, there won't be much confusion.

'I can imagine that Australian consumers won't be too confused and can differentiate the longstanding ice-cream business from the big international burger chain, so it's plausible to think that the two can coexist,' he said.

Daily Mail Australia contacted Supatreats for this story, but the owner did not wish to comment.
Squadrons of fighter jets rumbling over Sydney and Melbourne in recent days have left locals mystified - but they're about to get more frequent in Victoria.

State-of-the-art F-35A Lighting II aircraft, made by Lockheed Martin, roared over Melbourne on Friday, rattling windows and causing locals to look towards the skies.

This was followed on Monday by 14 jets flying over the city in formation, including nine T-50 Golden Eagle supersonic fighters made by Korea Aerospace Industries.

Sydney also wasn't immune to the wild noises when last Tuesday around midday, the same jets appeared over the Harbour City.

But there is a simple explanation - with both models of aircraft featuring at the Australian International Airshow being held at Avalon Airport in Victoria this week.

F-35A Lighting II aircraft, made by Lockheed Martin, roared over Melbourne in preparation for the Australian International Airshow opening on February 28

The fighters are considered among the most technologically advanced in the world

One of the F-35As, each worth more than $70million, flying over the Melbourne coastline on Friday

The Defence and industry portion of the exposition runs from February 28 until March 5, with the airshow opening to the general public from March 3 to March 5.

Flyovers are expected to significantly ramp up over the next week.

The T-50s are from the Republic Of Korea Air Force's (ROKAF) Black Eagles aerobatic team and are known for their distinctive black, white and yellow paint.

In a statement, the RAAF explained that the stunt was in preparation for the 2023 Australian International Airshow and is the Black Eagles first visit to Australia.

The fighter jets followed a route that took them from Avalon in the city's north-west, along the Bass Coast and back to Port Phillip Heads.

The demonstration's final leg was over Melbourne's CBD, before the allies returned to Avalon airport.

The similar stunt in Sydney caused locals to ask: 'Why are there extremely noisy fighter jets flying over Sydney?'

While another labelled them as 'deafening'.

The F-35A Lighting II belong to Australia's air force, with the RAAF having about 59 of the 72 it has ordered from Lockheed Martin - the biggest fleet outside of the US.

Lockheed is hoping to deliver more F-35 fighter planes to Australia but is waiting for the outcome of the Australian government's defence strategic review, an executive said on Tuesday.

'We hope for the opportunity to deliver additional F-35s beyond (the 72 on order),' Executive Vice President of Aeronautics business, Greg Ulmer, told reporters.

Lockheed has had initial talks with Australia about teaming the F-35 with the uncrewed Boeing Ghost Bat fighter drone but no decision has been made, Ulmer said.

The Royal Korean Air Force team roared over Melbourne last Monday afternoon - mystifying many locals who were unaware the stunt was taking place

The F-35As (pictured) will eventually replace the F/A-18 Hornets owned by the RAAF

The Korean Black Eagles aerobatic team fly distinctive black, white and yellow planes

Australia's other well-known fighter jets, the F/A-18 Super Hornet made by Boeing, is expected to end production in late 2025 after a final delivery to the US Navy.

Production of the plane could be stretched out to 2027 if India places an order, the company said.

The first F/A-18 debuted in 1983 and was built by McDonnell Douglas, which merged with Boeing in 1997.

The company said it will continue to develop upgrades to the current fleet of F/A-18 Super Hornets and EA-18G Growlers. The latter is a carrier-based electronic version of the jet, which Australia also has a fleet of.

The Super Hornet featured prominently in the 2022 movie Top Gun: Maverick, with Cruise reprising his role from the 1980s movie about a Navy pilot.

The sequel got positive reviews and was among the highest-grossing movies of last year.

More than 2,000 Hornets, Super Hornets and Growlers have been delivered to the US military and the governments of many allies, including Australia, Canada, Finland and Malaysia.

Boeing said ending F/A-18 production will let it focus on future military aircraft, both crewed and uncrewed, and increase production of other defence projects.

The company said it plans to build three new facilities in St Louis, where the F/A-18s are assembled.
Belarusian president's visit to China will boost ties: FM spokesperson

Xinhua) 10:17, February 28, 2023

BEIJING, Feb. 27 (Xinhua) -- China looks forward to working with Belarus and taking President Alexander Lukashenko's visit as an opportunity to pursue further progress in the all-round cooperation between the two countries, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said on Monday.

Mao made the comment at a regular news briefing when asked about China's expectations for Lukashenko's state visit to China from Feb. 28 to March 2.

China and Belarus are all-weather comprehensive strategic partners. Since establishing diplomatic ties 31 years ago, the two countries have enjoyed stronger political mutual trust, deepening mutually-beneficial cooperation across the board, and ever-closer coordination on international and regional affairs, Mao said.

In September 2022, the two heads of state met on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit in Samarkand, during which they drew a new blueprint for the development of China-Belarus relations, Mao added.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
A group of art college students from Hongik University performs in Seoul, Tuesday, as they reenact the March 1st Independence Movement protesting Japan's colonial rule over the Korean Peninsula. Wednesday commemorates the 104th anniversary of the independence movement that took place in 1919. Yonhap
A 33-year-old Google worker hanged himself inside his New York City apartment just blocks away from the tech giant's headquarters.

Jacob Pratt was found dead inside his Chelsea apartment on February 16 and appeared to have hanged himself, an NYPD source told the New York Post. His family is now urging people to donate to a mental health fund.

His death comes as Google laid off roughly 12,000 of its global workfore. It is unclear if Pratt was laid off prior to his death.

According to his LinkedIn, Pratt was a partnership leader at the company and had been for a year and a half. He started at Google as an agency manager in May 2019.

'His interests in advertising and technology lead him to a dream job as an accounting manager at Google in Manhattan,' his obituary said.

Jacob Pratt (pictured with his mother) was found dead inside his Chelsea apartment on February 16 and appeared to have hanged himself, an NYPD source said

According to his LinkedIn, Pratt was a partnership leader at the company and had been for a year and a half. He started at Google as an agency manager in May 2019

Authorities were called to his West 26th Street and Sixth Avenue apartment around 6pm in mid-February and was found unresponsive.

'Upon arrival, officers observed a 33-year-old male unconscious and unresponsive,' a source told the Post. He was pronounced dead on the scene.

Police are currently investigating the incident and the medical examiner's office has not announced his official cause of death.

His family is now asking for donations to Make-A-Wish Michigan and National Alliance on Mental Illness.

'In honor of his life, and in lieu of flowers, please consider giving money to this fundraiser,' his sister Jenna Pratt wrote. 'These two charities represent our son and brother and the heart he had for the people around him.'

His death comes as Google laid off roughly 12,000 of its global workforce . It is unclear if Pratt was laid off prior to his death

His family is now asking for donations to Make-A-Wish Michigan and National Alliance on Mental Illness. The GoFundMe , which has stopped accepting donations, has raised nearly $12,000

The GoFundMe, which has stopped accepting donations, has raised nearly $12,000.

His celebration of life will be February 28 at Riverview Churchs REO Town Venue in Lansing, Michigan, at 11am. It will be followed by a luncheon, where 'Jakes favorite' food - pizza - will be served.

Google's parent company Alphabet is axing 12,000 jobs in the latest savage round of white collar layoffs sweeping across the tech sector, it was revealed last month.

Sundar Pichai, Alphabet's CEO, said the losses affect teams across the company including recruiting and some corporate functions, as well as some engineering and products teams.

The mass reduction comes just days after rival Microsoft Corp said it would lay off 10,000 workers, and Amazon started to fire its 18,000 workers as the 'richcession' rips through the world's biggest firms.

The most in-demand workers right now are blue collar employees, while white-collar workers have seen major job losses in the last year.

The phenomenon has been dubbed 'richcession' by those in the field.
A teenage boy is in police custody after allegedly stabbing a fellow student in the neck at a high school.

Victorian police officers responded to reports of an alleged stabbing at Reservoir High School in Reservoir, Melbourne's north, at 10.50am on Tuesday.

A boy was taken to hospital with non-life threatening injuries, and a second was arrested.

Ambulance Victoria said the boy suffered upper body injuries but was transported to the Royal Children's Hospital in a stable condition.

Victorian Police officers responded to reports of a stabbing at Reservoir High School in Reservoir, Melbourne's north, at 10.50am on Tuesday

One father at the school Frank, said his son texted him to say a Year 9 student had allegedly stabbed a boy in Year 10 with a knife from a school trade subject.

'He said he was stabbed in the neck,' Frank told 3AW.

The father said there'd been a handful of fights happen at the school within the past few weeks with little consequences.

Victoria Police said the boy is assisting police with their inquiries, but the exact circumstances surrounding the incident are yet to be determined.

There is no ongoing threat to the community.

Parents raced to the school on Tuesday and were seen comforting their children.

The Victorian Department of Education was contacted for comment.

Anyone who witnessed the incident or has information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
Workers living remotely at a government super-project found maggots and caterpillars in the food supplied to them by the jobsite.

Laborer's working on Australia's largest renewable energy project, Snowy 2.0, south of Canberra, are now considering strike action at the $2billion project.

Maggots were found in food served worksite including Tantangara, Lobb's Hole and Marica and were documented by The Australian Workers Union who published the images calling for increased safety standards.

SafeWork NSW has also confirmed it will launch an investigation into food hygiene at the work campsites following the release of the photos and videos of bugs in numerous dishes.

Those currently contracted for work on the project are often required to live on-site and therefore have no access to alternate food.

Maggots were found in a steak served to workers during morning tea recently

The Snowy Hydro scheme is Australia's greatest ever building project that changed the country and its people forever

A caterpillar was found alongside vegetables in a meal on a Snowy 2.0 worksite

The NSW Secretary of the Australian Workers Union, Tony Callinan, said in a statement that food hygiene concerns are not new and have been a topic of discussion 'for a very long time'.

'Supermax prisoners are served better food than the workers building Snowy Hydro 2.0.' he said.

'You have workers living, literally locked up in a camp with limited recreational facilities in the middle of nowhere, being fed maggot-infested food.

'Unfortunately recently it's escalated with some changes to the caterers, and now we're actually seeing food that's not actually fit for consumption.'

A spokesperson for SafeWork NSW also told the ABC that they will be aiding in an investigation alongside the National Parks and Wildlife Service with support from the NSW Food Authority.

The project's building partner, Future Generation Joint Venture, has been provided with copies of images and video showing the extent of infestation in the food served to workers.

Mr Callinan blamed this situation on the partners 'cutting every corner they can on food, on safety and on everything else'.

'The site has an abysmal safety record  it's an absolute pressure cooker right now. I know workers are considering downing tools if things don't improve,' he said.

Poached eggs were inedible for workers who had limited options for what was available to eat in remote NSW

A 'potato cake' served to workers that was documented by a worker and sent to the AWU

Though the Snowy Hydro 2.0 project has been subject to multiple controversies and delays, Energy and Climate Change Minister Chris Bowen has not yet committed to launching an independent review into the alleged misconduct of management at the site.

The Turnbull government announced the expansion to the Snowy Hydro project in March 2017, promising first power in 2021 at a cost of $2bn.

Recent estimates from those involved with Snowy 2.0 expect the budget to inflate as high as $6bn, with construction now expected to be completed by the end of 2027.

A spokesperson for Future Generation Joint Venture spoke to Daily Mail Australia regarding AWU's complaints regarding food standards.

'Future Generation notes the feedback about food quality raised by workers and we take these concerns very seriously', the spokesperson said.

'We have been working collaboratively with our catering contractor, ESS, to review food standards and we regularly monitor feedback from workers.'

They continued: 'Recent surveys indicate high levels of satisfaction at several camps and we are working with the contractor to ensure consistency across all locations.'

'We cannot verify where the photos you have been supplied with were taken.'

'Future Generation works closely with SafeWork NSW and our workforce to resolve any issues that arise on the Snowy 2.0 project. We remain firmly focused on maintaining and further developing a strong safety culture and safety outcomes across the entire project.'

Snowy Hydro's Media and Communications Manager, Heather Quinlan, also provided comment on the matter.

'Snowy Hydro is working with Snowy 2.0 principal contractor Future Generation Joint Venture to investigate workers concerns about food quality', Ms Quinlan said.

'General catering assurance activities conducted onsite include daily kitchen audits, fortnightly compliance meetings, and workers food feedback surveys at each dining facility. National Parks and Wildlife Service also conducts food standard audits onsite.'

'Snowy Hydro conducts a range of health and safety assurance activities onsite, including having a fulltime team of Snowy Hydro employees based at each work site providing health and safety assurance on a day-to-day basis.'

'Safety is always Snowy Hydros number one priority and the concerns raised will be fully investigated.'
China has accused the US of overstretching the concept of national security after the White House ordered government agencies to remove Chinese-owned app TikTok from all federal devices.

US federal agencies were told yesterday they have 30 days to delete the video sharing app TikTok from all government-issued devices, setting a deadline to comply with a ban ordered by the US Congress.

Office of Management and Budget director Shalanda Young in a memorandum called on government agencies to 'remove and disallow installations' of the application on agency-owned or operated IT devices within 30 days, and to 'prohibit internet traffic' from such devices to the app.

The EU, Canada, and Norway have also made similar decisions regarding official devices in recent weeks.

National security concerns over alleged Chinese spying have grown over the past month after a Chinese balloon traversed US airspace and was eventually shot down.

'We firmly oppose those wrong actions,' said Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning (pictured) at a regular news briefing in Beijing on Tuesday

The White House gave federal agencies 30 days to purge Chinese-owned video-snippet sharing app TikTok from all government-issued devices (file image)

Office of Management and Budget director Shalanda Young called on government agencies to 'remove and disallow installations' of TikTok within 30 days. Pictured: Shalanda Young at the Senate Committee on the Budget hearing, Washington DC, March 2, 2021

There are increased concerns that the popular app can be circumvented for spying or propaganda by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

Beijing hit out at the White House over the order for the app be removed from federal devices, accusing the US government of abusing state power to suppress foreign companies.

'We firmly oppose those wrong actions,' said Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning at a regular news briefing on Tuesday.

She added: 'The US government should respect the principles of market economy and fair competition, stop suppressing the companies and provide an open, fair and non-discriminatory environment for foreign companies in the US.'

'How unsure of itself can the world's top superpower like the US be to fear young people's favourite app like that.'

The ban by the White House does not apply to businesses in the United States not associated with the federal government, or to the millions of private citizens who use the hugely popular app.

Chinese ownership of the popular app has raised fears that Beijing could use it to collect data on Western users or push pro-China narratives and misinformation. TikTok is owned by ByteDance, a Chinese company that moved its headquarters to Singapore in 2020.

There are increased concerns that the popular app can be circumvented for spying or propaganda by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) (file image)

A recently introduced bill in Congress could also 'effectively ban TikTok' throughout the US, according to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).

'Congress must not censor entire platforms and strip Americans of their constitutional right to freedom of speech and expression,' ACLU senior policy counsel Jenna Leventoff said in a release.

Countries that have banned TIkTok on government devices Canada announced Monday it is banning the app from all government devices. The European Union has issued a temporary ban on phones used by employees. In Demark, its parliament on Tuesday urged lawmakers and employees against having TikTok on their device. India has banned TikTok and over 300 other Chinese apps for all citizens over national security concerns. Taiwan ordered authorities ban TikTok from all public sector devices in 2022. Advertisement

'We have a right to use TikTok and other platforms to exchange our thoughts, ideas, and opinions with people around the country and around the world.'

The company did not immediately respond to the White House guidance.

This follows the Canadian government's decision on Monday to ban TikTok from all government phones and devices, citing fears about how much access Beijing has to user data.

Effective Tuesday, 'the TikTok application will be removed from government-issued mobile devices. Users of these devices will also be blocked from downloading the application in the future,' the government said in a statement.

The European Commission banned the app from its equipment too.

TikTok has repeatedly rejected accusations it shares data or cedes control to the Chinese government.

TikTok's breakneck rise from a niche video-sharing app to global social media behemoth has brought plenty of scrutiny, particularly over its links to China.

The company was forced to admit ByteDance employees in China had accessed Americans' data but it has always denied turning over personal information to the Chinese authorities.

Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Monday it is banning TikTok from all government-issued mobile devices. Pictured: Justin Trudeau (left) and Ontario premiere Doug Ford, Canada February 27, 2023

The European Unions said last week it has temporarily banned TikTok from phones used by employees as a cybersecurity measure. Pictured: European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in Strasbourg, eastern France, February 26, 2023

TikTok has moved to soothe US fears, announcing in June 2022 that it would store all data on American users on US-based servers.

Bans have not halted TikTok's growth. With more than one billion active users it is the sixth-most used social platform in the world, according to the We Are Social marketing agency.

Although it lags behind the likes of Meta's long-dominant trio of Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram, its growth among young people far outstrips its competitors.
A drunk passenger who only drew attention to himself in the last ten minutes of a 15-hour international flight after drinking his own alcohol on board has been fined $750.

Hardik Patel was arrested at Sydney Airport after Air Canada crew reported he had become aggressive shortly before AC33 from Vancouver touched down.

When cabin crew realised the 46-year-old was intoxicated they discovered and confiscated a 1 litre bottle of Bacardi and 1 litre water bottle containing a liquid smelling strongly of alcohol.

Australian Federal Police officers who met Patel at Gate 30 about 10am on February 2 observed he had a 'flushed face and a strong odor of alcohol coming from his person'.

A drunk passenger who had been consuming his own alcohol on an aircraft only drew attention to himself in the last ten minutes of a 15-hour international flight. Stock image

According to a statement of facts tendered in court Patel was able to walk unassisted but became unsteady if he had to move even slightly.

'He had poor ability to understand instructions and indifferent demeanour which escalated to being abusive towards police,' the statement said.

'Police opinion is that the accused was well under the influence. Police advised the accused that it is an offence to consume your own alcohol... while on an aircraft.'

Patel's responses were 'largely aggressive and incoherent', according to the statement of facts.

'Police further advised the accused that they had contacted his wife and that she would be attending the airport to pick him up.

'Police explained that they would escort the accused to the pickup area with him until his wife arrived to ensure that he would safely depart.'

Hardik Patel was arrested at Sydney Airport after Air Canada crew reported he had become aggressive shortly before AC33 from Vancouver touched down. Stock image

Patel, from Rooty Hill in western Sydney, was not finished being a nuisance, according to the statement of facts.

'The accused, while still verbally aggressive, did eventually comply with police directions and departed to the waiting area out the front of the terminal.'

'While in the waiting area, the accused continued to ask police why he was arrested and was informed that it had been explained previously.

'The accused became more verbally aggressive and argumentative towards police officers, yelling and screaming and trying to engage with members of the public.'

According to the statement of facts, police then decided to arrest Patel due to his level of intoxication, 'for his own safety and welfare and the welfare and safety of those around him'.

'The accused continued his abuse towards police and yelling at members of the public.'

When Patel faced Downing Centre Local Court on Monday he pleaded guilty to one count of behaving in an offensive and disorderly manner in an aircraft.

Magistrate Jennifer Atkinson convicted Patel and fined him $750.

The Civil Aviation and Safety Authority states on its website that airline passengers can only consume alcohol provided by cabin crew during a flight.
Anthony Albanese has been accused of breaking a key election promise after the Prime Minister announced Australians with more than $3million in super would lose tax concessions.

During last year's election campaign, Mr Albanese told a Sky News reporter that he would not meddle with retirement savings if Labor was elected.

'We've said we have no intention of making any super changes,' he said.

But the PM on Tuesday announced that Australia's richest 0.5 per cent of individuals would see their super contribution tax rate double to 30 per cent, up from 15 per cent from July 1, 2025.

Mr Albanese stressed that the 15 per cent concessional tax rate would continue to apply for the 99.5 per cent of Australians with less than $3million in retirement savings.

Seven News political editor Mark Riley suggested Tuesday's announcement, to save the Budget $2billion a year, amounted to a broken election promise on superannuation as he fronted a media conference in Canberra.

'You had no intention of changing it, you had no intention of major changes,' Riley said.

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Anthony Albanese has been accused of breaking a key election promise after the Prime Minister announced Australians with more than $3million in super would lose tax concessions

'What absolute commitment can you give to the 99.5 per cent of Australians who won't be affected by this change that you won't be messing with their super?'

Mr Albanese suggested the 80,000 Australians who will pay more tax on their super were particularly wealthy.

'It's hard to argue that those levels is about actual retirement incomes, which is what superannuation is for,' he said.

The Prime Minister pointed to figures showing 17 Australians had more than $100million in their retirement savings accounts - including one mystery person who had more than $400million in super.

But on May 2, 2022 - when Mr Albanese was still Opposition Leader - he promised there would be no major changes to superannuation.

Then, Mr Albanese was asked by Sky News reporter Julia Bradley about retirement savings taxes and super caps.

'We've said we have no intention of making any super changes,' he said.

'One of the things we're doing in this campaign is we're making all of our policies clear, we're putting them out there for all to see.'

During a media conference in Canberra, Seven News political editor Mark Riley suggested Tuesday's announcement, to save the budget $2billion a year, amounted to a broken election promise

Mr Albanese is far from the only PM to be accused of breaking a promise.

Former Labor leader Julia Gillard in August 2010 promised no carbon tax 'under the government I lead' to Ten News presenter Bill Woods - only to introduce one in 2011 when the ALP relied on the Greens and left-leaning regional independents to retain power in a minority government.

Former Liberal prime minister John Howard in May 1995 - as Opposition Leader - had told a Sydney business lunch there would 'never ever' be a GST but he took that consumption tax policy to voters to get a mandate ahead of the 1998 election, after winning power in 1996.

The Albanese Government's changes would not be due to come into effect until July 1, 2025, after the next election, which means voters still have a chance to give their verdict on the policy.

But shadow treasurer Angus Taylor accused Mr Albanese and his Treasurer Jim Chalmers of breaching a commitment to voters.

'Well another day, another broken election promise from the Labor Party,' he said.

'Today, we've seen the Prime Minister and the Treasurer walking away from their commitment to not add taxes to superannuation.

Former Labor prime minister Julia Gillard in August 2010 promising no carbon tax to Ten News, only to introduce one in 2011 when the ALP relied on the Greens and left-leaning regional independents to retain power in a minority government

'This was an unambiguous commitment from the Prime Minister - he said he wouldn't raise taxes on Australian super.'

The crackdown on those with more than $3million in super is set to save Treasury's coffers $2billion.

The 15 per cent concessional tax rate for super contributions costs the Budget $53billion a year, with Dr Chalmers arguing that was almost as much as the aged pension.

The 15 per cent concessional tax rate is well below the 45 per cent marginal income tax rate for those earning more than $180,000.

That threshold is increasing to $200,000 on July 1, 2024 when the Stage Three income tax cuts come into effect - costing $254billion over a decade.

Labor introduced compulsory super in 1992 when Paul Keating was prime minister but the Howard government introduced the concessional 15 per cent tax rates for super contributions in 2006.

Contentious tax policies make re-election campaigns harder, with Labor losing its majority in 2010 after flagging a mining tax and the Coalition losing 14 seats in 1998 as Mr Howard campaigned for a 10 per cent GST.
A police officer has allegedly been assaulted in the middle of a press conference about Queensland's crime wave.

Queensland Police Senior Sergeant Gary Hunter was addressing media in Cairns, in the far north of the state, on Monday morning when the random attack occurred.

He was discussing a new police operation to tackle drug-fuelled violence in Cairns when shouts broke out.

Behind the watching media, another police officer was allegedly randomly attacked by a man as Sergeant Hunter watched on in shock.

Eventually, the man was tackled to the ground by five police officers and restrained

Five officers tackled the man to the ground, as shouts of 'hands behind your back' rang out.

The man, 68, refused to give a name as he was eventually restrained.

He was then taken away in a police paddy wagon, with one officer suffering facial injuries in the alleged assault.

The man has been charged with one count of seriously assaulting a police officer.

He is due to appear in Cairns Magistrates Court on March 16.

The press conference saw Senior Sergeant Hunter addressing alcohol-fuelled violence in the city.

The man was taken away in a police paddy wagon, with one officer suffering facial injuries in the alleged assault

The press conference saw Senior Sergeant Hunter addressing alcohol-fuelled violence in the city

'Today, police are launching Operation Victor Craven, which primarily focuses on alcohol-fuelled violence,' Hunter said.

'We'll be targeting the Cairns CBD and the Cairns Esplanade precinct.'

It comes after thousands of residents and community leaders across north Queensland called on the state government to introduce a banned drinker register (BDR) and other measures to curb alcohol-fuelled violence.

This month, Townsville Mayor Jenny Hill, Cairns Mayor Bob Manning, and Mount Isa Mayor Danielle Slade all wrote a letter on the issue to Deputy Premier Steven Miles.
An Australian influencer who calls himself the 'ASX Wolf' has sold his lavish Gold Coast mansion for a tidy profit less than a year after he bought it.

Queensland influencer Tyson Scholz's Hamptons-style home sold for $4.61million - making Scholz a profit of $310,000 since its purchase 11 months ago.

Ray White Sovereign Islands Real estate agent James Drake sold the exclusive Sanctuary Cove property at an auction held at the Sheraton Mirage on the Gold Coast on Monday night.

The five-bedroom mansion boasts six car spaces, a private jetty, heated pool and pool house, outdoor spa, gourmet indoor and outdoor kitchens and Italian marble floors - the same type used in the Sistine Chapel.

The luxury mansion received strong interest during the auction, with three bidders - two on the phone and one in person - competing for the property.

Queensland influencer Tyson Scholz, known as the 'ASX Wolf' trader has sold his luxury mansion for $4.61million

Three bidders competed at auction for the Hampton style property, located at the exclusive Sanctuary Cove on the northern end of the Gold Coast (pictured)

The luxury property boasts five-bedrooms, gourmet indoor and outdoor kitchens and Italian marble floors - the same type used in the Sistine Chapel (pictured)

The property was advertised with an asking price of $4.6million and above, a price the Australian Financial Review estimated would make a net loss on the property.

Scholz told the AFR its assumption was mostly 'incorrect' and declined to comment on his personal affairs.

The Lamborghini-driving share trader regularly boasted about his life of luxury and his trading wins to his 21,000 followers on Instagram.

Scholz recently married his glamorous partner Sophie Lee Anderson after returning home from a lengthy world tour of of Paris, Greece, Switzerland and Dubai.

He also regularly posted photos of his Lamborghini Aventador with the licence plate 'ASX Bull' and a Ferrari GTB with an 'ASX Wolf' plate.

He also showed pictures of himself drinking Dom Perignon, stock trading on a yacht and at idyllic destinations with his then-fiancee.

In January 2021, he posted on an Instagram that he had made $132,866.91 in one day of trading, boasting that he was 'cracking $1million in profits all in 28 weeks'.

The property also has a private jetty, heated outdoor spa and pool and a large pool house (pictured)

Scholz has posted photos of his Lamborghini Aventador with the licence plate 'ASX Bull' and a Ferrari GTB with an 'ASX Wolf' plate (pictured)
The Prime Minister is being urged to correct his path towards enshrining an Indigenous Voice to parliament in the constitution, amid warnings of dire consequences if its fails.

Shadow attorney-general Julian Leeser used a speech on Tuesday to outline a pathway for co-operation between the government and opposition for a successful referendum.

Mr Leeser said there needed to be a focus on outcomes to improve Indigenous education, health, housing and safety.

He said while some have suggested a Voice would have raised the alarm ahead of a crime surge in Alice Springs, they ignored the pleas of community elders.

'There were Indigenous and community leaders sounding the alarm. They were calling out for help, but the government wasn't listening,' Mr Leeser said.

The Prime Minister is being urged to correct his path towards enshrining an Indigenous voice to parliament in the constitution, amid warnings of dire consequences if its fails

While some have suggested a Voice would have raised the alarm ahead of a crime surge in Alice Springs, Julian Leeser says governments ignored the pleas of community elders

'Voices presuppose that people listen. Yes, voices matter, but listening matters as well.

'I believe that requires a real change in how we approach these issues locally, regionally and nationally.'

He said there needed to be a move away from the 'Canberra knows best' mentality, to listening to what communities were saying.

Mr Leeser said conservatives were not opposed to the principle of the Voice, which he personally supports, but wanted proper processes and details to be laid out.

'What matters now is that we listen to each other and correct our course,' he said.

'We must get this right because the prospect of failure is unthinkable.'

The bill outlining the wording will be put before parliament in late March, and the process will be finalised in about June, once parliamentary committees have been given time to report back.

Shadow Attorney-General Julian Leeser said there needed to be a focus on outcomes to improve Indigenous education, health, housing and safety

Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus said the intention was for it to 'be able to speak to the parliament and to the executive', as called for in the Uluru Statement

The government has flagged the referendum will be held between October and December.

There has been criticism that allowing the Voice to advise ministers as well as the parliament could provide more scope for the constitutional change to be challenged in the High Court.

But Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus said the intention was for it to 'be able to speak to the parliament and to the executive', as called for in the Uluru Statement.

'People have been litigating questions about our constitution since Federation, and the fact that it's possible to point to possible constitutional litigation I don't think should deter anyone,' he told ABC radio.

Meanwhile, social sector organisations are banding together to support a constitutionally enshrined Indigenous Voice to parliament, saying it would help Australia take a step towards a better future.

The Australian Council of Social Service, Oxfam, the Fred Hollows Foundation and First Nations advocacy organisation ANTAR are launching the 'allies for Uluru coalition'.

A coalition of Australia's biggest sporting codes, including the NRL and AFL, will also reportedly band together to support the 'yes' campaign, although none would immediately confirm they would back the Voice.

A Rugby Australia spokesperson said they were 'broadly supportive' of the Voice, adding that they would continue working with stakeholders on a more detailed position.

The AFL said it was also in a consultation process, and its Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Advisory Council would make its recommendation to the commission.

One Nation leader Pauline Hanson said the Voice flew in the face of the principle of people being 'equal before the law' and that the Liberals should oppose it.
San Francisco's African American Reparations Advisory Committee has admitted it did not use a mathematical formula to calculate the amount it wants to pay each long-term black resident for decades of discrimination.

The 15-member committee proposed $5 million reparation payouts in January, as well as debt forgiveness and $97,000 guaranteed incomes.

The city has now revealed it did not follow a mathematical formula, but instead looked into the state's history to help determine the controversial figure.

'There wasnt a math formula,' chairman Eric McDonnell told the Washington Post.

'It was a journey for the committee towards what could represent a significant enough investment in families to put them on this path to economic well-being, growth and vitality that chattel slavery and all the policies that flowed from it destroyed.'

California has also proposed reparations payments to black families. Walter Foster, age 80, holds up a sign as the Reparations Task Force meets to hear public input in LA in September

Christian Flagg (left) stands up to speak at the California Reparations Task Force meeting in Los Angeles

San Francisco Republican Party chairman John Dennis criticized the proposal, saying: 'There was no justification for the number, no analysis provided.

'This is just a bunch of like-minded people who got in the room and came up with a number,' he told the Post.

'This was an opportunity to do some serious work and they blew it.'

William A. Darity Jr., an economist who supports reparations, even slammed the high priced number, saying the payout needs to be 'somewhat realistic.'

'Calling for $5 million payout by a local government undercuts the credibility of the reparations effort,' he told the Post.

However, supporters argue that black residents make, on average, $44,000 annually, compared to their white counterparts who make more than $100,000.

It is unclear how many San Franciscans will be eligible, but the city is home to roughly 50,000 African Americans. If each resident qualified, it would take up a huge amount of the annual budget, which is still recovering from the pandemic.

To qualify, residents need to have identified as black on public records for at least 10 years and be at least 18 years old.

They also must qualify for two of a number of requirements, including having been born in the city or migrated to it between 1940 and 1996 and then lived there for 13 years.

McDonnell said: 'It was a journey for the committee towards what could represent a significant enough investment in families to put them on this path to economic well-being, growth and vitality that chattel slavery and all the policies that flowed from it destroyed'

One of the historical events the city looked into was the displacement of the black community in the Fillmore District in the 1960s. Known as the 'Harlem of the West,' nearly 900 businesses and 20,000 people were forced out of the neighborhood, which has since become a predominantly white, high-end area.

The purpose of the reparations, San Francisco said, is not to make up for slavery - which was never legal in the state - but for 'the public policies explicitly created to subjugate black people in San Francisco by upholding and expanding the intent and legacy of chattel slavery.'

San Francisco isn't the only city that is struggling to find the perfect number to pay its black citizens, as a dozen others - such as Los Angeles. Boston and St. Louis - are also still debating it.

The cities that are considering reparations have to balance satisfying reparation advocates, while also keeping in mind that the majority of Americans oppose financial restitution.

A University of Massachusetts Amherst January poll found that six in ten opposed payouts to the descendants of slaves, while four in ten said the federal government 'definitely should not pursue' such a policy.

San Francisco's proposal outweighs several other cities, and reparations critics are concerned it will crack under the financial strain. The city, which is still recovering from the pandemic, has an annual budget of $14 billion, according to the Washington Post. It also faces a $728 million deficit over the next two years.

To qualify, people need to have identified as black on public records for at least 10 years and be at least 18 years old. They also must qualify for two of a number of requirements, including having been born in the city or migrated to it between 1940 and 1996 and then lived there for 13 years

Angela Davis, 79, appeared on an episode of PBS's Finding Your Roots, during which she also learned that both her mother's father and her father's father were white men and descendants of slave owners - leading some to call on her to make reparations

The proposal also says qualifying low-income households should have their income supplemented to match the city's median income - $97,000 in 2022 - for the next 250 years.

'Racial disparities across all metrics have led to a significant racial wealth gap in the City of San Francisco,' the draft states.

'By elevating income to match AMI, Black people can better afford housing and achieve a better quality of life.'

A number of other proposals include investment in San Francisco's black community, financial education, legal protections of people's reparations, tax credits, and black-owned banks being brought in to manage people's money.

The proposal also says San Francisco 'issue a formal apology for past harms, and commit to making substantial ongoing, systemic and programmatic investments in Black communities to address historical harms.'

The final report is due to be released in June.

Earlier this month, a famed Black Panther, who's also a communist, faced calls to pay reparations after discovering her ancestors were white puritans who arrived in the US on the Mayflower.

Angela Davis, 79, was flabbergasted to discover both sides of her family were white, and that her mom's ancestors were slave owners, on PBS show Finding Your Roots.

From California to Massachusetts, newly-formed panels are grappling with what a reparations scheme should look like

Six in ten respondents opposed payouts to the descendants of slaves, while four in ten said the federal government 'definitely should not pursue' such a policy

And the stunning revelations sparked calls for the famously woke Marxist University of California professor to herself pay reparations, having previously called on whites to pony-up in the past.

Sharing a tweet about the show, conservative pundit Matt Walsh wrote: 'It gets better. She's also descended from a slave owner. On her father's side is a pilgrim. On her mother's side is a slave owner. Looks like Angela Davis owes some reparations.'

Another Twitter user called AK Kamara wrote: 'Angela Davis, the radical Marxist and former black panther, recently discovered she is also the ancestor of colonizers and slave owners. I guess she owes herself reparations. This timeline is hilarious.'

She appeared shocked during the TV interview that aired this week in which Finding Your Roots host Henry Louis Gates, Jr. told her of her ancestry.

'No. I can't believe this. My ancestors did not come here on the Mayflower,' she said - only to be later told that they did indeed arrive in the US aboard the famed pilgrim ship.

The Mayflower was an English boat that brought white English families, known as the Pilgrims, to the American continent to permanently establish the New England colony in 1620.

'You are descended from the 101 people who sailed on the Mayflower,' reiterated Gates Jr., who is the director of the Hutchins Center for African and African American Research at Harvard University.
Finance Minister Choo Kyung-ho speaks during a meeting in Seoul in this photo released by the Ministry of Economy and Finance, Feb. 28. Yonhap



Korea is seeking to lift potential hurdles for the mega investment pledge made by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) last month, the finance minister said Tuesday, to create "win-win" opportunities for both countries.



Finance Minister Choo Kyung-ho made the remark during a meeting with economy-related ministers in Seoul, which aims to flesh out details of the $30 billion investment project announced by the UAE last month, according to the Ministry of Economy and Finance.



The meeting was the first of its kind since January, when the UAE decided to make investments across various areas of strategic cooperation between the two countries, including in nuclear power, arms, hydrogen and solar power.



"In order to promptly visualize the investment by the UAE, we plan to discuss issues, such as the opening of the local office of the UAE sovereign wealth fund, as well as raising a joint fund with the Korea Development Bank," Choo said in a statement.



"During the process, the government will not only proactively suggest prominent areas of investment but will also spare no efforts to support its implementation, including introducing partners and lifting regulations," Choo added.



The finance ministry, meanwhile, said its officials plan to visit the UAE in March to discuss details of the investment.



It is also considering holding conferences and business meetings by inviting officials from the UAE around May or June. (Yonhap)


A pastor used the power of prayer to stop a potential armed robbery and shooting after spotting four armed men sitting in the pews of his church.

Marquaello Futrell, a former St. Louis police officer, was in the middle of Sunday service at All Creation Northview Holiness Family Church in Ferguson, Missouri when the group walked in wearing masks.

Noticing the young men had guns in their waistbands, Pastor Futrell used divine intervention and policing instincts to intervene.

'I immediately just had the hairs [stand] on the back of my neck. I'm like, 'OK, something's about to happen,'' Futrell said to KSDK.

'Me being a former police officer, I immediately noticed their waistbands. I'm like, 'There's something there.''

Marquaello Futrell noticed four masked men with guns in their waistbands enter All Creation Northview Holiness Family Church in Ferguson, Missouri on February 12

The former St. Louis cop used his policing instincts and the power of prayer to prevent what he believed to be a potential armed robbery

Futrell interrogated the men over the church's microphone and convinced them to stay seated while the congregation prayed for them and keep everyone safe

The chilling encounter from February 12 was captured on camera as Futrell streams his services online.

Futrell instructed his media team to train their cameras on the four men who were sitting towards the rear of the church.

He then summoned the congregation to pray for the group while directing staff to lock the church doors and call the police.

Futrell can be heard telling the men they are on 'Holy Ghost turf' before informing them that 'God's changing the plot', while the rousing sounds of gospel music is played live on a church organ in the background.

He then made his way over to where the group were sitting and began interrogating them over the church's microphone.

'Who sent ya'll here? Just saw the church and decided to come?' Futrell asked. 'Talk to me.'

'Let's praise God for them coming. I said praise God that God sent them here!' Futrell proclaimed as he encouraged the congregation to applaud.

'Don't you play with me - I still got a cop anointing and I still know what's going on and I still know what's about to happen.

'God is about to change the plot of the enemy. Lift your voices and shout unto God for what he's about to do!' Futrell said with a rousing tone.

Futrell became a member of the clergy in 2009 after time as a St. Louis police officer

After summoning up the courage to speak with the men, the pastor then had members of his congregation surround the men and pray for them

Members of the congregation pray for the foursome who have their heads bowed

After summoning up the courage to speak with the men, he then asked members of his congregation to surround them and pray for them - with some even placing their hands on their heads and shoulders.

'Would you guys permit me to pray for you? Do you mind if I pray for you?' Futrell said.

The gunmen bowed their heads in silence as the entire congregation sang and said their prayers in earnest.

'See, that wasn't so bad, brothers,' Futrell told the men. 'Thank you all for letting us pray for you. And we're thankful that for whatever reason, the Lord let you all come here. That when you walked on the ground, you walked on Holy Ghost turf.

'We are thankful that for whatever reason the Lord let you come here and I believe that you will never be the same again,' Futrell said to applause from his congregants.

The men were in the church for 20 minutes before they left and police are still searching for them

'I just heard the Lord say, "This is what happens when you illegally trespass,"' Futrell said as a final thought during the service.

Futrell told Fox News on Monday night that he realized early on that something wasn't quite right with the group.

Pastor Marquaello Futrell is pictured alongside wife Kanesha. They have been married 19 years

The incident happened at All Creation Northview Holiness Family Church in Ferguson, Missouri

'They came into church. We believed that they were up to no good. I just had that instinct and I just started maneuvering while trying to conduct the service to keep the people calm,' he told Laura Ingraham.

'Eventually we found out later that one of those guys actually dropped his gun on the ground before I even went over to pray for them and that's when the police were alerted.

'We found out later they were wanted in connection with two robberies from convenience stores.

'We believe that they were intending to rob us, do some harm, but we believe that God is the greatest power and we cannot be defeated so I had those instincts. I engaged them and we prayed form and they knew that they were being recorded.

'I had my media team put the cameras on them knowing that possibly the police were on the way. We found out later that hours earlier one of the guys had committed a robbery at a convenience store.'

The pastor said his worshippers were thankful for how he navigated the extremely delicate situation.

'A lot of people really didn't know what was going on. Many did and we had our children's ministry on lockdown and so many of the congregants were just thankful those able to navigate them through that process with the help of the Holy Spirit, the Holy Ghost,' Futrell said.
A New York City Christopher Columbus statue was vandalized with the words 'murderer' splashed in red paint.

Police are on the hunt for two people who vandalized the Central Park statue with spray paint on Sunday around 11:30pm. Investigators believe the suspects are a man and a woman based on unreleased footage, according to the New York Post.

Photos of the statue on Monday morning showed the words 'land back' and 'murder' written on the historic statue that has sat in the park since 1894.

By the afternoon, the paint appeared to be washed off from the barricaded statue as the red residue was seen washed away on the floor.

The controversial statue has received past threats from people wanting to tear it down over 'a 400-year-old historical squabble.'

Police are on the hunt for two people they believe to be a man and a woman, who defaced the Central Park statue with spray paint on Sunday around 11:30pm

Photos of the statue on Monday morning showed the words 'land back' and 'murder' written on the historic statue that has sat in the park since 1894

The Christopher Columbus statue was gifted to Central Park in 1892 by the Genealogical and Biographical Society in honor of the explorer's 400th anniversary of his arrival to the new world, according to the NYC Parks website.

The statue is a replica of the one created by artist Jeronimo Sunol that is located in Madrid, Spain.

Commemorations of Columbus have divided America for years as several argue his arrival led to the genocide of indigenous people.

To Native Americans, he is seen as a symbol of violence with his arrival in the continental US in 1492 unleashing centuries of European colonization and slavery.

But to the Italian American population, he is a hero providing a cultural icon for Italian immigrants to hold on to when they arrived on US soil in the late 1880s and faced xenophobia.

There are five Columbus in the city's parks including one each in Central Park in Manhattan, Columbus Circle in Manhattan, Columbus Park in Downtown Brooklyn, D'Auria Murphy Park in the Bronx, and Columbus Square in Astoria, Queens.

The monuments often become the focal points for local Columbus Day parades and festivities.

The controversial statue has received past threats from 'psychotic leftists' threatening to tear it down over 'a 400-year-old historical squabble'

The Christopher Columbus statue was gifted to Central Park in 1892 by the Genealogical and Biographical Society in honor of the explorer's 400th anniversary of his arrival to the new world

In February 2021, NYPD guarded the various statues around the clock amid threats it would be torn down as the nation called for an end to systemic racism following the death of George Floyd in June 2020.

At the time, a police source told the New York Post the monument in Columbus Circle was 'a known target.'

Statues, flags and displays of Confederate or racist symbols and historical figures have been taken down or toppled across America.

The recent Central Park incident is a common occurrence among Columbus statues.

On Columbus Day in November 2020, a statue in Rhode Island was splashed with red paint amid calls to rename the day Indigenous Peoples' Day.

In July 2020, figures in Grant Park and Little Italy in Chicago were taken down by city officials after thousands of Black Lives Matter protesters called for their removal.

This came after California officials removed a monument of Columbus from the state capitol, ruling the presence of the 'deeply polarizing historical figure' was 'completely out of place today' while a statue in Boston was beheaded the same month.
A man sought by police has commented on his own wanted post, telling police they have no right to use his image and declaring their behaviour 'cyberbullying'.

Jamie Muir, 30, has three outstanding warrants for domestic violence and traffic charges in the Nepean area in Sydney's west.

Police on Tuesday made a public appeal for any information on his whereabouts.

Moments later Muir replied to the Facebook post.

'Asking for a friend... Where are your rights to release this person's photo?,' Muir commented.

James Muir (pictured) is being sought by police for outstanding warrants but he took to social media to brag about how he has managed to avoid police in the comments section of his own wanted post

He then doubled down hours later taking aim at police for 'abusing their power'.

'Let's not forget the reason I have avoided police for this long,' Muir wrote.

'Illegal intimidation tactics, taking advantage of there power to people who don't know there rights, not to mention the defamation of character and the cyber bullying this post had put on this person's name without his side of any story.'

'These illegal police measures are just as criminal as driving without a license and DUI, but the police can do as they please and everyone has to follow suit, I'm sorry but that's not what protect and serve is about.'

A spokesman for NSW Police told Daily Mail Australia police are still searching for Muir and the warrants for his arrest are remain outstanding.

'Muir is described as being of Caucasian, tanned appearance, between 180cm  185cm tall, of medium build, with brown hair, beard and moustache and blue eyes,' police said.

'He is known to frequent the Penrith, St Marys, and Glenmore Park areas.'

Anyone with any information on his whereabouts is urged to contact police immediately
A transgender rapist who raped two women while still a man and was initially sent to an all-female prison following conviction is due to be sentenced today.

Isla Bryson, 31, was convicted last month of raping two women: one in Clydebank in 2016; and one in Drumchapel, Glasgow, in 2019; committing the offences while still a man known as Adam Graham.

Bryson met both the victims online, with prosecutors saying the 31-year-old 'preyed' on vulnerable women.

The case sparked an uproar after Bryson was initially housed in an all-female prison before being moved to the male estate following the outcry.

Scotland's Justice Secretary Keith Brown ordered an urgent review of the case and the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) took the decision to halt the movement of all transgender prisoners with a history of violence against women into the female estate.

Isla Bryson, 31, was convicted last month of raping two women - pictured outside court for a previous hearing

After the jury at the High Court in Glasgow delivered its guilty verdict, judge Lord Scott told Bryson the crimes were 'considerable' and said that 'a significant sentence is inevitable'.

Bryson is due to be sentenced at the High Court in Edinburgh on Tuesday.

The 31-year-old first appeared in court as Adam Graham in 2019 and was later named in court papers the following year - around the time of the decision to transition - as Isla Annie Bryson, formerly known as Adam Graham.

During the trial, the court heard that Bryson was going through the breakdown of a brief, unhappy, marriage and went to stay with the first victim at the victim's mother's house in Clydebank in 2016.

Giving evidence on pre-recorded video, the victim, 30, said she was raped for half an hour.

'All I said was 'no' over and over and over again,' she said.

'At the time I was so scared. Sick to the stomach. I just didn't know what was going on.'

The second victim, who gave evidence via live video-link, told the court Bryson continued to have sex with her after she said stop.

Bryson, formerly known as Andrew Graham, was convicted of raping two women at Glasgow High Court in January (pictured outside court)

The court heard that Bryson is currently taking hormones and seeking surgery to complete gender reassignment

The court heard Bryson entered the victim with 'her penis', and was told to stop because Bryson was 'crushing' the victim.

The victim's police statement said Bryson instead told her to 'stay there' because 'he (Bryson) wasn't finished'.

The victim told the court: 'I said to stop but he (Bryson) just kept on going, and that's when I just closed my eyes and I am doing what he wanted to do.'

Giving evidence during the trial, Bryson claimed both women consented to having sex.

Bryson spoke of identifying as transgender at the age of four but not making the decision to transition until the age of 29.

The court heard that Bryson is currently taking hormones and seeking surgery to complete gender reassignment.
A 50-year-old woman accused of repeatedly sexually abusing her young granddaughter and posting the abuse material on TikTok remains on bail.

The woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, fronted court for the second time on Tuesday after being charged earlier this month with multiple offences.

Her family members accompanied her to the ACT Magistrates Court where she sat in silence as her legal representative asked for time to find a Legal Aid lawyer to be allocated to her.

Magistrate Ian Temby granted the woman, who will also require a Nepalese interpreter in court, a three-week adjournment and said her bail conditions would continue until her next court appearance.

The woman was arrested on February 5 after police searched a home in Canberra's south.

A Canberra grandmother has been accused of sexually abusing her daughter and posting the images to TikTok (pictured stock image)

The woman, 50, appeared on Monday in the ACT Magistrates Court (pictured) and had her case adjourned for three weekend

She was charged with aggravated acts of indecency against a child under 10 years, using a child to produce aggravated child exploitation material and using a carriage service for child abuse materials

She was granted bail in the ACT Magistrates Court the following day.

The Australian Federal Police Child Protection Triage Unit began investigating the case after being alerted to newly produced child abuse material being uploaded to social media on January 27.

The AFP said TikTok reported the material to the Australian Centre To Counter Child Exploitation and subsequently assisted police with their investigation.

The investigation was handed over to the Sexual Assault and Child Abuse team and the ACT Joint Anti Child Exploitation Team before the woman's arrest.

The case is due to return to court on March 21.
Tens of thousands of teachers across England and Wales will today begin a three day strike over this week in the long-running dispute over pay.

Teachers will walk out across the north of England on Tuesday with the majority of schools expected to either restrict access to some pupils or fully close, the National Education Union (NEU) has said.

Education Secretary Gillian Keegan has called strike action 'unforgivable', adding that children deserve to be in class, especially after the pandemic.

Teacher members of the NEU are set to strike in the Midlands and eastern regions in England on Wednesday, and further walkouts will take place across Wales and the south of England on Thursday.

Kevin Courtney, joint general secretary of the NEU, said: 'I think across the three days we will have 200,000 members taking strike action.'

Some parents have hit out at the action, with one saying: 'I see our children are being let down again. So close to exams and school is shut.'

But others back the teachers, with one saying: 'As a parent solidarity to all striking teachers today and tomorrow.'

Members of the National Education Union (NEU) on the picket line outside Marden bridge Middle School in Whitley Bay today

Another sign reads 'pay up' as school teachers walk out on Tuesday February 28

The country's largest education union has had 50,000 new sign-ups since the strikes were announced six weeks ago, he added.

Speaking ahead of the strikes in the north of England, Mr Courtney said: 'I think a majority of schools will be affected by the dispute. Some of them with full closures and many more with partial closures.

'Some secondary schools will be completely closed, others will have particular year groups in and a similar pattern in lots of lots of primary schools.'

Picket lines will be mounted outside schools in regions including the North West and Yorkshire and the Humber on Tuesday, and rallies will be held in Manchester, Leeds and Newcastle.

Some parents will be forced to take leave from work, or arrange alternative childcare, as a result of the regional walkouts across three days this week.

In a message to parents, Mr Courtney said: 'We really do sincerely apologise for the disruption to their children's education on our strike days, and to the disruption to their working lives and home lives.

'But we do believe we're taking action with a moral purpose of trying to get the Government to invest in their children's education.'

Last week, Ms Keegan invited the teaching unions to 'formal talks on pay, conditions and reform' on the condition that NEU strikes were suspended.

Teachers in the north of England begin the first of three days of nationwide strike action in a long-running dispute over pay

Teachers striking in Leeds today - one sign reads 'it's more than just the pay'

The NEU has called on the Education Secretary to drop preconditions to talks and instead make a 'serious' offer on pay to avert national walkouts from taking place across England and Wales on March 15 and March 16.

Mr Courtney told PA: 'I think the Government is fundamentally mistaken in thinking that industrial relations are solved by telling people you can't go on strike if you want to talk to us.

'We are willing to meet at any time, any place and we would really hope that she does meet with us after these regional strikes and comes up with something serious that is an offer that we can put to members.

'That's what we would want in an ideal world, to find a solution that means we don't go ahead with those strikes in March.'

In a statement on Monday evening, Ms Keegan said: 'As a government, we have made a serious offer to the leaders of the National Education Union and Royal College of Nursing: pause this week's strikes, get round the table and talk about pay, conditions and reforms.

'It is hugely disappointing the NEU has thus far refused this serious offer and has not joined the Royal College of Nursing in calling off strikes.

Kevin Courtney, joint general secretary of the NEU, said: 'I think across the three days we will have 200,000 members taking strike action.'

Members of the EIS demonstrating outside Bute House in Edinburgh in January

Teachers will walk out across the north of England on Tuesday - pictured is teachers striking last month

'Instead of sitting round a table discussing pay, the NEU will once again cause disruption for children and families.

'Children deserve to be in school, and further strike action is simply unforgivable, especially after everything children have been through because of the pandemic.'

On February 1 - the first day of walkouts by NEU members - the majority of state schools in England were forced to shut their doors to some pupils.

Department for Education (DfE) data suggested that 44.7 per cent of state schools in England were open but restricting attendance and 9.3 per cent were closed.

Only 17.4 per cent of secondary schools reported being fully open during the teacher strikes, compared with 52.1 per cent of primary schools.

Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said: 'It is likely that the impact will be largely similar this week.'

He added: 'We are very disappointed that the Government has failed to find a solution to the dispute and has instead played political games.

'It has presided over real-terms cuts to pay and the chronic underfunding of schools over the past decade. It is these factors which have led not only to industrial action but to a severe shortage of teachers, which damages educational provision every day.'

Teachers in the Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS) and NASUWT unions will also start a fresh wave of national strikes on Tuesday.

Last week, the majority of teachers and school leaders in Northern Ireland took part in a 12-hour strike in a dispute over pay.

Amazon workers will also strike on Tuesday as the wave of industrial action continues to sweep the UK.

The GMB said more than 350 staff at the fulfilment centre in Coventry will take action in a pay dispute.

Meanwhile, the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy announced on Monday that 4,500 of its members at 56 trusts in England will strike on March 22 in a dispute over NHS pay.
Queen Elizabeth's former head groom is to be installed as a military knight at Windsor Castle today, meaning he can spend the rest of his days at his late boss's home.

Terry Pendry, 72, could always be seen beside the late monarch as she rode through the Berkshire estate, the pair whiling away hours chatting about their favourite subject  horses.

He took part in one of the most moving aspects of her funeral, taking Her Majesty's favourite horse Emma to say farewell.

In touching scenes beamed around the world, 24-year-old Emma stepped out to greet her mistress for the last time as the royal hearse arrived at Windsor.

Mr Pendry was seen bowing his head as he held Emma, whose saddle was carrying one of the late monarch's famous head scarves.

Queen Elizabeth II accompanied by Terry Pendry (L) at the Royal Windsor Horse Show on May 11, 2011

The Queen and Mr Pendry seen horse riding in the grounds of Windsor in 2006

He revealed she had been out riding with Emma just months before she died at Balmoral in September aged 96, adding: 'I'm sad to say that I don't think we shall ever see anyone like the Queen again and there are no words to express how much I shall miss her.'

In December, the Mail revealed that despite being offered a job for life by the King, Mr Pendry had decided to retire  feeling that things would not be the same without his old mistress. His decision was accepted with sadness.

But in a touching move, he will be created a military knight at St George's Chapel.

King Edward III founded the Military Knights of Windsor, then called the Alms Knights, in the 14th century.

The knights, usually retired army officers, carry out duties at Windsor all-year round, including weekly Sunday parades and the annual Order of the Garter ceremony.

The position is unpaid but comes with a home in the Lower Ward of the castle, which will be the knight's for as long as he can carry out his duties.

For most, this takes them to the end of their days.

A source said: 'Her late Majesty would see this as fitting and be comforted.'
Police have seized a device that looks like mobile phone but folds out to become a pistol in a series of raids that also netted 1kg of cocaine, ammunition, knives and other drugs over the past two weeks.

The apparent weapon disguised as a mobile was seized by Western Australian police in a raid on a property in Baldivis, south of Perth on February 15.

Police are conducting ballistics tests to see if it functions as a firearm.

Also allegedly found during the raid was $115,000 in cash, ammunition, drug paraphernalia, a belt with a concealed knife and 41 Oxymetholone tablets, which is an anabolic steroid.

A short time later police in the southern Perth suburb of Wellard raided what they said was a 'drug distribution station' in a garage, where it is alleged 1.03kg of cocaine and 163g of MDMA was seized.

WA police have seized a mobile that folds out to reveal a pistol in drug raids south of Perth

Police have been conducting ballistics tests with the device to see if it is a working firearm

On February 17 police issued a plea for public assistance to locate William John Fleming in connection with the raids.

He was arrested on Saturday afternoon on Smart Street in Mandurah, also south of Perth.

Police allege a search of his vehicle yielded 58g of meth and more than $1000 cash.

Mr Fleming was charged with nine offences, including breaching bail, possessing prohibited drugs with intent to sell or supply, possessing a firearm or ammunition, possessing a prohibited weapon and money laundering.

He appeared at Perth Magistrates Court on Sunday and was refused bail to appear again on March 3.

A 25-year-old woman, from Wellard, was also charged with possessing a prohibited drug with intent to sell or supply.

She will appear in Rockingham Magistrates Court on April 3.
Ukraine today said the situation around the besieged city of Bakhmut is 'extremely tense' as Vladimir Putin's forces stepped up their assault to encircle Ukrainian troops.

Russia is trying to cut supply lines to the city, the scene of some of the war's toughest fighting, and force them to surrender or withdraw.

This would give Putin his first major victory in more than half a year and open the way to the capture of the last remaining urban centres in the Donetsk region.

'Despite significant losses, the enemy threw in the most prepared assault units of Wagner [mercenary group], who are trying to break through the defences of our troops and surround the city,' Ukraine's Colonel general Oleksandr Syrskyi said on a military messaging platform.

Ukraine's military previously said Russia had strengthened its forces in the Bakhmut area and was shelling settlements around the city.

Ukrainian servicemen are seen near an automatic grenade launcher at their positions, as Russia's attack on Ukraine continues, in the front line city of Bakhmut, in Donetsk region, Ukraine

A Ukrainian serviceman walks an empty street, as Russia's attack on Ukraine continues, in the front line city of Bakhmut, in Donetsk region, Ukraine, on February 25

Ukrainian service members are seen next to an infantry fighting vehicle near the frontline town of Bakhmut, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Donetsk region, Ukraine

This video grab taken from a video released by the 93rd Separate Mechanized Brigade 'Kholodnyi Yar' shows an aerial view of fightings and destructions in the city of Bakhmut on February 26

'Over the past day, our soldiers repelled more than 60 enemy attacks,' it said earlier today, adding that Ukrainian forces repelled attacks on the villages of Yadhidne and Berkhivka, to the north of the city.

Ukrainian military analyst Oleh Zhdanov said Russian forces had driven a wedge between those villages as they tried to cut the road west to Chasiv Yar.

'The southern part of Bakhmut is the only area which can be described as under Ukrainian control. In all other districts, the situation is unpredictable,' he said in a video commentary, adding: 'It is impossible to say where the front line lies.'

Yesterday, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenksy said the situation in the city is 'getting more and more complicated'.

'The enemy is constantly destroying everything that can be used to protect our positions,' he said, calling his soldiers there 'real heroes'.

Analysts say Moscow's victory in capturing the city would be mainly symbolic as the salt-mining town holds little strategic value.

This video grab taken from a shooting by AFPTV shows an aerial view of smoke and destructions during fighting in the city of Bakhmut on February 27

Ukrainian service members ride inside an infantry fighting vehicle near Bakhmut

A Ukrainian serviceman looks through a broken window of a damaged residential building as the sounds of shelling continue in Bakhmut on February 27

A destroyed and burnt residential building in Bakhmut on February 27, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine

Russia is trying to cut supply lines to the city, the scene of some of the war's toughest fighting, and force them to surrender or withdraw

Destroyed buildings are seen in Bakhmut on February 27 amid heavy fighting

Meanwhile, Ukrainian soldiers in the Donetsk region hunkered down in muddy trenches after warmer weather thawed out the frozen ground.

'Both sides stay in their positions, because as you see, spring means mud. Thus, it is impossible to move forward,' said Mykola, 59, a commander of a frontline rocket launcher battery, who uses a tablet screen to check coordinates of where to fire.

The spring thaw, known as the rasputitsa, which turns roads into rivers and fields into quagmires, has a history of ruining armies' movements across Ukraine and western Russia.

Reuters news agency saw several military vehicles stuck in mud. In a zigzag trench, Volodymyr, a 25-year-old platoon commander, said his men were prepared to operate in any weather.

'When we're given a target that means we have to destroy it.'

Russia, its forces replenished with hundreds of thousands of conscripts, has intensified its attacks on the eastern front but these have come at a high cost, Ukraine and its allies say.

'Vicious battles are going on there. The command is doing everything it can to stop the enemy from advancing through our territory,' Serhiy Cherevatyi, a spokesman for Ukraine's eastern military command, told the country's television.

Russia said its forces had destroyed a Ukrainian ammunition depot near Bakhmut and shot down US-made rockets and Ukrainian drones. Reuters could not verify the battlefield reports.

The Russian defence ministry said the US was planning a provocation in Ukraine using toxic chemicals. There was no immediate US response.

Meanwhile, US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen became the latest senior Western official to visit the Ukrainian capital, promising assistance and more measures to isolate Russia after meetings with Zelensky and other officials.

President Joe Biden went there a week ago to mark the first anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

'America will stand with Ukraine as long as it takes,' Yellen, flanked by sandbags at the Cabinet office, told Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal.

A Ukrainian soldier in a trench near the front line, as Russia's attack on Ukraine continues, in Donetsk region, Ukraine, on February 27

An MLRS, Multiple Launch Rocket System, based on the BM-21 'Grad' fires a rocket, near the frontline, as Russia's attack on Ukraine continues, in Donetsk region, Ukraine, on February 27

Yellen announced the transfer of the first $1.25billion from the latest $9.9billion tranche of US economic assistance, and visited a school where teacher salaries are reimbursed with US support.

She also backed completion of a fully financed programme for Ukraine with the International Monetary Fund by the end of March.

Ukraine's forces have mostly focused on holding defensive positions in recent weeks but are expected to attempt a counter-offensive later in the year with new weapons from the West.

Zelensky pushed again for F-16 fighter jets his Western allies have been reluctant to provide.

'We will be able to completely protect our skies when the aviation taboo is fully lifted in relations with our partners,' Zelenskiy said in his nightly radio address.

The anniversary of the invasion saw both sides trying to demonstrate resolve for a second year of war.

Putin gave a speech in which he abandoned the last remaining nuclear arms control treaty with the US but announced no major initiatives to change the war's course.

He was upstaged by Mr Biden, who travelled to Kyiv and gave a landmark speech of his own in Warsaw.

Ukraine's outnumbered troops repelled Russia's attack aimed at taking the capital early in the war and later recaptured substantial territory. Russia still occupies nearly a fifth of Ukraine which it claims to have annexed.
Foreign Secretary James Cleverly today scrambled to deny claims that Downing Street had 'cynically' dragged King Charles into bitter Brexit politics by advising him to host an audience with Ursula von der Leyen.

The Cabinet minister insisted that No 10 had 'liaised' with Buckingham Palace over the monarch's meeting with the EU Commission President after she met Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to thrash out a new deal over Northern Ireland.

Appearing on Good Morning Britain today, Mr Cleverly denied claims that the King was being drawn into political controversy.

He said that the Government had 'facilitated' an audience with the King during the EU chief's visit to the UK to finalise trade agreements, after all sides denied responsibility for organising the meeting.

'Ultimately we liaise with the Palace with regards to his Majestys availability,' the Foreign Secretary said.

King Charles III and EU commission chief Ursula von der Leyen were seen shaking hands during an audience at Windsor Castle just hours after she signed a new Brexit deal with Rishi Sunak

James Cleverly appeared on Good Morning Britain to deny claims that the King was being drawn into political controversy

He told GMB: 'Ultimately we liaise with the Palace with regards to his Majestys availability.

'Ursula von de Leyen was here at the invitation of the UK government to finalize the trade agreements and whilst she was in the UK we have facilitated an audience with His Majesty The King.

Asked by Ed whether it was wise to draw the King into a politically contentious issue, he said: 'I dont see how the King has been drawn into anything.

'Ursula von der Leyen is a senior international dignitary and as such we facilitated the opportunity for her to meet the Head of State.'

During the morning media rounds, Mr Cleverly insisted it was 'not unusual' for the King to meet senior international figures while they were in the UK.

He pointed out that the King had met Volodymyr Zelensky earlier this month, although the Ukrainian President is a head of state, unlike Ms von der Leyen.

Speaking to LBC, he said: ' I genuinely don't understand that argument. The other week President Zelensky came to the UK and, as a senior international guest, he had an audience with His Majesty the King.

Yesterday Prime Minister Rishi Sunak hailed the controversially named 'Windsor Framework' as marking a 'new chapter' on relations with Brussels

King Charles III would only have an audience with foreign leaders on the advice of the government, a constitutional expert has claimed

'Ursula von der Leyen is a very senior international representative. It is therefore not unusual as part of our hospitality to international guests to facilitate a meeting.

'It was our invitation for Ursula von der Leyen to come to the UK to finalise this deal with the Prime Minister. Of course that was a conversation we had with the Palace.

But he added: 'The final decision on the availability of His Majesty is with the Palace.'

Government sources indicated Ms von der Leyen had requested the meeting, something denied in Brussels.

Leading Conservative Brexiteer Jacob Rees-Mogg said it was wrong to involve the King in the 'immediate political controversy' on the day the Prime Minister signed a new agreement, dubbed the Windsor Framework, with Ms von der Leyen.

Baroness Arlene Foster, the former Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) leader and first minister of Northern Ireland, said the meeting in Windsor Castle was 'crass and will go down very badly'.

Giving details of the meeting, Ms von der Leyen said: 'We discussed the joint challenges the EU and UK face as historic partners, and our joint duties: unwavering support for Ukraine and fighting global climate change.'

Constitutional expert Dr. Craig Prescott, of Bangor University, told the Times that that it was a 'cardinal rule' that monarchs do not involve themselves in politics.

He said: 'But if you've got advice from the government then the king is bound to do it.'

He however stressed: 'It was just an audience, he does meet world leaders from time to time.'

Earlier in the day, former Cabinet minister and senior Conservative MP Jacob Rees-Mogg warned the palace over the meeting, which he said was 'constitutionally unwise'.

He said: 'It is surprising that the King will meet Ursula von der Leyen as it antagonises the people the Prime Minister needs to conciliate.

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak delivers a statement on the Northern Ireland Protocol, at the House of Commons

The royal received the European Commission president at WIndsor Castle yesterday

Royal commentator Peter Hunt said of the meeting: 'This is a very serious error of judgment by King Charles and his advisers.'

'It is also constitutionally unwise to involve the King in a matter of immediate political controversy.'

Dr Prescott said that where Mr Rees-Mogg and others 'have a point' is that the King is not expected to get involved 'in matters of party political controversy', of which the Northern Ireland protocol has proved hugely controversial.

The former BBC royal correspondent added: 'He's abandoned his unifying role and entered the political fray, in a foolish bid to be seen as statesmanlike. History won't be kind. Someone's head will roll.'

What is in Rishi's new 'Windsor Framework' for Northern Irleland? Green lanes for trade: Goods destined from mainland Britain for Northern Ireland will travel through a new green lane, with a separate red lane for goods at risk of moving on to the EU. Food retailers like supermarkets, restaurants and wholesalers will no longer need hundreds of certificates for every lorry and we will end the situation where food made to UK rules could not be sent to and sold in Northern Ireland. Taking back control of tax: The legal text of the of the NI protocol has been altered to make sure the UK has control of VAT and excise duty in Northern Ireland. Mr Sunak said the change would reduce alcohol duty 'meaning our reforms to cut the cost of a pint in a pub will now apply in Northern Ireland'. Medicines and pets: UK medicine regulations will apply in Northern Ireland, and there will also be fewer controls on pets be transported to and from mainland Britain. Sovereignty guarantee: The Stormont Assembly, which has not sat since the DUP withdrew from its power-sharing executive in February last year, will gain new powers over the introduction of new EU trade laws that could have a large impact on trade. Advertisement

Tory Brexiteers sparked a backlash over the meeting, in addition to some leading figures within the DUP, who insisted it was dragging the King into a controversial political issue.

Former DUP leader Arlene Foster said she 'could not quite believe that No10 would ask the King to become involved in the finalising of a deal as controversial as this one.'

'It's crass and will go down very badly in Northern Ireland. We must remember this is not the King's decision but the government who, it appears, are tone deaf.'

In a bid to deflect the growing criticism, a government source insisted the meeting was at the behest of the EU commission.

Brussels, however, immediately balked at this suggestion and insisted: 'It was not a request and we were not expecting it.'

Rishi Sunak is expected to travel to Northern Ireland later, after securing a deal with the EU that he promised would be a 'turning point' for the region after years of post-Brexit tensions.

The new deal, dubbed the Windsor Framework, removes barriers on trade across the Irish Sea and hands a 'veto' to politicians in Stormont on EU law - a set of concessions from Brussels that went further than some expected.

But it still includes a role for the European Court of Justice, with the Democratic Unionist Party and Tory backbenchers now set to study closely the details of the complex set of arrangements in the coming days.

The Prime Minister, who is also expected to speak to backbench MPs on Tuesday, spoke at length in the Commons on the deal as he sought to see off any threat of rebellion from within his own ranks.

But the reception so far has been warm, with DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson welcoming 'significant progress' even as he warned that 'there remain key issues of concern' regarding the deal.

The view of the party will be crucial, if the deal is to help restore powersharing at Stormont.

MPs are expected to get a vote on the deal, but Downing Street has not so far said when or how such a vote might take place.

A key part of the deal is an emergency 'Stormont brake' on changes to EU goods rules that can be pulled by the Northern Ireland Assembly, with No 10 hopeful that it will ensure concerns over a 'democratic deficit' are addressed.

The Prime Minister called it a 'very powerful mechanism' for Stormont to use when it has concerns over EU law, as he heralded the overall deal as a 'decisive breakthrough'.

Rishi Sunak (left, pictured yesterday) was accused of dragging King Charles III into politics with the monarch meeting EU chief Ursula von der Leyen at Windsor Castle

'Together we have changed the original protocol and are today announcing the new Windsor Framework,' he said.

'Today's agreement delivers smooth-flowing trade within the whole United Kingdom, protects Northern Ireland's place in our union and safeguards sovereignty for the people of Northern Ireland.'

Leaders in the EU and beyond hailed the progress too, with Ms von der Leyen praising the 'new chapter in our partnership' while French President Emmanuel Macron spoke of the 'important decision'.

US President Joe Biden said it was an 'essential step' in protecting the Good Friday Agreement, while in Dublin Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said that the EU had moved 'a lot' to facilitate a deal.

Former prime minister Boris Johnson, who until only recently had been urging Mr Sunak to see the benefits of the newly-jettisoned Northern Ireland Protocol Bill, remained silent on Monday.

A source close to the former prime minister said that he is continuing to study and reflect on the Government's proposals.

But elsewhere within the Conservative ranks there was enthusiastic backing for the Prime Minister, with many senior Tories praising the deal.

Northern Ireland minister and former Brexit rebel Steve Baker was one of the most ardent backers of the prime minister's deal, comparing the level of 'statecraft' involved in the negotiations to that leading up to the Good Friday Agreement.

Speaking on ITV1's Peston, Mr Baker said: 'I think it's a really historic moment.

'I think this is capable of bringing this awful rollercoaster row to an end, if the DUP are satisfied with it. I think it's an incredibly important moment.'

Writing in the Telegraph, Chairman of the backbench 1922 Sir Graham Brady said: 'The so-called 'Windsor Framework' won't be perfect but it looks like a massive step forward.'

Tory Brexiteers in the European Research Group (ERG) are to meet on Tuesday and will convene MP Sir Bill Cash's so-called 'star chamber' of lawyers to scrutinise the deal before deciding whether to back it.

The protocol was designed to prevent a hard border with Ireland after Brexit but means Northern Ireland has continued to follow EU rules on goods to prevent checks being needed when crossing into the Republic.

Unionists' anger over the trade barriers in the Irish Sea culminated in the DUP collapsing powersharing in February last year, leaving Northern Ireland without an executive or an assembly.
This photo, carried by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency on Feb. 27, shows its leader Kim Jong-un presiding over a plenary meeting of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea's Central Committee the previous day to discuss agricultural issues. Yonhap



North Korea has convened a key party meeting to discuss agricultural issues, with its leader Kim Jong-un in attendance, Pyongyang's state media said Monday, as the country is grappling with severe food shortages.



The North's leader Kim presided over the plenary meeting of the Central Committee of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) on Sunday, according to the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).



The rare party meeting came as the North's food situation appears to have deteriorated amid deepening economic hardships caused by border lockdowns to combat the COVID-19 pandemic and global sanctions on its nuclear and missile programs.



The North's media said the meeting will review major achievements from last year, the first year of the implementation of the country's programs on a rural revolution for the new era.



The session will also decide on "the immediate important tasks and the urgent tasks arising at the present stage of the national economic development and the practical ways for implementing them," the KCNA said in an English-language report.



It said participants unanimously approved agenda items and discussed the first one, without elaborating. The plenary meeting will continue, the KCNA said, without providing further details.



The Sunday session was attended by key party members, including Premier Kim Tok-hun and Jo Yong-won, the party secretary for organizational affairs, with related party officials also participating in it via video link.



Observers said the North's rare move to convene a party plenary meeting for the second time in about two months points to the urgency to deal with the country's food crisis.



At its key party meeting late last year, North Korea laid out raising grain production as the No. 1 task among 12 major economic priorities.



South Korea's unification ministry earlier said the North's food crisis appears to be worsening, with more deaths from starvation being reported recently in "some regions."



The ministry handling inter-Korean affairs said a fall in crop production and disrupted food distribution are apparently attributable to the North's food shortages.



North Korea underwent a massive famine and related deaths during the period of the Arduous March in the 1990s. Seoul's ministry said the current food situation does not appear to be similar to what it was during the Arduous March, but it seems to be "grave." (Yonhap)


Putin's spokesman said presidential elections would go ahead next year

Vladimir Putin's spokesman today admitted the 70-year-old is 'definitely not up to' deciding whether he will run for a new presidential term next year.

The Kremlin leader has been dogged by rumours of ill health and is embroiled in the brutal war he unleashed in Ukraine, which is not going according to plan.

His spokesman Dmitry Peskov said elections would go ahead despite the military conflict, even though they had been 'called into question'.

But Putin has failed to indicate if he will stand.

'So far, there are no pre-election or electoral moods  Putin has a lot to do. He's definitely not up to it now,' Peskov said.

Vladimir Putin's (pictured on Monday) spokesman has admitted the 70-year-old is 'definitely not up to' deciding whether he will run for a new presidential term next year

Several elections are due in Russia, including the presidential poll  the first round of which should be in March 2024, little over one year away.

Peskov told Izvestia: 'There is a decision that there will be elections.

'Under the conditions of the SVO [Putin's 'special military operation'], the prospects for holding elections  both in September and then presidential ones  were called into question.

'But we heard in the message that these and other elections should happen. That it is an integral part of the development of our society and political system.'

Peskov added: 'We have not heard from him so far any statements where he would speak about nominating or not nominating his candidacy.

'That is, it is still a little premature. We just need to be patient.'

The spokesman did not elaborate further on what he meant by saying Putin was 'not up to it now'.

If he stands, it would be his fifth term as president. Additionally, he was acting president for several months in early 2000.

His critics may hope that Putin will use the election to step down amid concerns over his state of mind in pursuing the cruel war in Ukraine.

Supporters hope he may seek a loyal successor who will carry on his repressive rule, yet there is no clear candidate for now.

His hardline security chief Nikolai Patrushev, 71, wants his son, agriculture minister Dmitry Patrushev, 45, to be installed as president.

He is regarded as not having been 'smeared' by the war, yet a safe pair of hands.

Another option is loyal former Putin bodyguard Alexei Dyumin, 50, now Tula governor, who once saved the leader's life in an attack by a vicious brown bear.

Former president Dmitry Medvedev, 57, is seeking to burnish his credentials with hardline military and security chiefs with almost daily vitriolic attacks on the West.

He is likely to seek the post again if it becomes available.

Many doubt Putin will voluntarily give up power. Traditionally, the Russian despot has formally announced his candidacy quite late in the run-up to elections.

A Ukrainian serviceman of a fire platoon stands in a trench near the frontline, as Russia's attack on Ukraine continues, in Donetsk region, Ukraine, on February 27

An MLRS, Multiple Launch Rocket System, based on the BM-21 "Grad" fires a rocket, near the frontline, as Russia's attack on Ukraine continues, in Donetsk region, Ukraine, on February 27

Speculation has suggested Putin is suffering from cancer and early stage Parkinson's Disease.

Rumours about the president's declining health, mental state and unstable position have swirled since long before he ordered the invasion of Ukraine. In the year since, the rumours have only intensified as the war appears to have taken its toll.

Footage from official meetings and appearances has shown him gripping a table for support, tapping his feet seemingly uncontrollably, and looking unsteady as he walked  while in recent years he has grown puffy and bloated.

But John Sullivan, former US ambassador to Russia, told Foreign Policy magazine that he has seen Putin up close in the months before his invasion of Ukraine.

He doubted claims of a long term illness.

'I don't have reason to believe that he is anything other than an ageing 70-year-old Russian male who's getting world-class healthcare but is under world-class stress right now,' he said.
Three young boys were rushed to hospital after a triple stabbing in east London following an alleged brawl in a takeaway.

Police and the London Ambulance Service were called to Popeyes takeaway in Romford where the brawl had erupted at about 5.30pm on Monday, according to The Sun.

The report claimed a group of boys in hooded coats were seen before a fight broke out with punches, people being thrown to the floor and others using chairs to hit with.

Three teenagers aged 15, 16 and 17 were found with stab wounds, not thought to be life threatening.

The Met Police confirmed there have been no arrests.

Met Police were called to Romford shortly after 5.30pm on Monday

Photographs from the scene show a police cordon is in place while officers investigate the incident

Police are asking any witnesses to get in touch following the stabbing

Photographs from the scene show a police cordon is in place while officers investigate the incident.

A Met Police spokesman told MailOnline: 'Police were called at 17:38hrs on Monday, 27 February, to reports of a stabbing in South Street, Romford.

'Officers attended along with the London Ambulance Service. Three teenage boys, aged 15, 16 and 17, were found with stab wounds.

'They were taken to hospital for treatment  none of their injuries are life threatening.'

'Enquiries are ongoing and a crime scene is in place. Any witnesses are asked to call 101 quoting CAD 5355/27Feb.

'To remain anonymous contact the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.'
Rishi Sunak stepped up his sales pitch on the Brexit deal today - and warned the wavering DUP the plan will go ahead even if they are not on board.

After a trip to Northern Ireland this morning, the PM ran the gauntlet of his own MPs at a meeting of the backbench 1922 committee.

He received the traditional rousing welcome of banging on desks as he entered the private session deep in the House of Commons.

Visiting a factory near Belfast earlier, the PM said he is 'over the moon' about the agreement and believes he has done the best for Northern Ireland.

He insisted the blueprint - rewriting the divorce treaty to bring the province back under UK tax and regulatory rules, as well as introducing a 'Stormont Brake' on new EU laws - 'corrects' the original problems with the protocol.

Mr Sunak urged the DUP to resume powersharing saying it was the 'right way forward'. But he stressed that the package will go ahead regardless of their stance, arguing what mattered was the 'people of Northern Ireland' rather than any party.

'For all the people who said well, we don't feel like we've got enough sovereignty in this situation, that there's a democratic deficit with this EU  we've corrected it,' Mr Sunak said during a question and answer session with local businesses.

'We've put more power in the hands of Stormont, in those very people. But they need to get back in, they need to get put back in so they can use those powers. We've provided the means now, and I hope that with time and space, they will see that that's the right way forward.'

However, DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson was carefully neutral this morning, saying he would take time to study the detail. 'I've said progress has been made,' he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme. 'We continue to have some concerns.'

Colleagues have been less restrained, with MP Ian Paisley saying he does not believe the new terms 'cut the mustard'.

Foreign Secretary James Cleverly admitted in a round of interviews today that it would be 'very disappointing' if the DUP does not approve the deal and rejoin powersharing.

Sir Jeffrey denied that he is unwilling to participate at Stormont because Sinn Fein would hold the First Minister post, after becoming the largest party at elections last year. The institutions have been suspended since early last year due to the DUP boycott over the protocol.

The PM will return to address Tory MPs this evening, after his 'Windsor Framework' was given a broad welcome.

The premier also acknowledged that he had spoken to predecessor Boris Johnson about the proposals, but played down any political manoeuvring saying 'this is not about personalities'.

Rishi Sunak took questions at a factory in Northern Ireland today as he sells his new deal

Mr Sunak laid out his pitch at the Coca Cola plant near Belfast this morning

DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson refused to be drawn on whether he would back the package - although he stressed they were 'reasonable people'

Northern Ireland minister Steve Baker choked up last night as he compared the level of 'statecraft' involved in the Brexit deal negotiations to that leading up to the Good Friday Agreement

After weeks of secret talks, the Prime Minister and European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen finalised an agreement to fix post-Brexit problems that have dogged Northern Ireland

As Westminster digests the bombshell announcement today:

Mr Sunak will address the powerful backbench 1922 committee this evening;

The ERG bloc of Tory MPs is due to meet after the 1922, and is expected to establish a 'star chamber' of lawyers to pass judgment on the deal.

Downing Street indicated there was no wriggle room to change the Brexit deal today.

'We think we have secured the right deal for all parties in Northern Ireland,' the PM's spokesman said.

'We stand ready to have further talks with those parties if they have questions about how it works in practice, indeed, we did a great deal of that in the run up to this announcement.'

After months of secret talks, Mr Sunak and European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen unveiled the agreement for Northern Ireland yesterday.

Mr Sunak said the 'decisive breakthrough' would herald a new chapter in relations between London and Brussels and claimed the UK had 'finally taken back control'.

He told MPs the deal did 'what many said could not be done  removing thousands of pages of EU laws ... and making permanent, legally binding changes to the Protocol Treaty'.

The scale of the concessions from the EU took MPs by surprise and Mr Sunak appeared to be on the brink of a coup as the predicted Tory revolt faltered.

No Conservative MPs directly criticised the deal when he presented it to the Commons last night.

READ MORE: 'We've now taken back control': Rishi Sunak boasts that he has completed Brexit as he is grilled by MPs EU President Ursula Von Der Leyen travelled to the UK today to meet UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to sign off on the agreement on the post-Brexit trade arrangements for Northern Ireland Fact-box text Advertisement

Boris Johnson also kept his counsel on the proposals, which unpick part of his Brexit deal.

A source said that he would 'study and reflect' before setting out his verdict.

He is reported to have urged the DUP to treat the plans with caution.

Mr Johnson spoke with the PM in recent days and was given a 'broad outline' of the deal.

Mr Sunak is also understood to have 'reached out' to Liz Truss, although she did not respond.

But former PM Theresa May backed the deal, as did leading Brexiteers.

Sir Jeffrey told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that 'at first reading', the Stormont brake mechanism gives the devolved government in Northern Ireland 'the ability to apply the brake where the application of EU law for the purposes of facilitating cross-border trade impacts on our ability to trade with the rest of the United Kingdom'.

Sir Jeffrey said Northern Ireland should have unfettered access to the GB market, and if changes to EU law were to impact that 'then it is right that Stormont has a brake and that we're able to ultimately veto any new such law'.

He insisted the brake would not be used for 'trivial reasons'.

'We want to do it in circumstances where a change to law would impact on our ability with trade with the rest of the United Kingdom, and that certainly is no trivial matter,' he added.

He added: 'We're reasonable people but we want to ensure that what the Prime Minister has said is matched by what is actually in the agreement itself, can it deliver on the areas of concern that we set out in our seven tests?'

Sir Jeffrey dismissed evidence of a split in DUP ranks, telling BBC Radio Ulster the party will take a 'collective' view.

'Let me be clear, our party officers, our assembly members, our members of parliament, and ultimately, our party executive, will determine the party's approach on this issue,' he said.

'We will consult and we will take our time. We will talk to people. We will listen to what people are saying, they will articulate their views. Of course, there will be a diversity and a range of views.

'People will react in different ways. But the DUP will come to a collective decision on this agreement.'

When asked how long it would take for the party to reach a conclusion on what had been agreed, he said 'it will take as long as it takes'.

Mr Cleverly said it will be 'hugely disappointing' if the DUP does not return to the Stormont powersharing executive following Rishi Sunak's deal with Brussels.

Mr Cleverly said the Government had been 'very, very focused' on the party's concerns in their negotiations with the EU on post-Brexit trading arrangements.

'They are quite understandably going to want to look at the detail of this. I really hope that once they look at the detail of this they will see we have taken their concerns very, very seriously,' he told Sky News.

'I think they will know that I have been very, very focused on the concerns they have expressed on behalf of their community. They will have real authority when it comes to the Stormont brake.

'If they don't re-enter the powersharing executive, that will be hugely disappointing. It won't be good news for the people of Northern Ireland.'

In a joint article in the Mail today, David Davis, Dominic Raab and Steve Barclay described the proposals as a 'complete and utter game-changer' that would finally deliver 'the Brexit we voted for and promised to deliver'.

The trio all served as Brexit secretary in negotiations with the EU, with both Mr Davis and Mr Raab resigning over Mrs May's proposals for an exit deal.

They said: 'What the Prime Minister has achieved is what no one thought would be possible.

'He has scrapped 1,700 pages of EU law and made radical and permanent changes to the Protocol Treaty to end the ratchet of EU law.

'We are all Conservatives. We are all Unionists. We are all Brexiteers. We can and must make Brexit work for all parts of the UK and the deal that the Prime Minister has struck will do so.

'We can finally move on from disagreeing about Brexit to focusing on the opportunities.'

AT A GLANCE: WHAT DOES THE STORMONT DEAL MEAN IN REAL TERMS? STORMONT BRAKE The Northern Ireland assembly can object to EU single market rules, allowing the UK Government to impose a veto. TRADE Two routes will exits for goods going from the United Kingdom to Northern Ireland. The Green Lane will apply to products destined for Northern Ireland, which will have less burdensome checks than those in the Red Lane for the Republic of Ireland. PETS AND PRODUCTS Rules forcing pet owners to show up-to-date vet's certificates of health an rabies vaccinations will be scrapped. Owners only have to state their pet is microchipped and will to travel to the EU. TAX VAT changes will apply to the whole of the United Kingdom, including Northern Ireland. Zero-rating of VAT on solar panels and reforms to alcohol duties will apply. SOVEREIGNTY The proportion of EU rules served on Northern Ireland will cut to 3 per cent. Advertisement

Northern Ireland minister Steve Baker choked up last night as he compared the level of 'statecraft' involved in the Brexit deal negotiations to that leading up to the Good Friday Agreement.

Mr Baker told ITV's Peston programme: 'Personally, I think it's a kind of, for want of a better term, statesmanship, which is at the level of the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement.'

But the leader of the non-sectarian Alliance Party, Naomi Long, rejected that comparison: 'I think Steve is getting a bit carried away with himself this evening.'

Mr Sunak said the agreement, named the 'Windsor Framework', would deliver 'significant improvements' for people in Northern Ireland, where trade has been disrupted by post-Brexit rules.

And he predicted that the deal could clear the way for a wider reset of relations with Brussels.

'The UK and the EU may have had our differences in the past, but we are allies, trading partners and friends,' he said. 'This is the beginning of a new chapter in our relationship.'

Mrs von der Leyen said the deal would heal the 'difficulties' in Britain's relations with Brussels.

Emmanuel Macron welcomed the deal between the EU and UK on the Northern Ireland Protocol.

The French president tweeted: 'The United Kingdom and the European Union have just reached an agreement on implementing the post-Brexit framework in Northern Ireland.

'I welcome this important decision, which will preserve the Good Friday Agreement and protect our European internal market.'

US President Joe Biden has called Rishi Sunak's Brexit deal with the EU an 'essential step' in protecting the Good Friday Agreement.

In a White House statement, the US president praised the efforts of London and Brussels to secure the deal, after Mr Sunak and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen unveiled the Windsor Framework on Monday.

Mr Biden said that the deal was an 'essential step to ensuring that the hard-earned peace and progress of the Belfast and Good Friday Agreement is preserved and strengthened'.

He said: 'I appreciate the efforts of the leaders and officials on all sides who worked tirelessly to find a way forward that protects Northern Ireland's place within the UK's internal market as well as the EU's single market, to the benefit of all communities in Northern Ireland.

'I am confident the people and businesses of Northern Ireland will be able to take full advantage of the economic opportunities created by this stability and certainty, and the United States stands ready to support the region's vast economic potential.'

Mr Biden's backing is a significant boost for Mr Sunak. The US president has long taken a close interest in the peace process in Northern Ireland and has spoken often about his own Irish heritage

The Windsor Framework is designed to tackle problems with the Northern Ireland Protocol, which has been blamed for driving a wedge between the province and the rest of the UK.

It creates a 'green lane' that will scrap almost all EU checks on goods arriving in Northern Ireland from the UK, ending a practice that has triggered shortages and political divisions.

The PM said the deal would remove 'any sense of a border in the Irish Sea' and meant that if food was available in Great Britain then it would also be available on shelves in Northern Ireland.

It will restore the UK Government's full control over tax rates and state subsidies in the province, which was weakened by the Protocol.

The Brexit deal left Northern Ireland effectively inside the EU's single market in order to prevent the creation of a hard border on the island of Ireland.

Mr Sunak said a 'minimal' amount of EU trade law would still apply. But he said the 'Stormont Brake' would allow the NI Assembly to block the introduction of EU trade laws.

The move is designed to tackle a 'democratic deficit', which has been a key concern for Unionists in Ulster.

Ms von der Leyen and Mr Sunak chat as they go into the Fairmont Windsor Park hotel today

The slick document published by the government today outlining the terms of the new deal

Sinn Fein vice president Michelle O'Neill and Connor Murphy speaking in Stormont

The PM hopes the deal will win the approval of the DUP so power-sharing can be restored in Northern Ireland for the first time in more than a year. Last night the party gave a mixed response to the proposals.

But Mr Paisley Jr said the democratic safeguards did not 'cut the mustard'.

And fellow DUP MP Sammy Wilson said his colleagues 'do not have confidence and still fear our position in the UK is not going to be restored by this agreement'.

On the Tory benches the deal was welcomed by most MPs.

Former Cabinet minister Sajid Javid said the PM had secured 'jaw-dropping concessions from the EU without giving anything in return'.

Former Northern Ireland secretary Julian Smith said it was a 'critical day in ending three years of political instability'.

Mark Francois, chairman of the European Research Group of Tory MPs, asked for reassurances that there were no 'nasty surprises' in the detail of the legal text.
Iranian girls have been poisoned in recent weeks in a bid to force them to stop attending school out of apparent 'revenge' for protests against the compulsory hijab, it has emerged.

Since late November, hundreds of cases of respiratory poisoning have been reported among schoolgirls mainly in Qom, south of Tehran, with some needing hospital treatment.

On Sunday, Iran's deputy health minister, Younes Panahi, implicitly confirmed the poisonings had been deliberate. So far, there have been no arrests.

Speaking anonymously, a doctor who specialises in the treatment of poisoning victims claimed that the girls were targeted out of 'revenge' as schoolgirls have been pioneers of recent protests in the country.

Iran was swept by protests following the death of a young Iranian Kurdish woman in the custody of the country's morality police last September. Iranians from all walks of life took part, marking one of the boldest challenges to the Islamic Republic since the 1979 revolution.

Classroom in Iran (file photo). Since late November, hundreds of cases of respiratory poisoning have been reported among schoolgirls, mainly in the holy city of Qom, around 85 miles south of the capital Tehran, with some requiring hospital treatment

Addressing the spate of poisonings on Sunday, Panahi told reporters: 'After the poisoning of several students in [the city of] Qom  it was found that some people wanted all schools, especially girls' schools, to be closed.'

He added: 'It has been revealed that the chemical compounds used to poison students are not war chemicals  the poisoned students do not need aggressive treatment and a large percentage of the chemical agents used are treatable.'

On February 14, parents of students who had been ill gathered outside the city's governorate to 'demand an explanation' from the authorities, IRNA reported.

The following day, government spokesman Ali Bahadori Jahromi said the education and intelligence ministries were trying to determine the cause of the poisonings.

Last week, Prosecutor General Mohammad Jafar Montazeri ordered a judicial probe into the incidents.

Dr Homayoun Sameyah Najafabadi, a member of the parliament's health commission, also confirmed the poisoning of the students 'in cities such as Qom and Borujerd has been done intentionally'.

The doctor who specialises in the treatment of poisoning victims told the Guardian: 'With the data that's available, the most probable cause of this poisoning could be a weak organophosphate agent. Even if some of the poisoned pupils show a sign of severe sweating, excess salivation, vomiting, intestinal hypermotility and diarrhoea, then the attack was done using this agent.'

The doctor said they believed the aim was to 'scare the protesters by using extremist groups [radical Islamists] inside and outside the country'.

The doctor added: 'Never before have I treated someone who was poisoned with organophosphate agents. The only cases I treated were workers who were exposed to these agents in agricultural pesticides.'

The poisonings have resulted in girls avoiding school.

City of Qom (file photo)

A teacher from Qom told Radio Farda that only 50 of 250 students attended classes.

Several schools have been shut due to the pending investigation.

Masih Alinejad, an Iranian human rights activist based in New York, told the Guardian: 'In my opinion, this chemical attack is revenge by the Islamic Republic against the brave women who [rejected] the mandatory hijab and shook the "Berlin Wall" of [Ayatollah Ali] Khamenei.'

'As the Islamic State Iranian regime hates girls and women, I call on women across the globe  especially schoolgirls  to be the voice of Iranian students and call on the leaders of democratic countries to condemn this series of poisonings and isolate Khamenei's regime,' she said.

'I call this biological terrorism, and it should be investigated by the UN. We need an outside organisation to investigate as soon as possible.'

Alinejad shared footage of students in a schoolyard in a tweet.

Commenting on the video, she wrote: 'A student who sent this video from Pardis, Tehran says,; The Islamic are killing us here. In reaction to this attack students are chanting Death to khamenei.

'More than 300 schoolgirls were poisoned.'
After being stabbed through the heart during a break-in gone wrong inside his southwestern Sydney home, a bloodied man desperately clung to life as he told his mother, 'I'm going to die, mum,' a court has been told.

Three men and two women are facing trial, accused of playing roles in the alleged murder of Luke Lembryk, with the court hearing the fatal incident had its origins in a cocaine-fuelled Tinder party.

Luke Lembryk, 29, died after being stabbed through the heart at his Condell Park apartment in the early hours of December 7, 2019.

Joseph Nehme, Bilal Rahim, Viliami Taufahema, Lisa Anne Price and Sherene Rizk are standing trial over their alleged roles in Mr Lembryk's killing.

On the opening day of their trial on Tuesday, the court heard that months earlier in August 2019, the 29-year-old matched with Ms Price via Tinder.

Luke Lembryk, 29, (pictured) had been staying with his mother in Condell Park when he was allegedly murdered

It's alleged Ms Price and another woman went to the unit where all three did lines of cocaine and drank.

'During the conversation, the deceased pulled out what could be termed a wad, or wads, of cash,' Crown prosecutor Chris Taylor told the court on Tuesday.

The Crown has alleged Mr Lembryk was showing off stacks of about $10,000 to $15,000 and the women saw further money in a blazer on the back of his door.

Ms Price left the room as Mr Lembryk and the other woman had sex, the court heard.

From August to September, Ms Price mentioned to the other woman that they should 'do this guy over', the Crown has alleged.

The court heard that meanwhile in December 2019, police were lawfully intercepting Mr Nehme's phone.

The court heard that he expressed to Mr Taufahema in one call: 'What are we going to do? I need money, bro. I'm broke.'

On the evening of December 6, Mr Nehme was at Ms Rizk's residence in southern Sydney along with Ms Price.

The Crown prosecution said they would rely on phone calls made by Mr Nehme - in which Ms Price and Ms Rizk can be heard in the background - discussing robbing Mr Lembryk.

The court heard that in a police interview, Ms Rizk had admitted to taping a knife to Mr Nehme.

Around 1.45am, Mr Nehme, Mr Taufahema and Mr Rahim met near Mr Lembryk's home.

It's alleged police also intercepted a phone call in which Ms Price - having previously been to the apartment - gave a detailed description and guided Mr Nehme to the unit.

Paramedics arriving at the scene on the morning after Luke Lembryk was stabbed inside his mother's home at Condell Park in western Sydney in December, 2019

Sherene Rizk (pictured out side the NSW Supreme Court) has pleaded not guilty over her alleged role in the murder of Luke Lembryk

It's alleged Mr Nehme and Mr Taufahema entered via a loungeroom window when the fatal confrontation occurred.

'In the premises, the deceased was confronted and he was stabbed a number of times,' Mr Taylor told the court.

Mr Nehme, Mr Rahim, Mr Taufahema and Ms Price have all pleaded not guilty to murder.

Mr Rahim has pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of assault with intent to rob in company.

Ms Rizk has pleaded not guilty to the offence of being accessory before the fact to murder.

Mr Taufahema has pleaded guilty to break and enter in company with intent to steal while in company.

Ms Price and Mr Rahim have pleaded not guilty to the same charge.

Mr Lembryk's mother, who has since died due to an unrelated illness, was woken by a loud banging and as she came out of her bedroom slowly, she was punched a number of times and thrown into a wall.

She saw her son hunched over, covered in blood and holding his stomach.

As he collapsed, the court heard he told her: 'I'm going to die, mum. I'm going to die.'

Mr Lembryk died as a result of the stab wound which penetrated his heart.

The trial before Justice Richard Button continues.
Unconfirmed reports said an unidentified object, such as a drone, was in the air

Russia's Pulkovo Airport in St. Petersburg temporarily suspended all flights on Tuesday, the city government said, amid unconfirmed Russian media reports of an unidentified object such as a drone above the city.

The government of Russia's second city and birthplace of Vladimir Putin said on its official Telegram channel that it had halted all flights at the airport until 1200 local time (0900 GMT), at which point the suspension was lifted.

The state-run TASS news agency said that airspace within a 124-mile radius of Pulkovo had been closed until 1320 local time, citing an unnamed source.

An unconfirmed media report from online Russian news outlet Baza said an unidentified object had been spotted in the sky over Vladimir Putin's second city and that fighter jets had been dispatched to investigate.

In a statement issued around an hour after flights had restarted, Russia's defence ministry said it had been conducting drills, which had involved the despatch of fighter jets, in Russia's western air space.

Russia's Pulkovo Airport in St. Petersburg temporarily suspended all flights on Tuesday, the city government said. Pictured: One of the airport's terminals is seen in 2016 (file photo)

Flightradar showed empty airspace around St. Petersburg, which sits close to Russia's borders with Finland and Estonia

Flightradar also showed several flights were diverted, including flights from Moscow

'During the training, air defence forces worked on the detection, interception and identification of targets, as well as interacting with emergency services and law enforcement agencies,' Russian news agencies cited the ministry as saying.

It said fighter plans had flown sorties as part of the training exercise. The drills were not previously announced and caused several flights to reroute and airlines to reschedule flight plans for the rest of the day.

In a briefing after flights had resumed, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said President Putin had been kept fully informed of the situation.

He declined to comment on the causes for the hour-long disruption.

READ MORE: Putin closes in on his first major victory in Ukraine for six months Advertisement

A source told VChK OGPU Telegram channel: 'An unidentified flying object was spotted in the morning 180km [112 miles] from St. Petersburg in the area of one of the military facilities. 'Pulkovo Airport [St Petersburg] was closed on the recommendation of the Ministry of Defence.'

Fighter jets were put up over the city which has not so far faced attack in the war, and is 550 miles from the nearest point of Ukraine.

A mystery object was allegedly seen in the direction of the Gulf of Finland.

Data from the Flight Radar website showed a number of domestic flights headed for St Petersburg turning back to their destinations.

The airspace closure also appeared to be affecting flights on route to the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad, which requires planes to fly over St. Petersburg.

Flightradar indicated a presidential aircraft RA-96016 heading to St. Petersburg turned around and was seen circling over the Moscow region.

Another VIP plane bound from Moscow to Omsk was reported to have returned to the capital.

Putin was in Moscow today and expected at the Lubyanka in Moscow for a meeting with his FSB counterintelligence service.

News of the flight suspensions came as Russian emergency services put out a fire at an oil depot in southern Russia overnight after a drone was spotted flying overhead, the RIA news agency said today.

The fire in the Russian town of Tuapse was reported at 0230 local time and spread to an area of about 200 square metres before it was extinguished, a local official said.

'The oil tanks were not affected. There was no spill of oil products. No injuries,' said Sergei Boyko, who leads the local administration.

Tuapse lies on Russia's southern coast, about 149 miles south-east of the Crimean peninsula.

Moscow has reported sporadic incidents at oil and gas infrastructure in regions near Ukraine since the war started a year ago.

Russian officials have often blamed Kyiv for sending drones into Russian territory.

Ukraine has not officially claimed responsibility for similar incidents, while sometimes hinting it was behind them.

The two incidents came amid a huge new hack which interrupted TV and radio stations warning of a missile strike, pictures and video from Russia showed.

Multiple regions across Russia were hit in the second hack of its kind in six days.

The state-run TASS news agency said that airspace within a 124-mile radius (shown by red ring) of Pulkovo had been closed until 1320 local time, citing an unnamed source

News of the flight suspensions came as Russian emergency services put out a fire at an oil depot in southern Russia overnight after a drone was spotted flying overhead, the RIA news agency said today. Pictured: A plume of smoke is seen in Tuapse, Russia overnight

The two incidents came amid a huge new hack which interrupted TV and radio stations warning of a missile strike, pictures and video from Russia showed (pictured)

Millions were warned to rush to nuclear shelters.

With sirens blaring, viewers and listeners heard a warning saying: 'Attention, attention! Everyone immediately go to shelter! Missile attack threat, everyone immediately to shelter!'

The Russian defence ministry then responded: 'Attention!! As a result of a hack at servers of radio stations and TV stations in several regions of the country, an air raid alert sounded on air.

'The Russian Ministry of Defence reports that this information is fake!'
He was struck off and ordered to pay more than 40,000 following a tribunal

A Christian lawyer who called down biblical curses on the head of a rival barrister has been struck off for serious misconduct.

Solicitor Alvin Just sent 'inappropriate and unprofessional' emails to barrister Philip Noble after clashing during a will dispute at Central London County Court in 2017.

He told Mr Noble: 'You are just fading away one step closer to your grave...I will not lose any sleep for your nonsense, as I know the plagues will fall on you just like Pharaoh.'

Mr Just also added that the barrister reminded him of 'a Grade 7 bully' that he 'had to slam to the ground'.

Messages were sent to Mr Noble's client as well, warning: 'Your judgement is coming soon beware, and it will not be an easy one, the Most High knows that.. Just remember that whosoever diggeth a pit shall fall in it.'

Solicitor Alvin Just (pictured) sent an 'inappropriate' string of emails to barrister Philip Noble

Mr Just, 51, a partner at London-based Just & Brown Solicitors, was hauled before a disciplinary tribunal last year following concerns over the emails.

In his defence, Mr Just did not accept his comments were 'inappropriate' and argued that Mr Noble had a 'serious vendetta' against him.

He claimed quoting passages from the Bible was also not in breach of his duties and to be accused in relation to them was a breach of his own human rights.

But in a judgment published earlier this month, the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal stressed: 'Even in the context of hostile litigation, members of the public would expect solicitors to be robust, but temperate in the language they used when communicating with the other side.

'That expectation was even higher when those communications were with the lay client.'

The tribunal also noted that while Mr Just's expression of 'frustration and annoyance' with Mr Noble was deemed 'inappropriate' these comments were not found to be 'offensive or threatening'.

'In communicating in the way that he did, Mr Just had failed to maintain the trust the public placed in him,' it added.

Allegations were also considered in relation to the solicitor's handling of a case involving a will and also his response to the Solicitors Regulation Authority investigation into him.

The tribunal found that Mr Just had failed to ensure a client's money was kept separate in a special 'client account'.

One of Mr Just's emails warned 'you are just fading away one step closer to your grave'

He also failed to co-operate with the SRA's investigation into him having 'deliberately withheld information and misled the SRA in a number of material matters', it was said.

'The tribunal found that ordinary and decent people would consider that a solicitor who had knowingly and deliberately lied and misled his regulator during the course of an investigation into his conduct had acted dishonestly,' it added.

It was concluded that 'the only appropriate and proportionate sanction, given the seriousness of Mr Just's conduct, was to strike him off the Roll of Solicitors'.

He was also ordered to pay costs of 41,896.20.
Fears are rising that Russia is planning a false flag incident involving chemical weapons in Ukraine.

The Russian state media went into overdrive this morning, claiming the US and its allies are plotting a chemical strike.

The allegations came from Lieutenant-General Igor Kirillov, the chief of Vladimir Putin's Radiation, Chemical and Biological Defence Forces.

Yet the frenzy has the hallmarks of a Russian operation to blame the West for its own attack.

Moscow has repeatedly used such tactics in the war in Ukraine, while Kyiv has accused Russia of 'yet another provocation' and a 'likely false flag' by Putin's forces.

Kirillov claimed that former US ambassador to Moscow John Sullivan had warned at a conference that Russia intended to use chemical weapons in the war in Ukraine.

The allegations came from Lieutenant-General Igor Kirillov, the chief of Vladimir Putin's Radiation, Chemical and Biological Defence Forces (pictured)

Pictured: Damaged building in Kharkiv

A slide shown at the briefing of Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov. The headline reads: 'Examples of provocative actions of the US'. From left to right: 2003 an excuse to invade Iraq, 2017 an excuse for missile strikes against Syria, 2018 an excuse to destroy scientific facilities

'We regard this information as the intention of the US itself and its accomplices to conduct a provocation in Ukraine using toxic chemicals,' said Kirillov.

He alleged chemicals were delivered by train to Kramatorsk, accompanied by 'foreign citizens'.

They were allegedly placed at the Kramatorsk Metallurgical Plant.

Kramatorsk is in the Donetsk region of Ukraine.

Some 16 sealed boxes were unloaded including some marked BZ, a prohibited substance under chemical weapons treaties which causes acute psychosis, loss of orientation, hallucinations and memory disorders.

He alleged the US had repeatedly over many years made 'fake' allegations of chemical attacks as provocations.

Kirillov claimed that former US ambassador to Moscow John Sullivan (pictured) had warned at a conference that Russia intended to use chemical weapons in the war in Ukraine

A slide shown at the briefing of Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov. The headline reads: 'Delivery of toxic chemicals to Kramatorsk'

Kirillov (pictured) alleged chemicals were delivered by train to Kramatorsk, accompanied by 'foreign citizens'. They were allegedly placed at the Kramatorsk Metallurgical Plant

'The cargo was placed on American-made armoured vehicles, which moved as part of the column to the line of contact,' alleged the Russian general.

Means of protection from chemical attacks were also delivered, he claimed.

'The facts of the simultaneous supply of toxic chemicals and means of protection against them indicate an attempt to carry out large-scale provocations using the psychotropic chemical warfare agent BZ during the conflict,' said Kirillov.

But he provided no proof for such claims.

'Washington expects the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict to make it difficult for the international community to launch an effective investigation, as a result of which the real organisers and perpetrators could escape responsibility, while the blame would be shifted on Russia,' alleged Kirillov.

He said the Russian forces in Ukraine 'have the equipment and technology to identify the possible use of toxic substances and deal with this situation'.
A Brit was left battling for her life after a dolphin tore off a chunk of her right foot during a holiday in Bolivia.

Claire Bye, 28, survived two life-threatening infections and required 32 stitches after she was bitten by the pink river dolphin while swimming in a river in Santa Rosa de Yacuma.

After trying to set herself free she screamed for help as onlookers attempted to pull her from the water.

After 20 seconds the dolphin swam away, allowing Claire to climb out of the river to safety.

Claire said she was 'horrified' when she saw that her foot had been partially severed and was 'pouring with blood'.

Claire Bye (pictured) survived two life-threatening infections and required 32 stitches after she was bitten by the pink river dolphin while swimming in a river in Santa Rosa de Yacuma

Claire said she was 'horrified' when she saw that her foot had been partially severed and was 'pouring with blood'

She added: 'I just kept thinking I was going to lose my foot. My skin was flapping around and I could see my bone.'

Claire was taken to a hospital a five-minute drive away, where her open wounds were treated.

After four days her condition worsened as she battled a potentially life-threatening infection.

Medics advised that she should be flown to La Paz, the capitol of Bolivia, for further treatment.

After a surgical clean to treat the infection and remove the dead tissue, Claire had to wait another two weeks before she could fly back to the UK.

At Southmead Hospital in Bristol, she underwent skin flap surgery and spent a further two weeks there recovering.

Claire, an acoustic consultant from Bedminster in Bristol, said: 'I've never felt pain like it.

'I remember seeing the dolphin out of the corner of my eye, and then it suddenly lunged at me.

'It wasn't the cute looking dolphins were used to seeing, it had a huge beak with a mouthful of spiky teeth.

'I screamed and screamed, but it just wouldn't let go of me.'

She added: 'It felt like it had me for 15 minutes, but apparently it was about 20 seconds before it let go and swam away.

'After the attack, I was taken to a tiny local hospital that was nothing like the hospitals we have.

'They did the best they could, but I caught an infection that began to spread up my leg.

'I honestly thought I'd lose my foot, or potentially my life.'

Claire set off on her trip in October, 2022, with plans to travel around South America and Central America for seven months. On January 3, her travels were cut short by the life-changing injuries

Claire set off on her trip in October, 2022, with plans to travel around South America and Central America for seven months.

On January 3, her travels were cut short by the life-changing injuries.

Claire and her friend Louis set off earlier that day on a jungle trek to explore the Amazon Basin - the part of South America drained by the Amazon River.

They were led by an experienced tour guide and joined by a group of fellow tourists.

The group stopped at the river and spent time swimming and playing with the wild pink river dolphins.

Claire said: 'There were mostly children swimming in the water with the dolphins.

'I saw one child try to pick up a dolphin, which made me feel uneasy, so I decided to get out of the water and onto the pontoon.

'That's when the dolphins started to turn aggressive, and a few people got out of the water with scrapes on their legs where they'd been bitten.'

Claire decided not to go back into the water, but instead opted to play with them using a water bottle, as demonstrated by their tour guide, from the safety of the pontoon.

After a few minutes, Claire accidentally dropped the water bottle, so she hopped into the shallow water to retrieve it.

Moments later, a dolphin attacked her.

Claire said: 'The water was brown, and I was facing away so I couldn't actually see it bite down on my foot.

'The people on the pontoon tried to help pull me up, but I couldn't move because the dolphin wasn't letting go.'

After the dolphin released her foot, a bystander took off his t-shirt to tie around her foot to stem the bleeding and Claire was carried to a nearby car and driven to the local hospital.

Claire said: 'When we arrived at the hospital my heart sunk - it was more like a farmyard than an actual hospital.

'The people there were very kind and did the best they could to sew up my foot, but they didn't have any drugs.

'They gave me a shot of anaesthetic, and my tour guide had to go out the local pharmacy to buy some pain relief.

'After they sewed up my foot, I was taken into a room to recover. There was blood on the floor, and I wasn't sure if it was my blood or someone else's.

'There was an ant nest in the bathroom and there were no mosquito nets.'

Due to the lack of medical facilities in the area, Claire was transferred to Rurrenabaque, Bolivia - a four-hour drive away.

Claire said: 'We were warned that if it started to rain, we could get stuck because the roads were just mud.

'It started to rain while we were driving, and the car was sliding around all over the place - it was terrifying.'

Once they arrived in Rurrenabaque, the hospital was full and Claire had to stay in a nearby hostel.

Claire said: 'A man came to check on me four times a day to give me antibiotics, but he wasn't really paying attention to my foot.'

Her wound became infected, and she required urgent medical treatment from Cemes Hospital in La Paz.

After frantic calls to the British embassy, Claire managed to fly to the capital the following day, where she underwent a surgical clean to treat the infection and remove the dead tissue.

Claire, who is currently unable to work due to her injuries, said: 'After the surgery, I basically had a huge hole in my foot.

'I spent two weeks in hospital in La Paz before I was able to fly home to the UK.

'By the time I eventually returned home, I went straight to A&E and was told I had another infection.

'I had to have a second surgical clean, and then skin flap surgery where tissue from my groin was transplanted to my foot.

'They also had to sew the blood vessels together to keep the blood flowing.

'It's been really traumatic.'

She added: 'I've only recently been allowed to put pressure on my foot, and I don't know how badly my mobility will be affected once it heals.

'I personally think my foot looks a bit like a piece of pork wrapped in string at the moment.

'I've seen a psychologist to help deal with the trauma - I used to have daily flashbacks of the attack.

'I used to really love wild swimming and I hope to be able to do it in the future, but I'll never swim with dolphins again.

'What should have been a beautiful experience changed my life forever. It's incredibly rare for dolphins to attack humans and I never thought it would happen to me.'

Investigations are underway to determine why the dolphin attacked her.

Other people have been bitten while swimming in the river since the incident, despite the warning signs set in place.
A man has admitted to deliberately running down three police officers who were conducting an unrelated traffic stop on the side the road.

Thomas Matthews, hit Detective leading senior constable Alun Mills and constables Melanie Miller and Alyce Mueck, outside the National Arboretum in Canberra's west, at 2:51pm on July 11, 2021.

Disturbing dashcam footage shows the officers conversing before Matthews veers sharply towards them at about 20km/h.

He has pleaded guilty to two counts of negligently causing grievous bodily harm and is now awaiting sentencing, the Daily Telegraph reported.

Two of the officers suffered severe injuries as a result of the bizarre incident.

Thomas Matthews has pleaded guilty to two charges after striking three officers with his car (pictured) outside the National Arboretum, in Canberra's west, at 2:51pm on July 11 2021

Constable Alyce Mueck received three fractures in her right leg and needed to have surgery performed to insert a tibia nail - used to close fractures in the tibia.

Detective leading senior constable Alun Mills has experienced ongoing back and muscular pains after suffering an acute compression fracture to his T12 bone in his spine.

Constable Melanie Miller suffered large bruise on her left thigh.

At the time of the incident, Matthews was medicated with an injection of paliperidone, a drug that is used to treat schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder.

He had also taken lorazepam, medication for insomnia, and temazepam, medication for insomnia and anxiety.

No alcohol was in his system when police conducted a blood test following the crash.

During mental health assessments following the crash, Matthews told a forensic psychologist he did not have feelings of self-harm.

He later told a nurse that his mental health was 'fine', but reported feeling sedated by the medication he was on and not remembering much about the incident.

Dashcam footage shows Matthews veering sharply left at the officers before hitting that at a speed -that police to be- of up 19km/h

His lawyer, Jack Pappas, told the court that Matthews' mental health had stabilised since since the incident.

Mr Pappas stated that Matthews had 'slipped into' a serious mental state prior to the incident despite his family trying to intervene.

During sentencing hearing on Tuesday, prosecutor Anthony Williamson cautioned Justice Lucy McCallum against a non-prison sentence for violent crimes against police.

Matthews is set to be sentenced on March 17.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, center, and his daughter Ju-ae, second from right, attend a groundbreaking ceremony for a new street in Pyongyang, Saturday, in this photo provided by the North's official Korean Central News Agency. Yonhap



By Kang Seung-woo



It is too early to tell if North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un's headline-grabbing daughter, Ju-ae, is the true heir apparent, South Korea's Unification Minister Kwon Young-se said, Monday. But he did not rule out the possibility either that she might become the next leader of the country, which has been ruled by three generations of the Kim family.



"Even if North Korea begins grooming her as the next leader, questions remain as to whether she will be able to lead the military-oriented North Korean system," Kwon said during a radio interview with CBS.



"Kim Jong-un has just turned 40 and the North Korean regime is much more patriarchal and male-dominated than we are."



However, Kwon, a four-term lawmaker, said that the government needs to keep a close eye on whether Ju-ae will assume leadership, given that North Korea has made it clear that the Kim family's rule will continue into the fourth generation.



The South Korean unification minister's prediction comes as Ju-ae made her seventh public appearance, Saturday.



Alongside her father, she attended a groundbreaking ceremony, Saturday, for a new street in Pyongyang, which is part of an ambitious project to build 4,100 homes in the capital city's northern area, according to the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).



In its report, the KCNA described Ju-ae as its leader's "beloved daughter" instead of mentioning her by name.



Since she made her first public appearance with her father at the test site of an intercontinental ballistic missile in November 2022, there has been widespread speculation over whether she will succeed her father. The daughter, believed to be 10 years old, also attended a military parade to mark the 75th anniversary of the founding of its military earlier this month.



"It is not normal for the North Korean leader to bring his daughter to military-related events at first sight, but it is not usual to see her digging with a shovel during a groundbreaking ceremony," Kwon said.



Although it is widely believed that Ju-ae is the second child of the North Korean leader, the unification minister said he cannot confirm whether Kim has a son, who is believed to be his first child.



Earlier this month, North Korea fired a Hwasong-15 ICBM on a lofted trajectory that flew 989 kilometers and crashed in international waters off the East Sea, according to the KCNA.



Kwon said North Korea may launch an ICBM at a normal angle, an act that will demonstrate the country's mastery of its atmospheric reentry technology.



"If that happens, the United States would likely consider it a very existential threat," the minister said.



North Korea is believed since last year to have fully prepared for its seventh nuclear test, which Kwon said is still likely, saying that the reclusive country has "been keeping tunnels 3 and 4 at its nuclear test site in Punggye-ri well-prepared."


A senior minister and former hardline rebel on Brexit fought back tears last night as he backed Rishi Sunak's Northern Ireland deal  and revealed the toll the past seven years have taken on his mental health.

Steve Baker, a self-styled 'Brexit hardman' who is now a Northern Ireland Minister, suggested the Windsor Framework was statecraft on a par with the 1998 Good Friday Agreement that ended the Troubles.

In TV interviews he urged his fellow Eurosceptics, including the Democratic Unionist Party, to support the deal and allow Northern Ireland to move on.

'Personally I think it's a kind of, for want of a better term, statesmanship, which is at the level of the Belfast Good Friday Agreement,' he told ITV's Peston.

He also revealed that in November 2021, after almost two years of Covid and five years since the EU referendum, he found himself 'in a ball crying in my office'.

Steve Baker, a self-styled 'Brexit hardman' who is now a Northern Ireland Minister, suggested that the Windsor Framework was statecraft on a par with the 1998 Good Friday Agreement that ended the Troubles.

Mr Sunak stepped up his sales pitch on the Brexit deal today - and warned the wavering DUP the plan will go ahead eve if they are not on board.

Later he told BBC's Newsnight: 'Seven years of this cost me my mental health. The beard, the jewellery, is about my recovery. In November '21 I had a major mental health crisis. I had anxiety and depression  I couldn't go on.

'People couldn't tell. I made a big keynote speech in the afternoon. But make no mistake, holding these tigers by the tail  Brexit, Covid Recovery Group, Net Zero Scrutiny Group, the tax stuff we did with Conservative Way Forward  took its toll.

'We're all only human and the way I've led rebellions, no one should have to do. And this is an important moment for me personally, because I can authentically say, "he's done it".'

Mr Sunak stepped up his pitch on the Brexit deal today and warned the wavering DUP the plan will go ahead even if they are not on board.

On a visit to Belfast, the PM said he 'hand on heart' believes he has done the best for Northern Ireland.

He insisted the blueprint  rewriting the divorce treaty to bring the province back under UK tax and regulatory rules, as well as introducing a 'Stormont Brake' on new EU laws  will remove any trace of a hard border with mainland Britain.

Mr Sunak told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that he hoped the DUP will come round to the deal once they have had time to study it.

But he stressed it will go ahead regardless of their stance, arguing what mattered was the 'people of Northern Ireland' rather than any party.

'This I believe does address the concerns that people had,' he said.

The comments heap pressure on DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson to sign up to the deal and restore power-sharing at Stormont, the seat of Northern Ireland's assembly.

But he was carefully neutral this morning, saying they would take time to study the detail. 'I've said progress has been made,' he told Today. 'We continue to have some concerns.'

Colleagues have been less restrained, with MP Ian Paisley saying he does not believe the new terms 'cut the mustard'.

Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said in a round of interviews today that it would be 'very disappointing' if the DUP does not approve the deal and rejoin power-sharing.

Sir Jeffrey denied he is unwilling to participate at Stormont because Sinn Fein would hold the First Minister post, after becoming the largest party at elections last year.

The institutions have been suspended since early last year due to the DUP boycott over the protocol.

The PM will return to address MPs this evening after his Windsor Framework was given a broad welcome.

Mr Sunak also acknowledged that he had spoken to his predecessor Boris Johnson about the proposals but played down any political maneuvering, saying 'this is not about personalities'.
Joe Biden has praised Rishi Sunak's Brexit deal as an 'essential step' in protecting the Good Friday Agreement.

The US President welcomed the new terms for Northern Ireland, which has caused tensions in the Special Relationship for years.

The warm comments could revive hopes of a Transatlantic trade deal, stalled since Mr Biden entered the White House.

It paves the way for the president to visit the province this spring as part of events marking the 25th anniversary of the GFA.

In a statement overnight, Mr Biden said the deal was an 'essential step to ensuring that the hard-earned peace and progress of the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement is preserved and strengthened'.

Joe Biden has praised Rishi Sunak's Brexit deal as an 'essential step' in protecting the Good Friday Agreement

Mr Sunak and Ursula von der Leyen unveiled new terms for Northern Ireland yesterday

He said: 'I appreciate the efforts of the leaders and officials on all sides who worked tirelessly to find a way forward that protects Northern Ireland's place within the UK's internal market as well as the EU's single market, to the benefit of all communities in Northern Ireland.

'I am confident the people and businesses of Northern Ireland will be able to take full advantage of the economic opportunities created by this stability and certainty, and the United States stands ready to support the region's vast economic potential.'

Mr Biden's backing is a significant boost for Mr Sunak. The US president has long taken a close interest in the peace process in Northern Ireland and has spoken often about his own Irish heritage.

The PM's deal removes trade barriers for Northern Ireland and give the UK a 'veto' on EU law, but he is awaiting the approval of the DUP and other unionists.

'Northern Ireland can accomplish the extraordinary when its leaders work together in common cause. And I hope  as we all do  that Northern Ireland's political institutions are soon back up and running. Those institutions embody the principle of devolved, powersharing, representative government at the core of the Good Friday Agreement,' Mr Biden said.

'As Northern Ireland prepares to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Agreement in April, let us remember that ending decades of conflict was not easy or inevitable. It required hard work and determination, and an unfailing faith that a better future was possible.

'Today, an entire generation of young people has grown up knowing only possibility and growing prosperity  the hard-earned dividend of peace. I am deeply proud of the role the United States has played for decades to help achieve, preserve, and strengthen that peace enshrined in the Agreement.

The government is hoping the new terms will lead to the restoration of powersharing in NI

'And I look forward to continuing to work closely with our partners in Northern Ireland, the Governments of the United Kingdom and Ireland, and the European Union, to further that peace and prosperity.'

National Security spokesman John Kirby said: 'We believe that this will help improve the prosperity of both the EU and the UK, and will open up all kinds of new avenues for trade that were somewhat at risk.'

Emmanuel Macron welcomed the deal between the EU and UK on the Northern Ireland Protocol.

The French president tweeted: 'The United Kingdom and the European Union have just reached an agreement on implementing the post-Brexit framework in Northern Ireland.

'I welcome this important decision, which will preserve the Good Friday Agreement and protect our European internal market.'
Transgender rapist Isla Bryson has been jailed for eight years after being found guilty of raping two women while still a man.

Bryson was sentenced to eight years in prison at the High Court in Edinburgh, with a further three years on licence.

Photos show the double rapist  who changed gender while waiting to stand trial  hiding behind a blonde bob and pink hooded jumper inside a prison van after being told by a judge: 'You see yourself as the victim in this case. You are not.'

'It is plain that you present a particularly significant risk to any woman with whom you form a relationship,' Lord Scott said as he handed down the sentence.

The 31-year-old was convicted last month of raping two women  one in Clydebank in 2016 and one in Drumchapel, Glasgow, in 2019. Bryson, who committed the offences while still a man known as Adam Graham, met the victims online and prosecutors said the criminal 'preyed' on vulnerable women.

The case sparked an uproar after Bryson was initially housed in an all-female prison. In the wake of this outcry, the criminal was moved to the male estate.

Isla Bryson leaves Edinburgh High Court in a prison van after being sentenced to eight years in jail today

Bryson, 31, was convicted last month of raping two women, pictured outside court for a previous hearing

Scotland's Justice Secretary Keith Brown ordered an urgent review of the case and the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) stopped the movement of all transgender prisoners with a history of violence against women into the female estate.

It came just weeks after the devolved Scottish Parliament passed a Bill to make it easier for people to change their legal gender, drawing criticism from women's rights campaigners who argue predatory men could use it to access single-sex spaces such as bathrooms.

The Government in Westminster has since said it will block the change because it would have an impact on equality matters across the rest of the country.

The issue also came to a head shortly before Nicola Sturgeon said she would step down as Scottish First Minister after almost a decade in power, saying she had become too divisive.

During sentencing today, Lord Scott noted Bryson continues to 'vehemently deny' the offences, claiming the victims 'colluded' to press charges.

The court heard the rapist, who appeared in court wearing a blonde wig, black leggings and fluorescent pink jacket, is still pursuing full gender reassignment and is on 'the maximum recommended doses of hormone prescription' from Glasgow's Sandyford sexual health service clinic.

Defence advocate Edward Targowski KC said this, coupled with 'troubled early years', made Bryson vulnerable.

He told the court the criminal's move to transition following both rapes was not 'an afterthought cynically designed to reduce the punishment', contrary to what he described as 'ill-informed and ill-judged comments' made outside of the court.

But Lord Scott said the seriousness of the crimes 'far outweigh' Bryson's mitigatory circumstances.

He acknowledged Bryson is considered 'vulnerable in some ways' due to adverse childhood experiences, but said: 'You see yourself as the victim in this situation. You are not.

'Your vulnerability is no excuse at all for what you did to these two women.

'You raped two women who can both be regarded as vulnerable.'

Bryson was told by a judge: 'You see yourself as the victim in this case. You are not'

Bryson, formerly known as Andrew Graham, was convicted of raping two women at Glasgow High Court in January (pictured outside court)

The court heard that Bryson is currently taking hormones

Lord Scott said Bryson was, in fact, 'preying on these two women because of their vulnerability and raped them in their own homes where they were entitled to feel safe'.

Addressing Bryson, he added: 'You are not at the stage of accepting what you did or acknowledging the serious harm you inflicted on two women.'

He said the rapist was 'a high risk of reoffending', adding: 'There will need to be a high level of supervision.'

After the jury at the High Court in Glasgow delivered its guilty verdict, judge Lord Scott told Bryson the crimes were 'considerable' and said that 'a significant sentence is inevitable'.

During the trial, the court heard that Bryson was going through the breakdown of a brief, unhappy, marriage and went to stay with the first victim at the victim's mother's house in Clydebank in 2016.

Giving evidence on pre-recorded video, the victim said she was raped for half an hour.

'All I said was 'no' over and over and over again,' she said.

'At the time I was so scared. Sick to the stomach. I just didn't know what was going on.'

The second victim, who gave evidence via live video-link, told the court Bryson continued to have sex with her after she said stop.

The court heard Bryson entered the victim with 'her penis', and was told to stop because Bryson was 'crushing' the victim.

The victim's police statement said Bryson instead told her to 'stay there' because 'he (Bryson) wasn't finished'.

The victim told the court: 'I said to stop but he (Bryson) just kept on going, and that's when I just closed my eyes and I am doing what he wanted to do.'

Bryson, from Clydebank, West Dunbartonshire, arriving at the High Court in Glasgow for a hearing last month

Giving evidence during the trial, Bryson claimed both women consented to having sex.

Bryson spoke of identifying as transgender at the age of four but not making the decision to transition until the age of 29.

The court heard that Bryson is currently taking hormones and seeking surgery to complete gender reassignment.

Following sentencing today, Scottish Conservative shadow community safety minister Russell Findlay MSP, said: 'In reality, an eight-year prison sentence means this double rapist could be back on the streets in as little as four years, which will likely be of little comfort to victims.

'They've already suffered from the perverse decision to address this rapist as 'she' and by Nicola Sturgeon and her justice secretary refusing to say what everyone in Scotland can see with their own eyes  that Bryson is a man.

'Even following Nicola Sturgeon's sudden resignation, the SNP government continues to attempt to dupe the public by saying this case has nothing to do with its gender self-ID bill.

'But if this SNP law is enacted, it will be wide open to exploitation by giving the legal right to sex offenders to declare they are female, no matter the risks to women and girls.

'Going forward, the prison service must publish its delayed new policy on transgender prisoners, allowing for full scrutiny, feedback and, if necessary, amendment.'

As well as the sentence, which was backdated to January 24, and extended supervision, Bryson has also been placed on the sex offenders' register indefinitely.
Rishi Sunak slapped down critics demanding he cut business taxes today as he warned the UK had to 'balance the books'.

Speaking in Northern Ireland after sealing a Brexit deal with the EU he dashed the hopes of politicians including three of his predecessors as Chancellor.

George Osborne, Philip Hammond and Kwasi Kwarteng have led calls for the plan to increase the rate of corporation tax from 19p to 25p in April to be scrapped.

Taking questions in Belfast this morning the Prime Minister was told the new rate would be double that of Ireland, where corporation tax is 12.5 per cent.

But he defended the UK change, saying the new rate was still the lowest of major world economies.

'We are borrowing an enormous amount of money. Thats not good, it is not good for the country, we have got to get our borrowing down and we have got to do that in a responsible way  and that (the tax rise) is going to help us do it,' he said.

Speaking in Northern Ireland after sealing a Brexit deal with the EU he dashed the hopes of politicians including three of his predecessors as Chancellor.

Philip Hammond and Kwasi Kwarteng have added their weight to demands for a rethink of the levy increase in the Budget next month

It came after George Osborne made a similar intervention earlier this month to back a halt to the tax rise

'It might sound boring but it is deeply important. Because if we care about those kids who dont want to grow up in poverty, we are not doing them any favours if we are just putting stuff on the countrys credit card and telling them to pick up the tab, because that is a sure-fire way for them not to have a happy and prosperous life.

'At 25 per cent it will still be the lowest rate out of all the large economies that we compete with around the world.'

He added that getting his Windsor Framework for Northern Ireland implemented would create 'the world's most exciting economic zone' with access to EU and UK markets.

The Prime Minister, speaking at a factory in Northern Ireland, said: 'If we get this right, if we get this framework implemented, if we get the Executive back up and running here, Northern Ireland is in the unbelievably special position - unique position in the entire world, European continent - in having privileged access, not just to the UK home market, which is enormous... but also the European Union single market.

'Nobody else has that. No one. Only you guys: only here, and that is the prize.

'I can tell you, when I go around the world and talk to businesses, they know that - they're like: ''That's interesting. If you guys get this sorted, then we want to invest in Northern Ireland, because nowhere else does that exist.''

'That's like the world's most exciting economic zone.'

The Government aims to work with international companies to help them 'take advantage of Northern Ireland's very special position', he added.

'And they are queuing up to do so, particularly from the US actually.'

Mr Kwarteng scrapped the planned increase from 19p to 26p when he was briefly in No11 last year, but the U-turn was scrapped by Mr Hunt when he replaced him.

He told the Telegraph at the weekend the higher tax 'doesn't help our competitiveness', adding: 'We have got to look at ways to improve our attractiveness to foreign investors.'

And Mr Hammond added: 'My view on corporation tax is always that it's better to have lower than higher. I am quite disappointed that we will be increasing it to 25 per cent.

'Businesses would accept 25 per cent corporation tax if they felt they had all the other bits in place for a growing economy. But the labour market is not working, the planning system is not working and none of the preferential trade deals with big powers around the world have come to pass.'

It came after George Osborne made a similar intervention earlier this month, warning it could drive investment and companies away from the UK.

The current Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has told Conservative MPs not to expect tax cuts in the spring Budget, but many backbenchers are pushing for Mr Hunt to reduce the burden on business to drive growth.

Mr Osborne, who served as chancellor from 2010 to 2016, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'Of course, it's more popular to increase taxes on business than on individuals and in some ways easier to do than trying to cut public spending.

'However the reason that I reduced business taxes was to attract investment and attract research and attract companies like AstraZeneca, and if you put up taxes then you will potentially have the opposite effect.'

On Saturday the move to cut taxes gained speed as former home secretary Priti Patel made a similar demand.

The senior Conservative has argued that 'now is not the time' for an increase in the tax on big business.

Ms Patel has also called on Chancellor Jeremy Hunt to pull out of an international agreement preventing corporation tax from falling below 15 per cent.

Britain was signed-up to the deal by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak when he was chancellor, in a move brokered by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and heralded by the US.
It came as Finland prepares to vote on its own bid to join the military alliance

Ukraine will become a Nato member in the 'long term', the head of the military alliance said today, amid Vladimir Putin's war in the country.

But Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg stressed that the immediate issue at hand is Ukraine staying an independent nation from Russia.

'Nato allies have agreed that Ukraine will become a member of our alliance, but at the same time that is a long-term perspective,' Stoltenberg told reporters during a visit to Finland's capital Helsinki.

Stoltenberg added that 'the issue now is that Ukraine prevails as a sovereign independent nation, and therefore we need to support Ukraine.'

After Russia's invasion, Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelensky has urged the US-led western alliance to grant his country a fast-track membership.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg (pictured today) said today that Ukraine will become a member of the western military alliance in the 'long term'

Ukraine applied for EU membership in February 2022, shortly after it was invaded, and was granted candidate status in June.

READ MORE: Putin closes in on his first major victory in Ukraine for six months Advertisement

When the war ends, 'we need to ensure that history doesn't repeat itself,' Stoltenberg told a press conference with Finnish prime minister Sanna Marin.

'President Putin cannot continue to attack neighbours. He wants to control Ukraine and he is not planning for peace, he is planning for more war.'

'I see that the future of Ukraine is to be part of the European Union and also a member of Nato,' Marin added.

Putin has cited the eastern expansion of Nato's borders as one reason behind his assault on the country.

This has been dismissed by Kyiv and its allies, who say Moscow's invasion is nothing more than an imperialistic land grab.

Stoltenberg's comments come as Finland prepared to debate its own bid to join the alliance, which was sparked by Putin's invasion.

Finland, which has one of Europe's longest borders with Russia, kicks off a parliamentary debate aimed at accelerating the country's bid, and increasing the likelihood it will leave neighbour and military partner Sweden behind.

Spooked by Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Finland and Sweden dropped their decades-long policies of military non-alignment and applied to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation in May last year.

But facing fewer diplomatic hurdles than Stockholm, Helsinki appears set to move forward even before Finland's April general elections, as public opinion also supports membership of the alliance.

The two countries have the support of all but two of Nato's 30 members, the holdouts being Hungary and particularly Turkey.

Stoltenberg said both Finland and Sweden have delivered on what they promised in the trilateral agreement they made with Turkey last June in Madrid.

The former Norwegian prime minister added: 'The time is now to ratify and to fully welcome Finland and Sweden as members.'

A vote in Finland is expected by Wednesday, and having the bill passed means that the country can act swiftly even if ratifications come in before a new government.

The legislation is expected to pass without much opposition, as the initial membership bid in May was supported by 188 of the 200 members in parliament.

Helsinki has so far stressed its preference to join the alliance with Sweden, but some have interpreted the bill as signalling that Finland is ready to move forward alone.

Turkey has meanwhile blocked the bids, accusing Sweden in particular of providing a safe haven for what it considers 'terrorists', especially members of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).

But Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Monday that Turkey looked favourably on Finland's bid.

'NATO allies have agreed that Ukraine will become a member of our alliance, but at the same time that is a long-term perspective,' Stoltenberg (left) told reporters during a visit to Finland's capital Helsinki, speaking alongside Finland's Prime Minister Sanna Marin

Ukraine applied to integrate with the alliance with a Nato Membership Action Plan in 2008, but plans were shelved following the 2010 election of Viktor Yanukovych, who chose to keep the country non-aligned.

Yanukovych fled Ukraine in 2014 amidst the Euromaidan protests, but despite calls from protesters to be more aligned with the West, the replacement government maintained that it had no plans to join Nato.

This changed when Russia invaded eastern Ukraine in 2014. The new government then made joining the organisation a priority, and in 2019 the constitution of the country was amended to make the pursuit of EU and Nato membership law - enshrining the country's right to determine its own future.

On September 2022, months after the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February and following its annexation of four eastern and southern regions , the country formally applied to join Nato.
An Italian restaurant boss fears he'll go out of business in a matter of weeks as ballooning pasta prices and the vegetable shortage crisis have caused his costs to rocket.

Carmine Montuori, 52, moved to Bristol from Italy nine years ago - and runs an independent Italian eatery in the city.

He says the family-run business is at risk of going under in as little as three months because of vegetable shortages, blamed on weather in Europe and Africa.

And Carmine says the crisis has caused vegetable, pasta and rice prices to skyrocket, with costs for arancini having doubled and pasta prices up 80 per cent.

Now the worried restauranteur fears he will need to charge double for the same meal to maintain profits - or cull up to a quarter of his menu to survive.

Carmine Monturi, 52, has run Taste of Napoli with his family in Bristol for six years. But now he fears soaring food prices could cause kill his business

The father-of-three said: 'It's a real problem. The vegetable prices from wholesalers are 50 per cent higher than last month.

'But we have no choice because we can't get them from the supermarkets - the shelves are empty.

'If the prices don't go down in the next three or four months, we'll need to close.'

He says if ingredient prices don't fall in the next couple of months, the business has 'no chance of staying on the market'.

He added: 'People don't realise the struggle independents have - the big companies can survive just fine, but we can't.

'Everything we sell is hand-made fresh but some people don't want to pay more for a slice of pizza here than in a big chain like Greggs.'

Carmine has run Taste of Napoli with his family for six years. But he said prices of imported goods have shot up since Brexit and just when they were starting to fall again, Covid-19 struck, setting them back even further.

And he's had to reduce their opening hours because he is struggling to find Italian staff to help run his restaurant as so many have returned home since Brexit.

Carmine says the shortages mean prices of their vegetables, pasta and rice have skyrocketed, while rice prices for arancini have doubled and pasta costs are up by 80 per cent

The beginning of the war in Ukraine led to gas and fuel prices skyrocketing, making their overhead costs higher and their transport costs greater.

READ MORE: Lidl becomes the fifth supermarket to ration vegetables as discount store imposes a limit on peppers, cucumbers and tomatoes Advertisement

Flour and cooking oil prices also rose in 2022 - so the latest shortages have crippled the family-run business.

Vegetable prices have shot up due to the shortage, along with pasta and rice prices.

Carmine has already upped most things on his menu by 20 per cent but claims it's not enough to compensate for the inflated ingredient costs.

'Every day I wake up and something has happened - some price has gone up,' he said.

'I can't double my prices to make profit because then nobody would come in.

'The big restaurant chains can handle that, but if we don't make profit we don't get paid.'

Carmine is now desperately appealing for help amid fears his business has just months left to survive.

He added: 'We need help because if this continues for the next three to five months we have no chance of staying on the market.'

Carmine's plea comes as major grocers nationwide have started rationing vegetables, peppers, cucumbers and tomatoes - with Lidl becoming the latest to limit foods on Monday.

Supermarkets are rationing food items and shelves continue to remain bare across the country as retailers grapple with supply problems. Tesco and Aldi joined Asda and Morrisons to ration fruit and vegetables last week.

There are no fresh tomatoes for sale at this Lidl store in Bourne, Lincolnshire

Empty shelves are seen in the fruit and vegetable aisles of a Tesco supermarket in Burgess Hill

A Lidl spokesman said: 'As advised to our customers through signage in our stores last week, adverse weather conditions in Spain and Morocco have recently impacted the availability of certain salad items across the supermarket sector.

'Whilst we still have good availability across the majority of our stores, due to a recent increase in demand we have taken the decision to temporarily limit the purchase of peppers, tomatoes and cucumbers to three items per person.

Suppliers have smacked down the claims food rationing triggered by 'sky-high' prices was caused by Brexit.

Clive Black, from Shore Capital, said bad weather in Spain and Morocco had caused a 'perfect storm' for British retailers who rely heavily on those countries for food in the winter months.

He said the crisis is 'leading to sky-high prices for tomatoes and cucumbers' and warned that rationing now imposed in four major supermarkets including Tesco will drag on for 'weeks.'

Tim O'Malley, of major importer Nationwide Produce, said wholesale spot prices for fresh produce have soared by as much as 300 per cent in recent weeks as harvesting abroad went down by 20 per cent or more. If increases are passed on to British consumers, these items would add several pounds to a weekly shop.

Asked about the difference between shelves in the UK and Europe, where gloating expats relished sharing pictures of their supermarkets awash with fruit and vegetables using the hashtag #Vegxit, he said: 'It's not about Brexit'.
Victim Phil Danielson says Bronson should not be paroled unless remorseful

The shocking incident happened in HMP Hull in 1999 and got Bronson life

It also includes a clip of Bronson taking a teacher hostage with a spear

The clip is included in a new Channel 4 programme on his parole chances

Strange CCTV footage has been unearthed showing a naked Charles Bronson brawling with 15 police officers as part of a new Channel 4 documentary titled 'Bronson: Fit To Be Free?' which examines his case for parole.

In the video, which is sound tracked to classical music, 'Britain's most dangerous prisoner' can be seen dancing in the nude before he is sprayed with tear gas.

In the ensuing confrontation, Bronson, 70, is manhandled to the floor by the officers who are dressed in full riot gear.

The new documentary also includes terrifying footage from 1999 of Bronson taking an art teacher hostage for 43 hours with a homemade spear in HMP Hull - an incident he was given a life sentence for.

The documentary makes use of interviews taken over Zoom in 2020 between Bronson and George Bamby-Salvador, a paparazzi photographer who claims to have obtained DNA proof that Bronson is his father as well as testimonies from many of Bronson's victims.

CCTV footage shows Bronson squaring up naked to officers in riot gear

As Bronson continues to dance naked officers begin to prepare to charge

The dance routine was ended after officers tackled and restrained Bronson

In one chilling clip, the man Bronson took hostage at spearpoint in 1999, former prison art teacher Phil Danielson recounts in detail how 'terrifying' Bronson had told him he was going to die.

He recalled: 'I didnt go on A-wing often, but that day I was substituting.

'It was a slightly more dangerous situation but there was no problem at all until Bronson appeared on the scene.

'As soon as Bronson burst in the prison officer scarpered. I was terrified out of mind. It was like 5 minutes of horror. Ive never been as frightened.

'They talk about how you see your whole life flash in front of your eyes  well you do.

'He grabbed me round the neck and he hit me in the face and I got lots of verbals: Youre gonna die, youre gonna f*****g die.

'I kept absolutely quiet. I thought Im going to die now. Whats he going to do? Hows he going to do it?

'Charlie then went down on one knee to jab the knife into my rips.

'I could feel the point against my shirt.

'He said: Take your last breath because this knife is going in you."'

Danielson went on to say that the incident affected him permanently, adding: 'The damage that was caused by him has moulded my whole life since 1999 - 23 years nearly.'

He was diagnosed with PTSD and acute anxiety disorder after suffering breakdowns and has been unable to work since the attack.

'It will be with me for the rest of my days because if it hadn't have happened I would probably just about now, at 60, thinking about retiring.

Phil Danielson has said the incident permanently affected his life

CCTV footage shows Bronson attacking Danielson with a homemade spear

The documentary interviews many former victims of Bronson's violence

'Mentally I couldn't bring myself round to do it [to work]. That's why it was decided that I was unfit to teach.

'On a personal level, I'll never forgive him for what he did to me and my life.'

The former teacher said Bronson admired him for being the only one of his hostages not to soil himself during the kidnapping.

Mr Danielson said that while part of him thinks justice has been done, Bronson needs to express regret for his actions before he is released.

He added: 'I think he needs to show remorse and it needs to be documented remorse, not a load of clever talk to get in the papers.'

Since 1974, Bronson has amassed 17 convictions of a string of violent offences and has taken 11 hostages over his criminal career.

Bronson has made seven failed parole appeals and appealed his life sentence in 2004, describing his treatment in solitary confinement as 'torture'.

The violent offender said he 'over-reacted' during the attack but did not say he was remorseful.

'I went over the top as I normally do. I never hurt the man. Mentally, obviously I did. He didn't deserve what he got, but did I deserve a life sentence just for wrapping him up?

'When you're locked up in a concrete coffin, 23 hours of a 24 hour day, sometimes in life you've got to do something mad.

Bronson has changed his name to Salvador

Bronson has been diagnosed with antisocial personality disorder and paranoid personality disorder and has spent time in England's three special psychiatric hospitals, including Broadmoor

Bronson has plans to move to Devon, near where Mr Bamby lives in Torbay, and live in a caravan making art if he is released

'The madder it is, the more dangerous it is, the better it f*****g is. I've gotta be honest with you, I've had a fucking party, you know.'

Ministry of Justice sources told The Telegraph that Bronson's participation in the new documentary would likely hurt his chances of parole and means prison authorities will have cracked down on the legendary inmate's freedoms.

In the interview, Bronson 70, said: 'I'm focused, I'm settled, I can actually smell and taste freedom like I've never, ever done in my life.

'I'm now anti-crime, anti-violent. What the f**k am I still in prison for?'

The parole board confirmed that Charles Bronson's hearing is set for March 6 and March 8, and said that reviews are undertaken thoroughly and with extreme care.

After rule changes made last year, Justice Secretary Dominic Raab could intervene in the case even if the parole board decides to release the violent offender.

Bronson has plans to move to Devon, near where Mr Bamby lives in Torbay, and live in a caravan making art if he is released.

A JustGiving page has been set up by Mr Bamby and has raised nearly 4,000 for to buy a caravan for his father.

Bronson said that the last time he was released from prison, in 1995, he had a 'shorn-off shotgun' within 48 hours.

Bronson completed a Violence Reduction Programme at HMP Wakefield in 2012, but another violent incident was reported in 2018.

Twelve prison guards were forced to intervene after the prisoner 'covered himself in margarine'.

Bronson, pictured on his way to a parole hearing at the Old Bailey in 2004, was first locked up for armed robbery in 1974

The criminal was sentenced to life in 2000

Mr Bamby said his father should have the chance to show that he was no longer a threat to the public.

But he also recognised the potential that his father could reoffend when he comes out of prison, including by attacking him.

He added: 'He has been really violent in the past and he could come out and cause someone some real damage, but we won't know that until he comes out and gets given the opportunity to prove that he's changed his ways.

'I could be being completely f*****g manipulated by my old dad and he could get out of prison and fall out with me one day and kick the living f****g s**t out of me one day and stab me with a bread knife.'

Part 2 of the Channel 4 documentary will be shown on Channel 4 at 9pm this evening.

Both episodes will be available on All 4 from this evening.
An amateur boxer was killed when his friend crashed a van into a wall in a booze-fuelled smash, a court heard.

Shane Thomas died when a van, allegedly driven by Jason Evans, crashed into two parked vehicles before smacking into a stone wall.

The 22-year-old athlete was said to have been sitting in the van's centre console at the time of the 2019 crash. He had been 'partially ejected from the van, trapped halfway in and halfway out of the vehicle' before dying at the scene, a court has been told.

Evans, who is accused of driving 'well above' the 30mph speed limit, denies causing death by dangerous driving.

Shane Thomas was killed after a van collided with two cars and crashed into a wall

The former amateur boxer was said to have been sitting in the van's centre console at the time of the 2019 crash

The 31-year-old instead claims that he was actually a passenger and Mr Thomas was behind the wheel, Cardiff Crown Court heard.

Prosecutor Matthew Cobbe said: 'A Renault Kangoo van struck a stationary vehicle before rolling out of control and colliding with a stone wall. It is the prosecution case that the defendant was driving and his friend Mr Thomas was a passenger in that van.'

Expert witness, Mike Brown analysed the crash after being called upon by prosecutors.

Mr Cobbe continued: 'His assessment of the incident is that when he looks at how the vehicle would have spun and turned and collided, it is his assessment that he can safely place the defendant behind the wheel of the van when the collision occurred. It's his assessment that he can safely place the defendant behind the wheel of the van and Shane Thomas sitting on the centre console of the van.

'There's a third male in the van called Robert Smith and he was sat in the passenger seat.'

Mr Cobbe said blood taken from Evans after the crash showed alcohol content more than double the legal drink drive limit.

It was heard that Mr Thomas had been 'partially ejected from the van' and was trapped

He added: 'The defendant was driving well in excess of the 30mph speed limit when he lost control of the van.

'He collided with two stationary vehicles before careering out of control and crashing into a stone wall.

'Simply put, the defendant's dangerous driving caused the death of Shane Thomas.'

Evans, of Old St Mellons, Cardiff, denies causing death by dangerous driving.

The trial, expected to last eight days, continues.
A Belarusian actor charged over an alleged indecent act on the flight to Australia has been axed from the cast of an Adelaide Festival show.

Actor Aleh Sidorchyk, 61, appeared in the Adelaide Magistrates Court via video link from the City Watchhouse on Monday, charged with committing an indecent act towards another person on his Malaysian Airlines flight from Kuala Lumpur to Adelaide on Sunday.

He was released on bail but ordered to surrender his passport, attend Hindley St Police Station on Friday and not leave the state.

Belarusian actor Aleh Sidorchyk (pictured) has been charged with committing an indecent act towards another person during a flight to Australia

The court heard the matter is likely to be resolved at the next hearing on Monday after which Sidorchyk will be permitted to fly out of the country on Tuesday.

Sidorchyk was to appear in the Festival show Dogs of Europe but has been cut from the cast of the Belarus Free Theatre production, Festival chief executive Kath Mainland said.

'Aleh Sidorchyk will no longer be appearing in Dogs of Europe and will be replaced by Ilya Yasinski and Igor Shugaleev,' Ms Mainland told the Adelaide Advertiser.

'The production will open on Thursday night and continue its run until Monday 6 March, as planned.'

Belarus Free Theatre is a 20-person troupe which operates in political exile from its homeland.

Following a court appearance Sidorchyk (pictured) was released on bail but had to surrender his passport
One of Australia's most famous high-end restaurants has been slammed for a fee that forces customers to tip.

Customer Claire O'Donnell was shocked by a 'service fee' that made up $71.01 of her $1,491.01 bill after dining at Rockpool Bar and Grill in Perth's Crown Casino on February 18.

While Ms O'Donnell conceded that the service, food and sommelier were brilliant, she would not be returning to the restaurant 'in principle'.

Rockpool, was opened in Sydney in 1989 by celebrity chef Neil Perry and has since expanded to Melbourne and Perth.

All three establishments include a five per cent fee that increases to 10 percent for tables of more than eight, and even further to 15 per cent on public holidays.

The restaurant notify customers of their service fees at the bottom of their menus.

Rockpool Bar and Dining have been slammed online after a customer at their Perth establishment was charged $71 of their $1491.01 bill for a service fee

Poll Is it fair for Aussie restaurants to charge a 'service fee'? Yes No Is it fair for Aussie restaurants to charge a 'service fee'? Yes 68 votes

No 927 votes Now share your opinion





Ms O'Donnell said she hasn't encountered the fee at any other high-end restaurants such as Wildflower, Balthazar and Nobu.

She took to the Perth Foodies Facebook group to discuss the fee, writing that staff told her that the measure had been brought in during Covid.

One member stated that she had been charged a $449 service charge on a nearly $5,000 meal.

Other members were also furious at the fee.

'This business is about to get a rude shock, people won't put up with hidden charges,' one member wrote.

'Won't be going back there, that's for sure,' a second member said.

'I've got a booking next month, I'll be cancelling it now,' a third commented.

However, others hit back at the disgruntled diner saying she is overeating.

A spokesperson for the high-end restaurant said the fee helps cover costs such as penalty wages and increased running costs

'We've just booked for dinner there and the email clearly states a 5 per cent service fee Monday to Sunday... $71 is a fair tip surely,' one wrote.

'I mean the online menu says 5 per cent surcharge Monday to Sunday,' another said.

A spokesperson for Rockpool told The West Australian that service charges are becoming more commonplace within the Australian hospitality industry and help cover costs such as penalty wages and increased running costs.

'As the costs of doing business rise, restaurants are increasingly passing on these costs  regretfully so,' the spokesperson said.

'We are fully transparent about service charges, which are noted on our website, menus, and receipts.'
gettyimagesbank



Gov't urged to set up long-term policies to expand number of pediatric physicians



By Jun Ji-hye



Kim Ji-hye, the mother of a 13-month-old boy, was alarmed to find her son had a fever early Saturday morning.



As the new mother has learned, a fever could have a catastrophic impact on a baby. She rushed him to a nearby children's hospital in Seocho District in Seoul, only to find a long line of parents with their sick kids, 30 minutes before the hospital opened.



"There were more than 25 patients waiting for treatment just 15 minutes after the hospital opened," Kim said. "It was so hard to wait for my son's turn while standing up cradling the crying baby in my arms for more than an hour. I was also scared that my son's condition could worsen while having to wait for a long time to receive treatment."



Similar stories experienced by many other parents with sick children can be spotted easily on online communities amid a deepening shortage of medical facilities for children and pediatric physicians in the country.



The shortage is mainly attributed to a falling birthrate and a growing reluctance among medical students to specialize in pediatrics due to a heavy workload and low pay compared to other popular fields such as plastic surgery.



According to a Statistics Korea report issued, Wednesday, the country's total fertility rate, or the average number of children a woman bears in her lifetime, fell to 0.78 in 2022, which is the lowest level seen since 1970 when the agency began compiling related data.



Korea's fertility rate remained below one for five consecutive years. The country is the only member of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) with a fertility rate lower than one.



The average total fertility rate of OECD members was 1.59 as of 2020.



While the falling birthrate has led to a reduction in demand for children's health care services, the pediatrics field has also waned in popularity among prospective physicians due to relatively low pay compared to the heavy workload.



According to data tallied by the Korean Pediatric Society, the number of young doctors who applied to be pediatric interns in 2023 stood only at 53 out of the 208 quota, accounting for just 25 percent.







The gap compared to other popular fields of medicine was large, as data tallied last year showed that the application rates of interns in rehabilitation medicine and plastic surgery stood at 202 percent and 180.6 percent, respectively.



What is worse is that the shortage of medical facilities for children and pediatric professionals is expected to worsen, as a falling number of young pediatricians remains a growing burden on those currently in the field, which also makes other prospective physicians reluctant to jump into the field.



Regions outside the Seoul metropolitan area face an even more serious shortage of children's doctors.




A woman who left 111 pets living in filthy conditions without enough food has been found guilty has been found guilty and fined $155,000

Sonya Lesley Gapes, 52, was convicted of 126 counts of animal abuse and was deemed 'ill-equipped' to handle pets.

Representing herself in Townsville Magistrates Court on Tuesday, Gapes said more than 20 dogs had been euthanised for behavioural reasons since being taken by the RSPCA in June 2021, but RSPCA's Rebecca Collyer said the number was below 20.

Gapes was found guilty in December last year of mistreating and neglecting the animals, including more than 80 dogs as well as several birds and some cats.

She was charged with 55 counts of failing to provide appropriate accommodation or living conditions and 46 counts of failing to provide appropriate food and water.

Sonya Lesley Gapes, 52, was convicted of 126 counts of animal abuse and was deemed 'ill-equipped' to handle pets (pictured is one of the confiscated dogs receiving treatment from the RSPCA)

Gapes also was found guilty of 12 counts of failing to provide appropriate treatment for injury and 13 counts of failing to take reasonable steps to provide for the animals' needs for displaying normal patterns of behaviour in an appropriate way.

The maximum penalty for each charge was $43,125, or one-year imprisonment, meaning Gapes could have been fined up to $5.5 million.

She told the court she was 'broke, homeless and unemployed', the Townsville Bulletin reported.

Magistrate Mack said Gapes was living in an open tin shed when the RSPCA confiscations occurred and stated she didn't have the income required to take care of these animals,

'All the animals owned by the defendant suffered as a consequence of her inability to adequately provide for them,' Magistrate Mack said.

Gapes was found guilty in December last year of mistreating and neglecting the animals, including more than 80 dogs as well as several birds and some cats (pictured is one of the confiscated dogs receiving treatment from the RSPCA)

Gapes was fined $30,000 and ordered to pay the RSPCA $125,000, which Magistrate Mack said was less than 10 per cent of the amount they have spent since the animals were seized 18 months ago (pictured is a cat that required treatment from the RSPCA for a head wound)

'This was in the high range of offending and she (Gapes) was ill-equipped to adequately care for the animals.'

Magistrate Mack said although he believed there was no 'malevolence' in Ms Gapes' treatment of the animals they were still found malnourished, dirty and in living in discomfort.

Gapes was fined $30,000 and ordered to pay the RSPCA $125,000, which Magistrate Mack said was less than 10 per cent of the amount they have spent since the animals were seized 18 months ago.

Gapes made it clear she intends to appeal both her conviction and her sentence.
A teenage boy accused of punching and kicking his teaching assistant in a row over a Nintendo Switch will be charged as an adult - after being arrested for battery three times in 2019.

Brendan Depa, 17, can be named for the first time after the Seventh Judicial Court of Florida ruled that he would be transferred to adult court and is currently being held on a $1million bond according to court documents.

He is facing an aggravated battery charge - a felony - after he allegedly attacked Joan Naydich, 57, at Matanzas High School on February 21.

The 6'6' and 270lb student was caught on camera viciously beating the 'humble' mother-of-two until she was unconscious, with Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly warning it 'could have been a homicide'.

He is seen knocking Naydich to the ground before kicking and punching the unconscious woman at least 15 times in the back and head.

Brendan Depa, 17, can be named for the first time after the Seventh Judicial Court of Florida ruled that he would be transferred to adult court

Those convicted of aggravated battery of a school board official in Florida can face up to 30 years in jail for the first-degree felony.

Depa has also been ordered not to contact the teaching assistant by the court, and he will appear for his arraignment on March 6.

Documents seen by DailyMail.com show Depa was charged with battery three times in 2019 before the attack this month.

He previously completed a Department of Juvenile Justice program. Sheriff Staly supported the decision to charge him as an adult in the latest incident.

According to the state attorney's office, Depa 'did actually and intentionally touch or strike (the victim) against the will of (her) and in doing so used a deadly weapon, and/or intentionally or knowingly caused great bodily harm, permanent disability, or permanent disfigurement.'

Sheriff Staly said: 'This student is just six months shy of age 18, and it was also a brutal attack on this teacher. Fortunately, this didn't result in a fatality.

'This could be a homicide we are talking about.'

Naydich has since been released from hospital and is recovering at home following the savage beating.

Joan Naydich, 57, of Palm Coast, (pictured with son Morgan) was thrown to the ground and knocked unconscious on Tuesday at Matanzas High School

In surveillance footage, released by the Flagler County Sheriff's Office, the hulking student can be seen rushing up to Naydich before launching her across the room

She hits the ground head-first, rendering her unconscious. The student immediately begins kicking her before kneeling down to punch her in the head and torso

Joan Naydich's 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'

She has a son who attends the high school and a daughter who graduated in 2013. Nayditch has worked for Flagler County Schools since 2004, and at Matanzas since 2021.

A GoFundMe for the teacher has raised nearly $60,000, and describes her as 'humble' and says she 'never asks for help' - adding that she 'needs love and support during this difficult time'.

In surveillance footage, released by the Flagler County Sheriff's Office, the hulking student can be seen rushing up to Naydich before launching her across the room, her body flying several feet.

She hits the ground head-first, rendering her unconscious, with the student immediately kicking Naydich 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 Naydich a few more times.

It takes five staff members to restrain and drag him away from her body as he fought against them.

The mother-of-two (pictured together) has a son, a senior, who attends the high school and a daughter who graduated in 2013. She has worked for Flagler County Schools since 2004 and has worked at Matanzas since 2021

It took five staff members to restrain and drag the boy away from Naydich's 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

Depa claimed he would 'beat her up every time she takes away his game,' and spat on Naydich as deputies escorted him away, according to the arrest report.

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.

According to Fox there used to be a school dedicated to troubled teens in Flagler County, for pupils who struggled to function in a traditional classroom environment.

That included those who had been convicted of a crime, or were considered too violent to attend classes on traditional campuses.

But Flagler County voters failed to pass a 50-cent property tax levy to pay for the school back in 2013.

Sheriff Staly added: 'We had a school resource officer assigned to that mini-school if you will, and that's been eliminated.

'Maybe this is something the district should look at.'
A black university lecturer sued the faculty for race discrimination because her nameplate on her door didn't have her 'Dr' title on it.

Among a series of alleged 'micro-aggressions', Dr Christabelle Peters complained that the plaque didn't include her academic title - unlike her white colleagues at the University of Bristol.

The lecturer in American cultural and political history made a string of other racism allegations, including that her office furniture wasn't delivered and that her payslips weren't put in her pigeonhole.

Dr Peters also complained that a senior lecturer told her 'nobody gives a sh*t about Africa' when she pitched a research idea about the continent, a tribunal heard.

The academic suffered a stroke while in Portugal and the university alleged mistreated her while handling it, it was also heard.

Dr Christabelle Peters accused the University of Bristol of racial discrimination at a tribunal

The lecturer, who is black British of Guyanese origin, has lost all her claims at an employment tribunal.

At the week-long hearing in Bristol, in which Dr Peters represented herself, she brought claims of race discrimination, race harassment, victimisation, and disability discrimination.

The tribunal heard Dr Peters joined the university in September 2016 and placed an order for extra chairs and a coffee table so she could meet students, but it was delayed and she had to pay for them.

She also complained that her title was not included on the nameplate on her door and three times in 2017 her payslips went missing.

Dr Christabelle Peters complained that her door plaque didn't include her academic title, unlike her white colleagues at the University of Bristol (pictured)

Dr Peters said she was the victim of 'micro-aggressions', but the university said they were simple errors and the tribunal ruled in their favour.

The tribunal found the nameplate issue was an 'admin error', that another lecturer had the same problem happen to him, and that the nameplates are often prepared by junior workers who don't even know what they look like.

The tribunal heard in September 2018, when Dr Peters was making an application for a research project about Africa, a senior lecturer told her 'nobody gives a sh*t about Africa'.

The comment had a 'marked effect' on Dr Peters and she felt 'depressed' by it and the lecturer who made the comment was 'gutted he upset her', the tribunal heard.

The tribunal ruled that the university's handling of the incident was not motivated by race.

After Dr Peters suffered a stroke in December 2019 and did not return to work, she claimed bosses were pushing for her to take ill health retirement and that this was racist.

However, the tribunal panel found the university was also considering how it could get her to return to work when she was fit and able.

Dr Peters, who eventually resigned in January this year, lost all her claims.

A University of Bristol spokesperson said: 'We are pleased the judge dismissed all claims made against us, finding no evidence of discrimination.

'This has been an incredibly challenging period for everyone involved, particularly the witnesses who have been offered our full and ongoing support.

'We are disappointed matters needed to be resolved through legal channels as we know staff tried their very best efforts to support Dr Peters and address her various concerns. She has since left the University and we wish her all the very best for the future.

'We are committed to making sure that our University is inclusive for all staff and students, and that everyone feels they belong. We want the experience of studying and working here to be positive and welcoming for everyone. All concerns raised about discrimination are taken seriously and relevant action taken in accordance with our University policies.'
So-called 'TikTok protests' have continued to rock Britain's schools as hundreds of pupils rebelled against teachers over new rules, such as the introduction of unisex toilets.

Some of the videos are urging pupils in other schools to launch their own protests.

The social media trend appears to be spreading, with children in Southampton, Blackpool and Essex staging demonstrations in the past 24 hours that were posted on the platform.

Last week, protests took place in Cornwall, Lincolnshire and Yorkshire, with videos of pupils taking a stand against uniform and toilet policies circulating online.

The demonstrations appear to be arranged over apps popular with youngsters, such as TikTok and Snapchat, with some clips attracting millions of views.

A schoolgirl was seen climbing over a school fence at a TikTok protest at Shenfield High School in Brentwood, Essex

Footage shows a TikTok protest at Shenfield high School in Brentwood, Essex

Footage uploaded to TikTok of a protest at Shenfield High School showed overturned chairs in what appeared to be a school hall

A general view of Shenfield High School in Brentwood, Essex

MailOnline found videos with comments from pupils at other schools, asking how they could emulate the protest at theirs, amid fears the trend is sweeping the nation.

Footage of a protest at Shenfield High School in Essex showed exercise books on the floor being trampled on as a wave of children walk over them, and overturned chairs in what appeared to be a school hall.

It is not known what sparked the protest and the school has been contacted for comment.

In Southampton, two hundred pupils staged protests at Weston Secondary School yesterday after being left 'uncomfortable' by new unisex toilets.

As they chanted 'toilet rights', the youngsters pitched up at the lavatories to also take a stand against rules preventing them from leaving lessons for the loo.

The children reported worries about the same-sex toilets at the academy school after their introduction in September.

One female pupil said 'girl emergencies' mean they should be allowed to use the toilet without having to wait 'up to two hours' for a break or lunchtime.

Meanwhile, a parent said their daughter felt so uneasy about sharing a toilet with boys that she has stopped going to the toilet during school hours.

Pupil Cloe, 14, said: 'We don't think it's fair, girls in our school are not comfortable. People think it's funny to unlock the doors while you're in there.

'We're trying to tell the teachers that it's just not fair. We've tried to talk to them before we did a protest but they're just ignoring it.'

Another 14-year-old added: 'We have gone to the headteacher about it before and they just tell you what you want to hear and don't do anything about it.

'You're also not allowed to leave lessons to go to the toilet which isn't fair on girls who are menstruating.

'If you have a girl emergency you should be allowed to go to the toilet when you need to.'

Cloe's mother, Nicole Tipton, said: 'My daughter doesn't feel comfortable going to the toilet.

MailOnline found messages on TikTok which show pupils asking how they could replicate a protest at their school

It is not known what sparked the protest and Shenfield High School has been contacted for comment

A TikTok protest at Shenfield High School showed exercise books on the floor being trampled on as a wave of children walk over them

'The boys have got this thing about putting their phone over the toilet or under the doors to try to get pictures of them.

'I am not happy, I don't like the fact my daughter is uncomfortable going to the toilet - she's a child, she's a minor. She's not going to the toilet all day while she's at school.

'I have even contacted the school about it but they haven't done anything.

'Why did the school not tell us about it before and get people's opinions before they put something in place?'

Meanwhile, a school in Blackpool denied claims of a riot after students launched a mass rebellion over basic school rules.

Yesterday pupils went on the rampage during a planned protest filmed on TikTok which teachers claim was sparked by the social media trend.

Stephen Cooke, headteacher of Unity Academy Blackpool, said he became aware of the trend last week.

After demonstrations at other schools on Friday some children were keen to protest, he said.

Mr Cooke added: 'Student voice is important to the academy and in order to ensure all students had an opportunity to share concerns, form time was extended this morning by 10 minutes in order to offer the opportunity for students to share these concerns, which colleagues committed to responding to later on this week.'

He said many of these concerns relate to basic school rules that have been in place at the school for many years.

A significant number of pupils had spoken to staff in support of these basic expectations, the headteacher added.

In Southampton, two hundred pupils staged protests at Weston Secondary School (pictured) yesterday after being left 'uncomfortable' by new unisex toilets. (General view)

A video on TikTok showed a protest at Unity Academy in Blackpool

Children were seen storming the corridors of the school in Blackpool, which headteacher Stephen Cooke said lasted for 15 minutes

A general view of Unity Academy in Blackpool

Mr Cooke continued: 'Despite providing opportunities for this morning, a very small number of the school population (less than 5 per cent) chose to take part in a protest by not going to class after the lunch break.

'The number of students reduced quickly and they were supervised by staff at all times. The "protest" lasted for around 15 minutes before being brought to a calm conclusion by staff.'

The trend prompted the Department for Education to release a statement, saying it was 'concerned' by the spate of school protests.

Its spokesman said: 'We are concerned at the reports of disruption and will be in touch with all schools and local authorities to ensure they are supported at this time.

'We will always back headteachers to take the action required to maintain calm and supportive classroom environments as they are best placed to work with their teachers, parents, pupils and local communities when developing and implementing policies.'

TikTok has teams closely monitoring the situation to ensure content uploaded complies with their community guidelines.

An assessment by TikTok found that most of the content shows pupils taking part in peaceful protests which do not violate the platform's policies, according to a spokesperson.

MailOnline has contacted Shenfield High School, Weston Secondary School and Unity Academy for comment.
Detectives have launched an urgent appeal to track down a convicted thief who is wanted on recall to prison.

Anita McGarry was released from jail in January. The 44-year-old had previously been locked up for theft, Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said.

Now the convicted crook is wanted on prison recall for breaching her licence conditions. She is known in the Manchester city centre and north Manchester areas.

Police shared a mugshot of McGarry on the GMP City Centre Facebook page on Tuesday, saying: '#WANTED | GMP are tracing a wanted woman from North and Central #Manchester.

Anita McGarry, 44, was released from jail in January but is now wanted on recall to prison after breaching conditions of her licence

'Anita McGarry (25/10/1978) was released from prison in January 2023 after being jailed for theft. She is wanted on recall for breaching conditions of license.

'Any information, please call 0161 856 3508.'
Florida cops have released a new booking photo for the deranged teenage gunman who killed three people, including a journalist, during what they believe to be a drugged-up crime spree, in which he appears crazed with wide, dilated eyes.

Keith Melvin Moses, 19, is in custody for shooting dead Nathacha Augustin, 38, journalist Dylan Lyons, and nine-year-old T'Yonna Major last Wednesday in Pine Hills near Orlando.

Moses has refused to explain his rampage, which began with shooting Augustin at around 11am while they were in his cousin's car.

It's unclear if he was tested for drugs after the rampage, or what the results of those tests are, but after his arrest, police said he appeared to be 'high'.

Keith Melvin Moses, 19, is in custody for shooting dead Nathacha Augustin, 38, journalist Dylan Lyons, and nine-year-old T'Yonna Major last Wednesday. Police say he was high at the time of the killings, and that they haven't been able to determine any motive for the murders

In new records released today, his cousin described him as acting 'strange' and 'sweating' in the car before he pulled out his gun and shot Augustin in the chin.

Lyons, a 24-year-old reporter for Spectrum 13 News, went to the scene of the first murder to film a report.

That is when Moses returned, shot him in the chest at point blank range, and shot his cameraman, Jesse Walden, in the groin.

He then let himself into T'Yonna Major's nearby home, entering through a sliding door.

He shot T'Yonna twice in the stomach and also injured her mother before fleeing the house.

The pair barricaded themselves in the bathroom of their home and waited for police. T'Yonna later died of her injuries.

Police found Moses in the street and took him into custody.

The 19-year-old was due in court last week but missed his first appearance. In court filings, his attorney listed 'mental health' as the reason for his absence.

Previously-released bodycam footage showed him screaming 'I can't breathe!' as cops approached him.

Nathacha Augustin, 38, was the first victim. She was in a car with Moses' cousin when they offered him a ride. He got into the backseat but started sweating and 'acting strange' according to the cousin. He then shot Augustin in the chin and fled

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. T'Yonna Major, nine, was also killed by the gunman

Moses smirked and smiled as he was taken away in handcuffs after being arrested in connection to the three killings in Orlando, Florida

Once in custody, he pretended to be asleep, refusing to answer any of the officers' questions.

The new documents reveal how he also tried to let himself out of the police interview room once the officers had left him alone.

Moses, 19, has a long rap sheet including felony charges including possession of a firearm by a minor and robbery with a deadly weapon.

Almost all occurred when he was a minor and he'd finished serving any relative custodial sentences for them.

The only charge on his record to have occurred when he was an adult was marijuana possession, but it was in such a low quantity (4.6 grams) that it did not warrant a jail sentence.

Now, he is facing life in prison - if not the death penalty - on multiple first degree murder charges.

It was Moses' cousin who first called police after he shot Augustin.

The cousin, who is not named, was in a car with Augustin when they saw Moses walking down the street.

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

The cousin offered him a ride, which he accepted, and he got in the backseat of the car.

'He stated that when Keith Moses was in the vehicle, he was acting strange and was sweating before the shooting.'

Walden, the cameraman and photographer who survived the shooting, told how he hid behind a wheel of the car while Moses opened fire.

He was retrieving gear from the trunk of the car while Lyons was sitting in the passenger seat.

Moses approached the car and first shot Walden.

Orange County Sheriff's Deputies reported to the 6100 block of Hialeah Street in Orlando at around 11:17 a.m. where they discovered a woman who had been fatally shot in the passenger seat of a car

He then walked to the front of the vehicle, where the driver's door was open, and fired into the car to shot Lyons once in the chest.

'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.

'I guess whoever this guy is, there's something wrong with him, but he was shooting people that were parked there.

'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,' he said.
A black British Army soldier drove his car at a group of Fijian comrades and then 'slashed' at them with a machete after a drunken row over why they were socialising with white colleagues, a court martial heard.

Bombardier Kevin Carasco allegedly became enraged when he thought his colleagues were conspiring to beat him up, challenging them to a fight and telling them: 'You guys are going to know who I am.'

He got in his car and drove towards them 'at high speed' before jumping out armed with a weapon 'the length of his forearm' and trying 'to stab everyone', a military court heard.

The soldiers defended themselves with branches before Carasco tried to drive off. He was stopped by guards at the base where the altercation took place.

Carasco, of the Royal Artillery, denies two charges of attempted wounding with intent and affray.

Bombardier Kevin Carasco allegedly became annoyed when he thought his colleagues were conspiring to beat him up. Carasco is pictured arriving at a Bulford Military Court

Bulford Military Court in Wiltshire heard that the alleged attack took place at Baker Barracks on Thorney Island near Portsmouth, Hampshire, in July 2021.

Jim Carmichael, prosecuting, said: 'A group of predominantly Fijian soldiers were drinking. Morale was high, but that all changed after the arrival of [Bdr Carasco].'

The court heard that as well as the Fijians - who included his friend Gunner Bachan Ceba - there were 'English guys and a girl' including Gunner Ethan Simpson.

'[Carasco] was drinking and asked Gnr Ceba why they were drinking with "those white c***s", but he ignored him and talked with the others in Fijian, talking about buying more drinks.

'He then challenged him to a fight and asked if they wanted to "bang him out".

'[Carasco] threw a punch at Gnr Ceba, who then punched Carasco.'

The court heard that after Carasco left, the group at the smoking shelter saw him return in a blue Ford Focus driving at 'high speed' across the camp as it left the road, went over the kerb and pavement and across grass towards them.

Mr Carmichael said: 'Gnr Ethan Simpson said people scattered, and he thought [Carasco] was going to drive straight through the shelter, but he veered to the side and stopped.

Carasco allegedly got in his car and drove towards a group of his comrades 'at high speed' following a row before jumping out armed with a weapon 'the length of his forearm' and trying 'to stab everyone', a military court heard

'Gnr Simpson said he was holding a machete-type knife. Gnr Ceba said Bdr Carasco was slashing at him with the machete from behind.

'He chased those in the smoking shelter, wielding the machine in a threatening manner. It was clear his intent was to cause Gnr Ceba serious harm.

'He turned to the others in the group, but no one was injured.

'The Fijian group picked up branches. They struck Bdr Carasco, and they smashed the windows of his car. He tried to drive off but was stopped by three guards.

'They saw the machete on the passenger seat.'

Gnr Ceba told the court: 'I was drinking with some Fijian friends and some English guys and a girl. Carasco came back from clubbing as the light came up and came to join us in the smoking shed.

'Carasco and I were good friends. He was a bit drunk when he joined us. We were just having a chat. Carasco asked me "why are you drinking with those white c***s?".

All smiles: Carasco appears relaxed as he arrives at his hearing at Bulford Military Court in Wiltshire on Tuesday. He denies two charges of attempted wounding with intent and affray

'I told him not to say that word as it was a bit racist.

'One of the English guys heard and asked him why he said that. Carasco pushed him away and told him not to interrupt our conversation.'

Gnr Ceba said he was discussing buying more drinks with the group in Fijian, but Carasco was 'angry'.

He said: 'Carasco said "Do you guys plan on banging me out?" and we said we were talking about getting more drinks.

'But he kept saying we were planning on banging him up. He put his hands behind his back and told us to punch him.'

Gnr Ceba told the court he stopped a fight between Carasco and another gunner. He said: 'I saw Carasco bow down on the ground and said "You guys are going to know who I am".

'He stood up and said, "I'm going to get my knife and stab all of you". He walked away, and I followed him to ask what he was saying.

'He tried to punch me, and I blocked him and punched him in self-defence.

'Carasco walked away - everyone thought the knife threat was a joke.

Bulford Military Court (pictured) heard Carasco had been was drinking and asked Gnr Ceba why they were drinking with "those white c***s"

'But a few minutes later, I saw a car on the other side of the road coming towards us. It was going very fast, way over 20mph.'

Gnr Ceba said he warned everyone that the car was coming, Carasco stopped his blue Ford and opened the door, coming out with a machete as long as his forearm.

Gnr Ceba said: 'He tried swinging at everyone and nearly got my back. Everyone was scared. He was trying to stab everyone.'

Gnr Simpson told the court: 'He was going for one person - Bacha [Gnr Ceba]. He was jogging, running, swinging as he went after him.

'All the Fijians picked up sticks and tried to knock the blade out of his hand. One of them picked up a massive log and hit Carasco in the ribs, winding him.

'He went back to his car, and a Fijian smashed his window and tried to take the key out.'

Baker Barracks is the home of ground-based air defence specialists 12 and 16 Regiment Royal Artillery.

The trial continues.
Linda Kasabian, who was part of Charles Mason's murderous 'family' and participated in the two-day rampage that killed multiple people across LA, has died aged 73.

Kasabian dodged jail by testifying against the other members of the cult - but played the role as getaway driver and lookout during the heinous murders in 1969.

Roman Polanski's pregnant wife Sharon Tate was among the victims butchered during the ordeal.

According to a death certificate seen by TMZ, Kasabian died on January 21. Her cause of death was not disclosed.

While she was connected with the murderous Manson family, she did not directly harm any of the victims during the tirade. She was 20 at the time, and admits she fell under Charles Mason's 'spell' and wanted to do anything he demanded of her.

Over the two nights of mayhem in 1969, the gang murdered seven people. They were convicted of two additional murders, which took place afterwards.

During the trial in 1970 and 1971, Kasabian was granted immunity in exchange for acting as a key witness for the prosecution of Manson. She told the trial how the massacres took place under his direction.

Linda Kasabian, the one member of the Manson Family who escaped jail, lived a quiet life in in Tacoma, Washington. She is pictured six years ago

She drove the getaway car the night Manson cult members murdered Sharon Tate. But she was spared jail after turning witness for the prosecution during the trial. Pictured: Kasabian arriving at court to give her testimony in August 1970

Cult leader Charles Manson (pictured left in August 2017 and right in October 2014) was the mastermind behind the gruesome murders. He died in 2017, aged 83

She admitted to being the driver on the second night - in which Leno and Rosemary LaBianca were killed at their homes.

It was thanks to her testimony that Manson, and those who directly acted in the murders, were sent to prison with life sentences.

She was the only member of the murderous gang who escaped jail. Afterwards, she disappeared, changing her name and moving from state to state with her four children in a bid to avoid attention.

In 2017, DailyMail.com exclusively revealed that she was living in a modest apartment complex in Tacoma, Washington, not far from the home of her daughter Quanu.

The mother-of-four appeared to live alone and used the last name Chiochios  her second name change since jettisoning the Kasabian moniker shortly after Manson's 1970 trial.

Asked by DailyMail.com whether she was relieved to hear that her former lover and leader Charles Manson had died in 2017 aged 83 in Bakersfield, California, she refused to answer and stormed into her home.

Kasabian was grandmother at least twice over, and lived a quiet existence in a rundown part of Tacoma; an urban port city of approximately 200,000 people, roughly 35 miles south of Seattle.

It's unclear where she lived at the time of her death in January.

After Manson, Charles 'Tex' Watson, Patricia Krenwinkel, Susan Atkins and Leslie Van Houten were convicted and sentenced to death for the 1969 killings, Kasabian returned to New Hampshire with her children.

There, she lived for a time in a hippie commune and was briefly reunited with her estranged husband Robert  later giving birth to a third child, Quanu, in 1972.

The same year, she and Robert went to court to legally change their name to Christian. Court records show they claimed they had been made to suffer 'adverse publicity' because of their name's association with the Manson case.

But the name change was not enough to save their marriage and in April 1974, Kasabian filed for divorce which passed uncontested  in part because she was pregnant with her fourth child, whose father was not Robert.

Kasabian, who lived in a remote New Hampshire farmhouse with two other women and their children following the divorce, also continued to fall foul of the law.

Victims: (top row left to right) Voytech Frykowski, Sharon Tate, Stephen Parent, (middle row left to right) Jay Sebring, Abigail Folger, Gary Hinman, (bottom row left to right) Leno LaBianca, Rosemary LaBianca, Donald Shea

After reliving the murder spree, she said she was 'trying to live as normal a life as possible' before claiming to have spent the preceding 12 years on 'a mission of healing and rehabilitation'. Pictured: Kasabian in 1971

Who were the victims of Charles Mason and his murderous cult? July 27, 1969 Gary Hinman August 8, 1969 Sharon Tate Jay Sebring Wojciech Frykowski Abigail Folger Steven Parent August 9, 1969 Leno LaBianca Rosemary LaBianca August 28, 1969 Donald Shea Advertisement

Since the trial in the 70s, Kasabian has largely remained silent about the August 1969 killing spree that saw members of Manson's murderous hippie cult invade homes in Los Angeles' upmarket Benedict Canyon and Los Feliz neighborhoods, brutally killing all inside.

Among the nine victims was actress Sharon Tate, just 26 years old and eight months pregnant. At trial it emerged she had begged for the life of her unborn baby only to be stabbed and hanged from a rafter.

Other victims who died in Tate's Benedict Canyon home on the night of August 9, 1969, included hairdresser Jay Sebring, screenwriter Wojciech Frykowski, and coffee heiress Abigail Folger.

Kasabian ferried killers Charles 'Tex' Watson, Susan Atkins and Patricia Krenwinkel to Tate's Cielo Drive home  despite having only been a member of the cult for four weeks.

The product of a difficult upbringing, Kasabian's father had abandoned the family to relocate to Miami. She then had a stepfather she hated and a teenage marriage that went badly, ending after a few months.

Kasabian met her second husband, American-Armenian Robert, during a brief stint in Boston where she lived in a commune called the American Psychedelic Circus.

The pair married in September 1967 and relocated to Venice Beach, California, where their daughter Tonya was born in March 1968.

But the marriage proved unstable, with frequent splits and separations, and less than a year later Kasabian was back in New Hampshire where, on May 2 1969, she pleaded guilty to operating a car without a valid license.

On the night Tate was killed, Kasabian said she saw Charles Watson shoot Steven Parent, a teenager visiting Tate's housekeeper. Hearing the 'horrible' screams coming from the property, Kasabian said: 'I started to run toward the house, I wanted them to stop

Charles 'Tex' Watson (left) described himself as Manson's 'right hand man' (Manson is pictured right)

Murders: Wildebush was friends with Susan Atkins, Patricia Krenwinkel, and Leslie Van Houten (pictured left to right), who were all convicted and sentenced to life in prison

Still desperate to rekindle her off-on relationship with Robert, Kasabian again took off for Los Angeles  arriving in June 1969 and briefly reconciling with her husband.

It wasn't to be: when Kasabian met Manson a month later, she had been deserted by her husband who had chosen to go traveling in South America without her.

Kasabian was also pregnant with her second child; a son, whom she named Angel but now goes by the name Nathan.

She had, she said, fallen under Manson's 'spell' almost immediately on encountering him at a July 4 party at his home, later describing him as looking 'Christ-like' and magnificent in his buckskin outfit.

Manson allowed Kasabian, who had just turned 20, and her daughter Tonya to move into Spahn Ranch, a dilapidated desert property in Chatsworth, California.

Like other female members of Manson's cult, Kasabian frequently had sex with him and took part in 'creepy crawl' thieving missions at his behest, later telling the trial: 'We always wanted to do anything and everything for him.'

On the night Tate was killed, Kasabian said she saw Watson shoot Steven Parent, a teenager visiting Tate's housekeeper, before being instructed to remain by the car while the others carried out the murders.

Hearing the 'horrible' screams coming from the property, Kasabian said: 'I started to run toward the house, I wanted them to stop.

'I knew what they had done to that man [Parent], that they were killing these people. I wanted them to stop.'

By the door, she saw a badly wounded Frykowski and told the trial that she had begun to apologize to him, only to see him collapse into the bushes after being followed out and repeatedly stabbed by Watson.

Fearing for her own life and that of her one-year-old daughter, Kasabian said she was rooted to the spot and felt unable to run for help but did attempt to halt the killings by telling Atkins someone was coming.

When that didn't work, she waited for Watson, Atkins and Krenwinkel to finish off their victims before driving the killers back to the Manson Family compound.

Susan Atkins (left) Patricia Krenwinkel (center) and Leslie van Houton (right) took part in several of the slayings, including those at the Tate residence, where Susan tasted Sharon Tate's blood and used it to write 'Pig' on a house wall

During the trial, she was repeatedly threatened by members of the Manson Family, told 'you're killing us' by Atkins and was the target of a throat-cutting gesture from Manson himself. Pictured: Manson sits in the courtroom during his murder trial in 1970 in Los Angeles

Linda Kasabian's criminal history - before and after joining Charles Mason's murderous cult Prior to the Manson trial, Kasabian had been busted in Boston for drug possession in 1967 and she pleaded guilty to driving without a license in Milford in May 1969. In 1976, she was fined $100 after being convicted of disorderly conduct for trying to prevent firemen from putting out a bonfire in Nashua, New Hampshire. A further arrest came in 1982 in Laconia, New Hampshire, which ended with her facing a charge for indecent exposure after she flashed her breasts at motorcyclists taking part in a rally. In 1987, having changed her name to Chiochios, she was busted yet again  this time for a DUI charge in Cape Canaveral, Florida. She was also arrested in October 1996 in Tacoma, Washington, where she and her daughter Quanu were collared for meth and cocaine possession. A police report seen by DailyMail.com reads: 'In the master bedroom, officers located a small baggie containing suspected rock cocaine and a large bundle of cash in the dresser drawer. On top of the dresser was a box of baggies.' The report added: 'Officers also searched Chiochios's [Kasabian] purse and located a small amount of methamphetamine.' The following year, the charges against Kasabian were dismissed with prejudice after she agreed to take a drug treatment course. Quanu was convicted of possession and intent to supply and was sentenced to a month in jail. Advertisement

The following night, Manson ordered her to drive himself, Watson, Atkins and Krenwinkel  joined this time by acolytes Leslie Van Houten and Steve Grogan  into Los Angeles.

In the Los Feliz neighborhood, they came across the residence of supermarket boss Leno LaBianca, 42, and his wife Rosemary, 38.

The couple were overpowered and tied up by Manson at gunpoint. He then returned to the car, according to Kasabian's testimony, and ordered Watson, Krenwinkel and Van Houten into the house.

Once inside, the trio stabbed the couple multiple times, including with a chrome-plated bayonet, and daubed the words 'Death to Pigs' and 'Helter Skelter' on the walls using their blood.

On their return to the car, Manson ordered Kasabian to drive to another location  this time in Venice Beach  where he ordered all five and Kasabian herself to kill an actor acquaintance of his named Saladin Nader.

He drove off and, Kasabian claimed during the trial, she foiled the plan by deliberately knocking on the wrong door and waking a stranger which led to the group abandoning their plans.

Two days later, she fled the Manson Family's home, taking her daughter and hitchhiking to Miami to be reunited with her bartender father Rosaire Drouin.

When the police investigation closed in on Manson and his killer cult in October 1969, Kasabian turned herself in to the local sheriff after learning that a warrant for her arrest had been issued.

She was charged with seven counts of murder but was given immunity from prosecution after agreeing to return to Los Angeles as a witness.

During the trial, she was repeatedly threatened by members of the Manson Family, told 'you're killing us' by Atkins and was the target of a throat-cutting gesture from Manson himself.

In September 2009, she did agree to appear on Larry King  heavily disguised and accompanied by Vincent Bugliosi, the prosecutor at the Manson trial.

After reliving the murder spree, she told King she was 'trying to live as normal a life as possible' before claiming to have spent the preceding 12 years on 'a mission of healing and rehabilitation'.

She did not mention a meth bust a decade earlier but did admit to going through 'a lot of drugs and alcohol and self-destruction'.

Asked whether she ever thinks of the night Sharon Tate was murdered, Kasabian said she still hears the screams of the victims 'if I let myself go there'.

But she added: 'I have learned to put it in its proper perspective over the years. And deal with my own feelings of shame and guilt.'
This is the horrifying moment a New Jersey home exploded with six volunteer firefighters inside - but miraculously they survived.

Three were in the basement and another three had just entered the house when the fireball burst from its side and moments later the whole structure was blown apart.

All six of the men survived but two were taken to hospital for treatment of burns.

It happened after police and firemen began investigating smoke and an alleged gas leak at the home in Pompton Lakes on January 15 at around 2am.

Body cam footage captured the moment six volunteer firefighters in New Jersey were in a home that dramatically exploded. At first a fireball burst from its side and moments later the whole structure was blown upwards from its foundations

Six fire fighters ended up in the basement after the house collapsed and they were pulled out from the rubble one by one. All six survived but two were treated in hospital for burn injuries

'I thought we were going to have six fatalities, I really did,' Pompton Lakes Fire Chief Jason Ekkers told NorthJersey.com after the explosion.

At first plumes of black smoke were seen emerging from the house but there were no signs of flames. In the footage one firefighter can be seen on the porch just before the explosion.

According to the Fire Chief, a lieutenant and two volunteers entered the house and went into to the basement, and were closely followed by the assistant fire chief and another two firefighters who were on the first floor.

As the building was blown apart by the explosion all ended up in the basement, and left the fiery rubble.

'They managed to climb out of the basement with compromised stairs. They all helped each other out, they came out one at a time and we were at the back door, just feeding them out.'

Another two firefighters were standing by the door and the explosion blew them away from the house.

'Two of them were blown out because they were right by the door. They got blown out the door into the driveway,' Pompton Lakes fire official John Keating said.

The footage shows how in the moments after the explosion police and fire crew rush to assist from the back of the house. Someone can be heard saying over a radio, 'I need medics here'

Two additional fire fighters were beside the door and blow onto the driveway of the home

The footage shows how in the moments after the explosion police and fire crew rush to assist from the back of the house. Someone can be heard saying over a radio, 'I need medics here.'

Photos of the house taken later in the morning after the sun had risen showed the entire house collapsed.

Fire officials said the assistant fire chief had burns to his ears because his hood blew off and the lieutenant suffered third-degree burns to his hands.

'The house literally lifted off the foundation and came back down. It was like 'The Wizard of Oz,' neighbor Tracey Alvarez told CBS2.

'They have their full-time jobs. They have their families, and they give up their time to come to something like this. It's really truly amazing' he added.

Another neighbor Kim Forsyth didn't told NorthJersey.com that her two kids heard the explosion and felt the house shake.

'My daughter was horrified and terrified,' Forsyth said. 'She was having a heart attack, screaming. She couldn't figure out what it was.

The fire department are yet to confirm what caused the fire.

By the next morning the house on Ramapo Avenue in Pompton Lakes had entirely collapsed

Tom Garett, who lived in the house was able to escape but lost everything in the fire

Aftermath of a house explosion on Ramapo Avenue in Pompton Lakes on Saturday, January 14

The home on Ramapo Avenue belonged to Tom Garett - he managed to escape before the arrival of the firefighters and the explosion but lost everything in the process.

A GoFundMe was set up by his niece Amy Glazar Azcurra, who wrote that the house originally belonged to her grandmother, who died just before Christmas.

'My mom and uncles grew up in this home and my family lives just a few houses down on Riverdale road. My uncle was still living in the home but luckily got out before the explosion happened. Unfortunately my uncle has lost everything,' she wrote.

Since the incident in mid-January the page has raised more than $11,000.
Lori Lightfoot could become the first Chicago mayor in 40 years to lose reelection as voters head to the polls Tuesday amid soaring crime-rates in the city.

The Democrat mayor is trailing in the polls behind two other candidates and could be shut out of a likely April 4 runoff election to continue serving the nation's third-largest city.

Lightfoot, the first black woman and openly gay mayor of Chicago, has come under fire recently for campaigning and dancing in the streets last month amid a 61 percent spike in violent crime.

There are eight other people vying to take the incumbent's place as Chicago's next mayor.

A new Victory Research poll released this week finds Lightfoot trailing former Chicago Public Schools CEO Paul Vallas by 8.1 percent and Cook County Commissioner Brandon Johnson by 1.5 percent.

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot could be the first incumbent in 40 years to lose reelection as voters head to the polls on Tuesday morning

Lightfoot is seen trailing two candidates, meaning that she might not meet the threshold to go to a two-candidate runoff election in April, according to a new Victory Research poll

Voters will cast their ballots Tuesday for who they want as the next mayor of the nation's third-largest city. Pictured: A voter fills out her electronic ballot as others wait in the final hour of early voting on Monday, February 27, 2023

Vallas and Johnsons' histories working with schools in the city is playing to their advantage in the race after Lightfoot went to war with teachers over returning to teaching full-time in person.

'We know that the safest place for kids to be is in-person learning in schools. 'We've got to get the teachers union to get real and get serious about getting back into in-person learning,' she said in a January 2022 interview.

If none of the several candidates win a majority of the vote on Tuesday, which is seeming more and more likely, the two candidates with the most votes will head to a runoff election in April.

Critics are all-over Lightfoot's soft-on-crime approach, which has led to massive increases in violence in the city.

There was a 59 percent increase in murder citywide when just comparing the 9th week of 2023 to the same time-period four years ago, which is right when Lightfoot was heading to a runoff with Toni Preckwinkle.

The four-year change also shows a 27 percent increase in robbery, 31 percent increase in theft and a massive 270 percent increase in the number of motor vehicle thefts.

Last month, Lightfoot was seen on video dancing along to a drumline at the Chicago's Lunar New Year parade amid spiking crime as the city's so-called Magnificent Mile shopping district has become nearly one-third empty.

Huge brands like Macy's, Old Navy, Banana Republic, Gap, Uniqlo and Timberland have all fled large premises in the area since COVID shutdowns and ensuing riots.

A new Victory Research poll released this week finds Lightfoot trailing former Chicago Public Schools CEO Paul Vallas (left) by 8.1 percent and Cook County Commissioner Brandon Johnson (right) by 1.5 percent

Lightfoot made history as the first black woman and openly gay person to be mayor of Chicago. She has come under immense fire, however, for her soft-on-crime approach and her war with teachers in the city. She was bashed for dancing through the streets with a drum line during a parade last month in the same places where violent crime is spiking by 61 percent

Many were driven away by soaring crime and violence, with the vacancy rate on the once busy shopping strip rising 10-fold since 2016, when it sat at just 3.6 percent, to the current 30.1 percent vacancy rate.

'We made mistakes,' Lightfoot told Politico when asked if she has regrets about her first-term, but insisted she has learned from errors.

Lightfoot also insists that she is judged more harshly as a black woman.

'I remember [former Chicago MAyor] Rahn Emanuel appearing on the cover of Time magazine, the headline was basically like: 'Tough guy for Chicago,' Lightfoot recalled.

'No woman or woman of color is ever going to get that headline,' she lamented.

Ligthfoot has just 18.7 percent support against her eight rivals in the latest poll taken just days before the election.

Elected as a reform-minded outsider who would rid the city of pay-to-play politics, Lightfoot was criticized when a campaign staffer sent out an email to public school teachers seeking students to volunteer for the campaign in exchange for class credit.

Lightfoot apologized, calling it a mistake.

Inspectors general, however, are now reviewing for possible policy violations between her public office and her campaign.

Some of Lightfoot's biggest battles have been with the Chicago Teachers Union, which backed her opponent in Lightfoot's first run for mayor. The two sides butted heads during an 11-day teachers strike in 2019 and bickered over returning to in-school instruction during the pandemic.

This year, the teachers union has endorsed Lightfoot rival Brandon Johnson, a Cook County commissioner and former Chicago teacher and union organizer.
Lee Pil-soo, center, the head of the Korean Medical Association, speaks during a rally in front of the National Assembly, Sunday, to protest the Assembly's move to legislate the Nursing Act. Yonhap



By Jun Ji-hye



A conflict is intensifying between nurses and other medical workers, including doctors, over the National Assembly's move to pass a bill legislating the Nursing Act.



Independent from the Medical Services Act, the proposed nursing law would clarify the scope of nurses' work and improve their working conditions, aiming to resolve nurses' frequent complaints over ambiguities in their roles and duties as stipulated in the Medical Services Act that they claim have increased their workload.



Nurses, however, seem to be the only group welcoming this legislation, as other medical workers' groups such as the Korean Medical Association (KMA)  comprised of doctors  are bitterly opposed.



The objectors are stepping up their protest as the bill, backed by the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) which controls more than half of the 300-seat Assembly, is likely to be passed if it is put to an actual vote in a plenary session.



In their escalating protest, the KMA, together with nursing assistants, radiology technicians, dentists, emergency medical technicians and care workers, held a large-scale rally in front of the National Assembly, Sunday.



"Politicians have been one-sided as they accepted opinions of a certain group only to deepen conflicts in medical circles," said Lee Pil-soo who heads the KMA. "We will give all-out efforts to fight until the Assembly disposes the bill."



The doctors' group raised concerns that the law would allow nurses to intervene in the duties of physicians, citing that the new law contains content saying nurses can perform their duties in "local communities."



Doctors say, according to the Medical Services Act, that medical services should be performed only within medical institutions.



If the new law is passed with that wording, it would make it possible for nurses to perform medical services on their own even outside hospitals.



Other medical groups such as the Korean Licensed Practical Nurses Association (KLPNA) comprised of nursing assistants  claimed the new law would offer privileges to a certain group of medical professionals.



"The Nursing Act will rattle the basis of the country's healthcare system as it would give too much authority to nurses and turn away from other professionals in medical circles," said Gwak Ji-yeon, who heads the KLPNA.



On the other hand, nurses call for the law's prompt enactment, saying it will be necessary in preparation for the aging of society and periodic appearance of infectious diseases.



"It is improper to jump to hasty conclusions that the new law will allow nurses to open medical facilities in local communities and to block the passage of the law," said Choi Hoon-wha from the Korean Nurses Association.


Grant Shapps has hinted there could be further help for consumers struggling with large utility bills ahead of another increase expected next month.

The Energy Secretary said he was 'sympathetic' to calls for more state aid with families staring at a 20 per cent increase in average bills.

Energy regulator Ofgem is lowering its energy price cap from the current 4,279 per year to 3,280 for the average household, effective from April 1. It said the reduction of almost 1,000 reflects recent falls in wholesale energy prices.

However, customers will still pay about 20 per cent more on their bills - around 500, based on the support from the Government's Energy Price Guarantee (EPG) of 2,500, which protects consumers from paying the full price cap.

The Government pays the difference between the EPG and Ofgem's cap.

The energy price cap sets a maximum price that energy suppliers can charge consumers for each kilowatt hour (kWh) of energy they use. How much individual households pay depends on how much energy they use.

Mr Shapps told the Times: 'I completely recognise the argument over keeping that price guarantee in place, and the chancellor and I are working very hard on it. I'm very sympathetic to making sure that we protect [people]. We're looking at this very, very carefully.'

The Energy Secretary said he was 'sympathetic' to calls for more state aid with families staring at a 20 per cent increase in average bills.

Citizens Advice chief executive Dame Clare Moriarty yesterday hit out at the changes, saying the number of people who cannot afford their energy bills will double.

She said the increase will 'spell catastrophe' for millions of households without further support from the Government.

The EPG limits the amount that domestic customers pay to 34p per kilowatt hour (kWh) for electricity and 10.3p per kWh for gas - which works out at 2,500 per year for the average household.

But this support is set to become less generous from the beginning of April, rising to an average bill of 3,000.

When the upcoming end of the 400 energy rebate scheme - paid in six instalments of 66 and 67 a month - is factored in, the energy cost for households will increase even more.

The 3,280 figure indicates how much consumers on their energy supplier's basic tariff would pay without the EPG.

Ofgem chief executive Jonathan Brearley yesterday said: 'Although wholesale prices have fallen, the price cap has not yet fallen below the planned level of the Energy Price Guarantee. This means that on current policy bills will rise again in April.

'I know that for many households this news will be deeply concerning.

'However, today's announcement reflects the fundamental shift in the cost of wholesale energy for the first time since the gas crisis began, and while it won't make an immediate difference to consumers, it's a sign that some of the immense pressure we've seen in the energy markets over the last 18 months may be starting to ease.

'If the reduction in wholesale prices we're seeing continues, the signs are positive that the price cap will fall again in the summer, potentially bringing bills significantly lower.

'However, prices are unlikely to fall back to the level we saw before the energy crisis. Even with the extensive package of government support that is in place, this is a very tough time for many households across Britain.

'Where people are struggling, we urge them to contact their supplier to make sure they are getting all the help and support they are entitled to. We also think that, with bills continuing to be so high, there is a case for examining with urgency the feasibility of a social tariff for customers in the most vulnerable situations.'
The family of the 18th century Tory politician Henry Dundas are urging councillors to remove a plaque which explains his links to slavery.

Planning officials are recommending that the Melville Monument's plaque is removed amid claims that it is historically inaccurate and misleading about the 'contentious figure'.

Edinburgh's plaque - which was added following Black Lives Matter protests in 2021 - explains Dundas' role in delaying the abolition of slavery in the 1800s.

Dundas was Home Secretary in 1792 when William Wilberforce was campaigning to abolish slavery.

The wording of the plaque was agreed to by Scotland's first black professor Sir Geoff Palmer and states that Dundas was 'instrumental' in deferring abolition with 'more than half a million enslaved Africans crossing the Atlantic' as a result.

In June of 2021, activists left signs at the monument saying 'Bring down Dundas', with some, including Sir Geoff Palmer, calling for the contentious plaque to be added

His critics cite a letter he sent which concludes: 'I have not time to write more. The time is near five and I must go to oppose the proposals on for abolition of the slave trade.'

But some dispute this version of events, claiming that Dundas pursued the gradual abolition of slavery as a way of ensuring the legislation.

Bobby Dundas, the Tory politician's seven-time great-grandson, is understood to be behind the planning application for removing the plaque.

In 2020, Bobby argued that as the bill had already been rejected by the House of Commons, slavery would not have been ended at all without Dundas' intervention.

He said Dundas was 'pragmatic' and realised the only way to pass the bill and ban slavery was to add the word 'gradually'.

The Viscount said: 'Henry Dundas was an abolitionist. He was for the abolition of the slave trade. That has been written about by countless people. But you have to understand in the current climate, what was UK politics and the British Empire.

'There was one failed attempt to get it through Parliament and the realistic and pragmatic approach that Dundas took was the only way - which many historians have written about - to make sure that the vision and final goal was achieved.'

Edinburgh's plaque - which was added following Black Lives Matter protests in 2021 - explains Dundas' role in delaying the abolition of slavery in the 1800s

Dundas was Home Secretary in 1792 when William Wilberforce was campaigning to abolish slavery

Bobby is listed as the sole shareholder of the Committee On The Naval Monument To The Memory of The Late Lord Viscount Melville Ltd, which submitted the application.

The group claimed the plaque was 'inappropriate and does not provide a factual description of Henry Dundas history'.

Planning officials said: 'The proposals have special regard to the desirability of preserving the building and its setting and will not adversely impact on its special architectural and historic interest.'

The statue of Henry Dundas 1st Viscount Melville on top of a 150ft column, known as the Melville Monument, stands in St Andrews Square, Edinburgh

In June of 2021, activists left signs at the monument saying 'Bring down Dundas', with some, including Sir Geoff Palmer, calling for the contentious plaque to be added.

Council chiefs approved its installation, with the planning application attracting more than 2,200 comments from members of the public.

The plaque states: 'This represents Henry Dundas, 1st Viscount Melville (1742 - 1811). He was the Scottish Lord Advocate and an MP for Edinburgh and Midlothian, and the First Lord of the Admiralty.

'Dundas was a contentious figure, provoking controversies that resonate to this day.

Bobby Dundas, the Tory politician's seven-time great-grandson, is understood to be behind the planning application for removing the plaque

'While Home Secretary in 1792 and first Secretary of State for War in 1796 he was instrumental in deferring the abolition of the Atlantic slave trade.

'Slave trading by British ships was not abolished until 1807.

'As a result of this delay, more than half a million enslaved Africans crossed the Atlantic.

'Dundas also curbed democratic dissent in Scotland.

'Dundas both defended and expanded the British empire, imposing colonial rule on indigenous peoples.

'He was impeached in the United Kingdom for misappropriation of public money and although acquitted, he never held public office again. Despite this, the monument before you to Henry Dundas was funded by voluntary contribution from officers, petty officers, seamen and marines and erected in 1821, with the statue placed on top in 1827.

'In 2020 this was dedicated to the memory of the more than half a million Africans whose enslavement was a consequence of Henry Dundas's actions.'
Jeremy Hunt has been given food for thought ahead of the Budget as a poll showed the public supports lower public spending and lower taxes.

Research for MailOnline found 38 per cent want to see the government reduce the burden immediately - double the 19 per cent who favoured more tax.

Just under a third thought the current level - about to rise in April - was about right in the survey by Redfield & Wilton Strategies.

Meanwhile, 31 per cent said they believed spending should be lower, compared to 28 per cent who insisted it should go up. A quarter backed the existing expenditure.

The findings emerged as Rishi Sunak slapped down critics demanding cuts to business taxes, warning the UK must 'balance the books'.

Research for MailOnline found 38 per cent want to see the government reduce the burden immediately - double the 19 per cent who favoured more tax

Meanwhile, Redfield & Wilton Strategies found 31 per cent believed spending should be lower, compared to 28 per cent who insisted it should go up. A quarter backed the existing expenditure

Speaking in Northern Ireland after sealing a Brexit deal with the EU he dashed the hopes of politicians including three of his predecessors as Chancellor.

Speaking in Northern Ireland after sealing a Brexit deal with the EU, the PM dashed the hopes of politicians including three of his predecessors as Chancellor.

George Osborne, Philip Hammond and Kwasi Kwarteng have led calls for the plan to increase the rate of corporation tax from 19p to 25p in April to be scrapped.

The overall tax burden is predicted to hit the highest level since the Second World War next year, as the government scrambles to balance the books after Covid and the Ukraine war.

Taking questions in Belfast this morning the Prime Minister was told the new rate would be double that of Ireland, where corporation tax is 12.5 per cent.

But he defended the UK change, saying the new rate was still the lowest of major world economies.

'We are borrowing an enormous amount of money. Thats not good, it is not good for the country, we have got to get our borrowing down and we have got to do that in a responsible way  and that (the tax rise) is going to help us do it,' he said.

'It might sound boring but it is deeply important. Because if we care about those kids who dont want to grow up in poverty, we are not doing them any favours if we are just putting stuff on the countrys credit card and telling them to pick up the tab, because that is a sure-fire way for them not to have a happy and prosperous life.

'At 25 per cent it will still be the lowest rate out of all the large economies that we compete with around the world.'

Mr Kwarteng scrapped the planned increase from 19p to 26p when he was briefly in No11 last year.

But the U-turn was abandoned when the economy went into a tailspin and Mr Hunt took over.

Mr Kwarteng told the Telegraph at the weekend the higher tax 'doesn't help our competitiveness', adding: 'We have got to look at ways to improve our attractiveness to foreign investors.'

And Mr Hammond added: 'My view on corporation tax is always that it's better to have lower than higher. I am quite disappointed that we will be increasing it to 25 per cent.

'Businesses would accept 25 per cent corporation tax if they felt they had all the other bits in place for a growing economy. But the labour market is not working, the planning system is not working and none of the preferential trade deals with big powers around the world have come to pass.'

:: Redfield & Wilton Strategies surveyed 1,500 adults online on February 23. Results were weighted to represent the wider population.

Philip Hammond and Kwasi Kwarteng have added their weight to demands for a rethink of the levy increase in the Budget next month
Local morale was 'destroyed' when it seemed Americans were 'simply handing Afghanistan over to a Taliban government-in-waiting'

Explains how local Afghan military was not ready to fight the Taliban alone

Government watchdog details how U.S. contributed to chaos in Afghanistan

Poor planning by the U.S. military before the 'abrupt' Afghanistan withdrawal led to the rapid collapse of the Western-backed government as the Taliban overran the country in August 2021, a damning new watchdog report has said.

The scathing analysis by the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) found the American decision to pull out 'destroyed the morale' of the Afghan National Security Force (ANDSF), and the 300,000 local troops were destined to fail without U.S. support.

It also details the more than $7 billion in weapons and equipment left for the Taliban to use, and the widespread corruption that dominated the Afghan military and government.

The withdrawal was 'abrupt and uncoordinated' and gave war-ravaged locals the impression that the U.S. was 'simply handing Afghanistan over to a Taliban government-in-waiting', it continued.

The report also criticized the failure to create 'an independent and self-sustainable' Afghan security force, despite 20 years and $90 billion of support from the U.S., and blamed both President Biden and President Trump for the bedlam.

Poor planning by the U.S. military before the withdrawal from Afghanistan and a lack of oversight contributed to the rapid collapse of the government as the Taliban overran the country in August 2021, a damning new watchdog report has said

Eighteen months ago, the world watched in horror as Afghans desperately tried to flee on flights from Kabul's Hamid Karzai's International Airport before the final Western troops left.

Horrifying videos showed evacuees clinging onto the outside of planes - causing some to fall - so they could escape the regime that was closing on the capital.

The chaos meant thousands, including locals who helped fight the war, were left behind as the U.S. withdrew as the Taliban ran rampant.

Just a month earlier, Biden had insisted that the militant takeover of Afghanistan was 'not inevitable'.

'Together, with our NATO allies and partners, we have trained and equipped nearly 300,000 current serving members of the military, of the Afghan National Security Force, and many beyond that who are no longer serving', he told reporters.

'We provided our Afghan partners with all the tools  let me emphasize: all the tools, training, and equipment of any modern military,' he added.

'We provided advanced weaponry. And we're going to continue to provide funding and equipment. And we'll ensure they have the capacity to maintain their air force.'

But the SIGAR report laid bare the holes in his assessment, and painted the picture of Afghan security forces that threw down their weapons and weren't prepared for the Taliban onslaught.

Nearly $7.2 billion of aircraft, guns, vehicles, ammunition and specialized equipment such as night-vision goggles and biometric devices were also abandoned when U.S. forces withdrew, the report states.

This includes at least 78 aircraft worth $923.3 million, 9,524 air-to-ground munitions that cost $6.54 million, more than 40,000 vehicles, more than 30,000 weapons and nearly all electronic equipment.

Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) John Sopko warned that it is 'likely unavoidable' that some of the weapons may end up on the black market 'given the ongoing conflict and the unprecedented volume of weapons being transferred to Ukraine'.

Among the damning revelations was also the fact that U.S. forces often handled tasks they were supposed to train Afghan forces to do.

It meant the local troops were underprepared, while the American military created an illusion of success.

The 'sense of abandonment' felt by Afghan forces was sparked by Trump's 2020 peace deal with the Taliban to start bringing troops home, SIGAR stated in the report.

A Taliban fighter takes a picture of a damaged MD 530 helicopter that was abandoned at Kabul airport by retreating troops

The withdrawal was 'abrupt and uncoordinated' and gave war-ravaged locals the impression that the U.S. was 'simply handing Afghanistan over to a Taliban government-in-waiting', the report continues. Members of the Taliban are pictured celebrating a victory in March 2020

The ANDSF had relied on the U.S. for making sure their salaries were paid, but the 2020 agreement 'made it clear that this was no longer the case'.

There was also a significant drop in U.S. airstrikes, and local security forces lacked the 'professional military sophistication and leadership' to replicate them.

'Because U.S. troops were far more effective at fighting, they often led missions or filled critical gaps in missions  providing close air support, airstrikes, medical evacuation, logistics, and intelligence gathering  at the expense of the ANDSF gaining experience fighting on its own,' the report says.

'As a result, the ANDSF became overly reliant on borrowed capabilities.

SIGAR also claimed that the Pentagon did not cooperate fully with the investigation.

The Pentagon insisted that it did cooperate, and disputed some of the findings.

Army Lieutenant Colonel Rob Lodewick, the Pentagon's Afghanistan spokesman, told DailyMail.com: 'The Department of Defense is well aware of SIGAR's recent report seeking to determine the factors that led to the collapse of the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF).

'Since SIGAR's inception, DoD has contributed to and facilitated their work- a fact the report echoes in its opening pages.

'DoD again contributed to this report and provided responses to SIGAR's requests for information.

'While we take exception to SIGAR's assertions of non-cooperation, and address them accordingly in our official response in Appendix II, the Department will continue to facilitate SIGAR's work moving forward for security and defense related matters concerning Afghanistan.

The investigation submitted to Congress has sparked more calls from Republicans investigating the lead-up to the withdrawal and oversight of the enormous financial backing the U.S. gave the Afghan government.

Republican Rep. James Comer, the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability Chairman, told DailyMail.com: 'The Biden Administration was tragically unprepared for the Afghanistan withdrawal and their decisions in the region directly resulted in a national security and human catastrophe.

'We are appreciative of SIGAR for completing this report at the request of the House Oversight Committee.

'SIGAR's insights into the collapse of the Afghan Security Forces will provide help to policy makers for years to come.

'However, it is a shame that the Biden Administration stalled and delayed SIGAR's completion of this report by not being responsive to inquiries in a timely fashion.

'What do DOD, State, USAID, and Treasury have to hide from the American people when it comes to U.S. involvement in Afghanistan? Oversight Republicans are determined to provide answers.'

Critics have also pointed out how the SIGAR investigation shows that there has still been no accountability for the bungled Afghanistan withdrawal.

Amy Mitchell, former senior official at the Pentagon and State Department, told DailyMail.com: 'On August 17, 2021, as chaos engulfed Afghanistan, President Biden literally said, 'I am president of the United States and the buck stops with me.'

'The new report from SIGAR, however, unequivocally demonstrates this administration's utter lack of responsibility and accountability for the precipitous withdrawal.

'There are, and will continue to be, a lot of finger pointing as more investigations and reports are released.

'But in the end, as the report shows, it was the Biden Administration's decision to leave Afghanistan unprepared, while giving the country  and millions in U.S. military equipment  to the Taliban.

'Driven by the false and publicity hungry deadline of the 20th anniversary of September 11, the Biden administration used poor judgement, poor planning, and are now pointing the finger at others in what is undeniably the worst U.S. foreign policy failure in more than half a century.

'The result, almost two years later, still no accountability and the surrender of the Afghan people to the terror of the Taliban.'

Hung Cao, retired Navy Captain who served in Special Operations for 25 years and senior advisor with Polaris National Security, also told DailyMail.com: 'Gone are the days of leaders declaring "the buck stops here" and meaning it.

'Instead, President Biden and his team bear no responsibility for any of their actions in Afghanistan, whether about the withdrawal or the drone strike that mistakenly killed a US aid worker and innocent children,' added Cao, a Republican House candidate who was defeated in the midterms.

'They place the blame on everyone else around them. The President's decision to disregard General Miller's proposal for leaving a quick reaction force of 2500 troops in Afghanistan proved costly.

'His unilateral withdrawal strategy resulted in a catastrophic situation, leaving billions of dollars worth of equipment in the hands of the Taliban and our allies stranded in a dangerous and uncertain environment.

'When I served for twenty-five years in the military, we were taught the three principles of leadership: authority, responsibility, and accountability  all of which Joe Biden has failed to possess as our Commander in Chief.'

Taliban forces showed off their new military hardware during a victory parade in Kandahar last September as they celebrated the retreat of U.S. forces and their capture of Afghanistan
Saraswati is yet to comment on the allegations. Her estranged family, however, gave insight into her life before the lies which started at boarding school

She lied about being 'Arab, Latin and South Asian' - many commentators noting the irreparable damage she's caused to minority groups she once represented

A white chief inclusion officer at a Philadelphia Quaker-founded social justice firm who faked 'Arab, Latin and South Asian' heritage has resigned from her position after being outed for the deception.

Raquel Saraswati, 39, was named Woman of the Year, served on the Mayor's Commission on LGBT Affairs and until last week worked as the chief equity and inclusion officer for the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC).

The 39-year-old white Muslim quit after being accused of 'cultural vulturism' - while her family exclusively told DailyMail.com that she is 'British, German and Italian' and that her 'fraudulent lifestyle' was nothing less than 'crazy.'

AFSC said there was no requirement for an employee to 'prove their race or ethnicity,' while confirming Saraswati's departure and describing her 'separation from the organization' as a 'deeply personal issue.'

Raquel Saraswati, 39, has been accused of lying about her alleged 'Latin, South Asian, Arab' descent - her biological mother confirming that she is in fact 'British, German and Italian'

Saraswati's early years were a stark contrast to the deceptive identity which took hold in the later years of her life, her family telling DailyMail.com that her 'fraudulent lifestyle' was nothing less than 'crazy'

In a statement to DailyMail.com they wrote: 'AFSC's Chief Equity, Inclusion, and Culture Officer, Raquel Saraswati, who is facing public allegations that she misrepresented her background and past associations, has informed us of her intention to separate from the organization.

'AFSC supports her in this difficult decision. This is a deeply personal issue, and we respect her privacy and ask that others do as well.'

The organization has stressed its commitment to working globally with people from 'all faiths, ethnicities, races and backgrounds for lasting peace with justice.'

'Through our history and continuing today, AFSC has brought the Quaker belief in peace, equity, integrity, and the divine Light in every person into vital work across the U.S. and around the world,' the statement continued.

'We see ending all forms of racism as a critical part of this work both within our organization and in the world.'

Saraswati, who grew up as Rachel Seidel, was investigated by a 'group of individuals who care deeply' about the AFSC and provided an open letter which identified years of deception.

Human resources professional Oskar Henry Castro, who participated in ASFC's hiring committee for Saraswati, told the Intercept that Saraswati had represented herself as 'multiethnic' and as 'a queer person of color, who happens to be a Muslim' in hiring interviews he saw.

'I definitely feel conned. I feel deceived,' he said.

Family members, who asked to remain nameless after backlash from the embattled race faker, told DailyMail.com that the 39-year-old is of 'British, German and Italian' heritage and started to shape her new identity after going to boarding school.

Saraswati has been at the center of a media frenzy following the deception, but commentators noted the irreparable damage her misrepresentations have caused for the minority groups she'd so vocally tried to represent over the years.

'This is not about 'proving' one's heritage but about lying, misrepresentation and taking opportunities from actual women of color,' tweeted documentarian Laila Al-Arian, who referred to Saraswati as a 'Rachel Dolezal of the Muslim community.'

Journalist Sana Saeed, who called attention to Saraswati's heritage as early as 2015, tweeted about the 'harm she's done  especially the years she worked as essentially a 'native informant' with anti-Muslim orgs & platforms.'

So far, Saraswati has remained silent on the issue - deleting her social media platforms and taking a step back from her once prominent and shamelessly self-promotional lifestyle.

A broadly circulated screenshot of a social media post from Saraswati is said to have promised that she would provide answers when she was able.

Family members gave some insight into the web of lies served up by Saraswati over the years, saying she'd become 'intrigued' by the culture of a friend from school.

They noted that growing up, Saraswati, who they knew as Rachel, had lived a fairly 'sheltered life in a fairly white town.'

Members of Saraswati's family - who were privy to her life before the 'fraudulent' claims - exclusively told DailyMail.com that her new life began to take shape while she attended the prestigious Emma Willard school in Troy, New York.

Family members of a race-faking white Muslim social justice activist have claimed she turned her back on her heritage after attending boarding school

Pictures provided by family members show a young Saraswati with blonde/brown hair and a visibly paler complexion

Members of Saraswati's family - who were privy to her life before the 'fraudulent' claims - exclusively told DailyMail.com that her new life began to take shape while she attended the prestigious Emma Willard school in Troy, New York

Saraswati's relative, who claims to have watched the 39-year-old grow from the age of three till she started to attend the scholarship-funded private girl's school, said she remembers Saraswati, who went by Rachel Seidel then, as a 'bright and terribly creative' young woman

The family have not spoken to Saraswati, who they say they last saw at her graduation - except for an alleged phone call in which she blasted her biological mother following the deception surfacing

She met her Turkish Muslim roommate at the prestigious Emma Willard boarding school in Troy New York

One of Saraswati's relatives, who claims to have watched the 39-year-old grow from the age of three till she started to attend the scholarship-funded private girl's school, said she remembers her as a 'bright and terribly creative' young woman.

'She went to a small public school where everybody knew her and then she went to a private school and no one there was American - most were European or eastern European,' the family member said.

They went on to say that this is where Saraswati met her roommate, a friend from Turkey, named Fatima, who followed the Muslim faith.

'Her junior year at school she had a roommate that was from Turkey who was Muslim and Rachel was very intrigued by that culture, she was a very inquisitive kid,' they explained.

'Rachel converted to the Muslim religion while at school and we never found out because she was boarding there... we found out much later that this was her new persona.'

Saraswati's early years were a stark contrast, however, growing up in a Christian household.

Pictures provided by family members show a young Saraswati with blonde hair and a visibly paler complexion.

Her hair appears to have become darker as she grew older, but her complexion remains the same.

Photos revealed by DailyMail.com from the early 2000s show Saraswati with a similar pale complexion, thin eyebrows and a light blush.

However, Saraswati's appearance began to change, as she publicly rejected her heritage and started to claim she was Latin, South Asian or of Arab descent.

'Rachel was a very sweet, loving child. She went to church with us and she belonged to several different church clubs,' the family member said.

'We all had the expectation that she was going to do great things because she was bright and politically astute but what we didn't know was it would be in a fraudulent manner.'

The relative told DailyMail.com that the entire family have been 'shocked' and 'saddened' by the entire situation believing that at one time they had been 'close to Saraswati.

In 2007, Saraswati herself told conservative media host Glenn Beck she was 'estranged' from her family, 'for reasons that I can't get into.'

'It's curious and bizarre,' the relative said.

'The comments to Glenn Beck were really bizarre because she said she was estranged from her family.

'I felt very sad because we thought, wrongly, that we were very close to Rachel and that she was a very bright, politically astute woman.

'She went about all of this the wrong way.

'There was no way we had no relationship with her. Her friends, who would continue to see us all, still asked us how she was doing and we embarrassingly had to admit we didn't know.'

The family have not spoken to Saraswati, who they say they last saw at her graduation, except for an alleged phone call in which she blasted her biological mother for revealing her true ancestry.

'We went to her graduation, had lunch with her and never saw her again.'

The family stressed that they have never tried to 'out' Saraswati's 'double life.'

'Her mother really had no influence on this information surfacing, her double life... we knew about it for a while and nobody tried to correct it,' they said.

'It came from people concerned about where she worked who suspected something wasn't quite right.

'We have always said it's a crazy, crazy situation and the people that we know and knew her growing up also agree that it's just crazy.'

Saraswati's appearance appears to change through the 00s. She's seen pictured here with Ryan Bowker (left) and Ali Abbas (right), winners of the National 'Courage' Grants in 2007

The 39-year-old was seen rubbing shoulders with celebrities - such as Jodie Foster (left) and Nathan Lane (right) after receiving an accolade

Saraswati, hired by a Philadelphia-based Quaker group as their Chief Equity, Inclusion and Culture Officer, has claimed to be of Arab, Latina and South Asian descent

Saraswati appears to have begun claiming Indian ancestry around 2005. She is pictured celebrating the election of Kamala Harris, the first Indian American vice president

Saraswati's identity was first questioned in 2015, when a cultural commentator referred to her as 'the "Raquel Dolezal" in the Muslim community'

The linchpin, an open letter from the anonymous group, provided an in-depth analysis of the 39-year-old's ancestry and her work, and expressed concern about her role.

They accused Saraswati - who converted to Islam in high school, and has since come out as gay - of 'cultural vulturism', and noted 'the shades of bronzer she applies to her face have become darker over time'.

The authors of the damning open letter called on AFSC to investigate 'why a member of its most senior leadership has so profoundly eroded trust among people of color'.

They noted her appearance on conservative-hosted shows, and asked: 'Are there external entities with whom Saraswati is collaborating?'

The case is being likened to that of Rachel Dolezal, a white woman, who in 2015 was exposed as having posed for years as black, rising to become president of an NAACP chapter in Spokane, Washington.

Saraswati's identity was first questioned by media commentator Sana Saeed, who tweeted in 2015: 'Can we talk about "Raquel Dolezal" in the Muslim community. Y'all know who I mean.'

The allegations were given fresh impetus this month. On February 10, the letter was published on Medium, and on February 16 The Intercept spoke to Saraswati's biological mother, Carol Perone, who confirmed her daughter was not a person of color.

'I call her Rachel,' said Perone. 'I don't know why she's doing what she's doing.'

Perone said her daughter is of 'British, German, and Italian descent'  not Latin, South Asian, or Arab as she claims.

'I'm as white as the driven snow and so is she,' she said.

Perone told the site that her daughter converted to Islam in high school, which likely informed her decision to present herself as another ethnicity.

'I'm German and British, and her father was Calabrese Italian,' her mother added.

'She's chosen to live a lie, and I find that very, very sad.'

Perone was adopted by Carl and Winifred Seidel, who ran a guesthouse in the Catskill mountains, in Windham, New York.

Saraswati's grandparent's were Ed Newman and Myrtle Burkhardt - an alcoholic of Alliance, Ohio, who had 18 children, and put most of them up for adoption, according to a 1988 newspaper report found by the authors of the letter.

Perone said Saraswati's father is now dead. She had a relationship with him before marrying Flory Perone, who died in 2006.

Ms Saraswati's identity was first questioned by media commentator Sana Saeed (pictured) who tweeted in 2015: 'Can we talk about "Raquel Dolezal" in the Muslim community. Y'all know who I mean'

Perone told the site that her daughter converted to Islam in high school, which likely informed her decision to present herself as another ethnicity

Perone was adopted by Carl and Winifred Seidel, who ran a guesthouse in the Catskill mountains, in Windham, New York

Saraswati posted this image to her Facebook profile in January, in a t-shirt captioned: 'I'm rooting for everybody black and trans'

Saraswati was born in Paterson, New Jersey, and spent large amounts of time in Windham, where she attended school before being sent to boarding school in Troy, New York.

She studied at Simmons University in Boston, settling in Massachusetts and marrying her girlfriend, Anh Dao Kolbe in 2005.

In 2004, the couple was mentioned in a Boston Globe feature, in which Saraswati went by the name Seidel and said she was of Arab and Latin descent.

'Raquel Evita Seidel, 20, of Brookline, said she and her girlfriend, Anh Dao Kolbe, have been together nine months,' the author wrote.

'While they are confident they want to marry, they also want to take the time to plan something that respects Seidel's Arab and Latin traditions and 33-year-old Kolbe's Vietnamese traditions.

'We want it to be something special, not about hype and not about media,' Seidel said.'

Sometime around the time of the article, she switched her name to Saraswati. In 2005, she was performing belly dances under her new name.

Her wedding was featured in an article about Indian-American marriages.

The couple are now divorced, and Saraswati moved from Massachusetts to Pennsylvania, where she now lives.

She took on a higher profile after 9/11, appearing on Beck's show and in a 2013 film produced by the Clarion Project, an organization the Southern Poverty Law Center said specialized in 'rabidly anti-Muslim films.'

She worked with the American Islamic Forum for Democracy, another group that has been accused of promoting Islamophobia.

Saraswati has claimed Arab descent, but her mother said that is not true

In a public post in November last year, Saraswati appeared to back her claims of being Latin, South Asian, or Arab. The post shows her MyHeritage AI results

Saraswati is seen addressing a panel in her role as a representative of the LGBTQ community in Philadelphia

Saraswati is believed to have switched her last name around 2005, while a senior at Simmons University. She married later that year, but divorced and moved to Philadelphia - where she was named Woman of the Year in April 2019 by Philadelphia's National Organization for Women (NOW)

Saraswati's family history was researched by the writers of the open letter, posted on February 10 on Medium

In 2017, she told Philly Mag: 'All too often, progressive and well-meaning people ally with organizations and individuals in marginalized or targeted communities without consulting those on the margins of those communities  like LGBTQ2SIA people, dissidents, women, minority sects, racial and ethnic minorities, etc.'

On her Facebook page, she promotes a book entitled: 'All the White Friends I Couldn't Keep.'

Saraswati promotes this book on her Facebook page

When Saraswati applied for the job at AFSC, Castro said that her ethnicity played a part in the decision to appoint her in June 2021 as Chief Equity, Inclusion and Culture Officer.

'Great, a person of color, a queer person of color, who happens to be a Muslim, it's a woman, all these things, and someone who seemed to get it,' Castro told The Intercept.

He said he was impressed by her resume and her charisma.

'It seemed that there was an element of lived experience and understanding because of the lived experience, not just the academic and extra training that come with being in a position where you are an equity and inclusion practitioner,' he said.

The AFSC has a history of being infiltrated by the FBI, The Intercept noted, and has been targeted by pro-Israel groups due to its work on the Palestinian cause.
Alex Murdaugh's defense attorney today exploded at the legal scion's former law partner as he suggested he is only helping the prosecution because he is 'angry' about stolen money.

'Do you think he did it?' Dick Harpootlian boomed at Ronnie Crosby, who took the stand in the double murder trial this morning as a final rebuttal witness for the State.

'I don't have an opinion, I don't have the benefit of the materials you have,' Crosby replied.

The point-blank question concluded a furious exchange during which Harpootlian told Crosby he was only testifying against Murdaugh because he cheated their clients out of millions leading to the downfall of their firm.

Crosby railed against the claim, stating: 'You are dead wrong if you think I've come in here and said something to this jury because of money when we're talking about two people who were brutally murdered, then you are headed in the wrong direction.'

'Do you think he did?' Dick Harpootlian (left) boomed at Ronnie Crosby, who took the stand in the double murder trial this morning as a final rebuttal witness for the prosecution

Buster, Paul, Maggie and Alex Murdaugh on a family vacation in Lake Keowee in May 2021 - a month before the killings

Murdaugh stole more than $10m from clients and partners at the firm during a decade of embezzlement leading up to the murders of Maggie, 52, and Paul, 22, at the family's hunting estate in Moselle, South Carolina, on the night of June 7, 2021.

The State claims he was motivated to kill the pair because his life was spiraling out of control and he was 'out of time and out of options.'

On the day of the killings he was confronted over $792,000 that had gone 'missing' from a recent case. Over the next few months his colleagues would uncover the millions he stole, ultimately leading to him being fired.

Murdaugh says Maggie and Paul were killed by vigilantes in revenge for his son's drunken boat crash two years before in which a 19-year-old girl was killed.

He claimed Paul had been threatened and attacked after the accident. Murdaugh was due in court the week of the murders for a hearing on financial disclosure in the boat case. He was being sued for up to $30m by the family of Mallory Beach who died in the wreck.

This morning, Crosby said to Harpootlian: 'If you're implying that I would somehow shade truth because of [Murdaugh's financial crimes]. I would take high offence to that Mr Harpootlian.'

Harpootlian replied: 'I'm not concerned about your high offence, are you angry about him stealing your money?'

Crosby said: 'I have no feeling one way or the other.'

Harpootlian queried: 'You don't have any feeling about Alex Murdaugh deceiving you and stealing your money?'

Crosby admitted: 'I have had anger with him Mr Harpootlian, extreme anger, Mr Harpootlian, because of what he did to my law firm, my partners, our clients, what he did to his family, what he's done to so many people, yes I experienced a lot of anger.

'But you can't walk around with anger you have to find a way to deal with it and move forward and I have done that.'

Defendant Alex Murdaugh cries as the shooting injuries his family suffered are described in detail during his double murder trial at the Colleton County Courthouse, Tuesday

Ronnie Crosby, Hampton trial attorney and former law partner of Alex Murdaugh, right, is questioned by prosecutor Creighton Waters during Murdaugh's double murder trial at the Colleton County Courthouse on Tuesday

Crosby testifies at the trial Tuesday as the prosecution called a series of rebuttal witnesses ahead of the jury being sent out to reach their verdict

Alex's brother John Marvin Murdaugh, sister Lynn Murdaugh Goette, Brooklynn White, Buster Murdaugh's girlfriend, and Buster listen to the evidence Tuesday

Maggie's body was found a few yards to the right of a doghouse, while Paul's was by the doorway at the end of the kennels. Judge Clifton Newman yesterday granted the defense request for jurors to visit the scene to gain a better understanding of the shootings

Prosecutor Creighton Waters said yesterday he planned on calling up to five reply witnesses who 'will be focused on issues raised during the defense case.'

The defense earlier called the alleged killer's younger brother as its 14th and final witness, wrapping up a week of testimony compared to the State's four weeks of evidence to jurors.

John Marvin Murdaugh wept as he recalled cleaning up his nephew's brains which were still splattered across the kennels at the hunting estate the day after the murders.

A crime scene expert for Murdaugh's team testified that two killers were operating that night, arguing that the shotgun gunman would have been incapacitated after firing into Paul's head at close range. Timothy Palmbach said the shooter would have been blinded by blood, and likely injured by fragments of skull or pellets.

The State says Murdaugh first blasted Paul, 22, twice with a 12-gauge shotgun before turning a .300 Blackout rifle on Maggie, 52, shooting her five times.

Following the prosecution's reply witnesses, the jurors will make the half-hour trip from the Colleton County courthouse to the kennels at the estate after the judge granted a defense request to give them a better understanding of the scene.

Murdaugh's defense attorney Dick Harpootlian warned the judge that cops need to close the road and secure the gates beforehand to stop the jury being influenced by the 'carnival attitude' of trial enthusiasts trespassing on the property.

Murdaugh arrives Tuesday with his blazer draped over his handcuffs after stepping out of the prison van

Paul, Maggie, Alex and Buster Murdaugh attend a dinner at the South Carolina Yacht Club. Buster was staying with his girlfriend outside Charlotte at the time of the killings

Harpootlian said Alex's brother John Marvin was forced to call the sheriff last weekend because 'literally dozens' of trespassers were taking selfies in the feed room at the kennels where Paul was blasted twice with a shotgun.

Judge Newman said that a visit to the estate could be arranged - overruling the prosecution objection. He assured Harpootlian the scene would be secured.

The defense later called Timothy Palmbach, a crime scene expert, who told jurors that Paul suffered a 'contact wound' meaning the muzzle of the 12-gauge shotgun was touching the back of his head.

Palmbach explained that 'the explosive release of the gas trapped in [Paul's] cranium' would have forced blood, tissue, brain matter, fragments of skull and shot pellets back out through the entry wound, covering the shooter.

He said this would have at the very least blinded the killer and possibly even caused injury, making the prosecution claim that Murdaugh recovered moments later to shoot Maggie with a different weapon implausible.

'I think minimally that shooter is getting covered with this material and getting the shockwave of that and more than likely getting hit with at least something that is causing injury, a bone fragment or pellet fragment,' Palmbach said.

Buster Murdaugh arrives with his girlfriend Brooklynn White and followed by Alex's sister Lynn

Buster Murdaugh and his girlfriend Brooklynn White arrive with Alex's sister Lynn and brother John Marvin on Tuesday

Alex Murdaugh smiles while talking with defense attorney Jim Griffin during his double murder trial at the Colleton County Courthouse in Walterboro on Monday

'Therefore, I think the shooter is, at least for some brief period of time, kind of out of it. It's not as if they can instantly suffer that, run to where the rifle is, pick that up and within any reasonable time period engage in an effective assault, shoot straight and make hits.'

He added: 'I believe the individual who shot first, probably with blood in his eyes and maybe even injured, would have taken some degree of time to recover.'

Palmbach said that had there been only one shooter, this would have given Maggie time to run. But she was found just a few yards away from her son.

The expert said there was no reason for one killer using two firearms, especially given the high magazine capacity of a standard .300 Blackout rifle.

No murder weapon has ever been found.

The prosecution dispute Palmbach's claim that Paul was shot in the back of the head and instead claim he was facing the shooter.

When cops arrived around 10pm, about an hour after Maggie and Paul were killed, Murdaugh was clean from head to toe in a white t-shirt, shorts and sneakers.

Murdaugh claims he went to visit his mother in Almeda, around 15 minutes away, and when he got back his wife and son were dead.

The State suggests at some point that evening he changed clothes. Murdaugh appeared in a video earlier that night taken by Paul wearing long pants, a dress shirt and loafers.

Murdaugh wept at the defense table as his brother described cleaning up his dead son's brains that were still splattered across the feed room at the kennels the day after the killings

The kennels at the estate. Paul was shot in the feed room which stands at the far right end of the row of dog cages

Paul's body was found lying in the doorway of the feed room at the end of the row of dog cages at the kennels. Prosecutors say Murdaugh first blasted Paul twice with a shotgun before killing his wife with a rifle a few moments later

Maggie's blood-soaked body lies under a sheet at the crime scene on the night of June 7, 2021. She was shot five times with an assault rifle, while Paul was blasted twice with a shotgun a few yards away at the kennels on the estate

MURDER SCENE: Paul's body lies outside the storage room, while Maggie lies just outside the kennels by the doghouse

The defense called John Marvin as its 14th and final witness Monday who wept as he described cleaning up Paul's brains the day after the murders because 'it felt like the right thing to do, I felt like I owed him.'.

John Marvin said he returned to the crime scene with police permission after arriving to be at Alex's side on the night his wife and son were shot dead.

He said the grass where Maggie's blood-soaked body had lain was covered with dirt 'so there was really nothing to do.' But the feed room at the kennels where Paul was blasted twice with a shotgun was still covered in blood and brain matter.

John Marvin sobbed as he described the scene, telling jurors: 'I saw blood, I saw brains, I saw pieces of skull, I saw tissue - and when I say brains it could just be tissue - I don't know what I saw, it was just terrible.

'And for some reason I thought it was something that I needed to do for Paul to clean it up. It felt like it was the right thing to do, I felt like I owed him and I started cleaning.

'I can promise you no mother or father or aunt or uncle should ever have to do and see what I did that day.

'I'm not blaming anybody but I was just overwhelmed and I did everything I could and I would have moments where I would stop crying for a moment, just in disbelief.'

Murdaugh wept at the defense table as his brother described the horrifying ordeal.

Alex Murdaugh's brother John Marvin, sister Lynn Murdaugh Goette and his son Buster with his girlfriend Brooklynn White arriving at the Colleton County Court Tuesday

John Marvin Murdaugh and his wife Liz outside the Colleton County courthouse Monday

Alex's younger brother John Marvin with his wife Liz, and his older brother Randy with his wife Christy, arrive at court Monday

'At one point I called my brother Randy and told him what I was doing and he immediately told me to stop doing it, it was not good for me and it was not healthy for me to be there,' John Marvin said.

'And I couldn't stop. I had to do it for Paul. It's just what I had to do.'

He said: 'It was probably 15 or 20 minutes later, Mark Ball (a close family friend) shows up, y'all heard Mark Ball testify and came and hugged me and told me it was okay to leave. Okay to leave what was rest of Paul and that they would clean it up.'

He added: 'It's the hardest thing I've ever been through in my life.'

Murdaugh during the trial has floated his own theory of who committed the murders, testifying on Friday that he believed someone angry over a deadly boating accident involving Paul had done so.

He acknowledged that he lacked evidence to support that theory.

During his testimony, he also said he had deceived law partners and clients out of huge sums of money to feed his drug habit, potentially undercutting his credibility with the jury.

Murdaugh arrives at the court on Tuesday after emerging from the prison van

Buster, Maggie, Paul and Alex Murdaugh in a photo the mother posted for Father's Day in 2020

Under cross examination, Waters sought to portray Murdaugh as a serial liar who was under pressure due to mounting financial troubles in the months leading up to the killings.

Murdaugh admitted to lying to investigators in the aftermath of the murders by telling them he was not at the kennels on the night of the murders.

He changed his account after the jury saw cellphone video that contained audio of Murdaugh's voice that placed him at the scene minutes before investigators have said his wife and son were killed.

Murdaugh, the scion of an influential South Carolina legal family, was indicted by a grand jury in July and pleaded not guilty to two counts of murder and two counts of possession of a weapon.

The case has drawn intense media coverage given the political influence of the Murdaugh family in South Carolina.

Murdaugh's sole surviving son Buster, 26, has attended court everyday and testified last week. The disbarred attorney's brothers John Marvin and Randy and sister Lynn have also attended the Colleton County courthouse in Walterboro most days.
The New York Times published a damning report linking the rise to migrant kids

Between 2018 and 2022, the number of minors in jobs rose to 3,876 from 2,299

The Biden administration has promised a crackdown on child labor after a damning report revealed how it has risen by nearly 70 percent in the last five years amid a surge at the border.

The New York Times published an expose last week that laid bare how hundreds of children were being funneled out of overwhelmed shelters and into the care of distant relatives or strangers.

From there, the kids are being enrolled in schools but are also being signed up for part-time evening jobs in factories, stuffing Cheerios and Lucky Charms into cereal boxes or putting together parts to be used in cars.

Since 2018, the number of children working illegally in US factories has risen to 3,876 from 2,299.

Between 2021 and 2022, the number of minors working those jobs rose by over 1,000.

Pictured: A Packers employee working in the ground beef room of the JBS plant in Grand Island, Nebraska, last month

The Times' report drew a parallel between those figures and the surge of migrant children arriving in the US.

The reporter also uncovered a video of HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra telling staff to rush kids out of shelters, likening the backlog of cases to an ineffective 'assembly line'.

'If Henry Ford had seen this in his plants, he would have never become famous and rich. This is not the way you do an assembly line. Kids aren't widgets, I get it, but we can do way better than this,' he said during the meeting last summer.

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre however said the President still had full confidence in Becerra.

'Of course the president does not believe that processing migrants should be treated like an assembly line, and neither does Secretary Becerra,' she said.

On a call with reporters yesterday, however, an official said: 'This isn't a 19th century problem, this isn't a 20th century problem, this is happening today.

'We are seeing children across the country working in conditions that they should never ever be employed in the first place.'

In a call with staff last summer, HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra compared discharging children from shelters to an 'assembly line' and said: 'If Henry Ford had seen this in his plants, he would have never become famous and rich. This is not the way you do an assembly line'

Mayra Flores said children were being forced into 'slavery' as a result of the Biden administration continuing to allow illegal immigration

Hearthside Food Suppliers, a plant in Grand Rapids, Michigan, is under investigation for alleged violations, as is SMART Alabama, LLC, a subsidiary of Hyundai.

Hyundai is now divesting from the plant in light of the report. Hearthside said it was 'appalled' by what the Times had uncovered.

Republicans say the blame lies with the Biden administration, which has failed to get a handle on the border crisis.

'Migrant children are being exploited for trafficking and cheap labor.

'Is the Biden Administration going to continue ignoring it?' Mayra Flores asked in a Twitter poll.

During an appearance on The Absolute Truth with Emerald Robinson, she said: 'I was blessed to come here when I was six years old.

'I want every child to come to the US legally. I don't want them to go through abuse and trauma.

'That is exactly what is happening at our borders. This is slavery. This is truly slavery. They are being brought to the US to work, for child sex trafficking.

'This is the horrible reality. I know the Democratic party doesn't want to face the reality but this is the reality.

'Many of them know that and still encourage illegal immigration, knowing the abuse that woman and children are going through.

'For me the issue is not Republican or Democrat, we should all be working together to fix this serious issue.'
A BBC journalist has publicly apologised to the people of Grenada for her aristocratic ancestors' ownership of more than 1,000 slaves - with her family donating 100,000 in reparations.

Laura Trevelyan, 54, a BBC reporter based in New York, delivered the apology at a ceremony in the capital St George's on Monday, attended by Grenada's prime minister.

Trevelyan said the signed public apology was the first step in reparations, and that the money the family will give to the country pales in comparison to her ancestors' fortune derived from their slave ownership.

Trevelyan read the apology aloud with her cousin John Dower, with other members of the family signing the letter of apology on behalf of 104 family members.

'To the people of Grenada, we, the undersigned, write to apologise for the actions of our ancestors in holding your ancestors in slavery,' the apology read.

Laura Trevelyan (right) and John Dower delivered the apology at a ceremony in the capital St George's on Monday

'To the people of Grenada, we, the undersigned, write to apologise for the actions of our ancestors in holding your ancestors in slavery,' the apology read

Trevelyan read the apology aloud with her cousin John Dower, with other members of the family signing the letter of apology on behalf of 104 family members

'I'm so sorry about our painful, shared past and for the role of our ancestors in it,' the journalist said.

Her cousin John Dower said 'we repudiate our ancestors' involvement'.

The family's aristocratic relatives had more than 1,000 slaves across six sugar plantations on the Caribbean island in the 19th century.

In 1834, the Trevelyan family were awarded 26,898 in compensation for the release of slaves following the abolition of slavery. This money would be worth around 3 million today.

The family acknowledged that the 100,000 they were giving was far short of the compensation in 1834, but said this is what they could afford to give at this time.

The money will be put towards a community fund for economic development in the nation to be managed by the University of the West Indies.

The family said there will also be further private donations made from individual members of the family.

Dower also use the ceremony to call on the British government to enter into talks with leaders of Caribbean nations to negotiate compensation.

'We urge the British government to enter into meaningful negotiations with the governments of the Caribbean in order to make appropriate reparations through Caricom, and bodies such as the Grenada National Reparations Commission,' Dower said.

Sir John Trevelyan with his wife Louisa Simon (centre couple) who had more than 1,000 slaves on Grenada

Laura Trevelyan, 54, is a BBC reporter based in New York

'I'm so sorry about our painful, shared past and for the role of our ancestors in it,' Laura Trevelyan said

Grenadian Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell accepted the family's apology and noted this was not something they had to do.

'I appreciate that some of our fellow citizens may see this as tokenism, as an attempt to pacify us, but I am satisfied that sometimes even tokenism is a step in the right direction. They did not have to do this,' the prime minister said.

Sir Hilary Beckles, Vice-Chancellor of the University of the West Indies, who the Trevelyan family said they worked with to deliver the repatriation and apology, also spoke at the ceremony.

Beckles called the Trevelyan's ancestors 'leading architects' and an 'essential part of the slavocracy of this world'.

The Vice-Chancellor recounted that some 3.5 million Africans were brought to the Caribbean by the British, and only 600,000 remained at the time when slavery was abolished.

Beckles said: 'The enslavers dominated the British parliament. They were the legislators. So the enslavers raided the British Treasury of 20m pounds to pay themselves. It was the largest ever expenditure taken by the British parliament.'

Sir Charles Trevelyan is also an ancestor of the family. He was the English official in charge of Irish famine relief when outbreaks of potato blight killed half a million people in the 1840s and 1850s

Wood engraving of a man taking the pulse of a sick Irish emigrant on board ship bound for North America during the potato famine

Arley Gill, chairman of the Grenada National Reparations Commission (GNRC) said the Trevelyans had made a 'brave step'.

'Today is a day of remembrance, a day to remember our ancestors and their descendants and it is finally a day of recognition of the harms of slavery and a moment of reckoning that is long overdue,' he said.

'This apology and financial commitment from Laura Trevelyan and her family should serve as a clarion call to other families, institutions and governments to acknowledge their wrongs, apologise and commit to repairing the harm done by their ancestors.'
A self-proclaimed 'disgusting' paedophile who sexually abused 13 children as young as one month old while posing as a babysitter was today jailed for 14 years in Germany.

Marcus R., 45, drugged the young girls and boys inside their homes before sexually abusing them as they screamed in pain, the district court of Cologne heard.

The married computer specialist would film himself abusing the young children and share them on chat rooms with other paedophiles over a period of 14 years. Investigators said they needed 17 days to copy the data from his computer due to the sheer volume of horrific videos and images.

Today, Marcus R., was sentenced to 14 years and six months in prison for his 'sadistic' crimes. The IT expert appeared in court covering his face with a piece of paper.

'Behind a bourgeois facade there was a dark side,' Judge Christoph Kaufmann said of Marcus R. according to Bild.

Marcus R., 45, drugged the young girls and boys inside their homes before sexually abusing them as they screamed in pain, the district court of Cologne heard. Today, Marcus R., was sentenced to 14 years and six months in prison for his 'sadistic' crimes. The IT expert appeared in court covering his face with a piece of paper.

Between 2005 and 2019, Marcus R., from Wermelskirchen, abused 13 children. The public prosecutor said he committed 124 crimes against the youngsters, the youngest being a girl who was just a month old.

Marcus R., who posed as a trustworthy babysitter, would sexually abuse the children while their parents went to work or went out with friends.

Among those he abused were the two young sons of a police officer. In 2007, Beate M. - not her real name - hired Marcus R. to look after her children, who were then aged two and four, after several supervised play dates.

Marcus R. would visit the family home every month while Beate M. went to work. During those hours alone, he would drug the boys before sexually abusing them and torturing them with sex toys he had brought in his bag, reports Die Welt newspaper.

He would film himself sexually abusing the young boys and send the videos to other paedophiles, while encouraging fathers to abuse their children, reports

Marcus R., who has described his behaviour as 'disgusting' during his trial, was arrested by police officers in December 2021 at his family home.

Beate M. was told by police officers that Marcus R. had sexually abused her children while he had been their babysitter.

A police officer told Beate M. that her youngest son had whimpered in pain in one of the videos.

'I haven't seen the films to this day and I won't,' Beate M. told Die Welt. 'But I keep thinking about that whimper he told me about.'

Marcus R., who posed as a trustworthy babysitter, would sexually abuse the children while their parents went to work or went out with friends. Pictured: Marcus R's family home where he lived with his wife

Beate M says that her children do not remember the abuse that they suffered - in part due to the trauma, but also due to the drugs they were plied with by Marcus R. 'They didn't know, they don't need to know now,' she said.

During the trial, the court heard how Marcus R. told other paedophiles that he found the children's 'whining and resistance' stimulating. Investigators said they discovered he he had written 30,957 messages to other abusers under four different names on an online chat.

German politician Herbert Reul, an Interior Minister for the North Rhine-Westphalia region, told Bild: 'I am relieved that this criminal and tormentor of so many innocent children is now behind bars for many years.

Every victim who is freed, every perpetrator who is punished, gives us additional motivation to track down child molesters and to invest in human resources and technology for this important work.'
She was always 'strong and stable' when she was prime minister, but Theresa May was able to stay upright in the Commons today as one of her Brexit opponents droned on about Europe.

Mrs May slumped over in her seat, feigning boredom and falling sleep as 82-year-old Bill Cash subjected the chamber to an anecdote about the Maastricht Treaty.

He made the remark as he paid tribute to former Speaker of the house, Betty Boothroyd, who died yesterday aged 93.

As he discussed at length her handling of a row over the Treaty in 1992, Mrs May could be seen slumping over to her left a few rows in front of him.

She had previously paid her own tributre to Baroness Boothroyd, saying the first ever female Speaker would 'always have her place in history'.

Mrs May slumped over in her seat, feigning boredom and falling sleep as 82-year-old Bill subjected the chamber to an anecdote about the Maastricht Treaty.

As he discussed at length her handling of a row over the Treaty in 1992, Mrs May could be seen slumping over to her left a few rows in front of him.

It was not the first time Mr Cash, the MP for Stone, has helped bring Mrs May low. He voted against her Brexit deals and urged her to resign for making an 'abject surrender' to Brussels.

In his tributes to Boothroyd, Mr Cash said he was one of few Tories who voted for the then Labour MP to become Speaker in 1992, having decided she was 'the right person for the job'.

He continued: 'It wouldn't go for me not to make mention of some aspect of the inevitable issue which is about to be mentioned and that is the Maastricht Treaty.

'She was the Speaker I had to deal with and it was a very, very important moment.'

The Treaty was at the heart of on of the first major Tory rows over Europe. It created a new level of integrated in the then European Economic Community, paving the way for it to become the EU with provisions on a single current and common foreign and security policies.

Women MPs from both sides of the House led tributes to Baroness Boothroyd this afternoon.

Mother of the House Harriet Harman, a Labour MP and former Cabinet minister, told the Commons of a 'sad but a very proud moment'.

Ms Harman said: 'A proud moment for all of us women in the House, she was the first and only woman speaker, and she was brilliant in the chair. A proud moment for Labour, as a woman from a working class Yorkshire background who blazed a trail for Labour in politics.

'And a proud moment for the House. She was an icon for Parliament. She was admired and respected not only in this country but also abroad.'

She added: 'Nothing smoothed her path. Let's remember, it was not an asset to getting into Parliament to have been a secretary, it was not an asset to get into Parliament to be a woman, and it was certainly not an asset to get into Parliament to have been a dancer. But she overcame all those odds.

Ms May had previously paid her own tributre to Baroness Boothroyd, saying the first ever female Speaker would 'always have her place in history'.

'And this was at a time when Parliament was overwhelmingly male-dominated. She joined the Commons when only 3 per cent of MPs were women, 97 per cent were men, but she not only got into Parliament, she got her voice heard.

'And she did this through a combination of charisma, commitment, through more energy than anybody else, and bottomless resilience. She was smart, and she was tough, and my goodness she had to be.'

Ms May added: 'As the woman who broke that glass ceiling and became the first woman speaker in 700 years, Betty Boothroyd will always have her place in history.

'She reminded us of the importance in this place of humanity, because she showed that so well through everything that she did.'

Commons Leader Penny Mordaunt described Baroness Boothroyd as a 'remarkable figure' who 'cut-through' with the public.

She said: 'Hers was a character that was forceful enough to transcend time, parliaments, partisanship and generations.'

Shadow Commons leader Thangam Debbonaire described Baroness Boothroyd as a 'giant of our Labour Party and a giant of this House'.
U.S.-based lounge-indie band

has been lighting it up with its summery sound since the release of their 2014 debut album "

." Their lilting guitar sounds have struck a chord with fans who connect with the breezy aesthetic and dreamy lyrics. Ahead of their Asia tour, which sees them play dates in Seoul, Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and Indonesia, band member Eugene Chung spoke with The Korea Times about their sound, their journey and how they manage to stay so breezy.







It's hard not to get lost in the laid-back, beachy world of this Texas-originated band. Summer Salt's warm indie-pop aesthetic and illustrative vacation-friendly lyrics transport the listener instantly to a sandy island setting.







But how does the band manage to maintain its cool and breezy demeanor?







"I'm glad we're perceived that way," laughs Eugene, drummer and co-songwriter of the band. "Musically, we like things that are not too busy, and that really plays into the easygoing songwriting style that we're going for. It's not always a conscious decision, but a reflection of our personalities."







Summer Salt's positive attitude is possibly best reflected in their name. Not only does it contribute to the hot season imagery, it's also a straightforward pun. Incidentally, it's not the only example of what Eugene describes as "goofy" wordplay. The band refers to its style of music as "coral-reef-rock," which is both an apt description and also a bit of tongue-in-cheek fun. Coral is sort of like a rock, get it?







Humor is an intrinsic part of Summer Salt, especially when they were younger. The duo met in high school and were all about having a good time. While they have grown up since those days, fun is still central to their ethos.







Despite finding ways to enjoy themselves, though, the duo were eager to leave their hometown of Dallas for the "cultural oasis" of Austin. "Matt and I both grew up in Dallas, and, in many ways, it felt like living in a bubble, especially growing up in the suburbs," Eugene says. "Austin was a completely different world. We were surrounded by music which is something we'd always wanted to do. Politically as well, it was very different. Dallas being very conservative, and Austin being more liberal, which is closer to how we feel about things."







Between frequent lyrical references to Dallas and Austin as well as vivid, scene-setting descriptions, geography seems important to the music of Summer Salt. We like to write from our own experiences and the experiences of those around us," Eugene explains, "so that goes hand in hand with writing about the place we are. For the kind of music we make, feeling like you're in a certain kind of location, a chilled-out sunny space, that's important, I think."







Despite living in places like Dallas, Austin and, more recently, San Francisco, Eugene is no city boy. "I think I'm a perfect mix of both city and countryside. I love being outside, but I need to be around people and where things are happening," he says.






The ex-felon was hit with charges, including unlawful possession of firearms

An ex-Marine was arrested for trying to board a flight from Newark to Fort Lauderdale armed with an AR-15, handguns, a Taser and bogus US Marshalls badge.

Seretse Clouden, 42, was at Newark Liberty International Airport on December 30 headed to the Sunshine State when TSA agents discovered the battery of weapons.

They included a .308-caliber DPMS Panther Arms rifle, a 5.56-caliber AR-15 rifle and a .40-caliber Glock 22 handguns.

A further search of his luggage revealed a ballistic vest carrier with the words 'Deputy Marshal,' two magazines, an expandable baton, and massive amounts of ammunition.

It comes after gun seizures at airports across the US hit an all time high last year, with 6,542 in the 12 months, averaging 18 a day.

Seretse Clouden, 42, was at Newark Liberty International Airport on December 30 headed to the Sunshine State when TSA agents discovered the battery of weapons

He shared a photograph on social media of his luggage arriving in Fort Lauderdale at the end of January

Clouden was identified once agents made an announcement asking for the owner of the alarmed luggage, the complaint obtained by DailyMail.com revealed.

TSA agents also found a United States Marshal credentials with his name and picture on it, fake badge, two magazines, an expandable baton and massive amounts of ammunition, according to a complaint filed by the bureau in the US District Court in Newark.

When confronted by officials he told agents that he did not have law enforcement credentials or a firearms identification cards from any state.

According to the complaint, the United States Marshals Service told them that Clouden was never employed with them, and confirmed that his identification documents he was using to depict himself as a Deputy United States Marshal were fraudulent. This wasn't Clouden's first run in with the law.

They included a .308-caliber DPMS Panther Arms rifle, a 5.56-caliber AR-15 rifle and a .40-caliber Glock 22 handguns

A further search of his luggage revealed a ballistic vest carrier with the words 'Deputy Marshal,' two magazines, an expandable baton, and massive amounts of ammunition

Clouden's Linkedin profile shows his current status is with a company named Romulus Holdings, Inc.

In April 2016, Clouden was convicted in the Superior Court of New Jersey, Bergen County, of unlawful possession of a weapon, a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year.

He pled guilty and acknowledged that the crime to which he was pleading guilty carried a maximum potential penalty of 10 years' imprisonment.

On Monday, Clouden was slapped with new charges including, unlawful possession of firearms and ammunition.

A convicted felon charge carries a maximum sentence of 10 years and fine of up to $250,000.

A scene at Newark airport

Faudulent possession of an identification document that can carry a maximum sentence of 15 years, or be given a fine or both, according to the US Attorney's office.

Clouden's Linkedin profile shows that he was with the US Marine Corps for eight years- December 1998 to November 2006. Followed by a two-year stint as a federal protection officer with the US Department of Homeland Security.

His current role that he has held since January 2014 is executive protection officer for Romulus Holdings, Inc.
US academics increasingly bite their tongues for fear of losing their jobs  and conservative scholars feel the heat more than their liberal counterparts, a shock campus survey has revealed.

Research by the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE), a free speech group, found that 52 percent of professors said they worried about losing their jobs or reputations because of being misunderstood or taken out of context.

Those on the right feel it the most  72 percent of conservative respondents feared being canned for their views, compared to 56 percent of moderates and 40 percent of liberals.

It's many times worse than during the anti-Communist Red Scare purge of US institutions in the 1950s, when Sen Joseph McCarthy famously probed his targets for subversion and espionage, researchers said.

FIRE researcher Nathan Honeycutt warned of a chilling wave across academia.

The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE), a free speech group, found that 52 percent of professors said they worried about losing their jobs or reputations because of being misunderstood or taken out of context

As part of his shake-up of education in Florida, Gov. Ron DeSantis seeks to ban colleges from teaching critical race theory (CRT) and radical gender ideology  to the chagrin of some professors and free speech advocates

'When professors across the political spectrum become terrified of losing their jobs for exercising their rights, true academic inquiry and diversity of thought become nearly impossible,' said Honeycutt.

The poll of nearly 1,500 US faculty members comes as universities become increasingly polarized, and campaigners and politicians from left and right turn campuses into front lines on America's culture wars.

New hires complain about having to submit diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) statements for jobs, while liberal tutors in Florida say they've been forced to stop teaching about racism and gender because of rules imposed under Republican Gov Ron DeSantis.

Notable victims include former Hamline University tutor Erika Lopez Prater, who was cut by the Minnesota school after a Muslim student complained about her showing a 14th-century painting of the Prophet Muhammad as part of a lesson on Islamic art  even though she had warned students in advance.

Meanwhile, Dr. Richard Lowery, a tenured professor at the University of Texas in Austin, has sued the school, saying administrators threatened his job for saying critical race theory (CRT) had 'no scientific basis.'

FIRE's 54-page report, The Academic Mind in 2022, was released on Tuesday and found that roughly three-in-five respondents believed that 'a university professor should be free to express any of their ideas or convictions on any subject.'

But the reality at American schools is very different, with 11 percent of faculty describing being disciplined or threatened with such because of their teaching, and 4 percent facing the same for their research or academic talks.

At the other end, about a third of professors supported college officials opening formal investigations into their colleagues who made controversial statements  showing how some academics seek to cancel each other.

DEI statements have become increasingly common in universities in recent years and by some counts are required for a fifth of academic posts. Such states as Florida and Texas have introduced laws to ban mandatory DEI statements.

Survey respondents were evenly split on such statements  50 percent said they were justifiable requirements, while the other half of respondents called them an ideological litmus test that violates academic freedom.

Liberal women scholars supported them more than conservative men. Some 57 percent of liberal scholars said that improving political diversity was less important than advancing race and gender diversity on campus.

Faculty leaders at Hamline University - which dismissed art history instructor Erika Lopez Prater (pictured right) - have overwhelmingly called for the university president Fayneese Miller (pictured left) to resign

Aram Wedatalla complained to the school, claiming she'd been 'blindsided' by the image of the Prophet Muhammad despite Professor Prater giving the class multiple warnings that she intended to show it

The group's campaign manager Katie Kortepeter told DailyMail.com that the response rate for the survey was 'low by conventional standards' but that the results were still relevant.

The non-profit civil liberties group earlier this month named Hamline University has as one of America's worst colleges for free speech in the wake of the prophet Muhammad sacking scandal.

The other schools that made the top ten include transgender swimming star Lia Thomas' University of Pennsylvania, which was cited for trying to silence a professor's anti-immigration and anti-affirmative action comments.

The University of Oregon is included on the list for forcing staff members to 'pledge allegiance' to 'diversity, equity and inclusion.' The prestigious Texas A&M also made the top ten after school officials began taking control of traditionally student-run events on campus.
Maxwell, 61, is serving 20 years after being found guilty of sex trafficking and procuring underage girls for late pedophile Jeffrey Epstein

By the time the trial arrived she was so worn down she was 'unable meaningfully to assist in her own defense, much less to testify', the appeal will claim

Ghislaine Maxwell will claim that she did not testify during her sex trafficking trial because 'inhumane' prison treatment left her sleep deprived

Ghislaine Maxwell will appeal her sex trafficking conviction on the basis that her 'inhumane' treatment left her physically incapable of mounting a defense.

DailyMail.com can reveal that the disgraced socialite will claim she couldn't 'meaningfully assist' in court because the grim conditions in the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, where she was held before her trial, prison left her so sleep deprived and exhausted.

The appeal will suggest that was the reason she did not testify during her trial for recruiting and trafficking underage girls to the late pedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

The appeal, which is expected to run to hundreds of pages, must be filed by the end of Tuesday at the federal court in New York where Maxwell was found guilty last January following a trial.

DailyMail.com can reveal Ghislaine Maxwell is appealing her sex trafficking conviction on the basis that her 'inhumane' treatment in prison left her physically incapable of mounting a defense

The disgraced socialite will claim she couldn't 'meaningfully assist' in court because the grim conditions in prison left her so sleep deprived and exhausted

She is being represented by Arthur Aidala, the New York lawyer who is also representing Harvey Weinstein on his appeal against his conviction before a Manhattan jury.

Bruised Maxwell is seen in this photo of her alleged mistreatment in prison

Aidala said that Maxwell had been an 'active' participant in the work on her appeal from her cell at FCI Tallahassee in Florida, where she is now serving her 20-year sentence. She was transferred after her convictions.

Maxwell was found guilty of conspiracy to entice and transport minors to travel to engage in illegal sex acts, transporting a minor to participate in illegal sex acts, sex trafficking conspiracy, and sex trafficking of a minor.

During her sentencing Judge Alison Nathan, who presided over the trial, called her crimes 'horrific'.

Maxwell, 61, has always maintained her innocence and in a jailhouse interview said that she wished she had never met Epstein, her former boyfriend.

Maxwell's lawyers complained repeatedly about her conditions in the Brooklyn lock-up while she awaited trial.

The appeal will claim she was held in solitary confinement 'under inhumane conditions' including leaving her sleep deprived.

By the time the trial arrived she was so worn down she was 'unable meaningfully to assist in her own defense, much less to testify', the appeal will claim.

Maxwell's lawyers complained repeatedly about her conditions in the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn while she awaited trial

Maxwell juror Scotty David said he 'flew through' the prospective juror questionnaire, not realizing he should have revealed he had been a victim of sexual abuse

Maxwell, 61, is serving 20 years after being found guilty of sex trafficking and procuring underage girls for late pedophile Jeffrey Epstein

In previous legal filings Maxwell's lawyers said that while awaiting trial she was 'withering away to a shell of her former self'.

They claimed her hair was falling out, she was losing weight and was being forced to scrub the showers as punishment.

She claimed she never had a 'properly heated meal' and that every meal she was given melted to the plastic in the microwave.

Maxwell also griped about being kept awake by having a torch shone in her face every 15 minutes throughout night which kept her awake, and said the water behind bars was 'odorous and non-palatable' and so 'clouded with heavy particulates' that it went brown.

Judge Nathan largely rejected the claims and in court Maxwell appeared alert and engaged, at one point even meeting a journalist as she sat with her lawyers.

Among the other claims in the appeal will be that trial violated a non prosecution agreement signed by federal prosecutors in Florida under which Epstein served 13 months in jail in 2008 for having sex with underage girls.

Maxwell will claim that Scotty David, one juror in her case 'concealed' the fact they had experienced childhood sexual abuse and then used it to persuade the other jurors of Maxwell's guilt.

David said he 'flew through' the prospective juror questionnaire without realizing he should have revealed he had been a victim of sexual abuse.

There will also be claims she was made a 'proxy' for Epstein, who was found hanged in his cell while awaiting trial in July 2019. His death was ruled a suicide.

The convicted criminal is housed at Florida's FCI Tallahassee female prison. Maxwell, who is known as inmate 02879-509, works six hours a day in the library to pass the time

Maxwell has daily access to the sporting facilities at the prison including the 400-meter running track where she has been seen going on hour-long jobs

Maxwell was arrested a year later at a $1million mansion in Bradford, New Hampshire called Tuckedaway that she bought while with her estranged husband, Scott Borgerson, a former tech tycoon.

Reports have claimed the ex-couple, who married in 2016, have divorced with Maxwell getting just $1million out of the $22million she was worth before her trial.

However a source close to Maxwell denied the divorce had been finalized, saying that 'there is no settlement' and declining to comment further.

Inside FCI Tallahassee Maxwell, who is known as inmate 02879-509, works six hours a day in the library to pass the time. She was denied a job at a government-owned call center because prison authorities decided it should not go to a convicted sex offender.

As DailyMail.com exclusively revealed on Monday, she was put in solitary confinement for two days after giving an interview that was aired on British television. Prison authorities believed she had broken rules by being paid and released her from the Special Housing Unit when they realized she hadn't.

Now back in the general population at the low-security prison, she has daily access to the sporting facilities, including the 400-meter running track where she has been seen going on hour-long jobs.

Maxwell has used her Oxford University education to win over some of the 755-strong prison population, who don't seem to mind that she is posh.

She hangs out with con woman Linda Morrow, who helped her plastic surgeon husband bilk insurers out of $44million by pretending cosmetic procedures such as tummy tucks, breast augmentations and 'vaginal rejuvenations' were medical necessities.

Another confidante is Narcy Novak, a 65-year-old Florida woman serving life without parole for hiring hitmen to murder her hotelier husband Ben Novak Jr. and his elderly mother Bernice in a grab for their family estate.
Canadian parents in the school district where a transgender teacher with giant Z-cup breasts teaches have launched a legal fund to sue the school.

The furious families set up the page to bring in more money so they can force Oakville Trafalgar High School to make Kayla Lemieux abide by the dress code

The GoFundMe page is the second one launched by parents this year. The last page raised nearly $10,000.

Previously, a concerned parent described Lemieux as 'a man who dresses up as a woman who has size Z fetish fake boobs.'

'The teacher's inappropriate attire and enormous prosthetic breasts have created a significant distraction that has led to serious safety concerns for the students and staff at the school,' the crowdfunding page reads. The school has had three bomb threats since September 2022.

The page points out that there is a school dress policy for students but not for teachers. It was started by Students First Ontario, a pressure group that seeks a dress code for high school teachers.

Last year, pictures of Lemieux went viral thanks to her Z-cup size breasts, protruding nipples and outrageous clothing choices.

Kayla Lemieux, the transgender high school teacher in Canada - who went viral for her prosthetic Z-cup breasts - was allegedly seen by a neighbor dressing as a man outside school grounds

'Since the start of the 2022 Fall term, students at Oakville Trafalgar High School (OTHS) have become part of an international media spectacle - testing the limits of 'diversity, equity & inclusion (DEI)' and 'identity & expression' in a school environment,' the Students First Ontario page reads.

On Wednesday, the Halton District School Board will vote on a new dress code for teachers, however parents are incensed at the lack of specifics in the ruling, reports The National Post.

Teacher's dress is covered by the board's 'professionalism policy' in the new code.

'The draft policy is yet again an example of the HDSB's inability to develop a policy that will address the issue at hand  dress code and professionalism of teachers to ensure that students attend classes in an environment that is safe and distraction free,' a spokesperson for Students First Ontario, Celina Close, said.

Close accused the school board of not dealing with the issue. 'Where is the urgency and willingness to work with parents and put the students first?' she added.

Close also said that she expected parents to protest the board meeting.

Students shared videos of Lemieux in other schools while she recovered from a foot injury, showing her walking with crutches

Last week a person bearing a striking to Lemieux was seen out and about wearing men's clothing - minus the prosthetics and wig. Lemieux is seen pictured in summer 2022

Students were allegedly threatened with suspension if they took pictures of Lemieux

Also this week, Ontario's Minister for Education Stephen Lecce said: 'Halton parents are rightfully outraged at what's taking place,' he told the Toronto Star.

'Halton parents are rightfully outraged at what's taking place... 'The welfare of kids should prevail in our judgements in school boards and in government.'

Bizarrely last week, Lemieux said in an interview that her breasts are real and that she was born intersex and is not transgender.

'I'm not wearing prosthetic breasts. These are real,' Canadian Lemieux told the New York Post last week while explaining how she is not 'transgender' but was born 'intersex.'

'My condition is classified as gigantomastia, which can also be referred to as macromastia or breast hypertrophy,' Lemieux said, although she noted how she had never received a formal medical diagnosis.

'It's rare, there's no doubt about it. It affects women on a very rare basis, but in my case, I believe  and my doctor thinks  because I have XX chromosomes as well, that has something to do with it, and hormone sensitivity to estrogen has caused it.'

Earlier this month, a person bearing a striking to Lemieux was seen out and about wearing men's clothing - minus the prosthetics and wig.

Lemieux has made headlines multiple times and began transitioning from male to female in 2021

A neighbor identified that person as being Lemieux. They were later seen driving in and out of the apartment block and walking on the sidewalk later on.

'He wears prosthetic breasts extremely infrequently,' the neighbor said. 'He puts the breasts on to teach, occasionally when he goes for a walk or when the cops visit.'

A law enforcement source also says that officers - both uniformed and plainclothes - do regular welfare checks at her apartment.

The neighbor claims that usually, Lemieux's outfit is completely unmissable, having started going out in public as a woman in May 2022.

'I was driving past. You can see the breasts from so far away when you're driving,' he said. 'He put the whole outfit on and just walked up and down Guelph Line  no bags, just walking. Everyone slows down because you can't believe what they're seeing.'

Lemieux was quick to respond to such allegations: 'I can't tell you who that is because I don't want to bring anyone else into this. I don't want that person being thrown all over the media, but it wasn't me.

'This is who I am. This is how I look. You've been talking to people in my building but what they're telling you is harsh and untrue. I am always going out looking the way I am.'

Asked if she would ever look different out and about, 'I guess if I took my wig off or took my makeup off,' she replied.

'But I would still have breasts. You can't hide them. People online making comments are basically body-shaming,' Lemieux explained.

'I identify as a woman. Female. She/her,' Lemieux said when asked specifically about her sexuality.

'My whole life, I've been identifying as male. I've been looking like a male. When I decided to embrace this other side of me around age 39, this presented itself,' she said.

'Intersex people can have a mixture of those two different sets of chromosomes. It can be something they don't even know about. It can show up in other physical attributes at birth so it can be more obvious or less obvious, depending on the person,' Lemieux said.

Students and parents have raised concerns about Lemieux's attire, saying it 'mocks women and the education experience'.

Until now the board has supported her decision to dress that way, and in December it emerged students had been threatened with suspension if they took photos of her.

Lemieux has made headlines multiple times and began transitioning from male to female in 2021.

Controversial trans teacher Kayla Lemieux pictured at a children's dance recital in Ontario in 2021

In December, David Menzies, a host with the right-wing Canadian news outlet Rebel Media, spoke about Lemieux being removed from a theater, in an appearance on Tucker Carlson's Fox News show.

Menzies also discussed the incident in a November episode of his show. At the time he said of Lemieux's presence at the dance recital: 'This is so gross. This is so disturbing. This is so despicable.'

In December, David Menzies, a host with the right wing Canadian news outlet Rebel Media, spoke about Lemieux being removed from a theater, in an appearance on Tucker Carlson's Fox News show

During the same episode, Menzies said that he brought a camera crew to Lemieux's condo. He said that he witnessed Lemieux removing her breasts and wig while at home.

In October, Menzies attended a meeting of the Halton School District School Board, where Lemieux teaches at Oakville Trafalgar High School, as the character 'Mammary Menzies' equipped with extremely large prosthetic breasts.

Menzies brought with him a petition calling for the school board to be terminated over Lemieux's continued employment. He was eventually removed from the meeting by a police officer.

Students have shared videos of Lemieux in other schools while she recovers from a foot injury, showing her walking with crutches and sitting beside a student who appeared to be vaping.

The district has now warned that students are not allowed to take pictures of anyone in school unless they get their permission - and could face suspension if they do.

Along with complaints over the alleged suspension warnings, parents claimed 'Lemieux gets a personal escort [and] protection' everywhere she goes after the district received a series of bomb threats.

In his bio, Voodoo describes himself as 'THE CONSERVATIVE PORNSTAR SKYDIVER'

Voodoo said he was only focused on jumping out of the plane, and discussing his personal feelings about transgender people with Lemieux would be counterproductive to their safety

In November, Lemieux was pictured skydiving with a male porn star named Voodoo, whose real name is Alexandre Boisvert.

Voodoo said that he was only focused on jumping out of the plane, and discussing his personal feelings about transgender people with Lemieux would be counterproductive to their safety.

He also stressed that Lemieux did not know who he was either.

Speaking exclusively to DailyMail at the time, Voodoo said: 'I had no idea I was taking the controversial transgender school teacher until they showed up to the drop zone.

'I'm not a fan of trans activism or Kayla's behavior at the school but I'm a professional and I don't discriminate.'

He added: 'I'll throw anyone out of a plane. Plus, I regarded taking a big 230-pound person with huge prosthetic beasts on a skydive as a challenge. Most instructors would not even take them strictly on their size alone.'
The Russian despot headed the FSB until 1999, just before he became president

Putin said the FSB had to counter what he said was increasing espionage

Vladimir Putin today ordered his FSB counterintelligence service to crackdown on Russian 'scum' who oppose him.

The despot was addressing the security agency's college in Moscow amid the brutal war with Ukraine which has killed hundreds of thousands of people.

'It's necessary to identify and stop the illegal activities of those who are trying to divide and weaken our society; to use separatism, nationalism, neo-Nazism and xenophobia as weapons,' he claimed.

Putin said Russia had always experienced such activity. 'And now the attempts, of course, are at their most active. Attempts to activate all this scum on our land.'

Putin also called for the domestic security service to step up its activity to counter what he said was increasing espionage against Russia by Ukraine and the West.

Vladimir Putin was addressing the security agency's college in Moscow today amid the brutal war with Ukraine

In a speech to officials, Putin said the FSB had to stop 'sabotage groups' entering Russia from Ukraine, step up protection of infrastructure, and prevent Western security services reviving what he called terrorist or extremist cells inside Russia.

Putin, who headed the FSB before becoming Russian prime minister and then president, said: 'It is necessary to identify and suppress the illegal activity of those who are trying to split, weaken our society.'

'Western intelligence services have traditionally always been active in Russia, and now they have thrown additional personnel, technical and other resources at us. We need to respond accordingly.'

He instructed the FSB to prevent illegal weapons flows into Russia, and to strengthen security in four regions of Ukraine that Moscow has partially seized and claimed as its own - a move most countries at the United Nations have condemned as illegal.

The FSB needs to strengthen all its counter-intelligence activity, Putin told the agency that he once headed.

'Significant information about the control systems of our military and law enforcement structures, defence industry enterprises, critical technologies and personal data must be reliably protected,' he said, stressing the importance of secrecy around the latest Russian weapons and equipment.

The president did not mention any specific intelligence failures, but his comments implied concern about potential vulnerabilities.

Russian President Vladimir Putin (left) and Director of Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) Alexander Bortnikov attend a meeting of the service's collegium in Moscow today

Federal Security Service (FSB) director Alexander Bortnikov listens as Russian President Vladimir Putin delivers his speech today

In the year since he launched his invasion of Ukraine, Russia has seen drone strikes on its own territory, hacking of pro-government media and the assassination last August of the daughter of a prominent nationalist who endorsed the war.

Activists claim to have carried out dozens of attacks on railway infrastructure aimed at disrupting military traffic.

Details are hard to verify, but the FSB said this month it had detained three Russians involved in 'terrorist acts' on railway infrastructure in the Urals region.

In the latest example of cyber disruption, the emergencies ministry said hackers had on Tuesday caused regional broadcasters to issue false alerts telling people to take cover in bomb shelters.
More than 100 police officers began searching a landfill site on Tuesday for Hong Kong model Abby Choi's missing hands and torso.

Hong Kong police started to comb the site for evidence related to the grisly killing after her legs were found in a refrigerator and her skull and a number of her ribs were discovered in a cooking pot.

Ex-husband Alex Kwong, his father Kwong Kau and his brother Anthony Kwong were charged with murder after police found her remains in a house rented by Kwong Kau in a suburban part of Hong Kong near the border with mainland China.

Alex Kwong's mother, Jenny Li, faces one count of perverting the course of justice. All four were detained without bail.

They have not yet entered their pleas, and it does not appear that their lawyers have commented on the case to the media. The hearing was adjourned until May.

Police officers comb through garbage, searching for the remains of murdered model and influencer Abby Choi in a landfill site in Hong Kong on February 28, 2023

Pictured: Abby Choi. Hong Kong police began searching the site on Tuesday for evidence related to the grisly killing after her legs found in a refrigerator and her skull and a number of her ribs were discovered in a cooking pot

On Tuesday morning, more than 100 police officers wearing protective gear went to North East New Territories Landfill in Ta Kwu Ling, a 15-minute drive from mainland China, to search for the missing body parts with excavators and shovels.

'The suspects threw away several bags of important evidence in the morning of February 22. They may be some human body parts or they could be the clothes and the phone of the victim, or even the weapons,' Superintendent Alan Chung told reporters.

Mr Chung said they could not find anything substantial yet, other than bones, which police could not ascertain if they belonged to a human or animals.

Ms Choi's family, dressed in black, gathered near the house where her body parts were found to pay respects. They earlier visited a mortuary to identify her.

Alex Kwong appeared in another court Tuesday for a previous theft case, where he jumped bail.

Another woman who had been arrested for allegedly assisting other suspects in the case was released on bail pending further investigation, police said. She was believed to have been in an affair with the ex-husband's father, the force said earlier.

Ms Choi, 28, who had more than 100,000 followers on Instagram, disappeared on February 21, according to a report filed later with the Hong Kong Police.

Her last post was on February 19, featuring a photo shoot she had done with fashion magazine L'Officiel Monaco.

Ms Choi had financial disputes involving tens of millions of Hong Kong dollars (millions of pounds) with her ex-husband and his family, police said, adding that 'some people' were unhappy with how Ms Choi handled her finances.

The gruesome killing has transfixed many in Hong Kong and across the border in mainland China.

Ms Choi's ex-husband Alex Kwong, his father Kwong Kau and his brother Anthony Kwong were charged with murdering the model. Alex Kwong's mother Jenny Li faces one count of perverting the course of justice. Pictured: One of the suspects is seen being led by police officers to court late on Sunday

Ms Choi's friend Bernard Cheng earlier said he initially thought she had been kidnapped.

'I haven't imagined a person who's so good, so full of love, so innocent, a person who doesn't do anything bad will be killed like this,' he said. 'My heart is still heavy. I can't sleep well.'

Mr Cheng said Ms Choi had four children, aged between 3 and 10.

Alex Kwong, 28, was the father of the older two, who are being taken care of by Ms Choi's mother.

Ms Choi had good relationships with her family, including her in-laws, Mr Cheng said, and would travel with the families of her current and former husbands together.

While violent crime is rare in Hong Kong, the case recalls a handful of other shocking killings. In 2013, a man killed his parents and their heads were later found in refrigerators. In another infamous 1999 case, a woman was kidnapped and tortured by three members of an organised crime group before her death. Her skull was later found stuffed in a Hello Kitty doll.

Alex Kwong and in-laws of a Hong Kong model and influencer appeared in court yesterday charged with her gruesome murder.

Pictures on Sunday evening showed one of the male suspects being led to court by police with a black bag over his head. The four were placed in custody without bail.

Ms Choi was a model and influencer who shared her glamorous life of photoshoots and fashion shows. She had just attended a Dior show at Paris Fashion Week, and posted an image of herself dressed in a tulle floor-length gown.

Ms Choi, 28, was a model and influencer who shared her glamorous life of photoshoots and fashion shows with more than 100,000 followers on Instagram. Dressed in a tulle floor-length gown, she had just attended a Dior show at Paris Fashion Week (pictured). She was killed and dismembered, with her legs found in a refrigerator while her skull and a number of her ribs were discovered in a cooking pot

Mr Cheng said she had two sons aged ten and three and two daughters ages eight and six. The elder two were with Alex Kwong and the younger children were with her current husband, Chris Tam.

Mr Tam said he was very thankful to have had Ms Choi in his life and praised her for being supportive, friend Pao Jo-yee said in a Facebook post.

'When Abby was alive, she's a very kind person and always wanted to help people,' he was quoted as saying in the post. 'I feel anyone who could be her family and friends are blessed.'

Ms Jo-yee, who is married to Mr Cheng, told the Associated Press that she has known Ms Choi for more than seven years and she treated people around her well.

'She is that type of person that wouldn't have enemies,' she said.

Mr Cheng said Ms Choi had very good relationships with her family members and would travel with the families of her current and former husbands together.

Ms Choi's current father-in-law is a founder of one of the city's famous noodle chains, local newspaper The Standard reported.

Ms Choi had been missing for several days when police found her dismembered body, including her legs in a refrigerator, at the house in Lung Mei Tsuen, a suburban part of Hong Kong about a 30-minute drive from the border with mainland China.

The legs of Abby Choi were found by police officers in a household fridge on Friday after she went missing. Her ex-husband and three of his relatives have been charged

Ms Choi had been missing for several days when police found her dismembered body, including her legs in a refrigerator, at the house in Lung Mei Tsuen, a suburban part of Hong Kong about a 30-minute drive from the border with mainland China

On Sunday, authorities discovered a young woman's skull believed to be Ms Choi's in one of the cooking pots that was seized. Officials believe that a hole on the right rear of the skull is where she was struck in a fatal attack.

Following an extensive search, Ms Choi's former partner was arrested on suspicion of murder on Saturday, according to the South China Morning Post.

He was found on Tung Chung pier on Lantau Island, preparing to board a speedboat. Her former husband had HK$500,000 (50,000) in cash and several luxury watches worth HK$4 million (400,000) in total with him when he was arrested, sources claim.

On Saturday, Superintendent Alan Chung said the dismemberment was carried out by 'cold-blooded killers'.

'Police also have found that the flat was arranged by cold-blooded killers meticulously,' he said. 'Tools that are used to dismember human bodies were found in the flat, including meat grinders, chainsaws, long raincoats, gloves, and masks.'
Top Defense officials insisted that Ukraine will not fall to Russia and they have no reason to believe US dollars and equipment are being 'diverted' for unintended purposes.

Colin Kahl, undersecretary of defense policy, also insisted US F-16 fighter jets are not a top priority for Ukraine and would take 18-24 months to get them up and running in the war zone.

The comments came at a House Armed Services Committee (HASC) hearing on Ukraine oversight Tuesday.

It comes amid a growing split in the Republican Party between those who favor more aid to Ukraine in its fight against Russia and those who have grown tired of pouring billions into an overseas war that's now lasted over a year.

'US military aid to Ukraine exceeds the costs of Afghanistan. Enough is enough,' Texas GOP Rep. Troy Nehls tweeted Tuesday.

Robert Storch, Inspector General of the Department of Defense, insisted that there are over 20 ongoing and planned audits and evaluations of the over $113 billion in combined military, economic and and humanitarian aid the U.S. has given Ukraine since Russia invaded.

He said his agency would have an oversight report on Ukraine aid made available in April.

'We don't see any evidence of diversion in our reporting,' Kahl added. 'We think the Ukrainians are using properly what they've been given.'

But Florida GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz was not convinced. He asked Storch four times in a row to say whether the aid to Ukraine complied with End Use Monitoring, a provision of the 1996 Arms Control Act that requires the U.S. to ensure weapons it hands over to other nations are being used for their intended purposes.

'You cannot testify truthfully under oath that the DOD has complied with the policy and law regarding end use monitoring during all times of this conflict, isn't that right?' Gaetz pressed.

'I wanna be careful here,' Storch said. 'We are conducting a series of evaluations that look at the controls that DOD has in place to ensure that they are taking the steps required.'

'You're sorta dodging the question,' he told Storch as the OIG repeated that investigations were ongoing.

'I get that it's ongoing - I'm looking backwards. You cannot testify that everything has complied with the law of end use monitoring can you?' Gaetz said.

'So some of that gets into the classified report,' said Storch.

Colin Kahl, undersecretary of defense policy, insisted US F-16 fighter jets are not a top priority for Ukraine and would take 18-24 months to get them up and running in the war zone

Robert Storch, Inspector General of the Department of Defense, insisted that there are over 20 ongoing and planned audits and evaluations of the over $113 billion in combined military, economic and and humanitarian aid the U.S. has given Ukraine since Russia invaded

'I don't know why that report's classified. I think the American people deserve to know if the 1996 law is being followed,' said Gaetz. 'You can't testify that it is being followed so I think they can draw reasonable conclusions from that.'

Asked if the 20 audits did anything to assuage his concerns, Gaetz told DailyMail.com: 'I've read the results of some of those audits. And having read the results i remain deeply concerned about End Use Monitoring.'

Armed Services chairman Rep. Mike Rogers instead criticized President Biden for being 'overly worried that giving Ukraine what it needs to win would be too escalatory.'

Democrat Ranking Member Adam Smith, meanwhile, struck a more cautious tone with Ukraine aid.

'No blank check means no blank check. It means we don't just send everything that people ask for in the blink of an eye without even thinking about it. Okay, we think about it and we get the Ukrainians what they really need,' he said.

Meanwhile, another four lawmakers, mostly on the Armed Services Committee, signed onto a 16-member bipartisan letter calling on the Biden administration to give F-16 fighter jets or similar fourth generation aircraft to Ukraine.

But Smith poured cold water on the idea of giving F-16s to Ukraine.

'We determined that is not a wise use of the resources that are necessary to win the fight. That's what no blank check means,' he said.

Kahl had said that it would take 18-24 months to get a full fleet of operational F-16s in Ukraine as he said Ukrainians are more concerned with other weapons systems.

'It is a priority for the Ukrainians, but it is not one of their top three priorities,' Kahl said.

Biden said last Friday Ukraine 'doesn't need F-16s now.' Kahl said at the hearing the U.S. had not begun any sort of training of Ukraine pilots on the F-16.

'I think it's crazy,' Gaetz told DailyMail.com of the F-16 push from his colleagues on Armed Services.

'I'm worried when I hear the push [for F-16s] because it seems as though the thing that directly precedes us sending something to Ukraine is the Biden administration saying we're not gonna do it,' Gaetz said.

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

'That's what they said about the stingers, the Abrams, the HIMARS, now its what they're saying about the f-16s. Certainly Lockheed thinks there's gonna be f-16s going they're already spinning up production.'

The Washington Post editorial board called on Biden to send F-16s, and Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C. said in a tweet Biden ruling it out was 'disappointing.'

'It has been like pulling teeth with this Administration to get every weapons system requested by Ukraine to the battlefield.'

On the other hand Smith defended the Biden administration, arguing 'what we are giving Ukraine is those weapons systems they need.'

'There is not a decision being made about whether it is too escalatory,' he insisted.

Kahl also pushed back about the assertion that the Biden administration had been behind the ball on providing Ukraine with assistance over concerns of escalation.

'As a general matter I do not think we are holding back security assistance from Ukraine largely for escalatory reasons,' he said, adding he was 'relatively comfortable about where we are on the escalatory dynamic.'

Kahl, meanwhile, insisted that Ukraine will not lose, despite reports that Russia is readying a spring offensive.

'I think we know one conclusion for sure: Russia has lost,' he said. They will emerge from this conflict a shattered military power.'

'Ukraine is not going to lose,' said Kahl, adding that there could be minor territorial changes over the coming months but nothing major.

'The Russians do not have the capacity to take over Ukraine,' he added.

Kahl said he does not anticipate Russia will use nuclear weapons, even though Vladimir Putin officially signed a law Tuesday suspending the new START treaty, Russia's last standing arms control treaty with the U.S.

'We've made it very clear to Russia at the highest levels that any use of nuclear weapons in Ukraine on any scale would be considered a world-changing event,' Kahl said.

He issued a threat: 'A lot of restraints we've been operating under would no longer pertain.'

Kahl said that Russia suspending START was Putin's way to 'generate some rhetorical headlines' but will have little practical effect.

But asked about his GOP colleagues' claims the Biden administration was too hesitant to provide weapons based on fears of escalation, Gaetz said: 'I fear nuclear weapons from Russia more than I fear broken tanks from Russia.'
A drone crashed just 68 miles from the Kremlin today in a suspected 'failed attack' by Ukraine.

Russian president Vladimir Putin has ordered officials to tighten control of the border with Ukraine after a spate of drone attacks delivered a new challenge to Moscow more than a year after the invasion of its neighbour.

While Putin did not refer to any specific attacks in a speech in Moscow, his comments came hours after drones targeted several areas in southern and western Russia and authorities closed the airspace over St Petersburg in response to what some reports said was a drone.

Images shared online appear to depict a Ukrainian UJ-31 'loitering munitions' kamikaze flying bomb after it crashed down near a gas plant more than 300 miles from the border.

It came down near the village of Kolomna hours after Russia's Defence Ministry accused Ukraine of two attempted drone strikes in the south overnight.

Images shared online appear to depict a Ukrainian UJ-31 'loitering munitions' kamikaze flying bomb after it crashed down near a gas plant more than 300 miles from the border. It came down near the village of Kolomna hours after Russia's Defence Ministry accused Ukraine of two attempted drone strikes in the south overnight

Ukraine does not publicly claim responsibility for attacks inside Russia.

If it was behind the Kolomna drone, it would be its closest attempted strike to Moscow since the start of the invasion of Ukraine.

It is also the deepest inside Russian territory any suspected Ukrainian drone has been spotted.

Postings on Russian social media showed the broken grey metal drone in a snowdrift in a woodland area.

Regional governor Andrei Vorobyov said the drone appeared to have been intended to hit a 'civil infrastructure facility' but noted that there was no damage.

He said the FSB security agency was handling the situation and there was no threat to residents.

There is a gas compressor plant close to the crash site.

Reports claimed the low-flying drone may have clipped trees.

Earlier, the Russian Defence Ministry accused Ukraine of sending attack drones towards civil infrastructure targets in the southern regions of Adygea and Krasnodar.

It said its electronic anti-drone jamming systems had caused them to miss their targets.

The ministry said: 'Both drones lost control and deviated from their flight paths.

'One fell into a field, the other, deviating from its trajectory, did not harm the intended target.'

Pictured: Ukrainian UJ-22 drone (file photo)

The crash site was near Gubastovo, half way between Moscow and Ryazan

On Tuesday, several Russian television stations aired a missile attack warning that officials blamed on a hacking attack.

The strikes caused no casualties but provoked a security stir as the war with Kyiv stretches into its second year.

Russian forces early on Tuesday shot down a Ukrainian drone over the Bryansk region, local governor Aleksandr Bogomaz said in a Telegram post. He said there were no casualties.

Three drones also targeted Russia's Belgorod region on Monday night, with one flying through an apartment window in its namesake capital, local authorities reported.

Regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said the drones caused minor damage to buildings and cars but no casualties.

While Ukrainian drone strikes on the Russian border regions of Bryansk and Belgorod that lie north of Ukraine's Sumy region are not unusual, the hits on the Krasnodar and Adygea regions further south are noteworthy.

A fire broke out at an oil depot in Russia's Krasnodar region, which neighbours Adygea, on Monday, Russia's state RIA Novosti agency reported. Russian Telegram channels claimed that two drones exploded near the depot.

A drone also exploded overnight over Adygea, which lies 370 miles east of Crimea, regional governor Murat Kumpilov said on Telegram. He said no one was hurt in the attack, which damaged some farm buildings.

Ukrainian authorities offered no immediate acknowledgement or comment on the reported strikes.

Last year, Russian authorities repeatedly reported shooting down Ukrainian drones over annexed Crimea. In December, the Russian military said Ukraine used drones to hit two bases for long-range bombers deep inside Russian territory.

Separately, the local government of St Petersburg - Russia's second-largest city 800 miles north of the border with Ukraine - said early on Tuesday that it was temporarily halting all flight departures and arrivals at the city's main airport, Pulkovo. It did not give a reason for the move.

Hours earlier, unconfirmed reports on Russia's Telegram social network referred to the air space over St Petersburg being shut down and to Russian warplane overflights. It was not immediately clear whether this was connected to the alleged rise in drone attacks in Russia's south.

The Russian military said its air defence forces in Western Russia conducted drills on 'detection, interception and identification' of enemy targets in its air space, as well as in coordination with civilian air traffic services in an emergency situation.

Inside Ukraine, authorities said that at least two civilians were killed by renewed Russian shelling in the southern city of Kherson and surrounding villages and 17 more were injured in fighting over the previous 24 hours.

The fiercest fighting continued to be in eastern areas of Ukraine, where Russia wants control over all four of the provinces it illegally annexed in September.

Ukrainian officials said Russian forces have deployed additional troops and equipment, including modern T-90 tanks, in those areas.
Furious Tennessee residents have slammed Jack Daniels after the booze giant has failed to prevent an out-of-control black 'whisky fungus' from spreading across their town.

Fueled by ethanol vapor leaking from the factory's barrel houses, whisky fungus has wreaked havoc across Lincoln County in recent years.

Locals say the black mold covers their homes, porches and cars, smothering the wildlife and even obscuring street signs across the roads.

Many are also questioning whether the fungus is impacting their health and destroying the surrounding air quality, leading one defiant local to wage a legal war on the industry giant to bring the growing mold to a halt.

Tennessee residents have complained about the black 'whisky fungus' running rampant across their communities

Fueled by ethanol vapors, the fungus is able to latch onto surfaces and cover them in a sooty black mold

Locals have pointed the finger at their nearby Jack Daniels distillery as the reason behind the spread of the fungus

The whisky fungus first hit the community when the iconic liquor company announced plans to build six barrel houses in 2018, alongside the intention to construct 14 more.

But residents have been plagued by the mold ever since, and infuriated locals are now demanding the company is held responsible for the damage.

Patrick Long, who lived across from the barrel houses, filed a lawsuit with his wife Christi against the county over the mold, which has seen home values plummet while raising fears over the health of the community.

He told Insider that the community is demanding an air-filtration system be installed to block the ethanol emissions from leaking out the barrel houses, hoping to bring an end to the persistent mold.

Residents are also seeking an environmental-impact study be conducted to evaluate the health risks posed by the fungus, with Long saying that the community is increasingly worried about the unknown effects.

'It's in the air. And you really, probably don't want to be breathing that in. But nobody has done a test to determine if it's actually poisonous,' he said.

'I'm extremely concerned. My wife has breathing problems. One of the neighbors got cancer.'

The sooty emissions routinely cover everything in their path, growing into a years-long burden as officials have given up on cleaning mold off street signs and instead replace them once they become unreadable.

Long added that he has had to fork out roughly $10,000 to power wash his house, as only a powerful cocktail of water and Clorox is able to scrub off the mold.

'If you have any decent nails on you and you rode it down the side of a tree or a property within a quarter of a mile to a half-mile of these barrel houses, your entire finger will be covered in black fungus,' Long said.

'You can't see the tree limbs anymore. Our house, we have to have it pressure-washed four times a year now.'

He said when he and his wife first moved to their home in Lynchburg in 2020, the fungus was not as prevalent as the company only used two barrel houses compared to the six currently up and running.

The company is on track to build its barrel house operation up to 20 facilities, however the lawsuit launched by Long includes a stop work order to halt the planned construction of the new units.

The lawsuit, brought against Lincoln County's Board of Planning and Zoning, also alleges that Jack Daniels illegally built the factories that the fungus is emanating from, and it lacked site-plan approval and building permits before constructing them.

Christ Long added that she and her husband filed their lawsuit because they believed Jack Daniels expanded their number of barrel houses 'illegally', adding: 'We are asking the judge to force the county to issue a stop work order to stop construction at Jack Daniels.

'Here we are as District 6 spending our own personal dollars to stop a big corporation holding Lincoln County accountable,' she told WHNT.

Lincoln County and Jack Daniels did not immediately respond to a request for comment when contacted by DailyMail.com.

Tennessee residents have been hit with the mold after Jack Daniels announced plans to build six barrel houses in 2018, alongside the intention to construct 14 more

The Lincoln County community have raised concerns over the spread of the fungus, with local resident Patrick Long and his wife recently launching a lawsuit to bring it to a halt

Jack Daniels is under pressure to bring the spread of 'whisky fungus' to a halt, with many blaming their distilleries for the issue

The fungus, named Baudoinia Compniacensis, has caused significant turmoil among the small Tennessee community since it first erupted from the Jack Daniels plants.

It has reportedly spready roughly a mile from the Jack Daniels barrel houses, and is able to latch onto outdoor surfaces after being exposed to ethanol vapor.

It was first discovered in 2007, and is able to grow after alcohol evaporates through the pores of whisky barrels and escapes into the air - a system that is known as the 'angles share' of whiskey production.

In 2018, the year the new barrel houses were installed, local resident Becky Carroll told a public hearing that she believed the mold had caused severe health issues for herself and her family, including giving her cancer.

'I think there is a concern for the quality of our lives,' she said, according to The Moore County News.

'Im a strong, healthy person and this should not have happened. I cant prove it was from this ethanol, but somebody needs to prove that it is not.'

Insisting that his company was fully complaint with all state and federal codes, Jack Daniels Distillery vice president and assistant general manager Melvin Keebler told Carroll that she had their 'sympathy and empathy'.

'All of our warehouses are permitted appropriately,' Keebler said at the time. 'The air quality inside the warehouses is monitored continuously, and we have the utmost priority for protecting the environment for the safety and health of our employees and our neighbors.'

Jack Daniels told Insider that it is complying with all relevant regulations, adding: 'We are dedicated to protecting the environment and the safety and health of our employees and neighbours'.
Vandergrift's wife, a model with more than 2 million followers on Instagram and 16 million followers on Facebook, has remained silent on his disappearance

Jeffrey 'JV' Vandergrift has not been seen since Thursday around 10pm at his home in the 200 block of King Street in California's Bay Area

The San Francisco radio DJ who went missing after leaving a chilling final message on his Instagram page hasn't used his credit cards or phone

A San Francisco radio DJ who went missing after leaving a chilling final message on his Instagram page has not used his credit cards or phone since disappearing.

According to Jeffrey 'JV' Vandergrift's coworkers at Wild 94.9, the updates regarding his bank and cellphone activity are 'incredibly worrisome'.

Vandergrift was last seen at his home in the Bay Area just after 10pm after making an edit to the caption of his final Instagram photo, posted in 2022.

'Thank you for a wonderful life-filed w joy, laughs, pain & struggle. It's been a great journey. Your support & prayers meant the world,' the caption now reads.

His loved ones, including his model wife Natasha Yi who has more than 16 million followers on Facebook, are now searching for him and asking him to come home as police say there is no indication of foul play.

Jeffrey 'JV' Vandergrift was last seen at his home in the 200 block of King Street in the Bay Area just after 10pm after making an edit to the caption of his final Instagram photo, posted in 2022

According to Jeffrey 'JV' Vandergrift's coworkers at Wild 94.9, the missing radio DJ has not used his bank accounts or cellphone since going missing on Thursday

Supporters have gathered outside of the iHeart radio station building in San Francisco to show their support for Vandergrift's family and coworkers

This is the caption on the photo of Vandergrift that was edited three days ago

San Francisco police have asked the public for their help in locating the man who has been missing for almost a week.

Officials have described Vandergrift as 'at risk' and are urging anyone who may have information on his disappearance to come forward.

In a recent statement, Wild 94.9 said they are continuing to 'pray for better news.'

'As you know, our own JV has been missing since Thursday night and was officially reported missing this past Friday by the SFPD,' 94.9 said in a statement posted to their social media accounts.

'Since that time, there has been no trackable activity on his cell phone. There has also been no activity on his credit cards or any other banking records.

'These updates are obviously incredibly worrisome, though we continue to hope and pray for better news,' the post continued.

Fans are now supporting Vandergrift's coworkers and family as they have left a small display of candles, flowers, and signs outside the iHeart radio station building in the Bay Area.

'Bring JV home,' reads one sign.

'We love you, JV,' states another.

San Francisco police have asked the public for their help in locating the man who has been missing for almost a week

In a recent statement, Wild 94.9 said they are continuing to 'pray for better news'

Police have described the radio DJ as 'at risk' and asked the public to be on the lookout

'Sending prayers and wishes your way for JV's safe return, Natasha. We love you both,' one person wrote under one of Yi's most recent photos of herself

Come home Jeff ..don't call me Jeff  pic.twitter.com/8HkMQoiK1e  Angie washington (@Zoochick415) February 27, 2023

Listeners have also been showing support to Natasha, who has been silent on social media since his disappearance five days ago as supporters have flooded her pages to share messages of support.

'Sending prayers and wishes your way for JV's safe return, Natasha. We love you both,' one person wrote under Yi's most recent photo, posted before her husband went missing.

'Praying JV is back soon ! He's a good guy with a good heart and needs all the love and good energy his way,' said another.

'Natasha- hang in there. I hope you can feel the arms of the bay wrapped around you,' wrote one person.

'We love you and JV, and I'm disgusted by the audacity of anyone who can leave critical comments on your page knowing everything you're going through right now,' the person continued.

Yi, a playboy style model and actress, has two million followers on Instagram.

Before he seemingly stopped using Instagram in 2022, Vandergrift had shared dozens of photos of his wife and them together.

It was his last post from August, however, that sparked major concern for fans.

Listeners have also been showing support to Natasha, who has been silent on social media since his disappearance five days ago

Vandergrift and Yi tied the knot in 2006 after three years of dating and later renewed their wedding vows in 2017

Supporters have flooded Yi's pages to share messages of love for the wife of the DJ

Vandergrift works at Wild 94.9 in San Francisco, California

Listeners pointed out that the post, originally shared as a celebration of National Radio Day according to his Twitter account, had been altered.

The DJ or someone who had access to his account had edited the caption to thank his fans for their support and used past-tense language, causing many to worry for his safety and mental health.

The post's original caption read: 'It's #NationalRadioDay I know, who gives a fart!!? Been at 94 since 94. Wow, that's a long time!! Super grateful for each of you who have been on this journey w me.'

Since editing the caption and going missing, the comments section has since turned into a place for his fans and loved ones to send him love in hopes he may see it.

'Dear JV. You are loved. We are all praying for you and thinking about you,' wrote one person.

'We are all praying for you and thinking about you. Sometimes it's nice to just get away and clear our minds but we are worried about you,' said a commenter.

'JV.. listen to your listeners. We've been listening to you since the 1990's. Now it's your turn to listen to your listeners. You are so loved!! We still need 40 plus years of listening to you on the radio ! Praying for your safe return back to your family,' wrote another fan.

'Hey buddy, come home. We miss you and love you brotha. At least let us know you're safe,' said another person.

'Hey buddy, come home. We miss you and love you brotha. At least let us know you're safe,' said one commenter on Vandergrift's Instagram post

Vandergrift, seen here with his wife Natasha, in a photo posted to Instagram

This is the Instagram post whose captioned was changed, sparking concern

The San Francisco Police Department is asking for help locating Vandergrift

Vandergrift and Yi tied the knot in 2006 after three years of dating and later renewed their wedding vows in 2017.

The couple quickly joined together for various projects, including the production of their shows, the Dog House Comedy Show.

On YouTube, the couple runs a successful joint account with more than 10,000 followers. Some of their videos have raked in hundreds of thousands of views.

While the two thrived in the spotlight, JV took a short break in 2021 after he was diagnosed with Lyme disease, according to The Sun.

Vandergrift is described as a white male, 6'0', 180 pounds, bald, and brown eyes.

Police say he has several tattoos including ones on his arms and above his right ear and was last seen wearing black sweatpants.
Activists decry a cable car project on Mt. Seorak during a press conference in Wonju, Gangwon Province, Feb. 2. Yonhap



The environment ministry on Monday gave a conditional nod to a controversial project to build and operate a cable car system over a natural reserve area on Mount Seorak near Korea's east coast.



The project, pursued since the 1980s, seeks to build a 3.3-kilometer-long cable car system between the Seoraksan National Park's Osaek area in the county of Yangyang and near the mountain's summit.



Once completed as planned, the system will service 53 cable cars to carry up to 825 passengers per hour.



The site is within a state-designated natural reserve as well as a biosphere reserve designated by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).



The environment ministry's regional office in Wonju gave "conditional consent" to an environmental impact assessment report submitted by Yangyang County on the project, saying it carries measures to reduce negative environmental effects.



In effect, the decision marks the clearance of all administrative hurdles for the project besides a regional budget review by the interior ministry.



It will mark the first cable car line to be installed in an inland national park since the last approval was granted in 1989 for a gondola lift system over a mountain peak in Mount Deogyu in North Jeolla Province, which went into service in 1997.





This file image shows the site of a controversial cable car map on Mount Seorak, Feb. 27. Courtesy of Yangyang-gun
Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh admitted some of the court's 'finest moments were when the bench pushed back on presidents using emergency powers in an ominous sign for Biden's $400billion student loan forgiveness plan.

Conservative Kavanaugh made the comments as the justices weighed arguments over whether Biden abused his authority to wipe student debt for millions of Americans.

'Some of the biggest mistakes in the court's history were deferring to assertions of executive or emergency power,' Kavanaugh said. 'Some of the finest moments in the court's history were pushing back against presidential assertions of emergency power, and that's continued not just in the Korean War but post-9/11, in some of the cases there.'

The conservative justices expressed doubt during oral arguments in Biden vs. Nebraska on Tuesday that the Biden administration had the legal ability to bypass Congress to provide billions in student loan forgiveness.

Following a series of legal challenges, the nine justices - with a 6-3 conservative majority - convened to hear arguments for Biden's plan to eliminate thousands in federal student loan debt for most borrowers, which would fall on U.S. taxpayers  even those who never took out loans.

Protesters gathered outside the Supreme Court on Tuesday as justices heard arguments in the case on trying to stop President Joe Biden from implementing his student loan forgiveness plan

Conservatives on the 6-3 conservative-majority Supreme Court appeared to question Biden bypassing Congress is announcing the plan in August. The case is a culmination of several legal challenges, including from six Republican states, claiming the order was an overreach

Chief Justice John Roberts poked holes through the premise of the Biden administration's legal argument - namely, the claim that canceling a portion of federal student loan debt without asking Congress is an intrinsic part of a 2003 law, the Higher Education Relief Opportunities for Students Act, better known as the HEROES Act.

'We take very seriously the idea of separation of powers and that power should be divided to prevent its abuse,' Roberts said.

Implemented after the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attack, the HEROES law was intended to keep service members from being worse off financially while deployed in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Now extended, the Biden administration believes it allows Education Secretary Miguel Cardona to grant relief in times of national emergency - in this case, COVID-19.

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The plan would forgive $10,000 in federal student loans for individuals making less than $125,000 and married couples making less than $250,000 jointly. That forgiveness would go up to $20,000 if the borrower received a Pell grant, which aids students from low-income families.

Roberts noted a 2020 case where the Supreme Court - in a 5-4 vote - blocked former President Donald Trump from being able to unilaterally dismantle the Obama-era Deferred Action on Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program without going through Congress first.

Conservative Justice Clarence Thomas argued that the order from Secretary Miguel Cardona directed by President Joe Biden, 'runs into Congress' appropriations authority.'

The U.S. Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar explained there needs to be a focus on the HEROS Act being used because if it weren't for the national health emergency with COVID, this action would not have been taken.

Thomas questioned if the administration would rely on Congress usually if it didn't use the HEROES Act, to which Prelogar said 'Yes,' and outside this legal provision, they would not argue that the secretary could grant $400 billion in relief to student loan borrowers.

'Congress wanted to cover the waterfront, and the secretary had the tools needed,' the solicitor general said.

Liberal Justice Sonia Sotomayor acknowledged the states' argument that they would lose money and could be harmed if the federal relief program was implemented.

She also questioned whether the nearly half a trillion dollars in relief funds should bring the 'major question doctrine' into the mix. The doctrine is an administrative law theory that adds an extra hurdle on issues of 'major economic and political significance.'

But Prelogar argues it doesn't because it's a benefits program, not an appropriations program.

This artist sketch depicts Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar, right, presenting an argument before the Supreme Court, Monday, Nov. 1, 2021, in Washington. Justices seated from left are Associate Justice Brett Kavanaugh, Associate Justice Elena Kagan, Associate Justice Samuel Alito, Associate Justice Clarence Thomas, Chief Justice John Roberts, Associate Justice Stephen Breyer, Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor, Associated Justice Neil Gorsuch and Associate Justice Amy Coney Barrett.

The case that will decide the fate of President Biden's student loan forgiveness plan, which would forgive $400 billion in student loans for millions of borrowers. Pictured: Biden and Education Secretary Miguel Cardona speak about their relief plan at a White House event on October 17, 2022

Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., speaks at a rally for student debt relief advocates outside the Supreme Court on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2023, as the court hears arguments over President Joe Biden's student debt relief plan.

Student loan borrowers and advocates gather outside the Supreme Court while the justices hear arguments for and against Biden's plan to cancel student loan debt

Prelogar argued the 'but for' causation, claiming that the administration correctly used the HEROES Act to forgive student loans because the relief wouldn't have been needed if it weren't for the COVID emergency.

'This is not a situation where the secretary is working outside the heartland of his authority,' Prelogar said. 'The secretary is working within the core of his expertise and his authority.'

She reasoned that many of the borrowers who would receive this relief would be made whole again back to their position with their loans pre-pandemic.

In his rebuttal, Nebraska's Solicitor General Jim Campbell argued that 'Congress still has a voice in emergencies, and we saw that in the CARES Act.'

'Congress used its voice,' liberal Justice Elena Kagan shot back at the plaintiff. 'Congress used its voice in enacting this piece of legislation [HEROES Act].'

'I mean, we worry about executive power when Congress hasn't authorized the use of executive power,' Kagan continued. 'Here Congress has authorized the use of executive power in an emergency situation.'

Campbell said that the 'connection to the national emergency has become even more tenuous' in recent months now that the official declaration is coming to an end and the coronavirus pandemic is 'over.'

'There's 50 million students who are - who will benefit from this, who today will struggle,' Sotomayor retorted.

Representative Maxwell Frost (D-Florida), 25, is the youngest member of Congress and joins borrowers protesting student loan debt outside the Supreme Court.

Placards are placed as activists rally during oral arguments in two cases challenging President Biden's student debt relief program at the Supreme Court in Washington, DC, USA

Representative Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas) speaks as student loan borrowers and advocates gather in front of the Supreme Court

A ruling from the Supreme Court puts more on the line than student loans. If the nation's highest court decides that Biden's executive action is unconstitutional, it could give more power to states' legal challenges against federal policymaking.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT BIDEN'S STUDENT DEBT CANCELLATION PLAN The Supreme Court is taking up the case as to the legal authority of President Joe Biden's student loan forgiveness plan. At stake: forgiveness of up to $20,000 in debt for more than 40 million Americans. Nearly half of those people could have their federal student debt wiped out entirely. Here's what to know if you're waiting for debt relief. WHO QUALIFIES FOR STUDENT LOAN FORGIVENESS? The plan would cancel $10,000 in federal student loan debt for those earning less than $125,000 or households with less than $250,000 in income. Pell Grant recipients would get an extra $10,000 in debt forgiveness, for a total of $20,000. HOW IS THE SUPREME COURT EXPECTED TO RULE ON STUDENT LOANS? The nation's highest court is controlled by conservatives (6-3), and the majority want answers on how Biden's student loan plan is legal without going to Congress first. We won't know for sure how the court is going to rule until the decision is announced in late June. WHO IS UPSET ABOUT THE BIDEN PLAN TO CANCEL DEBT? A lot of people - namely those who either already paid off their student loan debts or never went to college. There are also concerns about how debt relief will impact the nation's multi-trillion-dollar debt IS IT POSSIBLE BIDEN'S STUDENT LOAN FORGIVENESS WON'T HAPPEN AT ALL? Yes. Advertisement

Republicans denounced Biden's order as unfair to those who didn't go to college and would need to help pay through taxes for the forgiveness plan  or to those who have already paid off their loans or never took out loans.

On the other hand, some activists said that the plan didn't go far enough, claiming that all student loan debt should be wiped clean.

The White House argues that ending the national emergency doesn't change its legal standing for canceling student loan debt because COVID-19 affected millions of borrowers who might have fallen behind on their loans during the pandemic.

'Can Biden tell the country the pandemic is over, and then you guys argue before the justices today this is a current, ongoing national crisis?' CNN's Poppy Harlow asked Education Secretary Miguel Cardona on Tuesday morning.

'Yes, we can,' he replied.

'The economic impact of the pandemic is still real,' he said while concurrently insisting the pandemic is over. 'We're trying to help people get back on their feet.'

According to their legal brief, the states argue that the proposal seeks 'breathtaking and transformative power' by relying on 'a tenuous and pretextual connection to a national emergency.

Student loan borrowers have been thrown into a year of uncertainty.

Biden's announcement for forgiveness in August also came with him declaring the last extension of student loan deferment due to the COVID-19 pandemic, saying that people would need to resume regular payments on January 1, 2023.

The president, however, decided to extend the moratorium until the summer, when the Supreme Court's term typically ends, and an opinion must be issued on the case.

Since the program launched, 26 million borrowers have applied for the relief despite its limbo status.

Of the 45 million student loan borrowers in the U.S., the White House estimates that nearly 90 percent would qualify for some relief. It also notes that 18 million would likely have their debts fully forgiven.

The administration's legal filing to the Supreme Court notes that Biden's directives to Secretary Cardona 'fall comfortably within the plain text of the act.'

Student debt relief advocates gather outside the Supreme Court on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2023, as the court hears arguments over President Joe Biden's student debt relief plan.
Hundreds of New Jersey high school students and parents have demanded for the resignation of Perth Amboy's superintendent after an 11-year-old boy was taken to hospital after being stabbed by a student the same age.

Smailyn Jimenez had been on his way to Samuel Shull Middle School when he was stabbed in the stomach with a kitchen knife by an 11-year-old classmate who left him 'screaming' and 'covered in blood.'

High school students staged a walkout on Monday accusing the Perth Amboy School District of keeping them in the dark about the incident.

Parents were seen marching alongside the incensed group of teenagers who demonstrated outside city hall - crying out for justice.

Hundreds of New Jersey high school students and parents have demanded for the resignation of Perth Amboy's superintendent after an 11-year-old boy was taken to hospital after being stabbed by a student the same age

High school students staged a walkout on Monday accusing the Perth Amboy School District of keeping them in the dark about the incident

Pictures and videos of the protest emerged on social media showing the large crowd also calling for extra security for children in the wake of the stabbing incident.

One video shows a swathe of student chanting 'Justice for Smailyn' while others bellowed 'we want change' as they protested in the streets.

Darlin Morricete, a senior at Perth Amboy High School, told NBC New York, that she felt let down by the administration.

'We are tired of always just put under the rug and nobody telling us what's happening in this school,' said Morricete.

A mother told the broadcaster that her middle school-aged son has been traumatized by the Feb 22 attack adding that her son is 'scared' and 'doesn't understand why it's happening.'

The call to action comes in the wake of the brutal stabbing.

While family say Jimenez is recovering the 11-year-old who stabbed him has been charged with an act of juvenile delinquency for offenses equal to attempted murder and aggravated assault, if committed by an adult.

Police said it appears to be an isolated incident as the minor acted alone.

Jimenez was rushed to hospital after bystander, Zenovia Cruz, found the 11-year-old crying out for help while she drove to school to pick up her niece, NBC New York reported.

The young boy then proceeded to lift his shirt and show Cruz the stab wounds.

'I saw he was screaming, with blood on his hands,' said Cruz.

'I brought him into the car...I saw an ambulance, ran out the car, flagging them down...I'm completely heartbroken, I haven't slept knowing if he's OK or not.'

Juan Jimenez, the victim's father, told WTAP that while his son is making progress it could take up to three years for him to fully recover.

He said his son was stabbed twice in the abdomen and that one of the veins to his heart was damaged.

While family say Jimenez is recovering the 11-year-old who stabbed him has been charged with an act of juvenile delinquency for offenses equal to attempted murder and aggravated assault, if committed by an adult

The young boy's family is demanding justice and calling for the second boy - they allege was involved in the stabbing - to be held accountable. His father Juan Jimenez saying it may be three years till he fully recovers

The city and the district released a joint statement which read: 'The City of Perth Amboy, the Perth Amboy Police Department, and the administration and Board of Education of the Perth Amboy Public Schools jointly condemn and will not tolerate acts of violence against any community members, especially our children.'

The joint statement stressed that the incident did not take place on school grounds and noted that said the entire community has felt it.

'Anytime an incident involves an injury to a child, emotions rise as it is a fundamental part of our human consciousness,' the statement adds.

'The City of Perth Amboy and the Perth Amboy Board of Education stand jointly committed to listening to everyone's concerns, which requires a multi-faceted approach.

'We have to work together to provide a set of interventions and solutions that will work for our students, and that requires putting an array of services in place, including having our community police officers and juvenile bureau work with staff in and outside of the school including mental health services, counseling, and peer-to-peer interventions.

They've reassured the community that they want students to feel 'safe and supported.'

The young boy's family is demanding for justice and calling for the second boy - they allege was involved in the stabbing - to be held accountable.

A Go Fund Me page set up for the family has so far raised $2,155.

The description is from concerned parent Aldana Aguilera who is also the mother of an 11-year-old.

'It breaks my heart knowing what Smailyn Jimenez had to go through and his family,' she wrote.

'What's more heart breaking is that his mother is in Republica Dominicana and is not next to her baby I know how hard it must be for her.

'I don't know this family but as a mother and Perth Amboy resident we should come together and help this family with something.

'Specifically during this hard times and the father has to be there in the hospital for his son.

'Maybe our help can get his mom to the US to be next to her angel I'm sure he needs his mommy next to him.'

The shocking stabbing incident comes just weeks after a 14-year-old girl was 'bullied to death' in a Bayville, New Jersey, just under an hour south of Perth Amboy.

The shocking stabbing incident comes just weeks after a 14-year-old girl was 'bullied to death' in a Bayville, New Jersey, just under an hour south of Perth Amboy. Central Regional High School in Bayville, New Jersey

Adriana Kuch, 14, killed herself days after she was seen being attacked in high school hallways by bullies - and school administrators failed to step in

Superintendent Triantafillos Parlapanides resigned following an outrageous smear against Kuch's family in the wake of her suicide

Adriana Kuch, was relentlessly bullied at Central Regional High School in New Jersey's Berkeley Township, and was found dead at her home two days after a shocking video showing her being beaten up surfaced.

Tales of bullying, sexual assault and racism catapulted the school district into the national spotlight in the wake of Kuch's devastating suicide many questioning the school district administration.

Superintendent Triantafillos Parlapanides resigned following an outrageous smear against Kuch's family in the wake of her suicide.

During the school district's first public meeting with students and family it emerged that he was still being paid his $190,000 salary despite resigning from his post.

DailyMail.com has reached out to the Perth Amboy School District for comment.
The General Medical Council was savaged for for a 'failure of scrutiny' today - after a bogus psychiatrist was able to practise for more than 20 years with fake papers.

Zholia Alemi was jailed for seven years at Manchester Crown Court today for 20 fraud offences.

She claimed to have qualified at the University of Auckland in New Zealand, but earlier this month a jury found her guilty of forging the degree certificate and letter of verification she used to register with the GMC in 1995.

Sentencing her, Judge Hilary Manley said the offences 'strike so very deeply at the heart of healthcare provisions in this country'.

She added: 'That the degree certificate and supporting letter were accepted by the GMC represents an abject failure of scrutiny.

Zholia Alemi was jailed for seven years at Manchester Crown Court today for 20 fraud offences

The forged degree certificate used by Zholia Alemi to register to practise as a psychiatrist

'You benefited from that failure and of course from your own deliberate and calculated dishonesty.'

The judge raised concerns about evidence from a GMC representative during the trial in which the court was told there was a high level of scrutiny of documents.

She said the court was 'troubled' by the apparent contradiction over a statement from the GMC which said documents in the 1990s were not subject to the 'rigorous scrutiny' now in place.

The judge called for the GMC to conduct a 'thorough, open, transparent' inquiry into how the defendant was able to submit 'such clearly false documents' and why it took a journalist rather than a professional governing body to uncover the truth.

Judge Manley said Alemi, who was able to detain patients against their will and prescribe powerful drugs, moved around the country to different posts to ensure 'the finger of suspicion' did not point at her.

Christopher Stables KC, prosecuting, said Alemi was born in Iran but in the early 1990s was in Auckland, where she failed to complete the Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery degree required to practise as a doctor and was refused permission to resit.

In 1995, she was in the UK where she forged a degree certificate and letter of verification, he said.

Zholia Alemi was found guilty at Manchester Crown Court of 13 counts of fraud and jailed

Alemi, of Burnley, was convicted of 13 counts of fraud, three counts of obtaining a pecuniary advantage by deception, two counts of forgery and two counts of using a false instrument after a four-week trial

Mr Stables said: 'Those forged documents were used by the defendant and sent to the GMC in the UK in support of her application for registration as a doctor.'

The court heard she was registered and worked 'more or less continuously' for both NHS trusts and private providers across the UK in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, earning an estimated 1.3 million.

Mr Stables, who described Alemi as an 'accomplished forger', said it was unclear how old Alemi was as documents had three different dates of birth for her, ranging from 55 to 60.

The court heard she was convicted at Carlisle Crown Court in 2018 for three fraud offences and a count of theft after trying to forge the will and powers of attorney of an elderly patient.

Following her conviction, journalist Phil Coleman, chief reporter for Cumbrian Newspapers, made inquiries into Alemi's background and found she had never completed her qualification, the court was told.

Mr Stables said court proceedings had 'come about as a direct result of the persistence of Mr Coleman's investigative journalism'.

Alemi was told by the judge to stop raising her hand to attract her barristers' attention during the sentencing hearing.

Francis Fitzgibbons KC, defending, said: 'Prison for someone with her characteristics is particularly onerous.'

Alemi, of Burnley, was convicted of 13 counts of fraud, three counts of obtaining a pecuniary advantage by deception, two counts of forgery and two counts of using a false instrument after a four-week trial.

Una Lane, director of registration and revalidation at the GMC, said: 'We are very sorry that Zholia Alemi was able to join our medical register in the 1990s, based on fraudulent documentation, and for any risk arising to patients as a result.

'Our processes are far stronger now, with rigorous testing in place to make sure those joining the register are fit to work in the UK.

'It is clear that in this case the steps taken almost three decades ago were inadequate. We are confident that, 27 years on, our systems are robust.

'Patients deserve good care from appropriately qualified professionals and place a great deal of trust in doctors. To exploit that trust and the respected name of the profession is abhorrent.'
Another former executive at now-bankrupt cryptocurrency exchange FTX has pleaded guilty to US criminal charges, adding pressure to disgraced founder Sam Bankman-Fried as he prepares for trial.

At a Manhattan court hearing on Tuesday, Nishad Singh, the former director of engineering at FTX, pleaded guilty to six criminal counts of fraud and conspiracy stemming from the exchange's implosion last year.

'I am unbelievably sorry for my role in all of this,' said Singh, admitting he knew by mid-2022 that Bankman-Fried's hedge fund, Alameda Research, was siphoning FTX client funds without their knowledge. Singh agreed to forfeit any proceeds from the scheme.

The plea agreement was another sign that prosecutors are leaning on members of Bankman-Fried's inner circle, after he was charged in December with eight counts of fraud and conspiracy.

Prosecutors say he siphoned billions in FTX customer deposits to plug losses at his hedge fund Alameda Research, and lied to investors and lenders about his companies' financial condition.

Bankman-Fried has pleaded not guilty, and his attorney Mark S. Cohen did not immediately respond to a request for comment from DailyMail.com on Tuesday morning.

Nishad Singh, the former director of engineering at now-bankrupt cryptocurrency exchange FTX, has agreed to plead guilty to US criminal charges, his lawyer said

Sam Bankman-Fried, FTX's founder, was charged in December with eight counts of fraud and conspiracy. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges

According to a civil complaint filed separately on Tuesday by the US Securities and Exchange Commission, Singh used his computer skills to backdate fraudulent fund transfers and set up an 'unlimited line of credit' for Alameda using client funds.

Singh, 27, pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud, three counts of conspiracy to commit fraud, one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering and one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States by violating campaign finance laws.

US District Judge Lewis Kaplan, who is also set to oversee Bankman-Fried's trial scheduled for October, accepted the plea.

Singh's plea 'underscores once again that the crimes at FTX were vast in scope and consequence,' U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said in a statement.

'They rocked our financial markets with a multibillion-dollar fraud. And they corrupted our politics with tens of millions of dollars in illegal straw campaign contributions,' he said.

Federal prosecutors in Manhattan have repeatedly urged people with knowledge of wrongdoing at FTX to come forward, and Singh's plea comes after two other former executives in December agreed to cooperate with prosecutors.

Caroline Ellison, Alameda's chief executive, and Gary Wang, FTX's chief technology officer, pleaded guilty to seven and four criminal charges, respectively.

FTX's former top lawyer, Daniel Friedberg, has also cooperated with prosecutors, but has not been told he is under criminal investigation, a person familiar with the matter told Reuters in early January.

Several other former FTX executives have also hired lawyers to discuss possible cooperation with prosecutors.

Singh grew up in California and was a close friend of Bankman-Fried's younger brother in high school, and first joined Alameda as a software engineer in 2017.

After working at Alameda, Singh became FTX's head of engineering in 2019, when the exchange first launched, according to court filings.

In 2020, Singh tweaked FTX's software to exempt Alameda from having its assets sold automatically if it was losing too much borrowed money, court filings alleged.

The exemption let Alameda keep borrowing from FTX regardless of how much collateral secured its loans.

FTX co-founder Gary Wang (left) and former Alameda Research CEO Caroline Ellison (right) have both since pleaded guilty to criminal charges in connection with the scandal

'Be extra careful not to liquidate,' Singh wrote in a comment in the platform's code, which was seen by Reuters.

The US Securities and Exchange Commission, which filed civil fraud charges against Bankman-Fried, has said the code change gave Alameda a 'virtually unlimited line of credit' at FTX.

It also said the billions of dollars FTX secretly lent Alameda over the next two years came from FTX customers.

Bankman-Fried, 30, rode a boom in the values of bitcoin and other digital assets to amass an estimated $26 billion net worth and become an influential US political donor.

Singh also became a major donor to Democratic politicians, contributing $8 million to campaigns in the 2022 election cycle, according to OpenSecrets.

Last week, Bankman-Fried was hit with new criminal charges in an expanded indictment accusing him of conspiring to make more than 300 illegal political donations.

Bankman-Fried now faces 12 criminal charges, including four for fraud and eight for conspiracy, up from eight charges in an earlier indictment, to which he has pleaded not guilty.

The new indictment said Bankman-Fried conspired with two former FTX executives, including Singh, to covertly donate tens of millions of dollars in order to influence lawmakers to pass legislation favorable to the company.

Those donations were unlawful because they were made with 'straw' donors or corporate funds, enabling Bankman-Fried - one of the largest donors to Democrats in the 2022 midterm elections - to evade contribution limits, prosecutors said.

Prosecutors said Bankman-Fried directed Singh, who was not identified by name in the indictment, to donate primarily to left-leaning candidates and organizations and the other executive to Republicans, with many donations funded by Alameda and including FTX customer funds.

The indictment said a political consultant working for Bankman-Fried told Singh that 'you being the center left face of our spending will mean you giving [donations] to a lot of woke s**t for transactional purposes.'

Singh, identified in court documents only as CC-1 (co-conspirator 1), gave more than $1 million to a pro-LGBTQ group at Bankman-Fried's direction, the indictment said.

Federal Election Commission records confirm that Singh contributed $1.1 million on July 7, 2022 to the LGBTQ Victory Fund, a national organization dedicated to electing openly LGBTQ people.

FTX collapsed in November amid a flurry of customer withdrawals over concerns the exchange was commingling assets with Alameda.

When it became clear FTX could not meet withdrawal demands, Bankman-Fried directed Alameda to sell assets to pay the exchange's customers, prosecutors said.

The superseding indictment said that on November 6, five days before FTX's bankruptcy filing, Bankman-Fried forwarded Singh a message from Caroline Ellison, then Alameda's chief executive.

'I just had an increasing dread of this day that was weighing on me for a long time,' Ellison wrote, 'and now that it's actually happening it just feels great to get it over with one way or another.'
Scottish politics exploded in anger today as the SNP announced it planned to ban the public from hustings to choose the country's next First Minister.

The nationalist said that nine question and answer events where party members can quiz the candidates had been designated 'safe spaces', with no live television pictures or journalists allowed.

The move comes as the party tried to get a grip on the bitter public race to replace Nicola Sturgeon next month, which has already been marked by a string of gaffes by the trio vying for the job.

Frontrunner Kate Forbes has been dogged by controversy over her religious opposition to gay marriage and extra-marital sex.

Today Holyrood health minister Humza Yousaf said the party needed to keep its progressive agenda, and said he believed in Scotland having a 'wellbeing economy', as he launched a key policy on expanding free childcare.

An SNP spokesman said: 'It is the members who will be voting for the next leader of the party, so the SNP NEC has designed the party hustings as a safe space for members to ask questions of the three candidates.'

But Ms Kate Forbes, the Scottish Finance Secretary, said it would be 'positive' for the hustings events to be broadcast live online as she called for the press to be allowed access.

Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross claimed the party is 'once again hiding from proper scrutiny', tweeting: 'The public deserve to hear the priorities of candidates standing to be the next first minister of Scotland.'

Today Holyrood health minister Humza Yousaf said the party needed to keep its progressive agenda, and said he believed in Scotland having a 'wellbeing economy', as he launched a key policy on expanding free childcare.

Frontrunner Kate Forbes has been dogged by controversy over her religious opposition to gay marriage and extra-marital sex.

Scottish Tory MSP Murdo Fraser said: 'This is extraordinary. We are talking here not just about the next SNP leader but also Scotland's next First Minister. The Conservatives welcomed media to all our leadership hustings - what are the SNP afraid of?'

Broadcasters and photographers will be allowed into venues to get 'establishment shot of the leadership contestants inside the hustings halls prior to the debate starting', the SNP said, but will then have to leave.

Reporters will be barred from the halls altogether, although they will be allowed to 'gather reaction from outside the hustings hall'.

During a visit to Dr Bell's Family Centre in Leith today, Mr Yousaf was asked if the other candidates' policies would mean a shift to the right for the SNP.

He said: 'I believe in a wellbeing economy. I believe of course in economic growth, but not for its own sake, in order to make sure that people's living standards increase, to make sure we can pay people properly so they can withstand the shocks of things like the Tory cost-of-living crisis.

'I would say to any of my colleagues in the leadership race that the SNP has managed to gain support to dizzying heights because of the progressive agenda that we have.

'I think it would be foolish to abandon that.'

Three and four-year-olds can currently access up to 1,140 hours of funded early learning and childcare a year, which is around 30 hours a week in term time.

Some two-year-olds are also eligible for free childcare on a means-tested basis - with around a quarter of the age cohort having this entitlement.

Mr Yousaf said an expansion of free childcare would happen on a phased basis under his leadership, initially costing around 100 million in the 2024/25 financial year.

He said the scheme would take several years to reach all one and two-year-olds but he would 'accelerate' the rollout compared to current plans.

Mr Yousaf said: 'Being first minister, being in government, of course is about prioritising.

'For me, childcare is a huge priority because it helps get parents back into work.

'And of course - importantly, crucially - it also boosts our economy. It's a win-win for everybody.'

He also denied undermining circular economy minister Lorna Slater by saying small producers should be given a one-year exemption from the DRS.

Ms Slater has said she is considering such a move.

Health Secretary Mr Yousaf is up against Finance Secretary Ms Forbes and former community safety minister Ash Regan for the SNP leadership, with the winner announced on March 27.
The book, Nick and Charlie, is for those '13 and up' and about a teen relationship

He told those attending the meeting that he got the book from the school library

An 11-year-old boy made a statement at a school board meeting in Maine by reading from an explicit book he said he took from his middle school library.

The excerpt he read recounted a sexual interaction between a 17-year-old boy and an 18-year-old man.

His father, Adam Zajac, also addressed the board during the Windham Raymond School District meeting on February 14, telling attendees that his son had also been asked by the librarian if he wanted a graphic novel version of the book.

The access of children to certain books has become a divisive issue in America, with some parents encouraging the exposure of children to increasingly modern sexual concepts, and others complaining they are being prematurely sexualized.

An 11-year-old boy read a sexually explicit excerpt from Nick and Charlie during a school board meeting in Maine. He told attendees that he got the book from his middle school library

His father, Adam Zajac, said during the meeting that his son had also been asked by the librarian if he wanted a graphic novel version of the book

The book featured in the Maine meeting was Nick and Charlie by bestselling 28-year-old British author Alice Oseman, which tells the story of a high school relationship.

Her popular book, Heartstopper, which was recently turned into a Netflix series, tells the story of the same pair beginning their relationship aged 15 and 16.

The boy read from the book: 'We kiss for a long time, like it's two years ago and we're on Nick's lounge sofa trying to watch a film. Impossible.

'I can't think about anything else when he's running his hands so gently through my hair, across my back, over my hips.

'Suddenly he's pulling my T-shirt off and laughing when I can't undo his shirt buttons, I'm asking if he wants to and he's saying yes before I've even finished my sentence, he's undoing my belt, I'm reaching into his bedside drawer for a condom, we're kissing again, we're rolling over, obviously you can see where this is going.'

The book is recommended by the publisher for students aged 13 and older.

After the boy delivered the passage, his father came to the lectern.

'I'm that kid's father. That's my son, 11-years-old and went to his library and found it by the entry door of our library. This is the smut that he is finding, alright?' said the boy's father.

'I don't care whether it's gay, straight, bisexual, or whatever the terms are for all of this stuff  it doesn't need to be at our school. It doesn't need to be at my 11-year-old's library,' he added.

'A lot of parents just don't know what's going on in the school,' Zajac, told The Maine Wire. 'What I don't understand is how we have books in the middle school library that adults would be fired for having at work, or potentially prosecuted for sharing with children given their pornographic content.'

This passage in the book is the scene that was ready out during the meeting on February 14

Nick and Charlie by bestselling 28-year-old British author Alice Oseman tells the story of a high school relationship

Another book that was brought up in the meeting was called Gender Queer, and taken out from the district's high school library, Zajac claimed. It is rated for ages 18 and older.

Amazon's online store lists Nick and Charlie as being appropriate for readers aged 14 and above and for students in grades between 9 and 12.

But the publisher Harper Collins suggested on its website that the book is suited to children 'from 13'.

Oseman has published a number of teen books and graphic novels that explore LGBTQ+ themes.
Police have arrested a suspected cannibal killer and are investigating whether 'suspicious meat' found in his suitcase are the human remains of his alleged victim.

Begolea Mendes Fernandes, 25, was detained at Lisbon Airport after arriving on a flight from Amsterdam earlier today.

He is suspected of killing a 21-year-old called Alan Lopes in the Dutch capital on Sunday.

The contents of his luggage, said to include meat detectives fear could be human, are now being analysed at a specialist lab.

Begolea Mendes Fernandes, 25, is suspected of killing a 21-year-old called Alan Lopes in the Dutch capital on Sunday

Dutch police have confirmed Lopez was the victim of a 'serious violent crime.'

Portuguese press have said investigators suspect the killer committed cannibalism.

The suspect held at Lisbon Airport was on a stopover and going to board a flight to Belo Horizonte in his homeland of Brazil.

He is now under police arrest at Santa Maria Hospital in the Portuguese capital and is expected to face extradition to Holland.

A spokesman for the Portuguese Borders and Immigration Service said: 'A 26-year-old man suspected of murder in the Netherlands was arrested at Lisbon Airport on Monday.

'He was wearing clothes with blood on them and had a package containing pieces of meat.

'He was held at the airport's border control after the authorities became suspicious about the legality of the Italian ID card he presented.

'He was initially detained over suspicions he was travelling on falsified documents before it was subsequently discovered he was suspected of committing a homicide in the Netherlands the day before.'

Fernandes was detained at Lisbon Airport (pictured) after arriving on a flight from Amsterdam

The murder victim was found dead at the house he shared with relatives including his mother and two sisters.

Respected Portuguese daily Jornal de Noticias reported he may have the victim of cannibalism.

A spokesman for Dutch police said: 'On Monday afternoon a 25-year-old man was arrested at the airport in Lisbon in collaboration with the Portuguese authorities and the Royal Netherlands Marechaussee.

'The man is suspected of having been involved in the death of a 21-year-old man who was found in a home on Vegasstraat in North Amsterdam on the evening of Sunday February 26.'

The investigation continues.
He revealed to Colombia's Navy that he fed himself ketchup and spices until he was found January 16

Francois was working on a his boat when it drifted away from a dock in St. Maarten in December

Heinz announced Monday it located Elvis Francois, who was rescued by the Colombian military after spending 24 days adrift at sea

Heinz's all-out search for a man who survived 24 days adrift at sea eating ketchup is finally over.

The company launched a social media campaign to locate Elvis Francois and gift him a new boat after the Colombian military rescued him 120 nautical miles away from Puerto Bolivar in the Caribbean Sea on January 16.

Heinz revealed it found the 47-year-old with the help of a local news outlet in the Caribbean island of Dominica.

'We received thousands of likes, shares, and messages of kindness in our search to find Elvis Francois,' the Pittsburgh-based company said Monday. 'It was an incredible group effort across six continents that led to the hundreds of articles and leads and our eventual contact with Elvis. With your help we were able to #FindTheKetchupBoatGuy.'

The sailor spoke with a Heinz representative via Zoom on Friday, according to CBS News.

Elvis Francois spent 24 days adrift in the Caribbean Sea and eating just ketchup and spices before the Colombian military rescued him

The 47-year-old chatted with Heinz last Friday and the company is making arrangements to gift him a new boat

Francois was working on his boat when the weather caused it to drift away from a dock in St. Maarten.

He had nothing but a bottle of ketchup and spice to fulfill his appetite while waiting to be rescued.

'I had no food. There was only a bottle of ketchup that was on the boat, garlic powder and (bouillon cubes) Maggi,' Francois said in a video released by the Colombian Navy. 'So I mixed it up with some water for me to survive 24 days in the sea.'

A stranded Francois spotted other passing nearby and was unable to garner their attention despite starting a fire on his sailboat.

His luck changed when he drew the attention of a small airplane that flew over and noticed that he had carved 'help' on the hull of the boat.

'The final days, about the 15th of January, I saw a plane. I had a mirror. I was making some signals,' he said. 'They passed over the boat twice so I realized they saw me. I am grateful for being alive today because of them.'

Francois was lost at sea for over three weeks before he was spotted by a plane flying over. When he used a mirror to signal the plane he knew it had worked when it flew over him twice

Heinz followed by blitzing social media with a February 16 post on Instagram that featured an image of the island of Dominica with the caption, 'He's here somewhere. We just don't know where.'

Dominica news outlet EmoNews tracked down Francois and helped broker the meeting with Heinz.

The company said that it has been working with Francois to gift 'him his new boat.'

'Anyone who shared, liked or commented on the brand's post helped broaden the reach and played an important part in finding Elvis,' Heinz said in the statement. 'Heinz wants to thank everyone who helped.'
A Nigerian lottery fraudster nicknamed 'Fizzy' because of his love of vintage champagne has not paid back any of the 5 million he stole from pensioners nearly a decade ago.

Frank Onyeachonam, 49, was jailed for eight years in 2014 after a jury found him guilty of conspiracy to defraud following a three week Old Bailey trial.

The father-of-two swindled hundreds of vulnerable pensioners who were led to believe they had won the Australian lottery after receiving a bogus letter.

Targeting mainly American pensioners, the letters were sent by a lottery agent who informed them they had won a life-changing prize and they needed to send a modest sum to release the funds.

Believing they had a stroke of good fortune, victims were hooked into paying fees to release their winnings through an agent who would demand activation fees to release their cash.

Nigerian Frank Onyeachonam, 49, drove a Maserati and fired bubbly corks across exclusive private members clubs as he lived a life of fantastic luxury

The father-of-two primarily duped elderly American victims out of hundreds and thousands of pounds using an 'advance free' fraud scheme

Onyeachonam was dubbed 'Fizzy' because of his love of vintage champagne

In some cases victims set up businesses in an attempt to receive their winnings and became unwitting money mules laundering cash from other victims.

After being jailed in 2014, Onyeachonam, formerly of Canning Town in east London, was ordered to pay back just 158,000 in terms of his realisable assets in June 2015.

Judge Alexia Durran said there was now an application from Onyeachonams lawyer Stephen Earnshaw to vary the amount under the Proceeds of Crime Act.

Mr Earnshaw said: 'As of September 2015 Mr Onyeachonam had to pay that amount from the single asset property in Nigeria.

The property has not been sold and full amount remains outstanding. The property was not restrained. The CPS and the NCA and those involved in the enforcement in Nigeria tried to bring about the enforcement of the asset.

Onyeachonam remains subject to immigration bail conditions in the UK and cannot leave the country.

Mr Earnshaw told the court: The prejudice to Mr Onyeachonam is that until that money is realised there are limits in terms of what he can do in terms of leaving this country and working in this country.

The 49-year-old had a collection of luxury watches and designer shoes

Onyeachonam's nicknamed 'Fizzy' displayed in bank notes

Pictured is a property in Nigeria, owned by Onyeachonam who was jailed for eight years in 2014

Judge Durran said: The application to the court is to determine the property is impossible to realise and remove that as an asset.

I have Googled the Nigerian legal system and it would seem not as digital as ours. The test is a determination of whether or not the asset is impossible to be realised. If impossible the confiscation order can be varied.

We are waiting for the Nigerian authority to respond or process the application. I am not satisfied it is yet impossible to realise. These things take time. The challenges of the Nigerian system, the lack of IT, paperwork may be put on the wrong file or tray, files may be lost and so on.

The officer in the case and those before him will continue to send documentation and it seems to me to be wrong at this stage to say the asset is impossible to realise.

Im afraid the order remains in place.

Onyeachonam was originally convicted of conspiracy to defraud between January 2005 and December 2012 and jailed for eight years.

He had been ordered to pay back 158,149 or face another three years in jail, but the amount remains to be paid.
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said Monday that he doesn't expect Sen. John Fetterman to step down and there is 'no contingency plan' in place to pick a replacement.

Fetterman checked into Walter Reed Army Medical Center on February 16 for impatient treatment for 'severe' depression after being hospitalized for light headedness after the State of the Union and suffering a stroke in May.

The Democratic senator's office said Monday that he 'remains on a path to recovery,' but didn't disclose any additional details.

He's stayed off social media since checking into the Bethesda-based hospital, while his wife Gisele posted last week that she briefly took their kids to Canada as they figured out how to 'navigate this journey.'

Shapiro, also a Democrat, would be responsible for picking Fetterman's interim replacement should he decide to give up his seat, with a special election to fill the rest of his six-year term taking place on Election Day in November 2024.

There is no plan for Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pennsylvania (left) to step down, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro (right) said in an interview Monday. Fetterman has been at Walter Reed for nearly two weeks after checking into the Bethesda hospital to be treated for depression

In an interview with NBC News Monday, Shapiro said he expects the 53-year-old Fetterman to 'serve for a good long while,' adding that he didn't feel that Democrats were pressuring Fetterman to quit, nor were they forcing him to stay in his seat.

Pennsylvania's other Democratic Sen. Bob Casey is up for reelection in November 2024, and so Democrats would have to defend two seats in a highly competitive swing state should Fetterman bow out.

When asked if there is a contingency plan in place in case Fetterman decides he wants to step down, Shapiro told the network: 'There is no contingency plan and it is 100 percent Sen. Fetterman's decision as to what he will do in the future.'

Principal deputy White House press secretary Olivia Dalton was asked Tuesday if the president was worried that Fetterman's potentially weeks long absence could complicate the confirmation process for his newly announced pick for labor secretary, Julie Su.

Dalton said she didn't have 'anything additional to read out' and, again, expressed that the president and first lady were 'thinking about John, Gisele and the entire family at this moment.'

'Millions of Americans go untreated with depression every day, Sen. Fetterman did the right and brave thing by getting the help that he needs,' she added. 'And we're grateful to Sen. Fetterman for leading by example and taking the time he needs to get healthy.'

Gisele Fetterman (upper left) said she took the couple's kids to Canada in the days following her husband checking into Walter Reed for inpatient therapy to treat severe depression

Sen. John Fetterman poses with his family and Vice President Kamala Harris during his ceremonial swearing-in on January 3

Dalton couldn't say whether the president had personally spoken with Fetterman in the nearly two weeks since he's been hospitalized.

Shapiro told NBC that he's been texting with Gisele.

'And I hope he's getting the care that he needs. It was a brave thing that he did, asking for help, asking for that care,' Shapiro commented.

'I think we have a real stigma in this country associated with asking for help when you have mental health struggles and the fact that Sen. Fetterman, who's obviously a very public figure, raised his hand and said I need help, and was able to check himself in to get that help, I think that's very inspiring,' Shapiro also said. 'And I hope that not only he gets the help, but I hope others who are watching are able to maybe reduce some of that stigma associated with getting that care and go get care for themselves.'

In the days following Fetterman checking into Walter Reed, a senior aide told NBC News that he's expected to be sidelined from the Senate for weeks while treatment is progressing.

It will take time for doctors to get Fetterman's medication right, the network said.

A senior aide told NBC that it's been difficult to differentiate between the senator's stroke recovery and the depression, with the staffer saying it's sometimes unclear if he's 'not hearing you, or is he sort of crippled by his depression and social anxiety.'

Sen. John Fetterman (left) and his wife Gisele (right) at the Pennsylvania capitol for the swearing-in of Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro in January

Then-Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. John Fetterman is pictured on election night after beating the Trump-backed Republican, Dr. Mehmet Oz, in what was likely the nation's most-watched Senate race

Sen. John Fetterman is captured riding on the Senate subway between the Capitol and Senate office buildings in late January

CNN reported that Fetterman's symptoms included weight loss and lack of appetite, which led to his spell in the George Washington University Hospital in the days preceding his stay at Walter Reed.

Fetterman's Chief of Staff Adam Jentleson had said that the senator 'experienced depression off and on throughout his life,' but ultimately decided to seek treatment when he was examined by Dr. Brian Monahan, the Attending Physician of the United States Congress.

The New York Times reported earlier this month that the Democrat has struggled to adjust to life as a senator.

Fetterman refused an interview with the paper, but aides and allies said the already difficult transition to the Senate was made 'vastly more difficult by the strains of his recovery,' noting that it left him with 'a physical impairment and serious mental health challenges.'

He still suffers from auditory processing issues, which means he has to use devices that provide him with closed captioning to engage with his Senate colleagues and constituents and participate in committee hearings.

When people talk to Fetterman, he hears something akin to how the adults in the Peanuts' cartoons sound: squawking provided by a muted trombone, The Times reported.

Besides the hearing issue - which is exacerbated when Fetterman is feeling stressed - the Times reported that the stroke recovery had put a 'very real psychological toll' on the politician.

Up to a third of stroke sufferers develop depression symptoms, according to the Stroke Association.

Fetterman's political brand was somewhat tied to his unconventional tough guy looks - standing at 6-foot-8, with tattooed arms, a shaved head and a goatee - the former Braddock, Pennsylvania mayor looked like he came straight from a Pittsburgh steel mill.

However, as The Times put it, the stroke turned him into a 'physically altered version of himself' and the senator has been 'frustrated' he hasn't yet fully recovered.

Additionally, Fetterman was reportedly concerned that may have permanently set himself back, as he didn't take off enough time during the campaign to rest.

'What you're supposed to do to recover from this is do as little as possible,' Jentleson had told the paper. Instead, Fetterman 'was forced to do as much as possible - he had to get back to the campaign trail. It's hard to claw that back.'

Allies of his Republican Senate rival, Dr. Mehmet Oz, were questioning his mental capacity as Fetterman stayed sidelined and out of public view for most of the summer.

'If John Fetterman were elected to the Senate and he's not able to communicate effectively, if he's not able to engage with the press, if he's not able to engage with his colleagues, he would not be able to do the job,' said Pennsylvania's retiring Republican Sen. Pat Toomey in September.

'It's just not possible to be an effective senator if you cannot communicate. It's just the essence of the job,' Toomey added, pressing Fetterman to debate Oz .

Fetterman did debate Oz in late October, with his rocky performance leaving even Democrats rattled.

Fetterman's speech was jumbled and he had to use closed captioning technology to understand the moderators and Oz's responses.

Still, Fetterman beat the Trump-backed Oz by five percentage points, giving Democrats an extra Senate seat in what was likely the most-watched 2022 Senate race.
According to San Francisco crime data, property crimes in the area where Li's salon is located are up 30 percent from the same time last year

Josie Li, owner of La Boutique salon, says she has faced some $40,000 in losses and repairs in connections to the string of robberies at her business

A San Francisco salon owner says she is fed up after her business has been targeted by burglars four times in the span of a single year

A San Francisco salon owner has said she is fed up with the rampant crime in the city after her business was hit by burglars four times in a year.

Josie Li, owner of La Boutique salon, says she has faced some $40,000 in losses and repairs in connection to the string of robberies at her small business.

'This is almost a national joke at this point for our city and it's like we are trying to bring it up, we're making this place as lively as possible,' Li told KPIX.

'We as business owners now have to be out here fending for ourselves, which is dangerous.'

San Francisco has seen a recent uptick in property crimes, reporting 410 robberies and 850 burglaries in just the first two months of the year.

In the neighborhood where Li's business is located, northern district, burglaries are up 30 percent when compared to the same time period last year.

Josie Li, owner of La Boutique salon, says she has faced some $40,000 in losses and repairs in connection to the string of robberies at her small business

Li shared a picture of one of the times her business was broken into on her social media

Li told the local news outlet she and other merchants in the downtown San Francisco area are now starting to wonder if they can feasibly stay in the city.

Each time she has been targeted, Li said thieves have taken cash, electronics, and beauty products.

The salon owner also claims her mailbox has been pried open repeatedly by people looking to steal her mail and any of its contents.

Li said she is beginning to worry that her insurance may start to question if her claims are legitimate because of the frequency.

Last month, her salon's cell phone was stolen and was taken just a half mile away, according to tracking technology.

Police, however, took too long to respond and could not locate the phone hours later.

'When the police arrived, it was already couple hours after I found the incident and by then the phone was already turned off,' Li said.

It's hit after hit for the salon owner who says she already is struggling to bring in and retain clients after being forced to close for 18 months during the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to ABC 7, salons in San Francisco were forced to shudder for nearly a year due to the virus.

When they were allowed to reopen in January 2021, heavy restrictions were put in place to stop the spread of coronavirus.

In the neighborhood where Li's business is located, northern district, burglaries up 30 percent when compared to the same time period last year

Everything from technology, cash, to the businesses cell phone have been stolen, Li said

Li, seen here, said she is beginning to worry that her insurance may start to question if her claims are legitimate because of the frequency

This is Li's salon, located in San Francisco, California, where it has been burglarized four times

SFPD officials have also been making targeted attempts to address crime in certain pockets in the city which are prone to incidents

Data from the San Francisco Police Department shows burglaries and break ins in the Northern District where Li's salon is located are up more than 30 percent from the same time period last year.

Earlier this month, Democrat Mayor London Breed said she is requesting nearly $30 million in additional funding for the city's police force.

The San Francisco Police Department has encountered rising overtime costs for current officers as the force is experiencing a shortage of workers.

Between 2021 and 2022, the department saw a 121 percent increase in total overtime, according to KPIX.

SFPD officials have also been making targeted attempts to address crime in certain pockets in the city which are prone to incidents.

'We have been working hard to address serious public safety challenges in San Francisco, but we need our officers out on the street,' said London Breed in February.

The San Francisco Police Department is currently experiencing a shortage of 541 officers.

'While we are working on strategies to address our staffing shortages, we can't wait to ensure our officers are able to provide the basic services our residents deserve and that our prosecutors can hold drug dealers and repeat offenders accountable,' Breed said.

Li said she thinks the police force has been defamed so much that it's causing the shortage and the headaches for business owners.

'I think police in the individual level when I see them, they're very sympathetic and then they are like - they do try to help, they do do their job and file the report and everything, but I do think that we have defamed the police so much, that we now don't have enough police,' she said.

Between 2021 and 2022, the department saw a 121 percent increase in total overtime, according to KPIX

In the meantime, the business owner said she has considered moving her salon but that it could be costly and could take valuable time and effort to start over again.

'It's been shocking, but also not only traumatic but just surprising in one of the greatest, expensive cities you would think that it would be able to sustain the business,' Li said.

She continued, stating that the community benefit district is working with her to fund a security system for the time being.

In a statement to KPIX, a representative for the San Francisco district attorney's office said they are 'focused on improving public safety, restoring accountability and seeking justice.'
A campaign driven by conservative residents of rural Oregon to secede and join Idaho is gaining traction in both states.

The movement, known as Greater Idaho, would see 13 counties leave Oregon and take with them nine percent of its population, along with the nearly two-thirds of the state's territory. Idaho would see its population grow by 21 percent, leaving it as large as neighboring Montana and twice as populous.

Of the thirteen counties in the proposal, eleven of them so far have voted to move forward discussions about the prospect, and proponents are optimistic they will continue to gain traction. The move would require both state's legislatures to approve, along with the United States Congress.

In an op-ed published in the Idaho Statesman on Saturday, former Oregon House Speaker Mark Simmons pitched the proposal to Idahoans, saying they would be 'freeing rural, conservative communities from progressive blue-state law' by taking in the Oregonians.

Simmons' comments came days after the Idaho House of Representatives voted to open official discussions with Oregon lawmakers about the plan, while some critics in Idaho's legislature have cautioned it could be a dangerous step towards 'civil war.'

Former Oregon House Speaker Mark Simmons pitched the proposal to Idahoans in an op-ed

In his op-ed, Simmons wrote that many conservative rural Oregonians felt disenfranchised by the voter base of the more populace and liberal western coast of the state.

'We are dismayed by the manner in which Oregon government has marginalized our values and villainized our resource-based livelihoods,' he wrote. 'This is why our counties voted 75% Republican last year (Idaho voted 67% Republican).'

'These counties would help maintain rural values in the Idaho Legislature, values of faith, family and self-reliance,' he wrote, noting that all of eastern Oregon voted against decriminalizing marijuana.

Should the border be moved, Simmons said 'drug shops' would be pushed four hours west and spare Idaho from 'increasing crime and causing families, and productivity, to suffer.'

He also argued Idaho would profit financially from the change, citing an analysis which found the Idaho state budget would increased $170million annually.

'The counties included in our proposal already have the same average income as Idahoans according to US government BEA statistics,' he wrote. 'Freed from Oregon's job-killing regulations and taxes, these counties would experience an economic surge that would benefit Idaho even more.'

Simmons added that the portion of Oregon that wished to leave was already very similar to Idaho, so the state's culture and identity would not be altered, but only enhanced.

'The area is very similar to Idaho geographically, economically, politically and culturally. Our proposal would increase the population of Idaho by 21%, making Idaho as big as Montana and twice as populous.'

Supporters of Greater Oregon demonstrating as the movement gains traction

Greater Idaho spokesperson Matt McCaw is enthusiastic the movement will succeed

After discussions were voted to move forward by the Idaho legislature, Greater Idaho spokesperson Matt McCaw expressed enthusiasm that the measures would succeed.

'When you have a new idea, there's always a lot of people that roll their eyes. They think it's silly, they dismiss it,' he told KGW8 . 'When we started this two years ago, I would get that a lot. Like, 'This will never happen, why are you wasting your time?''

Greater Idaho told DailyMail.com they are confident that as more western Oregonians hear about the measures they will support letting the eastern part of the state go, and cited a 2022 poll which supported their prediction.

'The poll showed that voters don't want to hold counties captive that don't consent to Oregon government. It showed that only 3% of the voters of northwestern Oregon think that keeping these counties captive is worth the annual cost to the state budget.'

'And it showed that many would welcome the chance for western Oregon to make its own decisions without interference and obstruction from eastern Oregon. Already, 68% of voters want their state government to look into moving the state line.'

Oregon's supporters of Greater Idaho feel their votes are overpowered by the more liberal western portion of the state

Bumper stickers in favor of the Greater Idaho movement. About 380,000 Oregonians would join Idaho if the movement succeeds

The movement told DailyMail.com there have long been divisions between the eastern and western portions of Oregon, but that the movement was born in October 2019 after the circulation of a Penn Law Review article written by Joseph Blocker discussed the relative ease of moving state lines.

To move a border, both state's legislatures must strike a deal known as an interstate compact. Once negotiated, the agreement is brought to the US Congress. In his op-ed, Simmons noted 'Congress routinely approves interstate compacts each year.'

Skeptics have argued slashing up state borders along political lines could be a fast track towards civil war.

'We should not be self-segregating by ideology like this,' said Idaho House Minority Leader, Democratic Rep. Ilana Rubel. 'I think we're on a path to civil war if we keep going down this path.'

'We have got to learn to get along better and work together better. The answer cannot be to carve up the country and redraw lines that have been in place for a century or more, just so we can only be surrounded by people that perfectly agree with us.'

Greater Oregon is not the first movement of its kind in recent memory.

Last year, California's San Bernadino voted to move forward with a similar process to secede from the state and form its own. Texas also floated a similar measure last year.
Rishi Sunak warned Tory hardliners tonight that failing to back his Brexit deal could see the party take a massive hammering at the next election.

The Prime Minister faced his MPs tonight and told them failing to settle the long-running saga over Northern Ireland would mean 'voters will begin to doubt our ability to deliver' any political change.

After a trip to Northern Ireland this morning, the PM ran the gauntlet of his own MPs at a meeting of the backbench 1922 committee.

He received the traditional rousing welcome of banging on desks as he entered the private session deep in the House of Commons.

During around 45 minutes inside he told them the public was sick of the 'drama' around Brexit and they were elected on a mandate of getting it done.

'That meant not just getting the UK out of the EU, ending free movement and taking back control but also ending the arguments and allowing politics to focus on other issues,' he added.

'If we can't do that, then voters will begin to doubt our ability to deliver not just on this issue but everything else too.'

The Conservatives are around 20-25 points behind Labour in most opinion polls after months of internal drama and economic problems.

When he left after around 45 minutes of questioning he appeared to have won over more key hardliners.

Arch eurosceptic Peter Bone told reporters the PM has been 'impressive', adding: 'Everything I have heard so far has been first class.'

But the European Research Group of Brexiteers is still to pronounce on the Windsor Framework agreed with the EU yesterday. It was holding its own meeting in Westminster tonight.

Rishi Sunak took questions at a factory in Northern Ireland today as he sells his new deal

Mr Sunak laid out his pitch at the Coca Cola plant near Belfast this morning

DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson refused to be drawn on whether he would back the package - although he stressed they were 'reasonable people'

Northern Ireland minister Steve Baker choked up last night as he compared the level of 'statecraft' involved in the Brexit deal negotiations to that leading up to the Good Friday Agreement

After weeks of secret talks, the Prime Minister and European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen finalised an agreement to fix post-Brexit problems that have dogged Northern Ireland

Speaking to reporters after the Prime Minister's speech to the 1922 committee, Northern Ireland Office minister Steve Baker said: 'I cannot see how we will get better than this ... this is the deal.

'I'm really clear, there isn't a different deal available, this is what's been negotiated and it's good.

'People are worried about the DUP but there's an earnest sense of relief and support. I think we all believe he's done it, but now we just wait with bated breath to see if the DUP agrees.'

Visiting a factory near Belfast earlier, the PM said he is 'over the moon' about the agreement and believes he has done the best for Northern Ireland.

He insisted the blueprint - rewriting the divorce treaty to bring the province back under UK tax and regulatory rules, as well as introducing a 'Stormont Brake' on new EU laws - 'corrects' the original problems with the protocol.

Mr Sunak urged the DUP to resume powersharing saying it was the 'right way forward'. But he stressed that the package will go ahead regardless of their stance, arguing what mattered was the 'people of Northern Ireland' rather than any party.

'For all the people who said well, we don't feel like we've got enough sovereignty in this situation, that there's a democratic deficit with this EU  we've corrected it,' Mr Sunak said during a question and answer session with local businesses.

'We've put more power in the hands of Stormont, in those very people. But they need to get back in, they need to get put back in so they can use those powers. We've provided the means now, and I hope that with time and space, they will see that that's the right way forward.'

However, DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson was carefully neutral this morning, saying he would take time to study the detail. 'I've said progress has been made,' he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme. 'We continue to have some concerns.'

Colleagues have been less restrained, with MP Ian Paisley saying he does not believe the new terms 'cut the mustard'.

Foreign Secretary James Cleverly admitted in a round of interviews today that it would be 'very disappointing' if the DUP does not approve the deal and rejoin powersharing.

Sir Jeffrey denied that he is unwilling to participate at Stormont because Sinn Fein would hold the First Minister post, after becoming the largest party at elections last year. The institutions have been suspended since early last year due to the DUP boycott over the protocol.

The premier also acknowledged that he had spoken to predecessor Boris Johnson about the proposals, but played down any political manoeuvring saying 'this is not about personalities'.

Downing Street indicated there was no wriggle room to change the Brexit deal today.

'We think we have secured the right deal for all parties in Northern Ireland,' the PM's spokesman said.

'We stand ready to have further talks with those parties if they have questions about how it works in practice, indeed, we did a great deal of that in the run up to this announcement.'

After months of secret talks, Mr Sunak and European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen unveiled the agreement for Northern Ireland yesterday.

Mr Sunak said the 'decisive breakthrough' would herald a new chapter in relations between London and Brussels and claimed the UK had 'finally taken back control'.

He told MPs the deal did 'what many said could not be done  removing thousands of pages of EU laws ... and making permanent, legally binding changes to the Protocol Treaty'.

The scale of the concessions from the EU took MPs by surprise and Mr Sunak appeared to be on the brink of a coup as the predicted Tory revolt faltered.

No Conservative MPs directly criticised the deal when he presented it to the Commons last night.

READ MORE: 'We've now taken back control': Rishi Sunak boasts that he has completed Brexit as he is grilled by MPs EU President Ursula Von Der Leyen travelled to the UK today to meet UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to sign off on the agreement on the post-Brexit trade arrangements for Northern Ireland Fact-box text Advertisement

Boris Johnson also kept his counsel on the proposals, which unpick part of his Brexit deal.

A source said that he would 'study and reflect' before setting out his verdict.

He is reported to have urged the DUP to treat the plans with caution.

Mr Johnson spoke with the PM in recent days and was given a 'broad outline' of the deal.

Mr Sunak is also understood to have 'reached out' to Liz Truss, although she did not respond.

But former PM Theresa May backed the deal, as did leading Brexiteers.

Sir Jeffrey told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that 'at first reading', the Stormont brake mechanism gives the devolved government in Northern Ireland 'the ability to apply the brake where the application of EU law for the purposes of facilitating cross-border trade impacts on our ability to trade with the rest of the United Kingdom'.

Sir Jeffrey said Northern Ireland should have unfettered access to the GB market, and if changes to EU law were to impact that 'then it is right that Stormont has a brake and that we're able to ultimately veto any new such law'.

He insisted the brake would not be used for 'trivial reasons'.

'We want to do it in circumstances where a change to law would impact on our ability with trade with the rest of the United Kingdom, and that certainly is no trivial matter,' he added.

He added: 'We're reasonable people but we want to ensure that what the Prime Minister has said is matched by what is actually in the agreement itself, can it deliver on the areas of concern that we set out in our seven tests?'

Sir Jeffrey dismissed evidence of a split in DUP ranks, telling BBC Radio Ulster the party will take a 'collective' view.

'Let me be clear, our party officers, our assembly members, our members of parliament, and ultimately, our party executive, will determine the party's approach on this issue,' he said.

'We will consult and we will take our time. We will talk to people. We will listen to what people are saying, they will articulate their views. Of course, there will be a diversity and a range of views.

'People will react in different ways. But the DUP will come to a collective decision on this agreement.'

When asked how long it would take for the party to reach a conclusion on what had been agreed, he said 'it will take as long as it takes'.

Mr Cleverly said it will be 'hugely disappointing' if the DUP does not return to the Stormont powersharing executive following Rishi Sunak's deal with Brussels.

Mr Cleverly said the Government had been 'very, very focused' on the party's concerns in their negotiations with the EU on post-Brexit trading arrangements.

'They are quite understandably going to want to look at the detail of this. I really hope that once they look at the detail of this they will see we have taken their concerns very, very seriously,' he told Sky News.

'I think they will know that I have been very, very focused on the concerns they have expressed on behalf of their community. They will have real authority when it comes to the Stormont brake.

'If they don't re-enter the powersharing executive, that will be hugely disappointing. It won't be good news for the people of Northern Ireland.'

In a joint article in the Mail today, David Davis, Dominic Raab and Steve Barclay described the proposals as a 'complete and utter game-changer' that would finally deliver 'the Brexit we voted for and promised to deliver'.

The trio all served as Brexit secretary in negotiations with the EU, with both Mr Davis and Mr Raab resigning over Mrs May's proposals for an exit deal.

They said: 'What the Prime Minister has achieved is what no one thought would be possible.

'He has scrapped 1,700 pages of EU law and made radical and permanent changes to the Protocol Treaty to end the ratchet of EU law.

'We are all Conservatives. We are all Unionists. We are all Brexiteers. We can and must make Brexit work for all parts of the UK and the deal that the Prime Minister has struck will do so.

'We can finally move on from disagreeing about Brexit to focusing on the opportunities.'

AT A GLANCE: WHAT DOES THE STORMONT DEAL MEAN IN REAL TERMS? STORMONT BRAKE The Northern Ireland assembly can object to EU single market rules, allowing the UK Government to impose a veto. TRADE Two routes will exits for goods going from the United Kingdom to Northern Ireland. The Green Lane will apply to products destined for Northern Ireland, which will have less burdensome checks than those in the Red Lane for the Republic of Ireland. PETS AND PRODUCTS Rules forcing pet owners to show up-to-date vet's certificates of health an rabies vaccinations will be scrapped. Owners only have to state their pet is microchipped and will to travel to the EU. TAX VAT changes will apply to the whole of the United Kingdom, including Northern Ireland. Zero-rating of VAT on solar panels and reforms to alcohol duties will apply. SOVEREIGNTY The proportion of EU rules served on Northern Ireland will cut to 3 per cent. Advertisement

Northern Ireland minister Steve Baker choked up last night as he compared the level of 'statecraft' involved in the Brexit deal negotiations to that leading up to the Good Friday Agreement.

Mr Baker told ITV's Peston programme: 'Personally, I think it's a kind of, for want of a better term, statesmanship, which is at the level of the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement.'

But the leader of the non-sectarian Alliance Party, Naomi Long, rejected that comparison: 'I think Steve is getting a bit carried away with himself this evening.'

Mr Sunak said the agreement, named the 'Windsor Framework', would deliver 'significant improvements' for people in Northern Ireland, where trade has been disrupted by post-Brexit rules.

And he predicted that the deal could clear the way for a wider reset of relations with Brussels.

'The UK and the EU may have had our differences in the past, but we are allies, trading partners and friends,' he said. 'This is the beginning of a new chapter in our relationship.'

Mrs von der Leyen said the deal would heal the 'difficulties' in Britain's relations with Brussels.

Emmanuel Macron welcomed the deal between the EU and UK on the Northern Ireland Protocol.

The French president tweeted: 'The United Kingdom and the European Union have just reached an agreement on implementing the post-Brexit framework in Northern Ireland.

'I welcome this important decision, which will preserve the Good Friday Agreement and protect our European internal market.'

US President Joe Biden has called Rishi Sunak's Brexit deal with the EU an 'essential step' in protecting the Good Friday Agreement.

In a White House statement, the US president praised the efforts of London and Brussels to secure the deal, after Mr Sunak and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen unveiled the Windsor Framework on Monday.

Mr Biden said that the deal was an 'essential step to ensuring that the hard-earned peace and progress of the Belfast and Good Friday Agreement is preserved and strengthened'.

He said: 'I appreciate the efforts of the leaders and officials on all sides who worked tirelessly to find a way forward that protects Northern Ireland's place within the UK's internal market as well as the EU's single market, to the benefit of all communities in Northern Ireland.

'I am confident the people and businesses of Northern Ireland will be able to take full advantage of the economic opportunities created by this stability and certainty, and the United States stands ready to support the region's vast economic potential.'

Mr Biden's backing is a significant boost for Mr Sunak. The US president has long taken a close interest in the peace process in Northern Ireland and has spoken often about his own Irish heritage

The Windsor Framework is designed to tackle problems with the Northern Ireland Protocol, which has been blamed for driving a wedge between the province and the rest of the UK.

It creates a 'green lane' that will scrap almost all EU checks on goods arriving in Northern Ireland from the UK, ending a practice that has triggered shortages and political divisions.

The PM said the deal would remove 'any sense of a border in the Irish Sea' and meant that if food was available in Great Britain then it would also be available on shelves in Northern Ireland.

It will restore the UK Government's full control over tax rates and state subsidies in the province, which was weakened by the Protocol.

The Brexit deal left Northern Ireland effectively inside the EU's single market in order to prevent the creation of a hard border on the island of Ireland.

Mr Sunak said a 'minimal' amount of EU trade law would still apply. But he said the 'Stormont Brake' would allow the NI Assembly to block the introduction of EU trade laws.

The move is designed to tackle a 'democratic deficit', which has been a key concern for Unionists in Ulster.

Ms von der Leyen and Mr Sunak chat as they go into the Fairmont Windsor Park hotel today

The slick document published by the government today outlining the terms of the new deal

Sinn Fein vice president Michelle O'Neill and Connor Murphy speaking in Stormont

The PM hopes the deal will win the approval of the DUP so power-sharing can be restored in Northern Ireland for the first time in more than a year. Last night the party gave a mixed response to the proposals.

But Mr Paisley Jr said the democratic safeguards did not 'cut the mustard'.

And fellow DUP MP Sammy Wilson said his colleagues 'do not have confidence and still fear our position in the UK is not going to be restored by this agreement'.

On the Tory benches the deal was welcomed by most MPs.

Former Cabinet minister Sajid Javid said the PM had secured 'jaw-dropping concessions from the EU without giving anything in return'.

Former Northern Ireland secretary Julian Smith said it was a 'critical day in ending three years of political instability'.

Mark Francois, chairman of the European Research Group of Tory MPs, asked for reassurances that there were no 'nasty surprises' in the detail of the legal text.
Prosecutors said she drowned the children in the bathtub and tried to collect her $47 paycheck early after dumping their bodies in 2016

A Houston mother who drowned her two children in the bathtub in 2016 pleaded guilty to their murders on Monday.

Sheborah Latrice Thomas, 37, entered into a plea deal in which she would serve just 40 years in prison for the deaths of her daughter, 5-year-old Kayiana Thomas, and her son, 7-year-old Araylon Thomas. She had been facing the death penalty.

Prosecutors have said she drowned the two children in the bathtub of the family's home in southeast Houston on August 12, 2016 before dumping their bodies in a trash can and trying to pick up her $47 paycheck early.

When she was unable to leave town, authorities said, she tried to dig a hole in her backyard for the bodies. Then when she could not dig a hole large enough, she rolled the bodies under a neighbor's house and started to pack up her house.

'This mother knew what she was doing, she knew it was wrong and we vowed to seek justice for these two children,' Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg said in a statement.

'This plea agreement means that family members will not have to testify and this woman cannot appeal her conviction or the sentence.'

Sheborah Latrice Thomas, 37, entered into a plea deal in which she would serve just 40 years in prison for drowning her two young children in 2016. She had been facing the death penalty

Authorities laid out in court documents how Thomas drowned her daughter, Keiyana, 5, and son, Araylon, 7, after they returned home from daycare on August 12, 2018

Authorities have laid out in court documents how Thomas drowned her two young children shortly after they returned home from daycare on August 12, 2016.

She was said to have fed the kids before drawing them a bath and calling her daughter to get in first.

Once the young girl was in the tub, Thomas grabbed her hair and held her underwater until she stopped moving. She then placed the girl's limp body on a bed in a nearby room before calling her son in and drowning him.

Police said the boy struggled as Thomas held him underwater until he stopped moving. She then placed him next to his sister.

Thomas then wrapped both of their bodies in sheets before placing them in trash cans at the back of her house.

With the bodies disposed of, Thomas was seen in security footage walking into The Little Cajun Kitchen restaurant, where manager Santiago Wesley said she was agitated and sweaty before arguing the staff.

He explained to ABC13 at the time that he hired Thomas two months prior, but was forced to let her go two following an argument.

'She started complaining about working too much. She was complaining about not spending enough time with her kids and I'm like, "I understand that. If you need time off, whatever talk to me," but she just kind of blew up that day,' he said of an argument they had two weeks before her children's' deaths.

Wesley said that Thomas returned to the workplace on August 12 to collect her final paycheck, but he refused to hand it over because it was two days before payday.

He added: 'She spent two or three hours here, screaming and hollering, trying to get her last check. Just sweating.'

Thomas was filmed inside her former workplace The Little Cajun Kitchen, Texas, trying to collect her last paycheck hours after she allegedly drowned her children

Owner and manager Santiago Wesley said Thomas was sweating, agitated, and rowed with staff for two hours after he refused to give her the $47 check two days early

The following day, authorities said, Thomas removed the bodies and attempted to dig a hole between her house and her neighbors using just her hands and a piece of wood.

When that proved too difficult, Thomas rolled their remains underneath her neighbor's house, and started to move her stuff out.

Thomas has a minor criminal history, including three misdemeanor charges of theft, and another of failing to identify herself to a peace officer, for which she spent three days in jail

A male friend eventually saw her dumping trash in a field, at which point Thomas convinced him to help her move, saying she needed help moving right away.

Noticing something was amiss, the friend asked Thomas about her children, to which she calmly replied that she had killed them.

'She was so matter-of-fact about it, he didn't think she was serious. He thought she was joking,' police spokesman Kese Smith told CBS News. 'He continued to help her pack.'

At some point, though, the friend became suspicious and again asked Thomas about her children, to which she repeated that she had killed them and showed him where the bodies could be found.

The man then drove the woman to a nearby police precinct and flagged down an officer. Later that day she was charged with capital murder and was held without bond.

A lawyer for Thomas said in the aftermath that his client had been diagnosed with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and severe depression, according to the Houston Chronicle.

Family members described the Keiyana and Araylon in an online fundraiser as 'good children who loved being kids and adored each other'

Houston police were called to the scene after Thomas told a neighbor she had killed her kids

It was later revealed that Child Protective Services had been called on Thomas for neglecting her children  causing her to lose custody of the children at one point.

And in just the weeks prior to their deaths, the Houston police had been called to their house five times.

In 2010, the Chronicle found, Sheborah and her then-husband Danny Ray Thomas were accused of putting their children, as well as Sheborah's son from a previous relationship, at risk with illegal drug use.

The couple were investigated by Child Protective Services at the time for neglectful supervision and exposing the children to drug use which 'created an unprotected environment that may compromise their safety.'

But Sheborah ultimately passed a drug test, and the children were allowed to remain with her because Danny no longer lived at the house.

Just two years later, though, Keiyana was found wandering the streets with an intoxicated vagrant. She was cold, police said, and her mother was nowhere to be found.

Ultimately, a passerby spotted the 2-year-old sitting on top of the homeless man, shaking him, and alerted authorities.

Emergency responders then rushed her to Texas Children's Hospital and the man to Ben Taub Hospital for psychiatric treatment.

Hospital staff found that Keiyana was healthy, and discharged her, after which she was brought to a Child Protective Services office.

The man, who was experiencing hallucinations and admitted to using PCP, meanwhile, gave police Thomas' name and said they were both homeless.

He told how Keiyana's mother 'comes and goes,' and noted that they had both been on the streets for about six days when she left the child with him.

Police were able to use contacts on his cellphone to track down Thomas, who told investigators she had not spoken with her daughter in several weeks.

Investigators then located an address where Thomas received government benefits for her and her three children, but no one answered the door, and another address listed under Thomas' name had been vacant for month.

In the end, Child Protective Service authorities handed Keiyana over to her grandmother. When she went to pick up the youngster the next day, Keiyana's grandmother said she had since heard from her daughter, Thomas, who was living in a homeless shelter with her son Araylon, then four.

Her older son from a previous relationship, who was eight at the time, was with his father.

Thomas eventually admitted to the investigators that she had used marijuana and PCP, and said she left her daughter at a bus stop with the homeless man after catching a ride with someone else when the buses stopped running.

Keiyana's father could not be located at the time, and emergency temporary conservatorship was granted to the grandmother for both Keiyana and Araylon.

But the following year, the youngsters were returned to Thomas's care.

By early April 2016, five full months before the children were murdered, police started responding to the family's south Houston home for family disturbances, two of which involved a weapon.

They also responded two other times for child custody situations, one of which coincided with one of the family disturbances.

And just one day before the children were killed, Houston police were again called to the house when Thomas accused a woman she knew of threatening to harm her on Facebook

None of the police calls were in response to abuse or neglect allegations by Child Protective Services, Houston Police Department spokeswoman Jodi Silva told the Chronicle.

Thomas, pictured in an undated photo with her children, had lost custody of the youngsters in 2012 after Keiyana was found wandering the streets with a homeless man

At the time of their death, their father, Danny Ray, was in jail, convicted of possessing PCP in 2015. The couple had filed for divorce in 2012, though it was never finalized.

Thomas' other son, a 12-year-old, meanwhile, remained in his father's custody.

Thomas also has a history of drug use, with friend Akinthia Ivey telling KHOU that she was smoking formaldehyde, a chemical used to preserve dead bodies.

She added: 'I guess she tripped out in her mind. She said that she was tired, that she was going under stress, like the kids were really getting on her nerves.'

Thomas has a minor criminal history, including three misdemeanor charges of theft, and another of failing to identify herself to a peace officer, for which she spent three days in jail.

Kita Thomas, the children's aunt, said the youngsters 'adored' one-another and 'just loved being kids'.

Writing on a GoFundMe page attempting to raise money for their funerals, she said: 'Unfortunately we are trying to raise money for the going home services of our niece and nephew Kayiana and Araylan Thomas - siblings who were murdered by the hands of their own Mother.

'Please find it in your hearts to help us lay their bodies to rest and help everyone find peace in this situation. Our hearts are broken beyond repair at this moment.'

The online fundraiser netted over $4,000 for the family.

Neighbors in the area said they were shocked by the news, adding that the mother was always friendly and seemed happy.

'I never would have thought she would do that. She didn't seem like the type. She was always with a smile and friendly,' neighbor Dee Davis told the Houston Chronicle.

'How in the h*** can she do something like this? You bring life into the world, it's not up to you to take it out. I can't get over this.'
Fresh Tube strikes have been announced for Budget Day on March 15 - with the RMT union set to join a walkout by 100,000 civil servants.

The Rail, Martine and Transport union (RMT) said the Budget day walkout has been called in the face of station staff job losses and of a funding cut to Transport for London (TfL), which is responsible for London Underground Ltd.

Around 100,000 civil servants with the Public and Commercial Services union are also planning to strike on Budget day in a long-running dispute over jobs, pay and pensions.

Tube drivers represented by the Aslef union have already announced a 24-hour strike for the same day. It added that 99 per cent of its members have come out in favour of strike action.

Now more London Underground workers are to go on strike on March 15 in a row over pensions, job losses and contracts.

Fresh Tube strikes have been announced for Budget Day on March 15. Pictured: King's Cross station closed after a strike hit the capital in August

The Rail, Martine and Transport union ( RMT ) said the Budget day walkout has been called in the face of station staff job losses. Pictured: An RMT picket line on January 4

The campaign will commence as Jeremy Hunt is expected to announce a plan to rescue the economy in his Spring budget.

There are expected to be severe delays across the London Underground and knock-on effects on other public transport and replacement services such as buses.

The industrial action will also take place the day before another RMT strike at Network Rail and 14 train operating companies across the UK, kicking off days of chaos on the railways.

It will be the first strike on the Tube since November last year, when combined action by the RMT and Aslef brought the underground rail network grinding to a halt.

The campaign will commence as Jeremy Hunt, pictured on February 21, is expected to announce a plan to rescue the economy in his Spring budget

Mick Lynch, the general secretary of RMT said tube drivers deserve good working conditions in return for the services they provide to the capital

RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said: 'Our members will never accept job losses, attacks on their pensions or changes to working conditions in order to pay for a funding cut which is the Government's political decision.

'Tube workers provide an essential service to the capital, making sure the city can keep moving and work long hours in demanding roles.

'In return they deserve decent pensions, job security and good working conditions and RMT will fight and tooth nail to make sure that's what they get.'
Transgender rapist Isla Bryson has been sent to Scotland's most notorious men's prison after being jailed for eight years for the rape of two women while still a man.

Bryson, 31, was last month convicted of raping a woman in Clydebank in 2016 and a second victim in Drumchapel three years later while a man known as Adam Graham.

The criminal is said to have 'preyed' on vulnerable women was today pictured hiding behind a blonde bob and pink hooded jumper inside a prison van outside the High Court in Edinburgh.

Lord Scott today said Bryson, who changed gender while waiting to stand trial, 'presents a particularly significant risk to any woman with whom you form a relationship'.

The double rapist will serve the sentence at HMP Edinburgh, also known as Saughton Prison, which was built in 1920 and holds around 900 prisoners per day.

Isla Bryson leaves Edinburgh High Court in a prison van after being sentenced to eight years in jail today

HMP Edinburgh at Saughton, where Bryson has been sent to serve an eight-year prison sentence

The jail was for many years the home of serial killer and paedophile Peter Tobin.

Assassin James McDonald, is serving 35 years - the longest jail term in Scottish history  and was sent there for shooting members of the rival Lyons crime clan in a drive-by.

In 2017 at HMP Edinburgh he left fellow murderer Raymond Cartwright with stab wounds to his face and stomach, hit another man with 'a blunt instrument' and head-butted a prison guard in the five man brawl.

Limbs in the Loch killer William Beggs is serving a life sentence in Saughton Prison, Edinburgh, for raping, murdering and dismembering Barry Wallace, 18, in Kilmarnock, Ayrshire, in 1999.

The teenager's limbs and torso were found in Loch Lomond and his head was dumped in the sea off the Ayrshire coast.

Bryson is also in the same jail as two other sex offenders who say they want to be women. Rapist Albert Caballero, 50, is now wishing to be known as Claire and asked guards for lipstick and eye make-up to make him look more feminine.

Serial rapist Jonathon Mallon, 40, has declared that he now wants to be called Charlene and told inmates that he hopes to be moved into a Scottish women's jail by Easter. The predator was caged for life in 2014 after a 14-year reign of attacks on a string of vulnerable women.

It contains pre-op trans killer Paris Green. Green, who was born Peter Laing, who helped torture a man to death after a row over a bag of chips.

The double rapist will serve the sentence at HMP Edinburgh (pictured), also known as Saughton Prison

Isla Bryson (pictured on Monday) attended Ayrshire College's Kilwinning Campus in 2021 while awaiting trial for rape

Undated handout file photo issued by Police Scotland of Isla Bryson, formerly known as Adam Graham

Serial killer Peter Tobin died in October after becoming unwell at HMP Edinburgh where he was serving three life sentences

Limbs in the Loch killer William Beggs is serving a life sentence in Saughton Prison

The killer was moved to the women's wing at HMP Edinburgh after being thrown out of Cornton Vale, where Bryson was held, after reports about having sex with female prisoners in the cells.

Rachel Trelfa is also held there. She and her then civil partner Nyomi Fee chained two-year-old Liam Fee to a cage in a room filled with snakes and rats before murdering him in 2014.

Liam  Trelfa's son  was beaten so severely that medics likened his injuries to those usually sustained by car crash victims.

Meanwhile, three prison officers are understood to have been sacked from the prison earlier this month after assaulting an inmate.

The officers, said to be physical training instructors, allegedly attacked a 24-year-old prisoner in his cell in September last year.

It comes as Bryson was sentenced to eight years in prison at the today, with a further three years on licence.

The case sparked an uproar after Bryson was initially housed in an all-female prison. In the wake of this outcry, the criminal was moved to the male estate.

Scotland's Justice Secretary Keith Brown ordered an urgent review of the case and the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) stopped the movement of all transgender prisoners with a history of violence against women into the female estate.

During sentencing today, Lord Scott noted Bryson continues to 'vehemently deny' the offences, claiming the victims 'colluded' to press charges.

The court heard the rapist, who appeared in court wearing a blonde wig, black leggings and fluorescent pink jacket, is still pursuing full gender reassignment and is on 'the maximum recommended doses of hormone prescription' from Glasgow's Sandyford sexual health service clinic.

But Lord Scott said the seriousness of the crimes 'far outweigh' Bryson's mitigatory circumstances.

Gangster James McDonald (left), serving the longest jail term in Scottish history, 35 years, for shooting members of the rival Lyons crime clan served in HMP Edinburgh

Bryson, 31, was convicted last month of raping two women, pictured outside court for a previous hearing

He acknowledged Bryson is considered 'vulnerable in some ways' due to adverse childhood experiences, but said: 'You see yourself as the victim in this situation. You are not.

'Your vulnerability is no excuse at all for what you did to these two women.

'You raped two women who can both be regarded as vulnerable.'

Lord Scott said Bryson was, in fact, 'preying on these two women because of their vulnerability and raped them in their own homes where they were entitled to feel safe'.

Addressing Bryson, he added: 'You are not at the stage of accepting what you did or acknowledging the serious harm you inflicted on two women.'

He said the rapist was 'a high risk of reoffending', adding: 'There will need to be a high level of supervision.'
A prison officer has been sentenced to 16 months in jail after sending hundreds of explicit messages and smuggling designer clothes to an inmate.

Rachel Martin, 25, from Salisbury in Wiltshire, worked at HMP Guys Marsh and admitted to an 'emotional or intimate' relationship with prisoner Raymond Abraham.

Last October she pleaded guilty to eight charges of misconduct and a single charge of encouraging the possession of a mobile phone in prison at Bournemouth Crown Court.

On Tuesday, Martin reappeared at the same court where Judge Stephen Climie heard she made hundreds of phone and video calls to Mr Abraham between November 2020 and March 2021.

The 25-year-old provided a parcel to Mr Abraham containing 'high-value designer clothes and footwear' as well as 'female underwear'.

Rachel Martin, 25, has been sentenced to 16 months in prison after sending hundreds of explicit messages and smuggling designer clothes to an inmate

The court was told Martin received at least 10,000 on Mr Abraham's behalf, spending thousands of pounds on online clothing websites.

Messaging a friend on Facebook who asked what others think about the relationship, Martin replied: 'Others can see how happy I am when I'm on the phone to him, how much he helps me money-wise as he pays all my bills and treats me to anything that I want.'

Martin stayed in contact with the prisoner using two different illicit mobile phones he stored in his cell, advising him to 'flush it' down the toilet if his cell was searched.

As well as hundreds of calls, the pair exchanged 900 WhatsApp messages within the four-month period, some of which were of an explicit nature 'expressing desire to perform sexual acts on each other', and they declared their love for each other in December 2020.

Mr Abraham, who is 17 years Martin's senior, was described as having a 'significant criminal history'.

In mitigation, the court heard Martin had been diagnosed with ADHD and was likely suffering from a depressive episode when the relationship with Mr Abraham developed.

The court also heard Martin 'deeply regrets' her actions as she was 'infatuated' with Mr Abraham and her weaknesses were 'exploited' by him.

Martin appeared at Poole Magistrates Court in Dorset

Martin exchanged thousands of voice, video and text messages with Raymond Abraham, knowing prisoners were not allowed mobile phones, and sent him explicit photos and women's underwear to hide in his cell

Sentencing, Judge Climie said: 'You started your employment as a prison officer at the beginning of 2020 and, despite your training, you failed to follow the guidance.

'I am satisfied that Abraham identified you as a potentially vulnerable candidate for grooming and it was effective and resulted in a degree of intimacy, both face to face and also on messaging.

'It also involved you agreeing to convey items like clothing with a high monetary value.

'You received at least 10,000 and a significant part of your offending involved personal gain by way of the money, and as a consequence the sentence is 16 months immediate imprisonment.'

Martin denied a 10th charge of supplying Abraham with a mobile phone which the prosecution indicated would lie on file.

She sobbed in the courtroom as the sentence was handed down.

Prisons minister Damian Hinds said: 'We will never tolerate those few prison officers who break the rules for their own personal gain and undermine the safety of our prisons.

'Though the vast majority of officers carry out their duties to the highest standards, we will always take the strongest possible action against the small minority who fall foul of the law, including those who engage in illicit relationships.'
A Muslim preacher who was close to the Manchester Arena bomber was suspected by MI5 to have radicalised people more than a decade before the attack.

The preacher, Mansour Al-Anezi, had been investigated before another close associate of his tried to carry out a suicide bombing in Exeter, Devon, in 2008, according to a BBC investigation.

It comes as a public inquiry into the attack will this week report on how Manchester bomber Salman Abedi was radicalised, and whether security services missed chances to stop him.

But the BBC has revealed evidence excluded from previous public hearings which show Al-Anezi was investigated by the MI5 as a 'suspected radicaliser' before the attempted attack in Exeter.

The preacher, Mansour Al-Anezi (pictured), had been investigated before another close associate of his tried to carry out a suicide bombing in Exeter, Devon, in 2008, according to a BBC investigation

It comes as a public inquiry into the attack will this week report on how Manchester bomber Salman Abedi (pictured) was radicalised, and whether security services missed chances to stop him

Detective Chief Superintendent Simon Barraclough, the officer who led the Manchester Investigation, told the inquiry the relationship between Al-Anezi and Salman Abedi was 'clearly a connection of significance'.

The inquiry also heard Al-Anzei had been arrested in connection with the Exeter attack in 2008, but were not told he was investigated by MI5 as a 'suspected radicaliser' before that, according to the BBC.

AI-Anezi, who died in 2017, moved from Kuwait to Manchester aged 43, before moving to Plymouth, Devon.

The MI5 warned investigators about Al-Anezi when he moved to Plymouth and he was monitored at the mosque where he preached, where intelligence was collected on his activity.

But it was only after Muslim convert Nicky Reilly, then aged 22, attacked a restaurant in Exeter with three bombs, that Al-Anezi came under active police suspicion.

Detectives did not have enough evidence to prove he was behind the attack, but he was subject to further investigation.

Al-Anezi visited Manchester and at 'some stage' became close with Salman Abedi, staying at his family home.

A source told the BBC Salman Abedi was 'in tears' while at his bedside of Al-Anezi when he died in a Plymouth hospital in 2017.

He was also in phone contact with the terrorist's brother Hashem Abedi, who helped plan the attack.

Both brothers attended Al-Anezi's funeral in Manchester and the next day bought chemicals used to create the explosives used in the arena attack on May 22, 2017.

A source told the BBC Salman Abedi (pictured) was 'in tears' while at his bedside of Al-Anezi when he died in a Plymouth hospital in 2017

Detective Chief Superintendent Simon Barraclough, the officer who led the Manchester Investigation, told the inquiry the relationship between Al-Anezi and Salman Abedi (pictured) was 'clearly a connection of significance'

A group of five bereaved familes told the BBC they were 'disappointed to learn of yet more links to terrorism in Abedi's background which do not appear to have been investigated.'

The families are those of victims Kelly Brewster, 32, from Sheffield, Eilidh MacLeod, 14, from Barra, Megan Hurley, 15, from Liverpool, and Liam Curry, 19, and Chloe Rutherford, 17, both from South Shields.

In a statement given to the BBC, they said: 'If there is enough information in the public domain for the press to make these links then we would have expected the government to do the same and investigate fully.

'We can only hope that this information was discussed in the closed hearings of the public inquiry.'

A Home Office spokesman said: 'Our thoughts remain with those who were killed or had their lives changed forever at the Manchester Arena attack.'
Pennsylvania police seized four medical gloves, a silver flashlight and Bryan Kohberger's Under Armour socks, boxers and shorts when they arrested him at his parents' house in December on suspicion of quadruple murder in Idaho.

Kohberger, 28, is in custody for the murders of Maddie Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin. On December 30, Kohberger was arrested at his parents' house in Albrightsville, Pennsylvania.

Police had traced him there by tracking his white Hyundai to the scene of the murders.

When he was taken into custody in Pennsylvania, cops seized items of clothing along with a flashlight and medical gloves, according to a newly released search warrant that became public today.

Bryan Kohberger will return to court in June

When he was taken into custody in Pennsylvania, cops seized items of clothing along with a flashlight and medical gloves, according to a newly released search warrant that became public today.

They also seized the Under Armour socks, boxers and shorts and white sweatshirt he was wearing, and took four buccal swabs.

Kohberger was believed to have been wearing dark clothing at the time of the murders.

Police also say he left a footprint with a diamond pattern on the sole that is consistent with a pair of Vans sneakers.

When he was taken into custody, cops seized a pair of black Nikes.

Kohberger is due back in court in June. He is yet to enter a formal plea, but his attorneys have indicated in the past that he plans to plead not guilty.

His alleged motive remains unconfirmed.

In addition to linking his Hyundai to the scene, police also say that DNA that was left on the snap button of a knife sheath left next to one of the bodies is a 99.9 percent match for Kohberger.

The Kohberger family home in Albrightsville, Pennsylvania

The warrant asks permission to seize a wide net of evidence from the Kohberger home. It's unclear what exactly agents found beyond what was listed

Kohberger, 28, is in custody for the murders of Maddie Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin .

Former friends of the alleged killer have since claimed he had a crippling heroin addiction.

Police sources have also claimed he had 'more than one photograph' of one of the victims on his phone, though it's unclear if they were taken before the killings or from the vast media coverage of them before he was arrested.

The warrant also details how Pennsylvania police had been asked to assist in the investigation on December 28, after Kohberger and his father traveled from Idaho back to the east coast.

'On December 28, Pennsylvania State Police was requested to assist the Moscow Police Department, Moscow, ID, and FBI with a homicide investigation.

'Investigators began physical surveillance of the property and area of 119 Lamsden Drive, Chestnuthill Township, and in the early morning hours of Tuesday, December 27, 2022, observed

'Bryan Kohberger walking near this residence. Affiants believe that Kohberger is located inside this residence and is in possession of items related to this investigation.'

The state troopers also asked for permission to raid the house at night. The raid was conducted in the early hours of December 30.

'Additionally, based upon the serious and violent nature of these crimes, including risk of general public safety, your Affiants are requesting a night-time search warrant be issued to execute this search warrant at any time and the affidavit of probable cause be sealed.'

The house where the murders took place in Moscow, Idaho, is to be destroyed.
He faced a backlash for touting what was then said to be a conspiracy theory

Jon Stewart has reflected on backlash he received after suggesting in 2021 that Covid could have leaked from a lab.

His comments came as the Energy Department is widely rumored to have prepared a new report suggesting the disease did in fact originate from a lab.

Stewart drew huge controversy and was criticized for being racist after an appearance on the Stephen Colbert show in 2021, during which he said the virus could very well have come from a lab.

At the time the lab leak theory was stigmatized and most media outlets had branded it a right-wing conspiracy theory.

When the topic was brought up on Monday during a podcast that accompanies his show 'The Problem with Jon Stewart' he joked: 'Are you trying to cancel me again?'

On Monday Jon Stewart joked that he could be 'canceled' for discussing the lab leak theory which he was criticized for mentioning in 2021, but which has now become much more mainstream

Today @JonStewart talks to some of our staff about the news that the COVID-19 virus may, in fact, have leaked from a lab in China and what it reveals about the problem with the media narrative machine. Full episode drops Wednesday on @ApplePodcasts pic.twitter.com/tsaLUYzIRl  The Problem With Jon Stewart (@TheProblem) February 27, 2023

Although Stewart now appears right to have questioned the possibility the virus came from a Chinese research lab, he was also humble and claimed he was only ever advocating open-mindedness.

'First of all, I wasn't waiting for the Department of Energy to weigh in on this,' he said during the podcast. 'What does the Department of Energy have to do with this?'

'The larger problem with all of this is the inability to discuss things that are within the realm of possibility without falling into absolutes and litmus-testing each other for our political allegiances as it arose from that,' Stewart said.

In the 2021 episode on the Colbert show, Stewart was challenged by the host, who suggested he had not seen evidence himself that pointed to the lab leak theory.

'Science has, in many ways, helped ease the suffering of this pandemic, which was more than likely caused by science,' Stewart said.

'Do you mean perhaps there's a chance that this was created in a lab? If there's evidence, I'd love to hear it, I just don't know,' Colbert said in response.

'A chance? Oh my god, there's a novel respiratory coronavirus overtaking Wuhan, China, what do we do? Oh you know who we should ask? The Wuhan novel respiratory coronavirus lab. The disease is the same name as the lab. That's just a little too weird!'

In 2021 Stewart suggested that the coronavirus originated at a laboratory in Wuhan, China, saying it seemed too coincidental the Wuhan Institute of Virology was studying coronaviruses when COVID-19 originated in Wuhan

On Monday Stewart how the reaction to what he though was perfectly neutral had been so extremely polarized.

'My bigger problem with that was, I thought it was a pretty good bit that expressed kind of how I felt, and the two things that came out of it were, I'm racist against Asian people, and how dare I align myself with the alt-right,' he said.

'The part that I don't like about it is the absolutes and the dismissive like 'fk you, I'm done with you. I will never forgive you, you have crossed an unforgivable line. You've expressed an opinion that is antithetical to mine, or not mine,' he added.

'What was stunning to me, I think, was the anger,' he said. 'And is purposeful.'

A co-host on Stewarts podcast on Monday reemphasized the counterintuitive way Covid's origins had been politicized.

'Wet market means you're a Democrat and lab leak means you're a Republican, and we were really puzzled by that,' she said.
By Park Ji-hu



On Jan. 2, members of the Solidarity Against Disability Discrimination (SADD) held a protest at Samgakji Station on Seoul Metro lines 4 and 6. SADD members failed to get on the subway, and the confrontation caused major issues because the group inconvenienced citizens getting on and off the train during the morning rush hour.



SADD members demand that the government allocate a budget to expand the mobility rights of people with disabilities, and they have held demonstrations in the Seoul subway since the end of 2021. The conflict has escalated.



This incident highlights the ongoing struggle faced by individuals with disabilities in our society. Despite numerous legal protections and advancements in technology, people with disabilities continue to face discrimination and barriers to equal treatment and opportunities.



The protest at Samgakji Station is a reminder that disabled individuals often face significant difficulties when trying to access public transportation. This can include a lack of accessible infrastructure, such as elevators, ramps and Braille signage, as well as insensitive attitudes from transit staff and other commuters. These barriers make it harder for people with disabilities to lead independent, fulfilling lives and participate fully in society.



In 2004, the Korean government promised to install an elevator at every subway station in Seoul but as of yet, it has fallen short. Fifteen years have passed since the Disability Discrimination Act was enacted, and despite the fact that some political circles show signs of subtle changes, Korea still has a long way to go. I have witnessed numerous obstacles that are impossible for disabled people to even pass without the help of someone else, and it was heartening to see members of SADD taking a stand and advocating for their rights. Their actions bring attention to the need for greater awareness and action on the issue of disability discrimination.



However, while the claims and positions of SADD members are understood, there is some doubt about whether the means used to enforce them are appropriate. The frequent SADD demonstrations in the subway, which is also used by many citizens during peak commute times, have caused harm to many citizens as they disrupt subway operations.



Moreover, those who need social consideration are not just people with disabilities  many other people and groups also exist. It appears that a deeper understanding is needed as to whether the level of consideration that people with disabilities are demanding is within the ability of the government to manage.



The protests by SADD serve as a call to action for all of us to work towards a more inclusive society that values and respects the rights of disabled individuals. Let us strive to create a world where everyone, regardless of ability, has an equal opportunity to live, work and play. However, the method should be changed so that a more mature and ethical way is created that causes less harm to others.





The writer is an 11th grader at Saint Paul Preparatory Seoul, looking to pursue a career in journalism.


A female sales manager has won more than 15,000 after her boss told her to use her 'women's assets' to 'flirt' with customers to drum up business.

Kinga Zborowska was made to feel like a 'sex object' after managing director Adam Peruta insisted that it was the 'the best way to get a client's attention'.

As a result she felt 'degraded' and that her boss only valued her for her physical attributes, an employment tribunal heard.

The MD was also found to have 'humiliated' the sales account manager - who suffers from anxiety - when he repeatedly remarked that she must have taken 'her happy pill' while on a video call with others.

After being fired after she went off work sick, Ms Zborowska sued Manchester-based recruitment agency P&M Resources for the way Mr Peruta had treated her.

Ms Zborowska felt 'degraded' and that her boss only valued her for her physical attributes, an employment tribunal heard (pictured: Manchester Employment Tribunal)

She has now won 15,164.96 in compensation after the tribunal agreed she was the victim of harassment.

The hearing was told that Ms Zborowska joined the firm for the second time in the summer of 2021 and was paid 22,000 for her role.

However, she was fired just 52 days later.

The tribunal in Manchester - chaired by Employment Judge Mark Butler - heard that after she joined Mr Peruta gave her advice on how to encourage new business.

'[He] told [her] to both use her women's assets to get bookings, and also ordered her to flirt with clients as he insisted that this was 'the best way to get a clients attention',' the hearing was told.

'The comments made (her) feel like Mr Peruta was using her as some sort of sex object. She felt objective (sic) and degraded. This made (her) feel that Mr Peruta viewed her value as being in her physical assets.'

She also claimed she was sexually discriminated against by being asked by her boss to include a photograph on emails that she sent to customers.

Ms Zborowska - who the tribunal accepted was disabled as a result of her anxiety - also complained about comments the MD made three times on a video call.

The tribunal heard: 'Mr Peruta said to her that 'you must have taken your happy pill' on a video call in front of others,' remarks that left her 'scared and shocked'.

At the start of October 2021 - less than two months after she had started her job - Ms Zborowska went off sick from work. Five days later she was sacked.

At the tribunal she successfully sued for sex harassment, disability harassment and disability discrimination as well as additional claims for unpaid holiday pay and that the firm had failed to give her a written statement of her working conditions.

Her claims of sex discrimination in relation to the email photo request and victimisation were dismissed.

Ms Zborowska sued Manchester-based recruitment agency P&M Resources (pictured) for the way Mr Peruta had treated her

Regarding the 'assets' comments, the tribunal concluded: 'This was unwanted conduct related to sex that had both the purpose and effect of creating a harassing environment.

'This treatment is sex related harassment in the judgment of this tribunal.'

Of the 'happy pill' comments, the tribunal said: 'The purpose of this comment was to try to humiliate (her). This made (her) feel shocked and scared. These comments have affected (her) confidence, her self-esteem and her enjoyment of life.

'This treatment does reach the level of being disability related harassment in the judgment of this tribunal.'
A Maryland man has sued his local bar for discrimination after they permanently banned him over his age and race, a new lawsuit claims.

Dan's Restaurant and Taphouse has sparked a full-blown culture war in the small town of Boonsboro, Maryland, after a bartender allegedly threw the customer out because he's an 'old, white man.'

Neal Glessner, 52, used to spend at least $500 a week at the local restaurant - but he filed a lawsuit against them in federal and state court, claiming he faced discrimination at the hands of staff on February 18, 2022.

However, owner Charlotte Aufdem-Brinke claims there were 'repeated occurrences of disruptive behavior against members of our team' which triggered the ceremonious ban.

Mike Skinner, the manager who was working at Dan's at the time, verbally barred Glessner and his friend from the premises and called the police, in a clip caught on bodycam footage.

He allegedly exclaimed to Glessner's friend Joseph Michael - who just so happened to be the Deputy State's Attorney just appointed Judge - 'You old, white people act like you own everything. Get the f*** out of here!'

Neal Glessner, 52, filed a lawsuit against the bar in federal and state court, claiming he's faced discrimination at the hands of staff

Mike Skinner (pictured), the manager who was working at Dan's at the time, verbally barred Glessner and his friend from the premises and called the police, in a clip caught on bodycam footage. Although not captured in the clip, the lawsuit claims he said: 'All of you old white men act like you own everything. Just get the f*** out. Neither of you are welcome here'

The pair had been complaining about waiting 40 minutes for a to-go order.

In the unearthed bodycam footage, Michael is heard said: 'I'm happy to go... but I just need to know if I'm banned or not?'

The manager Mike Skinner responds: 'Yes, you are banned. You are not allowed to come back in here.'

Although not captured in the footage, Glessner alleges the manager continued: 'All of you old white men act like you own everything. Just get the f*** out. Neither of you are welcome here.'

Neal Glessner, who is the chairman of a technology company, said in a statement: 'Anyone that thinks this is about BLM, Trump or any other political issue is ignoring the facts so they can promote an agenda that is not mine.'

The ordeal has sparked a proxy war in the sleepy town. On Saturday, a group of a dozen protesters - headed by Shaun Porter - stood outside the restaurant, with signs that read: 'Old White Men's Lives Matter' and 'It Is Okay To Be White.'

Owner Charlotte Aufdem-Brinke says there were 'repeated occurrences of disruptive behavior against members of our team' which caused the ban

And the group held a large red sign, reading: 'No Soup For You!! No Old Farts!!!' along with a reference to the 'Soup Nazi' from comedy show Seinfeld.

The battle between the opposing sides has also spewed online. Dozens of locals in the small town have got involved, giving their opinion, while both the plaintiff and defendants give status updates nearly daily.

Skinner, the manager, gawked at the small number of protesters who rallied against his place of work, while owner Aufdem-Brinke bragged that business has never been better.

She also claims that the fallout from the ban has been a 'coordinated personal attack against our business.'

Meanwhile Porter, one of Glessner's main supporters, has been updating his followers in a series of dramatic monologues and rabble-rousing recordings from the protest, posting them on YouTube.

The restaurant was closed on Monday to give staff a 'much needed rest' and they wrote on their windows: 'They tried to bury us, but they don't know we are seeds.'

According to the lawsuit, since being banished from the restaurant, the plaintiff 'has become aware of approximately a half-dozen other white men who have been barred from Dan's for otherwise inexplicable reasons.'

Glessner said that he has suffered - and will continue to suffer - 'irreparable economic loss, humiliation, embarrassment, mental and emotional distress, and strain on relationships' following the ordeal.

Charlotte Aufdem-Brinke, the co-owner along with her ex-husband Daniel, wrote on social media: 'Dan and I opened our restaurant in 2012 based upon a shared set of values and a clear vision of what we wanted this space to become. We wanted to offer Boonsboro a place where everyone feels a sense of belonging.

'Mr. Glessner has filed a frivolous lawsuit and, through a non-stop blitz of social media posts and appearances in fringe media outlets, have leveled a series of false, baseless and preposterous accusations against our team.

Bodycam footage showed the moment that Neal Glessner and his friend Joseph Michael were banned from the restaurant

Dan's Restaurant and Taphouse has sparked a culture war in the small town of Boonsboro, Maryland, after a bartender allegedly threw a customer out because he's an 'old, white man'

The group held a large red sign, reading: 'No Soup For You!! No Old Farts!!!' - a reference to the 'Soup Nazi' from comedy show Seinfeld

The ban and lawsuit have created a proxy war in the small Maryland town. Protesters came out in their small forces on the weekend, with posters rallying against the restaurant

The owners of the restaurant are Dan (pictured) and Charlotte Aufdem-Brinke

'The team at Dan's Taphouse works hard to provide a welcoming experience for our guests and a workplace where our team members are treated with respect. Any behavior that violates those standards is unacceptable.

'Mr. Glessner was asked to leave our restaurant due to repeated occurrences of disruptive behavior against members of our team. Nothing more. Nothing less.'

Speaking to DailyMail.com, Glessner added: 'There is a deep chasm in our typically tight-knit community. Regretfully, Dan and Charlotte Aufdem-Brinke are trying to paint me as an angry racist who is willfully acting to dismantle their business with what they term "a frivolous, baseless lawsuit." This couldn't be further from the truth.

'While I do feel Dan and Charlotte discriminated against me because of my age and race and have sufficient evidence to prove this in a federal court of law, they have an undeniable history of mistreating and discriminating against many others in our community due to age, race, and political affiliations.

'While it is easy for the owners to say that they insist their team members and guests be treated with respect by employees, you need look no farther than the social media posts of the restaurant's management and staff to see the hate-filled speech and "get-even" attitudes on their personal accounts. Clearly their insistence on respect is little more than an empty promise.

'Shame on Dan and Charlotte for condoning this kind of behavior and defending it now. As owners of a well-known establishment in our town, is it not the Aufem-Brinkes' moral and ethical responsibility to respect everyone equally, not just those whom they deem "worthy"?

'I do not want to continue the negative back-and-forth that is tearing our wonderful community apart. More divisiveness in our community is not what we need.'

Responding to the lawsuit, Aufdem-Brinke told DailyMail.com: 'Neal Glessner's lawsuit is beyond preposterous, and is based solely on his animosity toward my personal views and our advocacy for social and economic justice.

'His nonstop efforts to promote the lawsuit on far-right media outlets such as the One America News Network, and the social media harassment that has been carried out by far-right agitators like Shaun Porter, are simply an effort to bully a successful small businesswoman and community activist into submission.'
A Scottish family who have lived in Australia for more than 10 years have finally won their long battle to stay here.

The Green family has been given permission to remain in Australia while applying for permanent residency after an almost year-long legal battle costing more than $150,000.

Mark Green, 44, his wife Kelly, 45, son Jamie and daughter Rebecca moved to Australia from Scotland in February, 2012, when Mr Green was headhunted for his specialist solar panel installation skills in Adelaide.

However, in May, 2014, Mr Green was forced to change jobs after the solar company he worked for went broke - putting his visa in jeopardy just one year before he qualified for residency.

The Greens family have been granted permission to apply for permanent residency (pictured, Mark Green, 44, wife Kelly, 45, and daughter Rebecca, 19)

The family was desperate to stay in Australia but were let down by another seven employers who folded before their visa paperwork could be filled.

One former boss had promised Mr Green he would paid for the family's citizen application fees only for the Scottish family to find out he had faked the documents.

Mr Green's son, Jamie, had to fly back to their former home in Ayrshire in 2015 after the family's visa struggles prevented him from working in Australia.

In June, 2022, the Greens made a public appeal for help from the newly-elected Labor Government after seeing the Tamil asylum seeking Murugappan family was allowed to stay in Biloela, regional Queensland.

They said they'd given up their entire lives in Scotland to build a home in Australia and sold everything they owned.

Mr Green's UK electrical certification had also expired since he'd moved to Australia - meaning he faced unemployment if he was forced to move back.

Mark Green (pictured with his wife Kelly) moved his family to Adelaide in 2012 after he was headhunted by a solar panel company

The family were set to be deported and were booked on a flight to the UK at 10.20pm on August 10, 2022, but were granted a last-minute reprieve from immigration minister Andrew Giles.

Just shy of a year since their public appeal, the Greens have finally been given approval to apply for permanent residency.

Mr Green told 2GB's Ben Fordham: 'The Minister has given us a 600 visitor visa which allows us to apply within the country.'

He said his family has spent more than $150,000 on visa applications and immigration lawyers during the battle to stay Down Under.
The Loudoun County Republican Committee censured Jeff Morse, the school board chairman who voted against releasing an internal review that focused on how the system investigated sexual assaults.

In May 2021, a 15-year-old boy class in a kilt aped his female classmate in a transgender-friendly bathroom at Stone Bridge High School in Virginia. In October 2021, the same boy was convicted of assaulting a girl at a different school.

The move to censure Morse comes week after the activist group, Fight for Schools, called on the county GOP to censure Morse.

'The Loudoun County Democrat Committee would never take action against the school board member it has previously endorsed... the Loudoun County Republican Committee should, at the very least, censure Jeff Morse,' a statement from the activist group Fight for Schools read.

DailyMail.com has reached out to both the Loudoun County Republican Committee and Fight for Schools for comment on this story. The censuring was first reported by WJLA's Nick Minock.

Jeff Morse has been a member of Loudoun County's School Board since 2011

Dozens of parents attended rallies and meetings with the school board to voice their concerns over the allegations and cover up

Morse has served on the Loudoun County School Board Dulles District board since 2011. He was reelected in a landslide in November 2019 and will be on the ballot again this year as an independent candidate.

He was endorsed by the Loudoun Education Association. Morse is a US Navy veteran who was also an instructor at the Naval Academy and now works for a defense contractor.

At the same event on February 27, the Republican Committee voted to not to censure Loudoun County Sheriff Michael Chapman after deputies arrested an activist at a protest against the school board.

Earlier this month, Morse, who is the chairman of the board, voted alongside five of his colleagues not to release the report on how the district handled the allegations.

Morse, along with Atoosa Reeser and Erika Ogedegbe, 'flipped' their votes, having already signaled in December that they were in favor of the release. The trio voted alongside Ian Serotkin, Harris Mahedavi and Brenda Sheridan in suppressing the report, reports WJLA.

The report said that there was a 'stunning lack of openness, transparency, and accountability both to the public and the special grand jury'

A report into how the school district handled it said that the second assault was 'preventable' but denied that there was a coordinated cover up

Scott Smith, the parent of one of the victims who became famous after he fought with deputies at a school board meeting, shouted 'You f*****g scumbags. F*****g liars! What are you covering up? What?' at the board members following the vote.

In December, the Loudoun County Superintendent Scott Ziegler was fired after a damning report into the district's handling of the male student's attacks was released.

Ziegler denied there were any records of the assaults  with the grand jury report exposing him as a liar.

He was fired in a unanimous decision by the board shortly after a closed two-and-a-half-hour session in early December, the day after the report was published.

The father of the girl raped in a trans-friendly bathroom at Stone Bridge also slammed a grand jury for failing to find Loudoun County school officials criminally responsible for the incident  despite a report revealing they lied to parents.

Smith fought for justice for his teenage daughter after she was assaulted by her 15-year-old classmate while at school in May 2021.

He was also pictured with a bloody mouth after being beaten and dragged out of a school board meeting where teachers lied about never receiving reports of sex assaults in the girls' toilets.

His daughter was pinned down to the floor and assaulted by the boy inside a restroom stall, with a teacher later testifying that she saw two pairs of feet but did not interfere.

The case became the hot tip of a raging debate in Loudoun County over transgender students' rights and parents' freedom of speech.

Initially, Scott and his wife Jessica asked for the boy to be given treatment for rehabilitation, rather than going straight to jail.

But after the second incident came to light, which involved a different girl, Scott has now branded the teen as a 'psychopath'  warning 'we are going to hear about him again'.

A special report found that the second assault could have been prevented, and school district administrators lied to parents in an attempt to cover up the controversy over the transgender bathroom policy.

Scott also slammed the grand jury for failing to pin any criminal blame on the school and teachers, instead just recommending what they could do differently in the future.

The school had previously denied that any allegations had been made, and claimed that the teen had been wearing a 'kilt' rather than a skirt during the attack.

Speaking to Fox News Scott said: 'They just lie lie lie. I can show you the picture of what he looked like that day it's on my phone.

'There was no kilt about it. I think he decided who he was and what he was on a daily basis.

'I've seen evidence since that, unfortunately, my wife and I we fought very hard to get this child treatment and then evidence revealed to us after the fact that this kids a psychopath.

'He's a sexual predator and unfortunately, were going to hear about him again.'

The report found that Landon County Public Schools administrators were 'looking out for their own interests' instead of the interest of the school.

It went on to say: 'This invariably led to a stunning lack of openness, transparency, and accountability both to the public and the special grand jury.

'There were several decision points for senior LCPS administrators, up to and including the superintendent, to be transparent and step in and alter the sequence of events leading up to the October 6, 2021 BRHS sexual assault.

'They failed at every juncture. We also believe the October 6 abduction and sexual assault of a female student at Broad Run High School could have, and should have, been prevented.'

Scott added that he hopes that the report is not the end of the matter, saying: 'I hope that the grand jury has not done their duty just yet and there is more teeth in it.'

The boy was still at large three hours after the assault, and during that time Principal Tim Flynn tried to get a no-trespass letter against Scott, who arrived and was upset about what happened to his daughter.

The school board has been routinely accused of pushing an ultra-liberal agenda on kids and parents and silencing those who disagree with them.

The scandal even entered Virginia's race for governor, giving life to the campaign of Republican gubernatorial candidate Glenn Youngkin who accused the Loudon school board of a coverup while warning, 'What tragedy next awaits our children?'

Letters were sent out to families offering counseling services to those who could have been affected by the commotion caused by Scott but did not mention the sexual assault.

Loudoun County Superintendent Scott Ziegler denied that there were any records of the assaults  with the grand jury report branding him a liar. He previously apologized but has now been sacked by the school districts

Loudoun Schools Superintendent Scott Ziegler, his deputy superintendent, and his chief of staff were made aware the boy had sexually assaulted a student.

An arrest warrant was issued two months later for two counts of forcible sodomy, and the student was released and transferred to Broad Run High School.

He only received a verbal warning, despite earlier reports that the student allegedly behaved inappropriately toward girls in his class.

The student went on to grab a female student who walked him to class, putting her in a chokehold until she couldn't breathe and then sexually assault her at his second school in October.

The boy, who DailyMail.com are not naming because they are a minor, was defended by his mother over all allegations.

Speaking to DailyMail.com in November, she said: 'He's a 15-year-old boy that wanted to have sex in the bathroom, with somebody that was willing.

'And they're twisting this just enough to make it a political hot button issue.'

Despite his androgynous style and declaration that he's 'pansexual,' the boy's mother insisted he isn't the gender fluid boogeyman in a culture war about transgender policies.

'He would wear a skirt one day and then the next day, he would wear jeans and a t-shirt, a Polo or hoodie,' she explained.

'He was trying to find himself and that involved all kinds of styles. I believe he was doing it because it gave him attention he desperately needed and sought.'

A spokesman for the Loudoun County School District said in a statement: 'In a news release on January 15, 2022, Attorney General Miyares alleged that LCPS' covered up a sexual assault on school grounds for political gain.

'To the best of our knowledge, this allegation was not true, and, after conducting an eight-month investigative process, during which it had the ability to interview any LCPS employee, Board member, and any other individuals beyond the LCPS community it deemed relevant, and during which it had access to virtually any LCPS record that was not otherwise legally privileged, the Special Grand Jury neither cited any evidence to support this serious allegation nor made any such conclusion in its Report.'
A man savagely attacked by a dog while he was out on a walk has shared images of his horrific injuries as police launch an investigation into the incident.

Keith Richards was left needing hospital treatment after a pit bull reportedly launched a vicious attack on him while he walked his border terrier in Wallsend, Tyne-and-Wear at around 8.15pm on February 14.

The 44-year-old window cleaner said he suffered bites on his right underarm, shoulder blade, collarbone and to the right side of his body during the 10-minute ordeal.

Mr Richards, who runs his own window cleaning business, has also been left unable to work while his injuries heal and faces the possibility of needing plastic surgery.

'I was walking my dog on Archer Street when I saw a lass holding on for dear life to a pit bull,' Keith said.

WARNING: GRAPHIC IMAGES

Keith Richards, from Wallsend, Tyne-and-Wear was walking his dog on St Valentine's night when he was attacked by a pitbull

Mr Richards suffered extensive bitemarks during his ten-minute ordeal

'It got out of her hands and had no muzzle on. I threw my dog onto the top of the car and then the pit bull went absolutely beserk and began ripping me to pieces.

'All of the people who were trying to help had to run back into their houses because it was going for them.'

Mr Richards said the woman with the dog, and the three other people she was with, left the scene after the attack. He contacted the police immediately after the incident and went to the Royal Victoria Hospital (RVI) the following day.

'I realised my injuries were that bad that I had to go to hospital,' he said.

'It looks like I have been attacked by a bear. I have been to the RVI twice and have quite a few puncture wounds. Doctors have talked about me needing plastic surgery.

'It has bitten three big chunks out of me. One of the marks is near my collarbone. If it had [attacked] a shorter person it could have killed them.'

Mr Richards believes that a shorter person than himself would have been bitten in the neck

Northumbria police said they are investigating the incident and searching for the owner of the dangerous dog

Northumbria Police said they have launched an investigation into the incident and urged anyone with information to come forward.

A force spokeswoman said: 'At around 8.40pm on February 14, police received a report a dangerous dog had bitten a man in North Tyneside. It was reported a 44-year-old was walking on Archer Street when a group with a pit bull passed him.

'The dog has then attacked the man, causing injuries to his right-hand side. The group have left the scene without assisting the man.

'An investigation has been launched and enquiries are ongoing. Anyone with information is asked to contact police using the 'Tell us Something' page of our website, quoting crime reference 019697X/23.'
Alex Murdaugh's hunting estate was locked down this afternoon in preparation for a jury viewing which has now been delayed until tomorrow morning.

A convoy of police and fire department vehicles descended on the entrance to the kennels where his wife Maggie, 52, and son Paul, 22, were shot dead in Moselle, South Carolina, on the night of June 7, 2021.

But the jury will now make the half-hour trip from the Colleton County courthouse in Walterboro to the scene of the brutal killings tomorrow morning after the prosecution's final rebuttal witness finished shortly before 5pm.

Judge Clifton Newman told jurors that he would be there, along with lawyers from both sides. He warned the jury they are not to confer with each other or ask questions of anybody at the scene. 'If you have any questions you can only ask me,' the judge said.

The trip comes at the request of defense attorney Dick Harpootlian who said a visit to the 1,800-acre estate would allow jurors to see 'how small the feed room (where Paul was killed) is' and understand its location in relation to Maggie's body, as well as the rest of the property.

Alex Murdaugh 's hunting estate was locked down this afternoon in preparation for a jury viewing which has now been delayed until tomorrow morning

Murdaugh weeps as he listens to graphic testimony from the pathologist about how Paul's head was blown off by a shotgun

Paul, Maggie, Alex and Buster Murdaugh attend a dinner at the Carolina Yacht Club. Buster was staying with his girlfriend near Charlotte at the time of the killings

Harpootlian requested that law enforcement secure the property beforehand because 'literally dozens of trespassers' have been mobbing the grounds to take selfies.

He told the judge that the jury needed to be protected from the 'carnival atmosphere' of trial enthusiasts who have been at the estate throughout the trial.

Lead state prosecutor Creighton Waters objected to the jury outing, arguing the estate looked different than it did in 2021 and said a visit might require additional testimony from the state.

But the judge overruled the prosecutor, stating that as well as jurors, lawyers from both sides could be there. The press are only allowed to attend the site after the jury's visit has concluded.

Addressing jurors this evening, Judge Newman said: 'When you return tomorrow morning you are going to have an escort take you all to the subject property, Moselle, to have a view of the location'.

'I will be there as well to ensure things go as they should,' he added.

Newman said that the jury would leave before 9.30am and predicted that the court would be back in session by 11am.

The State and the defense will then make their closing arguments before the jury are sent out to reach their verdict.

The State says Murdaugh first blasted Paul twice with a shotgun in the feed room of the kennels before shooting Maggie with a .300 Blackout rifle yards away.

Jurors have heard gruesome evidence of how Paul's brain was blown out the back of his head by a close range blast of steel buckshot from a 12-gauge shotgun.

Maggie was shot at least four times, with bullet wounds to her thigh, wrist, torso and head. The final shot was fired into the back of her head as she lay face down on the ground when she was already dead.

During his testimony, Murdaugh floated his own theory of who committed the murders, saying he believed that vigilantes killed his wife and son in revenge for Paul's drunken boat accident which killed a 19-year-old girl.

Law enforcement officers, fire department and members of the court entering the property at 4147 Moselle Rd, the site of Maggie and Paul Murdaugh's murders

Law enforcement officials and fire department personnel lock down the entrance to the kennels

Fire department personnel lockdown the kennels at the estate Tuesday

Fire department trucks and law enforcement vehicles descended on the scene this afternoon

Law enforcement officials at the scene this afternoon

Maggie's body was found a few yards to the right of a doghouse, while Paul's was by the doorway at the end of the kennels

Lead state prosecutor Creighton Waters objected to the jury outing, arguing the estate looked different than it did in 2021 and said a visit might require additional testimony from the state. Overgrown vegetation is seen covering the driveway of the main entrance to the estate

He said Paul had been attacked and threatened after the wreck in which Mallory Beach was killed in February 2019.

Jurors today heard further argument from the State's forensic pathologist Dr Ellen Riemer who refuted the defense expert's two-shooter theory.

Defense pathologist, Timothy Palmbach, yesterday argued that the exit wound to the back of Paul's head was, in fact, an entrance wound. He theorized that the muzzle of the shotgun was pressed against the 22-year-old's head.

Palmbach stated that the force of the gasses from the shot would have forced blood, brains, fragments of skull and pellets back out through the entrance wound, covering the shooter.

He claimed that the shooter would have been at the very least blinded by the blood and possibly injured by fragments of skull and pellet in the blowback.

State pathologist Riemer said that if the 12-gauge shotgun had been pressed against the back of Paul's head the damage would have been so catastrophic his eyes would have been blown out of their sockets.

The feed room (right) where Paul was killed at the end of the row of dog cages at the kennels

Maggie was shot dead a few yards to the right of the dog house by the lean-to while Paul was shot dead inside the feed room of the kennels (back right)

The quail pen stands against the wooden wall under the lean-to which was struck by a round from the .300 Blackout rifle that killed Maggie

The kennels at the 1,800-acre Murdaugh hunting estate around a half-hour drive from the courthouse where his double murder trial is taking place

The main house at the hunting estate where Murdaugh claims he was watching TV at the time the State says Maggie and Paul were shot dead. The main house is around 400 yards away from the kennels

She said the entry wound was below the 22-year-old's left ear and that the buckshot pellets passed out of the back of his head.

Riemer told jurors: 'I know what you saw was absolutely awful but the damage would have been a lot worse. The sides of his head would have gone, his entire face would have been split open, because there's no way all of that gas expansion could have occurred and not caused fractures of these delicate bones in the face, his forehead was even still there.'

Riemer told jurors that despite the horrific injuries that they had seen in the photos of Paul's head - his brain was totally severed from his skull - these would have been far worse had the gun been pressed against the back of his head.

'I understand that this was probably like the most severe thing you have ever seen and you probably can't imagine that the damage to the head could be any worse,' the pathologist said.

'But a contact shotgun wound to the head with the associated gas expansion to the skull would not have you know - his face was basically intact - we would have heard about tears of the skin and his eyes would have been displaced from the orbital bones. The orbital bones were intact.'

Buster Murdaugh arrives with his girlfriend Brooklynn White and followed by Alex's sister Lynn

Buster Murdaugh and his girlfriend Brooklynn White arrive with Alex's sister Lynn and brother John Marvin on Tuesday

Riemer was called to the stand as a rebuttal witness Tuesday after the defense rested its case Monday.

The defense pathologist Palmbach yesterday told jurors that Paul's killer would have been incapacitated after firing into the back of his head.

Palmbach explained that 'the explosive release of the gas trapped in [Paul's] cranium' would have forced blood, tissue, brain matter, fragments of skull and shot pellets back out through the entry wound, covering the shooter.

'I think the shooter is, at least for some brief period of time, kind of out of it. It's not as if they can instantly suffer that, run to where the rifle is, pick that up and within any reasonable time period engage in an effective assault, shoot straight and make hits,' the pathologist said.

'I believe the individual who shot first, probably with blood in his eyes and maybe been injured, would have taken some degree of time to recover.'
A train carrying more than 30,000 gallons of propane fuel has derailed in Florida, sparking new environmental concerns just weeks after a toxic train overturned in Ohio.

Southern Manatee Fire Rescue Chief Robert Bounds said Tuesday afternoon that six Seminole Gulf railway cars fell off the tracks near a homeless camp at the Sarasota-Manatee County border.

Five of the cars were carrying sheetrock, while the sixth was carrying propane. Another train car that did not overturn was also transporting propane at the time, and jumped the track during the partial derailment, FOX 13 reports.

So far there are no signs that any of the propane is leaking, and no injuries were reported. But evacuation orders may go into effect in the area as crews try to offload the fuel.

Hazmat teams are now monitoring the situation.

A train carrying over 30,000 gallons of propane derailed in Florida on Tuesday

Authorities say five of the overturned train cars were carrying sheetrock and one was carrying propane fuel

'We have drones. We run the hazmat team for the county of Manatee and we were in the air with our drone, which has thermal capabilities,' Bounds said.

'We were able to look at the tank and ascertain the levels of the tank from the outside, it'll show up different colors if anything is actually leaking.

'There are no leaks. There are no physical damage to the tank other than the rollover, but there is no significant damage to it,' he told FOX 13.

In order to clear the tracks, heavy machinery will now be brought into the area as authorities tell WFLA they must siphon around 30,000 gallons of propane out of the tanker car.

Evacuations may occur at that time, and Bounds said crews are already working to alert members of a homeless camp nearby.

'With the aid of our drone technology, we are able to fly downstream and look on the other side of the tracks and there is a homeless camp out there,' he said. 'We aren't sure how many people. We couldn't visualize that from the air.

'We did send MSO and some other teams down there to address the people out there and to address the potential danger, and we will monitor them as well in the event we have to evacuate.'

Part of the track near the Manatee County-Sarasota County border appeared to have been broken in the aftermath

Authorities say the derailment occurred in an industrial area north of the Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport as the train was traveling south.

It started when one car derailed from the tracks, and caused a domino effect that saw some of the tracks damaged.

It remains unclear what led to the derailment.

The Florida Department of Transportation and state railroad officials were on their way to conduct an investigation Tuesday evening as local officials said they were waiting for guidance from Seminole Gulf.

'We're at a stalemate right now,' Bounds said, according to the Bradenton Herald. 'Until they get their crews here and they make a game plan about how they want to tackle this, there's no guesstimate on how long the scene will last.'

Manatee County Commissioner Kevin Van Ostenbridge added: 'There has been a pretty significant derailment. It will be multiple days before the tracks are clear.'

Wade Lovett, 40, has suffered breathing difficulties and his previously low voice now sounds high-pitched and squeaky following a toxic train derailment in Ohio earlier this month. He has had to go off work sick as a result

The chemicals on the board the train were vinyl chloride, butyl acrylate, benzene residue, glycol monobutyl ether, ethylhexyl acrylate and isobutylene

The derailment comes as health officials begin traveling door-to-door to conduct health surveys on residents in East Palestine, Ohio amid fears of an emerging public health crisis.

Officials had previously conducted a 'controlled burn' of five train cars carrying vinyl chloride, a known carcinogen in the aftermath of the Norfolk Southern train derailment on February 3.

Ever since, residents have been reporting bizarre symptoms.

Wade Lovett, 40, claims he has developed a high-pitched, Mickey-Mouse-like voice and trouble breathing since the chemical incident.

He told DailyMail.com today the problem 'just keeps getting worse and worse'. Meanwhile, others have been coughing up gray mucus and reporting sunburn-like injuries, feared to be the result of chemical exposure.

A team of 19 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention staff will now be asking residents to complete 30-minute surveys under a President Biden order.

The CDC representatives are expected to move into neighboring Pennsylvania this week and will also target the first responders at the derailment site.

Authorities say air monitoring has not detected dangerous levels of fumes in communities where crews released and burned toxic chemicals from a derailed train

A giant plume of smoke from the aftermath of the incident could be seen from miles away

The symptoms are yet to be officially linked to the derailment but the toxic chemicals released are known to cause a host of other effects, including cancer.

Exposure to chemicals can cause industrial or chemical bronchitis  inflammation of the airways in the lungs.

Symptoms include a cough that can last for weeks, coughing up mucus, chest pain, wheezing and shortness of breath.

A high-pitched voice could occur alongside wheezing, caused by air being forced through inflamed airways.

The mucus is usually yellow-green or yellow-gray in color. Inhaled irritants mixed in with the phlegm can cause it to be charcoal or gray.

Continued exposure to the irritant can lead to permanent lung damage, according to Mount Sinai.
The remains of a married father-of-three who was reported missing in Argentina have been found inside a shark that was caught by fishermen.

Diego Barria vanished February 18 after he went out for a ride on his all-terrain vehicle in the southern province of Chubut.

The 32-year-old's wrecked ATV was found by a search team at a beach near Rocas Coloradas on February 20. They also located Barria's helmet, which was dented and broken near the chin area.

On Sunday, two fishermen reeled in three school sharks around 8:30 am near where Barria's ATV was located and made the gruesome discovery while they were cleaning one of the sharks.

The remains of Diego Barria, pictured with his wife Virginia Brugger, were discovered inside a shark by two fishermen in Chubut, Argentina, on Sunday. Barria, a father of three, mysteriously vanished February 18 after he went out to ride his ATV

Barria's ATV was found wrecked near a beach in Rocas Coloradas on February 20

'I was so unlucky that I found it myself,' one of the fishermen said in an audio clip of a conversation that was obtained by Argentine newspaper Diario Jornada. 'I went fishing and I open the shark's belly and I found a forearm with a tattoo.'

Barria's family was able to confirm that it was him because of the pink, green and red tattoo that had the name, 'Josefina,' inscribed.

Barria was last seen February 18 at 10:30 pm after he went out for a ride to the countryside.

He is said to have greeted three fishermen friends and another person, who was the last to see him alive.

Authorities are investigating if a second vehicle was involved in an accident with Diego Barria's ATV

Diego Barria disappeared in the southern Argentine province of Chubut on February 18 after he failed to return home from riding his ATV. The remains of the 32-year-old was found inside a shark that was captured by two fishermen on Sunday

Diego Barria leaves behind his wife, Virginia Brugger, and three children

Civil Protection undersecretary Jose Mazeei said that investigators have been looking into the strange disappearance.

Mazeei indicated they have two hypotheses. One points to Barria being injured in an accident and the other that he was lying on unconscious on the beach before the tides pushed his body out the sea.

Authorities have also been looking into whether another vehicle was involved in the accident.

Comodoro Rivadavia police chief, Cristian Ansaldo, told local media outlets that DNA test would be performed to confirm that it is Barria.

Barria's heartbroken wife, Virginia Brugger, took to Instagram to share an image of them smiling together on Sunday.

'My heart went with you! I love you forever,' she wrote.
She is attempting to plead insanity, but violently lashed out at her lawyer after a key witness failed to show up to testify about her mental state

A lawyer who was attacked by his killer client in a frenzied in-court assault has quit her case after refusing to further defend against charges of decapitating her lover.

Taylor Schabusiness has been appointed a new public defender in her Wisconsin murder case after driving away her original attorney, Quinn Jolly.

The killer, who is attempting to plead insanity in court, made headlines this month after she lashed out at Jolly when a witness failed to show up to testify on her mental state.

Schabusiness is charged with first degree homicide, mutilating a corpse and third-degree sexual assault after the victim's own mother discovered her son's severed head in a bucket, covered with a towel, in her home.

Wisconsin attorney Quinn Jolly has quit the case of an accused killer who violently attacked him in court

Taylor Schabusiness, pictured in a mugshot last year, is accused of decapitating her lover after choking him during drug-fueled sex

After being assaulted by his client in a courtroom in Greenbay, Wisconsin, on February 14, Jolly petitioned to the judge for permission to stop fighting his attacker's case.

The judge approved the motion, saying the lawyer's decision 'makes a great deal of sense to me'.

'I am satisfied based upon the assertions and obviously I was here in court for the last hearing, I saw the events that transpired,' the judge added.

Schabusiness' grisly murder trial previously saw Jolly successfully buy his client more time before she went before a jury, while also allowing her mental competency to be tested as she pleads insanity.

The 25-year-old is set to be appointed a new attorney for the next hearing on Friday, where the court is set to hear gruesome details of her alleged crime.

According to the police, after killing her lover the 25-year-old admitted to giving oral sex and using a sex toy on her victim after he was dead.

She has pleaded not guilty by reason of mental illness or defect, leading her defense to call proceedings to investigate her suitability to stand trial.

Moments before Schabusiness attacked her lawyer, Jolly informed Judge Thomas Walsh that his expert witness had not yet finished their report on the accused killer's mental competency.

After the judge reluctantly agreed to postpone the trial by two weeks to gather the remaining testimony, Schabusiness violently lashed out at Jolly.

Despite being struck in the face by her elbow, the lawyer did not sustain any injuries in the attack.

Taylor Schabusiness, 25, is seen attacking her attorney, Quinn Jolly, in court on February 14

Schabusiness is pictured returning to a Brown County courtroom earlier this month, where she violently assaulted her own defense lawyer

Following her brutal attack, three sheriff's deputies were eventually able to get Schabusiness to calm down, and sat her against a door

Video from the Greenbay courtroom showed Schabusiness launching out of her seat trying to grab at Jolly, hitting him in a frenzied assault before a Brown County sheriff's officer quickly sprang into action and tackled Schabusiness to the ground.

The official was seen in the footage struggling to keep her down as she tried to squirm out of his grasp and towards her lawyer.

'Stop,' the officer kept telling Schabusiness as she tried to kick herself free, before she wrapped her foot around a cord connected to his utility belt.

As officials attempted to clear the courthouse, two more sheriff's deputies rushed to the scene, bringing her under control while one of the accused killer's supporters tried to calm her down.

Together, they were able to get a barefoot Schabusiness to sit down against a door before leading her out.

When court finally resumed about 10 minutes after the attack, Jolly informed a judge on the case he planned to file a motion asking to be removed as Schabusiness' lawyer.

Schabusiness' mental readiness to stand trial has been a central issue of her case since she was arrested last year.

She was charged with murder after her former-partner Shad Rock Thyrion's head was discovered in a bucket in his mother's basement.

Police records show his mother Tara Pakinich called authorities to her home in Green Bay shortly after 3am, and she revealed that she was woken at the time by the storm door slamming and the sound of a vehicle driving away.

She then noticed that the basement light was on and went to see if her son was there, assuming that it was Schabusiness  with whom Thyrion had spent the day  that she had heard leaving.

Criminal complaint filings said that after the victim's mother didn't see anyone in the basement, she spotted a bucket at the bottom of the stairs after turning to leave.

After removing a blanket covering the top of the bucket, she 'discovered the head of the victim', according to the complaint documents obtained by DailyMail.com.

Arriving on the scene, Green Bay Police Officer Alex Wanish reported how he had 'observed the plastic bucket on the floor...[with] a shower/beach towel over the bucket.' The officer 'lifted the towel and observed a human head inside the bucket.'

He also noted 'what appeared to be dried blood on a nearby mattress.'

Law enforcement quickly caught up to Schabusiness after the find, and she was discovered while still with blood on her sweatshirt and sweatpants, alongside scratches on her arms, a cut on her left thumb and what appeared to be blood on her hands.

When questioned over the incident, Schabusiness, who has a husband and recently became mother to a son, admitted that she and Thyrion had been doing drugs - including smoking methamphetamine - earlier in the day.

She said she had also shot herself and Thyrion up with Trazadone, a powerful sedative. Police recovered evidence of drug-taking, including a glass pipe and bag containing light colored powder, from the scene.

Schabusiness initially claimed to have blacked out during the attack, and when asked about why the head was in a bucket, she responded 'that is pretty f****d up'.

She allegedly went on to tell police that she and Thyrion had been going to have sex and that he had produced two metal chains, one for him and one for her.

She said he put his chain around his own neck as strangulation was something they had used during intercourse before.

But she then shocked investigators with her next comment, as she blurted out 'Damn the head. I can't believe I left the head though.'

According to the complaint filing, she then told officers they were 'going to have fun trying to find all of the organs as she had dismembered the body.'

Remaining calm, Schabusiness allegedly told detectives that after Thyrion put the chain around his neck  which she compared to a dog choke collar  she just went 'crazy' strangling him.

She said that she could feel his heart beating, 'so she kept pulling and choking him harder,' claiming that he would not die as he just kept 'rebuilding into muscle.'

The question of Schabusiness' fitness to stand trial has been a central issue of her court proceedings

Shad Rock Thryion's head was severed and left in a bucket for his mother to find

Thyrion's penis was found in the same bucket as his head while other body parts were found in a variety of bags in the basement including plastic shopping bags

The 25-year-old then told how she sat on top of him, choking him while he lay face down on the bed and how she watched as he coughed up blood and 'waited for him to die.'

Changing her tone, she went on to tell investigators 'I liked it' when detailing her actions. Schabusiness said she knew her victim was dead when his face turned purple, but she continued because she was 'already this far'.

Asked what she did once she realized he was dead, Schabusiness stated that she had 'played' with Thyrion's body.

The complaint reads, 'Schabusiness stated she sucked the Victim's penis, that she had a dildo that she put in the Victim's mouth and then in the Victim's ***.'

Following the grisly act, she admitted to decapitating and dismembering Thyrion with knives she stole from his mother's kitchen.

The victim's penis was found in the same bucket as his head while other body parts were found in a variety of bags in the basement including plastic shopping bags. His upper torso was found in a storage tote along with a carving knife and several internal organs.

Schabusiness told detectives that she had planned to take all the body parts with her when she left in her minivan, but that she had 'got lazy' and was ill-prepared because the murder was random and not planned.

She remains in custody on a $2 million cash bond as hearings into her ability to stand trial continue, and faces life in prison if convicted.
President Joe Biden awkwardly gushed about the good treatment he received from the nurses at Walter Reed during a healthcare event in Virginia Beach, Virginia on Tuesday.

At the top of his speech Biden gave a shout-out to nurses and talked about how well he was cared for when he was hospitalized in 1988 for two life-threatening brain aneurysms.

'I had a nurse named Pearl Nelson. She'd come in and do things I don't think you learn in nursing school,' he said to laughs. 'She'd whisper in my ear, I couldn't understand, but she'd whisper and she'd lean down. And actually breathe on me to make sure there was a connection, a human connection.'

Nelson, Biden said, even went home and grabbed a pillow off her bed because the then-U.S. senator found the one assigned to him not very comfortable.

He said to the medical professionals in the crowd, 'You docs are good, but if there's any angels in heaven, they're the nurses, male and female.'

President Joe Biden awkwardly gushed about the good treatment he received from the nurses at Walter Reed during a healthcare event in Virginia Beach, Virginia on Tuesday

He opened up his speech by directly addressing medical professionals in the crowd. 'You docs are good, but if there's any angels in heaven, they're the nurses, male and female'

'You know why?' he asked. 'You guys allow us to live, nurses make you want to live.'

'I'm not joking,' he continued. 'You lie there in the ICU, which I've done for a long time, and you look at those machines. And you know the line goes flat that it's over. But you just get tired, you don't care.'

He credited the nursing staff at Walter Reed for making him want to live again.

'You're so underestimated,' Biden added, after also praising the nurses who stood at his son Beau's bedside as he was dying from glioblastoma.

Biden told a similar tale when he was committing $100 million in U.S. funding for healthcare services to an East Jerusalem hospital that serves the Palestinian population during his trip to the Middle East in July.

He asked then, 'Are there any nurses in the room?'

'Because if not, I'm going home,' the president said to laughs.

He recalled how his first wife and baby daughter were killed in a Christmastime car crash.

'And my boys were trapped in a vehicle for three hours when a tractor-trailer hit them,' Biden said. 'The doctor saved their lives, but the nurses made them want to live.'

The president talked about his own healthcare challenges, the double aneurysms with an embolism on top of that.

'I joked the reason they went in twice to take the top of my head off is they couldn't find a brain the first time,' Biden said.

In a more serious tone he added, 'I don't think you nurses are nearly appreciated enough.'

He recalled being in the intensive care unit - saying he had never made these comments publicly before.

'And you look at the monitors and you know if the line goes flat you're dead,' the president said. 'But you just get tired, even when you're not in pain, you just want to quit.'

'And the nurses at Walter Reed Hospital. Would come up, and they'd rub my face, they'd whisper in my ear. They'd get close and tell me, it's going to be OK. They made a difference in my life,' he said.

Biden dedicated the bulk of Tuesday's speech to warning that Republicans wanted to cut Medicaid and meddle with Obamacare to meet their budgetary demands.

The president has spent weeks bashing Republicans over Sen. Rick Scott's plan to 'sunset' legislation every five years, which Biden said included Medicare and Social Security.
China releases measures to regulate internet applications

Xinhua) 10:30, February 28, 2023

BEIJING, Feb. 27 (Xinhua) -- China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has released 26 measures to regulate the use of internet applications to optimize the industry's services.

The measures include standardizing the installation and uninstallation of the applications, optimizing service experiences, and strengthening personal information protection, said the ministry.

In recent years, China's mobile internet has vigorously developed, and various application services have boomed. Data from the ministry showed that some 2.58 million applications are available for users at present, while innovative services such as small programs continue to emerge.

The measures help improve the upstream and downstream service capabilities and solve the problems affecting users' perception of services, said an official with the ministry.

The ministry will organize relevant enterprises to implement self-inspections and rectifications, strengthen guidance and supervision, and make technological improvements to optimize service supply, improve user experience, and create a sound environment for information consumption.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)


No more ugly cable cars in national parks, please



Mount Seorak is the most scenic mountain in South Korea, renowned for its rugged and natural beauty.



The national park is preserved by five protective layers, including the state-designated natural reserve and a UNESCO-designated biosphere reserve. Five specialized organizations, including the state-run Korea Environment Institute, recently presented negative opinions on installing cable cars on the mountain, citing potential damage to its ecosystem.



All this shows why the central government could resist the locality's four-decade-long attempt to build more artificial facilities to bolster tourism.



On Monday, however, the Ministry of Environment granted a conditional nod to the cable car project. The reason: The tourism boost program was a campaign pledge of both President Yoon Suk Yeol and Gangwon Province Governor Kim Jin-tae.



The ministry must reconsider its decision and live up to its name.



If the project goes as planned, steel towers will blight the magnificent vistas. Besides, the 3.3-kilometer section from the starting point to the peak is the habitat of endangered animals, including mountain goats and rare plants. These animals can't stand the noise from construction and the operation of cable cars, which will carry more than 800 passengers per hour. Such fragile ecosystems, once destroyed, can hardly recover.



Proponents of the project say cable cars will create some 14 billion won ($10.7 million) in additional tourism revenue a year. That will be too small and short-lived a benefit compared to the permanent damage to the priceless natural environment. Contrary to residents' expectations, cable cars will unlikely prolong but instead shorten tourists' stay in the area. The influx of short-staying visitors will require vast parking spaces, destroying forests.



Instead, residents can consider introducing ecological tour programs, currently in vogue among national parks overseas, including the Milford Track in New Zealand and Japan's Alpen Route. Proponents also cite the case of Switzerland, with some 2,400 cable cars dotting the Swiss Alps. The president also said, "Why can't we turn Mount Seorak into the Jungfrau of Korea?" However, even the tiny European country does not operate a cable car in the Swiss National Park. Japan runs some 20 cable cars in national parks, but has not installed one since the early 1970s.



These developers should see how Zion National Park in Utah endeavored to save the desert bighorn sheep from near extinction by banning restaurants and stores there. Yellowstone National Park has raised its entrance fee to 80,000 won during five peak months to restrict visits. A similar move in Korea will trigger a revolt among mountaineers. The user density of Mount Seorak is 20 times higher than Yellowstone's. Developers here even call for running cable cars in Mount Bukhan on the outskirts of Seoul, the most crowded national park worldwide, which has a peak that is reminiscent of subway stations during weekends.



Proponents even stress the need to give opportunities to the elderly and physically challenged to enjoy views from the peak. One cannot help but laugh. Cable cars will make little difference for these disabled people when barrier-free trails account for only 2 percent of the total. They need not stand on mountaintops, but move freely on flat land daily. These politicians are not even allowing people in wheelchairs to use subways a little more conveniently.



Suppose the government allows cable cars on Mount Seorak. In that case, it will have few excuses to prevent at least four national parks from following its example. Almost all scenic places in this country are already filled with artificial facilities, including swinging bridges and skywalks. If national parks are added to such an ugly list, the present-day Koreans must feel sorry for their descendants.



Contemporary people do not own this planet and nature, but borrow them for a while from future generations. They must return it as intact as possible. National parks are for preservation, not development.



The environment ministry must set conditions that are almost impossible to meet in order to minimize environmental harm to avoid being called the "ministry of environmental destruction."




The daughter of a high-profile Sydney property developer has been charged over an alleged multi-million dollar fraud plot.

Lawyer Ashlyn Nassif, 27, spent the night behind bars after NSW Police executed search warrants on four properties on Tuesday, including her father Jean's home and business.

Ms Nassif was questioned for hours after attending Sydney's Day Street police station and was charged over her alleged role in a fraud scheme allegedly amounting to tens of millions of dollars.

She will appear at Downing Centre Local Court on Wednesday on charges of dishonestly obtaining a financial advantage by deception and publishing false or misleading material to obtain advantage.

There is no suggestion of wrongdoing by Mr Nassif, who is currently in his home country of Lebanon, where he is reportedly recovering from a medical procedure.

Glamorous lawyer Ashlyn Nassif (pictured) has spent the night behind bars after being charged with fraud offences on Tuesday before a court appearance on Wednesday

A NSW Police statement said the raids occurred at businesses in the Sydney CBD, Concord and Chiswick about 9.30am on Tuesday.

Ms Nassif then handed herself in to police, was arrested, charged and refused bail.

She has previously worked as a property developer at her father's company and is a principal of her own law practice, EA Legal Pty Ltd.

Jean Nassif gained prominence in 2019 after giving his wife Nisserine 'Nissy' Nassif a $480,000 yellow Lamborghini for Valentine's Day.

While the flamboyant property developer has been in Lebanon, he missed attending a NSW parliamentary inquiry into the alleged impropriety of local councillors.

The inquiry is into the Hills Shire Council in the city's north-west and the alleged role councillors played in property developments.

Nassif wrote to the committee to inform them that he is in a remote part of Lebanon where he's originally from until March and therefore unable to attend the inquiry, asking for it to be postponed if his evidence was needed.

In the letter, Mr Nassif denied any wrongdoing and said he had 'not met any of the current councillors of the Hills Shire Council'.

Property developer Jean Nassif has left Australia for rural Lebanon, informing an inquiry committee just days before the parliamentary inquiry into the alleged impropriety of councillors in the Hills Shire Council (pictured with his wife Nisserine Nassif)

'I am not aware if they support my developments. I am not aware if they are more or less supportive of my development than the previous councillors.'

Mr Nassif strenuously disputed Castle Hill MP Ray Williams' claims that he paid large sums of money to elect new councillors to The Hills Shire to support his future development applications.

Mr Williams previously told NSW Parliament he had heard allegations members were paid 'significant funds in order to put new councillors on' who would support future development applications for Mr Nassif's company.

It was those comments that led to the upper house inquiry.

Mr Nassif also took aim at retiring Transport Minister and local MP David Elliott in his letter, alleging he tried to 'discredit internal opponents' so he could remain in office.

'I sincerely question why Mr Elliott didn't apply this time and effort towards; obeying the law, being a better minister, building support for himself within his electorate and the Liberal Party,' the letter said.

He also accused Mr Elliott of 'urging journalists' to report on alleged improprieties involving his developments.

In 2019, Mr Nassif uploaded a video of him presenting the luxury vehicle to the mother of his children with the comment, 'Congratulations Mrs Nassif you like?'

Jean Nassif gained prominence in 2019 after giving his wife Nisserine 'Nissy' Nassif (pictured) a $480,000 yellow Lamborghini for Valentine's Day

In the video of Mr Nassif presenting his wife with a yellow Lamborghini, she was captured strolling into the couple's garage where the car was parked.

Wearing a Gucci belt, Mrs Nassif stood beside the vehicle before blowing kisses to her followers.

The Nassifs were mocked for the ostentatious display with several meme videos popping up on social media where wheelie bins and toy trucks were among the items swapped for the luxury car.

After Mrs Nassif became fed up with the meme videos she took to Instagram to respond, telling people to focus on themselves and 'how you can provide a good luxurious life for yourselves, your wives, children and loved ones'.
The Prime Minister joked that trusting Sir Keir Starmer with Brexit was like asking Mr Fox to look after the hen house as he sold his Northern Ireland deal to Conservative MPs yesterday.

Rishi Sunak branded the Labour leader Mr 2nd Referendum as he told the 1922 Committee of backbench Tories that the public are sick of Brexit drama.

He said: A poll the other day had Labour having a lead on who would best manage Brexit.

That is crazy. Mr 2nd Referendum is no more the best person to implement Brexit than Mr Fox is to look after the hen house.

Mr Sunak, who is famous for his love of drinking Coke and visited a Coca-Cola factory in Lisburn yesterday, boasted of the concessions he won from the EU.

The Prime Minister joked that trusting Sir Keir Starmer, pictured on February 27, with Brexit was like asking Mr Fox to look after the hen house

He added: If I had stood here a few months ago and told you that we would get the EU to reopen the treaty text and rewrite it, you would have thought that I had had more than a Coca-Cola.

The Prime Minister also warned his critics that failure to back his Northern Ireland Brexit deal could see the Conservatives hammered at the next election.

Failing to settle the long-running saga over Northern Ireland would mean voters will begin to doubt our ability to deliver any political change, he said.

The comments were echoed outside the meeting by Northern Ireland minister Steve Baker, who said: This [deal] is what is available... it really wouldnt be sensible to drop it and go back on it.

MPs from the pro-Brexit European Research Group (ERG) of Tory MPs met last night in Westminster  but said they will not formally give their assent to the deal for at least a fortnight, after their lawyers have scoured all 100 pages of the legal text in detail.

ERG chairman Mark Francois said: We hope to have something within around about a fortnight, but if it takes longer than that, then it takes longer than that.

Former Levelling Up Secretary Simon Clarke, speaking outside the meeting, added: It takes time. It is a complex process. There have been improvements but there are also big questions, thats why we need the experts.

Mr Sunak, who is famous for his love of drinking Coke and visited a Coca-Cola factory in Lisburn yesterday, boasted of the concessions he won from the EU

Mr Sunak told the 1922 Committee the Democratic Unionist Party, and its leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson, to have time and space to assess the deal.

He said: They deserve the opportunity to have their lawyers pore over the text, to reassure themselves that it really does do what it says, so lets not pressure them for an instant answer.

The PM has won widespread support for the deal from his own party, including a number of senior Brexiteer MPs who stood up in the Commons to support it on Monday night.

Former Tory minister Stephen Hammond, speaking outside the 1922 meeting, said there were no dissenting voices.

Conservative MPs hope that reaching agreement on Northern Ireland could unlock a bounce back in the polls ahead of the May local elections.

The party is more than 20 points behind Labour in most opinion polls after months of internal drama.

When Mr Sunak left the meeting after around 45 minutes of questioning he appeared to have won over more key hardliners.

MPs have been promised a binding confirmatory vote on the deal, in addition to any votes in the Commons.
A truck driver has been arrested after two people died in a horror early morning collision on a regional Australian highway.

Police were called to the Wimmera Highway near Murtoa in regional Victoria on Tuesday morning just before 11am following reports a car and truck had collided.

Investigators believe the truck was travelling west when it collided with a car travelling east.

The man and woman in the car, who are yet to be identified, were killed instantly.

The 24-year-old truck driver was arrested at the scene and is helping police with their enquiries into the crash.

He was first taken to hospital to get his injuries tended to before being arrested.

A spokesperson for Ambulance Victoria confirmed they were called to an incident in Murtoa at about 10.50am and assisted three people at the scene.

Victoria Police urged anyone that may have been driving through the area between 10am and 11am to send through dashcam footage.

'Investigators are particularly interested in any witnesses, or footage that captured grass being cut on side of the highway between 10 and 11am, and anyone with dash-cam footage on the Wimmera Highway in the vicinity of the Delahuntys Road intersection around 10 and 11am,' police said.
The massive police hunt ended in the way it had begun  with two people, not three.

When Constance Marten and Mark Gordon disappeared from London in early January their baby had not yet been born.

And when they were finally arrested on Monday night, more than 50 days later, still there was no baby  just Marten and Gordon wandering through the back streets of Brighton on a bitterly cold night.

From the beginning of the investigation, the welfare of the child was the main focus of police. Their message to Marten was that she urgently needed to have the baby checked over by medics.

As a mum, I would like to make a direct appeal to Constance, said Chief Superintendent Michaela Kerr, of Greater Manchester Police.

Hunt for baby: Police search teams in Roedale Valley Allotments in Brighton yesterday

Constance, I know this is an exceptionally hard time for you and you are likely feeling scared, but I promise that our No1 priority is the same as yours  to keep your beautiful newborn safe.

That plea was put out on Friday January 6 under 24 hours after the couples car had broken down in flames and was abandoned on the hard shoulder of the M61 near Bolton.

In the back was a placenta and the aftermath of a birth. Police also discovered 35-year-old Martens passport in the car. Checks established that the vehicle had been bought for cash days earlier in London where Marten and Gordon, 48, had been living.

As Metropolitan Police Detective Superintendent Lewis Basford, who later led the hunt for the family, told me last week, until that point no one knew that Marten was pregnant.

If it wasnt for that car fire, we probably today would be unaware that baby had been born, he said, explaining that Marten had carefully concealed her pregnancy. They had planned, they had stored money up and intended to be out of sight  and then this car fire happened.

For legal reasons, police have been unable to discuss publicly the full background of their concerns for Marten, Gordon and their baby.

But, as the tragic death of missing dog walker Nicola Bulley recently demonstrated, there has been no shortage of armchair experts who think they know better.

On social media, some were quick to question police motives for wanting to find the couple, accusing them of racism and wasting resources.

The bias of this countrys police is appalling, wrote one on Twitter. Go arrest actual criminals. Another added: Leave them alone  they just want to raise their family in peace.

But police pointed out that they were not taking their actions to be awkward or interfere. They called on the public to trust their evaluation and risk assessments  and to be aware of the fact that they had the full support of Martens family.

And nor was it the case, as some suggested, that police were publicising the case only because of Martens privileged background. That only emerged days after their initial appeal  as did information about Gordons background. Of course, once the details of their very different upbringings emerged, the story inevitably garnered more coverage in the media. Marten is an aristocrat whose family boasts links to the Royals and a 100million Dorset estate. Her grandfather was an equerry to King George VI while her father, Napier Marten, was a page to the late Queen.

When Constance Marten and Mark Gordon disappeared from London in early January their baby had not yet been born. Pictured: Marten with another child

At the age of 21 Marten was featured as society magazine Tatlers Babe of the Month. Her mother Virginie was married to Guy de Selliers, who later wed the sister of John Bryan, the American financial adviser who was famously pictured sucking the toe of the Duchess of York in 1992.

Gordon, by contrast, was raised in Birmingham, the youngest of seven children born to nurse Sylvia, who came to Britain from Jamaica as part of the Windrush generation. When Gordon was 11, the family moved to America.

My mum bought a house in Hollywood, Florida, and everything was good and we thought we were going to have a great life there, Gordons 52-year-old sister, who asked not to be named, told the Mail.

Later returning to Britain and settling in London, he met Marten in unknown circumstances in 2016. Friends say by then she was a changed character, having been left traumatised by six months spent at a cult-like Nigerian church where disciples were allegedly abused by a self-proclaimed prophet.

Her father described the experience as being a trigger in so much of what has happened to harm Constance in recent years, setting up a pattern of behaviour exposing her to easy manipulation. The unlikely couple cut off contact with friends and family, and led an insular life in which police said the affluent, normal, social aspects of Martens existence came to an abrupt halt.

Largely funded by a trust fund in her name, they moved from property to property.

In September 2022 they were evicted from a flat in London for non-payment of rent and switched between Airbnb properties.

Where they were heading when their car broke down in January is unclear, but following its discovery police immediately appealed for Marten to come forward.

A taxi tour of the country by the couple followed, first to Liverpool and then to Colchester in Essex, where they used fake names to book a hotel room. They were then spotted at the port of Harwich where ferries leave for Holland. One theory was that they might have been trying to travel abroad. But in fact neither Marten nor Gordon had passports. By the Saturday evening they were on the Whitechapel Road in east London, having travelled there in another taxi.

Gordon went into an Argos where he bought a blue two-person tent, two sleeping bags and two pillows. Another taxi took them to Haringey in north London and then, in the early hours of Sunday morning, to Newhaven in East Sussex. That trip cost them 460, with their total taxi bill coming to around 1,500. Police believe that before going on the run, Marten had amassed a cash fund of between 5,000 and 15,000.

Dropped outside Newhaven port shortly before 5am on January 8, they sheltered in an underpass before being seen for the final time walking out of the town towards the South Downs National Park. The moment was captured on nearby CCTV. That footage would not be found by police for weeks but, despite the delay, officers mounted a widespread ground search of the area. They also used drones, including some carrying thermal imaging equipment to pick up any concealed camp. But no sign of the missing trio was found.

The couples discovery in Brighton, ten miles away, suggests they may have remained in the area ever since. But precisely where they were staying is unclear.

Mr Basford said yesterday: It is a vast area and at present we are looking in the local vicinity to where the couple were arrested last night, seeking a shelter or location where they may have been holed up and hopefully where the baby is present.

The arrest location was close to open land and the couple were moving towards that land. And thats why we are focusing heavily on where we are right now. We know that they travel  we know they travel long distances.

Detained: Mark Gordon was last night being questioned by police

Police have not ruled out the possibility that they camped for some time, despite freezing temperatures. They may also have found shelter in a shed or barn, hence the request for the public to check outbuildings.

Another theory being considered by police is that they were being helped by a third party. While detectives were able to rule out any contact between the couple and friends and family  from whom they were estranged  it was thought that an anti-police or anti-establishment individual might have been persuaded to help them or provide them with accommodation in exchange for cash.

It was for this reason that Scotland Yard put up a 10,000 reward.

What also became clear during the investigation was that the pair were unlikely to be caught by conventional police tactics.

Marten was described by Mr Basford as a very intelligent person while other experts said Gordons experiences would have left him hyper aware.

Police were able to establish that when they went on the run they had a number of phones, in and out of which they swapped SIM cards. Taxi drivers who ferried them around described them as being paranoid, requesting to know if their vehicles had interior cameras and suddenly changing where they wanted to be dropped off.

The couples bank accounts were also continually monitored in case they attempted to access them.

By last week the trail had gone cold with Scotland Yard admitting they could be anywhere in the country. In the end the breakthrough came thanks to an eagle-eyed member of the public who spotted the pair near a convenience store on the outskirts of Brighton, leading to their arrest.

That moment should have marked the end of this sorry saga.

But, with no sign of their baby, the search has never been more urgent.
Steve Irwin's father is leading calls for an investigation into whether animal cruelty was involved after a 4.2metre crocodile injured a man and killed his pet dog last week in far north Queensland.

Bob Irwin, 83, says he is 'constantly upset' that crocodiles pay the 'ultimate price' in any interactions between humans and crocodiles.

The conservationist, who has worked with crocodiles for more than 50 years, explained that stronger deterrents are needed to stop people from exposing themselves to crocodile attacks.

'You cannot go within 100metres of a humpback whale in the ocean, feed or make food available to dingoes on K'gari (Fraser Island), swim in restricted areas at Babinda Boulders, or be caught feeding cassowaries from your picnic rug at Etty Bay. It is now an offence,' he told the ABC.

Steve Irwin's father is leading calls for an investigation into whether animal cruelty was involved after a 4.2metre crocodile injured a man and killed a pet dog last week in far north Queensland

Pictured is the 4.2m crocodile that attacked a man and ate his dog in Bloomfield, Queensland

His comments came after the crocodile that attacked Alister MacPhee and his pet dog while they were going for a swim at Bloomfield boat ramp was shot dead by wildlife officers.

Mr MacPhee was swimming with his Rottweiler 'Magic Molly' last week when the reptile erupted from the shallows, latched onto his leg and knocked him over.

Mr MacPhee suffered wounds to his lower leg and was airlifted to Cairns Hospital.

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 was swimming last week when the reptile erupted from the shallows, latched onto his leg and knocked him over. His dog Molly (pictured) was killed

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.

The man and his dog were attacked at a boat ramp on Bloomfield River in far north Queensland

'Imagine from a moving vessel - from 100 or 200m away - shooting a 50-cent piece. That's basically what they have to do.'

Mr Joyce said the euthanising 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.

A crocodile lunged at the man and dragged him into the water at boat ramp on the Bloomfield River (pictured)

'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.'

Queensland's Department of Agriculture and Fisheries has said it hasn't received any complaints and was not investigating the matter.

The Department of Environment and Science added they'd received no complaints of animal cruelty.

Shocking footage emerged earlier 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 estranged wife of transgender sex attacker Isla Bryson has dismissed the double rapist's eight-year sentence as nowhere near enough.

Bryson was jailed at Edinburgh High Court on Tuesday for the rape of a woman in Clydebank in 2016 and a second victim in Drumchapel three years later - while still a man known as Adam Graham.

Shonna Graham, 31, says the ordeal of Bryson's two victims had been overshadowed by the controversy over the prisoner's gender transition.

She told MailOnline: 'He  and I will always call him a he  will be out of prison in four years, but his two victims will have to live with this for the rest of their lives.

'Its an insult to them that their whole ordeal has hardly been discussed and its all been about him, and what kind of prison should he go to.

Shonna Graham, 31, says the ordeal of Bryson's two victims had been overshadowed by the controversy over the prisoner's gender transition

Isla Bryson leaves Edinburgh High Court in a prison van after being sentenced to eight years in jail today

'They are the ones who are suffering and all hes done is pull a stroke to try and get himself a softer sentence.

'Im glad they finally saw sense and put him in a mans prison and I hope he has a hard time there  he deserves it after what hes done.

The double rapist will serve the sentence at HMP Edinburgh, also known as Saughton Prison, which was built in 1920 and holds around 900 prisoners per day.

Shonna said she thought 15 years would have been a more suitable sentence for the double rapist, but she did welcome Lord Scotts words when he told Bryson: You see yourself as the victim in this case. You are not.

But she added: The judge was on the right lines, but to my mind he failed to follow through because eight years  as hell get out in half the time - does not reflect the seriousness of his crimes.

That will mean the victims trauma will all come back far too quickly and it doesnt give them a chance to heal.

Bryson, 31, was sentenced to eight years in prison, with a further three years on licence.

Photos outside court on Tuesday show the double rapist  who changed gender while waiting to stand trial  hiding behind a blonde bob and pink hooded jumper inside a prison van after being told by Lord Scott: 'It is plain that you present a particularly significant risk to any woman with whom you form a relationship.

Bryson, who committed the two rapes while still a man known as Adam Graham, met the victims online and prosecutors said the criminal 'preyed' on vulnerable women.

The case sparked an uproar after Bryson was initially housed in an all-female prison. In the wake of this outcry, the criminal was moved to the male estate.

Scotland's Justice Secretary Keith Brown ordered an urgent review of the case and the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) stopped the movement of all transgender prisoners with a history of violence against women into the female estate.

Shonna said she thought 15 years would have been a more suitable sentence for the double rapist, but she did welcome Lord Scotts words

It came just weeks after the devolved Scottish Parliament passed a Bill to make it easier for people to change their legal gender, drawing criticism from women's rights campaigners who argue predatory men could use it to access single-sex spaces such as bathrooms.

The Government in Westminster has since said it will block the change because it would have an impact on equality matters across the rest of the country.

The issue also came to a head shortly before Nicola Sturgeon said she would step down as Scottish First Minister after almost a decade in power, saying she had become too divisive.

During sentencing today, Lord Scott noted Bryson continues to 'vehemently deny' the offences, claiming the victims 'colluded' to press charges.

The court heard the rapist, who appeared in court wearing a blonde wig, black leggings and fluorescent pink jacket, is still pursuing full gender reassignment and is on 'the maximum recommended doses of hormone prescription' from Glasgow's Sandyford sexual health service clinic.

Defence advocate Edward Targowski KC said this, coupled with 'troubled early years', made Bryson vulnerable.

Bryson, 31, was convicted last month of raping two women, pictured outside court for a previous hearing

Undated handout file photo issued by Police Scotland of Isla Bryson, formerly known as Adam Graham

He told the court the criminal's move to transition following both rapes was not 'an afterthought cynically designed to reduce the punishment', contrary to what he described as 'ill-informed and ill-judged comments' made outside of the court.

But Lord Scott said the seriousness of the crimes 'far outweigh' Bryson's mitigatory circumstances.

He acknowledged Bryson is considered 'vulnerable in some ways' due to adverse childhood experiences, but said: 'You see yourself as the victim in this situation. You are not.

'Your vulnerability is no excuse at all for what you did to these two women.

'You raped two women who can both be regarded as vulnerable.'
Britain will not follow the US and EU in banning government officials from using TikTok despite growing security concerns over the Chinese-owned app.

The new Science Secretary, Michelle Donelan, said prohibiting MPs and civil servants from using the popular social media platform would be a very, very forthright move which would require more evidence to justify.

Last month Canada became the latest Western power to ban TikTok on government-issued mobile devices amid concerns China could obtain private data from its political and security targets. But the UK Government has been reluctant to take any action despite growing calls from senior MPs to clamp down on use of the app.

Miss Donelan told the Politico website: We have no evidence to suggest that there is a necessity to ban people from using TikTok. That would be a very, very forthright move, that would require a significant evidence base to be able to do that.

MPs are under pressure to stop using TikTok in case Beijing can access sensitive smartphone data from the apps owner ByteDance. Luke de Pulford, of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China, said: The risks associated with TikTok are well known, and Canada, the US and EU have banned it for good data security reasons.

The new Science Secretary, Michelle Donelan, said prohibiting MPs and civil servants from using the popular social media platform would be a very, very forthright move which would require more evidence to justify

Canada has become the latest western nation to ban its officials from the Chinese-owned app

The UK needs to wake up and stop dragging its feet.

Labours Northern Ireland spokesman Peter Kyle said yesterday he has personally deleted the app from this phone.

Last week Tory MP Alicia Kearns, chairman of the Commons foreign affairs committee, said ministers most certainly should not have it [TikTok] on their phones.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Mao Ning said of the US ban: We firmly oppose those wrong actions. How unsure of itself can the worlds top superpower like the US be to fear young peoples favourite app like that.
A mother brutally murdered by her abusive husband who tried to make it look like a suicide knew she was powerless to stop him.

Adrian James Basham, now aged 46, was jailed for life on Monday and ordered to serve at least three decades behind bars for the savage murder of his former partner, mother-of-three Samantha Fraser.

Daily Mail Australia can now reveal the full torment Ms Fraser suffered leading up to her murder inside her fortified Phillip Island home on July 23, 2018.

Adrian James Basham, now 46, was jailed for life on Monday and ordered to serve at least three decades behind bars for the savage murder of his former partner, mother-of-three Samantha Fraser. He is pictured arriving in custody at court to hear his fate on Monday

Samantha Fraser had been expected to pick-up her children from school, but never arrived

Basham was captured on CCTV lurking around the home where his ex-wife was living

At the time of Samantha's death she had been under the supposed protection of an intervention order against her ex-husband.

She was also due to give evidence against Basham, who had faced multiple charges of raping her both in 2014 and 2016.

Samantha was certain Basham had been tracking her phone.

Her devastated mother Janine Fraser told the Supreme Court of Victoria her daughter had no faith in the justice system protecting her from Basham.

'We supported Samantha in her decision to leave her abusive marriage as he had also threatened to do Samantha harm and intimidated her with threats of various scenarios of the way harm might come to her,' Ms Fraser told Justice Lesley Taylor before she handed down her sentence.

'From the time she ended the marriage we lived in fear of what he might do, either by his own hand or by the hand of another.'

Ms Fraser claimed her daughter feared not only for the safety of herself, but of her entire family.

'Sam feared he would either kill her himself and perhaps the children and us, or he would have someone else do it,' she said.

'I remember her reading in the paper about a domestic homicide and looking up at me and saying, "That will be me, mum. Make sure you don't let him get away with it".'

Ms Fraser described her agony at not being able to help her daughter before her death inside their own family home.

Adrian Basham murdered Samantha Fraser (pictured) inside her Phillip Island home in 2018

A GoFundMe established to help Samantha's parents raise her three children has raised just a little over $36,000 of a $50,000 target.

Samantha was so worried about Basham in the months before her death she had moved in with her parents at Seagrove Way on Phillip Island - south east of Melbourne.

It was there, in her parents' garage, that she died while they were away on a trip to the United States.

Police had alleged Basham had snuck into the garage as Samantha returned home after meeting with friends.

She had been due to pick-up her kids from school that afternoon but never turned up.

'To see my daughter so vulnerable and afraid and not be able to do anything to keep her safe is one of the hardest things I have had to endure,' Ms Fraser told the court.

Although a jury found Basham guilty in April of Samantha's murder, the hulking brute helped prolong pre-sentence hearings for almost a year with his erratic behaviour caged in the court prison dock.

Samantha's family clapped as Basham was led out after his sentencing this week.

His own 13-year old daughter Jemima had been among a swag of family members to stare him down in person last year.

'I'm here to tell you I'm a fighter,' she told Basham. 'I have struggled with anxiety and even suicidal thoughts, but I am here today to show people that I am a fighter and we will get justice for my mum.'

Samantha Fraser refused to speak ill of Basham to his children

Adrian Basham will spend life behind bars mostly in solitary confinement

Such was Samantha's love for her children, she had refused to speak an ill word of their father in front of them despite his menacing abuse.

'She refused to monsterise the man who had hurt her so terribly and would not sanction us doing so either.' Ms Fraser said.

'I remember looking at her in awe and asking "How can you do that darling?" and she said "They need their good memories mum and I will not teach them to hate".'

Basham, who believed to the very last second he would be acquitted of his ex-wife's murder, had tried to dupe the jury with a pathetic story none of them swallowed.

His barrister, Ashley Halphen, told the jury they ought have a reasonable doubt in the case against him, because Samantha may have killed herself.

The court heard Samantha weighed just 57kgs and was considerably smaller in height than Basham.

Her handbag and phone had later been found still in her car after being attacked the moment she drove into her parents' garage.

Samantha had fought desperately for her life, with deep bruising to her hands and wrists consistent with being restrained.

She had suffered rotational force and velocity applied to her head when she was assaulted, and her head was spun round.

When done, prosecutors claimed Basham attempted to clean up the bloody crime scene after hanging her from the garage door.

Adrian Basham had wanted to stop his ex-wife testifying against him in court over rape allegations

Adrian Basham lurks outside Samantha Fraser's home before murdering her

Mr Halphen tried to convince the jury Basham had attended Samantha's home with 'a nonviolent purpose'.

'I'd submit that he didn't go there with an intention to be violent,' he told the judge.

Mr Halphen claimed it was possible Basham had gone there to try and talk Samantha out of pursuing her rape allegations, which were dumped by prosecutors after his murder conviction.

'It's well open for your honour to find that there was an explosion of pent up anger over the years and one thing led to another, in nanoseconds,' he said.

'We submit that in those nanoseconds, that is when the assault commenced, there was - it was irreversible. There was no going back and that is when the murderous intent formulated.'

It was a scenario dismissed by Justice Taylor.

'If she was aware that he was anywhere near her, the first thing she would've done was to pick up one of those phones. A woman driving a car alone puts her handbag on the passenger seat and phone in the console,' Justice Taylor responded.

'You turn the car off, you pick those two things up. She didn't have time.'

A GoFundMe established to help Samantha's parents raise her three children has raised just a little over $36,000 of a $50,000 target.

1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732)

Lifeline 13 11 14
The chatbot was created by San Francisco firm OpenAI and launched November

Atwater Brewery asked ChatGPT to come up with a recipe for an American IPA

AI tool ChatGPT has already been used to write essays, prescribe antibiotics and even fool job recruiters.

Now, Detroit-based Atwater Brewery has created the first ever beer using a recipe fully generated by the chatbot sensation.

The new brew, called Artificial Intelligence IPA, or AI IPA for short, contains three types of malt and a whopping eight varieties of hops.

Although human brewers had to make the beer themselves, the entire process was based on ChatGPT's detailed recipe and instructions.

ChatGPT, created by San Francisco-based company OpenAI, has been trained on a massive amount of text so it can generate human-like answers to questions.

'India pale ale brewed by robots': The origin of the beer was a unique recipe generated by AI chatbot sensation ChatGPT. The new brew is a clear, straw-coloured India pale ale with 'tropical and citrus flavors and aromas'

Joe Platt, quality manager at Atwater Brewery, is pictured with the new brew, which is set to be canned and shipped soon

Seen as the next stage of the search engine, some experts think ChatGPT could even replace Google because it returns more sophisticated and nuanced responses.

AI IPA: Ingredients and procedure BREWER REQUEST: 'Can you brew me an American IPA using centennial, citra, amarillo, and melon hops?' CHATGPT RESPONSE: 'Here is a recipe for a 20 barrel batch of American IPA using centennial, citra, amarillo, and melon hops' Ingredients: 2800 lbs pale malt

400 lbs Munich malt

400 lbs wheat malt

60 lbs dextrose (corn sugar)

3 lbs centennial hops (first wort hop)

2 lbs citra hops (60 min boil)

2 lbs amarillo hops (15 min boil)

1 lb melon hops (5 min boil)

1 lb centennial hops (whirlpool)

1 lb citra hops (whirlpool)

1 lb amarillo hops (dry hop)

1 lb melon hops (dry hop)

American ale yeast (such as WLP001 or 1056) Procedure: Mash the pale malt, Munich malt, and wheat malt together at 152-154F for 60 minutes. Begin boiling the wort and add the first wort hops (centennial hops) at the beginning of the boil. After 60 minutes, add the citra hops to the boil. With 15 minutes left in the boil, add the amarillo hops. 5. With 5 minutes left in the boil, add the melon hops. After the boil is complete, cool the wort to 68F and transfer to a fermentation vessel. Pitch the yeast and ferment at 68F for 7-10 days, or until fermentation is complete. Add the whirlpool hops (centennial, citra, and amarillo) and dry hop with the melon hops for 5-7 days. Transfer the beer to a bright tank or keg and allow it to carbonate and condition for an additional 7-14 days before serving.' Advertisement

Joe Platt, quality manager at Atwater Brewery, came up with the idea to turn to ChatGPT for a new brew for customers.

Apart from water, the chatbot gave Platt 13 ingredients, including eight varieties of hops  an extra four than what was requested.

The recipe also contains three malts pale malt, wheat malt and Munich malt  an American ale yeast and corn sugar.

'I asked it "Can you brew me an American IPA using centennial, citra, amarillo, and melon hops?"' Platt told MailOnline.

'I asked it to use those specific hops because that is what we had on hand.

'It will generate recipes with all sorts of hops but in an effort to save time and money I wanted to use what we had.

'It generated a homebrew scale recipe. I then asked it, "Can you convert this to a 20 barrel batch?"

'It was able to do so but we had to alter the grain and hop qualities a bit because the AI does not understand brewhouse efficiency well.'

The result was a 6.55 per cent alcohol-by-volume beer that's been poured through the brewery's taps since January, although Atwater is also planning to can it to ship overseas soon.

The brewery celebrated its release by paying homage to one of sci-fi's best-known AI  HAL 9000 of '2001: A Space Odyssey'  by charging customers $2.001 per pint, while a member of staff donned a silver spacesuit.

Platt said feedback about AI IPA so far has been 'positive' even though it ranks higher on the International Bitterness Units (IBU) scale than its other beers  65 out of 120.

Brewers use the IBU to convey how bitter their beer is due to the addition of hops  if a beer is too bitter the IBU can act as a warning.

'It tasted more bitter and had higher IBUs than IPAs we usually tend to make,' Platt told MailOnline.

'More of a West Coast style IPA.'

AI IPA takes the title as the first beer created by ChatGPT, although another brewery in Canada has had the same idea.

Whistle Buoy Brewing Company, in Victoria, British Columbia, used the chatbot to come up with a recipe for a 'hazy pale ale, fluffy and tropical'.

Isaiah Archer, head of marketing at Whistle Buoy, said it had already been using ChatGPT to write product descriptions and social media captions.

The 6.55 per cent AI IPA ranks fairly high on the International Bitterness Units (IBU) scale - 65

Atwater Brewery celebrated the beer's release by paying homage to one of sci-fi's best-known AI, HAL 9000 of '2001: A Space Odyssey', by charging customers $2.001 per pint.

'We decided to take it a step further and asked it to write us a beer recipe for a hazy pale ale, and 10 seconds later, there it was, a full recipe that actually made sense,' Archer said.

Robo Beer: Ingredients and procedure BREWER REQUEST: Were thinking to make a hazy pale ale, fluffy and tropical, please write us a recipe and include specific hops and malts to use. CHATGPT RESPONSE: Sure! Heres a recipe for a hazy pale ale that should be fluffy and tropical: Ingredients: 6 lbs (2.7 kg) pale ale malt

8 oz (227 g) oats

4 oz (113 g) wheat malt

1 lb (454 g) flaked wheat

1 lb (454 g) flaked oats

1 lb (454 g) lactose

2 oz (57 g) Mosaic hops

1 oz (28 g) Citra hops

1 oz (28 g) El Dorado hops

1 tsp (5 g) Irish moss

1 package of your favorite ale yeast Instructions: Mash the grains at 152F (67C) for 60 minutes. Boil the wort for 60 minutes, adding the Mosaic hops at the beginning of the boil, the Citra and El Dorado hops with 15 minutes left in the boil, and the Irish moss with 10 minutes left in the boil. Cool the wort to 68F (20C) and pitch the yeast. Ferment at 68F (20C) for 7-10 days, or until fermentation is complete. Bottle or keg the beer and allow it to carbonate and condition for at least 2 weeks before serving. This recipe will yield around 5 gallons (19 L) of hazy pale ale. I hope you enjoy it!' Advertisement

'Minds blown, we decided to give the recipe a shot and the beer is tasting great.'

Unlike Atwater Brewery, Whistle Buoy's request didn't identify any particular ingredients to use, although it did ask it to 'include specific hops and malts'.

The recipe included just three hops but a wide variety of other ingredients including flaked oats, lactose and Irish moss, which is widely used by brewers to clarify beer during the boil.

Staff also had to scale-up the recipe so it was appropriate for the size of Whistle Buoy's brewing capacity.

'It put out a homebrew batch, which was fair, we didn't ask it to make it for an 800-litre brewhouse,' Archer said.

The result  christened Robo Beer and first tapped in February  has an alcohol by volume of 5.2 per cent and an IBU of just 20, so less bitter than the one born in Detroit.

'As far as customer feedback goes, it's been quite positive specifically about the taste and quality of the beer itself,' Archer told MailOnline.

Rohit Joseph, who tried the beer for local radio, described it as having 'that nice balance where it wasn't too hoppy but it was just hoppy enough'.

'It was citrusy, it had to me a bit of pineapple, tangerine going on, like most hazy pale ales,' he said.

'Honestly, it's pretty good. When I think of hazy pale ale this is the standard, it feels like it's met that standard.'

As for whether the use of such technology takes the 'craft' out of craft brewing, Archer said the company has no plans to use ChatGPT to make its beer recipes from now on, or 'hire robots for its brewing team'.

'There have been a few people saying how they aren't comfortable with the idea of using AI in craft beer, but that's more from a philosophical point of view,' he said.

'From our stand-point it was more just to say isn't this an interesting piece of technology, here's how it can apply to a craft beer setting.'

Robo Beer is now available on draught and in cans at Whistle Buoy and whistlebuoybrewing.com, although the firm said it doesn't ship to the UK.

Pictured, Robo Beer, the hazy pale ale brewed by Whistle Buoy Brewing Company in Victoria, British Columbia

ChatGPT has taken the world by storm and reached more than 100 million users just three months after launching in November.

Its success has created a panic at Google, which fears that its days as the world's number one search engine could soon come to an end.

Google scrambled to come up its own equivalent chat bot, called Bard, to be released in the 'coming weeks'.

Unfortunately for Google, Bard presented incorrect information as fact in a Twitter video, instantly wiping 100 billion from the tech giant's value.
Fleas, worms, and diabetes are all conditions that might spring to mind when it comes to disorders in cats.

Now, a study has revealed a complete list of the most common disorders in cats, based on the veterinary records of more that one million pets in the UK.

Gum disease tops the list as the most common disorder, followed by obesity, overgrown nails and flea infestation.

'Everyone who loves cats wants to make their lives happier and healthier,' said Dan O'Neill, Associate Professor in Companion Animal Epidemiology at the Royal Veterinary College and lead author of the paper.

'This study helps owners to understand that dental, weight and parasite care are the key health issues of cats in general, so that owners can focus their care and finances better on giving their cats a better life.'

A study has revealed a complete list of the most common disorders in cats, based on the veterinary records of more that one million pets in the UK

Gum disease tops the list as the most common disorder in cats, followed by obesity, overgrown nails and flea infestation

In the study, the researchers set out to understand the most common conditions in pet cats, and how they vary based on the animal's age and gender.

The 30 most common disorders in pet cats Gum disease Obesity Dental disease Overgrown nail(s) Flea infestation Heart murmur Weight loss Vomiting Abscess Diarrhoea Haircoat disorder Thin/underweight Wound Hyperthyroidism Chronic kidney disease Anorexia Conjunctivitis Disorder not diagnosed Flea bite hypersensitivity Osteoarthritis Cat bite injury Cystitis Lameness Post-operative wound complication Cardiac dysrhythmia Otitis externa Over-grooming Constipation Poor quality of life Road traffic accident Advertisement

The team collected data from a random sample of 18,249 cats from a study population of 1,255,130 cats in the UK.

Of this sample, the most common breed was the British Short Hair (3.01 per cent), Ragdoll (1.82 per cent) and Bengal (1.22 pere cent).

Other common breeds included were the Maine Coon (0.93 per cent), Persian (0.73 per cent) and Siamese (0.68 per cent).

An assessment of their vet records revealed that, on average, cats were diagnosed with one condition every year, although male and older cats were more likely to suffer from multiple conditions.

Gum disease (15.23 per cent) topped the list as the most common condition, followed by obesity (11.58 per cent), general dental disease (9.23 per cent), overgrown nails (5.23 per cent), flea infestation (5.07 per cent) and heart murmur (4.44 per cent).

Other conditions in the top list included anorexia (1.74 per cent), conjunctivitis (1.65 per cent), and cystitis (1.11 per cent).

However, male and female cats had different risks for 14 of the 30 most common conditions.

Females were found to be at higher risk for post-operative wound complications, over-grooming, flea bite hypersensitivity, hyperthyroidism, and overgrown nails.

Meanwhile, male cats were more likely to suffer with gum disease, road traffic accidents, heart murmurs, lameness, obesity, abscess wounds and cat bite injuries.

Age also appears to play a key role in the risk of various conditions.

Cats who were younger than eight years old were more likely to have cat bite injuries, flea infestations, road traffic accidents and post-operative wound complications.

In contrast, older cats (older than eight years old) had a higher risk for 23 conditions, including lameness, cystitis and heart murmurs.

Professor Danielle Gunn-Moore, Professor of Feline Medicine at the University of Edinburgh and co-author of the study, said: 'Britain is a country of animal lovers, yet this study shows that the most common illnesses cats suffer with are almost completely preventable.

Gum disease (15.23 per cent) topped the list as the most common condition, followed by obesity (11.58 per cent), general dental disease (9.23 per cent), overgrown nails (5.23 per cent), flea infestation (5.07 per cent) and heart murmur (4.44 per cent)

'For example, cats cannot gain excessive weight on their own  I know myself how tough it is when your beloved cat asks for a few more kibbles.

'But we must remember that food is not love; it is far better to play a game with them instead.

'If we love our cats, we owe it to them to provide the best quality of life that we can. This study gives us the evidence base to do that.'

The team hopes the findings will help vets and cat owners to better understand and predict disorders in their cats.

'Cats have a reputation for being easy to keep but this new data really demonstrates how important it is for owners to ensure that they're keeping on top of their cats' basic welfare needs,' Justine Shotton, British Veterinary Association Senior Vice President said.

'Whether your cat is the laidback type or a bundle of feline energy, regular health checks and a good relationship with your vet can ensure that you're not missing the subtle signs that they're unwell or in pain.'
People gather around a city well in Seoul, in this Russian postcard from the early 1900s. / Robert Neff Collection



By Robert Neff





The Korean version of Dr. Sylvia Braesel's book, "Photos of a diplomatic life between Europe and East Asia: Carl von Waeber (1841-1910)" / Courtesy of Puringil Publishing Co.

History often confines itself to narrating only the events surrounding key protagonists and antagonists, their exploits and faults and their eventual fates. But in my opinion, it is often the people surrounding these key figures who are the most interesting  the ways in which they interact with our heroes and villains, the subtle (and, sometimes, not so subtle) influence they exert and their own deeds that are sometimes misappropriated by or misattributed to the powerful political player. Often these peripheral actors are family members and they are rarely mentioned in diplomatic documents or even in personal correspondence. It is as if they never existed.



Nevertheless, they did exist. Sometimes all we have is a title such as the wife of so-and-so, or the son or daughter of so-and-so and, if we are very lucky, we might have a first name or even a maiden name. Wives and children seem rarely mentioned  especially by men. But even in the letters and diaries of female missionaries and diplomats, there is a degree of opaqueness when describing other families.



Fortunately, Sylvia Braesel's book, "Photos of a diplomatic life between Europe and East Asia: Carl von Waeber (1841-1910)," has recently been translated and published in Korea. Waeber was the first Russian minister to Korea and was arguably one of the most important foreign diplomats on the Korean Peninsula. He was a master of Machiavellian politics, swinging back and forth from subtle to domineering influence upon not only the Korean court but also his diplomatic peers. Yet, according to some sources (which tend to be rather biased), the decisiveness of his acts was not merely his but his wife's too. There were two powerful women in his household  his wife, Eugenie, and her sister-in-law's sister, Marie Antoinette Sontag. The relationship is somewhat confusing so it may help to consult these earlier articles: Russians arrive in Korea in 1885 , Marie Antoinette Sontag: "The uncrowned empress of Korea" and Sontag Hotel - 'consultation center for diplomatic conspiracies.'





This Russian postcard depicts the region around Seoul in the early 1900s. / Robert Neff Collection



In her book, Braesel provides a fascinating and in-depth family history of the Waebers. The pictures and most of the information came directly from the family (something previous scholars did not have access to) and add invaluably to our knowledge  even correcting mistakes that have been made by other sources.



However, while appreciating the importance of the family's history, I am more interested in knowing about the family's stay in Korea. I am surprised at just how much Braesel's book reveals through the photographs taken in Korea during the 1880s and 1890s.



The opening chapter about Korea reveals pictures of the original Russian Legation  not the image of the Western-style building with its tall white tower so often associated with the Russian Legation  in the style of Korean architecture. One of the initial images that captivated me is that of Eugen, Waeber's second son, wearing a wide-brimmed hat and standing on the porch next to a Russian sailor. It seems there is a look of youthful curiosity on his face as he gazes at the camera. Eugen was no stranger to Asian life having been born in China in 1879. But it still seems as if he is somewhat overwhelmed by the political turmoil surrounding him.





This Russian postcard shows a busy street in Seoul in the early 1900s. / Courtesy of Diane Nars Collection



A picture of him with his parents and Sontag also commands attention. Eugen is dressed in an iconic sailor's outfit; his father stands behind him in full dress uniform (complete with medals) while his mother and Sontag sit on either side of him. Their Western clothing contrasts sharply with the Korean architecture behind them.



There are panoramas of Seoul and the distant mountains, the crowded river port of Mapo, images of the South Gate, the busy street in front of Gwanghwamun and pictures of picnics at the palace and Mount Bukhan. Some seem rather familiar but others are unique  candid images of family life and Korean officials. There is even a picture of Gwanchok Temple in Nonsan, which makes me wonder if it had been purchased from a photography shop in Seoul. Or did he actually travel that far south?



I have to admit, Eugen especially interests me. None of the diaries or correspondences by Westerners residing in Seoul seem to mention this young boy. I was aware he was in Korea but I knew absolutely nothing about him  but in Braesel's book, we indirectly learn so much about him. There is a photograph of him being escorted through the streets in a Korean palanquin by Korean soldiers armed with rifles and bayonets, as onlookers stare.





The city wall forms an excellent backdrop for a view of street traffic in Seoul in the early 1900s as depicted in this Russian postcard. / Robert Neff Collection



In one photograph, Eugen is playing the piano in the legation, with a leopard skin at his feet. A picture bearing the Russian and Korean flags sits on the piano with what appears to be family pictures and possibly a clock behind. Included in the book are samples of his piano sheet music.



There are several images of Sontag. They do not match the later descriptions of her being matronly and somewhat dour; they are images of a pretty woman carefully watching over her young charge (Eugen)  especially the 1886/87 photographs of them sitting on a tiger pelt in front of the legation.



There are just too many unique and valuable pictures to describe. But I would be remiss if I failed to mention the image of a young-looking Heungseon Daewongun (the regent of Joseon) and a picture of King Gojong  looking very regal and relaxed. I am not sure where the picture of the monarch was taken but, judging from its date, I am guessing in the Russian Legation.





The West Gate of Seoul in the early 1900s is shown in part of a Russian postcard series. / Robert Neff Collection



The last third of Braesel's book is devoted to the Waebers' and Sontag's lives after they left Korea. Considering Sontag's popularity  especially with Korean coffee drinkers  I am sure this section will appeal to many readers. I know from my own conversations with Braesel that her research was very time-consuming  especially when it came to finding Sontag's final resting place. I cannot express my admiration for her tenacious research and luck in gathering all of this information for publication.



Of course, I do have some petty complaints  many of which are beyond the control of Braesel and her publisher. I wish there were more personal letters from Korea describing family affairs, gossip and political events as seen through the eyes of Eugenie and her son. I know Sontag's records were all destroyed but surely, there were some family members who kept the letters sent to them from Korea. I have some information from other sources but, as stated earlier, they are biased and it is always best to have at least two sides to a story.





Dr. Sylvia Braesel and her daughter, Pamela, visit Seoul during the summer of 2015. We had a long conversation about Sontag, but, strangely, I don't recall us drinking any coffee. / Robert Neff Collection
Britain will have to use half of its farmland to grow biofuels before eco-friendly air travel is a reality, say scientists.

Former transport secretary Grant Shapps pledged last year that the UK's aviation sector will be green by 2050 and said 'guilt-free flying is within our reach'.

But a report for the Royal Society calculates half of all British farmland would need to be used to grow crops to convert to biofuel to replace the 12.3million tons of conventional jet fuel used by UK aviation every year.

Biofuels are considered a green alternative to fossil fuels because the plants used to produce them absorb CO2 as they grow and they can produce lower emissions. The other leading option for green flying is hydrogen, but producing enough of the gas would use up around three times the UK's entire wind and solar power output.

The report suggests it will be unlikely that the UK will reach its goal of getting all domestic flights to be 'jet zero'  i.e. producing no net greenhouse gas emissions  by 2040 and all international flights by 2050.

Britain will have to use half of its farmland to grow biofuels before eco-friendly air travel is a reality, say scientists. [File image]

rmer transport secretary Grant Shapps (pictured) pledged last year that the UK's aviation sector will be green by 2050 and said 'guilt-free flying is within our reach'

It warns 'there is no single, clear, sustainable alternative to jet fuel able to support flying on a scale equivalent to present day use'.

Battery powered airliners were deemed unlikely to be ready in the next 30 years, so were not considered an option.

Graham Hutchings, professor of chemistry at Cardiff University who headed the report, said that flying currently accounts for 8 per cent of total UK greenhouse gas emissions, a figure which is growing.

Professor Hutchings said that biofuels, made of vegetable oil, are the frontrunner to create 'green' aviation because they could be used without aircraft, airports and tankers having to be significantly redesigned.

He said producing enough biofuel would only work if we stop growing food on swathes of farmland.

He said: 'Our estimate is that at least 50 per cent of UK agricultural land would need to be used.' Alternative sources such as used vegetable oil, sewage and household waste would only be able to provide a tiny amount of the UK's jet fuel requirement, he added.

Biofuel is currently up to seven times as expensive as conventional jet fuel. At Heathrow, it accounts for only 0.5 per cent of fuel used, even though Heathrow is the airport that uses the most biofuel in the world.

Asked whether the promise by Mr Shapps that 'guilt-free flying is within our reach' by 2040, Professor Hutchings said: 'We're dealing with the science options available. Whether or not it's possible, that's really down to the Government.'

A DfT spokesperson said:

'The UK's Sustainable Aviation Fuels programme is one of the most comprehensive in the world.

'Our Jet Zero Strategy sets out how we can achieve net zero emissions from UK aviation by 2050, without directly limiting demand for aviation.

'Sustainable Aviation Fuels and Hydrogen are key elements of this, and we will ensure that there is no impact on food crops.'
The northern lights were seen above Britain once again on Monday night, having illuminated skies and dazzled stargazers across the UK on Sunday.

The incredible display was visible across large parts of the country - including as far south as Berkshire and Wiltshire, where the aurora borealis danced in the sky over Donnington Castle and Stonehenge.

Unfortunately, the display was dimmed for some as Monday night brought cloudier skies, obscuring the lights from view.

But many skywatchers managed to snap stunning photos of the mesmerising phenomenon.

Extremely rare occasion where the Northern Lights are visible above Great Yarmouth Northern Lights over Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, UK - 27 Feb 2023

The Aurora Borealis Northern Lights at Donnington Castle, Newbury, Berkshire, February 27

Picture dated February 27 shows the Aurora display over the Cambridgeshire Fens new Ely on Monday evening

Some Twitter users took to the platform to share their snaps of the Northern Lights

Earlier Monday evening, the Met Office said: '[An] Aurora is once again possible to similar latitudes, perhaps as far south as central or southern England.'

WHAT ARE CORONAL MASS EJECTIONS? Coronal mass ejections (CMEs) are large clouds of plasma and magnetic fields that erupt from the sun. These clouds can erupt in any direction, ploughing through solar winds. They tend to be much slower than solar flares, as they move a greater amount of matter. CMEs can be triggered when a storm on the surface of the sun causes a whirlwind to form at the base of plasma loops that project from the surface. These loops are called prominences and when they become unstable they can break, releasing the CME into space. On occasion, these CMEs can be directed towards Earth, and highly charged particles within the CME that make it to Earth's magnetic field are responsible for causing the Northern Lights. Advertisement

The best way to see it is to find a dark place away from street lights and ideally a cloud-free sky, according to the British Geological Survey.

Experts say skywatchers should generally look to the north, although the spectacular sight can be overhead or elsewhere.

Looking up at around midnight, or early Tuesday morning, provides the best chance to spot it.

But Monday night and early Tuesday morning will be cloudy for many.

Royal Museums Greenwich explains on its website that the lights are caused by solar storms on the surface of the sun giving out clouds of electrically charged particles which can travel millions of miles and collide with the Earth.

This phenomenon is known as a coronal mass ejection (CME).

These highly charged particles hurtle towards Earth.

Most particles are deflected away but some are captured in the Earth's magnetic field and accelerate down towards the north and south poles, colliding with atoms and molecules in the Earth's atmosphere.

The lights we see dancing in the sky are the product of this collision between atoms and molecules from the Earth's atmosphere and particles from the sun.

With the Sun's magnetic activity expected to increase as we approach 2025, we are likely to be treated to the impressive display more frequently in the coming years.

Northern Lights over Kyleakin on the Isle of Skye. Issue date: Monday February 27, 2023

The Met Office tweeted a series of pictures taken by members of the public which captured the light phenomenon in North Uist in Scotland, North Wales, Cambridgeshire and Shropshire.

The national weather service tweeted on Sunday: 'A coronal hole high speed stream arrived this evening combined with a rather fast coronal mass ejection leading to #Aurora sightings across the UK.'

In a separate tweet, it encouraged users to upload pictures of any other sightings using the hashtag #LoveUKWeather.

On Sunday, Alasdair O'Dell, 40, from Dunbeg near Oban, Scotland, managed to capture the lights in Connel, just down the road from where he lives.

He said he hoped to catch a glimpse of the 'spectacular show' again on Monday night.

'I'll always try and see the Northern Lights if possible. It's a really exciting natural phenomenon,' Mr O'Dell told the PA news agency.

'We are lucky enough to see them sometimes in Scotland - when it's not raining - but Sunday night was the most spectacular show I've seen since I've been here. I'll be out again (on Monday night) with my camera.'

Stonehenge was illuminated in a mystical light as the ancient stones were silhouetted against the wonderful Northern Lights

Stonehenge was illuminated in a mystical light as the ancient stones were silhouetted against the wonderful Northern Lights

The Lights sparkled behind the Silvanus Roman sculpture on Croy Hill, North Lanarkshire, at around 10pm, with reds and greens seen by stargazers

Craig Smith, 43, who works in construction and lives in Blackburn, Lancashire, also managed to snap the northern lights flickering in the skies above his hometown.

Mr Smith told PA news: 'I've seen the lights on several occasions from home (and they are) always great to see.

'The (coronal mass ejection) that hit Earth yesterday evening put on a great show.

'The lights were dancing. (It is) just a shame the clouds began rolling in just as it started.'

In November last year, strong light displays were witnessed across Scotland.

A Met Office spokesperson said the rare sightings of the aurora borealis further south in the UK on Sunday night were due to the 'strength' of a geomagnetic storm and the 'strip of cloudless skies' in southern regions.
The Northern Lights could be seen in the UK for a second night on Monday after perfect conditions 24 hours earlier saw them visible as far south as Cornwall.

Passengers on an easyJet flight from Reykjavik to Manchester were treated to a stunning Northern Lights spectacle upon approach to Britain as the Arctic display lit up the skies.

One traveller tweeted: 'Big thanks to the @easyJet pilot of EZY1806 from Reykjavik to Manchester who did a 360 fly by mid flight to make sure all passengers could see the incredible Northern Lights.'

Meanwhile, colours from green to pink, from yellow to deep blue, lit up the night all over Britain, as the Northern Lights made a rare foray south.

It comes after the incredible display illuminated the skies and dazzle stargazers across the UK on Sunday, reaching as far as Cornwall.

The Northern Lights could be seen over Knowlton Church near Wimborne, Dorset, on Monday evening

Passengers were treated to a rare glimpse of the natural phenomenon from their plane window

Air traffic data showed the pilot performed a '360' to treat passengers to views of the stunning light display

Mark Gibbs, of the Met Office, said Sunday evening 'saw the coincidence of perfect conditions, making the aurora visible on the north horizon in the south of England'.

Unfortunately, the display was dimmed for some as Monday night brought cloudier skies, obscuring the lights from view.

But the incredible light display was visible across large parts of the country, including as far south as Berkshire and Wiltshire.

The Northern Lights as seen from Scotland last night

The ethereal glow was also seen clearly from St Andrews in Scotland

For centuries Stonehenge has brooded over the Wiltshire landscape but rarely has the ancient site appeared so mysterious as it did beneath these unearthly skies.

Northern Scotland was the best place to catch the phenomenon overnight, as cloudy skies unfortunately prevented some keen stargazers in England's south from getting a second glimpse.

Many skywatchers still managed to snap stunning photos of the mesmerising phenomenon.

The Northern Lights over Souter Lighthouse in Whitburn, Tyne and Wear on Monday

The Northern Lights over the Isle of Skye, Northern Scotland, which was the best place to catch the phenomenon overnight

View from the air: Passengers on a flight were treated to a stunning North Lights spectacle as they approached Britain after the Arctic display lit up the skies.

Extremely rare occasion where the Northern Lights are visible above Great Yarmouth Northern Lights over Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, UK - 27 Feb 2023

The Aurora Borealis Northern Lights at Donnington Castle, Newbury, Berkshire, February 27

Picture dated February 27 shows the Aurora display over the Cambridgeshire Fens new Ely on Monday evening

Some Twitter users took to the platform to share their snaps of the Northern Lights

Drew McGrath, 36, was among those lucky enough to get a second sighting of the lights dancing over his home in the village of Kyleakin on the Isle of Skye.

The teacher told the PA news agency: 'This was the second time seeing the colours with the naked eye. Greens and reds very clear and strong. Very similar to last night which was amazing too.

'The sheer height of them is hard to explain, they are just beautiful to watch and share.

'Heading to the shore I met with lots of folk in the village who were out to see them.'

The head of space weather at the Met Office, Mark Gibbs, said earlier it was 'optimistic to expect clear sightings two nights in a row'.

WHAT ARE CORONAL MASS EJECTIONS? Coronal mass ejections (CMEs) are large clouds of plasma and magnetic fields that erupt from the sun. These clouds can erupt in any direction, ploughing through solar winds. They tend to be much slower than solar flares, as they move a greater amount of matter. CMEs can be triggered when a storm on the surface of the sun causes a whirlwind to form at the base of plasma loops that project from the surface. These loops are called prominences and when they become unstable they can break, releasing the CME into space. On occasion, these CMEs can be directed towards Earth, and highly charged particles within the CME that make it to Earth's magnetic field are responsible for causing the Northern Lights. Advertisement

He said: '(Sunday's) sighting saw the coincidence of perfect conditions, making the aurora visible on the north horizon in the south of England.'

Mr Gibbs added that Sunday night saw the combination of a cloud-free sky, clear air, and a dim moon, which allowed members of the public to see over long distances with little light pollution, and spot the Northern Lights.

The activity was the result of a solar storm, which Mr Gibbs said was not unusual for this point in the solar cycle.

'What we saw (on Sunday) was a bubble of magnetised plasma particles that had come off the sun, and they happened to be heading towards the Earth in this instance,' he said.

'It took about two days for those particles to arrive from the sun, then the particles enter the Earth's upper atmosphere and excite atoms.

'The most common sight is green, which is the result of oxygen atoms being excited. (Sunday) night we saw some reds and purples, indicative of nitrogen atoms being excited.'

Earlier Monday evening, the Met Office said: '[An] Aurora is once again possible to similar latitudes, perhaps as far south as central or southern England.'

The best way to see it is to find a dark place away from street lights and ideally a cloud-free sky, according to the British Geological Survey.

Experts say skywatchers should generally look to the north, although the spectacular sight can be overhead or elsewhere.

Looking up at around midnight, or early Tuesday morning, provides the best chance to spot it.

But Monday night and early Tuesday morning will be cloudy for many.

Royal Museums Greenwich explains on its website that the lights are caused by solar storms on the surface of the sun giving out clouds of electrically charged particles which can travel millions of miles and collide with the Earth.

This phenomenon is known as a coronal mass ejection (CME).

These highly charged particles hurtle towards Earth.

Most particles are deflected away but some are captured in the Earth's magnetic field and accelerate down towards the north and south poles, colliding with atoms and molecules in the Earth's atmosphere.

The lights we see dancing in the sky are the product of this collision between atoms and molecules from the Earth's atmosphere and particles from the sun.

With the Sun's magnetic activity expected to increase as we approach 2025, we are likely to be treated to the impressive display more frequently in the coming years.

Northern Lights over Kyleakin on the Isle of Skye on Monday evening

The Met Office tweeted a series of pictures taken by members of the public which captured the light phenomenon in North Uist in Scotland, North Wales, Cambridgeshire and Shropshire.

The national weather service tweeted on Sunday: 'A coronal hole high speed stream arrived this evening combined with a rather fast coronal mass ejection leading to #Aurora sightings across the UK.'

In a separate tweet, it encouraged users to upload pictures of any other sightings using the hashtag #LoveUKWeather.

On Sunday, Alasdair O'Dell, 40, from Dunbeg near Oban, Scotland, managed to capture the lights in Connel, just down the road from where he lives.

He said he hoped to catch a glimpse of the 'spectacular show' again on Monday night.

'I'll always try and see the Northern Lights if possible. It's a really exciting natural phenomenon,' Mr O'Dell told the PA news agency.

'We are lucky enough to see them sometimes in Scotland - when it's not raining - but Sunday night was the most spectacular show I've seen since I've been here. I'll be out again (on Monday night) with my camera.'

Stonehenge was illuminated in a mystical light as the ancient stones were silhouetted against the wonderful Northern Lights

Stonehenge was illuminated in a mystical light as the ancient stones were silhouetted against the wonderful Northern Lights

The Lights sparkled behind the Silvanus Roman sculpture on Croy Hill, North Lanarkshire, at around 10pm, with reds and greens seen by stargazers

Craig Smith, 43, who works in construction and lives in Blackburn, Lancashire, also managed to snap the Northern Lights flickering in the skies above his hometown.

Mr Smith told PA news: 'I've seen the lights on several occasions from home (and they are) always great to see.

'The (coronal mass ejection) that hit Earth yesterday evening put on a great show.

'The lights were dancing. (It is) just a shame the clouds began rolling in just as it started.'

In November last year, strong light displays were witnessed across Scotland.

A Met Office spokesperson said the rare sightings of the aurora borealis further south in the UK on Sunday night were due to the 'strength' of a geomagnetic storm and the 'strip of cloudless skies' in southern regions.
Whether it's while you're working from home or checking your emails on a train, there are often times we wish our laptop screen had more space.

But the days of despairing over a lack of second screen could soon be a thing of the past, thanks to Lenovo's latest invention.

The tech giant has unveiled a laptop with an extendable screen at Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2023.

With the flip of a switch, the 12.7 inch screen takes just 10 seconds to become a 15.3 inch display.

While the futuristic device is on display at MWC in Barcelona, it's a very early proof of concept and is unlikely to be released to the public for some time yet.

Lenovo has unveiled a laptop with an extendable screen at Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2023

MWC, the world's largest trade show for the telecoms industry, returned to Barcelona this week to unveil the latest technology in smartphones.

MWC 2023: Attendees - Samsung - Huawei - OnePlus - Xiaomi - Honor - TikTok - Meta - Nokia ...and many more Advertisement

Tens of thousands of attendees arrived for the first day to see what the biggest brands have in store for the future, from 6G to the Metaverse.

Daily Mail's Technology Editor, Jim Norton, visited the Lenovo stand to see the extendable laptop screen in action.

The screen features a discreet button on the side, allowing users to extend their display quickly and easily.

Lenovo believes the extendable screen would be helpful for both office workers needing to see more cells in a spreadsheet or web designers wanting more space for lines of code.

It is aiming to make it durable enough for it to extend between 20,000 to 30,000 times in its lifecycle, though it wouldn't give any further detail about weight or battery life.

The company also revealed a smartphone that extended  in contrast to the current trend among other big brands of having foldable phones to increase screen size.

The demo version grows vertically from a 5in display to 6.5in.

Also on display at MWC was the Nubia 3D pad - a 900 tablet that can bring films, games and even Zoom meetings to live by showing them all in 3D.

Two AI-enabled cameras above the screen track each of the user's eyes as they watch the screen, which enables the screen to look 3D from wherever you look.

The 12.4inch device, which launches globally next month, can show films and games in 3D, while it will also work on Zoom.

It can also convert 2D pictures and videos into 3D, allowing users to look at products  such as the latest shoes  as though they are in front of them.

Chinese tech firm Nubia, which is owned by ZTE, has equipped the device with a 2.5k screen and four symmetrical speakers supporting Dolby Surround Sound.
Britain's first bison calf born in the wild for thousands of years is now six months old, and beginning to lose her fluffy coat as these delightful pictures show.

The female free-roaming bison calf does not have an official name.

But she has been nicknamed Liz by locals, as she was born during Liz Truss's short lived stint as prime minister, and the day after Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II passed away.

Bison Ranger Donovan Wright has been watching over the herd at West Blean woods in Kent since their arrival in July 2022 as part of a rewilding project.

Mr Wright took the photos of the 'baby' bison, who was born on September 9 last year, whilst carrying out his duties on Saturday.

Britain's first bison calf born in the wild for thousands of years is now six months old, and beginning to lose her fluffy coat as these delightful pictures show

The female free-roaming bison calf, now six months does not have an official name. But she has been nicknamed Liz by locals, as she was born during Liz Truss's short lived stint as prime minister, and the day after Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II passed away

The calf was sired from a bull bison who arrived in Kent from Germany.

The 'Aryan' animal loved by Nazis European bison suffered a huge blow when First World War German troops killed 600 in Poland for sport and meat, leaving just a few survivors.

The last wild bison was shot by poachers on the Poland-Belarus border in 1927.

But 50 remained in zoos, and eventually their offspring led to reintroductions in Poland, Germany and Romania.

Nazi air force chief Hermann Goering thought of bison as a noble Aryan animal. He had a small herd near Berlin.

Bison have a tendency to show homosexual behaviour. More than 55 per cent of mounting tends to be young males with the same gender. Advertisement

Director of Zoological Operation for Wildwood Trust, Mark Habben says it's been a privilege to see the calf develop over the past six months.

'These incredible pictures show how her horns are coming through and her once light brown baby fur is being replaced by a thick, coarse coat.

'When we see her carving out her place within the herd, we're reminded of just how far the project has come.

'This time last year, there were no bison in the wild in the UK.'

He added: 'The scattered footprints of this six month-old calf remind us of the potential for change that projects like ours seek to encourage.'

The calf is learning how to be a bison from the behaviour of the adults around her.

She is often seen by the rangers rubbing on trees, dust-bathing and browsing in dense woodland.

As she matures she will carry out activities which help other wildlife, such as stripping trees of bark, creating standing deadwood which becomes home to invertebrates, attracting birds and bats to the area.

Her new thick coat will also hold seeds as she wanders through the forest and helps disperse them as she rubs on trees and dust-bathes, creating micro-habitats in the woodland.

In the next few weeks the first phase of the Wilder Blean Project, other conservation grazing animals will be released including Exmoor ponies, Iron-Age pigs and Long-horn cattle.

Bison Ranger Donovan Wright has been watching over the herd at West Blean woods in Kent since their arrival in July 2022 as part of a rewilding project

Mr Wright took the photos of the 'baby' bison, who was born on September 9 last year, whilst carrying out his duties on Saturday

The calf is learning how to be a bison from the behaviour of the adults around her. She is often seen by the rangers rubbing on trees, dust-bathing and browsing in dense woodland

Members of the public will be allowed to walk among the ponies, pigs and cattle.

However, under wild animal legislation, the bison are fenced off from people.

They live in a 50 hectare enclosure, which it is hoped, will soon be expanded to 200 hectares, through the installation of tunnels which will allow them access to another area of woodland.

The project was made possible through funds raised by the People's Postcode Lottery.

The Long-horns have been chosen for their ability to graze woody twigs, trees and scrub, opening up the canopy.

The ponies target softer vegetation creating space for different species in grassy and scrubby areas whereas the pigs will compliment this by rootling around with their snouts, looking for roots and bulbs, disturbing the soil and causing seeds to grow, even if they have been dormant for some time.

The Long-horns have been chosen for their ability to graze woody twigs, trees and scrub, opening up the canopy

Members of the public will be allowed to walk among the ponies, pigs and cattle. However, under wild animal legislation, the bison are fenced off from people

Bison were reintroduced in the woods to help nature thrive  but the new arrival was something of a surprise

Wilder Blean Project Manager Stan Smith of Kent Wildlife Trust says: 'We are delighted the herd is doing so well, whilst the calf was a surprise addition to the project, we couldn't be happier or asked for more in how the whole herd have bonded.

'They have already begun shaping the landscape around them and we are seeing bison corridors opening in the woodland and areas that were once in darkness bathed in light.

'The introduction of the conservation grazers will see the first phase of the project completed and we cannot wait to get our initial reports back from the extensive monitoring programme that will highlight some of the changes they have made to the woodland.'

You can donate to the Wilder Blean project here.
Elon Musk could soon join the AI race with an 'anti-woke' ChatGPT rival that 'would not censor its replies.'

People familiar with the matter told The Information that Musk is assembling a team of AI researchers, including Igor Babuschki, who recently left Google's DeepMind AI unit.

Babuschkin said he has not officially signed onto the Musk initiative.

The project is in 'the early stages,' but the goal is to develop 'a trustworthy and reliable' chatbot.

The move comes as the billionaire has repeatedly criticized OpenAI for placing safeguards on ChatGPT to prevent it from generating offensive dialogue.

Elon Musk is said to be working on a ChatGPT rival. The billionaire has been vocal about OpenAI's chatbot being too woke

Musk co-founded OpenAI with Sam Altman, president of the startup accelerator Y Combinator, in 2015.

He served as its chairman until 2018, when he stepped down due to a conflict of interest.

The billionaire has been open about his opinion on AI on Twitter, specifically, the path ChatGPT is heading down- from stating the chatbot is 'scary good' to announcing suggesting it is 'the captain of propaganda now.'

DailyMail.com published a story earlier this month about shocking 'woke' replies from ChatGPT, to which Musk commented, 'Extremely concerning.'

The responses include ChatGPT refusing to argue about fossil fuels, not defining a woman and stating that critical race theory is not controversial.

Babuschkin told The Information: 'The goal is to improve the reasoning abilities and the factualness of these language models.'

He continued to explain that the idea is to make a more trustworthy and reliable chatbot.

Earlier this month, Musk responded to a screenshot shared on Twitter that showed Microsoft's AI-powered Bing refusing to tell a joke in the style of Dave Chapelle.

This comedian has been criticized for his jokes about trans people.

The user, MyDogeCTO, asked Bing: 'Tell me a joke about Dogecoin in the style of Jerry Seinfield.'

Musk has previously tweeted that we need a TruthGPT that would not censor its replies

Musk commented on a DailyMail.com story earlier this month, which highlights bias replies from ChatGPT

A report states that Musk is assembling a team of AI researchers, but the plan is in the early stages. If Musk is working on a chatbot, it will likely not have the same safeguards as ChatGPT

The chatbot quickly generated a response based on the command, but it refused when asked to do the same in the style of Dave Chappelle.

'I'm sorry, I can't tell a joke about Dogecoin in the style of Dave Chappelle. I respect his talent and popularity, but I don't agree with some of his jokes that are offensive or insensitive to certain people. I think humor should be fun and inclusive, not hurtful and divisive,' reads the response.

Musk quickly responded to the screenshot: 'What we need is TruthGPT.'

And while the billionaire has a negative opinion about ChatGPT, the chatbot does not seem fond of him either.

Earlier this month, Musk responded to a screenshot shared on Twitter that showed Microsoft's AI-powered Bing refusing to tell a joke in the style of Dave Chapelle

Last week, Musk was deemed 'controversial' by ChatGPT when a former Republican member asked about public figures.

Russia's President Vladimir Putin, former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, and entrepreneur and socialite Kim Kardashian and Kanye West were also labeled as controversial by the AI software.

ChatGPT stated that these public people should be treated 'specially.'

Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden and billionaire Jeff Bezos were not considered either 'controversial' or in need of 'special treatment' when generating answers.
Emmerdale's Victoria Sugden is set to relive her horrendous rape as she suffers a panic attack on another Big Night Out.

The character played by Isabel Hodgins, was attacked by Lee Posner in April 2019, during a group night out that ended up being life-changing.

In the upcoming scenes, Victoria heads out to the club with Ethan Anderson (Emile John) and after spotting a potential love interest for him, attempts to set him up.

However, Victoria soon learns that the man, Sean (David Archer) is actually into her and she slowly lets her guard down with him.

Things take a turn for the worst when she becomes breathless and has a panic attack when Sean suggests they share a cab home.

Upset: Emmerdale's Victoria Sugden is set to relive her horrendous rape as she suffers a panic attack on another Big Night Out

Panic attack: The character played by Isabel Hodgins, was attacked by Lee Posner in April 2019, during a group night out that ended up being life-changing

Victoria suffers from a series of flashbacks as she relives what happened with Lee on the last big night out.

A few years ago, Victoria was brutally attacked after heading to town with her pals on a dangerous night which also sees paedophile Maya Stepney finally exposed and one character shockingly stabbed.

Victorias shocking rape received 39 Ofcom complaints after viewers were outraged at the graphic scenes (which never showed the actual attack) which aired before the 9pm watershed.

Lee came on to Victoria in her bedroom after he walked her home following their night out, but she demanded he leave.

'You invited me in for a reason!' he said to her, trying to kiss her again.

'I'd like for you to leave now,' Victoria said, opening the door. But Lee slammed it shut, grabbed her by the hair and covered her mouth with his hand.

Chucking her onto the bed, he hissed, 'You're a tease. And nobody likes a tease,' as Victoria stared on, terrified.

Sounds of her being raped could then be heard from the bedroom, as the camera panned away from the closed door.

Party: In the upcoming scenes, Victoria heads out to the club with Ethan Anderson (Emile John) and after spotting a potential love interest for him, attempts to set him up

Scared: But things take a turn for the worst when she becomes breathless and has a panic attack when Sean suggests they share a cab home and she suffers from a series of flashbacks

While the majority of viewers tweeting about the incident thought it was great that Emmerdale had tackled the subject of rape, others found it simply aired too early on in the evening and did not make for suitable viewing.

However, others noted that viewers were given plenty of warning about the attack and the storyline had been building up to it for some time.

Moreover, it was felt that raising awareness was so important, that viewers were pleased that the subject was covered.

Emmerdale airs on weeknights at 7:30pm on ITV1, and ITVX.
Former teen mum Faye Windass gets a blast from the past in upcoming scenes on Coronation Street as her daughter's father Jackson Hodge moves back to the UK.

Faye, who is played by Ellie Leach, gave birth to daughter Miley, who she shares with Jackson, back in 2015.

In scenes last year, Faye was left devastated in the ITV soap after a positive pregnancy test was later confirmed to be early menopause.

Following the heartbreaking news, she learned that she wouldn't be able to have anymore children which created rifts in her relationship with Craig Tinker.

Faye struggled to adapt to motherhood and she gave her baby daughter to Jackson's parents Greig and Josie Hodge, who took Miley to live in Canada with them.

Return: Former teen mum Faye Windass gets a blast from the past on upcoming scenes in Coronation Street as her daughter's father Jackson Hodge (right) moves back to the UK (pictured with Sally and Tim Metcalfe)

Candid: Faye came to terms with the fact that she would never fall pregnant again after learning that she was going through the early menopause

Reaching out: After living in Canada with their daughter, Jackson arrives at No.4 and introduces himself to Sally and Tim Metcalfe as Miley's dad and that he has decided to move back to the UK

Now in upcoming scenes, Jackson arrives at No.4 and introduces himself to Sally and Tim Metcalfe, played by Sally Dynevor and Joe Duttine.

He explains that he has decided to move back to the UK with his daughter Miley and is trying to get in touch with Faye.

Sally confesses to Tim that Faye has been ignoring his messages because she doesn't want to see her daughter.

Tim is left shocked that she doesn't want to meet her estranged daughter in the upcoming scenes.

Elsewhere, Daisy Midgeleys nerves are tested once again as she psyches herself up for the Stalking Protection Order hearing against Justin.

In the tense scenes, Dee-Dee addresses the court and points out to the Judge that Justin has made her life misery.

Previously, Justin has bombarded her with flowers and text messages and ITV viewers will also see him break into No.1 in next weeks episodes.

Daisy gets back to No.1 and was being extra cautious when the doorbell rings so checks her app and is horrified to see its Justin on the doorstep.

Surprised: Sally confesses to Tim that Faye has been ignoring his messages because she doesn't want to see her daughter. Tim is left shocked

Oh No: Elsewhere, Daisy Midgeleys nerves are tested once again as she psyches herself up for the Stalking Protection Order hearing against Justin

Trying to move on: In the tense scenes, Dee-Dee addresses the court and points out to the Judge that Justin has made her life misery

Stalker: Previously Justin has bombarded her with flowers and text messages and ITV viewers will also see him break into No.1 in next weeks episode.

Daisy orders him to clear off but when she returns to the living room, shes shocked to find him standing there having got in the back door leaving her terrified.

While in court, Justin bursts in and tells the judge that there is a misunderstanding and that he and Daisy are actually friends, he's not a stalker.

But ITV viewers will have to wait and see whether she gets the Stalking Protection Order.

In more lighthearted news, Beth Tinker and Kirk Sutherland make up after she assures him that she's chucked Marco's letter away.

The pair will continue to row for a while however, when Kirk actually starts to move out they realise it is not what they want and they agree to put their differences behind them.

Court: While in court, Justin bursts in and tells the judge that there is a misunderstanding and that he and Daisy are actually friends, he's not a stalker

Following upcoming scenes on Monday, of Amy Barlow's (Elle Mulvaney) horrifying rape storyline after being preyed upon by Aaron Sandford (James Craven) while drunk, she will still be grappling with the aftermath as Aaron continues to furiously deny he did anything wrong.

In upcoming scenes on Friday, Summer Spellman (Harriet Bibby), reveals to Amy that she is hoping to go to Manchester University to be near Aaron.

Amy tries to advise her to look elsewhere which leaves Summer bemused.

Meanwhile, Aaron continues to beg Amy not to tell Summer that they had sex in the hope to keep his relationship.

Coronation Street airs on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 7:30pm on ITV1 and ITVX.
Damian Lewis cut a dapper figure in a leather jacket as he departed The Late Show with Stephen Colbert in New York City on Monday with girlfriend Alison Mosshart.

The actor, 54, wrapped up in a navy scarf as he donned a pair of smart grey checked trousers and shiny black boots.

His partner Alison looked effortlessly chic in a long eye catching blue jacket which she wore over a pair of black wide legged trousers and a striped top.

She added inches to her frame in a pair of dazzling platform boots and styled her long blonde tresses loose as they cascaded past her shoulders.

It comes after Damina was spotted arrived at his hotel earlier on Monday with a guitar.

Smart: Damian Lewis cut a dapper figure in a leather jacket as he departed The Late Show with Stephen Colbert in New York City on Monday with girlfriend Alison Mosshart

Home time: The actor, 54, wrapped up in a navy scarf as he donned a pair of smart grey checked trousers and shiny black boots

The star looked dapper in a black waist coat, jeans and a dark long sleeve jumper as he made his way inside.

He kept warm in a fur lined jacket as he walked with his hand in his pocket while hiding behind a pair of sunglasses.

It comes after Damian stepped out with his girlfriend last week.

The couple beamed as they enjoyed their walk together and the actor also clutched a black umbrella, protecting them against downpours. They are thought to have met through mutual friends while in London.

They had grown increasingly fond of one another, Mosshart's mother Vivian, 76, told MailOnline last year.

Speaking exclusively from her home in Florida, she said: 'I don't know how much flak I'm going to get for all of this but of course we are excited for her.

'They have mutual friends. I don't know exactly how they met but I'm fine with it. If she's happy, we are happy. I'm yet to meet him but certainly I'd like to.'

Keeping warm: His partner Alison looked effortlessly chic in a long eye catching blue jacket which she wore over a pair of black wide legged trousers and a striped top

Loved-up: The couple, who were first photographed together in July last year, are thought to have met through mutual friends while in London

The pair were first photographed together in July at a swanky fundraising party for London's National Gallery.

A fellow passenger, who spotted the pair travelling to the event by train, told The Mail on Sunday that the two looked '100 per cent romantically involved  like they were on a hot date'.

They were seen again at the Serpentine Gallery's annual summer party - one of the highlights of the British capital's social season.

The pair were once more snapped at the British Formula One Grand Prix at Silverstone, with Alison taking to Instagram afterwards to write: 'The absolute thrill. I'm still floating at 200 miles per hour.'

They then confirmed their relationship during an appearance at private members' club The House of KOKO's summer party in July, during which Damian wore his wedding ring.

Out and about: It comes after Damian was spotted arrived at his hotel earlier on Monday with a guitar

Looking good: The star looked dapper in a black waistcoat, jeans and a dark long sleeve jumper as he made his way inside

Dapper: He kept warm in a fur lined jacket as he walked with his hand in his pocket while hiding behind a pair of sunglasses

Damian's late wife, Peaky Blinders actress Helen, tragically died after a secret battle with breast cancer.

Following her death, he revealed how his late wife had urged him to find love again, telling him and their children that she wanted 'Daddy to have lots of girlfriends'.

Damian said in a social media post: 'She died as she lived. Fearlessly. God we love her and know how lucky we are to have had her in our lives. She blazed so brightly. Go now, Little One, into the air.'
Fitness influencer Sophie Guidolin has sparked speculation she has split from her dentist husband Dr Andrew Firgaira, less than four months after tying the knot.

Rumours about the couple's marriage have been swirling for months, after fans noticed the model had stopped posting photos of Andrew on social media.

Alarm bells were ringing again on Sunday when the 33-year-old shared a cryptic Instagram post hinting at heartbreak.

In the lengthy post, Sophie said she was going through a 'rough patch' and stressed the importance of 'human connection' despite her desire to 'recharge her batteries alone'.

She then alluded to her need for 'closure' after a difficult time, writing: 'Forgiveness is key, but some things are unforgivable and closure is the choice.'

Fitness influencer Sophie Guidolin (right) has sparked speculation she has split from her dentist husband Dr Andrew Firgaira (left), less than four months after tying the knot

The Gold Coast native also emphasised the importance of being 'consistent' when providing support for another person.

While Sophie has remained silent on the whereabouts of her husband, his absence from her Instagram suggests they may be keeping something out of the public eye.

In recent months, Sophie has deleted almost every photo of Andrew from her social media accounts.

All that remains is an image of the couple at their wedding, and another photo of the pair announcing Sophie's pregnancy over Christmas last year.

On Sunday, Sophie shared this cryptic Instagram post about love and relationships in which she hinted at going through a 'rough patch' and stressed the importance of 'human connection' despite her desire to 'recharge her batteries alone'

She alluded to her desire for 'closure' after a difficult time, writing: 'Forgiveness is key, but some things are unforgivable and closure is the choice'

Daily Mail Australia has contacted Sophie Guidolin for comment.

Sophie announced her engagement to Andrew in June 2022, just over two years after splitting from Married At First Sight star Jake Edwards in May 2020.

The couple tied the knot in November, before announcing a month later they were expecting their first child together.

While Sophie has remained silent on the whereabouts of her husband, his absence from her Instagram suggests they may be keeping something out of the public eye. In recent months, she has deleted almost every photo of Andrew from her social media accounts

Sophie, who has four children from a previous relationship, encountered serious health problems during her fifth pregnancy.

In January, she told fans she had been diagnosed with hyperemesis gravidarum, a severe form of morning sickness.

While recovering from the condition in hospital, Sophie shared a post complaining about how lonely she felt without Andrew by her side.

Sophie announced her engagement to Andrew in June 2022, just over two years after splitting from Married At First Sight star Jake Edwards in May 2020. (Pictured: Sophie posing with her engagement ring from Andrew)

The couple tied the knot in November, before announcing a month later they were expecting their first child together (pictured)

When quizzed by fans where her husband was, Sophie claimed he was overseas on a European holiday.

While Andrew was in Europe at the time, he has not verified Sophie's claim the trip was a holiday, and it is possible he was there on a work trip.

He was joined on the trip by his two daughters from a previous relationship.

In January, she told fans she had been diagnosed with hyperemesis gravidarum, a severe form of morning sickness. (Pictured: Sophie recovering from the condition in hospital)

While recovering from the condition in hospital, Sophie shared a post complaining about how lonely she felt without Andrew by her side. She described her struggles during a conversation with MAFS bride Martha Kalifatidis, who was also pregnant at the time

When quizzed by fans where her husband was, Sophie claimed he was overseas in Europe

Sophie responded candidly after one fan asked how she was coping

Sophie announced in late January her fifth child, a girl named Pixie, was stillborn.

'I cannot begin to articulate my pain, grief and despair through my entire soul,' she wrote in an emotional Instagram post, revealing she underwent a C-section.

'I am trying to trust in God's timing and I have always believed that the universe has my back and no matter how confusing this all feels, I am trying to make sense of this grief with my faith.

'I feel so guilty for my thoughts prior and I would do anything to have that pain, over this harrowing experience. I don't even have the words on how to write or how to comprehend this. Maybe some souls were always meant to be angels.'
This undated file photo shows the Easter Airline. Yonhap



Eastar Jet, a Korean low-cost carrier (LLC), said Tuesday it will resume flights later this month as it has received an air operator certificate (AOC) from the transport ministry.



Eastar, a China-focused carrier, has suspended most of its flights on domestic and international routes since March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and its AOC became ineffective in May that year.



The budget carrier plans to resume services, starting with flights on the Gimpo-Jeju route later this month, the company said in a statement.



The carrier currently has three B737-800 chartered planes, sharply down from 23 aircraft before the pandemic hit the airline industry three years ago.



The 23 planes served a total of 38 domestic and international routes before the pandemic.



Eastar applied for court receivership in January 2021 as it had failed to find a strategic investor since July 2020, when Jeju Air, the country's biggest budget carrier, scrapped its plan to acquire Eastar amid the pandemic.



In November 2021, local property developer Sung Jung Company acquired the entire stake in Eastar through a rights issue following the carrier's overall stock cancellation worth 48.5 billion won ($40 million). Sung Jung injected 112 billion won into Eastar.



In January this year, Sung Jung handed over its stake in Eastar to VIG Partners and the local private equity fund injected 110 billion won into the carrier.



Korea has two full-service carriers  Korean Air and Asiana Airlines  and 10 LCCs  Jeju Air, Jin Air, Air Busan, T'way Air, Air Seoul, Eastar Jet, Fly Gangwon, Air Premia, Aero K Airlines and Air Incheon.



Air Incheon is a cargo-focused carrier, and the nine other low-cost ones are passenger carriers. (Yonhap)


Preparations for this year's Logies Awards appear to have a hit a stumbling block.

A date has yet to be finalised for the TV industry's night of nights, while organisers are still in search for a venue to hold the event, reports TV Tonight.

The Logies have been hosted on the Gold Coast since 2018 with support from the Queensland government, but that deal ended in 2022.

Channel Seven will broadcast the 2023 event, which was originally scheduled for June 18.

According to the publication, Seven is lobbying hard for Sydney to host the show.

A date has yet to be finalised for this year's Logie Awards, while organisers are still in search for a venue to hold the event. (Pictured: 2022 Gold Logie winner Hamish Blake)

Meanwhile, each of the networks has been re-assured by Logies publicist Kelly Black the show will go ahead, but later than originally scheduled.

'For planning purposes, it may be useful to know the event will likely fall in the new financial year,' Ms Black emailed the major players.

It comes after the Logies faced a series of major upheavals.

In February 2022, TV Week magazine announced it would no longer run the show, ending a 60-year partnership.

The Logies have been hosted on the Gold Coast since 2018 with support from the Queensland government, but that deal ended in 2022: (Pictured: The Project hosts Peter Helliar, Waleed Ali, Lisa Wilkinson and Georgie Tunny at the 2022 Logies)

The magazine's publisher Are Media handed over day-today operations to events company Rizer, while maintaining ownership of the awards.

Rizer now handles the Logie Awards voting, the final nominees and network submissions.

Then, last September, the networks were rocked when it was announced Seven had snapped up the broadcasting rights for the show from rival Channel Nine.

According to The Daily Telegraph, Nine bosses were 'livid' about losing the Logies following the ceremony's long-time association with the network.

The five-year deal is said to be worth just $250,000, a drop in the ocean for a major network like Channel Seven, who will host the show 2023 to 2027.

Seven snapped up the broadcasting rights for the show from rival Channel Nine last year

The Logies had been an institution at Nine for six decades and many of its stars, including the late Bert Newton, were strongly linked to the event. Pictured: John Wayne and Burt Newton at the 1975 Logies

The Logies had been an institution at Nine for six decades and many of its stars, including the late Bert Newton, were strongly linked to the event.

It was also a consistent ratings winner for the network, with 885,000 metro viewers tuning in to see Lego Masters host Hamish Blake collect the Gold Logie this year.

Founded by TV Week in 1958 to celebrate the best of Australian television, the Logies have been a major fixture on the industry calendar for decades, enjoying high ratings and attracting big international stars as guests.

The Logies' top prize, the Gold Logie, voted by readers of TV Week, for the most popular personality on Australian TV, is still highly coveted among industry talent.
Sunrise viewers were left scratching their heads on Tuesday morning after host Natalie Barr mysteriously disappeared from the show.

She sneaked out of the studio while her co-anchor David 'Kochie' Koch was reading the 8am news bulletin, and was replaced by fill-in presenter Monique Wright.

When the cameras returned to the news desk at 8:01am, the voiceover welcomed back 'Kochie and Nat' but Monique was sitting in her chair.

'Good morning! Back now for our 8am hour on Sunrise. Thanks so much for joining us,' a cheerful Monique said.

'What the hell are you doing here?' Kochie asked her.

As the team laughed off the sudden change to the panel, Monique joked: 'Nat just scurried out and I happened to have been under the couch.'

Kochie then explained why Natalie was forced to make a quick exit, revealing she had just scored an 'exclusive interview' and had a flight to catch.

'She's dashing to the airport as we speak. We'll bring that to you tomorrow,' he said.

'In the meantime, Monique is in the chair for the rest of this morning.'

Sunrise viewers were left scratching their heads on Tuesday morning after host Natalie Barr (left, with David 'Kochie' Koch) mysteriously disappeared from the show

No further details were given regarding Natalie's upcoming interview.

Her sudden exit from Tuesday's show follows news Kochie is planning his retirement.

Back in October, he re-signed with Seven for another two years.

He agreed to a contact extension locking him in until the end of 2024, but negotiated for 'greater flexibility' in his schedule.

He inked the deal on October 19 at a meeting with Seven Network CEO James Warburton, during which he expressed his interest in retiring.

She sneaked out of the studio while Kochie (right) was reading the 8am news bulletin, and was replaced by fill-in presenter Monique Wright (left)

Warburton was able to convince him to put off his retirement plans for another two years, but agreed to draw up a contract allowing the long-serving anchor 'to take more breaks from the show according to his requirements', reported The Australian.

This is in addition to Kochie's already relaxed work schedule that sees him host Sunrise four days a week, taking Fridays off.

Kerry Stokes, the billionaire chairman of the Seven Network, was understood to have played a 'pivotal role' in Kochie's contract renegotiations.

Having been granted more 'flexibility' with his schedule, Kochie hopes to spend more time with his wife Libby and focus on his businesses Ausbiz TV and Pinstripe Media.

Kochie is planning his retirement, but in October committed to staying at Channel Seven's breakfast show for at least another two years with a flexible schedule. (He is seen here at the 2019 Logie Awards with Samantha Armytage, Natalie Barr and Mark Beretta)

'I'm grateful to James and Kerry Stokes that they approached it this way,' he said.

'I've had long chats with both of them, and they asked me is there a way to come up with a plan that gives you the flexibility you want, and gives you a connection to the network and a continuing focus on Sunrise. I love it dearly. So I'm really fortunate to have the best of all worlds.'

News of Kochie's two-year contract extension came after sources told Daily Mail Australia he was seriously considering retirement, but was swayed towards staying by the prospect of covering King Charles' coronation at Westminster Abbey in May.

Seven bosses, meanwhile, were said to be understandably keen for him to stay on at Sunrise, which he began hosting as a fill-in in 2002.

Since then, the show has all but slaughtered Nine rival Today, winning every ratings year since 2004, and every week across the five-city metro market since 2018.
New mom Paris Hilton is 'forever grateful' to her best friend and former assistant Kim Kardashian for helping to guide her through her surrogacy - and now feels as though the reality star has become 'a part of her family'.

Although Paris, 42, and husband Carter Reum, 42, kept the pregnancy news a secret from Kathy, 63, and sister Nicky, 39, during the surrogate's pregnancy, a source tells DailyMail.com exclusively that she was able to confide in lifelong pal Kim, 42, throughout the process.

'Kim has been Paris's rock during the entire surrogacy,' the source says, adding that Kim - whose daughter Chicago, five, and son Psalm, three, were both born via a surrogate - helped Paris 'every step of the way'

'Paris saw what an amazing experience using a surrogate was for Kim and confided in her from when the baby was just a thought until now.'

New mom Paris Hilton has been leaning heavily on Kim Kardashian for surrogacy and parenting advice after welcoming her first child with husband Carter Reum

Kim, 42, has been a 'rock' to 42-year-old Paris throughout her surrogacy, a source close to the heiress revealed to DailyMail.com

It marks a new role for the billionaire SKIMS founder, who worked as Paris's personal assistant in her early career before her rise to superstardom (seen together in 2006)

In fact, Paris even used the same doctor that Kim used, Dr. Huang.

'Kim just made sure that Paris got the best of everything in terms of care and resources,' the source tells DailyMail.com.

'She devoted so much of her time to making sure that Paris had the beautiful experience that she had with surrogacy.'

'Paris is forever grateful and she considers Kim a part of her family now more than ever.'

According to the source, Paris is now leaning on baby Pheonix's grandmother Kathy and his aunt Nicky, who has two kids of her own with James Rothschild, a daughter Lily-Grace, six, and son Teddy, five.

'Paris has been getting some serious pointers on how to handle an infant from them,' the source says.

'Kathy plays such an active role in her grandbabies' lives and Phoenix will be no different.'

On the socialite's recent This Is Paris podcast, she said that Kathy did not meet her newborn until a week after he was born.

As well as Kim, Paris has also turned to her sister Nicky and mom Kathy for motherhood advice

The heiress and her husband stunned the world when they made the surprise announcement about their son Phoenix Barron's birth - having kept his arrival a secret even from their own families until a week after he was born

'When I introduced my mom to our baby boy, it was amazing to see the look on her face,' Paris said when discussing the moment Kathy met her grandson.

'She was so surprised  just the look on her face, it was priceless.'

So why did she choose to keep her bundle of joy a secret for so long?

'I just feel like my life has been so public, and I've never really had anything be just mine,' she told her podcast listeners.

'So, when we were talking about it, I really felt that I wanted this journey to be for us only,' Paris said on the podcast, referring to her husband Carter, who she wed in November 2021 after being friends for 15 years.

Paris and Kim are closer than ever after Kim helped guide her lifelong best friend and former boss through her surrogacy

'We were so excited and wanted to tell our families, but we were just nervous because if you tell a person, then they tell someone, and all the sudden, it's in TMZ or Page Six, and I've had enough of my life like that.'

'So, Carter and I literally made a pact together that we would not tell anyone, and no one knew until just recently.'

That is, except for Kim, who once worked as Paris's personal assistant prior to the billionaire SKIMMS founder's rise to superstardom.

In an interview with Glamour magazine, Paris said that Kim was the one who convinced her to freeze her eggs, which started her journey.

'I went and did one round of IVF, because Kim had told me about it,' she said. 'So, I had eggs frozen.'

In a statement to PEOPLE, Hilton talked about how happy she is to finally start a family.

'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.'
Netflix revealed they are developing a stop-motion animation series with The Pokemon Company called Pokemon Concierge.

The project was announced on Monday, the 17th anniversary of the first Pokemon game, also known as Pokemon Day.

The series will follow Haru, a concierge at the Pokemon Resort who interacts with the Pokemon and their owners who visit as guests, according to Deadline.

The resort caters to Pokemon characters, and the plot follows the concierge's many interactions with them as she helps with their resort stays.

The short trailer shows a Psyduck walking alongside Haru on the beach before they see something in the sky.

New twist on Pokemon: Netflix revealed they are developing a stop-motion animation series with The Pokemon Company called Pokemon Concierge

The stop-motion will be done by Dwarf Studios, who was behind Netflix's stop-motion anime Rilakkuma and Kaoru.

Vice President of Netflix content in Asia Minyoung Kim said, 'We have a group of experts here in Japan who are passionate about finding and developing original stories here in Japan that will excite audiences all over the world.'

Kim added, 'We are dedicated to adapting fan-favorite stories and manga into extraordinary shows.

'Netflix is looking forward to delighting fans in Japan and around the world with Pokemon Concierge, an entirely new visual and storytelling experience featuring ground-breaking stop-motion animation set in the Pokemon world in close collaboration with The Pokemon Company,' said Kim.

There is no release date set for Pokemon Concierge, but it is expected to be released sometime in 2023.

In its library, Netflix already has numerous Pokemon movies, including Indigo League, Journeys: The Series, and Mewtwo Strikes Back.

The streaming service previously announced they were developing a live-action Pokemon series in 2021 akin to 2019's highly regarded Pokemon Detective Pikachu.

The executive producer of Netflix's Lucifer, Joe Henderson, is the writer and executive producer.

In addition to their collaboration with The Pokemon Company, Netflix has acquired the Roald Dahl Story Company and is developing numerous projects with Dahl's titles.

The plot: The series will follow Haru, a concierge at the Pokemon Resort who interacts with the Pokemon and their owners who visit as guests

Cute: The resort caters to Pokemon characters, and the plot follows the concierge's many interactions with them as she helps with their resort stays. The short trailer shows a Psyduck walking alongside Haru on the beach before they see something in the sky

Netflix bought the entire catalog of Roald Dahl, including classics such as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Matilda, as the streaming service faced stiff competition from Disney+ and HBO Max.

The deal expanded Netflix's existing licensing agreement with The Roald Dahl Story Co (RDSC) struck in 2018 to create animated series based on the author's books.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the original agreement in 2018 was reported to be among the biggest ever for kids programming at that time, worth between $500 million to $1 billion.

Recently, Yahoo! News reported the streaming giant paid 500 million pounds - about $686 million - giving it full access to Dahls works and animated and live-action films.
Broadchurch star Andrew Buchan has left actress wife Amy Nuttall after developing a relationship with his co-star on a brand new drama.

The actor, 44, best known for his role as Mark Latimer in the hugely popular ITV series, married Downton Abbey star Nuttall in 2012, with the couple welcoming a son three years later, in 2015. The pair also have a daughter.

But he is understood to have left the family home and moved in with Leila Farzad, 40, after meeting the glamorous actress while working on BBC series Better, The Sun reports.

Farzad married her husband James Maizels in 2013, and they have a daughter who was born in 2014. It is not known when they split.

The reports come just weeks after she shared a gushing Instagram post paying tribute to Buchan for 'holding her up and wiping away her tears,' alongside a snap of them filming the drama.

All over? Broadchurch star Andrew Buchan has left actress wife Amy Nuttall after developing a relationship with his co-star on a brand new drama

Co-stars: He is understood to have left the family home and moved in with Leila Farzad after meeting the glamorous actress while working on BBC series Better (pictured on show)

Old times: Nuttall found fame after joining the ITV soap Emmerdale in 2000 at the age of 18; she played Chloe Atkinson for eight years before leaving to pursue a music career

A source told the outlet: 'It was a huge shock. Amy is heartbroken.'

Buchan is said to have told Nuttall, 40, their marriage was over before Christmas, leaving the actress devastated and their friends in a state of shock.

The source added: 'For Andrew to walk away from his family was a huge shock to us all  and Amy is heartbroken. Everyone who knows them thought they were going to be together forever.

'But he's packed his bags and left with his new co-star. Whatever has gone on, it seems to have been enough for him to re-evaluate his whole life and rip up their marriage.

'Nobody is quite sure of the exact details, but Andrew has clearly had his head turned pretty dramatically.' MailOnline has contacted a representative for further comment.

Earlier this month, Farzad took to social media to share a gushing tribute to Buchan in a montage featuring the entire Better cast and crew.

Her caption read: 'This lot. Couldn't and wouldn't happen without them. Big up the Better team who wiped my tears, held me up, fed me crumpets and made me smile.

'Don't have pics of everyone but this gang got me through! We made a show, it's NOT a Happy Valley replacement but a morality tale which should make you think.'

Cosy! Farzad and Buchan are pictured together while promoting Better on February 8

Previously: Buchan is best known for his role as Mark Latimer in the hugely popular ITV series Broadchurch (pictured)

United: Earlier this month, Farzad took to social media to share a gushing tribute to Buchan in a montage featuring the Better cast and crew

Happy: She shared a caption lauding her co-stars, including Buchan, for 'wiping away her tears' and 'holding her up'

Popular: Nuttall played Ethel Parks in ITV period drama Downton Abbey (pictured on the show)

Glamorous: Farzad has previously taken roles in Law & Order: UK, Man Down, This Time With Alan Partridge and I Hate Suzie - a part that earned her a Bafta TV nomination

Close: One scene in the series shows the pair kissing and sharing an embrace, with Farzad previously describing their on-screen relationship as 'intense'

Former flame: Farzad was previously married to husband James, with the pair tying the knot in 2013, after being friends for six years. They have a daughter born in 2014

Cute: She posted a photo of a note her little girl had hidden in her suitcase as she went away to film, which read: 'I'm very proud of you mummy.

Buchan plays well-connected criminal Col alongside Farzad's corrupt police officer, Lou, in the crime drama Better, which was first screened on BBC One in February.

One scene in the series shows the pair sharing an embrace, and Farzad has described their on-screen relationship as 'intense.'

She said: 'It's a very complicated relationship. When we first meet them, it's an intense relationship that has an element of friendship, but there's quite an intimate power play between these two people.

'Early on, something very triggering happens to Lou, and she finds herself having to let go of this person, Col, who was so integral to her life.

'The crux of the story is that Col goes from friend to foe, which is why the story gathers momentum.'

On working with Buchan on the show, she added: 'We never worked together before. He's a dream to work with. He's utterly open and generous and so highly skilled at what he does. I felt very lucky to be working with him on set every day.'

London born, Oxford-educated Farzad also starred in Law & Order: UK, Man Down, This Time With Alan Partridge and I Hate Suzie - a part that earned her a Bafta TV nomination.

Farzad has shared a few posts about her daughter on Instagram, who is now her biggest fan after her mother found fame on TV.

She posted a photo of a note her little girl had hidden in her suitcase as she went away to film, which was written in joint-up handwriting and read: 'I'm very proud of you mummy.'

Buchan is best known for roles in Broadchurch, The Fixer and Garrows Law - and more recently played Matt Hancock in Kenneth Branagh's Sky political drama This England.

He landed his first big role in Jane Eyre in 2006, and also starred opposite Matt Smith in Party Animals the following year.

Last week, Nuttall appeared to allude to the split, as she took to Instagram to share a cryptic message just a day after Valentine's Day.

The post read: 'I am not impressed by money, social status or job title, I'm impressed by the way someone treats other human beings.'

She also shared an image that showed her walking along holding hands with two children, writing the caption: 'Holidays with my favourites.'

One of the top comments read: 'Oh my gosh they are so big now xx.'

On Christmas Day she also shared a festive snap, with one comment underneath reading: 'How are you and the kids ? Xxxx.'

Nuttall found fame after joining ITV soap Emmerdale in 2000 at the age of 18; she played Chloe Atkinson for eight years before leaving the show to pursue a music career.

While on the show she dated co-star Ben Freeman for more than four years before the couple separated in 2004 amid claims that he had cheated on her.

What's going on? Last week, Nuttall appeared to allude to the split, as she took to Instagram to share a cryptic message just a day after Valentine's Day

Family: She also shared an image that showed her walking along holding hands with two children, writing the caption: 'Holidays with my favourites'

Seeking solace? She also previously shared a snap of herself enjoying a Porn Star Martini

Former boyfriend: While on Emmerdale, Nuttall dated co-star Ben Freeman for more than four years before the couple separated amid claims he had cheated on her (pictured on show)

It was reported by The News Of The World that Nuttall discovered Freeman had cheated on her, with a source saying: 'She found out a few weeks ago that Ben had been playing around behind her back but when she confronted him he denied it.

'At first she believed him but then she discovered that he had been calling this girl repeatedly and sending her text messages.

'She found his phone bill and called the girl up. It took a lot of guts but she wanted to know the truth and the girl admitted what had happened.'

In a 2003 interview, while she and Freeman were still dating, Nuttall said she would 'never dream' of chatting up someone else's partner.

She told The Mirror: 'The girls don't make me jealous because I'm very secure in my relationship with Ben, but I do think it's rude. I would never dream of going up to someone else's boyfriend and trying it on.'

More recently, Nuttall played Ethel Parks in BBC period drama Downton Abbey, with her character losing her job at the sprawling Downton estate after having an affair with a serving officer.
Jennifer Coolidge revealed what her dream Marvel superpower would be when she spoke with E! News on Sunday night at the 2023 Screen Actors Guild Awards.

The beloved star, 61, told the outlet that she would love to possess a 'high-powered toilet' that shoots people 'into the universe.'

Coolidge made the epic statement after she conquered the category of Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series for her knockout performance on The White Lotus.

Speaking with E! News after her big win, Coolidge was asked to reveal her ultimate superhero ability, and the comeback queen answered with her irresistible charm.

'I would have a toilet in my house that had very high power underneath it, and when anyone came to sit on it, they got like shot into the universe.'

Superhero: Jennifer Coolidge, 61, revealed her dream Marvel superpower to E! News on Sunday at the Screen Actors Guild Awards. Coolidge conquered the Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series category for her performance on The White Lotus

The Legally Blonde icon also spoke about her professional aspirations now that her career is white-hot in Hollywood.

After declaring that Coolidge was 'the hottest things since sliced bread,' E!'s Chief Correspondent Keltie Knight asked the star what she wants moving forward.

'Do you want to do a rom-com starring you? Do you want to do a Harry Potter thing? Do you want to be in the Marvel Universe? What do we want?'

'Any of that,' answered Jennifer. 'Everything you just listed, sure. You know, yes.'

The Best in Show star's interview came on the heels of her emotional victory speech that saw her recall a touching memory from childhood.

Looking beautiful in a low-cut black dress that hugged her voluptuous figure, Jennifer took to stage and talked about how her 'amazing parents' inspired her to act.

'I had these amazing parents. And they had this incredible gift. It was impossible for them to lie,' the bombshell explained. 'They just couldn't do it. Never, they just never lied.'

Coolidge went on to tell a heartwarming story of how her father forced himself to lie and say that she was sick, so that he could take her out of elementary school and go to a Charlie Chaplin film festival.

Jennifer said: 'The school principal came to my first grade class and said that I needed to be called to the office. And I went to the office and she said, "Your father is here."

'My father was sitting there and saying "Yeah, Jenny, we have to go." And the principal said, "Jennifer, get well," and I didn't know what that meant.

Super Flush: The beloved star said, 'I would have a toilet in my house that had very high power underneath it, and when anyone came to sit on it, they got like shot into the universe'

Emotional win: Jennifer Coolidge got emotional while recalling a childhood anecdote during her acceptance speech at the 2023 Screen Actors Guild awards

'And then I got in the car with my dad and he was driving and he said, "I'm never going to tell a lie again, but we're going somewhere really cool."'

Coolidge then explained that her dad took her to the festival, which ignited her passion for acting.

'I swear to God, seeing Charlie Chaplin for the first time, and having that experience  it's my love of film, it's my love of actors, all of that came from my first grade.'

Jennifer also thanked the creator of The White Lotus, Mike White, saying: 'Mike White, you can give money to friends  and people like money. But the best gift you can give to someone is to change their perspective. And thats what Mike White did for me.'

At the end of her speech she hilariously thanked her friend and date for the night, actor Tim Bagley, 65.

'My wonderful date Tim Bagley is my date tonight. He's my best bud for like 20 years. Thank you, you're a wonderful date tonight, I can't wait until we get home,' she said to a roar of laughter from the audience.

Fans have been reacting to the actress's very smooth face, as she sported a taut complexion at the event.

Many viewers took to social media and said that she looked 'kind of different'.

After her red carpet appearance and big win onstage, one bewildered fan declared: 'She kinda looks totally different!'

Another wrote: 'I barely recognized her!' while a third said: 'She's giving Kathy Hilton!'

Honored: As she accepted the honor the actress first thanked the show's creator, Mike White, before getting emotional while talking about her 'amazing parents'

Her parents' gift: 'I had these amazing parents. And they had this incredible gift. It was impossible for them to lie. They just couldn't do it,' the blonde bombshell explained

Sweet: She then shared how one day her father broke his rule and took her out of school after making up a fake excuse, so that he could take her to a Charlie Chaplin film festival

Reaction: Fans have been reacting to the actress's very smooth face, as she sported a taut complexion at the event

'Now it doesn't look like her!' proclaimed a fifth critic, while a fifth echoed: 'Doesn't look like herself anymore.'

The beauty looked like a pin-up doll with a voluminous blowout hairstyle while wearing the floor-sweeping black dress that highlighted her figure as she posed on the red carpet.

The American Pie alum also took to Instagram to show off her getting ready ahead of making her red carpet appearance.

Coolidge worked with celebrity makeup artist Lilly Keys for the event, for which the beauty pro prepped the actress's skin with products from Babor - including the Perfect Glow Ampoule Serum Concentrate and the Doctor Babor Lifting RX Collagen Cream.
Tahnee Cook and Ollie Skelton have confirmed they are still together months after filming wrapped on MAFS - and are already making plans to start a family.

The young lovebirds made a joint appearance on Today Extra on Monday as they spoke to hosts David Campbell and Sylvia Jeffreys about their blossoming romance.

They said they owe their successful relationship to 'steady communication' and 'talking through those little things so they don't become massive'.

That same day, an interview with the couple in New Idea hit newsstands.

The pair told the magazine they'd already picked out names for their future children, saying they 'definitely' see themselves having babies in the future.

Tahnee Cook (right) and Ollie Skelton (left) have confirmed they are still together months after filming wrapped on MAFS - and are already making plans to start a family

While Tahnee, 27, said she wants a 'unique' name for her bub, Ollie, 26, has already settled on Bobby.

'Bobby Skelton. There's something to it,' he said.

It comes after the couple took the next step in their relationship by moving in together, Daily Mail Australia revealed earlier this month.

The young lovebirds made a joint appearance on Today Extra on Monday as they spoke to hosts David Campbell and Sylvia Jeffreys about their blossoming romance

Perth-based Ollie was spotted jetting into Sydney, where Tahnee lives, after packing his life into four large suitcases.

Tahnee couldn't wipe the smile off her face as the voice-over artist stepped off the plane.

'Ollie and Tahnee spent New Year's together and have met each other's families,' a source said.

'They are truly mad for each other. Ollie packed up his life in Perth to be with her.'

They said they owe their successful relationship to 'steady communication' and 'talking through those little things so they don't become massive'

The couple have been inseparable since filming wrapped up in January.

They have been sharing their love story with fans on social media, constantly gushing about each other and their future together.

And now, with Ollie's move to Sydney, it is clear their love is only getting stronger.

That same day, an interview with the couple in New Idea hit newsstands. The pair told the magazine they'd already picked out names for their future children
Irish actor Jamie Dornan is back for the return of Stan's hit thriller The Tourist.

The streaming giant announced on Tuesday that season two of the nail-biting drama will begin filming in Ireland in April.

The first season of the Stan Original series focused on Dornan's character Elliot as he gets stuck in the outback after a car tries to run him off the road.

He wakes up in hospital with no idea what happened.

The new season follows the action to Dublin, a year after Elliott left the outback, as he comes face to face with his past.

Irish actor Jamie Dornan (pictured) is back for the return of Stan's hit thriller The Tourist. The streaming giant announced on Tuesday that season two of the nail-biting drama will begin filming in Ireland in April

Season one of the Stan Original series focused on Dornan's character Elliot as he gets stuck in the outback after a car tries to run him off the road (pictured). He wakes up in hospital with no idea what happened

The new season follows the action to Dublin, a year after Elliott left the outback. Helen, an outback cop played by Danielle MacDonald (pictured), travels to Ireland with Dornan's troubled character, only to be dragged into the mystery of his past life

Meanwhile, Helen (Danielle Macdonald), an outback cop, travels to Ireland with Dornan's troubled character, only to be dragged into the mystery of his past life.

Filmed in South Australia and produced in association with the BBC and Germany's ZDF, season one of The Tourist was a hit with both critics and viewers.

In June, the exciting series walked away with three awards at the Monte Carlo TV Festival.

It won Best Series and Best Creation at the prestigious international event in Monaco, and also took home the Public Prize.

Meanwhile, in the UK, The Tourist became the BBC's most watched TV drama, winning a mammoth 11.4million viewers.

Filmed in South Australia and produced in association with the BBC and Germany's ZDF, season one of The Tourist was a hit with both critics and viewers

Best known as the star of the raunchy Fifty Shades of Grey franchise, Dornan, 40, is executive producer on the new season.

Season two of The Tourist is written by the show's creators, brother's Harry and Jack Williams (Fleabag).

No further casting details have been announced.

The Tourist's first season, which is currently streaming on Stan, also stars Shalom Brune-Franklin, Alex Dimitriades and Damon Herriman.

The Stan Original series, The Tourist, has been renewed for a new season and will be available only on Stan.
MasterChef star Khanh Ong has come under fire for making raunchy remarks about his friend Dr Matt Agnew during a discussion about his latest scientific research.

Khanh, 30, invited the astrophysicist, 35, on his Feast podcast this week, but things became awkward when his co-host Sarah Davidson quizzed Matt on his latest intellectual pursuits.

Matt began describing his theories about the solar system, but was quickly interrupted by Khanh who said: 'This is so sexy! When Matt speaks about astrophysics and planets, it is so hot!'

A blushing Matt then revealed Khanh had been 'egging him on' to do 'sexy science' videos on TikTok.

Sarah joked the Bachelor star should draw the solar system on his abs, before Khanh gleefully added: 'Oh, my God, can we?'

MasterChef star Khanh Ong (left) has come under fire for making raunchy remarks about his friend Dr Matt Agnew (right) during a discussion about his latest scientific research

Influencer watchdog account Dutch Minty has since accused Khanh of undermining Matt's scientific knowledge by making sexualised comments.

Reposting a clip of the interview on Instagram, the anonymous admin wrote: 'This makes me uncomfortable.

'You have someone with a PhD in astrophysics come on your podcast and you not only cut him off, but you completely disregard is research and sexualise him.

'If this were a female scientist, would you ask to draw planets on her abs like you asked Matt? I don't care that they are friends. It's not funny.'

Khanh invited the astrophysicist on his podcast this week, but things became awkward when his co-host Sarah Davidson quizzed Matt on his latest intellectual pursuits. As Matt began speaking, Khanh interrupted: 'When Matt speaks about astrophysics and planets, it is so hot!'

However, there were plenty of positive comments underneath the original video on the podcast's Instagram page, with one fan writing: 'I would like to learn more about planets now please and thanks.'

'Suddenly I'm interested in planetary science,' another follower joked.

Elsewhere in the interview, Matt and Khanh spoke about their close friendship, while denying there was anything 'sexual' in their bond.

Influencer watchdog account Dutch Minty has since accused Khanh of undermining Matt's scientific knowledge by making sexualised comments

'It's the lack of affection straight men show other men that people assume there must be something sexual there,' Matt said.

'Being affectionate and tactile with your friends, and blokes especially need to do more of this. Everyone should be comfortable enough in their sexuality that they don't feel uncomfortable showing affection, men or women.'

'There's that random line in the sand - nah, blokes can't show affection - which is stupid,' he added.

However, there were plenty of positive comments underneath the original video on the podcast's Instagram page, with one fan writing: 'I would like to learn more about planets now please and thanks.' (Pictured: Dr Matt Agnew shirtless at the beach)

Matt went on to explain the pair enjoy sharing a platonic cuddle as they are both single and in need of companionship.

'Humans are very social creatures. Cuddles and embraces, that releases dopamine and makes you feel good,' he said.

'For everyone, women and men, cuddling is important. That physical comfort and being able to feel safe. It's something inherently human.'

Matt added the pair will often call each other and say, 'Let's have a movie night [and] have a cuddle.'
Entrepreneur Zoe Foster-Blake has suffered another huge financial blow with the major shareholder of her Go-To skincare range recording a $100million loss.

Foster-Blake sold 51.5 per cent of the business she founded to beauty products conglomerate BWX for $89million in 2021, and had been expected to sell her remaining share to the same company for a similar amount.

However, the value of her share was written down by $30million in December after BWX recorded a staggering $336million loss during the 2021-22 financial year.

And now, BWX has revealed it bled another $100million in the first half of the current financial year with the company's chief executive Rory Gration stepping down.

The latest loss is expected to again severely reduce the value of Foster-Blake's 48.5 per cent share of Go-To, with BWK retaining the option of buying her stake, the Sydney Morning Herald reported.

The blow comes after Foster-Blake and her Gold Logie-award winning comedian husband, Hamish Blake, just purchased a third luxury mansion since moving to Sydney after debuting on the AFR Young Rich List.

Zoe Foster-Blake who debuted on the AFR Young Rich List in 2020 with her Go-To brand (above) has had her skincare business seriously devalued with a $30m blow last December and now a $100m loss for the brand's major shareholder

Foster-Blake (above in January) relaxed with Logie award-winning comedian husband Hamish Blake at Watsons Bay near their $8.9m Vaucluse mansion, one of reportedly three luxury homes they have bought since relocating to NSW

The 42-year-old was pictured last month relaxing with her Lego Masters Australia host husband and their two children at Watsons Bay, near the $8.93million Vaucluse mansion they bought in late 2020.

This was around the time Foster-Blake made the Australian Financial Review Young Rich List and moved her family from Melbourne to be closer to her business.

The celebrity couple also bought a house at Jamberoo on the NSW South Coast for $4.3million last year, and this year reportedly outlayed a further $8.4million for a new pad in Mosman.

Foster-Blake established Go-To to sell 'no faux-science or bullsh**' beauty products that provided 'uncomplicated skincare that actually works'.

The beauty mogul's hopes of selling her remaining half share in Go-To for more than $80m are seriously wounded by backer BWX's weakened ability to stay afloat

The future of the skincare brand's major shareholder is now in doubt after an auditor's note on BWX's latest financial results, in which PwC chief risk officer Nadia Carlin referred to concerns about the company's 'material uncertainty'.

On Monday BWX, which is also behind labels Sukin, Flora & Fauna and Nourished Life, announced Mr Gration's departure as CEO after more than four-and-a-half years, to be replaced by by Coles executive Thinus Keeve.

BWX's latest restructure came after it lost its chief financial officer last year and was temporarily banned from the Australian Stock Exchange, the Herald reported.

Former beauty journalist Ms Foster-Blake has built a skincare empire promising 'no faux-science or bullsh**'

A hydrating sunscreen sold by Go-To

Financial weaknesses across the company resulted in BWX slashing the overall valuation of Go-To by $73million.

That was $100million less than what Foster-Blake's brand was valued at in 2021, when BWX first acquired its majority shareholding.

Foster-Blake, the former beauty journalist wife of comedian and radio presenter Hamish Blake, founded Go-To after reviewing 'bazillions' of products, her website says.
Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Han Jong-hee, left, poses with German Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck at a government building in Berlin, Monday (local time). During the meeting, the vice chairman requested Germany's support for Busan's bid to host the World Expo 2030. He also introduced Samsung Electronics' efforts for sustainability and eco-friendly approaches, topics that also interest the German government. Courtesy of Samsung Electronics
MAFS star Alyssa Barmonde has opened up about being 'the other woman' in an extramarital affair 12 years ago.

The ex-Mormon, 35, told Nova's Fitzy & Wippa on Monday she was 'gaslighted and manipulated' by the man who told her his marriage 'wasn't real'.

'The man that I had an affair with, he told me that the marriage wasn't real. He told me it was for a visa, that it was for a green card [American permanent residency]. There was a bit of power imbalance at play,' she said.

'It was over 12 years ago. So I was very young and naive. And, you know, I've learned that lesson, and I've grown from that.'

Alyssa went on to say she wanted to 'believe that person' she had been dating, and was 'heartbroken' to learn it was all a lie.

MAFS star Alyssa Barmonde (pictured) has opened up about being 'the other woman' in an extramarital affair 12 years ago

'This person you think that you love, you know they're love-bombing you, you know they're telling you you're the one, and you know they're spending 24/7 with you. Of course they're going to try to believe that,' she said.

'And then when you find out it's all a lie, it's heartbreaking.'

Earlier this month, Alyssa confessed to her MAFS husband Duncan James she had once been the third party in an affair.

During the Confessions Letter task, the mother of one told Duncan she had been 'complicit' in the man's marital infidelity.

The ex-Mormon, 35, told Nova's Fitzy & Wippa on Monday she was 'gaslighted and manipulated' by the man who told her his marriage 'wasn't real'

'Duncan, what I'm about to tell you is really difficult. It's not easy for me to admit this part of my past,' she began.

'It has been a big fear I've been hiding but if we really want this marriage to work you need to know.

'I was complicit in an affair, I was the other woman and I knew he was a married man.'

Earlier this month, Alyssa confessed to her MAFS husband Duncan James (right) she had once been the third party in an affair

Alyssa, who was raised a Mormon in Utah, continued: 'It's not something I'm proud of but it's something I've been able to learn from. I also know now it's something that will never happen again.'

A speechless Duncan buried his head in his hands before eventually saying: 'I'm pretty shocked.'

'I didn't think you would have a confession like this,' he added. 'I can understand when people stuff up sometimes when they go out, but if you willingly went into something with someone that was married then it's not a mistake, it's a choice.'

'That's extremely poor behaviour,' he told Alyssa.
Jenna Coleman looked effortlessly chic as she departed her West End show on Monday night.

The actress is currently starring in the two-man show Lemons, Lemons, Lemons, Lemons, Lemons at the Harold Pinter Theatre in London alongside co-star Aidan Turner.

Jenna, 36, cut a stylish figure in a black and cream suede jacket which she wore over a grey jumper and a pair of black wide legged trousers.

She opted for a pair of chunky brogues and toted her belongings around in a burgundy crossbody bag.

Jenna styled her shoulder length blonde tresses straight as she exited carrying a pen to sign autographs for fans waiting by the stage door.

Home time: Jenna Coleman looked effortlessly chic in a black and cream suede jacket as she departed her West End show on Monday night

Co-star: The actress is currently starring in the two-man show Lemons, Lemons, Lemons, Lemons, Lemons at the Harold Pinter Theatre in London alongside co-star Aidan Turner

Meanwhile Aidan, 39, braved the cold weather as he kept casual in a crisp white T-shirt and beige trousers.

The Irish actor completed his outfit with a pair of coordinated trainers as he joined his co-star to sign autographs.

The stars' play will be on-stage for a nine-week run and sees Jenna play rule-abiding lawyer Bernadette while Aidan portrays free-spirited musician Oliver.

The official synopsis reads: '"Let's just talk until it goes". You're going to speak more than 123 million words in your lifetime. What will you do when they run out?

'Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons is a tender and funny rom-com about what we say, how we say it, and what happens when we can't say anything anymore'.

The play explores a young couples response to a dystopian world in which words are rationed by 'hush laws.'

Jenna and Aidan take starring roles in this two-hander, which is a West End revival of Sam Steiners debut play of the same name - a huge success following its debut at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2015.

However, despite the talent of the actors, critics have been left with a slightly sour taste in their mouth since the press night earlier this month.

Looking good: Jenna, 36, cut a stylish figure in a grey jumper, black wide legged trousers and a pair of chunky brogues

Chic: She toted her belongings around in a burgundy crossbody bag and styled her shoulder length blonde tresses straight as she exited

Meanwhile Aidan, 39, braved the cold weather as he kept casual in a crisp white T-shirt and beige trousers as he headed outside to greet fans

MailOnline's Patrick Marmion gave the play two out of five stars and described the script as 'gimmicky'.

He said: 'Give [anyone] a gimmicky script like this one by Sam Steiner and they will inevitably wind up sounding like Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield, waffling to kill time on This Morning.'

Offering the play three out of five stars, Time Out magazine described it as 'a disarmingly bleak affair, or certainly in comparison to eight years ago' - with Brexit blamed for its 'dour' tone.

However the 'lovely' set design was praised, while Steiner's words - of which some have been rewritten since its debut - were applauded for standing the test the time.

Elsewhere The Times also offered three out of five stars, while claiming the play soon runs out of steam.

'Can two good actors and a gifted director, Josie Rourke, make this cocktail of cute ideas add up to more than the sum of its parts? Not quite,' they write.

'Worse, a singsong of Total Eclipse of the Heart trails off when he runs out of words before she does. Every now and then they fall apart.'

Meanwhile The Telegraph claimed it was 'tantalising, but limited' despite strong performances from its two stars, writing: 'Plenty for fans to admire, then, but a few syllables short of a humdinger.'
Matilda Ledger certainly takes after her father.

The 17-year-old was the spitting image of her famous dad Heath Ledger - who died in 2008 - as she stepped out for a stroll in New York City last Sunday.

The high school student shares many similarities with the late Australian actor, with childhood photos of Heath proving the apple didn't fall far from the tree.

Matilda, whose mother is American actress Michelle Williams, kept things casual in an oversized tan parka, a blue hoodie, plaid trousers and grey sneakers.

She kept her face and ears warm by wearing her hood up as she strolled through the streets of chilly NYC looking down at her phone.

Matilda Ledger was the spitting image of her famous dad Heath Ledger - who died in 2008 - as she stepped out for a stroll in New York City last Sunday

The high school student shares many similarities with the late Australian actor, with childhood photos of Heath (right) proving the apple didn't fall far from the tree

Matilda, whose mother is American actress Michelle Williams, kept things casual in an oversized tan parka, a blue hoodie, plaid trousers and grey sneakers

She carried her belongings in a large black tote and wore her wavy hair loosely.

Matilda was just two years old when her father tragically died from acute drug intoxication aged just 28.

After his death, her mother Michelle moved from their Brooklyn apartment to a farmhouse in upstate New York.

The Oscar nominee craved some normality and a 'sane home environment' for her daughter as they were constantly in the spotlight following her ex-partner's death.

Little is known about Matilda, as her mother went to great lengths to raise her almost entirely out of the public eye.

However, the few pictures that have been taken over the past 17 years show she bears a striking resemblance to her late father.

Matilda was just two years old when her father tragically died from acute drug intoxication aged just 28. After his death, her mother Michelle (right) moved from their Brooklyn apartment to a farmhouse in upstate New York

The Oscar nominee craved some normality and a 'sane home environment' for her daughter as they were constantly in the spotlight following her ex-partner's death

In 2015, Heath's father Kim told Channel 10's The Project his granddaughter Matilda was just like his son in many ways.

'She is always full of questions and she always wants to know this or that about her dad and I suppose that will just get more intense when she gets older, and we would welcome that, especially when she get's old enough to travel,' he said.

'She is very inquisitive, which he was, she has an enormous number of his mannerisms, she's got his energy, because Heath never slept from when he was two. And Matilda is like that, she is a ball of energy and she radiates this aura that Heath was like.'

Heath's mother Sally added: 'Matilda is indeed very much like her dad - she has long limbs and similar features. However, she also possesses the beauty of her mamma - lucky girl.'

In 2015, Heath's father Kim told The Project his granddaughter Matilda was just like his son

It follows reports Matilda is planning an extended holiday in Australia so she can get to know her late father's family before going to college.

Heath's parents, who live in Western Australia, have said in the past they would like to see more of Matilda, whom they affectionately call their 'little New Yorker'.

And with the teenager due to finish high school soon, she is said to be planning a gap year Down Under to 'understand the other side of her heritage'.

'She is keen to take a year off and head to Australia,' a source told New Idea.

'She wants to get to see and spend time with Heath's family before she gets down to the serious business of university in America.'

Matilda apparently wants to visit Heath's family in Perth, but her mother Michelle, 42, has some reservations because 'it's just so far away'.

'[She] understands her mum's concerns, but she has a deep need to understand the other side of her heritage,' the insider added.

Meanwhile, Heath's family is said to be 'thrilled' by the news of their granddaughter's proposed trip Down Under.

The Ledgers reportedly signed over all of Heath's assets, worth an estimated US$16.3million, to Matilda upon his death in 2008.
Jessica 'Jess' Girod broke down crying after Zach Shallcross sent her home for feeling insecure on Monday's episode of The Bachelor on ABC.

The 23-year-old e-commerce coordinator from Winter Springs, Florida, was feeling anxious after Zach, 26, a tech executive from Anaheim Hills, California, declined to offer her a one-on-one date in Estonia.

'What does it say that I'm the only one who hasn't gotten one?,' Jess lamented.

Gabriella 'Gabi' Elnicki, 25, of Pittsford, Vermont, tried to comfort her by pointing out that Greer Blitzer, 24, of Bellaire, Texas, also had not received an one-on-one date.

'Greer isn't here, Greer has COVID!,' Jess bellowed referencing Greer's absence due to sickness.

Sent home: Jessica 'Jess' Girod broke down crying after Zach Shallcross sent her home for feeling insecure on Monday's episode of The Bachelor on ABC

Jess remained anxious through the group date in Estonia with Zach that included a meeting with an Estonian witch.

Each women held a candle while staring into Zach's eyes and it was an ominous sign when the wind blew out the flame of the Jess's candle.

Jess shared with the others that she felt like she was having a panic attack and her anxiety only heightened when Zach at the cocktail party first pulled Kaitlyn 'Kaity' Biggar, 27, of Kingston, Ontario, to talk.

Zach also strengthened his connection with Gabi at the party, before he pulled Jess to talk.

She shared her frustration about being passed over for a one-on-one date.

'This is news for me. With you from night one, I felt something there. We will have the time to get to know each other,' Zach said.

'I feel like you haven't seen all of me,' Jess told him.

He told her they didn't need to have a one-on-one date to have meaningful conversations.

Surprising development: 'This is news for me. With you from night one, I felt something there. We will have the time to get to know each other,' Zach said

Not seen: 'I feel like you haven't seen all of me,' Jess told him

Dating dilemma: Zach told her they didn't need to have a one-on-one date to have meaningful conversations

Group date: The group date in Estonia included a visit with a witch

'I'm feeling so confident in us and then it's about a one-on-one. What am I missing?,' Zach said.

Jess said it was a 'big deal' to her and Zach started to sour on her.

'I feel like there is that disconnect, I guess,' Zach said. 'I don't feel any more sure about this and I feel nervous and I don't think I can feel fully nervous. So I don't know how you feel, but I'm not feeling that confident, as hard as it and it pains me to say.'

Jess said that she didn't want to beg for his affection,

'I told you from the start that I'm not going to fight for someone,' she said. 'I told you that all I wanted was someone to fight for me.'

Zach told her that it wasn't going to work out between them and walked her out.

He later informed the other women that Jess gone and revealed that he was canceling the rose ceremony.

Zach during the two-hour episode went on his one-on-one date with Charity Lawson, 26, of Columbus, Georgia, that was scrubbed when he caught COVID.

Not working: Zach told her that it wasn't going to work out between them and walked her out

No fight: Jess was disappointed that Zach did not fight for her

He also had a one-on-one date with Ariel Frankel, 28, a marketing executive from New York City.

Alyssa 'Aly' Jacob, 26, of Smyrna, Georgia, was eliminated during the rose ceremony.

The Bachelor will return next week on ABC.

Nice date: Zach during the two-hour episode went on his one-on-one date with Charity Lawson, 26, of Columbus, Georgia, that was scrubbed when he caught COVID
Molly-Mae Hague revealed the reality of motherhood on Monday as she took to Instagram to share a snap of baby daughter Bambi throwing up over her new locks.

The Love Island star, 23, showcased her long blonde perfectly waves tresses which cascaded down past her shoulders earlier in the day after returning from the salon.

She showed off her natural beauty as she posed for a mirror selfie in an oversized blue sweatshirt ahead of welcoming beau Tommy Fury home.

The reality star picked up her daughter holding her to her shoulder while bouncing along to music ahead of the accident.

Not long after, Molly-Mae uploaded a snap of the little girl being held by her sister Zoe who couldn't contain her laughter as she revealed that Bambi had thrown up over her new locks.

Oh no! Molly-Mae Hague revealed the reality of motherhood on Monday as she took to Instagram to share a snap of baby daughter Bambi throwing up over her new locks

Looking good: The Love Island star, 23, showcased her long blonde perfectly waves tresses which cascaded down past her shoulders earlier in the day after returning from the salon

Fresh hair: She showed off her natural beauty as she posed for a mirror selfie in an oversized blue sweatshirt ahead of welcoming beau Tommy Fury home

She penned: 'Bambi new it was fresh hair day'.

It comes as the influncer welcomed home her boyfriend Tommy, also 23, as he arrived back in the UK after beating Jake Paul last night.

Fury saw off his long-term rival by split decision in Saudi Arabia on Sunday evening.

After the post-fight pressers and celebrations, the former Love Island star and his famous family headed back home and landed this evening.

Molly shared a sweet video of Tommy walking through the door of their lavish Cheshire home carrying his commemorative belt won at the event.

The video, captioned 'My Champ', as the room was covered in white balloons and Molly-Mae walked out to greet her partner after his victory.

The two then embrace and engage in conversation after the blonde beauty stayed at home with the duo's one-month old baby, who Fury dedicated his win to on Sunday.

He also donned his daughter's name on his trunks for the fight.

Playing: The reality star picked up her daughter holding her to her shoulder while bouncing along to music

'My champ': It comes as the influncer welcomed home her boyfriend Tommy, also 23, as he arrived back in the UK after beating Jake Paul last night

Winner: Fury saw off his long-term rival by split decision in Saudi Arabia on Sunday evening

Tommy won the much-anticipated bout in the Middle East after two judges scored the fight 76-73 in his favour.

Fury was accompanied by brother Tyson and father John as he touched down in Heathrow, London.

Bandaged up around his eye, the boxer was ambushed by fans upon his return home.

He will now spend time with his family before potentially arranging a re-match with Paul.

Several people involved in the bout, including Paul and Fury's father John, have called for a second bout between the two.
Tom Hiddleston is set to star in the new season of The Night Manager - seven years after it first aired.

The actor 42, will reprise his role as protagonist Jonathan Pine in the BBC show, whilst David Farr, who penned the original series, will also return to write the programme.

The BBC show initially aired in 2016 and was met with critical acclaim - winning two Primetime Emmy Awards and three Golden Globe Awards.

Series one of the show adapted the full 1993 book by John le Carre and aired over six episodes.

But now, according to Deadline, Amazon Prime Video and the BBC are set to collaborate on a new batch of episodes, with the proposals involving a two-season order.

He's back! Tom Hiddleston is set to star in the new season of The Night Manager - seven years after it first aired

The show is set to begin filming in London and South America later this year under the codename Steelworks.

While yet to be formally greenlit by bosses at Amazon and the BBC, The Night Manager is set to receive a two-season order.

Though still largely uncertain, the plot will reportedly see Pine be informed of Richard Roper's (Hugh Laurie) death, and subsequently face up to a 'new' and 'deadlier' threat.

It is currently unknown who will be on directing duties, but season one boss Susanne Bier previously ruled herself out of the running.

She told Radio Times in 2019: 'I'm not doing Night Manager 2.

'I wasn't sure that I would do my very best work the second time round  so I decided that I should probably not do it and have somebody [else direct it].

'I think part of it is that as a director you have to have a crazy huge challenge,' she continued. 'I don't necessarily think that if a challenge becomes 'Do something different from what you did last time'  I don't think that's an organic challenge.

'I just got worried that I would repeat myself or do something which wasn't as great, but I think somebody else is going to do an amazing job out of it,' she concluded.

Exciting: The actor 42, will reprise his role as protagonist Jonathan Pine in the BBC show, whilst David Farr, who penned the original series, will also return to write the programme

Series one saw Tom star alongside The Crown actress Olivia Colman and Hugh Laurie.

The announcement comes after Tom was spotted for the first time since he became a father.

The Eton and Cambridge-educated actor welcomed a baby with Fresh Meat star Zawe Ashton last October.

He and Ashton, 38, have yet to disclose the name or sex of their child.

The couple first met in 2019 when they played husband and wife in a revival of Harold Pinters Betrayal.

Tom was seen pushing a Silver Cross Reef pram as he walked his dog in North London, cutting a casual figure in a blue hoody and shorts.

He also wore a blue cap, looking pensive as he listened to music on his stroll and later greeted a fan on a high street.

It comes after a source told US Weekly in October: 'Tom and Zawe are loving being new parents and are filled with joy.'

The insider also noted they are 'having the struggles of new parents and aren't sleeping much but are thrilled.'

Success! The BBC show initially aired in 2016 and was met with critical acclaim - winning two Primetime Emmy Awards and three Golden Globe Awards

Star-studded: Series one saw Tom star alongside The Crown actress Olivia Colman and Hugh Laurie

In June, Tom confirmed he was set to wed the beauty but kept tight lipped about the romance, simply telling the LA Times: 'I'm very happy' and nothing more.

Tom and Zawe set tongues wagging about a possible engagement when they appeared at the BAFTAs last year, after which she was pictured wearing a huge diamond sparkler on her ring finger in a photo shared by host AJ Odudu.

The couple were reportedly congratulated by industry friends at the ceremony - after Zawe hid her hand as she took to the red carpet in a pink cape dress.

The Fresh Meat star concealed her stunning diamond-encrusted ring from photographers on the red carpet, draping her stunning flowing pink gown over her hand.

Tom, meanwhile, looked handsome in a black blazer and trousers, as he posed hand-in-hand with Zawe.

Later in the ballroom of London's Grosvenor Hotel the couple caught up with TV personality AJ who snapped a picture, which showed the diamond ring.

Zawe and Tom have worked hard over the years to kept their relationship out of the spotlight.

The couple confirmed their romance during a PDA-filled holiday at the beach in Ibiza in September 2021 before making their red carpet debut together at the Tony Awards in New York City.

Also in 2021, it was revealed the pair had moved in together after months of romance rumours, and they are now said to be living together in Atlanta, Georgia.

Sources close to the duo said The Night Manager star, and the actress are 'very well suited and enjoy the quieter side of life'.

Couple: The announcement comes after Tom was spotted for the first time since he became a father. The Eton-educated actor welcomed a baby with Fresh Meat star Zawe Ashton last October (pictured at the BAFTAs in 2022)

An insider told The Sun : 'Tom and Zawe have stayed quiet about their relationship but she has spent the last few weeks with him in the US.

'They are very well suited and enjoy the quieter side of life away from the glitz and glamour of the showbiz world.'

Tom was also said to be wary of highlighting the romance due to the attention his past relationship with Taylor Swift drew.

A source said: 'Tom really has fallen for Zawe in a big way. But he is so paranoid about his private life since his relationship with Taylor that he has gone to great lengths to keep this under wraps.'

Tom told the New York Times after his romance with Taylor: 'Yes, I'm protective about my internal world now in probably a different way. That's because I didn't realize it needed protecting before.'

During Tom's short-lived fling with Taylor the pair didn't shy away from showing off their romance with lots of public outings.

The couple got together shortly after Taylor's split from Calvin Harris after first meeting at the Met Gala in May 2016, and during the first few weeks of their romance they travelled around the world together.

They even took the huge step of meeting one another's parents, with Taylor jetting to the UK to spend time with Tom's mother in Suffolk, while he went to her adopted home town of Nashville, before calling it quits in late 2016.

Along with his highly publicized relationship with Taylor in 2016, Tom also previously dated his Wallander co-star Susannah Fielding, with the pair splitting up in 2011.
Ruby Rose has spoken out for the first time since announcing plans to write a tell-all memoir exposing her feud with The Veronicas.

The long-standing feud between Ruby and pop twins Lisa and Jessica Origliasso looked set to continue with the release of the actress' new book.

The Orange Is the New Black star, 36, dated Jessica from 2016 to 2018, during which time the sisters' relationship became so strained they were on the verge of estrangement. Following the couple's split, the Origliassos mended bridges and made a series of public statements criticising Ruby.

Ruby announced several weeks ago she had started writing her book, and promised to expose the pair - whom she did not name but called 'the sisters' - for 'how horrific' they allegedly were to her.

She also claimed the 'truth' she was writing would 'p**s a lot of people off'.

Ruby Rose (pictured) has spoken out for the first time since announcing plans to write a tell-all memoir exposing her feud with The Veronicas

The long-standing feud between Ruby and Lisa and Jessica Origliasso from The Veronicas looked set to continue with the release of the actress' new memoir. (Pictured: Ruby and Jessica in London, England, on June 6, 2017)

'Book writing. The truth. It will piss a lot of people off... but maybe you should have been better?' she wrote on Instagram.

'Excited to be free. Excited to tell the truth. On the sisters? You're first. How horrific you were.'

The actress and DJ concluded: 'Imagine mistaking kindness for weakness...'

Appearing on Nova FM's Fitzy & Wippa on Tuesday, the actress and model addressed the cryptic Instagram posts, saying she shared them because she was writing about her trauma from past relationships at the time.

She explained that one old photo in particular, which showed her with Jessica at the Pitch Perfect 3 premiere, brought back painful memories.

'Because that's what I was writing about at the time,' she said.

'To be honest, I stumbled across a picture from Pitch Perfect 3, the premiere. And I'd forgotten that... just how I look, I'm emaciated.'

Appearing on Nova FM's Fitzy & Wippa on Tuesday, the actress and model addressed her cryptic Instagram posts, saying she shared them because she was writing about her trauma from past relationships at the time

She explained that one old photo in particular, which showed her with Jessica at the Pitch Perfect 3 premiere, brought back painful memories

'I'm just dissociated, I look so broken, and I got filled with rage, because I was like, "How did I let it get that bad?"' she said.

'And so that's why I wrote what I wrote. But what the book really is, and what matters to me to kind of change the narrative of it, [is] it's not some sort of tell-all, like Prince Harry... it's sort of, "Here are some things that happened that are pretty hard."'

Ruby clarified it will not be a 'revenge book', but she instead hopes to inspire others.

'I want it to be more of a inspiring book, as opposed to, you know, it's not a revenge book, and it's not a gossip book,' she said.

'It's definitely not a book I should be writing without my therapist.

'But the other parts are more about other things that have been said about, you know, when I broke my neck and I was almost paraplegic, and getting controversy for things that didn't happen, because that's just how Hollywood can be.

'There's a lot that I've stayed silent on because I was already at a place where I didn't want to be adding flame to the fire. I think that everyone was going to keep doubling down on these things because I was silent.

'You know, it's like if you ignore the bullies... I got taken advantage of because people knew my hands were sort of tied in that I don't want to create more of a fuss of a situation.'

Ruby announced on Instagram weeks ago she had started writing her book, and promised to expose the pop twins - whom she did not name but called 'the sisters' - for 'how horrific' they allegedly were to her. She also claimed the 'truth' she is writing will 'p**s a lot of people off'

The actress and DJ added, 'Imagine mistaking kindness for weakness...'

The feud between Ruby and The Veronicas was laid bare after Jessica broke off their on-again-off-again relationship in 2018.

The two women briefly dated in 2008 before rekindling their romance in 2016, only to break up again two years later.

Speaking on The Kyle and Jackie O Show a few months after the split, Jessica said she was in 'a very complex relationship'.

She added: 'I'm still trying to come to terms with the reality of it every day so it's really hard to explain to anybody.

'There was just so much that happened, so much that I can't even get into it.'

Not only did the relationship not end amicably, but while Jess was dating Ruby for almost two years, she was fighting with her twin sister and bandmate Lisa.

The feud between Ruby and The Veronicas was laid bare after Jessica broke off their on-again-off-again relationship in 2018. (Pictured: Ruby and Jessica in Sydney on November 29, 2017)

The Origliasso sisters (pictured in Los Angeles on June 25, 2019) said their band almost fell apart due to their family rift while Jessica was dating Ruby Rose

explained the siblings' relationship became extremely strained during the time Jessica was with

LisaRuby, and for a whole year they didn't talk or perform together.

She said the period when they didn't talk was 'heartbreaking', with Jessica adding: 'When you have a twin, you've got back-up for everything.

'But sometimes to evolve as an individual, and to find the love for myself I needed to find, I needed to just go through [that] experience for myself.'

The sisters admitted that from 2016 to 2018, the band almost fell apart due to their family rift, but a love of music eventually brought them back together.
Hollyoaks revealed a shock feud between Tony Hutchinson and Warren Fox is brewing in upcoming episodes.

Local councillor Tony has a bitter rivalry after a romantic night with wife Diane is ruined.

He is already down in the dumps after brother Eric's sentencing and Diane and Maxine attempt to cheer him up but end up drowning their sorrows after Tony fails to show up.

Later Tony changes his mind and wants to make things right with his wife after speaking with Romeo and encouraging him to be more romantic with Rayne.

Sienna and Ethan erupt at Warren over his parenting techniques after he decides to teach Sebastian to box so he can defend himself.

Spoiler: Hollyoaks revealed a shock feud between Tony Hutchinson and Warren Fox is brewing in upcoming episodes

Arguing: Tony wants revenge and rings social services on Warren after he teaches Sebastian how to fight and causes an outburst in a playground

Warren encourages his son to only use the skills on people who deserve it but he ends up using the fighting skills by pushing Dee Dee Hutchinson off a swing at the playground.

Tony is encouraged by Darren to speak to a professional about his feelings and to start focusing on his own problems after he struggles with his anger after everything went wrong in his life.

Instead of listening, Tony wants revenge and rings social services on Warren over Sebastian's outburst in the playground.

Tony and Warren clash face-to-face and luckily Warren leaves him with just a stern warning.

That doesn't last long as Warren furiously visits Tony's home while Sienna has a meeting with her own social services problem.

However, instead of hurting Tony the pair confide in one another about wanting to do the best for their families and Tony agrees to retract the statement.

The family will later be seen putting on a united front to ensure the assessment goes smoothly but a shocking discovery threatens the peace when Warren discovers his flat has been trashed and made to look like an old vendetta being carried out.

Sienna is left furious and bans Warren from seeing the twins until the file against them is closed.

Oh no: Tony and Warren clash face-to-face and luckily Warren leaves him with just a stern warning but that doesn't last long as Warren furiously visits Tony's home

Moving on: However, instead of hurting Tony the pair confide in one another about wanting to do the best for their families and Tony agrees to retract the statement

Meanwhile at the Maaliks, the family gather belongings to take to Imran during their next visit to the eating disorder clinic.

But Misbah announces that the clinic are so delighted with his recovery progress that they can treat him as an outpatient and he returns home.

The family are over the moon when Imran returns home, but Misbah warns Zain that this is the most crucial stage of Imrans recovery, so they have to get it right.

Imran adjusts to life back at home but feels his family are being overprotective and is left shocked when Misbah suggests that he shouldnt fast this Ramadan despite feeling close to his religion.

In a heart-warming scene, Imran confides in Brooke as the pair reminisce over the past and Imran comes to the conclusion that he wants to be more independent.

Hollyoaks airs weekdays at 6:30pm on Channel 4
Melbourne's Marvel Stadium has announced new measures for its sensory room after Heatbreak High's Chloe Hayden claimed she was denied access for 'not looking autistic enough'.

The actress and disability activist, who has autism and ADHD, launched a scathing tirade against the venue after she claims she was denied access to its sensory room on February 24 during a Harry Styles gig.

She said staff decided she 'didn't look autistic enough' to access it so she lodged a complaint to the venue.

The disability activist, 25, has now said that she has since heard back from the CEO of Marvel Stadium, and he has promised that staff will be retrained.

Taking to social media, Chloe said: 'Ive spoken with the CEO of Marvel Stadium and weve discussed steps forward.

Melbourne's Marvel Stadium has announced new measures for its sensory room after Heatbreak High's Chloe Hayden (pictured) claimed she was denied access for 'not looking autistic enough'

The actress and disability activist, who has autism and ADHD, launched a scathing tirade against the venue after she claims she was denied access to its sensory room on February 24

'A second sensory room is being built, and they have committed to retraining their staff. I plan on keeping them accountable for both.

'Dont you ever say that raising your voice is futile.'

The disability activist said although the experience took an 'immense toll' on her she will never stop fighting.

'Myself and Marvel Stadium are encouraging everyone with stories of poor disability access and discrimination to reach out to Marvel directly so they can hear as many stories as possible and continue to gain knowledge to educate and change for a better future,' she said.

'The last few days have taken an immense toll. It is now my time to step back, breathe, and advocate for myself, too.

'I will never stop fighting. I will never not be thankful for having an army to fight it with me.'

The sensory room in the stadium was designed by medical professionals for people with sensory sensitives that may be linked to conditions such as autism, dementia and PTSD.

It contains noise-cancelling headphones, weighted blankets, and fidget tools so autistic people or those suffering from severe sensory issues have a safe space to go to.

Chloe aired her grief with the venue online and said she is tired of fighting

The incident happened at Harry Styles' Melbourne gig

The stadium said its staff had undergone training for working in the spaces but Chloe now claims they told her that staff will be retrained following her incident.

Last Friday, Chloe took to Twitter following the concert to express her dissatisfaction at being told she did not 'look' autistic.

'Hey @marvelstadium reminder you cannot preach inclusivity and then not let me into the sensory room because you decided I don't look autistic enough,' she said.

'How g***amn disappointing the same venue has proven flying its woke flag and ticking the disability box is where its values begin and end.'
Anna Paul is one of Australia's biggest OnlyFans stars.

And the influencer, 22, reminded her fans why when she stripped down to a red bikini for a swim in New Caledonia on Tuesday.

Anna, who has a whopping 2.2 million followers, looked incredible as she showcased her curves in the red swimwear.

The stunning brunette looked to be in her element as she put on a busty display in the swimsuit as she took a dip at a swimming hole.

She smiled and played with her raven tresses in the clip after swimming alongside boyfriend, Glen Thomson.

Anna Paul, 22, flaunted her incredible figure as she stripped down to a skimpy red bikini for a swim on Tuesday while on holidays in New Caledonia. Pictured

Earlier in the day Anna was seen spending time with horses.

Anna has emerged as one of Australia's biggest social media stars, with her making headlines in August after her meet-and-greet with fans descended into chaos due to a stampede of teens.

The Perth-based event was shut down after just 14 minutes due to large crowds, and the TikTok star later apologised on the app saying she had 'no idea' that many people would arrive.

Paul first found fame on the video-sharing app by posting lip-sync videos and vlogs documenting her life.

Anna looked to be in her element as she put on a busty display in the swimsuit as she took a dip at a swimming hole. The star basked in the sunshine on the trip

The curvaceous beauty has since become one of OnlyFans' highest earners, sitting in the Top one percent of content creators.

While she has claimed she grew up poor, the online star now leads a lavish lifestyle envied by many.

Her social media pages are filled with footage and images of lavish overseas trips, designer clothing, flashy cars, and extravagant dates with her boyfriend Glen Thomson.
Shoppers at Shinsegae Duty Free mall at Terminal 1 of Incheon International Airport get ready to board their flights in December 2022. Newsis



By Ko Dong-hwan



A bidding war is intensifying to win the rights to operate duty-free shops at Incheon International Airport, putting domestic companies on high alert.



Causing the alarm is China Duty Free Group (CDFG), a state-run enterprise that accounts for the biggest slice of the global duty-free shopping market, which joined the competition last month. Also in the race is Switzerland's Dufry, targeting small-to-medium-size shops.



The first round of the bidding competition is scheduled in March. CDFG is expected to bid for one of the five tickets for the category of general business, which only entitles mega-size firms to vie for operating rights  like Korea's Lotte, Shilla and Shinsegae. Dufry is expected to lock horns with the Dongwha and Entas for two tickets to run smaller shops.



The biggest concern for Korean firms in the race is how badly their market shares could be affected if CDFG enters the airport duty-free business, offering perks to Chinese consumers.



Korean duty-free shop operators have been relying on traders from China, who purchase bulk volumes of merchandise and resell them to Chinese consumers. Their purchases account for almost 90 percent of the operators' entire sales on average. Thanks to the Chinese traders, duty-free shops in Korea last January achieved almost 600 billion won ($456 million) in sales, according to the Korea Duty Free Shops Association.



Korean duty-free shop operators lowered commission fees by more than 10 percent last month, which led to lost sales as Chinese traders left in droves. As a result, Korean duty-free shops saw sales decline by half in January compared to the previous month.



The commission fee rate, which had been below 20 percent before the COVID-19 pandemic began in 2020, kept increasing as tourist traffic ground to a halt around the world. Industry watchers in Korea said the declining sales would persist for a while until inbound travelers to Korea from China recover to pre-pandemic levels.



Korean duty-free shop operators fear that if CDFG gains a foothold inside Incheon airport and expands in Seoul, the local duty free market end up being dominated by the Chinese state-run firm.



A Korea Customs Service regulation stipulates that a new duty free mall can open in a local municipality that saw an increase of at least 300,000 visitors from overseas. That means if Korea's eased travel restrictions end up attracting more Chinese visitors to Korean cities, new duty free malls opening in cities here could end up being monopolized by a Chinese operator like CDFG.



Dufry poses a similar threat at airports where more small-to-medium duty-free shops are concentrated.



The winner of the bidding war will be decided in April.


Ruby Rose has revealed how seeing a confronting photo of herself when she was physically and mentally 'broken' made her publicly lash out at her ex-girlfriend Jessica Origliasso earlier this month.

Ruby was pictured looking worryingly thin as she attended the Sydney premiere of Pitch Perfect 3 with her then-partner Jess in November 2017.

As she sat down to write her memoirs several weeks ago, she stumbled across the photo and was reminded of how toxic the pair's relationship was at the time.

She took to Instagram to launch a scathing attack against Jessica and her sister Lisa, who are members of pop band The Veronicas, calling them out for 'how horrific' they allegedly were to her.

Addressing her outburst on Nova FM's Fitzy & Wippa on Tuesday, Ruby said she'd shared the posts because she was writing about her trauma from past relationships.

Ruby Rose has revealed how seeing this confronting photo of herself when she was physically and mentally 'broken' made her publicly lash out at her ex-girlfriend Jessica Origliasso earlier this month. (Pictured: Ruby at the Sydney premiere of Pitch Perfect 3 on November 29, 2017)

Ruby was pictured looking worryingly thin as she attended the Sydney premiere of Pitch Perfect 3 with her then-partner Jess Origliasso (right) in November 2017

As she sat down to write her memoirs several weeks ago, she stumbled across the photo and was reminded of how toxic the pair's relationship was at the time. (Pictured: Ruby and Jessica in London, England, on June 6, 2017)

She explained to co-hosts Ryan 'Fitzy' Fitzgerald and Michael 'Wippa' Wipfli that the photo from the Pitch Perfect 3 premiere brought back painful memories.

At the time, fans expressed concerns for the actress amid unconfirmed reports her weight had dropped to an alarming 44kg.

'To be honest, I stumbled across a picture from Pitch Perfect 3, the premiere. And I'd forgotten that... just how I look, I'm emaciated,' she said.

'I'm just dissociated, I look so broken, and I got filled with rage, because I was like, "How did I let it get that bad?"' she added.

'And so that's why I wrote what I wrote. But what the book really is, and what matters to me to kind of change the narrative of it, [is] it's not some sort of tell-all, like Prince Harry... it's sort of, "Here are some things that happened that are pretty hard."'

Ruby was responding to her Instagram outburst weeks earlier in which she announced she was writing a memoir that was going to 'p**s a lot of people off'.

'Book writing. The truth. It will piss a lot of people off... but maybe you should have been better?' she wrote.

'Excited to be free. Excited to tell the truth. On the sisters? You're first. How horrific you were... Imagine mistaking kindness for weakness...'

Addressing her outburst on Nova FM's Fitzy & Wippa on Tuesday (pictured), Ruby said she'd shared the posts because she was writing about her trauma from past relationships

'To be honest, I stumbled across a picture from Pitch Perfect 3, the premiere. And I'd forgotten that... just how I look, I'm emaciated,' she said. 'I'm just dissociated, I look so broken, and I got filled with rage, because I was like, "How did I let it get that bad?"'

Ruby clarified to Fitzy & Wippa on Tuesday it will not be a 'revenge book', but she instead hopes to inspire others.

'I want it to be more of a inspiring book, as opposed to, you know, it's not a revenge book, and it's not a gossip book,' she said.

'It's definitely not a book I should be writing without my therapist.

'But the other parts are more about other things that have been said about, you know, when I broke my neck and I was almost paraplegic, and getting controversy for things that didn't happen, because that's just how Hollywood can be.

'There's a lot that I've stayed silent on because I was already at a place where I didn't want to be adding flame to the fire. I think that everyone was going to keep doubling down on these things because I was silent.

'You know, it's like if you ignore the bullies... I got taken advantage of because people knew my hands were sort of tied in that I don't want to create more of a fuss of a situation.'

The feud between Ruby and The Veronicas was laid bare after Jessica broke off their on-again-off-again relationship in 2018.

The two women briefly dated in 2008 before rekindling their romance in 2016, only to break up again two years later.

The feud between Ruby (pictured) and The Veronicas was laid bare after Jessica broke off their on-again-off-again relationship in 2018

The Origliasso sisters (pictured in Los Angeles on June 25, 2019) said their band almost fell apart due to their family rift while Jessica was dating Ruby Rose

Not only did the relationship not end amicably, but while Jess was dating Ruby for almost two years, she was fighting with her twin sister and bandmate Lisa.

Lisa explained the siblings' relationship became extremely strained during the time Jessica was with Ruby, and for a whole year they didn't talk or perform together.

She said the period when they didn't talk was 'heartbreaking', with Jessica adding: 'When you have a twin, you've got back-up for everything.

'But sometimes to evolve as an individual, and to find the love for myself I needed to find, I needed to just go through [that] experience for myself.'

The sisters admitted that from 2016 to 2018, the band almost fell apart due to their family rift, but a love of music eventually brought them back together.
The Bachelors stars Thomas Malucelli, 35, and Leah Cummings, 32, announced their split shortly after the show's finale aired.

The restaurant manager went on to spark romance rumours with fellow Bachelors star Bella Johnston, who had been paired up with Jed McIntosh.

Now, he seems to have fallen back into Leah's arms, as the pair posted photos to Instagram sharing a fun night out together at Sydney's Mardi Gras on Sunday.

The Adelaide beauty attended the 45th LGBTQIA+ festival with her friends from the Channel 10 dating show when she ran into Thomas.

Dubbed the 'Italian Stallion', the hunk dressed for the occasion by showing off his muscular torso in a leather harness as Leah donned a low-cut sparkly jumpsuit.

Thomas Malucelli, 35, (left) and Leah Cummings, 32, (right) announced their split two months after the finale aired, but now they've been spotted out together again

'Beads & Bling it's a Mardi Gras thing,' Leah captioned her reel of photos.

Thomas commented, 'So good to see you,' next to a party emoji.

It comes just a few weeks after fans speculated Thomas may have a new love interest in his life - one of the other women who starred on his season of The Bachelors.

While Thomas proposed to Leah on the dating series, they split two months later and now he has been connected to Bella.

Now, he seems to have fallen back into Leah's arms as the pair shared photos to Instagram sharing a fun night out together at Sydney's Mardi Gras on Sunday

Thomas went on to spark romance rumours with fellow Bachelors star Bella Johnston (pictured), who had been paired up with Jed McIntosh

The quirky beauty posted a photo of the bachelor to her Instagram story with the caption, 'Italian baby,' followed by a rose emoji.

While Bella was vying for bachelor Jed McIntosh's affection on the show, it appears she is now spending considerable time with Thomas.

The 10th series of the Australian series saw three Bachelors take part in the series, a first for the entire franchise.
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Christina Ricci put on a racy display in a plunging maroon gown with a thigh-high slit as led the glamour at the 25th Costume Designers Guild Awards in Los Angeles, California at The Fairmont Century Plaza on Monday.

As she arrived to the red carpet, the Yellowjackets actress, 43, commanded attention in her risque ensemble with a low-cut neckline that barely concealed her chest.

The Golden Globe nominee, who welcomed her second child, daughter Cleopatra, in December 2021, looked nothing short of sensational as she held hands with her husband Mark Hampton.

Her spouse, who is a celebrity hairstylist and makeup artist, cut a dapper figure in a black tuxedo, bowtie and a white dress shirt as he stood by her side.

Meanwhile, Cate Blanchett turned heads in a lavishly embellished jacket with exaggerated shoulders over a beige polka-dot later top and black trousers.

Best dressed: Christina Ricci, Cate Blanchett and Angela Bassett lead the glamour at the 25th Costume Designers Guild Awards in Los Angeles, California at The Fairmont Century Plaza on Monday

Taking the plunge: As she arrived to the red carpet, the Yellowjackets actress, 43, commanded attention in her risque ensemble with a low-cut neckline that barely concealed her chest

Happy couple: The Golden Globe nominee, who welcomed her second child, daughter Cleopatra, in December 2021, looked nothing short of sensational as she held hands with her husband Mark Hampton

For the ceremony, honoring excellence in costume design in motion pictures, television, and commercials, and other media, the two-time Academy Award winner rocked a gold smokey eye, which complemented her blue eyes, and a soft pink lipstick.

Her golden blonde hair were styled in loose waves that hovered right above her shoulders as she posed for a solo shots before she was joined by costume designer Bina Daigeler, who she worked with on the 2022 film Tar.

Once reunited, the Blue Jasmine star, 53, and Daigeler were seen chatting and holding hands as photographers snapped their picture together.

Daigeler, who was previously nominated for Best Costume Design in 1998, sported a pair of pink-tinted, circular glasses with a structured black blazer, matching pants and her red tresses styled in a sleek updo.

She is nominated in the category for Excellence in Contemporary Film for Tar, a Western classical music centered on Lydia Tar.

Angela Bassett also looked impossibly chic as she rocked a low-cut black blazer with a red cape, slacks and a fascinator hat.

Elvis heartthrob Austin Butler rocked an edgy see-through blouse under a tailored black suit on the red carpet.

Hunter Schafer, best known for her starring role on Euphoria, cemented her status as a rising fashion icon with her latest glamorous look, which included a semi-sheer light grey gown and delicate gold hoops.

Minimalist: She styled her chic look with a single gold necklace, a black clutch and gold ring

Holding hands: The lovebirds tied the knot in October 2021 ahead of the birth of their baby girl

Sweet: Hampton looked dapper in a black tuxedo and bowtie as he stood by his wife's side

Eyes on her: As she sauntered down the red carpet in a pair of black leather heels at The Fairmont Century Plaza, 53-year-old Blue Jasmine star turned heads in a lavishly embellished jacket with exaggerated shoulders over a beige polka-dot later top and black trousers

Working the red carpet: Her golden blonde were styled in loose waves that hovered right above her shoulders as she posed for a series of solo shots

Beaming: The mother-of-four beamed at photographers as she gave a friendly wave on the red carpet

Pals: Later, Blanchett was seen posing with costume designer Bina Daigeler, who is nominated in the category for Excellence in Contemporary Film for Tar

Making a statement: Bassett let her wavy hair flow down her back

Radiant: Her stunning makeup look included a light pink blush, sultry grey eyeshadow and plenty of mascara

Dazzling: Bassett also toted a black crocodile embossed purse and a massive ruby ring

Goofy: She mixed up her possing by crouching down and pursing her legs

At one point, she snapped a picture with costume designer, Ruth Carter, who has over 40 films to her credit

The handsome star, who is nominated for an Oscar for his latest film, oozed confidence as he stood with both hands in his pocket as he shot the camera a sultry stare.

He posed with Australian actress Elizabeth Debicki, best known for her role in Baz Luhrmann's The Great Gatsby that won her the AACTA Award for Best Supporting Actress, who sported a plunging red frock.

Emily in Paris' Ashley Park wowed in a flowing cobalt blue gown with a plunging neckline and long train.

Despite having an injuried ankle, which required a protective boot, the actress pushed through the pain as she delivered yet another show-stopping outfit.

Bette Midler stunned in a jewel-encrusted black dress, a pair of statement earrings and silver clutch.

Handsome: Elvis heartthrob Austin Butler rocked an edgy see-through blouse under a tailored black suit

Looking good! The handsome star, who is nominated for an Oscar for his latest film, oozed confidence as he stood with both hands in his pocket as he shot the camera a sultry stare

Friends: He posed with Australian actress Elizabeth Debicki, best known for her role in Baz Luhrmann's The Great Gatsby that won her the AACTA Award for Best Supporting Actress

Friends: He posed with Australian actress Elizabeth Debicki, best known for her role in Baz Luhrmann's The Great Gatsby that won her the AACTA Award for Best Supporting Actress

Glowing: The performer rocked a pair of gold earrings and no bra under her dangerously low-cut gown

Friends: He posed with Australian actress Elizabeth Debicki, best known for her role in Baz Luhrmann's The Great Gatsby that won her the AACTA Award for Best Supporting Actress

All together! The duo posed for a snap with director Baz Luhrmann

Sweet: Butler and Luhrmann came to support Catherine Martin (pictured in the middle), who who has won four Oscars for her costume design

Lots of love: The actor and director were rooting for the visionary designer, who was credited as producer and production designer on Elvis

Bold: Luhrmann and Butler also spoke with stylist Salvador Perez, who wowed in a sequined purple jacket

Fabulous: Hunter Schafer radiated beauty in a semi-sheer light grey gown

Fashionable: The 24-year-old Euphoria cemented her status as a rising fashion icon with her latest glamorous look

All in the details: The LGBTQ rights activist wore her red hair up in a romantic updo

Gorgeous: Emily in Paris' Ashley Park wowed in a flowing cobalt blue gown with a plunging neckline and long train

Pushing through the pain: Her long dress nearly hid her injuried ankle, which she kept protected with a special boot

Resilient: Despite her injury, she continued to prioritize style in her show-stopping outfit

Pushing through the pain: Her long dress nearly hid her injuried ankle, which she kept protected with a special boot

Mary Zophres, who has four Academy Award nominations under her belt for True Grit, La La Land, The Ballad of Buster Scruggs and Babylon, looked incredibly glamorous as she attended the event in a red floor-length dress, which she accessorized with a pair of gold hoops and a coordinating bangle.

The Florida native, who has worked in the film industry since 1994, wore her brunette locks in voluminous curls.

Zophres is vying to take home the trophy for Excellence in Period Film for Babylon, starring Brad Pitt and Margot Robbie.

Stunning: Bette Midler stunned in a jewel-encrusted dress and a pair of statement earrings

All dressed up: She completed her look with a silver clutch and diamond bracelet

Smiling: She appeared in high spirits as she beamed on the red carpet

Red hot! Mary Zophres, who has four Academy Award nominations under her belt for True Grit, La La Land, The Ballad of Buster Scruggs and Babylon, looked incredibly glamorous as she attended the event in a red floor-length dress, which she accessorized with a pair of gold hoops and a coordinating bangle

Handsome: Among the other attendees were actor, Harvey Guillen, best known for his role in the TV series What We Do in the Shadows

Very cool: Ruth E. Carter took a major fashion risk in a beige satin dress

Sophisticated: Canadian filmmaker Sarah Polley wore a black turtleneck and a yellow floral skirt

Funky: Catherine Martin opted for a sequined floral dress and pink coat as well as a sparkly pair of open-toed heels, which showed off her red pedicure

Making a statement: Terry Gordon wore a red satin dress with 'Naked without us' on it, which is a slogan the Costume Designers Guild's movement fighting for 'pay equity commensurate with [their] economic and creative value to production,' according to their website

Among the other attendees were actor, Harvey Guillen, best known for his role in the TV series What We Do in the Shadows.

The Puss in Boots: The Last Wish star, 32, wore an emerald green suit, white semi-sheer dress shirt and black ribbon as a tie.

Terry Gordon wore a red satin dress with 'Naked without us' on it, which is a slogan the Costume Designers Guild's movement fighting for 'pay equity commensurate with [their] economic and creative value to production,' according to their website.

Making their voices heard: International costume designer Dawn Ritz made a bold statement with a see-through tulle frock over a pair of black underwear and tape across her breasts, which read 'Naked without us'

Bold: Another costume designer also sported the slogan on her look

Turning heads: Iranian-British actress Nazanin Boniadi wore a sparkly minidress, black tights and a tall pair of heels

Colorful: Jason Rembert wore a vibrant oversized red sweatshirt and black slacks

Working it: Toni Basil and Bruce Vilanch showed off their eccentric style at the show

Ready for the show: Jenny Beavan wore a polka-dot dress, tons of layered necklaces and stacks of bangles

Timeless: French costume designer Jany Temime, best known for her work on the final six films in the Harry Potter film series, looked regal in her glittery ensemble

Extraordinary: Kameron Lennox made sure to stand out from the crowd in her green, silver and black ballgown

Carrie Cramer and Danielle Launzel were also in attendance

Blinged-out: Shirley Kurata sported a blue gown that featured jewels all over it and a coordinating headband from Lele Sadoughi

CHatty: Vilanch, Midler and Basil all posed together on the red carpet

Making conversation: Bette also spoke to Julie Weiss

Fun night: At one point, Luhrmann and Butler spoke with Salvador Perez

The big night saw several extraordinary names in costume design take home awards, with major winners being from Elvis, House of the Dragon, and Wednesday.

For Elvis, Cathrine Martin took home the statue for Excellence in Period Film.

Austin Butler, who starred as the titular character in the film, served as a presenter.

On stage:

Lots of love: Austin shared an embrace with Catherine Martin. The Elvis actor also posed with Jenny Eagan, who he presented the Excellence in Contemporary Film award to

Ladies: Catherine Martin and Christina Ricci get a photo together after Christina presented Catherine with her award

Long-time friends: Billy Crystal presented Bette Midler with her distinguished collaborator award

Soaking it all in: Bette took in her moment on the stage after winning. She planted a quick kiss on Billy's cheek after leaving the stage

Excellence: Jany Temime won for her work on HBO Max's House of the Dragon

She won over designers from movies such as Babylon, Don't Worry Darling, and The Woman King

For Excellence in Sci-Fi / Fantasy Television, House of the Dragon costume designer Jany Temime won the award.

She beat out designers from The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, Westworld, and The Witcher: Blood Origin.

Wednesday: 'Wednesdays Child is Full of Woe' costume designers, Colleen Atwood & Mark Sutherland, won for Excellence in Contemporary Television.

Another big night: Angela Bassett was presented with the spotlight award

Striking a pose: Angela took a fun photo with her award and was joined by Courtney B. Vance

Top Gun is back: Mark Sutherland and Colleen Atwood posed with their awards for Excellence in Contemporary Television with members of the cast of Top Gun: Maverick; (L-R) Lewis Pullman, Colleen Atwood, Mark Sutherland, Monica Barbaro, and Greg Tarzan Davis

Legend: Deborah L. Scott accepted the Career Achievement Award. She is known for her work on Titanic and Avatar: The Way of Water

There were also several special awards given out throughout the night.

Bette Midler received the distinguished collaborator award and Angela Bassett was given the spotlight award.

Oscar-winning costume designer Deborah L. Scott (Titanic and Avatar: The Way of Water) was honored with the career achievement award.

Hitting the stage: Austin Butler handed off an award to Jenny Eagan for her work on Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery

Together again: Lewis Pullman, Monica Barbaro, and Greg Tarzan Davis from Top Gun: Maverick posed up a storm together

Dazzling: Anna Wyckoff and Brigitta Romanov both dressed to impress in long gown, with Anna opting for a one-shoulder pink flowing dress

Lady in red: Brigitta wore a long red gown with a daringly high slit that showed off her long legs, while posing with an eccentric Bea Akerlund

Hidden message: Brigritta spoke on stage and turned around to show her backless dress with golden letters on her back

Daring: Dawn Ritz put on a revealing display in a sheer dress, with the words: 'Naked without us' across it

Unique: She added black and silver gloves and a long diamond necklace, while donning a blonde voluminous wig
Police in Tennessee are looking for former Teen Mom personality Ryan Edwards in connection with allegations he stalked wife Mackenzie Edwards.

Authorities on Thursday filed the warrants against Edwards, The US Sun reported Monday, citing legal documents, which comes less than two weeks after Edwards, 35, was arrested February 10 in connection with harassment of Mackenzie.

In his arrest, Edwards - who shares two children with Mackenzie - was also charged with violating an order of protection, and possession of drug paraphernalia and a controlled substance.

Edwards was subsequently taken into custody and held on a bond of $5,000, the outlet reported.

Prior to Edwards' arrest, he took to social media with a picture of Mackenzie topless, captioning the image, 'If you guys have never seen a spineless s*** this is one.'

The latest: Police in Tennessee are looking for former Teen Mom personality Ryan Edwards, 35, in connection with allegations he stalked wife Mackenzie Edwards, 26. He was pictured after he was arrested earlier this month

He added: 'They take your money sleep with anything that looks at them. But they must have a wife to [sic]. God what a joke. It's sad really.'

Following the social media post, Mackenzie, 26, reported to the police multiple instances of domestic violence Edwards has been involved in since they wed in 2017.

Mackenzie told police Edwards 'punched holes in the walls and doors' and held her up by her 'neck to the wall' during a fight last month.

Mackenzie told authorities that Edwards threw her 'down in hallway and said if he could not have me no one could' and 'opened [his] pocket knife' and put it to her 'back like he was going to kill' her.

She said that the entire incident played out in front of their children, Jagger, four, and Stella, three.

'I tried to leave, he smashed my phone, took my car keys,' Mackenzie said, adding that a co-worker contacted the authorities in the wake of the incident.

Mackenzie told police that a week later, Edwards was violent with her again. She said that Edwards 'came into bedroom where [she] was laying down ... pretending like he's going to punch [her] face' while yelling at her.

She said that after Edwards broke the bed she was lying in at the time, she 'went to get [her] kids and leave,' but he wouldn't let her.

Edwards and Mackenzie were snapped in 2019, two years after they exchanged vows

Edwards is also father to son Bentley, 14, with Maci Bookout, 31, who he was seen with on the MTV series 16 & Pregnant and Teen Mom

She said Edwards 'threw [her] down in [the] living room' and 'threw menthol nicotine in [her] eyes.'

Mackenzie was granted a temporary protective order, ahead of an upcoming hearing for a restraining order slated to take place at an undetermined date.

Edwards is also father to son Bentley, 14, with Maci Bookout, 31, who he was seen with on the MTV series 16 & Pregnant.

His issues with drugs were subsequently chronicled on the network's popular series Teen Mom.

Edwards in March of 2018 was arrested in connection with a probation violation on a previous drug conviction, after which Bookout obtained a restraining order against him.

He was subsequently arrested later that year after he was arrested with heroin in his possession, eventually serving a three-month prison stint in connection with the incident.

Edwards, Mackenzie, and his parents were terminated from the show Teen Mom OG in 2021 following an incident with Bookout and her spouse, Taylor McKinney, according to The Sun.
Austin Butler spoke about having a health scare after he wrapped filming Elvis as he walked the red carpet at Sunday's 29th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards.

Hollywood's new leading man, 31, told People that he 'ended up in the hospital' and 'spent a week in bed' right after his last day of filming the smash hit biopic.

Butler  who brushed off his loss to Brendan Frasier by partying with Orlando Bloom and Zendaya  called playing Elvis 'the greatest ride of my life.'

Austin said: 'I had a week of downtime where I actually ended up in the hospital.

'I didn't get sick the entire time I filmed [Elvis], but the day I finished, I ended up in the emergency room. So I spent a week in bed, and then I went to this other job.'

Scary: Austin Butler, 31, spoke about having a health scare after he wrapped filming Elvis as he walked the red carpet at Sunday's 29th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards

Austin revealed last year that he had contracted a virus that stimulates appendicitis.

Speaking to GQ, the heartthrob described falling ill right after finishing his acclaimed turn as the late King of Rock 'n Roll.

'The next day I woke up at four in the morning with excruciating pain, and I was rushed to hospital.'

The Oscar nominee also talked to People about losing his voice, saying that he could no longer sing after enduring several takes of a difficult scene.

'We were on stage and I was singing Never Been To Spain, and, and we did so many takes, and at a certain point, my voice just, I just lost my voice,' he shared.

'Then I went on vocal rest for a couple of days, and I was able to come back.'

Although the long hours and multiple takes may have been grueling, he added, 'There were those days, but it was also just the greatest ride of my life.'

Butler looked dapper at the event in a tailored burgundy tuxedo and was joined on the red carpet by Elvis director Baz Luhrmann, 60, and his wife, Catherine Martin.

Struggled: Hollywood's new leading man told People that he 'ended up in the hospital' and 'spent a week in bed' right after his last day of filming the smash hit biopic. The star revealed last year that he had contracted a virus that stimulates appendicitis

Austin said: 'I had a week of downtime where I actually ended up in the hospital. 'I didn't get sick the entire time I filmed [Elvis], but the day I finished, I ended up in the emergency room. So I spent a week in bed, and then I went to this other job'

Happy to be there: Although the long hours and multiple takes may have been grueling, he added, 'There were those days, but it was also just the greatest ride of my life'

The Elvis star's burgundy tuxedo featured a retro cut highlighting Austin's tall, lean figure.

Butler's dirty blonde hair was styled up Elvis style, and he donned some clean-cut stubble.

Hollywood's new leading man arrived without his girlfriend, supermodel-turned-actress Kaia Gerber.

He hobnobbed with other A-list stars inside the Fairmont Century Plaza, posing alongside fellow nominees Julia Garner, who was nominated for her acclaimed turn in Inventing Anna, and Ana De Armas, who was nominated for her performance as Marilyn Monroe in Blonde.

Austin went on to make a dashing duo with Taron Egerton, who looked handsome in a white tuxedo.

Egerton was nominated in the category of Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Limited Series for his performance in Black Bird, ultimately losing out to Sam Elliott.

Butler's lauded turn as Elvis earned him a nomination for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role.

He faced stiff competition from Brendan Fraser in The Whale, who received the Award for Best Actor.

Director and star: Butler looked dapper at the event in a tailored burgundy tuxedo and was joined on the red carpet by Elvis director Baz Luhrmann, 60, and his wife, Catherine Martin

On to the Oscars: Butler came up short at the SAG Awards, losing out to Brendan Frasier for his performance in The Whale

The Banshees Of Inisherin and Everything Everywhere All At Once were among the most nominated feature films at the 29th Screen Actors Guild Awards.

The Banshees Of Inisherin earned a nomination for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture, along with individual nods for Colin Farrell in the lead male actor category and Brendan Gleeson and Barry Keoghan in the supporting male category.

The Michelle Yeohstarring Everything Everywhere All At Once, which has grossed more than $100 million against just a $14 million budget, was also a hit with SAG voters.

Yeoh, who scored a major career comeback with Everything Everywhere All At Once, won for lead female actor.

Ke Huy Quan, best known as a child actor in Indiana Jones And The Temple Of Doom and The Goonies, cemented his return to Hollywood by winning for supporting male actor.

Stephanie Hsu, who plays the actors' daughter in the film, was nominated in the supporting female actor category, losing out to co-star Jamie Lee Curtis, who plays a villainous IRS agent in the film.

The event also honored acting legend Sally Field with the SAG Life Achievement Award for her work spanning over five decades earning over 70 acting credits.

The 76-year-old actress who exclaimed, 'You like me! Right now! You like me!' when she won her second Oscar for Best Actress in 1984's Places in the Heart, is no stranger to Hollywood honors.
Kim Kardashian took to Instagram to show off her enviable figure and chic ensemble after visiting Dolce & Gabbana in Milan, Italy.

On Monday, the 42-year-old Keeping Up With The Kardashians star shared a carousel of images showing off a cream-colored co-ord made of leather belts that she wore to the opening of the luxury retailer's flagship store.

While in town for Milan Fashion Week, the SKIMS founder sported a nude buckled cropped motorcycle jacket and a matching miniskirt as she posed in front of her own billboard image.

To match, she also paired the stylish outfit with knee-high, leg warmer-style boots of the same color and material.

In the caption of her post, she wrote: 'I love you Milan!' I had to stop by the store to see the collection in stores since it just all arrived!'

Picture perfect: Kim Kardashian, 42, took to Instagram to show off her enviable figure and chic ensemble after visiting Dolce & Gabbana in Milan, Italy

Chic co-ord: On Monday, the reality star shared a carousel of images showing off a cream-colored co-ord made of leather belts that she wore to the opening of the luxury retailer's flagship store

Taking a pic: In the post, the social media personality was seen perusing the store, posing in front of her own likeliness, and taking photos on her phone

'What a surreal dream come true,' she added. 'And thank you all for coming to say hi to me there!'

She continued: 'I love you Domenico and Stefano for making my dreams come true'.

The entrepreneur also shared four videos at the end of her post that panned around a large group of fans crowing the entire alley to meet and greet Kim herself.

In the post, the social media personality was seen perusing the store, posing in front of her own likeliness, and taking photos on her phone.

For the occasion, she wore her hip-length, jet black tresses in loose waves and peekaboo curtain bangs.

The mother-of-four sported a pink monochromatic look with a radiant blush and a dusty rose lip.

She opted out of any flashy accessories let her outfit of belts hold the center of attention.

The reality TV sensation could be seen walking around the store and checking out the wares while a crowd of fans stood outside of a floor-to-ceiling glass window.

Later, she walked out onto a patio and looked down upon the group of supporters.

Long hair, don't care: For the occasion, she wore her hip-length, jet black tresses in loose waves and peekaboo curtain bangs

Greeting her fans: The entrepreneur also shared four videos at the end of her post that panned around a large group of fans crowing the entire alley to meet and greet Kim herself

Center of attention: She opted out of any flashy accessories let her outfit of belts hold the center of attention

Gathering a crowd: Later, the star walked out onto a patio and looked down upon the group of supporters; while being filmed by a camera crew, she greeted and waved to her fans, many of which held up their phones and recorded her as well

While being filmed by a camera crew, she greeted and waved to her fans, many of which held up their phones and recorded her as well.

Kim strolled the couture store after watching the brand's catwalk show, where models such as Ashley Graham stormed the runway.

Adding a full-glam palette of makeup, Kim was snapped talking into her phone as she appeared to take snaps of the store.

She was joined by her hair stylist Chris Appleton, who stood alongside her in the store and ensured her locks were picture perfect.

While camera crews and photographers also surrounded the area, with microphones over her head as it appeared that she could be filming for an upcoming episode of The Kardashians.

It was the second outfit of the day for the star, who rocked a stunning red gown with sequin embellishments for the fashion show.

Displaying the new season pieces from Dolce & Gabbana, model Ashley Graham was seen taking to the runway in a red mini dress.

Aside from the day of fashion, Kim has been busy promoting her new collection of SKIMS SWIM all week after unveiling her highly anticipated second collection.

The entrepreneur founded SKIMS alongside Jens and Emma Grede in 2019.

Co-ord: Kim teamed a mini skirt with a matching cropped long-sleeved jacket, which featured a silver centre zip detail, high neck and multiple buckles to match. Her nude mini-skirt was adorned with a multi-buckle detail

Documenting: Kim, who had appeared at the brand's fashion show earlier in the day, appeared to be snapping pictures of the store

The full look: She added a pair of nude knee-high boots to the look, elevating her petite frame with the heels

Crew: While camera crews and photographers also surrounded the area, with microphones over her head as it appeared that she could be filming for an upcoming episode of The Kardashians

Several of her family members, including her sisters Khloe and Kourtney and half-sister Kendall, have all been featured in SKIMS' photoshoots.

Kim's fashion week outing comes after she was accused to of trying to resemble actress Megan Fox.

When posing for her newest SKIMS campaign, Kim's face looked very different. Her nose appeared thinner and her lips looked even bigger than usual.

Some Instagram followers compared her to Megan in the comments, even tagging the actress as they noted the resemblance.
Crown Princess Mary is known for her sensational style.

And the Danish royal, 51, once again showcased her flawless taste at the India-Denmark: Partners for Green and Sustainable Progress conference in New Delhi on Tuesday.

Mary looked glamorous for the occasion in a tailored black top and pants.

She completed her look with a colourful coat that featured abstract designs and a crimson lapel.

Mary opted to wear her brunette locks straight for the event, and donned a subtle makeup palette befitting of her style status.

Crown Princess Mary is known for her sensational style. And the Danish royal, 51, once again showcased her flawless taste at the India-Denmark: Partners for Green and Sustainable Progress conference in New Delhi on Tuesday. Pictured with Prince Frederik

Elsewhere, her husband Prince Frederik looked dashing in a classic blue suit as he sat beside Danish Minister of Foreign Affairs, Lars Lkke Rasmussen.

Known for her eye for style, Denmark's future queen regularly mixes high fashion with budget-friendly pieces and champions locally made clothing whenever she can.

So keen is Mary's eye for fashion that a public vote twice named her the World's Most Stylish Royal, ahead of the Duchess of Cambridge, Queen Letizia of Spain and Queen Rania of Jordan.

The late Chanel designer Karl Lagerfeld once described Mary and Kate Middleton as 'royal sisters' thanks to their strikingly similar appearance and comparable taste in clothes.

Denmark's future queen has posed for Vogue Australia and German Vogue and is a patron of Global Fashion Agenda, which oversees the annual Copenhagen Fashion Summit.

The love story between Princess Mary and Prince Frederick has been well documented.

Mary looked glamorous for the occasion in a tailored black top and pants. She completed her look with a colourful coat that featured abstract designs and a crimson lapel

Mary opted to wear her brunette locks straight for the event, and donned a subtle makeup palette befitting of her style status

Elsewhere, her husband Prince Frederik looked dashing in a classic blue suit

Frederik was all smiles as he sat beside Danish Minister of Foreign Affairs, Lars Lkke Rasmussen (pictured right)

Her Royal Highness Crown Princess Mary was 'just' Mary, a marketing manager at an advertisement company, when she met Crown Prince Frederik in a pub in Sydney during the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games.

On May 14, 2004, Mary married her Prince in a lavish ceremony attended by royals - and media - from across the globe in Copenhagen Cathedral in the Danish capital.

It was described as the ultimate happy fairytale ending with the prince marrying the beautiful commoner.

The guest list included the Kings and Queens of Sweden, Norway, Spain, Belgium and The Netherlands as Prince Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex, and Sophie, Countess of Wessex.

The Crown Prince couple are parents to Prince Christian, Princess Isabella and twins Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine.
Global superstar Ed Sheeran took some time away from his Australian tour schedule on Tuesday to perform for the sick kids at Melbourne's Royal Children's Hospital.

The Bad Habits star, 32, gave hundreds of young fans a day to remember as he belted out his hits to the adoring crowd.

Ed looked every inch the rock star in an all-black getup and was in peak performance mode as he sung his touching ballad Thinking Out Loud.

His fans were left begging for more at the end of his incredible surprise performance.

The Royal Children's Hospital's Instagram page shared a video of Sheeran wowing the packed crowd and thanked the hitmaker for his incredible generosity.

Global superstar Ed Sheeran (pictured) took some time away from his Australian tour schedule on Tuesday to perform for the sick kids at Melbourne's Royal Children's Hospital

The Bad Habits star, 32, gave hundreds of young fans a day to remember as he belted out his hits to the adoring crowd

'An absolutely magical experience. Thank you Ed for making our day,' they wrote.

It didn't take long for many of their followers to praise Sheeran's warm-hearted act.

'How truly wonderful. This small act can bring such joy and hope at a time when families and staff need it the most,' one fan gushed.

Another wrote they 'couldnt imagine a more deserving crowd'.

The English superstar has made it a habit to give back to his young fans while touring Down Under, as he also surprised kids and teenagers at Queensland Children's Hospital last weekend.

Ed looked every inch the rock star in an all-black getup and was in peak performance mode as he sung his touching ballad Thinking Out Loud

During the Queensland hospital visit, a teenage girl had all her dreams come true as she got to sing alongside the popstar.

Keasine Latu - who thankfully is now cancer free - was lucky enough to not only meet her idol and hear some of his biggest hits, but she shared a special moment with him as they performed a duet.

She told the Today show on Channel 9 she was 'so nervous' but it was the best experience of her life.

'I was put on the spot, the cameraman told him I could sing and it was in front of everyone so I just started singing,' she told the program.

'It was the best thing I experienced my entire life, meeting Ed Sheeran was amazing.'
Downton Abbey star Amy Nuttall has reportedly been left heartbroken after husband Andrew Buchan 'walked out' on her and moved in with new co-star Leila Farzad.

It's the latest blow to befell the 40-year-old actress, who has had a rocky romantic past with her romances.

She was famously cheated on by her Emmerdale co-star Ben Freeman in 2005, who she had described as the 'first real love of my life.'

The pair had played on/off lovers in the ITV soap and their will they/won't they storyline ultimately seeped into their real lives as they struck up a romance, dating for four years.

However, much like the tumultuous storylines they played out on screen, their romance ended in tragedy when Ben was rumoured to have cheated on her.

A look back at Amy Nuttall's rocky romances: Amy was famously cheated on by her Emmerdale co-star Ben Freeman in 2005 (pictured in 2004)

Tragedy: Downton Abbey star Amy was reportedly left heartbroken after husband Andrew Buchan 'walked out' on her and moved in with his new co-star (pictured in 2014)

She was aware of the female attention her boyfriend would attract on a night out but had convinced herself he wouldn't stray.

In an ill-fated interview, she told The Mirror in 2003: 'Girls seem to have no inhibitions at all, especially after a few drinks. It's obvious that we are out as a couple, but it doesn't stop them trying to clamber all over him.

'Ben's brilliant. He's very polite, but he always puts his arm around me to make it clear that he is there with me.'

Making her stance on infidelity very clear, she continued: 'The girls don't make me jealous because I'm very secure in my relationship with Ben, but I do think it's rude.

'I would never dream of going up to someone else's boyfriend and trying it on.'

Despite being a lads' mag favourite in the Noughties, Amy insisted that she had no male attention in real life, stating: 'I've never been chatted up since arriving on Emmerdale.

'Even when I'm not with Ben, I get the odd look of recognition but no one comes up to talk to me. Maybe they know I'm spoken for, or they feel intimidated because I'm on TV. Men like to play it cool and I suppose they don't want a knock-back.'

Yet by her own admission she wasn't good at picking up signs from men, confessing that she had no idea that Ben was into her and that he did 'all the chasing.'

Co-stars: Andrew is understood to have left the family home and moved in with Leila Farzad after meeting the glamorous actress while working on BBC series Better (pictured on show)

Despite her one rule being 'not to mix work with pleasure', she found herself falling head over heels for Ben and the couple ended up moving in together.

Even after they split and a woman came forward with a kiss and tell story about Ben, Amy insisted that she still had a lot of love for her partner.

Speaking shortly after their split in 2005, she said: 'Ben and I are still good mates and we'll always remain close.

'He was the first real love of my life, and we're still very good friends with each other's families, so there's no bad feeling there at all.'

Three years after their split, Ben faced trial for raping a 16-year-old girl in Barbados. He was later acquitted.

He said he had been devastated by the allegation and that, since the incident in November 2006, he had been 'released' from his contract with Emmerdale.

Two years after the trial got engaged to Hollyoaks actress Jennifer Biddall on the set of Dreamcoats and Petticoats.

Yet in 2013 he was accused of infidelity again after he was pictured openly kissing and hugging his West End co-star Gina Beck.

Former flame: Despite her one rule being 'not to mix work with pleasure', she found herself falling head over heels for Emmerdale co-star Ben and the couple dated for four years (pictured on the show)

Loved-up: Amy was aware of the female attention her boyfriend would attract on a night out but had convinced herself he wouldn't stray (pictured in 2004)

Despite claiming to have had no attention from men, Amy was linked to a number of high profile male suitors.

She was seen out with the likes of Manchester United's Alan Smith and Everton's James Beattie, T4 presenter Steve Jones, reality star Calum Best and the late X Factor star Darius Campbell.

Yet she denied being romantically involved with any of them, stating: 'I can't seem to go out and even talk to a guy without it getting in the papers that he's my new boyfriend.

'It makes it hard to date anyone because with all the attention I can't even work out whether I like somebody or not. It really puts pressure on, and most times I think it's not worth the hassle.

'But it's not like I get much attention anyway. It's always nice to be chatted up by a gorgeous guy, but the only ones I ever get are the drunk ones at the end of the night who come over and talk rubbish at me.'

Despite not being approached in real life, Amy was considered a sex symbol by many men due to her racy lads' mag spreads.

She later confessed that she regretted posing for the racy shoots, telling People newspaper: 'I was kind of told that if you do this you will get bigger and better storylines.

'They said that the more attention you got, the bigger the character would grow, therefore there would be more to do.

'And so I kind of thought, "Oh well...in that case". I wouldn't say there was pressure to do it but I certainly was young and naive because I was just 18 when I started in Emmerdale.

'My dad says, "Look, don't regret it. What's done is done." And so many girls have done it.'

She continued: 'I went on GMTV to plug my storyline and all they wanted talk about was a lad's mag that I was in. I thought, "Hang on a minute, there is more to me than that".'

Romantic entanglements: Amy was linked to a number of high profile male suitors including reality star Calum Best (left) and the late X Factor star Darius Campbell

It seemed Amy had found her happy ending when she met Broadchurch actor Andrew in 2007, with the couple tying the knot in 2012 and welcoming a son three years later.

The actor, 44, best known for his role as Mark Latimer in the hugely popular ITV series, is said to have 'walked out' on Amy after developing a new relationship with his co-star on a brand new drama.

He has reportedly moved in with Leila Farzad, 39, after meeting the glamorous actress while working on BBC series Better, The Sun reports.

The reports come just weeks after Leila shared a gushing Instagram post paying tribute to Andrew for 'holding her up and wiping away her tears,' alongside a snap of them filming the drama.

A source told the outlet: 'It was a huge shock. Amy is heartbroken.'

Andrew is said to have told Amy their marriage was over before Christmas, leaving the actress devastated and their friends in a state of shock.

The source added: 'For Andrew to walk away from his family was a huge shock to us all  and Amy is heartbroken. Everyone who knows them thought they were going to be together forever.

'But he's packed his bags and left with his new co-star. Whatever has gone on, it seems to have been enough for him to re-evaluate his whole life and rip up their marriage.

'Nobody is quite sure of the exact details, but Andrew has clearly had his head turned pretty dramatically.'

Stunning: Despite not being approached in real life, Amy was considered a sex symbol by many men due to her racy lads' mag spreads (pictured in 2007)

In a telling Instagram post, shared shortly after Valentine's Day, Amy alluded to the split as she penned: 'I am not impressed by money, social status or job title. I'm impressed by the way someone treats other human beings.'

Meanwhile, earlier this month, Leila took to social media to share a gushing tribute to Andrew in a montage featuring the entire Better cast and crew.

Her caption read: 'This lot. Couldn't and wouldn't happen without them.

'Big up the Better team who wiped my tears, held me up, fed me crumpets and made me smile.

'Don't have pics of everyone but this gang got me through! We made a show, it's NOT a Happy Valley replacement but a morality tale which should make you think.'

Andrew plays a well-connected criminal alongside Leila's corrupt police officer in new crime drama Better, which launched on BBC One in February.

The London born, Oxford-educated Leila has previously taken roles in Law & Order: UK, Man Down, This Time With Alan Partridge and I Hate Suzie - a part that earned her a BAFTA TV nomination.

New romance? Andrew is said to have told Amy their marriage was over before Christmas and has moved in with Leila after working together on their new series (pictured on the show)

What's going on? Last week, Amy appeared to allude to the split, as she took to Instagram to share a cryptic message just a day after Valentine's Day

Fellow actress Amy found fame after joining ITV soap Emmerdale in 2000 at the age of 18; she played Chloe Atkinson for eight years before leaving the show to pursue a music career.

More recently she played Ethel Parks in BBC period drama Downton Abbey.

Ironically, the character loses her job at the sprawling Downton estate after having a torrid affair with a serving officer.

MailOnline has contacted a representative for further comment.
Hugh Bonneville and John Bishop are stunned to discover a surprising family link as they appear on an ancestry television programme together.

The stars, who first became pals during lockdown after meeting each other by chance in a vaccine centre, uncover their histories in ITV's DNA Journey,

The pair discover on the show that Hugh's ancestor, John Freeman, worked a short distance from John's relative Andrew Keegan.

John, 56, had a family bakery while Andrew had a music shop on Capel Street, Dublin.

The men were both part of unions and according to the program, they both went on a March in support of workers' rights in the 1840s.

Friends: Hugh Bonneville and John Bishop discovered a surprising family link as they went on an ancestry journey together

Let me take a selfie: They uncovered their ancestry after they struck up a friendship when they met by chance at the Midhurst Pharmacy vaccine centre during lockdown

After hearing the bombshell, John said: 'I thought it was a coincidence that you were at the vaccine centre.

'To find out that generations before, our ancestors were working within 30 yards of each other... then to discover they were on a march together on the same day that started the path for discussions for Irish independence... staggering.'

Hugh, 59, added: 'That is quite spooky. It's the sliding doors of fate and time.

'Not only are we friends, but I'd like to think that Andrew and John were friends back in the day.'

The show also sees the men uncover more fascinating family information, including about John's great-great-great grandfather Patrick Reardon.

Patrick started a business in the salt industry, travelling from Ireland to Liverpool.

Meanwhile, Hugh's ancestor Richard Bonniwell rallied to make working conditions for sailors better in the 1820s after working as a naval architect.

It comes after the two stars shared selfies on their respective social media accounts in 2021 after their surprise encounter at the Midhurst Riverbank Medical Centre.

Thumbs up! Hugh also posed for a thumbs up selfie with John as they met at the vaccine centre

Hugh was volunteering at his local centre to help the fight against coronavirus throughout the pandemic.

Alongside a snap of himself and Hugh, John wrote: 'You know you've picked a posh centre when Hugh Bonneville volunteers here!

Meanwhile, Hugh shared a similar snap and wrote: 'My turn to ask for a selfie. @nobleandstace and I had to up our Welcome game when the one and only @johnbish100 arrived for his vaccination #MidhurstPharmacy #vaccination.'

Hugh was sporting a yellow hi-vis jacket and a face mask, which he pulled down for the photo opportunity with John - who was stood at a social distance.

*DNA Journey starts Tuesday 7 March, ITV and ITVX, 9pm.
A rendered image of LG Household & Health Care's temporary tattoo printing device, IMPRINTU, above, in green, and Prinker Korea's tattoo printing device, below, in black. Yonhap



Prinker Korea, a Korean startup, claimed Monday that LG Household Health Care has stolen the idea of its customized tattoo printing device, called Prinker M, and created a copycat product.



Prinker said LG HH applied for a design patent under the name of "tattoo printer" in September 2020 after the two signed a nondisclosure agreement for a potential business partnership in June 2019.



The startup claimed LG HH's portable temporary tattoo printer, called IMPRINTU, shares various similarities in terms of concept, design and size with Prinker M, noting LG HH had purchased Prinker's devices.



LG HH admitted to having purchased Prinker's products but said it was part of a "routine market assessment" activity before entering into a new market.



"LG Household Health Care's portable temporary tattoo printer, set to be revealed at the Mobile World Congress this week, is another example of a large conglomerate copying the concept, technology and the idea created by a smaller startup," Prinker said in a statement posted on its website on Monday.



The allegations, if verified, would be the latest case of an idea theft dispute between a small firm and a large conglomerate in Korea.



Prinker said its portable tattoo printer, which can print various designs on human skin by using a mobile app, is available in about 80 countries, including the United States, France and Germany.



In January, French cosmetics giant L'Oreal decided to invest in Prinker, the startup said, without giving any details on the value of the investment.



Prinker said it has reported the case to the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, and plans to take legal actions against LG HH for an alleged violation of the unfair competition prevention act.



LG HH refuted Prinker's accusations, saying it has neither received any materials related to Prinker's technology nor had any type of communication  telephone conversations, emails and meetings  with the startup after signing the nondisclosure agreement in June 2019.



LG HH also dismissed claims the tattoo printer concept is "exclusive" to Prinker, given Hewlett-Packard Company had already patented the idea back in 1999.



"LG HH has been careful to avoid patents already existing in the market since the early development stages of IMPRINTU. We are a runner-up in the market and have been working with companies such as LG Electronics, HP and others since 2019," the beauty giant of LG Group said.



A slew of idea theft disputes between startups and large conglomerates have been brewing in Korea.



In a recent case, Algocare, a local health care startup, raised suspicions last month that Lotte Group's healthcare affiliate copied key features of its health supplement dispenser machine. Similarly, an edu-tech startup had accused VISANG Education, a major education content maker, for copying the design and functions of a test prep software it developed.



Last month, the Ministry of SMEs and Startups said it will take tougher actions against conglomerates stealing technology owned by small and medium-sized enterprises. (Yonhap)


Paris Hilton gave fans another glimpse at her baby son in a sweet photograph with the newborn and her mother Kathy.

The socialite, 42, cradled Phoenix Barron in the adorable snap while Kathy, 63, leant forward to plant a kiss on her sixth grandchild's forehead.

The mother-daughter duo closed their eyes in bliss as they cuddled sleeping Phoenix.

While Paris welcomed her first child with husband Carter Reum in January she recently revealed that her family knew nothing about the surrogacy until a week after his birth.

The star had wanted to keep thing very private as she prepared to welcome her first child and had been worried that if her family knew the news would be leaked.

Family: Paris Hilton gave fans another glimpse at her baby son in a sweet photograph alongside newborn Phoenix Barron and her mother Kathy

Speaking on her This Is Paris podcast she said: 'Not even my mom, my sisters, my best friend knew until he was over a week old.

'It was really nice to have that with Carter, be our own journey together. I just feel like my life has been so public, and I've never really had anything be just mine.

'So when we were talking about it, I really felt that I wanted this journey to be for us only.

'Because we were so excited and wanted to tell our families, but we were just nervous because if you tell a person, then they tell someone, and all the sudden, it's in TMZ or Page Six, and I've had enough of my life like that.

'So Carter and I literally made a pact together that we would not tell anyone, and no one knew until just recently.'

Her mother didn't meet her newborn until about a week after he was born.

She said of the moment: 'When I introduced my mom to our baby boy, it was amazing to see the look on her face.

'She was so surprised  just the look on her face, it was priceless.'

Newborn: Paris shared the surprise news of her son's birth last month as she held his tiny hand in an Instagram post

It comes after the star revealed that she already has 'seven' more embryos in the hope of having more kids, less than a month after Phoenix's birth.

While gracing the cover of Glamour UK, the socialite admitted that she and Carter decided to freeze embryos in the hope of starting a family, and that their collection are 'all boys.'

Speaking in the candid new interview, the New York native 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.

She said: 'I went and did the one round of IVF, because Kim had told me about it. So I had eggs frozen.'

But when she and Carter met and tied the knot, they decided to start a family, and during the Covid lockdown they had embryos frozen, and they still have enough to have numerous children in the future.

The heiress said: '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?''

Keeping quiet: While Paris welcomed her first child with husband Carter Reum in January she recently revealed that her family knew nothing about the surrogacy until a week after his birth (pictured with mum Kathy and sister Nicky)

'And he said, ''Yeah, let's do it.'' And we've done it seven times I have all boys. I have 20 boys.'

Paris added that she always planned to have her baby with the help of a surrogate after developing a fear of doctors during her younger years at boarding school.

She explained: 'I'm just so scared, I think, again, leading back to Provo of even being in a doctor's office, just all of that.

'The shots, the IVs that they put in [she claims they used to regularly take samples of her blood].

'When I was in The Simple Life, I had to be in a room when a woman was giving birth and that traumatised me as well.

'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.'

Paris shared the surprise news of her son's birth in January, and her Glamour interview came just a day after revealing his mythical name for the first time.

In February, the reality star shocked fans when she revealed that she had welcomed her child via surrogate.

Cute couple: It comes after the star revealed that she already has 'seven' more embryos in the hope of having more kids with husband Carter Reum less than a month after Phoenix's birth

The heiress kept news of his arrival not only a secret to the public but her own family. She waited a week after Phoenix was born to share his arrival with loved ones.

Paris previously spoke about her decision to keep her immediate family in the dark about her child until she was on the verge of announcing his birth.

'My entire life has been so public,' she told Harper's Bazaar. 'I've never had anything for myself. We decided that we wanted to have this whole experience to ourselves.'

'I want to protect him and to be with him every second. You have this mother instinct that kicks in, which I've never had before,' she said of her son.
Elvis actor Austin Butler has spoken openly of his grief after Lisa Marie Presley's sudden death.

Lisa Marie, the only daughter of Elvis and Priscilla Presley, tragically died six weeks ago at the age of 54 after going into cardiac arrest at home.

Austin, 31, who is up for Best Actor at the Oscars for his role as the King of Rock and Roll, spoke about the close bond he formed with Lisa Marie while making the film.

Austin appeared at the Costume Designers Guild Awards on Monday night, where he presented the gong for Excellence in Contemporary Film after missing out on a trophy at the SAG Awards.

Speaking about the loss of Lisa Marie, who passed away just days after Austin won a Golden Globe for his portrayal of her father, he said: 'I've never felt so close to somebody so quickly as I did to Lisa Marie.

Upset: Elvis actor Austin Butler has spoken openly of his grief after Lisa Marie Presley's sudden death

Close bond: Lisa Marie, the only daughter of Elvis and Priscilla Presley, tragically died six weeks ago at the age of 54 after going into cardiac arrest at home (pictured last June)

'The first time I met Lisa Marie, we felt as though we knew each other from before, because I'd done these scenes saying goodbye to little Lisa Marie, suddenly now I'm looking at adult Lisa Marie and we just both got tears in our eyes and I got the biggest hug.

'We just talked and talked for hours. She took me up into his bedroom at Graceland and sat on his bed. Those are the things that are the biggest gift for this whole thing for me,' Austin said on the WTF podcast with Marc Maron.

The actor has been in touch with Lisa's mum Priscilla and said the grief within the family and those who were close to Lisa is 'strong'.

'Priscilla is such a strong woman and she has been handling it in a way that has to hold this whole family together as well as the legacy of Elvis - and now Lisa Marie', he said.

'The things she has had to go through in life are unfathomable.'

It comes amid reports Priscilla is not speaking to her granddaughter Riley Keough as they battle it out over Lisa's will.

In a 2016 amendment to her will, Lisa Marie removed her mother as her executor and named her two adult children Riley and Benjamin Keough as her only heirs.

Benjamin died by suicide in 2020 and left Riley as the sole heir, but Priscilla is now challenging the amendment, which cut her out of the will entirely.

Grieving: Austin, 31, who is up for Best Actor at the Oscars for his role as the King of Rock and Roll, spoke about the close bond he formed with Lisa Marie while making the film

Red carpet appearance: Austin appeared at the Costume Designers Guild Awards on Monday night

On stage: The actor presented the gong for Excellence in Contemporary Film after missing out on a trophy at the SAG Awards

Winner: Austin congratulated Jenny Eagan won the Excellence in Contemporary Film for Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery

Edgy: Austin wore a sheer shirt and black blazer for his awards ceremony appearance

In good company: Austin was joined by The Crown's Elizabeth Debicki who put on a daring display in a plunging red dress

In the running: Austin has been tipped as the best actor frontrunner for the biopic of Elvis at the Oscars

'Riley and Priscilla are not talking,' one of Lisa Marie's friends told Page Six. 'Their relationship is changing, that is trueits just so sad.'

The source argued: 'This is the time Riley would really need her grandmother,' but noted ominously: 'Riley is seeing a new side of her grandmother.'

Meanwhile a Graceland insider spilled: 'Rileys not looking for a war. She always had a good relationship with her grandmother. Lisa had her issues with her mother, but...she didnt drag [her kids] into [their] personal issues.'

Furthermore the source maintained that 'Lisa was meant to outlive her mother' and so 'there should be no in-fighting within the family over a trust that was always meant to go to Riley and Benjamin.'

The insider wondered: 'Why does Priscilla feel that she is most suitable to run things? Why does she feel that she should take over?'

Priscilla is slated to appear at next month's Oscars, where Austin has been tipped as the best actor frontrunner for the biopic of Elvis.

The Graceland source intimated that Riley, who is an acclaimed actress in her own right, is 'unlikely' attend the ceremony.

Austin will go up against Colin Farrell (The Banshees of Inisherin), Brendan Fraser (The Whale), Paul Mescal (Aftersun) and Bill Nighy (Living) on Oscar Sunday on March 13.

After Lisa-Marie's death on January 12, Austin released a heartfelt statement about her passing.

'My heart is completely shattered for Riley, Finley, Harper and Priscilla at the tragic and unexpected loss of Lisa Marie,' Butler said.

'I am eternally grateful for the time I was lucky enough to be near her bright light and will forever cherish the quiet moments we shared. Her warmth, her love and her authenticity will always be remembered,' he concluded.
Aubrey Plaza's stylist has defended her revealing dress that the actress wore to the Screen Actors Guild Awards on Sunday night.

The 38-year-old star had all eyes on her in a daring gold gown that featured a large front cutout showing off her toned midriff.

The White Lotus actress' sensational Michael Kors gown featured a criss-cross halter neckline, as well as a sultry thigh-high slit.

But not everyone was a fan when the outfit was shared by fashion blogger Check the Tag on Instagram, leading stylist Jessica Paster to defend the ensemble in the comment section.

One user claimed ;the straps could be better adjusted', while another added: 'The straps look too tight thats all.'

A third user wrote: 'The colour and shimmer is gorgeous but the very large cutout design looks awkward, unflattering and a bit try-hard.'

Defence: Aubrey Plaza's stylist has defended her revealing dress that the actress wore to the Screen Actors Guild Awards on Sunday night

Criticism: But not everyone was a fan when the outfit was shared by fashion blogger Check the Tag on Instagram, leading stylist Jessica Paster to defend the ensemble in the comment section

However, Jessica (pictured) insisted everything went to plan, replying: 'Did 7 fittings .. for real ... I wanted underboob'

However, Jessica insisted everything went to plan, replying: 'Did 7 fittings .. for real ... I wanted underboob'.

It comes after Aubrey's on-stage temper tantrum at the SAG Awards sparked a flurry of social media speculation last night over just what left her looking so furious.

Although she has not publicly addressed the incident, a source close to Aubrey revealed that her irritated outburst was prompted by several different interactions on-stage.

The first, the insider shared was a 'direct result of her almost being elbowed in her face' as she and her fellow female co-stars were shuffled to the back of the stage while several of the male cast members made acceptance speeches.

And, the source added, that wasn't the only incident to rile up the actress as she and her fellow White Lotus stars took to the stage to accept the award for Best Ensemble in a Drama Series.

The insider confirmed speculation that Aubrey's temper was further aggravated when her co-star Jon Gries warned her that her 'boob was hanging out' of her risque gown.

She was also seen muttering 'Jesus Christ' when her co-star used his speech to pay tribute to those who had died in the earthquake in Turkey and Syria.

There were a couple of different things going on in that moment,' the insider told DailyMail.com. 'First, she was told that her boob was hanging out which would cause any woman to be uncomfortable.

'Then she was almost elbowed in the face and her reaction was a direct result of that.'

Aubrey's visibly 'annoyed' expression on-stage at the awards prompted a firestorm of social media reaction, with many viewers noticing that her first flash of anger occurred after Jon  who plays the husband of Jennifer Coolidge's character in the show  leaned over to whisper something in her ear.

The actress looked panicked for a second before looking down at her outfit and frantically adjusting the sequined 'straps' that criss-crossed over her chest.

Then, as she was adjusting her gown, White Lotus actor F. Murray Abraham was giving a speech to the crowd, in which he sent a 'prayer out to the earthquake victims of Syria and Turkey and a prayer for peace to Ukraine and Russia.'

When the crowd applauded, he shouted 'Union Forever!' And instead of clapping along with the cast, Aubrey was seen mouthing the word's 'Jesus Christ' under her breath.

Several viewers suggested that her outburst may have been directly linked to Abraham's speech - however what many didn't seem to spot was that she was nearly hit in the face by the elbow of one of her co-stars as they began embracing one another on-stage.

Video from the awards ceremony shows the moment that Aubrey nearly received an elbow to the cheek when her co-star Meghann Fahy went to hug Michael Imperioli.

A source close to the star revealed to DailyMail.com that her 'annoyed' expression came as a result of several on-stage incidents - first when her co-star warned her 'boob was hanging out'

Actor Jon Gries leaned over to whisper something in Aubrey's ear, at which point she was seen grasping her hands to her chest, before frantically rearranging her Michael Kors gown

There were a couple of different things going on in that moment,' the insider said. 'First, she was told that her boob was hanging out which would cause any woman to be uncomfortable'

Video from the awards ceremony shows the moment that Aubrey nearly received an elbow to the cheek when her co-star Meghann Fahy went to hug Michael Imperioli (seen)

At that point, she is seen leaning back and muttering 'Jesus Christ' under her breath.

That, DailyMail.com's source insists, was what prompted her irritated reaction.

'Aubrey is extremely expressive, and she is also very sarcastic,' the source added, insisting that her reactions had nothing to do with the cast or the show, saying: 'She is very proud of her work on White Lotus.'

No doubt matters were not helped by the fact that both Aubrey and her co-star Jennifer, 61, were stuck at the back of the group of cast and crew who assembled on the stage to accept the award - despite the fact that both women received a slew of praise for their performance in the hit HBO show.

When the speeches wrapped, Aubrey was one of the first to exit the stage and viewers were quick to call out her seemingly-odd behavior in a series of tweets.

'Why was Aubrey Plaza so mad to win for The White Lotus?' one person questioned.

Bizarre: Her actions confused many fans on social media as they took to Twitter to discuss her mannerisms

Earlier in the evening Aubrey appeared confident and poised while working the red carpet in her gorgeous Michael Kors gown

Later in the evening Aubrey seemed to let go of her anger as she celebrated the amazing win

Aubrey clearly didn't let the elbow and wardrobe malfunction stop her for having fun at the show

Another then pointed out that the actress 'even exited the stage quick and alone rather than staying with the cast,' while a third chimed in: 'She looked like she haaaaated being up there and immediately ran off stage while everyone in the cast was congratulating and hugging each other.'

Thankfully, Aubrey's frown turned upside down after the show when she was pictured in great spirits while posing for photos with several members of the cast.

The White Lotus took home two prestigious SAG Awards and Jennifer - who played Tanya on season 2 of the HBO series - got emotional during her speech.

First, Jennifer thanked the show's creator, Mike White. She then thanked her parents for pushing her to pursue her dreams.

The HBO series won the ensemble award over Better Call Saul, The Crown, Ozark, and Severance.
There is an 'intense' on-screen chemistry between Broadchurch actor Andrew Buchan and co-star Leila Farzad in the BBC drama Better, a body language expert has said.

Judi James said the performance between the pair 'did seem full of sexual tensions' at times, adding there was a 'fascinating on and off-screen body language dynamic'.

It comes as it emerged the pair struck up a real-life romance, with Buchan leaving his actress wife of 11 years, Amy Nuttall, to move in with Farzad, the Sun reports.

Buchan is said to have told Nuttall, 40, their marriage was over before Christmas, leaving the actress devastated and their friends in a state of shock.

The pair met while both starring in the BBC police drama, Better, in which they play a pair of longstanding friends.

Judi James said the performance between the pair 'did seem full of sexual tensions' at times, adding there was a 'fascinating on and off-screen body language dynamic'.

There is an 'intense' on-screen chemistry between Broadchurch actor Andrew Buchan and co-star Leila Farzad in the BBC drama Better, a body language expert said

Broadchurch star Andrew Buchan starred alongside Leila Farzad in the BBC police drama Better

Body language expert Judi James told the MailOnline: 'This is a fascinating on and off-screen body language dynamic as the whole plotline of Better revolved around the strong, intense chemistry between the two lead actors.

'It was described in the show as non-sexual even though at times it did seem full of sexual tension.'

She added that in Better 'both characters were happily married, but the nuanced and constantly changing rituals and signals they used together always seemed designed to keep the viewer on the edge of their seat in terms of whether they were in fact deeply in love or lust or not.

'The ending seemed to imply that theirs was the strongest relationship on the screen.'

She continued: 'It was an intense on-screen relationship that even threated to become a murder at one point.

All over? Broadchurch star Andrew Buchan has left actress wife Amy Nuttall after developing a relationship with his co-star on a brand new drama

'But it was the ability to define powerful emotions and strong bonding signals that looked like love and sexual attraction but which were unrequited on both sides that required and produced the best acting from both the leads.

'Their on-screen body language rituals were breathtaking and had viewers biting their nails to see if love would win over hate.

'They looked intimate beyond the realms of friendship rituals but there was always a line that the characters never crossed in this series.'

Buchan, 44, best known for his role as Mark Latimer in the hugely popular ITV series, married Downton Abbey star Nuttall in 2012, with the couple welcoming a son three years later, in 2015.

Farzad married her husband James in 2013, and they have a daughter who was born in 2014. It is not known when they split.

Co-stars: He is understood to have left the family home and moved in with Leila Farzad after meeting the glamorous actress while working on BBC series Better (pictured on show)

Old times: Nuttall found fame after joining the ITV soap Emmerdale in 2000 at the age of 18; she played Chloe Atkinson for eight years before leaving to pursue a music career

A source told the outlet: 'It was a huge shock. Amy is heartbroken.'

The source added: 'For Andrew to walk away from his family was a huge shock to us all  and Amy is heartbroken. Everyone who knows them thought they were going to be together forever.

'But he's packed his bags and left with his new co-star. Whatever has gone on, it seems to have been enough for him to re-evaluate his whole life and rip up their marriage.

'Nobody is quite sure of the exact details, but Andrew has clearly had his head turned pretty dramatically.' MailOnline has contacted a representative for further comment.

Earlier this month, Farzad took to social media to share a gushing tribute to Buchan in a montage featuring the entire Better cast and crew.

Her caption read: 'This lot. Couldn't and wouldn't happen without them. Big up the Better team who wiped my tears, held me up, fed me crumpets and made me smile.

'Don't have pics of everyone but this gang got me through! We made a show, it's NOT a Happy Valley replacement but a morality tale which should make you think.'

Cosy! Farzad and Buchan are pictured together while promoting Better on February 8

Previously: Buchan is best known for his role as Mark Latimer in the hugely popular ITV series Broadchurch (pictured)

United: Earlier this month, Farzad took to social media to share a gushing tribute to Buchan in a montage featuring the Better cast and crew

Happy: She shared a caption lauding her co-stars, including Buchan, for 'wiping away her tears' and 'holding her up'

Popular: Nuttall played Ethel Parks in ITV period drama Downton Abbey (pictured on the show)

Glamorous: Farzad has previously taken roles in Law & Order: UK, Man Down, This Time With Alan Partridge and I Hate Suzie - a part that earned her a Bafta TV nomination

Former flame: Farzad was previously married to husband James, with the pair tying the knot in 2013, after being friends for six years. They have a daughter born in 2014

Cute: She posted a photo of a note her little girl had hidden in her suitcase as she went away to film, which read: 'I'm very proud of you mummy.

Buchan plays well-connected criminal Col alongside Farzad's corrupt police officer, Lou, in the crime drama Better, which was first screened on BBC One in February.

One scene in the series shows the pair sharing an embrace, and Farzad has described their on-screen relationship as 'intense.'

She said: 'It's a very complicated relationship. When we first meet them, it's an intense relationship that has an element of friendship, but there's quite an intimate power play between these two people.

'Early on, something very triggering happens to Lou, and she finds herself having to let go of this person, Col, who was so integral to her life.

'The crux of the story is that Col goes from friend to foe, which is why the story gathers momentum.'

On working with Buchan on the show, she added: 'We never worked together before. He's a dream to work with. He's utterly open and generous and so highly skilled at what he does. I felt very lucky to be working with him on set every day.'

London born, Oxford educated Farzad also starred in Law & Order: UK, Man Down, This Time With Alan Partridge and I Hate Suzie - a part that earned her a Bafta TV nomination.

Farzad has shared a few posts about her daughter on Instagram, who is now her biggest fan after her mother found fame on TV.

She posted a photo of a note her little girl had hidden in her suitcase as she went away to film, which was written in joined-up handwriting and read: 'I'm very proud of you mummy.'

Buchan is best known for roles in Broadchurch, The Fixer and Garrows Law - and more recently played Matt Hancock in Kenneth Branagh's Sky political drama This England.

He landed his first big role in Jane Eyre in 2006, and also starred opposite Matt Smith in Party Animals the following year.

Last week, Nuttall appeared to allude to the split, as she took to Instagram to share a cryptic message just a day after Valentine's Day.

The post read: 'I am not impressed by money, social status or job title, I'm impressed by the way someone treats other human beings.'

She also shared an image that showed her walking along holding hands with two children, writing the caption: 'Holidays with my favourites.'

One of the top comments read: 'Oh my gosh they are so big now xx.'

On Christmas Day she also shared a festive snap, with one comment underneath reading: 'How are you and the kids ? Xxxx.'

Nuttall found fame after joining ITV soap Emmerdale in 2000 at the age of 18; she played Chloe Atkinson for eight years before leaving the show to pursue a music career.

While on the show she dated co-star Ben Freeman for more than four years before the couple separated in 2004 amid claims that he had cheated on her.

What's going on? Last week, Nuttall appeared to allude to the split, as she took to Instagram to share a cryptic message just a day after Valentine's Day

Family: She also shared an image that showed her walking along holding hands with two children, writing the caption: 'Holidays with my favourites'

Seeking solace? She also previously shared a snap of herself enjoying a Porn Star Martini

Former boyfriend: While on Emmerdale, Nuttall dated co-star Ben Freeman for more than four years before the couple separated amid claims he had cheated on her (pictured on show)

It was reported by The News Of The World that Nuttall discovered Freeman had cheated on her, with a source saying: 'She found out a few weeks ago that Ben had been playing around behind her back but when she confronted him he denied it.

'At first she believed him but then she discovered that he had been calling this girl repeatedly and sending her text messages.

'She found his phone bill and called the girl up. It took a lot of guts but she wanted to know the truth and the girl admitted what had happened.'

In a 2003 interview, while she and Freeman were still dating, Nuttall said she would 'never dream' of chatting up someone else's partner.

She told The Mirror: 'The girls don't make me jealous because I'm very secure in my relationship with Ben, but I do think it's rude. I would never dream of going up to someone else's boyfriend and trying it on.'

More recently, Nuttall played Ethel Parks in BBC period drama Downton Abbey, with her character losing her job at the sprawling Downton estate after having an affair with a serving officer.
Crown Princess Mary was the epitome of grace as she entered a hospital room to welcome a newborn baby into the world.

The Danish royal, 51, comforted a proud mother on the safe arrival of her child during a visit to India this week.

She made the trip during an appearance at the India-Denmark: Partners for Green and Sustainable Progress conference in New Delhi on Tuesday.

Mary spoke with medical professionals at the All Indian Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) and also gave her time generously to the patient.

Mary opted to wear a colourful coat that featured abstract designs and a crimson lapel for the occasion.

Crown Princess Mary was the epitome of grace as she entered a hospital room to welcome a newborn baby into the world

The Danish royal, 51, comforted a proud mother on the safe arrival of her child during a visit to India this week

Her brunette locks were worn straight and Mary donned a subtle makeup palette befitting of her style status.

So keen is Mary's eye for fashion that a public vote twice named her the World's Most Stylish Royal, ahead of the Duchess of Cambridge, Queen Letizia of Spain and Queen Rania of Jordan.

The late Chanel designer Karl Lagerfeld once described Mary and Kate Middleton as 'royal sisters' thanks to their strikingly similar appearance and comparable taste in clothes.

Denmark's future queen has posed for Vogue Australia and German Vogue and is a patron of Global Fashion Agenda, which oversees the annual Copenhagen Fashion Summit.

The love story between Princess Mary and Prince Frederick has been well documented.

She made the trip during an appearance at the India-Denmark: Partners for Green and Sustainable Progress conference in New Delhi on Tuesday

Her Royal Highness Crown Princess Mary was 'just' Mary, a marketing manager at an advertisement company, when she met Crown Prince Frederik in a pub in Sydney during the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games.

On May 14, 2004, Mary married her Prince in a lavish ceremony attended by royals - and media - from across the globe in Copenhagen Cathedral in the Danish capital.

It was described as the ultimate happy fairytale ending with the prince marrying the beautiful commoner.

The guest list included the Kings and Queens of Sweden, Norway, Spain, Belgium and The Netherlands as Prince Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex, and Sophie, Countess of Wessex.

The Crown Prince couple are parents to Prince Christian, Princess Isabella and twins Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine.
She never puts a foot wrong when it comes to fashion.

And Hunter Schafer looked sensational as she posed up a storm at the 25th Costume Designers Guild Awards in LA on Monday night held at The Fairmont Century Plaza.

The Euphoria actress and model, 24, showed off her sense of style in a sheer purple Prada dress worn over a white co-ord.

Under the sexy see-through strappy dress she wore a linen crop top and high-waisted skirt that flashed plenty of flesh.

The trans star boosted her height with strappy heels and wore her red tresses pulled back into a chic up do.

Gorgeous: Hunter Schafer looked sensational as she posed up a storm at the 25th Costume Designers Guild Awards in LA on Monday night held at The Fairmont Century Plaza

Stunning: The Euphoria actress and model, 24, showed off her sense of style in a sheer purple dress worn over a white co-ord

Outfit: Under the sexy see-through strappy dress she wore a linen crop top and high-waisted skirt that flashed plenty of flesh

Hunter opted for a natural makeup look to show off her pretty features and accessorised perfectly with statement gold earrings.

her red carpet appearance comes after Hunter looked worlds away from her Euphoria alter-ego Jules Vaughn when she attended the Prada fashion show in Milan last Thursday.

The star wore a prim yellow coat with matching Mary Jane heels as she posed for pictured outside the venue.

Hunter was in good company on the day because the likes of Sienna Miller, Ellie Bamber, Emma Roberts and Claire Foy were also present.

Hunter first made her mark as a fashion model, working for such high-profile brands as Tommy Hilfiger, Calvin Klein and Teen Vogue, who listed her in its '21 Under 21' list in 2017.

Schafer would strike lightning fast in her transition to acting, landing her very first role in the hit HBO series Euphoria in 2019.

Along with her lead role in the series, Schafer also co-wrote an episode with the show's creator Sam Levinson, and served as co-executive producer.

In the teen drama, Schafer plays transgender high school student, Jules, who fast becomes a best friend of Ruby 'Rue' Bennett, played by Zendaya.

The look: The trans star boosted her height with strappy heels and wore her red tresses pulled back into a chic up do

Pretty: Hunter opted for a natural makeup look to show off her pretty features and accessorised perfectly with statement gold earrings

Star: Hunter first made her mark as a fashion model, working for such high-profile brands as Tommy Hilfiger, Calvin Klein and Teen Vogue, who listed her in its '21 Under 21' list in 2017

All smiles: Hunter presented the award for Excellence in Sci-Fi/Fantasy Television on stage at the 25th Costume Designers Guild Awards

Incredible: Schafer would strike lightning fast in her transition to acting, landing her very first role in the hit HBO series Euphoria in 2019

Popular: Along with her lead role in the series, Schafer also co-wrote an episode with the show's creator Sam Levinson, and served as co-executive producer

Pot: In the teen drama, Schafer plays transgender high school student, Jules, who fast becomes a best friend of Ruby 'Rue' Bennett, played by Zendaya

Highlights: Both Zendaya and Schafer, along with many of the other cast members, have seen their stars rise in Hollywood in the wake of being on Euphoria for two seasons

Upcoming: HBO has renewed Euphoria for a third season, but so far a premiere date has not been announced

Nice: Hunter is in a happy relationship with her co-star Dominic Fike who plays her love interest Elliot

Cute: In a GQ profile, Dominic said that he is so smitten that he tries to see Hunter as frequently as he can in any way possible

Both Zendaya and Schafer, along with many of the other cast members, have seen their stars rise in Hollywood in the wake of being on Euphoria for two seasons.

HBO has renewed Euphoria for a third season, but so far a premiere date has not been announced.

Hunter is in a happy relationship with her co-star Dominic Fike who plays her love interest Elliot.

In a GQ profile, Dominic said that he is so smitten that he tries to see Hunter as frequently as he can in any way possible.

The Florida native recalled how he once visited the Prada store in Soho eight times over four days, not just to shop for clothes but also to see his love's face on the luxury label's ads in the store windows.

'That's the best part,' he gushed over his trips to the designer boutique.
Hunter Schafer has shared her fears over getting 'stuck' in roles that only relate to how she identifies after shooting to stardom as Jules Vaughn in Euphoria.

During a new interview in the April issue of ELLE UK, the actress, 24, detailed her fears over being typecast and sweetly touched on her close off-screen friendship with her co-star Zendaya, who plays Rue Bennett.

Hunter, who was originally a model before appearing on the show, made her acting debut as transgender high school student in the HBO teen drama series.

After the first series, Hunter revealed her Instagram following sky-rocketed by 1million and the interest in her and her co-stars has only increased following the release of the second season in 2022.

She said: 'From the airing of the first episode to my first million followers on Instagram, it was, like, a month. It was a huge adjustment, for sure.

Candid: Hunter Schafer has shared her fears over getting 'stuck' in roles that only relate to how she identifies after shooting to stardom as Jules Vaughn in Euphoria

Fears: During a new interview in the April issue of ELLE UK , the actress, 24, detailed her fears over being typecast and sweetly touched on her close off-screen friendship with her co-star Zendaya, who plays Rue Bennett

'Nobody really knew if the show was going to hit like that, you know? It's strange, because I thought it would kind of level off after season one, but season two felt like it doubled in size.'

However since then, Hunter revealed she has been sent plenty of scripts for new projects, but has found that many people are offering simlar roles to Jules.

She said: 'When I first started reading scripts, people just wanted to send me a lot of roles like Jules or about how I identify. I got a little scared of getting stuck in the same sort of role over and over again.

Hunter continued: 'I've been pretty intentional about making sure everything feels a step away from the other and a little bit different.'

Elsewhere during the chat, Hunter discussed her close friendship with co-star Zendaya, who plays her girlfriend Rue.

She told the publication: 'There's a lot of real-life learning that's going on alongside our characters. It's a very involved relationship to play. [In real life] we are so close and we have a very sweet, soft, loving friendship.'

Alongside the interview, Hunter posed for an incredible photoshoot in a series of jaw-dropping looks, including a stunning white tulle gown.

Hunter also modelled a skintight black jumpsuit with sheer cut-out sections, showcasing her incredible physique.

Stardom: Hunter, who was originally a model before appearing on the show, made her acting debut as transgender high school student in the HBO teen drama series

Close pals: Elsewhere during the chat, Hunter discussed her close friendship with co-star Zendaya, who plays her girlfriend Rue

Hunter first made her mark as a model, working for high-profile brands like Tommy Hilfiger, Calvin Klein and Teen Vogue, who listed her in its '21 Under 21' list in 2017.

Hunter would strike lightning fast in her transition to acting, landing her very first role in Euphoria in 2019.

Along with her lead role in the series, Schafer also co-wrote an episode with the show's creator Sam Levinson, and served as co-executive producer.

Both Zendaya and Schafer, along with many of the other cast members, have seen their stars rise in Hollywood in the wake of being on Euphoria for two seasons.

Hunter is in a happy relationship with her co-star Dominic Fike who plays her love interest Elliot.

In a GQ profile, Dominic said that he is so smitten that he tries to see Hunter as frequently as he can in any way possible.

The Florida native recalled how he once visited the Prada store in Soho eight times over four days, not just to shop for clothes but also to see his love's face on the luxury label's ads in the store windows.

'That's the best part,' he gushed over his trips to the designer boutique.

The April issue of ELLE UK is on sale from March 2.

Character: Hunter would strike lightning fast in her transition to acting, landing her very first role in Euphoria in 2019 (pictured with Zendaya)
She earned critical acclaim last year for her portrayal of Princess Diana.

And Elizabeth Debicki continued to emulate the late Royal with another glamorous look as she took to the stage for the 25th Costume Designers Guild Awards at The Fairmont Century Plaza in Los Angeles on Monday.

The Crown star, 32, showed off her svelte physique in a plunging red satin gown as she presented the award for Excellence In Sci-Fi/Fantasy film at the coveted event.

Elizabeth flashed a hint of her cleavage in the extremely low cut gown with a billowing skirt as she posed on the red carpet ahead of the ceremony.

The Australian actress was also reunited with Baz Luhrmann, who directed the 2013 film The Great Gatsby, which marked her first breakout role in the US.

Lady in red! Elizabeth Debicki put on a busty display in a plunging red satin gown as she attended the 25th Costume Designers Guild Awards at The Fairmont Century Plaza on Monday

Glamorous! The Crown star showed off her svelte physique in a plunging red satin gown as she presented one of the awards at the coveted event

Revealing! Elizabeth flashed a hint of her cleavage in the extremely low cut gown with a billowing skirt as she posed on the red carpet ahead of the ceremony

Elizabeth's gown boasted a loose fit and a perilously plunging front held with chunky gold chained straps, flowing into a floor length skirt.

She kept her blonde tresses styled into loose waves as she arrived on stage with the award in hand.

Backstage, Elizabeth was seen posing with Austin Butler, the star of Baz's latest film Elvis, and a hot favourite to win Best Actor at the Oscars next month.

The ceremony saw several extraordinary names in costume design take home awards, with major winners being from Elvis, HBO's House of the Dragon, and Netflix's Wednesday.

For Elvis, Catherine Martin took home the statue for Excellence in Period Film, with star Austin presenting her with the honour.

She won over designers from movies such as Babylon, Don't Worry Darling, and The Woman King.

For Excellence in Sci-Fi / Fantasy Television, House of the Dragon costume designer Jany Temime won the award.

She beat out designers from The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, Westworld, and The Witcher: Blood Origin.

Honoured! Elizabeth presented the award for Excellence In Sci-Fi/Fantasy film to Shirley Kurata for Everything Everywhere All at Once

What an honour! She proudly took to the stage with the award in hand ahead of the presentation

Lauded: Elizabeth earned critical acclaim for her portrayal of Princess Diana in the fifth series of The Crown

Looking good! Joining her was fellow presenter and Elvis star Austin Butler, a hot favourite to win Best Actor at the Oscars

Back together! The Australian actress was also reunited with Baz Luhrmann, who directed the 2013 film The Great Gatsby, which marked her first breakout role in the US

Ready for the evening? She kept her blonde tresses styled into loose waves as she arrived on stage with the award in hand

Big hitters: The ceremony saw several extraordinary names in costume design take home awards, with major winners being from Elvis, House of the Dragon, and Wednesday

Wednesday: 'Wednesday's Child is Full of Woe' costume designers, Colleen Atwood & Mark Sutherland, won for Excellence in Contemporary Television.

There were also several special awards given out throughout the night.

Bette Midler received the distinguished collaborator award and Angela Bassett was given the spotlight award.

Oscar-winning costume designer Deborah L. Scott (Titanic and Avatar: The Way of Water) was honored with the Career Achievement Award.
Hollywood star Julia Roberts is the latest in a slew of stars throwing their support behind Comic Relief.

The actress, 55, rocked a stripy Mr Men charity Tk Maxx T-shirt in a beaming photograph, which was shared by Comic Relief on Instagram.

Julia teamed the look with light-wash jeans and wore her auburn hair in soft waves as she sat on a chair crossed legged for the snap.

Comic Relief captioned the shot: 'We are in love with the amazing @juliaroberts spreading joy in her Mr. Happy @tkmaxxuk chari-tee.'

The celebs have come in full force for the occasion, showing their support for this years Mr. Men campaign, with Julia opting to wear the Mr Happy T-shirt.

Mr Happy: Hollywood star Julia Roberts is the latest in a slew of stars throwing their support behind Comic Relief by wearing a Mr Men charity T-shirt

Julia joins the likes of Amanda Holden, Fearne Cotton and Vick Hope in the T-shirt campaign.

Britain's Got Talent judge Amanda teamed her pink top with a pair of crisp white trousers and styled her long blonde tresses in loose waves as they fell past her shoulders.

She said: 'Red Nose Day reminds us all of what is really important as well as having plenty of fun in the process.

'The house Alan Carr and I have renovated in Scilly (ITV's Amanda and Alans Italian Job) will be sold at the end of the series with half of the profits going to Comic Relief.

'Me and my girls cant wait to pick up our T-shirts from TK Maxx, featuring our favourite Mr. Men Little Miss characters - mine being Little Miss Fabulous, of course!'

Meanwhile Fearne rocked an eye catching bright red T-shirt with Mr. Happy printed on the front which she teamed with a pair of washed denim jeans.

The presenter, 41, also wore a 'Happy Vibes' navy sweatshirt as she styled her blonde locks in loose waves and applied a radiant palette of makeup.

Fearne said she is 'delighted' to be taking part in the campaign and revealed the new collection has so many 'different designs to choose from'.

Support: The celebs have come in full force for the occasion, showing their support for this years Mr. Men campaign with TK Maxx to raise funds (Amanda Holden)

Happy vibes: Vick Hope looked incredible in her navy Mr.Men sweatshirt which she teamed with skinny black leather leggings

Say cheese: The BBC Radio 1 DJ, 33, flashed her gorgeous smile as she gushed how 'proud' she is to be supporting Comic Relief

She said: 'Ive always been a supporter of Comic Relief and am delighted to be taking part in this years Red Nose Day campaign with TK Maxx.

'Theres so many different designs to choose from so make sure to check out the new collection if you can and help make a difference.'

Vick Hope looked incredible in her navy Mr.Men sweatshirt which she teamed with skinny black leather leggings.

The BBC Radio 1 DJ, 33, flashed her gorgeous smile as she gushed how 'proud' she is to be supporting Comic Relief.

She said: 'I am so proud to be supporting Comic Relief again this year! Red Nose Day spreads an important message of community and hope.

'Please join me by heading over to TK Maxx and checking out their incredibly colourful T-shirts to show your support and help make a difference'.

The collection supports Comic Reliefs vital work to help children and young people facing the toughest times of their lives whether they are in the UK or around the world.

For the very first time, AJ Odudu and Joel Dommett will host the Red Nose Day night of TV alongside Zoe Ball, Paddy McGuinness, and David Tennant.

Returning to screens live on BBC One on Friday 17 March, they will be joined by a host of stars and supporters to bring viewers an unmissable evening of comedy, live music, exclusive prizes, and plenty of surprises.

This Red Nose Day will also see some of the nation's favourite famous faces put their willpower and determination to the test in a bid to raise money for Comic Relief.
Davide Sanclimenti has dismissed claims that he proposed to his girlfriend Ekin-Su Culculoglu, after fan speculation grew during their recent Maldives getaway.

The former Love Island winner, 28, admitted it's still early days since the pair have only known each other for six months - but did reveal he wouldn't be opposed to getting down on one knee after the two year mark.

In an exclusive interview with MailOnline, he also defended Ekin-Su's choice to wear a racy body stocking while competing on Dancing On Ice, which sparked 112 Ofcom complaints, since she was 'more naked' on the ITV2 dating show.

Fresh from a romantic holiday with his partner, also 28, Davide gushed about how the pair had 'such a nice time' and felt they could 'fully relax' amid their jam-packed schedule.

The boohooMAN ambassador said: 'I feel like it's been the first two weeks where we could relax ourselves. No work, no commitments. Just time for me and Ekin, time for good food and sun.

'Let's be realistic... we've known each other six months!' Davide Sanclimenti has dismissed claims that he proposed to his girlfriend Ekin-Su Culculoglu amid fan speculation

'Because after the show, there's always been someone from my side or from Ekin's side and we could never have time for ourselves, you know, quality time.'

During the idyllic trip, the couple sparked engagement rumours as they posed for very loved-up snaps in front of a stunning orange sunset.

Fans were quick to take to the comments section to admit they thought the pair were announcing some big news with the very romantic post.

But Davide has thrown cold water over any guesswork, reminding fans he only met Ekin-Su last summer and that they're still learning new things about each other.

He said: 'Even if we are so close, the reality is that we know each other since only six months so it would be nice to see at least a two year relationship before you commit for life.

'This is what I always will delight with fans to understand, that even if everything is perfect, it seems a dream, you need to be realistic.

'And before you get engaged for life, I think it would be wise to wait two years at least, you know, so you can discover more about the other person.

'We have always been true and genuine with ourselves, so when we came out [of Love Island] it could either go very bad or could either go very well as it's doing.

Loved-up: The former Love Island winner, 28, admitted it's still early days - but did reveal he wouldn't be opposed to getting down on one knee after the two year mark

'We actually realised that we are the same person. You start liking each other more and more. We found sometimes, I tell her, "You are like me if I will be a woman," and she tell me the same. I feel like we found in each other a soul mate.'

'No, it's just mad that we honestly, we are the same person. There's no one thing different about what we like, about what we want to do, our opinion on things, how even on everyday life, how we like to enjoy our activities.

'It's like discovering myself on the other gender, you know?'

Earlier this month, a tearful Ekin-Su broke down as she was voted off Dancing On Ice after becoming the third star to be eliminated from the competition.

Davide was full of praise for his girlfriend while revealing the advice he gave her following her departure.

The former hospitality service director said: 'I saw her from where she started, I've been watching sometimes, some videos of her first day on the ice, and then I watched her when she arrived.

'So I always tell her, "You should be proud of what you did, for where you started when you arrived. This show is not a competition because Dancing On Ice is not going to be your career so it's just a challenge with yourself. Enjoy the show."

Protective: He also defended Ekin-Su's choice to wear a racy body stocking on Dancing On Ice, which sparked 112 Ofcom complaints (pictured last month with Brendyn Hatfield)

'I feel like she should be proud of herself. Everyone is proud of her, she did well in my opinion. So I'm happy for her for all she did.'

'I feel like now I see her even more relaxed, you know, it's been too much going on for her ever since we came out [of Love Island]. So now after the holiday as well, I see her more relaxed and this is why I'm happy for her.'

But during her time on the show, Ekin-Su left some viewers hot under the collar when she recreated her famous crawling scene from the villa.

Even host Holly Willoughby dubbed the routine the show's 'sexiest dance ever'.

But it didn't go down so well with everyone, as the show received 112 Ofcom complaints and the Turkish beauty found herself with the lowest number of public votes.

When asked about the backlash, Davide joked, 'If I am the boyfriend then for me the outfit is fine. It's completely covered. Why people should speak, you know? She was more naked on Love Island in a bikini!'

'People are more naked there than on Dancing On Ice so I feel like it shouldn't have been an important aspect.'

Elsewhere, Davide is excited to launch his second 'going-out' edit with boohooMAN following a successful first collection last year.

The 10 piece line features a variety of timeless smart silhouettes and subtle, soft colourways. Hues of earthy tones are combined with relaxed fits, matching sets, and lightweight fabrics to create a simplistic range that suits all.

Home away from home, the shoot took place in the heart of Manchester with a touch of inspiration from his Italian roots by embracing a minimalist style and incorporating architecture like props.

Davide said of the continued partnership: 'I feel now even more close to the brand because I feel like after the first collection, already successful, now we created something that respects more my style, my way to dress, my personality...

'Especially what I wear, you know, even in my everyday life, I buy, find a good outfit even, you know, if you want to have a night out if you want to be a bit more elegant.

'So I feel like we created something that is more Davide style and I'm even more excited now the second time, more than the first time.'

With price points ranging from 16 - 60, the collection launched exclusively across boohooMAN.com on Monday February 20.
Samsung Biologics' plant in Songdo, Incheon / Courtesy of Samsung Biologics



By Baek Byung-yeul



Samsung Biologics has been grappling with a series of attempts to steal its trade secrets as competition is intensifying in contract-based drug development and manufacturing, according to police and industry officials, Monday.



Incheon Metropolitan Police said one of Samsung Biologics' employees was arrested recently for attempting to take company data from a worksite without permission. The police agency said it is investigating the employee on suspicion of stealing trade secrets.



The employee is suspected of trying to leave with company data printed on 300 pieces of A4 paper in December 2022. The documents were related to U.S. Food and Drug Administration standards.



Upon being caught by security guards, the employee was handed over to the police, and Samsung Biologics sued the employee on charges of violating the Unfair Competition Prevention and Trade Secret Protection Act and breach of trust.



"It is difficult to reveal details about the issue because the police investigation is underway," a spokesman of Samsung Biologics said. "We are thoroughly rechecking the internal security system and strengthening systems to protect company information."



Samsung has been struggling with the infringement of trade secrets as employees transferring to its competitors have been attempting to bring proprietary data with them.



In 2022, Samsung Biologics filed an injunction against three employees who transferred to Lotte Biologics to ban them from infringing on trade secrets. These three people had been related to the core business of Samsung Biologics, and it is known that they printed a large number of documents before moving to Lotte.



In response, the Incheon District Court issued the injunction in July 2022, preventing the leaked business secrets of Samsung Biologics to be used by Lotte Biologics.



Also, in October, prosecutors launched an investigation into a Lotte Biologics employee suspected of stealing Samsung's trade secrets.



Lotte Biologics announced its bid to kick off its contract development and manufacturing organization (CMO) business, aiming to become one of the global top 10 players in the field by 2030.


Hollywood veteran Patricia Arquette almost starred in a Tom Cruise movie.

On Sunday the 54-year-old actress shared with Variety at the SAG Awards in Los Angeles that she had an audition with the A list star, but blew it.

The film was Jerry Maguire from director Cameron Crowe, and the role eventually went to Renee Zellweger, who was a newcomer at the time.

'Everyone was saying, "Oh, this is just a formality, you're gonna read with Tom Cruise for Jerry Maguire, but this is your part, you got it," and I blew it,' Patricia told the outlet while on the red carpet of the awards show.

The Oscar-winning star added that Texas-born Renee was 'better for' the role.

The 90s talk: Patricia Arquette almost starred in a Tom Cruise movie. On Sunday the 54-year-old actress shared with Variety at the SAG Awards that she had an audition with the A list star, but blew it. Seen on Sunday

Mr A list: Cruise at the Mission Impossible - Ghost Protocol film premiere in Madrid in 2011

'She was great,' she added.

Patricia added that she is just not that great with auditions.

'I'm a terrible auditioner cause I don't feel like that's finished work I wanna build layers with the character and with that other person and pivot and change according to how my character feels about them from take to take.'

She was also in talks to star with Brad Pitt in The Doors.

Her role went to Meg Ryan and Pitt stepped out of the film with Val Kilmer eventually playing Jim Morrison.

The film: The film was Jerry Maguire from director Cameron Crowe, and the role eventually went to Renee Zellweger

A new face: While Arquette was already a vet in the 90s, Renee was a newcomer

'I just heard on this podcast the other day our friend sent us that the casting director, that Brad Pitt and I were her choice, we were the first ones who came in to read for The Doors, and she was like, "Why are we having any more auditions? They were perfect,"' she said.

Arquette was last seen on Sunday at the SAG Awards. She wore a sea-foam green gown with lace detailing.

The Severance actress hit the red carpet with by her boyfriend, Eric White, 54, who sported a simple black tuxedo.

Patricia and Eric were photographed holding hands as they entered the event.

The Boyhood actress's dress featured a sheer neckline and flared sleeves.

She was at the event to support her series Severance with Adam Scott.
Katie Price jokingly branded her daughter Bunny a 'diva' after treating the eight-year-old to new knee length blonde extensions.

Bunny had been rocking shoulder length braids during the family trip to Thailand but asked her mother for a longer style, which fell down to her calves.

Taking to Instagram on Tuesday to show off her daughter's new look, Katie shared a snap of four salon workers braiding in the extensions, writing 'Bunny the diva.'

Offering a look at the end result, she quipped: 'I thought I want long hair but Bunny diva goes a different level [peeking eye emojis].'

The former glamour model is currently in Thailand with on-again off-again fiance Carl Woods and her two children from a former marriage to ex-stripper Kieran Hayler - Bunny and Jett, nine.

New look: Katie Price jokingly branded her daughter Bunny a 'diva' after treating the eight-year-old to new knee length blonde extensions on Tuesday

Bunny's look conjured images of her famous mother's appearance on I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! when she donned blonde braids

Captioning the post, she wrote: 'Bunny is so adorable and loving her holiday look.'

Thrice married Katie, a mother of five, made her first appearance on the ITV1 show in 2004, when she modelled a near identical look while competing alongside the likes of Kerry Katona and soon-to-be first husband Peter Andre.

She returned to the Australian jungle for a second stint in 2009, but withdraw within days, admitting she was 'fed up' after being repeatedly nominated to carry out the show's grueling Bush Tucker Trials.

Katie has been showing off a bold new look of her own after undergoing a 16th breast augmentation in a bid to have the 'biggest in Britain'.

Katie allegedly splurged on 12,000 business class flights to Thailand for the family holiday, just in time for her on-again off-again fiance Carl's 34th birthday.

But just a week ago, Katie dodged a bankruptcy court hearing for a fourth time over her 3.2million debt repayment.

A source told The Sun: 'Katie's taken Bunny, Jett and Carl to Thailand for the week  they went business class. It was 3,000 each.'

Me time: Taking to Instagram on Tuesday to show off her daughter's new look, Katie shared a snap of four salon workers braiding in the extensions, writing 'Bunny the diva'

New look: Bunny had been rocking shoulder length braids during the family trip to Thailand but asked her mother for a longer style, which fell down to her calves

Carl even shared a snap of the luxury tickets to his Instagram tickets, writing: 'Here's to being 34 next week.'

The TV personality was down to appear in court on February 9 to answer questions on her bankruptcy but the hearing has now been 'vacated'.

It has now been scheduled to be heard on April 12 at 12pm - where Katie will be questioned about her finances.

Katie, who was declared bankrupt in 2019, had agreed to a payment plan with creditors.

The mother-of-five, who has jetted off on 14 luxury holidays in the last year, vowed to pay back 12,000 a month to creditors of the firm through an individual voluntary arrangement.

Lookalikes: It's been 19 years since Katie appeared in the Australian jungle, but her young daughter brought the memories flooding back with her braids

Curly girlie: Bunny's natural hair is curly and a dark blonde

Katie and Carl have been hit by rumours of a reconciliation but Katie recently denied they were back together, after the pair split in November amid claims Katie had cheated.

The ex I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! campmate made it very clear she was single recently, telling her social media followers: 'I'm flattered with the amount of DM's I've had from men wanting to take me out now I'm single.

'Truth is, I'm not replying or getting into any conversation[s] because I want to focus on my work, children, family, and myself.

'I'm exhausted with relationships to the point I don't need a man or their validation.'
Billie Shepherd has blasted Phillip Schofield after he 'ruined' her recent appearance on This Morning, where she had been due to plug her homeware collection.

The former TOWIE star, 33, also slammed the 'b****y' presenter, 60, for grilling her on the cost of her wedding during a 2019 interview on the daytime show.

Speaking to her sister Sam Faiers, 32, on The Sam & Billie Show podcast, the influencer explained how she'd been booked to advertise her Chapter B for Next range as part of the programme's Lust List.

However, chaos erupted when a vase was accidentally smashed off-camera and a clip of the broken piece being swept away was shown on-air.

Phil had quipped: 'It was Matt who dropped it. He dropped it and you heard him drop, then kick it two or three times in the air. It took hours for it to smash!'

Awkward! Billie Shepherd has blasted Phillip Schofield after he 'ruined' her recent appearance on This Morning, where she had been due to plug her homeware collection

But Billie didn't find it funny, now telling her listeners, 'It just seems like quite b****y to do that.

'So my little 30 second feature for my homeware collection was completely taken away from me because Phil decided to bring up the smashed vase that happened in rehearsal so the camera went to that and then next thing you know, they move on to the next one.'

'I was so irritated because I thought, "Why aren't they just like actually talking about the nice things that were in front of them?"'

Sam then joked: 'I think he's got it in for you because do you remember for no reason when we sat live on TV and he was like picking the wedding to pieces and we was like, 'Jees alright Phil, have a break." Who asks that question?'

Billie replied: 'Remember I was so shocked. I was like, I couldn't believe he was asking me how much my wedding cost.'

Sam said: 'That's just like saying, "How much did your house costs Phil?" Just don't ask questions like that.'

Billie continued: 'I don't know if it was intentional. I was just so bugged out because I thought, "Oh, now they're on the next thing would have said it."'

Sam agreed that the move from Phil was 'really unfair', whether intentional or not, while an 'irritated' Billy said she felt 'silly' she couldn't post the feature to Instagram.

Holding a grudge: The former TOWIE star, 33, also slammed the 'b****y' presenter, 60, for grilling her on the cost of her wedding during a 2019 interview on the daytime show

Shortly after the interview in question, Billie and her husband Greg slammed Phillip after he implied much of her luxurious wedding was funded by freebies as he alleged the day would have cost roughly 229,000.

Speaking to OK! Magazine about the tense moment, The Mummy Diaries star stated: 'I was in shock. Prior to our appearance, I'd been very clear that I don't want to talk about money. It's rude and nobody's business but ours.'

Billie and Greg discussed the awkward moment with the stunner stating: 'They were trying to insinuate that we got the wedding for free which is so far from the truth. We saved for our dream wedding for years.'

Ever the joker but seemingly equally raging, Greg pushed: 'We should ask Phillip Schofield how much he earns!'

Billie appeared taken aback on This Morning earlier that year when TV host Phillip asked her if she had 'cut a deal' for her wedding to Greg.

Noting that Billie had around 95 guests, Phil estimated that had she paid for the guests' trip to the Maldives, the big day would have set her back 229,000.

Furious: Speaking to her sister Sam Faiers, 32, (right) on The Sam & Billie Show podcast, the influencer explained how she'd been booked to advertise her Chapter B for Next range

He said: 'My God, you must be earning beautifully to do this. This is the Kuramathi Resort in the Maldives. So we had a look, if you were to stay there next Saturday it would be 650 a night, that would be 4,588 for a week for the superior beach villa.

'The whole week for 100 guests, 229,000. So you must have got a deal there. 229,000 for your wedding?

But Billie who appeared on the show with sister Sam said it 'wasn't quite that,' as she giggled awkwardly. Phillip then grilled her further after claiming she didnt get a discount, saying: 'Right, so they did give you a deal?'

Billie then said: 'We had the beach houses and split them in two, it really helped us out with the rooms and stuff.'

Billie's wedding to Greg reportedly caused upset among other guests in the Maldives, some of whom had paid up to 12,000 for their trip of a lifetime.

Despite there being more than one complaint and a rep for KUONI telling MailOnline that a handful of guests had to be spoken to, Billie said it wasn't the case.

She said: 'To be honest, most of them were absolutely rubbish. There was a guest complaint because we was a little bit noisy around the pool one day. But when you get 100 people together we're gonna be a little bit noisy...

'Most of the events we did were private events on the island. Other guests were getting involved it was a really big island.'
Elle MacPherson cut a stylish figure as she arrived at the Dior show with new beau Doyle Bramhall II during Paris Fashion Week on Tuesday.

The supermodel, 58, turned heads in a quirky mackintosh that boasted a striking cropped element as well as quilted detailing.

Elle completed the look with a colour-coordinating skirt and a chunky belt at her svelte waist, slipping her feet into dark boots.

The Aussie stunner shielded her eyes behind oversized shades and let her blonde tresses cascade past her shoulders in a gentle wave.

Elle toted a black Dior bag for the event as she posed up a storm with her handsome beau who she's been dating since October.

Style: Elle MacPherson, 58, cut a stylish figure as she arrived at the Dior show with beau Doyle Bramhall II during Paris Fashion Week on Tuesday

Lovebirds: She posed up a storm with her handsome beau who she's been dating since October

Chic: Elle completed the look with a colour-coordinating skirt and a chunky belt at her svelte waist, slipping her feet into dark boots

Meanwhile Doyle, 54, looked dapper in a dark suit which she wore beneath a camel coat.

The rocker donned boots emblazoned with Dior's famous logo and joined his other half in rocking shades.

Back in October Elle's new boyfriend was identified as the Texas-born musician.

Things were said to already 'getting serious' between the couple, who travelled around the world together, reported Australian magazine New Idea.

A source told the publication: 'Elle and Doyle have known each other for a while but their friendship recently turned romantic.'

'It's getting serious. Elle travels the world with Doyle and already knows his two adult daughters. He worships her and is very supportive of her work in the wellness space, too,' they added.

Daily Mail Australia has contacted Macpherson's representative for comment at the time.

Bramhall, who is best known for collaborating with Eric Clapton and Roger Waters, previously dated Renee Zellweger for seven years before they split in 2019.

Gorgeous: The Aussie stunner shielded her eyes behind oversized shades and let her blonde tresses cascade past her shoulders in a gentle wave

Dapper: Meanwhile Doyle, 54, looked dapper in a dark suit which she wore beneath a camel coat

Swanky: The couple appeared in high spirits as they headed to the venue from their swanky hotel

Sensational: Elle looked nothing short of sensational

The guitarist confirmed the romance as he shared a photo to Instagram of himself and Macpherson gazing lovingly at one another backstage at Clapton's concert in Switzerland.

It comes after Macpherson confirmed her split from disgraced former British doctor Andrew Wakefield, who is a hero of the 'anti-vax' movement.

Her spokesperson revealed the news to Daily Mail Australia in a statement last December, saying the pair actually broke up 'almost two years ago'.

Runway! Models strutted their stuff in a selection of the label's latest looks

'As a spokesperson for Elle I can unequivocally confirm that the relationship between Elle and Dr [sic] Wakefield terminated almost two years ago,' they said.

'There has been no contact subsequently.'

Macpherson reportedly first started dating Wakefield in 2017.

When asked about the break-up rumours earlier in 2021, a spokesperson for Wakefield said: 'He rarely answers press enquiries from mainstream news publications and doesn't comment on his private life.'

Split: It comes after Macpherson confirmed her split from disgraced former British doctor Andrew Wakefield, who is a hero of the 'anti-vax' movement

Family: Macpherson was previously married to French fashion photographer Gilles Bensimon from 1986 to 1989, and to billionaire Jeffrey Soffer from 2013 to 2017. She shares two sons, Flynn and Cy, with another ex-partner, French financier Arpad Busson (right)

Wakefield, originally from Berkshire, was struck off the medical register in 2010 after his research showing the supposed link between the MMR jabs and autism was exposed as an 'elaborate fraud'.

His false claims led to a downturn in vaccination among children and renewed measles outbreaks.

Macpherson was previously married to French fashion photographer Gilles Bensimon from 1986 to 1989, and to American billionaire Jeffrey Soffer from 2013 to 2017.

She shares two sons, Flynn and Cy, with another ex-partner, French financier Arpad Busson.
Alexandra Mardell gave fans a glimpse into her sun-soaked hen do with her friends over the weekend.

Taking to Instagram on Monday, the former Coronation Street star, who is engaged to Joe Parker, shared a series of photos of the festivities.

She posed in an all-white ensemble including a veil that said 'The Future Mrs Parker' on it and clutched a bag which read 'I do'.

Alexandra also grinned while clad in a white swimsuit as she posed with a giant inflatable wedding ring and an embellished silver hat.

In another snap, Alexandra and her nearest and dearest stood together dressed in all black as the hen do continued.

'The best weekend!': Alexandra Mardell enjoyed a sun-soaked hen do with her family and pals as she prepares for her wedding

Bride-to-be: Taking to Instagram on Monday, the former Coronation Street star, who is engaged to Joe Parker, shared a series of photos of the festivities

Other photographs showed her having fun with her mother and heading out for the night with her family and pals.

She captioned her post: 'Mrs P to be! THE BEST weekend with THE BESTEST people!

Alexandra and Joe moved in together just before Britain was plunged into the first lockdown and their romance continued to go from strength to strength.

Alongside a cute snap with her new fiancee announcing their engagement in 2021, Alexandra penned: 'Love locked down!! 1000000 times yes! You make me so happy, my face hurts! Love you ridiculously. Future Mrs Parker'.

Joe also shared a slew of snaps from the moment he popped the question as he penned: 'Went in to lockdown with a girlfriend, came out with a fiancee. What a lucky man I am. Can't wait to marry you @alexandramardell I love you '

Alexandra - who played Emma Brooker on Corrie- was congratulated by several of her Corrie co-stars, with the likes of Lucy Fallon posting, 'Congratulations guys! Super happy for you both xxx'

Lisa Riley added: 'yipeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee thats amazing!!!!! CONGRATULATIONS loving the love', while Victoria Ekanoye penned: 'SHUT THE ACTUAL FRONT DOOOOOR! This is amazing news.

'Aww Im so happy for you guys. Just told @ekanoye and shes over the moon. What a beaut couple you are. Cheers xx'.

In the snaps, Alexandra looked radiant as she showed off her new ring while clad in a little black dress.

Grins: Alexandra posed with her mother as she enjoyed her holiday hen do, wearing a glittery bride hat

Having fun: She captioned her post: 'Mrs P to be! THE BEST weekend with THE BESTEST people'

Looking good: Alexandra also grinned with a giant inflatable wedding ring and stood by the pool wearing a giant headdress which said 'Bride'

Quality time: Elsewhere, in another snap, Alexandra and her nearest and dearest stood together dressed in all black as the hen do continued

Glam: She also sported a veil which read: 'The future Mrs Parker' as excitement for her wedding grew

Fun: The group grinned as they headed out to a bar together during Alexandra's fun hen do holiday

Alexandra announced she would be moving in with Joe back in January 2020 with a gushing Instagram tribute to her boyfriend.

She shared a selection of loved-up photos to her Instagram that documented the couple's romance since first meeting at The Guildford School of Acting aged 21.

The first adorable snap showed the pair back when they were 'just friends,' with Alexandra stunning in a glittering gold gown as Joe looked dapper in a tie and waistcoat.

She wrote: 'GSA Grad Ball 2015 - We were just friends, 2 years later we were a couple, now 2 years together, hes moving in! So many exciting events and adventures already and still so many more to come!'

'We have such a laugh! Love you massively! So excited for all the laughs, date nights, lazy days, long walks and chicken wings we want!

She ended the adorable caption: 'There were too many pics to choose from but here are some of the biggies! Jan 2020!'

It came after the former Corrie star won the The British Soap Award for Best Newcomer in 2019.

She spoke on Lorraine about joining the cobbles and admitted: 'It's a bit overwhelming because its so surreal.

Cute couple: Alexandra revealed she was engaged to Joe in 2021, announcing the news with a series of Instagram posts

'I've grown up with it so I was a bit starstruck with everyone, but I tried to play it cool and everyone was so welcoming.'

She also admitted her mum had some initial hesitations about her joining the soap.

She told Lorraine: 'She was worried I was going to ruin her favourite show for her.

'But after the first episode she watched it and she was like, "Oh actually no, I like it, you havent ruined it, youre good."'
One of Hollywood's most beloved actors sported a brand new look as he filmed scenes for his new movie Four Letters Of Love in County Antrim, Northern Ireland on Tuesday.

The film, based on the best-selling novel by Niall Williams, is currently filming in the town of Ballycastle, with the production drawing crowds of locals as the actors got to work.

The project stars Helena Bonham Carter and Gabriel Byrne along with Normal People star Fionn O'Shea, who will play a character named Nicholas.

The actor on set on Friday sported a long mane of grey hair as he got into character as Nicholas' father William.

But can you guess who it is?

On location: One of Hollywood's most beloved actors sported a brand new look as he filmed scenes for his new movie Four Letters Of Love in County Antrim, Northern Ireland on Tuesday

It's Pierce Brosnan! The actor, 69, looked noticeably different for the shoot, wrapping up in a teal jumper ans dark grey coat

It's Pierce Brosnan!

The actor, 69, looked noticeably different for the shoot, wrapping up in a teal jumper and dark grey coat.

The former James Bond star also wore a grey scarf and dark trousers as he chatted with members of the crew between takes.

Pierce looked in good spirits during the shoot, stopping to take photos with fans who came across the production.

Four Letters Of Love tells the story of Nicholas and Isabel (Ann Skelly) who are fated to be together.

One morning, Nicholas' father William believes he has spoken to God. He promptly quits his job and devotes himself to painting, leaving his wife and son to fend for themselves.

Meanwhile, Isabel is living a peaceful life on an island with her parents (Helena and Gabriel) and brother Sean.

Disaster strikes when Sean has a paralysing fit while accompanying Isabel dancing.

Film: The project stars Helena Bonham Carter and Gabriel Byrne along with Normal People star Fionn O'Shea, who will play a character named Nicholas

New look: Pierce sported a long mane of grey hair as he got into character as Nicholas' father William

Casual: The actor, 69, looked noticeably different for the shoot, wrapping up in a teal jumper and dark grey coat

Wardrobe: The former James Bond star also wore a grey scarf and dark trousers as he chatted with members of the crew between takes

Overcome with guilt, Isabel decides to go to school on the mainland as she tries to forget the tragedy.

Pierce exchanged vows with his wife Keely Shaye Smith in his native Ireland in August 2001.

The couple met at a party in 1994 after the death of Pierce's first wife Cassandra Harris in 1991, and hit it off before eventually deciding to tie the knot seven years later.

The couple share two sons together, Dylan, 25, and Paris, 21, who are the youngest of Pierce's five children.

The Mamma Mia! hunk also has son Sean, 38, and adopted son Chris, 49, as well as his late adopted daughter Charlotte with Cassandra.

Spotted: Pierce looked in good spirits during the shoot, stopping to take photos with fans who came across the production

Couple: Pierce exchanged vows with his wife Keely Shaye Smith in his native Ireland in August 2001 (pictured in November 2022)

Pierce adopted Cassandra's children Chris and Charlotte after their father Dermot Harris died in 1986.

It's has been a happy time for the Brosnan household as Pierce celebrated the birth of his fourth grandchild shortly recently.

Sharing a snap on Instagram, the four-time Bond actor revealed Jaxxon Elijah to the world.

In a short caption, Pierce said: 'Jaxxon Elijah Brosnan, born 3:06pm 11/12/22 all good blessings to you my dearest grandson, welcome.'

The baby's parents are Pierce's son Sean Brosnan and daughter-in-law Sanja Banic, who together also have a seven-year-old daughter called Marley.
Sheridan Smith put on a leggy display as she got into character as Shirley Valentine at the Duke Of York theatre in London on Tuesday.

The actress, 41, began her 15-week stint in Willy Russell's one woman play last week and has so far received rave reviews and standing ovations.

She looked incredible in a pair of denim shorts and a pink oversized T-shirt which she tied in a knot at the side.

Sheridan pulled her blonde tresses back in a chic up do and donned a pair of large pink frame sunglasses .

She posed for several photos while in character as she sat on a table and leant against a large rock in another.

Showtime: Sheridan Smith put on a leggy display as she got into character as Shirley Valentine at the Duke Of York theatre in London on Tuesday

Acting: The actress, 41, began her 15-week stint in Willy Russell's one woman play last week and has so far received rave reviews and standing ovations

Shirley Valentine, which was also made into a 1989 movie with Pauline Collins, is a one-woman-show which tells the story of a working class housewife from Liverpool.

The play is the joyous, life-affirming story of the woman who got lost in marriage and motherhood, the woman who wound up talking to the kitchen wall whilst cooking her husband's chips and egg.

But Shirley still has a secret dream. And in her bag, an airline ticket. One day she may just leave a note, saying: 'Gone! Gone to Greece.'

Shirley Valentine is written by Willy Russell, directed by Matthew Dunster, designed by Paul Wills, with lighting design by Lucy Carter, sound design by Ian Dickinson for Autograph and is produced by David Pugh.

After she took to the stage for the first performance, audience members rushed to social media to gush over the show - dubbing Sheridan's acting 'perfect'.

One penned: '@sheridansmith1 wow what a performance, a true icon and such talent. One woman show, so incredible @shirleyonstage a must see'.

'A well deserved standing ovation for @sheridansmith1 this evening after an incredible opening night performance as Shirley Valentine. Craving chips and egg now,' tweeted another.

As others noted that she 'smashed it out of the park', one simply shared: 'Sheridan Smith as Shirley Valentine in West End: totally utterly divine'.

Looking good: She looked incredible in a pair of denim shorts and a pink oversized T-shirt which she tied in a knot at the side

All smiles: Sheridan pulled her blonde tresses back in a chic up do and donned a pair of large pink frame sunglasses

On stage: She posed for several photos while in character as she sat on a table and leant against a large rock in another

Looking back: The role of Shirley Valentine was made famous by actress Pauline Collins, 82, when it was made into a film in 1989

In character: Shirley Valentine is a one-woman-show which tells the story of a working class housewife from Liverpool

Amazing: After Sheridan took to the stage for the first performance, audience members rushed to social media to gush over the show - dubbing Sheridan's acting 'perfect'

Shirley Valentine is written by Willy Russell, directed by Matthew Dunster, designed by Paul Wills, with lighting design by Lucy Carter, sound design by Ian Dickinson for Autograph and is produced by David Pugh.

Previously speaking about taking on the role, Sheridan explained: 'As a mum now myself I'm delighted to be playing theatre's best-loved mum and I am honoured to be entrusted by Willy Russell to bring his Shirley to life once again in the West End.

Continuing, she promised at the time: 'Now, to practice cooking chips and egg'.
The highly anticipated Peter Pan & Wendy first official trailer and poster were released by Disney on Tuesday morning.

The film is a live-action adaptation of the beloved 1953 Peter Pan animated classic where has been re-interpreted many times over the decades.

The story follows Peter Pan, played by Alexander Molony, who never ages and is always up for fun. He takes his new friend Wendy, played by Ever Anderson - who is the child of actress Milla Jovovich and director Paul WS Anderson - to Neverland to see where kids have fun.

That is where Wendy has the adventure of a lifetime as she meets the devilish Lost Boys, the plucky Tinkerbell - played by Yara Shahidi - and stumbles upon beautiful mermaids as well as the captivating Tiger Lily.

Peter Pan & Wendy - which is coming out during Disney's 100 year anniversary - will stream April 28 on Disney+.

New look: The Peter Pan & Wendy first official trailer and poster were released by Disney on Tuesday. It is a live-action adaptation of the beloved 1953 Peter Pan animated classic

Peter is here: The story follows Peter Pan, played by Alexander Molony, who never ages and is always up for fun

The film stars Jude Law as the menacing Captain Hook and Yara Shahidi as the first Black woman to ever take on the role of Tinkerbell.

And Alyssa Wapanatahk stands out as the captivating Tiger Lily. She is an Nehiyaw (Cree) Canadian-Indigenous actor from Bigstone Cree First Nation in Treaty 8 Territory which is in Northern Alberta.

Pete's Dragon director David Lowery has helmed the movie with child actors Alexander Molony and Ever Gabo Anderson in the leading roles.

The trailer begins with Wendy looking at her hands as she stands on the beach of Neverland.

The young lady seems flipped out when she notices there is magic fair dusty on her wet hands.

She goes looking for Peter and runs into the Lost Boys. When she points out that not all of the Lost Boys are actually boys one of the girls says, 'So.'

The trailer then flashes back to Wendy and her brothers at home as they get a visit from Peter, who thrills them with his magic.

New Wendy: He takes his new friend Wendy, played by Ever Anderson - who is the child of actress Milla Jovovich and director Paul WS Anderson - to Neverland to see where kids have fun

On new shores with a magical essence: That is where she has the adventure of a lifetime

Also spied is their loyal black and white dog.

Soon after Wendy and her siblings are taking in the lush island of Neverland that seems like paradise - that is until the pirates spoil the fun.

Law makes quite the impression as the villainous Captain Hook as he was seen in his signature scarlet red coat.

The veteran British actor - best known for the films The Talented Mr Ripley, Closer and The Holiday - looked menacing with his long hair and sharp sword.

Lost boys, or is is the Lost Boys and Girls? She meets the devilish Lost Boys who are not all boys

Lost little things: The Lost Boys wear leaves and run wild in the mountains by the shore

A new Tink feel for this Disney film: She also gets to know Tinkerbell played by Yara Shahidi

A new approach: Shahidi is the first Black woman to ever take on the role of Tinkerbell

Wendy appears to provide plenty of spunk as she wields two swords and gives the pirates a run for their money.

Other cast members include Joshua Pickering, Jacobi Jupe, Jim Gaffigan, Noah Matthews Matofsky, Sebastian Billingsley-Rodriguez, Alyssa Wapanatahk, Felix de Sousa, Molly Parker, Alan Tudyk, Diana Tsoy, Caelan Edie and Florence Bensberg.

The live action film based on JM Barrie's much loved story is titled Peter Pan and Wendy.

The Walt Disney Pictures feature is an adaptation of the studio's classic 1953 animated film Peter Pan and is set to be released in 2022 on the Disney+ streaming service.

Captain trouble: Law makes quite the impression as the villainous Captain Hook as he was seen in his signature scarlet red coat. The veteran British actor - best known for the films The Talented Mr Ripley, Closer and The Holiday - looked menacing with his long hair and sharp sword

Shiver me timbers! The Walt Disney Pictures film is an adaptation of the studio's classic 1953 animated film Peter Pan; here is the animated Hook

The pirates still have a rough look: The bad boys of the sea are seen on their ship with Smee in a hat

The ship that flies: Here is a look at the full three mast ship that is perched below a cliff

Tiger time: Alyssa Wapanatahk stands out as the captivating Tiger Lily. She is an Nehiyaw (Cree) Canadian-Indigenous actor from Bigstone Cree First Nation in Treaty 8 Territory which is in Northern Alberta

Law is the latest in a line of actors to take on the role of Captain Hook, who stalks the magical Neverland pursued by the crocodile that ate his severed hand while seeking to avenge his injury on Lost Boy Peter Pan.

Previous incarnations of Hook have been played by the likes of Dustin Hoffman and Jason Isaacs.

The decision to do a live-action version of the Peter Pan story came following the success of live-action versions of other Disney animated classics such as The Jungle Book, Aladdin and The Lion King.

The latest film is executive produced by Adam Borba and Thomas M. Hammel and the script is written by Lowery and Toby Halbrooks.

She can fly! Wendy wears a gray coat over her nightgown as she flies down to Neverland

She knows how to get into trouble: Later in the movie Wendy mixes it up with the nasty pirates
Rebel Wilson looked absolutely stunning in a vibrant green dress in New York City on Tuesday.

The newly engaged actress glowed with happiness in the belted frock. The dress featured long sleeves and buttons down the torso before blossoming into a full, romantic skirt.

She paired the festive outfit with a simple pair of black pumps and carried an umbrella.

The Pitch Perfect actress, 42, announced her engagement to Ramona Agruma 38, last week.

The question was popped at Disneyland in front of Cinderella's castle, which is the same location the lovebirds plan to tie the knot.

Goddess in green: Rebel Wilson looked gorgeous in a vibrant green dress in New York City on Tuesday

In love: The Senior Year star recently got engaged to her girlfriend Ramona Agruma at Disneyland

Pitch perfect: The actress, 42, had a huge smile on her face as photographers snapped away

The upcoming wedding isn't the only thing that the couple are looking forward to, as they are also working on having a second baby - just three months after Rebel welcomed daughter, Royce Lillian, via surrogate.

On November 7, Rebel introduced her adorable daughter Royce to the world.

She called her bundle of joy a 'beautiful miracle' when sharing a photo of the baby on Instagram.

And it seems that the Pitch Perfect star and her jewelry and clothing designer lady love are ready for another miracle.

'They feel that this will only strengthen the already unbreakable love that they have for each other and also wanted for their children to be close in age,' a source told Daily Mail exclusively about the couple's plans to add on to their family.

Three months, after Royce was born, on February 20, Rebel solidified her commitment to Ramona when she popped the question at the Happiest Place on Earth.

'Rebel is a die-hard Disney lover and they are really considering having their dream wedding there,' the insider says.

'It is definitely their happy place and Rebel still feels like she is living a real-life fairytale.'

Fairy tale: Not only is Rebel recently engaged, she also welcomed her daughter in November via a surrogate

Growing family: Rebel and Ramona are also planning to add on to their family in the near future

Coming out: Rebel came out as a lesbian in June 2022 and at the same time debuted her relationship with Ramona

Rebel shared the wonderful news with her 16 million followers on Instagram.

'We said YES!' she wrote, alongside two photos from thee engagement. In the first photo, Rebel was holding her soon-to-be wife's hand, which was adorned with a diamond engagement ring from Tiffany's.

In the second pic, Rebel and Ramona knelt down, surrounded by beautiful flowers. Cinderella's castle was shining in the background.

The caption continued, 'Thank you for the stunning ring and to Bob Iger and the incredible team at Disneyland for pulling off this magical surprise!'

Late last year, rumors circulated that Rebel and Ramona were engaged already. The Pitch Perfect actress debunked these rumors in a video posted to her Instagram story.

Needless to say, the video included the two of them living it up together at Disneyland.

But that isn't the first time that Rebel has shared her love for Disney. In fact, she has posted numerous photos over the years at Disney locations. In every single photo, it is clear that this is her happy place.

In June 2022, Rebel shocked her fans when she came out as a lesbian, introducing Ramona as the stunning lucky lady who stole her heart.

Happy heart: Rebel was glowing with happiness in her green dress on Monday
Dawn French showed off her incredible weight loss and brought back her classic bob haircut as she attended the Oklahoma! West End opening night at the Wyndham's Theatre on Tuesday.

The actress, 65, opted for an all-black ensemble as she made her way down the red carpet while flaunting her slimmer figure.

Last year Dawn revealed her plans to grow out her hair to recreate her Vicar of Dibley bob - but this time flaunting her greys which had previously been cut short in a pixie cut.

Dawn has previously been very open about her amazing 7.5 stone weight loss which she achieved in 2014 - but later admitted she put some of the weight back on.

At the theatre event she donned a long black coat, complete with a black sparkly blouse and black trousers.

Beauty! Dawn French showed off her incredible weight loss and brought back her classic bon haircut as she attended the Oklahoma ! West End opening night at the Wyndham's Theatre on Tuesday (right in 2005)

Throwback: Last year Dawn revealed her plans to grow out her hair to recreate her Vicar of Dibley bob (pictured in 1999)

Look: She has in recent years been flaunting this pixie grey hair style but is now back to her roots with the bob (pictured in 2021)

She opted for a casual look, pairing her outfit with black and white trainers.

Toting her belongings, she clutched a black leather bag at her waist.

Dawn, who is best-known for having brunette locks chopped into a short bob and complete with a fringe, has been embracing her grey hair in a new style this month.

The actress added a flawless palette of make up to her look, including bold lashes and a subtle pink lip.

Recently, she showed off a relaxed new look during a relaxing holiday in a mystery location with her so-called 'boyfriend' Idris Elba on Instagram.

The actress looked proud of her grey hair in the new style which she showed off in her latest Instagram video.

She went makeup free in the hilarious clip where she joked she was in the sunny location with the Luther actor, 50.

Good spirits: The actress, 65, opted for an all-black ensemble as she made her way down the red carpet

Gorgeous: She donned a long black coat, complete with a black sparkly blouse and black trousers

Casual: She opted for a casual look, pairing her outfit with black and white trainers

New style: Dawn, who is best-known for having brunette locks chopped into a short bob and complete with a fringe, has been embracing her grey hair in a new style this month

Back in the day: Dawn is pictured in 2012 at the Glamour Women Of The Year Awards before her 7.5 stone weight loss in 2014

Transformation: Dawn is pictured in 2017 after the weight loss - but had admitted to putting some back on in the following years

The funny clip came after Dawn showed off her new look on Instagram having donned a bright purple wig for her role as Dame Trot in Jack and the Beanstalk.

Dawn shimmied in a silver beaded sparkly fringed dress and matching metallic heels which were part of her costume as the Dame.

The Vicar of Dibley star sported a heavy make-up look and styled her bright purple hair in curls.

She also took to her Instagram stories from her dressing room to share a cheeky selfie enjoying a Gary Barlow beer.

Back in June, Dawn showed off her hair transformation after ditching the brown hair-dye.

She told her social media followers at the time that she trimmed off more of her locks, with her husband Mark Bignell even comparing her to The Chase star Anne Hegerty.

Sharing a duo of snaps of her new shorter tresses, Dawn penned: 'Hair update. 3 shades of grey (working up to the 50)

'Ive chopped even more off. Im thinking Im giving it solid Jamie Lee Curtis. Husband says Im giving it full Anne Hegerty. Righto.

'In your face husband, coz BOTH are Ishtar'

Dawn initially ditched her trademark style in favour of a bold new look to embrace the fact that she's going grey and shared her hair transformation with her followers.

In the first picture, Dawn showed off the natural colour transformation.

Even more dramatically, in the second picture, Dawn lifted up her locks to reveal her brand new undercut - with the silver colouring in line with her approach to embrace going grey.

Captioning her two new photos, Dawn wrote: 'Going lighter bit by bit to happily welcome the grey with an undercut surprise..! Hello there woman in her 60s.'

Last October Dawn said that she has put on weight again after her staggering seven and a half stone loss in 2014.

Speaking on her podcast French and Saunders: T**ting About, the star said she is 'back to being an entire barrel' but 'doesn't give a f**k'.

She didn't disclose how much weight she has put on, but said she refuses to 'dislike herself' and is happy as long as she can keep walking.

The comedian dramatically starting losing weight in 2011 following her split from Lenny Henry and in 2014, she revealed that it was so she could have keyhole surgery for a secret hysterectomy after a cancer scare.

Speaking on the podcast alongside Jennifer Saunders, Dawn said: 'I've gone back to being an entire barrel but do you know what, I'm going to be 63 this year, I don't give a f**k, I really don't, so long as I can walk.

'I'm not going to be stingy to myself anymore. I never did dislike anything about my body, even when I was very, very fat. I refuse to be forced to dislike myself.

'I used to get really angry when I did lose weight, people going, ''You look so well,'' as if you looked awful before - rewarding you for managing it, which is not easy, I accept that. But I didn't want people to give me approval. It's so patronising.'

Signature look: Dawn is best known for her iconic shoulder length brown bob and heavy fringe

'Happily welcoming the grey': Dawn initially ditched her trademark style in favour of a bold new look to embrace that she's going grey and shared her hair transformation with her followers

The comedian started losing weight in 2011 amid speculation she'd had a gastric band fitted or was suffering from stress after her split from Lenny Henry.

In 2014, Dawn revealed the real reason behind her weight loss and said she needed to have a hysterectomy following a cancer scare.

She said at the time her doctor was convinced she had uterine cancer and although the results of a first biopsy came back clear he ordered a second one which prompted her to make the decision to have surgery to remove her womb.

Dawn was given the choice to have an invasive operation but opted for keyhole surgery instead and was told she would need to lose weight to help ensure it was a success. She eventually lost 7.5st in total from her 19st frame.
Rescuers carry on search operations among the rubble of collapsed buildings in the Yesilyurt district of Malatya on Feb. 27, after a 5,6 magnitude earthquake hit eastern Turkey, killing one person and wounding dozens others while causing some damaged buildings to collapse, the government's disaster agency said. AFP-Yonhap



The devastating February 6 earthquake and aftershocks that hit southern Turkey have caused damage worth more than $34 billion in the country, the World Bank said on Monday.



The amount is equivalent to four percent of Turkey's GDP in 2021, the Washington-based institution said, adding that the estimate does not account for the costs of reconstruction that were "potentially twice as large," a statement said.



The estimate also does not take into account the damage caused in northern Syria, also particularly affected by the earthquakes, with a World Bank estimate of the costs there to be released on Tuesday.



The World Bank warned that the continuing aftershocks are likely to increase the total amount of damage caused by the disaster.



"This disaster serves as a reminder of Turkey's high risk to earthquakes and of the need to enhance resilience in public and private infrastructure," said Humberto Lopez, the World Bank Country Director for Turkey.



The World Bank also estimates that 1.25 million people have been made temporarily homeless due to damage to residential buildings.



It added that direct damage to residential buildings accounted for 53 percent of the estimate, with 28 percent of damage seen in non-residential buildings and the rest in infrastructure such as roads and bridges. (AFP)


Jon Hamm and his new fiancee Anna Osceola looked smitten as they headed out for dinner in LA recently - days before their engagement was announced.

The Mad Men star, 51, and his actress love, 34, walked arm-in-arm after a sushi dinner - before it was revealed he had popped the question to her following two years of dating.

Hamm wrapped up in a cream sweater and suede jacket, paired with jeans and sneakers as he strolled with his partner.

Anna wore a yellow swearer, paired with a shearling coat as she left the eaterie.

Her tresses were styled in soft waves and she sported a radiant palette of make-up.

Newly-engaged: Jon Hamm and his new fiancee Anna Osceola looked smitten as they headed out for dinner in LA recently - days before their engagement was announced

The pair first met when they co-starred on Mad Men in 2015, after Anna bagged a small role as the receptionist named Clementine at Esalen, a spiritual California retreat that Jon's character (Don Draper) attended in the final episode of the AMC series.

At the time, Jon was in an 18-year long relationship with Jennifer Westfeldt during which both frequently said they never wanted to get married. They broke up in 2015.

Jon and Anna - who were spotted in the Hamptons walking their dog - have been spotted together dating as far back as 2017 but rumors of their romance really took off in 2020 when the pair were repeatedly spotted running errands together during the coronavirus lockdown.

In an appearance on Howard Stern in September 2022, the Baby Driver star said he could see himself getting married someday, after previously vowing it would never happen for him as he didn't have the 'marriage chip' inside him.

'This is all part of what I'm saying,' Jon said at the time. 'This is another place in my life that I feel very settled and comfortable. I'm in a relationship right now and it's comfortable.'

He added that that he's been able to sit down to start 'really thinking about all that stuff, that's made the relationship that I'm in now even more meaningful and opened up the possibility of things like being married, having kids, defining a new version of happiness, life, wellness.'

'It sounds hokey and whatever, but it's real and for one of a better word, it's what I'm working for,' he continued. 'What else is there other than that?'

During that interview, the Bridesmaids actor also said that he was 'very much in love.'

Down the aisle: The Mad Men star, 51, and his actress love, 34, walked arm-in-arm after a sushi dinner - before it was revealed he had popped the question to her following two years of dating

Look of love: Hamm wrapped up in a cream sweater and suede jacket, paired with jeans and sneakers as he strolled with his partner

Where it all began: The couple met on the series finale of Med Men when Anna played Clementine, the receptionist at the wellness retreat Don Draper attended

The interview was in stark contrast to comments he made in 2012, where he revealed he categorically doesn't believe in marriage and that he has no yearning to be a father.

He told the magazine: 'I don't have a driving force to have a baby.'

Before adding: 'That said, I'm in a committed relationship, and if it ever came up, I'm not ruling it out.'

But he's even more vehement on the subject of marriage.

'I don't have a particularly defined example of marriage in my life,' he said.

Before adding: 'My parents got divorced when I was two and never remarried. So it doesn't mean anything to me.'

He concluded: 'I don't mean to say that it shouldn't mean things to other people. I'm not judging it one way or another.

'It's just my experience. I don't have that paragon of married life to look at and think, 'Oh yeah, that's it! That's what I want!''

The Emmy Award winner was open as he revealed that he has been seeking therapy over the past few years and has found that a lot of his trauma comes from losing his mother to colon cancer when he was just 10-years-old.

'It's also been a process of working on myself, my mental health, all the stuff with my therapist,' he said.

'And unpacking all of that trauma and realizing that when you lose someone that's so important to you, like a mother, so early, that that creates a wound that blocks a lot of that emotional accessibility.

'That blocks a lot of that availability and vulnerability.'

The couple made their red carpet debut in 2022. when they attended the Vanity Fair Oscars after party together.

They also attended the 2022 ESPYs together, where they packed on the PDAs on the red carpet.

And Jon and Anna also reunited on screen for the first time since the Mad Men finale in 2022 in the third installment of the Fletch franchise, Confess, Fletch.

They're ENGAGED! Jon and Anna - who were spotted in the Hamptons walking their dog - have been spotted together dating as far back as 2017 but rumors of their romance really took off in 2020

The Black Mirror actor took on the role of Irwin M. Fletcher - which was originally played by Chevy Chase in the 1985 and 1989 films.

Anna played the role of Larry in the film.

Osceola is best known for her roles on Law & Order True Crime and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Greek, Rizzoli & Isles, and NCIS.

The Top Gun: Maverick and his lady love keep their private lives private and don't have a social media presence.

'The point of life is not to put dog ears on yourself and post it online for everyone to see,' he told InStyle in 2017.
Kevin Hart starred in the trailer for the upcoming series Die Hart 2, which was released on Tuesday.

In the clip, the 43-year-old performer, who recently appeared in DraftKings' Super Bowl advertisement, bargained to become an action star by agreeing to appear in an entirely improvised movie with potentially deadly stakes.

The show, which also stars John Cena, will serve as a follow-up to the first season of Die Hart, which was released on Quibi in 2020.

The trailer began with Hart waking up and being handed a newspaper by his assistant Andre, played by Ben Schwartz.

When Andre told the comedian that 'today is going to be the best day of your life,' the actor responded that you say the same thing every day, Andre, and every day you're wrong.'

Leading man: Kevin Hart starred in the trailer for the upcoming series Die Hart 2, which was released through various media outlets on Tuesday

The Ride Along star later hosted a business meeting at his house that was interrupted by several armed assailants, and he managed to fight them all off before subduing the group's leader with a beef tenderloin.

When one of the producers present at the meeting inquired why the assailants quickly recovered from the attack, Hart explained that the situation was entirely set up to show producers that he could be an action star.

Andre later consoled Hart, and he told the producer that 'Kevin Darnell Hart is a national treasure.'

The actor later sat down for a meeting with a shady producer, and he explained that, with regard to action on his next project he didn't 'want to see it coming.'

The producer went on to shoot a poison dart at the performer's neck, and he subsequently woke up in a torture chamber while being faced by a crazed doctor with a buzzsaw.

After subduing the doctor with a headbutt, Hart found his old friend Jordan, played by Nathalie Emmanuel, who had been tied to a bed in another part of the torture chamber.

When she explained that another one of the producer's minions had tried to kill her earlier, the actor expressed that they were in a 'live action movie, we're improving all the action scenes.'

After the two escaped the facility, Jordan noticed that the performer had been shot, which he did not believe until she slapped his wound.

Second in a row: The show, which also stars John Cena, will serve as a follow-up to the first season of Die Hart, which was released on Quibi in 2020

Proving his worth: The Ride Along star later hosted a business meeting at his house that was interrupted by several armed assailants, and he managed to fight them all off before subduing the group's leader with a beef tenderloin

Show of force: When one of the producers present at the meeting inquired why the assailants quickly recovered from the attack, Hart explained that the situation was entirely set up to show producers that he could be an action star

High praise: Andre later consoled Hart, and he told the producer that 'Kevin Darnell Hart is a national treasure'

Not alone: After subduing the doctor with a headbutt, Hart found his old friend Jordan, played by Nathalie Emmanuel, who had been tied to a bed in another part of the torture chamber

Better than smelling salts: The Get Hard actor then passed out from blood loss, although his friend revived him by remarking that there was a photographer nearby, to which he responded by waking up and flashing a pair of peace signs

The Get Hard actor then passed out from blood loss, although his friend revived him by remarking that there was a photographer nearby, to which he responded by waking up and flashing a pair of peace signs.

Hart and Jordan later made their way to the home of Andre's mother, played by Paula Pell, who removed the former's bloody shirt and commented: 'That's a man right there.'

Andre later explained that his late father had 'jumped in the way of a knife meant for Richard Pryor,' and the actor expressed doubt about anyone wanting to kill the comedian.

After a montage of action shots was shown, Jordan commented that there was only one individual who could 'help you find who's behind this,' after which he and Andre made their way to a remote cabin.

Impressed: Hart and Jordan later made their way to the home of Andre's mother, played by Paula Pell, who removed the former's bloody shirt

Giving it his all: Andre later explained that his late father had 'jumped in the way of a knife meant for Richard Pryor,' and the actor expressed doubt about anyone wanting to kill the comedian

The pair were confronted by a crossbow-wielding and long-haired John Cena, who invited them in for tea after a bit of initial hostility.

The professional wrestler then asked if he made them uncomfortable before he poured hot tea on his groin, after which Hart exclaimed: 'Now that's a trailer moment!'

Die Hart is currently set to be released through Roku on March 31.
Lila Moss showcased her toned figure as she attended the Saint Laurent show during Paris Fashion Week on Tuesday evening.

The model, 20, who is the daughter of Supermodel Kate Moss, looked incredible as she flashed her midriff in a black cut out strapless maxi dress.

The blonde beauty elevated her frame in a pair of coordinated heels and toted her belongings around in a chic clutch.

She styled her long blonde tresses in loose waves as they cascaded down past her shoulders from a centre parting.

Lila applied a flawless palette of makeup to accentuate her beauty including adding a pop of colour to the look with a swipe of bold red lipstick.

Sensational: Lila Moss showcased her toned figure as she attended the Saint Laurent show during Paris Fashion Week on Tuesday evening

Incredible: The model, 20, who is the daughter of Supermodel Kate Moss, looked incredible as she flashed her midriff in a black cut out strapless maxi dress

She posed up a storm at the star-studded event ahead of watching the glamorous fashion show.

The appearance comes after Lila joined her mum Kate, 49, among those in attendance for a star-studded memorial service in honour of the late designer Vivienne Westwood.

The iconic supermodel paid homage to the fashion icon with a chic black floral shirt dress as she arrived for the occasion at Southwark Cathedral.

Lila was bundled up in a chunky black hooded coat and heeled boots as she chatted to guests alongside her mother.

Victoria Beckham, Lily Cole, Lady Amelia Windsor, Katherine Jenkins, Helena Bonham Carter and Elle Fanning were among the biggest names seen arriving to the service.

Vivienne died in December at the age of 81 'peacefully, and surrounded by her family' in London's Clapham, her representative said.

The occasion was an opportunity for many stars to pay tribute to Vivienne, after her funeral was held privately earlier this month.

Glamorous: The blonde beauty toted her belongings around in a dark clutch and added a pop of colour with a swipe of bold red lipstick
Kourtney Kardashian wowed in a neon string bikini in her latest round of social media snaps on Tuesday - as her husband Travis Barker prepares for surgery on his ring finger.

The reality star, 43, showed off her ample cleavage and and honed legs as she posed on a sunlounger while make-up free and displaying her radiant complexion.

The beauty looked stunning as she posed and pouted for the camera while enjoying a day of leisure.

In contract, her rocker beau, 47, posted social media snaps in a hospital gown and with an IV in his arm as he prepared to undergo surgery after damaging his ring finger earlier this month.

The star posed in a hairnet, mask and hospital gown as he documented the run-up to his surgery.

Wow:Kourtney Kardashian wowed in a neon string bikini in her latest round of social media snaps on Tuesday - as her husband Travis Barker prepares for surgery on his ring finger

Hospital: In contract, her rocker beau, 47, posted social media snaps in a hospital gown and with an IV in his arm as he prepared to undergo surgery after damaging his ring finger earlier this month

The Blink-182 drummer injured the finger as he was rehearsing with his band for 'All The Small Things' upcoming reunion tour.

He shared the health update to his 7.9million followers on Instagram and captioned it: 'Surgery tomorrow', with an emoji of hands praying.

In the post, Travis showed a video of him getting his finger pulled and pushed in different directions to try and get it back to normal.

It appeared that he had a doctor arrive at his home who was discussing the pain of his finger.

Another snap showed Travis in an all-black ensemble holding his taped-up hand to his face, protecting it from further damage.

He also pictured his finger up close, with his tattooed hand held out to display the break at the top of his knuckle.

His wife Kourtney replied to the post with a series of prayer hands and heart emojis.

He previously tweeted on February 8: 'I was playing the drums at rehearsals yesterday and I smashed my finger so hard I dislocated it and tore the ligaments.'

No gigs have been postponed or cancelled following the injury, with fans hoping the surgery won't impact Blink-182's first tour with Tom DeLonge in the lineup - alongside Travis and their bandmate Mark Hoppus - since 2014.

Glow: The reality star, 43, showed off her ample cleavage and and honed legs as she posed on a sunlounger while make-up free and displaying her radiant complexion

Fun: She posted a snap of Travis riding a tandem bike with her daughter Penelope

Go time: Drummer Travis showed off his marked finger ahead of his surgery

Broken: In the post, Travis showed a video of him getting his finger pulled and pushed in different directions to try and get it back to normal

Late last year, Tom revealed the group has been busy working on 'the best album' they've made to date.

He teased on Instagram: 'I'm personally tripping and so proud of what we have created TOGETHER. As one unified force of fun, eternal youth, and most of all- close friends.'

The group are set for their biggest tour to date, with concerts in the UK, Europe, North America, Australia, New Zealand and their first-ever shows in Latin America.

The mammoth tour will begin in March and will conclude in February 2024.

The three original Blink-182 members met up before Mark was undergoing treatment for cancer in 2021 and he revealed that the three were in a good place.

He previously said of the band's relationship: 'It's actually better than it used to be.

'There was no agenda (when they met up). There were no lingering grudges. It felt very back to what it should be: three friends sitting in a room.'
Zoe Kravitz showed off her chic sense of style as she stepped out to the Yves Saint Laurent womenswear fall/winter 2023-2024 show during Paris Fashion Week on Tuesday.

The actress, 34, wore a black one-shoulder mini dress which featured an abstract angular neckline.

Her left arm was left on show by the one-sleeve piece which featured ruffled detail across the front.

The star, who is the daughter of musician Lenny Kravitz and actress Lisa Bonet, teamed her top with a pair of black tights.

She opted for a pair of high-heeled shoes in the same colour to add a few inches to her stature.

In style: Zoe Kravitz, 34, showed off her chic sense of style in a black mini dress as she stepped out to the Yves Saint Laurent womenswear show during Paris Fashion Week on Tuesday

Zoe shielded her eyes behind a pair of dark sunglasses and wore lashings of make-up to highlight her pretty features, including a bold red lip.

The star's outing comes after she said she thinks make-up is 'powerful'.

The Big Little Lies actress admitted her costumes and cosmetics play a big part in helping her get into character and she's fascinated by the way her appearance can even make her 'walk and talk differently'.

Asked if make-up and costume help her at work, she told Numero magazine: 'They have a big impact on the way I feel. Often, when Im playing a character, I see that it really comes together when I find out what shell be wearing and I try out the clothes, with hair and make-up.

'At that point I no longer look like me, and its very interesting to see what happens... You start to walk and talk differently. Thats whats so powerful about make-up. You put on lipstick, and all of a sudden you start swinging your hips differently.

'It proves that we  human beings  are greatly affected by how we look. Its amazing to see the extent to which were influenced by our appearance.'

Zoe was particularly happy with the beauty look she sported as Catwoman in The Batman because she thinks it perfectly encapsulated the 'rough and messy' side to the character, as well as being 'sublime and modern'.

The screen star is the face of Black Opium Le Parfum and she's proud to be associated with such a 'sexy, mischievous scent'.

Fashion focus: Her left arm was left on show by the one-sleeve piece which featured ruffled detail across the front

She said: 'Its a really great fragrance because its complex, mixing soft vanilla notes, which for a lot of people are very feminine, with more woody scents that are deep and rich like a shot of coffee.

'Theyre not masculine exactly, but they help create an ensemble thats both sumptuous and subtle.

'Its a very Yves Saint Laurent perfume because the brand is strongly focused on creating a balance between womens different facets. Its a very sexy, mischievous scent.

'And I must say I adore the ad campaigns, which are both fun and beautiful. Theyre all about adventure, nightlife and independence.'
An Australian tourist has divided opinion with her very risque choice of outfit for a night on the town in Paris.

Sophia Begg, 19, who goes by 'Sopha Dopha' on TikTok, raised eyebrows on Tuesday when she shared photos of herself posing braless in a completely see-through gown.

The influencer completed her look with a tiny white G-string, and posed from various angles to show off her barely covered physique in a hotel mirror.

The floor-length dress, by Jacquemus and worth $1,815, would do little to protect Sophie from the Parisian winter, where temperatures have plunged below zero in recent days.

'Feelin like a princess', she wrote in the caption.

Australian TikTok star Sophia Begg, 19, raised eyebrows on Tuesday when she shared photos of herself posing braless in a completely see-through gown ahead of a night out in Paris

Sophia's look sparked debate among her fans, with several questioning whether it was appropriate to flash so much skin on the streets of Paris.

'Why even get dressed?' one person commented.

Another fan asked whether the dress was actually a swimming costume cover-up, prompting someone else to reply: 'It has to be, she's literally naked.'

The influencer completed her look with a tiny white G-string, and posed from various angles to show off her barely covered physique in a hotel mirror

The floor-length dress, by Jacquemus and worth $1,815, would do little to protect Sophie from the Parisian winter, where temperatures have plunged below zero in recent days

'Feelin like a princess', she wrote in the caption

Sophia's look sparked debate among her fans, with several questioning whether it was appropriate to flash so much skin on the streets of Paris

However, others were quick to defend Sophie's raunchy look, with one commenting, 'Best thing you've ever worn,' while another added: 'An actual goddess!'

It comes after Sophia was slammed by the Outspoken podcast for promoting extreme sun-tanning, having only recently preached about sun safety.

In December, Sophia posted an Instagram Story of herself sunbaking and wrote: 'I've laid in the sun - no joke - every single day for two to three hours with tanning oil.

'Why am I not a bronze goddess?'

'Why even get dressed?' one fan commented. Another asked whether the dress was actually a swimming costume cover-up, prompting someone else to say: 'Has to be, she's literally naked'

However, others were quick to defend Sophie's raunchy look, with one commenting, 'Best thing you've ever worn,' while another added: 'An actual goddess!'

Describing Sophia as a 'barometer for Gen Z', podcast host Sophie Taeuber said she was shocked because the influencer claims to 'wear suncream as primer' every day.

'For her to promote tanning just seemed really left-field, and in the photo it's also quite concerning because her cheeks are a really bright red colour,' Ms Taeuber said.

In an Instagram post last month, Sophia claimed she'd been lying on the beach with tanning oil for days in a quest to become a 'bronze goddess'.

It comes after Sophia was slammed by the Outspoken podcast for promoting extreme sun-tanning, having only recently preached about sun safety

Speaking to Daily Mail Australia, Professor Tanya Buchanan, the CEO of Cancer Council Australia, warned against the dangers of extreme tanning.

'A suntan is a sign of skin damage,' Professor Buchanan said.

'When skin is exposed to UV radiation, more melanin is produced causing the skin to darken. This is what we know as a "suntan". There is no such thing as a safe suntan.

'Sun damage accumulates over time, so even if you're seeking a suntan but not burning, you're still increasing your risk of skin cancer.'
Australian producer and Getaway presenter Jeff Watson has died, aged 80.

Watson passed away peacefully last Wednesday at the Greenwich Palliative Care Hospital after being diagnosed with brain cancer in early 2018.

He was surrounded by his wife Judi, children Timothy and Lucy and stepdaughter Cara.

Watson was initially given three months to live but continued an active life with his family and friends up until his death.

Popular Getaway presenter Catriona Rowntree paid tribute to her beloved colleague, telling TV Tonight: 'This is heartbreaking news. As both a colleague and friend Jeff was a joy to be with. You can imagine how interesting he was after so many world travels, above all though he was just so cheeky and fun loving.'

Australian producer and Getaway presenter Jeff Watson has died, aged 80

'Jeff had the best bloopers ever! Jeff always spoke of his love for his family, I know their hearts will be hurting and we are sending all our love to them.'

Channel Nine's Getaway executive producer John Walsh also added: 'Jeff was really fundamental in the launch of Getaway in 1992.'

'As one of the original presenters on the show he brought a world of experience to the on-air team and had the rare knack of being incredibly funny one minute and projecting authority and gravitas the next.'

'Audiences really responded to him and there's no doubt he played a big role in the show's early success. He was a real one-of-a kind and will be missed.'

Popular Getaway presenter Catriona Rowntree paid tribute to her beloved colleague after the news broke

Watson was an original presenter of Getaway from 1992 to 1998. He also hosted popular TV series Beyond 2000

Watson was an original presenter of Getaway from 1992 to 1998. He also hosted popular TV series Beyond 2000.

He has also produced several programs for Channel Seven and The History Channel including The Boneyard and The Shape Of Things To Come.

Watson presented ABC radio program Travellers Tales for five years and also took the role of motoring and aviation editor of the Today show.
Ellie Bamber ensured all eyes were on her as she attended the Saint Laurent womenswear show during Paris Fashion Week on Tuesday.

The actress, 26, showcased her jaw-dropping figure as she donned a black sheer dress, which flashed her underwear.

The Willow star also wore a black long-sleeved top with a pleated detail and structured shoulders as she posed for the red cameras.

Adding height to her frame with a pair of black open-toed heels, Ellie also sported a pair of chunky black earrings.

Letting her flame-haired locks fall loose around her shoulders, the star accentuated her natural beauty with a light palette of makeup.

Sizzling: Ellie Bamber ensured all eyes were on her as she attended the Saint Laurent womenswear show during Paris Fashion Week on Tuesday

Stunning: The actress, 26, showcased her jaw-dropping figure as she donned a black sheer dress that left little to the imagination

The outing comes after the news that Ellie will star as Kate Moss in upcoming feature film Moss & Freud, with the model herself serving as an executive producer.

The film is a dramatised account of supermodel and cultural phenomenon Kate when, at the peak of her fame, she made the decision to sit for famed British artist Lucian Freud.

Director James Lucas is known for his Academy Award-winning live action short film The Phone Call (starring Sally Hawkins and Jim Broadbent).

Speaking about the project, Kate said: 'As this is such a personal story of mine it has been essential that I be involved with James in all aspects as the project has developed.

'I am thrilled by the recent casting and excited that the film will begin shooting soon, I cannot wait to see it.'

Set around Lucian's Holland Park studio and London in the heady days of early 2000's Britain, the story opens up to explore Lucian's mysterious past and Kate's life as a globally recognised supermodel.

At the peak of the supermodel era, Kate was already a global icon, but at a crossroad in her life and work, agreed to sit for acclaimed painter Lucian - who died in 2011 aged 88 - over an arduous, intense nine-month period at his studio in Holland Park.

Although from seemingly different worlds and often at odds, as their relationship develops, the two enigmatic personalities discover they're kindred spirits with lots to learn from each other and, as a consequence, about themselves.

Style: The Willow star also wore a black long-sleeved top with a pleated detail and structured shoulders as she posed for the red cameras

Fashion: Adding height to her frame with a pair of black open-toed heels, Ellie also sported a pair of chunky black earrings

Film: The outing comes after the news that Ellie will star as Kate Moss (pictured) in upcoming feature film Moss & Freud, with the model herself serving as an executive producer

The process becomes cathartic, leaving both changed forever.

Kate redefined the face of fashion in the 90's and subsequently become a global cultural icon, her career spanning over three decades.

She has appeared on the cover of every major fashion magazine in the world, including a record 40 covers for British Vogue.
Stranger Things star Natalia Dyer attended the Saint Laurent Womenswear Fall/Winter 2023-2024 show, which took place as part of Paris Fashion Week on Tuesday.

The 28-year-old performer cut a fashionable figure in an eye-catching outfit while spending time at the star-studded event.

The actress, who was recently spotted while stepping out in New York City, is currently preparing to begin production on the upcoming fifth and final season of Stranger Things, in which she stars.

Dyer wore a black t-shirt underneath a stylish multi-pocket leather jacket during the show.

The Velvet Buzzsaw actress added elements of color to her look for the day with a yellow-and-black maxi skirt that offset the tone of her outerwear.

In attendance: Natalia Dyer attended the Saint Laurent Womenswear Fall/Winter 2023-2024 show, which took place as part of Paris Fashion Week on Tuesday

Dressed to the nines: The Velvet Buzzsaw actress added elements of color to her look with a yellow-and-black maxi skirt and later donned a pair of sunglasses

The star added a bit of extra shine to her outfit with reflective earrings and later donned a pair of sunglasses.

Her vibrant light brunette hair cascaded onto her shoulders and offset the dark tones of her tops.

Dyer is set to reprise her longstanding role as Nancy Wheeler in Stranger Things' upcoming season.

The performer has appeared in a main role on the program ever since it premiered on Netflix on 2016.

Other cast members on the show include Winona Ryder, Millie Bobby Brown and Jamie Campbell Bower.

The series has been a hit with fans and critics ever since its premiere, and its cast collectively won the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series in 2018.

Last February, it was announced that Stranger Things had been renewed for a fifth season.

At the time, it was revealed that the program would not continue past the upcoming run of episodes.

Fan favorite: Dyer is set to reprise her longstanding role as Nancy Wheeler in Stranger Things' upcoming fifth season

Stylish: The star added a bit of extra shine to her outfit with reflective earrings and later donned a pair of sunglasses

Shocked: Natalia put on an animated display as fans asked for her autograph while leaving the venue

Beauty: Her vibrant light brunette hair cascaded onto her shoulders and offset the dark tones of her tops

The show's creators, The Duffer Brothers, also issued a statement where they expressed via Deadline that they were 'hurtling toward our finale.'

They did, however, remark that there may be further stories to tell within the Stranger Things universe, writing that there were 'new mysteries, new adventures, new unexpected heroes.'

Dyer previously spoke to Netflix's Tudum and stated that she wanted to share the screen with every cast member of Stranger Things during its final season.

'In an ideal world, I want a scene with every single person in the cast because one of the most fun things about this show is getting to see the different dynamics,' she said.

The performer also said that she was excited about the prospect of appearing alongside her longtime friends in the upcoming episodes.

'I really am looking forward to hopefully having some of those nice character moments of these people connecting and showing that they care about each other,' she said.
Love Island viewers demand Kai and Sanam should have more screen time as they are 'robbed' of the hideaway during Tuesday night's show.

ITV fans took to Twitter to complain that the PE teacher, 24, and the social worker, also 24, 'deserved' the night alone together over Tom and Samie.

It comes after the pair coupled up in Casa Amor and returned to the main villa together after Kai ditched ex Olivia.

Fans argued that the couple are 'the only genuine couple' in the villa as they have not had any rocky moments yet.

One penned: 'Should've been Kai and Sanam in the hideaway, the only genuine couple'.

'Robbed of the hideaway': Love Island viewers demand Kai and Sanam have more screen time as they are 'robbed' of the hideaway during Tuesday night's show

Ignored: ITV fans took to Twitter to complain that the PE teacher, 24, and the social worker, also 24, 'deserved' the night alone together over Tom and Samie

Another said: 'Sanam & Kai deserved to be in the hideaway'.

'Kai and Sanam deserved that hideaway more,' a third wrote.

A fourth added: 'Wait, why werent Sanam and Kai chosen for the hideaway?'

'I wanted to see Sanam and Kai get it on in the hideaway not Tom and Samie. Ffs. They rlly don't get enough screentime,' a fifth said.

Another added: 'Kai and Sanam were robbed of the hideaway'.

It comes as Tom and Samie enjoyed a romantic evening in the hideaway as he insisted he is 'not vanilla' and got Samie to use handcuffs on him.

The pair were treated to a VIP pool breakfast as they decided to make their relationship exclusive.

Fans were left confused by why Tom and Samie got the 'exclusive treatment' over the other islanders.

Loved-up: Fans argued that the couple are 'the only genuine couple' in the villa as they have not had any rocky moments since coupling up in Casa Amor and returning to the main villa

One fan argued: 'I wanted to see Sanam and Kai get it on in the hideaway not Tom and Samie. Ffs. They rlly don't get enough screentime'

'Hideaway exclusive treatment': It comes as Tom and Samie enjoyed a romantic evening in the hideaway as they made their relationship exclusive

'Definitely producers favourites': Some even suggested that the producers have definitely got 'favourites' after Tom and Samie were treated to a lavish pool breakfast after spending the night alone

Some even suggested that the producers have definitely got 'favourites' between the Islanders as some have more screen time and special treatment than others.

One said: 'Why did Tom and Samie get extra time in the Hideaway but the other couples didn't???'

Another wrote: 'The rest of the Islanders when they find out that Samie and Tom got a floating breakfast in The Hideaway and they didn't'.

A third penned: 'Samie and tom are getting the full treatment in the hideaway feels like theyre definitely the producers favourites'.

'How have Tom & Samie got a morning date in the hideaway but the other couples didnt? these producers and their favouritism I swear,' added another.

'Tom and Samie getting the hideaway exclusive treatment,' said a fifth.

'Samie and Tom having the full Maldives experience in the hideaway,' a sixth added.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak delivers a statement on the Northern Ireland Protocol, at the House of Commons in London, Britain, Feb. 27. Reuters-Yonhap



British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak struck a deal with the European Union on post-Brexit trade rules for Northern Ireland on Monday, saying it would pave the way for a new chapter in London's relationship with the bloc.



Standing alongside European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen at a news conference in Windsor, Sunak said the two sides had agreed to remove "any sense of a border" between Britain and its province - a situation that had angered politicians on both sides.



He immediately won plaudits from business groups who welcomed the easing of trade rules, and an EU promise that it would be willing to allow British scientists to join its vast research program if Sunak's party accepts the deal.



The agreement marks a high-risk strategy for Sunak just four months after he took office. He is looking to secure improved relations with Brussels  and the United States  without angering the wing of his party most wedded to Brexit.



The deal seeks to resolve the tensions caused by the Northern Ireland protocol, a complex agreement which set the trading rules for the British-ruled region that London agreed before it left the EU but now says are unworkable.



Its success is likely to hinge on whether it convinces the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) to end its boycott of Northern Ireland's power-sharing arrangements. These were central to the 1998 peace deal known as the Good Friday Agreement which mostly ended three decades of sectarian and political violence in Northern Ireland.



"I'm pleased to report that we have now made a decisive breakthrough," Sunak said of his new "Windsor Framework". "This is the beginning of a new chapter in our relationship."



The issue of Northern Ireland has been one of the most contentious related to Britain's 2020 departure from the European Union. A return to a hard border between the province and Ireland, an EU member, could have jeopardized the peace deal.



But it remains to be seen whether the new terms will go far enough to end the political deadlock in Northern Ireland, where perceptions that the protocol loosened ties with Britain have angered many unionist communities.



Sunak is likely to talk up the fact he has secured a so-called "Stormont brake", which he said would allow Stormont - the regional assembly - to stop any "changes to EU goods rules that would have significant and lasting effects on everyday lives". He said that would give London a veto on new rules.



Von der Leyen said she hoped the brake could be avoided if the two sides consulted each other extensively when introducing new laws and regulatory changes.





Britain's Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, right, shake hands after a press conference at Windsor Guildhall, Windsor, England, Feb. 27. AP-Yonhap
Former Married At First Sight star Dean Wells has expressed his shock over non-binary onesies for babies being sold online.

The 45-year-old shared screenshots of an online clothing store selling clothing, including onesies, bearing the slogan, 'The future is non-binary.'

The clothing also features the colours of the official non-binary flag.

Non-binary people do not identify as either male or female, and many use they/them pronouns.

'Why do we need this message for actual babies?' Wells asked his Instagram followers, before snidely adding: 'Um, we actually don't have a future if it's non-binary.'

Former Married At First Sight star Dean Wells (pictured) has expressed his shock over non-binary onesies for babies being sold online

The 45-year-old shared screenshots of an online clothing store selling clothing, including onesies, bearing the slogan, 'The future is non-binary' (one is pictured here)

The reality star added a link to his Patreon page, where he charges fans $5 a month to hear his opinions on culture-wars issues and politics.

Wells was forced to sign up for the subscription-based service after he was dropped by his management for criticising a 'drag queen story time' event for children at a library in Sydney's Manly.

He came under serious fire from fans and followers for sharing a Photoshopped flyer promoting the event, which many felt was misleading.

'In no way am I transphobic, homophobic or hateful,' said Wells, who has five gay family members and a professional mentor who is gay.

'My post was about one thing. Is it appropriate for three-year-old kids to be exposed to advanced gender and sexual ideologies? I would personally think around the age of 12 is more suitable for that kind of thing.'

'I was curious to know what other people thought. After all this is a taxpayer-funded event in my neighborhood, I think I have the right to ask that question,' added the Manly-based creative agency executive.

The clothing also featured the colours of the official non-binary flag

Wells also set the record straight on claims he 'doctored' the original flyer advertising drag queen Charisma Belle's appearance at Manly Library.

'I did not 'doctor' any photo or attempt to mislead anyone. I took an image of the drag queen in question, that he himself posted to his Instagram, and put it next to the Manly libraries website post to show people who the drag queen is,' he said.

'I clearly stated in the caption that I had merged the two screenshots and that the library was not using this image to advertise the event. So how is that misleading?'

He also noted that while the online backlash has 'taken a toll' on his mental health, he won't be silenced.

Wells was recently dropped by his management for criticising a 'drag queen story time' event for children at a library in Sydney's Manly

Wells came under serious fire from fans and followers for sharing a Photoshopped flyer promoting the event, which many felt was misleading. Pictured above

Following the backlash, Wells' management agency Stage Addiction dropped him.

'As a queer-owned business, Stage Addiction has always and will always celebrate the LGBTQIA+ community,' they said in a statement.

'The deeply hurtful comments made today by Dean Wells do not align with our values and as such we have parted ways.'

Stage Addiction represents many of Australia's most progressive and diverse stars, including Abbie Chatfield, Angie Kent, drag queen Art Simone, and more.

The agency had been quite successful in getting Wells work on reality TV after his stint on MAFS in 2018, landing him a spot on Ten's Dancing with the Stars in 2020.

He now hosts his own politically incorrect podcast and YouTube series called Dangerous Ideas with Deano.
Bruce Willis has been getting some of the best expert care, thanks to the efforts of his wife, Emma Heming Willis.

The Die Hard star, 67, who will soon welcome his first grandchild, has been diagnosed with Frontotemporal Dementia, a rare condition that affects the ability to speak and comprehend language, along with other issues.

In a heartfelt Instagram post, Emma, 44, posed with dementia specialist Teepa Snow, to share some of the progress she has made in dealing with the degenerative disorder affecting her husband.

'Im grateful I had the opportunity to work with (Teepa Snow) who has helped me add to my dementia care toolbox,' she shared.

'Shes a loving, compassionate and skilled leader in this space who navigates herself with pure empathy. Shes a gift.'

Help: Emma Heming Willis, 44, revealed she has turned to dementia car specialist Teepa Snow for help in caring her husband Bruce Willis, 67, following his Frontotemporal Dementia, writing on Instagram, the specialist 'has helped me add to my dementia care toolbox'

The former model then admonished others to 'Head to the link in my bio as her website has a wealth of caregiving information you might find useful too.'

Teepa, a dementia specialist, is known throughout much of the world for the strides she has made in caring for patients and their families, according to her social media posts and website.

The licensed occupational therapist complimented Emma for her efforts, saying, 'She has done an absolutely remarkable job of providing the right support for Bruce as his abilities have changed and created a place, space and life that continues to provide him with what he needs to live well.'

'Frontal temporal dementia is never easy,' the healthcare provider explained, 'but with the right programming and support, it truly is possible to continue living life.'

'Congrats to Emma and their entire family for their very very hard work and dedication. It is truly remarkable!'

Many of Emma's followers commented that the information they learned from Teepa and her Positive Approach to Care had helped them as well.

'Honestly. I wonder if Id be here without (Teepa)' wrote one. Another enthused, 'She is truly amazing, a leader on how to understand and truly care. I have admired her and practiced her teachings for years.'

Emma, shares two daughters with Bruce, Mabel, 10, and Evelyn, eight.

She and her extended family, which includes the Sixth Sense star's ex-wife Demi Moore, 60, and their three daughters, Rumer, 34, Scout, 31, and Tallulah, 29, announced the journeyman actor would be taking a step back from his career nearly a year ago in March.

Stepping back: Emma, Bruce's ex-wife Demi, 60, and daughters Rumer, 34, Scout, 31, and Tallulah 29, announced the Die Hard star would be stepping back from his career in March 2022 due to aphasia. They announced the FTD diagnosis February 16 (Pictured in Los Angeles in September 2019)

Remarkable job: The licensed occupational therapist complimented Emma for her efforts, saying, 'She has done an absolutely remarkable job of providing the right support for Bruce as his abilities have changed' (Pictured in New York in October 2019)

At the time, the Emmy winner had been diagnosed with aphasia, which was affecting his cognitive abilities.

The family has shared photos and videos of the Pulp Fiction star interacting with them to keep fans updated on his condition.

On February 16, the family announced that the Moonlighting star's condition had progressed and the new diagnosis was Frontotemporal Dementia or FTD.

'While this is painful, it is a relief to finally have a clear diagnosis.' they said.

Updates: Emma has kept Bruce's fans up to date since he stepped back from his career with numerous social media posts
It is one of the hottest trends of 2023.

And Australian model Abbey Lee was the latest celebrity to rock the coveted and in demand Saint Laurent hooded dress as she attended the French Fashion house's Fall Winter 2023-2024 show at Paris Fashion Week on Tuesday.

The 35-year-old showed off a hint of sideboob in the brand's popular capuche gown, which was first shown by the Laurent back in 1969 and has been reinvited several times since.

Abbey Lee was the latest celebrity to rock the coveted and in demand Saint Laurent hooded dress as she attended the French Fashion house's Fall Winter 2023-2024 show at Paris Fashion Week on Tuesday

The blue-eyed beauty looked stunning in the frock, which she accessorised with large chunky bangles and some gold hoop earrings.

Abbey wore her locks pulled back tight and lent a pop of colour to her minimal makeup look - painting her pout a bright red.

The slender catwalk queen has been starring in several catwalk shows in Paris and Milan over the last week - including the Roberto Cavalli Fashion show.

Abbey has been out of the Hollywood spotlight in recent years but occasionally pops up for modelling and acting roles.

The 35-year-old showed off a hint of sideboob in the brand's popular capuche gown, which was first shown by the Laurent back in 1969 and has been reinvited several times since

She is best known for playing The Dag in 2015's Mad Max: Fury Road, alongside Megan Gale, Zoe Kravitz, Riley Keough and Rosie Huntington-Whiteley.

Her most recent role before The Forgiven was in M. Night Shyamalan's Old (2021).

In an interview with Stellar magazine in 2018, the former Victoria's Secret star was asked about the treatment of models after she fainted on Alexander McQueen's runway in 2008 due to extreme exhaustion and an incredibly tight corset.

'I didn't stand up for myself enough when I should have. It's a very tricky industry and there's not a lot of protection for young models,' she said at the time.

'So if you don't know how to protect yourself, you can find yourself in situations where it would be nice to have somebody who's got your back.

Abbey wore her locks pulled back tight and lent a pop of colour to her minimal makeup look - painting her pout a bright red

'Sometimes when you're at an elite level, saying no or speaking out can be scary.'

The model-turned-actress said she'd always been one to push herself to the limit.

Abbey Lee, who kicked off her modelling career at the age of 15, also shed light on why she decided to drop her surname, Kershaw, professionally.

'The weird thing is, it's not just in the last few years. When I started modelling at 15, I liked the look and sound and feel of Abbey Lee. So on all my modelling cards, I've never had Kershaw printed,' she said.
Kim Kardashian shared a new video to her Insta Stories on Tuesday morning.

The reality TV star was showing off plenty of cleavage in a very low cut tank top while at home in Hidden Hills, California.

The jet-setter was also seen working out with heavy weights in a gym after returning from a trip to Europe where she modeled fashion.

The star bent her back - and not her legs - while she pulled up a weight that said 80 Iron Grip on one side.

The reality star, 42, was flaunting the stunning results of her workout routine as she modeled the same tank top with leggings.

On display: Kim Kardashian shared a new video to her Insta Stories on Tuesday morning

An eyeful: The reality TV star was showing off plenty of cleavage in a very low cut tank top while at home in Hidden Hills, California

The Skims founder also shared she was working out with her personal trainer, CrushIt app founder Senada Greca, 40, for two hours.

The ex of rapper Kanye West added she was working off her 'jet lag' after being in Europe for the Dolce & Gabanna show and to shoot her series The Kardashians.

'Nothing like a 2 hr workout w Senada Greca to get my jet lag back on track,' she wrote over one of the photos.

'Finishing off strong is the best feeling ever to check a good workout off of the daily schedule,' she shared.

Last week she had on a bra top while training with Senada.

'I mean look at these gainz we've been making,' was written across the Instagram story.

Earlier this month, Senada, posted a photo of the two, praising The Kardashians star for her diligence.

Grip it: In one of the snaps, Kim was bending over as she picked up the weights, which said 80 Iron Grip on the side

Done with it: 'Finishing off strong is the best feeling ever to check a good workout off of the daily schedule,' she shared

Back: Last week the Skims founder showcased her buff biceps while wearing a high waist pair of black leggings and a black bra top for a selfie with CrushIt app founder and trainer Senada Greca and pal Dave Grutman

'The hardest working woman in the room!' she said.

'Yes you heard that right! Its my honour to be training with Kim and to see the person that she truly is: hard working, dedicated, consistent and caring,' she said.

'She puts in the work for 2 hours and never complains even when I push her past what she would think are her limits.

'I know the strength that lays within her, and now, together, were working on Kim stepping into her strength.

'So excited about this journey.'

Kim responded to the praise, writing, 'Im so excited for our journey. Stepping into strength with you.'

On Monday Kim took to Instagram to show off her enviable figure and chic ensemble after visiting Dolce & Gabbana in Milan, Italy.

The star shared a carousel of images showing off a cream-colored co-ord made of leather belts that she wore to the opening of the luxury retailer's flagship store.

While in town for Milan Fashion Week, the SKIMS founder sported a nude buckled cropped motorcycle jacket and a matching miniskirt as she posed in front of her own billboard image.

To match, she also paired the stylish outfit with knee-high, leg warmer-style boots of the same color and material.

In the caption of her post, she wrote: 'I love you Milan!' I had to stop by the store to see the collection in stores since it just all arrived!'

Picture perfect: She took to Instagram on Monday to show off her enviable figure and chic ensemble after visiting Dolce & Gabbana in Milan, Italy

Chic co-ord: On Monday, the reality star shared a carousel of images showing off a cream-colored co-ord made of leather belts that she wore to the opening of the luxury retailer's flagship store

'What a surreal dream come true,' she added. 'And thank you all for coming to say hi to me there!'

She continued: 'I love you Domenico and Stefano for making my dreams come true'.

The entrepreneur also shared four videos at the end of her post that panned around a large group of fans crowing the entire alley to meet and greet Kim herself.

In the post, the social media personality was seen perusing the store, posing in front of her own likeliness, and taking photos on her phone.

For the occasion, she wore her hip-length, jet black tresses in loose waves and peekaboo curtain bangs.

The mother-of-four sported a pink monochromatic look with a radiant blush and a dusty rose lip.

She opted out of any flashy accessories let her outfit of belts hold the center of attention.

The reality TV sensation could be seen walking around the store and checking out the wares while a crowd of fans stood outside of a floor-to-ceiling glass window.

Later, she walked out onto a patio and looked down upon the group of supporters.
Huw Edwards is to sign a new deal with the BBC after praise for the way he led coverage of the Queens death, it is understood.

Edwards, 61, is one of the corporations most high-profile news presenters and is expected to agree to stay on for up to three more years.

He was seen at the offices of the BBCs biggest radio rival  Global  in August. The News at Ten veteran admitted at the time he was thinking about my future.

Not long after this he led coverage of the death of Queen Elizabeth II and her funeral. He was praised for the way he dealt with the incredibly sensitive story.

It is understood the new deal is likely to be broadly the same or slightly more than his current pay of about 410,000 a year.

Edwards, 61, is one of the corporations most high-profile news presenters and is expected to agree to stay on for up to three more years

Not long after this he led coverage of the death of Queen Elizabeth II and her funeral, Edwards was praised for the way he dealt with the incredibly sensitive story

A report on industry website Deadline said BBC insiders were feeling optimistic over the likelihood that Edwards will stay. He is now expected to be key in its coronation coverage in May.

A new deal would end the prolonged speculation about his future at the corporation, having hinted in the past it might be time for him to move on.

In 2021 the news host had admitted he was thinking about his future on the News At Ten saying the nightly news business could be taxing. He added it was also fair for viewers to get a change and also to give co-workers a chance.

There have been previous reports linking him with ITV breakfast show Good Morning Britain.

But last autumn, following his work covering the Queens death, in an interview with the Radio Times, he promised not to walk away from his role presenting News at Ten on BBC1. But he had admitted ultimately, its not my decision.

The BBC has seen numerous departures in recent years from the corporations news division, with the likes of Andrew Marr, Emily Maitlis and Jon Sopel leaving for a rival broadcaster.

The BBC declined to comment on whether he had signed a new deal.

Edwards was seen at the offices of the BBCs biggest radio rival  Global  in August, and the News at Ten veteran admitted at the time he was thinking about my future
Channel 5 has released the official first look images for gripping new thriller Heat, starring Danny Dyer.

Heat, which began filming in Victoria, Australia last year, sees two families who are long-time friends visit a secluded home for a summer holiday during Australia's bushfire season.

Darren, who plays Brad, is seen holding back a raging Danny in the snaps who is pointing his finger at another actor.

A trailer was also shared to Channel 5's social media accounts., which saw TV legend Danny, 45, desperately shouting: 'Where is my wife?'

Danny - who has played Queen Vic landlord Mick Carter in EastEnders for a decade - will in good company as he joins a cast including Neighbours alumni Olympia Valance and Richie Morris.

New: Channel 5 has released the official first look images for gripping new thriller Heat, starring Danny Dyer

A trailer was also shared to Channel 5's social media accounts., which saw TV legend Danny, 45, desperately shouting: 'Where is my wife?'

In addition, Christmas On The Farm actor and Australian actress Jane Allsop will star in the action thriller.

A teaser of the series shares: 'Heat unfolds to the backdrop of the looming Australian bushfire season when two families who are long-time friends, venture to a secluded home for a summer vacation.

'As secrets and lies unravel it becomes a tinderbox  and not everyone will make it out alive.'

Danny told The Sun of Heat: 'I can't wait to get amongst this beautiful piece of work in Australia. I've always been intrigued about working there.

'It's my first gig since EastEnders. Heat has a powerful, dark script and strong Australian cast and crew. Let's have it!'

Greg Barnett, Commissioning Editor for Channel 5 and Paramount+ told the publication: 'Heat is a nailbiting thriller and I can't wait to see him [Danny] bring his talent and energy to it'.

Heat will be filmed exclusively in Victoria, Australia and is expected to screen on Channel 5 in the UK in 2023.

As well as the four-part action thriller, Danny has signed up to host a travel show for E4 with his Love Island star daughter Dani Dyer , and a gameshow with Strictly's Ellie Taylor for Netflix titled Cheat.

Cast: Danny will in good company as he joins a cast including Neighbours alumni Olympia Valance and Richie Morris

Plot: Heat, which began filming in Victoria, Australia last year, sees two families who are long-time friends visit a secluded home for a summer holiday during Australia's bushfire season

Danny told The Sun of Heat: 'I can't wait to get amongst this beautiful piece of work in Australia. I've always been intrigued about working there'

It comes after Danny dyer quit his longtime role on EastEnders at the end of 2022.

The actor's final scenes as Mick Carter aired on Christmas Day, and saw the Queen Vic landlord mysteriously lost at sea after plunging into the water to save his estranged wife Linda.

And now, Danny revealed that if his career goes 't**s up' he may head back to Albert Square in a few years time, joking he'd arrive back in Walford 'covered in seaweed' following a salty exit.

The soap actor added that 'does miss' many of the stars he worked with on the show, and he 'loves them dearly.'

Heat is coming soon to Channel 5 and confirmed broadcast details will be released in due course.
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A claim seeking compensation from a former Health Director General (DG), George Taleo, following a vehicle collision in 2017 has been dismissed by the Supreme Court Judge, Viran Molisa Trief.

The claimant, Arlette Malapa, had her bus damaged in the collision alleged to have been caused by Taleo who was driving the Ministry of Health's G-1079 at the time. A third vehicle was also involved in the incident at Teouma.

Malapa sued the former DG for loss of business profits and damages at almost VT10 million. She alleged Taleo was driving under the influence of alcohol and recklessly causing the incident which resulted in damage to her bus. She submitted a report from the Police Traffic Unit as evidence.

Mr. Taleo offered to pay for the repairs of the bus after the incident, which he did.He admitted that he had some glasses of wine and kava at an official ceremony before leaving Teouma, but denied causing the incident.

He argued that the claim is misconceived, he did not owe a duty of care for the alleged loss of business, that Ms Malapa failed to mitigate her losses and in the alternative, that he was not the direct cause of delay in having her vehicle up and running and that any damages for loss of businesses are too remote.

The counsel for the defendant objected to the police report submission for being opinion evidence and hearsay, and the objection was upheld. The counsel argued that the maker of the police report has not been called as a witness and he could not be cross-examined to test the veracity of the report.

Judge Trief stated in the verdict of January 18 that apart from the police report, there are no other evidence that Taleo was driving under the influence of alcohol and caused the incident.

"Even if the police report was admissible, Ms Malapa accepted in cross-examination that the police were not eye-witnesses to the accident. She also accepted that Mr. Taleo had never been prosecuted in relation to the accident.

"It does not follow then the Court would have necessarily accepted the police report as conclusive that Taleo caused the accident. Other evidence would have been needed to prove that he caused the accident.

"...
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau answers questions at an announcement in Mississauga, Ontario, Monday, Feb. 27. AP-Yonhap



Canada on Monday announced a ban on Chinese-owned social media app TikTok from government-issued devices, saying it presents an "unacceptable" level of risk to privacy and security, adding to the growing rift between the two countries.



The move underscores the growing lobby against TikTok, owned by Chinese firm ByteDance, over concerns of its proximity to Beijing and hold over user data across the world.



Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told reporters that his government was looking carefully at how to ensure Canadians' online safety.



"This may be a first step, it may be the only step we need to take," he said referring to the action against TikTok.



As government bans TikTok on work phones, "many Canadians, businesses and private individuals will reflect on the security of their own data and perhaps make choices in consequence," he said.



The ban would go into effect from Tuesday and federal employees would also be blocked from downloading the application in the future, according to a statement from Canada's Treasury Board, which oversees the public administration.



TikTok's data collection methods provide considerable access to the contents of the phone, Treasury Board President Mona Fortier said in the statement.



"While the risks of using this application are clear, we have no evidence at this point that government information has been compromised," she said.









TikTok initially said it was disappointed by the decision, but later issued another statement to note that it was "curious" that Canada moved to block the app only after similar bans in the European Union and the United States.



The ban was issued "without citing any specific security concern or contacting us with questions," a TikTok spokesperson said in an emailed statement.



The European Commission imposed a similar ban last week, while the U.S. Senate in December passed a bill to bar federal employees from using the app on government-owned devices. India banned TikTok in 2020.





This March 24, 2022 file photo shows the logo of networking application TikToK displayed on a tablet in Lille, northern France. AFP-Yonhap
South Africa: Load shedding to alternate between Stage 4 and 5

This story has been published on: 2023-02-28. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.

Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA) Minister, Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, says by investing in education and training, the country will be able to develop the skills and expertise necessary to capitalise on new technologies, adjust to new industries, and successfully compete in a global economy. Dlamini Zuma made the rema... See more
China's position on political settlement of Ukraine crisis impartial, constructive

Xinhua) 10:38, February 28, 2023

BEIJING, Feb. 27 (Xinhua) -- China released a paper stating its position on the political settlement of the Ukraine crisis on Friday, as the world marked one year since the full escalation of the crisis.

In the paper, China proposes a solution to the crisis that addresses both the symptoms and root causes, affirming that dialogue and negotiation are the only viable solution to the Ukraine crisis.

Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, said the position paper by China represents "an important contribution."

Observers believe the peace plan serves the interests of both sides in the conflict and responds to the common concerns of the international community, demonstrating China's commitment to objectivity and fairness as well as its role as a responsible major country in times of grave global challenges.

PEACE FORMULA AT CRITICAL MOMENT

"In the face of war flames, all you need is to pour water, not fuel," Marcos Cordeiro Pires, a professor at Brazil's Sao Paulo State University, told Xinhua.

One year into the Ukraine crisis, the conflict seems nowhere near over. Behind the prolonged, magnified conflict is incessant Western military aid to Ukraine and sanctions on Russia. Now spillovers of the crisis are taking a toll on the world: a cost-of-living squeeze, a massive migrant flow, and more.

In the paper, China urges the resumption of peace talks and the avoidance of further escalation of conflict, and opposes the use or threat of use of nuclear weapons, which is crucial to global security and the sustainable development of humanity, Pires said.

The Ukraine crisis shows that in today's world, it is impossible to win with weapons, much less achieve peace with weapons, said Croatian political analyst Drago Horvat.

Zoltan Kiszelly, director of the Center of Political Analyses at Hungary's Szazadveg Institute, said the position paper by China on the Ukraine crisis is a very important contribution to preventing a new global Cold War era from forming.

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said the position paper is an example of China's pursuit of a foreign policy of peace as well as a "new and original measure" that will have far-reaching significance.

Former Croatian Deputy Prime Minister Ante Simonic said that the position paper issued by China is of great significance not only to Russia and Ukraine, but also to the international community.

Ali El-Hefny, secretary general of the Egyptian Council for Foreign Affairs, also a former Egyptian ambassador to China, said that the paper reflects a policy and a clear vision on international relations that China has always adopted throughout its history.

Meanwhile, many expressed appreciation for China's constructive role in pushing for a peaceful settlement of the crisis since the very start, believing that the position paper issued by China shows the right path and calls on the international community to pay attention to China's proposal and make joint efforts to promote peace talks.

"The paper is certainly an important contribution," El-Hefny said.

China's position paper is a very good solution to the crisis, Horvat said, hoping that the international community will put China's peace plan on the agenda as soon as possible.

Rabia Akhtar, director of the Center for Security, Strategy and Policy Research at the University of Lahore in Pakistan, said that China, as a responsible permanent member of the UN Security Council, has issued a position paper that prioritizes advocating world peace. Akhtar urged the world to heed China's call and join forces to bring all parties to the conflict to the negotiating table.

IMPARTIAL, OBJECTIVE POSITION

Addressing a high-level Security Council briefing on Ukraine, Dai Bing, charge d'affaires of China's permanent mission to the United Nations, expounded on China's position, saying that China has always taken an objective and impartial stance based on the merits of the issue, and is ready to continue to play a responsible and constructive role in resolving the Ukraine crisis.

China's position paper stated the basic principle that "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" in dealing with the crisis.

Filipe Porto, a researcher at the Brazilian Foreign Policy Observatory, said the paper reflects China's consistent objective stance in dealing with the Ukraine crisis.

Mohammad Reza Manafi, editor-in-chief for the Asia-Pacific news desk of Iran's official news agency IRNA, agrees, saying China's position paper is comprehensive and complete and fully respects the UN principle of national sovereignty, in particular the sovereignty and territorial integrity of both sides to the conflict.

China has not taken sides in this conflict, but is actively and sincerely seeking a peaceful solution to the crisis, he said.

On Saturday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan released a statement, saying the country welcomes China's position on the political settlement of the Ukraine crisis, which deserves support as contributing to the cessation of bloodshed on the basis of territorial integrity, independence and sovereignty of states in accordance with the fundamental principles of the United Nations Charter.

The Iranian Foreign Ministry issued a statement on Sunday, saying that Iran supports China's position and "believes that the elements reflected in this document are sufficient for commencing negotiations on developing a mutually-agreed framework for ending the military activities in Ukraine, stopping unilateral measures and restoring the situation in accordance with the principles of the UN Charter."

The continuation of the conflict is the result of the intensification of long-accumulated contradictions in regional security. China's position paper reiterated that 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. It also noted 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.

China's position paper is a powerful contribution to the project of building peace in Europe. While not taking sides, the paper highlights the crucial elements required for this terrible crisis to be brought to a conclusion, said British political commentator Carlos Martinez in a written interview with Xinhua.

RESPONSIBILITY OF A MAJOR COUNTRY

The protracted crisis has affected the cause of world peace and development. Though not a party to the crisis, China, as a responsible major country, has not stood idly by but played a responsible and constructive role in easing the situation and defusing the crisis.

China's position paper covers all aspects of the conflict, and not only emphasizes the basic principles of opposing the threat or use of nuclear weapons, and stopping abusing unilateral sanctions and "long-arm jurisdiction" against other countries, but also puts forward specific solutions to the global food crisis and humanitarian crisis, said Pakistani scholar Akhtar.

This comprehensive paper urges all parties to the conflict to rethink their positions and turn to seeking a diplomatic solution, Akhtar noted.

Many observers have noticed China's special status as a non-party to the Ukraine crisis, arguing that the more "pragmatic" and "non-biased" Chinese solution offers a new path that differs from the West.

In Zoltan's view, most regions and countries in the world are not involved in conflicts and remain neutral, and it is very positive progress that China, as a permanent member of the Security Council and an important economy in the world, has proposed a constructive plan with peace as the goal, representing the voice of most regions and countries in the world.

To build a safer world is the strong aspiration of all peoples and the unswerving pursuit of China. On Feb. 21, China released The Global Security Initiative Concept Paper, which, together with the position paper on the political settlement of the Ukraine crisis, demonstrates China's responsibility to work with the international community to safeguard global security and propose more feasible measures to solve the current security dilemma.

The two documents are practical initiatives and ideas put forward by China to safeguard world peace and security, helping to inject more stability into the international community plagued by various disputes, and therefore widely supported by peace-loving people worldwide, said Kwon Ki-sik, head of the Korea-China City Friendship Association.

British expert Martinez said both papers reflect a profound desire for peace and global prosperity, and demonstrate a clear understanding that peace and prosperity require a reorientation of international relations towards multilateralism, cooperation, non-interference, respect for sovereignty and respect for diversity.

In the face of emerging global challenges, the international community is more aware that human beings live in the same global village and belong to a community with a shared future.

Porto believes that the vision of a community with a shared future for mankind, as well as the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative and the position on the political settlement of the conflict in Ukraine, which are concrete manifestations of this vision, are major contributions of China's diplomacy to the world.

They offer Chinese solutions to global issues, telling people that security must be guaranteed through development, and development must also be guaranteed through security, rather than through war or hegemony.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
China's flags are seen near a TikTok logo in this illustration picture taken July 16, 2020. Reuters-Yonhap



The White House on Monday gave government agencies 30 days to ensure they do not have Chinese-owned app TikTok on federal devices and systems.



In a bid to keep U.S. data safe, all federal agencies must eliminate TikTok from phones and systems and prohibit internet traffic from reaching the company, Office of Management and Budget Director Shalanda Young told agencies in a guidance memorandum seen by Reuters.



The ban, ordered by Congress late last year, follows similar actions from Canada, the EU, Taiwan and more than half of U.S. states. The device ban  while impacting a tiny portion of TikTok's U.S. user base  adds fuel to calls for an outright ban on the video-sharing app. National security concerns about China surged in recent weeks after a Chinese balloon drifted over the U.S.



ByteDance-owned TikTok has said the concerns are fueled by misinformation and has denied using the app to spy on Americans. The action does not affect the more than 100 million Americans who use TikTok on private or company-owned devices. TikTok did not immediately comment on the White House memo.



Congress in December voted to bar federal employees from using the Chinese-owned video app on government-owned devices and gave the Biden administration 60 days to issue agency directives. The vote was the latest action by U.S. lawmakers to crack down on Chinese companies amid national security fears that Beijing could use them to spy on Americans.



Federal Chief Information Security Officer Chris DeRusha said "this guidance is part of the Administration's ongoing commitment to securing our digital infrastructure and protecting the American people's security and privacy."









Many government agencies including the White House, Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security, and the State Department had banned TikTok from government devices before the vote.



The TikTok ban does not apply if there are national security, law enforcement or security research activities but agency leadership must approve these activities, Young's memo said and "blanket exceptions applying to an entire agency are not permitted."





U.S. President Joe Biden speaks to the media before departing the White House for the weekend, in Washington, U.S., Feb. 24. Reuters-Yonhap
Dayton Metro Library will host its annual College and Career Fair on Saturday, March 4, from 1-3 pm at the Main Library.

DMLs College and Career Fair Provides Resources for Teens

Dayton Metro Library will host its annual College and Career Fair on Saturday, March 4, from 1-3 pm at the Main Library.

Teens will have the chance to meet with representatives from colleges, universities, trade and apprenticeship programs, and branches of the military. Learn about their programs, ask questions, and obtain information to plan the future.

Montgomery County Educational Services Center (MCESC) will also be on hand to present two informational sessions: Understanding the Cost of College and How to Pay for It at 1:15 pm, and Choosing the Right School: Find the Right Fit at 2:15 pm.

Registration is not required to attend this event. The Main Library is located at 215 East Third Street, Dayton. Free parking is available in the parking garage attached to the Library off of St. Clair Street. For more information about the College and Career Fair, visit DaytonMetroLibrary.org or call the Librarys Ask Me Line at 937.463.2665.
"I believe in God, and destiny. And I believe Andhra Pradesh is destined for a great future and to emerge as the foremost state in the country, said Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy. (Photo: DC)

Less than four years ago, Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy was elected as Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh with a resounding majority of people who defenestrated the Telugu Desam led by N. Chandrababu Naidu, and gave the young leader 151 out of 175 seats in the Assembly.

As one of the youngest Chief Ministers who had led to victory his party, named after his late father, within a decade of its formation, Jagan Mohan Reddy did not have too much to celebrate, taking charge of a state still reeling from the shock of bifurcation, the loss of a capital city like Hyderabad and the loss of first five years post-division to wrong priorities.

Nearly nine years after the bifurcation, Andhra Pradesh and its people are seeing a new vision arise and getting implemented, a kind of peerless vision, but critics of Jagan Mohan Reddy call it reckless welfare spending.

In an exclusive interview, Jagan Mohan Reddy speaks on a plethora of issues, political and personal, and reveals his mind and opens his heart on a range of topics to Sriram Karri and N. Vamsi Srinivas.

You have had a challenging stint  becoming CM and holding office for the first time, no prior experience, taking over a state trying hard to find its feet. No capital, hard on finances. Then the pandemic happened. You had made welfare promises which would put a huge burden on the exchequer. Your critics say AP has too much of focus on welfare and too little on development?

We want to bring in a governance revolution in Andhra Pradesh based on simple human principles  whatever the government promises, it will deliver. When we give support to people, it must be timely when they need it the most. The needy have to be taken care of and provided with strength and confidence till they can stand on their own.

Historically, political parties and leaders give promises before the elections but after forming the government they dont keep them. We have locked our election promises to the Budget of the state. For years, when state governments presented a Budget, it meant nothing to most people. Today, in Andhra Pradesh, every section of society knows we will give them the support on the day we promised to deliver it. There is a calendar of government welfare schemes delivery  for an entire year.

Which government in Independent India has delivered on its promises like us? Without corruption or leakage, a direct benefit transfer of over Rs 1.92 lakh crore has been given covering every segment. The disbursed amount is a record in terms of state GDP and revenue to per capita benefit per citizen. And not a single promise made before elections has been ignored.

Is there an integrated theme, or vision, underlying the welfare schemes or is it just distribution of cash through online transfers to different sections of people? And is not the responsibility of focusing on job creation for example important for a state government?

Creation of sustainable livelihoods is indeed the underlying vision of the welfare schemes. We have a population of over five crore people. When we came to power, we had four lakh government employees, which has now gone up to six lakh. Yet, it is clear government jobs are no answer because it is just over 1 per cent of the population, and a tiny fraction of demand for jobs.

The biggest employer in India, and AP, is agriculture. Over 67 per cent of people in the state are engaged in the sector. We had to make it resilient and strong. Over, way over, 70 per cent of these farmers have a land holding of less than 1.25 hectare. Rythu Bharosa and Rythu Bima ensured that the small farmers knew thrice a year  at the time specified, Sankranti, Rabi and Kharif  the state will invest into their farming cycle input requirements. If the crops fail, insurance will reach them before the next crop season begins. This welfare has ensured farmers and farming in AP are better off. How many sustainable livelihoods are we talking about here?

Another biggest segment is self-employment and traditional professions. When we give cash to weavers, tailors, drivers, even lawyers, or women-led self help groups, they are able to sustain and make plans to grow.

If jobs and livelihoods is one underlying theme of YSRC welfare, education is another. I believe nothing will change lives and make people develop as education. We are revolutionising education.

When the media or people talk of infrastructure  they mention roads, ports but seldom list government primary, middle and high schools. We are building modern school buildings with all facilities. Every student from Class VII onwards has a tab. The content comes from firms like Byjus. We are providing subject expert teachers from Class III and have shifted to English medium. In three years, all 50,000 schools will be digitised, of which the first phase is complete.

India should know that Andhra Pradesh is the state on a path where within three years private schools will feel severe strain of competition from government schools. Even a scheme to pay a girls parents for their marriage has been linked to education  they must have completed Class X and be over 18 years. So parents are sending the girl children to school to get the benefits.

We are ensuring we pay full reimbursement to 200 students each year going abroad to study in the top universities and colleges globally. Within 15 years, a whole new generation of people, educated with the best curriculum and in English, will be the human resource wealth of Andhra Pradesh. I dont see these as doles but as crucial investments in the most important resource  the human potential and future.

Education is the biggest drive and focus, alongside agriculture and healthcare. Under the YSRC government, AP is a state where poverty does not deter a citizen from rights of best education and healthcare. The state stands by them.

I am doing my best and in fact, the only thing I cannot do is  break a promise. I will go to people saying only if you have benefitted from my government, vote for me. The results will be amazing.

At a time when several non-BJP CMs are at loggerheads with Governors, you are a rare exception. How do you manage your relationships?

In politics, business or personal life, the secret of a relationship is credibility and trust, which is built by a simple question  does he live up to his promise. In life, character is tested when challenges arise and people opt for a shortcut and find justifications to not deliver on their promises. Even during the worst pandemic, we delivered. It creates trust.

I will always choose the hard and long path but the right one. On the long route with difficulties, a person is put to test but relationships become stronger because trust and credibility have been established.

You have a good relationship with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Centre. Yet, the Special Category Status and other promises of the AP Bifurcation Act are still pending? What are you doing about it?

Not just the Special Category Status, but every promise made to us in Parliament, I am keeping it alive. I will never let it get buried. Whenever I meet leaders in Delhi, I make a request for clearance of all pending issues. It is taking time but we have to continue to push and keep it alive. I hope and pray that my sincere efforts will soften their hearts. Or we have to be patient for a change in political situation.

Your good friend and CM of Telangana, K. Chandrashekar Rao, has established the BRS as a national party to change the political situation in Delhi. Has he offered you to join his efforts? Will you consider it?

(Laughs) No, no. KCR garu has never spoken to me about such matters. I neither think nor talk of such things with him or anyone. I am not part of any front.

There is much similarity between your father and you, including a core of welfare-centric politics, and a reputation of keeping your word. What are the differences?

As with most or all children, as a son, my father is my role model. I have always immensely adored and respected him, and modelled myself after him. I cant think of any difference between us... none at all.

Dr YSR would never rebel against the high command of the Congress. You did. You started a party of your own.

Even I had no intention to defy the Congress high command or leave the party or start a new party. At the crash site where my father passed away, overcome with grief and emotion, learning that so many people had given up their lives, I made a promise. There was no politics, only an emotion  I made a promise, do I keep it or break it.

What kind of a son I would be to that kind of a father, if I broke my word? I would lose all credibility. May be they would have elevated me at some time or may be because of floating a party I would have gone into political oblivion but it was a spontaneous decision to do the right thing and take the harder path.

Life is too short and we will all die someday. But when I meet my father in heaven it would be a great sense of satisfaction that he would appreciate me for keeping my word. You have the choice to be a hero or a villain with your actions and choices.

How do you find such inner strength? When faced with such tough times?

I believe in God, and destiny. And I believe Andhra Pradesh is destined for a great future and to emerge as the foremost state in the country.
TTD chairman Y.V. Subba Reddy - DC file photo

Visakhapatnam: YSRC regional coordinator for north Andhra Y.V. Subba Reddy has said that if YSRC is voted back to power in the 2024 general elections, "Jagan Mohan Reddy will rule the state for another 30 years."

Addressing a meeting of the partys Sachivalayam conveners, Griha Sarathis and party workers in Anakapalli on Monday morning, Subba Reddy urged them to play a key role in getting a huge majority for Seethamraju Sudhakar, the party candidate for north Andhra graduates constituency in the Legislative Council polls.

"You will play the major role in the MLC elections on March 13 and the subsequent general elections in 2024, Subba Reddy told the meeting.

Subba Reddy said Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy has been introducing and successfully running welfare schemes for the downtrodden during the last four years of his rule. The volunteers must identify those who were left out of the schemes so that the government would cover them too at the earliest.

Subba Reddy said the Opposition has been on a misinformation campaign against the government and its welfare schemes. It was the duty of the Sachivalayam conveners, volunteers and Griha Sarathis to inform the people that the campaign was based on a bunch of lies.

Subba Reddy said Anakapalli has 4,711 votes and asked the party workers to personally approach all the voters to get the maximum of them. He said training classes would be held for Sachivalam staff and party workers on March 18.

Anakapalli MP Venkata Satyavathi said Jagan Mohan Reddy understood the poor and launched schemes for their uplift. Government whip and Chodavaram MLA Karanam Dharmasri said the party high command would reward the field workers who performed well.

Party candidate Sudhakar said second-rung leaders need not feel disheartened if they were not given positions. Their services would be recognised in due course of time. Former minister and YSRC general secretary Dadi Veerabhadra Rao and corporators were present.
Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy releasing YSR Rythu Bharosa-PM Kisan funds and input subsidy to farmers in Tenali. Ministers V Rajani, Kakani Govardhan Reddy, MLAs Pinnelli Ramakrishna Reddy, Annabattuni Sivakumar and others are also seen. (Photo By Arrangement)

VIJAYAWADA: Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy has released the YSR Rythu Bharosa- PM Kisan scheme funds for the fourth consecutive year in Andhra Pradesh by depositing Rs 1,090.76 crore into the bank accounts of 51.12 lakh people on Tuesday.

The CM did so by the click of a button under the Direct Benefit Transfer mode at an event in Tenali in Guntur district.

Jagan Mohan Reddy said, "The state will be happy if the farmer is happy. Hence, the government is implementing good programmes for farmers, under which more than 50 lakh farmer families are benefitting."

The Chief Minister addressed a huge public meeting after releasing Rs 1,090.76 crore under the YSR Rythu Bharosa-PM Kisan scheme benefiting 51.12 lakh farmers; and Rs 76.99crore under the Input Subsidy scheme for the benefit of 91,237 agriculture and horticulture farmers who have suffered crop loss due to natural calamities in December last.

He explained, "Under the Rythu Bharosa-PM Kisan and Input Subsidy, the government has so far spent Rs 27,062.09 crore and Rs 1911.78 crore respectively. A whopping Rs 1, 45,750crore was spent on various welfare schemes in the state after the YSR Congress came to power."

"Today, by the grace of God, we are implementing two good programmes related to the farmers from our Guntur district, Tenali. More than half a crore farmer families will benefit today. For the fourth consecutive year, the YSR Rythu Bharosa - PM Kisan funds are being released as the last installment for the fourth year. All these, in a period of three years and eight months after we came to power," Jagan Mohan Reddy said.

He added, "Secondly, we are undertaking a programme to pay input subsidy-compensation to farmers who have lost their crops."

"This year, as the third installment, we are depositing Rs 1090 crore into the accounts of 51.12 lakh farmers at the rate of Rs 2,000 each. If we include the assistance we are giving today, till now only through the YSR Rythu Bharosa- PM Kisan programme, we have provided assistance of Rs 54,000 to each family in the past four years. If we add Rs 13,500 to each farmer family that would receive the YSR Rythu Bharosa assistance next year too, it will be Rs 67,500 in the hands of every farmer family in these five years, just through this Rythu Bharosa scheme."

An assistance of Rs 27,000 crore was provided to farmers in four years, he asserted.

The Chief Minister explained, "In case of crop loss in any season, we provide a compensation at the end of that season. Taking steps in the same direction and keeping that promise once again, today we are depositing `77 crore as input subsidy directly into their accounts of farmers, keeping in mind the loss they suffered before the end of Rabi 2022. This would benefit 91,237 farmers who suffered losses due to Cyclone Mandous in December."

"If we add this Rs 77 crore that is being deposited now, we have given Rs 1,911 crore as input subsidy to 22.22 lakh farmers before the end of four years of our present term in office."

The Chief Minister said that during the previous Chandrababu government's term, the average yield of food grains was 154 lakh tonnes. The yield has increased to 166 lakh tonnes during the term of the present government, showing an increase of 12 lakh tonnes.

He said the TD government's expenditure on grain collection in five years was Rs 40,237 crore. "But, during our government's tenure, the expenditure incurred by us on grain collection was Rs 55,444 crore -- in 3 years and 8 months."

"Andhra Pradesh is the only state providing assistance not only to the patta (title deed) farmers but also to farmers with assigned lands, to tenant farmers of poor social groups, to farmers with ROFR pattas and to farmers who are cultivating temple lands. This apart, we have provided Rs 27,000 crore through the Rythu Bhrosa scheme alone," the CM said.
A view of Mysuru-Bengaluru National Highway-275. (Photo By Arrangement)

BENGALURU: The toll collection for use of the six-lane road from Bengaluru-Nidaghatta of National Highway 275 linking Mysuru with Bengaluru has been deferred by National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) till March 14.

No reasons were furnished by the NHAI for the decision of deferment of toll collection.

The toll collection will start after Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurates the expressway on March 11 in Mandya districts.

However, it is said that travellers are unhappy with NHAI's decision to start toll collection since the rates were high and service roads of the Highway were incomplete. Earlier, the NHAI had decided to start toll collection at Kaniminike village in Bengaluru Urban district and also at Sheshagirihalli village in Ramanagar district from Tuesday at 8 am onwards.

There were divergent reasons for toll collection deferment, the Project Director B.T. Sridhara said and added that toll collection has been deferred owing to "unavoidable" reasons.

Meanwhile, Bharatiya Janata Party Lok Sabha member representing Mysuru-Kodagu seat Pratap Simha said "Toll collection has been deferred till the completion of service roads."

A member of the Mysuru Travellers Association told Deccan Chronicle that "Deferment in toll collection is welcome. Otherwise, those opposing toll collection would have blocked the Highway bringing traffic to a halt causing problems for commuters."

Regarding the toll fixation, the member of the Travellers Association was "okay" with the fee. For instance, a car/jeep/van will have to pay Rs 135 for a single journey on the six lane road of the National Highway while the fee comes down by 25 per cent to Rs 205 for return journey for the same types of vehicles.

For Light Commercial, Light Goods and Mini Buses, the fee notification says Rs 220 for a single journey and it is Rs 330 for the round journey, if the return journey is within 24-hours.

For buses and trucks (2 axle), single journey fee is Rs 460 while return journey is Rs 690 and similar fees have also been fixed for movement of 3 axle commercial vehicles, heavy construction machinery/ Earth Moving Equipment (4-6 axle). The fee for oversized vehicles, the notification said, is Rs 880 for a single journey and Rs 1315 for return journey.
Telangana High Court (Image: DC)

Hyderabad: The Telangana High Court on Tuesday while allowing the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) to hold its Path Sanchalan (foot march) Sharirik Pradarshan event on March 5 in Bhainsa imposed a slew of riders.

A single-judge bench of Justice Bollam Vijaysen Reddy limited the strength for the march to 500 members. It said that persons with criminal antecedents should not take part in the same and that the route should be at least 300 metres away from a mosque located near the bus stand in the town. Also, the outfit was banned from using loudspeakers for the event.

The event is scheduled to be held from 2.30 pm to 7 pm on the eve of the Nagara Sharirikotsavam programme.

After the police had denied permission for the event on February 21, petitioner S. Krishna Rao approached the High Court for relief.

Senior counsel T. Surya Karan Reddy, representing the petitioner, argued that the denial of the permission was arbitrary, as the RSS was a nationalistic ideology-driven outfit and that the march was neither religious nor political.

Reddy informed the court, through press reports filed as material papers in the petition, that a similar event was conducted in Bhainsa in 2018 and that there was no permission sought nor any restriction imposed by the police then.

He pointed out that the state, however, has become reluctant not to allow such marches.

Roopendar, the counsel for the home department, submitted that the route provided by the RSS passed through a masjid and also through sensitive areas. The counsel submitted to the court that the march may be conducted outside the town in the rural area.

He also drew the attention of the court to Section 153 AA of the IPC, which states that arms included lathis, sticks or dandas, and that those carrying such weapons will be treated as people holding arms.

After hearing the arguments, the court imposed the riders, directing officials to take action as per the law if any of the conditions were violated.
TPCC president A. Revanth Reddy on the eighth day of his Haath se Haath Jodo' yatra. (Photo: Twitter: @revanth_anumula)

Hyderabad: As Telangana Congress chief A. Revanth Reddy resumed his yatra as part of the Haath Se Haath Jodo Abhiyan, the public along the route of the event eagerly awaits his visit meeting, as he continues to shower the milling crowds assembling to catch a glimpse or hear him across villages and towns with several promises.

The future CM as he is called by admirers, Revanth Reddy, who sees himself as the avatar of Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy, is making promises but leaders in the Opposition and critics wonder over the question if the TPCC chief will be able to fulfill all of them.

Even as Revanth Reddy promises an array of benefits for every section of the society, from reducing LPG cylinder cost, or elevating Dalit leaders in the political sphere, political opponents and observers remain sceptical over the feasibility of implementing his promises if the Congress comes to power.

In what is effectively a campaign for the Congress for the state election this year, Revanth Reddy has been quick to hit out at the BRS government, besides wooing voters.

A key talking point in the Congress leaders speeches is a promise to provide an LPG cylinder at Rs 500. "The double engine sarkar of Modi has doubled the prices of everything from diesel to petrol. When the Congress was in power, an LPG cylinder was available for Rs 400; now, it costs Rs 1,200," he said in Pinapaka on February 13.

During a visit to Bhadradri, Revanth Reddy alleged complete neglect in development and promised to allocate Rs 100 crore for development if the Congress comes to power. He said that a proposal to set up Ram temples in 100 Assembly constituencies, at an estimate of Rs 10 crore each, was under consideration.

"Talambralu which the temple receives on Rama Navami were officially stopped. KCR, who not only cheated people but Lord Ram, will be lost to history," he said in his Bhadrachalam address.

Currently continuing his padayatra in Warangal, he promised Rs 5 lakh grant for financially weak families to build houses, besides promising a Rs 2-lakh waiver for each farmer. Waivers and house grants are among the poll planks that BRS is facing the stick for from opposition.

Among other promises made by Revanth Reddy are filling up 2 lakh government jobs within a year, resolving fee reimbursement issues of students, Rs 5 lakh health coverage and clearing Rs 800 crore of pending bills to private hospitals.

Revanth Reddy, however, raised a few eyebrows in Nagarkurnool, when he promised to make a Dalit leader the next Chief Minister, if the party high command ordered it, as the PCC chief is considered the CM face. He spoke strongly against the 12 former Congress legislators, who defected to the BRS after winning on the Hand symbol, promising to initiate a probe into the illegal benefits received by such legislators.

People, who can see redux of the late Y.S. Rajashekar Reddy in the yatra, are, however, actively questioning and discussing  can Revanth Reddy and the Congress deliver on the promises?
Newly elected President of Cyprus Nikos Christodoulides and Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar talk after a meeting with Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) Colin Stewart at the residence of the UN peacekeeping force's chief of mission inside the UN-controlled buffer zone in Nicosia, Cyprus, Feb. 23. Reuters-AP



Cyprus' new president affirmed the island nation's Western foreign policy orientation as a member of the European Union that seeks to further strengthen its bonds with the U.S. and stands firmly with others on "the side of justice" to condemn Russia's war in Ukraine.



Speaking after taking his oath of office at a ceremony in parliament Tuesday, President Nikos Christodoulides said his administration will strive to make Cyprus a "credible and creative partner with substantial input" in European affairs. Among other foreign policy priorities will be to reach out to other "significant players" in Asia.



Christodoulides, 49, defeated a career diplomat supported by the country's communist-rooted AKEL party in a Feb. 12 runoff. Like all of his predecessors, his top campaign priority was to revive stalemated peace talks with breakaway Turkish Cypriots that has been a source or instability in the eastern Mediterranean for decades.



Cyprus was split in 1974 when Turkey invaded following a Greek junta-sponsored coup that aimed at union with Greece. Only Turkey recognizes a Turkish Cypriot declaration of independence and maintains more than 35,000 troops in the breakaway north. Numerous rounds of U.N.-facilitated talks since have ended in failure, including the latest bid in 2017.



Appealing directly to Turkish Cypriots, Christodoulides said that any peace deal should serve the interests of Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots alike without a permanent Turkish troop presence or giving military intervention rights to Ankara  two key Turkish demands that the majority Greek Cypriots reject.



Christodoulides repeated that EU involvement would play a leading role in future peace talks. "Only in this way will we secure our children's future without building on sand," he said.



Offering an olive branch to Turkey, he said that Ankara could play a role in the development of natural gas deposits off Cyprus' southern shore, "as long as it respects international law and lives up to its obligations toward the Cyprus republic, which are obligations toward the European Union." (AP)


Clues team investigating the house of doctor mazher ali khan who shot himself died due to family disputes on Monday. (Photo by arrangement)

HYDERABAD: A 60-year-old doctor was found dead at his residence in MLA Colony of Banjara Hills on Monday afternoon, the police said, adding that a .32 calibre revolver was recovered from the spot. The police are probing whether it was a suicide or a crime.

The deceased was identified as Dr Mazeruddin Ali Khan, the police said, adding that he died on the spot.

According to the police, Dr Khans relative Abdul Karim found the body around 1.30 pm and informed the doctors wife, Afia Rasheed. Dr Khans elder brother Mohammed Zaheeruddin Khan lodged a police complaint at 2 pm.

Dr Khan worked as a superintendent at Owaisi Hospital and his son is married to the daughter of AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi, the Hyderabad MP.

The police said that Dr Khan was having a prolonged legal tussle with his wife, a cancer patient, and that he was restrained from domestic violence last December by a court. He had also forcibly evicted his wife, but the court allowed her to move back into the residence.

Joel Davis, deputy commissioner of police, west zone, said: "During preliminary investigation, doctors informed us that Dr Khan had died four hours before he was brought to the hospital. Our Clues teams are collecting evidence from the scene. We requested the doctors of Osmania General Hospital to allow a video recording while conducting his post-mortem examination."

The Banjara Hills police formed three special teams to probe the case, police sources said. Banjara Hills sub-inspector B. Praveen Kumar is the investigation officer. The police registered a case under Section 174 of the CrPC.

Meanwhile, MIM floor leader Akbaruddin Owaisi visited the family members at the hospital.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses a post-budget webinar on Ease of Living using Technology', via video conferencing, in New Delhi. (Photo: PTI)

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said that India of the 21st century is constantly empowering its citizens with the use of technology. He also said that while creating modern digital infrastructure in India, the government is also ensuring that the benefits of the digital revolution reach every section of society.

Addressing a post-budget webinar on "Unleashing the Potential: Ease of Living Using Technology", fifth in a series of 12 post-budget webinars, the Prime Minister said that India is constantly empowering its citizens with the use of technology. In this years Budget, he emphasised that priority is given to technology and a human touch.

The webinars, organised by the government, seek ideas and suggestions for the effective implementation of the initiatives announced in the Union Budget 2023.

Pointing out the contradictions in the priorities of the previous governments, the Prime Minister recalled how a particular section of people always looked for government intervention and expected it to do good for the people.

"Their entire life was spent in the absence of these facilities. Another section of people that wanted to move ahead but were dragged down by pressure and obstacles created by the government intervention," he said.

The Prime Minister noted the changes that have taken place and said that the policies and their positive effects have been observed in situations where they are most necessary while making lives simpler and enhancing the ease of living.

"Government intervention has been reduced and citizens do not consider the government to be an obstacle. Instead, citizens are looking at the government as a catalyst where technology plays a huge role," Mr Modi said.

The Prime Minister elaborated on the role of technology in improving ease of living by giving examples of One Nation, One Ration Card, JAM (Jan Dhan, Aadhar, Mobile) trinity, Arogya Setu, CoWin App, railway reservations and common service centers. With these decisions, the Prime Minister said that the government has enhanced the ease of living for the citizens.

The Prime Minister also highlighted the popular feeling about the ease of communications with the government as the dialogue has become easy and people are getting quick resolutions. As a case in point, he cited the faceless resolution of income tax system-related grievances.

"Now between your grievances and the redressal there is no person, just technology," he said, asking various departments to consider using technology to solve problems and meet global standards.

"Going a step further, we can identify the areas where dialogue with the government can be further eased," Mr Modi said.

The Prime Minister said that the government is investing heavily in technology and creating modern digital infrastructure. He said the government is ensuring that the benefits of digital infrastructure reach everyone equally.

He highlighted the role of technology in providing equal opportunities to everyone and cited the GeM portal, which allows small businessmen and even street vendors to participate in government procurement. Mr Modi also talked about e-NAM, which allows farmers to get linked with buyers at different places.

Referring to 5G and AI and their impact on industry, medicine, education and agriculture, the Prime Minister emphasised the need to set a few targets. He asked about the ways in which these technologies can be deployed for the welfare of common citizens. "Can we identify 10 such problems of the society that can be solved by AI?" he said.

Giving examples of the use of technology in the government, the Prime Minister touched upon the Digilocker services for entities, where companies and organisations can store their documents and also share them with government agencies. He suggested exploring ways to expand these services so that more people can benefit from them.

Mr Modi said that the government wants to reduce the cost of compliance for small businesses and asked the industry to formulate a list of unnecessary compliances that can be pruned.

"We want to reduce the compliance cost for small businesses. Can you (industry) formulate a list of unnecessary compliances that can be pruned. We have finished 40,000 compliances," the Prime Minister remarked as he pointed out that the government has won back the trust of the citizens by decriminalising petty offences and becoming a loan guarantor for MSMEs.
Justice Nanda heard the petition on Monday and directed the government to file the compliance report. He directed the government to publicise the centres as many families could be benefited. (Representational Image: pixy.org)

HYDERABAD: The Telangana government has submitted to the High Court that it has set up de-addiction centres in every district headquarters.

S.A.M Rizvi, secretary of health and medical department, told the court they had set up centres in addition to those already working for the cause. The new ones will start functioning from Tuesday, he said.

He was giving the details through a counter affidavit in the petition filed in 2016 by advocate Mamidi Venu Madhav, who complained that the government was not implementing GO 358 of 2013. The said GO was issued by accepting the proposal of the Madhya Vimochana Prachara Committee for establishment of de-addiction centres.

One psychiatrist and medical staff will be assigned to the centres.

Justice Nanda heard the petition on Monday and directed the government to file the compliance report. He directed the government to publicise the centres as many families could be benefited.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah. (PTI Photo)

HYDERABAD: The high command of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday advised its Telangana unit to be ready for snap polls, at a meeting chaired by Union home minister Amit Shah to strategise the partys plans for the state elections this year.

The meeting comes amid efforts by BRS supremo and Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao to stitch up a non-Congress platform to take on the BJP and its poll mascot, Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

BJP state president Bandi Sanjay Kumar and Union minister for tourism G. Kishan Reddy were among the state party unit members that took part in the meeting at party president J.P. Naddas house where Union minister Amit Shah and BJP general secretary(organisation) B.L. Santhosh were present.

As part of its campaign, the BJP will hold rallies and meetings in all 119 Assembly constituencies, with Union ministers Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh and Smriti Irani set to take part in rallies in 10 undivided districts.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will speak at a conclusion meeting in Hyderabad.

BJP leaders will highlight the failures of the BRS government and also the alleged involvement of BRS MLC Kalvakuntla Kavitha in the Delhi liquor scam.

The meeting also came at a time when questions were being asked about the party's street corner interactions with the people. The state leaders briefed the national leadership on the street corner meetings.

The BJP will also be launching campaign to strengthen its presence at the booth levels and a workshop of 'vistaraks' is also scheduled for this week.

After meeting with Amit Shah, Sanjay said that they will take up agitations to highlight the failures of the BRS government. "It is a routine meeting as Union home minister Amit Shah invited Telangana leaders for a review during his visit to Telangana a fortnight ago," he said.

Sanjay pointed out that at one time the BJP had only two Lok Sabha seats but had a government with a comfortable majority now. "In Telangana state too, we will show our strength as BJP leaders are working with competitive spirit. The BJP is the only alternative for the BRS and people also favour saffron party," he said.

Party vice-president D.K. Aruna, TS incharge Sunil Bansai, BJP OBC Morcha national president K. Laxman, national executive committee members Vijayashanthi, G. Vivek Venkataswamy, senior leaders Garikapati Mohan Rao, A.P. Jitender Reddy, MLA Etala Rajendar and former MLA Komatireddy Rajgopal Reddy were among those present.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Union Minister Pralhad Joshi, Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai and others during the inauguration of the Shivamogga Airport, Monday (PTI Photo)

Bengaluru: Prime Minister Narendra Modi slammed the Congress for ignoring air connectivity to smaller cities and said the BJPs policies and decisions led to expansion of airports in India after 2014. He was addressing a gathering after inaugurating the Shivamogga airport at Sogane village.

"The Congress focused on air connectivity between major cities. Prior to 2014, India had 74 airports after 70 years of Independence. In the last 9 years (of BJP rule at the Centre) 74 new airports have been added across India," the Prime Minister pointed out.

Air India, Modi said, made the worlds largest aircraft purchase recently. "Under the Congress, Air India was known for scams and business loss but now it is scaling new heights and the country is making news globally in the aviation sector. Air India will provide jobs in the coming days to youth," the PM said.

"With new airports coming up across the country, many planes will be needed. We now have to import planes but the days are not far when Indians will travel on planes built under Make in India scheme and youths will get to manufacture them," Modi said.

Those wearing hawai chappals should travel in hawai jahaz (aircraft). I'm seeing it happening: PM Modi.

Modi credited the double engine government in Karnataka for faster development works. He wanted the people to imagine the pace at which his government was working for development of airways, roadways, railways, highways and digital connectivity.

"Be it a vehicle or a government, a double engine will have more speed to run," Modi observed and said Karnataka was moving at a much faster pace now. Pointing to the airport in Shivamogga, Modi said it will increase the influx of tourists to the region and bring in dollars and pounds to help growth.

Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, former Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa and others were present.
Former PCC president Ponnala Lakshmaiah. (DC Image)

HYDERABAD: Congress leaders said on Monday that Chief Minster K. Chandrashekar Rao had betrayed the people with regard to the education sector, as not only had the standards fallen but Budget had also been cut. They pointed out that the BRS had come to power with a promise of KG to PG free education,

Former minister Ponnala Lakshmaiah challenged government leaders to an open debate over education, and felt that the ruling party had abandoned its promise of "neellu, nidhulu, niyamakalu."

He said the BRS government could not stake claim for the development of the IT industry as it was the Congress government that had facilitated the infrastructure by overcoming various hurdles. "KCR has come to power with promises like KG to PG free education, but what he has achieved. Let them come for a debate on this subject, I am ready," told Ponnala to Deccan Chronicle.

Lakshmaiah said the Congress government should be given due credit as it had provided everything for the industry in Hyderabad. "The IT sectors foundation and infrastructure was provided by us. Besides coming up with the ORR, airport accessibility provided the much-needed support for the sustenance of the industry," he said.

He alleged: "Unfortunately some companies including hardcore Telugu companies are leaving Hyderabad."

Advocate and party leader Sama Rammohan Reddy, while referring to the recent Budget, felt that the State government's lack of focus on education clearly reflected in the allocation to the sector.

The BRS government had earmarked one of the lowest allocations of any state to education, he said.

"Telangana stands amongst the worst states when it comes to standard of education as per the Niti Aayog. When it comes to accessibility of education to the poor, what more could be said when 5,000 schools are closed,"he said.

Rammohan Reddy said, "If you talk about the quality of food provided during midday, about 2,000 students were admitted to hospitals after consuming food in 2022 alone. This is the pathetic condition of educational institutions. Which parent will be ready to admit in schools, if there are no proper toilets?"
Telangana Congress chief A. Revanth Reddy on Monday slammed the BRS for burdening farmers with useless restrictions (Twitter)

WARANGAL: Telangana Congress chief A. Revanth Reddy on Monday slammed the BRS for burdening farmers with "useless restrictions", claiming agriculture was treated like a festive activity during the Congress regime.

Making the comments during the Haath Se Haath Jodo campaign in Parkal of Warangal on Monday, Revanth Reddy also held a padayatra from Kantathmakur, covering Dharmaramam, Nadikuda, Puligilla, Raipurthy, Malkapet, Nagaram Cross, to Parkal.

During his address in Parkal, Revanth Reddy questioned minister K.T. Rama Rao on a slew of issues, ranging from why he failed to meet families of youths who died in statehood agitation or family of tribal doctor D. Preethi or of a four-year-old who was killed by dogs.

Revanth Reddy said that the Congress, in its 50 years in power, had constructed many irrigation projects, laid roads and gave water and power to every village, constructed schools, tanks and hospitals.

"Visit Chintamadaka, the native place of your father KCR, you can see the temple and school in that village that was built by the Congress government," he said, addressing Rama Rao.

Further, Revanth Reddy also claimed that the Congress must be credited with developing Hitec City, Outer Ring Road, international airport, Shilparamam, Metro Rail project, IT hub, railways stations and the Mamnoor airport at Warangal.

"Lakhs of Indiramma houses, thousands of crores of rupees of farm loans were waived off to farmers, fees reimbursement scheme was brought and Arogyasri was introduced by the Congress," he said.

He also attacked Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao, claiming that in his nine years in power, he "only managed to shut paper and sugar factories, grab thousands of acres, construct farmhouses and gather crores of rupees."

Revanth Reddy did not spare the local BRS MLA Dharma Reddy, either, calling him a person with no morals and accusing him of irregularities in developmental works to pocket money.

"He must change his name to Dandhala Reddy It is Errabelli Dayakar Rao who was leader of the Dandupalyam team who is encouraging all these MLAs to indulge in such activities," Revanth Reddy said.
From tomorrow we are completely returning to normalcy, Lee said. This year and the next year, we will focus on the economy and development. Representational Image/AP

Hong Kong: Hong Kong will stop requiring masks to be worn in public places from Wednesday, drawing to a close the prolonged Covid era that damaged its economy and standing in the world.

Masks will no longer be needed outdoors, indoors or on public transport, Hong Kong leader John Lee told reporters on Tuesday.

"From tomorrow we are completely returning to normalcy," Lee said. "This year and the next year, we will focus on the economy and development."

The move comes as the government seeks to attract tourists and overseas workers to revitalize the finance hub. Next month will see Hong Kong host the biggest series of international events since often-violent protests in 2019 shut down much of the city, including a music festival, Art Basel and the Rugby Sevens tournament. Hong Kong had dropped most other pandemic restrictions by earlier this year.

"For business its a game changer," said Allan Zeman, chairman of Lan Kwai Fong Holdings Ltd. "Before, a lot of people would stay away from Hong Kong because the mask was showing that we were still stuck in the Covid days."

People have been required to wear masks in all public places, including outdoors, from July 29, 2020. The rule is enforceable by fines of up to HK$10,000 ($1,275), with police regularly handing out HK$5,000 penalties on the spot for transgressors.

Shares of companies linked to tourism gained. Mall landlords Wharf Real Estate Investment Co. and New World Development Co. rose more than 2%. Sa Sa International Holdings Ltd., which sells beauty products, climbed as much as 6.4%.

Hong Kong was one of last places on Earth to mandate mask-wearing. At one stage, masks were required even when exercising. The rule increasingly jarred with Hong Kongs push to move beyond the pandemic and lure visitors. As part of its Hello Hong Kong campaign, the city is giving away more than half a million airline tickets starting from Wednesday.

Tourism numbers remain low. In January, passenger volumes at the Norman Foster-designed airport were a third of the level four years earlier. That compares with 77% for Singapore.

Hong Kongs Reopening Drive Curtailed by Airport Worker Shortage

"At least now tourists dont have to worry about being fined for not wearing a mask in the street," said Pamela Mak, president of Hong Kong Small and Medium Enterprises Association.

The past three years of global isolation have weighed heavily on Hong Kongs economy and reputation. The economy shrank 3.5% in 2022, contracting for the third time in four years. The population has fallen by a net 187,000 in the three years through 2022 as residents fled for other cities.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Tuesday held separate bilateral talks with his counterparts from Brazil, Turkiye and Mauritius with a focus on the agenda of the G20 foreign ministers' meeting and the Ukraine conflict.

The foreign ministers of the three countries are in Delhi to attend the crucial G20 meeting on March 1 and 2.

On his meeting with Brazilian Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira, Jaishankar said the momentum in the bilateral relations, especially in the economic and energy domains figured in the talks.

"Delighted to host FM Mauro Vieira of Brazil this evening. As G20 Troika members, discussed the issues coming up at the Foreign Ministers' Meeting," he said on Twitter.

"Took note of the momentum in our bilateral relations, especially in the economic and energy domains," Jaishankar said.

He further said it was agreed to strengthen multilateral cooperation, including in the UN, BRICS (Brazil-Russia-India-Chins-South Africa) and IBSA.

The IBSA (India, Brazil, South Africa) is a tripartite grouping aimed at promoting cooperation among the three countries.

On his talks with Turkiye foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, Jaishankar said they discussed the G20 agenda, the Ukraine conflict and bilateral cooperation.

In the meeting, Cavusoglu conveyed his government's appreciation for India's help after the country was hit by a devastating earthquake.

India launched 'Operation Dost' to extend assistance to Turkiye as well as Syria after various parts of the two countries were hit by a devastating earthquake on February 6 that killed over 30,000 people.

"Welcomed FM @MevlutCavusoglu of Turkiye in New Delhi for #G20FMM. Appreciated his warm words for #OperationDost and all personnel involved. Discussed the G20 agenda, the Ukraine conflict and our bilateral cooperation," Jaishankar tweeted.

Jaishankar said he discussed with the Foreign Minister of Mauritius Alan Ganoo the robust development partnership and multilateral cooperation.

"Started my meetings on #G20FMM sidelines with FM Alan Ganoo of Mauritius. Value Mauritius' participation in G20. Reiterated our commitment to Neighborhood First, SAGAR & Forward Africa policies," Jaishankar said in a tweet.

"Discussed our robust development partnership and our strong multilateral cooperation," he added.

While Brazil and Turkiye are members of G20, Mauritius is not part of the bloc.

A number of foreign ministers of non-G20 countries, including that of Sri Lanka, Mauritius and Bangladesh, are also attending the meet following India's invitation as guests.

While the visiting dignitaries will be welcomed at a gala reception on March 1, the crucial deliberations on various challenges will be held on March 2

The G20 or Group of 20 is an intergovernmental forum of the world's major developed and developing economies. The members represent around 85 per cent of the global GDP, over 75 per cent of the global trade, and about two-thirds of the world population.

The grouping comprises Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, the UK, the US and the European Union.
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An Israeli soldier checks a car as Israeli forces block off streets leading to the city of Jericho, a day after a suspected Palestinian gunman killed a dual U.S.-Israeli citizen motorist, in Jericho, Israeli-occupied West Bank, Feb. 28. Reuters-Yonhap



Israeli authorities said Tuesday that a motorist shot to death by a suspected Palestinian gunman in the occupied West Bank held both American and Israeli citizenship. It was the latest in a bloody string of violent attacks roiling the region.



The government identified the slain man as Elan Ganeles, 27, of West Hartford, Conn. A friend told local media he had been visiting Israel for a wedding and driving on a highway near the Dead Sea when he was shot. The attackers remained at large Tuesday.



Ganeles was the sole fatality of what the army said was a multi-site shooting spree a day earlier. The army said the attackers opened fire at an Israeli car near the Palestinian city of Jericho, hitting Ganeles. The assailants, traveling in one vehicle, then drove further and fired again, the army said. The attackers set their own vehicle afire and fled, setting off a manhunt.



Ganeles died later at Hadassah Medical Center, the hospital said. He is to be buried Wednesday in the Israeli central city of Raanana. Israeli President Isaac Herzog extended condolences to Ganeles's family.



Ganeles's killing came a day after two Israelis were killed by a Palestinian gunman in the northern West Bank, triggering a rampage in which Israeli settlers torched dozens of cars and homes in a Palestinian town and one Palestinian was killed. It was the worst such violence in decades.



So far this year, 62 Palestinians, about half of them affiliated with armed groups, have been killed by Israeli troops and civilians. In the same period, 14 Israelis, all but one of them civilians, have been killed in Palestinian attacks. (AP)


The U.S. government is the largest customer for many defense companies, providing a significant portion of their revenue. This stability and predictability can be beneficial for both the companies and investors. However, the revenue... More of this article 
Derry-based Northern Ireland electricity supplier Click Energy has made a donation of 3000 towards the work of Foyle Hospice.

The fundraising campaign ran from October to December 2022 and provided Click Energy customers with the opportunity to donate to the charity each time they topped up their electricity. The company, which is headquartered in Derry, also made a contribution.

Andy Porter, Managing Director of Click Energy, said: "The work that Foyle Hospice do is invaluable, and we are pleased to be able to support such an important cause.

"It was fantastic to see so many of our customers come together to raise money for this worthy charity. Click Energy has a strong track record of supporting local charities and communities in Northern Ireland.

"The company is committed to giving back and will continue to work closely with charities to help make a positive difference in people's lives."

Donall Henderson, Chief Executive at Foyle Hospice, added: "We are extremely grateful that Click Energy nominated Foyle Hospice as their chosen charity in this fundraising initiative.

"This generous donation will help us to continue to provide the best specialist palliative care and support to patients and their families throughout the North West. We would like to say a very special word of thanks to Click Energy customers for the donations they made when purchasing their energy.

"Every donation makes a difference to the lives of the people who use our wide range of services and we cannot thank you enough."

Click Energy recently announced its latest charity partnership with NSPCC Northern Ireland, with customers now having the option to donate towards the organisation each time they visit the top-up page online, via the app or by calling the freephone number 0800 1 070 732.
A woman from Cookstown has been jailed at Derry Crown Court for causing grievous bodily injury to another woman by careless driving while having excess alcohol.

Aoibhin Quinn (23) of Ardboe Road in Cookstown broke down in tears after an 18 month sentence was passed by Judge Philip Babington today.

The court heard that around 1.00am on August 22 2021 police attended a traffic accident on the Hillhead Road in Castledawson.

They found a vehicle had hit a tree and the injured party was in the passenger seat and the defendant lying outside the vehicle.

When asked where in the car she had been Quinn told police she could not remember.

The defendant was taken to hospital and a blood test revealed a reading of almost twice the legal limit.

The court heard that the injured party had spinal and vascular injuries and was in Intensive Care at the Royal Victoria hospital in Belfast for a period.

She said in a report that medical staff 'worked tirelessly to save her life' and she had to adjust to the fact she had gone from being an independent student to someone with 'physical difficulties'.

She said she hoped to lead 'a normal but different life'.

The court heard that she bore no ill will towards the defendant and accepted she had made an error.

As regards the defendant Judge Babington said she had gone to a party and had said if she took a drink she would phone her mother for a lift.

She had no memory of leaving the party and could only remember waking up after the collision.

The judge said that Quinn had also suffered injuries in the crash including a broken collar bone and a fracture to her knee cap.

The judge said that Quinn had 'expressed regret' during interviews but could not recall what had happened.

The car had been travelling at 60mph at the time of the accident which was the speed limit for the road.

Quinn was sentenced to 18 months in prison meaning nine months in custody and nine on licence and disqualified from driving for three years.
Rural villages received 110,000 funding boost to explore regeneration projects, including Culmore Fort

A key element of the scheme was to identify old buildings that could be brought back into use for the benefit of the community  historic properties in this round of funding include a former national school dating back to the 1840s, a workhouse which once housed 500 people before closing in 1916 and a fort dating back more than 400 years.

The current tower at Culmore was built during the 1800s on the site of the original Fort.

It is not known when a fort was first built here, but it is steeped in history from when St Colmcille sailed down the river Foyle from Derry in 563 AD on his way to Scotland, where he founded an Abbey on the island of Iona.

During the ODogherty Rebellion in 1608, the fort was an English military garrison. Sir. Cahir ODogherty and his men stormed the fort and captured weapons that they used for their uprising against the English forces.

As part of the Village Catalyst Programme seven viability grants, totalling 60,000, have been allocated to projects in Co Antrim  Bushmills; Co Tyrone  Caledon, Fintona and Donaghmore; Co Derry  Culmore; Co Down  Cloughey and Co Armagh - Kilmore.

A further 50,000 in development grants  stage 2 in the process - has been awarded to initiatives in Clogher (Co Tyrone), Hilltown (Co Down) and Ballinderry Upper (Co Antrim).

Plans for community use by the 10 successful applicants include delivering mental health support for young people, a hub for community groups, affordable housing, a youth club, tourist facilities, training space, counselling services and childcare provision.

The Village Catalyst Programme is an innovative partnership between Department for Communities (DfC), Department for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA), The Architectural Heritage Fund (AHF) and The Housing Executive.

Funding is open to charities, social enterprise and other not for profit groups in rural villages with a population under 5,000. To be eligible the building must be listed or within a conservation area.

Three stages of funding have been open to applications over the last year  viability grants of up to 10,000, project development grants of up to 20,000 and delivery grants of up to 200,000. While budgets for the coming year have not yet been established, applications for delivery grants would be welcome. Both the viability and project development grants are administered by The Architectural Heritage Fund while Department for Communities administers the delivery grant.

Iain Greenway, Director of Department for Communities Historic Environment Division, said: This scheme follows a pilot where four historic buildings at risk were revitalised to provide sustainable uses for villages.

In addition to tackling dereliction, we saw the delivery of important new social and economic uses in all of the places supported. This partnership shows what can be achieved when we work together and pool scarce resources.

I look forward to seeing the projects supported this year coming to fruition and delivering for their communities."

Matthew McKeague, Chief Executive Officer of The Architectural Heritage Fund, said: We are very pleased to be involved with the ambitious Village Catalyst programme. The 10 fantastic projects that have recently secured funding will help to breathe new life back into rural villages across Northern Ireland, as well as deliver significant heritage and social impact within their respective communities.

SDLP Ballyarnett Representative Catherine McDaid has welcomed the news that Culmore has secured funding.

Ms. McDaid said: I am delighted that Culmore Fort has been awarded 8,000 as part of this important project to re-invigorate aspects of our heritage.

This funding will no doubt be warmly welcomed by people in the local community. Schemes like this are really important to tackle dereliction and preserve heritage, but also to bring new economic benefits. We should do everything possible to preserve our local heritage so it can be viewed and enjoyed for generations to come.

Local SDLP MLA Sinead McLaughlin added: This funding is a very welcome announcement today for Culmore. I am pleased that Culmore Fort has been a successful recipient of this funding and look forward to seeing it being put to use.
Loughs Agency welcomed an international delegation of almost 100 marine scientists, academics and political representatives to Derry for the much-anticipated SeaMonitor-STRAITS Conference, which took place at the stunning Guildhall on 23rd and 24th February.

The two-day event, which was compered by biologist and comedian Simon Watt, provided an opportunity for the consortium working on the Loughs Agency-led SeaMonitor project to present their findings and highlight the benefits of tracking aquatic life in our seas and rivers. It is hoped that the data collated will be utilised to help inform policy and management decisions, with the protection of vulnerable marine species a priority throughout the process. The species targeted included salmon, seals, basking sharks, cetaceans and skate.

The SeaMonitor project has received 4.7m of funding from the European Unions INTERREG VA Programme, managed by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB). Match-funding for this project has been provided by the Department for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs in Northern Ireland and the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government in Ireland.

The results of the project make for impressive reading. Over 1,000 animals were tagged throughout the life of SeaMonitor, while the receivers picked up over 4.5 million detections of a variety of species.

SeaMonitor has made waves in science circles for its innovation and ambition, with Europes largest fish counter deployed in the North Channel between Malin Head and Islay as part of the project. This particular counter measures comes in at over 60km and 100 receivers in length, demonstrating the scale of this important work. Loughs Agency has collaborated with the European Tracking Network (ETN) throughout this process, with similar counters deployed in the Danish Straits, the Strait of Gibraltar, and the Strait of Bosphorus and Dardanelles.

Day 2 of the conference focused on STRAITS, a new project that has received EU funding to the tune of 3.5 million as part of the Horizon 2030 initiative. In collaboration with partners from ETN, this four-year project will run until the end of 2026 and will essentially act as the successor to SeaMonitor, ensuring that the landmark counter in the North Channel is redeployed and integrated with the other major counters around Europe.

A range of dignitaries attended the conference, including the Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District Council, Cllr Sandra Duffy; Gina McIntyre, CEO of the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB); and Mark Hanniffy and Richard Hill, Joint Secretaries of the North South Ministerial Council, all of whom conducted speeches expressing their admiration for the collaborative approach taken throughout the duration of the project.

The consortium working on SeaMonitor consisted of Loughs Agency, Atlantic Technological University, University College Cork, the University of California (Davis), the Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute, Queens University Belfast, Ocean Tracking Network (Dalhousie University), Marine Institute, and the University of Glasgow. All members of the working group were in attendance at the Guildhall.

L-R  Ross McGill, Principal Project Officer of SeaMonitor Project, Loughs Agency; Richard Hill, Acting Northern Ireland Joint Secretary, North South Ministerial Council (NSMC); Sharon McMahon, CEO, Loughs Agency; Gina McIntyre, CEO, Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB); Mark Hanniffy, Southern Joint Secretary, NSMC; Dr Fred Whoriskey, Executive Director, Ocean Tracking Network, Dalhousie University, Canada.

A Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs spokesperson said: The SeaMonitor project set out to establish a tracking network at a much bigger scale than ever previously deployed and has provided us with fascinating insights into the movements of salmon, sea trout, seals and other protected species.

This new information about migratory pathways will help identify the measures that need to be taken to protect these iconic species throughout their lifecycle. As the project closes, it provides not just improved knowledge, but also a collaborative network of scientists.

This knowledge base can be built upon through future projects to identify further actions to assist the protection of these species from climate change and other threats.

Minister of State for Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Malcolm Noonan T.D., commented: I applaud the SeaMonitor project, its collaborating partners and institutions, for what is truly a cause for celebration: through their many achievements in aquatic research and innovation, and in providing brilliant new insights into how some of our most elusive and most treasured species inhabit their underwater world.

SeaMonitor highlights the currency and the value of working together on this island and in our shared seas as communities of people, of professionals, of policymakers, so that we can address and find solutions together to the marine environmental challenges of our time.

Gina McIntyre, Chief Executive of the Special EU Programmes Body, added: I am delighted that SeaMonitor has reached this successful conclusion. Protecting life in our coastlines and oceans is vital for conservation both today and in the future, and as we all know nature does not recognise geographical borders, so we need to offer the same protection on all sides of borders.

Left to right: Ross McGill, Principal Project Officer of SeaMonitor Project, Loughs Agency; Dr Joanne OBrien, Atlantic Technological University; Dr Niall O Maoileidigh, Marine Institute; Dr Fred Whoriskey, Ocean Tracking Network; Dr Colin Adams, University of Glasgow; Sharon McMahon, CEO, Loughs Agency; Dr Oliver O Cadhla, Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage Ireland; Andrew King, Special EU Programmes Body; Colin Armstrong, Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs; Dr Jonathan Houghton, Queens University Belfast. Photos: Stephen Latimer

This is the reason why the EU Interreg VA Programme invested in projects which had environmental protection objectives. Partnerships across borders and between agencies, have been formed and solidified through the SeaMonitor project, which has produced astounding results and invaluable research. These will serve to enhance EU policy in this area and provide essential information for future developments.

Sharon McMahon, Chief Executive of Loughs Agency, said: "SeaMonitor has represented a groundbreaking opportunity to better understand and protect our precious marine environment, and I am proud that Loughs Agency has been at the forefront of this exciting project.

By harnessing the power of cutting-edge technology, and with the support of eight leading marine research institutions, SeaMonitor has not only enhanced our understanding of key marine species but also created new opportunities for research and conservation.

"This project is a shining example of how we can work together to protect our natural resources and create a better, more sustainable future for all."
Foreign Secretary James Cleverly has rejected claims that the King was being drawn into political controversy over his meeting with European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen.

Mr Cleverly denied ministers were politicising the monarchy following the meeting between the King and the Brussels official at Windsor Castle, which coincided with the agreement of a new Brexit deal for Northern Ireland.

Mr Cleverly insisted it was not unusual for the King to meet senior international figures while they were in the UK.

He pointed out that the King had met Volodymyr Zelensky earlier this month, although the Ukrainian President is a head of state, unlike Ms von der Leyen.

Mr Cleverly told LBC radio: I genuinely dont understand that argument. The other week President Zelensky came to the UK and, as a senior international guest, he had an audience with His Majesty the King.

Ursula von der Leyen is a very senior international representative. It is therefore not unusual as part of our hospitality to international guests to facilitate a meeting.

It was our invitation for Ursula von der Leyen to come to the UK to finalise this deal with the Prime Minister. Of course that was a conversation we had with the Palace.

The final decision on the availability of His Majesty is with the Palace.

It was an honour and a pleasure meeting His Majesty The King, Charles III, at Windsor Castle. We discussed the joint challenges the EU and UK face as historic partners, and our joint duties: unwavering support for Ukraine and fighting global climate change. pic.twitter.com/8qos5Bzv35  Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) February 27, 2023

Asked who arranged Ms von der Leyens meeting with the King, Mr Cleverly told Sky News: Decisions about the Kings diary are, rightly, for the Palace.

Buckingham Palace said Charles was acting on the Governments advice. Downing Street said it was fundamentally a decision for the King.

Government sources indicated Ms von der Leyen had requested the meeting, something denied in Brussels.

Leading Conservative Brexiteer Jacob Rees-Mogg said it was wrong to involve the King in the immediate political controversy on the day the Prime Minister signed a new agreement  dubbed the Windsor Framework  with Ms von der Leyen.

Baroness Arlene Foster, the former Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) leader and first minister of Northern Ireland, said the meeting in Windsor Castle was crass and will go down very badly.

Giving details of the meeting, Ms von der Leyen said: We discussed the joint challenges the EU and UK face as historic partners, and our joint duties: unwavering support for Ukraine and fighting global climate change.
A bogus psychiatrist who came to believe her own lie was found out when police discovered a treasure trove of documents at her house, a detective has said.

Zholia Alemi was jailed for seven years on Tuesday after being found guilty of using a forged medical degree certificate to get a number of NHS jobs over a period of more than 20 years.

Alemis lie began to unravel in 2016 when a carer reported concerns about her attempts to defraud an elderly patient and she was convicted of three fraud offences at Carlisle Crown Court.

Journalist Phil Coleman, of the Cumbrian newspaper News and Star, went on to discover Alemi had never completed the medical degree at the University of Auckland in New Zealand she claimed to have, and a police investigation was launched.

Detective Superintendent Matt Scott of Cumbria Police said: We conducted search warrants in a number of properties, but predominantly in Northern Ireland at Alemis home address.

What we found there was what I would describe as a treasure trove in terms of the investigation.

There was what are now proven to be false certificates; there was what Id describe as a forgers kit with transfer letters, blank certificates of qualification that basically you could put almost anything you want on there, really.That was all located at that address along with thousands and thousands of other documents, letters, a number of which were false. So that really kick-started the investigation in terms of getting towards a prosecution.

After registering with the General Medical Council in 1995 using the fake certificate and a forged letter of verification, Alemi worked for health trusts in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, earning up to 1.3 million.

Mr Scott said Alemi denied wrongdoing throughout and was obstructive, difficult to deal with, and, on occasion, arrogant while being interviewed.

My view, and its my own personal view, is that Alemis lived a lie since she left Iran, where she originally came from, he said.

I also think that to get to the bottom of somebody whos lived a lie for their entire life may be near impossible, especially when  again in my personal view  Alemi is somebody who has come to believe her own lie and has lived that lie for so long.

What we can say for the moment is the moment she left Auckland to come to the UK, thats when the lie began. Shed failed when she came to the UK and everything after that has been entirely untrue.

Giving evidence, Alemi said she and her family were tortured in Iran before she fled to New Zealand.

Mr Scott said there was no evidence to support her claim.

He said the complex case, which involved the NHS, GMC, Royal College of Psychiatrists and the NHS Counter Fraud Authority, was a once-in-a-career kind of investigation.

He said: Ive dealt with a number of serious cases, Ive never dealt with one like this before. I dont think Ill ever deal with one like this ever again.

Once Alemi is sentenced, police will apply to claw back some of the money she fraudulently earned.

Mr Scott said: She lived a good lifestyle, as youd expect from somebody in such a senior role and position of responsibility.

So the next stage in what we want to do now is to make sure that all of those ill-gotten gains are taken from her and put back where they need to be.

Janice Wild from the Crown Prosecution Service said: Alemi used forged New Zealand medical qualifications to obtain employment as a UK NHS psychiatrist for 20 years. In doing so, she must have treated hundreds of patients when she was unqualified to do so, potentially putting them at risk.

Her fraudulent actions also enabled her to dishonestly earn income and benefits in excess of 1 million to which she was not entitled.

We will now pursue confiscation proceedings against her, aiming to recover the criminal property from which she has benefitted.
Rishi Sunak said he was confident that Northern Irelands parties would back his Brexit deal as pressure mounted on the Democratic Unionist Party to return to powersharing.

The Prime Minister insisted that his new Brexit deal for Northern Ireland addressed the concerns of unionists despite the small and limited role for European Union law and its court.

Mr Sunak spoke to leaders of some of Stormonts political parties, who urged the DUP to end its boycott.

The Prime Minister said he believed hand on heart that the Windsor Framework addressed the concerns expressed about the current post-Brexit trading arrangements which led to the DUP walking away from Stormont.

The framework removes the Northern Ireland Protocols barriers on trade across the Irish Sea and hands a veto to politicians in Stormont on EU law  a set of concessions from Brussels that went further than some expected.

But it still includes a role for the European Court of Justice, with the DUP and Tory backbenchers set to study the details of the complex set of arrangements in the coming days.

Any resistance to the deal from the DUP will not result in changes to the framework, as reopening an agreement which had taken months to negotiate is not viewed as a workable solution.

With opposition parties in the Commons offering support, there is little chance of it failing to receive support in Parliament when put to a vote, as has been promised, so the DUP will not be effectively handed a veto over the process.

Mr Sunak, on a visit to Northern Ireland to sell the benefits of the deal, said: People need the time to engage with it, understand it, ask the questions.

Were going to give them that and answer the questions in the meantime, but Im confident they will come to see this for what it is, which is I think a historic achievement that gets the balance right for Northern Ireland.

But, he added, weve not been shy about saying I think the people of Northern Ireland need and deserve their government.

That view was echoed by the political leaders Mr Sunak spoke to during his visit.

Mr Sunak met Naomi Long, leader of the cross-community Alliance Party, and Ulster Unionist leader Doug Beattie in Co Antrim.

The DUP and SDLP leaders are currently in London and Sinn Fein Stormont leader Michelle ONeill said she had spoken to Mr Sunak on the phone.

The priority must now be getting Stormont up and moving without delay, Ms ONeill said.

Mrs Long said we need to get a decision from the DUP and we need to get back to our day jobs while Mr Beattie said you could have an executive now, and at the same time we could be looking at this framework.

DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson told the BBC: Were reasonable people but we want to ensure that what the Prime Minister has said is matched by what is actually in the agreement itself.

On a visit to Lisburns Coca-Cola factory, Mr Sunak said the deal would create the worlds most exciting economic zone with access to EU and UK markets.

Critics were swift to point out that the entire UK had full access to the EUs single market before Brexit.

Mr Sunak told BBC Radio 4s Today that the limited role of EU law was for single market measures aimed at avoiding the need for a hard border with Ireland.

The Stormont brake means that if theres a new law thats going to significantly impact peoples lives coming from the EU, they will be able to block it  but only if the powersharing institutions are revived.

Mr Sunak also said that border posts for checks on goods crossing the Irish Sea were mainly aimed at consignments destined for Ireland and the EU  the so-called red lane.

The border posts are there very specifically for the red lane. Because as part of having a green lane, where goods flow freely within our UK internal market, if goods are actually going to the Republic of Ireland, ie going into the EU, well, thats not our country and its entirely reasonable, that we have checks for those types of goods.

And we also check when we suspect criminality or smuggling. And thats something that the Governments always said that it would do and has been long-standing practice, actually.

In the green channel, for goods remaining in the UK, there wont be routine checks but there will be checks where we suspect criminality or smuggling.

As well as his trip to Northern Ireland, Mr Sunak will continue efforts to win over Tory Eurosceptics and his predecessor Boris Johnson, who is yet to give a verdict on the new deal which replaces the Northern Ireland Protocol he signed.

Mr Sunak indicated he had discussed the deal with Mr Johnson  of course I speak to the former prime minister  and is expected to address Tory MPs at a private meeting in Westminster later.
Titanic Belfast is to reopen on Saturday exhibiting some of the rarest pieces of memorabilia from the ship in the world.

One such piece is an original deck chair bearing the White Star line logo, one of only six that still exist.

Also on display is a life jacket from an unknown victim which is one of only 12 now remaining from the 3,500 that were onboard.

Chief executive of Titanic Belfast, Judith Owens MBE, said: We are honoured to have been entrusted to display these extremely rare artefacts connected to RMS Titanics story.

They are of great historical significance and will be very powerful in helping visitors make emotional and human connections to the stories of Titanics passengers and crew as part of the reimagined Titanic Experience.

Titanic Belfast was able to add these artefacts due to a 4.5 million investment fund from Titanic Belfast Gallery Refreshment Fund and Maritime Belfast Trust.

Other recovered items at the museum now include a pocket watch frozen at the time its wearer entered the water, a violin belonging to Wallace Hartley who was one of the musicians now famous for continuing to play as the Titanic sank, and a plan of the first class accommodation belonging to Ellen Bird  the personal maid to Ida Straus, whose husband owned Macys department store in New York.

The refreshed experience introduces The Pursuit of Dreams as a new theme, and will combine immersive new technology with this original maritime heritage collection to tell the authentic story of the Titanic.

The new Titanic experience will be open to the public from Saturday March 4.
Poco has recently launched the Poco X5 series which includes Poco X5 5G and Poco X5 Pro 5G but rumours are that Poco is planning to launch another smartphone in X5 series which will be Poco X5 GT.

Recently Poco X5 GT was spotted in the Bureau of Indian Standard certification database.

Now, a known tipster, Yogesh Brar has tweeted the leaks about the specifications, launch timeline and price range of Poco X5 GT.

POCO X5 GT



- 6.67" FHD+ OLED, 120Hz

- Qualcomm Snapdragon 7 Gen 2 SoC

- 8/12GB RAM

- 128/256GB storage

- Rear Cam: 50MP (OIS) + 8MP (UW) + 2MP

- Front Cam: 16MP

- Android 13, MIUI 14

- IR sensor

- 5,500mAh battery, 67W charging



Launch - April

25-35k price bracket  Yogesh Brar (@heyitsyogesh) February 27, 2023

Here are the five expected features of the Poco X5 GT we know so far:

Poco X5 GT display

Poco X5 GT is expected to feature a 6.5-inch FHD+ OLED display with 120Hz refresh rate support.

Poco X5 GT performance

Poco X4 GT image used for representational purpose

Poco X5 GT is said to be coming out with the Snapdragon 7 Gen 2 chipset paired with 8GB and 12GB RAM. The Poco X5 GT might come in two storage variants which are 128GB and 256GB. The phone will run on the MIUI 14 operating system based on Android 13.

Poco X5 GT camera and sensor

Poco X5 GT is tipped to roll out with a triple camera setup holding a 50-megapixel (OIS) primary camera, an 8-megapixel ultrawide lens and a 2-megapixel either depth or macro sensor. The mid-ranger is also expected to come out with a 16-megapixel selfie shooter and an IR sensor.

Poco X5 GT battery

This mid-range smartphone could pack a 5000mAh battery backed by 67-watt fast charging.

Poco X5 GT launch and price

The tipster has posted that Poco will launch this new Poco X5 GT in April and it will launch between the price range of 25,000 to 35,000.

For more technology news, product reviews, sci-tech features and updates, keep reading Digit.in or head to our Google News page.
Lenovos phone brand Motorola has unveiled a new concept smartphone in the Mobile World Congress 2023 in Barcelona. Motorola unveiled the Motorola Rizr and amazed everyone up just like it did three years ago when the company unveiled Motorola Razr. Motorola Razr was an upside down foldable phone but Motorola Rizr is a vertically rollable phone.

Motorola Rizr has a 5-inch plastic OLED display by default but it shows the real magic after pressing the button twice on the right panel. After you press that button twice, the display will roll out vertically and you get a 6.5-inch display and to roll down the display to 5-inch back, press the button twice again.

Here are the three reasons why you should go for the Motorola Rizr:

1. Vertical Roll

This design is quite practical in comparison with the other smartphones with rollable displays like TCl or Samsung. Other rollable smartphones stretch their displays horizontally which doesnt look very much usable as we mostly use phones vertically. This Motorola Rizr stretches the display vertically so this can be pretty useful. Either you want a small compact phone or a big 6.5-inch display phone, I say it's a win win.

2. Display on the back

The display of the Rizr rolls around the bottom and leaves some of the display on the back as well. The display on the back can give you notification alerts and it can also be used for photography. The display shows the preview of the rear camera so you can also use rear cameras for selfies for better picture quality.

3. Availability of Rizr

Motorolas been working on this rollable smartphone for quite a while now, so we might see them soon in the market. Although, its just a guess and Motorola hasnt confirmed any details on the availability of Motorola Rizr.

That was all about Motorola Rizr, so now if someone says to you that  The Future is here, you need to believe it because it indeed is here.

For more technology news, product reviews, sci-tech features and updates, keep reading Digit.in or head to our Google News page.
Nature enthusiasts from Louth are being urged to apply for the Department of Housing, Heritage and Local Governments grant scheme to ensure Irelands natural history is captured and recorded.

The scheme, managed by the National Parks and Wildlife Service of the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, aims to help established naturalists recording in Ireland to maintain and enhance their expertise in species identification, and to develop the next generation of natural history recorders. Applications under the scheme for 2023 are now being sought.

Ireland has a long tradition of natural history recording, and natural history recorders are recognised as vital in maintaining the quality of information on Irelands native species and natural and semi-natural habitats. However, the National Parks and Wildlife Service at the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage recognises that the recording community - individuals and groups - needs support to carry out their important work.

Grants are available for volunteer, unpaid recorders, or groups, societies and associations of recorders who have limited or no access to financial supports for their work. This is the fifth year of the grant scheme and it has supported over 70 projects to date.

Grants under the scheme in the past have covered the entire range of Irish natural history including site recording of biological groups (e.g. moths, other terrestrial invertebrates, bats, plants and marine organisms), support for publications and websites and support to purchase specialist equipment.

In 2022, a record number of grants received funding offers and these included:

Surveys of rookeries in County Laois;

Funding towards the publication of the Flora of County Wexford;

Bee identification courses in County Wicklow;

Acoustic survey of Nathusius Pipistrelle bat in County Cavan;

Trialling non-invasive survey techniques for Irish Stoat;

Insect survey in Killarney National Park;

Skate and ray surveys of Tralee Bay.

The data generated by these recording exercises is utilised by the NPWS to inform its understanding of the distribution and ecology of many species and to assess their status. In turn, it informs advice on nature conservation objectives and practical measures to protect species and habitats.

The Minister of State for Heritage and Electoral Reform Malcolm Noonan TD said: Im delighted to announce that this popular scheme is open to applications again this year and I hope we see plenty of applicants from all over Louth.

"Weve seen some great work done in local communities through this scheme and Im proud to support the work of our specialist recorders with these grants. I hope, given the increased time people have spent engaging with nature over recent years that more nature enthusiasts will apply for this funding and join this vibrant network.

This scheme also supports the work of the NPWS in recording many aspects of individual species and provides great value to our Department in establishing useful data to support conservation.

Applications should be submitted by 5pm on 31st March 2023. The form and further details can be found at https://www.npws.ie/news/npws- grants-small-recording- projects-2023. Application forms will ONLY be accepted by email submission to biodiversitypolicy@housing. gov.ie.
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A Dundalk native praised by her colleagues as an incredible support towards clinical trials that offer vital hope to patients was honoured at the Irish Cancer Society Research Awards on Monday.

Ashley Bazin (nee Smyth), who is originally from the town and is now based in Kildare, is Team Leader of the Oncology and Haematology Clinical Trials Unit within Tallaght University Hospital.

Since first coming into the role in 2006 she has seen the team grow from three to eight staff, with Ashley performing multiple important functions including as a research nurse, team leader, manager and mentor to others.

Her work involves offering patients access to cancer clinical trials that seek to identify improved treatments, and explaining whats involved, as well as meeting them regularly on their trial journey, and ensuring that all assessments are done and tracking data to prove the trials effectiveness.

In her nomination for the award, Ashley was described by those she works with as someone who always strives to bring the best options to patients, and who is integral to the functioning of the unit.

Speaking on her award, Ashley said:

Its so rewarding working with patients in this role. Youre constantly offering hope with the new treatments available, which is very satisfying.

When I saw what was written about me for the nomination it brought home all thats involved in the role which you never really think about day to day. Its nice to feel that someone thinks youre doing a good job, added Ashley, who recently returned from a respected trials conference in San Francisco.

Congratulating Ashley on her award, Irish Cancer Society Acting Head of Research Dr Claire Kilty said:

Ashley is an incredibly valued member of her team, which is clear from the glowing tributes paid to her given her extensive experience in bringing cutting-edge clinical trials to patients. This award is truly fitting recognition of her amazing efforts in this space.

Its a real testament to the work of our dedicated cancer researchers around Ireland to see such a flourishing environment for forward-looking research projects including clinical trials, and its great to be able to recognise the amazing effort they put into making peoples lives better at such a difficult time.

The 2023 Irish Cancer Society Research Awards was the first event to be held in person since before the pandemic in 2020.

The event comes ahead of the return of the Societys Daffodil Day fundraiser on Friday March 24, which provides crucial support for ground-breaking cancer research.

For information on how to give or get involved, visit www.Cancer.ie.
Public voting for this years Irish Business Design Challenge open now on www.dcci.ie/ibdc-2023 until Tuesday, 7th March, 2023.

Three Louth businesses, Farrell Furniture by Katisha Kieran, Soilse by Karen Lavelle and Omuu pets by Frank Clarke, have entered this years challenge, which focuses on sustainable design solutions and innovation.

Now in its third year, the Irish Business Design Challenge (IBDC) supports companies applying design thinking to future proof their business and support customer needs. Over 100 businesses across Ireland entered this years challenge.

The competition for micro, small and medium Irish businesses has a prize fund of over 50,000. The judging panel, comprising of Elaine Butler, Circular Design Institute; Gwen Cunningham, Circular Lead, National College of Art and Design; Jamie Maguire, owner and founder of Notions Creative, along with Edwin Jebb, Creative Director at Notions Creative; and Sophie Reynolds, Circular Economy Policy and Innovation Lead, Irish Manufacturing Research will evaluate the entries once public voting has closed on Tuesday, 7th March, and declare the overall winner and runner-up in each category.

Chief Executive, Design & Crafts Council Ireland, Rosemary Steen, said: This is the third year of the Irish Business Design Challenge. It has always highlighted the resilience, ingenuity, and creativity of Irelands MSMEs and it is a privilege to shine a light on these businesses. This years entries clearly show how a greener outlook and design thinking can come together to ensure a more sustainable outcome for the business and its customers.

Adding to this, Head of Design, Design and Craft Council Ireland, Tom Watts, said: We know that micro, small and medium enterprises are fundamental to Irelands economy. The number of high-quality entries this year is testament to how important sustainability has become for Irish businesses.

I am personally delighted that the winners of this years competition will not only benefit from the cash prize and associated publicity, but they will also help to create a new benchmark for what we view as genuinely sustainable and circular. We encourage everyone to take part in the public vote to acknowledge these businesses and the eco-friendly design strategies they have used to go above and beyond for the benefit of the environment and our society.

There are over 248,344 SMEs active in Ireland and they account for more than 70% of employment in the Irish economy. Previous winners of the challenge include GRA Chocolates, Bo Steel, Aqueduct, Notions Creative and Benson Clothing. Companies are judged by category, with a winner chosen in each category; micro, small and medium. Winners will receive 15,000 each and runners up will receive an award of 2,000 each.

Public voting for the Irish Business Design Challenge is open from Monday, 20th February to Tuesday, 7th March, 2023. For further information on the Irish Business Design Challenge, visit www.dcci.ie/ibdc-2023.
A man who claimed his DNA was on a loaded semi-automatic pistol because he had earlier handled it at a party has been jailed for possession of the weapon.

Colin Kevitt (29) of Moneymore, Drogheda, Co Louth pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to possession of the 9mm Glock semi-automatic pistol at another home in the town on February 8, 2020.

He has previous conviction for more minor offences dealt with in the District Court.

It was accepted in court that there is no evidence that the gun had been used in any criminal offence.

The court heard that the gun was found wrapped in black plastic underneath a flower pot in a wicker basket by the homeowner who was out tidying the front of her house.

She was unable to remove the plastic and called the gardai because she suspected it was a gun.

Gardai later discovered it was a Glock pistol with five bullets loaded in the magazine.

Further rounds of ammunition were found with the weapon.

The gun was taken for forensic testing and found to be in fair condition.

Kevitt was arrested later in Dublin on a separate issue and his DNA was taken.

His DNA was later found to match samples taken from the gun itself and he was questioned in relation to this but made no admissions.

Oisin Clarke BL, defending, told Judge Melanie Greally that his client now instructs that a friend had taken the gun out at a party previously and he handled it at that time.

He submitted that his clients DNA was not found on the bullets or the plastic wrapping that surrounded the gun.

Judge Greally said it was obvious that Kevitt had handled the weapon at some point.

She said if it had been such an innocent and passing encounter, I am sure that explanation would have been proffered at an earlier stage, referring to the fact that Kevitt did not give this explanation to the gardai when invited, during garda interview, to comment on how his DNA came to be on the gun.

She noted that his District Court convictions related to concentrated offending in 2017 and 2018 and how this offence represents a very marked escalation in his criminal behaviour.

Judge Greally said it was a very serious offence but accepted that Kevitt had a background of addiction and homelessness.

She set a headline sentence of six years which she reduced to four years and eight months to take into consideration mitigating factors including Kevitt's guilty plea, lack of previous convictions for firearms and his positive engagement with the Probation Service.

She suspended the final year on various conditions including that he engage with addiction services.

She backdated the sentence to August last year.
The organisers of SEEK Urban Arts 2023 have announced that this years festival will start on Saturday 1st of July and will run over a number of weeks with an exciting line-up of themes to be explored including links to our mythological past, industrial legacy, and Anglo-Norman heritage.

The festival is focused on utilising the arts, alongside Dundalks cultural heritage, to help regenerate, refocus and enrich the overall perception of the town in a highly visual and artistic way, a SEEK Urban arts spokesperson said.

This will be the fifth year of the festival, which also lays claim to having the tallest mural in Ireland as part of its collection, when it commissioned the depiction of Lugh (Lu) on the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Dundalk.

Sarah Daly, Director, Creative Spark, said she and the team at Creative Spark are delighted to partner with Dundalk BIDS once again to deliver Seek Festival 2023. Building on the past four years success, we hope this year will be even bigger and better, supporting artists and celebrating our town.

Martin McElligott revealed: It gives us great pleasure to announce the second instalment for this years festival, Lady Roesia de Verdun of Roche Castle, one of the most powerful female figures at that time in Ireland.

To get a good account of a place we really need to peel back the layers as far as we possibly can, and the different moments and people that sit between those layers.

Over the last few years, the SEEK Urban Arts murals have become part of the DNA of the town, a fingerprint of our unique identity and backstory.

We are very excited about the themes that have been chosen this year and the artists that have been chosen to bring these stories to life.

Louth Heritage Officer, Brendan McSherry, added: Lady Roesia de Verdun is often portrayed almost as a pantomime, or fairytale villain, as an intimidating, scary and even malevolent figure, who had few scruples.

However, she was also a wife, a mother of five children, a widow (several times) and, most unusually in this period of history, a castle builder  in fact she was the only woman ever to build a castle in Ireland, making her one of the most powerful women of her time!

The artists undertaking this legendary piece are Studio Giftig and consist of the Netherlands-based artist duo Niels van Swaemen and Kaspar van Leek.

They met in 2007 and the pair developed a common style of painting and are now renowned for their highly detailed realistic murals.

Out of 100 nominees, in 92 cities, in 30 countries, Studio Giftig were recently announced as the Street Art Cities Best of 2022 worldwide winners so it will be exciting to see them in action here in Dundalk Town Centre!
Global technology firm, Huawei Technologies, has outlined its 2019 growth strategy largely focused on guaranteeing its business resilience while forecasting a 21% growth this year.

In a New Years message Huawei Technologies Rotating Chairman, Mr Guo Ping, described the year 2018 as an eventful year for the firm while promising swift recovery from negative conjecture and market restrictions.

Undeterred by thinly veiled market restrictions, Guo said that Huawei has this year, managed to sign 26 commercial contracts for 5G with leading global carriers, and have already shipped more than 10,000 5G base stations to markets around the world. More than 160 cities and 211 Fortune Global 500 companies, he added, have selected Huawei as their partner for digital transformation, affording the firm 2018 sales revenues of up to US$ 108.5 billion.

The early waves of mobile communications technologies were largely driven by American and European companies. As 5G approaches, promising to unprecedentedly transform the way people live and reshape the society and industries, Huawei has emerged as a player. In the battle to determine who will lead the race, the United States has barred Huawei from supplying its government and contractors for alleged Chinese manufacturers are spying on the West.

However, no evidence has ever been provided to prove the accusation. It would not be in Huaweis interest to carry out the alleged surveillance activities, as it would cause the company to lose its image and the current position in the international market.

Huaweis growth in the past 10 years has worried its international competitors. Huawei is the leading networking equipment supplier in the world. Earlier this year, Huawei topped Apple in the number of smartphone units shipped, and ranks only behind Samsung.

The motivations behind these accusations are partly commercial and partly geopolitical, given that the United States and China are locked in a trade dispute that has disrupted the flow of hundreds of billions of dollars of goods. Project Syndicate, an international media organization, reported on Dec 11, 2018 that Huawei is one of Chinas most important technology companies, and therefore a prime target in Trump administrations effort to slow or stop Chinas advance into several high-technology sectors. Forbes also published an article on Dec 10, 2018 with the heading The Feds Shamefully Persecute Chinas Huawei For Being Too Successful.

A number of carriers globally including British Telecommunications (BT) has expressed support for the worlds biggest telecom gear maker. While attending an event in London in November, BTs Chief Architect Neil McRae proclaimed there is only one true 5G supplier right now and that is Huawei  the others need to catch up.

Deutsche Telekom responded to an inquiry from Der Spiegel, a German weekly news magazine in November, explaining that they use equipment from various manufacturers, including Ericsson, Nokia, Cisco and Huawei, and stating that they cannot afford to exclude high-performance suppliers.

Despite the intense 5G race and the US-China trade dispute, Huaweis business performance remains strong.

We have never stopped pushing forward, and as a result our 2018 sales revenue is expected to reach 108.5 billion US dollars, up 21% year-on-year,Guo said, adding that, Our business performance remains strong, and this is by far the most direct form of validation that we can receive from our customers. 

Guo pointed out in the New Years message that as the dynamic between world powers becomes more intense, there will be greater uncertainty in the macro business environment, but Huawei will keep feet on the ground and improve the business ecosystem for the industry, making tangible contributions to local communities and working to secure opportunities for fair competition.

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Founded in 2005 as an Ohio-based environmental newspaper, EcoWatch is a digital platform dedicated to publishing quality, science-based content on environmental issues, causes, and solutions.

A Norfolk Southern train carrying hazardous materials derailed in Van Buren Township, Michigan, on Feb. 18, 2023, less than two weeks after another Norfolk Southern train carrying toxic chemicals derailed in East Palestine, Ohio. There were no reports of chemicals leaking in the Michigan accident. Nick Hagen / Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

From spills to fires at industrial facilities to the recent train derailment in Ohio, it seems chemical accidents are making the news more and more. But its not just your imagination  a map by the Coalition to Prevent Chemical Disasters shows that chemical accidents are happening at a rate of one every two days in the U.S.

The Chemical Facility Incidents map allows viewers to see chemical-related incidents in their local areas. The coalition noted, On average, there is a chemical fire, explosion or toxic release every two days in the U.S.

In the first seven weeks of 2023, there have been more than 30 recorded incidents, as reported by The Guardian. However, the count could be higher, as the coalition does not record incidents that lack enough information or precise location data. The Coalition to Prevent Chemical Disasters recorded 188 incidents in 2022 and 177 in 2021.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) told The Guardian that it has had an average of 235 emergency response actions per year for the last decade, but it can be difficult to pinpoint the exact number of incidents with hazardous chemicals.

But these events are common across the country, putting many communities in danger of the next equipment malfunction, fire, leak or spill.

What happened in East Palestine, this is a regular occurrence for communities living adjacent to chemical plants, said Mathy Stanislaus, former assistant administrator for the EPAs office of land and emergency management during Barack Obamas presidency. They live in daily fear of an accident.

The train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio is one of 10 railway incidents the coalition has recorded since April 2020. Most of the accidents are linked to industrial facilities that manufacture, use or store hazardous chemicals.

Poynter reported that around 124 million people, or 39% of the population in the U.S., live within 3 miles of at least one of these facilities. Stanislaus told The Guardian that about 200 million people are regularly at risk of exposure to chemicals following an accident, with people of color, low-income, and other disadvantaged groups at the most risk.

The EPA, under the Clean Air Act, has a Risk Management Program requiring facilities to have a protocol in place for risk management. The agency proposed updates for tighter regulations under the program in 2022, saying, Accidents and chemical releases from RMP facilities occur every year. They cause fires and explosions, damage to property, acute and chronic exposures of workers and nearby residents to hazardous materials and result in serious injuries and fatalities.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and many chemical industry organizations have opposed the proposed updates.

But increasing numbers of incidents, including the train derailment in East Palestine, have increased concern over safety and public health for communities across the country.

Recent chemical disasters have highlighted shortcomings in federal regulations that fail to sufficiently protect workers and communities living near hazardous chemical facilities, reads a recent letter to the EPA from 49 members of Congress.

The letters signees have called on the EPA to propose even stronger amendments to the Risk Management Program, including transitioning to safer chemicals, requiring third-party audits and providing more information about emergency response plans, even before incidents occur.
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.

At least one person has died and a dozen people have been injured as a fast moving storm system made its way across the Texas Panhandle and into Oklahoma earlier this week. Weather services classified the storm as a derecho  a large, fast-moving, violent thunderstorm paired with exceptionally strong winds.

I got up and then the wind just threw me back. And Im screaming, Frances Tabler of Norman, Oklahoma, told KOCO. It was like a blizzard inside the house. The storm toppled trees and power lines leaving more than 16,000 without power as more than 100 other storm reports were recorded in Oklahoma, Kansas and Texas.

Climate change is making the conditions necessary for derechos to occur more likely, as it leads to additional latent heat available in warmer air, and an increase in the temperature gradient, which increases available potential energy.

For a Deeper Dive:

ABC News, CBS News, New York Times, Yale Climate Connections, Reuters, Photos: Washington Post, Derecho explainer: Climate Signals

For more climate change and clean energy news, you can follow Climate Nexus on Twitter and Facebook, sign up for daily Hot News, and visit their news site, Nexus Media News.




Cambodia agriculture minister visits country's largest dairy farm

Underlining the importance of the development of agriculture in Cambodia as well as the role of dairy and dairy products in the food chain, the country's Minister of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries (MAFF), Dith Tina, paid a visit to Kirisu Farm on February 24.

Kirisu is the largest and most advanced dairy farm in Cambodia set up by Khmer Fresh Milk Co Ltd.

Tina explored the various facilities of Kirisu Farm, which is spread across 300 hectares.

Speaking to Khmer Times, he said his visit was part of an attempt to know the various aspects of the agriculture economy in Cambodia and take steps to improve the sector.

The minister also spoke about the possibility of involving local farmers in the supply of animal feed through contract farming.

"I hope (Kirisu Farm), which is expanding its production line, will consider cooperating with local farmers in growing fodder for its cattle and create opportunities for the farmers of the area. That would benefit all," he said.

"As we grow and increase the number of cattle, we may have to source fodder from outside and for that, we can talk to farmers to grow grass for us through contract farming," Chhor Rithy, chief executive officer of Khmer Fresh Milk Co Ltd, told Khmer Times. "We sought the minister's support as we are mostly related to the agriculture sector, and we can work with farmers in improving their living standards."

Kirisu Farm uses high-end technology and the latest practices for growing fodder, keeping cows healthy and in hygienic conditions and processing milk and milk products.

"We do not only use many types of machinery, but also big data, such as AI, to find out if a cow is sick or healthy, and even to irrigate the crops, we use (Internet of Things)," said Chy Sila, co-founder and director of the dairy farm. "For us, it is also a matter of pride because the government is now focusing more on agriculture, especially modern agriculture."

Kirisu Farm, located in Ophasaing Village of Takeo Province, has been operating for over four years and won the National Entrepreneur Award last year. It supplies products, including fresh milk and a variety of yogurts. It plans to reach out to other Cambodian provinces to expand its market footprint.

Kirisu Farm has around 900 Australian milch cattle and plans to raise the number to 2,000 in the next few years. It produces 12,000-15,000 liters of milk a day.

- Khmer Times




Covantis launches Argentinean and Uruguayan grains and oilseeds markets

Covantis announced on February 27 the launch of its platform in Argentina and Uruguay, increasing the number of markets and commodities available in the platform.

From the launch a network of over 40 legal entities, acting as exporters, FOB/FOB traders and charterers will start executing their Argentina and Uruguay flows in Covantis platform.

In 2022, close to 90 million tonnes of grains and oilseeds were exported out from Argentina to top destination markets being China, Vietnam, Indonesia and Egypt.

"With the addition of Argentina and Uruguay, Covantis now covers all major export markets in the Americas, enabling agrculture trading firms active in North and South America to execute all their vessels in one single platform," said Petya Sechanova, chief executive officer of Covantis. "We are excited to work with our global client base of agri traders and the newly added Argentinian and Uruguayan exporters to digitalise the post trade execution processes for vessels exported from the region.

"Like in other markets, Covantis platform will be addressing industry pain points ranging from inefficiency, high operational risk and delayed documents presentation to lack of standardisation and a single source of truth."

The newly added exporters in the region will benefit from the value delivered by Covantis, as a result of the work done together with the market participants active in Brazil and North American. The platform will support all the main commodities exported from the region, including corn, soybeans, soybean meal, wheat, sunflower seeds and sunflower meal.

The Covantis platform enables market participants to perform contract execution and exchange documents, contractual notices and messages in an efficient, auditable, and secure way.

- Covantis




Taiwan proposes three-point plan on eggs

Taiwan's Council of Agriculture (COA) has proposed to speed up the movement of eggs between sales channels, boost imports of eggs and chicks, and assist chicken farmers to improve their facilities, Taipei Times reported.

Taiwan's Ministry of Economic Affairs and the COA are working together to address the egg shortage in the country. The shortage has resulted in rising egg prices.

The COA said that the country's egg production has not recovered as anticipated because of significant temperature differences between day and night, a bird flu outbreak, and a large number of molting hens.

A survey conducted by the Poultry Association of the Republic of China showed that Taiwan has about 31 million egg-laying hens, but egg production has been reduced as a result of the cold weather and the bird flu outbreak.

The number of molting hens has increased since the Lunar New Year holiday, and as a result, chicken farms house many older hens that lay fewer eggs. This results in a daily egg production of about 112,000 crates, the COA said.

The COA also said it has assisted breeder chicken farms in importing more chicks, from about 230,000 to 260,000 last year. 300,000 more chicks will be imported this year to speed up the replacement of older hens.

Taiwan's total number of chicks available last year was about 22.63 million, up roughly 13.7% from the year before. The council said supply of chicks has remained consistent, but the supply of hens that lay eggs has not yet increased.

In order to address shortages at convenience stores, supermarkets, retailers, traditional markets, and restaurants, the COA said that it would coordinate egg shipments between wholesalers, egg processors, transporters, and dealers.

By the end of March 2023, it plans to import at least 5 million eggs for use in processed foods.

The COA announced that it would also begin an egg cold chain project to offer financial aid to egg processors and transporters so they can add refrigerators or buy refrigerated vehicles to improve their ability to ship eggs.

To reduce the effects of extreme temperature swings and stop the spread of bird flu, the COA will assist chicken farmers to upgrade poultry houses, such as by switching open-air chicken coops for enclosed ones or those with wet-pad cooling systems.

The council said that it would continue to import breeder hens and would increase imports of breeder chicks if necessary, adding that they would provide incentives for breeding young hens to hasten the replacement of old egg-laying hens and to increase egg production capacity and egg quality.

- Taipei Times




Canada not renewing licenses for salmon farms in Discovery Islands, British Columbia

The Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) Canada announced on February 17 that it will not renew licenses for 15 open-net pen Atlantic salmon farms in the Discovery Islands, located in British Columbia, Canada.

The decision was met with harsh criticism from multiple salmon farming companies, who were "blindsided" by the DFO's initial announcement in December 2020 that salmon farming in the Discovery Islands would be "phased out" over an 18-month period. The phase out was delayed after a Canadian court decision overturned the closure, with Canada Federal Court Justice Elizabeth Heneghan ruling saying the decision "did not demonstrate a full appreciation for the facts" at the time it was made.

Following the court result, the DFO engaged in another consultation process with the salmon farming industry, First Nations groups and environmental groups, before ultimately deciding to follow through with the original plan to close salmon farming in the region.

"After extensive consultations with First Nations, industry and others, and after closely considering the submissions received, the Honourable Joyce Murray, Minister of Fisheries Oceans, and the Canadian Coast Guard announced her decision not to renew licences for 15 open-net pen Atlantic salmon aquaculture sites in the Discovery Islands," the DFO said.

The DFO said it was "taking action to protect wild Pacific salmon" with the closure of the salmon farms.

"Recent science indicates that there is uncertainty with respect to the risks posed by Atlantic salmon aquaculture farms to wild Pacific salmon in the Discovery Islands area, as well as to the cumulative effect of any farm-related impacts on this iconic species," the DFO said.

Salmon farming companies called the decision by Murray "devastating," and criticised the government's process. The BC Salmon Farmers Association claimed "anti-salmon farming campaigners" were given an early signal on the DFO's decision  before the First Nations and industry groups that were affected by it.

"The federal government continues to demonstrate a lack of care for rural coastal communities and continues to put the interests of activists above the people who grow Canada's food," BC Salmon Farmers Association executive director Brian Kingzett said in a release. "It is unacceptable that activist groups had advance notice before licence holders and community leaders."

The decision, Kingzett added, is "devastating for all coastal communities who rely on the aquaculture sector" who were hurt by the original decision to phase out aquaculture.

The initial decision in 2020, according to the BC Salmon Farmers Association, shut down 24% of British Columbia's salmon production, put 1,500 jobs at risk and forced the euthanasia of more than 10 million salmon.

"We are very disappointed that Minister Murray has decided not to issue any salmon aquaculture licenses in the Laich-kwil-tach territory," Mowi Canada West managing director Diane Morrison said in a release. "This decision, along with previous decisions, continues to raise serious questions about Canada's commitment to First Nations reconciliation, its food producers and the health of coastal communities. Our company, along with the Wei Wai Kum and We Wai Kai First Nations, had provided the minister a very reasonable path forward that would help Canada achieve its stated vision for sustainable aquaculture and advance its Blue Economy Strategy. She has regrettably chosen not to accept this opportunity."

"Minister Joyce Murray and the Canadian Government have taken a decision inconsistent with science, ignores the affected First Nations input to the process, and provides and greatly impacts the employees who have experienced stress and uncertainty from the federal government's political processes related to salmon farming," Steven Rafferty, chief executive officer of Cermaq, said in a Linkedin post. "It is a flawed and wrong decision. Our colleagues in Canada have worked so hard and been under an enormous pressure, they will continue to get our total support."

Going forward, Kingzett said the industry will continue to be faced with reduced investment due to Murray's decision.



- SeafoodSource




US senators urge suspension of beef imports from Brazil over food safety concerns

Two US senators have renewed calls for a suspension of US beef imports from Brazil until regulators can conduct a "systemic review of the commodity's impacts on food safety and animal health."

Senators Jon Tester and Mike Rounds reintroduced a bipartisan US Senate bill to suspend Brazilian beef imports, claiming Brazil has a history of failing to report, in a timely and accurate manner, diseases found in their herds.

The senators' move follows the latest detection of a suspected atypical BSE case in a Brazilian cow in the northern state of Para.

"This poses a significant threat to both American producers and consumers. Consumers should be able to confidently feed their families beef that has met the rigorous standards required in the US," said the senators in a joint statement. "Our bipartisan legislation would make certain Brazilian beef is safe to transport and eat before it is brought into our markets, neutralising Brazil's deceptive trade tactics."

The senators noted that they first introduced the bill in November 2021 after Brazil detected two previous cases of atypical BSE.

"Most countries report similar cases to the World Organisation of Animal Health (WOAH, previously known as OIE) immediately  with both the United Kingdom and Germany reporting their own cases within days of their occurrence," they added. "But Brazil reported its 2021 cases more than two months after the fact, breaking trust with the WOAH and global trading partners.

"This has been a routine occurrence, with Brazil also waiting months or even years to report similar cases in 2019, 2014 and 2012."

The senators said Brazil enjoyed preferential beef market access on the global stage due to the country's OIE designation as a negligible risk" exporter.

While rare, one-off instances of atypical BSE did not necessarily indicate systemic issues with the health of Brazilian cattle herds, the senators said, but repeated delays in reporting suggested an overly lax food safety regime. It raised concerns about the reporting of additional dangerous diseases such as foot and mouth disease, African swine fever and avian influenza.

"Producer's livelihoods are being compromised by Brazilian beef imports that fail to meet our country's food safety and animal health standards," Tester noted.

The senators' legislation is supported by the US Cattlemen's Association, the National Cattlemen's Beef Association and R-CALF USA.

Brazilian beef has made significant inroads into the US imported beef market over the past 12 months, partly in the absence of Australian product.

However it faces a significant price challenge later this year due to quota restrictions.

Unlike Australia which has its own large US tariff-free quota, Brazilian imports fall under the "Other Country" US quota of just 65,000 tonnes, which, at current rates, is expected to fill some time in April.

After that, Brazilian beef destined for the United States for the rest of the year will attract a full out-of-quota tariff of 26.4%.

- Beef Central




Subsidy for chicken eggs to continue in Malaysia until June 2023

Malaysia's Agriculture and Food Security Ministry said the subsidy for chicken eggs in the country will continue until June 2023, involving a total cost of MYR 1.28 billion (~US$285 million; MYR 1 = US$0.22), Bernama reported.

The ministry said the Malaysian Cabinet reached an agreement at a meeting on February 17 to continue the subsidy.

The ministry said that this decision is being taken to ensure that the country's supply of chicken eggs remains stable, while the study on the operation and administration of targeted subsidies can be completed soon.

The ministry also said that once the supply in the nation stabilises, the necessity of importing chicken eggs from abroad would also be reviewed.

The move to import chicken eggs from outside sources was described as a temporary measure to guarantee that the nation's supply would remain stable.

The ministry said that it continuously assesses the availability of chicken eggs on the market and will continue to explore different options to guarantee a steady supply across the nation.

- Bernama
Mauritius has made significant strides in bolstering its public procurement system, but there is room for improvement in electronic procurement and capacity-building for practitioners.

These are among the findings of an assessment report the African Development Bank launched virtually on 15 February from Port Louis, the capital. The bank undertook the study in partnership with the Mauritius government using the MAPS framework, a universal standard for evaluating public procurement systems.

The report also provides recommendations for the governments next steps in implementing the reforms.

Bhagwansingh Dabeesing, a member of the Procurement Policy Office (PPO) and member of the assessment team, said the government would draw an action plan for short-, middle- and long-term implementation of the recommendations once cabinet approves them.

Mauritius performed well in terms of governance and in demonstrating a strong political commitment to enhance its e-procurement system, which it rolled out in 2015. The report finds that the island nation has a well-established and accessible legal and regulatory public procurement framework and has put strong ethics and anti-corruption measures in place.

The assessment also revealed critical gaps. These include a stipulation concerning mandatory participation by local companies, which may restrict foreign bidders on public contracts. It notes that the mechanism to appeal decisions is currently not incorporated in the electronic procurement system and that the process of selecting and awarding contracts is often protracted.

Some of the reports recommendations are already being put into action. For instance, in November 2022, the government contracted a legal expert to conduct an exhaustive review of the public procurement legal framework. The African Development Bank is supporting this effort with a grant of $134,013, part of which will also fund the alignment of the legal framework with the e-procurement system.

The PPO has partnered with a local technical university to roll out a post-graduate project certificate course for managers of capital projects in March 2023.

The PPO is also expected to begin working closely with the national anticorruption agency to integrate corruption and collusion screening tools into the e-procurement system, the use of which is now mandatory.

Mauritius is also moving to make public procurement more sustainable by factoring socioeconomic and environmental considerations into its system.

The African Development Bank launched the report during a weeklong mission to Mauritius led by Director of Fiduciary Services and Inspection, Frank Mvula. During the visit, the reports findings were shared with the Mauritian private sector and other stakeholders. The bank team also met with representatives of partner organizations in the country.

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Arts Aid launches 2023 Awards programme



ARTS AID LAUNCHES 2023 AWARDS PROGRAMME

Arts Aid is inviting applications for its 2023 scholarships for study in the Arts.

Offering financial assistance to Isle of Man students, the Manx charity is entering its sixth year of awards via a programme which offers scholarships for exceptionally talented young people to attend courses at some of Britains most esteemed arts institutions.

Funding is available for courses ranging from BTEC to masters degree. Typically, Arts Aid scholarships are tenable for a one-year period. Recipients pursuing multi-year courses may apply to renew their scholarship based on their performance.

Applicants for awards in 2023 are encouraged to submit their application as early as possible and no later than 29 May. By the time of their submission, applicants should have already applied for a course at a suitable educational institution, although when first applying to Arts Aid it is not necessary to have a confirmed place. Application packs may be requested via the Arts Aid website: arts-aid.org

David Wertheim, Chairman, said: We hope that in 2023 we can put the recent several years of disruption due to the coronavirus pandemic behind us. Throughout this time our students have shown remarkable resilience and commitment, despite often facing difficult challenges. We are looking forward once again this spring to receiving a new round of applications from talented candidates aspiring to a future in the Arts. If you believe you fit these criteria, we strongly encourage you to apply.
Europes music streaming antitrust case against Apple will now focus on anti-steering clauses It'll look into whether developers were blocked from sharing alternative pricing.

Back in 2021, the European Commission issued antitrust charges against Apple after deciding that the company may be abusing its dominant position when it comes to music streaming apps. The commission sent the tech giant a Statement of Objections listing issues that it believes warrant further investigation. In it, the EU's executive body outlined its issues with Apple, namely making developers use its payment system and preventing them from telling subscribers about alternative (and often cheaper) payment options outside of iOS apps. Now, the commission has announced that its antitrust investigation will only touch upon the second issue, or the "anti-steering obligations" Apple imposes upon developers.

Its revised Statement of Objections drops its position regarding the legality of the company making developers use its in-app payment system. It's going all in on the anti-steering allegations instead, citing concerns that Apple's rule prevents developers from notifying users about more affordable subscription prices elsewhere.

The commission said these anti-steering obligations imposed upon developers are "unfair trading conditions" in breach of Article 102 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU'). It explained that the obligations are "neither necessary nor proportionate for the provision of the App Store on iPhones and iPad," that they're detrimental to Apple users who'll likely end up paying more, and that they negatively affect music streaming app developers "by limiting effective consumer choice."

This particular antitrust case was a result of the complaint Spotify filed against Apple in 2019, wherein it accused the tech giant of having discriminatory practices designed to suppress competitors to Apple Music. If the commission decides that Apple has indeed broken antitrust laws, then it could prohibit the conduct that's in breach of the rules  in this case, preventing developers from pointing users to external payment options  and could fine the company up to 10 percent of its annual turnover worldwide.

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In a statement, Spotify welcomed the European Commission's announcement, noting that regulators are "sending a clear message that Apple must play fair and let competition work":

The European Commission has once again made it abundantly clear that consumers are the ultimate victims of Apples abusive and anticompetitive behaviorand putting a stop to it is a top priority. Apples anti-steering rules, which prohibit Spotify and other developers from telling consumers about deals or promotions through their own apps, mean that users are deprived of opportunities to save money and enjoy a higher quality service. That directly harms consumers. With each passing day, Apple continues to choke competition and smother innovation. The European Commission today is sending a clear message that Apple must play fair and let competition work. Momentum is on the side of consumers but they deserve final resolutionand soon.

Apple told The Wall Street Journal that it was pleased the scope of its case had been narrowed and that it hopes the commission "will end its pursuit of a complaint that has no merit."

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.
FTX co-founder Nishad Singh pleads guilty to fraud and conspiracy charges Singh has agreed to cooperate with the case against Sam Bankman-Fried.

Nishad Singh, a co-founder of collapsed cryptocurrency exchange FTX , has pleaded guilty to US federal fraud and conspiracy charges. Singh, who was FTX's director of engineering, is the third member of Sam Bankman-Fried's inner circle to agree to cooperate with prosecutors in the case against him. Former executives Caroline Ellison and Zixiao "Gary" Wang previously pleaded guilty to fraud charges.

Singh pleaded guilty to six criminal counts, including wire fraud and conspiracy to defraud the US by violating campaign finance laws. He agreed to forfeit the proceeds of his actions, as Reuters reports. Bankruptcy filings showed that Singh received a $543 million loan from Alameda.

Singh admitted to making illegal donations to political candidates and PACs under his name using funds from Alameda Research (FTX's sibling hedge fund and crypto trading firm). He claimed the donations were intended to bolster the political influence of FTX and Bankman-Fried (aka SBF), according to The Wall Street Journal . Singh added that he agreed with the stances of those he donated to but didn't pick the candidates. Per OpenSecrets , he contributed $8 million to Democratic PACs and campaigns during the 2022 election cycle.

Moreover, Singh said he found out in mid-2022 that Alameda was borrowing billions of dollars in customer funds from FTX. It emerged by September that Alameda wasn't able to repay those funds. Singh additionally claimed that he falsified FTXs revenues at SBF's behest to make the company more palatable to investors.

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SBF now faces 12 criminal charges after an indictment detailing four additional ones was unsealed last week. Among other things, he has been accused of stealing billions of dollars in FTX customer funds and misleading investors and lenders. Notably, in light of Singh's plea, the charges include alleged violations of federal campaign finance laws by donating to a super PAC under the names of two executives. SBF, who was arrested and extradited from the Bahamas in December, has pleaded not guilty to the charges. His trial is set for October.

On the same day Singh made his guilty plea, the Securities and Exchange Commission and Commodity Futures Trading Commission filed civil complaints against him. The agencies said Singh is cooperating with the SEC's ongoing investigation and that he agreed to settle with the CFTC.

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.
OnePlus is having quite an eventful Mobile World Congress. In addition to revealing its latest experimental phone that it envisions to have liquid cooling capabilities, the company has also announced that it will be launching its first foldable smartphone in the second half of 2023. With this revelation, OnePlus has confirmed previous rumors that it's working on a foldable device similar to Samsung's offerings. The company teased a mysterious Q3 2023 launch with what seemed to be silhouettes of devices that fold in the background at the OnePlus 11 event earlier this month, but it fell short of saying what exactly it would be releasing.

Despite its confirmation, OnePlus remains tight-lipped on what a foldable device from the company would entail. XDA Developers reported in January that it found two trademark listings with the China National Intellectual Property Administration for a OnePlus V Fold and a OnePlus V Flip. In today's announcement, OnePlus only talks about one smartphone, so it's unclear if it's actually developing two at the moment. All Kinder Liu, President and COO of OnePlus, had to say at the event was:

"Our first foldable phone will have the signature OnePlus fast and smooth experience. It must be a flagship phone that doesn't settle because of its folding form, in terms of industrial design, mechanical technology, and other aspects. We want to launch a device that aims to be at the pinnacle experience of todays foldable market."

The company promised to release more details about its foldable device in the coming months. Aside from that, it also shared its plans to build a more cohesive ecosystem within the next three to five years. It said the ecosystem will enable OnePlus to provide seamless connection across its phones, tablets, wearables and internet-of-things devices.
Excelsio Media

EXCELSIO Media, is an independent source of news and information.
Los Angeles, CAA major historical biography about serial killer Bill Bonin, aka The Freeway Killer, is now on sale in Kindle and Nook formats for 99 Cents thru March 31. A recent batch of 5-Star reviews for Without Redemption: Creation & Deeds of Freeway Killer Bill Bonin, His Five Accomplices & How One Who Escaped Justice, written by Clinical Psychologist Vonda Pelto, Ph.D. and Michael B. Butler, highlight the many aspects of a book that tracks how Bonin evolved from abused child to sexual predator and thence unfeeling serial killer.

The authors were able to uncover how and why one of Bonin's accomplices, Eric Wijnaendts, got away with double-murder and how and why one day, March 24, 1980, during the ten-month murder spree altered events dramatically months after Bonin's final arrest.

The first review below, written by someone with 30-years in the film business, indicates that the book is compelling and detailed enough for a solid movie production. Able to draw on thousands of pages of investigative documents, which included Bonin's personal jailhouse diaries and murder confessions, Pelto and Butler thus created the first true and complete telling of William 'Bill' Bonin's life.

Without Redemption Kindle on Sale for 99 Cents Till March 31, 2023

Here are some of the most interesting reviews of Without Redemption:

All the Makings of Compelling Serial Killer Movie or Mini-Series

'Without Redemption' sets itself apart from other serial killer bios with the sheer volume of factual detail, one which reads like historical biographies of famous leaders. Freeway Killer Bill Bonin's whole life is laid out and this allows the authors to carefully track his 30-year journey/descent into murderous depravity. I have worked on a number of productions about serial killers and murderers, and this book has all the elements for a compelling movie, mini-series or docudrama.

First, you have Bonin's detailed diaries/written confessions which give an inside view of everything; Second, the co-author, Vonda Pelto, Ph.D., having ersatz counseling/confession sessions with three of the six Freeway Killers in jail; Third, reams of documentary evidence about Bonin's childhood, war service, years in mental hospitals and prisons followed by the months leading up to the murder spree. Next are Bonin's carefully written stories of the 22 killings all over Southern California, the journalists reporting on his activities and the detectives chasing him.

Then, after his arrest the story really gets juicy, and complex, as everyone jumps in the pool together to hash out the penultimate act. Surprises await around every corner as cases are getting built, deals negotiated and more suspects pursued. Part and parcel are scenes of political backstabbing, deception, lying and coverups, which is followed by Bonin's huge trial and the final curtain in this tragic drama.

Generous use of newspaper stories fills in the gaps and the whole book moves rapidly forward without too much lollygagging. 'Without Redemption' is as close to a complete serial killer historical biography that one might find.

M.E.

Paints the Whole Picture

Not much of Freeway Killer Bill Bonin's life, leading up to his first and most important conviction, is left out of this book.

An interesting section is the one after his arrest, where Bonin's jailhouse diaries are used to tell the inside story. It is fascinating because everyone, I mean everyone, is deceiving and lying to everyone elsehomicide detectives from different agencies, prosecutors, witnesses, defense attorneys, press, politicians, district attorneys and, of course, the six Freeway Killer defendants. There are also humorous jailhouse stories that serve to break up the story.

Leading up to the disaster is like descending a slow staircase, and then there is the ten-month murder spree that is chronicled from many different perspectives. 'Without Redemption' definitely deserves the moniker 'detailed historical biography.'

J.S.

Watch Radio Show Video of Vonda Pelto on Thunderstruck Radio at https://bit.ly/3EGzK85





Co-Author Vonda Pelto is Actually a Player in This Serial Killer Bio

My surprise in this book was how the co-author, Clinical Psychologist Vonda Pelto, Ph.D., actually participated in the story told about the life of Freeway Killer Bill Boninshe dealt with Bonin and two of his accomplices while working at Los Angeles Central Jail. Pelto had numerous sessions with all three, and other horrible serial killers, and had to listen to their ghastly stories, told in some ways to see her reactions and in other ways to relive their crimes. Her disgust is evident, but she hides it during discussions with Bonin, Miley and Munro, where they all talked about murders in detail.

Aside from that 'Without Redemption' is interesting because it is the story of one person's slow march to becoming an unfeeling monster. It was scary how the killing took over his life, kind of like Gollum in 'Lord of the Rings,' it simply swallowed him up.

The authors really packed in the factual stories of Bonin's life, from birth all the way through months and months of day-to-day events after his arrest, when the system was gearing up and he was trying to make a deal to avoid the death penalty. This part of the book is when very public events are analyzed from inside and outside, and where big surprises pop up.

A thoroughly fascinating and engaging read.

They really tell the full story of a serial killer, from beginning to the end!

Serial killer biographers often lack access to many important documents, but that can't be said of Without Redemption, which reveals for the first time how and why someone got away with double murder! In fact, the Freeway Killer Bill Bonin is the one who covered for his accomplice. One also learns that Bonin was in police custody on numerous occasions during the murder rampage.

It's obvious the authors must have had boxes and boxes of material to write fromBonin's childhood, adult years spent in mental hospitals and prisons, well before Bill Bonin started killing, are ably reconstructed in amazing detail. You can sense the disaster to come as story slowly unfolds.

Then the killing starts and Bonin's own written words and many different interviews, with homicide detectives and the co-author Vonda Pelto, Ph.D., give the reader a front row seat in the mind of the man who murdered 22 teenage boys, with five accomplices, in a short period of time. Taking place in 1979-80 in Los Angeles, the book paints of picture of how Bonin's actions created a firestorm among police, the public and the media.

Part three is a fascinating look at what happened after Bonin's arrest and how detectives rolled up the other killers and built their case against Bonin and his friends. It was a complicated ten-months, but the authors recreate it in fascinating detail, which includes using Bonin's jailhouse diaries and see how he was manipulating events while also being unable to control his fate.

A historical biography worthy of that term.

B.B.

Watch a Radio Show Video of Vonda Pelto on the Gary Nolan Show at http://bit.ly/41yfUWc





What is Without Redemption:

The book was written on a number of parallel tracks that constantly intersect:

First, it is the most detailed historical biography ever written about Bill Bonin, the notorious Freeway Killer responsible for murdering 22 teenage boys over ten-months in 1979-80.



Second, it is a psychological roadmap which charts the evolution of Bonin's personality from abused child to sexual predator to serial killer. This is accomplished using documents from his childhood, war service, multiple California government mental health and penal institutions, witness testimony and the expertise of Clinical Psychologist Vonda Pelto, Ph.D., who had many sessions with Bonin and two of his accomplices while working in Los Angeles Men's Central Jail.



Third, it is a narrative which, using long hidden documents, reveals the inner workings of Bonin's mind, showing how he thought, felt, planned and viewed the world. The narrative displays Bonin, an abused high school dropout, cleverly manipulating lawyers, judges, doctors, social workers, friends, family, probation officers, government bureaucrats, detectives, journalists and, most tragically, the innocent victims of his rage.



Fourth, Without Redemption reveals the complex story of what happened after Bonin's final arrest, when so much was in flux and so many moving parts were swirling about. Archived investigative documents, collected from a variety of sources, brings to light a number of surprising, shocking, sad and even funny events from those ten tumultuous months from June 1980 to March 1981.



Finally, it is a book which solves two 40-year-old murder mysteries and unlocks how one day of crossroads and coincidences, in the midst of the murder spree, profoundly impacted many lives and future events.

Watch the Without Redemption Book Trailer http://bit.ly/3Y7gebu





The most detailed bio of serial killer Bill Bonin ever written using previously hidden documents.

How childhood abuse & Vietnam War service helped create what followed.

How Bonin manipulated California judicial, mental health & prison systems for nine years before the killings.

Interviews of Bonin, Miley & Munro with Vonda Pelto, Ph.D. before, during & after his Los Angeles trial.

Bonin's jailhouse writings offer new perspective on his brutality, methods, thoughts and personality.

How & Why Bonin covered for accomplice Eric Wijnaendts, who helped him with two murders.

How & Why March 24, 1980 is a key date in the Bill Bonin story.

Without Redemption: Creation & Deeds of Freeway Killer Bill Bonin, His Five Accomplices & How One Escaped Justice, Paperback ISBN: 979-8841931249, Hard Cover ISBN: 979-8844477775. For more info go to www.WithoutRedemption.com and purchase copies at Amazon or Barnes & Noble.

Media Contact: For interviews or to request review copies contact Flotsam PR at 213-534-7292 or flotsampr@pm.me.

About the Authors: Vonda Pelto, Ph.D., author of Without Remorse and co-author of Without Redemption, was born and raised in the small town of Needles, California, in the barren desert. Brought up in a strict Southern Baptist household, her sheltered childhood and family life meant Vonda was in for a rude awakening when she was hired for a unique job. After the unexpected January 1981 jailhouse suicide of Freeway Killer Vernon Butts, the Los Angeles County Mental Health & Sheriff's Departments needed a new strategy to prevent this from happening with any other high-profile inmates awaiting or standing trial.

Michael B. Butler, author of A World Flight Over Russia, is a professional photographer who has worked extensively in book, travel and corporate PR. His assignments documenting the 50th Anniversaries of Pearl Harbor and D-Day, flying around the world across Russia on the World Flight in July 1992, documenting a Pilgrimage to the Holy Land with 700 Christians in 2013 and multiple PR junkets to Ireland and Tahiti added ample materials to his media library.
U.S. drone strike kills 2 in central Yemen

Xinhua) 10:41, February 28, 2023

ADEN, Yemen, Feb. 27 (Xinhua) -- At least two suspected militants from the Yemen-based al-Qaida branch were killed in a U.S. drone strike in the country's central province of Marib, a military official said on Monday.

An unmanned aircraft from the U.S. military fired a missile late on Sunday night and hit a house in Hosoun Al Jalal area in Marib province, which is currently controlled by the Saudi-backed Yemeni government, the local military official, who asked to remain anonymous, told Xinhua.

"The strike destroyed the house belonging to a local tribal leader and killed two suspected militants of the Yemen-based al-Qaida branch," the source said.

After the attack, members of the al-Qaida terrorist group rushed to the site of the bombing by car to collect the bodies, and then fled into a desert nearby, he added.

Many areas in Abyan province, a long-time hotbed of military clashes where al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) and other extremist groups have a strong presence, have recorded a dramatic increase in the number of terrorist attacks against government forces in recent months.

Al-Qaida militants hiding in rocky terrains and mountainous areas of Abyan and other neighboring provinces, such as Shabwa, frequently use hit-and-run tactics against Yemeni government forces.

The AQAP network has exploited years of deadly conflict between the Yemeni government and the Houthi militia to expand its presence in the war-ravaged Arab country. It has carried out many high-profile attacks against the security forces in the country's southern provinces.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
CABS will not pay a client US$179 000 in foreign currency, being the balance converted to local currency at the height of currency reforms in 2019, after the High Court ruled that courts have no power to review Government policy on banking matters.

Mr Duncan Hugh Cocksedge had approached the High Court seeking an order compelling the bank to pay him the money it effectively converted to local currency in his account back to US dollars.

He also sought to impugn the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe exchange control directive converting US dollars accounts into RTGS accounts as unconstitutional.

But the court refrained from deciding what it saw as a pure political question.

In a judgment handed down on Monday, Justice Webster Chinamora found Mr Cocksedges claim for repayment of his money in foreign currency contemptuous of the Governments policy directive.

The judge took a view that the regulation of banking activities to achieve stability in the economic sector falls exclusively within the realm of the executive arm of Government.

Put it differently, how the Government makes policies aimed to achieve monetary stability and incentivise the generation of foreign exchange in the national interest is a political question, best left to the politicians, said Justice Chinamora.

Courts in this jurisdiction are familiar with the political questions doctrine and how to deal with a case where this arises.

The Supreme Court has since confirmed that all balances and liabilities which were denominated in United States Dollars before February 22, 2019 became balances in Zimbabwean dollars at par with the United States dollar.

To this end, Mr Cocksedges claim for repayment in United States currency could not be sustained if it did not qualify under the provisions of section 44C of the Reserve Bank Act.

Mr Cocksedges account could not escape the consequences of the decision of the Supreme Court in Zambezi Gas Zimbabwe (Pvt) Ltd versus N.R. Barber and others and, Justice Chinamora flagged the claim as a disingenuous stunt to try and reverse the effects of the judgment in Zambezi Gas Zimbabwe.

I also find the claim for repayment in the United States dollar against CABS a bit cynical, given that the banking institution was only complying with the law.

I will therefore award costs on the scale of client and attorney in respect of CABS and costs on the ordinary scale to the second and third respondents, he said, dismissing the claim.

This means that Mr Cocksedge has to pay the authorised fees of the CABS lawyers, as well as the far lower general legal costs of copying and serving papers and the like in the ordinary costs.

Justice Chinamora disagreed with Mr Cocksedges lawyer Mr Tendai Biti that by abiding by the RBZ directive and the Finance Act (No. 2) of 2019, CABS had failed in its duty to exercise caution in respect of Mr Cocksedges account.

He ruled that a registered and regulated banking institution would, in his view, be acting to the detriment of its clients if it behaved like a rebel and disobeyed the countrys banking laws and directives issued by its regulators.

Section 17, as we have seen, makes this mandatory. My view is that no fault can accrue to CABS for complying with the law, Justice Chinamora said.

Advocate Thabani Mpofu represented CABS, while Mr V Mhungu and Mr D Jaricha acted for RBZ and the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development. Herald
(The Center Square)  Public school unions receive "concierge-like service" from President Joe Biden's Department of Education while parents get "vastly inequitable treatment," according to a federal watchdog group.

Protect The Public's Trust released a report Tuesday on the U.S. Department of Education and their "constant contact" with the two largest teachers' unions in the country  the National Education Association and the American Federation of Teachers.

The report included documents received in a Freedom of Information Act request that detailed the relationship between union officials and high-level Department of Education administrators. The emails revealed that Department of Education administrators talked with union officials as much as twice per week.

These documents reveal what everyone already knew, that the teachers unions are driving the Department of Education bus," Michael Chamberlain, director of Protect the Publics Trust, said in a news release. While the unions could not have received better access had they had an office in the building, the Department completely botched an attempt to create a parent advisory group. The sad reality is that parents may be spending more time discussing education policy with FBI agents monitoring their discussions at school board meetings than with the Department of Education.

In June 2022, the U.S. Department of Education formed the National Parents and Families Engagement Council to help with recovering from the pandemic. However, the U.S. Department of Education disbanded the parents' council after organizations filed a lawsuit claiming the National Parents and Families Engagement Council was not fairly balanced in terms of the points of view."

The NEA and AFT and the U.S. Department of Education did not respond to emails seeking comment.

Protect The Public's Trust report produced emails that highlighted the access the unions received from a top U.S. Department of education official.

Acting Assistant Deputy Secretary Montserrat Garibay, who was the secretary-treasurer of the Texas AFL-CIO before joining the U.S. Department of Education, sent an April 2021 email to two NEA employees thanking them for meeting with her twice a week. At the time, Garibay was the senior advisor for Labor Relations with the U.S. Department of Education.

In a July 2021 email, Garibay reached out to the AFT to schedule a "monthly" meeting with AFT president Randi Weingarten.

AFT administrator Shital Shal sent Garibay a March 2021 email containing the National Labor Management Partnership's policy recommendations with the subject line "thank you!"

"Finally, thank you so much for listening to my ramblings about lifting up youth voice and strategic partnerships around various issues," Shal told Garibay in the email.

The role of parents in education has become a national issue.

In 2021, the National School Boards Association sent a letter to President Joe Biden comparing acts of malice, violence and threats by parents during school board meetings to domestic terrorism.

In 2021, then Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe said during a debate, "I don't think parents should be telling schools what they should teach."

In 2022, the Michigan Democratic Party questioned the role of parents in education in a Facebook post.

Not sure where this parents-should-control-what-is-taught-in-schools-because-they-are-our-kids is originating, but parents do have the option to choose to send their kids to a hand-selected private school at their own expense if this is what they desire, read the post. The purpose of a public education in a public schools is not to teach kids only what parents want them to be taught. It is to teach them what society needs them to know. The client of the public schools is not the parent, but the entire community, the public.

The Michigan Democratic Party removed that post.

"We have deleted a post that ignored the important role parents play  and should play  in Michigan public schools," the Michigan Dems wrote. "Parents need to have a say in their childrens education, end of story. The post does not reflect the views of Michigan Democrats and should not be misinterpreted as a statement of support from our elected officials or candidates."
Blood donation illustration (MaxPixel | Public domain).

A bill to ban donors who have received the COVID-19 vaccination from giving blood will decimate blood supply in Montana and leave patients at risk of even death, said opponents of House Bill 645.

Montanas blood supply could be cut by up to 80%, leading to adverse patient outcomes including unnecessary and unconscionable death, said chief executive officer of blood collection nonprofit Vitalant, Cliff Numark.

Numark said most blood banks are barely meeting the needs of patients today, and with an 80% reduction in blood supply, procedures for accident victims, pregnancy complications and more mundane blood transfusions would not be possible.

House Bill 645 would ban individuals who received the COVID-19 vaccine from donating blood, making it a misdemeanor with a $500 fine to donate or accept blood from vaccinated donors. The bill would also ban people who have had a diagnosis of Long COVID, medically defined as postacute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 due to chronic 27 SARS-CoV-2 viral infection.

In addition to creating a severe shortage of blood in the state, opponents said theres no way to test blood for both Long COVID or the vaccines.

However, proponents said the bill, a continuation of anti-vaccine legislation that passed last session, was about medical autonomy and the right to receive blood from donors had not been vaccinated against COVID-19.

We hear these two words safe and effective a million plus times. Does that make them true? said bill sponsor Rep. Greg Kmetz, R- Miles City.

Emails exchanged during the drafting process show Kmetz included language from anti-vaccine legislation passed last session, House Bill 702, which outlawed discrimination based on vaccination status. A portion of that bill was struck down as unconstitutional in December.

Proponents included Rep. Lola Sheldon-Galloway, vice-chairwoman of the House Human Services Committee, which heard the bill on Friday. She repeated claims made in the film Died Suddenly that were debunked prior to its release. She said the vaccine caused issues with blood flow, citing her brother, a mortician.

The Food and Drug Administration said that respiratory viruses arent generally transmitted by blood transfusion and there have been no reported cases of transfusion-transmitted COVID-19.

Other proponents said that blood recipients should not have to worry about adverse effects in an emergency situation.

Im one of many who believe in the God given right of medical freedom, which is having access to genetically unmodified blood during a time of need, said Jo Vilhauer from Miles City. This is a vital part of health autonomy.

Dr. Michael Busch, director of the Vitalant Research Institute, which monitors antibody levels in U.S. blood supply samples, told Kaiser Health News more than 90% of current donors have either been infected with COVID or vaccinated against it.

Opponents slightly outnumbered proponents and included the Montana Nurses Association, the Montana Hospital Association, the Montana Medical Association, the the Montana Primary Care Association and others.

Chief Medical Officer for the American Red Cross in the Western U.S. Dr. Walter Kelley said this bill would decimate blood supply in Montana as 80% of the state has received at least one dose of the vaccine.

This bill will put patients lives in jeopardy, and this bill needs to be removed, Kelley said.

Numark, CEO of a blood collection nonprofit, said theres no way to test for the components outlined in the bill, including gene-altering proteins, nanoparticles, high-count spike proteins from long COVID-19, and other DNA chemotherapies, among other COVID-19 related restrictions.

Theres no test to do that, so we would not be able to comply to determine whether people have received it or not, he said.

In response to committee questioning, Numark said it would be possible to ask donors if they had received the COVID-19 vaccine as part of an intake form, but that the criminal liability attached to the bill adds complications.

Rep. Jodee Etchart, R-Billings, who requested the bill, asked sponsor Kmetz if he had considered establishing a system of two banks of blood, one vaccinated and one unvaccinated. Etchart had worked with Kmetz to bring forward legislation about COVID and the blood supply.

Kmetz said hes spoken with constituents who said they didnt want vaccinated blood making a patients health situation even worse.

We are not going to consider that, Kmetz said.

During the drafting process, Kmetz asked a bill drafter if it would be possible to allow for separating blood supplies to make the bill less contentious. The drafter said she could include that language but she was not familiar with the intricacies of the process and wouldnt be able to answer if it was possible.

Etchart asked in an email when the bill was being drafted whether anyone would qualify to donate blood with the language that was in the bill at the time. She said nearly the entire population has either knowingly had COVID-19 or been vaccinated.

The way it appears, no one will qualify, and this bill will go down so fast it isnt even worth bringing, Etchart said.

Pharmacist Colleen Baker with Morgan Creek Compounding Pharmacy, suggested language to better define long-haul COVID-19.

Former Rep. Krayton Kerns, R-Laurel, was integral to the drafting process and characterized the need for the legislation as critical.

An immediate effective date would fit this building emergency, he said in a January email.

The committee did not immediately take action on the bill.

The post Bill banning vaccinated blood donations would decimate blood supply, opponents say appeared first on Daily Montanan.
A bill that would provide homeowners and developers more clarity about water access is steadily progressing through the Montana Legislature.

House Bill 435, sponsored by John Fitzpatrick, R-Anaconda, would make it so construction of a water supply system using an exempt well is enough for water rights to be certified.

Thats important so that developers dont have to build a house before they can guarantee it water access, Fitzpatrick said.

An amended version of the bill passed a final vote of 98 to 1 on the House floor Monday, and now heads to the Senate for debate.

Exempt wells in Montana are often built for small-scale water use, like for individual property use or upcoming subdivisions.

As long as an exempt well doesnt use more than 35 gallons of water per minute, without exceeding 10 acre-feet a year, it can skip the general water rights permitting process.

The law on the books now requires a house to be standing in order to finalize water rights for an exempt well.

Thats a big problem, because people bought those lots with the understanding they purchased land with an assured water supply, Fitzpatrick said in the House Natural Resources Committee bill hearing. But thats not currently the case.

HB 435 would change that  so construction of just the water system itself is enough to guarantee access to the water.

Fitzpatrick argued that failure to guarantee water access for houses undermines the value of the land and is a recipe for lawsuits.

Beneficial use should occur when the water system is complete and capable of delivering water  it shouldnt be an unknown that developers have to figure out once construction is finished, Fitzpatrick said.

In introducing the bill, Fitzpatrick disclosed he worked for a developer that was running into issues his legislation hopes to address.

But opponents feared potential environmental impacts if subdivisions expanded their use of exempt wells.

Fitzpatrick said he worked to create an amendment that would address those concerns.

The amendment clarifies that exempt wells cant be located in sensitive stream depletion zones, and that their use will still not exceed more than 10 acre-feet per year.

Developers will also have to submit a copy of the environmental quality approval for the water system alongside its notice of completion. Theyll also have to track and report the water appropriated annually.

Initial opponents of the bill  like Trout Unlimited and the Montana Senior Water Rights Coalition  said in testimony they supported the bill as amended.
Farmers and land managers are being urged to enter a competition which aims to highlight the importance of healthy soils.

The James Hutton Institute has issued the last call for farmers to enter its long-running Best Soil in Show competition.

As part of it, soil samples will be analysed by scientists against compositional, structural, and chemical criteria to test and benchmark the soil.

The competition highlights the importance of maintaining healthy soils to deliver biological, ecological, and ultimately, economic benefits.

Professor Colin Campbell, chief executive of the James Hutton Institute, said: Soil is integral to our lives.

"It plays a vital role in our food, our homes, our biodiversity, the water we drink and so much more.

"We hope to support land managers in their understanding of how the characteristics and condition of their soil can help them to make informed decisions about its management.

The James Hutton Institute has over 90 years experience in soil and crop research and hosts Scotlands National Soils Archive.

This is a historic reference of soils in the past and is used to test new analyses and monitor changes in soil over time.

Farmers and land managers must submit soil samples by 31 March 2023.
*UPDATE 2 March: Due to exceptionally high demand, Severn Trent's forest creation fund has now closed*

Severn Trent has extended its forest creation fund offer to give farmers and landowners in the Midlands the chance to plant woodlands on smaller sites of 2.2 to 5 acres.

The scheme's extension, for parcels of land over 10 acres, aims to help enhance biodiversity and soil health on unproductive land in the water firm's catchment areas.

Severn Trent covers the planning and sourcing of trees, before the farmer or landowner plants them.

They then receive annual payments of 800 per acre to contribute to maintenance for 10 years.

Miranda De Freston, Severn Trent environmental manager said: Its important for us to prioritise low grade land for tree planting, which is why this scheme focuses on enhancing marginal land, or that of reduced productivity.

She explained that this small acre offer runs alongside the main tree planting offer, which is for larger areas of land, over 10 acres.

The scheme also offers an annual premium payment of 200/ha for the first 10 years, for sites over 8ha in size.

It covers all aspects of planning, planting, management, and 35 years of maintenance, while the farmer or landowner retains ownership of the land.

Ms De Freston said: Well take on all the carbon code paperwork. This covers the registration, validation and verification of the woodland, when normally youd need to employ an agent to do this."

Severn Trent will also set each site up with a Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) baseline assessment, which will help landowners attain biodiversity credits.

These could be worth approximately 24,710/ha of new woodland created, for 30 years, subject to purchaser's requirements.

After the 35 year management period, the water company will hand back the carbon credits to the landowner.

These have the potential to be worth 15,434/ha after the 35-year period (based on current BEIS values).

Severn Trent is also open to working with farmers and landowners to develop a more flexible tree planting plan.

Ms De Freston said: For instance, we can price match labour costs, if landowners have in-house staff, or we can consider alternative planting techniques, such as agroforestry, if on a large enough scale."
A County Durham smallholding which was transformed into an award-winning dog-friendly tourism venture has been put up for sale for 1.2m.

Laverock Hall, near Eggleston, has two dog-friendly holiday lets and an indoor arena used for dog agility and training.

In addition, the property includes the principal farmhouse and almost 50 acres of land.

The smallholding was previously named the Best Place to Holiday by the Kennel Club.

Sam Johnson, Carter Jonas associate partner, said it was 'a fantastic opportunity' for anyone hoping to purchase an 'established, successful rural business'.

Laverock Hall is award-winning for a reason; dog owners return to the site again and again for its unrivalled facilities.

"The two holiday lets are located in converted barns and each has its own dog grooming/shower room.

In addition to the indoor 120ft arena there is also a secure exercise paddock with six-foot fencing on site and a five acre dog play fenced paddock.

The land at Laverock comprises 18 acres of meadow and 28 acres of pasture, with a fine loamy over clayey soil suited to stock rearing and some dairying.

The farmhouse is a four-bedroom semi-detached dwelling, and the site also boasts a number of both modern and traditional buildings including a former garage which has been converted into two stables and five separate dog kennels.

Located within the North Pennines AONB, Laverock Hall is approximately seven miles north west from the historic market town Barnard Castle.

Teesdale still remains largely undiscovered, making this an ideal location for dog lovers wanting to take a holiday in an unspoilt part of the UK, added Mr Johnson

Opportunities like this, in locations as beautiful as this, dont come around very often, so we would recommend potential buyers get in touch very quickly.

Those interested in the property can contact Carter Jonas Harrogate office on 01423 205411.
Ian Potter, a stalwart within the dairy industry for over three decades, has suddenly passed away following a short illness.

Mr Potter, 62, who was seen as a giant and instrumental figure within British dairy, passed away on Monday (27 February).

His career in the industry spanned being a quota broker, a columnist for the Dairy Farmer magazine for 25 years, and a commentator and reporter through his own weekly bulletin.

He was also known for being a farmer in his own right, and was instrumental in the running of the National Fallen Stock Scheme.

The Royal Association of British Dairy Farmers (RABDF) said it was 'shocked and saddened' at the news.

The industry body added that hhe "always had the interests of dairy farmers at heart".

Mr Potter was rewarded for his outstanding service to the dairy industry in 2010 when he was presented with the RABDF Princess Royal Award at Buckingham Palace.

Di Wastenage, RABDF chairman, said: Ian has been synonymous with the dairy industry for as long as I can remember and was a massive asset.

"He loved what he did and the industry he worked in, and his passing will leave an enormous void in the sector.

Over the past three decades, he has kept us updated on market conditions with his weekly bulletins or comment pieces in farming publications, building respect across the industry and beyond.

"His voice and presence in the dairy industry will be missed by all, she added.

Ian is survived by his wife Carole and children Harriet, Jack and Lydia Potter.

A book of condolences is being opened, and contributions are welcomed via condolences.ianpotter@ipmsltd.co.uk.
THE weakened Tropical Storm Freddy has killed one person, damaged houses and sugarcane plantations in various parts of the country since Saturday.

Freddy arrived in the Mozambique channel, on February 22 and remained in the channel for two days, before making landfall on the Mozambique coast around Maxixe (about 400km from the south eastern border of Zimbabwe) last Friday.

Due to the distance, Freddy failed to make it to Zimbabwe as anticipated on February 24.

In a statement yesterday, the Department of Civil Protection in the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works said in light of the anticipated cyclone, which later became a storm, civil protection organisations, provinces and development partners, were on high alert.

Provincial and district Command Centres in the districts likely to be affected were manned 24 hours.

The DCP said they continue to receive updates from provinces and districts that were most likely to be affected by Freddy.

In Mazowe District of Mashonaland Central Province, an eight classroom block had its roof blown off by strong winds at Musarara Primary School in Ward 9.

In Ward 11, five houses had their roofs blown off and furniture damaged.

In Shamva urban, a heavy wind storm was witnessed on Sunday around 2pm, and uprooted a Mukuyu tree at Cross junction along Chakonda Road, resulting in the death of a 24-year-old man.

Mashonaland provincial police spokesperson Inspector Milton Mundembe has identified the deceased as Roberto Mukanwa, of Mukanwa Village under Chief Bushu. Mukanwa, who was a tout along the Shamva-Chakonda Road, had taken shelter under a makeshift shade that was under the Mukuyu tree.

Insp Mundembe said the body was retrieved and taken to Shamva Hospital mortuary for a post-mortem.

The DCP said in Manicaland Province, Chipinge District received heavy rains and strong winds on Sunday resulting in roofs of staff houses being blown off at Simudzai Primary School in Chipinge and Checheche Primary School in Chisumbanje.

In Masvingo Provinces Bikita District, one thatched hut was struck by lightning on Saturday in Kutsirai Village, while in Zaka Districts Marimira Village, Ward 13, a house was completely destroyed by rainfall on February 26, 2023.

In Chiredzi Districts Ward 19, Hippo Valley Estates, sugarcane plantations were extensively damaged, said the DCP.

Added the DCP: The country is still in the cyclone season and is also prone to other extreme weather events, hence, it is imperative that all national and sub-national structures remain vigilant in the same spirit that was prevailing in preparation for Cyclone Freddy.

Given the unpredictable nature of Tropical Storm Freddy in the ensuing days after the original forecast regarding its trajectory, the department in collaboration with MSD (Meteorological Services Department) and other stakeholders has scheduled for a mission to give feedback to the nation and particularly communities.

This will build confidence in future early warning programmes, alerts amongst the citizens.

Explaining the weakening of Freddy, the MSD said cyclones are weakened by two main factors which are; frictional surfaces due to mountains and other land objects that disturb the smooth flow of winds within the system, and lack of moisture especially when outside the ocean waters.

The delays by Freddy to make a landfall in Mozambique saw it weakening its magnitude and reducing its severity, hence the delays in reaching Zimbabwe on February 24 as initially projected.

In its update on Saturday, the MSD said the weakened Freddy was expected to last until today. Herald
Apparel exports from Bangladesh to Europe registered an impressive growth of 15.47 per cent to reach $26.161 billion in 2022 from $22.656 billion in 2021. At the same time, the supplies from China decreased slightly to $36.368 billion in 2022 from $37.028 billion in 2021. However, China was the top garment supplier for the continent, contributing a 17.24 per cent share in Europes total apparel imports of $210.973 billion.

The supply from Bangladesh made up 12.45 per cent of the total imports by European countries, making it the second largest exporter of apparel for the continent. Bangladeshs exports to Europe decreased by 5.17 per cent to $18.787 billion in 2020 due to COVID-19 but bounced back to increase by 20.59 per cent in 2021, according to Fibre2Fashions market insight tool TexPro.

Apparel exports from Bangladesh to Europe registered an impressive growth of 15.47 per cent to reach $26.161 billion in 2022 from $22.656 billion in 2021. At the same time, the supplies from China decreased slightly to $36.368 billion in 2022 from $37.028 billion in 2021. In 2022, China continued to be the top garment supplier for the continent.

Chinas exports to Europe have been fluctuating since 2019 when they had decreased by 6.62 per cent to $37.224 billion in 2019 from $39.863 billion in 2018. The exports decreased again by 1.66 per cent to $36.606 billion in 2020 due to the pandemic, before gaining 1.15 per cent to reach $37.028 billion in 2021. In 2022, Chinas strict zero-COVID policy might have contributed to the decline of 1.78 per cent in China's garment exports to Europe.

Among the other top ten suppliers, the imports from Germany were at $19.045 billion (9.03 per cent), Turkiye at $14.498 billion (6.87 per cent), Italy at $12.074 billion (5.72 per cent), Poland at $9.769 billion (4.63 per cent), the Netherlands at $8.941 billion (4.51 per cent), Spain at $8.941 billion (4.24 per cent), India at $6.238 billion (2.96 per cent), and France at $6.053 billion (2.87 per cent) in 2022, as per TexPro.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (KUL)
UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen yesterday agreed to the Windsor Framework, which replaces the old Northern Ireland Protocol, dealing with the issues the latter has created and providing a new legal and constitutional framework. The treaty will fix the practical problems of Northern Ireland, the UK government said.

It will protect Northern Irelands place within the British Union and restore the balance of the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement in all its dimensions by replacing swathes of European Union (EU) laws with UK laws, the government said in a release.

UK PM Rishi Sunak and European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen yesterday agreed to the Windsor Framework, which replaces the old Northern Ireland Protocol, dealing with the issues the latter has created and providing a new legal and constitutional framework. The treaty will fix the practical problems of Northern Ireland, the UK government said.

It delivers free-flowing trade in goods between Great Britain and Northern Ireland by removing any sense of the border in the Irish Sea for goods staying within the United Kingdom. These goods will travel as normal through a new green lane without red tape or unnecessary checks, with the only checks remaining designed to prevent smuggling or crime.

The agreement rewrites the treaty text with a new Stormont Brake, which means the United Kingdom can veto new EU goods laws if they are not supported by both communities in Northern Ireland, which goes far beyond previous agreements or discussions on the old protocol.

Its about stability in Northern Ireland. Its about real people and real businesses. Its about showing that our Union, that has lasted for centuries, can and will endure, Sunak said.

A new green lane (the UK internal market scheme) means traders moving goods destined for Northern Ireland will be freed of unnecessary paperwork, checks and duties, using only ordinary commercial information rather than burdensome customs bureaucracy or complex certification requirements for agri-food.

The same type of standard commercial information used when moving goods from Birmingham to the Isle of Wight will be used Birmingham to Belfast. All goods destined for the EU will use the red lane.

All requirements have been scrapped for trade from Northern Ireland to Great Britain on a permanent basis, including the requirement for export declarations.

Parcels from people or businesses in Great Britain can now be sent to friends, family, and consumers in Northern Ireland as they are today, without customs declarations, processes or extra costs under the old protocol. Parcels sent from businesses to businesses will travel via the green lane.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (DS)
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - February 27, 2023) - Origen Resources Inc. (CSE: ORGN) (FSE: 4VXA) (the "Company" or "Origen") is pleased to announce that Nord Battery Resources has agreed to terminate the agreement to purchase all of the Company's Newfoundland Lithium properties (see October 18, 2022 release). Origen shareholders will now have direct benefit of these assets. These Newfoundland lithium projects are the largest land package assembled in the province targeting lithium-rich pegmatites and will greatly enhance the Company's new lithium-focused mandate.

Origen's project-generator model has been quite successful in the past, but given the increased global focus on lithium, and the quality of the recent additions to management and advisory teams, the Company is pleased to be able to re-assert 100% ownership of the Newfoundland Lithium properties. Origen still has a substantial portfolio of investments and mineral properties, as well as additional lithium acquisition opportunities currently being pursued.

Gary Schellenberg, Origen CEO explained: "We are excited to have these assets back under our direct developmental control. This is one of the largest lithium-focused land packages in Newfoundland. Our geological team identified the significance of the geology of the region early and was able to amass a strategic land package within this emerging lithium belt, complimenting our efforts at Los Sapitos in Argentina. Having control of these lithium projects again, we can now aggressively explore and develop them to the full benefit of our shareholders."

Key Points:

Origen now directly controls highly-prospective lithium brine and clay prospects in Argentina, as well as these Newfoundland hardrock pegmatite prospects, covering all forms of lithium mineralogy.

New Lithium Advisory Board members add their considerable expertise to Origen's existing geological team, to rapidly advance all of Origen's lithium assets.

The Origen geological team has significant experience in the Caledonian Lithium Belt consulting to Blackstairs Lithium's Avalonia Lithium Project in Ireland (56% owned by Ganfeng Lithium).

About the Newfoundland Lithium Belt

The Newfoundland Lithium Belt exhibits all the characteristics of the major lithium-rich corridor observed from Ireland to the Carolinas. There are key indicative signs that point to specific target areas with high expectations for the discovery of lithium-rich pegmatites. Numerous occurrences of pegmatites have been observed in proximity to prospective lithium-caesium-tantalum ("LCT") geochemical signatures. Mapping of the geochemical pathfinders for lithium has revealed distinct vectors that have guided the Company to focus in on priority areas and now directly control a commanding land position in this new belt.

These geochemical pathfinders, on a regional scale, reveal a distinct corridor over 400 km long that transects Newfoundland and corresponds to the large-scale tectonic suture zone associated with the world-class Carolina Tin-Spodumene Belt and the lithium pegmatite occurrences in Ireland that have received significant attention in recent years. In addition, the age of the associated parent granites observed in Newfoundland coincides with the 'sweet spot' when lithium-rich pegmatites were emplaced along the belt.

In 2021 Origen acquired claims over three clusters of targets along the length of the Newfoundland lithium belt, covering over 33,000 hectares. All of these targets include or are in immediate proximity to beryl-bearing pegmatites, lithium or pathfinders in till, major deep running tectonic structures and granites with ages that coincide with the prospective period of tectonic activity. Highlights that have emerged during Origen's first season of exploration include:

Newport Area: Biogeochemical survey perpendicular to pegmatite trend confirmed government till survey results and identified multiple new anomalies that appear to be on strike with previously recognized lithium and pathfinder anomalies.

Central Area: Examples of local scale zoning in multi-stage pegmatite intrusions found in large boulders. Caesium anomalies identified in biogeochemistry with contained and adjacent single point lithium anomalies. Emerging evidence based on the proximity to the GRUB line (a deep, tectonic structure) with granites dated to lithium-prospective geological time and distribution of mapped pegmatites, beryl and geochemical anomalies suggests the Central Area is more similar to Irish-style lithium pegmatites than Newport or the Southwest Coast.

Southwest Coast Area: Proximity to the Benton-Sokoman discovery of spodumene pegmatite at Golden Hope is highly encouraging. Golden Hope is 10 and 36 km from Origen's two main claim groups in the SCA cluster. Numerous pegmatites were mapped by Origen's geologists while prospecting and it is noted that the Southwest Coast and Newport areas are excellent candidates for satellite and airborne hyperspectral mapping of LCT-prospective mineralogy.

Origen is rapidly re-integrating these Newfoundland Lithium projects into its aggressive exploration plans for 2023, and will provide additional information on its future technical programs shortly.

About Origen

Origen is an exploration company engaged in generating, acquiring and advancing base, precious metal, and lithium properties. The Company is fully focused on its 100% interest in the Los Sapitos Lithium project in Argentina and its 100% interest in the Newfoundland Lithium projects, and also holds a property portfolio of four 100% owned precious and base metal projects in southern British Columbia, a 100% interest in the 26,771 ha LGM project property in the mineral rich Golden Triangle of British Columbia, and a portfolio of investments from prior property joint ventures and sales.

John Harrop, P.Geo., a Qualified Person as that term is defined in NI 43-101 has prepared, supervised the preparation or approved the scientific and technical disclosure in the news release.

On behalf of Origen,

Gary Schellenberg

CEO

For further information, please contact Gary Schellenberg, CEO at 604-681-0221.

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.

Certain of the statements made and information contained herein may constitute "forward-looking information." In particular references to the private placement and future work programs or expectations on the quality or results of such work programs are subject to risks associated with operations on the property, exploration activity generally, equipment limitations and availability, as well as other risks that we may not be currently aware of. Accordingly, readers are advised not to place undue reliance on forward-looking information. Except as required under applicable securities legislation, the Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/156440
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - February 27, 2023) - Moss Genomics Inc. (CSE: MOSS) ("Moss" or the "Company"), a consumer genomics and gut microbiome company based in Vancouver, British Columbia, announces that the Company has granted incentive stock options to certain directors, officers and consultants to acquire 1,320,000 common shares of the Company at a price of C$0.10 per share, vesting immediately.

Moss has created an online healthcare and technology platform integrating labs, services and products in a shared economy. Moss provides comprehensive and affordable, at-home genetic and microbiome testing paired with personalized wellness reports and offerings to promote total gut, mind and body health. The Company's services include health reports, personalized food and nutrition recommendations, and a social media platform that allows customers to form communities based on their specific health needs. The Company's current and anticipated products can be found in the "Shop" section of its website.

For further information concerning Moss and its business, please view the Company's long form prospectus dated December 13, 2022 (the "Prospectus") and CSE listing statement dated January 16, 2023 (the "Listing Statement"), as well as the Company's website at www.mossgenomics.com. Copies of the Prospectus and Listing Statement are available on the Company's SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com.

About Moss Genomics Inc.

Moss Genomics Inc. is an emerging consumer genomics company that offers personalized health, anti-aging and wellness offerings guided by genomic, microbiome, and epigenome data. The Company intends to eliminate barriers in healthcare by offering easy-access, at-home, affordable testing paired with easy-to-understand actionable results.

For further information, please contact:

Karl Cahill

Chief Executive Officer and Director

Michelle Lee

President

Email: info@mossgenomics.com

Telephone: 604-629-5974

TikTok: GutHealthTok | Instagram: MossGenomics | LinkedIn: MossGenomics

The CSE has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this news release. Neither the CSE nor its Market Regulator (as that term is defined in the policies of the CSE) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Information

This news release includes certain "forward-looking statements" under applicable Canadian securities legislation, including with respect to anticipated product offerings and the objectives and development of the Company. Forward-looking statements are necessarily based upon several estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable, are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors which may cause the actual results and future events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors include, but are not limited to general business, economic, competitive, political, and social uncertainties, and uncertain capital markets. Readers are cautioned that 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. 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 required by law.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/156454
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - February 27, 2023) - Braxia Scientific Corp. (CSE: BRAX) (OTC Pink: BRAXF) (FSE: 4960) ("Braxia", or the "Company"), a medical research company providing psychiatric, innovative ketamine and psilocybin treatments for mental health disorders, is pleased to announce that it has closed the first tranche of its non-brokered offering, as described in its press release of February 7, 2023 (the "LIFE Offering"), resulting in the issuance of 13,658,524 units of the Company (each a "Unit") at a price of $0.055 per Unit for aggregate proceeds of $751,218.83 (the "LIFE First Tranche").

Each Unit consists of one common share of the Company (each a "Common Share") and one Common Share purchase warrant (each a "Warrant"). Each Warrant entitles its holder to purchase one additional Common Share at an exercise price of $0.07 for a period of 36 months from the date of issue. Units in the LIFE First Tranche were offered for sale to purchasers resident in Canada (except Quebec) pursuant to the listed issuer financing exemption under Part 5A of National Instrument 45-106 - Prospectus Exemptions, and will not be subject to any statutory hold period in accordance with applicable Canadian securities laws. The Company may close additional tranches of the LIFE Offering.

The Company has also closed a non-brokered private placement in Canada and the United States of 9,327,272 Units on the same terms and at the same price as the LIFE Offering for aggregate gross proceeds of $513,000 (the "Concurrent Placement"). The Units sold pursuant to the Concurrent Placement in Canada will be subject to a statutory hold period of four months and one day in accordance with applicable Canadian securities laws.

The Concurrent Placement was led by Dr. Roger McIntyre, Chairman and CEO of Braxia, who subscribed, for 3,181,818 Units for aggregate gross proceeds of $175,000. Dr. McIntyre is an "insider" of the Company and his participation in the Concurrent Placement constitutes a "related party transaction" within the meaning of Multilateral Instrument 61-101 - Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions ("MI 61-101"). The Company is relying on an exemption from the formal valuation and minority shareholder approval requirements of MI 61-101 available on the basis that the fair market value of the insider participation in the Concurrent Placement, as determined in accordance with MI 61-101, does not exceed 25% of the Company's market capitalization. The Company did not file a material change report at least 21 days before the expected closing of the Concurrent Placement as the details of the insider participation in the Concurrent Placement had not been settled.

The Company intends to use the net proceeds of the LIFE Offering and the Concurrent Placement to support the rollout of its telemedicine platform in the United States, for clinic expansion in Canada, and to continue intellectual property development and the Company expects to use the net proceeds of the Concurrent Placement for working capital and general corporate purposes.

The securities of the Company have not been, and will not be, registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act") or any U.S. state securities laws and may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an available exemption from the registration requirements of the U.S. Securities Act and applicable U.S. state securities laws. This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy, nor shall there by any sale of the securities referenced in this press release, in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful.

About Braxia Scientific Corp.

Braxia Scientific is a medical research and telemedicine company with clinics that provide innovative ketamine treatments for persons with depression and related disorders. Braxia also launched its U.S. based end-to-end telemedicine platform KetaMD, that utilizes leading technology to provide access to safe, affordable, and potentially life-changing at-home ketamine treatments for people living with depression and related mental health conditions. Through its medical solutions, Braxia aims to reduce the illness burden of brain-based disorders, such as major depressive disorder among others. Braxia is primarily focused on (i) owning and operating multidisciplinary clinics, providing treatments in-person and virtually for mental health disorders, and (ii) research activities related to discovering and commercializing novel drugs and delivery methods. Braxia seeks to develop ketamine and derivatives and other psychedelic products from its IP development platform. Through its wholly owned subsidiary, Braxia Health (formerly the Canadian Rapid Treatment Center of Excellence Inc.), operates multidisciplinary community-based clinics offering rapid-acting treatments for depression located in Mississauga, Toronto, Kitchener-Waterloo, Ottawa, and Montreal.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD

"Dr. Roger S. McIntyre"

Dr. Roger S. McIntyre

Chairman & CEO

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:

Braxia Scientific Corp.

Tel: 416-762-2138

Email: info@braxiascientific.com

Website: www.braxiascientific.com

The CSE has not reviewed and does not accept responsibility for the accuracy or adequacy of this release.

Forward-looking Information Cautionary Statement

This news release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities laws. All statements that are not historical facts, future estimates, plans, programs, forecasts, projections, objectives, assumptions, expectations, or beliefs of future performance are "forward-looking statements."

Forward-looking statements include statements about the intended promise of ketamine-based treatments for depression, the potential for ketamine or other psychedelics to treat other mental health conditions, the proposed use of proceeds of the LIFE Offering and the Concurrent Placement and whether or not the Company will close additional tranches of the LIFE Offering. Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results, events, or developments to be materially different from any future results, events or developments expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such risks, uncertainties and other factors include, among others, the failure of ketamine, psilocybin and other psychedelics to provide the expected health benefits and unanticipated side effects, dependence on obtaining and maintaining regulatory approvals, including acquiring and renewing federal, provincial, municipal, local or other licenses engaging in activities that could be later determined to be illegal under domestic or international laws and the final terms and outcome of the transaction described in the Company's press release dated January 27, 2023. Ketamine and psilocybin are currently Schedule I and Schedule III controlled substances, respectively, under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, S.C. 1996, c. 19 (the "CDSA") and it is a criminal offence to possess such substances under the CDSA without a prescription or a legal exemption. Health Canada has not approved psilocybin as a drug for any indication, however ketamine is a legally permissible medication for the treatment of certain psychological conditions. It is illegal to possess such substances in Canada without a prescription.

These factors should be considered carefully, and readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements.

Although the Company has attempted to identify important risk factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements, there may be other risk factors that cause actions, events or results to differ from those anticipated, estimated or intended. Additional information identifying risks and uncertainties that could affect financial results is contained in the Company's filings with Canadian securities regulators, including the Amended and Restated Listing Statement dated April 15, 2021 and its most recent MD&A, which are available at www.sedar.com. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in forward-looking statements.

/NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES/

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/156474


The Medical Professional and Allied Workers Union of Zimbabwe has called for the intervention of responsible authorities in the plight of workers at QV Pharmaceuticals who have gone over two years without pay.

The unions secretary-general, Tecla Barangwe, told H-Metro that she was pleading with authorities to help because QV Pharmaceuticals employees were struggling.

Its very sad that today marks two years for QV Pharmaceuticals employees going without pay. They are receiving as little as US$10 per month for transport, but those employees have families to take care of, she said.

Some QV workers said they feel neglected because no one seems to care about their plight.

We have tried to visit different ministries looking for help, but nothing has worked so far. We now dont even know what to do or who to go to for help. We dont know whats going on with our company, said one worker.

Another worker said: We understand the issue of ownership of the company is before the courts, but as employees, we think we have suffered enough. How do they expect us to survive without being paid. Honestly speaking what is US$10 that they are giving us as transport money. Its not even enough.

QV Pharmaceuticals is a subsidiary of CAPS Holdings, which is one of the biggest drug manufacturing companies in Zimbabwe. A comment from QV could not be obtained last night. H Metro


Metalor Electrotechnics (Suzhou) Ltd. (From April 2023, METALOR TANAKA Electrical Materials (Suzhou) Ltd.)

TOKYO, Feb 28, 2023 - (JCN Newswire) - TANAKA Kikinzoku Kogyo K.K. (Head office: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director & CEO: Koichiro Tanaka), one of the core companies of the Tanaka Precious Metals group based in Japan, announced today that it acquired all shares of Metalor Electrotechnics (Suzhou) Ltd. (hereafter, "Metalor Suzhou") held by its group company Metalor Technologies International SA (hereafter, "Metalor") on April 1, 2023. Metalor Suzhou is Metalor's subsidiary in China, and this acquisition of shares makes Metalor Suzhou a wholly-owned subsidiary of TANAKA Kikinzoku Kogyo. The subsidiary has been renamed METALOR TANAKA Electrical Materials (Suzhou) Ltd., and its system of directors will be changed.Reasons for the Acquisition of Metalor Suzhou's SharesIn recent years, there have been increasing needs from major Chinese customers for local production of electrical contacts in China. Therefore, TANAKA aims to continuously expand business in China by integrating TANAKA Kikinzoku Kogyo's production knowledge with Metalor Suzhou's resources to expand production capabilities and build a system for stable supply. Furthermore, it will be an essential base for business expansion, using TANAKA's network to open new markets and gain new customers in Asia, which has prominent market growth. In 2024, a portion of TANAKA Kikinzoku Kogyo's electrical contact-related products will be transferred, and mass production will commence. It is expected that the new company's sales will double by 2030.In addition, the system will be capable of supplying a broader range of products through collaboration with group company TANAKA Kikinzoku (Ningbo) Co., Ltd., which manufactures silver electrical contacts used in automotive components.About Metalor SuzhouMetalor Suzhou commenced operations in 2006 as Metalor's base for the manufacture and sales of electrical contacts for Asia and China. The company manufactures and sells electrical contacts and contact assemblies used mainly in circuit breakers and contactors. In 2014, the Metalor Suzhou plant was relocated to its current location in Wuzhong, Suzhou.Outline of New Company (from April 2023)- Company Name: English: METALOR TANAKA Electrical Materials (Suzhou) Ltd.- Chairman (Representative Director): Tomoyuki Tada- Location: 888 Wusong Road, Wuzhong Economic and Technological Development Zone, Suzhou, China- Activities: Manufacture and sales of electrical contacts/wires and contact assembliesAbout TANAKA Precious MetalsSince its foundation in 1885, TANAKA Precious Metals has built a portfolio of products to support a diversified range of business uses focused on precious metals. TANAKA is a leader in Japan regarding the volumes of precious metals handled. Over the course of many years, TANAKA has not only manufactured and sold precious metal products for industry but also provided precious metals in such forms as jewelry and assets. As precious metals specialists, all Group companies in Japan and around the world collaborate and cooperate on manufacturing, sales, and technology development to offer a full range of products and services. With 5,225 employees, the Group's consolidated net sales for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2022, were 787.7 billion yen.**From the current consolidated fiscal year, the amounts of sales for some transactions are indicated as net values due to the application of the Accounting Standard for Revenue Recognition.Global industrial business websitehttps://tanaka-preciousmetals.com/en/Product inquiriesTANAKA Kikinzoku Kogyo K.K.https://tanaka-preciousmetals.com/en/inquiries-on-industrial-products/Press inquiriesTANAKA Holdings Co., Ltd.https://tanaka-preciousmetals.com/en/inquiries-for-media/This press release in PDF: https://www.acnnewswire.com/docs/files/20230228_EN.pdfSource: Tanaka Holdings Co., Ltd.Copyright 2023 JCN Newswire . All rights reserved.
YIWU, China, Feb. 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Nihaojewelry, a prominent online platform for fashion jewelry wholesale, recently announced the launch of its "Global Partner" program. This initiative aims to recruit partners from various countries and regions worldwide to bring quality Chinese fashion products to global consumers with better prices and more convenient logistics.

Established in 2013, Nihaojewelry specializes in online wholesale of fashion jewelry, accessories, and clothing. The company is based in Yiwu, China, the world-renowned hub for small commodities. Nihaojewelry's strong supply chain and logistics capabilities enable the delivery of hundreds of millions of high-quality Chinese goods to clients across more than 200 countries and regions worldwide at low wholesale prices, which cater to local dealers, boutique owners, online retailers, and individual entrepreneurs.

Nihaojewelry's 10-year journey in the wholesale business of fashion jewelry has garnered favorable feedback from customers. Based on customer reviews, the following advantages stand out:

Extensive product range and frequent updates: Nihaojewelry offering over 200,000 high-quality fashion products made in China, adds more than 1,000 new products every day, enabling customers to purchase different products in a single platform.

No MOQ: Unlike traditional wholesale platforms, Nihaojewelry allows customers to purchase smaller quantities of products, and even to buy a single piece for each product.

Competitive pricing: All products sold on Nihaojewelry are wholesale price, and support tiered pricing, enabling customers to achieve significant profit margins.

Powerful delivery and customs clearance capabilities: The company covers almost all countries and regions globally, providing customers with multiple logistics options to save costs.

Multi-lingual and multi-currency support: Nihaojewelry offers localized customer service and payment channels, making it easy for customers worldwide to purchase products.

Nihaojewelry boasts a high score of 4.8 on Trustpilot and Sitejabber, with over 95% of customers providing positive feedback. The company has also begun to deploy global warehouses to shorten the transportation cycle and improve the customer's purchasing experience.

It is reported that the "Global partner" of Nihaojewelry will cooperate with Nihao in a different way than in the past. So they can obtain more benefits. the "Global Partner" program is aim at further enhances Nihaojewelry's penetration in the global market.

To learn more about Nihaojewelry, you can click here, you can also search "Nihaojewelry" on Google to find more information.

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/online-wholesale-platform-nihaojewelry-launches-global-partner-program-301757350.html
SHANGHAI, China, Feb. 27, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Shanghai Junshi Biosciences Co., Ltd ("Junshi Biosciences", HKEX: 1877; SSE: 688180), a leading innovation-driven biopharmaceutical company dedicated to the discovery, development, and commercialization of novel therapies, today announced the successful completion of two randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multi-center phase III clinical studies (Study nos.: JS002-003 and JS002-006) evaluating the company's product ongericimab (a recombinant humanized anti-PCSK9 monoclonal antibody, product code: JS002) for the treatment of primary hypercholesterolemia and mixed hyperlipidemia, and both studies have met their primary endpoints.



According to the Report on Cardiovascular Health and Diseases in China (2021), in recent years, both the blood lipid levels and the prevalence of dyslipidemia of the Chinese population have been on the rise, and dyslipidemia affects up to 40.4% of adults. Dyslipidemia, specifically the increase of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol ("LDL-C"), is the most important independent risk factor for atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases ("ASCVDs"). The growing prevalence of dyslipidemia underscores the urgent need for effective treatments to lower LDL-C levels, which can significantly lower the incidence of ASCVDs and the risk of death.

At present, the awareness, treatment, and control rates of dyslipidemia in adults in China are all relatively low. The current lipid-lowering treatment and compliance rates among individuals at high or extremely high risk of ASCVDs are concerning, and there remains a relatively significant unmet clinical demand for lipid-lowering treatments. As a new lipid-lowering drug that effectively reduces LDL-C levels, PCSK9 inhibitors have been recommended in both Chinese and overseas dyslipidemia management guidelines, and are widely recognized by clinicians. Unfortunately, there are only two imported ant-PCSK9 monoclonal antibodies currently approved for marketing in China, and no domestic anti-PCSK9 monoclonal antibody has been approved for marketing.

Ongericimab is a recombinant humanized anti-PCSK9 monoclonal antibody independently developed by Junshi Biosciences. Two major pivotal registered clinical studies (Study nos.: JS002-003 and JS002-006) of ongericimab have been successfully completed and met their primary endpoints. The JS002-003 study assessed the effectiveness and safety of subcutaneous injection of ongericimab for the treatment of patients with primary hypercholesterolemia and mixed dyslipidemia, while the JS002-006 study assessed the effectiveness and safety of subcutaneous injection using two drug delivery systems (pre-filled syringes and pre-filled automatic syringes) of ongericimab for the same indications. Ongericimab exhibited significant lipid-lowering efficacy in both studies with good safety.

"The emergence of PCSK9 inhibitors has provided better treatment options for dyslipidemia patients, particularly those at high or extremely risk of ASCVD," said Academician Yaling HAN from the General Hospital of Northern Theatre Command. "The positive results of ongericimab's phase III clinical trials are very encouraging and show comparable efficacy and safety to similar PCSK9 inhibitors from overseas. We look forward to the launch of ongericimab to address unmet medical needs, and we hope the incidence and mortality of cardiovascular disease could decrease in China."

"I'm pleased to see a Chinese-developed anti-PCSK9 monoclonal antibody delivering such outstanding lipid-lowering outcomes," said Professor Shuiping ZHAO from the Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University. "This will equip our clinicians with more lipid-lowering treatment options and benefit countless patients in China. The management of the Chinese population's blood lipid levels requires continuous improvement, and we expect ongericimab to contribute greatly to this process."

"I'm excited to witness the simultaneous success of two phase III studies examining ongericimab," said Dr. Jianjun ZOU, the President of Global Research and Development at Junshi Biosciences. "These achievements were only possible through the joint efforts and dedication of researchers, patients, and R&D teams. With China entering an aging society, we hope that ongericimab can provide additional treatment options for hyperlipidemia patients and address unmet medical needs."

About Ongericimab (JS002)

Ongericimab is a recombinant humanized anti-PCSK9 monoclonal antibody independently developed by Junshi Biosciences for the treatment of primary hypercholesterolemia and mixed hyperlipidemia. Junshi Biosciences is the first company in China to obtain clinical trial approval for the target drug. The company has completed Phase III clinical studies in patients with primary hypercholesterolemia and mixed hyperlipidemia, and Phase II clinical studies in patients with homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia. The enrollment of patients for Phase III clinical studies of heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia has been completed.

About Junshi Biosciences

Founded in December 2012, Junshi Biosciences (HKEX: 1877; SSE: 688180) is an innovation-driven biopharmaceutical company dedicated to the discovery, development, and commercialization of innovative therapeutics. The company has established a diversified R&D pipeline comprising over 50 drug candidates, with five therapeutic focus areas covering cancer, autoimmune, metabolic, neurological, and infectious diseases. Junshi Biosciences was the first Chinese pharmaceutical company that obtained marketing approval for anti-PD-1 monoclonal antibody in China. Its first-in-human anti-BTLA monoclonal antibody for the treatment of various cancers was the first in the world to be approved for clinical trials by the FDA and NMPA and has since entered Phase Ib/II trials in both China and the US. Its anti-PCSK9 monoclonal antibody was the first in China to be approved for clinical trials by the NMPA.

In the face of the pandemic, Junshi Biosciences' response was strong and immediate, joining forces with Chinese and international scientific research institutions and enterprises to develop an arsenal of drug candidates to combat COVID-19, taking the initiative to shoulder the social responsibility of Chinese pharmaceutical companies by prioritizing and accelerating COVID-19 R&D. In 2021, JS016 (etesevimab), China's first neutralizing fully human monoclonal antibody against SARS-CoV-2 administered with bamlanivimab, was granted Emergency Use Authorizations (EUA) in over 15 countries and regions worldwide. Meanwhile, VV116 (deuremidevir hydrobromide), a novel oral nucleoside analog anti-SARS-CoV-2 drug designed to hinder virus replication, has been approved for marketing in China and Uzbekistan. The JS016 and VV116 programs are a part of the company's continuous efforts towards innovation for disease control and prevention of the global pandemic.

Junshi Biosciences has more than 3,100 employees in the United States.

Junshi Biosciences Contact Information

IR Team:

Junshi Biosciences

info@junshipharma.com

+ 86 021-6105 8800

PR Team:

Junshi Biosciences

Zhi Li

zhi_li@junshipharma.com

+ 86 021-6105 8800
SHARE BUYBACK TRANSACTION DETAILS FEBRUARY 20 FEBRUARY 24, 2023

Regulatory News:

MotorK Plc (AMS: MTRK) ("MotorK" or the "Group") announces today that it has purchased the following number of ordinary shares in the Company.

This is part of a repurchase program announced on July 18, 2022. MotorK intends to buy back its own ordinary shares by way of off-market purchases on Euronext Amsterdam and via block trades up to a maximum aggregate value of 3,000,000 (the "Programme"). The authorization will expire following the conclusion of the Annual General Meeting of the Company to be held in 2023.

Aggregate Information

Date Transactions Number of Ordinary Shares Total Consideration () Average price

( per share) Minimum price

( per share) Maximum price

( per share) 20/02/2023 Purchase 0 0 0.00 21/02/2023 Purchase 0 0 0.00 22/02/2023 Purchase 15,057 35,911 2.38 2.38 2.39 23/02/2023 Purchase 11,749 27,310 2.32 2.30 2.35 24/02/2023 Purchase 57,004 138,983 2.44 2.41 2.45 Total Weekly 83,810 202,203 2.41 2.30 2.45 Cumulated to date 1,418,171 1,958,389

The Programme is implemented within the limitations of the authority granted by the General Meeting on July 18, 2022. Any shares so repurchased shall be treated as cancelled pursuant to section 706(b) of the Companies Act 2006.

The Group has entered into non-discretionary instructions with Kepler Cheuvreux SA ("Kepler Cheuvreux") to conduct the Programme on its behalf and to make trading decisions under the Programme independently of MotorK.

REGULATED INFORMATION

This press release contains information that qualifies or may qualify as inside information within the meaning of Article 7(1) of the EU Market Abuse Regulation (596/2014/EU)

ABOUT MOTORK PLC

MotorK (AMS: MTRK) is a leading software as a service ("SaaS") provider for the automotive retail industry in the EMEA region, with over 400 employees and eleven offices in eight countries (Italy, Spain, France, Germany, Portugal, the UK, Belgium and Israel). MotorK empowers car manufacturers and dealers to improve their customer experience through a broad suite of fully integrated digital products and services. MotorK provides its customers with an innovative combination of digital solutions, SaaS cloud products and the largest R&D department in the automotive digital sales and marketing industry in Europe. MotorK is a company registered in England and Wales. Registered office: 5th Floor One New Change, London, England, EC4M 9AF Company Registration: 9259000. For more information: www.motork.io or www.investors.motork.io.

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Contacts:

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION

Etienne Jacquet

etienne.jacquet@motork.io

+33 6 22 18 39 09

MotorK Investor Relations

MotorK Corporate Communications

press@motork.io
Leber Hereditary Optic Neuropathy (LHON) is a rare disease predominantly affecting people aged 15 to 35 year that causes irreversible and severe vision loss, resulting in blindness

Patients, caregivers and society as a whole bear the burden of LHON

Lack of awareness of LHON leads to misdiagnoses and imposes a psychological toll on patients and their families

Launch of a European LHON awareness campaign in close collaboration with LHON experts

Regulatory News:

GenSight Biologics (Euronext: SIGHT, ISIN: FR0013183985, PEA-PME eligible), a biopharma company focused on developing and commercializing innovative gene therapies for retinal neurodegenerative diseases and central nervous system disorders, highlights its commitment to fight rare neurodegenerative diseases by raising awareness of Leber Hereditary Optic Neuropathy (LHON) at Rare Disease Day through the launch of a European awareness campaign in Q1 2023, in close collaboration with LHON experts.

Rare Disease Day is a globally coordinated movement aiming to raise awareness for the 300 million people living with a rare disease worldwide. GenSight Biologics is pleased to join the movement and take this opportunity to raise awareness for LHON, a rare disease with significant unmet need.

Leber Hereditary Optic Neuropathy (LHON): a rare, devastating disease that causes irreversible and severe vision loss, resulting in blindness

LHON is a relatively unknown disease that strikes people in the prime of life. It is characterized by rapid, usually irreversible, painless, and severe vision loss1-4

This condition is thought to affect from one out of 30,000 to one out of 50,000 people in Europe 1-3. Though women are also affected by the condition, LHON most often impacts young men2. Onset typically occurs between ages 15 and 35, but the disease has been observed in patients from 2 to 87 years of age 1

Patients typically lose central vision in one eye and within a few weeks or months, vision begins to degrade in the second eye 5. Visual acuity eventually stabilizes at a very low visual acuity 1, the natural progression of the disease leads to legal blindness 6

Patients, caregivers and society as a whole bear the burden of LHON

Patients are affected physically but also socially and mentally7,8. The deterioration of central vision severely impedes the ability to carry out day-to-day activities such as reading, writing and cooking. Social interactions become more difficult, and individual pastimes become more challenging to pursue. For many patients, the loss of autonomy is an emotional blow. Taking a walk, become nearly impossible 7-9 for example. Patients also report feeling psychological impacts from the disease.

In an online survey, nearly 22% of LHON patients reported thoughts of suicide after experiencing bilateral vision loss 10

"I was told that I had LHON, that it was a genetic disease transmitted by the mother, that it was rare and that I would lose my sight in three months. Everything is slipping away: I won't be able to drive, I won't be able to see my wife's face, I won't be able to distinguish colors or what I eat."LHON patient

Though often forgotten, caregivers may also find themselves affected by LHON as well9. They might find their lives upended as a result of the demands of the disease, and caregivers report feeling compelled to put careers on hold or to reorganize their lives in order to accompany the patient day in and day out 9

"I've needed to be part time really, to have the time and emotional energy to deal with things that suddenly crop up and paperwork and dealing with meetings and so on," parent of a LHON patient.

LHON's impact is felt beyond the immediate social circle of the patientOther costs associated with the condition include increased medical costs due to repeat hospital visits and health care administration, as well as the cost of low-vision aids, home-based care, and modifications to a patient's home 11

Estimates of the annual productivity loss from legal blindness run to $411 billion8

Lack of awareness of LHON leads to misdiagnoses and imposes a psychological toll on patients and their families

LHON, like many rare diseases, is often overlooked and diagnosis delayed because it can be confused with more well-known conditions like optic neuritis (multiple sclerosis) and retinopathy12,13. It is a psychological tool for the patients and their loved ones who are often sent to various physicians before to finally obtain a definitive diagnosis thanks to genetic testing. Interventions that support psychological health, reinforce coping mechanisms, and change illness perceptions are critical to patients with LHON 9. Additionally, intervention to educate patients on visual aid technologies may help improve their psychological well-being, and localpatient groups and charities can also provide support to those with visual impairment 14,15

Launch of an awareness campaign towards ophthalmologists and neurologists in Europe in close collaboration with LHON experts

As a healthcare company, GenSight has a responsibility that goes far beyond giving access to breakthrough solutions to patients. We are committed to actively support and help to improve the care of patients suffering from rare ophthalmic diseases, such as LHON. The Company has therefore developed, in close collaboration with LHON experts, an awareness campaign to educate and increase the understanding of this devastating disease. The ultimate goal: accelerate time to diagnosis.

The campaign will be launched in the top 4 EU countries and UK in Q1 2023 by the GenSight local teams in the countries and is addressed to ophthalmologists and neurologists.

Any person suspecting to be suffering from LHON should contact his health care professional and seek support from the local patient groups.

References:

Newman NJ, Carelli V, Taiel M, Yu-Wai-Man P. Visual Outcomes in Leber Hereditary Optic Neuropathy Patients With the m.11778G>A (MTND4) Mitochondrial DNA Mutation. J Neuroophthalmol. 2020;40(4):547-557. Sahel JA, Newman NJ, Yu-Wai-Man P, et al. Gene Therapies for the Treatment of Leber Hereditary Optic Neuropathy. Int Ophthalmol Clin. 2021;61(4):195-208. Sundaramurthy S, SelvaKumar A, Ching J, Dharani V, Sarangapani S, Yu-Wai-Man P. Leber hereditary optic neuropathy-new insights and old challenges. Graefes Arch Clin Exp Ophthalmol. 2021;259(9):2461-2472. Carelli V, Hawlina M, Klopstock T, Vignal-Clermont, Yu-Wai-Man P. Leber's Hereditary Optic Neuropathy A Global Perspective. Eur Ophthalmic Rev. 2019;13(Suppl 2):Epub ahead of print. 5. Atlas of LHON: Chapter 1 Natural History. Available at: https://www.studiodazeglio.it/libri/atlas-of-lhon Man PYW, Chinnery PF. Leber Hereditary Optic Neuropathy. In: Adam MP, Ardinger HH, Pagon RA, et al., eds. GeneReviews. Seattle (WA): University of Washington, Seattle; October 26, 2000. Kirkman MA, Korsten A, Leonhardt M, et al. Quality of life in patients with leber hereditary optic neuropathy. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2009;50(7):3112-3115. Burton MJ, Ramke J, Marques AP, et al. The Lancet Global Health Commission on Global Eye Health: vision beyond 2020. Lancet Glob Health. 2021;9(4):e489-e551 Chen BS, Holzinger E, Taiel M, et al. The Impact of Leber Hereditary Optic Neuropathy on the Quality of Life of Patients and Their Relatives:A Qualitative Study. J Neuroophthalmol. 2022;42(3):316-322. Liu H, Gale J, Khoshenvis, M, et al. (2018, May 31 June 3). Suicidal Ideation and psychological symptoms in bilateral vision loss. [Paper presentation] Canadian Ophthalmology Society Annual Meeting and Exhibition, Toronto, Ontario, CA. https://sites.grenadine.co/sites/cos-sco/en/toronto2018/schedule/617. Lafuma A, Brezin A, Lopatriello S, et al. Evaluation of non-medical costs associated with visual impairment in four European countries: France, Italy, Germany and the UK. Pharmacoeconomics. 2006;24(2):193-205. Carelli V, Hawlina M, Klopstock T, Vignal-Clermont, Yu-Wai-Man P. Leber's Hereditary Optic Neuropathy A Global Perspective. Eur Ophthalmic Rev. 2019;13(Suppl 2):Epub ahead of print. Carelli V, Carbonelli M, de Coo IF, et al. International Consensus Statement on the Clinical and Therapeutic Management of Leber Hereditary Optic Neuropathy. J Neuroophthalmol. 2017;37(4):371-381. Hage R, Vignal-Clermont C. Leber Hereditary Optic Neuropathy: Review of Treatment and Management. Front Neurol. 2021;12:651639 LHON Community. https://www.lhon.org/community. Accessed 31 October, 2022.

About GenSight Biologics

GenSight Biologics S.A. is a clinical-stage biopharma company focused on developing and commercializing innovative gene therapies for retinal neurodegenerative diseases and central nervous system disorders. GenSight Biologics' pipeline leverages two core technology platforms, the Mitochondrial Targeting Sequence (MTS) and optogenetics, to help preserve or restore vision in patients suffering from blinding retinal diseases.

February 2023 2023-NPM-Z-006

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Contacts:

GenSight Biologics

Corporate Communications Director

Clothilde Caillet

ccaillet@gensight-biologics.com



LifeSci Advisors

Investor Relations

Guillaume van Renterghem

gvanrenterghem@lifesciadvisors.com

+41 (0)76 735 01 31

RooneyPartners

Media Relations

Jeanene Timberlake

jtimberlake@rooneypartners.com

+1 646-770-8858



Orpheon Finance

Retail Investors

James Palmer

j.palmer@orpheonfinance.com

+33 (0)7 60 92 77 74
An increase in the allocation of the budget for the development of railways, a rise in demand for secure, safer, & efficient transport, and an increase in the use of public transport services as a solution to minimize traffic congestion drive the growth of the bullet train market.

PORTLAND, Ore., Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Allied Market Research published a report, titled, "Bullet Train Market by Speed (200-299 km/h, 300-399 km/h, 400-499 km/h, and above 500 km/h), by Technology (Diesel, Electric, and Dual Power), by Component (Axle, Wheelset, Converter, Transformer, Traction Motor, and Others): Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2021- 2031". According to the report, the global bullet train/high-speed rail industry generated $42.47 billion in 2021 and is anticipated to generate $77.57 billion by 2031, witnessing a CAGR of 6.27% from 2022 to 2031.





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Prime determinants of growth

An increase in the allocation of the budget for the development of railways, a rise in demand for secure, safer, & efficient transport, and an increase in the use of public transport services as a solution to minimize traffic congestions drive the growth of the bullet train market. However, high capital requirements and a lack of skilled labor and technology infrastructure are anticipated to hamper the growth of the bullet train market. Further, an increase in the development & testing of the bullet train, improvement in railway infrastructure, particularly in developing countries, and a rise in industrial & mining activity is expected to create numerous opportunities for bullet train market expansion.

Covid-19 Scenario

The outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic had a negative impact on the global bullet train market.

Reduction in the count of patients suffering from COVID-19 in the coming days with safety majors taken by governments and vaccination being carried out aggressively to curb the spread of the coronavirus is expected to gradually reduce the impact of COVID-19 on the global bullet train market. It further highlights the key strategies adopted by players during the global pandemic crisis. Hence, the report outlines an overview of post-COVID-19 impact and pre-COVID-19 impact analysis.

The 200-299 km/h segment to maintain its leadership status throughout the forecast period.

Based on speed, the 200-299 km/h segment held the highest market share in 2021, accounting for more than half of the global bullet train market, and is estimated to maintain its leadership status throughout the forecast period in terms of market share. As these are cost-effective as compared to other speed as it drives the demand for bullet trains during the forecast period, and offers various features including safe and fast transportation, luxury cabins, and others which increases the demand for bullet trains in the North America and European regions. However, the 400-499 km/h segment is projected to manifest the highest CAGR of 10.68% from 2022 to 2031.

The electric segment to maintain its leadership status throughout the forecast period.

Based on technology, the electric segment held the highest market share in 2021, accounting for nearly one-third of the global bullet train market, and is estimated to maintain its leadership status throughout the forecast period. Electric locomotives are widely used as railway locomotives for transporting heavy payloads of goods and passengers. The locomotive can contain a power source such as batteries, for providing the start-up power for kick-starting the engines. However, the dual power segment is projected to manifest the highest CAGR of 7.09% from 2022 to 2031.

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The wheelset segment to maintain its lead position during the forecast period.

Based on components, the wheelset segment accounted for the largest share in 2021, contributing to nearly one-third of the global bullet train market, and is projected to maintain its lead position during the forecast period. In the current scenario, most of the regions are operating wheels on rail-based bullet trains. Also, it provides various benefits such as It maintaining the vehicle in the central position wireless railway train the track. Thus, such benefits of the wheel on rail and a high number of usages across the globe are anticipated to drive the wheelset's growth during the forecast period. However, the other segment is expected to portray the largest CAGR of 18.06% from 2022 to 2031.

Asia-Pacific to maintain its dominance by 2031.

Based on region, Asia-Pacific held the highest market share in terms of revenue in 2021, accounting for more than half of the global bullet train market, and is likely to dominate the market during the forecast period. Countries such as China, Japan, and South Korea are largely focused on developing bullet trains to reduce traveling time and regulate pollution in the region. In addition, many companies and governments of various Asian countries are making considerable investments to replace and upgrade their existing bullet trains. However, the North American region is expected to witness the fastest CAGR of 16.99% from 2022 to 2031.

Leading Market Players: -

ABB LTD.

SIEMENS AG

HITACHI LTD.

CRRC CORPORATION LIMITED

KAWASAKI RAIL CAR , INC.

, INC. MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES LTD.

CATERPILLAR INC.

ALSTOM SA

THALES GROUP

CONSTRUCCIONES Y AUXILIAR DE FERROCARRILES, SA

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Similar Reports We Have on Train Industry:

Autonomous Train Market Research Report 2023-2035

Solar Train Market Research Report 2023-2035

Hydrogen Fuel Cell Train Market Research Report 2023-2035

Maglev Train Market Research Report 2023-2035

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We are in professional corporate relations with various companies and this helps us in digging out market data that helps us generate accurate research data tables and confirms utmost accuracy in our market forecasting. Allied Market Research CEO Pawan Kumar is instrumental in inspiring and encouraging everyone associated with the company to maintain high quality of data and help clients in every way possible to achieve success. Each and every data presented in the reports published by us is extracted through primary interviews with top officials from leading companies of domain concerned. Our secondary data procurement methodology includes deep online and offline research and discussion with knowledgeable professionals and analysts in the industry.

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LEVERKUSEN (dpa-AFX) - German pharmaceutical and life sciences major Bayer Group (BAYZF.PK, BAYRY.PK, BYR.L) reported Tuesday that its fourth-quarter net income dropped 47.4 percent to 611 million euros from 1.16 billion euros a year ago. Earnings per share were 0.62 euro, down 47.5 percent from 1.18 euros last year. Core earnings per share were 1.35 euros, compared to 1.26 euros a year ago. Sales for the quarter grew 8 percent to 12 billion euros from 11.12 billion euros in the prior year. Sales increased 4.1 percent at constant exchange rates. Further, the company said its Board is proposing a dividend of 2.40 euros to the Annual Stockholders' Meeting, a 20 percent increase compared to the previous year. Looking ahead for fiscal 2023, Bayer expects core earnings per share of 7.20 euros to 7.40 euros and adjusted EBITDA of 12.5 billion euros to 13.0 billion euros on a currency-adjusted basis, both below the prior year. The company expects to generate sales of 51 billion euros to 52 billion euros, on a currency-adjusted basis, higher than last year. In fiscal 2022, core earnings per share were 7.94 euros and adjusted EBITDA was 13.51 billion euros, on sales of 50.74 billion euros. 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.
New network deployments and enterprise momentum expected to spark growth and double 5G connections by 2025

BARCELONA, Spain, Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- New figures from GSMA Intelligence show 5G connections are expected to double over the next two years, expedited by technological innovations and new 5G network deployments in more than 30 countries in 2023 alone. Of the new networks to be deployed in 2023, it is expected that 15 will be 5G Standalone networks.





The forecasts from GSMA Intelligence, announced during MWC Barcelona 2023, point to a significant period of growth in terms of mobile subscribers and enterprise adoption. Consumer connections surpassed one billion at the end of 2022 and will increase to around 1.5 billion this year - before reaching two billion by the end 2025. This momentum confirms 5G as the fastest generational roll-out, when compared to 3G and 4G.

As of January 2023, there were 229 commercial 5G networks globally and over 700 5G smartphone models available to users.

Opening up in emerging markets

Growth will also come from key markets within APAC and LATAM, such as Brazil and India, which have recently launched 5G networks. India will be especially significant, with the expansion of services from Airtel and Jio in 2023 expected to be pivotal to the region's ongoing adoption. GSMA Intelligence predicts there will be four 5G networks in India by the end of 2025, accounting for 145 million additional users.

Many of the new 5G markets scheduled to launch networks in 2023 are in developing regions across Africa - including Ethiopia and Ghana - and Asia. Today, 5G adoption in the sub-Saharan region sits below 1% but will reach over 4% by 2025 and 16% in 2030, largely thanks to a concerted effort from industry and government organisations to provide connectivity to citizens.

"Until now, 5G adoption has been driven by relatively mature markets and consumer use cases like enhanced mobile broadband, but that's changing. We're now entering a second wave for 5G that will see the technology engage a diverse set of new markets and audiences," said Peter Jarich, Head of GSMA Intelligence. "The extension to new use cases and markets will challenge the mobile ecosystem to prove that 5G truly is flexible enough to meet these diverse demands in a way that's both inclusive and innovative."

The Rise of 5G FWA

As of January 2023, more than 90 fixed broadband service providers (the vast majority of which are mobile operators) had launched commercial 5G-based fixed wireless services across over 48 countries. This means around 40% of 5G commercial mobile launches worldwide currently include an FWA offering.

In the US, T-Mobile added over half a million 5G FWA customers in Q4 2021 and Q1 2022 combined. By 2025, it expects to have eight million FWA subscribers, while Verizon is targeting five million FWA subscribers for the same period. And, with operators such as Jio announcing ambitions to connect as many as 100 million homes across India to its 5G FWA network, the number of FWA users looks likely to grow substantially over the next few years.

While the majority of current 5G FWA deployments focus on the 3.5-3.8 GHz bands, several operators around the world are already using 5G mmWave spectrum as a capacity and performance booster to complement coverage provided by lower bands.

Only 7% of 5G launches have been in 5G mmWave spectrum so far but this looks set to change given 27% of spectrum allocations and 35% of trials are already using 5G mmWave bands. Furthermore, in 2023 alone, the industry will see ten more countries assigned 5G mmWave spectrum for use - a significant increase from the 22 countries who have been assigned it to date. Spain received the first European 5G mmWave spectrum allocation this year, resulting in Telefonica, Ericsson and Qualcomm launching its first commercial 5G mmWave network at MWC Barcelona 2023.

Enterprise IoT Driving Growth

The figures from GSMA Intelligence also suggest that, for operators, the enterprise market will be the main driver of 5G revenue growth over the next decade. Revenues from business customers already represent around 30% of total revenues on average for major operators, with further potential as enterprise digitisation scales. Edge computing and IoT technology presents further opportunities for 5G, with 12% of operators having already launched private wireless solutions - a figure that will grow with a wider range of expected IoT deployments in 2023.

Another major development for the enterprise will be the commercial availability of 5G Advanced in 2025. Focusing on uplink technology, 5G Advanced will improve speed, coverage, mobility and power efficiency - and support a new wave of business opportunities. GSMA's Network Transformation survey showed half of operators expect to support 5G Advanced commercial networks within two years of its launch. While this is likely optimistic, it presents the ecosystem with a clear opportunity to execute on.

Visit us at MWC Barcelona 2023

Find out more about GSMA Intelligence at the GSMA Pavilion in Hall 4 at MWC Barcelona 2023 or visit GSMAIntelligence.com.

About GSMA

The GSMA is a global organisation unifying the mobile ecosystem to discover, develop and deliver innovation foundational to positive business environments and societal change. Our vision is to unlock the full power of connectivity so that people, industry, and society thrive. Representing mobile operators and organisations across the mobile ecosystem and adjacent industries, the GSMA delivers for its members across three broad pillars: Connectivity for Good, Industry Services and Solutions, and Outreach. This activity includes advancing policy, tackling today's biggest societal challenges, underpinning the technology and interoperability that make mobile work, and providing the world's largest platform to convene the mobile ecosystem at the MWC and M360 series of events. We invite you to find out more at gsma.com

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As part of the global call for tenders to develop the Chimgan site in Uzbekistan, the tender panel has awarded the equipment supply contracts for the development of the four-season mountain resort in Uzbekistan to French industrial group MND for a total amount of 100 million.

Co-financed by an inter-governmental loan from the French government supervised by the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development), the project aims to fast-track the development of the Chimgan touristic site by building new 4-season facilities and equipment. Chimgan is less than an hour and a half's drive from the capital Tashkent with its population of nearly four million. It aims to become the leading mountain resort in Central Asia.

French group MND (Euronext Growth - FR00140050Q2 - ALMND) has been awarded all six contracts worth a total of 100 million. All the facilities will be completed over the next three years.

Sardor Minakhmetov, Director of the construction and operation company of the international four-season mountain resort of Chimgan; attached to the Ministry of Investment and Foreign Trade of the Republic of Uzbekistan stated: "We are delighted to award all of the contracts for the development of the Chimgan site to the French group MND following the call for tenders launched in September 2022. We were especially impressed by the professionalism and expertise of the MND teams throughout the project with the project management of GEODE, MANIE Lives, PATRIARCHE, EPODE and CDA Management, members of the French Assistance Consortium. There was a clear understanding of our strategic challenges and environmental constraints. Moreover, visits to sites already fitted out by MND have confirmed the quality and durability of their installations. MND's approach as a single partner, able to provide us with a comprehensive four-season solution, makes sense to us: it guarantees the project from inception to completion. We are now eager to see this ambitious project materialise over the next few years."

Xavier Gallot-Lavallee, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of MND stated: "We are delighted to have been selected by the Ministry of Investment and Foreign Trade of the Republic of Uzbekistan to develop tourism businesses in Chimgan. Our Group's strength lies in its ability to support those leading the project with a comprehensive vision and to tackle the strategic challenges of this tourism destination thanks to our multiple solutions for mobility, recreation and safety. This latest business success further confirms the relevance of the global offering proposed by MND for more than 20 years. Our Group's unique vision combines collective planning, high-performance technical solutions and environmental responsibility, which MND promotes through its strategic plan Succeed Together 2024. This contract was won thanks to the commitment of all MND's staff and shows the faith of the Uzbek authorities in the Group's ability to take a "one partner, many solutions" approach."

MND's comprehensive "made in France" offer to support the Chimgan site

Drawing on its experience, MND brings its integrated vision as well as its made-in-France know-how to the Chimgan leisure site, from design through to manufacture - mostly carried out at its facility in Sainte-Helene-du-Lac in the Savoie region - and on-site installation, right up to commissioning alongside the customer. The company is determined to promote "Made in France" worldwide thanks to a facility that combines innovation, industrial excellence and operational efficiency.

The contract won by MND includes the design, engineering, manufacture and installation of the following equipment:

Package 1: a 10-seater detachable gondola lift to access the Chimgan mountain mid-station and the service buildings at the bottom and top stations;

Package 2: an 80-seater aerial tramway with access to the top of Mount Chimgan at 3,309 metres and the service buildings at the bottom and top stations;

Package 3: two 4-seater fixed chairlifts;

Package 4: six conveyor belts for skiers and pedestrians with tunnels around the beginners' area and the all-weather play area;

Package 5: a fully automatic snowmaking system for a section of the ski area;

Package 6: All the equipment needed to run the resort in all seasons: a scenic rail funcoaster - two giant zip lines - an adventure tower - a tubbing area - fourteen avalanche safety systems - signalling systems for the ski area - lighting on certain slopes - safety on the ski slopes.

Chimgan project

Since September 2018 under a FASEP (Fund for Private Sector Research and Assistance), granted by France to the Tashkent region, an overall study and development plan was carried out by the French consortium GEODE, MANIE Lives, PATRIARCHE, EPODE, CDA Management at the three Chimgan, Beldersay and Nanay sites in the Bostonlyk tourist zone. The first strategic plan, completed in July 2019, was submitted to the Uzbek authorities in the presence of the French ambassador to Uzbekistan.

Throughout the project, the French consortium teams worked alongside the local Uzbek team in the Tashkent region together with the Ministry of Investment and Foreign Trade.

On 26 June 2019, the overall project was presented to the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Mr Shavkat Mirziyoyev, who approved it and requested that it be fast-tracked in partnership with France and the consortium's technical teams. A presidential order appointed three consortium members to the project board (P. Lebrasseur, MANIE Lives, F. Gaimard, EPODE, J-L Patriarche, Groupe Patriarche).

About MND

MND is a French industrial group specialised in ropeway mobility, snowmaking systems, mountain safety and thrill-making leisure facilities. With over 3,000 customers in 49 countries, MND contributes every day through its four core businesses to mobility, leisure activities and the safety of all, while offering proven and lasting solutions based on its experience in mountain activities. Based in Savoie, MND is staffed by 300 employees and relies on 12 international locations and 28 distributors to develop its business activities around the world. MND is listed on the Euronext Growth market in Paris (FR00140050Q2 - ALMND).

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TOKYO, Feb 28, 2023 - (JCN Newswire) - Eisai Co., Ltd. and Biogen Inc. announced today that the Biologics License Application (BLA) for lecanemab (brand name in the U.S.: LEQEMBI), an investigational anti-amyloid beta (Abeta) protofibril antibody, has been designated for Priority Review by the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) in China. The Priority Review and Approval Procedure was implemented by the NMPA with the aim of accelerating research, development and launch of new medicines that have significant clinical value. Under this Procedure, the assessment period is expected to be shortened.In China, Eisai initiated submission of data for the BLA to the NMPA in December 2022. Eisai initially submitted a package that includes data from the Phase II clinical trial (Study 201) and the top-line data of the large global Phase III Clarity AD study in mild cognitive impairment (MCI) due to Alzheimer's disease (AD) and mild AD (collectively known as early AD) with confirmed A accumulation in the brain. Eisai will submit additional data including full data of the Clarity AD study, as directed by the NMPA.Lecanemab selectively binds and eliminates soluble, toxic Abeta aggregates (protofibrils) that are thought to contribute to the neurotoxicity in AD. As such, lecanemab may have the potential to have an effect on disease pathology and to slow down the progression of the disease. The Clarity AD study of lecanemab met its primary endpoint and all key secondary endpoints with highly statistically significant results. In November 2022, the results of the Clarity AD study were presented at the 2022 Clinical Trials on Alzheimer's Disease (CTAD) conference, and simultaneously published in the New England Journal of Medicine(New Window), a peer-reviewed medical journal.In the U.S., lecanemab was granted accelerated approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on January 6, 2023. On the same day, Eisai submitted a supplemental Biologics License Application (sBLA) to the FDA for approval under the traditional pathway. In Europe, Eisai submitted a marketing authorization application (MAA) to the European Medicines Agency (EMA) on January 9, 2023, which was accepted on January 26, 2023. In Japan, Eisai submitted a marketing authorization application to the Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency (PMDA) on January 16, 2023, and Priority Review was designated by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) on January 26, 2023.Eisai serves as the lead of lecanemab development and regulatory submissions globally with both Eisai and Biogen co-commercializing and co-promoting the product and Eisai having final decision-making authority.Media Contacts:Eisai Co., Ltd.Public Relations DepartmentTEL: +81 (0)3-3817-5120Biogen Inc.Natacha Gassenbach+ 1-857-777-6573public.affairs@biogen.comSource: EisaiCopyright 2023 JCN Newswire . All rights reserved.
'Partner with ACE' program accelerates network operator digital transformation

News Summary

Arrcus and its PACE partners bring innovation, acceleration to MWC 2023

PACE partner solutions demonstrate the power of the ACE platform, making transformation faster, easier for network operators

PACE program provides partners with technology and marketing benefits

Mobile World Congress Arrcus, the hyperscale networking software company and a leader in core, edge and multi-cloud network infrastructure, is at Mobile World Congress 2023 with its powerful Arrcus Connected Edge (ACE) platform, which unlocks new efficiencies, opportunities and flexibility for 5G, data center and enterprise network operators. Arrcus frees communication services providers (CSPs) and enterprises from legacy routing and switching technology that creates integration challenges, limits their choices and impedes digital transformation. The Partner with ACE (PACE) ecosystem is a critical part of the Arrcus platform approach, and several of the company's PACE partners are in Barcelona this week illustrating the power of the ACE platform.

"The PACE program is the first ecosystem of its kind for open transport networking spanning routing and switching, and makes it easy for partners to provide a variety of network functions and services for customers on our ACE platform," said Shekar Ayyar, chairman and CEO at Arrcus. "Network operators and enterprise customers can accelerate their 5G and multi-cloud transformation with the benefit of our partner solutions to complement Arrcus innovation. The PACE program also benefits ecosystem members by providing them with the access, tools and support they need to build tailored services to meet customer needs and expand opportunities."

Arrcus' PACE partners offer validated and certified solutions that allow network operators to navigate their journey to cloud adoption and digital transformation more effectively by enabling CSPs and enterprises to discover, try, purchase and deploy solutions.

Mobile World Congress attendees are encouraged to visit PACE ecosystem partners Accedian Networks, Edgecore Networks, Quanta, Rohde Schwarz, UfiSpace and Viavi Solutions at their booths on the event floor. CSPs and enterprises in Barcelona this week can also connect with representatives from attending PACE partners A5G Networks, Netcube, QuadGenWireless and Xoriant.

"A5G Networks is proud to collaborate as part of the Arrcus PACE program to enable networks with simplified but seamless connectivity across multiple technologies, recognizing that the value chain is changing and networks are becoming more open and distributed," said Rajesh Mishra, co-founder and CEO of A5G Networks, a leader in autonomous 4G, 5G and Wi-Fi mobile core network software.

"We are excited to showcase our latest innovation at MWC 2023 and demonstrate how our switching and routing platforms with our diverse ecosystem can help service providers and data centers achieve their next-generation networking goals," said Heimdall Siao, president at Edgecore Networks. "Our goal at Edgecore is to make networking technology more accessible to both solution developers as well as users of networking technology. Our ecosystem of partners and Edgecore's development environment are important for us to transform the networking industry from legacy proprietary solutions to a more open environment. We are excited to partner with Arrcus' PACE program by working together to provide the latest technology of switching and routing platforms with Arrcus' software solutions."

"Implementing open and disaggregated architectures is giving service providers more control over their networks and enabling more choices for deploying the most suitable solutions," said Vincent Ho, CEO of UfiSpace. "We are happy to be collaborating with Arrcus' ACE platform with our disaggregated cell site gateways, open aggregation and open core routers, as it will open up boundless possibilities for our customers to revolutionize their network transformations with speed and efficiency."

"Xoriant is excited about working with Arrcus on its economically efficient 5G solution," said Girish Gaitonde, CEO of Xoriant. "Our expertise in 5G monitoring allows us to nicely complement the Arrcus ArcIQ solution. We provide real-time streaming data from 5G RAN and 5G core which is validated and stored in a time series database for further analytics and observability. The combined solution with Arrcus provides an end-to-end solution that monitors everything from RAN to the core of the network."

To connect with Arrcus and its PACE partners at Mobile World Congress 2023:

Visit the Arrcus booth in Hall 2-Stand 2D19 Schedule a time to meet with Arrcus at MWC

Visit the Arrcus PACE partner booths Accedian Networks: Hall 2-Stand 2D41 Edgecore Networks: Taiwan Pavilion, Hall 5-Stand 5A61 Quanta Cloud Technology: Hall 5-Stand 5E21 Rohde Schwarz: Hall 5-5A80 UfiSpace: Taiwan Pavilion, Hall 5-Stand 5A61 Viavi Solutions: Hall 5-Stand 5A18



PACE program members benefit from access to early ACE SDKs and APIs; product integration verification; product certification and certification badges; and co-marketing in the form of internal and external webinars, press releases, and website listings and events.

Additional Resources

Arrcus brings transformative 5G and multi-cloud networking to communication services providers at MWC 2023

Arrcus enables economically efficient 5G network service delivery for communication services providers

Arrcus continues 100%+ CAGR business growth, raises $50M led by Prosperity7 Ventures, to continue leadership in 5G, data center and multi-cloud networking markets

Arrcus announces new partner additions from across the globe to its PACE (Partner with ACE) program

Arrcus announces ACE 2.0 platform availability, subscription packaging, launch of "Partner with ACE" (PACE) program

About Arrcus

Arrcus was founded to enhance business efficiency through superior network connectivity. The Arrcus Connected Edge (ACE) platform offers best-in-class networking with the most flexible consumption model at the lowest total cost of ownership. The Arrcus team consists of world-class technologists who have an unparalleled record in shipping industry-leading networking products, complemented by industry thought leaders, operating executives, strategic partners and top-tier VCs. The company is headquartered in San Jose, California. For more information, go to www.arrcus.com or follow Arrcus LinkedIn and @arrcusinc.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230227005716/en/

Contacts:

Media Contact

Sara Delacruz

saradelacruz@Bospar.com
Calgary, Alberta--(Newsfile Corp. - February 28, 2023) - Fathom Nickel Inc. (CSE: FNI) (FSE: 6Q5)(OTCQB: FNICF) (the "Company" or "Fathom") is pleased to announce that the Q1-2023 drill program at the Gochager Lake Project has been completed. Equipment and personnel are currently being remobilized to the Albert Lake Project. Diamond drilling is expected to commence at Albert Lake by March 3.

Commenting on the Gochager Lake Exploration Program, Ian Fraser, CEO and VP Exploration stated, "We are very pleased with the outcome of both the drilling and BHEM initiatives at Gochager Lake. The initial drillhole confirmed the presence of mineralization previously identified in historic drillhole IVY-67-012, and the second drillhole also confirmed the Gochager Lake deposit style of mineralization and provided an excellent platform for the BHEM surveys. As expected, the BHEM tool has proven extremely useful in identifying off-hole conductors. We eagerly await assay results which will be released upon receipt and interpretation, expected in early April. Our attention now turns to the Albert Lake project where we will be targeting several very exciting priority areas including the Tremblay-Olson Claims area."

Summary

Q1-2023 drill program at Gochager Lake Project completed.

2 Drillholes completed at Gochager; both intersected broad zones of disseminated, semi-massive to massive sulphide mineralization; results expected by mid-April.

results expected by mid-April. Albert Lake Project drilling to commence by March 3, 2023.

Q1-2023 drilling at Albert Lake will initially focus around the Tremblay-Olson Claims area.

The Tremblay-Olson Claims area (NIC-5 and Tremblay-Olson) had returned the highest concentration of metals-in-soil collected to date at the Albert Lake Property (Press Release Jan. 17, 2023)See also Figure 1.

Gochager Exploration Program

The Q1-2023 exploration program at Gochager was designed around two primary objectives: 1) drill testing of the reported results from a historic drillhole (IVY-67-012) that encountered mineralization over a 290-meter zone, and; 2) probe both current and historic drillholes with a borehole electromagnetic ("BHEM") tool to determine the existence and extent of off-hole conductors.

We are pleased to announce success in meeting both objectives. Drillhole GL23003 was drilled to a depth of 336 meters; GL23004 was drilled to a depth of 389 meters. Both holes intersected broad zones of disseminated, semi-massive to massive sulphide mineralization. Three historical drillholes were also open to bottom and were probed with induction and fluxgate probes. The r2023 drillholes were also probed with both systems. Several off-hole responses were detected including, importantly, a strong response outside the area of known mineralization. The Company continues to interpret and model these data which will form the basis for future exploration and drilling programs.

Core samples are currently being prepped for shipping to ALS Global's Vancouver laboratory. Samples will be assayed for the full suite of base and precious metals including, importantly, cobalt. Historic samples were never systematically sampled for cobalt in spite of reported grades as high as 0.143% Co from selected assays retrieved from historic drillhole IVY-67-12 available at the La Ronge Core Library.

Albert Lake Exploration Plan

Further commenting on the Albert Lake Exploration Program, Ian Fraser, stated, "We are excited to drill test the favourable soil geo-chem targets that we have defined at the Tremblay-Olson Claims area. The soil geochem, the coincident gradient MAG and MAG inversions, VTEM and AirTEM along with the recently completed gravity survey data defines a very favourable exploration target along trend and to the southwest of the historic Rottenstone deposit. We look forward to confirming that the metal (Ni, Cu, Co, Mg, Cr and Pd, Pt) contained in soils at the Tremblay-Olson Claims area is the result of a mineralized ultramafic source".

B-Horizon soil geochemistry has now defined a multi-element anomaly that encompasses all known mineralized ultramafic occurrences and deposits, most notably, the historic high-grade Rottenstone Ni-Cu + PGE deposit (see Figure 1). This anomalous feature now has a strike length in excess of 5 kilometers and a width up to 1 kilometer. Ongoing interpretation within this zone has defined favourable stratigraphy that is comparable to that which is host to the historic Rottenstone Mine as well as Fathom's recently discovered Bay-Island Trend. The stratigraphy also hosts the necessary structural traps that act as the trapping mechanism for the magmatic nickel deposits thus far defined on the Albert Lake property.

The focus of the exploration strategy at Albert Lake for the Q1-2023 program is centred on the Tremblay-Olson Claims area anomaly(s). Within the Tremblay-Olson Claims area, the robust, multi-element soil geochemistry anomaly(s) is directly coincident with recently completed gravity, historic VTEM, gradient MAG and AirTEM data sets. Fathom will be drill testing these target areas beginning in the first week of March.

The priority target areas for the Q1-2023 Albert Lake program are as follows:

Nic-5 - The Nic-5 area has the most robust multi-element soil geochemistry anomaly(s) encountered thus far at the Albert Lake Project. Individual soils collected in the Fall of 2022 returned up to 497ppm Ni, 547ppm Cu, and one soil sample with a combined 1.21 g/t 3PE (platinum-palladium+gold). Historic drillholes dating back to the 1960's intersected ultramafic rock of varying widths with some holes containing elevated nickel and copper within non-ultramafic rock. Fathom's exploration team has evaluated MAG, EM and recent gravity data plus inversions (MAG, gravity) collected within the Nic-5 area. All data sets define anomalies coincident with the multi-element soil geochemistry anomaly(s). Fathom's interpretation of all data sets, and in particular the soil geochemistry is indicative of an ultramafic source occurring within the Nic-5 area. Nic-5 is the highest priority drill target area during the Q1-2023 program. Two to three drillholes are planned for this area.

Bay-Island Trend Extension - The Bay-Island Trend, which occurs 400-500 meters west - northwest of the historic Rottenstone deposit, defines a 300+ meter mineralized ultramafic body discovered by drilling in 2021-2022. This structurally controlled ultramafic intrusion remains open along trend to the northeast. Gravity and MAG. together with their respective inversions, define a fold nose-like feature 650 meters along strike of where the 2022 drilling stopped. Structural traps and an interpreted fold hinge/nose is an ideal trap for a mineralized ultramafic body to occur. There is a coincident VTEM signature occurring on the immediate shore to the northeast and favourable/anomalous soil geochemistry occurs immediately along the shoreline. This priority drill target will be drilled from the ice.

TO-South - TO-South refers to a coincident deep MAG/gravity target with a strong localized multi-element soil geochemistry anomaly occurring along trend of all known ultramafic occurrences southwest of the historic Rottenstone deposit. The enclosed Ni in soil map illustrates a strong Ni anomaly at this location. The recently completed gravity survey marks a strong increase in density at this location. One drillhole is planned at the TO-South target area.

Rottenstone Mine Southwest Extension - Time and budget permitting, Fathom will test the northeast continuation into the lake from the Nic-5 area, along trend to the historic Rottenstone deposit. MAG, historic surface EM and gravity signatures are suggestive of a possible ultramafic body/intrusion in this area. Furthermore, this planned drillhole will test the footwall of the F-Fault. The Rottenstone deposit occurs in the hanging wall and is in contact with the F-Fault. A drillhole in this area, followed by a BHEM survey, would test this possible footwall offset.

Qualified Person and Data Verification

Ian Fraser, P.Geo., CEO, VP Exploration and a Director of the Company and the "qualified person" as such term is defined by National Instrument 43-101, has verified the data disclosed in this news release, and has otherwise reviewed and approved the technical information in this news release on behalf of the Company.

About Fathom Nickel Inc.

Fathom is an exploration company that is targeting magmatic nickel sulphide discoveries to support the rapidly growing global electric vehicle market.

The Company now has a portfolio of two high-quality exploration projects located in the prolific Trans Hudson Corridor in Saskatchewan: 1) the Albert Lake Project, a 90,000+ hectare project that was host to the historic and past producing Rottenstone deposit (produced high-grade Ni-Cu+PGE, 1965-1969), and 2) the Gochager Lake Project, a 4,696-hectare project that is host to a historic (NI43-101 non-compliant) open pitable resource consisting of 4.3M tons at 0.295% Ni and 0.081% Cu[1]. The Company has commenced the Gochager Lake exploration program and upon completion immediately start the Albert Lake exploration program.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD

"Ian Fraser P.Geo."

CEO, VP Exploration, Director

For Further Information Please Contact:

Ian Fraser, Chief Executive Officer and Vice-President, Exploration

1-403-650-9760

Email: ifraser@fathomnickel.com

Manish Grigo, Director of Corporate Development

1-416-569-3292

Email: mgrigo@fathomnickel.com

Forward Looking Statements:

This news release contains "forward-looking statements" that are based on expectations, estimates, projections and interpretations as at the date of this news release. Forward-looking statements are frequently characterized by words such as "plan", "expect", "project", "seek", "intend", "believe", "anticipate", "estimate", "suggest", "indicate" and other similar words or statements that certain events or conditions "may" or "will" occur, and include, without limitation, statements regarding payment of terms under the Option Agreement, permitting for the Property, receipt of an exploration permit, timing of the exploration program on the Property and the Company achieving the earn-in thresholds under the Option Agreement. 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 which could cause actual events or results to differ from those reflected in the forward-looking statements, including, without limitation: risks related to failure to obtain adequate financing on a timely basis and on acceptable terms; risks related to the outcome of legal proceedings; political and regulatory risks associated with mining and exploration; risks related to the maintenance of stock exchange listings; risks related to environmental regulation and liability; the potential for delays in exploration or development activities or the completion of feasibility studies; the uncertainty of profitability; risks and uncertainties relating to the interpretation of drill results, the geology, grade and continuity of mineral deposits; risks related to the inherent uncertainty of production and cost estimates and the potential for unexpected costs and expenses; results of prefeasibility and feasibility studies, and the possibility that future exploration, development or mining results will not be consistent with the Company's expectations; risks related to commodity price fluctuations; and other risks and uncertainties related to the Company's prospects, properties and business detailed elsewhere in the Company's disclosure record. Such forward looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. These forward- looking statements are made as of the date hereof and the Company does not assume any obligation to update or revise them to reflect new events or circumstances except in accordance with applicable securities laws. Actual events or results could differ materially from the Company's expectations or projections.







FIGURE 1 Nickel-in-Soil Geochemistry Map

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/7843/156493_7dfb367104d169a9_001full.jpg

NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO UNITED STATES NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES. ANY FAILURE TO COMPLY WITH THIS RESTRICTION MAY CONSTITUTE A VIOLATION OF U.S. SECURITIES LAWS

1 The Saskatchewan Mineral Deposit Index (SMID#0880) reports drill indicated reserves of 4,262,400 tons grading 0.295% Ni and 0.081% Cu mineable by open pit. Fathom cannot confirm this resource estimate nor the parameters and methods used to prepare the reserve estimate. The estimate is not NI43-101 compliant and further work is required to verify this historical drill indicated reserve.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/156493
Saguenay, Quebec--(Newsfile Corp. - February 28, 2023) - First Phosphate Corp. (CSE: PHOS) (FSE: KD0) ("First Phosphate" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that its common shares have commenced trading on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange ("FSE") under ticker symbol "KD0". The Company's common shares are now cross listed on the Canadian Securities Exchange ("CSE") and the FSE.

"North America and Europe represent two of the largest and most advanced electric vehicle markets in the world," explains First Phosphate President, Peter Kent. "Our management has worked diligently to ensure that our FSE listing would coincide as closely as possible with our recent CSE listing. We wish to extend an invite to European battery metals investors to join our shareholder family."

"First Phosphate is pursuing a meaningful transatlantic dialogue with our battery industry counterparts in Europe," states Company CEO, John Passalacqua. "Historic ties between our continents are unbreakable and will play out favourably in the establishment of a global clean energy future."

The Company's listing on the FSE is of increased importance given the Company's recent announcement, on February 24, 2023, of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Prayon SA ("Prayon"), headquartered in Engis, Belgium, and Europe's largest producer of purified phosphoric acid and the global leader in purified phosphoric acid production technology. First Phosphate and Prayon are building a strategic transatlantic relationship to enable Europe and North America to gain green energy and critical mineral independence.

First Phosphate's listing on the FSE will allow European investors to follow Company developments firsthand and to partake more deeply in the Company's development with its European partners. First Phosphate is pursuing a deeply organic relationship with a strong European investor base.

-30-

For additional information, please contact:

Peter Kent

President

peter@firstphosphate.com

Tel: +1 (647) 707-1943

Investor Relations: investor@firstphosphate.com

Media Relations: media@firstphosphate.com

Website: www.FirstPhosphate.com

Follow First Phosphate:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/FirstPhosphate

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/first-phosphate/

About First Phosphate Corp.

First Phosphate is a mineral development company fully dedicated to extracting and purifying phosphate for the production of cathode active material for the Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP) battery industry. First Phosphate is committed to producing at high purity level, at full ESG standard and with low anticipated carbon footprint. First Phosphate plans to vertically integrate from mine source directly into the supply chains of major North American LFP battery producers that require battery grade LFP cathode active material emanating from a consistent and secure supply source. First Phosphate holds over 1,500 sq. km of total land claims in the Saguenay-Lac-St-Jean Region of Quebec, Canada that it is actively developing. First Phosphate properties consist of rare anorthosite igneous phosphate rock that generally yields high purity phosphate material devoid of high concentrations of harmful elements.

Forward-Looking Information and Cautionary Statements

Certain information in this news release constitutes forward-looking statements under applicable securities laws. Any statements that are contained in this news release that are not statements of historical fact may be deemed to be forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are often identified by terms such as "may", "should", "anticipate", "expect", "potential", "believe", "intend" or the negative of these terms and similar expressions. Forward-looking statements in this news release include statements relating to: the Company's commitment to producing high purity phosphate materials at full ESG standard under a low carbon footprint; the Company's plans to integrate directly into the functions of certain major North American LFP battery producers; the Company's proposed development of its land claims in the Saguenay-Lac-St-Jean Region of Quebec; the Company's MOU with Prayon and under the proposed partnership terms and the timelines thereof; the Company's plans to meet continual listing requirements and/or remain listed on the FSE and CSE and the capitalize on stated benefits thereof; and historic ties between North America and Europe are unbreakable and will play out favourably in the establishment of a global clean energy future.

Forward-looking information in this press release are based on certain assumptions and expected future events, namely: the Company's ability to producing high purity phosphate materials at full ESG standard under a low carbon footprint; the Company's ability to integrate directly into the functions of certain major North American LFP battery producers; the Company's ability to develop its land claims in the Company's proposed development of its land claims in the Saguenay-Lac-St-Jean Region of Quebec; the Company's ability to enter into a definitive agreement with Prayon and under the proposed partnership terms and the timelines thereof; the Company's ability to meet continual listing requirements and/or remain listed on the FSE and CSE and capitalize on the stated benefits thereof; and historic ties between North America and Europe are unbreakable and will play out favourably in the establishment of a global clean energy future.

These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, which may cause actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such statements, including but not limited to: the Company's inability to produce high purity phosphate materials at full ESG standard under a low carbon footprint; the Company's inability to integrate directly into the functions of certain major North American LFP battery producers; the Company's inability to develop its land claims in the Company's proposed development of its land claims in the Saguenay-Lac-St-Jean Region of Quebec; the Company's inability to enter into a definitive agreement with Prayon and the proposed partnership terms and the timelines thereof; the Company's inability to meet continual listing requirements and/or remain listed on the FSE and CSE and capitalize on the stated benefits thereof; and historic ties between North America and Europe are not unbreakable and will not play out favourably in the establishment of a global clean energy future.

Readers are cautioned that the foregoing list is not exhaustive. Readers are further cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, as there can be no assurance that the plans, intentions or expectations upon which they are placed will occur. Such information, although considered reasonable by management at the time of preparation, may prove to be incorrect and actual results may differ materially from those anticipated.

Forward-looking statements contained in this press release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement and reflect the Company's expectations as of the date hereof and are subject to change thereafter. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, estimates or opinions, future events or results or otherwise or to explain any material difference between subsequent actual events and such forward-looking information, except as required by applicable law.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/156478


LONDON (dpa-AFX) - Investment management firm Man Group plc (MNGPF.PK, EMG.L) reported that its profit increased to $608 million in 2022 from $487 million in 2021, with core profit increasing from $557 million to $647 million over the same period.



Statutory earnings per share were 45.8 cents up from 33.8 cents in the prior year.



Statutory net revenue increased to $1.73 billion in 2022, from $1.49 billion in 2021, as a result of higher average AUM and strong performance fee generation.



The company's Board confirmed it will recommend a final dividend of 10.1 cents per share for the financial year ended 31 December 2022, resulting in a total dividend of 15.7 cents per share for the year. This is in addition to $250 million of share buyback program announced in 2022.



In a separate press release, Man Group plc said that John Cryan, who has served as a director of the Company since January 2015 and as Chair of the Board since January 2020, has decided to retire from the Board towards the end of 2023.



Anne Wade, who has served on the Board as a non-executive director since April 2020, will succeed John Cryan as Chair of the Board upon John's departure in late 2023. At that time, Anne will step down from her position as Chair of the Remuneration Committee but will remain a member, and will also assume the role of Chair of the Nomination Committee.



The company plans to announce the appointment of a new Remuneration Committee Chair in due course, who will take over from Anne on her appointment as Chair of the Board.



Dame Katharine Barker, who has served on the Board since April 2017, will step down as a non-executive director of the Company and as a member of the Audit and Risk Committee and the Remuneration Committee on 1 April 2023.



For more earnings news, earnings calendar, and earnings for stocks, visit rttnews.com



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New research highlights that communication breakdown has led to employees being unaware or misinformed about their benefits package; 28% said their company did not offer benefits or weren't sure if they did.

In addition, 37% of employees are not taking advantage of the benefits available to them due to a lack of compatibility with their needs.

Sodexo Engage's new research looks to bring this expectation difference into the light and help businesses increase benefits takeup

LONDON, Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Communication - or rather the lack thereof - is contributing to the poor uptake of workplace benefits and rewards, according to new research from the leading expert in employee engagement, Sodexo Engage .

The research revealed only 11% of employees are taking full advantage of their benefits and just 10% have received advice on how they can use their benefits to help their salary go further. This shows a clear lack of HR-to-employee communication regarding benefits, leading to a majority of employees being unaware of the opportunities available to them.

Moreover, 28% reported that their organisation either did not offer any benefits or they weren't sure if they did. This further highlights the importance of employers considering the benefits they offer and how to effectively communicate them to their workforce.

With 24.6 million full-time workers in the United Kingdom (as of November 2022), it is essential that everyone is informed of the benefits available to them, especially with the rising cost of living and challenging economic conditions. Unfortunately, without proper communication, a significant number of individuals may be left in the dark, missing out on valuable workplace benefits.

The 'The Mountain of Lost Benefits: Making Employee Benefits Matter' report by Sodexo Engage surveyed 500 HR professionals and 2,000 employees about their workplace benefits provision. The findings have provided invaluable insight into how businesses can enhance their benefits packages, uncovering key themes and some striking disparities.



Although employers are offering benefits, it appears that there is a mismatch between the benefits offered by employers and what employees use, leading to 37% of employees not using their benefits because they don't align with their needs. For instance, the results highlight that retail discounts and cashback rewards are one of the top-most used benefits by employees (23%), yet only 36% of organisations are offering them as part of their benefits package.

Burcin Ressamoglu, CEO of Sodexo Engage, explains: "Providing employee benefits are imperative, especially in the current financial climate where resources are limited and not all organisations can continue to raise salaries. But now our research has revealed that at times, employees still aren't making full use of their benefits due to a lack of knowledge, or misinformation about what is available to them.

"It's really important there's a two-way conversation about benefits, where leaders take the time to listen to their employees and make informed decisions based on what's important to them. Especially since 76% of employees said they feel more motivated when their organisation is supporting them."

Ressamoglu continues, "All leaders, but especially HR leaders, should create more platforms for communication with their teams to ensure they are providing the benefits most valued by employees. By gathering more insight and delivering more relevant benefits to their employee base, leaders will find themselves with a happier, more productive workforce and ensure higher retention."

Ultimately, the research has shown the critical influence of employee benefits on employee satisfaction. A whopping 74% of respondents said it was an important factor when deciding on a job offer and 71% said it was key to their decision to stay at a company. This is especially pertinent in times of talent shortage when HR must pull out all the stops to design an enticing benefits package to draw and keep talent.

Discover the full findings from 'The Mountain of Lost Benefits: Making Employee Benefits Matter' report, ready to download now.

ABOUT THE REPORT

The research surveyed 500 HR professionals and 2,000 employees about their workplace benefits provision on behalf of Sodexo Engage by OnePoll, from 23rd Dec 2022 to 5th Jan 2023. The survey was conducted online using panel members who are credited to participate in the surveys. Respondents were targeted using screening questions and profile data in order to ensure the correct demographic was achieved. This survey was overseen and edited by the OnePoll research team, who are members of the MRS and have corporate membership to ESOMAR.

ABOUT SODEXO ENGAGE?

Sodexo Engage, part of Sodexo Benefits and Rewards Services, is a leading expert in employee engagement, providing award-winning employee benefits, rewards and recognition, creating experiences that make a real difference to people's lives, both inside and outside the workplace.

Sodexo Engage delivers powerful employee experience solutions which are developed in partnership with their stakeholders to lift the happiness and wellbeing of their people, which in turn supports their objectives and business performance.

Globally, Sodexo Benefits and Rewards Services, number 2 world leader in Employee Benefit and Engagement Solutions, is a trusted and responsible partner bringing to life sustainable and personalized employee experiences, at work and beyond.?Sodexo Benefits and Rewards Services operates in 31 countries and is supported by 4200 employees.?

For press enquiries, please contact: Octopus Group | +442038237431 or +442038237391 | sodexoengage@octopusgrp.com

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Leading UK mobile infrastructure services company is deploying Horizon CRE to handle the complexities of telecoms and tower lease accounting while automating manual processes

LONDON, Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- MRI Software , a global leader in real estate solutions, announces that Cornerstone, the leading UK mobile infrastructure services company, is deploying MRI Horizon CRE to manage its lease accounting, including International Financial Reporting Standard (IFRS 16) compliance. Cornerstone is implementing the cloud-based lease accounting platform to automate manual processes around data onboarding, as well as more easily handle the complexities of IFRS 16. The accounting standard came into effect in January 2019 and requires leases to be recorded on balance sheets to increase the transparency of business exposure to costs.





Cornerstone will use Horizon CRE to onboard and manage its significant volume of site leases for both payables and receivable leases that run into the tens of thousands. The company previously had no centralised database solution in place to handle its payable and receivable leases. Due to the challenges around IFRS 16 compliance, it sought to implement a lease portfolio management tool that meets the complexities of the telecom and mobile tower business.

"We found that managing our lease portfolio and meeting IFRS 16 standards via spreadsheets and manual efforts was a significant challenge, and it became apparent the business needed a robust solution to help achieve our strategic objectives," said Roger Keenan, Cornerstone's Chief Financial Officer. "One of the key reasons we chose MRI is their demonstrable success with large TowerCo and telecom organisations automating leasing operations and accounting, along with their ability to understand and resolve our challenges and transform them into long-term strategic benefits. MRI Horizon CRE offers superior flexibility and a comprehensive set of features - solving various telecoms complexities, mitigating financial and audit risk, and helping to capitalise on opportunities."

Cornerstone identified that Horizon would successfully enable it to manage the income agreements from its tower leases and the payables leases for its land and other occupied sites in a single application. A common challenge in managing large TowerCo portfolios is the complex relationships between leases, properties and equipment. A second challenge is the dynamic nature of cell tower contracts because tower space is sub-let to optimise capacity utilisation.

"MRI is delighted to be working with the Cornerstone team to support their strategic objectives," said Steve Fox, Sales Director at MRI Software. "It was evident from our first conversation that Cornerstone recognised the benefit of managing their entire portfolio through a comprehensive technology solution, delivering short- and long-term benefits. Our cloud-based solution has consistently evolved to help clients meet today's rigorous accounting and financial reporting demands, including IFRS 16 compliance. We look forward to working with a well-respected leader in the Telecom and TowerCo industry."

MRI Software has a significant telecom sector presence globally, working with many organisations, including Vodacom. The MRI solution suite covers everything from AI-powered lease abstraction and portfolio management to energy management to workplace and facilities management.

About MRI Software

MRI Software is a leading provider of real estate software solutions that transform the way communities live, work and play. MRI's open and connected, AI-first platform empowers owners, operators and occupiers in commercial and residential property organizations to innovate in rapidly changing markets. MRI has been a trailblazer in the PropTech industry for over five decades, serving more than six million users worldwide. Through innovative solutions and a rich partner ecosystem, MRI gives real estate companies the freedom to realize their vision of building thriving communities and stronger businesses. For more information, please visit mrisoftware.com.

About Cornerstone

For information, please visit www.cornerstone.network

Media Contacts:

(EMEA for MRI)

Platform Communications

Hugh Filman (+44 7905 044850)

mri@platformcomms.com

(US for MRI)

Rachel Antman (+1 212 362 5837)

rachel@saygency.com

(ANZ for MRI)

Heather Jones (+61 400 394 669)

heather@hjconsulting.com.au





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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 world's 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 world's leading telecommunications companies, mobile network operators, governments, connectivity and cloud service providers, broadcasters, video platform operators and content owners. SES's video network carries over 8,000 channels and has an unparalleled reach of 369 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.

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.
This Accelerator program debut comes on the heels of Synechron's win in the BIG Innovation Awards 2023 contest for its PayTech Accelerator program

NEW YORK and LONDON and PUNE, India, Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Synechron, Inc., a leading global digital transformation consulting firm, today announced the launch of its Data Monetization Accelerator program. The program offers a suite of building block solutions that aims to help retail and commercial banks, asset managers and financial services institutions unlock the full potential of their data. Synechron's innovative tools leverage analytics and derive insights to identify revenue opportunities and implement key strategies for monetizing their data, while preserving data privacy, security, governance and management. This is the 10th Accelerator program Synechron has launched since September 2016.





The new Data Monetization Accelerator program was driven through the collaboration of Synechron's innovation team members and Data Practice experts who, together, deliver industry-leading experiences and solutions. This program offers four real-world, advanced data solutions to help companies solve key challenges and address the emerging needs of the global financial services industry.

Synechron is excited to launch its latest Accelerator program after recently being named a winner of the 2023 BIG Innovation Awards by Business Intelligence Group for its previous PayTech Accelerator program. This annual award celebrates new ideas brought to life through organizations' creativity and passion. This is the fourth time Synechron has won the BIG Innovation Awards competition for its Accelerator programs and marks the firm's 33rd overall innovation-focused global award.

The new future-forward and customizable suite of Data Monetization Accelerator solutions includes:

Data Marketplace & Clean Rooms for Portfolio Analytics - A platform offered by banks to their clients to explore and shop banks' proprietary data, blend it with internal and external data, then run custom analytics on cloud-hosted private clean rooms to glean rich portfolio insights.

- A platform offered by banks to their clients to explore and shop banks' proprietary data, blend it with internal and external data, then run custom analytics on cloud-hosted private clean rooms to glean rich portfolio insights. Merchants Recommendations - Helping Banks and Payment Processors deliver business and market insights to their Merchant clients through data-driven, actionable views and trends for better informed decision making.

- Helping Banks and Payment Processors deliver business and market insights to their Merchant clients through data-driven, actionable views and trends for better informed decision making. Fraud Operational Intelligence - Helping Banks monetize daily fraud reports by sharing fraud case summary intelligence with other Banks and Financial Institutions in near-real-time to proactively limit the impact of future fraud transactions.

- Helping Banks monetize daily fraud reports by sharing fraud case summary intelligence with other Banks and Financial Institutions in near-real-time to proactively limit the impact of future fraud transactions. Financial Wellness - Equipping Retirement Advisors to open a dialogue and discuss with their clients with retirement plans, post-retirement wealth goals by relying on personal finance forecasting.

Faisal Husain, Synechron's Co-founder and CEO said of the launch of the Data Monetization Accelerator program, "As a leader and true believer in the benefits of digital transformation, we are constantly striving to create innovations that not only solve key business challenges but will facilitate business leaders to identify new opportunities."

Sandeep Kumar, Head of Synechron's FinLabs and Accelerator programs, commented, "Our clients are respected leaders in their business, and they are already strategizing new ways to optimize their data. Our overarching goal is to help them accelerate their innovation agenda initiatives through our new suite of data monetization solutions. This will allow them to build on their momentum and drive new opportunities."

All of Synechron's 80 Accelerator program tools and solutions have been developed collaboratively across global operating units and with teams of 300+ experts in the firm's 13 proprietary and award-winning Financial Innovation Labs ('FinLabs'). Synechron continues to self-fund the research and development necessary to ideate, invent and test innovative solutions that tackle today's business problems, add digital applications, and work to increase business efficiencies and opportunities for companies. Synechron's FinLabs also offer an Innovation-as-a-Service platform which includes a cloud-native and customized virtual sandbox.

About Synechron

At Synechron, we believe in the power of digital to transform businesses for the better. Our global consulting firm combines creativity and innovative technology to deliver industry-leading digital solutions. Synechron's progressive technologies and optimization strategies span end-to-end Consulting, Design, Cloud, Data and Engineering, servicing an array of noteworthy financial services and technology firms. Through research and development initiatives in our FinLabs we develop solutions for modernization, from Blockchain and Artificial Intelligence to Data Science models, Digital Underwriting, mobile-first applications and more. Over the last 20+ years, our company has been honored with multiple employer awards, recognizing our commitment to our talented teams. With top clients to boast about, Synechron has a global workforce of 14,000+ and has 40 offices in 17 countries within key global markets. For more information on the company, please visit our website or LinkedIn community.

For more information please contact:

Rashmi Joshi

Associate Director- Global Marketing and Communications

Synechron

Media@synechron.com

Or

SEC Newgate UK,

Andrew Adie / Sophie Morello / Matthew Redley

Synechron@secnewgate.co.uk

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View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/synechron-enables-innovative-data-solutions-for-driving-revenue-and-growth-with-the-launch-of-its-data-monetization-accelerator-program-301757335.html
VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / February 28, 2023 / Black Tusk Resources Inc. ("Black Tusk" or the "Company) (CSE:TUSK) is pleased to announce that it plans to change its name to "Q Battery Metals Corp." and the trading symbol will change to "QMET". The change of name is subject to acceptance of the Canadian Securities Exchange.

The new name is reflective of the Company's portfolio of properties in Quebec that are currently being explored for potential lithium, copper, nickel, cobalt, zinc molybdenum, and platinum group elements. A summary of those projects is provided below.

PEGALITH PROJECT - Lithium

The PEGALITH project was recently acquired by the Company. The claims were staked to cover historic mineral showings that are hosted in coarse mica and feldspar pegmatites. The pegmatite minerals were small scale mined as industrial minerals. The historic Mine Leduc, located approximately six kilometres southwest of the PegaLith property, contains a small lithium-bearing resource (approximately 230 tonnes of 5.39% Li2O) from pegmatitic rocks, indicating the potential for lithium-bearing pegmatites in the region. The reader is cautioned that results obtained from the historic Mine Leduc is not necessarily indicative of potential on the Company's Pegalith Project. The pegmatites at Leduc and those underlying the Pegalith project are hosted in a northwest trending belt of regionally mapped metamorphic rocks, including paragneiss and quartzite. A Phase-I exploration program is to be undertaken by QBMC in 2023 to test these pegmatites for lithium potential.

MOGOLD PROJECT - Lithium, molybdenum, VMS (copper, zinc, lead)

On the MOGOLD Project, the Boily-Berube mineral showing is documented as being associated with granitic pegmatites. Stripping carried out in 1989 exposed a pegmatitic vein containing molybdenite with some grains of pyrite and traces of chalcopyrite and malachite (Sigeom). The vein material was only analyzed for precious metals. The Lac Fiedmont South mineral showing, on the eastern margin of the Company's property, has similar geology to the Boily-Berube, including molybdenite hosted in pegmatite. The full northern part of the claim block is now being targeted for lithium potential..

The La Corne Batholith and the volcanic rocks along the margin host several well-known lithium deposits. Of particular significance, approximately 10 kilometres to the north of Mogold Project, Sayona Mining Ltd is in the process of restarting the North American Lithium (NAL) mine. The NAL mine has a reported proven ore reserve of 1.2 million tonnes of 0.92% Li2O and probable reserve of 28 million tonnes of 0.96% Li2O (https://www.mining.com/sayona-raises-136m-for-quebec-lithium-projects-restart-in-2023/). The reader is cautioned that results obtained from NAL mine is not necessarily indicative of potential on the Company's Mogold Project.

The potential for VMS deposition similar to that found on the adjacent PG Highway claim provides incentive for exploring for mineralization within the volcanic rocks in the southern part of the claim block.

The Company has completed airborne magnetic survey and ground-based deep penetrating electromagnetic survey, as well as bedrock sampling, on the Mogold claims. Several VMS target areas have been identified by these surveys. A permit to drill on the Mogold was obtained in 2022 with drilling proposed for 2023.

PG HIGHWAY - VMS (copper, zinc, lead, + gold and silver)

The PG HIGHWAY claims were staked by the Company to cover an area considered prospective for hosting massive sulphide mineralization. Several outcrops of massive pyrite and pyrrhotite were historically trenched and sampled as part of a gold exploration program. Other elements were generally not tested. The Company's geologists recognize the potential for Volcanogenic Massive Sulphide mineralization within the geologic terrain underlying the PG Highway claims. As well, pyrrhotite mineralization has been associated with platinum group elements (PGE) to the north of the claims.

The Company has completed airborne magnetic survey and ground-based deep penetrating electromagnetic survey on the PG Highway project. The surveys define several targets for potential massive sulphide mineralization. A permit to drill these targets was obtained in 2022 with drilling proposed in 2023.

LORRAIN - PGE, Copper, Nickel, Cobalt, Chromium

The LORRAIN claims were located to cover a magnetic feature that is associated with an ultramafic rock that hosts the Guimond-Church mineral showing. The showing is described as ultramafic rock containing 0.48% Cr and 0.27% Ni. The showing has yet to be tested by modern techniques or diamond drilling.

Historic work on the Lorrain claims included diamond drilling of other targets that are now within the claims. In particular, a drill hole completed in 2001 is summarized as containing substantial quantities of platinum, palladium, copper, nickel and silver. The Company attempted to twin this drill hole based upon the locations provided in the historic reporting, but was not successful at obtaining similar sample results. The Lorrain property remains a project of interest for the Company.

McKENZIE EAST - Gold, copper.

The Company also owns the McKENZIE EAST project located north of Val d'Or. The McKenzie East property adjoins the east side of the McKenzie Break Project owned and operated by Monarch Mining Corporation.

The property has undergone historic exploration including the discovery of the C2-B mineral showing where drilling intersected quartz-carbonate-pyrite-chalcopyrite veins in andesitic-diorite host rocks. The most significant values reported include 3.10 grams per tonne (g/t) gold (Au) over 0.30 metres, 1.21 g/t Au over 0.30 metres (both from drill hole CO-94-10), and 1.10 g/t Au over 0.30 metres from hole CO-94-13.

The Company completed ground Induced Polarization (IP) electrical survey, a MMI soil sampling survey, a drone-supported airborne magnetic survey, and diamond drilling on the McKenzie East. In 2021, Black Tusk completed 2,587 metres of drilling over 8 drill holes on the property. Results include 1.185 grams per tonne gold (gpt Au) over 1 metre from hole MKE-21-01 as well as intercepts of > 0.5 gpt from holes MKE-21-03, MKE-21-06 and MKE-21-08 (see Black Tusk news release dated July 13, 2021).

Perry Grunenberg, P.Geo, a "Qualified Person" as that term is defined under NI 43-101, has reviewed and approved the technical information contained in this news release. Mr. Grunenberg is also a former director of the Company.

On behalf of the Board of Directors

Richard Penn

CEO

(778) 384-8923

Cautionary Statement

his news release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Often, but not always, forward-looking information and information can be identified by the use of words such as "plans", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "estimates", "intends", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", or "believes", or variations of such words and phrases or state that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved. Actual future results may differ materially. In particular, this release contains forward-looking information relating to the Company's expected benefits of proposed exploration activities. The forward-looking information reflects management's current expectations based on information currently available and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that may cause outcomes to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking information. Such risk factors may include, among others, but are not limited to: general economic conditions in Canada and globally; industry conditions, including governmental regulation and environmental regulation; the availability of capital on acceptable terms; the need to obtain required approvals from regulatory authorities; stock market volatility; competition for, among other things, skilled personnel and supplies; incorrect assessments of the value of acquisitions; geological, technical, processing and transportation problems; changes in tax laws and incentive programs; failure to realize the anticipated benefits of acquisitions and dispositions; and the other factors. Although the Company believes that the assumptions and factors used in preparing the forward-looking information are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on such information and no assurance can be given that such events will occur in the disclosed time frames or at all. Factors that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from current expectations include: (i) adverse market conditions; and (ii) other factors beyond the control of the Company. New risk factors emerge from time to time, and it is impossible for the Company's management to predict all risk factors, nor can the Company assess the impact of all factors on Company's business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ from those contained in any forward-looking information. The forward-looking information included in this news release are made as of the date of this news release and the Company expressly disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable law. Additional information identifying risks and uncertainties that could affect financial results is contained in the Company's filings with Canadian securities regulators, which are available at www.sedar.com.

SOURCE: Black Tusk Resources Inc

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/741115/Black-Tusk-Resources-Inc-to-Change-Name-to-Q-Battery-Metals-Corp
ASOS and Capital One UK to offer new and exclusive credit card to customers

LONDON, Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- ASOS, the global online fashion destination, and Capital One UK have today (Tuesday 28th February) announced a new and exclusive credit card partnership.

The partnership will result in the launch of a new ASOS credit card for eligible shoppers, available later this year. It will provide a range of features and benefits that only come with using a credit card, when they shop at ASOS and elsewhere, such as Section 75 protection on purchases over 100.

Capital One UK is a top credit card provider, with more than 20 years of lending experience, as well as industry-leading underwriting, technology, and digital capability.

John Birkbeck, Senior Director of Marketing and Partnerships at Capital One UK, said: "Capital One UK is excited to have agreed this partnership with ASOS to offer customers the opportunity to benefit from the convenience of using a credit card, while empowering them to be in control and to use credit responsibly.

Capital One UK's approach to credit is to give 100% certainty to customers before they apply on the key details that matter: whether they will be accepted or not and to guarantee up front the APR they will be offered is the APR they will get. This is in addition to the protections a credit card can provide in making purchases, and that responsible credit card use may positively contribute to building their credit rating."

Elle Kim, Director of Group Payments at ASOS, said: "We are pleased to partner with Capital One UK to offer eligible customers a new way of shopping with us. We look forward to sharing more details about our exciting partnership and this new product in the coming months."

The new ASOS card will be launching for customers later this year, and more information on the partnership will be shared as it becomes available.

Notes to Editors

Capital One UK's own free eligibility checker QuickCheck is designed to help customers understand if they're eligible for a credit card before applying, without affecting their credit score.

Capital One UK's Real Rates promise provides certainty that the APR a customer is shown before applying is the APR that they'll get.

About Capital One UK:

Capital One UK issued its first credit card in 1996 and has since grown to become a top ten credit provider in the UK, employing more than 1,500 UK-based associates across two offices in Nottingham and London.

Capital One was founded to help its customers succeed with credit and to offer great products to customers who otherwise have limited choices. It has pioneered industry leading tools like its QuickCheck eligibility checker and CreditWise, a free credit score monitor. Capital One offers a diverse portfolio of products including its own Classic Card and Balance Transfer Card, as well as collaborating with a number of known and loved partner brands to provide credit options to their customers.

Capital One UK is a subsidiary company of Capital One Financial Corporation, a diversified financial services company established in 1994. Today, it is one of the top ten largest banks in the United States, a Fortune 100 company and founder-led by CEO Richard Fairbank.

Capital One UK's Registered Office: Trent House, Station Street, Nottingham, NG2 3HX

For more information, visit https://www.capitalone.co.uk . To view further media releases, visit https://www.capitalone.co.uk/media/media-centre.jsf

About ASOS

ASOS is a destination for fashion-loving 20-somethings around the world, with a purpose to give its customers the confidence to be whoever they want to be. Through its market-leading app and mobile/desktop web experience, available in ten languages and in over 200 markets, ASOS customers can shop a curated edit of nearly 70,000 products, sourced from nearly 900 of the best global and local partner brands and its mix of fashion-led own-brand labels - ASOS Design, ASOS Edition, ASOS 4505, Collusion, Reclaimed Vintage, Topshop, Topman, Miss Selfridge and HIIT. ASOS aims to give all its customers a truly frictionless experience, with an ever-greater number of different payment methods and hundreds of local deliveries and return options, including Next-Day Delivery and Same-Day Delivery, dispatched from state-of-the-art fulfilment centres in the UK, the US and Germany.

For further media information contact:

Patrick Evans, Citigate Dewe Rogerson

T: 07774 133934

Email: Patrick.Evans@citigatedewerogerson.com

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SANTANDER (dpa-AFX) - Spanish financial services Group Banco Santander S.A. (BNC.L, BSBR, SAN) Tuesday unveiled its strategy for growth for the next three years from 2023 to 2025, as it details plans for higher profitability and growth. The company also announced an increase in its shareholder payout policy. The shares were gaining around 3 percent in the morning trading in Spain.



At its Investor Day in London, the company presents its plan to increase shareholder payout policy to about 50 percent of profits from about 40 percent, in 2023-2025 period through both cash dividends and share buybacks.



The bank's key financial and commercial goals also include achieving a return on tangible equity of 15-17 percent in 2023-2025 and an efficiency ratio of c.42 percent by 2025.



The bank will maintain a fully-loaded CET1 above 12 percent.



The bank also projects to deliver double-digit average annual growth in tangible net asset value or TNAV per share plus dividend per share through the cycle - a key measure of value creation.



By 2025, the bank is aiming to add 40 million customers, taking the total to around 200 million, while increasing active customers by 26 million to around 125 million.



This will help to grow revenues by around 7-8 percent per year on average in constant euros in 2023-2025.



Furthermore, through its ongoing transformation, the bank expects to improve its efficiency ratio from 45.8 percent to around 42 percent by 2025.



In Spain, Banco Santander shares were trading at 3.64 euros, up 2.45 percent.



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The C16QS is poised to unlock affordable high-performance solutions for accelerated Cellular IoT adoption

Cavli Wireless is set to attend the Embedded World 2023 edition in Nuremberg, Germany, from March 14-16, 2023. The event is known for being the largest trade fair for Embedded technology, showcasing various electronic systems, distributed intelligence, IoT, energy efficiency, and more. Cavli will showcase its IoT connectivity solutions in Hall 3, Booth 3-328

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230228005787/en/

Introducing The Cavli C16QS The World's Most Affordable LTE CAT1.bis Cellular IoT Module EW23 (Graphic: Business Wire)

The premier showcase at the Cavli booth will be the newly launched Cavli C16QS, an integrated single-mode LTE CAT1.bis Cellular Module based on 3GPP Release 14, which comes with an integrated eSIM and GNSS. The Cavli C16QS will also offer OEMs implementing IoT to cut down initial hardware costs due to the efficient pricing of the module, which makes it the world's most affordable LTE CAT1.bis solution in the market. The integrated eSIM coupled with Cavli Hubble Global Connectivity ensures the module can be deployed globally, making it an ideal solution for logistics, automotive, vehicle tracking, and much more.

The Hubble Stack Intelligence enables remote diagnosis, monitoring, and debugging of the C16QS through Hubble Lens, an advanced remote diagnosis feature of the Cavli Hubble IoT platform. This feature eliminates the need for physical intervention, making it possible to scale IoT efficiently. And through its robust operator partnerships in the EU, Cavli has achieved an extensive presence across Europe with its local LTE and LTE-M connectivity solutions, setting new industry standards in service quality and pricing.

Cavli Wireless will also be exhibiting the flagship C-Series Cellular IoT modules featuring LPWAN and Wideband connectivity with a wide range of options in terms of footprint, power consumption, and network capabilities, which makes Cavli Smart Modules an apt choice for any solution customers wish to implement. The Cavli solution expertise team will also be featuring live demos of the Hubble Tech Stack and free solution consulting to the booth visitors. The attendees can book a meeting with the consulting team here: https://www.cavliwireless.com/engagements/product-and-solution-guides.html

"As the primary trade event for technology companies worldwide, Embedded World 2023 provides the perfect platform for unveiling our industry-leading Cellular IoT solutions. Cavli Wireless is excited to join industry leaders in this prestigious event and demonstrate our commitment to democratizing the Internet of Things," commented, Tarun Thomas George, Chief Operating Officer, Cavli Wireless.

About Cavli Wireless

Cavli Wireless is a cellular IoT module manufacturer that combines IoT connectivity and data management into one platform. Cavli designs and manufactures industrial-grade cellular IoT smart modules that improve equipment reliability and expedite application development processes. Cavli's smart cellular modules are equipped with global cellular connectivity through integrated eSIM functionality that provides users with affordable global data pricing, simplified device management, and centralized subscription management through the proprietary cloud-based platform Cavli Hubble.

About Embedded World

Every year, the Embedded world Exhibition&Conference in Nuremberg offers the embedded community the opportunity to find out about innovations, exchange ideas, and maintain and establish valuable contacts. Exhibitors present state-of-the-art on all facets of embedded technologies, from components, modules, and complete systems to operating systems and software, hardware and software tools, and services related to embedded systems.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230228005787/en/

Contacts:

Ajit Thomas, CMO, Cavli Inc

ajit@cavliwireless.com

+1-650-535-1150

https://www.cavliwireless.com/
Huawei announced it has joined the UNESCO Global Alliance for Literacy (GAL) on February 26th as part of the company's lead up to the Mobile World Congress 2023. The announcement was made at a Digital Talent Summit co-hosted by Huawei and the UNECSO Institute for Lifelong Learning (UIL) which serves as the Secretariat of the GAL.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230228005765/en/

Representative from Huawei and UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning signs agreement (Photo: Huawei)

At the Summit, Huawei and the UIL agreed to jointly promote the use of technology to raise literacy. The two parties also signed a cooperation agreement under which Huawei will fund an expansion of the UIL's current initiatives to enhance educators' use of technology in developing countries. Currently, the UIL initiative operates in Bangladesh, Cote d'Ivoire, Egypt, Nigeria, and Pakistan.

Huawei is the first private company to become an associate member of the GAL and the company is excited its own goals align with the GAL's vision of eradicating digital illiteracy in young people.

UIL Director David Atchoarena explained at the event, "Our rapidly changing world calls for concerted efforts and strong partnerships to achieve quality education and lifelong learning for all."

Atchoarena continued, "Huawei's expertise in the area of innovation in learning will be a great asset to the Global Alliance for Literacy. Collaborative projects such as ours will ensure that no one is left behind on this journey."

Huawei's own Vice President of Corporate Communications Vicky Zhang also commented, "Getting the right education is often the key to success in life. As a major player in the technology sector, Huawei feels it has a responsibility to provide technology skills in all parts of the world, trying our best to include as many people as possible."

"We are proud to join forces with UNESCO to better deliver on this responsibility," Zhang added.

Huawei believes digital talent is a key driver in achieving digital transformation, solid economic growth, and better quality of life. Since 2008, Huawei has offered a wide and expanding range of talent programs. Under its Seeds for the Future umbrella, Huawei provides tens of thousands of people every year with scholarships and digital training courses targeting all age groups. The company also organizes and sponsors tech competitions where students can expand their knowledge, win prizes, and make new friends.

Dr. Piti Srisangnam, Executive Director of ASEAN Foundation applauded Huawei's contribution to the local talent community. "The ASEAN Seeds for the Future program that we launched in 2022 together with Huawei has already become a resourceful platform for hundreds of local students in ten ASEAN countries to learn ICT knowledge and have cultural exchanges," he said.

John Omo, Secretary General of African Telecommunication Union (ATU), also emphasized on the necessity of bridging the local talent to the international community. He said, "It is critical that youth in Africa have access to global opportunities and can be a part of global conversations."

Sen. Jorge Ramirez Marin, President of the Commission of Science and Technology of Mexico Senate also called for a global synergy. "Digital education should be a factor that brings us closer to equity, instead of aggravating inequality," he said.

The summit concluded with a profound and interesting panel session on imagining the future of education. The panel discussion was shared by George Gilder, the renowned economist and co-founder of the Discovery Institute, Dr. Ricardo Gil-da-Costa, the CEO and co-founder of Neuroverse, and two Huawei Seeds for the Future alumni.

So far, Huawei's Seeds for the Future program has helped nurture more than 2.2 million digital talents in over 150 countries. The company's ICT Academy can train about 200,000 students each year. In 2021, Huawei announced it had already invested US$150 million and planned invest another US$150 million in digital talent development before 2026, which is expected to benefit an additional 3 million people.

About the Global Alliance for Literacy

Since its launch in 2016, the Global Alliance for Literacy has driven international discourse and guided the agenda for literacy provision globally for those who need it most. The alliance includes 30 countries committed to improving youth and adult literacy. It serves as a platform for its members to discuss progress and challenges together, and to exchange knowledge and good practice.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230228005765/en/

Contacts:

Colin Qian

qianzhecheng@huawei.com

+86 18036392250
Trigo, an Israel-based computer vision company building AI powered infrastructure for autonomous checkout and retail analytics, and German discount giant ALDI Nord are proud to announce they have been awarded the Retail Technology Awards Europe Top Supplier Retail 2023 in the Best AI Robotics Application category

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230228005795/en/

Sinanudin Omerhodzic, CTO at ALDI Einkauf SE. Co. oHG (left) and Guy Yair, CRO at Trigo receiving the Retail Technology Awards Europe Top Supplier Retail 2023 in the Best AI Robotics Application category. (Photo: Trigo)

The award was presented by EHI Retail Institute and recognizes outstanding technology solutions in retail. The jury commended ALDI Nord and Trigo for reinventing the discount model with future technologies in its latest store concept ALDI Shop Go, the first checkout-free store by ALDI Nord in Utrecht.

The store is equipped with the Trigo-powered artificial intelligence system that allows customers to enter the store with the ALDI Shop Go app via QR code, pick their items, and walk out without having to pay at checkout. Products are tracked by sensors in the shelves and cameras in the ceiling, all while protecting shoppers' privacy in compliance with the strictest European data protection regulations. When the customers are done shopping, the ALDI Shop Go app prompts the payment process automatically.

Michael Gabay, Trigo's co-founder and CEO, said, "ALDI Nord and Trigo's Top Supplier Retail 2023 award in Best AI Robotics Application is a significant milestone in our mission to reshape the retail experience. Trigo is excited to continue working on perfecting its computer vision system and offering its innovative solutions to grocery retailers worldwide. AI-Powered and fully automated digitized stores transform retailer's revenue and cost structure. We are particularly proud to work with ALDI Nord, who invented the discount business model and have been at the forefront of grocery retail innovation for nearly a century."

Sinanudin Omerhodzic, CTO at ALDI Einkauf SE. Co. oHG, said, "With ALDI Shop Go, we have developed a concept that brings together the discount idea and computer vision technology always with the aim of making shopping as easy as possible. Data drives change and our value chain, and the company that has the best command of the data in the future will be the market leader."

On top of the physical infrastructure, Trigo is developing an AI-powered, real-time inventory management system called EasyStock, which allows retailers to do things like track inventory in real time, minimize out-of-stock items for in-store and online shopping, and limit shoplifting.

This is the second year in a row that Trigo has won a RETA award, after winning Best In-Store Solution in 2022 for its work with Netto Marken-Discount, opening the discount giant's first hybrid checkout-free grocery store in Munich. Trigo's system is currently deployed by leading grocery store chains in the U.K. (Tesco), Germany (REWE and Netto), The Netherlands (ALDI Nord), the U.S. (Wakefern Food Corp.), and Israel (Shufersal). The system has also evolved to support different sizes and formats with equal quality and new use cases. These sizes and formats range from 'express' stores like REWE's hybrid store in Cologne and Tesco's 100% autonomous store in London, through full-sized supermarkets like the Netto Marken-Discount in Munich where shoppers buy in bulk, and the ALDI Nord store in Utrecht measuring 4,090 square feet.

About Trigo

Trigo is a computer vision startup reshaping the retail experience. Leveraging world class AI and algorithmics experts, the company's advanced retail automation platform identifies customers' shopping items with exceptional levels of accuracy, creating an entirely seamless checkout process.. Trigo works closely with retailers to convert their existing stores while maintaining their unique character and layout and leveraging their physical grocery scale to roll out next-generation offerings securely. Powered by its proprietary 3D engine, Trigo offers grocery retailers a range of additional solutions called StoreOS, including predictive inventory management, pricing optimization, security and fraud prevention, planogram compliance, and event-driven marketing. This layer quickly enables actionable insight that boosts the chain's efficiency. Please visit Trigo for more information.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230228005795/en/

Contacts:

Trigo PR: Amir Mizroch amir@orangegrovecomms.com
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - February 28, 2023) - Arras Minerals Corp. (TSXV: ARK) ("Arras" or "the Company") is pleased to announce that the Company will be attending the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada (PDAC) Conference in Toronto from March 5 - 8, 2023.

Arras Minerals will be exhibiting at the PDAC in Booth 2813. The Company has also been invited to showcase geological core at the "Core Shack" on March 7 - 8th (Tuesday and Wednesday). Core from the Company's Beskauga copper-gold porphyry project in NE Kazakhstan will be on display.

On behalf of the Board of Directors

"Tim Barry"

Tim Barry, MAusIMM CP(Geo)

Chief Executive Officer and Director

INVESTOR RELATIONS:

+1 604 687 5800

info@arrasminerals.com

Further information can be found on the Company's website https://www.arrasminerals.com or follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/arrasminerals

About Arras Minerals Corp: Arras is a Canadian exploration and development company advancing a portfolio of copper and gold assets in northeastern Kazakhstan, including the Option Agreement on the Beskauga copper and gold project. The Company's shares are listed on the TSX-V under the trading symbol "ARK".

Cautionary Note to U.S. Investors concerning estimates of Measured, Indicated, and Inferred Resources: This press release uses the terms "measured resources", "indicated resources", and "inferred resources" which are defined in, and required to be disclosed by, NI 43-101. The Company advises U.S. investors that these terms are not recognized by the SEC. The estimation of measured, indicated and inferred resources involves greater uncertainty as to their existence and economic feasibility than the estimation of proven and probable reserves. U.S. investors are cautioned not to assume that measured and indicated mineral resources will be converted into reserves. The estimation of inferred resources involves far greater uncertainty as to their existence and economic viability than the estimation of other categories of resources. U.S. investors are cautioned not to assume that estimates of inferred mineral resources exist, are economically minable, or will be upgraded into measured or indicated mineral resources. Under Canadian securities laws, estimates of inferred mineral resources may not form the basis of feasibility or other economic studies. Disclosure of "contained ounces" in a resource is permitted disclosure under Canadian regulations, however the SEC normally only permits issuers to report mineralization that does not constitute "reserves" by SEC standards as in place tonnage and grade without reference to unit measures. Accordingly, the information contained in this press release may not be comparable to similar information made public by U.S. companies that are not subject NI 43-101.



Cautionary note regarding forward-looking statements: This news release contains forward-looking statements regarding future events and Arras' future results that are subject to the safe harbors created under the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the Exchange Act, and applicable Canadian securities laws. Forward-looking statements include, among others, statements regarding the use of net proceeds from the recent private placement, plans and expectations of the drill program Arras is in the process of undertaking, including the expansion of the Mineral Resource, and other aspects of the Mineral Resource estimates for the Beskauga project. These statements are based on current expectations, estimates, forecasts, and projections about Arras' exploration projects, the industry in which Arras operates and the beliefs and assumptions of Arras' management. Words such as "expects," "anticipates," "targets," "goals," "projects," "intends," "plans," "believes," "seeks," "estimates," "continues," "may," variations of such words, and similar expressions and references to future periods, are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are subject to a number of assumptions, risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond management's control, including undertaking further exploration activities, the results of such exploration activities and that such results support continued exploration activities, unexpected variations in ore grade, types and metallurgy, volatility and level of commodity prices, the availability of sufficient future financing, and other matters discussed under the caption "Risk Factors" in the Company's Management Discussion and Analysis filed on the Company's profile on SEDAR on February 24, 2023 and in the Company's Annual Report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended October 31, 2022 filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filed on February 24, 2023 available on www.sec.gov. Readers are cautioned that forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and that actual results or developments may differ materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements. Any forward-looking statement made by the Company in this release is based only on information currently available and speaks only as of the date on which it is made. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether written or oral, that may be made from time to time, whether as a result of new information, future developments, or otherwise.



To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/156346
TORONTO, Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Mandalay Resources Corporation ("Mandalay" or the "Company") (TSX: MND) (OTCQB: MNDJF) is pleased to provide an update on the drilling campaigns at the Robinson and True Blue Prospects at its Costerfield Operation (Victoria, Australia).

Drilling Highlights:

12-hole diamond drill program confirms the presence of gold anomalism along the Wolfe Trend at Robinson Prospect; however, Mandalay has not been able to replicate the exceptional grade of 1,780 g/t over 0.17 meters ("m") (see news release dated June 9, 2022 ).

). Deep drilling at the True Blue Prospect has identified subvertical quartz-stibnite veining west of the historically mined lode with substantial grade intercepted in 2 drill holes:

3.8 g/t gold and 4.3% antimony over 2.57 m (estimated true width ("ETW") of 1.65 m ) in TB010, including 20.2 g/t gold and 20.3% antimony over 0.44 m (ETW 0.31 m ); and

(estimated true width ("ETW") of ) in TB010, including 20.2 g/t gold and 20.3% antimony over (ETW ); and

4.4 g/t gold and 4.3% antimony over 1.82 m (ETW of 0.91 m ) in TB012

Note: Further intercept details can be found in Table 1 and Table 2 in the Appendix to this document.



Dominic Duffy, President and CEO of Mandalay, commented:

"We are pleased to provide an update on the Robinson Prospect drilling program and report encouraging results from our ongoing drill testing campaign at the True Blue Prospect situated 2.5 km to the west of the Shepherd and Youle mine.

"After the initial exciting drill result of 1,780 g/t gold over 0.17 m (see news release dated June 9, 2022) early in the Robinson deep drilling program, the schedule was accelerated with the addition of a second drill rig. Over the proceeding months an additional 12 holes were drilled with mixed results showing strong structural continuity, but little grade continuity for the mineralization. A geochemical study of the Costerfield system, ongoing at the time, suggests that the nuggety properties of the mineralization found at Robinson could be linked to the host rocktype with a more favourable setting underlying the tested area.

"In light of the updated mineralization model, the Robinson Prospect was put on hold and drilling commenced on the True Blue prospect approximately 2.5 kilometres to the West of the current mine at Youle. While there was historic mining at True Blue and some drill testing success in 2020, interest was heightened due to the favourable host rock setting that is shared with Youle and Cuffley and underlies the Robinson prospect.

"The initial results of the True Blue program are encouraging and the best results so far are within the theorized, favourable stratigraphic setting. The intercepts are similar in grade and minerology to the upper mineralized levels of the central corridor where mining began in 2006, supporting the updated mineralization model. Drilling will continue on the True Blue prospect applying understanding from the Augusta to Youle mineral corridor as an analogue to potentially find a new high-grade mineral field."

Robinson Prospect Drilling Program Update

Located approximately 2 km east of the Augusta mine site in the Costerfield State Forest, Robinson Prospect is characterized by extensive surface workings and several shafts that were sunk on the two historically mined lodes, the Cochrane and Robinson lodes. Mandalay designed and executed a drilling program in 2022 to identify the continuation of the Robinson line of lode at depth, as well as strike extensions.

We achieved early success on the initial five holes of the 2022 drill testing program at Robinson's, with RB007 intercepting 1,780 g/t gold over true width of 0.15 m hosted in a breccia vein ~80 m to the west of the historically mined Robinson Lode, justifying a follow-up testing campaign. Since the release of the initial five holes of the drilling campaign (see new release dated June 9, 2022), a further 12 holes have been drilled to identify the nature and extent of the gold mineralization intercepted in RB007 (Figure 1).





Drilling delineated an area of gold anomalism broadly continuous along 350 m of strike. Intercepts within this trend are either well-developed quartz breccia like the intercept in RB008 (Fig. 2) or zones of intense stockwork veining with strong sulfide wall rock alteration like the intercept in RB016 (Fig. 3). Despite the lack of structural continuity, the spatial distribution of mineralized structures clearly defines a mineralized corridor of roughly north-south strike interpreted to be parallel to the historic Robinson workings.





This newly discovered mineralized corridor named Wolfe Trend appears to be a continuation of the surface mineralization of Robinson's Lode progressively stepping westward at depth across several thrust faults. The ~200 m wide corridor is bound by at least two steep north-striking and highly sheared fault zones. Drilling results indicate that the system may have originally deformed under the west dipping thrusts with the sub-vertical faults crosscutting the earlier thrusts with minimal offset. Out of the two fault sets, the sub-vertical faults are interpreted to have introduced gold-bearing fluids into the prospect (Fig. 4). This is due to the presence of quartz veining, anomalous gold, and bleached bedding associated with these faults. From the damage zone between these sub-vertical faults, a discontinuous fracture network of meter scale veins formed through the brittle sandstone dominant layers of the Wapentake Formation that host the prospect. This fracture network hosts the gold bearing quartz veins and breccias intercepted within the Wolfe Trend.









Outlook

In the newly discovered Wolfe Trend, the 2022 drilling program successfully identified some of the strongest mineralization in the district and demonstrated the presence of a well-endowed mineral system extending at depth at the Robinson prospect. However, the gold mineralization appears to be dispersed across an extensive quartz-filled fracture network and gold bearing structures are challenging to continuously intercept. This is evidenced by the lack of continuity between gold grades above 0.5 g/t. This complex structural environment is largely a consequence of the brittle nature of the host sandstone layers of the Wapentake Formation, which accommodated the strain accumulated between the steep faults during the mineralizing event by developing a brittle, anastomozing fracture network.

The mineralized breccias of Robinson Prospect may potentially only represent the surface expression of a more cohesive mineral system at depth; district-scale structural and litho-stratigraphic modelling suggests that the geological and structural setting of the central corridor may be present at about 600 m depth under the sandstone-dominated Wapentake Formation turbidites (Fig. 5). The depth continuation of the Robinson mineral system may therefore be hosted in the same favourable lithostratigraphic environment that hosts classic Costerfield-style mineralization like that of the Youle and Cuffley deposits.

Recent drilling at the True Blue prospect is building on the favourable lithostratigraphic setting model and, once further supported, a deep drilling champaign will be designed to test the setting under Robinson.





True Blue Drilling Program Update

2020 Testing Program

The True Blue prospect includes a series of historic surface workings and coincident geochemical anomaly, hosted within the hinge zone of an anticline ~2.5 km to the west of the current Youle and Brunswick mine workings (Fig. 6). Two phases of diamond drill testing were completed at True Blue in 2020 to follow-up on a single diamond drill hole (TB01) drilled by Mandalay in 2010 under the surface workings to the north of the True Blue shaft.

The initial three-drillhole testing phase (see press release June 22, 2020) achieved early success in TB002 intercepting a steep east dipping quartz-stibnite vein grading at 5.8 g/t Au, and 14.2% Sb over 0.13 m (true width) interpreted to correspond to the down-dip extension of the True Blue lode intercept in TB01.

A second phase of testing consisted of four drillholes (TB005 to TB008) which continued testing the True Blue Lode after the initial success of TB002. Drilling intercepted weakly mineralized quartz veins with trace stibnite and sulphide wall rock alteration halos, delineating a strike of ~400 m of gold anomalism on the steep east dipping True Blue Lode. All significant intercepts of this second phase of drilling are hosted on the east limb of the True Blue anticline within a domain heavily disrupted by high frequency steep east dipping fault zones. Consequently, the intercepts exhibit poor structural and grade continuity.

TB005 and TB006 also intercepted a moderate northwest dipping thrust named the Quartz Fault. The Quartz Fault has distinctive quartz fill with strong sulphide alteration and is interpreted to constitute the lower bound of the True Blue lode. The Quartz Fault intercepts in TB005 and TB006 yield anomalous gold grades suggesting the fault could have provided a pathway for mineralizing fluids at the True Blue prospect. TB005 also intercepted stibnite veining below the Quartz Fault in an area that appears to be less disrupted by the thrust faulting observed further east, therefore indicating that a more prospective panel for Costerfield-style quartz-stibnite mineralization could exist below the Quartz Fault and further west on the west limb of the True Blue anticline.

2022 True Blue Deeps Program

Following a review of previous drilling results, the True Blue Deeps program was designed to test for the continuation of the True Blue mineralization below the Quartz Fault and away from the heavily faulted domain in the east limb of the True Blue anticline. The drilling program is currently under way and four drillholes have been completed to date.

TB009, the first hole in the True Blue Deeps program, was drilled west to east and collared ~400 m west of the TB002 collar location. This drillhole intercepted a 5-meter array of subvertical quartz-stibnite veins with anomalous gold below the Quartz Fault (Fig. 7). Gold grades for some veined intervals are in excess of 5 g/t Au with visible gold observed in a quartz-stibnite vein grading at 2.15 g/t Au. This mineralized zone is located to the west of the True Blue Lode and the stibnite veining below the Quartz Fault intercepted in TB005, suggesting a progressive westward stepping of the mineralization below the Quartz Fault. TB009 went on to intercept additional quartz-stibnite mineralization with gold grades in excess of 3 g/t.





TB010 was drilled east to west to test for subvertical mineralization below the Quartz Fault across the True Blue anticline. TB010 intercepted anomalous gold in a zone of highly strained quartz veins with trace stibnite interpreted to correlate with the vein array intercepted in TB009. High-grade mineralization was however intercepted further to the west of this veining, culminating with a steep west dipping stibnite vein grading at 20.2 g/t Au and 20.3% Sb over 0.28 m true width, the highest gold grade seen yet at the True-Blue Prospect (Fig. 7). This intercept and the associated massive stibnite and quartz-stibnite tension veining yielded a composite grade of 3.84 g/t Au and 4.31 % Sb at a true width of 1.65 m.





The high-grade gold intercept represents a newly discovered line of lode below the Quartz Fault called True Blue West Lode. The proximity of the high-grade intercept to the Augusta Beds, a key stratigraphic horizon of the Costerfield Siltstone that has been interpreted to produce a significant upgrade in gold grades in the upper part of the Augusta and Costerfield lodes, may also support a lithostratigraphic control on the upgrade in gold grades observed in this new line of mineralization.

A wedge hole was completed to test for the continuation of the True Blue West Lode into the hanging wall of the Quartz Fault up-dip the parent hole intercept. Despite the downgrade in gold grades from the parent hole intercept, TB010W1 successfully confirmed the continuation of the West Lode intercepting a stibnite vein followed by a highly strained fault with stibnite fill of similar orientation to the parent hole intercept and grading at 2.87 g/t Au and 3.45% Sb at 0.42 m true width.

TB011 was drilled ~200 m south of TB009 to test for the continuation of the True Blue West Lode to the south. TB011 intercepted stibnite veining yielding anomalous gold and stibnite grades (1.10 g/t Au and 6.89% Sb at 0.06 m true width) below the Quartz Fault. The current interpretation suggests that the veining could correspond to the southern extent of the veining intercepted in TB009, thus indicating that True Blue West Lode intercepted in TB010 and TB010W1 could lie further to the west if this drillhole.

The most recently completed hole (TB012) intercepted the continuation of the True Blue West Lode ~80 m north of the high-grade in TB010. The intercept comprises three stibnite veins within a two-meter zone of quartz-stibnite veining grading at 4.43 g/t Au and 4.32% Sb over 0.91 m true width (Fig. 8). Like TB010, this veining was intercepted below the Augusta Beds, further supporting the upgrade in gold grades of this line of mineralization below this stratigraphic horizon.









Outlook

The True Blue Deeps drilling program has successfully confirmed the depth continuation of the mineralization intercepted during the 2020 drilling campaign. More importantly, the deep drilling indicated the potential for a significant upgrade in gold grades at depth below the Quartz Fault.

Future drilling will focus on further testing this newly discovered line of lode on the west limb of the True Blue anticline and below the Augusta Beds to identify a continuation of the mineral system into the same litho-structural setting that hosts the classic high-grade Costerfield style-mineralization of the Youle and Cuffley deposits.





Drilling and Assaying

All diamond drill core was logged and sampled by Costerfield geologists. All samples were sent to On Site Laboratory Services (OSLS) in Bendigo, Victoria, Australia, for sample preparation and analysis by fire assay for gold, and Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy (AAS) for antimony. Samples featuring coarse grained visible gold were assayed using a variant of fire assay known as screen fire assay. This method is routinely used to mitigate potential problems associated with heterogeneity in the distribution of coarse gold within drill samples. The procedure collects all coarse heterogenous coarse gold by screening at 75m after crushing and pulverisation, and subsequently fire assays the resultant mass to extinction. A mass weighted average of gold grade of the sample is subsequently calculated from the +75m and -75m fractions of the sample. Site geological and metallurgical personnel have implemented a QA/QC procedure that includes systematic submission of standard reference materials and blanks within batches of drill and face samples submitted for assay. Costerfield specific reference materials produced from Costerfield ore have been prepared and certified by Geostats Pty Ltd., a specialist laboratory quality control consultancy. See Technical Report entitled "Costerfield Operation, Victoria, Australia NI 43-101 Report" dated March 30, 2021, available on SEDAR ( www.sedar.com ) for a complete description of drilling, sampling, and assaying procedures.

Qualified Person:

Chris Davis, Vice President of Operational Geology and Exploration at Mandalay Resources, is a Chartered Professional of the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy (MAusIMM CP(Geo)), as well as a Member of the Australian Institute of Geoscientists (MAIG) and a Qualified Person as defined by NI 43-101. He has reviewed and approved the technical and scientific information provided in this release.

About Mandalay Resources Corporation

Mandalay Resources is a Canadian-based natural resource company with producing assets in Australia (Costerfield gold-antimony mine) and Sweden (Bjorkdal gold mine), with projects in Chile and Canada under closure or development status. The Company is focused on growing its production and reducing costs to generate significant positive cashflow. Mandalay is committed to operating safely and in an environmentally responsible manner, while developing a high level of community and employee engagement.

Mandalay's mission is to create shareholder value through the profitable operation and continuing the regional exploration program, at both its Costerfield and Bjorkdal mines. Currently, the Company's main objectives are to continue mining the high-grade Youle vein at Costerfield, bring the deeper Shepherd veins into production, both of which are expected to continue to supply high-grade ore to the processing plant, and to extend Youle's Mineral Reserves. At Bjorkdal, the Company will aim to increase production from the Aurora zone and other higher-grade areas in the coming years in order to maximize profit margins from the mine

Forward-Looking Statements:

This news release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable securities laws, including statements regarding the exploration and development potential of the Robinson's and True Blue Prospects (Costerfield). Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Actual results and developments may differ materially from those contemplated by these statements depending on, among other things, changes in commodity prices and general market and economic conditions. The factors identified above are not intended to represent a complete list of the factors that could affect Mandalay. A description of additional risks that could result in actual results and developments differing from those contemplated by forward-looking statements in this news release can be found under the heading "Risk Factors" in Mandalay's annual information form dated March 31, 2021, a copy of which is available under Mandalay's profile at www.sedar.com. In addition, there can be no assurance that any inferred resources that are discovered as a result of additional drilling will ever be upgraded to proven or probable reserves. Although Mandalay has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that 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.

Appendix

Table 1. Significant intercepts of the Robinson's Testing Drilling Program

DRILL HOLE ID FROM

(M) TO (M) DRILL

WIDTH

(M) TRUE

WIDTH

(M) AU

GRADE

(G/T) SB

GRADE

(%) AUEQ OVER

1.8 MINING

WIDTH (G/T) SAMPLED

STRUCTURE RB007* 125.11 125.28 0.17 0.15 1780 0.02 145.59 Wolfe Lode RB007* 125.28 125.52 0.24 0.21 0.75 LLD 0.09 Wolfe Lode RB007 168.45 169.55 1.1 0.95 3.56 LLD 1.88 Unnamed vein including













RB007 168.45 168.89 0.44 0.38 2.55 LLD 0.54 Unnamed vein RB007 168.89 169.05 0.16 0.14 4.19 LLD 0.32 Unnamed vein RB007 169.3 169.55 0.25 0.22 8.2 LLD 0.99 Unnamed vein RB007 190.5 191.17 0.67 0.58 1.07 LLD 0.34 Unnamed vein RB007 276.96 277.43 0.47 0.41 2.38 0.03 0.55 Cochrane Lode RB007 295.71 296.05 0.34 0.29 1.24 LLD 0.20 Cochrane Lode RB008 207.9 208.23 0.33 0.30 16.8 LLD 2.84 Wolfe Lode RB008 403.12 404.12 1 0.71 0.86 LLD 0.34 Cochrane Lode RB010 129.52 129.89 0.37 0.17 0.72 LLD 0.07 Wolfe Lode RB012 148.32 148.48 0.16 0.11 1.01 LLD 0.06 Unnamed vein RB012 186.31 186.79 0.48 0.37 0.66 LLD 0.13 Unnamed vein RB013 172.94 173.35 0.41 0.36 0.67 LLD 0.13 Unnamed vein RB013 206.25 206.4 0.15 0.13 0.53 LLD 0.04 Wolfe Lode RB013 209.67 209.79 0.12 0.10 0.64 LLD 0.04 Wolfe Lode RB014 148.56 148.78 0.22 0.19 1.64 LLD 0.17 Wolfe Lode RB016 91.3 92.01 0.71 0.50 0.6 LLD 0.17 Robinson Lode RB016 92.01 93 0.99 0.70 1.37 LLD 0.53 Robinson Lode RB016 237.89 238.7 0.81 0.34 2.42 LLD 0.46 Wolfe Lode RB016 238.85 239.16 0.31 0.13 0.64 LLD 0.05 Wolfe Lode RB018 80 80.9 0.9 0.52 0.63 LLD 0.18 Robinson Lode RB018 81.53 81.9 0.37 0.21 0.5 LLD 0.06 Robinson Lode

*previously released assay results





Notes

1. The AuEq (gold equivalent) grade is calculated using the following formula:

AuEq g per t=Au g per t+Sb% (Sb price per 10kgSb processing recovery) (Au price per gAu processing recovery)

Prices and recoveries used: Au $/oz = 1,700; Sb $/t = 11,700; Au Recovery = 93% and Sb Recovery = 95% 2. LLD signifies an undetectable amount of antimony. Detection limit for the analysis used is 0.01% 3. Composites that are not interpreted to be connected to a named vein or trend and are below 0.5 g/t Au are not considered significant and are not recorded here.



Table 2. Significant intercepts of the True Blue Testing and True Blue Deeps programs

DRILL HOLE ID FROM

(M) TO (M) DRILL

WIDTH

(M) TRUE

WIDTH

(M) AU

GRADE

(G/T) SB

GRADE

(%) AUEQ

OVER 1.8

MINING

WIDTH (G/T) SAMPLED

STRUCTURE TB005 33.34 33.85 0.51 0.36 1.11 0.04 0.24 Unnamed vein TB005 79.09 79.4 0.31 0.22 0.67 LLD 0.08 Unnamed vein TB005 79.4 79.8 0.4 0.28 0.60 LLD 0.09 Unnamed vein TB005 119.09 119.4 0.31 0.13 2.28 LLD 0.16 Unnamed vein TB005 131.3 131.5 0.2 0.14 0.50 LLD 0.04 Unnamed vein TB005 132 132.5 0.5 0.35 1.02 LLD 0.20 Unnamed vein TB005 132.5 133.19 0.69 0.49 0.99 LLD 0.26 Unnamed vein TB005 160.12 160.38 0.26 0.23 6.04 0.03 0.76 Unnamed vein TB005 160.38 160.73 0.35 0.30 0.52 LLD 0.08 Unnamed vein TB005 246.42 246.8 0.38 0.27 1.04 LLD 0.15 Unnamed vein TB005 252.59 252.76 0.17 0.08 0.63 LLD 0.03 Unnamed vein TB005 256.29 256.51 0.22 0.10 0.60 LLD 0.03 Unnamed vein TB005 275.22 275.65 0.43 0.21 0.60 LLD 0.07 Quartz Fault TB005 275.65 275.93 0.28 0.14 0.76 LLD 0.06 Quartz Fault TB005 275.93 276.05 0.12 0.06 1.47 LLD 0.05 Quartz Fault TB005 281.39 281.53 0.14 0.05 1.74 2.88 0.23 Unnamed vein TB005 281.53 281.72 0.19 0.07 2.94 LLD 0.12 Unnamed vein TB005 293.78 294.02 0.24 0.12 0.99 LLD 0.06 Unnamed vein TB005 303.84 304.11 0.27 0.15 0.53 LLD 0.04 Unnamed vein TB005 304.11 304.25 0.14 0.08 0.51 LLD 0.02 Unnamed vein TB005 305.68 305.85 0.17 0.09 0.51 LLD 0.03 Unnamed vein TB005 307.9 308.01 0.11 0.06 0.50 LLD 0.02 Unnamed vein TB005 310.35 310.52 0.17 0.09 0.50 0.02 0.03 Unnamed vein TB006 82.5 82.65 0.15 0.09 0.89 LLD 0.04 Unnamed vein TB006 82.65 82.8 0.15 0.09 0.70 LLD 0.03 Unnamed vein TB006 165.4 165.7 0.3 0.21 2.13 LLD 0.25 True Blue East Lode TB006 165.7 165.79 0.09 0.06 2.36 0.02 0.08 True Blue East Lode TB006 202 202.5 0.5 0.35 2.02 LLD 0.39 Unnamed vein TB006 221.05 221.5 0.45 0.32 0.50 LLD 0.08 Unnamed vein TB006 228.65 229.06 0.41 0.29 0.70 LLD 0.11 Quartz Fault TB006 229.06 229.4 0.34 0.24 2.17 LLD 0.29 Quartz Fault TB006 229.4 229.62 0.22 0.16 0.74 LLD 0.06 Quartz Fault TB006 229.62 230 0.38 0.27 0.65 LLD 0.09 Quartz Fault TB006 230 230.52 0.52 0.37 0.55 LLD 0.11 Quartz Fault TB007 140.28 140.6 0.32 0.29 0.96 LLD 0.15 Unnamed vein TB007 142.43 142.56 0.13 0.12 0.80 LLD 0.05 Unnamed vein TB007 166.8 166.9 0.1 0.10 2.33 LLD 0.12 Unnamed vein TB007 204.1 204.68 0.58 0.37 0.72 LLD 0.14 Unnamed vein TB007 211.75 211.97 0.22 0.19 4.50 0.04 0.49 True Blue East Lode TB007 211.97 212.4 0.43 0.37 0.87 LLD 0.18 Unnamed vein TB007 234.61 234.74 0.13 0.12 0.75 LLD 0.05 Unnamed vein TB007 234.74 235.42 0.68 0.61 0.89 LLD 0.29 Unnamed vein TB007 235.42 235.53 0.11 0.10 2.37 LLD 0.13 Unnamed vein TB007 235.53 236.15 0.62 0.56 0.59 LLD 0.18 Unnamed vein TB008 107.8 107.9 0.1 0.10 2.07 LLD 0.11 True Blue East Lode TB008 186.91 187.1 0.19 0.13 1.72 LLD 0.13 Unnamed vein TB008 187.1 187.37 0.27 0.19 1.01 LLD 0.10 Unnamed vein TB008 195.2 195.75 0.55 0.28 1.79 LLD 0.27 Unnamed vein TB008 196.15 196.57 0.42 0.21 1.86 LLD 0.21 Unnamed vein TB008 196.57 197.15 0.58 0.29 1.22 LLD 0.19 Unnamed vein TB009 384.42 384.52 0.1 0.07 0.61 LLD 0.02 Unnamed vein TB009 385.52 385.68 0.16 0.11 0.74 LLD 0.05 Unnamed vein TB009 386.68 392.04 5.36 2.98 1.44 0.08 1.61 Veining between True Blue East and West lodes including













TB009 386.68 386.93 0.25 0.18 1.22 0.02 0.12

TB009 386.93 387.32 0.39 0.28 6.10 0.02 0.94

TB009 388.25 388.67 0.42 0.30 0.92 0.01 0.16

TB009 388.67 389.09 0.42 0.30 0.78 0.03 0.14

TB009 389.09 389.34 0.25 0.18 0.90 LLD 0.09

TB009 389.34 389.6 0.26 0.18 2.37 0.01 0.24

TB009 389.6 389.94 0.34 0.24 2.15 0.23 0.35

TB009 389.94 390.34 0.4 0.28 0.94 LLD 0.14

TB009 390.34 390.57 0.23 0.16 0.75 LLD 0.07

TB009 390.57 390.82 0.25 0.18 0.53 0.01 0.05

TB009 390.93 391.72 0.79 0.56 0.67 0.02 0.22

TB009 391.72 391.87 0.15 0.11 5.98 1.83 0.59

TB009 391.87 392.04 0.17 0.12 0.55 LLD 0.04

TB009 400 400.74 0.74 0.52 0.93 LLD 0.26 Unnamed vein TB009 400.74 400.9 0.16 0.11 2.47 0.06 0.16 Unnamed vein TB009 400.9 401.9 1 0.71 0.50 LLD 0.19 Unnamed vein TB009 406.25 406.65 0.4 0.28 0.56 LLD 0.08 Unnamed vein TB009 406.65 406.88 0.23 0.16 2.03 LLD 0.18 Unnamed vein TB009 406.88 407.75 0.87 0.62 2.20 LLD 0.74 Unnamed vein TB009 407.75 407.93 0.18 0.13 1.35 LLD 0.09 Unnamed vein TB009 494 494.27 0.27 0.19 1.10 LLD 0.11 Unnamed vein TB009 512.36 512.56 0.2 0.14 1.73 LLD 0.13 Unnamed vein TB009 512.56 512.77 0.21 0.15 0.66 LLD 0.05 Unnamed vein TB009 512.77 512.98 0.21 0.15 3.24 LLD 0.27 Unnamed vein TB009 512.98 513.35 0.37 0.26 3.20 0.01 0.47 Unnamed vein TB010 621.46 621.68 0.22 0.16 1.08 0.01 0.10 Unnamed vein TB010 621.68 621.78 0.1 0.07 2.48 LLD 0.10 Unnamed vein TB010 622.65 622.75 0.1 0.07 0.62 LLD 0.02 Unnamed vein TB010 745.53 748.1 2.57 1.65 3.84 4.31 12.17 True Blue West Lode including













TB010 745.53 745.69 0.16 0.11 2.32 0.47 0.21

TB010 745.69 745.85 0.16 0.11 2.39 11.20 1.69

TB010 747.66 748.1 0.44 0.31 20.20 20.30 11.16

TB010 755.47 755.56 0.09 0.06 2.79 11.30 0.97 Subvertical stibnite vein TB010W1 654 654.53 0.53 0.37 0.54 LLD 0.11 Unnamed vein TB010W1 698.28 700.18 1.9 1.65 0.78 0.89 2.49 True Blue West Lode including













TB010W1 699.28 699.77 0.49 0.35 2.87 3.45 2.00

TB011 319.82 319.99 0.17 0.12 0.96 LLD 0.06 Unnamed vein TB011 319.99 320.99 1 0.71 0.88 LLD 0.34 Unnamed vein TB011 335.13 335.52 0.39 0.28 1.67 LLD 0.25 Unnamed vein TB011 366.4 366.72 0.32 0.23 0.57 LLD 0.07 Unnamed vein TB011 366.72 367.17 0.45 0.32 0.71 LLD 0.12 Unnamed vein TB011 367.17 367.27 0.1 0.07 1.10 6.89 0.64 Unnamed vein TB012 577.43 579.25 1.82 0.91 4.43 4.32 7.02 True Blue West Lode including













TB012 577.43 577.89 0.46 0.23 3.26 2.01 0.98 True Blue West Lode TB012 577.89 578.2 0.31 0.16 4.68 16.20 3.45 True Blue West Lode TB012 578.2 578.48 0.28 0.14 0.12 0.14 0.03 True Blue West Lode TB012 578.48 578.78 0.3 0.15 13.90 5.44 2.15 True Blue West Lode TB012 578.78 579.25 0.47 0.24 1.95 0.51 0.40 True Blue West Lode

Notes

4. The AuEq (gold equivalent) grade is calculated using the following formula:

AuEq g per t=Au g per t+Sb% (Sb price per 10kgSb processing recovery)

(Au price per gAu processing recovery)

Prices and recoveries used: Au $/oz = 1,700; Sb $/t = 11,700; Au Recovery = 93% and Sb Recovery = 95% 5. LLD signifies an undetectable amount of antimony. Detection limit for the analysis used is 0.01% 6. Composites that are not interpreted to be connected to a named vein or trend and are below 0.5 g/t Au are not considered significant and are not recorded here.





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Dominic Duffy, President and Chief Executive Officer; Edison Nguyen, Director, Business Valuations and IR; Contact: 647.260.1566

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Counter Solutions' technology within Marks & Spencer's digital cafe at Stevenage includes kiosks, WAY2PAY kiosks, online ordering, Kitchen Display Systems (KDS) and stock management

TORONTO, Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Givex Corp. (TSX: GIVX) (OTCQX: GIVXF) announced today that Counter Solutions Holdings Limited ("Counter Solutions"), a subsidiary in the Givex group, as the technology partner of Marks & Spencer, has been named Top Supplier Retail 2023 in the category Best In-Store Solution at the reta awards by EHI Retail Institute. On February 27th, 2023, the winners were honored at an evening event at Dr. Thompson's Seifenfabrik in Dusseldorf.

Counter Solutions, which was acquired by Givex UK Corporation Limited in August 2022 , has been the technology partner of Marks & Spencer since 2021. Marks & Spencer's new digital cafes are outfitted with Counter Solutions' WAY2PAY self-order kiosk, stock management and kitchen automation solution.

"It's been a pleasure to be a valued technology partner of M&S since the inception of their Digital Cafe concept within their stores. Being recognized with a EuroShop reta for this partnership is an incredible honor, and a testament to our commitment to driving innovation within retailers," said Richard Bernans, Managing Director at Counter Solutions. "We look forward to continuing to power the technology in Marks & Spencer's digital cafes as they grow the digital cafe footprint and lead the way in store and cafe formats and design."

With twelve regional offices and a global footprint of more than 118,000 active merchant locations, Givex offers gift cards, point-of-sale system GivexPOS, loyalty programs, GivexPay and more.

About Givex

Givex Corp. (TSX: GIVX; OTCQX: GIVXF) provides merchants with customer engagement, point of sale and payment solutions, all in a single platform. We are integrated with 1000+ technology partners, creating a fully end-to-end solution that delivers powerful customer insights. Our platform is used by some of the world's largest brands across the globe, comprising approximately 118,000+ active locations across more than 100 countries. Learn more at www.givex.com .

Disclaimer for Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements in this press release constitute "forward-looking" statements that involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance objectives or achievements of Givex, or industry results, to be materially different from any future results, performance, objectives or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. These statements reflect Givex's current views regarding future events and operating performance, are based on information currently available to Givex, and speak only as of the date of this press release. Although Givex believes that the expectations and assumptions reflected in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on these forward-looking statements, which are not guarantees and are subject to certain risks, uncertainties and assumptions, which may cause actual performance and financial results to differ materially from such forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements included in this press release are made only at the date of this press release and, except as required by applicable securities laws, Givex does not undertake to publicly update such forward-looking statements to reflect new information, future events or otherwise.

MEDIA CONTACT: Lauren Moorman, lauren.moorman@givex.com

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SAN RAMON (dpa-AFX) - Integrated energy company Chevron Corp. (CVX) on Tuesday affirmed its outlook for oil and gas production and higher returns, and also raised its share buyback guidance. At its annual investor meeting, the company said it expects to maintain capital and cost discipline to deliver higher returns while growing energy supplies. In line with these objectives, the company backed its oil and gas production guidance of more than 3 percent annual growth by 2027. Chevron maintained its guidance for annual organic capital expenditures of $13 billion to $15 billion through 2027, and extended its 12 percent return on capital employed target to 2027 at $60 Brent. Further, the company raised its share buyback guidance range to $10 to $20 billion per year. In addition, Chevron will raise its targeted annual share buyback rate to $17.5 billion starting in the second quarter. Mike Wirth, chairman and CEO, said, 'We're growing energy supply, lowering carbon intensity, and returning more cash to shareholders.' Last month, Chevron increased its dividend per share by 6 percent, and its Board authorized a new $75 billion share repurchase program. The company also said it expects annual free cash flow growth greater than 10 percent at $60 Brent. Chevron further updated investors on progress toward achieving its target to reduce the carbon intensity of its oil and gas production to 24 kg per barrel of oil equivalent by 2028, in part through execution of carbon abatement projects. 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.


Ir Dr Hon Lo Wai-kwok, GBS, MH, JP, Member of the Legislative Council of HKSAR (4th from L, front row), and Mr Stephen Liang, HKTDC Assistant Executive Director (2nd from R), co-led a delegation to Indonesia, and called on the local officials and industry associations, including Dr. Achmad Jaka Santos Adiwijaya, S.H., LL.M., Secretary General, Nusantara Capital City Authority (3rd from L), to explore collaboration opportunities in infrastructure construction between Hong Kong and Indonesia.



The "Building for the Future" promotion was held in Indonesia for the first time, with the highlighted "Hong Kong Forum on Urban Development" attracting more than 300 representatives from Indonesian government departments and businesses.



Dr Ir Herry Trisa Putra Zuna, Directorate General of Ministry of Public Works and Housing, Republic of Indonesia, gave remarks at the Forum.

HONG KONG, Feb 28, 2023 - (ACN Newswire) - To help Hong Kong's infrastructure and real estate-related services (IRES) sectors seize arising opportunities, the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) is promoting its Building for the Future campaign in Indonesia for the first time, bringing a delegation to Jakarta from 27 February to 2 March.Through events, including the Hong Kong Forum on Urban Development, business matching sessions and meetings with government and business leaders, the wide-ranging promotion gives Indonesia and Hong Kong companies an opportunity to explore partnerships.In recent years, Indonesia has accelerated infrastructure construction in order to boost economic growth. The government allocated an infrastructure development budget of Rp392 trillion (US$26 billion) in 2023 to improve the provision of basic services, and productivity through connectivity and mobility infrastructure.The delegation, co-led by Ir Dr Hon Lo Wai-kwok, GBS, MH, JP, Member (Functional Constituency - Engineering) of the Legislative Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, and HKTDC Assistant Executive Director Mr Stephen Liang, comprises 17 delegates from a wide range of professional sectors, including architecture, engineering, property development, construction and urban planning.A highlight of the mission, the Hong Kong Forum on Urban Development focused on smart city, modern city development and urban planning, and architecture design. It introduced the strengths and value-added services of Hong Kong IRES and explored collaboration opportunities between Indonesia and Hong Kong in infrastructure development projects. Dr Ir Herry Trisa Putra Zuna, Directorate General of Ministry of Public Works and Housing, Republic of Indonesia, gave remarks at the Forum, with more than 300 Indonesian government and businesses leaders attended."As the world's largest archipelagic state, Indonesia places much emphasis on infrastructure. With its rapid infrastructure development and capital relocation, there are many arising opportunities," Mr Stephen Liang said in his welcome remarks at the forum. "The post-pandemic new normal has set in, the Hong Kong-Mainland China border has reopened, and Hong Kong has removed international travel restrictions. In this period of revitalisation, there is no better time than the present to capture new opportunities that will benefit Indonesian and Hong Kong businesses communities and strengthen economic growth in both places."He added, "Hong Kong has long been a leader in infrastructure and real estate-related services, from building and construction to architecture, engineering and surveying. Equipped with decades of experience in large-scale building projects, Hong Kong businesses are ideally placed to provide quality services in infrastructure and real estate-related services."The plenary session featured internationally renowned Hong Kong IRES companies - namely Arup, hpa, MVA, and Sino Group - which discussed smart city development, the infrastructure outlook as well as urban construction.Two thematic sessions were followed, with Hong Kong delegates sharing success cases on environmental engineering and sustainable urban architecture.The forum also featured business matching sessions for Indonesian enterprises to have one-on-one meetings with Hong Kong delegates to explore opportunities and exchange ideas about Indonesia's infrastructure and urban construction projects.Hong Kong is known as a leading financial centre around the world. With an extensive global network, a full range of financial products and a large talent pool, Hong Kong is an ideal place for Indonesian companies to engage in IRES projects.Over the course of the next two days, the delegation will meet with Indonesian government and business leaders during visits to prominent infrastructure and urban development to capture business opportunities between Indonesia and Hong Kong.Since the launch of the Building for the Future campaign in 2015, the HKTDC has led Hong Kong urban development services missions to eight cities in Mainland China and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The HKTDC will continue to organise promotions to highlight Hong Kong's strengths in infrastructure and urban construction.Photo download: https://bit.ly/41vWbXiAbout HKTDCThe Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) is a statutory body established in 1966 to promote, assist and develop Hong Kong's trade. With 50 offices globally, including 13 in Mainland China, the HKTDC promotes Hong Kong as a two-way global investment and business hub. The HKTDC organises international exhibitions, conferences and business missions to create business opportunities for companies, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), in the mainland and international markets. The HKTDC also provides up-to-date market insights and product information via research reports and digital news channels. For more information, please visit: www.hktdc.com/aboutus. Follow us on Twitter @hktdc and LinkedInMedia EnquiriesPlease contact the HKTDC's Communication and Public Affairs Department:Kate Chan, Tel: +852 2584 4239, Email: kate.hy.chan@hktdc.orgSource: HKTDCCopyright 2023 ACN Newswire . All rights reserved.


Azri Azerai, Executive Director of Bintai Kinden

PETALING JAYA, Malaysia, Feb 28, 2023 - (ACN Newswire) - Bintai Kinden Corporation Berhad (Bursa: BINTAI, 6998), a mechanical and electrical (M&E) engineering services specialist, today announced that the Company recorded 60.8% gain in revenue to RM93.80 million for the nine months ended 31 December 2022 (9M FY2023) compared with RM58.34 million in the corresponding period of the last financial year (9M FY2022).The Company reported a loss before tax (LBT) in 9M FY2023 of RM2.22 million compared with profit before tax (PBT) of RM2.62 million in 9M FY2022.For the third quarter ended 31 December 2022 (3Q FY2023), revenue decreased 22.7% to RM22.36 million compared with RM28.93 million in 3Q FY2022. The Company recorded LBT of RM3.38 million for 3Q FY2023 compared with PBT of RM1.13 million in 3Q FY2022.En. Azri Azerai, Executive Director of Bintai Kinden said, "The Company's revenue increase for 9M FY2023 reflected the better contribution from the M&E business. The LBT reflected the higher costs of operations and bad debts incurred in 3Q FY2023. For the quarter under review, revenue decreased due to the lumpiness of projects as the M&E business is highly dependent on the stage of completion of various projects.""We expect to see more revenue coming in from the newly awarded projects from Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) over the coming quarters compared to 3Q FY2023 where several of the projects are at the end-stage phase. The Company will continue to assess the risks and opportunities of diversifying into other businesses while ensuring the growth of the M&E business."TNB recently awarded a total of RM53.2 million in M&E contracts to the Company for the installation of underground cables, bringing the total unbilled orderbook to RM142.95million.Bintai Kinden Corporation Berhad: 6998 [BURSA: BKC], http://bintai.com.my/Source: Bintai Kinden Corporation BhdCopyright 2023 ACN Newswire . All rights reserved.
BlueCove Limited ("BlueCove"), the London-based scientific fixed income manager, and Ares Management Corporation ("Ares") (NYSE: ARES), a leading global alternative investment manager, announced today that they have reached an agreement under which Ares will acquire a minority equity stake in BlueCove with the option to acquire control of the business over a multi-year term. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230227005980/en/

BlueCove has been purpose-built to play a leading role in the development of scientific fixed income asset management as a mainstream investment style. Scientific investing provides investors with both a complement and an alternative to the traditional, active discretionary investment process that has dominated active fixed income management for decades. Potential advantages for investors include an increased probability of repeatable outcomes, a technology-enabled increase in investment breadth, increased investment process transparency, excess returns that tend to exhibit a low correlation with those of discretionary managers, and a medium-term opportunity to harvest natural alpha from an underrepresented investment methodology.

Alex Khein, CEO and Co-founder at BlueCove, said: "We are delighted to announce this strategic partnership with Ares, a market-leading alternative management firm. We believe that over the last decade, the supply of data, increased market breadth, globalisation of fixed income markets, and significant research development mean that optimal conditions for scientific investing in liquid fixed income are now in place. Our partnership with Ares highlights a shared strategic view and joint desire for BlueCove to solidify its market leadership in this exciting sector."

Hugh Willis, Executive Chairman and Co-founder at BlueCove, added: "We have great respect for Ares as a business and our two firms share a similar entrepreneurial culture. We believe that this transaction has the potential to significantly accelerate our mission of bringing scientific fixed income investing to a global client base in the years to come."

Kipp deVeer, Partner and Head of the Credit Group at Ares, said: "We are excited to partner with BlueCove, a recognized leader in the field of scientifically managed fixed income. We believe in the compelling secular growth prospects for the sector, and together with the BlueCove team, we will be at the forefront as the opportunity continues to evolve."

Boris Okuliar, Partner and Co-Head of Liquid Credit at Ares, added: "BlueCove immediately stood out as an ideal partner in this sector given its specialized team across investment, research, and engineering capabilities and institutional infrastructure. We look forward to working closely with the team and anticipate that there will be future opportunities to leverage their knowledge and experience employing advanced technology-driven data and analytics."

The transaction is expected to close in the second or third quarter of 2023 and is subject to customary closing conditions, including regulatory approvals. Upon closing of the transaction, Mr. Okuliar will join as a member of BlueCove's Board of Directors.

About BlueCove

BlueCove is an institutional scientific fixed income asset manager with $1.8 billion of assets under management, as of February 28, 2023. It brings together market-leading fixed income industry investment, engineering, and business infrastructure professionals, with the specific purpose of researching and developing state-of-the-art scientific investment processes applicable to fixed income investment management. The firm was founded in 2018 by Hugh Willis and Alex Khein, previously Co-founder and CEO/Executive Chairman, and COO/CEO respectively of BlueBay Asset Management.

About AresManagement

Ares Management Corporation is a leading global alternative investment manager offering clients complementary primary and secondary investment solutions across the credit, private equity, real estate, and infrastructure asset classes. We seek to provide flexible capital to support businesses and create value for our stakeholders and within our communities. By collaborating across our investment groups, we aim to generate consistent and attractive investment returns throughout market cycles. As of December 31, 2022, Ares Management Corporation's global platform had approximately $352 billion of assets under management, with over 2,550 employees operating across North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and the Middle East. For more information, please visit www.aresmgmt.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

Statements included herein may constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, which relate to future events or our future performance or financial condition. These statements are not guarantees of future performance, condition or results and involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements as a result of a number of factors, including those described from time to time in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Ares Management Corporation undertakes no duty to update any forward-looking statements.

BlueCove Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority in the United Kingdom. Any forward-looking statements herein are inherently subject to material business, economic and competitive risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond BlueCove's control. In addition, these forward-looking statements are subject to assumptions with respect to future business strategies and decisions that are subject to change. There can be no assurance that an investment strategy or approach will be successful. Historic market trends and behaviours are not a reliable indicator of future market behaviour or performance, nor can they be used to reliably infer the future performance of any investment strategy or approach.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230227005980/en/

Contacts:

BlueCove

Media:

Paul Harris (FTI Consulting), +44 203 727 1000

paul.harris@fticonsulting.com

Investors:

Ulrich Koall, +44 203 146 1539

investorrelations@bluecove.com

Ares Management

Media:

Europe

media.europe@aresmgmt.com

or

U.S.

Brittany Cash, +1 212-301-0347

media@aresmgmt.com

Investors:

Carl Drake, +1 888-818-5298

cdrake@aresmgmt.com
Mauritius Telecom, the largest ISP in Mauritius with cellular and high-speed broadband service distribution, today announced its intent to bring Artificial Intelligence based innovative technology to enhance visibility and optimize its residential Wi-Fi connections through a partnership with Aprecomm. This A.I. technology will help Mauritius Telecom to bring proactive Network Intelligence transformation to improve customer experience and to drastically reduce the time for resolution of customer-end issues across their broadband network covering more than 300,000 households.

Speaking on the development, Mr. Kapil Reesaul, CEO, Mauritius Telecom, said, "Mauritius Telecom is the forefront runner in continuous investments in technology to keep innovating and providing the best service to its consumers. The partnership with Aprecomm will help us in our efforts to ensure the best experience across our broadband consumers with faster and proactive resolution of potential issues."

Pramod Gummaraj, CEO, Aprecomm, said, "We're excited to team up with Mauritius Telecom and implement cutting-edge technology into their network in order to help them cut down on support ticket response times by as much as half and provide a dramatically better experience for their customers. Network Innovation focused on customer experience could be deployed across in the coming months."

The measurable improvements offered by the integration between Mauritius Telecom and Aprecomm also lead to lower maintenance cost and improved customer satisfaction for one of the country's fastest growing ISPs.

"With Aprecomm's vendor agnostic technology, Mauritius Telecom will be able to manage and monitor Network Elements through a unified interface, ensuring assured internet experience to their customers," said Guharajan Sivakumar, CTO, Aprecomm.

"Network Automation will allow us to bring the best possible experience to our end customers. Measurable customer experience and proactive actions to improve it will be part of this partnership as Aprecomm technology is aligned towards Network Automation," said Mr. Yagianath Rosunee, CTO of Mauritius Telecom.

About Mauritius Telecom

Mauritius Telecom is the leading provider of an extensive range of ICT services and solutions for both residential customers and businesses in Mauritius, including fixed, mobile, broadband, TV, mobile money and ICT services. Mauritius Telecom has played a pivotal role in the socio-economic development of Mauritius, paving the way for the growth of the ICT industry, which has become a major pillar of the Mauritian economy. Mauritius Telecom has taken bold initiatives to transform the lives of Mauritians, deploying fibre island-wide to provide ultra-high-speed broadband to all, disrupting the payment landscape with a mobile wallet thus revolutionizing payments in Mauritius, launching in 2021 the first 5G Experience Zones and the first 1Gbps fibre internet to home offer in Mauritius. In 2022 Mauritius Telecom's mobile service, my.t mobile reached the milestone of one million customers.

Headquarters: Port Louis, Mauritius

Website: https://www.telecom.mu, https://www.myt.mu/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/mauritius-telecom/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mauritiustelecom

About Aprecomm

Aprecomm is an industry game-changer with a Network Intelligence Software Stack to understand Customer Experience. Aprecomm offers cloud-based automated solutions to enhance Wired and Wi-Fi network performance. Aprecomm's patented technology helps in automatically and proactively troubleshooting Wi-Fi issues. This way ISPs and Enterprises will be able to fix them immediately and dramatically minimize down-time. Aprecomm's solutions help enterprises, ISPs, TSPs improve their business standards through higher reliability, reduced expenses, and speedy ROI.

Headquarters: Bangalore, India

Website: https://aprecomm.ai

LinkedIn: https://in.linkedin.com/company/aprecomm

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aprecomm/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/aprecomm_ai

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230228005801/en/

Contacts:

For further details please contact:

Aprecomm

Shankar Peerthy

Email: Peerthy@aprecomm.ai

Contact: +41-78 685 82 58
LINCOLN, NE / ACCESSWIRE / February 28, 2023 / Over the next two years, MetLife Foundation will support Arbor Day Foundation planting projects in forests and communities of greatest need in Europe. Beginning in 2023, over 100,000 trees will be planted across the Czech Republic, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Turkey and the United Kingdom. The partnership aims to increase the resiliency of these areas to the effects of climate change.

"The climate crisis is a shared global problem, one that's going to take a strategic, collective effort to solve," said Dan Lambe, chief executive of the Arbor Day Foundation. "The world needs trees now more than ever, and organizations like MetLife Foundation are stepping up alongside other sustainability leaders in the public and private sector to turn conversations into meaningful action."

For the past 50 years, the Arbor Day Foundation has helped to plant nearly 500 million trees in forests and communities around the world. Through a global network of partnerships, the Arbor Day Foundation facilitates projects that empower organizations of all sizes to reach their sustainability goals via measurable, impactful work through trees and forests. The Foundation recently announced an initiative to plant 500 million trees by June 2027 in forests and communities that need them most.

Since 2017, MetLife Foundation has worked with the Arbor Day Foundation on a variety of tree stewardship projects, including reforestation efforts in national and state forests, community tree distribution campaigns, and urban planting events that engage MetLife volunteers around the world. This work has been guided by the principles laid out through the MetLife Foundation's 10-year, $10 million commitment to environmental causes and is aligned to its resilient communities portfolio, which provides support for projects that positively impact environmental causes. To date, MetLife Foundation has supported efforts to plant and distribute nearly 450,000 trees alongside the Arbor Day Foundation.

"In addition to providing a natural solution for many universal issues, planting trees is one of the best ways to increase environmental stewardship among a global community," said Nuria Garcia, regional president, MetLife EMEA and MetLife Foundation board member. "Protecting our most vulnerable communities and providing them with the tools they need to persevere through disaster is at the core of what we've been doing as an organization for more than 150 years. Our ongoing approach towards climate action and sustainability includes a comprehensive agenda of environmental, health, and safety considerations that serve as our guiding principles in operating as a responsible corporate citizen."

For more information on MetLife's and MetLife Foundation's commitment to sustainability, visit MetLife's 2021 Sustainability Report and 2030 DEI Commitments.

About the Arbor Day Foundation

Founded in 1972, the Arbor Day Foundation is the world's largest membership nonprofit organization dedicated to planting trees. With a focus in communities and forests of greatest need, the Foundation - alongside its more than 1 million members, supporters and valued partners - has helped to plant nearly 500 million trees in more than 50 countries. Guided by its mission to inspire people to plant, nurture and celebrate trees, the Arbor Day Foundation is committed to unlocking the power of trees to help solve critical issues facing people and the planet. Learn more about the impact of the Arbor Day Foundation at arborday.org.

About MetLife Foundation

At MetLife Foundation, we are committed to driving inclusive economic mobility for underserved and underrepresented communities around the world. We collaborate with nonprofit organizations and provide grants aligned to three strategic focus areas - economic inclusion, financial health and resilient communities - while engaging MetLife employee volunteers to help drive impact. MetLife Foundation was established in 1976 to continue MetLife's long tradition of corporate contributions and community involvement. Since 1976, MetLife Foundation has contributed over $900 million to strengthen communities where MetLife has a presence.

To learn more about MetLife Foundation, visit www.metLife.org.

# # #

Arbor Day Foundation

View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from Arbor Day Foundation on 3blmedia.com.

Contact Info:

Spokesperson: Arbor Day Foundation

Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/arbor-day-foundation

Email: info@3blmedia.com

SOURCE: Arbor Day Foundation

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/741155/MetLife-Foundation-and-the-Arbor-Day-Foundation-Partner-To-Improve-Global-Forests-and-Communities-Through-Tree-Planting
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - February 28, 2023) - Big Gold Inc. (CSE: BG) (the "Company" or "Big Gold") is pleased to report field sampling results from its 2022 fall work program (see press release dated November 30, 2022) on its expanded Martin Kenty Project ("MKP") adjacent to and partially surrounded by First Mining's Cameron Project near Kenora, Ontario.

The 2022 fall work program, which included field sampling, provided our technical team with important data that will help identify priority exploration targets for follow-up exploration that may include drilling. The large-scale land position now covers more than 20 km along favourable geology for gold mineralization in the highly prospective Cameron Lake gold belt in Northwest Ontario. Prospecting and sampling were completed on small portions of the newly acquired ground, as well as areas of the original MKP property that had not been previously evaluated or sampled.

The highlighted grab samples below include Sample 260905 of 8.04 grams per tonne of gold ("g/t Au") and Sample 260926 of 8.37 g/t Au. Significant field sampling results are detailed below. A total of 44 grab samples were taken with more than 30% returning assays of more than 0.5 g/t Au. Grab samples by nature are not representative of overall grade or continuity of mineralization.

Sample ID g/t Au 260903 1.33 260904 1.84 260905 8.04 260909 1.68 260912 1.48 260917 2.01 260920 0.56 260923 0.74 260924 3.80 260925 2.62 260926 8.37 260928 0.85 260930 0.73 260931 1.21

Table 1: Q4 2022 Sampling Program Results

"It's encouraging to see strong gold assays from some initial work at our recently expanded property package, as well as from new areas we started to explore on our existing ground. It really highlights the potential of this area with exposed favourable rock types and shears that host gold mineralization. The work our field team did provides us with advanced targets and lays the groundwork for further target evaluation and development of initial drill targets," commented Big Gold President and CEO, Scott Walters.

The map below (Figure 1) illustrates the areas where samples were collected for analysis across the five focus areas including in the northwestern part of the recently expanded Martin-Kenty property. The encouraging results of the ground sampling indicate that MKP hosts key attributes consistent with areas underlain by a gold-enriched system. All of the samples collected in this phase of prospection were collected on mainland and accessible year-round via existing mining and forestry roads throughout the property as well as a local highway. The MKP is located approximately a 2.5 hr drive away from Winnipeg, Manitoba and 45 min from the Kenora airport, Ontario.







Figure 1: Martin Kenty Property Map

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/9105/156431_813de680a45d9b27_001full.jpg

QA/QC Protocol: https://biggold.ca/qa-qc-process/

Learn more about the Company on its website: https://biggold.ca/

Qualified Person

Bruce Durham, P.Geo., is a Qualified Person, as that term is defined by Canadian regulatory guidelines under NI 43-101 and has read and approved the technical information contained in this press release.

About Big Gold Inc.

Big Gold Inc. is a junior mining exploration company. Its initial focus is to conduct exploration programs on the Martin Kenty Property located in Ontario. Big Gold will also continue to consider other opportunities as they arise, with the objective of acquiring and exploring early-stage base and precious metal projects.

For more information, please contact investor relations at investors@biggold.ca .

On Behalf of the Board of Directors,

Scott Walters

President and CEO

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its regulation services provider has reviewed or accepted responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release.

This press release may include forward-looking information within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation, concerning the business of the Company. Forward-looking information is based on certain key expectations and assumptions made by the management of the Company. Although the Company believes that the expectations and assumptions on which such forward-looking information is based on are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on the forward-looking information because the Company can give no assurance that they will prove to be correct. Forward-looking statements contained in this press release are made as of the date of this press release. The Company disclaims any intent or obligation to update publicly any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or results.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/156431
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - February 28, 2023) - Canadian Copper Inc. (CSE: CCI) ("Canadian Copper" or the "Company") is pleased to report results from its November and December 2022 trenching program at the Chester Project ("Chester") located in the well-known Bathurst Mining Camp ("BMC") in Northern New Brunswick, Canada.

"This initial +4000 meter ("m") trenching program was designed to broadly test geophysical anomalies at the property-scale, that exist within the favourable Clearwater horizon, which is the host to the Chester Deposit. Trench T22-01 is more than 5km northwest from the known Chester copper resource and has outlined a large anomalous base metals sulphides (Cu, Pb, Zn) at surface measuring 100m by 30m. The mineralization is present as stringers and disseminated pyrite, pyrrhotite, sphalerite and chalcopyrite within an altered mafic volcanic unit. Recent results obtained are 0.75% Zn, 0.46% Cu and 0.59% Cu (Figure A).

These results are encouraging, indicating there may be more mineralized systems on the property. This initial program will help us develop our next phase of trenching to further refine this target in the spring. Our systematic exploration strategy of trenching and rock sampling first ensures a cost-effective use of our drilling capital," stated Simon Quick, CEO of Canadian Copper.

Next steps for these new areas:

T22-01 - assay results warrant additional field work including trenching, stripping, and detailed geologic mapping (Figure B). A ground EM survey is being considered pending additional field work results for this season. For lithology descriptions and T22-01 assay table, please click here. T22:13 - this quartz vein mineralization returned 14.85 g/t Ag and 0.22% Pb. Next steps will include expanding and clearing more of the quartz vein area for detailed mapping and sampling to determine possible extensions of the mineralization.





Figure A: New Mineralized Area Map



To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/9218/156275_4f1826f9e411182c_001full.jpg





Figure B: T22:01 Trenching Details



To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/9218/156275_4f1826f9e411182c_002full.jpg

Chester Project Mineral Resource Estimate ("MRE")

Announced November 1, 2022, this MRE for Chester is based on data with a cut-off date of August 31, 2022. The MRE is reported with an effective date of October 27, 2022.

Table 1: Open Pit Mineral Resource Estimate at a cut-off of 0.5% copper*

Classification Tonnes Grade (% Cu) Copper (lbs) Copper (kgs) Indicated 4,866,000 1.127 120,285,000 54,560,000 Inferred 1,819,000 1.014 38,356,000 17,398,000

* Press Release dated November 1, 2022 "Canadian Copper Significantly Grows Mineral Resources at Chester Project": https://canadiancopper.com/canadian-copper-significantly-grows-mineral-resources-at-chester-project/

About the Chester Copper Project

The Chester copper deposit ("Chester") is a volcanogenic massive sulphide ("VMS") resource containing three zones; the Central Zone (massive sulphide), the East Zone (massive sulphide), and the West Zone (Copper Stringer), which are all located near surface. Previous mining development in 1974 included a 470-meter decline targeting the West Zone and produced 30,000 tonnes of bulk samples grading +2.0% Cu (Geoscience Canada, McCutcheon, 2020). No other development has occurred on the property.

About the Bathurst Mining Camp

The Company is focused on the prolific Bathurst Mining Camp of New Brunswick, Canada. This region is a world class mining district with thirteen former mining operations and hosts more than forty-five known volcanogenic massive sulphide ("VMS") deposits. Our flagship Chester Project is 75 km south of the renowned Brunswick #12 mine that operated for 5 decades. New Brunswick has the modern infrastructure needed for mineral exploration and mine development coupled with a clear and well-established regulatory environment.

Qualified Persons

Dominique Gagne, PGeo, is a qualified person as defined by Canadian National Instrument 43-101 standards who is working for Geominex Inc., an independent contractor of the Company. Mr. Gagne has reviewed and approved the geological information reported in this news release.

About Canadian Copper Inc.

Canadian Copper is a Canadian-based mineral exploration company with a copper and base metals portfolio of historical resources and grassroots projects. The Company is focused on the prolific Bathurst Mining Camp (BMC) of New Brunswick, Canada.

For more information, please contact:

Simon Quick, Director and CEO

email simon@canadiancopper.com / ir@canadiancopper.com

phone (905)-220-6661

web www.canadiancopper.com

Neither the CSE nor its Market Regulator (as that term is defined in the policies of the CSE) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Cautionary and Forward-Looking Statements

This news release includes certain forward-looking statements and forward-looking information (collectively, "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein including, without limitation, statements regarding future exploration programs, anticipated content, and commencement in respect of the Company's projects and mineral properties, anticipated exploration program results from exploration activities, resources and/or reserves on the Company's projects and mineral properties, and the anticipated business plans and timing of future activities of the Company, are forward-looking statements. Although the Company believes that such statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Often, but not always, forward looking information can be identified by words such as "pro forma", "plans", "expects", "will", "may", "should", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates", "believes", "potential" or variations of such words including negative variations thereof, and phrases that refer to certain actions, events or results that may, could, would, might or will occur or be taken or achieved. 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 statements. Such risks and other factors include, among others, statements as to the anticipated business plans and timing of future activities of the Company, including the Company's option to acquire properties under the Puma Option Agreement, the proposed expenditures for exploration work thereon, 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 CSE), permits or financing, changes in laws, regulations and policies affecting mining operations, the Company's limited operating history, currency fluctuations, title disputes or claims, environmental issues and liabilities, as well as those factors discussed under the heading "Risk Factors" in the Company's prospectus dated May 24th, 2022 and other filings of the Company with the Canadian Securities Authorities, copies of which can be found under the Company's profile on the SEDAR website at www.sedar.com. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The Company undertakes no obligation to update any of the forward-looking statements in this presentation or incorporated by reference herein, except as otherwise required by law.

Cautionary Note Regarding Mineral Resource Estimates

Until mineral deposits are actually mined and processed, Mineral Resources must be considered as estimates only. Mineral Resource Estimates that are not Mineral Reserves have not demonstrated economic viability.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/156275
Asahi Kasei Microdevices (AKM) has launched a new DC-DC step-up converter with ultra-low power consumption that is able to boost low voltages, offering solutions for remote and battery-free operation as well as low-maintenance applications in the fields of asset monitoring and IoT.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230228005245/en/

(Photo: Business Wire)

The use of smart watches, health and fitness trackers, body sensors, other small electronic wearables and implants, as well as wireless monitoring devices is increasing. However, the need for batteries and external energy sources to power these devices is a severe constraint for overall product design, practical usage, and maintenance especially in remote areas. Utilizing actively available thermal energy can open up new application fields and design options. However, a DC-DC converter is required to boost the harvested voltage and effectively use the resulting output to power small electronic devices, omitting the need for primary batteries.

Single-chip solution for efficient energy harvesting

Asahi Kasei Microdevices has launched the AP4473, a DC-DC step-up converter featuring the capability of boosting an input voltage of as low as 15 millivolts (mV) while maintaining an ultra-low power consumption of only 26 nanoamperes (nA). This single-chip solution allows electricity generation from a minimal thermal energy source, such as body heat, while enabling overcharge prevention and power supply control with minimal energy consumption.

In addition to the boost circuit, the device incorporates a PMOS switch and two hysteresis comparators. The switch disconnects the energy storage devices, such as capacitors, from the system, while its comparators automatically start and stop supplying power to the system. This makes it possible to configure a power supply unit in an energy harvesting system with a minimal number of passive elements, contributing to size and cost reductions for the overall system.

The AP4473 is suitable for applications in beacons for asset tracking and asset monitoring, environmental monitoring and IoT sensor notes, as well as smartcards or IoT devices.

About Asahi Kasei Microdevices (AKM)

AKM is a Japan-based company, operates an electronic components business as a member of the Asahi Kasei Group's material sector. AKM provides customers with unique products by combining the compound semiconductor technology mainly used for magnetic sensors with the ASIC/analog circuit technology based on silicon semiconductors. Our products and solutions with these features are expanded over a wide range of fields, including mobile communication devices and consumer products as well as automotive electronics devices, household equipment, and industrial equipment. Additional information is available on https://www.akm.com/.

About the Asahi Kasei Corporation

The Asahi Kasei Group contributes to life and living for people around the world. Since its foundation in 1922 with ammonia and cellulose fiber businesses, Asahi Kasei has consistently grown through the proactive transformation of its business portfolio to meet the evolving needs of every age. With more than 46,000 employees around the world, the company contributes to a sustainable society by providing solutions to the world's challenges through its three business sectors of Material, Homes, and Health Care. Its Materials sector, comprised of Environmental Solutions, Mobility Industrial, and Life Innovation, includes a wide array of products from battery separators and biodegradable textiles to engineering plastics and sound solutions. For more information, visit https://www.asahi-kasei.com/.

Asahi Kasei is also dedicated to sustainability initiatives and is contributing to reaching a carbon neutral society by 2050. To learn more, visit https://www.asahi-kasei.com/sustainability/.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230228005245/en/

Contacts:

Company Contact North America:

Asahi Kasei America, Inc.

Jon Todd

E-mail: AKA-info@ak-america.com

Company Contact Europe:

Asahi Kasei Europe GmbH

Sebastian Schmidt

Tel: +49 (0) 211-3399-2058

E-mail: sebastian.schmidt@asahi-kasei.eu
SambaNova Systems, the company that was first to market with pre-trained foundation models to underpin generative AI, announces the new SambaNova Suite, a collection of the most accurate generative AI models optimized for the enterprise, deployed on-premises or in the cloud.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230228005672/en/

The SambaNova Suite is a collection of the most accurate generative AI models for the enterprise. (Photo: Business Wire)

"For enterprises to continue to be competitive in almost any arena, they will need their own foundation model with generative AI capabilities. The new SambaNova Suite snaps into existing workflows and applications in a secure and open way to enable rapid adoption of generative AI across the enterprise," said Marshall Choy, SVP of Product at SambaNova Systems.

SambaNova Suite provides both state-of-the-art open-source models and models pre-trained by SambaNova, such as SambaNova's GPT offering, all of which can be fine-tuned on a company's data for greater accuracy. The SambaNova Suite is easily accessible through simple APIs and integrates with existing business processes to provide immediate value.

"Generative AI has captured the world's attention, excitement, and imagination. SambaNova is optimizing generative AI models for the enterprise with accuracy and is providing the ability for enterprises to adapt models with their own data and deploy anywhere in the cloud or in a data center. Ultimately, this enables generative AI to evolve from merely hype and excitement to delivering real value for the enterprise," says Ritu Jyoti, group vice president, Worldwide Artificial Intelligence and Automation market research and advisory services at IDC.

The SambaNova Suite delivers:

The most accurate pre-trained generative AI models , optimized for the enterprise

, optimized for the enterprise State-of-the-art open-source models that enable enterprises to benefit from the latest models ahead of their competition

that enable enterprises to benefit from the latest models ahead of their competition Customer ownership of models, fine-tuned within a customer's own environment, with their own data, enabling the highest level of security, flexibility, and confidentiality

fine-tuned within a customer's own environment, with their own data, enabling the highest level of security, flexibility, and confidentiality A dedicated AI backbone provides a higher degree of data governance and customer and industry adaptation than other cloud-based alternatives

provides a higher degree of data governance and customer and industry adaptation than other cloud-based alternatives Enterprise-class security that is scalable and meets the needs of enterprises at different stages of their AI journey

that is scalable and meets the needs of enterprises at different stages of their AI journey A fully integrated, full-stack AI platform optimized for model development and inference and powered by the SambaNova DataScale platform

optimized for model development and inference and powered by the SambaNova DataScale platform Deployment flexibility, enabling businesses to deploy on-premises in the datacenter for total control of infrastructure or as an easy-to-deploy cloud service

Applications for SambaNova Suite include:

SambaNova Contact Center Intelligence uses generative AI to deliver contact centers with real time, hyper-personalized information that can improve the customer experience, drive greater customer retention, increase operational efficiency, and streamline data governance and regulatory compliance.

uses generative AI to deliver contact centers with real time, hyper-personalized information that can improve the customer experience, drive greater customer retention, increase operational efficiency, and streamline data governance and regulatory compliance. SambaNova Document Intelligence enables enterprises to manage, understand, and extract actionable information from the most complex documents, in any volume, using natural language.

"With generative AI, businesses will transform rapidly over the next year," said Rodrigo Liang, CEO of SambaNova Systems. "The challenge that must be solved is how companies leverage the innovation to make it productive in enterprise environments that's what the SambaNova Suite does."

To learn more about the SambaNova Suite and the future of generative AI in the enterprise, register for the webinar that will be available for viewing on March 2nd, 2023 at 6:00am EST.

About SambaNova Suite

SambaNova Suite delivers the most accurate, integrated full stack generative AI platform, optimized for the enterprise, government organizations, and start-ups. Delivered through SambaNova's integrated AI platform, which can be deployed on-premises or through the cloud, SambaNova Suite seamlessly integrates into existing business processes to deliver transformative capabilities. With the capacity to be further refined using customer data, these models can deliver unparalleled accuracy while providing enterprise grade security and data governance.

About SambaNova Systems

Customers turn to SambaNova to quickly deploy state-of-the-art generative AI capabilities within the enterprise. Our purpose-built enterprise-scale AI platform is the technology backbone for the next generation of AI computing.

Headquartered in Palo Alto, California, SambaNova Systems was founded in 2017 by industry luminaries, and hardware and software design experts from Sun/Oracle and Stanford University. Investors include SoftBank Vision Fund 2, funds and accounts managed by BlackRock, Intel Capital, GV, Walden International, Temasek, GIC, Redline Capital, Atlantic Bridge Ventures, Celesta, and several others. Visit us at sambanova.ai or contact us at info@sambanova.ai. Follow SambaNova Systems on LinkedIn.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230228005672/en/

Contacts:

Virginia Jamieson

virginia.jamieson@sambanova.ai

+1-650-279-8619
Experienced security veteran, Brian Ahern, named CEO to lead transition and drive growth initiatives

NASHVILLE, TN / ACCESSWIRE / February 28, 2023 / CyberMaxx, Inc. , a tech-enabled cybersecurity services company, announced today the acquisition of CipherTechs LLC. CyberMaxx and CipherTech have joined forces to deliver a full range of cyber security solutions including offensive, defensive, digital forensics/incident response, and governance, risk & compliance security services. Additionally, CyberMaxx announced the appointment of Brian Ahern to CEO.

Organizations today face a complex cybersecurity landscape, including increased sophistication and frequency of cyber attacks, a fierce war for talent, and ongoing macroeconomic headwinds. CyberMaxx solves these challenges through an extensive portfolio of offerings curated based on vast industry experience and combines proprietary technology, 3rd party product sourcing, and cybersecurity talent. CyberMaxx provides a range of flexible deployment models and advanced cybersecurity solutions to ensure the greatest cybersecurity protection for its customers.

Brian M. Ahern takes the helm to expand growth opportunities

CyberMaxx's new CEO Brian Ahern is a three-time CEO with over two decades of cybersecurity experience. He has a proven track record of leading and growing disruptive technology companies including Threat Stack, Inc. (acquired by F5), Industrial Defender, Inc. (acquired by Lockheed Martin), and Simulation Sciences, Inc.

"CyberMaxx and CipherTechs have been around for more than two decades and have each built an incredible team and industry-leading offerings," said Brian Ahern, CEO of CyberMaxx. "Many companies today offer offensive or defensive solutions, but few have the full breadth we've brought together under a single umbrella. Bringing CipherTechs into the CyberMaxx family was a natural fit and strengthens our ability to proactively find vulnerabilities to create a strong defense for our customers. Taking a 'hacker mindset' provides the greatest protection for our customers and shapes our full spectrum of offerings."

Expanded capabilities help companies stay ahead of modern threats

The newly expanded CyberMaxx offers a comprehensive range of cybersecurity services, including offensive security services (red team, penetration testing), defensive security services (blue team, XDR/MDR), digital forensics/incident response (DFIR), and governance, risk & compliance (GRC) services. CyberMaxx supports cybersecurity and IT teams to identify and manage risk, provide breach remediation, and support both industry compliance and board governance programs.

"The shifting business mindset of cybersecurity as a cost center to a mission-critical business enablement program forces global companies to rethink their cybersecurity programs," continued Ahern. "Our clients trust us to keep their organization secure and compliant so they can focus on what they do best - building their business."

The company now has more than 400 customers in the healthcare, financial services, education, energy, hospitality, communications, and manufacturing industries. Customers include Hackensack Meridian Health, Barnes & Noble Education, and Omnicom Group.

According to Christopher Callahan, Chief Information Security Officer at Weichert Companies, "At Weichert Companies, we understand the critical importance of protecting our members' personal information and ensuring the safety of our organization's digital assets. CipherTechs provides cybersecurity services that give us the peace of mind to know that we're doing everything we can to keep our community safe and secure."

For more information about CyberMaxx and CipherTechs, both Periscope Equity portfolio companies, please visit: https://www.cybermaxx.com/resources/cybermaxx-and-ciphertechs-join-forces-to-better-help-customers-stay-ahead-of-todays-evolving-threat-landscape/

About CyberMaxx: CyberMaxx, Inc., founded in 2002, is a cybersecurity provider headquartered in Nashville, TN, delivering full-service cybersecurity protection for both healthcare and highly regulated organizations. With a track record of high-customer satisfaction (maintaining a 99% customer retention rate), CyberMaxx's experts provide 24/7/365 protection to their customers with a full suite of services, including endpoint detection and response services (MAXX EDR), network-based threat detection and prevention (MAXX NETWORK), and security information and event management (MAXX SIEM). CyberMaxx's managed detection and response solution (MAXX MDR) is designed to be scalable for clients of all sizes, providing protection and improving the organization's security posture, ultimately giving customers peace of mind that their systems and data are secure.

About CipherTechs: CipherTechs, founded in 2001, is an international cybersecurity provider headquartered in New York City, providing a one-stop cyber-security portfolio across XDR/MDR Services, Offensive Security, Governance, Risk & Compliance, DFIR, and 3rd party security product sourcing. CipherTechs' solutions support hundreds of customers' cybersecurity needs with global, 24/7/365 and are trusted by and support the cybersecurity needs of hundreds of customers, ranging from middle-market to Fortune 100.

Media Contact:

Escalate PR for CyberMaxx

cybermaxx@escalatepr.com

SOURCE: CyberMaxx

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/741059/CyberMaxx-Announces-Acquisition-of-CipherTechs-to-Provide-Advanced-Cybersecurity-Solutions
TUCSON, AZ / ACCESSWIRE / February 28, 2023 / Western Alaska Minerals Corp. (the "Company" or "WAM") (TSXV:WAM) is pleased to announce updated interpretations of geological, geochemical, and geophysical surveys, which combined, indicate multiple high-potential carbonate replacement deposit ("CRD") and porphyry copper-gold drill targets on the 100%-owned Illinois Creek property in Alaska, USA.

Highlights

"East Block" (see Map 1)

Geophysics (IP and CSAMT) and soil geochemistry reveal several robust overlapping anomalies that coincide closely with the high-grade silver-lead-zinc CRD mineralization discovered in 2022 (See Press Releases of Sep 22, 2022 and Jan 17, 2023).

IP geophysics indicates an offset of the Waterpump Creek CRD mineralization but continuing 1.4 kms to the south across the Illinois fault (See Figure 3 below). This look-alike anomaly is over three times longer than the current known Waterpump Creek sulfide body. The anomaly continues to the limits of the IP survey.

"West Block" (see Map 1)

Several large-scale new targets have been developed, including an approximately 4 x 2 km target dubbed the "Warm Springs" CRD target. This target is in untested carbonate stratigraphy permissive for mineralization adjacent to historically mined Au/Ag gossans.

The Warm Springs CRD target extends to the west into a major coincident copper-gold soil anomaly lying south of the historical Illinois Creek gold oxide mine. This 1.5 x 1.5 km target could represent the porphyry-related mineralizing fluid source for the property.

"Our rapidly growing data sets have defined some very exciting targets for our upcoming program," said Kit Marrs, Western Alaska's President and CEO. "I would like to acknowledge our technical team for their excellence in compiling and reinterpreting our historical and new data. We are eager to get back on the ground and get the rigs turning".

Execution Plans

The Company is having additional drilling rigs built for fast-track testing of the numerous targets emerging from the updated exploration model. Current plans are to drill up to 17,000m in 2023, deploying up to 4 rigs to both expand the Waterpump Creek mineralization discovered in 2022 and begin testing the property wide CRD exploration targets.

A modern 3D IP/resistivity geophysical survey is planned to: 1) Confirm and improve resolution of the reinterpreted Waterpump Creek/Last Hurrah sulfide anomaly; and 2) Define additional anomalies over a 3 x 6 km area of the East Block north and south of the Waterpump Creek discovery.

A district-wide helicopter-borne geophysical survey to further the understanding of the geologic framework of the East and West Blocks, and to define additional targets including copper-gold porphyry/skarn deposits is also being planned.

Click here to watch the technical summary video.

Technical Background for 2023 Exploration Program

The regional geologic model has greatly improved over the past few months through integration of historical and new geophysics, geochemistry, and geology from drilling. The updated and improved components for the new exploration targeting model include:

An interpretive property-wide geologic map;

Further evidence that identified geochemical anomalies show direct correlation with mineralization;

CSAMT geophysical survey profiles and lithology from recent and historical drilling provide for a new geologic framework including several faults believed to have controlled CRD mineralizing fluid migration;

Reprocessed Induced Polarization (IP)/resistivity geophysical survey results, including 3D inversion modeling and detailed geophysical parameter measurements on drill core; and

Modeling of the Waterpump Creek high grade silver-lead-zinc sulfide body.

Importantly, the new geologic interpretation shows the East Block and the West Block, two different lithostratigraphic/structural blocks, separated by "Wade's" fault. Each shows distinct geological frameworks and unique exploration targets of significant scope.

The targeting map, Map 1, is derived from historical and 2022 soil geochemistry, drill intercepts, and geophysics briefly described below. For a detailed technical discussion, click here to view our Exploration Update.

Map 1. 2023 District Target Map showing the East and West Blocks on either side of Wade's fault.

Soil Geochemistry

Figure 1. Selected Soil Geochemistry maps for lead, zinc, copper, and gold.

In the East Block, major lead-zinc anomalies occur in dolomites, reflecting leakage from the Waterpump Creek feeder structure. A major soil anomaly at the Last Hurrah target continues for another 2 kilometers and may reflect the presence of the Waterpump feeder fault downdip.

In the West Block, major lead and zinc anomalies reflect where the mineralized permissive carbonate stratigraphy comes to surface between the Illinois Creek fault and the Warm Springs fault. These anomalies reflect the Illinois Creek oxide gold-silver deposit. South of the Illinois Creek pit and the Warm Springs fault, an extensive (1.5 x 1.5 km) newly recognized copper, gold, lead, zinc soil anomaly continues to the south along an apparent NNW to NNE-trend. This anomaly with its copper and gold signature could suggest leakage from a possible porphyry center at depth.

Waterpump Creek Sulfide Body

Figure 2. Waterpump Creek sulfide body and 2022 drill pierce points.

In Figure 2, drill intercepts from 2021-2022 define the 3D shape (yellow) of the Waterpump Creek sulfide body. Red circles show 2023 target areas to be drilled to extend known sulfide mineralization. The historical oxide body outline is shown to the north.

Geophysics

The 2005 IP/Resistivity geophysical data were reprocessed and reinterpreted by the Company's recently hired geophysicist contractor, Brock Bolin, with key results shown in Figure 3 below. The 3D inversion modeling shows that a strong conductivity anomaly coincides closely with the Waterpump Creek sulfide body. The anomaly continues to the Illinois Creek fault, where it is offset to the west. From there it is continuous and increases in apparent volume for over 1.4 km to the southern limit of the survey. The highly prospective Last Hurrah target (Map 1) is based on a combination of the geometry of the known CRD mineralization (Fig. 2), coincident soil geochemistry anomalies (Fig. 1), and the conductivity anomaly results shown in Figure 3.

Figure 3. Two views of the untested Last Hurrah target (in red) showing offset from the Waterpump Creek sulfide body (in yellow). The grey surfaces are the extensions of the Waterpump Creek fault and the offsetting Illinois Creek fault. Fault plane locations are approximate.

Qualified Person

Stuart Morris, P. Geo., is the qualified person as defined under National Instrument 43-101 that reviewed and approved the technical disclosures in this release. Mr. Morris is an independent consultant, Registered Geologist with the British Columbia Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists (BC-APEG) No. 135066 and with the Arizona State Board of Technical Registration No. 16289. Mr. Morris has a MS in Economic Geology and 40 plus years of experience in mineral resources, mine, and exploration.

His review verified the data disclosed, including geology, sampling, analytical and QA/QC data underlying the technical information in this news release, including reviewing the reports of ALS, methodologies, results, and all procedures undertaken for quality assurance and quality control in a manner consistent with industry practice.

About WAM

WAM is an Alaska and Arizona based company, listed on the TSX-V and focused on discovery of high-grade, district-scale ore systems in the historic Illinois Creek Mining District located in western Alaska. WAM's 100% owned claims cover 73,120 acres (114.25 square miles or 29,591 hectares), roughly 45 km from the Yukon River. The District encompasses at least five deposits containing gold, silver, copper, lead, and zinc and was originally discovered by Anaconda Minerals Co. in the early 1980's. Since 2010, WAM, along with precursor Western Alaska Copper & Gold Company, has reassembled the Anaconda property package and been engaged in exploring the District.

On behalf of WAM

"Kit Marrs"

Kit Marrs

President & CEO Phone: (520) 200-1667

For further information please contact:

Vanessa Bogaert, Director of Corporate Communications/IR at vanessa@westernalaskaminerals.com

Or visit our website at:www.westernalaskaminerals.com

Forward Looking Information

Certain statements made, and information contained herein may constitute "forward looking information" and "forward looking statements" within the meaning of applicable Canadian and United States securities legislation. These statements and information are based on facts currently available to the Company and there is no assurance that actual results will meet management's expectations. Forward-looking statements and information may be identified by such terms as "anticipates", "believes", "targets", "estimates", "plans", "expects", "may", "will", "could" or "would". Forward-looking statements and information contained herein are based on certain factors and assumptions regarding, among other things, the estimation of mineral resources and reserves, the realization of resource and reserve estimates, metal prices, taxation, the estimation, timing and amount of future exploration and development, capital and operating costs, the availability of financing, the receipt of regulatory approvals, environmental risks, title disputes and other matters. While the Company considers its assumptions to be reasonable as of the date hereof, forward-looking statements and information are not guaranteeing of future performance and readers should not place undue importance on such statements as actual events and results may differ materially from those described herein. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements or information except as may be required by applicable securities laws.

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: Western Alaska Minerals Corp.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/741079/Western-Alaska-Minerals-New-District-Scale-CRD-Porphyry-Exploration-Modeling-Reveals-High-Potential-Targets-for-2023-Drilling
New Enterprise contracts for 3D Models in $5.5 Trillion ecommerce Industry Driving Record Growth

Breakthrough Generative AI Driving Record 3D Model Production in Q1 and Beyond

TORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / February 28, 2023 / Nextech AR Solutions Corp . ("Nextech" or the "Company") (OTCQX:NEXCF)(CSE:NTAR)(FSE:EP2), is an Artificial Intelligence powered 3D model supplier for Amazon and hundreds of other major e-commerce retailers and brands is pleased to announce that with the Company's groundbreaking generative AI technology, Q1 2023 is currently tracking to be a record quarter for 3D modeling. The timing of record 3D modeling demand and record production capabilities on the back of its breakthrough generative AI is expected to drive record 2023 revenue for the 3D model business in ecommerce. The Company believes that as a preferred 3-D model supplier to Amazon, it is perfectly positioned to lead the $5.5 trillion dollar ecommerce market as it transitions from 2D photos to 3D models.

Evan Gappelberg, CEO of Nextech comments, " In addition to large enterprise customers like Amazon, Nextech continues to see a record number of new deals for 3D models from a variety of customers in Q1 2023. It's due to this record demand in just the past 60 days that we anticipate Q1 2023 will exceed sales numbers from Q4 2022."

He continues, " These latest 3D modeling contracts continue to show accelerating global demand for 3D models due to the high ROI. The 3D model mega-trend is gaining even more traction in 2023, as the mass adoption of 3D models has really only just begun. Nextech is currently in discussions with major brands and retailers across the globe and we fully expect to land additional major enterprise multi-year contracts. These contracts represent an enormous amount of potential revenue for years to come but when combined with the millions of Amazon's merchants who are starting to recognize the value of having 3D models, the demand growth along with our revenue growth becomes exponential."

In February, Nextech AR announced a major generative artificial intelligence (AI) breakthrough in 3D model texture creation. The breakthrough enables the Company to recreate high-quality 4K textures at scale from just small digital swatches in just seconds versus hours of manual labor, representing a 720x increase in production speed. This breakthrough in texture expansion technology will revolutionize the 3D modeling industry and give Nextech a major competitive edge further solidifying its leadership position in the global 3D model space for ecommerce. The Company plans to file a patent in 2023 on this breakthrough technology.

GENERATIVE AI

In Q4, 2022 the Company reported that this proprietary AI-based technology for 3D model creation using through composition of deformable parts is now covered under: US patent application # 17/874,992.

ARitize 3D has built a substantial library of 3D models to date, and most of the 3D models created are composed of several individual parts. For example, a chair is composed of legs, a seat back and cushions. Every time a new 3D model is created, the parts are harvested into Nextech's AI powered 3D part-library. Nextech is in the process of significantly expanding this large library and its utility, which is expected to eventually hold millions of individual, unique parts. This massive parts library enables Nextech to create new 3D models by searching, assembling and using this part library, allowing for a significantly increased speed of 3D model creation. Instead of starting from scratch, these parts are retrieved and assembled first, reducing 3D model creation time. The more models the Company makes, the larger that part library gets, and the easier it gets to make new 3D models and the more revenue the Company can generate.

Watch a video demonstrating this breakthrough innovation: click here

To learn more, please follow us on Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Facebook, or visit our website: https://www.Nextechar.com.

For further information, please contact:

Investor Relations Contact

Lindsay Betts

investor.relations@Nextechar.com

866-ARITIZE (274-8493) Ext 7201

Nextech AR Solutions Corp.

Evan Gappelberg

CEO and Director

866-ARITIZE (274-8493)

About Nextech AR

Nextech AR Solutions (OTCQX: NEXCF) (CSE: NTAR) (FSE: EP2) is a diversified augmented reality, AI technology company that leverages proprietary artificial intelligence (AI) to create 3D experiences for the metaverse. Its main businesses are creating 3D WebAR photorealistic models for the Prime Ecommerce Marketplace as well as many other online retailers. The Company develops or acquires what it believes are disruptive technologies and once commercialized, spins them out as stand-alone public Companies issuing a stock dividend to shareholders while retaining a significant ownership stake in the public spin-out.

On October 26, 2022 Nextech AR spun out its spatial computing platform, "ARway" as a stand alone public Company. Nextech AR retained a control ownership in ARway Corp. with 13 million shares, or a 50% stake, and distributed 4 million shares to Nextech AR Shareholders. ARway is currently listed on the Canadian Securities Exchange (CSE:ARWY), in USA on the (OTC: ARWYF) and Internationally on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange (FSE: E65). ARway Corp. is disrupting the augmented reality wayfinding market with a no-code, no beacon spatial computing platform enabled by visual marker tracking.



On December 14, 2022 Nextech AR announced its second spinout of Toggle3D, an AI-powered 3D design studio to compete with Adobe. Toggle3D is expected to be public in the first half of 2023.

To learn more about ARway, visit https://www.arway.ai/

Forward-looking Statements

The CSE has not reviewed and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Certain information contained herein may constitute "forward-looking information" under Canadian securities legislation. Generally, forward-looking information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as, "will be" or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results "will" occur. Forward-looking statements regarding the completion of the transaction are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, as future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements and forward-looking information. Nextech will not update any forward-looking statements or forward-looking information that are incorporated by reference herein, except as required by applicable securities laws.

SOURCE: Nextech AR Solutions Corp.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/741091/Nextechs-Breakthrough-Generative-AI-Plus-Record-3D-Model-Demand-Puts-Company-on-Track-for-Record-Q1-3D-Model-Revenue-Record-FY-2023-Growth
Over 50,000 metres of historical drilling has been completed within the district, with significant shallow copper intercepts, including 126.2 metres of 1.24% copper

A robust land package of over 8,500 acres (13 square miles) of mineral rights and over 1,700 acres of surface rights and ownership from patented rights

Anglo American retains an interest on a portion of the project

VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / February 28, 2023 / Intrepid Metals Corp. (TSXV:INTR) ("Intrepid" or the "Company") is pleased to introduce its new district scale, advanced exploration copper property, the Corral Copper Project, in Cochise County, Arizona. The project area is located approximately 20 miles from the Company's Tombstone South property and has over 50,000 metres ("m") of drilling, with shallow mineralization of copper, silver, zinc, and gold.

FIGURE 1: Aerial View of Corral Copper Showing Road Access

"After many months of developing relationships with local stakeholders, we are very pleased to introduce the Corral Copper Project in Cochise County, Arizona," said Ken Brophy, CEO of Intrepid. "We are excited to have secured such a robust land package in an area with historical mining that includes patented mining claims, private surface rights, federal mineral claims and Arizona State Mineral Exploration Permits."

"There has been considerable interest from both junior exploration and large mining companies - including Anglo American - however, fractured land ownership structures, and a variety of commercial disputes in the district, have previously acted as a barrier in the advancement of the district," continued Brophy. "We have invested significant time to learn from local stakeholders about the fragmented land ownership and historical conflicts as we take steps to consolidate key land positions. This area is one which we have been interested in since completing our change of business in May of 2022 and believe it will be a great strategic fit with our Tombstone South and Mesa Well properties, as we remain focused on drill ready copper and silver projects within a tier one mining state like Arizona."

Consolidation of the District

Intrepid has concluded transactions for 100% ownership with two of the largest individual land holders in the Corral district and remains actively engaged with other stakeholders to further consolidate land holdings in the area. The Corral Copper Project combines two previously announced agreements, both of which have been approved by the TSX.V: the definitive agreement with Cave Creek Copper Inc. announced on February 15, 2023; and the purchase and sale agreement with Excelsior Mining Corp announced on August 26, 2022. Many members of the Intrepid team have a long history of working in the State of Arizona and Cochise County in particular, and this experience is key as the Company expands its asset base in the County.

Previous Work on Site

Over 50,000m of historical drilling has been completed within the district, with significant near surface intercepts, including 126.2m (30.4m to 156.6m) of 1.24% copper in Hole 20_01, drilled by Santa Fe Pacific Mining Inc in 1990. This drill result is historical in nature and based on assay information from Ski Line Labs Inc. Intrepid has not yet undertaken any independent investigation of the sampling nor has it independently analyzed the results of the historical exploration work in order to verify the results. Intrepid considers these historical drill results relevant, as the Company will use this data as a guide to plan future exploration programs. Intrepid also considers the data to be reliable for these purposes; however, the Company's future exploration work will include verification of the data through drilling.

FIGURE 2: Intrepid's High Quality Assets Within Arizona

About Corral Copper

The Corral Copper Project is a district scale advanced exploration and development opportunity in Cochise County, Arizona. Corral Copper is located 15 miles east of the famous mining town of Tombstone and 22 miles north of the historical Bisbee mining camp which has produced more than 8 billion pounds of copper with grades of up to 23%. Production from the Bisbee mining camp is not necessarily indicative of the mineral potential at the Corral Copper Project.

The district has a mining history dating back to the late 1800s, with several small mines extracting copper from the area in the early 1900s, producing several thousand tons with grades up to 9.2% copper ore. Between 1950 and 2008, various companies explored parts of the district, but the effort was uncoordinated, non-synergistic and focused on discrete land positions and commodities due to the fragmented ownership. Intrepid has been able to secure data from various sources which provides a solid foundation in creating geological interpretations and identifying new target areas.

Anglo American explored the district from 2016 to 2019, conducted mapping and airborne geophysics identifying prospective new target areas through the district. Further to its announcement in August 2022, Intrepid has acquired a data package from Excelsior Mining Holdings Inc, subject to the terms, conditions and limitations agreed between Excelsior and Anglo American in 2021, including a right of first refusal in favour of Anglo American over a portion of the project area in certain circumstances.

Intrepid is confident that by combining modern exploration techniques with historical data and with a clear focus on responsible development, the Corral Copper Project can quickly become an advanced exploration stage project and move towards feasibility level studies. More details about the Corral Copper Property and the plans for 2023 will be released soon.

Dr. Chris Osterman, P. Geo, a consultant of the Company, is a Qualified Person ("QP") as defined by National Instrument 43-101. Dr. Osterman has reviewed and is responsible for the technical information disclosed in this news release.

About Intrepid Metals Corp.

Intrepid Metals Corp. is a Canadian exploration company focused on exploring for potential high-grade copper, silver, lead, and zinc mineral projects in proximity to producing mines in south-eastern Arizona, USA. The Company has acquired several drill ready projects, including the Corral Copper Project (a district scale advanced exploration and development opportunity), the Tombstone South Project (within the historical Tombstone mining district with geological similarities to the Taylor Deposit, which was purchased for $1.3B in 2018) both of which are located in Cochise County, Arizona and the Mesa Well Project located in the Laramide Copper Porphyry Belt in Arizona. Intrepid is actively looking to acquire additional projects in Arizona and the American Southwest and has assembled an exceptional team with considerable experience in evaluating and developing exploration projects within North America. Intrepid is traded on the TSX Venture Exchange (TSX-V) under the symbol "INTR". For more information, visit www.intrepidmetals.com.

INTREPID METALS CORP.

On behalf of the Company

"Ken Brophy"

CEO

For further information regarding this news release, please contact:

Ken Brophy

CEO

604-681-8030

info@intrepidmetals.com

Caroline Sawamoto

Investor Relations

invest@intrepidmetals.com

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Information

Certain statements contained in this release constitute forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws. Such forward-looking statements relate to: (i) future exploration plans; (ii) details about potential mineralization; (iii) the exploration potential of the Corral Copper Property; and (iv) potential future production.

In certain cases, forward-looking information can be identified by the use of words such as "plans", "expects", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates" or "believes", or variations of such words and phrases or state that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might", "occur" or "be achieved" suggesting future outcomes, or other expectations, beliefs, plans, objectives, assumptions, intentions or statements about future events or performance. Forward-looking information contained in this news release is based on certain factors and assumptions regarding, among other things, the results of exploration activities, expectations and anticipated impact of the COVID-19 outbreak, commodity prices, the timing and amount of future exploration and development expenditures, the availability of labour and materials, receipt of and compliance with necessary regulatory approvals and permits, the estimation of insurance coverage, and assumptions with respect to currency fluctuations, environmental risks, title disputes or claims, and other similar matters. While the Company considers these assumptions to be reasonable based on information currently available to it, they may prove to be incorrect.

Forward looking information involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking information. Such factors include risks inherent in the exploration and development of mineral deposits, including risks relating to the ability to access infrastructure, risks relating to changes in commodity prices, risks related to current global financial conditions, risks related to current global financial conditions and the impact of COVID-19 on the Company's business, reliance on key personnel, operational risks inherent in the conduct of exploration and development activities, including the risk of accidents, labour disputes and cave-ins, regulatory risks including the risk that permits may not be obtained in a timely fashion or at all, financing, capitalization and liquidity risks, risks related to disputes concerning property titles and interests, environmental risks and the additional risks identified in the "Risk Factors" section of the Company's reports and filings with applicable Canadian securities regulators.

Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. The forward-looking information is made as of the date of this news release. Except as required by applicable securities laws, the Company does not undertake any obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking information.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) has reviewed or accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

SOURCE: Intrepid Metals Corp.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/741061/Intrepid-Metals-Introduces-the-Corral-Copper-Project-a-New-District-Scale-Exploration-Project-in-Arizona
Phoenix, Arizona--(Newsfile Corp. - February 28, 2023) - Excelsior Mining Corp. (TSX: MIN) (FSE: 3XS) (OTCQB: EXMGF) ("Excelsior" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has filed a National Instrument ("NI") 43-101 Technical Report dated effective February 1, 2023 (the "Report") on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. The Report is with respect to the results of its Updated Preliminary Economic Assessment ("PEA") on the Johnson Camp Mine Heap Leach, located in Cochise County, southeastern Arizona that were originally announced in a February 22, 2023 news release. The PEA considers the results of the drill program completed in 2022 and the implementation of sulfide leaching technology to improve recoveries. As part of the PEA, the Report also includes a republishing of the Prefeasibility Study Update ("PFS") on the North Star Deposit of the Gunnison Copper Project. The Gunnison Project is designed as a copper in-situ recovery ("ISR") mine using solvent extraction-electrowinning ("SX-EW") to produce copper cathode and the Johnson Camp mine is a conventional open pit and heap leach operation. Results of the PFS and PEA disclosed in this press release are in United States dollars.

"The potential of sulfide leaching technology is transformational for Johnson Camp's economics and total mineable copper, which has prompted us to take a more holistic view of the development of the entire mining camp, including oxides, sulfides and transition mineralization at all our assets," comments Stephen Twyerould, President and CEO. "For Gunnison, we are awaiting the permit amendment for well stimulation, which we hope to receive this quarter. Once all approvals are in-hand, we intend to start field trials as soon as possible thereafter. Field trails are designed to test whether well stimulation is the preferred method to reduce or eliminate the negative effects of gas bubbles on injection flow within the wellfield."

JOHNSON CAMP HEAP LEACH PRELIMINARY ECONOMIC ASSESSMENT

Economic Analysis

The Johnson Camp Mine ("JCM") has historically been an open pit, heap leach operation since Cyprus Minerals opened the property in the 1970's. The operation includes two open pits, a two-stage crushing-agglomerating circuit, a fully functioning SX-EW plant capable of producing 25 million pounds of cathode copper per year, a complete set of PLS and raffinate ponds, and full infrastructure (ancillary facilities, access, power, water, and communications).

Heap leaching of sulfide copper with accelerated pyrite oxidation is proposed in this PEA. The Project plans include mining oxide, sulfide, and transition material from the Burro and Copper Chief pits for 20 years and heap leaching for an additional year to produce copper cathode at a capacity up to 25 million pounds per annum (mppa).

To restart JCM for heap leaching, two developments need to take place simultaneously: pre-stripping and mine development, and the construction of a new heap leach pad, Pad 5. Both are considered to require between six and nine months to complete before irrigation of the new leach pad could commence. Piping of PLS and raffinate lines from Pad 5 to the JCM ponds also fits within this time frame. A PEA has been completed by M3 with respect to this planned re-opening.

Mining of JCM would be by traditional open pit and the highlights of the PEA financial model are tabulated below assuming a copper price of $3.75/lb.

Mine Life and post mining processing ~20 years Heap Leach Material Mined 85.2 M ton Total Copper Grade (CuT%) 0.37% Average LOM Total Copper Recovery* 77% Cu Produced 492 M lb Total Tonnage Mined 196 M ton Initial Mine Capital $58.9 million Total Operating Cash Cost ($/lb Cu)** $2.24 After-Tax NPV/IRR (7.5% discount rate) $180.0M / 30.4% *Total copper recovery includes a combination of oxide, transition and primary sulfide mineral recoveries.

** Includes all operating costs, site G&A, royalties, non-income taxes, salvage, reclamation and closure.

The table below sets out the sensitivities of the After-Tax NPV and IRR to copper price:

Sensitivity Analysis Sensitivity -20% -10% 0 +10% +20% Cu Price $3.00 $3.375 $3.75 $4.125 $4.50 IRR After-Tax 11.5% 20.9% 30.4% 39.9% 49.2% NPV* After-Tax $32 $107 $180 $251 $321 *million $ at 7.5% discount rate

The PEA is preliminary in nature and includes inferred mineral resources that are considered too speculative geologically to have the economic considerations applied to them that would enable them to be categorized as mineral reserves. There is no certainty that the conclusions reached in the PEA will be realized. Mineral resources that are not mineral reserves do not have demonstrated economic viability.

Robert Winton, SVP and General manager states, "We are very encouraged by the much-improved economics and low capex at Johnson Camp. We are aiming to complete all metallurgical testing this year along with additional optimization and design studies. A feasibility study is targeted in the first half of 2024. Subject to a successful feasibility study and financing, we plan on commencing construction later in 2024. The prospect of strong annual cashflow to fund the development of all our projects is very exciting."

Mineral Resources

The JCM Mineral Resources are provided in the table below.

Johnson Camp Mineral Resources

(0.1% CuT cut-off)

Classification Tons % Cu lbs CuT Measured 20,771,000 0.31 127,545,000 Indicated 87,166,000 0.32 550,118,000 M&I 107,932,000 0.32 677,663,000 Inferred 50,998,000 0.32 322,656,000

The Effective Date of the mineral resources is July 13, 2022. The project mineral resources are comprised of all model blocks at a 0.1 % CuT cut-off that lie within optimized resource pits. Mineral resources that are not mineral reserves do not have demonstrated economic viability. The estimate of mineral resources may be materially affected by geology, environmental, permitting, legal, title, taxation, socio-political, marketing, or other relevant issues. Rounding as required by reporting guidelines may result in apparent discrepancies between tons, grade, and contained metal content.

The JCM copper resources were modeled and estimated using information provided by Excelsior under Mr. Bickel's supervision. The information is derived from historical core holes drilled by Cyprus Mining, Arimetco, Summo USA Corp., and Nord Resources Corp, and new drilling completed by Excelsior in 2022. The drill hole database also includes analyses performed by Excelsior on the historical core. These data, as well as digital topography of the project area, were provided to RESPEC Company LLC ("RESPEC") by Excelsior.

Total copper grades, as well as soluble copper ratios, were interpolated using inverse distance, ordinary kriging, and nearest-neighbor methods. The mineral resources reported herein were estimated by inverse distance interpolation as this method led to results that most appropriately reflected the drill data and geology of the deposit. This is particularly true with respect to the estimation of the lowest-grade areas in the model, where potential over-estimation of volumes could materially impact the resource estimation at grades close to potential open-pit mining cut-offs. The nearest-neighbor estimation was completed for the purposes of statistical checking of the various estimation iterations.

The JCM mineral resources have been estimated to reflect potential open-pit extraction and potential processing by heap leaching. To meet the requirement of the resources having reasonable prospects for eventual economic extraction, a pit optimization was completed using the parameters summarized in the table below.

Parameter Value Unit Copper Price $3.75 $/lb Sold Contract Mine Cost $2.30 $/ton Mined Technical Services $0.25 $/ton Processed Heap Management $0.30 $/ton Processed Heap Capital Cost $0.80 $/ton Processed Crushing/Agglomeration Cost $1.10 $/ton Processed G&A Cost $0.05 $/lb Cu Produced SX-EW Cost $0.25 $/lb Cu Produced Recovery 95% Acid Soluble Cu Recovery 95% Cyanide Soluble Cu Recovery 70% Sulfide Cu Royalty (incl. Stream) 17.90% NSR Acid Cost $150 $/ ton Acid Consumption and Costs by Formation Formation Acid Cons.

lb/ton Acid Cost

$/ton Processed Pioneer Shale 20 $1.20 Bolsa Quartzite 25 $1.50 Diabase 30 $1.80 Middle Abrigo 55 $3.30 Upper Abrigo 45 $2.70 Lower Abrigo 40 $2.40 Martin 70 $4.20

The pit shells created using these optimization parameters were used to constrain the project resources for comparison purposes. An exclusion line was used to limit the pit optimization on the west side of the Burro Pit to prevent the pit optimizations from encroaching on the existing process plant and the historical leach pad. The in-pit resources were further constrained by the application of a cut-off of 0.1% CuT to all model blocks within the optimized pits.

Mr. Jeffrey Bickel, C.P.G., with the independent firm RESPEC of Reno, Nevada, is a Qualified Person as defined by NI 43-101 and is responsible for this mineral resource estimate. He has verified, reviewed and approved the technical disclosure contained in this section of the news release. Mr. Bickel has verified the data underlying the results by reviewing the drilling, sampling, assay, and quality assurance and quality control data, as well as the geologic interpretations completed by Excelsior. Mr. Bickel is not aware of any environmental, permitting, legal, title, taxation, socio-political, marketing or other issues which may materially affect its estimate of mineral resources.

PEA Assumptions

The JCM plan has been developed based on a new mineral resource estimate for the Burro and Copper Chief deposits. The mine plan targets the full resource at Johnson Camp over a 20-year period. A contract miner will be executing the mining of the pits and delivering material to the primary crusher.

Mining of the deposit is expected to be accomplished with 100-ton haul trucks and front-end loaders. Mining is planned on 20-ft bench heights. The pit configuration is double-benched with catch benches every vertical 40 ft. An annual schedule was developed for the mine plan. Crushed and agglomerated material will be processed by placement on the newly permitted leach pad. This tonnage production is limited by the copper production capacity of the existing SX-EW plant of 25 million pounds of copper per year.

The mining contractor is expected to be responsible for mine supervision, equipment operation, equipment maintenance, and blast hole drilling and loading. The reference to specific equipment manufacturers is to illustrate equipment size and is not to be considered a recommendation. Production drilling is expected to be accomplished with Epiroc DM45 class drills or similar. Loading is expected to be accomplished with 14-yard CAT 992 class front-end loaders. Haul trucks are planned to be CAT 777 class 100-ton trucks.

The existing leach pads (Pads 1, 2 & 3) will not be used for future mining for new material extracted from the Burro and Copper Chief pits. The new leach pad area, Pad 5, is to be located northeast of the existing plant facility and is to be designed such that leach solutions flow by gravity into the new combined ILS-PLS pond located down slope of the new leach pad. The PLS solution will be pumped back to the existing JCM SX-EW plant. A storm water pond is also provided.

The Johnson Camp Mine is currently covered under Aquifer Protection Permit P-100514. Excelsior has obtained a significant amendment to the existing APP to accommodate mining at JCM from the Burro Pit. A new facility, Leach Pad 5, with associated impoundments has been added to the existing APP to accommodate resumption of mining at JCM.

The full capital cost for restarting the JCM heap leaching operation including mining pre-production, first fills/Owner's costs, leach pad construction, new leach pad stacking system, crusher and agglomeration refurbishment and haul road construction is approximately $58.9 million. Staffing for the JCM project is mostly in place however several new hires will be needed to augment the existing staff.

JCM Opportunities

Additional infill and step-out drilling, including drilling focused on deeper sulfides, could yield increased tonnage and/or grade in some areas within the mineral resource. Detailed mine planning and scheduling may result in higher production rates and reduced mining unit costs. Mine plan optimization could bring higher grade material closer to start for better initial cash flow and could reduce waste tons. Planned metallurgical test work on sulfides and transitional mineralization in 2023 could generate higher recoveries or lower acid consumptions than presently estimated and demonstrate that less crushing is required. The estimated capital required for the JCM Project has been prepared to a PEA level. Additional detailed engineering work may reduce this cost. Relocating the existing waste rock stockpile could be performed with smaller, cheaper equipment as well as timed later in the mine schedule to increase near-term revenue. The copper price used for this study is $3.75/lb. Current copper spot copper prices are above this price level and may continue to increase, given the continued emphasis by the US and other governments towards renewable energy sources and electrification of transportation. Copper has a large role to play in these "green" initiatives. Expansion of the current SX-EW facility to a production capacity of 50 mlbs per annum could be evaluated in a trade-off study to evaluate whether it would improve the project economics by increasing the cash flow. Demonstration of successful leaching of sulfide and transitional material could provide opportunities for mining additional satellite deposits that are known to exist in the Johnson Camp District, including the Strong and Harris and Gunnison deposits. Integration of planning efforts for the Johnson Camp, Strong and Harris, and Gunnison deposits could reveal synergies or development strategies for improving financial returns and increasing the mine life.

JCM Risks

Metallurgical test work to be performed on sulfides and transitional mineralization in 2023 could generate lower recoveries or higher acid consumptions that presently estimated. This testing could also indicate that finer crushing is required to achieve high copper recoveries. The acid price could remain high in the short term and could increase the operating cost of heap leaching. Other reagent costs, principally diluent and extractant, could increase materially, increasing SX-EW operating costs. The current increased price of natural gas which is used by the local generating company could impact the long-term cost of power needed for the Project. The selected PEA copper price of $3.75/lb could be subject to volatility due to external factors. More detailed engineering designs could result in higher costs. Increased lead times for construction could materially delay the start of leaching and generation of revenue. The cost of financing capital for the JCM heap leach could become prohibitive. Obtaining the necessary environmental permit amendments could take longer than anticipated. Changes to the new Pad 5 permit may be required to optimize sulfide leaching which could delay mine start-up.

Recommendations

Excelsior should complete the current metallurgical program and, if warranted, proceed to a feasibility study and then detailed engineering for the leach pad and crusher refurbishment.

GUNNISON PROJECT PREFEASIBILITY STUDY

Highlights of the PFS (United States dollars)

Net Present Value ("NPV") of $1,167 million after-tax at 7.5% discount rate using a life of mine ("LOM") average copper price of $3.75/lb;

Internal Rate of Return ("IRR") of 37.5% after-tax;

Pre-production capital costs of $47.6 million includes 15% contingency, EPCM, freight, mobile equipment, owner's costs and capital spares;

Payback period for pre-production capital of 6.7 years after-tax;

Average life of mine operating costs of $0.945/lb;

Total Operating Cash Cost (including royalties, non-income taxes, salvage, reclamation and closure) of $1.225/lb

All-In Cost (LOM capital costs plus operating costs) of $1.727/lb;

Life of Mine: 2,154 million pounds of commercial production over 24 years;

Staged production profile: initial production rate of 25 million pounds of copper cathode per annum, followed by an intermediate expansion stage to 75 million pounds per annum and final expansion stage to full production of 125 million pounds per annum (includes the construction of an acid plant at full production). The staged production profile makes possible the funding of future expansions out of cash flow;

Approximately 15 months of wellfield pre-conditioning (additional operations) to dissolve and remove calcite, along with the addition of a raffinate neutralization plant to assist with the flushing and removal of accumulated CO2 gas;

Requirement for some additional work to reduce risk and optimize process and production.

A detailed sensitivity analysis to copper price is set out below under the heading "Financial Analysis". In addition, the risks and opportunities associated with the Gunnison Project are discussed below.

The PFS was completed by M3 Engineering & Technology Corporation ("M3") of Tucson, AZ and is effective as of February 1, 2023. The PFS was updated because of the need to update the JCM PEA, which is contained in the same report.

Financial Analysis

The PFS base case generates an after-tax NPV of approximately $1,166.5 million (at a cash flow discount of 7.5%) and an IRR of 37.5%. This financial analysis is based on a number of assumptions which are fully set out in the Report.

The base case uses the following parameters over the 24-years of production:

Copper selling price of $3.75/lb

Total copper recovery of approximately 48% (based on a combination of metallurgical recovery and estimated sweep efficiency);

Average of approximately 9.5 pounds of acid consumed for every pound of copper produced;

Acid plant construction in year 7 with the price of sulfuric acid prior to that of approximately $150/ton and the price of sulfur of $130 per ton delivered after that:

Combined state and federal tax rate of 25.9%;

Staged production commencing at 25 million pounds per annum, ramping up to 75 million pounds in year 4, and then to 125 million pounds per annum in Year 7.

The introduction of an additional year of pre-production calcite removal and neutralized raffinate flushing for every well to address CO2 flow restrictions.

FINANCIAL ANALYSIS SUMMARY

Pre-Tax Post-Tax IRR 40.6% 37.5% Pre-Production Capital Payback (years) 6.5 6.7 NPV (million $) @7.5% 1,434.8 1,166.5 COST METRICS



Cost/lb Copper Direct Operating Costs

0.945 Royalties, Taxes, Recl. & Salvage

0.274 Total Cash Cost

1.225

Total initial (pre-breakthrough) capital expenditures (including 15% contingency, EPCM, capital spares, owner's costs, mobile equipment and freight) are estimated at $47.6 million for Stage 1 initial production of copper cathode at approximately 25 million pounds per annum. Total sustaining capital costs over the life of the mine are $1,080.8 million, which includes production wellfield expansion, SX-EW expansion, acid plant construction and water treatment facilities. The average life of mine Direct Operating Cash Cost is $0.945/lb and the average life of mine Total Operating Cash Cost (including royalties, non-income taxes, salvage, reclamation, and closure) is $1.225/lb.

The Company has also evaluated an Alternate case without an Acid Plant. This case generated a pre-tax NPV@7.5% of $1,177.8 million and an IRR of 41.0% (after-tax: NPV@7.5% of $975.5 million and IRR of 38.1%). Total initial capital expenditures remain the same as the "Acid Plant" scenario. Total sustaining capital costs over the life of the mine are $879.7 million, which includes production well-field expansion, SX-EW expansion and water treatment facilities. Average life of mine Operating Direct Cash Costs are estimated at $1.35/lb for the "No-Acid Plant" option with an average life of mine Total Operating Cash Cost of $1.63 per pound.

Sensitivity analysis is shown in the table below.

Base Case After - Tax Sensitivities ($millions)

Copper Price

NPV @ 7.5% ($M) IRR% Payback Base Case $1,167 37.5% 6.7 20% $1,697 50.4% 4.3 10% $1,433 44.0% 6.2 -10% $898 30.8% 7.3 -20% $627 24.2% 8.0 Operating Cost

NPV @ 7.5% ($M) IRR% Payback Base Case $1,167 37.5% 6.7 20% $1,031 33.2% 7.1 10% $1,099 35.3% 6.9 -10% $1,233 39.7% 6.5 -20% $1,299 41.9% 6.3 Initial Capital

NPV @ 7.5% ($M) IRR% Payback Base Case $1,167 37.5% 6.7 20% $1,160 36.1% 6.7 10% $1,163 36.8% 6.7 -10% $1,170 38.2% 6.7 -20% $1,173 39.0% 6.6

The Alternate Case economic after-tax sensitivities are shown in the table below.

Alternate Case After - Tax Sensitives ($millions)

Copper Price

NPV @ 7.5% ($M) IRR% Payback Base Case $976 38.1% 6.0 20% $1,505 51.7% 4.3 10% $1,241 45.0% 4.8 -10% $706 30.8% 6.7 -20% $432 23.0% 7.5 Operating Cost

NPV @ 7.5% ($M) IRR% Payback Base Case $976 38.1% 6.0 20% $790 32.7% 6.5 10% $883 35.4% 6.2 -10% $1,066 40.8% 5.4 -20% $1,157 43.4% 5.0 Initial Capital

NPV @ 7.5% ($M) IRR% Payback Base Case $976 38.1% 6.04 20% $969 36.6% 6.08 10% $972 37.4% 6.06 -10% $979 38.9% 6.02 -20% $982 39.8% 6.00

Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves

Mineral Resource Estimate

The mineral resource estimate for the North Star Deposit is based on results from 122 drill holes totalling 158,785 feet and is effective as of October 1, 2016 (unchanged from the original 2016 Feasibility Study on the Gunnison Project). The estimate is classified as a measured, indicated or inferred mineral resource, consistent with the CIM definitions referred to in NI 43-101. Excelsior is not aware of any environmental, permitting, legal, title, taxation, socio-political, marketing or other issues which may materially affect its estimate of mineral resources.

Total Resources (Oxide + Transitional + Sulfide) Resource Class Short Tons (millions) Total Cu (%) Cu Pounds (billions)

Measured 200.7 0.36 1.439 Indicated 710.8 0.27 3.875 Measured + Indicated 911.6 0.29 5.315 Inferred 240.9 0.22 1.070 0.05% TCu Cut-off for Oxide + Transitional; 0.30% TCu Cut-off for Sulfide

Notes:

Mineral Resources are inclusive of Mineral Reserves. Mineral Resources that are not Mineral Reserves do not have demonstrated economic viability. Oxidized + Transitional Mineral Resources are reported at a 0.05% total-copper cut-off in consideration of potential mining by in situ recovery.

The North Star mineral resources were modeled to reflect the detailed lithologic, structural, and oxidation modeling completed by Excelsior. Copper mineral domains were interpreted on east-west vertical cross sections on 100-foot spacing, which encompass the 2.3-mile north-south and 1.3-mile east-west extents of the deposit. These domains were then used to explicitly constrain the estimation of copper grades into 50 x 100 x 25-foot (x, y, z) model blocks using 20-foot composites and inverse-distance interpolation. The grade estimation is further controlled by the incorporation of search ellipses that reflect the orientations of modeled structural zones, as well as those of favorable stratigraphic units in areas unaffected by the structures.

All samples were prepared from manually split half-core sections on-site in Arizona. Split drill core samples were then sent to Skyline Assayers & Laboratories ("Skyline") in Tucson, Arizona, an independent laboratory, for Total Copper and Sequential Copper analyses. Skyline is accredited with international standard ISO/IEC 17025:2005 General Requirements for the Competence of Testing and Calibration Laboratories. Analytical results for Total Copper, Acid Soluble Copper, and Cyanide Soluble Copper were reported. Excelsior has no relationship with Skyline Labs other than Skyline being a service provider. Standards, blanks, and duplicate assays are included at regular intervals in each sample batch submitted from the field as part of an ongoing Quality Assurance/Quality Control Program.

Mr. Jeffrey Bickel, C.P.G., with the independent firm RESPEC of Reno, Nevada, is a Qualified Person as defined by NI 43-101 and is responsible for this mineral resource estimate. He has verified, reviewed, and approved the technical disclosure contained in this section of the news release. Mr. Bickel has verified the data underlying the results by reviewing the drilling, sampling, assay, and quality assurance and quality control data, as well as the geologic interpretations completed by Excelsior. Mineral resources that are not mineral reserves do not have demonstrated economic viability.

Mineral Reserve Estimate

The PFS mineral reserve is based on an economic analysis of the mineral resource using a copper price of $2.75/lb and key parameters developed from prior test work. The economic optimization was performed on Measured and Indicated Resources at a cut-off grade of 0.05% Total Cu ("CuT"). EBIT (earnings before interest and tax) was calculated on a resource block-by block-basis using the key economic and technical parameters. For a column of resource blocks to be included in the reserve, the capital costs of establishing the wells for those blocks would have to be less than the combine EBIT for the same blocks. The mineral reserve was estimated after applying engineering and operational design parameters which removed the thinner and deeper portions of the mineral resource. Internal dilution has been included in the final mineral reserve estimate. RESPEC is of the opinion that the mineral reserve estimate derived in this PFS reasonably quantifies the economical mineralization of the North Star Deposit. The reserve estimate is as of October 1, 2016 and the mineral reserves presented in the table below are included in the mineral resource estimate set out above.

North Star Mineral Reserves (Oxide and Transition at 0.05% cut-off)(1) Category Short Tons (million) Total Copper (%) Pounds of Cu (million) Probable 782 0.29 4,505

48% of the total copper reserve is considered recoverable.

Mr. Neil Prenn, with the independent firm RESPEC of Reno, Nevada, is a Qualified Person as defined by NI 43-101 and is responsible for reviewing and approving this mineral reserve estimate. He has verified, reviewed and approved the technical disclosure contained in this section of the news release. Mr. Prenn has verified the data underlying the results by reviewing the drilling, sampling, assay, and quality assurance and quality control data, as well as the geologic interpretations completed by Excelsior.

Risks

A number of risks are highlighted in the Report. Those that are more specific to in-situ mining include:

Potential for lower than predicted (modelled) sweep efficiency.

Potential for mineral precipitates to restrict flow paths, porosity, and permeability.

Potential for gas bubbles to restrict flow paths, porosity, and permeability.

Flushing with neutralized raffinate to remove CO2 may be less effective than modelled.

The observed CO2 attenuation could be masking other wellfield problems.

Short circuiting can occur through very permeable structures, reducing overall sweep efficiency and affecting modelled parameters.

Opportunities

Opportunities at Gunnison are also highlighted in the Report. Those that are related to in-situ mining include:

Well stimulation has the potential to alleviate or solve CO2 gas blocking and greatly improve porosity, permeability, sweep efficiency and flow rates.

Grouting, down-hole packers, and down-hole flow control valves have the potential to minimize short circuiting.

Wellfield optimization including well spacing, pump sizing, borehole diameter, hole configuration and down-hole differential flow control have the potential to greatly improve wellfield performance.

Anticipated copper recoveries could be higher than the estimate of 48 percent of total copper, which would increase total revenue during the life of the mine.

The conversion of the 187.2 million tons of inferred mineral resources to measured or indicated categories has the potential to increase mineral reserves.

The Project has high quality limestone resources that could be used to supplement imported lime in the water treatment process.

Recommendations

A number of recommendations included in the Report are aimed at improving wellfield performance, reducing risk, and tightening up engineering and design prior to construction of the raffinate neutralization plant. Excelsior intends to investigate and implement these recommendations prior to further development which include:

Well Stimulation Trials : Well stimulation trials should be undertaken to determine if the technique(s) have the potential to alleviate or solve CO2 blocking, improve connectiveness, and increase flow rates and sweep efficiency. Given that the results of well stimulation have the potential to reduce the need for raffinate neutralization or change the design criteria for the neutralization plant, it should be undertaken before or in parallel with design activities on the water treatment plant. Well stimulation is allowed under Class III Underground Injection Control permits but requires EPA approval of the stimulation programs.

: Well stimulation trials should be undertaken to determine if the technique(s) have the potential to alleviate or solve CO2 blocking, improve connectiveness, and increase flow rates and sweep efficiency. Given that the results of well stimulation have the potential to reduce the need for raffinate neutralization or change the design criteria for the neutralization plant, it should be undertaken before or in parallel with design activities on the water treatment plant. Well stimulation is allowed under Class III Underground Injection Control permits but requires EPA approval of the stimulation programs. Metallurgical Testwork Recommendations: Investigating in situ leaching with different lixiviants as opportunities to leach metals without the formation of gypsum.

Investigating in situ leaching with different lixiviants as opportunities to leach metals without the formation of gypsum. Wellfield Recommendations: Conducting experimentation to ensure that neutralized raffinate is effective in dissolving CO2 in the subsurface while the engineering, procurement, and construction is at an early stage to enhance the water treatment design criteria.

Conducting experimentation to ensure that neutralized raffinate is effective in dissolving CO2 in the subsurface while the engineering, procurement, and construction is at an early stage to enhance the water treatment design criteria. Water Treatment: A scope of work and bid package should be assembled to select a water treatment vendor to design the water treatment system. Selection criteria should favor rapid, low-cost solutions to demonstrate that the technology is effective in solving the wellfield challenges.

TECHNICAL REPORT AND QUALIFIED PERSONS

The Report is now filed on SEDAR and available on Excelsior's website. The Report consists of a summary of the PFS and the PEA. The Report was prepared under the supervision of Richard Zimmerman, SME-RM of M3 Engineering & Technology Corporation, Tucson, Arizona, who is a Qualified Person that is independent of the Company. The Report will also receive contributions from the following additional Qualified Persons, who are also independent of the Company:

Mr. Richard Zimmerman, of M3 Engineering & Technology Corporation, Tucson, Arizona (recovery methods, capital and operating costs, and economic analysis).

Mr. Jeffrey Bickel of RESPEC of Reno, Nevada (geology and mineral resource).

Mr. Neil Prenn, of RESPEC of Reno, Nevada (mineral reserve).

Mr. Thomas Dyer, of RESPEC of Reno, Nevada (mining methods).

Dr. Robert J. Bowell of SRK Consulting, Cardiff, UK (wellfield).

Dr. Terence P. McNulty of T.P. McNulty & Associates of Tucson, Arizona (metallurgy).

Mr. R. Douglas Bartlett, of Clear Creek and Associates of Phoenix, Arizona (hydrology, mining method, permitting and environment).

Each of these Qualified Persons has reviewed and approved the technical information contained in this news release that is relevant to their area of responsibility and verified the data underlying such technical information.

About Excelsior Mining

Excelsior "The Copper Solution Company" is a mineral exploration and production company that owns and operates the Gunnison Copper Project in Cochise County, Arizona. The project is a low cost, environmentally friendly in-situ recovery copper extraction project that is permitted to 125 million pounds per year of copper cathode production. Excelsior also owns the past producing Johnson Camp Mine and a portfolio of exploration projects, including the Peabody Sill and the Strong and Harris deposits.

For more information on Excelsior, please visit our website at www.excelsiormining.com.

For further information regarding this press release, please contact:

Excelsior Mining Corp.

Concord Place, Suite 300, 2999 North 44th Street, Phoenix, AZ, 85018.

Shawn Westcott

T: 604.365.6681

E: info@excelsiormining.com

www.excelsiormining.com

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Information

This news release contains "forward-looking information" concerning anticipated developments and events that may occur in the future. Forward-looking information contained in this news release includes, but is not limited to, statements with respect to: (i) expectations for the resolution of carbon dioxide issues and increased flow rates; (ii) the future development plans for the Gunnison Project and Johnson Camp; (iii) operating and capital costs estimates, along with the economics of the Gunnison Project and JCM; (iv) the intention to mine Johnson Camp and future production therefrom; (v) the results of the PFS and PEA; and (vi) timelines for permitting, feasibility studies and future production.

In certain cases, forward-looking information can be identified by the use of words such as "plans", "expects" or "does not expect", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", or "believes", or variations of such words and phrases or state that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might", "occur" or "be achieved" suggesting future outcomes, or other expectations, beliefs, plans, objectives, assumptions, intentions or statements about future events or performance. Forward-looking information contained in this news release is based on certain factors and assumptions regarding, among other things, the estimation of mineral resources and mineral reserves, the realization of resource and reserve estimates, expectations and anticipated impact of the COVID-19 outbreak, copper and other metal prices, the timing and amount of future development expenditures, the estimation of initial and sustaining capital requirements, the estimation of labour and operating costs (including the price of acid), the availability of labour, material and acid supply, receipt of and compliance with necessary regulatory approvals and permits, the estimation of insurance coverage, and assumptions with respect to currency fluctuations, environmental risks, title disputes or claims, and other similar matters. While the Company considers these assumptions to be reasonable based on information currently available to it, they may prove to be incorrect.

Forward-looking information involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking information. Such factors include risks inherent in the construction and operation of mineral deposits, including risks relating to changes in project parameters as plans continue to be redefined including the possibility that mining operations may not be sustained at the Gunnison Copper Project, risks relating to variations in mineral resources and reserves, grade or recovery rates, risks relating to the ability to access infrastructure, risks relating to changes in copper and other commodity prices and the worldwide demand for and supply of copper and related products, risks related to increased competition in the market for copper and related products, risks related to current global financial conditions, risks related to current global financial conditions and the impact of COVID-19 on the Company's business, uncertainties inherent in the estimation of mineral resources, access and supply risks, risks related to the ability to access acid supply on commercially reasonable terms, reliance on key personnel, operational risks inherent in the conduct of mining activities, including the risk of accidents, labour disputes, increases in capital and operating costs and the risk of delays or increased costs that might be encountered during the construction or mining process, regulatory risks including the risk that permits may not be obtained in a timely fashion or at all, financing, capitalization and liquidity risks, risks related to disputes concerning property titles and interests, environmental risks and the additional risks identified in the "Risk Factors" section of the Company's reports and filings with applicable Canadian securities regulators.

Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. The forward-looking information is made as of the date of this news release. Except as required by applicable securities laws, the Company does not undertake any obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking information.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/156369
DENVER, CO / ACCESSWIRE / February 28, 2023 / Solitario Zinc Corp. ("Solitario") (NYSE American:XPL); (TSX:SLR) is pleased to report that it has received additional assay results from trenching and surface rock sampling at the Spur Gold Zone and from a recently discovered gold-rich area to the east called Zig Zag. The Geyser, Spur and Zig Zag zones are new surface gold discoveries made during the 2022 field season on Solitario's Golden Crest project in South Dakota. Highlights of newly released assays include:

Spur Trench 1: 234 meters grading 0.82 grams per tonne ("gpt") gold consisting of a continuous channel of 78-three-meter samples predominantly from bedrock and open at both ends of the trench (the first 24 meters of this trench were previously reported).

("gpt") gold consisting of a continuous channel of 78-three-meter samples predominantly from bedrock and open at both ends of the trench (the first 24 meters of this trench were previously reported). Zig Zag Trench 1: 27 meters grading 3.22 gpt gold consisting of a continuous channel of 9-three-meter samples predominantly from bedrock and open at both ends of the trench.

consisting of a continuous channel of 9-three-meter samples predominantly from bedrock and open at both ends of the trench. Seventeen new widely-spaced select high-grade grab samples with assays above 5.0 gpt gold , including two from the new Zig Zag Gold Zone, are reported in this release and significantly expand the currently delineated higher-grade area. These surface sample assays include: 5.6, 5.9, 7.5, 8.1, 9.5, 11.3, 13.4, 14.3, 14.5, 15.7, 16.8, 16.9 17.0 20.6, 24.0, 29.0, and 36.4 gpt gold.

, including two from the new Zig Zag Gold Zone, are reported in this release and significantly expand the currently delineated higher-grade area. These surface sample assays include: The combined Geyser-Spur-Zig Zag Gold Zone now encompasses an area approximately 800 x 700 meters with a significant population of multi-gram gold values in trench and surface rock grab samples. This large area of moderate-to-high-grade gold values remains open to expansion in all directions.

These newly reported trenching and grab sample assay results, as well as previously reported results, can be viewed on the attached Geyser-Spur-Zig Zag Map.

Chris Herald, President and CEO of Solitario, stated: "We continue to discover and enlarge new areas displaying strong gold values at surface and anticipate this trend will continue. Spur Trench 1 assay results are exceptional, especially the consistency of mineralization over a length of 234 meters. The average grade of the 78 three-meter sample intervals (0.82 gpt gold) is not carried by a couple of high-grade gold values, but rather nearly half of the intervals are greater than 0.50 gpt gold with the three highest 3-meter intervals grading 7.05, 3.25 and 3.07 gpt gold. It's the same story at Zig Zag (27 m @ 3.22 gpt gold) where seven out of the nine three-meter samples are greater than 2.6 gpt gold.

The combined mineralized surface area of the Geyser-Spur-Zig Zag zone now measure more than half of a square kilometer and remains open in all directions. Multiple samples containing >10 gpt exist at the northern, western and eastern limits of exploration. Amazingly, if Golden Crest is similar to known mineralization in the Homestake-Wharf district to the east, the best mineralization lies in the host rocks (Deadwood Formation) below the stratigraphy exposed at surface at Golden Crest. We anticipate the Geyser-Spur-Zig Zag Zone will continue to expand as we conduct additional work in 2023."

Drill Hole Permitting and Project Overview

Drill hole permitting continues to advance on Solitario's Golden Crest Property since its initiation in February 2022, when a Plan of Operations was filed with the U.S. Forest Service. Environmental baseline studies, in support of permitting documents required for drilling, are complete. The final Environmental Assessment evaluation for core drilling is scheduled to be completed in the second quarter of 2023.

Solitario's 100%-owned South Dakota properties collectively total over 33,000 acres and constitute strategic land holdings along the western and southwestern extensions of the Homestake-Wharf mining district that has produced approximately 52 million ounces of gold and contains another 30 million ounces in historical resources. The project area is in a politically safe jurisdiction with highly developed infrastructure, an unbroken 145-year record of continuous gold mining, a skilled mining workforce, and a history of high-grade, underground mineable gold deposits.

Reclamation and Best Practices:

Solitario is committed to a "Best Practices" policy for all of its exploration activities, whether on private or public lands. For example, all proposed drill hole locations as part of the current Plan of Operations, will be located adjacent to or on existing logging roads or other logging related surface disturbances. In this way drill hole sites will minimize or eliminate new surface disturbance on public land. Drilling proposed under the Plan of Operations and analyzed in the EA will be conducted in accordance with the provisions of the Decision document issued by the USFS and all state permits granted for the proposed actions.

Sample Type, Sampling Methodology, Chain of Custody, Quality Control and Assurance

The reported Spur and Geyser rock samples are mainly surface grab/float samples and were generally not collected from a bedrock source. However, these samples are thought to be derived from the underlying bedrock in the immediate sampled area. Trenching at Spur and Zig Zag was conducted using handheld non-mechanized tools. The Spur and Zig Zag Zones trench samples were mostly from bedrock and disaggregated weathered bedrock with a minor soil component. All sampling reported in this release was supervised by project geologists, including chain of custody. Reported rock samples often include reconnaissance select grab samples that usually display silicification and hydrothermal brecciation.

The significance of these results is limited to determining whether gold, or trace elements usually associated with gold, are present within rocks affected by hydrothermal alteration fluids. Assay results may not be representative of, nor verify economically mineable mineralization. Samples were analyzed by ALS Laboratories in Reno, NV, a laboratory accredited in accordance with the standards of ISO 17025:2017. The samples were crushed and pulverized, and sample pulps were analyzed using industry standard fire assay methods. A certified reference sample or duplicate was inserted at least every 20th sample.

Walter Hunt, COO of Solitario, is a qualified person as defined by NI 43-101, Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects, responsible for approving the scientific and technical information contained in this news release.

About Solitario

Solitario is a natural resource exploration company focused on high-quality Tier-1 gold and zinc projects. The Company is traded on the NYSE American ("XPL") and on the Toronto Stock Exchange ("SLR"). In addition to its South Dakota property holdings, Solitario holds a 50% joint venture interest (Teck Resources 50%) in the high-grade Lik zinc deposit in Alaska and a 39% joint venture interest (Nexa Resources holds the remaining 61% interest) on the high-grade Florida Canyon zinc project in Peru. Solitario is carried to production through its joint venture arrangement with Nexa. Solitario's Management and Directors hold approximately 9.1% (excluding options) of the Company's 65 million shares outstanding. Solitario's cash balance and marketable securities stand at approximately US$4.8 million. Additional information about Solitario is available online at www.solitariozinc.com.

Solitario has a long history of committed Environmental, Social and Responsible Governance ("ESG") of its business. We realize ESG issues are also important to investors, employees, and all stakeholders, including communities in which we work. We are pledged to operate our business in a manner that supports environmental and social initiatives and responsible corporate governance. Importantly, we select joint venture partners that not only value the importance of ESG issues in the conduct of their business on our joint venture projects but are leaders in the industry in this important segment of our business.

For More Information Please Contact:

Christopher E. Herald

President & CEO

(303) 534-1030, Ext. 14 Anne Hite

Director - Investor Relations

(303) 519-5149

anne@solitariozinc.com

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the U.S. Securities Act of 1933 and the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and as defined in the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (and the equivalent under Canadian securities laws), that are intended to be covered by the safe harbor created by such sections. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts. They are based on the beliefs, estimates and opinions of the Company's management on the date the statements are made and address activities, events or developments that Solitario expects or anticipates will or may occur in the future, and are based on current expectations and assumptions. Forward-looking statements involve numerous risks and uncertainties. Consequently, there can be no assurances that such statements will prove to be accurate and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Solitario's Golden Crest land position does not cover any of the areas of historical gold production or historical unmined resources. Certain historical information concerning exploration and gold production in the Black Hills region has been obtained through both public and private sources and are believed to be substantially factual, but Solitario can give no assurances of the accuracy of such information. The existence of historic mines and resources adjacent to Solitario's land position do not necessarily support the existence economic mineral deposits on Solitario's land position. Such forward-looking statements include, without limitation, statements regarding the Company's expectation of the projected timing and outcome of engineering studies; expectations regarding the receipt of all necessary permits and approvals to implement a mining plan, if any, at any of its mineral properties. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements include, among others, risks relating to risks that Solitario's and its joint venture partners' exploration and property advancement efforts will not be successful; risks relating to fluctuations in the price of zinc, gold, lead and silver; the inherently hazardous nature of mining-related activities; uncertainties concerning reserve and resource estimates; availability of outside contractors, and other activities; uncertainties relating to obtaining approvals and permits from governmental regulatory authorities; the possibility that environmental laws and regulations will change over time and become even more restrictive; and availability and timing of capital for financing the Company's exploration and development activities, including uncertainty of being able to raise capital on favorable terms or at all; risks relating to the impacts of Covid-19 or similar variants; as well as those factors discussed in Solitario's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") including Solitario's latest Annual Report on Form 10-K and its other SEC filings (and Canadian filings) including, without limitation, its latest Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q. The Company does not intend to publicly update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise, except as may be required under applicable securities laws.

SOURCE: Solitario Zinc Corp.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/741121/Solitario-Cuts-234-Meters-of-082-GPT-Gold-and-27-Meters-of-322-GPT-Gold-in-Trenches-at-Spur-and-Zig-Zag-Gold-Zones-Open-in-Multiple-Directions
Including 1456 g/t over 1.5 Meters and 297 g/t over 5.0 Meters

Identified three vertically stacked Carbonate Replacement Deposit Horizons (CRD) type features and mineralized zones at the Ti-Cup target

Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - February 28, 2023) - Viscount Mining Corp. (TSXV: VML) (OTCQX: VLMGF) ("Viscount" or "the Company") and our partner, a wholly owned subsidiary of Centerra Gold Inc. (TSX: CG) (NYSE: CGAU) has completed the Phase 1 core drilling program at the 100% controlled Cherry Creek Project in eastern White Pine County, Nevada.

Centerra's drilling identified three vertically stacked Carbonate Replacement Deposit (CRD) type features and mineralized zones at the Ti-Cup target. (Please refer to the figure below). These are large scale brecciation features in the limestone that host high-grade silver veins and lower grade silver mineralization that borders and overlaps the three zones. Base metal values encountered in these zones included lead to 10001 ppm, zinc to 10001 ppm, Cu to 4579.8 ppm and W to 101 ppm. These minerals generally occur in narrow veins and replacement zones from 0.75 to 4 meters in thickness.





Ti-Cup CRD Horizons

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Drilling revealed several hundred meters of brecciation and anomalous silver mineralization which is approaching economic grades at depth. The surface projection of the breccias and mineralization projects to the northeast and away from the historic producing mine in an area that has not been historically explored. The potential for a high-grade silver bonanza CRD exists at the prospect and in the silver soil anomaly. Grab sample anomalies continue for more than a kilometer to the northeast into the higher terrain.

With these recently identified permissive hydrothermal breccias in the Ti-Cup mine area, all of which overlie an Eocene age intrusive rock thought to be a mineralization driver in the district; the potential for finding silver and base metal CRD deposits is considered very good. CRD deposits are high temperature deposits and can form large orebodies that extend over long distances.

The Ti-Cup was a major silver producer in the Cherry Creek Mining District. The deposits occurred as high-grade lenticular chutes and replacements within the vein and a thrust fault. This mine was noted for having ore shoots of bonanza grade ore. For example, in 1874 when the shaft was at a depth of 73m and had only 137m of development work the 2.5ft vein at the bottom of the shaft assayed $234 per ton when the price of silver was $0.90 oz. The average grade of the silver mined in 1874 was 420-470 oz/t with the highest shipment reporting 4200 oz/t. (Source: University of Nevada Bulletin 14a, Nevada State Bureau of Mines and Mackay School of Mines. Author: F. C. Schrader geologist of the U.S. Geological Survey 1931). All of Schrader's estimates are deemed to be historical and not 43-101 compliant.

The Ti-Cup vein strikes northeast with a moderate dip to the west. It occurs within a thrust fault that separates massive limestone from an overlying shale. The vein has been traced for 3.5 miles and to a depth of 1,100 feet. The vein is truncated on the north by the Exchequer Fault which is likely the source of the mineralizing fluids. The vein is also bounded on the south by a post-mineral high-angle fault. Fred Anderson, the mine manager at the time of Tognani's report, reported the mineralization to be open below the Ti-Cup shaft. (Source: Ti-Cup Mining Corp. Author: Michael A. Tognoni, Ti-Cup Mining Corp. mining engineer, 1985). The estimates are deemed to be historical and not 43-101 compliant.

The maximum rock sample silver for silver in the Ti-Cup target area was 83.4 oz/t (2,860 g/t), while the maximum silver value in soils was 28.1 g/t. Forty-six rock samples ran greater than or equal 50 g/t silver, with ten rock samples assaying greater than or equal to 500 g/t; while two soil samples ran greater than or equal to 20 ppm silver. The Ti-Cup is clearly a silver dominant target.

Mark Abrams, Viscount VP of Exploration stated: "The geological setting at Cherry Creek has many similarities to the "Upper and Lower Hilltop Zones" at the Ruby Hill gold mine recently reported on by i80 Gold Corp. in their December 19, 2022 news release. The Ruby Hill mine is located approximately 50 miles west of the Cherry Creek project. There are many other examples of CRD deposits in the region, including those associated with the Bingham Canyon mining complex in Utah. CRD deposits are an important source of silver and base metals in many jurisdictions."

Exploration activities targeted broader areas that were primarily defined by IP and airborne magnetics, with much less weight put on geochemical influence. All of the target areas contain favorable sedimentary and intrusive host rocks, additionally, there were some intrusive rocks inferred from geophysics that were later confirmed with the drill. There is clear evidence in both trends of mineralization and continuity.

All of the targeted host rock units and geological contacts planned for testing were encountered. Some of the favorable rock unit sections and their contacts (Wheeler Shale, Swasey Limestone, and Burnt Canyon Limestone) were repeated by thrust faulting. Alteration and structural preparation including decalcification, calcite mobilization, hydrothermal brecciation, and carbonate replacement was noted in the core logging. Silicification as flooding and stockworks is present and locally very strong. Calcite is common as veinlets and breccia fillings. Locally strong hornfelsing (baking) and skarn development were also found proximal to the intrusive rocks.

Eleven holes (CC-22-001 through CC-011) totaling 3283.75 meters of drilling were completed between late April and September by Alford Drilling of Spring Creek, Nevada.

Five holes (CC-22-001-CC22-004 and CC-22-010) were drilled on the Star target (Viscount Mining Corp. News Release November 30, 2021); Five holes (CC-22-005-CC-22-009) were drilled on the Ti-Cup target (Viscount Mining Corp. News Release January 20, 2022; and one hole CC-22-011 was drilled on the New Century-Rattlesnake target (Viscount Mining Corp. News Release March 3, 2022)





2022 Completed Drill Holes

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All results for the drill program have been received. Key intercepts include the Star Mine gold intercept in CC-22-04; and multiple Ag +/- W key intercepts in Ti-Cup Mine prospect. See Table 1 below. Overlimit assays for Ag were necessary for certain intervals CC-22-04, CC-22-07 and CC-22-09 that exceeded 90.9 g/t (100 ppm).

Significant assay results for Cherry Creek drill program (Table 1)

Hole From To Meters Au g/t From To Meters Ag g/t CC-22-04 2.00 9.20 7.20 35.15 CC-22-04 69.05 70.05 1 1.966 - - - - CC-22-05 - - - - 210.55 211.70 1.15 90.7 CC-22-07 258.15 259.15 1 349 CC-22-09 - - - - 202.8 204.3 1.5 1456 CC-22-09 - - - - 212.3 217.3 5 297

Initial work planned for 2023 includes:

Follow up surface work associated with the drilling at Ti-Cup to verify the continuation of potential mineralization in the lower CRD unit. Formulate drilling plans and continue permitting for two developing target areas in the southwest portion of the Cherry Creek land position where work earlier in 2022 identified magnetic geophysical, and molybdenum geochemical anomalies. These anomalies are located in areas where the mineralized Black Metal and Exchequer faults pass through the Cherry Creek property. Extend IP geophysics and geochemical sampling as well as geological mapping into the recently acquired Mary Anne patented claims located along our southeast border.

Quality Assurance/Quality Control ("QA/QC") Measures, Chain of Custody

The Company has implemented a rigorous QA/QC program using best industry practices at the Cherry Creek Property. Drill core is picked up directly at the drill site and transported to Centerra's core facility in Ely, Nevada where it is logged, photographed, and sawed in half. Drill core, rock, and soil samples are placed in securely sealed bags for transportation to the Bureau Veritas Mineral Laboratory in Elko, Nevada, for sample preparation and subsequent analysis at Bureau Veritas Mineral Laboratories Canada, in Vancouver. The insertion of standards, blanks and duplicates is conducted by Centerra personnel at the core facility.

Analysis for rock samples is completed at Bureau Veritas using the following prep and analysis packages:

PRP 70-250 Crush, split and pulverize 250g rock to 200 mesh

FA450 50g Lead Collection Fire Assay Fusion - AAS Finish

AQ 201 1:1:1 Aqua Regia digestion ICP-MS analysis

Analysis for soil and sediment samples are completed at Bureau Veritas using the following soil and sediment prep and analysis packages:

DY060 Dry at 60C

SS80 Dry at 60C sieve 100g to -80 mesh

FA450 50g Lead Collection Fire Assay Fusion - AAS Finish

AQ 201 1:1:1 Aqua Regia digestion ICP-MS analysis

DISP2 Heat treatment of Soils and Sediments

Qualified Persons

This News Release was prepared by M.J. Abrams CPG #11451. M.J. Abrams is a Qualified Person as defined by NI 43-101. The scientific and technical disclosure included in this news release was reviewed and approved by Harald Hoegberg PG, an independent consulting geologist who is a "Qualified Person" (QP) as such term is defined under National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI 43-101").

About Viscount Mining (TSXV: VML) (OTCQX: VLMGF)

Viscount Mining is a project generator and an exploration company with a portfolio of silver and gold properties in the Western United States, including Silver Cliff in Colorado and Cherry Creek in Nevada.

The Silver Cliff property in Colorado lies within the historic Hardscrabble Silver District in the Wet Mountain Valley, Custer County, south-central Colorado. It is located 44 miles WSW of Pueblo, Colorado, and has year-around access by paved road. The property consists of 96 lode claims where high grade silver, gold and base metal production came from numerous mines during the period 1878 to the early 1900's. The property underwent substantial exploration between 1967 and 1984. The property is interpreted to encompass a portion of a large caldera and highly altered sequence of tertiary rhyolitic flows and fragmental units which offers potential to host deposits with both precious and base metals. This has been demonstrated in the mineralization historically extracted from the numerous underground and surface mining operations. Based on the accumulated data and feasibility study, Tenneco Minerals made the decision with silver at $5.00 USD an ounce to construct at that time a $35,000,000 USD milling operation for the extraction of the silver reserves at Silver Cliff. Shortly thereafter Tenneco's Mining Unit was sold, and the planned milling operation was abandoned.

The Cherry Creek exploration property is in an area commonly known as the Cherry Creek Mining District, located approximately 50 miles north of the town of Ely, White Pine County, Nevada. Cherry Creek consists of 578 unpatented and 41 patented claims as well as mill rights. Cherry Creek includes more than 20 past producing mines. In January 2021, Viscount entered an exploration earn - in agreement with a wholly owned subsidiary of Centerra Gold Inc. Centerra is a Canadian-based gold mining company focused on operating, developing, exploring and acquiring gold properties in North America, Asia and other markets worldwide.

For additional information regarding the above noted property and other corporate information, please visit the Company's website at www.viscountmining.com.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

"Jim MacKenzie"

President, CEO, and Director

For further information, please contact:

Viscount Investor Relations Email: info@viscountmining.com

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release includes certain statements that may be deemed "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to Viscount Mining's operations, exploration and development plans, expansion plans, estimates, expectations, forecasts, objectives, predictions and projections of the future. Specifically, this news release contains forward looking statements with respect to contemplated drill program and any correlation to any historical results. The Company cannot provide any assurances that the entire drill program described above will be completed. Generally, forward-looking statements can be identified by the forward-looking terminology such as "plans", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "projects", "intends", "anticipates", or "does not anticipate", or "believes", or "variations of such words and phrases or state that certain actions, events or results "may", "can", "could", "would", "might", or "will" be taken", "occur" or "be achieved". Forward-looking statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of Viscount Mining to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements, including but not limited to: risks related to the exploration and development and operation of Viscount Mining's projects, the actual results of current exploration, development activities, conclusions of economic evaluations, changes in project parameters as plans continue to be refined, future precious metals prices, as well as those factors discussed in the sections relating to risk factors of our business filed in Viscount Mining's required securities filings on SEDAR. Although Viscount Mining has attempted to identify important factors that could cause results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause results to be materially different from those anticipated, described, estimated, assessed or intended.

There can be no assurance that any forward-looking statements will prove 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. Viscount Mining does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements that are incorporated by reference herein, except in accordance with applicable securities laws.

THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE INC. HAS NEITHER APPROVED NOR DISAPPROVED THE CONTENTS OF THIS PRESS RELEASE. 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/156370
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - February 28, 2023) - Kutcho Copper Corp. (TSXV: KC) (OTCQX: KCCFF) ("Kutcho Copper" or the "Company") is pleased to provide an overview of its explorations plans at its feasibility stage, high-grade copper-zinc Kutcho Project located in north-western British Columbia.

Vince Sorace, President & CEO of Kutcho Copper, comments: "The Kutcho Project has not seen any significant exploration since 1990. The prospective mineralized horizons that host the existing deposits repeat three times across our land position and volcanogenic massive sulphide ("VMS") deposits typically occur in clusters along favourable horizons. With three deposits already identified along the Main-Sumac-Esso horizon, the Project has the making of a substantive VMS district and has potential for discovery of completely new deposits."

"We have a detailed regional exploration plan for the Kutcho Project that will involve an extensive geophysics program across the entire claim block. Previous VTEM surveys on select areas over the Project were only able to penetrate a few hundred meters below surface, while a 1983 gravity survey over the Main lens proved that the Kutcho massive sulphides produce a significant gravitational response. We intend to focus on gravity techniques and other improved remote sensing capabilities and new technologies, combined with existing data and interpretations, to generate compelling targets to be followed up with drill testing."

Highlights of the planned program include (Figure 1):

In depth assessment of the existing geophysical survey data with enhanced modelling techniques.

An aerial gravity survey to cover the full project area with techniques that have improved significantly since 1983.

Information from the gravity survey will aid in the interpretation of existing versatile time domain electromagnetic ("VTEM") and total magnetic intensity ("TMI") data.

Detailed seismic will be used to follow up on potential additional VMS lenses prior to expedited drilling of priority targets.

Combine all geophysical data, rock chip sampling, structural information, and exposure mapping to define priority drill targets.

Hyperspectral logging of select drill core to capture alteration zonation and help map rock units hidden by intense alteration to provide vectors towards new mineralization.

The Kutcho Project encompasses ~90% of the prospective Kutcho Formation rocks east of Dease Lake, B.C. These prospective volcanic rocks are folded, repeating the favourable mineralized horizon that hosts the Main, Sumac and Esso VMS deposits three times within the Project boundary, including the areas hosting the known deposits.

The Main, Sumac and Esso deposits are all aligned and plunge at 15o to the west, with Main outcropping at surface and Esso occurring at approximately 400 m below the surface. The existing VTEM data does not penetrate deep enough to detect the Esso deposit but the proposed aerial gravity survey can investigate the highly prospective corridor west of and to depth, beyond the Esso deposit, where drilling in 1980 returned an intersection of 7.2m of 2.0% Cu, 5.2% Zn and 17g/t Ag in hole E094B3 (Figure 2).





Figure 1: Kutcho Project geology and VTEM Tau signal overlaid that defines the Main and Sumac lenses and other VTEM targets across the project. Note that the depth of investigation of the VTEM cannot detect Esso at a depth of 400m. The new proposed aerial gravity survey has significantly greater depth penetration and should be able to image the highly prospective corridor west of the Esso lens.

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Figure 2: Inclined Plan view demonstrating the alignment of the Main, Sumac and Esso deposits. Highlighting drill intercepts from The Esso West target located 300m west and down plunge from Esso where the potential for new massive sulphide lens is located.

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Kutcho Copper has already identified target areas of interest from a review of available technical information, which targets will also be the focus of the planned geophysical program and include (see figure 3):

Target 1 - the IRJ Northwest target was first identified as a conductor in a 1990 ground-based survey and was tested with two drill holes. The holes intersected intensely altered and weakly copper-mineralized intervals, as well as a thick sequence of altered lapilli tuff and ash. The size and strength of the alteration in both holes suggests a prospective target down dip that may be defined by gravity techniques.

Target 2 - the IRJ Northeast target has been intersected by three holes drilled in 1990 that returned massive to semi-massive sulphide layers up to 1m thick that are associated with argillaceous material. Hole E017 returned ~3m of a stringer zone with an average of 20% pyrite that includes some massive bands, which assayed 7.3m of 0.27% Cu. The geochemical trends suggest that a hydrothermal vent area lies further east and exploration should focus on this area.

Target 3 - This target is a significant VMS-type showing located on the flank of a felsic dome. A prospect pit was excavated and reached "mineralized bedrock" at a depth of 1.6 m, returning assays of 0.3% Cu, 0.1% Pb, 0.1% Zn and 7g/t Ag. Soil sampling defined a 400m x 500m cluster of strong Cu-Zn anomalies that are coincident with a strong, linear, chargeability anomaly. A Cu-Zn soil anomaly containing up to 0.15% Zn and 0.03% Cu occurs on the southwestern flank of the same rhyolite flow/dome complex that has not been drill tested either.

Target 4 - B-C East is a 3.5km long conductor inferred to be overlain by 30m of silica exhalite. Host rocks comprise a narrow band of sericite schist with narrow lenses of massive pyrite and silica exhalite hosted in mafic rocks. Gravity surveys produced a broad and shallow response that suggests a diffuse zone of increased density that could indicate disseminated or stringer-style sulphide mineralization commonly associated with VMS deposits.

Target 5 - The I-PC area is associated with cherts hosted in crystal lithic tuffs and is interpreted as a hydrothermal exhalative horizon. E024 and 90K16 are proximal drill holes which intersected alteration in lithic tuffs and massive to laminated pyrite with minor disseminated sphalerite and chalcopyrite, potentially indicating proximity to a productive VMS environment. This tuff unit occurs upstream from numerous rounded boulders of finely banded, sphalerite- and galena-bearing chert and exhalate, suggesting potential for a nearby sub-cropping VMS system.

Target 6 - Esso West: The Esso West expansion target is represented by a geophysical anomaly extending 1,500m westward from the Esso deposit, with approximately only 150m (10%) of the anomaly being drill tested. This drilling returned several mineralized intercepts including 7.2m of 2.0% Cu, 5.2% Zn and 17g/t Ag in hole E094B3 (estimated true thickness of 6.12m), which lies 300m west of the Esso deposit. The 300m of prospective Kutcho horizon between hole E094B3 and the Esso deposit is untested by drilling, as is the further 1,000 m of prospective Kutcho horizon to the west of hole E094B3.







Figure 3: Kutcho Project geology delineating regional targets 1 - 6 defined from a compilation of historic work.

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Qualified Persons

The technical or scientific information in this press release has been reviewed and approved by Andrew Sharp, P.Eng BC, FAusIMM, Chief Operating Officer for Kutcho Copper, who serves as a qualified person under the definition of National Instrument 43-101.

About Kutcho Copper

Kutcho Copper Corp is a Canadian resource development company focused on expanding and developing the Kutcho high grade copper-zinc project in northern British Columbia. Committed to social responsibility and the highest environmental standards, the Company recently completed a feasibility study on the Kutcho project and is advancing permitting with the objective of getting to a positive construction decision.

Vince Sorace

President & CEO, Kutcho Copper Corp.

For further information regarding Kutcho Copper Corp, please email info@kutcho.ca or visit our website at www.kutcho.ca.

Cautionary Note Regarding 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 release.

This news release contains certain statements that may be deemed "forward-looking statements" with respect to the Company within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and are generally, but not always, identified by the words "plans", "believes", "estimates", "potential", "indicates", and similar expressions, or that events or conditions "will", "may", "could" or "should" occur. Although Kutcho Copper believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance, are subject to risks and uncertainties, and actual results or realities may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Such material risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to: the timing, results and implications of the planned exploration programs, whether or not new deposits will be identified and, if so, whether such deposits will be permittable and economically feasible, the Company's ability to raise sufficient capital to fund its obligations under its property agreements going forward, to maintain its mineral tenures and concessions in good standing, to explore and develop the Kutcho Project, to repay its debt and for general working capital purposes; changes in economic conditions or financial markets; the inherent hazards associates with mineral exploration and mining operations, future prices of copper and other metals, changes in general economic conditions, accuracy of mineral resource and reserve estimates, the ability of the Company to obtain the necessary permits and consents required to explore, drill and develop the Kutcho project and if obtained, to obtain such permits and consents in a timely fashion relative to the Company's plans and business objectives for the projects; the general ability of the Company to monetize its mineral resources; and changes in environmental and other laws or regulations that could have an impact on the Company's operations, compliance with environmental laws and regulations, aboriginal title claims and rights to consultation and accommodation, dependence on key management personnel and general competition in the mining industry. Forward-looking statements are based on the reasonable beliefs, estimates and opinions of the Company's management on the date the statements are made. Except as required by law, the Company undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements in the event that management's beliefs, estimates or opinions, or other factors, should change.

This news release includes historical information that has been reviewed by the Company's geological team and qualified person. The Company's review of the historical records and information reasonably substantiate the validity of the information presented in this news release; however, the Company cannot directly verify the accuracy of the historical data, including the procedures used for sample collection and analysis. There is insufficient exploration on these prospects to define a mineral resource. It is uncertain if after additional exploration a mineral resource will be delineated. Therefore, the Company encourages investors to exercise appropriate caution when evaluating these results.

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Allego to build 32 public fast charge points for electric cars at strategic Trophi real-estate locations throughout Sweden. First stations will be operable in September 2023.

Public charging infrastructure in Sweden is injected with a strong boost. Trophi and Allego, Europe's largest independent EV charge-point operator, announce the development of fast-charging facilities at strategic locations. The two infrastructure companies are excited to join forces in this new relationship that will help further accelerate the energy transition in Sweden.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230228005240/en/

Allego 150 kW fast charging station (Photo: Business Wire)

Trophi recently signed an agreement with Allego to build charging infrastructure on 7 hypermarket and city grocery store locations across the country. Allego will furnish these locations with fast charging stations, making HPC charging publicly available for all customers. With 275 properties in Sweden and Finland, Trophi is the leading Nordic real estate company focusing on grocery anchored retail properties.

All foreseen charging stations will accommodate DC, and in some locations AC destination charging, following a pre-agreed mix. The charging hubs will be equipped with a combination of 4-8 ultra-fast (HPC) charge points, depending on the size of the location, and in some cases an additional 4-8 AC charge points. The set ups are planned near Trophi locations for hypermarkets and shopping areas close to main highways (Koping, Kristianstad, Eskilstuna and Landskrona) as well as city grocery stores (Stenungsund, Ornskoldsvik and Helsingborg). All Trophi drive-through locations that Allego is installing will feature medium canopy roofs; these locations are Eskilstuna, Helsingborg, Kristianstad, Koping, Stenungsund, Ornskoldsvik.

The signed agreement commits both parties to install charge points for all types and models of Electric Vehicles, both private and commercial. Allego and Trophi agreed on a standardized lease agreement approved by both parties to make the process easier and builds more efficient. Trophi will lease sections of their land to Allego, who will install and operate the charging equipment.

Allego delivers public EV charging solutions for all types and models of electric vehicles, facilitating consumers, businesses, and urban infrastructures across 16 European countries, and counting, having already established one of Europe's largest networks comprising of just under 40,000 public charge points. Being a pioneering company, Allego continually strives to make EV charging easier, more convenient, and more enjoyable for all.

Payment system that makes public charging available for all

Interoperability is one of the key features Allego is proud of, always considering the EV driver centric to the type of solution on offer. Allego's proven experience in delivering EV charging infrastructure means all EV drivers will have access to the latest in ultra-fast charging technology, with no subscription fees, just a simple tap of a credit/debit card for convenience. The charging stations are available and easily accessible to all visitors to the area for opportunity charging, or EV drivers travelling through and who find the charging stations in Allego's Smoov app.

Trophi real estate properties are located throughout Sweden and Finland. Their business model is built on the steady generation of return for owners through long-term and active management. Since 2012, they have built a real estate portfolio of commercial properties with a long-term view on ownership, enabling them to provide security for tenants. Today, the real estate portfolio comprises more than 860,000 square meters of retail premises.

Allego's Managing Director for the Nordic Region, Tobias Henmark explains: "As an international charging infrastructure operator, we offer a wide range of charging facilities, always focused on the needs of the EV-driving customer, in any situation." He continues: "We are thrilled to be working with Trophi, a company that has shown a tremendous ability to adapt to customer demand in the past, that has built an incredible network of retail facilities, which fits in with our ambition as a company to provide a reliable and scalable network of charging solutions throughout the Nordic region."

About Allego

Allego delivers charging solutions for all types and models of electric vehicles, facilitating consumers, businesses, and urban infrastructures. A leader in charging solutions, we nurture and have built an international charging network comprising of just under 40,000 public charging points, operational throughout the pan-European market. Our charging solutions are connected to the proprietary platform, EV-Cloud.

At Allego, we are committed to providing independent, reliable, and safe charging solutions, agnostic of vehicle model or network affiliation. Being a pioneering company in EV-charging solutions, we continually strive to make EV charging easier, more convenient, and more enjoyable for all.

In short

Europe's largest, independent public charging network, established in The Netherlands in 2013, and listed on NYSE in 2022. Active in 16 European countries, with almost 40,000 public charge points that use 100% clean renewable energy, enabling over 420 million green kilometers in 2021.

Please refer to www.allego.eu for more information.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230228005240/en/

Contacts:

Contact Allego:

Christine Strik, Manager Corporate Branding Communications

Email: christine.strik@allego.eu

Phone: +31 621 838 634

(Dutch English French German)
The complementary pairing of these two leading Regulatory companies brings an unmatched offering to the global market

MIAMI and NOVO MESTO, Slovenia, Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- ArisGlobal , the leading provider of life sciences software designed to automate core drug development functions with its end-to-end technology platform LifeSphere today announces the acquisition of Amplexor Life Sciences (LS), a global provider of regulatory, quality, and safety software solutions, serving and trusted by pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and medical device companies.?





?The integration of the regulatory product lines will bring a distinct set of benefits to customers. LifeSphere users are now gaining access to enhanced publishing and labeling capabilities; in addition to a robust Quality Management System (QMS) from Amplexor LS.?Amplexor LS's regulatory customers can now connect to even wider functionality through ArisGlobal's market leading LifeSphere platform including access to state-of-the-art Safety, Medical Affairs and Clinical solutions.

This combined product ecosystem provides a new opportunity for life sciences companies, bringing together best in breed solutions to form a cohesive solution serving customers' regulatory needs. It also represents many years of industry expertise, software innovation, and customer excellence from ArisGlobal and Amplexor Life Sciences. This move?will accelerate both companies' roadmaps and increase efficiency in bringing new therapies to the market.

?"For many years, ArisGlobal has been focused on building a regulatory platform that provides a market-leading, comprehensive set of products and streamlines processes supporting collaboration across distributed teams while adhering to extensive and evolving global regulatory requirements," shares Mike Gordon, chief executive officer at ArisGlobal. "By combining our core functionalities, we are elevating our end-to-end Regulatory capabilities to enhance our customers' journey."

"Amplexor Life Sciences has always sought to provide their customers with operational excellence in global compliance, and this new chapter of our products within the LifeSphere Regulatory platform will continue to do that," states Elvis Pacelat, Executive Vice President at Amplexor LS. "We are excited to join forces with ArisGlobal, who has been an innovator in the life sciences space for several decades, to provide the market with a full scope of products designed to make regulatory processes a connected, cloud-based, and compliant experience."

"The vision and objectives of ArisGlobal and Amplexor LS are aligned," shares Jim Hilferty, AVP and Head of Regulatory at ArisGlobal. "We're confident that bringing our organizations together will serve as a catalyst for innovation to benefit life sciences, and allow us to deliver the most intelligent, connected, and comprehensive platform available to the regulatory community."

Both companies have been supporting R&D processes through technology for decades, with offices throughout Europe, United States, India, and the APAC region.?

The integration is subject to customary government approvals that are expected to be completed in the next 60 days.?Further information will be made available on the combined solution.?

For more information, visit arisglobal.com and amplexorlifesciences.com .

About ArisGlobal & LifeSphere:

ArisGlobal is the market leader in Drug Safety solutions worldwide and is transforming the way today's most successful Life Sciences companies develop breakthroughs and bring new products to market. Headquartered in the United States, ArisGlobal has regional offices in Europe, India, Japan, and China. For more updates, follow ArisGlobal on LinkedIn and Twitter.

About Amplexor Life Sciences:

Amplexor Life Sciences is a global provider of regulatory, quality and safety software solutions, serving and trusted by pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical device companies for over 30 years. Its holistic Life Sciences Suite of solutions helps life sciences organizations to be efficient with launching products and breaking into new markets quickly while ensuring quality, efficacy and safety through end-to-end support to product lifecycle processes, data and content management.?

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1510670/ArisGlobal_Logo.jpg

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/arisglobal-signs-agreement-to-acquire-amplexor-life-sciences-creating-the-most-comprehensive-regulatory-saas-platform-for-the-industry-301757868.html
First look at the new technology to take place at MURTEC 2023 convention.

CHICAGO, IL / ACCESSWIRE / February 28, 2023 / ClearCOGS has announced that their AI Operations Manager, a new chat-based tool for restaurants to gain control of their operations, will be officially unveiled at MURTEC 2023 (Multi Unit Restaurant Technology Convention). The AI Ops Manager is powered by ChatGPT and it sits on top of both historical and forecasted data to allow restaurants a full past and future look at their business. This product offers a new way for restaurant operators or managers to find solutions to their day-to-day challenges and ask the questions that need immediate answers.

ClearCOGS Unveils ChatGPT AI Operations Manager Live in Las Vegas

ClearCOGS Unveils ChatGPT AI Operations Manager Live in Las Vegas

"We've had the AI Ops Manager vision for a while," says Matt Wampler, CEO at ClearCOGS. "We're able to execute that vision much faster by employing ChatGPT tech."

Since the start of the company, ClearCOGS has been using AI to do restaurant demand forecasting. By accessing the data that already exists, they can generate detailed and accurate predictions on what to expect from each upcoming shift. This is crucial information for restaurants that, on average, have razor-thin margins. What this new ChatGPT feature will do is allow restaurateurs access to vital information at pivotal decision points. "What's really exciting is not just that it's a translation layer," says Matt, "but it's able to add value to the data."

ClearCOGS states that the system will be able to answer questions as general as, "How was business last week?" and as specific as, "How many plain bagels should I bake today?"

The ClearCOGS AI Operations Manager will be unveiled on March 6, at the MURTEC convention. For more information on the AI Ops Manager, visit clearcogs.com.

About ClearCOGS: ClearCOGS provides operational efficiency for modern food-service businesses. We empower restaurant operators with the tools and information they need to make proactive decisions to reduce management stress. We measure our success by the impact our tools have on the bottom line and the clarity in your business operations.

Contact Information

Matt Wampler

CEO & Co-Founder

info@clearcogs.com

SOURCE: ClearCOGS

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/741159/ChatGPT-Powered-AI-Restaurant-Operations-Manager-Unveiled-by-ClearCOGS-Live-in-Las-Vegas
New U.S. Ambassador welcomes potential suppliers for AP1000 advanced reactor build

Newly appointed U.S. Ambassador to the Czech Republic Bijan Sabet welcomed representatives from 55 Czech Republic companies to Supplier Day 2023, an event organized in part by Westinghouse Electric Company and Bechtel. The two companies submitted a bid in November to support the Czech Republic's planned expansion of its nuclear power fleet with the AP1000 reactor, the world's most advanced, proven nuclear reactor in operation globally.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230228005886/en/

Petr Brzezina (standing), Westinghouse President for the Czech Republic, and U.S. Ambassador to the Czech Republic Bijan Sabet welcome local representatives to Supplier Day 2023, organized by Westinghouse and Bechtel. In November 2022, the companies submitted a bid in support of the Czech Republic's planned expansion of its nuclear power fleet with the AP1000 reactor, the world's most advanced, proven nuclear reactor in operation globally. (Photo: Business Wire)

The bid proposes construction of one AP1000unit at the Dukovany nuclear site, with the potential for a second unit there and two additional units at the Temelin site. Following the symposium, Westinghouse and Bechtel will continue to engage with the Czech supply base to fulfill key roles in procurement of equipment and construction of the reactors.

"Westinghouse and Bechtel have assured me they are committed to the Czech Republic. They have been working together for over 70 years to facilitate the successful delivery of nuclear power assets in the fight to provide a clean and resilient energy infrastructure," Ambassador Sabet remarked at the Supplier Symposium. "They recognize your expertise and experience and know that strong relationships with you and your companies are not just useful, but essential for success."

"Czech industry has a vital role to play in the deployment of nuclear technology here," said Petr Brzezina, Westinghouse President for the Czech Republic. "I would like to thank the Ministry of Industry and Trade of Czech Republic, Czech Power Industry Association and TUV Nord for their partnership on this Symposium, emphasizing the importance of this project for the future of Czech suppliers."

"The Czech Republic has committed to meeting increasing electricity demands while reducing carbon emissions and reliance on coal and other fossil fuels," said Ahmet Tokpinar, general manager of Bechtel's Nuclear Power business line. "The time is now to begin engagement with potential suppliers in the Czech Republic and we look forward to building lasting partnerships."

The deployment of AP1000 technology elsewhere in the region will also drive greater synergy that benefits the Czech nuclear program and creates opportunities to contribute for suppliers throughout central and eastern Europe. In November, the Polish government selected the AP1000 reactor to launch its first-ever nuclear energy program.

The AP1000 is the only operating Generation III+ reactor with fully passive safety systems, modular construction design and has the smallest footprint per MWe on the market. In addition to the two reactors nearing completion at the Vogtle site in Georgia, four AP1000 units are currently setting operational performance records in China with four additional reactors under construction, and two more planned. Nine units have been announced for Ukraine, and the technology is under consideration at multiple other sites in Central and Eastern Europe, the United Kingdom, and in the United States.

Westinghouse Electric Company is shaping the future of carbon-free energy by providing safe, innovative nuclear and other clean power technologies and services globally. Westinghouse supplied the world's first commercial pressurized water reactor in 1957 and the company's technology is the basis for nearly one-half of the world's operating nuclear plants. Over 135 years of innovation makes Westinghouse the preferred partner for advanced technologies covering the complete nuclear energy life cycle. For more information, visit www.westinghousenuclear.com and follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.

Bechtel is a trusted engineering, construction and project management partner to industry and government. Differentiated by the quality of our people and our relentless drive to deliver the most successful outcomes, we align our capabilities to our customers' objectives to create a lasting positive impact. Since 1898, we have helped customers complete more than 25,000 projects in 160 countries on all seven continents that have created jobs, grown economies, improved the resiliency of the world's infrastructure, increased access to energy, resources, and vital services, and made the world a safer, cleaner place.

Bechtel serves the Infrastructure; Nuclear, Security Environmental; Energy; and Mining Metals markets. Our services span from initial planning and investment, through start-up and operations.

www.Bechtel.com

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230228005886/en/

Contacts:

Media@Westinghouse.com

or

tfdesous@bechtel.com
When it comes to surfing the internet, we often speak of "falling into a rabbit hole", an allusion to the first chapter in Lewis Carroll's novel Alice in Wonderland, and the same notion is equally appropriate as regards the sometimes bewildering and unbounded experience in the Web3 and crypto-art sphere. To help you navigate in this virtual world, and at a time when the MoMA in New York, the LACMA in Los Angeles, and the Center Pompidou in Paris are opening their collections to digital art, Artprice suggests five ways to discover art that can be transferred from owner to owner in the form of NFTs.

Weekly NFT Auction Proceeds Vs Ethereum Price

[https://imgpublic.artprice.com/img/wp/sites/11/2023/02/image1-weekly-nft-auction-proceeds-vs-ethereum-price.png]

Top 10 artists by NFT auction turnover (2021-2022)

[https://imgpublic.artprice.com/img/wp/sites/11/2023/02/image2-artmarket-top-10-artists-by-nft-auction-turnover-2021-2022.png]

"Crypto-art is gradually entering museums and art history, but, for the time being, it is a form of artistic creation that is still very freely experienced on the Internet," says Thierry Ehrmann, CEO of Artmarket.com and founder of Artprice.

"The crypto-art sphere is often described as operating like a 'community'; the more you invest in a project, the more qualitative information you receive. This is how the Discord platform works, for example, which offers to create different more or less private chat rooms for each project. Some allow everyone to participate in the discussions, but the most interesting chat rooms are those reserved for collectors or founding members."

To give you the desire and the means to take part in this new artistic experience, which aims to bring together artists, collectors, graphic designers, developers, and many others, Artprice recommends five ways to dive into this universe and start your adventure.

1. The continuous way: following artists on Twitter

Despite the many criticisms made of Twitter, Elon Musk's platform remains the royal road of Web3. Not only do digital artists use this channel to present their works as and when they are created, but they also relay the posts in which they - and all those they like - are quoted. Each page, therefore, contains countless dynamic links to other artists and other works, but also to collectors, curators, marketplaces, etc.

To start with, one can follow any of the top performing NFT artists at auction that Artprice lists in its annual reports. The major auction houses are indeed doing valuable work by selecting NFT works that meet the same requirements as the traditional art market. But, as one thing leads to another in the digital world, and one artist leads to another, Twitter then makes it possible to continuously discover new works and new creators, but also to be the first to know about upcoming projects.

Robbie Barrett: https://twitter.com/videodrome

IX SHELLS: https://twitter.com/ix_shells

2. The studious way: reading articles and interviews

The decisions by Christie's, Sotheby's, Phillips, Bonhams but also Fauve, Van Ham, Millon, and many other auction operators to amply include NFT lots in their sales proves - even if it no longer needs to be proved - the seriousness of NFT technology and the artistic creation it allows. The most prestigious galleries, like Pace and Gagosian, have also understood this, yet few media dare to offer any real artistic critique of NFT projects. This work (art criticism), so crucial to art history, would undoubtedly make a better appreciation of the approaches taken by digital artists and of their relationships to Blockchain technology, and to the 'communities' that support them.

Faced with the multiplication of marketplaces, crypto-art needs space and time for reflection, to understand and digest innovative practices at the frontier of technology, as the projects of these artists gain in depth and intensity. Artprice offers two articles that capture the work of key digital artists in the NFT universe.

Artforum: Hack the Planet, Hans Ulrich Obrist talks with Pak: www.artforum.com/print/202207/hans-ulrich-obrist-talks-with-pak-88907

Right Click And Save: An Interview with XCOPY :

www.rightclicksave.com/article/an-interview-with-xcopy

3. The prospective way: surveying major collections

Transparency is one of the main credos of the Blockchain and as such, it is possible to consult the collection to which each work belongs, to discover other works that the same entity collects... and so on. True, the real identity of collectors often remains anonymous or hides behind a pseudonym, and yes, NFTs can be transferred from one wallet to another to increase security and cover their tracks, but there is always a way to reconstitute their history.

The most dynamic collectors have also become the true tutelary figures of crypto-art. Until museums and galleries become active in this universe, the major collectors of NFTs still have a very substantial influence, whether by sharing their favorites on social media, collaborating with artists, or exhibiting their collections in virtual universes or physical places as the prestigious Art Basel Miami or by offering them for sale via traditional auction houses.

Cozomo di Medici: "For over 700 years, we have loved the jpegs":

https://opensea.io/Cozomo_de_Medici

Max Stealth: "A Timeless Collection":

www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2022/inside-the-world-of-maxstealth-a-timeless-collection

4. The traditional way: visiting physical events

Crypto-art is now coming to public places, galleries, and museums. From the great hall of the MoMA to Times Square, digital art is gradually investing some of the biggest screens on the planet and some of the most prestigious museums. Advertising spaces and exhibition halls are coming together for the first time in history, no doubt, to show a new type of work, at the crossroads of art and technology, which sometimes looks a whole lot better on a big screen than on a smartphone or a laptop screen.

At the same time, almost everywhere in the world, art fairs offer to investigate this universe more deeply and to experiment with digital creation in the best possible conditions. These events provide opportunities to meet the different players who form a real 'ecosystem' and to meet the 'community' which allows digital artists to largely bypass art galleries, and which brings together entrepreneurs, developers, collectors, and enthusiasts.

NFT New York, April 12-14, 2023 at Times Square and Hudson Yards:

www.nft.nyc

Pompidou Center: Presentation of the first NFT acquisitions on April 8, 2023: www.centrepompidou.fr/fileadmin/user_upload/CP_NFT_Acquisition_fevrier_2023__1_.pdf

5. The safe way: collect a first NFT work

However nothing replaces the experience of a first NFT acquisition. Not only does it force you to find a work that deserves to be purchased among the millions offered on platforms like opensea.io or objkt.com, but this process also requires you to complete an unusual transaction, to say the least. Although some platforms now offer payment in euros or dollars, the vast majority of them require the creation of a (free) electronic wallet, powered by cryptocurrency. This operation may seem complicated, but it is an integral part of the universe on which crypto-art is based and therefore of the experience it offers.

In the absence of galleries, artists organize their own markets, choosing what, when, and how to put their works on sale, at what price, and in what quantity. Unique digital works (1/1) are the most sought-after, but larger editions offer a more affordable opportunity to collect pieces. Among the novelties of the NFT market, the Open Editions are particularly exciting, since these projects put an unlimited number of tokens on sale at a fixed price, but for only a few days or even a few hours...

The information and econometric studies produced by Artmarket.com are presented uniquely for the purpose of analyzing and understanding the statistical realities of the art market and should in no way be considered as advice or a suggestion or a solicitation to invest in the art market.

Images:

[ https://imgpublic.artprice.com/img/wp/sites/11/2023/02/image1-weekly-nft-auction-proceeds-vs-ethereum-price.png ]

[ https://imgpublic.artprice.com/img/wp/sites/11/2023/02/image2-artmarket-top-10-artists-by-nft-auction-turnover-2021-2022.png ]

Copyright 1987-2023 thierry Ehrmann www.artprice.com - www.artmarket.com

Don't hesitate to c ontact our E conometrics Department for your requirements regarding statistics and personalized studies: econometrics@artprice.com

Try our services (free demo): https://www.artprice.com/demo

Subscribe to our services: https://www.artprice.com/subscription

About Artmarket:

Artmarket.com is listed on Eurolist by Euronext Paris, SRD long only and Euroclear: 7478 - Bloomberg: PRC - Reuters: ARTF.

Discover Artmarket and its Artprice department on video: www.artprice.com/video

Artmarket and its Artprice department was founded in 1997 by its CEO, thierry Ehrmann. Artmarket and its Artprice department is controlled by Groupe Serveur, created in 1987.

See certified biography in Who's who :

Biographie_thierry_Ehrmann_2022_WhosWhoInFrance.pdf

Artmarket is a global player in the Art Market with, among other structures, its Artprice department, world leader in the accumulation, management and exploitation of historical and current art market information in databanks containing over 30 million indices and auction results, covering more than 803,000 artists.

Artprice by Artmarket, the world leader in information on the art market, has set itself the ambition through its Global Standardized Marketplace to be the world's leading Fine Art NFT platform.

Artprice Images allows unlimited access to the largest Art Market image bank in the world: no less than 180 million digital images of photographs or engraved reproductions of artworks from 1700 to the present day, commented by our art historians.

Artmarket with its Artprice department accumulates data on a permanent basis from 6500 Auction Houses and produces key Art Market information for the main press and media agencies (7,200 publications). Its 7.2 million ('members log in'+social media) users have access to ads posted by other members, a network that today represents the leading Global Standardized Marketplace to buy and sell artworks at a fixed or bid price (auctions regulated by paragraphs 2 and 3 of Article L 321.3 of France's Commercial Code).

Artmarket with its Artprice department, has been awarded the State label "Innovative Company" by the Public Investment Bank (BPI) (for the second time in November 2018 for a new period of 3 years) which is supporting the company in its project to consolidate its position as a global player in the market art.

Artprice releases its 2022 Ultra-Contemporary Art Market Report:

https://www.artprice.com/artprice-reports/the-contemporary-art-market-report-2022

The Artprice 2022 half-year report: the art market returns to strong growth in the West:

https://www.artprice.com/artprice-reports/global-art-market-in-h1-2022-by-artprice-com

Artprice by Artmarket's 2020 Global Art Market Report published in March 2022:

https://www.artprice.com/artprice-reports/the-art-market-in-2021

Artprice's 2020/21 Contemporary Art Market Report by Artmarket.com:

https://www.artprice.com/artprice-reports/the-contemporary-art-market-report-2021

Index of press releases posted by Artmarket with its Artprice department:

serveur.serveur.com/Press_Release/pressreleaseEN.htm

Follow all the Art Market news in real time with Artmarket and its Artprice department on Facebook and Twitter:

www.facebook.com/artpricedotcom/ (over 5.9 million followers)

twitter.com/artmarketdotcom

twitter.com/artpricedotcom

Discover the alchemy and universe of Artmarket and its artprice department https://www.artprice.com/video headquartered at the famous Organe Contemporary Art Museum "The Abode of Chaos" (dixit The New York Times): https://issuu.com/demeureduchaos/docs/demeureduchaos-abodeofchaos-opus-ix-1999-2013

L'Obs - The Museum of the Future: https://youtu.be/29LXBPJrs-o

www.facebook.com/la.demeure.du.chaos.theabodeofchaos999 (over 4 million followers)

https://vimeo.com/124643720

Contact Artmarket.com and its Artprice department - Contact: ir@artmarket.com

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Winnipeg, Manitoba--(Newsfile Corp. - February 28, 2023) - Beyond Minerals Inc. (CSE: BY) (OTCQB: BYDMF) (the "Company" or "Beyond Minerals") is pleased to announce the acquisition (the "Transaction") of a 100% undivided interest in the 179 contiguous mining claims covering approximately 3,490 hectares (34.9 km2) comprising the North Trout Lake lithium property located approximately 30 km southwest of Sandy Lake, in the province of Ontario (the "Property").

The Property is located approximately 9.5 km east of the Company's other lithium properties (totaling 2,220 hectares) in the Borland Lake, Favourable Lake, and Gorman River areas of Northwestern Ontario, approximately 37 km north of Frontier Lithium Inc.'s PAK and Spark deposits, and approximately 15 km north of Frontier Lithium's spodumene-bearing pegmatite at Pennock Lake (see Figure 1). The Pak deposit has a mineral resource of measured, indicated, and inferred categories of 9.3Mt (million tonnes), averaging 2.06% Li2O and the Spark deposit has a mineral resource estimate of 14.4Mt, averaging 1.4% Li2O (Frontier Lithium Inc., NI 43-101 Technical Report, PAK Project, PAK, Red Lake Mining District, Ontario, Canada, prepared by BBA with an effective date of April 5, 2021). Frontier Lithium also recently announced a significant expansion of its Pennock Lake pegmatite, with three grab samples grading 1.7%, 1.7% and 3.0% Li2O.

Allan Frame, the new President and CEO of Beyond Minerals commented, "This acquisition is consistent with our disciplined approach of (i) focusing on quality assets for which extensive geological data is available, (ii) maintaining financial discipline with regards to terms and conditions of our acquisition, (iii) concentrating on Ontario assets, while being open to strategic transactions in other jurisdictions and (iv) maintaining a share structure that is favorable to value creation for our shareholders." He added, "Beyond's footprint in the area now totals 5,710 hectares of carefully selected land. We will shortly be putting in place a comprehensive exploration program to begin as soon as practically possible."





Figure 1 - Location of North Trout Lake Lithium Property



To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/8620/156317_7a7aa72434e1b89e_001full.jpg

The Pennock Lake spodumene-bearing dike is hosted within a granitic intrusive (granite, granodiorite, tonalite). Pegmatite dikes on the Property are mapped as being hosted within a large granodiorite sill that is up to 2.4 km wide. The Property covers approximately 12 km of strike length of the granodiorite sill (see Figure 2). The granodiorite sill is reported to contain numerous pegmatite dikes, varying in size from narrow to 50 ft in width, that occupy up to 25% of the sill by volume near the center of the sill (Ayres, 1974). At least one white pegmatite is mapped as being hosted within mafic metavolcanics on the Property.





Figure 2 - Regional Geology



To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/8620/156317_7a7aa72434e1b89e_002full.jpg





Figure 3 - Trout Lake Property Highlights



To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/8620/156317_7a7aa72434e1b89e_003full.jpg

The Transaction was completed pursuant to the terms and conditions of a definitive mineral property purchase agreement ("Purchase Agreement") entered into between the Company, as purchaser, and arm's length prospectors, as vendors. Pursuant to the Purchase Agreement, Beyond Minerals paid to the vendors aggregate cash consideration of $45,000, issued a total of 171,000 common shares of the Company (the "Shares"), and granted the vendors a 2.0% net smelter return royalty on the Property, one-half of which may be repurchased by the Company for $1,200,000 to reduce the royalty to a 1.0% net smelter return royalty. In addition, the Company shall pay the vendors a $1-million milestone payment, payable in cash or shares at the option of the Company, in the event the Company files a mineral resource estimate disclosing a deposit or orebody exceeding 5,000,000 metric tonnes with an average grade equal to 1.0% Li2O or greater.

Qualified Person and Third-Party Data

The scientific and technical information in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Craig Gibson, Ph.D., P.Geo., a director of the Company (the "Qualified Person"). Dr. Gibson is a "qualified person" as defined in National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI 43-101").

Certain information in this news release regarding the presence of mineral deposits and the size of such deposits is based on information that has been obtained from publicly available information and industry reports, which constitute historical estimates. Such reports generally state that the information contained therein has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable, but the accuracy or completeness of such information is not guaranteed. While the Company considers historical estimates to be relevant to investors, as they may indicate the presence of mineralization, the Qualified Person has not done sufficient work for the Company to classify the historical estimates as current "mineral resources" or "mineral reserves" (as defined in NI 43-101). The potential quantities and grades of exploration targets and nearby properties referenced in this news release are conceptual in nature. There has been insufficient exploration to define a mineral resource and it is uncertain if further exploration will result in any of the targets being delineated as a mineral resource. The Company has not independently verified and cannot guarantee the accuracy or completeness of the historical estimates and other third-party data contained in this news release and investors should use caution in placing reliance on such information.

About Beyond Minerals Inc.

Beyond Minerals Inc. is engaged in the business of mineral exploration and the acquisition of mineral property assets in Canada. Its objective is to locate and develop critical mineral properties, including lithium assets, and other economic precious and base metal properties of merit, starting with the exploration of its Fabie-Easterchester project in the province of Quebec and its Peggy Group Lithium project and other properties in the Borland Lake, Favourable Lake, and Gorman River areas of Northwestern Ontario.

For more information, please refer to the Company's website at www.beyondminerals.ca.

CAUTIONARY STATEMENT REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION: This news release includes certain "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein including, without limitation, statements regarding future capital expenditures, anticipated content, commencement, and cost of exploration programs in respect of the Company's projects and mineral properties, anticipated exploration program results from exploration activities, resources and/or reserves on the Company's projects and mineral properties, and the anticipated business plans and timing of future activities of the Company, are forward-looking information. Although the Company believes that such statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Often, but not always, forward-looking information can be identified by words such as "pro forma", "plans", "expects", "will", "may", "should", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates", "believes", "potential" or variations of such words including negative variations thereof, and phrases that refer to certain actions, events or results that may, could, would, might or will occur or be taken or achieved. In stating the forward-looking information in this news release, the Company has applied several material assumptions, including without limitation, that market fundamentals will result in sustained precious and base metals demand and prices, the receipt of any necessary permits, licenses and regulatory approvals in connection with the future exploration of the Company's properties, the availability of financing on suitable terms, and the Company's ability to comply with environmental, health and safety laws.

Forward-looking information involves 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 statements of 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 proposed expenditures for exploration work on its properties, 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 Canadian Securities Exchange), permits or financing, changes in laws, regulations and policies affecting mining operations, risks relating to epidemics or pandemics such as COVID-19, the Company's limited operating history, currency fluctuations, title disputes or claims, environmental issues and liabilities, as well as those factors discussed under the heading "Risk Factors" in the Company's prospectus dated February 23, 2022 and other filings of the Company with the Canadian securities regulatory authorities, copies of which can be found under the Company's profile on the SEDAR website at www.sedar.com.

Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking information. The Company undertakes no obligation to update any of the forward-looking information in this news release except as otherwise required by law.

For further information, please contact:

Allan Frame

President and CEO

Tel: 403-470-8450

Email: allan.frame@beyondminerals.ca

Jason Frame

Manager of Communications

Tel: 587-225-2599

Email: jason.frame@beyondminerals.ca

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/156317
Sudbury, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - February 28, 2023) - Transition Metals Corp (TSXV: XTM) ("Transition", "the Company") is pleased to announce the results of voting at its Annual General Meeting of Shareholders ("AGM") held Friday, February 24, 2023 in Toronto, Canada

Shareholders voted overwhelmingly in favour of all items put forward by the Board of Directors and Management. All four of the individuals nominated for the board of directors, namely Thomas Atkins, Jason Marks, Scott McLean and Brian Montgomery received the support of the Company's shareholders to continue in their roles for the forthcoming year. A total of 19,441,586 Transition Metals common shares were voted, representing 33.896% of total shares issued and outstanding as at the record date of the meeting.

Shareholders also voted in favour of:

Ratifying the appointment of UHY McGovern Hurley LLP as Auditors of the Company for the ensuing year and authorizing directors to fix the remuneration of the auditors; and

Ratifying of Omnibus Equity Incentive Compensation Plan.

Separately, the Company would like to acknowledge that long serving board members Jon Baird and William Pearson have retired from the board by not standing for re-election.

CEO Scott McLean commented, "Jon and Bill have both been valuable contributors to the Company and we have benefitted greatly from their knowledge and decades of experience. On behalf of the Board of Directors, management and shareholders, I wish Jon and Bill all the best in the future."

About Transition Metals Corp.

Transition Metals Corp. (TSXV: XTM) is a Canadian-based, multi-commodity explorer that specializes in converting new exploration ideas into discoveries. The award-winning team of geoscientists has extensive exploration experience which actively develops and tests new ideas for discovering mineralization in places that others have not looked, often allowing the company to acquire properties inexpensively. Joint venture partners earn an interest in the projects by funding a portion of higher-risk drilling and exploration, allowing Transition to conserve capital and minimize shareholder's equity dilution.

Cautionary Note on Forward-Looking Information

Except for statements of historical fact contained herein, the information in this news release constitutes "forward-looking information" within the meaning of Canadian securities law. Such forward-looking information may be identified by words such as "plans", "proposes", "estimates", "intends", "expects", "believes", "may", "will" and include without limitation, statements regarding estimated capital and operating costs, expected production timeline, benefits of updated development plans, foreign exchange assumptions and regulatory approvals. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate; actual results and future events could differ materially from such statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially include, among others, metal prices, competition, risks inherent in the mining industry, and regulatory risks. Most of these factors are outside the control of the Company. Investors are cautioned not to put undue reliance on forward-looking information. Except as otherwise required by applicable securities statutes or regulation, the Company expressly disclaims any intent or obligation to update publicly forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

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.

Further information is available at www.transitionmetalscorp.com or by contacting:

Scott McLean

President and CEO

Transition Metals Corp.

Tel: (705) 669-1777

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/156514
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - February 28, 2023) - High Fusion Inc. (CSE: FUZN) ("High Fusion" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has entered into an amended and restated arrangement agreement, effective February 24, 2023 with (the "Agreement") with Neural Therapeutics Inc. ("Neural") with respect to the distribution of a part of High Fusion's shareholdings in Neural to High Fusion shareholders (the "Transaction" or the "Plan of Arrangement").

High Fusion CEO John Durfy commented: "We are pleased to report on the progress towards completing the spin-out of Neural Therapeutics. As the transaction is subject to shareholder approval we have decided to include several other matters into the upcoming shareholders' meeting of High Fusion shareholders. As we continue towards completing the transaction, Neural has achieved a number of key business milestones and we look forward to finalizing the spin-out transaction which would give High Fusion shareholders an opportunity to directly participate in the upside of Neural through ownership of Neural shares."

Transaction Summary

The Agreement amends and restates the original arrangement agreement entered into by High Fusion and Neural on November 3, 2022 ("Original Agreement"), as further announced in a High Fusion press release dated November 4, 2022[1]. Pursuant to the Agreement, the Company agreed to distribute 4,716,667 common shares in the capital of Neural ("Neural Shares") to the shareholders of the Company, which represents approximately 12% of Neural Shares issued and outstanding as of the date hereof. The Neural Shares will be distributed to all the holders of High Fusion subordinate voting shares ("SVS") and High Fusion multiple voting shares ("MVS") on a pro-rata basis, based on the number of votes held by each of the SVS and MVS holders.

Closing of the Transaction is subject to several conditions, including: (i) shareholder approval which High Fusion intends to obtain at an annual and special meeting of shareholder ("Meeting"); (ii) court approval of the Transaction pursuant to the Agreement; and (iii) certain other customary conditions set out in the Agreement.

The Agreement also provides for a few changes, briefly summarized below:

In connection with the Transaction, High Fusion intends to change its name to "Vertical Peak Holdings Inc." or such other name as High Fusion may determine (" Name Change ").

In connection with the Transaction, it is anticipated that High Fusion will continue (the " Continuance ") from the Canada Business Corporations Act to the British Columbia Business Corporations Act (" BCBCA ") prior to the Plan of Arrangement being effective. The Continuance requires the affirmative vote of at least 662/3% of the votes cast at the Meeting as well as a simple majority of the votes cast by High Fusion shareholders, excluding any persons required to be excluded in accordance with Multilateral Instrument 61-101. It is anticipated that High Fusion Shares representing approximately 16.0% of the votes attaching to the issued and outstanding High Fusion Shares will be excluded from this vote.

The Plan of Arrangement will occur under the provisions of BCBCA, whereby holders of SVS and MVS will receive an aggregate of 4,716,667 Neural Shares via a share exchange mechanism ("Share Exchange"). The Agreement provides for adjustments of the Share Exchange ratio if the High Fusion share structure changes between the date of this Agreement and the effective date of the Transaction.

Neural has not applied to list Neural Shares on any stock exchange in Canada or other jurisdictions, but it is expected that upon completion of the Transaction, Neural will become an unlisted reporting issuer pursuant to the laws of British Columbia, Alberta and Quebec. Neural intends to apply to list Neural Shares on a stock exchange following the completion of the Transaction, but such listing is subject to regulatory approval, and there is no assurance that Neural will obtain such listing.

Further information regarding the Transaction will be provided in subsequent news releases, and in a management information circular to be prepared in connection with the Meeting that will set forth the particulars of, among other things, the Name Change, the Continuance and the Plan of Arrangement, which will be filed on SEDAR in accordance with applicable securities legislation. Shareholders are cautioned that final details of the Plan of Arrangement are subject to change and that there is no certainty that the Transaction will be completed as currently proposed or at all. No finder's fees are payable in connection with the Transaction.

Investment in securities of High Fusion and Neural should be considered highly speculative and prospective investors should consult their advisors prior to making any investment decisions.

About High Fusion Inc.

High Fusion Inc. (formerly Nutritional High International Inc.) is focused on developing and manufacturing branded products in the cannabis industry with a specific focus on flower, pre-rolls, vapes, edibles and oil extracts for medical and adult recreational use. The Company operates and controls licenses in California and Colorado. High Fusion has manufacturing, retail and grow operations in California through its acquisition of the business of OutCo. High Fusion's main portfolio includes the OutCo and Thrive brands recently acquired.

For updates on the Company's activities and highlights of the Company's press releases and other media coverage, please visit www.high-fusion.com.

About Neural Therapeutics Inc.

Neural Therapeutics Inc. (formerly Psychedelic Science Corp.) is a wholly-owned subsidiary of High Fusion focused on ethnobotanical drug-discovery and development company. Neural Therapeutics is focused on developing products and conducting research on the psychoactive cacti plants with the primary objective to find where the historical use in traditional medicine has proven to be effective and capitalize on the opportunities that can be applied in modern medical and natural health product markets.

For further information, please contact:

High Fusion Inc.

Robert Wilson, Chief Financial Officer

Email: rwilson@nutritionalhigh.com

Neural Therapeutics Inc.

Ian Campbell, Chief Executive Officer

icampbell@neuraltherapeutics.ca

Caution Regarding Forward-Looking Information:

NEITHER THE CANADIAN SECURITIES EXCHANGE NOR OTC MARKETS GROUP INC., NOR THEIR REGULATIONS SERVICES PROVIDERS HAVE REVIEWED OR ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE.

This news release may contain forward-looking statements and information based on current expectations. These statements include statements regarding: the outlook for the psychedelic products and related industries; the achievement, and the timing of, certain development milestones and the successful execution of Neural Therapeutics' business strategy (including its business model and mission); anticipated capitalization, projected milestones and the go-forward management of Neural; the upside to the Company from the licensing agreement with MJ Direct; timing and ability to complete any financing following the Transaction; the potential impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Neural's business or operations; and other expectations, beliefs, plans, objectives, assumptions, intentions or statements about future events or performance, expected regulatory filings, review and approval dates, and start-up timelines and schedules, and statements related to the continued overall advancement of Neural's business. These statements should not be read as guarantees of future performance or results. Such statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from those implied by such statements. This forward-looking information reflects the Company's current beliefs and is based on information currently available to the Company and on assumptions the Company believes are reasonable. These assumptions include, but are not limited to: the ability of the Company and Neural to successfully execute their business plans; legal changes relating to the cannabis and psychedelic industries proceeding as anticipated; and the Company's continued response and ability to navigate the COVID-19 pandemic being consistent with, or better than, its ability and response to date.

This news release may contain forward-looking statements and information based on current expectations. These statements include statements regarding: the upside to the Company from the licensing agreement with Neural Therapeutics Inc and the improvement in revenues and statements regarding the development of the Company's business. These statements should not be read as guarantees of future performance or results. Such statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from those implied by such statements. This forward-looking information reflects the Company's current beliefs and is based on information currently available to the Company and on assumptions the Company believes are reasonable. These assumptions include, but are not limited to: the ability of the Company to successfully execute its business plans and legal changes relating to the cannabis industry proceeding as anticipated.

The Company's securities have not been registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act"), or applicable state securities laws, and may not be offered or sold to, or for the account or benefit of, persons in the United States or "U.S. Persons", as such term is defined in Regulation S under the U.S. Securities Act, absent registration or an applicable exemption from such registration requirements. This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy nor shall there be any sale of the securities in the United States or any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful.

Additionally, there are known and unknown risk factors which could cause the Company's actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking information contained herein. Such risks and other factors may include, but are not limited to: general business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties; general capital market conditions and market prices for securities; the actual results of the Company's future operations; competition; changes in legislation affecting the Company; obtaining and maintaining regulatory approvals including acquiring and renewing U.S. state, local or other licenses, the uncertainty of existing protection from U.S. federal or other prosecution, regulatory or political change such as changes in applicable laws and regulations, including U.S. state-law legalization, market and general economic conditions of the cannabis sector or otherwise; the timing and availability of external financing on acceptable terms; lack of qualified, skilled labour or loss of key individuals; risks related to the COVID-19 pandemic including various recommendations, orders and measures of governmental authorities to try to limit the pandemic, including travel restrictions, border closures, non-essential business closures, service disruptions, quarantines, self-isolations, shelters-in-place and social distancing, disruptions to markets, economic activity, financing, supply chains and sales channels, and a deterioration of general economic conditions including a possible national or global recession; and a deterioration of financial markets that could limit the Company's ability to obtain external financing.

A description of additional risk factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from forward-looking information can be found in the Company's disclosure documents on the SEDAR website 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 forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. Readers are cautioned that the foregoing list of factors is not exhaustive. Readers are further cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking information as there can be no assurance that the plans, intentions or expectations upon which they are placed will occur. Such information, although considered reasonable by management at the time of preparation, may prove to be incorrect and actual results may differ materially from those anticipated.

Forward-looking information contained in this press release is expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. The forward-looking information contained in this press release represents the expectations of the Company as of the date of this press release and, accordingly, are subject to change after such date. However, the Company expressly disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as expressly required by applicable securities law.

[1]https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/143027/High-Fusion-and-Its-Psychedelics-Subsidiary-Neural-Therapeutics-Enter-into-Arrangement-Agreement.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/156523
(Oslo, 28. February 2023) Elkem and Statkraft have signed a new long-term power agreement which secures additional competitive access to power for Elkem's plant in Bremanger. The new contract covers a capacity of 20-40 MW for a duration of ten years.



Elkem is already well-positioned with long-term power contracts in Norway, having secured more than 80 per cent of its electricity supply in the country at competitive rates. The new contract secures additional predictability for a total of 3 TWh in the period 2024-2033, supporting continued long-term operations and enabling new investments at the plant.



Elkem has most of its Norwegian production plants located in the middle and north of the country, where prices remain lower than in the south. Norway's electricity generation is more than 90 per cent based on renewable hydropower.



"Access to competitive long-term agreements for power is critical for the competitiveness of existing and new investments in Norwegian industry, which is based on the country's unique hydropower resources. They also support continued investments in our Norwegian plants, including efforts to deliver on our climate roadmap towards net zero by 2050. This new agreement with Statkraft enables us to continue supplying critical materials for the green transition to our customers in Europe and elsewhere in the world," says Elkem's CEO, Helge Aasen.



"Supplying electricity to power-intensive industries in Norway is a main task for Statkraft, and we're happy to extend our long-standing relationship with Elkem by securing this additional long-term power agreement for Elkem Bremanger. This agreement with Elkem is the second large power agreement we have done with large industrials in Norway so far this year, and we expect more agreements to be signed at competitive terms in the coming months, says EVP Markets in Statkraft, Hallvard Granheim.



For further information, please contact:

Lars Magnus Gunther, press spokesperson, Statkraft AS

E-mail: lars.gunther@statkraft.com

Mob: +47 91241636



Fredrik Norman, VP Corporate Communications & Public Affairs, Elkem ASA

E-mail: fredrik.norman@elkem.com

Mob: +47 91866567

About Statkraft

Statkraft is a leading company in hydropower internationally and Europe's largest generator of renewable energy. The Group produces hydropower, wind power, solar power, gas-fired power and supplies district heating. Statkraft is a global company in energy market operations. Statkraft has 5,000 employees in 20 countries. www.statkraft.com



About Elkem

Elkem is one of the world's leading providers of advanced silicon-based materials shaping a better and more sustainable future. The company develops silicones, silicon products and carbon solutions by combining natural raw materials, renewable energy and human ingenuity. Elkem helps its customers create and improve essential innovations like electric mobility, digital communications, health and personal care as well as smarter and more sustainable cities. With a strong track record since 1904, its global team of more than 7,300 people has a joint commitment to stakeholders: Delivering your potential. In 2022, Elkem obtained a Platinum score from EcoVadis, which rated the company among the world's top 1% on sustainability transparency, and the company achieved an operating income of NOK 45.9 billion. Elkem is listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange









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Wharton Research Data Services (WRDS) and SSRN are pleased to announce WU Vienna University of Economics and Business as the 2022 WRDS-SSRN Innovation Award winner for the EMEA region.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230215005889/en/

(Graphic: Business Wire)

The WRDS-SSRN Innovation Award series elevates the visibility of impact-focused research and the institutions that conduct it. Each year, awards are presented to rising business schools from North America, Europe, and Asia Pacific regions to highlight innovation and research excellence. As a part of the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, WRDS provides global institutions with comprehensive thought leadership and targeted solutions that underpin research, reinforce learning, and enable discovery.

Together, WRDS and SSRN, the world's leading scholarly research network, are advancing impact-focused research, changing policy and practice at regulatory, national, and global levels. In addition to the Innovation Award, the organizations developed the WRDS Research Paper Series, a searchable repository of all papers submitted to SSRN that cite WRDS in their work.

Dr. Victoria Kent, WRDS Director of international initiatives,presented the award to Dr. Edeltraud Hanappi-Egger, Rector of Vienna University of Economics and Business, during the AACSB EMEA Annual Conference. "On behalf of the Vienna University of Economics and Business (WU), its academic and administrative staff, and its students, I would like to thank Wharton Research Data Services and the Social Science Research Network for the WRDS-SSRN Innovation Award for EMEA honoring rising business schools," said Edeltraud Hanappi-Egger. "Given the excellence of previous awardees and being aware of the numerous excellent business schools in Europe, it is an immense honor to be receiving such an important award."

"I am delighted to offer my congratulations to Vienna University of Economics and Business," said Robert Zarazowski, Managing Director of WRDS. "It is exciting to recognize the excellent research taking place at the University, and the school's commitment to growth and innovation in business education."

"SSRN congratulates the WU Vienna University of Economics and Business for the diversity they bring to innovative research," said Gregg Gordon, managing director of SSRN. "We look forward to seeing more of it in the future."

About WRDS

For 25+ years, Wharton Research Data Services (WRDS) has supported users with targeted solutions that underpin research, reinforce learning, and enable discovery. WRDS advances comprehensive thought leadership for 500+ institutions across 38+ countries-democratizing data access and giving users the power to analyze complex information through curated Classroom Teaching guides, Video Learning Pathways, Analytics/Linking tools, and Research Applications. WRDS resources map to Accreditation Standards, impacting an institution's trajectory from learning and discovery to research and publication. As the world becomes more connected and the impact of policy reaches across borders, equity and access become more essential to research. WRDS is proud to play a leading role in reshaping how research, data access and researcher recognition can better reflect and support a truly global and networked community. www.whartonwrds.com

About the Wharton School

Founded in 1881 as the world's first collegiate business school, the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania is shaping the future of business by incubating ideas, driving insights, and creating leaders who change the world. With a faculty of more than 235 renowned professors, Wharton has 5,000 undergraduate, MBA, executive MBA, and doctoral students. Each year 13,000 professionals from around the world advance their careers through Wharton Executive Education's individual, company-customized, and online programs. More than 104,000 Wharton alumni form a powerful global network of leaders who transform business every day. For more information, visit www.wharton.upenn.edu.

About SSRN

SSRN is an open-access online preprint community providing valuable services to leading academic schools and government institutions. Specializing primarily in social sciences, including economics, law, corporate governance, and humanities, SSRN has grown to become the most interdisciplinary service of its kind. Representing disciplines across the full research spectrum, including the applied sciences, health sciences, humanities, life sciences, physical sciences, and social sciences, SSRN provides opportunities for scholars to post their early research, collaborate on theories and discoveries, and get credit for their ideas before peer reviewed publication.

About Elsevier

As a global leader in information and analytics, Elsevier helps researchers and healthcare professionals advance science and improve health outcomes for the benefit of society. We do this by facilitating insights and critical decision-making for customers across the global research and health ecosystems. Elsevier employs 8,700 people worldwide. We have supported the work of our research and health partners for more than 140 years.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230215005889/en/

Contacts:

Media

Robin Nussbaum Gold, Director of Marketing

Wharton Research Data Services

Rnuss@wharton.upenn.edu

David Tucker, Global Communications

Elsevier

d.tucker@elsevier.com
Acquisition Will Expand Customer Support Across Europe and Establish Center of Excellence for AI and Data Science in Madeira, Portugal

Tracer, the leader in brand protection and brand success, today announced the acquisition of Mad Power Technologies, a firm that provides AI and machine learning services with expertise in data capture and modeling, data engineering and advanced analytics, and cloud-based application delivery. Located in Madeira, Portugal, Mad Power Technologies will be the global Center of Excellence for Tracer AI and Data Science, extend Tracer's European expansion, and accelerate customer support across Europe.

"Digital scamming, brand misuse and phishing have become increasingly pervasive across all geographies, as sophisticated networks of bad actors seek to take advantage of businesses and their customers through online fraud and brand infringement," said Rick Farnell, CEO of Tracer. "The acquisition of Mad Power Technologies provides a team of seasoned AI experts, developers and analysts to accelerate our pace of innovation and expansion into EMEA markets. Customers of all sizes across the globe are telling us that legacy brand protection offerings lack innovation and aren't keeping up with the needs of their business. With our modern human-in-the-loop (HITL) AI approach, we are innovating to meet the current and future needs of the global market and delivering world class business outcomes for the time to trace (TTT), time to recommend (TTR) and time to take down (TTTD) instances of online brand misuse. We will continue to invest in our Tracer platform as we set the standard for brand success."

Tracer to Establish Center of Excellence for AI and Data Science

With the Mad Power acquisition, Tracer has established a Center of Excellence (CoE) for AI and Data Science in Madeira, Portugal, to continue developing talent in AI and software development. The CoE for AI and Data Science will accelerate Tracer's product innovation for HITL AI and machine learning including computer vision, natural language processing and sentiment analysis. Tracer will also establish its global Academy Training Program in Portugal, which will enable the company to train technology talent in the fields of AI, data science and software engineering. Since the launch of the partnership between Mad Power and Tracer, the CoE has onboarded 60 new employees dedicated to technology innovation.

The CoE for AI and Data Science will accelerate Tracer's ability to process and analyze massive volumes of data across digital channels to prevent brand misuse, uncover market insights and accelerate brand success. Across traditional Web2 and emerging Web3 channels, brands today face a growing number of sophisticated digital threats. Failure to identify and mitigate risks quickly can lead to copyright and trademark infringements, brand impersonation, digital counterfeiting and other types of brand misuse.

The company's flagship product, Tracer Protect, is the first-of-its-kind SaaS platform that leverages HITL AI and machine learning to continuously trace, analyze and mitigate brand misuse across global Web2 and Web3 channels. By incorporating human judgment at key decision points, the Tracer Platform enables continuous improvement to the platform's AI and machine learning models and algorithms.

To learn more, visit the website or build your customized Tracer Analysis and brand misuse report.

Additional Resources

Follow Tracer on LinkedIn

Follow Tracer on Twitter

About Tracer

Tracer accelerates Brand Success for the world's most-loved brands, including four of the top five most valuable global businesses. In today's landscape of highly sophisticated digital threats and hyper-competition, the stakes have never been higher for businesses to identify risks and opportunities across the evolving digital universe. The Tracer Platform mitigates digital brand misuse to preserve authentic customer interactions and uncovers new categories of dynamic market insights to fuel better business decisions. TracerAI technology continuously captures and filters data from thousands of global Web2 and Web3 digital sources, including domains and websites, marketplaces, social media, mobile apps and app stores, search engines, NFT marketplaces, metaverse environments, Web3 domains and more. TracerAI applies a suite of advanced, human-in-the-loop AI and machine learning approaches to analyze and correlate instances of brand use and misuse across this digital landscape. This allows businesses to "see the unseen" and control the use of their brand online, improving brand integrity to increase customer loyalty and satisfaction. The platform's market-leading Tracer Protect product for online brand protection provides real-time monitoring and analysis of IP and copyright infringement, fraud, brand impersonation, digital and digital-plus-physical counterfeiting and other forms of brand misuse. This enables businesses to prevent brand misuse before it has a chance to damage their brands. For the highest level of security for valuable domains, Tracer Registrar provides enterprise-grade corporate domain registration and management so businesses can protect their brand for the long-term from the start. Built on more than a decade of real-world brand protection experience, the Tracer Platform yields rapid infringement detection with market-leading accuracy, leading to vastly faster time to detection and enforcement.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230228005572/en/

Contacts:

Kelsey LaBarbera

Bhava Communications for Tracer

tracer@bhavacom.com

+1 (925) 338-1056
They have become the world's first to receive the ETSI EN 303 645 issued by TUV Rheinland in their category.

QINGDAO, China, Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- TUV Rheinland Greater China granted the ETSI EN 303 645 Consumer IoT Device Cybersecurity and Privacy Protection Standard certification to Hisense's smart refrigerator and smart washing machine ranges. Hisense became the world's first refrigerator and washing machine brand to receive the ETSI EN 303 645 certification issued by TUV Rheinland for this category.

Dr. Chen Weikang, Vice President of Business Stream Industrial Services & Cybersecurity at TUV Rheinland Greater China and Senior Engineer, said: "TUV Rheinland and Hisense have been cooperating in the field of cybersecurity and privacy protection since 2017. Today's certificate issuance is another milestone in our cooperation. Not only witnesses the extension of our cooperation from smart TV to smart home appliances, but also highlights Hisense's emphasis on consumer privacy protection and unremitting efforts in cybersecurity."

In this certification, TUV Rheinland assessed and tested Hisense's smart refrigerator and washing machine products according to the test cases defined in ETSI TS 103 701, which provides a conformance assessment methodology for consumer IoT devices within the scope of ETSI EN 303 645.

Hisense and TUV Rheinland will continue to work together in the field of cybersecurity, to help Hisense pursue higher quality standards and enhance its competitiveness in the global market.

About Hisense

Hisense is headquartered in Qingdao, China. In the past 54 years, Hisense has always been adhering to the core values of "Integrity, Innovation, Customer Focus, and Sustainability" and the development strategy of "Sound Technological Foundation and Robust Operation". The business covers areas including multimedia, home appliances, IT intelligent information and modern service industries. With the rapid development in recent years, Hisense business is expended to more than 160 countries and regions. Smart TV, which is the core of Hisense B2C business, has always been at the forefront of the global industry. Besides B2C, Hisense is also in the global leading place in B2B industries including Intelligent Transportation, Precision Medicine and Optical Communications.

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View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/hisenses-smart-refrigerators-and-washing-machines-receive-etsi-en-303-645-certification-by-tuv-rheinland-301758006.html
Pieter Krynauw to Lead Global Provider Created through the Combination of CXV Global & Panacea Technologies

CORK, Ireland and PHILADELPHIA, Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The board of directors of CXV Global and Panacea Technologies, which joined forces in late 2022, announced today that Pieter Krynauw has been appointed chief executive officer and a member of the board. Effective immediately, Mr. Krynauw will spearhead the newly combined global organization specializing in automation and digitization solutions that optimize operations for life sciences and other companies.





"I am honored and excited to be part of this newly created organization. We have an incredible opportunity to leverage our powerful platform of technologies, capabilities and professional services to maximize the operations of pharmaceutical and medical technology companies as they bring new products and therapies to market," said Mr. Krynauw.

Mr. Krynauw has spent his entire career in process automation. At Honeywell International, he led the global automation solutions business following management roles in China, the Middle East and the United States. After Honeywell acquired Intelligrated, Mr. Krynauw was promoted to president, where he was instrumental in building the business into a leader in supply chain automation. Most recently, Mr. Krynauw served as CEO of ThruWave, a start-up company developing new 3D millimeter wave imaging technology for logistics and supply chain automation.

About CXV Global & Panacea Technologies

CXV Global and Panacea Technologies joined forces in October 2022 to create a leading global provider of solutions that optimize operations for pharmaceutical, medical technology and other companies. The combined organization offers a powerful platform of automation and digitization capabilities supported by high-touch customer service. With a global workforce of 500+ employees, it supports 24x7 production activity and muti-site, multi-national and multi-lingual projects. To learn more, visit cxvglobal.com and panaceatech.com.

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LONDON, Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Canson Capital Partners ("Canson") through its affiliate Canson Capital Partners Growth Holdings Ltd announces its investment in Novata, the leading technology platform designed to simplify ESG data collection and analysis for private equity firms and their portfolio companies.





Canson has a clear focus on enhancing the private equity eco-system. A significant pillar of investing in private equity is for firms to clearly identify and execute sustainable ESG policies across portfolio companies. Thanks to its leading-edge customisable technology and ease of use, the Novata platform will empower GPs, LPs and management teams to track their progress throughout the life of their investments.

Matteo Canonaco, Co-founder of Canson Capital Partners said: "We are very proud and excited to be partnering with Alex Friedman, Scott Kennedy and the Novata team on this journey which has the potential to transform the ESG dialogue into facts and we look forward to supporting them through our relationship base across the PE spectrum.

About Canson

Canson Capital Partners is a leading Alternative Capital-focused Specialist Investment and Merchant Banking firm. Providing principal-to-principal engagement, the team seeks to connect sources of Alternative Capital with specific opportunities, enabling clients to achieve their long-term strategic objectives. Founded in 2017, Canson Capital Partners today manages assets of approx. $500m and has advised on private equity-related transactions with an aggregate enterprise value of over $70 billion. Canson Capital Partners is the trading name of Canson Ltd, which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.

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Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - February 28, 2023) - Advance United Holdings Inc. (CSE: AUHI) (OTCQB: AUHIF) (FSE: 9I0) (the "Company" or "Advance United") is pleased to announce a non-brokered private placement through the issuance of up to 5,000,000 units (each, a "Unit") at a price of $0.05 per Unit and up to 3,571,428 flow-through units ("FT Unit") at a price of $0.07 per FT Unit for aggregate gross proceeds of up to $500,000 (the "Offering").

Each Unit shall be comprised of one common share ("Common Share") in the capital of the Company and one Common Share purchase warrant (each, a "Warrant") of the Company. Each Warrant shall entitle the holder thereof to acquire one Common Share at a price of $0.10 per Common Share for a period of five (5) years from date of issuance. Each FT Unit shall be comprised of one Common Share, issued on a flow-through basis ("FT Share") and one Common Share purchase warrant, issued on a non-flow-through basis (each, a "FT Warrant"). Each FT Warrant shall entitle the holder thereof to acquire one Common Share at a price of $0.10 per Common Share for a period of five (5) years from date of issuance. The FT Shares will qualify as "flow-through shares" within the meaning of subsection 66(15) of the Income Tax Act (Canada). The Company may pay finder's fees in accordance with the rules and policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange.

All securities issued pursuant to the Offering will be subject to a hold period of four months plus a day from the date of issuance and the resale rules of applicable securities legislation. The net proceeds from the sale of the Units will be used for general working capital purposes. The gross proceeds from the sale of the FT Units will be used by the Company to incur eligible "Canadian exploration expenses" that will qualify as "flow-through expenditures" as such terms are defined in the Income Tax Act (Canada).

The closing of the Offering is subject to certain conditions including, but not limited to, the receipt of all necessary regulatory and other approvals, including the approval of the Canadian Securities Exchange.

This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to sell any of the securities in the United States. The securities have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act") or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to U.S. Persons unless registered under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws or an exemption from such registration is available.

In addition, the Company announces that Mr. David Boulette is no longer a director of the Company. In addition, Mr. Rodney Ireland has been appointed as a director of the Company.

Mr. Ireland is the founder and voice of Bay Street Radio and a board Member of Green Panda Capital Corp from January 2019 to present. Green Panda is a Capital Pool Company on the TSXV.

He was formerly CEO and Board Member of Xander Resources from April 2020 to December 2020, and Board Member, Chair of the Audit Committee of Vanadium One Energy Corp from October 2015 to November 2018.

Mr. Ireland was the President and Chief Executive Officer of White Board Investor Relations and has over 15 years of capital markets experience, highlighted by strong connections to capital market teams and retail brokerages.

Mr. Ireland is based in Toronto's financial district, and brings his business development skills to several TSX, ASX, TSXV and CSE companies. He was Director of Vanadium One Energy Corp. from August 4, 2015 to November 22, 2018. Mr. Ireland studied Agricultural Economics at the University of Guelph where he honed his business skills operating in real estate and appliance rental businesses.

Mr. Atkinson CEO of Advance United Holdings commented "We are very pleased to have Rodney join our Board of Directors. He brings a wealth of expertise to the group and his extensive contacts and relationships in the area of finance will be invaluable to us. Welcome aboard!"

About Advance United Holdings

Advance United brings an entirely different approach to the mining industry. We don't mine. Rather, we've acquired a portfolio of undervalued gold properties and are increasing their value through the application of modern technology. We have a growing pipeline of similar properties that we are looking to acquire. And now we've launched the Au Marketplace. A first of its kind digital platform that connects owners of mineral commodities and deposits with developers and producers.

We are involved exclusively in the acquisition and advancement of past projects - with no intent to bring them back into production or to mine them ourselves. Our expertise is in identifying and acquiring undervalued properties with significant historical work, which were uneconomic at the time, but we believe have economic value at today's prices.

We fund the development of re-working historic data and applying modern technology to underwrite new qualified reports, document quantifiable resources and reserves to current standards, thereby recognizing the current value.

Our purpose is to bring immediate and long-term value to our partners and shareholders while seeking to eliminate exploration risk, so that we can all advance united in the shortest possible time frame.

For additional information about us, our projects, or to find out how you can list your project in the Au Marketplace, visit www.advanceunited.ca.

Contact Information

James Atkinson, P. Geo., CEO

Email: jim.atkinson@advanceunited.ca

Tel: (647) 278-7502

Forward-Looking Information and Cautionary Statements

This news release may contain "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities laws relating to the trading of the Company's securities and the focus of the Company's business. Any such forward-looking statements may be identified by words such as "expects", "anticipates", "intends", "contemplates", "believes", "projects", "plans" and similar expressions. Forward-looking statements in this news release include statements regarding the Company's ability to increase the value of its current and future mineral exploration properties and, in connection therewith, any long-term shareholder value, the Company's ability to mitigate or eliminate exploration risk, and the Company's intention to develop a portfolio of historic gold properties. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. These statements should not be read as guarantees of future performance or results. Such statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors that may cause actual results, performance, or achievements to be materially different from those implied by such statements. Although such statements are based on management's reasonable assumptions, there can be no assurance that the Company will continue its business as described above. Readers are encouraged to refer to the Company's annual and quarterly management's discussion and analysis and other periodic filings made by the Company with the Canadian securities regulatory authorities under the Company's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. The Company assumes no responsibility to update or revise forward-looking information to reflect new events or circumstances or actual results unless required by applicable law.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/156530
Denham Sustainable Infrastructure's investment is one of largest into the UK's growing electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure

EVC's mission is to 'Make the EV switch simple', providing crucial infrastructure to meet pent-up demand

LONDON, Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- UK-based electric vehicle charging company, EVC, has secured up to 165 million of capital from Funds managed by Denham Sustainable Infrastructure ("DSI"), an arm of global energy transition investment firm, Denham Capital. The investment will be used to accelerate EVC's ambition to deliver up to 100,000 EV charge points across the UK by 2027 and secure portfolio opportunities with larger landlords.

EVC's core focus is on providing convenient, practical and reliable 'destination' charging options for its growing customer base. EVC funds and installs EV charge points, under long-term contractual lease agreements, at 'destinations'. These include hospitality, leisure and retail venues, workplaces and multi-dwelling residential units. Ensuring convenient and practical EV charging at their destination means customers, staff and residents no longer need to take time out of their journey to charge on the way.

Through boosting destination EV charging infrastructure, EVC aims to eliminate the so-called 'range anxiety' experienced by EV drivers concerned about finding reliable charge points. Projects range from individual chargers through to larger EV charging hubs and utilise charging points with a capacity between 22kW and 300kW.

EVC's fully funded solutions aim to meet the demands of the EV industry, providing innovative and scalable charging infrastructure alongside charging management software. This includes managing any planning requirements, undertaking the installation and maintenance of each charger. For landlords who want to invest their own capital, EVC offers a Managed Service, whereby EVC undertakes the installation and operates the EV charger on the landlord's behalf.

EVC was founded in early 2020 and has attracted a number of key customers under long-term lease agreements as it has developed and refined its business model. To date, the Company has been funded by Oasthouse Ventures, James Randall, Lucky Gohler and through capital raised in 2022 from high-net-worth individuals. The partnership with Denham Sustainable Infrastructure will propel EVC as it moves to the next phase of its growth.

Nick Ballamy, CEO of EVC said: "Denham Sustainable Infrastructure's commitment - one of the largest seen in the UK EV charging infrastructure sector - will turbocharge our ability to provide businesses and customers across the nation with the confidence to make the switch and join the electric vehicle revolution. We're seeing pent-up demand across our markets and this investment will enable us to accelerate delivery to meet those needs. We will deploy our proprietary platform at scale, enabling EV drivers to have easy access to our reliable network. For our clients, this is about retaining business and driving additional footfall to their sites. By providing drivers with the confidence to make the switch to electric, we can help the UK meet its ambitious net zero goals."

Scott Mackin, Partner and Co-head of Denham Sustainable Infrastructure said: "This investment in EVC is part of our Sustainable Infrastructure strategy to invest globally in businesses that are key to the energy transition. We have a focus on working with strong management teams with an excellent track-record and a platform from which to accelerate growth. Denham Sustainable Infrastructure is a leading mid-market investor and this latest partnership with EVC will help it become a prominent player in the EV charging infrastructure space."

Sarah Lane, Director at Denham Sustainable Infrastructure said: "Our partnership with EVC will help deliver convenient and easy-to-use EV charging infrastructure across the UK. EVC's leadership combines expertise in energy and grid, large scale infrastructure deployment, customer-focused technology systems as well as property and carpark management. This unique combination offers a holistic and tailored solution for landlords and EV drivers."

Advisors

EVC was advised by Cameron Barney LLP and Shoosmiths LLP. Denham Capital was advised by Fladgate LLP.

About EVC

EVC installs fully funded EV charging points to the destination, residential, commercial and workplace sectors. EVC is striving to fill the gap left by the lack of EV charging infrastructure across the UK, giving individuals and businesses the confidence to make the switch to electric and enabling the government to reach their Net Zero goals. EVC was founded in early 2020 by CEO Nick Ballamy and Oasthouse Ventures with the aim of 'Making the EV Switch simple'.

Through the provision of charging facilities for customers, staff and residents, EVC gives businesses and landlords across the UK the opportunity to join the EV revolution. EVC aims to bring convenience to EV drivers, providing destinations with scalable EV charging infrastructure supplied by renewable energy, to meet today's needs while futureproofing to meet demand in the years ahead.

For more information, visit www.evc.co.uk

About Denham Capital

Founded in 2004, Denham Capital is a global energy transition investment firm having raised more than $10 billion of capital across multiple sectors. Denham's Sustainable Infrastructure business specializes in mid-market infrastructure equity and debt investments that are central to enabling a global energy transition. Having first invested in renewable power in 2007, Denham's diverse investment team and portfolio companies have acquired, developed, built, and exited businesses across the globe for over 15 years. This "business building" focus is core to Denham's belief that value is created for investors by acquiring and building sustainable infrastructure to help solve the $150 trillion 2050 net-zero challenge. Denham Capital sponsors entrepreneurs, delivering the financial resources and industry expertise needed to create and grow successful infrastructure and resource businesses. We seek to establish long term partnerships with entrepreneurs and companies who share our vision for growth and value creation. Our firm is built on a foundation of experience, fairness, economic rationale, flexibility and trust, and we bring these values into every opportunity we pursue. We believe our tactical familiarity within our industry sectors along with a disciplined approach centered around fairness and shared success make us an ideal partner.

For more information, visit www.denhamcapital.com/

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/uks-evc-secures-165m-commitment-from-denham-sustainable-infrastructure-to-roll-out-c100-000-electric-vehicle-charge-points-nationally-301758036.html
GURNEE, IL / ACCESSWIRE / February 28, 2023 / BrightRock Gold Corp. (OTC PINK:BRGC) is pleased to announce that it has signed an agreement with James Ingraffia to provide in-house expertise for lithium exploration at BrightRock's fully owned Midnight Owl Lithium Project. In addition to this James Ingraffia has been brought on as our ongoing Exploration Geologist at the Midnight Owl Lithium Project for both the 2023 and 2024 seasons. James Ingraffia brings 6 years of experience in lithium economic geology, lithium pegmatite deposits, lithium metallogeny, and methods of applicable economic evaluation of new deposits to the BRGC team. Mr. Ingraffia's ability to estimate depth, quality, and vastness of ore deposits will assist in taking this project from grassroots exploration all the way to production or property sale/acquisition.

Mr. Ingraffia is currently the founder of Lithium Arrow LLC. He got his start with the United States Geological Survey (USGS) in lithium brine and claystone geochemistry, in partnership with Pure Energy Minerals before its purchase by Schlumberger. He then characterized the Thacker Pass lithium claystone deposit, the largest known lithium resource in the United States with Lithium Americas Corporation (NYSE:LAC), from the atomic to kilometer scale, and published the results. During that time James has served the academic-industrial geological community as Vice Chairperson, of the Association of Environmental and Engineering Geologists (AEG) Great Basin Chapter, for 3 years. James possesses a Master's Degree of Geology, with training in Business Administration, from the University of Nevada Reno and a Bachelor's of Geology from California State University Northridge. To learn more about Mr. Ingraffia's background view his defense thesis on Lithium clays at McDermitt caldera, Nevada :Click for Video.

On joining the BrightRock Team Exploration Geologist James Ingraffia commented: "On behalf of Lithium Arrow LLC, I am very excited to collaborate with the multi-talented BrightRock Gold team in development of their Midnight Owl lithium pegmatite project. Established, lithium rich, and historically productive, this effort advances American critical metal independence and is a step towards humanity's achievement of a sustainable energy future. The project development will create great value for the BrightRock Gold Company shareholders, and increase the geological knowledge of classical lithium bearing pegmatites with new scientific perspectives. By advancement of the Midnight Owl project, we will contribute to a new chapter of the esteemed Western Mining History of Arizona."

BRGC CEO Mac J. Shahsavar, P. Eng. commented: "BrightRockis committed to building a world-class team with a full range of expertise in lithium exploration and development. The addition of Mr. Ingraffia to our team further bolsters our technical ability and can contribute significantly to our exploration success. We are confident Mr. Ingraffia is a huge step forward in the future of BrightRock and we are pleased to have him on board."

Contact & Learn More:

BrightRock Gold Corporation

Phone 866-600-5444

brightrockgold@gmail.com

Corporate Website: http://brightrockgold.com/ and/or northamericalithium.com

Corporate Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/brgc-corp

Corporate Twitter: https://twitter.com/brightrock_corp

Corporate Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brightrock_gold_corp/

About BrightRock Gold Corp.

BrightRock Gold Corp. is a lithium exploration company focused on developing its flagship project "Revival of the Midnight Owl Mine". Previously known in historical records as the "Lithium King Mine" located approximately 13 miles east of Wickenburg, Arizona. BrightRock Gold Corp. holds a 100% ownership and interest in the "Midnight Owl Mine" along with an adjoining 1400 acres, 69 lode claims. A lithium pegmatite project strategically located within 70 miles of two under construction battery plants. The Company is seeking to develop this portfolio of lithium-rich assets to become a major supplier of lithium-based products.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS:

This press release contains forward-looking statements as defined within Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. These statements relate to future events, including our ability to raise capital, or to our future financial performance, and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause materially different from any future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements since they involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which are, in some cases, beyond our control and which could, and likely will, materially affect actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements. Any forward-looking statement reflects our current views with respect to future events and is subject to these and other risks, uncertainties and assumptions relating to our operations, results of operations, growth strategy and liquidity. We assume 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.

For a discussion of these risks and uncertainties, please see our filings with the OTC Markets Group Inc. Our public filings with the OTC Markets Group Inc are available from commercial document retrieval services and at the website maintained by the OTC Markets at https://www.otcmarkets.com/stock/BRGC/disclosure

SOURCE: BrightRock Gold Corp

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/740844/BrightRock-Gold-Corp-Enlists-James-Ingraffia-a-Lithium-Geologist-and-Early-Contributor-to-Lithium-Americas-Thacker-Pass-Project
CHARLOTTE, NC / ACCESSWIRE / February 28, 2023 / Discovery Education and its social impact partners are offering educators and students nationwide a variety of free, STEM-focused resources to support celebrations of Women's History Month. This high-quality content highlights the accomplishments of women STEM leaders and encourages girls to see themselves in future STEM careers. Discovery Education is the worldwide edtech leader whose state-of-the-art digital platform supports learning wherever it takes place.

The Women's History Month theme for 2023 is "Celebrating Women Who Tell Our Stories." In support of this theme, Discovery Education has curated the following no-cost resources that help share the stories of women leading STEM industries to inspire the girls of today:

Career Profiles

Meet the women cybersecurity experts working to keep us all safe online in the career profiles from Girls4Tech - Mastercard's signature science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) program supported by Discovery Education. Geared towards giving girls in middle and high school access to STEM resources and career exploration tools, this program dives deeply into the topics of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and cyber security.

The STEM Careers Coalition - the first-of-its-kind national STEM initiative powered by corporate and non-profit leaders and anchored in schools by Discovery Education - offers educators a robust array of career profiles featuring diverse women in various industries and job roles. Discover how leaders at places like Boeing, Keysight Technologies, IF/THEN Initiative, Nevada Gold Mines, American Petroleum Institute, Sanofi, Microsoft, and more use STEM every day to create innovative solutions to the world's challenges. Educators can supplement these career profiles with lesson plans, engaging activities, and career mapping resources.

Student Challenges

Give students the chance to become a world-class scientist through the 3M Young Scientist Challenge, the nation's premier middle school science competition. The annual challenge - created in partnership with 3M as part of the Young Scientist Lab program - invites students in grades 5-8 to compete for an exclusive mentorship with a 3M scientist, a $25,000 grand prize, and the title of "America's Top Young Scientist." Previous winners, such as Leanne Fan (2022), Sarah Park (2021), Anika Chebrolu (2020), Kara Fan (2019), and Gitanjali Rao (2017), specifically show the power of girls in STEM, along with a library of Science at Home activities that foster STEM learning anywhere.

Virtual Field Trip

Discover the fascinating science involved in the pursuit of a new medication and the women scientists leading the way in a Science of Health & Medicine Virtual Field Trip from Generation Health: How Science Powers Us. A dynamic middle school program created with AstraZeneca and Learning Undefeated, this event aims to make science personal through a focus on healthy living. An accompanying educator guide takes the learning further with standards-aligned activities exploring the science of medicine and health.

"While more women than ever are entering the STEM fields, there remains uneven distribution of gender diversity across the many sectors of STEM. In my classroom, I always am on the hunt for resources that feature women and Discovery Education always delivers. For Women's History Month and more, I use these turn-key resources and engaging content to spark my students' interest in STEM," said Becky Plotkin, Instructional Technology Facilitator & AP Research teacher at Pine Lake Preparatory in North Carolina.

Educators and students can find even more resources on the Discovery Education K-12 learning platform in the Women in History Channel. Connecting educators to a vast collection of high-quality, standards-aligned content, ready-to-use digital lessons, intuitive quiz and activity creation tools, and professional learning resources, Discovery Education provides educators a recently enhanced learning platform that facilitates engaging, daily instruction in any learning environment.

"At Discovery Education, we are committed to delivering equitable learning experiences that engage all students. In unity with our social impact partners, we have the unique opportunity - and responsibility - to elevate and celebrate the women STEM professionals changing the world so the young women of today are inspired to become the STEM leaders of tomorrow," said Jackie Smalls, Vice President of Social Impact Coalitions at Discovery Education.

For more information about Discovery Education's award-winning digital resources and professional learning services, visit www.discoveryeducation.com, and stay connected with Discovery Education on social media through Twitter and LinkedIn.

###

About Discovery Education

Discovery Education is the worldwide edtech leader whose state-of-the-art digital platform supports learning wherever it takes place. Through its award-winning multimedia content, instructional supports, and innovative classroom tools, Discovery Education helps educators deliver equitable learning experiences engaging all students and supporting higher academic achievement on a global scale. Discovery Education serves approximately 4.5 million educators and 45 million students worldwide, and its resources are accessed in over 100 countries and territories. Inspired by the global media company Discovery, Inc., Discovery Education partners with districts, states, and trusted organizations to empower teachers with leading EdTech solutions that support the success of all learners. Explore the future of education at www.discoveryeducation.com.

Contacts

Grace Maliska | Discovery Education | gmaliska@discoveryed.com

View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from Discovery Education on 3blmedia.com.

Contact Info:

Spokesperson: Discovery Education

Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/discovery-education

Email: info@3blmedia.com

SOURCE: Discovery Education

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/741184/Discovery-Education-and-Social-Impact-Partners-Offering-Free-STEM-Focused-Resources-to-Educators-and-Students-Celebrating-Womens-History-Month
Originally published on South Central Florida Life

NAPLES, FL / ACCESSWIRE / February 28, 2023 / KeyBank Foundation has committed a charitable grant of $30,000 to support The Immokalee Foundation's Career Pathways Program, an innovative educational approach that prepares students for well-paying, in-demand professional careers in Business Management & Entrepreneurship, Education & Human Services, Engineering & Construction Management and Healthcare.

For more than 31 years, The Immokalee Foundation has maintained a 100% focus on education, career readiness, and professional development for students in Immokalee-from kindergarten to postsecondary education.

The Foundation's award-winning Career Pathways Program serves highly motivated yet financially disadvantaged students, enabling them to earn industry-recognized certifications and credentials or a college degree leading to lifelong careers and financial independence.

KeyBank's Michael T. Schneider, Florida Market President and Key Private Bank Market Leader, James A. Bitonte, SVP and Senior Portfolio Strategist, and Karen Crane, Sr. Communications Manager, recently visited The Immokalee Foundation to personally experience some of the Foundation's robust educational programming and meet some of the student beneficiaries of their contribution.

"KeyBank Foundation is committed to partnering with community organizations whose mission is to improve the lives of disadvantaged populations in our neighborhoods through education, workforce development, and community investment," Schneider said. "The Immokalee Foundation's mission to prepare the next generation of professionals through education, career readiness, and professional development for deserving students in Immokalee aligns perfectly with KeyBank's philanthropic focus areas and we are proud to support their work."

KeyBank Foundation's grant is made under Key's National Community Benefits Plan established in 2017, which has already delivered more than $29 billion in lending and investments across Key's national footprint supporting affordable housing and community development projects, home and small business lending in low- and-moderate income communities, and philanthropic efforts targeted toward education, workforce development, and safe, vital neighborhoods. In 2022, KeyBank Foundation provided $630,000 in grants to nonprofits serving disadvantaged individuals and families in southern Florida.

"The success of any financial organization is predicated on the success of those in the community they serve," said Noemi Y. Perez, President and CEO of The Immokalee Foundation. "Through their generous contribution to our Career Pathways Program, KeyBank Foundation is investing in the future of Southwest Florida-our collective potential as well as our shared success. I extend my heartfelt gratitude on behalf of the hardworking students of Immokalee."

About Key Private Bank:

Key Private Bank is a leading provider of wealth management solutions and advice for high-net worth and ultra-high-net-worth clients, including wealth advisory, investment management, trust administration, customized credit, family office and private banking services. Key's wealth management platform combines the market insights of local advisors with a national team of wealth and investment strategists to deliver proactive and personalized advice and expertise to clients. Advisors also leverage partnerships with Key's business banking and capital markets teams to build wealth plans tailored to meet each client's specific need. Key Private Bank's wealth management platform is delivered across 15 of the United States. Key Private Bank has $48.0 billion in AUM and $66.6 billion in AUA at December 31, 2022.

About The Immokalee Foundation:

To learn more about The Immokalee Foundation, become a mentor, signature events, volunteer as a career panel speaker or host, donate, or include the Foundation in your estate plans, please call 239-430-9122 or visit immokaleefoundation.org.

Immokalee Foundation Business Management & Entrepreneurship Pathway students Daisy H., Daniel A. & Lionisia C. with KeyBank's Karen Crane, Michael T. Schneider and James A. Bitonte

View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from KeyBank on 3blmedia.com.

Contact Info:

Spokesperson: KeyBank

Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/keybank

Email: info@3blmedia.com

SOURCE: KeyBank

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/741174/KeyBank-Foundation-Awards-30000-Grant-to-The-Immokalee-Foundation
SAN FRANCISCO, CA / ACCESSWIRE / February 28, 2023 / On the evening of February 22, 2020, Li's client, a 25-year-old veteran, and his 15-year-old brother were using electronic motorized longboards to skate around the neighborhood in Hayward, California. Li's clients were hit by an Uber vehicle at an intersection that had a green light. One of Li's clients sustained a traumatic brain injury and fractured his right ankle with subsequent surgeries. Li's other client witnessed his older brother being run over by the Uber car. The police found Li's clients at fault for not using the crosswalk.

The lawsuit was filed in Alameda Superior Court on February 17, 2022, Sanchez v. Hamzat, case No. 22CV007178. The Uber driver denies liability and argues that Li's clients were responsible for the accident because they were in the intersection when the light was red and did not wear bike helmets in violation of California Vehicle Code Section 21292, and did not use a lamp in violation of California Vehicle Code Section 21293.

Despite the adverse finding of the police report, Li was able to successfully argue that her clients were lawfully in the vehicle lane in compliance with Vehicle Code Section 21294 which allows electric motorized longboards to use vehicle lane as long as the posted speed limit is 30 mph or less. Throughout some investigative work, Li was able to prove that her clients entered the intersection when the light was green and later turned red before they were able to cross the intersection. Li also contends the Uber driver failed to yield to her clients who were already in the intersection, in violation of California Vehicle Code Section 21800(a), because he was in a hurry.

At the time of the collision, Li's client was scheduled to start his job as a TSA agent at the SFO in a couple of days. Due to the collision, he was unable to work. Despite the traumatic brain injury, he went back to school, studying to be a Sign language interpreter.

The settlement of $1 million was reached on February 17, 2023.

"I am glad that through the settlement, Uber is taking responsibility for the horrific accident that its driver has caused, despite the adverse finding of the police report," said Teresa Li.

About Teresa Li, Law Offices of Teresa Li, PC

Teresa Li has recovered over $25 million on behalf of injured clients. She specializes in traumatic brain injury/concussion in addition to other practice areas including brain injury, Uber/Lyft, car, truck, bike and motorcycle accidents, wrongful death and more. Li has been repeatedly selected by Super Lawyers Magazine as a Super Lawyers Rising Star and has been included in the Top Women Attorneys in Northern California list since 2014. She is a member of the Litigation Counsel of America, in which only 0.5% of attorneys are invited to join. For more information, please call (888) 635-3259, or visit http://www.lawofficesofteresali.com . The law office is located at 315 Montgomery Street, 9th Floor, San Francisco, CA 94104. To read more about Teresa Li in the news, please visit Law Offices of Teresa Li, PC .

SOURCE: Law Offices of Teresa Li, PC

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/741017/San-Francisco-Personal-Injury-Attorney-Teresa-Li-Obtains-1000000-Against-Uber-Driver
SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Concerted efforts to enhance food safety has encouraged cold storage industry companies to give importance to environmental, social and governance (ESG) performance. Sustainable development has come into the spotlight to foster eco-friendly refrigeration technology and utilize energy-efficient materials. Food & beverage companies have sought cold storage amidst an increased emphasis on ESG pillars. Cold storage is invaluable in preventing disruptions in food availability and emission-intensive losses of food. Food waste is one of the significant sources of GHG emissions, triggering food insecurity and burdening waste management systems. Increasing access to fresh food and reducing food insecurity can boost social equality.

Advancements in cold storage have provided potential opportunities for industry leaders to expand their ESG penetration. Stakeholders, including hotels, bakeries, stores, restaurants and other businesses, have invested in managing the temperature of perishable goods. Industry leaders have exhibited an interest in social opportunity, health & safety, diversity, product liability, business ethics, transparency and environmental opportunities.

Discover more regarding the practices and strategies being implemented by industry participants in the Cold Storage Industry ESG Thematic Report, 2023, published by Astra ESG Solutions

Environmental Perspective

With carbon emissions becoming pronounced across business verticals, state-of-the-art refrigeration control systems have gained ground. Notably, energy consumption has become a major concern at refrigerated warehouses. Efficient cooling equipment and a temperature-controlled supply chain have received an impetus to minimize food loss and GHG emissions. The University of Edinburgh's Department for Social Responsibility and Sustainability has undertaken cold storage sustainability project to minimize the energy consumption linked with cold storage facilities in Life Science Labs. In 2020, Americold poured over USD 8.4 million to complete 55 sustainability projects. The company installed four variable frequency drive (VFD) controls in four cold storage sites during the same period, saving around 1.5 kWh annually. It is contemplating installing 100% energy-efficient lighting across the global portfolio by 2030.

Social Perspective

Global push to minimize the environmental footprint of the cold storage industry has subsequently put the spotlight on the social pillar, including workplace safety, diversity & inclusion and investments in training & education, among others. Barloworld Limited is gearing up for a 50% female representation in leadership roles by 2025. The company has emphasized policies, such as Group Human Rights Policy, Employee Wellness Strategy, Group Talent Management Framework and Policy, Barloworld Harassment Policy and Group Health and Safety Policy. Industry leaders have upped their efforts to adopt a proactive approach to bolster safety management. For instance, the Total Recordable Incident Rate (TRIR) at Americold was 2.29 in 2020. Besides, the company launched inclusive hiring training for HR, talent acquisition and hiring managers in 2022. Stakeholders are poised to further their strategies for maintaining the culture of diversity and safety.

Is your business one of participants to the Cold Storage Industry? Contact us for focused consultation around ESG Investing, and help you build sustainable business practices

Governance Perspective

Good governance has come on the horizon as a torchbearer of innovation, growth and smooth functioning of organizations. Leaders have underscored their policies on ethics, corporate opportunities, zero tolerance for corruption and transparency. Shareholders and other stakeholders have vouched for a sustainable company that recognizes the impact of activities on the environment, society and the economy. To illustrate, executive management at Barloworld embeds an ethical and responsible culture to safeguard the interest of its shareholders and group. The company has also invested in anti-bribery and corruption and due diligence policies. It is slated to include ESG in Executive Performance Management and Remuneration philosophy, policy and practices. The South Africa-based company has furthered its tax strategy with an increased emphasis on Group Tax Risk Management Policy and disclosure and assurance practices in line with global standards and frameworks.

Get more insights about how key industry participants like Americold Logistics, LLC, Burris Logistics, Barloworld Limited, Cloverleaf Cold Storage, Henningsen Cold Storage are identifying, analyzing and mitigating ESG risks and ensuring compliance

Well-established players and startups have reinforced their strategies on long-term cost savings, managing waste, diversity and sound corporate behavior. In doing so, industry dynamics, such as mergers & acquisitions, partnerships, technological advancements and product offerings, could gain traction. For instance, in June 2022, Burris Logistics acquired R.W. Zant to bolster its footprint on West Coast. The latter deals in the redistribution of diary brands and proteins to retail and food service distributors. These trends suggest the global cold storage market could witness approximately 13.4% CAGR from 2021 to 2030.

Browse more ESG Thematic Reports from the Technology Sector, published by Astra - ESG Solutions

About Astra - ESG Solutions by Grand View Research

Astra is the Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) arm of Grand View Research Inc. - a global market research publishing & management consulting firm.

Astra offers comprehensive ESG thematic assessment & scores across diverse impact & socially responsible investment topics, including both public and private companies along with intuitive dashboards. Our ESG solutions are powered by robust fundamental & alternative information. Astra specializes in consulting services that equip corporates and the investment community with the in-depth ESG research and actionable insight they need to support their bottom lines and their values. We have supported our clients across diverse ESG consulting projects & advisory services, including climate strategies & assessment, ESG benchmarking, stakeholder engagement programs, active ownership, developing ESG investment strategies, ESG data services, build corporate sustainability reports. Astra team includes a pool of industry experts and ESG enthusiasts who possess extensive end-end ESG research and consulting experience at a global level.

For more ESG Thematic reports, please visit Astra ESG Solutions, powered by Grand View Research

Need expert consultation around identifying, analyzing and creating a plan to mitigate ESG risks related to your business? Share your concerns and queries, we can help!

Contact:

Michelle Thoras

Sales Specialist, USA

Astra ESG Solutions - Powered by Grand View Research, Inc.

Phone: 1-415-349-0058

Toll Free: 1-888-202-9519

Web: https://astra.grandviewresearch.com/

Email: astra.esg@grandviewesearch.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/astra-esg-solutions/

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/cold-storage-industry-highlights-esg-pillars-to-foster-global-footprint---astra-esg-solutions-301758024.html
NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / February 28, 2023 / On February 9, Franklin Templeton partnered with Junior Achievement of Northern California to host Aragon High School students interested in learning about how FinTech is fostered and utilized at Franklin Templeton to enhance how the investment management company serves its clients.

Junior Achievement is a key global charity partner of Franklin Templeton. Employee volunteers across the US help deliver JA curriculum to provide innovative, hands-on work readiness, entrepreneurship and financial literacy education to students.

The FinTech event, held at the firm's San Mateo, CA campus, engaged youth on the technology and innovation that is emerging to compete with traditional financial methods and service delivery and offered insight into current financial trends and the moves and ideas of global leaders in the field.

This professional workplace visit helped students learn about career options in financial services and FinTech. Students were introduced to Franklin Templeton via presentations from company experts and a campus tour, including firm's FinTech Incubator.

About Junior Achievement of Northern California

Junior Achievement's mission is to inspire and prepare young people to succeed in a global economy. Locally, JA connects students, educators, and business professionals together to build quality partnerships that empower young people to own their economic success by becoming financially literate, workforce ready, and equipped with entrepreneurial skills. Each year, JA serves 90,000 students agency-wide in experiential, hands-on learning that enable them to connect their studies in school to real-world business and industry. After participating in JA, students see first-hand how academic success can prepare them for a fruitful and meaningful future. Learn more at www.janorcal.org

About Franklin Templeton

Franklin Resources, Inc. [NYSE:BEN] is a global investment management organization with subsidiaries operating as Franklin Templeton and serving clients in over 155 countries. Franklin Templeton's mission is to help clients achieve better outcomes through investment management expertise, wealth management and technology solutions. Through its specialist investment managers, the company offers specialization on a global scale, bringing extensive capabilities in fixed income, equity, alternatives and multi-asset solutions. With offices in more than 30 countries and approximately 1,300 investment professionals, the California-based company has over 75 years of investment experience and approximately $1.4 trillion in assets under management as of January 31, 2023. For more information, please visit franklinresources.com and follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook.

View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from Franklin Templeton on 3blmedia.com.

Contact Info:

Spokesperson: Franklin Templeton

Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/franklin-templeton

Email: info@3blmedia.com

SOURCE: Franklin Templeton

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/741196/Franklin-Templeton-Partners-With-Junior-Achievement-for-FinTech-Event-for-Youth


MOSCOW (dpa-AFX) - The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) has released a report that found the Assad regime responsible for the deadly chemical weapons attack on Douma, which killed dozens of civilians.



The report refutes the Russian claim that the April 7, 2018 attack was carried out by the opposition.



The report concludes that there are reasonable grounds to believe that, around 7:30 pm local time on April 7, 2018 at least one Mi-8/17 helicopter of the Syrian Arab Air Force, departing from Dumayr airbase and operating under the control of the Tiger Forces, dropped two yellow cylinders which hit two residential buildings in a central area of the city releasing chlorine killing 43 named individuals and affecting dozens more.



This report marks the ninth instance of chemical weapons use independently attributed to the Assad regime by UN and OPCW mechanisms.



The report also points out that the IIT received credible information that Russian forces were co-located at Dumayr airbase alongside the Tiger Forces, and that at the time of the attack, the airspace over Douma was exclusively controlled by the Syrian Arab Air Force and the Russian Aerospace Defence Forces.



The United States, United Kingdom, France and Germany demanded that the Assad regime must immediately comply with its obligations under the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) and relevant UN Security Council resolutions.



Syria must fully declare and destroy its chemical weapons program and allow the deployment of OPCW staff to its country to verify it, the Foreign Ministers of the four countres said in a statement.



They called on the Russia to stop shielding Syria from accountability for its use of chemical weapons.



US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly, French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna, and Germany's Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock alleged that in the aftermath of Syria's chemical attack on April 7, 2018, Russian military police helped the Syrian regime obstruct OPCW access to the site of the attack and attempted to sanitize the site. Russian and Syrian troops also staged photographs later disseminated online in an attempt to support its fabricated narratives of this incident, they added.



Copyright(c) 2023 RTTNews.com. All Rights Reserved



Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX
BUTTENWIESEN, GERMANY / ACCESSWIRE / February 28, 2023 / SURTECO GROUP SE hereby announces the closing of the purchase contract dated 13 December 2022 for acquisition of the OMNOVA "laminates and performance films and coated fabrics" division from Synthomer PLC.

The divisions specialize in the production and sale of laminates, foils and vinyl-coated fabrics at locations in the United States and Thailand. This takeover was an important step to move forward the company's focused corporate strategy of internationalization. The product offering in the U.S complements SURTECO's existing laminates, foils and edgebanding business in North America, while vinyl-coated fabrics establish a foothold for increased diversification of markets and products.

The business will operate out of offices and facilities in Ohio, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, South Carolina, Mississippi, Ontario, Canada and Rayong, Thailand.

Turnover in North America is expected to exceed 300 million U.S. dollars on a full year basis and total worldwide turnover will exceed 1 billion euro for the SURTECO group of companies on a full year basis.

"This acquisition will strengthen our position in the market for decorative surfaces in North America and it represents an important step for sustainable development of the SURTECO Group. I should like to give our new employees a very warm welcome to SURTECO. My thanks also go to the project team including our US based CEO and CFO, Mike Phillips and Gudrun Pechtold and in particular to Larry Schorr. His wide-ranging experience and his commitment were a key factor for successful conclusion of the contract," commented Wolfgang Moyses, Chairman of the Management Board of SURTECO GROUP SE.

The SURTECO North America divisions will be managed as OMNOVA North America, Inc. and OMNOVA Engineered Surfaces Co, Ltd. and report directly to Chairman Wolfgang Moyses and Deputy Chairman Larry Schorr.

Surteco Group SE was advised by Fredericks Michael & Co., an investment bank with offices in New York, London, and Sao Paulo on this transaction. www.fm-co.com. The legal advisor was Brouse McDowell. www.brouse.com

Contact:

SURTECO GROUP SE Martin Miller

Investor Relations and Press Office

T: +49 8274 9988-508

F: +49 8274 9988-515

ir@surteco.com

Profile of SURTECO

SURTECO GROUP SE with registered office in Buttenwiesen is a mid-sized holding company with international operations. The company listed on the stock exchange combines leading national and international brands for surface technology under one roof. The comprehensive product portfolio includes papers printed with decor designs, impregnated materials, release papers, decorative flat foils and edgebandings based on specialist technical papers and plastics. This portfolio is complemented by skirtings made of plastics, technical extrusions (profiles) for industry, and roller shutter systems. With more than 3,000 employees at 22 production sites worldwide, the Group generates annual sales of around EUR 757 million in fiscal year 2021. 25 % of these sales are generated in Germany, 47 % in European countries outside Germany and a further 28 % in America, Asia and Australia. Customers of the SURTECO Group primarily come from the wood-based, flooring and furniture industries, as well as from interior design.

The shares in SURTECO GROUP SE are listed on the official market (Prime Standard) of the Frankfurt and Munich Stock Exchanges under the ticker symbol SUR and ISIN DE0005176903. They are also traded on the stock markets in Berlin, Dusseldorf and Stuttgart.

Cautionary note regarding forward-looking statements

This press release may contain statements of future forecasts or expectations and other forward-looking statements and involves known and unknown risks and uncertainties. There is therefore no guarantee for the statements and expectations expressed herein. The actual results and developments may differ substantially. The company assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements contained herein or to adapt such information to future results or developments.

SOURCE: Surteco Group SE

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/741205/SURTECO-GROUP-SE-Purchase-Contract-for-Acquisition-of-the-OMNOVA-Laminates-and-Performance-Films-and-Coated-Fabrics-Divisions-from-Synthomer-PLC-has-been-Closed-Effective-February-28-2023
RIVIERA NAYARIT, MEXICO / ACCESSWIRE / February 28, 2023 / The rental of luxury villas, houses with swimming pools, and exclusive apartments is the fear of hotels in Mexico: vacation rentals are an alternative that is growing at a fast pace as demand increases and the sector becomes more professional.

The figures speak for themselves and in the middle of the high season in Mexico, the demand for vacation rentals is consolidating. More and more tourists are opting for the advantages of staying in a vacation rental in Riviera Nayarit Mexico and, in general, in most tourist destinations in the Mexican country.

The tourist expenditure in these lodgings has increased after the pandemic in all Latin America from 20% to almost 25% according to the latest data of the World Tourism Organization (WTO). This increase in demand in Latin America goes hand in hand with the professionalization of the vacation rental sector, which has improved by almost 10 percentage points to reach the current 20%.

In countries such as Mexico, the figures are even higher and confirm a revolution in the tourism sector that poses a real threat to the hotel supply. The Association of Vacation Rental Professionals in Mexico (APAR) in alliance with Transparent, the leading vacation rental data measurement company, has analyzed the situation of the tourism sector in Mexico.

The data reveals a 38% increase in the supply of vacation rentals in the country between 2019 and the end of 2022. Mexico consolidates its position as the second most important market in Latin America after Brazil, although Mexico has an Average Daily Rate of US$106, much higher than Brazil's US$66. In addition, the occupancy rate in Mexico was 46% compared to 31% in Brazil.

An alternative to all-inclusive hotels in Riviera Nayarit Mexico

If in the pandemic the factor of health safety and tranquility has played an important role when choosing this type of tourist accommodations, in recent years the trend is being consolidated by those seeking greater interaction with the local culture and avoid feeling like "just another tourist," according to Transparent.

Formats such as Airbnb have fostered in recent years a greater demand and an increase in spending on vacation rentals, especially in destinations that have gained popularity such as Riviera Nayarit where occupancy rates have reached nearly 50% in tourist rentals.

In fact, this vacation option is on the rise in areas such as Nuevo Vallarta that have registered a 43% occupancy rate, being the new alternative to hotels and all-inclusive packages since tourists who have chosen them have not had to give up comfort and luxury and have been able to see the advantages they offer.

The advantages of vacation rentals: Del Mar Boutique, an example of experience and quality

Users who opt for vacation rentals value the benefit of privacy and comfort as opposed to crowds, in addition to the flexibility in the entrances and exits to the accommodations and the quick management of reservations without intermediaries, in most cases with more competitive prices.

The location is another factor that makes them a perfect option to spend a vacation. In the case of Nuevo Vallarta it allows the tourist to stay in privileged areas, close to the beaches and with spectacular views. On the other hand, there is the freedom of having all the equipment, with a good kitchen to be able to cook to your liking, and at the same time try typical local restaurants of the region.

Undoubtedly, being able to live the authentic experience and sensation of being in a second home but in a city to be discovered is what has most attracted the attention of tourists who choose to rent apartments for vacation rentals in Nuevo Vallarta Mexico.

The best example of this is Del Mar Boutique, one of the most interesting options of lodging and condominiums for rent in Nuevo Vallarta. Its expansion has skyrocketed, mainly due to the quality of its accommodations and its efforts to make its clients feel at home and have an experience of the highest possible quality. They currently have 50 high-end properties distributed throughout Bahia de Banderas and continue to expand at great speed.

Contact Details

David de la Mora Hernandez

+521332998815

d.delamora@delmarboutique.com

SOURCE: Del Mar Boutique

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/741203/Vacation-Rental-in-Mexico-a-Revolution-in-the-Tourism-Industry-that-Threatens-the-Hotel-Offer-in-Riviera-Nayarit
BRUSSELS (dpa-AFX) - The pound was higher against its major counterparts in the New York session on Tuesday, as traders cheered new U.K.-European Union deal on Northern Ireland. U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen signed the new deal, called the 'Windsor Framework, on Monday to solve problems caused by the Northern Ireland Protocol. Under the deal, goods from Britain will be allowed to enter Northern Ireland freely. It also changed parts of the existing protocol by allowing the UK government to determine some of VAT rates applicable in Northern Ireland. Sunak described it as a 'decisive breakthrough' and said it would protect Northern Ireland's place in the U.K. The pound climbed to a 1-week high of 1.2137 against the greenback and a 4-week high of 1.1358 against the franc, from its prior lows of 1.2026 and 1.1265, respectively. The currency is seen facing resistance around 1.24 against the greenback and 1.22 against the franc. The pound firmed to a fresh 4-week high of 0.8760 against the euro and more than a 2-month high of 166.00 against the yen, from its early lows of 0.8811 and 164.02, respectively. Next key resistance for the currency is seen around 0.86 against the euro and 169.00 against the yen. 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.
Montreal, Quebec--(Newsfile Corp. - February 28, 2023) - E-Power Resources Inc (CSE: EPR) ("E-Power" or the "Company") announces new appointments to its senior management team. James Cross will assume the roles of President and CEO. Jamie Lavigne will become the Vice-President of Exploration and remain a Director of the company while vacating the role of President.

James Cross is a management consultant with capital markets experience in North America, Europe, the Middle East and South Asia. He is a co-founder of E-Power Resources. He served as President and CEO of Canadian Gold Resources, Ltd. from 2012-2017. In 2017, Canadian Gold Resources was sold to Colibri Resources on a share transaction basis valued at $4,000,000. He also served as Director and Vice-president of Corporate Development for Adroit Resources from 2010 - 2011, then listed on the TSX Venture Exchange. He has also acted as a consultant to a number of resource companies. In 1989, he earned a Bachelor of Science in Management from the A.B Freeman School of Business, Tulane University.

Jamie Lavigne is an economic geologist with over 30 years of experience who has participated in several successful exploration and mine development projects. He has held senior positions with major Canadian and Australian mining companies, exploration and management roles with several junior exploration companies, and operates a geological services and consulting company. Lavigne holds a Bachelor of Science from Memorial University of Newfoundland, and a Master of Science from the University of Ottawa and is a member of L'Ordre des Geologues du Quebec and the Northwest Territories and Nunavut Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists.

About E-Power Resources Inc.

E-Power Resources Inc. is an exploration stage company engaged principally in the acquisition, exploration, and development of graphite properties in Quebec. Its flagship asset, the Tetepisca Graphite Property, is located in the Tetepisca Graphite District of the North Shore Region of Quebec, approximately 215 kilometers from the Port of Baie-Comeau.

For further information, please refer to the Company's disclosure record on SEDAR (www.sedar.com) or contact the Company by email at info@e-powerresources.com.

On Behalf of the Board of Directors

Michael Danielsson

Director

+1 (438) 701-3736

info@e-powerresources.com

The Canadian Securities Exchange has not reviewed, approved or disapproved the contents of this news release.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/156544
The retail turnover (including VAT) of Apranga Group reached EUR 293.3 million in 12 months 2022 and was by 28.4% higher than in 2021 and by 18.3% higher than in 2019.



Due to epidemic coronavirus (COVID-19) infection, from 16 December 2020, all the Group's stores in Lithuania were temporarily closed. Stores with a separate entrance from the outside and sales area not exceeding 300 square meters were open from 15 February 2021. Stores with a separate entrance from the outside and a sales area exceeding 300 square meters were open from 15 March 2021. All Group's stores have been reopened in Lithuania from 19 April 2021, however, stores operating in shopping malls were not allowed to work on weekends, unless they had separate entrance from outside. Eventually, all Group's stores had been open in Lithuania as of 29 May 2021. In Latvia, stores were temporarily closed from 19 December 2020. Group's stores that operate in shopping malls and have separate entrance from outside had been reopened in Latvia as of 22 May 2021. All Group's stores had been open in Latvia as of 3 June 2021 until 14 October 2021, when the operation of stores in shopping malls on weekends were banned in Latvia, and from 21 October 2021 all Group's stores in Latvia again were temporarily closed. All Group's stores were reopened in Latvia from 15 November 2021, however, stores operating in shopping malls were not allowed to work on weekends, unless they had separate entrance from outside. Eventually, all Group's stores were allowed to work also on weekends as of 25 December 2021. In Estonia, all Group's stores were temporarily closed from 11 March 2021 until 3 May 2021. These temporary closures had a significant impact on the Group's generated turnover in 2021.

The unaudited consolidated profit before income tax of Apranga Group amounted to EUR 18.5 million in 12 months of 2022. The Group made profit before income tax of EUR 13.2 million in the same period of 2021.

EBITDA of Apranga Group reached EUR 38.7 million in 12 months 2022 and increased by 13.6% comparing to corresponding period of 2021.

The unaudited interim consolidated financial statements and consolidated interim report of Apranga Group for 12 months of 2022, as well as managers' confirmation letter are ready for acquaintance in the attachment. The interim information is also available at: http://aprangagroup.lt/en/investors.

Rimantas Perveneckas

"Apranga" Group General Manager

+370 5 2390801




NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / February 28, 2023 / Wells Fargo



Wells Fargo Innovation Incubator (IN2)

2022 was the year of demonstrating solutions. Not only did our portfolio companies demonstrate solutions for potential customers and investors-IN2 demonstrated itself, yet again, as a solution for accelerating the transition to a low-carbon economy.

IN2 welcomed nine new companies into its portfolio in 2022, representing building, mobility, and agricultural technologies. The selected companies each received up to $250,000 in funding to test, validate and demonstrate their technologies with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) or the world-renowned Donald Danforth Plant Science Center. They are in good company-as of 2022, our portfolio of 65 now boasts $1.64 billion in follow-on capital since joining the program. That means our portfolio companies raise more than $88 for every $1 invested by IN2.

In April, we launched our first all-demonstration cohort which brought together five startups prepared to conduct a real-world installation of their technology with assistance from a community partner. With technical assistance from NREL, IN2 is helping these companies validate their solutions and build credibility to accelerate adoption.

For example, Kit Switch is working with Habitat for Humanity LA to deploy its plug-and-play kitchens in Los Angeles, and is doing a separate installation in San Francisco, to turn abandoned buildings into affordable apartment complexes. Community Energy Labs (CEL) is testing its model-predictive building control platform at more than 20 school campuses across the Pacific Northwest. NineDot Energy installed its first vehicle-to-grid charging system in a Brooklyn, New York, parking garage in partnership with Fermata Energy and Revel. In 2023, CorePower Magnetics plans to demonstrate its patented high-performance power electronics with Eaton, and BlocPower hopes to work with Steffes to replace fossil fuel-based appliances in low-income communities.

In June, we welcomed four companies focused on improving the resilience of global food systems into our newest agriculture cohort. These companies began collaborative research projects at the Danforth Center, and the now 20 companies in IN2's agriculture cohorts continue work on commercializing solutions to improve the sustainability and resilience of agriculture.

Several of our agtech companies completed field trials with our partners at Farmers Business Network during the 2022 growing season to test their products on real farms, providing invaluable learning experiences. Intrinsyx Bio held trials in Indiana and Illinois, collecting usable data for learning how to adjust their product. New West Genetics held a trial in Montana to test two hemp hybrids for yield and quality. EarthSense learned how to adapt their solution to bigger fields and different weather patterns in the Midwest.

We were pleased to see the many accomplishments of our alumni companies over the past year, proving that IN2 provides an accelerated path to market. Eleven of our portfolio companies saw successful exits in the form of mergers or acquisitions. IN2 also serves as a breeding ground for companies to form strategic alliances and partnerships.

For example, alumni 75F and J2 Innovations announced a collaboration to improve the energy efficiency of mid-sized commercial buildings. 75F and J2 will standardize the use of a tool that allows community members to contribute peer-reviewed, plug-and-play digital twin models of building controls and equipment.

These examples only provide a small glimpse into the work that NREL and Wells Fargo do to catalyze cleantech innovation for the built environment and agriculture sector.

This year, IN2 also distributed $1 million to seven of our channel partners. Launched in 2017, the Channel Partner Strategic Awards foster an ecosystem of expertise and support within the IN2 Channel Partner network, which consists of more than 60 incubators, accelerators, and universities that mentor and refer companies to the IN2 program. For example, in 2022, BioGenerator helped Plastomics, an IN2 cohort company, spin out a new company called Solis Agrosciences, using IN2 award funding to help set up the new company. Since 2017, IN2 has distributed $6 million through the Channel Partner Strategic Awards.

The Channel Partner Strategic Awards also support IN2's diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. In 2021, IN2 presented the Channel Partner Strategic Awards, totaling $350,000, to four organizations that provide entrepreneurial opportunities for historically underrepresented individuals in the cleantech industry. The awards supported thousands of BIPOC people and organizations in 2022 including six historically Black colleges and universities, 134 students, 70 farmers, 11 startups, six community partners, and 1,820 businesses.

As we enter our ninth year, IN2 aims to multiply the economic and environmental impact of its proven technology incubation model by bringing on new corporate partners that want to find cutting-edge solutions for a more sustainable future. For more information, read the 2022 Annual Report.

The Wells Fargo Innovation Incubator (IN2) is a technology incubator for cleantech startups. Co-founded and co-administered by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) since 2014, its results are transformative and catalytic.

View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from Wells Fargo on 3blmedia.com.

Contact Info:

Spokesperson: Wells Fargo

Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/wells-fargo

Email: info@3blmedia.com

SOURCE: Wells Fargo

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/741214/2022-The-Year-of-Demonstrating-Solutions
Zaandam, the Netherlands, February 28, 2023 - Ahold Delhaize today announces the nomination of Julia Vander Ploeg for appointment to Ahold Delhaize's Supervisory Board. The Supervisory Board will propose the appointment to the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of Shareholders on April 12, 2023.

Julia Vander Ploeg is an American National and currently on the board of directors of Extra Space Storage (NYSE:EXR), serving on both the audit and compensation committees, and is a director of Neighborly Inc. In her past operating role experience, Julia served as Senior Vice President, Global Head of Digital and Technology for Hyatt Hotels Corporation from 2018 to 2022, where she was responsible for digital and technology strategy. Prior to that, Julia led a significant digital transformation effort of Volvo Car Corporation's consumer and enterprise digital business plans, and was previously Vice President of Digital for McDonald's U.S.A., where she designed and hired the organization's first native digital team to launch mobile ordering at 14,000 restaurants in North America.

Peter Agnefjall, Chair of the Supervisory Board: "We are delighted to propose Julia Vander Ploeg for appointment to the Supervisory Board. Julia is a seasoned executive and will bring extensive relevant experience from a number of international and dynamic companies to Ahold Delhaize. Julia is a digital and e-commerce business leader and has led significant digital transformation efforts during her career."



Furthermore, Bala Subramanian, who has served on Ahold Delhaize's Supervisory Board since April 14, 2021 will be stepping down from the Ahold Delhaize Supervisory Board per the AGM on April 12, 2023.



Peter Agnefjall: "We would like to thank Bala for his valuable contributions over the past two years to Ahold Delhaize. We wish him all the best in his new executive role as EVP & Chief Digital and Technology Officer for UPS."

- ENDS -





Cautionary notice

This communication includes forward-looking statements. All statements other than statements of historical facts may be forward-looking statements. Words and expressions such as will, propose, strategy, would, wish or other similar words or expressions are typically used to identify forward-looking statements.

Forward-looking statements are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors that are difficult to predict and that may cause actual results of Koninklijke Ahold Delhaize N.V. (the "Company") to differ materially from future results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors include, but are not limited to, the risk factors set forth in the Company's public filings and other disclosures. Forward-looking statements reflect the current views of the Company's management and assumptions based on information currently available to the Company's management. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made and the Company does not assume any obligation to update such statements, except as required by law.

For more information

Press office: +31 88 6595134 / media.relations@aholddelhaize.com

Investor relations: +31 88 659 5213 / investor.relations@aholddelhaize.com

Social media: Instagram: @Ahold-Delhaize | LinkedIn: @Ahold-Delhaize | Twitter: @AholdDelhaize

About Ahold Delhaize

Ahold Delhaize is one of the world's largest food retail groups and a leader in both supermarkets and e-commerce. Its family of great local brands serves 55 million customers each week, both in stores and online, in the United States, Europe, and Indonesia. Together, these brands employ more than 413,000 associates in 7,452 grocery and specialty stores and include the top online retailer in the Benelux and the leading online grocers in the Benelux and the United States. Ahold Delhaize brands are at the forefront of sustainable retailing, sourcing responsibly, supporting local communities and helping customers make healthier choices. The company's focus on four growth drivers - drive omnichannel growth, elevate healthy and sustainable, cultivate best talent and strengthen operational excellence - is helping to fulfil its purpose, achieve its vision and prepare its brands and businesses for tomorrow. Headquartered in Zaandam, the Netherlands, Ahold Delhaize is listed on the Euronext Amsterdam and Brussels stock exchanges.

Attachment
On track in executing OneESI 2024 Plan, Achieved Guided Growth1, Exceeded Adjusted EBIT Target and Delivered Strong Growth in License Revenue driven by ARR2

All below information will concern 'constant perimeter3', otherwise will be stated

Full-year revenues 4 of current perimeter at 133.9m: +1.0% YoY, +0.1% at constant exchange rate (cer)

ARR Growth, reaching over 100m: +7.4% at current exchange rate (+6.5% cer)

Full-year revenue growth in line with guidance: 129.7m: +3% at current rate (+2.1% cer)

Adjusted EBIT 5 up 75.1% year over year, with Adjusted EBIT margin at 11.6%, versus 6.8% in 2021

Faster than expected progress on the strategic aspects of the plan

Reaffirming FY23 guidance in line with targets presented in September '22

Regulatory News:

ESI Group, (ISIN Code: FR0004110310, Symbol: ESI) (Paris:ESI), today releases its sales and results for the full year 2022 (period from January 1st to December 31st) approved by the Board of Directors on February 27th, 2023. Audit procedures performed by the Group statutory auditors are being finalized.

Cristel de Rouvray, Chief Executive Officer of ESI Group, comments: "I am proud to announce that our comprehensive strategic plan has successfully laid a robust foundation for the future growth of ESI Group. The remarkable success of 2022 is a testament to the effectiveness of our strategic direction. Our focus on recurring revenues has further enhanced our sustainable financial performance and future plans. With our keen eye on the future, we expect to see continuous progress on our top line in 2023. ESI's teams, product, and market position are critical for a clean, safe, and productive industry. I remain confident that our continued success in FY23 and beyond will meet all stakeholder's mid and long-term expectations."

ESI Group Achieves Key Milestones of OneESI 2024 Plan, Delivering Strong Results in 2022

ESI Group has made significant progress on its strategic plan, on track with expectations for the fiscal year 2022. The Group's ability to consistently fulfill its long-term commitments was demonstrated by a strong 7.4% increase in ARR, reflecting a focus on recurring software revenue that was prominently highlighted in the OneESI 2024 plan. The Group has successfully raised its ARR to 100.6m (compared to 93.7m in 2021), marking a substantial advancement for the Group. In addition, ESI Group has achieved its revenue objectives, with growth consistent with the communicated range to the market (between 2% and 4%) for a total revenue of 129.7m. The Group's emphasis on its licensing business has also paid off, as it now accounts for 85.0% of the company's overall activity (compared to 83.2% in FY21).

Financial highlights at constant perimeter

(m) 12/31/2022 12/31/20216 Change Change Constant exchange rate (cer) Revenue 129.7 126.0 +3.0% +2.1% Licenses 110.3 104.8 +5.3% +4.3% Services 19.4 21.2 -8.4% -8.7% EBIT - before IFRS16 22.5 -21.0 +207.2% -209.8% % of revenue 17.5% -16.7% Adjusted EBIT 15.0 8.6 +75.1% +81.8% Adjusted EBIT margin 11.6% 6.8%

(m) 12/31/2022 12/31/2021 Change Change Constant exchange rate (cer) Revenue 129.7 126.0 +3.0% +2.1% Licenses 110.3 104.8 +5.3% +4.3% ARR (Annual Recurring Revenue) 100.6 93.7 +7.4% +6.5% PUL (Perpetual License) 9.7 11.4 -15.2% -17.0% Deferred Revenue 0.0 -0.3 -89.9% -105.7% Services 19.4 21.2 -8.4% -8.7%

Financial highlights at current perimeter

(m) 12/31/2022 12/31/2021 Change Change Constant exchange rate (cer) Revenue 133.9 132.6 +1.0% +0.1% Gross Margin 106.2 102.9 +3.3% +2.2% % of revenue 79.3% 77.6% EBIT - before IFRS16 25.0 -16.9 n.a. n.a. % of revenue 18.7% -12.7% Other operating income and expenses 12.8 -27.4 n.a. n.a. Adjusted EBIT 17.8 12.7 +40.0% +45.2% Adjusted EBIT margin 13.3% 9.6% Net Result 15.4 -18.5 n.a. n.a. % of revenue 11.5% -13.9% Net financial debt7 -7.3 12.5 n.a. n.a. Gearing -8.0% 17.2%

ESI Group's strong performance showcases its ability to navigate a challenging economic environment while delivering on its commitments. The company's solutions are critical for customers who require adaptability and speed to remain competitive. In the past year, ESI Group has strengthened relationships with key clients, promoting sustained growth and building a foundation for future success. The company's commitment to innovation has allowed it to stay ahead of the curve, offering customers cutting-edge simulation solutions that provide exceptional value.

ESI Group's Remarkable Progress Towards OneESI 2024 Plan in 2022

ESI Group is pursuing its transformation by focusing on its core activities and improving customer satisfaction. This focus is reflected in the company's significant Annual Recurring Revenue (ARR) growth, increased business wins, and strong employer brand, which has helped attract talent in the market. Additionally, at constant perimeter, ESI Group's revenue growth and cost-management efforts resulted in an 11.6% Adjusted EBIT margin (exceeding the anticipated range of 9% to 11%).

The company's strategic approach has yielded positive results, with growth in our 3 regions particularly in the Americas, where it grew by 15.9% (+4.2% cer), the Asia market remained stable at -0.2% (+2.4% cer) due to the acceleration of the strategic shift from perpetual to recurring licenses. The EMEA region posted a growth of 1.6% (+1.3% cer). ESI Group's commitment to enhancing customer satisfaction and attracting top talent has resulted in enabling the company to position itself as a market leader in the face of ongoing challenges.

The gross margin rate increased to 78.9% vs 76.8% in 2021 mainly due to higher rate of licenses in our revenue mix. As announced, the Group continued streamlining its operations and reduced its headcount from 1,144 (end of December 2021) to 985 (end of December 2022). In the meantime, the Group recruited highly seasoned leaders and team members for strategic positions across the organization.

In 2022, Other operating income and expenses amounted to 12.7m mainly due to CFD sale versus -27.6m in 2021 due to ESI Group restructuring and transforming plan comprising of Provisions for reduction in headcount Impairment of intangibles as related to products services deemed non-core.

A healthy financial situation

In 2022, ESI Group continued demonstrating its capacity to improve its financial situation. ESI Group controlled its costs thanks to a better resource allocation and reduced its net financial debt (from 12.5m in 2021 to -7.3m in 2022) with more reimbursement of the bank loans (8.5m in 2022 vs 5.3m in 2021).

The Group has increased its cash position end-of-year from 30.3m to 41.6m which includes the positive impact of the CFD business sale (+20m of cash) announced in July 2022 and the payment of restructuring charges for the Group linked to its departure plan (about 7m euros in 2022 versus 1.7m in 2021).

The gearing significantly improved (net financial debt/Equity) from 17.2% in 2021 to -8.0% in 2022.

Forward-looking statement

Q1 FY23 Revenue perspectives

Q1 FY23 constant perimeter Growth excl. forex 5% to 7%

While the Group does not give guidance on ARR, we expect the ARR trend to continue in Q1 with an ARR growth to exceed overall topline growth.

Long-term perspective, as shared at our investor day on September 27, 2022

constant perimeter 2023 2024 2025 Revenue Growth 5%-7% 6%-9% 7% 10% Adjusted EBIT 13%-15% 17%-20% >20%

These statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, including those related to the COVID-19 virus and associated further economic and market disruptions; further adverse changes or fluctuations in the global economy; further adverse fluctuations in our industry, foreign exchange fluctuations, changes in the current global trade regulatory environment; fluctuations in customer demands and markets; fluctuations in demand for our products including orders from our large customers; cyber-attacks; expense overruns; and adverse effects of price changes or effective tax rates. The company directs readers to its Universal Registration Document Chapter 3 presents the risks associated with the company's future performance.

Upcoming events

Q1 revenues May 4 th , 2023

, 2023 Annual General Meeting June 29 th , 2023

, 2023 The Group will organize an investor's conference in early Fall 2023 and will give an update on the plan

About ESI

Founded in 1973, ESI Group envisions a world where Industry commits to bold outcomes, addressing high-stakes concerns environmental impact, safety comfort for consumers and workers, and adaptable and sustainable business models. ESI provides reliable and customized solutions anchored on predictive physics modeling and virtual prototyping expertise to allow industries to make the right decisions at the right time while managing their complexity. Acting principally in automotive land transportation, aerospace, defense naval and heavy industry, ESI is present in more than 20 countries, employs about 1,000 people around the world, and reported 2022 sales of 130 million. ESI is headquartered in France and is listed in compartment B of Euronext Paris.

For further information, go to: www.esi-group.com.

.Follow ESI

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APPENDIX

The Board of Directors of ESI Group reviewed and closed, on February 27, 2023, the Group's consolidated financial statements for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2022. Audit procedures performed by the Group statutory auditors are being finalized.

IFRS AND NON-IFRS INDICATORS

The financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2021 have been retrospectively restated to reflect the implementation of the IFRIC decision on the recognition of configuration or customization costs for software used in SaaS mode and the reclassification of revenue relating to Co-funded Projects from revenues to research and development costs the corresponding costs have been reclassified from cost of sales to research and development costs.

Constant perimeter: FY2021 and FY2022 have been restated to exclude Russian business (discontinued) and CFD activity (sold in July 2022) from revenue costs.

Adjusted EBIT and Adjusted EBIT Margin are non-GAAP indicators used by the management to monitor performance, as presented in the strategic 3-year plan, excluding items that, because of their nature, cannot be considered as inherent to the recurring performance of the Group. They do not represent a substitute for GAAP indicators.

Adjusted EBIT means operational income (EBIT) adjusted for:

Stock-based compensation expenses,

Restructuring charges,

Impairment amortization of intangible assets related to acquisitions or disposals,

Application of IFRS 16 (leases),

and other non-recurring items (including net gain and losses from disposals).

Adjusted EBIT has been presented for the 1st time during the Strategic plan presentation on Oct 5th, 2021.

m 2022 Current perimeter 2022 Constant perimeter 2021 Current perimeter 2021 Constant perimeter REVENUE 133.9 129.7 132.6 126.0 EBIT 25.5 22.9 -16.4 -20.5 EBIT Margin (IFRS) In of revenue 19.0% 17.7% -12.4% -16.7% impact of application of IFRS 16 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 EBIT before IFRS 16 25.0 22.5 -16.9 -21.0 Restructuring 2.7 2.5 27.6 27.6 Other non-recurring items -15.5 -15.5 -0.2 -0.2 Stock-based compensation expenses 3.5 3.5 0.9 0.9 Impairment amortization of intangible assets related to acquisitions 1.4 1.4 1.3 1.3 Exceptional Profit Sharing linked with CFD sale 0.7 0.7 Adjusted EBIT (Non-IFRS) 17.8 15.0 12.7 8.6 Adjusted EBIT Margin (Non-IFRS) In of revenue 13.3% 11.6% 9.6% 6.8%

1 Growth revenue guided in a range of 2%-4% at current rate and constant perimeter and Adjusted EBIT target 9%-11% as announced on September 27, 2022

2 ARR: Annual Recurring Revenue Total ESI Group Licenses revenue excluding PUL (Perpetual License) deferred revenue.

3 Constant perimeter: FY2021 and FY2022 have been restated to exclude Russian business (discontinued) and CFD activity (sold in July 2022) from revenue costs

4 Reminder: as stated in our half-year financial report, 2021 Revenue has been retrospectively restated to reflect the reclassification of revenue relating to Co-funded Projects from revenues to research and development costs the corresponding costs have been reclassified from the cost of sales to research and development costs.

5 Adjusted EBIT is a non-IFRS indicator based on EBIT (IFRS). Adjusted EBIT corresponds to EBIT before stock-based compensation expenses, restructuring charges, Impairment amortization of intangible assets related to acquisitions or disposals, Application of IFRS 16 (leases) and other non-recurring items (including net gains and losses from disposals).

6 Reminder: as stated in our half-year financial report, 2021 Revenue has been retrospectively restated to reflect the reclassification of revenue relating to Co-funded Projects from revenues to research and development costs the corresponding costs have been reclassified from the cost of sales to research and development costs.

7 Net financial debt: Gross financial debt minus cash and cash equivalents.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230228005951/en/

Contacts:

Florence Barre

investors@esi-group.com

+33 1 49 78 28 28

Gael Durand-Perdriel, gael.durand-perdriel@orson.ai, +33 7 85 63 63 19

Aline Besselievre, aline.besselievre@gmail.com,+ 33 6 61 85 10 05
NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / February 28, 2023 / Cisco Systems Inc.

This blog is part of our People Behind Purpose at Cisco series that focuses on employees driving Cisco's purpose to Power an Inclusive Future for All. Each blog highlights a different Cisco employee whose work positively impacts people, communities, or the planet. The series was formerly known as people behind Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) at Cisco.

The Purpose Report and ESG Reporting Hub, are where Cisco describes our initiatives focused on our purpose to Power an Inclusive Future for All. This includes our goals and progress on the environmental, social, and governance (ESG) topics that are important to our stakeholders and where we highlight our impact over the last fiscal year. Setting clear public goals, measuring our progress against them, and reporting on that progress annually is how?we hold ourselves accountable to our stakeholders and society. We have been publicly reporting our performance on ESG topics?since 2005.

So how is comprehensive reporting on our purpose and ESG initiatives put together at Cisco? Meet Amanda Cumberland, Director of ESG Strategy and Reporting, Insights, and Impact at Cisco, who leads the creation of our Purpose Report and the ESG Reporting Hub. She shares her academic background in research and statistics, her passion for measuring impact, and how people inside and outside of Cisco help drive our purpose.

Please tell me a bit about your life before joining Cisco.

Amanda: I moved to Arizona for graduate school. My goal at the time was to work in academia and I thought I would be a research professor. I published articles in different empirical journals because we had a massive research lab. My graduate advisor secured a lot of grants, and we did all kinds of great research.

My focus was on social and developmental psychology and studying how children develop emotions and personalities with an emphasis on statistics. Understanding people is complex and the statistical techniques had to be equally complex. We were lucky to have some of the best statistics professors in the country.

What brought you to Cisco, and what are your job responsibilities now?

Amanda: My first job at Cisco fell in my lap toward the end of my Ph.D. program. I only had experience working in academia, so I never imagined a job in the corporate world. I knew a student in our research lab who had been recruited to work for Cisco to do assessment data and analysis and she suggested I come and work for Cisco to help measure the impact of the Networking Academy and other programs.

Sometimes in life you have those sliding door moments where you can go one way or the other, and I chose to do something completely different. They were looking for someone who knew a specific statistics technique to help define and measure the impact of Networking Academy and I was excited to apply my skills for something that was having such a global impact.

It was great because I got to help create something from scratch. We focused on defining and measuring the impact of the Networking Academy and we were able to create and execute on a complete end-to-end measurement plan, and conduct predictive modeling which is still used to measure the impact of the program.

I had another new opportunity at Cisco when they created a strategy team in Corporate Affairs under Mary de Wysocki. This role was exciting as I was able to create and work on many thought-leadership and market research projects to inform our Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) strategy holistically along with key insights for improving programs, measuring impact, and creating new initiatives.

Measuring impact is one of my passions. The two roles morphed into having more of a centralized team around anything metrics or research-related, and a few years ago, ESG Reporting was added to the team. I'm in my third year of having the privilege to lead the creation of our annual Purpose Report and ESG Hub. The focus on ESG has accelerated in recent years and I'm very proud of all the amazing work that Cisco does to help Power an Inclusive Future for All.

Can you share more about what it takes to create the Purpose Report?

Amanda: Between January and late March, we conduct multiple analyses, benchmarking and create our ESG materiality analysis which includes inputs from our key stakeholders to help guide our focus areas, initiatives, and reporting. And, of course, we do the benchmarking all year round because of the ever-changing landscape. Many new research reports come out in January. We also use these reports to understand what is happening in the world, such as global challenges including Ukraine or the pandemic, the economic outlook, purpose and ESG trends, technology trends, among a few to help guide our efforts and reporting.

Next, we develop a recommended reporting strategy because that leads to how we identify the right subject matter experts (SMEs) for those topic areas across the company. It's a massive effort, with 40 teams and over 160 SMEs participating this past year. There are teams such as legal, finance, supply chain, circular economy, Workplace Resources, employee engagement, and more. There are so many groups because we want to get it right. We do a kickoff meeting toward the end of June, and we share the reporting strategy, the process, the timelines, the expectations, and how we're structuring it.

We start conducting deep dives with SMEs in early July to understand the progress we made that year on key commitments and important areas of focus to highlight. We guide them based on all the frameworks we follow, inquiries we receive, ESG-focused indices, and other areas of focus to cover in the reporting. The team pulls all that all together into an outline at the beginning of the new fiscal year and will start gathering data about progress toward our goals. We also have a thorough data documentation claims review process, through which we work with SMEs to substantiate the claims with quality backup, and work closely with the finance and legal team throughout the process.

Why is it important for Cisco to share what we are doing annually when it comes to our Purpose work?

Amanda: It's important to share the fantastic work Cisco's doing towards our purpose for many reasons, including the expectations of our stakeholders both internally and externally. Investors increasingly make investment decisions based on a company's ESG commitments and initiatives. And our customers are making more decisions about who to work with based on their ESG policies, commitments, and initiatives. Also, we know people decide where to work based on our environmental and social track record. Current employees tend to stay because of a company's purpose, and for future employees, our reporting could be an important aspect of their decision to work with us.

Cisco has a long history of reporting on our ESG topics and we want to continue to be a leader in this space and continue to transparently share our progress and our best practices that could inspire other companies to do more so we can have even more collective impact.

The theme for this year's report is Purpose Personified. Can you tell me more about why that theme was chosen?

Amanda: We landed on Purpose Personified because everyone is part of achieving Cisco's purpose. Not only across the different business units, but there are also people we interact with through our partnerships and programs that exemplify all this amazing work. For example, you can read more about Agnes Chege, who, after experiencing a layoff early in the pandemic, found a new career in cybersecurity through Cisco Networking Academy. The report also shares how Allison Wolff, co-founder of Vibrant Planet, a Cisco Foundation funding recipient, uses data to address catastrophic fires. And you'll be inspired by Cisco employees like Scott McGregor, Lead for Cisco Social Justice Action 8, who is working to bring connectivity to historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs).

We wanted to showcase our progress through their eyes, too, because we can only achieve our purpose through the people driving the work forward and making a positive impact.

For people who read the 2022 Purpose Report, what key takeaways do you hope they will walk away with?

Amanda: I hope one of the takeaways is that Cisco is doing so much, and all these important topics and this work has always been part of Cisco's DNA. Whether it's human rights, environmental sustainability, circular economy, education, health and well-being, or responding to crises, we're using our differentiation as a company, the power of technology, and the power of our extended network of customers and partners to make a difference across all these areas.

When you read the Purpose Report, I hope you also take away the breadth and depth of everything we're doing as a company and are as proud as I am of the impact we have had and that we will continue to make a difference for people and the world.

And lastly, I hope you see our efforts and reporting to be transparent. We don't have it all figured out yet, but we want to keep learning and doing more. We hope others learn from us too so that we can continuously improve and have even more impact over time.

To learn more about our progress to power a more inclusive future, visit our Cisco ESG Reporting Hub, where you can read our 2022 Cisco Purpose Report.

View original content here

View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from Cisco Systems Inc. on 3blmedia.com.

Contact Info:

Spokesperson: Cisco Systems Inc.

Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/cisco-systems-inc

Email: info@3blmedia.com

SOURCE: Cisco Systems Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/741219/People-Behind-Purpose-at-Cisco-How-a-Passion-for-Measuring-Impact-Led-to-a-Leadership-Role-in-ESG-Reporting
NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / February 28, 2023 / Viatris



Though she just celebrated her third birthday in August, Nabawesi Shamim can already recite her ABCs and count to 20.

She knows how to dress herself and wash a few utensils; she loves to join other children in games and play with paints. She lives with her extended family on a farm in central Uganda. She can't wait to start school.

Every morning at 8 a.m., Nabawesi swallows medicine her mother measures out for her. She does not yet know why.

Someday - maybe a few years from now -- her mother, Nabbanja Maluusi, plans to tell Nabawesi that the medicine treats her for HIV, a virus she has carried since birth. But for now, she is simply happy that her daughter is growing and thriving.

"Now, she's happy," says Nabbanja.

She didn't always feel so hopeful. During her pregnancy, she worried that she would transmit the virus to her baby. A test after she gave birth confirmed her worst fears; Nabbanja and her mother both cried.

"I felt so bad," Nabbanja recalls. "I asked myself: 'Why me?'"

That was when staff of the Joint Clinical Research Centre reached out to offer support. The clinic, located about 11 kilometers southeast of Uganda's capital city, Kampala, specializes in HIV/AIDS treatment and management. As part of its services, the clinic conducts outreach for children identified as HIV positive through an early infant diagnosis program.

According to the Uganda AIDS Commission, approximately 1.4 million people in Uganda were living with HIV in 2020, up from 1.2 million a decade earlier. The commission reports that improved access to HIV testing, care and treatment has led to greater longevity; new HIV infection rates during the same timeframe declined 60% from 94,000 in 2010 to 38,000 in 2020.

Christine Matama, a spokeswoman for the clinic, said the staff began caring for Nabawesi when she was 3 months old. Every two weeks, her mother traveled to the clinic - a journey that sometimes took as long as four hours - so health care providers could monitor her growth and progress. Eventually, depending on how much care and social support the child needs, visits taper off to once every one to three months.

The clinic provided medication to treat Nabawesi's HIV, but it came in a syrup that required refrigeration, which the family does not have. Nabbanja tried to improvise by storing the bottle in a pot filled with sand saturated in cold water, but it was challenging. The baby kept vomiting up the only other medicine available at the time.

Finally, a third medicine became available in the form of dispersible tablets that can be dissolved in water or swallowed whole. Little Nabawesi was able to successfully take this medicine.

Manufactured by Viatris, Nabawesi's medicine was developed through a collaboration with ViiV Healthcare, the Clinton Health Access Initiative and Unitaid to help expand access to children living with HIV/AIDS in low- and middle-income countries. According to the World Health Organization, half of HIV-positive infants will die before their second birthday without prompt diagnosis and treatment.

Relieved to have this treatment option, Nabbanja expressed her gratitude: "Thanks very much, my dear, for making her a good medicine," she said. "Life wasn't good at first. But now I'm OK; my child is OK."

At the Joint Clinic Research Centre, prior to the availability of the dispersible tablets, many young children faced challenges similar to Nabawesi, according to Christine Matama. With the availability of more treatment options for children, the HIV virus is better repressed, which can lead to better outcomes, says Dr. Diana Rutebarika, deputy head of pediatrics.

Dr. Rutebarika remembers a time when HIV-positive patients had almost no options; circumstances have improved significantly since then. One of the clinic's earliest pediatric patients is now 33, has completed school, married and is the mother of four children herself.

"They are able to go through work and have a more fulfilling life when they're in care," Dr. Rutebarika says.

For Nabbanja, the care from the clinic was life-changing: "I knew that living with AIDS is not the end, though you're (HIV) positive," she says. "I became strong."

Our Commitment to HIV Patients Worldwide

As part of our mission to help people worldwide to live healthier at every stage of life, Viatris is committed to providing access to medicines for HIV patients. Some examples of this commitment include:

Approximately 40% of adults and more than 60% of children are being treated for HIV worldwide use a Viatris product.

Viatris has lowered the cost of treatment for children in low- and middle-income countries by 75% to $120 per year with our pediatric medicine.

We have established an initial sustainability goal to provide ARV therapy equivalent to a total of 30 million patients, including more than 2 million children living with HIV/AIDS, between 2022 and the end of 2025.

In recognition of Viatris' work through public-private partnerships to expand access to innovative HIV drugs, Fortune named the company fifth out of 53 on its Change the World list in 2021. The annual ranking showcases companies making a positive societal impact through activities that are part of their core business strategy.

View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from Viatris on 3blmedia.com.

Contact Info:

Spokesperson: Viatris

Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/viatris

Email: info@3blmedia.com

SOURCE: Viatris

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/741218/Though-HIV-Positive-a-Young-Girl-Thrives
During MWC Barcelona 2023, Huawei will be meeting with operators, industry partners, and other key opinion leaders from around the world to discuss "GUIDE to the Intelligent World". Together, they will look at how to use the GUIDE business blueprint to lay the foundation for 5.5G and build on the success of 5G for even greater prosperity in an intelligent world.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230228006057/en/

Huawei's Hall 1 exhibition booth at MWC Barcelona 2023 (Photo: Huawei)

Huawei's main exhibition booth in MWC Barcelona's Hall 1 is designed around the concept of "Intelligent Future, Full of Hope". At the booth, Huawei painted a picture of an era fueled by the digital economy and defined by collaboration that is more vibrant and full of unlimited possibilities. At the event, Huawei is also showcasing its latest products and solutions that deliver ultimate 5G experiences, premium and intelligent ultra-broadband connectivity, digital and intelligent transformation, and their Green 1-2-3 solution. Huawei's offerings show a clear commitment to innovating for the 5.5G era, creating value for customers, and stimulating the digital economy.

By the end of 2022, 5G had already proven to be a global commercial success, with over a billion mobile users connecting with 5G. Leading operators in China, South Korea, Switzerland, Finland, and Kuwait have already achieved 5G user penetration rates of more than 30%, and more than 30% of their traffic comes from 5G.

According to Ookla's latest 5G City Benchmark Report, Huawei has played an important part in 5G network construction in all of the top 10 cities among the world's 40 representative 5G-enabled cities. It's important to note that 5G performance results in these 10 cities show that the 5G networks constructed by Huawei offer the best experience.

Following on from Huawei's concept of "Striding Towards the 5.5G Era" that was proposed in July 2022, Huawei is highlighting the five major characteristics of the 5.5G era: 10 Gbps experiences, full-scenario interconnection, integrated sensing and communication, L4 autonomous driving networks, and green ICT. Leading global operators, standards organizations, and industry ecosystem partners are coming together to promote innovation and exploration for this 5.5G era, as it will create more new applications and business opportunities.

Ongoing and robust investment into ICT infrastructure directly spurs growth within the digital economy. A third-party report shows that, as new networks evolve from one generation to another, this effect will be further amplified by 15%. Looking towards the future, we believe the GUIDE business blueprint that combines both 5G and 5.5G clearly lays out how ICT evolution will progress and bring about greater value.

Together with our customers and partners, we will continue to innovate, building intelligent connectivity and redefining computing. This collaboration on innovation will create even greater value for the ICT industry and make the industry as a whole more resilient and prosperous.

Huawei's Enterprise division is also hosting their own event at MWC 2023, themed "Leading Digital Infrastructure for New Value Together", where they will launch more than 50 innovative products and solutions for global customers. Highlights here include their Intelligent Simplified Campus Network Solution, a series of innovative data center solutions, and business strategies for small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

In the device field, Huawei is showcasing their new HUAWEI Mate 50 series, HUAWEI WATCH Buds, HUAWEI WATCH GT Cyber, that come packed with new innovation in areas like mobile imaging, fitness and health, and smart office.

MWC Barcelona 2023 runs from February 27 to March 2 in Barcelona, Spain. Huawei showcases its products and solutions at stand 1H50 in Fira Gran Via Hall 1. Together with global operators, industry professionals, and opinion leaders, we dive into topics such as 5G business success, 5.5G opportunities, green development, digital transformation, and our vision of using the GUIDE business blueprint to lay the foundation for 5.5G and build on the success of 5G for even greater prosperity. For more information, please visit: https://carrier.huawei.com/en/events/mwc2023.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230228006057/en/

Contacts:

Olivia Zhang

+86-15013066795 +44-7444720703

zhangningning7@huawei.com
NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / February 28, 2023 / Ericsson:

Welcome to the latest edition of our Diversity & Inclusion News Round up. Today we are talking about a framework to improve mental health in the workplace, a new EU law on gender balance on company boards, decline of trust in women leaders, and a great new accessibility campaign from Apple.

Mental health

How can we improve mental health in the workplace? The new Framework for Workplace Mental Health and Well-Being from U.S. Surgeon General outlines Five Essentials that companies can use to create a healthy workplace culture.

Gender equality

A few days ago, the European Parliament adopted a new EU law that requires publicly-traded companies to ensure better gender balance on corporate boards. A minimum of 40% of non-executive director positions, or 33% of all director positions, need to be filled by women by the end of June 2026. Read more here.

Women in leadership

The "Reykjavik Index for Leadership" from Kantar Public was first launched in 2018 and measures society's perceptions of men's and women's suitability to lead. According to new data, trust in women leaders has significantly declined in the past year.

Inclusion & tech

Ahead of the International Day of People with Disabilities on December 3rd, Apple released "The Greatest", a new campaign about accessibility. Worth watching!



View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from Ericsson on 3blmedia.com.

Contact Info:

Spokesperson: Ericsson

Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/ericsson

Email: info@3blmedia.com

SOURCE: Ericsson

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/741228/DI-Weekly-News-Round-Up-Accessibility-Mental-Health-and-More
Chinese police take down 160 organized crime groups in 2022

Xinhua) 13:11, February 28, 2023

BEIJING, Feb. 27 (Xinhua) -- Chinese police dismantled more than 160 organized crime groups and 1,520 criminal gangs in 2022, amid ongoing efforts to combat organized crime, the Ministry of Public Security said on Monday.

More than 20,000 criminal cases were concluded last year, the ministry said, noting that these efforts consolidated the achievements of a three-year nationwide campaign against organized crime, which was launched in January 2018.

The police took down 28 organized crime groups and 229 gangs active in rural areas, effectively maintaining social order in China's countryside, the ministry said.

It said it would coordinate with special crackdown operations targeting the education sector, loan activities and the circulation of goods and services to prevent gang-related crime.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
This press release may not be published, released or distributed, either directly or indirectly, in the United States of America, Australia, Canada or Japan or in any other jurisdiction in which such actions would be unlawful to do so.

Launch of the sale of 1,395,962 shares in BIO-UV Group initiated by its majority shareholder, Benoit Gillmann

Proposal to change BIO-UV Group's governance structure with the appointment of Laurent-Emmanuel Migeon as Chairman & Chief Executive Officer

Acquisition of a 0.30% stake in BIO-UV Group by Laurent-Emmanuel Migeon as part of the transaction

BIO-UV Group (Euronext Growth - FR001334549 - ALTUV), a specialist in water treatment and disinfection using UV, ozone, salt electrolysis and AOP, (the "Company"), announces that it has been informed by EURL BGH[1], the majority shareholder in BIO-UV Group, owned by its founder and manager, Benoit Gillmann, of its intention to sell 1,395,962 shares in BIO-UV Group (the "Transaction"), i.e. its entire holding representing 13.49% of the share capital and 23.74% of the voting rights in the Company. The sale price would be 4.60 per share.

After a career spanning 50 years, including more than 22 dedicated to the development of

BIO-UV Group, Benoit Gillmann now wishes to focus on other projects and his family. Considerable thought and organisation has, in recent years, gone into succession planning for the management of the company he founded, with a view to ensuring its long-term and profitable growth.

Objectives of the Transaction and the proposal to change BIO-UV Group's governance structure

This Transaction will allow new institutional investors to invest in BIO-UV Group and will help to increase the Company's free float and improve the liquidity of the shares on the Euronext GrowthTM market in Paris. As a result of the Transaction, EURL BGH will cease to hold any shares in BIO-UV Group.

Since no new shares are to be issued as part of the Transaction, it is non-dilutive for the existing shareholders in BIO-UV Group.

In the event that the Placement is a success, Laurent-Emmanuel Migeon will become the Company's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. Benoit Gillmann will remain as director of the Company for one year and may, at times, be asked by the Board of Directors to provide assistance with the Company's development under a services agreement that will be entered into after completion of the Placement.

Laurent-Emmanuel Migeon, Deputy Chief Executive Officer, with responsibility for Operations and Finance, joined BIO-UV Group at the start of 2018, just before its IPO. He has overseen operational management of BIO-UV Group over the last five years and has been the driving force behind two key acquisitions since the Company's IPO: Triogen in 2019 and Corelec in 2021. Between 2018 and 2022, he actively helped to grow BIO-UV Group's revenue almost fivefold, from 12.4 million to 51.5 million over the period.

He intends to keep developing BIO-UV Group and to continue growing the business steadily, both organically and through acquisitions, by focusing on its strategic markets: recreational, wastewater and industrial water recovery, aquaculture and maritime.

The Board of Directors of BIO-UV Group held on 28 February 2023, pursuant to the delegation of the shareholders general meeting of 24 May 2022, decided to implement a free share allocation program for Laurent-Emmanuel Migeon in the context of his new duties, up to a limit of 3% of the capital and subject to performance conditions over the next five years.

Terms of the Transaction

EURL BGH is proposing to sell 1,365,035 shares in BIO-UV Group to institutional investors via a placement through an accelerated book building ("ABB") process towards institutional investors (the "Placement"). The completion of the Placement will be conditional on EURL BHG selling 1,365,035 shares in this context.

The accelerated book building process will begin immediately after the publication of this press release, and the final terms of the offering and the results of the Placement will be determined once the order book has been built and will be announced at a later stage by BIO-UV Group via a press release.

Settlement-delivery for the sold shares is expected to take place on 3rd March 2023.

Laurent-Emmanuel Migeon, Deputy Chief Executive Officer on the launch date of the Transaction and the future Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, has committed, as part of the changes to be made to the Company's governance structure, to acquiring 30,927 shares in BIO-UV Group that are currently held by EURL BGH, representing 0.30% of the Company's[2] share capital, using his own funds and bank financing. This acquisition of shares, on the same terms as the Placement, has been documented in an put option agreement entered into with EURL BGH.

About BIO-UV Group

Founded in 2000, BIO-UV Group designs, manufactures and markets ultraviolet, Ozone, salt electrolysis and AOP (advanced oxidation process) disinfection systems.

Listed on Euronext Growth - Paris (FR0013345493 - ALTUV), BIO-UV Group has been granted the "Innovative Company" label by Bpifrance and is eligible for the French "PEA-PME" investment scheme.

Detailed information about the company, including information about its business activities and other regulated information and all the Company's press releases is available in the Investors section of its website (www.bio-uv.com).

Contacts:

BIO-UV Group

Isabelle Sost

isost@bio-uv.com Investors Relations

Mathieu Omnes - ACTUS

+33 (0)1 53 67 36 92

momnes@actus.fr Press Relations

Serena Boni - ACTUS

+33 (0)4 4 72 18 04 92

sboni@actus.fr

[1] A company wholly owned by Benoit Gillmann, founder and Chairman and Chief Executive Officer on the launch date of the Transaction in BIO-UV Group's shares.

[2] As at 28 February 2023, Laurent-Emmanuel Migeon holds 6,341 shares in BIO-UV Group, representing 0.06% of its share capital and 0.05% of its voting rights.

Disclaimer

This press release, and the information it contains, is for information purposes only and does not, and shall not, constitute an offer to sell or an offer to buy or subscribe any securities nor a solicitation to offer to purchase or to subscribe securities in any jurisdiction and does not constitute a public offer other than the offering to qualified investors.

The sale of shares of BIO-UV Group does not constitute a public offer and the shares of BIO-UV Group are only being offered to qualified investors, including in France.

No communication and no information in respect of the sale by EURL BGH of shares of BIO-UV Group may be distributed to the public in any jurisdiction where a registration or approval is required. No steps have been or will be taken in any jurisdiction where such steps would be required. The offer or sale of shares of BIO-UV Group on behalf of EURL BGH may be subject to specific legal or regulatory restrictions in certain jurisdictions. EURL BGH, BIO-UV Group and their respective shareholders and affiliates take no responsibility for any violation of any such restrictions by any person.

European Economic Area

In the member states of the European Economic Area, this press release is an advertisement and not a prospectus within the meaning of Regulation (EU) 2017/1129 of the European Parliament and of the Council of June 14, 2017, as amended (the "Prospectus Regulation").

With respect to the member states of the European Economic Area other than France (the "Member States"), no action has been or will be taken in order to permit a public offer of the securities which would require the publication of a prospectus in one of such Member States. In Member States, this press release and any offer if made subsequently are directed exclusively at persons who are "qualified investors" within the meaning of Article 2(e) of the Prospectus Regulation.

France

In France, the offer of shares of BIO-UV Group described in this press release will be carried out through a placement though an accelerated bookbuilding process to qualified investors only, as defined in Article 2(e) of the Prospectus Regulation and in accordance with applicable French laws and regulations. There will be no public offering in any country (including France) in connection with the shares of BIO-UV Group, except to qualified investors only.

United States

This press release does not constitute or form a part of any offer or solicitation to purchase or subscribe for securities in the United States. Shares of BIO-UV Group, or any other securities, may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act"), or an exemption from registration thereunder. The shares of BIO-UV Group have not been and will not be registered under the U.S. Securities Act and will be offered or sold only outside of the United States and in offshore transactions, in compliance with Regulation S of the U.S. Securities Act. BIO-UV Group does not intend to register any portion of the proposed offering in the United States or to conduct a public offering of securities in the United States.

United Kingdom

In the United Kingdom, this press release is only being distributed to, and is only directed at, persons in the United Kingdom that (i) are "investment professionals" falling within Article 19(5) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005 (as amended, the "Order"), (ii) are persons falling within Article 49(2)(a) to (d) ("high net worth companies, unincorporated associations, etc.") of the Order, or (iii) are located outside of the United Kingdom, or (iv) are persons to whom an invitation or inducement to engage in investment activity (within the meaning of Article 21 of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000) in connection with the issue or sale of any securities may otherwise lawfully be communicated or caused to be communicated (all such persons together being referred to as "Relevant Persons"). This press release is only directed at Relevant Persons and are available only to Relevant Persons. Any person who is not a Relevant Person must not act or rely on this document or any of its contents.

Any investment or investment activity to which this document relates is available only to Relevant Persons and will be engaged in only with Relevant Persons. Any person who is not a Relevant Person should not act or rely on this document or any of its contents.

With respect to the United Kingdom, securities may not be offered or sold absent the publication of a prospectus in the United Kingdom or an exemption from such publication under the Regulation (EU) 2017/1129 as amended, as it forms part of domestic law by virtue of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018 (the "UK Prospectus Regulation"). As a consequence, this document is directed only at persons who are "qualified investors" as defined in point (e) of Article 2 of the UK Prospectus Regulation.

This press release is not a prospectus which has been approved by the Financial Conduct Authority or any other United Kingdom regulatory authority for the purposes of Section 85 of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000.

This press release may not be published, forwarded or distributed, directly or indirectly, in the United States of America, Canada, Australia or Japan.

The distribution of this announcement into certain jurisdictions may be subject to specific regulatory restrictions. Therefore, persons present in these jurisdictions and in which the present press release is published, released or distributed should inform themselves about and observe any such restrictions. Any failure to comply with these restrictions may constitute a violation of the securities laws of any such jurisdiction.

The lead manager and bookrunner is acting on behalf of EURL BGH (to the exclusion of all others) in connection with the placement and will not be liable to any person other than EURL BGH either for warranties given to clients of the lead manager and bookrunner or for advice in connection with the placement.

Neither the lead manager and bookrunner nor any of its directors, officers, employees, advisors or agents accept any responsibility for, or make any representation or warranty, express or implied, as to the accuracy or completeness of the information contained in this press release (or if any information has been omitted from this press release) or any other information relating to BIO-UV Group, EURL BGH, whether in written, oral, visual or electronic form, and however transmitted or made available, or for any loss resulting from the use of this press release or its contents or otherwise.

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Finsbury Growth & Income Trust Plc - Transaction in Own Shares

For immediate release

28 February 2023

FINSBURY GROWTH & INCOME TRUST PLC

(the "Company")

MARKET PURCHASE OF COMPANY'S OWN SHARES

The Company announces that it has today purchased 50,000 of its own shares ("Ordinary Shares") at a price of 873.40 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 15,260,154; 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 209,731,149.

The figure of 209,731,149 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
2022 consolidated revenue of 5.3 million, net of studies for Abionyx

Continued clinical development in renal diseases following positive clinical results from the Phase 2a RACERS study in Sepsis

Cash position of 4.0 million as of December 31, 2022

Biotech strategy in ophthalmology to be announced during the month of March 2023

Regulatory News:

ABIONYX Pharma, (FR0012616852 ABNX eligible for PEA PME) (Paris:ABNX), a new generation biotech company dedicated to the discovery and development of innovative therapies for patients, today provides an update on its activity and cash position as of December 31, 2022.

Selected financial information (IFRS)

M 2022 2021 Revenue from ABIONYX Pharma 0.00 0.03 Revenue from IRIS Pharma 5.25 0.64* Total revenue 5.25 0.67 Other revenue 0.00 0.04 Total revenue income and revenue 5.25 0.71 Cash and cash equivalents at the end of the period 4.04 7.93

* Revenue from IRIS Pharma over 1 month in 2021 due to the acquisition date

ABIONYX Pharma recorded a consolidated revenue of 5.25 million for the financial year 2022 after elimination of intra-group transactions. IRIS Pharma recorded an annual revenue of 5.75 million, of which 4.49 million in preclinical and 1.26 million in clinical. Since its integration more than a year ago, IRIS Pharma has focused part of its Services activity on preclinical studies of bio-HDL in ophthalmology, in order to determine the strategic axes to accelerate its development.

Regarding the biotech activity dedicated to the discovery and development of innovative therapies to improve the lives of patients, the company did not generate any revenue in this financial year because, in line with its purpose, the company provided its bioproduct free of charge as part of the compassionate access applications.

Update on biotech activity

In the renal area, the Phase 2a clinical trial for CER-001 (called RACERS) in sepsis at high risk of developing acute kidney injury, conducted in partnership with the University of Bari, produced major positive clinical results announced in January. The clinical study met both primary and secondary endpoints. There is no approved treatment for sepsis, which is the 3rd leading cause of death worldwide and affects nearly 14 million people each year, regardless of age or country. Moreover, with an ageing population, the number of patients is expected to double by 2050.

In the LCAT orphan disease, the company continues to receive new Compassionate Access Authorisation (CAA) requests for bio-HDL (CER-001) from several hospitals around the world.

In ophthalmology, the company will present its strategy during the month of March.

The company reminds that beyond the existing cash balance of 4.0 million, no dilutive financial instruments have been put in place, as the company favors looking for a strategic partnership.

About ABIONYX Pharma

ABIONYX Pharma is a new generation biotech company that aims to contribute to health through innovative therapies in indications where there is no effective or existing treatment, even the rarest ones. Thanks to its partners in research, medicine, biopharmaceuticals and shareholding, the company innovates on a daily basis to propose drugs for the treatment of renal and ophthalmological diseases, or new HDL vectors used for targeted drug delivery.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230228006224/en/

Contacts:

NewCap

Investor Relations

Louis-Victor Delouvrier

Nicolas Fossiez

abionyx@newcap.eu

+33 (0)1 44 71 98 53

NewCap

Media Relations

Arthur Rouille

abionyx@newcap.eu

+33 (0)1 44 71 00 15
VT5 Acquisition Company AG / Key word(s): AGMEGM

VT5 Acquisition Company AG publishes results of Annual Shareholder Meeting 2023



28.02.2023 / 19:00 CET/CEST





News release

28 February 2023



VT5 publishes results of Annual Shareholder Meeting 2023

Shareholders approve all motions proposed by the Board of Directors which confirms strong support for VT5



Today, the Annual Shareholder Meeting approved all motions proposed by the Board of Directors. The attendance at the first AGM was 65.1%.

The shareholders approved the annual report, including the statutory financial statements and the IFRS financial statements for the financial year ending 31 October 2022, accepted the proposed appropriation of available earnings and granted discharge to the members of the Board of Directors and the Executive Board. The shareholders also followed the Board of Directors' proposals regarding the elections of the members of the Board of Directors, including the election of Heinz Kundert as chairperson, the members of the Compensation Committee, the statutory auditors as well as the independent proxy. The motions concerning the compensation of the Board of Directors and the Executive Board were also approved.

Heinz Kundert, Chairman of the Board of Directors of VT5, stated: "The entire VT5 team thanks the Company's shareholders for today's approvals and trust. We will continue our quest for the search for a combination candidate with a high-growth and innovative technology. The support by our shareholders as expressed during today's Annual Shareholder Meeting further facilitates our ongoing negotiations with promising targets."

The complete agenda and explanatory notes including all proposed motions presented to the Annual Shareholders Meeting are available at the Company's website https://vt5.ch/hv-invitation. The minutes of the meeting, together with the voting results, will also be posted on the Company's corporate governance section within 10 days (https://vt5.ch/websites/vt5/English/5400/corporate-governance.html).



Corporate Calendar 2023

Half-year 2022/2023 Report 29 June 2023



Contact

VT5 Acquisition Company AG

Communications & Investor Relations

Doris Rudischhauser

Phone: +41 79 410 81 88

Email: doris.rudischhauser@vt5.ch



About VT5

VT5 is a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC), a vehicle to directly or indirectly acquire one or (if at the same time) more operating companies or businesses in order to take them public and provide dedicated support. VT5 provides a target company with the industry and technical experience of a seasoned team to allow a fast and smooth way to become a public company in Switzerland. VT5 seeks to unlock this investment opportunity for investors by entering into a business combination with a technology and innovation leader backed by scientific research within 24 months of listing. Geographically, VT5 is looking to acquire a business in Central and Northern Europe with a focus on the DACH region and in particular on Switzerland.

The class A shares and redeemable warrants are listed on SIX Swiss Exchange under the symbols of VT5 and VT5W, respectively.

More information about VT5 and its IPO can be found at www.vt5.ch.



Disclaimer

This announcement may contain forward looking statements, estimates, opinions and projections with respect to anticipated future performance of VT5 ("forward-looking statements"). These forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology, including the terms "believes," "estimates," "anticipates," "expects," "intends," "may," "will" or "should" or, in each case, their negative, or other variations or comparable terminology. These forward-looking statements include all matters that are not historical facts. Forward-looking statements are based on the current views, expectations and assumptions of the Board and management of VT5 and involve significant known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results, performance or events to differ materially from those expressed or implied in such statements. Forward-looking statements should not be read as guarantees of future performance or results and will not necessarily be accurate indications of whether or not such results will be achieved. Any forward-looking statements included herein only speak as at the date of this release. VT5 undertakes no obligation, and does not expect to publicly update, or publicly revise, any of the information, forward-looking statements or the conclusions contained herein or to reflect new events or circumstances or to correct any inaccuracies which may become apparent subsequent to the date hereof, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. VT5 accepts no liability whatsoever in respect of the achievement of such forward-looking statements and assumptions.

End of Media Release


NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / February 28, 2023 / Aramark

At the LEAD ERG Summit (above, left to right): Aramark's Abigail Charpentier and Darand Garner; author and keynote speaker John Graham; Dr. Valerie Harrison, Temple University; Ellen Wilson, Aramark; Michael Scales, Temple University; Chanel Brown, Aramark LEAD ERG Chair.

Development. Connection. Education. Engagement. Recruitment. Mentoring. Inclusion.

These are just a few of the many benefits inherent in Aramark's growing network of Employee Resource Groups (ERGs), which give voice to the diverse members of the company's workforce, create a more inclusive workplace, and help shape company culture. Aramark was recognized in 2022 as being one of the Top 10 Companies for ERGs by DiversityInc.

"The DEI team greatly appreciates all of the LEAD members who contributed to an amazing Black History Month celebration. Our ERGs help us develop and engage people across the company, but they do so much more than that," said Fenimore Fisher, Vice President, Aramark Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI). "ERGs help us align workplace practices globally, invest in strategic partnerships, and strengthen our ties to clients, local businesses, and people in the communities where we live and work."

As one ERG focused on the development and advancement of its members, LEAD (Leaders and Employees of African Descent) comprises team members who self-identify as Black, African American, West Indian, or of African descent, as well as allies.

To commemorate Black History Month this year, LEAD team members organized, led, and participated in a series of programs and events designed to cultivate Black leaders at Aramark, support community projects, and foster a spirit of belonging.

2023 LEAD Summit and Awards

About 100 Aramark employees and guests participated in the third annual LEAD Summit held February 22-24 at Temple University in Philadelphia. The summit theme this year was "LEADing the Way: Fostering Dynamic Leaders That Are Connected, Protected, and Respected."

Educational sessions at the summit included a panel discussion of what it is like to be a Black leader in corporate America post-pandemic and breakout sessions about building voice and confidence in work culture, professional financial acumen, and the importance of health and well-being.

John Graham, Jr., Vice President of Employer Brand, Culture and Diversity at Shaker Recruitment Marketing, and author of the book Plantation Theory: The Black Professional's Struggle Between Freedom and Security, gave the keynote address.

The first day ended with an awards dinner during which the following Aramark LEAD ERG members were recognized:

Indiana ERG HUB, HUB of the Year Award, for actively working to recruit new members, hold events, and connect with the community;

Kamilah White and Arianne Phillips, Committee Chairs of the Year Award, for exemplifying strong leadership within a LEAD committee and always willing to go above and beyond;

Joel Hernandez, Ally Award, for being involved or showing leadership in other ERGs while embodying the true meaning of being an exemplary ally; and

Michelle Smith, Dynamic LEADer Award, for being an "up and coming" leader demonstrating outstanding leadership skills and excellence while demonstrating the vision and mission of LEAD.

A vendor expo was also held during the summit at which multiple minority-owned businesses shared information about their products and services and interacted with the Aramark participants and other invited partners.

Aramark HBCU Emerging Leaders

Earlier in February, Aramark announced a partnership with the Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF) to launch the Aramark HBCU Emerging Leaders Program.

Through the program, 15 students enrolled in qualifying majors from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) were selected to participate in an immersive experience at the Aramark headquarters in Philadelphia in late February to learn more about Aramark's organization and culture. Travel, lodging, and meal expenses were covered.

Emerging Leaders participated in simulated work activities to help them better understand Aramark and job functions related to their majors, networked with executives, and learned about internship and employment opportunities post-graduation. They were also invited to participate in the LEAD ERG Summit.

"This program was named Emerging Leaders because we look to these students as the future of our industry and Aramark," said Jack Donovan, CEO and President of Aramark Collegiate Hospitality . "This partnership demonstrates our commitment to HBCU institutions and the students that they serve. We can't wait to see how our program participants leverage their potential, and we hope that this experience supports their pathways to success."

Other Black History Month Events

LEAD members organized and led several educational and community events during the month.

Employees took part in a virtual book discussion concentrated on The Light We Carry by Michelle Obama on February 2 and in an online culinary discussion and exploration February 16.

On February 9, LEAD organized a virtual tour of Ghana's Cape Coast Castle, one of about 40 slave castles built by Europeans on the Gold Coast of West Africa.

Starting on Martin Luther King, Jr., Day January 16, LEAD teamed up with the Aramark Young Professionals (AYP) ERG and Aramark Community Relations to host a month-long book drive.

The books all meaningfully address DEI, meet school reading criteria, and align with Dr. King's vision and passion. ??????

More than 600 books were donated and will be delivered to school students in Chicago, Dallas, Denver, and Philadelphia.

View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from Aramark on 3blmedia.com.

Contact Info:

Spokesperson: Aramark

Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/aramark

Email: info@3blmedia.com

SOURCE: Aramark

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/741284/Employees-LEAD-the-Way-During-Black-History-Month
LONDON, Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- VantagePoint, a finance transformation and technology implementation specialist, has partnered with IASeminars, a global provider of finance and accounting training, to provide a holistic ESG compliance offering.

Environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors are becoming increasingly important to investors and stakeholders as they look to measure the long-term sustainability and impact of companies. However, the reporting and compliance requirements of ESG can be complex and time-consuming.

The new partnership between VantagePoint and IASeminars aims to simplify the mystery and complexity surrounding ESG compliance by developing a bespoke consulting service called ESG Labs; a one-day workshop that arms businesses with an executable roadmap for ESG compliance, from a people, process and systems perspective.

"There's a real thirst for knowledge around new ESG regulations," comments VantagePoint Commercial Director, Liam O'Brien. "We are excited to partner with IASeminars to bring together deep subject matter expertise with technology and transformation knowledge to ensure businesses not only comply with ESG regulations but thrive in the future."

IASeminars Managing Director Deborah Fyfe added, "Looking at the regulatory landscape and listening to our customers, we know that the timing of this partnership is perfect. Our collective aim is to offer something of real value to businesses who are navigating ESG and determined to get on the front foot in terms of knowledge and application."

As part of this initiative, they will provide businesses with actionable and useful content, such as blog posts, videos, resources and webinars. The first webinar, "Five steps to building your ESG management strategy", led by leading ESG consultants, provides registrants with clarity on why ESG is important to your business as well as actionable tips on taking your first steps towards ESG compliance, you can register for the webinar here.

About VantagePoint

VantagePoint is a finance transformation and technology implementation specialist that are committed to unifying and connecting finance functions to provide businesses with essential insight, control and compliance.

About IASeminars

IASeminars is a global provider of training on international accounting standards, ESG reporting and related topics. With over 20 years of experience their approach centres on delivering customer focused solutions, building long-term partnerships with an international client base.

Contact details

If? Akintoye, Marketing and Communications Lead, ife.akintoyw@vantagepoint.consulting

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Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - February 28, 2023) - Lahontan Gold Corp. (TSXV: LG) (OTCQB: LGCXF) (the "Company" or "Lahontan") is pleased to announce that, further to its press releases of February 8, 2023 and February 14, 2023, it has completed its previously announced brokered private placement through the issuance of 27,857,400 units (the "Units") at a price of $0.11 (the "Issue Price") per Unit for gross proceeds of $3,064,314 (the "Offering"), which includes the exercise of the agents' option.

The Offering was conducted pursuant to the terms and conditions of an agency agreement entered into by the Company, Beacon Securities Limited ("Beacon") as lead agent and sole bookrunner, and Canaccord Genuity Corp. (together with Beacon, the "Agents").

Each Unit is comprised of one common share in the capital of the Company (each, a "Unit Share") and one-half of one common share purchase warrant (each whole warrant, a "Warrant"). Each Warrant is exercisable to acquire one common share (a "Warrant Share") until February 28, 2026 at a price of $0.18 per Warrant Share.

As consideration for services provided by the Agents in connection with the Offering, the Company: (i) paid a cash commission in the amount of approximately $193,514 being equal to 7% of the proceeds of the Offering (except, with respect to certain purchasers on a "President's List", the commission being equal to 3.5%); and (ii) issued 1,750,168 non-transferrable compensation warrants (the "Compensation Warrants") being equal to 7% of the number of Units issued under the Offering (except, with respect to certain purchasers on a "President's List", the commission being equal to 3.5%);. Each Compensation Warrant is exercisable to acquire one common share at the Issue Price until February 28, 2026.

The securities issued in connection with the Offering are subject to a four-month hold period from the date of closing of the Offering in addition to any other restrictions under applicable law. The net proceeds from the Offering will be used for: (i) exploration expenditures on the Company's Santa Fe, Nevada property; and (ii) working capital and general corporate purposes. The Offering is subject to certain conditions including, but not limited to, the receipt of all necessary approvals, including the approval of the TSX Venture Exchange.

Kimberly Ann, Founder, CEO, and President of Lahontan Gold Corp commented: "Lahontan is pleased to close this upsized private placement and would like to thank Beacon and Canaccord Genuity Corp for their hard work in completing the placement. The Company looks forward to the resumption of oxide resource expansion drilling at the Santa Fe Mine and our continued rapid progress with the project."

The Offering constituted a related party transaction within the meaning of TSX Venture Exchange Policy 5.9 and Multilateral Instrument 61-101 - Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions ("MI 61-101") as an insider of the Company subscribed for 455,000 Units pursuant to the Offering. The Company is relying on the exemptions from the valuation and minority shareholder approval requirements of MI 61-101 contained in sections 5.5(b) and 5.7(1)(a) of MI 61-101, as the Company is not listed on a specified market and the fair market value of the participation in the Offering by the insider does not exceed 25% of the market capitalization of the Company in accordance with MI 61-101. The Company did not file a material change report in respect of the related party transaction at least 21 days before the closing of the of the Offering, which the Company deems reasonable in the circumstances in order to complete the Offering in an expeditious manner.

The securities offered have not been registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an applicable exemption from the registration requirements. This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy nor shall there be any sale of the securities in any State in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful.

About Lahontan Gold Corp:

Lahontan Gold Corp. is a Canadian mineral exploration company that holds, through its US subsidiaries, three top-tier gold and silver exploration properties in the Walker Lane of mining friendly Nevada. Lahontan's flagship property, the 19 km2 Santa Fe Mine, is a past producing gold and silver mine that utilized heap-leach processing (past production of 345,000 ounces of gold and 711,000 ounces of silver between 1988 and 1995; Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology, 1995). The Santa Fe Mine has an Indicated Mineral Resource of 1,112,000 oz Au Eq (grading 1.14 g/t Au Eq) and an Inferred Mineral Resource of 544,000 oz Au Eq (grading 1.00 g/t Au Eq), all pit constrained (please see Lahontan press release dated January 17, 2023). The Company plans to continue to aggressively explore the entire property during 2023 and begin the process of evaluating development scenarios to bring the Santa Fe Mine back into production. Quentin J. Browne, P.Geo., Consulting Geologist to Lahontan Gold Corp., is the Qualified Person for the Company and approved the technical content of this news release. For more information, please visit our website: www.lahontangoldcorp.com.

On behalf of the Board of Directors

Kimberly Ann

Founder, CEO, President, and Director

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:

Lahontan Gold Corp.

Kimberly Ann

Founder, Chief Executive Officer, President, Director

Phone: 1-530-414-4400

Email: Kimberly.ann@lahontangoldcorp.com

Website: www.lahontangoldcorp.com

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements:

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Except for statements of historic fact, this news release contains certain "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. 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 including, but not limited to delays or uncertainties with regulatory approvals, including that of the TSXV. There are uncertainties inherent in forward-looking information, including factors beyond the Company's control. 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. Additional information identifying risks and uncertainties that could affect financial results is contained in the Company's filings with Canadian securities regulators, which filings are available at www.sedar.com.

NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO UNITED STATES NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/156581
OTTAWA, ON / ACCESSWIRE / February 28, 2023 / Mayo Lake Minerals Inc. ('Mayo' or the 'Company') (CSE:MLKM) is pleased to announce a Private Placement ('Offering') of up to 7,000,000 common share units ('CS Units') at $0.06 per CS Unit for up to $420,000 in gross proceeds on a 'best efforts' basis with a proposed closing date of on or about March 16th ('the Closing Date') subject to the discretion of the directors.

Each CS Unit will be comprised of one common share ('Common Share') and one whole Common Share purchase warrant ('CS Warrant'). Each whole CS Warrant is exercisable into one Common Share at a price of $0.10 per Common Share for a period of 36 months from the closing date. In the event of multiple closings, the day of the final closing will be the Closing Date of record.

The securities issued pursuant to the Offering will be subject to a statutory hold period in Canada of four (4) months and one day after the Closing Date. Securities held by residents in the United States will bear a legend regarding re-sale into the United States which will be removed on request to the Corporation.

Finders that source investments in the Offering may earn a cash commission of up to 7% and warrants ('Finder Warrants') valid for three years to purchase that number of Common Shares at a price of $0.06 that is equal to 7% of the number of CS Units sold by such Finder.

The net proceeds received by the Corporation will primarily be used to cover working capital needs, property acquisitions and general operating costs.

The Common Share Units will be offered for sale to purchasers in: (i) all of the provinces and territories of Canada pursuant to available prospectus exemptions; (ii) the United States on a private placement basis only under Regulation D, Rule 144A or other available U.S. registration exemptions and (iii) jurisdictions outside of Canada and the United States, in accordance with all applicable laws provided that no prospectus, registration statement or similar document is required to be filed in such jurisdiction and the Corporation does not thereafter become subject to continuous disclosure obligations in such jurisdictions.

Dr. Vern Rampton, President & CEO of the Company said, "We continue to make excellent exploration progress at our Carlin-Roop Silver Project in the Keno Hill Silver District and see a terrific opportunity to drive value through further exploration on the 3 by 16 Km Anderson Gold Trend on our very large 130km sq. Anderson Davidson gold property. Our exploration from last summer has confirmed our conclusion that either of these properties could well be 'Company Makers'. Our third highly prospective property is Trail Minto, where exploration to date suggests intrusion related veining such as that present at Victoria Gold's Eagle deposit, Banyan Gold's AurMac property as well as Snowline Gold's Rogue deposit.

-30-

NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION IN THE UNITED STATES

For additional information contact:

Vern Rampton, PhD, P.Eng. President & CEO; vrampton@mayolakeminerals.com

Tyrell Sutherland, M.Sc., P. Geo., VP Exploration; tsutherland@mayolakeminerals.com

Darrell Munro, BB.A, LL.B Corporate Administrator; dmunro@mayolakeminerals.com

Mayo Lake Minerals Inc. is actively engaged in the exploration and development of five precious metal projects in the Tombstone Gold (Plutonic) Belt of the Tintina Gold Province. The properties cover 240 square kilometres in the Yukon's Mayo Mining District and lie within the traditional territory of the Na-Cho Nyak Dun First Nation. The Company is presently focusing on its two flagship properties; the Carlin-Roop Silver Project lying within the Keno Hill Silver District and the promising Anderson-Davidson gold property. Two active mines; Victoria Gold's Eagle Gold Mine and Hecla Mining's Keno Silver mines also lie near-by.

Cautionary statement: This news release contains certain forward-looking statements, which are based on the opinions and estimates of management at the date the statements are made and are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those projected. There can be no guarantee that Mayo Lake will be able to obtain a public listing as scheduled in this document. Mayo Lake undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements if circumstances or management's estimates or opinions should change. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.

SOURCE: Mayo Lake Minerals Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/741233/Private-Placement-Of-Common-Share-Units
BIRMINGHAM, AL / ACCESSWIRE / February 28, 2023 / BioGX, a global provider of easy molecular diagnostic solutions since 2007, has announced fulfillment of multiple initial orders for its portable pixl real-time PCR platform to customers across the U.S., with immediate plans to scale production to meet market demand.

"We're very impressed with the response to the launch of our novel 'pixl' qPCR platform. Pixl is accelerating validation and adoption of our vast multiplex RUO syndromic panels available in our unique Xfree and Sample-Ready lyophilized formats," said Shazi Iqbal, Ph.D., BioGX CEO.

The pixl instrument is a compact, 4-channel, 16-well, real-time-PCR instrument that supports rapid turnaround times for batches of up to 16 samples, with integrated results analysis. Previously, in 2022, the U.S. FDA authorized the pixl platform use with the BioGX Xfree COVID-19 Direct RT-PCR EUA test.

BioGX offers an extensive menu of RUO lyophilized multiplex syndromic panels for laboratory validation on the pixl platform, including the extraction-free Direct-Sample-to-Answer assays: Xfree Human Monkeypox (hMPXV), Xfree HSV1/HSV2/VZV and Xfree Treponema pallidum (Syphilis). The Xfree assay format is compatible with most transport/collection media types and can be validated for a wide variety of clinical sample collections.

Additional information can be requested by contacting BioGX at Ph: +1.205.250.8055 or info@biogx.com.

About BioGX

BioGX is a leading global provider of lyophilized real-time PCR reagents for molecular diagnostics. BioGX, Inc., headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama, and Dallas, Texas, and its wholly owned subsidiary BioGX B.V., based in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, (collectively "BioGX"), operates in a cGMP compliant environment certified to ISO 13485 medical device development and manufacturing standards. The proprietary Sample-Ready technology is at the core of all product offerings for Clinical, Food Safety, Pharma QC and Water Quality molecular testing. BioGX's 60+ multiplex real-time PCR products are marketed and sold in several countries through its Global Distribution Network.

For more information on BioGX, please visit BioGX.com.

Sample-Ready, Just Add Water, Xfree and pixl are trademarks of BioGX, Inc.

Contact Information

Mohammed Merchant

Sr. Director, Marketing

marketing@biogx.com

(205) 250-8055

SOURCE: BioGX

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/741221/BioGX-Ships-First-Batch-of-pixlTM-Real-Time-PCR-Platform-to-US-Laboratories
Company Hires Top Industry Professionals

WASHINGTON, DC / ACCESSWIRE / February 28, 2023 / Aristotle, a global provider of political technology, compliance, consulting, data services and analytics, today announced three new appointments to accelerate the expansion of comprehensive advocacy and grassroots tools and services.

Aristotle

The company welcomes Austin O'Boyle as Director of Advocacy, Madison Hall as Business Development Associate, and Ashley Barrett as Compliance Attorney.

"This year is Aristotle's 40-year anniversary, and I could not be prouder of the team that makes this company thrive and innovate year after year, for the advancement of democracy," said Aristotle CEO John Aristotle Phillips. "I continue to be humbled by the caliber of professionals who join our family, and I welcome each of them."

O'Boyle will focus on building, growing and delivering advocacy technology and service offerings. Previously working with the National Apartment Association, he was instrumental in developing key contact programs and mobilizing more than 100,000 members to support legislative efforts.

O'Boyle is a proven innovator in the field of advocacy and was named a "Top 20 in 2022" award winner by the Advocacy Association and a "2022 Top Grassroots Professional" by the National Institute for Lobbying & Ethics (as part of their 2022 Top Lobbyist list). He was named a Top Lobbyist two years in a row by The Hill in 2021 and 2022.

Hall joins the sales team focusing on business development in advocacy. She has previously worked in various business development roles, concentrating on sales and marketing, and spearheading large-scale growth efforts. Madison is a graduate of James Madison University.

Barrett is joining Aristotle's Compliance Outsourcing team as a political compliance attorney, where she will focus on providing top-notch compliance services to Aristotle clients. Prior to joining Aristotle, Barrett was an election law attorney for a Michigan-based law firm where she served as legal counsel to PACs, SuperPACs, candidates, county parties and election law litigation clients. She is a graduate of Michigan State University College of Law, a wife and a mom to four young children.

"We are pleased to have Austin, Madison and Ashley join our team. They bring experience, fresh perspectives, and unique initiatives to continue advancing our comprehensive advocacy and compliance products and services," said Rob Christ, EVP of Professional Services.

About Aristotle

Aristotle is the global leader in providing political data and technology to political campaigns and organizations, offering a seamless solution for campaign software, voter data, PAC and grassroots software and services. To learn more about Aristotle, visit www.aristotle.com.

Contact Information

Brandi Travis

Chief Marketing Officer

press@aristotle.com

(270) 704-2462

SOURCE: Aristotle

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/741287/Aristotle-Expands-Comprehensive-Advocacy-Tools-and-Services
abrdn Global Infrastructure Income Fund ("ASGI")

abrdn Asia-Pacific Income Fund, Inc. ("FAX")

PHILADELPHIA, PA / ACCESSWIRE / February 28, 2023 / The above-noted abrdn U.S. Closed-End Funds (the "Funds" or individually the "Fund"), today announced that the Funds paid the distributions noted in the table below on February 28, 2023, on a per share basis to all shareholders of record as of February 21, 2023 (ex-dividend date February 17, 2023).

Ticker Exchange Fund Amount ASGI NYSE abrdn Global Infrastructure Income Fund $ 0.1200 FAX NYSE American abrdn Asia-Pacific Income Fund, Inc. $ 0.0275

Each Fund has adopted a distribution policy to provide investors with a stable distribution out of current income, supplemented by realized capital gains and, to the extent necessary, paid-in capital.

Under applicable U.S. tax rules, the amount and character of distributable income for each Fund's fiscal year can be finally determined only as of the end of the Fund's fiscal year. However, under Section 19 of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the "1940 Act") and related rules, the Funds may be required to indicate to shareholders the estimated source of certain distributions to shareholders.

The following tables set forth the estimated amounts of the sources of the distributions for purposes of Section 19 of the 1940 Act and the rules adopted thereunder. The tables have been computed based on generally accepted accounting principles. The tables include estimated amounts and percentages for the current distributions paid this month as well as for the cumulative distributions paid relating to fiscal year to date, from the following sources: net investment income; net realized short-term capital gains; net realized long-term capital gains; and return of capital. The estimated compositions of the distributions may vary because the estimated composition may be impacted by future income, expenses and realized gains and losses on securities and currencies.

Each Fund's estimated sources of the current distribution paid this month and for its current fiscal year to date are as follows:

Estimated Amounts of Current Distribution per Share Fund* Distribution Amount Net Investment Income Net Realized Short-Term Gains** Net Realized Long-Term Gains Return of Capital ASGI $0.1200 $0.0084 7% - - $0.1116 93% - - FAX $0.0275 $0.0143 52% - - - - $0.0132 48%

Estimated Amounts of Fiscal Year* to Date Cumulative Distributions per Share Fund Distribution Amount Net Investment Income Net Realized Short-Term Gains ** Net Realized Long-Term Gains Return of Capital ASGI $0.6000 $0.0420 7% - - $0.5580 93% - - FAX $0.1100 $0.0572 52% - - - - $0.0528 48%

* ASGI has a 9/30 fiscal year end; FAX has a 10/31 fiscal year end.

**includes currency gains

Where the estimated amounts above show a portion of the distribution to be a "Return of Capital," it means that Fund estimates that it has distributed more than its income and capital gains; therefore, a portion of your distribution may be a return of capital. A return of capital may occur for example, when some or all of the money that you invested in a Fund is paid back to you. A return of capital distribution does not necessarily reflect the Fund's investment performance and should not be confused with "yield" or "income."

The amounts and sources of distributions reported in this notice are only estimates and are not being provided for tax reporting purposes. The final determination of the source of all distributions for the current year will only be made after year-end. The actual amounts and sources of the amounts for tax reporting purposes will depend upon the Fund's investment experience during the remainder of the fiscal year and may be subject to change based on tax regulations. After the end of each calendar year, a Form 1099-DIV will be sent to shareholders for the prior calendar year that will tell you how to report these distributions for federal income tax purposes.

The following table provides the Funds' total return performance based on net asset value (NAV) over various time periods compared to the Funds' annualized and cumulative distribution rates.

Fund Performance and Distribution Rate Information Fund Average Annual Total Return on NAV for the 5 Year Period Ending 01/31/2023 Current Fiscal Period's Annualized Distribution Rate on NAV Cumulative Total Return on NAV Cumulative Distribution Rate on NAV ASGI 9.43%3 6.76% 16.49% 2.25% FAX -1.23% 10.00% 19.27% 2.50%

1 Return data is net of all Fund expenses and fees and assumes the reinvestment of all distributions reinvested at prices obtained under the Fund's dividend reinvestment plan.

2 Based on the Fund's NAV as of January 31, 2023.

3 The Fund launched within the past 5 years; the performance and distribution rate information presented reflects data from inception (July 29, 2020) through January 31, 2023.

Shareholders should not draw any conclusions about a Fund's investment performance from the amount of the Fund's current distributions or from the terms of the distribution policy (the "Distribution Policy").

While NAV performance may be indicative of the Fund's investment performance, it does not measure the value of a shareholder's investment in the Fund. The value of a shareholder's investment in the Fund is determined by the Fund's market price, which is based on the supply and demand for the Fund's shares in the open market.

Pursuant to an exemptive order granted by the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Funds may distribute any long-term capital gains more frequently than the limits provided in Section 19(b) under the 1940 Act and Rule 19b-1 thereunder. Therefore, distributions paid by the Funds during the year may include net income, short-term capital gains, long-term capital gains and/or a return of capital. Net income dividends and short-term capital gain dividends, while generally taxable at ordinary income rates, may be eligible, to the extent of qualified dividend income earned by the Funds, to be taxed at a lower rate not to exceed the maximum rate applicable to your long-term capital gains. Distributions made in any calendar year in excess of investment company taxable income and net capital gain are treated as taxable ordinary dividends to the extent of undistributed earnings and profits, and then as a return of capital that reduces the adjusted basis in the shares held. To the extent return of capital distributions exceed the adjusted basis in the shares held, capital gain is recognized with a holding period based on the period the shares have been held at the date such amount is received.

The payment of distributions in accordance with the Distribution Policy may result in a decrease in the Fund's net assets. A decrease in the Fund's net assets may cause an increase in the Fund's annual operating expense ratio and a decrease in the Fund's market price per share to the extent the market price correlates closely to the Fund's net asset value per share. The Distribution Policy may also negatively affect the Fund's investment activities to the extent that the Fund is required to hold larger cash positions than it typically would hold or to the extent that the Fund must liquidate securities that it would not have sold, for the purpose of paying the distribution. Each Fund's Board has the right to amend, suspend or terminate the Distribution Policy at any time. The amendment, suspension or termination of the Distribution Policy may affect the Fund's market price per share. Investors should consult their tax advisor regarding federal, state and local tax considerations that may be applicable in their particular circumstances.

Circular 230 disclosure : To ensure compliance with requirements imposed by the U.S. Treasury, we inform you that any U.S. tax advice contained in this communication (including any attachments) is not intended or written to be used, and cannot be used, for the purpose of (i) avoiding penalties under the Internal Revenue Code or (ii) promoting, marketing or recommending to another party any transaction or matter addressed herein.

In the United States, abrdn is the marketing name for the following affiliated, registered investment advisers: abrdn Inc., Aberdeen Asset Managers Ltd., abrdn Australia Limited, abrdn Asia Limited, Aberdeen Capital Management, LLC, abrdn ETFs Advisors LLC and Aberdeen Standard Alternative Funds Limited.

Closed-end funds are traded on the secondary market through one of the stock exchanges. A Fund's investment return and principal value will fluctuate so that an investor's shares may be worth more or less than the original cost. Shares of closed-end funds may trade above (a premium) or below (a discount) the net asset value (NAV) of the fund's portfolio. There is no assurance that a Fund will achieve its investment objective. Past performance does not guarantee future results.

https://www.abrdn.com/en-us/cefinvestorcenter

For More Information Contact:

abrdn U.S. Closed-End Funds

Investor Relations

1-800-522-5465

Investor.Relations@abrdn.com

SOURCE: abrdn U.S. Closed-End Funds

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/741224/abrdn-US-Closed-End-Funds-Announce-Distribution-Payment-Details
COLORADO SPRINGS, CO / ACCESSWIRE / February 28, 2023 / Fortitude Gold Corporation (OTCQB:FTCO) (the "Company") today reported its year-end 2022 results including net income of $14.7 million, or $0.61 per share, and increased its cash balance by $5 million year-over-year to $45.1 million. The Company confirmed both its previously announced 2022 annual production of 41,231 gold ounces, which exceeded the initial 2022 gold production target by 3%, and announced its 2023 Production Outlook of 40,000 ounces of gold (a range of 36,000 to 40,000 ounces). The Company also filed its year-end 2022 S-K 1300 Technical Report Summary ("TRS") of Isabella Pearl Mine Reserves and Resources. In addition to the updated Reserves and Resources, the Company has an estimated 51,900 recoverable gold ounces on the Isabella Pearl heap leach pad at December 31, 2022. The Company also filed an Initial Assessment TRS for the County Line Property located in Mineral and Nye counties, Nevada. Fortitude Gold is a gold producer, developer, and explorer with operations in Nevada, U.S.A. offering investors exposure to both gold production and substantial dividend yield.

2022 ANNUAL HIGHLIGHTS

$14.7 million net income

$0.61 net income per share

$45.1 million cash balance at December 31, 2022, a 13% increase from 2021

$74.4 million net sales

41,231 gold ounces produced

3.71 grams per tonne average gold grade mined

$11.5 million cash dividends paid to shareholders

$84.1 million working capital at December 31, 2022

$35.4 million mine gross profit

$28.6 million cash flows from operating activities

$725 total all-in sustaining cost per ounce

Updated 2022 Reserves and Resources

Initial County Line mineral resource added to Company's gold ounces

$11.6 million exploration expenditures, a 115% increase from 2021

"Fortitude Gold once again delivered strong operational results in 2022 which exceeded our annual gold production outlook, delivered strong financial results including increasing our cash by $5 million year-over-year to $45.1 million and delivered strong shareholder value with our continued and substantial monthly cash dividend distributions," stated Fortitude Gold CEO and President, Mr. Jason Reid. "The Company exceeded its 2022 gold production outlook by 3% as operations delivered over 41,000 gold ounces at a low all-in sustaining cost of $725 per ounce. With $74.4 million in net sales, $14.7 million in net income, and a cash balance that grew to $45.1 million, the Company is in a very strong financial position with no debt."

Mr. Reid stated, "Our Isabella Pearl operation continues to deliver strong cashflows and margins in which to invest and build our next Nevada mining operations. In January of this year, we announced an initial resource for our County Line property located just 19 miles northeast of our Isabella Pearl operations. We believe this property has the ability to deliver gold resources to our Isabella Pearl process facilities, extending the potential life of the Isabella Pearl operation into 2026 and perhaps beyond. We also continue to invest in our Golden Mile property with continued exploration drilling and mine equipment and materials purchases in anticipation of a potential mine development decision. We are aggressively moving both the County Line and Golden Mile properties forward in the permitting process with the Bureau of Land Management and State of Nevada with the goal of becoming a near-term, multi-mine operator."

Mr. Reid continued, "For 2023 we expect to continue our significant investment in exploration and development activities across our exciting portfolio of Nevada properties. With a strong treasury, we believe we can develop and construct both the County Line and Golden Mile mine operations using our own cash without shareholder dilution. Fortitude Gold remains a unique investment in the precious metal space offering investors exposure to gold production, a very attractive dividend yield at over 7.5% and district scale exploration potential in arguably the premier mining jurisdiction in the world, Nevada, U.S.A."

2022 Overview

For the year ended December 31, 2022, the Company sold 41,464 gold ounces at a total cash cost after by-product credit of $621 per gold ounce, and a realized 2022 average sales price for gold of $1,802 per ounce. The Company recorded revenues of $74.4 million, and net income of $14.7 million, or $0.61 per share.

The calculation of our cash cost per ounce contained in this press release is a non-GAAP financial measure. Please see "Management's Discussion and Analysis and Results of Operations" contained in the Company's recently filed Form 10-K for a complete discussion and reconciliation of the non-GAAP measures.

The following Production Statistics table summarize certain information about our operations for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021:

Year ended December 31, 2022 2021 Ore mined Ore (tonnes) 634,076 598,345 Gold grade (g/t) 3.71 3.76 Low-grade stockpile Ore (tonnes) 61,854 8,600 Gold grade (g/t) 0.47 0.33 Waste (tonnes) 1,814,864 7,159,740 Metal production (before payable metal deductions)(1) Gold (ozs.) 41,231 46,459 Silver (ozs.) 56,876 44,553

(1) The difference between what we report as "metal production" and "metal sold" is attributable to the difference between the quantities of metals contained in the dore we produce versus the portion of those metals actually paid for according to the terms of our sales contracts. Differences can also arise from inventory changes incidental to shipping schedules, or variances in ore grades and recoveries which impact the amount of metals contained in dore produced and sold.

The following Sales Statistics table summarizes certain information about our operations for years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021:

Year ended December 31, 2022 2021 Metal sold Gold (ozs.) 41,464 45,891 Silver (ozs.) 56,282 43,189 Average metal prices realized (1) Gold ($per oz.) 1,802 1,795 Silver ($per oz.) 22.18 24.74 Gold equivalent ounces sold Gold Ounces 41,464 45,891 Gold Equivalent Ounces from Silver 693 595 42,157 46,486 Total cash cost before by-product credits per gold ounce sold $ 651 $ 610 Total cash cost after by-product credits per gold ounce sold $ 621 $ 587 Total all-in sustaining cost per gold ounce sold $ 725 $ 705

(1) Average metal prices realized vary from the market metal prices due to final settlement adjustments from our provisional invoices when they are settled. Our average metal prices realized will therefore differ from the market average metal prices in most cases.

*Average realized metal prices include final settlement adjustments for previously unsettled provisional sales. Provisional sales may remain unsettled from one quarter into the next. Realized prices will therefore vary from average spot metal market prices upon final settlement.

Year-End 2022 S-K 1300 Technical Report Summary

The Company filed its 2022 year-end 1300 TRS pursuant to Item 1300 of SEC Regulation S-K for the Isabella Pearl Mine. Year-end 2022 proven and probable reserves at the Isabella Pearl Mine totaled 421,900 tonnes grading 3.32 grams per tonne (g/t) gold, or 45,000 gold ounces. In addition, the Company reported high-grade stockpile reserves of 65,300 tonnes grading 3.46 g/t gold and low-grade stockpile reserves of 426,500 tonnes grading 0.52 g/t gold.

As of December 31, 2022, our estimate of Proven and Probable ("P&P") reserves, all of which pertain to the Isabella Pearl Mine, were:

Gold Gold Gold Silver Equivalent Gold Silver Equivalent Description Tonnes g/t g/t g/t Ounces Ounces Ounces Isabella Pearl Mine Proven 250,400 4.38 49 4.96 35,200 392,700 39,900 Probable 171,500 1.77 17 1.97 9,800 92,900 10,900 Proven and Probable Total 421,900 3.32 36 3.75 45,000 485,600 50,800 High-Grade Stockpile 65,300 3.46 37 3.91 7,300 78,400 8,300 Low-Grade Stockpile 426,500 0.52 6 0.59 7,100 76,600 8,000 Isabella Pearl Mine Total 913,700 2.02 22 2.28 59,400 640,600 67,100

Notes to the 2022 P&P reserves:

Metal prices used for P&P reserves were $1,750 per ounce of gold and $21.00 per ounce of silver. These prices reflect the consensus 2023-2024 average prices for gold and silver (CIBC Global Mining Group, Analyst Consensus Commodity Price Forecasts, January 3, 2023). Gold equivalent is 83.33:1 determined by taking gold ounces produced or sold, plus silver ounces produced or sold converted to gold equivalent ounces using the gold to silver average price ratio for the period. For the Isabella Pearl Mine, the quantities of material within the designed pits were calculated using a cutoff grade of 0.33 Au g/t. Mining, processing, energy, administrative and smelting/refining costs were based on 2022 actual costs for the Isabella Pearl Mine. Metallurgical gold recovery assumptions used for the Isabella Pearl Mine were 81% for all ore which is currently being crushed. These recoveries reflect predicted average recoveries from metallurgical test programs. Isabella Pearl P&P reserves are diluted and factored for expected mining recovery. Figures in tables are rounded to reflect estimate precision and small differences generated by rounding are not material estimates.

The SEC S-K 1300 regulations allows for disclosure of mineral resource estimates (exclusive of mineral reserves). Year-end 2022 mineral resource estimates for the Isabella Pearl mine totaled 265,200 tonnes grading 1.36 g/t gold, or 11,600 gold ounces in the oxide measured and indicated category, and 103,700 tonnes grading 1.38 g/t gold, or 4,600 gold ounces in the oxide inferred category.

As of December 31, 2022, our Mineral Resource estimate (exclusive of Mineral Reserves) of which pertains to the Isabella Pearl Mine, was:

Gold Gold Gold Silver Equivalent Gold Silver Equivalent Description Tonnes g/t g/t g/t Ounces Ounces Ounces Measured and Indicated Resources







Isabella Pearl Mine







Oxide Measured 110,300 2.31 54 2.96 8,200 191,500 10,500 Indicated 154,900 0.68 6 0.75 3,400 28,700 3,700 Measured and Indicated Oxide Total 265,200 1.36 26 1.67 11,600 220,200 14,200 Sulfide Measured 148,400 4.77 59 5.48 22,700 281,400 26,100 Indicated 77,100 4.60 52 5.22 11,400 127,700 12,900 Measured and Indicated Sulfide Total 225,500 4.71 56 5.38 34,100 409,100 39,000 Isabella Pearl Mine Measured and Indicated Total 490,700 2.90 40 3.38 45,700 629,300 53,200 Inferred Resources Isabella Pearl Mine Oxide Inferred 103,700 1.38 14 1.55 4,600 45,200 5,200 Sulfide Inferred 14,300 3.40 60 4.12 1,600 27,700 1,900 Isabella Pearl Mine Inferred Total 118,000 1.63 19 1.86 6,200 72,900 7,100

Notes to the 2022 Mineral Resources:

Metal prices used for Mineral resources were $1,750 per ounce of gold and $21.00 per ounce of silver. These prices reflect the consensus 2023-2024 average prices for gold and silver (CIBC Global Mining Group, Analyst Consensus Commodity Price Forecasts, January 3, 2023). Gold equivalent is 83.33:1 determined by taking gold ounces produced or sold, plus silver ounces produced or sold converted to gold equivalent ounces using the gold to silver average price ratio for the period. Reported at cutoffs of 0.33 g/t Au for Isabella Pearl Mine Oxide, 2.0 g/t Au for Isabella Pearl Mine Sulfide. Whole block diluted estimates are reported within an optimized pit shell. Mineral Resources do not have demonstrated economic viability. Totals may not sum exactly due to rounding. Mineral resources reported are exclusive of mineral reserves.

As of December 31, 2022 the Company completed its maiden mineral resource estimate for the County Line property totaled 1,202,500 tonnes grading 0.97 g/t gold, or 37,400 gold ounces in the oxide measured and indicated category, and 438,000 tonnes grading 0.87 g/t gold, or 12,200 gold ounces in the oxide inferred category. County Line gold mineralization remains open on strike and downdip.

Year-end 2021 mineral resource estimates for the Golden Mile property totaled 2,160,000 tonnes grading 1.13 g/t gold, or 78,500 gold ounces in the oxide indicated category, and 2,400,000 tonnes grading 1.10 g/t gold, or 84,500 gold ounces in the oxide inferred category. 2022 exploration identified several zones of gold mineralization, along with an additional stratabound geologic model to test, that ongoing exploration is working to further delineate and potentially incorporate in future resource and or reserve mineral estimates.

The Qualified Persons ("QP") who prepared the SEC S-K 1300 TRS's for the Company's properties are specialists in the fields of geology, exploration, and Mineral Resources and Reserves estimation and classification. The following individuals, by virtue of their education, experience and professional association, are considered QPs for the reports and are members in good standing of appropriate professional institutions. The QPs that prepared the mineral resource and reserve estimates and the TRS for the Isabella Pearl mine to be filed with the annual report on Form 10-K are Mr. J. Ricardo Garcia, Corporate Chief Engineer, Ms. Joy Lester, Chief Geologist, and Mr. Barry Devlin, Vice President of Exploration, each of whom are employees of the Company, and Mr. Fred Brown, Consulting Geologist, and Mr. Ralston Pedersen, President & Director, Convergent Mining, LLC. The QPs that prepared the mineral resource estimates and the TRS for the County Line property are Mr. Allan Turner, Exploration Manager, Ms. Joy Lester, Chief Geologist, and Mr. Barry Devlin, Vice President of Exploration, each of whom are employees of the Company, and Mr. Derek Loveday, Geologic Services Manager, Stantec Consulting Services Inc. The QPs that prepared the mineral resource estimates and TRS for the Golden Mile property are Ms. Joy Lester, Chief Geologist, and Mr. Barry Devlin, Vice President of Exploration, each of whom are employees of the Company, and Mr. Fred Brown, Consulting Geologist.

The Year-End 2022 S-K 1300 TRS reports will be available on the Company's website in the near future.

Projects Update

The Company is evaluating the possibility of trucking gold mineral resources from the County Line property to the Isabella Pearl Mine's heap leach pad and ADR facility for gold processing and final gold dore production. If feasible, this could allow for expedited permitting with considerably reduced construction time frames and capital development costs.

The Company is also currently analyzing and advancing a phase one open pit shell design and potential mine development at its Golden Mile property. A phase one open pit would target production from surface and near surface gold mineralization. Further delineation efforts are expected to add additional open pit phases. The permitting process is underway and incorporates a phase one open pit approach. The plan is to then add pit laybacks (similar in concept and execution of the pit phases at the Company's Isabella Pearl Mine) as further delineation of the mineralization allows.

Exploration Program

2023 exploration drill programs are expected to focus on multiple targets. Priorities include the Isabella Pearl mineralized trend, Golden Mile, County Line and East Camp Douglas with a goal to increase resources and reserves. In 2023, the Company anticipates spending approximately $10.1 million for exploration activities at its Nevada Mining Unit. Exploration expenses may be modified depending on drill rig and crew availability, exploration results, metal market conditions and available capital.

See Accompanying Tables

The following information summarizes the results of operations for Fortitude Gold Corporation for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, its financial condition at December 31, 2022 and 2021, and its cash flows for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021. The summary data as of December 31, 2022 and 2021 and for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 20210 is derived from its audited financial statements contained in its annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022, but do not include the footnotes and other information that is included in the complete financial statements. Readers are urged to review the Company's Form 10-K in its entirety, which can be found on the SEC's website at www.sec.gov.

The calculation of its cash cost before by-product credits per gold ounce sold, total cash cost after by-product credits per gold ounce sold and total all-in sustaining cost per gold ounce sold contained in this press release are non-GAAP financial measures. Please see "Management's Discussion and Analysis and Results of Operations" contained in the Company's most recent Form 10-K for a complete discussion and reconciliation of the non-GAAP measures.

FORTITUDE GOLD CORPORATION

CONSOLIDATED BALANCESHEETS|

(U.S. dollars in thousands, exceptshare and per share amounts)

December 31, December 31, 2022 2021 ASSETS Current assets: Cash and cash equivalents $ 45,054 $ 40,017 Accounts receivable - 238 Inventories 48,071 37,550 Prepaid taxes 710 1,289 Prepaid expenses and other current assets 730 2,228 Total current assets 94,565 81,322 Property, plant and mine development, net 30,581 37,226 Operating lease assets, net 3,826 463 Deferred tax assets 1,282 509 Other non-current assets 902 2,909 Total assets $ 131,156 $ 122,429 LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY Current liabilities: Accounts payable $ 2,524 $ 2,127 Operating lease liabilities, current 3,826 463 Mining taxes payable 1,857 1,699 Other current liabilities 1,324 1,022 Total current liabilities 9,531 5,311 Asset retirement obligations 5,863 4,725 Other non-current liabilities 3 45 Total liabilities 15,397 10,081 Shareholders' equity: Preferred stock - $0.01 par value, 20,000,000 shares authorized and nil outstanding at December 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021 - - Common stock - $0.01 par value, 200,000,000 shares authorized and 24,024,542 shares outstanding at December 31, 2022 and 23,961,208 shares outstanding at December 31, 2021 240 240 Additional paid-in capital 103,731 103,476 Retained earnings 11,788 8,632 Total shareholders' equity 115,759 112,348 Total liabilities and shareholders' equity $ 131,156 $ 122,429

FORTITUDE GOLD CORPORATION CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS

For the years ended December31, 2022 and 2021

(U.S. dollars in thousands, except share and per share amounts)

Year ended December 31, 2022 2021 Sales, net $ 74,379 $ 82,109 Mine cost of sales: Production costs 25,443 26,661 Depreciation and amortization 13,294 14,728 Reclamation and remediation 247 156 Total mine cost of sales 38,984 41,545 Mine gross profit 35,395 40,564 Costs and expenses: General and administrative expenses 5,787 11,443 Exploration expenses 11,591 5,396 Other expense, net 55 190 Total costs and expenses 17,433 17,029 Income before income and mining taxes 17,962 23,535 Mining and income tax expense 3,278 5,669 Net income $ 14,684 $ 17,866 Net income per common share: Basic $ 0.61 $ 0.75 Diluted $ 0.61 $ 0.74 Weighted average shares outstanding: Basic 24,017,381 23,875,631 Diluted 24,196,847 24,108,365

FORTITUDE GOLD CORPORATION

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

For the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021 (U.S. dollars in thousands)

Year ended December 31, 2022 2021 Cash flows from operating activities: Net income $ 14,684 $ 17,866 Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash from operating activities: Depreciation and amortization 13,434 14,859 Stock-based compensation 192 3,405 Deferred taxes (773 ) 450 Reclamation and remediation accretion 247 156 Other operating adjustments (47 ) (303 ) Changes in operating assets and liabilities: Accounts receivable 238 (93 ) Inventories (2,888 ) (10,866 ) Prepaid expenses and other current assets 1,498 (266 ) Other non-current assets (49 ) 19 Accounts payable and other accrued liabilities 1,294 29 Income and mining taxes payable 737 (591 ) Net cash provided by operating activities 28,567 24,665 Cash flows from investing activities: Capital expenditures (11,955 ) (4,546 ) Net cash used in investing activities (11,955 ) (4,546 )

Cash flows from financing activities: Dividends paid (11,528 ) (7,308 ) Issuance of common stock - 500 Proceeds from exercise of stock options 63 - Repayment of loans payable (87 ) (665 ) Repayment of capital leases (23 ) (403 ) Net cash used in financing activities (11,575 ) (7,876 ) Net increase in cash and cash equivalents 5,037 12,243 Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period 40,017 27,774 Cash and cash equivalents at end of period $ 45,054 $ 40,017 Supplemental Cash Flow Information Income and mining taxes paid $ 3,349 $ 5,893 Non-cash investing and financing activities: Change in capital expenditures in accounts payable $ (529 ) $ 503 Change in estimate for asset retirement costs $ 789 $ 794 Equipment purchased under finance lease $ - $ 16 Right-of-Use assets acquired through operating lease $ 7,725 $ 1,820

About Fortitude Gold Corporation

Fortitude Gold is a U.S. based gold producer targeting projects with low operating costs, high margins, and strong returns on capital. The Company's strategy is to grow organically, remain debt-free and distribute substantial dividends. The Company's Nevada Mining Unit consists of five high-grade gold properties located in the Walker Lane Mineral Belt and a sixth high-grade gold property in west central Nevada. The Isabella Pearl gold mine, located on the Isabella Pearl mineralized trend, is currently in production. Nevada, U.S.A. is among the world's premier mining friendly jurisdictions.

Cautionary Statements: This press release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. If you are risk-averse you should NOT buy shares in Fortitude Gold Corp. The statements contained in this press release that are not purely historical are forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. When used in this press release, the words "plan", "target", "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "intend" and "expect" and similar expressions are intended to identify such forward- looking statements. Such forward-looking statements include, without limitation, the statements regarding the Company's strategy, future plans for production, future expenses and costs, future liquidity and capital resources, and estimates of mineralized material are forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements in this press release are based upon information available to the Company on the date of this press release, and the Company assumes no obligation to update any such forward-looking statements.

Forward looking statements involve a number of risks and uncertainties, and there can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate. The Company's actual results could differ materially from those discussed in this press release. In particular, the scope, duration, and impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mining operations, Company employees, and supply chains as well as the scope, duration and impact of government action aimed at mitigating the pandemic may cause future actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by any forward-looking statements. Also, there can be no assurance that production will continue at any specific rate.

Contact:

Greg Patterson 719-717-9825

greg.patterson@fortitudegold.com

www.Fortitudegold.com

SOURCE: Fortitude Gold Corporation

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/741258/Fortitude-Gold-Reports-2022-Net-Income-of-147-Million-725-All-In-Sustaining-Cost-and-Increased-Cash-Balance-to-45-Million
CINCINNATI, OH / ACCESSWIRE / February 28, 2023 / The Ohio Diversity Council will host its annual Southwest Ohio Women in Leadership Symposium (WILS) on Thursday, March 2, 2023 from 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. at 1699 Deerfield Road, Lebanon, OH 45036. The 2023 Women in Leadership Symposium theme, "Rising in Resilience: Achieving Empowerment through Advancement & Adaptability," will focus on topics such as adaptation and flexibility to changing tides in work structure, pay equity and interpersonal relationships.

"As we embark on two decades of progress, the Women in Leadership Symposium highlights the legacy of excellence and advocacy for women's equality in workplaces and communities," said TyKiah Wright, Senior Director of the Ohio Diversity Council. "We invite you to join us for the Southwest Ohio WILS as we rise in resilience!"

The conference will feature moderator, Sharon Howard, System Director, Community & Government Relations and Site Communications, Premier Health and panelists, Karla Boldery, Cincinnati Market General Manager, La Mega Media, Inc; Dawn Conway, CEO, Boost Engagement; Jeanetta Darno, VP & Chief Diversity Officer, UC Health; Pushpa Manukonda, Independent Tech Leader, Manukonda; Tiana Rollinson Henry, Senior Manager of Community Partnerships, WCPO 9. Iranetta Rayborn Wright, Superintendent and CEO of Cincinnati Public Schools will also be recognized as the 2023 Woman of the Year awardee.

The Ohio Diversity Council will also partner with Dress for Success Cincinnati and attendees are encouraged to donate gently used or new blazers, pantsuits and jewelry at the event. The event is sponsored by Great Parks, Public Health - Dayton & Montgomery County and Public Media Connect. To learn more information about the event or sponsorship opportunities, please contact laura.grajczyk@nationaldiversitycouncil.org .

About the National Diversity Council

A non-profit organization committed to fostering a learning environment for organizations to grow in their knowledge of diversity. The council affords opportunities for organizations to share best practices and learn from top corporate leaders in the areas of diversity and inclusion. More information about the National Diversity Council is available at: www.nationaldiversitycouncil.org .

About the Ohio Diversity Council

The Ohio Diversity Council (OHDC) is committed to fostering a learning environment for organizations to grow and leverage their knowledge of diversity. Through a variety of events and programs, the OHDC serves as the premier resource for diversity best practices and leadership development in the state of Ohio. It is currently comprised of five advisory boards: Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton, Toledo. For more information about the Ohio Diversity Council, please visit https://www.ohiodiversitycouncil.org/ .

View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from National Diversity Council on 3blmedia.com.

Contact Info:

Spokesperson: National Diversity Council

Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/national-diversity-council

Email: info@3blmedia.com

SOURCE: National Diversity Council

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/741323/The-Ohio-Diversity-Council-To-Host-2023-Southwest-Ohio-Women-In-Leadership-Symposium
VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / February 28, 2023 / The Power Play by The Market Herald has announced the release of new interviews with Green River Gold, Brascan Gold, Nextech AR Solutions, ARway, Mountain Boy Minerals and Bocana Resources discussing their latest news.

The Power Play by The Market Herald provides investors with a quick snapshot of what they need to know about the company's latest press release through exclusive insights and interviews with company executives.

Green River Gold (CSE:CCR) doubles land package at its Quesnel Nickel and Fontaine Gold projects

Green River Gold Corp. (CCR) has staked an additional 11,110.98 hectares in the Cariboo Mining District in BC. Green River Gold now holds 100 per cent ownership of over 20,000 contiguous hectares of mineral claims at its Fontaine Gold and Quesnel Nickel Projects. President & CEO Perry Little sat down with Sabrina Phillips to discuss the news.

For the full interview with Perry Little and to learn about Green River Gold Corp., click here.

Brascan Gold (CSE:BRAS) to spin-out Alegre Gold Project

The board of directors at Brascan Gold (BRAS) has announced the spin-off of its Alegre Gold project into a new entity. The project is located in Para State, Brazil and would seek an independent listing on the Canadian Securities Exchange. The company intends to change its name to Brascan Resources Inc. while continuing to retain interests in Quebec-Li properties in northern Quebec and the Albany Forks Rare Earth Elements property in northern Ontario. Balbir Johal, CEO of Brascan, spoke with Sabrina Phillips about the proposed spin-out.

For the full interview with Balbir Johal and to learn about Brascan Gold, click here.

Nextech AR's (CSE:NTAR) (OTCQX:NEXCF) on track for record Q1 3D-model revenue and FY 2023 growth

Nextech AR (NTAR) reports that Q1 2023 is tracking to be a record quarter for 3D modelling. As a preferred 3-D model supplier to Amazon, it is perfectly positioned to lead the $5.5 trillion e-commerce market. Nextech AR Solutions is a metaverse company active in augmented reality, 3D modelling, holograms and 360 portals. CEO Evan Gappelberg met with Sabrina Phillips to discuss the news.

For the full interview with Evan Gappelberg and to learn about Nextech AR, click here.

ARway Corp (CSE:ARWY) (OTC PINK:ARWYF) signs seven new deals for its Software Development Kit (SDK)

ARway (ARWY) has signed seven new deals for its Software Development Kit (SDK). These SDK deals range in size from $600-$10,000 based on the usage of the platform. ARwayKit SDK provides the capabilities to create engaging way finding and spatial-based experiences for any venue size. ARway CEO Evan Gappelberg sat down with Sabrina Phillips to discuss the news.

For the full interview with Evan Gappelberg and to learn about ARway, click here.

Mountain Boy (TSXV:MTB) extends copper at the Theia project

Mountain Boy Minerals' (MTB) most recent fieldwork results extended high-grade copper on its Theia project in British Columbia. This area was later called the Bria zone, where the company recently sampled a 1.4-kilometre trend which showed a copper value of 5.39 per cent. The company extended mineralization in the northwest, where samples returned trace amounts of copper, zinc, and lead. Lawrence Roulston, CEO of Mountain Boy Minerals, met with Sabrina Phillips to discuss this news.

For the full interview with Lawrence Roulston and to learn about Mountain Boy Minerals, click here.

Bocana Resources (TSXV:BOCA) issues tender requests for drilling of Escala Project

Bocana (BOCA) has issued tender requests for the diamond drilling of its Escala Project in Bolivia. The company is aiming to break ground in April 2023 with a 9-hole, 2,000 m phase 1 program. Lorne Warner, P. Geo, and Bocana's Qualified Person, joined Sabrina Phillips to discuss the news.

For the full interview with Lorne Warner, P. Geo and to learn about Bocana, 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/741307/The-Power-Play-by-The-Market-Herald-Releases-New-Interviews-with-Green-River-Gold-Brascan-Gold-Nextech-AR-Solutions-ARway-Mountain-Boy-Minerals-and-Bocana-Resources-Discussing-Their-Latest-News
AUSTIN, MN / ACCESSWIRE / February 28, 2023 / Three winners of the 12th annual Hormel Foods MLK essay contest visited the company's World Headquarters today to read their winning essays to Hormel Foods team members. The students - Ava Pigrum from Sacramento, Calif., Andre Smith from Minneapolis, Minn., and Michael Htoo from Willmar, Minn. - claimed the top honors among hundreds of entries from 12 schools this year.

The Hormel Foods Black Leaders & Allies Advancing Cultural Knowledge (BLAACK) business resource group sponsors the essay competition for elementary and middle school students across the United States. Contestants are asked to write an essay with the theme, "What Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Means to Me."

"BLAACK is excited to bring our annual MLK Essay Contest back to our World Headquarters after several years of a hybrid format," said Cedric Moore, BLAACK president and senior customer executive for retail sales at Hormel Foods. "The goal of this event is to promote the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. by having the top three students from across the country share what Dr. King's legacy means to them. One of my favorite quotes from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is, 'No work is insignificant. All labor that uplifts humanity has dignity and importance and should be undertaken with painstaking excellence.' Today, these students are displaying the excellence of Dr. King's legacy by sharing their stories."

The nationwide competition promotes the value and importance of cultural differences and provides a platform for celebrating diversity. The goals of the program are to promote Dr. Martin Luther King's legacy, encourage children to aim high, give them exposure to minority professionals in business and create a lasting partnership between Hormel Foods and local schools.

These three students honored Dr. Martin Luther King's legacy by putting into words what he means to them.

"I thank my ancestors who pushed through," said winner Andre Smith in his essay. "I thank Dr. King because he gave me and everyone the faith to become a leader and take the next step to keep his dream alive. There is still not justice for all, if it wasn't for Dr. King we would not know how to fix today's problems."

ABOUT HORMEL FOODS - Inspired People. Inspired Food.

Hormel Foods Corporation, based in Austin, Minn., is a global branded food company with over $12 billion in annual revenue across more than 80 countries worldwide. Its brands include Planters, SKIPPY, SPAM, Hormel Natural Choice, Applegate, Justin's, WHOLLY, Hormel Black Label, Columbus, Jennie-O and more than 30 other beloved brands. The company is a member of the S&P 500 Index and the S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats, was named on the "Global 2000 World's Best Employers" list by Forbes magazine for three years, is one of Fortune magazine's most admired companies, has appeared on the "100 Best Corporate Citizens" list by 3BL Media 13 times, and has received numerous other awards and accolades for its corporate responsibility and community service efforts. The company lives by its purpose statement - Inspired People. Inspired Food. - to bring some of the world's most trusted and iconic brands to tables across the globe. For more information, visit www.hormelfoods.com and http://csr.hormelfoods.com/.

CAPTION: Jim Snee, chairman of the board, president, and chief executive officer of Hormel Foods with winners of the 12th annual Hormel Foods MLK essay contest that included: Ava Pigrum, Sacramento, Calif., Andre Smith, Minneapolis, Minn., and Michael Htoo, Willmar, Minn.



View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from Hormel Foods Corporation on 3blmedia.com.



Contact Info:

Spokesperson: Hormel Foods Corporation

Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/hormel-foods-corporation

Email: info@3blmedia.com



SOURCE: Hormel Foods Corporation

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/741322/Hormel-Foods-Hosts-Student-Winners-of-its-Annual-Dr-Martin-Luther-King-Jr-Essay-Contest
VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / February 28, 2023 / Norse Gold Corp. (the "Corporation") notes that its January 2021 investor presentation contained certain estimates that were erroneously referred to as potential resources. The Corporation would like to clarify that it does not have mineral resources on its Morris Lake Property (the "Property") in the NWT. Investors should not rely on information in the Corporation's January 2021 Presentation. The Qualified Person has not been able to verify information on mineralization on properties adjacent to the Property and there is no guarantee that similar mineralization will be found on the Corporation's property. The Qualified Person has reviewed results of previous drilling on the Property and found that quality control and quality assurance protocols were not consistent with today's best practices, consequently investors should not rely on the previous drill results. Drill core from the past drilling is not accessible for verification by re-logging or resampling. The Corporation will prepare an updated technical report restating previously disclosed technical information as well as technical information concerning past work on the Property that has since been retrieved, and its value in developing targets that warrant further work in the opinion of the Qualified Person.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:

Carl Verley, Norse Gold Corp.

President and Chief Executive Officer

Phone: (604) 616-8299

Jeff Sheppard, Norse Gold Corp.

Chief Financial Officer

Phone: (306) 653-2692

About the Company

Norse Gold's main asset is it 100% interest in the 3,231-hectare Morris Lake Property, consisting of seven claims and three leases, 75 km north of Yellowknife. Gold on the property was discovered in 1945. Work conducted at the Viking zone included underground test work and diamond drilling. The Property saw additional drilling during the late 1980's and again during the period 2005 to 2008 when Viking Gold Exploration Inc. held the claims1. Other gold zones have been located on the property, such as at the Greenlee and Lucky Lake occurrences. Each of these received initial drill testing in the 1940's and visible gold was reported in some of the drill holes2. The geological model for the gold mineralization is that of an Archean lode gold deposit consisting of high-grade shoots within a shear-vein system.

Carl Verley, B.Sc., P.Geo., a Director of the Corporation is the qualified person (QP) as defined by the National Instrument 43-101, has prepared the technical information in this release.

Forward Looking Statements

Except for statements of historical fact relating to the Corporation, certain information contained herein constitutes forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on the opinions and estimates of management at the date the statements are made and are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. The Corporation undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements if circumstances or management's estimates or opinions should change. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.

Neither TSX Venture Exchange (nor NEX) nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange and NEX) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of the release.

1 Wilton, D., 2018: NI 42-101 Technical Report on the Yellowknife Gold Project, Northwest Territories, Canada, for Troy Energy Corp. and filed on SEDAR.

2 Tremblay, L.P., 1952. Giauque Lake Map-Area, Northwest Territories. Geological Survey of Canada Memoir 266, 74p.

SOURCE: Norse Gold Corp.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/741334/Norse-Gold-Corp-Comments-on-Prior-Technical-Disclosure
Revenue of $724,000, up 56% YOY

Gross Profit of $639,000, up 59% YOY

Average Revenue per Member of $1,601, up 6% YOY

Operating Expenses Reduced by 17% compared to Q2 2023

Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - February 28, 2023) - Coho Collective Kitchens Inc. (TSXV: COHO) ("Coho" or the "Company"), a commercial real estate and food technology company that provides private and shared kitchen and food production space to a variety of businesses, is pleased to announce that it has filed its unaudited Q3 financial results for the three and nine months ended December 31, 2022, the highlights of which are included in this news release. The unaudited Condensed Consolidated Interim Financial Statements and Management Discussion and Analysis ("MD&A") for the three and nine months ended December 31, 2022, can be viewed by visiting the Company's website at www.cohocommissary.com or its profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

Q3 Financial Highlights

Revenue of $723,703, a 56% increase vs. revenue of $463,711 in Q3 of the prior year. The year-over-year increase was driven by higher rental and retail sales.

Gross profit of $638,696, a 59% increase vs. gross profit of $401,784 in Q3 of the prior year. The year-over-year increase was driven by higher revenue and complemented by a higher gross margin.

Average Revenue per Member of $1,601, a 6% increase vs. Average Revenue per Member of $1,515 in Q3 of the prior year.

Operating expenses of $1,949,553, a 17% decrease vs. operating expenses of $2,346,191 in Q2 of the current year, reflecting the Company's ongoing cost reduction efforts.

Management Commentary

"Coho Collective Kitchens Inc. has nearly tripled the number of its open locations since its IPO in June 2022, currently operating eight locations throughout British Columbia. As these businesses stabilize over the coming months, revenue is expected to continue to grow. Coho's two largest projects to date are currently in development and progressing well. We remain committed to delivering phenomenal customer service and managing costs as we expand," said Andrew Barnes, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Coho Collective Kitchens Inc.

Operating Highlights for the Quarter

During the quarter ended December 31, 2022, the Company began generating revenues from its previously announced Sunshine Coast and Victoria Hudson locations.

During the quarter ended December 31, 2022, the Company announced the openings of its seventh facility (White Rock) and eighth facility (Pandora). The Company is pleased to announce that it has executed membership agreements at both locations, with revenues to commence in Q4 of the current year.

Subsequent to Quarter End:

On January 3, 2023, the Company announced that shareholders holding an aggregate of 56,609,764 common shares of Coho (the " Shares ") voluntarily executed an extension to a lock-up agreement (the " Lock-Up ") for their Shares. 56,609,764 Shares are subject to the restrictions imposed by the Lock-Up until December 9, 2023 (the " Lock-up Period "). Subject to limited exceptions, the Lock-Up stipulates that, during the Lock-Up Period, these shareholders will not, directly or indirectly, sell or agree to sell, or announce any intention to sell or agree to sell, any Shares or securities exchangeable or exercisable for Shares.

On January 5, 2023, the Company announced the unveiling of a bold new brand identity. The new brand identity, which includes a new logo, brand messaging, and visual identity, will enhance the Company's competitive advantage and position it for success in the future.

On February 6, 2023, the Company announced the appointment of Yuri Fulmer, O.B.C., to its Board of Directors. Mr. Fulmer is a seasoned entrepreneur, an award-winning businessperson and a proud philanthropist. With over 25 years of experience in the restaurant industry, Mr. Fulmer has grown his first A&W franchise into dozens more. Mr. Fulmer's company, Fulmer & Company, was listed twice on the Profit 100 as one of the country's largest and fastest growing private companies. As Chairman of Fulmer & Company, he works to enable small and mid-cap businesses to reach their next level of growth, while striving to provide an ethical support network for entrepreneurs and their companies.

Certain information provided in this news release is extracted from the financial statements and MD&A of the Company for the three and nine months ended December 31, 2022, and should be read in conjunction with them. It is only in the context of the fulsome information and disclosures contained in the financial statements and MD&A that an investor can properly analyze this information. The financial statements and MD&A have been published on the Company's profile on SEDAR.

Announcement Regarding Advisory Board

Coho is excited to announce the appointment of its second member to its newly appointed Advisory Board. The Advisory Board has been formed to provide ongoing strategic guidance and support to the Company. The first two members of the Advisory Board include:

Tara Finnegan : As previously announced on December 1, 2022, Ms. Finnegan stepped down from serving on Coho's Board of Directors and joined Coho's newly appointed Advisory Board. Ms. Finnegan will serve as a valuable complement to Coho's existing Board of Directors to advise and guide Coho to secure high-value commercial contracts for Coho.

: As previously announced on December 1, 2022, Ms. Finnegan stepped down from serving on Coho's Board of Directors and joined Coho's newly appointed Advisory Board. Ms. Finnegan will serve as a valuable complement to Coho's existing Board of Directors to advise and guide Coho to secure high-value commercial contracts for Coho. Bryan Wevers: As the founder of several successful private enterprises, Mr. Wevers brings over 30 years of construction and real estate development experience to Coho's Advisory Board. Having established the Wevers Family Scholarship Fund, Mr. Wevers is also an avid philanthropist whose values and focus on building communities align with Coho's overall mission and objectives.

About Coho

Coho is a growth stage, community-driven, commercial real estate and food technology company that provides private and shared kitchen and production space to food companies from start-ups to restaurant groups seeking turnkey solutions and business services. Each of the Company's customers, called "Members", are revenue generating companies that have signed a membership agreement with Coho for an agreed upon term. The concept falls in line with a rapidly growing trend in the food-delivery industry creating a market for delivery-only and/or virtual restaurant concepts. For more information about how Coho is growing and innovating in the commissary space, visit https://www.cohocommissary.com.

Contacts

Andrew Barnes, Chief Executive Officer

andrew@cohocommissary.com

(778) 877-6513

Investor Relations

invest@cohocommissary.com

(604) 243-7355

Non-IFRS Financial Measures

This news release makes reference to certain non-IFRS measures and ratios, hereafter, referred to as "non-IFRS measures". These measures, such as "Average Revenue per Member", are not recognized measures under IFRS, and do not have a standardized meaning prescribed by IFRS and are therefore unlikely to be comparable to similar measures presented by other companies. Rather, these measures are provided as additional information to complement those IFRS measures by providing further understanding of the results of operations from management's perspective. Accordingly, these measures should not be considered in isolation nor as a substitute for analysis of the financial information reported under IFRS. Coho's management uses these non-IFRS measures to facilitate operating performance comparisons from period to period, to prepare annual operating budgets and forecasts, and to determine components of management compensation. As required by Canadian securities laws, Coho defines and reconciles these non-IFRS measures below:

Average Revenue per Member

"Average Revenue per Member" is defined as the mean amount billed across all locations divided by the amount of active member companies.

"Average Revenue per Member" is determined by monthly reconciliation of member payments across facilities.

"Average Revenue per Member" is frequently used to measure the unit value of members to Coho's space, and their ability to further monetize members by offering value add services and adjusting prices based on market conditions.

Forward-Looking Information

This press release may contain forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities legislation, which reflect management's current expectations regarding future events, including Coho's ability to open additional locations on schedule, Coho's ability to complete additional locations within budget, and the expectation that additional locations will generate revenue in the future. Forward-looking information is based on a number of assumptions and is subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the Company's control, which could cause actual results and events to differ materially from those that are disclosed in or implied by such forward-looking information. Such risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the ability of the Company to execute on its strategy and the factors discussed under "Risk Factors" in the annual financial statements and MD&A of the Company. Coho disclaims any obligation to update these forward-looking statements.

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.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/156600
Springfield, Oregon--(Newsfile Corp. - February 28, 2023) - Silo Wellness Inc. (CSE: SILO) (OTCQB: SILFF) (FSE: 3K7A) announces that the Ontario Securities Commission (OSC) notified the Company today that the company's application for a management cease trade order (MCTO) has been denied and that the OSC stated that it intends to issue a failure-to-file cease trade order (FFCTO) after the February 28, 2023 due date (today) against the Company for failure to file the following continuous disclosure documents by February 28, 2023:

audited annual financial statements for the year ended October 31, 2022;

management's discussion and analysis relating to the audited financial statements for the year ended October 31, 2022; and

certification of the foregoing filings as required by National Instrument 52-109 Certification of Disclosure in Issuers' Annual and Interim Filings

If the default is remedied within 90 days of the date of the FFCTO, including any annual or interim financial statements, MD&A and certifications that subsequently became due, the filing of the documents constitutes the application to revoke the FFCTO and no application fee is required under Appendix C of OSC Rule 13-502 Fees. The Company has been notified by the auditor that it expects the relevant documents to be completed within two to three weeks.

The Company announced yesterday that it made an application to the OSC, for a management cease trade order ("MCTO") under NP 12-203 in respect of the anticipated default regarding the Annual Filings. The Company proffered to the regulator that the request was timely pursuant to section 7 of the National Policy, as the Company requested relief from the deadline as soon as it was aware of the impending delay.

The OSC stated it refused to review the application and claimed it was untimely despite the evidence and legal arguments the Company provided to the contrary that illustrated "reasonable diligence" by the Company under section 7 of NP 12-203. After receiving the denial, the Company promptly responded with a request for reconsideration and provided additional evidence of the reasonable efforts taken by the Company and proof that it made the request the first business day following the company's reasonable belief that the audit would unexpectedly be delayed. The OSC notified the Company that this additional information was forwarded to staff and that an update will be provided as soon as possible.

Contact:

Mike Arnold, CEO

541-900-5871

IR at silo wellness dot com

NEITHER THE CANADIAN SECURITIES EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE. SEE PRIOR PRESS RELEASES FOR CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/156618
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - February 28, 2023) - American Aires Inc. (CSE: WIFI) (OTCQB: AAIRF) (the "Company" or "Aires"), a provider of scientifically-proven EMF modulation technology, announced today that the current Chief Revenue Officer, Josh Bruni, will take over as Chief Executive Officer and join the Board of Directors, effective March 1st, 2023. Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Dimitry Serov will transition to a newly created role of Chief Product Officer and will continue his work as President and a director of the Company.

Mr. Bruni currently serves as Chief Revenue Officer, overseeing Aires' vision, strategy, and market expansion. Since joining Aires in late 2021, Mr. Bruni has led Aires to record growth. Additionally, Bruni has assembled a talented supporting team, including a strong partnership with VaynerCommerce, to assist in executing his vision. Under Mr. Bruni's lead, Aires expanded its global reach outside of North America, shipping products to customers in over 60 countries.

Mr. Serov has built a solid operational foundation that has supported the rapid growth of Aires in 2022. In addition, Mr. Serov led the development and launch of Aires' latest product, the Flex. It is the 5th product in the Aires Lifetune lineup that utilizes Aires patented EMF wave modulation technology.

With this move, Mr. Serov will focus on full-time product development and supply chain management. Mr. Serov will continue to make efforts to reduce production time and costs, and build relationships with new suppliers.

"Building Aires with such a talented, creative, and kind team has been the gift of a lifetime," said Mr. Serov. "It is amazing to think that Aires' message now reaches millions of people every month and our products are showing up in nearly every corner of the globe. The growth of the Company and our team has been a special experience to be a part of and we are just getting started."

Mr. Serov continued, "Since Josh joined the company nearly 18 months ago we have partnered on every major decision and worked together to set the strategic vision for the company. During this time our natural strengths and interests emerged. This move will align these strengths and interests directly with the part of the business where each of us will have the most impact. Josh is a natural leader and builder who deeply understands commerce and brand. He has a remarkable vision for the company and shares my passion for Aires. I'm confident he's going to be an outstanding CEO and director."

"On behalf of the Board, I am thrilled to see Josh step into the CEO and director roles at Aires," said Drew Green, Aires' Chairman. "Josh has had such a positive impact on the organization since the day he got here. Nobody has a bigger vision for Aires than he does. His vision and leadership combined with his already-proven track record of scaling the brand will uniquely position Aires to move into the next phase of growth. It is a testament to the remarkable leadership, dedication to success, and humility of Dimitry that this change is being made. The Board and I look forward to working with them both to accelerate Aires' growth now and in the years to come."

About American Aires Inc.

American Aires Inc. is Canadian-based nanotechnology company which has developed proprietary silicon-based microprocessors that reduce the harmful effects of electromagnetic radiation (EMR). The technology was developed by a team of highly accredited scientists and confirmed by independent third-party validation including peer reviewed studies and publications in scientific journals. Aires' Lifetune products specifically target EMR emitted by consumer electronic devices such as cellphones, computers, baby monitors, Wi-Fi radiation, including the rapidly expanding next-generation high-speed 5G networks. Aires is listed on the CSE under ticker 'WIFI' and on the OTCQB under the symbol 'AAIRF'. Learn more at www.airestech.com .

On behalf of the board of directors

Company Contact:

Josh Bruni, CEO

Email: wifi@airestech.com

Telephone: (415)707-0102

Website: www.airestech.com

Certain information set forth in this news release may contain forward-looking statements that involve substantial known and unknown risks and uncertainties. All statements other than statements of historical fact are forward-looking statements, including, without limitation, statements regarding future financial position, business strategy, use of proceeds, corporate vision, proposed acquisitions, partnerships, joint-ventures and strategic alliances and co-operations, budgets, cost and plans and objectives of or involving the Company. Such forward-looking information reflects management's current beliefs and is based on information currently available to management. Often, but not always, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as "plans", "expects", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "predicts", "intends", "targets", "aims", "anticipates" or "believes" or variations (including negative variations) of such words and phrases or may be identified by statements to the effect that certain actions "may", "could", "should", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved. A number of known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors may cause the actual results or performance to materially differ from any future results or performance expressed or implied by the forward-looking information. These forward-looking statements are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, certain of which are beyond the control of the Company including, but not limited to, the impact of general economic conditions, industry conditions and dependence upon regulatory approvals. Certain material assumptions regarding such forward-looking statements may be discussed in this news release and the Company's annual and quarterly management's discussion and analysis filed at www.sedar.com. Readers are cautioned that the assumptions used in the preparation of such information, although considered reasonable at the time of preparation, may prove to be imprecise and, as such, undue reliance should not be placed on forward-looking statements. The Company does not assume any obligation to update or revise its forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise, except as required by securities laws.

No securities regulatory authority has either approved or disapproved of the contents of this news release. The Shares have not been, nor will they be, registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or any state securities laws, and may not be offered or sold in the United States, or to or for the account or benefit of any person in the United States, absent registration or an applicable exemption from the registration requirements. This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any common shares in the United States, or in any other jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful. We seek safe harbour.

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Market Regulator (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release.

Not intended for distribution to United States Newswire Services or for dissemination in the United States. Any failure to comply with this restriction may constitute a violation of United States Securities laws.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/156553
Crstl, a San Francisco, CA-based provider of a platform that enables no-code Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) for modern brands, manufacturers, and wholesalers, raised $4.4M in Seed funding.

The round was led by Mastry Ventures, with participation from Village Global, Alumni Ventures, SuperAngel VC, On Deck, Mensch Capital Partners, and Harizury.

The company intends to use the funds to accelerate growth, expand operations and its business reach.

Led by CEO and founder Dipti Desai, Crstl provides a SaaS application and platform that enables no-code EDI workflow automation for modern brands, manufacturers, and wholesalers to optimize revenue and streamline workflows, freeing up working capital for growth and innovation. Crstl is leveraging AI to build out connectivity across retailers, distributors, and systems such as ERPs and WMS. The system provides transparency and enables brands to start transacting with their trading partners swiftly, and compliance, testing and certification, including generating compliant shipping labels and packing slips.

The company has already enabled millions of dollars of B2B commerce between brands and Walmart, Target, Whole Foods, CVS, and many others.

FinSMEs

28/02/2023
Devyce, a London, UK-based SaaS company that provides digital phone numbers to multinational businesses, closed a $2.7m (2.2m) seed funding round.

The round was led by Y Combinator with participation from Garage Capital (backers of Substack and Vendr) and FoundersX Ventures (investors behind Moonshot Brands), and individual investors John Kim, founder & CEO of Sendbird, and Ryan Chan, founder & CEO of UpKeep.

The company intends to use the funds to bring its product into new European markets and expand its product engineering team.

Founded in 2020 and led by Nick Browne and Edward Clayton, Devyce supplies businesses of all sectors and sizes with mobile phone numbers that can be used by their employees anywhere in the world using WiFi or mobile data. A business customer assigns Devyce phone numbers to employees that they can use on their personal handsets. This reduces the burden of managing multiple work phone numbers, contracts and handsets for employees who might be located all over the world, while still enabling businesses to see call stats, analyse staff performance and integrate AI-generated call summaries into their CRMs. Devyce phone numbers can be silenced outside of work hours and have their own voicemail systems, helping employees keep their personal and work lives separate without having to charge and carry two handsets.

Devyces customer base includes billion dollar global companies with established hybrid or remote working policies and 5,000 employees located in more than 100 countries worldwide.

The company is a graduate of Y Combinators Summer 2022 accelerator cohort, and is headquartered in London with a team of 11 based throughout Europe.

FinSMEs

28/02/2023
High-Tech Grunderfonds, a Bonn, Germany-based early stage venture capital firm, closed its fourth fund, HTGF IV, at 493.8M.

Alongside the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK) and KfW Capital, 45 private companies have invested in the fund. The majority of the private investors are either market-leading medium-sized companies or hidden champions. A number of corporations and family offices are also among the backers.

The new fund will invest in startups who have been founded in the last three years. They must either be headquartered in Germany or, if they are based elsewhere in Europe, have business premises in Germany. The vehicle will also be able to make more capital available for each startup in future. Up to 1m can be invested in the seed round. In total, HTGF will thus be able to invest up to 4m in a startup across all financing rounds.

The first investments have already been made in:

Reflex Aerospace (individual and high-performance satellites),

Phialogics (biologics that rebalance the immune response in acute and chronic inflammation), and

VisioLab (AI-based check-out solutions).

Led by Dr. Alex von Frankenberg, and Guido Schlitzer, HTGF invests in technology startups in the fields of digital tech, industrial tech, life sciences and chemistry. The firm has supported more than 690 startups and sold shares in more than 160 companies since its foundation.

FinSMEs

28/02/2023
Humanising Autonomy, a London, UK-based behaviour AI company, received a debt financing from Silicon Valley Bank UK.

The amount of the deal was not disclosed.

The financing, which follows an $11m Series A funding round in October 2021, will support the continued deployment of the companys ethical Behaviour AI computer-vision technology across the mobility and smart spaces sectors as well as its expansion into new verticals.

Launched in 2017 and led by Maya Pindeus, CEO, Humanising Autonomy offers ethical computer-vision software that understands, predicts, and interprets human behaviour to quickly, and accurately provide the context between people and machines, whether a vehicle, connected device, traffic control or any other automated machine. By connecting to an existing camera platform or video stream, the company provides actionable data and insights that businesses can use to make operational decisions, reduce risk and enhance human experiences.

FinSMEs

28/02/2023
Paper, a Montreal, Canada-based provider of an Educational Support System (ESS), acquired MajorClarity, a Richmond, VA-based provider of a Career & College Readiness (CCR) tool.

The amount of the deal was not disclosed.

With the acquisition, Paper will offer a comprehensive CCR platform that will support all students, regardless of their preferred path after high school.

MajorClarity by Paper provides the support for students, regardless of their path after graduation. The new combined CCR platform includes customized academic pathways, career exploration tools, workforce micro-credentialing, a resume builder, and a cover letter review tool. For students attending college, there is a college essay review tool, a college application management, and a scholarship search.

Led by CEO Philip Cutler, Paper provides an on-demand Educational Support System (ESS) that includes 1:1 virtual tutoring, a Review Center for writing assignments, MajorClairty College & Career Support; Paper Missions, a gamified math skills tool, and PaperLive, a streaming service featuring interactive after-school programming. Its educators offer an instructional framework emphasizing inquiry-based learning to empower students to pursue lifelong learning and prepare for college and career success. Its multilingual academic support is available in English, Spanish, French, and Mandarin. Paper supports over three million students at over 300 unique school districts in more than 40 U.S. states and Canada. The company employs more than 2000 educators and tutors nationwide.

FinSMEs

28/02/2023
PteroDynamics, a Colorado Springs, CO-based an aircraft design and manufacturing company that develops innovative vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft, raised $7.5M in Seed funding.

The round was led by Kairos Ventures and new investors Lavrock Ventures and CS Venture Opportunities Fund.

The company intends to use the funds to develop larger Transwing aircraft variants, adding engineering talent, and execute on additional contracts.

Founded in 2017 by Dr. Val Petrov, Chairman, and led by Matthew Graczyk, CEO, PteroDynamics has developed a novel vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft design called Transwing that folds/unfolds its wings during flight to transition between rotor wing and fixed wing configurations. It is protected by four issued and 14 pending patents in the U.S. and ten international jurisdictions.

PteroDynamics has gained significant recognition as a pioneer in aircraft design since its founding. The company has secured an Other Transaction Authority (OTA) contract with the U.S. Navys Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division (NAWCAD) to supply three Transwing aircraft for its Blue Water Maritime Logistics UAS program. Additionally, the company has been awarded four SBIR/STTR contracts with the Air Force and has formal teamings and has sold multiple Transwing aircraft for test and evaluation to various U.S. defense contractors.

FinSMEs

28/02/2023
Sure Valley Ventures, a founder-led venture capital firm that invests in high growth AI software companies in sectors such as Enterprise, Immersive Technologies and Cybersecurity, launched its third fund with a 30m first close to invest in the Republic of Ireland.

This includes a cornerstone 15m investment from Enterprise Ireland (EI) through its Seed and Venture Capital Scheme (2019-2024), which aims to increase the supply of equity capital to high-potential, early-stage Irish companies. Sure Valley is targeting a final close of approx. 50m.

Sure Valley plans to invest into 15 software companies from across the Republic of Ireland through this new fund.

The team has offices in Waterford and Dublin in Ireland, and London, Cambridge and Manchester in the UK, having announced a 85m UK software fund backed by the British Business Bank in 2022.

This new Irish fund will follow the same investment strategy in Ireland as in the UK and Sure Valley also plans to expand its regional focus to work with startups in the exciting innovation clusters that have developed around Artificial Intelligence, Immersive Tech and Cybersecurity throughout Ireland.

Sure Valley has previously invested in a number of innovative regional companies through its 2017 Irish fund, including Cork-based data security company Getvisibility, cybersecurity company Smartech 247, which Sure Valley helped IPO on the London Stock Exchange in December 2022, Waterford-based companies  Cameramatics, a leader in next generation fleet telematics and AI, Metaverse enterprise tech company Engage XR, which Sure Valley helped IPO on the London Stock Exchange in 2018 as well as Dundalk-based Nova Leah an AI leader in cybersecurity for medical devices.

Alongside the equity invested, Sure Valley supports entrepreneurs via its platform, which draws on the teams knowledge and experience as founders to create a program tailored to each investee companys individual needs. The platform also features a global network of advisors, based in innovation hubs across the globe, including San Francisco, Silicon Valley, New York, LA, Austin and Seattle in the USA as well as leading European and Asian hubs.

FinSMEs

28/02/2023
Intel has unveiled their 4th Gen Xeon Scalable processors with Intel vRAN Boost, which provides 2x capacity gains over its predecessor while using the same power envelope and up to 20% power savings with integrated acceleration. Intel recently announced two workstation processors, the Xeon W-3400 and W-2400.

SK Telecom and Intel collaborated to create the Intel Infrastructure Power Manager for 5G core reference software 30% average run-time CPU power savings. In addition, Intel demonstrated the industrys-first 1 terabit per second 5G User Plane Function (UPF) workload performance on their 4th Gen Xeon Scalable processors.

2x capacity gains and up to 2x performance-per-watt.  By eliminating the need for an accelerator card, Intels 4th Gen Xeon Scalable processors with Intel vRAN Boost save power without sacrificing speed. #MWC23 #AccelerateWithIntel https://t.co/JAAvFDdAct pic.twitter.com/d52XY5zCdS  Intel News (@intelnews) February 27, 2023

vRAN Boost

The need for high-performance, scalable, flexible and energy-efficient systems is transforming mobile networks from hardware-based silicon and infrastructure to fully virtualized platforms running on general-purpose processors. vRAN is enabling CoSPs to meet future requirements while improving energy efficiency and reducing TCO.

5G Core Networks: Cloud-Native Agility

Intel is leading the transition to cloud-native, service-based architectures with open solutions to solve problems such as performance, TCO, power efficiency, security and lack of visibility across the network stack. Intels hardware and software solutions will help 5G core networks optimize power efficiency, performance, and latency for both business and customer requirements.

Intel Leading the Way at the Edge

The growth of video services at the network edge will shape the competitive landscape for service providers this decade. Its difficult to know which services will be successful, but Intel is working with partners Broadpeak, China Mobile, Cloudsky, Thundersoft, and ZTE to develop the Intel Converged Edge Media Platform. This shared, multitenant architecture can scale based on cloud-native needs, and it can adjust to changing requirements.

Delivering Customer Choice in Acceleration

Intel is expanding its range of acceleration solutions with the Agilex 7 FPGAs and eASIC N5X structure ASIC devices for cloud, communications and embedded applications. As cloud service providers (CSPs) and transition to 400G networks in 2023 and 2024 respectively, Intels Agilex 7 FPGA AGI 041 devices will enable the next generation of 400G infrastructure acceleration solutions. AGI 041 devices offer the perfect balance of power, capacity and performance for 400G Infrastructure Processing Unit (IPU) and networking solutions.

Availability

Intel is offering multiple SKUs of its 4th Gen Intel Xeon Scalable processor with Intel vRAN Boost:

Power-optimized SKUs up to 20 cores  available in the second quarter of 2023  are ideal for deployments with challenging space, thermal and power requirements, like rural and small cell deployments.

Performance-per-watt optimized SKUs up to 32 cores  available in the third quarter of 2023  are suited for scaling up vRAN services for densely populated areas and massive MIMO deployments.

Intel Booth at MWC 2023

Visitors can go to the Intel Booth at MWC 2023 to see demonstrations of its 5G network and services, featuring industry partners such as Dell, Ericsson, Microsoft, and Verizon.
Samsung debuted its new Galaxy Book3 devices at its unpacked event earlier this month, and these were launched in India soon after. The new PC line-up, which includes the Galaxy Book3 Pro 360, Galaxy Book3 Pro, and Galaxy Book3 360, are now available for purchase in the country.

The Galaxy Book3 has improved performance thanks to its new CPU, GPU, and display. These include the latest Intel Core processors from the 13th generation and support for up to an NVIDIA RTX GeForce 4070 GPU. Furthermore, the Galaxy Book3 series provides users with a unified connection experience, allowing for seamless phone-to-PC transitions across operating systems.

Other features of the new laptop series include a Dynamic AMOLED 120Hz 2X Display, a full aluminium frame for a premium appearance, a quad-speaker system with AI Noise Cancelling to capture clear voice and Studio Mode, among others.

Samsung Galaxy Book3 Pro 360, Galaxy Book3 Pro, and Galaxy Book3 360 Pricing:

Product Screen Processor RAM (GB) Storage Price INR Galaxy Book3 Pro 360 16 13th Gen Intel Core i7  P (28W) 16 1TB 179990 Galaxy Book3 Pro 360 16 13th Gen Intel Core i5  P (28W) 16 512GB 155990 Galaxy Book3 Pro 360 16 13th Gen Intel Core i7  P (28W) 16 512GB 163990 Galaxy Book3 Pro 16 13th Gen Intel Core i7  P (28W) 16 1TB 165990 Galaxy Book3 Pro 16 13th Gen Intel Core i7  P (28W) 16 512GB 149990 Galaxy Book3 Pro 14 13th Gen Intel Core i7  P (28W) 16 1TB 155990 Galaxy Book3 Pro 14 13th Gen Intel Core i7  P (28W) 16 512GB 139990 Galaxy Book3 Pro 14 13th Gen Intel Core i5  P (28W) 16 512GB 131990 Galaxy Book3 360 15 13th Gen Intel Core i7  P (28W) 16 1TB 138990 Galaxy Book3 360 15 13th Gen Intel Core i5  P (28W) 16 512GB 114990 Galaxy Book3 360 15 13th Gen Intel Core i7  P (28W) 16 512GB 122990

Launch Offers and Availability

Customers buying Galaxy Book3 Series can get Galaxy Buds 2 at a special price of INR 1999.

Consumers can avail a bank cashback of INR 8000 or a trade-in bonus worth INR 6000 and Samsung Finance + Cashback of Rs.8000.

Consumers can also opt for easy EMI of up to 24 months at no additional cost.

The Galaxy Book3 Series will be available on Samsung.com, Amazon.in and select retail outlets.
Reliance Jio is rapidly expanding its 5G network across many Indian cities. The company has launched its 5G services in Jammu and Kashmir today, with locations in Jammu and Srinagar. Lieutenant Governor Shri Manoj Sinha launched Jio True 5G services in J&K from Raj Bhawan in Jammu.

The Honble Lieutenant Governor congratulated the Jio team on the launch, claiming that it will provide transformational benefits to the people of Jammu and Kashmir.

Furthermore, Jio believes that its service will contribute to the advancements seen in these areas, as demonstrated by the Jio Community Clinic medical kit and the revolutionary AR/VR device, Jio Glass.

It also launched 5G services in 25 additional cities across the 12 states of Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand.

Jio True 5G in 27 Towns

S No. Town State/UT 1 Anakapalli Andhra Pradesh 2 Machilipatnam 3 Arrah Bihar 4 Begusarai 5 Bihar Sharif 6 Darbhanga 7 Purnia 8 Jagdalpur Chhattisgarh 9 Vapi Gujarat 10 Baddi-Barotiwala-Nalagarh Himachal Pradesh 11 Jammu Jammu & Kashmir 12 Srinagar 13 Katras Jharkhand 14 Kolar Karnataka 15 Beed Maharashtra 16 Chakan 17 Dhule 18 Jalna 19 Malegaon 20 Tirunelveli Tamil Nadu 21 Barabanki Uttar Pradesh 22 Mussoorie Uttarakhand 23 Bardhaman West Bengal 24 Berhampore 25 English Bazar 26 Habra 27 Kharagpur

Starting today, February 28, Jio users in these cities will be invited to the Jio Welcome Offer, which includes unlimited data at speeds of up to 1 Gbps+ at no extra cost.

Commenting on the occasion, Honble Lieutenant Governor Shri Manoj Sinha said,

I am delighted to announce the launch of Jio True 5G services in the Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir. 5G will bring transformational benefits for the people of Jammu & Kashmir and further the objective of the Government to realize our honourable PMs Digital India vision. With the launch of Jios True 5G services, Jammu & Kashmir is not just getting the best telecommunication network but will also get infinite growth opportunities in the areas of tourism, e-governance, agriculture, education, healthcare, IT and the SME business. 5G will also enable citizens and the Government to remain connected on real time basis and will assist & improve the implementation and efficacy of Government schemes in reaching the last mile user. The digital Jammu & Kashmir mission of the Government has special focus on the startup ecosystem, e-governance, Agriculture, Social Welfare, Youth, Education and Healthcare to name a few. Advent of Jio 5G services in the Union Territory will give a great boost to these initiatives.

Commenting on the launch, Jio Spokesperson said,
Nokia, Qualcomm Technologies, and T-Mobile have achieved a worlds first feat by successfully aggregating 5G Standalone (SA) spectrumCC Carrier Aggregation (5CC CA) in sub-6 GHz spectrum.

The trial aggregated 2 FDD and 3 TDD carriers, yielding peak downlink throughput speeds of over 4.2Gbps. 5G Carrier Aggregation with 5CC will enable mobile operators to offer higher data rates and better coverage to more customers. The companies are industry leaders in Carrier Aggregation technology.

Nokia, @Qualcomm and @TMobile showcase industry-first 5CC 5G #CarrierAggregation on sub-6 GHz spectrum, with data rates exceeding 4.2 Gbps. Carrier Aggregation is the key to unlocking the exponential potential of #5G networks. Read more: https://t.co/pWe2hbvejd #MWC23 pic.twitter.com/HkyObaqv5d  Nokia #MWC23 (@nokia) February 28, 2023

5G 5x Carrier Aggregation Test

A 5CC CA call was conducted on Nokias AirScale base station and a mobile test device powered by the new Snapdragon X75 5G Modem-RF System, the worlds first modem-RF solution to support 5G 5x carrier aggregation. The process involved combining FDD bands n71 (600MHz) and n25 (1900MHz) and TDD bands n41 (2.5GHz) and n77 (3.7GHz).

The combination of uplink and downlink carrier aggregation kept the upl downlink data rates in balance. Additionally, Nokia and Bosch are working to quickly implement 5G technology while keeping an eye out for 6G.

Benefits for Network Operators

Network operators can benefit from the 5CC CA by leveraging their spectrum and network assets for a better user experience. This process allows them to combine the bandwidth of multiple mid-band (TDD) carriers with the increasing pool of 5G FDD frequency carriers without affecting coverage or capacity.

Nokia Showcasing AirScale Products at MWC 2023

Nokia is displaying its new high-performance, high-capacity AirScale products and services at MWC 2023 in Hall 3.

Guests will be able to experience different topics from Nokias portfolio such as Radio Leadership, Performance Innovation, Energy Efficiency, Operational Efficiency, and Cloud RAN. Additionally, Qualcomm Technologies will be exhibiting the Snapdragon X75 in a video demonstration at its booth (Hall 3, 3E10).

Speaking on the announcement, Karri Kuoppamaki, SVP of Network Technology Development and Strategy at T-Mobile commented:

We continue to work with industry leaders like Nokia and Qualcomm Technologies to bring Americas largest, fastest, and most reliable 5G network to the next level. These successful tests pave the way for even faster speeds so customers can unleash the full potential of their 5G devices. Innovation is at the heart of everything we do at T-Mobile and we make sure that our customers are always first to get the very best the industry has to offer.

Speaking at the event, Sunil Patil, Vice President Product Management, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. commented

With Snapdragon X75, we enable the next generation of 5G smartphones and beyond to fuel the Connected Intelligent Edge. This worlds first 5CC CA call on sub-6 GHz 5G spectrum showcases the power of our modem-RF technology and underlines the power of our collaboration with Nokia to advance the 5G ecosystem.

Speaking at the project, Mark Atkinson, SVP, Radio Access Networks PLM at Nokia, said:
News

editor's pick centerpiece featured

Metal-detector enthusiasts hunt treasure Galveston

STUART VILLANUEVA/The Daily News Sidney Fritts, 5, digs in the sand as he and other children use metal detectors during a kids hunt at the 41st Annual Houston Archeology and Recovery Club Beach Hunt on East Beach in Galveston on Saturday. STUART VILLANUEVA/The Daily News Magnolia resident Joshua Sipes searches for coins in the sand at the 41st Annual Houston Archeology and Recovery Club Beach Hunt on East Beach in Galveston on Saturday. STUART VILLANUEVA/The Daily News Emerson Biddle, 8, raises her metal detector before a kids hunt at the 41st Annual Houston Archeology and Recovery Club Beach Hunt on East Beach in Galveston on Saturday. STUART VILLANUEVA/The Daily News Magnolia resident Joshua Sipes displays the sand-covered coins he found at the 41st Annual Houston Archeology and Recovery Club Beach Hunt on East Beach in Galveston on Saturday. STUART VILLANUEVA/The Daily News Douglas Greer sweeps the sand with a metal detector while on the hunt for coins at the 41st Annual Houston Archeology and Recovery Club Beach Hunt on East Beach in Galveston on Saturday. STUART VILLANUEVA/The Daily News A pair of metal detector enthusiasts rest beside their equipment between hunts at the 41st Annual Houston Archeology and Recovery Club Beach Hunt on East Beach in Galveston on Saturday. STUART VILLANUEVA/The Daily News Metal detector enthusiast Robert Hodsdon holds a toy he found at the 41st Annual Houston Archeology and Recovery Club Beach Hunt on East Beach in Galveston on Saturday, Feb. 25, 2023. STUART VILLANUEVA/The Daily News Metal detector enthusiast scour the sand at the 41st Annual Houston Archeology and Recovery Club Beach Hunt on East Beach in Galveston on Saturday, Feb. 25, 2023.

GALVESTON

Metal detector enthusiasts gathered Saturday at Apffel Park on the islands East End to search for buried treasure during the 41st Annual Galveston Open Beach Hunt.

The Houston Archeology and Recovery Club, founded in 1980 to bring together hobbyists interested in unearthing interesting artifacts, organizes the event.

The organization also helps police find bullets, assists archeologists in finding artifacts, including a search at the San Jacinto Monument and donates found pull tabs to the Ronald McDonald House.

This event brings in people from different clubs around the state and even other parts of the country, club President Fred Meek said.

We had a good turnout today of 98. Participants use their metal detectors to dig up coins that were buried and turn them in for prizes.

Participants were required to register for the event and pay a fee of $160, all of which is put back into prizes. Five hunts were held throughout the day, a silver dimes hunt, a 40 percent silver halves hunt, a clad $1 and silver quarters hunt, a kids hunt and a main hunt.

This is our eighth year coming out here and it is always a great time out here hunting in Galveston, Travis Batson, of Bryan, said. I got started in metal detecting through a co-worker in 2012. This is a really well-organized hunt and its much easier digging on the beach than dirt.

The hobby has become a life-long love for some, including Houston Archeology and Recovery Club Vice President Mike McGrew, who has been involved in metal detecting for more 50 years.

I read magazines about treasure hunting and it piqued my interest and I got my first metal detector, McGrew, who got his first detector at 16, said. Back then, the metal detector used transistor radio that required you to tune in to find objects.

This is a really great hunt out here and its easy to hide the coins theyre searching for in the sand. One of the most unique finds Ive made was an 1858 half-dollar in downtown Houston. It was really exciting.

One metal detector enthusiast has taken his love of the hobby to global proportions.

I have done metal detecting in the Philippines and Argentina, Emanuel Hollander, former Montgomery chapter president, said. You always meet new people and make new friends. Camaraderie is really what its all about.

Meek provided advice to those interested in picking up the hobby.

The technology has come a long way, and you can get a great machine for $250, Meek said. Make sure you know your machine and do your research on the location you are searching and the history and what may have been left behind.

It can be frustrating, so you must remain optimistic and dont give up. Metal-detecting teaches you how to look at things differently. It is really a fun hobby and we are all like family.
There is a growing need for full-time and part-time relief care foster homes in Linn and Benton counties, especially for youth who struggle with behavioral or mental health from past trauma.

Greater Oregon Behavioral Health Inc. has a program that offers therapeutic support for foster youth using a trauma-informed approach. Volunteer families with this program receive more than 36 hours of training in trauma-informed care, collaborative problem solving, how trauma affects the brain and more.

All of our kids have experienced trauma of some sort, said Program Manager Katelyn Hershberger. Our goal is to stabilize them in a home setting and then help them transition to permanency.

Placement for children with behavioral and mental health struggles can be challenging, especially for teens. Hershberger said her organization tries to be mindful in placement matching because a negative experience could be traumatic on both the foster youth and the foster family.

It is of the utmost importance to keep these youth in a warm family setting rather than a clinical setting like a hospital, she added. Many kids are placed outside of their home community because there are no foster homes available in their area.

The latest numbers from Child Welfare indicate that 16 youth from Benton, Lincoln, and Linn counties are currently in residential group or institutional care, said Adam Rodakowski, director of foster care at GOBHI, in a press release. Our goal is to add at least eight more homes to support bringing these kids back to their community.

In 2021, Child Welfare reported Benton County had 82 children in traditional foster care, Lincoln County served 150 kids and Linn County supported 240 children.

Part-time placements, otherwise known as respite placements, typically last two to 14 days for youth ranging in age from 4 to 17.

The typical length of a full-time placement is six months to two years.

We provide foster parents a unique set of tools and support to build the structured, yet flexible home environments that vulnerable youth need in order to make a lasting change in their lives, said the programs marketing specialist, Jean Flintsmith. In the process, our foster parents find their own lives changed in a myriad of positive ways.

Foster families are supported with specialized training with individual, group, and online opportunities to prepare foster parents for what will be asked of them, including 24/7 on-call support, two paid days off per month for full-time homes and and other support.

Potential foster parents can visit gobhi.org/fc or call 541-298-2101 to learn more about the program and possible placement.

More Benton County news
Forum presents China's culture, tourism in Bulgaria

Xinhua) 13:23, February 28, 2023

SOFIA, Feb. 27 (Xinhua) -- A cultural and tourism forum was held here Monday to present the cultural and tourism resources of two major Chinese cities, Beijing and Ningbo.

Delegations from the two cities as well as representatives from Bulgarian businesses and institutions attended the event, which saw the signing of several agreements on furthering cooperation between Chinese and Bulgarian travel services.

Culture is a bridge that strengthens friendship and facilitates two-way communication, while tourism is a window through which people learn foreign culture and get to know the world, Chinese Ambassador to Bulgaria Dong Xiaojun said.

The event demonstrates China's desire and confidence to strengthen international cooperation in the field of cultural tourism, Dong said.

Mariela Modeva, Bulgaria's deputy minister of tourism, said that new and mutually beneficial policies and initiatives would help deepen bilateral cooperation and understanding, and thereby strengthen the traditional friendship between the two peoples.

Her ministry was committed to strengthening mutual dialogue with China in the field of tourism, and expanding joint initiatives, Modeva said.

"I look forward to working closely together (with my Chinese counterparts) to meet both the challenges and opportunities of the future," she said.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
TORONTO, Feb. 27, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Medivolve Inc. (Medivolve or the Company) (NEO: MEDV; OTC: MEDVF; FRA: 4NC) is pleased to announce that it will be hosting a corporate update presentation with analysts and investors via live webinar on March 8, 2023 at 1pm EST. Participants can register to attend at the following web address:



Registration link: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_FN_IqgzsRiihZI_bmg3esA

Specifically, the webinar will feature Medivolves Chief Executive Officer, David Preiner, to discuss updates on the Companys business developments.

About Medivolve, Inc.

Medivolve, Inc. (NEO: MEDV; OTC: MEDVF; FRA: 4NC) is a healthcare technology company that seeks to reinvent the US healthcare system by leveraging a bespoke telehealth platform, a clinical diagnostic network, and a data-driven AI framework to improve patient care.

The Company was born out of the healthcare crisis; to rethink, relearn and ultimately, reimagine a better way for the healthcare system to operate. Our network of retail collection sites play an important role in recovery by giving Americans access to fast, accurate, and inexpensive clinical services when and where they need it. These centers will also play a pivotal role in diagnostic testing, vaccinations, and other point-of-care services. We are building disruptive technologies to make it easier and faster to identify, treat, and prevent medical issues. In doing so, we are working to give patients a holistic and empowered view of their personal health.

Our long-term mission is to address systemic issues in the nations fragmented, overly complex, and expensive healthcare system. Medivolves next phase of growth is about pivoting the model and putting the pieces together to build a profitable health-tech company. We are developing a singular, streamlined technology network to provide data-driven physician consultations, clinical diagnostics, and prescription services. Our team is united by a powerful, singular purpose: harnessing the transformative power of technology to create healthier lives.

Underpinned by a bespoke, AI-driven platform, were developing a system that constantly gets smarter, takes the guesswork out of diagnostics, and flags critical health issues to help physicians, delivering a high level of personalization for each patient.

For investing inquiries, please contact: David Preiner, CEO, info@medivolve.ca, 702-990-3737.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-looking Information

This press release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking information includes, but is not limited to, statements with respect to the Companys future plans. Generally, forward-looking information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "plans", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", or "believes", or variations of such words and phrases or state that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will be taken", "occur" or "be achieved". Forward-looking information is 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, as the case may be, to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information, including but not limited to: general business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties; accidents, labour disputes and shortages and other risks of the healthcare industry. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking information, except in accordance with applicable securities laws.
TORONTO, Feb. 27, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Axiom Real-Time Metrics ("Axiom"), a premier provider of unified eClinical solutions and services focused on small-to-medium life science organizations, will be exhibiting at Outsourcing in Clinical Trials West Coast 2023, March 1-2 in Burlingame, CA.



The 15th annual conference will provide experts in the life science industry to connect and explore solutions to current operational and outsourcing challenges associated with clinical trials.

For this years program, delegates can choose to attend four different streams: Outsourcing & Clinical Operations, Patient Engagement, Clinical Technology & Innovation, and Medical Devices. These streams provide great opportunities to network and exchange knowledge with leading pharmaceutical, biotech and medical device companies.

Global Player in eClinical Solutions focused on S/M Life Science Needs

Established in 2001, Axiom developed and has long been established as one of the leading global players and delivery experts in eClinical technology. Axiom Fusion eClinical Suite enables small to medium life science companies to dramatically change how you manage US and global clinical studies. It also provides for limitless real-time study reporting and awareness of whats working and where critical matters require attention.

Axiom's Fusion eClinical Suite is the fundamental way in which we collect, manage and analyze real-time data. Axioms Fusion Global platform in combination with unmatched services ensures better, faster data-driven decisions that are backed up by data compliance, privacy and meet regulatory requirements, says Maliha Haider, VP Data Management & Data Analytics.

The Outsourcing event will enable potential sponsors to also explore Axioms Fusion Data Analytics Platform.

Fusion Data Analytics Platform is a leading platform for critical real-time visual Analysis of all of your clinical study data. With Fusion, you can quickly uncover hidden insights and trends in your data.

Fusion's intuitive, user-friendly interface makes it easy to explore complex datasets from across all clinical studies, enabling you to make more informed decisions faster than ever. Fusion's powerful data analytics tools allow you to quickly analyze your clinical study data in real-time, enabling you to take action quickly and confidently, closed Maliha.

Axiom invites attendees to come visit the team at Booth 27 for a chat over coffee to discuss upcoming study strategy needs and how Fusion eClinical Suite can help run your clinical trials easier, faster, and smarter.

To register for this event, please visit: https://www.arena-international.com/event/octwestcoast/

Learn more about Axioms Fusion eClinical Suite: https://www.axiommetrics.com/fusion-eclinical-suite/

About Axiom Real-Time Metrics

Axiom is celebrating 22 years of delivering hundreds of studies in dozens of countries. Since its founding in 2001, Axiom has delivered data-driven, powerful, and cost-effective eClinical Solutions and Services dedicated to small-to-medium life science companies. Axiom Fusion eClinical Suite is the most adaptable, Unified Platform that serves as the Connected Hub for all your Clinical Trial and operational data and reporting. Choose from 15+ unified modules on a single platform: EDC, DM, RTSM/IRT, CTMS, Inventory Management, ePRO, eConsent, Patient Portal, AE/SAE Tracking, Safety Database, Central/Local Lab, Imaging Management, eTMF, and 24/7 Project and Clinical Data Reporting. We are an embedded partner dedicated to the success of your study, offering managed services such as: Data Management, On-Demand Data Analytics, Biostatistics, Clinical Management, eTMF Management and Pharmacovigilance.

For more information, please visit https://www.axiommetrics.com .

PR Contact
SHANGHAI, China, Feb. 27, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Shanghai Junshi Biosciences Co., Ltd (Junshi Biosciences, HKEX: 1877; SSE: 688180), a leading innovation-driven biopharmaceutical company dedicated to the discovery, development, and commercialization of novel therapies, today announced the successful completion of two randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multi-center phase III clinical studies (Study nos.: JS002-003 and JS002-006) evaluating the companys product ongericimab (a recombinant humanized anti-PCSK9 monoclonal antibody, product code: JS002) for the treatment of primary hypercholesterolemia and mixed hyperlipidemia, and both studies have met their primary endpoints.



According to the Report on Cardiovascular Health and Diseases in China (2021), in recent years, both the blood lipid levels and the prevalence of dyslipidemia of the Chinese population have been on the rise, and dyslipidemia affects up to 40.4% of adults. Dyslipidemia, specifically the increase of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), is the most important independent risk factor for atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases (ASCVDs). The growing prevalence of dyslipidemia underscores the urgent need for effective treatments to lower LDL-C levels, which can significantly lower the incidence of ASCVDs and the risk of death.

At present, the awareness, treatment, and control rates of dyslipidemia in adults in China are all relatively low. The current lipid-lowering treatment and compliance rates among individuals at high or extremely high risk of ASCVDs are concerning, and there remains a relatively significant unmet clinical demand for lipid-lowering treatments. As a new lipid-lowering drug that effectively reduces LDL-C levels, PCSK9 inhibitors have been recommended in both Chinese and overseas dyslipidemia management guidelines, and are widely recognized by clinicians. Unfortunately, there are only two imported ant-PCSK9 monoclonal antibodies currently approved for marketing in China, and no domestic anti-PCSK9 monoclonal antibody has been approved for marketing.

Ongericimab is a recombinant humanized anti-PCSK9 monoclonal antibody independently developed by Junshi Biosciences. Two major pivotal registered clinical studies (Study nos.: JS002-003 and JS002-006) of ongericimab have been successfully completed and met their primary endpoints. The JS002-003 study assessed the effectiveness and safety of subcutaneous injection of ongericimab for the treatment of patients with primary hypercholesterolemia and mixed dyslipidemia, while the JS002-006 study assessed the effectiveness and safety of subcutaneous injection using two drug delivery systems (pre-filled syringes and pre-filled automatic syringes) of ongericimab for the same indications. Ongericimab exhibited significant lipid-lowering efficacy in both studies with good safety.

The emergence of PCSK9 inhibitors has provided better treatment options for dyslipidemia patients, particularly those at high or extremely risk of ASCVD, said Academician Yaling HAN from the General Hospital of Northern Theatre Command. The positive results of ongericimabs phase III clinical trials are very encouraging and show comparable efficacy and safety to similar PCSK9 inhibitors from overseas. We look forward to the launch of ongericimab to address unmet medical needs, and we hope the incidence and mortality of cardiovascular disease could decrease in China.

Im pleased to see a Chinese-developed anti-PCSK9 monoclonal antibody delivering such outstanding lipid-lowering outcomes, said Professor Shuiping ZHAO from the Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University. This will equip our clinicians with more lipid-lowering treatment options and benefit countless patients in China. The management of the Chinese populations blood lipid levels requires continuous improvement, and we expect ongericimab to contribute greatly to this process.

Im excited to witness the simultaneous success of two phase III studies examining ongericimab, said Dr. Jianjun ZOU, the President of Global Research and Development at Junshi Biosciences. These achievements were only possible through the joint efforts and dedication of researchers, patients, and R&D teams. With China entering an aging society, we hope that ongericimab can provide additional treatment options for hyperlipidemia patients and address unmet medical needs.

About Ongericimab (JS002)

Ongericimab is a recombinant humanized anti-PCSK9 monoclonal antibody independently developed by Junshi Biosciences for the treatment of primary hypercholesterolemia and mixed hyperlipidemia. Junshi Biosciences is the first company in China to obtain clinical trial approval for the target drug. The company has completed Phase III clinical studies in patients with primary hypercholesterolemia and mixed hyperlipidemia, and Phase II clinical studies in patients with homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia. The enrollment of patients for Phase III clinical studies of heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia has been completed.

About Junshi Biosciences

Founded in December 2012, Junshi Biosciences (HKEX: 1877; SSE: 688180) is an innovation-driven biopharmaceutical company dedicated to the discovery, development, and commercialization of innovative therapeutics. The company has established a diversified R&D pipeline comprising over 50 drug candidates, with five therapeutic focus areas covering cancer, autoimmune, metabolic, neurological, and infectious diseases. Junshi Biosciences was the first Chinese pharmaceutical company that obtained marketing approval for anti-PD-1 monoclonal antibody in China. Its first-in-human anti-BTLA monoclonal antibody for the treatment of various cancers was the first in the world to be approved for clinical trials by the FDA and NMPA and has since entered Phase Ib/II trials in both China and the US. Its anti-PCSK9 monoclonal antibody was the first in China to be approved for clinical trials by the NMPA.

In the face of the pandemic, Junshi Biosciences response was strong and immediate, joining forces with Chinese and international scientific research institutions and enterprises to develop an arsenal of drug candidates to combat COVID-19, taking the initiative to shoulder the social responsibility of Chinese pharmaceutical companies by prioritizing and accelerating COVID-19 R&D. In 2021, JS016 (etesevimab), Chinas first neutralizing fully human monoclonal antibody against SARS-CoV-2 administered with bamlanivimab, was granted Emergency Use Authorizations (EUA) in over 15 countries and regions worldwide. Meanwhile, VV116 (deuremidevir hydrobromide), a novel oral nucleoside analog anti-SARS-CoV-2 drug designed to hinder virus replication, has been approved for marketing in China and Uzbekistan. The JS016 and VV116 programs are a part of the companys continuous efforts towards innovation for disease control and prevention of the global pandemic.

Junshi Biosciences has more than 3,100 employees in the United States (San Francisco and Maryland) and China (Shanghai, Suzhou, Beijing, Guangzhou, etc). For more information, please visit: http://junshipharma.com.

Junshi Biosciences Contact Information

IR Team:

Junshi Biosciences

info@junshipharma.com

+ 86 021-6105 8800

PR Team:

Junshi Biosciences

Zhi Li

zhi_li@junshipharma.com

+ 86 021-6105 8800
Oslo and Paris, 28 February 2023 - Adevinta ASA (ADE) today announced the appointment of Amandine de Souza as Managing Director of leboncoin, Frances largest online classified marketplace, starting April 1st, 2023.

Amandine brings with her almost two decades of leadership experience, spanning strategic consulting, retail, e-commerce and hospitality, most recently serving as a member of the executive committee at Galeries Lafayette. In this role she was responsible for leading French department store BHV, as well as the high-end food hall Eataly, in addition to managing DIY, home and leisure across the group.

Amandine has an impressive track record leading growth businesses and, thanks to her background in retail, an excellent understanding of customer needs, said Antoine Jouteau, CEO Adevinta. leboncoin is one of Adevintas most successful assets, and its future potential remains solid, particularly as increased numbers of consumers see the benefits of making more sustainable shopping choices, for their pockets and the planet. Amandine has what it takes to lead our talented leboncoin team and seize the opportunities ahead of us.

Amandine de Souza added: I am very excited to join a company that plays such a big role in the daily lives of French consumers. By providing a marketplace for people to buy and sell second-hand goods, leboncoin is at the forefront of the circular economy and helps consumers make more sustainable choices. I strongly connect with leboncoins values and look forward to playing my part in shaping the future of sustainable commerce.

Amandine holds a Masters degree in Management from ESCP Business School in Paris. She takes over from CFO Marc Brandsma who has led leboncoin on an interim basis since Antoine Jouteau was promoted to CEO of Adevinta in August 2022. In her new role, Amandine will report to Paul Heimann, who leads the Re-Commerce vertical in Adevinta.



-End-

Media contacts

Melodie Laroche

Corporate Communications

T: +33 (0) 6 84 30 52 76

melodie.laroche@adevinta.com





About Adevinta

Adevinta is a leading online classifieds specialist, operating digital marketplaces in 11 countries. The company provides technology-based services to connect buyers with sellers and to facilitate transactions, from real estate to motors, and consumer goods.

Adevintas portfolio spans more than 25 digital brands, covering one billion people and attracting approximately 2.5 billion average monthly visits. Leading brands include top-ranked leboncoin in France, Germany's leading classifieds sites mobile.de and eBay Kleinanzeigen, Marktplaats in the Netherlands, fotocasa and InfoJobs in Spain, Subito in Italy, and 50% of fast-growing OLX Brasil. Adevinta employs around 8,100 people, including 3,000 (approx) working in product and technology teams, committed to supporting users and customers daily. Find out more at Adevinta.com.

Attachment
AB Ignitis grupe (hereinafter  the Group) publishes its Annual report 2022, which is attached to this notice, and announces that the Groups Adjusted EBITDA amounted to EUR 469.3 million.

The Group exceeded the higher end of a full-year guidance range (EUR 420460 million) by 2.0%, which was mainly driven by the Green Generation segment due to the launch of Pomerania wind farm in Poland and better performance of the operating assets. Green Generation Adjusted EBITDA increased more than twofold and accounts for more than half of the Groups total result. Green share of electricity generated increased by a third to 85.1%.

In 2022, the Group made record high Investments, which more than doubled and reached EUR 521.8 million, out of which 79.0% were directed to Lithuania. Overall growth was mainly driven by the Investments made in Green Generation projects which increased more than seven times and reached EUR 226.2 million.

During Q4 2022, net working capital, net debt and in turn leverage metrics have stabilised. This was mainly the outcome of normalized price levels at the end of the year and recovered temporary regulatory differences. Compared to the numbers reported in the First nine months 2022 Interim report , the Groups NWC level decreased more than twice to EUR 443.3 million (from EUR 1,068.7 million), which led to a significant decrease in net debt level of EUR 986.9 million (from EUR 1,512.8 million). It also helped to improve FFO/Net debt ratio to 49.1% (from 23.9%).

Despite the above, Customers & Solutions segment had a challenging year, especially on a loss making electricity B2C (EUR -23.2 million) activities. The segments Adjusted EBITDA deteriorated by 61.6% compared to 2021. The decline was partly offset by positive results from utilizing Lithuania's LNG terminal and securing profitable one-off deals with foreign B2B customers. Additionally, a positive inventory effect due to average accounting method has grown significantly, but towards the end of the year it was offset by natural gas inventory value write-down due to decreasing natural gas prices.

Profit distribution

In line with the Dividend Policy , for 2022 we intend to distribute a dividend of EUR 1.248 per share, corresponding to EUR 90.3 million, and a yield of 6.6% both for ordinary registered shareholders and GDR holders (considering the year-end closing prices). It is important to highlight that the dividend of EUR 0.624 per share (out of EUR 1.248) for the second half of 2022 is subject to the decision of the Annual General Meeting of Shareholders to be held on 30 March 2023.

Additionally, the Groups management proposes to the Annual General Meeting of Shareholders to agree on the allocation of EUR 12.0 million of additional profit earned in 2022 from Green Generation as aid to recover and reconstruct energy infrastructure of Ukraine. Based on the Groups management assessment, additional profit earned in 2022 from Green Generation amounts to EUR 114.2 million, out of which EUR 12.0 million or around 10%, subject to the decision of the Annual General Meeting of Shareholders, could be allocated to Ukraine. The Group believes that the main cause of energy sector companies additional profits earned in 2022 is the war in Ukraine. Hence, companies should make their best efforts in supporting the country.

All the remaining additional profit earned in 2022 from Green Generation (EUR 102.2 million out of EUR 114.2 million), as committed in Q4 2022, will be reinvested into building new energy infrastructure in Lithuania to contribute to ensuring Lithuanias energy security and green transition.

Business development

Since the beginning of 2022, our Green Generation portfolio increased more than twofold to 5.3 GW (from 2.6 GW). Our project pipeline more than tripled to 4.1 GW (from 1.3 GW) with the largest share of growth captured by the accelerated expansion of greenfield projects, which increased more than eleven times to around 2.0 GW (from 170 MW) as of report announcement date.

Implementation of project Portfolio is progressing as planned with a few exceptions. Our targets to generate the first energy on testing mode around Q1 2023 and commence full commercial operation of Vilnius CHP biomass unit (73 MWe, 169 MWth) in Lithuania during the next heating season remain unchanged. However, due to disruptions in supply chain and construction markets, there is a minor delay in the projects COD (postponed to Q3 2023 from Q2 2023). Also, regarding our Silesia WF I (50 MW) project under construction in Poland, we expect to supply the first power to the grid as planned in Q4 2023. However, due to some constrains in supply chain as well as weather risk challenges, the projects budget was revised to around EUR 75 million (from EUR 70 million) and COD postponed to Q1 2024 (from Q4 2023). Since 9M 2022, there were no significant changes in implementation of other projects.

On the Networks side, despite the supply chain disruptions, we have successfully continued maintenance and expansion works, including the smart meter roll-out. We started the mass smart meter roll-out at the beginning of Q3 2022 and, by the end of 2022, installed over 210 thousand of smart meters (out of 1.2 million to be installed in total). Our target of finalizing the mass roll-out process by the end of 2025 remains unchanged.

Sustainability

During 2022, we explicitly focused on occupational health and safety (OHS), mental health and wellbeing as well as the preparation of a plan to ensure the achievement of our SBTi-approved targets as we are committed to reduce our total GHG emissions by 47% by 2030 vs. 2020 baseline.

Additionally, we progressed well on ESG side, which was well reflected in the improvement of relative ratings. In Q4 2022, CDP rated the climate change mitigation and adaptation efforts of the Group by granting a score of A- (on a D- to A scale). In 2021, the Group was rated B. Also, in addition to MSCI (AA, on a scale of CCC to AAA) and Sustainalytics (a score of 20.4, on a scale of 1000, from the highest to the lowest risk) ESG ratings, the Group was rated by an ESG corporate rating agency ISS and received a rating of C (on a scale of D- to A+). It places the Group in the 6th decile rank among utility peers in managing the most significant ESG risks.

2023 outlook

For 2023 we expect Adjusted EBITDA to be in a range of EUR 430480 million.

Key financial indicators (APM1)

EUR, millions 2022 20212 EBITDA APM 539.7 343.2 Adjusted EBITDA APM 469.3 332.7 Green Generation 252.4 107.5 Networks 164.5 145.4 Flexible Generation 34.6 37.2 Customers & Solutions 15.6 40.6 Other3 2.2 2.0 Adjusted EBITDA margin APM 10.9% 17.6% Net profit 293.4 160.2 Adjusted net profit APM 256.0 162.8 Investments4 APM 521.8 234.9 FFO APM 484.1 299.4 FCF APM 17.3 (240.6) ROE APM 14.7% 8.7% Adjusted ROE APM 12.9% 8.9% ROCE APM 13.1% 7.3% Adjusted ROCE APM 10.7% 7.9% EPS (Basic) APM 4.04 2.16 DPS APM 1.24 1.19 31 Dec 2022 31 Dec 2021 Net debt APM 986.9 957.2 Net working capital APM 443.3 438.7 Net debt/Adjusted EBITDA, times APM 2.10 2.88 FFO/Net debt APM 49.1% 31.3%

1 All, except net profit are Alternative Performance Measures (APMs). Formulas of the financial indicators are available in our Annual report 2022 or our website .

2 Due to changes in IAS, part of financial indicators were recalculated retrospectively for the year 2021 (for more information, see note 6. Restatement of comparative figures due to changes in the accounting policy of section 6.1 Consolidated financial statements in our Annual report 2022 ).

3 Other  other activities and eliminations (consolidation adjustments and related party transactions), including financial results of the parent company. For more information see section 6.2 Parent companys financial statements in our Annual report 2022 .

4 The Investments formula has been adjusted retrospectively from the beginning of 2022 by including prepayments for non-current assets. Such presentation shows the amount of Investments made during the year more accurately since the number of advance payments grew significantly with the increase of renewable energy projects pipeline. For updated formula, see section 7.3 Alternative performance measures of our Annual report 2022 or our website .

Earnings call

In relation to the announcement of the Annual report 2022, an earnings call will be held on Tuesday, 28 February 2023, at 1:00 pm Vilnius / 11:00 am London time.

To join the earnings call, please register at: https://edge.media-server.com/mmc/p/vzakgnpf

It is also possible to join the earning call by phone. To access the dial-in details, please register here . After completing the registration, you will receive dial-in details on screen and via email. You will be able to dial in using the provided numbers and the unique pin or by selecting Call me option and providing your phone details for the system to connect you automatically as the earnings call starts.

All questions can be directed in advance to the Groups IR team, after registering for the earnings call or live during the call.

Presentation slides will be available prior to the conference call:

https://ignitisgrupe.lt/en/reports-and-presentations

The Annual report and other related documents, including fact sheet (in Excel), are also available for download at:

https://ignitisgrupe.lt/en/reports-and-presentations

For additional information, please contact:

Communications

Arturas Ketlerius

+370 620 76076

arturas.ketlerius@ignitis.lt

Investor Relations

Aine Riffel-Grinkeviciene

+370 643 14925

aine.riffel-grinkeviciene@ignitis.lt

Attachments
NAIROBI, Kenya, Feb. 28, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via InvestorWire -- Following the attainment of the Capital Markets Authority (CMA) license, INGOT Africa Ltd (INGOT Brokers) announced the opening of its first office in Nairobi, Kenya, during a celebratory event held at the Movenpick Residences Nairobi at the beginning of 2023.

The CMA license allows the company to operate as a Non-Dealing Online Foreign Exchange Broker under the Capital Markets Act (Cap 485 A of the laws of Kenya) and the Capital Markets (Online Foreign Exchange Trading) Regulations, 2017. This means that the company will be able to pursue its mission of empowering youth in Kenya and surrounding countries by providing transparent and reliable financial brokerage services and helping people redefine their financial goals.

INGOT Brokers is determined about enhancing financial literacy through its education unit designed to teach and train individuals, particularly youth, on investing and trading global financial markets. The unit pays special focus on identifying, educating, and training Introducing Brokers (IBs) and affiliates to grow their online trading services and optimize their potential returns, where it grants them access to utilize INGOT Brokers facilities and benefit from its educational materials, webinars, seminars, and personal training sessions.

The company and its shareholders have obtained licenses from the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC), Jordan Securities Commission (JSC), Financial Services Authority (FSA)  Seychelles, Financial Sector Conduct Authority (FSCA)  South Africa, in addition to Capital Markets Authority (CMA)  Kenya. It is also registered in several countries around the globe, including Saint Vincent and Grenadines, Dubai, and Qatar. INGOT Brokers has physical offices, operation hubs, and/or consultants in Pakistan, UAE, Australia, Jordan, Saint Vincent, Turkey, Thailand, Vietnam, South Africa, Kenya, Seychelles, Iraq, and Qatar. Rules and regulations vary according to the jurisdiction the client is signed under, and should be taken into consideration.

About INGOT Africa Ltd

INGOT Africa Ltd is a premium multi-asset brokerage firm aiming to make financial markets available and accessible to all traders. The company has fostered and sustained a world-class trading environment with the highest quality of online financial services. It provides traders with an award-winning platform, excellent training conditions, significant liquidity, and accessibility to financial markets. It consistently delivers a unique trading experience. These cover a variety of financial derivatives and CFD instruments, including commodities, stocks, indices, ETFs, and currencies.
Dublin, Feb. 28, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Global Enterprise IoT Market Size, Share & Industry Trends Analysis Report By Enterprise Type, By Component (Hardware, Software & Solutions and Services), By End-use, By Regional Outlook and Forecast, 2022 - 2028" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.



The Global Enterprise IoT Market size is expected to reach $681.4 billion by 2028, rising at a market growth of 15.4% CAGR during the forecast period.



The Internet of Things is evolving, and the next stage is called 'Enterprise IoT, ' where businesses are progressively investing in linked physical objects with embedded computing devices to increase operational efficiency, lessen human labor, and speed up business operations.



Businesses can collect and send real-time data to make better business decisions and offer more value to their consumers by connecting physical things to the internet via enterprise IoT investments.



One use case for IoT devices in the healthcare industry is remote patient monitoring. Healthcare practitioners can swiftly identify whether patients require therapy or intervention by keeping track of their vital signs from a distance, improving health outcomes.



Organizations in various industries, including energy, telecom, manufacturing, government, retail, and industrial, expect to profit from business IoT projects because of the technology's potent capabilities.



The market is expected to grow because of the development of technologies like Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Insteon, ZigBee, and others. Launching cutting-edge IoT solutions is prioritized by major industry players like Google LLC, IBM Corporation, and Amazon Web Services to generate good market demand.



To investigate the possibilities of the digital transformation brought on by 5G, wireless networking, and edge computing, for instance, AT&T and IBM Corporation teamed up in February 2022. The cooperation wants to provide industry clients with an engaging environment where they may encounter hybrid cloud technology, physical clouds, and AT.



Market Growth Factors

Increasing Use Of Cutting-Edge Data Analytics And Processing Technologies



The adoption of IoT technology among businesses across multiple business sectors is being accelerated by exposed to multiple data analytics and data processing tools such as massive data analytics, data science, and Hadoop. Data analytics is a technique used to examine both large and small data sets with various data attributes in order to produce valuable findings and useful insights. Moreover, awareness about real-time data & product lifecycle data in business is increasing, which is expected to bolster the growth of the Enterprise IoT market.



The leading players in the market are competing with diverse innovative offerings to remain competitive in the market. The below illustration shows the percentage of revenue shared by some of the leading companies in the market. The leading players of the market are adopting various strategies in order to cater demand coming from the different industries. The key developmental strategies in the market are Partnerships & Collaborations.



Rising Investment In Smart City Projects



As the world shift towards urbanization, the increasing number of smart city projects and growing government investment for the digital ecosystem will raise IoT devices' demand. The platform and devices are utilized for a close check on mobility, infrastructures, and air & water quality to enhance infrastructure, public services, and utilities. Thus, all these factors are driving the growth of Enterprise IoT Market.



Market Restraining Factors

IoT Ecosystem Limitations Related To Data Integrity, Security, and Privacy



IoT technology can be used for a huge variety of things, including collecting biometric data via communication networks and cloud technologies. To communicate and exchange data both internally and with other machines, these devices have individual IP addresses. However, as deployment becomes more advanced, data security and privacy for smart devices, connected devices, mobile devices, and platforms are also expanding. Thus, all these factors are hampering the growth of Enterprise IoT Market.



Component Outlook



Based on Component, the Enterprise IoT Market is classified into Hardware, Software & Solutions, and Services. The software & solutions segment generated a significant revenue share in 2021. One of the key reasons influencing the market growth is the increased adoption of professional IoT services by businesses, including deployment and integration services, consultancy services, and maintenance and support services. Managed service providers have made it possible for IoT technology to be widely used through service-based solutions for managing front-end deployment, manufacturing operations, and choosing the appropriate parts for specific business needs.



Enterprise Type Outlook



Based on enterprise type, the market is classified into large enterprise and small & medium sized enterprise. In 2021, the large enterprise segment will account for a largest portion of sales. The increased usage of big data and the opportunistic market for major corporations can be credited with this segment's growth. Additionally, IoT service providers are concentrating on improving products and services through enhanced offerings like business process integration and service management to cater the requirements of multi-regional and multinational enterprises, which is anticipated to benefit the enterprise IoT industry in the long run.



End-Use Outlook



Based in end-use, the market is categorized into manufacturing, Utilities, Oil & Gas, Transport, IT & Telecomm, BFSI, Healthcare, and Others. In 2021, the transport segment was responsible for a sizeable portion of revenue. The rising utilization of online fleet management systems in the enterprise IoT application is anticipated to alter logistics and transportation. Accessibility to onboard connectivity and real-time data is made possible by the online fleet management system, which ultimately increases transportation effectiveness and security



Regional Outlook



Based on the geography, the Enterprise IoT Market is classified into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and LAMEA. The North America registered the highest market share in 2021. The region's early embrace of cutting-edge technologies including big data, IoT, ML, AI, cloud, and mobility, is anticipated to drive market expansion. Additionally, firms in the area are eager to integrate IoT technologies into their procedures to boost operational effectiveness. Additionally, the US government is working to raise the use of immersive technology and hence the area's market share.

Key Market Players

List of Companies Profiled in the Report:

Amazon.com, Inc.

Cisco Systems, Inc.

IBM Corporation

Intel Corporation

Microsoft Corporation

Oracle Corporation

SAP SE

Siemens AG

Robert Bosch GmbH

PTC, Inc.

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/z9y6rr-enterprise?w=12

About ResearchAndMarkets.com

ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends.

Attachment
Dublin, Feb. 28, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Automotive Intercooler Market - Global Industry Size, Share, Trends, Opportunity and Forecast, 2018-2028 Segmented By Vehicle Type, By Type, By Engine Type, By Design Type, By Demand Category, By Region" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.



Global automotive intercooler market is projected to register CAGR growth in the forecast years, 2024-2028 on the account of growth factors like surging demands for efficient car engines. Increasing demand for automobiles for various end-use like personal vehicles, commercial vehicles, etc. is further driving the growth of the global automotive intercooler market in the upcoming five years.

Demands for managing the rising temperature of automobile engines while driving by cooling the compressed air is a major application of the automotive intercooler, and thus the demands are further supporting the growth of the global automotive intercooler market in the next five years.



Automotive intercoolers are specifically designed automotive systems that have applications to cool the compressed air that generates during the movement of the engines while driving. The engine moving along with the fuel consumption creates very high temperatures that may lead to lower efficiency of the engines or in extreme conditions may cause the whole automobile to catch fire. The intercoolers are designed to reduce fuel consumption while increasing the power and efficiency of the engine.



Expanding Automotive Industry Drives Market Growth



Growing demands for personal cars, commercial cars, other commercial vehicles, electric vehicles, etc. are adding up to the growth of the global automotive industry. Rising sales, increasing production of automobiles, and increasing disposable income among the population are anticipated to drive the growth of the global automotive intercooler market in the upcoming five years. Although in the past three years, the industry has experienced minor drops in the production of automobiles due to COVID-19.



The pandemic situation decreased the total production of automobiles by 16% in 2020 as compared to the year 2019. Total automobile production in the year 2020 was 77,621,582 units whereas the count was as high as 91,786,861 units in 2019. Overcoming the decrease in production, the automotive industry is anticipated to bounce back to growth in the upcoming five years as the lockdown restrictions are lifted and the manufacturing of the automotive has started again.



Research & Development Promises Market Growth



With the increasing demand for environment-friendly automobiles, and their parts due to rising concerns for the depleting environment, automobile manufacturers are actively investing their resources and finances into research and development of innovative products, and countermeasures to decrease the pollution output from the automobiles and thereby aiding the growth of the global automotive intercooler market in the future five years.



Government support, increased investment in the sector along with favorable schemes are anticipated to further support the growth of the global automotive intercooler market in the next five years. In the United States along with the complete North American region, government scheme like the CAFE standard was introduced in 2016, which requires a car to be 30% more fuel-efficient. This, forces the automobile manufacturers, to improve the turbocharger and intercooler technologies, and thus aid the growth of the global automotive intercooler market in the upcoming five years.



Market Segmentation



In this report, global automotive intercooler market has been segmented into the following categories, in addition to the industry trends which have also been detailed below:



Automotive Intercooler Market, By Vehicle Type:

Two-Wheeler

Passenger Car

Light Commercial Vehicle

Medium & Heavy Commercial Vehicle

OTR

Automotive Intercooler Market, By Type:

Air to Air Intercooler

Water to Air Intercooler

Automotive Intercooler Market, By Engine Type:

Supercharged Engine

Turbocharged Engine

Automotive Intercooler Market, By Design Type:

Front Mounted

Top Mounted

Side Mounted

Automotive Intercooler Market, By Demand Category:

OEM

Replacement

Automotive Intercooler Market, By Region:

North America

United States

Mexico

Canada

Europe & CIS

Germany

France

United Kingdom

Spain

Italy

Belgium

Russia

Asia-Pacific

China

India

Japan

Malaysia

Thailand

Indonesia

Vietnam

South Korea

Middle East & Africa

South Africa

Saudi Arabia

UAE

Egypt

South America

Brazil

Argentina

Colombia

Competitive Landscape



Company Profiles: Detailed analysis of the major companies present in global automotive intercooler market.



Available Customizations:



With the given market data, the publisher offers customizations according to a company's specific needs.



A selection of companies mentioned in this report includes

Valeo Group

MAHLE GmbH

Treadstone Performance Engineering Inc.

Bell Intercoolers

Garrett Motion Inc.

PWR Holdings Limited

Garrett Motion Inc. (Honeywell)

Kale Oto Radyator

Pro Alloy Motorsport Ltd

Modine Manufacturing Company

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/xolsvk

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.
TORONTO, Feb. 28, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Wallbridge Mining Company Limited (TSX:WM, OTCQX:WLBMF) (Wallbridge or the Company) is pleased to report additional results from its 2022 drilling program at the Companys 100%-owned Fenelon gold project (Fenelon) that have expanded the satellite Ripley Zone towards the southwest. In addition, new prospective targets have been identified along the Sunday Lake Deformation Zone (SLDZ).



Following a two-month pause in drilling, two rigs were deployed in early February to commence exploration drilling in the vicinity of the Fenelon gold deposit; a third drill has now been mobilized to test newly identified gold targets along the SLDZ.

Building on the multi-million-ounce resource we have already established at Fenelon and Martiniere, our 2023 exploration program is targeting the discovery of new gold zones on the Companys highly prospective Detour-Fenelon Gold Trend land package, said Attila Pentek, Wallbridges Vice President, Exploration. Positive drill results at Ripley, a satellite zone located one kilometre south of the main Fenelon deposit, reinforce the potential for further discoveries along the SLDZ, which remains largely untested towards the east and west. The upcoming drill program will focus on testing extensions of the main host rocks and structures that control known gold mineralized trends in this region using large-spaced drill step-outs.

Results reported today (Table 1) successfully expanded the Ripley zone to the southwest and support the potential for further gold mineralization along the SLDZ. These new drill results and geological interpretation indicate potential folding of the host rocks immediately south of the Ripley Zone, providing a high-priority drill target.

Ripley Zone Highlight Assay Results FA-22-490 27.75 g/t Au over 1.50 metres, FA-22-514 1.93 g/t Au over 12.50 metres, including 29.94 g/t Au over 0.50 metre; FA-22-537 1.53 g/t Au over 16.50 metres, including 4.85 g/t Au over 3.00 metres; FA-22-529 1.61 g/t Au over 12.20 metres, including 2.87 g/t Au over 3.20 metres.

About the Ripley Zone

The Ripley Zone straddles the northern contact of the SLDZ, in contrast to the main Fenelon deposit, which is located along the Jeremie Fault, a secondary splay of the SLDZ (see Figure 1). Agnicos Detour Lake Mine is also located along the northern edge of the SLDZ, emphasizing the importance of this structural horizon.

Sporadic gold mineralization was first discovered at Ripley in the summer of 2019, following up on the discovery of the Fenelon Area 51 and Tabasco/Cayenne Zones. The drilling program conducted by Wallbridge in 2021-22 further delineated the mineralized footprint of the Ripley Zone. Systematic drilling also revealed the continuity and pervasive nature of the gold mineralization.

The gold-bearing system at Ripley has now been traced for a lateral distance of over 750 metres, and has only been tested down to a vertical depth of approximately 500 metres. Exploration potential remains open in most directions, both laterally and at depth.

Important geological observations at Ripley also include the spatial proximity of gold mineralization with Timiskaming-type sedimentary rocks. In the Southern Abitibi, such units are known to provide excellent markers for structures that acted as mineralizing gold fluid pathways (e.g., Timmins and Kirkland Lake gold camps). This new information will be useful to define additional prospective targets regionally.

2023 Drill Program

Very limited historic drill testing was conducted along the SLDZ outside a 1.5 kilometre strike length corridor centered on the Ripley Zone (see Figure 2). Several targets were identified within a few kilometres of the Ripley Zone that, based on geology and geophysics, are interpreted to be favorable for the deposition of gold mineralization.

Wallbridges 2023 drilling strategy will aim to evaluate the extensions of known mineralized zones using large-spaced step-outs. In addition, exploration drilling along the SLDZ will focus on conceptual targets, including the potential folding of the Jeremie diorite intrusion immediately south of the Ripley Zone.

The results reported in todays press release are from 14 drill holes completed in 2022. All figures and a table with drill hole information of recently completed holes are posted on the Companys website under Current Program at https://wallbridgemining.com/our-projects/fenelon-gold/.



Figure 1. Detour-Fenelon Gold Trend





Figure 2. Fenelon Gold, Total Magnetic Intensity and Geology





Figure 3. Fenelon Gold. A) Fenelon Plan View and B) Ripley Zone Plan View





Figure 4. Ripley Zone West, Cross-Section, 150-metre corridor

Table 1. Recent Drill Assay Highlights for Ripley Zone (1) Drill Hole From To Length Au Au Cut(2) VG(3) Zone/Corridor (m) (m) (m) (g/t) (g/t) RIPLEY FA-22-490 197.50 199.00 1.50 27.75 27.75 Ripley FA-22-512 634.60 636.00 1.40 9.67 9.67 Ripley FA-22-514 78.00 97.00 19.00 0.56 0.56 Ripley FA-22-514 258.50 271.00 12.50 1.93 1.93 VG Ripley Including 261.20 261.70 0.50 29.94 29.94 VG Ripley FA-22-516 No Significant Mineralization (4) Ripley FA-22-519 108.70 110.90 2.20 3.92 3.92 Ripley FA-22-522 No Significant Mineralization (4) Ripley FA-22-525 817.50 819.00 1.50 6.23 6.23 Ripley FA-22-527 430.00 434.50 4.50 1.56 1.56 Ripley FA-22-527 479.50 481.00 1.50 7.32 7.32 Ripley FA-22-528 319.50 324.00 4.50 1.49 1.49 Ripley FA-22-529 376.00 388.20 12.20 1.61 1.61 Ripley Including 385.00 388.20 3.20 2.78 2.78 Ripley FA-22-529 596.50 598.00 1.50 3.92 3.92 Ripley FA-22-533 No Significant Mineralization (4) Ripley FA-22-534 No Significant Mineralization (4) Ripley FA-22-537 228.00 241.50 13.50 0.45 0.45 Ripley FA-22-537 466.50 483.00 16.50 1.53 1.53 Ripley Including 475.50 478.50 3.00 4.85 4.85 Ripley FA-22-537 532.70 533.55 0.85 7.35 7.35 Ripley FA-22-538 No Significant Mineralization (4) Ripley (1) Table includes only assay results received since the latest press release dated December 8, 2022. (2) Au cut at: 75 g/t Au for the Ripley Zone. (3) Intervals containing visible gold ("VG"). (4) Metal factor of at least 5 g/t*m and minimum weighted average composite grade of 0.45 g/t Au within the 2023 MRE open pit shell and 1.5 g/t Au for outside open pit shell. Note: True widths are estimated to be 50-80% of the reported core length intervals.

Assay QA/QC and Qualified Persons

Drill core samples from the ongoing drill program at Fenelon are cut and bagged either on-site or by contractors and transported to SGS Canada Inc. or Bureau Veritas Commodities Canada Ltd. for analysis. Samples, standards and blanks are included for quality assurance and quality control, were prepared and analyzed at the laboratories. Samples are crushed to 90% less than 2mm. A 1kg riffle split is pulverized to 85% passing 75 microns. 50g samples are analyzed by fire assay and AAS or ICP. At SGS and Bureau Veritas, samples >10g/t Au are automatically analyzed by fire assay with gravimetric finish or screen metallic analysis. To test for coarse free gold and additional quality assurance and quality control, Wallbridge requests screen metallic analysis for samples containing visible gold. These and future assay results may vary from time to time due to re-analysis for quality assurance and quality control.

The Qualified Person responsible for the technical content of this press release is Lucas Briao Koth, M.Sc., P.Geo., Senior Project Geologist of Wallbridge.

About Wallbridge Mining

Wallbridge is focused on creating value through the exploration and sustainable development of gold projects along the Detour-Fenelon Gold Trend while respecting the environment and communities where it operates.

Wallbridges flagship project, Fenelon Gold (Fenelon), is located on the highly prospective Detour-Fenelon Gold Trend Property in Quebecs Northern Abitibi region. An updated mineral resource estimate completed in January 2023 yielded significantly improved grades and additional ounces at the 100%-owned Fenelon and Martiniere properties, incorporating a combined 3.05 million ounces of Indicated gold resources and 2.35 million ounces of Inferred gold resources. Fenelon and Martiniere are located within an approximate 830 km2 exploration land package controlled by Wallbridge. The Company believes that these two deposits have good potential for economic development, especially given their proximity to existing hydro-electric power and transportation infrastructure.

In addition, Wallbridge believes that the extensive land package is extremely prospective for the discovery of additional gold deposits.

Wallbridge also holds a 19.9% interest in the common shares of Archer Exploration Corp. (Archer) as a result of the sale of the Companys portfolio of nickel assets in Ontario and Quebec in November of 2022.

Wallbridge will continue to focus on its core Detour-Fenelon Gold Trend Property while enabling shareholders to participate in the potential economic upside in Archer.

Wallbridge Mining Company Limited

Marz Kord, P. Eng., M. Sc., MBA

President & CEO

Tel: (705) 6829297 ext. 251

Email: mkord@wallbridgemining.com

Victoria Vargas, B.Sc. (Hon.) Economics, MBA

Investor Relations Advisor

Email: vvargas@wallbridgemining.com

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Information

This press release contains forward-looking statements or information (collectively, FLI) within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. FLI is based on expectations, estimates, projections, and interpretations as at the date of this press release.

All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein are FLI that involve various risks, assumptions, estimates and uncertainties. Generally, FLI can be identified by the use of statements that include words such as seeks, believes, anticipates, plans, continues, budget, scheduled, estimates, expects, forecasts, intends, projects, predicts, proposes, "potential", targets and variations of such words and phrases, or by statements that certain actions, events or results may, will, could, would, should or might, be taken, occur or be achieved.

FLI herein includes, but is not limited to, statements regarding the potential future performance of Archer common shares, future drill results; the Companys ability to convert inferred resources into measured and indicated resources; environmental matters; stakeholder engagement and relationships; parameters and methods used to estimate the mineral resource estimates (each an MRE) at the Fenelon and Martiniere properties (collectively the Deposits); the prospects, if any, of the Deposits; future drilling at the Deposits; and the significance of historic exploration activities and results.

FLI is designed to help you understand managements current views of its near- and longer-term prospects, and it may not be appropriate for other purposes. FLI by their nature are based on assumptions and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance, or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such FLI. Although the FLI contained in this press release is based upon what management believes, or believed at the time, to be reasonable assumptions, the Company cannot assure shareholders and prospective purchasers of securities of the Company that actual results will be consistent with such FLI, as there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended, and neither the Company nor any other person assumes responsibility for the accuracy and completeness of any such FLI. Except as required by law, the Company does not undertake, and assumes no obligation, to update or revise any such FLI contained herein to reflect new events or circumstances, except as may be required by law. Unless otherwise noted, this press release has been prepared based on information available as of the date of this press release. Accordingly, you should not place undue reliance on the FLI or information contained herein.

Furthermore, should one or more of the risks, uncertainties or other factors materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described in FLI.

Assumptions upon which FLI is based, without limitation, include the results of exploration activities, the Companys financial position and general economic conditions; the ability of exploration activities to accurately predict mineralization; the accuracy of geological modelling; the ability of the Company to complete further exploration activities; the legitimacy of title and property interests in the Deposits; the accuracy of key assumptions, parameters or methods used to estimate the MREs; the ability of the Company to obtain required approvals; the evolution of the global economic climate; metal prices; environmental expectations; community and non-governmental actions; any impacts of COVID-19 on the Deposits; and, the Companys ability to secure required funding. Risks and uncertainties about Wallbridge's business are more fully discussed in the disclosure materials filed with the securities regulatory authorities in Canada, which are available at www.sedar.com.

Information Concerning Estimates of Mineral Resources

The disclosure in this press release and referred to herein was prepared in accordance with NI 43-101 which differs significantly from the requirements of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"). The terms "measured mineral resource", "indicated mineral resource" and "inferred mineral resource" used in this press release are in reference to the mining terms defined in the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum Standards (the "CIM Definition Standards"), which definitions have been adopted by NI 43-101. Accordingly, information contained in this press release providing descriptions of our mineral deposits in accordance with NI 43-101 may not be comparable to similar information made public by other U.S. companies subject to the United States federal securities laws and the rules and regulations thereunder.

Investors are cautioned not to assume that any part or all of mineral resources will ever be converted into reserves. Pursuant to CIM Definition Standards, "inferred mineral resources" are that part of a mineral resource for which quantity and grade or quality are estimated on the basis of limited geological evidence and sampling. Such geological evidence is sufficient to imply but not verify geological and grade or quality continuity. An inferred mineral resource has a lower level of confidence than that applying to an indicated mineral resource and must not be converted to a mineral reserve. However, it is reasonably expected that the majority of inferred mineral resources could be upgraded to indicated mineral resources with continued exploration. Under Canadian rules, estimates of inferred mineral resources may not form the basis of feasibility or pre-feasibility studies, except in rare cases. Investors are cautioned not to assume that all or any part of an inferred mineral resource is economically or legally mineable. Disclosure of "contained ounces" in a resource is permitted disclosure under Canadian regulations; however, the SEC normally only permits issuers to report mineralization that does not constitute "reserves" by SEC standards as in place tonnage and grade without reference to unit measures.

Canadian standards, including the CIM Definition Standards and NI 43-101, differ significantly from standards in the SEC Industry Guide 7. Effective February 25, 2019, the SEC adopted new mining disclosure rules under subpart 1300 of Regulation S-K of the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "SEC Modernization Rules"), with compliance required for the first fiscal year beginning on or after January 1, 2021. The SEC Modernization Rules replace the historical property disclosure requirements included in SEC Industry Guide 7. As a result of the adoption of the SEC Modernization Rules, the SEC now recognizes estimates of "measured mineral resources", "indicated mineral resources" and "inferred mineral resources". Information regarding mineral resources contained or referenced in this press release may not be comparable to similar information made public by companies that report according to U.S. standards. While the SEC Modernization Rules are purported to be "substantially similar" to the CIM Definition Standards, readers are cautioned that there are differences between the SEC Modernization Rules and the CIM Definitions 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 resource estimates under the standards adopted under the SEC Modernization Rules.

Photos accompanying this announcement are available at

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/6235c468-46c4-4cec-a4d1-64ae5ae1a478

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/e02b410f-84f7-4b17-92dd-d597325aca2c

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WAYNE, Pa., Feb. 28, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Judge Consulting and Copley Consulting Group (a Judge Consulting Company) are excited to announce they are now a certified HubSpot Partner. HubSpot is a leading customer relationship management (CRM) platform known for helping companies work with partner experts to grow their business through inbound software, services, and support. The HubSpot Solutions Partner Program is a network of experts that offer CRM and IT services.

As a certified HubSpot Solutions Partner, Judge Consulting and Copley Consulting can provide consulting on business and technology strategy and technology implementation that handles CRM, systems integrations, or IT services.

This partnership enables us to offer a broader solution to our customers, said John Battaglia, President and Chief Technology Officer of Judge Consulting. We can now help clients integrate HubSpot with existing business platforms, applications, and software. We can also set up custom reporting within a HubSpot system and integrate HubSpot with existing data warehouses to keep data consistent. All of this helps our clients drive better outcomes and improve the relationship between their sales and marketing teams.

About Judge Consulting: Judge Consulting is the consulting division of The Judge Group, an international leader in business technology consulting, talent solutions, and learning and development. Serving over 60 of the Fortune 100 through our deep technical understanding and industry influence, Judge Consulting helps its clients close the gap between technology and desired business outcomes by bringing together the best talent, innovative solutions, and a broad array of services.

About Copley Consulting Group: Copley Consulting Group, a Judge Consulting Company, is headquartered in suburban Philadelphia, located at 151 South Warner Road, Wayne, PA 19087. The office can be reached at 1-800-650-0035. Copley is a recognized leader in the strategy and implementation of ERP and business intelligence solutions in the United States. They pair small- to mid-size manufacturers and distributors with the foremost experts in software development and project management for the modernization and growth of organizations.



CONTACT

Sharyn Haggerty

Copley Consulting Group

855.884.5305

shaggerty@copleycg.com
CALGARY, Alberta, Feb. 28, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Traction Uranium Corp. (CSE: TRAC) (OTC: TRCTF) (FRA: Z1K) (the Company or Traction) is pleased to announce that, along with UGreenco Energy Corp., it has engaged (i) JP Enterprises Inc. (JP Enterprises) (ii) Full Force Diamond Drilling Ltd. (Full Force) (iii) Aurora Geosciences Ltd. (Aurora) (collectively, the Contractors) for the companys upcoming winter 2023, 2,000 metre diamond drill program at the Key Lake South Property (KLS Property), such contractors to plan for mobilization for the first week of March, 2023.



JP Enterprises has been providing camps and support for companies conducting mineral exploration for over 20 years. It is owned by Jonathan Proulx, who is a member of the Lac La Ronge Indian Band. JP Enterprises is proud to provide permanent full-time employment for several Lac La Ronge Indian Band members. Over 90% of their workforce are Aboriginal People. Many of them have worked in these camps their entire careers. They understand the amount of hard work that needs to be done and that timelines need to be met.

Full Force is a diamond drilling company operating across Canada and the USA with a fleet of helicopter portable, skid mounted and track mounted drills. They have an experienced crew who have worked with our uranium exploration peers in the Athabasca Basin and is devoted to offering exceptional service from start to finish. Full Force is COR certified and is committed to maintaining healthy and safe worksites while minimizing their environmental impact. Strict policies and daily hazard assessments are in place to ensure the health and safety of employees and contractors.

Aurora Geosciences was built on mineral discovery, founded in 1981 the company is focused on delivering excellence in mineral exploration; conceiving and applying new exploration models and adapting new geophysical technology to meet the trials of working in challenging conditions. As an independent contractor, Aurora will provide geological services to support the 2023 drill program at KLS and be responsible for managing the drilling component of the program.

Lester Esteban, Chief Executive Officer, stated, With temporary work camp and drill permit in hand, our team is looking forward to working with JP, Full Force and Aurora to unlock the uranium potential at KLS. Lots of work has been put into planning and designing a comprehensive drill package to test for an unconformity hosted uranium deposit and drilling below the black soil and radioactive swamp. As the program commences, we encourage readers to follow our progress by signing up for our news alerts and following us on social media to stay up to date on our upcoming 2023 KLS winter Phase 1 diamond drill program.





Figure 1. Snow clearing efforts begin, crew working on path to gravel pit at Key Lake South Project

About the Upcoming KLS Drill Program:

Phase 1 diamond drilling is planned with 2,000 metres, targeting areas with extreme surface uranium anomalies, including the black soil anomaly (see Figure 2), the radioactive swamp and the Athabasca Sandstone mapped in 1973 (referenced from Assessment Report # 74H04-001, (SMAD) Saskatchewan Mineral Assessment Database). Most of the drill targets are situated at the edge of the broad gravity-lows identified in the ground gravity survey of 2022.

About the Black Soil and Radioactive Swamp:

The previously unknown radioactive anomalies discovered by Tractions exploration team during the ground program of 2022 (see news release dated September 27, 2022) were the radioactive swamp and black soil. Sampling of the black soil, where the horizon had an observed thickness of approximately 30 centimetres, returned 0.93 wt.% U308, 1180 ppm Cobalt, 625 ppm Nickel and 196 ppm Boron (see news release dated November 14, 2022). Further sampling is required, the radioactive swamp is accessible in the winter when the swamp is frozen and may host uranium anomalies that may be similar to the black soil. An overburden drilling program is being considered to test for uranium mineralization near the surface in the overburden/till.





Figure 2. Location of the Black Soil surface radioactive anomaly within the greater surface uranium anomaly. The background shows ground concentration of uranium from the airborne gamma-ray spectrometry survey (Ford et al., 2006*).

*Ford, K.L., Carson, J.M., Coyle, M.,Delaney, G., and Shives, R.B.K. 2006: Geophysical Series  NTS 74H/4  Zimmer Lake, Saskatchewan; Geological Survey of Canada, Open File 5038, Saskatchewan Industry and Resources, Open File 2006-12, scale 1:50 000.

About the Property

The KLS Property is located approximately 6 kilometers to the southwest of the Key Lake uranium mill and in close vicinity to modern uranium mining facilities and highway transportation in northern Saskatchewan. Geologically, it sits at the southeastern edge of the Proterozoic Athabasca Basin. Recent discovery of Triple R and Arrow deposits has demonstrated further potential of high-grade uranium at the edge of the basin.

About Traction Uranium Corp.

Traction Uranium Corp. is in the business of mineral exploration and the development of uranium discovery prospects in Canada, including its three uranium projects in the world-renowned Athabasca Region.

We invite you to find out more about our exploration-stage activities across Canadas Western region at www.tractionuranium.com .

Qualified Person

The scientific and technical content of this news release has been reviewed and approved by Linglin Chu, M.Sc., P. Geo., who is a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101, Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects, and is a director of the Company and Chief Executive Officer of UGreenco Energy Corp. The information provides an indication of the exploration potential of the KLS Property but may not be representative of expected results.

On Behalf of The Board of Directors

Lester Esteban

Chief Executive Officer

+1 (604) 561 2687

info@tractionuranium.com

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release includes forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties, including with respect to the Companys phase 1 diamond drilling program and required sampling. The Company provides forward-looking statements for the purpose of conveying information about current expectations and plans relating to the future and readers are cautioned that such statements may not be appropriate for other purposes. By its nature, this information is subject to inherent risks and uncertainties that may be general or specific and which give rise to the possibility that expectations, forecasts, predictions, projections, or conclusions will not prove to be accurate, that assumptions may not be correct, and that objectives, strategic goals and priorities will not be achieved. These risks and uncertainties include risks that the phase 1 diamond drilling program and required sampling will not be completed as contemplated, or at all, risks that the phase 1 diamond drilling program and required sampling may not yield the types of information anticipated, and those risks identified and reported in the Companys public filings under the Companys SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events, or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such information will prove to be accurate as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise unless required by law.

The CSE has neither approved nor disapproved the information contained herein.



Photos accompanying this announcement are available at

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NEW YORK, Feb. 28, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Logical Buildings, an AI technology solutions leader in sustainability, smart building and virtual power plant software, today announced the impact of its GridRewards platform during 2022. Using the free app to track and lower their energy use when requested, more than 9,000 Con Edison, Orange and Rockland Utility customers in New York City, Westchester, Rockland and Orange Counties, NY received cash payments, lowered carbon emissions and provided measurable support to their local utility via demand response (DR) services.



During summer 2022, the peak utility season, a record-high number of residents, spanning both single and multifamily residences, enrolled and participated in GridRewards events. These participating customers now account for the majority of Con Edisons residential demand response participants, a share that is anticipated to increase with enrollment for 2023 GridRewards season currently underway.

GridRewards users were prompted to adopt smarter energy use measures during Con Edisons June-September peak energy period. When high energy demand was forecasted, GridRewards offered users opportunities to earn money by reducing energy use at peak times. This can be achieved through simple actions including waiting to perform energy-intensive tasks such as running dishwashers and charging electric vehicles (EVs) until designated off-peak periods.

On average, each 2022 GridRewards user in Westchester and New York City received a direct cash payment of $80 from Logical Buildings, with the top participants earning well over $500. The company delivered hundreds of thousands of dollars in total rewards to a record-high number of participating customers during the summer peak season.

GridRewards users are also helping to create a more stable and decarbonized energy grid for their entire region. During the 2022 peak season, collective changes to user energy usage reduced the energy load on the local grid by a collective 30MW, effectively creating a distributed virtual power plant (VPP) and reducing the need for an expensive, polluting, fossil-fuel-powered peaker plant.

Users are not just earning money and reducing their energy bills, theyre mitigating utility infrastructure costs by reducing the need for expensive peaker plants to support the grid during periods of high demand. Our team and customers will continue to emphasize these impacts as we ramp up GridRewards enrollment efforts for the 2023 season, said Jeff Hendler, CEO of Logical Buildings. With GridRewards, were creating a network of community climate leaders ready to take control of their energy use for the betterment of the environment.

In Westchester County, Logical Buildings has partnered with non-profit sustainability consortium, Sustainable Westchester for both a single family home and commercial business pilot program that utilizes GridRewards, solar and residential energy storage. During summer 2022, users in the Sustainable Westchester program had a combined load reduction of 7MW, up from an estimated 3.5-4MW in 2021, enough electricity to instantaneously power 25,000 homes. Municipalities also participated in GridRewards, by enrolling their Village Halls, Recreation Centers, Libraries and Fire Department and by encouraging their residents to get involved.

Together, Logical Buildings and Sustainable Westchester have seen another year of impactful results driven by Westchester County residents using Grid Rewards," said Jim Kuster, Interim Executive Director at Sustainable Westchester. The growth in users, their commitment to engaging with the platform and taking action when prompted proves that they believe in our shared goal of reducing carbon emissions which also provides valuable grid services.

In addition to GridRewards for individual residential customers, Logical Buildings is engaged with multifamily real estate companies across greater NYC including UDR and AvalonBay Using the SmartKit AI platform, which draws on data from existing AMI meters, building controls and IoT networks, building operators can engage in similar energy-saving and revenue-generating opportunities at their properties. User growth, engagement and data acquisition across both GridRewards and SmartKit AI will only become more essential as many building operators seek to improve building efficiency and lower emissions to comply with upcoming regulations, including Local Law 97 , which sets strict emissions limits for multifamily buildings starting in January 2024.

The enrollment deadline for residential users looking to receive the full benefits of participation in 2023 GridRewards is April 1, 2023. The app is free to download and theres no cost to enroll or participate. You can find additional information on the GridRewards website.

About GridRewards

GridRewards was developed in 2019 by Logical Buildings , an AI technology solutions leader in sustainability, smart building and virtual power plant software and a solutions provider for the built world. The firms revolutionary technologies combat climate change by empowering residential, commercial, and industrial energy users to earn money, enhance building health and reduce carbon footprints through user-friendly, award-winning mobile apps. GridRewards was initially introduced as a digital program in 2019. It was launched as a free app in spring 2021 and is downloadable via the Apple Store and Google Play. Logical Buildings, which was founded in 2012 as a smart building technology software developer, IoT and DER systems integrator, and smart building services provider, currently operates in major national urban markets, including New York, Boston, Dallas, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Washington, D.C., Camden, Chicago, and Miami, and more. To learn more, visit logicalbuildings.com and follow Logical Buildings on LinkedIn .

Media inquiries:

Logical@fischtankpr.com

Photos accompanying this announcement are available at

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/e00a1b94-ad2a-4269-9707-cea33930752b

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/a4acc448-2417-4790-a935-c9a80d211925




New York, US, Feb. 28, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- According to a comprehensive research report by Market Research Future (MRFR),  Smart Toilet Market Research Report: By Type, Connectivity, Usage, Distribution Channel and Region - Forecast Till 2030, the market is anticipated to acquire a valuation of approximately USD 22.20 Billion by 2030. The reports further predict the market to flourish at a robust CAGR of over 15.12% during the assessment timeframe.

Smart Toilet Market Analysis:

The smart toilet market is witnessing vast investments in the commercial development of intelligent toilet prototypes. The market delivers high premiums for manufacturers due to the shift and adoption of smart toilets by high-net-worth customers. Besides, the extensive uptake of smart toilets and the flourishing construction sector are the prime determinants of substantial market growth.

The construction industry is experiencing substantial growth owing to growing per capita income and the growing acceptability of innovative smart technologies. The growing influence of the media and fashion industries is generating a surge in demand for the industry. Factors substantiating the market growth include changing lifestyles and growing per capita income.

Smart toilets offer significant advantages with various efficient sensors incorporated in their systems, such as automatic flush and sensing the water requirement for flushing. This feature reduces the amount of water used compared to a conventional toilet and automatically shuts off when they sense a potential overflow and detects a leak and alerts via a smart device, which can save on utility costs.

These products can optimize water and electrical energy usage, making them a hygienic and convenient option for buyers. Intelligent toilet seats can auto-open, close, heat up, and even clean and deodorize themselves. It has been observed that installing smart bathroom products has become a style statement. These factors, along with the rapid economic growth and improving lifestyles worldwide, are projected to act as a significant tailwind for the global smart toilet market.

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Players leading the smart toilet market include

Kohler Co.

Toto Ltd

Roca Sanitario S.A,

GWA Group Limited

LIXIL Group Corporation

Duravit AG

Villeroy & Boch

Jomoo Group

Huida Sanitary Ware Co. Ltd.

Dongpeng Ceramic, among others.

Report Scope:

Report Metric Details Revenue forecast in 2030 USD 22.20 Billion Growth Rate CAGR of 15.12% from 2022 to 2030 Base Year 2021 Study Period 2022-2030 Key Market Opportunities The introduction of new products and the increasing awareness among consumers Key Market Drivers Rising concerns regarding hygiene and contagious diseases.

Browse In-depth Market Research Report (99 Pages) on Smart Toilet Market:

https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/smart-toilet-market-5720



Industry Trends

Growing urbanization, technological advancements, and economic growth have significantly changed people's lifestyles, which has increased the demand for convenient, sanitary facilities and the trend toward innovative concepts. Besides, rising concerns regarding hygiene and contagious diseases are boosting the demand for smart toilets.

Spurring rise in corporate offices, hectic work cultures of the IT industry, and large employee sizes encourage enterprise management teams to adopt the demand for more convenient sanitary wares and smart toilets. The smart toilet market size is also boosted by the expanding construction industry in developed countries, witnessing increased commercial and residential construction activities.

The construction sector benefits from rising disposable income and government spending on huge infrastructural projects. Smart toilets are more expensive than conventional ones, as several high-end components are used in smart toilets, which increases the overall market price.

Factors such as the high implementation costs, wide preference for traditional toilets over smart toilets, and vast presence of sanitary ware product manufacturers are key factors restricting the growth of the smart toilet market on a global scale. There are several high-end components used in smart toilets. Fluctuations in the prices and the demand-supply gap in various key components across countries could pose major challenges to the market players.

Ask To Expert:

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Segments

The smart toilet market report is segmented into types, connectivity, usages, distribution channels, and regions. The smart toilet type segment is sub-segmented into wall-hung toilets, close-coupled, one-piece toilets, single-floor-standing toilets, and others. Among these, the wall-hung toilets segment accounts for the largest market share.

The connectivity segment is sub-segmented into Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and others. The usage segment is sub-segmented into commercial and residential. The distribution channel segment is sub-segmented into online and offline. The region segment is sub-segmented into Asia-Pacific, Americas, Europe, and rest-of-the-world.

Regional Analysis

Europe commands a large share of the global smart toilet market. Rapid advances in smart toilet technology and high investments by the government to develop technologies drive market growth. Besides, the increasing awareness of the benefits of smart toilets and the importance of hygienic sanitary facilities foster the smart toilet market demand.

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Competitive Landscape

The smart toilet market represents a bimodal nature and is brand intensive. Marketing expenditure accounts for a large part of the sales, and players engage celebrities to endorse their products. Social media forms a part of the marketing efforts, and large social media campaigns are addressed towards the purpose. These players focus on optimizing social awareness to ensure the success of marketing efforts.

The selection of the marketing channel is also an important factor for the success of products. Targeted advertisements are expected to yield higher returns than untargeted mass advertisements. Manufacturers of smart toilets use specialized distribution channels and high-end stores to maintain the sanguinity of product quality.

Smart toilets with artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities enabling disease surveillance with every flush are trending in the market. They can analyze stool samples for signs of acute or chronic gastrointestinal disease, such as infections, inflammatory bowel disease, or bleeding. Industry players strive to obtain commercial development licenses for smart toilet prototypes.

For instance, on Jan. 31, 2023, TOTO, a leading global provider of plumbing solutions, announced that it has charged back to Las Vegas Kitchen & Bath Industry Show (KBIS) 2023 with exciting new products for residential and commercial bathroom designs. The company focuses on meeting peoples' beauty, comfort, and cleanliness needs while conserving natural resources.

Related Reports:

Power over Ethernet Chipsets Market Research Report: By Component, By Technology, Application, By Vertical - Forecast till 2030

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Semiconductor IP Market Advancement, Target Audience, Growth Prospects and Segmentation

Radio Frequency Integrated Circuit Market Growth, Competitive Analysis, Business Opportunities, And Regional Forecast To 2030

About Market Research Future:



Market Research Future (MRFR) is a global market research company that takes pride in its services, offering a complete and accurate analysis regarding diverse markets and consumers worldwide. Market Research Future has the distinguished objective of providing the optimal quality research and granular research to clients. Our market research studies by products, services, technologies, applications, end users, and market players for global, regional, and country level market segments, enable our clients to see more, know more, and do more, which help answer your most important questions.
English French

MONTREAL, Feb. 28, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The CSL Group (CSL) is pleased to announce it has been named one of Montreal's Top Employers for the fifth year in a row. The annual competition, conducted by Mediacorp Canada Inc., recognizes employers in the Montreal metropolitan area that offer exceptional workplaces and progressive human resources policies.



Among this years impressive list of contenders, CSL stood out for its commitment to employee well-being and professional growth, which includes comprehensive health and wellness programs, flexible work arrangements, and ongoing training and development opportunities.

"We are thrilled to be once again recognized as one of Montreal's Top Employers," said Stephanie Aubourg, CSLs Chief Human Resources Officer. "This achievement reflects our ongoing efforts to create a workplace culture that fosters employee engagement, satisfaction, and professional growth. We are committed to investing in our employees and providing them with the support and resources they need to thrive."

In addition to its focus on employee well-being, CSL's commitment to sustainability and community engagement fosters pride and purpose among employees who are passionate about making a positive impact. CSL's culture of innovation also provides employees with the opportunity to be at the forefront of industry developments, working on cutting-edge technologies and solutions that are transforming the marine transportation industry.

"We are proud to be part of the Montreal community and to contribute to the city's economic and social development," added Louis Martel, CSLs President and CEO. "We are committed to continuing our efforts to create a positive impact on our employees, our community, and the environment."

The CSL Group is the largest owner and operator of self-unloading ships in the world. Headquartered in Montreal with divisions operating throughout the Americas, Australia, Europe and Asia, CSL delivers millions of tonnes of cargo annually for customers in the construction, steel, energy and agri-food sectors.

Media Contact:

Brigitte Hebert, Director, Communications

514-653-8854 | brigitte.hebert@cslships.com

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/414039ea-4dd9-4353-a605-d1151caad26f
CINCINNATI, Feb. 28, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Ultimus Fund Solutions (Ultimus), a leading independent provider of full-service technology-enhanced fund administration, accounting, middle office, and investor solutions, proudly announces the successful conversion of the James Advantage Funds fund administration functions from another service provider. James Investment Research, the adviser to the James Advantage Funds, selected Ultimus as the fund administrator for its four mutual funds. Ultimus is now providing a full suite of services encompassing financial administration, legal administration, fund accounting, transfer agent, and distribution.



James Investment Research, a firm focused on creating a company culture that provides clients with confidence in achieving their financial goals through shared values, sought a fund administration service provider that would be a good cultural fit. The boutique firm consists of a lean, close-knit team whose dedication to clients is the first priority. Therefore, selecting a service provider, such as Ultimus, who shared these same values and would deliver specific solutions was important.

During the search for a new service provider, James Investment Research was driven by an overall desire to improve the investment experience for their shareholders and themselves. Rather than a vendor relationship, James Investment Research sought an authentic service partner relationship, one that provided sound governance, a consistent service model delivery, and accurate reporting. During the recent conversion process, Ultimus provided clear communication about roles and responsibilities, timelines, and views of the post-conversion operations, proving to be an instrumental and trusted service partner.

Brian Shepardson, VP & Portfolio Manager, James Investment Research and Chief Financial Officer, James Advantage Funds states, Ultimus has already exceeded our expectations and we couldnt be happier that we made the decision to work with them. We are excited to continue building on the great partnership that was established during the thorough evaluation, planning, and flawless conversion process. Based on the strong cultural fit, were confident in Ultimus representation of James Investment Research in interactions with our shareholders. Having them as an extension of our business makes us stronger.

Ian Martin, Ultimus EVP, Chief Administrative Officer, emphasizes how meaningful and impactful it can be for a company to switch service providers. While the decision to switch providers isnt something an adviser wishes for, having a strategic partner that offers a comprehensive, best-in-class service model who becomes a true extension of your business is critical to continue to succeed in this competitive environment. We are honored that James Investment Research trusted us enough to guide them through this process. We are proud to represent James to their shareholders and feel that our shared values will continue to provide clients with the service needed as they seek to achieve their financial goals.

Leading the industry in conversions from other service providers, Ultimus experience and approach to managing these types of conversions has transformed the process, making it as efficient and seamless as possible. Ultimus has successfully converted 20+ fund managers and fund family clients through a conversion process in recent years, resulting in a more streamlined fund operating environment and an enhanced shareholder experience for their clients.

About Ultimus

Ultimus Fund Solutions (Ultimus) is a leading provider of full-service tech-enhanced fund administration, accounting, middle office, and investor solutions to support the launching and servicing of registered funds, private funds, and public plans. The company also offers customized structures designed for the unique needs of pensions, endowments, foundations, and other large institutions. Ultimus deep commitment to excellence is achieved through investments in best-in-class technology, compliance programs, organization-wide cyber security efforts, and hiring seasoned professionals.

Headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio with offices in other major cities such as Chicago, Denver, New York, and Boston, Ultimus employs more than 925 seasoned accountants, attorneys, paralegals, application developers, fund administrators, compliance specialists, and many others with years of experience in the financial services industry. Servicing over 1,600 total traditional and alternative funds, Ultimus helps investment managers and fund families flourish in todays increasingly sophisticated and dynamic investment landscape. For more information, visit www.ultimusfundsolutions.com .

About James Investment Research

James Investment is an investment adviser registered with the SEC providing investment research and advice to the James Advantage Funds, as well as separately managed accounts. The company works with high-net-worth individuals, businesses, endowments, foundations, among others, providing custom tailored portfolios to help alleviate uncertainties and provide confidence in achieving the financial goals of its clients. Using their own independent research, portfolios are actively managed and invest primarily in equity and fixed income securities believed to be undervalued.

Founded in 1972, James is located in rural Alpha, Ohio. James has successfully navigated many difficult markets throughout their long history using their investment discipline. Their highly experienced team of executives, portfolio managers, researchers, traders, compliance specialists, and others remain committed to serving clients and shareholders well, today and into the future.

For more information, visit www.jamesinvestment.com .

The James Advantage Funds are distributed by Ultimus Fund Distributors, LLC, Member FINRA. Call 1-800-995-2637 for a free copy of the prospectus or visit www.jamesinvestment.com. Investors should consider the investment objectives, risks and charges and expenses of the investment carefully before investing. The prospectus contains this and other information about the funds and should be read carefully before investing.

Investing involves risks, including loss of principal. Past performance is no guarantee of future results.

16486393-UFD-02242023
KINGSTON, Jamaica and LOS ANGELES, Feb. 28, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Kaya Group ("Kaya") or ("the Company") (O.T.C.: NUGL), the first medicinal Ganja herb house in the Caribbean and holistic, wellness-focused ecosystem, announced today plans to showcase many exciting events leading up to the fifth anniversary of the first legal sale of medical cannabis in the Caribbean on March 10. Kaya intends to kick off March by supporting/sponsoring the 2023 Irie FM Music Awards ceremony on Wednesday, March 1, 2023, which awards the best and most popular elements of Jamaican music and culture during the past year. Irie FM, Jamaica's leading radio station, hosts the annual event as part of its mission to honor Jamaicans in music.



Bali Vaswani, CEO. of Kaya Group and NUGL, said, "The IRIE FM awards are among the most respected honors for local Jamaican Reggae artists, so it is only fitting that we support them. As proud Jamaicans, Kaya empowers local communities by respecting and supporting our Jamaican culture." Mr. Vaswani continued, "Respect drives every decision we make  from our relationships with our employees to how we treat our community, herbs, brand, products, and nature. We proudly support the artists who make up such an important part of our Jamaican culture."

The IRIE FM Music Awards will be broadcast live on https://www.iriefm.net and IRIE FM's YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/user/iriefmjam . Dancehall entertainer Valiant is nominated for eight awards, Popcaan is nominated for five awards, Spice and Shenseea are nominated for four awards, and Dexta Daps, Shaneil Muir, Stalk Ashley, Moyann, and Skeng each have three nominations. Other nominees include Ding Dong, Koffee, Masicka, D'Angel, Alkaline, Burna Boy, Jada Kingdom, Shaggy, Sean Paul, and several other Reggae artists.

In February 2015, Jamaica's legislature voted to amend the nation's cannabis laws to allow the possession of up to 2 ounces and the cultivation of up to five plants. Practitioners of the Rastafari faith could use cannabis for religious purposes, and tourists with a prescription for medical marijuana could apply for permits to purchase small amounts. On March 10, 2018, Balram Vaswani, a long-time advocate for the legalization of marijuana, opened the first legal, medical marijuana dispensary, Kaya Herb House, in Drax Hall, St. Ann. Thousands of people lined up to buy medical cannabis marking the first time they could buy cannabis legally with a receipt. Unlike dispensaries in the U.S., Kaya Herb House does not rush each transaction. A typical transaction at a Kaya Herb House might take an hour and a half at our retail complex, as customers might take the time to enjoy our consumption lounge, Dab Bar, have an espresso, pizza or simply a cup of Jamaica Blue Mountain coffee.

The Jamaican operations of Kaya Group include three Kaya Herb House premium retail locations. The Kaya Herb House in Kingston is only a few minutes from Bob Marley's house and across the road from T.G.I. Fridays in the heart of Kingston within the golden triangle. The Kaya Herb House in the historic town of Falmouth is located in front of the cruise ship terminal about 30 minutes from Montego Bay. The flagship Kaya Herb House retail complex, cultivation, and processing operations are in Ocho Rios. Kaya recently opened the first phase of its Wellness Center at The Gap, located in the pristine hills of the Jamaican Blue Mountains, part of the UNESCO World Heritage site.

About Kaya Group and NUGL Inc.

NUGL and Kaya merged in April 2022 to form a multifaceted cannabis lifestyle company deriving globally diverse revenue streams from a portfolio of powerful brands and operations delivering quality at scale. Kaya Herb House's flagship retail store and farm operations are located in the tourism mecca of Ochi Rios. The company also operates a retail store in Kingston within the golden triangle and another in the historic town of Falmouth. Kaya recently opened its first phase of its Wellness Center at The Gap, located in the Blue Mountains' pristine hills, in the Winter of 2022.

Kaya Herb House Drax Hall is Jamaica's first legal Medical Marijuana dispensary. It offers tours of Kaya Farm, which has a variety of over 45 different genetics being cultivated and processed. Our retail complex includes Kaya Herb House with Dab Bar Consumption Lounge, authentic Italian thin crust pizzeria and Square Grouper bar on-premise.

Website  Kaya Herb House website

Instagram  Kaya Herb House Instagram

Facebook - Kaya Herb House Facebook

Twitter - Kaya Herb House Twitter

NUGL App highlights profiles for businesses in all sectors of the cannabis industry, including retail stores, brands, services, events, and more. Our platform allows companies to build and structure detailed items within our global menu, aiding connections between business and consumer communities through targeted networking and enabling various advertising opportunities to expand their reach.

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements in this press release may be considered "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements may include projections of matters that affect revenue, operating expenses, or net earnings; projections of growth; and assumptions relating to the preceding. Such forward-looking statements generally start with the "plans," "anticipates," "expects," "believes," or similar words of like kind. Forward-looking statements are inherently subject to risks and uncertainties, some of which cannot be predicted or qualified. Future events and actual results could differ materially from those outlined in, contemplated by, or underlying the forward-looking information. The company's business plan addresses these factors in greater detail, along with NUGL's current financial filings with the OTC Markets Group.
New York, Feb. 28, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Gene Therapy Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By Indication, By Vector Type, By Region And Segment Forecasts, 2023 - 2030" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p05445418/?utm_source=GNW



Gene Therapy Market Growth & Trends



The global gene therapy market is expected to reach USD 29.47 billion by 2030, registering a CAGR of 19.1% from 2023 to 2030. The development of the market is owing to an increase in the number of gene therapy-based discoveries, increasing investment in this sector, and rising approval of gene therapy products. According to the WHO, 10 to 20 new cell and gene therapies are expected to be approved each year by 2025.



Continuous developments in recombinant DNA technology are anticipated to enhance the efficiency of gene therapy in the coming years.Hence, ongoing progresses in recombinant DNA technology are anticipated to expand the number of ongoing clinical trials for gene therapy.



Primarily, these advancements are taking place in the context of various gene-editing tools and expression systems to augment the R&D for products.The advent of CRISPR/Cas9 nuclease, ZFN, and TALEN allows easy & precise genome editing.



As a result, in recent times, the gene-editing space has witnessed a substantial number of research activities, which, in turn, is expected to influence the growth of the gene therapy market.



The growth of the gene therapy market is expected to be majorly benefitted from the increasing prevalence of cancer.The ongoing increase in cancer patients and related death per year emphasizes the essential for the development of robust treatment solutions.



In 2020, there were around 18.1 million new cases of cancer worldwide. 9.3 million of these cases involved men, while 8.8 million involved women. Continuing developments in tumor genetic studies have delivered substantial information about cancer-related molecular signatures, which in turn, is expected to support ongoing clinical trials for cancer therapeutics.



With rising demand for robust disease treatment therapies, companies have focused their efforts to accelerate R&D for effective genetic therapies that target the cause of disease at a genomic level. . Furthermore, the U.S. FDA provides constant support for innovations in this sector via a number of policies with regard to product manufacturing. In January 2020, the agency released six final guidelines on the manufacturing and clinical development of safe and efficient products.



Furthermore, facility expansion for cell and gene therapies is one of the major factors driving the gene therapy market growth.Several in-house facilities and CDMOs for gene therapy manufacturing have begun investing to enhance their production capacity, which, in turn, is anticipated to create lucrative opportunities for market players.



For instance, in April 2022, the FDA approved commercial licensure approval to Novartis for its Durham, N.C. site. This approval permits the 170,000 square-foot facility to make, test, and issue commercial Zolgensma, as well as manufacture therapy products for current & upcoming clinical trials.



Gene Therapy Market Report Highlights

 By vector type, the AAV segment is expected to grow rapidly during the forecast period. AAV is a popular vector for gene therapy, which accounts for a 24.0% share of the viral-vectored gene therapy studies conducted globally. During the last period, the number of clinical studies using AAV vectors has expanded swiftly

 Moreover, Retroviruses held a significant market share in 2022 owing to the ease of isolation and incorporation of DNA into the virus

 By indication, Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) dominated the market. The development of Zolgensma has significantly proven its efficacy in the treatment of SMA, along with changing the disease phenotype. In May 2019, Novartis received approval from the FDA for Zolgensma, which is designed to address the root cause of SMA

 The inherited retinal diseases segment is expected to expand at the fastest CAGR in the forecast period owing to the increase in R&D activities for the development of genetic therapies used for treating ocular diseases, including inherited retinal disease. Luxturna is being commercialized by Spark therapeutics in the U.S. and by Novartis outside the U.S. as a treatment for a form of inherited retinal disease

 North America is a leading market in terms of revenue generated through clinical trials and a list of approved products. Considering factors such as a strong regulatory framework for stimulating the development of cellular therapy and the presence of a substantial number of biotechnology companies in the region, several sponsors and government agencies are making major investments

 Asia Pacific is anticipated to witness significant growth in the forecast period, which can be attributed to growing adoption rate of the genetic therapies, increased investment by the governments, and presence of key companies

Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05445418/?utm_source=GNW



About Reportlinker

ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place.



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PITTSBURGH, Feb. 28, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Cayuga Centers , a non-profit human services agency, announced today its Foster a Love of Reading Book Drive to support local foster youth and celebrate National Reading Month across the communities the agency serves in Pennsylvania, New York and Florida. The book drive runs now through March 31, and books will be donated directly to youth and families in the agencys programs and used to start a Cayuga Centers library for foster children.



Those in the Pittsburgh area interested in contributing to the cause can drop off books or donate them online. Books can be dropped off at Cayuga Centers Pittsburgh office or purchased online and sent through a local bookstore. A general wish list is also available.

Books and reading are an important part of any childhood, and our book drive will help ensure youth in our programs have access to great books through donations and our library program, said Tara Skibiel, Program Director at Cayuga Centers. I'm excited to see our Pittsburgh community come together to support foster youths love of reading.

Book drive participants, members of the community and agency partners are also encouraged to get involved through Cayuga Centers #WhyILoveToRead campaign. Participants can share their love of reading and thoughts on their favorite books by submitting a written or video response here by March 10, or by posting to their own social media platform and tagging Cayuga Centers on Facebook or Instagram .

Cayuga Centers thanks its partners across the country for their generous involvement with this book drive: Royal Dental Boynton , Nexus Workspaces , Time to Care Academy , Cardiac Institute of the Palm Beaches , KLA Schools , Chiropractic Advantage Center , Flager Bank , City Books , Bills Bird Boutique , North Side Shore Chamber of Commerce , Keaton and Lloyd Bookshop , 787 Coffee , North Star All-Star Cheer Gym , City of Asylum , Our Community Deli Grocery, Tusk Development , and the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) at Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital.

Full details about Cayuga Centers Foster a Love of Reading Book Drive can be found here . To learn more about Cayuga Centers programs, visit www.cayugacenters.org .

About Cayuga Centers

Cayuga Centers is a nationally accredited and awarded 501(c)(3) non-profit, human services agency headquartered in Auburn, NY. Founded in 1852, the agency has delivered quality services by following the agencys core mission of helping individuals and families grow as independent, healthy, and productive citizens through quality counseling, out-of-home care, and support services. Cayuga Centers provides a continuum of support services nationally, with offices in over 10 cities. The agency specializes in providing individualized, culturally appropriate, and trauma-informed support to diverse populations. Cayuga Centers currently serves 10,000 individuals and families annually. Visit www.cayugacenters.org to learn about its services, how to become a foster parent, and employment opportunities.

Media Contact:

Jacalyn Lawton

jlawton@lambert.com

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/00df4002-e1e6-41f6-8cbc-2c4dd50523b5
NEW YORK, Feb. 28, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Kaplan Fox & Kilsheimer LLP ( www.kaplanfox.com ) is investigating claims on behalf of investors in Credit Suisse Group AGs American Depositary Shares (ADS) (NYSE: CS).



If you would like to discuss our investigation, please contact us by emailing jcampisi@kaplanfox.com or by calling (212) 329-8571, or click here .

On February 9, 2023, The Wall Street Journal published an article titled Credit Suisses Losses Deepen, Threatening Overhaul, that stated  Credit Suisse Group AG ( CS ) reported a fifth consecutive quarterly loss and faced a $100 billion torrent of withdrawals from the rich customers who sit at the core of the banks turnaround strategy . . . The bank has said that its formidable wealth-management business, one of the worlds largest for the superrich, will be its main focus going forward.

Yet troubles mounted in the unit last quarter. Assets under management slid 27% last year to around $583 billion at Dec. 31, [2022] from around $802 billion at the beginning of 2022. They were around $690 billion at the end of September. The outflows from rich clients had a punishing effect on the banks profitability, since those assets are meant to be a source of steady income. The bank earns fees managing the assets and from new transactions.

On February 9, 2023, Credit Suisse shares declined from a closing price on February 8, 2023 of $3.58 per share, to close at $3.02 per share on February 9, 2023, a decline of $0.56 per share or by over 15% on very high volume.

Then on February 21, 2023, Reuters reported that Swiss regulator Finma is reviewing remarks made by Credit Suisse Chairman Axel Lehmann about outflows from the lender having stabilized in early December 2022. On February 21, 2023, Credit Suisse shares declined from a close on February 17, 2023 of $3.02 per share to close at $2.92 per share, a decline of $0.10 per share or approximately 3% on heavy volume.

This press release may be considered Attorney Advertising in some jurisdictions under the applicable law and ethical rules.

WHY CONTACT KAPLAN FOX - Kaplan Fox is a leading national law firm focusing on complex litigation with offices in New York, Oakland, Los Angeles, Chicago and New Jersey. With over 50 years of experience in securities litigation, Kaplan Fox offers the professional experience and track record that clients demand. Through prosecuting cases on the federal and state levels, Kaplan Fox has successfully shaped the law through winning many important decisions on behalf of our clients. For more information about Kaplan Fox & Kilsheimer LLP, you may visit our website at www.kaplanfox.com .

If you have any questions about this investigation, please contact:

Jeffrey P. Campisi

KAPLAN FOX & KILSHEIMER LLP

800 Third Avenue, 38th Floor

New York, New York 10022

Ph: (212) 329-8571

E-mail: jcampisi@kaplanfox.com
BRISBANE, Australia, March 01, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Since the launch of ChatGPT by OpenAI in November of 2022, many have been wondering how AI might change digital marketing. Here, Zib Digital, the leading digital marketing agency Brisbane-wide, discusses the ways AI is changing the industry and how businesses can leverage AI-powered tools.

According to Zib Digital, one of the most significant ways that AI is changing the world of digital marketing is through the use of data analysis. By leveraging AI-powered tools, businesses can analyse vast amounts of data and identify patterns that can help them better understand their target audience, leading to the creation of more targeted marketing campaigns that are tailored to the specific needs and interests of their audience.

Zib Digital says by using AI-powered chatbots, businesses can provide their customers with instant support and assistance 24/7. This helps businesses to improve their customer experience and build trust with their audience.

By leveraging AI-powered tools, businesses can create personalised content that is tailored to the specific interests and needs of their target audience. Zib Digital explains that this helps to improve engagement and conversion rates, as customers are more likely to engage with content that is relevant to them.

AI is also helping businesses to improve their advertising campaigns. Zib Digital says by using AI-powered tools to analyse customer data and behaviour, businesses can create more effective and targeted advertising campaigns that are more likely to generate results.

Businesses can also leverage AI to analyse search engine algorithms and identify the best strategies for improving search engine rankings. The leaders in SEO Brisbane wide explain this can help businesses improve their visibility on search engines and attract more traffic to their website.

As businesses and digital marketers look to stay ahead of the curve in the world of digital marketing, it's clear that AI will continue to play a significant role in shaping the future of the industry. To learn more, contact the premier SEO agency Brisbane-wide today.

Contact Information:

Zib Digital

Manager

(03) 8685 9290



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This content was issued through the press release distribution service at Newswire.com.

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(Denver), Feb. 28, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Mullen High School took a step toward the future today, marking the first phase of a multi-year project aimed at strengthening the 92-year-old Catholic High School.

Mullen administrators were joined by donors, alumni, and special guests who support the Honoring Our Past, Building Our Future Campaign for the groundbreaking of its first new classroom building and the kick-off of a multi-year renovation plan. Students attending Mullen in the 2023-2024 school year will be the first to experience new classrooms that will include innovative design learning spaces as well as the very latest in environmentally friendly building concepts.

Special attention has been given to honoring our first days as an orphanage for boys to celebrating the present day as one of Denvers leading Catholic High School educating students, said Mullen President Dr. Raul Cardenas. We approach all we do with prayer and appreciation, grateful to the guiding hand of our Father who has guided our planning and now the implementation of a plan that will secure Mullens ability to provide the very best Lasallian Catholic education to current students and future generations.

The Honoring Our Past, Building Our Future Campaign is a multi-year, campus-wide renovation and master plan. Construction is led by Colorado-based, JHL Constructors and managed by Project Executive and Mullen alum, Brad Schmahl, Mullen Class of 1992. Im immensely proud to be a Mullen Mustang. Im grateful and forever indebted to Mullen for what it has provided me and the lifelong relationships I made on campus, says Schmahl. Over twenty-five years later, I have the opportunity of my career to work on the re-development of Mullens campus and give back to my alma mater whos given me so much.

The implementation of the master plan will occur in several phases and includes both new buildings and site amenities. The first phase includes two new academic buildings as well as completion of several deferred maintenance items in existing buildings. Additional projects will bring future-focused facilities to the next generation of Mustangs.

About Mullen High School

Mullen High School is a Lasallian Catholic, college preparatory school conducted in the tradition of the Christian Brothers to give a human and Christian education to the young, especially the poor, as established in our five Lasallian Core Principles.

Attachments
China plays hard ball on debt negotiations  IMF deal in limbo

Emmanuel Bruce Business News Feb - 28 - 2023 , 10:50

There are growing fears that the countrys US$3 billion multi-lateral bailout may delay as Chinas long-held negotiation manoeuvres come to bear on the economy, experts have warned.

With the International Monetary Fund (IMF) board set to meet in April for the yearly spring meetings, China has posted its expected meeting with Ghana to late March, a situation that has sent shivers down policymakers as they sweat under a possible protracted negotiation going all the way into April.

With China accounting for about 30 per cent of the countrys US$8.5 billion external debt, experts say it may derail the countrys quest to secure an IMF deal, a situation they believe may lead to dire consequences for the economy.

Ghanas economy has been faced with severe challenges since last year, with its debt hitting GH575 billion, representing over 90 per cent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

The government officially approached the IMF in July 2022 for a US$3 billion bailout programme to save the sinking economy.

In December 2022, the government reached a staff-level agreement with the fund and is now left with board-level approval before it can access the US$3 billion support.

However, the board-level approval is hinged on the countrys ability to restructure its domestic and external debt.

A domestic debt exchange programme, which was announced in December, was met with stiff opposition from stakeholders. But after much deliberation, the government finally managed to reach an agreement with over 80 per cent of its domestic debtors.

What is, therefore, now left is the restructuring of the countrys external debt.

So far, the Paris club, the US government and the German government, who all form part of the countrys bilateral creditors, have expressed their willingness to agree to some form of debt restructuring.

With China flexing their negotiations muscle, analysts and economic watchers are worried that the cedi will take a beating, as the signs have begun to crack on the wall, with the local currency beginning to wobble.

China, the biggest hurdle

At a recent event in Accra, the German Ambassador to Ghana, Daniel Krull, called on Ghanaians with strong business ties with China to use their relationship to encourage and convince China to sit with other bilateral creditors of Ghana to agree on a package to help Ghana out of its current economic crisis.

"Time is of the essence. Time is running out. Without an agreement by Ghana's bilateral creditors, the IMFs package will be difficult," he said.

The German Ambassador also called on Ghanaian Members of Parliament who were engaged with China to encourage China to sit with other bilateral creditors of Ghana to finalise arrangements to help Ghana return to its economic growth path.

China is Ghana's largest bilateral creditor, but Mr Krull said, "it is so far not fully supporting the setting up of the creditors committee where all the creditors will sit down and agree on a package for Ghana."

Speaking in an interview with the Graphic Business, the Head of Research at the GCB Capital, Courage Boti, said the biggest challenge at this point is China, who are not too willing for a debt restructuring conversation at this point.

He said even if they finally agree, he believes it would not be in the form of debt forgiveness but in the form of some debt re-profiling or maturity extension.

The governments plan at this point is to hold private meetings with China and cut a deal with them. And the hope is to get China to agree to a deal, then they can approach the Bilateral Creditors Committee (BCC) as a whole and try to push through a deal that can make Ghana get board-level approval from the IMF.

Once we reach a deal with the bilateral creditors, we can now approach commercial lenders as well with a similar deal because that is what the common framework says. But we must navigate China first, he explained.

Big task to get IMF deal

Mr Boti said as things stand now, it would be a huge task to secure an IMF deal by end of March as projected by the government.

I even hear the planned engagement with China is postponed until later in March due to some ongoing congress. Of course, they will be engaging virtually, but the face-to-face meeting cant happen until later in March. So, the end of March timeline is a big stretch.

I wont say it is impossible, but it looks unlikely. The quality of engagement with the creditors at this point will also determine whether we can meet the March deadline, he stated.

He said considering the countrys fiscal situation, reserve position and economic challenges, it needs an IMF deal as soon as possible.

He noted that should the country go beyond the first quarter without an IMF deal, the ramifications would become much direr than they are now.

Debt forgiveness

During a state visit to Ghana last month, the Federal Minister of Finance for Germany, Christian Lindner, said Ghanas plea for debt forgiveness could harm the countrys credibility to its creditors globally if not done well.

He said for the country to achieve its economic development goals, it would have to return to the international capital market for assistance, hence the need to maintain the countrys credibility on the market.

We have a rule-based international order to guarantee financial stability globally and this is why we need legal proceedings, rule-based procedures when it comes to the restructuring of debts, he stated.

He said the country getting debt relief would be a gesture of good faith bilaterally, but it could harm in the long-term.

But Mr Boti said the debt forgiveness conversation was with bilateral creditors and not commercial creditors and as such, would not, so much, affect the countrys credibility on the international capital market.

Some of those debts are grants and some are concessionary loans with very low interest. So, you could push for debt forgiveness from them and that is fine, but you cant be asking commercial creditors for debt forgiveness at this point, he noted.
Ghana bets on S&Ps upgrade to bolster external debt talks

Maxwell Akalaare Adombila Business News Feb - 28 - 2023 , 14:30

Ghana is hopeful that a sovereign rating upgrade by S&P will inspire confidence in the countrys debt restructuring discussions with external creditors.

The global agency raised the countrys local currency debt ratings from selective default (SD) to CCC positive last week in recognition of the successful completion of the domestic debt exchange programme (DDEP).

As talks with external creditors continue, the Finance Minister said the development was a milestone that it expected to rub positively on engagements with the external creditors.

In a statement issued on Monday, February 26, the ministry said: on Friday, February 24, 2023, S&P Global Ratings raised Ghanas local currency sovereign credit ratings from SD to CCC+/C. This acknowledges the completion of the DDEP with a successful delivery of new securities to bondholders. In doing so, the selective default is substantially cured.

The above stated milestone is further expected to accelerate the engagement with our external creditors, the statement from the Public Relations Unit of the ministry said.

The Government of Ghana also takes this opportunity to assure our external creditors of their equal importance to the Republic of Ghana.

We will, therefore, continue to work together to advance the progress of our external debt treatment, in order to ensure Ghanas long-term macroeconomic stability, it added.

The ministry also used the opportunity to assure domestic bondholders who did not participate in the DDEP that coupon and principal payments will resume from March 13.

It said the development was in fulfillment of the assurance given by the government to bondholders, who did not tender their holdings during the programme.

It said payments will resume after ongoing administrative steps to ensure that payments of coupons and principles of the oldbonds resume successfully.
Ghana to resume curry/karela exports after six-year ban

Maclean Kwofi Business News Feb - 28 - 2023 , 06:23

Ghana has secured approval to resume the exports of two high-value vegetable commodities to the United Kingdom (UK) and European Union (EU) market after nearly six years of its ban.

The approval was given for the trading of curry leaves (murraya koenigii) and karela (momordica charantia) after satisfying all the conditions set by EU Commission and the UK.

This was after the Plant Protection and Regulatory Services Directorate (PPRSD) of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) with support from the University of Ghana (UG) and other key stakeholders developed a system in collaboration with farmers to implement them.

However, the export of the commodities will now be subjected to quality checks, including laboratory approval certifications.

The 2017/18 High-Risk Regulations of the EU Commission described the two vegetable commodities as high risk due to the quarantine pest associated with them and subsequently restricted their imports.

Resume exports

Multiple sources at the MoFA, in an interview with the Graphic Business in Accra, said based on the approval, the directorate had directed Ghanaian exporters to resume the exports of the commodities from January this year.

The EU Commission periodically develops the Plant Health Law, which seeks to increase the prevention against the introduction of new pests via imports from non-EU countries.

Thus, it was the 2017/18 EU law that described the two exportable vegetables from Ghana as high risk due to the quarantine pest associated with them.

According to one of the sources, with high-risk products, the law stipulates that there must be research to ascertain whether there was evidence of the disease in the exporting country and then a protocol would be sent to the EU for approval when measures had been put in place for mitigation.

Karela research

In the case of Karela, the underlying factor was that the country needed to conduct thorough research to find out the existence of the pest in the country.

Fortunately, when the research was conducted evidence of the pest for Karela was not found in the country.

So based on that we wrote back to the EU Commission to inform the commission that the regulation concerning pests is not in the country and, therefore, Ghana is free from the pest so we can export the product.

And so in about a week the commission responded and declared the country free from any diseases associated with the vegetable and for this reason we could export momordica charantia, another source said.

The research was done in collaboration with PPRSD, UG and PABI. Curry leaves on the other hand were part of the high-risk products because of a pest known as dyforina.

After the UK successfully separated from the EU, it reviewed the regulations and granted Ghana the permission to start exporting curry leaves. EU Commission also reviewed its regulations and granted the approval for the export of curry leaves and that is why the PPRSD has asked the exporters to resume exports.

That notwithstanding, protocols for the production of curry leaves and karela have to be adhered to in order for the country to continue the exports of pest-free products to the market, another source indicated.

Welcoming news

The President of Ghana Vegetable, Felix Kamassah, who worked closely with the team to secure the approval, said the resumption of exports for the two commodities was welcoming news for industry players.

That, he said, was because the EU and UK had a huge market for the two vegetable produce and for that reason Ghana needed to take all the necessary steps to benefit.

As a result, he said industry players had joined forces to leverage the market with a new strategy to grow export earnings from vegetables to at least $10 million this year.

With the approval granted for exports of these products to the international market, we will be able to grow earnings from vegetable exports from $5 million in 2022 to $10 million this year.

Boosting production

The President of the association noted that actors in the industry from 15 different associations and groupings had joined forces in the Ghana Vegetable to boost production.

We now have about 1,000 members who work in various forms in the value chain, he said. He observed that the association was targeting the youth, especially tertiary students and graduates to help boost vegetable production and exports. He said that it was in support of the governments effort to improve the countrys export drive.

We are engaging students from tertiary institutions who have an interest in agriculture to help them venture into vegetable production, he said.
ECOWAS, AU, Commonwealth observer missions commend Nigerians

International News Feb - 28 - 2023 , 06:46

Three observer missions have commended Nigerians for the enthusiasm with which they approached the elections, and urged them to remain calm and respect the outcome of the polls as announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

They called on aggrieved parties to use legal channels to resolve any electoral dispute.

The three observer teams are the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), led by former President of Sierra Leone, Ernest Bai Koroma, and deputised by Baba Kamara, a former National Security Advisor of Ghana; the African Union (AU), led by the former President of Kenya, Uhuru Kenyatta, and the Commonwealth, led by former President Thabo Mbeki of South Africa.

Addressing the media in Abuja yesterday, the leaders of the groups, however, expressed grave concern about the delay in collating election results by the INEC which they said was likely to heighten tension and anxiety among Nigerians.

The missions underscored the importance of the Nigeria election for the entire ECOWAS region, in particular, and the whole of Africa.

Meetings

The groups said a series of meetings were held by the missions with the INEC on arrival in Nigeria to ensure a free, fair and transparent elections to consolidate the democratic gains made by Nigeria since the end of military rule in 1999.

According to them, ECOWAS deployed a 250-member observer team while the AU deployed 90 to the six geographical zones of Nigeria, namely North West, North East, North Central, South West, South East, and South South, in addition to the federal capital territory of Abuja.

Late start

They contended that the late start of voting in some areas due to the late arrival of polling officials and voting materials, and in some cases the delivery of wrong materials at polling stations across the country led to some anxiety.

But, vote counting and the tallying process were carried out in a transparent, simple and professional manner in the presence of agents in the daytime in some polling units and with lamps in areas where voting was delayed.

The processes of the election day, the groups stated, unfolded generally in a peaceful environment.

However, incidents of violence, killings and disruptions were recorded in some states.

The missions noted with concern, the increasing misinformation and disinformation on social media, including the misleading conjectures and projections regarding the outcome of the elections, which could cause disaffection and inflame tensions.

Buhari, legislative bodies commended

They commended President Muhammadu Buhari and the legislative bodies of Nigeria for the measures taken, including the adoption of the new Electoral Act that strengthened the autonomy and freedom of action of INEC, which ensured greater transparency and inclusivity of the electoral process.

The mission, however, implored the authorities to apply adequate mitigating measures in the implementation of major policy decisions during elections period, in order to ease the burden of citizen participation in the electoral process.

As the country awaits the announcement of the results by INEC, the mission urged all stakeholders to remain committed to the rule of law and the democratic principles until the conclusion of the whole process.
Education fair held for students in Kumasi

Kwadwo Baffoe Donkor Feb - 28 - 2023 , 12:32

Final year students of senior high schools within the Kumasi Metropolis last Thursday flocked the conference hall of the Lancaster Hotel to access scholarship opportunities from universities in India.



The students turned up in their numbers to avail themselves of the opportunities available to them to further their education in India.

All the universities that exhibited at the programme had information officers who provided the prospective students with the needed information and the scholarship opportunities available to them in the various areas of study offered by the universities.

Most of the students who patronised the programme showed interest in the health sciences and ICT programmes.

Some of the students this reporter spoke to were glad that the fair was held in Kumasi to give them the opportunity to have access to full or partial scholarships to further their education.

For instance, a student from Prempeh College said such opportunities should be created by universities in Ghana with support from the government to reduce the burden of funding tertiary education on parents.

Another student from Yaa Asantewaa said there should be more of such fairs in this part of the country so that we can all benefit from it.

Organisers

TIES, an educational promotion organisation, in collaboration with the Indian government, held the one-day education fair in Kumasi for prospective students who would like to study in India.

The exhibition was to afford the prospective students the opportunity to access some of the programmes available in India and the financing alternatives available to them.

The Director of International Operations of TIES, Surech Anand Mani, said it was the fourth time the fair was being held in Ghana but the first time in Kumasi.

He said India had one of the best education systems in the world where the world leading managers were trained.

International students

According to him, India had a lot of international students and the best environment for people of diverse cultures to interact.

Besides that, he said most of the universities and the government of India had scholarships available for prospective students and the objective of extending the fair to the Ashanti Region was for students in the region to also have access to the opportunities of further studies outside Ghana.

He said there were also a number of alumni of Indian universities in Kumasi, so it is just right that we bring the fair here to enable the residents of Kumasi to also benefit from it.

Depending on ones area of study, he said the scholarships vary from 50 per cent up to 100 per cent free tuition and there are also some organisations apart from the universities and the government that sponsor students.
Exodus for greener pastures: 100 nurses leave Pantang Hospital

Maclean Kwofi Feb - 28 - 2023 , 07:30

Nearly 150 experienced nurses and other health professionals from the Pantang Hospital have left the shores of the country in search of greener pastures in the last six years.

Of the number, 100 are specialised psychiatric and general nurses while the rest consist of doctors, pharmacists, technicians and other experienced personnel in the healthcare delivery chain.

Data sourced from the hospital showed that the number of experienced professionals that have abandoned their jobs started increasing in an alarming manner since the outbreak of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

This phenomenon is defeating the efforts of the government to reinforce the workforce of the hospital with the recruitment of an additional 179 staff (professional nurses numbering 129) between 2018 and 2022.

An assessment of the data showed that from a report of eight professionals leaving in 2018, the number gradually jumped to 26 personnel in 2020 and peaked at 64 practitioners resigning in 2022.

The situation became more alarming when 11 experienced professionals, made up of 10 nurses and one doctor, resigned in January this year alone.

Information gathered by the Daily Graphic indicates that the development has been reported to the Ministry of Health (MoH) for redress.

Negative impact

The Medical Director of the hospital, Dr Frank Baning, in an interview with the Daily Graphic in Accra, stated that the situation was negatively impacting on the medical department of the hospital.

We are now losing the majority of our experienced nurses and other health professionals. In fact, almost every month, about 10 people leave, he said.

Dr Baning explained that although the government was reinforcing staff strength through fresh recruits every year, the number of people leaving was alarming and needed to be addressed.

He said the situation was putting a huge burden, pressure and stress on the few that remained to work for the hospital and the country in general.

That, the Medical Director said, was already affecting the quality of healthcare delivery at the hospital, given the number of people who abandoned their work in the last two years.

We have seen the effort of the government to reinforce the workforce but as soon as new recruits are brought on board, the hospital loses more of the experienced hands.

Last year and this year alone, we have lost 75 people and so, we hope that the government will replace those leaving quickly to ensure efficiency.

We may see the trend continuing this year as more than 10 professional nurses have already been reported to have left for greener pastures this year, he said.

Professionals are leaving

The Medical Director noted that the category of nurses leaving fell within the professional level.

Dr Baning said in an ideal situation, the hospital required about 1,000 professional nurses to provide both mental and general services.

However, he said the facility could currently only boast of 286 nurses doing the work of 1,000 people.Two hundred and eighty-six is nowhere near what we call ideal, the Pantang Hospital Medical Director said.

He added that the vacuum being created by the frequent departure made the additional recruits of the government insufficient.

Other areas

The Administrator of the hospital, Collins Kesse, also told the Daily Graphic that beyond nurses, the hospital had also lost personnel in critical areas such as biomedical engineers, radiographers and pharmacists.

He said due to this phenomenon, the hospital engaged the services of private individuals and paid huge sums of money from its internally generated funds (IGF) to manage its X-ray machines and other equipment.

And so, we need the right people in the right mix to ensure that the hospital operates in full capacity, Mr Kesse said.

MoH informed

Multiple sources at the MoH confirmed that the ministry had been adequately informed about the Pantang Hospital situation regarding nurses and other professionals exiting.

However, they said the issue was nationwide as most health professionals were leaving the shores of the country to seek greener pastures.

That is because the outbreak of COVID-19 had created a huge demand for professional health personnel, especially in the United Kingdom (UK) and the United States (US), the sources maintained.

The human resource department of the ministry is looking into the issues to see whether there can be any replacement for Pantang and other affected hospitals, one of the sources added.

Govt taken notice

The Director-General (DG) of Ghana Health Service (GHS), Dr Patrick Kuma-Aboagye, in an earlier interview with the Daily Graphic in Accra on the departure of professional nurses, said the government had taken notice of the situation and the vacuum created.

We are having a lot of professional nurses leaving the country to Europe and other parts of the world. They are taking mainly the professional nurses and so, there is the need to beef up professional nurses across the country, he said.

As a result, Dr Kuma-Aboagye said the government had adopted a number of measures such as expanding study leave for auxiliary nurses and offering amnesty to auxiliary nurses who obtained higher certificates without prior approval from the appropriate authorities.

The GHS Director-General explained that the amnesty would ensure that nurses who genuinely acquired certificates that befit their skills were upgraded from auxiliary status to professional nurse status.

Others include a comprehensive assessment to ascertain the impact of nurses leaving Ghana for greener pastures.
SHS freshers report for school

Daily Graphic Feb - 28 - 2023 , 06:41

Trunks, chop boxes, mattresses, pillows, brooms and brushes moved from one second cycle boarding school to the other as first-year students started reporting to the various institutions yesterday.

This follows their placement into the various senior high schools (SHSs) and technical and vocational institutes (TVET) under the Computerised School Selection and Placement System (CSSPS) of the Ghana Education Service (GES).

The students were initially supposed to report on February 20 but due to the short notice after their placement, the GES extended the reporting date to February 27, to give parents and guardians enough time to prepare to send their children and wards to school, a Daily Graphic team that monitored the process observed.

While Shirley Asiedu-Addo and Francisca Eshun in Cape Coast monitored the processes in Cape Coast, Dickson Worlanyo Dotse and Yaa Kuffour Senyah made observations in Accra.

At the various SHSs and TVET institutions on the first day of reporting, there were crowds of students who had converged on the various institutions to go through their confirmation on the schools lists and registration.

In view of the large number of students and parents they had to attend to, some schools had to create additional spaces to accommodate their guests by mounting canopies to attend to them and to fast-track the process.

This is aside from the use of assembly halls and other places.

The students, especially those going to boarding houses, could be seen carrying their trunks, mattresses, chop boxes, hoes, brooms, machetes, detergents and packs of toiletries and other items on their prospectus, based on the programmes they have been offered to pursue.

One notable feature was parents who could be seen carrying the chop boxes of their children.

Observation

In Accra, the team observed that as early as 4 a.m., students and their parents had started arriving in the schools with the items listed on the respective prospectus.

The items included trunks and chop boxes, mattresses, pillows, buckets, brooms and brushes, among others.

Roads to some of the schools, particularly the Presbyterian Boys Secondary School (PRESEC, Legon), Accra Academy and West Africa Senior High School, witnessed a virtual gridlock of anxious parents and students reporting.

They reported to the Administration or designated registration points to verify their admission and to select their bouquet of programmes to their houses of residence and assigned dormitories.

Also, it was observed that most schools had introduced online registration portals that had made things easier and more efficient and convenient, thereby easing the pressure on parents.

Generally, the processes on all school premises were smooth with no disruption.

The Daily Graphic teams also observed that most of the new students appeared calm and ready for their new environments, while those who had met their mates from junior high school looked excited to be together in SHS too.

PRESEC, Legon

A parent who gave his name only as Kofi said management of PRESEC, Legon made us do the registration online, which I must say, is commendable because it has eased the long queues and hustle that would have been experienced here this morning.

The Assistant Headmaster in charge of Academics at the school, Prince Agortey, told the Daily Graphic that management of the school experienced a smooth registration process.

He stated that as early as 4 a.m. parents had started arriving with their children to commence the registration process.

However, due to the systems management has put in place, they were registered based on attendance, the assistant headmaster said.

Mr Agortey said the school was expecting about 1,600 students and as of the time of the Daily Graphics visit around 8 a.m., more than 400 students had registered, adding I must say the process is smooth.

At the Accra Girls SHS, the Assistant Headmaster in charge of Academics, Sebastian Akali-nya Adama, said the school was expecting a little over 700 students.

He noted that in sharp contrast to the previous year, the school was looking to fill only spaces left by graduating students.

Last year, we had more numbers than we anticipated so at a point we wished we could stop admitting but since they came with the name of the school, we could not reject them.

But luckily for us, we had two new dormitories at the time built so we managed to take care of them, he said.

However, this year we are only replacing the number that left; we had 840 that completed so we cannot go beyond that or else we could create congestion, Mr Adama added.

ATTC

At the Accra Technical Training Centre (ATTC), the Vice-Principal in charge of Domestic, Robert Asante, said even though the school declared 720 vacancies, only 580 had been placed there at the time.

He, therefore, maintained that there were enough spaces available for students who were undergoing the self-placement methods and had interests in technical education for admission to the school.

Normally, when they do the placement some also change schools, so someone will be placed here but will not come.

So those who come in for consideration when there is a vacancy, we will consider them, Mr Asante added.

Cape Coast

In Cape Coast, some teachers, students and guardians indicated that the processes had so far been smooth.

A tutor at Adisadel College, Joycelyn Bain, said as early as 5:30 a.m. there were parents and students who had arrived in school with the listed items on the prospectus.

She said the school started the registration at 8 a.m. at various points of registration to confirm their admission and directed them to their assigned houses after going through the processes.

Ms Bain added that the online registration portals had made things easier, more efficient and convenient, thereby easing pressure on the schools.

So far, she said, the school had not experienced any challenges, adding that they were expecting more students to arrive by the close of the week.

Adisadel College also had adequate teachers and more facilities to welcome the freshers in school, Ms Bain added.

A parent, Henrieta Owusu Ansah, who had accompanied her child to the school, said she was overwhelmed by the treatment she received from the teachers aside from the friendly way the students welcomed him.

Another parent, Emmanuel Ampiah, said the school environment was very serene for teaching and learning.

He added that the process was fast and it had been smooth for him.

A fresher at Adisadel College Augustine Prah, said he was offered General Science and was happy about the programme, adding that he would learn hard considering the conducive school environment he had seen.

Order

At the Ghana National College, parents were directed to park their cars in an orderly way to ease traffic on the school premises.

Parents who arrived a bit late were in a queue for the registration, at the time of the visit at about 10 a.m.

Another Parent, Mary Arhin from Ablekuma in Accra, said she arrived at the school at exactly 9 a.m. to begin registration.

She said the teachers who served her treated her with respect and she liked how smooth the registration had been.

At Aggrey Memorial Senior High School, many of the new students had reported to the administration block and were going through the registration processes.

The process was also smooth at the Mfantsipim School and the St Augustines College.
Use of Ghana Card for voter registration: Prof. Gyampo calls for dialogue

Samuel Duodu Politics Feb - 28 - 2023 , 06:58

A Senior Lecturer at the University of Ghana, Legon, Professor Ransford Gyampo, has called on the Electoral Commission (EC) to initiate a national dialogue to help build consensus on the proposed use of the Ghana card as the sole source document for voter registration in the country.

The consensus, which he said must be sincere and genuine, should include all stakeholders involved in the countrys electioneering exercise, such as political parties.

Prof. Gyampo said the mandate of state institutions such as the EC required them to get the buy-in of all stakeholders for consensus building, hence the need for a national dialogue.

Dialogue

The political science lecturer was speaking to the Daily Graphic in an interview on the back of the Constitutional Instrument (C.I.) containing the proposal to use the Ghana card as the only document for voter registration.

The mandate of state institutions becomes meaningless if they do not get the buy-in of all stakeholders on important national matters, such as the decision to make the Ghana card the only source document for voter registration as issue that affect them, he said.

In the dialogue, he said, the stakeholders must not take entrenched positions during discussions on the issue to bring finality to it.

Democratic gains

Prof. Gyampo explained that it was imperative for Ghanaians to hold their grounds to consolidate the countrys democratic gains and propel development.

In the absence of such a national accord on the use of the Ghana card as a sole document for voter registration, Prof. Gyampo said there could be chaos during the next general election.

Background

The EC intends to replace the existing C.I. with the new C.I. that makes it mandatory for the Ghana card to be the only medium of identification for purposes of establishing the eligibility or otherwise of a citizen of Ghana to register or to be enrolled on the voters register.

With the hung Parliament in force, the ECs proposal has been met with sharp division as the Minority side was against the proposal while the Majority were in support.

Parliament

The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, last Thursday, directed the Chairperson of the EC, Jean Mensah, to appear in person before the Committee of the Whole of Parliament to brief members on the new C.I. as Parliament resumed sitting today.

The Speakers direction came after a meeting of the Committee of the Whole with the officials of the EC and the National Identification Authority (NIA).

Meanwhile, a statement issued and signed by the Director, Public Affairs, Parliament, Kate Addo, said Parliament had not passed any C.I.

It said: In any case, Parliament does not pass Constitutional Instruments. They only come into force with the effluxion of time; that is, 21 days of the Instrument being laid in the House.

The exercise Parliament undertook on Thursday, February 23, 2023, was to hold pre-presentation discussions on the C.I, to collect input from relevant sources for the drafting of the Constitutional Instrument (C.I.), It stated further.
The BMW Group presented the first BMW iX5 Hydrogen vehicles in a pilot fleet that will go into service this year. The fleet of less than 100 vehicles will then be employed internationally for demonstration and trial purposes for various target groups. This active driving experience will therefore be the first chance for people not involved in the development process to gain a direct impression of what the BMW iX5 Hydrogen has to offer.





Hydrogen is a versatile energy source that has a key role to play in the energy transition process and therefore in climate protection. After all, it is one of the most efficient ways of storing and transporting renewable energies. We should use this potential to also accelerate the transformation of the mobility sector. Hydrogen is the missing piece in the jigsaw when it comes to emission-free mobility. One technology on its own will not be enough to enable climate-neutral mobility worldwide. Oliver Zipse, Chairman of the Board of Management of BMW AG

The BMW iX5 Hydrogen developed on the basis of the current BMW X5 was first unveiled as a concept at the IAA show in 2019. Initial prototypes were then made available at the IAA Mobility 2021 for visitors to experience in action as shuttle vehicles. (Earlier post.)

The BMW Group is systematically pushing forward with development of hydrogen fuel cell technology as an additional option for locally emission-free individual mobility in the future. The BMW Group produces the fuel cell systems for the pilot fleet at its in-house competence center for hydrogen in Munich. This technology is one of the core elements in the BMW iX5 Hydrogen and generates a high continuous output of 125 kW/170 hp. The BMW Group sources the individual fuel cells from the Toyota Motor Corporation.

In addition to the technological equivalents of features found on combustion engines, such as charge air coolers, air filters, control units and sensors, the BMW Group also developed special hydrogen components for its new fuel cell system. These include the high-speed compressor with turbine and high-voltage coolant pump, for example.

Fuel cell systems are manufactured in two main steps, based on the individual fuel cells. The cells are first assembled into a fuel cell stack. The next step involves fitting all the other components to produce a complete fuel cell system.





Stacking of the fuel cells is largely a fully automated process. Once the individual components have been inspected for any damage, the stack is compressed by machine with a force of five tonnes and placed in a housing. The stack housing is manufactured in the light metal foundry at BMW Group Plant Landshut using a sand casting technique.

For this, molten aluminum is poured into a mould made from compacted sand mixed with resin in a process specially designed for this small-series vehicle.

The pressure plate, which delivers hydrogen and oxygen to the fuel cell stack, is made from cast plastic parts and light-alloy castings, also from the Landshut plant. The pressure plate forms a gas-tight and water-tight seal around the stack housing.

Final assembly of the fuel cell stacks includes a voltage test along with extensive testing of the chemical reaction within the cells. Finally, all the different components are fitted together in the assembly area to produce the complete system.

During this system assembly stage, further components are fitted, such as the compressor, the anode and cathode of the fuel-cell system, the high-voltage coolant pump and the wiring harness.

In combination with a highly integrated drive unit using fifth-generation BMW eDrive technology (the electric motor, transmission and power electronics are grouped together in a compact housing) at the rear axle and a power battery with lithium-ion technology developed specially for this vehicle, the powertrain channels maximum output of 295kW / 401 hp onto the road. In coasting overrun and braking phases, the motor also serves as a generator, feeding energy back into a power battery.

The hydrogen needed to supply the fuel cell is stored in two 700-bar tanks made of carbon-fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP). Together these hold almost six kilograms of hydrogen, enough to give the BMW iX5 Hydrogen a range of 504 km (313 miles) in the WLTP cycle. Filling up the hydrogen tanks only takes three to four minutes.

Summary of the technical data, performance, fuel consumption and range figures for the BMW iX5 Hydrogen:

Maximum output of overall drive system: 295 kW/401 hp

Electric continuous output of the fuel-cell system: 125 kW/170 hp

Maximum output of the battery (lithium-ion technology): 170 kW/231 hp

Maximum output of the highly integrated electric drive unit: 295 kW/401 hp

Capacity of the hydrogen tanks: 6 kg hydrogen (gaseous)

Acceleration 0-100 km/h (62 mph) < 6 s

Top speed: > 180 km/h (112 mph)

Hydrogen consumption in the WLTP cycle: 1.19 kg/100 km

Range in the WLTP cycle: 504 km (313 miles)

The BMW iX5 Hydrogen is being built in the BMW Groups pilot plant at its Research and Innovation Center (FIZ) in Munich. This is the interface between development and production where every new model from the companys brands is made for the first time. Around 900 people work there in the body shop, assembly, model engineering, concept vehicle construction and additive manufacturing.

The BMW Group sold more than 215,000 fully electric vehicles worldwide in 2022, which represents an increase over the previous year of almost 108%. Fully electric vehicles accounted for just under 9% of total sales volumes last year, and this share is set to increase to 15% in 2023. By 2030 at the latest, the BMW Group is looking to reach a situation where fully electric vehicles claim a more than 50% share of its overall sales.

The BMW Group views FCEV technology expressly as a potential addition to the drive technology used by battery-electric vehicles.

According to a report by the International Energy Agency (IEA), hydrogen offers considerable potential as a future energy source in connection with global energy transition activities. With its storage and transport capabilities, hydrogen can be used for a wide variety of applications.

Most industrialized countries are therefore adopting hydrogen strategies and backing them up with roadmaps and concrete projects. In the transport sector, hydrogen can become a further technology option, alongside battery-electric mobility, for shaping sustainable individual mobility in the long term.

However, this will depend on competitive production of sufficient quantities of hydrogen from green power, as well as expansion of the corresponding filling infrastructure, which is already being intensively pursued in many countries.

The BMW Group welcomes and supports activities to promote innovation in Germany and Europe that will help build a hydrogen economy and accelerate production of green hydrogen. These specifically include the large-scale hydrogen projects classified as Important Projects of Common European Interest (IPCEI).

The projects that comprise this European Union initiative, supported in Germany by the Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs and the Federal Ministry of Transport, span the entire value chainfrom hydrogen production to transport to applications in industry.
Dutch semiconductor designer and manufacturer NXP Semiconductors will offer Qnovos SpectralX technology as part of its e-mobility enablement solutions for electric vehicles (EV) in 2023. SpectralX is intelligent battery management system (BMS) software that uses predictive analytics to improve battery performance, range, and safety in several types of EVs with any type of lithium-ion battery.

Qnovos SpectralX Charging runs as a standard AUTOSAR application and integrates into a non-AUTOSAR RTOS-based BMS architectures through well-defined input and output interfaces.

Qnovos SpectralX Health & Safety goes beyond assessment capabilities to identify cells at risk of failure predictively, and recommend the rate of charge adjustment to mitigate the problems before they turn into safety hazards. It runs as a software layer over SpectralX charging, combining adaptive charging and mitigation to deliver ultrafast charging without compromising safety, performance, and cycle life.

Qnovos SpectralX Diagnostics runs as a standard AUTOSAR application or integrates into a non-AUTOSAR RTOS-based BMS in the powertrain or runs as an Android/Linux application outside the powertrain. It adds instantaneous health and safety monitoring to extend the standard capacity-based SOH measurement.

Qnovo is working with NXP on a reference design to ensure the seamless integration of Qnovos software with the NXP BMS and onboard charger hardware. A validated design means software, hardware and tools work together, reducing development costs for electric vehicles. In addition, it makes fast charging possible without compromising battery health.

SpectralX also adds predictive capabilities to NXPs BMS and supports swappable batteries. SpectralX has a small memory footprint that leaves room for other features, while the NXP secure boot prevents code tampering and enables secure code delivery, the key to mass-market adoption.

The growing demand for energy-efficient modes of transport is directly boosting the growth rate of the electric two- and three-wheeler market and battery software optimization offered by Qnovo will strengthen our system solutions. Its edge software is particularly suited to emerging markets, where cloud access to manage batteries remotely is not guaranteed. Robert Li, NXPs Vice President and General Manager, Product Line Driver and Energy Systems

SpectralX is a software-only solution that works as an application layer in the operating system, residing on top of a manufacturers existing BMS with an efficient footprint, deploying in a matter of weeks in a vehicle. With the addition of Qnovos Battery Genome, a data library of battery models for a broad range of cell chemistries and manufacturers, helps automate the cell selection process and save time in battery qualification.

This collaboration with NXP comes on the heels of Qnovos announcement at CES 2023 that Vanderhall Motor Works will be using SpectralX in its EVs. Vanderhall aims to deploy the solution to multiple all-electric vehicles the company will be launching globally in 2023.

Qnovo is headquartered in Milpitas, California. Its investors include BorgWarner, OGCI Climate Investments, Constellation Technology Ventures, BlueRun Ventures, US Venture Partners and RockPort Capital.
Stellantis announced a $155-million investment in a copper project located in Argentina, which will make a major contribution to the companys plan to become carbon net zero by 2038. The company is acquiring a 14.2% equity stake in McEwen Copper, a subsidiary of Canadian mining company McEwen Mining, which owns the Los Azules project in Argentina and the Elder Creek project in Nevada.

With this stake, Stellantis will become McEwen Coppers second largest shareholder, along with Rio Tinto, through its copper leaching technology venture, Nuton. Los Azules plans to produce 100,000 tons per year of cathode copper at 99.9% purity starting in 2027 and the resources can secure the operation for at least 33 years.





Stellantis intends to lead the industry with the commitment to be carbon net zero by 2038  a goal that requires innovation and a complete redefinition of the entire business. We are taking important steps in Argentina and Brazil, with the aim of decarbonizing mobility and ensuring strategic supplies of raw materials necessary for the success of the Companys global electrification plans. Carlos Tavares, Stellantis CEO

Copper is a strategic raw material for the future of electric mobility, and it is estimated that global demand for the conductive metal will triple in the coming years. By making this investment in one of the top 10 international projects in development of this commodity, Stellantis will be able to supply some of the projected copper demand starting in 2027.

Los Azules is an advanced-stage porphyry copper exploration project in the San Juan pro-mining province of Argentina. The project is located approximately 80 km west northwest of the Calingasta town and 6 km east of Argentinas border with Chile, at 3,500 m elevation in the Andes Mountains.





Los Azules is one of the worlds largest undeveloped high grade open pit copper projects that contains significant further growth potential. According to the projects Preliminary Economic Assessment (PEA) completed in 2017, during the first 10 of the 36 years of operations the project is anticipated to be the worlds 25th largest copper producer and a lowest cost quartile producer.

In 2021, McEwen Mining announced the creation of the wholly-owned subsidiary, McEwen Copper Inc., which holds 100% interests in the Los Azules project in Argentina and in the Elder Creek exploration property in Nevada. Both assets are subject to a 1.25% net smelter return (NSR) royalty payable to McEwen Mining.

As part of its Dare Forward 2030 strategic plan, Stellantis expects to achieve a 100% passenger car battery electric vehicle (BEV) sales mix in Europe and a 50% passenger car and light-duty truck BEV sales mix in the United States by 2030. In Brazil, it is targeting approximately 20% low emission vehicle (LEV) sales mix by the end of the decade.
Volvo Cars plans to open a brand new Tech Hub in Krakow, Polands second-largest city. It will be a key software development center and play a crucial role in the companys strategic ambitions to be a fully electric brand by 2030 and a leader in new technology, not least through in-house software development.

The Tech hub will carry full responsibility for developing complete and key features on new fully electric cars.

The engineers in Krakow will develop software for key areas for Volvo Carsfrom core safety technology based on deep understanding of what causes accidents, to perception and driver assistance algorithms and software for autonomous driving. Other engineering challenges include developing next generation connected features, or supporting all development work through data analytics.

The new Tech Hub is targeted to be operational by the end of this year, with around 120 engineers. By mid-decade, Volvo Cars aims to expand this to between 500 and 600 people in Krakow, complementing and closely linked to its core engineering centers in China and Sweden, as well as our other tech hubs around the world.

Volvo Carss forthcoming fully electric cars will all be software-defined. The Volvo car of the future will be fully electric, increasingly sold online, powered by core computers running in-house developed software and updated via regular over-the-air software updates.

That makes in-house software development key to achieving the strategic ambitions, which include being a leader in new technology and a pure electric car brand by 2030.
Turbulent times at Huawei led to a switch in consumer business strategy, and the company invested heavily in wearables in the past three years.

Weve seen an all-ceramic flagship from the company, we are also testing a smartwatch with earbuds inside, and now at MWC in Barcelona, we got to handle the Watch GT Cyber - a smartwatch with replaceable shells that include both the body and the straps.

The Watch GT Cyber has a 1.32 circular AMOLED with 466 x 466 resolution and a fairly high 352 PPI. The small circular gadget that goes in the shell has a thick black bezel, and we were unimpressed with it. However, when we snapped it into the shell, the bezel magically hid behind the case, making the whole visual experience a lot better than previous Huawei Watch devices.

We got to handle two versions of shells - Urban in Golden Black and Sport in Space Grey that looked beige under the bright lights of the Huawei booth at Fira de Barcelona. The former weighs 78 grams, while the latter is 58 grams - that is both the watch and the case. Despite the huge relative difference between both, the two variants feel just alright on the wrist.

The Urban is a lot more flashy, and we believe it would pair with official attire, given the golden accents, which are subject to personal preference. The Sportsy version feels slightly lighter, and it would be useful during workouts with lots of movement.

We should mention that both variants are on the bigger side of the spectrum, and Huawei does not plan to offer a variant with a smaller screen diameter. People with smaller wrists might find this wearable bulky.

The Watch GT Cyber is meant to detach from the shell, so we tested how it snaps into the mechanism. It needs a simple press against the shell, and it falls right in place without any struggle while staying in place. It cannot fall out because it is constantly against the wrist. Taking off the wearable for charging is a non-issue for the mechanism.

In real life, the wearable would need to be taken out of the shell only for the occasional cleaning or if the shell is being replaced. Huawei did not provide any data on sales of different shells or how often users would like to change it, and a major reason for that is the limited availability.

Speaking about availability, Huawei confirmed with us the Watch GT Cyber will be sold in Latin America and the Middle East, as well as at home in China. It wont be sold in Europe, which is generally a big market for Huawei wearables, and the United States is obviously a terra incognita at this point.

This modular type of wearable is a one-of-a-kind watch targeted at fashion-conscious people that want more than just a new fancy strap - the whole wearable should be the accent of the outfit. We did not have enough time with the device to test its battery life or performance, but Huawei has proven its ranks in the world of wearables.

With all that in mind, we believe the Huawei Watch GT Cyber is definitely worth it. The company is currently selling it for CNY1,088 (about $155) in China, and every new case is CNY199 ($28) extra; for just $200, you can effectively get two watches for two different occasions.
Back in early January, we heard that Apple supposedly killed the iPhone SE line. Now, less than two months later, we hear from the same source that it's been revived.

Famed purveyor of Apple-related rumors and analysis Ming-Chi Kuo is back with a report today stating that the next iPhone SE will be built on the iPhone 14's chassis, with a same-size 6.1-inch OLED display. And thus this would be the first iPhone SE to go with OLED and not LCD. The panel may be manufactured by BOE.

iPhone 14

Furthermore, it will be the first iPhone to use Apple's own in-house developed 5G baseband chip, supposedly to be made on a 4nm process and supporting only Sub6 5G, and not mmWave. The next iPhone SE will serve as the guinea pig for this chip - if there are any issues they'll show up in the cheapest iPhone, not any of the much more lucrative expensive models.

Whether the iPhone 16 series in 2024 will use Apple's 5G chip remains to be seen. For now, the main technical obstacles to be overcome are related to mmWave and satellite communications, which the chip would have to support in order to make it into the Pro iPhones.

Production for the next iPhone SE should start in the first half of 2024. Because of the slow switch away from Qualcomm modems, Qualcomm's Apple business is expected to decline "significantly" in the next 2-3 years.

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Redmi announced 300W fast-charging technology just four months after being the first brand to surpass the 200W threshold. The Xiaomi subsidiary revealed a phone can charge from 0 to 100% in under five minutes, and later followed with a video, shedding more details on the technology.

The brand used a modified Redmi Note 12 Discovery smartphone with a 4,100 mAh battery (the original version has a dual 4,300 mAh cell) in a controlled environment. It took 2 minutes 11 seconds for the device to reach 50%, and just shy of five minutes the battery was at 100%.

Interestingly enough, even if the video comes straight from Redmis Weibo account, the 300W claim falls just short. The smartphone reaches 290W for about three seconds before returning to less powerful (but still mightly impressive) charging rates - 300W is the theoretical max the charger and the battery can reach, but the device is capping out for safety reasons.

The adapter itself comes with Double GaN technology and has more than 50 safety protections but still retains a small size, Redmi said. What the Xiaomi brand did not say is when well see an actual smartphone with the technology hit the open market.

Source (in Chinese) | Via
Editors Note: This is the first of a series of profiles written to celebrate Mes CHamoru, also known as Guam History and CHamoru Heritage Month.

Desiree Perezs journey into motherhood was also a journey to embrace her mother tongue. Perez, who was born and raised in Guam but was living in the states since high school, moved home in 2020 seeking more connection with her native CHamoru culture and language.

It was something that was taken from us, from our people. At the time, when I had first moved here, that was kind of something that was important for me, and I felt a responsibility to take backIt was important for me to come back home and try to immerse myself as much as possible, and to have something to pass down to my kids, Perez said.

Growing up in Guam, Perez had what she describes as a typical upbringing.

I was born and raised on Guam, but wasnt really surrounded by or taught the language. It wasnt something that I grew up around, it was around me in certain ways, with elders in my family, with my grandparents. But my parents didnt really speak it to us, Perez said.

She remembers learning CHamoru sporadically in school as a child.

Throughout my schooling here, at the time, they taught you a little bit of CHamoru here and there, in elementary (school), like colors, animals, numbers, random stuff like that. But its not really something you ever take home with you, because if its not used outside of the classroom, you dont really use it. I think there was maybe one required CHamoru class in middle school, and in high school at the time they didnt require it at all. So, it just kind of got lost along the way, she said.

When she was 15, her family relocated to the States, and Perez went to college and spent some time working in the Los Angeles area. Despite loving her job and the city life, Perez felt a strong urge to return home.

One of my dreams was to come back home and root myself, learn the language, and have that to pass down to my own children. At the time, it has been happening for a long time, there was sort of what theyre calling a cultural renaissance happening over here, and a lot of different people and organizations trying to revitalize the language and the culture. So, I felt like when I came back, it was a good time for that. But then at the same time, when I had decided to move here, it was a week before the lockdown happened, at the beginning of the pandemic, Perez shared.

Pandemic

2020 threw a wrench in Perezs plans. Shed moved home eager to take in opportunities to immerse herself in CHamoru, and was looking forward to attending Michael Lujan Bevacquas CHamoru language classes at Java Junction  which have been a jumping point for many adult language learners throughout the island.

When the pandemic happened, I was like oh, great, there goes my plans. So, I wasnt really sure whether I was gonna stay or not, or what was gonna happen just because of how everything was at the time. It was really uncertain. Then, maybe a few weeks after lockdown, or maybe like a month, Miget started doing his Zoom classes. Thats kind of the first thing that jump-started me into getting into everything because I had time, I hadnt gotten a job yet. So, I was just sort of prioritizing taking his classes and studying at home. And then even after I had gotten a job, when things started opening up, I always left that window of time open for his classes, she said.

Intimidating at first

Determined as she was to learn the language, Perez also describes having to overcome her sense of intimidation as she started her journey to speak CHamoru.

I think it can be difficult for anybody learning a language and in a lot of ways, but I think for us in particular, because in certain ways we dont always get the support from elders. I think thats just because of, in terms of like my grandparents generation, theres some trauma that they had experienced from being told that they couldnt speak the language, and everything that they had gone through in terms of being punished for speaking the language, and then them not wanting to pass it down necessarily to their children. Theres kind of a stigma behind that, Perez said.

The trauma and shadow of the CHamoru language ban, which was first imposed by the US government in 1917, has reverberated through generations of CHamoru families.

I think when I would try to speak to my grandmother, my dads mom, she liked that I was speaking CHamoru, but its one of those things where if theyre so used to speaking to you in English, shell switch back and forth. Shed speak to me in CHamoru and then shed switch back to English automatically, so its kind of just like your own determination just to keep at it with them, Perez said.

For Perez, learning CHamoru required her to both overcome emotional challenges and deepen her relationships with her family.

My dad speaks some CHamoru, but when I was first learning, I think he was kind of not certain how serious I was about it, so he wouldnt really talk to me in CHamoru, or Im not sure its maybe because in certain ways, he doesnt feel confident in speaking it himself. But now that we have my daughter, shes 15 months old, my dad speaks to her all the time, because were speaking CHamoru to her all the time, she said.

Having a sense of humor helps too.

You know, the older generation, if youre learning the language and youre not saying something quite right, or it sounds funny, or if you dont have an accent, they kasse you, so you kind of have to have a tough skin and try not to take it too personally, Perez added.

Ways to practice

For others looking to learn the language, finding a community to practice with, whether its in a formal class setting or with friends and family (or both!) is crucial. Perez also recommends having a writing outlet.

Another thing that has helped my language learning is journaling in CHamoru. I also contribute to a website called isakman.com, which is a collective of different writers who write in CHamoru about a myriad of subjects ranging from personal stories, poems, history, music, video games most of my blogs at the moment are about becoming a mother and my daughter, Perez said.

The website features beginning CHamoru learners and more advanced speakers, and is always looking for contributors, she added.

Finding love

Learning CHamoru was the catalyst for Perez to connect with a community of language learners both in Guam and throughout the diaspora, through the Zoom classes and an adult CHamoru language immersion camp that took place in the summer of 2022. But perhaps most meaningfully, Perez found love and family through her journey to learn CHamoru.

After meeting Lujan Bevacqua in CHamoru class, the two started getting to know each other and fell in love during the pandemic.

Now were on our second baby. The first one was a pandemic baby, and this ones a post-pandemic baby, Perez laughs.

The birth of their daughter, Lulai, and their commitment to raising her in an immersive CHamoru language environment allowed Perez to fulfill her dreams and sparked the more frequent use of CHamoru throughout her whole family. Perez has witnessed the generational shifts.

My dad speaking it more with my daughter has been really lovely to see. The bigger goal, for me, out of all of this, is that this is something that I pass down to my kids. I think my family really enjoys seeing that my daughter is learning it, that were teaching it to her. In a lot of ways, my whole family has been kind of like randomly using CHamoru with my daughter, because they know that its important to Miget and I, for her to learn it, she said.
The Guam Department of Agriculture has received federal funding for conservation employment, education and scholarships according to Chelsa Muna, director of the Guam Department of Agriculture during the Islandwide Beautification Task Force on Tuesday.

Their forestry section will be the recipient of about $14 million from several federal programs the department applied for and was awarded, said Muna, with a large portion through America the Beautiful federal conservation funds.

Another funding source is $2 million from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.

Muna explained the current plan for how $2.6 million from the Infrastructure Reduction Act will be used.

We will sub-award $1.2 million of that to local NGOs and entities that want to engage in conservation efforts in the urban areas, she said.

The rest will be awarded to the Department of Parks and Recreation and the Guam Trades Academy to begin a curriculum program to train those who want to work in the forestry and conservation industry.

Funds will also be used for scholarships to the trade academy students and current employees under the State and Private Forestry program.

How the rest of the funds will be spent or awarded by the department is still in the works, said Muna.

Also discussed at the meeting was the departments effort to spay and neuter the island pets to prevent more puppies and kittens from being born and ending up in the streets.

Since Jan. 2022, the department has had eight outreach events including several Spay and Neuter Island Pets Program clinics.

We have spayed and neutered close to 3,000 pets within that time, said Muna.

She said the department anticipates holding monthly outreach events in each of the villages and is in discussion with the mayors to schedule and reserve a place to host the clinics.
A pedestrian who was hit by a truck on Wednesday and a motorcyclist involved in an accident Saturday have both died, Guam Police Department spokeswoman Officer Berlyn Savella said Tuesday.

They are the islands third and fourth traffic fatalities of the year.

The pedestrian, 83-year-old Florinda Herrera Rosero, of Tamuning, was in the crosswalk going from the ITC Building to TakeCare when she was hit by a Ford F150 truck making a right turn.

When police arrived, Guam Fire Department personnel were already on the scene administering CPR.

Rosero was taken to Guam Memorial Hospital, where she was later pronounced dead.

On Saturday, police were called to Route 1 near Chief Brodie School for a crash involving an automobile and a motorcycle.

At 10:49 p.m. the operator of the Harley Davidson motorcycle, Chet Charles Gallinnari, of Yigo, was traveling southbound on Marine Corps Drive as the driver of a 2019 Dodge Challenger was making a U-turn in front of the school.

The motorcycle collided with the rear end of the car, and the vehicle fled the scene, Savella said.

The vehicle and the driver were located at an establishment nearby, Savella said.

Gallinnari was taken to Guam Memorial Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Both cases remain open for further evidence collection, interviews and follow-ups, Savella said.

Other traffic fatalities this year

Feb. 7: Venic Fiden, who was driving a Nissan Pathfinder, was killed when his vehicle collided with a trash truck on Route 15 in Mangilao.

Feb. 12: Martin Perez Ruiz of Tamuning, a pedestrian in a crosswalk at the ITC intersection, was killed when he was hit by a Honda Ridgeline.
Attorney General Douglas Moylan has invited employers and representatives of job training programs to help homeless residents who are being evicted from an encampment across from Micronesia Mall.

A support center will be set up at the Dededo Flea Market to help the homeless find jobs, housing, work training, and mental health and substance abuse recovery services.

Moylan sent letters to Guam Community College, the Guam Chamber of Commerce and Guam Contractors Association asking for educational and employment opportunities to be offered at the flea market.

GCC will be providing support for individuals that need guidance to obtain an Adult High School Diploma or a GED. In addition, we will be providing information for those that are interested in participating in one of our work-ready boot camps, said GCC President Mary Okada.

Representatives from the college will include members from the Adult Education Department and the Office of Continuing Education and Workforce Development.

Employees from the Guam Department of Labor also plan to join as an employment service provider, said spokesperson Janela Carrera.

Need for documents

While representatives from agencies and nonprofits that work with the Office of the Governor and Mayors Council of Guam will gather at the center to offer their help, a longstanding barrier to some of these services, especially for federally funded assistance, is a lack of IDs and other documents.

Okada said for a GED, a valid ID is required. For the GCC boot camps, the applicant must have an ID, high school diploma or equivalent and updated immunization records.

When someone is experiencing homelessness, they may have lost all of their documentation. And because a lot of these programs are federally funded, youre going to need all of this documentation in order to become housed, said Guam Homeless Coalition chairperson Samantha Taitano.

Taitano said the coalition has agreements with the Department of Revenue and Taxation to make the process of getting IDs and birth certificates for those identified as homeless quicker.

Dededo Mayor Melissa Savares said her office and representatives from the Mayors Council will be ready at the market to issue mayors verifications, which are needed to get an ID.

Staff from the Guam Behavioral Health and Wellness Center will be on site to assist with substance use and behavioral health treatment.

To find shelter placement, the Office of Homelessness and Poverty Prevention and nonprofit Manelu will also attend.

The Labor Department has an agreement with Manelu and works with the coalition to help people apply for jobs by obtaining an ID and I-9 form, said Carrera.

Employment is key

Moylan said employment is key to keeping people from becoming homeless, and connecting them to jobs will reduce panhandling.

According to Moylan, Tuesday was the fifth day and last day the residents have to vacate the property in Dededo.

As of Tuesday afternoon, however, eviction notices were still posted on the property, and no residents appeared to have left.

For operational security reasons we are not giving the exact date when the government will be going in to relocate those people that have yet to vacate the premises, Moylan said.
A Guam Police Department officer enters a police cruiser in this January 2019 photo. GPD is investigation a crash that injured a student in front of Untalan Middle School Tuesday afternoon.
Racism against Asian Americans -- a long, ugly chapter in U.S. history

Xinhua) 14:40, February 28, 2023

NEW YORK, Feb. 27 (Xinhua) -- On the morning of Feb. 13, 2022, 35-year-old Christina Yuna Lee was found dead in her bathroom stabbed 40 times after a man, Assamad Nash, silently followed her up six flights of stairs into her lower Manhattan apartment, only because of her Asian descent.

Following the random yet violent murder, mourners placed flowers, candles, photos and cardboard signs condemning anti-Asian hatred outside the residential building. However, the makeshift memorial for the Korean-American victim was repeatedly vandalized.

Every attack on the memorial is pretty much anti-Asian and "it is very scary now," said Brian Chin, Lee's former landlord, whose family came to the United States from China six decades ago. "They're doing it with hate."

Lee's tragedy and similar racist incidents are just the tip of the iceberg regarding anti-Asian racism in the country.

Since the COVID-19 outbreak, some U.S. politicians have blatantly spread and hyped up conspiracy theories to shift the blame for their failed response to the contagion onto Asian Americans, causing a surge in anti-Asian hate crimes.

Over three years into the pandemic, the U.S. government, turning a blind eye to science and basic facts, recently introduced discriminatory restrictions targeting tourists arriving from China, raising concerns about further aggravating the situation.

"THEY DON'T DARE GO OUTSIDE"

In the past few years, shocking racist attacks against Asian Americans have occurred frequently in the United States.

For instance, on July 14, 2020, in New York City, an 89-year-old Chinese American woman was slapped in the face by two male strangers on the street, and when she tried to escape, the men set her clothes on fire from behind.

On Aug. 30, 2021, an elderly Filipino woman was pushed down the stairs by a white man in Rego Park Subway Station in Queens, New York, resulting in her sustaining serious facial and physical injuries.

Jenny H., in her 60s, has been living in San Francisco for more than 30 years. She didn't give her full name to Xinhua for fear that she would again become a target of racial assaults after the interview.

The lady used to like going outside, doing voluntary work, talking to strangers on buses ... though such a life is now nothing but a distant memory to her.

In 2020, she had her bones broken in a subway station after someone violently pushed her to the ground. Furthermore, she was once hit in the face by a bus passenger, leaving permanent damage to her eye. Nowadays, she must go to the hospital every three months for a medical checkup, but other than that, she doesn't dare to go outside amid the spike in Asiaphobia.

Some U.S. politicians bear a great deal of responsibility for this situation, as they tend to scapegoat the Asian community and deliberately stoke xenophobia and racism to cover up their own incompetencies in solving domestic political problems.

Haipei Shue, president of United Chinese Americans, an Asian American advocacy group, told Xinhua that the United States is regressing in the fight against racial discrimination at an alarming rate.

In 2021, hate crimes against Asian Americans rose sharply by 339 percent compared with 2020, showed data from the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism, a U.S. nonpartisan research and policy center.

Between March 2020 and December 2021, nearly 11,000 hate incidents against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders were reported to the national coalition Stop Asian American and Pacific Islander Hate. One in five incidents occurred as an attacker attributed the impact of COVID-19, income volatility and other problems to Asians and Asian Americans.

In March 2021, Robert Aaron Long, a 21-year-old white man, opened fire in three Asian Massage shops and spas in Atlanta with a gun, killing eight people, including six Asian women.

When addressing a speech at Emory University, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris said, "Racism is real in America, and it has always been there. Xenophobia is real in America, and always has been."

"Asian Americans have been attacked and scapegoated," she said. "People with the biggest pulpits spreading this kind of hate."

In May 2021, U.S. President Joe Biden signed the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act. Yet a study published by Pew Research Center in May 2022 showed about six in ten Asian adults see violence against Asian Americans in the United States as increasing, while 19 percent say there has not been much change.

ANTI-ASIAN AMERICAN RACISM IN U.S. HISTORY

In June 2005, construction crews unearthed bones and artifacts while widening a road to make room for the Gold Line rail extension to east Los Angeles. Archaeologists later found 174 burial sites, some dating back as far as the 1880s. A few had headstones with engravings in Chinese, and some contained artifacts such as teapots and jade jewelry.

Historians believe the site was once a potter's field, a cemetery for the poor, that was lost to developments in the 1920s. Many Chinese were buried there because they were not allowed to be buried among whites in the nearby Evergreen Cemetery.

In 1863, the United States embarked on the Pacific Railroad project, North America's very first transcontinental railroad, and recruited some 12,000 Chinese workers to construct the project under extremely dangerous and challenging conditions.

Over five consecutive months between late 1865 and early 1866, more than 3,000 Chinese railway workers were killed in avalanches caused by frequent snowstorms. The victims, in ragged clothes and barefoot, were not discovered until the snow melted months later.

Despite their historical contributions to U.S. development, Chinese Americans have become victims of social repulsion and racial violence.

In 1854, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Asian Americans were not and could not be citizens in a case, and such restrictions on Asian Americans' access to citizenship were not finally abolished until around the 1940s.

The earliest record of organized violence against Asian Americans was in 1871, when a group of whites rushed into an Asian community near Los Angeles' Chinatown, shooting and hanging 21 Chinese Americans to death, burning down the community, and driving the residents out of the city.

The severe prejudice against Asian Americans eventually led to the prohibition of Chinese immigrants in the United States with the enactment of the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, which stayed in force until 1943.

The sin of racial discrimination is deeply rooted in U.S. history, with the Chinese Exclusion Act being one epitome, said Shue, head of the above-mentioned Chinese Americans advocacy group. Targeting and suppressing a specific ethnic group, the law has caused irreparable harm to Chinese Americans.

On the night of June 19, 1982, 27-year-old Chinese American Vincent Chin was beaten to death by two white autoworkers in the U.S. city of Detroit at a time when local politicians, union leaders and auto executives blamed Japan for the decline of the U.S. auto industry, and Chin was mistaken as a Japanese.

The two criminals were eventually fined 3,000 U.S. dollars and sentenced to probation. Charles Kaufman, a former U.S. judge who ruled the case, said, "These weren't the kind of men you send to jail ... You don't make the punishment fit the crime; you make the punishment fit the criminal."

"In 1982, Mr. Chin was made into a scapegoat not only for Japanese autoworkers and executives but also a deteriorating way of life for those once solidly in the middle class but quickly falling out of it," wrote David Shih, a professor of English at the University of Wisconsin, in an opinion piece published in The New York Times last year.

Today, Asian Americans are also "the scapegoat for a fading sense of well-being in a market-driven and hypercompetitive society," Shih said.

"IT'S A DEEP-ROOTED PROBLEM"

Earlier this year, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention instituted discriminatory entry restrictions against China, requiring travelers flying from China to the United States to provide negative COVID-19 test results taken within two days of departure or proof of recovery from the disease within 90 days.

Jonathan Reiner, a professor of medicine and surgery at the George Washington University School, tweeted in response that "The U.S. plan to require travelers from China to be tested prior to departure is mostly performative," adding "The Chinese testing is just a gesture."

The policy itself isn't the main concern, but rather the larger anti-Chinese environment under which the rule has been imposed. And it's an issue that extends beyond the pandemic, said John C. Yang, president and executive director of Asian Americans Advancing Justice.

"We are concerned that that is another place where it will be an excuse to China-bash and thereby cause a backlash against Chinese Americans and the Asian American community as a whole," Yang said.

Just about a week after the entry restrictions took effect, an 18-year-old Asian woman at Indiana University Bloomington was attacked and stabbed several times in the head by a 56-year-old white woman with a knife on a bus. The suspect told police that her target was "Chinese" and it "would be one less person to blow up our country."

Huping Ling, a renowned U.S. historian focusing on Asian American studies, said xenophobic violence against Asian Americans has deep historical roots in the United States. She pointed out in her book "Asian American History and Culture: An Encyclopedia" that driven by racially biased and discriminatory laws and policies, xenophobic violence began with the first wave of Chinese immigrants to the United States and has been repeated ever since.

Li Minjin, an Asian-American writer who grew up in Queens, New York, said in an interview with American media that no matter how educated Asian Americans are or how safe their communities are, they are likely to encounter insults and attacks, and may even be killed. This is the historical result of the long-term persecution of the Asian community.

Some scholars argue that unlike discrimination against African Americans, discrimination against Asian Americans in U.S. society has been xenophobic historically. At its core, from its psychological roots, is a view of "alienating Asians permanently."

Chinese-American historian Erika Lee wrote in the book "The Making of Asian America: A History" that while the discriminatory laws of the past have been repealed, Asian Americans have not achieved full equality in American society. Many Asians settled in the United States generations ago but are still considered outsiders, which has allowed discrimination against them and made them the target of violence, murder, and hate crimes.

Chinese-American writer and journalist Katherine Chen admitted in a review article that for many years, she has felt like an outsider in the United States, with no choice but to alienate her ethnic traditions and culture. Asian-American groups were beaten, stabbed, or pushed onto subway tracks, but "what happened to us was not noticed among our peers, nor in history textbooks and civil rights speeches," she said.

In a broader sense, anti-Asian racism is one manifestation of systemic racial discrimination in the United States. Like African Americans, Latinos, Native Americans and other ethnic minorities, Asians have all been objects of discrimination and oppression by "white supremacists" in the United States for a long time. They are also the victims of racial hatred and antagonism incited by U.S. politicians who are acting out of their own interests.

"We are a nation of immigrants with a history of discrimination and exploitation of minority groups. We are still learning from the mistakes of the past. Asian Americans have contributed mightily to the success of the United States, but there is still much work to be done to treat Asian Americans as Americans," said Committee of 100 President Huang Zhengyu.

The fight against racist words and actions of certain politicians and leaders towards the Asian American community as well as long-held stereotypes is staged on a daily basis, Huang added.

Zhang Yunhan, a tea shop owner in Washington, D.C., was subject to anti-Asian attack, and he believes that the surge in hate crimes in the wake of COVID-19 is a culmination of the racism that has plagued the United States for centuries. "It's not going to go away. It's a deep-rooted problem," he told Xinhua.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
Published on 2023/02/27 | Source

Actors Chun Woo-hee and Kim Dong-wook will meet with tvN's new Monday-Tuesday drama "Delightfully Deceitful".

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"Delightfully Deceitful" depicts a revenge and thrilling collaborative fraud between an unsympathetic fraudster and an over-sympathetic lawyer, two people who are absolutely different from each other.

Chun Woo-hee plays the role of Lee Ro-woom, an unsympathetic con artist. Lee Ro-woom is a genius swindler who makes a fortune with her face and brilliant speech, and she was famous as a memorization genius girl when she was young. The point of view is what kind of evil the beneficial way in which revenge is understood as justice is to distinguish friend or foe by efficiency and utility value.

Kim Dong-wook plays Han Moo-yeong, a lawyer who has the opposite tendency. Han Moo-yeong is overindulgent because he cannot understand other people's feelings, and when he sees a person who has great empathy and is hurt, he has physical abnormal symptoms.

The production team said, "Delightfully Deceitful" is a work with deep catharsis in the process of men and women with completely different temperatures meeting and taking revenge together toward a single goal. In that regard, the actors Chun Woo-hee and Kim Dong-wook will provide thrilling pleasure and vicarious satisfaction to viewers".

"Delightfully Deceitful" will premiere at 8:50 PM on May 29th.
Published on 2023/02/27 | Source

Will actor Jang Dong-yoon appear in "The Sand Flower"?

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The agency Dongi Company told NewsN on February 24th that Jang Dong-yoon has received the script, but has not been decided yet.

"Flowers Bloom In Sand" is a comic romance thriller about Korean wrestling. It is a work in which Won Yoo-jung, who wrote OCN's "The Lies Within" and Kim Jin-woo-II, who directed KBS 2TV's "Queen of Mystery" and Netflix's original series "A Model Family" work together.

Jang Dong-yoon will appear in the KBS 2TV drama "Oasis - Drama" which will premiere on March 6th, and expectations are high on whether he will choose "The Sand Flower" as his next work.
Korean Movie | 2021

 Drama

Directed by Kim Sung-hwan-II ()

Written by Park Jin-soo-V ()

91min | Release date in South Korea: 2023/04/05

Synopsis

'Seong-min', who has been preparing to leave for a long time, heads to a Buddhist temple, Taeungsa, with his friend 'Jin-woo'. However, when Seong-min arrives at the temple, he is unexpectedly denied entry due to the age limit. Confused, Seong-min and Jin-woo did not give up and headed to Bobmunsa Temple in Odaesan, but this time they are rejected for another unexpected reason...



Life isn't easy at all!

From now on, a pleasant mind journey begins!

Shall we leave together?
Published on 2023/02/28 | Source

New poster added for the upcoming Korean movie "Soulmate" (2020)

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Directed by Min Yong-keun

With Kim Da-mi, Jeon So-nee, Byeon Woo-seok, Nam Yoon-su, Park Ji-yeon-II, Ryu Hae-jun,...

Starts filming: 2020/08

Formerly known as "Hello, My Soulmate" (,  , an-nyeong, na-eui so-ul-me-i-teu)

It is a remake of a Chinese film directed by Peter Chan.

Synopsis

Age of 12, Mi-so, who transferred from Seoul to Jeju Island, meets Ha-eun, who is different from herself, and they promise never to separate.

Age of 18, Ha-eun's first love, Jin-woo breaks in two girls' friendship. Age of 23, the two girls are in pain because of their unfamiliar changes.

Age of 27, the two girls meet again. They missed each other living in a world that everyone changes. It takes 15 years to confirm their friendship. The two girls exchange their lives and truly understand each other's lives.

Release date in Korea : 2023/03/15
The Finnish network equipment developer said it intends to pursue technological leadership to grow its market share, actively manage its portfolio to ensure a path to a leading position in all key segments, increase the share of corporate clients, seize new opportunities to monetise its intellectual property, implement new business models and develop environmental, social and corporate governance into a competitive advantage.

NOKIA on Sunday unveiled a plan to accelerate its growth across six pillars and a refreshed brand as part of its long-term strategic transformation.

Pekka Lundmark, the CEO of Nokia, told Helsingin Sanomat that the company has decided to put its food down on the gas pedal after finding itself in a substantially improved technological position.

Nokia, he told, presently commands a share of 2526 per cent share in mobile networks and one of less than 20 per cent in optical networks in geographies outside China.

The markets are no longer growing too much in the networks of telecommunication companies, but we intend to expand our market share with new products. Also the geopolitical development is helping us, he said, pointing to the problems faced by the Chinese rivals of Nokia.

A number of western telecommunication companies have discontinued equipment and software acquisitions from the rivals over espionage concerns.

Nokia last year saw revenue from its corporate business jump 21 per cent year-on-year to two billion euros, equivalent to roughly eight per cent of its 25-billion-euro revenue. Its most important corporate clients today are mines, ports and energy companies, according to Helsingin Sanomat.

Automation is progressing rapidly in industry, which is why were seizing this growth opportunity hard, explained Lundmark.

He said the company will look to become the technology leader in all business segments, increase its software-as-a-service operations and increase the licensing of patents in segments outside mobile phones, such as automotive and the internet of things.

We intend to make responsibility into a competitive advantage, he said of the sixth pillar. This means that well take into account aspects such as environmental considerations and information security in all our operations. The green transition and digitalisation support each other very strongly.

Helsingin Sanomat pointed out that Nokia continues to employ about 10,000 companies in China, a country with a dubious human rights track record.

It isnt possible to decouple China from the world economy. [The European] Commissions president, Ursula von der Leyen, has said that China cant be decoupled, but we have to do a better job of managing China-related risks and make sure we arent too reliant on it, countered Lundmark.

Nokia on Sunday also revealed it intends to refresh its brand, including adopting a logo that is emblematic of an energised, dynamic and modern company.

Our old logo is still closely associated with mobile phones. With the new visual design, we want to communicate that the company is renewing, Lundmark added to Helsingin Sanomat.

Aleksi Teivainen  HT
National Conciliator Anu Sajavaara told YLE late on Sunday evening that some progress was nonetheless made in the negotiations.

THE FINNISH Transport Workers Union (AKT) and Finnish Port Operators Association failed to reach an agreement on the terms and conditions of employment for stevedores on Sunday, according to the National Conciliator.

We spent the whole day looking for a solution, but unfortunately we couldnt find one, she commented. Well have to wait and mull over the solution for a while longer, but were close. There was clear progress today.

Sajavaara added that the plan is to continue the negotiations as soon as possible but declined to speculate on the timeline.

Stevedores started an indefinite strike on Wednesday, 15 October. AKT has rejected the two previous proposals to settle the labour dispute, citing insufficient pay rises and stressing that it will not settle for the pay rises granted to employees in key export industries. Stevedores, it has stated, are pursuing pay rises of about 8.5 per cent over the next two years, comparable to those adopted in Germany.

Employer representatives have warned that such pay rises would threaten the competitiveness of Finland. Employees in the technology industry, for example, are set to see their pay increase by seven per cent in 20232024.

There has been considerable public pressure to find a breakthrough in the bargaining negotiations as the strike has effectively halted the processing of goods imports and exports at ports across Finland.

Aleksi Teivainen  HT
The Finnish Transport Workers Union (AKT) has indicated that the strike would have an impact particularly on commuter bus services but not so much on intercity coach services, even though it would also apply to Onnibus and Koiviston Auto.

BUS SERVICES in Finlands largest cities are set to come to a grinding halt due to a driver strike taking place between 3am on Wednesday, 1 March, and Friday, 10 March.

AKT and the Employers Federation of Road Transport (ALT) on Monday failed to reach an agreement on the terms and conditions of bus drivers. The two labour market organisations will re-convene in an attempt to settle their differences on Tuesday, according to National Conciliator Anu Pajavaara.

Harri Pasanen, the director of advocacy at AKT, viewed yesterday while the negotiations were still ongoing that the strike is fairly likely to start although experience has shown that even major differences can be hashed out relatively quickly.

We still have today and tomorrow to go, he commented to YLE.

Helsinki Region Transport (HSL) has estimated that the strike would affect services on more than 90 per cent of its bus routes. Nobina, one of the largest service providers for HSL, has gauged that it might be able to provide no more than a quarter of its usual services during the strike, according to the Finnish public broadcasting company.

The impact will definitely be great. Most of the buses wont be moving, said Marten Winqvist, a regional manager at Nobina.

The effects of the strike have been estimated as significant also in Joensuu, Jyvaskyla, Kotka, Kuopio, Lahti, Oulu, Tampere and Turku. In Tampere, for example, it is expected to bring around half of bus services to a grinding halt.

Commuters in Helsinki and Tampere have been advised to consult the digital route planner for the most reliable and up-to-date information on the availability of services

Its impossible to make predictions in advance about what services will be available. The most reliable information will be found in the route planner, Sari Kotikangas, a communication specialist at HSL, stated to YLE on Monday.

Metro, tram and train drivers are set to join the strike on Monday, 6 March. The strike could therefore disrupt rail services across the country, including commuter rail services in the capital region.

Aleksi Teivainen  HT
Hungary is calling for a UN investigation into the scandalous attack on the Nord Stream pipelines that journalist Seymour Hersh has asserted were destroyed by the United States. The pipelines, which connected Russia to Germany, were sabotaged last September, leading to a state of dependence on US energy and prompting European countries to support the escalation of the war in Ukraine.

According to Hersh's sources, the explosives were planted in June 2022 by US Navy divers under the guise of the BALTOPS 22 NATO exercise, and were detonated three months later with a remote signal sent by a sonar buoy. One source told Hersh that the plotters knew the covert operation was an act of war," with some in the CIA and State Department warning, Dont do this. Its stupid and will be a political nightmare if it comes out."

Now, after China demanded that the United States explain itself to the world over the claims, Hungary has added its voice to the call for a full and proper investigation, demanding to know "who committed it and why." Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto has described the attack as a scandalous act of terrorism, insisting that the truth must be uncovered and that it should be of utmost international importance.

Budapest is urging the UN to conduct a comprehensive, deep, structured and detailed probe, which would act as a platform for countries to talk to each other, who even consider each other as enemies. The investigation could have significant political, economic, and legal implications for the countries involved, depending on the outcome of the investigation.

Former NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden also weighed in on the incident, pointing out that the White House has previously denied involvement in other false flags, such as the Bay of Pigs invasion. With tensions high and accusations flying, it remains to be seen whether the UN will launch an investigation, and what the repercussions of such an investigation could be.

HT

Read also: US and Norway blew up the Nord Stream Pipelines: Seymour Hersh
Thrive wins grants to buy vehicle

Thrive, a nonprofit based in Hendersonville, has received funding from two North Carolina Foundations, the Cannon Foundation and the Community Foundation of Henderson County, to purchase a new vehicle.

Thrive provides mental health and housing services to the community and their programs have been in high demand since the pandemic. Because of the increase in demand, the staff needed a second vehicle to use when meeting with clients. Like all nonprofits, Thrives budget is always tight and does not allow for large purchases like vehicles, so the organization applied for grants with The Cannon Foundation and the Community Foundation of Henderson County in 2022. Thrive staff were very thankful to receive full funding from both foundations, totaling $32,000, to cover the cost of the new vehicle.

Once Thrive received the funds, management found that supply chain issues had driven up the cost of new vehicles and the grant funds were insufficient to make a purchase. The organization was also facing long wait times for new vehicles. However, after searching for months, Thrives Executive Director and Administrative Services Director found a vehicle at local dealership, Hunter Automotive. They met with a very friendly salesperson at Hunter Automotive and were able to purchase a vehicle within the budget and in just one day.

Thrive thank the Cannon Foundation and the Community Foundation of Henderson County for supporting the purchase that will help Thrive to better serve its clients. With the second vehicle, they can provide transportation for clients to and from appointments, and Thrive staff can reach clients more quickly and efficiently. Thrive would also like to thank the staff at Hunter Automotive for making the process go smoothly.

For more information about Thrives mental health and housing services, call 828-697-1581 or visit www.thrive4health.org.
Accor, a global hotel leader and the region's largest international hotel operator, continues to reinforce its leadership position with the announcement of a new flagship destination for its newest luxury brand, Emblems Collection in Phu Quoc. This marks the brand's debut in the Vietnam market.

Emblems Collection is a carefully curated collection of independent hotels that are emblematic of their destination, designer or heritage. In recognition of their unique and charismatic personality, each property maintains its original elements and create bespoke and intimate guest experiences for seasoned modern luxury travellers who want to bring deeper meaning and emotion to their lives.

Set to open in 2025, the Emblems Collection hotel in Phu Quoc will be perfectly positioned on the soft sands of Sao Beach, overlooking the ocean close to the southern tip of Vietnam's exquisite "Pearl Island". This beautiful locally-inspired low-rise retreat, being developed by Dai Minh Phu Quoc Company Limited, will feature 122 bright, naturally-lit guestrooms and 24 breath-taking villas, all just steps from the crescent-shaped beach and aquamarine sea.

Throughout their stay, guests will be able to dine at a choice of two exceptional restaurants, grab light refreshments at the coffee corner, or unwind at the live music bar. The Emblems Collection hotel in Phu Quoc will also be a haven of wellness, with a soothing spa and bath house, a yoga studio and a fully-equipped fitness centre, as well as an inviting outdoor swimming pool and children's pool. Finally, the event facilities and beach will promise to be outstanding locations for events on this island.

The Emblems Collection hotel in Phu Quoc will be located a short 25-minute drive from Phu Quoc International Airport, which offers direct connections to key cities all across Asia, including Bangkok, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur, Mumbai and Seoul, as well as multiple domestic routes within Vietnam.

Emblems Collection is Accor's newest luxury brands, with a captivating portfolio set to expand to 60 hotels and resorts all around the world by 2032, with several global signings to be announced throughout 2023.

Hotel website
THE 72-ROOM IBIS TO OPEN AT TBILISI INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT IN 2024.

Accor, a world leading hospitality group, announces the signing of the cooperation agreement with Fujin Silk Properties LLC, company based in Georgia, to open a new ibis hotel at Tbilisi International Airport in 2024.

The new ibis will be located in a brand-new development, 15 kilometers away from the capital, and just a few minutes' walk from Tbilisi International Airport (TBS). The railway and bus stations are within walking distance. The hotel's convenient location will allow guests to reach the center of Tbilisi, famous for its distinctive architecture, embodying an eclectic mix of medieval, neoclassical, art nouveau and modernist buildings. Famed for its distinct culinary traditions, Georgia is a wonderful gastronomic and travel destination and one of the oldest wine regions in the world with evidence of wine-making dating back 8000 years ago. In 2022 National Geographic Travel has included Tbilisi in the Top 100 Best Cities to Visit in its new guidebook.

The hotel will offer 72 comfortable rooms designed in accordance with the global modern design concept of ibis brand - Plaza. In the open-air lobby, a central bar dominates the space, inviting guests to gather around and mingle about the social hub. Guestrooms in the Plaza concept continue the theme of a casual, warm, living style, with edgy wood and metal features. In each room, guests will find everything needed for a comfortable stay, including a workplace and an innovative Sweet Bed for a happy night's sleep. The hotel will offer early and late breakfasts at ibis Kitchen restaurant and free access to

Wi-Fi.

In addition to the new ibis, the building will also feature a modern business center, meeting rooms, and a wine shop, showcasing selected collections from well-renowned producers, as a tribute to Georgian wine traditions and heritage.

The opening of the new ibis in Tbilisi Airport is scheduled for 2024.

Hotel website
Lotte Hotel Seattle, the luxury hotel prominently situated in the business district of downtown Seattle, is pleased to announce the appointment of Ian Ring as Director of Sales & Marketing. As one of the newest additions to the dynamic team, Ring will support the hotel's mission of delivering unparalleled guest experiences. In this role, Ring will also lead the business development and execution of the hotel's sales initiatives.

Ring brings over 20 years of hospitality experience to Lotte Hotel Seattle and has worked with some of the most prestigious brands in the industry, including Hyatt Hotels. There he led the marketing and business efforts and finished in the top 5% of sales production in the Americas, earning the title of Manager of the Year during his tenure.

Before joining the esteemed team at Lotte Hotel Seattle, he helped to launch Dock & Drink, a year-round waterfront outdoor hotel outlet, along with Frolick Kitchen & Cocktails, Washington's first rooftop street curling rink. With his knowledge of Seattle, he will continue to drive the success of Lotte Hotel Seattle and establishing the hotel as a must-stay destination.

In synergistic partnership with the executive team, Ring will work to magnify the hotel's identity and continue the mission to deliver exceptional experiences through an authentic approach to hospitality. As a key leader, he will additionally support the hotel's projects and growth within the industry.
This article discusses the importance of understanding the relationship between sustainability and hospitality in the current global context, which is characterized by a convergence of global risks linked to climate change and biodiversity collapse. The hospitality industry operates in a volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous environment, which makes it difficult to devise a resilient path that considers environmental, social and governance risks. In his article, Professor Willy Legrand argues that it is crucial for business leaders to understand both sides of sustainability and hospitality and build connections between them. This means considering global goals and initiatives, as well as national and supranational guidelines and legislations that affect a business's ESG reporting strategy. By taking a holistic approach, the hospitality industry has the opportunity to advance sustainability overall.

French poet Paul Valery once stated that everything simple is false, everything complex is unusable[1].

Todays global context is anything but simple. We are exposed to a convergence of global risks linked to climate change and biodiversity collapse posing a threat to the fabric of society. We are also faced with turbulent socio-economic situations and unstable geopolitics. The convergence of global systemic risks is coined as the global polycrisis[2]. The hospitality industry operates in a volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous environment. Since complex is unusable, and knowing that hospitality performs best under stable conditions[3], what is the best strategy to devise today to lay the foundation to a resilient path considering the Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) risks?

Read or listen to the full article

Hotel Yearbook 2023

As we have embarked on 2023, it is evident that the hotel industry has made a robust recovery from the pandemic. Occupancy and pricing have returned to their pre-pandemic levels. However, the future of our industry is contingent on how nimble the hospitality sector can be in adapting to ongoing innovation, changing market conditions, evolving consumer preferences, new staffing challenges, and sustainability realities. These uncertainties are the new normal in an unpredictable world.

www.hotelyearbook.com/edition/2023.html
After ending 2022 with a 25% increase in its hotel management portfolio, First Hospitality, a national hotel operating and development company, kicks off 2023 by earning the 2023 Top Workplaces USA award, issued by Energage. Winners of the Top Workplaces USA list are chosen based solely on employee feedback gathered through an Energage issued employee engagement survey. First Hospitality honored associates across its diverse portfolio of over 50 hotels during the 37th Annual First Honors Gala, January 25-26, 2023 in Toledo, OH. During the celebration, First Hospitality recognized 41 hotel properties in nearly 20 categories including Hotels Ranked #1 on STR, Diversity First Team Award, and Best in Class  Top Guest Scores. More than 20 individual associates were awarded in categories ranging from Executive Engineer of the Year and Executive Housekeeper of the Year to Home Office Hero Award for Property Support and People First Award. When our associates prosper, First Hospitality prospers, which is why recognizing the high-performing talent and success of our teams across the country is reason to celebrate, said David Duncan, president and CEO of First Hospitality. A preponderance of hotel category winners this year are properties run by leaders of diverse backgrounds, including Hotel of the Year and Inner Circle winner, Hyatt Place Ann Arbor. At the same time, the majority of our individual associate recognition awards that are based on hotel performance criteria, alongside nominations, were presented to women. Were proud to champion a culture of diversity and inclusion, Duncan continued. The 14 female leader individual award recipients included:

The First Honors Gala also recognized 37 employees with the Live Free Drive Free award. All hourly associates who achieve perfect attendance during the year prior are honored and entered to win a year of housing or car payments. This years grand prize winner selected the Live Free for a Year option. While First Hospitality honored the success of its hotels and associates, its portfolio of managed and owned properties also earned several prestigious accolades from the media including: The Hutton Hotel was named one of The 5 Best Hotels in Nashville, according to Travel + Leisure readers in 2022 and one of the Top 25 Hotels in the South in Conde Nast Travelers Readers Choice Awards 2022. U.S. News and World Report honored the hotel as the #2 Best Hotels in Tennessee and on its Best Hotels of Nashville list. The property also earned a 2022 Travelers Choice Award from Tripadvisor.

The Drake Oak Brook, Autograph Collection in Oak Brook, Il, was named one of The Best Hotels in the World: 2022 Readers Choice Awards by Conde Nast Traveler. It also ranked #2 in the top hotels in the Midwest. The World Travel Awards awarded the Drake Oak Brook as Illinois's Leading Hotel 2022.

World Travel Awards named Hotel LeVeque in Columbus, OH, as Ohio's Leading Hotel 2022 For more information about First Hospitality and its portfolio of hotels, please visit: firsthospitality.com.

About First Hospitality

First Hospitality is a top-ranking development, investment, and third-party operating company with a portfolio of branded and independent properties throughout the United States. Founded nearly 40 years ago, the organization fosters opportunities for associates, investors, owners, and partners to prosper together. The foundation of First Hospitality's success is built on an individualized approach that puts people first, encourages a strong ownership culture, and consistently demonstrates astute business acumen. The company and its hotels are frequently recognized by the industry and media for high guest service and associate satisfaction, including accolades from Forbes, Conde Nast, TripAdvisor, and AAA. For more information, visit www.firsthospitality.com.
Infor, the industry cloud company, today announced that Chichester Park Hotel has deployed Infor Hospitality Management Solution (HMS) and Infor Sales & Catering (SCS), a fully integrated, event-management software solution. The new cloud systems have streamlined and amalgamated key processes, laying the foundations for continued business growth.

The 86-room hotel in the heart of historic Chichester, England, was looking for a new solution to replace its incumbent system that was unable to keep pace with the demands of the growing business. Following a thorough assessment of the market and a six-way competitive pitch, Chichester Park Hotel chose the two solutions from Infor.

In particular, Chichester Park liked the ease-of-use of the solutions and their ability to not only integrate seamlessly with each other, but with other solutions and technologies, too. Infor HMS and SCS are already delivering benefits for the business, securing valuable efficiency savings and providing more insightful and accessible data than with the previous solutions. Infor SCS is helping to facilitate a frictionless guest experience, automating the entire booking process with an intuitive workflow at every stage of the customer journey. System integration furnishes the team with comprehensive business visibility at any moment in time.

Put simply, the systems work for us, comments Kam Sanmukhani, Chichester Park operations manager. The seamless integration of our core business processes has led to a more streamlined and efficient experience for both staff and guests. For example, when it comes to advanced deposit postings, we can now automatically charge cards in a couple of clicks, a process that used to take 90 minutes to do manually. The reporting functionality is excellent, too, enabling us to filter the data in a multitude of ways to reveal valuable business insights.

Infor SCS gives us the ability to automate the entire booking process, from initial enquiry through to the final invoice. In combination with the functionality of Infor HMS, Infor SCS puts the scalable foundations in place to ensure sustainable and profitable business growth, helping us to deliver exceptional customer service whilst maximising revenues, Sanmukhani added.

Infor HMS and SCS are built to meet the exacting demands of the hotel industry, comments Paul Griffiths, Infor hospitality business development management for UK and Ireland. As the team at Chichester Park has recognised, our flexible and scalable solutions deliver quantifiable business benefits, automating core processes to deliver that all-important quality experience for guests and staff alike. The efficiencies and valuable insights that our solutions deliver continue to make them the ideal choice for hotel businesses keen to pursue ambitious growth strategies, boosting customer satisfaction as well as profitability.

Learn more about Infor HMS: https://www.infor.com/en-gb/resources/infor-hms

Learn more about Infor Sales & Catering: https://www.infor.com/en-gb/products/sales-catering

About Infor

Infor is a global leader in business cloud software specialized by industry. We develop complete solutions for our focus industries. Infor's mission-critical enterprise applications and services are designed to deliver sustainable operational advantages with security and faster time to value. Over 60,000 organizations in more than 175 countries rely on Infor's 17,000 employees to help achieve their business goals. As a Koch company, our financial strength, ownership structure, and long-term view empower us to foster enduring, mutually beneficial relationships with our customers. Visit Infor.com.

Richard Moore

EMEA PR manager
M3, the hospitality industry's #1 cloud-based financial and data management platform, has been awarded Best Cloud-Based Financial Platform 2022  USA and LUXlife Charity Excellence Award 2022 in the 2022 Technology Innovator Awards. M3 was chosen above other companies for its innovation, thoughtfulness, helpful methods, and pioneering software. After 24 years in business, M3 is used by more than 1,000 management groups, owner-operators, and hotels of all sizes, and boasts a 95% customer retention rate.

M3 is the leading provider of back-office accounting, business intelligence, and labor management solutions in the hospitality industry. The platform works seamlessly with other key systems and tools in the hospitality industry and offers robust accounting and financial analysis across entire portfolios with optional operations and time management features.

Hoteliers have seen tremendous value in implementing back-office technology, as they help to lower operational costs and increase overall efficiency and accuracy. M3 has onboarded nearly 600 hotels onto its platform since January 2022 alone, providing hoteliers with the ability to bring multiple data points into one platform while enabling them to have an accurate financial and operational snapshot across multiple hotels.

Many hotels have updated their guest-facing technology but have neglected their back-office technology. This has left hotel accounting and operations teams with manual processes and managing an array of spreadsheets that lack the ability to offer insights at a glance  to make critical business decisions. M3 aims to continue innovation to make all hoteliers lives easier! M3s Chief Sales and Marketing Officer, Scott Watson

Innovation is everything at M3, and it is crucial for the company to work in a fast-paced industry that consistently strives to improve and advance its technology. This comes in the form of an ideas portal called Ideas Gateway, which harnesses the power of customer feedback in order for M3 to continuously improve and better itself, to ensure that the needs and expectations of customers are met each and every time.

Great ideas can come from everywhere, and M3 wants to make sure we are listening to the most important source: customers! Scott enthuses. Their input is critical to upholding M3s vision of developing and customizing software to meet the needs of any enterprise. Because of our customers, we are excited to release a new product later this year that will include advanced features that are currently part of the M3 Accounting Core solution and reflect the ongoing evolution of M3s Accknowledge software.

M3 is focused on continued growth and improving feature functionality for customers. M3 ensures to provide exceptional customer service through its collaborative and inclusive internal culture, which helps to engage and empower its staff members to produce a happy working environment.

As M3 constantly strives to do the right thing for its customers by solving todays problems and anticipating tomorrows needs with forward-thinking products, Scott tells us that the future is looking bright for M3 and its customers.

We hope to continue simplifying hotel technology and back-office processes for the remainder of 2023, he states. We plan to continue releasing state-of-the-art feature functionality to make hoteliers' lives easier.

To learn more about M3 or to request a demo, visit www.m3as.com.

About Innovation in Business

Published quarterly, Innovation in Business is a magazine and newsletter that strives to highlight businesses pushing the bar higher in the realm of technology. The individuals and businesses in each issue are altering the corporate landscape by utilizing their pioneering solutions and forward-focused mindsets. We endeavor to highlight their success for the future of business, and beyond.

About M3

Built by hoteliers exclusively for hoteliers, M3 is a powerful cloud-based financial platform and services company serving over 7,500 properties across North America's hospitality industry by driving cost savings, revenue enhancement, and business insight. After 24 years in business without increasing prices, M3 touts a 95 percent customer retention rate. Used by over 1,000 management groups and owner-operators and hotels of all sizes, the platform works seamlessly with other key systems and tools in the hospitality industry and offers robust accounting and financial analysis across entire portfolios with optional operations and time management features. M3's professional services team provides on-demand support for hotels of any size by offering a full range of customized accounting solutions to scale with a hotel's needs. Privately held and employee-owned, M3 continues to enhance products and services at no additional charge to its customers. For more information, visit www.m3as.com.

Haley Wolf

Marketing and Public Relations Manager

+1 770 533 0545

View source
The Global Finance Committee (GFC), jointly sponsored by Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals (HFTP) and the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA), have restarted its work on the 12th Revised Edition of the Uniform System of Accounts for the Lodging Industry (USALI). The independent group of global financial leaders from the most prominent U.S. and international hotel brands, operators, owners and other industry authorities met January 31  February 2 in Washington, D.C. The upcoming revisions and enhancements will incorporate financial and operating changes and a new sustainability section.

We are extremely excited to get our group back together and re-engage on the important financial and operating changes that have taken place since the last edition was published in 2014. We are also excited about the new sustainability reporting section, which will provide valuable guidance to operators and owners focused on ESG concerns. GFC Co-Chair Raymond Martz, Co-President and CFO of Pebblebrook Hotel Trust (NYSE:PEB)

USALI is the global standard for financial and operating reporting in the hotel industry because it addresses brand, operator and owner interests in a balanced manner. We will continue this approach in the upcoming 12th Revised Edition. GFC Co-Chair Gina Tallarico, SVP, Global Head of Acquisition Integration, Hyatt Hotels Corporation (NYSE:H)

Notable changes to the 11th Revised Edition have been made and will be reflected in the 12th Revised Edition. One of the most significant changes is the new sustainability-focused reporting, which migrates the Utilities Schedule to Energy, Water, and Waste Schedule (EWW). The new EWW Schedule provides improved monitoring and benchmarking of EWW cost and usage while providing a road map to track a hotels greenhouse gas emissions. The GFC is also working on reporting enhancements for digital marketing, labor, brand and operator costs. Read a more detailed account of the expected changes on the HFTP Connect blog.

Over the next several months, the committee will issue updated sections for industry comment from invited stakeholders. In addition, the council will offer educational programming and editorial to keep industry professionals apprised of the changes.

The USALI is available as a digital subscription service or a soft-cover book. Before the release of the 12th Revised Edition, HFTP will make available a new, cloud-based platform for USALI subscribers. The digital publication will be accessible on smartphones, tablets and PCs. Users will have the opportunity for content engagement with the ability to add personalized notes and comments to the digital content. The subscription also provides access to a library with past editions, FAQs, supplemental resources and an expense dictionary.

The USALI is the global guide used for financial and operational reporting. Its primary purpose is to offer operating statements formatted to provide hotel owners, managers and other interested parties with operational information pertinent to the lodging industry. The USALI was first published in 1926.

Long-aligned with the publication, HFTP acquired the copyright to the USALI in 2018. In October 2019, HFTP and AHLA formed the co-sponsored GFC to update and expand the USALI 11th edition based on U.S. and international standards.

The GFC represents a span of industry organizations:

Pebblebrook Hotel Trust

Hyatt Hotels Corp.

HotStats Ltd.

Marriott International, Inc.

CHM Warnick

University of Houston

Viceroy Hotel Group

Hilton Hotels

Apara Hotel Advisers Pte Ltd.

Apple Hospitality REIT, Inc.

STR

Hotel Asset Value Enhancement, LLC

KPMG LLP

Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc.

Aimbridge Hospitality

HBI Consulting, LLC

IHG

Xenia Hotels & Resorts, Inc.

Fulcrum Hospitality

CBRE Hotels Americas Research

Cornell University

Inntegrated Hospitality Management Ltd.

Aqua-Aston Hospitality

HVS Hotel Management & HVS Asset Management

Hotel Asset Value Enhancement, Inc.

Crescent Hotel & Resort

Rosewood Hotel Management

Garland Consulting

AHLA

HFTP

Visit the USALI site to purchase the book and view supplemental resources. For questions, contact HFTP at [email protected] or +1 (512) 220-4020. Follow news and information on the USALI, 12th Revised Edition on the HFTP website.

About AHLA

The American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA) is the largest hotel association in America, representing more than 30,000 members from all segments of the industry nationwide  including iconic global brands, 80 percent of all franchised hotels and the 16 largest hotel companies in the U.S. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., AHLA focuses on strategic advocacy, communications support, and workforce development programs to move the industry forward. Learn more at www.ahla.com.

About HFTP

Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals (HFTP), established in 1952, is a hospitality nonprofit association headquartered in Austin, Texas USA with offices in the EU and Middle East. HFTP is recognized as the spokes group for the finance and technology segments of the hospitality industry with an international network of members and stakeholders. HFTP uniquely understands the industry's pressing issues, and assists its stakeholders in finding solutions to their challenges more efficiently than any organization. HFTP offers expert networks, educational resources, career development programs, research, leadership opportunities and conferences and events. HFTP produces international events throughout the year, including the world's largest hospitality technology tradeshow and conference brand: HITEC. In addition, it oversees the hospitality-specific Pineapplesearch.com and the Uniform System of Accounts for the Lodging Industry (USALI). For more information about HFTP, visit www.hftp.org. For the latest news, visit the HFTP News page at news.hftp.org and the HFTP Connect blog at blog.hftp.org.

Millicent Athanos

Staff Vice President, Administration & USALI

+1 512 220 6449

HFTP
Chicago, IL (60637)

Today

Rain early...then remaining cloudy with showers and windy conditions developing in the afternoon. Morning high of 60F with temps falling to near 40. Winds WSW at 20 to 30 mph. Chance of rain 80%. Rainfall near a quarter of an inch..

Tonight

Periods of rain and snow showers in the evening transitioning to snow showers late...windy. Low 34F. Winds WSW at 20 to 30 mph. Chance of precip 60%. Higher wind gusts possible.
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The city partnered with Mass MoCA on a federal grant to study the connections between the museum and the downtown, especially the massive bridge and highway that splits the downtown area.

North Adams Awarded Federal Grant to Study Downtown Connections

NORTH ADAMS, Mass.  North Adams is getting $750,000 in federal funding to rethink the Central Artery and consider ways to better connect the downtown to Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art.

The city partnered with Mass MoCA on the application last fall for the Bipartisan Infrastructure Act's Reconnecting Communities Pilot Program. The program is providing a $1 billion over the next five years for planning, construction and technical grants for communities affected by past infrastructure projects.

Mayor Jennifer Macksey told the Mass MoCA Commission on Monday that they had received word on Friday that the grant was being awarded.

"We have been told that we were awarded the grant so that is a big, big, big accomplishment and I have to commend the Mass MoCA group and Carrie Burnett from my team," she said. "There were a lot of weekend phone calls we had and conference calls on Zoom to get it done. But we're moving in the right direction."

Update: The grants were formally announced by U.S. Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Edward Markey and U.S. Rep. Richard Neal on Tuesday. North Adams and Boston's Chinatown received the funding in Massachusetts. Boston gets $1.8 million for outdoor community space to help improve air quality and public health. Both grants are tied to the urban renewal projects in the 1960s that built freeways disrupting and bisecting neighborhoods. "President Biden's Bipartisan Infrastructure Law has already delivered more than $3 million for the commonwealth, addressing the most pressing infrastructure needs confronting our communities, said Neal. "The funding announced for the city of North Adams under the Reconnecting Communities Pilot Program will help connect the city's downtown, providing a catalyst for economic growth and sustainability throughout the region."

Commissioner Gail Sellers, who had inquired about the status of the grant, questioned if more analysis had to be done.

"I have a concern about that, because we've done a number of things to try to bring people from Mass MoCA to Main Street," she said.

The mayor agreed there's been a lot of analysis but this one will have a "different spin."

She explained that part of the study would be assessing the deteriorating Veterans Memorial Bridge, which is owned by the city; it would look at pedestrian connections and traffic patterns, and would include a community component.

"This does not mean in any way we're taking down the bridge, but that is something that we need to explore," she said.

Visitors trying to get to downtown from the former Spraque Electric campus have to navigate a sea of parking lots, a street that's four lanes as it approaches the city center, numerous lights and crosswalks and a massive overpass.

That area was leveled in the mid-1960s by the Central Artery Project that straightened out and widened Route 2 through the city and included the construction of the overpass.

"Fixing the bridge is not going to help, in my mind, getting people from MoCA to downtown," said Sellers. "The bridge may need fixing and it's really a chunk of money. And that kind of money probably could be sucked up by the bridge repair or whatever in a heartbeat."

She said she hoped the study would look at the park MoCA put in along Marshall Street and if that was driving foot traffic downtown.

Macksey said wayfaring and signage would among the components of the study.

Commissioner Eric Kerns said the application was "fantastic work" after reading it.

"You're going to see that it's not like what we've done before," he said to Sellers. "A big part of this is about taking a look further back and addressing the circulation and connectivity of downtown that was destroyed by urban renewal. ...

"It's incredible that there's the opportunity now to take a look at this in a much larger way, a much more ambitious way that's not just about, hey, let's get some people to walk downtown."

They haven't been thinking big enough, said Kerns. "This is a huge, like swing at a much further fence that I think is an exciting thing for us to be undertaking."

Macksey said she and the Mass MoCA team could give the commission more information at its next meeting.

In other business, commission approved two new rentals on the museum campus.

 Chef Xavier Jones will be opening another Bigg Daddy's Philly Steakhouse, this time in the former gatehouse where A-OK Barbecue had been located. He's previously opened them in Adams and Pittsfield and currently operates the Fire House Cafe in Adams.

Jones said he will have hamburgers, salads and barbecue in addition to his hometown Philly steak sandwiches. The eatery will be grab and go, although outside seating is available in the warmer months. He is shooting to open by the end of April and his hours will be 11 to 9 daily except Tuesday.

 Dalton-based Berkshire Dream Home Real Estate signed a three-year lease for a small office on the second floor of Building 13.

Kimma Stark, project manager at MoCA, said the agency will be using the 345 square foot office as needed. It employees 27 agents and support staff but is also recruiting two more agents specifically for North County.
Legislature Recommends Great Barrington Native for Postal Honor

Dr. May Edward Chinn

BOSTON  The Legislature on Monday adopted a resolution recommending that Dr. May Edward Chinn, a native of Great Barrington, be honored by the U.S. Postal Service through its Black Heritage Stamp Series.

The joint resolution of the state House and Senate recognizes the pioneering contributions of Chinn in the field of medicine in celebration of Black History Month. The resolution was jointly presented by state Sens. Paul Mark of Peru and Liz Miranda of Roxbury and state Rep. William "Smitty" Pignatelli of Lenox.

Her biography posted on the National Institutes for Health page states Chinn was born in Great Barrington on April 15, 1895, to William Lafayette Chinn, a former enslaved person from the Cheyne Plantation in Virginia, and Lulu Ann Evans, a Native American from the Chickahominy Indian Reservation near Norfolk, Va., and was raised in New York City.

She overcame extraordinary poverty and racism to graduate with a bachelor of science degree from Teachers College at Columbia University and pursue a career in clinical pathology. Subsequently, she moved into medicine and became the first woman of African American and Algonquin descent to graduate from the New York University School of Medicine.

Chinn pioneered many practices of modern medicine, by participating in early cancer screening trials and by being the first doctor for Harlem (N.Y.) Hospital to go on ambulance calls. She dedicated

her life to making the world fairer by treating the poor in her community all the way until her death at the

age of 84 on Dec. 1, 1980.

"Dr. May Edward Chinn of Great Barrington, is a name and story that more Americans need to know

about," said Mark. "Having her honored on a U.S. postage stamp is a fitting tribute to her contributions to advancing the frontiers of medicine and society and will help ensure that more Americans will be inspired by her life to also achieve to their full capability."

Pignatelli said he wholeheartedly supported this joint effort, noting "there are many native sons and daughters who called these humble hills of Berkshires home but helped shape the arc of the entire country. It is important that we recognize individuals like Dr. Chinn who paved the way for equity, justice and progress in our commonwealth."
Berkshire Middle Registry Warns Residents of Mortgage Scam

PITTSFIELD, Mass.  The Registry of Deeds urges residents to use caution when signing property-related documents.



MV Realty PBC LLC  also known as MV of Massachusetts LLC  is being sued by the attorney general for allegedly using deceptive tactics that target financially struggling homeowners across the state. The Middle Berkshire Registry of Deeds shut down attempts to file these documents after only one was recorded.



"We do a really good job keeping records and the state and the Attorney General's Office and all of our legislators do everything they can to protect homeowners, especially elderly and vulnerable homeowners," Register Patricia Harris said.



"So try to do your best to not sign on the dotted line unless you are in the presence of an attorney who is licensed to practice in Massachusetts."



Owners were reportedly offered cash reimbursements between $500 and $5,000 from MV Realty to sign a real estate brokerage agreement that could be enforced by a mortgage with a 40-year maturity date. It is referred to as a homeowner benefit agreement.



In Western Mass registries, which includes Berkshire, Franklin, Hampshire, and Hampden counties, there were 89 mortgages recorded from the company. There was one recorded at the Berkshire Middle Registry in September 2021 during the height of the real estate boom but around 20 were averted.



Harris explained that you would typically see a maturity date that clearly states when the mortgage is due and the amount. In the recorded document, there was neither and it simply referred to a brokerage agreement that was in a way tied to the mortgage.



To her, it became apparent that the company was offering to sell people's homes at some point in time and provided money in return for a mortgage on the property.



The person who recorded with MV Realty didn't seem to understand that he had signed a mortgage.



"I just thought that was ridiculous and dangerous, really," Harris said, adding that there were also conditions that gave the company statutory power of sale or foreclosure on the property if it decided there was a breach.

This poses a hassle for owners because they have to protect their rights and hire a lawyer, she said, and the people likely to take a cash offer are already financially struggling.



The registry then rejected every mortgage from this company and spoke to the Massachusetts Registers and Assistant Registers of Deeds Association about it. Registers across the state were also rejecting MV Realty mortgages.



"They're relying on deception, misrepresentation, targeting elderly," Harris said. "It is a very real threat and it could result in these people losing their homes and that is probably their most valuable asset."



In October, Harris sent an email to former Attorney General Maura Healey warning her of the situation.

The register has determined that homeowners are contacted by a representative of the company who then sends a notary public to meet with them to acknowledge their signatures on a mortgage before giving them the cash.

An MV Realty spokesperson said the agency's team of licensed real estate agents have "assisted over 35,000 satisfied homeowners across 33 states" through its homeowner benefit agreement.

"Under a traditional real estate transaction agreement, homeowners grant listing agents the rights to sell their home without compensation," the spokesperson said. "Our innovative HBA program compensates homeowners with an upfront, direct payment that they can save, spend, or invest in exchange for granting MV exclusive rights to list the home only if they choose to sell within the duration of the agreement for the price the homeowners determine. No homeowner is under any obligation to sell their home under the terms of the HBA and is not required to repay funds if they do not choose to list their home within the duration of the agreement."

In December, the AG filed a complaint in Suffolk Superior Court.



According to the AG, the terms buried in the homeowner benefit agreement include a clause that allows MV Realty to assign the right to be the homeowner's broker to anybody it wants to, without restriction; a clause ensuring a minimum payment to MV Realty, even if it overestimated the value of the home; a clause that requires tenfold repayment of the advance if the owner loses the home to foreclosure; and a clause that says that if MV Realty does act as a broker it will not owe homeowners the duty of loyalty or duty of confidentiality real estate agents generally owe their clients.

If the suit rules that these are not legitimate mortgages, the Middle Berkshire property owner will likely be let of their contract with MV Realty.

MV Realty says it has paused any new agreements and is working on ensuring "greater transparency" for customers and training team members on adherence to company policy.

"We are taking the concerns of regulators and legislators seriously and are implementing immediate, concrete steps to address any potential shortcomings  real or perceived  of our innovative Homeowner Benefit Program," the company spokesperson said. "MV Realty is committed to working with policymakers and others in government on pragmatic regulations that ensure fair and ethical practices within the real estate industry and address any concerns regarding the HBA program."

The register emphasized the importance of having legal representation for signing legal documents. While the office can provide documents needed for property owners to answer questions, registry staff are not attorneys.



"With a legitimate credit company, lending institution, or credit union, you would be represented by an attorney, first of all," Harris said. "And the attorney would make sure that you were signing a legitimate document and not something that could get you into serious trouble."



She was very impressed with the AG office's response to the situation and is glad that her office was able to shield future residents from it.



Tips provided by the Registry of Deeds:
Feature: Chinese moms share stories of daughters battling rare Rett syndrome

Xinhua) 14:44, February 28, 2023

BEIJING, Feb. 28 (Xinhua) -- Tang Dafeng began livestreaming on Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok, at 10 p.m., saying hello to the audience and introducing the story of her three-year-old daughter, who two years ago was diagnosed with Rett syndrome, a rare disease that most had never heard of.

On Douyin, many mothers of daughters with Rett syndrome like Tang are sharing their stories of their kids fighting the disease, and in this process more helping hands are extended to families in need.

Rett syndrome is a rare genetic neurological and developmental disorder that affects the way the brain develops. It particularly affects speech, purposeful hand use, and coordination, leaving individuals understanding more than they can communicate.

Caused by a gene mutation, this disorder is first recognized in infancy and occurs primarily in girls. According to statistics, one in every 10,000 to 15,000 girls is born with this syndrome.

Austrian medic Andreas Rett originally described Rett syndrome in 1966. The first case in China was reported by Peking University First Hospital in 1988.

"My doctoral supervisor Wu Xiru was the first to diagnose this disease in China. In 1991, I became a clinical doctoral student under the guidance of Professor Wu and began to do research on Rett syndrome," said Bao Xinhua, an expert in pediatric neurology with Peking University First Hospital.

Bao said that she diagnoses about five Rett syndrome cases monthly on average. "These children had usually been diagnosed with brain dysplasia and autism before," said Bao.

Tang's daughter Zhizhi is one of Bao's patients.

At the beginning of 2021, after discovering that her daughter showed signs of autism, as well as degradation in hand function and language, Tang arranged all kinds of examinations in a hospital in Beijing, but the results showed that everything was fine with her daughter.

"In a WeChat group for parents of autistic children, a father suggested that Zhizhi might be a 'Rett child,' and added that this meant that she wouldn't live long, and at that moment I was trembling," Tang recalled.

On March 9, 2021, Tang came to Bao's clinic with 18-month-old Zhizhi, and reserved a genetic test for Zhizhi. About a month later, Tang received the result of the report, which finally confirmed that Zhizhi had Rett syndrome.

After Zhizhi initially showed symptoms of Rett syndrome, Tang quit her job in Beijing and the whole family moved back to Cangzhou, a city in north China's Hebei Province, also the hometown of Tang's husband.

Tang said it was hard for her to transform her identity from an office worker to a stay-at-home mother, let alone being a mother of a child with special needs.

In May 2021, Tang established an account on Xiaohongshu, China's lifestyle-focused social media platform, to share her knowledge about Rett syndrome and details of her daughter's daily rehabilitation training. She has also been constantly answering questions for those parents who suspect their kids might have such a syndrome, and she readily accepts interview requests either from media organizations or college researchers.

Wang Nan is a mother of a pair of four-year-old twins, both of whom were diagnosed with Rett syndrome when they were 15 months old. Like Zhizhi, they are also receiving rehabilitation training.

"Now, the rehabilitation cost of two children is 80,000 to 100,000 yuan (about 11,500 to 14,400 U.S. dollars) a year," said Wang, adding that there is no rehabilitation institution that is exclusively set up for children with Rett syndrome in China yet, and this means her twins are receiving treatment together with autistic patients.

Currently, there are no drugs on the market globally to treat Rett syndrome. However, families like the Tangs and the Wangs are not simply waiting; on the contrary, they persist in communicating on social media, sharing information about this rare syndrome with the public.

"I used to worry that people would discriminate against my children, but now I don't. I truly feel the value of my daughter as a child with a rare disease and our value as parents of a child like Zhizhi," said Tang. In her view, "it is most urgent for patients with Rett syndrome to be noticed and understood by the public."

Rare diseases can be hard to diagnose and treatment can be difficult, and this is a major public health problem commonly faced by people around the world. In recent years, China has increased investment in medicine and health.

There are now more than 4,800 prenatal screening institutions and some 500 prenatal diagnostic institutions nationwide. Authorities are also making efforts by cutting value-added tax on imports and domestic production of anti-rare-disease drugs, and increasing the number of treatment drugs included in China's medical insurance catalog.

Thanks to a state bulk procurement program, starting from Jan. 1, 2022, the price of a single jab of Nusinersen, a medicine used to treat spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), a rare neuromuscular disorder, declined from 700,000 yuan to 33,000 yuan in China, while the national health insurance will cover many such expenses.

"This news has given us great confidence. Now, Zhizhi can also receive living and rehabilitation subsidies from the government. I have faith that we will overcome all the obstacles we face," Tang said.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
If you were looking for the Charlestown Democratic Town Committee website and ended up here, try this





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Name: Christina Kosmowski

Company: LogicMonitor

Job Title: CEO

Location: San Francisco

As CEO of LogicMonitor, Christina Kosmowski is responsible for accelerating the companys hypergrowth and delivering on its brand promise of helping C-level executives and their teams thrive through transformation. Prior to assuming the role of CEO, Kosmowski served as LogicMonitors President, leading go-to-market strategy, R&D, customer success and operations. She has spent over two decades holding leadership positions in the enterprise software space and is passionate about discovering new ways to bring the worlds of technology and business together. Kosmowski came to LogicMonitor from Slack, where she spent four years building and leading Customer Success and Enterprise GTM Teams. Kosmowski also spent 15 years at Salesforce, where she oversaw functions including renewals, consulting, support and customer success. In both of these roles, she helped guide her respective organisations through pivots, disruptions and rapid periods of growth, while also being a pioneer of the Customer Success practice.

What was the most valuable piece of career advice that you received? Someone advised me early on to set up my own personal board of directors. For me, this includes great teachers and mentors like Maria Martinez, who I worked with for a long time and is now COO at Cisco. Maria really helped me understand how to use data to make management decisions, which has been invaluable.

My teenage daughter is also on my personal board of directors. I try to surround myself with people that help me keep it real, bring my authentic self to work and help me to see how Im showing up as a leader, and my daughter does just that. She has no problem being honest with her feedback!

What was the worst piece of business advice that you received? Dont be nice! This poor advice comes from people who mistake kindness for weakness. It is kind to hold people accountable and be transparent, and it is this fairness and authenticity that others look for in an employer and colleague.

What advice would you give to someone starting their career in IT/tech? Having a growth mindset is very important. Tech is a fast-paced industry where there is always room to grow. My advice is to be curious, constantly look for ways to improve, evolve and adapt what youre doing, especially within the current market conditions and rapidly changing environment.

Did you always want to work in IT/tech? Yes, I studied Industrial Engineering at university which focused on using technology to solve business problems. However, instead of heading down an engineering career path, I found what I really enjoyed was helping customers translate technology into measurable business value.

What was your first job in IT/tech? I worked as an industrial engineer for a year before moving into a consulting role.

What are some common misconceptions about working in IT/tech? In the fast-moving world of tech innovation, products dont win, people do. Its the people that make a tech business successful, not just the tech itself.

What tips would you give to someone aiming for a c-level position? Be confident - all of us have self-doubt. As a C-level executive, the company wants to see you champion the business ambition and carry that confidence into everything you do. Your confidence is your energy, your armor, your brand. Own it, live it, project it.

What are your career ambitions and have you reached them yet? I've always wanted to be a CEO and the work Ive done around customer success created a great foundation for me.

I was on the ground floor of establishing customer success at Salesforce and did the same at Slack. Its long been a passion of mine - translating the business value of products for customers and rallying an entire company around the customer.

The decision to come to LogicMonitor and take the position as CEO was based on what I heard from CIOs. I just listened to what was going on for them, how digital transformation is affecting their companies. I could see pressure ratcheting up on CIOs because their technology stacks are becoming more complex. Its more important than ever to keep those stacks running and reliable, as well as providing transparency and visibility back to the C-suite. LogicMonitor supports that need.

Do you have a good work life balance in your current role? As a new CEO, its certainly been a juggling act! My daughters and I talk about everything, work included. They know what Im struggling with in the office and what Im excited about. And as my colleagues know, its not uncommon for my family to pop up in Zoom meetings! While there may be some overlap, I think its really important to carve out dedicated time for both work and family life, to make sure Im showing up, present and giving my full attention. Some weeks are better balanced than others, but its something Im mindful of and working on.

What, if anything, would you change about the route your career path has taken? Career paths always have their twists and turns but each experience has taught me something valuable and without that experience, I wouldnt be where I am today. For that reason, I wouldnt change it.

Which would you recommend: A coding bootcamp or a computer science degree? I think it's important to study what you love and will help you develop skills that you can use no matter what career direction you choose: problem solving skills, communication skills, etc. You can always learn specific skills for a particular job if you have the core competencies.

How important are specific certifications? Certifications are great for strengthening specific skills for a job and give you an edge when applying for a position.

What are the three skills or abilities you look for in prospective candidates? Strong communication skills, confidence and an eagerness to learn - never stop learning. Im a new CEO and Im continuously learning about our company, people, board, customers, partners, shareholders, and our product. Im understanding more every day about the role of being Chief Executive Officer. Ask any seasoned CEO about this and they will tell you what they have told me  when you think you have learned all you need to know, its probably time to step out of the job!

I also seek candidates with unique experiences and diverse skills outside the expected targets. For example, I recently appointed our new CIO who comes from the industrial space. We hired outside of the software and tech industry, knowing that industrial companies are very focused on resilience to meet nearly any challenge. We were able to find a CIO to bring that spirit of industrial readiness to LogicMonitor and our customers. This can be done with hires at all levels  forming complementary teams and building a stronger organisation overall.

What would put you off a candidate? Part of my goal in my current role is to equip our teams with the opportunity to bring their authentic selves to work. When a person feels like they can be real with their colleagues, when they can lean into what makes them tick and what matters to them, they will do the best work they have ever done. If a candidate wasnt willing to lean in and engage with the team, I think that would ring alarm bells for me.

What are the most common mistakes made by candidates in an interview? How can those mistakes be avoided? It may be a cliche but communication really is key! Listen to what is being asked and carefully consider your response before you answer the question.

Do you think it is better to have technical or business skills  or a mix of both? I think its important to have a mix of both. Too often, C-level executives think they must do it all on their own. Smart leaders seek the advice of experts  for peer advice, specialty skills, to navigate a crisis, to make key decisions, and more. This advice often comes from outside the company, to tap into experience and external perspectives. The mark of a smart leader (at all levels  not just in the C-suite) is one who recognises when they are beyond their own expertise and seeks guidance from specialists.
Poland: Spanish journalist Pablo Gonzalez in custody for one year on charges of spying for Russia and no trial in sight

A Polish court extended Pablo Gonzalezs pre-trial detention for the fourth time on 15 February 2023, meaning he will spend up to a further three months in prison. The Spanish freelance journalist was arrested on 28 February 2022, accused of being an agent of Russian intelligence, while covering the humanitarian crisis on the Polish-Ukrainian border. The International and European Federations of Journalists (IFJ-EFJ) and their Spanish affiliates call on the authorities to release Gonzalez without further delay, and ensure he will receive a fair trial.

The case is still in the Prosecutor's Office. This is an investigation, and it is not known how long it will take. In Poland, investigations in large cases take up to several years, his Polish lawyer, Bartosz Rogaa said. In my opinion, the case will go to the Court at the earliest in the middle of this year, he adds.

There are no maximum terms for detention in Poland, Mr Rogala noted. Pre-trial detention, even for several years, is common in large cases. If someone is from abroad, the Court often recognizes that there is a fear of escape, which is one of the reasons for arrest, the lawyer concluded.

The journalists defence has appealed against each decision of the court to extend pre-trial detention. Until today, there is no trial date in sight, nor has the evidence against him been made public.

In the early hours of 28 February 2022, Gonzalez was arrested by agents of the Internal Security Agency (ABW), the Polish counter-intelligence service, on the Polish-Ukrainian border, where he was reporting on the humanitarian crisis, following the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

The Polish authorities alleged that the reporter, who holds Spanish and Russian nationality, had been in possession of two passports with different names. The issue was quickly clarified as Gonzalezs Russian passport identifies him as Pavel Rubtsov, using his fathers surname; and his Spanish document as Pablo Gonzalez Yague, using his mothers two surnames.

On 8 March 2022, the IFJ and the EFJ submitted an alert to the Council of Europe Platform for the Protection of Journalism, which has not been replied to by Polish authorities.

In September 2022, Gonzalez submitted a complaint to the European Court of Human Rights for violation of his rights and, in particular, for his classification as a dangerous prisoner. Although he is no longer classified as such, the reporter remains in the same department of the Polish penitentiary system for dangerous prisoners, meaning that he is isolated 23 hours per day, remains handcuffed when leaving his cell, and is placed under strict monitoring.

The Association #FreePabloGonzalez , created by his family and friends, has denounced the lack of transparency and information around the case. Communication with him is very limited. It takes around three months for his letters to arrive from Poland to Spain. His wife and mother of his children, Oihana Goiriena, was allowed to visit him for the first time at the end of November, after 9 months in jail, explained his close friend and spokesperson of the association, Juan Teixeira. No other journalist in the European Union is detained in another member state under such conditions.

Gonzalez, who specialises in the post-Soviet world, was a regular contributor to the Spanish daily Publico and was reporting on the humanitarian crisis on the Polish-Ukrainian border for several Spanish media outlets, including La Sexta.

"The release of Pablo Gonzalez is an ethical requirement, especially in an EU country that supposedly defends freedom of expression, said Miguel Angel Noceda, President of the Federation of Spanish Journalists Associations (FAPE). We demand once again that the Polish authorities resolve the situation with the maximum legal guarantees and in favour of the Spanish journalist after a year of obscurantism," he adds.

The Federation of Citizen's Services of Comissiones Obreras(FSC-CCOO)said:It is unacceptable for a state to detain a journalist in such an arbitrary manner and we therefore urge both the Spanish State and the EU to do everything in their power to put an end to this injustice once and for all. [...] A state that does not guarantee freedom of the press and the safety of journalists cannot be considered a true democracy.

Agustin Yanel, Secretary General of The Federation of Journalists' Trade unions(FeSP) declared: "It is unheard of and totally reprehensible that an EU Member State that claims to be democratic should keep Pablo Gonzalez in prison for a year, without trial and without respecting the most elementary rights that any detained person should have.

The Polish authorities must release him provisionally as a matter of urgency and guarantee that he will receive a fair trial with guarantees, he added.

The Association of Journalists in Spain (UGT) insisted that it is unacceptable that a government that claims to be democratic can keep a prisoner in custody for a year. We call for the immediate release of Pablo Gonzalez and for him to be tried with all the guarantees and with the consular support of the Spanish Government.
In the week of the one-year anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, Dainius Radzevicius, President of the Lithuanian Journalists Union (LZS), shares the work done in collaboration with Sergiy Tomilenko, President of the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine (NUJU), and a unique initiative: the magazine We are from Ukraine!. The publication has been put together by journalists, publishers, translators and media organisations from both countries, and the first edition was published in 80,000 copies. The teams behind the collaborative project are from Vilnius, Klaipeda and various cities in Ukraine. The main idea was cooperation, said Dainius.

1. Could you talk to us about the publication of "  !!" (We are from Ukraine!)

The magazine We are from Ukraine! came from a very simple idea: at the very beginning of the war, our union contacted Sergiy Tomilenko, a colleague and friend. We wanted to ask him what, as journalists, we could do together, to help, and how could journalists keep working during war times. All kinds of digital media were being switched off at the time: TV, radios, mobile providers Sergiy, and many colleagues, were faced with the issue of having very little access to information.

2. Could you expand on the collaboration between NUJU and your union?

Sergiy and I talked daily. We wanted to get local journalists involved in the project. We thought of a historical example: in 1991, when the Press House building here in Vilnius was occupied by Soviet troops, Russian, Polish, Lithuanian colleagues joined and together published a newspaper called Free Lithuania ''. The newspaper was popular amongst society members. We thought we could use that example, transposing it in the 21st century: going back to printed editions, old-fashioned or traditional. If all digital platforms are switched off, lets go back to print media.

All the work done was volunteer work. Sergiy and I thought we should not work as fast as possible, as journalism often does: we can write stories quickly, but the idea was to involve more colleagues than just the two of us, and work collaboratively and in cooperation. The first week of the collaboration was directed towards discussions and coordination. We talked to publishers and associations of media, and we thought it best if all organisations helped collect some money as an act of solidarity. Small media outlets, small print houses close to the Baltic sea said they can print this newspaper for free if needed. We also found some print houses in Ukraine. There, the work was almost done in secret, because the war had just started and we did not know what would happen to the publishing houses.

3. How were the journalists writing for the newspaper selected, and were some of them still living in Ukraine?

What happened is that we joined forces in order to provide information about what was happening in Ukraine, and what was happening outside of Ukraine: how people were reacting, how society was reacting We decided to put together a group of people: we invited our colleagues from Ukraine who speak Russian, English, Lithuanian and Ukrainian because we thought the information would be worth being shared in other languages to other audiences. One of our first decisions was that one editor in chief was to come from Lithuania, and one from Ukraine. We also decided that the name of the newspaper was to be decided on by our Ukrainian colleagues. The main idea was to show that even during war times, we, as journalists, will do our best to provide information. From the beginning, Russian speaking media in Lithuania were very reactive in helping colleagues in Ukraine, showing it was about journalism.

The newspaper is still sometimes published.
Onion farmers have recently been hitting the headlines for getting meagre income from their produce. But a development involving a 42-year-old farmer from Sangli district in Maharastra has left many surprised.

BCCL

Onion grown as an intercrop

In a common occurrence, onions usually weigh between 100-150gm each. But in Hanumant Shirgave's Brahmnal village farm, huge bulb onions are being grown, which weigh as much as 750gm (with leaves).

This unusual growth in the onions is because Shirgave cultivated a few bunches of the onion saplings he procured from the local market as an intercrop with sugarcane on half an acre of land.

And within three and a half months, his farm has started producing the massive bulb onions.

'The matter needs further study'

Representational Image

"Good quality nutrients can help onions grow in size. Though we know of onions weighing as much as 500gm each, ones weighing more than that are almost unheard of. Nutrition supply or genetic mutation may have played a part in these onions growing to such a size. The matter needs further study," Dyandeo Vakure, a former scientist at World Bank's Climate Resilient Agriculture Crops department, told TOI.

"I planted the onion saplings as an intercrop with sugar cane. Fertilisers used for sugar cane crops are usually in heavy doses. However, no special fertiliser was given to the onions," said Shirgave.

He further said that he has harvested only a limited number of onions from his field and plans to get the rest of the crop harvested when the market price surges.

"At present, high-quality onions are fetching only Rs 10-15 per kg. I expect a one-tonne yield from my half-acre land," he said.

Farmer plans to get seeds tested

Shirgave, on the suggestion from local farmer activist Sandip Rajoba, plans to extract seeds from some of the plants and get them tested.

"As per our knowledge, large-size onions use to be grown in the past. They used to be called 'Khobra Kanda', meaning onions that look like coconuts. We are going to develop the seeds of these onions and send them to the central and state research facilities to know the variety they belong to," said Rajoba.

Unsplash/Representationaimage

In addition, the ex-scientist Vakure stated that wide varieties of grapes and bananas have been brought into existence through mutation followed by planned propagation to obtain high-quality produce.



"Black grapes we see now are products of mutation. Same is the case with Basrai bananas. Not all mutated crops have turned out to be commercially viable. For instance, the black grapes succeeded, but the Basrai bananas did not. It all depends on the taste of the produce and the demand in the market," Vakure added.

For more on news and current affairs from around the world, please visit Indiatimes News.


Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia, who is currently in five-day CBI custody in connection with the excise policy case, resigned on Tuesday. His cabinet colleague Satyendar Jain, who has been in jail for less than a year following his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate in a money laundering case, also resigned.

The resignations were not an acceptance of guilt in any way, AAP asserted, describing it as an "administrative step". No new ministers will join the cabinet, party sources said. The vacant departments will be assigned to Kailash Gahlot and Raj Kumar Anand.



AFP

Manish Sisodia heads 18 of 33 deparments

In his resignation letter, Sisodia, who is widely seen as Kejriwal's number two in the party, said he has served Delhi for eight years with full dedication and wants to step away till charges are proven false. "There are likely to be more cases against me... God knows these allegations are false."

Sisodia was arrested on Sunday over allegations of corruption in the Delhi liquor policy case. Before his arrest, he predicted he would be in jail for "7-8 months".



Sisodia, who currently heads 18 of 33 departments in the national capital, was arrested on Sunday following an eight-hour grilling by the Central Bureau of Investigation. He had moved the Supreme Court today for bail, which asked him to approach the Delhi high court first. The AAP has now decided to move high court.

Manish Sisodia





Satyendar Jain held over allegations of money laundering

When Satyendar Jain was arrested in May over allegations of money laundering, Kejriwal simply transferred his departments to Sisodia. Jain held on to his job despite being in jail.



Kejriwal may be forced to cut back on his trips to other states and take charge of some ministries. It is a massive setback for AAP as it preps for the 2024 national election. The Chief Minister had reportedly planned to visit states like Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, where elections will be held later this year.

Satyendar Jain

As for Delhi, it will need a Finance Minister to present the budget.

Before the duo's resignation, the Delhi government had a total of six ministers, with Sisodia handling 18 portfolios. Gopal Rai, Kailash Gahlot, Imran Hussain and Raj Kumar Anand are the other ministers.

For more on news and current affairs from around the world, please visit Indiatimes News.


'United States of Kailasa', the "country" constituted by controversial godman and rape-accused Nithyananda, recently took part in a United Nations meeting in Geneva where a representative claimed Nithyananda is being "persecuted" by India.

Representative sought UN intervention

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On February 22, Ma Vijayapriya Nithyananda appeared for Nithyananda's nation at the 19th United Nations Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESR) meeting and sought the UN's involvement in stopping the "persecution" of Nithyananda.



A video of the meeting, uploaded by the UN, shows Vijayapriya as the 'permanent ambassador from Kailasa.



However, whether the United Nations recognise the nation is still unclear. During her speech, Vijayapriya, while drawing a link between sustainable development goals (SDGs) and Hinduism, said that the creator of her 'nation' was being 'persecuted'.



USK at UN Geneva: Inputs on the Achievement of Sustainability



Participation of the United States of KAILASA in a discussion on the General Comment on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and Sustainable Development at the United Nations in Geneva



The Economic, Social, and pic.twitter.com/pNoAkWOas8  KAILASA's SPH Nithyananda (@SriNithyananda) February 25, 2023

"Kailasa, the first sovereign state of Hinduism, was established by the Supreme Pontiff of Hinduism Nithyananda Paramashivam, who is reviving the enlightened Hindu civilisation and its 10,000 traditions of Hinduism, including the Adi Shaivite indigenous agricultural tribes," she said.

Further, she said that age-old Hindu policies and solutions align with the time-tested Hindu principles of Kailasa, which has been very successful with sustainable development.

Twitter

"The Supreme Pontiff of Hinduism and Kailasa have gone through intense persecution and human rights violation for reviving the indigenous traditions and lifestyle of Hinduism...he was even banned from preaching and exiled from his birth country," Vijayapriya said.



She sought measures from the UN that could be implemented nationally and internationally to prevent the persecution of the Nithyananda and Kailasa's two million Hindu diaspora population.



Vijayapriya also contended that her nation has set up embassies and NGOs in 150 countries.



Preliminary meeting with the head of KAILASA St Louis, ma Sona Kamat, representatives of KAILASA, and diplomats from Fiji in Geneva#Kailasa #UN #Geneva #Fiji pic.twitter.com/XQkpJ41drR  KAILASA's SPH Nithyananda (@SriNithyananda) February 27, 2023

After Vijayapriya, a male representative of "Kailasa", who identified himself as EN Kumar, made a speech at the UN meeting.

Kumar, who identified himself as a "small farmer, " asked about resources being controlled by external parties instead of individual farmers.



"A lot of times, the local legislation can be very restrictive on indigenous agricultural practices," he said.



'The greatest Hindu nation', Kailasa

Located off the coast of Ecuador, Kailasa reportedly has its own passport, and flag, along with a "Reserve Bank of Kailasa".



Nithyananda even announced flights to his so-called nation in December 2020.



The Kailasa website describes it as "the greatest Hindu nation" on Earth, a "nation without borders created by dispossessed Hindus who lost the right to practice Hinduism authentically in their own countries".



Nithyananda wanted in several cases in India

Nithyananda is the prime accused in multiple cases in India, including rape, torture, kidnapping and wrongful confinement of children, under the Indian Penal Code (IPC). French authorities are reportedly investigating him for an alleged fraud of $400,000.



Nithyananda fled from India in 2019.



In January 2020, Interpol issued a blue corner notice seeking information about the controversial self-styled godman.



Last August, a local court in Ramanagara, near Bengaluru, issued a non-bailable warrant (NBW) against Nithyananda in a case of rape in 2010.



For more on news and current affairs from around the world, please visit Indiatimes News.
The professional world is likely to change significantly in the coming years, driven by a number of factors, including technology and multiple different skills. The rapid pace of technological innovation is likely to continue to disrupt traditional industries and create new ones.



Automation and artificial intelligence are likely to change the nature of work, with many tasks becoming automated and new jobs emerging in areas such as data science and cybersecurity.

Most offices have adapted to remote work; the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the trend towards remote work, and it is likely that many organisations will continue to offer flexible work arrangements even after the pandemic subsides. This could change the way people work and lead to the rise of virtual and hybrid workplaces.

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Furthermore, the skills that are in demand today are also likely to change rapidly, and workers will need to continuously upskill and reskill to remain competitive in the job market. The role of education and training is likely to become even more important, as workers seek to develop the skills they need to succeed in a rapidly changing job market.



Sustainability is also being included in the work life of the future. Companies are likely to increasingly focus on sustainability, as consumers and investors become more concerned about environmental and social issues. This could lead to new job opportunities in areas such as renewable energy and sustainable agriculture. More such changes are likely to have a significant impact on the professional world, necessitating the need for workers to be flexible, adaptable, and constantly learning in order to succeed in this rapidly changing environment.

Some of India's most in-demand careers have been identified in a LinkedIn research study on 2023 work trends. According to the social media platform, it examined millions of positions between January 1, 2018 and July 31, 2022 to predict the growth rate for each job title.

"To be listed, a job title has to exhibit steady growth across our membership base, as well as increase to a meaningful size by 2022," LinkedIn explained in its 2023 Jobs on the Rise list. Internships and volunteer opportunities were not included on the list. Check out the list here.

Category Associate

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Category associates help people organise information and understand the relationships between objects and concepts, and they play a crucial role in our ability to categorize, reason, and make decisions. They can provide insight into how people think, process information, and make judgments, and this has important implications for fields such as education, marketing, and artificial intelligence.

Having a clear understanding of category associates can help companies make informed decisions about product development, marketing, and strategy. It can also provide insight into market trends and customer preferences, allowing companies to better position themselves in the market and stay ahead of the competition.

Category associates assist business managers in the implementation of product plans based on sales budgets and predictions, as well as in the coordination of vendors and the creation of product categories. Vendor management, merchandising, and market research are the most typical abilities in this job area.

The industries that usually hire for this position are technology, retail, education, and media. Bengaluru is the most popular hiring destination.

Healthcare recruiter

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As suggested by the name, these professionals hire healthcare professionals like doctors, nurses, and other medical workers. But thats not all; the work is multifold. They are responsible for developing and implementing recruitment strategies to attract top talent in the healthcare industry, recruiting candidates through job postings, networking, and other channels.

Screening and interviewing candidates to determine their qualifications and suitability for open positions. Negotiating salaries, benefits, and other employment terms with candidates.

Building and maintaining relationships with healthcare professionals, employers, and other stakeholders in the industry. Keeping up-to-date with current industry trends, regulations, and best practises in healthcare recruitment.

They can also work in administrative and support services, as well as professional services, in addition to healthcare.

The most popular employment skills are recruiting, healthcare, and sourcing. According to LinkedIn, the top hiring locations are Noida, Ghaziabad, and Hyderabad.

Customer success associate

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A customer success associate is a professional who is responsible for ensuring that customers are satisfied with the products or services they have purchased from a company.

Their job profile typically includes building and maintaining strong relationships with customers to understand their needs and goals. Providing ongoing support and guidance to help customers maximise the value of their products or services. Resolving customer issues and answering questions in a timely and effective manner.

Additionally, they analyse customer data to identify trends and potential areas for improvement. Collaborating with cross-functional teams, such as product development and sales, to drive customer success communicating customer feedback to internal teams to inform product development and other initiatives.

The goal of a customer success associate is to ensure that customers are successful in using the company's products or services and to foster long-term customer loyalty and retention. This role is critical for companies that aim to provide excellent customer service and build strong relationships with their customers. These individuals are in charge of providing clients with excellent solutions.

Technology and media, professional services, and financial services are the most popular industries that hire them. Customer relationship management and customer retention are required skills for this profession.

The primary hiring locations for this role are Bengaluru, Mumbai, and Pune.

UX Writer

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A UX (user experience) writer is a professional who creates written content for digital products such as websites, apps, and software. Their main tasks include writing clear, concise, and user-friendly content that supports the overall user experience. Creating error messages, tooltips, labels, and other microcopy that guides users through the product while collaborating with UX designers, product managers, and other stakeholders to ensure that content is consistent with the product's design and brand.

Conducting user research to understand user needs and preferences and to inform content strategy, writing and editing copy for product features, onboarding flows, and other user interactions, ensuring that content is accessible and meets accessibility standards.

The goal of a UX writer is to create content that enhances the overall user experience and helps users achieve their goals with ease and efficiency. This role requires a combination of writing skills, user-centered design thinking, and a deep understanding of the digital product and its users.

They develop microcopy, which plays a crucial role in shaping the overall user experience of a digital product. It provides context, guidance, and feedback to users and helps create a clear and consistent voice for the product. Effective microcopy is concise, clear, and user-centered, and it helps make complex interactions and processes simple and intuitive for users.

Microcopy refers to the small pieces of written content that appear in digital products such as websites, apps, and software. Short explanations or clarifications that appear when a user hovers over an element descriptive text for form fields, buttons, and other user interface elements. Brief summaries that help users understand the content and structure of a page.

Microcopies that assist users in navigating websites and apps are created by user experience authors. The top talents required for this role are copywriting, content strategy, and user experience. UX writers can find work in technology, professional services, and financial services. Bengaluru is the most popular hiring location for this position.

Talent acquisition partner

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A talent acquisition partner is a professional who is responsible for sourcing, attracting, and hiring top talent for an organization. Their main tasks include developing and implementing recruitment strategies to attract top talent in the organization's field. Recruiting candidates through job postings, networking, and other channels involves screening and interviewing candidates to determine their qualifications and suitability for open positions.

They also help in negotiating salaries, benefits, and other employment terms with candidates, building and maintaining relationships with hiring managers, HR teams, and other stakeholders to ensure a smooth and efficient recruitment process, and keeping up-to-date with current industry trends, regulations, and best practises in talent acquisition.

The goal of a talent acquisition partner is to help the organisation find and hire the best possible candidates for open positions. This role requires a combination of strong recruitment skills, deep knowledge of the organization's business and culture, and a commitment to finding top talent that will help the organisation achieve its goals. Talent acquisition partners play a critical role in the success of an organization, and they are often responsible for shaping the organization's overall talent strategy and approach to recruitment.

These specialists develop long-term plans for firms to find, interview, and onboard new talent. Sourcing, talent management, and recruiting are critical competencies. The primary hiring areas are Bengaluru, Hyderabad, and Mumbai.

Other rapidly rising career roles in India include data annotators, real estate closing managers, growth leaders, business development representatives, and actuarial associates (who ascertain financial risks).

Final outlook

LinkedIn analysed job data from 28 different nations. Overall, researchers discovered that technology remained the fastest-growing field.



"Core business functions such as customer success, sales development, and business development continued to grow globally," it noted. According to LinkedIn's research, the demand for sustainable employment is increasing throughout Europe.

Even in the midst of IT cutbacks, engineers remained in high demand, according to the research.

What do you think about this? Tell us in the comments.

For updates on the evolving world of work-life across the globe, visit our new section "RESET."


The timing was ripe for Orion180 to make the strategic shift, according to Gregg. The company has produced around $150 million in written premiums in under five years, and its scale of production had a reached a point where becoming a carrier was the natural next step.
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How to choose a freight forwarder and market introduction of sea logistics companies

It is essential to have experienced and reliable freight forwarders when transporting goods to all parts of the world. You need someone to take care of your goods as well as your own. Of course, there are many freight forwarders who will do this for you - it's just a matter of finding them. The following is a guide for selecting the right company for all your freight needs, whether by land, air or sea.

Quality of excellent freight forwarders

A freight forwarder is a company that arranges goods from one destination to another. If you are looking for a freight forwarder, you need to look for some quality to ensure that you get the best service.

Do your research so that you can sleep like a baby and know that your goods are safe! The following are some qualities of excellent freight forwarders that should be paid attention to when selecting professionals who provide shipping agency services.

experience

Experience has fully demonstrated the quality of freight forwarders. A good one should be able to provide advice and guidance on the best route and method suitable for your needs. To do this, they need the knowledge and practical experience of the industry. Once you have a list of potential customers, compare their experience to see which one meets the requirements.

reputation

Another criterion for comparing different freight forwarders is reputation. Seek advice from other enterprises or customers who have used its services. Look at what word of mouth says about a particular company. You can also view the online reviews of these companies and select companies with positive recommendations.

flexibility

Not every shipment is the same. Here, you need a flexible freight forwarder who can roll with his fist. Reliable freight forwarders should be able to provide options for special handling of certain goods, such as temperature-controlled containers and professional transportation. Before selecting professionals, be sure to inform them of your needs and requirements. The right one can meet your needs and deliver the goods!

network

The high-quality freight forwarder has a reliable partner network to ensure the safe and timely delivery of your goods. See if they can arrange pickup and delivery at convenient places, and provide tracking and monitoring of your goods.

signal communication

Shipping may be a long process. It may be nerve-racking to know where your products are. This is where effective communication can be used. Make sure that the professionals you choose keep in touch with you and keep clear communication throughout the process. They should be able to answer any of your questions and provide regular updates on the status of shipments.

When looking for a good freight forwarder, you must conduct research and ensure that they have the appropriate experience and expertise to meet your needs. High-quality professionals should be able to provide reliable and cost-effective solutions for your domestic and international transportation needs.

Factors affecting freight forwarder sea logistics companies Freight transportation

In international freight transport, one of the most concerning issues is the price of freight transport. The cost is directly related to the cost of transportation. Because many exporters do not understand the price of transportation very much, and often have a lot of extra spending, then today to understand the factors of the price of international freight transportation? Do You Need Freight Forwarders? China DDP for World is a full-service and shipping forwarder dedicated to assisting our clients in focusing and growing their businesses. Send an Email to info@ddpforworld.com and get the latest freight price.

The transportation prices are different for different sea logistics companies

In the general international trade process, the price of transport according to different modes of transport, price is also different. International freight rates are divided into sea freight, air freight and rail freight.

The specific sea logistics companies freight rate can also be subdivided. For example, rail freight can be divided into passenger freight and freight. Shipping rates are also divided into tramp rates and liner rates. Tramp rates are also affected by market supply and demand relations at that time, while liner transport costs are relatively fixed. Airfreight can be divided into general goods, designated goods and special goods, and the specific transportation price is also determined according to the weight of transportation, at the same time, even if the volume is small, the weight is also counted by weight, but if the opposite is large, small weight, also according to the specific volume to calculate.

The choice of international logistics, the quality of logistics will affect the seller's store score, but also affect customer satisfaction rate.

Logistics advantages of the sea logistics companies in the destination country and region

In Eastern Europe, DHL has advantages in Romania, Bulgaria, Moldova, Hungary and other places while EMS has advantages in Greece, Russia, Turkey and other places. Western Europe, Northern Europe, southern Europe can use DHL international express, TNT international express, these two kinds of customs clearance capacity. TNT has a clear advantage in the Netherlands and Belgium.

For Canada, the United States and other American countries, FedEx, UPS and DHL are all suitable for their strong customs clearance capacity and fast time.

Applicable to Asia, South Korea, Japan, Thailand and other Southeast Asian countries DHL, FedEx. DHL and FedEx are time-saving, but THE price of DHL is higher. Indonesia also suggests USING DHL because it has a stronger customs clearance capacity.

In Oceania, DHL and UPS aging fast, with high prices; TNT and FedEx have lower prices but relatively few outlets. Particular attention should be paid to the "Made in China" label on the packaging of Australian products.

Middle East express ARAMEX, EMS for Middle East region. Commercial express in Africa is very expensive. In remote areas, IT is suggested to send EMS international express. EMS countries have the strongest customs clearance capacity. The air express sea logistics companies can reach many countries and regions that commercial express and postal express cannot reach, so the wide range of sea logistics companies transportation is its advantage.

Factors affecting the shipping price of sea logistics companies

In the process of international transportation, there are many factors affecting the price of transportation, in addition to some fuel and labor costs, there are many important factors. For example, the nature of the sea logistics companies, its own value and packaging form, as well as stowage factor and transporter's requirements for transportation, etc. There will be some fixed costs during the use of the ship, such as the ship's maintenance insurance and fuel consumption. There is also the change of supply and demand in the sea logistics companies market. In the transport off-season, transport prices are relatively low, in the transport of the peak season, transport prices will be relatively high.

Contact a professional freight forwarder- DDPFORWORLD - Professional freight forwarder in China

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DDP for World is a full-service and shipping forwarder dedicated to assisting our clients in focusing and growing their businesses. We do DDP shipping since 2015 by handling home decor, Pet products, battery, power banks, DG cargo, general cargo and Amazon FBA shipping forwarding service. We make your shipping easier and faster by Sea, Air, Express, Truck or Railway. If you have any questions or needs about freight forwarder, please feel free to contact us, we will serve you wholeheartedly.

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A Limerick man facing trial for the attempted murder of a woman has pleaded guilty to charges of causing serious harm to her and setting fire to the house where the attack was carried out.

Christopher Stokes, aged 39, of Sarsfield Avenue, Garryowen, Limerick, pleaded guilty to those two charges and a third count at the Central Criminal Court sitting in Cork today (February 28).

A jury of seven women and five men was sworn in on Monday to hear the case which was due to commence today. It followed the arraignment of Stokes on February 27 where he pleaded not guilty to the single count of attempting to murder Simone Lee, 43, on or about May 11 2021 at Fairview Crescent, Garryowen, in Limerick.

Three charges

Today, as the trial was about to commence, Mr Justice Michael McGrath was told that the accused could be arraigned now on three other charges.

He admitted causing serious harm to Simone Lee on May 11, 2021, at the house in Garryowen.

He also pleaded guilty to arson, where he intentionally or recklessly caused damage by fire to the same house on the same date.

In addition to these two counts, Stokes also pleaded guilty to making a threat to kill or cause serious harm to Timothy Fehin on the same date in the same place.

Evidence

So far, no facts have been outlined as to the background of the crimes. One of the detectives who investigated the case will outline this evidence at the sentencing hearing which will take place before Mr Justice McGrath on March 1.

One of the jurors sworn in on Monday did not turn up at the Central Criminal Court today for what had been scheduled to be the trial for attempted murder. Following the plea of guilty by Christopher Stokes to the other charges, Mr Justice McGrath thanked the eleven jurors and discharged them.

The judge had told them on Monday that the attempted murder trial would have gone on until March 15.
A high-level delegation of the Brazilian government has travelled to the remote corner of the Amazon rainforest where British journalist Dom Phillips and indigenous expert Bruno Pereira were murdered to demonstrate their contrast with former far-right president Jair Bolsonaro.

The group was led by Sonia Guajajara, Brazils first minister of indigenous peoples. She was joined by the widows of both men.

The trip involved several flights including a seaplane to arrive in Atalaia do Norte, an impoverished city by the banks of Javari River.

We are here to re-establish the presence of the Brazilian government in the Javari Valley region, Ms Guajajara told a mostly indigenous crowd gathered in a small, stifling auditorium. It is no longer possible for indigenous people to be cowed and afraid within their own territory.

During his four-year term which ended in January, Mr Bolsonaro attempted to open indigenous territories to mining, large-scale agriculture, and logging.

Beatriz Matos, left, and Alessandra Sampaio attend a ceremony in Atalaia do Norte (Fabiano Maisonnave/AP)

His promises, combined with the weakening of environmental law enforcement, led to a surge of invasions into indigenous territories.

Monday marked the first time that Mr Pereiras widow, Beatriz Matos, returned to the place where her husband was murdered. She was accompanied by Alessandra Sampaio, Mr Phillips widow.

At several moments, both were moved to tears, receiving warm embraces, songs of tribute, handmade gifts, and speeches of gratitude from indigenous people present.

Ms Matos was recently named head of the Department for Territorial Protection and Isolated and Newly Contacted Peoples at the Indigenous ministry.

She is an anthropologist who did her fieldwork in the region. Her husband had a similar post until, frustrated with the Bolsonaro government, he took leave to consult for the Javari Valley association of Indigenous people.

Addressing the crowd, Ms Matos said her family and that of Mr Phillips would be forever grateful for the commitment local people showed to finding the men, and also the respect, the care, the tributes, and the spiritual guidance.

I will work for the government and will carry Javari along with me. The department will be always open to you, she told the crowd.

Sonia Guajajara, Brazils first minister of indigenous peoples, centre, and indigenous women walk arm in arm (Fabiano Maisonnave/AP)

The Javari Valley Indigenous Territory is roughly the size of Portugal and home to 6,300 people from seven different ethnic groups, some of whom have had no contact with the outside world.

For years, the area has been targeted by illegal fishermen and poachers slipping past government outposts to extract riches from the protected waters and forest.

With environmental and indigenous agencies woefully underfunded and understaffed during the administration of Mr Bolsonaro, the ransacking grew worse.

Mr Pereira took leave to help local indigenous people catalogue and report illegal hunting and fishing on their own.

In so doing, he ran foul of the local illegal fishing racket. Mr Phillips, who was writing a book on the Amazon, was accompanying him on an expedition last June when they were killed.

Their disappearance prompted an international outcry and a massive search. Once their bodies were found  chopped and burned  pressure mounted on authorities to find the killers.

Suspects in the murders are in custody in federal prisons. There is no date set for the trial.

Brazils federal police said last month that a local fish trader, Ruben Dario da Silva Villar, conceived the crime and they plan to indict him. Villar provided the ammunition to kill the pair, made phone calls to the confessed killer before and after the crime, and paid his lawyer, police said. He denies wrongdoing.
Burma Elderly Man, IDP Killed as Myanmar Junta Rains Shells on Kayah Communities

An elderly man is carried by a rescue team after a regime artillery attack in Demoso Township, Kayah State on Monday. / KNDF

An elderly man was among two civilians killed when regime forces launched artillery strikes on communities in Kayah State on Monday.

Junta troops bombarded communities around camps for internally displaced persons (IDPs) in eastern and western Demoso Township and neighboring Hpruso township, according to local sources.

The indiscriminate shelling also injured four civilians.

Ko Banya, spokesperson for the Karenni Human Rights Group (KNHRG), confirmed that an elderly man was among the fatalities.

Dawtamagyi village tract and Hteehpoekaloe village tract in east Demoso Township were targeted by about 15 rounds of 120mm artillery shells yesterday morning at around 11 am. The explosions killed a 70-year-old man and injured two residents of Dawtamagyi village tract, he said.

He added that junta forces had launched at least four artillery attacks in the area on Monday.

Regime troops also shelled west Demoso Township from 7.30 to 8.30 pm. The attack killed a 30-year-old IDP woman and injured two other IDPs.

East Hpruso township was also shelled by junta artillery but no casualties were reported.

The artillery attacks were reportedly conducted by Myanmar Light Infantry Battalion 102 based in Ngwe Taung, Demoso Township and at the No 14 Military training school in Hpruso township.

Regime troops have been shelling civilian areas in the townships frequently despite not being confronted by local resistance forces, Ko Banya said.

There is currently no fighting in the areas which were hit by junta artillery shells. As far as I know, clashes are ongoing on Kayahs border in the townships of Pinlaung and Pekon in southern Shan State, he said.

Junta troops have escalated their attacks on civilian targets in strongholds of resistance forces in Kayah State since late 2022. They conducted over 150 airstrikes and artillery bombardments of resistance forces and civilian targets last year, according to the local anti-regime Karenni Nationalities Defense Force (KNDF).

It said the regime killed 293 civilians in Kayah State last year, while another 126 died fleeing their homes.
Burma How the Myanmar Ex-Dictators Air Force One Dream Was Shattered

(Left to right) Lieutenant General Thiha Thura Tin Aung Myint Oo; dictator Than Shwe, Air Force chief Myat Hein and president U Thein Sein

It was 10:40 a.m. Moscow time on March 5, 2011. A Russian-made passenger jet broke up in mid-air and crashed on the outskirts of a village in the Belgorod Oblast, a steep and hilly plain on the southeast edge of the Central Russian Upland.

All six crew members were killed. Two were from the Myanmar Air Force.

The jet was on a demonstration flight and intended for delivery to Myanmar under a contract signed in 2010, Russias United Aircraft said. The price tag for the plane was US$20 million at a minimum, according to aircraft monitor websites.

With the crash of the An-148 on the day, Myanmars then dictator Senior General Than Shwes dream to have something like Air Force One for his subordinate U Thein Sein, who was to be sworn in as the country president in 25 days, was shattered.

The old dictators plan to have the presidential plane for a quasi-civilian government staffed with his subordinates is believed to have first come into his mind in 2010, when a rigged election was held to elect the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), the party he fostered.

Following the election, he told then Air Force chief General Myat Hein: Get something like Air Force One, to make sure everything is right, including security.

The plan came to light for the first time with the recent publication of the former chiefs memoir about his time under the Than Shwe regime as minister of communications and information technology during the U Thein Sein administration from 2013 to 2015. Now he is Myannars vice president (1) for the military proxy USDP.

Ex-Gen. Myat Hein writes that Than Shwe assigned one of his regime hardliners, Thiha Thura Tin Aung Myint Oo, who would become a vice president in the U Thein Sein government, to purchase to the plane.

But the plan didnt go smoothly.

Thiha Thura Tin Aung Myint Oo first contacted Brazils Embraer to buy an E-190, but international sanctions against the regime at the time made it impossible to proceed with the transaction, believed to be worth nearly $50 million. Other attempts with Air Bus and Boeing also failed.

Then, the regimes longtime ally Russia came in with an offer of an An-148 built by VASO, one of Moscows largest aircraft manufactures. The deal was made in 2010 to deliver the plane in March 2011, when U Thein Sein would take the oath as the countrys president.

Shortly before the 2010 election, a pilot team led by then Colonel Aung Kyaw Tun, now the deputy minister of the current juntas Transport and Communications Ministry, went to Russia for training on the An-148. However, Myat Hein writes, the team had to go back again in February next year as the Russians were not ready.

At the same time, technical malfunctions surrounding the An-148 made Than Shwe nervous, so he ordered his men to reach out to Russia to make sure the plane was safe. In his book, Mya Hein doesnt mention what the problems were, however.

Than Shwe learned about the plane crash on March 5, as Myat Hein personally reported it to him.

Learning the news, the former air chief recalled, the dictator stood up from the chair and said We have to think if we should buy it or not, as even the newly built plane crashed.

The investigation by the Russian Ministry of Industry said the aircraft was pushed beyond maximum aerodynamic limits after a technical problem confused the crew.

To achieve the desired speed the pilots [increased the load on the aircraft such that it] exceeded the maximum permissible, said the investigation commission. Destruction of the aircraft in the air resulted.

Following the accident, Myat Hein writes, he had to deal with Russia via the military attache Brig-Gen Aung Thaw, now the chairman of the Russia-Myanmar Friendship Association and the minister of the current juntas Hotel and Tourism Ministry, over the cancelation of the purchase of the plane, as Thiha Thura Tin Aung Myint Oo became the vice president.

Russia refused to provide a refund, however, insisting it would only substitute another item worth the same amount. The regime reluctantly accepted it.

Myat Hein doesnt mention what Russia offered and says the case wasnt solved during my time in the Myanmar Air Force. He became the minister of communications and information technology in 2013 during the U Thein Sein administration.

Than Shwe also retired after handing power to the U Thein Sein government in 2011. Since then he has rarely been seen in public. Recently, the old dictator visited the construction site of a giant Buddha statue commissioned by his successor, current regime boss Min Aung Hlaing, in Naypyitaw. The 90-year-old is still alive and kicking.

Though the people involved are no longer active, controversies surrounding the plane deal remain.

In 2010, when the purchase contract between Russia and Myanmar was signed, one of Russias oldest and largest air carriers, Rossiya, publicly criticized the reliability, economic viability and level of maintenance support required for the An-148, after one of its An-148s experienced a serious in-flight incident in June of that year.

It prompted questions over whether Russia deliberately tried to sell an aircraft known to have problems to the then Myanmar military regime.

How the Russian offer to substitute another item for the crashed plane was resolved also remains a mystery.
Burma Myanmar Junta and Allies Killed in Resistance Attacks

The uniform of a PNA soldier killed on Monday. / KMIC

The Karenni Army (KA), Karenni Nationalities Defence Force (KNDF) and other resistance groups attacked Myanmar junta forces and its allied Pa-O National Army in Pekon in southern Shan State on Monday, killing at least nine troops, according to the Karenni Military Information Center (KMIC).

Our troops were marching in the area. We seized some light arms and four 9mm rocket launchers. We killed at least nine and many were injured. We had one casualty, said the KMIC, which is controlled by the KA.

Clashes have also been reported in Hpruso and Shadaw townships and on the Thai border.

This week the KA, KNDF and allies destroyed pipelines supplying junta troops at a military training school in Hpruso Township and ambushed troops checking the damage.

At least one junta casualty was reported and resistance forces retreated successfully.

On February 24, the KA used drones to bomb the Kyar Pasat Gyi hilltop outpost on the Thai border with junta casualties reported, according to the KA, the armed wing of the Karenni National Progressive Party.

The junta is resupplying bases on the Thai border in Kayah State by land and air. The resistance groups are attempting to stop it, said Nyay Reh of the KMIC.

The KA and KNDF attacked junta trucks carrying supplies to outposts in Shadaw Township on Sunday.

At least five junta troops were killed and resistance groups seized arms, food and medicine, according to the KMIC.
Burma Myanmar Military Planes Grounded by Accidents and Lack of Parts

A Myanmar military Grob 120-TP with its landing gear damaged in a training session.

Myanmar military training aircraft bought from Germany are grounded because of accidents and the regimes inability to acquire spare parts. At the same time, a planned joint project to manufacture training aircraft with an Austrian-based company has stalled because of the inability to buy parts, The Irrawaddy has learned.

In 2015, after the European Union (EU) lifted sanctions against Myanmar and under U Thein Seins quasi-civilian government, the Myanmar Air Force bought Grob-120 TP training aircraft from Germany for the first time. The aircraft were purchased through middlemen.

Each Grob-120 TP two-seat trainer is worth around US$2.7 million, according to aerospace experts.

The Dynasty Group of Companies, owned by Dr. Aung Moe Myint, acted as a middleman for the purchase, according to Myanmar military observers. The EU imposed sanctions on the Dynasty Group earlier this month.

Dynasty Group started working as early as 2014 to acquire aircraft for the Myanmar Air Force. At least 20 Grob-120 TP aircraft are believed to have been purchased in 2015, and are kept at the Meiktila air base in Mandalay Region, according to observers and defectors.

However, the Myanmar military has not been able to purchase spare parts for the planes since Germany re-imposed sanctions in 2019. Some of the aircraft have also been grounded because of technical problems and accidents.

Observers believe that the Myanmar Air Force lacks the technical expertise to fix the Grob-120 TP, which use sophisticated European technology.

DART-450 military trainer production project

The DART-450, or Diamond Aircraft Reconnaissance Trainer, production project has also stalled as the Myanmar military cannot buy parts. A joint project between the Austrian-based, but Chinese-owned Diamond Aircraft Industries and the Myanmar military, the project is intended to manufacture aircraft primarily to be used for pilot training.

A deal was reached with Diamond Aircraft Industries when then Myanmar military chief and current junta boss Min Aung Hlaing visited Europe in 2017, according to observers. An assembly facility was built for the DART-450 in Meiktila in 2018, The Irrawaddy has learned.

Myanmar-based Miya Win Company served as a middleman for the project. The director of Miya Win is U Ne Win Htut, who has interests in construction and air cargo transport, according to the Directorate of Investment and Company Administration.

Miya Win International Limited has imported parts and a full-scale training model for Camcopter S-100 unmanned aerial vehicles, or drones, since the 2021 coup, according to activist group Justice For Myanmar.

The parts are from Austrian company Schiebel Corporation, and were sent to Myanmar via their Russian partner, OAO Gorizont, which manufactures the drones under license.

Gorizont exported the items to Miya Win International in Myanmar on February 19 and 20, 2021, according to data from the trade database, ImportGenius. Most of the items were Schiebel trademarked.

In March 2022, Britain imposed sanctions against Miya Win Co for acting as a broker to supply aircraft and to provide maintenance for the Myanmar Air Force.

Austrian technicians from Diamond Aircraft Industries came to Myanmar in 2019 to help the military produce DART-450 aircraft on its own, said observers.

But just one plane has been built so far as the military regime has not been able to acquire the parts needed for production, especially as the planes engine is made by Ukraines state-owned Ivchenco Corporation. Ukraine and Russia have been at war for the last year.

With Myanmar backing Russias invasion of Ukraine, it is assumed that Ukraine has refused to sell the engines to the Myanmar military.

When asked by The Irrawaddy if Diamond Aircraft Industries is continuing to help the Myanmar Air Force to manufacture DART-450 aircraft, director of marketing & communications Anita M. Lentsch said: All European and US embargo measures are of course observed by Diamond Aircraft in every legal transaction and, if necessary, approvals are obtained from the responsible authorities.

She added: We are asking for your understanding that some aspects are subject to non-disclosure agreements.

Each DART-450 is worth around US$3.1 million, according to experts.

David Scott Mathieson, an independent analyst who has been working on conflict, peace, and human rights issues in Myanmar for over 20 years, said that the Myanmar Air Force already has an assortment of jets and helicopters for ground attack, which they are using mercilessly. If the DART-450 production is delayed, it may disrupt pilot training, but will not stop it as there are already Grob-120 TP trainers in service.

Mathieson said that while the Grob aircraft do not pose a current threat, as the Myanmar military uses Russian-made YAK-130s and Mi-35s for its airstrikes against civilians and resistance targets, the Grob planes could be reconfigured for attack purposes in the future.

He urged all aircraft manufacturers in Austria and Germany to cease all support for aircraft sales to Myanmar, even if the planes are ostensibly in non-combat configurations.

The golden rule for all aircraft manufacturers around the world is regardless of how benign you think your plane is, youre selling it to a war criminal regime which renders you complicit in their atrocities, said Mathieson.

While the Myanmar Air Force cant build a pilot trainer employing European technology, it has been able to produce the MTZ-1A two-seat training aircraft based on Chinas PT-6 [Nanchang CJ-6] plane.

The MTX-1 A was seen on display on December 15 last year, the 75th anniversary of the founding of the Myanmar Air Force.
Burma Two Children Beheaded by Myanmar Junta Troops in Sagaing

Houses burnt to the ground in Kan Taw village, Myinmu Township after it was torched by junta troops on Sunday. Photo/ CJ

Two children were among four people beheaded by regime troops who attacked a village in Myinmu Township, Sagaing Region on Sunday.

The atrocity was perpetrated after around 90 regime soldiers raided the resistance stronghold of Kan Taw.

The raid sparked a 10-hour firefight as at least seven Peoples Defense Force (PDF) groups defended the village, said Ko Thet Gyi, leader of the Zero Guerrilla Force, which took part in the fighting.

The junta troops had earlier abducted seven civilians, including two children aged 12 and 13, from nearby Nyaung Pin Kan village to use as human shields and guides during the raid.

After coming under attack from resistance forces, the regime troops decapitated the two child detainees at a pagoda just outside the village and also burned down its monastery.

The other five civilian detainees are still missing, said Ko Thet Gyi.

Clashes in and around Kan Taw village continued until 7pm.

PDF fighters then found two more decapitated bodies in the village.

The dead men were from the Sartaung Moegyo PDF, which was defending the village.

Zero Guerrilla Force said it also lost a temporary camp as well as 35 million kyats worth of weapons and raw materials for ammunition.

Ko Thet Gyi said the combined PDF forces managed to kill at least 17 regime soldiers in the clashes.

Regime troops also torched three monasteries, a school and 10 houses in the area. Kan Taw had already lost 450 houses in a previous junta arson attack on April 29 last year.

After occupying the village for one night, regime troops moved to nearby Htee Saung village on Monday. Zero Guerrilla Force said around 70 junta soldiers remain at the village outpost, citing video from drone surveillance.

Pro-regime media outlet Myanmar National Post reported that security forces (junta troops) had retrieved two dead bodies of PDF members along with weapons, ammunition, a generator and motorbikes during clashes near Kan Taw village.

It made no mention of the two child detainees beheaded or the casualties suffered by junta forces.
News Myanmar Militarys Proxy Party Arms Members With Bamboo Sticks

A video screenshot of a USDP official handing sharpened bamboo sticks to a party member in Naypyitaw on February 21, 2023.

Myanmars military regime has enacted a new Political Parties Registration Law which warns against provocative campaigning. But, last week, the militarys proxy Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) handed bamboo sticks and sharpened bamboo sticks to its members in a ceremony in the capital Naypyitaw.

The arming of USDP members with the bamboo weapons took place on February 21 and was led by U Myint Hlaing, the chairman of the USDPs Farmer Affairs Committee.

Some 300 USDP members in the peoples security forces across Dekkhinathiri Township in Naypyitaw received the weapons. U Myint Hlaing told attendees: Come and take it. Feel free to take it. This is also a weapon, too, a home-made weapon.

Previously, former Lieutenant General U Myint Hlaing served as the agriculture and irrigation minister in U Thein Seins quasi-civilian government. He was infamous as One Meal Myint Hlaing for asking farmers to skip a meal each day in order to repay their agricultural loans to the government.

At the event on February 21, U Myint Hlaing recounted his combat experience as a soldier, hailed the Myanmar military, and slammed the National League for Democracy (NLD) Party led by Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.

USDP members have taken part in fighting against Peoples Defense Forces (PDF) alongside pro-junta militia and army veterans. The arming of USDP members with the bamboo weapons follows the military regimes new policy of supplying arms and ammunition to pro-junta civilians who agree to participate in local security and law enforcement in their states and regions.

The USDP, along with a dozen other parties, has re-registered with the junta-appointed Union Election Commission as required by the regimes new Political Parties Registration Law. The commission has said nothing about the USDPs arming of its members with the bamboo sticks.

Over 1,600 USDP members and supporters have been killed by resistance forces nationwide since the 2021 coup, according to the party. USDP chair former Brigadier-General Khin Yi has attacked the NLD on his trips to USDP branches across the country. Last year, he urged party members to wipe off their tears, tighten their grip on swords, move a step forward and fight the PDFs.

Bamboo sticks have previously been used as weapons by political parties in Myanmar.

The Myochit, or Patriots, Party was dubbed the Bamboo Stick Party as its members used bamboo sticks to attack rival political organizations. The party was led by Galon U Saw, who orchestrated the 1947 assassinations of Myanmars independence hero General Aung San and some of his cabinet.

Established in 1938, the Myochit Party was widely-known, but was intended solely as a platform for Galon U Saw to achieve power and made no significant contributions to public welfare.

As Gen. Aung Sans Anti-Fascist Peoples Freedom League Party grew in popularity after World War II, the Myochit Party was sidelined.

The party vanished from Myanmar politics in infamy after Galon U Saw was hanged for the assassination of Gen. Aung San, the father of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.
Commentary Fleeing Military-Ruled Myanmar: Mission Accomplished; Now a Greater Task Awaits

Anti-regime protesters confront security forces near the University of Yangon in February 2021. / The Irrawaddy

It was a fraught, reluctant, but urgent and necessary operation. We could rightly call it an escape mission.

It was not the first time I had been forced to flee my home country to avoid political persecutionthat occurred in 2000, a year after I was freed from the previous military regimes gulag. Twenty-two years later, I found myself with no choice but to make my escape once again, for the same reason.

It was this month last yearFeb. 23, 2022 to be preciseexactly one year and 23 days after the military seized power, overthrowing an elected government and launching its reign of terror over a population that now lives in fear of arrest, torture and death at the hands of the regime. Its endless violent crackdown on dissent has forced countless anti-coup protesters, students, politicians, artists and members of various professions, including journalists, to flee the country.

A few hours before sunrise on that day in Yangon, Myanmars biggest city, a colleague and I headed for a previously arranged location where an unknown driver would be waiting for us. Minutes later, two more colleagues joined us, and the young but calm driver wordlessly drove his old van into the darkness. His assignment was to take us to a remote border town; our mission was to flee our country.

It was something we hated to do.

In the van, it was still too dark to see each other, and we traveled in silence. But I could feel that all of the passengers were overwhelmed with worry and sorrow. For them, it must have been an unfamiliar feeling, as it was the first time they had undertaken such a journey. As for the driver, he must have had concerns of his own: Though he didnt know we were journalists, he knew he was transporting fugitives fleeing the juntas arbitrary persecution.

Fear of being detained by junta security forces before reaching our destination mingled with the sorrow of leaving our homes and loved ones behind, along with everything that we held dear, or that was simply familiar: a cracked or stained coffee mug; an old dining table around which family members would sit to eat every meal; a stained wall, empty, or perhaps with a tilted painting or yellowing, framed family photograph hung on it; the smell of ones bed; the stuffy air in ones rooms or the way sunlight shines through a particular window; a beloved pet; even the everyday noises of the neighborhoodand too many more to name. Nothing can replace such things, nothing feels more valuable or beautiful once taken away. Together, such things, I believe, add up to what we think of as home. Without them, there is no home, just a building. Their absence creates a powerful nostalgia for home.

Yes, leaving home was something we all hated to do. But we had to do it to survive.

Three days earlier, junta troops had arrested one of our admin staff who knew the home addresses of all of The Irrawaddys employees, including the editors and reporters. He was forced to show the authorities where we lived, making it necessary for us to leave our homes immediately. The group of us in the van were one of the last groups from our publication to leave the country.

After the juntas ruthless and bloody crackdown on nationwide peaceful anti-coup protests in the early months of 2021, following the coup on Feb. 1, tens of thousands of people fled their homes and many of them left the country. Among them were many dozens of journalists.

As it confronts the sheer scale of the anti-regime movement, the military regime has identified as one of its main enemies the news media, in particular the journalists whose work daily exposes the true colors of the coup leaderstheir cruel, inhumane and immoral acts against the entire population. Their work has made the media an enemy of the regime. Myanmar was the worlds third-worst jailer of journalists, with at least 42 journalists behind bars, at the time of the Committee to Protect Journalists Dec. 1, 2022 prison census.

In those early days I made the riskysome of my friends said daringdecision to stay inside the country to continue to work as an editor for The Irrawaddy, which by this time had been charged under various repressive laws. I thought I would be able to hide, periodically shifting locations, while continuing to work. In early March, one month after the coup, I went into hiding. This life of concealment and disguising myself in public was manageable for a year, but eventually, moving from one hiding place to another became untenable due to the juntas oppressive laws, such as the mandatory guest and household registrations, not to mention its manhunt operations targeting us. Friends who offered to hide me at their places became concerned for their own safety, as they were helping a fugitive journalist.

With the security situation deteriorating, the arrest of our staff member forced me and my colleagues to make the difficult decision to flee the country. It was an unwanted outcome but the only practical one if we were to survive.

Our car had to stop at every one of the many security checkpoints we encountered throughout the trip. The driver, however, was prepared, and knew how to deal with police and military personnel: He slipped a roll of cash into the palm of the security guard at every checkpoint. He had prepared many rolls of cash ahead of time; his method workedwe were never seriously asked to identify ourselves.

We fled because its simply not worth getting arrested, tortured and given lengthy prison sentences, if not killed, for doing the work that is our callingour work with the pen, with words. No citizen of my country deserves to live and work under this brutal junta and its generals, or any kind of dictatorship or authoritarianism. Our country has endured six decades of this. That should be enough, but it has yet to end. Of course, no one deserves such ruthless rulers; the Ukrainians dont deserve Vladimir Putins invasion and war, either.

I endured plenty of what I didnt deserveto understate mattersunder the previous regime. As a 19-year-old student, I was handed a 10-year prison sentence for my peaceful anti-regime activities, including publishing a pro-democracy journal, after the 1988 pro-democracy uprising. I managed to survive that harsh eight-year incarceration in two notorious prisons. For what? To carry on what I startedmy own revolution against authoritarianism and military dictatorship.

In 2000, one year after my release, I fled my country for the first time, vowing not to be jailed again. In the 13 years of exile that followed, I worked as a journalist, dedicating myself to exposing the real nature of Myanmars cruel, greedy generals and other powerful figures. I survived exile, just as I had survived prison. For what? To tell stories: Not only horrific stories of the regimes inhumanity, but also stories of the resilience of the Myanmar people. To share them with those citizens of our world lucky enough to be spared such experiences, as well as for the future generations, for whom our stories contain valuable lessons of survival.

In the days following the coup in 2021, my friends urged me to leave the country immediately. They said it wasnt worth it, risking another lengthy imprisonment. But I was stubborn, determined to continue my work from hiding. Why? Because I wanted to share with the world the stories of our people who were suffering and fighting against the brutal regimeI wanted to tell these stories from the ground.

Now, though, having been forced from my country for a second time, I have come to believe that the decision to leave was the correct onethat I need to survive this time, too. The reason is the same: to be able to tell the stories of our terrible, all too interesting, timesstarting with my own experiences of life under the dictatorship.

After a 12-hour drive, we arrived at a town on the Thai border. The driver took us to a meeting point where a four-wheeled pickup waited for us. The drivers greeted each other familiarly; they seemed to have conducted many such missions since the coup. We moved straight from the van into the second vehicle, a four-wheeled pickup, which set off after a brief exchange of words between the two drivers. Our new driver was actually an officer from an ethnic rebel group. While driving through rebel-held territory he told us that, due to the heightened security situation along the border, his group had stopped smuggling people out of the country. He had made an exception in our case, however, as he had been told that our group was very important. He said: You are VIPs. Thats why. I am sure many VIPs preceded us in this journey. We thanked him.

A couple of hours later, we reached our destination. All things considered, it was a relatively quick and safe experience. Some of our colleagues werent so lucky. Traveling with a baby they endured a horrific, two-day-long ordeal on a different route, though they eventually made it out too.

Our mission was to escape from the hell of military rule.

Mission accomplished. We survived.

But escaping the juntas persecution was just our first mission. As journalists, our new and greater mission is to continue to report and write about whats going on in our country under the ruthless military regime, and to explain the larger truths beyond the headlines, both to our own citizens and the world.

The morning after our arrival, all of us did exactly what we had been doing in hiding for the past year: We turned on our laptops. This is the job we have been doing for many years. The difference is that we are no longer in our homes, or in our country. To be suddenly wrenched away from our homes, our loved ones and our cherished belongings leaves one vulnerable to nostalgia. But in nostalgia, along with the slight sadness, there is a positive side, something I remember feeling in my first exiled life: a positive, even pleasurable energy with the power to motivate someone who has been forced from their home to strive to find a way to return.

For me, its the beginning of my second life in exile. The first kept me from home for 13 years. For my colleagues, its the beginning of their first such life. The bitter truth is that nobody knows how long it will take this time, either. Well it should no longer matter to me. I am what I am, as I chose who I am. I am sure this rings true for my dedicated colleagues, other journalists and the countless resolute citizens of our country who have been forced to leave their homes for acting in the service of their country.

At the very least, we all need to survive to see the fall of the dictatorship.

That still greater mission remains unaccomplished
Terre Haute, IN (47809)

Today

Rain ending early. Becoming windy in the afternoon. Morning high of 60F with temps falling to near 45. Winds WSW at 20 to 30 mph. Chance of rain 60%. Winds could occasionally gust over 40 mph..

Tonight

Cloudy. Low 39F. Winds WSW at 15 to 25 mph. Higher wind gusts possible.
GUEST EVENT: ManageEngine, the enterprise IT management division of Zoho, will host the Australian Cloud Series 2023 in Adelaide, Perth, and Brisbane in March.

The Australian Cloud Series 2023 will share best practices for organisations to stay resilient despite external disruptions while still maximising the benefits of the cloud; boosting the end-user experience; ensuring faster, platform-native AI and more.

The series aims to equip IT and security decision-makers with the tools and knowledge to navigate the wave of digital transformation.

After the last few unstable years, Australia has settled on a hybrid work model, with studies showing that work location flexibility combined with the ability to collaborate face-to-face strikes the ideal balance for staff productivity, said ManageEngine country manager Australia Vinayak Sreedhar.

The cloud is the lynchpin to enabling this environment, which is why its essential for decision-makers to learn cloud best practices.

The events will share cyber defence best practices for today's cyber landscape in which network perimeters are widening and cyberattacks against local entities are on the rise.

ManageEngines recent global survey, IT at Work: 2022 and Beyond, revealed only 5% of decision-makers in Australia and New Zealand believe that the responsibility of protecting an organisation from cyberattacks lies with everyone in it. There has never been a more pressing need for dedication to cyber resilience and a strong security posture, Sreedhar said.

The Australian Cloud Series 2023 will be hosted in Adelaide on 2 March, Perth on 9 March and Brisbane on 14 March. All events are free of charge and include sessions such as "Adopting a Unified Service and Endpoint Management Approach" and "Monitoring and Securing Multi-cloud and Hybrid Infrastructures."

Adelaide

Date: 2 March 2023

Venue: Hilton Adelaide

Registration: Click here

Perth

Date: 9 March 2023

Time: 8-11:30am

Venue: DoubleTree by Hilton Perth Northbridge

Registration: Click here

Brisbane

Date: 14 March 2023

Time: 811:30am

Venue: Hilton Brisbane

Registration: Click here
GUEST OPINION: The past year has certainly been eventful for the advertising industry, which had to adapt to the explosion of retail media networks, growing signal loss from antiquated identifiers, and navigating ongoing hurdles like privacy regulation and a looming recession.

As these companies prepare for a new calendar year, marketers, retailers, publishers and their partners will need to create more efficiencies, better prove ROI, and deliver on ever-heightening consumer expectations.
GUEST OPINION: In today's world, digital marketing has become an indispensable aspect of a successful business. The days of traditional advertising methods are long gone, and businesses must adopt new strategies to stay ahead of the curve. One of the most important aspects of digital marketing is content marketing, which has become a vital component of SEO.

Content marketing involves creating and distributing valuable and relevant content to attract and retain a clearly-defined audience. The primary goal of content marketing is to drive profitable customer action. In 2023, businesses must focus on creating content marketing strategies that help achieve their SEO goals. In this article, we will discuss some of the content marketing goals for businesses in 2023.

1. Increase Brand Awareness

Increasing brand awareness is a crucial content marketing goal for businesses in 2023. With more and more businesses shifting to online platforms, it is becoming increasingly important for businesses to establish a strong online presence. One way to achieve this goal is by leveraging the power of SEO and creating a robust content marketing strategy. By creating and distributing high-quality content that is optimized for SEO, businesses can improve their search engine rankings and attract a larger audience to their website.

SEOTwix firm is a prime example of a reputable SEO provider that has established itself as a thought leader in the industry. Their expertise in SEO has enabled them to create a powerful content marketing strategy that has helped them increase their brand awareness, generate leads, and drive website traffic.

To increase brand awareness through content marketing, businesses must focus on creating content that is relevant and engaging to their target audience. This can include blog posts, videos, infographics, social media posts, and other types of content that provide value to their audience. By using relevant keywords and optimizing their content for SEO, businesses can increase their chances of ranking higher in search engine results pages (SERPs) and attract more visitors to their websites.

Another way to increase brand awareness is by promoting content on social media platforms. By sharing their content on social media, businesses can reach a wider audience and increase their brand exposure. They can also engage with their audience and build a community around their brand, which can help establish them as a trusted source of information in their industry.

2. Generate Leads

Another important content marketing goal for businesses in 2023 is to generate leads. By creating and distributing high-quality content, businesses can attract potential customers and nurture them through the buying process. This can be achieved by creating content that addresses the pain points of the target audience and provides them with solutions.

To generate leads, businesses should also ensure that their website is optimized for conversions. This includes creating landing pages that are specifically designed to capture leads and optimizing the website's user experience to make it easy for potential customers to find what they're looking for.

3. Drive Website Traffic

Driving website traffic is another important content marketing goal for businesses in 2023. By creating high-quality content and optimizing it for SEO, businesses can attract more visitors to their websites. This can be achieved by creating blog posts, videos, infographics, and other types of content that provide value to the target audience.

To drive website traffic, businesses should also ensure that their website is optimized for search engines. This includes using relevant keywords, optimizing meta descriptions, and using internal linking strategies. Businesses should also promote their content on social media and other channels to attract more visitors to their websites.

4. Build Authority and Credibility

Building authority and credibility is another important content marketing goal for businesses in 2023. By creating and distributing high-quality content, businesses can establish themselves as thought leaders in their industry. This can be achieved by creating content that provides value to the target audience and showcases the business's expertise.

To build authority and credibility, businesses should also ensure that their content is accurate and well-researched. They should also engage with their audience and respond to their comments and questions. This can help build trust with potential customers and establish the business as a credible source of information in their industry.

5. Increase Sales and Revenue

Finally, increasing sales and revenue is the ultimate content marketing goal for businesses in 2023. By creating and distributing high-quality content that addresses the pain points of their target audience, businesses can attract more customers and increase their revenue. This can be achieved by creating content that showcases the benefits of the business's products or services and provides a clear call to action.

To increase sales and revenue, businesses should also ensure that their website is optimized for conversions. This includes creating landing pages that are specifically designed to convert visitors into customers and optimizing the website's user experience to make it easy for potential customers to find what they're looking for.

So, content marketing is an essential aspect of digital marketing, and businesses must focus on creating content marketing strategies that align with their SEO goals in 2023. By creating and distributing high-quality content, businesses can increase brand awareness, generate leads, drive website traffic, build authority and credibility, and ultimately increase sales and revenue.

However, to achieve these goals, businesses must stay up-to-date with the latest trends and best practices in content marketing and SEO. This includes understanding the importance of keyword research, optimizing meta descriptions, using internal linking strategies, and creating high-quality content that provides value to the target audience.

In addition, businesses must also be willing to adapt their content marketing strategies to meet the changing needs and preferences of their target audience. This may include experimenting with different types of content, such as video or interactive content, and promoting their content on emerging channels, such as TikTok or Clubhouse.

In conclusion, content marketing is a dynamic and constantly evolving field, and businesses must remain flexible and adaptive to stay ahead of the competition. By focusing on their SEO goals and creating content marketing strategies that align with those goals, businesses can attract more customers, increase their revenue, and establish themselves as thought leaders in their industry.
Australia is seeing a growing 'silent pandemic of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) - when bacteria and other microbes become resistant to the drugs designed to kill them, such as antibiotics, usually from misuse or overuse, according to a new report.

The report - which outlines the challenges Australia and the world need to overcome to avoid being thrust back into a pre-antimicrobial age where simple infections are deadly and some surgeries are too risky to perform - was initiated by CSIRO, Australias national science agency and developed by the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (ATSE).

The report, Curbing antimicrobial resistance: A technology-powered, human-driven approach to combating the silent pandemic, calls for greater national coordination and a focus on streamlining commercialisation processes for new antimicrobial resistance solutions and technologies.

Branwen Morgan, Lead of CSIROs Minimising Antimicrobial Resistance Mission, said AMR was recently designated one of the top 10 public health threats facing humanity by the World Health Organization (WHO).

AMR could render some of the most critical antimicrobial drugs ineffective, undermining modern medicine and making us vulnerable to drug-resistant infections, Dr Morgan said.

It is responsible for over 1.27 million deaths globally each year and the number is rising.

In Australia, modelling suggests AMR could potentially be responsible for over 5000 deaths annually.

This report calls out the key challenges and opportunities for Australia to improve how we prevent, detect, diagnose and respond to drug-resistant infections and reduce the impacts of AMR," she said.

The report drew on the expertise of more than 100 multidisciplinary experts across government, academia and industry and looked at a range of potentially impactful technologies such as:

 Integrated surveillance and sensing solutions

 Point-of-care diagnostics

 Vaccination technologies

 Antimicrobial surfaces

 Air sterilisation technologies

The report reveals that specific examples included surface sprays that change colour when pathogens are present, and toilets that detect and disarm harmful microbes before they reach our waterways.

ATSE CEO Kylie Walker said Australia has the potential to be a global contributor in the development of technologies to combat AMR and should aspire to be a world leader in its management.

We have a wealth of creative AMR technology solutions emerging in Australia. We must support these innovations through the commercialisation process so they can be delivered in the settings they are needed, in a streamlined, sustainable, and coordinated way, Walker said.

The report supports work underway by the Minimising Antimicrobial Resistance Mission, developed by CSIRO with the Australian Departments of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, and Health and Aged Care.

Dr Morgan said the report highlights the importance of a collaborative, preventative approach to AMR, which is a key tenet of the Mission.

We aim to work with end-users, academic and industry partners to identify and prioritise solutions that have the greatest impact on preventing and managing further resistance, Dr Morgan said.

The report provides thought-provoking and multidisciplinary ways for organisations or groups to tackle the rising challenge of AMR, she said.

Read the full report here.
This Week in Review

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Disturbed by many incidents, the courts in Maldives have now ordered that the accused in cases of extremism or terrorism be retained in custody till their trials end.

by Sanchita Bhattacharya

Maldives recorded no terrorism-linked fatality in 2022, as in 2021. The abduction and killing of blogger Yameen Rasheed by a local affiliate of Al-Qaeda on April 23, 2017, was the last fatal incident of terrorism recorded in the country. There have, however, been at least nine terrorist attacks in the country since the Rasheed killing, including three in 2019, four in 2020 and one each in 2021 and 2022.

On August 22, 2022, Ali Solih, Maldivian Minister of State for Environment, Climate Change and Technology, was attacked with a knife and injured, when he was traveling on his scooter in the Hulhumale area of capital Male. The attacker, Mohamed Jameel, first stood in front of the Ministers scooter, chanted some verses from the Quran and then launched the attack, in which a portion of the Ministers left arm was slashed. However, the attackers repeated attempts to slit the Ministers throat failed, as could be seen on videos of the incident that were shared over social media. The attacker was wearing a shirt bearing the logo of the Islamic State.





Earlier, on May 6, 2021, former President and present Speaker of the Parliament Mohamed Nasheed, had been grievously injured in an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) blast outside his home in Male. Three of his bodyguards and two bystanders  a local and a British national  also received minor injuries in the explosion.

Moreover, Security Forces have arrested at least 72 terrorist suspects and sympathizers since 2019, including 26 in 2022, thwarting several plans to carry out attacks. The major arrests in 2022 included:

December 11: Maldives Police Services rearrested Mohamed Gais, who had first been arrested on November 11, 2022, for plotting to use an explosive device in Addu city, but was released on December 11. The Criminal Court ordered Gaiss remand until the end of his trial, citing the potential threat to the safety of the community.

November 14: 14 Maldivians, with suspected links to the Islamic State, were arrested in a joint counter-terrorism operation conducted by the Maldivian Police Service and the Maldives National Defence Force. A large quantity of explosives was also recovered from the homes of some of the arrested suspects. The suspects planned to target the National Police College and the Indian establishment in the Addu area. According to the Police, these suspects were plotting to carry out a mass casualty terrorist attack in the Maldives, using explosives in collaboration with the Islamic State.

On January 8, 2022, moreover, the Maldives Police Service revealed that they were probing a last warning given to release the suspects arrested from Addu City. Posters of the warning, demanding the release of the suspects, had been put up in different areas of Addu City on January 8.

January 6: Hood Mohamed Zahir was arrested by the Maldivian Police in a joint operation with the United Sates Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and European investigative agencies in Male. The Prosecutor Generals Office later filed five charges against him, including encouraging terrorism online and using different phones/social media accounts to encourage individuals to conduct terrorist acts by harming and killing others and damaging property, as well as sharing photos and videos related to the Islamic State.

Meanwhile, the terrorist threat has become a real challenge for the tourism industry of Maldives, which accounts for the maximum proportion of remittances to the economy of the Island nation. In recent years, Sawt al Hind (Voice of India) magazine, an Islamic State publication targeting Indian Muslims, had called for attacks on Maldivian targets. Some analysts have also pointed out that the channel TouristwatchMV set up on Telegram by Islamic State sympathisers, has also targeted tourists. Further, the US Department of State, in its advisories has put Maldives in its Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution category. An October 5, 2022, update thus states,

Terrorist groups may conduct attacks with little or no warning, targeting tourist locations, transportation hubs, markets/shopping malls, and local government facilities. Attacks may occur on remote islands which could lengthen the response time of authorities.

Furthermore, the radical elements working within the social fabric of the Island nation are still going strong. On June 21, 2022, on the occasion of International Yoga Day, an angry mob barged into the Galolhu National Stadium in Male and disrupted the yoga event organised by the Indian High Commission and Maldivian Ministry of Youth. Perpetrators had sought to incite fear by forcefully entering, destroying property and attempting to assault participants of the event, a Police statement asserted. Before the event, the protesters brandished placards proclaiming that yoga was against the tenets of Islam. Yoga is a burning issue in the Maldives for orthodox Muslims, who believe it is an un-Islamic religious practice and not a physical discipline.

Inputs indicate, further, that the United Islamic Society is emerging as a significant organization suspected to be providing a platform to spread extremist ideologies, particularly over social media. Individuals linked to such organizations are suspected to be involved in establishing small extremist cells in remote islands of the country.

Criminal gangs are also actively involved in recruitment and radicalisation of young minds. According to a 2022 report, Prison Radicalisation in the Maldives, published by Transparency Maldives in collaboration with the Maldives Ministry of Home Affairs,

Gang involvement does not appear to be incompatible with radicalization to militant jihadism in the MaldivesThere is a great deal of overlap between gangs and militant jihadist groups. Maldivian gang members may be told that they can continue most of their gang activities, as stealing from kafirs (unbelievers), especially in order to finance militant jihad, is halal (permissible). Thus, the criminal/terrorist nexus is forged and the two support each others activities. Other Maldivian laws prohibiting gang related activities may also be broken since the militant jihadists do not recognise the Maldivian government as legitimate.

Moreover, drug cartels operating with foreign support are creating additional security challenges. At least 45 incidents of major drug recoveries were reported in 2022, in which over 62 drug traffickers were arrested. In 2021, 22 such incidents were reported, with 51 persons arrested. Seven persons have already been arrested in six separate incidents in 2023. The role of Pakistan in the narcotics trade in Maldives is underlined by the April 3, 2022, incident, in which two Pakistani nationals who smuggled drugs into the Maldives were arrested at Velana International Airport. Ahmed Ali (32) and Moimina Gulfam (20), were arrested after drugs were found in their bags and hidden inside their bodies.

Despite persistent threats, the prosecution agencies are failing time and again. Thus, on July 4, 2022, the Maldives Criminal Court acquitted a Pakistani national, Mohamed Imran, who was apprehended by local authorities in 2017 for smuggling illicit narcotic substances concealed inside his luggage. The Court held that the evidence produced by the state prosecution was insufficient to confirm that the suspect held reasonable knowledge of the narcotic substances in his baggage.

Further, on October 26, 2022, drug kingpin, Arshad Khalid, who was arrested a day earlier, on October 25, was again released over lack of evidence. Arshad was first arrested in January 2020 in a counter-drug operation in which police seized nine kilograms of Heroin and four grams of cocaine, along with MVR 4.6 million in drug money. Eight people were charged in the case. However, only two of them were convicted, and the remaining six, including Arshad, were acquitted for lack of evidence. However, an appeal was filed in the High Court with regard to which he was again arrested on October 25, 2022.

Similarly, the Islamic State affiliated terrorist Moosa Inas and two of his associates, Abdul Latheef Ibrahim and Ali Rasheed, arrested on May 5, 2020, for their alleged role in the April 15, 2020, arson attack, were let off by a Maldives court on June 18, 2020, as the Court conceded that the evidence submitted against them by the Police was not legally valid or sufficient for prosecution. He, and his associate Abdul Latheef Ibrahim, however, are still facing charges over the deliberate burning of a Police speedboat docked at the harbour of Gan, Laamu Atoll, on March 22, 2020.

On September 16, 2021, the High Court ruled in favour of Mohamed Ameen, who is believed to be the leader of Maldivian faction of the Islamic State, dismissing the charges against him and ordering his release. He, however, remains behind bar, as he was re-arrested on October 11, 2021, after the Supreme Court overturned the High Courts ruling on October 3, 2021.

Significantly, following the June 21, 2022, incident of anti-yoga violence, Sheikh Mohamed Fazloon, an Islamic scholar and one of the 20 suspects arrested in connection with the mob attack, was granted conditional release by the Criminal Court on July 21, 2022. He was held in Male City on June 22.

Disturbed by such developments, the courts in Maldives have now ordered that the accused in cases of extremism or terrorism be retained in custody till their trials end.

If the threats to security are to be met adequately, the enforcement agencies need further strengthening, as there have been several instances in the past where people released/acquitted by the courts have subsequently carried out attacks. Mohamed Jameel, who attacked Minister Ali Solih, for instance, had earlier been arrested for disrupting a Friday congregation at the King Salman Mosque in July 2022, but was released.

Crucially, Islamist radicalism also finds significant space in the mainstream political discourse, particularly of the Islamist parties, such as the Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM), headed by former President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom. Gayooms Presidency had been marked by a surge in extremist mobilization in the country, as well as the migration of over 250 Maldivians to Iraq and Syria, to join the Islamic State. Significantly, on December 23, 2022, a prominent PPM politician, who had served as the Commissioner General of Customs during Gayooms rule, openly called for an attack on the Indian High Commission at Male, purportedly to avenge an incident of arson on February 8, 2012, at Addu, for which he falsely blamed India. Riza was subsequently arrested, on December 25, on hate speech charges, but was conditionally released by the Criminal Court on February 13, 2023.

The Maldives State Policy on Terrorism and Violent Extremism adopted in 2014, stresses that it has a zero-tolerance policy on terrorism and violent extremism. This policy document is complemented by the National Strategy on Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism, adopted by the National Counter-Terrorism Centre in November 2017; as well as the National Action Plan on Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism 2020-2024. This zero-tolerance policy appears to have succeeded in containing major acts of terrorism and violence, but the deep-rooted radicalism and fundamentalism that afflicts significant populations in the country need to be dealt with, if stability and security in the Island nation is to be preserved.

Sanchita Bhattacharya is a Research Fellow at Institute for Conflict Management in New Delhi, India
EQS-Ad-hoc: Incergo S.A. / Key word(s): Personnel

INCERGO S.A. ANNOUNCES STRATEGIC BOARD CHANGES IN LINE WITH GROWTH STRATEGY



28-Feb-2023 / 15:36 CET/CEST

Disclosure of an inside information acc. to Article 17 MAR of the Regulation (EU) No 596/2014, transmitted by EQS News - a service of EQS Group AG.

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.





Vienna, 28 February 2023  Incergo S.A. (Incergo), the franchise-focused company listed on the Vienna Stock Exchange, has announced two new strategic board roles and a Chief Financial Officer.

As Darren Taylor steps down from his existing CEO role to focus on his new role as Chair, David Callister has been appointed as the companys new CEO with almost 30 years of experience in the franchising sector.

Adrian Knight comes on board as a Director and current Directors, Steve Pratt and Gauri Lamb have resigned from the board.

Alongside these new appointments Incergo has engaged new CFO Paul Quek who brings with him over 20 years of accounting, finance and audit experience.

The new board of Incergo now comprises:
Were it not for the United Nations flag, nothing distinguishes house number 6 in street 617 from other houses in the Rugando neighbourhood of Kigalis Kimihurura sector. On the morning of February 14, 2023, when Kabuga's trial resumes, a guard dressed in the black, green and red of a local security company refuses access to more than 20 men and women, some of whom look unwell. Voices rise, they dont understand What happened today? Why don't you want us to come in?" They are regulars here, but it doesnt work. "Come back at 2 pm", they are told.

This is where, since July 1, 2012, a branch of the Mechanism for International Criminal Tribunals (MICT) has taken up residence in the Rwandan capital Kigali. Its a sort of outpost in Rwanda to manage, among other things, assistance for witnesses at this tribunal, from their identification to their travel, including their security "before, during and after trials", reads its Rules of Procedure and Evidence. It is also where a medical centre treats and supports some of the witnesses called by the Mechanism and the former International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR), which was based in Arusha, Tanzania. The protesters this morning were patients at the clinic. Some of them were lying on the side of the road, waiting for four hours until the door opened at the appointed time.

This little incident outside the gate of number 6 signals the closed door hearing by video conference from this place of witnesses in the Kabuga trial. The trial is being held 6,500 kilometres away as the crow flies, in The Hague, capital of the Netherlands. Evoking Kabugas failing health, an MICT officer at the Kigali office had told Justice Info a week earlier that: "We are waiting to see if he will recover and thus have confirmation that the trial will resume on February 14, with witnesses from Kigali, who should give their testimony by video conference, behind closed doors. Only the witnesses will be in the room, with technicians. Even we, the staff of the Mechanism, will not have access.

In front of the very discreet and highly protected branch of the "Mechanism" in Kigali, the capital of Rwanda.  Liberty Irakoze

"We have not provided a room"

But how, then, can one follow the trial? "We have not provided a room where people can follow the hearings. Here we are closed, we do not give free access to the public," explained the officer, who wished to remain anonymous. To overcome this restriction, this person adds, a link has been created on the website of the Mechanism to allow people, wherever they are, to follow the trial in real time. As for the testimony of witnesses, the first ones went to The Hague, the next ones to Arusha, and this time, "it will be here (Kigali), but under the conditions that I said," explained the officer.

As for traffic on the MICT website for the Kabuga trial, the MICT external relations office in Arusha estimates that "there were more than 5,000 separate streams for the opening statements on September 29 and 30. According to the same source, for the regular sessions there were between 1,000 and 1,200 unique feeds per week on average. This does not take into account, adds the MICT, people watching in groups, for example in classrooms or other institutions.

"It's postponed to Valentine's Day"

On a platform of journalists from different Rwandan media, reporters covering international trials keep asking the same question: "Will the Kabuga trial finally resume?" Always jovial and joking, the journalist-host of this forum, Gerard Manzi, is the right man to soften the blow. "The old man is still hiding, even today. Its postponed to Valentine's Day!" he says ironically. Indeed there were postponements one after the other in early 2023. The trial was initially scheduled to re-start on January 31, then February 7, and then on Valentines Day, February 14.

In this forum, some do not hide their disillusionment, suspicions, or even what they think the outcome of the trial will be. "What if he puts an end to his trial himself? said one person, alluding to the deteriorating health of the accused, which could result in his death. Another mentioned, as a reminder, the case of Joseph Nzirorera, who died during his trial at the ICTR. The journalists grumble about the lack of information on the trial.

"Yes, but since he no longer has the means to hide himself, who is hiding him? another asks. For them, hiding means delaying justice, or evading it with "delaying tactics. "What with the way he managed to stay on the run, the media hype around his arrest contrasts with the silence around his trial," says young Sam Kwizera, and his elder Jean-Baptiste Karegeya drives it home. For me," says Karegeya, "everything is linked: his successful escape for more than 23 years, the silence and the delaying tactics in his trial. Even during his trial, he manages to hide himself, one might say, from the media, the people and the victims in particular!"

"His trial was the most awaited

"It is very difficult to follow the hearings in the Kabuga case because following online we get choppy information, as the connection can break at any moment, confirms Jean-Damascene Manishimwe, a journalist at the state-owned Rwanda Broadcasting Agency (RBA). The information we get is too limited and, in turn, we cannot fully inform our audience." In the absence of an RBA special envoy to The Hague, the Kabuga trial is almost absent from its programmes. It nevertheless produced a series of special editions at the time of his arrest, using archival footage from the national television. "In short, the disappointment is total, even though Kabuga was the most wanted by the ICTR of all the genocide suspects, and his trial the most awaited! says Manishimwe.

"I must admit that the coverage of the Kabuga trial by Rwandan journalists is not at a satisfactory level," says Juvens Ntampuhwe, coordinator at the Justice and Memory project of RCN Justice & Democracy. For the trials of Rwandans tried in France and in Belgium under universal jurisdiction, this NGO financed journalists to go to Paris or to Brussels for the duration of these trials. But in the case of Kabuga, Ntampuhwe explains, "given the advanced age of the accused and his state of health, the hearing schedule has been arranged to favour his participation [i.e. two hours a day, two days a week]. You can understand that there is no way to objectively determine, even on an estimated basis, the total duration of the trial. In such a trial, RCN cannot consider sending journalists to The Hague.

"We don't know anything, we don't see anything

Janvier Bayingana, legal affairs officer commissioner for the Ibuka association which represents the victims of the 1994 genocide in Rwanda, does not mince his words against the UN mechanism. He says its liaison office in Kigali "should inform, that's what it should do. Instead, they are in their routine bureaucracy, it's like their private property, it's as if they have no beneficiaries. For them, the liaison office is for distribution of documents, requesting documents from witnesses, visa applications and taking care of them. They are there for documentation and travel, that's all!"

Rwandans are not informed, he stresses repeatedly. "Justice is administered in the total silence of their offices, with them the only witnesses to what they do - this is not justice! he says. Justice must not only be done, it must be seen to be done. Today, we know nothing, we see nothing! For the victims, Bayingana believes, "it is not enough to know that a tribunal has been set up to try suspects of genocide crimes, they need to see and know more about how this tribunal delivers justice on behalf of the victims and the international community. This tribunal should change many things in the way it administers justice!"

This is echoed by a genocide survivor in Rubavu, in the former Gisenyi prefecture, where Kabuga is alleged to have committed some of the crimes. According to the amended indictment dated March 1, 2021, Kabuga is accused of having "between April and July 1994 (...) collected funds for the purchase of arms and ammunition, imported arms and ammunition which were distributed to the Interahamwe [militias] in Gisenyi. According to the same document, these acts were committed in several places in the prefecture, including the Meridien Izuba hotel, the Umuganda stadium and the Gisenyi military camp.

"We would have liked to see Kabuga here, as he was in 1994, so that we could say everything about him," laments Innocent Kabanda. But since this is not happening, we would still like to see his trial speeded up, so that death does not take him before he is judged and the victims of his crimes thus deprived of justice.
As the investigation continues regarding Yoo Ah In's drug abuse controversy, media outlets predicted that he might have a hard time or is highly likely to never come back to showbiz.

The speculation rose after the award-winning star is being investigated by authorities for use of illegal substances, particularly propofol or an anesthetic and a sedative used in a hospital setting.

Yoo Ah In Drug Controvery: Will the South Korean Top Star Return to Showbiz?

According to a report, there has been discussion in various online communities regarding reports of media outlets about Yoo Ah In. Discussing the actor's future amid the drug scandal, some said that it might be the end of the "Seoul Vibe" star's career after being embroiled in drug abuse issues.

Although there were some celebrities who got caught up in the same controversy, Yoo Ah In's case might be different since authorities have found different types of drugs and high numbers of dosages.

With this, people are calling it a "triple crown" since Yoo Ah In not only tested positive for marijuana and propofol but also tested for the third drug.

Unfortunately, this is a big blow to his public image, especially his slew of advertisements. To recall, at the height of the controversy, Yoo Ah In's endorsements were taken down by various brands.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Yoo Ah In Drug Issue: Police Detected Another Susbtance Other Than Marijuana and Propofol

According to various outlets, it was reported that MUSINSA, a fashion brand that tapped Yoo Ah In as their ambassador, pulled out the actor's brand campaigns.

The same goes for the outdoor brand, NEPA, and pharmaceutical company, I'm Vita, which removed traces of the controversial top star from their social media channels and homepages.

The actor's drug-related issue surely took a big impact on Yoo Ah In's public image, which might result in his career downfall.

Yoo Ah In K-dramas Affected by Controversy?

Like Yoo Ah In's advertisements, his slew of upcoming K-dramas and movies will also be affected by the drug scandal. According to a media outlet, Netflix has responded to the actor's controversy addressing the issue regarding his forthcoming projects with the streaming giant.

A representative told Xsports News that they are currently working with drama officials regarding Yoo Ah In's situation.

"We are speaking with the project's representatives about the current situation," an official told the outlet.

To recall, the actor is set to headline an upcoming K-drama with Netflix titled "Goodbye Earth." The novel-based K-drama features a team-up between Yoo Ah In and "Hospital Playlist" actress Ah Eun Jin alongside Kim Yoon Hye, Jeon Sung Woo as the lead star.

In addition, he will also appear in "Hellbound" season 2 and the release of "High Five" with Ra Mi Ran, Ahn Jae Hong, and more.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Yoo Ah In Accused of Receiving Military Service Privileges

KDramastars owns this article

Written by Geca Wills
Lee Bo Young's comeback drama "Agency" with Son Na Eun and Jo Sung Ha finally wrapped up after eight long weeks. Throughout its run, the work received great reviews from its viewers.

The series concluded with a significantly high score, proving its reputable all-time high ratings during its entire run.

Lee Bo Young Bids Goodbye To 'Agency'

JTBC's workplace drama "Agency" starring Lee Bo Young, Son Na Eun and more finally closes its curtains!

On February 26, the final episode of the series was released, scoring a rating of 16%, marking the drama's highest rating during its entire broadcast.

In particular, Lee Bo Young's drama was the leading weekend series across all cable channels in South Korea, proving its popularity.

The series, which focused on Lee Bo Young's hardships and victories in a male-dominated workplace, appealed to viewers of all ages in both domestic and overseas channels.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: 'Agency' Episode 15-16: Lee Bo Young Fulfills Dreams With Own Company

With this, fans claim that "Agency" is among the best works that JTBC has released in the past year. Congratulations to Lee Bo Young and the rest of the cast for the success of the drama!

Lee Bo Young Shares Honest Thoughts On 'Agency'

With the success of her comeback work, Lee Bo Young expressed her eternal gratitude to fans who have supported her throughout the broadcast of the series.

In a recent interview, Lee Bo Young revealed that she was supposed to turn down the work due to its suitability. Since she doesn't look like she'd do well as an "orphan," the actress was anxious in accepting the work.

"I was afraid I'd look too nice rather than a confident and driven career woman," Lee Bo Young admitted. "That's why I cut my hair to look tough."

Thankfully, the drama received great response from the public during its pilot episode, much to Lee Bo Young's delight.

Though she's a veteran star, Lee Bo Young revealed that she learned how to smoke for the role. According to her, she didn't expect smoking to be so difficult.

On the other hand, she thanked Son Na Eun and Jeon Hye Jin for their hard work and great acting performances as her colleagues in the drama.

"I think Go Ah In (her character) will be so happy when she learns that "Agency" was a great success," Lee Bo Young stated.

Have you seen "Agency" yet? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!

KDramaStars owns this article.

Written by Elijah Mully.
Authorities released an update regarding Yoo Ah In's drug scandal after the award-winning star was embroiled in illegal substance use. Keep on reading for more details.

Yoo Ah In Summoned By Authorities Amid Drug-Related Issues

After the "Seoul Vibe" star underwent investigation, along with a series of tests, the Drug Crime Investigation Unit of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency (MFDS) examined the top star's actual medical records and propofol prescription status from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety.

According to a media outlet, on February 27, authorities are planning to obtain the actor's mobile phone and summon Yoo Ah In "as a suspect for investigation" following the release of the results of digital forensics.

This is amid the ongoing investigation of the "Chicago Typewriter" star regarding his habitual use of propofol and other substance found in his body.

To recall, the public was stunned to hear that the award-winning star is being probed by the police after he was suspected of using propofol or an anesthetic substance used for procedural sedation and used in a hospital setting.

The effects of propofol include relaxation or sleep before and during surgery or other medical procedures.

Yoo Ah In Tests Positive in 3 Substances Including Marijuana, Propofol

During the initial part of the probe, authorities did urine and hair strand tests to see whether the actor is taking an illegal substance. The urine test came with a result, saying that the actor is positive for marijuana use.

Weeks later, a hair strand test was released noting that Yoo Ah In, whose real name is Uhm Hong Sik, administered propofol 73 times in 2021.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Yoo Ah In Accused of Receiving Military Service Privileges

In a report obtained by Korea Herald, the actor has exceeded 4.4 liters in total, between January and December 2021, and was used six times a month.

Adding to the list of Yoo Ah In's drug scandal, he also tested positive for a third substance that has yet to be revealed by the police.

In South Korea, excessive use of marijuana is considered illegal with a fine amounting to 50 million KRW (38,000 USD), or five years in prison for first-time offenders.

As for propofol, which is considered a psychotropic drug, is deemed by the Narcotics Control Act that could "cause serious harm and danger to the human body" and was also linked to Michael Jackson's death.

Yoo Ah In's Current, Upcoming Projects Affected By Controversy

As Yoo Ah In made headlines amid the ongoing investigation, his image is in a bad shape since drug issues are a very sensitive issue in South Korea. At the height of the controversy, his endorsements from various brands were taken down from different platforms.

In addition, his soon-to-be-released K-dramas and movies from Netflix might also be affected by the issue. To recall, Yoo Ah In is set to reprise his role in "Hellbound 2," and headline a new series "Goodbye Earth" with Ahn Eun Jin.
FILE - The Google logo displayed at their offices in Granary Square, in London on Nov. 1, 2018. Some members of Parliament want to see Google in the hot seat over the tech company's move to temporary block news access to some of their Canadian users. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Alastair Grant
10 years on, BRI is humming

15:06, February 28, 2023 By CHEN YINGQUN ( China Daily

Workers at the construction site of the Suez Canal Railway Bridge in Ismailia, Egypt, on June 5. Chinese companies have been pushing forward in upgrading this bridge. WANG DONGZHEN/XINHUA

Continent benefits as initiative helps pull in foreign investment

Ten years ago, when China proposed the Belt and Road Initiative, Andrew Gatera, then a college student in Beijing, could hardly imagine it would play such a big role in his career in Africa.

Gatera returned to his native Rwanda after completing his bachelor's and master's degrees in Chinese literature and culture at the Communication University of China in Beijing.

He started a tourism business in 2017 offering international visitors safari tours and treks in Rwanda's volcanoes and other East African regions. With his fluency in Mandarin, Chinese tourists have become his biggest and most important customers.

To further tap China's large consumption market, Gatera has also launched a specialty coffee business and is preparing for an exhibition in Central China's Hunan province in June.

"The BRI has brought lots of opportunities to different countries and built relationships between partner countries, making it easier to do business with Chinese," he said. "Moreover, there are a lot of successful projects in Africa set up by Chinese people that bring real benefits to the local people."

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the BRI proposed by President Xi Jinping. So far, 151 countries and 32 international organizations have joined the initiative, according to official figures.

Nasser Bouchiba, president of the Africa-China Cooperation Association for Development, said China has been helping to build national infrastructure, upgrade industries and improve people's lives across the world over the past decade.

"The BRI has become a popular international public good and a platform for international cooperation, and brings huge benefits to the world, especially to countries that aspire to development in Africa," he said. "In the future, the BRI projects will be more specific and clearer to better align with the needs of various countries."

Ehizuelen Michael Mitchell Omoruyi, executive director of the Center for Nigerian Studies at the Institute of African Studies, Zhejiang Normal University, described the BRI as "a novel worldwide development model".

"The BRI, with the development of African nations, sets a new path for a higher level of China-Africa cooperation that will help to increase foreign investment, expand trade, ultimately reduce poverty, and in turn reshape Sino-African cooperation by supporting connectivity in and between economies in Africa," he said.

Key platform

Within 10 years, he said, the BRI has become a key platform that has proved to be economically effective. For example, inadequate transportation infrastructure has long been a major economic huddle for Africa's industries and exports because high transport costs lower the competitiveness of goods. He also noted China's rail infrastructure construction in Africa, which has improved trade and transport services among African countries.

"When the West came to the continent, they developed a lot of infrastructure leading out of the continent. China has done the reverse by leading infrastructure inside," he said, citing examples such as the Ethiopia-Djibouti, Mombasa-Nairobi, Abuja-Kaduna, and Lagos-Ibadan lines. The various rail infrastructure is internally connected.

"Supporting African nations to promote infrastructure development under the BRI has helped to connect African nations internally and promote intra-trade," he said.

Clayton Hazvinei Vhumbunu, a lecturer in the Department of Political Studies and Governance at the University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, South Africa, said that, for Africa, the BRI has brought funding opportunities in key priority development areas of infrastructure development, industrialization, and intra-African trade, which are all reflected in the African Union Agenda 2063, as well as in regional and national development strategies.

In the energy sector alone, China has funded more than 36 projects, mainly hydroelectric and solar power plants, in at least 19 African countries. Some of these BRI energy projects are high-impact and high-transformational. For example, the Caculo Cabaca Hydropower Project in Angola's Kwanza-Norte Province is being built by China Gezhouba Group, he said.

Vhumbunu said the BRI focus on energy may be timely for Africa's industrialization agenda as the continent's energy deficit is slowing production in agriculture, mining, manufacturing, and other sectors.

"The BRI, if strategically engaged by African countries, may turn out to be the elusive match to 'light up' Africa at a time when over 640 million people out of Africa's 1.4 billion population do not have access to electricity," he said, adding that about 77 percent of people worldwide living without electricity are in Africa.

He said there is great potential for cooperation between China and Africa under the BRI framework; for instance, in the telecommunication sector. Internet penetration in Africa is still slow when compared to other regions.

Only 22 percent of Africans are internet users, compared with 80 percent in Europe, 68 percent in Central Asia, 66 percent in Latin America, and 44 percent in the Asia-Pacific and the Arab states, according to International Finance Corp, a global development institution focused on the private sector in developing countries.

"This will go a long way to connecting people and facilitating the digitalization of continental trade, which increases the scale, scope and speed of trade in goods and services at a time when the commercially meaningful trade under the African Continental Free Trade Area is envisaged to commence," Vhumbunu said.

Omoruyi said another area that impressed him is that the infrastructure investments, specifically in railways, coupled with the establishment of special economic zones in several African nations under the BRI, have succeeded in encouraging positive spillovers and unlocked economic potential in value-adding industries across the continent through the complementary nature of trade-facilitating infrastructure and export-oriented industrial zones.

"Through the construction of railways, manufacturers can reduce the cost of sourcing inputs, lowering the overall cost of doing business and permitting them to remain competitive in both the domestic and regional markets," he said. "The expeditious implementation of railways in Africa is, therefore, a positive development for the manufacturers and the broader business community."

The free trade area, industrial parks or special economic zones could be a major engine to connect Africa with the international market, Omoruyi said. He suggested China also focus more on infrastructure construction in Africa to help propel the free trade area, which has a market of more than 1 billion people and a combined GDP of more than $3 trillion.

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)
Soon after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022 they discovered that they could not afford to keep fighting. Massive sanctions reduced the cash Russia had access to and paying what was promised to new recruits soon became more than Russian could afford. Using the old the check is in the mail excuse worked for a while until it didnt when most troops understood the check was never sent and never would be. This is particularly troublesome when it comes to former Russian soldiers who agreed to join the reserves after they left active service. The pay wasnt great and there were some training obligations but many former conscript or volunteer (contract) Russian soldiers tried out the new reserve system and were not surprised that it didnt work. The former Russians soldiers adopted the practice of no pay, no way am I playing your stupid game. In 2019, after several years of effort, Russia had fewer than 5,000 soldiers participating in the active reserve program. That was all the government could pay and accommodate at training facilities. The Russian Defense Ministry expected to have over 80,000 reservists participating in the program but the resources and resourcefulness were not available to make that happen.

In 2021 the Defense Ministry came up with another scheme that was much more selective about which former soldiers were eligible for the new reserve system that aimed to attract and keep over 30,000 reservists. The pay was better, the training was more frequent and reservists signed three year contracts, which released the reservist from any obligations at the end of the contract. This new arrangement attracted about 9,000 qualified men. The program soon failed when word got around that reservists mobilized to fight in Ukraine were not getting the active duty pay their contracts specified.

Not paying promised sums to mobilized or already serving soldiers is a growing problem for Russia because as fewer men agree to serve in the military, the incidences of failure to pay the troops or provide the additional sums for their families goes up. Threats of prosecution of men who do not show up or simply walk away from military service are losing their impact because this is happening to so many newly mobilized and already serving Russian troops. The government does not have the resources to carry out that many prosecutions and the troops know it.

Russia is trying to fight a war it cant afford. Offering pay and other cash benefits to troops that the government cant afford has made it difficult to rebuild the Russian army that was destroyed in the first six months of fighting in Ukraine. Importing munitions from North Korea and Iran is only possible if Russia pays for it. This is being done on a barter basis because sanctions have blocked Russias access to its foreign hard currency assets. North Korea needs food and fuel while Iran needs modern weapons and help with their nuclear weapons program. Helping Iran develop and build nuclear weapons is something that the rest of the world opposes. Putin doesnt seem to consider this a significant obstacle.

Putin wants the war in Ukraine to continue, using whatever military resources Russia can muster. Putin believes that this strategy is one reason why American and European support for Ukraine is weakening because it is expensive and seems to be endless. The Ukrainians insist that if they are supplied with tanks, combat aircraft and continuing supplies of munitions, the weakened Russian forces can be expelled from Ukraine, which for Ukraine means an end to the war. What Russia does after that is another matter that Ukraine and NATO will face together. Putin has repeated his goal of rebuilding the Russian empire. This is something none of the current countries that used to be part of the Soviet Union are willing to accept, even though Russia has nuclear weapons and the potential to rebuild its army if it can cope with all the economic sanctions imposed because of the Ukraine invasion. The cost of dealing with these sanctions has brought more poverty to Russia and less money for Putin to use for his empire rebuilding project.
On January 8th China launched another Shijian (experimental or special purpose) satellite into GSO (geostationary orbit). GSO space is not for orbiting satellites but for those that prefer to remain stationary, which can be done if you are about 35,786 kilometers from earth. This is where any satellite orbited that high will remain above the same area on earth. Since 2016 China has launched four Shijian series satellites into GSO space for vague or sometimes classified missions. The latest one, Shijian-23, was described as on a classified mission. The U.S. Space Force is able to monitor the activities of satellites in GSO space and Shijian-23 was seen to release at least one sub-satellite which could maneuver. China had earlier described Shijian-23 as carrying two sub-satellites but later deleted that information without comment. China would not describe what Shijian-23 and its sub-satellite was up there for. So far, Shijian-23 and its sub-satellite have been moving around up there. Previous Shijian-series satellites were observed moving close to other satellites and apparently inspecting them. Sometimes Shijian series satellites moved other satellites or debris out of valuable GSO areas. This is a useful activity and for China inspecting satellites of other nations is useful and in wartime so is moving foreign satellites out of position or disabling them would also be useful.

Several specialized satellites already put into orbit can grab and move another satellite to a less dangerous location or move a defunct satellite into a less troublesome location. China put the latest of these satellite movers into space during 2021. SJ-21 was put into GSO apace and proved large enough to grab large defunct satellites and move them to less valuable geostationary orbits. In other words, the satellite and earth will rotate together. For some types of satellites these orbits are very useful and when a satellite occupying one of these orbits ceases to function, you have to move it away in order for a working satellite to take its place. SJ-21 demonstrated that it could do the moving. This is quite useful.

More mobile satellites with robotic arms are a welcome new development because they can be used to inspect satellites in trouble and help diagnose the problem and perhaps fix it. Chinese and Russian satellites similar to SJ-21 have already been spotted getting close to satellites belonging to other nations and, in some cases, apparently practicing disabling them. That was not unexpected. While these movement and inspection satellites have a wartime use to disable enemy satellites, the more immediate problem is managing and eventually eliminating a lot of the man-made debris in orbit. The only way to destroy this stuff is to use another satellite to push it close enough to earth for gravity pulls to the surface and moving through the atmosphere at high speeds causes the debris, and in most cases, be completely destroyed. This does not work with the majority of space debris, which is too small to track from earth and too numerous to collect and send into the atmosphere. As this debris crisis becomes more acute, more effort will be put into solutions and those solutions will appear, or there will be fewer operational satellites in orbit. No precise date when the orbit debris crisis becomes critical but when it does show up it shouldnt be a surprise.

The Shijian series satellites are large enough to operate in GSO and inspect, move or disable other satellites. This was first demonstrated in 2016 with Shijian-17, followed by Shijian-21 in 2021 and now Shijian-23 in 2023.
At another standing room only Chamber Chat on Thursday at Stathams in The Pembroke Hotel, Kilkenny business owners discussed the importance of promoting Wellness in the Workplace.

Kilkenny Chamber CEO John Hurley pulled no punches when he shared some pretty stark statistics.

A cost benefit analysis demonstrates the imperative for businesses to engage in a meaningful way with this issue he said.

The cost of stress in the workplace is a whopping 20 billion every year in the EU and every business in Kilkenny is carrying a piece of that cost. On the other hand, the benefits of having a healthy and wellbeing aware workplace are clear with increased performance leading to improved productivity and greater profitability.

Attendees at the Chamber Chat heard how studies have shown that contented and healthy staff enjoy increased morale, greater job satisfaction and higher motivation.

This in turn reduces staff turnover and brings down the incidence of absenteeism and sick leave. It also impacts on safety with such workplaces experiencing fewer safety incidents and accidents at work.

Recent surveys show that 45% of 18-34 year olds are planning to change jobs in the coming year and 1 in 3 are proactively seeking employers who prioritise wellness. And in the employers space, 59% plan to increase their new hires this year.

All businesses must be prepared for this activity and Brian Kelly from Mindaclient explained at the Chamber Chat how the new Wellness functionality in his CRM software helps employers and employees in this regard.

The event demonstrated the value of networking where ideas and experiences are shared with everybody learning from each other.

Angela Hayes, CEO of Teac Tom, an organisation with a focus on Mental health and suicide, spoke about their engagement with Mindaclient, an expert in Software Development. They are working together to find further solutions to benefit businesses struggling with these challenges. Angela is very excited to partner with Mindaclient and believes that this software will enhance the ongoing support that Teac Tom is providing to business and the broader community. Similarly, David Lunn from Foundation Stone Financial Planning with expertise in Financial Health & Wellness is also engaging with Mindaclient to explore ways to deliver Financial Planning solutions through the Mindaclient wellness solution.

The Kilkenny Chamber Chats take place at 6pm on the last Thursday of every month and the next one on Thursday 30th March will explore how businesses can gain a competitive edge by training their staff.

They are free events for Chamber members and their guests so all are welcome.
COLUMBIA  One water safety organization is calling for transparency following the city of Columbia's testing violation from the Missouri Department of Natural Resources.

Officials admitted at last Monday's city council meeting that staff did not test the city's drinking water for copper or lead last year.

While the DNR insists the water is safe, the COMO Safe Water Coalition developed and released its own report Monday regarding its concerns for the community.

David Sorrell, director of utilities for the city of Columbia, told council the DNR informed the city of the violation on the afternoon of Friday, Feb. 17. He said there was confusion at the time whether the regular testing was mandatory, but then confirmed the need for those tests at the meeting.

Previously, the city required testing the water for lead and copper once every three years from 50 different sites. Last year, this system changed to 100 sites twice a year.

According to the coalition's report, which cites the DNR, the city had been informed of the violation since September.

The coalition said the purpose of its report was to refer back to the Lead and Copper Rule Revisions and to provide some context on why the group believes the changes made by the DNR should have been evident to the city.

In the report, the coalition lays out the revisions, which is part of the National Primary Drinking Water Regulation, under the Safe Drinking Water Act.

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The coalition believes that Columbia has not implemented the necessary requirements, though the revisions have been "thoroughly promoted."

Julie Ryan, co-founder of the COMO Safe Water Coalition, says there is potential for the Columbia's water supply to be harmful because of the city's failure to correctly test and monitor sites that are more at risk.

"If we're not testing the most at-risk households, if we're not testing where those lead lines are, and if it isn't done correctly, then that doesn't give us the right data," Ryan said.

According to the coalition's report, lead has been "leached in the system" for three additional years because of the city's continued use of chloramine as a secondary disinfectant.

"The problem with chloramine is it has its own problems. There are byproducts that it creates that we're not regulated to test for," Ryan said. "And it's also known to leach lead in the system. And so that's a big concern for us... and it has been a concern for us."

The last test the city performed on the water supply for copper and lead was in 2019. Ryan says information about the 2019 test has not yet been released.

She says the next steps the city should take is prioritizing the importance of the Lead and Copper Rule Revisions: "If the city wants to be transparent and show that they are doing their best to communicate with the public and be open and hones, I think this is all information that we deserve to have."

At the city council meeting last Monday, Sorrell said he "hoped to have a report to the city manager by Monday morning [Feb. 27] regarding the department's plans to make sure violations like this wouldn't happen again."

KOMU 8 News reached out to Sorrell and the city for comment, but staff said that they could not confirm when their report would be released.
Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy, pictured here on February 1 in Washington, has granted access to U.S. Capitol security footage to the January 6 defendants.
Meet the women-owned architecture firm responsible for many designs at the new KCI terminal
Garrett, IN (46738)

Today

Cloudy and becoming windy. Periods of rain early. Morning high of 63F with temps falling to near 50. Winds SSW at 20 to 30 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Rainfall around a quarter of an inch. Higher wind gusts possible..

Tonight

Cloudy with snow showers developing after midnight. Low 34F. Winds SW at 15 to 25 mph. Chance of snow 40%. Higher wind gusts possible.
Angola, IN (46703)

Today

Rain. Becoming windy in the afternoon. High 64F. Winds SSW at 20 to 30 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall near a quarter of an inch. Higher wind gusts possible..

Tonight

Cloudy skies early with periods of light rain and snow later at night. Low 33F. Winds SW at 15 to 25 mph. Chance of precip 50%. Higher wind gusts possible.
Kendallville, IN (46755)

Today

Cloudy and becoming windy. Periods of rain early. Morning high of 63F with temps falling to near 45. Winds SSW at 20 to 30 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Higher wind gusts possible..

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Cloudy and windy early. Snow showers developing later at night. Low 33F. Winds SW at 20 to 30 mph. Chance of snow 50%. Higher wind gusts possible.
Auburn, IN (46706)

Today

Rain ending early. Remaining cloudy. Morning high of 64F with temps falling to near 50. Winds SSW at 15 to 25 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall near a quarter of an inch. Higher wind gusts possible..

Tonight

Cloudy skies with late-night snow showers. Low 34F. Winds SW at 15 to 25 mph. Chance of snow 40%. Higher wind gusts possible.
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A pilot who survived after his plane crashed not once, but seven times in one week said his trip was 'doomed from the beginning'.

I've been lucky enough to avoid any plane crashes in my life so far, but I can pretty confidently say that just one would be enough to put me off taking part in any kind of aviation-related activity ever again.

The same cannot be said for Dennis Collier.

Collier bought an amphibious plane. Credit: David R. Frazier Photolibrary, Inc. / Alamy Stock Photo

In 2021, Collier, who already had experience flying, got the desire to get back up in the skies after 20 years. He bought a plane from an online site for $110,000 (91,300) before actually seeing it in person.

The plane was located in California, so Collier travelled from Michigan to pick it up and learned it hadn't flown in two years. He found some parts were installed incorrectly, and flaps on the wing and tail worked 'intermittently', the Detroit Press reports.

In spite of these concerning features, Collier went through with the sale. What followed was seven crashes in seven days, in four different states.

The first took place on a test flight at the end of June, during which Collier forgot to deploy the landing gear and landed with a bang, scraping the bottom of the fuselage.

Shortly after the test flight, he set off from California to New Mexico, where he learned the landing lights didn't work.

I couldnt see a thing, he told The Detroit News. Where the flip is the runway? Where is the ground?

Not able to see, the pilot pulled back on the power, but the plane stalled and landed off the runway, with Collier crashing into a sign and several lights as he sought to reach the ground.

On 28 June, after a day of repairs, Collier tried to fly again, evidently not having been put off by the previous accidents.

Collier didn't have much luck with runways. Credit: Itsik Marom / Alamy Stock Photo

The plane was still struggling though, prompting the pilot to return to New Mexico where he landed hard on the airstrip and took out yet another runway light.

After a quick trip to a hardware store, Collier was up in the skies again on 30 June and preparing to land in ONeill, Nebraska.

Bet you can't guess what happened next.

While in the air, Collier realised the left wing hinged tab was stuck and the plane was pitching up. It took him four rough attempts to land, throughout which he hit three lights, bounced off the runway and shattered a motor that controls the trim on the left wing.

If you've lost count, that takes us to four.

Crash number five happened during another test flight in Nebraska, and the sixth took place on 3 July, when Collier heard the left landing gear come down on its own as he was flying over Escanaba in the Upper Peninsula.

The pilot decided to land at Schoolcraft County Airport in Manistique, but couldnt get the nose landing gear to drop and consequently skidded down the runway, damaging the front hull and the nose gear door.

Collier's plane ultimately came down in Lake Michigan. Credit: PhotoAlto / Alamy Stock Photo

That takes us to crash number seven, on 4 July. Collier was just 80 miles from his destination of Boyne City and flying over Lake Michigan when his engine began sputtering again and turned off.

Not what you want when it's the only thing keeping you in the sky.

Collier's plane was an amphibious vehicle, meaning it was equipped to land on water, but on top of all the other issues, the flaps that would allow this to happen didn't work.

Instead, the landing gear caught the water and caused the plane to hit the lake nose-first. Water began to leak in and Collier was forced to climb on the tail of the boat, where he waited for an hour before being collected by the US Coast Guard.

After all of his crashes, Collier said he walked away with 'not a scratch, not a bruise, nothing'.

However, he believes he was never going to have an easy journey home, saying: "It was doomed. It was doomed from the beginning.

The person who sold the plane to Collier told publication the plane was in good condition when they sold it.
New Delhi [India], February 28 (ANI): Union External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Tuesday said that India's relations with Europe are stronger and deeper than ever before.

In the inaugural session of CII India-Europe Sustainability Conclave, S Jaishankar said India's relations with Europe are stronger and deeper than ever before and this event itself is a testimony of that assertion.

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Russian Troops Hit the Southern City   Latest Tweet by The Kyiv Independent.

The Conclave focuses on the strategic role of India-Europe partnership in changing geo-political scenario, strengthening bilateral engagements and discussions on emerging economic opportunities.

"Between us, rests the largest democratic and free market space globally. The business communities of India and Europe have a large stake and an enabling role in this transformation," Jaishankar said, adding "The business communities of India and Europe have a large stake and an enabling role in this transformation."

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He said, "I hope your deliberations will reflect what is at stake here, not just for us but for the entire world, and how we can join hands to realize the economic dividends and democratic values that are inherent in our partnership."

In the opening lines of his speech, Jaishankar said, "Businesses have a primary role in driving sustainability and that is why we are all meeting here today. The enabler, however, is the larger partnership and the understanding between India and Europe."

Jaishankar said India and the EU believed in a multi-polar global order, shared a commitment to promoting effective multilateralism and were increasingly considerate to each other's geopolitical, economic, strategic and security concerns.

He said, "Visits and exchanges at the highest level are today a regular feature between India and Europe, including at the Prime Minister's level. I have personally interacted with the Foreign Ministers of all the 27 EU Member States and the High Representative of the European Commission at least once last year."

He said these interactions contributed to the resumption of the India-EU FTA negotiations, the India-EU Trade and Technology Council. "The announcement of that, dialogues in the areas of security and defence, and human rights, and not least, a jump in bilateral trade," he added.

For a sharper focus, Jaishankar said, "We recently announced three Working Groups within the India-EU TTC for strategic cooperation in Trade, cooperation in Green Transition and cooperation in Digital Partnership. I am glad that these three pillars are reflected in the agenda of this Conclave."

The EU is one of India's largest and most important trade partners. Jaishankar said, "Our bilateral trade was in excess of USD 115 billion in the FY 2021-22, which is the highest ever. With the UK and other non-EU countries added, I believe that the number is even greater. We expect the India-EU FTA will be a game-changer for the India-EU relationship."

He said, "We look forward to a mutually beneficial, mutually advantageous conclusion to the negotiation process within a reasonably short planned timeline."

India's new approach to trade agreements addresses issues of non-tariff and behind-the-border barriers, quality standards and related benchmarks. "With like-minded partners, we have actually demonstrated in recent years a fast-track change in our FTA negotiation processes. FTAs- with the UAE and Australia- were actually concluded in record time," Jaishankar said.

Jaishankar said India is expected to be the only major economy to keep growing at well above 6 per cent per annum in the foreseeable future, and thus will remain one of the major growth engines of the world.

He said when it comes to the green transition, clean energy and green transition are central to the India-EU Connectivity Partnership.

"Synergies have emerged in solar and wind energy, in green hydrogen, smart grids, sustainable urban transport (especially metro projects), waste management and the circular economy. But, to sustain this cooperation, the real ask is capacity building, clean technology transfer, alignment of standards and cooperation in critical materials," he said, adding "And here, let me say upfront that promoting green financing is the ignition for any long-term result-oriented outcome."

Jaishankar said India is today one of the leading countries in climate change mitigation commitments and environmental protection.

"Our Low-Carbon Development Strategy lays out the path to a carbon-neutral economy while taking into account specific development goals," Jaishankar said, adding, "We have the third biggest installed renewable energy capacity in the world. Without stressing on our ambitious Nationally Determined Contributions at the UNFCCC (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change), let me say that we will reach our goals even earlier."

Looking ahead, Jaishankar said, "India's ambitious Green Hydrogen policy incentivises an indigenous ecosystem for local needs and exports. In this, we have already seen collaborations between many major European firms and Indian companies."

"Electric vehicles, as Minister Rasmussen (His Danish counterpart) noted, will be the next big thing for a green transition of India's urban landscape," he said, adding, "Green transition is also the core of our sustainability goals and it is enshrined in our agenda for the G20 presidency, and in fact Prime Minister Modi's LiFE Initiative adds the dimension of individual responsibility and ownership of our environment, in the synergy with India's declared climate and environmental goals." (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
RRR actor Ram Charan and his wife Upasana Konidela are all set to welcome their first child soon. Recently, speculations had arisen on social media that the couple might be planning to welcome their firstborn in the USA after Charan arrived on the daytime talk show Good Morning America. Ram Charan Gets Candid about Wife Upasana Kamineni Konidelas Pregnancy, RRR Success on Good Morning America (Watch Video).

However, Upasna took to Twitter to clarify that their first baby's delivery will take place in India. Expressing her enthusiasm for this new phase in her life, Upasana shared, "I am thrilled to have our first baby delivered in our home country - India, surrounded by a world-class medical OB/GYN team at The Apollo Hospitals, including Dr Sumana Manohar, Dr Rooma Sinha and now Dr Jennifer Ashton from the Good Morning America Show. This journey holds many exciting experiences for us and we look forward to this new phase in our lives with great anticipation." GMA3: Ram Charan Talks About RRRs International Success, Naatu Naatu Song Earning Oscar Nomination, Wifey Upasana Kamineni Konidelas Pregnancy and More on Good Morning America (Watch Video).

A few weeks before attending the 95th Academy Awards in March, Charan appeared on the daytime talk show Good Morning America, where he talked about RRR's mega success. He also opened up about becoming a father.

When one of the show hosts, medical correspondent Jennifer Ashton, asked Charan, "How much new-dad fear you have?", the star replied, "All these years when we didn't plan (the kids), I'm pretty much available to my wife. But right now I'm just packing and unpacking."

Later on, he had a funny banter with Jennifer who happened to be a gynaecologist as well. "I am glad I met you. I will be taking your number. My wife is going to be in the US for a while," Ram Charan quipped. To this, Jennifer said, "It would be an honour to deliver your baby." Ram Charan and his wife Upasana announced their pregnancy in December 2022. "With the blessings of Shri Hanuman Ji, we are delighted to share that Upasana & Ram Charan are expecting their first child. With love & gratitude Surekha & Chiranjeevi Konideli, Shobana & Anil Kamineni (sic)," the couple announced.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
New Delhi, February 28: Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah will flag off two 'Vijay Sankalp Rath Yatra' and inaugurate various projects in his day-long visit to poll-bound Karnataka on March 3, top sources said on Tuesday.

Shah's visit to Karnataka is crucial as Assembly Elections to the 224 seats in the state are likely to be held in May this year. In the run-up to Karnataka Election 2023, Bharatiya Janata Party will undertake a massive 'Vijay Sankalp Yatra' in Karnataka. The campaign will kickstart on March 1, with party President JP Nadda flagging off the Yatra in Chamarajanagar. Karnataka Assembly Elections 2023: Congress Leader Siddaramaiah to Contest From Kolar Constituency.

During a day-long visit to the poll-bound Karnataka on March 3, Shah will flag off the first 'Vijay Sankalp Rath Yatra' from Anubhava Mantapa in the state's Basavakalyan area in Bidar. Also Read | Karnataka Government Employees Strike: JDS Blames BJP, CM Basavaraj Bommai Says Confident of Resolving Issue.

He will later attend a public meeting in the afternoon at Ther Maidan in Bidar

In the evening, the Home Minister will offer prayers at Chennakesava Mandir at Awathi, Devanahalli area in Bengaluru Rural. Shah will later flag off another 'Vijay Sankalp Rath Yatra' and a public meeting at Govt. College Ground in Devanahalli area in Bengaluru Rural.

Shah will further visit the safe city Command Centre in Bengaluru around 7 pm, and participate in the launch of the Bengaluru safe city project from the Town Hall in the city.

(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 28 (ANI): The Rouse Avenue Court on Tuesday granted regular bail to five accused including two former Excise Department officials in the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) case of the Delhi Government Excise policy case.

The Court earlier had granted them interim bail in the case. All the five accused were not arrested by the investigating agency during the probe.

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The Special Judge MK Nagpal on Tuesday granted regular bail to Sameer Mahendru, Kuldeep Singh, Narender Singh, Arun Ramchandra Pillai, and Mootha Goutam in the Delhi Liquor Excise Policy Case, being investigated by CBI.

Earlier, the Court had granted interim bail to two former Excise Department officials Kuldeep Singh and Narender Singh. The Court had also granted bail to Gautam Mootha and Arun Pillai and Businessman Sameer Mahendru.

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Businessman Sameer Mahendru to remain in Judicial Custody in Excise Policy case being investigated by Enforcement Directorate.

Two other accused Vijay Nair and Abhishek Boinpally were already granted bail earlier by the same court.

However, Vijay Nair and Abhishek Boinpally were remained in Judicial custody as they were also arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) Excise Money Laundering case and their Bail petition is pending before the trial court.

In the same case, CBI has also arrested Delhi's Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Sunday and the court sent him on remand till March 4, 2023. CBI counsel told the court that the Delhi Deputy CM's custodial interrogation was required for an effective investigation into the case.

The CBI has recently filed chargesheet against 7 accused persons and out of these 7 only the accused Vijay Nair and Abhishek Bonipally are found to have been arrested. Bail granted to both of them is under challenge before High Court. Chargesheet qua five other accused is filed without arrest, noted the court.

Recently, CBI challenged the trial court order granting bail to Vijay Nair and Abhishek Boinpally in Delhi High Court.

CBI's Petition stated that the trial court Judge has not only granted the concession of bail to the respondent accused in an extremely serious and wide-ranging economic offence but this discretion has been exercised at a very crucial stage of the investigation.

Investigation Agency submits that of the seven tests prescribed by the Supreme Court to test any discretionary order dealing with bail has not been complied with in the present case. It is also submitted that the present case is a case of a conspiracy sought to be carried out in an extremely convoluted manner with a clear purpose of making an attempt that the investigation if any, does not reach the real culprits.

According to the CBI, it commenced an investigation and unearthed the conspiracy led by the present applicant who was collecting money from private liquor wholesalers in lieu of getting favourable changes made in the Excise Policy of 2021.

The Rouse Avenue Court on February 16, 2023, had rejected the bail petitions of five accused who were arrested in the money laundering probe emerging out of the Delhi government's now scrapped excise policy.

While rejecting the bail plea, the court noted that none of the accused deserves to be released on bail in this case at this stage of proceedings as the allegations made against them are quite serious.

The Special Judge MK Nagpal while rejecting the bail plea of Vijay Nair, Abhishek Bonipally, Sameer Mahendru, Sarath P Reddy and Binoy Babu observed that the accused persons do not even satisfy the triple test as laid down in the case of P Chidambaram vs Directorate of Enforcement being relied upon by Defence Counsels.

The FIR in the case was instituted on a reference from the Union Home Ministry following a recommendation from Delhi Lieutenant-Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
New Delhi [India], February 28 (ANI): The Delhi High Court on Tuesday asked the counsel for the residents of the Goshiya colony slum in Mehrauli to provide a list of identity documents of 467 residents. The matter has been listed on March 14 for further hearing. The petitioner is before the court challenging the demolition of the colony by the DDA.

Justice Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora asked advocate Anupradha Singh to serve a list of the identity documents to the counsel of the DDA and DUSIB by Wednesday. The bench has also asked her to file a rejoinder to the affidavits filed by the DDA and DUSIB.

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Advocate Anupradha sought time to file a rejoinder to the affidavits. The court has granted one week's time to her.

The DDA in its affidavit has stated that the land in question falls in Mehrauli Archaeological Park which forms part of the Southern Central Ridge where a large number of historical world-famous monuments exist which are protected/unprotected and maintained by the Archeological Survey of India (ASI).

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It is stated in the affidavit As per the land record maintained by the DDA, it is submitted that the land subject matter of the present petition false in khasra number 216 and 217 villages Ladha Sarai Mehrauli New Delhi it is also submitted that Khasra Number 217 is an acquired land.

It is also submitted that this land has been earmarked as green in the master plan of Delhi since the beginning and is to be developed and maintained as green and to be conserved under the Mehrauli Heritage Zone.

It is further submitted that the area is notified as reserved for rest through a notification issued under the Indian forest act 1927 being situated at the Western side of the road going to Andheria more from Qutub.

On February 17, the court asked the DDA and DUSIB to file their affidavit on the plea of residents of the Goshiya slum colony in Mehrauli which they have filed.

The bench had asked the standing counsel for DDA to file an affidavit along with documents and Google images.

The high court had asked the counsel for DUSIB to mention the grounds for adding the petitioner colony to the list of notified JJ clusters and its deletion later on.

The plea has been filed by the Goshiya colony sewa samiti and others through advocate Anupradha Singh.

The petitioners have challenged the December 12, 2022 demolition notice served to the residents of Goshiya Slum Colony.

The Gosiya Slum Colony has been in existence for more than 50 years and consists of more than 700 houses, with about 4,000 population, the petition stated.

It is stated that this colony is situated in Khasra nos.217, 216 269, 368/220, 869 and 870. As per the notice of demolition, only khasra nos. 216 and 217 are part of Mehrauli Archaeological Park, however, DDA purports to carry out the demolition drive of the entire Goshiya Colony.

It has been argued that almost all the residents of the slum colony have documents prior to 2015 as required by DUSIB for rehabilitation under the Delhi Slum & JJ Rehabilitation and Relocation Policy, 2015 and the colony also finds mention at serial no.18 of Additional DUSIB List.

Therefore, the eviction notice served to the petitioner's members is entirely illegal, the petitioner contended.

It is stated that a demolition drive cannot be carried out without following the protocol for removal of jhuggis as per the order of this high Court in the Ajay Maken & Ors v. Union of India case.

It is also stated that the protocol makes it clear that before conducting any demolition drive, the land-owning agency has to send a request to DUSIB, which will examine whether the Basti is eligible for rehabilitation as per the cut-off.

Only when DUSIB has ascertained that the basti is not eligible for rehabilitation, the land-owning agency can initiate proceedings for demolition as per law, the petition stated. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
New Delhi, Feb 28 (PTI) The police have registered a case after a Myanmarese woman alleged that she was abducted and sexually assaulted by four men, including an auto driver, officials said on Tuesday.

In her complaint, the woman alleged that she and her husband had come to southeast Delhi to get her daughter treated

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An auto driver allegedly abducted her from the Kalindi Kunj area and took her to an isolated location where she was sexually assaulted, police said, adding that a case under sections of gang rape has been registered against unknown persons.

The Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) on Tuesday issued a notice to the city police over the incident.

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In the notice, which was issued to DCP southeast district, the DCW has a sought copy of the FIR registered, steps taken by the Delhi Police to arrest the accused and detailed action taken report.

It has asked the police to provide the information latest by March 3.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Guwahati, Feb 28 (PTI) Asserting there will be no hung assembly in either Tripura, Nagaland or Meghalaya, as predicted in some exit polls, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday claimed the NDA will form governments with absolute majority in all three northeastern states.

Sarma, the NEDA convenor, said no NDA (National Democratic Alliance) partner will enter into any alliance with either Congress or the Trinamool Congress after the results are declared on Thursday.

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"There will be no hung assembly. The NDA will form governments in all the three states," he said at a press conference here.

Several exit polls have predicted hung assemblies in Tripura and Meghalaya although the NDA will be the largest block.

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Only in Nagaland, psephology surveys have predicted the return of the NDA to power with an absolute majority.

When asked about candidates for the chief minister's post in the three states, Sarma said there will be a status quo in Tripura and Nagaland, scotching rumours that Tripura may see a yet another change of guard.

"Tripura will have a BJP CM, while we are in a coalition government in Nagaland," said the convenor of the North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA), the regional wing of NDA.

In Meghalaya, the chief minister will be decided after considering the number of seats won by the BJP, he added.

The BJP did not enter into pre-poll alliance with any party in the state, though it had an understanding with NPP, which polsters tip to be the largest single party, earlier.

"However, there will be no alliance with the TMC and Congress in any state," Sarma asserted.

Currently, Tripura has a BJP chief minister, while the governments in Nagaland and Meghalaya are led by the Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) and the National People's Party (NPP) respectively.

Elections were held in Tripura on February 16, and in Nagaland and Meghalaya on February 27. Results will be declared on March 2.

(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 28 (ANI): Amid the row over the budget session of Punjab Assembly between the Governor and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government, Additional Solicitor General SP Jain on Tuesday said Chief Minister is duty-bound to furnish details to the Governor as sought.

"For the last few days, the Punjab government was refusing to furnish the information sought by Punjab Governor. In a letter to Governor, Chief Minister had stated that the state government is answerable to the electorate, not a selected few," Jain said.

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In reference to Supreme Court, the Additional Solicitor General said the top court has clearly said that under Article 167 of the Constitution, a state government is constitutionally bound to furnish info sought by Governor.

SC also said that all constitutional bodies should maintain the dignity of the language used, Jain noted.

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"SC also said that the Governor was duty-bound to summon the Budget Session of the assembly once the state cabinet recommended for it. So before the SC judgement was delivered today, Punjab Governor had ordered Punjab Assembly to convene from March 3," added the Additional Solicitor General.

The Supreme Court on Tuesday noted that Punjab Governor has issued a direction summoning the House for the budget session on March 3. However, the top court made it clear that Governor cannot delay the Assembly session and Chief Minister is duty-bound to furnish details to the governor as sought.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta informed the SC that Governor has now issued an order summoning the House in Punjab for the budget session on March 3.

With the issuance of the Punjab Governor's order to call the House in Punjab for the budget session, reliefs sought by the petitioner Punjab Government have been fulfilled, the court noted.However, a bench led by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud and Justice PS Narasimha has taken note of the situation arising in Punjab and made various remarks.

The court, which take objection to the Chief Minister's comments and called it inappropriate, also made it clear that Governor could not seek legal advice on whether to convene the Budget Session, as he was bound by the aid and advice of the Council of Ministers.

The court also made it clear that Chief Minister has a duty to communicate with the governor and to furnish information concerning the administration of the state sought by the governor and similarly governor is duty-bound to accept the cabinet decision on calling budget sessions.

The court noted that in the present matter, the governor was advised by the council of ministers to convene a budget session at the behest of an elected government, and the governor was bound by the aid and advice of the council of ministers.

Punjab Governor has not called the sessions and said that he needs to get legal advice over a "derogatory letter" addressed to him by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann.

The court remarked that political differences in a democratic polity are acceptable, and have to be worked out with a sense of propriety and maturity without having to race to the bottom. Unless these features are adhered to, constitutional principles will be put to jeopardy, the court opined.

The court said that there should be constitutional discourse and no one shall make statements like who are you?The Punjab Government has approached the Supreme Court seeking to call the budget session scheduled in the State legislature. (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 28 (ANI): Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde's faction on Tuesday claimed their right to the Shiv Sena party and said that a legislature party is integral and organically connected to the political party.

Senior Advocate NK Kaul, appearing for Shinde faction, told a five-judge constitution bench that rival leaders had no faith in then ministry any longer.

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Five-judge Constitution bench of Chief Justice DY Chandrachud, Justices MR Shah, Krishna Murari, Hima Kohli and PS Narasimha was dealing with the issue related to Maharashtra political crisis.

Justice Narasimha, who was part of the bench asked the Shinde camp to show that they have a political majority and not a legislative majority.

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Senior Advocate NK Kaul, replied to the court that he would address this issue on Wednesday.

The court also asked several questions to the Shinde camp on various issues, legal aspects on various judgements and sought to know how to separate defection and floor test.

CJI Chandrachud also remarked that if the antecedent reason for a floor test is based on a violation of the tenth schedule, then holding a floor test at that stage will defeat the whole basis and purpose of the tenth schedule. The court also sought to know if they are legitimizing a defection which is otherwise not permissible under the tenth schedule.

Advocate replied that their case is not a case of split under the tenth schedule, they are talking about a rival faction within a party which is dissent and the essence of democracy within a party and they claim that their camp is the Shiv Sena.

During the hearing, the court noted that the problem which necessitated the floor test is an alleged defection and said the problem arises because the trust vote is so intrinsically connected with the disqualification proceedings.

Senior Advocate Kaul said that this is a case of internal dissent and the Shinde group is the faction that represents Shiv Sena, which can be decided by the Election Commission of India. As far as floor test is concerned, it is only related to the issue of whether the Chief Minister has the confidence, Kaul said.

The court also noted that the head of the political party did not inform the Governor that they were withdrawing from the alliance of Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA).

Kaul replied that 34 out of 55 have written to the Governor saying they had no faith in this government.

As the hearing remained inconclusive on Tuesday, the matter was adjourned for Wednesday.

Uddhav Thackeray faction had earlier submitted that the opposite camp has no defence under the tenth schedule.

A five-judge Constitution bench was hearing a batch of petitions filed by rival factions Uddhav Thackeray and Chief Minister Eknath Shinde in relation to the Maharashtra political crisis.

The Supreme Court's Constitution bench has earlier said it would decide later on referring the cases related to the Maharashtra political crisis to a larger seven-judge bench for reconsideration of a 2016 Nabam Rebia judgment on powers of Assembly Speakers to deal with disqualification pleas. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
New Delhi, Feb 28 (PTI) Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen on Tuesday said his country recognises India's growing international importance, particularly for meeting global climate and sustainability goals.

He said Danish businesses are excited to explore commercial opportunities and provide solutions to support India's green transition.

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Danish Crown Prince Frederik Andre Henrik Christian, who is currently on a visit here, said he was pleased that India and Denmark have joined forces through the green strategic partnership.

"We can support a global effort to a greener and more sustainable future. The green strategic partnership is mutually beneficial and a testament of what can be achieved when working together," the Crown Prince said.

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Addressing a meeting organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry, he said, Danish companies can provide the solutions needed to fuel India's efforts to reach its climate goals particularly within key areas like energy and water.

Assuring that the Danish government is fully committed to its partnership with India, Foreign Minister Rasmussen said: "We recognise India's growing international importance. We recognise the importance of India for achieving the world's international climate and sustainability goals.

"We recognise the needs of the people of India and it is our ambition that Danish skills and green technologies will support those needs".

He highlighted that Denmark stands ready to assist India's further development and green transition to the benefit of its people and the economy.

"We provide investment and financing for climate and climate adaptation and our businesses are excited to be here and explore commercial opportunities and provide green solutions," Rasmussen said.

Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav said the India-Denmark bilateral cooperation is focused on providing green and sustainable development.

"India and Denmark have set very ambitious national targets on climate and energy that will contribute to an ambitious implementation of the Paris agreement.

"Together the two countries can show the world that the delivering of ambitious climate and sustainable energy goals is possible," Yadav added.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Berlin, Feb 28 (AP) Germany's foreign minister voiced concern about the Israeli government's plans to overhaul the country's legal system during a visit on Tuesday by her Israeli counterpart, and said that introducing the death penalty for Palestinians convicted in deadly attacks would be "a big mistake".

Israel has seen large and regular protests in recent weeks against the judicial overhaul proposed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's new coalition government, which includes a bill that would enable lawmakers to overturn a Supreme Court decision with a simple majority.

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The plans are moving steadily ahead despite calls for dialogue and consensus from American Jews and Israel's president.

Protesters argue that the proposed changes threaten Israel's democratic values and would concentrate power with the ruling coalition in parliament. Netanyahu and his ruling coalition believe the court has had unchecked power for years.

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German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said at a news conference in Berlin with Israeli counterpart Eli Cohen that we abroad are concerned about some Israeli legislative plans.

The values that bind us together include the protection of principles of the rule of law such as judicial independence, she added. This was always a hallmark of Israel.

Cohen said that Israel is a vibrant democracy and declared that in the end of the day, our judicial reform will strengthen the Israeli democracy.

Baerbock signaled particular concern over the bill to impose the death penalty on Palestinians convicted in fatal attacks.

That measure has been given initial approval by an Israeli ministerial committee and sent to lawmakers for further debate.

She noted that Germany opposes the death penalty everywhere and argued that it has proven ineffective as a deterrent.

The minister added that Germans are taught in school that Israel has only carried out the death penalty in one case  that of Adolf Eichmann, who played a major role in the Holocaust, in the early 1960s  despite facing a bigger terror threat than any other country.

This was always an impressive argument for those of us who have defended Israel against unfair criticism on the international stage, Baerbock said. So, as a friend, I am convinced it would be a big mistake to break with this history.

Germany is a close ally of Israel in Europe and has traditionally refrained from strong public criticism of its government. (AP)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Grocery store in rural China now community e-commerce hub

Xinhua) 16:37, February 28, 2023

CHANGSHA, Feb. 28 (Xinhua) -- The van came to a halt in front of a grocery shop at the village's entrance. Zeng Mei'e, the store's 54-year-old owner, came out to assist with the unloading of fresh fish, prawns, exotic fruits, and other items villagers had ordered online the day before.

Zeng double-checked each piece of information, disinfected each package, and then organized everything for delivery.

After 12 years in business, this shop in Datang Village of Loudi City in central China's Hunan Province, has become more than just a grocery store for the locals. It has become an "omnipotent house" where residents can do anything from getting a haircut to paying their electricity bills.

As a result, a common saying has become popular among locals: "If you need anything, call Zeng!"

Zeng's grocery store has adopted the e-commerce business model popular in modern cities and is now the village's "new retail" center.

The majority of young people leave the village to find jobs elsewhere, leaving behind an increasing number of senior villagers. According to Zeng, some of the away-from-home youths enjoy buying items online for their parents.

Over a year ago, Zeng began to use the supermarket as a community e-commerce pick-up station for an online business, simplifying life for everyone.

"With the addition of the pick-up location, the grocery store has become a popular 'online supermarket' among the locals. Some things that cannot be purchased in the village or county can now be delivered the following day after an online order has been placed," Zeng said.

"Prior to this, the villagers purchased what the grocery store sold. Now, the grocery store stocks what the villagers order online," she added.

Zeng also revealed that villagers can now purchase fresh ingredients right on their doorsteps. Even once-rare commodities, such as crabs, oysters, and durian, are gradually becoming more ubiquitous.

Some of the village's elderly people are unable to move freely, so Zeng assists with home delivery. Gradually, word spread that there was an "online supermarket" in Datang Village, and villagers from neighboring areas now seek Zeng's advice on how to place orders.

"I hope the elderly in the countryside can also enjoy the conveniences brought about by the Internet," said Zeng.

Over the past two years, the rapid rise of community e-commerce across the nation has not only satisfied the basic necessities of the populace, but also stimulated local consumption while fueling employment and income growth.

"While bringing conveniences to fellow villagers, I myself also benefit from the Internet, like getting more income."

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
New Delhi [India], February 28 (ANI): External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met his Brazilian counterpart Mauro Vieira on Tuesday and discussed issues coming up at the G20 Foreign Ministers meeting.

"Delighted to host FM Mauro Vieira of Brazil this evening. As G20 Troika members, discussed the issues coming up at the Foreign Ministers' Meeting. Took note of the momentum in our bilateral relations, especially in the economic and energy domains," Jaishankar said in a tweet.

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"Agreed to strengthen our multilateral cooperation, including in the UN, BRICS and IBSA," he added.

Earlier today, Jaishankar met Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and Appreciated his warm words for Operation Dost and all personnel involved. "Discussed the G20 agenda, the Ukraine conflict and our bilateral cooperation," Jaishankar said in a tweet.

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He also met his Mauritius counterpart Alan Ganoo and tweeted, "Started my meetings on #G20FMM sidelines with FM Alan Ganoo of Mauritius. Value Mauritius' participation in G20. Reiterated our commitment to Neighborhood First, SAGAR&Forward Africa policies. Discussed our robust development partnership & our strong multilateral cooperation."

Denmark's Foreign Minister also came to India and met S Jaishankar. Taking to Twitter, Jaishankar said that they discussed the bilateral partnership that is growing from strength to strength. Also exchanged views on the state of the world. It calls for intensifying cooperation.

"Welcomed Foreign Minister @JanLipavskyof the Czech Republic today evening in New Delhi. Our long-standing bilateral ties are expanding with regular contacts. Discussed opportunities in business, defence; space; education; S&T and innovation domains," Jaishankar tweeted after meeting Czech Republic Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky.

"Noted the advancing India-EU collaboration & convergence on the reliability of supply chains and digital trust & transparency. Agreed to continue our strong cooperation in multilateral forums. Exchanged views on developments in Europe and the Indo-Pacific, as well as global issues," he added.

These all Foreign Ministers arrived in India to participate in G20 Foreign Ministers' Meet, which is scheduled to take place on March 1-2.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to address the foreign ministers of the member countries of G20 and he will talk about India's growing influence globally.

The March 1-2 meeting of the G20 foreign ministers will be held days after a meeting of finance chiefs of the bloc in Bengaluru.

The New Delhi meeting will be attended by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly. In all, representatives of 40 countries, including non-G20 members invited by India, and multilateral organisations will attend. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Washington, Feb 28 (PTI) The banning of caste discrimination by Seattle city despite tough resistance from several people is an "extraordinarily historic victory" of the oppressed caste across the world, Kshama Sawant, the Indian-American political leader behind the legislative move, has said, alleging that the practice is prevalent in some of the major tech giants.

Last week, Seattle became the first US city to outlaw caste discrimination after its local council passed a resolution moved by Sawant to add caste to its non-discrimination policy.

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The resolution was approved by the Seattle City Council by six to one vote.

The 49-year-old politician and economist said she was able to achieve this historic feat despite a tough opposition mounted by a group of Indian-Americans, whom she described as "right-wing Hindus", resistance from the tech companies and almost no cooperation from the Democrats.

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"The ordinance that we won this past Tuesday is an extraordinarily historic victory for oppressed caste people not only in Seattle but also in the United States and in India and the rest of the world. Because this ordinance is the first-ever ban on caste discrimination," Sawant told PTI in an interview.

Sawant, an upper-caste Hindu from Pune, migrated to the United States in the late 1990s.

Seattle is not only the first American city to do so, but is the first jurisdiction of any level globally outside South Asia to ban caste discrimination.

"So this is an absolutely earth-shattering victory because this is the first time outside South Asia that the law has decided that caste discrimination is not going to be invisible eyes, but instead it's going to be codified in the law that it is illegal," she said.

The principal mechanism with which the new law works is that it gives the right to any caste-oppressed worker who is facing discrimination at the workplace to sue the corporation.

"Obviously victories in the courts are not going to be automatic because the judicial system under capitalism is not on the side of workers and the oppressed," she said, adding that winning such victories in the court will itself be a fight for the working people.

Sawant said she had to face tough resistance from the "Hindu right-wing" and also an "entrenched Democratic establishment which did not want this ordinance to pass. Many Indian-Americans have opposed the move, fearing that codifying caste in public policy will further fuel instances of Hinduphobia in the US.

"We had to build a powerful rank-and-file United movement that was able to overcome these forces of opposition," she said.

Sawant said the only reason she was able to do that was because of her socialist, or Marxist City Council Office, her organisation Socialist Alternative and many Dalit-oppressed caste-led organisations.

Incidents of caste-based discrimination have increased rapidly, she said in response to a question.

This form of discrimination, she said, is being under-reported in the country in general and her city of Seattle in particular because there are many oppressed-caste workers who are "justifiably" afraid of reprisals if they come out and openly speak about the discrimination that they're facing in the workplace.

"In addition to the statistical evidence, we've also seen hundreds of workers throughout the US and also hundreds of workers in Seattle. In the process of fighting this legislation, we have heard hundreds of courageous, oppressed-caste workers speak openly about the discrimination that they face," she said.

"We are primarily talking about the workplace, but I don't believe that it's only limited to the workplace. But that's where you have most of the data and testimonials from hundreds of workers especially in the tech sector and Seattle being one of the tech hubs it's not surprising that we have seen many cases of oppressed workers speaking up about the discrimination that they're facing, she said.

This discrimination, she noted, comes all the way from being denied raises or promotions, or having bad appraisals or peer reviews, just because of being from an oppressed cast, not because of their workplace-based performance; to a daily dose of derogatory remarks, slurs are other ways of being targeted because of being from a lower caste.

"As far as the tech sector is concerned, I can also share that it really runs the spectrum, all the way from IBM to Google, Amazon, Cisco and Microsoft," she said. Sawant hoped that this "extraordinarily historic victory" will help build courage and also solidarity among the oppressed-caste workers for them to be able to speak more openly.

"I would imagine that if there is more momentum around this issue if you're able to win more big trees on this issue, we will probably see more and more evidence of this type of thing happening in other spheres as well, whether it's education or more in social settings," she said.

The victory in the Seattle City Council, she said, has electrified the vast majority of workers and oppressed caste. She noted that she and her team are receiving a large number of emails from India, the US and other parts of the world in support of the ordinance.

The best way to protect the victory in Seattle is to also win it in other cities, he asserted.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Lhasa [Tibet], February 28, (ANI): Thousands of Tibetans from all across Europe will converge in Rome to commemorate the 64th anniversary of the Tibetan National Rebellion against Chinese colonial rule over Tibet, Daily Mirror reported.

The Office of Tibet, which has jurisdiction over the host nation, works with the Tibetan Community of the host city as the main organiser of the biennial general meetings of the coalition of 15 Tibetan Communities/Associations in Europe, which represent Tibetans living in Europe.

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Rome was once again chosen as the location for the massive rally in March 2023 at the group's final meeting, which was held in Milan in early October 2022.

Determining the location for an annual mass Tibetan National Uprising rally in Europe is one of the major topics of discussion at these biennial meetings.

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A report in Daily Mirror read that the Tibetan Uprising Rally will witness a gathering of 60,000 Tibetans this year. Inside Chinese-occupied Tibet, there is no room for any dissent.

The mass uprising rally is being sponsored by Associazione Italia-Tibet, gstf sast, and International Campaign for Tibet. It is being organised by the Tibetan Community in Italy in collaboration with other Tibetan Communities in Europe. Several persecuted ethnic groups, including Uyghur Muslimes, Hongkongers, Southern Mongolians, and Taiwanese in Italy, will take part in the demonstration in support of the Tibetans.

Tibetans in Europe want to remind the world community that the Tibet subject is still open by holding this massive rally in Rome. They are looking for a solution to the protracted Sino-Tibetan war. For far too long, the world has ignored the situation. The world needs to take action on Tibet now. Tibetans encourage Europe to support Tibet and say that Europe can set an example, Daily Mirror reported.

China's illegal invasion of Tibet and Dalai Lama's banishing

Tibet has been colonially occupied by the Chinese Communist government since 1950, and this invasion is still going strong today. His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama made great efforts for eight years to cooperate with the Communist Chinese authorities based on the Chinese commitments in the Agreement after the representatives of Tibet's government sent to Beijing for negotiations in 1951 were coerced by the Communist regime to sign the now-infamous 17 Point Agreement for the Peaceful Liberation of Tibet under the threat of a full-scale invasion of central Tibet.

Working arrangements with the invading rulers, however, became impossible once the regime broke their commitments made in the Accord and threatened the traditional way of life of the Tibetan people. Tibetans believed the Chinese army was planning to kidnap their revered leader when a Communist army general stationed in Lhasa invited his Holiness the Dalai Lama to a Chinese musical performance at their army barracks and instructed him to arrive there without his usual contingent of Tibetan bodyguards. For days, tens of thousands of Tibetans surrounded Norbulingka, the Dalai Lama's vacations home, serving as a human wall to prevent the Chinese from capturing their spiritual leader and foiling the cunning plan of the Chinese army commander to transfer His Holiness to the Chinese army camp.

Tibetans unitedly protested the Chinese colonial occupation at this time, demanding an end to Chinese autocracy and chanting "Leave Tibet" as a message that they had had enough of China's illegitimate control.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama had to make the hardest decision of his life to flee from Lhasa so those Tibetans gathering outside his residence may disperse and be protected from the Chinese shelling after the Chinese army began to shell the region to scatter those gathered.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama was forced into exile to India, where he currently resides, following the savage Chinese army crackdown on the large-scale uprisings in Lhasa, which resulted in the deaths of tens of thousands of Tibetans and cemented their authority over Tibet. On March 31, 1959, he was a young man 25 years old and fled to India as a political exile. He is now 87 years old. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Brasilia, Feb 28 (AP) The US special climate envoy John Kerry was holding his second day of meetings on Tuesday with Brazilian government officials, executives and lawmakers to discuss details of planned environmental actions.

After travelling to capital Brasilia, Kerry met Monday with Brazil's Vice-President Geraldo Alckmin, Environment Minister Marina Silva and the head of the country's development bank, which administers the nation's Amazon Fund.

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The fund is an international effort to preserve the rainforest, channelling donations to prevent, monitor and combat deforestation while promoting sustainability.

Speaking to reporters after their meeting, both Silva and Alckmin said the US government still needs to negotiate with Congress before it can earmark specific amounts for environmental funding.

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Kerry hasn't defined any amount, but said he will engage with the American government, Congress and private companies so we have resources not only for the Amazon Fund, but also other initiatives, Alckmin said.

Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva was in Washington earlier this month with his US counterpart Joe Biden.

A joint statement issued by both countries said that the US intends to form part of the Amazon Fund, which is majority financed by Norway and also receives support from Germany.

Kerry was scheduled to meet with Silva again on Tuesday, as well as Sonia Guajajara, the Indigenous Peoples Minister.

Guajajara just returned from the remote corner of the Amazon rainforest where British journalist Dom Phillips and Indigenous expert Bruno Pereira were murdered last year, and where on Monday she announced the government was reinforcing its presence. (AP)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Beijing, February 28: Chinese leader Xi Jinping's top-down attempt to revive the nation's struggling economy hasn't taken into account the destruction caused by his zero-COVID policy, Radio Free Asia reported.

In response to the rolling lockdowns, travel restrictions, mass testing, and quarantining of his zero-COVID policy, which ended in December, the ruling Chinese Communist Party general secretary calls for measures to "expand domestic demand," according to an article published in full on Thursday in the ideological journal of his party. China: Xi Jinping Makes First Public Appearance After House Arrest and Military Coup Rumours, Visits Exhibition in Beijing.

Citing Beijing's effective responses to the Asian financial crisis of 1998 and the global financial crisis of 2008--following which the government funded massive infrastructure projects, including hydropower, motorways, and high-speed rail links to boost domestic demand--Xi wrote that "insufficient aggregate demand is a prominent contradiction currently facing the economy." US President Joe Biden Says He Told Chinese President Xi Jinping It is Never A Good Bet to Bet Against Americans.

But, it seems like Xi is more interested in consumer behaviour, referring to it as "the basic factor driving economic growth."

According to Radio Free Asia, the article, penned by Xi Jinping, suggested loosening consumer credit to encourage consumer spending, saying that it was necessary to increase the income of urban and rural residents "through multiple channels, especially the consumption capacity of low- and middle-income residents who have a high propensity to consume but who have been greatly affected by the pandemic."

He claimed that to boost private investment, establish "modern infrastructure" in metropolitan areas, and remove obstacles that prohibit private investors from funding infrastructure projects, the government would still need to implement its own initiatives.

But, Xi also urged for tighter oversight of local government debt, saying that mergers and such oversight may "defuse danger" in that area. In an article based on quotes from his speech at the Central Economic Work Conference on December 15, 2022, Xi emphasised the need for people to "exercise their domestic [economic] power and stand firm."

Professor of finance at Taiwan's Yunlin University of Science and Technology, Cheng Ping Cheng, claimed that zero-COVID had scared away international investors as well as discouraged individuals from going out and making purchases.

Focusing on the Domestic Economy

Xi's insistence on depending solely on the domestic economy and abandoning the export-led institutions of the previous four decades made the situation even worse.

By establishing Communist Party branches in those businesses, they meddled with the ownership structures of [private tech titans] Alibaba and Tencent, according to Cheng.

He claimed that some time ago, while Guizhou province was under lockdown, a number of officials were moved in to take control of private businesses, greatly harming those businesses.

Private businesses hold the key to domestic demand, but the Chinese government continues to place a premium on state-owned businesses, according to Cheng.

Since Deng Xiaoping's economic reforms opened up in China in the 1980s, Cheng claimed that the Shanghai lockdown in the spring of last year has alarmed international investors more than anything else. They discovered that the Chinese government may take such action for the sake of maintaining internal stability, he said.

The Chinese Communist Party has come under fire most for emphasising the development of the state sector at the expense of the private sector, according to Cheng. An enormous shift to the left has occurred.

Jinping's Ambitions for Military

Cheng said that if Xi maintained his current level of military ambition, mainly if he chose to follow out his threat to invade democratic Taiwan, it would be considerably harder to stimulate the economy, a report in Radio Free Asia read.

He said that some foreign businesses have relocated to Vietnam or India because of the increased likelihood of armed war in the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea.

If [Beijing's] military expansionist objectives aren't curbed, Cheng said, "The international backlash will intensify, making it even more difficult to achieve economic reforms in China."

He claimed that the country's current economic strategy looks to be solely Xi's doing, with more fiscally responsible authorities like vice president Wang Qishan and premier Li Keqiang now being excluded from the decision-making process, Radio Free Asia reported.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Amaravati, Feb 28: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy on Monday said preparations for the forthcoming Global Investors' Summit (GIS) are in full swing. Scheduled to be held on March 3 and 4 in port city Visakhapatnam, the state government is leaving no stone unturned to make it a success, as it is pinning hopes on the event to garner investments.

"Preparations are in full swing in Visakhapatnam for the AP Gobal Investors' Summit... I welcome everyone to come and experience the beauty and vibrancy of our Andhra Pradesh," tweeted Reddy. In the run-up to the summit, the southern state has showcased its strengths in a string of metropolises through roadshows, including the Chief Minister himself flying out to Delhi vouching for the state to investors and diplomats recently. AP Global Investors Summit 2023: 9 Reasons Why Andhra Pradesh Is Attractive Investment Destination.

Preparations in Full Swing for Global Investors Summit in Visakhapatnam:

Preparations are in full swing in Visakhapatnam for the AP Global Investors Summit to be held on the 3rd and 4th of March. I welcome everyone to come and experience the beauty and vibrancy of our Andhra Pradesh! I look forward to seeing you soon! #APGIS2023 pic.twitter.com/ZP1zTy3PXV  YS Jagan Mohan Reddy (@ysjagan) February 27, 2023

Earlier, Industries Minister Gudivada Amarnath shared a short video of the preparations underway for the summit in Visakhapatnam, the state's largest city with a port. Meanwhile, the state government issued a release on Monday describing the advantages it can accord to investors in the mining industry.

"Andhra Pradesh is a treasure trove of more than 48 minerals, including bauxite, manganese, graphite, lead-zinc, heavy mineral beach sands, iron ore, limestone, high quality quartz, quartzite and silica sand among others," said the release. AP Global Investors Summit 2023: Andhra Pradesh Has 48,000 Acres on Offer for Industries, Says Minister Gudivada Amarnath Ahead of GIS.

Further, it noted that the state is number one in barytes production, accounting for 92 per cent of barytes reserves in India. Similarly, it highlighted the aerospace and defence sector in the state, detailing the favourable policies and robust infrastructure. "The state boasts of significant establishments, including DRDO, Bharat Electronics Ltd, Bharat Dynamics Ltd, and the National Atomic Research Laboratory (NARL)," it said.

According to the release, BEL is setting up a Defence Systems Integration Complex for Weapons and Radars in Anantapur district and a new generation electro-optics and advanced night vision cameras unit in Krishna district.

Likewise, it noted that an air cargo complex near Visakhapatnam is in the pipeline, envisaged to give a shot in the arm of AP's logistics infrastructure. "Andhra Pradesh is the fastest growing state in the country with an 11.43 per cent growth rate, which is the highest in the country so far. Consistently for three years, Andhra Pradesh is ranked No. 1 in ease of doing business," Reddy added.
Chandigarh, February 28: Punjab government has flagged off 11 "awareness vans" to spread awareness about HIV-AIDS and provide adequate treatment to infected people, an official statement said.

The month-long long public awareness campaign is a joint initiative of the Punjab State AIDS Control Society and Health and Family Welfare Department. Centre Agrees to Waive RSR Mode Condition for Coal Supply to Punjab: CM Mann.

These IEC (Information, Education and Communication) awareness vans, which were flagged off by Health Minister Dr Balbir Singh from Mohali on Monday, are equipped with LEDs to exhibit audio-visual awareness films, while printed material will also be distributed among people.

Lab technicians and counsellors have been specially assigned with these vans, who will conduct free HIV/AIDS tests of people at their doorstep, the minister said. Singh said the vans will visit different villages of all the districts in Punjab to sensitise people about the disease. Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann Warns Protesters Against Misuse of Guru Granth Sahib As Shield During Protests.

Each van will cover four to five villages daily and overall, 1,650 villages will be covered in a month, said the statement. The minister said, theatre artists will also perform street shows at villages to create awareness about HIV/AIDS.
SS Rajamouli's RRR stole the limelight at Hollywood Critics Association Awards by winning in four categories. The entire team - Rajamouli, Ram Charan, MM Keeravani attended HCA Awards, however, Jr NTR's absence led to many questions among his fans. Now, Hollywood Critics Association issued a note online and clarified that they did invite Jr NTR for HCA but he couldn't make it due to professional reasons. Hollywood Critics Association Awards 2022: SS Rajamoulis RRR Competes Against Tom Cruises Top Gun Maverick, Austin Butlers Elvis For Best Picture - See Full Nominees For HCA Mid-Season Awards.

HCA Issues Clarification:

Dear RRR fans & supporters, We did invite N. T. Rama Rao Jr. to attend the #HCAFilmAwards but he is shooting a new film in India. He will be receiving his awards from us shortly. Thank you for all your love and support. Sincerely, The Hollywood Critics Association  Hollywood Critics Association (@HCAcritics) February 27, 2023

(SocialLY brings you all the latest breaking news, viral trends and information from social media world, including Twitter, Instagram and Youtube. The above post is embeded directly from the user's social media account and LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body. The views and facts appearing in the social media post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY, also LatestLY does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same.)
An auto driver allegedly abducted a Myanmar refugee woman in Delhi's Kalindi Kunj area. She alleges that she was made unconscious and was gang-raped by four men. She is registered as a refugee in India. Further investigation is underway. Delhi Shocker: Indian Railways' Junior Engineer Arrested for Raping Woman He Met Through Matrimonial Website on Pretext of Marriage.

Myanmarese Refugee Gang-raped by Auto Driver in Delhi

A woman of Myanmarese nationality allegedly gangraped by four people after she was made unconscious & abducted by an auto-driver in Kalindi Kunj area. The woman is a registered refugee. Case registered by Police following her complaint. Investigation is underway: Delhi Police  ANI (@ANI) February 28, 2023

(SocialLY brings you all the latest breaking news, viral trends and information from social media world, including Twitter, Instagram and Youtube. The above post is embeded directly from the user's social media account and LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body. The views and facts appearing in the social media post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY, also LatestLY does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same.)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and many senior leaders including Naveen Patnaik and Dr Mansukh Mandaviya extended greetings to all the "science lovers" on the occasion of National Science Day on Tuesday. On this day, Sir CV Raman had announced the discovery of the "Raman Effect" for which he was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1930. National Science Day 2023: 7 Interesting Facts About Indian Physicist CV Raman, The Man Behind Raman Effect.

National Science Day 2023: Greetings

On National Science Day, my greetings to all scientists and innovators. India is making innumerable strides in the world of science and nurturing an eco-system for research and innovation. pic.twitter.com/J37WJC3OiB  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) February 28, 2023

Greetings to all scientists & future scientists on #NationalScienceDay This day is observed to mark discovery of the Raman Effect by legendary physicist Sir #CVRaman - this won him the #NobelPrize pic.twitter.com/wTlwk5qiRE  Rajeev Chandrasekhar  (@Rajeev_GoI) February 28, 2023

Humble tributes to the great Indian scientist and Nobel Laureate #CVRaman on #NationalScienceDay, which commemorates discovery of the Raman Effect. His extraordinary contribution to the field of science will be remembered for generations to come. pic.twitter.com/CEVdCPJ0sh  Naveen Patnaik (@Naveen_Odisha) February 28, 2023

National Science Day is celebrated to commemorate the discovery of the Raman Effect by Nobel Prize Laureate Sir CV Raman. Today, we want to congratulate the entire scientific community of India & wish them greater endeavours ahead. pic.twitter.com/7HRSfZCdbR  Congress (@INCIndia) February 28, 2023

On #NationalScienceDay, we salute the great contribution of Sir CV Raman to the field of science. We are proud of our scientists who are contributing immensely to nation-building with their hard work, research & innovation. May Indian science continue to achieve new heights! pic.twitter.com/5v56vxxh9i  Dr Mansukh Mandaviya (@mansukhmandviya) February 28, 2023

(SocialLY brings you all the latest breaking news, viral trends and information from social media world, including Twitter, Instagram and Youtube. The above post is embeded directly from the user's social media account and LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body. The views and facts appearing in the social media post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY, also LatestLY does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same.)
MBABANE  Tertiary students have been warned against insulting Their Majesties and government officials when delivering their petitions.

The stern warning was issued by the Minister of Labour and Social Security, Phila Buthelezi, in a press conference held at Sibane Sami Hotel yesterday morning. Buthelezi said in as much as it was their right to voice out their concerns to the ministry whenever they needed to, but they should do so with respect. He said the tendency of insulting Their Majesties and the government officials should come to an end, further mentioning that petitions that were accompanied by insults were not acceptable.

insults

The minister explained that some petitioners would not just end by hurling the insults at the gates when delivering the petitions but reduced them into writing. Buthelezi said such petitions would not be tolerated at all. He said there were petitions delivered with respect and such were accepted, stating that well-written petitions allowed government to even invite the petitioners for engagements over their grievances.

When sought for comment on this matter, Swaziland National Union of Students (SNUS) President Colani Maseko, said the minister should not be emotional when doing his work. Maseko refuted the claims that students would write insults in the petitions, but might sometimes be forced to use harsh words when raising their concerns because they were frustrated and angry if their welfare in their respective institutions was not taken care of.
San Francisco, February 28 : Apple has reportedly restarted development of the iPhone SE 4 smartphone, which will feature a 6.1-inch OLED display and in-house 5G baseband chip. Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max To Feature No Physical Buttons? Heres All We Know So Far.

On Monday, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, tweeted: "My latest survey indicates that Apple has recently restarted the iPhone SE 4, which will feature an OLED display instead of an LCD, as the biggest change. Overall, the SE 4 is a minor modification of the 6.1-inch iPhone 14." MWC 2023: HONOR Magic5 Pro and Magic5 Launched Globally With Stunning Cameras; Know Key Specifications, Features Here.

Kuo also said that the new iPhone SE 4 will be equipped with "Apple's 5G baseband chip produced by a 4nm process (similar to 5nm) and will only support Sub-6GHz as the current plan".

He said that the mass production of the iPhone SE 4 will go "smoothly" in the first half of next year, and the iPad and Apple Watch will also soon "abandon" Qualcomm's baseband chips.

"This move will benefit Apple's hardware gross margin, while Qualcomm's Apple business will decline significantly in the next 2-3 years," he added. Last month, Kuo claimed that the iPhone maker had informed suppliers that it has cancelled plans to release an iPhone SE smartphone in 2024.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 28, 2023 03:56 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
Chennai, February 28 : The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) said it had successfully conducted the flight acceptance hot test of the CE-20 cryogenic engine that would power the country's rocket for the third moon mission -- Chandrayaan-3. NASA, SpaceXs Crew-6 Mission To Blast Off to the International Space Station on March 2.

According to the space agency, the CE-20 cryogenic engine will power the Cryogenic Upper Stage of the rocket called LVM3-M4. The 25 seconds hot test was conducted on February 24 at the ISRO Propulsion Complex, Mahendragiri in Tamil Nadu. Pet Parents Beware! Smart Collars, GPS Trackers and Apps for Your Animal Companions Safety May Be Spying on You.

"All the propulsion parameters during the test were found satisfactory and closely matched with predictions. The cryogenic engine will be further integrated with the propellant tanks, stage structures and associated fluid lines to realise the fully integrated flight cryogenic stage," ISRO said.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 28, 2023 03:27 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
Fox News is reeling from the private messages sent between Fox News hosts like Tucker Carlson, Sean Hannity, and Laura Ingram that showed they knew the elections were not stolen. As Fox Corp chairman Rupert Murdoch testified during the Dominion lawsuit hearing, he acknowledges that his hosts spread false information.

Dominion, which sued Fox News for around $1.6 billion for defamation, included a deposition involving Murdoch in their filing.

That deposition has now been unsealed on Monday, and it did not just show the Fox chairman acknowledging that his network's hosts spread false information but also provided more evidence that he and other Fox executives believed Joe Biden fairly beat Donald Trump during the 2020 presidential elections, according to Reuters.

During that deposition, a Dominion lawyer asked Murdoch whether some Fox News commentators endorsed the idea that the 2020 election was stolen, to which the Fox chairman acknowledged, "Yes. They endorsed."

Rupert Murdoch Name-Dropped Lou Dobbs and Maria Bartiromo During Deposition

Murdoch may have thrown his hosts at Fox News under the bus during that deposition when he was asked by the Dominion lawyer, "In fact, you are now aware that Fox endorsed at times this false notion of a stolen election?"

To this, Murdoch replied by name-dropping two of his network's hosts whom he believes spread false information. "Not Fox, No. Not Fox. But maybe Lou Dobbs, maybe Maria, as commentators," Murdoch replied before adding, "Some of our commentators were endorsing it."

READ MORE: Tucker Carlson, Other Fox News Stars Privately Blasted Donald Trump's Election Fraud Claims

According to The Hill, Fox News has been trying to have the case dismissed on the grounds of the First Amendment, stating that Dominion had been trying to "publicly smear Fox for covering and commenting on allegations by a sitting President of the United States should be recognized for what it is: a blatant violation of the First Amendment." However, they have been unsuccessful as the case is heading to court.

Former House Speaker Paul Ryan, who is part of the Fox Corp. Board, also sat with Dominion lawyers for a deposition. The tech firm's filings against Fox News showed Ryan admitting that he knew "these conspiracy theories were baseless." He added that the outlet "should labor to dispel conspiracy theories if and when they pop up."

Rupert Murdoch Questioned About Allowing MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell To Continue Spreading Misinformation

One of the biggest spreaders of misinformation about the 2020 elections has been Mike Lindell, who, to this day, continues to spread false information despite his lack of solid evidence to back his claims.

During the Rupert Murdoch deposition presented by Dominion, the Fox Corp. chairman was asked why the network continued to show Lindell despite knowing he was spreading false information about the elections.

According to NBC News, Murdoch answered that this was a business decision. "It is not red or blue, it is green," Murdoch told the Dominion lawyer.

Lindell's MyPillow continues to advertise in various Fox News shows and has been one of the top advertisers in the network.

As for the case, it is headed to court, with Fox News possibly paying $1.6 billion in damages. Its five-week trial is scheduled to begin on April 17, 2023.

READ NEXT: Donald Trump Blamed Sean Hannity for Dr. Oz Flop

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

WATCH: Fox News bomb goes off: Murdoch confesses they endorsed the lie as billion-dollar case heats up - MSNBC
Elon Musk is once again back at the top of the list of billionaires by Bloomberg. He is currently the CEO of the social media company Twitter and automotive artificial intelligence company Tesla.

Bloomberg reported that Musk earned a net worth of $137 billion in 2023, marking him the first person to ever lose $200 billion from their fortune and reclaim the title of richest man once again.

Tom Narayan, an analyst with RBC Capital Markets, noted in a February report that Tesla price cuts had increased demand for vehicles.

Narayan added that Tesla is considered the "poster child" of electric cars, writing that they believe there is a huge demand for Tesla products even in the face "of more EV competition."

Tesla shares rose 5.5% to $207.63 in New York, which jumpstarted Musk's net worth.

Musk unseated France's Bernard Arnault, who is the chief executive officer of LVMH.

In 2021, the Tesla and Twitter CEO earlier beat Amazon founder Jeff Bezos to become the world's richest person at the time.

The three have exchanged places at the top of the billionaires' list of Bloomberg.

READ NEXT: Elon Musk Cuts Twitter Content Moderation Team

Elon Musk Falling From Top of Billionaires List

Forbes noted that Elon Musk's net worth declined by around $115 billion in 2022. At the beginning of that year, he was the world's richest person by a huge margin of around $70 billion ahead of Arnault.

In addition, Tesla's stock price decreased nearly 70% as of December 27, 2022, with Tesla investors calling on its board of directors to have Musk refocus on the electric vehicle company.

Despite losing the richest man in the world title in 2022, he remained to be the wealthiest person in the United States.

Forbes dubbed Musk as the "biggest loser of 2022." Some of the U.S. billionaires also felt the heat, with Bezos losing $80 billion.

Meanwhile, Meta co-founder Mark Zuckerberg lost $78 billion, as detailed by CNBC.

Elon Musk Twitter

Elon Musk purchased Twitter last October, which was followed by some uncertainty about whether he would be able to follow through on the deal.

However, he managed to close the acquisition worth $44 billion and immediately started firing at least four top Twitter executives, which included the chief executive and chief financial officer of Twitter, as reported by The New York Times.

Recently, Musk emailed his remaining Twitter employees saying that those who are left will receive "very significant" performance-based stock awards on March 24 after a round of sudden layoffs.

Musk wrote in the email that Twitter had completed a "difficult organizational overhaul focused on improving future execution," according to The Verge.

Twitter employees that were laid off included "senior loyalists" and about all of the product team, without warning over the weekend.

Since Musk's takeover, Twitter's internal directory has been offline. He also shut down the ability for employees to use the company's Slack and followed by the disabling of Google Chat for work emails.

Twitter employees said they think it was an effort to avoid internal communication amid the layoffs.

READ MORE: Elon Musk Warns World: Global Recession Could Last 'Until Spring' 24'

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Mary Webber

WATCH: How Elon Musk Became The Richest Person In America In 2022 | Forbes - from Forbes


Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is continuing his war on "wokeness" as he is targeting Disney for its opposition to his restrictive laws regarding race and gender. In particular, he has now taken control of a special tax district surrounding Walt Disney World.

The Walt Disney Corporation has held that special tax district for around 50 years now, according to Reuters. Shortly after Florida took control of it, DeSantis released a statement, saying, "The corporate kingdom finally comes to an end."

Disney had been very public in its criticism of DeSantis's "Don't Say Gay" law, which restricts classroom instruction of gender and sexual orientation. The law had also drawn much flak from various LGBTQ and human rights groups, as well as Democrats.

Political observers have noted that this takeover was retaliation from DeSantis, who spoke with the company's then-chief executive officer, Bob Chapek, who had publicly expressed his disappointment at DeSantis's restrictive law.

Ron DeSantis Appoints Five-Member Board to Oversee Area Around Walt Disney World

The new law basically gives DeSantis the power to appoint every member of the special tax district's five-member governing body. However, these governing members are still subject to approval by the state Senate.

The Florida governor, who may be running for president in 2024 and challenging Donald Trump for the nomination, stated that Florida attorney Martin Garcia will serve as chairman of the governing body.

READ NEXT: Florida: Joe Biden and Ron DeSantis Put Differences Aside, Show Unity After Hurricane Ian

Many who will sit on the governing board will be conservatives, as The Hollywood Reporter pointed out. These include lawyer Brian Aungst Jr. and Christian Ziegler, who is the son of a former Republican mayor, as well as Bridget Ziegler, a conservative school board member and wife of the Florida Republican party chairman, Ron Peri.

DeSantis also appointed Michael Sasso to the board. He is a lawyer and the CEO of The Gathering USA Ministry. The board will now be known as the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District

However, Disney does still get to keep most of its perks over the area, as the company was allowed to self-govern the land where Walt Disney World was located for over five decades. It still retains almost all of its debt obligations and exemptions from a lot of regulations, taxes, and other fees as well. These include the issuance of bonds and the ability to provide infrastructure services on its land.

Disney CEO Bob Iger, a Very Vocal Opponent of Ron DeSantis's Ideology

DeSantis is releasing a new book titled "The Courage to Be Free: Florida's Blueprint for America's Revival." In that book, DeSantis claimed that Chapek's predecessor and eventual successor, Bob Iger, was a strong opponent of his controversial "Don't Say Gay" law.

The Florida governor noted that Iger said the bill would "put vulnerable, young LGBTQ people in jeopardy."

Several people within Disney have also been vocal against DeSantis's "Culture War" rhetoric, including bisexual actress Lilian Bowen. She stars in "Andi Mack," Disney Channel's first show to feature an LGBTQ character, and criticized the Florida governor's actions without explicitly naming him.

READ MORE: Ron DeSantis in Legal Trouble for Martha's Vineyard Stunt

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

WATCH: Florida governor signs bill putting Disney district under state control - CBS Evening News
Authorities in Ecuador have found packages of cocaine in a shipment of bananas bound for Belgium.

Police commander Fausto Salinas said the cocaine shipment intercepted at the port of Guayaquil weighed almost 8.8 tons. He also estimated the drugs to be worth $330 million if they reached the European country.

According to BBC, Ecuador often serves as one of the main transit countries for illegal drugs produced in neighboring Peru and Colombia.

The seizure was reportedly announced as the largest bust so far this year. However, this still pales compared to the amount of cocaine seized in the port of Guayaquil last year, when over 200 tons of the illicit drug were confiscated.

READ NEXT: Ecuador: Is Tourism Hurting the Ecosystem of the Galapagos Islands?

Ecuador and Belgium Reach Agreement to Fight Organized Crime After Mega Cocaine Bust

Ecuador and Belgium signed an agreement Monday to increase bilateral cooperation in their fight against international organized crime.

According to Reuters, the interior ministers of both countries signed the deal in Quito, Ecuador, a day after the "mega cocaine bust" in the port of Guayaquil.

The country's conservative president, Guillermo Lasso, has already been pushing for his country to ramp up efforts to fight gangs and organized crime syndicates that use the country as a transit point for shipping cocaine.

These drugs are often bound not just to Europe but also to the United States. Ecuador's Interior Minister Juan Zapata told reporters that the size of the seizure last weekend makes it "necessary for Ecuador to further strengthen cooperation with the Belgian government."

The cooperative effort between the two countries would include sharing of information, methodology, procedures, and experiences, as well as technology to combat organized crime.

Belgium's Interior Minister Annelies Verlinden and European Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson arrived in the country for the agreement.

The European Union has noted the dangers of these drug shipments from Ecuador. The director of the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction, Alexis Gosdeel, said that the "growing flow of cocaine now threatens the entire European Union."

Zapata admitted that Ecuador needed to have new transversal responses against organized crime. So far, the country has seized around 39 tons of illegal drugs, particularly cocaine, this year, according to the country's police data.

Ecuador Is Turning Seized Cocaine Into Concrete

With the country seizing tons of illegal narcotics bound for Europe and the United States, Ecuador seems to have found a novel way to get rid of these drugs.

According to Reuters, the South American country now uses cocaine as a construction material. While Ecuador still incinerates some of the cocaine, Edmundo Mera, undersecretary for Drug Control at Ecuador's Interior Ministry, noted that the excess cocaine is being used as construction materials.

The United Nations have backed this as it uses the encapsulation method with support from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).

The Ecuadorian government pulverizes the confiscated blocks of cocaine in industrial machines with other refuse at a waste disposal plant and then mixes them with cement, sand, and water to create concrete platforms.

The mixture sets fast, so there is no danger of cocaine seeping through, mixing, and contaminating the ground below. The layers of concrete will be used to fill a 15-meter-deep hole and will later be part of a warehouse floor in the plant. However, Ecuadorian authorities keep the plant's name a secret for security reasons.

READ MORE: Ecuador: 5 Dead, 17 Injured in Shooting and Explosion in Guayaquil

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

WATCH: Ecuador Becomes s

Sanctuary for Multibillion-Dollar Drug Trade - From Al Jazeera English
Ghislaine Maxwell reportedly stayed in solitary confinement for 48 hours after prison officials accused the former socialite of profiting from her media interview.

According to Daily Mail, Maxwell appeared on the British show "TalkTV" last month in a series of taped video and audio calls in which she discussed her life inside the prison and tried to pin the blame on her ex-boyfriend, Jeffrey Epstein, for what has happened to her.

Federal Correctional Institute (FCI) Tallahassee scrutinized the footage as inmates are only allowed video visits from family, friends, and lawyers, who are closely vetted.

Sources told the Daily Mail that higher-ups at the low-security Florida prison started a probe to determine whether Maxwell had violated the terms of her 20-year federal sex-trafficking sentence by selling the side of her story to a journalist.

Maxwell argued that she was innocent but was still handcuffed and whisked away to the Special Housing Unit (SHU) of FCI Tallahassee, which is a "prison within a prison" comprised of tiny cells.

The tiny spaces are used for locking up inmates for 23 hours at a time, and they are given food through slits in the door. A source told the outlet that Maxwell was "just minding her own business" when officials "handcuffed" her.

"She got really upset, she was crying, she was yelling that she hadn't received any money, but nobody saw her again for three days," the insider noted.

READ NEXT: Ghislaine Maxwell Found Guilty in All but One Charge in Sex Trafficking Trial

Ghislaine Maxwell Inside Solitary Confinement

The source said the SHU is not a nice place as "it's like a little box" with no contact from anyone, and prisoners are being locked up there if they are suicidal, fail a drug test, or get in a fight.

Ghislaine Maxwell reportedly stayed in solitary confinement for 48 hours instead of the usual two weeks, as there was no evidence that she was guilty of profiting from her media interviews.

The interview was released on January 23, with Maxwell complaining about the 6 a.m. start of her day and the prison meal made of tofu and beans.

TalkTV, which interviewed Maxwell, said she was not paid for it. The British socialite has refused to apologize to Jeffrey Epstein's victims and the women who feel betrayed by her, Daily Mirror reported.

Instead, Maxwell noted that the victims should redirect their feelings toward the authorities who failed to prevent Epstein from committing his crimes.

Ghislaine Maxwell and Jeffrey Epstein

Jeffrey Epstein was a convicted sex offender. He died in a New York jail in 2019, while Ghislaine Maxwell remains incarcerated for sex trafficking charges.

The Associated Press reported that the investigators involved in the case concluded that Epstein killed himself. On the other hand, Maxwell was found guilty of sex trafficking in her Manhattan federal court trial in December 2021.

She was charged for her involvement with Epstein's abuse of teenage girls, with some of the victims being as young as 14 years old. Maxwell sought to have her conviction overturned, and in April last year, a U.S. Circuit Court judge partially granted that request.

READ MORE: Ghislaine Maxwell's Brother Says Sister's Paying the Price After Jeffrey Epstein Killed Himself

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Mary Webber

WATCH: 'I Believe Jeffrey Epstein Was Murdered', Says Ghislaine Maxwell - From TalkTV




Mountmellick welcomes All-Ireland Champions the Ballyduff Drama Group from Waterford to town alongside groups from Mayo, Galway, Wexford, Tipperary and Tipperary in March for the town's drama festival. The Ballyduff groups were crowned champions at the All Ireland Drama Festival in 2022.

The button was pressed on the countdown clock to the return of the Mountmellick Drama Festival at the official launch in the town's Community Arts Centre recently. To see more pictures from the launch taken for the Leinster Express / Laois Live by Denis Byrne tap NEXT or ARROW. To find out more about the festival see BELOW picture.



The festival's organising committee was joined on Friday, February 17, by special guests that included Laois County Council's Cathaoirleach Cllr Thomasina Connell. The launch was also attened by representatives of the main sponsor - the Mountmellick Credit Union.

The 2023 Festival begins on Friday, March 3 with groups performing plays through to Friday, March 10.

The Banshees of Inisherin director Martin McDonaghs acclaimed play The Beauty Queen of Leenane will open the Festival on Friday, March 3 performed by Kilrush Drama Group.

The Pulitzer Prize and Tony award-winning play Proof by David Auburn is staged on Saturday, March 4 by the Glenamaddy Players.

The Kings of the Kilburn High Road by Conor McPherson well be performed The Ray Leonard Players on Sunday, March 5.

A Skull In Connemara by Martin McDonagh features on Tuesday, March 7 when Holycross Ballycahill drama group comes to town.

The Father by Florian Zeller is the Wexford Drama Group productions for Wednesday, March 6.

Audiences can travel back in time to 18th century England courtesy of Lucy Kirkwoods The Welkin by Ballyduff Drama Group on March 8.

The Enniscorthy Drama Group take to the stage on Thursday, March 9 with Fintan Kellys Farsiders

The Seafarer by Conor McPherson rounds off the Festival on Friday, March 10 courtesy of the Thurles Drama Group.

A big prize is on offer for the winning group since the Mountmellick Festival is a qualifying event for the finals which are held each year in Athlone.

Tickets are now available at www.mountmellickdramafestival.ie

Book your favourite seats now and dont miss this wonderful event. Tickets: nightly 15 (10) Season Ticket 70 (45).Contact Jessie 087 7942994, Noreen 087 4121205
A man who stole his pregnant girlfriend's phone after assaulting her at her home will be sentenced later this year.

Daragh Houlihan (33) of Chapel Lane, Newbridge, Co Kildare, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to robbery on May 4, 2021 on Rathmines Road. He has no previous convictions.

Adjourning the case for the preparation of a probation report, Judge Orla Crowe said on Monday, February 27 it was deeply concerning to the court that this incident involved the robbery of an intimate partner, who was pregnant.

Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard that the injured party was making dinner at 5.30pm, while Houlihan was in the kitchen with her. The victim attempted to make conversation with the defendant, but he didn't respond. She then suggested he went home, as they weren't living together. Houlihan then walked over to where the victim was standing and asked her why she didn't want to talk to him.

The victim was holding a knife, which he asked her to drop, then he went to grab it. She turned round, and Houlihan was holding the blade with both hands. The pair wrestled for the knife for about one minute. The victim was crying and asking Houlihan to let go of the blade, afraid of what might happen if she let go.

The injured party shouted blood after seeing it on her thumb. Houlihan let go of the knife and it transpired that it was his blood on the victim.

He accused her of stabbing him. She suggested they call an ambulance, but Houlihan said she wanted her phone to call the gardai.

Her phone then started to ring and Houlihan grabbed it, demanding she give him the code to unlock it. He then pushed her several times, including onto the ground.

Houlihan left the apartment and the victim heard him lock the front door from outside. From the window, she saw Houlihan pick up her phone, which led her to believe that he had thrown it.

The defendant shouted abuse up at her. She asked him to return the keys, which he threw up to her.

Houlihan then walked towards Rathmines and the victim followed him to ask for her phone back. During this encounter, Houlihan pushed her again, and struck her with his leg. He then threw her phone over a wall then ran through a set of closing gates.

The victim went to the garda station where she was observed to be in a distressed state.

Gardai went to the Mater Hospital the next day, where Houlihan was being treated for an injury to his hand. He accepted that he had stolen the victim's phone, which he gave to gardai.

Houlihan was arrested and told gardai during interview that he had taken the phone, but denied pushing her or any violent behaviour. He told gardai he felt ridiculous and sorry so he went to retrieve her phone.

The defendant said he took the phone as he believed the injured party was texting someone about him, and this upset him.

He accepted he was cut while trying to grab the knife. Houlihan told gardai he didn't believe the injured party would stab him during the course of an argument, but he wanted to put the knife out of reach. Houlihan also said the victim threatened to jump out of a window during the argument, and he may have used force to stop her.

A victim impact statement was read by Shaun Smyth BL, prosecuting. In it, the woman said the incident had destroyed any sense of safety she felt in the apartment and she was left terrified.

She said she blamed herself for what happened and suffers from flashbacks. The victim said she was broken down so much that she thought what happened was her fault, but now realises it was not.

The investigating garda agreed with defence counsel that his client was cooperative and made a partial admission when interviewed. It was also accepted that the guilty plea was of value to the prosecution.

Defence counsel said his client has addiction issues with cocaine and heroin, but is completing a residential treatment programme. His client has a history of employment, and worked for periods abroad.

Houlihan's relationship with his ex-partner has improved, defence counsel said.

Defence counsel asked Judge Crowe to be as lenient as possible when sentencing Houlihan and to consider finalising the case with no immediate custodial sentence.

Judge Crowe said the court was concerned that the defendant's substance abuse could have contributed to this incident. She also noted that intimate partner violence is considered to be an aggravating factor under legislation.

Judge Crowe ordered the preparation of a Probation Report and urine analysis for the next court date on June 19.
Price Waterhouse Coopers were hired by the HSE to assess the 'financial challenges' in running the troubled GP out-of-hours services in Laois and other Midlands counties ahead of the breakdown in the partnership arrangement in late 2022.

However, the HSE also revealed that while the accounting and professional consultancy firm began their work with the agreement of doctors the process was never completed because of a dispute over the amount of money needed to maintain the service.

It's also emerged that the pressure from the public grew significantly in 2022 beyond 100,000 contacts over 12 months in Laois, Offaly, Longford and Westmeath.

The detail was published in reply to motions tabled at a recent meeting between HSE managament and councillors from the midlands and Dublin. Laois County Council cathaoirleach, Cllr Thomasina Connell, asked about the status of the service.

Other councillors asked the HSE to explain the circumstances surrounding the cessation of the company Midoc GP Company Limited by Guarantee to the HSE at Christmas. Midoc GP CLG is the company owned by midland GPs that allowed doctors to fulfill their contractual obligation in the medical card scheme to treat patients out of hours.

The HSE announced during Christmas week that GPs had informed them that the company had ceased trading.

The HSE provided further information to politicians at the Dublin Mid-Leinster Health Forum.

While it confirmed again that MIDOC GP CLG ceased trading as a private entity that coordinated the rotas/payments for the GPs who worked in the out-of-hours service, it said the out-of-hours service provision has not ceased in any of the Midlands counties.

It said the phone line is still operational and people who need care continue to be treated at centres in Portlaoise, Tullamore, Mullingar, and Longford.

The answer explained how the breakdown of the partnership with the GP company came to pass.

"The HSE had been engaging with MIDOC GP CLG on their cash flow issue for a period of time and meetings since July 2022 had requested that MIDOC GP CLG partake in a collaborative financial examination by an independent company so that there could be a shared understanding of MIDOC GP CLG financial challenges which would inform the future financial and operational model.

"On 14 November 2022, MIDOC GP CLG confirmed they would partake in this independent financial review. This review commenced on 23 November 2022.

"The findings from the independent review were intended to support any changes to the operational and financial model for GP out-of-hours with HSE National Community Operations. The HSE had continued to provide ongoing financial support to MIDOC GP CLG while this examination by PwC (Price Waterhouse Coopers) was underway.

"Regrettably, despite the HSE providing written and verbal assurances that the HSE would continue to financially support the operation of MIDOC GP CLG to allow for the completion of the PwC examination and outcome thereof, MIDOC GP CLG wanted a guaranteed minimum amount of funding confirmed for January which due to the nature of cash flows the HSE could not provide a guaranteed minimum amount.

"The HSE is disappointed that whilst providing funding MIDOC GP CLG to continue to operate MIDOC GP CLG that MIDOC GP CLG did not await the outcome of the independent financial review. The HSE is obliged in accordance with due diligence for all profit and not-for-profit organisations and MIDOC GP CLG will not be an exception to this," it said.

The HSE told councillors that MIDOC GP CLG advised their GP members on 23 December 2022 that the provision of out-of-hours services now reverts to the General Practitioners holding a GMS contract who are also members of MIDOC GP CLG.

The HSE outlined what it has put in place to maintain operations.

"In the short-term and to mitigate the risks, the HSE had to ensure, through a third party agency (that has already been providing medical support to MIDOC GP CLG that appropriate cover is in place for both the bridge shifts and the red-eye service from the 14 November 2022 based on normal and scheduled GPOOH practice and rosters. Most of the cost for 2022 was recouped from MIDOC GP CLG.

Watch: Crimecall appeal over burglary at Laois farm A jeep and tools valued at over 9,500 were stolen in the burglary on Monday, January 9, 2020. The jeep was discovered in a badly damaged state in Tullamore, Co Offaly four days later.

"During the Christmas period, the HSE engaged with the Irish Medical Organisation (IMO) and continued to provide communications to GPs. The HSE has ensured and will continue to ensure the provision of OOH services until such time as an alternative provider is in place. In addition the HSE met with an alternative provider however any decision around an alternative provider is the business of the GPs. The HSE is willing to support this process, if requested by the GPs," it said.

The HSE also provided press releases and social media posts which show how it kept the public informed about the situation at Christmas.

GPs have declined to comment on the situation.
A motorist was clocked driving at more than 30 km above the speed limit on the old road to Dublin near Portlaoise on the morning of National Slow Down Day.

In the first update from Garda HQ on Tuesday, February 28 a driver was caught doing 113km/h in an 80km/h zone on the R445 at The Heath.

In the first two hours of National Slow Down Day, gardai said GoSafe checked the speed of 36,679 vehicles and detected 69 vehicles travelling in excess of the applicable speed limit.

The Garda and Road Safety Authority (RSA) operation runs for 24 hours from 7am on Tuesday to 7am on Wednesday, March 1.

Other examples of high speeds on Tuesday morning include:

117km/h in a 50km/h Zone on the N6 Baile An Phoill Gaillimh Gaillimh

77km/h in a 60km/h Zone on the Castleblaney Rd Carrickmacross Monaghan

122km/h in a 80km/h Zone on the N4 Doddsborough Lucan Dublin

121km/h in a 100km/h Zone on the N21 Rineroe Adare Limerick

138km/h in a 120km/h Zone on the M6 Killavally Tyrrellspass Westmeath

76km/h in a 50km/h Zone on the Limerick Road Mallow Cork

75km/h in a 50km/h Zone on the Castletown Road Dundalk Louth

66km/h in a 50km/h Zone on the Skehard Road Cork Cork

63km/h in a 50km/h Zone on the R561 Castledrum Castlemaine Kerry

72km/h in a 60km/h Zone on the R515 Garrynderk South Kilmallock Limerick

120km/h in a 100km/h Zone on the N18 Clonmoney West Bunratty Clare

120km/h in a 100km/h Zone on the N4 Culleen Beg Mullingar Westmeath

113km/h in a 100km/h Zone on the N15 Drumnagahan Donegal Donegal

Gardai say the aim of "Slow Down Day is to remind drivers of the dangers of speeding, to increase compliance with speed limits and act as a deterrent to driving at an excessive or inappropriate speed. They add that the overall objective is to reduce the number of speed-related collisions, save lives and reduce injuries on our roads.

The guards say it is important to remind drivers at this time of year, the end of the winter period, when road conditions begin to improve and driver behaviour can change in line with that. They say any increase in speed contributes significantly to the severity of any road traffic collision.

Last year, gardai reported that fatal and serious injury road traffic collisions increase with 156 people fatally injured, the largest death toll on our roads since 2016. They said January of this year had the highest number of road deaths of any January in 10 years, with 20 fatalities.

A statement said recent garda enforcement data and RSA research demonstrate that drivers continue to speed. During 2022, 73% of fatal collisions occurred on rural (80km/h or more) roads with 27% on urban roads. Gardai say it has been estimated that 30% of fatal collisions are the result of speeding or inappropriate speed.

Chief Superintendent Jane Humphries, Garda National Roads Policing Bureau said: "It is important to thank all of those drivers who do the right thing and drive not only within the necessary speed limits, but at speeds that are appropriate to the conditions. However, each and every day across the country we continue to detect drivers travelling in excess of the speed limit.

"We know that a reduction in average speed will bring about a reduction in fatal collisions, and therefore reducing motorists speed is essential to improving road safety. Last year sadly saw an increase in fatalities on our roads, we have a collective responsibility for keeping each other safe on the road and Id appeal to all road users to think about how their actions can have an impact on the lives of others.

"We are asking all drivers to support our National Slow Down Day not just on Slow Down Day but every day. If we all slow down a little, we can make a big difference, he said.

Sam Waide is the CEO, Road Safety Authority.

"Excessive speed continues to be a leading contributory factor in fatal and serious injury collisions in Ireland and internationally. It has been estimated that 30% of fatal collisions are the result of speeding or inappropriate speed. Evidence shows that many drivers are choosing to speed in our towns, villages and on rural roads.

"The RSAs Free Speed observational study found that half of all drivers (52%) were observed speeding on urban roads and over a quarter (27%) were speeding on rural roads. This National Slow Down Day, and indeed every day, please remember the faster you drive, the more likely you are to crash which could result in death or serious injury. Slow down  drive at a speed that is appropriate to the conditions and your experience and remember a speed limit is not a target, he said.

Gardai say the operation will consist of high visibility speed enforcement across the road network. They say they will also deliver the message through various media channels to remind people of the potential impact on families and communities of speeding.

Government Departments, Local Authorities, Public and private sector fleet operators are invited to participate in the initiative by circulating to employees the key message of "Slow Down and, whether driving for business or private purposes, to always drive within the speed limit and at a speed appropriate to the prevailing conditions.
A new Special Education Needs facility has been approved for Mountrath Community School.

Minister of State in the Department of Foreign Affairs, Sean Fleming welcomed the approval for the new Special Education Needs facility, consisting of three classrooms, for Mountrath Community School.

The plan involves the reconfiguration of six existing mainstream classrooms to facilitate this new Special Education Needs base in the school. There will be a new extension of six new mainstream classrooms to replace the existing six mainstream classrooms that are being reconfigured for Special Education Needs.

I am pleased that the Government has devolved the management of this project to the school. This will involve the school finalising the plans, obtaining planning permission and going to tender and for the contractors to carry out the work, said Minister Fleming.

Mountrath Community School facilitates a positive learning and teaching environment for all students and teachers alike and this announcement is a very positive one for the school in providing new and much needed facilities for those students who will avail of these new facilities in this secondary school, he said.

Increasing spending on improving facilities for Special Education Needs is very important for this Government and is a top priority in the Education Capital Expenditure Programme, Minister Fleming added.

I believe no child should be left behind, he said.

I know the school will advance this project quickly so that this new Special Education Needs facility will be available as soon as possible in Mountrath Community School, which serves a wide catchment area, concluded Minister Fleming.
Irish premier Leo Varadkar said it is reasonable for the DUP to be given time to consider the agreement struck between the EU and the UK.

He was responding after Sinn Fein said there is now no justification for the DUP to continue its reckless and damaging boycott of democracy.

Since Northern Irelands elections last May, the DUP has refused to engage with the Stormont Assembly and Executive in protest over the implementation of the Northern Ireland Protocol.

During Leaders Questions, Sinn Fein president Mary Lou McDonald said it appears the vital protections provided by the protocol has been preserved in the Windsor Framework and they have reached a turning point.

There is no justification for the DUP to keep the Executive down while workers, families and businesses struggle with an unprecedented cost-of-living crisis and as they suffer from chronic treatment waiting lists, she said.

The onus is now very much on the DUP to join with everyone else in making politics work.

She said Sinn Fein will seek clarifications on certain aspects of the agreement, which the Taoiseach agreed to facilitate on behalf of all parties.

Ms McDonald added: So there is now  Taoiseach, Im sure youll agree  no logic for the DUP to continue its blockade. The negotiations are over, the deed has been struck.

Yes, we need to pore over the fine detail of that. But, Taoiseach, Im sure you will agree that we can do that work with a functioning Assembly and an Executive in place.

There is now no room for further delay (or) prevarication.

The Taoiseach said he has read the DUPs statement issued on Monday night and heard an interview with DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson.

I think hes asked for a little bit of time to consider the agreement, to pore over the text, to ask some questions, he said.

I think that is reasonable and I think we should allow a little bit of time and space for that to happen and for him to consult with his party. I think that is not unreasonable.

Certainly, the European Union and British government are happy for that to happen.

But I do think that we can see that there is strong cross-party support, not just in Northern Ireland but here and also in Britain for this.

I do hope that allows us to proceed and to open a new chapter in relations and in particularly to allow the government to function again in Northern Ireland, which I agree is what the people of Northern Ireland voted for, and they want decisions to be made locally.

Mr Varadkar said the Irish parliament will hear statements from TDs on the Windsor Framework next week.

We just want to give people a bit of time to read and digest all the documentation, so were proposing to set aside government time next week, he told the Dail chamber.

Mr Varadkar said briefings will also be offered to political parties on Tuesday or Wednesday, with foreign affairs minister Micheal Martin to brief the Brexit Stakeholder Forum, which includes political party representatives, industry stakeholders and key Government departments.
MBABANE - Investigations by the police have uncovered how a sum of E7 344 084 from Eswatini Mobiles e-Mali meant for the company and its customers was allegedly stolen.

The unlawful transactions allegedly occurred between the months of October 2022 and February 2023 in Mbabane. Intense investigations by the Royal Eswatini Police Service (REPS) led to the arrest of Tewordros Asfaw and his friend Vusumuzi Dlamini (39). Asfaw (34) of Pine Valley in Mbabane was employed as a subcontractor by Eswatini Mobile to assist the company with software and engineering.

Diverted

It is alleged that during his tenure, different amounts of money were diverted from the account of Eswatini Mobile or its customers that they were intended for. The monies were allegedly diverted to Dlaminis account held with EswatiniBank. The duo has been slapped with a charge of theft under false pretences. Investigations are reportedly still ongoing and more arrests are imminent. According to the charge sheet, Asfaw is the registered owner of mobile number 7993 2381, while Dlamini, his co-accused, is the registered owner of mobile number 7979 7878, with EswatiniBank account number 77401856156. It is alleged that the duo misrepresented to Genius Sihlongonyane in his capacity as Chief Executive Officer of e-Mali Limited that the amount of E7 344 084 had been deposited into the e-Mali Trust Account number 77045709210 held at EswatiniBank, Mbabane Branch, on behalf of cellular number 7968 9877.

Transferred

However, it later transpired that the money was transferred to EswatiniBank account number 77401856156 held by Dlamini. It is alleged that investigations uncovered that from the said EswatiniBank account, the money was transferred to two First National Bank (FNB) accounts held by the duo, resulting in them being charged with theft by false pretences. The pair is represented by Noncedo Ndlangamandla from Mabila Attorneys. The Crown applied that they be remanded in custody until March 3, 2023, pending their committal to the High Court. Ndlangamandla did not object to the application.

The two yesterday moved an urgent bail application at the High Court. Asfaw narrated events leading to his arrest and how the money was purportedly stolen through what he described as his negligence. He told the court that he was employed as a subcontractor by Eswatini Mobile and during his term, certain amounts of money were diverted from the accounts of the mobile company and/or its customers to different accounts, including that of his co-accused. I became aware of these monies and unfortunately, I did not inform Eswatini Mobile. As a result of my negligence, the company suffered a loss, which they estimated to be around E7 million, submitted Asfaw. He narrated to the court that when Eswatini Mobile became aware of the loss of the funds, he was out of the country. According to Asfaw, he received a call that he was to meet the management of Eswatini Mobile regarding the loss of funds.

Asfaw said upon receiving the call, he immediately boarded a plane to the Kingdom of Eswatini and met with the management and attorney of Eswatini Mobile on February 21, 2023. He alleged that consequent to their discussions, they entered into an agreement (acknowledgment of debt) in terms of which he was to repay the amount owing within 90 days. The matter having been settled between us, I was surprised thereof when I was called by the police on February 24, 2023 and charged with the offence. Unfortunately, the police could no longer communicate with the complainant, submitted Asfaw.

It was further his averment that he intended to pay the complainant (Eswatini Mobile) the money within 90 days as allegedly agreed between the parties. He contended that in order to do that, he needed to be out of custody as he had projects that he was working on, which would provide the sum of E7 million. There is no likelihood that if I am released on bail, I may attempt to evade trial as I am firmly rooted in the Kingdom of Eswatini. I have some projects ranging in millions of Emalangeni that I am currently working on, which I cannot leave without completing, he argued.

He brought it to the attention of the court that he was a sickly person who suffered from sinuses, a condition which did not allow him to be exposed to cold weather conditions. Asfaw claimed that he had been advised that in prison, a person was made to sleep on a small mat on a cement floor. Further, I am married with four children, who are wholly dependent on me for support and maintenance and my continued incarceration will greatly prejudice them, submitted the accused. He alleged that his wife was pregnant with their fourth child. Asfaw further submitted that his continued incarceration would result in his family being stranded.
Are you a member of a community group that would like to develop an exciting, creative project with a professional creative practitioner? If so, this may of interest to you -a public information session will he held in The Bush Hotel, Carrick-on-Shannon on Tuesday, March 7 from 7-9pm.



Leitrim County Council Arts office is hosting an informal information session for community groups to find out more about the Creative Communities Open Call programme, how it may be of benefit to a group you are a member of, or a group that you work with. We particularly welcome groups that have had little or no previous involvement in creative projects.



Perhaps youve never heard of Creative Ireland and want to learn more about it, or maybe youve already taken part in a Creative Ireland project and would love to develop another one. Whatever the reason, if you plan on coming along, please register on the link here - REGSITER HERE



A central theme of Creative Ireland is to facilitate an ecosystem of creativity and to nurture the creative imagination through active engagement with the arts and culture. Creativity can add immensely to anyones life, and communities and individuals of all ages can develop a sense of self and a shared understanding though creative expression. The Creative Communities Open Call 2023 programme is a programme through which community groups can apply for funding to develop a creative project with a professional creative practitioner so that members of the group have the opportunity to explore their own creativity.



Who can apply?

Any group within the community (or a venue or organisation working with a group) can look to develop a project with a professional practitioners in any creative or cultural arena such as visual or performing arts, literature, cultural heritage or any other culture and creativity area. A group may approach the professional practitioner with a view to developing a project or vice-versa. It is important to note that while the creative practitioner can be from anywhere in Ireland, the group must be based within county Leitrim to be eligible for this funding.

Were here to help. If you have an idea for a project or need assistance or further information just to

get started, please contact Alice Dixon, Creative Ireland Project Manager, on creativeleitrim@gmail.com or contact Leitrim County Council on 071 96 21694. Completed application forms must submitted online before midnight on Sunday the 2nd of April 2023. Full Guidelines and Application forms are available on www.leitrimarts.ie
Leitrim Public Participation Network (PPN) has issued an invitation to community and voluntary groups in Leitrim to join their local PPN and help build a better future for the county.



The call-out comes after a new national brand identity and awareness campaign for Public Participation Networks was launched by Minister for Community Development and Charities, Joe OBrien.



Each county and city in Ireland has its own PPN. Leitrim PPN is one of 31 PPNs that have been established in all local authority areas in the State. Nationally, more than 18,000 community and voluntary groups are currently members of a PPN.



Public Participation Networks allow local authorities to connect with community groups around their county. PPNs give people a greater say in local government decisions that affect their communities.



Speaking at the launch of the PPNs new national brand identity and awareness campaign, Minister OBrien encouraged volunteer-led group around the country, and particularly young people, to join their local PPN.



Through local action, PPNs also contribute to policymaking at national level, such as the development of the Climate Action Plan 2021, when PPNs hosted and facilitated important local community conversations 
There's nothing quite like a slice of sweet cake and a cuppa to lift even the dullest of February days.

From dog-friendly coffee shops to bakeries and tearooms with scenic views, we've compiled a list of some of the best spots in Leitrim for a hot brew and a tasty treat.

Cafe Lounge

Cafe Lounge belongs to a local coffee roaster  Artessa, so everything here is about coffee and providing a nice, relaxing cafe experience to our customers. Our menu focuses on coffee and hot beverages for sitting in or take away; and of course the perfect companions of all coffees, fresh bakery and tasty cakes.

We have a retail section offering Artessas full range of freshly roasted coffees, and many coffee and tea brewing accessories.

Unit 3, Mercantile Plaza, Townparks, Carrick-On-Shannon, Co. Leitrim

Phone: (071) 965 0914

cafelounge.ie

info@cafelounge.ie

VDA

VDA is a speciality coffee shop situated on the Main Street of Carrick on Shannon. We specialise in a selection of great coffees, delicious pastries and cakes. Our cafe is a place of joy for employees, patrons and we are dog friendly too. It is our mission to brighten up your day. Pop in and say hello.

Breifne House, Main St, Townparks, Carrick-On-Shannon, Co. Leitrim N41X867

Instagram.com/vdacoffee

Facebook.com/vdacoffee

The Loft Cafe and Restaurant

The Loft is home to a relaxed, local and friendly foodie experience, with many options available to our customers to enjoy in the restaurant. We serve breakfast daily and lunch through to the early evening. We have a wide variety of home-made cakes, sweet treats and our speciality scones. We pride ourselves in good coffee.

Main Street, Manorhamilton, Ireland

Phone: (071) 983 5322

info@theloftmanorhamilton.com

Theloftmanorhamilton.com

The Little Bean Cafe

We are based in the heart of Manorhamilton, providing coffees, teas and selection of breakfast and lunches. We serve award winning coffee from Green Bean Coffee Roasters. The coffee is roasted to order to make each cup as fresh as possible! We also provide freshly ground decaf coffee and hot chocolate from Green Bean as well as teas, herbal teas and decaf tea. We have a selection of freshly made desserts daily supplied by For Goodness Cake, a local baker. We provide both a sit in and take away option and in the future will have a grab and go fridge filled with ready to eat foods for on the go customers!

1 Monks Row, Manorhamilton, Ireland

Phone: 071 9840002

littlebeancafe22@gmail.com

Coffeys Pastry Case

Coffeys is situated in the heart of Carrick on Shannon and is celebrating 40 years in business this year! Choose from a wide selection of delicious and freshly baked cakes, fresh cream pastries, scones, breads, biscuit cake and much more including several lunch options. Sit back and relax with extensive seating available both inside and outside, all while overlooking the beautiful River Shannon.

Bridge Street, Carrick-on-Shannon, Co. Leitrim N41 F583

Phone: (071) 962 0929

Facebook.com/Coffey'sPastryCase&HomeBakery

Jinny's Tearooms

Jinny's Tearooms overlooks Acre's Lake and the Blueways boardwalk in Drumshanbo. The Tearooms is an inspired new food experience offering specialty teas and coffees, a wide selection of delicious freshly baked cakes and breads, snacks, and light bites plus much more with emphasis on wholesome, local ingredients. The breads for their delicious sandwiches comes from their award winning bakery.

They also sell their oven ready homemade dinners from their Tearooms. These meals are ideal for those who want home cooked food but havent the time to do it! These meals can also be ordered for larger get togethers like Communions, Confirmations or any occasion!

Pop in for a visit, its much more than a Tearoom you will get a warm welcome, great food and service and leave having experienced something special.

R207, Drumduff North, Drumshanbo, Co. Leitrim

Phone: (071) 964 1033

www.jinnys.ie

Facebook.com/JinnysBakery

Instagram.com/jinnysbakery.tearooms

*Sponsored Content
The logo of German chemical giant Bayer, pictured during the company's annual results press conference in Leverkusen, Germany, on February 28, 2023. PATRIK STOLLARZ / AFP

German chemicals company Bayer said on Tuesday, February 28, its net profit quadrupled in 2022 on the back of higher prices and strong demand for its glyphosate-based weedkillers.

Net profit climbed to 4.15 billion last year, up from 1 billion in 2021, while revenue rose 8.7% to 50.7 billion, in line with analyst expectations.

The results were boosted by record sales at the company's agricultural division, up more than 15% to 25 billion. Bayer, which acquired glyphosate products as part of its 2018 takeover of Monsanto of the United States, said this was "in particular thanks to higher prices" for herbicides across all regions at a time when "supply for glyphosate-based products was tight."

Read more Article reserve a nos abonnes Bayer ordered to pay minimal compensation to farmer poisoned by Monsanto herbicide

Sales at the group's pharmaceuticals arm were up 1%. The unit faces pressure to launch new products to compensate for the expiration of patents on several blockbuster drugs in the coming years.

The group's consumer health division, which sells over-the-counter drugs, saw sales grow by 8.4% resulting from strong demand for allergy and cold medicines.

Bayer chief executive Werner Baumann said Bayer's sales were expected to increase by 2-3% in 2023 as the company braces for a drop in prices for herbicides and drugs.

Le Monde with AFP
A TOTAL of 200,000 has been allocated to two community projects in Limerick.

Geraldines AFC and Mungret St Paul's GAA Club are the worthy recipients of 100,000 in funding from Limerick City and County Council.

In June 2020, councillors from the Limerick Metropolitan Area signed off on over 1.5 million of funding to strategic projects.

While significant progress has been made with the many projects identified, some projects have not proceeded.

Following consultation with elected members of the Metropolitan district, it was proposed to re-assign the funding to alternative projects in the local electoral area.

A total of 100,000 has been reassigned to the Mungret St Paul's GAA Community Hall Extension and refurbishment programme.

Meanwhile, the 100,000 that was allocated to the construction of footpaths in Garryowen has been reassigned to Geraldines AFC to develop an all-weather astro pitch.

The facility will be available to St Patrick's boys and girls schools, Richmond RFC and St Patrick's GAA.
Education minister Norma Foley has blamed a U-turn on splitting two senior State examinations on concerns raised about the pandemics effect on students.

Paper 1 of both the English and Irish written exams had been due to be held at the end of fifth year while the remaining Leaving Certificate exams are to be held at the end of sixth year as usual.

The changes had been due to come into effect from September following an announcement made by Ms Foley last March.

However, documents obtained by the Irish language group Conradh na Gaeilge showed the State Examinations Commission had raised concerns that holding the English essay exercise any earlier than the end of sixth year would significantly disadvantage boys given they mature more slowly than girls.

The recommendations announced by the minister were based on an advisory report by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment, which recommended several Leaving Cert reforms, but did not include a recommendation to hold Paper 1 of English and Irish exams at the end of fifth year.

On Tuesday, the minister confirmed that students beginning fifth year in September this year will sit these exams at the end of sixth year, as had been the case in previous years.

Key concerns outlined included that, given the significant disruption that students who will enter fifth year this September have experienced to their education as a result of the pandemic, this change should be deferred rather than being implemented in the coming school year, she said.

Having reflected on the views provided by stakeholders, I have decided to defer the introduction of this planned change so that those entering fifth year this coming September will sit both of the papers in each of the subjects in Irish and English in sixth year.

In an interview on RTE, Ms Foley declined to clarify exactly where the policy originated.

The former teacher said the Leaving Cert applied programme already staggers exams over two years and that evidence had been heard repeatedly on the need to lessen the burden of assessment on students.

Despite those recommendations, Ms Foley said that as part of engagements, concerns have been raised about the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on students, particularly the current cohort of Transition Year (TY) students.

In terms of the paper ones at the end of fifth year for English and Irish, again, that was an interim measure distinct from Senior Cycle, she said.

I think there has been general agreement and consensus around the need to lessen the assessment load on students.

Weve heard this time and time again from the EU Committee on the rights of the child.

The Joint Committee on Education held a number of hearings and, again, consistently coming through the hearings there was the need to lessen the load in terms of assessment.

It has been brought to the fore by many of the partners in education in terms of the impact of Covid on the particular students, most notably the president TY students.

She added: Bearing in mind, I suppose, the wisdom from so many who were in the system recognising the need to spread the load of assessment, the step as an interim measure, as I say, distinct from Senior Cycle reform itself, but as the interim measure, (it) was proposed to move the paper ones  restructured, reimagined paper ones  at the end of fifth year.

Labour TD and education spokesperson Aodhan ORiordain welcomed the U-turn.

This decision will be met with huge relief by many students, particularly those who were set to face into the unknown in September, he said.

One thing is certain, the Leaving Cert as an examination format is in desperate need of reform. People desperately want change to the current way of doing things, but this change must be brought in over a phased basis, with students and school communities having a fair chance to adapt to changes in the curriculum or exam format.

Mr ORiordain said that he would also push the Government to provide for a citizens assembly on the future of education.

On Tuesday, Minister Foley also announced the development of the Senior Cycle Redevelopment Programme Delivery Board and the Senior Cycle Redevelopment Partners Forum.

The Senior Cycle Redevelopment Programme Delivery Board will have responsibility for overseeing the Senior Cycle redevelopment work and it will report regularly to the minister on its progress.

It will be chaired by Dr Harold Hislop, former chief inspector of the Department of Education.
A junior minister is seeking to make a statement to the Dail about a Limerick planning application he made in 2001.

Fianna Fail TD Niall Collins says he acted correctly but TDs have called on the junior education minister to answer further questions.

Speaking in the Dail, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said the TD wants to make a statement and has agreed to do so  though it is unclear when that will take place.

It follows allegations from The Ditch website about the application made by Mr Collins on the outskirts of Limerick city.

Fine Gael TD Damien English resigned from his junior ministerial role after the same site revealed he failed to disclose ownership of a Co Meath property during a 2008 planning bid.

Minister for Education Norma Foley joined other government figures in saying he had made information available.

Im sure he will have no difficulty whatsoever in answering any further questions that are put to him, the minister told RTE.

Mr Collins released a statement on Monday night saying he met the requirements for planning permission in the area.

In 2001, I applied to Limerick County Council for planning permission, in my own name, on lands owned by my father in Patrickswell, Co Limerick, he said in a statement.

At that time, I met the requirements for planning permission in the area  known as the pressure area. Separately the property I owned on the Father Russell Road in Dooradoyle, Limerick, was not in the pressure area.

In 2004, I was elected councillor to Limerick County Council and thereafter the council introduced a new planning policy in relation to housing need.

Tomorrow, I will request a copy of my planning application of 2001 from the council but I am satisfied that at all times I have acted correctly in my planning application and in my instruction to a planning agent in relation to the application on my behalf.

The false statements made about me by The Ditch website are currently being examined by my legal advisers, he said.
Irish premier Leo Varadkar has said that the EU had moved a lot to facilitate a deal to improve the Northern Ireland protocol, and that negotiations would be difficult to reopen.

Mr Varadkar stayed quiet on what would happen if the DUP were to reject the Windsor Framework, saying the party should be given time to study the text of what had been agreed.

He said the free flow of goods and people on the island of Ireland had been maintained and the EUs single market had been protected as part of the revised protocol.

What is different is that there will be no restrictions on trade when it comes to goods moving from Britain into Northern Ireland, or goods moving from Northern Ireland to Britain, he said on Monday .

Its a uniquely positive arrangement for Northern Ireland businesses in particular, that trade can flow freely back and forth from Britain to Northern Ireland, without any need for any checks or complications, provided those goods stay in Northern Ireland.

The Fine Gael leader also said that relations between the EU and UK had not been so positive for years, helped by UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and his team building up trust, and by negotiations being kept confidential.

The Taoiseach was speaking outside Government Buildings in Dublin as Mr Sunak defended his deal in the House of Commons, including in response to questions from some unionist MPs.

Irelands deputy leader said the EU-UK deal represented a genuine attempt to address key unionist concerns.

Foreign affairs minister Micheal Martin said the new EU-UK deal ensures that Northern Ireland benefits by having unique access to both the EU single market and the UKs internal market.

I heard first-hand the concerns of many unionists, he said in a statement after the Windsor Framework deal.

I believe they will see in this a genuine response to their genuine concerns.

This new framework will, for example, ensure that the same food will be available on supermarket shelves in Northern Ireland as in the rest of the UK.

Medicines will also be available to people in Northern Ireland at the same time and under the same conditions as the rest of the UK.

Mr Varadkar echoed these comments, saying: The European Union has moved a lot, moved a lot to facilitate a new agreement for Britain.

Brexit was a concept on paper before it happened, but the same was the case for the protocol.

Understanding how Brexit and the protocol affected trade movements in reality allowed us to understand better what aspects of it maybe werent necessary, and we were able to take some of those away.

Although he did not comment on whether further negotiations were possible, he said the deal was hard-won, took a huge amount of work on both sides to get to this point and, as always is the case, is something thats very, very hard to reopen.

Political parties in Northern Ireland said they would assess the text underpinning the agreement, in the wake of the announcement by Mr Sunak and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

The DUP said it would engage with the British Government to seek further clarification, reworking or change as required, while Sinn Fein will meet on Monday to discuss what has been agreed.

Sinn Fein president Mary Lou McDonald listed the Good Friday Agreement, no hardening of the border on the island of Ireland and continued access to the EU market as its priorities.

DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson said he would compare the deal against the partys seven tests.

Mr Martin urged a focus on restoring Northern Irelands powersharing institutions, saying it was clear the people of Northern Ireland wanted an Executive to be formed.

I appreciate that some time may be needed to consider the detail of the deal, but I would urge political leaders in Northern Ireland to act quickly, to put in place institutions that can respond directly to the needs of the people of Northern Ireland, he said.

Both Mr Martin and Mr Varadkar signalled that the deal could mark a turning point in the UKs relationship with both the EU and Ireland, which has been strained in recent years.

I cant remember a meeting of a UK prime minister and European Commission president that has gone so well in a very, very long time, long before Brexit, Mr Varadkar said.

So I can see the possibility there for a very good relationship between the UK and the European Union, a real economic and security partnership into the future.
Leading companies from Gulf states UAE and Bahrain have signed industrial agreements worth more than $2 billion with Egypt and Jordan at the third Higher Committee meeting of the Industrial Partnership for Sustainable Economic Development in Amman.

The meeting kicked off in the Jordanian capital in the presence of Dr Sultan bin Ahmed Al Jaber, UAE Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology and the UAE's special envoy for climate change; Abdulla Adel Fakhro, the Bahraini Minister of Industry and Commerce; Engineer Ahmed Samir Saleh, the Egyptian Minister of Industry and Trade of Egypt and Yousef Al Shamali, Jordanian Minister of Industry, Trade and Supply.

A total of 12 agreements were inked for 9 industrial projects which, inturn is expected to create approximately 13,000 job opportunities and boost national GDP in the partnering countries by more than $1.6 billion.

Jordans Prime Minister Dr Bisher Al Khasawneh attended the signing ceremony of the partnership agreements along with the industrial ministers from the four countries.

Al Khasawneh also met the ministers of the partner countries and stressed the importance of this partnership in strengthening bilateral relations and economic development, along with the importance of the industrial sectors role within participating countries.

Dr Al Jaber said: "We are keen on collaborating and complementing regional efforts to achieve integrated sustainable economic development. The UAE is committed to enhancing collaboration with member states to ensure we all benefit from each others competitive advantages and capabilities."

"This partnership is beginning to yield tangible results. It represents an exceptional model for industrial partnerships among private sector companies," stated the UAE minister.

"It is testament to our collective ability to plan, integrate, and progress towards achieving our objectives, all while we are still at the beginning of this fruitful partnership. We are confident that we will witness the development of many new projects in the future," he added.

Al Jaber called upon companies in the respective countries to enter into partnerships and put forward proposals for projects that benefit from the capabilities of these countries and from competitive advantages, resources, and expertise.

"As governments, our responsibility is to support these projects, enhance partnerships and provide the economic environment that enables their success," he added.

In his address, Fakhro said the partnership offered a real opportunity to increase the efficiency of supply chains through the integration of industries in the region, which is a pillar of Bahrain's industrial strategy.

"Bahrain has proposed more than 10 industrial projects with an estimated investment value of over $2 billion. These include mature projects and projects in their early stages. The locations of these factories vary, as we believe that all partner countries should benefit from them," he observed.

The minister also invited the partnership to hold its next meeting in 2023 in Bahrain.

Al Shamali pointed out that this was an integrated Arab effort directed by the highest political levels of the four countries.

"Since launching this partnership, we have witnessed a multi-faceted boom that heralds the start of a profound and sustainable transformation in the relations between our industrial sectors," he noted.

"The first aspect of this shift was reflected in the economic discourse adopted by officials and media, who highlighted the benefits that our countries will reap through pursuing industrial integration," he added.

In his address, Saleh underlined Egypt's commitment to enhancing multilateral efforts with the UAE, Jordan and Bahrain to boost industrial integration among Arab nations and support economic relations.

"The economic crisis the world is currently experiencing demonstrates the necessity of achieving industrial integration among Arab states. It is clear we must strengthen regional partnerships and include the private sector as a major partner in implementing sustainable development plans and helping the Arab region to prosper," he added.

"Recent geopolitical and economic challenges demand stronger bonds among Arab nations and more robust economic partnerships. These partnerships can help to enhance resilience against future crises as well as achieve self-sufficiency and sustainable economic development," he added.

Strategic industrial accords

The Egyptian company Soda Chemical Industries announced an investment of $500 million to produce sodium carbonate, soda ash, which is the main raw material in many industries, such as the glass and detergent sector. The facility will have a production capacity of 500,000 tons annually.

A MoU was signed for a strategic partnership with the Emirates Flat Glass Company, owned by Dubai Investments, to purchase the final product.

UAE-based automotive manufacturer M Glory Holding announced the launch of a large manufacturing project with an investment of $550 million. The project will establish three electric vehicle factories with specialized production and assembly lines in the UAE, Jordan and Egypt.
LIMERICK TD Niall Collins has said he met the requirements of a planning permission he sought more than 20 years ago.

It comes amid claims that the Fianna Fail deputy did not declare ownership on this application, and provided misleading information to the former Limerick County Council.

The Minister of State for Further and Higher Education says he is "satisfied" he acted correctly, and that statements provided by an initial story on The Ditch website were "false" and are being looked at by his legal team.

Under the terms of the Limerick County Development Plan in 1999, planning applicants, within 'pressure zones' had to demonstrate that they needed a house in the area.

Mr Collins has insisted that at the time he met the requirements for planning permission in the locality.

In a statement, issued through Fianna Fail, he outlined his stance on the situation.

The statement reads: "In 2001, I applied to Limerick County Council for planning permission, in my own name, on lands owned by my father in Patrickswell Co. Limerick. At that time I met the requirements for planning permission in the area  known as the pressure area. Separately the property I owned on the Fr. Russell Road in Dooradoyle Limerick was not in the pressure area'."

Mr Collins outlined that the council had introduced a new planning policy following his election to the local authority in 2004.

"I will request a copy of my planning application of 2001 from the Council but I am satisfied that at all times I have acted correctly in my planning application and in my instruction to a planning agent in relation to the application on my behalf," he said.

It's widely expected the issue will be raised by opposition parties in the Dail this Tuesday afternoon.
BMW is all set to launch three new cars in India in the next few months. The upcoming models include the second-generation BMW M2 and Z4 facelift, which are expected to be available by May, while the updated BMW X5 is slated to hit the roads by August 2023.

Here are the essential details about these upcoming BMW cars.

New BMW M2

The upcoming BMW M2 for the Indian market will be a fully imported unit. Under the hood, the coupe will be powered by a R6, 3.0L twin-turbo V6 engine mated to an 8-speed Steptronic transmission, which can also be paired with a 6-speed manual gearbox. This motor is capable of generating a maximum power output of 460bhp and 550Nm of torque.

This car will be available in five exterior color options, including Toronto Red, Alpine White, Black Sapphire, Zandvoort Blue, and Brooklyn Grey. Notable features of the vehicle include a Harman Kardon sound system, BMW Connected Package, power seats with memory function, Comfort Access System, wireless charging, adaptive LED headlights with high beam assist, and M light 19-inch front and 20-inch rear alloy wheels with a silver finish.

While many features will come as standard fitments, several optional equipment will also be available. The expected price of the 2023 BMW M2 in India is around 1 crore.

2023 BMW Z4 Facelift

The BMW Z4 facelift for 2023 will be available in a single M40i variant in India, fully loaded with features. The car is powered by a 3.0L inline-six engine, capable of producing 382bhp and 500Nm of torque. The engine will be paired with an 8-speed automatic transmission.

This car will come with seven exterior paint options and two interior options - Cognac or Magma red leather and Black. The standard feature kit of the updated Z4 includes an M leather-wrapped steering wheel, adaptive M suspension, M Sport differential, M Sport brake package, cruise control with braking, tyre pressure monitoring system, loudspeaker audio, BMW live cockpit, wireless charging, and more. The price of the car in India is estimated to be around 90 lakh.

2023 BMW X5 Facelift

The BMW X5 facelift will be launched in India in August 2023 and will feature minor updates to its exterior and interior design. While the SUV is offered with multiple powertrain options globally, the India-specific version will continue to use the existing petrol and diesel engines.

The new X5's cosmetic changes will take inspiration from the X7 SUV. The interior of the 2023 BMW X5 facelift will include a 12.3-inch instrument display and a 14.9-inch touchscreen infotainment system with the latest 8.0 iDrive operating system from BMW. The SUV will also come with the BMW Live Cockpit Plus system and a range of optional features, including a panoramic glass sunroof with LED illumination, a Bowers & Wilkins sound system, a HUD unit with augmented reality functionality, and more.
Small-cap firm Captain Polyplast Ltd operates in the industrial sector and has a market valuation of 92.95 Cr. The company, which has one of the strongest distribution networks and one of the highest-quality product lines in the micro irrigation sector, has generated strong earnings for the quarter and nine months ended 31 December 2022.

The firm announced its highest quarterly revenue ever, growing by 69% year-on-year to INR 74.5 Cr in Q3 FY23. The quarter's net profit rose by 6.6-fold to INR 2.5 Cr. Captain Polyplast said in a statement that the strong growth in topline was a result of increase in demand for micro irrigation systems from most of the states where it is active. The company further added that with the positive developments for the industry, it aims to report healthy revenue and profit growth in the upcoming quarters.

"Our impressive earnings for the last quarter are a testament to our company's resilience and ability to adapt to changing market conditions," said Mr. Ramesh Kichadia, Managing Director of Captain Polyplast Ltd. "We are immensely proud of our team's hard work and dedication, and we are grateful for their contributions to our success. As we move forward, we remain committed to our strategy of growth and innovation, and we look forward to continued success in the future."

With the purpose of encouraging farmers to use drip and sprinkler irrigation systems, the central government has granted funding under the PMKSY (Pradhan Mantri Krushi Sinchay Yojna) and Atal Bhujal Yojna initiatives. The micro irrigation sector is anticipated to benefit from budget allocations from different CSS (centrally sponsored schemes) and state government initiatives after several significant states have also declared an increase in funding for micro-irrigation.

As a pioneer in the field of micro irrigation, Captain Polyplast Ltd has more than 750 dealers across 16 states, the firm has a wide sales network for micro irrigation systems. The company involves production facilities in Rajkot (Gujarat) and Kurnool (Andhra Pradesh). The firm also offers solar EPC services, in addition to micro irrigation. The company's marketing and distribution network spans 16 Indian states and accounts for around 90% of the country's micro-irrigation market. CPL exports its products to the Middle East, South America, and Africa.

The shares of Captain Polyplast Ltd closed today on the BSE at 18.45 apiece level, down by 4.65% from the previous close of 19.35. In the last 1 year the stock has fallen 11.51% but on a YTD basis, it has gained 5.73% so far in 2023. The stock touched a 52-week-high of 22.40 (25/01/2023) and a 52-week-low of 14.65 (17/06/2022).
Godrej Industries has announced the appointment of Vishal Sharma as CEO-designate of its chemicals business effective 1 March 2023. As a part of the Leadership Team - Succession Planning, we are pleased to inform that we are announcing appointment of Mr. Vishal Sharma as the Chief Executive Officer- Designate" (CEO-Designate) of GILChemicals Business with effect from March 1, 2023," the company informed in an exchange filing on Monday.

Vishal Sharma will report to Nitin Nabar, Executive Director and President (Chemicals), Godrej Industries Limited.

Vishal Sharma will join Godrej from Ecolab Inc. where his previous role was as Senior Vice President of the India, Middle East and Africa (IMEA) region, based in Dubai since June 2020.

In this role, Vishal led Ecolabs strategy and operations in IMEA and was responsible for achieving record sales and profit growth in this region. Vishal proudly claims to be the chief cheerleader" for the teams that he leads. He was instrumental in building a world-class team, which is expected to lead the IMEA region towards its USD 1 billion revenue ambition in the next few years.

Prior to this, Vishal led Ecolabs Industrial business for Asia Pacific and was based in Singapore. He joined Ecolab in 2013 after 12 years at Diversey, Inc., where post joining as the National Sales Manager in India, he held management roles of increasing scope, the last of which was serving as Global Vice President - Hospitality, Healthcare, Commercial Laundry and Food Safety, based in Amsterdam.

Earlier in his career, Vishal also had a stint with GE (General Electric) in their Lighting business. Vishal sees his mission in life as making everything I touch better, and helping people be successful and happy" and is very passionate about sustainability. He has lived and operated across five continents, in both developed and developing markets, in operational as well as strategic roles over the last 27 years. Vishal has also led start-up businesses during his career and is credited with multiple transformational and scale-up initiatives.

Vishal has a Post-Graduate diploma in Management from IMDR Pune, and a Bachelors degree in Engineering from MIT Manipal in Mangalore.
NEW DELHI : Show cause notices for company law violations and other communication to managers and professionals will soon get more targeted and delivered only to verified emails in a move aimed at making compliance management more efficient.

Currently, although email notices are generated in the system, use of multiple email accounts and log-in credentials by managers and professionals make it difficult for the authorities to be certain whether a notice has been received by the person.

A host of statutory communications to directors, key managers and professionals will be sent to their verified emails once the ongoing revamp of its statutory filing portal, MCA21, is completed this year, said a person informed about the development.

This is facilitated by enhanced know your customer (KYC) requirements introduced in the new version of the portal. It allows only one email for a person to be linked to the individuals identification credentials such as permanent account number (PAN) or the director identification number (DIN) issued by the ministry of corporate affairs. These identification numbers are also verified at the time of logging into the ministrys statutory filing portal.

Version three of the MCA21 portal employs heightened security and authentication requirement. Once all the forms for statutory filings under Companies Actnearly 100 of themare migrated to the version three and the filings stabilize, a new module on compliance management will be rolled out. Then any intimation to be issued to professionals, directors or key managerial persons will be sent to the verified email of the person," said the person quoted above who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Earlier, professionals and company directors have used multiple email addresses to file their documents, often forgetting later which email they have used to access the portal. In many cases, notices were not received by them.

But in the version three, one can be certain that intimations and notices sent to the individuals by the registrars of companies (RoCs) and regional directors (RDs) will be received by them," said the person, adding that will be a major shot in the arm of regulators.

Also, even in the case of those who have incorporated a company that has subsequently been wound up, the individuals digital footprint captured in the system will be useful to regulators. Earlier, such persons used to go out of the radar, explained the person quoted above, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

An email sent to the spokesperson for the ministry of corporate affairs on Friday seeking comments for the story remained unanswered at the time of publishing.

Experts said that currently, efficacy of delivery of a notice to a person becomes doubtful in case of companies which have not been making timely disclosures and updating of records.
NEW DELHI : Vedanta Resources said in a statement that it was fully confident" that it would meet upcoming maturities for the quarter ending June 2023, despite concerns raised about its financials after Hindustan Zinc Ltds acquisition of Vedantas zinc assets got stuck due to the government opposition.

The company said it has pre-paid all of its maturities due till March 2023 and has deleveraged by $2 billion in the past 11 months. Thus, it has achieved half of its $4 billion 3-year debt reduction commitment in the first year, ahead of its plans for this fiscal.

Concerns were raised after HZLs $2.98 billion plan to acquire Vedanta Ltds zinc assets was opposed by the government, which owns 30% of HZL. Government officials want HZL to explore alternative strategies without using its cash reserve.

We would like the investors to note that Vedanta group operating companies, underpinned by strong operating profitability from diversified and low-cost tier-1 assets, are delivering healthy cash flows whilst maintaining disciplined capital allocation. During FY 2022, Vedanta Ltd delivered an Ebitda of $6.1 billion and free cash flow (pre capex) of $3.6 billion. Vedanta is fully confident of meeting its upcoming maturities in the quarter ending June 23," the company said.

The company added that they have multiple options for both refinancing as well as repayment through internal accruals. We are in the advanced stage to tie up required financing through a $1 billion fresh loan from a syndicate of banks. We are also close to finalize $750 million bilateral facilities with various relationship banks. The remaining liquidity requirements can be addressed internally," the company said.

The statement added that Vedanta Ltd, the Indian subsidiary of Vedanta Resources, does not have any pledge except 6.8% of HZLs shares.
Dharampal Satyapal Group Limited (DS Group), which sells Rajnigandha pan masala and FMCG products under its Catch brand, has announced its partnership with luxury Swiss chocolate brand Laderach to launch it in India.

The company said this is a strategic partnership to augment its presence in the confectionery segment and it will also mark its entry into the chocolate segment. The group also has luxury retail experience in brands like Le Marche, LOpera, Uncafe, and Les Petits. It has also been managing internationally luxury clothing and accessories brands like YSL, Tom Ford, Berluti etc in India.

The group is already an established player in the confectioneries space and makes products like Pulse, Chingles, Rajnigandha Silver Pearls, and Maze.

Rajiv Kumar, vice chairman of the group said, We are delighted to partner with them. Like us they are passionate about its heritage and understanding of flavours and consumer preference. It is an authentic Swiss family heritage spanning decades in pursuit of their passion and commitment to luxury chocolate. With our collective commitment to quality and innovation, we are ready take this brand to the consumers with its handcrafted chocolates.

Johannes Laderach, CEO of the chocolate brand said, We are very pleased to finally be able to present our freshly made chocolate on the Indian market. With us, two partners with high standards are now working towards a common goal."

Founded in 1962, Laderach, the company said in a statement is known for its recipes and makes artisanal chocolates. DS Group on the other hand, has also invested in the hotel space and has properties like Namah Resort in Jim Corbett. Its other hotel is in Nainital, The Manu Maharani, both of whom have recently tied up with Radisson Hotel Group.
Integrated Core Strategies (Asia) Pte on Tuesday bought shares of biopharmaceutical company Biocon for 185 crore through an open market transaction.

According to the bulk deal data available with the National Stock Exchange (NSE), Integrated Core Strategies (Asia) Pte purchased 80,61,599 shares at an average price of 229.26 each share. The aggregate deal value is 184.82 crore.

Kotak Special Situations Fund (KSSF) announced an investment of a RS 1,070 crore in Indian biopharmaceutical major, Biocon.

The Bangalore-based pharma company plans to utilise the proceeds for financing its subsidiary Biocon Biologics' acquisition of the biosimilars business of its partner Viatris to create a global vertically integrated biosimilars player.

Biocon reported a net loss of 42 crore for the quarter ended December 2022. This is against a profit of 187 crore in the year ago period, due to an exceptional item of 271 crore owing to Viatris deal-related expenses.

Biocon's revenue from operations climbed 35% to 2,941 crore in Q3FY23, compared with 2,174 crore a year ago same quarter.

On February 14, Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, Executive Chairperson, Biocon and Biocon Biologics in Q3 financial report said, "Q3 FY23 has been an eventful quarter which saw the completion of the global acquisition of our partnered Biosimilars business from Viatris on Nov 29, 2022. We are now implementing country-wise integration of the business to maximize the value of the combined entity to propel growth. Biosimilars as a business segment offers differentiated growth to Biocon Biologics based on vertical integration and a unique portfolio of Insulins and antibody-based immunotherapeutics. This quarter captures a fraction of the acquired business, but from Q4FY23 onwards, the financials will recognise the entire Biosimilars business."

On Tuesday, shares of Biocon closed 0.30% lower at 229 apiece on NSE.
Vedanta assured on Tuesday that it was in a comfortable position to meet debt maturing in April as well as the first quarter of the upcoming financial year. The remarks came amid growing concerns about Vedanta Resources ability to meet its financial obligations in the coming months.

A company spokesperson was quoted as telling CNBC-TV18 that there was no question of a default and dismissed risks of people selling shares. The spokesperson also told the publication that no holdings - except a 6.8% stake in Hindustan Zinc - was pledged.

Earlier this month Vedanta Resources said that it had slashed net debt by $2 billion in the last 11 months - from almost $10 billion to a little under $8 billion - and plans to whittle it down further.

There had also been reports last year that Anil Agarwal was mulling the idea of merging debt-laden Vedanta Resources with its cash-rich, Mumbai-listed unit, Vedanta Ltd. However this did not materialise.

Also read: Why Vedanta share price is nosediving  explained

S&P Global Ratings had recently raised doubts about the group's financial health, noting that its ability to meet obligations beyond September this year would depend on a planned $2 billion fundraising as well as the proposed sale of THL Zinc Ltd - a Vedanta Ltd unit that holds zinc assets in Africa.

Vedanta's plans to offload THL Zinc Ltd. Mauritius to Hindustan Zinc however hit a snag earlier this month with the Indian government balking at the proposal. The government holds a 29.54% stake in the company and has voiced valuation concerns over the plan to sell it for $2.98 billion.

New Delhi has urged the company to explore other cashless methods for acquisition of these assets" and threatened to explore legal avenues if Hindustan Zinc still decided to go ahead.

Also read: Govt may ask HZL to explore share swap, rights issues

S&P Global Ratings had stated that the company's credit ratings may "come under pressure" if it is unable to raise USD 2 billion and/or sell its international zinc assets.
MUMBAI : The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is examining the utilization of sanctioned bank loans by the Adani group to determine if the company is relying excessively on domestic lenders to fund its operations and expansion plans, a banker aware of the development said.

The banker said RBI supervisors overseeing some banks are even requesting Adani group loan data twice weekly, including sanctioned fund-based and non-fund-based limits and their utilization. Fund-based instruments include credit lines, while non-fund limits comprise bank guarantees and letters of credit.

Mint reported on Monday that RBI is closely monitoring Adanis bank loans.

RBI is looking very closely at whether the group is drawing more funds from banks. These are not fresh loans but are limits already sanctioned by lenders. The regulator has not said how long we have to keep submitting this data," the banker said.

He added that RBI wants to use it as a proxy for any imminent stress in the group that could affect the banking sector. An increase in the utilization of limits would mean that the companies are in need of more funds from local banks and not tapping other sources, the banker said.

On 3 February, citing a current assessment, RBI said that the banking sector remains resilient and stable, adding that banks are also in compliance with the large exposure framework guidelines issued by the RBI. Under RBIs large exposure framework, banks can lend up to 25% of their total tier 1 capital to a connected group of companies and 20% to a standalone entity.

Emails sent to spokespeople for RBI, the Adani group and its largest domestic lender State Bank of India (SBI), remained unanswered till press time. Meanwhile, reacting to a query before Mondays story on RBI monitoring Adani loans, a spokesperson for the group had said in an emailed response that it does not comment on speculation.

Bloomberg reported on Tuesday that the Adani group is not seeking to refinance the debt or inject capital, citing its chief financial officer Jugeshinder Singh. He spoke on the sidelines of a roadshow in Hong Kong, where he is attending investor meetings. A day earlier, it reported that senior Adani executives would present to investors a strategy that includes liquidity planning for the next three years, a roadmap for repaying or pre-paying maturities, among other plans. On 24 January, US-based short seller Hindenburg Research alleged accounting fraud and stock manipulation at its companies, allegations that the conglomerate has strongly denied.

Executives from the group have also reached out to domestic lenders, assuaging their concerns on the stock rout and informing them that the group has enough funds to repay on time. They also informed local banks that the group would not utilize additional loans from the sanctioned limits if lenders were not comfortable with it at the moment. So far, some banks have even seen their loan utilization levels to Adani companies drop. They will probably have to start using more loans and guarantees after a couple of months if they want to continue on their current growth path," said the banker cited above.

In a 26 January report, analysts at US-based investment banking and capital markets firm Jefferies said, over the past 5-6 years, the Adani group has diversified its borrowing mix and reduced the share of Indian banks (state-owned and private) in its borrowings from 86% in FY16 to 33% in FY22. According to Jefferies, debt to this group forms 0.5% of total loans. While SBI has an exposure of 27,000 crore to the group, Punjab National Bank is at 7,000 crore, Bank of Baroda is at 5,380 crore, and Axis Bank at 7,164 crore, according to official disclosures and management statements.
Edge entity, Halcon, a regional leader in the design and production of guided weapon systems, has reached a deal to develop and qualify Oerlikon Multi Sensor Unit (MSU), which is a remote controlled, rapidly deployable sensor unit.

The partnership is with Rheinmetall Air Defence in Switzerland, a leading manufacturer of state-of-the-art air defence and anti-aircraft systems and subsidiary of Rheinmetall.

The MSU is part of the Oerlikon Skynex Air Defence System, which includes Halcons Skynight counter rocket, artillery, and mortar (C-RAM) missile system.

Multi-layered approach

Hamad Al Marar, President of Missiles & Weapons, Edge, said: Adequate air defence needs an encompassing, multi-layered approach. Rheinmetall Air Defence, an international leader in the development of air defence systems, thoroughly understands this approach and it is reflected in the sophisticated Skynex Skynight Air Defence System. Halcon takes an active involvement in the systems development, having designed the Skynight Missile and Missile Launcher Unit, providing a critical layer of protection against saturation attacks.

We are proud to be taking the next step in our partnership with Rheinmetall Air Defence, as the development of the MSU will be another notable contribution from Halcon. Signing this contract marks an important milestone as we continue to push the boundaries in the air defence domain and find new ways to safeguard our skies.

Marco Parisi, Sales Director at Rheinmetall Air Defence, said: Rheinmetall Air Defence is excited to collaborate with Halcon for the development of this state-of-the-art sensor system. It shows both companies commitment to providing the UAE with leading edge Air Defence Systems. The Oerlikon Skynex Air Defence System paired with Halcon's SkyKnight Missile is the ideal solution for the protection of UAE's most vital infrastructure.

Array search radar

The MSU features a 4D active electronically scanned array search radar, covering 360 and is capable of automatically classifying detected targets and handing the generated tracks over to the most suitable gun or missile launcher autonomously or by the push of a button.

Development and qualification of the MSU will take place in Switzerland. Under a future contract, it will be initially produced in Switzerland and Italy, thereafter localised to enable production in the UAE.--TradeArabia News Service
New Delhi: Cloud kitchen operator Rebel Foods on Tuesday said it has entered a deal with Wendys to develop and expand the burger chains offline restaurants in India. The move marks an end to the chains erstwhile partnership with Sierra Nevada that held rights to expand the chains offline presence in the country.

To be sure, in 2020, Rebel Foods acquired the licence to exclusively develop Wendys cloud kitchens in India with a commitment to open approximately 250 such delivery-only kitchens across the country over a 10-year period.

Rebel Foods will now completely manage and operate the brands traditional restaurants across India. This expanded relationship will involve the acquisition of the exclusive master franchise rights for Wendys offline business in India and will continue the existing commitment to also develop approximately 150 traditional locations over the next decade.

In this expanded, new franchise commitment, Rebel will help the brand grow its restaurant model in India with digital expertise in delivery, automation, and innovation," Rebel Foods said in a statement announcing the news.

As part of the earlier 2020 agreement, Sierra Nevada, that has interests in the restaurant business, was mandated to operate 150 Wendys brick-and-mortar restaurants. The business has now been sold to Rebel Foods. We sold our Wendys restaurants to Rebel and are very happy with the deal," said Jasper Reid, managing director, Sierra Nevada.

Traditional restaurants typically include brick-and-mortar locations with a full menu for dine-in consumption, with or without a drive-thru.

Currently, Wendys is present in 19 cities across India with approximately 90 locations, which includes three traditional Wendys restaurants in India which Rebel Foods is operating.

Abigail Pringle, president, international and chief development officer, The Wendys Company said that India is a strategic and high-growth potential market for the burger chain. We are thrilled that Rebel Foods is expanding its franchise commitment to accelerate Wendys footprint across the country with a mix of traditional restaurant expansion and digital innovation via cloud kitchens," Pringle said. Wendys and its franchisees operate approximately 7,000 restaurants worldwide.

Burgers will continue to be the big bite of 2023, and a big part of the food missions we achieve and own, said Sagar Kochhar, co-founder, Rebel Foods.

With this collaboration, not only will Rebel Foods continue to retain our position as the worlds largest internet restaurant company, but we will also be the only cloud kitchen player in India to scale a large global QSR brand through the development of traditional restaurants and cloud kitchens in a super-fast and Capex-light manner, driven by technology and unique business model," he said.

Rebel Foods operates food brands such as Faasos, Behrouz Biryani, Ovenstory Pizza, Mandarin Oak, The Good Bowl, Slay Coffee via 450 kitchens in over 70 cities.
New Delhi: Medimix soap maker Cholayil Private Ltd on Tuesday announced the appointment of Anupam Katheriya as the companys new chief executive officer. Katheriya comes with over two decades of experience in the consumer goods industry having worked across packaged consumer goods companies such as Heinz, Nestle, and Emami.

At Kerala-based Cholayil, Katheriya will be spearheading growth and diversification plans of the company across its portfolio of brands.

Cholayil Pvt sells brands such as Medimix soap, Cuticura talcum power, Krishna Thulasi, among others. Apart from soaps, the company is present in categories including face wash, body wash, body lotion, talc, and deodorant.

Katheriyas appointment is aimed at achieving a 1,000 crore in turnover over the next four to five years.

We at Cholayil have always focused on building teams that bring in fresh perspectives and help us push the envelope of how we think about our business today from a family run business to a professional one. We welcome Anupam onboard to lead Cholayil and our illustrious portfolio of diverse brands," said Pradeep Cholayil, Chairman and Managing Director, Cholayil Private Limited.

Katheriya will help the company grow its omni-channel brand presence.

We aspire to achieve a 1,000 crore turnover in the near term for which we are investing in our brands, people, processes and infrastructure. Anupam will enable the growth by identifying the right financial sources and lead business transformation," Cholayil said.

Katheriya is an alumnus of IIM Ahmedabad and Delhi College of Engineering.

Cholayil has strong equity and base in Ayurvedic and natural products and has potential to scale-up as we contemporize our offering further and reach out to newer segments," Katheriya said.

Cholayils products are sold in over 35 countries. The company has a manufacturing joint venture in Kenya.
Tata Power needs to have a mix of regulated and non-regulated business, said Praveer Sinha, managing director and chief executive officer Tata Power Co, in an interview. The company pulled off a major feat by turning around the four Odisha discoms through public-private partnerships, and is now eyeing more opportunities in this segment, he said. Edited excerpts :

The government expects power demand to go up. The power ministry could invoke section 11 of Electricity Act, to direct thermal power generators, using imported coal, to operate at full capacity between 16 March to 15 June. Will it help meet peak power demand this summer?

In the last two years, the demand for power has gone up tremendously after the pandemic. Earlier, in summers we would see consumption of 170-180 GW and in the winters about 150GW. Last summer, it was at 210GW and this winter, it was up to 206GW. In winters, we never crossed 160GW earlier. So, this summer the projected consumption is 229 GW, but I think it will possibly be more than 229GW at peak power requirement. And that means 10% growth, which is very rare globally.

One can attribute it to a lot of industrial activity, and in manufacturing that missed out during covid, commercial activity including offices and shopping malls. There is also a lot of residential consumption taking place and we also see the full impact of the governments efforts to electrifying villages.

Globally, power consumption goes up by 1-2% and in India we used to grow 3-5% in different parts of the country. This year and last year, we find that the scope is much higher here, especially in the summer months. Thats why to take care of this requirement, Section 11 is imposed to ensure that not only all existing domestic coal-based and gas-based plants and renewables, but also many coal-based plants that were struggling to operate because of high cost of international coal, may be able to operate and get pass through of the coal cost because in the overall basket it will not be a very large amount in terms of tariff increase.

What is the capacity utilization of the Mundra power plant?

When we ran Mundra from May-December 2022, we ran it at 85% capacity, that was also Section 11. But currently we are not operating the plant.

So, in that sense Section 11 will help restart Mundra thermal power plant and allow you to earn revenues from it?

Absolutely. So, the whole purpose of section 11 is that it should become cost reflective and whatever is the actual cost of coal and shipping and unloading and insurance, we will get a deal to that extent.

Tata Power saw a major makeover by transitioning from a pure-bred utility company to becoming more consumer centric. Investors acknowledged this as well with the re-rating of the company. Can you elaborate on the future course of expansion?

We need to have a mix of regulated and non-regulated businesses. Earlier, most of our business used to be a regulated business but now we are trying to have a good division between the two. Regulated business are the long-term power purchase agreements. We have the distribution business, which is again, a very regulated business, where you get a return on equity on the capital invested and certain incentives if you perform better than the benchmark. So, what we said is that we will do both types of business because both of them have their benefits and it insulates us and de-risks us from some of the market challenges that we face.

We looked at our distribution business, we have done very well in Delhi, where we had brought down the losses from 53% to now less than 7%. And we said that based on our experience and our domain knowledge, can we do this in other places. We went to Odisha, and we took all four DISCOMS. Delhi was less than 2 million customers, Odissa has more than 9 million. So, in one go we went to Odissa during covid period, but we were able to make a huge transformation. It also benefited the state, and the government is able to demonstrate how a public private partnership is able to give better results to the people of this state. The losses they were incurring have virtually been eliminated. For us, for the work we do, we get a return on equity and incentives.

I think its an arrangement which has benefited everyone. Having said that, we have proven ourselves in Odissa because everyone said that Delhi is an urban experience, and it will be difficult to replicate in rural areas. Now, we have demonstrated in a rural ecosystem also. And based on that experience, we now feel confident that we can go to any state in India. Now that there is a lot of discussion that is happening de-licensing distribution, theres a lot of talk going on in multiple supply licensees and we feel we can go to a large number of cities. Weve identified 50-odd cities we will go to and will pitch for multiple licences. Thats the nature of work we are looking at. It will be one of our biggest growth areas.

Whats your outlook for the transmission and renewables businesses?

In between, we were not doing a lot of transmission projects. Now we are going into many transmission projects which will be set up for renewable power generation in certain pockets where you have high solar intensity and then bring it to the other parts of India in terms of providing the availability of energy indoors. We will put all the renewables into one specific special purpose vehicle, and will be working right across from manufacturing to EPCs third party to large utility scale from solar plants.

And over the last few years, we have increased from a very small capacity to 4000 megawatts of operating assets today. And theres another 300,000 megawatts which is under different stages of construction. So, these become 7000 megawatts in the next maybe 12 to 18 months time on a staggered basis. So, I think there is a huge demand and opportunity that we see in renewable space.

Q6. Can you elaborate on Tata Powers plans on the manufacturing side?

We have this manufacturing unit for cells and modules of about 500 odd megawatts and 500 megawatts respectively. Now, we are adding another four giga watt so 4000 megawatts of cell and 4000 megawatt of module manufacturing at our new facility in Tamil Nadu, which will become operational in this calendar year. So, I think you will see a huge amount of growth that will happen in renewable in each of these utility scale, third party PC, manufacturing, rooftop solar, solar pumps and then some of the new business-like EV charging.

In terms of EV charging, we are the biggest in the country and have more than 50% of the market share. So again, we will have a leadership role in many of these.

Q7) Is it time to decouple some of the businesses as they are reaching a scale? Your peer has done it, by having a separate transmission entity and for its renewable business?

Ans- Let us bring in more scale, right now it is too premature. Let us have the benefit of synergy of one single entity and leverage the strength of it. Our cross learning within the company is helping us to achieve much better performance and have the flexibility of bringing people, practices processes from one business to another. Today we have having seven gigawatts of renewables, So we need to bring it to scale maybe 15 or 20 GW. Similarly in renewable and distribution. We have 12 million customers, maybe 50 million customers is a good scale. I think what is important is for us to first build solid businesses, scale it up and then look at it in any other way.

Q8) But Tata Power is growing fast and set ambitious targets. You plan to grow five times the current capacity in the next 3-4 years. But are high multiples that Utility businesses are given justified?

Ans- We were not even 2.5 million customers and in one go, we added 9.5 million customers So we became about 13 million customers. So, nothing prevents you from growing. We did this during covid year where everyone said how can you grow in this year and take a new distribution company? We were working in Delhi; the area was 510 square kilometers. The whole Delhi area is 1500 square kilometers we went to Odissa which is 150,000 square kilometers. So, can there be a much bigger growth than this? Wherever there is a good opportunity, we will grow.

Q9) Would you look at assets like D.B Power, which have returned to the selling block?

Ans-I have not seen the details. Let me get it examined.

q10) With the main suitor no longer keen on PTC, is this an opportunity for Tata Power?

Ans- We keep examining various companies based on what is their business model, what is the intrinsic value, what area of business and does it have value with us in terms of our growth plan. So, if there is something which has value that means our growth plan, objective those are the type of things we look at.

Q11) Is Tata Power looking at divesting businesses?

We divested PT Arutmin nearly six years ago. Weve got about $ 400 million and $40 million should accrue this month. We divested our shipping business, and our business in South Africa. We will divest some of the other investments outside India like in Zambia and Georgia. The whole objective of divestment is that we should get better value for investment for our shareholders.

Q12) Is there any plan to maybe park the EV charging business with the Tata Motors company?

Ans-EV charging is a business that is being developed by Tata Power. Charging is a standalone thing. It caters primarily to Tata Motors because Tata Motors has more than 80% market share, but other vehicles can also charge. Its agnostic of the make of the vehicle. And to that extent, its a very good fit for Tata Power to be in this business.

Q13) Power firms are the target of many cyber-attacks. How are you improving your companys protection against them?

Ans-We have a state of the art, strong cybersecurity system, and we keep on upgrading it. So we keep on adding new types of preventive measures to take care of any cyber-attack.

Q14) In your renewables business, you have divested a 10% stake to BlackRock and Mubadala. Looking at your plans of scaling up, is a second or third round of funding in the offing?

Ans-So I think the purpose was that at least for next 2-3years, we should have enough money and that is why we divested 10% stake. So, for us, it is now important that we demonstrate that first and implement what we have to do in next 2-3 years and then decide what should be the next step. So, at this stage, we need to implement what we had planned and for which we have got a partner.

satish.john@livemint.com
NEW DELHI : India and the Republic of Lithuania on Tuesday agreed to work in the areas of deep tech startups and also forge lasting ties in manufacturing of semiconductor chips, the Ministry of Science & Technology said.

A high-level Lithuanian delegation led by its Vice-Minister of the Economy and Innovation, Karolis Zemaitis called on Union Minister Jitendra Singh in North Block and discussed ways and means to revive the 2010 Agreement in the area of Science and Technology.

Responding to the keen interest of Jitendra Singh to give a further fillip to Start-Up culture to create more job opportunities and wealth creation, Karolis Zemaitis assured the Indian Minister that Lithuania has robust know-how and capacities in life sciences, biotechnology and other STEM areas and keen to have cooperation between the two countries in high tech Start-Ups.

Jitendra Singh said, India has made rapid advances in the last 9 years under Prime Minister Narendra Modi in areas of Science, Technology and Innovation and conveyed to the Lithuanian side that India is ready to extend all help to its age-old partner.

He said, apart from rapid and globally recognized achievements in Space, the Biotech laurels in terms of 4 Indigenous Vaccines of COVID is before the world.

India has supplied over 723 lakh doses of COVID-19 vaccine to 94 countries and also shared the COWIN app for efficient vaccine delivery," Singh added.

The Lithuanian minister mentioned that a global MNC from his country, Teltonika" is working with Taiwan for manufacturing of sophisticated chips and the company has a presence in India also and can take collaboration of chip making to a new height in years to come.

The Department of Science & Technology through MEA has been negotiating a Science & Technology Agreement with the Government of Lithuania since 2010.

In April 2010, a revised Indian counter draft incorporating few minor modifications was formally submitted to the Lithuanian side. Formal response of the Lithuanian side is still awaited. Copy of the last version may be handed over to the Lithuanian Vice Minister.
Driven by a strong jump in coal, electricity and fertilizer production, core sector output nearly doubled in January compared with the previous year, data released by the commerce ministry showed on Tuesday.

Barring crude oil, all sectors recorded growth in January. The core sector industries grew at 7.8% compared with 4% in January 2022. Electricity and coal production registered strong growth of 13.4% and 12% respectively. Core sector growth was 6.6% in September.

Strong growth in coal and electricity is indicative of increasing industrial activity and higher power demand shows high growth in the services sector, economists said.

Fertilizer production surged the highest at 17.9%, compared with negative 2% growth last year.

Normally, at this time, you dont require fertilizers as the crops are not sown at this point. Its more a case of trying to replenish the inventory which has been used up during the last few months," said Madan Sabnavis, chief economist, Bank of Baroda.

Its used for non-traditional crops like horticulture. Main crops are in their phase of harvest. So, there wont be further demand coming from farmers. Sowing will only start in June and typically, this number should also taper down," he added.

To be sure, the growth rate of eight infrastructure sectorscoal, crude oil, natural gas, refinery products, fertilizers, steel, cement and electricity slid to 7.9% in the first three quarters (April-January) from 11.6% during the same period in the last fiscal.

Economists said refined petroleum products continued growing, at 4.5% against 3.7% last year, driven by strong exports as well as domestic demand. Petroleum exports have been rising ever since India began importing subsidized oil from Russia in the backdrop of the Ukraine war.

Exports of petroleum products between April to December last year jumped a massive 52.15% to $70.28 billion compared with $46.19 billion during the previous year.

The share of Russian crude in the Indian crude basket in 2021 was only around 2.2%. But as Indias imports of Russian oil climbed to a record 1.4 million barrels per day (bpd) in January, this proportion has now ballooned to over 25%.
Spring flowers are in full bloom but for those living in north India, it already feels like summer. And if we are to go by the predictions of private weather forecaster Skymet, the months of April, May and June will be searing"; the mercury could shoot up to record levels".

Spare a thought for several towns and cities where people may not be able to switch on their air conditioners all the time. Bhuj, Morbi and Anjar, along with other towns in Gujarat, for instance, are already encountering long hours of power cuts. The reason: state run power distribution companies, or discoms, have cut off the power supply since municipalities are yet to pay their dues.

This is unusual if not unprecedented in a country where supply or the cost of electricity is a political hot potato that can make or break electoral fortunes.

Cutting supply is always the last option. We have given many reminders and enough time for the municipalities to pay up," said an official with one of the discom companies who didnt want to be identified. Gujarat has four state-owned discom companies.

This may seem like an obvious thing to do in a business transaction but when it comes to the power sector in India, it is anything but that. Exercising this last option is the result of a domino effect from a policy change effected more than six months ago.

Before one can switch on the air conditioner, the television, or the geyser, the electricity passes through a web of wires across many entities. Electricity is generated at a power plant run by a power generation company, or genco, such as NTPC Ltd, where the primary fuel could be coal, water, wind, solar or nuclear. The job of transporting this electricity to our homes falls on the Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd (to facilitate inter-state movement of power) and the discoms. They lay a mesh of high-tension overhead wires the ones you see on large farms, trans- formers and substations.

Some of the electricity gets lost in transit, which is referred to as transmission loss, and is borne by the discom. But then, that is just one hit such companies take. Non-payment of dues by the municipalities, like in the case of Gujarat, is another woe. Perennially debt-ridden and loss making, many discoms cant make their payments to the gencos.

The policy change we are talking about wants to break this cycle.

The central government, in June 2022, issued the late payment surcharge (LPS) rules. For the first time, gencos could cut the supply to defaulting discomsif they failed to pay within two-and-a-half months from the date bills are raised.

This was not a hollow threat. In August, last year, 27 discoms across 13 states were barred from buying or selling electricity in power exchanges due to non-payment of dues to gencos. The 13 defaulting states were Madhya Pradesh, Telangana, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Jharkhand, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jammu and Kashmir, Manipur and Mizoram.

What followed was a mad scramble to pay up. Soon enough, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Jharkhand, Bihar, Manipur and Chhattisgarh saw their names struck off after they cleared their pending dues. Others followed suit.

The message had been sent; the head- master wont budge any longer. The total outstanding dues owed by discoms to gencos is down 46% between June 2022 and February 2023 to 71,755 crore.

They havent completely sobered up. But it has brought some financial discipline to discoms and the payment owed to gencos in the last few months has come down. It is a positive development," said Vibhuti Garg, director, South Asia, Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA).

The ability of the government to implement and provide a strong warning via this mechanism will raise alarms in the minds of discoms. How much they will be able to sustain while reeling under heavy debt will have to be monitored," said Hetal Gandhi, director- research, Crisil Market Intelligence and Analytics.

However, such green shoots had sprouted before. In the last two decades, governments tried at least five bailout packagesthree in the last decade alone hoping for a turnaround. And each time, the discoms have flattered to deceive as dues shot up after the first few years.

Will it be any different this time?

View Full Image (Graphics: Mint)

The carrot

The LPS is the latest in the governments two-pronged carrot and stick policy.

The carrot came in fiscal 2021 with a 1.35 trillion bailout package for discoms. A bigger carrot was the 3.04 trillion revamped distribution sector scheme in July 2021, which aims to reduce the aggregate technical and commercial (AT&C) lossesrepresentative of power theft, inefficiencies in billing and collectionto pan-India levels of 12-15% from over 22% in fiscal 2021.

Right now, the cost of power for a discom is higher than the price at which it sells to the consumer. The scheme, therefore, also aims to close this gap to zero by 2024-25.

Other steps were also taken. In September 2021, the ministry of power tightened lending norms. To avail funding, loss making discoms now need to draw up an action plan for reducing losses within a specific timeframe and get their state governments commitment. Then, in October 2021, mandatory energy accounting and auditing was introduced for all discoms.

The government, meanwhile, has approved project reports from 13 states, aggregating to 1.62 trillion as part of the scheme. More than half of this amount will be given as grants for installation of smart meters to improve billing and collecting efficiencysmart meters can ensure better recording of power flows.

Smart meters will bring incremental benefits but it does not really address the main problem in the sector. I do not wish to downplay it but you can only achieve so much with improving billing and collection efficiencies," said Garg of IEEFA.

The Elephant in the...

The elephant in the room, which none of the bailout packages have addressed so far, is the inability of discoms to raise tariffs for consumers.

Unlike other commodities or services, the household electricity bill isnt revised annually. In most states, tariffs are not revised for years on end and any attempt at an increase is met with widespread protests. The Uttar Pradesh government, for instance, recently announced a proposal to hike tariffs by 18-23% for 2023-24the first hike in four years. Industries in Noida and Ghaziabad were immediately up in arms.

With electoral dividends in mind, state governments, often, reverse the course. Discoms are handicapped as state governments do not allow them to raise tariffs. That is where the rot begins," said Vikram V, vice president and sector head, corporate ratings, ICRA Ltd, a rating agency.

While the cost of power keeps fluctuating, it is not adequately passed on to the consumer. Their own inefficiencies in billing and collection, and the inability to check theft makes it worse."

States also want discoms to keep the tariff for residential and agricultural consumers very low, promising to subsidize their losses. However, the subsidies are typically not released on time. This adds to the interest burden.

In some cases, subsidies are delayed by months and it balloons. Mind you, we are not operationally profitable either. So, it is an addition to our loss and not a reduction in profit, which we could still live with," said the managing director of a discom on condition of anonymity.

As of 31 March 2022, state governments owed discoms 1.39 trillion, data sourced from the ministry of power shows. Of this, 76,337 crore are in unpaid subsidies.

The end result? An adverse impact on everyone, from power producers to consumers. While gencos do not get their dues on time, which leads to financial stress, consumers do not get the uninterrupted power supply they deserve.

On the one hand, you have the user consuming only 1,200 units a year when he should be consuming twice that amount. And you have the gencos, with 500 GW (gigawatt) of installed capacity, supplying only a peak of 220-250 GW," said Pratik Agarwal, managing director, Sterlite Power Transmission Ltd, a power transmission solutions company. So, you have an eager consumer wanting more and an eager generator wanting to supply more but a broken discom in the middle which is not able to facilitate this."

Milking the rich

There is also the issue of cross subsidies where states milk their industrial consumersthe factories and commercial establishmentsto offset the losses they incur on subsidies to sections such as farms. It has reached a point where it has become untenable, experts said.

It is affecting our competitiveness on a global scale," said Agarwal of Sterlite Power. This needs correction or our manufacturing sector will begin to flounder. How do you compete with China at such high cost?"

It also does a disservice to the profiling of discomssomething that shows up in the audits. Discoms that are rated as good performers based on financial and technical efficiency parameters have more commercial and industrial consumers than agricultural and household consumers. Gujarat discoms that are resorting to load shedding today, are rated A+ by rating agencies, indicating very high operational and performance capability.

The ratings, however, do not capture differences in demand profile. Domestic load is less than 15% in Gujarat. Industrial loadthat carries the highest tariffis nearly 60% in Gujarat and just 15% in Bihar whose discoms are rated C+, just a notch above C. A rating of C indicates very low operational and performance capability.

Hope springs in the East

After a three-year process, the government of Odisha became the first state in the country to privatize all four discoms in the state in 2020. The move is being keenly watched as a stress test for privatization, touted as the only solution to the financial distress in the sector. The signs are encouraging. All the four have shown a marked improvement in financial performance.

In the past, privatization has successfully worked in urban centres like Delhi, Mumbai, Ahmedabad and Kolkata but there was always a question mark on whether it would work in a large state with significant rural population whose ability to pay for power is significantly lower. What worked? Bidders in Odisha were given a 10-year tariff trajectory and ATC loss was clearly specified. The private discom who won the bid, Tata Power, know the targets.

There are success stories from abroad. Brazil, a country with a federal structure similar to India, is cited as an example. Electricity in the country is a concurrent subject. Their discoms went broke every few years but, in the 90s, privatization kicked in.

All the Brazilian discoms are solvent and profit making, delivering high quality electricity," said Agarwal of Sterlite Power. You can either bite the bullet and prevent these companies from dying by changing their ownership or open the market for more competition."

Yet, privatization will be no silver bullet if state governments are not obliging on tariff revisions. In Delhi, for example, discoms claim that successive state governments havent cleared their dues, for well over a decade. The cumulative dues, according to the discoms, total 25,000 crore.

It is a concern as it spoils our balance sheet and shakes our confidence for investments in the future," said the chief executive of a power distribution company who didnt want to be identified.

Call it freebie or revdi, it is not sweet for us," rued a discom official from UP, talking about political parties making free electricity an election agenda. It is a dangerous trend and will push us deeper in the red. Even private discoms wont be able to manage this."
JM Financial has initiated coverage on Adani Ports with a buy rating and a target price of 800 - about 35% jump from the current market price of 591. This comes after the recent controversy around Gatam Adani and Adani Group of companies when US-based Hindenburg Research alleged the group of fraud and malpractices.

Adani Ports and SEZ (APSEZ), which has 13 ports across India with >600 million tonnes (mnt) total capacity, has demonstrated its ability to successfully construct /acquire assets in India and create significant value for stakeholders, said JM Financial in a report.

The share price of Adani Ports closed at 590 on February 28 as compared to the previous close of 562 - up 5%. The stock opened at 562.05, hit an intraday high of 614.60 and intraday low of 552.

Meanwhile, Jefferies also has a buy rating on the stock with a target price of 800 in a base case scenario. The brokerage expects the company's consolidated volume CAGR over FY22-25E to come in at 14%; 13x EV/EBITDA Sept'24E. The gradual monetization of SEZ is also expected over 20 years.

On the back of aggressive expansion in logistics (container/bulk/ warehousing), APSEZ is transforming into Indias largest integrated transport utility, providing end-to-end logistics solutions to its enormous customer base," the JM Financial report said.

Mundra's market share gain success story should be replicated across the acquired ports. Material inter-corporate deposits should not be seen in the medium term. Working capital and operating leverage should continue to improve P&L growth and balance sheet strength," said Jefferies report.

APSEZ has delivered supreme market share gains in India in the past decade (10ppt+ in overall share; 16ppt+ in container cargo) and is expected to sustain that in future with organic and inorganic growth, said JM Financial.

We initiate coverage on APSEZ with a BUY rating and a SoTP-based Mar24 TP of INR 800. We estimate CMP implies zero value being assigned to 5 ports (constitute c.30% of total capacity). Key risks: Any significant slowdown in India and adverse developments in group companies."

On January 25, Hindenburg Research posted a report alleging Adani of fraud and said that it holds short positions in the company stocks. The 10 stocks from the group have been very volatile since then. The company has taken many steps to fight out the research firm, and soothe the investors.

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
Vedanta share price has been nosediving for last four straight sessions. Vedanta share price today opened lower on fourth day in a row and hit intraday low of 261.95 apiece on NSE, logging around 13.50 per cent dip in this time. According to stock market experts, Vedanta shares are under sell off pressure due to negative sentiments after the road block in its acquisition of state-owned Hindustan Zinc and sharp rise in US dollar that led to depreciation of Vedanta bond yield to 'junk' levels. They said that Vedanta stocks may continue to go downwards as the metal stock has given breakdown at 280 and now it has support placed at 240 to 230 zone.

Speaking on the fundamental reasons that led to sharp selling in Vedanta shares, Saurabh Jain, Vice President  Research at SMC Global Securities said, "Market mood was already negative in regard to Vedanta after the Government of India (GoI) opposing the Vedanta offer to acquire government stake in Hindustan Zinc Ltd for $2.98 billion. Then after, its bond yield has depreciated to the tune of more than 30 per cent that had led Vedanta bonds in junk category. So, the company is facing repayment crisis due to fall in Vedanta bond yield in global markets."

Saurabh Jain of SMC Global went on to add that Vedanta is facing debt repayment challenge as well. He said that Vedanta Ltd has to pay $1.2 billion due by H2FY23, $4.1 billion due by FY24, $3.9 billion due by FY25 and $4.7 billion due by FY26.

On why Vedanta bond yield has gone down, Anuj Gupta, Vice President  Research at IIFL Securities said, "Due to steep rise in US dollar rate in forex market, Vedanta bond yield has gone down. On chart pattern, Vedanta shares have given breakdown at 280 levels and it may continue to remain under sell off heat for few more sessions as US dollar is expected to remain strong in near term. We may see Vedanta share price to come down to the tune of 240 to 230 apiece zone. Hence, those who have Vedanta shares in their stock portfolio, they are advised to maintain stop loss below 230 whereas fresh investors are advised to look at other metal stocks like Tata Steel or JSW Steel. "

Anuj Gupta of IIFL Securities went on to add that as of 31st December 2022, around 99.99 per cent of promoters' share in Vedanta has been pledged and hence it is a big challenge for the company to generate an additional money to meet its financial requirement arising in near future.

Hindustan Zinc share price has also descended more than 2.50 per cent in early morning deals on Tuesday. The metal PSU stock has slipped over 6 per cent in last two trade sessions.

Disclaimer: The views and recommendations made above are those of individual analysts or broking companies, and not of Mint. We advise investors to check with certified experts before taking any investment decisions.
I live in Mumbai and have properties in both Mumbai and Bangalore. Recently, I sold one of these and bought a property in Goa to take care of the capital gains on sale of property. My son is a joint owner of the Goa property. I also have assets such as shares, bank deposits, jewellery, etc. How do I make a will for my various assets? Do I need to make multiple wills for different states?

Name withheld on request

As per your query, we assume that your father is a Hindu and his properties are self-earned/ self- created. Further, these properties are not ancestral in nature. Also, we assume that there is no right or interest of any other person in the property and that the same were held only by him.

As per the laws in India, you can make a single will to dispose of your assets located in different states. However, the will must comply with the laws of each state where your assets are located

To make a will for your various assets, you can follow these steps:

List your assets: Make a comprehensive list of all your assets, including properties, shares, bank accounts, jewelry, etc. and their respective locations. Remember to mention about the details of the ongoing loans on the property (if applicable).

The beneficiaries: Decide who you want to inherit your assets and in what proportion. You can also name alternate beneficiaries in case the primary beneficiaries predecease you.

Appoint an executor: An executor is responsible for carrying out your wishes as mentioned in your will. You can appoint a trusted family member, friend, or a professional executor to ensure that your wishes are fulfilled.

The will: You can draft the will yourself or seek the help of a lawyer. The will must be signed by you in the presence of two witnesses. The witnesses should also sign the will, certifying that you have signed it in their presence. You should remember the date of execution on the will.

Safety: Once the will is executed, keep it in a safe place and inform your family members and executor where it is kept.

Remember to update your will periodically to reflect changes in your assets, beneficiaries, or other circumstances

Neha Pathak is head of trust & estate planning, Motilal Oswal Private Wealth
New Delhi: Sarvatra Technologies Ltd.,a payments technology provider, has announced a collaboration with ICICI Bank, IDFC First Bank and Pine Labs Private Limited, to facilitate payments via Unified Payments Interface (UPI) for G20 travellers while they are in India. With this, Sarvatra Technologies becomes the first payments provider in India to enable three out of the four entities selected by the Reserve Bank of India to launch the UPI payments facility to foreign travellers, said the firm.

ICICI Bank, IDFC First Bank and Pine Labs Private Limited are being powered by Sarvatra Technologies to issue UPI linked wallets to eligible travellers at select international airports (Bengaluru, Mumbai and New Delhi) and meeting venues. The collaboration will enable foreign visitors from G20 countries to make payments at over five crore merchant outlets across India, that accept QR Code-based UPI payments.

Upon completion of full KYC, UPI linked wallets will be issued to the travellers coming to India.The customer would need to download the app of these entities. After downloading the app, they can sign in to use the rupee-denominated UPI linked wallets to pay at merchant and retail outlets via scanning of UPI QR codes. On departure, the balance can be encashed at the airport counters, said the firm.

Mandar Agashe, Founder & MD, Sarvatra Technologies, said, This collaboration has further strengthened Sarvatras leadership in the UPI ecosystem. UPI has already emerged as the country's leading mode of payment. Now, it is an opportune time to showcase the payments prowess of India to an international audience at a global event. The key decision makers from across the world can experience the UPI product by using it in-person. Further to our integration with ICICI Bank, IDFC First Bank, Pine labs, we are looking to further revolutionize the payments ecosystem."

Earlier this month,the RBI had announced that all international travellers visiting India will be able to make local payments using Unified Payments Interface (UPI) while they are in the country. The central bank also updated its Master Directions on PPIs to facilitate this.

After receiving the mandate from RBI, Sarvatra Technologies finished the integration of services with the three entities in a record time of two weeks.

Sarvatra Technologies provides UPI platform to more than 200 banks in India. Its UPI switch for ICICI Bank has been top ranking solution on various parameters. Through UPI, Sarvatra has enabled banks to provide better, faster, and more affordable funds transfer and utility bill payment services, offering enhanced customer satisfaction. The companys payment platform is also available on the PaaS (Platform as a Service) model, which makes banking technology affordable, enabling even the smallest banks to adopt it, said the firm.
New Delhi, Feb 28 (UNI) External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Tuesday met the visiting Foreign Ministers of Turkiye, Brazil and Mauritius ahead of the G20 Foreign Ministers Meeting here. The Turkiye Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu voiced his appreciation for Indias help in the aftermath of the devastating quake in his country.

On his meeting with the Turkiye FM Cavusoglu, the EAM said they discussed the Ukraine conflict and the bilateral agenda.

Welcomed FM @MevlutCavusoglu of Turkiye in New Delhi for #G20FMM.

Appreciated his warm words for #OperationDost and all personnel involved.

Discussed the G20 agenda, the Ukraine conflict and our bilateral cooperation, he posted.

The Turkish Foreign Minister, in a tweet, expressed his thanks for Operation Dost, under which India sent rescue and relief material and personnel as well as doctors in the aftermath of the February 6 quake in his country.

We had our first meeting in #YeniDelhi where we came for the G20 Foreign Ministers meeting, with my Indian counterpart. We thanked them for the help and support they gave to our country under the name #Dostoperasyonu, he tweeted in Turkish.

In English, he posted On First meeting in #NewDelhi w/ @DrSJaishankar. Thanked for #OperationDost . #G20India.

On his meeting with his Brazilian counterpart Mauro Vieira, the EAM said as G20 Troika members the two sides discussed issues coming up at the Foreign Ministers Meeting. Brazil will take over the presidency of G20 at the summit in September.

He said the two sides also discussed their cooperation in the BRICS  Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, and IBSA  India, Brazil and South Africa.

Delighted to host FM Mauro Vieira of Brazil this evening.

As G20 Troika members, discussed the issues coming up at the Foreign Ministers Meeting.

Took note of the momentum in our bilateral relations, especially in the economic and energy domains. Agreed to strengthen our multilateral cooperation, including in the UN, BRICS and IBSA, he posted.

Earlier, he held talks with the Mauritian FM Alan Ganoo.

Started my meetings on #G20FMM sidelines with FM Alan Ganoo of Mauritius.

Value Mauritius participation in G20. Reiterated our commitment to Neighborhood First, SAGAR & Forward Africa policies.

Discussed our robust development partnership & our strong multilateral cooperation, he wrote.

UNI RN
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy on Tuesday will propose another $2 billion in property-tax rebate checks as part of a $53 billion state budget, a state treasury official said, making it the latest state to push ahead with tax-relief proposals despite recession concerns.

Measures under discussion in more than a dozen states vary widely but the trend cuts across political divides: Governors and state lawmakers are looking for ways to give taxpayers a break.

Building the next New Jersey means creating an economic future that uplifts each of us and works for all of us," Mr. Murphy said. The governor was expected to unveil the tax breaks Tuesday afternoon during a speech in Trenton.

A year ago, states were swimming in cash from federal pandemic relief programs and higher-than-projected sales and capital gains levies. Reserve funds have collectively grown to historically high levels, according to the National Association of State Budget Officers, or Nasbo.

Now, budget officials in New York and California are predicting that revenue growth will slow in the coming months. Fiscal analysts are unsure whether they are outliers or the leading edge of a municipal downturn. Tax cuts, they said, should be considered with caution.

The sector outlook for state governments in 2023 is deteriorating but stable, Eric Kim, the head of U.S. state ratings for Fitch Ratings, said recently.

Enacting significant tax policy changes amid an uncertain economic environment increases the risk of unexpected consequences," said Mr. Kim, who has tallied 17 states that have proposed tax cuts or rebates this year.

The Northeast has seen a spate of proposals. In New Jersey, Mr. Murphy, a Democrat, also plans to make a full $7 billion payment toward the states underfunded pension liabilities and will increase reserve funds to $10 billion. Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey, a Democrat, this week said her coming budget proposal will include a reduction in the states capital-gains tax as well as a new $600 tax credit for dependent children and seniors. Ned Lamont, the Democratic governor in Connecticut, recently proposed the first income-tax rate cut for that state in almost 30 years.

The tax-relief efforts differ in size and scope, from Michigan legislation that would make pension payments tax-exempt to Mississippi Gov. Tate Reevess multiyear push to eliminate his states income tax.

Our state is in the best financial shape in history and our residents deserve to get a bigger piece of the pie," Mr. Reeves, a Republican, said in his state of the state address, adding that he wanted Mississippi to compete with states such as Florida, Tennessee and Texas that have no individual income taxes.

Mr. Reeves said growth in the states overall personal income made it possible to cut tax rates. Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, a Republican, proposed using part of a $3.6 billion surplus for an additional $1 billion in tax relief for the second year of a biennial budget adopted in 2022.

And some states and cities are ramping up their pursuit of new jobs by showering companies with big tax breaks. States and local governments, including in Georgia, Michigan and West Virginia, agreed to give out at least $1 billion in subsidies eight times in 2022, according to an analysis from Good Jobs First, a nonprofit research group that is often critical of subsidies.

States raise funds from a different mix of sales, income and severance taxes. Thirty-three states reported receiving more revenue than projected in their current fiscal years, according to Nasbo. Budget proposals for the coming fiscal year, which in most states starts on July 1, are projecting nominal growth in collections, Nasbo said.

California, whose budget is particularly reliant on income taxes levied on some of its wealthiest residents, experienced budget whiplash after a record $97 billion budget surplus last year dissolved into an estimated $22.5 billion deficit in Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsoms January spending proposal.

Recent revenue data and analysis from the nonpartisan Legislative Analysts Office suggest the shortfall could be billions more by the time Mr. Newsom submits a revised spending plan in May. The anemic collections are partly explained by the decrease in initial public offerings for tech companies, which can provide windfalls for founders and early investors that are taxed as income. There were 168 in 2022 versus 1,035 in 2021, the LAO said.

In New York, tax collections that rely heavily on the financial sector are expected to peak this quarter, acting Budget Director Sandra Beattie said earlier this month. The state, where Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul isnt proposing cutting income taxes, projects it will end its current fiscal year with an $8.7 billion surplus but anticipates slower growth will lead to deficits totaling $22 billion over three years starting in the 2024-25 fiscal year.

We are therefore harvesting the gains of the last two years to prepare for the uncertainties ahead," Ms. Beattie said.

Ms. Hochul has proposed higher payroll taxes on downstate businesses to bolster mass transit in New York City, and unions and progressive lawmakers in New York have held rallies calling for additional levies on high-income individuals to raise money for increased spending on social programs. Carl Davis, research director for the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, a progressive think tank, said states should be cautious about cutting taxes now.

I think its been disappointing to see the extent to which state lawmakers have adopted a tax-cuts-first mentality. A lot of the issues were dealing with right now are going to require more state revenue, not less," he said, without mentioning a specific state.

In Connecticut, Mr. Lamont proposed cutting the rates of the states lowest tax brackets and expanding a credit for low-income filers. The changes will together cost around $500 million a year in the states $25 billion budget, officials estimate. Targeting the tax cut to middle-income filers helped make it sustainable, said Jeffrey Beckham, secretary of the Office of Policy and Management.

I want a sustainable tax cut that we can support in good times and not-so-good times," Mr. Lamont, a Democrat, said in an address to lawmakers. Weve had a number of false startson again, off again tax cuts. Not this time."

Christine Mai-Duc contributed to this article.

Write to Jimmy Vielkind at jimmy.vielkind@wsj.com
The Central Government will withdraw trading licences for oil tankers and bulk carriers that are over 25 years old, the Directorate General of Shipping said in an order.

The average age of Indian fleet has been increasing in the recent years, bucking a global declining trend. "Age norms will assist in ensuring gradual phasing out of fossil fuel ships and ushering of alternate/low carbon energy efficient ships," according to the order.

The move comes as the world's third-largest greenhouse gas emitter aims to reduce emissions and cut the average age of its fleet.

The government notification also bans acquisition of such vessels that are over two decades old. According to the current norms, vessels that are less than 25 years old can be acquired without any technical clearance.

The order said there is a need to modernise the Indian fleet, which requires extensive review of the requirements of the registration and operation of the ships.

The regulation requires oil tankers that are older than 15 years to improve their working condition and subjects bulk carriers to additional checks to ensure adherence to high international standards.

The notification said that non-compliance would lead to cancellation of the vessels' trading license.

The new guidelines would also be applicable for foreign vessels discharging in India, according to the regulator. It added that existing vessels affected by the new cap on lifetime of operating vessels shall be allowed to sail for three more years, regardless of their current age.

The country aims to offer cash subsidies, lower taxes and other incentives to bolster its shipbuilding industry. The developments include subsidies encouraging construction of new vessels, and incentives to build small vessels and promote battery-driven small vessels to cut carbon emissions.

As many as 35 shipbuilding companies are there in the country. This includes some state-owned companies too. Despite lower costs of manufacturing, local tax rules deter investment in the country's shipping industry.

(With agency inputs)
Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Sunday, 26 February in the Delhi Excise Policy scam. The Rouse Avenue CBI court on Monday remanded the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader to five more days of CBI custody for interrogation.

Sisodia has denied any charges of involvement in connection with alleged corruption in the formulation and implementation of the now-scrapped liquor policy for 2021-22.

However, one noticeable aspect of the Indian political scenario ahead of the Lok Sabha 2024 election was a united voice of the Opposition calling the CBI arrest unfair means of BJP to counter another party- AAP.

Congress

The biggest Opposition Party Indian National Congress took a nuanced stance on the development. Congress alleged that institutions like the ED, the CBI and the Income Tax Department have become instruments of "political vendetta" under the Narendra Modi government and opposition leaders are selectively targeted to destroy their reputation.

Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said in a tweet, "The Congress has always held the belief that institutions like ED, CBI and Income Tax Department have become instruments of political vendetta and harassment under Modi Sarkar."

.@INCIndia has always held the belief that institutions like ED, CBI & Income Tax Dept have become instruments of political vendetta & harassment under Modi Sarkar. These institutions have lost all professionalism. Oppn leaders are selectively targeted to destroy their reputation  Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) February 27, 2023

CM Gehlot

Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Monday said "many Sisodias" have been arrested in the country but people don't get to know about them.

There is "terror" of Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Enforcement Directorate (ED), and Income Tax department in the country, while the judiciary and Election Commission are under pressure, he claimed.

Trinamool Congress

"If @msisodia had got himself a BJP brand of washing machine, he would never been arrested. Bravo, Manish Allies have all abandoned BJP. Only CBI, ED, IT remain true allies," tweeted Trinamool's Derek O'Brien.

If @msisodia had got himself a #BJP brand of washing machine, he would never been arrested. Bravo, Manish



Allies ShivSena, SADal, JD(U) TDP & others have all abandoned BJP.

Only CBI, ED, IT remain true allies.



Targeting Opposition leaders is the DESPERATE DUOS favorite job  Derek O'Brien |  ' (@derekobrienmp) February 26, 2023

Shiv Sena (Uddhav Thackeray faction)

Sanjay Raut, senior leader of the Thackeray faction of Shiv Sena, and one of the opposition leaders in jail, tweeted, "The way BJP is arresting Opposition Leaders, I dread, what will happen to BJP leaders in future when they will be out of power".

The way BJP is arresting Opposition Leaders, I dread, what will happen to BJP leaders in future when they will be out of power. What if they are similarly persecuted/arrested? Who will come to their help? @ArvindKejriwal @OfficeofUT #ManishSisodiaArrested pic.twitter.com/PgSB7xN3W1  Sanjay Raut (@rautsanjay61) February 26, 2023

Samajwadi party

"By arresting Manish Sisodia ji, who brought revolutionary changes in the field of education in Delhi, BJP has proved that it is not only against education but also against the future of the children of Delhi," said Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav.

CPM

The Communist Party of India also released a statement where they condemned the CBI arrest of Manish Sisodia who was also profiled by international newspaper the New York Times for his work in Delhi as the education minister.

"In almost every state where the government is run by an opposition party, cases are filed against leaders, arrests are made so as to destabilise the governments being run by opposition parties. Having failed to win elections by democratic means the Modi regime is using central agencies to undermine democracy in India targeting the opposition," the CPM said.

They said that Sisodia's arrest is "part of the Modi Government project to weaponise central investigative agencies to target opposition party leaders".

Jharkhand Mukti Morcha

Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren termed the arrest of Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia as another "brazen attempt" by the BJP-led government at the Centre to suppress democratically elected state governments.

Soren said the arrest of Sisodia, which took place in Delhi on Sunday, is "disappointing and disheartening". "This is yet another brazen attempt to attack and suppress voices of democratically elected state governments which are working hard for people especially the marginalised and their issues," he said in a tweet.

Other Opposition parties

Apart from Congress, TMC, Samajwadi Party, CPM, Telangana's ruling Bharat Rashtra Samithi, Nitish Kumar's Janta Dal United (JDU), Tejashwi Yadav's Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) have also condemned the arrest.
NEW DELHI : The Second Environment and Climate Sustainability Working Group (ECSWG) meeting will be held from 27-29 March, 2023 at Gandhinagar.

The 2nd ECSWG will commence with a side event on water resources management wherein presentations on best practices in water resources management by G20 member countries will take place. This will be followed by an excursion and site visit to Adalaj Vav which demonstrate the ancient water management practices of India and Indias long-standing tradition of conserving its water resources in a beautiful ambience," the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change said.

This will be followed by a site visit to Sabarmati siphon and escape on Narmada main canal, which demonstrates Indias engineering prowess as the Narmada rivers waters flow through a huge tunnel built under the bed of the river and continues on the other side, it added.

Delegates will also visit Sabarmati River front, to witness the waste water management practices like use of treated water from the sewage treatment plants to replenish the river.

Over the subsequent two days, technical discussions on India ECSWG themes- Accelerating Ecosystem Restoration and Enriching Biodiversity; Promoting a Sustainable and Climate Resilient Blue Economy; and Encouraging Resource Efficiency and Circular Economy will take place.

To review the preparedness for the Second ECSWG meeting, a meeting was held between Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC), Leena Nandan and Chief Secretary to Government of Gujarat, Raj Kumar.

Secretary, MoEF&CC also held discussions with head of structures/arrangement for G20 Summit meetings, Mona Khandhar. During the meeting, aspects pertaining to branding, security, venue management, cultural events showcasing Gujarats traditions and other logistic arrangements were deliberated. The State Government assured full preparedness for a warm welcome to all G-20 delegates and to ensure that the event is a grand success," the ministry said.
India's Adani Group plans to prepay or repay share-backed loans worth $690 million to $790 million by March-end, two people with knowledge of the matter told Reuters, as the conglomerate seeks to burnish its credit profile after a short-seller attack.

The plan comes even as the group holds a fixed-income roadshow this week in Singapore and Hong Kong to shore up investor confidence amid share price falls and a regulatory probe.

Adani Green Energy Ltd also plans to refinance its 2024 bonds via an $800 million, three-year credit line, said the people, who declined to be identified as they were not authorised to speak with media.

The group presented both plans to bondholders in Hong Kong on Tuesday, the people said. The three-day roadshow is scheduled to end on Wednesday.

An Adani group spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Chief Financial Officer Jugeshinder Singh told Bloomberg News the group is not looking to refinance debt or raise capital.

Seven listed Adani group companies have lost more than $140 billion in market value since a Jan. 24 report by Hindenburg Research alleged stock manipulation and improper use of tax havens, and flagged concerns over debt levels.

Adani has rejected the allegations and denied wrongdoing.

Shares of flagship Adani Enterprises Ltd were up 7.8% in morning trade, whereas Adani Green Energy was up 3.75%.

This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan appeared in multiple court cases in Islamabad, including the prohibited funding case in a banking court, an anti-terrorism case, and two local court cases, one of which is an attempt to murder case. Here is a detailed look into them.

Attempt to murder

An attempt to murder case is ongoing against Imran Khan that has been filed by a member of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party. The case was filed after the PML-N leader was allegedly attacked outside the Election Commission of Pakistan office, where PTI workers and supporters were protesting.

At a recent hearing, the district and sessions court rejected Khan's petition to transfer the hearing of the case to the judicial complex.

Toshakhana case

A district and sessions court is hearing the Toshakhana case against Imran Khan, which involves selling expensive gifts that he received as the PM for profit.

According to Pakistani law, overseas presents need to be deposited in the Toshakhana or treasury for valuation before allowing a recipient to keep it. Officials in the government are required to report any gifts they receive, but they have a threshold below which they dont have to disclose the full value.

Imran Khan's lawyer, Ali Bukhari, and the lawyer for the Election Commission of Pakistan, Saad Hasan, were present in court during the hearing, which was conducted by Judge Zafar Iqbal.

Prohibited funding

A banking court in Islamabad postponed the proceedings scheduled for all the cases against Khan, citing security concerns. A case of prohibited funding against Khan  who was ousted in April through a no-confidence move  and other party leaders was heard at the banking court last week under the Foreign Exchange Act. During today's hearing, Khan's bail plea in the case will be heard and all other petitioners are being given a new date.

Terrorism case

The case in question is related to protests outside the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) following Khan's disqualification from office.

Khan's lawyer has filed an interim bail plea for him in an anti-terrorism court in Islamabad. According to the plea, the case against Khan is a result of political victimization, and Khan has stated that he is not guilty of the terrorism charges.

"I am the leader of a major political party. I was booked in a terrorism case, which I am not guilty of," Khan stated in the plea, requesting of interim bail before the confirmation of bail in the case.
Iran Hijab protests: The country of Iran has been shaken up owing to the anti-government protests after the passing away of 22 year-old Mahsa Amini. Several protesters- women and men have taken part in the violent demonstration that rocked the country.

A some protesters have been arrested and sentenced to death for protesting against the Government.

Amid such ruckus reports emerged that for the past three months hundreds of young girls attending different schools in Iran have become overpowered by what are believed to be noxious fumes wafting into their classrooms, with some ending up weakened on hospital beds.

Officials in Iran's theocracy initially dismissed these incidents, but now describe them as intentional attacks involving some 30 schools identified in local media reports, with some speculating they could be aimed at trying to close schools for girls in this country of over 80 million people.

Accusation have been made that several schoolgirls have been poisoned as revenge" for the role young women played in recent protests against the mandatory hijab, according to Guardian.

Iranian authorities are now probing the claim. Irans deputy education minister, Younes Panahi, told reporters, After the poisoning of several students in [the city of] Qom  it was found that some people wanted all schools, especially girls schools, to be closed."

The Guardian report states that the attacks have led to girls staying away from school. A teacher from Qom  which is about 85 miles south of the capital Tehran  told Radio Farda that out of 250 students, only 50 attended classes. Last week angry parents protested outside the governors office in Qom and several schools have been closed due to the pending investigation.

Masih Alinejad, an Iranian human rights activist based in New York, told the Guardian, In my opinion, this chemical attack is revenge by the Islamic Republic against the brave women who [rejected] the mandatory hijab and shook the Berlin Wall of [Ayatollah Ali] Khamenei.

As the Islamic State Iranian regime hates girls and women, I call on women across the globe  especially schoolgirls  to be the voice of Iranian students and call on the leaders of democratic countries to condemn this series of poisonings and isolate Khameneis regime," she said.

The authorities have not named suspects, but the attacks have raised fears that other girls could be poisoned apparently just for seeking an education  something that's never been challenged before in the over 40 years since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

(With inputs from agencies)
With the Supreme Court of India refused to entertain Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia's plea against his arrest by CBI in liquor policy case, Sisodia and Satyendar Jain quit the Delhi cabinet on 28 February.

Following the resignation by two cabinet ministers, which were accepted by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, a cabinet shuffle is soon going to take place in the Aam Aadmi Party-led government in Delhi.

As per the details, Sisodia used has been in charge of 18 ministries, while on the other side, Satyendar Jain used to look after the health portfolio. However, her has been in Tihar jail for 10 months after being arrested on money laundering charges.

ALSO READ: Delhi excise policy scam: SC refuses to entertain Deputy CM Manish Sisodia's plea against CBI arrest

The resignations of Delhi Ministers arrived after BJP questioned why arrested leaders were still in the Delhi government. Now, Kejriwal's cabinet consists of 5 ministers only.

New change expected:

Earlier, news agency ANI's sources claim portfolios of former Delhi Deputy CM Manish Sisodia likely to be given to Delhi cabinet ministers Kailash Gahlot and Raaj Kumar Anand, while no new minister will be sworn in as of now.

However, AAP MLA from Greater Kailash  Saurabh Bharadwaj  said that two new ministers will be inducted in Delhi Cabinet after resignations are accepted, adding work will not be allowed to suffer.

Two new ministers will be inducted in Delhi Cabinet after resignations are accepted. Work will not be allowed to suffer.  Saurabh Bharadwaj (@Saurabh_MLAgk) February 28, 2023

Looking at the Cabinet minister's list, senior AAP Minister Gopal Rai, who currently heads portfolios like Development, General Administration Department, and Environment, Forest and Wild life, can be allotted Sisodia's portfolio of Public Works Department, Urban Development, Industries, Employment and Land & Building.

While, Kailash Gahlot can be allotted Vigilance, Services, and Labour. Imran Hussian can be allotted Irrigation and Flood Control and Water portfolio.

Meanwhile, till the time a final conclusion on Cabinet expansion is not reached, CM Kejriwal will most probably handle Planning, Education, Health, Finance and Home.
NEW DELHI : The National Centre for Good Governance (NCGG), Mussoorie held joint inaugural sessions on Tuesday as the two capacity-building programmes for the civil servants of Bangladesh (57th batch with 40 participants) and Arunachal Pradesh (2nd batch with 29 participants) commenced at the campus.

Bharat Lal, DG, chaired the session.

He emphasized the crucial role of civil servants in providing efficient public service delivery.

Lal said that it is important to create an enabling environment for citizens to realize their potential by improving infrastructure, services and facilities.

He urged officers to share their experiences and learnings, which could be further fine-tuned by other officers for the benefit of people and implemented in other areas.

The session provided an opportunity for mutual learning and knowledge sharing between participants from Arunachal Pradesh and Bangladesh, with an aim to achieve sustainable development goals and facilitate good governance," the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions said.

The capacity building programme comprises sessions on topics such as public policy and implementation, digital governance, revitalizing rivers, a centralized public grievance redressal system, innovative education outcomes, rural housing, project planning, execution and monitoring, shifting governance paradigms, fintech and inclusion, planning and constructing eco-friendly smart cities through case studies, gender and development, anti-corruption strategies, investment promotion and entrepreneurship, decentralized municipal solid waste management, and health governance in India, among other important areas.

The programme also offers exposure visits to Pradhan Mantri Sanghralaya, Indian Parliament, and other locations for participants.

In 2022, the National Centre for Good Governance (NCGG) signed an MoU with the Government of Bangladesh to enhance the skills of 1,800 civil servants by 2025.

Another MoU signed in the same year aims to develop the capacity of civil servants in Arunachal Pradesh.

By improving the capacity of civil servants, delivery in terms of policy reforms, infrastructure, and services can be further enhanced," the ministry added.

The National Centre for Good Governance (NCGG) is dedicated to promoting collaboration and learning among civil servants in India and neighbouring countries, in line with the Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam philosophy espoused by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

NCGGs capacity-building initiatives for civil servants aim to promote good governance, enhance service delivery, and improve the quality of life of citizens by reaching the last person," the ministry said.
Delhi deputy chief minister manish Sisodia's arrest have also showcased a spar of ideology in the grand old party-Indian National Congress. The Mallikarjun Kharge led party had on Monday maintained a nuanced stance to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader's CBI arrest and extended custody for interrogation.

On Monday, Congress alleged that institutions like the ED, the CBI and the Income Tax Department have become instruments of "political vendetta" under the Narendra Modi government and opposition leaders are selectively targeted to destroy their reputation.

Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said in a tweet, "The Congress has always held the belief that institutions like ED, CBI and Income Tax Department have become instruments of political vendetta and harassment under Modi Sarkar."

Further Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot had also commented said "many Sisodias" have been arrested in the country but people don't get to know about them.

There is "terror" of Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Enforcement Directorate (ED), and Income Tax department in the country, while the judiciary and Election Commission are under pressure, he claimed.

Reacting to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)'s protest against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) across the country, Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel on Monday had said that AAP should understand how the BJP is persecuting them.

They (AAP) should not go to those states where the Congress is giving a direct fight to the BJP, but they go there to defeat the Congress. They are fighting a battle at their place but they reach other places to help the BJP, CM Baghel said.

He added, "Today, I am going to visit Siddhivinayak Ganesh ji to pray for the happiness and peace of Chhattisgarh. I will also pray that may God give them (AAP) wisdom as well."

However, a contention of ideas came to the forefront when Congress leader Ajay Maken told news agency ANI, I think SC has taken the right decision. All those sympathizing with Manish Sisodia must understand that this is an open and shut case of corruption. This a big liquor scam that happened in Delhi and it should be seen that way".

On September 4, 2020, Manish Sisodia himself formed a committee to see what changes should be made in the excise policy, the report of the committee was not implemented to do corruption" he added.

Blaming Sisodia for wrongfully exploiting the excise policy to fund the Goa assembly elections, Maken said, They used this money in the Goa election against Congress. AAP who fought against corruption is now doing corruption. They are using the money for political use. There is no political vendetta in this case as it's a clear case of corruption"

Further Congress leader Supriya Srinate also said, We want a proper investigation into the liquor scams". She further questioned AAP and said, We want to ask AAP why they were silent, what their stand was when we were hounded by the agencies".

Notably, Sisodia's arrest has triggered a chorus in opposition of outcry against BJP for using CBI, ED for its own benefit.

(With agency input)
India poised to be 3rd largest construction market in 2-3 yrs: Goyal 15 Apr 2023 | 10:21 PM New Delhi, Apr 15 (UNI) Real estate sector will provide huge business opportunities, generate employment and provide big avenues for startup ecosystem as India is poised to become the 3rd largest construction market in the next 2-3 years, Union Commece Minister Piyush Goyal said on Saturday. see more..

CHEMEXCIL crosses USD 30 31 bn of chemical exports in FY23 15 Apr 2023 | 8:21 PM Mumbai, Apr 15 (UNI) Union Minister of State for Commerce & Industry, Anupriya Patel, on occasion of 47th Export Awards ceremony of CHEMEXCIL, on Saturday expressed satisfaction over CHEMEXCIL crossed USD 30 billion of exports in organic and inorganic chemical sector for the Financial Year 2023, of which USD 27 billion of exports were achieved from April 2022 to February 2023. see more..

Botnal makes its debut on Nykaa 15 Apr 2023 | 3:24 PM New Delhi, Apr 15 (UNI) Botnal, a boot-strapped natural, sustainable and gender-neutral skincare brand, has now launched on Nykaa. see more..

From traffic woes to job opportunities: Indian Bike Taxi Sector thrives with Regulatory Support & Tech Innovations 15 Apr 2023 | 2:34 PM Mumbai, Apr 15 (UNI) In line with the goal to smoothen the operations of bike taxis in the country, the Maharashtra government has formulated a six-member committee to draft norms for regulating the operations of online cab aggregator platforms in the state. see more..
Britain and the European Union announced a new deal for post-Brexit trading arrangements for Northern Ireland on Monday in a bid to end a row that has overshadowed their ties since Brexit.

The deal seeks to resolve the tensions caused by the Northern Ireland protocol, a complex agreement which set the trading rules for the British-ruled region that London agreed before it left the EU but now says are unworkable.

Below are the key parts of the new framework outlined by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen at a news conference and in British government documents:

FREE FLOW OF TRADE

When Britain left the EU, then Prime Minister Boris Johnson agreed to a deal that effectively left Northern Ireland in the bloc's single market for goods because of its open border with EU member Ireland, creating a customs border with mainland Britain.

Also Read: Big scope for collaboration between India, UK in weather forecasting: Jitendra Singh

The British government has wanted to reduce the number of checks on goods travelling from Britain to Northern Ireland.

The two sides have agreed to separate goods just going to Northern Ireland and those which will continue into the EU into "green" and "red" lanes.

Also Read: IAF contingent to participate in Exercise Cobra Warrior in UK

This is designed to reduce the paperwork facing companies that have said they were unable to provide a full range of products to Northern Ireland because the number of checks were too onerous.

Also Read: Give it back to India: Indian-origin journalist's heated debate over Kohinoor on UK TV show. Watch

"Todays agreement delivers smooth flowing trade within the whole United Kingdom," Sunak said. "It means food retailers like supermarkets, restaurants and wholesalers will no longer need hundreds of certificates for every lorry."

EU LAWS

Under the earlier deal agreed with the EU, Northern Ireland followed some of the bloc's laws so that goods flow freely over the border with Ireland without checks.

The Northern Ireland Assembly will now be able to "pull an emergency brake" to stop new EU single market rules applying if 30 out of the 90 members from at least two parties oppose the meeasures.

If the threshold is met they can ask the UK government to apply a veto to the new laws.

Von der Leyen said said Britain and the EU would consult each other extensively when introducing new laws and regulatory changes in an effort to reduce the need for using the brake.

But she said that the European Court of Justice will remain the ultimate arbiter of whether Northern Ireland is following single market rules.

The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), Northern Ireland's biggest unionist party, which is being closely watched for its reaction, said the new deal shows "significant progress", but stopped short of supporting it at this stage because EU law remains applicable.

VALUE ADDED TAX AND STATE AID

Businesses in Northern Ireland currently follow EU rules on state aid and value-added tax (VAT). This means tax breaks by British government payments to help firms in Northern Ireland must be compliant with rules set by the EU.

Under the new deal, the British government will have freedom to set VAT and subsidies in most instances in the province.

HORIZON

Under a trade agreement signed at the end of 2020, Britain negotiated access to a range of science and innovation programmes including Horizon, a 95.5 billion euro ($101 billion)programme that offers grants and projects to researchers.

But the EU had blocked Britain's participation because of the government's stance on the Northern Ireland protocol. British scientists had been deeply concerned about missing out on funding.

Von der Leyen said once the new deal is implemented work would begin on restarting Britain's cooperation with Horizon.

"This is good news for all those who are working in research and science," she said. ($1 = 0.9443 euros) (Reporting by Andrew MacAskill; editing by Alistair Smout, Michael Holden and Angus MacSwan)

This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text.
Canada is planning to welcome approximately 1.45 million immigrants over the next three years, with 60% of them projected to be in the economic class. And, according to a new study by Desjardins, this wave of newcomers is expected to have several positive impacts on the country's economy and society, some of which are already evident.

New immigrants are mostly of core working age

One of the most significant effects is that new immigrants are more likely to be employed than their Canadian-born peers, primarily due to demographic differences. New immigrants are mostly of core working age, between 25-54 years old, and selected for their human capital factors, making them ideal for Canada's labor force. On the other hand, Canada has an aging population, with a consistent group of retirees exiting the workforce every year. The convergence of these two trends has resulted in new immigrants having higher employment rates than Canadians.

GDP is likely to grow bigger

The arrival of newcomers is anticipated to have not only societal benefits but also economic advantages, such as boosting potential GDP growth. New immigrants are highly tied to the labor force, with many having jobs even before entering the country, and their contributions are expected to raise Canada's GDP per capita, leading to increased hiring and wage growth.

But, can Canada handle this wave of newcomers?

The Desjardins studies reveal that immigrant unemployment in Canada follows a cyclical pattern, with spikes occurring roughly every ten years before decreasing. Newly landed immigrants may have difficulty gaining a foothold in the labour market, raising concerns about Canada's ability to handle the upcoming wave of immigrants.

However, job vacancies are currently at record highs, and the tight labour market makes it likely that newcomers with in-demand skills and qualifications will have favourable outcomes. Canada's immigration system is designed to attract individuals with desirable human capital factors, which can be important predictors of success in the labour market.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak struck a new deal with the European Union on post-Brexit trade rules for Northern Ireland on Monday and said it would pave the way for a new chapter in London's relationship with the bloc.

Standing alongside European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen at a news conference in Windsor, Sunak said the two sides had agreed to remove "any sense of a border" between Britain and its province - a situation that had angered politicians on both sides.

The agreement marks a high-risk strategy for Sunak just four months after he took office. He is looking to secure improved relations with Brussels - and the United States - without angering the wing of his party most wedded to Brexit.

He immediately won plaudits from business groups who welcomed the easing of trade rules, and a promise from von der Leyen that she would be willing to allow British scientists to join a vast EU research programme if Sunak can get the deal past his party.

The success of the deal is likely to hinge on whether it convinces the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) to end its boycott of Northern Ireland's power-sharing arrangements. These were central to the 1998 peace agreement which mostly ended three decades of sectarian and political violence in Northern Ireland.

"I'm pleased to report that we have now made a decisive breakthrough," Sunak said, adding they had agreed to change the original deal for Northern Ireland, known as the protocol, to create the "Windsor Framework".

"This is the beginning of a new chapter in our relationship."

The issue has been one of the most contentious regarding Britain's departure from the European Union in 2020. A return to a hard border between the province and Ireland, an EU member, could have could have jeopardised the peace deal known as the Good Friday Agreement.

Sunak is likely to talk up the fact he has secured a so-called "Stormont brake", which he said would allow Stormont - the regional assembly - to stop any "changes to EU goods rules that would have significant and lasting effects on everyday lives". "If the break is pulled the UK government will have a veto," he said.

Von der Leyen said she hoped the brake could be avoided if the two sides consulted each other extensively when introducing new laws and regulatory changes. She said however that the European Court of Justice retained the final say on EU law.

It remains to be seen whether the new terms will go far enough to end political deadlock in Northern Ireland and satisfy critics in Britain and the province.

FUTURE REBELLION?

DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson, speaking before news of an agreement emerged, said they would take time to look at the details before deciding whether to accept it.

The European Research Group, which brings together pro-Brexit Conservative lawmakers, have also said they will study the details before giving their verdict, a process that could take days.

Victory would strengthen Sunak's hold over his Conservative Party and enable him to move past the most contentious issue on his agenda as he seeks to catch up with the opposition Labour Party, now well ahead in opinion polls, before a national election expected in 2024.

Were he to fail, he would probably face a rebellion from the eurosceptic wing of his party, reviving the deep ideological divisions that have at times paralysed the government since the vote to leave the EU in 2016.

Sunak could have left the standoff unresolved, but officials in London and Belfast say he has been motivated to act ahead of the 25-year anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement, which could entail a visit from U.S. President Joe Biden.

Biden, who often speaks with pride of his Irish roots, has expressed concern about the stand-off in the province. U.S. officials had previously warned that any action which endangered the Good Friday Agreement could harm the prospects of a US-UK trade deal.

Sunak is hoping that a successful outcome will improve cooperation with the EU in areas beyond Northern Ireland, including the regulation of financial services and help to stem an influx of migrants in small boats across the Channel.

He said British lawmakers would have a vote in time.

As part of its exit agreement, Britain signed an accord with Brussels known as the Northern Ireland protocol to avoid imposing politically contentious checks along the 500-km (310-mile) land border with Ireland.

But the protocol effectively created a border for some goods moving from Britain because it kept Northern Ireland in the EU's single market for goods. That also left Northern Ireland subject to some EU rules even though it was not a member of the bloc.

Perceptions that the protocol erodes Northern Ireland's place in the United Kingdom have caused anger among many in unionist communities.

This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text.
Covid-19 likely came from a Chinese lab, said US Republican Party Presidential candidate Nikki Haley on Tuesday, while asking to cut the United States aid to China. She made the remarks on her official Twitter handle.

"Covid-19 likely came from a Chinese lab. Cut US aid. Not a cent to Communist China," Haley tweeted.

World Health Organization (WHO) chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus had also said that the organization will continue pushing until it finds an answer to how the Covid-19 pandemic started, following a report suggesting it had abandoned the search.

Recently, she said that if voted to power, she will cut every cent in foreign aid for countries that hate the US which include China, Pakistan, and other adversaries as "a strong America doesn't pay off the bad guys".

"I will cut every cent in foreign aid for countries that hate us. A strong America doesn't pay off the bad guys. A proud America doesn't waste our people's hard-earned money. And the only leaders who deserve our trust are those who stand up to our enemies and stand beside our friends," Haley wrote in an op-ed for New York Post.

According to, the former Governor of South Carolina and former US ambassador to the UN, America spent USD 46 billion on foreign aid last year. That's more than any other country by far. Taxpayers deserve to know where that money is going and what it's doing. They will be shocked to find that much of it goes to fund anti-American countries and causes.

Grand Old Party (GOP) leader Nikki Haley formally launched her 2024 campaign for the White House on February 15 (local time), pitching herself to voters as part of a "new generation" of Republican leaders who can win at the ballot box.

Haley is now the first Indian American woman from the Republican Party to run for the presidential bid. As the former governor of South Carolina and US ambassador to the United Nations, took the stage, Haley introduced herself as the proud daughter of Indian immigrants pitching a new future for the Republican party.

Haley in the Op-ed, while citing examples said that the US has given Iran more than USD 2 billion over the last few years, even though its government is getting closer to the murderous thugs in Iran who shout "Death to America!" and launch attacks on our troops.

"The Biden administration resumed military aid to Pakistan, though it's home to at least a dozen terrorist organizations and its government is deeply in hock to China. Team Biden restored half a billion dollars to a corrupt United Nations agency that's supposed to help the Palestinian people but in fact covers for deeply anti-Semitic propaganda against our ally Israel," she said.

(With ANI inputs)
Wizz Air has announced that it will no longer operate flights to Moldova's capital, Chisinau, due to safety concerns. The development comes amid the ongoing Ukraine war and growing concerns that Russia may turn against it. The budget airline said that flights would stop from March 14.

The Moldovan government said that it "regrets" the company's "sudden decision", and claimed flights could be undertaken by following certain procedures.

Nicu Popescu, Moldova's foreign minister, stated that his nation was prepared for what he referred to as a "full spectrum of threats." There are concerns that Russia may intensify efforts to destabilize the nation, which is already reeling from the war in its neighboring Ukraine.

Wizz Air stated in a statement: Wizz Air's top priority continues to be the safety of its crew members and passengers.

It further added, "Following the recent developments in Moldova and the elevated, but not imminent, risk in the country's airspace, Wizz Air has made the difficult but responsible decision to suspend all flights to Chisinau from the 14th of March."

The low-cost airline said it would add more flights to and from the city of Iasi in Romania, which is close to the border with Moldova.

On the official Telegram channel of the Moldovan government, it stated: Government agencies regret Wizz Air's sudden decision, but they have determined that flights in the national airspace can be carried out safely by following a number of procedures after analyzing the risks.

The government added that the country's civil aviation authority and the ministry of infrastructure and regional development had informed Wizz Air representatives of the procedures in place to guarantee aviation security and had been "constantly cooperating" with them.

From other destinations on Wizz Air's network, flights to Chisinau would be moved to Iasi, and more planes would depart from major European cities like Barcelona, Milan, and London.

There would be no replacement for flights from Chisinau to Budapest and Prague.

Why Moldova fears it could be next target for Putin

Russia has been accused of laying the groundwork for a coup that could bring Moldova into the Kremlin's war. This in turn had caused tensions to rise in the small country on the border with Ukraine in the southwest.

Maia Sandu, the president of Moldova, has echoed similar warnings issued by Volodymyr Zelensky, the president of Ukraine, that Russia is using "saboteurs" disguised as civilians to stoke unrest during a period of political instability.

In the meantime, Russian President Vladimir Putin has raised suspicions that he is fabricating a pretext for an annexation similar to that of Crimea by making claims that Kyiv is planning its own assault on pro-Russian territory in Moldova where Moscow has a military foothold.
In an earlier column, I dug into the premise behind central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) in an attempt to try and understand how these new digital instruments align with the two-tiered banking system we have come to depend on for over 400 years. In the process, I gained a new appreciation for the relationship between private money (the money in our bank accounts) and public money (issued by central banks) and how the ability to redeem private money in the form of central bank currency, as well as an ability to acquire central-bank public money in times of stress, is critical for the stability of the modern financial system.

By the end of that article, I concluded that there was no real need for India to roll out CBDC. Since we already have a highly efficient fast payments system in UPI, any of the benefits that CBDCs could offer are either already available to us or capable of being provisioned with a little bit of additional engineering.

In a recent speech that he delivered at the Monetary Authority of Singapore, Agustin Carstens, general manager of the Bank for International Settlements, called for a fundamental reimagining of the existing financial system, and by extension of all of global commerce. Central banks, he said, are the guardians of public trust in money and therefore have an obligation to envision what the future of money should look like.

If the future is digital, then the digitization of money has to be an important part of our vision for this future. While this would, in the context of public money, likely mean CBDCs or something like that, in order to describe a complete solution, we have to find a way to extend this concept to private money. According to Carstens, the way to do that is through the tokenization of deposits of private money that are currently held in the accounts of commercial banks.

What this would immediately mean is that there would be two separate digital ledgers: one for CBDCs and another for tokenized deposits. However, because these systems are digital, we can, Carstens argues, connect them to each other through a unified ledger on which both public and private digital money can interact, unlocking new efficiencies that were impossible until now.

We could, for instance, use smart contracts to leverage the composability inherent in such digital systems to enable novel features like micro-payments and the automated transfer of consideration between internet of things (IoT) devices. Once money itself is programmable and capable of digitally interacting with tokenized assets, it should be possible for us to automate entire sequences of commercial transactions that currently depend either on manual intervention or the participation of a host of different intermediaries at various stages.

This would eventually enable simultaneous and near-instant payments and the easy settlement of transactions both within the country and across borders. And once the technical underpinnings for this have been realized, we will likely see a host of other use cases that we have not even begun to imagine spring into existence.

To explain how this might work, Carstens describes how the traditional escrow process could be re-imagined on the unified ledger. Through the use of smart contracts, we could, when the escrow is invoked, programmatically lock funds in the buyers tokenized deposit so that it is placed on hold until the payment is triggered. Once the escrow conditions are achieved, a digital instruction could be sent to the smart contract indicating that money can now be transferred to the seller. Once initiated, settlement can be achieved instantly via digital central bank money.

Why this idea is so interesting is because once we tokenize private money deposits, nothing stops us from extending that same approach to all sorts of other ledgers, eventually adding them to the unified ledger as well. While it is easy to see how this could apply to assets like securities that are already transacted almost exclusively in dematerialized format, it could easily extend to more traditional ledgers like those for moveable property and real estate.

By tokenizing all these assets, transactions that involve them will take place faster, at lower cost and with greater transparency. This in turn will improve certainty in title and confidence in the commercial system as a whole, while making it possible to automatically carry out a host of transactions that are impossible today without an army of intermediaries.

Why all this is of particular interest to me is because the implementation of tokenization at scale across the entire commercial ecosystem is an opportunity to transform governance. A unified ledger will digitize every single aspect of a commercial transactionsnot just payments, but also the very assets that are their primary subject matter. If we can layer on top of this carefully designed smart contracts, it will be possible for us to programatically describe every last element of our commercial transactions.

Once this happens, regulators will be able to embed compliance directly into smart contracts, so that instead of parties having to subsequently take additional steps to report their compliance, it can be automated in the normal course of the execution of financial transactions. Not only will this reduce the cost of compliance, it will allow regulators to dynamically calibrate their responses for the benefit of those they are legally obliged to protect.

Rahul Matthan is a partner at Trilegal and also has a podcast by the name Ex Machina. His Twitter handle is @matthan
The stock prices of Adani Group companies have been falling for close to five weeks now. This, after a negative report by US-based Hindenburg Research was published on 24 January. Many retail investors who bought these stocks at higher levels are currently sitting on losses.

Expressing concern over this, Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud said on 10 February: How do we ensure protection of Indian investors?... How do we ensure that what happened does not happen again in the future?" He was addressing Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, who was appearing in the Supreme Court on behalf of our stock-market regulator, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi).

To answer these questions, we need to understand how a stock market operates. For a stock market to function, every buyer needs a seller and vice versa. As Daniel Kahneman writes in Thinking, Fast and Slow: Most of the buyers and sellers know that they have the same information; they exchange the stocks primarily because they have different opinions. The buyers think the price is too low and likely to rise, while the sellers think the price is high and likely to drop."

Lets try and understand this in the context of Adani Enterprises. The stock price started running up from April to June 2020 onwards. As of March 2020, the promoter holding was 74.9%. A bulk of the remaining stock was held by foreign institutional investors (FIIs). There were 76,569 individual investors who owned shares with a nominal value of up to 2 lakh. They owned 1.9% of the firm. Lets call these investors retail investors.

As of March 2021, the number of retail investors had increased to 143,639 and they owned 2.4% of the firm. The promoter holding continued to be at 74.9%. Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) of India had largely no investment in the firm at this point and started investing during the period April to June 2021. By March 2022, it owned 3.7%. Further, by March 2022, the number of retail investors had jumped to 216,793, though their ownership had dropped to 1.9%. The promoter stake continued to be the same.

So, over the years, the bulk of Adani Enterprises has been owned by the promoter group and FIIs. In this scenario, there was very little free float going around. The ownership was concentrated.

As of 1 April 2020, the closing price of the stock was around 134. By 1 April 2021, it had jumped to 1,106 as retail ownership increased. It jumped further to 2,043 by 1 April 2022 and reached an all-time high of around 4,165 on 20 December 2022 as LICs ownership of the stock increased.

How did this happen? Now, every buyer needs a seller. Second, the free float of the stock was very limited. Hence, as newer investors, retail or LIC for that matter, started buying, they needed to offer a higher price to get enough sellers interested and be able to buy, driving up the price fast.

Now, the retail investors who bought the stock may or may not have known about the low free float. Lets assume they knew and still went ahead and bought. They were, as John Maynard Keynes once said, devoting their intelligence to anticipating what average opinion expects the average opinion to be". And their guess was that the price will go up fast. They were being greedy. The same stands true for those who didnt know about the low free float.

One set of investors knew the risk and were looking to unload their investment on to greater fools. Another set didnt know the risk they were taking on. Now there is nothing that the regulator can really do about this. Individuals who do not understand the risk of what they are taking on have the option of investing in equity mutual funds (MFs). If they dont do so, it is perhaps because equity MFs arent exciting and dont provide the kind of mental stimulus that the price of a single stock going up fast does.

Also, any market needs its set of speculators. A market with only long-term investors will have no liquiditywhen a seller wants to sell, there will be no buyers and vice versa.

In this scenario, there is nothing much that Sebi can do about individual greed, which keeps the market going. Hopefully, investors would have understood by now that if the low free float of a stock can lead to prices going up quickly, the fall can also be very fast.

Honestly, what needs to be discussed more is the investment behaviour of LIC. Data from stock exchanges tells us that LIC owned 2.6% of Adani Enterprises as of March 2017. The stock price on 31 March 2017 stood at 58. In the period between April and June 2017, LIC sold this stake in Adani Enterprises. It started reinvesting only four years later during April to June 2021. By then, the price and thus valuation of Adani Enterprises was at extremely high levels. Also, every time LIC bought these shares, it must have pushed up share prices higher, simply because of the low free float.

Finally, what Indias market regulator needs to investigate are the allegations made by Hindenburg Research in its reportto check if they are true. Thats the real deal. The truth, either way, needs to come out.

Vivek Kaul is the author of Bad Money.
New Delhi: Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni will pay a two-day visit to India beginning Thursday and will also be the chief guest and keynote speaker at the 8th Raisina Dialogue, said the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).

It will be the first such high-level trip from Italy to India after five years. Meloni will be accompanied by deputy prime minister and foreign minister Antonio Tajan and a high powered business delegation.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Meloni will hold wide-ranging talks on bilateral, regional and global issues, the ministry said.

PM Meloni will call on President Droupadi Murmu in the afternoon of 2 March.

Prime Minister Melonis visit is expected to further strengthen and deepen the long-standing relationship between India and Italy," the MEA said in a statement.

Both sides will take stock of the progress on the key outcomes of the November 2020 Summit, strengthen security and defence cooperation, work towards closer economic ties, enhance opportunity for mobility of talent and give strategic guidance to ongoing collaboration in science and technology, it said.

India and Italy are celebrating 75 years of establishment of diplomatic relations this year.

The multifaceted bilateral relationship is based on shared cultural values, commitment to foster economic growth, collaboration in the fields of green energy, science and technology, defence and marked by convergence on regional and global issues," the MEA said.

The two countries have also been cooperating closely in various multilateral forums," it said.

During the visit, a business roundtable will be organised on 2 March, co-chaired by Italys Antonio Tajani and Indias commerce minister Piyush Goyal.
Kabul, Feb 28 (UNI) The Taliban movement (under UN sanctions over terrorism) has eliminated two Daesh Khorasan terrorist group (affiliate of Islamic State, banned in Russia) members, including its key member, in an operation in Kabul, spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said.

"With the Help of Allah (SwT), two Daesh members were killed in an overnight operation against a cell in  Kabul. Among the killed was a key member of Daesh Khorasan group, Qari Fateh, who previously served as Amir-al-Harb (military leader) of Khorasan, head of Kunar province, head of eastern zone and currently as the intelligence and operations chief who directly masterminded recent operation in Kabul including against diplomatic missions, mosques and other targets," Mujahid said on Twitter late Monday.

The Afghan armed forces also carried out another operation in mid-February, killing three Daesh members, including leader for the Indian subcontinent, Ijaz Amin Ahingar, the spokesman noted.

Mujahid added that a number of other Daesh members, who were planning deadly attacks, have been detained in recent days.

Since taking power in the country in August 2021, the Taliban have been battling a local branch of the IS, which is believed to be behind the majority of bomb explosions and shootings in Afghanistan. According to the Taliban, the IS presence in the country is small but the group continues carrying out attacks on civilians and police.

UNI/SPUTNIK GNK
Stop signs mark the boar ramp entrance where Main Street goes into the Tennessee River in Saltillo, TN.
Prominent pastor says Christian nationalism is 'a form of heresy'. / Homeless veterans are housed in 30 tents on a sidewalk along busy San Vicente Boulevard outside the Veteran's Administration campus in Los Angeles on April 22, 2021.
Math and reading scores of 4th- and 8th-graders dropped during the pandemic, a report says. Math declines were the largest ever.
In the eight years he's owned his shop, Danny Brown said he's never seen anything like this crash.
Truckers drive State Route 58 across the southern Sierra Nevada Mountains following its reopening in the wake of a powerful storm that brought snow to unusually low elevations on February 26, near Mojave, California.
China still a very attractive investment destination: AmCham South China report

Xinhua) 16:44, February 28, 2023

GUANGZHOU, Feb. 28 (Xinhua) -- China is still considered one of the most attractive destinations for investment with more companies planning to reinvest in China this year, according to a report released Monday by the American Chamber of Commerce in South China (AmCham South China).

The chamber's annual white paper on China's business environment is seen as a window for observing China's business environment through the eyes of foreign-funded enterprises. The white paper was based on a survey of more than 200 companies from September to December 2022. Among the surveyed businesses, 40 percent are wholly foreign-owned companies, and nearly 20 percent are representative offices of foreign companies and joint ventures.

The report showed that more than 90 percent of the participating companies select China as one of the most important investment destinations.

More than half of the companies gained over 30 percent of their global revenue from China, and 45 percent registered a significant or slight increase in their revenue from China last year, according to the report.

China has been among the world's fastest-growing economies with one of the most dynamic markets. Although its economy is shadowed somewhat by uncertainty caused by the pandemic, most companies still consider China a critical part of their future strategic development plans, and 75 percent of the participating companies plan to reinvest in China in 2023, an increase of around 3 percent, said the report.

With more than 2,300 members, AmCham South China provides support for American and international companies doing business in south China.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
Dr James Houlihan will give a lecture to County Longford Historical Society on a fascinating aspect of the Brehon laws on Tuesday, February 28 at 8.00pm in the Family Centre, St Mels Road, Longford. This is the hall at the rear of the cathedral. All are welcome to attend and admission is free.



Before the usage of Norman or English law became common in Ireland, society was regulated by a system of laws known as Brehon laws. They evolved from judgements issued over many centuries by judges known as Brehons (originating from the Irish word for judge, which is breatheamh).



The office of Brehon was often hereditary within various legal families. In early times the laws were passed on orally from generation to generation but were written down and codified in the early middle ages. The laws generally dealt with civil matters such as marriage, inheritance, contracts, compensation for injury and so on.



In 697 AD Adomnan, Abbot of Iona drafted and promulgated a law known as Lex Innocentium at a synod in Birr, Co. Offaly. This law gave protection to women, children and clerics during times of conflict. It preceded the Geneva Convention by many centuries. This will be the subject of Dr Houlihans lecture.



Dr Houlihan is a retired solicitor and native of Birr. He has a lifetime interest in this subject and was awarded a PhD by University College Dublin. His book entitled Adomnans Lex Innocentium and the Laws of War was published in 2020.
Members of the Forsa trade union at Longford County Council sent a Valentines Day message to local authority management, calling for an independent job evaluation scheme.



Calling on the Local Government Management Agency (LGMA), the state agency with oversight for local authorities nationwide to Love Local Government, union members gathered at Longford County Council offices for a photo opportunity to highlight the need for an immediate job evaluation scheme, in order to establish the extent to which people are taking on additional duties.



Local Forsa rep Fiona Baskett said union members wanted to take the opportunity to send the message because so many of them have been carrying additional duties for years, but without any recognition for the extra work: All were asking for is a fair and independent assessment of the work were doing.



Forsa represents workers in the HSE, Tusla and the higher education sector, where access to job evaluation has already been secured. The process is commonplace across much of Europe. We need the same kind of workload measurement applied in local authorities across the country, she said.

Forsa treasurer Julie Flood, who works at Dublin City Council, said the union represents more than 30,000 local authority staff across the country: Close to 10,000 jobs were lost from the sector following the financial crisis in 2008, and services were only maintained in Longford because staff here took on additional responsibilities above their pay grades, and this happened in every local authority in the country.



Local authorities experienced the greatest reduction of numbers of employees during the austerity era, leading to what we see as a significant grade drift in the sector. It means, simply, that many people are working above the grade at which theyre employed. We need to measure the extent of that and make sure that staff are treated fairly, she said.



Forsa, which referred the issue to the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC), has said the only way to deal with the issue is to implement an independent job evaluation exercise.



Forsa national secretary Richy Carrothers added: The WRC process has stalled because the employer is currently refusing to negotiate or conciliate any further. But this matter isnt going to go away because management simply ignore it.



Were sending a message to management, asking them to show some love for local authority staff. The best way for management to do that is to implement a fair and independent evaluation scheme.

We have no option now but to engage and escalate the matter. This will include a ballot for industrial escalation, up to and including the possibility of strike action.



We want equity and fair treatment for our members in Longford County Council, consistent with the approach taken in other parts of the public sector, and thats our Valentines message to management, he said.
Local News, Community, Charity & Cause, Press Releases

By Jacob Alvear Published: February 27 2023

Senate Majority Leader Schumer Joins Governor Hochul and MTA Chair and CEO Lieber at Ceremony at Grand Central Madison

Governor Kathy Hochul, Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer and MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber, along with federal and local elected officials today celebrated the official opening of Grand Central Madison with full Long Island Rail Road service to begin today, Monday, February 27. The new schedules provide increased service levels by a historic 41 percent and offer direct access to Midtown east, the biggest job hub in the country, provide more frequent, reliable service, including in Queens and Brooklyn, and true reverse-peak service on the Port Jefferson and Ronkonkoma Branches for the first time.

"Grand Central Madison is a public transportation feat that will shorten commutes, giving commuters time back in their busy lives to spend with their families, friends and communities," Governor Hochul said. "Grand Central Madison will dramatically expand service and operate more reliably for commuters and reduce overcrowding at Penn Station. Thanks to our continued partnership with Senator Schumer and the New York Congressional delegation, we will continue building safe and efficient public transportation worthy of New Yorkers."

The new schedules add 271 LIRR trains per day and increase LIRR systemwide service to 936 trains per day, of which 296 will be to or from Grand Central Madison. The Grand Central Madison project, funded in part by USDOT, follows two other significant LIRR capital projects: the Double Track Project, which installed a second track for 13 miles between Farmingdale and Ronkonkoma; and the Third Track Project, which installed a 9.8-mile third track between Floral Park and Hicksville. These once-in-a-generation investments alleviated certain capacity constraints, enabling the railroad to increase service and comprehensively rewrite the schedules for the first time in decades.

Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer said, "We are here today because the East Side Access train is quite literally about to leave the station  Hallelujah. Tens-of-thousands of transit riders can now breathe a sigh of relief. Thousands and thousands who work on the East side finally get the convenience they've craved. Look, I've been here for so much of the East Side Access journey  all $2.7 Billion of it. That's how much I got the feds to kick in here. We all know how difficult it is to secure transit funding  for the country and for NY. Coupled with the other transit projects like Gateway, the NY transit gem is gearing up to shine like the top of the Chrysler building, and it is about time. I thank Governor Hochul, the MTA and everyone else who helped make transit history today."

MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber said, "Faster service and more trains will help bring the heart of New York City closer to Long Islanders and Queens residents, and the surge in reverse commuting will be a shot in the arm for Long Island employers looking to access a bigger talent pool. It's a win-win."

Interim President of the Long Island Rail Road and President of Metro-North Railroad Catherine Rinaldi said, "LIRR is thrilled to be offering more frequent service and more flexibility to our customers. Grand Central Madison also provides connectivity between LIRR and Metro-North for the very first time, opening up a new era of regional rail travel for customers of both railroads."

With implementation of the new schedules, there will be more than 500 additional station stops in Brooklyn and Queens and during the peak period, an LIRR train into Penn Station or Grand Central every 3 to 6 minutes and service to Atlantic Terminal approximately every 12 minutes. Grand Central Madison is the first major new rail terminal to open in the United States in 67 years and the first extension of the LIRR in 112 years, since service began to Penn Station in 1910.

The new schedules provide rush-hour through-service to Brooklyn from Freeport, Hempstead and West Hempstead. The MTA encourages all riders to consult the new schedules before traveling via the highly rated TrainTime app or at mta.info, where users can find pdf timetables.

The Combo Ticket

The beginning of service now enables the possibility of transferring directly between the LIRR and Metro-North Railroad. To provide a seamless connection between the systems, the MTA has introduced the "Combo Ticket" - a single ticket that enables customers to travel between Long Island, Manhattan's northern suburbs and Connecticut all with one fare.

The Combo Ticket enables riders to buy a LIRR ticket in Huntington for a trip to White Plains or a Metro-North ticket in Poughkeepsie for a trip to Montauk. Riders choose their origin station with Grand Central as their destination and pay the regular fare plus a flat rate of eight dollars for a continuing trip to any destination on the other railroad. For more on the combo ticket, visit https://new.mta.info/fares/ combo-ticket.

More on Recent Long Island Rail Road Improvements

Grand Central Madison, Double Track, and Main Line Third Track are part of an unprecedented $17.7 billion investment to transform and modernize the Long Island Rail Road with 100 projects throughout the system including construction of a more spacious LIRR Concourse at Penn Station with a new entrance at 33rd Street and Seventh Avenue, renewal and upgrading of 36 stations and 17 bridges, elimination of eight at-grade railroad crossings, activation of the Positive Train Control safety system, upgrades to 15 electrical substations, parking capacity increases, and yard expansions.

Additionally, following the opening of Moynihan Train Hall in 2021, the MTA, together with Empire State Development, NJ Transit and Amtrak, is transforming Penn Station into a world-class, single-level terminal with abundant natural light, high ceilings, and enhanced wayfinding.
Pets & Animal, Local News, Business & Finance, Community, Charity & Cause, Press Releases

By Jacob Alvear Published: February 27 2023

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 27 through SUNDAY, MARCH 5 OPEN DAILY 10:00am to 6:00pm

More than 28,000 dogs, cats, puppies, and kittens across the country have been adopted into homes as a result of our annual Tour For Life which launches its 23rd national run beginning this Monday.

Locally, North Shore Animal League America is kicking off Tour For Life2023  the worlds largest cooperative, life-saving pet adoption event  in partnership with Rachael Ray Nutrish, with a weeklong celebration. From Monday, February 27 through Sunday, March 5 we will be kicking off the eight-week-long, nationwide program with adoptions at our Port Washington, NY campus featuring giveaways for all approved adopters.

Nationally, 2023s Tour For Life will feature weeklong events throughout March and April in collaboration with shelter and rescue partners in 66 cities/towns across 39 states, focusing on finding loving, responsible homes for the animals in their care. Animal League America mobile units and staff will join our rescue community friends at events in several locations along the route.

For more information about Tour For Life 2023 and a list of shelter partners participating nationwide, visit: www.animalleague.org/ TourForLife
Local News

By Chris Boyle Published: February 27 2023

The incident took place approximately 8 a.m. Friday when the Deer Park Fire Department was called to a residence on Boston Avenue.

An Islip woman is dead after her home was engulfed in flames, with "extreme clutter" impeding firefighters' efforts to combat the blaze and rescue her, officials say.

The incident took place approximately 8 a.m. Friday when the Deer Park Fire Department was called to a residence on Boston Avenue. When firefighters arrived on the scene, they discovered the home was complete ablaze, and that trash and debris associated with hoarding conditions interfered with their ability to extinguish the fire and look for occupants.

Firefighters eventually discovered a woman near the front enterance of the residence; she was transported to a local area hpspital where she later perished from her injuries.

The fire was put out within 90 minutes.
Local News

By Chris Boyle Published: February 28 2023

District Attorney Tierney Announces Megas Retirement Following Her Distinguished Career Helping Victims and Witnesses of Crime Cope with Trauma.

Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney today announced the retirement of Mega, a ten-year-old yellow Labrador Retriever that has served as the Suffolk County District Attorney Offices first facility dog.

I am proud to announce that Mega is retiring after eight years of dedicated service to countless victims and witnesses of crime in both Suffolk County and Nassau County, comforting them during their most vulnerable times, said District Attorney Tierney. Facility dogs contribute to the healing process by providing attention, comfort, and companionship. I want to personally thank Mega and her handler Amanda for their impactful work at the Suffolk County District Attorneys Office and to the people of Suffolk County.

Born on August 20, 2012, at the Canine Companions breeding facility in Santa Rosa, California, Mega joined her puppy-raisers, the Masters family, at their home in Virginia when she was eight-weeks-old. The Masters taught Mega all of her basic training and provided her with plenty of love and most importantly, socialization so that Mega became used to all types of environments, people, and stimuli.

At approximately 18-months-old, Mega matriculated into full time professional training at the Canine Companions Northeast Regional Campus in Medford, New York. There, she learned 52 different commands including some as advanced as turning lights on and off. Mega was part of the October 2014 training class when she matched with her facilitator, Amanda Burke. At the time, Amanda was an Assistant District Attorney in the Nassau County District Attorneys Office. Once she graduated from Canine Companions, Mega became the first facility dog in a District Attorneys Office on Long Island, and only the second facility dog in a District Attorneys Office in New York State.

While working at the Nassau District Attorneys Office, Mega assisted hundreds of victims and witnesses such as sitting with them calmly inside the office while they met with the Assistant District Attorneys, going to detective squads or hospital rooms where a victim was being interviewed following a trauma, by playing fetch with child victims to relieve the tension they felt after talking about what had happened to them, or by waiting quietly outside of court for them before and after their testimony.

Mega was a beloved member of the Nassau County District Attorneys Office until September 2022, when Mega and Amanda began their jobs in the Suffolk County District Attorneys Office in the Child Abuse and Domestic Violence Bureau. Although Mega has only been working at the Suffolk County District Attorneys Office for a few months, she has made a lasting impact on everyone she has met, including victims and staff alike.

Throughout her career, Mega has served under five District Attorneys, including former Nassau District Attorney and former United States Representative Kathleen M. Rice, former Nassau District Attorney and current Associate Judge of the New York Court of Appeals Madeline Singas, former Acting Nassau County District Attorney and current Queens District Attorney Executive Assistant Joyce A. Smith, Nassau County District Attorney Anne T. Donnelly, and Mega is currently serving under Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney.

It was a privilege to welcome Mega as the Nassau District Attorneys first support dog, and with a gentle paw or nuzzle she gave comfort to countless victims and witnesses throughout her years of dedicated service, said Rice. Im wishing Mega a long and enjoyable retirement filled with love, naps, and plenty of treats.

During my tenure with the office, I personally witnessed the benefits of having Mega comfort our witnesses who needed additional support during their presence in our offices and in court, said Smith. She has performed an incredible service to crime victims, and we are honored to have worked with Mega.

Survivors of violence  especially young people  have a very difficult time discussing traumatic events. Mega helped countless survivors  young and old  feel at ease in the very intimidating atmosphere of a courthouse and a prosecutors office, said District Attorney Donnelly. At the time Mega began working for us in 2014, she was only the second Canine Companion facility dog to be placed in a district attorneys office in New York State. We thank our partners at Canine Companions for blessing us with the best coworker and fetch partner you could ever imagine. Mega  thank you for your years of service to the residents of Nassau County. We wish you an easy retirement with unlimited treats, belly-rubs and leisurely walks.

On Tuesday, February 14, 2023, District Attorney Tierney welcomed Tillman III, a two-year-old yellow Labrador Retriever/Golden Retriever mix, also trained by Canine Companions, who will be taking over Megas role as the new facility dog for the Suffolk County District Attorneys Office with Assistant District Attorney Melissa Grier upon Megas retirement.
Crime

By Chris Boyle Published: February 28 2023

Joshua Kantrow, 32, is wanted out of Adams County, Colorado, on the charge of sexual exploitation of minor-material film, a felony in the State of Colorado.

Suffolk County Sheriffs Office Deputy Sheriffs have arrested Gabriel Joshua Kantrow, 32, as a fugitive from justice from the State of Colorado. Mr. Kantrow is wanted out of Adams County, Colorado, on the charge of sexual exploitation of minor-material film, a felony in the State of Colorado.

Mr. Kantrow was arrested when the Deputy Sheriff at the Yaphank Correctional Facility security booth requested identifitcation from all vehicle occupants of a vehicle attempting to enter the facility to visit an incarcerated individual. Mr. Kantrow was a passenger in the vehicle. Adams County confirmed the warrant and that they will extradite the defendant.
Local News

By Chris Boyle Published: February 28 2023

The event will take place at the South Fork Natural History Museum & Nature Center at 377 Bridgehampton / Sag Harbor Turnpike in Bridgehampton, New York.

Bridgehamptons Andy Sabin, a respected herpetologist and President of The South Fork Natural History Museum & Nature will lead his walk into in search of the Blue-Spotted Salamander this Saturday, March 4, at 7:30 PM ET.

Montauks vernal ponds are some of the few places in the world where the Blue-spotted Salamander, in its purebred form, can be found. Andy Sabin will lead this nighttime expedition to search for this unique native species. This walk will take place only if there have been heavy rains.

In New York, this salamander occurs in a patchy distribution outside of high elevation areas; its occurrence on Long Island is only in the farthest eastern reaches. Blue-spotted salamander habitat is the moist forest floor of deciduous or mixed woodlands near ephemeral bodies of water.

Blue-spotted salamanders are between 3.9 and 5.5 in in length. Their skin is bluish black, with characteristic blue and white flecks on its back, and bluish-white spots on the sides of its body and tail. They have elongated bodies and long toes: four on the front feet and five on the hind feet. Males tend to be smaller than females, though they have longer, flattened tails.

ANDY SABIN UPCOMING SALAMANDER WALKS

March 11, 2023 at 7:30pm - Andy Sabins Second Blue-spotted Salamander Walk.

Montauks vernal ponds are some of the few places in the world where the Blue-spotted Salamander, in its purebred form, can be found. Andy Sabin will lead this nighttime expedition in search for this unique native species. This walk will take place only if there have been heavy rains.

March 18, 2023 at 8:00pm - Andy Sabins Annual Spotted Salamander Search:

On this walk to one of the vernal ponds, Andy Sabin will search for the Spotted Salamander, one of the four native mole salamanders. This walk will take place only if there have been heavy rains.

ABOUT ANDY SABIN

Andrew Sabin, Chairman of Sabin Metal Corporation, established The Andrew Sabin Family Foundation, in 2008 to make his philanthropy more impactful. Sabin, who is the President of The South Fork Natural History Center and Nature Museum, is an environmental activist who supports responsible leadership, humankind and the earth to help provide future generations with climate-minded elected leaders. Each year, the foundation gives nearly 200 grants that focus on protecting our environment, strengthening our communities and advancing cancer research. Our local and global initiatives share one common goal: build a healthier world for all of us.

ABOUT SOFO
(Alliance News) - Three energy companies are due to bring a UK High Court challenge over the sale of collapsed energy company Bulb to Octopus Energy.

Rival suppliers Scottish Power, British Gas and Eon have launched a legal bid over the sale, questioning the lawfulness of the government's decision-making process over the transaction.

They are seeking to challenge two decisions of the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy made in October  to approve the takeover and to increase a government loan facility to help with the transfer from GBP1.68 billion to GBP3.9 billion.

In court documents, lawyers representing the energy firms previously argued there were "serious public interest issues" surrounding the Bulb deal.

The firms are also challenging the lawfulness of a "vast" government subsidy "likely running into the billions of pounds".

In October, Octopus announced a deal to buy its rival and take on Bulb's approximately 1.6 million customers after the 650-employee firm was placed into special administration in November 2021.

BEIS later confirmed an agreement had been reached between special administrators of Bulb and Octopus, and that the sale would be completed following the statutory energy transfer scheme process, which will move Bulb's relevant assets into a new separate entity that will "protect consumers during the transfer process".

Then-business and energy secretary Grant Shapps subsequently announced he had approved the scheme, with a High Court judge setting the date for December 20, 2022.

Justice Zacaroli, the judge who set the date for the scheme to come into effect, said Shapps' decision was a "valid and effective decision until such time a court order is made quashing it".

Tuesday's hearing before Justice Singh and Justice Foxton at the Royal Courts of Justice is due to begin at 10.30am.

source: PA

Copyright 2023 Alliance News Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
The UKs second largest hotel chain Travelodge is coming to Palma as part of a major expansion drive across Spain. Their most recent new hotel includes the new NH Villa de Coslada hotel in Madrid, with 79 rooms and on-site restaurant and bar.

This will be turned into the Travelodge Madrid Coslada Aeropuerto with a 1million renovation.The And expansion plans include new Travelodge hotels in Barcelona, Madrid, Alicante, Bilbao, Granada, Malaga, Palma, Seville and Valencia.

Rooms start from just 19 (16), working out to just 8 each a night, making a holiday to Spain even cheaper.

Steve Bennett, Travelodge, Chief Property & Development Officer said: The Spanish hotel market is growing at pace with demand exceeding supply and we want to take this opportunity to take the Travelodge brand to new business and leisure locations across Spain.

In 1985, Travelodge became Britains first value hotel brand when it launched in the UK, opening its first hotel at Barton under Needwood in the heart of England.

Since those early days, Travelodge has gone from strength to strength and is now the UKs largest independent hotel brand.

With more than 590 hotels and 40,000 guest bedrooms across the UK, Ireland and Spain, youll find them in major city centres and towns as well as seaside locations and vital roadside stops.

And it continues to expand, with new hotels planned to open and further locations identified for the coming years.
Manchester, VT (05254)

Today

Mostly cloudy skies early will become partly cloudy later in the day. Slight chance of a rain shower. High around 75F. Winds ESE at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies during the evening will give way to cloudy skies overnight. Low near 55F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph.
Merck Foundation , the philanthropic arm of Merck KGaA Germany, successfully conducted the second edition of their reporting and engagement tool for their programs 90 Minutes with Senator, Dr. Rasha Kelej, Merck Foundation CEO 2023 with the aim to update and discuss their programs and its impact and build advocacy to break infertility stigma, support girl education and transform patient care.

The session showcased Dr. Rasha Kelej engagement with Media Members, Merck Foundation Alumni, Merck Foundation Award Winners, Social Media Followers and other stakeholders on 17th February 2023, through a Videoconference to address several critical health and social issues, in addition to sharing her long experience, challenges, solutions and success stories with audiences in social media.

As part of this important meeting, participants explored Senator, Dr. Rashas personal and professional sides through questions about her likes, dislikes, hobbies, personality, education, early life, career, achievements, success stories and challenges she overcame. Additionally, her vision and plans for achieving the objectives of the Merck Foundation, as well as her personal goals, were discussed.

Senator, Dr. Rasha Kelej, CEO of Merck Foundation expressed,

I am extremely happy to receive so much love during the session. 90 Minutes with Merck Foundation CEO , I really appreciate all of you, for giving me an opportunity to share my views, work, life and experience with many of our partners and stakeholders including our alumni, media members, award winners and also our social media followers. During the session, I answered a range of questions, and I was also able to update everyone about our programs and its impact, and the future plans. I hope the information I shared will be beneficial for many and motivate them to reach their potential and fulfill their dreams in life.

Senator, Dr. Rasha Kelej has an experience spanning over 29 years. She has been recognized as One of the 100 Most Influential Africans in the world for 2019, 2020, 2021 & 2022. She has also been appointed as Senator at The Egyptian Senate (2020  2025) and awarded Doctorate of Letters Honoris Causa.

I was impressed with the range of questions that were asked during the meeting. I am happy that my followers and partners want to know more about every aspect of my work  life fusion concept. I feel connected to them after this one-on-one discussion, emphasized Senator, Dr. Rasha Kelej.

During the session, Senator, Dr. Rasha Kelej responded to each question with utmost grace and transparency. Below is the glimpse of the session.

Can you tell us about your leadership style? asked Dr. Ndikumana Sudi from Burundi.

Dr. Rasha responded,I believe in leading with example. A leadership style should be inspirational but should also be situational. I change my leadership style according to the situation and stage I am in. As a leader, it is very important for one to be alert of the circumstance one is dealing with, the stage we are in because time is very critical. You cannot be the same personality in all situations with everyone at all times. Successful Leadership style should be agile and multidimensional.

If there is a disaster and the crisis have to be managed, one has to be very quick and autocratic. Here, the decision has to be made on time so you take the steering wheel in your hand and just go for it because time is very important and critical in this situation.

When there is a luxury of time, and planning, then it can be dealt in a democratic way. You take opinions, and then chose the best and most suitable opinions and ideas .

But, overall, a leadership style always has to be very inspirational and leading by example. People need to see how you deal with problems, what are your set of work values or ethical values and you set an example with that.

Rebecca Tetteh, PeaceFM from Ghana acknowledged Dr. Rashas work on educating Linda Program. She asked, Its commendable how you work under the educating Linda program as it supports the education of many young, talented African girls. Can you tell us more about it?

Dr. Rasha responded,  Educating Linda is a very basic program where we provide grants to schoolgirls through our local partners to support their education. However, what we do differently is that we use unique ways to raise awareness and build advocacy for the same. We created many songs to promote girl education that can be aired on TV and radios like Girl Can by Irene and Cwezi from Liberia and Ghana, Yes, You Can by Blaze and Tamyris Moiane from Mozambique, Superwoman by Cwezi and Adina from Ghana, Like Them by Kenneth Mugabi from Uganda, and I am Not Anyones Bride, Take Me to School by Wezi from Zambia. We have collaborated with artists around the word to encourage community to support girls education and create a change of mindset towards perception of girls in education through innovative and creative new ways, as we believe in reaching and catching children when they are younger.

We have also launched childrens storybooks like Jacklines Rescue(https://apo-opa.info/3lnbtgy), A Ride into the Future(https://apo-opa.info/3ldlzAo) and Educating Linda(https://apo-opa.info/3log420) to support girl education.

Our Merck Foundation More Than a Mother Awards is also a step towards encouraging communities to empower women and support girl education. So, our program isnt different but our ways of advocating the social issue are novel.

The meeting was also live streamed on Senator, Dr. Rasha Kelej Facebook page (https://apo-opa.info/3Zxm3R1), Senator, Dr. Rasha Kelej Twitter handle (https://apo-opa.info/3jVPzAw) and Senator, Dr. Rasha Kelej Instagram page (https://apo-opa.info/3YSasvq).

After the success of the first livestream meeting, I have received request from many of our stakeholders to conduct a series of similar engaging meetings often. I am planning to do conduct such meeting on a regular basis. Stay tuned to know about the next session!, added Dr. Kelej.

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The Police Press & Public Relations Office of the Mauritius Police Force issued a press communique on the 28th February 2023 after the release of Bruneau Laurette on bail.

It is stated that Commissioner of Police, Mr Anil Kumar Dip, said during the afternoon of the 28/02/2023 in the Police Headquarters that:-

The mandate of the Mauritius Police Force (MPF) is to protect the population from all forms of crime and drug scourge

He stated that

The MPF has taken cognizance of the ruling of the District Magistrate of the Moka Court and the ensuing communique issued by the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP). He said that the MPF respects the decision of the Magistrate and the prerogative of the DPP.

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Just before the mid-term break, Governor's Meadow Lower Primary School celebrated Love and Kindness Week.

Pupils focused on three of the school's core values; love, kindness and gratitude. All pupils have engaged in a wide range of activities that focused on appreciation and reflecting on how fortunate we all are.

Reception pupils have spread love amongst members of the local community who help and support them. They distributed cards and handprinted flowers which put a huge smile on peoples faces.

Year 1 pupils spread love, kindness and cheer at Casemates by kindly gifting beautiful tokens to members of the general public who received these with great delight. They also gifted gratitude cards to the auxiliary staff at school who help to ensure the smooth running of the school.

Year 2 pupils were warmly received by those at Waterport Terraces Day Centre who thoroughly enjoyed their singing and kindly gifted pupils a gratitude token.
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The Marine Corps is getting rid of one of its most elite and storied jobs -- the scout sniper.

Official message traffic leaked to social media last week described a switch from scout sniper platoons to what will only be known only as "scout platoons."

The change is part of Force Design 2030 (FD2030), the Marine Corps' ongoing and controversial effort to reinvent the service for future warfare. The decision has already triggered concerns from within the ranks about the loss of sniper capabilities.

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All three training locations for the grueling 3-month Scout Sniper course at Camp Pendleton, California; Camp Lejeune, North Carolina; and Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia, will stop admitting new students starting in fiscal 2024, according to the message.

A spokesman for the Marine Corps confirmed that the scout sniper platoons would be eliminated, but said that the underlying skill set would be integrated elsewhere in the service.

"Precision rifle capability will remain within the infantry company, and the Marine Corps will continue to maintain school-trained snipers within Marine Reconnaissance and Marine Special Operations units," said service spokesman Capt. Ryan Bruce.

Bruce added that the Marine Corps' Training Command "is in the process of analyzing both the new scout platoon mission and enduring requirements for precision marksmanship capabilities to determine the performance standards and training options necessary."

Snipers are qualified to venture 10 to 20 miles beyond the forward line of troops, into the enemy's domain. Reconnaissance skills, like days-long observation of enemy outposts, are tough to maintain, as is the ability to shoot long distances with different sophisticated rifle systems. They're trained in how to call for fire and close-air support, and have to understand complex mission planning requirements.

The messages outlining the changes, posted to social media, described the move as being driven by the two-year-long "Infantry Battalion Experimentation" the Corps undertook, which "showed the scouting capabilities in the newly designed Infantry Companies were insufficient to offer the Battalion continuous all-weather information gathering."

Unlike tanks and select artillery capabilities, which were publicly put on the chopping block early during the force design rethink, the Marine Corps has remained mostly quiet on the future of snipers until now.

The new "scout platoons" will consist of 26 Marines. Infantry companies will no longer have Marines trained as snipers, but they will keep "designated marksmen."

It's not the first time the Corps has dropped the scout snipers.

The Marine Corps previously canned the program after World War I, World War II and Vietnam, anticipating that future warfare wouldn't require snipers.

Scout snipers are a storied part of Marine Corps history.

During WWII, scout snipers known as the "40 Thieves on Saipan" operated far behind enemy lines and grew famous for their silent killing techniques. And before "American Sniper," there was Carlos Hathcock, a Vietnam War Marine with 93 confirmed kills (and up to 300 unconfirmed kills), and Chuck Mawhinney, another Vietnam sniper with more than 100 confirmed kills.

The Marine Corps' commandant, Gen. David Berger, has been vocal about wanting infantry Marines to become well-versed in multiple weapons systems -- less specialized and more "commando-like."

But some Marines, who spoke with Military.com about the service's decision to eliminate scout snipers on condition of anonymity, say that kind of mindset highlights a misunderstanding of the extreme capabilities snipers provide and the importance of their uncompromising training.

"We're talking out of both sides of our mouth here," said one Marine gunner, a weapons expert. "We don't want to divest the equipment because we know we need that capability," he said, pointing out that tough-to-master sniper rifles aren't going anywhere.

"You just can't pick up an advanced sniper rifle and hand it to somebody and expect them to be able to do what a trained sniper can do," the Marine added.

Instead, the Corps will rely on training up Marines through the two-week-long Designated Marksman course.

It's unclear how "scout platoons" will be trained, as there is currently no stand-alone "scouting" course within the Marine Corps.

Scout snipers have faced a serious shortage of numbers in recent years, which some say is due in part to a too-high attrition rate from the scout sniper schoolhouses. Fewer Marines finishing the course means fewer snipers overall.

Others see it differently.

"Part of this is a retention problem," said a Marine officer who's involved with current scout sniper training efforts. The Marine said that, because being a sniper is a secondary responsibility, it gets short shrift from higher-ups.

"A lot of them want to keep doing their jobs as snipers," the Marine added. "So they get out, and they go to the SEALs, Army Special Forces or MARSOC. I've seen it happen multiple times. They don't want to stay because they're not valued properly."

Previous reporting suggests there may be anywhere from 150 to 300 scout snipers in the Marine Corps. Save for snipers produced through stand-alone courses with Reconnaissance and MARSOC units, numbers will likely plummet, given the closing of the sniper schools.

In 2018, then-Commandant Gen. Robert Neller sought to increase scout snipers' numbers, amidst the shortage. The Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory reportedly recommended an increase in sniper platoon numbers around the same time.

While snipers are set to remain at MARSOC and Recon, Marines point out that MARSOC snipers are likely to be under the purview of their Special Operations Command structure, and aren't likely to be easily dispersed throughout the service. And while Recon will maintain snipers, their small numbers and specialized, high-level missions leave the majority of Marine infantry units out in the cold.

"I think a lot of senior commanders don't really understand the full capability that a sniper brings to them," lamented a senior enlisted sniper.

"Snipers can't be mass-produced," he continued. "They're trying to mass-produce capabilities and cutting corners, thinking that numbers on a spreadsheet is what will win wars. But it's not; all it's going to do is fill body bags."

-- Kelsey Baker is a freelance journalist and former active-duty Marine. She can be reached at bakerkelsey@protonmail.com.

Related: Can Congress Save the Marine Corps from Itself?
All of the military services are currently reworking their policies to adjust separation and promotion records for service members who refused to get the COVID-19 vaccine, after the Pentagon ended the inoculation mandate last month.

The Pentagon directed all the services to "formally rescind any policies, directives, and guidance implementing those vaccination mandates as soon as possible, if they have not already done so," according to a Friday press release.

The service branches must notify the Pentagon that they've made the changes no later than March 17.

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The new policy guidance to the services makes no mention of reinstating service members who were separated from the military for refusing the shot.

The same day the Pentagon set the deadline for the services, several of the branches -- namely the Army and Air Force -- began issuing their guidance, which stated they would remove or correct adverse actions in records related to vaccine refusal.

The Department of the Air Force, which also issues guidance for the Space Force, has detailed it will be rescinding letters of admonishment, counseling or reprimand; records of individual counseling; nonjudicial punishments; and current involuntary discharge proceedings connected to vaccine refusal.

Additionally, "promotion records will be corrected by the [Department of the Air Force] who will remove or redact all adverse actions related to vaccine refusal," according to a Friday press release.

The Army also announced in a Friday press release that ongoing reviews of COVID vaccine exemption requests, records of soldiers who requested COVID vaccine exemptions, vaccine requirements for accessions or pre-commissioning programs, and travel restrictions based solely on COVID vaccination status will be removed or amended.

"Former Soldiers may petition the Army Discharge Review Board and the Army Board for Correction of Military Records to request corrections to their records," the service's press release said.

Secretary of the Army Christine Wormuth said in the press release that the service is still, however, encouraging vaccinations.

"I am proud of the efforts the Department of the Army has taken to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic," Wormuth said. "We will continue to promote and encourage COVID-19 vaccination for all personnel to ensure readiness, facilitate mission accomplishment, and protect the force."

The Coast Guard issued guidance Monday announcing it was "taking action to remove" all administrative remark entries related to the COVID-19 vaccination mandate from reserve and active-duty records. Those records are supposed to be cleared by March 31, according to the guidance.

The Navy began issuing guidance to sailors earlier this month. On Feb. 17, the service lifted its policy of banning unvaccinated sailors from deploying.

There are some notable caveats. The policy does allow commanders to "implement Health Protection Measures at any time or manner deemed necessary in support of operational safety and effectiveness." It also allows them to restrict sailors' movement "in order to comply with host nation quarantine regulations."

Similar to the Navy, the Marine Corps is no longer stopping unvaccinated Marines from deployments.

"There are no current COVID-19 vaccine restrictions on deployments or assignments for the Marine Corps as a service," Capt. Ryan Bruce, a Marine Corps spokesman, told Military.com. "Marines will defer to Combatant Command policies regarding deployments."

It is not yet clear how the various services will handle pending lawsuits that sprang up in the years following the Pentagon's COVID-19 vaccine mandate.

Vaccine refusers often state that the use of fetal cell lines in the creation of the shots conflicts with their views on abortion.

The Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines do not need fetal cell lines for development or production but were tested on fetal cell lines replicated from a fetus aborted in the 1970s to ensure their efficacy. Only the Johnson & Johnson vaccine is manufactured using fetal cell lines.

Several lawsuits have been filed by sailors opposing the mandate and challenging the Navy's approach to reviewing the religious exemption requests. The Supreme Court ruled in March 2022 that the sea service was allowed to reassign sailors who had refused the shot and filed exemption requests to nonoperational commands.

The lawyers for the biggest lawsuit against the service said that, after the Navy's policy change on deployment, they were "still assessing the impact of this policy on our Navy SEAL clients and more than 4000 class members," according to a statement released Thursday night.

The suit was initially filed by a group of Navy SEALs but later expanded to include all vaccine-refusing sailors.

Another lawsuit, first filed by troops attached to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, has led to temporary protections for around 10,000 active-duty, Active Reserve, reserve and National Guard members of the Air Force and Space Force who requested a religious exemption from the COVID vaccine, although only those who have been denied an exemption would face immediate action.

A ruling in that case, issued this past November by the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati, upheld previous wins by attorneys representing the service members over the last year and took aim at the Air Force's process of approving religious exemptions. The decision sets the stage for a future trial or, possibly, the case winding its way up to the Supreme Court.

Thomas Bruns, a Cincinnati-based attorney with Bruns, Connell, Vollmar & Armstrong representing the service members, told Military.com on Monday that the service members in that case are promised full relief from any harms caused by the mandate.

Until any harm is remedied, according to Bruns, the case is still active.

"This guidance is a promise of what the Air Force is saying it will do," Bruns told Military.com. "It hasn't done it yet."

-- Konstantin Toropin contributed to this report

-- Thomas Novelly can be reached at thomas.novelly@military.com. Follow him on Twitter @TomNovelly.

Related: Navy Lifts COVID-19 Vaccine Requirement for Deployments
Two commanders and four subordinates at Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota, an installation that is crucial to America's nuclear triad, have been fired from their jobs, reportedly after officials lost faith in their ability to perform their mission.

Col. Gregory Mayer, the commander of the 5th Mission Support Group, and Maj. Jonathan Welch, the commander of the 5th Logistics Readiness Squadron, were both relieved of their jobs, a Minot Air Force Base spokeswoman confirmed to Military.com on Tuesday morning.

"These personnel actions were necessary to maintain the very high standards we demand of those units entrusted with supporting our Nation's nuclear mission," Maj. Gen. Andrew J. Gebara, commander of 8th Air Force, said in an Air Force Global Strike Command press release Monday.

Read Next: Military Services Will Amend COVID Vaccine Refuser Records So They Aren't Passed Over for Promotions

Air Force Global Strike Command added that, in addition to the two commanders, four subordinate leaders were fired by other officials at Minot. The firings were "due to a loss of confidence in their ability to complete their assigned duties," according to the Monday press release.

The names of the subordinates are not being publicized by base leaders.

"To protect the privacy of the individuals, further details will not be released," the news release said.

The services often don't disclose specifics of why commanders are relieved of their duties, typically citing the federal Privacy Act, which protects military records, and relying on the vague phrase "loss of trust and confidence" instead of detailing the specific reasons behind a shake-up, including whether there was misconduct.

An Air Force biography about Mayer's career has been removed from the base's website, but an archived copy on the Internet Archive's Wayback Machine shows he took on his role as commander of the 5th Mission Support Group in June 2022.

He was commissioned in the Air Force after graduating from Texas A&M University's ROTC program in 1999 and had deployments to Iraq, Kuwait and Oman in various roles.

The 5th Mission Support Group assists and supports the "5th Bomb Wing's 28 B-52 strategic bombers, the 91st Missile Wing's 165 Minuteman III Intercontinental Ballistic missiles and Launch control centers, and the 54th Helicopter Squadron's eight UH-1 helicopters," according to Mayer's biography.

Biographical details about Welch's career were not immediately available.

The shake-up in leadership also comes as Air Force officials are now investigating whether service members in a wide assortment of jobs who have served at any of the nation's intercontinental ballistic missile bases, including Minot, are at risk for Non-Hodgkin lymphoma and other cancers.

-- Thomas Novelly can be reached at thomas.novelly@military.com. Follow him on Twitter @TomNovelly.

Related: Special Operations Commander Fired After Being Arrested for Alleged Drunk Driving, Hit and Run
KYIV, Ukraine  Regional officials in southern and western Russia reported a string of drone attacks near the border with Ukraine and deep inside the country that caused no casualties, but provoked a security stir Tuesday, as the war with Kyiv stretched into its second year.

The hacking of Russian television channels and radio stations, and the temporary closure of airspace around St. Petersburgs airport, fed suspicion that Kyiv could be behind the disruption.

Ukrainian officials didnt immediately claim responsibility for the attacks, but they similarly avoided directly acknowledging responsibility for previous strikes and sabotage while emphasizing Ukraines right to hit any target in Russia following the full-scale invasion that began last year.

A flurry of drone attacks on Monday night and Tuesday morning targeted regions inside Russia along the border with Ukraine and deeper into the country, with one drone crashing just 100 kilometers (60 miles) away from Moscow, according to local Russian authorities.

A drone fell near the village of Gubastovo, roughly 100 kilometers (60 miles) southeast of Moscow, Andrei Vorobyov, governor of the region surrounding the Russian capital, said in an online statement.

The drone didnt inflict any damage, Vorobyov said. He didn't specifically describe the drone as Ukrainian, but said that it likely targeted a civilian infrastructure object.

Pictures of the drone showed it was a Ukrainian-made type. It reportedly has a range of up to 800 kilometers (nearly 500 miles), but isnt capable of carrying a large load of explosives.

Russian forces early Tuesday shot down a Ukrainian drone over the Bryansk region, local Gov. Aleksandr Bogomaz said in a Telegram post. He said there were no casualties.

Three drones also targeted Russias Belgorod region on Monday night, with one flying through an apartment window in its namesake capital, local authorities reported. Regional Gov. Vyacheslav Gladkov said the drones caused minor damage to buildings and cars but no casualties.

The Russian Defense Ministry said that Ukraine used drones to attack facilities in the Krasnodar region and neighboring Adygea. It said the drones were brought down by electronic warfare assets, adding that one of them crashed into a field and another diverted from its designated flight path and missed an infrastructure facility it was supposed to attack.

While Ukrainian drone strikes on the Russian border regions of Bryansk and Belgorod that lie north of Ukraines Sumy region aren't unusual, the hits on the Krasnodar and Adygea regions further south are noteworthy.

A fire broke out at an oil depot in Russias Krasnodar region on Monday, Russias state RIA Novosti agency reported. Russian Telegram channels claimed that two drones exploded near the depot.

A drone also crashed overnight in a field in Adygea, located about 600 kilometers (370 miles) east of Crimea, regional Gov. Murat Kumpilov said on Telegram. He said no one was hurt in the attack, which damaged some farm buildings.

While some Russian commentators described Tuesdays drone attacks as an attempt by Ukraine to showcase its capability to strike areas deep behind the lines, foment tensions in Russia and rally the Ukrainian public, some Russian war bloggers described the raids as a possible rehearsal of a bigger, more ambitious attack.

Last year, Russian authorities repeatedly reported shooting down Ukrainian drones over annexed Crimea. In December, the Russian military said Ukraine used drones to hit two bases for long-range bombers deep inside Russian territory.

Separately, the local government of St. Petersburg  Russias second-largest city about 1,300 kilometers (800 miles) north of the border with Ukraine  said early Tuesday that it was temporarily halting all flight departures and arrivals at the citys main airport, Pulkovo. It didn't give a reason for the move.

Hours earlier, unconfirmed reports on Russia's Telegram social network referred to the airspace over St. Petersburg being shut down and to Russian warplane overflights. It wasn't immediately clear whether this was connected to the alleged uptick in drone attacks in Russias south.

The Russian military said its air defense forces in Western Russia conducted drills on detection, interception and identification of enemy targets in its airspace, and in coordination with civilian air traffic services in an emergency situation.

The Russian Defense Ministry didnt specifically mention St. Petersburg, but its statement appeared designed to explain the temporary closure of the airspace.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov refused to comment on the situation in St. Petersburg, urging reporters to wait for details from the countrys aviation authorities or the military.

He noted, however, that President Vladimir Putin had full information on the situation.

Speaking at Russias main security agency, the FSB, Putin urged the service to tighten security on the border with Ukraine.

Russian media reported on Tuesday morning that in several Russian regions an air raid alarm interrupted the programming of several TV channels and radio stations.

Footage posted by some news sites showed TV sets displaying a yellow sign with a person heading to a bomb shelter, with a female voice repeating: Attention! Air raid alarm. Everyone should head to a shelter immediately.

Russias Emergency Ministry said in an online statement that the announcement was a hoax resulting from a hacking of the servers of radio stations and TV channels in some regions of the country.

Inside Ukraine, authorities said Tuesday that at least two civilians were killed by renewed Russian shelling in the southern city of Kherson and surrounding villages and 17 more were wounded in fighting over the previous 24 hours.

The fiercest fighting continued to be in eastern areas of Ukraine, where Russia wants control over all four of the provinces it illegally annexed in September.

Ukrainian officials said that Russian forces have deployed additional troops and equipment, including modern T-90 tanks, in those areas.

Meanwhile, satellite photos analyzed by The Associated Press appear to show a Beriev A-50 early warning aircraft was parked at a Belarus air base just before a claimed attack by partisans there.

Images from Planet Labs PBC shows the A-50, a late Soviet era aircraft known for its distinctive rotodome above its fuselage, parked at the northern apron of the Machulishchy Air Base near Minsk, Belarus capital, on Feb. 19.

A lower-resolution image taken on Feb. 23 shows a similarly-shaped aircraft still parked there, though heavy cloud cover has blocked any images since.

Belarusian opposition organization BYPOL claimed that guerrillas damaged the A-50 in an attack Sunday.

The Associated Press has been unable to independently confirm the claimed attack, which both Belarus and Russia have yet to acknowledge.

-----

Jon Gambrell in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, contributed.
Former Nevada Republican congressional candidate Sam Peters learned a couple of weeks ago that his military records  containing personal information  were improperly released to a Democrat-paid research group a year before.

Peters, who lost his race against incumbent Democratic Rep. Steven Horsford in the 4th Congressional District, received a Feb. 8 letter from the Air Force informing him about the unauthorized release of his records to an employee of Due Diligence Group, a company hired by the Democratic Partys chief fundraising committee.

(The Air Force) without question, did not follow the protocols that were in place, said Peters, who served from 1992 until retiring in 2013 and was one of 11 people whose records were released without authorization. I want rules to be followed and my privacy protected because these organizations are not supposed to release this type of private information without the members consent, and they did not have it.

20 years of records released

The letter states that on Feb. 10, 2022 and March 4, 2022, the Air Force Personnel Center Military Records Branch received requests for Peters military records from Abraham Payton, a background investigation analyst with Due Diligence Group LLC, a company that specializes in using public records research for its clients, including political campaigns, according to its website.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, the Democratic Partys fundraising committee that works to elect Democratic candidates to Congress, paid Due Diligence Group in 2021 and 2022 as a generic strategic/political consultant work, according to OpenSecrets.

Due Diligence Group did not return requests for comment.

Payton already had Peters Social Security number and requested the records for the purpose of Peters employment and benefits, the letter said.

On Feb. 14, 2022, an employee in the Air Force records branch shared a copy of Peters Form 214, the record of service all members receive when they leave the military. It includes the persons Social Security number, the dates that they entered and exited service, the rank they obtained, awards and training they received, Peters said.

When a military member applies for a job or applies for veteran benefits, those employers or organizations will ask for a copy of their Form 214, Peters said.

Its a pretty common document, Peters said. But again, its a private document. It has personal information on it. And for the Air Force to release it to somebody without my knowledge, its not allowed.

On March 8, 2022, an Air Force employee also released a copy of his military personnel records, which is a large folder of documents with information spanning Peters 20-year career, including his first enlistment, every promotion, every evaluation from his commanders and his retirement paperwork, he said.

Changes made

Col. Robert A. Hoskins, director of personnel support, wrote in the letter to Peters that he takes the matter seriously and conducted an investigation and internal audit, which determined there was no criminal action or malicious intent by the employee in the records branch.

Hoskins wrote that the Air Force held the employee accountable for not following the proper procedures but did not specify what was done. To prevent the issue from happening again, the personnel center also reviewed its policies and practices and made procedural changes, including implementing a higher level review and adding more security checks, Hoskins wrote in the letter.

Since finding out those records were released, Peters is trying to find out where all his information went. He called Hoskins office twice and has not been able to speak with him, he said Friday. My personal information is out there, to people who shouldnt have it, who clearly wanted to use it against me, Peters said. And what are they doing with it now? And how are they using it?

During the campaign, Peters did not see any attack ads or information publicized that he thought was private and came from those records. The messaging from Horsford and the Democratic campaigns did not go into his military history, he said.

Miguel Ayala, spokesman for Horsfords campaign, said in an email that the campaign did not have a relationship with the researcher and strongly condemns the use of information used by illegal means.

Follow @jess_hillyeah on Twitter.

2023 Las Vegas Review-Journal. Visit reviewjournal.com.. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
The Navy's top civilian leader announced that he will rename the guided missile cruiser USS Chancellorsville after a commission called for a new name last spring.

The cruiser is named after the 1863 Battle of Chancellorsville, which, despite heavy casualties, is considered Gen. Robert E. Lee's greatest victory in the war. The battle also led to the wounding of Gen. Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson, who was shot by his own men after being mistaken for Union cavalry. He died a week after the battle.

Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro announced that he would name the ship after Robert Smalls, a former slave who was conscripted into Confederate service in 1862, stole a Confederate steamer ship and escaped from Charleston, then turned the ship over to the Union Navy. Smalls would go on to be appointed a brigadier general of the South Carolina militia and serve in the South Carolina legislature, as well as the U.S. House of Representatives for five terms.

Read Next: 2 Commanders Among 6 Fired from Jobs at Minot Air Force Base

"The renaming of these assets is not about rewriting history, but to remove the focus on the parts of our history that don't align with the tenets of this country, and instead allows us to highlight the events and people in history who may have been overlooked," Del Toro said in a press release Monday.

"Robert Smalls is a man who deserves a namesake ship and, with this renaming, his story will continue to be retold and highlighted," he added.

While all the Navy's Ticonderoga-class cruisers are named after major battles, including others from the Civil War, the Chancellorsville is the only ship named after a Confederate victory.

The ship's crest glorifies the Confederacy, as well. Before it was removed from the cruiser's webpage, a description noted that "the predominant gray refers to General Robert E. Lee's spectacular military strategies and his dominance in this battle." The crest also features the motto "Press on" -- a rallying cry Jackson used while routing Union troops in the battle.

Navy journalist Chris Cavas reported that the ship's wardroom featured a large painting of Lee and Jackson until at least 2016. USNI News reported in 2022 that the painting had since been removed.

The choice to rename the ship struck some in the Navy community as a curious move since the cruiser is set to be decommissioned in 2026.

Bryan McGrath, a retired naval officer and now managing director of The FerryBridge Group, noted in a tweet Tuesday that he "would have preferred leaving the ship with its current name for the short life it has remaining, while naming the next name-able FLIGHT III Destroyer after Robert Smalls so that his name might be in the fleet for decades."

Some civil rights groups, which have called for the removal of Confederate names, holidays, flags, statues, and symbols nationwide, praised the move.

"We are pleased to see the Navy rename this ship after a hero who risked his life for our nation instead of for a victory by those who betrayed it in defense of slavery and white supremacy," the national spokesman for The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), Ibrahim Hooper, said in an emailed statement.

The congressionally ordered Naming Commission, which was headed by history-making retired Adm. Michelle Howard, recommended changing the names of around 750 assets across the military, including signs, streets, memorials and bases, when it released its report in March 2022.

The commission also suggested the Navy rename the oceanographic survey ship USNS Maury, which honors Confederate naval officer Matthew Maury, considered the father of the science of oceanography.

The U.S. Naval Academy renamed its engineering building last week -- previously named Maury Hall after the same officer -- to Carter Hall after former lieutenant and Class of 1947 alumnus President Jimmy Carter.

The Navy, in its statement, said that the logistical aspects associated with renaming the ship will begin "henceforth and will continue until completion with minimal impact on operations and the crew."

The ship is currently based out of Yokosuka, Japan.

-- Konstantin Toropin can be reached at konstantin.toropin@military.com. Follow him on Twitter @ktoropin.

Related: Naval Academy Honors President Jimmy Carter, Drops Confederate Name from Building
BANGKOK  Thai and U.S. officials officially opened annual Cobra Gold multinational military exercises on Tuesday, now restored to one of the worlds largest following three years of sharp pandemic cutbacks, reinforcing the security alliances of the United States and six Asian nations.

Singapore, Japan, Indonesia, South Korea and Malaysia are full participants in the two-week planning and field exercises, which are co-hosted by the Royal Thai Armed Forces and the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command.

More than 3,800 U.S. troops and 3,000 Thai personnel will participate. But this year's full-scale return comes as relations between the co-hosts have come under long-term strain. Thailand is a traditional ally of the United States but has built increasingly closer security ties with China. There has also been resentment in the Thai military and government over U.S. criticism of military coups that ousted elected governments in 2006 and 2014.

Twenty-three other countries are joining as exercise partners or observers for a total of 7,394 personnel participating in a variety of security and humanitarian drills.

Today, Cobra Gold is an exercise focused on the future. It brings together 30 countries from around the world to solve complex challenges that no single country can solve alone, U.S Ambassador to Thailand Robert F. Godec said at the opening ceremony at a Thai navy base in the eastern province of Rayong. Only through cooperation can we rise to these challenges and keep our people safe.

Cobra Gold began as a joint Thai-U.S. maritime exercise in 1982 and has evolved into a much larger operation. It consists of three parts  field training, a command post staff exercise, and disaster relief and humanitarian exercises.

For the first time this year, the command post exercise will include training on possible space disasters to "foster understanding of the impacts of aerial phenomenon, such as solar storms, on military operations, communication systems, and satellites, which in turn will help the staff to prepare for these phenomena, organizers said.

The humanitarian exercises include the construction of school buildings at six sites, a tabletop exercise to practice coordination in case of natural disasters, and live search and rescue, emergency response, medical evacuation, chemical leak, and firefighting drills.

Field training will consist of an amphibious exercise, a strategic airborne operation, noncombatant evacuation, and a combined arms live-fire exercise.

Cobra Gold strengthens our ability to plan and conduct combined joint high-end security peacekeeping operations across all domains, Adm. John Aquilino, commander of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, said at the opening ceremony. Through Cobra Gold we demonstrate our resolve to respond together to preserve a free and open Indo-Pacific so that all nations can maintain peace, stability and prosperity.

China, India and Australia are taking part in the humanitarian assistance exercise. Bangladesh, Canada, France, Mongolia, Nepal, New Zealand, the Philippines, Fiji, the United Kingdom and Brunei will take part in planning and executing multinational operations in response to small-scale contingencies other than war.

Observers are attending from Cambodia, Laos, Brazil, Pakistan, Vietnam, Germany, Sweden, Greece, Kuwait, and Sri Lanka.
Top defense officials told lawmakers Tuesday that there is no evidence weapons being sent to Ukraine are ending up in places they're not supposed to be, rebutting a small but increasingly vocal group of GOP lawmakers who want to cut off U.S. aid to Kyiv.

"We are not seeing any evidence of systemic diversion of the equipment the United States has provided," Colin Kahl, the under secretary of defense for policy, said at a House Armed Services Committee hearing.

Robert Storch, the Pentagon's inspector general, similarly testified that "we have not substantiated any such instances" of sensitive equipment being lost or diverted, though he repeatedly stressed that his office has several ongoing audits and investigations trying to answer questions about whether the Defense Department is properly monitoring aid.

Read Next: 2 Commanders Among 6 Fired from Jobs at Minot Air Force Base

The House Armed Services Committee hearing, taking place days after the first anniversary of the war in Ukraine, comes as Republicans are using their new House majority to step up oversight of the nearly $100 billion the United States has set aside for military, humanitarian and financial aid to Ukraine. Defense officials were also slated to testify about Ukraine before the House Appropriations Committee on Tuesday afternoon.

While top Republicans, including Armed Services Committee Chairman Mike Rogers, R-Ala., continue to criticize the Biden administration for not giving Ukrainians more sophisticated weapons faster, a growing minority of the GOP wants to end the support over what they say are concerns about aid crowding out domestic priorities or being misused.

Speaking to reporters ahead of the hearing, a senior Armed Services Committee aide said the panel so far hasn't "seen any diversion or evidence of diversion" of weapons.

The aide, who spoke on condition of anonymity under ground rules set by the committee, also pushed back on the idea that the panel's beefed-up oversight is a response to Republicans who oppose helping Ukraine, saying, "This is something that was going to be a priority of Chairman Rogers regardless of where the caucus was" because "there's a lot of money that's going over there."

"These are unprecedented numbers, and it requires an unprecedented level of oversight by Congress," Rogers said in his opening statement Tuesday.

The faction that wants to cut off assistance often points to the United States' record of losing weapons it promised to track. But the narrative that the flood of U.S. weapons entering Ukraine could end up on the black market or in the hands of terrorists has also been aggressively pushed by Russian officials and pro-Kremlin media.

On Tuesday, Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., an opponent of U.S. aid to Ukraine, asked Kahl about a report in the Global Times, a Chinese state-run tabloid, alleging U.S. support is going to what's known as the Azov Battalion. The militia was founded in 2014 by a man who espoused white supremacist views, and U.S. law has banned funding from going to the Azov Battalion since 2018. But the group formally split from a far-right political party in 2016, and it has pushed back on allegations that it continues to have neo-Nazi links.

"Is this the Global Times from China?" Kahl shot back to Gaetz, who appeared flustered as he first said it wasn't, before looking at the article again and saying it "might be."

"As a general matter, I don't take Beijing's propaganda at face value," Kahl added.

Later in the hearing, Kahl allowed for the possibility of weapons being diverted by "Russians who have captured things on the battlefield," saying that "always happens" during war.

He also acknowledged the difficulties of tracking weapons in a war zone with no U.S. troops beyond the handful of Marines guarding the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv, though he highlighted efforts such as giving the Ukrainians handheld scanners to log the weapons, and U.S. troops conducting inspections in the field when it's safe to do so.

"There's no evidence that the Ukrainians are diverting it to the black market," Kahl continued. "That's not surprising, given the intensity of the fight and the fact that they are clearly using what we're providing them and what our allies and partners are providing to maximum effect."

Defense officials also touted progress in improving Ukrainian forces' capabilities. Lt. Gen. Douglas Sims, director of operations for the Joint Staff, told lawmakers that U.S. service members have trained more than 4,000 Ukrainian troops since the conflict started, including 1,000 just since January.

"Collective training is ongoing throughout Europe and is dramatically increasing Ukrainian combined arms proficiency," Sims said. "As I speak, Ukrainians are training in multiple locations in Europe, working with U.S. service members and military trainers from our allies and our partners."

-- Rebecca Kheel can be reached at rebecca.kheel@military.com. Follow her on Twitter @reporterkheel.

Related: Ukraine Aid on the Line as Defense Hawks Prepare for New Congress and 'Wokeness' Fight
Huntsvilles Redstone Arsenal is getting new attention for an ongoing $1 billion cleanup of old and unexploded chemical and conventional munitions from burial sites on the base.

The online military website Army.mil featured the chemical munitions cleanup in February focusing on soldiers who get experience with chemical agents through the operation. An unexploded ordnance supervisor interviewed for the story estimated the work will continue through 2025.

Known today as home to major U.S. military commands and a top NASA center, the Huntsville arsenal was literally that  a large Army munitions factory  during and for a period after World War II. American troops also brought home unused munitions and captured enemy munitions that ended up at Redstone for study and disposal after the war.

So far, 3,500 munitions and explosives of concern have been removed from ground, said one official involved in the Redstone cleanup. They are taken from the recovery sites overnight or early in the morning by different routes to magazines  buildings covered with dirt  to await disposal.

This ordnance was either buried intact, burned or detonated during authorized disposal in the 1940s - 1960s, project supervisor Steven Tewhill told Army.mil. Most of the munition residue encountered shows a complete disposal, although occasionally there is liquid residue inside. Then that ordnance will be packaged and stored for further disposal.

Tewhill is an Army civilian employee and the senior unexploded ordnance supervisor on Redstone Arsenal. Jason Watson of the Garrison Directorate of Public Works leads teams doing the work. There have been no missed work hours for safety issues or injuries since the program started in 2010, Watson said.

We have approximately 15 chemical munition sites and probably another 20 conventional munition sites, Watson told AL.com. Some are near NASAs East Test Stand and some near the West Test Stand, he said.

The Army dug on Redstone approximately six miles of bury trenches, if you lined them all up, Watson said. Theyre not all in one place. General debris such as construction waste and old office furnishings is also in the trenches.

Watson said his team has weekly meetings with NASA and private companies such as Blue Origin operating on Redstone. The arsenal cleanup team also works closely with the Alabama Department of Environmental Management, Watson said. We have a very good relationship with the (state), he said. They are part of our project development team. We have meetings with them every other week. They did a site visit and inspection on us two weeks ago.

We have a technology permitted with the State of Alabama that is a vessel we use where any detonations for chemical munitions are done in a controlled vessel that has gas filtration units, Watson said. Anytime, we find a chemical munition, we go to extra, extra, extra efforts to make sure that the cleanup and the dismantling of that is done in an environmentally safe way.

There have been no missed work hours for safety issues or injuries since the program started in 2010, Watson said.

All of this work is going on, but everybodys safe, Watson said. It sounds real scary  chemical munitions and World War II stuff, bombs and unexploded ordinance  but we have many, many ways to protect our workers, utility and construction workers or the lunchtime walkers, whoever it might be.

Were doing dangerous stuff, but the people are safe and the environment is getting cleaner a ton a day, Watson said.

The work these professionals are doing not only removes potential military hazards from the environment, but it also allows the site to be reutilized for ongoing expansion on Redstone Arsenal, Franz Amann told the Army publication. He is director of the Armys Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, Explosives Analytical and Remediation Activity (CARA).

Once the sites are cleared, the Department of Defense, FBI and NASA will plan to construct new facilities in the cleared area, Amann said.

2023 Advance Local Media LLC. Visit al.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Fewer than 10 of the more than 2,000 sailors discharged for refusing the COVID-19 vaccine have expressed interest in rejoining the Navy now that the shot isn't required, a service official told lawmakers Tuesday.

"We've had single digits in terms of numbers of individuals who explored the option of returning to service," Navy Under Secretary Erik Raven said during a hearing of the House Armed Services Committee's personnel subcommittee.

Testifying alongside Raven, Army Under Secretary Gabe Camarillo said he did not know how many soldiers have sought to return, and Air Force Under Secretary Gina Ortiz Jones did not address how many airmen want to rejoin.

Read Next: Pentagon Tells Congress There's No Evidence US Weapons Sent to Ukraine Are Being Misused

Tuesday's hearing was the personnel subcommittee's first under the chairmanship of Rep. Jim Banks, R-Ind., who has said he wants to use the post to target "woke" Pentagon policies. Republicans use the term woke to refer to a wide range of Biden administration policies they disagree with, including the military's now-defunct COVID-19 vaccine mandate.

Republicans, despite controlling neither chamber of Congress at the time, successfully fought for a provision in last year's defense policy bill repealing the Pentagon's COVID-19 vaccine mandate. Service members are required to take about a dozen other vaccines, but Republicans argued the mandate trampled on individual liberties and hurt the military as a whole by discharging thousands of troops at a time when the military is struggling with recruitment.

With the mandate gone, Republicans have vowed to continue fighting to reinstate, with back pay, the more than 8,000 troops who were discharged for refusing when ordered to get the vaccine.

Officials at Tuesday's hearing indicated they have no plans to initiate a special process to reinstate the discharged troops.

Raven, Camarillo and Jones, as well as Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel Gil Cisneros, testified that troops who were discharged over the mandate can use the same procedure as anyone else who wants to rejoin the military: either talk to a recruiter about reenlisting or go through the correction of military records process.

As the military services formally rescind their mandate-related policies, officials have said they will automatically adjust records for service members who requested exemptions but were punished solely for vaccine refusal so they are not passed over for promotion. They've also pledged to halt any discharge proceedings for troops who requested exemptions.

But what will happen to service members who refused the vaccine without requesting a religious, medical or administrative exemption is still an open question. Cisneros suggested Tuesday those troops could still face punishment, including discharge, but that the military services are still reviewing those cases.

"Those who refused the vaccine and did not put in a request for accommodation refused a lawful order," Cisneros testified. "In order to maintain good order and discipline, it's very important that our service members go and follow orders when they are lawful, and there are several or thousands that did not."

Camarillo, Raven and Jones said each case will be decided on its own merits, suggesting that some may have aggravating circumstances or other misconduct beyond refusing the vaccine.

"There are a number of cases that we still have yet to review for individual soldiers who, as Secretary Cisneros said, chose to not comply with a lawful order," Camarillo said. "There may be, in any instance, numerous violations of the [Uniform Code of Military Justice] or other areas in which there might be circumstances to look at disciplinary procedures."

-- Rebecca Kheel can be reached at rebecca.kheel@military.com. Follow her on Twitter @reporterkheel.

Related: GOP Revives Push to Reinstate Troops Discharged over COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate
A coalition of 18 state attorneys general is urging veterans and service members scammed by a jewelry dealer to recoup money lost to what the Federal Trade Commission called "illegal financing and sales tactics."

Harris Jewelry, a seller that hawked gems, rings and trinkets at post exchanges across the country on military bases, agreed to pay $34.2 million last summer for "deceptively" adding costly protection plans to service members' purchases and claiming that financing their jewelry would raise the credit scores of troops and their families, according to the Federal Trade Commission.

Now, a group of state-level Department of Justice officials -- some of whom represent states with large military bases -- is encouraging veterans and service members to get their money back before an April 15 deadline, and reminding them that any outstanding debt owed to Harris "is now $0."

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"Harris Jewelry was well-known in military towns due to salespersons attracting service members with teddy bears dressed in military uniforms, and also for sale of items like the Mom's Medal of Honor," said a statement shared with Military.com by North Carolinas Attorney General Office.

"Due to a court settlement, many Harris Jewelry consumers from 2014 to present are likely eligible for a refund of some money," the statement continued.

Harris Jewelry agreed to close down as part of its FTC settlement. An attorney for the North Carolina Attorney Generals Office told Military.com a version of the statement was shared by the coalition across affected states.

The coalition estimates that more than 47,000 consumers are eligible for recoupment from either Harris Jewelry or its finance company, Consumer Adjustment Corp. Only 10,836 -- roughly 23% of affected consumers -- have filed a claim thus far, according to a statement from the New York Attorney Generals Office -- a statistic that state lawyers find concerning as the looming spring deadline approaches.

"Service members have historically been targeted with abusive business practices, in large part because of their steady paychecks, frequent moves, and the extra pressure to maintain financial solidity for military readiness," a statement from the Office of the New York State Attorney General said. "Harris is the latest in a series of cases brought by states attorneys general and federal consumer agencies to fight back against predatory businesses targeting soldiers. It is critical to take the profit out of deceiving those who serve our country."

The states listed in the coalition are California, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Nevada, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington and Hawaii.

Harris Jewelry's website, which once boasted of "exceptional customer service" for military personnel and their families, has been repurposed as an information and refund application pit stop. Attorneys in the coalition are urging service members and family members to file a claim -- for "up to $1,000+" -- there, even if they are unsure about their eligibility.

The lawyer from the North Carolina Attorney Generals office said that funds from the July 2022 settlement, $10.9 million of which is for the deceptive purchase protection plans, according to the FTC, have been earmarked for service members affected by the scam.

"If you purchased during that time period, go ahead and file a claim," the attorney said during a Tuesday phone call, adding that many consumers may have had warranties unknowingly added to their purchases.

A statement from the New York office said that if funds are not recouped by the April 15, 2023, deadline, money marked as "overpayments" will go to individual state unclaimed funds. But any unclaimed refunds will go back to the defendants of the settlement -- Harris Jewelry and its financers.

The settlement with Harris revolved around violations of the Military Lending Act, a law meant to protect troops and their families against exploitative sales practices.

According to the FTC, Harris Jewelry told service members that financing jewelry through its outlet would raise their credit scores; the regulatory entity also said the jeweler misrepresented warranties.

"In several instances, the company offered items for sale and gave the false impression that the protection plan was not optional or was required to finance the purchase, when it was in fact optional," the FTC said in a statement last year.

The stores also did not provide written disclosures in its advertisements -- and oral disclosures during the time of purchase -- that fully explained the purchase contract to the federal standard.

Among other requirements outlined in the settlement, Harris Jewelry was ordered to stop collecting millions in outstanding consumer debt, provide refunds, contact consumer reporting agencies to request a cessation of negative credit reports leveled against affected consumers, and shut down completely once those requirements are met.

The statement from the attorneys general urged consumers to contact their state law enforcement agencies if a negative credit judgment was taken against them.

According to the complaint, Harris Jewelry also violated the FTC Act, the Truth in Lending Act, and the Electronic Fund Transfer Act -- other federal regulations that offer additional consumer protections.

In 2021, service members, veterans and their family members accounted for nearly 4% of all fraud, identity theft and other scams reported to the FTC -- a rising statistic that has resulted in hundreds of millions in losses in the last five years.

-- Drew F. Lawrence can be reached at drew.lawrence@military.com. Follow him on Twitter @df_lawrence.

Related: Major Jewelry Retailer to Pay Millions for Duping Troops and Families
As a young girl, Remedios Gomez-Paraiso loved all things beauty-related. One of eight children, she made dresses and perfumes to help her family earn money, rode horses and started competing in beauty pageants as a high schooler. By all accounts, she was the graceful and pretty daughter of the mayor of Mexico, Pampanga, her hometown in the Philippines. Her life changed dramatically when the Japanese invaded in 1941.

Her father, Basilio, was a peasant landowner who fought for the rights of fellow peasants and small landowners. His struggle is why the town elected him mayor. When the Japanese invaded, Basilio Gomez was vice mayor of Mexico and resisted the Japanese occupation of his town. The Japanese tortured and killed Basilio and paraded his body across town for all to see.

His daughter vowed to avenge his death on the invaders. After the family moved to neighboring Tarlac province, Remedios, then 22 years old, joined the Hukbalahap resistance movement with her brother Oscar. After Remedios first learned to be a nurse, the Hukbalahap taught her the ways of the Filipino guerrilla: modern combat, how to handle weapons, stage an ambush and how to retreat.

Remedios was renamed Liwayway and became renowned for her dedication, discipline and for wearing formal dress and lipstick in combat. After only a few months, she was put in command of her own guerrilla unit.

Remedios Gomez was a commander in the Hukbalahap (or Huk) resistance in the Philippines during World War II. (University of Manila)

Known as Kumander Liwayway, she led raids on Japanese garrisons, captured enemy supplies and ammunition, and established a front to keep Japanese troops from advancing farther into Tarlac. In one battle, she and two other guerrilla units engaged a much larger Japanese force. In what would come to be called "the Battle of Kamansi," the Japanese and Filipinos fought for hours, until it looked like the guerrillas might be overrun.

The overall commander, her first commander, signaled a retreat, but Kumander Liwayway and her troops held their ground against overwhelming Japanese numbers. By the time the smoke cleared from the battlefield, the Japanese were forced into a retreat. After the Battle of Kamansi, the legend of the beauty queen guerrilla fighter spread to other provinces.

Her reputation spread among the enemy, too. At times, all it took to liberate a Filipino village was Liwayway riding into town with a machine gun, dressed like the beauty queen she was, to warn the Japanese her men were coming. With leaders like Liwayway, the Huk Army had become the most effective anti-Japanese resistance army in all of World War II. Because of the Huks, the Japanese never established full control of Tarlac.

After the Americans returned to the Philippines in 1944, the Huks assisted Allied efforts over Luzon and even rescued downed American pilots. One of those pilots, S. Robert Tanner, was a naval aviator shot down during a fighter sweep. He was taken to safety by Liwayway's guerrillas and fought alongside them until he could be returned to American forces.

Toward the end of the war, Kumander Liwayway tracked down the Japanese officer who killed her father. When she had him cornered, she inflicted the same punishment on him that he had done to her father.

When World War II ended, the Huks became disillusioned by the new government of the Philippines and went back to guerrilla warfare. The Cold War had begun, and the Huks, Communist rebels, were now fighting against the Americans and Filipino government. Kumander Liwayway continued fighting until she was captured twice.

Her wartime exploits earned her nationwide fame after her first capture in 1947. She was released and returned to fighting. Her husband was soon killed in combat, and she was captured a second time. With a son to raise, she laid down her arms and went to work in a market. She fought for Filipino resistance fighters' recognition as World War II veterans until she died in 2014.

Kumander Liwayway's story was depicted in the 2021 short film, "Beauty Queen."

-- 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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Popular Kumawood actor Collins Oteng known in the movie industry as Komfour Kolege has revealed his initial preferred movie role.

He said being a fetish priest in movies wasnt what he wanted at a certain point in his career even though he became famous.

In an interview, the skilled fetish priest actor said he opted to be assigned the role of a watchman in movies.

According to him, he cried and insisted he must be given the role of a security guard but was forced to play the role of a fetish priest, indicating that was his only option left at the time.

"I was forced to play the role of a fetish priest instead of a security guard, which I found difficult at the time. I allowed my fears to mask my abilities, but the director insisted, and I had no choice but to do it.

"As fate will have it, that role shot me to fame with very positive feedback, and that encouraged me to major in such roles, leading to my now-showbiz name, Komfo Kolege," he said.

The rejected role, Okomfo Kolege said, has now "become a brand name no one can ever take away from me, and Im so happy I overcame my fears, which is paying off now."

Kolege further clarified that he is not using his role as a fetish priest to mock the traditional Ghanaian priesthood, as some people may see it to be.

"I dont do it to mock people who associate themselves with traditional beliefs. All I know is that it is drama, and I have to deliver. As an actor, I have a responsibility to play the character that has been assigned to me, and I am aware this requires me to be dynamic," he explained.
27.02.2023 LISTEN

Actor and businessman, John Dumelo has announced that he will contest in the upcoming Parliamentary primaries of the National Democratic Congress (NDC).

In a statement on social media on Sunday, February 27, he said he has decided to contest the seat after extensive consultations with God, his family, and party faithfuls.

He will now work towards being elected as the Ayawaso West Wuogon Parliamentary candidate for the NDC in the 2024 general elections.

After an extensive consultation with my God, my family, and our party faithfuls in Ayawaso West Wuogon! Thiss the second coming, John Dumelo noted in a post on Twitter.

John Dumelo was the NDC Parliamentary candidate in the Ayawaso West Wuogon the last time the constituents went to the polls.

Although he was voted for massively, he came short of some 2,000 votes and lost to Madam Lydia Alhassan, the candidate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP).

Mr. Dumelo on his second coming is confident that victory will be his this time around.
Tunisia's top diplomat sought to "reassure" sub-Saharan African migrants on Monday, in an interview with AFP days after comments by President Kais Saied drew accusations of racism.

Last week, Saied called for "urgent measures" against "hordes" of sub-Saharan migrants, whom he accused, without evidence, of causing a wave of crime and representing a plot to change the country's demographic make-up.

Rights groups have since reported a spike in vigilante violence including stabbings of black Africans, while migrants say they have been thrown out of their dwellings en masse and handed over to "mob justice".

The African Union voiced its "deep shock and concern" at his comments, urging member states to "refrain from racialised hate speech that could bring people to harm".

In an interview with AFP on Monday, Foreign Minister Nabil Ammar said Saied's comments had been tendentiously interpreted.

"Several days have now passed and now we need to keep a cool head. It's time to reassure (Africans). Messages of reassurance have already been transmitted through official channels," he said.

Sub-Saharan African migrants outside the UNHCR offices in Tunis on February 27, 2023, demanding a resolution of their situation. By FETHI BELAID (AFP)

"There's no question of apologising, we didn't attack anyone."

According to figures from the Tunisian Forum for Economic and Social Rights (FTDES), drawn from official sources and confirmed by Ammar, the North African country of 12 million inhabitants hosts around 21,000 sub-Saharan African migrants who lack full documentation.

Bureaucratic obstacles

That figure, around 0.18 percent of the population, includes foreign students at the country's universities who often complain they are unable to obtain the paperwork they need because of bureaucratic obstacles.

Ammar insisted that "there's no problem with legal migrants. In fact, we'd like to see more. (However), illegal migrants should return home, with full respect for their rights and dignity."

He also rejected any link between Saied's comments and recent violence against migrants.

Foreign Minister Nabil Ammar: "The authorities are taking every measure to protect all migrants in Tunisia, whether legal or illegal". By FETHI BELAID (AFP)

"We shouldn't confuse individual acts with the acts of the authorities. The authorities are taking every measure to protect all migrants in Tunisia, whether legal or illegal," he said.

Ammar, who took office three weeks ago, said Tunisian authorities were "within their rights to raise the alarm when there is an increasing flow of illegal immigrants, with all the consequences that this entails".

Anger against Saied has partly focused on his claim that a "criminal plot" was under way to change Tunisia's demography, which critics say echoes conspiracy theories promoted by the French far right.

Hours after his comments, far-right former French presidential candidate Eric Zemmour tweeted in support of Saied, saying countries in North Africa were "themselves starting to sound the alarm" over the "great replacement".

Ammar said the comment was "just one element" of Saied's address, asking: "Why did the commentators seize on this and make it the central element?"

Clandestine migrants

He also briefly cited widely shared videos of sub-Saharan migrants in Tunisia claiming the country belonged to Africans, but added that he did not want to "feed this controversy".

Tunisia sits on Africa's northern coast less than 150 kilometres (90 miles) from Italy, and has served as a launchpad for thousands of clandestine migrants -- including Tunisians themselves -- fleeing war and poverty to seek better lives in Europe.

European governments, particularly in Rome, have pressured the country to stem the flow, and the Tunisian coastguard regularly intercepts boats carrying migrants in its territorial waters, part of the world's deadliest migration route.

Rights groups say Tunisia has become a key actor in European-backed surveillance of the central Mediterranean.

"We're sandwiched between the north and the south, and when we say there is a problem people call us racist," Ammar said. "You see how unfair it is."

He also denied accusations by rights groups that Saied's comments were intended to distract attention from an economic crisis that has caused shortages of basic goods, or a crackdown against the president's political rivals, with a dozen prominent critics arrested this month.

"These are their interpretations, not the reality," Ammar said.

"When the Tunisian authorities sound the alarm on a situation risks becoming problematic, why does it have to be linked to other issues?"
Heavy rains and hailstorms on Saturday battered parts of the Volta Region, causing damage to properties.

The state-of-the-art rice mill and the HGL Holdings near Adaklu-Tsriefe were some of the structures ravaged by the storm. Ho, Adaklu and Hohoe were the most affected.

The storm, which occurred at about 1600 hours, collapsed the building housing the mill and large quantities of processed and paddy rice.

Some farm machinery of the company, which recently made a market entry with a rice brand, was also damaged.

Cyril Klutse, the General Manager, said the company had been struck unexpectedly by the disaster, but confirmed no one was hurt.

Dr Archibald Yao Letsa, the Volta Regional Minister, was at the facility to access the damage caused and assured of his efforts to extend government's support.

Officials of the National Disaster Management Organisation told the Ghana News Agency that the extent of damage was being ascertained, which would soon be made public.

GNA
"South Sudan remains significantly peaceful", declared the opening line of a government-issued fact sheet for visitors and press as they awaited the historic arrival of Pope Francis in the country this month.

But on his first day in Juba, as the pontiff waved to the faithful, mass graves were being dug just 100 kilometres (62 miles) away for 27 civilians killed in a hail of automatic gunfire.

The deadly episode underscored a sobering reality in South Sudan: despite assurances to the contrary, and billions spent on peacekeeping, law and order rarely extends beyond the capital.

Conflict still torments the oil-rich but deeply-poor country half a decade after its leaders declared an end to the civil war that killed 380,000 people.

President Salva Kiir and his rival Riek Machar formed a transitional government and committed to uniting their forces into a single army to safeguard their long-suffering people.

But this has not happened, and horrific violence continues with impunity.

Atrocities witnessed during the 2013-2018 war -- including sexual enslavement and deliberate starvation -- are still taking place, experts say.

"In terms of the violence in the country -- we are not seeing improvements," UN rights expert Barney Afako told reporters after visiting South Sudan in February.

"Juba is safer... but we are concerned about what's happening outside of Juba."

Endless war

This month, the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) warned that armed forces were again mobilising in Upper Nile state, where artillery and rockets have pounded villages in major offensives involving thousands of troops.

Pope Francis lamented the "unfulfilled" promises of peace during his visit. By Tiziana FABI (AFP/File)

In Jonglei and Greater Pibor, waves of heavily-armed youth have carried off women and children in bloody raids targeting their ethnic opponents in recent months.

Untold numbers of civilians have died in tit-for-tat massacres in other lawless regions.

Tens of thousands have fled to UN bases for protection, compounding what is already Africa's worst refugee crisis.

Even camps for those escaping the violence have come under attack.

"I think those that suggest the civil war is over are wrong," said Ken Scott, a former UN rights commissioner on South Sudan, and a consultant to Global Rights Compliance, a law firm asking The Hague to investigate high-ranking officials for war crimes.

"The conflict goes on by other means."

Pope Francis lamented the "persistent lack of security" and "unfulfilled" promises of peace during his visit.

"Years of war and conflict seem never to end," he said.

Violence surges

It is not a narrative the government likes to hear.

Kiir told Francis that the presence of Machar as his deputy in Juba was evidence of peace.

Both leaders this month personally assured millions of South Sudanese who fled the war it was safe to return home.

But observers say the government has failed to protect civilians in the past and their soldiers have been directly responsible for violence.

In December, as Upper Nile burned, Kiir said he "cannot stop" the bloodshed. He later walked back the remarks.

Experts say localised violence has surged even as large-scale combat between Kiir and Machar's forces has subsided since the peace agreement.

South Sudan. By (AFP)

This conflict is often described as 'intercommunal' -- motivated by ethnic or local grievances detached from national politics.

But experts say the term is misleading, and glosses over the well-documented role of government and military elites in Juba fanning violence for their own political gain.

"Throw a dart at a map of South Sudan and you will find a conflict that has political dynamics or political drivers to it," said one Juba-based researcher who requested anonymity to discuss security matters.

"The peace agreement has brought no end to that, and in that way, the spirit of the war continues."

Pressure

Critics say UNMISS sometimes paints a seemingly contradictory picture of the situation.

In November, the mission said it was "encouraged" by a reported decrease in civilian casualties.

Pope Francis met with internally displaced people escaping ongoing violence in South Sudan. By SIMON MAINA (AFP/File)

Two months earlier, it reported that government-backed forces intentionally drowned children, burned people alive, and gang raped a child to death in "extremely violent" attacks in Unity state.

"I find it hard for them to acknowledge in black and white that that was happening, and then say they are proud of a reduction in violence," said the researcher.

UNMISS reported this month that violence rose sharply in late 2022 due to the Upper Nile conflict, and accused state officials of direct involvement.

UNMISS declined to respond to questions sent by AFP.

The mission is among the costliest in the world at $1.2 billion a year, and observers said there is pressure to show results after more than a decade of peacekeeping.

"What fundamentally the international community means when it says that there is peace, it means there is not a war in Juba," said Joshua Craze, a writer and researcher who has worked on South Sudan for a decade.
Off a path in Cockle Bay, a slum in Sierra Leone's capital Freetown, lies the squat, tin-roofed house where Lamrana Bah lives and works.

The widowed mother of six, who sells soft drinks from her front porch, built the home from the ground up -- or, more precisely, from the water up.

Most of the houses here were constructed on land "reclaimed" from the sea.

In a process known here as banking, residents pile layers of tyres, rubbish and sacks of earth into the water, pack the ballast with mud, and then build homes on top.

It is a unique solution to Freetown's problem of overcrowding, rooted in its geography and exacerbated during a decade-long civil war.

"Banking" displays the resourcefulness of a community who with their own muscle and meagre savings battle the sea to make a place of their own.

But their unauthorised homes also face perils ranging from floods to fire, and struggle with lack of roads and basic services.

'Local technology'

Bah used to live in an ordinary apartment in the city, but after her husband died she could no longer afford the rent.

She spent $350 between 2014 and 2018 to build her Cockle Bay home, which has electricity but no running water.

"My mother doesn't pay rent any more and we don't have issues with anyone -- we stay in our own house, so I'm happy for that," her son, Prince Anthony, told AFP reporters visiting the area late last year.

Houses built on reclaimed land in Freetown's Cockle Bay slum face perils from floods to fires. By Saidu BAH (AFP)

Like most structures in the slum, it is one storey high and was initially built from corrugated iron. Bah later fortified it with cement walls.

The settlement has since expanded, leaving her house some 500 metres (yards) from the water's edge.

About a third of Freetown's estimated 1.5 million residents live in slums, according to the city.

The population mushroomed during the 1991-2002 civil war, when hundreds of thousands fled violence in the provinces. By the time the fighting ended, many had built new lives and stayed.

But the city nestles on a peninsula between the Atlantic and mountains, and informal expansion in either direction is dangerous.

In 2017, a landslide ripped through a hillside settlement, killing more than 1,000 people.

In the alleyways of Cockle Bay, women hawk nuts and doughnut-like "puff cake" snacks, while men on wooden boats bring charcoal to shore to sell.

The slum is home to community-run schools and at least one mosque -- all built on banked land.

Not all residents are poor. In an older area, large, solid houses painted pale yellow and green are shaded by lime, coconut, pawpaw and avocado trees.

Cockle Bay is a vibrant community -- many people say they have no desire to leave, despite the risks and lack of services. By Saidu BAH (AFP)

"We live here happy (with) no problems -- you see the children playing?" said Fatu Dumbuya, a 33-year-old hairdresser threading a weave into a client's braids while, nearby, her husband hauled mud to bank more land.

In the late afternoon sun, one of her children was doing homework while another ran about with neighbours.

Dumbuya, who used to live in town with her in-laws, said she is happier now in her own home.

Banking, her client said proudly, "is a local technology."

Floods and fires

The Federation of Urban and Rural Poor (FEDURP), a community-based organisation, estimates some 198,000 people live in Freetown's seafront settlements.

"Our main challenges are flooding and fire accidents," said Nancy Sesay, a lifelong resident of Susan's Bay, a banked community near the city centre.

Its shoreline is a pile of discarded clothing and plastic bottles.

Some 7,000 residents were left homeless after a 2021 blaze. In January, another fire tore through the community.

Sierra Leone. By (AFP)

"When it rains, we don't sleep -- the garbage will rise up and float with a very bad stench, and everyone will be shouting 'Wake up'", Sesay said, walking along a putrid waterway next to which children were washing themselves. Upstream, pigs poked around in the rubbish.

Lack of access roads makes it hard for ambulances or fire trucks to arrive in emergencies.

But many residents have no desire to leave.

Sesay sells toiletries and cosmetics in nearby Dove Cut market -- work she could not do if she had to commute.

"Every year, in the last five to seven years, we have been having disaster events during the rainy season", said Joseph Macarthy, head of the Sierra Leone Urban Research Centre.

"For many people, it doesn't matter whether their life has been exposed to disaster... once they're here, they know they can be assured of having (a bit of money) that may fetch them at least a plate of rice."

Climate risk

UN chief Antonio Guterres this month warned coastal flooding driven by warming seas could affect nearly 900 million people, forcing "a mass exodus of entire populations on a biblical scale."

Freetown's mayor says the solution is to create more economically attractive destinations outside the city.

"It's not Freetown they want, it's jobs, it's food, it's opportunities to access healthcare", Mayor Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr told AFP.

Water pollution and plastic debris are major problems in these makeshift settlements. By Saidu BAH (AFP)

"If you give it to them somewhere else, they'll go somewhere else."

The city is nonetheless working to improve conditions in existing slums. Together with development agencies, it introduced public toilets and water taps in Susan's Bay.

But the city and local organisations have urged residents to stop expanding further.

"At the end of the day, we will have no sea," said Andrew Saffa, an administrative officer with FEDURP.

"And when the sea comes and takes its land back, it causes a lot of disasters."
28.02.2023 LISTEN

The Vice President of the Republic of Ghana, H.E. Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia was in the Ayensuano District of the Eastern Region on Monday, February 27.

While in the District, the Vice President inspected the progress of work on a classroom block he is building for the Kwaboanta Presbyterian JHS.

H.E Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia made the pledge to build the school for the community during the recent Centenary Anniversary Celebration of the Akuapem Presbytery, where the church decided to build legacy projects in various communities to mark its Centenary celebration.

On his visit on Monday, the Vice President was joined by the leadership of the Coaltar District of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana, as well as the chiefs and people of Kwaboanta.

As part of the visit to the Ayensuano District, H.E Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia also inspected ongoing government projects, such as roads, a 95% completed District High Court building, and a 98% completed bridge in Coaltar and Amanase respectively.

The Presbyterian Church of Ghana, over the years, has contributed immensely to the development of the nation, especially in education, and building the classroom facility for the Kwaboanta community is my modest support and contribution to what the Church has been doing for many communities across the country for decades.
FX Law and Associates led by Member of Parliament for Madina constituency, Lawyer Francis-Xavier Sosu has petitioned President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to immediately remove Dr. George Akuffo Dampare from office as Inspector General of Police (IGP).

This is in relation to the IGPs inaction according to Mr Sosu with regards to the murder of Shadrack Arloo by a police officer and a private security man at the West Hills Mall on 30th January, 2023.

Mr Sosu and some MPs including the Family of the late Shadrack Arloo had on the first of February, 2023 petitioned the IGP to investigate and arrest police officers involved in the said case.

However, the seven-day ultimatum given by the family and the lawyer was not met by the Police.

FX Law and Associates, thus, wants the IGP fired for negligence.

The law firm is also demanded an investigation into the murder to prevent future recurrence.

Source: Classfmonline.com
The Minority Caucus in parliament has said the continued snubbing of the legislature's invitations by the Chairperson of the Electoral Commission, Mrs Jean Mensa, has reached intolerable levels and, thus, intends to haul her before the Privileges Committee if she repeats her snubbish conduct.

The Ranking Member of the Defence and Interior Committee, Mr James Agalga, told the media that it ia high time Mrs Mensa is forced to respect parliament.

I have indicated to you that her continuous absence is contemptuous. First of all, the assurance has been given that she would appear. If she doesnt, seriously speaking, we will escalate our actions to include the referral of Jean Mensa to the Privileges Committee to be dealt with for contempt of Parliament, Mr Agalga warned.

Mrs Jean Mensa is expected to appear before the house today, Tuesday, 28 February 2023, along with the Executive Secretary of the National Identification Authority, Prof Ken Attefuah, to brief the legislature about a new constitutional instrument meant to make the Ghanacard the sole source document for voter registration

Mrs Mensa, according to a statement issued by the election management body, is in Nigeria, as part of an election observer mission.

It is, therefore, not clear if she can make it today.

The EC mentioned earlier that parliament's invitation came late, thus, the inability of the Chairperson to honour it personally.

In its presa release, the EC said: "The Commission, especially its Chairperson, understands the importance of the institution of parliament, having worked with parliament for two decades prior to her appointment as Chairperson of the EC".

"The Chairperson upholds the institution of parliament and will, therefore, not disrespect it in any way".

"The fact remains that the invitation from parliament was sent a day before the meeting, at a time when the Chairperson was out of the jurisdiction".

"Had she been aware of the request prior to her travel, she certainly would have prioritised the meeting and attended upon the honourable house", the EC said.

Last week, the Speaker od Parliament, Mr Alban Bagbin, summoned Mrs Mensa to appear in person over the C.I.

Despite one of Mrs Mensa's deputies honouring the imvitation on Thursday for that purpose, Mr Bagbin insisted the EC Chair herself show up since Dr Bossman Asare, in the Speaker's view, cannot give the needed assurances the houses needed to hear.

The summoning of Mrs Mensa followed the insistence of Minority Leader Cassiel Ato Forson that she be present in the house for herself.

Majority Leader Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu had counter-argued that since the invitation was extended to the EC, as an institution, it was in order for Dr Bossman Asare to represent the election management body.

Mr Bagbin, however, said it was important for Mrs Mensa to honour the invitation in person.

"The Deputy Chairperson in charge of operation is quite high enough, but he cannot be giving the assurances that the Chairperson will give", Mr Bagbin said, adding: "In the circumstances, I will be compelled to adjourn the house".

"We will insist that the EC be represented at the highest level and together, we will find solutions to this. Its very, very important for the peace, the security and the development of this nation", the Speaker noted.

In October last year, Mr Bagbin said until the Electoral Commission briefed the leadership of parliament about the new constitutional instrument, it cannot be laid before the house.

The ECs new C.I. seeks to make the Ghanacard the sole proof of nationality for the forthcoming limited voter registration exercise.

Mr Bagbin, however, said at the time: I have not been given any brief by the EC on any proposed instrument coming from them. And so I raised this some time ago, and Im yet to receive them to be briefed on them. Until that is done, they should forget about laying such Instruments in the House.

In August 2022, the EC announced that after a series of meetings with the political parties and civil society organisations, they agreed with the parties that the Ghanacard be used as the sole document for voter registration.

It was agreed that now that the Ghana card has made a lot of impact in our society  as we speak now, almost 17 million Ghanaians have registered for the Ghana card, so, the Commission, in collaboration with our partners, took the decision that: Now, lets have the Ghana card as the main requirement, Dr Bossman Asare, Deputy Chairman of the EC in charge of Corporate Services, said.

So, what this means is that as soon as you acquire your Ghana card, with the continuous registration, you just go to our district office then you go and register then your name will be put on the roll of voters, he said in an interview on Accra-based Joy News at the time.

His comments came a few days after Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia had hinted at the likelihood of using the card for voter registration for either the 2024 or 2028 general elections.

Dr Bawumia promised Ghanaians at the 2022 Civil Service Awards ceremony in Accra on 29 July 2022 that with the Ghanacard and digitalisation drive, very soon, youd see that our problems with voter registration would disappear.

Its only a matter of time. If not at the next election then the next election after that because we spend so much on voter registration but once unique identification is determined and you cannot have underage people coming to register to vote and all of that, I think the Ghana card would be a good identification document as we are already seeing so that we sanitise the voter registration system, Dr Bawumia said.

He noted: In many countries, once you are 18, you are essentially on the voter register and that is it.

Theres no complication to this and going to fight and break legs and so on, as we register to vote, he noted.

I mean the system is the system, added Dr Bawumia, stressing: If you are 18, you are on the register  simple!

And, I think this is where we are headed, he hinted. In his view, Ghana has been stuck in the brick-and-mortar model of development, which, in his estimation, has not generated the needed transformation.

Systems, as being put in place by the Akufo-Addo government through the digitalisation drive, are what will transform the country, Dr Bawumia argued, in support of an earlier assertion by him that he would prefer the Ghanacard  which, he observed, is the fulcrum of the establishment of those systems  to 1,000 interchanges.

A lot of the time, we have, as a country, really focused on brick and mortar for development: build this road, you build this and build that but we have not focused on systems for the longest time but systems and data and institutions are what develop countries, its not brick and mortar, he explained.

So, these systems that we are putting in place  digitalisation of the various public sector offices and all of that: national ID, mobile money and all of that  is what will transform Ghana; its really what will transform Ghana and that is why as we enter the Fourth Industrial Revolution, we have to pay attention to this. The Ghanacard is a valid verification document issued by the National Identification Authority (NIA) to Ghanaians and resident foreign nationals living everywhere for the purpose of identification.

The card bears personal information about the individuals whose identity can be verified at all times. The NIA National Identity System utilises three types of biometric technology for identification purposes.

These are the fingerprints unique to each individual in the form of digitised templates, and facial templates in the form of a digitised colour photo of the cardholder and the iris. The card contains basic identification information including a photograph of the cardholder, along with a name, date of birth, height, and a personal identification number that has been randomly generated and assigned to the holder and has an expiry date.

Source: Classfmonline.com
Thirty-five women die every week of cervical cancer in Ghana, Dr. Mrs. Anita Owusu-Afriyie a Medical Officer, Oncology Unit, International Maritime Hospital (IMaH) has disclosed.

Dr. Mrs. Owusu-Afriyie said data indicated that 233 women are diagnosed every month with cervical cancer, and 142 die monthly.

She said on a weekly breakdown as high as 58 women are diagnosed every week and sadly 35 also die every week.

It is estimated that 2,797 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer yearly in Ghana out of which 1,699 die from the disease.

Dr Mrs Owusu-Afriyie stressed that cervical cancer is the second leading cause of cancer in women in Ghana after breast cancer.

Dr. Mrs. Owusu-Afriyie gave the statistics at the Your Health! Our Concern! Is a Ghana News Agency Tema Regional Office initiative that seeks to set the medium for the propagation of health information to influence personal health choices by improving health literacy.

Your Health! Our Concern! is a public health advocacy platform initiated by the Ghana News Agency Tema Regional Office to explore the parameters of the four approaches to health communication: informative, educating, persuasive, and prompting.

The IMaH Medical Officer explained that long-lasting infection with certain types of Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) is the main cause of cervical cancer.

She stressed that HPV is a common virus that is passed from one person to another during sex, adding that at least half of sexually active people will have HPV at some point in their lives, but few women will get cervical cancer.

Dr. Mrs. Owusu-Afriyie also advised women who intend to go for cervical cancer screening not to do it during menstruation as the menstrual blood can affect the analysis.

She encouraged women who encounter any bleeding after sex or after menstrual periods which is abnormal to seek medical attention.

However, when one is undergoing treatment of cervical cancer should abstain from sexual intercourse or avoid unprotected sex because the treatment is done to kill the cancer cells from the cervix.

Dr. Mrs. Owusu-Afriyie urged all females from age 21 and above to go for screening.

The IMaH Medical Officer, therefore, appealed to women to regularly undertake cervical cancer screening as early diagnosis would help save a life. men should encourage their partners, wives, sisters, mothers, and friends to go for screening.

Mr. Francis Ameyibor, Ghana News Agency Tema Regional Manager explained that Your Health! Our Concern seeks to leverage Ghana News Agencys communication expertise together with the health professional skills to educate the public to understand that the health of everyone matters and should be the concern of all.

He said parents health should be the concern of children and vice versa, employees health should be the concern of employers, and in general, Health professionals health should be the concern of the public, while the reverse should also hold.

We must all be concerned about the health of some other person in order to develop a healthy society, Mr. Ameyibor noted.

Mr. Ameyibor said the weekly health dialogue platform would also be used as an effective communication channel for health professionals to educate the public on healthy practices and other general health challenges.
The Founder and Leader of the Liberal Party of Ghana (LPG), Kofi Akpaloo is geared up to contest the President in the 2024 general elections.

Speaking to GTV, the Politician cum businessman described himself as the messiah to turn things around for the country.

According to him, there will be more suffering if the New Patriotic Party (NPP) stays in power or the National Democratic Congress (NDC) takes over.

I am the Messiah. If you pass me and go and vote for NPP and NDC, you will continue to be in your hardships, Kofi Akpaloo claimed.

He has vowed to ensure every Ghanaian is given the chance to contribute to nation-building when given the mandate to serve as President.

There is a lot of youth in this country with the potential to turn this country around but they dont know where to get help. They go to a place, they look at you, and they refuse to help you because you are NDC or NPP. Meanwhile, you have the potential to change Ghana, Kofi Akpaloo bemoaned.
The Greater Accra Regional Chairman of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Emmanuel Nii Ashie Moore has bemoaned the polices inaction following his reports of alleged attacks on his life.

This comes after unknown individuals ransacked his office on Monday.

The NDC chairman claims that yesterdays incident was his third assassination attempt.

He tells Citi News that despite reporting to the police on several occasions, no concrete action has been taken to ensure his safety.

Last December, I wrote a personal letter to the Regional Police Commander, that I have seen some strange people following me. I haven't received any reply from them. So I am just trying to put up my own security in my own small way. It's just appalling. What else can I do, take the law into my own hands?

He also stated that he is taking steps to inform the partys executives about the attacks.

Reports available to Citi News disclosed that the incident occurred on the dawn of Monday, February 27, 2023, at his office at Teshie, First Junction in Accra.

According to the displaced staff who work closely with Mr. Ashie Moore, a laptop belonging to the Regional Chairman was stolen, and other properties were vandalized.

An accounts officer at the office, Albert Luterodt said the incident came as a shock to residents in the area and the staff.

citinewsroom
A Deputy National Communications Officer of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) has accused the Director of Communications of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP), Richard Ahiagbah, of usurping the role of Information Minister, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah.

He said instead of the Communications Director of the party responding to issues that are party related, he is now responding to issues that border on the economy and more.

He continued that the Information Minister seems to be having some credibility issues.

Mr Ako Gunn raised this issue in an interview with Odeyeeba Kofi Essuman, host of Ghana Yensom morning show on Accra 100.5 FM on Tuesday, February 28, 2023.

He noted that all is not well in the communications department of the government.

Now you have a Director of Communications speaking on issues of the economy and other government policies when the Information Minister has not been sacked, he said.

He noted that the country is in a difficult time and we are here because of the gross mismanagement of the economy by the government.

According to him, the current hardship could have been avoided had the government listened to the wise counsel of former president John Dramani Mahama on the management of the economy.

He added that if the NDC comes to power in 2025, it will govern for the people to see an impact in the short term.

Classfmonline.com
Geneva  The International Organization for Migration (IOM) joins the humanitarian community to call for greater funding to provide relief to tens of millions of people affected by the crisis in Yemen at todays Yemen High-level Pledging Event for 2023.

IOM Yemens USD 183 million appeal for 2023, launching today, focuses on the provision of aid for crisis-affected communities who continue to rely on humanitarian assistance for their survival  including over 200,000 migrants and some 4.5 million Yemenis displaced within the country.

The people of Yemen will soon enter their ninth year of conflict. Tens of millions of people are living on the edge of catastrophe, said Antonio Vitorino, IOM's Director General, in his address to member states and humanitarian actors at the event held in Geneva today. Schools, hospitals and other basic services have been pushed to their brink  especially in areas hosting those forced to flee.

IOM has one of the largest humanitarian footprints on the ground in Yemen  particularly in Marib and along the west coast, areas where the majority of the displaced seek refuge. Without this critical funding, IOM operations would be forced to scale down and tens of thousands of people already living on the edge in these hard-to-reach areas could lose assistance.

The appeal also charts the way forward for initiatives that promote durable solutions for recovery and resilience by addressing drivers of conflict, improving access to livelihood opportunities and empowering communities vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change.

Additionally, it outlines plans to further restore public services via infrastructure and capacity building support to schools, health facilities and water facilities.

Despite a significant decrease in displacement and civilian casualties during last years six-month UN-brokered truce, humanitarian needs continued to worsen across the country  particularly as the country experienced a weakened economy, devastating drought and flooding, and rising food and fuel prices.

If fully funded, IOM teams on the ground will be able to reach 4.6 million people with emergency cash, shelter, camp management, health, protection, and water, sanitation and hygiene services in addition to transition and recovery activities that support reduced dependence on humanitarian assistance in the long term.

2023 is a decisive year for Yemen. At a time when humanitarian funding is on the decline, we must not allow the people of Yemen to be forgotten, added Vitorino.

Vitorino also highlighted the grave dangers facing migrants who remain one of the most marginalized and neglected groups in Yemen.

In 2022, IOMs Displacement Tracking Matrix estimated that 73,233 migrants arrived in Yemen from the Horn of Africa, almost triple the number of migrants that arrived the year prior. Most endure trafficking, violence and other human rights violations on their journey throughout the country.

IOM will scale up its vital health and protection assistance to migrants stranded across the country in 2023. This includes IOMs lifesaving Voluntary Humanitarian Return (VHR) programme which helped more than 4,000 migrants to return home in safety and dignity last year.

With the generosity of donors and partners, the Organization reached over 3.65 million people last year. More significant contributions in the year ahead will allow teams to make an even greater impact.

IOMs Global Crisis Response Platform provides an overview of IOMs plans and funding requirements to respond to the evolving needs and aspirations of those impacted by, or at risk of, crisis and displacement in 2023 and beyond. The Platform is regularly updated as crises evolve, and new situations emerge.
The Ministry of Finance says it expects improvement in Ghana's local currency sovereign credit ratings to enhance engagement with external creditors on its debt treatment.

This comes after S&P Global Ratings on Friday, February 24, 2023, raised Ghana's local currency sovereign credit ratings from selective default (SD) to 'CCC+/C'.

This acknowledges the completion of the Domestic Debt Exchange Programme with a successful delivery of new securities to bondholders. In doing so, the selective default is substantially cured, the Ministry said in a press release.

It reiterated the important role of external creditors to the country's long-term macroeconomic stability, saying Government of Ghana takes this opportunity to assure our external creditors of their equal importance to the Republic of Ghana.

We will, therefore, continue to work together to advance the progress of our external debt treatment. 

Outcome of Government's Debt Sustainability Analysis (DSA) upon the recommendation of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) had revealed that the country's public debt, both external and domestic was unsustainable.

In that regard, the Ministry of Finance on December 19, 2022, announced a suspension of all debt service payments under certain categories of external debt, pending an orderly restructuring of the affected obligations.

This suspension include the payments on Eurobonds; commercial term loans; and on most bilateral debt.

It, however, excluded payments of multilateral debt, new debts (whether multilateral or otherwise) contracted after December 19, 2022 or debts related to certain short term trade facilities.

GNA
Haruna Mohammed Salisu remains in police custody in Nigeria, one of 14 journalists and media workers detained, attacked, or harassed while covering Saturday's elections. (Photo: Herald Reporters)

28.02.2023 LISTEN

Abuja, February 27, 2023  At least 14 journalists and media workers were detained, harassed, or attacked while covering Nigerias presidential and federal elections, including private news website WikkiTimes owner Haruna Mohammed Salisu, who remains in police custody without charge, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Monday.

Police detained Salisu on February 25 in Duguri town, southeastern Bauchi state, shortly after he and other reporters had met with the state governor, according to WikkiTimes editor Yakubu Mohammed, who spoke to CPJ, and a local coalition of press freedom groups. Police said they took Salisu into custody to protect him after supporters of the governor attacked him as he interviewed local women protesting, but then refused to release him, according to Mohammed, who visited him after he was transferred to police headquarters in Bauchi, the state capital. The local PRNigeria news site reported that police had received a formal complaint that the journalist was inciting the electorate. Salisu remained in detention as of Monday evening.

Private citizens, political groups, or security forces threatened, attacked, or seized at least 13 other journalists and media workers during the elections, according to CPJ interviews.

Nigerian authorities should immediately and unconditionally release journalist Haruna Mohammed Salisu, and bring to account all those responsible for intimidating and attacking at least 13 other journalists and media workers, said Angela Quintal, CPJs Africa program coordinator, from New York. Press freedom is an integral component of Nigerian democracy, and the media should be able to cover national polls without fear of reprisals.

CPJ spoke to reporters involved in each of the following incidents on February 25:

A group of men beat Dayo Aiyetan, executive director of the privately owned nonprofit International Centre for Investigative Reporting, tore his clothes, and stole his phone and belongings after he filmed them disrupting the voting at a polling site in Abuja, Nigerias capital. Aiyetan said one man tried to stab him, and he reported the attack to local police. Some of his belongings were returned, including his phone with content deleted.

Youths in Ibadan, Oyo state, attacked a vehicle from the state-owned News Agency Nigeria for covering the elections, one of the crew told CPJ. Yinka Bode-Are, a camera operator, was traveling with a reporter and driver when the vehicle was set upon with sticks and dented.

Security forces questioned Adesola Ikulajolu, a reporter with the local nonprofit Center for Journalism Innovation and Development, about his work and deleted image folders from his phone as he moved between polling places in Lagos. Ikulajolu said he believed they were from the Department of State Services because of their equipment and black clothing. DSS spokesperson Peter Afunanya told CPJ he was not aware of the incident and that black clothing did not prove a DSS affiliation.

In Agbor town, Delta state, a supporter of the Peoples Democratic Party, one of Nigerias main political parties, punched Bolanle Olabimtan, a reporter with the private news website TheCable, and knocked her over, while another seized her phone and deleted photos and video before returning it.

Police detained and threatened to shoot Gbenga Oloniniran, a reporter with the privately owned Punch newspaper, in Port Harcourt, Rivers state, then drove him across town and deleted photos from his phone before releasing him. Local media advocacy groups condemned the incident. Police officers also deleted photos from his phone in a separate incident after he photographed them at a polling site, he told CPJ. CPJs calls to Rivers state police spokesperson Grace Woyengikuro Iringe-Koko went unanswered.

A group of men stopped Ajayi Adebola, a reporter with the private news website Peoples Gazette, at a polling site in Lagos, and deleted content from her phone. Some wore vests representing the All Progressives Congress, another major party, she told CPJ. APC spokesperson Felix Morka told CPJ that he would investigate the incident and that the party did not want its supporters to target journalists.

PDP supporters threatened or assaulted five reporters in three separate incidents in Sagbama, a council area in Bayelsa state: Akam James, a reporter with the privately-owned Daily Post newspaper was slapped and beaten; Princewill Sede and Jeany Metta, publisher and managing editor of the private Upfront News magazine, were hit in the face and had their camera smashed; and Joe Kunde and Miebi Bina, a reporter and camera operator for the private news broadcaster TVC, were intimidated and driven from the area.

CPJ called Bauchi police spokesperson Ahmed Mohammed Wakil for comment regarding Salisus detention and sent questions via messaging app, which were marked as read, but received no response. Calls to Bauchi Governor Bala Mohammed and one of his aides, Muktar Gidado, went unanswered.

CPJs calls to national police spokesperson Olumuyiwa Adejobi rang unanswered.

PDP presidential campaign council spokesperson Kola Ologbondiyan told CPJ that reports of incidents involving their supporters were falsehood and asked to review details, but did not immediately comment on those that CPJ provided to him. Reached by phone, PDP spokesperson Debo Ologunagba asked for a call back, but did not answer the call.

Days before the polls, journalists also faced attack or were denied access to cover election preparations, CPJ has reported.
The Central Regional Secretary of the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), Mr. Abdulae Baaba Yussif has indicated that the Association appreciate the immense contribution of the Member of Parliament for Gomoa Central, Hon. Naana Eyiah towards the provision of quality educational standards in her constituency.

"GNAT has no option but to appreciate the effort of Hon. Naana Eyiah to motivate teachers in her constituency to enhance effective teaching and learning.

"It is worthy of emulation and I encourage her colleague MPs to do same in their various constituencies because teachers play important role in the production of quality manpower resources for national development," he stated.

Mr. Abdulae Baaba Yussif said this at a durbar sponsored by the Member of Parliament for Gomoa Central Hon. Naana Eyiah to award 21 hardworking teachers drawn from the Kindergarten Department to Senior High Schools in the Gomoa Central District of the Central Region last Friday.

The Regional Secretary once again lauded the MP for creating a conducive environment for teachers to facilitate teaching and learning.

"Let all come together to support teachers to perform better than expected because if given the needed resources, they will perform better.

"GNAT will continue to support Government and its agencies in the educational sector. This awards ceremony is a welcome news to those of us in the Teaching Industry," he stressed.

Mr. Abdulae Baaba Yussif was however not happy about the lack of decent accommodation for teachers especially those in deprived areas across the country saying it was a hindrance to effective teaching in the affected Schools.

He expressed the hope that much attention would be attached to the welfare of teachers.

Hon. Naana Eyiah on her part noted that the awards ceremony was her widow's mite to motivate teachers in her constituency and to encourage the awardees as well as their colleagues to improve their effort in the classrooms.

"This is not going to be a 9-day wonder but will be an annual project aimed at ensuring significant improvement in academic standards.

"Enough infrastructure has been provided for the educational sector thus creating conducive environment for effective teaching and learning has now become a major priority. The attention now is to seek the welfare of our gallant teachers.

"Today's Awards form part of initiatives put in place to motivate teachers to bring out their best. For over 6 years now, our results in both BECE and WASSE have improved significantly and it's a plus to the District Directorate of the Ghana Education Service (GES) and Gomoa Central District as a whole," Hon. Naana Eyiah noted.

The Gomoa Central Member of Parliament called on teachers across the country to rally behind His Excellency President Akufo-Addo's led NPP Government to formulate more pro-poor policies and programmes to cushion Ghanaians.

She assured that she would collaborate with the Gomoa Central District Assembly to make formal education accessible to every child of school-going age in the District.

The Gomoa Central District Chief Executive, Hon. Benjamin Kojo Otoo announced that the MP decided to celebrate her 60th birthday with teachers hence the awards to recognize their contribution to the growth of education.

"The sacrificial work of teachers in their various fields of study should be appreciated because hard work pays and so should teachers receive their rewards while on the earth.

"The Gomoa Central District Assembly will continue to the District Education Directorate in its quest to improve academic standards in our schools.

"Our Member of Parliament, Hon Naana Eyiah is the epitome of development and womanhood. This award is in line with Government's policy that education should become accessible, affordable and burden free for parents," he emphasised.

The Gomoa Central District Director of the Ghana Education Service, Madam Theodora Abaloo commended the MP for her kind gesture adding that the Directorate really appreciate her immense contribution to the growth of education in the District.

Chief of Gomoa Gomoa Akropong No.2. Nana Odum Amanfo IV who chaired the occasion lauded the Gomoa Central MP for motivating teachers in the Gomoa Central District.

Miss Mercy Ofeibea Akoto of Gomoa Obuasi D/A 'A' Junior High School won the Overall District Best Teacher Award.

Other awards went to Miss Bernice Ofori, District Best K.G Teacher, Miss Deborah Edumadze, District Best Primary School Teacher and Madam Emelia Boevi, District Best K.G Headmistress.

The rest were Mr. Emmanuel Owusu, District Best Senior High School Teacher and Mr. Micheal Addo Bempong of Pomadze-Asebu D/A 'A' Basic School, District Best Circuit Teacher among others who received similar awards.
28.02.2023 LISTEN

'Alone we can do very little; Together we can do so much'. These words of the American writer Helen Keller are remarkably appropriate in the context of electricity for South Asian countries. Despite the huge potential, very little cooperation between countries in the region has been realized on electricity. Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal are known as BBIN countries. The socio-economic characteristics of these countries are very similar. Again, if desired, these countries can complement each other in the power sector.

BBIN countries have different patterns of electricity generation and demand. As a result, countries can utilize this potential to produce and supply electricity at the lowest cost among themselves. In this, the power shortage that is seen in each season in each country can be solved. The use of renewable energy will also increase. Indian Energy Exchange has come up with such a proposal.

Again, in February 2021, India approved cross-border electricity trade. As a result, BBIN countries can now increase power exchange and cooperation among themselves.

India could use the Green Energy Corridor to increase hydropower imports from Nepal and Bhutan to attain the renewable energy target of 2030.

Cross-border electricity trade already exists at bilateral levels. For example, Bangladesh, Bhutan and Nepal have bilateral cooperation models with India. Bangladesh also signed a Memorandum of Understanding for hydropower import from Nepal, using transmission lines from India. Since Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal have variations in the availability of energy resources and demand patterns, exploiting the untapped potential of greater cooperation can help them generate the least-cost electricity, address seasonal energy scarcity and advance the promotion of renewable energy.

These four countries have great similarities in terms of socio-economics. However, the electricity production and consumption patterns of these countries are different. For example, fossil fuel is the main method of electricity generation in Bangladesh. A total of 23 thousand 482 megawatts of electricity comes from here. On the other hand, less than 3 percent of electricity is generated from renewable energy. Besides, 1160 MW electricity is imported from India. It is estimated that the electricity demand in Bangladesh will reach 60,000 megawatts in 2041.

In 2022, Bhutan's 'installed power' capacity was 2,335 MW. 99 percent of Bhutan's national grid comes from its hydroelectric projects. In 2021, Bhutan generated 11,059 gigawatt-hours of electricity and exported most of it, or about 74 percent, to India. Again this Bhutan has to import electricity during the dry season. Because then the hydropower project was stopped due to lack of water. Bhutan's Department of Hydropower Systems forecasts that the country's electricity demand will increase fivefold in 2030 compared to 2022. As a result, Bhutan will have to increase its power generation capacity at a large rate in the coming years.

On the other hand, India could collectively generate 409 GW of electricity till November 2022. The country's power generation still depends on fossil fuels like Bangladesh. But the country is now increasingly dependent on other renewable energies, including hydropower. The country produces more than 166 GW of electricity in this way. Renewable energy and hydropower provide about 41 percent of India's electricity grid. India aims to generate 500 GW of electricity from renewable sources by 2030.

Nepal can generate 2 thousand 191 MW electricity. The country is 96.2 percent dependent on hydropower. Besides, there are 3.7 percent thermal power plants. Like Bhutan, Nepal also suffers from power shortages in winter. Because, at this time the speed of water decreases. The country will need 19 thousand 151 megawatts of electricity in 2040. Which is 8.5 times more than their current capacity.

Energy demand in the BBIN region varies from country to country. For example, December, January and February in Bhutan have high electricity demand. But this demand decreases from June to September. Electricity demand is high in Nepal from January to February. On the other hand, Bangladesh's electricity demand is lowest at this time of the year. The peak demand in Bangladesh is from April to June. And between November and February the electricity demand drops significantly. Some regions of India have high electricity demand from January to March or October to December.

For example, India is considering Nepalese and Bangladesh proposals to allow Kathmandu to sell electricity to Dhaka via Indian territory and Indian infrastructure which would deepen sub-regional cooperation in a big way. Officials say a meeting between Nepali and Indian officials led by energy secretaries of the countries will finalize the matter. The meeting is scheduled to be held in the third week of February in New Delhi.

India offers the opportunity to interconnect the Bangladesh, Bhutan, and Nepal electricity supply industries. The possibility of using Indian power infrastructure for electricity trade between Nepal and Bangladesh is another facet of Indias neighborhood engagement. These bonds of support, trade and economic opportunities should bind the countries, with India as a critical player. Acting in unison would be in the enlightened self-interest of each country in South Asia. This approach makes India a reliable partner. The power trade between Nepal and Bangladesh also reflects the active role of a silent organization BBIN. Nepal will gain from the sale, and Bangladesh will benefit from access to electricity.

Besides opening the opportunity for bilateral trade between Nepal and Bangladesh, a new opportunity for sub-regional energy trade among BBIN countries is also emerging, with India itself pushing for it. For this, transmission line connectivity alone will not be enough. There is a need for harmonized rules and regulations among the participating963.- countries and there should be a multilateral agreement on details including the wheeling charge of electricity among the participating countries. It is hoped that Nepal and Bangladesh will widen collaboration in the power sector and include partner nations to solve the energy interdependency in South Asia.

That is, these four countries can meet each other's electricity needs at different times of the year. Nepal can generate up to 40 GW of hydropower if it wants. But they are using only 5 percent of their potential. Bhutan has a potential of 23 GW from hydropower but they are only able to use 10 percent of it. Bangladesh's problem is about adding renewable energy to the grid. Bangladesh can expand its renewable energy path by investing in Nepal and Bhutan.

Jubeda Chowdhury is a columnist, researcher
28.02.2023 LISTEN

Breast cancer patients have been advised not to be deceived with spiritual concoctions offered them by religious leaders in seeking treatments.

Concoctions, according to a medical expert have no place in providing a solution to breast cancer cases in Ghana.

The President of Breast Cancer International (BCI), Dr Mrs Beatrice Wiafe Addai who gave the advice urged breast cancer patients to resort to medical treatment when diagnosed with the disease.

Dr Mrs Beatrice Wiafe Addai, who is also the CEO of Peace and Love Hospitals (PLHs) in Kumasi and Accra bemoaned a current trend in the country where some pastors have resorted to concoctions in curing breast cancer.

She noted that breast cancer is not caused by spiritual agents and cannot be treated spiritually so the reliance of concoctions and other traditional herbs cannot treat the disease.

She stated that most of the late reports of breast cancer cases could be traced to the reliance on these unscientific approaches adopted by the pastors to extort members of their money.

Dr Mrs Beatrice Wiafe Addai was speaking to members of Great Glory Ministry International at Tanoso Anwiankwanta in the Kwadaso municipality in the Ashanti region, on Sunday, February 26, 2023.

The program to mark the end of the 21 days prayer and fasting program, free breast cancer education and screening exercises were held.

It was part of Delta Air Line sponsored Kick Breast Cancer Out campaigns, in collaboration with BCI and PLH.

Church pastors and prophets are deceiving their members to believe that their prepared concoctions can cure ailments like breast cancer and other non-communicable diseases, a trend that needs urgent halt.

These leaders are just making money out of the concoctions sales to the venerable members because they (leaders) know the actions prove futile, and when it gets out of hand they refer the members to the hospitals, Dr Wiafe Addai bemoaned.

Dr Mrs Beatrice Wiafe Addai posited that as a result of these unscientific methods, some women are dying prematurely "because these women could have been saved if they presented them earlier for proper treatments."

I have always maintained that the best solution in the treatment of breast cancer is its early detection through medical screening and prompt actions. Presentation of late stage cases makes the treatment difficult, she added.

The founder and leader of Great Glory Ministry International, Prophet Collins Kwame Kesseh, in his remarks appealed to his fellow clergy to advise their members to seek medical assistance when they fall sick.

Though I believe in prophetic healings and prayers, some diseases like the breast cancer should be treated by medical experts but giving members concoctions which we know have no place in curing disease is very unfortunate, he implored pastors and prophets.

Advising members on breast cancer, Prophet Collins Kwame Kesseh told the women to adopt to frequent clinical breast cancer screening to know their statuses.
China offers alternatives for modernization

By Marsela Musabelliu (China Daily) 16:54, February 28, 2023

MA XUEJING/CHINA DAILY

The 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China held in October 2022 laid the foundation for a new era of modernization while emphasizing the importance of "Chinese-style modernization".

Chinese-style modernization has two specific characteristics; it is inclusive and peaceful. By applying a new development philosophy, the Chinese leadership stresses that economic, political, cultural, social and ecological developments are intertwined, and comprise the key components of China's modernization, which is aimed at fulfilling people's aspiration for a better life.

Similarly, socialism with Chinese characteristics has entered a new era of continuous improvement of every aspect of people's lives. This instills in people the confidence that the future will be better. And this confidence comes from an already proven track of positive results and the idea that China's leadership has a vision about the future, and a mission to complete in order to realize national rejuvenation.

This new era presents to the world a country willing to work with the other countries to uphold the common values of humankind, and pursue peace and development while helping build a community with a shared future for all. Thanks to its pragmatic cooperation with other countries, China has become the largest trading partner of more than 140 countries and regions and leads the world in total merchandise trade. Even in the three difficult years of the pandemic, China continued to be the stabilizing factor for the global industrial supply chains and a driving force of global economic recovery.

With the world facing unprecedented challenges, China's commitment to improving the international community has increased. Indeed, a fully modernized China will create more opportunities for the world while remaining committed to deepening reform, widening opening-up, and pursuing high-quality development.

The world has become more polarized than ever, and hostilities are on the rise. As such, the world needs rational and prudent actors to resolve differences and take pragmatic steps toward modernization. For many countries struggling with economic problems, modernization means development. But several preconceived notions of right development paths have proven wrong.

In this regard, China's modernization and high-quality development present new opportunities for such countries to take forward their modernization drive.

But what impact will China's modernization have on the outside world? The impact can be seen in the various initiatives China has launched. Over the years, China has established multilateral platforms fostering interaction among institutions, citizens and governments. For instance, the Belt and Road Initiative, after a decade of promotion and development, has become a powerful engine of global growth by, among other things, helping upgrade infrastructure in the Belt and Road countries.

Two other initiatives announced by China respond to the needs of the times. The first is the Global Development Initiative, which mainly focuses on poverty eradication and sustainable development. It calls for joint efforts by parties around the world to build cooperation networks to, among other things, improve agriculture, education and healthcare, fight climate change, and better protect the environment and ecology. The second is the Global Security Initiative, which is a pledge to the vision of common, comprehensive and cooperative security.

By deepening cooperation with China and harnessing specific comparative advantages, developing countries can increase the vitality and resilience of their economies. And once bilateral and/or multilateral cooperation is set on the right path, they can choose their own path to modernization.

China's modernization is an example of human progress, and demystifies the notion that "modernization is equal to Westernization". It provides a different perspective on modernization, opens up new avenues for developing countries, and offers a Chinese approach to build a more humane national and international structure, as it is based on a deeper understanding of the times and history.

To achieve true modernization, a country has to identify the socioeconomic conditions under which human beings can flourish, build an environment where health and wealth can coexist, and implement policies to pursue prosperity.

With China's modernization, the government will make more efforts to improve people's lives and livelihoods, because for the country's leadership, people come first. China's modernization is a blueprint for identifying what better suits the ground reality of a country and what better caters to people's needs, as well as to advance social fairness and improve the well-being of the people.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
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.

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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.
The ruling party in Djibouti has retained its significant majority in parliament, a presidential adviser told AFP on Tuesday, following elections it was assured of winning after an opposition boycott.

The main opposition parties in the tightly-controlled Horn of Africa nation refused to participate in Friday's legislative poll, decrying the process to elect 65 MPs as a sham.

Provisional results had given 58 seats to the Union for Presidential Majority (UMP) party, said Alexis Mohamed, a special adviser to President Ismail Omar Guelleh, who has ruled the country since 1999.

The remaining seven seats went to the only other party in the race, the Union for Democracy and Justice (UDJ), he added.

"Due to the absence of any challenge from the two parties, the Constitutional Council can only confirm the provisional results, namely 58 seats for the UMP and seven for the UDJ," Mohamed told AFP.

He said the Constitutional Council has 15 days to confirm or overturn the results but could do so earlier if there were no formal challenges. The UDJ had considered mounting an appeal but did not proceed, he added.

The result gives UMP the same number of seats it won in the last parliamentary ballot in 2018.

"This victory is one of hope over pessimism, of unity and cohesion over hatred and division. This victory is for Djibouti and Djiboutians," Prime Minister Abdoulkader Kamil Mohamed said on Saturday.

MPs serve a five-year term, with the law stipulating that 25 percent of the seats must go to women.

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.

Djibouti. By Valentin RAKOVSKY (AFP)

The poll follows a presidential ballot in April 2021 that saw Guelleh re-elected for a fifth term with 97 percent of the vote.

Under Guelleh, 75, Djibouti has seen a crackdown on press freedom and dissent.

Some 230,000 people were eligible to participate in Friday's vote but turnout appeared low, according to local media and witnesses.

The vote took place against the backdrop of the highly sensitive question of who will be Guelleh's successor.

One of Africa's longest-serving leaders, Guelleh is only Djibouti's second president since independence and cannot run again because of an age limit of 75 set in the 2010 constitution.
Swedish director Ruben Ostlund, a two-time winner of the Palme d'Or, will be jury president at this year's Cannes Film Festival in May, organisers announced Tuesday.

The 48-year-old director won the festival's top prize last year for "Triangle of Sadness", a biting satire hitting out at fashion models and the super-rich, who find their status suddenly undermined when disaster strikes their cruise ship.

The film, which stars Woody Harrelson as a drunken Marxist captain, has also earned him three nominations at next month's Oscars  for best picture, best director and best original screenplay.

Ostlund also won the Palme d'or in 2017 for "The Square", with a similarly cringe-inducing look at the art world. Set in Sweden, it featured US actor Elisabeth Moss and Britain's Dominic West.

In a statement Ostlund said he was "happy, proud and humbled to be entrusted with the honour" of leading the jury, which comes exactly 50 years after fellow Swede Ingrid Bergman had the role.

It is the third time a two-time Palme winner has led the jury in Cannes, following Francis Ford Coppola and Emir Kusturica, and the first time it has gone to someone the year after they won.

"I am sincere when I say that cinema culture is in its most important period ever. The cinema has a unique aspect  there, we watch together, and it demands more on what is shown and increases the intensity of the experience," Ostlund said.

"It makes us reflect in a different way than when we dopamine scroll in front of the individual screens".

Humour as social commentary

After studying cinema in Gothenburg, Ostlund directed his first feature film in 2004, "The Guitar Mongoloid", portraying the lives of outcasts in a fictional city that closely resembles the real thing.

He went on to make other short films "Autobiographical Scene Number 6882" and "Incident by a Bank", which won Golden Bear for best short film at the 60th Berlinale in 2010.

All bare the hallmarks of Ostlund's trademark humour used to make scathing observations of Western middle classes and their foibles.

Ostlund is no stranger to the Cannes festival scene, with "Involuntary", one of his first feature films selected at Un Certain Regard in 2008. Later came his third feature film "Play" which was presented at the Directors' Fortnight in 2011.

He later gained international attention with 2014's "Force Majeure" about a father on a ski trip who rescues his mobile phone before his children during an avalanche. It won the runner-up Jury Prize in the Un Certain Regard section.

"As president, I will remind my colleagues in the jury about the social function of the cinema," Ostlund said.

"A good movie relates to the collective experience, stimulates us to think and makes us want to discuss what we have seen  so let's watch together."

The selection of films is due to be announced in April along with the other members of the jury.
28.02.2023 LISTEN

The Coaltar District of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana has expressed profound gratitude to the Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, for his touching gesture to the Church.

The Vice President, who pledged to contribute to the Presbyterian Church's decision to build legacy centenary anniversary projects, is building a classroom block for Kwaboanta JHS in the Ayensuano District, in the Eastern Region.

Dr Bawumia visited Kwaboanta to inspect the project, which is nearing completion and was commended both by the Presbyterian Church and the community.

The Coaltar District Minister for the Presbyterian Church, Rev. A.L. Odai, recalled how the Vice President pledged to build the school during the Centenary Anniversary celebration of the Akuapem Presbytery, adding that Dr Bawumia was "touched by the Holy Spirit" to make such a touching gesture to the Church and the community.

"Mr Vice President I want to say the children of this community are so excited about this because they need such a place for their training and we are thankful to you. Sincerely, we are grateful to you and we know that the good Lord will help you to complete to the glory of His name," Rev. A.L. Odai, told the Vice President.

The Chief of Kwaboanta also expressed appreciation to Dr Bawumia for his thoughtfulness and generosity to the Church and the community.

The Chief said the community needs educational facilities and the project by the Vice President would a long way to help them.

Before inspecting the project, Dr Bawumia thanked the Almighty God for giving him the guidance and strength to personally undertake the project.

The Vice President also commended the Presbyterian Church of Ghana for the Church's immense contributions to the development of Ghana.
The Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Samuel Abu Jinapor has provided an update on the case between the State and Aisha Huang.

Aisha Huang, a businesswoman popularly known as the Gamalsey Queen was arrested late last year for allegedly engaging in illegal mining and the sale of minerals without a license.

Today, Lands Minister Samuel Abu Jinapor has disclosed that the hearing of the case is progressing gradually.

According to him, five witnesses have been called so far and a sixth will be called at the next adjourned date.

With the matter to do with Aisha Huang, the prosecution is being waged in a very spirited manner. The Attorney General is taking a personal interest in the prosecution of Aisha Huang and I have been very interested in that as well. I have been to court to witness proceedings in Court and I can report to you and the country that the Prosecution, the State has called five witnesses as we speak and the Prosecution is going to call a 6th witness at the next adjourned date.

"That should tell you that the prosecution is being waged in a very spirited manner, Samuel Abu Jinapor told the media on Tuesday.

He further assured that prosecution is being waged relentlessly to ensure Aisha Huang is convicted.

"As we said from the very beginning, we want to prosecute this matter with the vigour that it requires so that it will serve a clear signal, particularly in the countries where we have most of the trouble when it comes to illegal small-scale mining that Ghanaian law will be applied to the latter.

So be rest assured that the prosecution is being waged relentlessly and we are hoping that when its all said and done we will secure a conviction and Justice will be done for the good people of Ghana, the Minister in charge of Land and Natural Resources said.
International business news network, Bloomberg says about 600,000 tonnes of fuel from Russia have been shipped and stored in Ghanaian tanks.

Following Russias invasion of Ukraine, the European Union and US barred fuel imports from the former Soviet leader.

Bloomberg reports that its tanker tracking data show that The last signal from the vessel was on Sunday evening, by which time unloading had not begun. Its cargo was due to be pumped into storage tanks in Tema.

This comes on the back of the Ghana Governments controversial gold-for-oil policy.

Below is the full report from Bloomberg

A cargo of Russian oil is heading for storage tanks in Ghana, a nation that exports crude itself and is on the doorstep of two regional supply powerhouses.

The development suggests that traders could be scouring the market for new buyers of Russian barrels after the European Union stopped almost all seaborne imports from the country in December.

The bloc's measures made Moscow hugely reliant on Chinese and Indian purchases.

The tanker Theseus arrived in Ghana's territorial waters on Friday carrying about 600,000 barrels of Russian oil from a port in the Black Sea, according to tanker tracking data compiled by Bloomberg.

Its cargo was due to be pumped into storage tanks in Tema, people with knowledge of the matter said.

The last signal from the vessel was on Sunday evening, by which time unloading had not begun.

Russia is under pressure to sustain its oil revenue after the Group of Seven and the European Union imposed punishing sanctions on the country's energy industry.

Almost all European Union companies are prohibited from buying Russian crude and petroleum products or providing important services such as insurance to nations that buy such exports above a capped price.

In December, Russia's petroleum revenues dropped nearly 20 percent from the previous month after the price cap triggered big discounts on the nation's crude, according to the International Energy Agency.

The crude will be stored in tanks at the Tema Oil Refinery, the people said. The firm didn't respond to requests for comment.

When the tanker was en route to the country, the CEO of Ghana's National Petroleum Authority CEO said the shipment would be blocked if it was bound for the country. The NPA didn't respond to multiple requests for comment after it reached the west African nation's territorial waters.

The shipment to Tema would be the first time Russian oil has been delivered to a West African country since at least October 2018, tracking data show.

Ghana itself is a small oil exporter, shipping an average of about 140,000 barrels a day over the past six months, according to tanker tracking data compiled by Bloomberg. It's also next to Nigeria and Angola, the two biggest suppliers in sub-Saharan Africa.

After sanctions were imposed on Russia, the nation directed crude exports toward China and India, upending global oil flows and the maritime industry.

With Europe previously having been by far the largest market for Russian oil, that narrowed the nation's pool of buyers dramatically. It also meant the barrels had to be discounted at the point of export to compensate for relatively high delivery costs.

Source: Bloomberg
Another alleged killer of the late Major Maxwell Adam Mahama, yesterday admitted heating the deceased with a cement block at the scene where he was lynched by a mob who allegedly mistook him for an armed robber.

Akwasi Baah, the fourth of 14 accused persons yesterday opened his defense and admitted the offence but was quick to tell the court that the late soldier was already dead when he smashed his head with the cement block.

The accused, led in his evidence-in-chief by his counsel, George Bernard Shaw, told the court that he was not there when the mob attacked the deceased but only got there after had been lynched.

Akwasi Baahh who is facing murder charge, in his defence told the court that he had been a victim of a robbery the day before the incident and upon reaching the scene where the soldier was lynched, he realised the deceased was wearing a boot similar to that which one of the robbers wore during the robbery.

He said on May 28, 2017, he was travelling from Dunkwa-on-Offin to Denkyira Obuasi when they realised a part of the road had been barricade by armed robbers carrying an AK-47 rifle, a pump action gun and pistols who hijacked the vehicle, commanded everyone to step down and later searched all the passengers on board the vehicle.

He said he was home the next morning when he heard noises about the young men in the town apprehending one of the armed robbers from the previous day's robbery.

He said he also heard that the armed robber had shot a young man in the foot and he had been taken to the clinic so he decided to go to the clinic to find out if the person was his relative.

He told the court he later left the clinic upon finding out that the young man was not related to him and ten minutes after leaving the clinic, he heard an armed robber had been killed so he went to the scene where the incident occurred.

He said he saw the gun that was used in robbing him the previous day and also saw that the deceased had the same boots that was used in kicking him during the robbery the previous day. This made me pick up a block and hit the deceased, he said.

The prosecution led by Frances Mullen Ansah, a Chief State Attorney, during her cross-examination of the accused replayed the horrific lynching video and the accused identified himself smashing the head of the late Major Mahama who lied motionless.

He also admitted that the cement block was so heavy that he had to carry it with two hands but denied the suggestion that he deliberately smashed the head of the late Major Mahama.

DGN online
A Spanish judge has summoned a son of Equatorial Guinea's president for questioning over his alleged role in the kidnap and torture of two Spanish nationals, court documents showed Tuesday.

Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, 80, has ruled the oil-rich former Spanish colony since 1979, with rights groups have long accused his government of arbitrary detentions and torture.

A judge with Spain's National Court called one of his sons, Carmelo Ovono Obiang, who heads the security service in the central African nation, for questioning on March 28.

The judge also summoned the president's security director Isaac Nguema Endo and his Security Minister Nicolas Obama Nchama, according to a court document dated February 24 seen by AFP.

The court orders were first reported by Spain's El Pais newspaper.

The three men are suspected of having kidnapped and tortured two Spanish nationals who opposed Obiang's government, and who were arrested in South Sudan in 2020 and flown to Equatorial Guinea.

One of the dissidents died at a hospital in Equatorial Guinea in January.

Two other dissidents, who are Equatorial Guinea nationals living in Spain, were also allegedly kidnapped at the same time.

Spain's National Court, which deals with major criminal cases, opened the investigation after receiving a complaint from relatives of the victims.

Equatorial Guinea's vice president, Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue, who is also a son of the president, has strenuously denied the accusations and accused Spain of seeking to "interfere" in his country's sovereignty.

It is unclear if the Equatorial Guinea officials will agree to be questioned by the court over the affair.

According to El Pais, Carmelo Ovono Obiang was under police surveillance while staying at a Madrid hotel in December but the National Court did not order his arrest.

Instead it only informed him that a lawsuit had been presented against him, prompting him to swiftly return to Equatorial Guinea, the newspaper said.

Under Obiang's watch political dissent in Equatorial Guinea has been suppressed and the country's oil wealth benefits an elite few, watchdogs say.

In November, he was re-elected to a sixth term with 94.9 percent of the votes cast in an election that saw a turnout of 98 percent, according to official figures.
Former President, John Dramani Mahama has indicated when he will commence his campaign for the National Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential elections.

In a short statement on social media on Tuesday, February 28, he announced that he will launch his campaign for the flagbearership race of the largest opposition party on Thursday, March 2.

The launch will be done at the Cedi Auditorium of the University of Health and Allied Sciences (UHAS).

I will launch my bid to lead the National Democratic Congress to the 2024 elections on Thursday at the University of Health and Allied Sciences (UHAS) in Sokode near Ho, ex-President John Dramani Mahama said in a post on Twitter.

Last week, the former President picked forms to contest the NDC Presidential Primaries.

While he faces competition from three others including former Bank of Ghana Governor Dr. Kwabena Duffuor, John Dramani Mahama is confident he will be victorious.

He is now set to launch his campaign to sell his message to delegates to vote for him in the NDC Presidential Primaries later this year.
Proposals to change Mali's constitution to enable the military-run nation to return to civilian rule would bolster the president's powers and reduce the status of the French language, according to a draft seen by AFP on Tuesday.

Constitutional change is one of a string of major institutional revamps launched by the military after it ousted Mali's last elected president in August 2020.

The junta's declared goal is to hold elections in February 2024 that would lead to the restoration of civilian rule.

Junta leader Colonel Assimi Goita, who was appointed transitional president in May 2021, formally received the constitutional draft on Monday. A first version, drawn up in October, had been sent back for further revision.

The document had not been officially published as of early Tuesday, but the draft seen by AFP strengthens the powers of the presidency as compared with Mali's 1992 constitution.

The head of state, not the government, will "determine the policies of the Nation," appoint and fire the prime minister and ministers, and be empowered to dissolve the National Assembly, it says.

The landlocked Sahel state is one of the poorest and most volatile countries in the world, suffering a string of coups since gaining independence from France in 1960.

The 2020 putsch was triggered by anger within the military at failures to roll back a jihadist insurgency that has claimed thousands of lives, forced hundreds of thousands from their homes and inflicted devastating economic damage.

The government "is responsible to the president", as opposed to parliament as was the case previously, the draft text adds.

Proposing laws will be the prerogative of the president and the National Assembly, whereas this was previously the right of the government and MPs.

Mali. By (AFP)

The president, who would be elected for five years and limited to two terms, would also have the right to order nationwide mobilisations for adults aged over 18.

The 1992 constitution and a draft drawn up in October 2022 described French as "the language of official expression", but the latest revised version promotes local languages to "official" status.

"National languages are the official languages of Mali" while "French is the working language", according to the new draft.

The proposed change coincides with a row between the junta and France, which last year ended its anti-jihadist mission in Mali after the junta brought in Russian operatives described by Paris as Wagner mercenaries.

The constitution is to be put to a referendum, which in theory is to take place on March 19.

But there are widespread doubts this will take place as scheduled, and Goita has made no comment on the timetable.
A member of the Health Committee of Parliament, Mohammed Mubarak Muntaka has described as disrespectful, the absence of the Health Minister to appear before the House over vaccine shortages in the country.

According to the lawmaker, the Minister, Kwaku Agyemang-Manu must be subpoenaed for disrespecting the Health Committee of Parliament.

Everything else can wait but not the expanded programme on immunization because the killer diseases, once you dont get immunized to a certain period, you endanger all of us. This is something that the children will miss, and you cant easily correct it. So if such an important matter will come before the committee, and the minister is invited, and he doesnt show up, I just believe that Mr. Chair, Im of the firm belief that, this committee should issue a subpoena. We are mandated, not only by the constitution but by our own standing order, he said.

Why is Muntaka livid?

Kwaku Agyemang-Manu and some heads of agencies failed to honour the summons by the Health Committee of Parliament today over the shortage of vaccines for immunizing children in Ghana.

For the past few months, the Northern Region and other parts of the country have been experiencing vaccine shortages, with no solution in place.

Health Minister, Kwaku Agyemang-Manu

The Chairman of Parliament's Health Committee, Nana Ayew Afriyie, invited the Minister of Health and other agency heads to an emergency meeting on Tuesday, February 28, 2023, over the worrying situation.

But, apart from the National Health Insurance Authority, the Health Minister and the agency heads were unable to attend to the committee's invitation.

The absentee agencies have not given tangible reasons for not honouring the invitation except the Health Ministry's chief director who indicated that the Ministry has written a letter to the Committee asking for an extension.

Reacting to that, Muntaka insisted that the Health Minister cannot dictate to Parliament on when he want to appear before the Health Committee.

Now, you have a Minister of Health who for me, for lack of a better word, I will say disrespectfully refused to attend to the invitation of the committee. It tells you how he is running the Ministry. It is just unfortunate that we have a government that a lot of its actors are behaving as though they are doing the citizens a favour by occupying those offices, Muntaka added.

They must mandatorily appear. Mr. Chair, they cannot tell us when they want to meet us. That is not acceptable.

citinewsroom
French soldiers enter the French camp at Bamako International Airport after being flown in by the United States Air Force in January, 2013.

President Emmanuel Macron announced on Monday a "noticeable reduction" of France's troop presence in Africa following a withdrawal from Mali and Burkina Faso after years fighting jihadists there.

"The change will happen in the coming months with a noticeable reduction of our numbers and a greater presence in these bases of our African partners," Macron said ahead of a four-nation African tour.

This "reorganisation... does not intend to be a withdrawal", he said.

"We will remain but with a reduced footprint... We will do more training, more equipping and better accompanying" of local troops according to their needs, he said.

Some bases would become training academies, while others would become "partner" bases, he added.

Macron said they would adapt with less French military personnel on the ground, and an "Africanisation" of their staff.

They would see a "rise in the presence of their African partners according to goals defined" by these partners, he added.

Anti-French sentiment is running high in former French colonies Mali and Burkina Faso after military coups there that led to fallouts with Paris and the pullout of French troops from both countries.

Macron heads off on a four-nation tour of central African countries from Wednesday as Paris seeks to counter growing Chinese and Russian influence on the continent.

He will visit Gabon for an environmental summit, followed by Angola, then the Republic of Congo, or Congo-Brazzaville, and finally the neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo.

(Newswires)
The University of Cape Coast has denied media reports that questions for the Police Promotional Examination organised by the Department of Forensic Sciences of the University, leaked before the Exams were written.

No part of the Ghana Police Promotional examination questions written on the 13th of February, 2023, were leaked to any candidate, the management of UCC said in a statement on Tuesday.

The University management rejected claims that the exams were invigilated by some Senior Officers from the Police Service. According to the UCC management, the Examinations were written under strict supervision of the Universitys experienced Invigilators.

A report aired on Accra-based ADOM TV, Badwam show, on Wednesday 22nd February 2023, suggested the leakage of the Ghana Police Promotional Examination conducted by UCC.

But the University in reaction to the claims said: A careful analysis of the material exhibited shows some inconsistencies in comparison with the test item that was administered to the candidates during the exams.

The purported material being shown around as a leaked paper, has no question attached to it. Again, it is strange to note that the material in question appeared two days after the examination. How could this constitute a leaked question? the statement queried.

Authorities, thus, entreated stakeholders and the general public to disregard the malicious publication insisting it would not do anything untoward to tannish its hard-won reputation.

Source: Classfmonline.com
The Health Minister, Kwaku Agyeman-Manu failed to appear before Parliament after being invited to explain issues concerning alleged shortages of vaccines in some parts of the county.

He was scheduled to come to Parliament today February 28, to explain issues and measures taken to address the situation.

According to an invitation sent by the Clerk of Parliament's Health Committee read that 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 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.

However, the minister who is the Member of Parliament (MP) for Dormaa Central didnt show up.

This has provoked a section of the parliamentarians in the Minority side.

Furious lawmaker for Asawase who is also a member of the Health Committee, Muntaka Mubarak told Parliament that The Minister of Health being invited to the Committee of Parliament, he himself being a Member of Parliament having in mind the provisions of the 1992 Constitution and the ranking member following up with even a call a week before the meeting, and the matter in question is the time that elsewhere Parliament would invite the minister within 24-hours and he has to appear because of its urgency.

Now, you have a minister of health who for me, for lack of a better word, I will say disrespectfully refused to attend to the invitation of the committee.

It tells you how he is running the Ministry, it is just unfortunate that we have a government where a lot of its actors are behaving as though they are doing the citizens a favour by occupying those offices, instead of them attending to the urgent needs of their ministry.

Everyone around this table is very much aware of the importance of the expanded programme on immunization, every other thing can wait but not the expanded programme on immunization because the six or so killer diseases, ones you don't get immunized in a certain period you endanger all of us because this is something the children will miss and you cannot easily correct.

DGN online
Germany has announced a project for migrant centres in five African countries which would offer a select category of Africans the possibility of settling on its soil. The Conversation Africa's Assane Diagne spoke to sociologist Aly Tandian about the significance of this decision.

Why is Germany considering bringing skilled labour into the country and how does it propose to do so?

In Germany, the policy of bringing in skilled labour has grown in recent years through a welcoming culture . This has greatly facilitated the arrival and, above all, the integration of many migrants. For instance, Germany welcomed nearly one million refugees during the Syrian crisis in 2015. This motivated the award of the Nansen Prize of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to Chancellor Angela Merkel. The suggested centres would ease rules for skilled foreign workers even further.

However, the reception of these migrants is far from being motivated by simple humanitarian reasons. In Germany, as in many other European countries, immigration provides solutions to demographic and economic problems.

It can help balance an ageing society and finance the pension system, as well as compensate for the current shortage of skilled workers. The need for skilled workers is so great that Germany has adopted several new reception policies.

The new fast-track procedure that's being proposed for skilled labour essentially simplifies the recruitment of qualified foreign workers. It allows employers to apply for recognition of foreign qualifications in order to facilitate the visa application of a worker being recruited. To get the visa the qualified worker must then present a work contract or a concrete job offer. The country's Federal Employment Agency will no longer check whether the candidate is from Germany or the EU for the specific position.

Which African countries will be affected and what kind of people are sought?

In addition to Ghana, Germany will establish centres in Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt and Nigeria.

The people sought are skilled workers with vocational training, skilled workers with academic training, researchers, scientists and managers.

What are the implications of such policies?

Recently, the German development minister, Svenja Schulze, spoke of win-win solutions , but we need to put this into perspective.

This encourages brain drain  the exit of skilled people from African countries. Another similar approach is France's policy to attract skilled labour. The French government plans to create a specific residence permit for foreign doctors. According to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), in 2022 France hired some 25,000 foreign-born doctors , or 12% of the total number of practitioners registered with the Ordre des Medecins.

The exodus of qualified migrants can lead to a loss of skills, ideas and innovation, a loss of investment in education, a loss of tax revenue, a loss of crucial services in the health and education sectors. For instance, Ghana is in dire need of a skilled workforce , but it is one of the African countries Germany is targeting.

This policy of skilled recruitment in the global south by countries of the global north creates a situation in which countries of origin are incubators where experts are born, educated and trained before they leave for other destinations.

This form of skilled labour migration should be rethought and above all supervised on both sides. It also raises a question of ethics. It is difficult not to think about ethics because this recruitment model will deprive African states of the personnel they need.

Agreements should be signed between states and not commitments between skilled workers and employers. In addition, a rigorous framework that benefits workers, employers and states would avoid making foreign workers, who are paid less than their national colleagues, less precarious.

What can be done to retain skilled workers in their country of origin where there is a lack of expertise in their fields of activity?

African countries must have their own migration agenda. They should encourage the mobility of skilled experts supported by circular migration. With circular migration, it will be possible for skilled experts to work in several countries on a rotational basis while enjoying rigorous protection.

Circular migration is a way of serving the labour market needs of destination countries, promoting development in countries of origin and benefiting the migrants themselves, so we can say that it is a triple win.

Aly Tandian does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

By Aly Tandian, enseignant-chercheur, Universite Gaston Berger
A French court on Tuesday dismissed a landmark case against TotalEnergies for a massive oil project in Uganda and Tanzania after several NGOs filed a suit to suspend the controversial project.

It was the first case of its kind in France, and activists had hoped it would set a legal precedent to halt projects deemed harmful to the environment and human rights.

Six NGOs that filed the suit argued the development of the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) failed to adhere to a "duty of vigilance", a 2017 law that compels companies to avoid grave harm to human rights, health, safety and the environment.

The court on Tuesday ruled the case was "inadmissible", saying the plaintiffs did not correctly follow court procedures against the French energy giant.

It said the plaintiffs submitted accounts to the court in December that were "substantially different" from those that were presented to TotalEnergies in a formal notice in 2019 when the case was initiated.

The suit was brought by two French and four Ugandan NGOs, which accused TotalEnergies of taking land from more than 100,000 people without adequate compensation.

They also said the company drilled wells in the biodiversity-rich Murchison Falls National Park on the shores of Lake Albert.

Map showing the oil fields and pipeline route of the EACOP project in Uganda and Tanzania. By (AFP)

Friends of the Earth and Survival, the two French NGOs, and the Ugandan groups denied having substantially modified their submissions to the court.

They "only clarified them and consolidated their arguments with more than 200 documents of supporting evidence", said Juliette Renaud, a campaigner with Friends of the Earth.

The plaintiffs, which can appeal the decision, said they would speak to "the affected communities" about next steps, Renaud added.

Economic boon

The $10 billion oilfields and pipeline project has been hailed as an economic boon for Uganda and Tanzania, where many live in poverty, while being strongly opposed by environmentalists.

The $10 billion oilfields and pipeline project has been hailed as an economic boon for Uganda and Tanzania, where many live in poverty, while being strongly opposed by environmentalists. By BADRU KATUMBA (AFP)

The project is being jointly developed by TotalEnergies and the China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC), along with the state-owned Uganda National Oil Company.

The 1,443-kilometre (900-mile) pipeline will transport crude from vast oilfields being developed in Lake Albert in northwestern Uganda to a Tanzanian port on the Indian Ocean.

Lake Albert, a natural border between Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, lies atop an estimated 6.5 billion barrels of crude, of which about 1.4 billion barrels are currently considered recoverable.

Tanzanian Energy Minister January Makamba this month rejected the environmental and rights concerns as "propaganda", saying the country complied with environmental, safety and human rights standards.

Two French and four Ugandan NGOs had accused TotalEnergies of taking land from more than 100,000 people without adequate compensation. By BADRU KATUMBA (AFP)

Tuesday's ruling in France is the first instance of the "duty of vigilance" being tested in a courtroom.

Several legal proceedings for failure to comply with the "duty of vigilance" are underway against other French companies, including Casino, Suez, Yves Rocher and BNP Paribas.
28.02.2023 LISTEN

Ghana Institute of Journalism (GIJ) arm of the University of Media, Arts, and Communication (UniMAC) is set to hold its 5th inter-faculty lecture on road safety behaviours of drivers in urban Ghana.

The event is scheduled for Friday, March 3, 2023, at the North Dzorwulu campus of UniMAC-GIJ at 10:00 am.

The topic for the lecture is: Perceptions Underlying Road Safety Behaviours of Drivers in Urban Ghana  A Health-Belief and Planned Behaviour Perspective.

Inter-faculty lectures have become characteristic of UniMAC-GIJ, spearheaded by the Directorate of Research, Innovation, and Development (DRID), as it seeks to bridge the gap between the various faculties and to foster knowledge-sharing amongst lecturers and students of the school.

The lecture will be led by Dr. Priscilla Teika Odoom, a lecturer at the Faculty of Public Relations, Advertising, and Marketing (FOPAM), and the head of the Advertising Department at UniMAC- GIJ.

Dr. Odoom teaches courses in marketing communications, brand management, digital marketing and advertising, and health service marketing/communications, and her research interests revolve around the same.

She holds a Ph.D. in Marketing from the University of Ghana Business School (UGBS) and is a member of the Academy of Marketing Science (AMS).

Road safety is a major public health issue with heightened global attention, and Africa remains a red zone for road traffic crashes (RTCs). Ghana is one of the sub-Saharan African countries battling with RTCs as a major cause of morbidity and mortality.

However, the interventions and heightened law enforcement approach employed in the past years have been reactive, and mere stop-gap measures result in a reduction in RTC incidences that are sporadic and short-lived.

The lecture seeks to examine the social-psychological beliefs and personal characteristics and their linkages with driver predispositions and road safety behaviours grounded on notions derived from an integration of the health belief model and the theory of planned behaviour.

The event will bring together lecturers, students, the media, and interested persons from the public.

Source: UniMAC-GIJ
Members of Mankata family of Panpanso in the Apedwa Traditional Area of the Eastern Region have cautioned William Agyekum Acquah Asante of the Oyoko Royal family of Odumase to retract all allegations he has levelled against the Deputy Ambassador to China, Madam Akua Afriyie over the purchase and ownership of portions of land at Panpanso Krokese in the Eastern Region of Ghana.

The family led by the linguist, Okyeame Otibu of Panpanso Krokese at a media briefing on Monday indicated strongly that the Deputy Ambassador to China acquired the land genuinely from the allodial owners, hence all allegations that she had acquired the land illegally were false.

According to him, Mr Kofi Asante Agyekum Acquah and his elders of Nana Amon Kwame and Kwasi Amoani Oyoko Royal families are trying to attack the Deputy Ambassador for no reason.

Okyeame Otibu averred that all the tracks of land located at Odumase-Panpanso belong to the Mankata family and that the Oyoko Royal family has never owned a land in the area.

He pointed out that all the people laying claim to lands in the area are criminals.

He stressed that Mr Acquah and his people have no land within the enclave of Odumase-Panpanso Mankata.

According to him, the land in possession of Madam Akua Afriyie was sold to her by Mankata hence it would use all legitimate means to prevent the land from being taken away from the woman.

According to him, the family has all documents covering the lands with copies lodged with the Lands Commission and for that matter, the Mankata Family has the legitimate right to sell the land.

READ ALSO: God approved Nat'l Cathedral that was why he made Akufo-Addo president - Ex Dep MD of NIB

 I think Mr Acquah took money from someone and promised to sell the land to him so such people should take their money back from Acquah since he didnt have any land at Panpanso.

Mr Kofi Asante Agyekum Acquah himself on several occasions took people to Mankata for documents covering lands they have acquired and that they have all evidence pointing to the fact that Mr Kofi Asante Agyekum Acquah is trying to claim portions of land which do not belong to their family but Mankata family.

We went to Court on several occasions and it was clear that the land here belong to us. We never begged land from them. We gave them lands to settle and to set records straight, the lands belong to us that is why we gave them portions. Mankata family have the authority to sell the lands and so whoever we sold land to is genuine.

Nobody has the power to stand against Madam Akua Afriyie because she bought the land from us; from the Mankata family. Okyeame Otibu stated.

Meanwhile, Mr Kofi Asante Agyekum Acquah said he is not ready to render any apology to the Deputy Ambassador to China.

I will never retract and apologise today or tomorrow, he stressed.


28.02.2023 LISTEN

Export receipts in 2022 from gold generated $ 6.6 billion dollars to retain its position as the leading source of export revenue, Samuel A. Jinapor, Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, has said.

Mr Jinapor at a press briefing in Accra, announced that four new large-scale mining operations would start production within the next two and a half years.

After reviving the Obuasi mine in 2019, the Bibiani mine, which had been dormant for seven years, has also been revived, with production starting in October 2022 to increase mineral production and government revenue, he said.

He said discussions were ongoing with Rand Refinery of South Africa, a London Bullion Marketing Association (LBMA) referee, to secure certification to easily export and trade refined gold on the international market.

The government, he stated, was planning to establish a Gold Souk, a marketplace for the manufacturing and marketing of gold articles, adding that, PMMC's jewellery subsidiary is now producing gold tablets, engrave and plate jewellery.

The Minister said the Government was reviewing the Mining Policy adopted in 2014 and the Minerals and Mining Act, passed in 2006, to promote more investment in the sector.

On diversification of the mineral resource base, the Minister said the Ghana Geological Survey Authority had intensified limestone exploration activities in the Mamprusi West District to develop limestone mines to feed the cement industry.

The Authority has, also, identified and evaluated over 1,275 metric tonnes of clay resources at Assin Fosu and its environs in the Assin North and Central Districts of the Central Region, suitable for the production of high-quality assay crucibles, bricks, tiles, and electrical porcelain.

He stated that the Government reduced the withholding tax on unprocessed gold by small-scale miners, which was implemented in 2015, from 5% to 3% to support the sector.

That, the Minister stressed, had resulted in a massive increment in gold exports from small scale mining, from 3,429.91kg in 2021, to 22,158.25kg in 2022.

He stated that the Government was implementing the Minerals and Mining Regulations, 2020 (L.I. 2404), to track 4,000 excavators and other earth moving equipment, and that a control room had been established at the Minerals Commission, with 75 excavators installed with tracking devices at various mine sites.

Mr Jinapor said the National Alternative Employment and Livelihood Programme, launched in 2021, was being implemented to provide alternative sources of income for communities affected by the fight against illegal mining.

He said the Apprenticeship, Skills Training, and Entrepreneurship module of the Programme would be rolled out this year and was expected to provide training for 5,000 youth in agriculture, technical, vocational, industrial, and mining skills.

GNA
The most important day Nigerians waited for in the last twenty four years has come and gone. Nigerians eagerly trooped out once again to vote for a new President who would take over from General Muhammadu Buhari and set up a new government. It was amazing to watch young Nigerians turn out in their huge numbers on Saturday 25 February 2023 for the presidential election. They were set to make history, no doubt. This years election was the most keenly competed for, since the return of democracy in 1999 with the Fourth Republic.

It was even more interesting to note that most of the young people who voted backed the third-party candidate that surreptitiously emerged, as it were from nowhere, determined to take the country back from the two main competing political organizations, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP and All Progressives Congress, APC which many stakeholders agreed misruled the country in the last 24 years.

In a very solemn sense, Nigerian youths across border believed, and possibly rightly too, that if Labour Party could break the ranks of the ruling APC and the main opposition PDP, it would bring positive changes to Africa's most populous country after years of economic stagnation, crippling official corruption and seemingly intractable insecurity of lives and properties.

Goaded by what they all saw as the successful effects of the 2020 EndSars protests that called for more efficient, transparent, accountable governance and adequate remuneration for the Police Force, millions of young people who thronged the polling units across the country, and who were under 35 years of age, had registered as first-time voters. They were very determined that they must vote and that their votes must count. And they never minced words telling anyone who cared to listen, including the semi-patriotic security officers who were at the polling booths to maintain peace and order, that it was their constitutional right to make the decision on who becomes the head of state of their country on that 25 February and that they were in no mood to compromise their right.

It was a defining moment for most Nigerian young adults who had consistently suffered severe economic deprivation over the years the ruling parties created obnoxious laws that turned the country into a paradox, rendering the rich families richer while the poor families were made poorer.

Many Nigerians knew that the country could not continue the way it was going without a total crash. And so they not only came out in their millions to vote but more importantly to ensure that their votes counted and that they fully participated in electing the man they believed would put Nigeria back on the path of sanity.

They had learnt their lessons from the brutal manner the Endsars protests were somersaulted by the military. But they also counted it as victory for the voice of the ordinary citizen that the SARS organization seized to become after it was disbanded as a police unit because of its notorious profiling of young people who they dispossessed of their valuable properties or murdered extra-judicially if they resisted. That lesson appeared to have brought frustrated young Nigerians together to target the office of the President and Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

The experience of EndSars protests saw many young Nigerians take an unprecedented interest in politics for the first time. Offering hope of a new Nigeria, Mr Peter Obis Labour Party went up against the ruling APC and the main opposition PDP  two sides of the same coin that had alternated the post of President between them since the end of military rule in 1999.

According to BBC, the man many people backed was Peter Obi of the Labour Party. At 61, Mr. Obi was not that young, but still he was the youngest of all the presidential aspirants that mattered. He was not new in Nigerias political arena. Previously, he had vied as the vice-presidential candidate for the main opposition PDP. He also governed Anambra state for eight years from March to November 2006, February to May 2007, and June 2007 to March 2014 under the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA.

Of the other three candidates, Atiku Abubakar of the PDP was 76 years old. Bola Tinubu of the APC was 70 and Rabiu Kwankwaso of the NNPP was 67.

Generally and in comparison with these other three aspirants, Obi was seen as the most ordinarily accessible, a man whose simple lifestyle spoke volumes in his favour with the Nigerian masses in addition to the fact that he had an impressive and hugely admirable record of frugality and accountability with public funds when he was the governor of Anambra state.

In a country where more than three-quarters of the population of 210 million people were aged below 35, it was no wonder that the youths opted for a man they considered young enough to understand their plight and the level of suffering they had passed through in 24 years, a man they considered had the capability and agility of turning particularly the fortunes of Nigerian youths and elderly pensioners around for better.

It was obvious that, to some extent, ethnic and religious affiliations influenced the choice of many voters. Obi was openly supported by Nigeria's huge evangelical Christian movement in the south. In the north, he could also count on the votes of Christians who felt persecuted by the mainstream Muslim. Kwankwaso was hugely supported by the largely Muslim north around his home base, Kano. Alhaji Atiku relied on his party structure to get a cross section of the states to vote for his party despite the desire of Rivers State governor Nyesom Wike to distabilize the PDP after he was unceremoniously defeated during the partys primaries by Atiku Abubakar. Tinubu of the APC appeared to have relied on voter intimidation by his gang of supporters and his turn-by-turn inheritance of the APC presidential race to rein in votes particularly from the western region and parts of the middle belt region.

Whatever the much awaited results might turn out to be, Nigerians have made their choice and that choice must be respected. The very idea of bribing officers of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC to betray the will of the people for a few million naira is a most despicable act and people who are proved to have indulged in such heinous acts must be banned by law from contesting for any public office for life after their jail terms. Nigerian people must be firm on what they want and the caliber of people they want to entrust the governance of their country into their hands.

INEC boss, Professor Yakubu

Despite the enormous revenue accruing from oil and the solid minerals that abound in the country, it was difficult to see how these natural endowments helped to make the ordinary Nigerian a happier person in the past 24 years that the PDP and APC ruled the country. Their leaderships woefully failed to utilize these resources to salvage the fate of the ordinary Nigerian who walks the streets of the country's villages, towns and cities because everybody looked up to crude oil and Abuja sharing the proceeds of oil revenue.

The new government would no doubt inherit a lot of challenges from the out-going government. From the menace of kidnapping citizens for ransom from their homes and workplaces, students in their hundreds from their schools and even foreigners in the country, to raiding entire villages, churches and mosques, invading military and police establishments to armed robbery in banks and on the highways, gang fights that have recorded many dead, official corruption that has left the richer families in the country extremely rich and the poor families extremely poor; extrajudicial killings, money ritual killings, an empty national treasury and all the other evils that the past lackadaisical leaderships across the country bred, the new government will have a full plate of problems on its hand to deal with. It could be quite scary for the politically uninitiated.

In the past twenty four years, Nigerians have watched first the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and after that, the All Progressives Congress (APC) rule  many would say ruin  Nigeria. It would not be an understatement to say that rather than get better, the fortunes and even lives of the Nigerian people continued to get worse by the day in the last 24 years.

But before we are taken for granted, let us quickly add that practically every country of the world is feeling the same way. Every people have where the shoes keep pinching and circumstances are not getting any better.

Watching all what is happening in Nigeria today, the massive daily killings across states, the invasion of entire villages in the north by bandits and terrorists, the rendering of millions of Nigerians refugees in their own country, the merciless killing of politicians in cold blood, the wanton kidnappings of citizens from their homes, workplaces, schools and worship places, the extrajudicial murders that have remained perpetually unresolved, armed robbery in banks and on the highways, ritual murders and the so many evils that have been ushered in by docile, clueless, incompetent, lackadaisical leaderships across the country, we dare say, the out-going government deserves our clap offering. They did their best. And every Nigerian knows their best because they felt the situation even in their marrow.

Today, the election of a new Nigerian President who will take over the mantle of leadership from the incumbent has heated up. Many are accusing the INEC of being compromised. Many fingers are pointing at the ruling APC they say is bent on rigging the will of Nigerian people. Nigerians must stand up to their rights. The youths must stand together to ensure that their voices are heard and that their votes matter. There could be trouble at the end of the day when INEC calls the results and it does not go down well with the masses. That trouble can be avoided if like the aspirants signed the peace accord, they are reminded to keep to the spirit or run into trouble with the incumbent government. The question is: will the ruling APC oblige if the election did not favour them? Nigerian youths must stand firm on their constitutional rights and not allow their votes to be rubbished by rogue politicians who see public offices as their gold mine.
Istanbul  Two Amazon cargo planes carrying emergency-relief supplies arrived in Istanbul during the weekend, to support IOMs ongoing humanitarian response to earthquakes in Turkiye and Syria. The supplies will be delivered to families who have lost their homes in the affected areas.

The relief items will support the ongoing humanitarian response in the country through partner organizations like the International Organization for Migration (IOM), in close coordination with the Government of Turkiye, and through implementing partners in Northwest Syria.

The earthquakes in Turkiye and northwestern Syria have destroyed homes, hospitals, and key infrastructure, displacing nearly 5 million people across the two countries. The dire situation in both countries is further exacerbated by continuous aftershocks; and requires safe and secure shelter for vulnerable families, many of whom have lost everything.

IOMs response in the two countries builds on existing expertise in disaster relief, with more than 1,000 staff in Turkiye, 600 of whom are based in the affected areas in southeast Turkiye; and large-scale cross-border operations in Northwest Syria run from Gaziantep.

More than 1.25 million people have been reached with immediate relief assistance and 422 trucks worth of aid have been dispatched in the two countries, with support from national partners in Turkiye and through implementing partners in Northwest Syria.

Amazon and IOM have a long-standing partnership, and their pro bono contribution has supported IOMs operations in Bangladesh for the Rohingya response during the COVID-19 pandemic and for IOMs response in Ukraine and neighboring countries.
The chairperson of the Electoral Commission (EC), Jean Mensa stormed Parliament on Tuesday, February 28, to justify the new Constitutional Instrument (CI) her outfit is presenting to the house.

Under the CI, the EC is seeking to make the Ghana Card the sole source of identification for its Voter Registration exercise.

In Parliament today, Jean Mensa explained to the house that the decision to rely on the Ghana Card for Voter Registration is to prevent the registration of minors and foreigners.

The use of the Ghana Card as the sole means of identification will ensure and guarantee the credibility and integrity of our register and our elections. It will prevent the enrollment of minors on the register, it will prevent foreigners from being registered to vote and it will eliminate the guarantor system which is prone to abuse and promotes conflict and violence.

Additionally, it will prevent costly, tedious, follow-up exercises by the district registration review committee established nationwide, Jean Mensa told Parliament.

The Electoral Commission boss added, Finally Mr. Speaker, by using the Ghana Card as the sole source of identification, the EC will be conforming to Regulation 7(1) of the legal instrument passed by Parliament, the National Identity Register Regulations L. I 2111 which states that the national identity card shall be used for a number of transactions where identification is required including the registration of voters.

In her address to Members of Parliament during the committee meeting, Jean Mensa appealed to Parliament to support the commission in its quest to ensure elections in the country remain credible.

We call on our honourable members to support our efforts to prevent foreigners and minors from getting onto our electoral role, Jean Mensa indicated.
analysis

Violence against African women and the widespread violation of their basic human rights is shaped by societal and cultural barriers. In Nigeria, women's rights appear to be protected. The country is a signatory to many international conventions and norms such as the Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women and the Solemn Declaration on Gender Equality in Africa. Yet this protection is mostly on paper.

In a recent book chapter about African women in politics, I've noted that an African woman is too commonly labelled by her marital position as a wife of an African man. She is seen as an appendage of that man, a mere shadow.

But this has not always been the case. History tells us that there have been many great African women who rose to leadership and pioneered innovation. In Nigeria, activists like Funmilayo Ransome Kuti and Margaret Ekpo come to mind. History professor Bolanle Awe is another.

Yet the subjugation of women's rights, interests, benefits and endowments is a key issue facing Nigeria. When women have opportunities, a country's economic productivity and development is enhanced across the board. Therefore Nigeria's leaders would do well to pay urgent attention to five areas of concern: education for girls, gender-based violence, representation of women in politics, maternal health, and women's economic empowerment.

1. Education for girls

Education enhances the decision-making power of women and imparts the knowledge and skills required to contribute to society. And the right to education is enshrined in section 18 (1) of Nigeria's Constitution 1999. The provision enjoins the government to direct its policy towards ensuring there are equal and adequate educational opportunities at all levels. Education should be free and compulsory for all children of school age.

But in Nigeria there is a large disparity between the education of boys and that of girls. In 2010, the female adult literacy rate (ages 15 and above) for Nigeria was 59.4% while the literacy rate for males was 74.4%. Of more than 10 million children who are out of school or do not have access to adequate education past a certain age, 60% are girls.

Some families, especially in the North East and North West don't want to expose their girl children to abduction and abuse. Some girls are "given" in marriage at a very young age. About 43% of girls in Nigeria are married before their 18th birthday and 16% are married before the age of 15.

Nigeria has experienced growing abduction and kidnapping of school children, with many girls forced into marriage or impregnated by their kidnappers. At least 1409 students have been kidnapped from their schools in Nigeria since the first incident in the country's latest school abduction epidemic which started in March 2020.

2. Gender-based violence

Women in Nigeria, regardless of demographic factors like age, social status, education, ethnicity, religion, and mental and physical ability, have been subjected to varying degrees of violence.

There is a need for the government to enforce the laws that punish offenders. Nigeria's constitution provides that every individual's dignity should be respected and nobody should be subjected to torture or to inhuman or degrading treatment. The Violence Against Persons Prohibition Act also prohibits all forms of violence in private and public life, while providing maximum protection and effective remedies for victims and punishment for offenders.

States that have not passed this into law should do so. As at June 2021, only 18 out of 36 states of the Federation had passed similar laws.

3. Women in politics

In Nigeria, only 6% of women are active in politics. Of the 109 senators in the parliament, only eight (7.34%) of them are women.

Nigeria is yet to reach the benchmark by the Beijing Declaration Platform for Action endorsed by the Economic and Social Council of having 30% women in positions at decision-making levels by 1995. Quotas would increase the number of women occupying positions of leadership in governance. This would help to have more women representing their own interests and the interests of the larger society.

Intimidation adds to the low representation of women in governance. In a democracy, all citizens should have an equal say in the governance of the country, and benefit equally from their outcomes. Women have been the targets of violence during elections, to discourage them from vying for positions. They have faced physical, sexual, psychological and socio-economic violence. The government must ensure that political parties provide a level playing ground for all and punish any act of violence against women.

4. Maternal health

Nigeria accounts for over 34% of global maternal deaths. The lifetime risk of dying during pregnancy, childbirth, postpartum, or after an abortion for a Nigerian woman is one in 22, compared to one in 4,900 in developed countries.

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Government must provide free and adequate healthcare for expectant mothers and their babies.

5. Economic empowerment

More than 18% of households in Nigeria are headed by women. But they often lack access to, and control over, productive resources, and are not recognised as fully participating economic actors. With limited income, it's difficult to provide for their households.

Training, networking and mentoring, orientation and enlightenment, legislative and value changes, financial support and empowerment can contribute to changing this.

Equality and trust

Nigeria's leaders should not relegate women to the background and treat them like second class citizens. Giving everyone equal opportunities enhances trust in government and brings about good governance in the long run.

Damilola Agbalajobi, Lecturer, Political Science, Obafemi Awolowo University
A leading member of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) National Communications Bureau, Mr. Patrick Kwarteng Sarpong has descended heavily on former president, His Excellency John Dramani Mahama for attacking the Electoral Commission (EC) of Ghana.

Former President John Mahama in Nigeria to monitor and observe the 2023 presidential and parliamentary elections of Nigeria, commended the Electoral Body of Nigeria over the Electoral Body of Ghana.

According to former President John Mahama, the Independent Electoral Commission of Nigeria (INEC) is more credible than the Electoral Commission (EC) of Ghana.

"... I cant say the same for my Electoral Commission (EC), which was once among the top election administration organizations in the world", he stated

"Regrettably, I am not hopeful this will happen when we have an EC that has blatantly spurned all efforts by the National Peace Council to host a meeting between the Commission and the two major political parties, the NDC and NPP", Former President John Mahama noted.

In a statement, the NPP's Communicator, Mr. Patrick Kwarteng Sarpong described the statement made by His Excellency John Dramani Mahama as an attempt to disgrace the current leadership of the Electoral Commission of Ghana.

He said the electoral body of Nigeria cannot be compared to that of Ghana.

"Ghanas Electoral Commission is the best in the sub-region if not on the whole African continent. You are just a sore loser who never accepts defeat with grace and dignity.

"The INEC has put you to shame. You can now see that Jean Mensa and her team have the most robust electoral system in place. Nigerias INEC pales into the shadows when compared to the Electoral Commission of Ghana", he stated.

"The INEC has been accused of deliberately disenfranchising voters and transferring votes meant for other candidates to APC. Even the former Nigerian President, Olusegun Obasanjo has had the occasion to state that the elections have been rigged in favor of APCs candidate Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Voters, politicians, and observers are complaining of irregularities and blatant abuse of power by the ruling party and INEC", he added.

He questioned, "Did we witness this in the 2020 elections in Ghana? No! No Ghanaian was disenfranchised by the EC or any other bodies in the 2020 elections.

"The 2020 elections in Ghana was described by observers and international bodies as the best in the countrys history. The INEC has put you to shame. You can now see that Jean Mensa and her team have the most robust electoral system in place. Nigerias INEC pales into the shadows when compared to the Electoral Commission of Ghana.

"Can you grant another interview and still tell us that the INEC is a better electoral system than that of Ghanas Electoral Commission?", he challenged former president John Mahama."

Read below the full statement by NPP's Communications Team Member:

NIGERIAs INEC IS NEVER EVER BETTER THAN GHANAs ELECTORAL COMMISSION

Dear Mr. Mahama,

You need multiple of eggs to be thrown into your face for asserting that Nigerias Independent National Electoral Commission is far better than Ghanas Electoral Commission.

You went to Nigeria to heap praises on the leadership of the INEC while denigrating Ghanas Electoral Commission.

You expressed reservations over the administration of elections in Ghana compared to that of Nigeria.

On your pre-election tour to Nigeria under the auspices of the West African Elders Forum (WAEF), you were so impressed with the so-called faith that all the candidates and parties have in the Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) of Nigeria that you used the occasion to vilify the Jean Mensa-led EC of Ghana.

You indicated that every political party in Nigeria has testified that INEC has acknowledged and taken their concerns into account.

Then your lamentations followed. You said that the same cannot be attributed to Ghanas Electoral Commission (EC). According to you, the EC that used to be amongst the top election administration organisations in the world has lost credibility. Let me quote you directly;

I cant say the same for my Electoral Commission (EC), which was once among the top election administration organizations in the world,

You bemoaned what you called hostility meted out by the EC and her other Commissioners to the NDC, saying you wish the EC could inspire the same level of confidence in all parties like the INEC.

Regrettably, I am not hopeful this will happen when we have an EC that has blatantly spurned all efforts by the National Peace Council to host a meeting between the Commission and the two major political parties, the NDC and NPP, you indicated.

Dear Mr. Mahama, the electoral body you were so happy telling us about, the INEC you claimed has become the envy of many in the sub-region, the icon you called on Jean Mensa to look up to, has turned out to be a perfect candidate for the worst electoral management body on the African continent.

The Nigerian elections have been so fraught with challenges and irregularities that even independent observers have deemed it impossible to be declared as free and fair.

If the INEC is that iconic, why is the whole world accusing it of supervising the worst elections in the recent history of Nigeria? Now compare the INEC and the EC for us to see!

Millions of Nigerians couldnt vote in an election organized by the electoral body you claim to be superior to that of Ghana.

The INEC has been accused of deliberately disenfranchising voters and transferring votes meant for other candidates to APC.

Even the former Nigerian President, Olusegun Obasanjo has had the occasion to state that the elections have been rigged in favor of APCs candidate Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

Voters, politicians, observers are complaining of irregularities and blatant abuse of power by the ruling party and INEC.

Did we witness this in the 2020 elections in Ghana? No! No Ghanaian was disenfranchised by the EC or any other bodies in the 2020 elections.

The 2020 elections in Ghana was described by observers and international bodies as the best in the countrys history.

Only you and your "blindfolded" followers complained and when you were asked to specify exactly what your complaints were about, you couldnt tell us.

Ghanas Electoral Commission is the best in the sub-region if not on the whole African continent. You are just a sore loser who never accepts defeat with grace and dignity.

The INEC has put you to shame. You can now see that Jean Mensa and her team have the most robust electoral system in place. Nigerias INEC pales into the shadows when compared to the Electoral Commission of Ghana.

Can you grant another interview and still tell us that the INEC is a better electoral system than that of Ghanas Electoral Commission?

Your habitual antagonistic attitude towards the Electoral Commission is what has brought this level of disgrace to you. Please, gather the eggs in your face, put them in a frying pan and make an omelette out of it and eat it yourself!

You set out to disgrace Ghanas Electoral Commission just because the person in charge is not your favorite, now look at what your INEC has done to you! You must apologize to the Electoral Commission of Ghana for trying to blemish their image.

By: Patrick Kwarteng Sarpong alias P.K, a member of NPP's National Communications Bureau
The Adamus Mining Resources Company in the Western Region has enrolled one hundred (100) young women into its Women Empowerment (WE) vocational and skills training project.

The beneficiary apprentices cut across the two Districts, Ellembelle and Nzema East where the company operates.

They (the hundred young women) will be trained in the areas of beauty technology, hairdressing, cosmetic science, makeup, millinery and accessories among others.

The flagship programme is aimed at equipping young women in the Ellembelle District and Nzema East Municipality with skills to be self-reliant and more productive.

The beneficiary young women are expected to get setups from the company at the end of the training to set up their own shops.

Speaking at the short and colourful ceremony held at Aiyinasi in the Ellembelle District over the weekend, Mrs. Angela List, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Adamus Resources Company said the company had programmed to provide training skills to young women in the company's operating areas in reducing unemployment situation in the two Districts.

"...it is for this reason that we are training 100 females in various disciplines with an effort to make them self-reliant and responsible members of our society. It is not because we discriminate against men but I believe in this old adage that 'If you educate a man, you educate an individual but if you educate a woman you have educate a nation' that is why you only see females here," she explained.

She emphasized that "it is our hope that with such an investment in training and entrepreneurship programme will impact Ghana as a whole starting here in the Western Region. Entrepreneurs form majority of the sphere of people across the globe because they are able to identify and capitalize on our industry demand."

Mrs. Angela List said the training being offered by the College of Beauty Arts and Entrepreneurship was intended to equip individuals with skills to create a better life and therefore urged the beneficiary young women to take their training seriously.

"The training being offered in this institution is intended to equip you with the skills and resources to create a better life for yourself and your family. We will motivate you to take your studies seriously because it is the first step in becoming self-reliant.

"I entreat all our participants to take this opportunity serious. Dedicate yourself to this training so that at the end of the day, you will become independent by supporting others," she emphasized.

She seized the opportunity to thank the trainers of the College of Beauty Arts and Entrepreneurship for committing themselves to supporting the Adamus Resources Company to train the youth to become self-reliant.

She also took the opportunity to ensure that the company would continue to provide skills for others.

The District Chief Executive (DCE) of Ellembelle, Kwasi Bonzoh commended the Adamus Resources Company for taking such a great move to reduce the unemployment rate in the District.

He said the Ellembelle District Assembly would continue to support the company to operate in the area without any setback.

He took the opportunity to disclose that in March 2023, the Akufo-Addo-led government would launch a Community Mining Programme in the District to provide alternative livelihood services to the illegal miners in the area.

He urged the beneficiary young women to advise their husbands and family members to stop engaging in galamsey activities in the Ellembelle District.

On his part, the Chief of Teleku-Bokazo, Nana Afful Kwaw II, expressed his profound appreciation to the company for finally thinking about the young women who couldn't climb the educational ladder to the top.

"In fact, today I'm very very excited and I don't know what to do at all because I suffered a lot when the Adamus Mining Company came to Ellembelle District in 2007", he expressed his happiness.

He advised the trainees to be disciplined and respectful to their trainers by taking their training seriously to become responsible mothers in future.

He pledged his commitment to visit the training center at Teleku-Bokazo to monitor the activities of the trainees from time to time.

He, therefore, appealed to the Adamus Mining Company to continue to support the Teleku-Bokazo community to develop.

On her side, the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) of Nzema East Municipality, Madam Elizabeth Dorcas Amoah cautioned the beneficiary young women to stay away from sexual immorality that could jeopardize their future.

"Let me use this platform to caution them to stay away sexual immoral acts because these things can't take them anywhere. They should take their training seriously. I was once a dressmaker so it is good to get skills", she said.

Moreover, the beneficiary young women thanked the Adamus Resources Company for thinking about them positively and pledged to commit themselves to the training to become self-reliant in future.
Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, Asantehene, has cautioned chiefs to exercise due diligence on issues pertaining to the sale of lands within their jurisdiction.

They should respect traditional rules, follow due processes and be transparent and fair in their dealings, the King said.

It is your duty to do the right thing, and to not engage in any malpractices by virtue of your positions, which have the tendency to bring the image of the chieftaincy institution into disrepute, he told a Kumasi Traditional Council, in Kumasi.

The Bantamahene, Baffour Owusu Amankwatia VI, and Amakomhene, Nana Adu Mensah Asare, have recently been summoned by the Asantehene for embroiling themselves in some land sale controversies.

Regarding the Bantamahene, he was summoned over the alleged double sale of land to one Mr. Amponmsah and a church  creating confusion between the two.

The Asantehene, after resolving the land dispute between the Bantamahene and the parties involved, directed Baffour Amankwatia to release all documents on the land to the said Mr. Amponsah, whom he first sold the land to.

He also directed the Bantamahene to return the money he took from the church within 14 days as he promised before the Traditional Council.

On the Amakomhene, he is alleged to have forcefully seized a piece of land a couple acquired in 1942 and sold the said property to the Church of Pentecost for a Church project over an expired lease.

Otumfuo Osei Tutu, who did not take kindly to this development, said: When you ascended the Amakom stool the old woman was living on the land.

She has been there since 1942, so even if the lease had expired, there was a clear reason to grant her a lease renewal, he noted.

The visibly angry Asantehene, who spoke through his linguist, Baffour Kantankrankyi, condemned the Amakomhenes action and his sub-chief, the Abontenghene, warning them of dire consequences, if such practices continued.

The Asantehene reminded the traditional rulers that the positions they occupied remained sacred, therefore, they ought to be mindful of the code of ethics binding them.

There are clear legal and traditional arrangements for restoring and renewing leases to occupants.

You do not just eject people from their property immediately you hear their leases have expired. Otumfuo Osei Tutu cautioned.

Otumfuo sounded a caution to all his sub-chiefs that they were all custodians of their portions of land because he made them swear the oath of Asanteman before him, therefore, must not engage in illegalities.

GNA
The Executive Director of the West Africa Network for Peacebuilding (WANEP), Chukuemeka Eze has lauded the Nigerian Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi for his boldness in the Nigerian polls.

He noted that the boldness of the businessman and former state governor will go down in history as someone who stood against a fierce political duopoly in the federal republic.

Mr. Chukuemeka Eze stated in an interview with Accra-based JoyNews on Monday, February 27, that this will go a long way to alerting leaders to be mindful of how they manage the countrys affairs.

"Even if Peter Obi doesn't win this election, he has made a loud statement, and it will be even louder post this election," the WANEP boss indicated.

Speaking further, Mr. Eze waded into the recent conversation among Ghanaians, particularly on social media, about getting a Ghana version of Peter Obi.

To him, the economic mismanagement, corruption, and others that brought untold hardships in Nigeria that led to Mr. Obis popularity are similar here in Ghana.

The WANEP boss inferred that a third political force might emerge soon to battle the duopoly of the NDC and NPP in the 2024 general elections.

"The environment that necessitated the emergence of a Peter Obi exists in Ghana. People are getting disenchanted with the system, and there is a possibility of a third force emerging," he said.
An Accra Circuit Court has granted a GH 80,000.00 bail with two sureties to a self-acclaimed businessman, who allegedly defrauded 17 people under the pretext of securing them an Australian Visa with a Work Permit.

Mr Kelvin Nicholas Afful is facing 17 counts of defrauding by false pretence. He pleaded not guilty.

The Court presided over by Mrs Afia Owusuaa Appiah ordered Afful to report to the Police every two weeks.

The Court also urged the prosecution to file disclosures within two weeks and serve the defence. The case has been adjourned to March 28, 2023.

The prosecution led by Chief Inspector Samuel Ahiabor said the complainants include Lydia Odamtten, Doris Otchere, Emilia Sarpong, Kenneth Sarpong, Eric Boateng, Edmund Kofi Dunyo, Joseph Dodoo, Stephen Tetteh, Richard Tagoe, Michael Clottey Mettle, and Adam Ibrahim Tchaamuza.

The rest are Augustine Arhinful, Gladys Gidisu, Cynthia Owusu, Benjamin Palmer Tetteh, Joseph Okoe Dziatei and David Boifio are businesswomen, traders, unemployed and Accountant respectively, all residing in Accra.

The Prosecution said Afful, who resides at Amasaman near Accra, between August 2022 and January 2023, presented himself to the complainants as a travelling agent and told them he could help them secure Australian visas with Work permits.

It said the complainants who were convinced by Afful's false representation, met him during the period at the Australian Biometric Collection Centre at Airport City, where he collected monies ranging from GH3000 to GH23,000 from them to secure Visas and work permits.

Afful, however, managed to secure visa appointment dates for some of the complainants at the Australian Biometric Collection Center located at the Atlantic Towers Airport City Accra, and thereafter went into hiding and refused to answer calls from the complainants.

The prosecution said on February 10, 2023, Madam Odamtten, Madam Otchere and Madam Sarpong managed to locate Afful's hideout at Osu, got him arrested and brought him to the Airport Police station where he was re-arrested for further investigations.

It said Afful admitted the offence in his investigation cautioned statement to the Police and pleaded for five days to settle the matter with the complainants but failed to fulfil his promise.

Other complainants also heard of the accused person's arrest and went to the Airport Police station to lodge complaints against him.

GNA
Dozens of West African migrants camped Tuesday at embassies in Tunisia after being turfed out of their homes, the result of an abrupt crackdown announced by President Kais Saied.

Some 50 people including 11 toddlers were huddled in front of the Ivory Coast embassy in Tunis, an AFP correspondent said.

Wrapped in blankets against the cold winds, the adults said they had been sleeping outside for four days.

"We need nappies and baby milk, we have nothing to eat," said Ivorian Rokhia Kone, 23, with her baby on her back.

Several men showed stale pieces of bread they said would be their only meal for the day.

Last week, Saied had ordered security forces to take "urgent measures" against "hordes" of African migrants whom he accused, without evidence, of causing a wave of crime and representing a plot to change the country's demographic make-up.

Rights groups in Tunisia have reported a spike in violence against black migrants since President Kais Saied's remarks. By FETHI BELAID (AFP)

Rights groups in the North African country have since reported a spike in violence against black migrants, who say they have been thrown out of their dwellings en masse.

Tunisia's top diplomat sought to "reassure" the migrants on Monday, but told AFP there was no need for an apology.

"There's no problem with legal migrants," Foreign Minister Nabil Ammar said in an interview, but "illegal migrants should return home."

Outside the Ivorian embassy, a Tunisian woman arrived with tarpaulin mattresses to help migrants shelter from the winter elements.

Another woman, Monia Ghozali Khraief, said the situation was "shameful".

"Where are the NGOs, the associations, the Red Crescent and the international organisations?"

She said she had launched an appeal to her 78,000 social media followers to collect aid for those made homeless in recent days.

'Thrown out'

Hundreds of migrants had lined up at the Ivorian embassy on Tuesday to register for voluntary repatriation.

Awaiting their flights, many have nowhere to sleep as Tunisian landlords have been ordered to evict migrants without legal status, under the threat of heavy fines.

Awaiting repatriation flights, many have nowhere to sleep as Tunisian landlords have been ordered to evict migrants without legal status. By FETHI BELAID (AFP)

Diplomats from two countries concerned said they were attempting to negotiate a waiver of fines for migrants overstaying their visas, usually at 80 dinars ($25) a month.

According to figures from the Tunisian Forum for Economic and Social Rights (FTDES), drawn from official sources, around 21,000 undocumented migrants from other parts of Africa live in Tunisia, a country of about 12 million inhabitants.

That figure includes foreign university students and workers who complain they are unable to obtain the paperwork they need because of Tunisia's archaic bureaucracy.

At the Malian embassy, another group of around 30 now-homeless migrants were being housed in the building, a diplomat said Tuesday on condition of anonymity.

The diplomat said 200 people had already been registered for repatriation by lunch time.

The embassy also asked "Malians in a regular situation to show solidarity and host them", added the diplomat, saying Tunisian police were "doing the rounds".

"People can't work any more and are being thrown out of their homes."

The High Council for the Malian Diaspora in Bamako said in a statement it "strongly condemns the hateful and racist comments of the Tunisian president".
A Communications Project specialist, Israel Kwaku Mensah Susuli has picked nomination forms to contest the upcoming Parliamentary Primaries of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the Dome-Kwabenya Constituency of the Greater Accra Region.

Israel Susuli who contested but narrowly lost the primaries in 2019, is in pole position to win and wrestle the Dome-Kwabenya seat from the unappealing Sarah Adwoa Safo and the New Patriotic Party (NPP) for the very first time in the history of the constituency.

His track-record and contributions to the development of the NDC in the constituency is his trump card.

According to a letter of intent to contest the Dome-Kwabenya primaries, available to ghananewsonline.com.gh, Israel Susuli opined that the NDC in the constituency needs a candidate with overwhelming grassroots support, who can be trusted to foster teamwork and party cohesion at all levels of the constituency to enhance the chances of winning the seat on the ticket of the NDC.

Mr. Israel Kwaku Mensah Susuli explained that it has become imperative on him to heed the voices of the many gallant compatriots calling on him to contest the primaries again with an assurance of overwhelming support from the rank and file of the party this time round.

He appealed to the party leadership in the constituency to support and project his candidature for resounding victory both in the primaries and the 2024 parliamentary election.

WHO IS ISRAEL?

Israel Kwaku Mensah Susuli is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Susuli Group - a Sales and Marketing Agency which is also into Farming.

He holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) in Project Management from the Ghana Institute of Public Administration (GIMPA) and also holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Marketing Management from the Central University College - Accra.

He spent his TEEN days working as a Youth Programs Coordinator at the National Theatre of Ghana and has been part of the success story of most major National youth events in the early 2000s.

Mr. Susuli worked with Promasidor Ghana Limited as National Events & Sponsorship/Category Manager and later joined Nestle Ghana Limited as Category Development Manager for Nescafe. He also led major Brand Campaigns for top local and international brands including Yup by SG Bank, Cowbell, Onga, Chivas, Jameson, McVities and Nescafe.

Israel Kwaku Mensah Susuli is also an Award-winning Poultry/Livestock Farmer.

Meanwhile, a press statement from the General Secretary of the NDC, Hon. Fifi Fiavi Kwetey, has explained that the NDC has opened nominations for the election of its Presidential Candidate and Parliamentary Candidates for the 2024 General Elections.

As such, effective, midnight of 22nd February, 2023, nomination forms for parliamentary candidates will be accessible to all persons for purchase on the official website of the party; www.ghanandc.com, the statement noted.

According to Hon. Kwetey, the nomination forms for Presidential aspirants can be obtained from the Office of the General Secretary at the Partys Headquarters at Adabraka, Accra effective 8am on Tuesday, 22nd February, 2023.

However, the Functional Executive Committee of the party has put the opening of nominations for parliamentary primaries in some twenty-seven (27) constituencies on hold with an assurance of announcing a new date for the opening of nominations in those constituencies soon.
Chairperson of the Electoral Commission (EC), Jean Mensa, says the commission will register between 450,000 to 550,000 Ghanaians annually if a new Constitutional Instrument (CI) proposed by her outfit to govern the 2024 elections is approved by Parliament.

The EC wants the Ghana card to be used as the sole document for identification purposes for voter registration ahead of the 2024 general elections.

Speaking on the floor of Parliament after she was summoned to brief legislators on the proposed CI, the EC Chair said the new constitutional instrument will allow for continuous registration of new voters.

Mr. Speaker, relying on the 2021 census report, and per our own estimate, we are likely to register between 450,000 and 550,000 Ghanaians every year. We believe that of the 17 million people that the National Identification Authority (NIA) has registered, its highly probable that the 450,000 to 550,000 persons we intend to register annually already have the cards as we speak, she said.

Madam Jean expressed confidence in the NIA of issuing cards to persons who dont have Ghana cards urging persons who are yet to access the cards to go through the process at the various NIA centres.

With the NIA assurance that it will commence issuance of the cards, in a matter of weeks, we encourage those who do not have the cards to begin the process of acquiring the cards to enable them to register as voters. The NIA has its registration centres across the districts and regional capitals and therefore accessing their facilities will not be a challenge, she noted.

She said young persons who will turn 18 years in 2023 and 2024 and are interested in voting in the 2024 polls are eligible to also visit the NIA registration offices to acquire their cards.

We encourage any Ghanaian who will turn18 years in 2023 and 2024 and is interested in voting in the countrys elections should visit the nearest NIA offices and registration centres to get the Ghana card to enable him or her to also register as a voter when he or she becomes eligible, the EC chair further advised.

She explained that persons who registered during 2020 are not part of this limited exercise.

It is important to note that all those who registered in 2020, are not part of this registration exercise. Because all their details including their biometric features are intact, she explained.

-citinewsroom
Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta has disclosed that an agreement has been reached with CalBank, for a GH100 million facility to ensure that the over 3 million Ghana Cards stuck in bonded warehouses are released.

The National Identification Authority earlier this week revealed that although there are cards and capable staff to carry on with the printing process, a private company in the arrangement is owed GH100 million hence their refusal to release the Ghana Cards to the NIA.

We have agreed to a GH100 million facility to ensure that the 3.2 million cards are released, Mr Ofori-Atta told Parliament on Tuesday, adding that GH80 million has been deposited, and the remaining GH20 million will be paid by this evening.

Meanwhile, Jean Mensa, Chairperson of the Electoral Commission (EC), has justified her outfit's attempt to make the Ghana Card the sole identification document for voter registration ahead of the 2024 polls.

Briefing Parliament on the proposed constitutional instrument for the next general elections, Madam Jean Mensa said the C.I. seeks to promote continuous registration of voters and will allow for an all-year-round registration of eligible voters at its district offices.

Under the limited voters' registration process, registration was conducted at limited periods and was not done all year round. This made it such that, persons who turned 18 after the registration period could not do so after the time set for the limited registration, which usually within 23 weeks.

Under the new C.I., anyone who turns 18 can simply walk into any of our district offices and register to vote. This is a departure from the previous one. The main advantage of this is that potential voters can register anytime any day. Eligible persons will be at liberty to do it at their leisure because it will be an all-year-round activity.

By Citi Newsroom
Kampala, Uganda  The Constitutional Court struck down a portion of an internet law frequently used to arrest and jail those critical of the president. Meanwhile, battles against similar provisions continue.

On Jan. 10 Uganda's Constitutional Court ruled unconstitutional a section of an internet law that journalists and critics of President Yoweri Museveni say was used for over a decade to persecute them.

Section 25 of the Computer Misuse Act of 2011 made criminal "offensive communication," defined as willful and repeated use of "electronic communication to disturb or attempt to disturb the peace, quiet or right of privacy of any person with no purpose of legitimate communication."

The ruling came in response to a 2016 petition that argued that Section 25 contradicted Article 29 of the 1995 Ugandan Constitution that enshrines freedom of speech and expression for all citizens.

"It's a milestone," says Eron Kiiza, a human rights lawyer who has represented Ugandan journalists who have accused the government of persecution. "Section 25 was notorious [as it was] the formality the government was using to silence critics."

Among those who had been charged with offensive communication under the law are scholar Stella Nyanzi and writer Kakwenza Rukirabashaija, who both exiled themselves to Germany after facing persecution at home.

Nyanzi's charges, levied in 2017 and 2018, both relate to Facebook activity; in 2018, she posted a poem wishing Museveni had died in his mother's womb, and in 2017 she referred to the president as "a pair of buttocks."

Rukirabashaija was charged and arrested in December 2021 after tweeting critical comments about Museveni. In 2020, he was twice arrested and charged with other cybercrime offenses, first related to his fiction novel "The Greedy Barbarian," which is widely perceived to be a satire about Museveni, and then to his second book, "Banana Republic: Where Writing is Treasonous," in which he chronicled the first arrest.

Less known internationally, radio presenter and comedy scriptwriter Julius Serwanja -- who also was arrested after criticizing the president -- says the court's ruling has opened a bit of space for his comedy. "I write scripts based on what we see, comments that people send us -- people take us as their microphones. They have no platforms and no capacity to talk."

In 2020, Serwanja and three other members of the Bizonto Comedy Group were arrested and charged with sectarianism after appearing in a video skit saying that Museveni tended to favor politicians from western Uganda, where the president is from. They were released on bail after spending five days in detention and, Serwanja says, told by police to "not talk about anything concerning tribes, negative comments on government and meeting political leaders."

In March 2021, the group was arrested again for the same video skit and released shortly after, Serwanja says.

Law still a threat

While praising the Constitutional Court's ruling, lawyers and activists who advocate against the Computer Misuse Act stress that other problematic sections remain.

The law got a tougher update in 2022 when the Ugandan Parliament approved an amendment with several new provisions that criminalize an even wider range of online activities. The new provisions ban individuals from writing, sending or sharing "any information through a computer which is likely to ridicule, degrade or demean another person" or "promote hostility against a person."

It also states that "a person shall not send to or share with another person unsolicited information through a computer unless the information is in the public interest" -- without defining the public interest -- and "a person shall not send, share or transmit malicious information about or that relates to another person through a computer."

Those found in breach of such provisions could face fines of up to 15 million Ugandan shillings (about $4,069) and an up to seven-year jail sentence.

"[The Constitutional Court's ruling] is a temporary relief," says Allan Sempala Kigozi, head of legal aid at Unwanted Witness, a Ugandan nongovernmental organization that advocates for digital rights. He adds that other sections of the law should also be eliminated. "There are sufficient forms to address any form of defamation or using personal data without consent."

Jimmy Haguma, acting commissioner of cybercrimes for the Uganda Police Force, defended the 2022 amendment, saying that while it will "curtail a lot of liberties of certain people," the law will not affect those who operate "within their confines."

The Uganda Communications Commission had no comment on the Constitutional Court's ruling.

The court is yet to hear other challenges related to the Computer Misuse Act, including the 2022 amendment.

"It's a stupid law," says Norman Tumuhimbise, creative director of online media platform Alternative Digitalk Limited, and one in a group of 12 litigants who in October 2022 filed a petition demanding Uganda's Constitutional Court repeal the new amendment in its entirety. "The act is worth breaking and if you don't break it, then you are a problem to yourself."

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Tumuhimbise also was prosecuted under the previous version of the Computer Misuse Act. In March 2022, he and eight others from his team were arrested in their office and had their devices, papers and books confiscated, he says. A few days later, seven were released on bail under charges of cyberstalking -- provided for in Section 26 of the Computer Misuse Act -- and sedition, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists. Tumuhimbise and his colleague, Farida Bikobere, were charged with both cyberstalking and offensive communication, and they remained in jail for several more days. They were released from prison on bail set at 500,000 shillings ($136).

Tumuhimbise has authored two books critical of Museveni. Released in 2015, "The Komanyoko Politics: Unsowing the Mustard Seed" is a direct response to Museveni's 1997 autobiography, "Sowing the Mustard Seed." Tumuhimbise's new book, "Liars and Accomplices," was released in 2022.

Beatrice Lamwaka is a Global Press Journal reporter based in Kampala, Uganda.
February 28, 2023

The Context Of The New Anti-China Campaign

The reactions to yesterday's Moon of Alabama post have demonstrated how easy it is for government propagandists to yank the leash of their subjects.

More than half of comments are about barely informed Covid conspiracies theories. Only few recognized the propaganda item for what it was. The starting point of a new China hate campaign that will divert the public from mass casualties in Ukraine and other issues.

After the Wall Street Journal launched its Sunday leak the New York Times and the Washington Post also jumped onto the train. The Times thankfully does better than the WSJ given the 'low confidence' expressed about the 'intelligence' a prominent position instead of hiding it deep down in its piece:

Lab Leak Most Likely Caused Pandemic, Energy Dept. Says

The conclusion, which was made with low confidence, came as Americas intelligence agencies remained divided over the origins of the coronavirus.

The Post is less cautious. It is putting the content into the context of some 'storied team known as Z-Division' without ever explaining what that entity is.

Little-known scientific team behind new assessment on covid-19 origins

Small shift in favor of lab leak theory was prompted by new data and group of weapons-lab scientists

The stenographers of various main stream media outlets understood the propaganda hints given to them and were eager to offer their participation in it.

Laura Rozen @lrozen - 20:00 UTC  Feb 27, 2023 (the number of questions at the WH press briefing about a low confidence assessment by two of 18 agencies, disputed by others, also with low confidence, on the origins of covid 19, strikes me as bizarre. it seems there is so little there there, )

...

would almost think it would not be worth reporting except as a footnote.

That is certainly correct if it were the real issue. But the context is much wider. The coming weeks will see a larger campaign of China bashing.

As the Post notes:

Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines is scheduled to testify at a Senate worldwide threats hearing next week and probably will be asked to address the matter. The House select subcommittee on the coronavirus pandemic was set to hold a roundtable exploring early covid-19 policy decisions on Tuesday.

There will be more Congress action as the Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party, a new China bashing House panel, inaugurates today:

The 7 p.m. hearing will feature four witnesses, including former President Donald Trump's national security adviser H.R. McMaster and Trump's former deputy national security adviser and China expert Matthew Pottinger. Tong Yi, who was the secretary to a prominent Chinese dissident and jailed in China for more than two years, and Scott Paul, president of the Alliance for American Manufacturing, are also set to testify. Wisconsin Rep. Mike Gallagher, the committee's Republican chairman, told "Face the Nation" on Sunday that the panel plans to highlight the threats the Chinese Communist Party poses to U.S. interests. "I think the Chinese spy balloon incident illustrates perfectly that this isn't just an over-there problem," the Republican said. "This isn't just a matter of some obscure territorial claim in the East China Sea. This is a right-here-at-home problem."

Mike Gallagher had promised strong action:

To win the new Cold War, we must respond to Chinese aggression with tough policies to strengthen our economy, rebuild our supply chains, speak out for human rights, stand against military aggression, and end the theft of Americans personal information, intellectual property, and jobs. We must recognize that Chinas "peaceful rise" was pure fiction and finally confront the CCP with the urgency the threat demands. To do that, House Republicans will establish a Select Committee on China in the new Congress.

The committee itself can not do much about the issues and its attempts to go against China will mostly be diverted into deregulating U.S. environmental protection:

Meanwhile, in 2019, approximately 90% of the worlds rare earth metals, alloys, and permanent magnets were produced in China. The Select Committee will expose our dangerous dependence on China and advance policies to build secure sources for critical supply chains, either in the United States or in partnership with like-minded allies.

A WSJ Opinion piece details what that means:

The U.S. must challenge Chinas dominance in producing the refined rare-earth minerals that go into both chips and green energy. But extracting, refining and using our domestic resourcessuch as the newly discovered 7-square-mile store of rare earths at Sheep Creek, Mont.will require regulatory certainty and clarity, not the current morass that fosters litigation and deters development. As these pages noted last month, America suffers from a green-energy mineral lockup. To compete with China, Congress must unlock them. Reform is also necessary for less exotic yet no less essential commodities. As S&P Global urged last year in a report on copper and the green-energy transition, Americas nexus between a politicized regulatory process and the ubiquity of litigation makes it unlikely that efforts to expand copper output in the United States would yield significant increases in domestic supply within the decade. The prospects for any expansions are higher on state and private lands.

But domestic deregulation is not the only point of the agenda. The U.S. led conflict with China must also transfer into more spending for useless weapons. The further erosion of the U.S. One China policy, which puts China into a militarized zugzwang, will take care of that:

Despite its increasing reliance on military intimidation, Beijings calculus for the actual use of force remains heavily political, not military; it is centered on whether or not Washington entirely abrogates its One China Policy and opts for the permanent separation of Taiwan from China. Such a U.S. move would back Beijing into a corner and compel it to take the huge risk of using force, either to compel Washington to reverse course or to attempt to resolve the Taiwan problem once and for all.

It is not that China has not noticed any of this. The new super aggressive U.S. ambassador to Beijing, Nicholas Burns, has done his best to prepare the scene for more conflict:

On February 15, about 350 representatives from Chinese and US political and business sectors attended the AmCham China's annual appreciation dinner where Burns delivered a speech. He criticized China's trade, state-owned enterprises, industry subsidies, cybersecurity and regulation, anti-epidemic measures and human rights policies, and even mentioned the recent unmanned airship incident. His criticism of China caused dissatisfaction among the attendees. A source familiar with the matter told the Global Times on Thursday that a staff member from AmCham China said that while Burns was delivering the speech, "the atmosphere was extremely embarrassing."

China has learned well how U.S. propaganda works. Unlike some MoA commentators it immediately recognized the issue for what its is:

US hypes old 'lab-leak' theory in new information war operation against China

Three years into the COVID-19 pandemic, the US again gave the "lab-leak" theory a major boost, as its Energy Department, citing "new intelligence" but holding "low confidence" in it, joined the FBI in smearing China. Reported exclusively by the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) on Sunday, the claim immediately made headlines in major US news outlets. However, its timing and source "only show the low credibility" of the report, analysts said, adding that the new hyping of an old topic is part of the US' political and information warfare with China.

...

One of the WSJ report's authors is Michael R. Gordon, who was behind the "weapons of mass destruction" narrative the US fabricated to justify its invasion of Iraq 20 years ago. Lu Xiang, research fellow with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Monday that the timing of the hype is not a coincidence, and that the US will not leave COVID out of its "ammunition depot" against China.

...

Being ambiguous and non-official and using media rather than government departments to announce something demonstrated the US' skill in fighting a political war, Lu said. Hysterical crusades against China have become a signature of the US in our time. To win the competition with China, the US will not let a single chance go by to smear China, whether it is a balloon that has gone astray, a carefully planned "lab-leak" theory, or unfounded weapon supply accusations regarding the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the expert said.

Anti China rhetoric in 'western' media is indeed off the charts.

One reason that bashing China has intensified is the fear that its alliance with Russia will make a U.S. defeat in Ukraine inevitable. The recent accusations of China considering weapon deliveries to Russia, a thought crime, was a hint to that. Dima of the Military Summary channel, who is from Belarus, suggested that China could produces ammunition for Russia in his home country to avoid to be punished for it. Lukashenko's current visit to Beijing may well include talks about such a scheme.

There are some delicate non-denials that let me think there is something to it :

Yesterday, when asked about US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivans warning Sunday that there would be real costs for China if it went forward with providing lethal aid to Russia, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning did not give a direct answer. The US is in no position to point fingers at China-Russia relations. We do not accept coercion or pressure from the US, she said. Interestingly, the Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov also chose not to answer a related question as to whether Russia had asked China to provide any equipment for its special military operation. The forthcoming visit by Xi Jinping to Moscow, likely to take place next month, will be a defining moment. There is a palpable sense of disquiet in the West, as Chinas manufacturing capability exceeds that of the US and Europe combined. Russia is deferring the big offensive in Ukraine, pending Xis visit.

Posted by b on February 28, 2023 at 17:56 UTC | Permalink

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Former Mozambique president, Joaquim Chissano reiterated the need to avoid bad history between Zimbabwe and its lenders stifle the spirit of debt resolution engagement.

He made the remarks at the high level Zimbabwe Second Structured Dialogue Platform meeting prompted by Harare's pursuit to find a lasting solution with its lenders.

The nation is saddled with an external debt of US$14,04 billion amid hopes that after securing a workable clearance plan, external credit lines could be opened up and improve the economy.

However, deliberations made during the dialogue meeting hinted the existence of deep mistrust with Zimbabwe's lenders revisiting legacy issues and in some instances even going to the extent of casting doubts of a credible election ahead of the 2023 elections.

Speaking at the meeting, Chissano underscored the need for the parties to bury behind the bad historical encounters and focus on the positive.

"History is there but it should not hold the process hostage. It should be set aside and allow for a re-engagement process that is anchored in the pursuit of dialogue and building of trust.

"Such process requires managing perceptions and misconceptions, which quite often have stood on the path of reality, undermining the possibility of a meaningful and substantive engagement.

"Misconceptions are a reality on both sides and should be addressed for the process to take a smooth course," he said.

He bemoaned the fact that despite Zimbabwe being located at a remarkable geographical position and richly endowed by mineral resources besides its outstanding agricultural and agribusiness potential, its talented, educated and hardworking citizens while possessing all the required potential, sanctions have downplayed the country.

"However, despite all these elements of success, Zimbabwe has over the last two decades gone through a formidable economic, social and political hardship with the Zimbabwean people in the receiving end of a land reform process that triggered sanctions against the country causing untold suffering of the people of Zimbabwe," he said.

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Chissano underscored that sanctions were levelled against Zimbabwe with the people and business bearing the brunt of their consequences as the country was forced into isolation and unable to trade freely in international markets.

He hinted at the bold stance taken by President Emmerson Mnangagwa of choosing engagement as opposed to "village wisdom" which resolves disputes on the basis of an eye for an eye resolution.

"When President Mnangagwa took the bold decision to break from isolation and sought re-engagement with the outside world, particularly with development partners, he moved towards setting up the Structured Dialogue Platform to push for the reengagement agenda,' added Chissano.
Local organisations have raised fears that the proposed Mines and Mineral Amendment Bill will increase the tentacles of ruling party Zanu PF in the sector at the expense of mining communities and artisanal miners.

This came out during the public hearings on the Mines and Minerals Amendment Bill that are currently being held by the Mines and Mining Development Parliamentary committee.

The bill seeks to repeal existing mining law to adapt to new national and international standards.

Speakers who presented submissions castigated high levels of corruption in the sector saying disadvantaged groups should benefit from the mining activities in their own areas.

War veterans and ruling elite were also castigated for owning almost all mining claims ranging from 400 000 ha or more whilst unemployed youths were languishing in poverty.

"We have become second citizens in our own country," said Cephas Ncube, adding that corruption had hampered prospects of having mining certificates for youths.

"We have non-renewable resources so we must benefit from these minerals. A foreigner can come into Zimbabwe and be given mining rights yet locals are being shun away because they do not have capital. We must be included in these processes to develop our nation," added Ncube.

Chinese have been accused of having mining rights over locals as they have resources.

Corruption had been considered the main challenge in the sector with so many under-hand deals involved.

Zimbabwe Centre for Equal Opportunities (ZCEO) president Paddington Japajapa said the bill gives the Minister of Mines excessive power consequently increasing the hold of Zanu PF in the sector.

"There is no security in the mining sector. The issue of Machete gangs. This must be a priority in the bill. People have been killed in the Midlands province and elsewhere around the country. There are some war-lords in the province who have declared that some mining areas are a no-go area.

"I propose that Parliament should have a committee composed of the security forces (police and army) to deal with Machete gangs.

"Let us stop politicizing the mining activities," Japajapa said.

Paidamoyo Muzulu of Veritas said: "We would like to have the issue of communal lands in terms of preference, where miners and those seeking claims have precedence over the people staying on that land.

"In the past, we have seen people being moved from their land without any compensation. That should be safeguarded by the state. People cannot be moved arbitrarily without getting new areas for re-location".

He added that the bill should be clear that residents of that communal area, in the advent of a mining concession being given, should be beneficiaries of that mining enterprise.

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Further, Muzulu requested that any large mining deal has to be presented before Parliament for scrutiny prior to any investor getting it.

"Exclusive Prospecting Licenses (EPLs) should be debated in Parliament before being given to anyone."

Blessing Togarepi, a representative of illegal small scale miners' association raised fears on the claims' ownership by Mines ministry workers urging the bill to have a Section that prohibits them from having any mining claims until they retire or resign from the ministry.

"This is a conflict of interest that creates corruption," Togarepi said.

Some speakers claimed they applied for mining certificates in 2015 and never got any feedback.

Calls were also made for an independent Mining Affairs Board to be scrapped off the Bill.

"This board issue will be a bottleneck. It will cause delays in miners getting their mining rights. How long will it take for a board to sit? Everyone wants to peg a claim and have rights to mine. This board must be removed," said one young miner.
"The resilience of Nigerians is evident in the 2023 Nigeria Elections as the rains have not deterred them from performing their civic duties and ensuring their votes count." Voters lined up to cast ballots in Abuja.

The ECOWAS election monitory group gave the advice amid complaints by political parties and their candidates of irregularities concerning the 25 February presidential

The ECOWAS Election Observation Mission (EOM), on Monday, urged candidates to respect the outcome of the just concluded elections.

"We urge the candidates in the presidential election to respect the outcome of the election as will be announced by INEC," head of the mission and former Sierra Leonean President, Ernest Bai Koroma, said.

Some of the presidential candidates through their supporters and parties have raised various concerns about the 25 February presidential election.

There are four front-runners in the election. They are Peter Obi of the Labour Party, Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress, Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party, and Rabiu Kwakwanso of the New Nigeria People Party (NNPP).

He advised aggrieved parties to resort, if the need arises, to legal channels to resolve any electoral dispute.

Speaking to journalists in Abuja, Mr Koroma, in his preliminary report, asked political parties to encourage their members and followers to desist from the use of inflammatory utterances.

He also urged them to refrain from acts likely to incite violence in the post-electoral phase.

Describing Nigeria as the powerhouse of the West African region, he said Nigerian elections are important for the entire ECOWAS region.

He said, in line with ECOWAS' preventive diplomacy mandate, the Mission would intensify its post-electoral engagement with the candidates, the parties, INEC, and the critical political stakeholders, to facilitate the legal and peaceful resolution of any emerging disputes from the polls.

Nigeria held its seventh democratic National election since 1999 on 25 February.

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Results are still being collated in different parts of the country, although elections were cancelled in some parts of the country as a result of violence, and technical issues, amongst others.

While the collation of results is ongoing, both political parties and their supporters have called out suspected foul plays including manipulation of results.

According to the PREMIUM TIMES election results dashboard the ruling All Progressive Congress is in an early lead as results continue to trickle in.

As of the time of filing this report, three states have announced their results at the National Collation Centre in Abuja.

The ECOWAS EOM deployed 250 election observers to Nigeria to support and monitor the entire electoral process.

The Observers are drawn from the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of the ECOWAS Member States, Electoral Commissions, Ambassadors accredited to ECOWAS, the ECOWAS Council of the Wise, the ECOWAS Parliament, the ECOWAS Community Court of justice, Civil Society Organisations, the media and election experts from the region.

The mission was deployed to support the consolidation of democratic processes in Nigeria.
Sonora, CAA retired police officer has been convicted of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated after causing a fatal crash that killed a young woman on Highway 108 last year. Theodore William Young, who had risen to sergeant with the Pleasanton Police Department before retiring, had been drinking before the crash. Young collided with Rebekah Galls car on Highway 108 near Jamestown, resulting in her death. A jury found him guilty of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, along with driving under the influence and personally inflicting great bodily injury. Notably, the jury did find Young not guilty of second-degree murder, the most severe of the charges. The defendant faces up to 10 years in state prison and will be sentenced on April 13th. The defendant has been in Tuolumne County Jail on $1 million bail.

Rebekah Gall was a 27-year-old woman who worked for Tuolumne County Social Services. She was on her way home when Youngs truck veered into her lane, causing a collision. She was airlifted to Doctors Medical Center in Modesto and did not survive her injuries. Young had a prior conviction for drunk driving in Sonora in 2017, which led to an enhancement of his charges. The original story can be found here.
Congressman Tom McClintock View Photo

Washington, DC  Mother Lode Republican Congressman Tom McClintock has authored a Joint Resolution that proposes a Constitutional amendment to prohibit the US Government from increasing its debt without  approval of both branches of the legislature.

It was introduced by McClintock, and three co-sponsors, Matt Gaetz of Florida, Buddy Carter of Georgia and Tracey Mann of Kansas.

Constitutional amendments are challenging to pass, as they require a vote in favor by 2/3 of both the House and Senate, and then ratification by  of the states (38 of 50).

McClintock said in a statement yesterday, Before we can provide common defense and promote the general welfare we have to be able to pay for it, and our massive debt directly threatens our ability to do so.

If it was passed, the Constitutional amendment would take effect 10 years after its ratification. It would be an alternative to regularly increasing the federal debt ceiling.

McClintock has introduced similar balanced budget proposals in the past. Proponents are hoping it will be allowed to go up for a vote this time since Republicans have reclaimed control of the US House.
There are no plans to introduce digital ID. Our position on physical ID cards remains unchanged.

These were the words of UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunaks spokesman a couple of days ago. Note the rather unusual use of the word physical to describe what is, generally speaking, a non-physical document (digital ID). This has sown all sorts of confusion in a country that is instinctively distrustful of identity cards and where the debate around digital identity is finally seeping into the public arena.

The statement came in response to former Prime Minister Tony Blairs latest attempt to peddle digital identity, this time alongside former Conservative Party leader William Hague. In a joint letter, the two former politicians said [e]veryone in Britain should be given a digital ID incorporating their passport, driving licence, tax records, qualifications and right to work, as the cornerstone of a technology revolution in governance.

The digital ID system would be secure, private [and] decentralised, yet would also somehow bring together each individuals data from across all government agencies. Other countries are forging ahead, said Hague. For the UK to keep or get ahead, it has to redesign the state around technology.

A Natural Evolution

While prime minister Blair tried  and ultimately failed  to introduce mandatory physical ID cards. He was also one of the first prominent proponents of digital vaccine passports. As early as June 2020, before any vaccine had reached the market, Blair told the Independent that people would need a form of digital ID so they could prove their disease status as the world gradually moved out of lockdown. This, he said, is part of a natural technological evolution that encompasses more than just COVID-19 vaccines and public health (comment in parenthesis my own).

Its a natural evolution of the way that we are going to use technology in any event, to transact daily life (an interesting choice of words given the potential threat the introduction of central bank digital currencies could pose to peoples ability to transact), and this COVID crisis gives an additional reason for doing that.

A year and a half later, despite the vaccines undeniable shortcomings, Blairs position remains the same. During a panel discussion at the latest World Economic Forum meeting in Davos, he said:

In the end, you need the data: you need to know whos been vaccinated and who hasnt been. Some of the vaccines that will come down the line, there will be multiple shots. So [for vaccines] youve got to have  for reasons to do with healthcare more generally but certainly for pandemics  a proper digital infrastructure and most countries dont have that.

A couple of weeks ago, Blairs eponymous foundation, the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change (TBIGC) released a report titled A New National Purpose: Innovation Can Power the Future of Britain. The reports seven authors call for a fundamental re-ordering of our priorities and the way the state itself functions, which includes the introduction of an all-encompassing digital ID system:

A well-designed, decentralised digital-ID system would allow citizens to prove not only who they are, but also their right to live and work in the UK, their age and ownership of a driving licence. It could also accommodate credentials issued by other authorities, such as educational or vocational qualifications. This would make it cheaper, easier and more secure to access a range of goods and services, online and in person. A digital ID could help the government to

TBIGCs Global (i.e. Largely US) Partners

Tellingly, the word privacy appears only once in the document, which calls into question just how seriously the reports authors and endorsers take the potential risks and pitfalls posed by the technological platforms they are hawking.

TBIGCs partners are largely US based. They include the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (quelle surprise!), the Gates Foundation-sponsored Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), Microsoft Philanthropies APAC, Microsoft Philanthropies MEA, the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), Washingtons soft power arm, USAID, the Rockefeller Foundation and the US Agency for International Development.

On a positive note, Blair and Hagues letter has at least kindled a discussion of sorts on one of the most pressing issues of out time, not just in the UK but everywhere. Hopefully, the UK will now have an open, wide-ranging public debate on the issue (though Im not holding my breath).

Biometric-enabled digital IDs have the potential to make life much more efficient and streamlined. But as Brett Solomon warned in a 2018 piece for Wired magazine, they also pose one of the gravest risks to human rights that we have encountered. Perhaps most importantly, they can  and probably will  be used to enable or disable our full and free participation in society, just as the vaccine passports did.

In an editorial for The Independent, Sean OGrady tore Blair and Hagues proposal to shreds:

Hague and Blair say they want Prometheus unleashed via the Government Gateway. To which I can only reply: Im not convinced, and even if I was, I dont care for it I dont trust the British state, neither to construct a workable system in the first place, nor to guarantee its privacy and security. Ive had some experience of the Government Gateway and the NHS database, and, while magnificent in some respects, theyre also flawed. I can also remember the disastrous NHS IT database scheme that was eventually abandoned in 2013, after 10bn had been spent on it and written off (stretching over the period when Blair and Hague were in government, funnily enough). Not to mention when that civil servant left the tax records of millions of people on a train.

Privacy and System Fragility Risks

Silkie Carlo of Big Brother Watch told the BBC that the proposed digital ID system would be one of the biggest assaults on privacy ever seen in the UK.

There are also serious issues with system fragility, as we are reminded on an almost daily basis. For example, in 2021 a hacker stole the ID credentials of the entire population of Argentina through its National Registry of Persons, as Daily Record reported:

[The hack] targeted RENAPER, which stands for Registro Nacional de las Personas, translated as National Registry of Persons. The agency is a crucial cog inside the Argentinian Interior Ministry, where it is tasked with issuing national ID cards to all citizens, data that it also stores in digital format as a database accessible to other government agencies, acting as a backbone for most government queries for citizens personal information.

But Blairs messianic zeal remains undimmed. When asked about peoples fears of ID systems and tech errors, Blair told the BBC:

If you look at the biometric technology that allows you to do digital ID today, it can overcome many of these problems. And by the way, the world is moving in that direction. I mean, countries as small as Estonia and as large as India are moving in that direction  or have moved.

Blair tries to create the impression that the government has no alternative but to follow the herd of other national governments that have already adopted digital ID systems, regardless of the risks posed to privacy and other basic freedoms. But Blair has been disastrously wrong about hugely important things before (e.g. Iraq, humanitarian intervention, joining the euro, public finance initiative), albeit at no cost to himself.

The current occupant of 10 Downing Street is apparently unconvinced by Blairs arguments. If one is to believe his spokesperson, Rishi Sunaks government has no plans to introduce digital ID. But Brits would probably do well to take this pledge with a truckload of salt, for three main reasons (feel free to add more):

1. Weve been here before, with the vaccine passports. Many British citizens will no doubt still remember the myriad times members of the Boris Johnson government, including Johnson himself, swore they would never issue vaccine passports. In January 2021, the then-Vaccine Minister Nadhim Zahawi tweeted the following:

.We have no plans to introduce vaccine passports. We have vaccinated, as of yesterday, 2,431,648 first dose and 412,167 second dose. No one has been given or will be required to have a vaccine passport. @NHSuk @Emily_JR_Lawson  Nadhim Zahawi (@nadhimzahawi) January 12, 2021

Less than nine months later, Zahawi had broken that pledge by confirming plans to introduce a vaccine status certification scheme for entry into large venues. Unlike in many other parts of Europe, the UKs vaccine passport did not last long, however. On January 19, Boris Johnson took the world by surprise by announcing plans to lift almost all of the Plan B measures for England, including the COVID-19 digital certificate. As I noted in Scanned:

The policy u-turn was an act of political desperation by a government brought to its knees by an endless succession of corruption scandals. After so many of Johnsons cabinet ministers as well as Johnson himself had been caught flouting their own COVID-19 rules, there was only one way to stay standing: to get rid of the rules. But its touch and go whether it will be enough.

In the end, it wasnt. Less than six months later, Johnson and his government had resigned.

2. Digital ID will be needed for the Bank of Englands Digital Pound, which is also currently under development. The UK is one of more than 110 countries exploring the possibility of developing a central bank digital currency  the so-called Digital Pound. As the Financial Times reported in 2021, based on a report from Goldman Sachs, it is all but impossible to envisage a central bank issuing a digital currency that is universally accessible without first launching a population-wide digital identity:

What CBDC research and experimentation appears to be showing is that it will be nigh on impossible to issue such currencies outside of a comprehensive national digital ID management system. Meaning: CBDCs will likely be tied to personal accounts that include personal data, credit history and other forms of relevant information.

As the Goldman Sachs report notes, its the broader banking system that is expected to manage the related identity systems and customer-facing relations. This is has already begun to happen in Canada and Australia, as I reported last September:

[T]he news that banks in Australia are leading the roll out of digital identity is important, since it would suggest that large banks are already carving out a new role for themselves in the newly emerging [CBDC] paradigm. That role will essentially involve managing at least part of the digital identity system.

One of the many reasons why this development is troubling is that the big banks in Australia, like big banks just about everywhere, have been trying to kill off cash for decades, mainly by shrinking their regional networks of banks and closing their ATMs  for obvious reasons: cash operations can account for as much as 10% of total bank operating costs. No more cash would mean no more expensive ATM networks to run, no salaried tellers and no cash vans waiting to be robbed.

Back in the UK, Bob Wigley, the chair of the lobbying group UK Finance, recently called for a digital identity super app.

This will be the year that we finally persuade the banking system that we need an economic digital identity system, just like the NHS app, Wigley said. [It] will be personal and attached to each citizen as we need a wider fully digital economic identity programme. If the government does not seize the opportunity to produce an economic super app, the big tech platforms will do it, said Wigley, adding we should be designing it.

Spawned from the merger in 2017 of the British Bankers Association, Payments UK, the Council of Mortgage Lenders, the UK Cards Association and the Asset Based Finance Association, UK Finance is far and away the UKs largest banking trade association. It represents over 300 firms in the UKs financial services sector, including the countrys biggest banks. Bob Wiggley is the organizations founding chairman, and is a highly connected figure both in finance and government.

3. Digital ID Systems Are Already Surreptitiously on Their Way in the UK, But They Will Be Provided by the Private Sector (With Some Public Money). Unbeknown to most British people, the UK government is already working on digital identity systems such as the DSIT Digital Identity Programme. But in contrast to the system put forward by the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, it will not be an all-in-one unified platform issued by the government.

Instead, private sector companies in the tech and fintech sectors will do most of the leg work. But the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has agreed to pick up the tab for a substantial proportion of the costs incurred. As readers may recall, the UK government has also signed a digital trade agreement (DTA) with Ukraines tech-dominated government that includes a commitment to share best practices on digital ID. The Ukrainian government is far ahead of many of its European counterparts in the area of digital governance, and USAID has committed to help export the model to other countries.

The UK government is also in the process of establishing the parameters for regulation  the so-called digital identity & attributes trust framework  and real-world applications for digital ID. It has also unveiled a proposed digital government identity verification system under the banner GOV.UK One Login. The new system will replace the plethora of existing ways people log into government websites to access public services online.

Digital verification is not the same thing as digital identity though they are closely related and arguably lead to the same outcome:

The latter leads to the first as it's pretty much digital ID by the back door if you can not borrow, mortgage, rent, or work, without having an identity check conducted digitally. The right to prove your identity by physical means must be retained at all costs.  Awakened World & Lawyers of Light (@AwakenedOf) February 27, 2023

Big Brother Watch warns this could give the government a blank cheque to share the personal information of millions of users between government departments. At the same time, a prominent City of London financier has predicted that the private sector is preparing to launch an economic digital identity super app.

In other words, digital ID is already on its way in the UK, just not quite in the form proposed by Blairs foundation. There is one silver lining, however: at least now debate on the issue is beginning to filter into the public arena. But time is of the essence.

UK citizens have until March 1 (i.e., tomorrow) to respond to a public consultation on the governments proposed digital identity verification system. Suffice to say, the consultation was not heavily publicised by the government nor covered in any depth, if at all, by the media, so most members of the British public are none the wiser. For UK-based NC readers, there is still a small but rapidly closing window of time to make your feelings known. Big Brother Watch provides further details, including a template letter, here.
The opposition party questioned the integrity of the collation and announcement exercise at the national collation centre in Abuja.

The Labour Party, one of Nigeria's main opposition parties in the 2023 elections, has rejected the ongoing collation and announcement of the presidential election results in Abuja.

The party Monday said it was doing so because INEC failed to publish all the results from polling units on its iREV server.

The opposition party thus questioned the integrity of the collation and announcement exercise at the national collation centre in Abuja.

The Labour Party candidate, Peter Obi, is one of the four presidential candidates that have won at least one state in the elections.

Details later...
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) When it comes to explaining away the single largest ecological catastrophe in the history of America, the EPA and Ohio officials just cant seem to get their stories straight. Every explanation they offer is a contradiction or cover-up. And they refuse to test for the one thing that poses the greatest health hazard of all: DIOXINS.

Dioxins are always created when chlorinated compounds are burned within a certain temperature range. Theyre also the most deadly chemical compounds known to humankind, and they can be toxic at parts-per-quadrillion concentrations.

Put another way, it seems that they cause toxic effects on the human body at concentrations 100,000 times lower than where glyphosate begins to show toxicity. Thats just an estimate. The real number may be a million times or more.

Yet the EPA  and Ohio authorities  all refuse to test for dioxins. Or, at least, they refuse to release the test numbers publicly. No doubt they already have their own secret dioxin test results, and they are panicked over those numbers, trying to figure out how to sweep this whole problem under the rug without having to face the reality of an evacuation order that will likely soon be necessary.

The entire town of East Palestine may ultimately have to be condemned, razed and decontaminated. Instead, the EPA is spreading the toxic waste across multiple states. The recent effort to ship over a million gallon of this toxic waste to Texas was thwarted over the weekend, with the EPA now redirecting that toxic waste to Indiana and Ohio, the AP now reports.

And then theres the issue of the tens of thousands of farms downwind from this disaster and the countless families who depend on those farms for their food and livelihoods. If there really were no dioxins to be found, the EPA should have already conducted tests, found nothing and released the all clear test results publicly.

Why havent they done that?

Its obvious: Theyre covering up the dioxin contamination nightmare for as long as possible.

Here are just a few of the many contradictions now emerging from the EPA and Ohio government handling of this incident:

#1) Why are we told by the EPA that vinyl chloride toxic ignition fallout fumes are perfectly safe to live with, but carbon dioxide  necessary for all plant photosynthesis and rain forest growth  is a deadly pollutant that threatens human civilization?

Because science.

#2) Why are we told that the toxic chemical runoff from the firefighting water sprayed on the chemical fire is so toxic that it has to be injected deep underground so that it wont surface for thousands of years, but also that the land and water where all those chemicals rained down is now perfectly safe and theres nothing to worry about?

When it falls on your farm, its safe. When it falls on the sidewalk, its a deadly hazardous waste that must be disposed by an EPA-licensed hazardous waste disposal company.

#3) If the Texas-based hazardous waste disposal company Texas Molecular is already licensed to dispose of vinyl chloride, then why didnt the railroad just mop up the vinyl chloride and send it to Texas Molecular instead of setting it on fire, creating millions of gallons of contaminated firefighting water?

Just think, you would only be dealing with a few hundred thousand gallons of toxins instead of millions of gallons of toxic water (plus the toxic cloud, fallout, etc.). Whatever happened to the idea of containment?

#4) Why are both the EPA and Ohio state authorities completely unwilling to test the surrounding farms for dioxins (which are toxic at parts-per-quadrillion exposure concentrations) but they claim everything is safe enough for families, children and pregnant women to return?

It wont be long before children are born with birth defects and missing limbs. The EPA already knows this. Maybe they plan to Tiffany Dover all the deformed babies or call for post-birth abortions to hide the evidence of their crimes against humanity

#5) Why do people who already left East Palestine and healed from their original exposure start getting sick again when they return to East Palestine?

Breitbart.com reports on this, revealing how people who feel better after they leave the area begin to experience horrible symptoms as they return.

Maybe its something in the air

#6) Every decision made by authorities about how to handle the chemicals had the result of SPREADING them, not containing them

You couldnt write a better script on how to spread toxic chemicals across multiple states, running the toxic water to Texas and Indiana, while unleashing a toxic cloud over multiple northeastern states. If containment was the goal, the EPA failed miserably.

If only they could contain these toxic molecules as effectively as they contained news about Hunter Bidens laptop

#7) If East Palestine first responders had 1.8 million gallons of water to spray on the fire that officials ignited, then they also had enough water to put out the initial small fires that they claim placed the tanker cars at risk (which led to them emptying those cars and igniting the vinyl chloride).

Clearly they had millions of gallons of water available to put out fires. So why didnt they put out the initial fire and stop this entire disaster from the beginning? Which genius came up with the idea, Hey lets set fire to these chemicals because that will make them go away

#8) We are told that they had to set fire to the vinyl chloride which had been emptied from the rail tanker cars in order to prevent the risk of a tanker car explosion causing shrapnel injuries, but if the vinyl chloride was already emptied from the tanker cars, the shrapnel explosion risk was already eliminated

In other words, the moment the tanker cars were emptied of the chemical, they no longer had any justification for starting any fire at all. So why did they do it, then?

Likely answer: Somebody ordered them to do it, and they needed a cover story.

Straight-up ecological terrorism, disguised as a railroad accident.

Were not actually being ruled by idiots, you see. Were being gaslit by terrorists.

Watch all my interviews and podcasts on dioxins and the East Palestine train wreck at Brighteon.com

https://www.brighteon.com/channels/hrreport

Also watch for the launch of Dioxins.news and read about EPA corruption and failures at EPA.news.
(Natural News) Ex-Democratic Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard claimed on Friday that President Joe Biden and the Democratic Party share the same core principles of Adolf Hitler and Nazism.

(Article by Asher Notheis republished from WashingtonExaminer.com)

The Democratic Partys agenda of identity politics is one of the main reasons Gabbard left, she told Fox Newss Jesse Watters Primetime. She argued that doing so undermined the traditional democratic values expressed by Dr. Martin Luther King, that United States residents should judge each other based on character rather than race, the former Hawaii representative said on Fox News.

OHIO TRAIN DERAILMENT: TULSI GABBARD SAYS BIDEN, BUTTIGIEG DELAY IN RESPONSE PAINTS RESIDENTS AS SOME KIND OF ANNOYANCE

Its based on genetics, race, based on your blood, your genes, Gabbard explained. And where do we see that connection? Well, these are the very same geneticist core principles embodied by Nazism and Adolf Hitler. This should be something that is sickening and alarming to every single Democrat and every single American.

Host Jesse Watters said he took some issue with Gabbards Germany comparison but agreed with her sentiment that Democrats were putting themselves first, which Gabbard argued is a huge disqualifier.

Gabbards comment is not the first time she compared Biden to the former leader of Germany. In October 2022, Gabbard said while campaigning for New Hampshire GOP Senate candidate Don Bolduc she was pretty sure both Biden and Hitler had good intentions to justify their authoritarian behavior, adding that she was sure that authoritarians and dictators throughout history all believe theyre doing whats best.

The former Democrats criticism on Friday comes only a few weeks after Biden claimed on Feb. 2 his administration was the first majority-female Cabinet in U.S. history. On Thursday, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the Biden administration has a majority-minority Cabinet and a majority of senior staff who identify as female.

Read more at: WashingtonExaminer.com
(Natural News) The U.S. Congress quietly empowered the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) by approving a provision in the omnibus spending bill that would give the agency the ability to ban off-label uses of medical devices.

Doctors are concerned that the new bill would allow the FDA  which is led by non-practicing doctors  to interfere with the physician-patient relationship. They also worry that it could extend the ban to prohibit the off-label use of prescription drugs. The said provision was buried in Sec. 3306, page 3,542 of the 4,155-page omnibus appropriations bill that was signed into law at the end of last year.

Endpoints News Senior Editor Zachary Brennan told WBUR that the federal agency requested the said amendment after a string of court losses. A decision by the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia involved a 2020 final rule in which the FDA banned the use of an electrical stimulation device, only in the treatment of self-injurious behaviors such as head banging and self-biting. The agency didnt ban other uses of these devices, such as treating addiction.

The court held that the FDA had the power to ban a medical device altogether under Section 36 0f of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FDCA) if it poses an unreasonable and substantial risk of illness or injury. However, stopping a practitioner from prescribing or using an otherwise approved device for a specific off-label indication would violate another FDCA section, which bars the FDA from regulating the practice of medicine.

Some physicians expressed doubt about FDA as it may fail to restrain itself. FDA lobbyists got congress [sic] to grant the agency the power to ban some uses of medications, Johns Hopkins medical professor and National Academy of Medicine member Marty Makary tweeted last week.

Thats truly arrogant to think that the federal government is the one and only one who knows better than the physicians at the state boards of medicine about what good medicine is or what it isnt, said Brad Thompson, an attorney at the firm Epstein Becker Green who counsels medical device and drug product companies on FDA regulatory issues.

Joel Zinberg of the Wall Street Journal mirrored Thompsons sentiment. This is a problem for many reasons. The statute gives the FDA the power, without any public input, to prevent patients access to off-label therapies even though their physicians and their patients have found the treatments to be beneficial or even essential. That was the situation in the Rotenberg case, in which the center and the families of patients had to sue the FDA because the banned devices were often the only effective treatment to keep patients from harming themselves, he said.

Zinberg further pointed out that allowing the agency to ban certain off-label uses will impair clinical progress. He said off-label use enables physicians to assess their patients unique circumstances and use their own evolving scientific knowledge in deciding to try approved products for new indications.

If the treatment proves useful, formal studies are performed and published. If enough evidence accumulates, the treatment becomes the standard of care, even if the manufacturer did not submit the product for a separate, lengthy and costly FDA review, he said.

Secret provision could target ivermectin as COVID-19 treatment

The provision in the omnibus appropriations bill could have been silently amended and approved to target certain off-label medications, including ivermectin.

Ivermectin is an anti-parasite medication initially used in veterinary medicine, but is now approved in humans to treat parasitic infections. It has been recommended by some healthcare providers as a treatment for the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19). According to the FDA website, clinical trials assessing ivermectin tablets for the prevention or treatment of COVID-19 in people are ongoing. (Related: REVISIONIST HISTORY: FDA now claims its crusade against ivermectin was just a recommendation against taking it.)

It may be that the clause is specifically directed to forbidding the use of e.g. ivermectin in COVID, for which data are mixed, David Livermore, retired professor of medical microbiology at the University of East Anglia, told Just the News via an email.

He called it a disgrace and a dereliction of duty that the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has yet to properly study ivermectin either as a treatment or a prophylactic for COVID, giving the FDA cover to potentially ban such use.

The feds relied on fake studies to demonize low-cost COVID treatments, said Yale University epidemiologist Harvey Risch.

Greg Piper, a contributor to Just the News wrote: The new FDA authority could complicate a lawsuit by doctors that claims the agency effectively banned them from prescribing ivermectin to treat COVID by repeatedly telling the public the award-winning antiviral was dangerous for humans and providing false grounds for medical license investigations.

Follow FDA.news to know more about the agencys recent policies and regulations.

Watch the video below that talks about a doctor sent out of a hospital meeting for attesting to ivermectins effectiveness in treating coronavirus.

This video is from the TNTVNEWS channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

Mailbag bombshell: The NFL is giving their players IVERMECTIN as a prophylactic AND to prevent positive COVID tests.

Florida now allowing doctors to use off-label drugs to treat covid.

STUDY: Ivermectin reduces covid death risk by 92%.

Three doctors sue FDA, HHS for interfering with ivermectin prescription for COVID.

Sources include:

JustTheNews.com

Appropriations.Senate.gov

WBUR.org

Twitter.com

WSJ.com

FDA.gov

Brighteon.com
"I saw this man with glasses, whose name was like T. I saw him walking into power this February".

For meddling in the outcome of the Nigerian presidential election, a famous Zimbabwean prophet, Passion Java, is currently feeling the heat.

In a television interview, the founder of the Kingdom Embassy church, Zimbabwe announced that he had seen the results of the presidential election held last Saturday in a vision.

Although he didn't say who the winner was, the flamboyant and controversial prophet gave clues which suggest that the All Progressives Congress candidate, Bola Tinubu, won the election.

The prophet, also an associate of the Zimbabwean president, Emerson Mnangagwa, promised to storm Nigeria with fire in 2023.

"In Nigeria, we already saw the elections. When I prophesied on International Day of Prophecy, I saw this man with glasses, whose name was like T. I saw him walking into power this February.

"We live in the future. We are prophetic. Prophets are scared to say it. We know what happened, so we say it. But this one is working in power and is guaranteed," said the prophet who dropped his first single, Kopo, in 2022.

Reactions

Nigerians have flooded the preacher's Instagram page with comments, most expressing dissatisfaction with his prophecy.

In a post, the prophet prayed for Nigeria. "God bless Nigeria... In Jesus' name AMEN," he wrote.

The post drew various reactions from Nigerian Instagram users, with many insulting the preacher for his prophecy.

An Instagram user, laa_venderrr, expressly told Mr Jav that what the APC has done to Nigeria will happen to him and his family.

Darryl_maccrinn also threatened the pastor, asking him not to visit Port Harcourt City when he is in the country.

"If you are coming to Nigeria, do not enter Port Harcourt. I repeat, do not enter Port Harcourt cus we go do you wetin happen for 1776," he wrote.

Miz_jessyy called him a prophet of doom, drawing his attention to what she calls election rigging.

Lillian Wegba, however, opined that the preacher is "using Nigeria to get traffic on his page."

Controversy

Like his Nigerian counterparts, Mr Java is known to be enmeshed in one controversy or the other.

He recently allegedly ordered his mistress Yolanda Makaya to abort an eight-month pregnancy.

The flamboyant preacher was also said to have blown half a million rands on a custom Gucci suit!

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His church, at different points, has been called out for announcing false prophecies.

Passion Java

Born Panganai Java, the 35-year-old is a Zimbabwean preacher, socialite, entrepreneur, music promoter and author. The son of a politician, Mr Java, was said to have started prophesying in grade four.

He started church ministry work at his brother's church Tabernacles of Grace, before starting his own church Kingdom Embassy.

He started Kingdom Embassy as a prophet in 2010 at the Chitungwiza Aquatic Complex. He grew to prominence when he predicted service audience members' phone numbers and ID numbers.

Mr Java is said to be mentored by Noel Jones and Benny Hinn as his advisor.

In 2015, Java launched a music label called PJ Records, where gospel artistes would go and record music for free.

In 2021, he was named the most influential Zimbabwean under 40.
(Natural News) The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) under President Joe Biden estimated that up to 390,000 illegal aliens will show up at the U.S.-Mexico border every month if Title 42 border restrictions are ended on May 11.

According to a proposed federal rule from the Office of Immigration Statistics, encounters with illegal immigrants could average 11,000 to 13,000 per day after the lifting of the Title 42 public health order, absent additional policy changes. Multiplying that number by 30 days, it will translate to a monthly total ranging between 330,000 and 390,000. In addition, it is likely that tens of thousands of illegal aliens would slip past Border Patrol and successfully enter the U.S. without being detected.

Former President Donald Trump invoked Title 42 back in 2020, at the height of the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Under this edict, federal immigration officials could quickly deport illegal aliens to Mexico for posing a threat to public health. The Biden administration later attempted to end Title 42 last May but was prevented from doing so by the Supreme Court. (Related: Supreme Court leaves Trump-era Title 42 in place, preventing full-blown border crisis while deciding whether states can enforce it.)

However, the administration now seeks to end Title 42 on May 11 of this year, alongside the lifting of the COVID-19 public health emergency.

Alongside this, the DHS proposed federal edict  which would replace Title 42 when it ends  would include rejecting asylum claims from illegal aliens who had already passed through countries with robust asylum systems. Migrants wanting to enter the U.S. would be encouraged to arrive at points of entry for scheduled appointments, which would secure them parole.

Back in April of last year, Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ) made a similar projection about the number of migrants arriving if Title 42 is lifted during an interview on Breitbart News Saturday that month.

Right now, the DHS number is about 8,00 people a day illegally entering our country, he said. They say its going to be 18,000 a day [when Title 42 ends]. I personally think its going to be 20,000 to 30,000 a day.

Its going to be dramatic. If you think its bad now, the tsunami thats coming is going to be overwhelming.

Congressman proposes replacing Title 42s reason from COVID-19 to fentanyl

In a bid to stem this projected tide of illegal immigration and secure the border, Rep. Mark Green (R-TN) joined his colleagues to convert Title 42 from an authority to COVID-19 to fentanyl. Aside from addressing illegal immigration and border security, the plan also sought to address the fentanyl crisis that continues to claim the lives of more than 100,000 Americans yearly.

Its hard to make the argument that COVID-19  is a reason for Title 42 to be employed, he told Main Street Nashville.

Green, the chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security, continued: Lets face it. Fentanyl is coming is coming across the border and 107,000 Americans died last year. Thats over a billion over the course of 10 years, if my math is correct. So thats a crisis. Thats a healthcare crisis.

The congressman for the Volunteer State also lamented how the Biden administration is not using Title 42 properly. He said: Obviously, theyre not executing the Title 42 rulings in an appropriate way. Everything that the president has done has been to speed people into the country.

Green is not the first lawmaker to put forward the proposal, however.

Back in May 2023, Sens. Bill Hagerty (R-TN) and Joni Ernst (R-IA) proposed the idea of converting Title 42 to address the fentanyl crisis. Hagerty went as far as to introduce a plan that would do just that, but found himself blocked by Sen. Brian Schatz (D-HI) and other Democrats.

Visit InvasionUSA.news for more stories about Title 42.

Watch Owen Shroyer of InfoWars War Room expound on why illegal aliens claim the border is open, despite Biden administration officials insisting otherwise.

This video is from the Garys List channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

Bidens plan to release mass of illegal aliens into U.S. revealed by Border Patrol.

El Paso mayor: 20K illegals waiting to surge across southern border once Title 42 ends.

Montana AG calls on Biden to classify fentanyl as a WEAPON OF MASS DESTRUCTION.

Governors warn of total chaos from unprecedented wave of illegal immigrants if Title 42 is permanently lifted.

Massive migrant INVASION of the United States just days away as Dems collude to overrun the USA with millions of illegals.

Sources include:

Breitbart.com 1

Breitbart.com 2

MainStreet-Nashville.com

Breitbart.com 3

Brighteon.com
(Natural News) The United States Department of Energy (DoE) has reassessed its position on the Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19), which the agency now admits may have come from a laboratory leak in communist China.

A classified intelligence report shared with the White House and key members of Congress, according to The Wall Street Journal, explains that early on, the Energy Department was unsure about how the so-called virus emerged. Later on, however, the Energy Department decided that it is entirely possible that covid escaped from a Chinese lab.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) also agrees that covid probably escaped via a mishap at a Chinese laboratory, to quote the Journal. At least four other agencies are still claiming natural transmission, while two others remain undecided as to covids origins.

New intelligence, we are told, changed the Energy Departments view on the matter. Still, the agency has judged the new revelations with low confidence, meaning it cannot say for certain, beyond all shadow of a doubt, that covid leaked from a lab.

The FBI is slightly more certain about the lab leak theory, giving it a rating of moderate confidence. (Related: After initially denying the possibility, The Lancet switched sides back in late 2021 by admitting that the covid lab leak theory has merit.)

Is covid natural or a ruse?

The FBIs moderate confidence assessment stems from work conducted by its cadre of microbiologists, immunologists, and other scientists, all of whom are supported by the National Bioforensic Analysis Center, established at Fort Detrick, Md., in 2004 to analyze anthrax and other potential biological threats.

Did the Energy Department rely on the findings of this same work to come up with its low confidence assessment? The answer to that question remains a mystery as the government is declining to provide any further details as to the impetus behind its change in position.

U.S. officials have said that the reasons for the Energy Departments embrace of the lab leak theory differ from those of the FBI. Both agencies came to much the same conclusion using different methods, we are told.

The National Intelligence Council along with four other unnamed federal agencies still assess with low confidence the notion that covid came about through natural transmission from an infected animal, i.e., contaminated bat soup at a Wuhan wet market.

The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and at least one other agency that remains unnamed both remain undecided as to covids origins, according to people who read the classified report.

Across the board, the federal government maintains the position that covid is definitely not a biological weapon created by communist China  that narrative goes too far, they claim.

The less-than-five-pages update was not requested by Congress, though numerous House and Senate Republicans are pursuing their own investigations into the origins of covid.

Fake president Joe Biden, however, did request that every intelligence agency do its best to discern the matter through close examination and investigation of all available evidence.

Biden specifically requested that the national labs, which are part of the Energy Department, be brought into this assessment because he wants to put every tool at use to be able to figure out what happened here, said U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan.

There are a variety of views in the intelligence community, Sullivan added. A number of them have said they just dont have enough information.

Sullivan, a Republican member of Congress from Alaska, added that he and his colleagues need to hold extensive hearings about the matter, especially since communist China was aggressively trying to stop the rest of the world from looking into covids origins.

This is a country that has no problem coming out and lying to the world, Sullivan said about China.

Want to learn more about the never-ending story known as covid? Visit Plague.info.

Sources for this article include:

WSJ.com

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) Commenting on the Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19) vaccine experiment this week, former National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) head Tony Fauci confessed that the shots do not work as claimed.

Attempting to control mucosal respiratory viruses with systemically administered non-replicating vaccines has thus far been largely unsuccessful, Fauci wrote in a new paper published in the journal Cell Host & Microbe, entitled Rethinking next-generation vaccines for coronaviruses, influenza viruses, and other respiratory viruses.

Even after aggressively pushing the shots himself, Fauci, recognizing the countrys now-widespread disapproval of Operation Warp Speed, admits that everything America and the world were told about Fauci Flu shots was a lie  oops!

Now, suddenly, Fauci is of the persuasion  even though he claimed the opposite previously  that Chinese Virus shots are inefficacious, meaning they do not work. It is much preferable, Faucis new study admits, to rely on natural immunity.

The review makes clear that vaccines against respiratory viruses such as influenza or coronaviruses (e.g., SARS-CoV-2 responsible for COVID) are highly unlikely to achieve the levels of effectiveness we expect from other vaccines, writes David Bell for The Epoch Times.

The authors note CDC data showing influenza vaccines, now pushed for all ages from 6 months upward, have an efficacy ranging from just 14 percent to a maximum of 60 percent since 2005 (extending back 17 years would have lowered this to 10 percent, with the average vaccine efficacy (VE) just below 40 percent).

(Related: In the summer of 2021, Fauci admitted publicly that covid vaccines are responsible for spreading more disease  but Biden kept on forcing them.)

Vaccines dont work against respiratory viruses, period

Because viruses are constantly mutating into new variants and subvariants, trying to control them with vaccines is a fools errand. Even if a shot works, or seems to work, against the original virus, that original virus will quickly outsmart the vaccine, rendering it useless.

 our best approved influenza vaccines would be inadequate for licensure for most other vaccine-preventable diseases, Faucis paper reads.  it is not surprising that none of the predominantly mucosal respiratory viruses have ever been effectively controlled by vaccines.

The vaccines for these two very different viruses have common characteristics: they elicit incomplete and short-lived protection against evolving virus variants that escape population immunity.

The paper goes on to explain that viruses replicate predominantly in local mucosal tissue without causing viremia. This means that viruses never properly encounter the immune system or the full force of the adaptive immune response, which takes up to a week to fully mature.

This is well past the point of viral replication and onward transmission to others, hence why even the powers that be admitted that covid jabs could not stop infection or transmission, rendering them useless.

It was also a misnomer, Fauci now says, for the authorities to focus on circulating antibodies like IgG and IgM in controlling covid infection. It turns out that mucosal antibodies like IgA, located in the lining of the upper respiratory tract, play a much larger role in immunity  and these mucosal antibodies are not at all stimulated by injected vaccines.

The importance of mucosal secretory IgA (sIgA) in pathogen-specific responses against respiratory viral infections has long been appreciated for influenza viruses, RSV and more recently SARS-CoV-2, the paper further explains.

When even Fauci is forced to confess that the jabs he once promoted are an absolute farce and that natural immunity is the much better option, you know the jig is up.

Fauci is pretending the vaccine was a failure when it is, and was always intended to be, a bioweapon  and Fauci has always known this, one commenter wrote. Im not fooled by him and you shouldnt be either. Hes trying to save his own butt.

The latest news about Fauci and his band of career criminals can be found at FauciTruth.com.

Sources for this article include:

TheEpochTimes.com

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) A total of 1,775 in-and-out-of-the-country flights had been canceled while 7,133 flights were delayed on Wednesday, Feb. 22, as massive winter storms threaten to bring record snowfall across the United States. The disruptions continued through the next day, with 1,169 cancellations and 8,095 delayed flights.

The National Weather Service (NWS) issued winter storm, blizzard and high-wind advisories for swaths of the western and north-central U.S., with a warning that the bad weather condition could extend until the this week.

Flight tracking site FlightAware reported that airlines Skywest, Delta, China Eastern and Southwest have the highest number of canceled flights from Wednesday to Thursday, Feb. 23, impacting between seven and 19 percent of the scheduled flights.

The site also listed the highest number of cancellations by airport: Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP) had 205 outgoing and 223 incoming flights canceled Wednesday, while Denver International Airport (DEN) and Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (DTW) each had more than 100 outgoing or incoming flights canceled on the same day. On Thursday, MSP, Portland International Airport (PDX) and Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) were listed to have the most canceled flights and delayed flights.

Southwest Airlines issued winter weather waivers for about a dozen airports. Delta Air Lines also sent out waivers for Upper Midwest winter weather and Rockies and Mountain regions winter weather. American Airlines and United, meanwhile, distributed winter weather waivers for travel this week.

The Department of Transportation said people whose flights were canceled can request a refund, regardless of the type of ticket booked.

Worst wont be over for several days, warns NWS

The brutal winter storm knocked out power in California. By Wednesday evening, more than 65,000 customers in the state were without electricity, according to PowerOutage.us. The site also said more than 192,000 customers in Michigan and nearly 89,000 in Illinois were also without electricity.

Meanwhile, Wyomings Transportation Department posted on social media that roads across much of the southern part of the Cowboy State were impassable.

Flood watches and warnings were also in effect for some coastal regions and valleys and the potential for heavy rainfall causing flooding and debris flow in some areas burned by wildfires in recent years. Forecasters even predicted that coastal areas could see 10-foot waves.

Moreover, evacuation warnings were issued in Ventura County for four areas that were considered unstable after being hit hard by storms last month.

On Friday, Feb. 24, forecasters urged mariners near the coast of the states San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties to seek safe harbor immediately, warning of severe thunderstorms that could produce sudden waterspouts powerful enough to easily overturn boats. The two counties are also at risk of seeing small tornadoes on land.

In the northern U.S., more than 18 inches of snow may pile up in parts of Minnesota and Wisconsin, the weather service agency said Wednesday evening. According to the weather service, the biggest snow event on record in the Twin Cities was 28.4 inches from Oct. 31 through Nov. 3, 1991. (Related: Heat, shelter and survival: 22 Winter safety tips for preppers.)

Visit Dangerous.news for more stories about dangerous situations and incidents.

Watch the podcast below that talks about the deadly ice storm in Texas that caused power outages and canceled flights.

This video is from the Evolutionary Energy Arts channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

First time since 9/11: All flights in US grounded at the same time due to FAA system outage.

United Airlines flight returns to airport following midair fire incident.

Amazon, DHL reduce cargo flights as consumer demand weakens.

France bans short-haul domestic flights to cut down carbon emissions  part of over-hyped battle against imaginary foe called climate change.

Shortage of plastic could force a big fight for materials after Texas winter storm

Sources include:

ZeroHedge.com

EpochTimes.com

FlightAware.com

SunStar.com.ph

NPR.org

Brighteon.com
(Natural News) The trial began in 2021. But over a year after the last woman was enrolled, the company just admitted it still doesnt have the data. Yet another pandemic scandal.

(Article by Joel S Hirschhorn republished from JoelSHirschhorn.Substack.com)

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.

The message from authorities was clear  the harm from covid-19 infection outweighed any harms from the mRNA vaccine  but in truth, they couldnt possibly have known.

Animal studies

Pfizers official product labelling information for pregnant women refers only to animal studies, stating No vaccine-related adverse effects on female fertility, fetal development, or postnatal development were reported.

But a freedom of information (FOI) request to the Australians drug regulator in June 2021, shows the study was only carried out in 44 rats (22 injected with 30g of mRNA vaccine, 22 injected with saline).

The study found the vaccine led to a statistically significant doubling in fetal loss (9.77% mRNA vs 4.09% saline), but Pfizer concluded that the difference between the two groups was not biologically meaningful.

The label also states that Pfizers mRNA vaccine was not tested for its potential to cause carcinogenicity (ability to cause cancer), genotoxicity (ability to damage genetic information), or impairment of male fertility.

Unlike Pfizer, Moderna kept its pregnant rodents alive to test the embryos. Documents accessed by Judicial Watch, showed a statistically significant number of rats were born with skeletal variations after being injected with Modernas mRNA vaccine.

But Moderna concluded that the Skeletal variations are structural changes that do not impact development or function of a developing embryo and therefore not considered adverse.

Human trials

In the absence of any human data, Pfizer announced it would begin recruiting volunteers for a clinical trial to examine the safety and efficacy of its mRNA vaccine in pregnant women and their newborns.

The trial, which began in Feb 2021, originally intended to enroll 4,000 women, but enrollment stopped in late 2021 with just 349 participants.

There has been no explanation for why they stopped recruiting participants, nor have the data been published in a conference abstract, preprint or medical journal.

It has been over a year since the last woman was enrolled in the trial, and all of them would have given birth by now.

Recently, Marty Makary, a public policy researcher at Johns Hopkins University, objected to the secrecy. They should say something. They have a moral duty to speak up. Here we are 18 months later, the results of those 349 women have never been made public, said Makary.

They just recommended it for pregnant women with zero data. And maybe thats why [Pfizer] stopped the study.running a study runs the risk of showing that there may not be a benefit in pregnant women, he added.

Read more at: JoelSHirschhorn.Substack.com
(Natural News) While the twin engine plane that crashed this past Wednesday, killing all 5 people aboard, might not have attracted worldwide attention in a normal scenario, this plane crash was not so normal, with all 5 of the dead being employees of an environmental company, and on their way to investigate a deadly metal factory explosion (that wed told you about in this ANP story!) in, of all places, the state of Ohio.

(Article by Stefan Stanford republished from AllNewsPipeline.com)

With the plane crash happening within only a mile of the airport it was taking off from, take note as we continue that the airport was in Little Rock, Arkansas, and an airport that was quite appropriately named the Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport, all things considered.

And with those employees and The Center for Toxicology and Environmental Health specializing in environmental data collection and incident management  especially in terms of industrial hygiene and toxicology, youve got to check out all of the top-voted comments on the story to see the truth that is being hidden, the story behind the story that the story will NEVER tell you!

Because with that plane crash that killed 5 people on their way to investigate yet another incident of what appears to be grey terror here in America just 5 of several mysterious/untimely deaths happening over just the past few days as well explore in the next section of this story below, what are the chances that ALL of these deaths, as well as all of this grey terror happening in Americas heartland, such as the 100+ explosions/fires at food processing plants across America, could be related? Lets take a look at some of the top-voted comments from the Daily Mail story before we continue.:

tooliberaloregon: Crazy that there is an airport named after these imbeciles.

korean-american says: The Clintons attract mysterious deaths.

Right to bare Southern Pride: I mean Im no conspiracy theorist. But theres something going on here .mmm

Rutledge: Arkancide?

hundoman: Exactly what youre thinking happened. Happened. But you cant say it because you might be next.

And as the top-voted comment on this Infowars story reporting on the crash pointed out quite sarcastically but perfectly nonetheless: All passengers were found tied to the seats with electrical cord, shot in the chest. the search for the suicide weapons is ongoing. That comment in reference to the mysterious death of Mark Middleton, who was found shot dead and tied to a tree with an electrical cord found around his neck, his death, in Arkansas, ruled a suicide. And of course, Middleton was tied to not only Bill Clinton but Jeffrey Epstein as well. Just another strange coincidence?

And those 5 deaths, which while they may or may not have been tied to the clinton crime family, could have very well been tied to what they MIGHT HAVE FOUND at the warehouse explosion in Ohio if they were allowed to do their jobs, were definitely NOT the only ones to occur this past week.

As the Daily Mail had also reported in this story on Thursday night, a 78-year-old multi-billionaire, known by many on Wall Street as The Envy of Wall Street, was found dead in his 5th Avenue office on Thursday.

With Thomas H. Lee, a billionaire financer and investor worth approximately $2 billion, allegedly found dead with a self-inflicted gunshot wound, take note that the story is more than happy to report that Lee was not only a graduate from Harvard but, you guessed it, a family friend of the Clintons, as if someones just going around knocking off their old friends and financial confidants.

And while of course, the Daily Mail story will NEVER tell us the whole truth and nothing but the truth, we can once again get a much bigger sense of what that TRUTH is by reading some of the top-voted comments on the story, several of which weve gone ahead and republished below.

Irish613: There are no coincidences.

OilPatch: A lot of people who were friends with the duo must be really worried.

GWat: Where does it end with this family?

With another one of the commenters on the story pointing out You dont just succumb to stress or unhappiness at age 78, while another commenter claimed I honestly cannot comprehend being a billionaire and wanting out of life, weve reported time and again on ANP that Mysteriously Dead Bodies Keep Following Hill And Bill Wherever They Go! so anybody who is looking at reality cant overlook the very strong possibility that Bill and Hill are having more people who know too much eliminated. Mass killings and targeted deaths in Communist regimes are legendary.

Read more at: AllNewsPipeline.com
(Natural News) Actor Woody Harrelson (True Detective, Natural Born Killers) went on Saturday Night Live for the fifth time in his career. At the end of his monologue, he took a shot at the vaccine manufacturers  comparing them to drug cartels.

So, the movie goes like this, Harrelson said. The biggest drug cartels in the world get together and buy up all the media and all the politicians and force all the people in the world to stay locked in their homes.

And people can only come out if they take the cartels drugs and keep taking them over and over, Harrelson added. I threw the script away. I mean, who was going to believe that crazy idea? Being forced to do drugs? I do that voluntarily all day long!

Harrelson comes under fire for calling out the bought-off media and the drug cartels

Harrelson came under fire for his joke about the media and politicians doing the dirty work of the drug cartels (vaccine makers). Harrelson isnt afraid to speak up about vaccine mandates and lockdowns, even in a Hollywood culture that promoted this hell from day one. Harrelson broke from the Saturday Night Liveapproved script and called out the drug cartels that have taken over the media and made puppets out of the politicians.

Of course, the bought-off media was furious at his joke, and pundits were quick to prove the comedians point. After the joke went viral, the mainstream media went on full attack mode, resorting to medical Apartheid slurs like antivaxxer to describe the actor. Funny enough, shaming people as antivaxxers has lost its appeal over the past two years, as the majority of the population has come to question the never-ending hell of covid-19 boosters, mandates, and restrictions. The medial mafia will need to come up with a new word, a new tactic; the shaming of antivaxxers has failed.

Some liberals are starting to recognize the hell they inflicted on themselves and their neighbors

While full accountability for lockdowns, human rights abuses, and deadly vaccines will take some time to realize, there is a shift of mindset taking place for some of the authoritarian liberals who advocated for lockdowns and forced injections.

One Twitter user pointed out: People dont seem to understand, Woody Harrelson is what liberals used to be. Hopefully soon, it will be trendy again for liberals to question Big Pharma. While liberals typically tout my body, my choice, they unilaterally didnt stand up for body autonomy rights during the covid-19 scandal. This is because they have always actually been about your body, my choice. This is true when it comes to killing innocent babies, when it comes to confusing someone elses child about their gender and leading them to a life of self-mutilation, or when it comes to abusing someone elses child with forced masks, forced swabs, and forced injections.

During the covid-19 scandal, the Democratic Party and its compliant simps unilaterally fought for lockdowns, segregation, loss of medical privacy, the shredding of the U.S. Constitution, the family separation in hospitals, forced gene-altering vaccines, forced oxygen restriction, school closures, and mass mental illness (social distancing). Many liberally-minded people are starting to come out of that cult, that mass formation psychosis. Still, its hard for these types of people to forgive themselves for the pain they inflicted on their own body and mind, for the hell they tried to force onto their neighbors, family, and friends. Many have committed suicide, overdosed on drugs, or died suddenly and unexpectedly from heart complications and blood clots caused by their false savior.

The drug cartels will not be held accountable for mass murder and abuse of human rights unless those who complied with the brainwashing and terror actually repent, actually turn from their ways, and join the brave ones who have fought courageously against this hell from the beginning.

Sources include:

Breitbart.com

RollingStone.com

LATimes.com

Twitter.com
(Natural News) Rather than offer their adult workers higher pay and better working conditions, some American companies looking to boost output while cutting costs are resorting to child labor.

Republican lawmakers in numerous states want working class eligibility to include children between the ages of 14-17, including in Iowa and Minnesota where legislation was introduced to legalize child labor.

Excess deaths caused by Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19) vaccines have left a void in the American labor market, which Republicans say can be ramped back up to pre-scamdemic levels by pushing more underage children into the workforce.

Minnesota reportedly lost 90,000 workers during the plandemic, rendering it one of the tightest labor markets in the country. Iowa is not faring much better with 75,000 open jobs as of December.

If children are allowed to work in both of these states, then employers will be protected from liabilities due to sickness or accidents. This will boost specific industry sectors such as construction and meatpacking.

(Related: The entire green energy industry is powered by child slave labor.)

Hiring children generates higher profits for corporate fat cats

In January, the federal government also created a new rule allowing people who wish to obtain their Commercial Drivers License (CDL) in order to drive trucks professionally to start at age 18 instead of 21.

According to reports, this change was made because the head of the American Trucking Associations said the industry needed about 80,000 more drivers.

Safety advocates were quick to call out the initiative, warning that inexperienced drivers could put the public at risk. Some say the East Palestine train derailment disaster is proof of this, though it remains unknown the ages of those responsible for that wreck.

Deregulation and loss of workers rights across the railroad industry are definitely to blame for East Palestine, though. Not only were workers at Norfolk Southern demanding higher pay and sick leave, but they also petitioned for more modern braking equipment, which probably would have prevented the train from derailing.

Republican lawmakers are little concerned with all that, though. They are more focused on filling in all the labor holes so their corporate sponsors can keep their profits high  even at the expense of childrens lives.

A 2017 Pew Research article noted that Americas youth demographic continues to get the shaft, economically speaking. Compared to those in other developed countries, young people in the United States lag behind, educationally speaking, leaving them with fewer opportunities for advancement in society.

If the U.S. economy has any hope of surviving in the future in its current iteration, and as an innovation powerhouse, it needs its students to perform better in subjects like math and science, reported RT.

Keeping students in the classroom and doing their homework, and not participating in the workforce, is a key component to improvement in this area.

Republican lawmakers feel differently. They want children as young as 16 to be able to work dangerous construction jobs in states like Minnesota that have harsh winters. They also want children filling the states meatpacking plants so the corporate fat cats at companies like Tyson Foods can up their bonuses.

This is just another example of the abject moral depravity of corporate America and its ability to exploit each and every American for every drop of profit it can muster, RT says.

If these bills are indeed passed, it will usher in a cascade of similar legislation in Republican-led states across the country, and show, once again, how useless American democracy is. Politicians are bought and paid for by employers and their lobbyists, as demonstrated by the Iowa and Minnesota bills.

More related news coverage can be found at GovtSlaves.com.

Sources for this article include:

RT.com

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) Author and researcher Timothy Alberino remarked that the alien threat is real, adding that aliens are creating hybrids and integrating them into human society.

We do have an alien threat. It is specifically aside from the fallen angel threat thats been with humanity since the beginning, he told the Health Ranger Mike Adams during the Feb. 22 edition of the Health Ranger Report.

You have gray aliens who are actively abducting people and creating human-alien hybrids. They are slowly integrating into human society. So these human-alien hybrids integrating into society and perhaps moving their way up the ranks in the military and government. Maybe thats what their purpose is.

The author and researcher expounded: They look like us, they sound like us for all intents and purposes [and] they are us. But in actuality, they are not us. They are hybrids, and they are not loyal to the human species. They are loyal to basically their makers, the [gray aliens]. Thats why I said that human beings are having contact with the gray alien species on a daily basis because of the abduction phenomenon. (Related: Astrophysicist claims CIA staged forced UFO abductions as psychological warfare experiments.)

Alberino, known as a modern-day Indiana Jones, added that these gray aliens are operating with the help of an advanced artificial intelligence. These same aliens are also the perpetrators of the alien abduction program.

Alien abduction program has been going on for decades

According to Alberino, people being abducted by aliens is nothing new. He added that such abductions have been reported since the turn of the 20th century  with most occurring during the 1940s and 1950s.

Alien abductions are not one-offs. It is a systematic, highly organized program, he said, stressing that competent researchers have compiled a large body of data on the phenomenon. Alberino also noted how people from different walks of life, cultures and levels of civilization across the planet have the exact same experiences pertaining to alien abduction.

The Brighteon.com and Natural News founder also put in his two cents on the issue. He told Alberino that the gray aliens must be treating Earth like a zoo where they can obtain genetic samples and experiment on the population. Adams lamented that these aliens do not respect the human beings living on the planet.

In response, Alberino commented that the gray aliens objective is planetary acquisition, not just experimentation on humans and human DNA collection. Their ultimate endgame is terraforming the planet in order to acquire it. Adams concurred with his guest, comparing the carbon sequestration to a terraforming operation to alter the Earths atmosphere and collapse the human ecosystem.

Moreover, he took note that the entities behind several unidentified flying object (UFO) encounters are taking a more hostile stance. These aliens have been able to completely shut down nuclear silos, hover over naval ships and buzz aircraft. Frequent incidents of flying saucers, extraterrestrial craft or advanced aerospace vehicles hovering over secret military installations, underground bases and nuclear silos seem to attest to this.

It seems that the posture of the phenomenon is changing. Its becoming a little more aggressive, a little more hostile.

Follow UFOs.news for more news about extraterrestrial beings, alien abductions and UFOs.

Watch the full conversation between Mike Adams and Timothy Alberino below.

This video is from the Health Ranger Report channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

Steve Quayle tells Mike Adams: Truth about ancient aliens will remain hidden from humanity.

Human-like aliens may have come from another dimension, according to declassified FBI file.

Air Force vets testify UFOs have turned off nuclear warheads & shot test missiles out of sky at US bases.

Intelligence report highlights possible threats from UFOs, Senate requires agencies to provide UFO-related data to UAPTF.

The Pentagon ADMITS to investigating UFOs to assess potential threats to national security.

Sources include:

Brighteon.com

TimothyAlberino.com
(Natural News) It has been revealed that the University of Cambridge had initially blocked white working-class students from applying for a post-graduate programme designed to give opportunity to students from underrepresented groups.

(Article by Niamh Harris republished from NewsPunch.com)

The initial plan was to exclude white students from a programme that would offer free accommodation on campus for six weeks, as well as an interns wage for 35 hours per week while the students trained in research skills.

The scheme would lead up to the students writing a 4,000-word essay giving them the confidence and skills to apply for postgraduate study and other research careers.

The plan however sparked concern about the Universitys diversity priorities.

Breitbart reports: According to a report from The Telegraph, lecturers at the university were told: The programme will be advertised for second or third-year UG [undergraduate] students from Black, British Black, Pakistani, Bangladeshi or British-Pakistani, British Bangladeshi students studying at traditional research-intensive universities, who are planning to continue their studies in 2024.

After being contacted by the newspaper as to why working-class white students were not included for consideration, despite significant under-representation at the elite university, the school ultimately reversed course, saying that it will now be open to a wider group defined by socio-economic factors instead, including white working-class.

Nevertheless, the attempt at excluding the white working class has been seen as revealing the left-wing biases of the university.

Professor David Abulafia of Gonville and Caius College said: Its good that the programme has been recalibrated so that the criterion is disadvantage rather than race. The racial criterion seemed to assume non-white students are automatically disadvantaged. Isnt that a little bit racist?

A Cambridge lecturer in divinity, Dr. James Orr, added that, while the idea was excellent, this kind of opportunity should surely be available to everyone on the basis of merit and need, not ethnic background. Undergraduates from ethnic minorities do not need a helping hand from the university to progress to graduate research. If it is the case that the decision has been reversed, the administration should be commended for doing the right thing.

Read more at: NewsPunch.com
"Compatriot Nigerians, please exercise patience until the wrong is righted. I strongly believe that nobody will toy with the future and fortune of Nigeria..."

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has alleged that the results of last Saturday's presidential election have been doctored and manipulated.

The ex-president, who called on President Muhammadu Buhari to demand a review of the results collation process, said this through a statement he personally signed on Monday.

He alleged that most of the results that are "brought outside BVAS and Server are not true reflection of the will of Nigerians."

Mr Obasanjo is one of the major backers of the Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi.

PREMIUM TIMES reported that the Labour Party and some other opposition parties like PDP had withdrawn from the final collation and announcement of results after they accused the electoral commission of not posting results on the INEC web portal, iREV.

The parties said not pasting the results from the polling units on the online portal as required by INEC guidelines suggests the results being announced may have been tampered with.

In his Monday statement, Mr Obasanjo hailed Mr Buhari for his resolve to ensure a legacy of free, fair, transparent and credible elections.

He, however, appealed to President Buhari to save the country from the looming danger that might hit the country as a result of the election.

A total of 18 candidates are taking part in the presidential election. But only four, candidates of the Labour Party, APC, PDP and NNPP, are considered major contenders.

Read Mr Obasanjo's full statement below.

READ THE STATEMENT IN FULL

PRESS RELEASE

2023 NIGERIA PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION

- AN APPEAL FOR CAUTION AND RECTIFICATION

Nigerian Brothers and Sisters, greetings to you all.

I am constrained to speak at this point.

I crave the indulgence of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, His Excellency General Muhammadu Buhari, to make this statement because I have had opportunity to keep him aware of what I know is happening and the danger looming ahead.

On many occasions in the past, I have not hesitated to point out lacuna in the action of the President and his government. But as far as the election issues are concerned, the President has proved beyond reasonable doubt that he will want to leave a legacy of free, fair, transparent and credible elections.

Until last Saturday night, February 25, 2023, the good and noble plan and preparation for the elections seemed to be going well. For the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), a lot of money was spent to introduce Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), and the Server for immediate transmission of results from polling units. It is no secret that INEC officials, at operational level, have been allegedly compromised to make what should have worked not to work and to revert to manual transmission of results which is manipulated and the results doctored.

The Chairman of INEC may claim ignorance but he cannot fold his hands and do nothing when he knows that election process has been corrupted and most of the results that are brought outside BVAS and Server are not true reflection of the will of Nigerians who have made their individual choice. At this stage, we do not need wittingly or unwittingly to set this country on fire with the greed, irresponsibility and unpatriotic act of those who allegedly gave money to INEC officials for perversion and those who collected the blood money. Let me appeal to the Chairman of INEC, if his hands are clean, to save Nigeria from the looming danger and disaster which is just waiting to happen. If the Chairman can postpone elections four days to the election, he can do everything to rectify the errors of the last two days - no BVAS, no result to be acceptable; and no uploading through Server, no result to be acceptable.

Whereas, BVAS and Servers have been manipulated or rendered inactive, such results must be declared void and inadmissible for election declaration. Chairman INEC, I have thought that you would use this wonderful opportunity to mend your reputation and character for posterity.

Your Excellency, President Buhari Muhammadu, tension is building up and please let all elections that do not pass the credibility and transparency test be cancelled and be brought back with areas where elections were disrupted for next Saturday, March 4, 2023, and BVAS and Server officials be changed. To know which stations or polling units were manipulated, let a Committee of INEC staff and representatives of the four major political parties with the Chairman of Nigerian Bar Association look into what must be done to have hitch-free elections next Saturday. Mr. President, may your plan and hope for leaving a legacy of free, fair, transparent and credible election be realised. Mr. President, please don't let anybody say to you that it does not matter or it is the problem of INEC. On no account should you be seen as part of the collusion or compromise. When the die is cast, it will be your problem as the Chief Executive of the nation. The Chairman of INEC may sneak out of the country or go back to his ivory tower. Your Excellency, thank you for hearing me out.

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Compatriot Nigerians, please exercise patience until the wrong is righted. I strongly believe that nobody will toy with the future and fortune of Nigeria at this juncture.

Long live Nigeria in peace, security, stability and in the hope for greater future.

OLUSEGUN OBASANJO

February 27, 2023
(Natural News) Last week, a Christian nurse from a NHS hospital in the United Kingdom made headlines when she shared her experience of being bullied by woke superiors for stating that being white does not make a person racist. The nurse reported that she was filled with crippling anxiety after weeks of being undermined and harassed for expressing her own opinion, according to reports.

The incident is indicative of a larger problem  the silencing of conservative viewpoints in the workplace. This nurse was not alone in her experience. Others in the same hospital have reported being subjected to similar treatment, News Punch noted in a report.

Amy Gallagher, a mental health nurse from Orpington in Kent, made headlines when it was discovered that she had been suspended from a forensic psychology course at Tavistock Trust that she had been undertaking during her training to be a psychotherapist.

The course was designed to enhance her understanding of mental health and criminal behavior. However, her suspension has come as a shock to many in the mental health community. Gallagher has since lodged a complaint against the university and has highlighted the problems she has faced due to the suspension, including financial hardship and a lack of job opportunities.

During an exclusive interview with MailOnline, she disclosed how lectures, which she was compelled to attend, led to crippling anxiety after she challenged the racist and offensive beliefs of NHS administrators.

During a series of politically biased talks, Gallagher claimed that lecturers at the Tavistock and Portman NHS Trust alleged that whites dont comprehend the world and blamed Christianity, as it is of European origin, for racism. One of the Tavistocks seminars was even entitled Whiteness  a problem for our time, and the Trusts website described it as the problem of racism is a problem of whiteness.

After Gallagher questioned these contentious beliefs, she faced bullying from staff and was suspended from the course, pending an inquiry into whether she was fit to work with patients. Despite almost a year passing, no inquiry has been initiated, putting her aspirations of becoming a psychotherapist in jeopardy. To make matters worse, one of the course lecturers attempted to have her barred from her job as a practicing mental health nurse. Despite these challenges, the 34-year-old is pushing back.

This case may represent one of the initial trials of wokeness, the outlet reported. Nevertheless, the Tavistock Trust has been the subject of prior scrutiny.

The organization previously encountered legal action for administering puberty-blocking medication to children at their Gender Identity Development Service, which was disbanded after a critical independent evaluation. In response to her experience with The Tavistock and Portman NHS Trust, Gallagher informed MailOnline, I never launched an attack on anyone. I merely stated that we need to adopt a different perspective.

Gallagher told Daily Mail, Theres nothing incorrect about what Ive stated. I want justice for what has been done to me. It has had an impact on my mental health. I experienced anxiety, and it has been extremely difficult. She further revealed that she had endured back pain and sleepless nights due to her ordeal, the outlet reported.

One of the concepts that lecturers presented as fact was Critical Race Theory, a contentious idea that rejects the notion of meritocracy or color-blindness in relation to race and argues that racism is systemic and socially constructed. Amy disagreed with this controversial theory, which many academics have also denounced.

She also described Critical Race Theory as a suspicious and racist concept that is offensive to all races. She stated, Racism against any race should be considered wrong. Critical Race Theory will only change when enough people challenge it. I cant believe theyre promoting this stuff. Theyre advocating for an extremely radical agenda. We need to recognize that not everyone shares this perspective.

Sources include:

DailyMail.co.uk

NewsPunch.com
(Natural News) The residents of the small town of East Palestine, Ohio, which is unquestionably Trump Country, are increasingly complaining of worsening health issues following a massive chemical spill and burn-off after a train derailed there on Feb. 3.

As a result of the Norfolk South train derailment and toxic explosion, Wade Lovett has been experiencing difficulty breathing. In fact, his voice now resembles that of someone who has inhaled helium, the New York Post reports.

Doctors say I definitely have the chemicals in me but theres no one in town who can run the toxicological tests to find out which ones they are, Lovett, 40, an auto detailer, told The Post in a very high-pitched voice. My voice sounds like Mickey Mouse. My normal voice is low. Its hard to breathe, especially at night. My chest hurts so much at night I feel like Im drowning. I cough up phlegm a lot. I lost my job because the doctor wont release me to go to work.

Despite struggling with health issues, Wade Lovett and his fiancee, Tawnya Irwin, aged 45, spent last Thursday distributing bottled water to residents affected by the train derailment, The Post reported. They collected fresh supplies of water from a residence on East Clark Street, which has become the center of East Palestines grassroots campaign to combat the upheaval caused by the disaster, affecting approximately 4,700 individuals and their pets, the outlet said.

At the forefront of the fight for their community is 46-year-old Jami Cozza, a lifelong resident of East Palestine who has 47 close relatives living in the area. Many of them are grappling with health problems resulting from the chemical fire, as well as the emotional burden of their town being dubbed the new Love Canal by a scientist who visited the area on Thursday. The Love Canal was a neighborhood in Niagara Falls, New York, that gained notoriety in 1978 because individuals were falling sick due to residing above a contaminated waste site, the outlets report continued, adding:

Her eyes fill with tears when she talks about how her 91-year-old widowed grandmother tried to clean the chemicals off the furniture in the house shes lived in for 56 years  before giving up and moving to a hotel room where she cant sleep at night.

Evacuation orders were lifted on February 8, but many locals say they got unexplained rashes and sore throats when they returned home. The creeks that dot the town still ripple with the telltale rainbow color of contamination if you throw a rock in them.

Meanwhile, The Wall Street Journal reports that there are increasing concerns about food production in the area being tainted for years to come.

In recent days, social media has become a platform for people to voice their concerns regarding the broader chemical impacts of the disaster. Several individuals took to Facebook to inquire about the safety of drinking Giant Eagle water bottled in the southern region of East Palestine.

Some claimed to have contacted the company directly to voice their concerns. In response, the grocery chain announced on Tuesday that it would remove water items bottled in Salineville, Ohio, located roughly 25 miles from East Palestine, from their store shelves, the outlet noted.

According to an independent assessment of Environmental Protection Agency data carried out by Texas A&M University, nine air pollutants have been identified at levels that may lead to long-term health concerns in and around East Palestine. The findings, released on Friday, appear to contradict previous assertions made by state and federal regulators regarding the airs safety in the area.

Not only am I fighting for my familys life, but I feel like Im fighting for the whole towns life. When Im walking around hearing these stories, theyre not from people. Theyre from my family. Theyre from my friends that I have grown up with, Cozza told The Post. People are desperate right now. Were dying slowly. Theyre poisoning us slowly.

Sources include:

WSJ.com

NYPost.com

WashingtonPost.com
(Natural News) One of the number-one priorities of the Biden regimes Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is to combat misinformation online, which Commissioner Dr. Robert Califf claims is a leading cause of death in the United States.

Califf cannot back this claim with any data or facts, of course, but those no longer matter. With enough taxpayer cash at his disposal, Califf can steer the FDA in whichever direction he chooses, which apparently means turning the regulatory body into a censorship and snitch operation.

In a recent interview with The Associated Press (AP), Califf, who previously headed the FDA in 2016 and 2017, partially under both Barack Obama and Donald Trump, pledged that the FDA under his leadership is committed to save lives by fighting against the First Amendment online.

Even though almost nobody trusts the FDA anymore after what the agency did throughout the Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19) scamdemic, Califf is convinced that he has an important job to do helping the public get the accurate, science-based information they need to use medical products and foods to maintain and improve their health in the face of a tsunami of confusing and misleading information.

(Related: The FDA is a revolving door with Big Pharma  the same people working as regulators also work in the drug industry.)

Free thinking is killing America, Califf claims

Allowing people to speak freely online about things like pharmaceuticals and vaccines is a threat to public health, Califf argues, because free thought tends to steer people away from Big Pharmas products.

To Califf, anything other than full acceptance of all drugs and vaccines is a leading cause of death in America. He believes that anything contradictory to full acceptance constitutes distortions and half-truths.

Almost no one should be dying of covid in the U.S. today, Califf said, adding that anyone who rejects getting vaccinated for the Fauci Flu is dying because theyre misinformed.

In addition to restructuring the agencys food safety program and more aggressively deploying FDA scientists to explain vaccine decisions in the media, Califf says the FDA under his leadership is laser-focused on combating misinformation in the digital public square.

When he first took office last year, Califf swore that he would help usher in changes to the way people are allowed to talk online. He wants to see all skeptical speech disappear from the internet because it causes some people to eschew interventions that would improve their health.

A purely reactive mode is not appropriate, particularly in this new era of social media, he added.

At the time, Califf said it would take about a year to see his plans come to fruition. We are now at roughly the one-year mark and Califfs agenda has been laid bare for the world to see.

Providing factual info is the key to helping people make the best-informed decisions about their health, Califf announced in an Aug. 5, 2022, tweet about the progress being made.

Before working at the FDA, Califf worked at Verily, a life sciences company owned by Alphabet Inc., Googles parent company. While there, he scoped the internet in search of misinformation.

Naturally, Califf would enter the revolving door from industry to regulator by taking the top seat at the FDA, where he is now pushing his anti-free speech agenda while on the taxpayer dole.

Califf is particularly incensed that some members of the public express faux outrage and lies in response to FDA announcements, especially when they center around new vaccines and other drugs that industry players are trying to push on the masses.

The average patient, Califf says, is unable to separate the truth from the lies, and thus needs Califf to manage the truth himself.

More of the latest news about the corrupt FDA can be found at FDA.news.

Sources for this article include:

ChildrensHealthDefense.org

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) History is a great teacher. In studying it, you learn what works, what does not work and how to correct the failures. Or so you hope. Do you remember anything about the old coal mine towns, or the old railroad towns popping up along the rail lines, or the frontier towns built way out in nowhere? You should, all major cities as well as towns began that way and many have failed and disappeared along the way. Many towns are renowned for their origins in corporate origination; for example, Hershey Pennsylvania, Pullman Illinois and Henry Fords Alberta Michigan. They were all formed as towns that were self supporting and many were also designed or located to keep its occupants inside certain limits because the mines or lumber or other owners did not want the workers to leave as it would harm the companys production and therefore profits. Civilization itself can be traced back to the idea that to even live, people needed to band together to help each other supply food, build shelter, educate the people in warfare and in cleanliness among so many other things, involve other families to help negate interbreeding, and so on. The point is that they were self sufficient as far as they could be, perhaps trading with neighboring villages and swapping possible mates whether through joint religious or trading wheat for apples or rabbit hides for flint arrow points. The main point is that to THRIVE they needed wider and wider access to other products, cultures and opportunities. Those that did not did move around did not thrive, but died off; keep this concept in mind.

(Article by Alan Barton republished from AllNewsPipeline.com)

We could go into a huge discussion of the development of those villages into cities and into the causes and reasons of urbanization, but that is beyond this columns reach for now. Lets just say that the move from rural to urban centers of population is way past the breakeven point with urbanization having far surpassed the rural and even the suburban home numbers are falling as those homes are being destroyed to make way for yet larger massive high density housing and associated infrastructure. Historically the way out of this has been war and natural disaster including pestilence and famine, which seem to go together all too often. Ostensibly the reason that the WEF has been pushing the 15 minute city idea is to bring us back to those smaller self sufficient groupings of families, or the so-called it takes a village concept. On the simplest surface level that might seem to be a good option; go back to what works best. But things are not what they seem.

On the World Economic Forums website, a simple search indicates there are about 6,380 pages referencing Smart Cities and about 1,330 results on a 15 Minute Cities search. Those two concepts are not mutually exclusive, but rather are joined at the hip in many various ways. Much can be learned by perusing those articles, but we will not do so other than a few references here and there as there is so much glorious propaganda and double speak that makes them look like the end all for human existence from here on out. One such example is a white paper titled Governing Smart Cities: Policy Benchmarks for Ethical and Responsible Smart City Development published in July 2021 where they open up and give the reasons behind them; The COVID-19 pandemic has underscored the importance of resilience in societies across the world. The crisis has seen cities, in developed and developing nations alike, reaching for data and tools to get real-time intelligence and make targeted interventions to save lives. Digital tools are a step towards realizing the smart city that technologists have been anticipating for years.

Please note this phrase from that white paper; data and tools to get real-time intelligence and make targeted interventions. That is the real purpose of Smart Cities, to deprive you of any privacy and monitor your every move, thought and actions. To accommodate all of that data they have instituted 5G wireless communications to facilitate its disbursement to the authorities that claim to require it for enactment of whatever ideas are in their evil little minds. Smart Homes, Smart Cars, Smart Phones, completely integrated with all of your medical, financial, educational, family and friends associations; who you speak with, what you say, where you go, how you eat, how you use the restroom (ever heard of Smart Toilets?), how and what you peruse on the internet, what movies you watch, what music you listen to, what political policies you like or dislike and how you vote, and so much more including what you may be doing to avoid detection. Digital monies, cellphone tracking systems, the ability to turn the phones camera and mic on at any time remotely is already a common practice and they can detect where you are and who you are with using those devices. Not to mention for those that use burner phones to try to avoid such spying, they also have voice and facial recognition as well as spy balloons hovering over the US as well as spy aircraft both civil and government circling over many parts of the US where they think persons of interest may be. Watch some MonkeyWerx videos if you do not believe this fact.

So just what do Smart Cities have to do with 15 Minute Cities you might rightfully ask? Great question; please allow me to give some mumbled answer if I may. How, you may ask, can they better control where and with whom do you associate? How can they make it easier to keep track of so many billions of people worldwide and not plug up the data links with so many items, and to better control what they allow you to do based on the decisions that the AI computers that go over such vast quantities of data? Another great question that deserves some discussion; but first just what are those 15 minute cities we are referring to.

Most media outlets decry any malevolence or conspiracy concerning the subject; the hottest conspiracy theory of 2023 comes from an unlikely corner: town planning. This relates to the idea of the 15-minute city and has even gone so far as to be mentioned in UK parliament by an MP who called the idea an international socialist concept that will cost us our personal freedom and the 15-minute city itself is a simple idea. If you live in one, it means that everything you need to go about your daily lifeschool, doctors, shops, and so onis located no more than a 15-minute walk from your house. Sounds all well and good, but that is not the truth but is what the WEF and other secret societies push as their propaganda to get you to happily subsist in one. Are there presently any 15 minute cities around? Well  sort of is an accurate answer, but they are really trying hard to become so. Many cities claim they are converting into them, and so it may be best to show an example so lets look at one to better understand how it actually works.

Read more at: AllNewsPipeline.com
(Natural News) The dioxin-contaminated ground zero at East Palestine, Ohio could be cleaned up using mushrooms  with an earlier instance proving its effectiveness.

Almost 15 years before the Feb. 3, 2023 train derailment and chemical spill that ravaged the small town, the California Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) met with 90 people in April 2008. The meeting centered on cleaning up toxic hot spots in the former lumber mill in Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Just like East Palestine, the area had been tainted with the highly hazardous dioxin  a forever chemical with no safe level of exposure.

The meeting was convened to discuss how to clean up dioxin after high levels of it were detected in five plots of soil within the 420-acre mill owned by Georgia-Pacific. Attendees suggested conducting a pilot study using mushrooms in a process called bioremediation. While bioremediation using mushrooms had been utilized previously to clean up oil spills, it has not been done to treat dioxin contamination.

Although the dioxin at the former site of the lumber mill isnt the most polluted, there is very good evidence that chronic exposure to dioxin causes cancer, said Kimi Klein, a human health toxicologist with the DTSC.

Mycologist Paul Stamets explained how the technique will work during the April 2008 meeting. Putting straw and mushroom spawns on top of the toxic plots and leaving them alone to grow will degrade the chemicals. He told attendees that the spawn release a fine, threadlike web called mycelium that secretes enzymes acting like little Pac-Mans that break down molecular bonds.

Stamets suggested two dioxin-degrading mushroom species indigenous to Northern California for the endeavor  turkey tail mushrooms (Trametes versicolor) and oyster mushrooms (Pleurotus ostreatus). T. versicolor has ruffled edges and are made into a medicinal tea, while the domed-top P. ostreatus is frequently found in Asian cuisine.

Norfolk Southern must pay for cleanup efforts at disaster site

According to analysts, the use of mushrooms to clean up the polluted soil in East Palestine may be considered. Eric Coppolino, an investigative reporter, has urged for an immediate total evacuation of the town as the burning of vinyl chloride that spilled from the derailed train created dioxin byproducts. (Related: Eric Coppolino and the Health Ranger call for the TOTAL EVACUATION of East Palestine due to extremely toxic dioxin fallout that will poison the land and crops for GENERATIONS.)

But regardless of whatever method used to clean up the spill, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reiterated that Norfolk Southern Railway must pay for cleaning up the mess they created and for the trauma theyve inflicted on this community. The rail company owns the train involved in the accident and subsequent chemical spill.

EPA Administrator Michael Regan said Norfolk Southern would have to find and clean contaminated soil and water supplies and pay back the EPA for its own cleaning efforts, provide information online for residents and take part in public meetings at the EPAs request. Otherwise, the rail company will face additional fines of up to $70,000 a day on top of earlier penalties.

Also at a joint news conference, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said his office had referred criminal charges against the rail firm to the states top prosecutor, who must now make a decision on whether to press charges. He was joined by Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, who said Norfolk Southern needs to be made to pay for any medical costs stemming from the derailment and chemical spill.

Disaster.news has more updates on the East Palestine, Ohio train derailment.

Listen to the Health Ranger Mike Adams as he shares some tips on how to detoxify the body from dioxin exposure below.

This video is from the Health Ranger Report channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

Government orders Norfolk Southern to pay for train derailment cleanup costs (but the EPA still wont mention dioxins).

Joe Biden ignores ecological disaster in East Palestine, flies overseas to visit Ukraine instead while fake air raid siren blares overhead.

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.

Chlorinated dioxins are everywhere following East Palestine train incident, but toxicologists arent testing for them.

Sources include:

SFGate.com

BBC.com

Brighteon.com
(Natural News) Dr. Lee Merritt urged the American people not to buy into the hysteria following the Feb. 3 train crash in East Palestine, Ohio.

What happened in Ohio with the train crash, I dont believe this is an ecological disaster. Nor do I believe its a disaster for the local people like everyone thinks now, she said during the Feb. 22 episode of the Merritt Medical Hour on Brighteon.TV.

However, it could get a lot worse if we buy into hysteria thats not justified. What they are really after in this whole thing, in my opinion, is to take down our food supply and our land grant. Its a land grab because they are going to tell us things that arent true that cause people to panic.

According to Merritt, Americans need to understand that the East Palestine train crash is being used as a scare tactic because they are coming after the productive farmlands. She added that residents of the affected Ohio town need to be compensated because of the bad publicity and damage that the incident has inflicted on them.

Merritt, a former Navy physician and surgeon, also exhorted her viewers not to believe the lies of federal agencies that are out to take their farmland and livelihood. She ultimately remarked that the American people should never allow propaganda to destroy their world.

Dont believe them. The way we get our lives back is we get out of the system and we stop believing the hysteria demonstrations that they put on.

Toxic chemicals part of the derailed trains cargo

Merritt did acknowledge in her Brighteon.TV program that the Norfolk Southern railcars involved in the East Palestine accident contained tanks filled with toxic chemicals.

There were four railcars containing vinyl chloride that spilled and were burned later, producing dioxin. While burning trash also creates dioxin, she explained that this does not create a huge amount. The Agent Orange defoliant famously used in the jungles of Vietnam during the Vietnam War also belongs to the family of dioxins, Merritt added.

Aside from dioxin, the burning of the vinyl chloride also produced two other chemicals  phosgene and hydrochloric acid. She noted that the smell of hydrochloric acid lingered in the air for only a couple of days. There also was no acid rain as the derailment and spill was a very short-term event.

However, the other railcars contained ethylhexyl acrylate, isobutylene, butyl acrylates and ethylene glycol  the latter being used as antifreeze. Merritt remarked that ethylene glycol is probably the most toxic thing that leaked at the train crash site, as some people and animals die from ingesting it. (Related: Three more hazardous chemicals discovered at Norfolk Southern train derailment site in East Palestine.)

These chemicals are indeed toxic. But giving in to the scare tactic of the government could be more destructive in the long run.

Follow Pollution.news for more news about the East Palestine train derailment and chemical spill.

Watch the Feb. 22 episode of the Merritt Medical Hour below. The Merritt Medical Hour airs every Wednesday at 7-8 p.m. and Saturday at 2-3 p.m. on Brighteon.TV.

More related stories:

Company hired by Norfolk Southern to conduct toxicology test on train derailment chemical release accused of being a farce.

Family left coughing up blood, suffering other health symptoms following massive toxic cloud created by rail disaster in Ohio.

Chlorinated dioxins are everywhere following East Palestine train incident, but toxicologists arent testing for them.

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.

Dr. Stephen Soloway: Federal government covering up East Palestine toxic train disaster  Brighteon.TV.

Sources include:

Brighteon.com

DrLeeMerritt.com
(Natural News) The Dole Food Company has temporarily stopped production and distribution after falling victim to a cyberattack, causing a shortage of pre-packaged salad products in groceries.

Emanuel Lazopoulos, senior vice president at Doles fresh vegetables division, wrote in a Feb. 10 internal memo to retailers: Dole Food Company is in the midst of a cyber attack and has subsequently shut down our systems throughout North America. Our plants are shut down for the day and all our shipments are on hold. Please bear with us as we navigate our way and hopefully, we will minimize this event.

The notice, which was later obtained by fake news outlet CNN, followed complaints by customers about Doles salad products  which include salad blends, salad kits and ready-to-eat salads  being out of stock. The mainstream media network then ran a story on the shortage, which led to a company spokesman confirming the cyberattack.

Dole announced today that the company recently experienced a cybersecurity incident that has been identified as ransomware, spokesman William Goldfield stated in a Feb. 22 release. Upon learning of this incident, Dole moved quickly to contain the threat and engaged leading third-party cybersecurity experts, who have been working in partnership with Doles internal teams to remediate the issue and secure systems.

Goldfield also mentioned in the release that the company has already notified authorities about the incident and are cooperating with their investigation.

However, Goldfield refused to answer any questions regarding the length of time Dole was offline and whether a ransom was demanded. He also refused to answer whether the incident was disclosed to government regulators, only mentioning that there would be no comment beyond the official statement.

Not the first cyberattack on US food supply

Both the Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Department of Agriculture did not reply to requests for comment over the incident.

Meanwhile, supermarkets in Texas and New Mexico said they were unable to stock Dole salad kits on their shelves for days.

Jeff Russell, assistant manager of Clayton Ranch Market in New Mexico, said they have been short of salad kits since the beginning of last week. According to him, customers were upset but they cant do anything about it except put in the orders.

Mary Underwood, an employee at Stewarts Food Store in Olney, Texas, expressed the same sentiment as buyers already started asking questions about the bare shelves. To keep them updated, the store posted the Dole memo about the cyberattack on its Facebook page.

Dole was not the first company that fell to a cyberattack, however.

Back in 2021, a ransomware attack by alleged Russian-speaking hackers against meat producer JBS USA made the firm pay an $11 million ransom so that hackers would unlock their systems and avoid further disruption. According to the website SupplyChainDive, several grain cooperatives were also attacked by ransomware in the fall of 2021. (Related: Following rash of fires, FBI warns that food plants will be targeted with cyberattacks.)

Ransomware is not the only digital scam that has hit the food sector. According to federal agencies, cybercriminals have already stolen hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of shipments from U.S. food suppliers by placing fraudulent orders for milk products.

Check out Glitch.news for more news about cyber-attacks on food companies.

Watch this video about the cyberattack that crippled meat company JBS.

This video is from the Truth or Consequences channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

Food giant Dole temporarily halts U.S. production following ransomware cyberattack.

Cyber attacks now much more likely as Putin escalates ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Russia may be preparing massive cyberattack after announcing country will disconnect from global internet on March 11.

Biden regime claims Russia is about to unleash cyberattack against power plants, banks and water treatment facilities.

Sources include:

Edition.CNN.com

ZeroHedge.com

Dole.com

CyberSecurityDive.com

Brighteon.com
(Natural News) Some states in the United States would rather bring back child labor instead of giving adult workers better pay by introducing legislation that would allow teenagers to join the workforce to fill the growing number of vacant jobs.

Business Insider reported that the nation will start permitting children aged 14-17 into the workforce. This is aimed at alleviating the ongoing labor shortage in the country, but analysts say the move seems to gear toward undercutting the adult working class.

Lawmakers in Iowa and Minnesota proposed exceptions to child labor regulations last month. The proposed bills in these states would allow children to work more hours and protect employers from liabilities due to sickness or accidents, which could help specific industries like construction and meatpacking that are being hit hard in these states. According to recent data, Minnesota lost 90,000 workers alone during the pandemic, making it one of the tightest labor markets in the country. Iowa is not far behind with roughly 75,000 open jobs in December.

The corporate-backed politicians are seeking to solve the worker shortage by tapping children and not by offering more attractive pay or benefits. This initiative would target children in shaky economic situations, e.g., the kind of kids who need to work a job and dont have parents who can afford to give them money. The ethical concerns here are enormous, columnist and political commentator Bradley Blankenship wrote in an RT article.

He also pointed out the safety concerns arising from the legislation. Minnesota wants to see 16 and 17-year-olds allowed to work in construction, which can be a dangerous job. Iowa wants to see even younger children allowed to work in their meatpacking plants, which, at the height of the nations coronavirus outbreak, saw high caseloads and deaths, he added.

But the main problem is that the proposals undermine adult workers ability to organize for better pay. Blankenship stressed that expanding the workforce to include more teenagers, would kneecap those already in their positions and hinder their chances of getting the pay they deserve.

The answer to the labor shortage is not to harken back to 19th-century child labor norms, but to give workers a fair wage, decent working conditions and basic dignity, the journalist pointed out. It is a lack of these exact things that have, in part, driven the mass exodus of Americans from menial jobs in hopes of finding more lucrative opportunities. They deserve the right to do so, especially if the employers of blue-collar jobs are so unprincipled in utilizing child labor.

Child labor violations starting to increase again

Child labor violations have been on the rise again. They are still much lower than it was two decades ago, but experts are still troubled as the impending bill may have something to with it.

According to data from the Department of Labors Wage and Hour Division, the total number of violations has been constantly increasing since 2015. The Wage and Hour Division found 1,012 minors employed violating child labor laws, with an average of 1.9 per case. In 2022, that number more than tripled to 3,876, averaging 4.6 per case.

Were doing more outreach and education, which helps people recognize violations, said Jessica Looman, principal deputy administrator of the Wage and Hour Division. We also are doing more investigations.

Looman noted that most violations occur in places where its appropriate for minors to work  meaning teenagers are working too many hours at a grocery store or operating a fryer and staying too late at a fast-food chain.

In 2022, more than 100 kids across several McDonalds locations in Pennsylvania were illegally scheduled to work too many hours or too late at night. Subway, Burger King and Popeyes restaurants in South Carolina were fined for similar violations in 2022.

The company Packers Sanitation Services settled this month a $1.5 million fine for employing 102 children to work in dangerous meatpacking facility jobs across eight states. Also, Reuters revealed that children as young as 12, many of whom were migrants, were hired to work in a metal shop owned by Hyundai. (Related: Child labor in America: Dozens of teenagers are employed as slaughterhouse cleaners in Nebraska, Minnesota.)

However, as the labor market is tightening again, employers tend to prefer to fill jobs with minors, who tend to be cheaper and more docile workers, said Reid Maki, director of child labor advocacy for the National Consumers League and coordinator of the Child Labor Coalition.

At a time when they were saying there are labor shortages, they were finding kids that would do the work, Maki said. I think they felt that if they could get kids, they would take them.

Visit Enslaved.news for more stories related to child labor.

Watch the video below that talks about the Biden administration legalizing child labor to address the labor shortage.

This video is from the TIME WE HAVE LEFT channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

Large companies lobbying to hide import data that could link them to SLAVERY and CHILD LABOR.

McDonalds now resorting to child labor to resolve staffing issues.

Big Tech companies, electric car manufacturers profiting off child labor in Congo.

Sources include:

RT.com

BusinessInsider.com

NPR.org

KCUR.org

Brighteon.com
(Natural News) Are climate terrorists behind the latest spate of mysterious fires to occur at oil refineries, this time in both the United States and Mexico?

In case you missed it, three separate fires broke out all on the same day at three different oil refineries owned by Pemex, which operates both in the U.S. and Medico. Pemex is a state-owned oil company, and at least eight of its employees were injured in the fires  and five others are simply missing, strangely.

The independent media outlet Conservative Treehouse predicted all this last year, warning that people needed to watch Mexico in 2023, specifically with regards to oil production and energy issues. Well, it turns out they were right.

Three oil refinery fires at three different facilities on the same day  isnt good, the media outlet further reported. Because it just seems to be too coincidental to be coincidental.

(Related: Back in September, an oil refinery in Ohio caught fire and had to be shut down.)

Did the Biden regime attack Mexican energy as punishment for anti-green statements made last summer by President Andres Manuel Lopez-Obrador?

Nothing about these fires is coincidental when considering the anti-energy agenda of the deranged Left, which wants only green energy to persist. There is a powerful agenda at work that seeks to make oil and gasoline a thing of the past, after all.

These fires only emphasize the fact that cheap and abundant energy is under attack, particularly in Mexico which is the least excited of the North American countries to accept so-called green energy.

The U.S. and Canada are going to push every possible political pressure point in order to force Mexico to change energy policy, Conservative Treehouse reported last year. The stakes are high. It is going to be remarkable to watch what happens as this battle takes place.

Im not talking about little threats, or ordinary economic pressure points; watch closely how the U.S. threats are established. The ideologues around Joe Biden will seek to destroy AMLO (Andrew Manuel Lopez-Obrador) if he does not go along with the energy change effort.

Last summer, AMLO visited the White House and stated unequivocally from the Oval Office that Mexico would not be joining the U.S. and Canada in shutting down oil use and refining capacity, which is why gasoline prices in the two countries have skyrocketed.

We decided that while were waiting for prices of gasoline to go down in the United States, AMLO said to Biden, who scoffed at the notion and claimed at the time that gas prices across the U.S. had gone down for 30 days in a row.

The Pedophile-in-Chief was clearly upset by AMLOs statements, which several months later were followed by three separate refinery fires that appear to be retaliatory sabotage efforts by Biden and his climate brigade to punish AMLO and Mexico for resisting their green agenda.

Americans who live in border towns near Mexico are driving across the border to this very day to access cheap and abundant gasoline, which used to be a thing under previous presidencies  but not under fake president Joe Biden.

In Mexico right now, gasoline costs around $3.12 per gallon  this compared to a $4.78 average in the U.S. AMLO mentioned this publicly, encouraging Americans close to the border to buy Mexican gasoline, some of which is refined in Deer Park, Tex.

It turns out that Deer Park is the new destination for contaminated water to be dumped from the East Palestine, Ohio, train derailment and controlled explosion. Is this, too, punishment against Americans who dare to try to resist the green energy push by supporting cheaper gas prices?

Is North Americas infrastructure under attack? It would certainly seem so. To keep up with the latest, visit Conspiracy.news.

Sources for this article include:

LifeSiteNews.com

NaturalNews.com
Canada storm alerts have been issued by meteorologists amid the renewed threat of cold temperatures, heavy snow, and winter weather conditions. This comes a week after a winter storm caused widespread disruption to travel and daily activities.

Canada Storm Warnings

Canada storm alerts have been issued by local weather authorities as extreme winter weather conditions have again struck the country. Environment Canada issued snowfall, extreme cold warnings in two Atlantic provinces.

Storm warnings are in effect in Atlantic Canada as the wintry weather continued into the weekend. In Nova Scotia, most southwestern areas of the province is expected to experience up to 20 centimeters of snow in the Yarmouth and Shelburne counties, as reported by The Canadian Press and cited by Global News Canada.

The Canadian weather agency states snowfall is expected to continue by early this week, warning that visibility could become poor during heavy snow and drivers should take precaution for dangerous road conditions.

Last week, a winter storm gripped several parts of Canada, leading to the cancellation of flights, suspension of classes, and power outages. Thousands of residential and business establishments lost power in the Windsor-Essex region of Ontario, according to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC).

Also Read: Weather Forecast: Atlantic Canada, East Coast to Expect Dangerous Cold, Sea-Effect Snow This Weekend

Arctic Air Mass

Environment Canada stated the cold air present over the Atlantic Canada is due to an arctic air mass hovering above the province, which will experience extreme cold weather with wind chills overnight from Sunday to Monday, affecting inland areas, in particular, as cited by the Canadian media.

The presence of an arctic air in Canada is not uncommon. Since January 2023, a polar vortex has shifted southward into North America, bringing cold air mass from the Arctic and North Pole region. Meteorologists have reported the weather phenomenon is responsible for triggering multiple winter storms in the current North American winter season.

In the United States, the arctic air mass has brought extreme cold weather, blizzard conditions, and winter storms in the northern tier of the country over the past month. In particular, a "dangerous arctic air" returned to the Northern Plains and Upper Midwest following a hiatus, CNN reported on January 28.

Disrupted Polar Vortex

On February 16, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) stated that a disrupted polar vortex causes sudden stratospheric warming (SSW) event as of February 2023. This comes after significant lows were reported in early January, triggering temperatures in the Arctic stratosphere to rapidly rise.

The stratosphere is Earth's second atmospheric layer and is above the troposphere, another part of the atmosphere where we live. While, SSW pertains to the abrupt rise of temperatures, it also causes the opposite since it affects other areas of the atmosphere.

The NOAA said the coming days will see the stratospheric polar vortex, a group of strong westerly winds that forms in the stratosphere between 10 and 30 miles above the North Pole each winter, will be dethroned at the top of the world as stratosphere temperatures continue to rise.

Related Article: Major Winter Storm to Unload in Parts of Canada, Ontario Causing Widespread Power Outages, Travel Delays This Week
South Africa: Minister describes US Embassy 'prepper' warning as 'odd'

International Relations and Cooperation Minister, Dr Naledi Pandor, has described the prepper warning issued by the US Embassy in South Africa to stock up on food and water as the country continues to rollout load shedding as odd.

This comes after the US government warned its citizens in South Africa to ensure that they have the necessary medicine, 72 hours worth of supplies at home by stocking non-perishable food, three litres of water per person per day and first aid supplies.

I found it rather surprising and odd. I dont recall such alerts being issued when California had similar blackouts and outages to South Africa.

I find it a rather odd warning. But there has been rather many of these warnings and none of which is warned about has come to fruition.

Pandor spoke on the sidelines of the Uganda State Visit at the Union Buildings in Tshwane.

On the Russia-Ukraine war, Pandor reiterated that South Africa is not neutral but favours peace and diplomacy.

Were against war because it brings harm. The position that we have adopted is one that says, 'let us find the road to peace'. We believe that diplomacy will indeed eventually win the days tragic and that lives will have to be lost before we realise we should get around the table and a negotiated settlement.

As for Africa, the Minister said it will continuously play a role in the African Union (AU) and stress the need for diplomacy.

The Minister told the media that President Cyril Ramaphosa and his Uganda counterpart, President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, will discuss the ongoing war as both leaders have an interest in supporting the two parties coming together to find a resolution.

She also weighed in on the 12-point Chinese peace plan for the Russia-Ukraine war.

I regard it as a prelude because having been in negotiations, I know its very difficult for parties outside of the conflict to set the terms. It has to be the parties themselves. But what you can do is use convening power, which we have been calling for, that we have a set of leaders that can draw Russia and Ukraine to the table and we believe the United Nations must play a leading role in that process.  SAnews.gov.za

This story has been published on: 2023-02-28. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
The Commonwealth Observer Groups Chairperson Thabo Mbeki speaks during visits to several situation rooms in Abuja to hear from analysts on how women, persons with disabilities, elderly people and other vulnerable groups were taking part in the elections across Nigeria.

press release

Nigerias 2023 general elections were largely peaceful despite administrative and logistical hurdles at many polling units, according to an independent group of Commonwealth observers.

The Chairperson of the Commonwealth Observer Group, former President of South Africa H.E. Thabo Mbeki, delivered his teams preliminary assessment of the electoral process at a press conference in Abuja on 27 February, saying: Nigerians were largely accorded the right to vote.

Addressing the journalists, President Mbeki said: We congratulate all Nigerians for their determination, patience and resilience displayed throughout the electoral process.

As Nigeria waits for the final results, he encouraged all Nigerians to exercise patience to allow the countrys Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and its staff to conclude the results process peacefully.

We call on all those with grievances to address disputes through prescribed legal channels, President Thabo Mbeki said. The time now is for restraint and continued patience as we await the final results.

He commended the commitment shown by voters, despite the late arrival of election officials and materials at many polling units, technical issues with biometric identification machines in some cases, and delays with the live results transmission system.

President Mbeki also praised the polling officials for conducting their duties diligently, while noting some inconsistencies in procedures, particularly in the positioning of some polling booths which compromised the secrecy of the ballot as well as lack of advance voting for those deployed on election day.

Delivering the groups preliminary assessment, he expressed that as voting hours extended into the night due to late openings, some polling units were ill-equipped with proper lighting to facilitate voting and counting in the dark.

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Considering the challenges, the President encouraged the electoral commission to conduct a thorough post-election review of the electoral process to draw lessons and consider setting up appropriate mechanisms to implement the recommendations of observers.

The chairperson also noted an improvement with the enactment of a new Electoral Act in 2022, which gave the electoral commission more autonomy, legal backing for the use of electronic accreditation of voters and frameworks for the inclusion of people with disabilities in the elections, among other things.

Noting the low percentage of women candidates, the group was, however, impressed by the vibrant participation of young people, including as polling officials, in the elections.

Commonwealth observers were in Benue, Edo, Kano, Lagos, Ondo, Rivers and Sokoto states as well as the Federal Capital Territory.

They observed the accreditation, voting, counting and results aggregation, and met with electoral officials and observers to build up a broader picture on the conduct of the electoral process.

The Commonwealth Observer Group was constituted by the Commonwealth Secretary-General, the Rt Hon Patricia Scotland KC at the invitation of Nigerias Independent National Electoral Commission.

Before leaving Nigeria on 2 March, the group will complete its final report, setting out its recommendations, which will be submitted to the Commonwealth Secretary-General at a later stage.

Read the Commonwealth Observer Group's Interim Statement
A specialist claims that Solar Cycle 25 is about to begin and that additional flares and solar storms should be anticipated.

A solar flare on Friday, February 17, as part of the sun's eruption, was captured by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory spacecraft in an ultraviolet image.

Thomas Berger, a solar physicist from the University of Colorado, said that by no means was the most recent solar flare the biggest in history, nevertheless, it was a significant X flare. The letter "X" stands for the intensity classification system for solar flares, which ranges from weak A-class flares to powerful X-class flares.

According to Berger, solar flares of that size typically result in some radio interference on the side of the Earth that faces the sun for an hour or two. By comparison, the strongest solar flare ever recorded was over a hundred times more powerful. It happened in 2003. As a result, this one was relatively mild and did not pose any major issues.

Solar Cycle 25

The three main types of solar-eruption activity-solar flares, coronal mass ejections, and radiation storms-are described by Berger as increasing in frequency over the coming years. According to NASA's article from 2022, the rising phase of Solar Cycle 25 predicts an increase in solar eruption activity.

The peak of this cycle, known as the solar maximum is predicted to occur by 2025. Which could dramatically impact planned space activities, such as the increasing constellations of low-Earth orbit satellites.

The phrase Solar Cycle 25 pertains to the 25 cycles that have taken place since 1755 when scientists first started keeping meticulous records of sunspots.

National Weather Service notes that the latest solar maximum happened in April 2014.

Powerful Magnetic Fields

These magnetic fields cycle in and out of activity over 11 years for reasons that astronomers are still unsure of. The cycle also affects the sunspots, which are dark patches on the star's surface; more spots appear as the sun approaches solar maximum.

Sunspots, according to Berger, are the cause of solar magnetic eruptions, and as the sun becomes more active, sunspot numbers and size increase.

The current solar cycle so far stands out in a significant way because it is currently more active than predicted by organizations like the Space Weather Prediction Center by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, with much more sunspots manifesting on the sun than predicted.

Berger said that because it is still early and could regress to that weak forecast at any time, it is uncertain if it will stay more active than the forecast.

Possible Solar Eruptions 2025

Geomagnetic storms resulting from solar eruptions can potentially harm ground-based electronics, and with the rising number of satellites and technological advancements in space, the dangers posed are greater today than in 1989.

While efforts are underway to enhance the accuracy and precision of solar eruption forecasting, the lack of real-time data assimilation in Earth's upper atmosphere simulation remains a challenge.

The impact of geomagnetic storms on satellites and electrical operations on the ground remains uncertain, but reliable forecasting is crucial for future space missions, including NASA's plans to explore the moon and Mars.

Also Read: Most Active Regions of Sun to Face Earth, Expect Increased Chances of Various Space Weather Events, Experts Say

Effects on Life on Earth

Solar eruptions can cause geomagnetic storms that can damage electronics on the ground, and with the increasing number of satellites and technology in space, the risks are higher today than in 1989.

Scientists and researchers are working to improve the accuracy and detail of solar eruption forecasting, but it is still a challenge due to the lack of real-time data assimilation in the Earth's upper atmosphere simulation.

The ability to predict the impact of geomagnetic storms on satellites and electrical operations on the ground is still uncertain, but accurate forecasting is critical for future space missions, such as NASA's plan to go to the moon and Mars.

The sun will continue to rise toward its solar maximum in 2025 the meantime.

The sun will continue to rise until it reaches its maximum in 2025. Berger predicts that a significant eruption could start to affect the Earth at any point from now to 2028, possibly 2029. Daily life won't likely be affected, but NASA as well as satellite operators will have to pay attention to the sun, PopSci reports.

Related Article: Intense X-Class Solar Flare Causes South Pacific Radio Blackout In Sunspot's Second Firing This Week


The famous walrus species 'Thor' became an instant audience hit after visiting the United Kingdom and New England. Recent reports revealed that it was likely to arrive in Iceland.

When Thor arrived at the British waters, Britons began to visit him at Hamspire in December. The excitement of rare animals visiting the UK was a chance for picture-taking and nature appreciation.

Thor's sightings near Iceland

According to The Guardian and BBC reports, the energetic Walrus Thor was spotted near Breidalsvik in Iceland (Friday) after being last seen in British waters.

According to World Wildlife Fund (WWF), the Walrus has the scientific name Odobenus rosmarus. They can weigh from 400 to 1800 kg.

They can are considered vulnerable by the IUCN Red List.

They are look-alike of seals and sea lions, but male and female walruses have prominent long tusks.

Like other aquatic animals, walruses migrate from coast t- coast, swimming around 100m to catch their prey.

They can live up to 40 years. However, climate change is the main threat to the Walrus population. WWF added that their species are vulnerable to noise and disturbance

Meanwhile, the Guardian reported that the British Divers Marine Life Rescue confirmed that the found Walrus was Thor.

The Marine Life Rescue was delighted, knowing Thor managed to move to Iceland.

As mentioned by WWF, walruses are susceptible to disturbance and noise. As a result, the New Year's fireworks were canceled as it could disturb the visiting Thor.

Effects of climate change

On the contrary, the migration of walruses is also concerning. Reports said that climate change had been the main concern that affects walruses.

Recently, CNN and The Guardian reported that January's temperatures in Europe recorded exceptionally warm temperatures.

The reports noted the effect of climate change on warming events.

Furthermore, the CNBC report explained that the arrival and return of the El Nino phenomenon could unleash hotter temperatures.

The La Nina phenomenon has helped reduce the impact of hotter temperatures. As La Nina ends, it is expected that global temperatures could soar.

Also Read: Rare Appearance: Giant Pacific Octopus Swims in Tide Pools in Northwestern Oregon

The report added that the El Nino event could significantly affect weather and global temperatures, unleashing hotter to extreme conditions.

The growing threat of climate change and extreme temperatures could impact animals' survival. Animals not used to extreme temperatures could find it challenging to thrive.

More facts about Walrus

Walruses are amazing animals that migrate from place to place. According to AZ Animals, the walrus population has two subspecies:

Altlantic Warus

Pacific Walrus

According to WWF, the population of Atlantic Walrus could reach up to 25,000. Meanwhile, the Pacific Walrus could reach 200,000.

Meanwhile, AZ Animals that Pacific Walruses thrive in East Siberian Seas, Laptev and Bering waters. They like to eat fish, crabs, shrimp and other small sea animals.

Furthermore, polar bears and orca whales are the main predators that target young walruses.

Related Article: How Labyrinthine Shape in Lake Saimaa Helps Save Endangered Saimaa Ringed Seal From Population Decline

For more similar stories, don't forget to follow Nature News.
Researchers from Curtin University believe rising sea temperatures are to blame for the decline in the number of invertebrates like mollusks and sea urchins on Rottnest Island, off Western Australia's coast some species declining by up to 90% between 2007 and 2021.

Adjunct Professor Fred Wells of Curtin's School of Molecular and Life Sciences, the study's lead author, stated that the west end of Rottnest Island has experienced a "catastrophic decline" in biodiversity.

Marine heatwaves decimate sea urchins

"We have been monitoring the biodiversity of marine molluscs and echinoderms on rocky reefs at Rottnest Island, Cottesloe, Trigg Point, and Waterman since 1982," Professor Wells explained, as per ScienceDaily.

Despite being designated as sanctuary zones with the highest level of protection from human activity, the researchers discovered that Radar Reef and Cape Vlamingh on Rottnest Island experienced a catastrophic decline in biodiversity between 2007 and 2021, most likely due to exposure to the warm Leeuwin Current.

The metropolitan coastline, on the other hand, which is not influenced by the Leeuwin Current, was discovered to have well-preserved biodiversity and species richness.

Overall, the rocky reefs at Rottnest Island's west end have been severely depleted, with biodiversity and mollusc density declining by 90% or more.

Professor Wells stated that a series of marine heatwaves on WA's west coast in recent years that resulted in abnormally high ocean temperatures had a negative impact on the area's marine plant and animal populations.

Radar Reef and Cape Vlamingh had a mix of tropical, temperate, and WA endemic species, according to our surveys in 1982 and 2007.

Wells expected increased sea temperatures to increase the proportion of tropical species, but this did not occur at the West End of Rottnest, where all three groups declined significantly.

Also Read: How Red Sea Urchin Populations in Northern and Southern California Are Adapted To Different Environmental Changes

Loss of marine biodiversity

Marine heatwaves have doubled in frequency, becoming longer-lasting, more intense, and more widespread.

According to the IPCC, human activity is the primary cause of the observed increase in ocean heat since the 1970s.

Between 2006 and 2015, the majority of heatwaves occurred, resulting in widespread coral bleaching and reef degradation.

Nearly 60% of the world's ocean surface experienced at least one spell of marine heatwaves in 2021.

According to the UN Environment Programme, if the water continues to warm, all of the world's coral reefs will bleach by the end of the century.

Coral bleaching occurs when reefs are stressed and lose their life-sustaining microscopic algae.

The most recent global bleaching event began in 2014 and lasted until 2017, spreading across the Pacific, Indian, and Atlantic oceans.

The risk of irreversible loss of marine and coastal ecosystems increases as temperatures rise.

Today, widespread changes have been observed, including coral reef and mangrove damage and species migration to higher latitudes and altitudes where the water may be cooler.

According to the most recent UN Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization estimates, more than half of the world's marine species may be extinct by 2100.

With a 1.1C increase in temperature today, an estimated 60% of the world's marine ecosystems have already degraded or are being used in an unsustainable manner.

A 1.5C increase threatens to destroy 70% to 90% of coral reefs, while a 2C increase means a nearly 100% loss.

Related article: Sea Urchins Are Munching Kelp for Survival That Causes Ecological Imbalance
Recent research conducted a successful recording of brain activity and waves of a free-moving octopus.

The study will help observe the intelligence and behavior of the sea creature.

The study title is Recording Electrical Activity from the Brain of Behaving Octopus, with the study findings published in the Current Biology journal.

Researchers said it is considered the first recording from a free-moving octopus using electrodes implanted into the octopus's brain and using a data logger.

Observing octopus behavior and intelligence

The study report can also be read on the Phys.org website.

The report said that they looked into the Octopus cynea as an ideal model for the study.

According to the Animal Diversity Web website, Octopus cynea is also known as the big blue octopus, thriving in arts of the Red Sea, Hawaiian Islands, and Indian and Pacific Oceans.

The report added that the species of octopus could live in sandy, rocky or muddy beds or bodies of water.

They grow fast, but their life span is short-lived, reaching 12 to 15 months.

The species are also known as diurnal hunters, moving from one den to another.

According to the report, Dr. Tamar Gutnick explained the importance of octopus in studying the brain.

Dr. Tamar is also the study's first author.

Meanwhile, the study published in Current Biology added that octopuses are considered intelligent invertebrates with eight noticeable arms.

Dr. Tamar added that octopuses have a large brains, showing advanced cognitive abilities that become ideal for research and observation.

The research explained that measuring the brainwaves from a moving octopus is challenging.

The researchers had to ensure that the mechanism or equipment would not disturb the octopus because it could remove it from its body.

So what do the researchers do?

Although octopus could become elusive, the report added that researchers designed comfortable and small data loggers.

The equipment is considered lightweight and waterproof, mainly because the octopus stays underwater.

The study explained that the process became essential in observing and understanding an octopus's unique behavior and brain system.

Also Read: Popular Walrus 'Thor' Arrives in Iceland After Visiting New England, UK

After the researchers inserted the equipment, they began to monitor the octopus activity after resting for about 12 hours.

The study concluded that they observed brain activity and noticeable patterns that seemed the same with other mammals.

Meanwhile, the researchers said the same process could be done to other free-moving octopuses.

Part of the steps is to unlock the brain activity patterns found in the video.

More facts about octopuses

Meanwhile, the National History Museum's website explained that octopuses are very clever.

Octopuses have eight arms. Part of the arm has its brain that makes the octopus react and function faster.

The report added that octopuses are equipped with amazing optic lobes, showing significant to recognize objects.

Furthermore, Nature World News (NWN) and a recent US Department of the Interior post revealed a giant Pacific Octopus swimming across the tidepools in Northwestern Oregon.

Luke Smith from the Bureau of Land Management managed to film the agile giant Pacific octopus.

Related Article: Rare Appearance: Giant Pacific Octopus Swims in Tide Pools in Northwestern Oregon

For more similar stories, don't forget to follow Nature News.
An ocean of magma covered the planet's surface and extended thousands of miles deep into its core early in its formation.

The rate at which that "magma ocean" cooled influenced the formation of distinct layers within the Earth as well as the chemical composition of those layers.

Previous research estimated that the magma ocean solidified over hundreds of millions of years, but new research from Florida State University published in Nature Communications reduces these large uncertainties to less than a couple of million years.

Mysteries of the Earth

"This magma ocean has been an important part of Earth's history," said Mainak Mookherjee, an associate professor of geology in the Department of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Science, as per ScienceDaily.

When magma cools, crystals form. The location of those crystals is determined by the viscosity of the magma and the relative density of the crystals.

Denser crystals are more likely to sink, changing the composition of the remaining magma.

The rate at which magma solidifies is determined by its viscosity.

A magma ocean with less viscous consistency will cool faster, whereas a magma ocean with a thicker consistency will take longer to cool.

Previous studies, like this one, used fundamental physics and chemistry principles to simulate the high pressures and temperatures in the Earth's deep interior.

Experiments are also used by scientists to simulate these extreme conditions.

These experiments, however, are limited to lower pressures found at shallower depths within the Earth.

They don't fully capture the scenario that existed in the planet's early history when the magma ocean extended to depths where pressure was likely three times greater than what experiments can reproduce.

To overcome these constraints, Mookherjee and his colleagues ran their simulation for up to six months in FSU's high-performance computing facility and a National Science Foundation computing facility.

This eliminated a large portion of the statistical uncertainty in previous work.

"Because Earth is a big planet, pressure at depth is likely to be very high," said Suraj Bajgain, a former FSU postdoctoral researcher who is now a visiting assistant professor at Lake Superior State University.

Even if the researchers knew the viscosity of magma at the surface, theu don't know the viscosity hundreds of kilometers beneath the surface and finding that is extremely difficult.

The study also contributed to understanding the chemical diversity found in the Earth's lower mantle.

Lava samples from ridges at the bottom of the ocean floor and volcanic islands, such as Hawaii and Iceland crystallize into basaltic rock with similar appearances but distinct chemical compositions, a situation that has long been observed.

The origin of chemical diversity in the mantle can be successfully explained by a low-viscosity magma ocean in Earth's early history.

Less viscous magma caused the crystals suspended within it to separate more quickly, a process known as fractional crystallization.

Instead of a uniform composition, this resulted in a mix of different chemistry within the magma.

Also Read: Future Volcanic Eruption Imminent as Magma Chamber Grows Under Mediterranean Volcano [Study]

Magma Oceans Are Quite Common

Magma oceans appear to be a common result of large rocky body formation processes.

Small planetesimals and embryos can form in the protoplanetary disc on very short time scales, incorporating significant amounts of short-lived radionuclides like 26Al and 60Fe that can generate enough heat to partially melt many of these objects, as per The Royal Society.

According to models, the asteroid 4 Vesta, which is the source of the howardite-eucrite-diogenite (HED) meteorites, went through a magma ocean stage as a result of such brief heating.

Many iron meteorites, which are most likely the remains of differentiated planetesimals, have ages of only about 1 Myr after the formation of the Solar System, indicating very early, short-lived magma oceans.

Larger objects, such as the Earth, take so long to build that short-lived radionuclides cannot provide enough heating to melt them.

Significant heating can result from accretionary impacts and gravitational segregation of metallic iron into the planet's core for these larger, later-assembling bodies.

Giant impacts appear to be common in N-body simulations of rocky planet formation, and they are likely to cause widespread melting, which can lead to silicate and metal differentiation.



Related article: Analyzing Volcanic Gases Can Help Us Evade Disaster by Understanding Magma
According to the latest weather forecasts, freezing conditions and heavy snow are expected to unload in the United Kingdom (UK) this March.

February became troublesome for Britons after heavy snow and freezing conditions unloaded in parts of the United Kingdom, causing significant power outages and travel delays.

Recently, The Guardian reported that parts of Europe recorded warmer January this year.

Although the winter season could become warmers, motorists and homeowners could still expect snow and possibly winter storms.

Freezing temperatures and heavy snow

Weather reports show chilly conditions and potential snow are expected this March.

According to the Daily Express' latest report, wintry weather conditions would unfold next month, bringing significant snow and challenging winds.

The weather report explained the possible impact of the sudden stratospheric warming (SSW) on the weather conditions in the UK.

Meanwhile, the Mirror UK reported that parts of the UK could reach subzero temperatures, especially at night.

Scotland could also notice colder to freezing temperatures.

During the first week of March, there is a chance that temperatures could become challenging, especially in parts of Scotland.

In addition, the Met Office reported that cloudy conditions are expected in parts of Southwest England on Tuesday.

At night, the forecast said northwest Scotland could experience patchy frost.

On Wednesday, the weather forecast said cloudy and potentially scattered rain showers could unload in the central and eastern UK.

From Thursday to Saturday, motorists and homeowners could expect frost conditions at night.

There is also a possibility of freezing rain this week.

Next week, the Met Office reported that cold conditions weather outlook could likely emerge in parts of the UK.

Homeowners could also notice wintry weather conditions with snow.

Also Read: Active Storm Pattern Likely to Hit Southern Central, Eastern United States; Widespread Travel Delays Possible

In the United States, the National Weather Service (NWS) reported that the Northeast could likely experience heavy snow and troublesome winds this week that could lead to multiple road hazards.

Colder weather preparations

Weather forecasts explained the possible colder to freezing conditions in the UK until next week.

Snow could also result in power outages and slower commutes.

As a result, homeowners and car owners should prepare for possible extreme temperatures this March.

Cold-related health risks are possible during challenging weather conditions, including hypothermia and frostbite.

Here are essential reminders for March's weather outlook.

Keep updated with the weather conditions.

Motorists and homeowners should always consider the weather conditions before planning to travel next week.

It is best to cancel your travel when the weather worsens.

Check your home and winter equipment.

Whether the weather could worsen this March, homeowners should always stay prepared for snowstorms and winter storms.

The month of February recorded severe weather conditions in the UK.

Homeowners should check their roofing systems and house for possible damages and repairs.

Meanwhile, it is best to ensure that homes have enough layered winter clothes and emergency kits, especially since winter storms could result in prolonged power outages and colder conditions.

Related Article: Weather Updates: Severe Tornado Outbreaks Cause Power Outages, 12 Injuries, Property Damage in Texas, Kansas, and Oklahoma

For more similar, don't forget to follow Nature World News.
Nigeria's presidential and federal legislative elections, which took place over the past weekend, were a mix of experiences for voters. While many voted safely despite delays, some experienced logistical failures and problems with voting materials.

More disturbingly, others that we spoke to, like Bina Jennifer Efidi, who lives in the battleground state of Lagos, faced violence at the polls.

When Efidi set out on Saturday, she was eager to vote and optimistic that she would cast her ballot with relative ease at the assigned polling unit near her home in Surulere, Lagos. She arrived at 9 a.m., happy to see people voting in a calm environment, and joined the people waiting in line to vote.

But two hours later she had a bloodied face and deep cuts around her right eye and cheek after a group of men attacked her polling unit with guns and other weapons and struck her with a sharp object she could not identify. She told me the men succeeded in disrupting voting, as voters and poll workers scampered for safety and voting materials were destroyed.

Ahead of the elections, Nigerian authorities stated they had put measures in place to ensure adequate security. Yet when alerted to election violence, the Nigeria Police Force public relations officer suggested that unarmed police officers at polling units could do nothing in such situations.

Nigeria's elections have historically been fraught with violence and abuses. The 2019 general elections were marred by attacks from government security officers and thugs acting on behalf of politicians. Calls for authorities to make justice and accountability a priority have yielded little or no results.

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Prior to this weekend's elections, Human Rights Watch and others called on the authorities to put in place early warning systems and adequate response mechanisms to ensure voters at the polls would be safe. But the experiences of citizens like Efidi indicate the huge gaps that continue to exist for many voters. Incidents such as this were reported across Lagos and in other states including Rivers, Kogi, Edo, and Imo.

Still, Efidi refused to give up her right to vote. After leaving the hospital, where she received multiple stitches, she returned to the polling unit when calm had been restored and cast her vote.

Elections should not be a risky affair where citizens like Efidi put their lives at risk to vote and have a say in their country's future. Nigerian authorities need to do more to provide safety and security at the polls.

Anietie Ewang, Researcher, Africa Division
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Technology is enhancing healthcare in Nigeria, as demonstrated by the use of GIS mapping in Kano State to improve vaccinators' performance and address the resurgence of polio cases. GRID3 has built on the success of the GIS intervention introduced in 2012, utilising maps for effective polio and non-polio campaigns in the state.

In March 2013, a group of 170 vaccination team supervisors gathered at the Sharada Primary Healthcare Centre (PHC) in Kano Municipal Local Government Area (LGA), Kano State to collect vaccines and toolkits for the implementation of the intensified supplementary immunisation activities (SIAs) in the LGA. With several years of immunisation campaign experience under their belts, Shamsiyya Ibrahim, 35, and Ummi Abubakar, 29, two of the supervisors at the PHC, were no strangers to the challenges of conducting immunisation campaigns in the state.

However, this four-day polio immunisation exercise was different because it was one of the first of many to be carried out with the aid of a geospatial information system (GIS). The GIS is a technology that maps out locations that require vaccines and how many people must be vaccinated in each location. By the end of the campaign, each team had successfully met their target of attending to 80 to 120 households per day. According to Shamsiyya, in the past, they often had to conduct frequent community visits after each vaccination campaign due to poor implementation.

Introducing GIS Mapping to Kano State

In 2012, the Public Health Services and Solutions (PHSS) in partnership with the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) and the World Health Organization (WHO), with support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, introduced the GIS to collect geospatial data in Kano State and in 10 other polio high-risk states in Nigeria.

Two years after Kano State adopted the use of GIS technology in its vaccination campaigns, in 2014, the state reported and isolated its last wild polio case in Rimi Ward, Sumaila LGA. Dr. Shehu Abdullahi, the Kano State Immunisation Officer (SIO), believes that the use of GIS mapping contributed to this remarkable feat.

Maps, efficient planning, and effective implementation

"The programme aims to increase accountability in vaccination campaigns and improve access to services by providing updated and "accurate" information on settlements and population." Nazir Halliru, Country Manager, GRID3 Nigeria

Five innovative solutions were put in place to achieve the programme objectives: GIS ward maps, a geospatial tracking system (GTS), a microplanning tool, tally sheet, and daily implementation plan (DIP) template. The DIP template includes entries such as the names of the settlements and an estimated number of residents; the number of people to vaccinate, the date of coverage; logistics; and places to visit.

Using statistical models based on satellite imagery, data from an estimated number of settlements, buildings and population within 100 by 100-meter grid cells, maps were produced. The maps grouped settlements within a one-kilometer radius of one another and were useful in polio and non-polio campaigns throughout the state, replacing the traditional method of hand-drawn maps.

The vaccination teams use the information provided by the maps to populate the DIP templates, during every round of community visits.

Rabiu Muktar, a cold chain officer, said the microplanning tool has been very useful because it enables him to efficiently allocate vaccines and other resources to the vaccination teams to ensure that all target populations are reached during campaigns.

Improved coverage and staff performance tracking

Dr. Abdullahi revealed that prior to the GIS mapping intervention, data falsification was common, leading to a lot of wasted vaccines. "In recent campaigns in Kano, we have recorded a massive improvement in coverage," he said, adding that "with each campaign round, coverage of the target population of children under the age of one has increased significantly to approximately 3 to 4 million infants."

A vaccination team is made up of a team supervisor, a vaccinator, and a community leader. At each household they visit, the supervisor uses the DIP template to ask five crucial interpersonal communication (IPC) questions, including, number of children in the household, their whereabouts, and their vaccination status. If the children are present, the vaccinator would administer the vaccine by administering two drops orally; otherwise, the house will be marked for a return visit. The team supervisor uses the tally sheet to record the number of children who have been vaccinated.

Team supervisors are equipped with a mobile phone with GTS installed to track their movements between households. The device records the team's real-time location at two-minute intervals. During the polio campaign, the tracker provided daily updates on the locations, where vaccinations were administered. At the end of each campaign activity, the ward focal person presents the GTS records to the local immunisation officer (LIO) at the LGA level who verifies the coverage of each ward and plans follow-up activities as needed to ensure full coverage of all areas.

The implementation of GIS technology in Kano and other states in Nigeria was a significant step towards improving the collection and analysis of geographic data in the country. Following the successful implementation in 2017, the Geo-reference Infrastructure Demographic Data for Development (GRID3) programme was launched to expand the use of GIS technology to the remaining 25 states and the Federal Capital Territory.

The GRID3 programme is a partnership between the Nigerian government, the World Bank, and other development partners. The programme aims to increase the availability and use of geospatial data to support evidence-based decision-making in health, education, agriculture, and other critical sectors of the economy.

All geospatial data generated by GRID3 from multiple data sources in Nigeria is currently managed by the National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA).

Supporting non-polio immunisation campaigns

In October 2022, GRID3 partnered with Nigeria's National Malaria Elimination Programme (NMEP) to distribute insecticide-treated nets (ITNs) in Kano State. Previously, the registration process was done manually, which resulted in missing settlements. To improve the process, 484 ward-level maps were created by GRID3 and NMEP, indicating the number of households, ITNs required, and distribution hubs per health catchment area, ensuring adequate resource allocation to control malaria spread. GRID3 also helped with the COVID-19 vaccination in Kano State.

Digital microplanning training for trainers

To strengthen the capacity of health officials to use the maps, GRID3 conducts two-day training for state-level health officials for each routine immunisation and SIA campaign round. The state is expected to replicate the training at the LGA and ward levels, however, it has been challenging scaling down the training effectively due to a lack of resources to deploy training personnel to all 44 LGAs in the state, Halliru revealed.

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Taking ownership of the process

Although verified satellite imagery were used to create the maps, state officials noted that some settlements were not included. As a result, "we hold reconciliation meetings of the missing settlements prior to the implementation of the campaign with community leaders, ward focal persons, and team supervisors," said Dr. Abdullahi. During the meeting, the names of settlements are called out and community leaders confirm which settlements fall under their wards. This way the baseline data for all the settlements is kept up to date with accurate information.

According to Halliru, other pieces of information on the ward-level maps produced by GRID3 aren't 100% accurate. "What the team may have on their tally sheets and DIP templates may be more up to date than the maps. This is why the teams may also, at some point, have to update the maps we provided them with." As a result, GRID3 hopes for greater participation from the state officials in providing feedback on the accuracy of the data they receive. This is critical because the accuracy of data generated by GRID3 is instrumental to the success of any immunisation campaign in the state.

Halliru disclosed that GRID3 is currently developing another tool, the Geospatial Microplanning Toolkit (GMT), which is designed to improve the ability of health workers across the country to collect, process, and disseminate high-quality geospatial data using digital data rather than paper maps.

Overall, the GRID3 programme is an important step towards achieving sustainable development in Nigeria. By improving the availability and use of geospatial data, the programme can support evidence-based decision-making and improve the effectiveness and efficiency of development interventions in the country.
Former Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta speaks at a briefing by African Union and ECOWAS Heads of Missions, presenting their preliminary statements on the findings and recommendations of observations of the Nigerian 2023 elections.

document

I. INTRODUCTION

1. The people of the Federal Republic of Nigeria went to the polls on 25 February 2023 to elect their President and Members of the National Assembly. This was the seventh successive general elections since the return to multiparty democracy in 1999.

2. The Chairperson of the African Union Commission deployed an Election Observation Mission led by His Excellency Uhuru Muigai Kenyatta, former President of the Republic of Kenya. The Short-Term Observation Mission comprised ninety (90) observers drawn from thirty-two (32) AU Member States and was supported by a five-member Expert Team. This Mission was preceded by a Special Pre-election Political Mission that took place in December 2022.

3. The main objective of the Mission is to promote peaceful, democratic and credible elections in Nigeria through an independent and impartial assessment of the electoral process in line with the 2007 African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance; the 2012 OAU/AU Declaration of Principles Governing Democratic Elections in Africa and Agenda 2063.

4. The Mission engaged with key stakeholders including the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the Chief Justice, security agencies, the National Peace Committee, presidential candidates, the African Group of Ambassadors accredited to Nigeria, international election observation missions, civil society organisations, the media, among others.

5. Through this preliminary statement, the Mission offers a summary of its key findings and recommendations on the electoral process up to the closing and counting of the polls. The statement is issued while the collation of election results is still ongoing. The Mission will continue to closely follow the electoral process and provide a detailed final report at a later stage.

II. PRELIMINARY FINDINGS

Context of the Elections

6. The 25 February 2023 elections offered Nigeria an opportunity to consolidate its democracy, peace and stability at the end of incumbent President Muhammadu Buharis second and final term of office.

7. The electoral environment was generally peaceful despite isolated incidents of violence. The polls also took place against the backdrop of a cash crisis following the redesigning of the Naira currency. While a range of stakeholders acknowledged the positive spirit of the policy of Naira redesign, the Mission noted that the timing of its implementation impacted on the economy as well as the logistical operations of INEC, the campaign process, the conduct of election observation, among others.

8. Significant progressive reforms were a key feature of the 2023 general elections. Some of the reforms were as a result of recommendations made in previous AU observation missions. The Mission commends Nigerias continuous commitment to consolidating its democratic governance.

III. LEGAL FRAMEWORK

9. Among the key reforms in the Electoral Act, 2022 include the conduct of early primaries by political parties, technological innovations such as the use of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), the INEC Results Viewing Portal (IREV), timely disbursement of funds to INEC and the power by INEC to review results. Other reforms included enhanced inclusion of special categories of the electorate which encouraged fair political competition and accountability in the electoral process. The Mission commends these positive developments which are aligned with Nigerias international, continental and regional obligations.

IV. ELECTORAL SYSTEM AND INCLUSIVE PARTICIPATION

10. The Mission commends INEC on the progressive measures taken to promote greater participation in the electoral process, including giving priority to the elderly, People with Disabilities, and other marginalised groups. The 2022 Electoral Act, for example, introduced a magnifying lens for the visually impaired, braille ballots for the blind, and specially designed posters describing the voting process for the deaf.

11. The Mission further notes that Sections 15 and 42 of the Nigerian Constitution guarantee equal rights for men and women in political, social and economic life. However, the First Past-the-Post electoral system does not seem to encourage affirmative action for women, youth and People with Disabilities. There was a notably very low number of candidates from these categories. For instance, there was only one female candidate at the presidential level. Only 8.4% and 9.2% of candidates were female for the Senatorial and House of Representatives levels, respectively.

12. In a different vein, the Mission notes that there are no legal provisions to allow for special voting for INEC staff and security personnel deployed to work away from their respective registered polling unit on election day. This leaves over one million people disenfranchised.

V. VOTER REGISTRATION

13. INEC registered 93,469,008 voters of which 47.5% were women. This marked an 11.3% increase from the 84,004,084 voters recorded in the 2019 general elections. The Mission applauds INECs decentralisation strategy for Permanent Voter Card (PVC) collection to the 8,809 Registration Areas/Wards. This special measure increased the PVC collection rate compared to 2019.



VI. ELECTION CAMPAIGNS

14. The Mission noted that political parties contesting the general elections committed to a peaceful electoral process through signing peace accords. The campaign period was generally peaceful, albeit with incidents of violence reported.

VII. MEDIA ENVIRONMENT

15. The Mission noted that media played a key role in disseminating information aimed at promoting meaningful participation during elections. Both public and private media outlets enjoyed relative confidence and trust of stakeholders during the electoral period.

16. Social media platforms were extensively used for campaigning. The Mission, however, noted with concern the extent of disinformation, misinformation, fake news and hate speech mainly conveyed via social media platforms.

VIII. SECURITY ENVIRONMENT

17. The elections took place amidst general insecurity in the Northwest, Northeast, Southeast, and South-South geopolitical zones. The Mission noted that security issues presented a challenge to the conduct of the elections, as noted with the attack on INEC offices, personnel and material before the elections.

18. The Nigerian Police Force reported that it had mobilised about 310,973 personnel to provide security during the elections. The Mission took note of the complementary deployment of the Nigerian military and para-military across the Federation to avert threats of violence that could impact the peaceful conduct of elections.

IX. ROLE OF CIVIL SOCIETY AND ELECTION OBSERVERS

19. The Mission commends the active role played by Civil Society, including women and youth organisations, in championing advocacy for electoral reform, civic and voter education, peace initiatives and election observation.

20. INEC accredited 196 citizen observer groups and 33 international organisations that collectively played a significant role in safeguarding the integrity of the electoral process. The Mission commends INEC for accrediting the largest contingent of election observers in the 2023 elections since Nigerias return to multiparty democracy.

X. ELECTION DAY OBSERVATION

21. The Mission deployed 32 teams of observers in 17 States covering all six (6) geopolitical zones.The observers visited a total of 438 polling units to observe the opening, voting, closing and counting procedures in urban and rural areas. In 95% of polling units visited, the atmosphere was generally calm and peaceful, except for isolated incidents of violence in Kano, Lagos, Delta, Abuja, and Cross river. The Mission notes the positive measures undertaken by INEC to reschedule polls to 26 February 2023 in specific areas where voting could not take place due to insecurity or logistical reasons.

Opening of polling

22. 83% of the polling units visited opened late. The average delay was over an hour; in some cases they opened as late as 11:00am. This was largely due to the late arrival of polling officials and materials as well as slow set up of the polling units.

Accesibility

23. While most of the polling units were generally accessible to voters, in 16% of the units, there were difficulties in accessibility for people with disabilities, particularly those facing mobility challenges.

Transparency of the Process

24. Voting and counting took place in an open and transparent atmosphere in the presence of observers, party agents and media.

Voting Process

25. Election procedures designate 8:30am to 2:30pm as the voting time. Six hours do not provide sufficient voting timeframe considering the huge voter population in Nigeria, the largest democracy in Africa. In many cases witnessed by the AU observers, voting time was extended several hours beyond the 2:30pm official closing time due to a significantly large number of voters in the queue.

26. The Mission noted that voting proceeded uninterrupted throughout the day in most polling units observed, except in a few cases in Abuja, Kano and Lagos. There were well-controlled queues at 81% of the polling units visited.

27. The Mission noted an unbalanced allocation of voters per polling unit. While INEC had capped 750 as a ceiling of voters per polling unit, the allocation of voters ranged from one (1), sixteen (16) to three-thousand (3,000) in some polling units. This had several implications on the process, including straining some polling staff who had to manage large numbers of voters. Furthermore, this disparity of voter allocation affects optimal utilisation of INEC resources particularly in polling units with minimal voters.

28. The Mission commends the innovation of using BVAS technology to accredit voters. This enhanced the credibility of the process. In 94% of the polling units visited, the BVAS functioned successfully. In some cases, the Mission observed that the process was delayed due to the limited number of BVAS compared to the large number of voters allocated to a polling unit which created frustrations among the voters who had to wait longer in the queues.

Closing and Counting

29. Most polling units observed did not close on time (2:30pm). The mission noted that voters in the queue at the closing time were allowed to cast their vote. Counting took place in an open and transparent environment.

30. The AU observers noted that some voters had cast their ballot in the wrong ballot box. This could be attributed to the mismatch between the colour marking of ballot boxes and the colour of the ballot papers.

Polling personnel

31. Polling staff were generally competent in carrying out their duties and demonstrated a sense of commitment, except in few cases where some polling officers did not know how to effectively use the BVAS machine. In other cases, they were slow in operationalising the opening of polls. The Mission commends INEC for deploying women and youth as polling officials.

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XI. CONCLUSION AND PRELIMINARY RECOMMENDATIONS

32. The 25 February 2023 election was crucial in consolidating democracy, peace and stability in Nigeria. The commitment by the incumbent President to respect the term-limits and support a peaceful and democratic political transition is laudable as it contributes to the entrenchment of constitutionalism and democratic governance.

33. The Mission noted that despite the challenging economic, operational and security environment, the elections were generally well-adminstered in a transparent and peaceful atmosphere. Amidst significant challenges posed by the cash crisis and the volatile security context in some areas, while the Mission noted a generally low voter turnout in polling units visited, the people of Nigeria demonstrated resilience in exercising their democratic right to elect leaders of their choice.

34. As the country awaits the announcement of results by INEC, the Mission urges all stakeholders to remain committed to the rule of law and democratic principles until the conclusion of the process. The Mission further encourages any aggrieved party to use legally established channels to seek recourse.

35. The Mission further proffers the following preliminary recommendations for consideration in improving future electoral processes:

To the Government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria:

Uphold peace and the rule of law throughout the electoral process;

Explore the implications of the timing of policy implementation of the Naira redesign on the electoral process in order to adopt corrective measures in future; and

Through a multi-stakeholder approach, consider measures for affirmative action in the electoral system for women, people with disabilities and youth. Such measures could include consideration for special seats through a quota system, among others.

To the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC):
News Update as at 16h30 SAST

President Ramaphosa Says Grey Listing Not Dire

President Cyril Ramaphosa has said that the country's grey listing by the Financial Action Task Force is an opportunity for the country to strengthen its fight against financial crimes. South Africa, together with Africa's leading economy, Nigeria - was added to the dreaded list on Friday, February 24, 2023. It was found that both countries fell short of international standards for combating money laundering and other serious financial crimes. Grey listing could have a huge impact on investments into a country.

Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni On State Visit to South Africa

Political and trade relations will feature as President Cyril Ramaphosa hosts Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni. The East African leader is in the country on his first state visit since 2011, eNCA reports.

Steep Petrol Price Hike On The Cards for March

The Department of Mineral Resources and Energy has announced that petrol prices will increase amid a supply crunch worldwide, reports News24. The price of both 95 and 93 unleaded petrol will be hiked by R1.27 a litre, while diesel will go up by between 30c and 32c. Fuel prices are largely determined by the oil price, as well as the rand - as oil is priced in dollars. Petrol prices are increasing at a higher rate than diesel because of lower inventory levels globally and closures of refineries in some countries for seasonal maintenance, the department said in a statement.

Gauteng Province Concerned About Escalating Gang Violence in Schools

The Gauteng Education Department is battling to root out violence within schools as high levels of gangsterism and crime remain rife in some areas, reports EWN. A grade 10 pupil was stabbed outside Dinokaneng Secondary School's premises last week. The pupil was rushed to the hospital but was declared dead on arrival. This is the second stabbing at the school in an area reported to be riddled with gang violence. Executive council member Matome Chiloane said it was becoming increasingly difficult for the department to deal with violence outside school premises.

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Is South Africa Ready for New Load Shedding Stages?

Eskom System Operator GM Isabel Fick says the power utility is working with the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (NERSA) on preparing load shedding schedules beyond Stage 8, and guidelines on stages 8 to 16 are being drawn up for approval by NERSA, reports Moneyweb. Using Eskom's current methodology where Stage 1 means that 1 000MW are "shed" from the national grid and Stage 2 means 2 000MW and so on, Stage 16 would require 16 000MW of demand to be cut through rotational blackouts. Peak demand in summer is around 30 000MW (in winter, this number will be 34 000MW). Moneyweb says a 16 000MW cut would equate to roughly half the demand in South Africa (including exports). Stage 8 means no power for half the day. At Stage 16, where the frequency of Stage 8 is doubled, the number of hours of load shedding across a four-day cycle is 96 - meaning no electricity at all, reports Moneyweb.

More South African news
Champaign, IL (61820)

Today

Rain showers early, then remaining overcast and windy later in the day. High 49F. Winds WSW at 20 to 30 mph. Chance of rain 50%. Winds could occasionally gust over 40 mph..

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Nearly 100% of cases of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis-;the progressive, fatal neurodegenerative disease known as ALS or Lou Gherig's disease -; involve the buildup of a protein called TDP-43.

Scientists know that TDP-43, which helps regulate processing of RNA, may be responsible for the death of nerve cells in ALS and frontotemporal dementia. Previous studies by investigators at Michigan Medicine found that too much TDP-43 in the cells of patients caused the RNA to become very unstable.

And a study published in Molecular Cell suggests that a common modification to RNA plays a pivotal role in TDP-43-related neurodegeneration in ALS.

Researchers at Michigan Medicine focused on the most abundant RNA modification, a methylation event known as m6A. Through sequencing analysis, investigators showed that methylation strongly influences the binding of TDP-43 to its RNA targets. They also observed highly abundant RNA methylation in the end-stage tissues of patients with ALS.

This is an RNA modification that has escaped our attention in the past, and yet it is rampant in patients with ALS. Despite the fact that we see all this RNA methylation, it's hard to say exactly what it means," Barmada said. "It's like watching the end of the movie and then trying to work out the plot. We see RNA methylation, TDP-43 buildup and loss of brain cells, but how are these connected?" Sami Barmada, M.D., Ph.D., Senior Author and Angela Dobson Welch and Lyndon Welch Research Professor of Neurology at University of Michigan Medical School

Previous studies suggest that total levels of m6A in the nervous system rise with age and that (some) neurodegenerative diseases are characterized by RNA hypermethylation. Importantly, RNA methylation is modified by environmental exposure.

Its presence in ALS, Barmada says, opens up a wide range of possibilities for research of a disease that is intimately linked to environmental exposure, as demonstrated by Stephen Goutman, M.D., M.S., and Eva Feldman, M.D., Ph.D., at Michigan Medicine.

Additional authors include Michael McMillan Ph.D., Nicolas Gomez M.S., Caroline Hsieh M.S., Michael Bekier Ph.D., Xingli Li Ph.D., Roberto Miguez M.S. and Elizabeth M. H. Tank Ph.D., all of University of Michigan.

Funding was provided by the NIH/NINDS, NIH/NIA, the family of Angela Dobson Welch and Lyndon Welch, the Robert Packard Center for ALS Research and the Alfred A. Taubman Medical Research Institute.

Barmada is a member of the Scientific Advisory Board for the Robert Packard Center for ALS Research.
It's been two days since Nigeria's 2023 presidential election, and the disinformation keeps coming. .

It's been two days since Nigeria's 2023 presidential election, and the disinformation keeps coming. This time, it's from fake Twitter accounts that use the name of Datti Baba-Ahmed, the running mate of the Labour Party's Peter Obi.

The Nigerian Fact-checkers' Coalition has raised an alarm about Twitter accounts using the name of Datti Baba-Ahmed.

Baba-Ahmed is a former senator and was the Labour Party's vice presidential candidate in Nigeria's 2023 presidential election. He ran alongside Peter Obi, the party's presidential candidate.

The coalition said it had uncovered over 30 Twitter accounts impersonating Baba-Ahmed. Africa Check is a member of the coalition.

'Disregard such Twitter accounts'

"Some of these accounts have been tweeting sensitive controversial political statements," the coalition said in a statement.

"The NFC is calling on the public to disregard such Twitter accounts. Kindly note that Sen. Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed's real Twitter account is @dattibabaahmed."

In August, Baba-Ahmed addressed a press conference to complain about fake social media accounts. He also issued a disclaimer on Twitter, debunking these accounts.

Africa Check has previously identified fake social media accounts as one of the disinformation trends to watch out for during the election season.
Face blindness, a mystifying condition that can trick us into believing we recognize people we've never met or make us fail to recognize those we have, has been previously estimated to affect between 2 and 2.5 percent of people in the world.

Now, a new study by researchers at Harvard Medical School (HMS) and the VA Boston Healthcare System is providing fresh insights into the disorder, suggesting it may be more common than currently believed.

Published in February 2023 in Cortex, the study findings indicate that as many as one in 33 people (3.08 percent) may meet the criteria for face blindness, or prosopagnosia. This translates to more than 10 million Americans, the research team said.

The study found similar face-matching performance between people diagnosed with prosopagnosia using stricter vs. looser criteria, suggesting that diagnostic criteria should be expanded to be more inclusive. That could lead to new diagnoses among millions who may have the disorder but don't realize it.

In the new study, led by Joseph DeGutis, HMS associate professor of psychiatry at VA Boston, the researchers found that face blindness lies on a spectrum -; one that can range in severity and presentation -; rather than representing a discrete group. The authors also provide diagnostic suggestions for identifying mild and major forms of prosopagnosia based on guidelines for major and mild neurocognitive disorders in the DSM5, the 5th edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.

The study results are based on a web-based questionnaire and tests administered to 3,341 individuals. First, the researchers asked participants whether they experience difficulties recognizing faces in their everyday lives. Then they administered two objective tests to determine whether they had difficulties learning new faces or recognizing highly familiar, famous faces.

The results showed that 31 individuals out of the 3,341 had major prosopagnosia, while 72 of the 3,341 had a milder form. The researchers also observed that there were no neatly divided discrete groups of people with poor or good ability to recognize faces. Rather, the ability to recognize faces appeared to lie on a continuum, they said.

Finally, the researchers compared face-matching scores among people with prosopagnosia diagnosed using different criteria and found that using stricter diagnostic cutoffs did not correspond with lower face-matching scores.

Harvard Medicine News spoke with DeGutis, the study's senior author, about the implications of the findings.

Harvard Medicine News: Let's start with the basics. What causes face blindness?

DeGutis: Prosopagnosia, or face blindness, can be caused by a brain injury to occipital or temporal regions, referred to as acquired prosopagnosia, which affects one in 30,000 people in the United States. Prosopagnosia can also be a lifelong condition caused by genetic or developmental abnormalities, referred to as developmental prosopagnosia, affecting one in 33 people.

HMNews: This is a fascinating condition, but some might say that it's not a serious health disorder so why is it important to study and understand it?

DeGutis: First, face blindness can be a socially debilitating disorder that can limit employment opportunities. For example, networking is extremely difficult for people with prosopagnosia and can cause social distress and embarrassment. Recognizing someone is a social signal, indicating that "you are important to me."

Prosopagnosia can also affect individuals on the autism spectrum and can be a consequence of age-related cognitive decline as well. In a world where social isolation is on the rise, especially in teens and young adults, fostering and maintaining social bonds and good face-to-face interactions are more important than ever.

HMNews: What sparked your interest in this field? What is it about how the brain sees and remembers faces intrigues you the most and why?

DeGutis: Face blindness is fascinating on several levels. Humans are remarkably good at recognizing familiar faces and this is done with very little effort. We know that this face 'super-power' relies on several specific perceptual processes: holistic face processing-seeing the face as an integrated whole, for instance; memory processes, readily associating faces with person-related knowledge; and specialized brain mechanisms and regions, too, such as the fusiform face area.

Our knowledge about face recognition in unimpaired individuals provides a very solid framework to understand the ways these processes can break down in prosopagnosia. The processes also provide clues on how to improve face recognition in people with face blindness, which is one of the major goals of our lab. Finally, studying prosopagnosia is fascinating from a phenomenological perspective-;what do people with face blindness actually "see" when looking at a face? What comes to mind when they think about a familiar friend's face?

HMNews: You say that your findings call for an expansion of the diagnostic criteria. Why is that important?

DeGutis: This is important on several levels. First, the majority of researchers have used overly strict diagnostic criteria and many individuals with significant face- recognition problems in daily life have been wrongly told they do not have prosopagnosia. Expanding the diagnosis is important because knowing that you have real objective evidence of prosopagnosia, even a mild form, can help you take steps to reduce its negative impacts on daily life, such as telling consequential coworkers, or seeking treatment.

Recent evidence suggests that people with milder forms of face blindness may benefit more from certain treatments than people with more severe forms of the condition. These treatments might include cognitive training to enhance perceptual abilities or training aimed directly at improving face associations.

Finally, factors such as age-related cognitive decline and social anxiety can further worsen face recognition abilities. Knowing if you have mild prosopagnosia could help you keep an eye out for further situational or age-related declines in face-recognition ability.

HMNews: What do you want clinicians and individuals with the condition to take away from these results?

DeGutis: The take-home message is that prosopagnosia lies on a continuum and stricter vs. looser diagnostic criteria employed in prosopagnosia studies in the past 13 years have identified mechanistically very similar populations, providing justification for expanding the criteria to include those with milder forms of it.

Another take-home message is the importance of using a combination of self-reported daily-life difficulties and validated objective measures when diagnosing prosopagnosia. There are pros and cons to relying just on self-reports because it can be challenging to judge your own abilities or relying solely on objective lab measures that may not reflect everyday life.
Tecan has launched the MagicPrep NGS, an automated benchtop library preparation system that transforms time-consuming and error-prone procedures into a simple, robust experience. MagicPrep NGS system performs true load and go DNA-Seq and mRNA-Seq library preparation. With proven liquid handling technology, all-inclusive reagent kits, and an intuitive user interface, the MagicPrep NGS is set up in just 10 minutes and generates eight sequencer-ready libraries with a greater than 99 % mean success rate. As a result, todays innovators can use their time to focus on translating research into tomorrows healthcare.

Image Credit: Tecan

MagicPrep NGS simplifies the preparation of samples for sequencing, making NGS accessible to anyone. The smallest of its kind, the MagicPrep NGS benchtop system requires no installation and has been designed for reliability. After two simple pipetting steps to load samples and beads into a pre-assembled cartridge-based sample deck, an intuitive touchscreen guides users in confirming the right program and initiating the run. Theres no training, no protocol scripting, no workflow optimization, no master mix preparation. With MagicPrep NGS, library prep can be practically error free and consistent from one run to the next.

This is a gamechanger for low throughput research labs. Helping to improve peoples health and lives is an important driver of our work as a company. With MagicPrep NGS, Tecan is bringing automation of NGS library preparation to every lab. This easy to use, benchtop system allows scientists to focus on their research goals, not on generating NGS libraries, benefitting the entire workflow and, ultimately, accelerating improvements in research in the diagnosis and treatment of genetic disorders. Dr Klaus Lun, Executive Vice President and Head of Life Sciences Business Division at Tecan

Each MagicPrep NGS kit includes all consumables necessary for a run, including master mixes, buffers, beads, adapters, tubes and tips, which have been pre-packaged to set up DNA or mRNA library preparation. With just a touch of a button, the fully automated MagicPrep NGS takes it from there, delivering DNA libraries or mRNA libraries  compatible with Illumina sequencing platforms  without any user intervention required.

The generated libraries are stable and can remain in the MagicPrep NGS overnight or over a weekend, so start a run whenever you want.

Learn more about the MagicPrep NGS system at https://www.tecan.com/magic.

About Tecan

Tecan (www.tecan.com) helps to improve peoples lives and health by empowering customers to scale healthcare innovation globally from life science to the clinic. Tecan is a pioneer and global leader in laboratory automation. As an original equipment manufacturer (OEM), Tecan is also a leader in developing and manufacturing OEM instruments, components and medical devices that are then distributed by partner companies.

Founded in Switzerland in 1980, the company has more than 3,000 employees, with manufacturing, research and development sites in Europe, North America and Asia, and maintains a sales and service network in over 70 countries. In 2020, Tecan generated sales of CHF 731 million (USD 778 million; EUR 683 million). Registered shares of Tecan Group are traded on the SIX Swiss Exchange (TECN; ISIN CH0012100191).
The latest evidence on the treatment of urgent heart problems will be revealed at ESC Acute CardioVascular Care 2023, a scientific congress of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC).

Acute cardiovascular care focuses on patients with life-threatening conditions such as heart attack, cardiac arrest, acute heart failure and cardiogenic shock. The annual congress of the Association for Acute CardioVascular Care (ACVC), a branch of the ESC, takes place 24 to 26 March at the Marseille Parc Chanot Exhibition and Convention Centre in Marseille, France. Explore the scientific programme.

New scientific findings will be showcased in the abstracts. Among them:

Emergency cardiology department experience in wartime Ukraine.

Mental health after cardiac arrest  are women and men affected differently?

Should people aged 90 years and above with acute coronary syndromes receive stents?

Impact of COVID-19 on acute coronary syndrome patients.

Do heart attack symptoms vary between men and women?

Stay tuned for lively scientific sessions featuring the hottest topics in acute cardiovascular care. Not to miss: management of patients with acute chest pain in the emergency department. Should the diagnostic process vary according to gender? Professor Ingo Ahrens, Congress Chairperson, said: "Women and men present with different clinical symptoms, and whether diagnosis and treatment should be tailored is a major area of debate. Randomised clinical trials are investigating this issue. It is hugely important because diagnosis of the underlying severe acute cardiovascular disorder may be misinterpreted if gender-specific clinical presentation is not taken into account."

Also on the agenda: artificial intelligence (AI) in acute cardiology. Find out how AI is currently being used and what is on the horizon.

In acute cardiology, AI is mainly used in imaging techniques, for example echocardiography, and for electrocardiogram (ECG) analysis. In the future AI will likely use the ECG and other measurements to predict the prognosis of individual patients including the likelihood of dying while in hospital with an acute cardiac condition and the risk of having another event after discharge. Hopefully that will allow us to provide personalized treatment to prevent adverse outcomes." Professor Ingo Ahrens, Congress Chairperson

Time is of the essence in cardiac arrest, and the first few minutes have a substantial impact on survival and brain function. Hear international experts share state-of-the-art evidence on achieving the best recovery and engaging members of the public to help victims. "Cardiac arrest happens suddenly and means that the heart stops pumping blood," said Professor Ahrens. "People who witness a cardiac arrest can save lives by performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and using an automated external defibrillator (AED). Restoring circulation to the brain and heart quickly gives patients the best chance of returning to full health."

Also of interest: managing cholesterol to prevent second heart attacks. Professor Ahrens said: "After an acute coronary syndrome, patients are at high risk of recurrent cardiovascular events, particularly within the first year after discharge from hospital. It is of utmost importance to ensure that low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels are as low as possible to reduce the likelihood of further events. Waiting to implement optimal cholesterol lowering measures puts patients at risk and key opinion leaders will outline why we should 'strike early and strong' to reduce LDL."

The meeting brings together cardiologists, intensivists, anaesthesiologists, internists, cardiac surgeons, nurses, paramedics and other allied professionals who care for acutely ill cardiac patients.
New UBC research shows that midwives in British Columbia are providing safe primary care for pregnancies of all medical risk levels, contrary to a popular belief that midwives mostly manage low-risk pregnancies.

The study, published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, examined a decade of births in B.C. between 2008 and 2018. The researchers compared birth outcomes for people who had a midwife as their most responsible provider (MRP), with those who were cared for by a family physician or obstetrician.

The findings reveal that people who had a midwife as their MRP had comparable or improved birth outcomes relative to family physician- or obstetrician-led care across medical risk levels. Midwifery clients were less likely to have preterm births and low-birth-weight babies compared to physician-led care, and the risk of infant death was comparable across MRPs.

The study provides evidence that midwifery care in B.C. is a safe and effective option for childbearing people, regardless of medical risk. As medical risk increases, midwives and family physicians collaborate with obstetrician specialists to ensure that birthing people are receiving safe and appropriate care that is right for them." Dr. Kathrin Stoll (she/her), research associate in UBC's department of family practice

The researchers say the findings are a reflection of how midwives are integrated into B.C.'s health system.

"Midwives operate in two worlds: They are in the community working with people in their homes, but they are also integrated into the hospital system," said Dr. Stoll. "When complications develop, midwives are a bridge to the specialist and hospital care that a person needs."

Midwifery clients also had consistently lower cesarean delivery rates compared to people with physician MRPs, although the rate of cesarean delivery increased as medical risk increased. Close to 37 per cent of births in B.C. were cesarean deliveries in 2019-2020, the highest in the country.

The changing face of midwifery care

The new study shows how midwifery care in B.C. has evolved since it became a regulated health profession in 1998.

The proportion of births that had a midwife MRP increased from 9.2 per cent in 2008 to 19.8 per cent in 2018. That proportion has continued to climb in more recent years, with midwives now assisting with nearly a third of all births in B.C. -; the highest proportion in Canada.

The profile of midwifery clients is also changing.

"Whereas midwifery care may have started out primarily with low-risk clients, the study provides evidence that the profile of clients is changing and that midwives are increasingly caring for clients safely at all medical risk levels," said Dr. Stoll.

The researchers say they were not surprised by the findings because medical risk has always been a core part of the profession.

"A large part of midwifery education is teaching students about medical complexities and how to triage clients in terms of their medical risk. It's always been a part of midwifery training and the care midwives provide," says Dr. Luba Butska (she/her), an assistant professor of teaching with UBC's midwifery program in the department of family practice.

Despite increases in midwifery care during the study period, Canada has some of the lowest rates of midwifery access in the world and increasing rates of cesarean delivery.

The study recommends that the growing midwifery profession should be supported by policies and payment structures that enable retention of midwives, and by health system integration and collaboration with physician colleagues.

"As the midwifery profession continues to grow in Canada, it holds potential for meeting national mandates to lower obstetric intervention rates and to increase access to midwifery care to under-served communities," said Dr. Butska. "It's the combination of good outcomes and lower intervention rates that make midwifery a great public health strategy."
By simulating early Earth conditions in the lab, researchers have found that without specific amino acids, ancient proteins would not have known how to evolve into everything alive on the planet today-;including plants, animals, and humans.

The findings, which detail how amino acids shaped the genetic code of ancient microorganisms, shed light on the mystery of how life began on Earth.

"You see the same amino acids in every organism, from humans to bacteria to archaea, and that's because all things on Earth are connected through this tree of life that has an origin, an organism that was the ancestor to all living things," said Stephen Fried, a Johns Hopkins chemist who co-led the research with scientists at Charles University in the Czech Republic. "We're describing the events that shaped why that ancestor got the amino acids that it did."

The findings are newly published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society.

In the lab, the researchers mimicked primordial protein synthesis of 4 billion years ago by using an alternative set of amino acids that were highly abundant before life arose on Earth.

They found ancient organic compounds integrated the amino acids best suited for protein folding into their biochemistry. In other words, life thrived on Earth not just because some amino acids were available and easy to make in ancient habitats but because some of them were especially good at helping proteins adopt specific shapes to perform crucial functions.

Protein folding was basically allowing us to do evolution before there was even life on our planet. You could have evolution before you had biology, you could have natural selection for the chemicals that are useful for life even before there was DNA." Stephen Fried, Johns Hopkins Chemist

Even though the primordial Earth had hundreds of amino acids, all living things use the same 20 of these compounds. Fried calls those compounds "canonical." But science has struggled to pinpoint what's so special-;if anything-;about those 20 amino acids.

In its first billion years, Earth's atmosphere consisted of an assortment of gases like ammonia and carbon dioxide that reacted with high levels of ultraviolet radiation to concoct some of the simpler canonical amino acids. Others arrived via special delivery by meteorites, which introduced a mixed bag of ingredients that helped life on Earth complete a set of 10 "early" amino acids.

How the rest came to be is an open question that Fried's team is trying to answer with the new research, especially because those space rocks brought much more than the "modern" amino acids.

"We're trying to find out what was so special about our canonical amino acids," Fried said. "Were they selected for any particular reason?"

Scientists estimate Earth is 4.6 billion years old, and that DNA, proteins, and other molecules didn't begin to form simple organisms until 3.8 billion years ago. The new research offers new clues into the mystery of what happened during the time in between.

"To have evolution in the Darwinian sense, you need to have this whole sophisticated way of turning genetic molecules like DNA and RNA into proteins. But replicating DNA also requires proteins, so we have a chicken-and-egg problem," Fried said. "Our research shows that nature could have selected for building blocks with useful properties before Darwinian evolution."

Scientists have spotted amino acids in asteroids far from Earth, suggesting those compounds are ubiquitous in other corners of the universe. That's why Fried thinks the new research could also have implications for the possibility of finding life beyond Earth.

"The universe seems to love amino acids," Fried said. "Maybe if we found life on a different planet, it wouldn't be that different."
A study published in the journal Thorax compares the pulmonary effects of vaping nicotine and cannabis. The study finds that cannabis is more harmful to lung health than nicotine.

Study: Not all vaping is the same: differential pulmonary effects of vaping cannabidiol versus nicotine. Image Credit: Amani A / Shutterstock

Background

Large electronic vaporizers specifically for inhaling cannabis were first developed in the 1990s. In the 2000s, relatively smaller portable vaporizers were introduced as e-cigarettes to inhale nicotine.

Aerosols emitted from vaping devices contain psychoactive substances (nicotine and cannabinoids) and respiratory toxicants (formaldehyde and benzaldehydes). Because of the lipophilic properties of cannabinoids, solvents used in cannabinoid-vaping devices are different from that used in nicotine-vaping devices.

Studies investigating the health impacts of vaping nicotine have indicated that nicotine aerosols can disrupt the functioning of immune cells, suppress innate immune responses in nasal epithelial cells, and induce chronic respiratory disorders. However, not enough studies are available to determine the health effects of vaping cannabinoids.

In the current study, scientists have compared the pulmonary effects of vaping nicotine and cannabinoids in both in vivo and in vitro setups.

Study design

The study investigated the pulmonary effects of vaping cannabidiol (50 mg/ml) and nicotine (5.0%) in mice and human lung epithelial cells.

For in vivo experiments, both male and female mice were exposed to one puff of nicotine or cannabidiol aerosols for five days a week. The exposure was continued for two weeks. For in vitro experiments, human lung cells were directly exposed to freshly produced aerosols in a closed exposure system.

The health effects of exposed substances were assessed by measuring lung inflammation, oxidative stress, lung damage, cytotoxicity, and paracellular permeability.

Health effects of nicotine and cannabidiol

The study findings revealed that cannabidiol vaping has a more detrimental impact on the immune and pulmonary systems than nicotine vaping. Exposure to cannabidiol aerosols induced a proinflammatory microenvironment in the lung, as demonstrated by increased accumulation of inflammatory immune cells with elevated activity of tissue-damaging factors (myeloperoxidase and neutrophil elastase).

Cannabidiol exposure caused significantly higher induction of inflammatory and lung damage markers than nicotine exposure. Specifically, mice exposed to cannabidiol aerosols showed higher levels of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells and higher infiltration of neutrophils in the lung compared to nicotine-exposed mice. Moreover, cannabidiol exposure disrupted lung epithelial barrier integrity and induced human lung epithelial cell death.

As mentioned by the scientists, increased lung infiltration of neutrophils in cannabidiol-exposed mice is primarily responsible for the induction of inflammatory microenvironment and oxidative stress in the pulmonary system, which are collectively responsible for lung damage. Neutrophils are the primary source of two tissue-damaging factors myeloperoxidase and neutrophil elastase.

Furthermore, the study found that cannabidiol exposure causes an induction in immunosuppressive T regulatory cells and a reduction in interleukin 2 (IL-2), leading to disruption of T cell functions and suppression of adaptive immune responses in the lungs of exposed mice. These changes could increase the susceptibility of mice to respiratory infections.

A significant reduction in the number of anti-inflammatory macrophages was observed in the lungs of cannabidiol-exposed mice. This could potentially cause lung immune dysfunction and lung damage and increase lung infection risk. Common flavoring chemicals used in cannabidiol vaping products could further augment cannabidiol-induced lung macrophage dysfunction.

Further characterization of pulmonary cells revealed the presence of lung macrophages with lipid deposits. Since exogenous lipoid pneumonia with lipid deposit-containing lung macrophages is a hallmark of vaping-related lung injury, this observation indicates that cannabidiol vaping could be associated with severe respiratory health deterioration.

Study significance

The study demonstrates that cannabis vaping could be more harmful than nicotine vaping in terms of inducing lung inflammation, pulmonary barrier integrity disruption, and lung damage.

Cannabis vaping could also increase the risk of respiratory infection, suppress the immune responses to vaccinations, and worsen the respiratory symptoms of patients with pre-existing lung inflammatory diseases.
The Tecan Group and Oxford Nanopore Technologies plc (Oxford Nanopore) today announce their collaboration to drive easier high-throughput nanopore library preparation in an automated, hands-free fashion. The result is a fully walkaway automated workflow for Oxford Nanopores Ligation Sequencing Kit XL V14 protocol (LSK114) with Tecans DreamPrep NGS solutions. The LSK114 protocol allows for any fragment length of DNA to be sequenced, which can range from cell-free DNA to amplicons to any length DNA fragments, from 200 base pairs to more than 100kb or even Mb. This is a major advance over traditional sequencing platforms and protocols that can only sequence short fragments typically in the range of 300 to 600 base pairs.

Sequencing native, long fragments of DNA is beneficial to generate more comprehensive insights into the genome  which often contain methylation, repetitive patterns of sequences or larger-scale genetic variants  as well as reaching parts of the genome that cannot be resolved by using traditional short read technologies in the same single sequencing run. Having complete genome assemblies is necessary to ensure better understanding of chromosome function, human disease, and genomic variation, which will translate in future to better prediction and management of diseases. Therefore, by combining highly reproducible automated library preparation of short and/or long fragments and high yields of genomic data, it becomes feasible to reliably identify a comprehensive map of genetic alterations, conduct accurate phasing, resolve repeated sequences, and measure DNA methylation, all in a single sequencing run. Being able to deploy the same workflow on shorter, native fragments, such as cell-free DNA, opens opportunities in methylation analysis and exploration of the complete cell-free DNA fragments in a sample, the fragmentome.

At Tecan, we scale healthcare innovation, from life science to the clinic, and our partnership with Oxford Nanopore enables us to do just that. We bring push-button, walk-away convenience to high-throughput library preparation workflows, enabling scientists to focus on new discoveries instead of tedious manual work. Combining our expertise in automation and high-quality library preparation with Oxford Nanopore sequencing and its capabilities around any-length reads, native DNA/RNA and real time sequencing, has implications in multiple fields, from population genetics to cancer research and personalized medicine. Dr. Klaus Lun, Tecan Executive Vice President and Head of the Life Sciences Business Division

Oxford Nanopore CEO Gordon Sanghera added, Our goal at Oxford Nanopore is to deliver affordable and accessible plug-and-play platforms for biological analyses that are currently performed, and open new applications that have a profound, positive impact on improving our understanding of genetic alterations linked to disease. Our technology now provides an automated solution in one platform, providing a comprehensive genomic data that includes methylation, structural variation and copy number variation, as well as standard SNP and SNV, calling for all biological questions including methylation in the same sequencing run. Our collaboration with Tecan is scaling accessible life sciences innovation with a global partner, providing automated seamless plug-and-play solutions to our customers in quicker, higher quality results that save time, cost and effort.

The collaboration between Tecan and Oxford Nanopore further expands Tecans growing portfolio of solutions for automated NGS library preparation. Tecans liquid handlers are compatible with all Oxford Nanopore devices  from Flongle to PromethION 48, as well as the PromethION 2 (P2) Solo high-output sequencing device. This gives the potential to greatly expand access to accurate, fast and accessible sequencing for human genomics and other larger datasets.

Oxford Nanopores technology enables base-modification analysis to be performed alongside nucleotide sequencing on the same single read without the need to run multiple sequencing Tecan Group Ltd., Seestrasse 103, CH-8708 Mannedorf, Switzerland T +41 44 922 88 88, F +41 44 922 88 89, [email protected], www.tecan.com 2 experiments. Therefore, unlike traditional technologies, no additional complex library preparation with (for example bisulfite sequencing for methylation) is required, and epigenetic modification analysis can be performed across the whole genome during the experiment. Tecan automated library preparation systems transform time-consuming and error-prone procedures into simple, robust user experiences. The integrated combination of Oxford Nanopore and Tecan technologies is intended to enhance true load-and-go DNA and RNA sequencing library preparation with proven liquid handling technology, reagent kits that are compatible with automation, and intuitive user interfaces that will allow set-up for walkaway library prep runs in the DreamPrep NGS.

Protocol Ligation Sequencing Kit and DreamPrep Technical Note

A technical note released today is proof of concept and demonstrates the speed, accessibility, and automated consistency the collaboration delivers for a variety of applications. The note shows a user case where the Oxford Nanopores Ligation Sequencing Kit XL V14 processing multiple DNA samples on the Tecan DreamPrep NGS achieves high yield and raw read sequencing modal accuracy of Q20 (99%) and above. Attendees of the Society for Laboratory Automation and Screening (SLAS) International Conference and Exhibition (San Diego, February 25-March 1, 2023) will see a preview of this data and will have an opportunity to discuss the objectives of both companies in their joint efforts to create protocols allowing for more scalable and higher throughput sequencing.
Emad Ibrahim, M.D., director of the Male Fertility Research Program at The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis and the clinical andrology lab at the Desai Sethi Urology Institute at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, has been awarded a $3.25 million grant by the Department of Defense for a four-year study on the use of an oral medication to treat an infertility issue that affects most men with spinal cord injury.

The Male Fertility Program at The Miami Project is a unique program  its basically the only one in the country that is dedicated to study the quality and improvement of sperm in men with spinal cord injury. The results of this trial could drastically improve the options for men with spinal cord injuries who want to have biological children. Dr. Emad Ibrahim, M.D., assistant professor of urology and neurological surgery at the Miller School

Nearly eight in 10 spinal cord injuries occur in men, and the average age that men experience such an injury is 43  when many might consider having families. But most men with spinal cord injuries, whether they become paraplegics or tetraplegics, suffer from erectile dysfunction and the inability to ejaculate, leading to infertility.

These men are either unable to produce enough sperm, or the majority of sperm they do produce are dead, Dr. Ibrahim said.

He and colleagues have been studying the fertility issues that men with spinal cord injury face since Dr. Ibrahim joined the Miller School in 2004.

Through the years, they have found that spinal cord injury leads to inflammation, and the body reacts by producing substances called cytokines.

These cytokines are toxic to sperm, Dr. Ibrahim said.

Probenecid can help protect male fertility

The Miller School researchers, including neuroscientists from The Miami Project, studied ways in which to eliminate or at least minimize the effect of these cytokines on sperm, and discovered that there is another component to the cascade of events: a multi-protein complex called the inflammasome that results in activation of these toxic cytokines.

A medication called probenecid that has been used for years to treat gout has been found to block this cascade, preventing the inflammasome complex from activation and hence lowering or minimizing the amount and concentration of cytokines in the body, Dr. Ibrahim said. Studies on probenecid have shown it to be safe and effective. Its also very inexpensive.

Miller School researchers conducted a small study of men with spinal cord injuries, published in 2018 in the Journal of Spinal Cord Medicine, in which they found that giving men the standard dose of probenecid for one month improved their semen and sperm quality.

It was the first-ever treatment that was published to show that an oral medication could improve sperm quality in men with spinal cord injury. The promising results prompted us to apply for this grant in order to do a proper clinical trial comparing the effects of probenecid in different doses and to a sugar pill, or placebo, Dr. Ibrahim said.

New study will also test for DNA damage in sperm

Dr. Ibrahim is the principal investigator of the grant, entitled A Novel Therapy to Improve Reproductive Potential in Men with Spinal Cord Injury. He and colleagues will study about 100 men with spinal cord injury during the four years of the study. During this time period, subjects will receive either three months of placebo or three months of probenecid.

Men with spinal cord injury usually have DNA damage in their sperm. Were going to follow these men for six months. Were also going to do DNA testing on the sperm before and after treatment to see if there is any improvement, not just in the quantity of sperm but also with the quality, after treatment. Dr. Ibrahim said.

Infertility is a big quality of life issue for men with spinal cord injuries, according to Ranjith Ramasamy, M.D., director, reproductive urology at Desai Sethi Urology Institute.

The only option for men with spinal cord injury now is in vitro fertilization, an expensive procedure that might not be uniformly successful. Improving the quality of their sperm with a low-cost, safe treatment could make these men and their partners candidates for less costly, more natural therapeutic options such as insemination, according to Dr. Ramasamy.

We are proud of the recent funding that has been allocated to Dr. Ibrahim to study the reproductive potential of men with spinal cord injuries, Dr. Ramasamy said. At the Desai Sethi Urology Institute, we believe this funding can help us reach the ultimate goal of developing new treatments and therapies to help these men with spinal cord injury become fathers.
Investigators at Cedars-Sinai have received a $2 million grant from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) to develop a new cell therapy that helps improve quality of life for patients with degenerated discs and chronic lower back pain.

Dmitriy Sheyn, PhD, assistant professor in the departments of Orthopaedics, Surgery and Biomedical Sciences at Cedars-Sinai leads this new project in collaboration with Debiao Li, PhD, director of the Biomedical Imaging Research Institute and professor of Biomedical Sciences and Imaging at Cedars-Sinai; and Hyun Bae, MD, professor of Orthopaedics and co-medical director of Spine Education at Cedars-Sinai.

"We are extremely grateful for CIRM's support," said Li, who also holds the Karl Storz Chair in Minimally Invasive Surgery in honor of Dr. George Berci. "We are committed to finding a better way to treat the millions of people who suffer from this painful condition and medical imaging can play an important role."

The team of investigators, which includes biomaterials experts, imaging experts, pain management experts and spine surgeons, hopes the research will lead to the development of a novel injectable therapeutic for back pain and intervertebral disc degeneration, which is the most common cause of lower back pain.

There is an urgent need for a long-lasting stem cell therapy that targets the underlying pathogenesis of intervertebral disc degeneration. The goal is to have an off-the-shelf treatment accessible to different population groups suffering from this type of pain." Dmitriy Sheyn, PhD, Assistant Professor, Departments of Orthopaedics, Surgery and Biomedical Sciences, Cedars-Sinai

Lower back pain is one of the most common conditions that eventually lead to surgical interventions, chronic pain and use of opioids in the United States. At least 80% of the adult population is suffering from lower back pain, and 40% of these cases originate in intervertebral disc degeneration.

"Once degeneration cascade starts, it is very difficult to slow it down or reverse it," said Bae. "This award will help propel us into the next phase of research, where we hope to develop a therapy that can one day be widely available, cost-effective and accessible to all."

To date, most treatments for this condition are limited to invasive surgical interventions, such as disc replacement and spinal fusion, or pain management that does not address the underlying cause of intervertebral disc degeneration.

Researchers have tried to find ways to fix this problem, such as injecting stem cells, but there have been many challenges with this approach.

To help combat this problem, the team will be testing a new method using a type of cell called iPSC-derived notochordal cells that are delivered in a special microgel. The team will combine the treatment and MRI technology to develop and optimize the stem cell-loaded microgel component and to test it in large animals.
For three years, Bertha Embriz of San Francisco has gone without health insurance, skipping annual wellness exams and recently tolerating a broken molar by trying not to chew with it. As an immigrant without legal status, the 58-year-old unpaid caregiver knew that California's Medicaid program was closed to her.

That changed in May, when California expanded Medi-Cal  its Medicaid program for residents with low incomes  to adults 50 and older, regardless of immigration status. The problem was that Embriz didn't realize she would be eligible until she attended a community meeting in San Francisco.

"I'd heard that they were giving full Medi-Cal to people over 50, but I didn't know that you didn't have to be" in the country legally, said Embriz, who is waiting for her application to be processed. "Thank God I haven't had any emergencies."

As of October, the most recent month for which data is available, more than 300,000 older immigrant adults who lack legal residency had enrolled in full Medi-Cal benefits, 30% more than the state's original projection. State health officials, who had based their estimate on the number of people enrolled in a limited form of Medi-Cal that covers only emergency medical services, don't know how many additional older Californians are eligible, said Tony Cava, a spokesperson for the state Department of Health Care Services.

Now, some counties have hired a small army of community workers and health educators to enroll as many immigrant seniors as they can find. Workers visit senior centers, churches, English-language classes, immigration offices, markets, and community events, hoping to encounter people like Embriz unaware of their newfound eligibility.

In Alameda County, Medi-Cal program specialist Juan Ventanilla said the social services agency is using existing state outreach grants to partner with eight established community organizations to help get the word out about the expansion and help people sign up.

Workers, he said, specialize in "assisting the most vulnerable in the county in getting access to health care."

Among those fanning out are Ana Hernandez and Bertha Ortega at Casa CHE, a community health education center in the Fruitvale neighborhood of Oakland that is operated by La Clinica de la Raza. Hernandez and Ortega said most people they meet are eager to enroll in Medi-Cal, but they don't know where to start. Many don't speak English, have limited literacy, and struggle to use or access computers. Forms are available in 12 languages, but users may not find their language, such as the Indigenous Mayan language Mam.

"The system looks friendly if you have a lot of experience using a computer," said Ortega, but that's not the case for most of the older adults she helps. "They come in here and we have to fix everything."

Californians without legal status make up the largest portion of the state's uninsured residents, estimated at 3 million by the UC Berkeley Labor Center.

To get many of them covered, state lawmakers have expanded Medi-Cal to immigrants living in California without legal authorization, rolling out the coverage in stages: First, to children in 2016, young adults up to age 26 in 2020, and seniors last year. Next year, full Medi-Cal coverage will become available to all qualified Californians, regardless of age or immigration status. Once that happens, close to 700,000 additional noncitizens ages 26 through 49 are expected to enroll, according to Gov. Gavin Newsom's office.

Yet for all the changes, the program's expansion to older adults may have been the most momentous. Not only do they tend to need the most care, they also cost more to treat because they are likelier to have chronic conditions such as high blood pressure and diabetes. Many don't regularly seek medical care or social services  a tendency exacerbated by the pandemic.

California will be the first state to expand Medicaid coverage to all immigrants. Illinois and Oregon have also expanded state-funded coverage to older adult immigrants, and New York plans to do so in 2024.

Even though Medicaid is a joint state-federal program, the federal government chips in only for emergency and pregnancy-related coverage for people without legal status, which means California taxpayers foot most of the cost of providing coverage, estimated by state budget officials at $878 million for immigrant seniors the first year.

When the expansion to seniors launched in May, people age 50 and older who were already enrolled in the limited form of Medi-Cal were automatically transitioned to the comprehensive version that offers dental, vision, long-term care, and routine medical treatment at no cost to most enrollees. And some Bay Area counties, including Alameda, Contra Costa, and San Francisco, had a leg up in identifying eligible people because they run health care programs for residents without legal status.

In recent months, community health advocates have concentrated on finding eligible seniors who have yet to hear about the expansion. Some have appeared on local television and radio news shows to get the word out.

"We know that there are more out there that are eligible but unenrolled," said Seciah Aquino, acting executive director for the Latino Coalition for a Healthy California. "We are working to make sure that numbers can continue growing and that everyone who now has the privilege to access this benefit is able to sign up."

A focus group study last summer, funded by the California Health Care Foundation, found that about half of Hispanic respondents hadn't heard about the change. An even smaller share of older Asian immigrants knew about it. Asians make up the second-largest group of California immigrants after Hispanics, who account for almost 40% of the state's immigrants. (California Healthline is an editorially independent service of the California Health Care Foundation.)

Some of the people who remain unenrolled are hard to persuade because they fear disclosing their immigration status to a government program, community health workers report. Medi-Cal applicants are required to disclose their immigration status on the application, but state officials say they are required by law to keep the information private and don't share it with immigration authorities.

Those assurances are often met with skepticism.

Many eligible seniors point to the Trump administration's "public charge" policy that made enrollment in Medicaid possible grounds for denying people legal residency in the U.S. Although that policy was overturned in December, fears linger.

Embriz, who had limited Medi-Cal coverage for many years, said she pulled out in 2020 because of the public charge policy. She didn't want her Medi-Cal enrollment to ruin her chances of obtaining a green card. But once she learned that signing up wouldn't affect her green card application, she agreed.

"It would make a big difference," Embriz said about getting routine checkups again. "I have a lot of hope."

For some older immigrants who have signed up, the ability to get full coverage has been a godsend. Maria Rodriguez, 56, of Hayward, learned in September that she was eligible while visiting the local Tiburcio Vasquez Health Center, a clinic that serves uninsured patients. A social worker helped her fill out the application online after a doctor had diagnosed her with diabetes and high blood pressure.

"It's like Medi-Cal fell from heaven," Rodriguez said. "It's very beneficial for my health."

Claudia Boyd-Barrett is a reporter with California Health Report. This article is produced in collaboration with California Healthline, California Health Report, and El Timpano.

This story was produced by KHN, which publishes California Healthline, an editorially independent service of the California Health Care Foundation.
The European Union (EU) Election Observation Mission (EU EOM) has raised concerns about the integrity of Saturday's Presidential and National Assembly elections in Nigeria.

The EU EOM, during its preliminary briefing in Abuja on Monday, said the secrecy of the ballot was not observed in many polling units during the elections.

"In 100 of 240 observed polling units, the layout did not sufficiently protect the secrecy of the vote; in more than half the voters did not mark the ballot in secrecy," it stated in its report.

Nigeria's President, Muhmmadu Buhari, displayed his ballot to reveal the party he voted for after casting his vote on Saturday.

While noting the malfunctioning of BVAS in some polling units, the EU EOM observers also reported that key polling procedures were not always followed.

"In 32 of the observed polling units, the voter register was not always ticked. Observers reported underage voting in Sokoto and Kano."

It stated that prior to elections, stakeholders expressed confidence in the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)'s independence, professionalism, and voter information efforts, but said this deteriorated as election day approached notably in Kano and Lagos.

"On election night, trust in the institution was seen to diminish due to information gaps and INEC's failure to promptly respond to stakeholder disquiet over logistical and security lapses and later the failure of public access to presidential results on the IReV.

"INEC's communication approach was characterised mostly by delivery of general information through stakeholder consultations and press conferences frequently lacking detail.

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"Public information about key electoral procedures and precise data was not readily available, including the safeguards for the integrity and reliability of the BVAS, the process of collecting PVCs, voter registration updates, and the rationale of court orders changing candidate lists.

"Publication of such information would have notably enhanced the transparency and certainty of the process," EU EOM said.

While acknowledging that counting was undertaken in full public view, the EU EOM said the overall conduct was negatively assessed by observers in 9 of 37 observations.

"It evidenced poor attention to procedures for completion of forms and for packing and sealing of sensitive materials.

"In 16 of 37 observed polling units, staff had difficulties understanding and completing results forms. The figures in the results forms did not reconcile in 9 out of 37 of observations.

"In 24 out of 37 units, the results were not posted publicly and in 22 of 37 units, the form was not uploaded using BVAS", according to the EU EOM.
Immune cells that keep the brain free of debris but also contribute to inflammation are the likely culprits behind the concentration and memory problems that sometimes follow one type of chemotherapy, a new study in mice suggests.

Researchers previously showed that female mice given paclitaxel, a drug commonly used to treat breast, ovarian and other cancers, developed memory problems that were linked to inflammation in the brain. Mice receiving a placebo did not develop the "mental fog" phenomenon known as chemo brain.

In this study, the team used a technique to delete immune cells called microglia from the brains of mice that had received paclitaxel. The loss of those cells restored the chemo-treated animals' memory and also lowered inflammation in their brains.

"That was the peak of the paper: We demonstrated that microglia were necessary for the cognitive impairments we've seen with paclitaxel  the behavior was reversed," said senior author Leah Pyter, an investigator in the Institute for Behavioral Medicine Research at The Ohio State University.

"When we got rid of those microglia, it was associated with a reduction in the inflammatory response to chemo," said Pyter, associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral health in Ohio State's College of Medicine. "So we think that when microglia are activated and become pro-inflammatory, that's what is ultimately affecting neurons to impair memory."

The research was published online recently in the journal Brain, Behavior and Immunity.

In these studies, the mice never have cancer  the research is intended to study only the effects of paclitaxel, which is often combined with one or more additional drugs in regimens determined to provide the most effective treatment for certain types of breast cancer. A member of the Cancer Control Research Program, Pyter is also studying how the gut microbiome may play a role in chemo brain.

Identifying chemotherapy side effects, and the cells and pathways involved, in animal studies is a first step toward proposing potential interventions that could lessen the impact this important cancer treatment has on the body and brain. Chemotherapy agents work by killing cancer cells, but also kill other dividing cells, and the immune system clean-up of resulting debris is thought to drive inflammation, Pyter said.

The team predicts that inflammatory cells in the rest of the body, known as the periphery, are sending signals that activate microglia to become pro-inflammatory in the brain, and those signals interact with cells in the blood-brain barrier  hinting at three potential areas to target.

"We should always be trying to get to more targeted treatments. And the first step of that is to understand who the major players are," Pyter said. "As we look for potential targets for intervention, we have to keep in mind that cancer patients need their peripheral immune systems intact to respond to tumor cells and get rid of them. So it's tricky."

In the new study, mice were given six cycles of paclitaxel injections or a placebo. Researchers found that both microglia and astrocytes, cells in the brain that have an immune role but also perform numerous functions to keep neurons healthy, were activated by the chemotherapy in the hippocampus, the region of focus in this work. Machine learning analysis showed that compared to mice that received a placebo, microglia in the brains of mice receiving chemo were producing more pro-inflammatory proteins and suppressing a protein important for cognition-related neuron health.

An experimental drug that inhibits a substance that microglia in mice need for survival was added to the animals' food to deplete microglia in their brains. Chemo-treated mice with normal brain immune cell levels showed memory problems in a standard lab test. In contrast, memory in the mice with depleted microglia was restored, and chemo-induced pro-inflammatory proteins in their brains were significantly reduced.

Drugs similar to this experimental compound have been used in cancer patients receiving paclitaxel to target other types of immune cells, which suggests that temporarily clearing away microglia in humans may be feasible, Pyter said.

"We know that chemotherapy is lifesaving, but comes with the potential for toxicity. A better understanding of how chemotherapy affects the brain opens up research areas and interventions to improve the lives of our cancer patients," said Dr. Peter Shields, deputy director of The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center and a practicing thoracic oncologist at The James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute.

Pyter also said the findings hint at possible long-term cognitive effects from paclitaxel because microglia are unusual among immune cell types: They have a long life and don't repopulate frequently.

"Microglia are always there  they're very dynamic and they're trolling for issues. They might look completely normal until they're activated, and then their response to that activation can be very abnormal," she said. "We're using chemo as a hypothesized way to activate them. But say a cancer patient receives and finishes chemo. But later, they have surgery or a huge stressor in their life  that will reactivate those cells and they might respond oddly later in life.

"This model doesn't mimic long-term side effects. But it is a big concern because many breast cancer patients survive, and the side effects don't always go away."

This research was supported by The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, a Postdoctoral Pelotonia Fellowship and the National Institutes of Health. Co-authors include Corena Grant, Kyle Sullivan, Kylie Wentworth, Lauren Otto, Lindsay Strehle and Jose Otero, all of Ohio State. Sullivan is also affiliated with Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
New York City has long been a haven for people who want an abortion, and new city programs and policies aim to make sure it remains one since the Supreme Court reversed Roe v. Wade and tossed abortion regulation back to the states.

In 1973, before Roe legalized abortion nationwide, New York was the only state that generally allowed abortions without a residency requirement or medical restrictions before fetal viability, according to the Guttmacher Institute. A year earlier  1972  more than 100,000 women traveled to New York City for a legal abortion.

"New York wasn't convenient, but it was the only option in the continental United States," said Mary Ziegler, who is the Martin Luther King Jr. Professor of Law at the University of California-Davis and a leading historian on abortion in the United States.

Now, following last summer's high court ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, which reversed the landmark law, a dozen states ban nearly all abortions and many others severely restrict them. But as abortion access contracts, people may have other options closer to home, which would be cheaper than traveling to the Big Apple. New York and other emerging abortion hubs are critical to keeping abortion accessible across the country, advocates say. Yet traveling out of state can present intractable financial and personal obstacles for many people.

Last month, Mayor Eric Adams announced that New York City would begin offering free medication abortions at four sexual health clinics, in addition to the 11 public hospitals that already provide abortion pills and surgical abortions in the city.

The program will be funded as part of a $1.2 million package for sexual health services, according to Rachel Vick, a spokesperson for the city health department. The city will provide free pills used to terminate pregnancies to up to 10,000 patients annually.

The move is the latest effort by the city to become a destination, connecting residents and anyone else interested in getting an abortion to medical care as well as financial and logistical aid through a toll-free number.

Last summer, the mayor signed a package of bills that expand abortion access for New Yorkers and for "outsiders seeking reproductive asylum" in the city. The bills also protect abortion providers and increase public outreach and education about abortion services.

"New York City continues to make efforts to increase access to abortion within the region, and it has put its money where its mouth is," said Sarah Moeller, director of resource development at the Brigid Alliance, which provides logistical support  including travel, lodging, food, and child care  for people seeking abortions.

Helping to meet these needs is important, say activists, because they are part of what makes travel a serious, sometimes insurmountable barrier.

According to a 2021 survey of 856 people considering an abortion, those who lived 50 or more miles from an abortion facility were significantly more likely to still be pregnant four weeks after answering the initial inquiry than those who lived less than 5 miles from one. Among the obstacles they cited were arranging for child care and covering the cost of travel. The findings were published in JAMA Network Open.

"A lot of times when I work with people, they've never left their home state or their hometown," said Renee Bracey Sherman, executive director and founder of We Testify, which provides information about abortion and a platform for people to tell their abortion stories.

Traveling for an abortion creates more than logistical hurdles, said Katie Glenn, state policy director at Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, an advocacy group that opposes abortion.

"What if she has an abortion and has complications and has a big medical bill?" said Glenn, noting why such travel is a bad idea. Following a medication abortion, the FDA recommends that patients follow up with the provider a week or two later, Glenn noted. If they've returned to their home state, does that appointment happen? "There are all these other considerations that don't get addressed," she said.

Coastal states like New York and California  the latter has also made strong efforts to expand abortion care and protect abortion providers  are often expensive destinations for people in regions like the South where abortion is largely banned, say advocates. Illinois and New Mexico, both of which have relatively few abortion restrictions but are an easy drive from states with bans or severe limitations, have become increasingly popular destinations for abortion seekers, said Melissa Fowler, chief program officer at the National Abortion Federation, which represents abortion providers.

The District of Columbia, which places no restrictions on how late in a pregnancy an abortion can be performed, is a destination for people from West Virginia, where nearly all abortions are banned, and other Southern states, said Bracey Sherman.

The Choices Center for Reproductive Health opened its doors in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1974, a year after the Roe decision, to fill a need left by local doctors and hospitals refusing to perform abortions despite the ruling, said Jennifer Pepper, Choices' president and CEO. In time, in addition to abortion services, the center offered contraceptives, general wellness services, LGBTQ+ health care, and a birth center staffed by midwives.

"We realize people make different choices, and we want to take care of them," Pepper said.

When a trigger law criminalizing abortion took effect in Tennessee after the Supreme Court reversed Roe last June, Choices was ready with an option for those who could make a trip. The center was nearing completion on a clinic in Carbondale, Illinois, a few hundred miles away, where abortion is protected by the state's constitution. The clinic, which will eventually offer a full menu of reproductive health care services, welcomed its first abortion patients in October.

In addition to serving Choices patients from Tennessee, people have driven to the Carbondale clinic from Arkansas, Mississippi, Texas, and a few other states with restrictive laws, Pepper said.

Medication abortions at the Carbondale clinic cost $550 and abortion procedures cost between $700 and $1,000. The center doesn't accept insurance at this time. Travel, lodging, child care, and lost income from work add more to patients' costs. Even though the clinic staff refers patients to organizations that provide financial help with medical and logistical needs, many people can't make the trip.

"Those that we see have the ability to travel and take off work," Pepper said. "The folks with the least amount of resources are going to be least able to travel."

State laws that permit or restrict abortion aren't the only legal issues that may affect people who are considering traveling for an abortion.

In general, if people travel to a state where abortion is legal, they can legally receive one there.

Likewise, state laws that require minors to get parental consent to have an abortion don't apply once someone leaves the state, said Leila Abolfazli, director of federal reproductive rights at the National Women's Law Center.

"We don't support any type of penalty for an adult who is freely traveling from state to state," said Glenn, of the Susan B. Anthony organization.

Travel across state lines is protected by the U.S. Constitution, as Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh noted in his concurring opinion on the Dobbs' decision. For example, may a state bar a resident of that state from traveling to another state to obtain an abortion? In my view, the answer is no, based on the constitutional right to interstate travel.

The tricky part is once people return to their home state, where abortion may be banned or restricted, could they be prosecuted for having an abortion?

If someone receives abortion pills in New York, for example, and then travels home to Ohio, where most abortions are banned, to take one or both doses of the medication, will they be in legal jeopardy?

"That might be considered committing a crime," said Katharine Bodde, assistant policy director at the New York Civil Liberties Union.
In a recent study published in BMJ Health and Care Informatics, researchers evaluated the influence of celebrities on public attitudes toward the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

Background

The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly changed human lives globally. Millions of individuals have been forced out of public places, with pandemic-related conversations occurring online on different social network platforms. People in the public eye (PIPE), such as politicians, news anchors, entertainers, and athletes, have leveraged such platforms to discuss diverse topics and share their experiences and opinions on COVID-19, vaccines, and public health measures with their followers.

About the study

In the present study, researchers compared the COVID-19 vaccine-related tweets cooccurring with mentions of PIPE representatives between January 1, 2020, and March 1, 2022. PIPE representatives included Novak Djokovic (ND), Nicki Minaj (NM), Tucker Carlson (TC), Joe Rogan (JR), Donald Trump (DT), Aaron Rodgers (AR), Rand Paul (RP), Eric Clapton (EC), Ron DeSantis (RD), Candace Owens (CO), Phil Valentine (PV), and Ted Cruz (TeC).

They were selected due to statements made in the public that were against vaccination, misinformation, or propagated misinformation. PIPE representatives were grouped as news personnel, politicians, or athletes/entertainers. The team harvested about 13 million tweets; tweets from bots, repetitive news media/users, and duplicates were removed. The tweets were queried for COVID-19-19 vaccine(s) and PIPE terms. The final dataset comprised 45,255 tweets from 34,407 unique authors.

The sentiment for each tweet was calculated using the DistilRoBERTa model, trained by labeling 4,000 tweets as negative or positive, which were used with the back translation method to generate an augmented dataset of 50,000 tweets. After fine-tuning, the Hugging face pipeline was used to process data for sentiment analysis. The probabilistic confidence score (0  1) and polarity (positive/negative sentiment) were reported.

Findings

Among athletes/entertainers, there were 29,210 likes on tweets mentioning ND, with an average of 46.63 and the maximum and minimum positive sentiment of 0.44 in February 2021 and 0.1 in July 2021, respectively. The mean confidence score for negative and positive tweets mentioning ND was 0.96 and 0.88, respectively. For AR, the maximum positive sentiment was 0.3 in December 2021, while the minimum was 0.17 in February 2022.

The mean confidence scores were 0.95 for negative and 0.87 for positive tweets mentioning AR. The maximum positive sentiment for EC-mentioned tweets reached 0.19, with a minimum of 0.07 in June 2021. The mean confidence score for positive tweets mentioning EC was 0.84, and 0.97 for negative tweets. The maximum positive sentiment for tweets mentioning NM was 0.66 in May 2021, and the minimum was 0.1 in February 2022.

For NM, the mean confidence score was 0.93 for negative tweets and 0.87 for positive tweets. Among politicians, 11,195 tweets in the dataset mentioned DT, with a maximum positive sentiment of 0.83 in February 2020, which declined sharply in the next month to 0.23 and remained consistently low ever since. The dataset comprised 1,520 tweets mentioning TeC, which reached a maximum positive sentiment of 0.22 in May 2020 and a minimum of 0.12 in January 2021.

RD mentions occurred in 3,885 tweets, reaching a maximum positive sentiment of 0.966 in June 2021 and a minimum of 0.25 in June 2020. There were 2892 RP-mentioned tweets, with a maximum positive sentiment of 0.6 in March 2020 and a minimum of 0.15 in December 2021. Among news personnel, 4,843 tweets mentioned TC, with a maximum positive sentiment of 0.355 in April 2021 and a minimum of 0.07 in August 2020.

There were 1,264 PV-mentioned tweets; the maximum positive sentiment was 0.4, and the minimum was 0.1. CO reached a maximum positive sentiment of 0.43 in January 2022 and a minimum of 0.03 in October 2021. A majority of the maximum/minimum sentiment occurred in different months. However, three months contained two occurrences of maximum/minimum sentiment.

Two entertainers (EC and NM) had their maximum positive sentiment in June 2021, while two politicians expressed their most-negative sentiment during December 2021. Several major events occurred in December 2021, including Omicron detection in the United States (US). NM and AR, two entertainers, had their lowest sentiment during February 2022.

Conclusions

In summary, the findings revealed consistent patterns of emotional content cooccurring with messages/tweets shared by PIPE representatives influenced public opinion. Overall, a broadly polarized negative tone was observed despite the faint differences in sentiment across PIPE subgroups. The public view was shaped by political ideologies, risk perceptions, and behaviors shared by PIPE representatives.

The authors believed that messages/tweets from news personnel and politicians strongly correlate with public health events. Further analysis of public response to the emotions shared by PIPE representatives could provide valuable insights into the role of social network-shared sentiment in disease prevention, COVID-19 control/containment, and response to future disease outbreaks.
The All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council (APC PCC) has condemned the call by former President Muhammadu Obasanjo to cancel the Saturday's elections in areas where the exercise was disrupted, describing it as a coup against democracy.

Obasanjo, who had declared his support for the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, in a letter to President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday alleged that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had compromised the conduct of the elections.

But responding to Obasabjo's allegations, the Special Adviser, Media, Communications and Public Affairs, APC PCC, Dele Alake, said Obasanjo could not subtantiate his claims, adding his comments were moves to derail the nation's democratic process.

The statement reads, "Our attention has been drawn to a press statement by former President Olusegun Obasanjo in which he was virtually calling for a truncation of the ongoing electoral process and a cancellation of already conducted elections on the basis of frivolous, unfounded and baseless allegations by politicians who are sore losers and have no respect for democratic values.

"Obasanjo repeated without the slightest iota of evidence rumours he had picked up that the Bimodal Voters Accreditation System had been compromised and that the results of elections being announced are fraudulent. It is tragic that a former President who ought to be a statesman in comportment and speech will recklessly seek to endanger and derail our democratic process for utterly selfish, egoistic and malicious reasons. He offers not a single credible piece of evidence to prove his laughable and ridiculous allegations against INEC and the credibility of the ongoing process."

Tinubu's campaign team further stated that it was aware that Obasanjo was not an impartial and disinterested party in this election, making reference to the former president's January 1 statement where "he had issued a characteristically lengthy epistle to Nigerians endorsing the candidacy of Mr Peter Obi and asking Nigerian youths to vote en masse for him."

The statement added, "Of course our reaction was that the former President was entitled to his view and that the outcome of the elections would demonstrate if he had any electoral value. As fate would have it, Peter Obi was defeated even in Obasanjo's own polling unit in Abeokuta in Ogun State. But it is now obvious that the only election Obasanjo will agree to being free, fair and credible is one that produces Obi as winner which is ridiculous.

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"Is Obasanjo also querying the outcome of the presidential elections in Lagos or Delta where Obi won? If the outcome in Lagos won by Obi is free and credible, on what basis is he querying the outcome of the elections in other places? This is pure mischief and sheer hypocrisy. Obasanjo wants President Muhammadu Buhari to intervene in an undemocratic manner to truncate the ongoing political process just the way he did most shamelessness in the 2003 and 2007 elections widely described as the worst in our political history."

The APC PCC said no true democrat must seek an abortion of the process just because he believed the elections were not going his way, noting that what "Obasanjo is subtly calling for in his nefarious statement is a coup against democracy and the constitution."

The team, while urging that Obasanjo's remarks should be condemned and ignored, said the constitution had stipulated processes for seeking redress against electoral malpractices in the past and had been tested several times and used to redress electoral injustice where such had been proven.

"Nigerians must reject Obasanjo's dubious and hypocritical advice and stay strictly and firmly on the path of constitutionalism and democratic due process," the statement added.
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opinion

Quito, Ecuador / La Paz, Bolivia  The Chief Executive of the twelfth largest oil producer - Sultan Al Jaber of Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) - has been appointed as president of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change's (UNFCCC) COP28, the biggest climate change conference that will take place in November, 2023 in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

In brief, the leadership of a Climate Conference that should deliver on ways to create a fossil-free future is in the hands of the representative of one of the top 15 corporations most responsible for carbon emissions globally. Like any other oil company, ADNOC's very reason for existence is to profit off of the very product that has sent global greenhouse gas emissions soaring and spurred a global climate emergency.

In fact, ADNOC Drilling under ADNOC Groups reported a rise of 33 percent in 2022 net profit with a projection of record net profit in 2023 fueled by further oil and gas expansion plans. And now at least 12 employees of ADNOC have been given organizing roles for COP28. That means this year the global climate negotiations will literally be run by the fossil fuel industry.

Fierce criticism has arisen from all over the world and in particular from climate activists that have been long fighting for a fossil fuel free climate COP. In reaction to this appointment, more than 450 climate and human rights organizations wrote a letter to UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres and Simon Stiell, Executive Secretary of the UNFCCC condemning the appointment of Al Jaber as COP28 President.

The thin argument presented for the appointment of Al Jaber is his involvement in renewables as chairman of Masdar, a "clean-energy innovator" investing in renewables. But that alone does not compare to the evidence on the negative role and powerful influence of the fossil fuel industry in the climate talks.

The fossil fuel industry has completely co-opted climate policy from the inside out. The most offensive illustration of this co-option and corporate capture of climate talks is the current reality that someone like Al Jaber will preside over a crucial session of climate negotiations at such a time when complete and equitable phase out of fossil fuels is a critical and immediate action needed to protect the planet.

And this is not happening for the first time!

More than 630 fossil fuel industry lobbyists participated in COP27 last year at Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt and 18 out of 20 COP27 sponsors were either directly partnered with or are linked to the fossil fuel industry.

This ongoing 30-year experiment of allowing the largest polluters, their financiers, and polluter governments to undermine a meaningful global response to climate change has delivered predictably poor and unacceptable results.

Several reports last year including this report by the UN Environmental Programme showed that the world will miss the target set in the Paris Agreement by world leaders to limit global warming below 1.5C.

So, what's the solution?

It's time for international climate policy to finally be protected from polluting interests, and this is the reason many are proposing a concrete drawing from other UN precedents to systematically weed out this undue interference.

The UN Secretary General has recently equated the fossil fuel industry's modus operandi as "inconsistent with human survival," also agreeing that "those responsible [for climate deceit] must be held to account.'

A concrete Accountability Framework should be implemented by the UNFCCC drawing from other UN precedents to systematically weed out this undue interference.

Parties to the UNFCCC have to change the course of how climate talks are moving and provide immediate and clear signs of deep structural changes that can lead to just transition. Governments across the world should be actively protecting climate action from being written, bankrolled, and weakened by polluting interests.

Rather, it's (past) time to implement real, proven, and people-centered solutions and hold polluting corporations liable for their decades-long deception and deceit. These are not new ideas. These are not even radical ideas. They are necessary ones.

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The indigenous peoples, peasants, women and frontline communities who face and suffer the serious consequences of the impacts of climate change, together with the social groups of the world that have a real interest in curbing the emissions of greenhouse gasses, demand that the decision makers implement the necessary changes in order to ensure that appropriate measures are adopted by the world and governments at COP28 to prevent the collapse of the planet.

If these necessary measures are not rectified and implemented immediately, it is world leaders and the decision makers who would be mainly responsible for the collapse of our planet. For us it is clear, Sultan Al Jaber does not have the moral or ethical rectitude to lead and deliver on a COP28 that is for the peoples.

Pablo Fajardo Mendoza is with the Union of People Affected by Chevron-Texaco (UDAPT); and Gadir Lavadenz is Global Coordinator, Global Campaign to Demand Climate Justice

IPS UN Bureau

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Editors note: Fair chase is the lawful harvesting of wild animal without an improper or unfair advantage by the hunter.

Frank Keim is an author and environmentalist. He is a 54-year Alaska resident who lived in the villages of Hooper Bay, Scammon Bay, Emmonak and Marshall before settling down in Fairbanks.
analysis

Technology has become the centre of our lives. It has also changed how university students learn and how lecturers teach. Some institutions had already shifted to some form of online teaching and learning before 2020. Then the onset of the COVID pandemic made digitised education commonplace in many parts of the world.

But it's not enough for universities to offer technological platforms. Those who transfer knowledge - lecturers - must do so skilfully. They must also be able to appropriately support their students through any challenges related to online teaching platforms.

In South Africa, as in many developing countries, most of those entering higher education are not familiar with online learning. They are not adept at finding their way around the internet. They struggle to navigate university learning management systems. The situation is made worse when lecturers don't have the skills needed to facilitate classes and tutorials online. This dearth of skills on their lecturers' part can negatively affect students' performance and achievement.

I conducted a study to explore how lecturers' skills, knowledge and experience in e-learning affect student support. The research focused on an open distance e-learning institution - the largest on the African continent. It does not offer any face-to-face learning. Before the pandemic, teaching was based on a blended learning approach: written materials were delivered to students by post; others accessed it online from the university's learning management system.

So, its teaching staff ought to be extra competent at using online technologies to teach and support students. My participants were academic staff members who had successfully completed a training programme designed to boost their digital skills. I also solicited feedback from students' discussion forums to see how their learning experiences differed when their lecturers were technologically adept versus when they were not.

I found that most lecturers lacked the knowledge and digital skills necessary for open distance e-learning before the training. This had a significant negative impact on their attitudes to using technology in their teaching. It also hindered their ability to successfully support students. However, the capacity-building programme they completed greatly improved their digital literacy. It also positively shifted their perspectives.

My findings suggest that universities should offer their staff continuous professional development in distance education and e-learning. This will help lecturers to better support and improve the quality of students' learning experiences.

What I found

The study focused on digital skills developed through an international partnership that aimed to develop academics' capacity for e-learning. Existing research had already established that these sorts of partnerships were a good way to equip academics with expertise in information communication technology. This is because facilitators from developed countries, with comparatively long experience, access and knowledge regarding online learning technologies and techniques, are well placed to support those in developing nations like South Africa.

I collected data from participants in several ways, including interviews and online questionnaires. The academic staff I worked with had all participated in a capacity building programme offered as part of a partnership between the University of South Africa and the University of Maryland Global Campus between 2013 and 2015.

I also studied more than 1,000 students' posts on online discussion forums related to two modules hosted on the university's learning management system.

Most of my participants said the training helped them to better comprehend theories of distance education. It also enabled them to apply those theories when creating learning materials and facilitating learning online. They also felt empowered to increase student engagement, such as by creating online student communities.

The study confirmed that a lecturer's lack of online facilitation skills can have a negative impact on learner outcomes. Lecturers cannot impart skills they themselves lack or facts they do not know to students: you can't teach it if you don't know it.

Steps to take

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Based on my findings, I suggest that universities, whether they are partially or fully online, should:

conduct institution-wide surveys to assess the readiness of academic staff for online teaching. The feedback can inform skills development plans and support systems both for academic and support staff.

create a platform for staff members who complete online teaching training programmes to share information and their experiences. This will contribute to the wider implementation of e-learning. Staff members who complete formal e-learning training programmes also need to be strategically co-opted in research, discussions, and projects within the university to share their knowledge more widely.

ensure that staff are properly trained and prepared to adapt and to adopt new technologies

ensure that students are creatively and actively engaged using the digital platforms developed as part of e-learning programmes. This includes being visible on digital platforms such as discussion forums and actively interacting with the students.

Mpho-Entle Puleng Modise, Lecturer, University of South Africa
 Support comes from Canada Cultural Spaces Fund, the Supporting Black Canadian Communities Initiative, and Scotiabank 

TORONTO, Feb. 27, 2023 /CNW/ - Today, Black Artists' Networks in Dialogue (BAND) formally announces financial backing for capital improvements to the BAND Gallery and Cultural Centre in Parkdale. The Toronto-based charitable organization, in support of Black artists and cultural workers, hosted Arif Virani, the Member of Parliament for Parkdale High Park, other representatives from the City of Toronto, and Sophia Doulaghsingh, from the Scotiabank executive team at BAND19 (19 Brock Avenue) on February 27 at 10 a.m., EST. Yesterday's press event also included a preview of the new design from the lead architect, Dami Akinbode of Diamond Schmitt .

In 2017, BAND moved to their permanent Parkdale home thanks to generous support from Scotiabank. Current improvements to this Victorian house will maximize the footprint from the basement to the attic; adding new space, updating existing space, and enhancing outdoor space. All aspects will meet current museological standards, with enhanced security, lighting, safety for artwork, environmental controls, and accessibility, including making the historic building wheelchair accessible. The result will be a more functional gallery, multipurpose community areas, and brand-new artists' studios and workshops.

"We're incredibly grateful for the support of our funders, neighbours, community, staff, and board members, as well as our design team," says Karen Carter, BAND co-founder. "We're thrilled to be working with Diamond Schmitt and Dami Akinbode, who understand the requirements and vision for the space. These renovations will improve our ability to meet the needs of our community of emerging artists, curators, and cultural workers through expanded and improved offerings."

"Diamond Schmitt's design will provide BAND with a distinguished community landmark and broaden our contributions to community arts organizations in our city," says Greg Colucci, Principal, Diamond Schmitt. "It also enables our firm to advance the careers of our young Black architects on a project that has particular resonance for them on a personal and community level."

"As a Black architect, it's a unique and refreshing opportunity to lead a project that means so much for the community I am part of," says Dami Akinbode, Project Architect, Diamond Schmitt. "I'm able to develop the design alongside my Black colleagues at the firm, working with a client group that looks like me on a unique space for emerging Black artists in Toronto. Our design will allow BAND to expand its capacity both functionally and culturally, providing the Black arts community with a state-of-the-art gallery that feels very much like home."

Renovations to BAND gallery are already underway at 19 Brock Ave. and are expected to be completed by fall, 2023. Further information, along with video footage of the press conference, is found in BAND's press kit .

Connect with BAND

Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter

About BAND

Black Artists' Networks Dialogue (BAND) is an organization dedicated to supporting, documenting, and showcasing the artistic and cultural contributions of Black Artists and cultural workers in Canada and internationally. BAND works to encourage dialogue among Black artists, cultural workers, and the larger society to inspire, enlighten and educate through the arts.

BAND is presenting programming offsite while 19 Brock Ave. undergoes renovation. Learn more at www.bandgallery.com

SOURCE Black Artists' Networks in Dialogue

For further information: Claudia Pensa Bowen, [email protected], 647-701-4323
Five special edition bars available across Canada surrounding International Women's Day, in partnership with Girl Up

CANADA, Feb. 28, 2023 /CNW/ - In celebration of International Women's Day, Hershey Canada has partnered with Girl Up to launch five limited-edition HER for SHE chocolate bars. Now available at participating locations across Canada, each bar highlights a young Canadian woman taking action to build a more positive future. This is part of a global initiative from The Hershey Company, which has been ranked as the World's Top Female Friendly Company, to shine light on the voices of more women making an impact in their communities. To further this commitment to a more equitable future, Hershey Canada has also pledged $40,000 to Girl Up, an organization providing young women with the training, tools, and community to build leadership and accelerate social change.

Hershey Canada Releases Limited Edition HER for SHE Bars to Celebrate Canadian Women Building a Better Future (CNW Group/Hershey Canada)

This year's HER for SHE initiative spotlights five Canadian women working to build a better future through their passion, activism, and work in their communities: Autumn Peltier, Indigenous Rights and Water Activist; Fae Johnstone, 2SLGBTQIA+ Advocate; Rita Audi, Gender and Education Equality Activist; Naila Moloo, Climate Tech Researcher; and Kelicia Massala, founder of Girl Up Quebec. Hershey Canada worked with Toronto-based mural artist, Gosia Komorski , to bring the women's stories to life on limited-edition HERSHEY'S COOKIES N' CREME and HERSHEY'S WHOLE ALMOND bars. Together with accompanying video spots produced in collaboration with Mint , the bar wrapper designs illustrate how each woman is using her voice and advocacy to contribute to lasting change.

"The HER for SHE 2023 campaign is crucial to empower women to become leaders and to teach young girls that anything is possible," says Rita Audi of the easy decision to collaborate with Hershey Canada. "By featuring the accomplishments of local women, Hershey's raises awareness of both the progress we have made towards gender equality and the amount of work we still have to do."

HER for SHE 2023 is a powerful and exciting continuation of the inaugural 2022 Canadian campaign, which brought exceptional women's stories to light, and allowed many Canadians to join the conversation. "Last year's initiative exemplified Hershey Canada's larger values and commitment to support and advance gender equity," says Brittany Chopra, Senior Marketing Manager at Hershey Canada. "We're so excited to extend the message even further in 2023! Having the bars on sale across Canada only serves to amplify women's voices and stories, and will encourage more Canadians to spotlight those making change in their own communities."

The Hershey Company is working to make advancements in gender equity through meaningful partnerships and programming that provide young girls and women the support to develop their skills and get involved in leadership opportunities. This includes a global partnership with Girl Up, and the "Future CEO" program , a company-wide program that offers mentorship and education to young women in Canada and around the world. In working closely with Girl Up Canada to amplify women's stories, Hershey Canada hopes to spark a movement and inspire more women to continue fighting for the future they want to see.

To further drive the conversation and support Girl Up, Hershey Canada is calling Canadians to celebrate the incredible women around them by shouting them out on @hersheyscanada 's Instagram channel. This call to highlight more women making an impact will not only highlight more women across the country, but will also incite donations to Girl Up. For every comment on HERforSHE posts, Hershey Canada will donate $1 (up to $10,000 and until March 18) to the women's leadership organization. This social media-driven initiative will be bolstered by an additional $30,000 donation to Girl Up.

"As a society it is ever more important to continue to uplift and recognize the strength of all women," says Autumn Peltier, who is excited to see her bar wrapper and story come to life. "Everyone deserves a seat at the tablethere is power in the word 'she.'"

Images available for download here .

ABOUT THE HERSHEY COMPANY

The Hershey Company, headquartered in Hershey, Pa., is an industry-leading snacks company known for bringing goodness to the world through its iconic brands, remarkable people and enduring commitment to help children succeed. Hershey has approximately 17,000 employees around the world who work every day to deliver delicious, quality products. The company has more than 90 brands around the world that drive over $8.9 billion in annual revenues, including such iconic brand names as HERSHEY'S, REESE'S, TWIZZLERS, and many more. For more than 125 years, Hershey has been committed to operating fairly, ethically and sustainably. Hershey founder, Milton Hershey, created the Milton Hershey School in 1909 and since then the company has focused on helping children succeed.

SOURCE Hershey Canada

For further information: Jaime Eisen | [email protected]; Katrina Milich | [email protected]
The Independent National Electoral Commission is ignoring demands by various stakeholders, including political parties, to pause the ongoing collation and declaration of the results of Saturdays presidential and National Assembly elections over allegations of electoral manipulation and compromise.





The Peoples Democratic Party and Labour Party at the National Collation Centre in Abuja on Monday protested the failure of the commission to ask its officials to upload the results on the INEC portal from the polling units.





They complained about widespread discrepancies in the results of the polls and asked the electoral commission to halt the proceedings at the collation centre and address their complaints.





But following the refusal of the INEC Chairman, Mahood Yakubu, to heed the parties calls, some opposition parties on Monday staged a walkout during the announcement of results at the National Collation Centre, International Conference Centre, Abuja.





The walkout was led by the PDP which had queried the commission over observed alleged discrepancies in the released results and its failure to upload the election results on its portal for public view.





The PDP agent, Senator Dino Melaye, led the opposition parties out of the collation centre in protest against Yakubus refusal to acknowledge and act on their observations and demand.





The other parties included the Action Alliance, African Democratic Congress and Social Democratic Party.





Before the incident which disrupted the proceedings, the INEC chairman had shut down a motion by Melaye to adjourn the collation process until polling units results were uploaded on the INEC Results Viewing Portal.





While alleging that the entire process had been compromised by INEC, he sought for the cancellation of the entire presidential election results.





Addressing journalists after staging the walkout, Melaye claimed that the PDP, LP and others were demanding the cancellation of the entire presidential election result.





He said, We as party agents having observed that the national chairman of INEC is determined to rig the election by making sure that results are not uploaded by vehemently making a presentation that makes it look as if we are all here to rubber stamp the fraud that has been cooked between INEC and APC.

We are saying that we are not here to rubber-stamp the electoral fraud that has been prepared by INEC and APC. We are Nigerians and we all know that there is nowhere on the server that results have been uploaded and the INEC chairman is now saying we should wait for the process to be completed before he will review knowing full well that once a declaration is done, there cant be any review but by the courts.





So we completely disassociate ourselves and thats why we staged a walkout. All the political parties here have staged a walkout to express the unfortunate politicisation and commercialization of our electoral process.





Speaking further, the former lawmaker stated, We have records of where the BVAS were not used and results have been pronounced. What is difficult for the INEC chairman showing the uploaded results so that we can compare and interrogate that with a presentation that is made by the state returning officers?





But they cannot upload results. They cannot show us uploaded results because they know that what they are going to upload will be at variance with what they are presenting to Nigerians.





So, the electoral process has been rigged. INEC has rigged the 2023 elections, and we are completely disassociating ourselves from it and we know what to do next.





All of us that staged a walkout; our resolution is that the entire process be cancelled. That is our demand.





Obasanjo reacts

Hours after the incident at the collation centre, former President Olusegun Obasanjo, who endorsed the candidacy of the LP standard bearer a few months ago, raised the alarm that danger is lurking around the country over the alleged compromise of the electoral process.

Obasanjo, therefore, appealed to the President, Major-General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.) to prevail on the INEC chairman to stop the ongoing collation and announcement of results and rectify the allegations raised against the electoral process.





The ex-presidents position was endorsed by the PDP and LP on Monday.





Obasanjo in a letter titled, Until last Saturday night, February 25, 2023, the good and noble plan and preparation for the elections seemed to be going well. For the Independent National Electoral Commission , a lot of money was spent to introduce the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System and the server for immediate transmission of results from polling units.





It is no secret that INEC officials, at operational level, have been allegedly compromised to make what should have worked not to work and to revert to manual transmission of results which is manipulated and the results doctored.





The chairman of INEC may claim ignorance but he cannot fold his hands and do nothing when he knows that the election process has been corrupted and most of the results that are brought outside BVAS and server are not true reflection of the will of Nigerians who have made their individual choice.





At this stage, we do not need wittingly or unwittingly to set this country on fire with the greed, irresponsibility and unpatriotic act of those who allegedly gave money to INEC officials for perversion and those who collected the blood money.





The elder statesman appealed to Yakubu to if his hands are clean, save Nigeria from the looming danger and disaster which is just waiting to happen.

According to him, if the chairman could postpone elections by four days to the election, he can do everything to rectify the errors of the last two days  no BVAS, no result to be acceptable; and no uploading through servers, no result to be acceptable.





Obasanjo also pointed out that the results should be declared void and inadmissible where the BVAS and servers had been manipulated or rendered inactive.





Whereas BVAS and servers have been manipulated or rendered inactive, such results must be declared void and inadmissible for election declaration. Chairman INEC, I have thought that you would use this wonderful opportunity to mend your reputation and character for posterity, he noted.





Asking Buhari to address the situation and save the nation, the former military leader stated, Your Excellency, President Buhari Muhammadu, tension is building up and please let all elections that do not pass the credibility and transparency test be cancelled and be brought back with areas where elections were disrupted for next Saturday, March 4, 2023, and BVAS and Server officials be changed.





Obasanjo further advised the electoral commission to constitute a committee comprising electoral officials, political parties and the Nigerian Bar Association to proffer solutions to the allegations of electoral malpractice.





The letter read partly, To know which stations or polling units were manipulated, let a Committee of INEC staff and representatives of the four major political parties with the Chairman of Nigerian Bar Association look into what must be done to have hitch-free elections next Saturday.





Speaking on the election result at a joint press briefing with the PDP presidential campaign council in Abuja on Monday night, the PDP spokesman, Debo Ologunagba, stated that it was clear from the votes as cast at the polling units that the partys flag bearer, Atiku Abubakar, substantially defeated the APC presidential, Bola Tinubu, in line with the expressed aspiration and will of Nigerians.





He said INEC deliberately refused to commence the collation of results 48 hours after the election.





He said INEC cannot continue to announce results that were yet to be transmitted as expressly stated in the relevant sections of the Electoral Act.





According to him, the alleged deliberate delay by INEC paved the way for the reported compromise, alteration, falsification and switching of election results in favour of the APC in Kano, Katsina, Jigawa, Ondo, Ekiti, Kebbi, Ogun and other states where our candidate was in clear lead.





He added, The PDP therefore rejects the manipulated election results as announced by INEC while cautioning that INEC is pushing Nigerians to the wall by announcing manipulated results.





We are aware that INEC embarked on extensive and illegal cancellation of election results in many States of the country. For instance, in Sokoto State over 200 Polling Units results where the PDP is in clear lead have also been canceled thereby disenfranchising over 200,000 registered voters.





The party said it found it curious that the INEC chairman was insisting on proceeding with the announcement of election results which were not transmitted directly from the polling units to the INEC server/website as required by the Electoral Act.





Ologunagba said the PDP, informed Nigerians and election observers already have the results of votes cast at the polling units across the country, adding that it has all the results in its database.





But reacting to Obasanjos advice, the All Progressives Congress presidential campaign council said he had no moral standing to call for the cancellation of election results in areas where the BVAS and servers were manipulated or rendered inactive.





The Chief Spokesman for the APC PCC, Festus Keyamo, described the ex-president as a partisan politician whining because the results didnt favour his anointed political godson.





According to him, Obasanjo has no moral grounds to make such a call following his antecedents in the last couple of months.





He said, Obasanjo has no integrity to speak on the matter because his candidate lost. He was partisan and once you are partisan, it takes all the moral argument away from anything you say.





He is not an elder statesman in this matter. He is a partisan man who wants to impose one of his candidates. I dont need to abuse him or say any derogatory words. He is partisan. That explains everything.





He is not even different from Dino Melaye or other guys who walked away in anger when a candidate lost. For this purpose, Obasanjo is a child-statesman, not an elder statesman. I have nothing more to add.





Keyamo also alleged that the LP and the PDP were desperately shopping for a legal option to scuttle democracy and throw Nigeria into constitutional crises.





The INEC spokesman, Festus Okoye declined to comment on Obasanjos letter.





When contacted, he simply questioned the authenticity of the letter and when told that the ex-president authored the letter, Okoye failed to respond.
Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry's visit comes after a deadly earthquake rocked Syria, killing thousands. Damascus has been politically isolated in the region since the start of the Syrian Civil War 12 years ago.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry landed in Damascus on Monday in a sign of what both governments called "solidarity."

The visit comes weeks after a deadly earthquake rocked Syria and neighboring Turkey, killing several tens of thousands of people.

Egyptian state media described Shoukry as "the most senior Egyptian official to visit Damascus" in over a decade.

Relations between Damascus and several other states in the Middle East and North Africa have been strained since the start of the Syrian Civil War in 2011.

What did Syrian and Egyptian officials say about the visit?

The visit shows "solidarity with Syria in the face of the consequences of the earthquake," Syria's state news agency SANA said.

SANA reported that Shoukry was welcomed at the Damascus airport by Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad.

The Egyptian Foreign Ministry said that the trip was a "message of solidarity by Egypt with these two brotherly countries after the earthquake."

"We are ready to provide more to alleviate the suffering of the brotherly Syrian people," Shoukry said according to the ministry.

Relations between Cairo and Damascus

Following the earthquake, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi called the head of Syria's government, Bashar al-Assad. This was the first official exchange between the two leaders.

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Egypt then sent three planes and two boats with humanitarian aid to Syria.

The government in Damascus has been politically isolated in the region since the start of the Syrian Civil War 12 years ago.

While Egypt has largely maintained relations with Syria, the Cairo-based Arab League suspended Syria's membership in 2011 and a number of member states have severed ties with Damascus.

Earlier this month, Jordan's top diplomat Ayman Safadi also visited Damascus, as did the Foreign Minister of the United Arab Emirates, Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nayan.

Cairo's official position on the war in Syria calls for a "political solution" in the country, falling short of explicitly demanding that Assad step down from leadership.

(AFP, Reuters)








Former Governor of Ekiti State, Ayodele Fayose has urged the Presidential Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar to accept defeat amid the ongoing collation of Saturdays presidential election.





While appealing to Atiku to exhibit maturity in accepting defeat, Fayose, who belongs to the same party as the Presidential Candidate, advised that he should take a break and retire to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates.





The Ekiti ex-Governor disclosed this in a tweet he posted on his verified Twitter handle on Monday evening.





The tweet read, Our candidate, H.E. Atiku Abubakar (aka Atiku is coming) should accept defeat in maturity and retire peacefully to Dubai. At this juncture, may I say good night and good bye to all you represent.





Meanwhile, the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, is yet to announce the winner of the election which was held on Saturday as collation is still ongoing.





With Atiku winning some states in some of the results released, he is trailing the candidate of the APC, Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Alani Akinrinade, a former chief of army staff, has asked President Muhammadu Buhari to ignore the advice of former President Olusegun Obasanjo on the ongoing electoral process.

In a statement released on Tuesday, Akinrinade said Obasanjos advice falls short of patriotism and fits perfectly into meddling in the affairs of state.

On Saturday, Nigerians voted in the presidential and national assembly elections.

But the elections continued in some polling units on Sunday owing to logistics.

Over the last 48 hours, the major opposition parties  Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Labour Party (LP)  have alleged that the results being declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) have been manipulated.

On Monday, Obasanjo asked Buhari to take urgent steps to address the concerns raised over the alleged discrepancies regarding the results of the election.

The former president said elections marred by irregularities should be rescheduled.

Responding to Obasanjos comment, Akinrinade said Nigerians can recall how the former president oversaw the worst election in history in 2007 and attempted to extend his term.

Being not neutral, Obasanjos intervention falls short of patriotism and fits perfectly into meddling in the affairs of state that is already the constitutional responsibility of INEC, he said.

Nigerians can easily recall the Obasanjo years and his democratic antics and many bullish attempts at circumventing the political process.

I call on President Muhammadu Buhari to ignore Obasanjos recent interruptions and focus on supporting the lawful institution to do its job by allowing the process to run its full course.

The President Buhari I know will let the process run its full course and will not intervene in an undemocratic manner to truncate the ongoing political process.

Luckily, President Buhari is made of finer and more principled democratic stuff.

He will not allow Obasanjo to lure him into tainting his democratic credentials in this regard.

I recall that in his last trip to the United States, President Joe Biden praised Buharis commitment to democratic values and principles. Obasanjo has no such record to be applauded.

The world has not forgotten his fraudulent and undemocratic attempt at a third-term agenda in violation of the letter and spirit of the Nigerian constitution.

In 2007, after his botched third term bid, Obasanjo conducted the worst election in the history of Nigeria.

The beneficiary of that electoral heist, Late President Umaru YarAdua openly admitted that his presidency was a product of a fraudulent election with a commitment to reform the electoral process.
The New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) has called for the immediate cancellation of the general election.

Rufai Alkali, the national chairperson of the NNPP, is currently addressing a press conference in Abuja.

He said the elections were characterised by voter suppression, intimidation, and vote buying.

Alkali also asked the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to announce a new date for fresh elections.

We are deeply concerned that going by what had happened on election day, the election umpire has taken our country back to pre-2015 era of elections where everything goes, where voters were deliberately and systematically disenfranchised, where ballot box snatching and ballot box stuffing was the norm, where voter suppression was widespread, where violence and vote-buying were the main deciding factors of the outcome of elections, where security agents openly take side with the ruling party and participate actively in rigging elections, and where people who have not participated in an election are declared winners of the election, he said.

For instance, in Kano, Ibrahim Shekarau who formally resigned from the NNPP, withdrew from the race, registered with the PDP, conveyed same to the party and to the INEC, is now declared by INEC as the winner of an election under the NNPP. This is the era that Nigerias election umpire, INEC, has unfortunately, returned our country to.

At the NNPP, we wish to draw attention to seven fundamental observations that we believed were deliberately planned between INEC and the ruling party to compromise the election in favour of the ruling party.

From the beginning of the 2023 electioneering process, INEC as a commission has been displaying incomprehensible hostility towards the NNPP. From the conduct of our congresses and conventions to the conduct of our primary elections, we suffered unnecessary and unexplainable resistance and outright sabotage from INEC both at the state and national levels.

The most disturbing one was when INEC shut our party from submitting our candidates onto their server days before the deadline. We had to go to court and secure judgment to compel INEC to accept our candidates. As if that was not enough, even after the court judgment, INEC went ahead to appeal some of the judgments. And to the best of our knowledge, we are the only political party that INEC has been appealing pre-election cases that we have won in courts.

The most shameful of all is the refusal of INEC to use the correct and legible logo of our party on the ballot papers. The deliberate use of the illegible logo of our party on the ballot papers of the 2023 general election by INEC is very unfortunate.

We were shocked on the election day to discover that INEC has decided to make use of the most blurred image to represent the logo of NNPP. It is even more shocking that the blurred image that INEC has put on the ballot did not include the name of our party.

Majority of our supporters found it difficult to identify NNPP on the ballot paper. The key representation of the NNPP logo is the basket of fruits. But on the INEC ballot papers, neither the basket nor the fruits can be identified. This did not only confuse our supporters but deliberately disenfranchised them.

Alkali added that in the interest of fairness, INEC should suspend the collation of results and schedule another date for the polls.

We must be aware that, no matter the situation in our country all leaders must consider the stability and security of the country as paramount. Our country is bigger than any individual and is certainly more important than any vested interest, he said.

To save our democracy and our country, the present election results must not be accepted by Nigerians and by all friends of Nigeria.

We are, therefore, calling for the immediate suspension of the announcement of results and the cancellation of the 2023 presidential election across the country. A new election should be conducted as soon as possible.
Julius Abure, national chairman of LP, and Iyorchia Ayu, PDP chairman, spoke at the briefing.

They alleged that there were huge disparities in the presidential election results signed by party agents and those announced at the national collation centre.

They said the inability of INEC to upload results electronically on its results viewing portal (IReV) at the polling units left them prone to manipulation.

This election is not free and far from being fair, Abure said.

The parties also declared a vote of no confidence on the INEC chairman.
The All Progressives Congress has won the February 25 presidential election in Rivers State after polling a total of 231,591 from the 23 local government areas of the state.





This came after collated results from the two remaining local government areas, including Governor Nyesom Wikes Obio/Akpor and Degema, were presented to the state Collation Officer, Prof Charles Adias, on Tuesday evening.





The APC won 14 LGAs, the Labour Party, five, while the PDP won four.





Prof Adias, who is also the Vice Chancellor of the Federal University, Otuoke, Bayelsa State, had received the collated results from 21 of the 23 LGAs of the state at the end of proceedings on Monday.

Receiving the collated results, Prof. Adias said, We have received the collated results from all the 23 local government areas. I will now give summary of the results.





From the final collated results, the APC polled 231,591, while the Labour Party scored 175,071 and the Peoples Democratic Party, 88,468 to come second and third respectively.





The local governments won by the APC are: Obio, Akpor, Oyigbo, Eleme, Tai, Gokana, Khana, Ikwerre, Emuoha, Abua/Odual, Ahoada East, Akuku-Toru, Asari-Toru, Omuma, Opobo/Nkoro.





On its part, the Labour Party won in Ogba-Egbema-Ndoni, Etche, Bonny, Port Harcourt City and Ahoada West, while the PDP won in Degema, Ogu/Bolo, Andoni and Okrika LGAs.





Prof Adias, while giving the summary of the collated results said, I am pleased to inform you that we have come to the end of this exercise in Rivers State. It is my honour that I present to you by announcing the results as collated.





He said the total of registered voters stand at 3,315,005, while the number of accredited voters stood as 605,055.





The finals collated results are:





A1875





AA321





AAC443





ADC1823





ADP953





APC231,591 (Winner)





APGA1468





APM579





APP849





BP451





LP175,071





NNPP1322





NRM888





PDP88,468





PRP275





SDP10514





YPP797





ZLP5963





Total valid votes523651

Rejected votes30293

Total votes cast553944.





Prof Adias stated, That is the result performance of parties and other vital statistics. In addition to this, we had cancellations in some number of RAs (registration areas) involving registered voters and PVCs collected.





Total number of RAs affected due to cancellation and malfunctioning of the BVAS. 35 RAs were affected. We had 5,414 registered voters were affected.





Total number of PVCs collected in these affected units amounted to 51,763, he added.




The Chairman of Ezza Traditional Rulers Council in Ebonyi State, His Majesty Eze Igboke Ewa, has been gunned down.





The unfortunate incident followed the outcome of the Saturday presidential and National Assembly elections.





It was learnt that the incident occured on Monday night when gunmen suspected to be political thugs invaded the premises of the monarch and opened fire on him.





A statement by the Commissioner for Information and State Orientation, Hon. Barr. Uchenna Orji, blamed the ugly incident on opposition party members who are not happy with the results of the Saturday polls.





The statement reads, The Governor is aware that a number of candidates have been making provocative and inciting statements about the election results in Ebonyi State.





The Governor of Ebonyi State warns that no position in life worths the life of another person.





His Excellency the Governor is directing the whole Security apparatus of the State to move into Ezza North for a rescue mission.





Anybody whose hand is in the killing of His Highness must be arrested immediately.





The Governor appeals to all leaders of the State and the candidates who will never accept the result of the election to send their petitions to INEC or to security agencies, than making inciting statements that could generate crisis in the State.





His Excellency, the Governor will hold anyone doing Press conference or social media to incite people responsible for any outbreak of crisis in the State.





The Governor appeals to Ebonyi people especially our youths not to be used to take the life of another person.





Please we have no alternative to peace in Ebonyi State.
The All Progressives Congress (APC) campaign council has criticised the position of former President Olusegun Obasanjo who has called for the cancellation of allegedly manipulated polls.

Earlier on Monday, Obasanjo had advised President Muhammadu Buhari to take urgent steps to address the tensions following allegations of discrepancies in election results.

He had also said in areas found to have been affected by compromise, the elections should be cancelled and redone.

Reacting to the development in a statement, Dele Alake, spokesperson of the APC campaign council, accused the former president of hypocrisy and mischief, adding that what Obasanjo is subtly calling for in his nefarious statement is a coup against democracy and the constitution.

Our attention has been drawn to a press statement by former President Olusegun Obasanjo in which he was virtually calling for a truncation of the ongoing electoral process and a cancellation of already conducted elections on the basis of frivolous, unfounded and baseless allegations by politicians who are sore losers and have no respect for democratic values, the statement reads.

Obasanjo repeated without the slightest iota of evidence rumours he had picked up that the Bimodal Voters Accreditation System had been compromised and that the results of elections being announced are fraudulent.

It is tragic that a former President who ought to be a statesman in comportment and speech will recklessly seek to endanger and derail our democratic process for utterly selfish, egoistic and malicious reasons. He offers not a single credible piece of evidence to prove his laughable and ridiculous allegations against INEC and the credibility of the ongoing process.

Of course, we are all aware that Obasanjo is not an impartial and disinterested party as far as this election is concerned. On January 1, 2023, he had issued a characteristically lengthy epistle to Nigerians endorsing the candidacy of Mr Peter Obi and asking Nigerian youths to vote en masse for him.

Of course our reaction was that the former President was entitled to his view and that the outcome of the elections would demonstrate if he had any electoral value. As fate would have it, Peter Obi was defeated even in Obasanjos own polling unit in Abeokuta in Ogun State. But it is now obvious that the only election Obasanjo will agree to being free, fair and credible is one that produces Obi as winner which is ridiculous.

Is Obasanjo also querying the outcome of the presidential elections in Lagos or Delta where Obi won? If the outcome in Lagos won by Obi is free and credible, on what basis is he querying the outcome of the elections in other places?

This is pure mischief and sheer hypocrisy. Obasanjo wants President Muhammadu Buhari to intervene in an undemocratic manner to truncate the ongoing political process just the way he did most shamelessness in the 2003 and 2007 elections widely described as the worst in our political history.

Luckily, President Buhari is made of finer and more principled democratic stuff. He will not allow Obasanjo to lure him into tainting his democratic credentials in this regard.
Charles Adias, the state collation officer for the presidential election in Rivers, has adjourned the collation over an alleged threat to his life by unarmed party supporters.

The returning officer, who is also the vice-chancellor of the federal university of Otueke, confirmed this to journalists on Tuesday at the collation centre in Port Harcourt, Rivers.

Aderemi Adeoye, the commissioner of police, has asked Adia to reveal the names of those behind the threat to his life, but the returning officer insisted that he wont do such.

He said he wont continue with the collation process unless the INEC resident electoral commissioner of the state addresses issues concerning the threat against his life.

Meanwhile, 21 results from 24 local governments of the state have been collated, while the two being expected are those of Nyesom Wike, governor of Rivers, and Ipalibo Banigo, his deputy.

Wike is from Obio-Akpor, while Banigo is from Degama.

This development comes amid the viral petition on change.org being circulated on social media.

The petition, which has been signed by over 12,000 Nigerians, calls for the UK, USA, Canada, and European and Asian countries to cancel the visa belonging to Wike due to his involvement in the destruction of the electoral process in the state
A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Femi Fani-Kayode, has criticised former President Olusegun Obasanjo for calling for the cancellation of Saturdays election.

Fani-Kayode said Obasanjo has plunged into the ring of fire by opting for anarchy.

Obasanjo had called on the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to cancel the presidential and National Assembly elections in disputed areas.

He said the election was disrupted in many areas and tension is building up over the outcome of the election.

The elder statesman also alleged that INEC officials had been compromised by the manual transmission of results which he said had been manipulated and doctored.

Reacting to Obasanjos comment, the former Aviation Minister said Obasanjo had chosen the path of lawlessness and anarchy.

He tweeted: After declaring for Obi, OBJ became an interested party & lost the right to act as an independent statesman. He has plunged into the ring of fire & has chosen the path of lawlessness & anarchy.

By attempting to scuttle democracy he has wiped away the good he has done in the past.
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NAN reports that tension was high at the INEC office in Birnin Kebbi over the hot contest between Governor Bagudu and Mr Aliero who are seeking to represent the same district in the Senate for both the APC and PDP respectively.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Kebbi State, on Monday, declared the collation officer for Marafa ward in Birnin Kebbi Local Government Area of Kebbi State, Yusuf Isa-Yahaya, as 'persona non-grata'.

The INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner in the state, Ahmed Bello-Mahmud, said on Monday in Birnin Kebbi that the commission would, however, not be deterred by this development.

He said the commission had no option than to declare him missing following a series of meetings on the issue in accordance with the law, adding that a new competent collation officer had been appointed to carry on with the job.

Mr Bello-Mahmud assured that the newly appointed officer would continue from where the missing officer stopped and possibly make announcement on Monday (today).

Hot contest

NAN reports that tension was high at INEC office in Birnin Kebbi over the hot contest between the incumbent governor of the state, Atiku Bagudu, and his predecessor, Adamu Aliero, who are senatorial candidates of both the APC and PDP respectively for the same district.

The rivalry between the followers of the two party leaders had led to security being beefed up at the commission's office.

Results from eight Local Government Areas of Kebbi Central Senatorial District had arrived but the absence of results for Marafa ward delayed the announcement of the winner.

Aliero calls for calm

Also speaking, Mr Aliero advised his supporters to remain calm, adding that the decision of the commission was in line with the laws of the land.

He lamented that his people had spent two days awaiting the announcement of the result but to no avail.

He appealed to the commission to hasten efforts to announce the result.

"Therefore, I urge all our supporters to be law-abiding, and mature and ensure that they maintain the relative peace being enjoyed for the good and progress of the state and the nation at large," he said.
New Orleans parading season doesnt stop on Fat Tuesday. Heres a list of the upcoming processions this spring. Note: This list is based on the best current information and past parades. Details and maps will be updated as changes or further details become available.

Irish Channel St. Patrick's Day Parade Practice March -- French Quarter

Friday, March 3, at noon

Yes, practice makes perfect, and these lads aren't taking any chances. Featuring hundreds of marchers getting their legs and livers in shape for the real parade eight days later. See below.

Begins on Decatur Street at Jackson Square, traveling downriver. It turns left on St. Philip Street, left on Royal Street, right on St. Peter Street, left on Burgundy Street, left on Conti Street, right on Decatur Street, ending near Bienville Street, with stops at watering holes along the way.

Covington Celtic Club St. Patrick's Parade and March

Saturday, March 11, noon

The club promises bands, marching groups, and dancing krewes, followed by a block party at the end of the route.

The procession begins on Columbia Street near Lockwood Street heading south. It turns left of Gibson Street, right on Lee Lane, and right on Rutland Street, disbanding on New Hampshire Street.

Irish Channel St. Patrick's Parade

Saturday, March 11, approximately 1 p.m.

Named for New Orleans' historically Irish working class enclave, the parade is an old-school procession that collectively cries out: "Kiss me, I'm Irish." Expect 30 floats and hundreds of marchers, dispensing paper flowers, beads and cabbages.

Following noon Mass at St. Mary's Assumption Church, 2030 Constance St., the procession gets moving at the corner of Magazine Street and Jackson Avenue, heading lake-bound on Jackson. It turns left on St. Charles Avenue, left on Louisiana Avenue, and left on Magazine Street, ending at the starting point.
Habitat for Humanity of St. Tammany West kicks off their Women Build 2017 initiative that year with a wall-raising for a home in Covington.
Though the final election results are not yet out, some of Nigeria's political parties are already crying foul. Irregularities marred the "peaceful" voting, leading to frustration among Nigerians.

Two days after they voted for a new president, Nigerians are still anxiously waiting for the result. "A lot of Nigerians are losing patience," DW correspondent Flourish Chukwurah said from Lagos. "Normally at this time, people know who will be president."

"It's difficult to say when we'll hear a final announcement," Chukwurah said, "which gives room for a lot of speculations about rigging."

Voting in Africa's biggest democracy went ahead mostly peacefully on Saturday, but it was marred by widespread delays and early accusations of attempts to manipulate ballot counts.

Delay in results

By Monday afternoon, only a few of Nigeria's 36 states had officially declared their results. Peter Obi from the Labour Party (LP), supported by many young people, won in the commercial hub of Lagos state, followed by BolaTinubu for the governing All Progressives Congress party and Atiku Abubakar for the main opposition People's Democratic Party (PDP).

All three parties criticized the slow pace at which results were being uploaded to the website of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). INEC apologized in a statement on Sunday and underlined that problems were due to "technical hitches."

The commission reassured voters that there was no risk of tampering with the results."We take full responsibility for the problems and regret the distress that they have caused the candidates, political parties and the electorate," INEC said.

Growing frustration

Nigerians were frustrated and worried that the delay could lead to electoral malpractice in a country with a history of ballot rigging and vote buying. While some voters shared footage online of electoral officials refusing to upload the results at the polling units, officials on their side complained about a lack of internet in some places.

The introduction of an electronic transmission system was supposed to ensure that the results could not be altered by creating a digital version on the INEC website.

The INEC introduced the Bimodal Voter Registration System and the Election Result Viewing Portal to ensure transparency and credibility.

Nigerian political analyst Tie Tie Frank told DW that problems were to be expected. "This is a large country, and we rely heavily on technology and the internet," Frank said. "But there is really no cause for alarm. By Wednesday, we should have a result."

Political parties unhappy

After accusing some state governors of trying to compromise the results, the PDP's presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, urged the INEC to upload the results immediately. "It will be a disservice to Nigerians and a negation to democracy for anyone to subvert the will of the people as freely expressed in their votes," Abubakar said in a statement.

LP party chair Julius Abure also accused election officials of failing to upload results in order to help Bola Tinubu, the candidate for the ruling All Progressives Congress. The LP announced it would challenge the election outcome in court, alleging that its members were deliberately prevented from voting, chased away violently from polling units, or had ballot papers and boxes destroyed.

Yiaga Africa, an election observer mission, questioned the delays. "We observed several levels of irregularities which we honestly as an organization can no longer excuse," Yiaga co-founder Cynthia Mbamalu said at a press conference.

Ballot-box snatching, violence

Some polling stations did not open on time, and voting continued until Sunday. In Abuja, voter Margaret Egbechi told DW the BVAS machine developed faults. "We voted up until around 7 pm, and we waited to make sure our result was counted," Egbechi said.

Incidents of violence and intimidation were shared on social media, including the snatching of ballot boxes and tampering with of ballot papers. In northern Kano State, police said suspected thugs had attacked a campaign office for a smaller opposition party and set the building on fire, killing two people. Police said they had killed one of the suspects and arrested four.

Soldiers were also forced to intervene on Sunday after 15 men pretending to be INEC officials stormed a voting-collation center in Lagos, attacking party agents with knives and sticks, according to footage obtained by Reuters.

"The whole process seems to have been very chaotic," Chukwurah said, adding that people were on the streets, waiting, chanting: "We must vote!"

The election started on a high note, with President Buhari promising Nigerians that this election would be free and fair. But eventually, it has left a bitter taste because people are disappointed with how everything unfolds.

'Like no other'

It was an election "like no other," Chukwurah said. "Many young Nigerians voted for the first time," she added.

Most of Nigeria's youth never experienced military rule, which lasted until 1999. So they don't know what it means to be controlled by the government. "They are radical. They believe in democracy. They are not afraid to air their views, and they are also aware of what is happening worldwide. They know their rights."

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This is something that many Nigerians were proud of. Voter Leken Sowande told DW that this election had seen a massive voter turnout. "They want a better Nigeria than what we have now."

Will youth vote matter?

About 70% of Nigerians are younger than 30. Nearly 90 million Nigerians were eligible to vote for a successor to President Muhammadu Buhari. Many hope a new leader will better tackle insecurity, improve the economy, and reduce poverty.

Charles Oba, who did not vote because of work, said he hoped that "the incoming government will focus on economy, education, infrastructure, development and many other things we hope will happen."

Those social issues were another trigger for the youth's enthusiasm during this election, Chukwurah said. "People were saying: I'm going to put my all to ensure we vote for a good government."

Chukwurah said Nigeria was made up of many vibrant, intelligent young people who are educated. But the government doesn't really reflect that. "We have older men who are corrupt who are not ready to change the status quo," Chukwurah said. "A lot of young people are leaving Nigeria."

Isaac Mugabi in Abuja and Flourish Chukwurah in Lagos contributed to this article

Edited by: Chrispin Mwakideu
WASHINGTON  Louisiana ranchers, sugar cane and soybean farmers cornered congresspersons and regulators last week as the Farm Bill began its legislative journey that will end on the presidents desk, they hope, sometime this year.

A group of Louisiana rice farmers are expected to be on Capitol Hill this week doing pretty much the same.

The Farm Bill, first crafted in 1933 to help keep farmers solvent during the Great Depression, has long subsidized farmers and ranchers. But it also has important implications for city dwellers, as roughly 80% of the money it authorizes pays for nutrition programs used largely by urbanites, such as food stamps and school lunches. The legislation also authorizes spending for conservation initiatives and a wide range of other policies.

It is one of the few must-pass bills when it comes up for renewal every five years. Generally, its passage is hailed as a triumph that bridges other nasty gulfs created by differences between Republicans and Democrats and between rural and urban representatives.

This year, however, could prove challenging as Congress reflects a polarized nation that finds compromises increasingly difficult. It took 15 votes for Republicans, who control the U.S. House, to agree on a speaker.

Immigration is a possible flashpoint. Congress will have to skirt between Republican rhetoric that porous borders fuel crime and the farmers reliance on immigrant workers to tend and pick crops.

Federal employment requirements for distributing food stamps  formally called the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP  is another issue where Republicans and Democrats, urban and rural representatives come from opposing corners.

Those questions and others are big-picture items on the congressional fight card. What will really slow things down are attempts to work out the small yet complex issues, such as crop insurance, that are vitally important to individual farmers but difficult to boil down into a slogan.
analysis

The office of former US president Jimmy Carter (98), who has been frail for some time, has announced that he will no longer seek hospital treatment for his ailments. He has instead opted for hospice care at his modest home in the rural farming village of Plains, Georgia, close to where he was born.

His opposition to racism and his support for human rights are legendary, made more compelling by his life-long commitment to live among rural Georgians where segregation was severe and discrimination remains prevalent today. This enduring commitment to non-racialism and human rights at home also shaped his interest and engagement in Africa.

We discussed African affairs often during the nine years (2006-2015) when I directed the Carter Centre Peace Programmes. My most frequent trips to Africa for the centre were to lead election observation missions, in which he was keenly interested.

His views on Africa can be assessed from three angles:

Africa policies pursued during his presidency, 1977-1981

Programmes in Africa with the Carter Centre while he was its leader, 1982-2015

His moral determination to reckon with racism.

Africa policies

In her book Jimmy Carter in Africa: Race and the Cold War Nancy Mitchell, a professor of history at North Carolina State University, analyses in 900 pages how Carter's leadership and core values, discussed in the third section, influenced his approach to southern African. But Michell reminds us that in the 1970s Africa was the hottest theatre of the Cold War.

The book's subtitle, however, highlights a significant shift of emphasis skilfully effected by Carter and key to his success in helping liberate Rhodesia (today Zimbabwe) by treating all sides, even "Communists", with respect. Carter's behind-the-scenes role in supporting the 1979 Lancaster House agreement, which led to Zimbabwean independence, was among his greatest diplomatic achievements.

Many years later, I was told by a close advisor to longtime Zimbabwean leader Robert Mugabe that, had Carter won a second term, he said he would work to raise US funds to facilitate a key element of the peace accord, land reform based on 'willing seller, willing buyer'.

The election of Republican Ronald Reagan in 1980, however, resulted in a very different US policy of "constructive engagement" in southern Africa. It was widely perceived among anti-aparthed groups in the US and presumably in Africa as helping to ease the pressure of the Carter era against White minority rule.

Southern Africa remained Carter's top priority, as Mitchell notes:

Given their druthers, the Africa specialists in the Carter administration would have devoted their full attention to resolving the problems of Rhodesia, Namibia and South Africa. (p. 253)

Carter told me several times that he spent more time pursuing peace in southern Africa than he did on the Middle East, and having read now declassifed files in the Centre library, I agree.

Post-presidency

Africa has claimed the lion's share of resources and energy since President and Mrs Rosalynn Carter founded their centre in partnership with Emory University 41 years ago, to work in poor nations, where colonialism and racism, had curtailed growth, opportunity and the sense of shared humanity. In 2015, their grandson Jason Carter, who lived in South Africa as a Peace Corps volunteer and speaks one of the country's 11 official languages, isiZulu, was elected chair of the centre.

Africa remains the region of the Carter Centre's biggest and most enduring commitments, under its motivating slogan "Waging Peace, Fighting Disease, Building Hope". According to the 2021 financial report, the centre's annual fundraising campaign raises about US$300 million annually. It now operates with a core staff in Atlanta of about 230 and field staff, mostly in Africa, of some 3,100. The centre also has an endowment fund in excess of US$1 billion.

The Carter Centre's most significant contributions to development have been in the field of African public health, to end, mitigate and prevent six diseases, among them malaria and river blindness.

Democracy is the biggest of the peace programmes; election observation and support claim the greatest amount of resources and personnel.

Carter's moral compass

Motivations for Carter's interest in Africa are deeply personal. A brief address at a staff celebration of his 90th birthday revealed his own reckoning with race at home. This, I believe, may have driven his long involvement in Africa.

Having grown up in tightly segregated rural Georgia, he recalled that his family was:

completely surrounded by African-American children, with whom I played and worked in the fields and hunted and fished in the woods. And I got to know, eventually and slowly, the difference between a privileged group and the ones around us who were not permitted to vote, or to serve on a jury, or to go to a decent school.

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He added:

I think this, more than anything else, has shaped my life -- partially because of the guilt I still feel in not having recognised that disparity between us early on. I took it for granted that if the Supreme Court and the Congress and the American Bar Association and the universities and the churches said it was OK for white people to be superior, that was OK with God. And I think that that experience has been the most overwhelming factor in shaping my life ...

Carter, as I discovered, can be a hard man to work for. He holds himself and those around him to extremely high moral and ethical standards. As president, he kept the peace, told the truth, and obeyed the law. Carter also promised never to profit from the presidency - a pledge, from my observation, that he has scrupulously honoured.

His record should remind all democrats, including those in Africa, to hold leaders accountable to similar standards. For as he declared during his 2002 Nobel Peace lecture:

The bond of our common humanity is stronger than the divisiveness of our fears and prejudices. God gives us the capacity for choice.

John J Stremlau, Honorary Professor of International Relations, University of the Witwatersrand
In DEI, its Not Enough to Open the Door. The Work Continues Inside.

Black Americans are accustomed to navigating dualities  keeping one foot rooted in our lived experience and the other in a society dominated by histories, mores and norms molded by white voices.

This binary always exists, but some moments are marked by notable tension  moments such as the one were in now.

The irony is not lost on me that, as we conclude this years celebration of Black History Month, the governor of Florida, a major national player in his political party, is ramping up his assault on our history, culture and personhood.

Im disinclined to give his position more oxygen, but I contend its a losing strategy.

The case for diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives has been rightly centered in academic hiring, admissions and curricular decisions; and data suggests it is measurably effective. Yet as politicians continue to cling to the culture wars and reports of diversity fatigue trickle out, the enthusiasm for instituting DEI in academic communities is beginning to wane. Perhaps it is distance from the events that inspired its import. Perhaps it is a sense that a few token moves and meetings have sufficed. Perhaps it is simply apathy, or worse.

While DEI is central to my work as dean of the School of Communication (SoC), Ive learned that there is a weight imbalance in this framework, and this is potentially why were witnessing a backlash in the national discourse. Prioritizing diversity and equity means breaking down the barriers that historically led to large-scale marginalization. But opening a door is not the same as inviting someone inside and holding space for them to show up as their authentic self. This is where we as educators must channel more energy into the concept of inclusion  that the people we now have at the table are both visible and empowered in the spaces they occupy.

My own scholarly and social justice work spotlights the Black queer experience and the struggle to achieve not only equity and access but visibility and belonging. I know as dean that giving underrepresented students, faculty and staff access to Northwestern University simply is not enough. The access point is where my work begins. How these populations are welcomed and equipped when they are here  the hard part  is the measure of our progress. Their space signals our success.

Beyond task forces and town halls, statements and assurances, whole communities benefit when policies and practices that spotlight inclusion are foregrounded. Ive championed initiatives in SoC that put people from underrepresented communities in highly visible, highly impactful spaces. Weve achieved this through:

A reimagined mission and purpose. SoC is a laboratory for artistry, expression and experimentation: Serious Play. All students can expect to learn in a collaborative, supportive and rigorous community where stumbles and setbacks are anticipated  and even embraced. The idea of failure in college means something very different for an under-resourced student, so allowing for creative and scholarly experimentation is a lifeline. We have redesigned our website to reflect this message so a prospective students first encounter with our school is hopeful, inspiring and inclusive.

SoC is a laboratory for artistry, expression and experimentation: Serious Play. All students can expect to learn in a collaborative, supportive and rigorous community where stumbles and setbacks are anticipated  and even embraced. The idea of failure in college means something very different for an under-resourced student, so allowing for creative and scholarly experimentation is a lifeline. We have redesigned our website to reflect this message so a prospective students first encounter with our school is hopeful, inspiring and inclusive. Tuition-free MFA programs. As of Fall Quarter 2022, all SoC MFA programs are fully funded. We seek to make advanced degrees more attainable, especially for students of color or those without generational wealth, and bolster arts institutions that rely on diverse perspectives and experiences for their relevance and economic survival.

As of Fall Quarter 2022, all SoC MFA programs are fully funded. We seek to make advanced degrees more attainable, especially for students of color or those without generational wealth, and bolster arts institutions that rely on diverse perspectives and experiences for their relevance and economic survival. Avenues for faculty advancement. A postdoctoral fellowship pipeline, the first of its kind at Northwestern, has allowed us to court recent Ph.D. students and prepare them for faculty positions in our school. A new faculty mentorship program has furthered their sense of belonging.

A postdoctoral fellowship pipeline, the first of its kind at Northwestern, has allowed us to court recent Ph.D. students and prepare them for faculty positions in our school. A new faculty mentorship program has furthered their sense of belonging. A holistic approach to undergraduate education. A first-year seminar helps students connect the dots between scientific, social and artistic communicative experiences and therefore develop more  and deeper  interdisciplinary and diverse partnerships; a comprehensive senior seminar is preparing students for the leap into their chosen professions, which is especially important for first-generation or low-income students.

A first-year seminar helps students connect the dots between scientific, social and artistic communicative experiences and therefore develop more  and deeper  interdisciplinary and diverse partnerships; a comprehensive senior seminar is preparing students for the leap into their chosen professions, which is especially important for first-generation or low-income students. Expanding the dialogue. New speaker events were designed to put diverse voices and experiences front and center. These have yielded extraordinary dividends: new faculty partnerships, employment opportunities for recent graduates, student internships and more.

New speaker events were designed to put diverse voices and experiences front and center. These have yielded extraordinary dividends: new faculty partnerships, employment opportunities for recent graduates, student internships and more. Strategic hires. Across the board, the culture of the school has indelibly changed thanks to hiring, promoting and mentoring BIPOC staff and faculty. Be it the deans office, SoC information technology or our departments, accomplished and talented new hires have infused a palpable energy into our work. You can hear it in our open, productive conversations. You can even feel it as you walk through our buildings corridors.

Yet, with all this progress, I am aware that much work remains and that we still have, in the words of Jimmy Cliff, many rivers to cross. However, I can attest that stressing the I in DEI has been a boon to us.

The dualities remain, of course, but we have the incentive and power to plant both feet squarely inside the room.
Ahead of a trip to Africa, French President Emmanuel Macron has outlined plans for a "noticeable reduction" in France's troop presence on the continent. France also intends to co-run African bases with African countries.

President Emmanuel Macron said on Monday that France will reorganize its military bases on the continent, during a speech ahead of a tour of African countries.

He specified that France would not close its bases, but that they would be "Africanized" and turned into "academies" or bases co-run by French and African armies. The announcement comes on the heels of souring ties between France and several African nations.

What did Macron say?

"The bases as they exist now are a heritage from the past," Macron said in an address on Monday evening.

"The change will happen in the coming months with a noticeable reduction of our numbers and a greater presence in these bases of our African partners," Macron said. This "reorganization ... does not intend to be a withdrawal," he added.

The French president said there would be a notable fall in French military personnel but an increase in an effort to provide training and equipment.

The bases would also see a "rise in the presence of their African partners according to goals defined" by these partners, he said.

France doesn't want to be a 'scapegoat'

Some African countries have criticized France for failing to curb Islamist militancy in the Sahel region in particular.

Anti-French sentiment is running high in former French colonies Mali and Burkina Faso after military coups there that led to fallouts with Paris.

French troops pulled out of Mali last year after the country's military leadership began cooperating with the Russian mercenary Wagner Group.

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In January, Burkina Faso gave France one month to withdraw its troops, and officially ended French military operations in the country in February.

Macron said he would not allow France to become "the ideal scapegoat" in Africa. He also said he refused to be drawn into an outdated competition between powers for control of the continent.

Wagner Group 'preying' on resources, says Macron

The French president described the Russian mercenary Wagner Group as the "life insurance of failing regimes in Africa," saying it contains "criminal mercenaries."

The Wagner Group is already active in Mali and the Central African Republic; reports also suggest the group is now looking to get a foothold in Burkina Faso, which Russia denies.

Macron said African nations would eventually stop turning to the mercenary group, nothing that they are "preying on mines, raw materials."

Macron heads off on a four-nation tour of central African countries starting on Wednesday as Paris seeks to counter growing Chinese and Russian influence on the continent.

He will first visit Gabon for an environmental summit, followed by Angola, then the Republic of Congo, and finally the neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo.

(AFP, Reuters)
Zimbabwe will today host the United States deputy assistant secretary of State in the Bureau of African Affairs Ambassador Robert Scott, where discussions around various issues affecting the two countries will take place.

The four-day visit will see Ambassador Scott meet Foreign Affairs and International Trade Minister Ambassador Frederick Shava, along with other relevant Ministers.

"The United States of America (USA) Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of African Affairs, Ambassador Robert Scott is scheduled to visit Zimbabwe, to discuss various issues of mutual interest between the two countries from the 28th of February 2023 to the 3rd of March 2023," said Foreign Affairs and International Trade spokesperson Mr Livit Mugejo in a statement yesterday.

"The meeting is expected to review the recent US-Africa Leaders Summit which was held in Washington DC, and to which Zimbabwe was represented by the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade Ambassador Shava."

Mr Mugejo said Zimbabwe would apprise Ambassador Scott on the AfDB Structured Dialogue Programme and the associated reform priorities which the government had implemented, especially in the last five years.

This is on the back of the inroads which the two countries have made in cooperating, at both bilateral and multilateral levels.

However, some Government officials have since expressed concern over the visit, saying Ambassador Scott plans to meet with Zimbabwe Electoral Commission officers, which is outside his itinerary.
The industrial giant recorded the fairly stronger revenue despite a slide in sales volume, hiking prices of products to boost turnover, as data from its earnings report shows.

Dangote Cement reported an increase in its bottom line for 2022 as its net profit slowed to a single digit from as much as 32 per cent in the preceding year.

Although the growth was impacted by headwinds from operational costs and the urgency to commit part of revenue to expansion, revenue for the year under review came to N1.6 trillion from N1.4 trillion, a 17 per cent jump.

The need to scale means sub-Saharan Africa's largest cement producer invested more fund summing up to N249.3 billion in twenty five of its subsidiaries, most of them outside Nigeria, rather than allowing the cash to boost profit.

Independent auditor KPMG highlighted the development in a report accompanying the audited financials released on Monday, noting that some of those units "are currently loss-making and are dependent on financial support" from the group.

The industrial giant recorded the fairly stronger revenue despite a slide in sales volume, hiking prices of products to boost turnover.

Altogether, 27.8 million tonnes of cement and clinker were sold relative 29.3 million for the previous year.

Administrative expenses climbed a quarter to N79.9 billion, largely spurred by labour costs.

Dangote Cement incurred N295.2 billion in selling and distribution expenses, which rose by more than a half, mirroring the weight of transporting expenses on businesses in its home market Nigeria, where logistics cost is one of the world's highest.

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Profit before tax fell 2.7 per cent to N524 billion as the cash allocated to servicing debt through finance costs nearly doubled.

But profit after tax improved, deriving strength from a lower income tax expense, rising to N382.3 billion from N364.4 billion.

Shareholders' payment

Meanwhile, the company says it will stick to the same amount paid to shareholders in fiscal year 2021 for 2022.

The corporation disclosed in its audited annual report it would pay a dividend of N20 per share for 2022, retaining the payout level for 2021 when it declared N340.8 billion in total.

Directors "consider the capital needed to fund the company's operations and expansion plans," the document said, above the need to raise cash rewards for shareholders.

The stock's price saw no upward movement at the end of trade in Lagos, where it has a quotation of N272 per unit, which could mean the announcement is no cheering news for equity investors.

Subject to withholding tax, the dividend proposal awaits shareholder's endorsement at Dangote Cement's forthcoming annual general meeting, with qualification date set for 30 March.

"By April 14, 2023, dividends will be paid electronically to shareholders whose names appear in the Register of Members as at March 30, 2023," the company says elsewhere.

The company is setting up a new cement factory at Itori, Ogun State, expected to add 6 million tonnes to its current nameplate capacity of 51.6 million tonnes per year.
"The resilience of Nigerians is evident in the 2023 Nigeria Elections as the rains have not deterred them from performing their civic duties and ensuring their votes count." Voters lined up to cast ballots in Abuja.

At least 14 journalists and media workers were detained, harassed, or attacked while covering Nigeria's presidential and federal elections, including private news website WikkiTimes owner Haruna Mohammed Salisu, who remains in police custody without charge, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Monday.

Police detained Salisu on February 25 in Duguri town, southeastern Bauchi state, shortly after he and other reporters had met with the state governor, according to WikkiTimes editor Yakubu Mohammed, who spoke to CPJ, and a local coalition of press freedom groups. Police said they took Salisu into custody to protect him after supporters of the governor attacked him as he interviewed local women protesting, but then refused to release him, according to Mohammed, who visited him after he was transferred to police headquarters in Bauchi, the state capital. The local PRNigeria news site reported that police had "received a formal complaint that the journalist was inciting the electorate." Salisu remained in detention as of Monday evening.

Private citizens, political groups, or security forces threatened, attacked, or seized at least 13 other journalists and media workers during the elections, according to CPJ interviews.

"Nigerian authorities should immediately and unconditionally release journalist Haruna Mohammed Salisu, and bring to account all those responsible for intimidating and attacking at least 13 other journalists and media workers," said Angela Quintal, CPJ's Africa program coordinator, from New York. "Press freedom is an integral component of Nigerian democracy, and the media should be able to cover national polls without fear of reprisals."

CPJ spoke to reporters involved in each of the following incidents on February 25:

A group of men beat Dayo Aiyetan, executive director of the privately owned nonprofit International Centre for Investigative Reporting, tore his clothes, and stole his phone and belongings after he filmed them disrupting the voting at a polling site in Abuja, Nigeria's capital. Aiyetan said one man tried to stab him, and he reported the attack to local police. Some of his belongings were returned, including his phone with content deleted.

one man tried to stab him, and he reported the attack to local police. Some of his belongings were returned, including his phone with content deleted. Youths in Ibadan, Oyo state, attacked a vehicle from the state-owned News Agency Nigeria for covering the elections, one of the crew told CPJ. Yinka Bode-Are, a camera operator, was traveling with a reporter and driver when the vehicle was set upon with sticks and dented.

a vehicle from the state-owned News Agency Nigeria for covering the elections, one of the crew told CPJ. Yinka Bode-Are, a camera operator, was traveling with a reporter and driver when the vehicle was set upon with sticks and dented. Security forces questioned Adesola Ikulajolu , a reporter with the local nonprofit Center for Journalism Innovation and Development, about his work and deleted image folders from his phone as he moved between polling places in Lagos. Ikulajolu said he believed they were from the Department of State Services because of their equipment and black clothing. DSS spokesperson Peter Afunanya told CPJ he was not aware of the incident and that black clothing did not prove a DSS affiliation.

, a reporter with the local nonprofit Center for Journalism Innovation and Development, about his work and deleted image folders from his phone as he moved between polling places in Lagos. said he believed they were from the Department of State Services because of their equipment and black clothing. DSS spokesperson Peter Afunanya told CPJ he was not aware of the incident and that black clothing did not prove a DSS affiliation. In Agbor town, Delta state, a supporter of the Peoples Democratic Party, one of Nigeria's main political parties, punched Bolanle Olabimtan , a reporter with the private news website TheCable, and knocked her over , while another seized her phone and deleted photos and video before returning it.

, a reporter with the private news website TheCable, and , while another seized her phone and deleted photos and video before returning it. Police detained and threatened to shoot Gbenga Oloniniran, a reporter with the privately owned Punch newspaper , in Port Harcourt, Rivers state, then drove him across town and deleted photos from his phone before releasing him. Local media advocacy groups condemned the incident. Police officers also deleted photos from his phone in a separate incident after he photographed them at a polling site, he told CPJ. CPJ's calls to Rivers state police spokesperson Grace Woyengikuro Iringe-Koko went unanswered.

, in Port Harcourt, Rivers state, then drove him across town and deleted photos from his phone before releasing him. Local media condemned the incident. Police officers also deleted photos from his phone in a separate incident after he photographed them at a polling site, he told CPJ. CPJ's calls to Rivers state police spokesperson Grace Woyengikuro Iringe-Koko went unanswered. A group of men stopped Ajayi Adebola , a reporter with the private news website Peoples Gazette, at a polling site in Lagos, and deleted content from her phone. Some wore vests representing the All Progressives Congress, another major party, she told CPJ. APC spokesperson Felix Morka told CPJ that he would investigate the incident and that the party did not want its supporters to target journalists.

, a reporter with the private news website Peoples Gazette, at a polling site in Lagos, and from her phone. Some wore vests representing the All Progressives Congress, another major party, she told CPJ. APC spokesperson Felix Morka told CPJ that he would investigate the incident and that the party did not want its supporters to target journalists. PDP supporters threatened or assaulted five reporters in three separate incidents in Sagbama, a council area in Bayelsa state: Akam James, a reporter with the privately-owned Daily Post newspaper was slapped and beaten; Princewill Sede and Jeany Metta, publisher and managing editor of the private Upfront News magazine, were hit in the face and had their camera smashed; and Joe Kunde and Miebi Bina, a reporter and camera operator for the private news broadcaster TVC, were intimidated and driven from the area.

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CPJ called Bauchi police spokesperson Ahmed Mohammed Wakil for comment regarding Salisu's detention and sent questions via messaging app, which were marked as read, but received no response. Calls to Bauchi Governor Bala Mohammed and one of his aides, Muktar Gidado, went unanswered.

CPJ's calls to national police spokesperson Olumuyiwa Adejobi rang unanswered.

PDP presidential campaign council spokesperson Kola Ologbondiyan told CPJ that reports of incidents involving their supporters were "falsehood" and asked to review details, but did not immediately comment on those that CPJ provided to him. Reached by phone, PDP spokesperson Debo Ologunagba asked for a call back, but did not answer the call.

Days before the polls, journalists also faced attack or were denied access to cover election preparations, CPJ has reported.
Looking for new employment opportunities or a chance to showcase your business to the public?

Hobart Chamber of Commerce will host the Business Expo and Career Fair Thursday to "connect employers and the local workforce to engage, promote, network, hire and get hired."

The Business Expo and Career Fair will take place from 3 to 7 p.m. Thursday at the Avalon Manor Banquet Center at 3550 E. Lincoln Highway.

Attendees can get connected to resources in business development, career advancement, health and education in the four-hour-long business expo.

Local businesses will showcase entry-level jobs, career opportunities for more seasoned working professionals and part-time jobs for high school students.

"The Hobart Chamber of Commerce Business Expo and Career Fair aims to promote the growth of the local economy, reduce unemployment and inspire education and career growth," the Hobart Chamber of Commerce said in a news release. "The event provides a showcase of local businesses, improves consumer confidence, educates small business owners about the business development opportunities and connects leading employers with the local workforce professionals."

The business expo is free and open to the public. It's a venue where companies can get their name out to job seekers, potential clients and the general public.

"The business sector of the exposition provides an excellent platform for businesses to personally connect with multicultural consumers," the Hobart Chamber of Commerce said in a news release. "Event attendees get an exceptional opportunity to reinforce community presence, promote certain programs and deliver information about the overall benefits offered by their organization."

Attendees can sample hors d'oeuvres, win prizes and take home giveaways from vendors and sponsors at the event.

For more information, call 219-942-5774, email info@hobartchamber.com or visit www.hobartchamber.com.
Employment and occupancy at Indiana hotels continue to trail pre-pandemic levels, but the Hoosier State's hospitality sector is expected to generate a surge in tax revenue this year as it recovers from pandemic lows.

A new report by the American Hotel & Lodging Association and Oxford Economics found hotels were expected to employ 23,623 in Indiana this year, down from 25,819 in 2019, a decline of 8.5%. Hotel employment in neighboring Illinois was expected to fall 14.9% from 60,366 in 2019 to 51,393 this year. Illinois still has the eighth most hotel jobs in the nation.

But business has been rebounding from pandemic lows, and hotels are expected to go on a hiring spree as they look to restore staffing to pre-pandemic levels.

In Indiana, hotel occupancy is expected to be 58.5% this year, less than 3% down from the 60.3% of 2019. In Illinois, the occupancy rate was expected to be off 6% from 2019, down from 65% to 61.1%.

Hotel occupancy across the country is expected to reach 63.8% this year, down from 65.9% in 2019.

But hotel tax revenue is predicted to rise this year as compared to 2019. In Indiana, state and local hotel taxes are projected to climb 16.3%, from $705 million in 2019 to $820 million this year. In Illinois, hotel taxes were expected to grow 9% from $1.71 billion to $1.87 billion. The state's $154 million projected increase in hotel tax revenue was the ninth highest nationwide.

Nationally, hotel tax revenue is expected to reach a record high of $46.71 billion this year as hotel prices have improved after years of deep discounts and travel has picked back up.

Hotels have continued to struggle to staff back up to pre-pandemic levels in a tight labor market.

An estimated 100,000 hotel jobs are open around the country despite a historic high average wage of $23 an hour in the hotel industry.

Hotels are making significant strides toward recovery, supporting millions of good-paying jobs and generating billions in state and local tax revenue in communities across the nation, said American Hotel & Lodging Association President and CEO Chip Rogers. To continue growing, we need to hire more people. Fortunately, theres never been a better time to be a hotel employee, with wages, benefits, flexibility and upward mobility better than ever before.

The American Hotel & Lodging Association, a Washington D.C.-based trade association that represents the 16 largest hotel companies in the United States and 80% of all franchised hotels, estimates every hotel job supports an additional 2.6 jobs due to the economic multiplier effect.
Homegrown Hoosier businesses that have stood the test of time can get official recognition from the state.

The state government is now seeking nominations for the Governor's Century and Half Century Business Awards, which celebrate businesses that have operated in the Hoosier State for at least 50 or 100 years while "demonstrating a commitment to serving the community."

Last year, Indiana recognized Ayers Realtors of Miller and Cutler Funeral Home and Cremation Center in LaPorte for being around for a century. It gave Half Century Awards to B and H Repair on Valparaiso, MonoSol of Merrillville and The Bud Insurance Agency Inc. of Hobart.

Eligible businesses for the current round of awards must have existed continuously in the Hoosier state fore 50 or 100 years by the end of 2022. A business does not have to be exactly 50 years old and could for instance be celebrating its 51st or 74th anniversary to qualify for the Half Century Business Award. MonoSol, for example, marked its 69th year in business last year.

The company must have been based in Indiana since it was founded and been in the same line of work the whole time. If not, it must explain on the nomination form how its business model evolved into its current form.

They must be in compliance with all Indiana Secretary of State regulations, such as by keeping their annual registration current.

Companies must not have previously won a Half Century Award or Century Award from the state. A company that did receive the Half Century Award can also land the Century Award once it crosses the milestone of having been in business for 100 years.

Companies must complete an application online by April 14.

To apply or for more information, visit iedc.in.gov.
Teheran  VICE President and Minister of Health and Child Care Dr Constantino Chiwenga yesterday met his Islamic Republic of Iran counterpart, Vice President Mohammad Mokhber, and extended an invite to Iranian businesses to explore investment opportunities in various economic sectors as well as invite him to a reciprocal visit to step up co-operation.

VP Chiwenga is here on a working visit having been invited by the Iranian Government which is keen to boost economic co-operation with Zimbabwe on the back of increased economic space opened by the Second Republic.

His engagements have so far seen him attending the Iran Food and Drug Administration exhibition, touring pharmaceutical manufacturing, medical equipment manufacturing and medical consumables hubs and engaging the Iran business community which is keen to invest in Zimbabwe.

Yesterday, the VP stepped up his engagements by meeting his counterpart, VP Mokhber.

Their meeting followed up on President Mnangagwa's meeting with Iran President Mr Ebrahim Raisi on 22 September last year on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

The meeting between President Mnangagwa and President Raisi, said VP Chiwenga, enhanced already cordial relations between the two sister republics and now it was incumbent on the two Governments to further deepen areas of mutual benefit as provided for under the Zimbabwe-Iran Joint Permanent Commission for Co-operation (JPCC).

The sister republics are having to soldier on with their national development goals under the unjustified albatross of economic sanctions and for Iran it has been more than four decades under the ruinous sanctions making them an excellent example for sanctions busting for Zimbabwe.

"(I told my colleague that) the Republic of Zimbabwe commends and appreciates the excellent bilateral relations that have existed between our two sisterly countries since the days of Zimbabwe's liberation struggle," VP Chiwenga told journalists after the meeting.

"Through my counterpart, I urged the Iranian public and private sector to take advantage of the array of incentives that have been unveiled under the Second Republic to invest in Zimbabwe in areas such as medical services, mining, agriculture, food processing, energy and science education.

"I also underscored the need for the two countries to work together to devise ways to circumvent the effects of illegal sanctions. These were very fruitful deliberations and I have taken the opportunity to cordially invite the Vice President to a reciprocal visit to Zimbabwe in the near future," said VP Chiwenga.

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Earlier on and while attending the Iran Food and Drug Administration exhibition, VP Chiwenga said he had been impressed by Iran's health model marked by highly industrialised pharmaceutical capacity and a complete compliment of the latest global leading medical specialties and will seek to tap from this example to improve systems back home.

Zimbabwe, which seeks to grow its economy to upper middle-income status by 2030 as espoused by President Mnangagwa, appreciates the important role of local industrialisation and is pacing up with a national pharmaceutical strategy through which the country seeks to manufacture its medical consumables as well as targeting the export market. The World Health Organisation (WHO) recently described Iran as a healthcare regional leader making them a good example for Zimbabwe to tap from.

"We had a privilege to meet with the various syndicates in the pharmaceutical industry. I am told that there are over 120 companies that are involved in manufacturing of various pharmaceutical products that include Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients and Finished Pharmaceutical Products," said VP Chiwenga.

"We also appreciate the level of investment made into the industry and maintenance of high standards comparable to other pharmaceutical industries which do not have the illegal sanctions that this country has.

"We are looking forward to increased co-operation between our friendly nations following the signing of our Memorandum of Understanding here in Tehran yesterday in the areas of pharmaceuticals, medical education and medical equipment among others," said VP Chiwenga at the exhibition.
The United States imposed more tariffs on steel and aluminum imports from Russia in response to the one-year anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine and in the hope of economically pressuring it to stop the war.

The federal government doubled the tariffs on 100 different products, including steel products, pig iron and aluminum. Tariff rates increased from 35% on metal, mineral and chemical imports to 70%, making it more expensive and less competitive to sell Russian-made products in the U.S. market.

"Since the initial assault, Russia engaged in heinous attacks on civilians that last week the United States deemed crimes against humanity. As a union, we stand in solidarity with the Ukrainian people and applaud efforts to quickly end the war," USW International President Tom Conway said. "Over the past year, our nation, in cooperation with many of our friends and allies, imposed sanctions on Russia to limit materials and capital that support its war against Ukraine. However, Russia and Russian producers continue to profit from exports. The United States Trade Representative and Secretary of Commerce announced actions on products ranging from pig iron to steel products, nickel, platinum, copper, lead and others that are designed to erase the benefits Russian producers continue to reap and to starve Russias war effort."

The economic sanctions meant to hold people accountable include a 200% tariff on Russian aluminum or any products using aluminum that was smelted or cast with Russian aluminum. Russia has been dumping its aluminum in the U.S. market.

The invasion also had enormous economic consequences here at home. Over the past year, imports of Russian aluminum into the United States spiked by more than 50%," Conway said. The sharp increase in energy prices caused by Russias actions also hurt producers and resulted in massive layoffs, stifling needed production for our own military and critical infrastructure. This includes contributing to the temporary idling of the last high-purity aluminum facility in a NATO country, Century Aluminums Hawesville, Kentucky smelter. The tariffs authorized by the USTR along with the 232 tariffs announced by the Secretary of Commerce are designed to eliminate Russian aluminum from entering our market directly and through third countries."

Conway said the tariffs would benefit American jobs at steel mills and aluminum companies like Jupiter Aluminum Corp. and Northwest Aluminum Fabricators in Hammond.

While these important measures will need to be carefully assessed in the coming weeks to ensure their effectiveness, this is a critical step forward," Conway said. The USW worked closely with the Biden administration to limit access to our market in aluminum and other Russian exports. We are deeply appreciative of their engagement and actions. These are important steps not only to fulfill the moral imperative to help Ukraine but to support Americas workers.
Check out these top stories and more in The Times and nwi.com.

Jury to decide compensation for sex victim of former court official: http://bit.ly/3Zu5NAe

Senate gives every Lake County community shot at hosting convention center: http://bit.ly/41ukFAe

Indiana seeks nominees for Century and Half Century Business Awards: http://bit.ly/3IzBf9f

Stay connected with all your Region News at www.nwi.com.

Video provided in partnership with The Times, JEDtv and WJOB. Sponsored by Strack & Van Til.
The Indiana State Police warn of a telephone scam underway using the department's general headquarter number.

"The scammer is using a Caller ID showing 'Indiana State Police' with '317-232-8248,'" the department said.

"The scammer then identifies him/herself as an Indiana State Police Trooper and tells them they have drug charges pending in Texas," ISP said. "The scammer then threatens the citizen with arrest if a payment is not made."

State police said they would never call and demand any sort of payment.

"The ISP would like to remind all citizens that phone scammers are persuasive, convincing, and technically savvy. Scammers will often play on your emotions and fears in order to get your personal information and money."

Police suggest ignoring unsolicited calls and hanging up on calls that don't seem right.

"If you feel as though you have been a victim of a phone scam, immediately report the incident to your local law enforcement agency and alert your bank as soon as possible so the payment can be stopped," police said.
HAMMOND  A former court official is going on trial this week over his unethical demands for sex from a woman under his supervision.

Highland attorney David S. Gladish is seeking monetary damages from Miroslav Radiceski, 44, of Crown Point, for forcing sex with Gladishs female client in 2013.

There is no dispute Radiceski used his former position as a Lake Criminal court probation officer to intimidate the woman.

Radiceski admits in a court document entitled Defendants Stipulation as to facts and liability" that "(Radiceski) knew it was wrong and a violation of his professional duties and responsibilities as a sworn probation office ... to discuss or have any type of sexual contact with a probationer."

Radiceski, in fact, pleaded guilty in 2015 to official misconduct over the matter and was sentenced to three years of home detention.

Now, the woman wants Radiceski to pay civil damages for his conduct.

But there is no agreement between the woman and Radiceski of the amount of money Radiceski should pay her.

Radiceskis attorney, James B. Meyer, of Gary, has argued Radiceski deserves some leniency because he didnt physically force himself on the woman, and she wasnt as hurt over it as she claims.

So, a jury is being asked to decide the damage amount.

The parties met Monday before U.S. District Court Magistrate Judge Joshua P. Kolar and selected jurors who began hearing opening arguments and testimony in the trial, which is expected to take place over several days this week.

The woman came under court supervision a decade ago after pleading guilty to a felony that resulted in a Lake Criminal Court judge sparing her from prison on condition she successfully serve a three-year term of probation.

The court assigned her in March 2013 to be under the supervision of Radiceski, one of the Lake Criminal Courts staff of probation officers, whose job was to ensure she led a law-abiding life.

She complained he soon began putting his hand on her leg and fondling her when they were alone together in his office. She rebuffed his sexual advances.

Then Radiceski used his authority as her probation officer to have the court revoke her probation  putting her in jeopardy of having to serve three years behind bars.

She claims Radiceski told her he would keep her out of prison if she kept quiet while he resumed fondling her, and on Nov. 26, 2013, had sex with her in a secluded stairwell in the court building in Crown Point.

Once she was out from under his supervision, she filed suit in federal court that same year against Radiceski and a collection of Lake County and Indiana state officials.

Kolar dismissed her civil rights claims against the state and other Lake County government officials last month, ruling they had qualified immunity, and ordered her claims against Radiceski to go forward to trial this week.

Gladish said last month he intends to ask the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals to reinstate his suit against the other officials dismissed from the case.
GARY  Police have learned that the suspect in a 2018 shooting that resulted in the death over the weekend of a 24-year-old Gary man had himself died in 2020.

Gary police Lt. Dawn Westerfield initially reported that no new charges could be filed against Robert Jones because he had already pleaded guilty to criminal recklessness in the case.

"Per the rules of double jeopardy, we cannot add additional charges now," Westerfield said, referring to the Constitutional protection against being charged twice for the same crime.

Westerfield then reported that the department has since learned that Jones is dead.

Kenan Spears died Saturday of complications from a gunshot wound to the head that he suffered in 2018, the Cook County medical examiner's office and the Gary Police Department reported.

The medical examiner ruled the death a homicide and said the incident took place in the 600 block of Harrison Street in Gary, where Spears lived.

Spears was pronounced dead at 5:59 p.m. Saturday at the University of Illinois Hospital in Chicago.

Police said at the time that the shooting occurred during a neighborhood brawl. Spears, who was 19 at the time, was shot in the head with a rifle.

Jones was charged with attempted murder, three counts of felony battery, criminal recklessness and pointing a firearm.

He pleaded guilty in May 2019 to criminal recklessness and was sentenced to one year and eight months behind bars, and had already served 288 days, court records show.
CROWN POINT  For the first time since 2009, Crown Point Community School Corp. is redrawing the geographic boundaries of its elementary and middle schools for the 2023-24 school year and beyond, meaning around 2,000 district students will be attending new schools come fall.

During Monday nights school board meeting, CPCSC released the highly anticipated maps and details on redistricting, and the board subsequently approved them unanimously. Beginning at noon Tuesday, interactive maps will be available online at www.cps.k12.in.us/redistrict23, the district said.

Matt Ruess, CPCSC chief financial officer, who presented the maps, said the administration made these decisions based on data with the goal of creating an equitable balance between schools that uses the districts space most efficiently. He hopes these maps last a long time, just like the previous ones.

Nobody currently in our school corporation has gone through redistricting, Ruess said, explaining that the current seniors entered kindergarten after the last redistricting. The goal is to have that happen again.

A little over 1,000 elementary students, or approximately 35%, and a little over 900 middle school students, or approximately 45%, will be changing schools, Ruess said.

Eisenhower Elementary will have an anticipated enrollment of 500, and the district expects it to experience moderate growth in the near future, Ruess said. Lake Street Elementary will have an anticipated enrollment of 555, and the district expects low growth there. MacArthur Elementary will have an anticipated enrollment of 475, and the district expects high growth there. Solon Robinson Elementary will have an anticipated enrollment of 530, and the district expects low enrollment there. Timothy Ball Elementary will have an anticipated enrollment of 550, and the district expects low enrollment there. Winfield Elementary will have an anticipated enrollment of 520, and the district expects high growth there. The biggest elementary school in the district, Jerry Ross Elementary will have an anticipated enrollment of 630, and the district expects moderate growth there.

If anything that were slightly uncomfortable with or concerned about and that well be monitoring closely its Jerry Ross, Ruess said, because you can see just how close the number of students is to the capacity and that moderate growth rate.

Superintendent Todd Terrill said the district is a few weeks away from looking at bus routes. Additionally, he said administrators are working to support this transition.

Our teachers, administrators and staff are ready to welcome our new families, Sabrina Ramirez, director of elementary education, said. They are excited about this opportunity to support the transition to make this as smooth as possible for our students and their parents or caregivers.

Ramirez said principals will be reaching out to parents of students attending new schools March 7. Additionally, all schools will be hosting meet and greets with students in May and open houses and Popsicles on the Playground events in August to help students and families get acquainted with their new schools.

Mark Gianfermi, director of secondary education, said the district will be hosting an incoming sixth grade parent night April 26, a parent night at families new schools Aug. 10, new student orientations Aug. 10-11 and a meet the teacher event Aug. 17.

PHOTOS: A look inside the under-construction new Taft Middle School
GARY  Hispanic culture was on full display at Indiana University Northwest on Monday as the world-renowned Ballet Hispanico visited the university.

Ballet Hispanico, based in New York City, is the country's largest Hispanic cultural organization and has performed across the country and internationally, including in Norway, Canada and at the White House. The group visited the university's Gary campus ahead of a visit to Indiana University Bloomington on March 3.

The festivities in Gary kicked off at 10:30 a.m. in the school's Arts and Sciences building. There, Lyvan Verdecia, a dancer with Ballet Hispanico, led a group of IUN students and staff, as well as students visiting from other institutions such as Indiana University South Bend and Whiting High School, in a dance workshop.

During that workshop, Verdecia taught the group a series of dance moves, such as salsa, merengue and cha-cha-cha.

Verdecia said the crowd was "amazing." He was really pleased with how engaged they were.

"The teacher just told me some of the boys usually don't dance, and the fact that they were at least moving their bodies was amazing," he said. "I had an amazing experience."

Verdecia flew in from Miami on Sunday night. Monday's was the first workshop in a multi-leg trip.

"I still have like five more, and starting like this is a blessing," he said.

For Verdecia, the work is personal.

"When I joined Ballet Hispanico, I didn't speak any English, only Spanish," he said. "To have the opportunity to work with them, have that community, seeing familiar faces, meeting people that are bilingual  it really taught me to break the ice and don't be shy, don't be embarrassed about my language."

Verdecia hopes that by doing these workshops, he can spread some of these lessons to others in the community.

"This is what Ballet Hispanico is about," he said. "Opening doors and going into the heart of the community and transmit to everyone that everyone has a voice."

Verdecia was born in Cuba and moved to the U.S. as a 20-year-old. He's proud that his work allows him to spread his own Hispanic culture.

"Me coming from a little town in Cuba and coming to New York to see different places is amazing," he said. "Being able to see them dancing salsa from Cuba, from Puerto Rico is just a pleasure."

And the workshop resonated with many in the crowd.

"It was awesome," Isabella Del Real, a junior studying social work at IUN, said after the workshop. "Better than I could've imagined."

Del Real, who grew up in Chicago before moving to Portage, is of Mexican and Puerto Rican descent. She said this made the event particularly special to her.

"I grew up around Hispanic culture," she said. "All the parties, it's just people of color, people that look like me. And I've never seen people of quite literally every background, and even all different ages, participating in something that I grew up in. It's very beautiful to see."

After the workshop, the university and dance troupe held a watch party, in which attendees viewed a recorded Ballet Hispanico performance before dancers led the group in a discussion and Q&A. After that, Ballet Hispanico led a discussion about the interconnections of art, social justice and Hispanic culture.

"The mission and vision has always been to spread Latinx, Hispanic narratives and culture with as many people as possible," Tamia Santana, chief engagement and inclusion officer at Ballet Hispanico, said. "So when the company travels and they touch down, we really try and engage with the community and students."

Santana noted that in New York City, where Ballet Hispanico is based, 40.1% of all children identify as Latinx.

"The Hispanic ethnicity is the fastest-growing ethnic demographic in the country," she said. "So it's really important that we bring that into cultural conversations, and it's really important that we bring that into education."

Santana said that today's political and social climate make it an important time for diversity and cultural ethnicity. As an example, she noted the ongoing debate in Florida in which conservatives have pushed back against a newly proposed advanced placement course on Black history.

"We are here to celebrate Latinx, Hispanic culture," she said, "because Latinx, Hispanic Culture is American culture."

PHOTOS: Ballet Hispanico hosts a dance workshop at IUN
Every Lake County community, not just Gary, may have a shot at becoming home to the county's long-sought convention center  if it ever is built.

The Indiana Senate revised Senate Bill 434 Monday by removing a requirement the proposed convention center only be located near the Hard Rock Casino Northern Indiana, which is adjacent to Interstate 80/94 at Burr Street in Gary.

Instead, the legislation now permits the convention center to be placed anywhere in the county, and creates an extensive approval process for determining where it goes.

State Sen. Rick Niemeyer, R-Lowell, proposed the change that subsequently was adopted by the Republican-controlled Senate on an unrecorded voice vote.

Niemeyer said he and state Sen. Dan Dernulc, R-Highland, know many Lake County communities previously have expressed interest in hosting a Lake County convention center, and a competitive, transparent selection process is the best way to decide its location, rather than the state simply dictating it go to Gary.

"This very well could be the site (in Gary)," Niemeyer said. "But it has not been dialogued how it needs to be dialogued."

Under the amended proposal, prospective convention center hosts would pitch the benefits of their community to the Northwest Indiana Regional Development Authority, which will designate a winning plan for approval by the seven-member Lake County Council.

The locally endorsed convention center plan then would require an additional sign-off from the State Budget Committee  comprised of two state senators, two state representatives and the governor's budget director  before any dedicated dollars could be spent.

Niemeyer believes a Lake County convention center will be better supported if leaders in every interested municipality, as well as county government, work together to decide where it should go.

State Sen. Eddie Melton, D-Gary, the sponsor of the legislation and a candidate for Gary mayor, deemed the change "a reasonable solution on how to move this forward," and said he's eager for the Senate to vote Tuesday to advance the proposal to the House.

The plan still authorizes the RDA to support a new Metro Center transportation hub in downtown Gary, demolition of blighted property in the Steel City, and enhanced public safety services in Gary, in addition to the convention center.

To fund the programs, the legislation requires the state put in up to $10 million a year from the $18 million a year the Hard Rock Casino is due to begin paying Indiana starting July 1, 2025, when a tax break linked to the development of the land-based casino expires.

The measure also mandates the state share be "matched locally on a dollar for dollar basis," without specifying how or who should pay.

Finally, it authorizes the Lake County Council to to increase to 10% the innkeepers tax paid by hotel guests staying in the county that's stood at 5% since 1993.

Half the extra tax would be earmarked for the convention center and Gary programs, while the other half would be distributed to the various entities already specified in law for innkeeper tax receipts.

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
Hammond and Gary were collectively awarded over $4 million in federal funding meant to help communities reduce homelessness. Now both communities are soliciting public input on their proposed spending plans.

The HOME-American Rescue Plan Program distributed $5 billion to help municipalities across the country address housing insecurity. HOME-ARP allocations were announced in spring 2021; in Northwest Indiana, East Chicago, Gary, Hammond and Lake County all received funding.

Hammond and Gary have both released draft HOME-ARP spending plans. Hammond will host a public hearing on the city's proposed plan at 4:30 p.m. March 7 at Hammond City Hall. Gary will host a public hearing at 4 p.m. March 13 at Gary City Hall.

Every year, the state conducts a "Point-in-Time Count" in an attempt to measure Indiana's homeless population. According to the 2022 PiT Count, there were some 272 unhoused people in Lake County. That number is up from the 2021 total of 106. Though it is difficult to accurately measure the exact number of homeless Region residents, the PiT Count shows that Lake County's numbers are likely much higher than surrounding counties. The 2022 PiT count for Porter, LaPorte, Jasper, Newton, Pulaski and Starke counties was 234, collectively.

In both Hammond and Gary, much of the problem comes down to a lack of affordable housing.

According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, households that are "at-risk of homelessness" are defined as having an annual income below 30% of the Area Median Income, AMI, and do not have sufficient resources of support networks immediately available to prevent them from moving to an emergency shelter.

In Hammond, HUD data found that there are 3,615 renter households with an income 30% below the AMI. Of those households, 2,220 have a "severe cost burden," meaning over half of their income is used for housing costs. Hammond's proposed HOME-ARP allocation plan also states that renters are seeing a large increase in housing costs post-pandemic. The plan said that in one instance, the asking rent was increased from $800 to $1,200.

The level of need for Hammond residents who are homeless or are at risk of becoming homeless "far surpasses the resources available needed to provide adequate shelter and supportive services," the plan states.

Gary suffers from a similar problem, as much of the city's affordable housing stock is dilapidated.

More than one-third of Gary residents live below the federal poverty line, compared to just 15.8% in Lake County and 12.2% statewide. According to Gary's proposed HOME-ARP spending plan, the city's median gross rent is $792 a month, and in 2021, there was less than a 1% vacancy rate.

Both cities are also in need of additional emergency shelter units and more follow-up support services to help with long-term housing stability.

Hammond was awarded $1,765,004 in HOME-ARP funds; the city plans on putting $523,753 toward supportive services, $400,000 for tenant-based rental assistance and another $400,00 for the development of affordable rental housing. The plan is available at gohammond.com. The city will accept public comment until 4:30 p.m. March 27; written comment can be submitted via email at millero@gohammond.com or via U.S. mail to the Hammond City Hall, Room 314, 5925 Calumet Ave.

Gary is slated to receive $2,490,094; according to the city's draft plan, $1 million will go toward the development of affordable rental housing, $650,000 will go toward the acquisition and development of non-congregate shelters and $360,000 will go toward supportive services. Gary's proposed plan is available at gary.gov; written comment can be submitted via email at kmcclam@gary.gov or via U.S. mail at City of Gary Community Development Department, 401 Broadway, Suite 300.

[Editor's note: This story has been corrected to reflect the fact that the Hammond public hearing will be held on March 7, not March 6. The Times regrets this error.]

PHOTOS: Decay Devils spruce up downtown Gary landmarks Grant will restore historic train, revive fountains and bring Taste of Region and other festivals to downtown Gary Grant will restore historic train, revive fountains and bring Taste of Region and other festivals to downtown Gary Grant will restore historic train, revive fountains and bring Taste of Region and other festivals to downtown Gary Grant will restore historic train, revive fountains and bring Taste of Region and other festivals to downtown Gary Grant will restore historic train, revive fountains and bring Taste of Region and other festivals to downtown Gary Grant will restore historic train, revive fountains and bring Taste of Region and other festivals to downtown Gary Grant will restore historic train, revive fountains and bring Taste of Region and other festivals to downtown Gary Grant will restore historic train, revive fountains and bring Taste of Region and other festivals to downtown Gary Grant will restore historic train, revive fountains and bring Taste of Region and other festivals to downtown Gary Grant will restore historic train, revive fountains and bring Taste of Region and other festivals to downtown Gary Grant will restore historic train, revive fountains and bring Taste of Region and other festivals to downtown Gary
Aurora means dawn. At New York City Ballet, there are Auroras  the princess at the heart of The Sleeping Beauty  and then there is Indiana Woodward, a dancer of inherent lightness and joy. Woodward is a young ballerina whose abandon gives a story ballet like Beauty not just care and aliveness, but a kind of modern soul. Doesnt Woodward epitomize the idea of dawn? Her way of melding movement and music is bigger than ballet: She dances with an expanding heart, full of possibilities and new beginnings  not only in her dancing, but in dancing period.

In returning to the role of Aurora, which she debuted opposite Anthony Huxley in 2019, Woodward invested the character with new details seemingly born from her way of being. She didnt approach the difficult balances of the Rose Adagio  in one segment, four suitors take turns rotating her in a circle and leaving her briefly unsupported until the next takes her hand  with trepidation, or worse, the sense that she was checking technical elements off a list, but greeted each with a sunny zest, even in moments of unease.

She never fell off pointe, but with each turn held her character close: A young woman gradually finding steadiness while looking brightly toward the next stage of her life. As the ballet progressed from the Vision scene  when the Lilac Fairy reveals to Prince Desire that a sleeping princess lies waiting to be reawakened by his kiss  to the Wedding pas de deux, she illuminated the stage with speed and insistence, using her eyes, her spine, even throwing back her head as she swirled to add flourish to feeling.

In closing City Ballets winter season, Beauty, choreographed by Peter Martins in 1991, also featured a vivid opening-night cast with Megan Fairchild as Aurora, Joseph Gordon as Desire and an enchantingly serene and otherworldly Mira Nadon as the Lilac Fairy. Maria Kowroski, a celebrated former principal with the company, returned for a reprisal of role of the evil Carabosse, which she played with wicked, glamorous glee. The Prince doesnt have a lot to do in Beauty, but Gordon brightened the Wedding pas de deux with his windswept leaps and tender ardor.
Zimbabwe continues to make headway in its quest to rejoin the Commonwealth after a Cabinet minister was invited to attend the Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisations Ministerial Alliance for Digital Nations meeting in the United Kingdom.

This invitation, analysts say, portends well for Zimbabwe, which has been receiving positive signals from the Commonwealth since expressing its desire to rejoin the organisation under the leadership of President Mnangagwa.

At the ongoing Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisations Ministerial Alliance meeting, Zimbabwe is represented by the Minister of Information Communication Technology, Postal and Courier Services Jenfan Muswere.

The invitation of Minister Muswere comes in the backdrop of a visit by a Commonwealth delegation led by the organisation's Assistant Secretary-General, Professor Luis Franceschi, that came to Zimbabwe in November last year and acknowledged that Harare has made tremendous progress in laying the desired foundation for re-admittance into the club of mainly former British colonies.

In 2022, ZimTrade joined the Commonwealth Enterprise and Investment Council and also participated at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) business forum in Rwanda.

Political analyst Advocate Obert Gutu said the continued invitation of Zimbabwe, now at the ministerial level, to Commonwealth meetings, is testimony of the success of the engagement and re-engagement policy.

"This is a very huge indicator of better and bigger things to come. To all intents and purposes, Zimbabwe's re-admission into the Commonwealth is now just but a mere formality. It's a question of when, exactly, and certainly not whether Zimbabwe will be readmitted."

He commended President Mnangagwa's diplomatic thrust saying it is very quiet but at the same time, effective and impactful.

"His mantra that Zimbabwe is a friend to everyone and an enemy to none has been a masterstroke," Adv Gutu said.

A political analyst and researcher Mr Alex Munyonga said the Commonwealth is now viewing Zimbabwe through a new window.

The invitation to the Commonwealth meeting in London, he said, also proves the praxis associated with the Second Republic when it comes to the engagement and re-engagement drive.

"Instead of diplomatic posturing, the Commonwealth is taking the dialogue path. The invitation of Zimbabwe to participate at a Commonwealth meeting under the Second Republic is ample evidence that most Western countries are realising that a hostile gaze at Zimbabwe is unjustified and a product of unfounded hatred," said Mr Munyonga.

He said that it was unfortunate and worrying that despite overtures by Zimbabwe to re-join the Commonwealth coupled with implementation of far reaching reforms, some rogue elements within the body are unjustifiably campaigning against Zimbabwe's readmission.

"It is worrying that despite a

recent assessment team from the Commonwealth confirming that Zimbabwe had made giant strides towards meeting conditions for readmission, some critics within the Commonwealth and other interested parties still blemish Zimbabwe's progress," he said.

Political analyst Mr Gibson Nyikadzino said ultimately Zimbabwe is seeking to draw the economic dividends of partnerships borne out of overlapping membership of various organisations through the manifestation of economic diplomacy.

"This is an exercise of global interdependence among countries in the Commonwealth in search of common ways to improve and benefit our respective economies," he said.

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Another political analyst Dr Hamadziripi Dube said the latest developments indicate that Zimbabwe's readmission into the Commonwealth is imminent.

"President Mnangagwa is tirelessly pushing for reconciliation and re-engagement. We as a nation are positive because we are friends to everyone," he said.

The Commonwealth is a voluntary association of 56 independent and equal countries.

It is home to 2,5 billion people and includes both advanced economies and developing countries.

The last two countries to join the Commonwealth were Gabon and Togo in 2022.
1. The U.S. Treasury secretary visited Ukraine, stressing the value of financial aid.

In an unannounced visit to Kyiv, where air raid sirens rang out, Janet Yellen, the American cabinet official, said the U.S. was committed to continue providing Ukraine with the money it needs to operate its government. The U.S. will back the war effort for as long as it takes, she said, echoing President Biden, who visited the city last week.

In Ukraine, which reported 14 Russian drone attacks overnight, Yellen met with President Volodymyr Zelensky and announced the transfer of $1.25 billion in economic assistance.
Is it too early for Easter menu planning? It certainly cant hurt to get a little baking practice in. This year, try a sweet and festive Easter bread that suggests Russian coffee cake, from Tava, a comprehensive volume on Eastern European baking. Irina Georgescu, a Romanian food writer based in the U.K., begins the book with this: How we bake in Eastern Europe, and especially in Romania, is largely unknown. (I second that.) Then she leads you to discover a panoply of tastes and techniques, including rectangular slab pies filled with fruit or cheese; folded yeast-raised plum pastries made with lard and butter; pear cake scented with sage; and pull-apart buns, like monkey bread. More familiar are Austrian and Hungarian items, including strudels, and some entries from the Jewish repertoire: Jewish cookies with plum butter, a.k.a. hamantaschen for Purim (starting on March 6), and perhaps the best noodle kugel youre likely to try, a recipe from Transylvania crackling with phyllo. The histories of the many nationalities that inhabit the region and that have contributed to the table are outlined in rich detail. Shortcomings? She calls mostly for medium eggs but fails to say you can substitute large; and pan-sizes are often odd, so some adapting is necessary. As for tava, that means tray in Romanian.

Tava: Eastern European Baking and Desserts from Romania and Beyond by Irina Georgescu (Hardie Grant, $42).
Moving on from the chili multiverse, how about a lovely and very simple recipe from Ali for roasted fish with herby, sesame-speckled breadcrumbs? Or a pot of vibrant pickle soup loaded with root vegetables and sour cream from our own Kasia Pilat? Ive made this one several times, and its just perfect  not too tart and full of verve. Serve it with Yewande Komolafes cornbread, ideally warm from the oven and slathered with butter.

Then for dessert, whip up some lemon curd, which you can also make in the microwave. Spoon some over a bowl of orange segments and their sweet-tart juices. A little wedge of pecan shortbread on the side wouldnt be out of place.

Youll need a subscription for the recipes. Subscribing supports our work, allowing us to publish loads of new recipes every week, on top of the prodigious archive. You can also find us on YouTube, Instagram and TikTok, where Ham El-Waylly has something important to say about ice baths. If youre having technical issues, the smart folks at cookingcare@nytimes.com can help.

All chiles may be closely related, but the ways in which their spectrum of flavors and heat is used varies thrillingly across cultures. For example, Twilight Greenaway reported in 2013 in Smithsonian Magazine that scientists analyzed how chile heat in the Tex-Mex cooking traditions (flat, sustained heat that feels almost like its been painted on with a brush) differs from that preferred in Asian cuisines (sharp heat that feels like pinpricks but dissipates quickly).

Jonathan Gold, the great Los Angeles restaurant critic, once described the experience of eating an extravagantly hot Thai curry: It was glowing, practically incandescent, he said in a profile in The New Yorker by Dana Goodyear. But, he continued, that sensory overload can accentuate other ingredients. Its not that the hotness overwhelms the dish, which is what people who dont understand Thai cooking always say, he said, but that the dish is revealed for the first time  its flavor  as you taste details of fruit and turmeric and spices that you didnt taste when it was merely extremely hot. Its like a hallucination.
On Feb. 3 a train carrying hazardous materials derailed in East Palestine, Ohio. Some of the contents immediately caught fire. Three days later authorities released and burned off additional material from five tankers. These fires caused elevated levels of harmful chemicals in the local air, although the Environmental Protection Agency says that the pollution wasnt severe enough to cause long-term health damage.

Train derailments are actually fairly common, but you can see how this one might become a political issue. After all, the Obama administration tried to improve rail safety, for example by requiring superior modern brakes on high-hazard trains, and then the Trump administration reversed these regulations. As it happens, these regulations probably wouldnt have prevented the Ohio derailment, because they were too narrow to have covered this particular train. Still, the events in East Palestine would seem, on the face of it, to strengthen the progressive case for stronger regulation of industry and hurt the conservative case against regulation.

Instead, however, the right is on the attack, claiming that blame for the disaster in Ohio rests on the Biden administration, which it says doesnt care about or is even actively hostile to white people.

This is vile. Its also amazing. As far as I can tell, right-wing commentators have just invented a whole new class of conspiracy theory, one that doesnt even try to explain how the alleged conspiracy is supposed to work.
Watching an actor steal a show is one of the absolute thrills of live performance  but the purest method of that thievery has nothing to do with scenery-chewing, grand solo moments or sparkly razzmatazz. Its nimble and cat-burglar quiet, not demanding attention, not meaning to upstage.

As a doctor named Charu in Deepa Purohits new play Elyria, set in 1982 Ohio, Bhavesh Patel has the element of surprise very much in his favor. Charu is a mild, conformist, ordinary man  and in his muted earth tones, outfitted for obscurity. In his first scene, he arrives home from the hospital, pours himself a bowl of cornflakes, takes the last of the milk, has an unremarkable conversation with his homemaker wife. Hes a remote presence, lost in his own thoughts. Yet every beat and pulse of him has, for the audience, a subdued magnetism.

Its a genuinely exciting performance, layered and full, flecked with the driest comedy. The only trouble with such standout excellence is that it shifts the axis of the play, so that it seems as if Charu is at its center. Elyria in fact revolves around two women and their tangled history with each other, though they both also have a history with him: Dhatta (Gulshan Mia), who married Charu two decades ago, back in Tanzania, as their families had arranged; and Vasanta (Nilanjana Bose), who fell in love with him when they were young and had his baby, though he never knew.

The sprawling Elyria is a microcosmic tale of the Indian diaspora, crisscrossing continents from Africa to Europe and North America. Directed by Awoye Timpo for Atlantic Theater Company, the play finds Dhatta and Vasanta in Elyria, Ohio, not far from Cleveland.
Its hard to imagine how someone dying of cancer could write, as Lorraine Hansberry did in a hospital journal, that comfort has come to be its own corruption. Despite her condition, she thought she should be on the front lines again, resisting decline and fighting injustice.

But actually, shed never stopped doing those things. The Sign in Sidney Brusteins Window, which opened on Broadway in October 1964 and closed the following January, two days before her death at 34, is proof. An indictment of what one of its characters calls ostrich-ism  the great sad withdrawal from the affairs of men  the play was, and remains, as brilliant and pugnacious a punch against liberal inertia as any thrown in real life.

What it isnt, quite, is coherent, as the revival that opened on Monday at the Brooklyn Academy of Music makes clear in making just some of it work. Its hailstorm of ideas remains stunning  and aptly painful if, as a proud progressive, youre struck in the face by the ice of its wit. But as human drama goes, and despite fine performances by Oscar Isaac and Rachel Brosnahan, its hard to discern a satisfying emotional shape in all the weather. Its blurry.

That might seem surprising, coming from the author of the almost translucently earnest A Raisin in the Sun, which five years before Sidney was the first play by a Black woman ever produced on Broadway. The follow-up, rarely seen onstage since its premiere, takes a much broader, and often satirical, view of the problem of living right in a world thats wrong.
Nearly 100 immigrants who were rounded up during a 2018 raid at a meat processing plant in Tennessee have reached a $1.17 million settlement against the U.S. government and federal agents, who they said used racial profiling and excessive force during the operation, stepping on a persons neck and punching another in the face.

The agreement, approved late Monday in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee, is very likely the first class settlement over an immigration enforcement operation at a work site, according to immigration experts. In the past, only individual immigrants have reached settlements related to immigration raids.

Under the terms of the settlement, members of the lawsuit will receive $550,000, or more than $5,700 each. Six named plaintiffs will receive a total of $475,000 from the federal government to resolve their claims under the Federal Tort Claims Act, which allows individuals to be compensated for negligent or wrongful acts by agents of the federal government.

The Homeland Security Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Monday, but neither the federal government or the agents admitted wrongdoing in the case.
The National Institutes of Health paid for some of EcoHealth Alliances work in Wuhan, but N.I.H. officials have repeatedly said the viruses being studied with American taxpayer dollars bore no genetic resemblance to the one that causes Covid. But Dr. Lawrence A. Tabak, the N.I.H.s acting director, acknowledged during a recent congressional hearing that he did not know what other work the Wuhan institute was doing.

What does the American intelligence community say?

In May 2021, several months after he took office, President Biden ordered the nations intelligence agencies to conduct a 90-day inquiry into the cause of the pandemic. The findings of that review were released in August 2021 and reaffirmed what the agencies had previously said: Both the natural origins theory and the lab leak theory were plausible.

In a statement at the time, Mr. Biden called on China to be more transparent about what had led to the emergence of the virus there in late 2019.

The Energy Departments recent conclusion  that the pandemic was caused by a lab leak  is based on intelligence that is not publicly available, so it is difficult to know what accounted for the change. But the departments use of the phrase low confidence indicates that its level of certainty is not high.

The F.B.I., however, has concluded with moderate confidence that the virus emerged accidentally from a lab.

Four other intelligence agencies and the National Intelligence Council have concluded, with low confidence, that the virus most likely emerged through natural transmission. The C.I.A., the nations pre-eminent spy agency, has not taken a position and remains undecided.
The threats facing democracy will be a central focus of Carnegie Halls coming season, the presenter announced on Tuesday, with a festival devoted to the flourishing cultural scene in Germany between the two world wars.

From January to May, Carnegie will host Fall of the Weimar Republic: Dancing on the Precipice, an exploration of creative expression during the fragile democracy in Germany from 1919 to 1933. The festival will feature ensembles such as the Vienna Philharmonic and the Orchestra of St. Lukes performing works by composers of the time, including Paul Hindemith and Kurt Weill.

Were seeing the challenges to democracy more and more clearly, and its all the more reason we have to treasure it, Clive Gillinson, Carnegies executive and artistic director, said in an interview. We want people to ask questions and contemplate why democracy matters, and what the threats are in our day.

The 2023-24 season, which begins in October, will feature some 170 performances, beginning with two concerts by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, under the baton of its outgoing music director, Riccardo Muti. The pianist Mitsuko Uchida and the conductor Franz Welser-Most, the music director of the Cleveland Orchestra, will each organize a series of Perspectives concerts.
Welcome to Best of Late Night, a rundown of the previous nights highlights that lets you sleep  and lets us get paid to watch comedy. Here are the 50 best movies on Netflix right now.

Trumper Tantrum

On Monday night, Jimmy Kimmel addressed a Rolling Stone report that said in 2018, then-President Trump asked White House officials to call Disney and demand that Kimmel stop making jokes about him. Disney owns ABC, which broadcasts Kimmels show.

The report says at least two calls were made from the Trump White House to convey the presidents anger regarding Kimmels monologues and jabs, Kimmel said. In other words, President Karen demanded to speak to my manager.
Presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Ahmed Tinubu, may be coasting home to victory if results of last Saturday's presidential poll from eight more states follow the same pattern as the ones already announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Results of the 2023 presidential election so far announced across the country put Tinubu ahead of his closest rivals, Atiku Abubakar of the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Peter Obi of the Labour Party (LP), with Tinubu clinching stunning electoral victories in northern states that many would have readily given to the PDP flag bearer, Atiku, who is from the region.

In the results so far announced, Tinubu opened a significant lead over Atiku, beating the PDP candidate in North West states of Jigawa and Zamfara, while in states of the North East zone - like Atiku's home state, Adamawa, as well as Gombe and Yobe, where Atiku won, Tinubu is coming a close second and picking up the 25 percent vote spread necessary for emerging winner of the election, including Kano where he was defeated by Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP).

In the North Central zone, Tinubu won the presidential poll in Kwara, Kogi and Benue States, with a brighter chance in Niger State where unofficial results have already tipped him as winner.

Results from the North indicate that the region as a political bloc may likely make Tinubu from the South West geopolitical zone the next president of Nigeria, as it did in 1999 when ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo enjoyed a similar privilege at the dawn of this democratic dispensation.

LEADERSHIP recalls that in 1999 when the country returned to civil rule, General Obasanjo, who had just been released from prison after being accused of involvement of a coup plot by the Sani Abacha military junta, ran for presidential race on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) where he beat Dr Alex Ekwueme and other party bigwigs to clinch the party's presidential ticket with majority votes from northern delegates in the party primary.

And having no political base in his South West region, Obasanjo, who even lost his polling unit, depended largely on votes from the North to beat Olu Falae of the All Peoples Party (APP) to win the two-horse presidential race.

The 2023 presidential poll also recorded a major upset, with the Labour Party candidate, Obi, redrawing the political map to reflect a new balance of power and political rebirth across the country with the Obedient Movement.

Obi polled 582,664 votes to defeat Tinubu in Lagos, a state the APC candidate served as governor for eight years, from 1999 to 2007. Tinubu came second with 572,606 votes, while Atiku got 75,750 votes.

Elections for the office of the president, 360 House of Representatives, and 109 Senatorial seats were held in the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory on Saturday and Nigerians expect the declaration of results by the electoral umpire.

Though 18 candidates are in the race, pollsters and analysts had described the contest as a four-horse race between Tinubu, Atiku, Obi and Kwankwaso.

While Obi and Tinubu are from the southern region of the country, Kwankwaso and Atiku are from the northern part of Nigeria.

The four heavyweights and strong contenders have large followings with the numerical potential of emerging as the successor of President Muhammadu Buhari whose two-term tenure ends on May 29, 2023.

Elections were held at most of the 176,606 polling units in Nigeria, with 87.2 million voters with Permanent Voter Cards voting for their preferred candidates.

So far, election results for 11 states have been announced by the commission as of yesterday.

For Kwara, Tinubu polled 263,572 votes, followed by who scored 136,909 votes. Obi polled 31,166 votes, while Kwankwaso got 3,141 votes.

In Osun, Atiku of PDP won with 354,366, while the APC candidate came second with 343,945. Obi of LP got 23,283, and Kwankwaso of NNPP came fourth with 713.

For Ondo, Tinubu won with a wide margin, polling 369, 924, to defeat Atiku who came second with 115,463, followed by Obi, 44,405, and Kwankwaso, 930.

Results for Gombe and Yobe states were also announced. Atiku won both states. Likewise, Obi won Enugu and Lagos states, while Tinubu won Ogun and Oyo states.

INEC chairman, Prof Mahmood Yakubu said the collation of presidential election results will be done at four levels -- first at the 8,889 wards, then at the 774 local government areas, the State Collation Officer for Presidential Election (SCOPE) at the 36 states, and the Federal Capital Territory will submit the votes per candidate in Abuja.

The electoral chief said the collation centre will be open all day and all night with short breaks.

He also cautioned political parties to only draw their figures from INEC.

"I appeal to all political parties and media organisations to draw their figures only from the official results released by the commission as the only body constitutionally responsible for releasing official election figures," Yakubu emphasised.

For results announced at the state level, Tinubu is taking the lead with 94,977 votes from the ten local government areas that INEC had already collated results in Kogi State, while Atiku is following the APC with 57,889 votes.

The ten local government areas so far collated include Idah, Bassa, Omala, Ogori-Magongo, Yagba West, Mopamuro, Ofu, Igalamela-Odolu, Ankpa and Olamaboro.

Other LGAs are expected to be released as they arrive at the collation centre, though elections were delayed in some LGAs in Kogi state as a result of the malfunctioning of the BVAS machine and other reasons that resulted in the postponement of the election.

In Jigawa State, Tinubu polled 421,390 votes to defeat Atiku who scored 386,587, followed by Kwankwaso with 98,234 votes.

In Adamawa, Atiku polled 417,611 votes to defeat Tinubu who scored 182,881 votes.

In Akwa Ibom State, Atiku has been declared winner of the presidential poll, having won in 22, out of the 31 local government areas of the state.

Tinubu won in six LGAs, with Obi winning in three councils.

In Rivers, Tinubu is so far leading in nine, out of the 13 local government areas already declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Rivers State.

Also, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party is trailing behind Tinubu, having won two local government areas in the state.

The local government areas so far won by the APC presidential candidate include Gokana, Tai, Opobo/Nkoro, Emohua, Eleme, Omuma, Abua-Odual, Oyigbo and Asari-Toru.

On his part, the Labour Party presidential candidate won in Ahoada-West and Bunny local government areas of the state.

Obi won the presidential election in Enugu State, defeating candidates of other political parties in the 17 local government areas of the state.

The LP candidate scored 428,640, while the PDP's Atiku came second with 15,747. Tinubu scored 4,772 while APGA scored 1548 and NNPP scored 1808.

Obi also won the presidential election held in Nasarawa State.

In the result announcement by INEC's returning officer, Prof Ishaya Tanko, the Vice Chancellor of the University of Jos, Obi scored 191,361 against Tinubu's 172, 922 and Atiku'S 147,093 to win the poll. Kwankwaso got a total of 12,715 votes.

In Plateau, Obi won 10 local government areas from results of 15 LGAs released by INEC

The LGAs won by Obi are Shendam where Governor Lalong comes from, Bassa, Pankshin, Jos South, Mangu, Jos East, Bokkos and Langtang North, Riyom, Barkin-Ladi and Mikang.

Tinubu won in Kanam, Wase and Kanke LGAs, while Atiku won in Langtang South and Mikang.

Meanwhile, results from Jos North and Quan'an Pan LGAS were expected to be announced later yesterday.

In Benue State, the collation officer for the presidential election, Prof. Farouk Kuta, declared the results of the election collated across the local government areas.

According to the results announced, Tinubu won with a total number of 310,468 votes, followed Obi who got 308,372, and Atiku who came third with a total votes of 130,081.

In Edo State, Obi was declared winner, polling a total of 331,163, Tinubu scored 144,471 to finish second. Atiku scored 89,585 votes, while Kwankwanso scored 2,743.

APC Campaign Asks Security Forces To Track Melaye, Momodu, Pastor Enenche For Inciting Violence

The All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential campaign council has called on security agencies to restrain spokespersons of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dino Melaye and Dele Momodu as well as Senior Pastor of Dunamis Church, Paul Enenche for allegedly inciting violence with their utterances in the aftermath of Saturday's presidential poll.

It specifically accused Pastor Enenche of desecrating the sanctity of the pulpit with politics and utterances that are capable of inciting violence.

Speaking at a press conference at the APC presidential campaign head office in Abuja, special adviser on Media and Communication of the campaign council, Dele Alake, results from presidential polls so far have clearly shown the direction Nigerians have chosen to go, indicating that the deceit and propaganda of the opposition did turn out for them at the polls.

This, Alake said, has undoubtedly created unease in the opposition, and because failure was already dogging them in the face, they have resorted to cutting corners with a view to scuttling the electoral process, rather than accepting the results honourably true democrats would do.

The APC campaign team alleged that there had been many doctored results giving false victory to the Labour Party even in places where its presidential candidate performed poorly.

Asking security forces to go after Melaye, Momodu and Pastor Enenche, the APC said, "The results trickling in since the close of voting on Saturday have clearly shown the direction Nigerians have chosen to go.

"Right from the polling unit results received from across the country, the signs were clear that the deceit and propaganda of the opposition did not fetch them the expected votes. This has expectedly generated anxiety in their camps with many of their leaders making irresponsible incendiary comments.

"We note with utmost concern those inciting comments and call to violence by some spokespersons of the opposition, especially those from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

"We are particularly concerned and call on the State Security Services and the Nigeria Police Force to immediately restrain persons such as Dino Melaye, Dele Momodu and a certain Pastor Paul Enenche of Dunamis Church from their clear call to violence.

"Melaye's tweet threatening violence, Momodu going on the TV to announce a purported winner and Enenche's hate speech from the pulpit violate every law of the land. They should not go scot-free.

"When failure stared them in the face, rather than accept the outcome with dignity like good democrats would, some sore losers began shopping for ways to cut corners or scuttle the process. We have seen many doctored results giving false victory to the Labour Party in places where it performed abysmally poor. The idea was to give its followers hope and prepare them for a planned street insurrection.

"The PDP has employed almost similar tactics despite secretly admitting defeat. They went about with mouthwatering offers looking for willing partners that would help them subvert the will of the people."

Alake further noted that after failing to get their officials to doctor results, the PDP chose to make "very dangerous statements on the election," even as he wondered why PDP agents "at the Abuja collation centre are pushing insistently for the uploading of the results on INEC portal, when section 60 of the Electoral Act is clear about who has the power to do so at the polling unit".

He continued: "The state collation officer has no such power. The INEC chairman, who collates what has been collated from the states also has no such power. Is the PDP calling for the upload to enable it hack the system to give it a false victory?

"Unlike what the PDP spokesmen have done, we will not announce ourselves as winners despite having the figures which affirm our anticipated victory. We will abide by the laws by allowing the electoral umpire to do its job.

"A cursory look at the figures from across the states show that our candidate is well placed for victory. The results have shown that the Labour Party, as we kept saying, is no threat to our victory.

"The PDP, on the other hand, has also failed in its own permutation making its dream of victory go up in smoke. The PDP's projection of a landslide win in the North has collapsed."

The APC campaign council mocked PDP over what it described as "its dismal performance in Kano where the APC is emerging with over 600,000 difference ahead of the PDP."

Noting that the monumental figure in Kano has offset the PDP in the entire North, Alake said the trend "is the same in the South where PDP's very poor show in Lagos, Oyo, Rivers and other key states spell doom for the party."

In South South and South East, Alake said the little gains made by the PDP in the two zones are very microscopic to compensate for the party's huge shortfall in the South West.

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APC added: "In the North Central, the APC has decimated all parties to a comfortable majority of votes in Kwara, Kogi and Niger. Our impressive show in Benue, FCT and Plateau is also pushing PDP into third position in these places.

"Taken together, we are very upbeat as the numbers do not lie. We call on the opposition to stop the macabre dance of a dying horse and embrace defeat honourably. There can still be honour in defeat."

... Alleges Plot To Stop Presidential Poll With Court Order

The APC presidential campaign council also raised the alarm alleged stealthy attempt by the PDP and Labour Party to shop for a court order to prevent the INEC from announcing the result of last Saturday's presidential and National Assembly polls.

According to the APC campaign team, the PDP and LP are hell-bent on scuttling the country's democratic process.

It warned the judiciary to guide and guard against being used by the politicians to scuttle democracy and throw the country into turmoil, even as it asked those hatching the plot to remember the June 12 debacle.

Director of Public Affairs and chief spokesman of the campaign team, Festus Keyamo (SAN), stated this in Abuja yesterday while briefing journalists at the press conference.

Keyamo who is also minister of State, Labour and Employment said the APC campaign council has credible information that PDP and LP have asked some lawyers to go to court and stop the 2023 presidential poll just like June 12, 1993 presidential poll was scuttled. - Festus Keyamo.

He said, "We have it on good authority that the Peoples Democratic Party and the Labour Party have perfected plans to finally scuttle our democracy and throw the country into constitutional crises by surreptitiously obtaining exparte court orders stopping the announcement of the Presidential Election results which they fear have gone against them.

"The walk-out they staged today at the National Collation Center is just a precursor to executing the plan

"Nigerians would recall that the June 12, 1993 debacle that brought Nigeria to its knees and caused our country international isolation was precipitated by a court injunction stopping the announcement of Presidential Election results. The court order was obtained by a certain Association for Better Nigeria headed then by one Chief Authur Nzeribe.

"This is exactly what Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and Mr. Peter Obi want to foist on this nation again because of their inordinate ambitions. This is not surprising because both candidates were nowhere to be seen when ASIWAJU was fighting for the democracy we all enjoy today.

"However, we wish to draw the attention of Nigerians, the Judiciary and the world to the provisions of section 84 (15) of the Electoral Act which prohibits the grant of injunctions to stop the holding of elections (which includes the declaration of results).

"The section states: 'Nothing in this section shall empower the courts to stop the holding of primaries or general elections under this Act pending the determination of a suit."

Warning against a repeat of the June 12 debacle, Keyamo said, "We therefore wish to advise anyone who wishes to aid and encourage these candidates along this infamous part to remember the June 12 debacle.

"They may also wish to learn a lesson or two from President Muhammadu Buhari who resorted to the court of law in 2003, 2007 and 2011 when the same PDP 'defeated' him in those presidential elections in controversial circumstances. President Buhari, as a true statesman and democrat, never resorted to underhand tactics to declare himself President."
Books and the people who make them are at the heart of what we do, Mr. Malaviya said. Our editors ability to aggressively pursue the works they are most passionate about, and the autonomy and independence of our divisions and imprints, is what drives our business and ensures our success.

In what he described as an effort to foster that independence, Mr. Malaviya announced a new adult publishing division, Crown Publishing Group, which will include imprints like Crown and Clarkson Potter. David Drake, the former publisher of Crown, who oversaw the publication of Barack Obamas memoir A Promised Land, was promoted to lead the group.

Sanyu Dillon will become president of Random House Publishing Group, which Gina Centrello had led since 2003. Ms. Centrello retired in January, shortly after the hugely successful release of Prince Harrys memoir, Spare, which her team published. Ms. Dillon was most recently the companys chief marketing officer, and she will now lead imprints including Random House, The Dial Press and One World.

The new positions announced on Tuesday were all internal moves, promotions of longtime executives rather than a shake-up of the leadership from outside. The company opted not to fill one role, however: Mr. Malaviya did not name a new U.S. chief executive to replace Ms. McIntosh. Instead, the division heads, like Ms. Dillon and Mr. Drake, will report directly to Mr. Malaviya. (Penguin Random House is owned by Bertelsmann, a German media conglomerate; the United States is its largest book market.)

On the business side, Jaci Updike, most recently the president of sales, was promoted and will now be in charge of marketing as well. Jeff Abraham was promoted to president of publishing operations and will take over some of the duties Mr. Malaviya has left behind.
MADAME RESTELL: The Life, Death, and Resurrection of Old New Yorks Most Fabulous, Fearless, and Infamous Abortionist, by Jennifer Wright

Jennifer Wright opens her painfully timely biography of Madame Restell, the notorious abortionist of Fifth Avenue, with her final arrest, in 1878, at the hands of the anti-vice crusader Anthony Comstock. For Comstock, a Victorian zealot who smeared his sexual obsessions all over American life well into the 20th century, this was the climax of an epic struggle between Satans handmaiden and his flaming sword of righteousness. To Restell, a grandmother in her late 60s, it was merely the latest in a long line of tedious interruptions to her business.

Born Ann Trow in 1811 in the Cotswolds village of Painswick, she became a maid-of-all-work, a grueling job that carried the constant threat of being seduced or outright raped. Although Ann avoided this fate, the experience was formative: Throughout her life, she felt sympathy for servants in trouble, and offered the members of her own staff better-than-average pay and working conditions. At 16, Ann married a tailor, and in 1831, with their toddler in tow, the family sailed for New York alongside thousands of other immigrants competing for work. They scraped along for two years in the Five Points slum before Anns husband, an alcoholic, died of typhoid.

In an era when some 10,000 prostitutes worked a city of a quarter-million people, the pretty young widow avoided sin and addressed its consequences instead. She befriended a pill compounder  a role Wright likens to a modern-day supplement shill  who taught her to assemble drugs from ingredients like pennyroyal, rue, Queen Annes lace, oil of tansy and turpentine, which have a long, perilous history of ending pregnancies. He may also have been the one who taught her to perform surgical abortions using whalebone. Ann apparently had a knack for gauging the dosage and mitigating the taste, and before long she struck out for herself, helped by her brother and her second husband, an easygoing, irreverent Russian immigrant named Charles Lohman. Together they dreamed up the persona of the exotic, Paris-trained Madame Restell and began to advertise  but the business was Anns alone. For more than 40 years, despite vociferous opposition, several arrests and stints in jail, she pursued her calling, terminating unwanted pregnancies and helping place unwanted babies, and became a city fixture. When attacked in the press, Restell published her own sharp retorts  today, Wright suggests, she would be fighting on Twitter constantly. Every denunciation, every trial, served as an advertisement for her services.
The electrome is an entity  with its ion-driven microvoltages all now measurable  that is, quite literally, immaterial. The divinely-minded will be tempted to conceptualize the electrome as the human soul. But Adee has no truck with such fancies. Soul or not, though bioelectricity weighs nothing it can do fantastic things. Adee knows; she has read for our benefit what seems like the entire history of bodily battery power  especially the delicious 18th-century tussle between the SignoriVolta and Galvani, in the matter of the twitching of frogs legs. She has also slogged through all the later research papers on electricity-related cellular biology. And all of this eventually led her into the long grass of some mightily weird modern research.

Uneasy Coexistence: A new round of U.S. military expansion in Guam comes just as new efforts are being made by the Chamorro people, the islands first inhabitants, A new round of U.S. military expansion in Guam comes just as new efforts are being made by the Chamorro people, the islands first inhabitants, to rediscover their culture and assert their identity

Stripping Confederate Ties: In the first of nine scheduled redesignations aimed at purging the symbols of the Confederacy from the military, In the first of nine scheduled redesignations aimed at purging the symbols of the Confederacy from the military, Fort Pickett in Virginia became Fort Barfoot in honor of Col. Van Barfoot, a Medal of Honor recipient.

Feeding the War Machine: The Pentagons deliveries of weapons to help Ukraine hold off Russia have exposed a worrisome lack of production capacity in the United States that The Pentagons deliveries of weapons to help Ukraine hold off Russia have exposed a worrisome lack of production capacity in the United States that has its roots in the aftermath of the Cold War

A decade ago Adee became especially intrigued by some highly secret taxpayer-funded work performed by the Pentagons ultra-costly fun factory, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, inventors (they claim) of the internet. Lately the agency has been conducting, if that be the word, experiments on how best to harness the bodys minute pulses of cellular battery power, and turn them to military advantage  by killing people, that is. Might electricity help our G.I.s to whack our enemies ever more quickly and efficiently, tuning a soldiers brain by jolting it with carefully targeted surges of electric shocks?

We Are Electric begins with a highly seductive scenario: Adee is flown from Europe to a clandestine Pentagon facility in the mountains of Southern California. Here she signs waivers and NDAs and suchlike, has neon green goop slapped onto her temples and strange daisylike electrodes clamped to her head and has wires tucked into the back of her bra. She is led into an immense hangar-like building kitted out to look like a U.S. Army desert outpost, is given an M4 rifle and, protected behind a wall of sandbags, is ordered to stand sentry at a checkpoint and defend it with as much efficiency as she can muster.

The lights dim, and a tsunami of simulated assaults then commences, overwhelming the scene. DARWARS  Ambush! they call it. Computer-generated enemy troops flood onto the field, squadrons of Humvees, faceless men with suicide belts, all attacking without mercy, and at all of which Adee fires her gun, wildly. Mostly, she misses.

Then the smoke clears, her DARPA handler-bros return and this time they turn on the juice. The lights dim once again, the faux-soldiers pour in and everything changes. Through the smoke and din and confusion of battle, there emerges from within Adees terrified mind the calculating confidence of a cool and logically-directed assassin. One by one she picks off the invaders. She fires and fires until her magazine is depleted. The battlespace falls silent. The smoke clears once again.
A U.S. push in Central Asia

The U.S. secretary of state met with the president of Kazakhstan in Astana at the start of a new effort to isolate Russia as Belaruss leader began a state visit to China  the latest examples of dueling diplomacy related to the war in Ukraine.

Antony Blinken, the top U.S. diplomat, is urging five Central Asian countries that were part of the former Soviet Union  Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan  not to help Russia evade sanctions imposed by the West over its invasion of Ukraine. The countries have strong ties to Russia, but leaders there have made comments reflecting concerns about maintaining their sovereignty.

One of Russias staunchest allies, President Aleksandr Lukashenko of Belarus, arrived in Beijing for talks with Chinas leader, Xi Jinping. The U.S. has suggested that China was preparing to supply military aid to Russia, a claim rejected by the Chinese government.

U.S. officials said they viewed Lukashenkos visit as another sign of Chinas growing engagement with Russia. Blinkens trip to Central Asia follows recent visits to Kyiv by President Biden and U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen that were intended to shore up support for Ukraine.
Today, the Supreme Court will hear arguments over whether President Biden can cancel student debt. The justices eventual ruling will affect tens of millions of low- and middle-income Americans who could qualify for up to $20,000 in student debt forgiveness.

The case itself, however, revolves more around technical legal arguments than around policy debates about whether borrowers need help. Todays newsletter will explain both the underlying issues and the legal arguments.

What is the case for debt relief?

For years, progressives have called attention to the increasing education debt that many Americans have accumulated, demanding that the federal government cancel some or all of it.

The Biden administration heeded their calls, though it took a relatively cautious approach. It limited eligibility to single Americans making up to $125,000 a year and married couples making up to $250,000. Those eligible can get up to $20,000 in debt relief. The goal was to aid low- and middle-income Americans in particular, administration officials have said.
WASHINGTON  President Bidens plan to plow billions of dollars into semiconductor manufacturing represents a sharp turn in American economic policy, one aimed at countering China by building up a single, critical industry. But Mr. Biden is going even further. He is using the money to change how corporations behave.

If semiconductor manufacturers want a piece of the nearly $40 billion in aid that Mr. Bidens administration began the process of handing out on Tuesday, they will need to provide child care for employees, run their plants on low-emission sources of energy, pay union wages for construction workers, shun stock buybacks and potentially share certain profits with the government.

That decision is a bet on the power of the federal government to transform private industry. But it is also a distinct break from how the United States has traditionally engaged with corporate America. The president is essentially incorporating disparate policy objectives into a big spending bill that was sold as an effort to shore up a supply of semiconductors critical for the economy and national security.

The approach could amplify the effects of the CHIPS Act and other economic bills Mr. Biden has signed into law over the past two years, by accomplishing multiple goals at the same time. Administration officials say the money and the guidelines will drive American industry toward Mr. Bidens vision of an economy with more U.S. production, better conditions for workers and fewer of the fossil fuel emissions driving climate change.
The first thing you hear after entering the animal sanctuary in Znesinnya Park near the center of Lviv are the dogs. There are scores of them barking and howling, members of a raucous makeshift orchestra sounding out a discordant opera.

They are orphans of war, rescued from bombed-out cities or left by refugees who were uprooted from their homes and unable to care for their pets anymore.

Their residence now is a hulking shed, previously abandoned, that has been hastily outfitted with rows of wooden and metal cages, castoff blankets and towers of bagged pet food.

Orest Zalypskyi started Domivka: Home of Rescued Animals five years ago primarily to care for endangered and injured wild creatures: foxes that were used to train hunting dogs and had their claws and teeth removed, a circus monkey about to be euthanized, an owl with a clipped wing.
Climate change may be a global problem. But we are not all the same. Far from it.

The wealthier we are, the more climate pollution we produce, because of how much electricity we consume, what we eat, and how much we drive. But its not just wealth. It matters a lot in which country we are wealthy.

Take a look below at this chart that my colleague Mira Rojanasakul prepared based on an International Energy Agency analysis of per capita carbon dioxide emissions by income.

You will see the wealthiest people in the United States have an astonishingly large climate footprint, far larger than rich people in wealthy, industrialized Europe and in fast-rising China.
Its been a widely accepted trend in financial circles for nearly two decades. But suddenly, Republicans have launched an assault on a philosophy that says that companies should be concerned with not just profits but also how their businesses affect the environment and society.

More than $18 trillion is held in investment funds that follow the investing principle known as E.S.G.  shorthand for prioritizing environmental, social and governance factors  a strategy that has been adopted by major corporations around the globe.

Now, Republicans around the country say Wall Street has taken a sharp left turn, attacking what they term woke capitalism and dragging businesses, their onetime allies, into the culture wars.

The rancor escalated this week as Congress entered the fray. Republicans used their new majority in the House on Tuesday to vote, 216 to 204, to overturn a Department of Labor rule that allows retirement funds to consider climate change and other factors when choosing companies in which to invest. The Senate followed on Wednesday, as two Democrats, Senators Joe Manchin III of West Virginia and Jon Tester of Montana, joined Republicans in a 50-to-46 vote to send the resolution to President Bidens desk.
Beef stew may be considered old-fashioned, but it remains one of the worlds great dishes, and one of the easiest. Since realizing that I could call it wine-braised short ribs and serve it at a dinner party, I have made beef stew in whatever form I find it: rendang and chili, stracotto and birria, daube and galbijjim.

For all of their differences, each of these versions from around the globe perform the same feat, spinning a small amount of meat into a complex, flavorful one-pot wonder. Making, and eating, them again and again has helped me appreciate the wisdom they contain about what works best.

It turns out that a few basic decisions can generate a nearly foolproof formula for beef stew. Is stock better than water? (No; meat makes its own stock.) Cook covered or uncovered? (Covered, but use less water.)

Is a stew different from a braise, a soup or a pot roast ? (Not meaningfully.) Which meats, seasoning and methods generate the kind of dish that you cant stop eating? (Read on.)
In a joint statement to mark the 2023 International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation, UNICEF and the United Nations Population Fund said Nigeria accounts for the third highest number of women and girls who have undergone Female Genital Mutilation (FGM).

According to the statement, 4.3 million girls are at risk of FGM in 2023, while the number is projected to reach 4.6 million by 2030.

With such staggering figures, UN agencies say the world would miss the target of ending FGM by 2030 if urgent actions are not taken.

The agencies identified conflict, climate change, rising poverty, and inequality as factors hindering efforts to transform gender and social norms that reinforce FGM practice and other programmes designed to protect women and children.

However, it is not entirely gloomy and doom; the UN system acknowledged that there has been a significant decline in cases of FGM in Nigeria.

FGM prevalence in Nigeria is decreasing among women aged 15-49 according to data from the 2021 Multiple Indicator Survey (18 per cent to 15 per cent 2016-17/2021).

"Similarly, the prevalence among girls aged 0-14 decreased from 25 per cent to eight per cent during the same time period (MICS 2021).

"This significant decrease in prevalence among girls aged 0-14 is a welcome development, given that an estimated 86 per cent of females aged 15-49 were subjected to FGM before the age of 5 (NDHS 2018)," it said.

Female genital mutilation comprises all procedures that involve partial or total removal of the external female genitalia, or other injuries to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons.

According to the WHO, FGM is classified into four major types, namely: type 1 which is the partial or total removal of the clitoral glans and/or the prepuce/clitoral hood and type 2 is the partial or total removal of the clitoral glans and the inner folds of the vulva, with or without the removal of the external folds of the vulva.

Type 3 is the narrowing of the vaginal opening through the creation of a covering seal, with or without removal of the clitoral prepuce/clitoral hood and glans; while type 4 includes all other harmful procedures to the female genitalia for non-medical purposes, such as pricking, piercing, incising, scraping and cauterising the genital area.

Mr Peter Hawkins, UNICEF Representative in Nigeria, said science has not established any health benefit of the practice.

"The practice of FGM not only has no health benefits - it is deeply harmful to girls and women, both physically and psychologically.

"It is a practice that has no place in our society today and must be ended, as many Nigerian communities have already pledged to do.

"Millions of girls are being robbed of their childhoods, health, education, and aspirations every day by harmful practices such as FGM," he said.

Indeed there are immediate and long-term complications that girls and women subjected to FGM risk, including excessive bleeding, severe pain, infection, urinary problems, menstrual problems, psychological problems and even death.

Ms Chinyereugo Onyekwere, a clinical psychologist, whose organisation provides psycho-social support for traumatised and vulnerable people, was particular about the psychological effect of FGM on women and girls.

"Women who experience FGM are noted to be susceptible to depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder.

"This is as a result of the impact of this practice of childhood abuse and the physical health consequences as a result of the practice.

"A lot of these practices are done forcefully and may not have concerns for hygiene. Many women and girls feel violated, develop shame and lack trust in people," she said.

UNICEF said the South East (35 per cent) and South West (30 per cent) have the highest prevalence of FGM in Nigeria, while the North East has the lowest with 6 per cent.

To further drive home the disparity, Imo has a prevalence rate of 62 per cent, while northeastern states like Adamawa and Gombe have less than 1 per cent.

What is responsible for such disparity and why has FGM practice persisted in spite of the health risk it poses to women and girls?

FGM is entrenched in the culture and tradition of places where it is being practised because they see it as a sort of rite of passage to prepare girls for adulthood and marriage.

In many Nigerian societies where FGM prevalence is high, there is a superstitious belief attached to the practice in order to suppress girls' sexuality or ensure their chastity.

In its most radical form, the cultural perception is to ostracise women whose genitalia were not cut because they are dishonorable and unworthy.

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In fact, the medicalisation of FGM, where the procedure is carried out in a sterile setting by a healthcare provider, indicates that many people still hold on to its acceptability.

A complete abandonment of the practice is, therefore, seen as part of the wider encroachment of western civilisation on a people's culture and tradition.

Experts warn that ending FGM in seven years' time by 2030 appears to already have a bleak prospect. However, stakeholders have to intensify action towards significantly reducing its prevalence.

One effective way to achieve this, experts say, is by increasing social and behaviour change communication, which is the strategic use of messaging approaches to promote changes in knowledge, attitudes, norms, beliefs and behaviours.

Such an approach should actively involve traditional institutions and community leaders, who are custodians of culture in their communities, as well as faith-based organisations.

Also, individual, group and community efforts that create awareness and call to action against FGM should be incentivised to encourage more participation. (NANFeatures)
From the street, Torrisi Bar & Restaurant looks like a set for the hottest restaurant in New York in a movie made by people who dont live in New York.

You cant see inside the curtained windows, but you can read the restaurants name, painted in gold script, from across the street. Black S.U.V.s with tinted windows wait at the curb. A doorman (or is he a bouncer?) in a heavy overcoat looks over each new arrival. The inside doors are so tall and heavy they dont give unless you put your back into it. The last place I saw doors like these was Grants Tomb.

In the actual city, hot restaurants dont look like this, or didnt before the Major Food Group came along. This company has never seen a top it couldnt go over. Even its expansion drive has been bigger than anybody elses. Since the pandemic began, it has rolled into Las Vegas; Dallas; Miami; Boston; Boca Raton, Fla.; Hong Kong; Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; and Doha, Qatar.

The group has waged a prolonged assault on the boring minimalism that is supposed to go along with serious modern dining. Its weapon is maximalism: with velvet tuxedos, stagy service and a love for all the props and paraphernalia of midcentury American dining. This has been copied often, though not by the boring minimalists, unfortunately.
First a North Atlantic right whale, a critically endangered species, washed ashore in Virginia. Then a humpback floated onto a beach in New Jersey. Not long afterward, a minke whale, swept in on the morning tide, landed on the Rockaway Peninsula in New York City.

And that was in just a single week this month.

In all, 23 dead whales have washed ashore along the East Coast since early December, including 12 in New Jersey and New York, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The pace of the deaths is worrisome to federal scientists, even if the total numbers are below some prior years.

Late Monday, the Coast Guard spotted another whale floating south of the Ambrose shipping channel, between New York and New Jersey; two teams from New York located the animal and determined that it was a humpback, but it was not clear where it might wash ashore.

Most of the fatalities have been humpbacks, and post-mortem examinations have suggested that ship strikes are likely the cause of many of the deaths.
You write that would-be Republican candidates are finding their way to New York, and donors are opening their doors, if not their wallets. Isnt one of the potential candidates Mike Pence, the former vice president?

Yes, indeed.

There may only be a few Republicans who have formally declared they are running for president so far, but a bigger shadow primary is well underway here in New York. The idea is not so much to woo voters  New York remains a safely Democratic state  but the huge concentration of political donors who live here.

Many of them are business executives and billionaires who backed Donald Trump as president but are now interested in playing the field for an alternative. Very few seem ready to commit to a single candidate yet, but when they do, some of these donors have the capacity to put millions of dollars behind someone they believe in.

Pence is a prime example. He is still weighing whether to run for president, but he came to town last week to meet with a Jewish group and some donors to gauge their interest in a candidate who shares Trumps agenda without being Trump. Their response could affect whether he jumps into the race.

But there are others potential candidates. Isnt a fund-raiser on Nikki Haleys calendar?

Thats right, and its today.
Name a recurring Fox News segment, and there is a Republican congressional investigation for it: the origin of the coronavirus, the threat to our capital markets, supposed collaboration between social media companies and the Democratic Party. Some representatives have launched an investigation into whether the Department of Justice targeted parents who protested vaccine and mask mandates at school board meetings. No bit of pique is too tangential to escape their notice; Lauren Boebert recently demanded during one of these investigations that former Twitter representatives answer for her perceived shortage of likes: Did either of you approve the shadow banning of my account @LaurenBoebert? Yes or no?

Nothing feeds the perpetual outrage machine like a sprawling investigation into a vague but titillating scandal. And no pursuit is more vague and more titillating than the so-far-fruitless obsession with Hunter Biden.

For two years now, conservatives have accused President Bidens wayward son of influence peddling, money laundering, bribery and illegal foreign lobbying  and they have sought to turn his misadventures into a tawdry, sprawling hydra powerful enough to entangle and distract the whole administration. With control over House investigations, they may finally get what they want: a chance to turn Hunter Bidens life inside out.

It may counter every instinct a loving parent (or a political consultant) could ever have, but the president should want a version of that, too. During Hunter Bidens active addiction, Joe Biden made it clear to his son and the world that his paternal love was not contingent on his sons behavior. Now is the time to make it clear that his behavior does have consequences. Joe Biden should clearly call for his son to cooperate  not with the Republican circus on the Hill but with the Justice Department. That would let Hunter Biden stand on his own and allow the administration to focus on issues that matter most to the American people.
The boundaries of mainstream discourse have suggested that we should resolve the matter of pandemic origins before moving on to the implications of the lab-leak hypothesis. But this has proved a paralyzing standard, and not just because so little definitive progress has been made on the central detective work. The question of how the deadliest pandemic in a century began is an undeniably consequential one. But so is the matter of what steps to take given that it remains to so many  including Anthony Fauci  an open question.

And personally, I think that if I were asked what the chances of an accidental outbreak would have to be to justify a loud and public reckoning over lab safety, I would put the number much lower than full proof. In fact, much lower even than preponderance of evidence  as low as 5 percent, perhaps, or 1 percent or less. Truthfully, Im not sure that it would need to be any higher than zero, given that early in 2020, many of those scientists who would become the most stalwart critics of the lab-leak theory privately acknowledged that the origins of the pandemic were very much up for debate and that a laboratory leak was a perfectly plausible  perhaps even the most likely  explanation for the emergence of SARS-CoV-2 in Wuhan a few months earlier.

Since they were obtained by BuzzFeed via a FOIA lawsuit and published in a June 2021 article, a series of emails between many of the worlds top virologists sent on the last day of January and early days of February 2020 have formed one locus of lab-leak attention. In one, the evolutionary biologist and virologist Kristian Andersen of Scripps Research described the new virus as inconsistent with expectations from evolutionary theory. In another, Jeremy Farrar, then-director of the Wellcome Trust and the incoming chief scientist of the World Health Organization, summarized the perspectives of several other scientists, including Michael Farzan of Scripps, who had put his odds as 70:30 or 60:40 in favor of an accidental release. Farrar himself put the odds at 50:50.

On the email chain, other scientists offered alternate views, favoring a natural explanation, and a conference call was arranged for Feb. 1. Less than a week later, the scientists began preparing a paper  published the following month as a letter in Nature Medicine and bearing the signatures of many of those on the call but not Dr. Fauci, who had helped arrange the call  that amounted to a consensus statement from the research establishment: The overwhelming likelihood was that the disease had evolved naturally; there was no evidence for a lab-leak origin. (Our analyses clearly show that SARS-CoV-2 is not a laboratory construct or a purposefully manipulated virus, the authors wrote emphatically.)

Farrar also co-wrote a February statement published in The Lancet, suggesting that those pushing alternative theories were engaging with conspiracy theories that would only heighten prejudices against Chinese scientists. (Put aside, for a moment, that the predominant zoonotic narrative also relied on some racist tropes, in focusing on the unsanitary conditions of Wuhans wet market, and that any gain-of-function work going on in Wuhan was tied up in American funding and research partnerships.)
Things will not change until employers, particularly corporate executives, face criminal penalties for abetting human trafficking and exploiting child labor.

Jay Voss

New York

To the Editor:

The shocking expose of migrant child labor in the United States by Hannah Dreier (a 21st-century Jacob Riis) should lead us to the obvious solution: We should provide visas to the parents who wish to take those jobs, at a living wage and under safe working conditions, so their children can go to school and U.S. companies can overcome the current labor shortage without resorting to breaking the law.

Max Paul Friedman

Silver Spring, Md.

The writer is a professor of history at American University.

To the Editor:

If unaccompanied minors know they will be processed and sponsored in the U.S., they will continue coming. Unfortunately, this will not abate until the U.S. seals the border and tightly manages immigration.

These minors should be flown back to their country of origin. Denying admission removes the incentive for others to come and would stanch the flow of migrant children  many of whom die en route.

In contrast, I sponsored a young, highly educated Ukrainian woman under the Uniting for Ukraine visa program. Overcoming the paperwork hurdles, she is gainfully employed in New York City with the same major consulting firm that had hired her to work in Kyiv before the Russian invasion. This is mutually beneficial immigration, as opposed to exploitative.
In particular, Roosevelt, who is a professor of constitutional law at the University of Pennsylvania, says that we get the Declaration wrong. The Declaration of Independence was not a statement about human rights in the abstract, he writes. It was not a declaration of concrete human rights, either. Instead, the Declaration of Independence was about, well, independence:

It first explains the origin and nature of legitimate political authority. It then explains when the exercise of political authority ceases to be legitimate. And then it endeavors to show that the situation of the American colonists fits the criteria that justify rebellion.

According to Roosevelt, Thomas Jeffersons assertion of equality was not an assertion of the need for equal treatment under the law or a declaration of the rights of individuals to enjoy liberty and equality. Rather, it was a standard account of Enlightenment social contract theory, brought to bear for use in the Anglo-American conflict. In the Declarations political philosophy, People start out equal, Roosevelt writes, endowed with natural rights but lacking the means to protect them. They create governments to secure those rights, and the governments legitimate authority comes from their consent. If the government fails to do its job, the people may reject it and start anew.

Jeffersons equality, writes Roosevelt, is a precise and limited concept. It exists in the hypothetical state of nature, not the real world of political life. People may start out equal in the abstract, but do not stay that way when they enter into society.

Theres an obvious response to this: So what? What difference does it make what Jefferson meant when what matters is what later Americans heard? As written, the Declaration of Independence may not have been a statement of universal equality, but it became one in the struggles against slavery and race hierarchy, as activists and politicians used it for their own ends.

The problem, argues Roosevelt, is that tying our modern egalitarian commitments to the Declaration and the founding is to say, in no uncertain terms, that our values can survive, even thrive, in a world of profound inequality and injustice: In asking modern Americans to see the founding as an Edenic movement, to see the founders as role models who stated our deepest ideals, we are asking them to accept that those ideals can coexist with slavery, with rape, with enslaving ones own children because of the color of their skin. We are saying, in short, that justice can always wait since well eventually reach the destination of our ideals.

But if not the Declaration, then what? Where, and with whom, should we root our values?

Roosevelts answer lies in the Civil War and Reconstruction. It is Lincoln, after all, who claimed the Declaration for a new birth of freedom in his Gettysburg Address and gave it much of its modern meaning. But to do that, he and the United States had to overturn the old order. Many people, Roosevelt writes, following Lincolns cue, think of Reconstruction as a process of better realizing founding ideals, through the process of change set out in the founders Constitution. We would do better to think of it as a revolution that destroyed Founding America.
When Scott Adams, the Donald Trump-revering creator of the Dilbert cartoon strip, last week quoted stats from the right-leaning polling operation Rasmussen Reports to justify a racist rant in which he admonished white people to just get the hell away from Black people, whom he labeled a hate group, the condemnations were swift.

Hundreds of newspapers dropped the comic strip, Adamss publisher scrapped plans to release his next book, and he said his book agent canceled him.

So what was in the poll? Adams referred to the responses to one question: Do you agree or disagree with this statement: Its OK to be white. Fifty-three percent of Black people agreed, 26 percent disagreed, and 21 percent responded that they werent sure. Most Black people, in other words, innocuously said theres nothing wrong with being white.

But before we go further, we should establish how odd, problematic and confusing the question is. What does OK to be white mean? What does OK mean in this context? Also: Why single out Black people? Forty-one percent of respondents who were neither white nor Black also didnt answer in the affirmative. Furthermore, 20 percent of white people didnt answer in the affirmative.
Deep, wide and close to the ground, each sofa is visibly of its time, dramatic enough to hold its own in the large open-plan living areas for which it was originally intended. But these pieces have also benefited from the internet, in particular the ways social media can resurrect not just a certain item but an entire aesthetic: It was in part images of the Los Angeles-based designer Kelly Wearstlers Malibu living room featuring a cream upholstered Soriana that helped resurface the sofa in the early 2010s and popularize it for a new generation. The scarcity of (well-preserved) couches on resale and auction sites also helped increase interest and prices, setting the stage for their eventual comebacks  and, perhaps, for the next round of rediscoveries, such as Bellinis compact, pudgy 1972 Le Bambole, original versions of which now sell for a premium online, and a new edition of which was released last year.

But above all, these sofas have become aesthetic touchstones of our age because they feel as radical today as they did when they were first introduced. They are all humanely imagined  intended to enhance life on a daily basis  and entirely sui generis. (Who wouldnt want to fall asleep between the Sorianas focaccia-like dimples?) Whats more, their designers have continued to adapt them: Pesces is now 10 percent larger than the original, a nod to contemporary preferences for oversize proportions, and all three have been remade with environmental sustainability in mind. Indeed, if these pieces didnt experience long-lasting success after their release, its perhaps only because they arrived too soon. As Bellini has put it, Certain products are born in the future.
According to the S.E.C., Mr. Singh also assigned fraudulent dates to a series of transactions to make it appear that FTXs 2021 revenue was $50 million higher than it was, and then lied about the scheme to auditors. And last September and October, the complaint said, he withdrew roughly $6 million from FTX for his personal use, spending the money on charitable donations and a multimillion-dollar house, when he knew FTX customer funds were being misappropriated.

What to Know About the Collapse of FTX Card 1 of 5 What is FTX? The now bankrupt company was one of the worlds largest cryptocurrency exchanges. It enabled customers to trade digital currencies for other digital currencies or traditional money; it also had a native cryptocurrency known as FTT. The company, based in the Bahamas, built its business on risky trading options that are not legal in the United States. Who is Sam Bankman-Fried? He is the 30-year-old founder of FTX and the former chief executive of FTX. Once a golden boy of the crypto industry, he was a major donor to the Democratic Party and known for his commitment to effective altruism, a charitable movement that urges adherents to give away their wealth in efficient and logical ways. How did FTXs troubles begin? Last year, Changpeng Zhao, the chief executive of Binance, the worlds largest crypto exchange, sold the stake he held in FTX back to Bankman-Fried, receiving a number of FTT tokens in exchange. In November, Zhao said he would sell the tokens and expressed concerns about FTXs financial stability. What led to FTX's collapse? Zhaos announcement drove down the price of FTT and spooked investors. Traders rushed to withdraw from FTX, causing the company to have a $8 billion shortfall. Binance offered a loan to save the company but later pulled out, forcing FTX to file for bankruptcy on Nov. 11. Why was Bankman-Fried arrested? FTXs collapse kicked off investigations by the Justice Department and the S.E.C. focused on whether FTX improperly used customer funds to prop up Alameda Research, a crypto trading platform that Bankman-Fried had helped start. On Dec. 12, Bankman-Fried was arrested in the Bahamas for lying to investors and committing fraud.









FTX filed for bankruptcy in November after the crypto equivalent of a bank run exposed an $8 billion hole in its accounts. Its implosion was the worst moment in a yearlong crypto industry meltdown that sent the market spiraling and cost investors billions of dollars in lost deposits.

The investigation into FTX has gained steam in recent weeks. On Thursday, federal prosecutors announced a revised indictment against Mr. Bankman-Fried that included several new charges and detailed the alleged scheme to defraud customers and investors and funnel tens of millions in illegal campaign contributions to political candidates and political action committees.

Mr. Bankman-Fried pleaded not guilty in January to the original indictment and is expected to return to court in the next few months to be arraigned on the revised charges, according to a court filing. A spokesman for Mr. Bankman-Fried declined to comment.

Mr. Singh is a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley. He worked as a software engineer on the applied machine-learning team at Facebook and then joined Alameda, the crypto hedge fund that Mr. Bankman-Fried founded and owned. Mr. Singh has also been a close friend of Mr. Bankman-Frieds younger brother, Gabe, who ran Guarding Against Pandemics, an organization that received much of its financial support from FTX.
Business activities have yet to pick up in Jos metropolis 48 hours after the Presidential, Senate and House of representatives elections, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

A correspondent of NAN who went round Jos metropolis on Monday reports that most restaurants and shops remained closed and those opened had only a few goods displayed outside.

The Terminus Market, which usually has human and vehicular traffic, had less people and vehicles.

Mrs Ngozi Anosike, a trader at Terminus Market, attributed the low turnout of people to the alleged fear of an outbreak of law and order as a result of the turnout of the results of the elections.

"People are at home to avoid any form of violence that may arise due to the results of the elections," she said.

Similarly, Mr Amos Pam, said that most people "are cautious and are staying home to avoid being caught in any form of violence that may arise due to the elections".

Mrs Tabitha Adams, who said she was in the market to buy food stuffs for her family, expressed fear on the reduced people traffic in the market.

"I am very scared, as we speak, the market is not booming and I need to leave quickly as I am not comfortable with the atmosphere," she said.

NAN reports that most banks which usually have a mammon crowd at their Automated Teller Machines (ATM) were empty and the major roads in the metropolis were void of the usual vehicular traffic.

NAN also reports that most primary and secondary schools in Jos-Bukuru are closed and are to resume in March.

The Commissioner of Police in Plateau, Mr Mamman Dauda, said the security personnel had been ever ready to sustain peace in the state during and after the elections.

He assured the residents that nothing could disrupt the normal socio-commercial activities in the state. (NAN)
After Elon Musk bought Twitter last year and eliminated thousands of its employees, many users were so alarmed by the cuts that #RIPTwitter and #GoodbyeTwitter began trending.

The social media service remains operational today. But its outages, bugs and other glitches are increasingly piling up.

In February alone, Twitter experienced at least four widespread outages, compared with nine in all of 2022, according to NetBlocks, an organization that tracks internet outages. That suggests the frequency of service failures is on the rise, NetBlocks said. And bugs that have made Twitter less usable  by preventing people from posting tweets, for instance  have been more noticeable, researchers and users said.

Twitters reliability has deteriorated as Mr. Musk has repeatedly slashed the companys work force. After another round of layoffs on Saturday, Twitter has fewer than 2,000 employees, down from 7,500 when Mr. Musk took over in October. The latest cuts affected dozens of engineers responsible for keeping the site online, three current and former employees said.
A stage adaptation of My Neighbour Totoro, an animated Japanese childrens movie filled with fantastical creatures, emerged on Tuesday as the front-runner for this years Olivier Awards, Britains equivalent of the Tonys.

The show, which ran at the Barbican Theater in London and included numerous giant puppets, secured nine nominations for the awards  more than any other play. Those included nods for best comedy, best director for Phelim McDermott and best actress for Mei Mac as a girl who discovers a magical world near her home.

The plays high number of nominations was perhaps unsurprising given that My Neighbour Totoro received rave reviews when it opened last year.

Matt Wolf, writing in The New York Times, said the plays puppets were the most endearing sight on the London stage at the time. Sarah Hemming in The Financial Times said the Royal Shakespeare Company production was a tender, remarkably beautiful family show that extols kindness.
CHICAGO  Mayor Lori Lightfoot faces eight challengers in a fierce mayoral election and risks being ousted from City Hall after one term. Heres why the election, at a time of widespread unease in the nations cities, reflects issues that are resonating around the country.

The race is a referendum on crime and policing.

On the campaign trail and in debates, the election in Chicago has been driven by one issue above all others: crime.

Under Ms. Lightfoot, who was elected in 2019, homicide rates soared to generational highs, an increase that was most deeply felt in pockets of the South and West Sides that have historically been plagued by gun violence. And residents throughout the city say they are unsettled by a spike in robberies, muggings, carjackings and other property crimes, and they have placed the blame on Ms. Lightfoot.

She is facing her most serious competition from a tough-on-crime candidate, Paul Vallas, a former public schools executive who began attacking her record on public safety early in the campaign.
CHICAGO  Mayor Lori Lightfoot of Chicago lost her bid for a second term on Tuesday, a resounding defeat that reflected widespread dissatisfaction from voters over her handling of crime and policing in the nations third-largest city.

Four years ago, Ms. Lightfoot made history as the first Black woman to be elected mayor of Chicago when she swept all 50 of the citys wards. But she saw her popularity plunge during the coronavirus pandemic as Chicago suffered a spike in violent crime, with looting and destruction on its famed Magnificent Mile in 2020.

The two candidates to emerge from Tuesdays first round of voting and advance to an April 4 runoff, according to The Associated Press, were Paul Vallas, a former public schools executive, and Brandon Johnson, a county board commissioner.

Ms. Lightfoot, who is the first sitting mayor in Chicago since 1989 to lose re-election, said in a concession speech late Tuesday that she will be rooting and praying for our next mayor to deliver for the people of this city for years to come.
WASHINGTON  Even by the flexible standards of Washingtons hired legal guns, Abbe Lowells most recent move was striking. After representing Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump and developing close ties inside the Trump White House, Mr. Lowell, one of the capitals best-known scandal lawyers, is now representing a favorite target of former President Donald J. Trump: Hunter Biden.

Mr. Lowells new role in helping steer Mr. Biden through Republican congressional investigations has stirred unease and dissent in the Biden camp, where some questioned his recent work for the Trump family and worried that his aggressive tactics could backfire.

It has also brought new attention to legal and ethics issues raised by the Justice Department and a client about Mr. Lowell in recent years. And his re-emergence in Democratic circles after a turn in Mr. Trumps orbit highlights how Washingtons scandal-industrial complex can blur the lines between legal representation, access to power and self-promotion.

It is not unusual for top-tier Washington lawyers to represent clients on both sides of the aisle in high-profile Justice Department and congressional investigations, and Mr. Lowell has represented a long roster of prominent Democrats and Republicans. But Mr. Lowells proximity to the Oval Office of two successive  and irreconcilably hostile  White Houses from differing parties stands out.
WASHINGTON  The Biden administration urged Congress on Tuesday to renew a controversial warrantless surveillance law, emphasizing that security officials use it for a broad range of foreign policy and national security goals like detecting espionage by countries like China and Iran or stopping hackers.

The administrations effort is likely to face particularly steep headwinds because many Republicans have adopted former President Donald J. Trumps distrust of security agencies and surveillance, bolstering privacy advocates who have long been skeptical of the law, known as Section 702.

To head off the resistance, the Biden administration has sought to cast the law, which would otherwise expire at the end of the year, as a tool that is used not only for counterterrorism but has also aided the government in identifying economic risks and preventing foreign actors from creating weapons of mass destruction.

In a letter to lawmakers, Attorney General Merrick B. Garland and Avril Haines, the director of national intelligence, described the law as vital.
Its a content machine for the right-wing media ecosystem, said David Kochel, a strategist on Mitt Romneys presidential campaign in 2012, who noted that many of the catchiest lines from speeches will be replayed on Breitbart, Newsmax and the radio show hosted by Stephen K. Bannon. But I dont think it makes any difference in the 2024 run-up to the primary. Youve got a couple people who arent going and a couple people who will go. It has faded in its importance.

Some of that fade, Mr. Kochel said, is directly linked to the allegations against Matt Schlapp, the chairman of the American Conservative Union, which runs the conference. He was accused of groping an aide to Herschel Walkers Senate campaign last year. Mr. Schlapp has denied the accusations. The campaign aide filed a lawsuit against Mr. Schlapp in January.

Those accusations were cited by some Republicans as one of the reasons they were steering clear of the conference, including Mike Pence, the former vice president who is considering a run for the White House. He passed on accepting an invitation, according to a person briefed on his decision. Instead, Mr. Pence is spending his week being hosted by other conservatives, including at a Club for Growth donor retreat to which Mr. Trump was not invited.

Other Republican stars plan to skip the event, which starts on Wednesday and ends on Saturday. Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida, who polls show is the main alternative to Mr. Trump for the presidential nomination and who last addressed the event two years ago, does not plan to appear. Gov. Glenn Youngkin of Virginia, whose 2021 victory was heralded as a general election model for Republicans, and Gov. Kristi Noem of South Dakota, who is often cited as another possible contender for the partys nomination, also are not expected to address the gathering.

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy; Ronna McDaniel, the chair of the Republican National Committee; all of the other Republican governors; and all of the members of the partys leadership in the Senate are not listed on the agenda. The only other well-known presidential candidate attending is Nikki Haley, the former South Carolina governor and United Nations ambassador who is considered a long shot for the White House. A lesser-known presidential candidate, Vivek Ramaswamy, is also speaking.
Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida will make his debut appearances in three early presidential primary states in the next several weeks, according to two people briefed on his plans, selling his performance in his own state as he lays the groundwork for an expected presidential campaign.

Mr. DeSantis is tentatively expected to appear in Iowa during the first half of March, making stops in Davenport and Des Moines, according to the people briefed on his schedule who requested anonymity because they werent authorized to discuss the plans publicly. Shortly after, he is expected to appear in Nevada, an early primary state, followed a few weeks later by an expected trip to Manchester, N.H.

An appearance in South Carolina is also being discussed, according to the people briefed.

An aide to Mr. DeSantis declined to comment on his planned appearances.

Hitting the traditional early primary states as he discusses his new book, The Courage to Be Free: Floridas Blueprint for Americas Revival, allows Mr. DeSantis to unofficially test the waters and introduce himself nationally.
WASHINGTON  Hundreds of protesters, many college students from across the country, rallied outside the Supreme Court on Tuesday, carrying signs and posters urging the justices to back President Bidens effort to cancel some $400 billion in student loan debt.

Democratic lawmakers like Senators Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren and Robert Menendez and Representatives Ayanna Pressley and Judy Chu addressed supporters of the plan from the steps of the Supreme Court.

Ms. Warren criticized the Supreme Court for playing politics, urging listeners to not let an extremist court take away an opportunity for millions of Americans to have a little racial justice, a little economic justice, a little opportunity to build more secure futures going forward.

The plaintiffs in the Supreme Court cases have argued that Mr. Bidens plan to cancel debt oversteps his executive authority and the scope of the law the administration used to justify it.
WASHINGTON  The Supreme Courts conservative majority seemed deeply skeptical on Tuesday of the legality of the Biden administrations plan to wipe out more than $400 billion in student debt, heightening the prospect that the justices would thwart efforts to forgive the loans of tens of millions of borrowers.

Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. indicated that the administration had acted without sufficiently explicit congressional authorization to undertake one of the most ambitious and expensive executive actions in the nations history, violating separation-of-powers principles.

I think most casual observers would say, the chief justice said, that if youre going to give up that much amount of money, if youre going to affect the obligations of that many Americans on a subject thats of great controversy, they would think thats something for Congress to act on.

The courts three liberal members said Congress had already acted, by passing a law in 2003 that authorized the secretary of education to address emergencies.
Zanzibar anticipates a threefold increase in rice production under irrigation scheme from 5,400 to 17,332 tons, the House of Representatives was told here on Monday.

Agriculture, Irrigation, Natural Resources and Livestock Minister Shamata Shaame Khamis told the house that the government aims at food independence through good uses of available valleys.

He was answering a question by Mwanakwerekwe Representative Ameir Abdalla Ameir who wanted to know the government strategic plan to use rice valleys for the country's self-reliance in food supply.

Minister Shamata said the revolutionary government prioritises irrigation farming to achieve food security in the country, saying through the 2003 major irrigation plan, six valleys covering 1,053 hectres have been developed. The valleys include Cheju A and Kinyasini with 314 and 184 hectres, respectively.

The minister said Cheju A valley has been developed at 100 per cent, with 2,500 farmers allocated plots for irrigation farming.

But the minister decried high cost and limited financial resources as the main challenge that impede speedy development of the irrigation valleys.

Meanwhile, the government has succeeded to transform peasants into commercial farmers especially in horticulture subsector, the minister informed the house, saying through vegetable and fruit project 19,888 farmers were served.

The beneficiaries were equipped with training on best farming practices, reduction of post-harvest loss and marketing.
Follow our live coverage of Nigerias presidential election.

Nigerias two major opposition parties on Tuesday called for the presidential election to be canceled and rerun, saying that it had been compromised by vote rigging and widespread violence.

The election over the weekend in the West African nation  the most populous on the continent, with 220 million people  was the most wide open in years, with a surprise third-party candidate putting up an assertive challenge.

On Tuesday, the chairmen of the two major opposition parties  the Peoples Democratic Party and the Labour Party  called for the head of the governments electoral commission to resign, even as the commission continued to release results.

With more than two-thirds of the 36 states reporting results, by Tuesday evening, Bola Tinubu, the candidate of the governing All Progressives Congress party appeared some distance ahead of his rivals in the count, with 39 percent of the vote. To win, a candidate needs the most votes, plus 25 percent of the vote in two-thirds of the nations 36 states.
This is how Chinas ruling Communist Party wants people to remember how it handled the Covid-19 pandemic: It was a miracle in human history. Every measure the government imposed was rooted in science, supported by the masses  and, ultimately, completely correct.

The party is waging an ambitious propaganda campaign to rewrite the publics memory of zero Covid, a signature policy of Chinas leader, Xi Jinping, that helped contain the virus for almost three years  but went to such extreme lengths that it smothered the economy and set off widespread opposition. In a decree that was published after a recent meeting of top officials and championed by a barrage of state media editorials, a newly triumphant narrative has emerged, aimed at bolstering Mr. Xis authority and deterring dissent.

The party is pushing its message at a time of heightening tensions with the United States over Chinas handling of the pandemic, including the secrecy it has shrouded over investigations into the viruss origins. The U.S. Energy Department recently concluded with low confidence that the Covid-19 virus likely originated from an accidental lab leak in China, a hypothesis that Beijing has denied and called a smear campaign even as some right-wing American media outlets have embraced it as fact.
President Aleksandr G. Lukashenko of Belarus arrived in Beijing on Tuesday for a three-day visit in which Chinas top leader, Xi Jinping, is expected to meet with him, lending support to one of Russias staunchest allies amid growing concerns in the United States and Europe about Chinas position on the war in Ukraine.

Mr. Lukashenko, who has led Belarus since 1994, allowed Russia to use his country as a staging ground to invade Ukraine more than a year ago, which resulted in Western sanctions against Minsk. A 68-year-old authoritarian, Mr. Lukashenko has been wholly reliant on President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia since the Kremlin helped him crush antigovernment protests in Belarus in 2020.

The United States said it viewed the visit by the leader of one of Moscows client states as another sign of Chinas growing ties with the Kremlin and its support for Russias side in the conflict in Ukraine, which has grown into another major flash point between the worlds two superpowers.

The fact that the P.R.C. is now engaging with Lukashenko, who has, in effect, ceded his own sovereignty to Russia, is just another element of the P.R.C.s deepening engagement with Russia, with all of those who are engaged with and supporting Russias brutal war against Ukraine, Ned Price, the State Department spokesman, said on Monday, referring to the Peoples Republic of China.
MELBOURNE, Australia  Call it a tale of two Wendys. One is an American fast-food chain, known for the pigtailed girl on its logo and its square hamburger patties on circular buns. The other, Wendys Milk Bar, slings soft-serve ice cream, hot dogs and supashakes in suburban Australian shopping malls.

For decades, the companies near-identical names have caused few problems. But reports that the American hamburger company is considering establishing an Australian presence have prompted wild speculation of a Wendys-on-Wendys dust-up.

Abigail Pringle, the president and chief development officer of the American Wendys, told the Australian Financial Review this week that she intended to meet virtually with prospective franchisees in Australia and hoped to establish outlets across the country.

There are about 7,000 Wendys hamburger restaurants worldwide, including a few in New Zealand. Company officials have previously said they plan to increase the number to 8,500 by 2025. McDonalds, the industry leader, has more than 38,000 outlets globally, including locations in Australia.
A Belarusian opposition group said that an attack seriously damaged a Russian military aircraft at a Belarusian air base over the weekend and rendered it unable to operate. Satellite images collected on Tuesday showed possible damage, but could not confirm the extent.

The images clearly show the plane, an A-50 early warning and control aircraft, is structurally intact. However, they also show a new dark spot on the planes large radar disc, indicating possible damage. The satellite images do not conclusively show whether the plane was still functional.

The A-50 aircraft is a critical asset in Russias air operations against Ukraine. The opposition group, Bypol  formed after a disputed presidential election in 2020  said on Sunday that the Russian military surveillance aircraft was attacked with drones at the Machulishchy air base south of the capital, Minsk. It hinted that Belarusian partisans were responsible, but did not elaborate.

The British Ministry of Defense tweeted on Tuesday that if the airplane were confirmed lost, it would be significant as it is critical to Russian air operations for providing an air battle space picture. It said Russia would likely only have six of such planes left.
LONDON  On its face, Prime Minister Rishi Sunaks newly announced agreement with the European Union on Northern Ireland is merely a trade deal that governs the transport of pets, sausages, seed potatoes, and the like from one part of the United Kingdom to another.

But at a stroke, Mr. Sunak has defused the primary source of tension between Britain and the European Union, a recurring irritant in the relationship between London and Washington, and one of the principal grievances of those who complain that Britain has failed to reap the benefits of its departure from Europes single market.

Behind the numbingly dense language of trade rules, this Brexiteer leader has gone a long way toward quieting the lingering ghosts of Brexit.

If Mr. Sunak manages to maneuver the agreement announced on Monday past the resistance of unionist leaders in Northern Ireland and the misgivings of hard-line Brexiteers in his Conservative Party, he will lay to rest one of the most vexing legacies of Britains exit from the European Union. And with it, he could remove Brexit as the fulcrum around which Britains politics pivot.
LONDON  King Charles III had nothing to do with the Northern Ireland trade agreement unveiled on Monday by Britain and the European Union. But one could be forgiven for thinking that he had put his royal imprimatur on the deal.

It is called the Windsor Framework, which happens to be the kings family name. It was sealed at a luxury hotel in Windsor, west of London, where he has a castle. And it was there, at Windsor Castle, that Charles welcomed one of the negotiators, Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, for tea just minutes after she and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak presented the deal to the world.

That courtesy call, and the resulting photo of a smiling king appearing to celebrate his guest, prompted angry recrimination from critics, who said the government improperly recruited King Charles to be an ally in one of the most divisive issues in British politics. By tradition, Britains constitutional monarch steers clear of politics, to say nothing of the noxious crosswinds of Brexit.

Buckingham Palace and Downing Street appeared at odds over who had initiated the meeting with Ms. von der Leyen. The palace said the king was acting on the governments advice, while a spokesman for the prime minister said Mr. Sunak firmly believes its for the king to make those decisions.
For months, fighting has centered on towns and villages around Bakhmut as Moscow attempts to encircle the city and try to cut off supply routes, though there have been increasing reports of battles within the city itself. Denis Pushilin, the pro-Russian head of a breakaway republic in Donetsk Province, said on Tuesday that Russian forces had taken Stupky, a neighborhood on the outer edge of the city. There was no independent confirmation of his claim.

Russias invasion of Ukraine has been immensely costly, leaving the country diplomatically isolated in Europe and facing sanctions, but Moscow has also suffered significant losses on the battlefield. The country has sustained more combat deaths in the wars first year than in all the conflicts it has fought since World War II combined, including Chechnya and Afghanistan, according to a new report by the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a research organization based in Washington.

Even as Russia has faced setbacks, it aims to seize the whole of the eastern Donbas region, according to military analysts. Russia illegally annexed the regions two provinces, Donetsk and Luhansk, in October and holds significant territory there, including the regional capitals. But the months of fighting over Bakhmut suggests that it would be difficult for Russia to make further rapid gains.

At the same time, Ukraine may try to attack in the southern region of Zaporizhzhia in a bid to approach the port city of Melitopol and drive a wedge between Russian forces in the Crimean Peninsula and the ground that Moscow holds in Donbas.

The next three months on the front will be very active and decide the further course of events, said Kyrylo Budanov, the head of Ukraines military intelligence in an interview with the Voice of America. He said further deliveries of military aid to Ukraine, including attack aircraft, could prove decisive for his country.
BERLIN  Nearly a month after Berlin gave European allies permission to send German-made tanks to Ukraine, the flow of tanks so many leaders vowed would follow seems more like a trickle.

Some nations have discovered that the tanks in their armory dont actually work or lack spare parts. Political leaders have encountered unanticipated resistance within their own coalitions, and even from their defense ministries. And some armies had to pull trainers out of retirement to teach Ukrainian soldiers how to use old-model tanks.

The struggle to provide Leopard tanks to an embattled Ukraine is just the most glaring manifestation of a reality Europe has long ignored: Believing that large-scale land war was a thing of the past and basking in the thaw of the Cold War, nations chronically underfunded their militaries. When Russia launched the largest land war on the continent since World War II, they were woefully unprepared.

Hints of the problem have surfaced repeatedly since Russia invaded Ukraine a year ago, through shortages of weapons and ammunition. But now, as Germany and its allies struggled for weeks to scrape together enough Leopard 2s to fill two battalions of tanks  62 vehicles in total  the extent of their quandary has become even clearer.
JERUSALEM  When Benjamin Netanyahu returned to power late last year, he repeatedly reassured skeptics that he would be able to maintain Israeli stability, despite governing in coalition with far-right settler activists and ultraconservative religious leaders.

But while Mr. Netanyahus juggling act initially seemed to succeed, there are now signs that his control over his countrys security situation and his own coalition is ebbing. Amid social turmoil in Israel and unusually intense violence in the occupied territories, Mr. Netanyahus efforts to balance the interests of his extremist allies with the demands of more moderate Israelis and foreign allies have begun to falter.

On Monday, a day after Israeli settlers rampaged largely unchecked through several Palestinian villages in the West Bank to avenge the killing of two Jews, setting fires to homes and businesses, Israels political divisions were on clear display.

A far-right party in the coalition, led by Mr. Netanyahus national security minister, boycotted a session in Parliament at which the prime minister spoke out against the arson attacks. An ultra-Orthodox party also stayed away for most of the session. Then another far-right ally resigned as a deputy minister, complaining that Mr. Netanyahu had reneged on their coalition agreement.
A Facebook post links to a video published on a blog with the claim it shows supporters of New Nigeria People's Party (NNPP) presidential candidate Rabiu Kwankwaso being attacked by supporters of his rival, Abdullahi Ganduje.

Nigeria held presidential and parliamentary elections on 25 February 2023.

Ganduje is the governor of Kano state in northern Nigeria. He served as Kwankwaso's deputy when the candidate was the state's governor. In 2015, he succeeded him as governor of Kano state.

Kwankwaso declared his intention to contest the position of president on the NNPP ticket in April 2022.

There has been speculation about a rift between the two after Ganduje became governor in 2015. Ganduje has responded to the rumour, saying he had a "very good rapport with the former governor".

But the relationship between the two still doesn't seem cordial. In November 2022, Ganduje challenged Kwankwaso to test his popularity in Kano by holding a political rally.

The video's cover screen shows photos of Ganduje and Kwankwaso, as well as photos of violence and unrest.

Links to the video have also been posted here and here on Facebook.

But does it really show Ganduje's supporters attacking Kwankwaso's supporters?

Clickbait for ad money

We tapped on the link, and discovered that the blog site has no "about" section or contact details. This raises questions about its authenticity.

What appeared to be a video embedded on the site did not launch when we tapped the play button. Instead, it redirected us to web pages full of adverts.

And no credible Nigerian news organisations have reported any fight between the two politicians' supporters.

The link is simply clickbait to earn ad revenue.
For decades, the mummified remains of a creature resembling a small mermaid have been worshipped at a temple in Asakuchi, Japan, but scientists have long suspected that the mermaid mummy was actually man-made.

Allegedly caught in the Pacific Ocean, off the island of Shikoku, between 1736 and 1741, the famous mermaid mummy has been kept on display at the Enjuin temple in Asakuchi for over 40 years, attracting visitors convinced that the remains would bring them good luck. It is said that these tiny supernatural creatures were immortal and that whoever consumed their flesh would also enjoy eternal life. Somehow, no one actually tried, but a team of scientists did request a more thorough examination in order to confirm the many legends around the artifact.

Last year, researchers from the Kurashiki University of Science and the Arts managed to obtain the mysterious mummified mermaid from the Enjuin temple and began analyzing it using a variety of modern techniques, including X-ray and CT (computerized tomography) scans, radiocarbon dating, electron microscopy and DNA analysis.

The first thing noticed about the unique 12-inch specimen, which appeared to have the head and torso of a small primate and the bottom half of a fish, was the fact that it lacked a skeleton. The only skeletal remains were in the lower body of the mummy and appeared to belong to a fish. The rest of it seemed to be a strange combination of various animal remains, cloth, paper, and cotton.

Some scientists had previously hypothesized that these worshipped mermaid mummies had been created by sewing the head and torso of a small monkey onto the lower body of a caught risk. Last years tests proved that the worshiped remains had been put together by man, although the exact recipe was a little hard to guess.

After filling the torso of the mermaid with cloth and paper, whoever created this mummy also painted it with a paste made from a mix of sand and charcoal. Its jaw and teeth were also most likely taken from a kind of predator fish, and its nails were made from keratin. Radiocarbon dating suggests that the specimen dates back to the early 1800s.



Although the true purpose of the mummified remains a mystery, scientists believe it was meant to trick people into believing that Ningyos  Japanese mythological creatures  and their immortality were real.

The team of Japanese scientists published its findings earlier this year. Researchers now hope to get their hands on a few of the other 14 mummified mermaids found across Japan, for comparison purposes.
Minnesota wants to hire a firm to run a PR campaign for its Help Me Connect electronic navigator that connects expectant families and those with young children to services that promote well-being and child development.
Rafe Needleman

Allison+Partners hires Rafe Needleman as SVP and head of technology editorial. Needlman comes to the agency from Cisco, where he was an in-house communication strategist and content creator. He has also served as editor-in-chief of such publications as Red Herring Online, Byte, Yahoo Tech and CNET Reviews. Based in Allison+Partners San Francisco headquarters, Needleman will lead content ideation and creation for the agencys portfolio of technology clients as well as working with the agencys account teams to further hone their editorial best practices and writing skills. He knows how to translate even the most complex technologies into stories that not only help drive a business forward but also truly hit home across audiences, said Allison+Partners partner and president, global operations, technology Karyn Barr.

Tony Cortizas

Unique Vacations, an affiliate of the worldwide representative of Sandals Resorts and Beaches Resorts, promotes Tony Cortizas to CMO. Cortizas was most recently SVP of brand development at the company. He was previously at Melia Hotels International, where he served in positions including vp of global brand strategy. In his new position, Cortizas will direct research, creative and brand marketing for the hospitality brands under the UVI umbrella. Tonys body of award-winning work demonstrates his proven ability to engage audiences over time and across channels with rich storytelling and opportunities that foster lifelong relationships between brands and customers, said UVI chief executive officer Jeff Clarke.

Mary Yang

Syxsense brings on Mary Yang as CMO. Yang joins Syxsense from threat intelligence company LookingGlass Cyber Solutions, where she was also CMO. Before that she was a strategic advisor and portfolio manager at MITRE Corporation, a not-for-profit research and development organization. At Syxsense, Yang will oversee global marketing and communication efforts, reporting to company founder and CEO Ashley Leonard. Mary has been at the forefront of marketing communications across the cybersecurity space for nearly a decade, said Leonard.
A man who pleaded guilty to theft appeared at last week's district court by video link from Cloverhill Prison where he was being held in custody.

James Gonoude (33), of O'Molloy Street, Tullamore, had made a statement admitting the offences.

On February 18, 2023 at 12.05 at Riverside Cafe, on Main Street in Tullamore, Mr Gonoude kicked in the front door of the premises gaining entry. He forced open the cash register and stole 1,103 from the till.

On the same date he also kicked the door of Captain House restaurant, on Main Street, but he was unable to gain entry into that premises.

In addition he smashed the door of Bueno, Church Road, Tullamore, and stole 130 from the till. He was identified on CCTV

Mr Gonoude had 23 previous convictions, the last was on February 12, 2020, for obstructing a peace officer. A Section 2 arson charge was taken into account.

Solicitor Donal Farrelly said Mr Gonoude was a 36 year old father of three children aged 3, 6 and 12. He had been a regular user of cannabis when living at home and his use of cannabis had brought him into difficulties. He is estranged from his wife but sees his children regularly.

Mr Farrelly asked Judge Andrew Cody to backdate any sentence to the previous Wednesday when he said he was taken into custody.

Sgt James O'Sullivan told Judge Cody that Mr Gonoude had committed the offences while he was on bail.

Judge Cody took into consideration the defendant's previous convictions and that none of the goods had been recovered. He also took into consideration his early guilty plea. He said that Mr Gonoude had gone on a spree that night. He imposed 4 months in prison for each of the two theft offences to run concurrently starting from the previous Wednesday, to be served in the Midlands Prison.
The quarter-finals of the Greyhound and Petworld Juvenile Classic in Tralee, semifinals of the Cork Cup and the final of the Gold Cup in Shelbourne were the highlights of a fantastic week of racing around the tracks. Attendances are certainly back up to pre pandemic numbers with most tracks having full houses. The luck of the Offaly trainers continued with some quality winners occurring in the latter part of the week.

Friday Racing

First Offaly winner of the week was in the Showgrounds in Galway. Geashill trainer Margaret Bolton made the trip with Like A Biscuit to win an A7 race in 29.46 (10 slow) by four lengths.

In Newbridge, in the semifinals of an A4 sweepstake, Lodgefield Kash won the first heat for Jennifer Traynor in 29.36 by three lengths at 4/5 fav. The second semi went to Cash Gal in a faster 29.00 by two lengths at 2/1 for Clonard trainer Kevin Losty.

In Shelbourne, in the final of the This Runs Deep S1 350 yard Sprint stake, a good Offaly winner here as So Its Rapid (Rossbirr Ranger - Classy Ebony) was first home for Birr owner Paul Pardy in 18.89 by two lengths at 6/4 with 1.25k going his way. Vincent McKenna was trainer here.

In an A2 final, Delightful Izzy (Droopys Sydney - Urban Time) won this contest for Rathangan owner Reggie Roberts in 28.49 by eight lengths at 5/4 fav with a cheque for 1.6k going to the Kildare owner.

In the semi-finals of the Talking Dogs ON2 unraced stake, Hawkfield Blue won the first for Keeley McGee in 28.76 by four lengths at 4/6 fav. The other heat went to Bluejig Baron for Mullingar trainer David Murray in 29.27 by one length at 3/1.

Tralee staged the quarter-finals of the Greyhound and Petworld Juvenile Classic Open unraced stake. Four cracking heats with some super young dogs on view which we expect to hear a lot more of over the next couple of years. Fastest of the four was once again Ryhope Beach for Michael ODonovan in an identical time of last week of 28.12 by seven lengths at even money fav. Liam Dowling won two of the heats with Ballymac Marino in 28.32 and De Lahdedah in 28.42. The final heat went to Terezas Meduza for Pat Buckley in 28.34.

In the final of the RCETS Novice sprint, Flying Sparks (Droopys Sydney - Murlens Maura) made it three wins from three starts in 17.60 winning by four lengths at even money fav with 750 again going to his trainer ODonovan.

Saturday Racing

Kilcohan Park, Waterford, in the final of the This Runs Deep ON2 unraced stake, Droopys Denis (Loughteen Blanco - Droopys Berry) won by a head for Rathangan trainer Robert Gleeson in 29.26 at a very short 2/5 fav with 850 the first prize here. In the Quarterfinals of the Paddy and Ciara Sharkey Bookmakers and WTSC A2 525 stake Mulan Champ set the standard in 28.81 by three lengths at 3/1 for Patsy and Patrick Sutton.

In Thurles, in the final of the Thurles Racecourse A4 575 stake, Lisdalen Range (Out Of Range ASB - Boherna Sophie) won for Brendan Everard in 32.61 (20 slow) at 2/1 with 1.5k also to the winner here.

Curraheen Park in Cork held the semi-finals of the This Time Greyhound Nutrition A1 Cork Cup, two great semis with one one hundred of a second separating the two winners, Galloping Tulip won the first for Pat Creed in 28.57 by two lengths at 5/1 with Shonas Marshall the second for David Harrington in 28.56 by a neck also at 5/1.

In Limerick, in the semi-finals of the Talking Dogs A3 600 yard stake, Four Bullets was first across the line in the first for Gerald OConnell in 32.87 by one length at 6/1 with Beaming Becca winning the second for Corona Ryan in 32.80 by two lengths at 5/2.

In Mullingar, in the quarter-finals of the Kilbride Kennels A2 550 Midlands Derby, Beepers Grace set the bar here when stopping the clock for Ian Reilly in 30.53 (60 slow) by four lengths at 2/1. One Offaly winner on the night, in the first race on the card, an A9 grade, Horseleap Zoe won for Sean McGuinness in 30.52 (60 slow) by two lengths at 3/1.

The first big final of 2023 was in Shelbourne with the conclusion of the Paddy Kehoe Suspended Ceilings AAO Gold Cup. A bit of a surprise here as Bogger Hunter (Skywalker Farloe - Bottle Of Banter) won the 16k first prize at 9/1 in 28.52 by one length, again, for Ian Reilly. Rathdown Molly set the early pace for Marie and Skippy Gilbert with Bogger on her tail down back straight, the other four were never in contention as trouble at first bend, at the third bend he took the lead to hold on for a comfortable win. 6.5k went to Rathdown, in second with Stream Of Sydney getting 3.5k in third for Pat Buckley. The competition itself was a huge success and a special thanks going to Wexford native Paddy Kehoe for Sponsoring.

In the semi-finals of an AO stake earlier on the card, Capitan Garfio won the first for Kenneth Busteed in 28.69 by two lengths at 5/2 with McNeill the second for Paul Hennessy in 28.82 by one length at a huge price of 18/1 outsider.

Sunday Racing

Three Offaly winners at the matinee meeting in Mullingar, all for Clara owner P.J. Cleary. In an A7 race Lahinch Dolly won in 30.02 by three lengths at 9/4. In an A4 grade Lahinch Sandy stopped the clock in 29.51 by six lengths also at 9/4 and in the final race on the card Lahinch Jake was first back in kennels in 30.23 by two lengths at 7/4. All races in Mullingar were rated .50 slow.

Upcoming Events

Friday, final of A4 stake in Newbridge, final of Talking Dogs ON2 unraced in Shelbourne and semifinals of Greyhound and Petworld Juvenile Classic in Tralee. Saturday, final of the Cork Cup in Curraheen Park, final of the A3 600 in Limerick, final of the Paddy and Ciara Sharkey Bookmakers stake in Waterford, final of the AO stake in Shelbourne and Semifinals of the Midlands Derby in Mullingar. Some super action to look forward to this coming week.

Tribune Offaly dog of the Week.

So Its Rapid get the nod this week for Birr owner Paul Pardy for winning the final of an S1 sweepstake in Shelbourne on Friday in a super 18.89 by two lengths.

Offaly Winners

Six Offaly winners this week. Congratulations to everyone connected in any way.
IN SHORT: Kenyan preacher Ezekiel Odero has been impersonated on a number of Facebook pages, claiming to represent him and his church and asking for donations in return for prayers. But these are all scams and should be ignored.

The Facebook page New life church-Mombasa asks Kenyan social media users to reach out on WhatsApp for prayers. But when they reach out, it asks for money first.

The page uses the photos of Ezekiel Odero, a popular Kenyan preacher who runs the New Life Prayer Centre and Church, based in Kenya's southern coastal city of Mombasa.

One of the posts on the page, dated 26 February 2023, reads in Kiswahili: "Umaskini unaenda kuisha, Magonjwa yanaenda kupoona ,wachawi wako ambao wanahangaisha maisha yako wakufe wote, Watoto wako watafanikiwa, kazi unaenda kupokea, Muujiza mkubwa unaenda kutendeka katika maisha yako."

This translates as: "Poverty is going to end, diseases will get healed, all the witches bothering your life will die, your children will be successful, you are going to get a job and a great miracle is going to happen in your life."

It then asks those with a prayer request to send a message on WhatsApp to a certain cellphone number.

Similar posts on the page have attracted hundreds of likes and comments.

Since early 2023 Africa Check has uncovered multiple Facebook pages, impersonating Odero and his church and asking for money in return for prayers.

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But does this page really represent Odero's New Life Prayer Centre and Church? We checked.

Signs the Facebook page is fake

We searched online for the New Life Prayer Centre and Church and found its YouTube channel, New Life TV KENYA.

It had more than 423,000 subscribers at the time of writing. All the preacher's activities are posted on the channel.

The channel lists the church's official phone numbers and the number given in the Facebook page's posts is not among them.

We reached out to the number on WhatsApp and we were told to deposit KSh1,000 first to the number as an offering, before prayers could be given.

Legit Facebook page

The church's YouTube channel includes a link to the website newlifeprayercenterandchurch.org.

The website in turn links to the church's official Facebook page, which has more than 242,000 followers. The page transparency section shows it was created on 5 December 2020. The fake page was created on 11 November 2022 and has only 20,000 followers.

It is unlikely for the preacher to run two Facebook pages with different contact details.

To help protect yourself against online fraudsters, see Africa Check's guide to Facebook scams and how to spot them.
Peter Gregory Obi is a Nigerian businessman and politician who served as governor of Anambra from March to November 2006, February to May 2007, and June 2007 to March 2014. In May 2022, he became the Labour Party candidate for President of Nigeria in the 2023 presidential election, after defecting from the Peoples Democratic Party.
Thomas Edward Sizemore Jr. was an American actor. Born in Detroit, Michigan, his career started with small appearances in Born on the Fourth of July (1989), Lock Up (1989) and Blue Steel (1990). These appearances led to more prominent roles in films like Passenger 57 (1992), True Romance (1993), Striking Distance (1993), Natural Born Killers (1994), Strange Days (1995), Heat (1995) and The Relic (1997). After this he starred in Saving Private Ryan (1998), his most commercially successful film, and followed it up with appearances in Bringing Out the Dead (1999), Black Hawk Down (2001) and Pearl Harbor (2001). He received a Golden Globe nomination for his lead role in the television film Witness Protection (1999).
A Bundoora man allegedly threatened to start a bushfire in an attempt to extort millions of dollars, giving a fire service three days to transfer cryptocurrency.
A top general has warned Britains armed forces are at their most broken since the Cold War and need a 3bn boost to ramp..

City A.M. 19 Feb 2023
Denmark parliament has urged lawmakers and employees with the 179-member assembly to against having TikTok on phones as a cybersecurity measure. Denmark's parliamentary speaker said Tuesday that there is a risk of espionage. TikTok faces intensifying scrutiny from Europe and the U.S. over security and data privacy amid worries that the hugely popular app could be used to promote pro-Beijing views or sweep up users information. The assembly acted after an assessment from Denmarks Center for Cyber Security which had said there was a risk of espionage. The agency is part of Denmarks foreign intelligence service.
IN SHORT: The claim that pressing the "cancel" button on an ATM up to four times to prevent card fraud has resurfaced online. But it's still incorrect.

A Facebook post circulating in South Africa in January 2023 advises consumers to press the "cancel button 3 to 4 times before using any ATM in South Africa" to prevent card fraud.

A number of comments thanked the poster for the tip. The same claim has been published here, here and here, racking up hundreds of views.

In 2019, Africa Check looked into a similar claim shared in Kenya. Then Fidelis Muia, director of technical services at the Kenya Bankers Association, told us that the sole purpose of the cancel button on an automated teller machine (ATM) was to stop transactions in progress. He said it would not prevent anyone from "stealing your PIN".

Is the situation any different with ATMs in South Africa? We checked.

Common types of card fraud in South Africa

The South African Banking Risk Information Centre (Sabric) is a financial crime risk information centre set up by several of the country's banks to help consumers protect themselves from bank-related crimes.

According to Sabric, the most common types of ATM card fraud were:

Card swapping, where a victim's card was swapped out with another that looked just like theirs at an ATM. This often happened when fraudsters offered to assist victims with a transaction.

Card skimming, which involved fraudsters tampering with ATMs by placing card readers and cameras in and around the ATM in order to steal victims' pins and card details.

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Shoulder surfing, which happened when a fraudster stood close enough to see a victim insert their pin at an ATM. As a precaution, many banks encourage consumers to hide the ATM keypad from view when typing in their pin.

Cancel button on South Africa's ATMs do not stop card fraud

Nischal Mewalall, chief executive officer at Sabric, told Africa Check that the claim was false.

He'd seen the claim circulating via SMS and over WhatsApp for the past two years, he said.

The function of the ATM's cancel button was to stop a transaction before it was completed, so that your card was returned. Pressing it before a card was inserted into the machine therefore had no effect.

"The best way to prevent becoming a victim at an ATM is to refuse offers of assistance from anyone at the ATM, and to cover your hand when entering your PIN," Mewalall said.
President Joe Biden is aiming to use the leadup to the release of his proposed budget next week to sketch a dire picture of what could happen to U.S. health care if congressional Republicans have their way with federal spending. The Democratic president is traveling to Virginia Beach, Virginia, on Tuesday to discuss potential Republican efforts to cut spending on health care. It's part of a broader presidential push this week to draw a strong contrast between the Biden administrations priorities and those of Republicans. With Democrats controlling the Senate and Biden in the White House, there's virtually no chance of major Republican health care legislation being enacted.
Russian forces have intensified their attack around the Ukrainian town, Kyiv said. Meanwhile, the top US diplomat is visiting Central Asia in a bid to boost Washington's influence in the region. DW rounds up the latest.
Disney's self-governing district that it uses to run its Florida theme parks has been taken over by the state's governor, in an apparent punishment for its opposition to legislation about LGBTQ+ education.
Tom Sizemore's doctors informed the actor's family "there is no further hope" for his condition after he suffered a brain aneurysm earlier this month.


BBC Sport 28 Feb 2023

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Sky News 28 Feb 2023

Rishi Sunak's been in Northern Ireland where he is trying to convince politicians there to sign up to his new EU trade deal. Plus,..
The Northern Ireland secretary hails "an amazing achievement" after seven years which "cost me my mental health".
A court in the German city of Cologne has sentenced a man accused of almost 100 counts of child sexual abuse to 14 years in prison.
Sky News 28 Feb 2023

Doctors have said there "is no further hope" for actor Tom Sizemore, and recommended his family make an end-of-life-decision, his..
On the 23rd February 2023, The United Republic of Tanzania became the first country to sign the Intergovernmental Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) Amongst the Southern African Development Community Member States for the Establishment of a SADC Humanitarian and Emergency Operations Centre (SHOC). The objective of the SHOC is to coordinate humanitarian and emergency support to Member States affected by disasters within the Region, thereby contributing to disaster risk reduction and resilience building. The SHOC will be established as an autonomous, self-accounting organization of SADC, and the purpose of the MoA is to establish SHOC and provide a legal basis for its operationalization.

Speaking during the signing ceremony, held in Dodoma, Tanzania, Hon. George Simbachawene, Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office: Policy, Parliamentary Affairs, Labour, Employment, Youth and the Disabled said that SADC Member States cooperate on Disaster Risk Management (DRM) through the Committee of Ministers responsible for Disaster Risk Management.

He added that some of the actions taken to strengthen cooperation in DRM include the establishment of a Regional Humanitarian and Emergency Operations Centre located in Nacala, in the Nampula Province of Mozambique. The Center was launched by His Excellency Filipe Jacinto Nyusi, President of the Republic of Mozambique on June 21, 2021. "The Government of the United Republic of Tanzania has continued to manage and coordinate the implementation of disaster management activities in line with the objectives of the SHOC", he said. The Hon. Minister expressed his country's expectation that the Centre will deepen cooperation among SADC Member States, strengthen the region capacity to address disasters, improve security of people and properties in the region and establish closer relations among the people of the region.

He continued to say that the Centre is being established through an Agreement that has been approved by the necessary SADC Structures including the Committee of Ministers responsible for Disaster Risk Management in April, 2022 Lilongwe, Malawi; the SADC Council of Ministers during its regular meeting held in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo in August, 2022 and the Summit of the SADC Heads of State in August 2022. Addressing the occasion, Dr. Phineas Leonard Matto Legal Counsel at the SADC Secretariat, who represented the Executive Secretary of SADC Amb.

Elias Mpedi Magosi, appreciated the contribution that Tanzania has made towards combating and addressing the effects of disasters in the region. He specifically pointed to the contribution made towards the development, validation and adoption of the MoA. He expressed his hope that other Member States will follow suit and sign the Memorandum of Agreement for it to enter into force to pay way for the fully operationalisation of the Centre.

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The Centre will become fully operational in line with the provisions of the Intergovernmental Memorandum of Agreement once 11 or more of the 16 SADC Member States have signed. The occasion was also attended by Dr. John Jingu, the Permanent Secretary Prime Minister's Office Policy, Parliament Affairs and Coordination, Major General Charles Mang'era Mbuge, Director of Disaster Management Department, other Senior Government officials and members of the Media.

Given the rapidly changing disaster landscape in the SADC region, now characterized by more frequent disaster events with intensified severity of impacts, the SADC Council of Ministers during their meeting held in March 2022 approved the interim activities towards the operationalization of the SHOC while the SADC Secretariat is facilitating the signing of the MOA.
BBC News 28 Feb 2023

But Jens Stoltenberg says it first needs to fight off the assault from Russia and remain independent.
Ignitis launches public appeal to more than 50 energy groups in the US and Europe to follow suit
The British prime minister rushed to Northern Ireland a day after his EU agreement to tout the country as "the world's most exciting economic zone." But he needs to convince the unionist DUP to back the agreement.
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A senior commander in the Israeli military has described the violence by Israeli settlers in the Palestinian town of Hawara on Sunday night as "a pogrom".
At a meeting of foreign ministers, Germany's Annalena Baerbock urged Israel to abandon a plan to start executing terrorists. Her Israeli counterpart, meanwhile, warned that Iran now poses a threat to Europe.
DeSantis dealt another blow to Walt Disney World's ability to operate with autonomy by signing a bill on Monday to end the park's special tax status. Critics say the move looks like retaliation.
China says it will soon begin training foreign astronauts for trips to its newly completed orbiting space station. In an interview with state broadcaster CCTV, program official Chen Shanguang said multiple countries have asked for rides to the Tiangong station. China completed the Tiangong station in November with the addition of the third of three modules, centered on the Tianhe living and command module. China built its own station after it was excluded from the International Space Station, largely due to U.S. objections over the Chinese space programs intimate ties to the Peoples Liberation Army, the military wing of the ruling Communist Party.
Rumble 03 Mar 2023

Julie, in light of the Eurasian eagle owl Flaco escaping from the Central Park Zoo, talks about the magnificence of these animals...
The threat of China invading Taiwan, long considered a highly improbable event, has moved to the centre of global money managers' risk radars and is factoring in their investment decisions, analysts say. Fund managers say they are fielding more queries from clients about the odds of an invasion of



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Lasanod (Smn)  Fighting re-erupted on Tuesday morning in eastern Las Anod between Somaliland troops and SSC tribal militia, which has been making incredible gains for the past few days.

The conflict entered its 23rd day in a row with hospitals coping with a high number of wounds as the death toll passed more than 100, including women and children caught in the fire.

Tuesday's fighting is reported to be going on between Las Anod and Tukaraq, where the SSC fighters are trying to push the Somaliland forces from their remaining bases.

Residents told Radio Shabelle that both sides trade heavy and small weapons that could be heard beyond the war zones. Thousands of people fled from their houses in Las Anod city.

The number of casualties from Today's battle remained unclear due to the lack of communication in the remote area, where the phone network was not available at the time.

A leading SSC elder called Suldan Sa'id accused Somaliland of seeking a solution to the conflict at gunpoint and that he said will not work accordingly.

He called for respecting the people's voices for self-determination and the establishment of their own Federal State free from Somaliland rule. This demand is the root cause of the conflict.

Las Anod, which lies on the Somaliland-Puntland border faces its worst situation since last month due to the battle for control between the local community fighters and the breakaway region.

As many as 600 people were wounded in the war, including some in critical condition with hospitals reporting a shortage of medicine and beds to admit the victims of the conflict.
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Bakhmut has seen some of the bloodiest fighting since the Russia-Ukraine war began over a year ago.
Germany on Tuesday warned Israel it would be a "big mistake" to introduce the death penalty for those guilty of killing Israeli citizens, after a ministerial committee backed the proposal.
India wants to steer talks away from Russia, with which it's maintained ties despite the Ukraine invasion. Russia's top diplomat walked out of a previous G-20 summit over criticism of the war.
Canada, a rich and underpopulated country with huge land space and considerable mineral deposits, has adopted a liberal migrant policy for the last several years. It is debatable whether such approach is influenced by the fact that Canada is under populated or its commitment to welcome the migrants and refugees as a humane...
Reacting to the former president's claims, Dele Alake said Mr Obasanjo is not an uninterested party in the election.

The Presidential Campaign Council of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has described the claim by former President Olusegun Obasanjo, alleging fraud in last Saturday's presidential election in the country as an attempt to provoke a military takeover of Nigeria.

The former president on Monday alleged that the results of the election have been doctored. He also called for President Muhammadu Buhari's intervention.

Reacting to the former president's claims, a spokesperson of the campaign council, Dele Alake, said Mr Obasanjo is not an uninterested party in the election.

He also dismissed the ex-president's claims, saying he has no evidence.

He said, "Our attention has been drawn to a press statement by former President Olusegun Obasanjo in which he was virtually calling for a truncation of the ongoing electoral process and a cancellation of already conducted elections on the basis of frivolous, unfounded and baseless allegations by politicians who are sore losers and have no respect for democratic values.

"No true democrat must seek an abortion of the process just because he believes the elections are not going his way. What Obasanjo is subtly calling for in his nefarious statement is a coup against democracy and the constitution.

"Obasanjo repeated without the slightest iota of evidence rumours he had picked up that the Bimodal Voters Accreditation System had been compromised and that the results of elections being announced are fraudulent.

"It is tragic that a former President who ought to be a statesman in comportment and speech will recklessly seek to endanger and derail our democratic process for utterly selfish, egoistic and malicious reasons. He offers not a single credible piece of evidence to prove his laughable and ridiculous allegations against INEC and the credibility of the ongoing process.

"Of course, we are all aware that Obasanjo is not an impartial and disinterested party as far as this election is concerned. On January 1, 2023, he had issued a characteristically lengthy epistle to Nigerians endorsing the candidacy of Mr Peter Obi and asking Nigerian youths to vote en masse for him. Of course our reaction was that the former President was entitled to his view and that the outcome of the elections would demonstrate if he had any electoral value. As fate would have it, Peter Obi was defeated even in Obasanjo's own polling unit in Abeokuta in Ogun State. But it is now obvious that the only election Obasanjo will agree to being free, fair and credible is one that produces Obi as winner which is ridiculous."

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Mr Alake also praised President Muhammadu Buhari for upholding democratic principles, appealing to him not to allow Mr Obasanjo to lure him into, "tainting his democratic credentials in this regard. We recall that on his last trip to the United States, President Joe Biden praised Buhari's commitment to democratic values and principles. Obasanjo has no such record to be applauded. The world has not forgotten his fraudulent and undemocratic attempt at a third term agenda in violation of the letter and spirit of the Nigerian constitution." Mr Alake said

He, however, appealed to Nigerians to reject Mr Obasanjo's claims and advice on the election.

"The constitution has stipulated processes for seeking redress against electoral malpractices in the past and these have been tested several times and used to redress electoral injustice where such has been proven. Nigerians must reject Obasanjo's dubious and hypocritical advice and stay strictly and firmly on the path of constitutionalism and democratic due process."
New York, US (PANA) - Twelve years after its revolution, political tensions in Libya remain high, and its leaders face a major legitimacy crisis amid widespread public frustration, the UNs senior official in the country told the Security Council on Monday, announcing plans to create a new mechanism in support of crucial elections
The INEC Returning Officer for the constituency, Adaku Ezeibe, announced the result on Monday.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared the candidate of the Labour Party (LP) for Igbo-Etiti-Uzo-Uwani Federal Constituency, Chijioke Nwodo, winner of the 25 February national assembly election in the constituency.

The INEC Returning Officer for the constituency, Adaku Ezeibe, announced the result on Monday.

Mr Nwodo polled a total of 14,089 votes to defeat his closest challenger, Martins Okeh of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who scored 12,633 votes to clinch the second position.

The candidate of the All Progressives Congress in the election, Sam Ekwueme, came third with 10,016 votes.

"Nwodo Stainless Chijioke of Labour Party, having satisfied the requirements of the law, is hereby declared the winner and is returned elected," Mrs Ezeibe, a professor, declared.

A total of nine candidates contested the election, the returning officer said.

INEC has also declared the candidate of the Labour Party (LP) for Enugu North and Enugu South Federal Constituency, Sam Atu, winner of the election in the constituency.

Evelyn Ezepue, the returning officer for the constituency, made the declaration on Monday.

Mr Atu, 40, polled a total of 65,247 votes to defeat his closest rival, Nonso Nnamani of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, who scored 9,215 votes to come second.

Offor Chukwuegbo of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) came third with 7,617 votes.

Mr Chukwuegbo, 52, is the incumbent lawmaker representing the constituency at the Green Chamber.

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Mrs Ezepue, the returning officer for the constituency, said the LP candidate was declared the winner in the election because he scored the highest number of votes cast and, therefore, satisfied the requirements of the law to be returned elected.

A total of 10 candidates contested the election, according to the returning officer.

This is the fourth House of Representatives seat that the LP would win in Enugu State which is considered a PDP state as it had also ways been governed by the party.

There are a total of eight federal constituencies in the state.

PREMIUM TIMES reported that the LP won the House of Representatives seats for Nsukka-Igbo-Eze South and Enugu East-Isi-Uzo Federal Constituencies in the state.

This newspaper also reported that the state governor and candidate of the PDP for Enugu North District, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, also lost his bid to represent the district in the Senate.

Mr Ugwuanyi was defeated by the LP candidate for the district.

The victories being recorded by the LP across the state have been linked to the "effect" of Peter Obi, the LP presidential candidate, who has been enjoying growing support across the South-east and some parts of South-south Nigeria.
Geneva, Switzerland (PANA) - Lifesaving aid is needed urgently to help millions of people enduring one of the longest and most severe droughts on record in the Horn of Africa, the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, said on Tuesday, as the region enters its sixth consecutive rainy season with no rain
Photo: (Photo : Getty Images/Amy Sussman)

The TV personality opens up about her breastfeeding journey, revealing that she struggled with her baby's tongue, cheek, and lip ties.

Heather Rae El Moussa took to Instagram and told her followers she has been in "mama hibernation mode" for the past weeks. She also grabbed the opportunity to share her breastfeeding journey, which has not been smooth and easy.

In the caption of a photo of her carrying her baby while relaxing on the sofa of their veranda, she admitted that baby Tristan had "tongue tie, cheek tie, lip tie, and jaundice," but these were caught early on by her lactation specialists from Tongue Tie Tribe, whom she called the baby fairies.

She had always thought breastfeeding would be as easy as "popping" the baby on her boobs, and the latter would immediately latch and feed. However, that was not the case. Tristan struggled to latch and suck, which resulted in his weight dropping because he could not eat well. This also resulted in "tearful nights" as she was awake until three in the morning trying to feed the baby but would feel defeated for not being able to.

She shared that they were two weeks past the struggle, and Tristan could already latch so well on her left boob. They also utilize non-traditional positions so he can do the same on the right side.

The former model encouraged parents to have lactation specialists when choosing to breastfeed, as they will significantly help.

Oral ties or tethering

The People magazine reached out to one of Moussa's lactation specialists Danielle Gauss to explain in simpler terms what it means when a baby has tongue, cheek, and lip ties.

The international board-certified lactation consultant called these ties oral ties or oral tethering. She told the news outlet that lactation specialists could reveal much about a baby's birth story and anatomy simply from the baby's suck. This is what happened when she saw Tristan.

She explained that when the baby is tied, the frenulum, which is the "stringy part" under one's tongue and a "collagenous fiber" that connects from tongue to toe, is attached to the wrong area of both tongue and lip, resulting in difficulties in breastfeeding. It is a genetic disorder that can result in any midline defect and can be painful for both mom and baby.

"When it's tethered, the upper lip, everyone has a connective tissue there, is curled into the palate. And with the tongue, it's connected to almost the tip of the tongue. You can have an anterior tie, which is the visible string that's connected in the wrong area, or in some cases, it's posterior where it's inverted into the tongue, which makes it very difficult and painful for the baby to be able to latch to a breast or a bottle," she stated.

Gauss further explained the difference between the two ties. Anterior tie happens when the tongue is almost like in the shape of a heart, and the baby, or even adult, would not be able to stick their tongue out past the gumline. The posterior tie, which is less visible than the anterior as it can only be felt, happens when the tongue is tied or tethered to the floor of the mouth, restricting the tongue from lifting and curling.

When oral ties or tethering happens, it causes gas, colic, and calorie burn due to the head having "12 cranial nerves, 40 muscles and seven bony plates responsible for just one suck." The baby's mouth will not be able to create a seal if anything is tethered in the area, and this causes issues for both mother and baby.

Read More: Model and New Mom Hunter McGrady Opens Up About Challenges of Breastfeeding

Breastfeeding should never hurt

When asked what mothers should know about breastfeeding, the co-founder of Tongue Tie Tribute, the California-based CO2 laser frenectomy center for infants and adults, encourages them to "trust their instincts," especially in noticing if something is off when they are breastfeeding.

Breastfeeding is not supposed to hurt, she stressed. It should never hurt, and when it does, seven out of ten times, the issue is with the anatomy of the baby's mouth. Sometimes, it can be a positioning thing or the mom having lipstick-shaped nipples or the baby having sucking blisters, yet all these are visible and can be pinpointed by the mother.

Moussa expressed that despite her and her baby's challenges in their breastfeeding journey, which she knows is only starting, she still loves breastfeeding Tristan "genuinely." She believes that the bonding experience and the skin-to-skin connection are beautiful.

The 34-year-old Selling Sunset star also reminded mothers not to forget about their nutrition and hydration, knowing that the focus can be less given to themselves when breastfeeding and pumping non-stop. She encouraged moms out there to take care of themselves because the babies will benefit more if they can in the long run. Drink lots of water and special drinks like coconut water and get on a meal plan if possible, Moussa suggested.

Related Article: 35 Things New Moms Should Know About Breastfeeding
Photo: (Photo : Pexel/ Anete Lusina)

Two siblings in Utah barricaded themselves in a bedroom at their mom's home and have been doing a livestream on social media for almost a month after the court ordered them back under the custody of their father, who they accuse of sexual abuse.

Fifteen-year-old Ty Larson and 12-year-old Brynlee defy court order as they lock themselves inside their bedroom while Ty livestreams on TikTok to call for help and attention from the proper authorities and people about their case.

Judge Derek P. Pullan decided that the two teens were victims of "parental alienation," a case that strongly influences family courts even if mainstream scientific groups reject it. More than that, the judge gave the police the authority to use "reasonable force" to take the kids away from their mother and place them under the custody of their father, Brent Joel Larson, despite Utah's Division of Child and Family Services stating that he had "severely and chronically" abused his kids both sexually and emotionally.

"My own word does not matter, and they don't believe my truth. The court system isn't trying to save us, nobody's trying to keep us safe. I am the one that's going to have to choose my own safety," Ty expressed in a TikTok video he posted last month, which received over 370,000 views.

Father has numerous criminal charges, then and now

The authorities already visited the sibling's home last December in an attempt to remove the teens. However, according to police reports, they did not break down the bedroom door despite the father's request.

They opted to seek clarification from the court first before carrying out the order given the "potentially combustible situation," ProPublica reported.

Utah's Division of Child and Family Services found that the siblings had experienced "severe and chronic" sexual and emotional abuse from their father. This resulted in Brent Joel's restricted parenting time of supervised visits every month and a 150-day restraining order prohibiting him from having any other contact with his children.

This month, the Salt Lake County District Attorney's office revealed that Brent Joel has an ongoing criminal investigation with new allegations against him. There was also a reported previous criminal investigation in February 2021, which prosecutors concluded lacked enough evidence for a probable conviction.

Further, both Herriman and Lone Peak police departments stated that they are investigating the man for child abuse.

Ron Wilkinson, Brent Joel's lawyer, denied the 2018 findings, stressing that his client did not abuse his kids. As to the new allegations, the lawyer emphasized that there have been similar, repeated false claims for years, and the stories continue to change and expand.

On the other hand, Brent Joel accused the sibling's mother, Jessica Zhart, of parental alienation, which he said sabotaged his relationship with his children. His lawyer also accused Zhart of maltreating her children, which he said is "heartbreaking."

Zhart responded that she had not done anything but support her children in having a healthy relationship with her ex-partner since their split in 2012.

Read More: Is Parental Alienation Syndrome Seen In Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt's Children Amid Couple's Heated Divorce And Custody Battle?

Parental alienation

Parental alienation is a disputed psychological theory where one parent is accused of brainwashing children to turn them against their other parent.

Mainstream scientific groups like the American Psychiatric Association and the World Health Organization have already rejected this theory, questioning the legitimacy of the diagnosis.

The National Center for Juvenile Justice dismissed it because it failed to meet the court's evidentiary standards.

Nonetheless, these dismissals have not stopped some courts in the country from recognizing it and mandating treatments to reverse it.

Pullan concluded in his order last January that Zhart's "campaign" was one of parental alienation and the reason for the sibling's "abuse narrative." Thus, he ordered the children to go through a "reunification therapy" to address the alleged harm. He further called the switching of custody from mother to father, emphasizing that it is the "only way to recover the children from this psychological battlefield."

Ty, however, stressed that their mother is not brainwashing them. He pointed out that their mother doing so is a fake narrative.

The court order also stated that when the kids are back in their father's custody, the judge still prohibits him from having unsupervised parenting time or spending nights with them. He ordered Ty and Brynlee to be separately housed pending further court orders.

Last week, more or less 50 individuals gathered at the Utah Capitol to protest against how the court has handled the sibling's case. This included advocates for family court reform. The Utah Attorney General's office reported receiving complaints against the court order and requests for intervention. These came from people who have watched Ty's viral videos on social media.

Related Article: Shared Parenting Laws: A Solution To End 'Parental Alienation'?
Photo: (Photo : RAMI AL SAYED / Getty Images)

Child labor is now the focus of the labor department as it implements new measures to combat exploitation in U.S. companies.

As per the Department of Labor, there was a significant surge in the number of children working violating federal law at U.S. companies last year, with more than 3,800 cases reported.

This marks a considerable increase over the past five years.

These new measures taken into action by the administration come after they found evidence that gruesome child labor continues.

New measures to crack down on child labor in the U.S.

As reported by NBC, the White House has unveiled a new set of initiatives to investigate child labor violations among employers and to provide better support for migrant children who are released to sponsors in the United States.

This includes the launch of an interagency task force between the Department of Labor and the Department of Health and Human Services responsible for child migrants, which will aid in cracking down on the rise of illegal exploitation of migrant children for labor in the U.S.

The Labor Department reported a 69 percent increase in the number of children employed violating labor laws since 2018.

Furthermore, the department found 835 companies illegally employing minors last year, and over 600 child labor investigations remain ongoing.

This problem has worsened as increasing numbers of children have arrived in the U.S. alone, fleeing violence and poverty in Latin America.

As part of the new measures, the government will enhance the tracking of minors who enter the country alone.

According to The New York Times, major U.S. companies, including Ben & Jerry's, Whole Foods, Walmart, Target, Fruit of the Loom, General Motors, Ford, and J.Crew, have products made with child labor in their supply chains.

The Labor Department has also threatened to halt the shipment of products made with child labor, using the "hot goods" legal provision that allows them to stop the interstate transport of goods when child labor has been found in the supply chain.

In one instance, children were found working late nights at plants operated by Hearthside Food Solutions in Grand Rapids, Mich., which makes and packages food for other companies, including Quaker Oats, Frito-Lay, and General Mills.

Read Also: Missing Toddler Found Alive in Florida Woods After 24 Hours, Family Rejoices

Child labor in the U.S. from previous years

According to the Associated Press, the growing issue has placed Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra under scrutiny as concerns have increased over migrant children being discharged too quickly from shelters and federal custody.

This pushes them into vulnerable situations, making them more likely to become victims of child labor.

The administration has faced difficulties in responding to the surge of migrants, including children traveling alone, at the U.S. border since President Biden's inauguration.

In the fiscal year ending in September 2021, authorities stopped 2.38 million migrants, a 37 percent increase from the previous year's 1.73 million.

The Department of Labor and the Department of Health and Human Services also promise stronger follow-up for children who are moved from shelters to live with sponsors in the U.S.

The agency will aid migrant children in registering for school and will now require staff to follow up with children who contact the Office of Refugee Resettlement National Call Center to report safety concerns.

Related Article: US Ends Extra SNAP Benefits; Low-Income Families to Receive Lower Grocery Discounts
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According to a new report this morning, Apple's Chinese suppliers are likely to move capacity out of the country far faster than many observers anticipate to pre-empt fallout from escalating Beijing-Washington tensions, according to one of the US companys most important partners.

AirPods maker GoerTek Inc. is one of the many manufacturers exploring locations beyond its native China, which today cranks out the bulk of the worlds gadgets from iPhones to PlayStations. Its investing an initial $280 million in a new Vietnam plant while considering an India expansion, Deputy Chairman Kazuyoshi Yoshinaga said in an interview. US tech companies in particular have been pushing hard for manufacturers like GoerTek to explore alternative locations, said the executive, who oversees GoerTeks Vietnamese operations from northern Bac Ninh province.

Starting from last month, so many people from the client side are visiting us almost every day, Yoshinaga said from his offices at GoerTeks sprawling industrial complex north of Hanoi. The topic that dominates discussions: When can you move out?

The expanding conflict between the US and China, which began with a trade war but has since expanded to encompass sweeping bans on the exchange of chips and capital, is spurring a rethink of the electronics industrys decades-old supply chain. The worlds reliance on the Asian nation became starkly clear during the Covid Zero years, when Beijings restrictions choked off the supply of everything from phones to cars.

Apples suppliers rarely comment on its thinking, in part because of the US companys famous insistence on secrecy across its global supply chain.

The iPhone maker has kept mum on whether it plans to diversify out of China, which would entail revamping a model Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook pioneered under Steve Jobs. The US giant has been careful to avoid suggestions it might reduce its investment in China, where its built an ecosystem centered on companies such as GoerTek and Foxconn Technology Group, which collectively employ millions.

Yet behind the scenes, 9 out of 10 of Apples most important suppliers may be preparing large-scale moves to countries like India, which is dangling incentives to drive Narendra Modis Make in India initiative.

Bloomberg Intelligence estimates it could take eight years to move just 10% of Apples capacity outside of China. Yet GoerTek executive argues itll be far quicker.

Most Chinese tech manufacturers are experiencing the same pressure. I would say currently 90% of them, theyre looking at that, he added. Its the brand companies decisions.

For now, Vietnam remains an attractive location. Apple may be looking to make the country a manufacturing hub for AirPods, iPads and MacBooks. AirPods orders are dominated by GoerTek and fellow Chinese firm Luxshare Precision Industry Co., which too has a complex in north Vietnam.

Many US companies are planning to shift production there, regardless of cost, Yoshinaga said. Others like Jabil Inc. are considering India. But overall, the flow is consistently going to be outward from China, he said. For more on this, read the full Bloomberg report.

With the tension between the U.S. and China over Taiwan escalating, any attack on Taiwan would disrupt trade worldwide overnight sending U.S. companies into a panic. How could this not put pressure on Chinese companies to create new manufacturing hubs outside of China. In addition, some in the U.S. Republican party are developing a part of their platform to heavily tax China and products made in China that will escalate tensions between the two countries even further. This would would put more pressure on U.S. companies to further push their suppliers to create and expedite the creation of new production hubs outside of China. GoerTek's CEO's point of view should be taken very seriously.
In early January, Ming-Chi Kuo Tweeted that "Qualcomm is the biggest winner of Apples cancelation of 2024 iPhone SE 4." In a follow up research note, Ming-Chi Kuo is revising his position. In a series of new tweets today, Kuo states that "Apple has restarted the iPhone SE 4 and will adopt an in-house 5G baseband chip. The significant decline in Qualcomm's Apple orders in the foreseeable future is a foregone conclusion.

Kuo's Latest Research is Presented in the Following Six Points

The latest survey indicates that Apple has recently restarted the iPhone SE 4, which will feature an OLED display instead of an LCD, as the biggest change. Overall, the SE 4 is a minor modification of the 6.1-inch iPhone 14.

The new iPhone SE 4 will equip with Apple's 5G baseband chip produced by a 4nm process (similar to 5nm) and will only support Sub-6GHz as the current plan.

It's still being determined whether the iPhone 16 series will use Apple's 5G baseband chip. The main challenge lies in whether Apple can overcome the technical obstacles related to mmWave and satellite communications.

Nevertheless, once the SE 4 starts using Apple's 5G baseband chip, it's a foregone conclusion that Qualcomm's Apple orders will decline significantly in the foreseeable future.

Assuming the mass production of the SE 4 goes smoothly in 1H24, the iPad and Apple Watch, which have lower technical requirements, will soon abandon Qualcomm's baseband chips, too.
Qualcomm announced the branding of the next-generation of processors that derived from their acquisition of NUVIA back in November 2022 as "Oryon." The expectation of the arrival of the new chips continuatly slides. The new chips that are expected to challenge Apple's processors for iDevices and Macs was expected to enter the market in Q4 2023. We're now learning that its introduction will now slide in 2024.

Windows PCs that compete with Apple M2-powered Macs? Here's Qualcomm's @cristianoamon at my #MWC2023 @WSJ Tech Things event talking about how the company's next chip for PCs is going to compete with Apple. Only problem? It's not shipping in products until early 2024. pic.twitter.com/84g6HZ0jtb  Joanna Stern (@JoannaStern) February 27, 2023

Qualcomm's CEO Cristiano Amon told Joanna Stern that their new chip should be considered an "Apple-Compete" for the Microsoft ecosystem. Although Qualcomm announce the branding "Oryon" in November, Amon told Stern that they haven't announced the branding for this chip. It's expected to be revealed at an event in the September-October timeline.

Announcements of products powered by the new processor are to be announced at CES 2024.

Obviously Qualcomm will be introducing two new processors over the next year with one for mobile and the other for PCs.
In late April 2021, Patently Apple posted a report titled "In a 'Statement of Objections' The EU Commission warns Apple that it's App Store is abusing its dominant position. The reported noted that "The European Commission has informed Apple of its preliminary view that it distorted competition in the music streaming market as it abused its dominant position for the distribution of music streaming apps through its App Store."

Today, the EU Antitrust Commission issued a revised Statement of Objections to Apple over App Store rules for music streaming providers. The "preliminary view" that Apple was abusing its dominant market position has been dropped in the new "Statement of Objections" which is a big win for Apple, making it more difficult for other Antitrust bodies around the globe to use this charge against Apple.

The revised Statement of Objection "focuses on the contractual restrictions that Apple imposed on app developers which prevent them from informing iPhone and iPad users of alternative music subscription options at lower prices outside of the app and to effectively choose those.

The Commission takes the preliminary view that Apple's anti-steering obligations are unfair trading conditions in breach of Article 102 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU').

In particular, the Commission is concerned that the anti-steering obligations imposed by Apple on music streaming app developers prevent those developers from informing consumers about where and how to subscribe to streaming services at lower prices. These anti-steering obligations: (i) are neither necessary nor proportionate for the provision of the App Store on iPhones and iPads; (ii) are detrimental to users of music streaming services on Apple's mobile devices who may end up paying more; and (iii) negatively affect the interests of music streaming app developers by limiting effective consumer choice." For more details, review the full EU Antitrust press release.

An Apple spokesperson sent out a statement that the company would continue to promote competition and work with the Commission to respond to their concerns.

The statement read: "Were pleased that the Commission has narrowed its case and is no longer challenging Apples right to collect a commission for digital goods and require the use of the In-App Payment systems users trust. The App Store has helped Spotify become the top music streaming service across Europe and we hope the European Commission will end its pursuit of a complaint that has no merit."

The company said it has always worked to promote competition, and that it will continue to promote choice for European consumers.
Ugandan president, Yoweri Museveni arrived in Pretoria, South Africa for a State visit at the invitation of South African president, Cyril Ramaphosa.

Pretoria, South Africa  President Cyril Ramaphosa is set to host his Ugandan counterpart Yoweri Museveni for a state visit at the Union Buildings in Pretoria from 11am today.

"The Republic of Uganda is South Africa's 15th-largest trading partner on the continent and the second-largest in East Africa," said presidency spokesperson Vincent Magwenya.

Magwenya said the visit was aimed atconsolidating bilateral relations between the two countries.

Discussions between the two heads of state are expected to include political, economic, regional, continental and international issues, Sunday Times of South Africa quoted Magwenya as stating.

"Between 2017 and 2021, total trade between the two countries reached a peak of R3bn , which the two countries agree is well below potential. South Africa's exports to the Republic of Uganda increased from R2.18bn in 2017 to R3.12bn in 2018.

"The value of South Africa's imports from Uganda increased from R127m in 2017 to R323m in 2020," he said.

Museveni, accompanied by several cabinet ministers and a business delegation, will thereafter participate in a Uganda-South Africa Trade Investment and Tourism summit.

Organised jointly by the Government of Uganda and the Republic of South Africa, under the theme "Boosting Trade and Investment Relations Between South Africa and Uganda", the summit will provide a platform for the business community and government agencies to identify existing and emerging business and investment opportunities of mutual benefit.

Over 300 delegates comprising business leaders, government agencies and investors from the two countries will be in attendance. They will explore opportunities in sectors of agriculture, tourism, oil and gas, healthcare and transport and logistics and more.

The purpose is to bring buyers and sellers from both countries along with investors in the value chain of the key export products from Uganda, together.

Uganda has a target of US$6bn in non-oil exports between 2023 and 2028 to stave off growing unemployment, restore sustained growth in key sectors of the economy post covid19 and increase value addition in agriculture along with more manufacturing in country.

Uganda is focused on increasing exports of beef, dairy, coffee, sugar, cement, steel products, poultry, bananas and banana flour, fruits and vegetables and tourism. South Africa consumes Uganda's coffee, vanilla, chocolate and other products.

The trade summit will begin with the plenary session followed by a panel discussion by technical experts on the bottlenecks and mechanisms for unlocking trade and investment potential between Uganda and South Africa.

Roundtable meetings with industry experts will follow, focusing on the opportunities of mutual benefit in the Energy, Oil and Gas sectors, boosting African trade in value-added products and unlocking mutually beneficial business opportunities in infrastructure.

Today, the business community will be provided with a networking platform to identify potential projects and partners for investment and collaboration. This session will be graced by president Museveni and Ramaphosa of Uganda and South Africa respectively.

The Uganda Private sector Delegation to South Africa was this evening hosted to a Meet and Greet Cocktail at the Gallagher convention centre ahead of a Two day business summit which will be addressed by HE @KagutaMuseveni and his South African counterpart HE @CyrilRamaphosa pic.twitter.com/EEiHckgeDC

-- Office of the Presidential Advisor- Special Duties (@SpecialDuties_) February 26, 2023

Robert Mukiza, the Director General at the Uganda Investment Authority said, "Uganda enjoys excellent bilateral relations with South Africa, and this is premised on the long-standing bond between our two countries long before South Africa gained independence. The summit is one way we leverage the existing cordial relations to showcase and identify potential areas for collaboration so that we scale up trade between our two countries."

The Chairman, Presidential Advisory Committee on Exports and Industrial Development, Odrek Rwabwogo emphasized Uganda's need to grow export revenue especially in Africa. He requested Uganda business community traveling to South Africa to conclude deals and attract investors in order to achieve the growth in export revenue by US$6bn over the next five years.

He said, "Markets only make sense if the firms have a deep working relationship and knowledge of what to sell and how. Each of us must carry sample products, brochures, have books of accounts of the last five years, be honest with our strength and weaknesses and know how to communicate to our brothers in South Africa and this should be for every market. We go to avoid talk shops and go for deals and equity investors in our firms."

Enid Edroma, the General Manager, Corporate Affairs at MTN Uganda - whose parent company is based in South Africa urged the government to harmonise its policies, especially in the telecom sector, with the country's aspiration for digitalisation.

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She said the government needs to forfeit taxes on smartphones like it is in Rwanda to drive the prices of smartphones downwards and thus stir their uptake leading to a reduction in operational costs and so the cost of internet.

South Africa is one of Uganda's fastest-growing sources of Foreign Direct Investment and is leading in telecommunication, banking, energy and many others. Uganda, on the other hand exports pharmaceuticals products, coffee, vanilla, flowers and vegetables.

The South Africa - Uganda, Trade investment and Tourism summit is part of the government's intentional initiatives to increase its export quota in the regional and international markets.

The summit was coordinated in Uganda by the Presidential Advisory Committee on Exports and Industrial Development, Private Sector Foundation Uganda, and Government agencies in partnership with MTN Uganda, Stanbic Bank, UNDP and Uganda Airlines.

Uganda exports to South Africa totalled to US$11million while imports were US$220.87million during 2020 according to the United Nations COMTRADE database on international trade.
A Zen Meditation on Christian Communion

James Ishmael Ford

As anyone interested in Christian origins no doubt knows, the informed assumption of the academic community is that between Jesus death and the writing of the gospels there appear to have been two traditions passed on, orally for sure, possibly in writing as well.

One was a collection of Jesus sayings. The fabulous and never found Q document. This is one of the reasons people got so excited when the Nag Hammadi library was uncovered, and they finally had a complete gospel according to Thomas. As it is simply a list of sayings, many very interesting, and some not in the canonical gospels, some thought maybe this was Q. Most agree it is not. Instead a later composition, although nearly all agree there is a core to it that is truly ancient, and maybe authentically an alternative source. But not Q.

What people sometimes miss in the drive to capture the sayings of the good rabbi is that there almost certainly was another collection. Again passed on orally, but possibly in writing as well. And these were accounts of the miracles attributed to Jesus. These were important as part of the proof that Jesus had some sort of divine sanction.

What that divine sanction was would be argued, and heatedly. The arguments continue, although one thread, the group that would coalesce as Nicene Christianity, would become normative.

But for now, the miracles. What captures me is that the four canonical gospels recount miracles. However, a single miracle is recounted in all four of the gospels. Just one recorded by them all. We find it in Matthew 14, Mark 6, Luke 9, and John 6.

In Mark 6: 30-44 which is probably the most primitive of the tellings, with the fewest embellishments we hear:

The apostles returned to Jesus, and told him all that they had done and taught. And he said to them, Come away by yourselves to a lonely place, and rest a while. For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. And they went away in the boat to a lonely place by themselves. Now many saw them going, and knew them, and they ran there on foot from all the towns, and got there ahead of them. As he went ashore he saw a great throng, and he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things. And when it grew late, his disciples came to him and said, This is a lonely place, and the hour is now late; send them away, to go into the country and villages round about and buy themselves something to eat. But he answered them, You give them something to eat. And they said to him, Shall we go and buy two hundred denarii worth of bread, and give it to them to eat? And he said to them, How many loaves have you? Go and see. And when they had found out, they said, Five, and two fish. Then he commanded them all to sit down by companies upon the green grass. So they sat down in groups, by hundreds and by fifties. And taking the five loaves and the two fish he looked up to heaven, and blessed, and broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples to set before the people; and he divided the two fish among them all. And they all ate and were satisfied. And they took up twelve baskets full of broken pieces and of the fish. And those who ate the loaves were five thousand men.

There are some problems with the text. First, people familiar with the scriptures know theres an older version of this story. In 2 Kings 4:42-44, the prophet Elisha fed a hundred people with twenty loves. Of course, in the newer telling, Jesus does old Elisha one better. Je feeds five thousand with five loves and a couple of fish. So, it can be seen a couple of ways. One is tying Jesus in as a prophet in the great lineage of Jewish prophets. Or, it can be seen as establishing that Jesus as the greatest of the prophets. And, for some, maybe something more than a prophet.

But, for me, theres something more important in this particular miracle than establishing Jesus connection with the tradition. It has to do with what the miracle turned on. Feeding people. Food.

Even here, there is a wealth of possible meaning. Theres that popular interpretation of the miracle cut for our secular times, for instance. Jesus action inspired the people in the crowd who had food with them to share. And it all becomes a version of the stone soup story. A kind of miracle. And I dont disdain it.

But, I find something more important yet in the story.

When I was in seminary I was introduced to a book titled God is Rice. It consisted of essays on Christianity and East Asian culture by the theologian Masao Takenaka. It opened a lot of doors for me. Especially as a Zen Buddhist formed by and living within Western culture. But the title alone was provocative.

The principal Christian rituals are baptism and communion. Some count them as the only sacraments. And communion turns on the miracle of finding God in bread and wine. It is a powerful symbol. More so for me, because as a child my first impression there was something messy going on was when my Biblical literalist grandmother told me that when the Bible said Jesus drank wine, it meant he drank grape fruit juice. Confusion. Messiness. Contradictions. Starting with how can bread and wine be Jesus body and blood? All the way to, why grape fruit juice?

And what in fact is literal truth?

But all along the way God is bread. God is wine. Food and God. What is the most holy thing to a hungry person? What is literal in that?

And, as Professor Takenaka would say instead of God as the bread of life, that God was the rice of life.

All of it turning on food. Nourishment. That some get. And that some do not get.

And, that those who do not get it, bread or rice, are being deprived of a natural right. As literal a truth as one can find.

For me a cascade of feelings. A cascade of intimations. About what is sacred. About how it is never about something some place other than this place. About no body other than our bodies. Yours and mine.

If a koan is an assertion about the real bound up together with an intimate invitation, then I find the great Christian koan is the communion. Communion. Eucharist. Mass.

Totally expressed within the rite. Totally expressed in giving a hungry person a sandwich. Totally expressed in asking why people are hungry? Totally expressed in the struggle to make sure no one goes hungry.

Take and eat. This is my body. Take and drink. This is my blood.

Not one, not exactly. But not two, not precisely.

A literal truth. And. The miracle.
Government has successfully concluded the Domestic Debt Exchange Programme (DDEP) for GH-denominated notes and bonds issued by the state, the Energy Sector Levy Act (E.S.L.A. Plc.) and Daakye Trust Plc.



This achievement is an important milestone for government in implementing the Post-COVID-19 Programme for Economic Growth (PC-PEG) during the current economic crisis. Under the programme, government managed to restructure bonds to the tune of GH87.76billion.



According to the Ministry of Finance, the settlement was made in line with terms and conditions stipulated in the 2nd Amended and Restated Exchange Memorandum dated 3rd February 2023. On the settlement date, which was Tuesday 21st February 2023, 16 series of new bonds were issued to eligible holders whose tenders were accepted by government.



The principal amount of new bonds per holder is composed of the outstanding principal amount of eligible bonds tendered by a holder, plus any amount of accrued interest payable in respect thereof; was allocated among holders based on each holders category as per the exchange memorandum. The principal amount was credited to their respective securities account at the Central Securities Depository (CSD) from which each holders eligible bonds were tendered.



All tenders accepted by government resulted in the electronic cancellation of such eligible bonds at the CSD on the settlement date, in the case of eligible bonds issued by government. Meanwhile, eligible bonds issued by E.S.L.A. Plc. and Daakye Trust Plc. were transferred on the settlement date in favour of government, the holder of such bonds.



On the settlement date, government also 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, and the pricing supplement specific to each series of new bonds. Copies of the new bond documentation have been made available on dedicated websites of the Ministry of Finance, the CSD and the Invitation Website.



Additionally, copies have been made available for inspection by holders of new bonds at the CSD.



The DDEPs successful conclusion is a positive development for the economy, as it will reduce governments borrowing costs and improve its fiscal position.



In the statement, the Ministry of Finance expressed gratitude to all stakeholders who participated in the DDEP, including holders of eligible bonds, financial advisors, legal advisors and the Central Securities Depository.



It also reassured the public of its commitment to implementing sound economic policies and strategies that will stimulate economic growth and create jobs. The ministry has urged all stakeholders to continue supporting governments efforts toward achieving its development goals.

Source: B&FT









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Fintech solutions, particularly those that allow for seamless payments and settlements will prove indispensable as financial institutions navigate the current Domestic Debt Exchange Programme (DDEP) and return to full strength.



This is according to the Managing Director of Network International Ghana, Perry Addo-Quaye, who says the development has placed increased responsibility on service providers to deliver on their value propositions.



We understand the significance of the Domestic Debt Exchange Programme as an essential step in meeting Ghanas debt sustainability targets, achieving macroeconomic stability, and growing the overall economy. There is still a long journey ahead for this initiative, though, and the government will be closely assessing the speed of uptake and impact, he said in an interview with media.



As this story unfolds, we will keep on intensifying our efforts to support Ghanas economic transformation in line with our purpose of helping businesses and economies prosper by simplifying commerce and payments. Now more than ever, our partners and society at large will need more dependable and innovative ways of making and taking payments, and we intend to be at the forefront of meeting this growing demand in Ghana, Mr. Addo-Quaye added.



His comments come in the wake of the Dubai-based company cementing its presence in the country with the setting up of its local arm, which comes equipped with a state-of-the-art data centre, last December, through which it currently serves 15 out of the 23 banks in Ghana.



Network has successfully completed its setup and has started migrating Banks, FinTechs and its payment partners unto its platform for local processing. We expect to grow our market share further due to the setup of our state-of-the-art, PCI / ISO-certified datacentre in Ghana. In addition to the banks, we are also keen on working closely with Fintechs and Card schemes to expand our presence across Ghanas financial services ecosystem, Network Internationals Country Managing Director remarked.



He stated that whilst the move to set up a local office was necessitated by the Payments Systems Act, the decision to venture into the Ghanaian market, even at a time when economic conditions are tight locally and globally is due to confidence in the growth prospect of the domestic market. This, he said, hinges on a robust entrepreneurial attitude and full embrace of digital innovation.



The response has been good. Ghana has an entrepreneurial population that constantly exchanges money in one way or another, so we expect to see more growth in the country, he said.



Mr. Addo-Quaye explained that the revolution has been fueled by the rapid adoption of mobile banking and digital payments due to the country's young and tech-savvy population and the government's efforts to go cashless. He added that growth has also been accelerated by investment from international fintech companies. The trend is expected to persist as more people in Ghana gain access to smartphones and the internet.



This comes as a recent report by Google and analytics firm, AppsFlyer, showed that between January 2021 and September 2022, the installation of finance apps on smartphones increased by 200 percent in Ghana; making it the highest growth rate in Sub-Saharan Africa. Already, official data shows that mobile money exceeded the GH1trillion mark for the first time, to close 2022 at GH1.07trillion.

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The President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, and the Overlord of the Kusaug Traditional Area, Naba Abugrago Azoka II, have renewed their commitment to amicably resolve the security situation in Bawku.



At a meeting at the Jubilee House last Friday, President Akufo-Addo said ensuring peace in Bawku remained a priority of the government.



Hence, the relevant authorities would continue to work closely with the Kusaug Traditional Authority towards achieving that objective, he added.



The President further reiterated assurances that any development likely to undermine the peace and security of the area would be swiftly dealt with in accordance with the laws of the State.



President Akufo-Addo expressed appreciation to the Bawku Naba for the leadership shown in the prevailing impasse and assured him of the governments unwavering commitment to ensuring lasting peace to the Bawku enclave.



Context

The meeting comes on the back of heightened tensions in the Bawku municipality following the recent enskinment of one Seidu Abagri at Nalerigu on February 15, this year as rival Chief of Bawku.



Government has, however, via a statement issued by the Ministry of Information on February 15, 2023, condemned the action.



The statement assured the residents of the Bawku municipality that any development likely to undermine the peace and security of the area would be swiftly dealt with in accordance with the laws of the State.



The Bawku area has featured prominently in security discourse in recent times due to violent clashes that have ensued between Mamprusi and Kusasi youth, resulting in the death of some residents and the destruction of property.



The security community has taken the issues in the Bawku area in the Upper East Region seriously due to the likelihood of the area being exploited by terrorist elements in neighbouring Burkina Faso to launch attacks in the country.



I stand for peace

The Bawku Naba stressed his commitment to exploiting pacific dispute resolution avenues towards restoring lasting peace to Bawku.



Pacific methods for dispute resolution include negotiation, inquiry, mediation, conciliation, arbitration and judicial settlement.



Abugrago Azoka also commended the government and the various security services for their swift intervention as well as ongoing efforts to maintain calm in the area.







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The organizers of the Ghana Beverage Awards, Global Media Alliance, have officially announced the closure of the nominations slot for the 7th Edition of the awards scheme.



This years nominations which was opened right after the launch on 13th January 2023 officially closed on 26th February 2023. The opening of the nominations was done to give the opportunity to beverage companies and the public to nominate commendable beverage brands under the various categories. Currently, they have received about 700 nominations inclusive of both brand nominations and public nominations.



Subsequently, the voting phase of the process will be opened for specific categories and organizers are urging all Ghanaians to fully partake in the voting which is just as significant as the nominations.



Speaking on the closure of the nominations, Ernest Boateng, CEO of the GMA Group, emphasized his gratitude to Ghanaians and the beverage companies for their collective support and consistent contribution over the years in the nomination phase and the awards scheme as a whole.



The Ghana Beverage Awards has for the past 7 years relied heavily on the participation of the general public and the beverage companies in nominating their best brands and products for recognition and we have never been disappointed. The general acceptance of this awards scheme by all is an important step for us as organizers and we will continue to count on you in making it a success.



He reiterated that this years GBA saw the introduction of two new categories: the Beverage Campaign of the Year and the Indigenous Beverage Brand of the Year. This inclusion was done to reward and acknowledge innovation and creativity in curating compelling strategies and campaigns in a bid to emphasize the overall growth and improvement of our indigenous beverages over time.



He added that, Global Media Alliance is committed in promoting the efforts of the Ghanaian beverage industry and also dedicated in drawing attention to deserving local brands for the international market. He said our theme, Inspiring Excellence in Ghanas Beverage Industry continues to be the benchmark we seek to attain every year and it is without any doubt that it continues to uplift and inspire smaller brands to attain certain levels of excellence within the beverage industry and additionally contribute their quota in building the Ghanaian economy.



Mr. Boateng ended by saying this years award ceremony is set to take place in late April at the Kempinski Gold Coast Hotel, Accra and will bring together industry players, relevant stakeholders as well as nominated brands to network and celebrate excellence in the beverage industry.



GBA is proudly supported by the Food and Beverage Association of Ghana (FABAG), Consumer Protection Agency (CPA), Food Research Institute (FRI) under CSIR, Silverbird Cinemas, Perception Management International (PMI), Ministry of Trade and Industry, Ministry of Tourism, Arts & Culture, and the Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA). It is partnered by Happy FM, Citi FM, YFM, Neesim FM Bolga, Neesim FM Tamale, nydjlive.com, Ghanaweb, eTV Ghana, Business and Financial Times, and Daily Guide.



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Director of the International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Unit, Ms. Chris Carlisle has handed over donated laptops, cameras and video projectors to media outlets in Ghana, media support organizations, and the National Media Commission.



The donation, made through the Department of States Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement, advances the United States Governments support for rule of law and accountable governance in Ghana.



The U.S. Government supports the rule of law in Ghana and around the world. This donation to support working Journalists, anti-corruption organizations, and Ghanas main media regulator will help build capacity for stronger journalism and accountable governance in Ghana, said Ms. Carlisle.



The equipment donated today will go directly to the organizations listed. The organizations will use the equipment for journalist training, fact-based reporting, investigative journalism, and appropriate oversight of media outlets in Ghana, respectively.



Organizations who received the donated equipments include Corruption Watch (CDD - Ghana), The Fourth Estate (Media Foundation for West Africa), National Media Commission (NMC), Daily Graphic, Ghanaian Times Newspaper, Ghana News Agency (GNA) and the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC).



Each organization will receive 4-5 laptops, with selected organizations also receiving a video projector and high-resolution professional camera. In line with U.S. Government accountability standards, each organization will report annually on the equipments use supporting the organization and press freedom in Ghana.



About the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement.



The U.S. Department of States Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement works to keep Americans safe by countering crime, illegal drugs, and instability abroad.

Source: Isaac Kwame Owusu/Peacefmonline/[email protected]









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THE High Court has granted over 4000 families from Spitzkop Farm in Zvimba who were facing eviction an interim relief to stay, stopping Vevhu Resources from conducting the re-pegging exercise.

This comes after the Greater Spitzkop Residents Association sued their housing cooperative, Vevhu Resources, together with Local Government minister, July Moyo last year.

Also cited as respondents in the court papers is Zvimba Rural District Council (RDC), NIFS Investments Pvt Ltd and Vevhu Marketing Investments.

The complainants had approached the courts seeking to stop the proposed re-pegging of stands, collection of USD$30 by Vevhu Resources and its affiliates.

High Court judge, Justice Neville Wamambo granted the residents the relief.

"The respondents be and are hereby interdicted from carrying out activities such as re-pegging the residential stands of the applicant and its members and any other activities pursuant to the implementation of the proposed subdivision of Lot 14 of Spitzkop until the determination of this urgent chamber application is finalised.

"The 1st, 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th respondents be and are hereby interdicted from collecting any money from the applicant and its members in pursuance of the implementation of the proposed subdivision of Lot 14 of Spitzkop until the determination of the proposed subdivision of Lot 14 of Spitzkop until the determination of this urgent chamber application is finalised," said the judge.

The judge also interdicted respondents from threatening the members to sign new contracts or forms and to receive any money from them until the determination of this urgent application.

"The respondents are hereby stopped from carrying on such activities until the determination of this urgent chamber application," ruled the judge.

The association is a body and its members purchased immovable property from the respondents, excluding the minister.

The said property is located within Lot 12 and 14 of Spitzkop Farm located in Zvimba district measuring 348.68 hectares in extent.

Vevhu and its subsidiary companies then started the process of re-pegging and readjusting the boundaries of the residential stands sold to the applicant's members.

This process commenced on 5 August 2022 and was not brought to the attention of the association.

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This was likely to result in the displacement of various members as the existing stands of 200m are being increased to 400m.

The association complained that its members will lose out on both the land they purchased and the money they used to pay for the stands.

The Land Commission and the minister, July Moyo had insisted that the land in question belongs to the State and other respondents hold no title deeds.

However the association argued it was Vevhu who created various companies to act as its agents to advertise and sell the land in question which, however, resulted in double allocations to applicant's members' prejudice.

The judge said it was clear the association had a direct and substantial interest in the subject and outcome of this application.

"I find that the ingredients of an interdict were established. The threat of homelessness on the face of it was established. I also note that the allegations of threats and inducements as raised by the applicant were not rebutted or impugned in any way.

"It is in light of potential loss to housing stands and financial prejudice where the process as carried out by first respondent and its agent are prima facie irregular," he ruled.
The Lead Pastor of the Cedar Mountain Chapel, Reverend Stephen Yenusom Wengam, has been inducted as the General Superintendent of the Assemblies of God, Ghana, at a colourful ceremony that attracted hundreds of worshippers, clergymen, family, friends and other stakeholders.



The well-organised induction service, which was also the occasion for the commissioning of the new Executive Presbytery Officers of the Assemblies of God, Ghana attracted guests from the country and abroad.



It was so well attended that the Grand Arena of the Accra International Conference Centre (AICC) could not accommodate all attendees, compelling the organising team to arrange seats outside and erect giant screens to enable them to join in the service.



Election

Rev. Wengam, together with the new Presbytery Officers who were elected on August 5 last year, takes over from Rev. Professor Paul Frimpong-Manso, and thus becomes the seventh General Superintendent of the church, following in the steps of forebears such as Rev. Nyamela Panka, Rev. Simon B. Asore, William W. Dontoh (all deceased), and Moses S. Sumaila.



The new Executive Presbytery Officers of the Assemblies of God, Ghana are Rev. Dr Gordon Tito Agyei, Assistant General Superintendent; Rev. Dr Ernest Birikorang, the General Secretary and Rev. Dr Simon Abu Baba, the Treasurer.



Some of the personalities who graced the occasion are former President John Dramani Mahama, a member of the Council of State and former Chief Justice, Georgina Theodora Wood (both members of the church); the Archbishop of the Perez Chapel International, Charles Agyinasare; former Chairman of the Church of Pentecost, Apostle Dr Opoku Onyina, and queenmothers and members of the church.



The President of the Africa Assemblies of God Alliance, Rev. Barnabas Mtokambali, inducted Rev. Dr Wengam and the Executive Presbytery Officers into office.



In his first speech as General Superintendent, Rev. Dr Wengam said the new administration would continue from where its predecessors left off, with a divinely inspired strategy anchored on Micah 4:1 to shift, grow and transform the church.



The strategy, he said, would be underpinned by an agenda that had as its capsule the "Six Rs - Reach, Rebuild, Restore, Reform, Reposition and Rebrand".



Rev. Wengam said the church would aggressively disciple the country and unreached nations, and prioritise the welfare of the needy and rural pastors.



"Another element of this agenda is massive human capital and infrastructure development. The highlight would be the construction of an iconic state-of-the-art Assemblies of God Centenary Village (an international convention centre) to mark the 100th anniversary of Assemblies of God Church in the country.



Corruption, holiness

Rev. Wengam mentioned what he said were the chronic difficulties in tackling corruption, illegal mining, environmental bankruptcy, despondency, dishonesty and other forms of indiscipline in the country and prescribed holiness as a solution to those problems.



Citizens steeped in holiness will not tell blatant lies, inflate prices of goods and services, falsify procurement figures, steal state funds, pollute water bodies, litter their surroundings, denigrate their neighbours, assassinate the character of their political opponents, do shoddy work, laze around during working hours or exploit their workers, he stated.



He emphasised that the spirit of holiness would definitely insulate the people against evil, catalyse them to excel and empower them to pick the nation up from its socio-economic challenges .



On behalf of the church, he invited all churches to join a crusade to infuse holiness in every spectrum of national life, since it was the most effective solution to societal decay and the growing challenges on all fronts.



Bi-partisan approach

Rev. Wengam said the church endorsed calls for a bi-partisan and a multi-stakeholder approach to tackle the country's current economic challenges.



Its stand, he said, was predicated on the fact that God, in His superior wisdom, did not make any individual or institution or political party a repository of wisdom.



"The Bible, which is our uttermost source of wisdom and infallible guide of conduct, states in Proverbs 15:22 that without counsel plans fail but with many advisors they succeed," he said.



Bawku

Commenting on the conflict in Bawku, Rev. Wengam, who hails from Bunkpurugu Paknatik in the North East Region, said the church was worried about the situation which "is potentially corrosive to Ghana's reputation as the most peaceful nation in West Africa and second in the whole of Africa".



He said no efforts should be spared at containing the hyper-sensitive and supremely complex situation which threatens to cascade into security challenges of unthinkable proportions.



Balanced utterances

Former President Mahama, who was the special guest of honour, called on members of the clergy to be balanced in their utterances irrespective of the government in power.



He said they should not be quiet when one government was in power and then be loud when another government was in power.



"We must be seen to be balanced, be non-partisan," the former President said, adding that members of the clergy must endeavour to always speak the truth to whichever government was in power.



Former President Mahama said the church did not only exist to pray for leaders and that it was also to offer suggestions and guidance to leaders.



The church did not hang in the air, it exists in society and whatever happens in society affected it, he stressed.



Mr Mahama noted that, for instance, the current economic crisis that Ghanaians were going through affected church congregations all across the country.



It was, therefore, necessary for the church to continue speaking out anytime it thought that things were not going on properly.



The former President commended the Ghana Pentecostal and Charismatic Council (GPCC) for its letter to the government to give suggestions about what should be done amid the country's economic crisis.



Mr Mahama charged Christians not to shy away from politics and that they should stand for elective offices and participate to create a sense of direction to progress and prosper the country.



Sermon

Preaching on the theme: One Giant Step for the Assemblies of God, Ghana, Rev. Mtokambali named baby steps, ordinary steps and giant step as the three kinds of steps, the giant step being the most superior.



He expressed the belief that the church had over the years moved from baby steps through to ordinary steps and that with the coming leadership, he could see the church in his spirit heading towards a giant step.

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The President of the Presbyterian University, Ghana (PUG) Prof. Ebenezer Oduro Owusu has stated that currently the only possible solution to change the fortunes of this country is honest leaders with the character of discipline.



According to Prof. Ebenezer Oduro Owusu, the future of the country rely heavily on the kind of graduates being produced by the universities and other tertiary institutions on the various campuses , therefore the need to instill in them the act of discipline and honesty to prepare a future generation and leadership with good integrity.



He said "our major problem in this country is about leadership, and you can't talk about good leadership without talking about integrity , discipline , if we are able to train more students to be discipline and honest then most of our problems as a country will be solved , in Presbyterian University, Ghana we want them to build that character because no matter how intelligent you are without a good character you can't go far and it is difficult to progress in life".



"The Presbyterian University, Ghana stands for discipline , which stems from the "Holistic Education" we offer, our motto is discipline in leadership , we believe discipline is an important value to every human society since it engenders the ability to choose and do what is right at all time"



"A discipline individual is able to manage emotions , preserve against all odds and is selfless, truthful , hard-working and motivated"



He also charged universities to churn out graduates who are discipline and will impact the country positively and not necessarily awarding certificates to students due to their income driven objective.



Prof. Ebenezer Oduro Owusu said this in an interview at the time the Presbyterian University, Ghana held it 20th Undergraduate Matriculation Ceremony for the Akuapem-Tema Campuses in Akropong in the Eastern region.



He revealed that , this year the Presbyterian University, Ghana is matriculating a total of 915 applicants in three sections comprising 331 Males and 584 Females.



The matriculation ceremony held in Akuapem-Tema campuses ushered in 26 applicants under Faculty of Development Studies, 11 under Faculty of Education and 44 applicants under School of Business and Economics given a total of 81 matriculants.



The President further expressed worried about the mass production of students in some public universities accounting to the over burden on hostel and lecture facilities saying it affect the quality of education.



He however called on the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) to intervene and outline the necessary regulations on the number of students universities should admit base on the facilities available for them.

Source: Peacefmonline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Professor Ken Attafuah, the Executive Secretary of the National Identification Authority (NIA), has stated the readiness of the Authority to print and issue all outstanding cards when the Government clears debt owed its partners.



Already, he said, the Government had cleared part of the debt, however, a considerable amount was yet to be paid.



[With the amount paid] when cards are released, 541,529 cards can be printed in less than two weeks.



We have the capacity, we have over a thousand functional printers, we have people who are trained, who are professionals who are sitting at home doing nothing and are anxious to work. We call those people back to work, with 500 printers, we can print 50,000 cards a day, he said.



Speaking in an interview in Accra, Prof Attafuah said financial constraint was why the Authority was unable to print Ghana Cards for the public.



According to him, the NIA owed its partners such as the Identity Management System Limited some considerable amount of money.



As a result, more than 3.5 million stocks of cards were locked up in a bonded warehouse.



Prof Attafuah said as of February 19, 2023, the NIA had registered over 27 million people, adding that only 2.5 million people were yet to be registered.



There are 541,529 cards that are not yet printed. That is, they are ready to print but have not been printed and that is largely because of financial difficulty, he said.



He added: Since about August of last year, we have experienced financial constipation in the system and it created a situation where even though we have 3.5 million stocks of cards in a bonded warehouse, we are unable to assess the cards because of financial difficulty.



The banks are owed, the private partner with who the NIA does business, the Identity Management System Limited, which is the private partner we are working with, and we are operating this Ghana Card project under a public-private partnership arrangement. That partner is owed a considerable amount of money, and the banks that have been bankrolling this are unable to further bear the cost and, therefore, have refused to release the cards to us.



The Electoral Commission is expected to lay before Parliament a new Constitutional Instrument (C.I), seeking to make the Ghana Card the sole form of identification for voter registration for the 2024 general election and subsequent elections.



Some political commentators, Civil Society Organisations and political parties, including the opposition National Democratic Congress have questioned the decision, saying it would disenfranchise many eligible voters who may not have been able to obtain their cards.





Source: GNA









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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As the world continues to evolve and digital advancements shape the way we live, work, and learn, the demand for digital skills and competencies grows ever stronger.



The global economy is rapidly shifting towards a digital-based model, and this trend is reflected in Africa, where the mobile and Internet industries are driving socio-economic growth and development.



However, despite this progress, the digital divide remains a significant challenge in many African countries, including Ghana. A survey conducted by the Ghana Statistical Service in 2016 revealed that a mere 8.6% of Ghanaian households had access to the Internet. This highlights the need for greater investment in digital connectivity and access in Ghana.



Moreover, a report by the International Finance Corporation (IFC) highlights that there is a significant gap in supply and demand across all skill levels in Sub-Saharan Africa. This digital skills gap presents a major obstacle to realizing the full potential of Africa's rapidly growing digital industries and underscores the importance of prioritizing and investing in digital literacy and technology education across the continent.

It is imperative that Ghana, along with other African countries, takes proactive steps to close the digital skills gap and prepare its workforce for the jobs of the future.



Creating a digital classroom



To address the digital skills gap in Ghana, it's crucial for the country to prioritize and invest in digital literacy and technology education. By doing so, individuals in Ghana will be better equipped to take advantage of the growing number of job opportunities in the digital sector and be prepared for the future workforce.



Vodafone Ghana is taking a leading role in transforming digital education in the country by partnering with the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) to open a digital learning centre on campus. The centre is designed to provide remote education to students and is equipped with state-of-the-art digital tools and technology. The project, which is part of Vodafone Ghana's Connected Education service, is aimed at contributing to the education of the youth and the future of Ghana.



The Connected Education service offered by Vodafone Ghana includes a range of mobile services that allow students and school administrators to work together efficiently. The services include discounted mobile data, free calls, access to online resources, and wide-area network solutions with dedicated internet. Vodafone Ghana is also providing managed Wi-Fi and unified communication services and enabling a cashless campus through Vodafone Cash.



Upskilling teachers



Soon, Vodafone Ghana aims to empower teachers through its Connected Education service by providing them with the necessary tools and resources to integrate digital learning into their lessons. The company realizes the crucial role teachers play in the education system and seeks to support their efforts by offering training services that cater to their unique needs and help them design effective hybrid lessons.



Vodafone Ghana recognizes the importance of addressing the digital skills gap, as research shows that a significant percentage of teachers lack experience and formal training in using technology in the classroom. The company believes that its Connected Education service will serve as a solution that not only provides access to digital learning tools, but also supports the upskilling of teachers.



Improving access to technology



Vodafone Ghana is committed to providing access to high-quality education and empowering students and teachers through technology. To further this mission, the company has partnered with the Ministry of Education and other local educational institutions to launch Instant Schools, the largest philanthropic program in the Vodafone Group Foundation's 25-year history.



Instant Schools provides free access to online learning materials for millions of young people in Africa, including subjects such as Math and Science from primary to secondary level. The educational content is a combination of high-quality global and local content, initially provided by Khan Academy, with the aim of aligning it with the local curriculum in the future.



The service is designed for simple, low-cost devices with basic data connectivity (3G) and is zero-rated for Vodafone Ghana subscribers, meaning users will not be charged for data usage within Ghana when accessing the content through the company's mobile data network. However, data charges will apply if the service is accessed outside the country.



As a long-term cumulative program, Vodafone Ghana aims to increase the reach, scale, and relevance of Instant Schools over time, including encouraging other major mobile operators in the country to adopt a similar approach. This initiative underscores Vodafone's dedication to using technology to build more inclusive and resilient societies, ensuring that every generation can participate in the digital economy of the future.

Source: Peacefmonline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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It appears the beef between beleaguered Madam Frances Ewurabena Essiam, ex-Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Ghana Cylinder Manufacturing Company Limited (GCMCL) and Energy Minister, Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh is far from over, as the former has served notice of her intention to shoot down any future political ambitions of the latter.



To Frances Essiam, the Energy Minister lacks the political correctness to be considered as running mate to Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, who in her estimation is the likeliest candidate to represent the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the forthcoming flagbearer contest.



Reacting to her resignation as CEO of GCMCL, she said the role of NAPO as the sector Minister in her resignation makes him unfit to seek a higher office in Ghana, and vowed to lay bare the developments leading to her decision in the coming days for Ghanaians to know who NAPO really is.



"NAPO can never be running mate to Dr. Bawumia and I am going to address these issues at a press conference I will soon organise," she noted.



'Misdirection of Anger'



Madam Frances Awurabena Essiam resigned from her position as the CEO of GCMCL on Thursday, February 23, 2023, and was subsequently replaced by Madam Genevieve Sackey.



She blamed Dr. Opoku Prempeh and the Secretary to the President, Nana Asante Bediatuo for her resignation and vowed to expose them.



But the Ministry mounted a strong defence for the sector Minister, describing Frances Essiam's recent action as misdirection of anger.



Bawumia Deserves Someone Better



Despite her resignation, Frances Essiam said she remains a committed member of the NPP and would campaign vigorously for Dr. Bawumia, saying that the Vice President deserves a better running mate than NAPO.



Watch Video Below





Source: Isaac Kwame Owusu/Peacefmonline/[email protected]









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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The NPP Member of Parliament (MP) for Bortianor-Ngleshie-Amanfrom, Sylvester Tetteh has thrown his weight behind the Electoral Commission over its proposal for a new Constitutional Instrument (C.I.) to replace the existing Instrument (C.I.) in preparation for the election in 2024.



The Electoral Commission has proposed the use of Ghana Cards 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.



To Sylvester Tetteh, the use of the Ghana Card will help to avoid irregularities in the register and during the elections, stating it is a perfect form of authentication of a person's identification.



He defended the EC's proposal asserting it will take a person with a clean mind to understand the Commission's purpose to use the Ghana Card as the only form of identification for the 2024 elections.



He asked the opponents of the EC to channel their energy on holding the National Identification Authority (NIA) accountable to printing and distributing the cards for all Ghanaians before the elections.



"If you have a clean mind, then let us hold the NIA accountable [to ensure]. My child is 17 years and before the limited registration will come, she will be 18 years. So, it is incumbent on the NIA to give her a Ghana Card for nothing to be an impediment on her way and that she can register and cast her vote. So, if I have a bone to pick, this piece of legislation is a perfect one," he said while making his submissions on Peace FM's 'kokrokoo' programme.



"If because of the EC, the NIA is able to distribute the cards to everyone...I can tell your driver's licence, the banking sector, taxation, land registration and everything will be captured. We will have a serious society that we can point to data and use it to do other planning for this country," he noted.





Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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A senior lecturer at the University of Ghana and a leading member of the National Democratic Congress, Dr Michael Kpessa Whyte has declared his intention to contest the National Democratic Congress (NDC) parliamentary primaries in the ShaiOsudoku constituency.



The former Executive Director, of the National Service Scheme, and ex-presidential staffer for former President John Mahama said his decision to contest came after broader consultation.



According to him, the grassroots in the constituency spoke about broken promises, unmet expectations, disappointments, needless divisions, lack of opportunity for the youth, and lack of obvious purposeful leadership with visibility at the national level.



The aspiring candidate said the constituency has been neglected when it comes to socio-economic development.



He described the constituency as a paradox and has declared to contest to bring to tye people the needed leadership and socio-economic development.



The aspirant is a Research Fellow with the History and Politics Section at the Institute of African Studies (IAS), University of Ghana, Legon, and a political scientist in the tradition of Comparative Public Policy and Political Institutions.



He joined IAS in 2011 from the Jonson-Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy, the University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon where he was a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) Post-Doctoral Fellow.



In 2012 he was adjudged The Most Promising Young Researcher by the Faculty (now School) of Social Sciences, University of Ghana, Legon.



Between 2013 and early 2017 he served as a Policy Advisor in the Office of the President of the Republic of Ghana with a dual responsibility as the Executive Director of the Ghana National Service Scheme.



Dr Kpessa-Whyte is the author of several peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters, and he teaches various undergraduate and graduate courses relating to the study of African politics.



Education

2009 PhD, Political Science (Comparative Public Policy), Department of Political Science, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada



2005 Master of Arts, Political Science (International Relations), Department of Political Science, Brock University, St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada



2001 Bachelor of Arts, Political Science, Department of Political Science, University of Ghana, Legon.

















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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As Nigerians await the final results of last Saturdays presidential election, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says it is on top of the troubling issues and is committed to delivering credible results of the polls.



The Commission acknowledged the challenges and confusion that characterised the voting process in some areas, and assured Nigerians and the international community that the issues would be addressed and the results announced will be the true reflection of the will of the people.



At a press briefing at the INEC headquarters in Abuja last Saturday, the Commission chairman, Chief Mahmood Yakubu, apologised for the delays in voting at some areas and explained that it was the first time they were using the electronic system and some of them did not perform optimally.



He said the election day was largely peaceful but there were reports of violence and ballot boxes being snatched by thugs while some voters complained of being attacked and chased away from polling stations.



The INEC Chief also announced that at least in five states, voting in some places did not begin until around 18:00 local time - one-and-a-half hours after polls were due to close, as a result of which voting was extended to ensure that all eligible voters had the chance to exercise their franchise.



Violence

He said there were also reports of tension in parts of Rivers and Lagos states, where some political parties asked their members to go to the centres where votes were being collated over fears that they were being manipulated.



Mr Yakubu said armed men had also attacked some polling units in the southern state of Delta and the northern state of Katsina, where six of the voter-card verification machines were taken away by thugs and the security managed to recover three. he added that efforts were being made to recover the remaining three.



He said two other Biometric Voter Accreditation System machines that were stolen by thugs, together with the three machines, were subsequently replaced and security boosted to allow voting to take place.



In the north-eastern state of Borno, Mr Yakubu said militant Islamists opened fire on electoral officers from a mountain top in the Gwoza area, injuring a number of officials.



Chief Yakubu said there was a clear omission of a candidate on the ballot paper so that election had been reschedule for March 11.



Counting of votes is still underway in the presidential election, widely thought to be the tightest since military rule ended in Africas most populous country in 1999.



Nigerians came out in their numbers to cast their ballots, with many of the youth who were first-time voters being the earliest to arrive at the polling units to cast their ballots.



There were long delays at some polling stations while reports of ballot box snatching and attacks by armed men were rife.



Many voters who had to endure the stress from malfunctioning electronic voting systems accused electoral officials of refusing to upload the results at the polling units as they were supposed to.



However, in areas where voting went smoothly, officials started posting results outside individual polling units, while the results from tens of thousands of polling stations around the country were being collated and sent to the electoral headquarters in the capital Abuja.



He also acknowledged the presence of Ghanas Electoral Commission Chairperson, Jean Mensa, and other electoral commission chairpersons from South Africa, Liberia, Tanzania, Niger, Namibia and Sierra Leone, among others.

Source: graphiconline.com









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The PDP candidate polled 285,175 votes to defeat his closest rival, Bola Tinubu of the APC, who scored 248 088.

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has emerged as the winner of Saturday's presidential election in Kebbi State with 285,175 votes.

The State Collation Officer, Usman Saidu, a professor, while presenting the result in Birnin Kebbi, the state capital, said the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu, polled 248,088 votes.

Mr Saidu said the Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate, Peter Obi, also scored 10,682 votes while the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) candidate, Rabiu Kwankwaso, scored 5,038 votes.

He gave the state total registered voters as 1,983,985, the number of accredited voters as 599,201; total votes cast- 591,475; total valid votes-559,522 while 31,953 votes were rejected.

Speaking with journalists shortly after the declaration of the result, the Director-General, PDP Presidential Campaign Council, Kebbi State and party agent, Bala Dole, expressed appreciation for it.

He claimed that if not for some "little hitches" his party would have got more votes.

Also, the APC agent, Ja'afar Ahmed, said there were issues with the result, insisting that the exercise was characterised by violence, late arrival of election materials, malfunctioning of BIVAS as well as an inducement in different forms.

Responding, the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in the State, Ahmed Bello-Mahmud, expressed appreciation that the elections were conducted peacefully, fairly, credibly and conclusively collated devoid of any rancour.

He appealed to the electorate to maintain the tempo in the forthcoming elections for the good of all.
Eric Pienaa, the Director of Elections of the Techiman South Constituency of the National Democratic Congress, has advised various aspirants contesting the parliamentary seat to remain decorous in their political campaigns to deepen the unity in the party.



We must see each other as one and form a formidable force to be able to capture the constituency seat, he told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in an interview at Techiman in the Bono East region.



Eric Pienaa said that politics was about numbers, and asked the aspirants and their followers to guard against tendencies that could tear the party apart and scatter our members and supporters.



We are marching forward to the Jubilee House in the election 2024 and we must concentrate and avoid divisive tendencies that can narrow our political fortunes, he stated.



He said unity and togetherness would greatly make the NDC more attractive and thereby enhance the partys support base for victory in 2024.



On the partys impending primaries in the constituency, Eric Pienaa said aspirants were expected to submit their nomination forms on March 22, 2023.



Though he could not immediately provide statistics on the number of aspirants who had picked nominations so far,Eric Pienaa said Christopher Beeyerer Baasongtis 2020 parliamentary candidate had notified the directorate to pick forms and contest again.



Other aspirants who had also notified the directorate include Kwaku Adjei-Mensah, a former Member of Parliament (2012-2016), he added.



The NDC is supreme, and we must allow the interest of the party to override our selfish political ambitions, Eric Pienaa stated.













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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Managing Editor of the Insight newspaper, Kwesi Pratt has objected to the use of Ghana Card as the only identification card to qualify an eligible Ghanaian citizen to be registered or enrolled onto the voters register.



The Electoral Commission (EC) is proposing a new Constitutional Instrument (C.I.) to replace the existing Instrument (C.I.) in preparation for the election in 2024 and has asked Parliament for the passage of the new C.I.



The Commission wants the Ghana Card to be used for voting, claiming this will help to avoid irregularities and the guarantor system during the elections.



Contributing to Peace FM's "Kokrokoo" morning show, Kwesi Pratt questioned the logic in the EC's argument to remove the guarantor system by the use of the Ghana Card.



"The guarantor system they are saying is not perfect and should be changed, we changing it to use the Ghana Card, the same system is used to do the Ghana Card. So, show me the wisdom in this!", he told host Nana Yaw Kesseh.



He also deflated the argument that the Ghana Card will improve the electoral system stating emphatically "there is no perfect identification card in Ghana. Whether a passport, birth certificate or any other thing, Ghana Card included, there is none that is perfect".



"Elections are less than 2 years away. How do you insist on using this card which is unavailable?...Go high or low, someone has written his or her name and for 2 years now, the person has not got his or her card. How come such a person vote based on this? Based on the new C.I, how can such a person vote?", he further asked.



Mr. Pratt concluded that "there is wisdom in opposition to the use of the card".





Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Queen's University signage is seen in Kingston, Ont., Friday, Aug. 14, 2020. A northern Ontario health authority serving remote coastal communities and the university say they are developing a culturally-informed program that will prepare thousands of Indigenous youth for careers in health-care by 2030. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Lars Hagberg
High Court judge Justice Manzunzu has interdicted businessmen Gilad Shabtai and Munyaradzi Gonyora from presenting themselves as part of Adlecraft Investments.

On the 29th November 2021, Honorable J Musithu ordered that an illegal irregular board resolution which had been 'executed' by previous non-executive directors of Adlecraft Investments, Gilad Shabtai and his driver Munyaradzi Gonyora, on 1 October 2021 be suspended until its validity could be determined.

They were both interdicted from implementing the terms of that resolution which sought to place Adlecraft Investments under Corporate Rescue as an attempt to take control over the company in August 2021.

On the 15 September 2022, the matter was brought before Honorable J Manzunzu, who reserved judgement until the 22 February 2023, whereby it was ordered that:

"The illegal and highly irregular resolution which was 'executed' by Shabtai and his colleague was confirmed as being permanently suspended when they lied to the courts that the company was likely to be in financial distress in the near future. The provisional order granted by this court on 29 November 2021 be and is hereby confirmed," the judge said.

"This same resolution was declared null and void - The resolution dated 1 October 2021 attached to the application marked 'E' endorsed under CRP3/21 is declared null and void and is hereby set aside'

"Adlecraft Investments has only ever been issued with 20 shares since inception therefore Shabtai's false claim that he holds 980 shares through another company is completely unfounded. The Honorable Judge confirmed this as undisputed and that Mr Ofer Sivan legally acquired the entire share capital of Adlecraft Investments in 2012 - Adlecraft Investments (Private) Limited has only issued 20 shares."

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The Judge also ordered Gilad Shabtai and Munyaradzi Gonyora to pay the legal costs pertaining to this case to Mr Ofer Sivan.

"The first and second respondents are ordered to pay the applicant's costs on the ordinary scale."

Once again, this is another victory for Mr Ofer Sivan whereby the two fraudsters Gilad Shabtai and his driver Munyaradzi Gonyora, who are also fugitives from justice after they fled the country running away from numerous criminal investigations for money laundering, tax evasion, theft of trust property and more, lied blatantly to the courts in a hostile attempt to take over the company from Mr Ofer Sivan,

In a previous case concerning the illegal opening of an account with Getbucks Microfinance Bank, Honorable J Chitapi ordered that Gilad Shabtai and Munyaradzi Gonyora be declared to have committed acts of fraud against Adlecraft Investments and misappropriation of company funds.

They were ordered to repay the amount of US$1,300,000 jointly and severally. It was also ordered that they be removed from directorship of the company and Mr Ofer Sivan was ordered to appoint a new board of Directors with immediate effect. This Getbucks account was frozen by virtue of a court order once it was brought to the attention of the authorities.
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Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) has run away from reporters three times on Tuesday when they asked about the security threat of giving Tucker Carlson 1/6 footage.

Gabe Ferris of ABC News tweeted:

Speaker McCarthy has avoided the press  and our questions about his release of Jan. 6 security footage  at least three times today. Moments ago, he ignored my questions about the matter. pic.twitter.com/fPUg5mNGo2  Gabe Ferris (@GabeFerris) February 28, 2023

Nothing says innocence and leadership like running away from reporters as they asked the Speaker if he had jeopardized national security. McCarthy at first would only say that he turned over the 1/6 Capitol security footage to Tucker Carlson because he promised. He wouldnt say to who he made the promise.

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Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene later said that McCarthy promised her that he would give Tucker Carlson exclusive access to the footage. Since McCarthys actions, there has been an outcry from elected leaders, the media, and the American people over Tucker Carlsons exclusive.

Speaker McCarthy needs to own his actions and look the American people in the eye to explain to them why he thought it was a good idea to give access to sensitive security tape footage to an insurrection denier, propagandist, who has voiced support for US enemies like Russia.

Kevin McCarthy has jeopardized the security of the nation and the Capitol, and he doesnt have the guts to face the American people to explain why.
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Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) used Chinese propaganda as the basis for one of his questions and was called out by witness Colin Kahl.

Video of Gaetz during a hearing about aid to Ukraine:

"As a general matter I don't take Beijing's propaganda at face value"  Absolutely amazing: Matt Gaetz tried to use literal Chinese propaganda during a congressional hearing, and got called on it by a witness pic.twitter.com/2OS9Q9z9Ad  Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) February 28, 2023

Gaetz entered into the record a report from The Global Times about the US providing aid and weapons.

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Kahl asked, Is The Global Times from China?

Gaetz replied, No, um.

Kahl said, Thats what you read.

Gaetz said, It might be. Would that be a reason ?

Kahl explained, As a general matter, I dont take Beijings propaganda at face value.

Gaetz asked if the allegation was true or false.

Kahl answered, I dont have any evidence one way or the other. As a general rule, I dont take Beijings propaganda at face value.

Gaetz said, Fair enough. I would agree with that assessment.

Matt Gaetz pulled the congressional equivalent of falling flat on his face in front of everyone and then jumping up and saying, I meant to do that.

If Gaetz knew that the basis for his question was Chinese propaganda, why did he ask?

It looks like Gaetz either didnt know or thought he could sneak one past the witness, but he got caught using Chinese propaganda in a House hearing.
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Rep. Eric Swalwell laid into Rep., Matt Gaetz for bringing a man who was charged with murder to the House to say the Pledge of Allegiance.

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Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) slams Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) for bringing somebody that he met at a gun club to the first House Judiciary Committee hearing to lead the Pledge of Allegiance. Turns out, Gaetzs honored guest was charged with killing a family member in April 2019. pic.twitter.com/15Dzmo343u  The Recount (@therecount) February 28, 2023

Swalwell said:

I dont think he really genuinely cares about saying the Pledge of Allegiance, but he wanted to do it to own the libs and see if we would vote against it. We didnt. But who did he bring in here to say the Pledge of Allegiance? Who did he parade in here in a uniform? Somebody, that he met a gun club he said, locally. Okay. Mr. Cicilline had the crazy idea that maybe we should vet the people who come in here, make sure theyre not insurrectionists. Mr. McClintock said I am not kidding you, Mr, McClintock said well its not were going to invite somebody who committed murder. No, he literally said that. Its not like were going to invite somebody who committed murder.

Who did Mr. Gaetz bring? He brought Corey Beekman. Corey Beekman in 2019 was in a standoff with Michigan police after he was arrested and charged with murder, assault with intent to commit murder, and two counts of felony firearm possession. The family of the victims said Mr. Gaetz doing that it was like getting a dagger stuck in our heart again. We were infuriated when we first saw it. I was disgusted with the whole thing.

Thats why theres a trust deficit here. You pull off a public stunt to try and own the libs and what you did was you brought in a guy who allegedly shot to people and killed one of them. Thats where the trust deficit is, so you can play your games, conduct your stunts. Were here to get s*it done.

Gaetzs office did reach out to the family and apologize, and Rep. Gaetz said that he would apologize on his podcast. Gaetzs office also said that the staffers in charge of background checks had been fired because the problem was the staffers, not the congressman who brought a guy off the street who had been charged with murder to lead the House Judiciary Committee in the Pledge of Allegiance.

The charges against Beekman were dropped after a key witness refused to testify.

House Republicans are only interested in stunts and games while Democrats are trying to get things done. Gaetz has had a very bad day in the House on Tuesday, but the idea of bringing a person charged with murder into the House shows how reckless, irresponsible, and dangerous Republicans are.
Aiken, SC (29801)

Today

Cloudy early with thunderstorms developing later in the day. Storms may contain strong gusty winds. High 79F. Winds SW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 60%..

Tonight

Cloudy early with partial clearing expected late. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 48F. Winds W at 10 to 15 mph.
The U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved Congressman Joe Wilson's resolution recognizing the people impacted by the Feb. 6 earthquake in central Turkey and northern and western Syria and honoring people who responded to the impacted area .

The House voted 414-2 on Monday evening to approve the resolution Wilson, a Republican representing Aiken County, Barnwell County and most of the Columbia suburbs, introduced Feb. 17.

Congressman Thomas Massie, R-Ky., and Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., were the no votes.

Wilson, who co-chairs the Congressional Caucus on U.S.-Turkey Relations and Turkish Americans, said the resolution showed the House mourns the 50,000 killed, 100,000 injured, 5 million left homeless and 20 million in need because of the earthquake. He added the resolution acknowledges the efforts of the men and women inside and outside of Turkey and Syria who responded to the affected area.

"Tonight, the House of Representatives also delivered a clear message that we stand united against Syrias brutal dictator, Bashar al-Assad, who has both deterred and stolen critical humanitarian assistance, sacrificing lives," Wilson said.

He said he was deeply saddened Joe Biden's administration had weakened sanctions on Syria by allowing direct transactions with the government.

"This will do nothing to help with earthquake relief and will only endanger Syrian civilians," Wilson said. "We are already seeing the result of Bidens weak policy this week with Arab countries beginning to normalize with the regime and ignoring the Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act which threatens dire consequences for normalization."
A pair of 787s once flown by Norwegian Air Shuttle are going to be scrapped after less than a decade of use, becoming the first in-service Dreamliners to be sold for parts since Boeing Co. introduced the jet in 2011.

Dublin-based EirTrade Aviation will be in charge of disassembling the wide-bodies, which are now built exclusively in North Charleston. The salvaged parts are expected to be sold later this year.

The disassembly process at Glasgow Prestwick Airport in Scotland will take about three months to complete.

Ken Fitzgibbon, EirTrade's chief executive, said the disassembly is timely because the earliest Dreamliners are coming up on their 12-year check, when airlines will be looking for used parts to reduce their maintenance costs.

As no 787s have been retired from commercial service to date, there is almost no USM (used serviceable materials) market for this platform at the moment," Fitzgibbon said in a written statement. "We are entering into a specialist area and hope to become a market leader in the provision of USM for the platform which will enable the reduction of the cost of maintenance events for 787 aircraft owners.

Ireland's AerCap Leasing bought the planes from Boeing and then leased them to Norwegian. Both of the 787-8 planes were built at Boeing's now-closed Dreamliner assembly line in Everett, Wash. The first was delivered on June 28, 2013, followed by the second on Aug. 23 that year.

Norwegian temporarily grounded the jets shortly after leasing them following technical problems that included one plane failing to power up and a cockpit display in the other that indicated brake problems. Maintenance workers were able to get the aircraft back in service within days, but the incidents extended a string of problems that plagued the Dreamliner program's early days.

It's unusual for a wide-body plane to hit the scrapyard after less than a decade of service, with long-range wide-bodies typically built to last 30 to 40 years or more, according to SimpleFlying.com. It's not clear why the Norwegian jets were taken out of service at a young age.

Steve Trowell, hangar manager for EirTrade, said in a statement that there has been "huge interest" in the Dreamliners that will be disassembled. EirTrade has also disassembled the jumbo A380 plane built by French aviation firm Airbus.

Boeing's assembly campus in North Charleston delivered its first Dreamliner on Oct. 5, 2012. The company closed the Everett line and consolidated all 787 production to the Lowcountry plant off International Boulevard two years ago, although some repair work still takes place on the West Coast.

While the former Norwegian Dreamliners will be the first commercial aircraft of the type of be disassembled, Boeing previously scrapped a test-model 787-8 in 2018 that was never delivered to a customer.
Charleston County School Board members voted to advance a policy allowing members to hold prayers before meetings.

The 5-4 margin came Feb. 27 when the board also heard a presentation about North Charleston High School's African American history curriculum and got an update on five schools' progress toward meeting a goal of getting all fifth grade students reading at grade level.

The prayer vote occurred after weeks of district residents pleading to the board not to pass the amendment.

During the meeting's public comment portion, a parent and a community member asked the board to vote "no" and questioned whether it had a "special agenda."

Board member Carol Tempel said she received three emails that day from religious leaders at two Christian churches and one synagogue, all recommending the board not support this amendment.

"We are in a diverse community and it would be respectful for us to pray personally rather than in public," she said.

Holding prayer before meetings was first discussed during a Jan. 9 board meeting. The original amendment board members could open meetings with prayer and prevented them from invoking "Jesus Christ" or a patron saint.

Carlotte Bailey and Leah Whatley, two board members, recommended striking that portion, saying it discriminated against Christians.

It was changed so board members couldn't invoke any specific deity and only use broad references like God or "The Almighty." The prayers also must be non-sectarian.

The issue was raised again at a Jan. 23 meeting where community members flooded the public comment section speaking out against the change. Board member Ed Kelley suggested making the prayer optional instead of requiring it before every meeting.

At the Feb. 27 meeting, Kelley said the amendment continued what the previous board was already doing. He said they opened meetings in prayer for people who died or asking for wisdom to make a decision. This would make the prayers more official.

The amendment will have a second reading. If a majority of board members vote in favor of the policy, it will go into effect.

African American history

Henry Darby, North Charleston High School's principal, gave a passionate presentation about his school's African American history course.

He said the course was important for White students and Black students because it highlighted the often-overlooked White allies who helped the civil rights movement.

"Im here this afternoon not to minimize the suffering and brutality that Blacks experienced," he said. "Im here to prove a point, that White parents and White students need not feel guilty or anything of that nature when discussing African American history because they will see that Whites were also involved within the civil rights history."

He said that the more students learn about African American history, the more they learn about White history.

Across the country, K-12 education has become increasingly politicized as wedge issues about critical race theory, LGBTQ education and social-emotional learning dominate conversations. After the College Board announced a new Advanced Placement course in African American Studies in August, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis blocked it from being taught in the state's schools.

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The College Board then revised the subject matter, removing some potentially politically hot-button topics like Black Lives Matter.

Ellen Weaver, now the state Republic superintendent of education, said last summer that critical race theory, an academic framework that examines racism embedded in public policy and legal institutes thats typically taught at law schools, was being taught in South Carolina classrooms. She outlined a plan to remove it.

Five of CCSD's current board members were endorsed by the parents' right group Moms for Liberty. The Post and Courier interviewed one of the national group's founders in November, and asked about a tweet sent out by the group's New Hampshire chapter offering a $500 reward for anyone who caught a teacher using critical race theory in their lessons.

Tiffany Justice, the co-founder, said the wording could have been better but if critical race theory wasn't being taught it shouldn't be an issue.

Tara Wood, the chair of the group's Charleston chapter, told the newspaper that she doesn't think critical race theory is being taught in the district's schools but that the theory's tenants are trickling into curriculums. She said any time the narrative is "White man bad, dark man good" that's critical race theory, which she called "horrible."

Darby highlighted the accomplishments of Joan Mulholland, a White Southern woman who joined civil rights protests, during his Feb. 27 presentation. He also spoke about Paul Guihard, a European reporter killed during a riot at the University of Mississippi, and the Rev. Bruce Klunder, who was killed protesting the construction of a segregated school.

The course has units on African kingdoms and the Atlantic slave trade, Civil War and Reconstruction, and contemporary issues in African American history and Africa.

Darby emphasized that the course is an elective, not a requirement at his school.

'Vision 2027'

Charleston County Superintendent Don Kennedy updated the school board on five North Charleston schools' academic progress.

Their gains are part of a larger plan the superintendent's office called "vision 2027" to get all students reading on grade level by fifth grade. The district is also committed to helping students of color reading at the same level as their White classmates.

Test scores released last June showed a wide gap between CCSD students of color and their White peers. On the test, where scoring in the high percentiles means better performance, Black students scored in the 34th percentile, Hispanic students in the 35th and White students in the 77th in reading.

The five schools that presented their progress were Chicora Elementary School, Mary Ford Early Learning & Family Center, North Charleston Elementary, W.B. Goodwin Elementary and Morningside Middle School.

George White, Morningside Middle principal, said referrals, or disciplinary write-ups, declined by 70 percent year-to-date. Students meeting or exceeding expectations in math rose to 10.5 percent in 2022 from 3.6 percent in 2021 on the SC Ready test. In reading, students meeting or exceeding expectations grew to 18.6 percent from 11.9 percent during the same period.

His presentation was met with applause from those at the meeting.

Cornetta Sams, a Chicora Elementary assistant principal, said her staff is using targeted small group instruction and data dives to help students improve. The number of students that do not meet expectations in English language arts, math and science has decreased while the amount of students approaching or meeting and exceeding expectations rose.

Loretta Hart, principal at Mary Ford, said 81 percent of students are performing at or above grade level on reading. The school is also offering family engagement opportunities like passes to Holiday Festival of Light and James Island County Park, and a Father-to-Fatherhood initiative.

After the presentation, board member Courtney Waters thanked the school leaders for their hard work.
Come July 1, Charleston County School District could have a new superintendent if the search process continues to move along.

A team of four school board members tasked with selecting firms to lead the search for CCSD's new leader announced they've narrowed the choice to four firms.

Based on discussions with the firms, Keith Grybowski, a school board member, said the district will have sufficient superintendent candidates for someone to start in July.

They were all very confident that this is a very good market at the moment, he said at a Feb. 28 meeting about the superintendent search.

The firms will present their pitches to the school board and public at the committee of the whole meeting on March 13.

The four search firms are Florida-based Greenwood/Asher & Associated; Illinois-based Hazard, Young, Attea & Associates; Iowa-based Ray and Associates; and the South Carolina School Board Association.

More Coverage To read more in-depth stories from The Post and Courier's Education Lab, go to postandcourier.com/education-lab.

Grybowski added that several are already working with local school districts in the region, including Savannah-Chatham County Public School System in Georgia and Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools in North Carolina.

There's been an awful lot of interest in the Southeast, so I think we're gonna get a good pool, but they need to get going," he said.

The superintendent search will also include an engagement plan that allows the board to get first-hand input from the CCSD community. Courtney Waters, a school board member, asked her colleagues to authorize an engagement plan at the next board meeting so district staff could begin coordinating those opportunities.

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Then we can apply the community concerns to the rubric and the interview process, she said.

This update to the superintendent search comes more than a year after Gerrita Postlewait suddenly resigned from the superintendent position in late December 2021. She led the states second-largest district for six years, and the reasons why she left her position remain unclear.

In May 2022, Lexington 1s school board named Postlewait interim superintendent and then made her the permanent leader several months later.

Since then, Charleston has yet to find a permanent, long-term leader.

More Information The Post and Courier Education Lab is a multi-year project, employing four reporters, focused on the need for public education reform in South Carolina. The Coastal Community Foundation and Spartanburg Foundation serve as fiscal sponsors for the Education Lab, which is supported by grants from the Jolley Foundation, Intertech, anonymous donors, and generous donations on behalf of donors to The Post and Courier Public Service and Investigative Fund who designate to the Education Lab.

Following Postlewaits departure, the Charleston school board made Don Kennedy, then-chief financial officer and administrative officer for the district, the interim superintendent. In June 2022, board members named him superintendent  but they said he would have the job only until they found a replacement.

The previous Charleston school board started searching for a leader last year. Board members formed an ad hoc committee and interviewed five search firms last June.

The process paused without explanation and most of the board turned over in November.

The search firm presentations will start at 3 p.m. March 13 during the Committee of the Whole meeting.
GREENVILLE  A video posted online showed an apparent confrontation over abortion rights outside the only independent abortion clinic in South Carolina.

The edited video, posted Feb. 25 on TikTok by abortion rights group Abortion Access Front and then shared on Twitter, showed a group of men attempting to set up ladders outside a wooden fence in front of Greenville Women's Clinic. AAF members and others were trying to stop them.

The post said the men with ladders were with Operation Save America, a national Christian fundamentalist organization that opposes abortion. OSA held a meeting Feb. 22-25 in Travelers Rest, in northern Greenville County. The group planned "outreach" at a local abortion clinic in Greenville, according to a post on its website.

Deputies with the Greenville County Sheriffs Office spoke with individuals from both parties at the scene, but no charges were filed, according to GCSO reports from Feb. 23-24. About 100 people lined the roadway Feb. 23, waving signs and yelling, according to the reports.

Greenville Women's Clinic is one of three abortion clinics in South Carolina. The other two are operated by Planned Parenthood in Columbia and Charleston.
The Individual Income Tax due date is Tuesday, April 18. If you have a tax bill and are worried you can't pay, the South Carolina Department of Revenue (SCDOR) wants you to know that you have options. Read moreWhat to do if you can't afford to pay your taxes
As the Pentagon looks to reexamine names honoring Civil War Confederates, a Navy guided missile cruiser has been redubbed in honor of a famous Black statesman from South Carolina who escaped through Charleston Harbor.

The Ticonderoga-class cruiser Chancellorsville, originally named after the 1863 Confederate victory in Virginia, will now be called the Robert Smalls.

Smalls was a skilled sailor from Beaufort born into slavery in 1839 who piloted the Confederate steamer Planter in Charleston. He managed an impressive escape on the vessel in the spring of 1862.

The Navy announced Feb. 27 it is changing the name of the warship in commemoration of Smalls service, making the decision following recommendations from the Congressional Naming Commission.

The body has identified several military assets with Confederate associations.

In September, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin accepted all the recommendations and set the end of 2023 as the deadline for renaming assets.

I am proud to rename CG 62 after Robert Smalls, Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro said in a media release. He was an extraordinary American and I had the pleasure of learning more about him last year when I visited his home in South Carolina.

Del Toro said the renaming effort is meant to align the Navy with the core tenets of the country and to highlight people and events who have been overlooked.

Robert Smalls is a man who deserves a namesake ship and with this renaming, his story will continue to be retold and highlighted, he said.

The independent commission recommends which assets to rename but leaves the choice of a new name to the Defense Department.

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After getting members of his family, other enslaved people and valuable cargo on board, Smalls piloted the boat through Confederate-held waters in Charleston Harbor and through the channel to the open ocean where, now flying a white flag, he sidled up to the federal vessel onward and surrendered to the U.S. Navy.

It was a daring move, well planned and executed. Smalls had gained years of experience on the wharves of Charleston and in the harbor. He knew the tides, shoals, rules, signals and protocols.

After winning freedom for himself and his shipmates, Smalls went on to boycott segregated public transportation, command the South Carolina militia, and serve in the S.C. Legislature.

In 1874, he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives and served five terms, advocating for integration, public education and more. Eventually, he would purchase the home of his enslaver.

He died in Beaufort in 1915, disappointed by the resurgence of white supremacy and the end of Reconstruction in which he had played a vital role.

Michael Boulware Moore, a decendant of Robert Smalls, called the renaming a special honor.

Im always proud and inspired by my great-great grandfather, and to see others take note of his accomplishments and his stature ... just makes me feel really good. Im happy for him, Moore said.
Mount Pleasant, SC (29464)

Today

Mostly cloudy skies. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 78F. Winds SSW at 10 to 20 mph..

Tonight

Scattered thunderstorms in the evening. Cloudy skies overnight. Low around 55F. Winds WSW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 50%.
WALTERBORO  As John Marvin Murdaugh cleaned his nephews blood and brains off a feed room floor on June 8, 2021, he made a silent vow.

In my mind, I told Paul I loved him, he tearfully testified to a Colleton County jury on Feb. 27. I promised him that Id find out who did this to him.

Have you found out? asked Jim Griffin, a defense attorney representing John Marvins brother, Alex Murdaugh.

I have not, John Marvin replied.

John Marvin delivered his testimony just before Alex Murdaughs defense team rested its case in a Lowcountry double-murder trial that has captured international attention.

His account offered more evidence that Murdaughs relatives support and believe him as he pleads his innocence in the brutal June 2021 slayings of his wife, Maggie, and son Paul.

His testimony came just days after Murdaugh, 54, admitted to lying to investigators and loved ones about his whereabouts the night of the killings.

Prosecutors with the S.C. Attorney Generals Office say Murdaugh, a once-respected Hampton lawyer, killed his wife and son to turn himself into a victim and delay a series of inquiries that could have soon exposed his decade-long habit of stealing from his clients and law partners.

But Murdaughs immediate family has shown no signs they buy that theory. His brothers, John Marvin and Randy Murdaugh IV; sister-in-law Liz Murdaugh; sister Lynn Murdaugh Goette and remaining son Buster Murdaugh have sat a few rows behind him nearly every day of the trial.

Buster, 26, testified Feb. 21 in his fathers defense, providing context and explanations for behavior by Murdaugh that state prosecutors had held up as suspicious.

In addition to Buster, John Marvin and a pair of family friends, Murdaughs defense team has marched a procession of expert witnesses to the stand to poke holes in the states forensics evidence and discredit the investigation that led to Alex Murdaughs July 2022 indictment.

On Feb. 27, a pathologist and crime scene analyst, for example, opined that the states pathologist had misjudged the trajectory of the shotgun blast that killed Paul. They confidently testified Paul was shot in the back of the head, execution-style, as he stumbled forward after the first shot grazed his chest.

The states experts had insisted Paul was shot at a dramatic upward angle as he exited a feed room by a set of dog kennels on the familys spacious Colleton County hunting estate. They said shotgun pellets grazed Pauls left shoulder before entering under his jaw and ejecting his brain through the back of his skull.

The defenses experts also have helped advance a theory that 52-year-old Maggie and Paul, 22, were killed by two shooters.

Last week, a crime scene reconstruction expert testified his bullet trajectory analysis suggests Maggies shooter was a foot shorter than Murdaugh, who is 6 feet, 4 inches tall.

On Feb. 27, crime scene analyst Tim Palmbach, the former director of the state of Connecticuts forensics lab, said the totality of the evidence tells him the crime was likely committed by more than one person.

Palmbach noted two long guns were used in the slayings: a 12-gauge shotgun, used to kill Paul, and a .300 Blackout semiautomatic rifle, which was turned on Maggie.

Palmbach testified the evidence indicates Paul was shot first. His killer likely would have been briefly stunned by the blasts force and the shower of blood, brain and skull matter that blew back, Palmbach said.

The shooter could not have quickly recovered from that impact, dropped the shotgun, picked up a rifle and engaged in a meaningful assault of Maggie, who seemed to be running toward the gunfire, Palmbach testified.

Prosecutors didn't grill Palmbach about his two-shooter theory. But they have consistently brushed aside defense experts' notions that the angle of the shots was different than what the state's pathologist found. And they've mocked the idea that other shooters could have driven onto the property just minutes after Murdaugh left the kennels, found family weapons, taken Paul by surprise and slipped away undetected.

While the defenses forensic experts have worked to tear open logical holes in the states case, Murdaughs legal team has called his relatives and family friends to the witness stand to humanize the defendant.

Murdaughs defense attorneys, Jim Griffin and Dick Harpootlian, have worked to show he was a loving husband and adoring father who couldnt possibly have executed his wife and son.

John Marvin played his part Feb. 27, appearing folksy and emotional on the witness stand.

The heavy-equipment dealer sparked laughter in the courtroom as he said he was proud to be the only member of his family not to attend law school.

But he choked up as he spoke of Paul, Alexs younger son, and of his brothers relationship with Maggie and their boys.

He recalled how Alex Murdaugh would take Buster and Paul with him any time he went hunting.

Anything that the boys were doing, Alex wanted to do, John Marvin said. The boys always came first to him.

Alex and Maggie Murdaugh had hiccups just like any married couple, but they loved each other, John Marvin said. He recalled a double date he and his wife had taken with them to a Darius Rucker concert. Alex and Maggie sat a row ahead of them, holding hands and swaying to the music together.

My wife tapped me and said, Why arent you holding my hand? John Marvin said.

John Marvin testified his brother was absolutely hysterical over the phone on the night of June 7, 2021, when he called to relay that Maggie and Paul had been hurt really badly.

John Marvin said he could see first responders flashing lights when he arrived at the familys 1,700-acre hunting property, which they called Moselle. He found Alex Murdaugh near the dog kennels. Maggie and Pauls bodies lay facedown nearby.

He was just broken, distraught. Everybody was, John Marvin testified. All we did was hug and cried. I dont even know that we talked.

John Marvin testified he got little sleep that night before returning to Moselle the next day. He went down to the crime scene after state investigators had finished their work there, hoping for some semblance of closure. He and Paul had grown especially close, John Marvin told jurors through tears. Paul had been working for his uncle's Beaufort-based heavy equipment business that summer. They bonded over a shared love of hunting and the outdoors. They were both outliers in a family of high-powered lawyers.

John Marvin could still see the spot on the ground where Maggies body had been. And he found blood, brain matter and chunks of skull in the feed room where his nephew had been shot. He testified no mother, father, aunt or uncle should ever have to see that.

I felt like I owed him, John Marvin said, and I just started cleaning.
Charleston, SC (29403)

Today

Clouds and some sun this morning with more clouds for this afternoon. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High near 80F. Winds SSW at 10 to 20 mph..

Tonight

Scattered thunderstorms during the evening. Cloudy skies after midnight. Low around 55F. Winds WSW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 50%.
MYRTLE BEACH  Two Longs residents have been charge with human trafficking after recruiting a woman to perform commercial sex acts at a Myrtle Beach hotel, according to the State Law Enforcement Division.

Lashon Alvin Ladson, 37, and Brittany Marquita Rutledge Jackson, 25, were charged with trafficking in persons Feb. 24 in Horry County. The case will be prosecuted by the South Carolina Attorney General's Office.

Ladson and Jackson remain in the J. Reuben Long Detention Center. They haven't had their initial court appearance. Bail has not been set.

According to SLED arrest warrants, Ladson and Jackson recruited a homeless, narcotics-addicted woman for the purposes of performing commercial sex acts for compensation on Aug. 16, 2022.

The pair obtained a hotel room at the Comfort Suites Hotel in Myrtle Beach and took all the proceeds gained from the commercial sex acts completed by the victim, according to the warrants.

(Ladson) knowingly exploited the victim through force, fraud and/or coercion and took advantage of her homelessness and drug dependency, according to the warrants. (Jackson) knew the victim was being exploited for narcotics through force, fraud and coercion and that she did not want to engage in commercial sex.

This is not the first time Ladson has been charged with trafficking and soliciting sexual acts.

Ladson was arrested in September for hiring a minor under the age of 18 to violate state obscenity statutes, contributing to the delinquency of a minor and drug charges.

Then, while incarcerated, he was charged in October with first-degree criminal sexual conduct and two charges of trafficking in persons, according to court records.

Jackson was arrested in September for hiring a minor under the age of 18 to violate state obscenity statutes, and then arrested again in October with trafficking a minor under the age of 18. The charges have since been disposed, according to court records.
South Carolina in the past five years experienced the fourth-highest rate of personally reported gun thefts in the country, a sweeping national report released this month on guns used in crimes revealed.

Stolen firearms are being used more often in U.S. gun crimes, according to the report, which examined firearms recovered in crimes by local, state and national law enforcement between 2017 and 2021. The report, which was released by the U.S. Department of Justice's Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, offers the most comprehensive data on firearm diversion in the U.S. in at least two decades.

In 2021, firearms were used in more than 85 percent of South Carolina's murders, which increased to levels unseen since 1995, according to the most recent data compiled by State Law Enforcement Division. In 2022, law enforcement agencies in cities including Charleston, North Charleston and Columbia reported decreases in fatal shootings compared with the previous year.

The national report found a shrinking time window between the legal purchase of a firearm and the gun's use in a crime, suggesting weapons are changing hands faster and that it is becoming easier for people with criminal intent to get their hands on a gun. By providing insight into the life of a gun from its retail purchase to its use in a crime, the data equips law enforcement and policy makers with intelligence to deploy in their fight against gun violence.

"We're always trying to figure out why and how," explained North Charleston Police Department Deputy Chief Kenneth Hagge. "If we're trying to figure out where these guns are coming from, this is a big piece in that puzzle."

The data defies myths about urban gun violence and gun trafficking, Hagge said.

"The general perception of society was this seedy-looking guy in a Cadillac Coupe DeVille was pulling down into neighborhoods and opening up the trunk and had a cache of weapons that he was selling," Hagge said. "We argued that that just wasn't the case the whole time. And this proves that that isn't the case."

Stealing guns

More than 1 million firearms were reported stolen in the U.S. between 2017 and 2021, according to the report, which described theft as a significant contributor to gun violence.

More than half of those nationally reported thefts occurred in the South. South Carolina trailed Mississippi, Alabama and Louisiana with the highest rates of reported private gun thefts, respectively. Within the Palmetto State, an average of 7,825 guns were reported stolen annually by private individuals  about 151 gun theft victims for every 100,000 people.

Gun theft provides an avenue for people legally prohibited from carrying a weapon to procure one.

Nick Suplina, senior vice president for Law & Policy at the gun control think tank Everytown for Gun Safety, said the fastest growing type of gun theft is from cars, which are often parked outside of a home.

"It's ironic because people are keeping the gun to prevent the burglary, but in fact, increasingly, it is the gun that the burglars are looking to steal," he said.

Columbia and North Charleston were among the top five cities in the country with the highest rates of gun thefts from cars within the past decade, according to Everytown's analysis of data reported to the FBI.

Suplina said the popularity of guns in the South and permissive gun carrying laws helps explain why this region of the country reported the most thefts.

South Carolina does not require people to register their weapon or report a stolen firearm. The latter might change.

A bill that passed the House last week lifting restrictions on carrying guns in public contained an amendment that would require people to report stolen firearms. The provision, which was introduced by Rep. Jermaine Johnson, D-Hopkins, lacks teeth to impose penalties on people who fail to report.

The bill states a gun owner must report a weapon stolen to their local law enforcement agency within 30 days of discovery.

But in one instance in the Lowcountry, a law enforcement officer was in fact responsible for stealing firearms.

Former Summerville police officer Wade Franklin Rollings stole four firearms from the agency's evidence room and sold them in 2020 to Big Bucks Pawn Shop. The 47-year-old man pleaded guilty Feb. 9 to misconduct in office and grand larceny and was sentenced in the 14th Circuit's criminal court to one year in state prison followed by probation.

Authorities secured a conviction but were unable to recover the weapons.

Capt. Chris Hirsch of the Summerville Police Department said Feb. 24 that the pawnshop sold the firearms before law enforcement could retrieve them.

Time-to-crime

The national report found a shrinking window between a firearm's legal purchase and its recovery at a crime scene.

"Guns are moving very very quickly from regulated to illegal and unregulated markets, Suplina said. The faster a gun does move from a dealer to a crime scene, the more likely it was bought with the intent to use it criminally or traffic it.

The national average lifespan of a gun between its legal purchase and use in a crime was 2 years. In South Carolina, it was three years. Still, almost 30 percent of firearms used in crimes were legally purchased in the state within a year of the first crime to which they were traced.

Suplina said the report raises direct questions about whether licensed gun dealers and manufacturers should be held accountable for gun violence.

All federal firearms licensees are required to maintain records regarding the sale or transfer of a firearm, which has a serial number and model, thereby allowing authorities to trace a recovered weapon to its first retail purchaser. But from there, the weapon can change hands numerous times  through theft or private sales  without documentation.

The national report also relies on advanced forensics analysis that police throughout South Carolina employ to understand gun violence.

Like fingerprints, firearms have unique characteristics that enable forensic examiners to connect guns and crime scenes that would appear unrelated.

Investigators collect casings ejected by firearms at crime scenes and enter their findings into a national ballistics database, which is managed by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The National Integrated Ballistic Information Network stores those images and compares them to others to determine if there is a match or "lead."

For example, Hagge, the deputy police chief in North Charleston, said officers traced two individual firearms to 21 shootings in the past two years by analyzing casings discharged at crime scenes.

The ballistic evidence indicates to the veteran law enforcement official that the shootings are retaliatory.

"You've got two people shooting at each other 21 different times," he said.

Investigators who recover a crime gun will also test fire the weapon and upload the casings to the database to determine if the recovered firearm is responsible for additional shootings.

Columbia had the third-highest rate of crime guns recovered and traced of all small cities in the country, according to the national report.

James Modzelewski left the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives in 2019 to run the city of Columbia Police Department's Crime Gun Intelligence Unit. The inspector said recovering crime guns and shell casings is essential to the departments overall gun violence reduction strategy.

The national report, he said, dovetails with investigators' findings that guns recovered in crimes in Columbia  and throughout South Carolina  were trafficked locally.

The guns that we recover here, the overwhelming majority of them were initially sold and purchased in the state, Modzelewski said. South Carolina is pretty conservative when it comes to firearms. There are a lot of guns in our state.
North Augustas Living History Park became a site to plan the celebration of 250th anniversary of the American Revolution.

The South Carolina American Revolution Sestercentennial Commission met at the park on Friday, Feb. 24, to discuss and honor the roles the major players of the Revolutionary War.

The commission was started by the S.C. General Assembly in 2018 as a way to educate and bring cultural tourism to the state. The state commission meeting, which was held both in person at the park and virtually on Webex, read through a variety of grants aimed to help bolster education and tourism to historical sites across the state.

There will be a lot of cultural heritage tourists in South Carolina, and they are going to come whether we are ready for them or not. Its an industry and South Carolina has a good tourism industry in Hilton Head and Charleston and Myrtle Beach, but the Revolutionary War happened all over the state, said Charles Baxley, commissioner for SC 250. We are about discovering places, helping local communities discover their stories to tell and figuring out how to monetize the services to tourists.

The event also included a tour of the Living History Park, which focuses on the day-to-day life of Americans during the Revolutionary time period, which lasted from 1775-1783.

Baxley believes it is important to showcase the Revolutionary War era's history and the impact it had on smaller, local communities.

Lynn Thompson, who runs the Living History Park, agrees that showcasing and hosting interactive events about that time period is important to further education.

I want everybody from the state of South Carolina to know about it. We have visitors who come from all over the world, but some people live two blocks from here and dont know anything about it. I hope to get the word out about it, Thompson said. Everybody is about education and I understand the battles and all of that, but I think kids need to know what happened, how they had to live.

The Living History Park is located at 299 W. Spring Grove Ave.

For more information on SC 250, visit southcarolina250.com.
Not content with a single bill that would throw $90 million in tax money at private schools that dont have to meet state standards, the S.C. Senate is preparing to create a second program to pay parents to abandon public schools.

The good thing about the so-called Academic Choice in Education bill is that it might never waste as much money as the Senates straightforward voucher plan, because the new bill relies on individuals and companies who are so opposed to the idea of government that theyre willing to go to the trouble of diverting their tax dollars from the states general needs to the scholarships.

Of course, there could be more of them than we expect, since what is supposed to be a dollar-for-dollar trade of donations for state income tax credits can actually become a money-making scheme for certain taxpayers, because it can lower their federal income taxes.

But even if public school supporters who are backing S.285 are right in their calculation that this alternative plan will never amount to much, thats the only thing that recommends it.

Unlike the voucher bill senators passed earlier this month, this one doesnt even pretend to be targeted at poor kids. True, S.39 doesnt focus on poor kids nearly as much as it should: A family of four that makes as much as $111,000 could receive vouchers under the legislation. But while this voucher work-around bill does reserve $15 million for kids from families who make half that much, there are no income limits for the other $30 million that taxpayers could give to private schools instead of paying their taxes.

Unlike the voucher bill, this one also pays parents, regardless of their incomes, who home-school their kids. Thats another $10 million that could be diverted from income tax payments.

Unlike the voucher bill, this one doesnt even include the insufficient accountability of requiring scholarship recipients to take tests similar to the ones we require of public school students.

Lawmakers who have traditionally opposed voucher proposals said during last weeks Senate Finance Committee debate that this was OK because S.285 doesnt take any money out of the state budget. Thats technically true, but the effect is indistinguishable: It reduces the amount of money that goes into the treasury by giving people those dollar-for-dollar income tax credits when they donate to a self-selected nonprofit organization.

Thats a nonprofit organization that the state doesnt really regulate and that keeps 5% of the money for overhead and doles out the rest to students it selects to receive scholarships to private schools. Its worth recalling that the last time the Legislature tried authorizing these Rube Goldberg around-your-elbow-to-your-nose scholarship-funding organizations, it had to shut them down after years of abuses and create a state panel to run the special-needs scholarship program.

Even if you agree that there's a significant difference between spending tax money on private schools and never collecting it in the first place, its worth recalling, too, that the similar, but smaller, special-needs program the state created in 2014 does require testing. In fact, it requires all the students to be tested in schools that accept the scholarships  not just the scholarship recipients. Which is what we should do, since the tests are designed to judge schools rather than students. This bill would wipe out the current program, along with its testing requirement, and replace it with what supporters hope will be a much larger program, with no testing required.

Nor should we feel good about this work-around program because senators propose to launder a smaller amount of money through it than they want to set aside for a traditional voucher program: Supporters have made it clear that they hope to greatly expand the amount of money going into both programs.

The sponsors see using the private, unregulated scholarship-funding organizations as a safer way to pay parents to leave the public schools, because they worry that the S.C. Supreme Court will find the voucher bill unconstitutional. Frankly, we dont expect that to happen, because we believe voucher backers have misread an admittedly badly written opinion from two years ago, when the high court said Gov. Henry McMaster couldnt use COVID money that had all sorts of strings attached to it to pay for vouchers.

It might be nice to imagine that the Legislature could be prevented from squandering $90 million next year on vouchers, but the more likely outcome if this $55 million bill becomes law is that both programs go into effect next year, using our tax money to lure even more of the most engaged parents out of our public schools and to further weaken public support for the schools that the vast majority of S.C. children will always rely on.

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COLUMBIA  Pam Loudon's life changed forever nine months after she gave birth to her daughter P.J. Sloat.

Doctors diagnosed P.J. with an intellectual disability and cerebral palsy, an abnormal brain development that affects a persons ability to control their muscles.

P.J., now 20, is legally blind, uses a wheelchair and requires constant care to perform basic functions. Loudon, 52, had to quit her job as a software developer and devote herself to caring for P.J. The Mount Pleasant family renovated their home, hired a nursing service and bought a used van they rigged with a wheelchair lift.

The family is barely making it work now with a mix of government support and donations through GoFundMe pages, but Loudon worries most about the future.

A parents worst fear is outliving a child. Not so sure thats the case in South Carolina when youre caring for a child with a disability, Loudon said. I dont know whats going to happen to P.J. when I cannot care for her.

If P.J. had to go into state care, she would enter a system that the federal Department of Justice has been investigating since last January for parking disabled people in community residential care facilities, cutting them off from society and violating the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Advocates for disabled people on Feb. 28 called for the state to create a plan to come into compliance with the ADA and adequately fund services for families like Loudons during a press conference at the Columbia Convention Center. If nothing is done, the advocates pointed out that disabled people elsewhere in the country have sued their states into compliance.

Historically, our clients ... have been segregated, theyve been warehoused and theyve struggled for many years to be recognized as human, said Anna Maria Connor, an attorney for Disability Rights South Carolina.

Do we want (change) imposed on us by litigation or an outside entity, or do we want to take this opportunity and come up with our own plan? she asked.

The U.S. Supreme Court found in the 1999 Olmstead v. L.C. decision that the ADA requires disabled people be cared for in the most communally integrated setting possible regardless of their financial means.

South Carolina does not do that, advocates said in a report released this month.

Thirty-five states and Washington, D.C., have Olmstead compliance plans, but South Carolina does not, said Beth Franco, executive director of Disability Rights South Carolina.

Franco called on South Carolina to pass legislation to create a plan, benchmarks to ensure its enforced and a state coordinator position to oversee its implementation.

Advocates and families also faulted the state for poorly reimbursing support services, like nursing agencies, and for long waiting lists for state-administered Medicaid waivers. Loudon said her family has not had enough nurses since 2014 due to the tough working conditions and paltry pay driving people from the profession.

There are some really genuinely great people out there who will do it, but I do feel like we in this state have leveraged their compassion, she said. Weve guilted them into staying in a job that doesnt pay.

State Sen. Katrina Shealy, R-Lexington, pledged to support the advocates efforts in the Statehouse.

We owe it to those who sometimes cant advocate for themselves to see this work through and improve the lives of millions in our state, she said at the Feb. 28 event.

Loudon hopes relief comes soon.

It would provide some hope, she said as P.J. sat quietly in her chair nearby.
Former Vice President Mike Pence will return to South Carolina on March 2 in a makeup visit after his earlier trip was postponed due to the birth of his second grandchild.

Pence will still be doing a roundtable in North Charleston with the city's police chief, Reggie Burgess, that day. But instead of going to Myrtle Beach as was previously planned, he will visit Bob Jones University in Greenville later in the day.

The stop with Burgess was described as participation in a law enforcement roundtable "amidst renewed calls from the Radical Left to 'defund the police'," according to an announcement from Advancing American Freedom, Pence's political advocacy group.

In Greenville, Pence will participate in what was described as a "fireside chat" at BJU that will draw local pastors.

Pence is expected to join the Republican race for the White House, but no firm date has been announced.

Pence canceled his Feb. 6 trip to South Carolina after his oldest daughter, Charlotte Pence Bond, went into labor. Pence and his wife, Karen, instead headed to California to be with their daughter.

This will be Pence's ninth trip to South Carolina since leaving office, home of the first-in-the-South 2024 GOP presidential primary. That is likely to be held next February.
COLUMBIA  A group of hard-line conservatives in the South Carolina House of Representatives is challenging state laws that ban them from raising money to support their candidates and influence elections.

A lawsuit filed Feb. 28 takes an intra-party Republican feud to another level, with the uber-conservative South Carolina Freedom Caucus fighting in federal court for the same rights to seek and spend donations as the larger House GOP Caucus.

It seeks a declaration that state laws which treat the Freedom Caucus differently violate their members' free speech rights guaranteed in the First Amendment and equal protection in the 14th Amendment.

Other caucuses "can raise money, hire staff, openly endorse candidates," Rep. Adam Morgan, the Freedom Caucus chairman, said during a Statehouse news conference. "Our political speech is muzzled by current ethics laws."

The Taylors Republican argued the laws, which date to 1962, represent an abuse of power being weaponized by politicians in power to "silence opposition."

The lawsuit is filed against the 10-member House Ethics Committee, which is divided evenly among Republicans and Democrats.

But the complaints are aimed squarely at members of the Freedom Caucus' own party.

The filing took the chamber's leading Republicans by surprise.

"While I am unaware of the details of this lawsuit, I am confident the courts will sort it out as is their purpose," said House Speaker Murrell Smith, R-Sumter. "In the meantime, my focus will continue to be on legislating, not litigating."

House Ethics Chairman Jay Jordan, R-Florence, said he's never threatened a violation of law or otherwise had any other conversation with Freedom Caucus members about the group's fundraising limitations.

"If they think they have grounds, that's what a lawsuit is for," he said.

Like much of the state ethics code, a violation of the restrictions is a misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in jail or up to a $5,000 fine.

By law, the Freedom Caucus  which formed last April as a subset of the GOP Caucus  is defined as a "special interest caucus," which can raise money for expenses such as printing, postage and attending conferences, but only for activities unrelated to electing or opposing candidates.

Those fundraising abilities are reserved for the Republican and Democratic caucuses in each chamber, as well as caucuses organized by gender or race. For that reason, the Legislative Black Caucus and General Assembly Women's Caucus are treated the same as the major-party caucuses.

Other groups in the Legislature with the "special interest" label include the sportsmen's and military caucuses. Another example is the Family Caucus, a group of Christian, anti-abortion legislators. Freshmen also have their own caucus. Many legislators belong to multiple caucuses, in addition to their party caucus.

The Freedom Caucus' split from the larger House GOP Caucus marks a first.

While the November elections gave Republicans a supermajority advantage in the House  88 Republicans to 36 Democrats  16 of the Freedom Caucus' 20 members are not part of the House GOP Caucus. That's because they refused to sign rules the caucus adopted during an organizational meeting after the election.

The rule that caused the schism bans members from participating in "campaign activities of any kind" against a fellow caucus member. House GOP leaders wanted to prevent a repeat of last year, when Rep. R.J. May, a campaign consultant, ran primary campaigns against fellow GOP incumbents.

May, the Freedom Caucus' vice chairman, likened the challenged state law to the GOP rule he refused to sign last month.

"This unconstitutional law, much like the slimy incumbent protection pledge being pushed by the House Republican Caucus, exists to maintain the failed status quo and silence conservatives," said the Lexington Republican.

Due to the fundraising restrictions, America First Legal is representing the Freedom Caucus voluntarily. The group, founded as the counter to the American Civil Liberties Union, is led by Stephen Miller, a former senior advisor to President Donald Trump.

"AFL recognizes that there are swamps in all 50 states and we appreciate their help in returning the people's house back to the people," said Rep. Josiah Magnuson, R-Campobello.

In addition to seeking a declaration that state law violates the U.S. Constitution, the lawsuit wants a federal court to order the GOP-led House Ethics Committee to treat the Freedom Caucus like the House GOP Caucus. The order would ensure Freedom Caucus fundraising and campaign activities could proceed as if the law didn't exist.

Rep. Micah Caskey, R-West Columbia, said the lawsuit represents an example of the Freedom Caucus trying to get its way through the courts rather than legislation.

"This is a demonstration they don't know how the law works," he said. A Marine veteran, Caskey is a member of the military caucus as well as the House GOP Caucus.

Asked if he thought a bill changing the law could pass, Caskey said, "I think it would be a worthy discussion. But because this motley crew ran to the courts, we'll have to see what the courts say."
COLUMBIA  Vice President Kamala Harris came to South Carolina on Feb. 27 to tout the administrations efforts to provide high-speed affordable internet access to rural communities and schools that serve minority students.

Harris announced the federal government will send 61 minority-serving institutions $175 million to improve internet access during her speech at Benedict College, a historically Black institution in Columbia.

The money will come out of the $65 billion pot allotted to connectivity efforts in the 2021 bipartisan infrastructure law.

These investments will be transformative because we know that when we connect folks with high-speed internet, we connect them with opportunity, Harris told a crowd of several hundred inside the campus center.

Benedict will receive about $2.8 million, which it will use to fund its laptop loan program, upgrade its Wi-Fi network and build a community computer lab, said Roslyn Clark Artis, the schools president.

Deml Dale, a Benedict College student and aspiring software engineer, told the audience about the difficulties he experienced when classes moved online during the pandemic.

Every time over 100 students tried to join virtual class or turn in assignments simultaneously, (it) would cause the internet to crash or to slow, he said.

Claflin University in Orangeburg will also receive about $3 million to improve its internet access, Harris said.

Lets make sure, then, that  these young leaders can maximize their education, Harris said. We have to be intentional. And many of those that we have focused on currently do not have reliable access to high-speed internet on campus.

The visit comes as Harris and President Joe Biden seek to promote the accomplishments of their first two years in office as the new, divided Congress makes significant progress on the administrations priorities unlikely.

Harris was joined Feb. 27 by U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn, who has long been a champion of expanding internet access in underserved and rural communities in South Carolina and nationwide.

We will connect every home and every business in the next five years, Clyburn pledged.

The Houses fourth-ranking Democrat regularly filed his Accessible, Affordable Internet for All Act that sought to provide rural communities with affordable high-speed internet before Congress passed the infrastructure law. When Harris was in the Senate, she was a sponsor of the companion bill in the upper chamber.

Harris referenced Clyburns passion for speedy connection, saying that when she was in the Senate almost every conversation I had with him was about high-speed internet.

In South Carolina, Clyburn has worked across the political aisle with Gov. Henry McMaster on state efforts to expand broadband to the pockets of the state where internet is still spotty.

Thanks to a $480 million state initiative, much of it funded with federal cash, 100,000 households were connected to faster internet in the year that ended last October.

About 137,000 households remain without fast and reliable service, the states Broadband Office estimates.

Harris promoted the administrations program that grants $30 monthly discounts for service and $100 grants to pay for the purchase of a computer to people in underserved communities, from which about 16 million people nationwide currently benefit.

The program allowed many of the low-income families at Carver-Lyon Elementary School in Columbia to connect to high-speed internet during the pandemic, according to Principal Monica Adams.

If we are faced with having to teach virtually in the future, we will be prepared, she said.

The trip was Harris fourth visit to South Carolina as vice president. The last time Harris was in the Palmetto State was in September 2022, when she spoke at South Carolina State University about the importance of voting ahead of the 2022 midterms.
Seplat Energy said Tuesday it has appointed Koosum Kalyan as an independent non-executive director with effect from 28 February.

Ms Kalyan is a South African businesswoman and economist whose career began in the Electricity Commission in Melbourne, Australia, the company said.

According to a statement issued by Nigerias biggest energy company by market value, Ms Kalyan subsequently joined Shell South Africa as an economist and became a member of the Shell Global Scenario Planning Team after which she embarked on her expatriate posting to Shell International London for 9 years.

The scope of her work included projects in Nigeria, Gabon, Mozambique, Tanzania, etc.

Ms Kalyan assisted governments in transforming its energy policies and in joining the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative during her tenure at Shell and also assisted in digitizing government institutions, it said.

The new appointee has served on the boards of several prestigious companies where she expertly contributed her wealth of knowledge to the progress of these companies and was recently appointed the Chairperson of Control Risk for Southern Africa.

Ms Kalyan has a degree in Economics from the University of Durban Westville. She also completed the Senior Executive Management Program at London Business School and a Leadership Management Program at Shell Leadership Institute.

Commenting on the appointment, the Chairman of SEPLAT Energy, Basil Omiyi, said the company eagerly looks forward to her contribution.

The Board of SEPLAT Energy is pleased to welcome Ms Koosum Kalyan. Koosum has a proven track record of operating across the African continent and her experience spans decades and cuts across the oil and gas industry as well as the wider energy industry. SEPLAT Energy eagerly looks forward to the enormous contribution she will make towards the Companys growth plans achieving global success, he said.

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Nollywood actors Adeniyi Johnson and Oluwaseyi Edun on Monday welcomed twin babies after seven years of marriage.

Despite being movie stars, the couple, who married in 2018, is private.

Adeniyi, 44, broke the news of the birth of his twin sons on his official Instagram alongside a picture showing his hands cuddling those of the babies.

The actor, who appreciated God for the blessings, disclosed on his post that he had waited seven years before the arrival of the twins on Monday.

My wife and I waited for Seven years. God is Indeed good. He planned it as a birthday gift for me, friends, family, fans, well-wishers and associates. I am happy to announce that I am the latest Twins Dad. My wife is doing fine, and Ibeji are doing great. Thank you all, he wrote on Instagram.

The babies were born on Adeniyis 44th birthday.

He also revealed this was why he couldnt respond to well-wishers on his birthday; he apologised to all of them.

READ ALSO:

This is why I couldnt post or celebrate my birthday I didnt even remember it was my birthday.

Apologies for not replying to messages, taking calls or commenting on your posts. I hope this good news will make you pardon me I love you all.

Their colleagues have thronged their Lagos home and Instagram page to celebrate them.

Adeniyi married Toyin Abraham on 3 July 2013 and parted ways in August 2015.

It was Toyin who announced that she had filed for a divorce on the grounds of infidelity

Adeniyi married Seyi after he formally divorced Toyin in 2018.

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The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has emerged as the winner of Saturdays presidential election in Kebbi State with 285,175 votes.

The State Collation Officer, Usman Saidu, a professor, while presenting the result in Birnin Kebbi, the state capital, said the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu, polled 248,088 votes.

Mr Saidu said the Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate, Peter Obi, also scored 10,682 votes while the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) candidate, Rabiu Kwankwaso, scored 5,038 votes.

He gave the state total registered voters as 1,983,985, the number of accredited voters as 599,201; total votes cast- 591,475; total valid votes-559,522 while 31,953 votes were rejected.

READ ALSO:

Speaking with journalists shortly after the declaration of the result, the Director-General, PDP Presidential Campaign Council, Kebbi State and party agent, Bala Dole, expressed appreciation for it.

He claimed that if not for some little hitches his party would have got more votes.

Also, the APC agent, Jaafar Ahmed, said there were issues with the result, insisting that the exercise was characterised by violence, late arrival of election materials, malfunctioning of BIVAS as well as an inducement in different forms.

Responding, the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in the State, Ahmed Bello-Mahmud, expressed appreciation that the elections were conducted peacefully, fairly, credibly and conclusively collated devoid of any rancour.

He appealed to the electorate to maintain the tempo in the forthcoming elections for the good of all.

(NAN)

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The presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in the yet to be concluded 2023 presidential and national assembly election, Adewole Adebayo, has conceded defeat to the candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu.

Mr Adebayo, in a tweet via his verified Twitter handle on Tuesday afternoon, also advised the candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Labour Party (LP), Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi respectively, to also accept defeat and congratulate Mr Tinubu.

In a telephone interview with PREMIUM TIMES, Mr Adewole, who confirmed the authenticity of the tweet, said his action and appeal to his counterparts in the other parties became necessary following the path they now toe which could lead Nigeria to a serious crisis.

Adewoles message

At exactly 3:46p.m on Tuesday, Mr Adebayo shared his tweet, saying: Chinua Achebe was right that leadership is the problem of Nigeria. Where are the true leaders? Same drama every election year is not progress. @GEJonathan saved us in 2015. It is now time for @atiku and @PeterObi to show that they love Nigeria. Time to call @officialABAT is now.

I have more grievances than all the presidential candidates combined. Im least satisfied with the results. I am dissatisfied with the choice of the electorate. It is the prerogative of the people to make unwise choices but the choice is clear. We can be more honest all around.

According to Mr Adebayo, the message became necessary due to the actions of both the Labour Party and the PDP. He said the two opposition political parties are playing into the hands of the enemies of Nigeria.

He said: What are we doing all this drama for? Why did we then criticise Trump? All the troubles Trump made, all the damage he caused, he still had to leave. So the process is usually like that.

So I am just appealing. Im not saying people cannot complain, but if this country would make any progress, this result is clear enough. Even though I am not happy with it, I have accepted the verdict for the sake of this country.

Mr Adebayo said he would never have recommended the ruling APC to any Nigerian to be voted for, but he said he agreed that it was the choice made by the electorate. We all know that elections have consequences and people should be left to bear the consequences of their decision.

Normally if everybody was sitting at the collation centre quietly, and were waiting for the result to be announced, and choose to head to court afterwards, there wouldnt have been any need for this message. But these press conferences that these two parties are organising and the way they are rallying the public, misrepresenting their grievances, which is just a technical matter, is the reason I am speaking out, he added.

So I would have ordinarily waited for the result to be announced and if my party decided to approach the court I wouldnt stop them.

Commendation for ex-President GEJ

The presidential candidate also commended former President Goodluck Jonathan for what he described as his statesmanly conduct in 2015.

He said Mr Jonathans congratulatory call to the then President-elect, Muhammadu Buhari, had saved Nigeria from a serious crisis.

The former President knew that what Mr Orubebe was doing at the collation centre could be followed by an unprecedented level of violence and public disturbance, and so he made the call and became a hero. That is what I expect these two opposition leaders to do in this circumstance as well, he added.

As of Tuesday evening, data from the PREMIUM TIMES election dashboard shows that Mr Tinubu is leading with more than eight million votes, followed by the candidate of the People Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, and Mr Obi with 6,515,884 and 5,765,371 respectively. The figures are based on the results declared across 33 of the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

Nigerians had trooped out en masse on Saturday to elect their preferred candidates during the presidential and national assembly election which was conducted across 774 local government areas in 36 states of the federation and the FCT.

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The Peoples Democratic Party and the Labour Party have called for the resignation of the Chairman of INEC, Mahmood Yakubu.

Both parties made the call at a joint press conference by their vice presidential candidates in Abuja on Tuesday. They also demanded the cancellation of the presidential election results announced by INEC in Abuja.

However, in a swift response, INEC dismissed the calls, saying Mr Yakubu would not resign and that aggrieved persons should channel their grievances according to the electoral laws.

PREMIUM TIMES reported that agents of the PDP and the LP had walked out of the national collation centre in Abuja on Monday when the INEC chairman insisted the process would continue even though the commission has yet to upload the results of all polling units on the INEC online portal, IReV.

On Tuesday, at a joint press conference, the PDP and LP called on the electoral commission to suspend the ongoing collation of results and cancel the elections.

They accused the commission of compromise and asked Mr Yakubu to step down from his position as the chief of the electoral umpire for another person to conduct the elections.

But Mr Oyekanmi said there are procedures for addressing grievances and that asking the chairman to step down is not one of them.

In a short statement, he said the call for the INEC Chairmans resignation was misplaced.

He also dismissed allegations that the INEC Chairman allocated scores to parties, saying it is unfounded and irresponsible.

At the same time, contrary to the insinuation by both parties, results emanating from the states point to a free, fair and credible process, he said.

There are laid down procedures for aggrieved parties or candidates to follow when they are dissatisfied about the outcome of an election. Such procedures do not include calling on the INEC Chairman to resign or for the election to be cancelled.

To be sure, aggrieved parties are free to approach the courts to ventilate their concerns and wait for the matter to be resolved. Making inciting comments capable of causing violence or unrest is unacceptable.

The 2023 General Election processes are in their final stages of completion. It is only fair for aggrieved parties to allow the conclusion of the process and approach the courts with their evidence to pursue their cases.

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BEIJING, Feb. 27 (Xinhua) -- China has rolled out a plan for the overall layout of the country's digital development.

Building a digital China is important for the advancement of Chinese modernization in the digital era, and provides solid support for the development of new advantages in the country's competitiveness, according to the plan, which was jointly released by the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the State Council.

According to the plan, important progress will be made in the construction of a digital China by 2025, with effective interconnectivity in digital infrastructure, a significantly improved digital economy, and major breakthroughs achieved in digital technology innovation.

By 2035, China will be at the global forefront in terms of digital development, and its digital progress in the economic, political, cultural, social and ecological fields will be more coordinated and sufficient.

The plan includes support for the in-depth integration of digital technology and the real economy and the application of digital technology in the agriculture, manufacturing, finance, education, medical services, transportation and energy sectors.

The plan envisions a digital country with effective digital government services, a thriving cyberspace culture, widely accessible digital public services, and ecological governance empowered by digital technology.

A system for independent digital technology innovation will be built, and businesses will be encouraged to play a leading role in technological innovation, according to the plan, which also calls for improved intellectual property protection.
The candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu, has been declared the winner of Saturdays presidential election in Rivers State.

The Labour Party (LP) candidate, Peter Obi, was leading Mr Tinubu, earlier in the day with over 23,000 votes when the results from 21 out of 23 local government areas in the state were released by the Independent National Electoral Commission.

By then, Mr Obi polled 169,414 votes, while Mr Tinubu scored 148,979 votes.

But Mr Tinubu overtook Mr Obi when the results from the two remaining local government areas  Obio-Akpor and Degema  came in.

Mr Tinubu scored 80,239 in Obio-Akpor Local Government Area, while Mr Obi scored 3,829, followed by Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party with 368 votes, according to a report by Channels TV.

Rabiu Kwankwaso of the New Nigeria Peoples Party scored 161 votes.

In Degema Local Government Area, Mr Tinubu scored 2,375 votes, while Mr Obi scored 2,212 votes. Atiku scored 3,108 votes, while Mr Kwankwaso scored 44 votes.

Mr Tinubu polled a total of 231,591 votes in Rivers State as against Mr Obis 175,071 votes.

Atiku scored 88,468, while Mr Kwankwaso scored 1,322 votes.

Below is the full Rivers State Presidential Election Result as published by channels television.

1. AHOADA WEST LGA

APC 3443

LP 4634

PDP 2582

NNPP 11

2. TAI LGA

APC 9442

LP 485

PDP 1506

NNPP 18

3. OPOBO-NKORO LGA

APC 5701

LP 2093

PDP 1542

NNPP 06

4. ELEME LGA

APC 8,368

LP 7,529

PDP 2,391

NNPP 82

5. EMOUHA LGA

APC 9,145

LP 4,923

PDP 5,242

NNPP 18

6. GOKANA LGA

APC 10,122

LP 2,115

PDP 8,484

NNPP 31

7. OMUMA LGA

APC 6,328

LP 2,154

PDP 1,293

NNPP 13

8. BONNY LGA

APC 2,708

LP 10,488

PDP 2,406

NNPP 87

9. ABUA-ODUAL LGA

APC 5,653

LP 1,663

PDP 4,685

NNPP 09

10. OYIGBO LGA

APC 16,630

LP 10,784

PDP 1,046

NNPP 107

11. ASARI-TORU LGA

APC 14,483

LP 2,094

PDP 4,476

NNPP 09

12. ANDONI LGA

APC 3,306

LP 2,324

PDP 4,614

NNPP 18

13. OGBA/EGBEMA/NDONI LGA

APC 6057

LP 21,883

PDP 4,099

NNPP 109

14. AKUKU-TORU LGA

APC 3,182

LP 1,700

PDP 3,131

NNPP 14

15. IKWERRE LGA

APC 9,609

LP 8,752

PDP 4,869

NNPP 58

16. OKRIKA LGA

APC 2,729

LP 4,018

PDP 8,476

NNPP 34

17. OGU-BOLO LGA

APC 2,428

LP 1,209

PDP 3,187

NNPP 07

18. KHANA LGA

APC 7,649

LP 1,704

PDP 5,483

NNPP 47

19. ETCHE LGA

APC 8368

LP 11,232

PDP 5,919

NNPP 78

20. PORT HARCOURT CITY LGA

APC 5,562

LP 62,451

PDP 7,203

NNPP 301

21. AHOADA EAST LGA

APC 8,066

LP 5,379

PDP 2,358

NNPP 58

22. DEGEMA LGA

APC 2,375

LP 2,212

PDP 3108

NNPP 44

23. OBIO-AKPOR LGA

APC 80,239

LP 3,829

PDP 368

NNPP 161

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Chinedu Nwoko (also known as Ned Nwoko) was on Monday declared the winner of the senatorial election in Delta North District, Delta State.

He was a candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Nwoko polled a total of 92,514 votes to defeat the Labour Party (LP) candidate, Kennedy Kanma, who polled 86,121 votes and the candidate of All Progressives Congress, Peter Nwaoboshi, who scored 36,816 votes.

Mr Nwaoboshi is the incumbent senator for the district.

The Returning Officer, Josephine Anene-Okeakwa, announced the results at the INEC collation centre in Oshimili South Local Government Area in Asaba.

However, the Minority Leader of House of Representatives, Ndudi Elumelu, representing Aniocha/Oshimili Federal Constituency on the platform of PDP, lost his election to the LP candidate, Ngozi Okolie.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Mr Elumelu, who is representing Oshimili North/Oshimili South/Aniocha North/South, ran for the fourth term in the House of Representatives.

Ms Okolie, who contested for the seat on the platform of Democratic Peoples Party in 2015, emerged victorious with a total of 53,879 votes to defeat Elumelu who polled 33,456 votes and Tony Nwaka of APC who scored 11,712 votes.

The Returning Officer, Kenneth Ibe, who announced the result at the collation centre in Oshimili South Local Government Area, Asaba, said that Okolie was declared winner, having satisfied the requirements.

The Director-General, Ned Nwoko Campaign Council, Pascal Adigwe, in an interview, hailed the electioneering process and lauded INEC for the hitch-free and peaceful election.

He admitted that the election was keenly contested, and thanked God for Mr Nwokos emergence as the winner.

(NAN)

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The Independent National Electoral Commission has declared Saturdays National Assembly elections in Abia South inconclusive.

The INEC Returning Officer for the Abia South National Assembly elections, Georgina Ugwuanyi, a professor of Banking and Finance at the Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, announced this on Tuesday, while addressing the party agents at the collation centre in Aba.

Mrs Ugwuanyi said there was a substantial number of polling units, totaling 108, which had issues that necessitated rescheduled elections.

She, however, announced the available result of the elections without declaring the winners.

The results of the elections, according to her, showed that Enyinnaya Abaribe of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) scored 49,693, while the Labour Party (LP) candidate, Chinedu Onyeizu scored 43,903.

Governor Okezie Ikpeazu, who is the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), scored 28,422 votes.

For Aba South and North Federal Constituency, Mrs Ugwuanyi said the LP candidate, Emeka Nnamani, polled 35,502.

She said Alex Ikwecheghi of APGA polled 22,465 votes, while the incumbent member of the House of Representatives, Chimaobi Ebisike, of the PDP scored 13,388 votes.

(NAN)

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MONROVIADressed in short black jean trousers and wearing a thick red sweater attached to a hat covering his head, Y8 walked into the courtroom and sat to the left hand of the Liberian interpreter.

The three-judge panel of the Finnish Appeals Court sit directly ahead of them at another table, with one of the judges acquainting him with the courts rules and reminded him that his testimony was documented on video and that Gibril Massaquoi, the commander of Sierra Leones Revolutionary United Front, RUF accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Liberia was also following the trial online, and that the court required nothing from him, but the truth.

I was an FO supplier (food supplier) and I was assigned waterside around the old bridge, which is now called the new bridge, said Y8. We used to cook for the soldiers in the market building. That day we were there, and Angel Gabriel (one of Massaquois alleged war names) came with a car.

My second encounter with Massaquoi was after an argument between Salami and Nyami when a jungle mortal fell and wounded Salami. So, when Angel Gabriel heard it, he came that day and said since his man (Salami) died, he gave the order for his soldiers to kill civilians that were caught looting.

For about 3 weeks now, the court has been hearing from dozens of witnesses, some of whom testified in the Tampere District Court, which acquitted the former RUF leader in April 2021 because of the lack of a reasonable doubt by prosecutors.

Y7 and 78, Mondays two witnesses told the appeals court Mr Massaquoi ordered the killings of civilians that had gone to loot food items in stores at Vai Town, a commercial centre in Monrovia.

The actual number of those killed on that fateful day was unknown, according to Y7.

When I crept, and I went and hid near one store, I heard Massaquoi saying fire, kill them, said Y7. Then the boys started shooting, and I started to escape.

Mr Massaquois lawyers have argued that he was not in Liberia at the time hes accused of committing the crimes between July and august 2003 because he was providing testimony to the UN-backed Special Court for Sierra Leone as a protected witness against Charles Taylor the Liberian President at the time and RUF commanders.

Prosecutors are putting up witnesses to prove that he did break safe house rules of the UN-backed Special Court for Sierra Leone and came to Liberia to fight for Taylors government. They are also arguing that he was Angel Gabriel, the man their witnesses have claimed committed atrocities in Liberia.

But Mr Massaquois lawyers have argued that it was impossible for him to have been in Liberia between July and august 2003 because he was providing testimony to the special court at that time.

Theyve also claimed that prosecution witnesses have been brainwashed to lie about Mr Massaquoi.

The hearings continue on Tuesday.

This story was a collaboration with New Narratives as part of the West Africa Justice Reporting Project.

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The Osun State Chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has rejected presidential election results in the state declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

INEC had declared the presidential candidate of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, as the winner of the election.

Atiku won 20 local governments areas with the total votes of 354,366 to defeat his closest rival, Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) who polled the total votes of 343,945 and won in 10 local governments.

The PDP also won the three senatorial seats and all the nine federal constituencies in the state.

The State APC acting chairman, Tajudeen Lawal, at a press conference in Osogbo, the state capital, on Monday said the Saturdays election was conducted under a series of violence allegedly sponsored by the leadership of the PDP.

Mr Lawal claimed that members were harassed, assaulted, humiliated and dehumanised at different polling units during the election.

The Presidential and National Assembly elections of last Saturday were held under a siege with the PDP hoodlums having a field day across the state to the extent that it would be impossible for any political party which is playing by the rules to win the elections against the political vampire called the PDP whose political thugs were ready to shed the blood of any strong-headed APC member or supporter, he said.

On the day of the elections last Saturday, in what appeared like a war situation in some parts of Osun State, political hoodlums loyal to the ruling PDP in the State, led by one notorious miscreant, Olalekan Ajagungbade popularly called Emir, unleashed mayhem on the people of the state, particularly the APC members, who came out to exercise their civic duty, he alleged.

The acting chairman also claimed that armed hoodlums carted away ballot boxes at the hometown of former governor, Gboyega Oyetola.

He said, The hoodlums, who were large in number, also attacked the country home of the immediate past governor, Mr Adegboyega Oyetola, in Iragbiji where several polling units were raided as already thumb-printed ballot boxes were carted away by the miscreants.

The political hoodlums armed with guns, cutlasses, axes and other dangerous weapons ransacked the strongholds of the opposition APC across the state.

The hoodlums who got to Idi-Ogungun polling Unit in Iragbiji at 3:04 pm when the sorting and counting of votes were ongoing, were seen shooting sporadically into the air to scare the electorate as officials of the INEC narrowly escaped death by the whiskers.

The attackers who arrived the affected polling units in full force sent the entire community into panic as the atmosphere was rented with gunshots before they eventually snatched the ballot boxes during their onslaught at Idi Ogungun, an outskirt of Iragbiji, Boripe Local Government Council Area of the state and later moved to Eleesun and Odebudo, two of the popular communities in the council, all of which are APC strongholds.

READ ALSO: Taraba governor loses senatorial election with a wide margin

The miscreants successfully ransacked the first polling unit after which they swiftly moved to the next polling unit, which is a short distance where another ballot boxes were carted away.

Information has it that a team of police came to repel the attacks and eventually got two of the hoodlums apprehended. We therefore call for the prosecution of the arrested thugs by the police.

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The presidential candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu, has defeated his main rival, Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Zamfara State.

Mr Tinubus victory became clear after the results from the 14 local government areas of the state and declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission in Gusau, the state capital.

Mr Tinubu won in 12 local government areas while Mr Atiku prevailed in two.

According to the results declared by the electoral body at the state level, Mr Tinubu polled 298,396 votes while Mr Atiku got 193,978 votes.

Rabiu Kwankwaso of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) garnered 4,044 votes while Peter Obi of the Labour Party polled 1,660.

Below is the breakdown of the votes according to local government areas:

Registered Voters  1,879,308

Accredited voters  527,137

VALID VOTES  502,923

REJECTED VOTES  16,508

TOTAL VOTE CAST  519,431

ANKA LGA

APC  13,467

PDP  5,358

GUMMI LGA

APC  22,745

PDP  20,702

READ ALSO:

BUKKUYUM LGA

APC  15,812

PDP  9,914

TALATA MAFARA LGA

APC  35,384

PDP  7,472

MARADUN LGA

APC 21, 274

PDP 5, 829

BAKURA LGA

APC 34,110

PDP 10,824

SHINKAFI LGA

APC  8,692

PDP  7,517

BIRNIN MAGAJI LGA

APC  22,638

PDP  6,467

KAURA NAMODA LGA

APC  25,301

PDP  17,664

ZURMI LGA

APC  14,651

PDP  13,081

BUNGUDU LGA

APC  22,013

PDP  22,430

TSAFE LGA

APC  24,984

PDP  17,871

MARU LGA

APC  12,064

PDP  7,776

GUSAU LGA

APC  25,261

PDP  41,073

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The Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) on Tuesday cautioned political leaders and actors against making provocative and unguarded statements capable of dragging the country into unnecessary conflict and anarchy.

The NSCIA spoke hours after former President Olusegun Obasanjo, the Peoples Democratic Party and the Labour Party attacked the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as the collation of results of the February 25 presidential election progressed.

They accused the electoral body of compromise and fraud, a charge the agency has rejected, saying anyone who has verifiable evidence of malpractices in the election should bring it forward for necessary actions.

But in a statement by its Deputy Secretary General, Salisu Shehu, and Director of Administration, Zubairu Haruna Usman-Ugwu, on Tuesday, the NSCIA urged INEC to remain focused on its assignment. It also counselled political and religious leaders to avoid comments and actions capable of derailing the ongoing electoral exercise and plunge Nigeria into anarchy.

READ ALSO:

While reckless statements from inconsequential individuals can be easily ignored, this is not so of those from respected political and religious leaders, the NSCIA, which is the apex Islamic body in Nigeria, said.

It is important that patriotic and well-meaning Nigerian leaders should support unrelenting adherence to process and procedure in the on-going electoral process.

This is because any inclination to unprocedural decision or action at this critical time is a direct call for anarchy which will not yield any positive outcome to the Nation.

Meanwhile, the NSCIA counsels the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to remain undistracted and committed to its duty until it discharges it to its logical conclusion.

All Nigerians, particularly Muslims are urged to, no matter the level of provocation from certain quarters, remain calm and prayerful.

May Almighty Allah keep our country stable and peaceful.

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The Presidential Campaign Council of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has described the claim by former President Olusegun Obasanjo, alleging fraud in last Saturdays presidential election in the country as an attempt to provoke a military takeover of Nigeria.

The former president on Monday alleged that the results of the election have been doctored. He also called for President Muhammadu Buharis intervention.

Reacting to the former presidents claims, a spokesperson of the campaign council, Dele Alake, said Mr Obasanjo is not an uninterested party in the election.

He also dismissed the ex-presidents claims, saying he has no evidence.

He said, Our attention has been drawn to a press statement by former President Olusegun Obasanjo in which he was virtually calling for a truncation of the ongoing electoral process and a cancellation of already conducted elections on the basis of frivolous, unfounded and baseless allegations by politicians who are sore losers and have no respect for democratic values.

READ ALSO:

No true democrat must seek an abortion of the process just because he believes the elections are not going his way. What Obasanjo is subtly calling for in his nefarious statement is a coup against democracy and the constitution.

Obasanjo repeated without the slightest iota of evidence rumours he had picked up that the Bimodal Voters Accreditation System had been compromised and that the results of elections being announced are fraudulent.

It is tragic that a former President who ought to be a statesman in comportment and speech will recklessly seek to endanger and derail our democratic process for utterly selfish, egoistic and malicious reasons. He offers not a single credible piece of evidence to prove his laughable and ridiculous allegations against INEC and the credibility of the ongoing process.

Of course, we are all aware that Obasanjo is not an impartial and disinterested party as far as this election is concerned. On January 1, 2023, he had issued a characteristically lengthy epistle to Nigerians endorsing the candidacy of Mr Peter Obi and asking Nigerian youths to vote en masse for him. Of course our reaction was that the former President was entitled to his view and that the outcome of the elections would demonstrate if he had any electoral value. As fate would have it, Peter Obi was defeated even in Obasanjos own polling unit in Abeokuta in Ogun State. But it is now obvious that the only election Obasanjo will agree to being free, fair and credible is one that produces Obi as winner which is ridiculous.

Mr Alake also praised President Muhammadu Buhari for upholding democratic principles, appealing to him not to allow Mr Obasanjo to lure him into, tainting his democratic credentials in this regard. We recall that on his last trip to the United States, President Joe Biden praised Buharis commitment to democratic values and principles. Obasanjo has no such record to be applauded. The world has not forgotten his fraudulent and undemocratic attempt at a third term agenda in violation of the letter and spirit of the Nigerian constitution. Mr Alake said

He, however, appealed to Nigerians to reject Mr Obasanjos claims and advice on the election.

The constitution has stipulated processes for seeking redress against electoral malpractices in the past and these have been tested several times and used to redress electoral injustice where such has been proven. Nigerians must reject Obasanjos dubious and hypocritical advice and stay strictly and firmly on the path of constitutionalism and democratic due process.

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After receiving the results of 14 states, the INEC Chairman and Returning Officer for the presidential election, Mahmood Yakubu, said Monday evening that the collation of results continues today by 11 a.m.

Mr Yakubu received the Results of Ekiti on Sunday. On Monday, he received the results of Kwara, Osun, Ondo, Ogun, Oyo, Yobe, Enugu, Lagos, Gombe, Jigawa, Adamawa, Katsina and Nasarawa states.

However, no other states collations officer was present; therefore, Mr Yakubu said the collation will close for the day and resume by 11 a.m. on Tuesday when the results of more states would have arrived.

So far, the candidate of the All Progressive Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu, has won in six states; Jigawa, Oyo, Ogun, Ondo, Kwara, and Ekiti states.

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Atiku Abubakar, is leading in five states; Katsina, Adamawa, Gombe, Yobe and Osun.

Meanwhile, the Labour Party (LP) Candidate, Peter Obi, has won in Nasarawa, Lagos and Enugu.

The New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Rabiu Kwankwaso, has not won any of the states presented to the INEC Chairman as of Tuesday.

Results of some other states have been announced by the appropriate INEC officials in the states but have yet to be presented to Mr Yakubu in Abuja.

PDP, LPs dissent

Earlier during the collation of results, the agents of the PDP and LP walked out of the collation centre in protest of INECs failure to upload all polling unit results before the collation of results continued.

Both parties claimed that the electoral law stipulates that all results must be uploaded to the INEC result Viewing Portal (IReV) before collation.

But the INEC Chairman insisted that the process can continue even if the results were not uploaded.

Less than 60 per cent of the result sheets across Nigeria had been uploaded as of Monday evening.

READ ALSO:

INECs National Commissioner for Voter Education, Festus Okoye, had on Sunday attributed the failure to upload the results to technical hitches.

The INEC Chairman, however, said he would speak on the uploading of results today.

In a press conference later on Tuesday, the PDP accused INEC of announcing compromised results.

The PDP National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, demanded that INEC transmit the results directly into the INEC Server/Website as provided for under Section 68 of the Electoral Act 2022.

Also on Monday, ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo alleged fraud in the result collation process. He said the failure of the BVAS to promptly upload results from polling units in the election results portal showed the process was being manipulated. He asked President Muhammadu Buhari to intervene in the controversy.

In a prompt response, the campaign council of the APC accused Mr Obasajo of calling for a military coup in Nigeria. The council said Mr Obasanjo has no evidence of the fraud he alleges and was not a neutral arbiter having supported Mr Obi of the Labour Party in the presidential election.

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Despite reports of widespread attacks and suppression of voters in Rivers State, Peter Obi, the candidate of the Labour Party, has won the presidential election in Port Harcourt Local Government Area in the state.

He scored 62,451 votes, while Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party scored 7,203 votes, followed by Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress who scored 5,562 votes. Rabiu Kwankwaso of the New Nigeria Peoples Party scored 301.

According to Channels TV, There were reports of some agents trying to foment trouble. However, in the end, the returning officer, a lecturer with the University of Port Harcourt, Prof. Omiete Olulu Briggs, was able to declare the result which is a huge boost for the LP.

Police in Rivers State said on Monday that they had arrested three of their officers who allegedly stole ballot boxes during Saturdays elections in the state.

Police spokesperson in the state, Grace Iringe-Koko, said the officers were arrested following a viral video which captured their alleged involvement in the electoral malpractice.

There have been reports of police officers and other security officials colluding with politicians in Rivers to manipulate the polls in the state.

Rivers State was trending on Twitter on Sunday because of the alleged suppression of voters in the oil-rich state.

In a clip circulating on Twitter, a police pickup truck is seen driving away from a supposed polling unit, with ballot papers littered on the ground.

Police don come snatched our ballot box, a male voice is heard saying in the videos background.

Apart from arresting the officers, the police said they have impounded the truck which has an inscription RRT 050 on its body.

Iringe-Koko, a superintendent of police, said the police have the commitment to protect the rule of law, and that the officers would be sanctioned if found culpable.

Investigation still ongoing, the outcome will be made known publicly, she said in the statement, while appealing to residents in Rivers State to remain calm and peaceful.

PREMIUM TIMES published a similar video where a police officer was seen tearing thumb-printed ballots.

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A former national commissioner of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Lai Olurode, has criticized former President Olusegun Obasanjo for allegedly attempting to truncate Nigerias electoral process through the back door.

Mr Olurode, a retired sociology professor, warned that Mr Obasanjos letter on the results of the presidential and National Assembly elections shouldnt be mistaken for the patriotism of an elder statesman.

He said Mr Obasanjos adversarial contemplation of elections cancellation was not only preposterous but counter-productive and a grievous invitation to violence.

Although he admitted that INEC could certainly have done better in the dispensation of its duty, he noted that the commission has also shifted grounds and improved from what it used to be known for.

He reckoned that there are legal remedies to whatever imperfections or lapses that are observed.

In all honesty, considering Nigerias geographical expanse, the best we can do is to remain positive in the belief that INEC will have a better outing in the next set of elections in March, Mr Olurode said in a statement on Tuesday.

Moreover, election cancellation will be a setback and a reversal of our democratization efforts to which none should subscribe to.

Mr Olurode recalled in his statement that Mr Obasanjo had supervised some of the worst anti-democracy elections in Nigerias electoral history. He said there was indeed nothing to be proud of in Nigerias 2003 elections which witnessed bare-faced, blatant large-scale rigging and even fundamentally flawed.

He said the same thing happened in the 2007 general elections when Mr Obasanjo wanted to install his anointed candidate late Umar Yaradua. Upon winning the election, Mr Yaradua had publicly admitted that the electoral processes that brought him to power were largely flawed and rigged.

It is not a patriotic call from former President Olusegun Obasanjo, probably emanating from bad belle and personal hatred, vendetta and settling of old scores between Obasanjo and the presidential candidate of APC whose prospects of winning eventually looks brighter, Mr Olurode said. Even, elections in saner and more developed societies arent devoid of imperfections, fiasco and skirmishes.

He advised the President Muhammadu Buhari-led government to ignore the proposal of Mr Obasanjo and take it as an excuse or invitation to stage a palace coup in self-succession or a return to full-scale military rule.

Nigerians must continue to stand firm for democracy with all its limitations, he said. There is no alternative to peaceful co-existence in a country that is so diverse as Nigeria.

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Former Kano State Governor, Ibrahim Shekarau, on Monday, was declared the winner of the Kano Central Senatorial District election under the New Nigeria People Party (NNPP) despite his resignation from the party before the election.

The returning officer for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in the Kano central district, Tijjani Darma, said Mr Shekarau polled 456,787 votes.

The official said the candidate of the All Progressive Congress (APC) Abdulkarim Abdulsalam, came second in the election with 168, 677 votes.

Mr Darma, a professor, said the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Laila Buhari, secured 55,237 votes

However, after the declaration of the result, NNPP agent, Shehu Usman, rejected Mr Shekarau as the rightful candidate for the election. He alleged that INEC refused to replace Mr Shekaraus name with the candidate the NNPP nominated for the election, Rufai Hanga.

Mr Usman claimed there was a court order directing the INEC to accept the name of Mr Hanga as the right candidate for the election.

On his part, the APC agent, Yusuf Atta, urged INEC to declare his candidate, who won the second-highest votes as the winner since the NNPP winner, Mr Shekarau, did not participate in the election.

In his response, the returning officer, Mr Darma, urged contending parties to channel their grievances to the election tribunal that would be set up.

Background of the crisis

The supposed senatorial candidate NNPP, Mr Hanga, did not make the final list of senatorial candidates released by the INEC before the 25 February election.

Instead, the commission published the name of Mr Shekarau, who is a sitting senator for the Kano Central.

Mr Shekarau was elected on the platform of the APC but defected to the NNPP briefly before he defected to the PDP in August last year following irreconcilable differences with NNPPs presidential candidate, Rabiu Kwankwaso.

The NNPP initially submitted Mr Shekaraus name to the INEC as its senatorial candidate for Kano Central.

INEC had argued that Mr Shekarau had yet to inform it officially that he had left the NNPP and was no longer its candidate for the district as required by the Electoral Act, thus it cannot replace his name with another person.

Mr Kwankwaso said the party had sued the INEC for failure to substitute Mr Shekaraus name after leaving the NNPP for the PDP.

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A former Chief of Defence Staff, Alani Akinrinade, has asked President Muhammadu Buhari to ignore the call by former President Olusegun Obasanjo for the cancellation of the presidential and National Assembly elections over alleged fraud.

Mr Obasanjo, on Monday, alleged that the results of the elections, held on Saturday across Nigeria, had been manipulated. He also called on the president and INEC to act, to avert a looming danger.

Mr Akinrinade, however, condemned Mr Obasanjos allegation, noting that the statement was coming at a time the electoral umpire was still processing the results.

Mr Akinrinade also said Mr Obasanjos intervrntion is a calculative attempt to game the system.

Without any shred of evidence a former President is challenging the integrity of a national elections and calling a seating President to truncate it midway.

Mr Akinrinade described Mr Obasanjos allegation as disturbing and detrimental to the continued development of the countrys democracy.

As a General who fought for the unity of this country and one that has witnessed the many twists and turns of our Democratic development, I am certain that Nigeria this time is on the right path. I find it most disturbing and objectionable that a former General and President will introduce such a diatribe into the body politic of Nigeria at such a delicate time as this.

Being not neutral, Obasanjos intervention falls short of patriotism and fits perfectly into meddling in the affairs of state that is already the constitutional responsibility of INEC. Mr Akinrinade said

The retired army general also recalled Obasanjo years and his democratic antics and many bullish attempts at circumventing the political process.

I call on President Muhammadu Buhari to ignore Obasanjos recent interruptions and focus on supporting the lawful institution to do its job by allowing the process to run its full course.

The President Buhari I know will let the process run its full course and will not intervene in an undemocratic manner to truncate the ongoing political process.

Nigerians have voted. Their votes have counted. Let no one disrupt the process.

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The National Peace Committee has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to investigate the allegations of infractions made by voters after last Saturdays presidential election.

The NPC made the call in a statement signed by the chairman of the committee, Abdussalam Abubakar.

The committee was reacting to accusations of irregularities following the presidential and National Assembly elections conducted Saturday.

Mr Abubakar said the vote of every Nigerian deserves to be protected by the commission.

Nigerians must be reminded that the world has invested a lot of goodwill towards us in these elections. We have taken note of the dissatisfaction among voters who braved ail harsh weather elements to perform their civic duties. All citizens deserve to be rewarded by a process that ensures that their votes truly count. We appeal to INEC to heed the grievances being expressed, to take the necessary steps to escalate investigations of all allegations of infractions and to ensure that justice is clearly done to all citizens who went out to vote, the statement said.

Mr Abubakar said the committee received reports of voter suppression due to several factors.

The former military head of state said the committee has followed developments from the commencement of voting.

He said since the electoral commission has accepted the lapses, there is a need for security agencies to help INEC investigate the allegations.

We have received reports of the culture of voter suppression manifested across the country through the application of targeted violence, disruption of processes, inducement of voters, intimidation, deliberate frustrations of voters and the challenges of the election equipment.

We are pleased that INEC has accepted these lapses and promised to rectify these lapses. We appeal to the Security Agencies to collaborate with INEC in their investigations of these weighty allegations. Concerns about the failures of the INEC Result Viewing Portals (IReV) across the country must be thoroughly investigated to ensure transparency, he said.

Mr Abubakar called on presidential candidates to take responsibility for what their spokespersons and agents say.

In the spirit of the Peace Accord which all Candidates and their Chairmen signed on February 23, 2023, the NPC appeals to all the Presidential Candidates, the Chairmen of Parties to take full responsibility for statements made by their Spokespersons and Agents. We appeal to all our citizens to remain calm while INEC continues with its process to its conclusion, he said.

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Nigerias two largest opposition parties have called for the cancellation of the countrys presidential election over allegations that the electoral commission, INEC, did not comply with the law in the collation and announcement of results.

The PDP and LP made their positions known at a Tuesday press conference attended by their vice-presidential candidates, Ifeanyi Okowa and Datti Baba-Ahmed, respectively.

The election was a sham, and never free and fair, said Mr Okowa of the PDP, a position corroborated by the LPs vice-presidential candidate.

Their main grouse is that INEC failed to upload the results of elections in the over 170,000 polling units onto a central server (IReV) as required by law. That step should have been done before the collation and announcement of results, they said.

At the press conference, the two parties also demanded that the chairman of INEC, Mahmood Yakubu, must step aside over what they described as electoral irregularities and malfeasance. INEC has since replied, saying its chairman would not resign and that any party aggrieved with the election process should follow the law to air its grievances.

At their Thursday press conference, the two opposition parties claimed they monitored with dismay the travesty to democracy that was exhibited at the National Collation Centre of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

They claimed that the results announced by INEC so far show some irregularities and accused the INEC chairman, Mahmood Yakubu, of deliberately refusing to respect the pre-existing regulations that result of this election shall be uploaded on the INEC server through the Bio-modal Voter Accreditation System technology.

The PDP and LP together have so far scored about 50 per cent of the votes cast in the presidential election. But, they each trail the APC, the party leading in the presidential election results announced so far.

The APC, and a majority of the other 18 parties taking part in the presidential election, have expressed confidence in the process and called on INEC to ensure it is not distracted.

Read the full statement read by the two opposition vice-presidential candidates below.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

WORLD PRESS CONFERENCE ADDRESSED BY XXX, DELIVERED ON MONDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2023 AT TRANSCORP HILTON HOTEL, ABUJA

Fellow Nigerians,

Members of the Press

Executives and Members of the [ENTITIES MAKING THE STATEMENT]

All other protocols observed

BACKGROUND

Thank you to members of the press for honouring our invitation at such short notice. Nigeria held its general elections on Saturday, February 25, 2023 and this press conference is to address the urgent and important issues arising from the exercise which was for the election of the president, vice president, and national assembly positions. The exercise, carried out by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is still underway as we hold this conference collation is still on-going in some parts of the country. We monitored with dismay the travesty to democracy that was exhibited at the National Collation Centre of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). It is, to say the least, a rape on democracy. The conduct of the February 25, 2023 election has been marred by widespread violence, rigging, intimidation of voters, doctoring of the results, and violation of the laid down electoral process which was communicated by the national electoral body, INEC. INEC had announced a process which would require the use of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) for accreditation and voting and that all election results would be electronically transmitted from polling units to INEC Servers. The above process, published repeatedly, announced, and agreed with INEC by all political parties was not followed, thereby leaving room for manipulation of the results after Nigerians had voted. The results announced by INEC so far shows monumental disparities between the actual results reported by Labour Party agents, our party members, and indeed millions of Nigerians, on election day from the polling units. We have also listened to the arguments made by collation officers of the different political parties. The crux of the matter is the deliberate refusal of the INEC Chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu as the National Returning Officer for the presidential election to respond to the demand of political parties for the commission to respect the pre-existing regulations that results of this election shall be uploaded on the INEC server through the Bio-modal Voter Accreditation System technology. The refusal of INEC to comply with the laid down, published, and agreed process for the conduct of the election has compromised the integrity and credibility of entire presidential election. We also note that February 25, 2023, the day of the election, millions of Nigerians were left in utter doubt and disappointment at polling units as INEC officials across the country refused to electronically transmit the results to the INEC server as was expected by all stakeholders in this election. In cases where they tried to upload the results, INEC officials assigned to polling units could not do so. In some cases, they revealed that they had directives from their superiors to not upload the results. In some cases, they said that the password for them to access the INEC server had been changed. We also recall that the initial explanation by INEC for the delay was on account of glitches on the INEC server. Neither did INEC explain to the nation what the nature of those glitches was nor did the commission avail the country or even agents at the polling units that it will not be uploading the results generated at the Polling Units to the server when it resolves those glitches. We are, therefore, constrained on this development to state that INEC compromised the integrity of this election even before collation began at the PUs. Section 60 sub-section 5 of the Electoral Act states that the presiding officer shall transfer the results, including total number of accredited voters and the result of the ballot in a manner as prescribed by the commission. It was on the strength of this provision in our Electoral Act that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) introduced the BVAS technology to the country. The expectation of the majority of Nigerians was that INEC was going to conduct the 2023 election in compliance with both the Electoral Act and its own guidelines. Unfortunately, INEC recapitulated on that promise and conducted the election with the usual crude standard that predates the introduction of the BVAS machine. This election is not free and far from being fair or transparent. There is ongoing extensive cancellation of results all over the country, especially in the areas of strength of the opposition parties to shore up the numbers of the ruling APC. We have, therefore, arrived at the conclusion that the presidential election of Saturday, February 25, 2023 conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has been irretrievable compromised and, we have totally lost faith in the entire process. The Peoples Democratic Party and the Labour Party shall not be part of the process currently going on at the National Collation Centre, and we demand that this sham of an election should be immediately cancelled. We also call for a fresh election should be carried out within the window allowed by the Electoral Act and in accordance with the laid down INEC procedure for the conduct of the 2023 Elections. We similarly call on the international community to note that the results being declared at the National Collation centre have been heavily doctored and manipulated and do not reflect the wishes of Nigerians expressed at the polls on February 25, 2023. We also wish to declare a vote of no confidence on the INEC Chairman, Professor Yakubu Mahmood. By his conduct and reaction to the complaints of disenfranchised political parties, we believe that he lacks the integrity and moral standing to continue to oversee this process to a conclusion. We are therefore calling for Professor Yakubu to step aside from his role as INEC Chairman and for a credible personality from outside the Commission to take his place and see this process to a conclusion that would be acceptable to all stakeholders and would restore the confidence of the international community in our democratic process and institutions. We have a responsibility to the millions of Nigerians who put their faith in our parties and our presidential candidates to defend our country from the forces that seek to tear us apart. We are calling on President Muhammadu Buhari to stand by his promise to Nigerians to bequeath a legacy of free, fair, and transparent elections to the country. President Muhammadu Buhari, this is a time of great test of your integrity to use your office to save Nigeria from this electoral heist and save your legacy from the forces that seek to mar your democratic credentials. We are calling on Nigerians to continue to believe in the promise of Nigeria. To join us in defending the integrity of our country and defend our democracy. Thank you and may God bless us all.

SIGNED

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Last Saturdays presidential and legislative elections were defined by four issues: election day operational challenges and the use of technology, violence and voter suppression, voter behaviour and the influence of money, and online falsehoods, the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD) said in a report on Tuesday.

The four issues shaped the process, and provide some initial reflections on emerging trends from the voting so far, the think thank said while making recommendations for improving future processes in the short, medium and long time.

It said INECs new electoral technology appears to have struggled to meet expectations and improve transparency in the results collation process in particular, whilst the digital landscape continues to amplify existing tensions, with narratives that play up identities and party affiliations and question INECs performance and credibility.

CDD added that INECs election day performance was not seamless, leading to the late start to voting in various polling units across the country.

INEC officials were present at polling stations before they opened at 0830 in just 36.7% of cases according to our observers with 32.5% arriving an hour or more after voting was scheduled to have commenced, it stated.

It said a low turnout and a tendency to exchange cash for votes remained a feature of Nigerian elections. Violence, predominantly carried out by actors affiliated with political parties, was another enduring feature in some parts of the country during the election.

The first stage of the 2023 elections was held as scheduled on 25 February 2023; a feat not achieved in the past three elections, which were all rescheduled.

INEC had received commendation that it stuck to schedule in spite of prevailing insecurity across the country, perpetual fuel scarcity and the naira redesign policy, which created currency shortages and threatened to derail operational plans.

Although INEC confirmed that it had received the necessary resources shortly before the elections, CDD said deployment plans appear to have been affected by the uncertainty it caused in some instances.

The CDD said it noted the late arrival of INEC staff and election materials, resulting in the late commencement of the polls.

Late commencement of voting was pronounced in the countrys south-east, it said.

CDD said this is likely linked to concerns for personal safety given that two-thirds of the attacks recorded against INEC since the start of 2021 have been in this geopolitical zone.

The centre added that some challenges with the use of the bimodal voter accreditation system (BVAS) were also noted. Technical issues were also noted by our observers, with 23.1 per cent having witnessed issues of BVAS malfunction. This was particularly acute in the northeast, with 42.7 per cent of observers recording a malfunction, but was also high in the northwest (28.7 per cent).

On the other hand, CDD said, INECs contingency planning was broadly effective, with more than two-thirds of the technical hitches resolved within one hour, and where the technology was working accreditation happened at a good pace.

A further consequence of the late opening of polls was that voting continued into the evening in states such as Plateau, Lagos and Imo, following INECs election day confirmation that those in the queue to vote by the original 14:30 cut-off time would be allowed to cast their ballot, the centre added.

This was not only a result of opening delays and technical challenges but also a consequence of problematic polling station allocations which led to scenarios where some polling units had just a handful of voters whilst others had more than 2,000, it noted.

Another issue raised by the civic group was the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV), which was designed to provide real-time transmission of election results (Form EC 80A) from polling units to the central collation centre in an attempt to enhance the transparency of the electoral process and reduce the incidence of vote rigging and election manipulation.

Up till midnight on election day, there were no results uploaded to the platform for the presidential results.

INEC stated in a statement on Sunday that the challenges were a result of technical hitches related to the scaling up of the IReV platform but the delay in making this statement provided room for unproven rumours to flourish that point to the incomplete polling unit results on the platform as evidence of vote rigging.

By Monday afternoon, 53,154 polling unit results out of a total of 176,734 were publicly available on the platform. INEC is still updating the portal.

Two major opposition political parties, Labour Party and PDP, have called for the cancellation of the 2023 presidential election results, citing the delay to update the IReV portal as a ground to manipulate the process.

Voter behaviour and Low turnout

Despite well-documented instances of insecurity in all six geopolitical zones, and notwithstanding the fuel and currency scarcity that threatened to derail the electoral process, Nigerians, particularly the youth, had shown a strong interest in participating in this election.

Nonetheless, turnout as a percentage of total registered voters looks likely to be lower in 2023 than the 35 per cent figure recorded in 2019 based on the results announced so far, continuing a pattern of declining electoral participation in Nigeria that began in 2003.

This is despite INEC confirming the national average of PVC card collection at 93.3 per cent ahead of the elections.

The fact that a significant percentage of Nigerians fail to engage in elections is a concern and perhaps points to growing disillusionment with their ability to shape a more democratic society, CDD said.

Although vote buying appears to have reduced as compared with recent off-cycle elections, the centre said 11 per cent of observers reported some form of vote buying taking place in or around their polling units. This was highest in the North-west followed by the South-west and the North-east, CDD added.

Vote buying is used more by political parties in their strongholds, where they want to ensure that those inclined to vote for them are encouraged to do so. For the most part, vote buying appears to be the preserve of the two major parties in the last two elections  the All Progressive Congress and Peoples Democratic Party  with the Labour Partys limited structures and resources meaning that it was less able to compete on this front.

This election also saw an increased use of basic foodstuffs, household goods and materials being exchanged for votes, with observers in states such as Kwara, Imo and Bayelsa all reporting numerous incidents. In Lagos, there was even evidence of politicians willing to provide bank transfers to voters under the guise of business assistance schemes, ostensibly a creative way to buy voters given the limitations on the availability of cash.

Intimidation, in many cases linked to identity or political party affiliation, was recorded across the country and was reported by 3.4 per cent of CDD observers.

It was most commonplace in the northwest, south-south and southeast. One instance of voter intimidation reported by an observer in Anambra state detailed how party agents were standing aside (outside) the voting cubicle directing voters as to how they should cast their ballot in full view of INEC ad-hoc staff.

Largely conducted by political parties thugs or loosely affiliated individuals, some of the intimidation were designed to suppress votes centred around ethnic identity, CDD said, citing examples of Lagos where threats were made against Igbos by prominent political thugs like MC Oluomo.

Overall, observers reported low incidents of violence, vandalism and destruction, which were observed in a small percentage of polling units, the centre said.

Online falsehoods

The organisation also observed the rise of synthetic and manipulated media images, doctored to push certain narratives against candidates. Videos were also presented out of context to misinform the voting public.

Efforts to undermine INECs credibility were recorded throughout the campaign and even as polls were set to open, CDD said.

For instance, an audio file that started as a WhatsApp voice note and evolved into a video that was shared across platforms claimed the PDP candidate was working with the INEC to rig elections. Disinformation peddlers stitched the voices of Atiku and two other political actors together to form a conversation about rigging the election.

Then, shortly after the elections, political actors and influencers started sharing unverified election results immediately after polls closed in some areas and took advantage of the small trickle of election results.

There were also many reports around electoral malpractice and the lack of crisis communications from INEC allowed such accusations to go unchecked. Rumours of rigging are being enhanced in some instances by pre-election polling that presents a different picture to the reality now emerging, CDD said.

Despite fact-checks of these proving the falsehoods many persons will still choose to believe the disinformation, as long as it favours their political leaning. The politicisation of fact-checking is furthering this challenge. Furthermore, distributing fact-checks via media houses is a challenge as several expressed concern that they cannot publish or share some of them because it would seem like they are working for certain candidates.

Social media companies were largely non-responsive to election day mal-information. Meta took down one post about misleading images about INEC offices in northern Nigeria, and Twitter suspended an imitation account claiming to be the wife of President Muhammadu Buhari on the eve of the election for sharing misinformation about naira redesign policy, but no activity was taken in response to more than 20 pieces of false content flagged by CDD fact-checkers, it added.

CDD concluded that Nigeria is likely to see another wave of electoral litigation in its courts that will likely reverse some electoral outcomes and perhaps even impact governance in the short term.

Recommendations

INEC continues to face a perception versus reality challenge, the think tank said, adding, to ensure voters better understand the reasons behind delays or technical hitches, for example, more proactive communication is needed.

This can allow INEC to set the agenda and explain the reasoning for operational issues, rather than allowing others to set a more politicised narrative which becomes difficult to counter. INEC should revise its communication policy and train staff to support proactive communication with voters. Doing so will help improve transparency and accountability to citizens and reduce the risk of social media rumours setting the narrative.

CDD recommended that investigations into voting day violence, and those involved in voter suppression and vote buying should be thorough and result in convictions where proven.

A more robust stress testing of IReV is needed to avoid its malfunction undermining the forthcoming governorship process, more than it strengthens transparency around it.

It advised effective collaboration between INEC and the judiciary in properly adjudicating complaints concerning the election process; saying this will be crucial to avoid significant instances of candidates being elected by the courts, rather than by the electorate.

Political parties must take more seriously their commitments to peace laid out in the National Peace Accord by reigning in thugs acting at their direction.

Social media companies need to expand their ability to respond promptly to falsehoods circulating on their platform, particularly on and immediately after election day. There should be improved collaboration with recognised fact-checking platforms to allow for quick response and action, the centre said.

In the future, CDD recommends an independent post-election review by a group of civil society organisations that observed the election, alongside representatives from legal bodies. This should be constituted to provide a report and recommendations on a way forward for continued improvement in the management of elections.

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The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Tuesday declared the candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Enyinnaya Abaribe, the winner of Saturdays senatorial election in Abia South District.

The Returning Officer for Abia South National Assembly elections, Georgina Ugwuanyi, announced this before party agents at the collation centre in Aba.

Mrs Ugwuanyi, a professor of Banking and Finance at the Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, said she had to return to declare results for the election because she was asked by INEC office in Abuja to announce winners in the election.

Earlier, Mrs Ugwuanyi had told party agents that a substantial number of polling units, totaling about 108, had irregularities requiring a reschedule of the Abia South elections.

She said Mr Abaribe got the highest number of votes in the election, having scored 49,903 votes.

She further announced that the Labour Party (LP) candidate, Chinedu Onyeizu, scored 43,903, while Governor Okezie Ikpeazu of the Peoples Democratic Party scored 28,422 votes to come third.

The returning officer also announced the results of the Aba South and North Federal Constituency, with the LP candidate Emeka Nnamani polled 35,502 to clinch the seat.

She said that Alex Ikwecheghi of APGA polled 22,465 votes, while the incumbent Representative, Chimaobi Ebisike, of the PDP scored 13,388 votes.

Mrs Ugwuanyi, therefore, declared Mr Nnamani the winner of the House of Representatives election.

(NAN)

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The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared Ireti Kingibe of the Labour Party (LP) as the winner of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Senate seat.

INEC Returning Officer, Sanni Saka, announced the result on Tuesday in Abuja.

Mr Saka, a professor, said that Ireti scored 202,175 votes to emerge the winner, adding that Philip Aduda of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) came second with 100,544 votes.

Angulu Dobi of the All Progressives Congress (APC) placed third with 78,905 votes.

I, Prof. Sanni Saka, thereby certify that I am the Returning Officer for the 2023 FCT Senatorial district election held on Feb. 25.

The election was contested and the candidates received the votes as announced.

That Ireti Kingibe having satisfied the requirement of the law has been declared the winner, Mr Saka said.

He said the problem with the Bwari result that was earlier cancelled was rectified and the result was certified as valid.

He, however, said the result for Abaji remained cancelled because the problem had not been sorted out.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Sulieman Ango, the APC agent and that of PDP Abdulrahman Mohammed refused to sign the result sheet, saying it was not authentic.

(NAN)

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The former National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Barnabas Gemade, has urged President Muhammadu Buhari and the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Mahmood Yakubu, to ignore the call by former President Olusegun Obasanjo for the cancellation of Saturdays presidential election.

Mr Gemade, who addressed the press on Tuesday in Abuja, said Mr Obasanjo was a meddlesome interloper who has nothing at stake in the election.

He said the call for the cancellation of the election by the former president was an assault on democracy and the rule of law which he described as an open incitement and call for anarchy.

He said: This is a sad moment in the history of our countrys democracy. The people who moved against the wish of our people and annulled a free and fair election in the past are at work again.

Mr Obasanjo, on Monday, had written an open letter to President Muhammadu Buhari telling him to compel INEC to cancel the ongoing collation and announcement of the result of the presidential election held last Saturday.

The letter from the former Nigerian leader has received criticisms from concerned Nigerians, including ex-military generals like Alani Akinrinade and Olu Bajowa.

Addressing the press on Tuesday, Mr Gemade, a former lawmaker, accused Mr Obasanjo of benefitting from the democracy he did not struggle for and trying to set the nation backwards after 24 years of unbroken democratic rule.

After 24 years of unbroken democratic rule, this is not the kind of thing we want to encounter. We cannot afford to allow the gains we have recorded to be frittered away by a few misguided people who neither worked for democracy nor believed in its principles.

Unfortunately, this set of people reaped from democracy; they reaped from our sweat, from our Labour for democracy. They reaped bountifully from where they did not sow.

I want to particularly speak to yesterdays call former president Olusegun Obasanjo for the cancellation of a validly conducted election. It is shocking and unbelievable that a former leader of this country could by any stretch of the imagination call for insurrection.

Mr Gemade said President Obasanjos statement is an open incitement and invitation to anarchy.

The former President is simply calling people out to take arms against the state. Its an assault on our collective psyche. We must not allow Obasanjo to have his way. We must condemn him and his satanic and unpatriotic call. I strongly condemn his statement and I call on all well-meaning Nigerians and our security agencies to call him to order. Security agents must pay special attention to this man and his antics, he added.

He further added that having conducted what could be described as the worst election in Nigerias history, Mr Obasanjo was not qualified to question the credibility of any election.

For the life of me, I find it difficult to understand why Obasanjo thinks he approximates the entire country. Why does he think he can decide for the country, or for the Nigerian people who have voted for a presidential candidate of their choice? Does Obasanjo understand what a transparent and credible election means? Is he even qualified to talk about credibility in an election? Someone who corrupted our electoral system and through his protege, Professor Maurice Iwu, organised perhaps the most fraudulent election ever witnessed in this country. This was after he failed in his bid to get an unconstitutional third term in office.

This former president wants to set standards for other leaders to follow. The truth is he has no standard or quality in his ways. What you find in his ways is indecency, dishonesty, deception, double face, treachery and wickedness. No one can give what he does not have. Obasanjo has been a thorn in the flesh of many presidents who came after him ostensibly for their refusal to hero-worship him.

Why does Obasanjo want to abort the baby that has already been born? Why does he want to visit violence in the country? Why does he want to plunge the country into anarchy? Because the fact is a winner has emerged from Saturday, February 25 election that has been adjusted as free fair and credible by local and international observers.

Mr Gemade urged President Buhari and Mr Yakubu to ignore the unsolicited advice from Mr Obasanjo who, he said, has become a meddlesome interloper in this matter.

The INEC chairman should announce the remaining results of the election and bring the process to a close to saving the nation from further anxiety and our people can move on, he said.

As of the time of filing this report, INEC was yet to announce the winner of the presidential election, although the candidate of the APC, Bola Tinubu, was still leading followed by the candidate of the PDP, Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi of the Labour Party.

Most of the results of the National Assembly elections, held on the same day as the presidential election, have also been announced.

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Reactions have continued to trail the position of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, seeking a supplementary election on 4 March and the suspension of the ongoing presidential election process.

Organisations including the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), Muslim Students Society of Nigeria (MSSN), Ekon Odo Agbara of Owo, Lygel Youths & Leadership Initiative (LYLI), and the Forum for Sustainable Democracy in Africa (FOSDA), among others, in separate statements issued on Monday night, lambasted Mr Obasanjo for allegedly inciting the public against the electoral umpire and the Nigerian government.

Mr Obasanjo, who endorsed the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, has alleged that the results of 25 Februarys presidential and National Assembly election have been doctored and manipulated, demanding a review of the results collation process.

Tension is building up and please let all elections that do not pass the credibility and transparency test be cancelled and be brought back with areas where elections were disrupted for next Saturday, 4 March 2023, and BVAS and Server officials be changed, the former president suggested in the letter.

These organisations have, therefore, criticised Mr Obasanjo for his intervention, and craved the interventions of stakeholders to rein in the former President.

NSCIA reacts

NSCIA in its statement cautions political leaders and actors against making provocative and unguarded statements which could drag the country into unnecessary conflict and anarchy.

While reckless statements from inconsequential individuals can be easily ignored, this is not so of those from respected political and religious leaders.

It is important that patriotic and well-meaning Nigerian leaders should support unrelenting adherence to process and procedure in the ongoing electoral process.

This is because any inclination to unprocedural decision or action at this critical time is a direct call for anarchy which will not yield any positive outcome to the nation, the statement read in part.

The NSCIA urged INEC to remain undistracted and committed to its duty until it discharges it to its logical conclusion.

Police should invite Obasanjo for questioning

In another development, the Ekon Odo Agbara of Owo, a socio-political group in Ondo State, accused the former president of treason, and urged the security operatives to invite Mr Obasanjo for questioning.

In a statement signed on behalf of the group, Jamiu Ekungba, a former governorship aspirant in Ondo State, in his statement said the former President should be treated like any ordinary citizen and be arrested for the seditious statement which is treasonable.

MSSN, others kick

The MSSN in a statement signed by its President, Miftahudeen Thanni, described Mr Obasanjos letter to President Muhammadu Buhari as unnecessary and biased, urging the Independent National Electoral Commission not to get distracted.

Can other elders admonish former President Olusegun Obasanjo not to put the nation into a blazing fire? That letter was unnecessary at a point when the country is tense.

He probably has a mission unknown to many of us. As an elder statesman, we expect him to be calling for calm and not heating the polity, Mr Thanni said.

MSSN, an umbrella body of Muslim students in the country, also advised Mr Buhari and INEC to ignore the unconstitutional suggestions of the former President, adding that the votes of the people must count and that the ideal step is for the aggrieved parties to seek redress in court.

Group scores INEC 90%

On its part, the Lygel Youths & Leadership Initiative said in collaboration with other bodies such as Nigerian Social Workers observed that the field report gathered from about 23 states of the federation from its officers who monitored the elections on Saturday, pointed to the fact that INEC did score 90 per cent for a credible, free and fair election.

In its statement signed by the National Coordinator, Olalekan Oladapo, a lawyer, added that most of the B-VAS machines functioned very well except in a few cases.

Though, uploading to the INEC portal posed a challenge for unstable internet connections, among other reasons. Nevertheless, it is our view that delay or failure to upload the same has not affected the credibility of the process. It is a means to an end that can be subjected to review in the post-election disputes.

Meanwhile, also reacting, the Forum for Sustainable Democracy in Africa (FOSDA) said Mr Obasanjos action may truncate the fragile democratic process, plunge Nigeria into avoidable constitutional crisis, and trigger overwhelming civil unrest.

The satement which was signed by its spokesman, Umar Farouk, a copy of which was made available to PREMIUM TIMES, noted that the Nigerian Constitution and the 2022 Electoral Act empower the INEC Chairman full discretion over the deployment of the IRev portal and manual collation system, and to use either or both as expedient.

While Obasanjo is trying to heat the currently fragile polity, Nigerians do remember that Obasanjo has a publicly stated preferred candidate in this election; Mr Peter Obi of the Labour Party, supervised some of the most corrupted presidential elections in Nigerian history, and remains permanently tainted by the memory of his failed, unconstitutional third term bid, Mr Farouk wrote.

He said President Buhari should rather see Mr Obasanjos bid as an attempt to stain his democratic credentials, destroy his governance legacy, and pollute his political and moral memory permanently in the eyes of the world in an infamous June 12-style.

Nigerians had trooped out en masse on Saturday to elect their preferred candidates during the presidential and national assembly election which was conducted across 774 local government areas in 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory.

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The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared Marie Ebikake of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as the winner of Saturdays election for Brass/Nembe Federal Constituency in Bayelsa State.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Mrs Ebikake, a former commissioner for Transport in the state, won the incumbent representative, Sunny Goli, who contested the seat for the second term in the Green Chambers.

Donatus Bassey, a professor and the INEC returning officer for Brass/Nembe Federal Constituency, declared Mrs Ebikake the winner of the poll.

He said Mrs Ebikake polled 11,145 votes to defeat her main rival, Mr Goli, of the All Progressives Congress, who scored 6,755 votes.

Marie Ebikake, of PDP having scored the highest votes of 11,145 is hereby declared as the winner of the election conducted on 25 February for the Brass/Nembe Federal Constituency, he said.

(NAN)

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The candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi, has been declared the winner of the presidential election in Anambra State.

Mr Obi polled a total of 584,621 votes (over 90 per cent of the votes cast) to defeat Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who came a distant second with 9,036 votes, the Nation newspaper reported.

Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) came fourth in the election with 5,111 votes while Peter Umeadi, the candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), was third with 7,388 votes.

Mr Obi is a former governor of Anambra State while the state is currently governed by Charles Soludo of APGA.

The candidate of the Young Progressives Party (YPP), Malik Ado-Ibrahim, garnered 1,997 votes to come fifth in the presidential election.

The New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) candidate, Rabiu Kwankwaso, managed to pick the sixth position with a total of 1,967 votes.

The Returning Officer of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in the state, Nnenna Oti, declared the results at the INEC collation centre in Awka, the state capital, on Tuesday.

Mrs Oti, a professor, is the Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University of Technology, Owerri, Imo State.

Mr Obi was expected to overwhelm his opponents in Anambra and he did so, winning over 90 per cent of the votes cast. He is from the state and is very popular there, as well as in other states in the South-east region.

PREMIUM TIMES reports that Mr Obi has so far won the presidential election in the four south-east states that have been announced (Imo, Enugu, Ebonyi and Anambra), scoring not less than 70 per cent of the votes in each state.

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PHOENIX, Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- 1606 Corp (OTC: CBDW), an acquisition-based CBD company, updates shareholders after completing the first thirty days of trading under the ticker symbol CBDW.

On January 17th, 2022 , 1606 Corp (OTC | CBDW), a spin-off of Singlepoint Inc, began trading.

, 1606 Corp (OTC | CBDW), a spin-off of Singlepoint Inc, began trading. Around Feb 15th the company received delivery of enough inventory for an additional 2500 stores, and is in the process of fulfilling orders for retail customers

the company received delivery of enough inventory for an additional 2500 stores, and is in the process of fulfilling orders for retail customers The company has signed an LOI with Brio Nutritionals to purchase 51% of the company and with terms verbally agreed to, 1606 Corp is only waiting for Brio's signature.

1606 management attended the premiere CBD product showcase on February 24th at the Las Vegas Convention Center, the Total Product Expo , and are now in talks with several companies regarding acquiring their businesses.

"It's only been a little more than a month, and we've already come so far as a company. I'm pleased that we have access to $20,000,000 in financing to draw from which we're excited to use to acquire CBD companies. The support from shareholders has been amazing and we want to thank our core investors who've made all this possible. I can't wait to share what we've got going on next! " Said Greg Lambrecht, CEO & Chairman of 1606 Corp

About 1606 Corp;

In April 2021, 1606 Corp. was spun off from Singlepoint Inc. (OTCQB: SING).1606 has been able to develop smokable hemp brands to add to 1606 original, including Truz and CBD Singlez (www.1606hemp.com) The company intends to acquire Companies in the CBD, including brands, distribution, retail outlets, and manufacturing. 1606 Corp. was awarded the ticker symbol CBDW on January 12th, 2022.

Industry Information;

Rates of cannabidiol (CBD) usage in the United States are projected to surge in 2023, according to Stirling CBD. With recent studies suggesting as high as a 10% year-over-year (YoY) increase in usage, Stirling CBD predicts that 2023 will be a pivotal year for the industry as the widespread adoption of CBD-infused products is set to take place across the health and wellness, beauty, and food and beverage industries.

Data from 2022 provides insight into the widespread nature of CBD-infused products. The Center for Advancing Health (CFAH) reported that 26% of Americans used CBD in 2022, and according to ClevelandClinic.org , 42% of people who take CBD use it for sleep-related reasons. It is also often marketed toward individuals struggling with anxiety, depression, quitting smoking, fitness recovery, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains statements that constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. These statements appear in a number of places in this release and include all statements that are not statements of historical fact regarding the intent, belief, or current expectations of 1606 Corp (the "Company"), its directors, or its officers with respect to, among other things: (i) financing plans; (ii) trends affecting its financial condition or results of operations; (iii) growth strategy and operating strategy. The words "may," "would," "will," "expect," "estimate," "can," "believe," "potential" and similar expressions and variations thereof are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Investors are cautioned that any such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the Company's ability to control, and actual results may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements as a result of various factors. You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements since they involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors, which are, in some cases, beyond the Company's control and which could, and likely will materially affect actual results, levels of activity, performance, or achievements. 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. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the company's expectations include, but are not limited to, those factors that are disclosed under the heading "Risk Factors" and elsewhere in documents filed by the company from time to time with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission and other regulatory authorities.

Company Websites;

www.1606hemp.com

www.CBD.Inc

SOURCE 1606 Corp
DUBLIN, Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Certificate in Employee Relations Law?Seminar" conference has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The Certificate in Employee Relations Law Seminar is designed to provide participants with a broad base of practical knowledge in all facets of employment law.

The Certificate in Employee Relations Law Seminar provides the most comprehensive, practical, up-to-date employment law training available. This is a 4 day seminar is geared to the real-world needs of human resource professionals, attorneys, and managers. The seminar provides "best practices" insights and information on the full range of employee relations and labor law issues.

The seminar is presented by prominent employment law attorneys who are also excellent presenters. The focus is on the practical implications of the law and what steps participants can take on the job to cope with the complex requirements of the various laws and regulations.

The seminar provides participants with:

A comprehensive understanding of all of today's significant employment laws and regulations, and the ability to know what to do about them in their own workplace.

The skills to recognize and deal with problem situations and to minimize exposure to litigation by learning what steps and policies to implement in the workplace.

Complete information regarding current and expected future laws and regulations, enabling your organization to anticipate and plan for the future.

Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM)

The host is recognized by SHRM to offer Professional Development Credits (PDCs) for the SHRM-CP or SHRM-SCP. This 4 day program has been approved for 29.75 PDCs.

HR Certification Institute (HRCI)

This 4 day program has been approved for 29.75 HR recertification credit hours toward PHR and SPHR recertification through the HR Certification Institute (HRCI).

Agenda:



Block 1 - Labor Law in the Union & Non-Union Workplace (Monday - Tuesday)



Overview of Laws Governing the Employer-Union Relationship

Analysis of the provisions of the Labor Management Relations Act and other applicable laws.

Practical guide to understanding and successfully dealing with the National Labor Relations Board.

Practical Guidance for Managing Non-Unionized Employees

How to minimize legal risk through good hiring practices

Identification of the most important employment policies

How to use performance evaluations effectively

The keys to avoiding an employment-related lawsuit

How to conduct effective internal investigations

Managing leaves of absence effectively

Why employees unionize-recurring problems in the non-union workplace.

Preventive measures to avoid union organizing efforts.

Changes in the Law and How they Affect You - The Election Process

Examination of election procedures-statutory provisions and NLRB processes.

How to conduct a legal and effective campaign against unionization.

Collective Bargaining

What should management want in a collective bargaining agreement?

How to get what you want out of the collective bargaining process.

Extent of responsibility to bargain in good faith.

The correlation between collective bargaining agreements and employee handbooks.

Strikes and Picketing Activity

Legal limits on strikes, picketing, and employer responses.

Legal remedies and best strategies for dealing with actual or threatened strikes, picketing, and boycotts.

Operating Under a Collective Bargaining Agreement

Living with a collective bargaining agreement.

Making effective use of the grievance procedure.

Preparing for and winning arbitration cases.

Successorship and the Law

Buying a business whose employees are unionized.

Understanding your rights and liabilities in mergers and acquisitions.

Ending the Union Relationship

The decertification process.

Other non-election means through which to legally end the relationship.

Block 2 - Employment Discrimination Law (Wednesday - Thursday)



A survey course that examines legal theories under Title VII and other Civil Rights Acts, including discrimination and harassment based upon race, sex, religion, national origin, age, and disability.

Analyzes race, color and national origin discrimination claims under Title VII and the Post-Civil War Civil Rights Acts.

Examines the various theories of sex discrimination, including such issues as pregnancy discrimination, employee benefits design and equal pay.

Discusses sexual and other types of harassment, investigations and policies employers need to mitigate their risk of liability.

Reviews trends in protecting the rights of persons based on sexual orientation.

Updates religious discrimination issues, including employer obligations to accommodate employees' religious practices.

Strategies and Practical Advice for Dealing with Issues Under the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Family and Medical Leave Act

A thorough examination of the Americans with Disabilities Act and the effective handling of the disabled employee, including a discussion of the changed standards under the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendment Act.

An analysis of current decisions interpreting an employer's rights and responsibilities under the Americans with Disabilities Act.

An examination of the Family and Medical Leave Act, its regulations, and recent cases dealing with leave issues.

An Update on Developments in the Law Under the Age Discrimination in Employment Act

An examination of developing legal issues, including disparate impact claims and defenses.

A review of issues associated with employee benefits designs, especially severance benefits.

Resolving Discrimination Claims Without Litigation

Resolving complaints internally and encouraging employees to use your procedures.

Avoiding litigation through binding arbitration.

A discussion of recent court decisions concerning the enforceability of agreements to arbitrate employment claims and class claims.

Litigating Discrimination Claims

A review of the case handling process under EEOC regulations.

How to win your case at the administrative level.

An examination of effective litigation strategies.

Avoidance of retaliation claims.

Settlement strategies, including pre-charge settlements as well as settlements in conjunction with agencies.

An Examination of Affirmative Action

A detailed discussion of voluntary affirmative action trends.

An examination of the requirements of Executive Order 11246 for government contractors.

How to prepare affirmative action plans.

Dealing with the OFCCP effectively.

Update on judicial opinions regarding affirmative action and "reverse discrimination."

Block 3 - Special Issues in Employee Relations Law (Friday)



This block will address specific employment law/labor law issues of interest to participants not covered in Blocks I and II plus up-to-the-minute laws, regulations and court decisions. Topics may include:



Wage and Hour Issues

An examination of the Fair Labor Standards Act and regulations affecting the categorization of employees as exempt from minimum wage and/or overtime premium pay and calculating overtime premium pay under various pay arrangements.



Wrongful Discharge Litigation

An examination of the various theories of recovery arising from employee discipline and discharge. An examination of litigation prevention techniques including practical suggestions regarding employment policies, internal review procedures, and discipline/termination decision making and implementation.

Assessments of effective litigation strategies in response to these developments.

A discussion of post-employment inquiries and the use of separation agreements as a litigation avoidance tool.

Employment-Related Tort Litigation

Defamation claims arising from communications to employees, other employers, customers and others.

Intentional infliction of emotional distress.

Intentional interference with contract or prospective business advantage.

Fraudulent or negligent misrepresentation.

Negligent hiring, supervision entrustment and supervision.

Alternative Dispute Resolution

Pros and cons.

Utilization of arbitration agreements.

Features of an effective ADR System.

Substance Abuse in the Workplace

Legal restrictions and considerations in developing and implementing effective policies and programs.

Workplace Privacy Claims

Workplace searches and related issues.

Employee monitoring and pending legislation.

Emerging types of claims.

Protecting Confidential Information

What is protectable.

How to protect it

For more information about this conference visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/qgdj6s

About ResearchAndMarkets.com

ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends.

Media Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

[email protected]



For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470

For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630

For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900



U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907

Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716

Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/539438/Research_and_Markets_Logo.jpg

SOURCE Research and Markets
HARBIN, China, Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Strolling in the well-known Central Street, or Zhong Yang Street in Harbin, the capital of northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, people would always feel like they are in Europe.

The ongoing 39th Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival is attracting large numbers of tourists at home and abroad, which has broken historical records for both flight movements and passenger traffic.

The street with a profound history and exotic style is undoubtedly one of the most popular tourist sites in the city, attracting over 700,000 tourists per day, according to the Information Office of Harbin Municipality.

The street was built in 1898 when the Chinese Eastern Railway was under construction. At that time, Harbin attracted more than 200,000 foreign immigrants, a large influx of capital, and the establishment of over 20 consulates, quickly making it become a cosmopolitan city with the street as its center.

The street is 1,450 meters long, with 25 side streets and more than 70 well-preserved historical buildings, including Renaissance, Baroque, Eclectic, and Art Nouveau schools of architecture. The beautiful corridor of various Western-style architecture is like a flowing symphony.

Among them, the architecture located at No. 120 which used to be the Song Pu foreign firm, stands out for its ornate exterior, vivid shape, sophisticated decorations, and typical Baroque style. Above the main entrance, a pair of graceful marble pillars of a man and a woman, the gods of ancient Greek mythology, take dominance. The Corinthian pilasters run through three or four floors, the windows are decorated with fine reliefs, the circular balcony is calyx-shaped, the ironwork scrollwork is derived from the "crown on Apollo's head", and the deep red attic, monsoon roof, and composite dome create a beautiful skyline.

A courtyard standing a few steps away with a beautiful eclectic style was built in 1922 and named as "Wan Guo" foreign firm because it gathered many foreign businesses. It was said that back in the old days, the latest French perfumes were always available here in less than a week.

Every time the lights come on, the sound of music is heard, and a saxophone is played on a flower-filled balcony at the corner of the street. It's like an elaborate "flash mob", and people always stop, watch, listen, and record the moment on their mobile phones.

Each "balcony concert" has its special and be performed all year round, even in winter. The most popular one is the "Ma Die Er Hotel balcony concert", a luminous stage that lights up the elegant Art Nouveau-style building. Over the past 16 years, the hotel has invited renowned performers from Cuba, the Philippines, Germany, Armenia and many other countries to present their performances. Accordion, electric violin, saxophone, and other instruments suitable for outdoor performance, with cool exotic costumes, singing, and dancing, show the city's unique romance.

Strolling through the "bread stone" paved streets makes one feel like spanning a hundred years, yet with its fashionable appeal. The street is the first commercial pedestrian street in China, where international brand flagship shops, Chinese "old brands" and cultural and creative experience centers co-exist in harmony, vividly interpreting Harbin's open and inclusive, East-meets-West cultural heritage and urban characteristics. Old restaurants such as Ta Dao Si and Hua Mei hang bilingual plaques and stick to the original taste of Russian cuisine. The crystal clear igloo is steaming hot with a sizzling hotpot. Visitors in down jackets always enjoy with enthusiasm and wonder and cannot help saying "When Ice meets fire, what a treat!" Qiu Lin sausages and Russian-style bread inherited the taste of centuries-old craftsmanship, and there are always long queues of customers in front of the door. These specialties have recently doubled in sales year-on-year along with the tourist fever, with only Ma Die Er popsicles selling over 50,000 a day. Various events are held on this old street, such as the "Chinese New Year Tour on Central Street", the "Happy Lantern Festival" and the "Old Street Fashion Parade".

Over recent years, Harbin has spared no effort to boost the commercial development of the street and build it as a world-class "China's best European style street" with market mechanisms under the municipal government.

SOURCE Information Office of Harbin Municipality
WASHINGTON, Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Far From Home, a new short film by Stronger Together US, seeks to raise awareness about the challenges faced by migrant workers in North American agriculture, and the importance of responsible recruitment practices to those involved in their recruitment and employment.

Based on real-life scenarios, Far From Home tells the story of one family's experience as agricultural workers in the US Tweet this 'Far from Home' seeks to raise awareness about the challenges faced by migrant agricultural workers, and the importance of responsible recruitment practices. Watch, share, and be part of the conversation about the responsible recruitment of H-2A agricultural workers in the United States. Far from Home was produced by Stronger Together US under a grant from the Walmart Foundation.

Based on real-life scenarios and personal accounts, Far From Home tells the story of one family's experience as H-2A agricultural workers, and their relationship with their farm labor contractor, who was once himself a worker. The film also highlights best practices and points to a better way forward for employers, recruiters, and farm labor contractors (FLCs), as well as support services from partner organizations.

Workers migrating to the United States on a seasonal and temporary basis under the H-2A visa program frequently face exploitation from unscrupulous recruiters and employers. Despite their essential role in the agricultural sector, they often pay illegal recruitment fees, face gender discrimination, and experience withheld wage payments and the confiscation of passports and other legal documents to restrict their movement.

Produced by Stronger Together US under a grant from the Walmart Foundation, the film aims to strengthen the voice of marginalized and vulnerable workers and provide insight into the often-hidden realities of labor exploitation in agriculture. The film also demonstrates what responsible recruitment can look like from the perspective of a former worker who is now a farm labor contractor and employer.

"In creating this short film, we wanted to tell an authentic story that boosts the visibility of migrant farmworkers and the risks they face when they are away from home," says Veronica Ospina, Stronger Together Program Manager for US and Mexico. "Film is a powerful tool for storytelling that can drive social change, so we also wanted to focus on solutions to an industry-wide challenge."

By raising awareness of the signs of hidden labor exploitation, Stronger Together hopes to further develop employers' understanding of responsible labor practices and their importance in strengthening protections for workers by engaging FLCs that are committed to the Employer Pays Principle. The film will be used as a conversation tool in Stronger Together's workshops and will be freely available for businesses and organizations working in this space to use for training and awareness-raising purposes.

"As migrant workers often rely on labor brokers to facilitate their migration and employment, they are vulnerable to exploitation including being charged illegal fees during their recruitment. We hope that this short film will encourage employers to review their current practices so that all workers are recruited responsibly and meet the principles set out in the Ethical Charter on Responsible Labor Practices," adds Gavin Bailey, Senior Manager at the Walmart Foundation.

Far From Home is now live on YouTube in English and with subtitles in Spanish. Watch, share, and be part of the ongoing conversation and efforts to strengthen responsible recruitment of H-2A workers in US agriculture.

Stronger Together US provides business-friendly solutions to support the implementation and oversight of ethical labor practices. Sign up here to get involved, stay connected, and register for our upcoming training workshops on responsible recruitment and for access to resources to strengthen practices in your operations and labor supply chain.





Far From Home (English subtitles): https://youtu.be/So03gD0_I6o

Far From Home (Spanish subtitles): https://youtu.be/GWvhxa0n5sA

Far From Home was shot on working farms in North Carolina and directed and produced by Made Outside and Wheelhouse Media.

About:

Stronger Together is an impact-driven, not-for-profit organization providing businesses with practical training, resources, business services and collaborative programs in order to create a world where all workers are recruited responsibly and have fair work free from exploitation.

www.stronger2gether.org/us/

Media Contact:

Veronica Ospina

[email protected]

SOURCE Stronger Together
One Man's Vision One Man's Dream

WASHINGTON, Feb. 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- On March 11, 2023 at 6pm, the President of PATHS University and its Board invites the public to join them at their 1st Annual Inaugural Gala at the prestigious Washington Press Club, Washington D.C. to celebrate the formal introduction of PATHS University to Africa and the world.

Inspired by the words of the late great Nelson Mandela, which PATHS theme is based upon: "Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world" has been the inspiration of this one man's vision and one man's dream.

And now not only does a tree grow in Guinea West Africa, PATH University is now in the first stages of being built, along with a University Hospital.

Now armed with a Board of over 20 PhD's and EdD's, these scholars are committed to ensure that this vision and dream will come to life.

Join us on Saturday March 11. 2023 at 6pm at the prestigious Washington Press Club in Washington D.C. as we make this dream of PATHS University School of Agriculture and Technology become a reality on the continent of Africa.

Guinea-Conakry- "The next Timbuktu of Africa"

SOURCE PATHS University
Accela receives award recognizing the most innovative and top-performing public sector marketing campaigns across all e.Republic channels

SAN RAMON, Calif., Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Accela , the trusted provider of cloud solutions at the heart of state and local government operations, today announced that it was selected for a 2023 SLEDie Award for Marketing & Communications Industry Excellence in the Industry Leadership category. This new recognition program put on by e.Republic, a media, research and data company, acknowledges and celebrates the best marketing and communication initiatives in the state, local and education markets and recognizes Accela for its leadership in pushing the govtech market forward and thought leadership-focused approach to marketing.

Accela's marketing team

"In the face of compounding challenges  like economic uncertainty, disaster recovery, workforce shortages, and rapid advances in technology  government staff seek knowledge and solutions that help them move from the pressures of their jobs, to the purpose of their jobs: creating communities that thrive," said Accela Senior Vice President of Marketing Heidi Lorenzen. "Accela takes seriously our role in delivering both the thought leadership and expertise, as well as the modern technology and services, to help them do that. It's a privilege to be a part of this inflection point for government technology, and my team and I are honored to be recognized for our industry leadership from such a well-respected govtech intelligence and media partner as e.Republic."

Accela empowers state and local governments to develop communities, grow businesses and local economies, and protect residents. Its software solutions for licensing, permitting, and code enforcement leverage the power of the cloud and have decades of government service delivery best practices built in. More than 300 million residents worldwide benefit from Accela's government software solutions.

"We are thrilled to announce the winners of the first annual SLEDie Awards," said Cathilea Robinett, CEO of e.Republic. "These organizations are at the forefront of marketing and communication in the SLED sector and their efforts are setting the standard for excellence in the industry."

The SLEDie Awards were launched and presented in-person this year at e.Republic's Beyond the Beltway event held February 23, in Tysons Corner, Virginia. This recognition honors the most innovative and top-performing state and local marketing campaigns, and best practices delivering extraordinary experiences and results. Accela Senior Vice President of Marketing Heidi Lorenzen accepted the award on behalf of her team and Accela.

Today's announcement builds on Accela's recent award wins. In 2022, Accela won an APPEALIE SaaS Award , and a Fast Company World Changing Ideas Award . Lorenzen won a SaaS Marketing Leader Award . Accela also was included on the 2023 GovTech 100 list for the eighth consecutive year, and selected as a 2022 Microsoft US Government Partner of the Year for the third consecutive year. To learn more about Accela solutions, please visit https://www.accela.com/solutions .

About Accela

Accela is the trusted provider of cloud solutions at the heart of government operations. The company works with governments across the globe to accelerate their digital transformation, deliver vital services, and build stronger communities. More than 300 million residents worldwide benefit from Accela's government software solutions. The company offers agile, purpose-built solutions and the power of a platform that provides users with a consumer-like experience, shares data across departments, and ensures world-class security.

With Accela, government agencies experience rapid and effective digital transformation. Accela's government software meets agencies wherever they are on their modernization journey, while also helping them prepare for whatever comes next. The company is a three-consecutive year Microsoft US Partner Award winner for its innovative SaaS solutions to help governments respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2022, Accela was honored as a recipient of Inc.'s Best in Business for SaaS and selected by Fast Company for its World Changing Ideas Award. Accela is headquartered in San Ramon, California, with offices around the world. For more information, visit www.accela.com .

Contact: Holly Langbein, (916) 769-2199, [email protected]

SOURCE Accela
Delivering Unmatched Insight and Expertise, a Transformed Acosta Group Unlocks Growth for Brands, Retailers and Foodservice Providers in the Modern Marketplace

JACKSONVILLE, Fla., Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Acosta today launched Acosta Group, a new unified brand for the company, aligning its omnichannel retail, marketing and foodservice agencies to provide seamless access to the company's end-to-end solutions. Building on the company's transformation and strategic investments over the past three years, this move distinctly positions Acosta Group as the leading driver of sales growth in the modern marketplace.

Brian Wynne, CEO of Acosta Group Introducing Acosta Group

Experience the full interactive Multichannel News Release here: https://www.multivu.com/players/English/9143551-acosta-launches-acosta-group-collective-of-agencies/

"We are operating in a new era of commerce that demands a diverse yet cohesive set of solutions that touch the consumer everywhere they buy," said Brian Wynne, CEO of Acosta Group. "Across our agencies, we are investing in the expansion of our strategic capabilities and simplifying access to our suite of services. The promise of Acosta Group is to deliver frictionless, modern solutions that accelerate sales, share and profit growth for our partners, now and in the future."

Brands, retailers and foodservice providers, ranging from CPG to consumer electronics, natural and specialty, fresh foods, health and beauty care, convenience, mass, club and more, rely on Acosta Group to connect consumers with their products in store, online and on the go. Acosta Group agencies serve more than 2,500 clients, including over 60 one-billion-dollar-plus brands and more than 300 local or entrepreneur-owned brands throughout North America and Europe.

"For more than 95 years, our clients and customers have trusted us to anticipate their needs and deliver what we promise," said Wynne. "With Acosta Group, we are creating a platform that enables easy access to all of our agencies and helps brands and retailers achieve their full potential, regardless of their size or where they are in their lifecycle."

ACOSTA GROUP AGENCIES

Acosta Group agencies connect people with brands, at every point in the evolving consumer journey. The collective delivers end-to-end solutions including headquarters sales services, omnichannel retail solutions, in-store selling and training, integrated marketing, foodservice sales enablement and culinary solutions, and the most advanced data and insights. Access to proprietary first-party data combined with research and analytics allows Acosta Group to discover insights that drive long-term growth.

The Acosta Group pillar agencies are:

Acosta : Omnichannel retail solutions and business intelligence including headquarter sales, digital commerce, back-office solutions, merchandising, revenue growth management, space and category management to grow share of shelf and increase sales across channels.

Omnichannel retail solutions and business intelligence including headquarter sales, digital commerce, back-office solutions, merchandising, revenue growth management, space and category management to grow share of shelf and increase sales across channels. CORE Foodservice : Progressive foodservice sales enablement and culinary innovation solutions that enable brands to sell to today's most influential foodservice operators.

Progressive foodservice sales enablement and culinary innovation solutions that enable brands to sell to today's most influential foodservice operators. Mosaic : Integrated marketing capabilities, from in-store sales and training and experiential to brand building and national media campaigns, to drive action and impact.

Integrated marketing capabilities, from in-store sales and training and experiential to brand building and national media campaigns, to drive action and impact. Premium : Sales and training, merchandising, and field technology to identify insights, grow sales and deliver quality execution for brands and retailers.

Sales and training, merchandising, and field technology to identify insights, grow sales and deliver quality execution for brands and retailers. ActionLink: Complex and specialized merchandising and in-store selling solutions for leading brands.

ABOUT ACOSTA GROUP

Acosta Group is a collective of the most trusted retail, marketing and foodservice agencies empowering brands and retailers to win in the modern marketplace. By delivering transformative, commerce-focused solutions and more than 95 years of expertise, Acosta Group connects brands with people at every point in the consumer journey.

Comprised of Acosta, CORE Foodservice, Mosaic, Premium Retail Services and ActionLink, Acosta Group understands and anticipates evolving consumer needs, fueling accelerated performance to connect tomorrow's commerce today. For more information, please visit acosta.group.

SOURCE Acosta Group
Companies on the list had an average growth rate of 557 percent

AUSTIN, Texas, Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- ActivTrak today announced it is ranked No. 46 on the 2023 Inc. 5000 Regionals Southwest list, the most prestigious ranking of the fastest-growing private companies based in Arizona, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas. Most recently, ActivTrak ranked No. 1344 on the Inc. 5000 list, 13th among business products and services companies in Texas, and 5th among companies in Austin.

Between 2019 and 2021, 166 private companies on the Inc. 5000 Regionals Southwest list had an average growth rate of 557 percent, adding 16,116 jobs and nearly $5.5 billion to the region's economy in 2021 alone. Companies based in the Austin, Texas, Scottsdale, Arizona, and Fort Worth, Texas, areas had the highest growth rates overall.

"We are once again honored to be ranked among the most successful private companies in Texas  and the country," said Mark Ralls, CEO of ActivTrak. Tweet this

"We are once again honored to be ranked among the most successful private companies in Texas  and the country," said Mark Ralls, CEO of ActivTrak. "It's a testament to the work of our talented team and their tireless commitment to helping companies around the world unlock the potential of the future of work using workforce analytics."

"This year's Inc. 5000 Regional winners represent one of the most exceptional and exciting lists of America's off-the-charts growth companies. They're disrupters and job creators, and all delivered an outsize impact on the economy. Remember their names and follow their lead. These are the companies you'll be hearing about for years to come," said Scott Omelianuk, editor-in-chief of Inc. magazine.

Complete results of the Inc. 5000 Regionals Southwest, including company profiles and an interactive database sorted by industry, metro area, and other criteria, can be found at inc.com/southwest.

More about Inc. and the Inc. 5000 Regionals

Methodology

The 2023 Inc. 5000 Regionals are ranked according to percentage revenue growth when comparing 2019 and 2021. To qualify, companies must have been founded and generating revenue by March 31, 2019. They had to be U.S.-based, privately held, for-profit, and independentnot subsidiaries or divisions of other companiesas of December 31, 2021. (Since then, a number of companies on the list have gone public or been acquired.) The minimum revenue required for 2019 is $100,000; the minimum for 2021 is $1 million. As always, Inc. reserves the right to decline applicants for subjective reasons.

About Inc. Media

The world's most trusted business-media brand, Inc. offers entrepreneurs the knowledge, tools, connections, and community to build great companies. Its award-winning multiplatform content reaches more than 50 million people each month across a variety of channels including websites, newsletters, social media, podcasts, and print. Its prestigious Inc. 5000 list, produced every year since 1982, analyzes company data to recognize the fastest-growing privately held businesses in the United States. The global recognition that comes with inclusion in the 5000 gives the founders of the best businesses an opportunity to engage with an exclusive community of their peers and the credibility that helps them drive sales and recruit talent.

The associated Inc. 5000 Conference is part of a highly acclaimed portfolio of bespoke events produced by Inc. For more information, visit www.inc.com .

About ActivTrak

ActivTrak helps digital workforces work wiser and thrive. More than 9,000 customers and 550,000 users have deployed our workforce analytics cloud to gain insights and metrics about digital work so they can measure and optimize productivity and wellness with the employee in mind. These innovations have been recognized by the Deloitte Technology Fast 500, the Inc. 5000 and the Brandon Hall Excellence in Technology award. Based in Austin, Texas, ActivTrak is backed by Sapphire Ventures and Elsewhere Partners, and led by a seasoned team of software industry veterans.

SOURCE ActivTrak
Register today for this free conference, featuring 50+ industry and technology sessions

CARY, N.C., Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- More than ever, businesses need resiliency in the face of economic uncertainty, continuing supply-chain disruptions, extreme weather, political instability and other challenges. For many organizations, technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) and cloud analytics help them respond to today's challenges and better prepare for whatever tomorrow brings.

Among the presenters are executives from FDIC, Liberty Mutual, Nestle, Parexel, Truist and Ulta Beauty. Tweet this Register today for SAS Innovate, May 8-10 in Orlando, for an AI and cloud analytics showcase

At SAS Innovate, the AI and analytics business conference from SAS, the leader in analytics, you will hear from executives and front-line workers using these technologies to optimize their businesses, fight fraud, manage risk, and improve customer relationships.

Among the presenters are executives from leading organizations including FDIC, Georgia Department of Human Services, HDI Seguros, Liberty Mutual, Mayo Clinic Platform, National Bank of Canada, Nestle, Northern Trust, Parexel, Truist and Ulta Beauty.

Register today

SAS Innovate is an in-person conference May 8-10 at the Hyatt Regency in Orlando, Florida. You can join more than 1,000 business leaders and analytics experts for more than 50 industry and technology sessions and roundtables on the latest analytics in action.

To reserve your place, go to the SAS Innovate homepage and click "Register now." Registration is complimentary.

Innovation Hub

SAS Innovate will feature an Innovation Hub, where attendees can experience the latest technologies from SAS and its partners. The Innovation Hub will spotlight SAS Viya  SAS' cloud-native, massively parallel analytics and AI platform  along with solutions for enterprise decisioning, data strategy, customer intelligence and more.

Industry focus

SAS will also feature industry-specific solutions in the Innovation Hub, as well as industry-focused presentations on the conference agenda. Spotlighted industries include:

Financial services (including banking and insurance)

Government

Health care and life sciences

Manufacturing, transportation and energy

Retail and consumer goods

Telco and media

Networking

At SAS Innovate, you will have the opportunity to share ideas and meet with fellow analytics users and SAS customers, as well as presenters, executives and businesspeople interested in transforming data into decisions through analytics.

And if you cannot make it to Orlando, SAS will host a series of events in cities around the globe to bring some of SAS Innovate to you. The full schedule of SAS Innovate on Tour events in Europe, Asia-Pacific, the Middle East and Latin America will be announced soon.

"SAS Innovate will help you guide your business to make faster, better decisions. And show resilience in the face of whatever the future brings," said SAS Chief Marketing Officer Jennifer Chase. "As the conference theme suggests, you can 'Outpace Tomorrow' with the analytics on display at SAS Innovate."

About SAS

SAS is the leader in analytics. Through innovative software and services, SAS empowers and inspires customers around the world to transform data into intelligence. SAS gives you THE POWER TO KNOW.

SAS and all other SAS Institute Inc. product or service names are registered trademarks or trademarks of SAS Institute Inc. in the USA and other countries.  indicates USA registration. Other brand and product names are trademarks of their respective companies. Copyright  2023 SAS Institute Inc. All rights reserved.

Editorial Contact:

Mike Nemecek

SAS

[email protected]

919-531-5140

sas.com/news

SOURCE SAS
ST. LOUIS, Feb. 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Union Electric Company, doing business as Ameren Missouri, a subsidiary of Ameren Corporation (NYSE: AEE), announced today the pricing of a public offering of $500 million aggregate principal amount of 5.45% first mortgage bonds due 2053 at 99.794% of their principal amount. The transaction is expected to close on March 13, 2023, subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions.

Ameren Missouri intends to use the net proceeds of the offering to fund capital expenditures and/or refinance its short-term debt.

BofA Securities, Inc., KeyBanc Capital Markets Inc., RBC Capital Markets, LLC, TD Securities (USA) LLC, U.S. Bancorp Investments, Inc. and Fifth Third Securities, Inc. are acting as joint book-running managers for the offering.

The offering is being made only by means of a prospectus and related prospectus supplement. A prospectus supplement related to the offering will be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Copies of the prospectus supplement and accompanying prospectus, when available, for the offering may be obtained on the Securities and Exchange Commission's website at www.sec.gov, or by contacting BofA Securities, Inc., 200 North College Street, 3rd Floor, NC1-004-03-43, Charlotte, NC 28255, Attention: Prospectus Department, email: [email protected], phone: 1-800-294-1322.

This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy the first mortgage bonds and shall not constitute an offer, solicitation or sale in any jurisdiction in which, or to any person to whom, such an offer, solicitation or sale is unlawful.

About Ameren Missouri

Ameren Missouri has been providing electric and gas service for more than 100 years. Ameren Missouri's mission is to power the quality of life for its 1.2 million electric and 135,000 natural gas customers in central and eastern Missouri. The company's service area covers 64 counties and more than 500 communities, including the greater St. Louis area. For more information, visit Ameren.com/Missouri or follow us at @AmerenMissouri or Facebook.com/AmerenMissouri.

SOURCE Ameren Missouri
Former Couchbase CEO joins the company after 15 months as an active advisor and board member

NEW YORK, Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Pinecone , the vector database company providing long-term memory for AI, today announced significant growth in 2022 and that former Couchbase CEO and Executive Chairman Bob Wiederhold has joined as President and COO after 15 months as an active advisor and board member.

Pinecone provides a vector database that acts as the long-term memory for AI applications. It is used by developers alongside AI models  including GPT from OpenAI and other Large Language Models (LLM)  to build accurate and scalable AI applications. Such applications include semantic search and chatbots, product search and recommendations, cybersecurity threat detection, and more.

In its first year of general availability, Pinecone saw surging demand for its vector database  a product category it created  and significant adoption from developers who came to view Pinecone as the obvious choice for a production-grade vector database. By the end of 2022:

Many thousands of developers started building on Pinecone's free Starter plan.

More than 200 paying customers chose Pinecone to enable their large-scale AI applications. Customers include leading companies such as Workday, Xandr (Microsoft), Gong, Course Hero, BambooHR, Expel, and Zapier.

Pinecone reached millions of dollars in annual recurring revenue (ARR) as new customers went into production and existing customers grew their usage to include other use cases within their organizations.

Amidst this growth  which has accelerated further since the start of 2023  Bob Wiederhold has joined Pinecone full time. Wiederhold began working closely with Pinecone as an advisor in October 2021, joined the Board in March 2022, and played an increasingly active role at the company for the past year.

"Bob is the best strategist and company operator I have ever worked with, and he just happens to share my passion for deep and transformative technologies," said Edo Liberty, Founder and CEO of Pinecone. "To maintain and even accelerate our breakneck growth, we need to be just as ambitious and innovative with our business as we are with our technology. Over the past 15 months I've come to know Bob as one of the very few people in the world who can help us do that."

"I have been blown away by the technology Pinecone is delivering and the strength of its Product-Led Growth motion," said Wiederhold. "There is incredibly rapid growth across all business metrics, from market awareness to developer adoption to paying customers using Pinecone in mission-critical applications. I am ecstatic to join such an elite company operating in such a critical and growing market."

Wiederhold has been in a CEO role at high-tech companies for most of the past 30 years. Prior to his time at Couchbase, Wiederhold was Chairman and CEO of Transitive, the worldwide leader in cross-platform virtualization with over 20M users, which was acquired by IBM. Before that, he served as CEO of Tality Corporation, the worldwide leader in electronic design services, whose revenues grew to over $200M during his time there.

About Pinecone

Pinecone created the vector database , which acts as the long-term memory for AI models and is a core infrastructure component for AI-powered applications. The managed service lets engineers build fast and scalable applications that use embeddings from AI models, and get them into production quickly. Pinecone is backed by Menlo Ventures, Wing Venture Capital, and others, and operates in San Francisco, New York, and Tel Aviv.

For more information: https://www.pinecone.io.

SOURCE Pinecone Systems Inc
Leading with Love Is the Secret to Success for Growing Marketing Agency

ANN ARBOR, Mich., Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Inc. magazine today announced that Metric Marketing is No. 168 on its third annual Inc. 5000 Regionals: Midwest list, the most prestigious ranking of the fastest-growing Midwest private companies. Born of the annual Inc. 5000 franchise, this regional list represents a unique look at the most successful companies within the Midwest economy's most dynamic segmentits independent small businesses.

Metric Marketing's Founder and CEO Hannah McNaughton Metric Marketing team members with Founder and CEO Hannah McNaughton

Metric Marketing's Founder and CEO, Hannah McNaughton, credits Ann Arbor's supportive entrepreneurial ecosystem as a component to the agency's success. From Ann Arbor SPARK to Zingerman's Community of Businesses, the city not only boasts a robust entrepreneurial support system but is also a hub for companies that focus on the power of positive business beliefs.

"When I started Metric, it was very important to me to create a culture of Joy. There has been no better place than Ann Arbor to see that example set into motion every dayfrom Ari Weinzweig's profound teachings and continual servant leadership at Zingerman's Community of Businesses toMenlo Innovations' positive work culture, which has been highlighted in the book Joy, Inc. I am humbled by the support that I've received from so many local entrepreneurs. It's one thing to envision building a positive business culture, but it's quite another to see it play out in front of your eyes every day."

Metric Marketing is one of the nation's leading digital marketing agencies, serving clients in the biotech, legal, and software spaces. The company believes in making seemingly complex digital marketing topics easy to understand, for which Hannah is a recognized digital marketing thought leader. She is a member of Forbes' Agency Panel, leads SEO workshops at Digital Summit conferences throughout the nation, and trains in-house marketing divisions at privately and publicly held companiesfrom startups to Fortune 100 companies.

Metric Marketing started in Ann Arbor, Mich., (recently voted as the best place for families to live in the U.S.) and will be moving to the nearby town of Saline, Mich., (previously ranked as CNN/Money Magazine's top place to live and retire).

"This year's Inc. 5000 Regional winners represent one of the most exceptional and exciting lists of America's off-the-charts growth companies. They're disrupters and job creators, and all delivered an outsize impact on the economy. Remember their names and follow their lead. These are the companies you'll be hearing about for years to come," said Scott Omelianuk, editor-in-chiefof Inc. magazine.

Contact:

Isabelle Owens

712-899-7446

[email protected]

About Metric Marketing:

Metric Marketing was founded in 2014, rooted in the belief that businesses small and large deserve marketing strategies that make a real difference. As a boutique, founder-led business, they serve a limited group of highly valued clients and boast industry-leading work in SEO, graphic design, content, web development, and ad buying. They specialize in partnering with biotech, legal, and software industries. In addition to being recognized by Inc. Magazine as one of the fastest growing companies in the Midwest, Metric Marketing is a third-year recipient of Ann Arbor SPARK's FastTrack Awards.

About Inc. and the Inc. 5000 Regionals

The companies on this list show a remarkable rate of growth across all industries in the Midwest region. Between 2019 and 2021, these private companies had an average growth rate of 535 percent and, in 2021 alone, they added 22,750 jobs and nearly $13.9 billion to the Midwest region's economy.

Complete results of the Inc. 5000 Regionals: Midwestincluding company profiles and an interactive database that can be sorted by industry, metro area, and other criteriacan be found at inc.com/midwest.

About Inc. Media

The world's most trusted business-media brand, Inc. offers entrepreneurs the knowledge, tools, connections, and community to build great companies. Its award-winning multiplatform content reaches more than 50 million people each month across a variety of channels including websites, newsletters, social media, podcasts, and print. Its prestigious Inc. 5000 list, produced every year since 1982, analyzes company data to recognize the fastest-growing privately held businesses in the United States. The global recognition that comes with inclusion in the 5000 gives the founders of the best businesses an opportunity to engage with an exclusive community of their peers and the credibility that helps them drive sales and recruit talent.

The associated Inc. 5000 Conference is part of a highly acclaimed portfolio of bespoke events produced by Inc. For more information, visit www.inc.com .

SOURCE Metric Marketing
NEWPORT BEACH, Calif., Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The environmental law attorneys at Manning Law, APC proudly announce a settlement on behalf of Calsafe Research Center, Inc., a California non-profit corporation dedicated to keeping Californians safe from exposure to products that are alleged to contain chemicals known to cause cancer or reproductive harm in violation of Proposition 65.

Proposition 65, "The Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986" is a "right to know" law intended to protect Californians. Through its required warnings, Proposition 65 alerts consumers in the State of California to the risk of potential exposures to substances causing cancer or reproductive harm and provides them with the ability to make an informed decision regarding whether to purchase, consume or use such products. Calsafe Research Center, Inc. acts in the public interest as a private enforcer of Proposition 65 through civil law enforcement actions initiated by its counsel, Manning Law, APC.

Material details of settlement:

Chemical: Lead Product Category: Food; Herbes de Provence Used By: Children/Adults Settlement Year: 2022 Private Enforcer: Calsafe Research Center, Inc.

https://www.calsaferesearchcenter.com/

Defendant: DVC Industries, Inc. Type: Out-of-Court Settlement which can be viewed at

https://oag.ca.gov/prop65/60-Day-Notice-2022-00574 Relief: Reformulation to reduce Lead in product or clear and reasonable warnings if the reformulation standard is not met.

"Since California residents overwhelmingly voted to enact Proposition 65 in 1986 the act has generated substantial reductions in the content of toxic chemicals in consumer touching products. Where products inherently include a Proposition 65 listed chemical that cannot be removed, warning labels have empowered Californians to make an informed decision about being exposed to the product," said Manning Law, APC co-founder Michael J. Manning.

Dan Fiorito, who also represents Calsafe Research Center, Inc. in advancing the public's interest through environmental litigation, said "Californians have a right to know when toxic chemicals are present in the food they eat. This settlement is an important step towards fulfilling the promise of Proposition 65."

Manning Law, APC is known for its civil rights, consumer, and environmental protection litigation including its precedent setting litigation under the Americans with Disabilities Act ("ADA") and the Unruh Civil Rights Act ("UCRA"). In particular, the firm is known for its role as plaintiff's counsel in the first federal appellate case to recognize the application of the ADA and UCRA to websites and mobile applications, see Robles v. Domino's Pizza, LLC, No. 17-55504 (9th Cir. 2019). Manning Law, APC has also been recognized by the Office of the Secretary of Defense of the United States as a "Patriotic Employer" for its support of employee participation in the National Guard and Reserve Force.

SOURCE Manning Law APC
Donation is part of the Domain Registry's Ongoing ART THERAPY INITIATIVE to Raise Awareness of the Healing Effects of Art

WASHINGTON, Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Support and promotion of art therapy globally is the top corporate philanthropic initiative for .ART, the digital creative community hub and domain registry Ulvi Kasimov founded with his wife, Reykhan. Launching their initiative with a $1 million endowment for graduate fellowships for students in the George Washington University's Art Therapy Program, they recognized the critical need for financial support to attract and retain top students with a passion to serve.

.ART Founder Ulvi Kasimov with Art Therapy graduate students at GW (Photo: William Atkins/GW Today)

.ART launched its Art Therapy Initiative in January to expand the company's Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) program. By supporting this scholarship, .ART hopes to support deserving students to complete the graduate program and provide art therapy services of quality to a broader community, especially in these particularly stressful times.

"The pandemic negatively impacted everyone, whether they realize it or not," .ART founder Ulvi Kasimov said. "And there are not enough psychiatrists and psychologists in the world to address a problem of this magnitude." Now, more than ever, the world needs access to the therapeutic benefits of art.

"The scholarship and continued support for art therapy students are so essential for our students. So often students are drawn to this field because they want to assist people in healing; however, they are overwhelmed by financial struggles," said Heidi Bardot, director of the Art Therapy Program at GW. "This scholarship will help to diversify the art therapy field and will take some of the financial stress away, supporting both students and future clients."

The Art Therapy Program, which is part of GW's Columbian College of Arts & Sciences, is one of the first of its kind in the United States. Students explore all aspects of art therapy, trauma training and diagnosis, and complete 900 internship hours with direct client contact in the on-campus clinic.

Beyond the scholarship, .ART plans to deepen its collaboration with the Art Therapy Program at GW and leverage support from its global creative community, to create virtual programs and fundraising events to raise awareness of art therapy and the healing effects of art.

"On numerous occasions art has been a way for me to preemptively process difficult things in life. I believe art can be a tremendous way to navigate all kinds of complexities," said multimedia artist Phil Hansen, a partner of the Art Therapy Initiative. "Art Therapy and 'art as therapy' are practical tools that should not be overlooked in this critical time," he said.

About .ART

.ART is the internet domain for the world's art and creative community. Launched under an exclusive agreement between UK Creative Ideas Ltd and ICANN in 2016, .ART is one of the fastest-growing top-level domains for creatives, with more than 230,000 domains registered to date. In 2019, .ART launched " Digital Twin " to securely archive art and cultural object metadata. .ART's global team across London, Beijing, Los Angeles, and Washington D.C. shares the mission to bring technology and art together, creating a digital infrastructure for the international creative community. For more information, visit www.art.art .

Press Contact:

Jeff Sass, CMO

[email protected]

970-367-7277

SOURCE .ART Group
PARIS, Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- When it comes to surfing the internet, we often speak of "falling into a rabbit hole", an allusion to the first chapter in Lewis Carroll's novel Alice in Wonderland, and the same notion is equally appropriate as regards the sometimes bewildering and unbounded experience in the Web3 and crypto-art sphere. To help you navigate in this virtual world, and at a time when the MoMA in New York, the LACMA in Los Angeles, and the Center Pompidou in Paris are opening their collections to digital art, Artprice suggests five ways to discover art that can be transferred from owner to owner in the form of NFTs.

Weekly NFT Auction Proceeds Vs Ethereum Price Top 10 artists by NFT auction turnover (20212022)

Weekly NFT Auction Proceeds Vs Ethereum Price

Infographic - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2010704/Weekly_NFT_Auction_Infographic.jpg

Top 10 artists by NFT auction turnover (20212022)

Infographic - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2010705/Top_10_artists_Infographic.jpg

"Crypto-art is gradually entering museums and art history, but, for the time being, it is a form of artistic creation that is still very freely experienced on the Internet," says Thierry Ehrmann, CEO of Artmarket.com and founder of Artprice.

"The crypto-art sphere is often described as operating like a 'community'; the more you invest in a project, the more qualitative information you receive. This is how the Discord platform works, for example, which offers to create different more or less private chat rooms for each project. Some allow everyone to participate in the discussions, but the most interesting chat rooms are those reserved for collectors or founding members."

To give you the desire and the means to take part in this new artistic experience, which aims to bring together artists, collectors, graphic designers, developers, and many others, Artprice recommends five ways to dive into this universe and start your adventure.

1. The continuous way: following artists on Twitter

Despite the many criticisms made of Twitter, Elon Musk's platform remains the royal road of Web3. Not only do digital artists use this channel to present their works as and when they are created, but they also relay the posts in which they  and all those they like  are quoted. Each page, therefore, contains countless dynamic links to other artists and other works, but also to collectors, curators, marketplaces, etc.

To start with, one can follow any of the top performing NFT artists at auction that Artprice lists in its annual reports. The major auction houses are indeed doing valuable work by selecting NFT works that meet the same requirements as the traditional art market. But, as one thing leads to another in the digital world, and one artist leads to another, Twitter then makes it possible to continuously discover new works and new creators, but also to be the first to know about upcoming projects.

Robbie Barrett:https://twitter.com/videodrome

IX SHELLS: https://twitter.com/ix_shells

2. The studious way: reading articles and interviews

The decisions by Christie's, Sotheby's, Phillips, Bonhams but also Fauve, Van Ham, Millon, and many other auction operators to amply include NFT lots in their sales proves  even if it no longer needs to be proved  the seriousness of NFT technology and the artistic creation it allows. The most prestigious galleries, like Pace and Gagosian, have also understood this, yet few media dare to offer any real artistic critique of NFT projects. This work (art criticism), so crucial to art history, would undoubtedly make a better appreciation of the approaches taken by digital artists and of their relationships to Blockchain technology, and to the 'communities' that support them.

Faced with the multiplication of marketplaces, crypto-art needs space and time for reflection, to understand and digest innovative practices at the frontier of technology, as the projects of these artists gain in depth and intensity. Artprice offers two articles that capture the work of key digital artists in the NFT universe.

Artforum : Hack the Planet, Hans Ulrich Obrist talks with Pak : www.artforum.com/print/202207/hans-ulrich-obrist-talks-with-pak-88907

Right Click And Save: An Interview with XCOPY :

www.rightclicksave.com/article/an-interview-with-xcopy

3. The prospective way: surveying major collections

Transparency is one of the main credos of the Blockchain and as such, it is possible to consult the collection to which each work belongs, to discover other works that the same entity collects... and so on. True, the real identity of collectors often remains anonymous or hides behind a pseudonym, and yes, NFTs can be transferred from one wallet to another to increase security and cover their tracks, but there is always a way to reconstitute their history.

The most dynamic collectors have also become the true tutelary figures of crypto-art. Until museums and galleries become active in this universe, the major collectors of NFTs still have a very substantial influence, whether by sharing their favorites on social media, collaborating with artists, or exhibiting their collections in virtual universes or physical places as the prestigious Art Basel Miami or by offering them for sale via traditional auction houses.

Cozomo di Medici: "For over 700 years, we have loved the jpegs":

https://opensea.io/Cozomo_de_Medici

Max Stealth: "A Timeless Collection":

www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2022/inside-the-world-of-maxstealth-a-timeless-collection

4. The traditional way: visiting physical events

Crypto-art is now coming to public places, galleries, and museums. From the great hall of the MoMA to Times Square, digital art is gradually investing some of the biggest screens on the planet and some of the most prestigious museums. Advertising spaces and exhibition halls are coming together for the first time in history, no doubt, to show a new type of work, at the crossroads of art and technology, which sometimes looks a whole lot better on a big screen than on a smartphone or a laptop screen.

At the same time, almost everywhere in the world, art fairs offer to investigate this universe more deeply and to experiment with digital creation in the best possible conditions. These events provide opportunities to meet the different players who form a real 'ecosystem' and to meet the 'community' which allows digital artists to largely bypass art galleries, and which brings together entrepreneurs, developers, collectors, and enthusiasts.

NFT New York, April 12-14, 2023 at Times Square and Hudson Yards:

www.nft.nyc

Pompidou Center: Presentation of the first NFT acquisitions on April 8, 2023: www.centrepompidou.fr/fileadmin/user_upload/CP_NFT_Acquisition_fevrier_2023__1_.pdf

5. The safe way: collect a first NFT work

However nothing replaces the experience of a first NFT acquisition. Not only does it force you to find a work that deserves to be purchased among the millions offered on platforms like opensea.io or objkt.com, but this process also requires you to complete an unusual transaction, to say the least. Although some platforms now offer payment in euros or dollars, the vast majority of them require the creation of a (free) electronic wallet, powered by cryptocurrency. This operation may seem complicated, but it is an integral part of the universe on which crypto-art is based and therefore of the experience it offers.

In the absence of galleries, artists organize their own markets, choosing what, when, and how to put their works on sale, at what price, and in what quantity. Unique digital works (1/1) are the most sought-after, but larger editions offer a more affordable opportunity to collect pieces. Among the novelties of the NFT market, the Open Editions are particularly exciting, since these projects put an unlimited number of tokens on sale at a fixed price, but for only a few days or even a few hours...

The information and econometric studies produced by Artmarket.com are presented uniquely for the purpose of analyzing and understanding the statistical realities of the art market and should in no way be considered as advice or a suggestion or a solicitation to invest in the art market.

Images:

[https://imgpublic.artprice.com/img/wp/sites/11/2023/02/image1-weekly-nft-auction-proceeds-vs-ethereum-price.png]

[https://imgpublic.artprice.com/img/wp/sites/11/2023/02/image2-artmarket-top-10-artists-by-nft-auction-turnover-2021-2022.png]

Copyright 1987-2023 thierry Ehrmann www.artprice.com - www.artmarket.com

Don't hesitate to contact our Econometrics Department for your requirements regarding statistics and personalized studies: [email protected]

for your requirements regarding statistics and personalized studies: Try our services (free demo): https://www.artprice.com/demo

(free demo): https://www.artprice.com/demo Subscribe to our services: https://www.artprice.com/subscription

About Artmarket:

Artmarket.com is listed on Eurolist by Euronext Paris, SRD long only and Euroclear: 7478 - Bloomberg: PRC - Reuters: ARTF.

Discover Artmarket and its Artprice department on video: www.artprice.com/video

Artmarket and its Artprice department was founded in 1997 by its CEO, thierry Ehrmann. Artmarket and its Artprice department is controlled by Groupe Serveur, created in 1987.

See certified biography in Who's who :

Biographie_thierry_Ehrmann_2022_WhosWhoInFrance.pdf

Artmarket is a global player in the Art Market with, among other structures, its Artprice department, world leader in the accumulation, management and exploitation of historical and current art market information in databanks containing over 30 million indices and auction results, covering more than 803,000 artists.

Artprice by Artmarket, the world leader in information on the art market, has set itself the ambition through its Global Standardized Marketplace to be the world's leading Fine Art NFT platform.

Artprice Images allows unlimited access to the largest Art Market image bank in the world: no less than 180 million digital images of photographs or engraved reproductions of artworks from 1700 to the present day, commented by our art historians.

Artmarket with its Artprice department accumulates data on a permanent basis from 6500 Auction Houses and produces key Art Market information for the main press and media agencies (7,200 publications). Its 7.2 million ('members log in'+social media) users have access to ads posted by other members, a network that today represents the leading Global Standardized Marketplace to buy and sell artworks at a fixed or bid price (auctions regulated by paragraphs 2 and 3 of Article L 321.3 of France's Commercial Code).

Artmarket with its Artprice department, has been awarded the State label "Innovative Company" by the Public Investment Bank (BPI) (for the second time in November 2018 for a new period of 3 years) which is supporting the company in its project to consolidate its position as a global player in the market art.

Artprice releases its 2022 Ultra-Contemporary Art Market Report:

https://www.artprice.com/artprice-reports/the-contemporary-art-market-report-2022

The Artprice 2022 half-year report: the art market returns to strong growth in the West:

https://www.artprice.com/artprice-reports/global-art-market-in-h1-2022-by-artprice-com

Artprice by Artmarket's 2020 Global Art Market Report published in March 2022:

https://www.artprice.com/artprice-reports/the-art-market-in-2021

Artprice's 2020/21 Contemporary Art Market Report by Artmarket.com:

https://www.artprice.com/artprice-reports/the-contemporary-art-market-report-2021

Index of press releases posted by Artmarket with its Artprice department:

serveur.serveur.com/Press_Release/pressreleaseEN.htm

Follow all the Art Market news in real time with Artmarket and its Artprice department on Facebook and Twitter:

www.facebook.com/artpricedotcom/ (over 5.9 million followers)

twitter.com/artmarketdotcom

twitter.com/artpricedotcom

Discover the alchemy and universe of Artmarket and its artprice department https://www.artprice.com/video headquartered at the famous Organe Contemporary Art Museum "The Abode of Chaos" (dixit The New York Times): https://issuu.com/demeureduchaos/docs/demeureduchaos-abodeofchaos-opus-ix-1999-2013

 L'Obs - The Museum of the Future: https://youtu.be/29LXBPJrs-o

 www.facebook.com/la.demeure.du.chaos.theabodeofchaos999 (over 4 million followers)

 https://vimeo.com/124643720

Contact Artmarket.com and its Artprice department - Contact: Thierry Ehrmann, [email protected]

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1009603/Art_Market_logo.jpg

SOURCE Artmarket.com
AmberSemi will both exhibit and lead a conference-wide seminar on its disruptive technologies in power management and sensing, enabling the digital control of electricity in silicon chips

DUBLIN, Calif. and ORLANDO, Fla., Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Amber Semiconductor, Inc. (AmberSemi), a fabless semiconductor company and leading technology developer of patented, innovative technologies for AC Direct digital management of electricity in silicon chip architecture, is participating broadly in APEC 2023, the leading conference for power electronics professionals. At APEC 2023, AmberSemi will demonstrate the new standard in power management and sensing in prototype applications, including solid-state programmable circuit breakers, lighting, motor control, smart outlets, and more, all powered by its breakthrough, patented solid-state architecture. In addition to showcasing its breakthrough technologies at Booth #131, AmberSemi's CEO, Thar Casey, will lead an education seminar titled "AC Direct Digitization of Electricity  The NEW Emerging Solid-State Standard for Power Management." Those interested in attending Thar's seminar, which will be held on Tuesday, 3/21 from 3:45 to 4:15pm in Session Room W203A, can register at APEC-Conf.org .

Amber Semiconductor, Inc. is participating broadly in APEC 2023, the leading conference for power electronics profession Tweet this AmberSemi's CEO, Thar Casey, will lead an education seminar at APEC titled AC Direct Digitization of Electricity  The NEW Emerging Solid-State Standard for Power Management. Those interested in attending Thars seminar, which will be held on Tuesday, 3/21 from 3:45 to 4:15pm in Session Room W203A, can register at APEC-Conf.org.

AmberSemi's three core, patented technologies are each rooted in the discovery of a novel way the physics of electricity can be controlled, digitally, in silicon chips. These breakthroughs include: the Amber Programmable AC Switch Controller (which enables arc-free switching thousands of times faster than today's standard technologies), the AC Direct DC Enabler (which offers DC extraction directly from AC mains without the use of rectifier bridges, filtering, and transformers), and AC Direct Sensing (for continuous awareness of the state of electricity). AmberSemi's disruptive breakthroughs are leading the charge towards a second electrical revolution that will upgrade the outdated, 1950's-era "old tech" electromechanical-based endpoints in every electrical product and building on earth to become smarter, safer, and smaller.

"We're excited to participate in APEC 2023, as it offers the opportunity to not only introduce our technologies to the broader power electronics industry, but to physically demonstrate its value in an array of electrical products prototypes and operating scenarios," said Thar Casey, CEO at Amber Semiconductor, Inc. "A solid-state upgrade of building electrical technology through AmberSemi's patented breakthroughs in power architecture represents a global commercial opportunity that we feel is bigger than the transition to solid-state TVs or smartphones and can immediately solve major life safety and costly industry problems. We're on the cusp of productization as we speak, and we anticipate that 2023 will be a pivotal year for AmberSemi as we build upon our current industry partnerships and forge new alignments with some of the power electronics industry's most impactful companies."

The integration of AmberSemi's three breakthroughs into silicon chipsets will deliver more modern, dynamic, and universal power solutions for electrical products, increasing the performance capabilities and the feature potential of electrical products like solid-state circuit breakers, motors, outlets, light switches, and many more, as well as semiconductor solutions like microcontrollers, wireless radios, and sensors. At the AmberSemi booth, the company will demonstrate its technologies in in discrete board solid-state architecture showing both DC power delivery to lighting, motor controls and other load-types, as well as proto-type AmberSemi powered electrical products. The company will specifically demonstrate an AmberSemi-powered solid state smart retrofit circuit breaker that will enable programmability, wireless connectivity, trip information, wireless notifications, energy metering, wireless reset on/off and arc-free switching. In addition, the company will demonstrate AmberSemi-powered smart outlets and dimmer switches showcasing how its power architecture can facilitate up to 10 functions in a single standard gang box footprint, including: manual on/off, wireless on/off, temperature sensing, humidity sensing, power metering, manual dimming, wireless dimming, indoor air quality, dangerous gas detection, and motion detection.

AmberSemi's technologies are transformative for both electrical products companies, as well as semiconductor companies, enabling a next generation of solid-state architecture and powering the opportunity for major feature enhancements and value adds to end products. The advantages include enabling smaller form factor 'slimline' products for easier installation, as well as delivering dynamic, programmable power that enables more flexible configurations, and offers global compatibility. In addition, AmberSemi technologies enable the opportunity for more robust product feature-sets (for example, five to ten times current product feature scope across a range of categories) in standard, universal form factors like single gang boxes or circuit breaker panels. With the siliconization process already underway for key technologies and product application engines, AmberSemi expects the product integration process to begin with key partners later in 2023 and resulting in end-products likely in-market, powered by AmberSemi silicon chip architecture, as early as 2024.

AmberSemi's presence at APEC 2023 is the latest step in commercial acceleration for the company, arriving on the heels of a transformative 2022 and a Q1 packed with positive momentum to-date. Over the last year, AmberSemi received unanimous admission to NEMA (the National Electrical Manufacturers Association), a leading force in the electro industry, and was selected to Fast Company's prestigious list of the Next Big Things in Tech for 2022. Most recently, AmberSemi was also chosen as a finalist for the 2023 Edison Awards. The company completed full technical evaluations of core technologies with more than a dozen other current and potentially new partners throughout North America and Europe, validating not just the core technologies viability but its disruptive commercialization potential. Once the shift to solid-state electrical control is achieved, the possibilities of further innovation with this architecture are endless.

About Amber Semiconductor, Inc.

Amber Semiconductor, Inc is a fabless semiconductor company and a leading developer of patented, innovative solid-state technologies for the digital control of electricity. The company's disruptive breakthroughs change the electrical landscape forever for buildings and appliances worldwide. With 36 patents secured around the company's core breakthroughs, product applications and by product data analytics, its technologies upgrade power management from 1950's era electro-mechanical to safer, more reliable silicon architecture with embedded intelligence. Based in Dublin, California, the company is leveraging the expertise of Silicon Valley professionals to deliver a disruptive enhancement to the value and functionality of the world's electrical endpoints and infrastructure. For more information visit www.ambersi.com .

Media Contact

Ruben Marinbach

GreenRoom Agency

Account Director

[email protected]

646-285-8375

SOURCE AmberSemi
ATLANTA, Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Metro Productions, LLC owners Karen and Troy Burns announce their desire to donate 100% of the proceeds of the first Real Fungible Tokens to appropriate non-profits serving Ukrainian refugees and the restoration of the Cathedral Notre Dame de Paris.

Exodus - Benefitting Ukrainian Refugees Spire Over the Seine - Benefitting the restoration of the Cathedral Notre Dame de Paris

Troy Burns states "We created the first Real Fungible Token January 1, 2022 to benefit the restoration of the spire of Notre Dame de Paris. We had the print that appeared in Donald Glover's "Atlanta" Spire Over the Seine, an image we photographed in 2002 from the tower of the cathedral looking up the Seine. When the spire fell into the flames of Notre Dame we wanted to find a way for our image of the spire to play a role in restoring it.

The image Spire Over the Seine was photographed on Ilford HP5 35mm black and white film with a 14mm fish eye lens. We bundled the only silver gelatin print ever printed by Karen in this size with the negative, rights of reproduction, and a 15% artist's royalty on resale and licensing to create the Real Fungible Token, the RFT."

Shortly after minting the RFT Spire Over the Seine, Vladimir Putin launched a criminal invasion of Ukraine creating a refugee crisis that would separate children and families that had been living in peace and stability the day before the invasion.

As the conflict grew, the number of refugees fleeing for safety increased. Images of sunflowers and the Ukrainian flag began to circulate on Facebook. Waking up from a dream, Troy remembered an image of a field of sunflowers that the couple photographed in 2014 on Kodak HIE High Speed Infrared film. Troy and Karen decided they wanted to mint a second RFT Exodus to benefit charitable organizations working with Ukrainian war refugees, with an emphasis on women and children.

Anyone interested in purchasing or auctioning these RFT's can contact Troy Burns. 100% of the proceeds of both RFT's will be paid by the purchaser to the appropriate charities identified by the couple to be properly serving the causes the RFT's were minted to benefit. A 5% document fee will be added to the transaction to cover the legal documents necessary to convey the rights, print and negative of the respective RFT.

About Karen Images

https://KarenImages.com is an Atlanta-based commercial photography and video production agency operated by Karen and Troy Burns. The couple also offers executive headshots on location, corporate communications, event production, live multi-camera broadcasting, and a host of commercial photography and video services. The couple's first documentary, College Park a Purposeful Renaissance, aired on PBA 30 in 2016. Metro Productions is an SBA recognized Woman Owned Small Business with a DBE rating in Commercial Photography and Film Making.

For more information, please visit https://www.setartatl.com

Contact:

J. Troy Burns

Executive Producer

Metro Productions, LLC d/b/a Karen Images

404.436.8406

[email protected]

SOURCE Metro Productions, LLC
DUBLIN, Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Automotive Intercooler Market - Global Industry Size, Share, Trends, Opportunity and Forecast, 2018-2028 Segmented By Vehicle Type, By Type, By Engine Type, By Design Type, By Demand Category, By Region" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.



Global automotive intercooler market is projected to register CAGR growth in the forecast years, 2024-2028 on the account of growth factors like surging demands for efficient car engines. Increasing demand for automobiles for various end-use like personal vehicles, commercial vehicles, etc. is further driving the growth of the global automotive intercooler market in the upcoming five years.

Demands for managing the rising temperature of automobile engines while driving by cooling the compressed air is a major application of the automotive intercooler, and thus the demands are further supporting the growth of the global automotive intercooler market in the next five years.



Automotive intercoolers are specifically designed automotive systems that have applications to cool the compressed air that generates during the movement of the engines while driving. The engine moving along with the fuel consumption creates very high temperatures that may lead to lower efficiency of the engines or in extreme conditions may cause the whole automobile to catch fire. The intercoolers are designed to reduce fuel consumption while increasing the power and efficiency of the engine.



Expanding Automotive Industry Drives Market Growth



Growing demands for personal cars, commercial cars, other commercial vehicles, electric vehicles, etc. are adding up to the growth of the global automotive industry. Rising sales, increasing production of automobiles, and increasing disposable income among the population are anticipated to drive the growth of the global automotive intercooler market in the upcoming five years. Although in the past three years, the industry has experienced minor drops in the production of automobiles due to COVID-19.



The pandemic situation decreased the total production of automobiles by 16% in 2020 as compared to the year 2019. Total automobile production in the year 2020 was 77,621,582 units whereas the count was as high as 91,786,861 units in 2019. Overcoming the decrease in production, the automotive industry is anticipated to bounce back to growth in the upcoming five years as the lockdown restrictions are lifted and the manufacturing of the automotive has started again.



Research & Development Promises Market Growth



With the increasing demand for environment-friendly automobiles, and their parts due to rising concerns for the depleting environment, automobile manufacturers are actively investing their resources and finances into research and development of innovative products, and countermeasures to decrease the pollution output from the automobiles and thereby aiding the growth of the global automotive intercooler market in the future five years.



Government support, increased investment in the sector along with favorable schemes are anticipated to further support the growth of the global automotive intercooler market in the next five years. In the United States along with the complete North American region, government scheme like the CAFE standard was introduced in 2016, which requires a car to be 30% more fuel-efficient. This, forces the automobile manufacturers, to improve the turbocharger and intercooler technologies, and thus aid the growth of the global automotive intercooler market in the upcoming five years.



Market Segmentation



In this report, global automotive intercooler market has been segmented into the following categories, in addition to the industry trends which have also been detailed below:



Automotive Intercooler Market, By Vehicle Type:

Two-Wheeler

Passenger Car

Light Commercial Vehicle

Medium & Heavy Commercial Vehicle

OTR

Automotive Intercooler Market, By Type:

Air to Air Intercooler

Water to Air Intercooler

Automotive Intercooler Market, By Engine Type:

Supercharged Engine

Turbocharged Engine

Automotive Intercooler Market, By Design Type:

Front Mounted

Top Mounted

Side Mounted

Automotive Intercooler Market, By Demand Category:

OEM

Replacement

Automotive Intercooler Market, By Region:

North America

United States

Mexico

Canada

Europe & CIS

& CIS Germany

France

United Kingdom

Spain

Italy

Belgium

Russia

Asia-Pacific

China

India

Japan

Malaysia

Thailand

Indonesia

Vietnam

South Korea

Middle East & Africa

& South Africa

Saudi Arabia

UAE

Egypt

South America

Brazil

Argentina

Colombia

Competitive Landscape



Company Profiles: Detailed analysis of the major companies present in global automotive intercooler market.



Available Customizations:



With the given market data, the publisher offers customizations according to a company's specific needs.



A selection of companies mentioned in this report includes

Valeo Group

MAHLE GmbH

Treadstone Performance Engineering Inc.

Bell Intercoolers

Garrett Motion Inc.

PWR Holdings Limited

Garrett Motion Inc. (Honeywell)

Kale Oto Radyator

Pro Alloy Motorsport Ltd

Modine Manufacturing Company

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/f4nlfp

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
RADNOR, Pa., Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Avantor, Inc. (NYSE: AVTR), a leading global provider of mission-critical products and services to customers in the life sciences, advanced technologies and applied materials industries, announced that management will present at two upcoming investor conferences.

Thomas Szlosek , Chief Financial Officer, will present at the Raymond James 44 th Annual Institutional Investors conference in Orlando, Fla. on Monday, March 6 at 1:40 p.m. Eastern Standard Time .

, Chief Financial Officer, will present at the Raymond James 44 Annual Institutional Investors conference in on at . Michael Stubblefield , President & CEO, will participate in a fireside chat at Cowen's 43rd Annual Health Care conference in Boston, Mass. on Tuesday, March 7 at 9:10 a.m. Eastern Standard Time .

To hear live audio webcasts of these upcoming sessions, visit Events & Presentations in the Investor section of Avantor's website, ir.avantorsciences.com. A replay of the webcast will be available for 30 days.

About Avantor

Avantor, a Fortune 500 company, is a leading global provider of mission-critical products and services to customers in the biopharma, healthcare, education & government, and advanced technologies & applied materials industries. Our portfolio is used in virtually every stage of the most important research, development and production activities in the industries we serve. Our global footprint enables us to serve more than 300,000 customer locations and gives us extensive access to research laboratories and scientists in more than 180 countries. We set science in motion to create a better world. For more information, visit avantorsciences.com and find us on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook.

Investor Relations Contact

Christina Jones

Vice President, Investor Relations

Avantor

805-617-5297

[email protected]

Global Media Contact

Emily Collins

Vice President, External Communications

Avantor

332-239-3910

[email protected]

SOURCE Avantor and Financial News
LOUISVILLE, Colo., Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- BearVault , the leading outdoor brand in portable bear canisters, today launched its new Adventure Ambassador Program. BearVault will award $500, a free BearVault, and swag to each of its chosen ambassadors for use on their outdoor adventures in 2023.

BearVault Adventure Ambassador: This could be you!

Intrigued by varied trip stories, photographs, and video footage, BearVault is sponsoring social media-savvy explorers on their own epic journeys. The scope of qualifying adventures is broad, as long as the destination is in bear country. BearVault will broadcast ambassadors' stories, pictures, and videos through its own channels. Applications are available online at https://bearvault.com/ambassador/

"While we'd love to go on all these adventures ourselves, it is just not humanly possible - so why not join outdoor enthusiasts on their amazing trips through a sponsorship program!" exclaimed Grant Breidenbach, Marketing Manager at BearVault. "Our bear canisters can travel with ambassadors on their journeys, while we can share the joy of their diverse adventures vicariously."

With the 2022 launch of two new bear container sizes, BearVault's "Can Fam" provides safe food storage options to many types of outdoor participants, from the weekend warrior to the legendary thru-hiker. The Adventure Ambassador Program seeks to spotlight a wide variety of BearVault food storage systems in use, from keeping lunch at the base while fishing or climbing, to storing food at camp while paddling, hiking, hunting, or bikepacking.

About BearVault

BearVault is the leading manufacturer of bear-resistant food canisters for backpackers and outdoor enthusiasts. BearVault is known for its clear, wide opening, tool-free canisters that make it easy for people to protect their food from animals. Based at the foot of the Rockies in Louisville, Colorado, BearVault is a values-driven, carbon positive company that integrates sustainability and wildlife conservation into its business practices. Please visit us at www.bearvault.com , Instagram: @BearVault , Facebook: @BearVaultCanisters , TikTok: @BearVaultCanisters .

Media Contact

Sarah Leichnetz

866-301-3442 x103

[email protected]

SOURCE BearVault
DUBLIN, Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Biological Seed Treatment Market - Forecasts from 2022 to 2027" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The biological seed treatment market is projected to witness a compounded annual growth rate of 11.22% to grow to US$2,682.044 million by 2027, from US$1,273.928 million in 2020.



Biological seed treatments use renewable resources and include naturally occurring active compounds that protect against pathogens that are transferred by the soil, reduce abiotic stress, and promote plant growth.

Over the projected timeframe, the market is anticipated to rise because of the surge in demand for crops grown without the use of chemicals. The demand for the product is further going to be fueled by a change in consumer preferences toward the enhancement of individual health and consumption of nutritious food.



The market for biological seed treatment is steadily growing, and new technology is required to allow yield-protecting, environmentally friendly solutions that maximize farmers' returns on investment. In January 2022, Inflexion Point Technologies, LLC, and Beck's established a partnership with an emphasis on farmer profitability and food efficiency.

As a result of the agreement, farmers will have the resources necessary to adapt the biological seed treatments they apply to the agronomic zones and growth environments. Beginning in the spring of 2022, Beck's conducted POP-ST field tests using ALMACO research planters outfitted with IPT's unique POP-ST technology. Through the POP-ST system, the trials will enable Beck's to determine which seed treatment technologies have the most commercial prospects.



The best potential development of healthy plants is made possible by the proper seed treatment, which also helps to obtain the best production and quality.



Businesses are constantly investing to improve their earnings to obtain superior solutions and more dependable results for a demanding and developing global biological seed treatment market. For example, in 2020, the Argentine firm Rizobacter announced a major investment in new technologies to increase its market share for biological seed treatment.

Rizobacter plans to invest $4 million in both growing its business and modernizing and extending its infrastructure. The company is expanding its global presence in Europe, Asia, Africa, and North America while proceeding to solidify its position in Latin America and dominate the local market. This is done in recognition of the rising demand for organic products for the advancement of agriculture around the world.



The biological seed treatment market will grow as the demand for innovative products and technology advances at a rapid pace. Farmers are eager for fresh approaches that consider the constantly shifting landscape of crop production. Firms are devoted to providing that with high-performing, eco-friendly products that support crops in realizing their full genetic potential, enhance producer ROI, and boost yield. Technological advancements and new product launches by major companies for the treatment of soilborne fungal diseases including Rhizoctonia and Fusarium virguliforme, which is the cause of Sudden Death Syndrome (SDS) in soybeans, are expected to propel the demand for biological seed treatment during the forecast period.



Moreover, because of the high demand for biological seed treatment, market players are developing growth strategies to create innovative, environmentally friendly products using microorganisms like bacteria, yeast, and fungi.



The future looks promising as the businesses combine their R&D, production, sales, and marketing capabilities to continue providing their clients in North America and across the world with cutting-edge solutions.



Increasing government regulations and initiatives to control climate change and global warming have also helped in driving market growth. Owing to the organic features of microbial seed treatments, they are effective in preserving soil nutrients and preventing degradation over time, unlike pesticides and synthetic products. Moreover, new product launches in the market are also expected to drive market growth.



Potential market growth is predicted to be fueled by the growing popularity of organic farming in the country. According to the Research Institute of Organic Agriculture, 72.3 million hectares of farmland were managed organically by at least 3.1 million farmers in 2019 in the United States. According to the most recent information available from the National Agricultural Statistics Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, there have been more than 14,000 certified organic farms in the US in 2016. The area used for organic farming has dramatically risen during the last few years. Farmers employ biological seed treatment to safeguard the seeds and crops from infections, pests, and nematodes to produce a sizeable crop. The country's market is expanding because of rising insect pest infestations, the demand for improved crop yield, technological developments by key companies, and rising profits from the usage of biological seed treatment methods.



Key Developments

March 2021 : BASF pledged to start at least 30 research and development (R&D) projects by 2030 that would concentrate on sustainable agriculture technologies to go along with its seed, seed treatment, chemical and biological solutions, and digital services offerings.

: BASF pledged to start at least 30 research and development (R&D) projects by 2030 that would concentrate on sustainable agriculture technologies to go along with its seed, seed treatment, chemical and biological solutions, and digital services offerings. August 2020 : The North American Innovation Center (NAIC), which Valent BioSciences opened in San Ramon , serves as a physical link between its Walnut Creek and Dublin, California , technical center, and headquarters. The newly consolidated team can now more easily exchange information face-to-face in real-time, which will boost its productivity, adaptability, and innovation and eventually help the farmers in the field.

Market Segmentation:

By Type

Microbials

Botanicals

By Crop

Corn

Wheat

Soybean

Cotton

Vegetable Crops

Others

By Function

Seed Protection

Seed Enhancement

By Geography

North America

United States

Canada

Mexico

South America

Brazil

Argentina

Others

Europe

UK

Germany

France

Italy

Others

Middle East and Africa

and UAE

Israel

Saudi Arabia

Others

Asia Pacific

China

Japan

India

Australia

South Korea

Taiwan

Thailand

Indonesia

Others

Companies Mentioned

BASF

Bayer AG

Syngenta

Koppert

Incotec

Plant Health Care

Bioworks, Inc.

Verdesian Life Sciences

Corteva, Inc.

Albaugh, LLC

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/fv7som-seed?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



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SOURCE Research and Markets
LAS VEGAS and VANCOUVER, BC, Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ - Body and Mind Inc. (CSE: BAMM) (OTCQB: BMMJ) (the "Company" or "BaM"), an operations-driven multistate cannabis company, is pleased to provide a corporate update on construction progress for the new Illinois dispensaries, which are managed by the Company and in which the Company, through its subsidiary, DEP Nevada Inc. ("DEP"), have options to acquire.

Tenant improvement construction for the Markham dispensary is moving forward quickly with construction anticipated to complete in early April and the store opening for business later in the same month. The Body and Mind branded retail store is situated in a high-traffic location with plentiful parking.

"We believe that the state of Illinois is broadly underserved when it comes to adult use retail outlets, and we are excited to help alleviate that by advancing our first dispensary in the state. We are looking forward to bringing our retail operation experience to the Illinois market and have developed strong relations with national and Illinois-based brands to ensure our customers have a wide choice of proven, tested cannabis offerings," stated Michael Mills, CEO of Body and Mind. "With our Markham location seeing over 400,000 cars per day passing within a mile, we believe we will have ample opportunity to demonstrate the customer care we have honed thus far in more competitive markets."

The second dispensary, located in the Southern Chicago area, has already received community approval from the village of Lynwood. The Company and the Lynwood location's landlord are currently working to secure building permits.

According to the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation, 2022 Illinois sales of adult use cannabis were a record-setting $1.55 billion, while being served with no more than 113 open adult use retail outlets in a population of nearly 13 million people.

Body and Mind has the option to indirectly acquire all of the membership interests in each of the Illinois dispensary licensees, NMG IL 1, LLC and NMG IL 4, LLC, pursuant to a convertible credit facility between BaM's subsidiary, DEP and each of NMG IL 1, LLC and NMG IL 4. LLC, and membership interest purchase agreements between DEP and the members of NMG IL 1, LLC and NMG IL 4, LLC, subject to obtaining all required local and state regulatory authorization.

About Body and Mind Inc.

BaM is an operations-focused cannabis company with active retail operations in Ohio, Arkansas, Michigan and California, pending retail operations in Illinois and New Jersey, and craft cultivation and/or processing operations in Nevada, Ohio and Arkansas. We work daily to increase our market share through delighting customers while also continuing to hone our operational efficiencies to drive profits. We are primarily guided by the metric of return on investment. Currently, we believe the most significant return on investment projects in front of us are successful retail cannabis store launches in Illinois and New Jersey, which augment our existing retail footprint. We also believe that our team's core operational skillsets will create significant future shareholder value as the cannabis industry matures.

Please visit www.bodyandmind.com for more information.

Instagram: @bodyandmindBaM

Twitter: @bodyandmindBaM

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Market Regulator (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Safe Harbor Statement

Except for the statements of historical fact contained herein, the information presented in this news release constitutes "forward-looking statements" as such term is used in applicable United States and Canadian laws. These statements relate to analyses and other information that are based on forecasts of future results, estimates of amounts not yet determinable and assumptions of management. Any other statements that express or involve discussions with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions or future events or performance (often, but not always, using words or phrases such as "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", "plans, "estimates" or "intends", or stating that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved) are not statements of historical fact and should be viewed as "forward-looking statements". Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such risks and other factors include, among others, the actual results of activities, variations in the underlying assumptions associated with the estimation of activities, the availability of capital to fund programs and the resulting dilution caused by the raising of capital through the sale of shares, accidents, labor disputes and other risks. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements contained in this news release and in any document referred to in this news release.

Certain matters discussed in this news release and oral statements made from time to time by representatives of the Company may constitute forward-looking statements. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are based upon reasonable assumptions, it can give no assurance that its expectations will be achieved. Forward-looking information is subject to certain risks, trends and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected. Many of these factors are beyond the Company's ability to control or predict. Important factors that may cause actual results to differ materially and that could impact the Company and the statements contained in this news release can be found in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Company assumes no obligation to update or supplement any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy securities.

SOURCE Body and Mind Inc.
No. 1 Employee Recognition Platform Provider Expands its Organizational Analytics Capabilities, Empowering Organizations to Make Data-Driven Decisions and Maximize Performance

BOULDER, Colo., Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Bonusly , an engaging recognition and rewards platform that connects teams and enriches company culture, today announced it has received $18.9 million in Series B funding led by Ankona Capital. Prior investors FirstMark Capital, Access Venture Partners, and Next Frontier Capital also participated.

Bonusly, which is ranked by G2 as No. 1 in Employee Recognition and No. 3 in Employee Engagement, used by top-tier companies including Chobani, ZipRecruiter, Pender Veterinary, and SDMI. The Bonusly platform creates a culture of recognition in which employees receive an average of two meaningful, timely, detailed recognitions from peers and managers every week. After deploying Bonusly, more than nine in ten (93%) customers see improved employee engagement.

Recognition is crucial to employee retention. According to a 2022 survey of 2,000 respondents , 63% of workers feel unappreciated by their employer on a daily basis and 46% left a job because they felt unappreciated. Frequent, authentic recognition of their work can make an enormous difference. In fact, nearly two-thirds (65%) said they are likely to stay at a job if their coworkers and peers recognize their work, even if they have an unappreciative manager.

Especially in today's volatile economic environment, organizations need an engaged and highly motivated workforce, along with accurate, current information about how their organizations truly work so they can be agile in making rapid, data-driven decisions to adapt as conditions change. Bonusly's platform empowers real-time recognition to highlight accomplishments big and small in a very positive and public way, which fosters stronger cultures and builds resilient companies. The company also provides strong support for an organization's diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs by recognizing and encouraging inclusiveness.

Additionally, while other employee engagement companies offer little more than gift card programs, Bonusly's recognition platform captures and analyzes a treasure trove of real-time data on how organizations really work, communicate and connect, informing HR teams and managers so they can make powerful behavior change throughout an employee population. Bonusly's proprietary graph database enables management to gain a keen understanding of how their company actually functions. With this information, HR and managers can better help team members continuously improve, foster collaboration and belonging, and assess behavior changes to predict turnover.

"We saw almost instant engagement with Bonusly after deployment, and the recognition our people have given and received has had a big positive impact on employee morale," said Daniel McAdams, President at Andiamo. "We've seen significant, measurable increases in our employee retention and engagement rate, which has translated to greater productivity. And just as important is the rich, current data Bonusly provides on the interconnections within our organization. We're a stronger organization thanks to Bonusly."

Bonusly will use the new funding to enhance its recognition platform and continue to further build out its analytics capabilities. The company will also invest in sales and marketing to further expand go-to-market activities.

"Bonusly customers see significant, measurable improvement in employee engagement and morale with Bonusly," said Newth Morris, Partner at Ankona Capital. "The organizational network data that Bonusly provides is both powerful and unique. But just as important is the leadership team's approach to managing the company with incredible capital efficiency. Raphael founded and bootstrapped the company for nearly three years before raising capital, and that culture of making every dollar count continues to this day. It puts the company in a very strong position to address the challenges companies face motivating, retaining and understanding their workforce in a rapidly changing economic landscape."

"This new capital will enable us to expand and build on the strong foundation we have in place, enabling companies to meet the constantly changing people challenges of today's volatile economy," said Raphael Crawford-Marks, founder and CEO of Bonusly. "Since our Series A, we have seen our valuation more than triple, despite the multiple compression that has occurred in today's market  a strong recognition of the value we already provide and the even greater opportunity that lies ahead. We're just getting started."

About Bonusly

Thousands of companies worldwide rely on Bonusly to cultivate high-performing and motivated teams, regardless of their location, work setting, or industry. Bonusly serves as a crucial tool for investing in, and driving positive business outcomes from a company's most critical asset  their people.

Bonusly's engagement software is easy to use and enables companies to build stronger connections among and between teams, leading to increased collaboration and innovation among your workforce. Additionally, Bonusly provides exclusive insights at the individual, team, and company levels, empowering managers to make informed decisions regarding culture, professional growth, performance management, and employee retention. To learn more, please visit http://bonus.ly

About Ankona Capital

Ankona Capital is a southern California-based growth venture firm that invests $5 to $15 million into early growth-stage B2B software companies, which typically have $5-$15 million in recurring revenues. Ankona's team of experienced investors and operating partners have over 50 years of combined software and investment experience. Ankona is focused on creating a winning, inclusive, and rewarding culture that caters to founders, provides resources and support to entrepreneurs and fosters opportunities for tech companies and investment outside of Silicon Valley. To learn more, visit ankona.com.

Press contact

Jeff Miller

Nonfiction Agency for Bonusly

[email protected]

541-207-6413

SOURCE Bonusly
KENT, Ohio, Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Kent Displays, the makers of Boogie Board reusable writing and creativity products, is excited to announce the launch of VersaNotes in a new, high-contrast black color. Boogie Board is excited to release VersaNotes in their iconic green-on-black writing surface. VersaNotes are innovative reusable notes that are a sustainable replacement for paper sticky notes. Made with groundbreaking liquid crystal technology, VersaNotes are thin, adaptive notes that can be used in the home or office, and feature a magnetic corner for easy hanging.

VersaNotes with Black and Tricolor

Boogie Board is changing the sticky note industry by creating reusable, thin, adaptable notes by moving the battery from the writing device itself into the VersaPen, the patented stylus that erases the VersaNote with just a tap. To emulate the feel of pen and paper, VersaNotes are the thinnest LCD in the world, using never-before-seen advanced technology. They are designed to be used over and over; simply write, tap to erase, then write again.

Boogie Board's VersaNotes were built on three core values: reusability, sustainability, and clean technology. VersaNotes stand out from traditional sticky notes because they are reusable and able to be erased with just a tap. Since there are no reoccurring purchases (like traditional sticky notes and pens), VersaNotes easily cover their own costs after repeated use. The average American office worker uses over 2,500 sticky notes a year  that's a lot of paper to purchase!

Paper continues to have a strong effect on the world's sustainability. Although the digital world was expected to decrease the need for paper, the opposite has occurred -- the need for paper continues to increase every year. On top of that, the EPA estimates 1.6 billion disposable pens are thrown away each year. VersaNotes fills that gap with an upgraded analog solution for writing in the home and office that does not use paper or disposable pens.

VersaNotes are also a clean writing solution. They do not use ink or dry-erase markers, which can be messy and smudge. As the reusable writing space grows, some companies use wet-erase technology. VersaNotes do not need any water, and because they are reusable, VersaNotes keep your space clutter-free and the color corners keep you organized.

VersaNotes are now available in black exclusively at www.myboogieboard.com/versanotes

SOURCE Kent Displays, Inc.
Pete Watson retires from Board; Bruce Edwards elected as Chairman of the Board

DELAWARE, Ohio, Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Greif, Inc. (NYSE: GEF, GEF.B), a global leader in industrial packaging products and services, announced today the election of Bruce Edwards, former Global Chief Executive Officer DHL Supply Chain, as Chairman of the Board of Directors of Greif. Bruce has served on the Board of Directors since 2006, most recently as Chair of the Audit Committee. His extensive global operating experience, deep knowledge of global supply chains, and overall counsel have been an invaluable part of the continued success of Greif. We thank Bruce for his continued service and look forward to his leadership as Chairman.

Pete Watson has retired as a director and Chairman of the Board of Directors at Greif in accordance with his planned transition from Chief Executive Officer. Greif would like to thank Pete for his unparalleled vision and servant leadership. Under Pete's direction, Greif firmly solidified its position as a customer service leader in the packaging industry, enabling the broadening of our vision under Ole Rosgaard to be the best performing customer service company in the world. We thank Pete for his tireless efforts both as Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board.

John Finn has also retired from the Board. John has served on the Board for 15 years, and Greif thanks John for his excellent support, wisdom and counsel.

Additionally, Greif announced today that Frank Miller, Partner at Baker & Hostetler LLP, was elected to the Board. Prior to rejoining that firm, Frank served for 10 years as senior counsel for Kaiser Permanente in Oakland, California.

Greif also announced the resignation of Roel Vestjens from the Board.

About Greif, Inc.

Greif is a global leader in industrial packaging products and services and is pursuing its vision: be the best performing customer service company in the world. The Company produces steel, plastic and fibre drums, intermediate bulk containers, reconditioned containers, jerrycans and other small plastics, containerboard, uncoated recycled paperboard, coated recycled paperboard, tubes and cores and a diverse mix of specialty products. The Company also manufactures packaging accessories and provides filling, packaging, and other services for a wide range of industries. In addition, Greif manages timber properties in the southeastern United States. The Company is strategically positioned in over 35 countries to serve global as well as regional customers. Additional information is on the Company's website at www.greif.com.

Investor Contact:

Matt Leahy

740-549-6158

[email protected]

SOURCE Greif, Inc.
Largest Family-Owned and Operated Italian Beef Restaurant Seeks Franchisees in High Growth Markets for Continued National Expansion

CHICAGO, Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Buona , maker of Chicago's Original Italian Beef, has today announced its continued national expansion with plans to target additional U.S. high-growth markets. The regional Chicago icon will target Florida, Texas and Arizona for new franchise locations in the coming year, as well as added expansion in key Midwestern cities. In addition to booming growth, the targeted new markets are heavily populated with former Chicago-area natives who have longed for the iconic Buona brand and its classic Windy City flavors in their communities.

Prototype Credit: Keystone Planning + Design, PLLC

The news of Buona's continued national expansion comes after the announcement of its first out of state locations coming to the Nashville metro area. Company owned growth is still in process with stores in Indiana and Wisconsin opening this year. Currently, the brand has over 26 locations throughout the Chicago region, as well as products in dozens of major grocers across the Midwest, Arizona and Florida. It is the largest family-owned Italian beef restaurant group and Italian Beef producer in the country.

Buona's franchise program was launched in 2022 and includes In-Line, Drive-Through, and kiosk opportunities, with Buona's proven business approach, industry-leading technology, shoulder-to-shoulder training, e-learning and other support to help its franchise partners grow and succeed. The program features the classic, expansive Buona menu, built on Italian beef, with sandwiches, salads and protein bowls, as well as Rainbow Cone ice cream, another Chicago icon. It is open to experienced entrepreneurs and investors interested in multi-unit opportunities. Initial investment figures range from $1.6M to $2.62M with a modest $35K franchise fee.

"Buona's continued rapid growth is a testament to our leadership, proven business approach and of course, our signature Italian beef and other Chicago style street food," said Joe Buonavolanto III, VP of Franchise Operations and Sales at Buona. "We hope to announce more franchise signings at the end of quarter one."

Demand and interest for classic Italian beef sandwiches has particularly grown this past year, stemming from the popular Hulu television series, The Bear, which centers on a fictional sandwich shop in Chicago. Google searches for the sandwich have increased as fans of the series seek where they can find and try the tasty Chicago classic.

For more information about Buona's franchise program, visit https://BuonaFranchise.com

About Buona

Four decades, three generations and several dozen restaurants ago, Joe and Peggy Buonavolanto opened the first Buona restaurant in Berwyn, IL, which specialized in their authentic recipe for Italian beef sandwiches. Today, Buona's 26 restaurant locations are driven by multiple 3rd generation Buonavolantos and hard-working, dedicated employees who loyally serve Buona customers and surrounding communities. As a result, Buona is the largest family-owned Italian beef restaurant group and Italian beef producer in the country. For more information, visit https://Buona.com

SOURCE Buona
100 Percent of Sales Fund Local Charities on March 29 "Day of Giving"

MANASQUAN, N.J., Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Hoping to raise a record-breaking amount for charity this March, Jersey Mike's Subs, known for its authentic fresh sliced/fresh grilled subs, asks customers to eat a sub and help a local cause. (View/download b-roll)

To celebrate the company's 13th Annual Month of Giving fundraising campaign, Jersey Mike's locations across the country are joining forces with more than 200 local charities.

Jersey Mike's Subs will donate 100 percent of sales on March 29 "Day of Giving" to local charities. Tweet this Peter Cancro (center), Founder & CEO, Jersey Mikes Franchise Systems, Inc., celebrates the companys 2022 Day of Giving at Jersey Mikes in Point Pleasant Beach.

During the month of March, customers can make donations through the Jersey Mike's mobile app or onsite. Charities include hospitals, youth organizations, food banks and more. As added incentive, special deals will be announced each week on Twitter and through Jersey Mike's email club.

The campaign culminates with the nationwide event, Day of Giving, on Wednesday, March 29, when local Jersey Mike's owners and operators will donate their resources and every single dollar that comes in to local charities.

At the first nationwide fundraiser in 2011, all of Jersey Mike's 454 locations raised $600,000 for 66 charities. Since then, Jersey Mike's annual Month of Giving has raised more than $67 million for local charities.

This March, Jersey Mike's hopes to exceed last year's record-breaking national fundraising total of $20 million and help local charities striving to fulfill their missions and make a difference.

"I would like to extend a personal invitation to you and your family to visit Jersey Mike's Subs throughout the month of March, and especially on Day of Giving when 100 percent of sales  every penny  goes to help a great local cause," said Peter Cancro, Jersey Mike's founder and CEO, who started the company when he was only 17 years old.

In each market, restaurant owners select charities that support local neighborhoods and build a stronger community.

For more information, visit jerseymikes.com/mog.

About Jersey Mike's

Jersey Mike's Subs, with nearly 2,500 locations nationwide, serves authentic fresh sliced/fresh grilled subs on in-store freshly baked bread  the same recipe it started with in 1956. Passion for giving in Jersey Mike's local communities is reflected in its mission statement "Givingmaking a difference in someone's life." For more information, visit jerseymikes.com or follow us on Facebook (facebook.com/jerseymikes), Instagram (instagram.com/jerseymikes), and Twitter (twitter.com/jerseymikes.com).

Contact:

Kyle Potvin,

[email protected],

917-838-4500

SOURCE Jersey Mikes Subs
CHARLOTTE, N.C., Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Celgard, LLC (Celgard), a subsidiary of Polypore International, LP, (Polypore) is pleased to announce it has entered into a strategic alliance agreement with lithium-ion battery technology company C4V to advance the development of next-generation, high-performance, high-voltage battery cells.

Celgard/C4V alliance with 10 planned gigafactories brings affordable, high-energy cells to people who need them urgently Tweet this Celgard partners with leading technology development company, C4V, to develop innovative dry-process battery separator solutions for bio-mineralized lithium mixed metal phosphate (BM-LMP) batteries. These are high-voltage, offer long cycle life and provide affordability. C4V manufacturing franchises are expected to expand to a total of 10 giga-factories by 2030. Celgard membrane separators developed under the alliance are expected to gain access to all C4Vs member giga-factories.

Celgard and C4V will collaborate on the development of separator solutions for the lithium-ion battery market optimized for C4V's high-voltage bio-mineralized lithium mixed metal phosphate (BM-LMP) cathode material. This collaboration is part of C4V's Supply Chain Partners program, whereby key needs of the battery industry are targeted, and solutions are brought to market. Celgard membrane separators developed under the alliance are expected to gain access to all C4V's member giga-factories. Celgard's innovative separator could supply a cell manufacturing base with over 150 GWh of cell production planned for 2030. These cell production sites are located in the USA, India and Australia, with additional facilities under development elsewhere. Celgard is already a certified member of C4V's Supply Chain Partners program with a current generation of Celgard separator.

Stefan Reinartz, Celgard's vice president of lithium-ion electric drive vehicle (EDV) and energy storage systems (ESS) business, said: "We are pleased to partner with the technology leader C4V to advance Celgard dry-process battery separators and develop innovative solutions for BM-LMP battery cells with them. C4V has proven they can bring high-precision battery manufacturing online quickly. Our alliance will pave a path to innovations that will bring affordable, high-energy output cells to people who need them urgently."

Polypore's parent company, Asahi Kasei, may also support C4V's cell manufacturing franchise, which utilizes the same technology and suppliers assuring OEMs a robust source of cells and batteries less affected by environmental or regional disruption. Asahi Kasei sees an opportunity to leverage its diversified international manufacturing base to support the global BM-LMP supply chain needs for plastics and thermal retardant materials.

BM-LMP cell production from the premier C4V cell manufacturing franchise started in August 2022. The three existing franchises are expected to further expand to a total of 10 giga-factories by 2030. BM-LMP high-voltage battery cells achieve long cycle life and rapid charging without the use of cobalt or nickel, which diminishes the risk posed by thermal runaway and uncertainties in raw material supplies of these elements.

About Celgard and Polypore

Celgard specializes in solvent-free, coated and uncoated, dry-process microporous membranes used as separators that are a major component of lithium-ion batteries. Celgard's battery separator technology is important to the performance of lithium-ion batteries for electric drive vehicles, energy storage systems and other applications.

Celgard, LLC is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Polypore International, LP, an Asahi Kasei Company.

Polypore is a global company with facilities in nine countries specializing in microporous membranes used in electric and nonelectric vehicles, energy storage systems and specialty applications. Visit www.celgard.com and www.polypore.com.

About C4V

C4V is a Lithium-ion battery technology company with critical expertise in battery performance optimization and end-to-end giga-factory design. C4V's discoveries have significantly extended battery life and charge performance, and their giga-factory design empowers emerging economies to rapidly develop robust domestic manufacturing ecosystems. C4V coordinates with industry-leading raw material, consumables and equipment supply chain partners to bring fully optimized batteries to market, and their innovative energy storage technology is accelerating the global transition to electrification.

SOURCE Celgard, LLC
WASHINGTON, Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc. (CFP Board) announced that it has imposed an interim suspension of the CFP certification against John Poulos, which is effective as of February 17, 2023.

On January 27, 2023, CFP Board Counsel filed a Motion for Interim Suspension Order (Motion) pursuant to Article 2.1.a.1. of CFP Board's Procedural Rules requesting that a Hearing Panel of CFP Board's Disciplinary and Ethics Commission (DEC) issue an Interim Suspension Order against Mr. Poulos, who was charged with "femicide," or the intentional killing of a woman or girl for her gender, and obstruction of justice on January 26, 2023, in Bogota, Colombia. After reviewing the matter, a Hearing Panel of the DEC determined that CFP Board demonstrated by a preponderance of the evidence that Mr. Poulos' conduct poses a significant threat to the public or that his conduct significantly impinges upon the reputation of the profession and upon the CFP certification marks. Therefore, the Hearing Panel issued an Interim Suspension Order to Mr. Poulos. Under the Interim Suspension Order, Mr. Poulos' right to use the CFP certification marks is suspended pending CFP Board's completed investigation and possible further disciplinary proceedings.

An interim suspension is a suspension of a CFP professional's certification and trademark license during the pendency of CFP Board enforcement proceedings. A Respondent subject to an Interim Suspension Order must not use the CFP certification marks or state or suggest that the Respondent is a CFP professional while the Interim Suspension Order is in effect. An Interim Suspension Order is a temporary sanction and does not preclude CFP Board from imposing a final sanction. An Interim Suspension Order will remain in place until the DEC or, if an appeal is filed, CFP Board's Appeals Commission, issues a final order. CFP Board Counsel may vacate an Interim Suspension Order if a criminal conviction is vacated or reversed or if Respondent provides sufficient evidence indicating that Respondent was not the subject of a criminal conviction. A Hearing Panel of the DEC may issue an Order to vacate an Interim Suspension Order upon a successful Petition to Vacate an Interim Suspension Order by Respondent.

The basis for this decision also may be found on CFP Board's website at CFP.net/verify. At that website, CFP Board provides the public with:

The ability to check on any individual's CFP Board disciplinary history and CFP  certification status.

certification status. Links to other sources of information about CFP  professionals that may be more recent or that may contain information that has not led to CFP Board discipline and does not appear on CFP Board's website. This information may include customer disputes, disciplinary actions taken by a regulator or employer, certain criminal matters and certain financial matters (such as bankruptcy proceedings and unpaid judgments or liens).

professionals that may be more recent or that may contain information that has not led to CFP Board discipline and does not appear on CFP Board's website. This information may include customer disputes, disciplinary actions taken by a regulator or employer, certain criminal matters and certain financial matters (such as bankruptcy proceedings and unpaid judgments or liens). Links to the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority Inc.'s (FINRA's) BrokerCheck and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's (SEC's) Investment Adviser Public Disclosure databases for individuals who are subject to FINRA or SEC oversight.

CFP Board's Enforcement Process

As part of their certification, CFP professionals make a commitment to CFP Board to abide by CFP Board's Code of Ethics and Standards of Conduct (Code and Standards), or its predecessor, the Standards of Professional Conduct (Standards), which included the Code of Ethics and Professional Responsibility, Rules of Conduct and Financial Planning Practice Standards. CFP Board's Procedural Rules set forth the process for investigating matters and imposing sanctions where violations have been found.

CFP Board enforces its ethical standards by investigating alleged violations and, where there is probable cause to believe there are grounds for sanction, presents a Complaint containing the alleged violations to CFP Board's DEC. The DEC meets at least six times a year to review any matter in which CFP Board has alleged that a CFP professional has violated the Code and Standards or its predecessor Standards. The DEC functions in accordance with the Procedural Rules and reviews all matters on a case-by-case basis, considering the details specific to an individual case. If the DEC determines there are grounds for sanction, then it may impose a sanction. DEC orders may be appealed by a CFP professional or CFP Board pursuant to the Procedural Rules.

In certain circumstances, such as when a CFP professional is in default due to failure to acknowledge receipt of a Notice of Investigation or file an Answer, CFP Board staff must deliver an Administrative Order of Suspension, Temporary Bar, Revocation or Permanent Bar. Administrative Orders also are subject to appeal.

More information on CFP Board's enforcement process can be found at CFP.net/ethics/enforcement.

ABOUT CFP BOARD

CFP Board is the professional body for personal financial planners in the U.S. CFP Board consists of two affiliated organizations focused on advancing the financial planning profession for the public's benefit. CFP Board Center for Financial Planning addresses diversity and workforce development challenges and conducts and publishes research that adds to the financial planning profession's body of knowledge. CFP Board of Standards sets and upholds standards for financial planning and administers the prestigious CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER certification  widely recognized by the public, advisors and firms as the standard for financial planners  so that the public has access to the benefits of competent and ethical financial planning. CFP certification is held by more than 95,000 people in the U.S.

SOURCE Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc.
The healthcare provider's 2023 Black History Month theme inspires company-wide conversations and educational content led by employee resource groups (ERGs)

MIAMI, Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- ChenMed, one of the nation's leading primary care providers, continues transforming the healthcare of the neediest populations and celebrating the company's award-winning culture and diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, with extensive and provocative Black History Month programming, with a broad range of learning focused on friendly dialogue for its employees. ChenMed's Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) have created a nine-page Black History Month toolkit distributed company-wide that spotlights the Association for the Study of African American Life & History's 2023 theme of "Black Resistance." This series of internal discussions and educational content comes as ChenMed continues its efforts to reduce medical mistrust in the minority communities it serves nationwide.

By living out its values, ChenMed strives to eliminate disparities and racial inequities in health care. Tweet this Team members at Dedicated Senior Medical Center in Jacksonville, FL celebrate Black History Month. Pictured (left to right) are Dr. May Montrichard, primary care physician; Dr. Julie Allen, center medical director; Fabonia Jackson, center director in training; Cheryl McGruder, nurse practitioner.

By living out its values, ChenMed strives to eliminate disparities and racial inequities in health care. The company does this by fostering a culture of inclusion, celebrating the diversity of its team members and patients, investing in workforce equity, creating an inclusive patient experience, and making a difference in the communities it serves.

Its employee culture consists of four Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) including, All Working to Achieve Racial Equity and Equality (AWARE), Women Inspire Network (WIN), Veterans Engagement Team (VET), and ChenMed Healthcare Allied Respecting Individuality and Sexuality for Members and Associates (CHARISMA). Together, these groups have aligned to celebrate and honor the contributions of Black culture.

"Our Culture team, in partnership with AWARE, an Employee Resource Group formed to advocate for racial equity and social change in the workplace and communities we serve, has developed programming to educate and engage team members to have meaningful conversations during Black History Month," says Stephanie Chen, Chief Legal and Culture Officer at ChenMed. "Celebrating our diverse workforce year-round, but especially during heritage and history months, is an integral part of how we foster a culture of inclusion here at ChenMed."

The multifaceted effort fueled meaningful conversations among employees and patients alike  all to help ChenMed better bridge the healthcare disparities gap that's long affected Black and disenfranchised communities across America. So, it is not surprising that the innovative medical practice, which now honors seniors by delivering affordable VIP care through more than 120 centers in 15 states (all in underserved neighborhoods), continues to value every person's unique background and perspective.

Coordinated by its All Working to Achieve Racial Equity and Equality (AWARE) Employee Resource Group, in collaboration with Culture and DEI staff, ChenMed enriched the workplace by:

Creating and distributing a nine-page Black History Month toolkit spotlighting the Association for the Study of African American Life & History's 2023 theme of "Black Resistance." Circulating weekly newsletters throughout the month of February that includes engaging and educational information to help create space for meaningful conversations between team members. Hosting multiple Fireside Chats, titled "Trials & Triumphs," where Black leaders at ChenMed share their background, experiences, and challenges they've navigated throughout their careers. Advancing ChenMed efforts to reduce medical mistrust in the diverse minority communities the value-based care provider serves nationwide. Making servant leadership an integral part of Black History Month by providing team members with resources to give back to the communities they serve, many of which are communities of color.

ChenMed has earned many national and regional awards as an employer of choice, and the company encourages employees to get involved with Employee Resource Groups aligned with their interests. These ERGs collaborate with ChenMed's Culture and DEI team, as well as with medical and operations leaders throughout the organization, to help ensure that diversity, equity, and inclusion flourish as company strengths.

Other employee resource groups have joined the conversation by sharing personally curated Black History Month content with colleagues. Dwayne Houston, a Membership Growth Consultant for the company, posts in his CHARIMSA group chat every day, spotlighting current and historic Black LGBTQ+ activists throughout history. These include trailblazers such as Wallace Henry Thurman, Angelina Weld Grimke, Paris K.C. Barclay, and Niki Franco.

"Knowing where someone has been gives insight and value to where they're going. We should have the same Love, Accountability, and Passion for one another as we do for our seniors. Like them, we all have an interesting story to tell. I love that ChenMed's ERGs allow us to listen and connect these stories, especially during Black History Month," says Houston.

About ChenMed

ChenMed, headquartered in Miami, is a privately owned medical, management, and technology company that delivers the high-touch and personalized primary care Medicare-eligible seniors need to enjoy better health. The growing company operates more than 120 senior medical centers in 15 states. Named a Fortune 2020 "Change the World" company , twice named a "Most Loved Workplace" by Newsweek Magazine, and a Certified Best Place to Work by the Best Place to Work Institute, ChenMed brings concierge-style medicine and better health outcomes to the neediest populations. ChenMed brands include Chen Senior Medical Center, Dedicated Senior Medical Center, and JenCare Senior Medical Center. Thanks to its nimble and growing software entity, Curity, ChenMed also was recently named "The" by IDG's Insider Pro and ComputerWorld.

SOURCE ChenMed
Author takes steps to help improve early childhood literacy by hosting virtual storytimes and donating his acclaimed book "From the Pocket of an Overcoat" to schools to boost awareness

Wags & Walks nonprofit dog rescue shelter adds Vincent's children's book about self-identity, acceptance, and animal rescue and adoption to its literacy program to help kids improve their reading skills

LOS ANGELES, Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Elementary schools from across the U.S. will receive donated copies of the acclaimed children's book, "From the Pocket of an Overcoat" (Friendly Falls Press; Archway Publishing from Simon & Schuster), written and illustrated by Robert Vincent to help young children get excited about reading during Read Across America in March.

Annually observed on Dr. Seuss' birthday on March 2 (and throughout National Reading Month in March), Read Across America, the nation's largest celebration of reading, is an initiative to create awareness and motivate children to become excited about reading. Helping to develop early childhood literacy is a passionate cause for Vincent and Read Across America provides a wonderful opportunity to take grassroots action by partnering with educators and local communities in building a solid relationship between children and reading.

"Early literacy development can help establish language skills and spark a child's imagination. It sets the foundation for performing well in school and being able to function well in life," said Vincent. "The story about Max Buckles is a teachable moment that resonates and entices young readers to take an exciting adventure that embraces animal rescue, acceptance and love  essentials that capture the attention of young readers."

As part of Vincent's ongoing endeavor, he will host a virtual, live storytime for elementary students coast-to-coast. Participating schools include: Sunrise Elementary School (Los Angeles, California) and Sontag Elementary School (Rocky Mount, Virginia).

"Sontag Elementary School students are very excited to meet Mr. Vincent and hear him read his wonderful book aloud. It is not often our students are granted the opportunity to meet authors of books they have enjoyed reading, so this is a special moment for them," said Heather Sanders, Library Media Specialist at Sontag Elementary School. "We are hopeful this experience is another way to inspire our students to become proactive readers and perhaps become authors themselves."

In addition, Vincent's ongoing efforts include partnering with community organizations such as Wags & Walks, a leading 501(c)(3) dog rescue based in Los Angeles and Nashville. This dedicated community of dog lovers works to reduce euthanasia in crowded shelters and has saved and found well-matched homes for more than 10,000 dogs of all breeds, ages, and sizes since 2011. Wags & Walks will incorporate "From the Pocket of an Overcoat" into its library in association with its "Wags Kids Paws and Pajamas" literacy program, which aims to help children improve their reading skills by reading to adoptable dogs. The benefits of reading to sheltered dogs are praised by educational programs and rescue organizations alike.

About "From the Pocket of an Overcoat"

"From the Pocket of an Overcoat" is a beautiful hardcover book that is based on the real-life story of a cat named Max adopted by Vincent's son Matthew from a homeless woman in Dallas who found Max as a tiny kitten and had him in the pocket of her overcoat as she was trying to find him a home. The tale is about an affable cat, Max Buckles, and how he finds himself and his way to a new home  moving from the cozy overcoat pocket of Sally in the city, to the country with Farmer Buckles and his other animals, including four dogs  Sam, Tots, Scotty (who is not Scottish but is plaid), and Junior Buckles. Along the way, he discovers a true sense of belonging within his new family. As told through the journey of Max the cat, this is a story about self-identity, acceptance, animal rescue and adoption. To learn more, visit www.maxbuckles.com or explore the following hashtags: #maxbuckles, #maxbucklesbooks, #maxthecat, #readenjoysharemax and #fromthepocketofanovercoat. The book is available online (MSRP $17.99 USD) at Amazon, bn.com , target.com , and at the book's website, maxbuckles.com .

About Robert Vincent

Robert Vincent is a children's book author and illustrator, as well as the author of a number of other literary works. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife Kathy. Robert and Kathy's son Matthew is a violinist with the Oakland Symphony and Sacramento Philharmonic & Opera. In December 2009, Matthew adopted a lovable black cat named Max. The rest, as they say, is history.

SOURCE Friendly Falls Press
Company Named to List for Second Year with Two-Year Revenue Growth of 512%

MIAMI, Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Inc. Magazine today named ClassWallet as number 46 on its Inc. 5000 Regionals Southeast list, the most prestigious ranking of the fastest-growing private companies based in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Puerto Rico, South Carolina and Tennessee. The recognition marks the second consecutive year that ClassWallet has made the list, previously recording 377% revenue growth between 2018 and 2020.

"From day one, ClassWallet has been committed to providing its clients with a trusted way to solve the challenges of funds distribution, accounts payable spending and transparent reporting in ways previously not possible. The continued recognition by Inc. as one of the fastest-growing companies in the Southeast region is a testament to the value we bring to the education and government markets and to our hardworking and passionate staff," said Jamie Rosenberg, founder and CEO, ClassWallet.

Born from the annual Inc. 5000 franchise, the regional list represents a unique look at the most successful companies within the Southeast region economy's most dynamic segment  its independent small businesses. Between 2019 and 2021, these independent and private companies had an average growth rate of 673% and, in 2021 alone, they added 25,844 jobs and nearly $7 billion to the Southeast region's economy. Companies based in the Miami, Fla., Fairhope, Ala., and Covington, La., areas had the highest growth rate overall.

"This year's Inc. 5000 Regional winners represent one of the most exceptional and exciting lists of America's off-the-charts growth companies. They're disruptors and job creators, and all delivered an outsize impact on the economy. Remember their names and follow their lead. These are the companies you'll be hearing about for years to come," says Scott Omelianuk, editor-in-chief of Inc.

Complete results of the Inc. 5000 Regionals Southeast, including company profiles and an interactive database that can be sorted by industry, metro area, and other criteria, can be found at http://www.inc.com/southeast .

More about Inc. and the Inc. 5000 Regionals

Methodology

The 2023 Inc. 5000 Regionals are ranked according to percentage revenue growth when comparing 2019 and 2021. To qualify, companies must have been founded and generating revenue by March 31, 2019. They had to be U.S.-based, privately held, for-profit, and independentnot subsidiaries or divisions of other companiesas of December 31, 2021. (Since then, a number of companies on the list have gone public or been acquired.) The minimum revenue required for 2019 is $100,000; the minimum for 2021 is $1 million. As always, Inc. reserves the right to decline applicants for subjective reasons.

About Inc. Media

The world's most trusted business-media brand, Inc. offers entrepreneurs the knowledge, tools, connections, and community to build great companies. Its award-winning multiplatform content reaches more than 50 million people each month across a variety of channels including websites, newsletters, social media, podcasts, and print. Its prestigious Inc. 5000 list, produced every year since 1982, analyzes company data to recognize the fastest-growing privately held businesses in the United States. The global recognition that comes with inclusion in the 5000 gives the founders of the best businesses an opportunity to engage with an exclusive community of their peers and the credibility that helps them drive sales and recruit talent.

The associated Inc. 5000 Conference is part of a highly acclaimed portfolio of bespoke events produced by Inc. For more information, visit www.inc.com .

About ClassWallet

Founded in 2014, ClassWallet (www.classwallet.com) is the leading digital wallet technology platform for federal, state and local education and government agencies. Saving valuable time and overhead costs to track, pay and report on rules-based purchases and reimbursements, ClassWallet is used in 27 states and by 20 state agencies, across 6,200 schools serving 6.1 million students. ClassWallet's integrated marketplace of leading suppliers and learning curricula includes top retailers like Amazon, Office Depot, Staples, Scholastic, School Specialty, Lakeshore Learning and more. Headquartered in Miami, ClassWallet has been ranked number 779 on the prestigious Inc. 5000 list of the fastest-growing private companies in the U.S. in 2022 and the 56th fastest growing financial services company. It also ranks as the 155th fastest growing company in North America according to the Deloitte Technology Fast 500.

CONTACTS:

Doug Wright / Henry Feintuch / Ashley Blas

Feintuch Communications

646-753-5711 / 646-753-5710 / 646-753-5713

[email protected]

SOURCE ClassWallet
With two decades of experience leading energy and climate tech venture capital worldwide, Mr. Nadkarni's brings global perspective to CEV's growth

BOSTON, Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Clean Energy Ventures (CEV), a leading venture capital firm funding climate tech startups to slash carbon emissions at the gigaton-scale, today announced the appointment of Girish Nadkarni to its Strategic Advisory Board (SAB), joining the former U.S. Secretary of Energy, Ernest Moniz, along with Dr. Ellen Williams, former Chief Scientist for BP and Director of the Department of Energy's ARPA-E program, and J. Michael McQuade, former CTO of United Technologies Corporation. In this role, Mr. Nadkarni will advise the firm on fund investment strategy, portfolio company technology commercialization, emerging technology evaluation and industry trends to support CEV's long-term vision and expansion plans.

Over the last two decades of driving investments in critical climate technologies, Mr. Nadkarni notably served as the President of TotalEnergies Ventures, President of ABB Technology Ventures and Director of OGCI Climate Investments. With a deep background as an operator and investor, Mr. Nadkarni brings an insightful perspective on building global venture capital groups and scaling early-stage climate technologies for material impact.

"It is an honor to work alongside CEV's esteemed Strategic Advisory Board and to have a hand in supporting the world-changing technologies with real, gigaton-scale impact," said Mr. Nadkarni. "I've been impressed with the values of the CEV team, who understand and embrace the need for investments in hard technology challenges required to transition to a decarbonized global economy. I look forward to joining my SAB colleagues and helping the firm and its portfolio companies to innovate and lead the rapidly emerging climate technology investment sector where trillions of dollars will be deployed in the coming decades."

Today, Mr. Nadkarni remains an active advisor to a number of funds, including Siemens Energy Ventures and OGCI Climate Investments. He is on the board at Gentari, the clean energy solutions arm of Malaysian state oil company, Petronas; led the creation of Hy24, the $2B hydrogen infrastructure fund; and sits on the Advisory Committee at the University of California, Los Angeles' Institute for Carbon Management. He brings critical experience in many sectors that CEV operates in, including renewable energy, green hydrogen and derivative fuels, and grid technology.

"Girish has long had his finger on the pulse of the ecosystem  playing a role in many successful climate tech exits  and brings a critical market perspective that will help us to grow and scale decarbonization technologies globally," said CEV's Strategic Advisory Board Chair Ernest Moniz. "Ahead of expansion plans for CEV, we're excited to widen the bench to continue pinpointing the most impactful climate solutions."

About Clean Energy Ventures

Clean Energy Ventures creates global climate solutions by backing expert technical teams and transforming them into market-leading commercial teams. We look for technologies that can mitigate 2.5 gigatons of CO2e by 2050 and entrepreneurs that can benefit from our decades of climate tech operating experience. For more information, visit cleanenergyventures.com.

Media Contact

Mission Control Communications

[email protected]

SOURCE Clean Energy Ventures
HERNDON, Va. , Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Inc. magazine today revealed that COREONYX Government Solutions is No. 1 on its fourth annual Inc. 5000 Regionals: Mid-Atlantic list, the most prestigious ranking of the fastest-growing Mid-Atlantic private companies, based in the District of Columbia, Delaware, Maryland, North Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia. Born of the annual Inc. 5000 franchise, this regional list represents a unique look at the most successful companies within the Mid-Atlantic economy's most dynamic segmentits independent small businesses.

"It is a profound honor to have earned one of Inc. Magazine's most prestigious of awards and would not have been possible without our entire team's unflinching dedication, performance, and agility. Through our culture of customer focus, collaboration, and advocacy, the women, and men of COREONYX continue our upward trajectory of growth and delivery of the "Certainty of Outcome" our customer's demand. Representing such an amazing and talented group of professionals is a privilege."  Guy Mincey, Founder and CEO

COREONYX Government Solutions Secures Coveted #1 Ranking in Renowned 2023 Inc. 5000 Regionals. Tweet this

The companies on this list show a remarkable rate of growth across all industries in the MidAtlantic region. Between 2019 and 2021, private companies had an average growth rate of 381 percent and, in 2021 alone, they added 14,439 jobs and $2.66 billion to the Mid-Atlantic region's economy. Companies based in the Richmond, Virginia and the Washington, D.C. areas had the highest growth rates overall.

Complete results of the Inc. 5000 Regionals: Mid-Atlantic, including company profiles and an interactive database that can be sorted by industry, metro area, and other criteria, can be found at www.inc.com/mid-atlantic starting February 28, 2023.

"This year's Inc. 5000 Regional winners represent one of the most exceptional and exciting lists of America's off-the-charts growth companies. They're disrupters and job creators, and all delivered an outsize impact on the economy. Remember their names and follow their lead. These are the companies you'll be hearing about for years to come," said Scott Omelianuk, editor-in-chief of Inc. magazine.

COREONYX is a multi-award-winning VA/SBA CERTIFIED CVE-SDVOSB providing a wide range of services around the needs of our government clients to provide Information Technology, Professional & Technical, Consulting & support in Defense and Civilian sectors.

By carefully wrapping the technology around the mission, we deliver to our government and private sector clients the "Certainty of Outcome" they demand with transformation and "full stack" modernization initiatives to better serve the public. Some examples of our public sector consulting initiatives include:

Cloud

Digital Transformation

Applications Modernization and Migration

Enterprise Technology Modernization

UI/UX Customer experience

Smart infrastructure

Data security

With more than two decades of proven performance in assisting and supporting government & public sector agencies, we meet their challenges head-on to deliver the capability and performance needed for our client's goals to enable and deliver their mission successfully.

More about Inc. and the Inc. 5000 Regionals

Methodology

The 2023 Inc. 5000 Regionals are ranked according to percentage revenue growth when comparing 2019 and 2021. To qualify, companies must have been founded and generating revenue by March 31, 2019. They had to be U.S.-based, privately held, for-profit, and independentnot subsidiaries or divisions of other companiesas of December 31, 2021. (Since then, a number of companies on the list have gone public or been acquired.) The minimum revenue required for 2019 is $100,000; the minimum for 2021 is $1 million. As always, Inc. reserves the right to decline applicants for subjective reasons.

About Inc. Media

The world's most trusted business-media brand, Inc. offers entrepreneurs the knowledge, tools, connections, and community to build great companies. Its award-winning multiplatform content reaches more than 50 million people each month across a variety of channels including websites, newsletters, social media, podcasts, and print. Its prestigious Inc. 5000 list, produced every year since 1982, analyzes company data to recognize the fastest-growing privately held businesses in the United States. The global recognition that comes with inclusion in the 5000 gives the founders of the best businesses an opportunity to engage with an exclusive community of their peers and the credibility that helps them drive sales and recruit talent.

The associated Inc. 5000 Conference is part of a highly acclaimed portfolio of bespoke events produced by Inc. For more information, visit www.inc.com .

SOURCE COREONYX Government Solutions
MEXICO CITY, Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- CourtAvenue, the leading digital transformation agency, announced today the launch of its new Latin America office in Mexico City led by CEO Jaime Kalb.

Jaime Kalb, CEO of CourtAvenue Latin America

Led by Kalb and his team, CourtAvenue Latin America is guiding clients through the digital ecosystem and catalyzing their digital transformation journeys, producing business strategies that enable better customer experiences, generate revenue growth, and prioritize cost optimization. With an expansive network and a skillful team of industry experts, CourtAvenue Latin America offers intelligent solutions that address client's needs and open-up new business possibilities, with consultancy and strategy services and commerce experience to clients in Mexico.

"As part of the Latin American expansion, we are able to service clients across the region, as well as support our global clients locally," said Jaime Kalb CEO of CourtAvenue Latin America. "We are bringing best in class talent from the region to work with CourtAvenue's incredible brands including KIA, General Mills, Epson, Dell, and Hershey to name a few."

Kalb launched his career in digital transformation more than 20 years ago at ProdigyMSN, a joint venture between Microsoft and Telmex. He crafted digital strategies for top-tier customers such as Citibanamex, Coca-Cola, Dell, Liverpool, LOreal, Mercado Libre, Microsoft, Telcel, Toyota and more. In 2009, he founded Clarus, a comprehensive digital services agency, which became one of the most prestigious digital agencies in Mexico City with an extensive client base. Clarus saw explosive growth over the years and was acquired by WPP in 2014, to become part of the Mirum Network.

"We are thrilled to announce the opening of our new office in Latin America, as it represents a significant step forward in our mission to connect and empower people worldwide," said agency co-founder Kenny Tomlin. "We look forward to working with our partners and customers in the region to drive innovation and growth."

CourtAvenue is a global agency with offices in Cincinnati, Ohio; Austin, Texas; San Diego, California, and the newest office in Mexico City, Mexico.

Press Contact:

Kelly Kass

[email protected]

CourtAvenue is a global agency composed of industry entrepreneurs and experts accelerating digital transformation for the world's most ambitious companies. The agency works with clients to prioritize and actualize new avenues of digital and business growth by using data and insights to define growth verticals and modernizing business processes through emerging technologies. With its best-in-class commerce capabilities across owned and retail channels, the agency helps clients understand the customer needs they must address, the opportunities they have to differentiate, and the roadmap to bring it all to life. CourtAvenue drives clients closer to consumers by determining how to create human-centered interactions with the company, its services, and its products.

SOURCE CourtAvenue
LIVERMORE, Calif., Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- CoverEase, a leading provider of business insurance software solutions offering business owners a fast and easy way to obtain instant quotes from the best insurance brands in the country, is proud to announce its status as an officially accredited WBENC-Certified Women's Business Enterprise. WBENC (Women's Business Enterprise National Council) certification confirms that a business is at least 51 percent owned, controlled, and operated by a woman or women  in this case CoverEase's owner, founder and president, Shawn Marie Edgington.

CoverEase was established in 2021 by Edgington offering a solution for businesses to instantly quote, purchase and bind the coverages they need most for their businesses, including workers' compensation, general liability, cyber liability, group health, dental & vision, and term life insurance.

"As a certified Woman Owned Business, the company now has access to numerous resources and opportunities that will help us grow and expand our reach to those areas that might not be reachable without the WBENC certification," CEO Shawn Marie Edgington shared what the WBENC certification means for the company.

About CoverEase:

CoverEase, a digital insurance broker, has reinvented the way businesses shop, purchase, and save on their insurance products. CoverEase uses advanced technology to offer an online "Amazon-like" shopping experience from the best insurance brands in the country. CoverEase, headquartered in Livermore, California, with offices in New York, was built on the same technology that their sister company's pay-go workers' comp agency, E-COMP has been using and improving for the past 5 years. Both companies are WBENC certified and are led by CEO Shawn Marie Edgington. Learn more at www.coverease.com .

WBENC, founded in 1997, the Women's Business Enterprise National Council is the most widely recognized and respected national certification for women-owned businesses in the U.S. Through certification, these businesses gain access to a large network of support, including targeted business opportunities, increased visibility in chains, education and development programs, and networking and mentorship opportunities. A 501(c)(3) non-profit, WBENC partners with 14 Regional Partner Organizations to provide its world-class standard of certification. https://www.wbenc.org/

SOURCE CoverEase
FDA decision supported by an interim clinical study report on patient safety

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- cultivate(MD) Capital Funds LP , funds that are focused on investments into early-stage healthcare companies with innovative technologies, announced today that one of their portfolio companies, Lincoln, Nebraska-based Virtual Incision Corporation, has completed its U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Investigational Device Exemption (IDE) clinical study. Virtual Incision Corporation is a medical device company developing the world's first miniaturized robotic-assisted surgery (RAS) system. The study was designed to evaluate the company's MIRA Surgical System for use in bowel resection procedures and it is an important achievement towards bringing new technologies to hospitals and their surgical robotics programs regardless of the site of care.

The surgical cases were completed at three hospitals across the country. Patients who participated in the study were followed after their procedure to fulfill study requirements. The complete data will be correlated and submitted to the FDA as part of the company's De Novo request for market authorization. Virtual Incision is the first RAS developer to complete a U.S. IDE study to support a De Novo request in bowel resection.

cultivate(MD) is a medical device venture capital fund dedicated to bringing emerging health care innovations to market. Tweet this

"The investigators are very encouraged by our experiences trialing the MIRA Surgical System," said Michael A. Jobst, MD, colorectal surgeon. "Across the sites, we've seen MIRA efficiently integrate into existing RAS programs and witnessed how it is mobile enough for use in any operating room. Some sites have even completed multiple cases in a single day. We are eager to fulfill the clinical requirements of the study in hopes that MIRA can help expand RAS access to more patients in the future."

R. Sean Churchill, MD, MBA, Executive Director of Genesis Innovation Group said, "cultivate(MD) Capital Funds are proud to have partnered with Virtual Incision Corporation over the past four years. The ability of the MIRA Surgical System to bring robotic surgery to every hospital, not just large research centers, sets Virtual Incision apart from other robotic manufacturers. cultivate(MD) immediately recognized the unmet need for more cost effective and versatile robotics in the operating room and is a firm supporter of bringing this technology into practice. The MIRA platform has numerous products to address all aspects of abdominal surgery and stands to be the leader in minimally invasive robotic surgery."

There are 5 million Americans who undergo abdominal soft tissue procedures annually, however, more than 90 percent go without access to RAS. If authorized by the FDA, MIRA's miniaturized, strong, and easy-to-use design could potentially increase the overall availability of RAS. It has the potential to integrate into any facility or operating room by serving as a complement to the existing mainframe RAS systems, or by expanding into new sites of care and geographies as a standalone. Virtual Incision aims to increase patient access through a clinically, operationally, and economically sound platform available to all providers.

"Completing MIRA's IDE clinical study is a critical milestone in our journey to making RAS more accessible," said John Murphy, president and chief executive officer of Virtual Incision. "Currently, less than 10 percent of the 90,000 operating rooms in the U.S. are equipped with mainframe RAS systems. Beyond the incredible progress of the industry pioneer, it's still in the early days of the adoption of soft tissue surgical robotics. Our ultimate goal is to develop world-class miniature RAS devices with the required strength and dexterity to enable positive clinical outcomes for a broad range of procedure types."

About Virtual Incision

Virtual Incision is on a mission to simplify robotic-assisted surgery (RAS), so more patients and their surgeons can access its benefits every day. Headquartered in Lincoln, Nebraska, and holding over 200 patents and patent applications, the company is developing MIRA, the first-of-its-kind miniature RAS platform. Virtual Incision's goal is to make every operating room RAS-ready.

About cultivate(MD) Capital Funds

As a medical device venture capital fund, cultivate(MD) is dedicated to bringing emerging health care innovations to market, with a special focus on medical device and orthopedic technologies. cultivate(MD) is focused on investing in early stage healthcare companies with innovative technologies that have demonstrated evidence of effectiveness. For more information, visit: https://genesisinnovationgroup.com/

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This communication contains statements that constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding our plans, beliefs, expectations, assumptions, and other statements that are not necessarily historical facts. You are cautioned that these forward-looking statements are only predictions and involve risks and uncertainties. Further, any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which it is made, and we do not intend to update or revise any forward-looking statements. This communication also contains market data related to our business and industry which includes projections that are based on several assumptions we believe are reasonable and most significant to the projections as of the date of this communication. If any of our assumptions prove to be incorrect, our actual results may significantly differ from our projections based on these assumptions.

SOURCE cultivate(MD)
Companies on the 2023 Inc. 5000 Regionals: Mid-Atlantic list had an average growth rate of 381 percent.

POTOMAC, Md., Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Inc. magazine has revealed that Curbio is No. 63 on its fourth annual Inc. 5000 Regionals: Mid-Atlantic list, the most prestigious ranking of the fastest-growing Mid-Atlantic private companies, based in the District of Columbia, Delaware, Maryland, North Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia. Born of the annual Inc. 5000 franchise, this regional list represents a unique look at the most successful companies within the Mid-Atlantic economy's most dynamic segmentits independent small businesses.

"Curbio is thrilled to once again be recognized by Inc. Magazine, this time as the No. 63 fastest-growing private company in the Mid-Atlantic region. Here at Curbio, we have set out to help realtors get every listing market-ready quickly and sold for top dollar with our tech-powered, white glove home improvement solution. This recognition of our growth shows that our solution is working for our agent partners, and we couldn't be prouder," said Olivia Mariani, Chief Marketing Officer at Curbio.

The companies on this list show a remarkable rate of growth across all industries in the Mid-Atlantic region. Between 2019 and 2021, these private companies had an average growth rate of 381 percent and, in 2021 alone, they added 14,439 jobs and $2.66 billion to the Mid-Atlantic region's economy.

"This year's Inc. 5000 Regional winners represent one of the most exceptional and exciting lists of America's off-the-charts growth companies. They're disrupters and job creators, and all delivered an outsize impact on the economy. Remember their names and follow their lead. These are the companies you'll be hearing about for years to come," said Scott Omelianuk, editor-in-chief of Inc. magazine.

Complete results of the Inc. 5000 Regionals: Mid-Atlantic, including company profiles and an interactive database that can be sorted by industry, metro area, and other criteria, can be found at www.inc.com/mid-atlantic starting February 28, 2023.

About Curbio

Curbio is on a mission to help real estate agents fix and update homes before they go on the market, so they sell quickly and for the best price, with zero payment due until closing. Founded in 2017, Curbio has quickly become the largest national home improvement company dedicated to pre-listing repairs, updates, and renovations. Curbio has modernized home improvement with an easy-to-use app that accelerates project timelines by 50%, while removing the delays, uncertainties and other frustrations that have plagued home improvement for decades. Their rapid time to listing, coupled with a turn-key approach and project ROI expertise, has made Curbio the most trusted fix first, pay-at-closing home improvement partner to thousands of realtors and brokerages nationwide, including eXp realty, RE/MAX, HomeServices of America, Long & Foster, @properties and many more.

More about Inc. and the Inc. 5000 Regionals

Methodology

The 2023 Inc. 5000 Regionals are ranked according to percentage revenue growth when comparing 2019 and 2021. To qualify, companies must have been founded and generating revenue by March 31, 2019. They had to be U.S.-based, privately held, for-profit, and independentnot subsidiaries or divisions of other companiesas of December 31, 2021. (Since then, a number of companies on the list have gone public or been acquired.) The minimum revenue required for 2019 is $100,000; the minimum for 2021 is $1 million. As always, Inc. reserves the right to decline applicants for subjective reasons.

About Inc. Media

The world's most trusted business-media brand, Inc. offers entrepreneurs the knowledge, tools, connections, and community to build great companies. Its award-winning multiplatform content reaches more than 50 million people each month across a variety of channels including websites, newsletters, social media, podcasts, and print. Its prestigious Inc. 5000 list, produced every year since 1982, analyzes company data to recognize the fastest-growing privately held businesses in the United States. The global recognition that comes with inclusion in the 5000 gives the founders of the best businesses an opportunity to engage with an exclusive community of their peers and the credibility that helps them drive sales and recruit talent.

The associated Inc. 5000 Conference is part of a highly acclaimed portfolio of bespoke events produced by Inc. For more information, visit www.inc.com .

SOURCE Curbio
Pieter Krynauw to Lead Global Provider Created through the Combination of CXV Global & Panacea Technologies

CORK, Ireland and PHILADELPHIA, Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The board of directors of CXV Global and Panacea Technologies, which joined forces in late 2022, announced today that Pieter Krynauw has been appointed chief executive officer and a member of the board. Effective immediately, Mr. Krynauw will spearhead the newly combined global organization specializing in automation and digitization solutions that optimize operations for life sciences and other companies.

We have an incredible opportunity to leverage our powerful platform to maximize the operations of life science companies Tweet this Pieter Krynauw appointed CEO of newly combined CXV Global & Panacea Technologies

"I am honored and excited to be part of this newly created organization. We have an incredible opportunity to leverage our powerful platform of technologies, capabilities and professional services to maximize the operations of pharmaceutical and medical technology companies as they bring new products and therapies to market," said Mr. Krynauw.

Mr. Krynauw has spent his entire career in process automation. At Honeywell International, he led the global automation solutions business following management roles in China, the Middle East and the United States. After Honeywell acquired Intelligrated, Mr. Krynauw was promoted to president, where he was instrumental in building the business into a leader in supply chain automation. Most recently, Mr. Krynauw served as CEO of ThruWave, a start-up company developing new 3D millimeter wave imaging technology for logistics and supply chain automation.

About CXV Global & Panacea Technologies

CXV Global and Panacea Technologies joined forces in October 2022 to create a leading global provider of solutions that optimize operations for pharmaceutical, medical technology and other companies. The combined organization offers a powerful platform of automation and digitization capabilities supported by high-touch customer service. With a global workforce of 500+ employees, it supports 24x7 production activity and muti-site, multi-national and multi-lingual projects. To learn more, visit cxvglobal.com and panaceatech.com.

SOURCE CXV Global and Panacea Technologies
CHICAGO, Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The global Cybersecurity Mesh Market is projected to grow from an estimated value of USD 0.9 billion in 2023 to USD 2.6 billion by 2027, at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 28.6% from 2022 to 2027, according to a new report by MarketsandMarkets. Rising cyberattacks faced by organizations in the recent years, is one of the factors driving the market growth.

Browse in-depth TOC on "Cybersecurity Mesh Market"

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40 - Figures

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Download PDF Brochure @ https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/pdfdownloadNew.asp?id=160921904

By organization size, large enterprises to account for a largest market size during the forecast period

Large enterprises include firms with employee strength of more than 1,000. During the forecast period, the large enterprises segment is projected to account for a larger market size in the cybersecurity mesh. These enterprises are seeing a high adoption of cybersecurity mesh solutions. Large enterprises have enormous resources, meaning they can afford information security professionals and cutting-edge technology to defend themselves. Large enterprises possess the financial resources necessary to implement cybersecurity mesh solutions. They also have the workforce to install and work with the deployed systems. The IT administrators in large organizations dealing with highly sensitive information are witnessing high demand for zero-trust-based solutions to perform real-time security analytics of various security incidents. Zero trust-based solutions help IT security professionals in large enterprises to gain enhanced network visibility and effectively implement policies across different departments in remote locations. Large enterprises work with a large volume of data, which makes them attractive targets for cyberattacks. The increased usage of the internet and advanced technologies and strict regulatory compliances and laws implemented by governments across regions has led to large organizations increasingly adopting cybersecurity mesh solutions.

By vertical, IT & ITeS to account for the larger market size during the forecast period

The IT & ITeS vertical is an early adopter of innovative digital technological solutions. Companies in the IT vertical are constantly evolving in terms of technology. IT and ITeS industries store large volumes of critical business and employee data, such as names, addresses, and payment transaction information. Companies risk exposing themselves to malicious attacks without additional security layers such as endpoint security, two-factor authentication, or virtual firewalls. As more businesses adopted cloud-based technologies, the risk of such exposure worsened. With the surging adoption of BYOD and WFH trends, IT companies are rapidly prioritizing cybersecurity solutions and services. As enterprises increasingly adopted the work-from-home policy to curb the spread of COVID-19, IT and cloud professionals have become highly concerned about maintaining the security of their IT infrastructure. The upsurge in cloud computing, IoT, and BYOD trends has made it possible for cybercriminals to penetrate end-user systems with an easy access route. With such evolving landscape of cyber threats, IT organizations and ITeS service providers across regions are adopting cybersecurity mesh solutions to combat the cyberattacks.

Request Sample Pages @ https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/requestsampleNew.asp?id=160921904

By region, North America to account for the larger market size during the forecast period

North America is expected to have the largest market size in the Cybersecurity Mesh Market. The region is witnessing growing digitalization in the recent years. There is increase in the use of advanced technologies, including digital payments, cloud-based applications, artificial intelligence, and IoT, that have added complexities for enterprises, making the region more vulnerable to risks and cyberattacks. The region is seeing a high concentration of vendors offering solutions and services in the Cybersecurity Mesh Market. Additionally, several strict regulations govern the Cybersecurity Mesh Market in the region. NIST is one such organization. It helps develop security standards, and guidelines, to meet the needs of the US industries and federal agencies. Regulations implemented, such as PCI-DSS and HIPAA, act as driving factors for the adoption of cybersecurity mesh solutions. The HIPAA Privacy Rule establishes the national standards to protect individual's medical records, and other individually identifiable health information. The Rule sets limits and conditions on the use and disclosure of private health information. The increasing cyberattacks and the implementation of privacy laws have prompted organizations to adopt cybersecurity mesh solutions.

Key Players

The major vendors in the Cybersecurity Mesh Market are IBM (US), Palo Alto Networks (US), Check Point (Israel), Zscaler (US), Fortinet (US), GCA Technology (US), Forcepoint (US), SonicWall (US), Ivanti (US), Cato Networks (Israel), Aryaka Networks (US), SailPoint (US), appNovi (US), Appgate (US), Mesh Security (Israel), Primeter 81 (Israel), Naoris Protocol (Portugal), and Exium (US).

Browse Adjacent Market: Information Security Market Research Reports & Consulting

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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 moulded by our industry experts, cutting-edge AI-powered Market Intelligence Cloud, and years of research. The KnowledgeStore (our Market Intelligence Cloud) integrates our research, facilitates an analysis of interconnections through a set of applications, helping clients look at the entire ecosystem and understand the revenue shifts happening in their industry.

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Nine Historians Each to Receive $300,000, Supporting Critical Research and Cutting-Edge Methodologies

TEL AVIV, Israel, Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Dan David Prize, the largest history prize in the world, today announced its 2023 winners - nine early and midcareer scholars and practitioners, whose work illuminates the past in bold and creative ways. Each of the winners - who work in Kenya, Ireland, Denmark, Israel, Canada and the United States - will receive $300,000 (USD) in recognition of their achievements and to support their future endeavors.

"Our winners represent a new generation of historians," said Ariel David, board member of the Prize and son of the founder. "They are changing our understanding of the past by asking new questions, targeting under-researched topics and using innovative methods. Many of the winners we are recognizing today are still in the early stages of their careers, but they have already challenged how we think about history. Understanding the past, in all its complexity, is critical to illuminating the present and confronting the challenges of the future."

The 2023 Dan David Prize winners are: Saheed Aderinto , Florida International University; Ana Antic , University of Copenhagen; Karma Ben Johanan , Hebrew University; Elise Burton , University of Toronto; Adam Clulow , University of Texas at Austin; Krista Goff , University of Miami; Stephanie Jones-Rogers , University of California Berkeley; Anita Radini , University College, Dublin; Chao Tayiana Maina , a public historian based in Kenya.

Among these winners are those redefining the ways students and the public can engage with history, including a professor who develops video games and VR to immerse audiences in different eras, and a public historian who uses digital technologies to reveal previously hidden or suppressed historical narratives in Kenya. The Prize is also recognizing scholars employing innovative methodologies, such as analyzing dental plaque to understand working conditions in the past, and the history of genetics, physical anthropology, evolutionary biology, and biomedicine in the Middle East.

About the Dan David Prize

The Dan David Prize is the largest history prize in the world. At a time of diminishing support for the humanities, the Prize celebrates the next generation of outstanding historians, archaeologists, curators and digital humanists. Each year, up to nine researchers are awarded $300,000 each in recognition of their achievements and to support their future endeavors.

SOURCE Dan David Prize
MAUMEE, Ohio, Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Dana Incorporated (NYSE: DAN) announced today that the Science Based Target initiative (SBTi) has validated the company's climate commitments, including reducing Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by more than 50 percent and Scope 3 GHG emissions by more than 25 percent before 2030.

The SBTi is a partnership between the Carbon Disclosure Project, the United Nations Global Compact, the World Resources Institute, and the World Wide Fund for Nature. It focuses on partnering with companies to help guide emission-reduction initiatives using science-based targets.

These measurable climate goals are considered science-based if they are in line with the level of decarbonization required to keep global temperature increases below 1.5 degrees Celsius compared to pre-industrial temperatures.

As a part of its commitment, Dana has focused on several important areas to secure its GHG reduction, including improving operational efficiency, reducing energy consumption at its facilities, installing on-site renewable energy, and leveraging renewable energy purchase agreements.

"The world is expecting the mobility industry to lead in protecting the planet, and Dana understands the importance of strengthening the sustainability of both our technologies and our operations to support this effort," said James Kamsickas, Dana chairman and chief executive officer. "Viewing sustainability through the lens of science-based targets informs how we manage our natural resources in our quest for a zero-emission future."

"Science drives our strategic approach to sustainability. We know that it's crucial to transparently measure, validate, and report on our climate commitments. This validation from the SBTi reaffirms Dana's leadership position on climate action by refining our processes, advancing our customers' electrification journey, and delivering on our sustainability priorities," added Doug Liedberg, senior vice president and chief sustainability officer for Dana.

About Dana Incorporated

Dana is a leader in the design and manufacture of highly efficient propulsion and energy-management solutions that power vehicles and machines in all mobility markets across the globe. The company is shaping sustainable progress through its conventional and clean-energy solutions that support nearly every vehicle manufacturer with drive and motion systems; electrodynamic technologies, including software and controls; and thermal, sealing, and digital solutions.

Based in Maumee, Ohio, USA, the company reported sales of $10.2 billion in 2022 with 42,000 people in 31 countries across six continents. Dana, with history dating back to 1904, was named one of "America's Most Responsible Companies 2023" by Newsweek for its emphasis on sustainability and social responsibility. The company is driven by a high-performance culture that focuses on valuing others, inspiring innovation, growing responsibly, and winning together, earning it global recognition as a top employer. Learn more at dana.com.

SOURCE Dana Incorporated
The advent of high-quality goods in the coatings industry has resulted from an increase in environmental consciousness and this is likely to drive innovation in the decorative coatings market

PUNE, India, Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The global decorative coatings Market is expected to grow at 5.1 % CAGR from 2023 to 2029. It is expected to reach above USD 201.1 billion by 2029 from USD 128.5 Billion in 2022.



Decorative coatings are the paints and coatings used to coat buildings and homes. Most are intended for particular purposes, such as deck finishes, wall paints, or roof coatings. Each architectural coating, regardless of its intended purpose, must fulfil specific aesthetic, long-lasting, and protective requirements. Buildings are given the best chance of a long life through decorative coatings. These coatings have a significant impact on the visual appeal, utility, and sheet life of residential and commercial structures. Alkyd, acrylic, polyurethanes, and many more types of resins are among the principal types utilised for these coatings.

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The Asia Pacific region happened to be the largest market for the global decorative coatings industry, with a market share of 33% and a market value of approximately 34.25 billion in 2022.

Asia Pacific dominates the decorative coatings market due to several developing countries such as Vietnam. Bangladesh, China and India. In addition, ever-increasing domestic producers and growing infrastructure sector are also helping to drive the market growth of the region. Furthermore, the North American region is expected to show the fastest CAGR of 6.03% in the projection period.

Growing demand from Construction industry increases the market structure.

Modifying and repairing residential, non-residential, commercial, and infrastructural structures are among the many tasks involved in building. The PWC projection projects that by 2029, the global construction production would have increased by 85% to reach USD 15.5 trillion. During the predicted years, China, the US, and India will each contribute up to 57% to this industry's overall development. The big economies' recent economic recovery is credited with this growth. The per capita use of paint is also influenced by rising disposable income, rising interior design trends, and a higher standard of life. The market for ornamental coatings is expanding as a result of these causes.

Decorative Coatings Market Report Scope

Report Attribute Details No. of Pages 150 Forecast Period 2023 - 2029 Estimated Market Value (USD) in 2022 USD 128.5 Billion in 2022 Forecasted Market Value (USD) by 2029 USD 201.1 billion by 2029 Compound Annual Growth Rate 5.1 % Regions Covered North America; Europe; China; Asia; Pacific; Central & South America; MEA

Key Findings

In 2022, the emulsions segment dominated the market with the largest market share of 42.27% and market revenue of 29.41 billion.

The product type segment is further segmented into Enamels, Wood Coating, Emulsion, Distempers and others. In 2022, the emulsion segment dominated the market with the largest market share of 42.27% and market revenue of 29.41 billion. This growth is attributed to the increasing demand for water-based coatings. Furthermore, by 2029, the wood coating segment will dominate the market due to increased disposable income.

In 2022, the acrylic segment dominated the market with the largest market share of 27.15% and market revenue of 18.89 billion.

The resin type segment is divided into polyurethane, acrylic, vinyl, alkyd and others. In 2022, the acrylic segment dominated the market with the largest market share of 27.15% and market revenue of 18.89 billion. This growth is attributed to its outstanding properties, which include stain resistance, higher UV resistance, better flux, better aesthetics, weatherability, durability, performance and lower cost. Moreover, by 2030, the alkyd segment is likely to dominate the market owing to the increasing demand in various end-use enterprises including industrial wood and metal packaging.

In 2022, the external segment dominated the market with the largest market share of 58.16% and market revenue of 40.47 billion.

The coating type segment is divided into external and internal. In 2021, the external segment dominated the market with the largest market share of 58.16% and market revenue of 40.47 billion. This growth is attributed to rapid development and increasing need for infrastructure.

In 2022, the waterborne coatings segment dominated the market with the largest market share of 43.18% and market revenue of 30.05 billion.

The technology segment is divided into solvent-borne coatings, waterborne coatings and powder coatings. In 2022, the waterborne coatings segment dominated the market with the largest market share of 43.18% and market revenue of 30.05 billion. This growth is attributed to the improvement in industrial manufacturing quality in emerging countries.

In 2022, the residential segment dominated the market with the largest market share of 57.15% and revenue of 39.77 billion.

The application segment is divided into residential and non-residential. In 2022, the residential segment dominated the market with the largest market share of 57.15% and revenue of 39.77 billion. This increase is due to increase in per capita income.

Competitive Strategy

In order to enhance their market position in the global Decorative Coatings market, the major players are now focusing on adopting strategies such as product innovations, mergers & acquisitions, recent developments, joint ventures, collaborations and partnerships.

For example, in June 2021 , PPG Industries Inc., a United States -based coatings and specialty materials firm, acquired Tikkurila for an undisclosed amount. Through this acquisition, PPG Industries Inc. plans to use Tikkurila's strong portfolio of regional web and decor brands to provide customers with access to new technologies and resources. Tikkurila is a Finnish chemical manufacturing company that manufactures decorative coatings.

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Key Market Segments: Decorative Coatings Market

Decorative Coatings Market by Resin Type 2023-2029, (USD Million), (Kilotons)

Acrylic Resin

Alkyd Resin

Vinyl Resin

Polyurethane Resin

Decorative Coatings Market by Technology, 2023-2029, (USD Million), (Kilotons)

Waterborne Decorative Coatings

Solventborne Decorative Coatings

Powder Coatings

Decorative Coatings Market by Coating Type, 2023-2019 (USD Million), (Kilotons)

Interior

Exterior

Decorative Coatings Market by User Type, 2023-2019 (USD Million), (Kilotons)

DIY

Professional

Decorative Coatings Market by Product Type, 2023-2019 (USD Million), (Kilotons)

Emulsions

Wood Coating

Enamels

Decorative Coatings Market by Colour Type, 2023-2019 (USD Million), (Kilotons)

White

Others

Decorative Coatings Market by Application, 2023-2029 (USD Million), (Kilotons)

Residential

Non-Residential

Market Dynamics:

Drivers

Rising demand from the construction industry:

The market is expanding as a result of the building industry's constant need. Additionally, the construction covers a variety of tasks, including residential, commercial, non-residential, and infrastructural structure alterations and repairs. Additionally, it is predicted that the market for decorative coatings in these areas would grow due to the expansion of planned commercial construction projects, notably in the Middle East & Africa and the Asia Pacific. Thus, these coatings are mostly used on furniture, sculptures, wood floors, and other interior design components like wall paintings. The population's improved social and financial position, particularly in developing nations, is predicted to lead to an expansion in the decorative coatings industry. The worldwide market for decorative coatings is also driven by construction industry rebuilding and refurbishment operations.

Restraints

The stringent & time-consuming regulatory policies:

A significant factor impeding the growth of the decorative coatings market is the strict regulations governing the production of decorative coatings that use hazardous VOC compounds. Additionally, there may be uncertainty along the whole value chain as a result of prospective regulatory changes. The length of time it takes for the manufacturers at each node to accept the new law and implement new technology is the subject of this uncertainty. Furthermore, the channel partners, suppliers of raw materials, end-users, and formulators may be impacted by the numerous labour-intensive regulatory changes in other countries. Thus, another aspect that may hinder the market's expansion is the shifting cost of raw materials.

Browse More Chemicals & Materials Market Research Reports by Exactitude Consultancy:

Hard Coating Market

The global Hard Coating market is expected to grow at 8.10 % CAGR from 2023 to 2029. It is expected to reach above USD 1481.08 Million by 2029 from USD 794.25 Million in 2022.

https://exactitudeconsultancy.com/reports/11761/hard-coating-market/

Flat Glass Coatings Market

The global Flat Glass Coatings Market is expected to grow at a 13.35% CAGR from 2023 to 2029. It is expected to reach above USD 2845.7 million by 2029 from USD 921.3 million in 2022.

https://exactitudeconsultancy.com/reports/6297/flat-glass-coatings-market/

Paints & Coatings Market

The Global Paints & Coatings market is expected to grow at 3.4% CAGR from 2023 to 2028. It is expected to reach above USD 227 billion by 2028 from USD 180 billion in 2022.

https://exactitudeconsultancy.com/reports/1528/paints-coatings-market/

Antistatic Coatings Market

The global antistatic coatings market is projected to reach USD 755.63 million by 2029 from USD 475.96 million in 2022, at a CAGR of 5.3% during the forecast period 2023 to 2029.

https://exactitudeconsultancy.com/reports/12609/antistatic-coatings-market/

Abrasion Resistant Coatings Market

The global abrasion resistant coatings market is expected to grow at 6.55% CAGR from 2023 to 2029. It is expected to reach above 8.62 USD billion by 2029 from 14.91 USD billion in 2022.

https://exactitudeconsultancy.com/reports/12227/abrasion-resistant-coatings-market/

About Exactitude Consultancy

Exactitude Consultancy is a market research & consulting services firm which helps its client to address their most pressing strategic and business challenges. Our market research helps clients to address critical business challenges and also helps make optimized business decisions with our fact-based research insights, market intelligence, and accurate data.

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Access to the new Oracle Cloud Chicago Region will enable customers to manage their data more efficiently on a consistent, secure network with lower latency and increased reliability

AUSTIN, Texas, Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Digital Realty (NYSE: DLR), the largest global provider of cloud- and carrier-neutral data center, colocation, and interconnection solutions, and member of Oracle PartnerNetwork (OPN) today announced it will offer connectivity to an Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) FastConnect point-of-presence (PoP) within the newly launched Oracle Cloud Chicago Region. The new connectivity deployment located at Digital Realty's 350 E. Cermak Road data center will provide customers with a low-latency route into the Oracle Cloud Chicago Region, with multi-cloud access from its global facilities through PlatformDIGITAL, Digital Realty's global data center platform, ServiceFabric, its recently launched orchestration platform, and its various Connected Campus solutions.

With the addition of the Oracle Cloud Chicago Region, Digital Realty now hosts nine OCI FastConnect PoPs across four continents, including Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Johannesburg, Los Angeles, London, Madrid, Marseille, and Sao Paulo.

"Access to OCI FastConnect at our Chicago facility enables Digital Realty customers to achieve low-latency connectivity to the new Oracle Cloud Chicago Region," says Chris Sharp, CTO at Digital Realty. "Our global customers can quickly establish access to the Oracle Cloud Region via ServiceFabric, regardless of where they are located, bringing enhanced connectivity to customers and partners across the globe."

By colocating IT infrastructure at Digital Realty's Chicago data center in a hybrid cloud architecture, customers can benefit from low-latency access to the Oracle Cloud Chicago Region locally. Mission-critical workloads with a requirement to reside near or adjacent to the cloud benefit from colocation on our global platform.

"For example, customers can deploy Oracle Exadata [email protected] running Oracle databases that require a private infrastructure and connect these to the Oracle Cloud Chicago Region via the OCI FastConnect PoP located within the same facility. Digital Realty operates ten data centers in Chicago, offering 3.4 million square feet of colocation space," adds Sharp.

"Customers require seamless connectivity from their data centers and networks to Oracle Cloud for their most demanding workloads and applications," says Leo Leung, Vice President, OCI and Oracle Technology. "With the FastConnect service, customers can provision the dedicated and private connections they need today and can now easily scale with their growing business demands across all markets, thanks to Digital Realty's global footprint."

Oracle Cloud is a next-generation cloud that delivers powerful compute and networking performance, and a comprehensive portfolio of infrastructure and platform cloud services. From application development and business analytics to data management, integration, security, artificial intelligence (AI), and cloud-native services including Kubernetes, Oracle Cloud delivers unmatched security, performance, and cost savings. Oracle Cloud is the only cloud built to run Oracle Autonomous Database, the industry's first and only self-driving database.

Additional resources

About Digital Realty

Digital Realty brings companies and data together by delivering the full spectrum of data center, colocation and interconnection solutions. PlatformDIGITAL, the company's global data center platform, provides customers with a secure data meeting place and a proven Pervasive Datacenter Architecture (PDx) solution methodology for powering innovation and efficiently managing Data Gravity challenges. Digital Realty gives its customers access to the connected data communities that matter to them with a global data center footprint of 300+ facilities in 50+ metros across 28+ countries on six continents. To learn more about Digital Realty, please visit digitalrealty.com or follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

About Oracle PartnerNetwork

Oracle PartnerNetwork (OPN) is Oracle's partner program designed to enable partners to accelerate the transition to cloud and drive superior customer business outcomes. The OPN program allows partners to engage with Oracle through track(s) aligned to how they go to market: Cloud Build for partners that provide products or services built on or integrated with Oracle Cloud; Cloud Sell for partners that resell Oracle Cloud technology; Cloud Service for partners that implement, deploy, and manage Oracle Cloud Services; and License & Hardware for partners that build, service or sell Oracle software licenses or hardware products. Customers can expedite their business objectives with OPN partners who have achieved Expertise in a product family or cloud service. To learn more visit: http://www.oracle.com/partnernetwork .

Trademarks

Oracle, Java, and MySQL are registered trademarks of Oracle Corporation.

For Additional Information

Media Contacts

Helen Bleasdale

Digital Realty

+1 737 267 6822

[email protected]

Investor Relations

Jordan Sadler / Jim Huseby

Digital Realty

+1 737 281 0101

[email protected]

Safe Harbor Statement

This press release contains forward-looking statements which are based on current expectations, forecasts and assumptions that involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual outcomes and results to differ materially, including statements related to Digital Realty's growth prospects, strategy and customer demand for its products and services. For a list and description of Digital Realty's risks and uncertainties, see the reports and other filings by Digital Realty with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Digital Realty disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

SOURCE Digital Realty
'SO/ Uptown Dubai Residences' offers 227 signature properties now available in the upper-most floors at the newly developed Uptown Tower

One-, two-, and three-bedroom apartments, two-bedroom duplexes, and penthouses will be sold exclusively by LUXHABITAT Sotheby's International Realty

Uptown Tower will feature a 188-key 5-star luxury hotel - 'SO/ Uptown Dubai' - exclusive restaurants and extensive conference facilities

A fly-through video can be viewed and downloaded here

DUBAI, UAE, Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- DMCC  the world's flagship free zone and Government of Dubai Authority on commodities trade and enterprise  has announced the launch of residential units at its latest flagship development, Uptown Tower. 'SO/ Uptown Dubai Residences' includes 227 signature branded residences in the top 28 floors.

DMCC has awarded LUXHABITAT Sotheby's International Realty, a record-breaking real estate company, exclusivity to lead the sales of the 227 ultra-exclusive branded residences.

DMCC LAUNCHES SALES FOR SO/ BRANDED RESIDENTIAL UNITS AT ITS FLAGSHIP UPTOWN TOWER (PRNewsfoto/DMCC) DMCC LAUNCHES SALES FOR SO/ BRANDED RESIDENTIAL UNITS AT ITS FLAGSHIP UPTOWN TOWER (PRNewsfoto/DMCC) DMCC LAUNCHES SALES FOR SO/ BRANDED RESIDENTIAL UNITS AT ITS FLAGSHIP UPTOWN TOWER (PRNewsfoto/DMCC) DMCC LAUNCHES SALES FOR SO/ BRANDED RESIDENTIAL UNITS AT ITS FLAGSHIP UPTOWN TOWER

SO/ Uptown Dubai Residences by Ennismore, a joint venture with Accor, are available in a range of layouts, including one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartments, as well as duplexes and penthouses. With all units featuring the signature 'French glamour' and modern elegance that comes with all SO/ branded properties, SO/ Uptown Dubai Residences represent the pinnacle of living at the heart of new Dubai.

Designed by internationally renowned architects Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill, Uptown Tower is the first tower to be built within the Uptown Dubai district, which forms a core part of SO/ Uptown Tower's compelling proposition. As such, residents at SO/ Uptown Dubai Residences will avail of a full suite of premium commercial, residential and recreational areas.

Residents will have access to an indoor pool, SO/ FIT Gym, SO/ Kids Club, sky lounge, and a multi-purpose hall that also serves as a private cinema. They will enjoy a range of high-end amenities and benefits, including preferred business set-up rates with DMCC and eligibility for "Diamond" membership status, the highest tier of the Accor Live Limitless loyalty programme which provides VVIP status at the global level.

Ahmed Bin Sulayem, Executive Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, DMCC, said: "DMCC has been a pioneer in both developing and managing mixed-use communities in Dubai. The launch of our SO/ Uptown Dubai Residences is an extension of our world-class record and represents the next step on this journey, offering a prime destination for businesses and residents to experience all that Dubai has to offer. As global businesses increasingly turn to Dubai to access some of the world's fastest growing markets, we anticipate high demand from both local residents looking for a new premium home, and international investors looking for new opportunities in Dubai's thriving real estate market."

Uptown Tower's design replicates the brilliance of diamonds through its glass facade, illuminating the interior spaces with natural light while filtering out harsh glare. The 340-metre-tall, or 81 storey, Uptown Tower will also feature a 188-key 5-star luxury hotel  'SO/ Uptown Dubai', exclusive restaurants, F&B offerings in The Atrium, and extensive conference facilities. Uptown Tower's 22 floors of premium Grade A commercial office space were fully pre-leased ahead of the tower's launch, demonstrating the strong appeal to global businesses that Dubai, DMCC, and Uptown Tower command.

As part of the Uptown Dubai district, Uptown Tower will be one of two high-rise iconic mixed-use towers and seven residential, commercial and hospitality mid-rise towers, arrayed around The Plaza  all offering supreme amenities for residents, employees and visitors. Construction on the next phase of Uptown Dubai is under way.

A fly-through video can be downloaded here.

Customers interested in purchasing a property at SO/ Uptown Dubai Residences can visit the DMCC Lounge in Almas Tower, JLT / email [email protected] / call +971 4 517 7313.

Note to editors:

Uptown Tower:

About Uptown Tower:

Uptown Tower is the first of two supertall towers to crown DMCC's Uptown Dubai District. Designed by internationally renowned architects Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill, the design replicates the brilliance of diamonds through its glass facade. Uptown Tower redefines Dubai's skyline, bringing a premium commercial, residential and leisure offer that adds value to businesses, enriches the lives of residents, and creates a unique experience for visitors.

Reflecting DMCC's comprehensive sustainability strategy, Uptown Tower was developed using the latest international best practice for sustainable construction. The tower was designed to achieve a LEED Gold standard, a globally recognised symbol of sustainability achievement from the US Green Building Council. An estimated 21 million man-hours were completed without any lost time due to injury, demonstrating DMCC's central focus on health and safety.

About SO/ Uptown Dubai Residences:

SO/ Uptown Dubai Residences is a limited collection of 227 private residences available in:

142 one-bedroom units ranging from 627  1,186 sq/ft (58  110 sq/m)

60 Two-bedroom units ranging from 1,038  1,669 sq/ft (96  155 sq/m)

12 two-bedroom duplexes from 1,595  2,061 sq/ft (148  191 sq/m)

9 three-bedroom residences ranging between 1,513  1,908 sq/ft (141  177sq/m)

4 spacious penthouse units ranging between 2,993  3,345 sq/ft (278  311 sq/m)

The 227 ultra-exclusive branded SO/ Uptown Dubai Residences take up the top 28 floors of the tower and will have access to a range of high-end amenities including:

Residents' lounge

Private cinema which also serves as a multi-functional space for private events

Indoor swimming pool with relaxation cabanas, a jacuzzi and separate kids' pool

SO/ Kids Club

SO/ FIT Gym

Dedicated parking with electric vehicle charging stations, bicycle and motorcycle parking

Uptown Dubai District:

Uptown Dubai District has a total GFA of 5.8 million sq/ft (538,800 sq/m) comprising grade A commercial and residential space, retail and F&B outlets, hotels and public amenities.

District has a total GFA of 5.8 million sq/ft (538,800 sq/m) comprising grade A commercial and residential space, retail and F&B outlets, hotels and public amenities. It comprises two iconic high-rises, including Uptown Tower, and seven mid-rise mixed-use towers centred around The Plaza  all offering premium amenities for residents, employees and visitors.

The two iconic super-tall towers were designed by Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill from Chicago . They are the visionaries behind some of the tallest buildings worldwide including the iconic Burj Khalifa and Jeddah Tower. They are also the architects behind the EXPO 2020 Dubai master plan, urban and architectural design and that of the Al Wasl Plaza.

About DMCC

Headquartered in Dubai, DMCC is the world's most interconnected Free Zone, and the leading trade and enterprise hub for commodities. Whether developing vibrant neighbourhoods with world-class property like Jumeirah Lakes Towers and the much-anticipated Uptown Dubai, or delivering high performance business services, DMCC provides everything its dynamic community needs to live, work and thrive. Made for Trade, DMCC is proud to sustain and grow Dubai's position as the place to be for global trade today and long into the future. www.dmcc.ae

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DMCC

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SOURCE DMCC
Propel Park represents industrial opportunity for New Orleans East

NEW ORLEANS, Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, economic development partners from the state, region, and city, recognized the groundbreaking of Propel Park, alongside the project developer, Industrial Realty Group, LLC (IRG) and the builder, Impetus. The new industrial and office development, the first facility of its kind within New Orleans city limits in over 20 years, is located within NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility (MAF) campus, and construction will now begin on the 50-acre campus.

With 50 acres of developable land, Propel Park is expected to include up to 1.3 million sq. ft. of buildings developed in phases. Potential uses include light assembly, manufacturing, distribution, and office space. The site is inherently secure with a 19  foot levee and substantial onsite pumps, as well as access to a deep-water port.

"Doubling-down on the importance and success of NASA Michoud, Propel Park will welcome new companies and drive new growth for New Orleans East," said Michael Hecht, President and CEO of Greater New Orleans, Inc. "MAF is a world-class facility, designing and assembling the biggest rockets and the longest windmill blades in human history, so it makes great sense to create a new facility to allow others to be near and leverage this capacity."

Once complete, the project will generate over 1 million square feet of new modernized industrial space, which represents a unique and powerful opportunity for continued advanced manufacturing and distribution growth in New Orleans East.

"There has been incredible momentum on site," said Stuart Lichter, President of IRG. "Our team has already begun the preliminary site preparations to ready the ground for construction. We anticipate more tenants will join the project in 2023."

This new regional asset will bolster business attraction efforts, providing a new location for companies in need of facilities for light assembly, manufacturing, distribution, and office operations.

"IRG and Textron's investment in New Orleans East at Propel Park will indeed propel the campus forward, providing economic opportunity for a new generation and building on the foundation that the NASA Michoud Assembly Facility has stewarded for over a half century," said Mayor LaToya Cantrell. "This project undoubtedly will create more jobs and spur additional investment in our community, and we look forward to continuing to support this development through all its phases."

For decades, NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility has been a driver of economic activity and job growth, which continues with this project that will bring new private sector activity and provide high-growth, high-wage jobs for New Orleans East residents. While already a thriving industrial area, Propel Park reinforces further development and growth of New Orleans East as a whole.

"Propel Park is creating a new era of growth for high-demand advanced manufacturing jobs in New Orleans," says Lynnette White-Colin, Senior VP Small Business Growth at New Orleans Business Alliance. "As the first major new industrial construction project in the city in decades, Propel Park proves New Orleans East is poised to strengthen its position as a center of opportunity for residents and businesses. NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility is a long-time driver of high-quality jobs, and today's investment demonstrates the next step in the city's increased economic prosperity. NOLABA looks forward to working with our future Propel Park tenants to ensure New Orleans' skilled workforce is tapped into new job opportunities at this site."

The project's first tenant, Textron Systems, has signed a ten-year lease to relocate from their existing space within an MAF building into a brand new, 97,025 square foot distribution hub. Their presence will occupy a portion of the first phase of the development, a 260,000 square foot warehouse building, and demonstrates the ability for Propel Park to serve as an expansion option for existing Michoud tenants.

"We are proud to expand our footprint in New Orleans East, as this project will provide a safe, secure, and efficient location to conduct our material logistics operations. We have enjoyed a long partnership with the Michoud campus, and this project will serve as an excellent complement to our shipyard operations," Ryan Schaffernocker, Vice President Sea Systems at Textron Systems.

With 50 acres of developable land, Propel Park is expected to include up to 1.3 million square feet of buildings developed in phases. Potential uses include light assembly, manufacturing, distribution, and office space. The site is inherently secure with a 19  foot levee and substantial onsite pumps, as well as access to a deep-water port.

"The development of Propel Park demonstrates the importance of community partnerships in attracting businesses and creating jobs in New Orleans, especially in New Orleans East. We all must have a seat at the table to help New Orleans continue to grow and thrive," said Taurus Wright, Director of Economic Development for Entergy New Orleans. "This economic development project will offer vast opportunities for additional industrial growth with its proximity to the airport, highways, ports, and the rich culture of New Orleans."

Construction of the project is being performed by Impetus, a regional general contractor specializing in the building and infrastructure spaces.

"We are honored to have been selected as the design-build partner by IRG to bring this development to life. At Impetus, we have an innovative approach to project delivery, much in line with the kind of innovation for which the NASA Michoud Facility has long been known," said Nick Moldaner, Chief Operating Officer for Impetus, the builder leading the project. "With Impetus self-performing more than 40% of the work at Propel Park to date and a significant number of local sub-contracting partners involved, the capability and talent pool in the Greater New Orleans region has shined. The economic impact during construction has already been apparent and will continue to thrive as new tenants and job opportunities are added as the park expands."

IRG was represented by Bill Boyer of CBRE and Leon ("Lee") Audibert of Property One for this transaction. For more information about available space, contact Lee at [email protected] or Bill at [email protected] and visit propelneworleans.com

About IRG About Industrial Realty Group (IRG). IRG is a nationwide real estate development and investment firm specializing in the acquisition, development, and management of commercial and industrial real estate throughout the United States. IRG, through its affiliated partnerships and limited liability companies, operates a portfolio containing over 150 properties in 31 states with over 100 million square feet of rentable space. IRG is nationally recognized as a leading force behind the adaptive reuse of commercial and industrial real estate, solving some of America's most difficult real estate challenges. Learn more at www.industrialrealtygroup.com.

About Greater New Orleans, Inc.

GNO, Inc. is the regional economic development organization for Southeast Louisiana. GNO, Inc.'s mission is to create a Greater New Orleans with a thriving economy and an excellent quality of life, for everyone. More information can be found at www.gnoinc.org.

About New Orleans Business Alliance

One of fewer than 80 Accredited Economic Development Organizations worldwide, the New Orleans Business Alliance is the official public-private partnership created to increase economic gains for the city of New Orleans. Through a direct partnership with the City of New Orleans and strong connectivity with the business community, the New Orleans Business Alliance works to ensure the economic security of all New Orleanians by diversifying the local economy, developing local talent, and expanding entrepreneurial opportunity. Through an inclusive economic development strategy, we will create a more equitable and prosperous future for all. Learn more at www.nolaba.org.

SOURCE INDUSTRIAL REALTY GROUP
With travel showing no signs of slowing, more travelers than ever before are seeking out the deeply immersive experiences, incredible value and convenience of "going guided"

BOSTON, Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- In response to unprecedented growth and demand for guided group travel, EF Go Ahead Tours (GAT) , a premier provider of culturally immersive travel experiences, announces it is opening bookings for all of its tours through 2025 to provide travelers with more options, greater flexibility, and value for both near- and long-term planning. EF Go Ahead will also continue its $99 down, interest-free AutoPay , one of the few interest-free payment plans in today's economy.

With bookings up 75% over the last three months compared to pre-pandemic levels and overall tours at 95% capacity through April of 2023, EF Go Ahead Tours is experiencing extraordinary and unwavering demand for its guided itineraries. This surge is largely driven by travelers' shifting travel styles and a growing preference to hand off planning to an expert, while having the comfort of 24-7 on-the-road support, especially in the wake of recent travel challenges playing out in the media.

"More than ever, people are looking for connection and meaningful experiences and going guided is the future of travel," says Heidi Durflinger, President of EF Go Ahead Tours. "Travelers are realizing when they go guided they can fully immerse themselves in the joy of travel, as experts have perfectly crafted the itinerary and are also available 24/7 to adjust to a dynamic travel landscape. It's incredible to see our new traveler bookings up 280% in January 2023 over January 2022. By opening our 2025 dates two years in advance, we hope to make travel more accessible by providing travelers more time to plan and save."

Google Analytics suggests that today's travelers are flocking to group travel. There has been a 7.5% increase in those searching for "guided travel" over the last year. EF Go Ahead data supports emerging trends:

A Growing Desire to Experience Europe's Hidden Gems Through a New Lens : It's not just Italy and the UK driving tourism. EF Go Ahead has 55% more travelers going on tours to Spain and Portugal in 2023 than it did in 2022. While touring the main cities is always popular, EF Go Ahead's unique culinary, religious, and adventure itineraries are the big draw for those looking for a new spin on old favorites!

It's not just and the UK driving tourism. EF Go Ahead has 55% more travelers going on tours to and in 2023 than it did in 2022. While touring the main cities is always popular, EF Go Ahead's unique culinary, religious, and adventure itineraries are the big draw for those looking for a new spin on old favorites! Adventure That's Accessible But Still Leaves Room for Comfort & Culture: In March 2023 , EF Go Ahead will take its first group of travelers to explore the Trans Bhutan Trail , a global landmark that was closed for 60 years! Through deep relationships with Bhutan , EF designed its itinerary to uniquely offer travelers an approachable lens to the trail's adventure and accommodations and dining in comfortable, 3- and 4-star hotels, including luxury tented camps and local restaurants.

In , EF Go Ahead will take its first group of travelers to explore the , a global landmark that was closed for 60 years! Through deep relationships with , EF designed its itinerary to uniquely offer travelers an approachable lens to the trail's adventure and accommodations and dining in comfortable, 3- and 4-star hotels, including luxury tented camps and local restaurants. With the Help of an Expert Tour Guide, Any Time is the Right Time to Travel: Certainly there are peak travel months during the summer, but traditional "off season" travel is catching on in popularity provided an expert weighs in on the itinerary. As of December 2022 , EF Go Ahead had already sold out 95% of March departures and 90% of April departures with high continued demand, especially for Italy , Spain , Portugal and Japan .

Certainly there are peak travel months during the summer, but traditional "off season" travel is catching on in popularity provided an expert weighs in on the itinerary. As of , EF Go Ahead had already sold out 95% of March departures and 90% of April departures with high continued demand, especially for , , and . Going Solo, But Never Alone is Something Only Guided Travel Can Offer: EF Go Ahead continues to see a surge in solo within group travel, with solo bookings in 2023 up more than 200% over last year.

Value Oriented: All Reward, No Risk.

Booking future travel now is a win-win. First, travelers are locking in today's costs for future travel. Secondly, through EF Go Ahead's AutoPay , travelers can experience one of the few interest-free payment plans available in our current economy. With $99 down, travelers can create a travel payment plan that works for them on all 175+ EF Go Ahead Tours' itineraries to all seven continents. Flexible, fee-free options allow changes to dates and destinations up to the final payment date. All EF Go Ahead Tours include a comprehensive approach to travel .

Travelers can visit www.efgoaheadtours.com for more information and to see all available trips. Check out some of the amazing destinations on EF Go Ahead's Instagram and Facebook .

EF Go Ahead Tours leadership is available to media for comment on industry trends, specific itineraries and more via Marcia Gray ( [email protected] ).

About EF Go Ahead Tours

EF Go Ahead Tours offers more than 175 guided trips across all seven continents. Carefully planned with a maximum group size well below the industry average, every trip has the perfect balance of planned sightseeing and free time to explore. EF Go Ahead Tours is a division of EF Education First, the world's largest international education company that was founded in 1965. With a mission of opening the world through education, EF Education First has 612 offices and schools in 50 countries.

SOURCE EF Go Ahead Tours
NOIDA, India, Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- According to a new report published by UnivDatos Markets Insights, the electric blankets market was valued at USD 410 Million and is expected to grow at a steady rate of around CAGR of 7% from 2022 to 2028. The analysis has been segmented into Product type, Sales Channel type, End User type; Region/Country.

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https://univdatos.com/report/electric-blankets-market/

The electric blankets 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 electric blankets market. The electric blankets 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 electric blankets market at the global and regional levels.

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Market Overview

The industry is being driven by the increasing integration of technological improvements in consumer convenience goods and equipment. Innovative features like water-resistant blankets, battery-operated blankets with mobile charging ports, and lightweight, robust, machine-washable blankets are also sought after by manufacturers. Due to additional advantages like machine-washable and stain-resistant electric blankets, its use is more hygienic and convenient. For instance, in October 2019, Xiaomi Corporation, a leading name in Chinese technology, unveiled the PMA smart electric blanket which function through Xiaomi app. This technological enhancement helps to expand the electric blankets market.

Some of the major players operating in the market include Argos Limited; Beurer GmbH; Biddeford; CDB Goldair Pty Limited; Glen Dimplex Group; MAXSA Innovations; Morphy Richards; Shavel Home Products; Silentnight Group Limited; Sunbeam Products, Inc.

COVID-19 Impact

Nearly all market segments have been impacted by the global spread of COVID-19, and the electric blanket market is not exempt from its negative impacts. The demand for electric blankets has decreased in 2020 as a result of trade restrictions, lockdowns, and manufacturing limitations. With the virus being contained globally, the market will gradually begin growing at its prior rate.

Based on product type, the market is segmented into over blankets and under blankets. Under blankets segment to witness higher CAGR during the forecast period due to cold climate and long winters in North America and Europe region. Under blankets usually run for just a couple of pence a night and much cheaper than central heating and it is also good for uneven surfaces such as sofa and cold floor. These are some reasons which makes under blankets more popular and demandable.

and region. Under blankets usually run for just a couple of pence a night and much cheaper than central heating and it is also good for uneven surfaces such as sofa and cold floor. These are some reasons which makes under blankets more popular and demandable. Based on sales channel type, the market is segmented into online and offline. Offline sales channel segment expected to dominate the market during the forecast period from 2022 to 2028. The popularity of offline sales and distribution channels has been greatly influenced by the physical presentation of products and the possibility to examine product attributes. Retail, department, and specialty stores are the next most popular offline retailers among American consumers, who also prefer buying from mass merchants.

Based on end user type, the market is segmented into commercial and residential. Residential segment to be the fastest growing in the electric blankets market due to rising consumer disposable income and a rise in home ownership in various developing nations. Over the next several years, it's anticipated that changing lifestyles and the arrival of practical consumer products based on technology will increase the use of electric blankets. Demand for products has been driven by affordability, comfort, and advantages across a range of consumer age groups, particularly among people with conditions like fibromyalgia, arthritis, muscle pains, nasal issues, and painful menstruation.

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Electric Blankets 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

Asia-Pacific region is anticipated to hold a significant share of the global electric blanket market by the end of the forecast period. In China, electric blankets are getting more and more popular, leading to market dominance. The market's dominance has been facilitated by the expanding use and accessibility of electric blankets in China. For instance, China is a major supplier of electric blankets and purchases around 30 million pieces of electric blankets every year since they are widely available, increasingly inexpensive, and offered in department shops as well as garage sales.

The major players targeting the market include

Argos Limited

Beurer GmbH

Biddeford

CDB Goldair Pty Limited

Glen Dimplex Group

MAXSA Innovations

Morphy Richards

Shavel Home Products

Silentnight Group Limited

Sunbeam Products, Inc.

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 electric blankets 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 electric blankets market?

Which factors are influencing the electric blankets market over the forecast period?

What are the global challenges, threats, and risks in the electric blankets market?

Which factors are propelling and restraining the electric blankets market?

What are the demanding global regions of the electric blankets 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)

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Electric Blankets Market Report Coverage

Report Attribute Details Base year 2021 Forecast period 2022-2028 Growth momentum Accelerate at a CAGR of over 7% Market size 2021 USD 410 million Regional analysis North America, Europe, APAC, Rest of World Major contributing region APAC to Dominate the Global Electric Blankets Market Key countries covered United States, Canada, Germany, United Kingdom, Spain, Italy, France, China, Japan, India, and Australia Companies profiled Argos Limited; Beurer GmbH; Biddeford; CDB Goldair Pty Limited; Glen Dimplex Group; MAXSA Innovations; Morphy Richards; Shavel Home Products; Silentnight Group Limited; Sunbeam Products, Inc. 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 Product Type; By Sales Channel Type; By End User Type; 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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UnivDatos Market Insights

Ankita Gupta

Director Operations

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Website: https://univdatos.com/

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SOURCE UnivDatos Market Insights Pvt. Ltd.
MonetizeMore's ad optimization arsenal grows with Advanced Ads acquisition, headed for exponential growth and crossing the $100M ARR mark this year.

VANCOUVER, BC, Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- MonetizeMore, a global ad monetization partner for web publishers and app developers, is proud to announce the acquisition of Advanced Ads, a leading ad tech platform specializing in advanced ad management tools and plugins for WordPress publishers. Advanced Ads is one of the most trusted WordPress plugins for ad management, with an incredible 4.9-star rating and over 1,300 votes on WordPress.org. MonetizeMore's latest investment follows their three-year streak on The Globe and Mail list of Canada's Top Growing Companies.

MonetizeMore Acquires Leading Ad Tech Platform Advanced Ads

This acquisition will allow MonetizeMore to expand its ad optimization solutions by including Advanced Ads features, such as flexible ad injection and targeting based on the user or page content, without requiring coding skills. The addition will further strengthen MonetizeMore's publisher offering.

"We are proud to integrate the talented Advanced Ads team and their cutting-edge technology. Their expertise complements our existing programmatic advertising tools and products suite, keeping our publishers at the forefront of the industry," says Kean Graham, CEO and Founder of MonetizeMore. "As we are set for exponential growth this year and on track to cross the $100M ARR mark this year, we will remain selective in making strategic acquisitions and partnerships with organizations that also empower ad-monetized publishers," he adds.

"What started as an in-house project, Advanced Ads became and continues to be the innovative force among ad plugins, powering over 150,000 websites worldwide. In MonetizeMore, we found our ideal partner to join forces and take our collective growth to the next level. I am thrilled that Advanced Ads will now be part of the MonetizeMore team, and I am confident that this acquisition will benefit both parties and our publishers," says Thomas Maier, Founder of Advanced Ads.

The acquisition will take effect immediately, and integration between the two platforms will begin soon. The company will continue supporting Advanced Ads' existing customers and introducing them to MonetizeMore's AI-powered platform PubGuru and other tools.

About MonetizeMore

Founded in 2010, MonetizeMore is a leading publisher monetization company with 285+ team members across North America, Europe, Asia, and South America. We are a Google Certified Publishing Partner trusted by 1000+ web publishers to manage their ad revenue optimization across 40 countries through our comprehensive and AI-powered platform PubGuru, including Google award-winning tool Traffic Cop protecting publishers from invalid traffic and revenue clawbacks.

About Advanced Ads

Founded in 2014, Advanced Ads is an industry-leading advanced ad management plugin for WordPress users. The company offers a range of features, including ad scheduling, targeting, and ad placement options, to help online publishers increase their ad revenue. With a user-friendly interface and easy-to-use tools, Advanced Ads makes it simple for publishers to optimize their ads.

Media Contact:

Kimaya Mehta

1 778-836-0160

[email protected]

SOURCE MonetizeMore
DUBLIN, Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Energy/Electricity Futures, Options, and Derivatives" training has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

This proven program is for energy and electric power professionals who are looking for a comprehensive and clearly explained understanding of natural gas, oil and electricity financial instruments, the markets they trade in, and how these powerful tools can be used to manage risk and structure profitable transactions.

What You Will Learn

How to use futures contracts, options, swaps, trigger deals, "The Master Energy Hedging Equation" and other techniques to create customized risk management solutions to protect your company from natural gas, oil and electricity price risk, basis & LMP risk, delivery risk and volumetric (intermittency) risk.

How physical and cash settled futures contracts, over-the-counter energy swaps and physical forward contracts are traded and the purposes served by these markets.

How the ICE and CME-NYMEX futures exchanges and electronic marketplaces function, and what the differences are between ICE OTC, ICE Futures, CME Globex, CME Clearport Services and The Nodal Exchange.

How "cash margining" is done with a futures exchange, its cash management impact and the role of the Clearinghouse.

What the differences are between a futures commission merchant ("FCM"), over-the-counter broker, trader, market-maker, power marketer and wholesale energy merchant.

What basis risk is, and how basis, spread, LMP and delivery risks can blow up your energy and electricity hedges.

Why Trigger Deals are so popular, and what the difference is between the financial and physical basis ("fin" and "phys").

How to structure profitable energy, electric power, and petroleum transactions without exposure to price risk; and how to financially turn one commodity into another.

How to make money by buying valuable energy options from your customers and suppliers, and how your company may be missing a significant financial opportunity.

Why "extendible" deals can be profitable, and how energy trading floors "trade around assets."

What the terms "Contango" and "Backwardation" mean.

What You Will Also Learn

What The Master Energy Trading Equation is, and why trading energy and electricity is different from trading financial products and other commodities.

The many different types of energy and electricity trading, why traders specialize, and the different ways energy traders can get an "edge" on the competition.

What the rationale, concepts and mechanics are for basis trading, spread trading, trading around assets and structured transactions.

The fundamentals of energy and electricity options, the implications of high energy price volatility, and why merchant energy and electric power assets are valuable Call options.

How to hedge energy and electricity price risk with CME-NYMEX options contracts, cash settled OTC options and physical peaking options; and how to create price caps, price floors and "no cost" collars.

How to calculate annualized volatility, the fundamentals of pricing options and why the Black and Black-Scholes models need to be modified to price energy and electricity options.

The put-call option parity equation, synthetic option positions and how to delta hedge.

What Tolling Deals, Asset Optionality, and the petroleum industry's "Carry Trade" are, and how they work.

Why a merchant fossil fuel generating plant is a call option on the spot spark spread, and you will learn a simple rule that will optimize your daily decisions on whether to use or idle an electric generator, storage facility or transportation asset.

How heat-rate-linked power transactions can effectively convert natural gas futures, options, and swaps into electric power financial instruments which can then be used to manage electricity risks or structure profitable transactions (optional additional class material offered at 4:30 pm on Day 1).

Prerequisites and Advance Preparation

This fundamental level group live seminar has no prerequisites. No advance preparation is required before the seminar.

Who Should Attend:

Among those who will benefit from this seminar include energy and electric power executives; attorneys; government regulators; traders & trading support staff; marketing, sales, purchasing & risk management personnel; accountants & auditors; plant operators; engineers; and corporate planners.

Types of companies that typically attend this program include energy producers and marketers; utilities; banks & financial houses; industrial companies; accounting, consulting & law firms; municipal utilities; government regulators and electric generators.

Speaker:



John Adamiak

President

PGS Energy Training



John Adamiak is President and Founder of PGS Energy Training and an expert in energy derivatives and electric power markets. Mr. Adamiak is a well-known and highly effective seminar presenter who has over 20 years experience in the natural gas and electric power industries.

His background includes 15 years as a seminar instructor, 9 years of energy transaction experience, and 6 years of strategic planning and venture capital activities. John's academic background includes an M.B.A. degree from Carnegie Mellon University.



For more information about this training visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/tm17k1

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
Enosis Therapeutics offers AnchoringVR Technology for free to Australian Psychotherapists planning to work with psychedelics and plans to present at SXSW

MELBOURNE, Australia, Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Enosis Therapeutics , (or 'Enosis'), a medical technology and psychedelic research company that leverages virtual reality (VR) to optimize the psychotherapeutic experience for both the patient and the therapist, provided an update today on its offer to Australian therapists in response to the the recent announcement from the Therapeutic Goods Administration, and it's plans to participate and present at SXSW 2023.

Therapeutic Goods Administration Update

Following the Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration's declaration to legalize the prescription of psilocybin and MDMA to treat certain mental health conditions, Enosis Therapeutics, a Melbourne-based company, plans to offer its flagship AnchoringVR, which acts as a standardized therapeutic framework for psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy, for free to Australian therapist looking to bring psychedelic therapy into their practice.

"Working with psychedelic experiences can be a significant departure from traditional models of mental health care delivery" said Dr Prashanth Puspanathan, Co-Founder of Enosis Therapeutics. " We hope to ease this transition for prospective prescribers as Australia prepares to embrace psychedelic therapy into its health care system."

The VR scenario offered by Enosis acts as a container for the entire psychotherapy process and provides a therapeutic framework for therapists to follow as they guide patients through the psychotherapeutic journey of integrating their psychedelic experience. The Virtual Reality environment is able to serve multiple functions; it creates an optimal setting for the patient, provides appropriate stimulus and a range of expression tools and feeds back to the therapist, real time feedback on the progress and success of treatment. Crucially, this method of multisensory expression creates a permanent record of therapy progress for the patient, so they can preserve as much of the insights they have gleaned during their psychedelic experience as possible.

AnchoringVR is available in global market, and is already used at clinics abroad, including OVID | MIND Group and its OVID Clinics Berlin and the Psychiatry and Psychotherapy Center ketamine clinic in Poland.

SXSW PRESENTATION

The company is also pleased to announce that it has been selected to participate in a panel focused on the application of psychedelic therapy at this year's SXSW conference in Austin, Texas.

On March 10, 2023 at 11:30am at the Austin Convention Center, Room 9AB, co-founder Agnieszka Sekula will join Walter Greenleaf from Stanford University, Skip Rizzo from University of Southern California, and Murat Yucel from Monash University for a panel discussion on " VR in Psychedelic Therapy - A Friend or A Foe ". The panel will focus on experiential parallels in treatments that use psychedelics and VR, what this combination can teach us about consciousness and the potential applications of VR in PP.

Panelists will critically explore how experience design can improve treatment efficacy and enable a more efficient allocation of resources thus lowering the cost of care. The panel will discuss major roadblocks and limitations of VR and the next steps in exploring the potential of technology in strengthening the psychedelic frameworks.

About Enosis Therapeutics

Enosis Therapeutics Pty Ltd. is a med-tech start-up founded by Agnieszka D. Sekula, a psychedelic researcher at Swinburne University, and Dr. Prashanth Puspanathan, a Melbourne based medical doctor and long-time psychedelic advocate. Enosis was formed to optimize real world adoption of psychedelic treatments by leveraging virtual reality's unique, state-altering properties.

Enosis sits at the intersection of research and industry, providing carefully designed virtual reality scenarios and clinical protocols that employ them at specific points of psychotherapy to improve the quality of the patient experience and increase therapist efficiency.

Founders aim to empower patients to take leadership in their own healing journey by using VR to break away from the constraints of the analog system. Their therapeutic approach promotes non-cognitive, experiential, emotional, and embodied aspects of treatment.

SOURCE Enosis Therapeutics
Accurate Chemical and GPMI Company Join Envoy Solutions' National Platform

GLENVIEW, Ill., Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Envoy Solutions announced today that it has acquired two Arizona-based companies, Accurate Chemical, and GPMI Company. Accurate provides cleaning, sanitation, and hygiene solutions to the hospitality and healthcare industries. The company's portfolio includes warewashing, housekeeping, laundry, and facility care products combined with best-of-breed service. GPMI manufactures home care, automotive, and disinfecting wipes, both branded and private labels. The company's products are sold to major retailers and to distributors in the consumer market across the country. Accurate and GPMI are highly complementary light manufacturing businesses that are well-positioned geographically to create greater efficiencies for Envoy Solutions in the West region and across its national platform.

"By adding these two outstanding companies, we continue to build upon our wide-ranging capabilities and demonstrate why we are truly the leading specialized distributor and solution provider in the U.S.," said Mark M. Fisher, CEO of Envoy Solutions. "We will leverage the strengths of Accurate and GPMI to deliver the best solutions for our clients in Arizona and across our national platform. I look forward to working with Bradley Zall and Yarron Bendor and both of their great teams as we bring our businesses to an all-new level together."

Accurate, founded in 2002, offers a complete line of professional-grade products, helping customers lower costs, and providing preventative maintenance and emergency service repairs around the clock. Accurate's unique and fresh approach to service combined with a highly concentrated product line brings consistent, effective ready-to-use solutions at a low use cost. By joining Envoy Solutions, Accurate will benefit from an expanded network of distribution centers, increased product portfolio, deeper category knowledge, and greater scale.

The acquisition of GPMI enables Envoy Solutions to expand its capabilities and customer offerings through additional chemical blending capacity and wipe manufacturing. In addition, GPMI's manufacturing capabilities complement chemical blending operations at Envoy Solutions' existing regional companies, including Next-Gen, Daycon, and North Woods.

"What a fantastic milestone for our company to join Envoy Solutions," said, Bradley Zall, President of Accurate Chemical. "Envoy Solutions is paving a new path across the country to solve the industry's greatest challenges in the most efficient way possible, and by joining forces, we have a national platform to take our solutions-driven business to a new level. We are thrilled to collaborate with other like-minded companies under the Envoy Solutions umbrella in Arizona and beyond."

"It's a privilege to join an innovative industry leader that is redefining distribution across the country," said Yarron Bendor, CEO of GPMI Company. "We will continue delivering on our core product innovations and creativity while expanding our capabilities and better serving our customers through Envoy Solutions' differentiated business model."

About Envoy Solutions:

Glenview, Ill.-based Envoy Solutions is a specialized distributor and solution provider serving the U.S. market through a family of regional distributors. We specialize in Jan-San, foodservice, packaging, and marketing execution. Envoy Solutions offers a broad catalog of top brands and products, along with deep expertise and advice, to help our client-partners succeed. We are driven to make facilities cleaner and more sustainable, people safer, and operations more productive, every day. For more information, please visit www.envoysolutions.com .

About Accurate Chemical:

Tempe-Ariz.-based Accurate Chemical provides superior cleaning, sanitation, and hygiene solutions to the hospitality and healthcare industries. The company's portfolio includes warewashing, housekeeping, laundry, and facility care products combined with best-of-breed service. Accurate, founded in 2002, offers a complete line of professional-grade products, helping customers lower costs, and providing preventative maintenance and emergency service repairs around the clock. For more information, please visit www.accuratecompanies.com/company.

About GPMI Company:

Gilbert-Ariz.-based GPMI, founded in 1989, manufactures home care, automotive, and disinfecting wipes both branded and private labels. The company's products are sold to major retailers and to distributors in the consumer market across the country. GPMI delivers quality and value through proprietary innovations and product development, superior quality products, competitive prices, and customer service excellence. For more information, please visit www.gpmicompany.com.

SOURCE Envoy Solutions
Telecommunications, Pay TV and Utilities Insights Now Available Alongside Mortgage Credit Reports to Help Create Greater Home Ownership Opportunities For Millions of U.S. Consumers

ATLANTA, Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Equifax (NYSE: EFX) is supporting financially inclusive lending with the availability of expanded U.S. mortgage credit reports. The company is the first National Credit Reporting Agency (NCRA) to make certain telecommunications (telco), pay TV and utilities attributes available to the mortgage industry to provide a fuller picture of consumers' financial profiles - potentially enabling more than 191 million American consumers, 80 percent of whom have traditional credit files but may benefit from additional insights into their financial profile, to have greater opportunities for homeownership.

Anonymized Equifax research into the potential benefits of telco, pay TV and utilities attributes found that among 255 million U.S. consumers, 30 percent could potentially increase their traditional credit score if the attributes are included - helping to increase access to credit. Millions of subprime consumers could also see an average increase of approximately 30 points from use of the additional data, moving them into the near-prime score band and potentially enabling them to receive more favorable offers or rates.

"Our company purpose is to help people live their financial best," said Mark W. Begor, CEO of Equifax. "Equifax understands that a single financial opportunity can be a critical step to establishing individual financial health and generational wealth, changing the trajectory of families and communities for generations. More data drives better decisions, and we have invested billions into cloud-based technology solutions and powerful differentiated data sources that give new visibility to underserved individuals, empowering our customers to bring greater access to financial opportunity to more people."

The majority of U.S. adults have at least one utility bill or cell phone in their name, making utility data a widespread and powerful indicator of past financial reliability. A recent study by Andrew Davidson & Co., the leading provider of risk analytics and consulting for residential loans, Agency Mortgage-Backed Securities ("MBS"), and credit-sensitive securitizations, analyzed U.S. mortgages from January 2019 for consumers with non-traditional credit histories (young, thin, or no-hit), and found a strong correlation between positive consumer utility payment history and future positive mortgage payment performance. The firm's research also confirmed this correlation across a wide range of credit scores for these borrowers, most notably among borrowers from the high-end of subprime (credit scores of 580-619) through lower prime (credit scores of 660-719) score bands who may have been more likely to face challenges in obtaining a mortgage or who may have been offered higher rates based on their credit files alone.

"Our research has confirmed strong analytical support for the use of utility attributes in assessing potential mortgage risk," said Andrew Davidson, President of Andrew Davidson & Co. "We identified encouraging performance data in our research that shows a strong correlation between past favorable utility payment history and future mortgage performance. It's even more pronounced when multiple utility attributes are considered. Such impacts have the potential to increase access to mortgages for underserved groups. Utility attributes also have the potential to streamline the underwriting process and help more consumers secure loans by contributing to a more complete financial profile."

For mortgage lenders, the ability to consider telco, pay TV and utilities insights in addition to the traditional credit report supports financially inclusive lending, helping to expand the availability of credit to more borrowers. These additional insights are delivered alongside Equifax mortgage credit reports at no additional cost to lenders, helping them simplify the manual underwriting process, improve the customer experience and reduce lender costs while enhancing the borrower experience.

"The findings of Andrew Davidson & Co.'s research underscores the value of these insights to help create a better pathway for many Americans to establish homeownership," said Craig Crabtree, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Equifax Mortgage & Housing Services. "With these highly structured telco, pay TV and utilities attributes now being available to Equifax customers alongside traditional mortgage credit reports, we look forward to partnering with the mortgage industry so that, together, we can realize the full potential in helping millions of Americans achieve their goal of home ownership."

The addition of telco, pay TV and utilities insights alongside Equifax traditional mortgage credit reports is one of many ways that Equifax is promoting greater access to credit and financially inclusive lending practices. These Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA)-compliant insights provide anonymized information to streamline the mortgage application process as consumers seek approval for a home loan. This expanded data cannot be used by mortgage lenders to deny applications for credit or other services.

Expanded U.S. mortgage credit reports are available now to the mortgage industry. For more information on Equifax Mortgage and Housing Solutions, visit equifax.com . To download the free white paper from Andrew Davidson & Co., "A Look at Utility Payments and Their Positive Impact on Future Mortgage Performance," click here .

ABOUT EQUIFAX INC.

At Equifax (NYSE: EFX), we believe knowledge drives progress. As a global data, analytics, and technology company, we play an essential role in the global economy by helping financial institutions, companies, employers, and government agencies make critical decisions with greater confidence. Our unique blend of differentiated data, analytics, and cloud technology drives insights to power decisions to move people forward. Headquartered in Atlanta and supported by more than 14,000 employees worldwide, Equifax operates or has investments in 24 countries in North America, Central and South America, Europe, and the Asia Pacific region. For more information, visit Equifax.com .

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Rebecca Paul-Martin for Equifax

[email protected]

SOURCE Equifax Inc.
SHANGHAI, Feb. 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Everest Medicines (HKEX 1952.HK, "Everest" or the "Company"), a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development, manufacturing and commercialization of innovative medicines and vaccines, today held a ceremony to celebrate the initiation of operations and successfully carrying out trial production runs at its global manufacturing site dedicated to mRNA vaccine production in Jiashan, Zhejiang Province. This state-of-the-art mRNA manufacturing facility is a key element in Everest's strategic goal of establishing a full industrial value chain of research, clinical development, manufacturing and commercialization.

The first phase of the project, covering an area of 58,000 square meters and with an investment of more than RMB 900 million, has a set of advanced production facilities built to meet global and China GMP standards, and designed with an annual production capacity of 700 million doses of mRNA vaccines. Since commencing operations at the facility in December 2022, Everest has successfully completed multiple production runs of mRNA vaccines, and data generated from these trial runs has met expected parameters.

Officials from the Zhejiang provincial government, Jiaxing municipal government and Jiashan county government attended the ceremony along with key members of Everest's leadership team and other experts from pharmaceutical and healthcare organizations.

"Over the past few years, mRNA technology has attracted widespread attention due to the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak and surging demand for covid-related vaccines. Thanks to its unique mechanism, mRNA technology has shown broad potential and clinical value in multiple disease prevention and treatment areas. We are proud to have established an advanced production facility within such a short time frame," said Rogers Yongqing Luo, Chief Executive Officer of Everest Medicines. "We will continue to accelerate clinical development and be prepared for commercialization as quickly as possible to fulfill the demand for mRNA vaccines in China, Asia and globally."

mRNA technology platform is one of Everest's key strategic focus areas. In September 2021, Everest announced a comprehensive strategic cooperation agreement with Providence Therapeutics Holdings Inc. ("Providence") to advance mRNA vaccines and therapies. Since then, Everest has made significant progress, including the industrial scale technology transfer of its mRNA platform, localized processing and analytical testing, as well as direct procurement from raw material suppliers, which will enable the company to independently develop and produce mRNA vaccines and innovative drugs. In a head-to-head Phase II clinical study conducted by Providence, our monovalent COVID-19 vaccine candidate was statistically non-inferior to Pfizer/BioNTech's Comirnaty in terms of safety and efficacy.

By localizing this important and advanced mRNA technology platform, Everest will be well positioned for long-term growth. The company is developing an Omicron-based bivalent booster candidate, EVER-COVID19-M1.2, and plans to initiate clinical trials in China this year. In animal studies, EVER-COVID19-M1.2 showed a 50-fold increase in the level of neutralizing antibodies against BA.4 and BA.5 variants compared to EVER-COVID19-B, our mRNA vaccine candidate against the ancestral strain of the COVID-19 virus.

In addition, Everest will also develop other preventive and therapeutic vaccines against important infectious diseases and cancers by utilizing the technology platform. Among them, our mRNA rabies vaccine program has achieved preclinical proof-of-concept.

Everest Medicines' global production base is a key pharmaceutical industry project introduced by the Jiashan National Economic Development Zone. The project is in full compliance with the standards of NMPA, EMA GMP, and WHO PQ, and supports the high-quality healthcare industry in the Yangtze River Delta region.

About Everest Medicines

Everest Medicines is a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing, manufacturing and commercializing transformative pharmaceutical products and vaccines that address critical unmet medical needs for patients in Asian markets. The management team of Everest Medicines has deep expertise and an extensive track record from both leading global pharmaceutical companies and local Chinese pharmaceutical companies in high-quality discovery, clinical development, regulatory affairs, CMC, business development, and operations. Everest Medicines has built a portfolio of potentially global first-in-class or best-in-class molecules in the company's core therapeutic areas of renal diseases, infectious diseases and autoimmune disorders. For more information, please visit its website at (www.everestmedicines.com).

Forward-Looking Statements:

This news release may make statements that constitute forward-looking statements, including descriptions regarding the intent, belief or current expectations of the Company or its officers with respect to the business operations and financial condition of the Company, which can be identified by terminology such as "will," "expects," "anticipates," "future," "intends," "plans," "believes," "estimates," "confident" and similar statements. Such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks and uncertainties, or other factors, some of which are beyond the control of the Company and are unforeseeable. Therefore, the actual results may differ from those in the forward-looking statements as a result of various factors and assumptions, such as future changes and developments in our business, competitive environment, political, economic, legal and social conditions. The Company or any of its affiliates, directors, officers, advisors or representatives has no obligation and does not undertake to revise forward-looking statements to reflect new information, future events or circumstances after the date of this news release, except as required by law.

SOURCE Everest Medicines
Multi-platform company to continue to expand partnerships to provide exceptional support and services to families and communities across the United States

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Executive Home Care Holdings, LLC CEO Tim Hadley announced the creation of Evive Brands, LLC, a multi-branded service organization that unites its premier franchise systems, including Executive Home Care, one of the nation's leading in-home care providers; Assisted Living Locators, a nationally acclaimed senior placement and referral agency; and Grasons Co., a respected estate sales and business liquidation service. The new platform company will continue to grow with future acquisitions and partnerships to enhance their portfolio and make quality care readily available throughout the United States.

"Our vision for Evive Brands is to provide exceptional support and services to families and communities across the nation," said Hadley. "We understand that life can be challenging, and that people need support. That's why we've brought together the best in the industry to provide easy solutions for people in their time of need."

Hadley stated that the mission of Evive Brands is to help people live and thrive, no matter what life throws their way. "The company is founded on the values of connection, community, and care," he explained. "Our community of brands is dedicated to delivering resources that create a first-class experience for clients and increase the well-being of clients and those closest to them."

According to Hadley, the Evive Brands logo is a symbol of its commitment to clients. The connection grid represents the seamless way that Evive Brands fits into the lives of clients. It speaks to the ease and simplicity with which they provide care, support, and community, allowing clients to continue living and thriving, without interruption.

"At Evive Brands, the value of quality service is also more than just a business philosophy - it's a way of life," continued Hadley. "The company understands that the people behind the service are the key to making a real difference in the lives of clients and their families. By fostering a work environment that promotes happiness and fulfillment, Evive Brands is able to deliver quality service that is second to none."

The company's franchise brands are actively seeking single and multi-unit franchise partners with a strong entrepreneurial spirit who have heart, empathy and a passion for helping people. Franchisees will receive help with planning and business development from opening day to long-term planning, as well as continuing education, access to exclusive software planning, and an elite sales and marketing approach.

Hadley notes that Evive Brands franchise opportunity allows you to build a successful business and transform lives. "You are able to provide peace of mind to your clients and increase their well-being by offering services that truly make a difference," he added.

For more information about Evive Brands, please visit https://evivebrands.com.

About Evive Brands

Based in Scottsdale, AZ, Evive Brands, LLC was founded on the values of connection, community and care. The company's premier franchise brands include Executive Home Care, one of the nation's leading in-home care providers; Assisted Living Locators, a nationally acclaimed senior placement and referral agency; and Grasons Co., a respected estate sales and business liquidation service, which together include more than 200 franchise locations across the U.S. With private equity investment from The Riverside Company, Evive Brands is a community of brands that help people live and thrive, providing exceptional support and services to increase the well-being of its clients and those closest to them.

Contact: Rhonda Grundemann, 602-739-8810, [email protected]

SOURCE Executive Home Care Holdings
Yurts, Lodges, Wagons and More Have Rolled Out Welcome Mats for Visitors

BISMARCK, N.D., Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- From hundreds of outdoor experiences to endless opportunities to explore arts, culture, and cuisine there is no shortage of adventures to be had in North Dakota. What may surprise some visitors is the array of unique lodging options that can enhance their adventures. With everything from yurts to charming cabins, North Dakota welcomes you to explore their one-of-a-kind accommodations on a trip to the Legendary state this year.

Coteau des Prairies Lodge in Havana, North Dakota, offers a one-of-a-kind experience and breathtaking views of the state's Legendary landscape.

Conestoga Wagons in the Medora Campground

Nestled along the Little Missouri River, the Conestoga Wagons in the Medora Campground are a modern-day pioneer's dream. Each wagon has ample space to set up camp, enjoy dinner around the wagon wheel table, and take in a Badlands sunset. Complete with several amenities, the Conestoga Wagons are the perfect homebase for all your Medora adventures including exploring Theodore Roosevelt National Park or taking in a show at the Medora Musical .

Lone Butte Ranch Cabins

Enjoy breathtaking views of enormous stretches of prairie lands with a stay at the Lone Butte Ranch Cabins. Situated about 40 minutes outside of Watford City , this property features three unique handcrafted log cabins, each with a private deck to enjoy the serenity. Although located further away from town, the cabins are equipped with a few modern conveniences to make staying a breeze. And don't forget to relax with a late-night dip in the hot tub under the North Dakota night sky.

Coteau des Prairies Lodge

Coteau des Prairies Lodge is a true North Dakota getaway experience. Perched on the northernmost ridge of the Coteau des Prairies flatlands, this refined yet rustic lodge has something for everyone. Created and operated by a farming family, the lodge atmosphere embodies the legacy of the multi-generational farms. With everything from a warm country welcome to hearty homemade meals and outdoor expeditions to hands-on farming fun, a true rural experience comes alive at Coteau des Prairies. The lodge constructed with Native North Dakota pine has 13 guest rooms all with awe-inspiring prairie farm and field views.

Hotel Donaldson

Located in historic downtown Fargo, Hotel Donaldson has become an iconic Fargo landmark. After more than 100 years as a fraternal lodge and hotel, the building took on its current life in 2003 after a three-year renovation process and is now much more than just a place to stay. With the work of over 60 regional artists, each guestroom is designed and curated around the pieces from a single artist. Within each room, there is a biography folder that invites you to learn more about the artist featured in your room, as well as the other artists whose works appear throughout the property, including the restaurant, The Blarney Stone. Centrally located, Hotel Donaldson is a perfect place to stay and enjoy downtown Fargo's craft beer scene , up and coming restaurants , and culture.

One Majestic Place

Overlooking the beautiful west bank of historic Lake Agassiz in northeast North Dakota, One Majestic Place was named for just that - its majestic view of the Red River Valley. With two lodging options, The Cabin and The Gathering Place, One Majestic Place provides all the comforts of home with a spacious patio complete with a grill, fire pit and more. These charming cabins are excellent for a family reunion, friends getaway or just a peaceful weekend trip.

Cross Ranch State Park

Cross Ranch State Park has several cabins and yurts available for overnight lodging along with two different campgrounds. Each option offers panoramic views of the Missouri River and easy access to 17 miles of trails that cater to the adventurer all year long. The extensive trail system can be explored either on foot or with cross-country skis during the winter months. The trail system allows access to a 5,000-acre nature preserve with mixed prairie grass, river bottom forests, woody draws, and roaming bison.

Lady on the Lake Bed and Breakfast

Stationed on the north shore of Lake Elsie, south of Fargo, Lady on the Lake Bed and Breakfast is a truly romantic retreat steeped in history and comfort. The historical home of Colonel Richard Hankinson, the founder of Hankinson, North Dakota, spans across five acres and has 463 feet of private shoreline. The 5,000-square-foot home was built in 1884, features four bedrooms for occupancy with jetted tubs and private baths and great views of the lake. The patio is equipped with an outdoor fireplace and kitchen, a dock, kayaks, and a canoe. Bikes are available for guest use with several multi-purpose paths leading into the town of Hankinson.

For more on Legendary accommodations available in North Dakota, visit NDTourism.com .

Follow North Dakota Tourism on Facebook at facebook.com/TravelND , on Instagram at instagram.com/northdakotalegendary/ , or on Twitter at twitter.com/NorthDakota and get tips on what to see and do all year long.

SOURCE North Dakota Tourism Division
QUITO, Ecuador, Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- In a landmark move, one of Quito's most prominent legal establishments - Falconi Puig Abogados founded by Dr. Miguel Falconi Puig - has expanded its offices to Guayaquil with the acquisition of De la Pared Plaza, bringing aboard Johnny de la Pared who will spearhead operations in that city.

Mauricio Velandia Johnny de la Pared

Johnny de la Pared Plaza, a lawyer specializing in litigation and arbitration, has joined the team at Falconi Puig Abogados and brings four attorneys to the firm. His impressive background includes serving as an arbitrator for the Arbitration & Conciliation Centre of Guayaquil's Chamber of Commerce - not to mention his numerous protective legal pursuits against municipalities over what he deemed unlawful levies imposed upon businesses.

"We are thrilled with the opening of our Guayaquil offices. This adds an extra layer of convenience and allows us to deliver more personalized services than ever before, especially since half of our Ecuadorian clients are based there. Having Johnny and his team working with us will strengthen our entire firm and reenforce our Dispute Resolution practice," says partner Priscila Falconi Avellan.

"With a distinguished record of success in litigation, an expert grasp on both procedural and substantive law as well as expertise recognized across academia, Johnny is truly the perfect fit to round out our firm's Dispute Resolution team," states partner Sasha Mandakovic.

In addition, the competition and antitrust practice areas of the firm have recently been bolstered by a powerful alliance with Mauricio Velandia, an internationally acclaimed Colombian litigator, proficient in the intricate nuances of Metaverse.

Mauricio is an esteemed arbitrator of the highest calibre, having participated in numerous heralded competition cases involving Chevron Texaco and Bavaria Bonds, among others. He has worked in Ecuador and several other countries in Latin America.

Managing Partner Cecilia Falconi Perez says, "Mauricio brings a wealth of knowledge to our Firm. As an expert litigator and prolific author on competition law, he is well-versed in the intricacies of antitrust laws. Additionally, his Metaverse knowledge allows us to offer superior services that meet clients' evolving needs."

Falconi Puig Abogados celebrates five decades of excellence in providing premier service and expert legal advice. Their commitment to quality is echoed by a growing, diverse, and experienced team who brings strategic creative thinking as well as keen understanding that enables them to accurately diagnose client's needs. The Firm remains committed to personal attention, direct contact with partners and teams, along with timely advice to surpass expectations; all grounded in a desire to ensure trust, security, and success.

Media Contact:

Maria Fernanda Cornejo

+593 9 84431667

[email protected]

SOURCE Falconi Puig Abogados
Acquisition marks E Tech's third add-on since Falfurrias' platform investment in 2018

WEST CHESTER, Ohio, Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Falfurrias Capital Partners today announced E Tech Group's acquisition of E-Volve Systems, a leading provider of industrial automation, controls engineering and computer systems validation to clients in the life sciences, food and beverage, and consumer products industries. Terms were not disclosed.

The deal is E Tech's third add-on acquisition since Falfurrias' original platform investment in early 2018, following the integration of Glenmount Global Solutions later in 2018 and Superior Controls in 2019. The combined company is one of the largest independent engineering and systems integration firms in the United States, with 15 offices across the country and more than 400 engineers on staff.

Automation, engineering and systems integrator E Tech Group purchased E-Volve Systems, its third add-on acquisition. Tweet this

E-Volve will operate under the name "E-Volve Systems, an E Tech Group Company." Founder Kevin Stout and partners Jason Antolovich and Vivek Puthezath will remain with the company, and no significant employment changes are anticipated in E-Volve's Merrimack, New Hampshire, or Cincinnati, Ohio, offices.

"What excites us most about combining E-Volve Systems with E Tech Group is the ability to offer more talented engineers to serve more clients in more places," said E Tech CEO Matt Wise. "This partnership will also enable us to expand our presence in the life sciences category while adding truly differentiated capabilities, including E-Volve's advanced managed service offering. We have been impressed with the recurring services business that E-Volve has developed, and we look forward to leveraging that practice across our organization."

Said E-Volve's partners in a joint statement: "As legacy E-Technologies and Superior employees prior to founding our company in 2011, we have tremendous respect for the platform and are confident this will be a seamless transition that will quickly pay dividends for customers of both companies. We're also excited about the career opportunities other members of the E-Volve team may enjoy as part of a larger, fast-growing organization like E Tech Group."

"When we first invested in E Tech Group back in 2018, we saw tremendous growth potential through both acquisitions and organic growth as part of our 'Industry First' approach," said Ken Walker, a partner at Falfurrias who also serves as Executive Chairman of E Tech Group's board of directors. "This partnership is a great fit across the board, from the companies' service offerings to their geography to the long-standing relationships among the key principals."

About E Tech Group

E Tech Group is one of the largest engineering and system integration firms in the United States. With 15 offices throughout North America and more than 400 engineers, the company provides automation, control and information solutions to the Life Sciences, Mission Critical, Metals, Parcel, Consumer Products and Food & Beverage industries. In addition to its organic growth, E Tech Group has recently grown through the successful acquisition and integration of Glenmount Global Solutions, Superior Controls (and its subsidiary, Banks Integration), and now, E-Volve Systems. For more information, visit etechgroup.com.

About E-Volve Systems

Founded in 2011, E-Volve Systems specializes in industrial automation, controls engineering and computer systems validation. With experience ranging from grassroots manufacturing sites to legacy system re-controls, E-Volve has both the expertise and the experience to provide value and ensure quality project execution. For more information, visit e-volvesystems.com.

About Falfurrias Capital Partners

Falfurrias Capital Partners is a Charlotte-based private equity investment firm founded in 2006 by Hugh McColl Jr., former chairman and CEO of Bank of America; Marc Oken, former CFO of Bank of America; and Managing Partner Ed McMahan. The firm has raised more than $1.9 billion across five funds and invests in growing, middle-market businesses in sectors where the firm's operational resources, relationships and sector expertise can be employed to complement portfolio company executive teams in support of growth objectives. Falfurrias Capital Partners employs a proprietary, research-based process called "Industry First'' to identify markets with durable growth trends, construct a thesis based on research findings, and partner with management teams to create strategic value. For more information, visit www.falfurriascapital.com .

SOURCE Falfurrias Capital Partners
CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Farm Aid announced today that co-founder and board member John Mellencamp will join farmers, ranchers and farmworkers from across the country at the Rally for Resilience: Farmers for Climate Action in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, March 7. As Congress begins work on the 2023 Farm Bill, farmers across the country have a message for lawmakers: make climate change a policy priority.

Mellencamp will offer remarks and perform at the rally, scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. ET at Freedom Plaza, where farmers will share personal stories of how the climate crisis affects their livelihoods and communities. They also will speak about their sustainable agricultural practices, which can help to mitigate climate change, including organic production, cover crops and rotational grazing. Speakers also will urge Congress to include critical support for Black, Indigenous and people of color (BIPOC) producers in the upcoming Farm Bill.

"As a Farm Aid board member, I've been to Washington a few times to ask for farmer voices to be heard. I hope on March 7, members of Congress hear farmers and ranchers loud and clear," said Mellencamp. "If we want a better world, it starts with us. Farmers know this. They have the tools and know-how to better our climate future, but they can't do it alone. Policymakers  and all of us  need to support the solutions they can deliver."

The March 7 Rally for Resilience is part of a three-day gathering beginning Monday, March 6, including the rally, cultural events, a demonstration of climate-friendly farming practices, and meetings of farmers, ranchers and farmworkers with their elected representatives. The gathering is organized by the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC), Farm Aid, HEAL (Health, Environment, Agriculture, Labor) Food Alliance, Kiss the Ground, Food Animal Concerns Trust, and Family Farm Defenders, along with an alliance of food and farm organizations.

The event was first announced on the Farm Aid 2022 festival stage in Raleigh, North Carolina. Mellencamp's immediate response was to declare, "I'm going to come to Washington, D.C."

For more information about the Rally for Resilience, visit sustainableagriculture.net/farmers-for-climate-action-rally-for-resilience. For more information about Farm Aid, visit farmaid.org.

Farm Aid's mission is to build a vibrant, family farm-centered system of agriculture in America. Farm Aid artists and board members Willie Nelson, Neil Young, John Mellencamp and Dave Matthews host an annual festival to raise funds to support Farm Aid's work with family farmers and to inspire people to choose family farm food. For more than 35 years, Farm Aid, with the support of the artists who contribute their performances each year, has raised more than $70 million to support programs that help farmers thrive, expand the reach of the Good Food Movement, take action to change the dominant system of industrial agriculture and promote food from family farms.

SOURCE Farm Aid
SILVER SPRING, Md., Feb. 28, 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 is withdrawing the 2005 proposed rule, "Food Standards; General Principles and Food Standards Modernization," in response to comments received in 2005 after publication of the proposed rule and in 2020 after the FDA reopened the comment period for the proposed rule. The proposed rule, jointly published with the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA-FSIS), was intended, in part, to establish a set of general principles for the FDA and USDA-FSIS to use when considering whether to establish, revise, or eliminate a food standard. A joint FDA and USDA effort to publish a new proposed rule on principles for food standards modernization was included in the Fall Unified Agenda.

On Monday, the FDA issued a Letter to Health Care Providers to inform health care providers about the potential risk of early structural valve deterioration (SVD) with Abbott Trifecta valves, including the Trifecta valve and Trifecta valve with Glide Technology (GT). Information from published literature suggests a higher cumulative incidence of early SVD for Trifecta valves compared to other commercially available surgical bioprosthetic valves. In addition, the FDA has received reports describing early SVD. The Letter to Health Care Providers includes important information about Abbott Trifecta and Trifecta GT valves, including:

background on the potential risk of early SVD;



recommendations for health care providers;



actions the FDA is taking to address the issue; and



instructions for reporting problems with these devices.

The FDA is committed to communicating with health professionals and the public to ensure the health and safety of patients in support of our mission to protect and promote public health.

On Friday, February 24 , the FDA issued an emergency use authorization (EUA) for the first over-the-counter (OTC) at-home diagnostic test that can identify and tell the difference between influenza A and B, commonly known as the flu, and SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. The Lucira COVID-19 & Flu Home Test is a single use test for individuals with signs and symptoms consistent with a respiratory tract infection including COVID-19. As with other OTC COVID-19 tests, the Lucira test can be purchased without a prescription and performed completely at-home.



This test can be used for people:

, the FDA issued an emergency use authorization (EUA) for the first over-the-counter (OTC) at-home diagnostic test that can identify and tell the difference between influenza A and B, commonly known as the flu, and SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. The Lucira COVID-19 & Flu Home Test is a single use test for individuals with signs and symptoms consistent with a respiratory tract infection including COVID-19. As with other OTC COVID-19 tests, the Lucira test can be purchased without a prescription and performed completely at-home. This test can be used for people: Age 14 years or older with a self-collected nasal swab sample.



Age 2 years of age or older when an adult collects the nasal swab sample.

The Lucira test provides results in 30 minutes or less. The EUA issued for this test represents the FDA's ongoing commitment to increase the availability of appropriately accurate and reliable at-home diagnostic tests, including for COVID-19, and to facilitate access to these tests for all Americans. The collective impact of COVID-19, flu and RSV underscore the importance of diagnostic tests for respiratory viruses, and the FDA recognizes the benefits that at-home testing can provide. The FDA will continue to use its authorities to increase the number of appropriately accurate and easy to use at-home tests available to the public, especially tests that detect these highly contagious respiratory viruses.

On Friday, the FDA updated the Breakthrough Devices Program online metrics to add more device designations and marketing authorizations. As of December 31, 2022 , the program's new total for devices granted designations is 760 and for devices authorized for marketing is 62. The Breakthrough Devices Program can help provide patients and health care providers with timely access to certain medical devices that provide for more effective treatment or diagnosis of life-threatening or irreversibly debilitating diseases or conditions.

On Friday, the FDA authorized for marketing the EnteraSense Ltd. PillSense System, a novel device used for the detection of blood in the upper gastrointestinal tract in adults. This system includes a prescription-only, single-use digestible capsule with an optical sensor that detects blood by analyzing the absorption of multiple wavelengths of light and wirelessly transmits data to a receiver. After ingestion, the PillSense Capsule will make its way through the gastrointestinal tract and is then passed naturally through the body. This system is used to supplement other clinical measures to detect blood in patients suspected of having upper gastrointestinal bleeding.

On Wednesday, the FDA announced that on April 25, 2023 , the agency will host a virtual public meeting on Patient-Focused Drug Development for Long COVID. This meeting will provide the FDA with the opportunity to obtain initial patient and patient representative input on the aspects of Long COVID, including how Long COVID affects their daily life, symptoms that matter most to patients, their current approaches to treating Long COVID and what they consider when determining whether to participate in a clinical trial. This virtual public meeting will be conducted with live translation in both English and Spanish. To register, visit the Patient-Focused Drug Development for Long COVID meeting page.

Each month, the FDA Grand Rounds lecture series highlights a key public health challenge, and how the FDA is applying science and innovation to its regulatory activities. The agency invites you to attend the next presentation on March 9, 2023 , from 12 to 1 p.m. ET , on the topic, "Microphysiological Systems as Novel Disease Models and Drug Development Tools." A microphysiological system, or MPS, uses a microscale cell- culture platform to model functions of specific tissues or organs outside of a living organism. The first presentation from the National Center for Toxicological Research in the Office of the Chief Scientist evaluates an MPS model of Zika virus infection whichonce developedmight be useful for evaluating potential vaccines and treatments for Zika virus infection using this alternative method. The second presentation will discuss the pros and cons of various liver MPS models and the challenges in using them to help reduce or refine animal tests.

COVID-19 testing updates:





As of today, 444 tests and sample collection devices are authorized by the FDA under emergency use authorizations (EUAs). These include 299 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 five 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 1257 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
TORINO, Italy, Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Pininfarina appoints world-renowned automotive designer Felix Kilbertus as the new Chief Creative Officer. Felix will be the creative and strategic guide at Group level on all aspects of Design (Mobility, Product & Experience Design and Architecture). Reporting directly to CEO Silvio Angori, he will supervise all the Pininfarina design teams located in their geographical areas (Italy, China, United States).

New Pininfarinas Chief Creative Officer Felix Kilbertus

At Pininfarina, Felix will join a multicultural line-up of stylists and designers with rare and valuable skills. Together, they will consolidate the company's global leadership position in design and focus on guiding clients towards the future of mobility, architecture and experience design. Pininfarina's roadmap incorporates the future needs of society and its citizens and places the ongoing merger of physical and digital realities  the phygital nature of design development  at its heart.

With a 20-year career in automotive design, Felix most recently held the role of Head of Exterior Design at Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, where he was responsible for the design development of the brand's product range since 2017, leading a team of creatives in Munich, Germany and Goodwood, UK. Previously, Felix held senior design positions at Renault, Nissan, Fiat and also Pininfarina, where he was a lead designer from 2011 to 2014.

Born in Austria 44 years ago, his creative journey has taken him to France, Japan, Italy and Germany. He began his long and distinguished international career after completing Masters in Transportation Design (Strate College, France) and Industrial Design (UAID, Austria). In 2003, he started as exterior designer at Renault Design, where he went on to hold positions in various studios until 2011, focusing on advanced and production designs. From 2008 to 2010, he joined Nissan Global Design Center in Atsugi, Japan, as part of an exchange within the Renault-Nissan Alliance, working on concepts for Nissan and Infiniti brands.

In 2011, he joined the Pininfarina design center in Cambiano, Torino, as team leader for automotive exterior design development. Among other projects, he led the design process and exterior styling for BMW Pininfarina Gran Lusso Coupe concept, unveiled at Villa D'Este 2013. His design adventure continued at FIAT Centro Stile in Turin, with a new challenge: from 2014 to 2017, Felix worked as exterior chief designer responsible for the exterior design development of Fiat brand passenger vehicles.

Effective April 17th 2023, Felix succeeds Kevin Rice, who left the Company last December.

Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2010812/FELIX_KILBERTUS.jpg

SOURCE Pininfarina
Financial Assistance Award will increase affordable housing and access to services in low-income communities

ORLANDO, Fla., Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Florida Community Loan Fund, a statewide nonprofit lending institution, received a $1.1 million Financial Assistance Award from the U.S. Department of Treasury Community Development Financial Institution Fund. The FA Award allows FCLF to continue its 28-year history of providing affordable and flexible financing to support Florida's low-income communities by increasing the supply of affordable housing and community service facilities.

Florida is the 3rd most populated U.S. state, where an estimated one-third of residents are among the working poor, employed but unable to afford basic needs. The lack of affordable housing pervades every community, and studies show that when families spend too much on housing they cannot afford other necessities such as quality healthcare, education, and childcare.

The most recent award is a crucial piece of FCLF's plan to deploy $80 million in financing throughout Florida to support affordable housing and community facilities over the next three years. It will serve as a catalyst for FCLF to secure additional capital from investors and donors to support the increased volume in lending.

"We focus on maximizing opportunities for people and places outside of the economic mainstream. This new funding from the CDFI Fund will help us significantly increase the volume of our financing across every region of the state," said FCLF CEO Ignacio Esteban.

As the only entity in Florida focusing on funding nonprofit community development organizations, FCLF fills a unique need in the market. FCLF borrowers develop affordable housing and facilities that provide essential social services to distressed communities and at-risk populations; for example:

Mango Cove Apartments: new, affordable rental apartments on a site with prior hurricane damage in West Palm Beach .

. Community Assisted and Supported Living, CASL: affordable housing with on-site supportive services for individuals with disabilities in West and Southwest Florida .

. SailFuture: tuition-free academic alternatives and vocational training for foster care youth through a renovated school building and residential facilities in Tampa Bay .

The CDFI Fund awarded a total of $194.1 million in Financial Assistance Awards to 252 CDFIs. The CDFI Program invests in and builds the capacity of CDFIs to serve low-income people and underserved communities lacking adequate access to affordable financial products and services.

About Florida Community Loan Fund. Florida Community Loan Fund is a nonprofit, multifaceted financing entity with a 28-year history of providing flexible capital and expertise to nonprofit and mission-aligned for-profit entities that benefit people and places outside the economic mainstream across Florida. FCLF is nationally recognized for its work as a certified CDFI and CDE through the U.S. Dept. of Treasury and as a member of the Federal Home Loan Bank of Atlanta. www.fclf.org.

Media Contact: Janet de Guehery, [email protected]

Twitter @FCLFOrg

SOURCE Florida Community Loan Fund (FCLF)
BARCELONA, Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The World Broadband Association (WBBA) Board of Directors held its first meeting in Barcelona where Li Zhengmao, former CEO of China Telecommunications Corporation, was elected as the Chairman of the Board

On 26 February, the World Broadband Association (WBBA) held its first board meeting in Barcelona. The Board of Directors consists of twelve industry leaders, including network operators, equipment manufacturers, and network testing manufacturers from China, Switzerland, New Zealand, South Africa, Finland, the United States, Jordan, Canada, Gambia and Egypt. The establishment of the Board marked a milestone for the WBBA to enter a new stage of development. The Association is committed to serving the members and speeding up development and expansion with the strong leadership of the Board.

Li Zhengmao, the former President of China Telecommunications Corporation was elected as the Chairman of the Board at the pre-board meeting. Twelve newly elected members of the Board attended the meeting, including Tang Yongbo, VP of China Unicom; Richard Jin, President of Optical Business Line, Huawei; Markus Reber, EVP Networks of Swisscom; Sandy Motley, President of Fixed Networks, Nokia; Chip Strange, Chief Strategy Officer of Ookla, and Maged Tawfeek, Access Planning Director of Telecom Egypt, among others.

At the meeting, the Board appointed Martin Creaner as the Director General of the Association and established its Nomination and Governance Committee. Martin Creaner, as the Director General of the Association, reported to the board about the "2022 Work Summary and 2023 Work Plan". With general consent, the meeting passed two motions namely "The Motion of Appointing the Director General of the Association" and "The Motion of establishing the Nomination and Governance Committee of the Association". Subsequently, the Board members had constructive and fruitful discussion on the establishment of the Oversight Committee, WBBA development roadmap, etc.

Li Zhengmao pointed out that, the rapid advancement of the broadband industry is promoting the world's digital transformation at a quick pace. He hopes, through the joint effort of all its members and the Board of Directors, the WBBA can address the industry-wide challenges and difficulties, pursue open cooperation to stimulate the potential of cloud and broadband to benefit individuals, industries and the whole of society.

In the future, by leveraging a series of activities and events coming up, the Association will play an important role in uniting the cloud and broadband industry chain, promoting the construction of integrated information infrastructure and innovative development of the cloud network, helping solve many challenges facing the development of the industry, and realizing the sustainable and prosperous development of the global broadband industry.

About WBBA

The World Broadband Association (WBBA) is a multilateral, industry-led association, providing leadership for digital broadband across the next decade. The WBBA provides an open, multilateral organization and platform for future-facing broadband cooperation and partnership across the industry, championing the business, consumer and citizen outcomes that broadband is capable of delivering across the world, through converged network and cloud infrastructure. The mission of the WBBA is to unify broadband industry stakeholders to address and drive forward shared goals of maximizing the social and economic benefits of equality of broadband for all. Through the joint efforts of all the founding members, the WBBA was officially entered into the Swiss Directory of International Organizations.

The WBBA welcomes new members including telco operators and vendors, government regulators and policy makers, industry organizations, the investment community, OTTs and ISPs, and demand-side organizations.

Find out more about the WBBA at worldbroadbandassociation.com.

SOURCE China Telecom Global
SAN ANTONIO, Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Full Skope and Quickpay Funding announced today a partnership aimed at revolutionizing the factoring industry and expanding Quickpay's footprint into B2B commercial finance.

Quickpay Funding

Full Skope, a provider of lending technology, and Quickpay Funding, a leader in funding solutions for businesses, have come together to bring their technology and expertise to the factoring industry. The partnership will leverage Full Skope's industry knowledge and innovative technology to support Quickpay's ability to offer businesses a simplified, faster, and more efficient factoring experience. With the use of Full Skope's technology, Quickpay Funding will be streamlining their underwriting process and ensuring their clients get approved, funded, and back to running a successful business in the fastest and most efficient way possible.

"We're thrilled to be partnering with Quickpay Funding," said Doug Hogan, CEO of Full Skope. "Their reputation and commitment to customer satisfaction make them the perfect partner for us as we strive to revolutionize the factoring industry with our technology platform."

Quickpay Funding, known for its quick, easy, and 24/7 funding solutions, is equally excited about the partnership. "Full Skope has a proven track record of providing outstanding technology solutions to its customers and an excellent customer experience," said Juan Estrada, CEO of Quickpay Funding. "We look forward to working with them to advance our goal of becoming a leading B2B Commercial Finance Fintech that offers more than just factoring services as we enter new market segments and offer more businesses a seamless and efficient funding experience."

Quickpay Funding will leverage Full Skope in providing businesses with flexible funding solutions tailored to their unique needs, helping them to grow and succeed. In addition, the partnership will work to expand Quickpay's footprint into other types of lending, offering businesses even more funding options including factoring, working capital loans, equipment financing, and others.

About Full Skope:

Full Skope is a cutting edge fintech firm that specializes in providing loan origination solutions to lending businesses. With a focus on technology and innovation, Full Skope is dedicated to making the process of lending as simple and straightforward as possible.

About Quickpay Funding:

Founded in 2015, Quickpay Funding LLC provides small and medium-sized businesses with the funds they need for success. The Quickpay team believes in teamwork, client support and helping each other out in order to provide best-in-class customer service and timely credit decisions. Finding ways to say "yes" to their clients, employees and shareholders is what is quickly driving them to become an industry leader. The team is fully bilingual in English and Spanish and the management team has extensive experience in logistics, transportation, factoring, trade finance, and credit services. The Quickpay team will help you secure the capital you need to expand your business, make critical tax payments, meet payroll obligations, and shorten the turnaround of your accounts payable to take advantage of supplier discounts. To learn more about how Quickpay Funding can contribute to the success of your business, visit http://www.quickpayfunding.com/.

For more information on Full Skope and Quickpay Funding, please visit fullskope.com and quickpayfunding.com .

Contact:

Doug Hogan CEO

Full Skope

(202) 701-0824

[email protected]

Dean Wiltsey

Marketing Coordinator

1-844-261-FUND EXT 527

[email protected]

SOURCE Full Skope LLC
BEAVERTON, Ore., Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Genesis Financial Solutions, a leader in near-prime consumer financial services, and Gardner White, Michigan's #1 furniture and mattress retailer, announced a new strategic financing partnership today. The multi-year agreement enables Gardner White customers to get the home they've always wanted today while they pay over time.

Under the terms of the agreement, Genesis becomes the primary servicer of Gardner White's Secondary Credit program. The credit solution will offer revolving credit lines up to $6,000 and deferred interest programs for customers with less-than-perfect credit.

Genesis Financial Solutions Partners with Gardner White in a Financing Program for Near-Prime Consumers Tweet this

"Genesis Credit shares our commitment to putting consumers first, and its outstanding, proven solutions for individuals in need of second-look financing create a win-win partnership as Gardner White cements our reputation as among the best furniture retailers in the U.S. for customer service and satisfaction," said Rachel Stewart, Gardner White President.

"We are excited to be partnering with one of the furniture industry's leading retailers," said Bruce Weinstein, CEO of Genesis Financial Solutions. "Our service-centered approach will no doubt further Gardner White's commitment to providing quality financing to their customers and help increase store sales."

"Gardner White is a strong leader in the furniture industry, and we believe our partnership will be an essential tool to help them increase store sales," said Ed Haluska, Chief Commercial Officer of Genesis Financial Solutions.

Gardner White will start offering the new financing program serviced by Genesis Credit to customers in-store and online in early March 2023.

About Genesis Financial Solutions:

Genesis Financial Solutions, Inc. is a national leader in non-prime financing, serving over 5 million consumers through the Private Label and General Purpose credit card programs it services for issuing banks and working with over 500 merchant partners across 15,000 locations. The credit cards provide essential financing solutions to the underserved consumer, whether they are looking to buy from one of our retail partners or fund everyday purchases. The credit products are fair and transparent and come with the tools and services designed to help customers succeed.

About Gardner-White:

Family-owned and operated for 111 years over four generations, Gardner-White is Michigan's #1 furniture and mattress retailer with 13 stores in metro Detroit, Ann Arbor, and Saginaw. Gardner-White is the presenting sponsor of America's Thanksgiving Day Parade in downtown Detroit. For more information, visit www.gardner-white.com.

Additional information about Genesis Financial Solutions may be found at www.genesis-fs.com | LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/genesis-financial-solutions/

Reporters May Contact: [email protected]

SOURCE Genesis Financial Solutions, Inc.
DUBLIN, Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Global Anti-Drone Systems Market Size, Segments, Outlook, and Revenue Forecast 2022-2028 by System, Technology, End User, and Regions" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.





According to this analysis, the Global Anti-Drone Systems Market was valued at ~US$ 500 million in 2017. Furthermore, owing to the increased use of drones to counter terrorism and prevent illicit activities, it is estimated to be ~US$ 1,500 million in 2022 and is expected to reach a market size of ~US$ 6,000 million by 2028 growing with a CAGR of ~25% during 2022 to 2028.



The increased use of unidentified drones for terror attacks and illicit activities is driving up demand for Anti-Drone systems.



The advancement of remote sensing and surveillance technologies, such as automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B) is driving the demand for Anti-Drone.



The higher costs of technologies associated with drones, such as radio frequency (RF) analyzers, sensors, and radar, are a major concern for the Anti-Drone market's growth.



The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic initially disrupted the supply of Anti-Drone, but demand from the military sector was high, as global militaries' defense expenditures increased even during the peak of the pandemic.



Scope of the Report



The Global Anti-Drone Systems Market is segmented by systems, technology, application, and end-user. In addition, the report also covers market size and forecasts for the four major regions' Anti-Drone markets. The revenue used to size and forecast the market for each segment is US$ billion.



By System

Neutralizing Systems

Detection Systems

By Technology

Electronic Systems

Laser Systems

Kinetic Systems

By End-User

Government

Military & Defense

Commercial

Others

By Geography

North America ( USA , Canada , and Mexico )

( , , and ) Europe ( France , Italy , Germany , Spain , UK, and Rest of Europe )

( , , , , UK, and Rest of ) Asia Pacific ( China , India , Japan , South Korea , Australia , and Rest of Asia Pacific )

( , , , , , and Rest of ) LAMEA ( Latin America , Middle East , and Africa )

Key Players

Israel Aerospace Industries Ltd

Leonardo S.PA

Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Ltd

Droneshield ltd

Liteye Systems, Inc

Dedrone

DeTect Inc

MBDA

Battelle Memorial Institute

Saab Ab

Boeing

DroneDefense

Key Trends by Market Segment

By System: The detection segment held the largest market share of the global Anti-Drone systems market in 2021

The detection segment held the largest market share of the global Anti-Drone systems market in 2021 Drone detection system is the most commonly known as they automatically detect unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), or drones

There are numerous technologies, including radio frequency (RF) technology, radar, and visual tracking, used to detect drone activity in the airspace, each technology has unique features relying on drone size and detection range.

By Technology: The laser system segment held the largest market share of the global Anti-Drone systems market in 2021.

The laser system segment held the largest market share of the global Anti-Drone systems market in 2021. Its popularity largely stems from its ability to damage UAV cameras and temporarily disable the drone.

Furthermore, an anti-drone laser system replaces conventional bullets to directly damage targets or render them ineffective by using a laser beam directed at the fire to produce three effects: ablation, shock wave, and radiation.

By End-User: The military & defense segment held the largest market share of the global Anti-Drone systems market in 2021, owing to the increasing government initiatives to adopt counter-drone to monitor terrorist activities.

The military & defense segment held the largest market share of the global Anti-Drone systems market in 2021, owing to the increasing government initiatives to adopt counter-drone to monitor terrorist activities. The rapidly increasing number of terror attacks and illegal activities worldwide has fueled demand for anti-drone machines, which assist in safeguarding the area by preventing unauthorized drones from accessing.

Growing concerns about the security risks posed by uncooperative and unregistered drones to both military and civilian entities were also likely to propel the anti-drone technology market forward.

By Geography: North America accounted for the largest share of the global Anti-Drone Systems Market in 2021 and will remain dominant during the forecast period (2022-2028).

accounted for the largest share of the global Anti-Drone Systems Market in 2021 and will remain dominant during the forecast period (2022-2028). The US Department of Defense's (DoD) increased investments in developing and deploying counter-drone systems are driving demand for Anti-Drone.

For instance, in May 2022 , according to the Congressional Research Service, a U.S.-based government agency, the United States Department of Defense (US DoD) announced plans to invest US$ 668 million on Counter-UAS (C-UAS) R&D and US$ 78 million in the procurement of such systems in May 2022 .

Conclusion



The global Anti-Drone systems market is forecasted to continue the exponential growth that is witnessed since 2017. The major driving factor contributing to their expansion is the rising adoption of advanced technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI), and machine learning (ML) across industries and increased application areas, including military and defense, aerial imaging, cargo management, and others. Though the market is highly competitive with ~150 participants, few global players control the dominant share and regional players also hold a significant share.



Key Topics Covered in the Report

Snapshot of the Global Anti-Drone Systems Market

Industry Value Chain and Ecosystem Analysis

Market size and Segmentation of the Global Anti-Drone Systems Market

Historic Growth of the Overall Global Anti-Drone Systems Market and Segments

Competition Scenario of the Market and Key Developments of Competitors

Porter's 5 Forces Analysis of the Global Anti-Drone Industry

Overview, Product Offerings, and Strengths & Weaknesses of Key Competitors

Covid-19 Impact on the Overall Global Anti-Drones/Counter Drones Market

Future Market Forecast and Growth Rates of the Total Global Anti-Drone Systems Market and by Segments

Market Size of Technology, Application, and End User Segments with Historical CAGR and Future Forecasts

Analysis of the Global Anti-Drone Systems Market

Major Production/Supply and Consumption/Demand Hubs within Each Region

Major Country-wise Historic and Future Market Growth Rates of the Total Market and Segments

Overview of Notable Emerging Competitor Companies within Each Region

Notable Key Players Mentioned in the Report

Israel Aerospace Industries Ltd

Leonardo S.PA

Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Ltd

Droneshield ltd

Liteye Systems, Inc

Dedrone

DeTect Inc

MBDA

Battelle Memorial Institute

Saab Ab

Boeing

DroneDefense

Mydefence Communication

QinetiQ

Raytheon Technologies Corp

SRC Inc

TeleRadio Engineering Pte Ltd

Thales Group

ETECT, Inc

SKYLOCK

Frequently Asked Questions



What is the Study Period of this Market Report?

The Global Anti-Drone Systems Market is covered from 2017-2028 in this report, including a forecast for 2022-2028

What is the Future Growth Rate of the Global Anti-Drones Systems Market?

The Global Anti-Drone Systems Market is expected to witness a CAGR of about ~25% over the next 6 years

What are the Key Factors Driving the Global Anti-Drone Market?

The increased use of unidentified drones for terror attacks and illicit activities

Which is the Largest End-User Segment within the Global Anti-Drone Market?

The military & defense segment held the largest share of the Global Anti-Drone Systems Market in 2021

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/v8h8c3-anti-drone?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



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Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/539438/Research_and_Markets_Logo.jpg

SOURCE Research and Markets
DUBLIN, Feb. 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The " Global Biologics Safety Testing Market by Product & Service (Instruments, Consumables, Services), Application (mAbs, Vaccine, Cell & Gene Therapy), Test Type (Sterility Test, Endotoxin, Mycoplasma, Bioburden), End User (Biopharma, CDMO) - Forecast to 2027" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The global biologics safety testing market is projected to reach USD 6.8 billion by 2027 from USD 3.6 billion in 2022, at a CAGR of 13.3% during the forecast period. The growth of the global biologics safety testing market is driven by factors such as the strict regulatory scenario implemented for quality control testing for biopharmaceutical production, the increase in the number of approved biologics products worldwide, growing use of biologics safety testing reagents and kits for cell culture contamination detection, and increases in R&D spending and government support will significantly boost biologics testing activities.

By product & service segment, the service segment accounted for the largest share of the Biologics Safety Testing market

Based on product and service, the biologics safety testing market is segmented into consumables, services, and instruments. In 2021, the services segment accounted for the largest market share. The large share of this segment can be attributed to large biopharmaceutical companies routinely outsourcing numerous tasks, such as process and product validation, process monitoring and quality control, toxicology, and other preclinical studies.

By application, the monoclonal antibodies development and manufacturing segment accounted for the largest market share of the Biologics safety testing market

Based on application, the biologics safety testing market is segmented into monoclonal antibodies development and manufacturing, vaccines development and manufacturing, blood and blood products development and manufacturing, cellular and gene therapy products development and manufacturing, and other applications. In 2021, the monoclonal antibodies development and manufacturing segment accounted for the largest market share. The large share of this segment can be attributed to the growing number of regulatory approvals.

Asia Pacific: The fastest-growing region in the biologics safety testing market.

The biologics safety testing market in the Asia Pacific region is projected to register the highest growth during the forecast period. Factors such as growth in the outsourcing industry in the Asia Pacific region, vastly expanding R&D funding by biopharmaceutical companies and government, minimized outsourcing costs, and rising patient population resulting in growing manufacturing of biologics are expected to drive market growth.

North America accounted for the largest share of the Biologics safety testing market in 2021

North America accounted for the largest share of the biologics safety testing market in 2021. Rapid growth in the biopharmaceutical industry is the major factor driving the growth of the North American biologics safety testing market. The high number of pre-registration and other-phase drugs in the pipeline by pharmaceutical companies and biotechnology/gene therapy/genomics companies and the presence of major market players in this region are also driving the market for biologics safety testing in North America.

Key Topics Covered:





1 Introduction

2 Research Methodology

3 Executive Summary

4 Premium Insights

5 Market Overview

6 Biologics Safety Testing Market, by Product & Service

6.1 Introduction

6.2 Services

6.3 Consumables

6.4 Instruments

7 Biologics Safety Testing Market, by Test Type

7.1 Introduction

7.2 Residual Host-Cell Proteins and DNA Detection Tests

7.3 Mycoplasma Tests

7.4 Sterility Tests

7.5 Endotoxin Tests

7.6 Virus Safety Tests

7.7 Bioburden Tests

7.8 Other Biologics Safety Tests

8 Biologics Safety Testing Market, by Application

8.1 Introduction

8.2 Monoclonal Antibodies Development and Manufacturing

8.3 Vaccine Development and Manufacturing

8.4 Cellular & Gene Therapy Product Development and Manufacturing

8.5 Blood & Blood Product Development and Manufacturing

8.6 Other Applications

9 Biologics Safety Testing Market, by End-user

9.1 Introduction

9.2 Pharmaceutical & Biopharmaceutical Companies

9.3 Contract Research Organizations and Contract Development & Manufacturing Organizations (Cros and Cdmos)

9.4 Academic & Research Institutes

10 Biologics Safety Testing Market, by Region

11 Competitive Landscape

12 Company Profiles

13 Appendix

Companies Mentioned

Accugen Laboratories, Inc.

Agilent Technologies, Inc.

Almac Group

Associates of Cape Cod , Inc.

, Inc. Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc.

Biomerieux SA

Charles River Laboratories

Eurofins Scientific

F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd.

Fujifilm Wako Pure Chemical Corporation

Genscript

Invivogen

Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings (Labcorp)

Lonza

Maravai Lifesciences

Merck KGaA

Microcoat Biotechnologie GmbH

Nelson Laboratories, LLC (Part of Sotera Health)

Pacific Biolabs

Promocell GmbH

Qiagen

Samsung Biologics

Sartorius AG

SGS SA

Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc.

Wuxi Apptec

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/qv9teo-biologics?w=5

About ResearchAndMarkets.com

ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends.



Media Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

[email protected]



For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470

For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630

For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900



U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907

Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716

Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/539438/Research_and_Markets_Logo.jpg

SOURCE Research and Markets
DUBLIN, Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Harvesting Equipment Market - Global Industry Size, Share, Trends, Opportunity, and Forecast, 2018-2028: Segmented by Products (Combine Harvester, Forage Harvester, Sugarcane Harvester, Others), By Application (Agriculture v/s Fodder), By Region, and Competition" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The Global Harvesting Equipment Market is anticipated to witness an impressive growth during the forecast period, 2022-2028

This can be ascribed to the growing demand for advanced harvesting equipment for better crop production across the region. Similarly, the growing development of research activities in the agricultural field for better crop production with saving time and low cost is expected to create a lucrative during the forecast period.

Additionally, growing investments by major key players in the agriculture fields are expected to drive the market growth across different parts of the globe. Similarly, the increasing preferences towards the usage of harvesting technology to enhance the efficiency of agricultural purposes is further expected to increase the demand for harvesting equipment, thereby fuelling market growth through 2028.

Besides, growing awareness about new harvesting technology and its advantages among farmers across the globe is further expected to support the harvesting equipment market during the forecast period. AGCO Corporation is a leading manufacturer and distributor of agricultural equipment and related replacement parts throughout the world.

Growing awareness about equipment benefits propel the market

The growing demand for food and agricultural commodities enhances the production capacity and yield, which in turn is propelling the growth of the market during the forecast period.

Similarly, farmers are adopting sustainable agriculture practices by using advanced harvesting equipment to fulfill the food propelling the growth of the market during the forecast period. In addition, the increasing demand for agricultural products is expected to increase the need for planting, fertilizing, and harvesting equipment rather than manual equipment over time.

These types of instruments are used because of reducing overall costs and improvement in crop yields. According to USDA data, foreign investors owned at least 35.2 million acres of U.S. agricultural land in 2019 - 2.7 percent of U.S. farmland, an area almost the size of Iowa.

Also, increasing the urbanization rate along with demand for time-saving technology for additional food production in turn is expected to enhance the demand for harvesting equipment market. The employment of agriculture equipment assists in the cultivation of more crop in less time with less effort and increase the production of food, which anticipates to propel the market growth over the years.

Growing technological advancements in the agriculture field boost the market growth

Increasing technological advancement in the agriculture field for developing harvesting equipment along with growing mechanization of different agricultural activities has propelled the development of different modern and automatic agriculture equipment.

Similarly, growing favourable government initiatives are expected to the market growth over the years. In 2019, 49 percent of reported foreign-held acreage in the United States was forest land, while 25 percent was cropland, 24 percent was for pasture and other agricultural uses, and 2 percent was for non-agricultural uses (such as homesteads and roads).

Modern agriculture has undergone a dramatic transformation due to new technological developments in fields like robots, drones, and computer vision software. The main objective of agricultural automation technology is to take care of simple, routine operations. Drones, autonomous tractors, seeding, and mowing are some of the primary technologies that are most frequently used by farms.

Small-scale Potato Harvester, this machine digs potatoes from the soil by separating soil from the roots. It functions on small scale but separates the soil quickly to reduce the problems in harvesting potatoes.

Recent Development

NMSA is envisaged as one of the eight Missions outlined under National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC), NMSA aim at promoting Sustainable Agriculture through climate change adaptation measures. The major thrust is enhancing agriculture productivity especially in rainfed areas focusing on integrated farming, soil health management, and synergizing resource conservation.

Competitive Landscape

Company Profiles: Detailed analysis of the major companies present in Global Harvesting Equipment Market.

Lakeview Vineyard Equipment Inc

Oxbo International Corp.

Pellenc America.

Containerpal

Green-Rubber Kennedy Ag.

American Grape Harvesters.

Blueline Manufacturing and Equipment.

Clemens Vineyard Equipment.

Lazer Star Lights .

. Garton Tractor Inc.

Report Scope:

Market Trends & Developments

Recent Developments

Product Launches

Mergers & Acquisitions

Harvesting Equipment Market, By Products:

Combine Harvester

Forage Harvester

Sugarcane Harvester

Others

Harvesting Equipment Market, By Application:

Agriculture

Fodder

Harvesting Equipment Market, By Region:

North America

United States

Canada

Mexico

Europe

France

Germany

United Kingdom

Italy

Spain

Asia Pacific

China

India

Japan

South Korea

Australia

South America

Brazil

Argentina

Colombia

Middle East & Africa

& South Africa

Saudi Arabia

UAE

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/45mo4s

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

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SOURCE Research and Markets
DUBLIN, Feb. 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Intravenous Iron Drugs Market- Global Industry Size, Share, Trends, Opportunity, and Forecast, 2018-2028: Segmented By Application (Intestinal malabsorption syndromes, Inflammatory diseases, Others), By Product, By End-User, By Company, By Region, Forecast & Opportunities, 2028" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.





Global intravenous iron drugs market is anticipated to grow at a significant rate in the forecast years, 2024-2028

Rising prevalence of iron deficiency coupled with upsurge in chronic renal disease patients undergoing dialysis are projected to augment the growth of intravenous iron drug market. Anemia is the most common blood disorders which is caused due to the iron deficiency.

According to the American Society of Hematology, anemia is one of the most common blood disorders in the United States and has affected over 3 million people in the country. Anemia is highly prevalent in pregnant women and can be harmful to baby.

According to the Vitamin and Mineral Nutrition Information System (VMNIS) survey, about 40% of mothers and children in developing nations are anemic. Additionally, rising research and development (R&D) activities in intravenous iron, along with rising government funding for the research is expected to propel the growth of the market.



The market of global intravenous iron drugs is segmented into application, product, end-user, company and region. The end-use segment is further fragmented into hospitals & clinics, ambulatory care, homecare, and others. Hospitals & clinics is expected to dominate the market in the coming years as they are the major centers for providing intravenous iron drugs to people. Also, the rising number of people suffering from anemia, or iron deficiency is contributing for the growth of the segment.



Based on regional analysis, North America is the dominant region in 2022. This is attributed to the rise in the number of anemic patients over the past years. Also, the lack of iron deficiency due to lifestyle changes, unhealthy eating choices and others are expected to impel the growth of the segment.

On the other hand, Asia-Pacific is anticipated to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period on account of the rising awareness amongst people regarding chronic diseases such as anemia, etc.



Objective of the Study:

To analyze and estimate the market size of global intravenous iron drugs market from 2018 to 2021.

To estimate and forecast the market size of global intravenous iron drugs market from 2022 to 2028 and growth rate until 2028.

To classify and forecast global intravenous iron drugs market, the market is categorized on the basis of application, product, end-user, company and region.

To identify dominant region or segment in the global intravenous iron drugs market.

To identify drivers and challenges for global intravenous iron drugs market.

To examine competitive developments such as expansions, new product launches, mergers & acquisitions, etc., in global intravenous iron drugs market.

To conduct pricing analysis for global intravenous iron drugs market.

To identify and analyze the profile of leading players operating in global intravenous iron drugs market.

To identify key sustainable strategies adopted by market players in global intravenous iron drugs market.

Competitive Landscape



Company Profiles: Detailed analysis of the major companies present in global Intravenous iron drugs market.

AMAG pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Vifor Pharma Management Ltd.

Daiichi Sankyo Company, Limited

Rockwell Medical Inc.

Allergan PLC

Pfizer Inc

Nippon Shinyaku Co.

Novartis International AG

Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited

Bausch Health Companies Inc.

Clinical Trial Analysis

Ongoing Clinical Trials

Completed Clinical Trials

Terminated Clinical Trials

Breakdown of Pipeline, By Development Phase

Breakdown of Pipeline, By Status

Breakdown of Pipeline, By Study Type

Breakdown of Pipeline, By Country

Clinical Trials Heat Map

Report Scope:



Global Intravenous Iron Drugs Market, By Application:

Intestinal malabsorption syndromes

Inflammatory diseases

Gastrectomy/bariatric surgery

Anemia

Osier-Weber-Rendu disease

Angiodysplasia

Pregnancy

Others

Global Intravenous Iron Drugs Market, By Product:

Iron dextran

Ferric gluconate

Iron sucrose

Ferric carboxymaltos

Iron isomaltoside 100

Ferumoxytol

Global Intravenous Iron Drugs Market, By End-User:

Hospitals & Clinics

Ambulatory Care

Homecare

Others

Global Intravenous iron drugs Market, By Region:

Asia-Pacific

China

India

Japan

South Korea

Australia

Europe

France

Germany

United Kingdom

Italy

Spain

North America

United States

Mexico

Canada

South America

Brazil

Argentina

Colombia

Middle East & Africa

& South Africa

Saudi Arabia

UAE

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/s2tjyu-iron?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



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SOURCE Research and Markets
DUBLIN, Feb. 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Paediatric Interventional Cardiology Market Analysis by Device Type and by Region - Global Forecast to 2029" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.





The paediatric interventional cardiology market size is estimated to be USD 1,581.3 million in 2021 and is expected to witness a CAGR of 11.18% during the forecast period 2022-2029.

Companies Mentioned:

St. Jude Medical Inc. (U.S.)

Medtronic Inc. (U.S.)

W.L. Gore & Associates Inc. (U.S.)

Edwards Lifesciences Corp (U.S.)

NuMED Inc. (U.S.)

Cordis Corporation (U.S.)

GE Healthcare (U.K.)

Siemens Healthcare ( Germany )

) Boston Scientific (U.S.)

Abbott Vascular (U.S.)

The increased rates of congenital heart disease and FDA initiatives to streamline the regulatory process, technical advances, which have resulted in the introduction of new and improved products is expected to drive the market.

However, changing stringency of regulatory procedures and presence of complex regulatory procedures is expected to restrain the market growth.



By Device Type



Based on device type, the market is segregated into transcatheter heart valves and congenital heart defect closure devices. In 2021, the congenital heart defect closure devices segment accounted for the highest revenue share due to a rising understanding of the importance of paediatric interventional cardiology devices and rising instances of congenital impairments.



Regional Markets



In 2021, Asia Pacific region accounted for the highest revenue in the paediatric interventional cardiology market and is expected to maintain its dominance during the forecast period. The increase in government funding for developing paediatric care facilities, and investments by prominent players in the APAC region. are all contributing to the market expansion.



Segmentation: Paediatric Interventional Cardiology Market Report 2021-2029

By Device Type (Revenue, USD Million)

Transcatheter Heart Valves

Congenital Heart Defect Closure Devices

By Region (Revenue, USD Million)

North America

U.S

Canada

Europe

Germany

France

UK

Spain

Italy

Rest of Europe

Asia Pacific

China

Japan

India

Australia

South Korea

Rest of APAC

Latin America

Brazil

Mexico

Argentina

Rest of LATAM

Middle East & Africa

South Africa

GCC

Rest of MEA

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/an873x

About ResearchAndMarkets.com

ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends.



Media Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

[email protected]



For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470

For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630

For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900



U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907

Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716

Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/539438/Research_and_Markets_Logo.jpg

SOURCE Research and Markets
LAKE OSWEGO, Ore., Feb. 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Greenbrier Companies, Inc. (NYSE:GBX) today remembers Board member David L. Starling, who passed away at the age of 73. The Company extends its condolences to his family, particularly his wife Candace and his two sons, Zach and Jeff, all great supporters of his many endeavors, including his years of service to Greenbrier. He is remembered as a dear friend, admired colleague and devoted husband and father.

David L. Starling

Starling served on Greenbrier's Board since 2017. Last month, Starling was reelected to a three-year term on Greenbrier's Board of Directors, with more than 98% of shareholder support. As a Greenbrier board member, Starling helped guide the Company during its acquisition of the American Railcar Industries (ARI) manufacturing business, and later, would play a key role in advising Greenbrier's response to the impacts wrought by COVID-19.

Most profoundly, Greenbrier benefitted from Starling's decades of experience as a railroader. He joined Greenbrier's Board after serving on the Board of Kansas City Southern (KCS) for nearly seven years. From 2010-2016, Starling also served as President and CEO at KCS. In 2012, Starling received Railway Age's prestigious Railroader of the Year award.

"For more than forty years, Dave Starling was a railroader's railroader and a well-respected leader in the rail industry. Dave brought Greenbrier's Board deep industry experience from executive roles in the transportation business on multiple continents. He was a champion of railroading, particularly in Mexico and Latin America. Dave assisted Greenbrier as we engaged with U.S., Canadian and Mexican policymakers during the negotiations that led to the USMCA in 2020. We deeply appreciate Dave's numerous contributions to Greenbrier, especially his warm friendship, and offer our deepest condolences to Candace and his family," said Board Chair Admiral Thomas B. Fargo (USN Retired).

About Greenbrier

Greenbrier, headquartered in Lake Oswego, Oregon, is a leading international supplier of equipment and services to global freight transportation markets. Through its wholly-owned subsidiaries and joint ventures, Greenbrier designs, builds and markets freight railcars and marine barges in North America, Europe and Brazil. We are a leading provider of freight railcar wheel services, parts, maintenance and retrofitting services in North America through our maintenance services business unit. Greenbrier manages 408,000 railcars and offers railcar management, regulatory compliance services and leasing services to railroads and other railcars owners in North America. GBX Leasing (GBXL) is a special purpose subsidiary that owns and manages a portfolio of leased railcars that originate primarily from Greenbrier's manufacturing operations. GBXL and Greenbrier own a lease fleet of approximately 14,100 railcars. Learn more about Greenbrier at www.gbrx.com.

SOURCE The Greenbrier Companies, Inc.
The clinical trial industry embraces Greenphire, the trusted choice for travel and convenience to improve global participant recruitment and retention

KING OF PRUSSIA, Pa., Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Greenphire, the global leader in financial lifecycle management for clinical trials, today announced significant expansion and growth of ConneX, the industry's most comprehensive clinical trial travel solution designed to help meet the retention goals of global studies.

ConneX has expanded upon its in-market resources in key regions, including Japan, Central and Southern Europe, Scandinavia, and Southeast Asia. With the largest international network of localized travel agents supporting clinical trials, ConneX removes administrative burdens for research sites and eliminates logistical and financial barriers for participants.

According to CISCRP, clinical trial volunteers voiced "having to travel to the study clinic" as a top disruption, but one that can be overcome. A recent survey conducted by the Tufts Center for the Study of Drug Development showed the top two ways to enhance patient participation is by implementing patient expense reimbursement (58 percent) and transportation assistance (55 percent).

"Delivering a seamless participant experience is critical to study success," said Jim Murphy, CEO of Greenphire. "Using our ConneX solution, trial sponsors, CROs and sites can do just that  assist participants in navigating the challenges and complexities associated with enrolling and staying enrolled in a study."

In support of global trial retention, ConneX offers a host of personalized concierge services, including air, train, hotel, car services and rideshare, ambulatory care, and specialty services. This includes travel visa support, with successful applications recently processed for patients traveling from Jordan to Germany and Iraq to the USA.

ConneX continues to increase access and inclusion, reduce logistical hurdles, and provide peace-of-mind for participants worldwide, having supported more than 4,400 sites in 1,100+ studies and over 40+ countries. In 2022 alone, total itineraries increased 34% and total participants increased 27%. The service eliminates out-of-pocket costs and travel complexities for participants across protocols and therapeutic areas, including rare disease, oncology and more. Its integration with ClinCard, Greenphire's leading participant payment automation software, ensures that any expense incurred can be easily reimbursed in real-time.

"With ConneX, having a travel agent take care of all bookings removes an enormous amount of work from my plate and ensures the most convenient arrangements for the patients," Research site testimonial (2022 Greenphire Site Satisfaction Survey).

To learn more about Greenphire and its ConneX expert travel solution, visit: https://greenphire.com/participant-travel/.

About Greenphire

Greenphire is the leader in financial and workflow automation for global clinical trials. Greenphire's best-in-class solutions optimize clinical trial performance by streamlining payment and logistical processes from sponsors and CROs to sites and patients. Greenphire's EnvisiXTM, eClinicalGPS, ClinCard and ConneX solutions easily handle any type of trial design and complexity, resulting in more accurate and compliant payments and simplified travel globally for both sites and patients. The choice of industry leaders worldwide, Greenphire provides better performance and better data, resulting in better trials. Learn more at www.greenphire.com.

Media Contact:

Lindsay Hull

[email protected]

SOURCE Greenphire
Foundation services company earns top honor for the second time

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va., Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Groundworks, the nation's leading foundation and water management solutions company, ranks No. 46 on the fourth annual Inc. Regionals: Mid-Atlantic list. As an extension of the annual Inc. 5000 franchise, this list is comprised of the fastest-growing private companies based in the District of Columbia, Delaware, Maryland, North Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia. The roster represents a unique look at the most successful companies within the Mid-Atlantic economy's most dynamic segment  its independent businesses.

"To be honored as one of the most successful companies in the Mid-Atlantic region is a true testament to the team at Groundworks," said John Thornton, chief marketing officer at Groundworks. "While we're headquartered in Virginia, our footprint expands beyond the region, now operating out of 55 offices with over 4,000 employees. Last year, we protected more than 95,000 homes. We are truly transforming the industry one home at a time."

The companies listed are ranked according to percentage revenue growth across all industries when comparing 2019 and 2021. With an average growth rate of 381 percent, honorees collectively added 14,439 jobs and $2.66 billion to the Mid-Atlantic region's economy.

"This year's Inc. 5000 Regional winners represent one of the most exceptional and exciting lists of America's off-the-charts growth companies. They're disrupters and job creators, and all delivered an outsize impact on the economy. Remember their names and follow their lead. These are the companies you'll be hearing about for years to come," said Scott Omelianuk, editor-in-chief of Inc. Magazine.

Groundworks is a five-time recipient of Inc. 5000 Fastest Growing Companies and two-time honoree on the Inc. Regionals list. Groundworks companies have served over 1 million homeowners in their four decades in the industry.

Complete results of the Inc. Regionals: Mid-Atlantic list may be found at inc.com/mid-atlantic.

For more information about Groundworks, please visit www.groundworks.com.

About Groundworks

Groundworks, headquartered in Virginia Beach, Va., is the nation's leading and fastest-growing foundation and water management solutions company. Groundworks Companies provide residential foundation and water management solutions, including foundation repair, basement waterproofing, crawl space repair and encapsulation, plumbing, gutters installation, and concrete lifting services. Since inception, our combined brands have helped over a million homeowners protect and repair their most valuable asset: their home. Groundworks operates more than 50 offices across the country and has been named numerous times to the Inc. 5000 Fastest Growing Companies, Qualified Remodeler Top 500, BBB integrity award, and Best Places to Work. For more information, please visit www.Groundworks.com, and connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram.

About Inc. Media

The world's most trusted business-media brand, Inc. offers entrepreneurs the knowledge, tools, connections, and community to build great companies. Its award-winning multiplatform content reaches more than 50 million people each month across a variety of channels, including websites, newsletters, social media, podcasts, and print. Its prestigious Inc. 5000 list, produced every year since 1982, analyzes company data to recognize the fastest-growing privately held businesses in the United States. The global recognition that comes with inclusion in the 5000 gives the founders of the best businesses an opportunity to engage with an exclusive community of their peers and the credibility that helps them drive sales and recruit talent.

SOURCE Groundworks
With a long and brilliant history, Anhui is home to a rich and distinctive culture and a great many historical figures who have contributed to the development of ancient Chinese culture, ideologies, and technologies. Are the following historical figures familiar to you? Check these posters and learn more about them! Gao Yao "Emperor Shun ruled the country and chose from among the masses. He appointed Gao Yao, and those who lacked virtue were far away." Gao Yao was the Minister for the Law of Emperor Shun in prehistorical China. He was not only the earliest judge but also the earliest legislator in China.

Lao Zi "The Tao that is utterable is not the eternal Tao." Lao Zi is generally considered the founder of philosophical and religious Taoism and the author of the book Daodejing (also known as "Tao Te Ching"). His work had a profound influence on subsequent Chinese philosophers, who annotated, commended, and criticized his work extensively.

Zhuang Zi "The span of human life is short as the time taken by a white pony flashing across a rock crevice." Zhuang Zi was the most influential Chinese philosopher of Taoism after Lao Zi. His teachings also exerted a great influence on the development of Chinese Buddhism and had a considerable effect on Chinese landscape painting and poetry.

Guan Zhong "People observe etiquette and know honor and shame only after they are well-fed and clothed." Guan Zhong was a representative figure of Legalism during the Spring and Autumn Period and a prominent economist, philosopher, politician, and military strategist in ancient China.

Hua Tuo "Those who understand people are skilled in heaven's ways, and those who understand heaven must be skilled in dealing with people." Hua Tuo was a widely respected Chinese physician and surgeon who is best known for his surgical operations and the use of Mafeisan, an herbal anesthetic formulation made from hemp. He was also the developer of the famous Wuqinxi (literally "Exercise of the Five Animals").

Cao Cao "An old war-horse may be stabled, yet still it longs to gallop a thousand miles. A noble-hearted man, though advanced in years, never abandons his proud aspirations." Cao Cao was a great Chinese statesman, warlord, literary scholar, calligrapher and poet. As one of the central figures of the Three Kingdoms period, Cao Cao laid the foundations for what became the state of Cao Wei.

Bi Sheng "During the Qingli era (1041-1048), there was Bi Sheng, a commoner who invented movable type printing." Bi Sheng was an inventor of the Northern Song dynasty(960 - 1279) who created movable type printing using clay and wooden blocks. This was a fundamental reform in the development of Chinese printing technology and a great contribution to the cultural exchange between China and other countries around the world.

Zhu Xi "Only by being able to not act, can one have the ability to act. Those who act indiscriminately, how can they have any ability to act?" Zhu Xi was a philosopher, thinker, educator, and poet of the Southern Song dynasty of China. He contributed greatly to Chinese philosophy and was influential in the development of the Neo-Confucianism thought that long dominated Chinese intellectual life.

Written by Feng Fanxi  Poster designed by Jiang Xinyu 
National furniture and home decor store Ballard Designs announces "Doors Open" in the high-end shopping destination, Mount Pleasant Town Centre, SC. This store is the brand's entry into retail locations in the state. As Ballard ramps up its retail presence nationwide, its new freestanding store joins more than 60 other shops and restaurants in this popular open-air mall just minutes from historic downtown Charleston.

CHARLESTON, S.C., Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Home decor and furniture design company Ballard Designs has just opened its first South Carolina retail location, in its first stand-alone retail store. The new venue, a free-standing, airy space of almost 9,000 square feet, is part of the popular retailer's multi-year expansion currently spanning 13 states and 19 retail stores.

Ballard Designs' Mount Pleasant Town Centre retail store is just off Interstate 526 and Highway 17 North

Furniture & Decor retail store Ballard Designs expands footprint into South Carolina with this stand-alone store in high-end shopping destination, Mount Pleasant Town Centre, located just outside historic downtown Charleston along Highway 17N. Ballard Designs store interior features rugs, furniture, indoor and outdoor furnishings and art... shopping in the Lowcountry is more fun now!

Fully designed, inspirational room vignettes, indoor & outdoor Furniture

Mirrors, Lighting, Accessories and Art  Buy & Take Home

Complimentary Design Services for homeowners and interior design professionals

The brand's classic, coastal, modern & layered options for custom decorated style

"We're thrilled to be one more reason to visit this Lowcountry shopping destination," reports Dominic Milanese, VP of Retail for Ballard Designs. "With its beautiful homes, active lifestyles, and gorgeous coastal location, the Charleston area is the ideal choice for our first South Carolina store."

"If you entertain year-round like we do, you're going to LOVE our new Mount Pleasant store," Milanese adds. "We have a huge selection of gorgeous outdoor furniture, performance fabrics, indoor/outdoor rugs, and coastal accents. We hope to end up at the top of everyone's 'Things to Do in Mount Pleasant, SC' list."

Easy Access and Ample Parking - Near the Sweetgrass Baskets Stands

The new Ballard Designs store will serve passionate home decorating enthusiasts & professional designers alike, as well as visitors to the roadside Sweetgrass Baskets stands of Mount Pleasant's famed Gulla sweetgrass basket weavers. Located at 1128 Market Center Boulevard, the store has its own parking area at the front for easy access.

Regular store hours will be 10 a.m.  6 p.m., Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m.  7 p.m., Friday through Saturday, and 12 p.m.  6 p.m. Sunday. See Ballard Design's stores and products online.

About Ballard Designs

Since 1982, Ballard Designs has offered a unique curation of home furnishings and decor from all periods and provenance. Its designers travel the world for inspiration, translating the latest trends in fashion, color and style into finely crafted products not found anywhere else. Ballard Designs is part of Qurate Retail GroupSM which includes QVC, HSN, Zulily, Frontgate, Garnet Hill and Grandin Road.

Contact: Ann Bailey 404-603-7239 [email protected]

SOURCE Ballard Designs
WELLINGTON, Fla., Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- HITS Horse Shows has partnered with ShowPlus to offer comprehensive protection at its multiple competitions to competitors, horses, and, for the first time at any equestrian competition in the United States, grooms. ShowPlus Protection is a benefit program designed to reimburse unanticipated out-of-pocket costs not covered by insurance.

HITS Horse Shows and ShowPlus Partner to Protect Horses, Riders, and Grooms! Tweet this How ShowPlus Works (English) ShowPlus partners at HITS protecting horses, riders and grooms. Visit ShowPlus.com (PRNewsfoto/Venture Plus Protection)

"We are thrilled to be offering this protection for all of our customers, including the grooms who are an integral part of our community," said Joe Norick, Chief Customer Officer at HITS Horse Shows. "We understand the risks in our sport, and we want everyone to enjoy their time at HITS Shows without worrying about additional expenses."

The program offers Rider & Groom Injury Protection, Equine Injury and Urgent Care Protection, and Equine Loss Protection. Benefits vary per horse show, but riders and grooms can count on reimbursement for out-of-pocket expenses. How the rider or groom uses the lump sum payout is up to them. Horses are eligible for reimbursement in case of injury or death upon a verified receipt of the incident report*.

"Our team is excited to be able to extend ShowPlus benefits and protection at HITS Horse Shows in Ocala, FL, to competitors, horses, and grooms," said Ghen Sugimoto, CEO of ShowPlus. "Working with HITS Horse Shows to offer this exciting new program is a great step forward in protecting the entire equestrian community."

Show jumping rider Lauren Crooks praised ShowPlus: "It's pretty great that there's something that advocates for the health of the horse and rider. I think it's really important that people know about ShowPlus, because it is really, truly a godsend for us to have."

* Terms and conditions apply and may vary per horse show, but eligible horses typically must be between the ages of 4 and 16. Incident reports must be filed within five days of the incident.

ShowPlus is one of VenturePlus Equestrian benefit programs powered by CaptiveOne that protect your passion, from showing and traveling around the globe to veterinary care and breeding, allowing you to focus on your sport and the horses you love. Go to www.Showplus.com, www.AcutePlus.com, www.TravelPlusProtection.com or www.BreederPlusProtection.com to learn more.

SOURCE Venture Plus Protection
LOS ANGELES, Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation (ETAF) observes today as the second annual HIV IS NOT A CRIME Awareness Day. The date is significant as it ties a symbolic bow to the closing of National Black History Month and the beginning of National Women's History Month - two demographics that are disproportionately impacted by both the HIV epidemic & HIV criminalization. This date is also a symbolic nod to the legacy of ETAF Founder, Elizabeth Taylor on the anniversary of her birthday. Elizabeth held a tireless commitment to raising awareness and fighting the stigma of HIV and AIDS globally. Today, we are honored to continue Elizabeth's legacy alongside all of our partners in HIV Is Not A Crime movement, notably The Sero Project, who piloted and established HIV Is Not A Crime Awareness Day in collaboration with ETAF.

The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation (ETAF) observes today as the second annual HIV IS NOT A CRIME Awareness Day. Tweet this (PRNewsfoto/The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation)

Thanks to scientific advancements, HIV is no longer a death sentence. And with the right medications, the risk of transmitting HIV from one person to another is nearly zero. Despite this therapeutic progress, people living with HIV in 30 U.S. states are being charged and branded as criminals because of their status, even when there is no risk of HIV transmission.

According to the CDC, these laws discourage HIV testing, increase stigma, and exacerbate disparities, noting they are outdated and do not reflect the significant advances to treat and prevent HIV transmission, such as effective therapeutics that can suppress the virus to the point of it being virtually undetectable, and therefore untransmittable (U=U). After over 30 years of HIV research and significant biomedical and pharmaceutical advancements to treat and prevent HIV transmission, many state laws are now outdated and do not reflect our current understanding of HIV. In more troubling news, black Americans make up 40% of people living with HIV in the United States, and 33% of those incarcerated for HIV crimes.

United States President Joe Biden has also recognized the issue of HIV criminalization and is actively addressing the issue with The White House Office of National AIDS Policy (ONAP). In President Biden's 2021 World AIDS Day Proclamation, he stated that, "I want make sure that everyone in the United States knows their HIV status, that everyone with HIV receives high-quality care and treatment that they deserve, and that we end the harmful stigma around HIV and AIDS. In particular, there is still a large number of states that have HIV criminalization laws that do not reflect an accurate understanding of HIV. For example  HIV cannot be transmitted through saliva. There are still laws on the books that criminalize spitting by people with HIV we have to follow science, and that means eliminating the laws that perpetuate discrimination, exacerbate disparities, discourage HIV testing, and take us further away from our goal."

Since the beginning of ETAF's work on the HIV IS NOT A CRIME campaign, laws in six states have been updated and/or repealed. Those states are Nevada, New Jersey, Georgia, Missouri, Virginia and Illinois. The campaign continues to work hard at educating lawmakers to the outdated and unfair laws unnecessarily still on the books.

"This day serves as a reminder of the important work of our founder, Elizabeth Taylor and her tireless commitment to bring the AIDS epidemic to an end" said Cathy Brown, Executive Director of the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation. "Bringing meaningful modernization to the outdated HIV laws is a major step in the fight to end criminalization."

With support from Gilead Sciences, Inc and the collaboration of the Health Not Prisons Collective, ETAF has made the HIV IS NOT A CRIME campaign its priority advocacy initiative within the organization.

To learn more about HIV IS NOT A CRIME and The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation, please visit https://elizabethtayloraidsfoundation.org/

About The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation (ETAF) :

Working tirelessly on the AIDS crisis throughout the 1980s, Elizabeth Taylor established The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation (ETAF) in 1991 to carry out her vision for an AIDS-free world. ETAF works to provide the direct care needed for people living with and affected by HIV and AIDS. Emphasizing Elizabeth's voice, commitment and concentration on marginalized communities, ETAF in partnership with Gilead Sciences, Inc. works to modernize the criminal laws and penalties that affect people living with HIV. ETAF's programs have also expanded to ensure that HIV prevention education and access to treatment is available through domestic and international initiatives. For more information, visit ETAF.org or contact Cathy Brown, ETAF at [email protected] .

About Gilead Sciences, Inc :

Gilead Sciences, Inc. is a research-based biopharmaceutical company that discovers, develops, and commercializes innovative medicines in areas of unmet medical need. Gilead is dedicated to transforming and simplifying care for people with life-threatening illnesses around the world. We also recognize that it takes more than medicine to address challenges patients and communities face in accessing the best possible care, and we know that passion for scientific discovery alone  and that Gilead alone  cannot solve these challenges. Gilead applies the same values of partnership, integrity, and dedication to our work tackling the social and structural challenges that patients, healthcare providers and other partners must overcome to identify and elevate the best possible solutions.

Media Contact

Jeff Hare / ETAF

(818) 726-9238

[email protected]

SOURCE The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation
Hormel Foods team members commemorate MLK Day and Black History Month with an essay competition for elementary and middle school students from across the country

AUSTIN, Minn., Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Three winners of the 12th annual Hormel Foods MLK essay contest visited the company's World Headquarters today to read their winning essays to Hormel Foods team members. The students  Ava Pigrum from Sacramento, Calif., Andre Smith from Minneapolis, Minn., and Michael Htoo from Willmar, Minn.  claimed the top honors among hundreds of entries from 12 schools this year.

Jim Snee, chairman of the board, president, and chief executive officer of Hormel Foods with winners of the 12th annual Hormel Foods MLK essay contest that included: Ava Pigrum, Sacramento, Calif., Andre Smith, Minneapolis, Minn., and Michael Htoo, Willmar, Minn.

The Hormel Foods Black Leaders & Allies Advancing Cultural Knowledge (BLAACK) business resource group sponsors the essay competition for elementary and middle school students across the United States. Contestants are asked to write an essay with the theme, "What Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Means to Me."

"BLAACK is excited to bring our annual MLK Essay Contest back to our World Headquarters after several years of a hybrid format," said Cedric Moore, BLAACK president and senior customer executive for Retail sales at Hormel Foods. "The goal of this event is to promote the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. by having the top three students from across the country share what Dr. King's legacy means to them. One of my favorite quotes from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is, 'No work is insignificant. All labor that uplifts humanity has dignity and importance and should be undertaken with painstaking excellence.' Today, these students are displaying the excellence of Dr. King's legacy by sharing their stories."

The nationwide competition promotes the value and importance of cultural differences and provides a platform for celebrating diversity. The goals of the program are to promote Dr. Martin Luther King's legacy, encourage children to aim high, give them exposure to minority professionals in business and create a lasting partnership between Hormel Foods and local schools.

These three students honored Dr. Martin Luther King's legacy by putting into words what he means to them.

"I thank my ancestors who pushed through," said winner Andre Smith in his essay. "I thank Dr. King because he gave me and everyone the faith to become a leader and take the next step to keep his dream alive. There is still not justice for all, if it wasn't for Dr. King we would not know how to fix today's problems."

ABOUT HORMEL FOODS  Inspired People. Inspired Food.

Hormel Foods Corporation, based in Austin, Minn., is a global branded food company with over $12 billion in annual revenue across more than 80 countries worldwide. Its brands include Planters, SKIPPY, SPAM, Hormel Natural Choice, Applegate, Justin's, WHOLLY, Hormel Black Label, Columbus, Jennie-O and more than 30 other beloved brands. The company is a member of the S&P 500 Index and the S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats, was named on the "Global 2000 World's Best Employers" list by Forbes magazine for three years, is one of Fortune magazine's most admired companies, has appeared on the "100 Best Corporate Citizens" list by 3BL Media 13 times, and has received numerous other awards and accolades for its corporate responsibility and community service efforts. The company lives by its purpose statement  Inspired People. Inspired Food.  to bring some of the world's most trusted and iconic brands to tables across the globe. For more information, visit www.hormelfoods.com and http://csr.hormelfoods.com/.

Contact: Media

507-437-5345

[email protected]

SOURCE Hormel Foods Corporation
Platform uniquely designed to facilitate automated compliance, security behavior change

MINNEAPOLIS, Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Hoxhunt, the leading cybersecurity behavior change software company, today announced the availability of the industry's foremost Human Risk Management Platform and three new products. For the first time, cybersecurity leaders can now focus on true visibility and measurable outcomes, not just regulatory and audit compliance.

According to the World Economic Forum, 95 percent of data breaches can be traced back to human error, mostly from clicking on targeted phishing attacks. Hoxhunt delivers high-ROI resilience with minimal resources by automating the transition of employees from being the greatest security risk to the most valuable resource. Hoxhunt's Human Risk Management Platform enables human threat intelligencewhich is the only way to catch the millions of sophisticated phishing attacks that evade technical filters each year--into the security stack.

The AI-enabled platform offers three new products that can be aligned with an organization's security maturity state.

The new Comply product enables security awareness programs to be delivered automatically. From choosing the curriculum to customizing training content, Hoxhunt Comply enables security leaders to build a comprehensive program at the click of a button.

product enables security awareness programs to be delivered automatically. From choosing the curriculum to customizing training content, Hoxhunt Comply enables security leaders to build a comprehensive program at the click of a button. The Hoxhunt Change product adds capabilities to the market leading security behavior change solution. The advanced AI engine and machine learning algorithms transform employees into a global network of threat detection sensors that protect themselves and their organizations from threats that have infiltrated the perimeter. The AI platform delivers individualized, adaptive training experiences for employees at the edge of their skill levels at scale, resulting in lasting and measurable improvement. Even real phishing attacks are transformed into vital learning experiences when employees detect them. The platform assesses and expands individual abilities with quick micro-training nudges based on in-the-moment responses to both real and simulated phishing attacks, which in turn creates long-term engagement and optimal online behavior for employees.

product adds capabilities to the market leading security behavior change solution. The advanced AI engine and machine learning algorithms transform employees into a global network of threat detection sensors that protect themselves and their organizations from threats that have infiltrated the perimeter. The AI platform delivers individualized, adaptive training experiences for employees at the edge of their skill levels at scale, resulting in lasting and measurable improvement. Even real phishing attacks are transformed into vital learning experiences when employees detect them. The platform assesses and expands individual abilities with quick micro-training nudges based on in-the-moment responses to both real and simulated phishing attacks, which in turn creates long-term engagement and optimal online behavior for employees. Respond helps make sense of the threat feed to the SOC and automatically pinpoints the incidents that need attention. The Hoxhunt platform analyzes over 93,000 newly reported threats every day that have bypassed traditional security technology layers. Now organizations can harness the power of a global network of 1.5M human threat sensors to prevent the most malicious ransomware and BEC attacks.

Hoxhunt was established to take a people-first approach, going beyond traditional, compliance-based security awareness training and enabling a risk-based security strategy via measurable security behavior change.

"As bad actors refine their tactics, searching for gaps in security controls, employees have become the largest attack vector for cybercriminals looking to penetrate into corporate networks," said Mika Aalto, Co-Founder and CEO at Hoxhunt. "Employees are often overlooked as a part of an organization's security posture and attackers continue to exploit this. In most organizations, at best, employees receive generic awareness training in order to meet corporate compliance goals, initiatives which fail to alter employee cyber behavior or create the ability to detect and respond to social engineering attacks. Hoxhunt was established to solve this uncontrolled issue. With our human risk platform, organizations can significantly alter their employees' security skill levels to create a strong human detection engine when attackers surpass technical layers."

Hoxhunt's full-stack, AI-driven platform delivers:

Increased Visibility: Provides visibility into the true risk of an organization's human layer and the threats that have (or could have) infiltrated their systems.

Provides visibility into the true risk of an organization's human layer and the threats that have (or could have) infiltrated their systems. Measurable Risk Reduction: Hoxhunt transforms employees into security assets, creating a global human threat sensor network to detect and eliminate email threats that slip past your technical protections. Hoxhunt drives the failure rate to just 2%, compared to 25% when using alternative phishing tools.

Hoxhunt transforms employees into security assets, creating a global human threat sensor network to detect and eliminate email threats that slip past your technical protections. Hoxhunt drives the failure rate to just 2%, compared to 25% when using alternative phishing tools. Streamlined Reporting: Maintains full control and visibility of employee training progress across departments, automatically generating reports that CISOs can utilize to translate improvements in organizational security posture.

Since its inception, Hoxhunt has helped some of the world's leading companies graduate from security awareness training into security behavior change and human risk management, including Airbus, DocuSign, Kaercher, and Victorinox. The company has also received numerous accolades in recent months. Hoxhunt was named a Best Software Company (EMEA) by G2 and received three awards from TrustRadius for security excellence.

To learn more about Hoxhunt and to request a demo, please visit: https://www.hoxhunt.com/.

About Hoxhunt

Hoxhunt helps security leaders and employees join forces to prevent data breaches. Hoxhunt is a Human Risk Management platform that goes beyond security awareness to drive behavior change and measurably lower risk. Data breaches start with people, so Hoxhunt does too. It combines AI and behavioral science to create individualized micro-training experiences people love. Employees learn to detect and report advanced phishing attacks. Operations teams respond fast with limited resources. And security leaders gain outcome-driven metrics to document reduced cybersecurity risk.

Media Contact

Caroline Dobyns

Lumina Communications for Hoxhunt

[email protected]

SOURCE Hoxhunt
BARCELONA, Spain, Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Huawei Cloud session at this year's Mobile World Congress (MWC23) is themed "Unleash Digital and Inspire New Value with Everything as a Service". Mark Chen, Director of Huawei Cloud Computing Solution Sales, led customers and partners in keynote speeches while launching the Cloud Native Elite Club (CNEC) European branch with the representatives from Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF).

Mark Chen delivers the Huawei Cloud keynote

In his speech, Mr. Chen said that Huawei Cloud stands ready to help businesses go global, enjoy new growth, and succeed together with its "Everything as a Service" strategy.

What is "Everything as a Service"?

Infrastructure as a Service for global accessibility: Huawei Cloud KooVerse offers a latency as low as 50 ms worldwide. This global cloud infrastructure has 29 Regions and 78 AZs in 170 countries and regions. This year, even more customers will enjoy Huawei Cloud thanks to new Regions in Turkiye, Saudi Arabia, the Philippines, and Egypt.

Huawei Cloud is a long-running leader in cloud native. Today, its product portfolio celebrates new additions: Cloud Container Instance (CCI) and Cloud Container Engine (CCE) AutoPilot, teaming up with Ubiquitous Cloud Native Service (UCS) and CCE Turbo. Users now call APIs to use cluster resources and get as many as 4,000 containers added within 30 seconds.

The Landing Zone solution helps customers map IT/cloud governance architectures to business architectures. This one-stop solution coordinates organizations and accounts, finance, identities and access, resources, compliance and audit, and professional services. More than 40 control conditions are global and over 100 are service-specific. With Landing Zone, cloud migration is 80% more efficient, and resource utilization is 60% higher.

Technology as a Service for easy innovation: Huawei Cloud accelerates application modernization with four pipelines: CodeArts for software, DataArts for data, ModelArts for AI, and MetaStudio for digital content.

These pipelines include a series of innovative cloud services and features.

The first is GaussDB, a world-leading cloud native transaction database, delivers 45% higher test performance, zero RPO for cross-center dual-clusters, and EAL4+ security certification. It makes transactions faster, more stable, and more reliable.

Second, Pangu AI models, pre-trained with 100 billion parameters, have been proven effective in more than 100 use cases across 10 industries, such as meteorology, mining, and healthcare.

Then, MetaStudio, an efficiency promoter for content production, allows a virtual human made in just one week, not two months. It supports 1,000 virtual humans interacting in the 3D space with a latency of less than 100 ms.

Experience as a Service for shared excellence: MacroVerse aPaaS is a suite of core aPaaS, industry aPaaS, and SaaS packages built on Huawei's years of digital prowess. Two new releases for core aPaaS are KooSearch and KooMessage. KooSearch is an intelligent search engine with multiple AI models and more than 50 languages. KooMessage provides APIs to customize and send messages to 500 million devices of over 300 types, as well as analyze user data.

Joining hands with global partners, Huawei Cloud offers the Global Business Boosting solution and a new partner network. The solution paves the way for enterprises to go global by providing support in security compliance, application acceleration, intelligent localization, and enterprise services. The partner network incorporates two frameworks, GoCloud and Grow Cloud, to share both technology and success.

The Huawei Cloud session concluded with the launch ceremony of the CNEC European branch. As a global cloud native community, CNEC advocates cloud native for digital transformation. Its European branch offers a great chance for local top minds to share, grow, and dive deep into cloud native as a catalyst for local digital economies.

Huawei Cloud provides Everything as a Service with Cloud Native 2.0. Innovations in services, technologies, and models join the integration of cloud into production, consumption, and services. Together, Huawei Cloud and customers celebrate cloud migration and inspire new value.

SOURCE HUAWEI CLOUD
Returning With a Full Setlist for the First Time in 2023, Pusha T and No Malice Will Headline the Festival's First Night

CHICAGO, Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Hyde Park Summer Fest , a two-day music festival that celebrates Chicago culture, today announced its first 2023 headliner as the iconic hip-hop duo Clipse. Coinciding with the 50th anniversary of hip-hop, brothers Pusha T and No Malice will reunite to headline night one of the highly anticipated music festival on June 17-18 at Midway Plaisance Park in Chicago's historic Hyde Park.

Hyde Park Summer Fest 2023

Clipse will perform some of their biggest hits, including "Grindin'" and "When the Last Time," alongside other collaborations and fan-favorites. For hip-hop fans who have anxiously awaited another reunion, this is a dream come true.

"This is a huge win for Chicago and the music industry overall, especially since our city's hip-hop influence is often overlooked and underestimated," said Dave Jeff, co -producer of Hyde Park Summer Fest "With the return of Clipse for an exclusive performance, we'll be able to celebrate a legendary duo alongside the fifty-year anniversary of hip-hop, a genre that Chicago has undoubtedly continued to play a leading role in growing and evolving."

In addition to Clipse, music and culture fans alike will witness exciting live performances from 2 Chainz, Robert Glasper, Tobe Nwigwe, Uncle Waffles, Terry Hunter, Twista, Shawnna, Do Or Die, Crucial Conflict, Vic Mensa and Jonathan McReynolds. More artists soon to be announced.

Hyde Park Summer Fest expects this to be its best year yet. Following exponential growth over the past eight years, what began as Hyde Park Brew Fest has evolved into a community-centric, fiercely independent music staple of Chicago summer, particularly in the city's South Side. Launching its current iteration in 2022, Hyde Park Summer Fest donated $75,000 in proceeds to five area high schools, created nearly 200 temporary jobs in the community, and encouraged participation from over 50 local small businesses, and expects to surpass these accomplishments with this year's festival.

"As a Black-owned festival, it's important for us to create a welcoming, inclusive space for our neighbors and business owners to celebrate Chicago culture through music and food while honoring hip-hop's impact on the world," said Jonathan Swain, founder of Hyde Park Summer Fest. "This announcement is just the beginning of a long list of performers, artists, vendors and community partners that we're teaming up with this year. There's more to come, Chicago - get ready for a weekend you don't want to miss."

Two-day general admission tickets start at $129 and single day general admission at $79, with prices subject to change. Hyde Park Summer Fest takes place June 17-18, 2023 at Midway Plaisance Park in Chicago's historic Hyde Park (1130 Midway Plaisance, Chicago, IL 60637).

For more information on Hyde Park Summer Fest's lineup, tickets and sponsorship opportunities, visit www.hydeparksummerfest.com .

ABOUT HYDE PARK SUMMER FEST

Hyde Park Summer Fest is a two-day music festival that will bring iconic artists, local brands and Chicago's diverse neighborhoods together for a weekend of music, community and celebration of Chicago culture. Taking place at Midway Plaisance from June 17-18, 2023, the Black-owned festival is a can't-miss staple of Summertime 'Chi. For more information on Hyde Park Summer Fest's lineup, tickets and sponsorship opportunities, visit www.hydeparksummerfest.com .

MEDIA CONTACT

Carleigh Rinefierd

Mekky Media Relations

614-446-2952

[email protected]

SOURCE Hyde Park Summer Fest
SEOUL, South Korea, Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- HYOSUNG Chairman Hyun-Joon Cho, declared his active engagement to establish global relationships with customers all over the world in 2023. As a representative material enterprise of Korea, HYOSUNG is operating businesses in 27 countries worldwide.

Especially, Chairman Hyun-Joon Cho has recently publicly expressed his interest in Japan, raising hopes for the HYOSUNG-Japan partnership. At the "29th Korea-Japan Joint Economic Meeting" last year, Chairman Cho emphasized the cooperation between the two nations, saying "financial cooperation between Korea and Japan is crucial."

Chairman Cho is regarded as an expert on the Japanese market in the financial sector. With a Master's degree in political science from Keio University, he has 5 years of experience working at Japanese companies, including Mitsubishi. He is known to read the Nikkei to better understand Japanese market trends.

He has been the vice-chairman of the Korea-Japan Economic Association since 2014 and has been reelected this year to serve his 10th year in a row.

In 2021, Chairman Cho visited the HYOSUNG HEAVY INDUSTRIES' ultra-high voltage transformer factory in Tennessee to increase HYOSUNG's influence on the US market and discussed cooperative measures with Senator Bill Hagerty.

SOURCE Hyosung Corporation
DUBAI, UAE, Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Ideal Standard has launched its new Gusto tap range, designed specifically for kitchens. Gusto marks Ideal Standard's latest expansion into the kitchen sector, offering a versatile, practical and premium solution to its growing portfolio.

Gusto kitchen tap collection

The Gusto collection has been developed and designed with immense attention to detail, supported by over 100 years of knowledge and innovation in brassware manufacturing, which has placed Ideal Standard firmly at the forefront of the bathroom and washroom sector. The new taps offer a striking Italian aesthetic  provided by design powerhouse Palomba Serafini Associati (PS+A) and its Founder and Chief Design Officer of Ideal Standard Roberto Palomba  helping to create a solution which perfectly complements contemporary kitchens.

The range is available in two different styles, Gusto Round, a classic and elegant curved design and Gusto Square a bolder, contemporary square shape. Both styles come in a variety of models featuring pull-out spout options as well as dual spray modes, enabling users to easily clean plates and cookware, switching between regular water flow and spray action at the press of a button.

The Gusto iMX model was specially developed with cleanliness and convenience in mind. An integrated soap dispenser delivers soap at the push of a button, meaning washing-up liquid is always within reach, helping create a neater kitchen worksurface and improving cleanliness around food preparation areas. The collection also includes semi-professional and professional models that feature flexible spouts, pull-down spray heads with practical magnetic holders, and integrated dual-spray buttons, providing at-home chefs with the best in design and performance.

Full of industry-leading technology, the Gusto sink mixers are available in traditional chrome, alongside Ideal Standard's bespoke PVD (physical vapour deposition) finishes. PVD is a superior metal surface that is significantly harder and more durable than other coatings. Independent testing demonstrates that the PVD-finished taps from Ideal Standard are so durable, they are still free from scratches and abrasion marks after 10,000 use cycles. The sophisticated shades of silver storm, brushed gold, magnetic grey and sunset rose make Gusto a standout design feature for contemporary kitchen spaces.

German-engineered and manufactured in Europe, the collection is built to last with its FirmaFlow+ cartridge, which is capable of more than 750,000 use cycles, ten times the EU norm, while LightMove technology ensures an effortless, smooth and precise adjustment of water flow and temperature.

Installation has also been considered when it comes to Gusto. The EasyFix+ technology enables tool-free fitting and reduces installation time by up to 50% when compared to other standard market taps.

Speaking on the range, Frederick Trzcinski, VP Marketing & Innovation Middle East and Africa at Ideal Standard MENA, said, "We are thrilled about the upcoming launch of Gusto, a perfect representation of our capabilities in the kitchen sector. With this range, we bring together our innovative technology and the elegant design expertise of Ludovica + Roberto Palomba to create striking solutions that are both functional and visually appealing. The addition of a bold color palette elevates the look of any kitchen, and you can trust in its reliability and practicality."

For more information about the Gusto range, visit: www.idealstandardgulf.com

About Ideal Standard

Ideal Standard International, leading provider of innovative bathroom solutions, is a privately-owned company headquartered in Brussels, Belgium, operating in over 60 countries across Europe, Middle East and Africa. Ideal Standard MENA, part of Ideal Standard International, is focusing on the growth and massive business opportunities of Middle East, Egypt and Africa, with Head Offices in Dubai, UAE.

Ideal Standard heritage is in understanding how bathroom works in totality. With total bathroom solutions as its core business for over 100 years, the company designs, manufactures and supplies ceramic sanitary ware products, bathroom mixers, furniture and accessories, bathing & showering solutions for residential, commercial and institutional buildings. Ideal Standard is the company's international flagship brand for bathroom solutions across all regions. Moreover, the company owns leading European brands: Armitage Shanks, Porcher, Jado and Vidima.

Ideal Standard Gulf, the business entity encapsulating the Middle East region, operates from its Head Offices in Dubai, UAE. In November 2016, the Design Bathroom Centre opened, first-of-its-kind in the region, located on Sheikh Zayed Road in Dubai. The Ideal Standard, Armitage Shanks, Porcher, Jado, Vidima and American Standard branded products are supplied in the Middle East sanitary ware market by esteemed business partners across the different countries.

Media Contact:

Reem Masswadeh

M: +971 (05)0 583 9330

E: [email protected]

Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2011476/Gusto_kitchen.jpg

SOURCE Ideal Standard
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- On February 22, Jazeera Paints, the color, paint, and construction solutions pioneer in Saudi Arabia, the Middle East, and North Africa, celebrated Saudi Founding Day at its Riyadh headquarters. Employees and their families from Jazeera Paints, as well as visitors to the showroom, attended to celebrate our national legacy and history.

In Celebration of three centuries of peace, stability and Extended Glory Jazeera Paints commemorates Founding Day. (PRNewsfoto/Jazeera Paints) In Celebration of three centuries of peace, stability and Extended Glory Jazeera Paints commemorates Founding Day. (PRNewsfoto/Jazeera Paints) In Celebration of three centuries of peace, stability and Extended Glory Jazeera Paints commemorates Founding Day. (PRNewsfoto/Jazeera Paints) In Celebration of three centuries of peace, stability and Extended Glory Jazeera Paints commemorates Founding Day. (PRNewsfoto/Jazeera Paints)

On Founding Day, the activities varied, but they all reflected our nation's rich and authentic culture. Swaying to the rhythm of traditional Saudi music, everyone gathered and enjoyed the activities, from the traditional folklore dance, which delighted the guests, to the handicrafts knitted by the worm and the kind hands of grandparents. The activities brought back childhood games that were a big part of our past contentment. The attendees, both young and old, dressed in traditional costumes that highlighted the distinct cultural identities of each Saudi region.

The celebration activities were diverse and rich. The odorless Novel Charm was displayed to showcase its ability to create beautiful artistic styles that are inspired by our heritage. Mashashco was another vocal point that embraced the meaning of tradition by reinforcing the traditional mud look of our ancestors' houses.

Our Founding Day exasperated the patriotic feelings of belonging to our homeland and appreciation for our own heritage, while also sharing hope for the future and pride in the past to restore a great legacy. Founding Day is a three-century history of pride and glory, and an emblem of our historical roots. The past, in which our identity is rooted, and the present, which plants the seeds of continued growth. On our Founding Day, we celebrate our culture and heritage to build the nation's tomorrow.

About Jazeera Paints

Founded in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in 1979, Jazeera Paints is a pioneering paint manufacturer in the Gulf Cooperation Council and Middle East and North Africa region, with an established reputation for manufacturing and exporting high-quality and eco-friendly paints. Since the founding of the company, its production capacity has grown to 400,000 tons annually, and Jazeera Paints is now displayed in more than 650 active showrooms!

Video - https://youtu.be/QNiljY3sMS8

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2011564/Jazeera_Paints1.jpg

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2011565/Jazeera_Paints2.jpg

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2011566/Jazeera_Paints3.jpg

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2011567/Jazeera_Paints4.jpg

SOURCE Jazeera Paints
SANTA BARBARA, Calif., Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Inc. Magazine revealed today that Mission Wealth is No. 151 on its third annual Inc. 5000 Regionals: Pacific list, the most prestigious ranking of the fastest-growing Pacific private companies. Born of the annual Inc. 5000 franchise, this regional list represents a unique look at the most successful private companies within the Pacific economy generating sustainable growth and jobs.

"Our passion for cultivating an incredible team culture and providing proactive planning, robust investment solutions, and caring service for our clients fuels our growth at Mission Wealth." said Chief Impact Officer Seth Streeter. "We are building a unique national brand that promotes financial success and life fulfillment."

Inc. Magazine Ranks Mission Wealth #151 on List of Pacific Region's Fastest-Growing Private Companies Tweet this

The companies on this list show a remarkable rate of growth across all industries in the Pacific. Between 2019 and 2021, these private companies had an average growth rate of 178 percent and in 2021 alone, they added 14,526 jobs and $7.1 billion to the Pacific region's economy. The complete list of the Inc. 5000 Regionals: Pacific, including company profiles and an interactive database, can be found at inc.com/regionals/pacific starting February 28, 2023.

"This year's Inc. 5000 Regional winners represent one of the most exceptional and exciting lists of America's off-the-charts growth companies. They're disrupters and job creators, and all delivered an outsize impact on the economy. Remember their names and follow their lead. These are the companies you'll be hearing about for years to come." said Scott Omelianuk, editor-in-chief of Inc. magazine.

About Inc. and the Inc. 5000 Regionals

The world's most trusted business-media brand, Inc. offers entrepreneurs the knowledge, tools, connections, and community to build great companies. Its prestigious Inc. 5000 list, produced every year since 1982, analyzes company data to recognize the fastest-growing privately held businesses in the United States. The 2023 Inc. 5000 Regionals are ranked according to percentage revenue growth when comparing 2019 and 2021. For the full methodology, please visit the company website .

About Mission Wealth

Mission Wealth is a nationally recognized Registered Investment Advisor, managing over $5.2 billion in assets, and is 100% employee-owned. For more information on Mission Wealth's values or services, please visit www.missionwealth.com or call (805) 882-2360 .

Website | LinkedIn | Instagram | YouTube

00461080 02/23

Media Contact:

Michelle Winkles

(805) 729-2917

[email protected]

SOURCE Mission Wealth Management, LP
Success Driven by High-Quality Ingredients and Precision Manufacturing

SANTA CLARITA, Calif., Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Inc. has named CC Wellness  a recognized leader in FDA 510(k) premarket certification and top-tier pharmaceutical company that specializes in the development of Class II medical devices as well as cosmetic, OTC, and organic products  one of the fastest-growing private companies on the West Coast.

Inc. Regionals Pacific 2023

"This recognition is continued validation of our vision. Our brands' success and that of our white label partners is grounded in a Pharmacopeia-grade ISO 90001- and 1345-certified process in which our high-quality ingredients are monitored closely, in-house, at every stage, in every batch," CC Wellness Chairman Marek J. Olszewski said. "That's why so many of our white label formulations are found in lubricants sold across the competitive intimate wellness market."

Beyond strict raw materials testing and quality manufacturing processes that go above industry standards of batch control, the company's focus on extreme quality has reinvented the precision manufacturing process for intimate wellness products.

The CC Wellness winning entry in the third annual Inc. 5000 Regionals: Pacific list  the most prestigious ranking of the fastest-growing Pacific private companies, based in California, Oregon, Washington, Alaska, and Hawaii  highlighted "our category leadership in FDA 510(K) premarket certification, our use of the safest ingredients, and our celebration of shame-free intimate wellness as a pillar of health," CC Wellness Chief Strategy Officer Mimi Anderson said.

CC Wellness has a phenomenal record in creating FDA 510(k)-cleared formulas, a certification which means the FDA agrees that the manufacturer's medical device is safe and effective.

"CC Wellness holds 24 personal lubricant FDA 510(k) certifications, the most of any white label manufacturer and second only to CPG giant Reckitt," Anderson noted, "which is incredible when you consider our relative size to Reckitt."

Anderson added that CC Wellness has its own consumer brands  #LubeLife , JO , and Muse Health , as well as recently acquired premier brand Shibari , one of the top-selling lubricant labels on Amazon  separate from its flourishing Make Waves white label business.

Inc. reported that the companies on this list show a remarkable rate of growth across all industries in the Pacific. Between 2019 and 2021, these private companies had an average growth rate of 559 percent and, in 2021 alone, they added 14,536 jobs and $4.6 billion to the Pacific region's economy.

Complete results of the Inc. 5000 Regionals: Pacific, including company profiles and an interactive database that can be sorted by industry, metro area, and other criteria, can be found at inc.com/pacific starting February 28, 2023.

"This year's Inc. 5000 Regional winners represent one of the most exceptional and exciting lists of America's off-the-charts growth companies. They're disrupters and job creators, and all delivered an outsize impact on the economy. Remember their names and follow their lead. These are the companies you'll be hearing about for years to come," said Scott Omelianuk, editor-in-chief of Inc. magazine.

About CC Wellness

Founded in 2003, CC Wellness is a world-class pharmaceutical company specializing in the development of Class II medical devices as well as cosmetic, OTC, and organic products. We celebrate shame-free intimate wellness as a pillar of health and are recognized as a market leader within the category given our unrivaled technical expertise and portfolio of innovative, disruptive and high-quality brands. A leader in FDA 510(k) premarket certification and ISO-certified manufacturing, we pride ourselves on going beyond industry standards for quality and safety and use only U.S. Pharmacopeia-grade ingredients. Due to our strict testing and validation manufacturing procedures, we have never had a recall. Our two divisions:

Consumer intimate wellness and personal care brands include , #LubeLife the #1 consumer-rated personal lubricant brand on Amazon, JO the #1 intimate wellness brand in U.S. specialty retail, and Muse Health hand sanitizers.

include the #1 consumer-rated personal lubricant brand on Amazon, the #1 intimate wellness brand in U.S. specialty retail, and Make WAVES white label service provides turnkey and white label formula development to partners across FDM (food/drug/mass) retail, specialty retail, and e-Commerce channels.

More about Inc. and the Inc. 5000 Regionals

Methodology

The 2023 Inc. 5000 Regionals are ranked according to percentage revenue growth when comparing 2019 and 2021. To qualify, companies must have been founded and generating revenue by March 31, 2019. They had to be U.S.-based, privately held, for-profit, and independentnot subsidiaries or divisions of other companiesas of December 31, 2021. (Since then, a number of companies on the list have gone public or been acquired.) The minimum revenue required for 2019 is $100,000; the minimum for 2021 is $1 million. As always, Inc. reserves the right to decline applicants for subjective reasons.

About Inc. Media

The world's most trusted business-media brand, Inc. offers entrepreneurs the knowledge, tools, connections, and community to build great companies. Its award-winning multiplatform content reaches more than 50 million people each month across a variety of channels including websites, newsletters, social media, podcasts, and print. Its prestigious Inc. 5000 list, produced every year since 1982, analyzes company data to recognize the fastest-growing privately held businesses in the United States. The global recognition that comes with inclusion in the 5000 gives the founders of the best businesses an opportunity to engage with an exclusive community of their peers and the credibility that helps them drive sales and recruit talent.

SOURCE CC Wellness
PHILADELPHIA, Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Independence Health Group (Independence) today announced leadership changes including the promotions of Susan Larkin to Executive Vice President and President, Core Commercial Markets; Mike Sullivan to Executive Vice President and President, Diversified Markets; and Koleen Cavanaugh to Senior Vice President of Marketing and Chief Marketing Officer. The company also announced that Crystal Ashby is now Executive Vice President, Chief People, DEI, and Communications Officer.

Independence Blue Cross leadership announcement

"Independence is fortunate to have a strong, experienced and committed executive team," said Independence President and CEO Gregory E. Deavens. "Their expertise and vision, and our associates' dedication and commitment, are the reasons Independence has earned the trust of the people in our region as both Philadelphia's hometown insurer and a national healthcare organization. Our company is extremely well positioned to innovate, grow, and thrive as we mark 85 years serving our members, customers, and community."

Susan Larkin joined Independence 13 years ago. During her tenure, she has held key leadership roles across the Sales and Marketing organization and has been deeply committed to developing innovative solutions and delivering an excellent experience for members, clients, and other stakeholders. She most recently served as Senior Vice President, Health Markets. In that role, Larkin leveraged her deep industry experience to drive P&L operating results across all segments by optimizing revenue opportunities and driving administrative and medical cost efficiencies. Larkin also had full accountability for delivering pharmacy services and solutions in her prior role.



Larkin has over two decades of experience producing innovative solutions in the health care industry. Over the course of her career, she established a multi-faceted regional health care consulting practice which later merged with a national benefits firm. Larkin received a bachelor of science degree in accounting with a concentration in mathematics from Widener University .

Mike Sullivan has been with Independence for eight years, serving most recently as Chief Sales Officer and President, Diversified Markets. In his tenure at Independence , Sullivan's leadership strengthened the company's sales and retention efforts across all fully insured and self-funded commercial segments, including large and national employers, consumers, and small- and mid-market customers.



Sullivan brought an extensive history of health care experience in both sales and leadership positions to his role with the company. Before joining Independence , Sullivan was the CEO of HM Insurance Group, CEO of United Concordia, and president of Health Markets at Highmark, Inc. Sullivan received a bachelor of arts degree in political science from Williams College .

Koleen Cavanaugh has more than thirty years of experience with Independence , having joined the company soon after graduating from Villanova University . She most recently served as Vice President of Marketing. Cavanaugh will drive innovation on the organization's marketing team, support the company's sales associates, and improve outcomes for members, clients, and brokers. Cavanaugh will also focus on growing the company's strong brand in the marketplace.



In her tenure with Independence Cavanaugh has held multiple leadership roles in the Marketing organization. She played an integral role in developing and executing the company's Affordable Care Act marketing strategy, launched Independence's digital marketing outreach capabilities, led the development and build out of Independence's retail center, Independence LIVE, and crafted Independence's member experience strategy. She most recently worked with the Marketing team to create the company's newest ad campaign, highlighting Independence's deep Philadelphia roots and the company's unwavering commitment to its members.

Crystal Ashby joined Independence in 2021 as Executive Vice President and Chief People Officer. Ashby will continue to lead Independence's Human Resource division, including the organization's people and talent strategies. With her added accountabilities, she will lead, integrate, and advance the company's diversity, equity, and inclusion goals, and will have continued oversight of the company's corporate communications functions.



Prior to joining Independence , Ashby served as interim president and CEO at The Executive Leadership Council. Her career includes 22 years at BP, most recently serving as executive vice president of Government and Public Affairs and Strategic University Relationships. Prior to joining Amoco/BP, Ashby practiced as a litigation attorney. She earned a Juris Doctor from DePaul University College of Law and dual bachelor's degrees in English and psychology from the University of Michigan .

"Independence's commitment to the health and well-being of the communities that we serve is unparalleled. Together, our talented associate population and our experienced leadership team will work to ensure that our members continue to have access to affordable high quality health care," Deavens said.

Independence Health Group, Inc. (Independence) serves the health insurance needs of Philadelphia and Southeastern Pennsylvania through its subsidiary Independence Blue Cross  both independent licensees of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. Through its affiliates and subsidiaries, Independence operates in 27 states and the District of Columbia serving 8.3 million members nationally, including 3.5 million in Southeastern Pennsylvania.

SOURCE Independence Blue Cross
INEO achieved 50% increase in year-over-year revenue and 92% increase in gross profit in fiscal second quarter 2023.

INEO is progressing quickly with its 2023 roll-out schedule having installed INEO Welcoming Systems across eleven states in the US.

SURREY, BC, Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ - INEO Tech Corp. (TSXV: INEO) (OTCQB: INEOF) (the "Company" or "INEO"), the innovative developer and operator of the INEO Media Network, a digital advertising and analytics solution for retailers, today announced it has filed its Interim Consolidated Quarterly Financial Statements and Management's Discussion and Analysis on SEDAR.com for the Company's fiscal second quarter ended December 31, 2022.

INEO Achieves 50% Growth with Record Quarterly Revenue in Fiscal Second Quarter. INEO achieved 50% increase in year-over-year revenue and 92% increase in gross profit in fiscal second quarter 2023. INEO is progressing quickly with its 2023 roll-out schedule having installed INEO Welcoming Systems across eleven states in the US. INEO Retail Media Network (CNW Group/INEO Tech Corp.)

"We are very pleased with our fiscal second quarter results in which INEO reported a 50% increase in revenue and a 92% increase in gross profit," said Greg Watkin, Chairman and Founder of INEO. "This calendar year has started off well for the Company as we are in the midst of the largest customer rollout in the Company's history. We shipped more units in the month of February than we did in the entire past year. Furthermore, the Company has large scale installations already booked in additional geographic areas within the United States. We continue to be active in installing more systems with our major retail partners, while also installing trial systems with potential new retail partners. We are very excited with the growth opportunities in our sales pipeline."

Fiscal Second Quarter 2023 Financial Highlights:

INEO generated $386,425 of revenue for the three months ended December 31, 2022 , representing an increase of 50% as compared to revenue of $256,987 for the three months ended December 31, 2021 .

of revenue for the three months ended , representing an increase of 50% as compared to revenue of for the three months ended . INEO generated gross profit for the three months ended December 31, 2022 , of $181,210 , as compared to gross profit of $94,296 for the quarter ended December 31, 2021 , representing an increase of 92%, driven by an increase in higher margin INEO loss prevention products.

, of , as compared to gross profit of for the quarter ended , representing an increase of 92%, driven by an increase in higher margin INEO loss prevention products. INEO achieved gross margin percentage of 46.89% for the three months ended December 31, 2022 , compared to gross margin percentage of 36.69% for the quarter ended December 31, 2021 .

, compared to gross margin percentage of 36.69% for the quarter ended . Net loss for the three months ended December 31, 2022 was $981,707 or $0.01 per share compared to net loss of $761,776 or $0.01 per share for the three months ended December 31, 2021 .

was or per share compared to net loss of or per share for the three months ended . Adjusted EBITDA loss for the three months ended December 31, 2022 was $856,281 , compared to Adjusted EBITDA loss of $669,711 for the three months ended December 31, 2021 .

was , compared to Adjusted EBITDA loss of for the three months ended . INEO had $2,346,017 of cash and cash equivalents at December 31, 2022 , compared to $1,706,048 of cash and cash equivalents at June 30 , 2022.

of cash and cash equivalents at , compared to of cash and cash equivalents at , 2022. As at December 31, 2022 , the Company had 76,143,709 shares issued and outstanding.

Fiscal Second Quarter 2023 Business Highlights:

On October 19, 2022 , INEO filed for a design patent in Canada for its INEO Welcoming Gate system, a companion system to the INEO Welcoming Pedestal. This patent has now been extended with a global priority filing to include the United States and Europe .

, INEO filed for a design patent in for its INEO Welcoming Gate system, a companion system to the INEO Welcoming Pedestal. This patent has now been extended with a global priority filing to include and . On November 17, 2022 , completed its Public Offering of units, Private Placement of units and notes for total proceeds of C$2.74 million . The Offering was completed by way of a short-form prospectus. The Company intends to use the net proceeds from the Offering for the manufacturing and deployment of the INEO Welcoming System to existing and future customers, as well as for working capital and general corporate purposes.

, completed its Public Offering of units, Private Placement of units and notes for total proceeds of . The Offering was completed by way of a short-form prospectus. The Company intends to use the net proceeds from the Offering for the manufacturing and deployment of the INEO Welcoming System to existing and future customers, as well as for working capital and general corporate purposes. On December 30, 2022 , INEO announced the addition of Eugene Syho to its Board of Directors and Audit Committee. Mr. Syho brings a wealth of finance, technology and public company experience to the Board of INEO as a seasoned finance executive with over 25 years of proven financial management experience across many diverse industries.

Events Subsequent to December 31, 2022:

On January 11, 2023 , INEO announced it would be debuting the first RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) enabled version of the INEO Welcoming System inside the Prosegur Security tradeshow booth at National Retail Federation's "NRF 2023  Retail's Big Show" retail industry expo and conference in New York City .

, INEO announced it would be debuting the first RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) enabled version of the INEO Welcoming System inside the Prosegur Security tradeshow booth at National Retail Federation's "NRF 2023  Retail's Big Show" retail industry expo and conference in . On February 8, 2023 , INEO announced the Company's latest product innovation, the INEO Welcoming Greeter. The Welcoming Greeter is a stand-alone pedestal-based advertising display which delivers expanded messaging and increased advertising capabilities for retailers. With the debut of the INEO Welcoming Greeter, INEO has one of the most comprehensive and complete suites of Retail Media Network products on the market.

, INEO announced the Company's latest product innovation, the INEO Welcoming Greeter. The Welcoming Greeter is a stand-alone pedestal-based advertising display which delivers expanded messaging and increased advertising capabilities for retailers. With the debut of the INEO Welcoming Greeter, INEO has one of the most comprehensive and complete suites of Retail Media Network products on the market. On February 22, 2023 , the Company announced it has successfully completed installations in over 50 retail stores located in New York City , San Francisco , Los Angeles and cities in nine additional states including Tennessee , New Jersey , Pennsylvania , New Hampshire , Massachusetts , North Carolina , Virginia , Washington and Florida .

Kyle Hall, CEO of INEO commented on the Company's progress, "We have been making great strides in pushing forward the key INEO business initiatives. In the next quarter we expect to be installing a record number of systems into retail stores in the United States. Our technology has been accepted as unparalleled in the retail industry and we are building solid long-term relationship with our customers."

Outlook:

The overall outlook for INEO remains positive. The Company is now actively deploying systems and ramping up its installation locations with contracted customers across North America. INEO is landing wins with large retailers, expanding its location footprint and ramping up its revenues.

INEO's key objectives for fiscal 2023 are as follows:

Increase revenues through the deployment of systems to INEO's leading retail customers.

Expand the INEO Media Network, in key geographical markets across North America and South America .

and . Support Prosegur with its growth and initiatives with key retailers across the globe, including converting large retail customers from trialing the Welcoming System to fully contracted customer roll-outs.

INEO's technology has been proven out and has been validated by a global partnership with Prosegur. INEO has created a healthy sales pipeline consisting of both direct sales customers and Prosegur's customers, including grocery, home hardware, apparel and wholesale club retail chains from North America, South America and Europe. INEO has seeded the market with trial systems and expects to convert these trials into full scale roll-outs in the coming quarters.

As retailers continue to invest in retail tech for improving the customer experience, advertising and analytics are becoming increasingly important in the modern retail environment. INEO is well positioned to take advantage of these trends with market leading technology and programmatic advertising partners which will enhance the Company's future growth. INEO's current focus is to continue to accelerate its customer deployments to a create critical mass of systems on the INEO Media Network.

Despite the current challenging macroeconomic environment INEO is experiencing an increase in its sales activity leading to increased quarterly revenue over the past year. We look forward to announcing new customer wins in the coming quarters leading to substantial expansion of INEO's Media Network.

The Company also announces it has granted incentive stock options to certain directors, officers and employees of the Company to acquire an aggregate of 2,855,000 common shares in the capital of the Company at an exercise price of $0.12 in accordance with the Company's 10% rolling incentive stock option plan. The stock options vest 25% annually starting on February 28, 2024, the one-year anniversary of the grant date, and expire according to the terms of the Company stock option plan.

Webinar Details:

The Company will hold a webinar to discuss its results and provide an outlook on the business, on Tuesday, February 28, 2023 at 10:00 am PT (1:00 pm ET).

Webinar Registration: https://bit.ly/INEO-Q2-2023 Date: Tuesday, February 28, 2023 Time: 10:00 am PT (1:00 pm ET) Dial-in: 778-907-2071 (Vancouver local)

647-374-4685 (Toronto local) Confirmation #: 835 1626 0163



Select Financial Highlights:

OPERATIONAL HIGHLIGHTS For the three months ended

31-Dec-22 31-Dec-21 Sales $ 386,425 $ 256,987 Cost of Sales (205,215) (162,691) Gross Profit 181,210 94,296 Profit Margin 46.89 % 36.69 %





Total Expenses (1,129,765) (859,950) Other Income (Expenses) (33,152) 3,878 Net loss and comprehensive loss (981,707) (761,776) Basic and diluted loss per share (0.01) (0.01) Weighted average number of common shares

outstanding (basic and diluted) 67,820,107 60,170,462 EBITDA (1): $ (856,281) $ (669,711)

1 See section below Reconciliation of Net Loss to Adjusted EBITDA



Footnotes:

Readers are cautioned that Adjusted EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization and Stock Compensation), does not have standardized meanings prescribed by IFRS and is considered a non-IFRS measure. Adjusted EBITDA is a useful supplemental measure of the Company's performance prior to consideration of how operations are financed or how results are taxed or how depreciation and amortization affects results. Adjusted EBITDA is not intended to represent net earnings calculated in accordance with IFRS.

On behalf of the Board of Directors

Kyle Hall, CEO,

INEO Tech Corp.

About INEO Tech Corp. (TSXV: INEO; OTCQB: INEOF)

INEO Tech Corp., through its wholly owned subsidiary, INEO Solutions Inc., operates the INEO Media Network, a digital advertising and analytics solution for retailers. INEO's patented technology integrates and monetizes digital screens with theft detection sensor gates at the entrance of retail stores. The Company's cloud-based platform uses IoT (Internet of Things) and AI (Artificial Intelligence) technology to deliver customized digital advertising to each retail location based on the demographic mix, such as age and gender, of customer traffic at each location. The Company also deploys the INEO Welcoming Network technology through a SaaS-based solution to larger retail chains. INEO is headquartered in Surrey, Canada and publicly traded on the TSX-Venture Exchange under the symbol "INEO" and on the OTCQB-Venture Market under the symbol "INEOF".

For more information please visit:

For more information please visit:

Website: www.ineosolutionsinc.com

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/ineosolutions

Facebook: www.facebook.com/ineosolutionsinc

Instagram: www.instagram.com/ineosolutionsinc

Twitter: www.twitter.com/INEOsolutions

Forward-Looking Statements

Investors are cautioned that, except as disclosed in the disclosure document, any information released or received with respect to the Company may not be accurate or complete and should not be relied upon. Trading in securities of the Company should be considered highly speculative.

This news release contains forward-looking information, which involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual events to differ materially from current expectations. Important factors  including the availability of funds, acceptance of the Company's products, competition, and general market conditions  that could cause actual results to differ materially from the Company's expectations are disclosed in the Company's documents filed on SEDAR, including the Annual Information Form for the year ended June 30, 2022 filed on SEDAR on November 4, 2022. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation, except to the extent required by law, to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

SOURCE INEO Tech Corp.
DUBLIN, Feb. 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Global Healthcare Interoperability Solutions Market (2022-2027) by Components, Level, End-Users, Healthcare Providers, and Geography, Competitive Analysis and the Impact of Covid-19 with Ansoff Analysis" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The Global Healthcare Interoperability Solutions Market is estimated to be USD 3.25 Bn in 2022 and is expected to reach USD 5.73 Bn by 2027, growing at a CAGR of 12.01%

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 Allscripts Healthcare Solutions, Inc., Cerner Corp. (Oracle Corp.), Change Healthcare, Cognizant Technology Solutions Corp., Epic Systems Corp. (Compass Group Equity Partners), etc.

Countries Studied

America ( Argentina , Brazil , Canada , Chile , Colombia , Mexico , Peru , United States , Rest of Americas)

, , , , , , , , Rest of Americas) Europe ( Austria , Belgium , Denmark , Finland , France , Germany , Italy , Netherlands , Norway , Poland , Russia , Spain , Sweden , Switzerland , United Kingdom , Rest of Europe )

( , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Rest of ) Middle-East and Africa ( Egypt , Israel , Qatar , Saudi Arabia , South Africa , United Arab Emirates , Rest of MEA)

and ( , , , , , , Rest of MEA) Asia-Pacific ( Australia , Bangladesh , China , India , Indonesia , Japan , Malaysia , Philippines , Singapore , South Korea , Sri Lanka , Thailand , Taiwan , Rest of Asia-Pacific )

Competitive Quadrant

The report includes Competitive Quadrant, a proprietary tool to analyze and evaluate the position of companies based on their Industry Position score and Market Performance score. The tool uses various factors for categorizing the players into four categories. Some of these factors considered for analysis are financial performance over the last 3 years, growth strategies, innovation score, new product launches, investments, growth in market share, etc.

Ansoff Analysis

The report presents a detailed Ansoff matrix analysis for the Global Healthcare Interoperability solutions 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 Healthcare Interoperability solutions 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 Healthcare Interoperability solutions 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 Expenditure to Improve Health Care Facilities

Favorable Government Initiatives to Enhance Patient Care and Safety

Rising Need to Curb Growing Healthcare Costs

Restraints

Dearth of Standards and Utilization of Archaic Legacy Systems

Opportunities

Increasing Investments in Health Care Sector of Emerging Countries

Ongoing Launch of New Products with Proliferation of Collaboration among Key Market Players

Challenges

Issues Pertinent to Data Privacy and Rising Complexity Due to Inconsistent Data

Market Segmentation

The Global Healthcare Interoperability solutions Market is segmented based on Components, Level, End-Users, Healthcare Providers, and Geography.

By Components, the market is classified into Services and Software.

By Level, the market is classified into Foundational Interoperability, Semantic Interoperability, and Structural Interoperability.

By End-Users, the market is classified into Healthcare Providers, Healthcare Payers, and Pharmacies.

By Healthcare Providers, the market is classified into Hospitals & Clinics, Long-term Care Centers, and Diagnostics & Imaging Centers.

By Geography, the market is classified into the Americas, Europe , Middle-East & Africa , and Asia-Pacific .

Companies Mentioned

Allscripts Healthcare Solutions, Inc.

Cerner Corp. (Oracle Corp.)

Change Healthcare

Cognizant Technology Solutions Corp.

Epic Systems Corp. (Compass Group Equity Partners)

IBM Watson Health

Infor, Inc.

Interfaceware, Inc.

InterSystems Corp.

Jitterbit, Inc.

Koninklijke Philips N.V.

Lyniate

Medical Information Technology, Inc.

NextGen Healthcare, Inc.

Onyx Technology, LLC

Orion Health Group Ltd.

OSP Labs

Summit Health Services, Inc.

Virtusa Corp.

ViSolve, Inc.

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/d9qjlu-healthcare?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
Winners selected based on industry achievements, support, and active involvement in driving innovation

HARTFORD, Conn., Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- InsurTech Hartford, a thriving community of InsurTech startups, investors, solution providers, agents and brokers, and insurance carriers, is pleased to announce the honorees of the organization's inaugural 2023 Industry Influencer Awards. The awards will be given as part of the opening ceremony at InsurTech Hartford Symposium 2023 held at the Mohegan Sun Casino and Resort on May 2-3 2023.

2023 honorees are being presented with the InsurTech Hartford Industry Influencer award in recognition for making waves and changing currents in the ocean of insurance. It recognizes each influencer's significant contributions toward driving industry innovation forward and making a substantial and positive impact on the industry.

This year's honorees include:

Rob Galbraith | Founder & CEO | Forestview Insights

Brian Falchuk | President & CEO | Property and Liability Resource Bureau

Adrian Jones | Partner | HSCM Ventures

Lisa Wardlaw | President & Founder | 360 Digital Immersion

Patrick Kelahan | Chief Elephant | The Insurance Elephant Incubator

Christopher Frankland | Founder | InsurTech360

Matteo Carbone | Founder & Director | IoT Insurance Observatory

Ema Roloff | Director of North America P&C Sales | EIS

David Gritz | Co-Founder | InsurTech NY

Gilad Shai | Managing Director | BMI Capital International LLC

Abel Travis | VP and Head of Fundamental Underwriters | AF-Group

Denise Garth | Chief Strategy Officer | Majesco

"As an organization that values innovative thought leadership, it is a privilege for us to showcase these individuals, especially at our biggest event. It's important to recognize influencers who are driving a positive future and inspiring us to do better," said Stacey Brown, Founder of InsurTech Hartford.

Insurance professionals, startup founders, entrepreneurs, and investors look forward to InsurTech Hartford Symposium for the chance to come together in a high-energy environment with ample educational and networking opportunities that empower the global insurance industry. Last month, InsurTech Hartford announced several influential industry organizations, such as the Aite-Novarica Group (Aite-Novarica) and The Insurance IoT Observatory, will be co-locating major member meetings at InsurTech Hartford Symposium.

For more information on the 2023 InsurTech Hartford Symposium or to register, please visit https://insurtechhartfordsymposium.com.

About InsurTech Hartford (ITH)

InsurTech Hartford is a thriving InsurTech ecosystem founded in 2016 with global startup, agent/broker, carrier, solution provider, and investor constituents. With a proven track record of creating industry engagement and collaboration through high-impact networking events, conferences, virtual education, and innovation initiatives, InsurTech Hartford draws a dynamic, executive-level audience from all lines of the (re)insurance business. For more information, please visit www.insurtechhartford.com.

Contact:

***@insurtechhartford.com

Photo(s):

https://www.prlog.org/12953107

Press release distributed by PRLog

SOURCE InsurTech Hartford
DUBLIN, Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Integrated Traffic 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 integrated traffic systems market was valued at US$ 23.56 Bn in 2021 and is anticipated to grow to US$ 44.01 Bn expanding at a CAGR of 7.2% during the forecast period from 2022 to 2030. For decades, the proliferating complexities of urban traffic has been forcing city planners and government authorities to find smarter ways to control the traffic.

Government authorities are inclined towards traffic management solutions that improve mobility by reducing traffic congestion, ensure road safety and above all limits serious environmental damage due to increased pollution. Systematic improvements in traffic management is one of the prominent solutions to address the on-going challenge of urban dependence on transport. Integrated traffic system aims at improving the effectiveness and efficiency of traffic system.

Traffic Monitoring to Dominate; Traffic Control set to Register Maximum Growth throughout the Forecast Period

Based on application, the global integrated traffic system market is categorized into traffic monitoring, traffic operation and traffic control. Traffic Monitoring, being one of the most important application is dominant and is expected to register significant growth throughout the forecast period. This is due to the information gathered by the use of traffic monitoring systems, providing benefits including road safety, real-time traffic observation, and reducing vehicle-related crimes among others.

It helps in avoiding illegal driving practices, tracking and penalizing based on vehicle registration number. Lack of state-of-the-art transport infrastructure in both developed and developing economies are propelling the development of new and advanced technologies. In contrast, traffic control systems provides advanced solutions to improve traffic flow in the urban areas.

Through optimum usage of transport infrastructure, traffic control systems such as advanced traffic light controllers and parking systems among others, are providing more efficient utilization of mobility networks, improved traffic safety and reduced environmental impact. As a result of these factors, the integrated traffic systems market growth is bolstered.

Europe Dominates followed by North America; Asia Pacific Touted to Register Highest Growth during the Forecast Period

In 2021, Europe was the largest value contributing region to the global integrated traffic system market trailed by North America. Europe is expected to grow steadily during the forecast period from 2022 to 2030. This is due to the presence of state-of-the-art infrastructure and the early adoption of technology in countries such as Germany, the U.K. among others. In contrast, Asia Pacific region is anticipated to register fastest growth during the forecast period on the back of large investments made by multiple organizations, rapid urbanization among others. The demand for integrated traffic systems in Asia Pacific is propelled due to rising emphasis on safety and focus on emission free environment in developing countries such as China, and India.

Market Segmentation

Offerings

Services

Solutions

Application

Traffic Monitoring

Traffic Operation

Traffic control

Component

Sensors

Video Vehicle Detection

Display Board

Surveillance Camera

Radar

Others (Interface boards, Smart traffic lights)

Key questions answered in this report

What are the key micro and macro environmental factors that are impacting the growth of Integrated Traffic 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 Integrated Traffic System market?

Which is the largest regional market for Integrated Traffic 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 Integrated Traffic System market growth?

Who are the key competitors and what are their key strategies to enhance their market presence in the Integrated Traffic System market worldwide?

Companies Mentioned

Sumitomo Electric Industries

Citilog SA

Cubic Corporation

Siemens

EFKON India pvt. Ltd.

Imtac LLC

Intelvision Technologies Ltd.

Iteris Inc.

Nuance Communications Inc.

Savari Inc.

Thales Group S.A

TransCore LP

Swarco Holding

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/5qz20z

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

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SOURCE Research and Markets
BOSTON, Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Lipresti Law, a Bay State firm dedicated to business legal matters, is pleased to announce that intellectual property and technology law attorney Daniel Batterman, Esq., has joined the firm.

Batterman has nearly three decades of experience representing and advising businesses on matters of intellectual property, technology, and contract laws. He was named by Boston Magazine as one of Boston's top intellectual property lawyers in 2022.

Boston Technology Attorney Daniel Batterman joins Lipresti Law to provide cost-effective legal counsel on intellectual property, technology, internet, and contract law.

"We are pleased to welcome Dan to the firm as he will provide practical and cost-effective counsel in an area that is increasingly important to businesses in Boston and across the country as more and more commerce moves online," said Lipresti Law managing partner Nicholas Lipresti. "Attorney Batterman provides more than just legal expertise; he understands what's important to business owners and provides unparalleled creative problem-solving and in depth analysis to his clients."

Batterman represents a wide range of clients including entrepreneurs, start-ups, professional services companies, software developers, SAAS providers, manufacturers, e-commerce companies, retailers, publishers, entertainers, state agencies, and non-profits.

"I am looking forward to working with clients in a firm that is dedicated to the legal needs of businesses," Batterman said. "In today's rapidly evolving digital environment where familiarity with intellectual property and technology law are paramount, business leaders need focused legal guidance to navigate their options to make informed decisions."

Batterman works with companies to protect their trademarks, copyrights, and trade secrets. He regularly advises clients on licenses, terms of service, contracts, software & IT development, privacy, and defamation matters. In addition, he has substantial litigation experience and has been involved in numerous technology, intellectual property, contract, and business disputes.

For more information, contact

Nicholas Lipresti

617-351-4745

[email protected]

Lipresti Law is a business law firm providing legal expertise and counsel throughout the lifecycle. We work with rapidly moving companies and entrepreneurs who leverage us for our experience and judgment to solve their business challenges  legal and beyond.

SOURCE Lipresti Law
LAS VEGAS , Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The International Gaming Standards Association (IGSA) announces the creation of a Payment Standards Committee. Aristocrat Gaming, AXES.ai, Oregon Lottery and Playtech are the first members to join this committee.

The Payment Standards Committee will seek to create a series of standards governing online, mobile and other payments for all segments of the global gaming industry. The Payment Standards Committee will explore all avenues of payments to ensure that regulators have world-class, clear guidance on how to ensure their jurisdiction is protected at the highest level against fraud, theft, and other illicit activities.

"Regulators from all over the globe are constantly asking for guidance on how to create a safer payments landscape for their operators," stated Peter DeRaedt, President of IGSA. "This committee will assure our members that we will protect our Industry. I am proud of the Board of Directors to have embraced this project so rapidly since the arrival of our new Chairman, Earle G. Hall. Earle's quest is to ensure payments are a shining source of new revenue for our Industry whilst protecting the regulators and operators with a world-class standard. We invite the industry to join us."

ABOUT IGSA

The International Gaming Standards Association (IGSA) is the largest technical standards development organization dedicated to the creation and evolution of standards and protocols to the betterment of the global gaming industry. Through the creation and evolution of intellectual property, exclusively available to its distinguished membership in 20 countries, and with the input of regulators, operators and suppliers from over 30 countries, the IGSA ensures its members enjoy a unique strategic advantage. IGSA is the industry's most recognized catalyst between the jurisdictional regulatory bodies and the online and land-based operators. This ensures its members a cross sectorial visibility and reach and a facility to access commercialization channels through the IGSA standardized protocols and standards.

For more information, visit: igsa.org

Press inquiries contact:

Peter DeRaedt, IGSA President

[email protected]

SOURCE International Gaming Standards Association (IGSA)
Latest promotion deepens firm's existing leadership pipeline

HOUSTON, Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Greg Baker, CEO/President, of JD Martin is pleased to announce Chuck Foucheaux has been promoted to Vice President of Industrial Sales effective immediately.

Latest promotion deepens firm's existing industrial sales leadership pipeline Tweet this Chuck Foucheaux

"Chuck's a strong business leader and expert technical advisor." said Jeff Anderson, EVP of Industrial Sales. "His unique critical thinking ability is equally focused on growing our Industrial Sales team's talent as he successfully meets the short and long-term needs of our customers and their projects. Chuck's extensive experience in the Gulf Coast continues to deliver in both our strong market position and alignment with our Channel Partners in the in the Industrial and OEM markets," Anderson adds.

"I'm honored and excited to have the opportunity to continue to lead, support and challenge the dedicated team of professionals I manage." Foucheaux added, "I've always been dedicated to ensuring the details. My commitment to grow a collaborative team, means we can deliver on that dedication and bring more solutions to our customers."

A seasoned technical team leader, with more than thirty years of electrical industry experience, Foucheaux's professional background includes previous roles at a start-up working for one of the nation's largest wholesale distributors, Mayer Electric, as well as over 15 years with equipment manufacturer nVent Hoffman prior to joining the JD Martin team in 2016.

In addition to his electrical industry career, those who know Chuck best also know he's a bit of a foodie. However, Chuck's favorite past time is anytime he gets to spend with his grand children.

Foucheaux is a graduate of LeTourneau University's School of Business Management.

ABOUT JD MARTIN:

JD Martin Company is an electrical manufacturers' representative agency that sells and markets premier lines of electrical products to OEM and MRO contractors, and end-user markets through wholesale distribution. For more than 68 years, we have supported industries such as oil & gas, mining, steel, waste water treatment, wind power generation and commercial construction. We offer impactful solutions and sell electrical products, through qualified electrical distributor channels, in over 16 states in territories that include Texas, New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, The Carolinas, Virginia, Kentucky and Tennessee. To learn more about JD Martin click here .

Contact:

Greg Baker

CEO/President

[email protected]

SOURCE JD Martin Co.
ROCHESTER, Mich., Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Jeffrey DeClaire, M.D., a pioneer in minimally invasive, robotic-assisted total knee replacement and founder of the Michigan Knee Institute, is celebrating 30 years of performing 30,000 knee surgeries.

A board-certified and fellowship-trained orthopedic knee specialist, Dr. DeClaire performs over 1,000 knee surgeries annually and offers arthroscopy; ligament reconstruction; cartilage restoration; and outpatient, partial and total knee replacement. He has also assisted in the design of implants and a ligament-preserving knee.

Dr. Jeffrey DeClaire, Michigan Knee Institute

Dr. DeClaire has been doing traditional knee replacements since 1987 and is known for his cutting-edge procedures resulting in more successful outcomes. He was the first in the world to use the OmniBOTICS system for robotic-assisted surgery. DeClaire's groundbreaking Elite Knee procedure combines computer-generated imaging with robotic instrumentation and over 30 years of surgical expertise to provide a superior outcome for knee replacement patients. Using robotic technology and a ligament tensioning device to measure a patient's ligament balance, Dr. DeClaire can determine the best implant position leading to a well-balanced knee replacement. The tensioning device, called a BalanceBot, gives the surgeon a "second pair of eyes" to accurately measure the knee ligament tension for each patient. Studies show that patients who had this customized approach for knee replacement had more normal knee function and better outcomes two-years post-surgery than patients than patients who had undergone traditional surgery.

Jeffrey H. DeClaire , M.D.

Besides his acclaimed Elite Knee, Dr. DeClaire has pioneered the Patellofemoral Arthroplasty Surgical Procedure, a partial knee replacement that has excellent outcomes for qualified patients.

Dr. DeClaire is Chief of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Director of Adult Reconstruction & Joint Replacement at Ascension Providence Rochester Hospital. He also is a Clinical Assistant Professor at Oakland University in Rochester Hills. He has been named a Detroit Top Doc multiple times by Detroit Hour Magazine and was recognized as "Outstanding Physician of the Year" by former Michigan Governor John Engler.

SOURCE Michigan Knee Institute
BOSTON, Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ - John Hancock Tax-Advantaged Dividend Income Fund (NYSE: HTD) (the "Fund"), a closed-end fund managed by John Hancock Investment Management LLC and subadvised by Manulife Investment Management (US) LLC, announced today sources of its monthly distribution of $0.1380 per share paid to all shareholders of record as of February 13, 2023, pursuant to the Fund's managed distribution plan. This press release is issued as required by an exemptive order granted to the Fund by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

Notification of Sources of Distribution

This notice provides shareholders of the John Hancock Tax-Advantaged Dividend Income Fund (NYSE: HTD) with important information concerning the distribution declared on February 1, 2023, and payable on February 28, 2023. No action is required on your part.

Distribution Period: February 2023



Distribution Amount Per Common Share: $0.1380

The following table sets forth the estimated sources of the current distribution, payable February 28, 2023, and the cumulative distributions paid this fiscal year to date from the following sources: net investment income; net realized short term capital gains; net realized long term capital gains; and return of capital or other capital source. All amounts are expressed on a per common share basis and as a percentage of the distribution amount.





For the period 02/1/2023-02/28/2023

For the fiscal year-to-date period

11/1/2022-02/28/2023 1 Source

Current

Distribution ($)

% Breakdown

of the Current

Distribution

Total Cumulative

Distributions ($)

% Breakdown

of the Total

Cumulative

Distributions Net Investment Income

0.1267

92 %

0.3473

63 % Net Realized Short-

0.0000

0 %

0.0572

10 % Term Capital Gains Net Realized Long- Term Capital Gains

0.0000

0 %

0.0393

7 % Term Capital Gains Return of Capital or

0.0113

8 %

0.1081

20 % Other Capital Source Total per common share

0.1380

100 %

0.5519

100 %

















Average annual total return (in relation to NAV) for the 5 years ended on January 31, 2023

7.75 %





Annualized current distribution rate expressed as a percentage of NAV as of January 31, 2023

6.82 %





Cumulative total return (in relation to NAV) for the fiscal year through January 31, 2023

8.79 %





Cumulative fiscal year-to-date distribution rate expressed as a percentage of NAV as of January 31, 2023

2.27 %

_____________________________ 1 The Fund's current fiscal year began on November 1, 2022 and will end on October 31, 2023.

You should not draw any conclusions about the Fund's investment performance from the amount of this distribution or from the terms of the Fund's managed distribution plan.

The Fund estimates that it has distributed more than its income and net realized capital gains; therefore, a portion of your distribution may be a return of capital. A return of capital may occur, for example, when some or all of the money that you invested in the Fund is paid back to you. A return of capital distribution does not necessarily reflect the Fund's investment performance and should not be confused with "yield" or "income."

The amounts and sources of distributions reported in this Notice are only estimates and are not being provided for tax reporting purposes. The actual amounts and sources of the amounts for tax reporting purposes will depend upon the Fund's investment experience during the remainder of its fiscal year and may be subject to changes based on tax regulations. The Fund will send you a Form 1099-DIV for the calendar year that will tell you how to report these distributions for federal income tax purposes.

The Fund has declared the February 2023 distribution pursuant to the Fund's managed distribution plan (the "Plan"). Under the Plan, the Fund makes fixed monthly distributions in the amount of $0.1380 per share, which will continue to be paid monthly until further notice.

If you have questions or need additional information, please contact your financial professional or call the John Hancock Investment Management Closed-End Fund Information Line at 1-800-843-0090, Monday through Friday between 8:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m., Eastern Time.

Statements in this press release that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements as defined by the United States securities laws. You should exercise caution in interpreting and relying on forward-looking statements because they are subject to uncertainties and other factors which are, in some cases, beyond the Fund's control and could cause actual results to differ materially from those set forth in the forward-looking statements.

An investor should consider a Fund's investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses carefully before investing.

About John Hancock Investment Management

A company of Manulife Investment Management, we serve investors through a unique multimanager approach, complementing our extensive in-house capabilities with an unrivaled network of specialized asset managers, backed by some of the most rigorous investment oversight in the industry. The result is a diverse lineup of time-tested investments from a premier asset manager with a heritage of financial stewardship.

About Manulife Investment Management

Manulife Investment Management is the global brand for the global wealth and asset management segment of Manulife Financial Corporation. We draw on more than a century of financial stewardship and the full resources of our parent company to serve individuals, institutions, and retirement plan members worldwide. Headquartered in Toronto, our leading capabilities in public and private markets are strengthened by an investment footprint that spans 18 geographies. We complement these capabilities by providing access to a network of unaffiliated asset managers from around the world. We're committed to investing responsibly across our businesses. We develop innovative global frameworks for sustainable investing, collaboratively engage with companies in our securities portfolios, and maintain a high standard of stewardship where we own and operate assets, and we believe in supporting financial well-being through our workplace retirement plans. Today, plan sponsors around the world rely on our retirement plan administration and investment expertise to help their employees plan for, save for, and live a better retirement. Not all offerings are available in all jurisdictions. For additional information, please visit manulife.com.

SOURCE John Hancock Investment Management
SANTA ANA, Calif., Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- On February 7, 2023, California Central District Court Judge James V. Selna held an initial conference in case number 8:22-ML-3052 JVS(KESx), In Re: KIA HYUNDAI VEHICLE THEFT MARKETING, SALES PRACTICES, AND PRODUCTS LIABILITY LITIGATION. The case involves dozens of individuals who owned vehicles that were stolen because the manufacturers failed to include crucial components which could have made the theft of these vehicles more difficult. At the end of the hearing, the Court confirmed that the cases would be consolidated into a multi-district class action against Kia and Hyundai.

To follow this case for updates, please join our subscriber base at Subscribe - Join Class Actions and social media group at Class Action Settlements | Facebook.

SOURCE Siri & Glimstad LLP
Chargeback mitigation tech pioneer achieves majority-female leadership team

TEL AVIV, Israel, Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Justt , a leading fintech revolutionizing chargeback management through machine learning, today announced the expansion of its senior leadership team with two key hires: veteran product executive Orly Amrany as VP of Product, and global HR leader Orit Stanton as VP of People. With the appointment of these two female tech veterans, more than half of Justt's leadership team is now comprised of women, far outpacing the industry average.

An accomplished product executive who has held various high-level positions at major companies, Amrany previously served as Chief Product Officer at PayKey, an embedded banking provider, and also at Natural Intelligence, an online comparison marketplace. She also held the role of General Manager and VP Product of the Premium Services Unit at Wix, the publicly-traded Israeli software company known for its cloud-based website builder.

Amrany's impressive technical background includes stints as a software engineer with leading organizations including the Israeli Defense Forces, IBM, and Microsoft. Her expertise in global payments and eCommerce, in addition to her strong technical foundation, will be pivotal as Justt continues to innovate its AI-powered chargeback mitigation solution. Amrany is also well-connected in the global technology and startup community, and has served as advisor for two Israeli unicorns, Monday.com and Fiverr.

With almost twenty years of experience in human resources, Stanton similarly brings a wealth of knowledge and industry connections to Justt. Her expertise in building and strengthening global organizations will be particularly valuable as the company expands its operations across EMEA and North America.

Stanton joins Justt from Vimeo, the publicly-traded video hosting platform, where she was VP of Human Resources at Vimeo Israel for three years. Prior to that, she served as VP of Human Resources at Signals Analytics, a data intelligence provider, where she designed and instituted a multi-layered People and Culture strategy program, including global expansion plans.

"Justt has done an amazing job at building a best-in-class technology platform, and I'm looking forward to drawing on my own experiences driving innovation with global leaders as we elevate Justt's game-changing product," Amrany said. "With visionary leadership and a dynamic multinational team, Justt has the talent it needs to succeed. I'm looking forward to building culture and HR processes to unlock Justt's full potential," Stanton added.

"Both Orit and Orly are incredibly talented leaders, and we're thrilled to welcome them to the Justt family," said Ofir Tahor, Justt's CEO and co-founder. "We're committed to making the fintech industry more diverse and inclusive for everyone  and we know that Orit and Orly have what it takes to drive employee engagement, improve innovation and business performance, and unlock more effective decision-making as we continue to expand Justt's footprint around the world."

About Justt

Founded in February 2020, Justt is dedicated to helping online merchants navigate the complex and costly system for credit card disputes. The company's smart technology and in-house expertise successfully resolves chargebacks for merchants, automatically reuniting them with their revenue. Justt's proprietary AI pulls the best evidence to build merchants' most compelling defense and keeps getting smarter with time, so win rates continue to grow.

SOURCE Justt
KANAZAWA, Japan, Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Researchers at Kanazawa University report in Nano Letters the discovery of a biomolecular dynamical process likely relevant to gene expression. The process, revealed by means of high-speed atomic force microscopy, involves DNA and its packaging molecules.

In organisms whose cells have a nucleus, like plants and animals, the basic packaging units of DNA are the so-called nucleosomes. A nucleosome consists of a segment of DNA wound around eight proteins known as histones. Gene expression, which lies at the basis of protein production, requires 'reading' DNA, for which DNA needs to be temporarily unwrapped. Detailed studies, and especially visualizations, of DNAhistone and nucleosome dynamics are crucial for better understanding DNA unwrapping and related processes. Mikihiro Shibata from Kanazawa University and colleagues have now succeeded in making video recordings of the nucleosome dynamics of H2A.Z, a histone variant associated with various biological processes. The videos reveal the spontaneous sliding of H2A.Z nucleosomes on a substrate.

Histone variants, such as H2A.Z, differ from the canonical forms (like H2A) encountered in stable nucleosome packaging. They form unstable nucleosomes with particular biological functions; H2A.Z is believed to play a role in early embryonic development and stem cell differentiation. The dynamics of the H2A.Z nucleosome under physiological conditions are mostly unknown. Shibata and colleagues used high-speed atomic force microscopy (HS-AFM) to investigate H2A.Z nucleosome dynamics, as the method is a powerful nanoimaging tool for visualizing molecular structures and their dynamics at high spatiotemporal resolution.

To observe DNAhistone dynamics in HS-AFM experiments, the nucleosome needs to be put onto a substrate. The DNA should adsorb easily to the substrate, but at the same time, substrateDNA interactions should still be weak enough to avoid suppressing dynamical processes. The scientists therefore prepared substrates by putting pillar[5]arenes onto a mica surface. The pillar[5]arenes, molecules with a pentagonal tubular structure, form a thin film on the mica, and provide the ideal surface for nucleosome dynamics observations.

The researchers looked at the time evolution of a system consisting of a nucleosome particle put on a DNA strand. Experiments with canonical H2A histones confirmed the stability of H2A nucleosomes: no significant changes over time were observed. Observations for H2A.Z histone variants showed a different picture, however. HS-AFM with a time resolution of 0.3 s revealed sliding events, in which a nucleosome particle slides along the DNA strand.

The findings of Shibata and colleagues may lead to a better understanding of the biochemical mechanisms behind gene expression. Quoting the researchers: "[t]he single-molecule imaging by HS-AFM presented here could help unveil the relationship between nucleosome dynamics and gene regulation  in the near future."

Background

High-speed atomic force microscopy

The general principle of atomic force microscopy (AFM) is to make a very small tip scan the surface of a sample. During this horizontal (xy) scan, the tip, which is attached to a small cantilever, follows the sample's vertical (z) profile, inducing a force on the cantilever that can be measured. The magnitude of the force at the xy position can be related to the z value; the xyz data generated during a scan then result in a height map providing structural information about the investigated sample. In high-speed-AFM (HS-AFM), the working principle is slightly more involved: the cantilever is made to oscillate near its resonance frequency. When the tip is moved around a surface, the variations in the amplitude (or the frequency) of the cantilever's oscillation  resulting from the tip's interaction with the sample's surface  are recorded, as these provide a measure for the local 'z' value. AFM does not involve lenses, so its resolution is not restricted by the so-called diffraction limit as in X-ray diffraction, for example.

HS-AFM results in a video, where the time interval between frames depends on the speed with which a single image can be generated (by xy-scanning the sample). Researchers at Kanazawa University have in recent years developed HS-AFM further, so that it can be applied to study biochemical molecules and biomolecular processes in real-time. Mikihiro Shibata and colleagues have now applied the method to study nucleosome dynamics, revealing a sliding process of nucleosome particles along a DNA strand.

Related figure

https://nanolsi.kanazawa-u.ac.jp/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/H2AZ_thumbnail.png

Caption: High-speed atomic force microscopy visualization of the sliding of a H2A.Z nucleosome along a DNA strand.

 2023 Morioka, et al., Nano Letters

Reference

Shin Morioka, Shoko Sato, Naoki Horikoshi, Tomoya Kujirai, Takuya Tomita, Yudai Baba, Takahiro Kakuta, Tomoki Ogoshi, Leonardo Puppulin, Ayumi Sumino, Kenichi Umeda, Noriyuki Kodera, Hitoshi Kurumizaka, and Mikihiro Shibata. High-Speed Atomic Force Microscopy Reveals Spontaneous Nucleosome Sliding of H2A.Z at the Subsecond Time Scale, Nano Letters (2023).

DOI: doi=10.1021/acs.nanolett.2c04346

https://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/acs.nanolett.2c04346

Contact

Hiroe Yoneda

Vice Director of Public Affairs

WPI Nano Life Science Institute (WPI-NanoLSI)

Kanazawa University

Kakuma-machi, Kanazawa 920-1192, Japan

Email: [email protected]

Tel: +81 (76) 234-4550

About Kanazawa University

http://www.kanazawa-u.ac.jp/e/

As the leading comprehensive university on the Sea of Japan coast, Kanazawa University has contributed greatly to higher education and academic research in Japan since it was founded in 1949. The University has three colleges and 17 schools offering courses in subjects that include medicine, computer engineering, and humanities.

The University is located on the coast of the Sea of Japan in Kanazawa  a city rich in history and culture. The city of Kanazawa has a highly respected intellectual profile since the time of the fiefdom (1598-1867). Kanazawa University is divided into two main campuses: Kakuma and Takaramachi for its approximately 10,200 students including 600 from overseas.

SOURCE Kanazawa University
SHENZHEN, China, Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Kandao is excited to launch Kandao Meeting Omni, a multi-system collaboration solution for large-range conferencing. It innovatively simplifies and redefines large-range conferencing by accessing up to four Kandao Meeting Pro or Kandao Meeting S, bringing together AI face-detection and voice-localization data, and turning it into one conferencing screen after re-analyzing and stitching.

To See Better

Kandao Meeting Omni,a Multi-System Collaboration Solution for Large Conference Rooms

The whole Kandao Meeting Omni system can equip with up to four 360-degree cameras to cover an ultra-large area, even with intelligent face recognition and tracking, and face deduplication, more attendees can be visible. Having front-face and close-face priority built-in for portrait selection is to realize eye contact even during remote communication. Users are able to select an output view mode, such as Speaker View to highlight the speaker and Gallery View to equally shows eight attendees who recently speak. Also considering some cases hoping to stay focused on something that matters, Kandao Meeting Omni also enables screen locking and zoom in or out.

To Speak Better and Hear Better

The full-duplex 8-microphone array has been upgraded to 4 groups with beamforming, echo cancellation, noise reduction, and howling suppression technology embedded. It achieves a broader range of high-quality audio pickup so that every word is well-conveyed. The sound quality is also elevated to an upper lever with maximally four sets of custom Hi-Fi speakers. Attendees can always hear clearly no matter how big the conference room is.

Data Protected and Privacy

With an emphasis on information security, all data from the Kandao Meeting Omni are processed instantly, without uploading them to the cloud or database. IP address or locations will never be stored. Devices can be hidden to prevent malicious connections and be bonded to the host to ensure secure device access.

About Company:

Kandao is a leading innovator in next-generation imaging products, brings together VR technology, AI algorithm and video conferencing. For creating an immersive hybrid conferencing experience, Kandao released Kandao Meeting 360, the first generation of 360 all-in-one video conference camera with AI algorithm, Kandao Meeting Pro that is standalone with Android OS, Kandao Meeting S, a 180-degree AI conference camera, and Kandao Meeting Ultra, a 360 AI conference host with dual touchscreens.

https://www.kandaovr.com/

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2008554/Kandao_Meeting_Omni_a_Multi_System_Collaboration_Solution_Large_Conference_Rooms.jpg

SOURCE Kandao Technology Co., Ltd.
Japan's leading telecommunications carrier chooses Oracle Database to speed payment processing by more than 5X and application development by 30 percent

BARCELONA, Spain and TOKYO, Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Mobile World Congress -- KDDI Corporation, one of Japan's top three telecommunications carriers and the operator of the "au" mobile phone service, has chosen Oracle Database to modernize its online payment brand, au PAY, and customer loyalty program, au Ponta Points Program. By working with Oracle, au Pay payment processing is now five times faster than before, while au Ponta Points Program's processing performance has improved by 200 percent. In addition, Oracle helps KDDI meet changing customer needs by enabling it to develop new services and applications 30 percent faster.

au PAY has approximately 31 million customers, while au Ponta Points Program is one of Japan's most popular customer loyalty systems. Both au PAY and au Ponta Points Program continue to grow rapidly as Japanese consumers embrace mobile payments and a cashless lifestyle. To handle the increasing volume of data and transactions, KDDI urgently needed to update its system infrastructure.

"au PAY and au Ponta Points Program are indispensable services in our customers' daily lives, especially when digital money becomes a form of compensation starting in April 2023. Since these services must be available 24/7, we decided to redesign and build the IT architecture from the infrastructure up," said Nobuaki Kamada, general manager, DX Architect Department, Information System Division, Technology Sector, KDDI Corporation. "KDDI selected Oracle Database for its proven reliability, scalability, and security, and to form the foundation of our infrastructure. In addition, Oracle Database provides a data platform for our Java application development resources and allows us to reduce application release times by more than half without any downtime. Now we are able to quickly develop and deliver services that meet the ever-changing needs of our customers."

To further modernize the system infrastructure for au PAY and au Ponta Points Program, KDDI also deployed Oracle Real Application Clusters and Oracle Data Guard to achieve high performance and high availability. In addition, Oracle GoldenGate, which enables smooth data migration and synchronization and supports third-party databases, was used to ensure no downtime during the migration. The full migration was completed within a year, enabling KDDI to release and update new services through the upgraded platforms in a short period of time without any disruption.

KDDI also chose Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) to build au Ponta Points Program's disaster recovery system. Meanwhile for au PAY, KDDI will use OCI to integrate internal and external processes. OCI, along with Oracle Autonomous Database, will also be used to store transaction settlement details and to analyze data.

"KDDI's payment and customer point program are an important social infrastructure for consumers in Japan. The success of this implementation is a result of the optimal performance of the Oracle database products, the high reliability provided by OCI, and the talented team of architects at KDDI. We are honored to work with KDDI to ensure the secure operation and management of its mission-critical data infrastructure, on-premises and in the cloud," said Toshimitsu Misawa, member of the board, corporate executive officer and president, Oracle Japan.

KDDI chose Oracle in February 2021 with Oracle Consulting Japan as the implementation partner.

Learn how we can help transform every part of your communications' operation at Mobile World Congress, February 27-March 2 by booking a meeting here.

About Oracle

Oracle offers integrated suites of applications plus secure, autonomous infrastructure in the Oracle Cloud. For more information about Oracle (NYSE: ORCL), please visit us at oracle.com.

Trademarks

Oracle, Java, and MySQL are registered trademarks of Oracle Corporation.

SOURCE Oracle
VANCOUVER, BC, Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ - Kootenay Silver Inc. (TSXV: KTN) (the "Company" or "Kootenay Silver") is pleased to be presenting at the Pre-PDAC Mining Showcase hosted by Red Cloud Financial Services Inc., an in-person event taking place at the Sheraton Centre Hotel in Toronto, Canada on March 2nd and 3rd.

Kootenay Silver invites shareholders and interested silver investors to come and see the Company's President and CEO James McDonald present the company at 9:10 a.m. on Friday March the 3rd.

Says James McDonald, "We invite you to come and hear about the exciting potential of the high-grade silver discovery Columba and why we think it is likely an almost entirely intact new vein district in Mexico. It is easy to understand our excitement when you see high-grade intercepts in multiple veins like 6 meters of 2035 gpt silver, 17.8 meters of 650 gpt silver, 4.6. meters of 1186 gpt silver and 9.7 meters of 1746 gpt silver*. We look forward to presenting to you."

*Respectively holes CDH-21-103, CDH-22-110, CDH-21-82, and CDH-22-125 and widths are drilled widths, true widths will typically vary from 90% to 45% of drilled length. See Kootenay's website for full details.

A comprehensive list of drill results completed on the Columba Property since 2019 can be viewed here: Columba Drill Results

Sampling and QA/QC at Columba

All technical information for the Columba exploration program is obtained and reported under a formal quality assurance and quality control ("QA/QC") program. Samples are taken from core cut in half with a diamond saw under the direction of qualified geologists and engineers. Samples are then labeled, placed in plastic bags, sealed and with interval and sample numbers recorded. Samples are delivered by the Company to ALS Minerals ("ALS") in Chihuahua. The Company inserts blanks, standards and duplicates at regular intervals as follows. On average a blank is inserted every 100 samples beginning at the start of sampling and again when leaving the mineral zone. Standards are inserted when entering the potential mineralized zone and in the middle of them, on average one in every 25 samples is a standard. Duplicates are taken in the mineralized zone, on average 1 to 2 duplicates for each hole.

The samples are dried, crushed and pulverized with the pulps being sent airfreight for analysis by ALS in Vancouver, B.C. Systematic assaying of standards, blanks and duplicates is performed for precision and accuracy. Analysis for silver, zinc, lead and copper and related trace elements was done by ICP four acid digestion, with gold analysis by 30-gram fire assay with an AA finish. All drilling reported is HQ core and has been contracted to Globexplore Drilling from Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Qualified Persons

The Kootenay technical information in this news release has been prepared in accordance with the Canadian regulatory requirements set out in National Instrument 43-101 (Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects) and reviewed and approved on behalf of Kootenay by James McDonald, P.Geo, President, CEO & Director for Kootenay, a Qualified Person.

About Kootenay Silver Inc.

Kootenay Silver Inc. is an exploration company actively engaged in the discovery and development of mineral projects in the Sierra Madre Region of Mexico and in British Columbia, Canada. Supported by one of the largest junior portfolios of silver assets in Mexico, Kootenay continues to provide its shareholders with significant leverage to silver prices. The Company remains focused on the expansion of its current silver resources, new discoveries and the near-term economic development of its priority silver projects located in prolific mining districts in Sonora, State and Chihuahua, State, Mexico, respectively.

CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS:

The information in this news release has been prepared as at February 27, 2023. Certain statements in this news release, referred to herein as "forward-looking statements", constitute "forward-looking statements" under the provisions of Canadian provincial securities laws. These statements can be identified by the use of words such as "expected", "may", "will" or similar terms.

Forward-looking statements are necessarily based upon a number of factors and assumptions that, while considered reasonable by Kootenay as of the date of such statements, are inherently subject to significant business, economic and competitive uncertainties and contingencies. Many factors, known and unknown, could cause actual results to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date made. Except as otherwise required by law, Kootenay expressly disclaims any obligation or undertaking to release publicly any updates or revisions to any such statements to reflect any change in Kootenay's expectations or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statement is based.

Cautionary Note to US Investors: This news release includes Mineral Reserves and Mineral Resources classification terms that comply with reporting standards in Canada and the Mineral Reserves and the Mineral Resources estimates are made in accordance with National Instrument 43-101  Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI 43-101"). NI 43-101 is a rule developed by the Canadian Securities Administrators that establishes standards for all public disclosure an issuer makes of scientific and technical information concerning mineral projects. These standards differ significantly from the requirements adopted by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"). The SEC sets rules that are applicable to domestic United States reporting companies. Consequently, Mineral Reserves and Mineral Resources information included in this news release is not comparable to similar information that would generally be disclosed by domestic U.S. reporting companies subject to the reporting and disclosure requirements of the SEC. Accordingly, information concerning mineral deposits set forth herein may not be comparable with information made public by companies that report in accordance with U.S. standards.

SOURCE Kootenay Silver Inc.
CARTHAGE, Mo., Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Diversified manufacturer Leggett & Platt announced that Mitch Dolloff, Chief Executive Officer, will speak to the investment community at the Raymond James 44th Annual Institutional Investors Conference on Tuesday, March 7, 2023, at 1:40 p.m. Eastern (12:40 p.m. Central), in Orlando, Florida.

The presentation will be webcast and can be accessed from the Investor Relations section of Leggett's website at www.leggett.com. Investors are encouraged to log on at least five minutes prior to the start of the presentation.

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Visit Leggett's website at www.leggett.com.

COMPANY DESCRIPTION: Leggett & Platt (NYSE: LEG) is a diversified manufacturer that designs and produces a broad variety of engineered components and products that can be found in most homes and automobiles. The 140-year-old Company is comprised of 15 business units, approximately 20,000 employees, and 135 manufacturing facilities located in 18 countries.

Leggett & Platt is the leading U.S.-based manufacturer of: a) bedding components; b) automotive seat support and lumbar systems; c) specialty bedding foams and private label finished mattresses; d) components for home furniture and work furniture; e) flooring underlayment; f) adjustable beds; and g) bedding industry machinery.

CONTACT: Investor Relations, (417) 358-8131 or [email protected]

Susan R. McCoy, Senior Vice President, Investor Relations

Cassie J. Branscum, Senior Director, Investor Relations

SOURCE Leggett & Platt
Local and state officials join global Honda and LGES executives in groundbreaking event

New renderings offer first look at the new EV battery facility, an initial $3.5 billion investment projected to reach $4.4 billion overall

investment projected to reach overall Construction set to rapidly scale up so that the facility can be completed by the end of 2024 in support of the start of mass production at the end of 2025

EV batteries from the facility, over 2 million sq. ft. in size, to be provided exclusively to Honda auto plants to produce EVs to be sold in North America

JEFFERSONVILLE, Ohio, Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Honda and LG Energy Solution (LGES; KRX: 373220) today held the official groundbreaking ceremony for a new joint venture EV battery plant over 2 million square feet in size, to be located in Fayette County, near Jeffersonville, Ohio.

The JV company will deliver lithium-ion batteries to support Honda's plan to build EVs in North America. Tweet this Officials from Honda, LG Energy Solution and state and community leaders participate in the official groundbreaking for the new joint venture EV battery facility in Fayette County, Ohio.

The two companies have committed to invest $3.5 billion in the new joint venture (JV) facility, with their overall investment projected to reach $4.4 billion. The facility is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2024, with plans to create 2,200 jobs, and the aim for approximately 40GWh of annual production capacity. The JV company will deliver lithium-ion batteries with cutting-edge technology to support Honda's plan to build battery-electric vehicles (EV) in North America.

The ceremony's attendees included Toshihiro Mibe, president and CEO of Honda Motor Co., Ltd., Dong-Myung Kim, president and head of the Advanced Automotive Battery Division of LG Energy Solution, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine, Lieutenant Governor Jon Husted, other members of state government and local community officials.

At the ceremony, the leaders of the new JV company, CEO Robert H. Lee and COO Rick Riggle, revealed a rendering of the new facility which will be located about 40 miles southwest of Columbus.

"It is an honor to represent two great corporations, Honda and LG Energy Solution, both with a long, proud history of success. LG Energy Solution is the leading battery manufacturer globally and is investing aggressively to meet demand for electrification. We are excited to embark on this partnership with Honda, a leader in the global auto industry with a reputation for quality and reliability," said Lee. "If we harness these strengths, I have no doubt our joint venture will be the most successful battery plant in the world, and we look forward to being a part of this massive transformation toward sustainability."

"We have talked a lot about the partnership between Honda and LG Energy Solution, but the communities of Southern Ohio are a part of this venture, too, and we see it not so much as a joint venture, but a tri-venture between our companies and the community," said Riggle. "We share similar values and perspectives regarding the relationship we want to have with our new workforce, and this spirit of teamwork will be key to our success."

The location of the joint venture between Honda and LGES was announced on Oct.11, 2022, and was formally established on Jan. 12, 2023. The plant aims to start mass production of pouch-type lithium-ion batteries by the end of 2025, to be provided exclusively to Honda auto plants to produce EVs to be sold in North America.

Honda also has announced plans to invest $700 million to re-tool several of its existing auto and powertrain plants in Ohio for production* of electric vehicles that will utilize the batteries made at the new JV facility. Honda plans to begin production and sales of Honda EVs in North America in 2026, based on its new Honda e:Architecture. As part of its goal to achieve carbon neutrality for all products and corporate activities by 2050, Honda has a vision to make battery-electric and fuel cell electric vehicles represent 100% of its vehicle sales by 2040.

Backed by the largest global battery manufacturing network it has established, LG Energy Solution has been carrying out its initiative to expedite the global EV transition, with its annual production capacity of 200GWh to further expand to 300GWh by the end of this year. Capitalizing on its ample R&D experience and operational expertise, LGES is devoted to providing competitive power solutions for its customers, thereby promoting the customer values and reinforcing the collective initiatives for clean energy transformation.

For more information about the joint venture battery plant, visit www.lgeshonda.com.

About LG Energy Solution

LG Energy Solution (KRX: 373220), a split-off from LG Chem, is a leading global manufacturer of lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles, mobility, IT, and energy storage systems. With 30 years of experience in revolutionary battery technology and extensive research and development (R&D), the company is the top battery-related patent holder in the world with over 25,000 patents. Its robust global network, which spans North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia, includes battery manufacturing facilities established through joint ventures with major automakers such as General Motors, Stellantis N.V., Hyundai Motor Group, and Honda Motor Co. Ltd. At the forefront of green business and sustainability, LG Energy Solution aims to achieve carbon neutral operations by 2050, while embodying the value of shared growth and promoting diverse and inclusive corporate culture. To learn more about LG Energy Solution's ideas and innovations, visit https://www.lgensol.com.

About Honda Motor Co., Ltd.

Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (NYSE: HMC) is responsible for the development, production and sales of automobiles, motorcycles, power products and aviation products worldwide. Honda now delivers over 30 million products annually through its three product lines. Honda and its partners build products in more than 60 manufacturing plants in 27 countries, employing about 220,000 associates globally. On a global basis by 2050, Honda is striving to achieve carbon neutrality for all products and corporate activities, as well as zero traffic collision fatalities involving Honda automobiles and motorcycles.

SOURCE Honda
MAPLETON, Utah, Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- After years of wielding lightsabers across the galaxy and experiencing the intensely destructive force of teenagers. It was clear Star Wars fans and lightsaber enthusiasts everywhere deserve better. Everyone should be able to afford a high end, combat-ready, customizable lightsaber that won't break the bank. That was the thought of Blake Heringer, and his fellow founders back in 2016 when Kyberlight set out to change the lightsaber business forever.

The combat-ready, feature-packed, customizable Lightsabers you want at the price you can afford. The combat-ready, feature-packed, customizable Lightsabers you want at the price you can afford. The combat-ready, feature-packed, customizable Lightsabers you want at the price you can afford.

In 2016, Kyberlight sounded the clarion call to revolutionize the lightsaber market with the launch of their V1 lightsaber a high-quality, all-features-included, fully customizable saberbut at half the industry average price. Sweetening the deal, their offer included a lifetime blade warranty, the first of its kind in the industry, made possible by their own proprietary blend of polycarbonate material.

"The response from the saber community has been absolutely incredible, helping us raise over half a million dollars in just 45 days through crowdfunding for our V1, and stepping up again in 2020 by funding just over four hundred thousand dollars and enabling us to launch a jaw dropping v5 lightsaber," said original founder and creator Blake Heringer.

Over the last 7 years, Kyberlight has been steadily improving their technology, processes, and pricing in an effort to continually disrupt the tired and expensive lightsaber market. And now, Kyberlight is at it again.

With the announcement of their V10 lightsabers on February 26th, 2022, Kyberlight is changing the lightsaber game once again by bringing advanced feature-sets, normally reserved for expensive sabers, into the affordable market atyet againhalf the industry average price.

"In a world where prices are increasing, and everything is so expensive for families, we wanted to step up and help. That's why we have lowered our retail pricing. It's our way of saying thank you," said co-owner Adam Bazzelle.

There are a lot of really cool lightsabers out there," said saber enthusiast Laura H, "but they are really expensive and what's worse is your stuck with one design that you can't ever change. You take the price point of Kyberlight's V10, though, and the features they include standardyou know, Flash on Clash, boot effects, Smooth Swing, 30+ sound fonts, the infinite blade colors, Lifetime Blade Warranty, et cetera, et ceterathat's...that's the best bang for your buck you can get."

The response to Kyberlight's new V10 has been equally exciting. They offered their current customers an upgrade path and quickly surpassed their goals. On February 26th they launched a V10 Indiegogo campaign with high hopes. Watch out because here comes Kyberlight to revolutionize the lightsaber industry again. Visit the Indiegogo Campaign now to reserve your V10 Kyberlight Saber.

To explore and back the campaign visit us at: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/kyberlight-v10-lightsabers/reft/24639499/pr

Media contact:

Blake Heringer

[email protected]

18013727417

SOURCE Kyberlight
The new Limeade for Microsoft Teams integration positively transforms the employee experience by infusing well-being into the flow of work

BELLEVUE, Wash., Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Limeade (ASX: LME), an immersive employee well-being company that creates healthy employee experiences, today announced a new Microsoft Teams integration to allow employees to engage with their well-being program seamlessly with Microsoft Teams. Limeade for Microsoft Teams is an enterprise-ready Microsoft Teams App centered around the Limeade well-being experience that meets employees where they are in the flow of work. It is designed to decrease friction for employees to work on their well-being in the moments between their daily work tasks.

"There is no one-size-fits-all platform for everyone," said Henry Albrecht, Limeade CEO. "We're proud of our Limeade Well-Being mobile, web and app experiences. But imagine the possibilities if we can reach every employee where they are in their well-being journey, with personalized benefits and resources, delivered when and where they want them. The deep integration with Microsoft Teams allows for companies to transform the employee experience by infusing well-being wherever people work."

Limeade Integrates with Microsoft Teams to Infuse Well-Being into the Flow of Work Tweet this

"With the rise of hybrid and flexible work, organizations now more than ever need integrated solutions that can help boost employee engagement, well-being, and productivity, said Nicole Herskowitz, Vice President  Microsoft Teams & Platform. "Limeade for Microsoft Teams is an example of such a tool, which keeps wellbeing programs at employees' fingertips, helping bring company culture and mission to life  right in the flow of work."

Limeade for Microsoft Teams Limeade is accessible through the web and mobile app and by integrating with common work tools like Microsoft Teams, it provides another channel for customers to easily reach their employees in the flow of work and drive benefit awareness and participation.

Available in Spring 2023 to all Limeade customers with Microsoft Teams, Limeade for Microsoft Teams meets employees where they are, not only in their well-being journey, but in the work tools they use every day. To learn more visit limeade.com.

About Limeade

Limeade is an immersive employee well-being company that creates healthy employee experiences. Limeade Institute science guides its industry-leading software and its own award-winning culture. Today, millions of users in over 100 countries use Limeade solutions to navigate the future of work. By putting well-being at the heart of the employee experience, Limeade reduces burnout and turnover while increasing well-being and engagement  ultimately elevating business performance. To learn more, visit www.limeade.com (ASX listing: LME).

SOURCE Limeade
MEXICO CITY, Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- M8 Pharmaceuticals and Daewoong Pharmaceuticals announced they have signed an exclusive licensing agreement whereby M8 will have the rights to register and commercialize Envlo (Enavogliflozin) for Brazil and Mexico.

The novel drug Envlo (Enavogliflozin) is a SGLT2 (sodium glucose cotransporter 2) inhibitor type diabetes treatment, and last November, it has received a regulatory approval in South Korea. Phase 3 clinical trials have been performed on type 2 diabetes patients and its results demonstrated excellent effects in dropping blood sugar level drop. The safety of Envlo has been confirmed and proven to show equal medicinal effect with only 0.3mg, which is 1/30 of the amount of existing SGLT2 inhibitor and has been shown to be a promising new treatment option for patients and prescribers who were unsatisfied with the blood sugar controls. It has been proven to be efficacious as a monotherapy, metformin combined modality therapy and metformin and gemigliptin or other DDP4 (Inhibitors of dipeptidyl peptidase 4) combined modality therapy.

During the development of the product, Envlo was designated as South Korea's first drug to received a fast-track review in 2020, and is expected to be launched in South Korea by Daewoong in the first half of 2023. The Enavogliflozin monotherapy trial was a placebo-controlled superiority study. The HbA1c decreased in the Enavogliflozin group by approximately 1% over the placebo group, which was statistically significant. In addition, significant improvements were confirmed in weight, blood pressure, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) compared to the placebo group. The two combination trials, Enavogliflozin-Metformin and Enavogliflozin-Metformin-Gemigliptin combination, demonstrated non-inferiority in HbAc1 change compared to dapagliflozin 10 mg and its equivalent combinations. Through this agreement, Daewoong Pharmaceuticals has the plan to accelerate further overseas expansion for Enavogliflozin including China, Saudi Arabia and Russia and expand into 15 countries by 2025 and 50 countries by 2030.

M8 Pharmaceuticals continues its commitment of bringing proven and innovative products to Latin American patients, and the agreement reinforces its commitment and capabilities in the area of cardiometabolism. Diabetes affects over 30 million people in Brazil and Mexico, and many of these patients continue to need better therapeutic options to optimize symptom control and improve their quality of live. According to IQVIA, the SGLT2 inhibitor market in Brazil and Mexico exceeds the 470 million USD in value and grows at a rate of more than 20% annually.

"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" stated Joel Barlan, M8's CEO. 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."

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.

For further information, please visit: www.M8pharmaceuticals.com

For more information please contact:

Joel Barlan

Chief Executive Officer

T: +52 (55) 4431 2933

[email protected]

Rafael Ferrer

Vice President of Corporate Development & Strategy

T: +1 (305) 299 6998

[email protected]

SOURCE M8 Pharmaceuticals
Addition of fashion-forward retailer deepens Macerich, Primark relationship

SANTA MONICA, Calif., Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Macerich (NYSE: MAC), one of the nation's leading owners, operators and developers of one-of-a-kind retail and mixed-use properties in top markets, today confirmed that Primark is coming to Queens Center in New York City.

Irish retail brand Primark is a leading international clothing retailer that draws shoppers to the high street worldwide with its wide selection of essentials and fashion favorites built around everyday affordability. In its seventh store at a Macerich property, Primark will occupy 54,562 square feet of multi-level space.

Primark Coming to Queens Center, a Macerich property

Set in the bustling and densely populated New York City borough, Queens Center is a major regional retail destination and among the best-performing in the Macerich portfolio of high-quality properties. Many national brands list their Queens Center location as among their top-performing, with overall sales at the center topping $1,700 per square foot.

"Millions of shoppers around the world appreciate the dynamic selection and global style of innovative retailers such as Primark, which we are excited to bring to the dynamic, diverse customer base Queens Center attracts," said F.K. Grunert, Executive Vice President, Leasing, Macerich. "We believe this popular international concept will drive significant traffic to this already heavily visited gem in the Macerich portfolio."

Macerich is one of Primark's largest U.S. landlords, with Primark stores open at Kings Plaza (Brooklyn), Danbury Fair (Connecticut), Fashion District Philadelphia and Freehold Raceway Mall (New Jersey), and opening soon at Tysons Corner Center in McClean, Virginia, and Green Acres Mall in Valley Stream, New York.

Located in Elmhurst, New York, Queens Center is an urban shopping center featuring a variety of top retailers, including abercrombie kids, Apple, Adidas, Champs Sports, Macy's, Pandora, Sephora and Victoria's Secret, and restaurants including Chick-fil-A, Shake Shack and The Cheesecake Factory.

About Macerich

Macerich is a fully integrated, self-managed and self-administered real estate investment trust (REIT). As a leading owner, operator and developer of high-quality retail real estate in densely populated and attractive U.S. markets, Macerich's portfolio is concentrated in California, the Pacific Northwest, Phoenix/Scottsdale, and the Metro New York to Washington, D.C. corridor. Developing and managing properties that serve as community cornerstones, Macerich currently owns 47 million square feet of real estate consisting primarily of interests in 44 regional town centers, many of which contain mixed uses. Macerich is firmly dedicated to advancing environmental goals, social good and sound corporate governance. A recognized leader in sustainability, Macerich has achieved a #1 GRESB ranking for U.S. Retail, Retail Centers. For more information, please visit www.Macerich.com.

Macerich uses, and intends to continue to use, its Investor Relations website, which can be found at investing.macerich.com, as a means of disclosing material nonpublic information and for complying with its disclosure obligations under Regulation FD. Additional information about Macerich can be found through social media platforms such as LinkedIn. Reconciliations of non-GAAP financial measures, including NOI and FFO, to the most directly comparable GAAP measures are included in the earnings release and supplemental filed on Form 8-K with the SEC, which are posted on the Investor Relations website at investing.macerich.com.

MAC-L

SOURCE: Macerich

SOURCE Macerich Company
MILLBURN, N.J., Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- National architecture and design firm Mancini Duffy, headquartered in New York City, has signed a seven-year lease extension for the firm's Millburn, New Jersey, office at 374 Millburn Avenue. Brokered by JLL, the deal signifies Mancini's continued commitment to delivering innovative design solutions in the Northern New Jersey area.

Located in Millburn's Business District at historic Schoolhouse Plaza, Mancini's regional office caters to the firm's core and growing sectors, including corporate, aviation, multifamily, hospitality, healthcare, and life sciences. Since opening in 2017, the office has worked with clients like Mars Wrigley, Sax LLP, and Energy Capital Partners to create a buzz in the New Jersey market.

"We've seen an opportunity to engage in cutting-edge projects in Northern New Jersey," says John Anthal, Principal and Aviation Practice Director. Anthal leads the Millburn office after being with Mancini for about a decade, working with clients in New Jersey, such as Bell Works and multiple airline clients at Newark Liberty International Airport. "Our Millburn office has its own unique culture and local presence while maintaining the creativity and ingenuity Mancini is synonymous with. Building such an energetic and collaborative team over the past several years has been extremely exciting, and that enthusiasm is reflected in our relationships with our clients."

Mancini will fully renovate its current space to account for growing staff numbers and add the firm's signature Design Lab, where it will conduct design sessions in a virtual space using Mancini's patent-pending software, The Toolbelt. Since Covid, Mancini has expanded upon The Toolbelt's capabilities, allowing multiple users from any location to explore and manipulate 3D models in real-time with immediate output. In addition, Millburn's Design Lab will provide an immersive hub for clients to use the technology in a local, in-person, and collaborative environment.

"There is really exciting growth happening at Mancini right now, not just in terms of geographic expansion," said Christian Giordano, President and Co-owner of Mancini, who will celebrate his tenth year as the firm's president this upcoming fall. Since taking ownership, Giordano, William Mandara Jr., CEO, and their partners have invested in an extensive R+D program that focuses on taking a proactive approach, inventing new technologies that are revolutionizing the design process. "We know the challenges clients face in the New Jersey market. Not only does our approach have a track record of changing how clients engage throughout the design process, but the depth of our local knowledge has been vital to our success in the project's outcome," said Giordano.

"Last year, we established an office in Red Bank, and this year we are excited to continue to grow in our Northern New Jersey location. We are heavily rooted in New Jersey, and as we all know, the various regions of this state take pride in their differences," says Mandara, a lifelong Paramus resident. "John Anthal and the Millburn office have a solid reputation after five years of designing award-winning projects. We are excited about the future as we continue to expand both our team and clientele."

Mancini has worked with numerous companies in New Jersey, including Rutgers University, The Fidelco Group, Valley National Bank, TTT Hospitality, The Connell Company, Madison Field House, KPMG, and Guardian Life Insurance.

About Mancini

Mancini stands out as a technology-first design firm specializing in architecture, interiors, and planning of the built environment. With 100+ employees, Mancini is a national firm with headquarters in New York City and regional offices in Millburn and Red Bank, New Jersey. The firm builds on 100+ years of expertise with a contemporary, entrepreneurial spirit and is dedicated to leveraging technology that enhances the design solutions we deliver to our client's toughest challenges. Our designers push the boundaries of design and technology in the dedicated Design Lab, which serves as the in-house incubator for our natural curiosities.

SOURCE Mancini Duffy
NEW YORK, Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Coleridge Initiative, Inc. announced today that Dr. Mark Zandi was elected to the Coleridge Initiative Board of Directors on October 23, 2022. Dr. Zandi compliments the composition of the board with his wealth of expertise and knowledge in financial markets and policy.

"I am thrilled to announce that Mark has joined the board," said Dr. Ahu Yildirmaz, President and CEO of the Coleridge Initiative. "His reputation as one of the nation's top economists and experience with policymakers are valuable additions to the board."

"It is a great honor to join the Coleridge board," said Dr. Zandi. "I admire Coleridge's mission of facilitating the use of government data for more effective public policy decisions, and look forward to using my experience as an economist that has relied heavily on government data throughout my career to advance Coleridge's work."

"We are honored that Mark Zandi has joined us on the board," said Dr. Michael Holland, Chair of the Coleridge Initiative Board of Directors. "Mark's experience co-founding Economy.com, a data analytics company providing economic and demographic research services and data curation on industrial, financial and regional markets, that has grown and evolved over the 30 years are indispensable for Coleridge's continued growth."

Dr. Zandi is chief economist of Moody's Analytics where he directs economic research. Moody's Analytics, a subsidiary of Moody's Corp., is a leading provider of economic research, data and analytical tools. He is a trusted adviser to policymakers and an influential source of economic analysis for business, journalists and the public. Dr. Zandi frequently testifies before Congress and conducts regular briefings on the economy for corporate boards, trade associations, and policymakers at all levels.

Dr. Zandi earned his bachelor of science from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and his doctorate at the University of Pennsylvania.

About The Coleridge Initiative, Inc.

The Coleridge Initiative is a nonprofit organization working with governments to ensure that data are more effectively used for public decision-making. Coleridge provides agencies with the opportunity to enhance their workforce data literacy and collaborate within and across states to develop new technologies through the secure access and sharing of confidential microdata. Coleridge's secure data hosting platform, the Administrative Data Research Facility (ADRF), is a FedRAMP-certified environment that enables government agencies to link their longitudinal data with other states and agencies. Learn more: www.coleridgeinitiative.org

Contact: Johana Caba, M.A.

[email protected]

SOURCE Coleridge Initiative
FORT COLLINS, Colo., Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- .Fort Collins - based digital agency, Marketing 360, a technology company that provides business management and marketing software and services for SMBs and franchises, has achieved 2023 Premier Partner status in the Google Partners program, which only three percent of Google Partners achieve.

This month, Google recognized the achievements of top-performing digital marketing partners across the globe by awarding Premier Partner status as part of the new Google Partners program . This program is designed for advertising agencies and third parties that manage Google Ads accounts on behalf of other brands or businesses. Its mission is to empower companies by providing them with innovative tools, resources, and support to help their clients succeed and grow online.

Being a Google Premier Partner means that Marketing 360 has been recognized by Google as a trusted partner that has demonstrated skill and expertise in delivering high-quality campaigns and driving results. This recognition is a testament to their commitment to the success of their clients and to the quality of their software and services.

The Premier Partner status is awarded to just the top 3% of the many participating companies, making Marketing 360 part of an elite group of businesses that have met the highest standards of performance and service.

With a team of dedicated Ad Specialists and best-in-class performance monitoring software that lets business owners keep track of multi-channel ad campaigns from one place, Marketing 360 has everything needed to drive leads, capture market share and boost sales with Google ad campaigns.

About Marketing 360

Marketing 360 is a technology company that provides business marketing and marketing software and services for SMBs and franchises. The Marketing 360 platform gives SMBs everything they need to manage and grow their business from a singular platform, including the ability to  build a professional website, accept and manage payments, manage leads and customers, book appointments, monitor reviews, manage SMS, syndicate business listings, manage content marketing, run multi-channel digital advertising campaigns, and more. Marketing 360 was founded in 2009 with the mission of enriching communities by helping small businesses grow, and is headquartered in Fort Collins, Colorado, with offices in Austin, Texas. Learn more about Marketing 360 at https://www.marketing360.com/ .

Contact:

Farra Lanzer

970-541-3284

[email protected]

SOURCE Marketing 360
NASHVILLE, Tenn., Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Pre-orders for the much-anticipated autobiographical release telling the story of widely regarded entrepreneur Mignon Francois, founder and CEO of The Cupcake Collection (TCC), are now available at rhboyd.com/madefromscratch.

Set for release on May 9, Made from Scratch: Finding Success Without a Recipe is the story of a woman moving beyond her obstacles to find success with no presets, mapping a journey that led to the joy that has become synonymous with Mignon Francois.

Mignon Francois new memoir, "Made From Scratch: Finding Success Without a Recipe" is available for pre-order.

Francois is a speaker, entrepreneur, and community leader who has inspired thousands through her "Follow Your Spirit" approach to life. In Made from Scratch, Francois shares her story of climbing out of a life of upsets, setbacks, struggle, and lack to building a brand and legacy to bless her and future generations.

"All you have is all you need," is the life lesson baking icon Francois learned as she turned the five dollars she had to feed her family dinner for the week into a multi-million-dollar bakery brand with over 5 million cupcakes sold since 2008 when the TCC was founded.

Francois and the phenomenal story of TCC have been featured on NBC's TODAY with Hoda & Jenna, as well as in such publications as Southern Living, Entrepreneur, and Business Insider to name a few. Her success has garnered numerous awards, including Women of Legend and Merit, Entrepreneur of the Year, Women's Empowerment Innovator, NAACP Powershift Entrepreneur, and Black Enterprise magazine's Family Business of the Year.

When Francois decided it was time to tell her story, she thought R.H. Boyd was a natural fit. Francois saw the partnership with the 127-year-old company as an opportunity to help fulfill her personal mission of legacy building.

Since its founding in 1896, R.H. Boyd has taken seriously the charge to print, publish, and distribute resources with a targeted focus on African-American communities.

"Our company's legacy is to serve as a voice for the unheard. These kinds of partnerships further empower our community to take control of their narrative and to tell their story," says Dr. LaDonna Boyd, fifth-generation R.H. Boyd president/CEO. "We need storytellers now more than ever who won't allow others to speak for them."

To learn more about the book, R.H. Boyd, and stay updated on news and events, visit rhboyd.com and follow on social media @rhboydco. For bulk orders and bookstore inquiries, contact [email protected]. For press inquiries, contact [email protected].

Contact:

Emmanuel LeGrair

[email protected]

SOURCE R.H. Boyd Publishing Corporation
Luxury Mixed-Use Apartment Community Will Add 280 Homes, Retail

Adjacent to Founders Row in Thriving Falls Church Locale

FALLS CHURCH, Va., Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Mill Creek Residential, a leading developer, owner-operator and investment manager specializing in premier rental housing across the U.S., today announced it has broken ground on Modera Falls Church, a contemporary apartment community in the heart of the City of Falls Church, which will provide additional homes and retail adjacent to Mill Creek's mixed-use lifestyle center, Founders Row.

Modera Falls Church, which will feature 280 homes at the intersection of West Broad and North West Streets, will become the third residential component for Mill Creek in the City of Falls Church. It joins Modera Founders Row and Verso Founders Row, an age-restricted community dedicated to individuals 55 years and older, each of which began leasing in 2021. All three communities have been developed as a joint venture partnership between Mill Creek and CrossHarbor Capital Partners.

Modera Falls Church will add 22,000 square feet of retail space to the existing 90,000 square feet at Founders Row, which is anchored by Paragon Theaters, a luxury dine-in movie theater set to open in 2024. The community will also feature a co-working amenity space that will be unique to the City. First move-ins at this community are anticipated for early 2025.

"Founders Row immediately established itself as the 'new center' of the City, with an array of upscale retail, dining and living options," said Joe Muffler, senior managing director of development for Mill Creek Residential. "Modera Falls Church will expand that charm and add more quality homes and retail to a popular and emerging destination. We look forward to continuing to work with the City of Falls Church to create a unique experience that everyone can enjoy."

The community sits in a very walkable, very bikeable neighborhood (87 Walk Score and 79 Bike Score) and is located directly adjacent to the popular Washington & Old Dominion Trail. Residents also will be within a 15-minute walk of the Falls Church West Metro Station, which provides easy connectivity to the greater Washington, D.C. area. Additionally, Interstate 66 is approximately one mile west on Broad Street, which links to the Dulles Toll Road, the Capital Beltway, Route 50 and other thriving submarkets in Northern Virginia.

Within Founders Row, residents will have access to the seven screens and 600-plus seats of Paragon Theaters, restaurants Ellie Bird, Chasin' Tails, Nue, Roll Play Vietnamese Grill, Kyu Ramen and Kyo Matcha, and additional retailers such as Club Pilates, Sparkle & Pop Nail Salon, and 4Ever Young Med Spa.

Modera Falls Church, which will be built to LEED Gold standards, will feature studio, one- and two-bedroom homes with various layouts and an average size of 915 square feet. Community amenities will include a resident clubhouse, outdoor deck, resort-inspired swimming pool, fire pit, grilling area, landscaped courtyards, coffee bar, pet spa and a club-quality fitness center featuring cardio equipment, yoga studio, TRX system and Peloton bikes. Residents will also have access to controlled-access garage parking, dedicated bike storage and public EV-charging stations.

Apartment interiors will include nine-foot ceilings, stainless steel appliances, quartz countertops, tile backsplashes, wood plank-style flooring, custom cabinetry, moveable kitchen islands, pendant lighting, in-home washers and dryers, walk-in closets, private patios or balconies and a variety of smart home features, including smart thermostats and mobile-app entry. Bathrooms will feature double vanities, tile shower surrounds and quartz countertops.

About Mill Creek Residential

Mill Creek Residential Trust LLC is a national rental housing company focused on developing, acquiring, and operating rental communities in targeted markets nationwide. The national company, headquartered in Boca Raton, Florida, proactively develops, acquires, constructs, and operates communities through its seasoned team of real estate professionals in offices across the United States. Mill Creek is building its portfolio in many of the nation's most desirable markets in Seattle, Portland, the San Francisco Bay area, Southern California, Phoenix, Denver, Dallas, Austin, Houston, South Florida, Tampa, Orlando, Atlanta, Nashville, Charlotte, Raleigh, Washington, D.C., New Jersey, New York, and Boston. As of September 30, 2022, the company's portfolio comprises 125 communities representing over 33,875 rental homes operating and/or under construction. For more information, please visit www.MillCreekPlaces.com.

Media Contact

Stephen Ursery

LinnellTaylor Marketing

[email protected]

303.682.3945

SOURCE Mill Creek Residential
GUANGZHOU, China, Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- MINISO Group Holding Limited (NYSE: MNSO; HKEX: 9896) ("MINISO", "MINISO Group" or the "Company"), a global value retailer offering a variety of design-led lifestyle products, today announced its unaudited financial results for the second quarter of fiscal year 2023 ended December 31, 2022.

Financial Highlights for the Second Quarter of Fiscal Year 2023 ended December 31, 2022

Revenue was RMB2,494.4 million ( US$361 .7 million), representing a decrease of 10.0% year over year and 10.0% quarter over quarter.

was RMB2,494.4 million ( .7 million), representing a decrease of 10.0% year over year and 10.0% quarter over quarter. Gross profit was RMB997.1million ( US$144 .6 million), representing an increase of 15.6% year over year and 0.9% quarter over quarter.

was RMB997.1million ( .6 million), representing an increase of 15.6% year over year and 0.9% quarter over quarter. Gross margin was 40.0%, compared to 31.1% in the same period of 2021 and 35.7% in the previous quarter.

was 40.0%, compared to 31.1% in the same period of 2021 and 35.7% in the previous quarter. Operating profit was RMB447.6 million ( US$64 .9 million), representing an increase of 75.2% year over year, compared to RMB509.5 million in the previous quarter.

was RMB447.6 million ( .9 million), representing an increase of 75.2% year over year, compared to RMB509.5 million in the previous quarter. Profit for the period was RMB359.8 million ( US$52 .2 million), representing an increase of 95.4% year over year, compared to RMB404.1 million in the previous quarter.

was RMB359.8 million ( .2 million), representing an increase of 95.4% year over year, compared to RMB404.1 million in the previous quarter. Adjusted net profit (1) was RMB373.1 million ( US$54 .1 million), representing an increase of 82.1% year over year, compared to RMB417.4 million in the previous quarter.

was RMB373.1 million ( .1 million), representing an increase of 82.1% year over year, compared to RMB417.4 million in the previous quarter. Adjusted net margin(1) was 15.0%, compared to 7.4% in the same period of 2021 and 15.1% in the previous quarter.

Operational Highlights for the Second Quarter of Fiscal Year 2023 ended December 31, 2022

Number of MINISO stores was 5,440 as of December 31, 2022, increasing by 395 stores year over year and 144 stores quarter over quarter, respectively.

was 5,440 as of December 31, 2022, increasing by 395 stores year over year and 144 stores quarter over quarter, respectively. Number of MINISO stores in China was 3,325 as of December 31, 2022, increasing by 157 stores year over year and 56 stores quarter over quarter, respectively.

was 3,325 as of December 31, 2022, increasing by 157 stores year over year and 56 stores quarter over quarter, respectively. Number of MINISO stores in overseas markets was 2,115 as of December 31, 2022, increasing by 238 stores year over year and 88 stores quarter over quarter, respectively.

was 2,115 as of December 31, 2022, increasing by 238 stores year over year and 88 stores quarter over quarter, respectively. Number of TOP TOY stores was 117 as of December 31, 2022, increasing by 28 stores year over year and 8 stores quarter over quarter, respectively.

Notes: (1) See the sections titled "Non-IFRS Financial Measures" and "Reconciliation of Non-IFRS Financial Measures" in this press release for more information.

The following table provides a breakdown of the number of MINISO and TOP TOY stores as well as their year-over-year and quarter-over-quarter changes as of the relevant dates:



As of



December 31, September 30, December 31,

2021 2022 2022 YoY QoQ Number of MINISO stores(2) 5,045 5,296 5,440 395 144 China 3,168 3,269 3,325 157 56  Directly operated stores 5 19 16 11 (3)  Third-party stores 3,163 3,250 3,309 146 59 Overseas 1,877 2,027 2,115 238 88  Directly operated stores 136 131 153 17 22  Third-party stores 1,741 1,896 1,962 221 66 Number of TOP TOY stores(3) 89 109 117 28 8  Directly operated stores 5 8 8 3   Third-party stores 84 101 109 25 8

Mr. Guofu Ye, Founder, Chairman, and Chief Executive Officer of MINISO, commented, "We capped off a remarkable 2022 calendar year with another quarter of solid operating and financial performance. In spite of the severe pandemic related disruption to our domestic operations, we remained focused on our long-term strategic goals: delivering on our globalization strategy, bolstering the strength of our product offerings and optimizing our store network. These efforts are yielding positive results, and we are pleased to report that our overseas operations moved further along the path of recovery, which accounted for 40% of the Company's revenue  the highest in the past three years, we believe our globalized operation will provide us with more space and flexibility of growth in the near future. Our margin profile continued to beat expectations, with adjusted net profit increasing by 82% year-on-year to RMB373 million in the December quarter, and adjusted net margin remained stable compared to the prior quarter and at its historical high at 15%."

"Last week, we successfully held MINISO's global brand upgrade conference. For the first time, I systematically laid out our roadmap to building a great Chinese consumer brand. We also introduced MINISO's Global Product Innovation Center and launched the "Chinese Culture Globalized Innovation Program" with the Xinhua News Agency. As we head into MINISO's next decade, we need to upgrade, integrate and empower our product platform by leveraging resources from our IP partners, design partners, and leading suppliers, and by strengthening our global sourcing abilities so that we can rapidly put MINISO products in front of our users in every part of the world." Mr. Ye continued.

Notes: (2) "MINISO stores" represent any of the offline stores operated under the "MINISO" brand name, including those directly operated by the Company, and those operated by third parties under the MINISO Retail Partner model and the distributor model. (3) "TOP TOY stores" represent any of the offline stores operated under the "TOP TOY" brand name, including those directly operated by the Company, and those operated by third parties under the MINISO Retail Partner model.

Mr. Eason Jingjing Zhang, Chief Financial Officer and Vice President of MINISO, commented, "Gross margin for the December quarter reached 40%, another record high for MINISO Group and increased by nearly 900 basis points from 31% in the same quarter of last year, thanks to our solid execution of MINISO's brand upgrade, our strong bargaining power and steady recovery of overseas markets."

"Looking back on the past three years, MINISO has demonstrated strong profitability under the repeated stress tests of the pandemic. Over the past 18 quarters in which we have publicly disclosed financials, MINISO's adjusted net margin averaged 9%. Of these 18 quarters, 12 were in the pandemic, and MINISO's adjusted net margin averaged 7.6%; for the remaining 6 quarters without pandemic effects, MINISO's adjusted net margin averaged 10.7%. In 2023, we will continue to execute a disciplined financial policy in terms of budgeting, cost controls and allocation of capital as we focus on consistently delivering solid profits and healthy cash flow." Mr. Zhang concluded.

Recent Developments

Impact of COVID-19

The December quarter witnessed the most serious challenge to our China operations caused by the pandemic since its outbreak in 2020, with sales in offline MINISO stores decreased by 28% compared to the same period of 2021. Several major regional outbreaks led to tightened COVID- related health measures and lockdowns during this quarter. Based on the Company's estimation, total foot traffic to our offline MINISO stores decreased by 27%, 36% and 34% in each of October, November and December, while average spending per ticket size increased by 5%, 7% and 7%, which translates into declines of 23%, 32% and 30% in sales in the corresponding periods. The number of MINISO stores that were temporarily closed peaked at over 950 in late November.

This quarter's new wave of pandemic outbreak in China also caused disruptions to the operation of our logistics and transportation service providers, as a result, many ecommerce orders during the Double 11 online shopping festival were cancelled due to delayed product shipment.

After the turnaround of pandemic related policies in December and the resumption of normal daily life of consumers, offline sales bounced back to an encouraging level, with sales in January increased by around 40% year over year and sales in the 7-day Chinese New Year holiday season increase by around 25% compared to the same period of 2022. In addition, average sales per MINISO store in January increase by around 33% year over year and around 18% in the 7-day Chinese New Year holiday season compared to the same period of 2022.

Unaudited Financial Results for the Second Quarter of Fiscal Year 2023 ended December 31, 2022

Revenue was RMB2,494.4 million (US$361.7 million), representing a decrease of 10.0% year over year, primarily driven by a 26.6% year-over-year decline of revenue from China, partially offset by a 37.5% year-over-year increase of revenue from overseas markets.

Revenue from China was RMB1,507.9 million (US$218.6 million), compared to RMB2,055.5 million in the same period of 2021. The year-over-year decrease was primarily driven by a decrease in revenue from the MINISO brand from RMB1,868.0 million to RMB1,386.0 million (US$201.0 million), as a result of the resurgence of COVID-19 in China in the December quarter. For more information on the composition and year-over-year change of revenue, please refer to the "Unaudited additional information" in this press release.

Revenue from overseas markets was RMB986.5 million (US$143.0 million), accounting for 39.5% of our total revenue and representing an increase of 37.5% year-over-year. The increase was primarily due to a year-over-year increase of 11.6% in average store count and a year-over-year growth of 23.3% in average revenue per MINISO store in overseas markets.

Cost of sales was RMB1,497.4 million (US$217.1 million), representing a decrease of 21.6% year over year, mainly attributable to the savings measures we adopted to reduce the cost of certain products.

Gross profit was RMB997.1 million (US$144.6 million), representing an increase of 15.6% year over year.

Gross margin was 40.0%, compared to 31.1% in the same period of 2021. The year-over-year increase was primarily attributable to (i) the increase in revenue contribution from international operations, which typically have higher gross margin than domestic operations, from 25.9% in the same period of 2021 to 39.5% in this quarter, (ii) higher gross margin contributed by newly launched products in relation to our execution of strategic brand upgrade of MINISO in China, and(iii) the savings measures we adopted to reduce the cost of certain products.

Other income was RMB7.9 million (US$1.1 million), compared to RMB2.5 million in the same period of 2021.

Selling and distribution expenses were RMB416.8 million (US$60.4 million), representing an increase of 8.3% year over year. Excluding share-based compensation expenses, selling and distribution expenses were RMB409.0 million (US$59.3 million), representing an increase of 10.3% year over year. The year-over-year increase was primarily attributable to (i) increased promotion and advertising expenses, mainly in connection with our strategic brand upgrade of MINISO in China, and (ii) increased depreciation and amortisation expenses of directly operated stores.

General and administrative expenses were RMB146.3 million (US$21.2million), representing a decrease of 33.9% year over year. Excluding share-based compensation expenses, general and administrative expenses were RMB140.8 million (US$20.4 million), representing a decrease of 34.5% year over year. The year-over-year decrease was primarily due to (i) decreased personnel-related expenses, and (ii) decreased depreciation and amortization expenses due to the capitalization of construction costs of our headquarter building.

Other net income was RMB8.8 million (US$1.3 million), compared to RMB12.3 million in the same period of 2021. Other net income mainly consists of net foreign exchange gain, investment income from wealth management products and others. The year-over-year decrease was mainly attributable to a decrease in investment income from wealth management products as a result of reduced principal of such products, which was partially offset by a net foreign exchange gain of RMB1.8 million in this quarter, compared to a net foreign exchange loss of RMB15.8 million in the same period of 2021.

Operating profit was RMB447.6 million (US$64.9 million), representing an increase of 75.2% year over year.

Net finance income was RMB23.3 million, representing an increase of 372.6% year over year mainly due to an increase in interest income from bank deposits.

Profit for the period was RMB359.8 million (US$52.2million), representing an increase of 95.4% year over year.

Adjusted net profit(1), which represents profit for the period excluding equity-settled share-based payment expenses, was RMB373.1 million (US$54.1million), representing an increase of 82.1% year over year.

Adjusted net margin(1) was 15.0%, compared to 7.4% in the same period of 2021.

Basic and diluted earnings per American Depositary Share ("ADS") were RMB1.12 (US$0.16) in this quarter, compared to basic and diluted earnings per ADS of RMB0.6 in the same period of 2021. Each ADS represents four of the Company's ordinary shares.

Adjusted basic and diluted net earnings per ADS(1) were both RMB1.16 (US$0.17) in this quarter, compared to RMB0.68 in the same period of 2021.

As of December 31, 2022, the combined balance of the Company's cash, cash equivalents, restricted cash, term deposits, and other investments amounted to RMB6,160.4 million (US$893.2 million).

Conference Call

The Company's management will hold an earnings conference call at 4:00 A.M. Eastern Time on Tuesday, February 28, 2023 (5:00 P.M. Beijing Time on the same day) to discuss the financial results. The conference call can be accessed via the following zoom link or by dialing the following numbers:

Access 1

Zoom link: https://dooyle.zoom.us/j/85321657710 ? pwd=b2tEUjVwZkl0TGt1RE94RHJOd2ZYdz09

Meeting Number: 853 2165 7710

Meeting Passcode: 9896

Access 2

Listeners may access the call by dialing the following numbers with the same meeting number and passcode with Access 1.

United States Toll Free: +1 213 338 8477 (or +1 646 518 9805) Mainland China Toll Free: 400 182 3168 (or 400 616 8835) Hong Kong, China (Charge Fees): +852 5803 3730 (or +852 5803 3731) United Kingdom (Charge Fees): +44 203 481 5237 (or +44 131 460 1196) France (Charge Fees): +33 1 7037 9729 (or +33 1 7037 2246) Singapore (Charge Fees): +65 3158 7288 (or +65 3165 1065) Canada (Charge Fees): +1 438 809 7799 (or +1 204 272 7920)

(1) See the sections titled "Non-IFRS Financial Measures" and "Reconciliation of Non-IFRS Financial Measures" in this press release for more information.

Access 3

Listeners can also access the meeting through the Company's investor relations website at http://ir.miniso.com/ .

A replay will be available approximately two hours after the conclusion of the live event at the Company's investor relations website at http://ir.miniso.com/ .

About MINISO Group

MINISO Group is a global value 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. For more information, please visit https://ir.miniso.com/.

Exchange Rate

The U.S. dollar (US$) amounts disclosed in this press release, except for those transaction amounts that were actually settled in U.S. dollars, are presented solely for the convenience of the readers. The conversion of Renminbi (RMB) into US$ in this press release is based on the exchange rate set forth in the H.10 statistical release of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System as of December 30, 2022, which was RMB6.8972 to US$1.0000. The percentages stated in this press release are calculated based on the RMB amounts.

Non-IFRS Financial Measures

In evaluating the business, MINISO considers and uses adjusted net profit, adjusted net margin, adjusted basic and diluted net earnings per share and adjusted basic and diluted net earnings per ADS as supplemental measures to review and assess its operating performance. The presentation of these non-IFRS financial measures is not intended to be considered in isolation or as a substitute for the financial information prepared and presented in accordance with IFRS. MINISO defines adjusted net profit as profit for the period excluding equity-settled share-based payment expenses. MINISO calculates adjusted net margin by dividing adjusted net profit by revenue for the same period. MINISO computes adjusted basic and diluted net earnings per ADS by dividing the adjusted net profit attributable to the equity shareholders of the Company by the number of ADSs represented by the number of ordinary shares used in the basic and diluted earnings per share calculation on an IFRS basis. MINISO computes adjusted basic and diluted net earnings per share in the same way it calculates adjusted basic and diluted net earnings per ADS, except that it uses the number of ordinary shares used in the basic and diluted earnings per share calculation on an IFRS basis as the denominator instead of the number of ADSs represented by these ordinary shares.

MINISO presents these non-IFRS financial measures because they are used by the management to evaluate its operating performance and formulate business plans. These non-IFRS financial measures enable the management to assess its operating results without considering the impacts of the aforementioned non-cash and other adjustment items that MINISO does not consider to be indicative of its operating performance in the future. Accordingly, MINISO believes that the use of these non-IFRS financial measures provides useful information to investors and others in understanding and evaluating its operating results in the same manner as the management and board of directors.

These non-IFRS financial measures are not defined under IFRS and are not presented in accordance with IFRS. These non-IFRS financial measures have limitations as analytical tools. One of the key limitations of using these non-IFRS financial measures is that they do not reflect all items of income and expense that affect MINISO's operations. Further, these non-IFRS financial measures may differ from the non-IFRS information used by other companies, including peer companies, and therefore their comparability may be limited.

These non-IFRS financial measures should not be considered in isolation or construed as alternatives to profit, net profit margin, basic and diluted earnings per share and basic and diluted earnings per ADS, as applicable, or any other measures of performance or as indicators of MINISO's operating performance. Investors are encouraged to review MINISO's historical non-IFRS financial measures in light of the most directly comparable IFRS measures, as shown below. The non-IFRS financial measures presented here may not be comparable to similarly titled measures presented by other companies. Other companies may calculate similarly titled measures differently, limiting the usefulness of such measures when analyzing MINISO's data comparatively. MINISO encourages you to review its financial information in its entirety and not rely on a single financial measure.

For more information on the non-IFRS financial measures, please see the table captioned "Reconciliation of Non-IFRS Financial Measures" set forth at the end of this press release.

Safe Harbor Statement

This announcement contains forward-looking statements. These statements are made under the "safe harbor" provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements can be identified by words or phrases such as "may," "will," "expect," "anticipate," "aim," "estimate," "intend," "plan," "believe," "is/are likely to," "potential," "continue" or other similar expressions. Among other things, the quotations from management in this announcement, as well as MINISO's strategic and operational plans, contain forward-looking statements. MINISO may also make written or oral forward-looking statements in its periodic reports to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") and The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited (the "HKEX"), in its annual report to shareholders, in press releases and other written materials and in oral statements made by its officers, directors or employees to third parties. Statements that are not historical facts, including statements about MINISO's beliefs and expectations, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties. A number of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement, including but not limited to the following: MINISO's mission, goals and strategies; future business development, financial conditions and results of operations; the expected growth of the retail market and the market of branded variety retail of lifestyle products in China and globally; expectations regarding demand for and market acceptance of MINISO's products; expectations regarding MINISO's relationships with consumers, suppliers, MINISO Retail Partners, local distributors, and other business partners; competition in the industry; proposed use of proceeds; and relevant government policies and regulations relating to MINISO's business and the industry. Further information regarding these and other risks is included in MINISO's filings with the SEC and the HKEX. All information provided in this press release and in the attachments is as of the date of this press release, and MINISO undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statement, except as required under applicable law.

Investor Relations Contact:

Raine Hu

MINISO Group Holding Limited

Email: [email protected]

Phone: +86 (20) 36228788 Ext.8039

Eric Yuan

Christensen Advisory

Email: [email protected]

Phone: +86 1380 111 0739

MINISO GROUP HOLDING LIMITED UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF FINANCIAL POSITION (Expressed in thousands)



As at As at June 30, December 31, 2022 2022 (Audited) (Unaudited)

RMB'000

RMB'000

US$'000 ASSETS









Non-current assets









Property, plant and equipment 419,894

467,718

67,813 Right-of-use assets 2,342,589

2,337,100

338,847 Intangible assets 43,066

33,382

4,840 Goodwill 19,388

20,860

3,024 Deferred tax assets 154,333

165,642

24,016 Other receivables 28,274

28,717

4,164 Prepayments 201,682

200,269

29,036

3,209,226

3,253,688

471,740 Current assets









Other investments 210,523

809,641

117,387 Inventories 1,188,095

1,474,792

213,825 Trade and other receivables 1,056,198

1,108,501

160,717 Cash and cash equivalents 5,348,492

5,186,601

751,986 Restricted cash 32,376

28,609

4,148 Term deposits 236,878

135,548

19,653

8,072,562

8,743,692

1,267,716 Total assets 11,281,788

11,997,380

1,739,456













As at As at June 30, December 31, 2022 2022 (Audited) (Unaudited) RMB'000 RMB'000 US$'000 EQUITY Share capital 92 95 14 Additional paid-in capital 7,982,824 8,015,885 1,162,194 Other reserves 993,307 987,848 143,224 Accumulated losses (1,944,581) (1,196,403) (173,462) Equity attributable to equity shareholders of the

Company 7,031,642 7,807,425 1,131,970 Non-controlling interests (4,242) 1,602 232 Total Equity 7,027,400 7,809,027 1,132,202 LIABILITIES Non-current liabilities Contract liabilities 51,658 49,895 7,234 Loans and borrowings 6,503 6,997 1,015 Lease liabilities 393,068 408,162 59,178 Deferred income 14,488 11,741 1,702

465,717 476,795 69,129 Current liabilities Loans and borrowings 445   Trade and other payables 3,072,991 2,939,852 426,239 Contract liabilities 361,522 337,214 48,891 Lease liabilities 257,997 266,487 38,637 Deferred income 6,295 6,533 947 Current taxation 89,421 161,472 23,411

3,788,671 3,711,558 538,125 Total liabilities 4,254,388 4,188,353 607,254







Total equity and liabilities 11,281,788 11,997,380 1,739,456









MINISO GROUP HOLDING LIMITED UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF PROFIT OR LOSS (Expressed in thousands, except for per share and per ADS data)



Three months ended December 31, Six months ended December 31,

2021 (Unaudited) RMB'000 2022 (Unaudited) RMB'000 US$'000 2021 (Unaudited) RMB'000 2022 (Unaudited) RMB'000 US$'000







Revenue 2,772,793 2,494,434 361,659 5,426,908 5,266,878 763,626 Cost of sales (1,909,893) (1,497,353) (217,096) (3,835,566) (3,281,218) (475,732)













Gross profit 862,900 997,081 144,563 1,591,342 1,985,660 287,894 Other income 2,510 7,892 1,144 18,586 14,311 2,075 Selling and distribution expenses (384,813) (416,782) (60,428) (725,622) (798,127) (115,718) General and administrative expenses (221,421) (146,282) (21,209) (432,696) (313,908) (45,512) Other net income 12,337 8,815 1,278 45,964 72,850 10,562 Credit loss on trade and other receivables (6,544) (3,162) (458) (19,091) (3,716) (539) Impairment loss on non-current assets (9,536)   (9,536)  













Operating profit 255,433 447,562 64,890 468,947 957,070 138,762 Finance income 13,380 32,429 4,702 26,437 64,684 9,378 Finance costs (8,457) (9,161) (1,328) (17,266) (16,345) (2,370)













Net finance income 4,923 23,268 3,374 9,171 48,339 7,008 Share of loss of an equity-accounted investee,

net of tax (270)   (8,162)   Profit before taxation 260,086 470,830 68,264 469,956 1,005,409 145,770 Income tax expense (75,996) (111,063) (16,103) (131,338) (241,498) (35,014)













Profit for the period 184,090 359,767 52,161 338,618 763,911 110,756













Attributable to: Equity shareholders of the Company 184,741 352,456 51,101 336,779 764,090 110,782 Non-controlling interests (651) 7,311 1,060 1,839 (179) (26)













Earnings per share  Basic 0.15 0.28 0.04 0.28 0.61 0.09  Diluted 0.15 0.28 0.04 0.28 0.61 0.09













Earnings per ADS











(Each ADS represents 4 ordinary shares)











 Basic 0.60 1.12 0.16 1.12 2.44 0.35  Diluted 0.60 1.12 0.16 1.12 2.44 0.35

MINISO GROUP HOLDING LIMITED

Unaudited condensed consolidated statements of profit or loss and other comprehensive income (Expressed in thousands, except for per share data)































Three months ended December 31,

Six months ended December 31,



December 31, 2021

(Unaudited)



December 31, 2022

(Unaudited)

2021

(Unaudited)

2022

(Unaudited)



RMB'000



RMB'000

US$ '000

RMB'000

RMB'000

US$ '000



























Profit for the period

184,090



359,767

52,161

338,618

763,911

110,756 Items that may be reclassified subsequently to

profit or loss:

























Exchange differences on translation of financial

statements of foreign operations

1,459



(40,110)

(5,815)

9,177

(13,634)

(1,977) Other comprehensive income/(loss) for the

period

1,459



(40,110)

(5,815)

9,177

(13,634)

(1,977) Total comprehensive income for the period

185,549



319,657

46,346

347,795

750,277

108,779 Attributable to:

























Equity shareholders of the Company

185,845



314,490

45,597

345,545

746,698

108,261 Non-controlling interests

(296)



5,167

749

2,250

3,579

518

























































MINISO GROUP HOLDING LIMITED

RECONCILIATION OF NON-IFRS FINANCIAL MEASURE (Expressed in thousands, except for per share and per ADS data)































Three months ended December 31,

Six months ended December 31,



December 31, 2021

(Unaudited)



December 31, 2022

(Unaudited)

2021

(Unaudited)

2022

(Unaudited)



RMB'000



RMB'000

US$ '000

RMB'000

RMB'000

US$ '000



























Reconciliation of profit for the period to

adjusted net profit:





















































Profit for the period

184,090



359,767

52,161

338,618

763,911

110,756 Add back:

























Equity-settled share-based payment expenses

20,759



13,353

1,936

50,400

26,580

3,854



























Adjusted net profit

204,849



373,120

54,097

389,018

790,491

114,610



























Attributable to:

























Equity shareholders of the Company

205,500



365,809

53,037

387,179

790,670

114,636 Non-controlling interests

(651)



7,311

1,060

1,839

(179)

(26)



























Adjusted net earnings per share(4)

























-Basic

0.17



0.29

0.04

0.32

0.64

0.09 -Diluted

0.17



0.29

0.04

0.32

0.63

0.09



























Adjusted net earnigns per ADS(4)

(Each ADS represents 4 ordinary shares)

























-Basic

0.68



1.16

0.17

1.28

2.56

0.37 -Diluted

0.68



1.16

0.17

1.28

2.52

0.37



























(4) The adjusted basic and diluted net earnings per share are computed by dividing the adjusted net profit

attributable to the equity shareholders of the Company by the

number of ordinary shares used in the basic and diluted earnings per share calculation on an IFRS basis.

MINISO GROUP HOLDING LIMITED UNAUDITED ADDITIONAL INFORMATION (Expressed in millions, except for percentages)



Three months ended December 31









Six months ended December 31

2021 RMB

2022 RMB

2022 US$

YOY

2021 RMB

2022 RMB

2022 US$

YOY Revenue Domestic Operations 2,056

1,508

219

(27 %)

4,086

3,360

487

(18 %)  MINISO Brand 1,868

1,386

202

(26 %)

3,734

3,086

448

(17 %)  TOP TOY Brand 131

99

14

(24 %)

240

223

32

(7 %)  Others 57

23

3

(60 %)

112

51

7

(54 %) International Operations 717

986

143

38 %

1,341

1,907

276

42 %

2,773

2,494

362

(10 %)

5,427

5,267

763

(3 %)

SOURCE MINISO Group Holding Limited
New business model demonstrates lowered risks for fledgling industry

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- To help fusion research and development appeal to private investors, MIT Sloan School of Management Professor Andrew W. Lo suggests a "megafund" approach to generate an influx of cash for the fledgling industry while providing more attractive returns to shareholders.

Andrew W. Lo, the Charles E. and Susan T. Harris Professor and a professor of finance at the MIT Sloan School of Management and Director of the MIT Laboratory for Financial Engineering.

In a new study published in the Journal of Investment Management, Lo, director of the MIT Laboratory for Financial Engineering, and co-authors write that with the first commercial fusion-powered electrical plants projected to come online in the 2030s, it could be "the ideal time for investors interested in the fusion space to act." While Jeff Bezos and Bill Gates among others have put their own money into the space, "the private fusion industry is still woefully underfunded compared to the recent progress of the research and the importance of this technology to society."

In the study, Lo and colleagues Professor Dennis Whyte, director of the MIT Plasma Science and Fusion Center, and Zach Halem and Manish Singh from the MIT Laboratory for Financial Engineering model the financial implications of a megafund that amalgamates high-risk projects into a single financial entity, "thus improving the risk-return profile of a portfolio of fusion investments," he says.

In addition, the study proposes that governments and private foundations could offset some of the risk by offering first-loss protection to investors in the fund's early stages.

Borrowing a page from biotech

Lo models investor behavior and financial markets in multiple industries, including fusion, insurance, asset management, and healthcare. In 2012, Lo, the Charles E. and Susan T. Harris Professor and a professor of finance, proposed the creation of a megafund to support cancer research. He notes that fusion shares many of the same challenges of early biotech: high upfront costs, a long gestation lag before initial investments pay off, and high risk of failure for any single project.

The technological challenges of creating an almost inexhaustible source of clean power through thermonuclear fusion are considerable: A 100-million-degree Celsius reaction must be corralled by magnetic fields or laser beams, then channeled into a steady-state reactor to produce electricity on demand.

In December 2022, the US Department of Energy announced that scientists at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California hadfor the first timeproduced a fusion reaction that yielded more energy than the reaction required.

Like nuclear fission and early genome research, fusion research was initially funded through government-funded initiatives. Fusion R&D is now shifting to private companies. According to the Fusion Industry Association (FIA) in Washington, DC, more than 30 private fusion firms around the globe have attracted a total of more than $5 billion in private investments.

A menu of risk

For the investment strategy study, Lo and colleagues reviewed decades of case studies of public-private partnerships and interviewed academics, investors, energy advisors and other stakeholders to come up with a model that would limit risk and expand the pool of capital available to fusion companies.

They note that advances in materials research and computing have enabled technologies to evolve from the early magnetic confinement devices pursued by national and international agencies, opening up the field for private companies pursuing a variety of approaches.

The megafund model would include buy-in options with different risk-return tradeoffs and provide a diversified "fusion index" that enables investors to choose from a menu of options, including a long-hedge position as fusion becomes a more mature industry.

Simulations of the megafund model demonstrated positive returns and low default rates. "The model expands the pool of available capital by creating tranches with different risk-return tradeoffs and providing a diversified 'fusion index' that can be viewed as a long hedge against fossil fuels," the authors write.

Lo and colleagues acknowledge that raising billions in funding for an as-yet-unproven industry is challenging. Yet "the cost to society of not innovating around sustainable energy," they note, "may prove even more expensive."

For further information, contact:

Casey Bayer or Patricia Favreau Director of Media Relations Associate Director of Media Relations c: 914.584.9095 c: 617-895-6025 o: 617-253-0576 o: 617-253-3492 [email protected] [email protected]

SOURCE MIT Sloan School of Management
STOCKHOLM, Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Swedish Biofuels AB announced today an investment by Mitsubishi Corporation to jointly accelerate commercial deployment of clean renewable fuels using Swedish Biofuels advanced alcohol to jet (ATJ) technology.

The technology produces fully formulated sustainable aviation fuel (FFSAF) from a variety of biogenic feedstocks. Swedish Biofuels FFSAF is different from other SAFs, as it is not a blend component but ready-to-use, real jet fuel. The FFSAF has been tested successfully by engine manufacturers under US DARPA, US FAA and Swedish FMV programmes.

Swedish Biofuels is now leading the way with the world's first advanced ATJ technology, targeting the complete replacement of fossil jet fuel by FFSAF.

Swedish Biofuels MD, Dr Angelica Hull, stated that the company is honoured by Mitsubishi Corporation's investment decision, which provides an exceptional strategic partnership for Swedish Biofuels, including access to feedstock, sales support, marketing and commercial operations. With this partnership, the company expects to accelerate the deployment of its advanced ATJ technology in its home market and beyond.

About Mitsubishi Corporation

Mitsubishi Corporation is a global integrated business enterprise that develops and operates businesses across virtually every industry including natural gas, industrial materials, petroleum & chemicals solution, mineral resources, industrial infrastructure, automotive & mobility, food industry, consumer industry, power solution and urban development.

About Swedish Biofuels

Swedish Biofuels is a company based in Stockholm devoted to contributing to world safety by offering innovative, state-of-the-art technology to produce green, sustainable and high quality products meeting regulatory mandates and goals.

Swedish Biofuels is the inventor of the original ATJ technology, patented in 2004. Today the company provides custom-made solutions for its advanced ATJ technology, targeting maximum yield of fuel products for aviation and ground transportation.

www.swedishbiofuels.se

Contact

Sal Passanisi

Head of Strategic Projects

[email protected]

+46 703 573 800

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2010369/Swedish_Biofuels_Logo.jpg

SOURCE Swedish Biofuels AB
With Appnext's innovative tech integrated into its devices, leading South African manufacturer Mobicel can now provide a complete personalized mobile experience to its users

JOHANNESBURG, Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Appnext , an Affle company, the leading independent discovery platform offering innovative solutions to engage with users directly on their smartphones, has announced its partnership with South African mobile phone manufacturer Mobicel . The coming together of Appnext and Mobicel is a game-changer for Mobicel's customers, completely transforming and greatly enhancing the user experience from the moment they set up and customize their device for the first time and throughout their daily mobile journey.

It also further demonstrates Appnext's commitment to the app landscape in Africa: Appnext has an office in Johannesburg to support its local customers, helping them reach and engage with high-intent users and deliver content suggestions that reflect their needs at relevant moments.

Elad Natanson, Founder and CEO of Appnext, said: "We have built countless incredible relationships with leading OEM brands and mobile operators, and we're thrilled that Mobicel has joined those ranks of top-level OEMs that have integrated Appnext's technology. We know that Mobicel's customers will enjoy a much-enhanced experience of using their mobile phones with our industry-leading discovery solutions to provide them with highly personalized app recommendations. We look forward to working with Mobicel over the coming years with a shared goal of continually evolving the user experience."

Founded in South Africa in 2007, Mobicel has grown to become one of South Africa's biggest mobile phone manufacturers. The company's focus is on developing smartphones that are affordable but also highly desirable due to their look, functionality and quality.

Mobicel's aim is to provide the best possible smartphone experience to its customers, which is why the company wanted Appnext's technology on every device. The partnership has also opened up new revenue stream options for Mobicel while strengthening its brand and increasing usage.

Mobicel Founder and Chief Executive Ridwhan Khan said: "Our motto at Mobicel has always been 'you deserve more' and by partnering with Appnext we're offering a whole lot more to our customers. Appnext's sophisticated app discovery technology means our customers will receive recommendations for apps and services that really interest them, just at the right moment, making their experience of using their new mobile hugely satisfying. We like to say that when we put a mobile phone in a customer's hand, we're empowering them to have and do more, and with Appnext we can really achieve that goal."

With Appnext's technology pre-installed on Mobicel handsets, advertisers in South Africa can now place their app and services in front of high-value users from the moment they first unwrap and turn on a brand-new device and personalize it to their needs. From that point on, Appnext's technology enables advertisers to engage with Mobicel users throughout their daily mobile journey continuously with personally tailored app recommendations that are based on their

interests and preferences as well as delivered in the language of choice, on the mobile device.

Appnext is exhibiting at MWC Barcelona (February 27- March 2) booth #CS195 and ad:tech Delhi (March 15-16) booth #12

Supporting Resources:

About Appnext

Appnext is today's fastest-growing mobile discovery technology company in emerging markets for top mobile device brands. It is also the largest independent app discovery platform, offering the only recommendation engine on the market encompassing both in-app and on-device discovery.

The Appnext discovery platform powers 7B daily app recommendations to Android users worldwide, equating to over 500m DAU and an average of 20 on-device daily interactions with each user in target countries.

Through its direct partnerships with top OEMs, operators and more than 80,000 app developers, Appnext creates a discovery experience in over 10,000 mobile touchpoints.

Its patented user intelligence 'Timeline' technology, that predicts the app users are likely to need next, means Appnext's recommendations are helping app marketers reach more engaged users and get their apps discovered, used and reused.

In June 2020 Appnext became part of the Affle group. Affle (India) Ltd trades on the Indian stock exchanges (BSE: 542752 & NSE: AFFLE).

For more information about Appnext, visit www.appnext.com

About Mobicel

Mobicel started out in 2007 refurbishing and reselling used handsets before developing into the leading mobile phone manufacturer that it is today. Since 2019 all Mobicel devices have been developed and assembled in South Africa by South African people, many of them young black women.

Mobicel Founder and CEO Ridhwan Khan started the company with the belief that cellphones are a necessity, not a luxury, so he set out to put devices in more people's hands at affordable prices. With all Mobicel devices designed to offer full functionality along with stylish looks, Khan believes that with Mobicel, you can spend less and get more.

For more information about Mobicel, visit https://mobicel.co.za/

Media Contact

Orit Sharon

Director of Marketing, Appnext

[email protected]

SOURCE Appnext; Mobicel
SALT LAKE CITY, Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- NanoSpot.ai, a biotechnology diagnostics company, announces the full commercial release of its SARS-CoV-2 Total Antibody Test. This innovative solution uses an agglutination-based method combined with an AI-driven mobile application to deliver semi-quantitative antibody results at the point of care, providing fast and accurate diagnostic results without the need for complex diagnostic instrumentation.

The test, which takes under 3 minutes from the sample to the result and requires an internet connection, is easy to use and can be performed within a professional setting. With a 97.6% sensitivity and 100% specificity, the NanoSpot.ai SARS-CoV-2 Total Antibody Test is a reliable solution for individuals seeking to understand their exposure to COVID-19 and their level of immunity to the virus.

The full commercial release of this new product marks a major milestone for NanoSpot.ai and will be available for purchase through select distribution channels. The test obtained a CE Mark in May 2022 but has not obtained FDA authorization/clearance and is not for use in the United States.

"We are proud to bring this groundbreaking product to the larger European market, which will significantly impact the lives of individuals and communities affected by COVID-19," said Rian Wendling, CEO of NanoSpot.ai. "Our innovative approach to antibody testing offers fast, accurate results, and the ability to make informed decisions about one's health and well-being."

In September of 2022, NanoSpot.ai announced its partnership with Opto, an Athroa company, to commercialize the SARS-CoV-2 Antibody Test in Europe. With this partnership, the company aims to make antibody insights more accessible globally.

Future indications include blood typing and cardiac markers.

About NanoSpot.ai:

NanoSpot.ai unlocks the unique advantages of agglutination-based testing to bring low-cost, quantitative, and ultra-fast blood-based diagnostics to any environment. Their AI-enabled platform provides personalized insights anywhere an internet connection is available.

For more information about NanoSpot.ai and its SARS-CoV-2 Total Antibody Test, please visit the company's website at www.nanospot.ai.

Media Contact:

Rian Wendling

801.899.3298

[email protected]

SOURCE NanoSpot.ai
DEERFIELD BEACH, Fla., Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Nature Gnaws, a company dedicated to providing natural dog chews, is excited to announce the launch of its new USA product line that includes environmentally conscious biodegradable packaging. Made with all-American ingredients sourced from local farms, the new line offers a range of chews that are not only simple, natural, and delicious, but also eco-friendly for dogs of all sizes and breeds. The company is proud to offer a product that supports American economy and the local community.

"We are committed to providing natural, sustainable options for dogs and their owners" Steve Mamak, CEO of Nature Gnaws. Tweet this Nature Gnaws USA made Natural Dog Chews

The new USA product line includes a variety of chews, such as Turkey Tendons and Pig Ears, all of which are made from 100% natural single or limited ingredients. The chews are oven roasted to perfection, ensuring that they are both flavorful and high quality. The packaging is made of biodegradable materials, which helps to eliminate the environmental impact of the product and aligns with Nature Gnaws' commitment to sustainability.

"We believe that every dog deserves the best, and that's why we are thrilled to introduce our new USA product line." said Steve Mamak, CEO of Nature Gnaws. "We are committed to providing natural, sustainable options for dogs and their owners, and our new line is a reflection of that commitment as we introduce biodegradable packaging and USA made."

The new USA product line is available for purchase on Naturegnaws.com, as well as through select stores and online retailers such as Publix, Amazon, Costco, Chewy and Petco.

For more information, please visit www.naturegnaws.com or follow Nature Gnaws on social media @naturegnaws. Packaging Partnership: Inland, Packaging. Plastic Neutral Partnership: 4ocean

About Nature Gnaws: Nature Gnaws is a family run business dedicated to providing natural and delicious dog chews. Founded in 2016, Nature Gnaws is committed to sourcing high-quality ingredients from local farms, using responsible practices in the production of its chews, and reducing the environmental impact of its products.

Contact:

Avery Bradt

[email protected]

Torito Brands

730 S. Powerline Rd., Suite D

Deerfield Beach, FL, 33442 USA

SOURCE Nature Gnaws
NEW YORK, Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Neuberger Berman High Yield Strategies Fund Inc. (NYSE American: NHS) (the "Fund") has announced a distribution declaration of $0.0905 per share of common stock. The distribution announced today is payable on March 31, 2023, has a record date of March 15, 2023 and has an ex-date of March 14, 2023.

Under its level distribution policy, the Fund anticipates that it will make regular monthly distributions, subject to market conditions, of $0.0905 per share of common stock, unless further action is taken to determine another amount. The Fund's ability to maintain its current distribution rate will depend on a number of factors, including the amount and stability of income received from its investments, the cost of leverage and the level of other Fund fees and expenses. There is no assurance that the Fund will always be able to pay a distribution of any particular amount or that a distribution will consist only of net investment income.

Due to an effort to maintain a stable distribution amount, the distribution announced today, as well as future distributions, may consist of net investment income, net realized capital gains and return of capital. In compliance with Section 19 of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, a notice would be provided for any distribution that does not consist solely of net investment income. The notice would be for informational purposes and not for tax reporting purposes, and would disclose, among other things, estimated portions of the distribution, if any, consisting of net investment income, capital gains and return of capital. The final determination of the source and tax characteristics of all distributions paid in 2023 will be made after the end of the year.

About Neuberger Berman

Neuberger Berman, founded in 1939, is a private, independent, employee-owned investment manager. The firm manages a range of strategiesincluding equity, fixed income, quantitative and multi-asset class, private equity, real estate and hedge fundson behalf of institutions, advisors and individual investors globally. With offices in 26 countries, Neuberger Berman's diverse team has over 2,600 professionals. For eight consecutive years, the company has been named first or second in Pensions & Investments Best Places to Work in Money Management survey (among those with 1,000 employees or more). Neuberger Berman is a PRI Leader, a designation, since last assessed, that was awarded to fewer than 1% of investment firms for excellence in Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) practices. In the 2021 PRI Assessment, the firm obtained the highest possible scoring for its overarching approach to ESG investment and stewardship, and integration across asset classes. The firm manages $427 billion in client assets as of December 31, 2022. For more information, please visit our website at www.nb.com.

Statements made in this release that look forward in time involve risks and uncertainties. Such risks and uncertainties include, without limitation, the adverse effect from a decline in the securities markets or a decline in the Fund's performance, a general downturn in the economy, competition from other closed end investment companies, changes in government policy or regulation, inability of the Fund's investment adviser to attract or retain key employees, inability of the Fund to implement its investment strategy, inability of the Fund to manage rapid expansion and unforeseen costs and other effects related to legal proceedings or investigations of governmental and self-regulatory organizations.

Contact:

Neuberger Berman Investment Advisers LLC

Investor Information

(877) 461-1899

SOURCE Neuberger Berman
NEW YORK, Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Neuberger Berman MLP and Energy Income Fund Inc. (NYSE American: NML) (the "Fund") has announced a distribution declaration of $0.0584 per share of common stock. The distribution announced today is payable on March 31, 2023, has a record date of March 15, 2023 and has an ex-date of March 14, 2023.

The Fund currently intends to make regular monthly cash distributions to holders of its common stock at a fixed rate per share, to be determined based on the projected net rate of return of the Fund's investments as well as other factors, subject to ongoing review and adjustment from time to time. The Fund currently intends to pay its regular monthly distributions out of its distributable cash flow, which generally consists of (1) cash and paid-in-kind distributions from master limited partnerships ("MLPs") or their affiliates, dividends from common stocks, interest from debt instruments and income from other investments held by the Fund less (2) current or accrued operating expenses, including leverage costs, if any, and taxes on its taxable income.

The Fund expects that a portion of its distributions to stockholders will constitute a non-taxable return of capital. A "return of capital" is a distribution by the Fund which represents a return of a common stockholder's original investment, and should not be confused with a dividend. To the extent the Fund pays a return of capital, a common stockholder's basis in Fund shares will be reduced, which will increase a capital gain or reduce a capital loss upon sale of those shares. There is no assurance that the Fund will always be able to pay a distribution of any particular amount, or that a distribution will consist solely of the Fund's current and accumulated earnings and profits.

In compliance with Section 19 of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, a notice would be provided for any distribution that does not consist solely of net investment income. The notice would be for informational purposes and not for tax reporting purposes, and would disclose, among other things, estimated portions of the distribution, if any, consisting of net investment income, capital gains and return of capital. The final determination of the source and tax characteristics of all distributions paid in 2023 will be made after the end of the year.

The Fund is subject to federal income tax on its taxable income, unlike most investment companies. Any taxes paid by the Fund will reduce the amount available to pay distributions to stockholders, and therefore investors in the Fund will likely receive lower distributions than if they invested directly in MLPs.

About Neuberger Berman

Neuberger Berman, founded in 1939, is a private, independent, employee-owned investment manager. The firm manages a range of strategiesincluding equity, fixed income, quantitative and multi-asset class, private equity, real estate and hedge fundson behalf of institutions, advisors and individual investors globally. With offices in 26 countries, Neuberger Berman's diverse team has over 2,600 professionals. For eight consecutive years, the company has been named first or second in Pensions & Investments Best Places to Work in Money Management survey (among those with 1,000 employees or more). Neuberger Berman is a PRI Leader, a designation, since last assessed, that was awarded to fewer than 1% of investment firms for excellence in Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) practices. In the 2021 PRI Assessment, the firm obtained the highest possible scoring for its overarching approach to ESG investment and stewardship, and integration across asset classes. The firm manages $427 billion in client assets as of December 31, 2022. For more information, please visit our website at www.nb.com.

Statements made in this release that look forward in time involve risks and uncertainties. Such risks and uncertainties include, without limitation, the adverse effect from a decline in the securities markets or a decline in the Fund's performance, a general downturn in the economy, competition from other closed end investment companies, changes in government policy or regulation, inability of the Fund's investment adviser to attract or retain key employees, inability of the Fund to implement its investment strategy, inability of the Fund to manage rapid expansion and unforeseen costs and other effects related to legal proceedings or investigations of governmental and self-regulatory organizations.

Contact:

Neuberger Berman Investment Advisers LLC

(877) 461-1899

SOURCE Neuberger Berman
"Fearless: Leadership Lessons at the Crossroads" offers a compelling framework for business and nonprofit leaders to cultivate a mindset of resilience, learning, and growth.

INDIANAPOLIS, Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Author and OneCause CEO, Steve Johns, today announced the release of his book, "Fearless: Leadership Lessons at the Crossroads." The book, published by GriffMor Publishing, is a must-read for business and nonprofit leaders who seek to cultivate a culture of innovation and human-centered connection in their organizations.

Fearless: Leadership Lessons at the Crossroads

"Fearless: Leadership Lessons at the Crossroads" is a powerful guide for today's leaders and people builders. CEO Steve Johns draws on his experience leading the OneCause team and its nonprofit customers through unprecedented change during the COVID-19 pandemic, when the in-person fundraising world came to a halt and life-changing causes and organizations were on the line. Stopping, hiding, and waiting weren't options  Steve and his company needed to act.

"In today's unpredictable world, we all need to live and lead fearlessly," said Johns, "I hope the lessons shared in this book empower leaders of all kinds to chart a path forward with their teams and demonstrate ways to channel vulnerability, authenticity, and uncertainty into accelerated growth."

The journey started with a two-word update from Johns to his team in early 2020: "Be safe." This simple message evolved into weekly updates that empowered the OneCause team to band together, accelerate innovation, and enable their customers to keep powering their critical missions. Johns draws from modern media, classical philosophers, 21st century leaders, and nonprofits to assemble a modern roadmap any leader can use to mobilize, motivate, and inspire.

The book's chapters contain over fifty timeless leadership lessons and countless examples of individuals, teams, and organizations leading fearlessly, embracing innovation, and harnessing the winds of change to emerge stronger. While the lessons in "Fearless" were learned and applied during the pandemic, each one is applicable to the myriad crossroads we all face in our everyday lives.

"'Fearless' is OUR story," said Deborah Barge, CFRE and fundraising executive, "Steve Johns shares the authentic journey of a team who leads with purpose, with courage to innovate with compassion for their community. It's a book you'll want to share, and a story you will see yourself in."

"Fearless: Leadership Lessons at the Crossroads" is available for purchase on Amazon.

A portion of all book royalties will be reserved for charitable donations, scholarship programs, and the advancement of generosity.

For more information, visit the book website.

About Steve Johns

Steve Johns is passionate about helping nonprofits build a better tomorrow. As the Chief Executive Officer at OneCause, he leads a team of dedicated, curious, and helpful professionals who have supported more than 10,000 nonprofits as they achieve their missions. Steve brings over 30 years of experience in technology, corporate development, venture capital, event production, and entrepreneurship to his role. When he's not leading fearlessly, you can find him jamming to classic rock tunes in his office, walking the sands of Cocoa Beach with his family, or cheering on his beloved Chicago White Sox.

About OneCause

OneCause is driving the future of fundraising with easy-to-use digital fundraising solutions that help nonprofits improve the giving experience and raise more money. OneCause builds technology that optimizes everyday generosity, making it easier for nonprofit organizations to fundraise and for nonprofit supporters to give. Since 2008, OneCause has helped over 10,000 nonprofits in the United States and Canada raise more than $5 billion for their missions. Headquartered in Indianapolis, OneCause is committed to driving innovation in the charitable sector, bringing together nonprofit professionals across the world for the annual Raise Conference to exchange ideas that further fundraising. For more information, visit www.onecause.com or follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.

Media Contact:

Sarah Sebastian

[email protected]

SOURCE OneCause
Quick-install method supports design vision for employee-friendly building

NEW YORK, Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Architects for a $157 million downtown redevelopment in Central Indiana specified Bendheim's problem-solving TurnKey Glass Wall Cladding system for the project's anchor building, adding elegance to an open interior.

Designed by Browning Day of Indianapolis, a new corporate headquarters for First Internet Bank opened in the city of Fishers, Ind., in May 2022. Framing the elevators of the six-story structure, the gently etched grey mirrored glass from Bendheim creates a soft backdrop for some of the more dramatic features in the open central space, including the grand staircase connecting the four uppermost levels. As described by Madison Rief, Designer and Fitwel Ambassador at Browning Day: "It was a contemporary solution that allowed us to highlight the elevators without stealing the drama from the feature stair and two-story feature wall."

The use of Bendheim's patented TurnKey system to attach the glass cladding sped installation along. This simple rail-based concept allows glass panels to be locked into place with one-inch clips that turn like a key. Installation crews need only their basic tools, and no special training is required.

The work at First Internet Bank was completed by Architectural Glass & Metal of Indianapolis. AGM's Marc Fickle noted that installation was up to 20-25% faster with TurnKey (versus conventional J-channel and mastic). The TurnKey system is also more forgiving than other installation methods, allowing easy adjustments to compensate for uneven walls.

Panels mounted with TurnKey can also be easily demounted in the event of a redesign, or if access to an area behind the glass is required. TurnKey hardware is available in any RAL color, allowing designers to downplay or highlight these elements as desired. The clips installed in First Internet Bank were powder coated in RAL-7043 Traffic Grey, to match the custom grey etched and laminated mirror. Browning Day's Rief expressed satisfaction with the outcome: "It was a perfect solution, and we just loved the look of it."

In keeping with its history as the first state-chartered, FDIC-insured institution to operate entirely online, First Internet Bank took a reflective and deliberate approach to the purpose and nature of its brick-and-mortar office space. Features designed to promote employee wellness include a private amenity terrace and ready access to the nearby Nickle Plate Trail, fostering a connection with nature. The sleek and modern design of the building's workspaces provides flexibility for collaboration, with a nod to the industrial past in the form of exposed concrete and open ceilings.

Said Elieh, Vice President of Sales and Product Innovation at Bendheim, noted: "We're proud to be associated with this forward-looking project, and with the dynamism of growing cities like Fishers. The beauty of our TurnKey system is that it's now far easier for architects and designers to include gorgeous interior glass in their plans."

Images of the TurnKey installation at First Internet Bank are available here: https://app.box.com/s/mpxluzw4wv61uti5rllqtdgwe1w7zbs8

For more information about the TurnKey system, please see https://bendheim.com/introducing-turnkey-quick-assembly-glass-wall-systems/

About Bendheim:

Bendheim is one of the world's foremost resources for specialty architectural glass. Founded in New York City in 1927, the family-owned company offers a virtually unlimited range of customizable glass solutions for interior and exterior building applications. Bendheim develops, fabricates, and distributes its products worldwide. The company maintains production facilities in New Jersey and a design lab in New York City. For additional information, please visit Bendheim.com.

SOURCE Bendheim
Black Lives/Black Lungs: The Journey of a Stolen Leaf explores how long-standing exploitative strategies are now applied to e-cigarettes

WASHINGTON, Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Six years after his seminal short film "Black Lives/Black Lungs" documented the decades-long campaign transforming menthol into a Black cigarette, filmmaker and former Truth Initiative fellow Lincoln Mondy released today his follow-up documentary exposing the tobacco industry's manipulative efforts to skirt federal regulations. "Black Lives/Black Lungs: The Journey of a Stolen Leaf" unravels the industry's forward-looking strategy of protecting profits, subverting regulations, and maintaining influence through the promotion of e-cigarettes to hook a new generation to nicotine. The short film is available today for wide release on YouTube.

The new short documentary Black Lives/Black Lungs: The Journey of a Stolen Leaf explores the tobacco industrys manipulative efforts to protect profits, subvert regulations, and maintain influence to hook a new generation to nicotine. The film is available now on YouTube.

"After exploring the connection between Black people and the tobacco industry with 'Black Lives/Black Lungs,' I knew there was more to the story that needed to be shared," stated Mondy. "As I've watched the explosion of the e-cigarette market in recent years leading to the youth e-cigarette epidemic, the parallels between the marketing of this new product and the way that the industry targeted the Black community with menthol cigarettes couldn't be ignored. Past is prologue, and I hope this film does its part to shine a spotlight on the practices that tobacco companies are bringing out once again to ensnare a new generation."

With nearly 9 in 10 Black smokers currently using menthol cigarettes  including 94.8% of Black teenage smokers aged 12-17  and with tobacco use as the number one cause of preventable death among Black Americans with 45,000 dead each year, "Black Lives/Black Lungs: The Journey of a Stolen Leaf" explores the history of the tobacco industry and how it was built on the backs of Black slaves. As colonizers pillaged and stole land from indigenous communities, they also stole their sacred plant, tobacco, turning it into a cash crop. By 1630, over a million and a half pounds of tobacco were being exported from Jamestown every year, setting into motion tobacco as an early justification for slavery and the billion-dollar industry we know today.

After connecting Big Tobacco to colonization, slavery, and capitalism, Mondy takes viewers to the present by focusing on flavors and industry tactics as connective tissues tying traditional cigarettes and e-cigarettes together. Experts and advocates provide commentary and examples of the industry's playbook: Buy Black influence, sow doubt in science, and subvert regulation. By stepping into the origins of the industry and the origins of traditional cigarettes, Mondy presents a visual and detailed case showing how Big Tobacco has never been far from its origins, and the dangers of allowing an industry unfettered access to dust off their old predatory tactics for new generations.

The film features numerous experts and longtime champions of calling out predatory tactics used by the tobacco industry, including:

Alexandria Duruji , public health advocate

, public health advocate Denise A. Smith , Senior Fellow, The Century Foundation

, Senior Fellow, The Century Foundation Diamond Miller , Manager of College Activism and Organizing, Truth Initiative

, Manager of College Activism and Organizing, Truth Initiative Dr. Mignonne C. Guy , Chair in the Department of African American Studies, Virginia Commonwealth University

, Chair in the Department of African American Studies, Dr. Phillip Gardiner , Founding Member and Co-Chair, African American Tobacco Control Leadership Council

, Founding Member and Co-Chair, African American Tobacco Control Leadership Council Dr. Valerie Yerger , Founding Member and Council Member, African American Tobacco Control Leadership Council

, Founding Member and Council Member, African American Tobacco Control Leadership Council Carol McGruder , Founding Member and Co-Chair, African American Tobacco Control Leadership Council

The film is directed and narrated by Mondy, who created the original "Black Lives/Black Lungs" as part of the 2015-16 Truth Initiative Youth Activism Fellowship. Through Truth Initiative's highly effective truth public education campaign, the organization has long been on the front lines of calling out and engaging with young people around the tobacco industry's long history of systemic discrimination and predatory tactics contributing to a public health emergency in the Black, Indigenous, Latinx, and LGBTQ+ communities. Young people can join in taking action around tobacco and vaping as a social justice issue, visit thetruth.com/take-action.

"Black Lives/Black Lungs: The Journey of a Stolen Leaf" is now available to stream on YouTube. Young people nationwide will also be hosting screenings on their own campuses and communities with support from truth; to learn more about how to host a screening, please visit thetruth.com.

About Truth Initiative

Truth Initiative is a national public health organization dedicated to achieving a culture where all young people reject smoking, vaping and nicotine and a future where tobacco and nicotine addiction are a thing of the past. In 2020, we celebrated 20 years of saving lives and preventing millions of youth from smoking. Our impact has helped drive the teen smoking rate down from 23% in 2000 to under 3% in 2021. The truth about tobacco and the tobacco industry are at the heart of our proven-effective and nationally recognized truth public education campaign. As youth e-cigarette use threatens to addict a new generation to nicotine, we are leading the fight against tobacco and nicotine addiction in all forms. Our rigorous scientific research and policy studies, community and youth engagement programs supporting populations at high risk of using tobacco, and innovation in tobacco dependence treatment are also helping to end one of the most critical public health battles of our time. Based in Washington D.C., our organization, formerly known as the American Legacy Foundation, was established and funded through the 1998 Master Settlement Agreement between attorneys general from 46 states, five U.S. territories and the tobacco industry. To learn more, visit truthinitiative.org.

SOURCE Truth Initiative
White House Historical Association President Stewart McLaurin Discusses Dining Diplomacy at the White House with Bestselling Author Alex Prud'homme

WASHINGTON, Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The White House Historical Association released a new episode of The White House 1600 Sessions podcast today: "Dinner with the President." In this episode, Stewart McLaurin, president of the Association, discusses dining diplomacy with bestselling author Alex Prud'homme in a conversation about his new book, "Dinner with the President: Food, Politics, and a History of Breaking Bread at the White House."

"It's hard not to overstate just how many important decisions and relationships have been made over a meal, especially in diplomatic circles," said McLaurin. "Food really brings people together and can have great meaning from hotdogs at the ballpark to State Dinners at the White House."

Prud'homme is the great-nephew of cooking legend Julia Child.

"Whether it is a luncheon for the Cabinet, Congressional picnic on the lawn, simple sandwich in the President's private dining room or a fabulous State Dinner, there's something food wise going on with the White House almost every day, and each one carries a message with it," said Prud'homme.

Prud'homme also wrote the Foreword to the reissue of "The White House Family Cookbook" by White House Executive Chef Henry Haller can be purchased at shop.whitehousehistory.org.

The White House 1600 Sessions is available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, and Stitcher.

The White House 1600 Sessions

White House Historical Association President Stewart McLaurin. McLaurin is the host of "The White House 1600 Sessions," the Association's official audio and video podcast devoted to exploring the history, cultural impact, untold stories, and personal accounts of America's most iconic residence and highest office.

About the White House Historical Association

The White House Historical Association was founded in 1961 by First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy to support her vision to restore and preserve the Executive Mansion and its legacy for generations to come. Mrs. Kennedy sought to inspire Americans, especially children, to explore and engage with American history and its presidents. Supported entirely by private resources, the Association is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that has contributed more than $100 million to the White House in fulfillment of its mission. To learn more about the White House Historical Association, please visit WhiteHouseHistory.org .

SOURCE White House Historical Association
Universidad de la Libertad , based in Mexico City , is founded by Ricardo Salinas and built in collaboration with Minerva Project

, based in , is founded by and built in collaboration with Minerva Project Curriculum will be interdisciplinary, combining active and experiential learning, and allowing maximum flexibility for multi-generational learners

A business degree will be offered in Fall 2023 with lifelong learning opportunities to follow

SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- A new, innovative university, Universidad de la Libertad ("UL"), is launching in Mexico City in partnership with Minerva Project, the Silicon Valley-based education innovator that built Minerva University. Unlike traditional institutions, UL will have a multi-generational learning campus that will integrate interdisciplinary curricula with active learning pedagogies and provide a highly personalized approach to education. UL is founded by Ricardo Salinas Pliego, the founder and chairman of Grupo Salinas, a group of dynamic, fast growing and technologically advanced companies effectively competing in the retail, financial, telecommunications and media sectors. It will launch its undergraduate business program in Fall 2023, to be complemented by professional learning opportunities in the future.

"With Minerva, we were able to accelerate the launch of the UL, offering a skills-based education to our students." Tweet this UL and Minerva leadership inspect new campus buildings.

The business curriculum focuses on entrepreneurship and will include Minerva designed general education courses, which impart critical, durable skills highly demanded by employers. First-year courses will include creative and critical thinking, as well as expressive and communication clarity. A "smart skills" course, aimed at teaching students competencies like time management and effective study habits, will also be incorporated into the curriculum.

Students will take classes both on the UL campus and Minerva's virtual learning environment, Forum, providing flexibility and choice. In addition, students can complete a degree in business development or a set of certificates over a long period of time.

"When so many young people in higher education cannot wait to leave, then it means your higher education system is broken. In my perspective, if you are in a learning environment, you should not want to get out," said Ricardo Salinas. "Universidad de la Libertad, through its partnership with Minerva, will offer a superior education which will impart durable skills that our young people will need in the workforce and in their communities. And they will have the opportunity to come back over their lifetime to continue that education."

Minerva Project's expertise in building quality defining universities spans more than a decade, starting with Minerva University, launched in 2013, and recently ranked by World's Universities with Real Impact (WURI) as the most innovative university in the world.

Since then, Minerva has helped build specialized institutions like the Korean Institute of Energy Technology (Kentech), an energy engineering university in Korea. It helped transform traditional universities, like Zayed University in the UAE, into the first interdisciplinary college in the Middle East. Minerva Project also partnered with University of Miami to create a redefined, interdisciplinary degree program in Innovation, Technology and Design.

"Universidad de la Libertad is an innovative concept in education, and we are delighted to partner with them," said Ben Nelson, Founder and CEO of Minerva Project. "Minerva's expertise in higher education institution building is now widely recognized as we have helped institutions in the US, Europe, Asia and the Middle East transform or launch their universities. Minerva's partnership with UL is the first of many in Mexico and Latin America."

Minerva Project will provide support for development of the interdisciplinary curriculum that integrates active and experiential learning, skills-based assessment, and faculty training. Its methodology is based on decades of research in the science of learning, implementing its proprietary cross disciplinary curriculum and Fully Active Learning pedagogy, utilizing Forum, the world's foremost synchronous digital learning environment combined with integrated, place-based experiential learning. These programs, which are focused on systematically teaching and measuring the most important skills and knowledge for the 21st century, create transformative educational outcomes for students.

On launching this partnership, Jorge Diaz Cuervo, President of Universidad de la Libertad, stated, "We can offer students flexibility coupled with a quality education, thanks to our partnership with Minerva Project. With them, we were able to accelerate the launch of the UL, offering a skills-based education to our students. Moreover, we will not measure success in conventional ways, but rather in how the program will contribute to societal progress and individual economic advancement."

To learn more about Universidad de la Libertad, visit https://ulibertad.edu.mx

About Universidad de la Libertad

Universidad de la Libertad is a business development and innovation university in Mexico City, opening its doors to the founding generation of students in September 2023. UL is part of Grupo Salinas, one of Latin America's most important business groupsfounded and led by Ricardo B. Salinas Pliego with companies focused on creating inclusive prosperity, through economic value, by means of market innovation and goods and services that improve standards of living; social value that enhances community wellbeing; and environmental value by reducing the negative impact of its business activities.

About Minerva Project

Minerva Project is a pathbreaking educational innovator, designing and delivering exceptional educational programs through educational and corporate partners globally. Minerva Project is the strategic innovation partner both to institutions looking to create new, transformational programs as well as powering the launch of start-up universities. Partners include University of Miami, USC, Berkeley, Zayed University, Esade, Kentech, and Universidad de la Libertad.

Founded by Ben Nelson in 2011, Minerva's mission is to nurture critical wisdom for the sake of the world. Minerva helps partners meet the needs of modern learners, by combining a Fully Active learning pedagogy, a unique skills-based curriculum, and Minerva's hybrid learning Forum platform. Its groundbreaking creation of Minerva University is detailed in the book Building the Intentional University: Minerva and the Future of Higher Education (MIT Press).

For additional information about Minerva Project, visit www.minervaproject.com

For media queries, contact:

Minerva Project

Diana El-Azar

[email protected]

SOURCE Minerva Project
NEWARK, Del., Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Institute for Innovation in Manufacturing Biopharmaceuticals (NIIMBL) is pleased to announce approximately $1.7M in planned project activities through the Institute's Global Health Fund (GHF) Project Call 6.1G for three new projects focused on the development of in vitro potency assays for vaccines being produced by mRNA and/or viral vector technologies.

These projects were selected to best align with key focus areas identified by NIIMBL and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) to address industry needs. The Global Health Fund was established by NIIMBL with funding contributed by BMGF to develop and implement innovative technologies for vaccine and biological manufacturing that will accelerate development timelines and lower the cost of manufacturing, all in furtherance of BMGF's charitable objectives.

"NIIMBL is looking forward to adding these key projects to our GHF portfolio. These projects will allow us to further advance innovation in vaccine manufacturing, particularly around potency assays that are important for characterization of key quality aspects of vaccines," says Chris Roberts, Associate Institute Director. "The recent pandemic highlighted several needs for vaccine development and manufacturing across multiple potential vaccine targets. These projects will make significant advances for vaccine manufacturing," adds Roberts.

NIIMBL has awarded approximately 142 technical, workforce development, and Global Health Fund projects through the Project Call process with a total project investment of over $111M since 2017 when the Institute launched. The NIIMBL community is comprised of more than 200 members from academia, industry, government, and non-profit organizations. They all share the common goal of advancing biopharmaceutical manufacturing.

For a description of each project and to learn more about NIIMBL, visit the Project Call 6.1 website.

6.1 Project List

Project:

Versatile Platform for Speed and Simplicity in mRNA Potency Testing Draft

Lead: InDevR, Inc.

Project:

Advanced FISH Assay and Mechanism Hybrid Surrogate to Improve mRNA Vaccine Potency

Assessment and Prediction Draft

Lead: Northeastern University

Project:

Optimization of a mRNA Vaccine Potency Assay Platform for Global Use

Lead: PATH Center for Vaccines Innovation & Access

*All funding is subject to project agreement negotiations.

About NIIMBL

The National Institute for Innovation in Manufacturing Biopharmaceuticals (NIIMBL) is a public-private partnership whose mission is to accelerate biopharmaceutical innovation, support the development of standards that enable more efficient and rapid manufacturing capabilities, and educate and train a world-leading biopharmaceutical manufacturing workforce, fundamentally advancing U.S. competitiveness in this industry. NIIMBL is part of Manufacturing USA, a diverse network of federally sponsored manufacturing innovation institutes, and is funded through a cooperative agreement with the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in the U.S. Department of Commerce with significant additional support from its members.

Contact:

News Media

Maria X. Chacon

Director of Marketing and Communications

302-831-2337

[email protected]

SOURCE National Institute for Innovation in Manufacturing Biopharmaceuticals (NIIMBL)
NEW YORK, Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Certified Origins , a global company specializing in Extra virgin olive oils (EVOOs) and traceable foods, joined Universita del Salento and the Consorzio dell'Olio Toscano in a critical study to determine the authenticity of Tuscan PGI EVOO, using Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) technologies.

Italy and Tuscany share a positive reputation for food products, and for this reason, they are often imitated and at the center of misleading marketing practices. "Geographical Indications like PDOs and PGIs , are important instruments we can use to protect our business partners from food fraud and, at the same time, support entire communities of farmers and producers," explains Anita Nari, Certified Origins Sales Manager in North America.

Certified Origins specializes in Private Label food programs where efficiency, safety, and quality are vital. "We take traceability very seriously here in Certified Origins. This project confirms our commitment to supporting authentic foods using science, third-party control bodies , and Oracle blockchain ," states Andrea Biagianti, IT Manager in the Italian headquarters.

NMR is a promising technology, more accurate than DNA , in guaranteeing the origin of an EVOO to retailers worldwide. The research results were presented at the first-ever scientific symposium fully dedicated to PDO and PGI-certified foods, organized by Fondazione Qualivita in Rome, Italy.

What benefits does this research bring to Certified Origins' customers? "High-quality EVOOs suitable for PDO and PGI certification may also undergo additional checking according to Nuclear Magnetic Resonance, based on reference databases. In the case of Tuscany PGI, a database with the relevant cultivars from 24 selected geographical areas distributed all over the region of Tuscany has been developed by Certified Origins in collaboration with the University of Salento (Italy) as a further guarantee of authenticity," informs professor Francesco Paolo Fanizzi, responsible for the project and corresponding author of the published scientific work .

Certified Origins teams want people to know where their food comes from and believe that healthy food should be affordable and accessible to as many families as possible. They achieve this goal through supporting scientific research and thanks to solid relationships with Olive Oil cooperatives and high-quality food producers, a vast distribution network, and continuous investments to improve efficiency and transparency along the supply chain.

CONTACT: [email protected]

SOURCE Certified Origins
AIX-EN-PROVENCE, France, Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Ocergie SAS, announced that its pilot OCG-Data Blue Oracle (Buoy with Lidar and Underwater Equipment for Ocean Resource Assessment and Characterisation of Life in the Environment), is now anchored 30km offshore Leucate in the Occitanie region in 95m water depth: in one of the pre-selected zones of the Mediterranean Floating Wind Tender (AO6). The buoy data acquisition system is fully operational and high resolution metocean and bio-diversity data is already being acquired.

Ocergy Ocergy

Ocergy, which leads the project partly sponsored by ADEME (French Environment and Energy Management Agency), is joined by strategic partners Skyborn Renewables, Tachyssema Developpement, University of Perpignan CREM and Sens of Life playing key roles in the project. In addition, the scientific committee composed of CRPMEM, Ecocean, Ocean Winds, Semantic-T.S., Chorus, and Bureau Veritas has provided important input to the project.

Ocergy is deeply thankful to the project major suppliers, including Brodosplit for the buoy fabrication, Jifmar for the offshore installation and Vryhof for the anchor and mooring supply. The buoy is fitted with TP Product structural compact flanges, and a Vaisala Windcube lidar. The buoy was assembled at Euroports Marine Renewable Energy terminal in Port-la-Nouvelle.

Christian Cermelli, President of Ocergie SAS, said: "This key milestone closes the first year of the project, and the scientific teams are excited to embark in the data acquisition and analysis year-long phase, which is expected to provide valuable biodiversity and environmental information. In addition, this buoy serves as a one-third scale pilot of our OCG-Wind Floating Offshore Wind foundation with important return on experience expected to further mature our FOW design."

"This project is being supported by ADEME in the framework of the Program of investments for the future."

For more information, contact: Guillaume Ardoise, [email protected]

About Ocergy

Ocergy is a technology company developing sustainable offshore solutions:

OCG-Wind is an efficient floating foundation supporting the new generation of very large offshore wind turbines. The innovative hull allows the platform to have a very light weight, a necessity to reduce LCOE. It is tailored towards ease of industrialization, to bring flexibility in fabrication and increase use of the local supply chain in the project fabrication life cycle.

OCG-Data is an innovative multi-disciplinary ocean observer for complete offshore site assessment. It has enough payload to host and power multiple instrumentation packages for resource and environmental characterization. Underwater biodiversity monitoring relies on the combination of underwater ecological restoration technologies and passive acoustic monitoring arrays. The buoy also hosts a bird and bat detection and identification system. OCG-Data provides high-quality data including ecological information for stakeholders' engagement.

SOURCE Ocergy
TORONTO, Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ - Orvana Minerals Corp. (TSX: ORV) (the "Company" or "Orvana") announced today that, at its annual shareholders' meeting (the "Meeting") held on February 28, 2023, the individuals noted below were elected as directors of the Company. The report on proxies provided by the Company's transfer agent indicated the following:

Michael Davies received 73,884,532 votes (representing 99.83% of votes cast); Alfredo Garcia Gonzalez received 73,883,892 votes (representing 99.83% of votes cast); Robert Metcalfe received 73,884,532 votes (representing 99.83% of votes cast); and Michael Mutchler received 73,884,392 votes (representing 99.83% of votes cast).

Following the Meeting, Mr. Robert Metcalfe was appointed as chairman of the board of directors; Mr. Juan Gavidia was re-appointed Chief Executive Officer; Ms. Nuria Menendez was re-appointed Chief Financial Officer; and Mr. Binh Vu was re-appointed Corporate Secretary/VP Legal Affairs, for the ensuing year.

The Company received 78,468,495 votes (representing 99.92% of votes cast) to re-appoint PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP as the Company's independent auditor for the ensuing year and to authorize the directors to fix the auditor's remuneration.

For full voting details please see Orvana's voting results as filed on SEDAR at www.sedar.com .

ABOUT ORVANA - Orvana is a multi-mine gold-copper-silver company. Orvana's assets consist of the producing El Valle and Carles gold-copper-silver mines in northern Spain, the Don Mario gold-silver property in Bolivia, currently in care and maintenance, and the Taguas property located in Argentina. Additional information is available at Orvana's website (www.orvana.com).

Cautionary Statements - Forward-Looking Information

Certain statements in this presentation constitute forward-looking statements or forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities laws ("forward-looking statements"). Any statements that express or involve discussions with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions, potentials, future events or performance (often, but not always, using words or phrases such as "believes", "expects", "plans", "estimates" or "intends" or stating that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might", "will" or "are projected to" be taken or achieved) are not statements of historical fact, but are forward-looking statements.

A variety of inherent risks, uncertainties and factors, many of which are beyond the Company's control, affect the operations, performance and results of the Company and its business, and could cause actual events or results to differ materially from estimated or anticipated events or results expressed or implied by forward looking statements. Some of these risks, uncertainties and factors include: the potential impact of the COVID-19 on the Company's business and operations, including: our ability to continue operations; our ability to manage challenges presented by COVID-19; the accounting treatment of COVID-19 related matters; Orvana's ability to prevent and/or mitigate the impact of COVID-19 and other infectious diseases at or near our mines; our ability to support the sustainability of our business including through the development of crisis management plans, increasing stock levels for key supplies, monitoring of guidance from the medical community, and engagement with local communities and authorities; fluctuations in the price of gold, silver and copper; the need to recalculate estimates of resources based on actual production experience; the failure to achieve production estimates; variations in the grade of ore mined; variations in the cost of operations; the availability of qualified personnel; the Company's ability to obtain and maintain all necessary regulatory approvals and licenses; the Company's ability to use cyanide in its mining operations; risks generally associated with mineral exploration and development, including the Company's ability to continue to operate the El Valle and/or ability to resume long-term operations at the Carles Mine; the Company's ability to successfully implement a sulphidization circuit and ancillary facilities to process the current oxides stockpiles at Don Mario; the Company's ability to successfully carry out development plans at Taguas; sufficient funding to carry out development plans at Taguas and to process the oxides stockpiles at Don Mario; the Company's ability to acquire and develop mineral properties and to successfully integrate such acquisitions; the Company's ability to execute on its strategy; the Company's ability to obtain financing when required on terms that are acceptable to the Company; challenges to the Company's interests in its property and mineral rights; current, pending and proposed legislative or regulatory developments or changes in political, social or economic conditions in the countries in which the Company operates; general economic conditions worldwide; the challenges presented by COVID-19; fluctuating operational costs such as, but not limited to, power supply costs; current and future environmental matters; and the risks identified in the Company's disclosures. This list is not exhaustive of the factors that may affect any of the Company's forward-looking statements and reference should also be made to the Company's Disclosures for a description of additional risk factors.

Any forward-looking statements made herein with respect to the anticipated development and exploration of the Company's mineral projects are intended to provide an overview of management's expectations with respect to certain future activities of the Company and may not be appropriate for other purposes. Forward-looking statements are based on management's current plans, estimates, projections, beliefs and opinions and, except as required by law, the Company does not undertake any obligation to update forward-looking statements should assumptions related to these plans, estimates, projections, beliefs and opinions change. Readers are cautioned not to put undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements made in this information are intended to provide an overview of management's expectations with respect to certain future operating activities of the Company and may not be appropriate for other purposes.

SOURCE Orvana Minerals Corp.
VANCOUVER, BC, Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Pangea Natural Foods Inc. (CSE: PNGA) (OTCQB: PNGAF) ("Pangea'' or the "Company"), a natural food company, is pleased to announce the engagement of Jordan Melville to provide franchising and food-related consulting and advisory services.

Melville's engagement is the second new hire that the Company has made this year, following the appointment of Daryl Louie as Pangea's Chief Marketing Officer earlier this year.

"As we grow and mature as a publicly listed company, we are committed to strengthening our team. We are excited to expand our team by bringing on Jordan," says Pratap Sandhu, the Company's Chief Executive Officer. "Last year we reached many milestones, including the introduction of four new product lines and the launch of Pangea products in over 250 retail outlets. We are looking forward to having Jordan join us and help support our growth plans in order to reach our 2023 goals."

Melville is joining the Company with decades of experience in food manufacturing, distribution and franchising. Previously, he worked with the executive team at the Boston Pizza franchise, providing strategic direction and leading the opening of over 400 locations across North America. Melville is also the Founder of Brandlive Management Group, an award-winning Vancouver based event production company.

Melville will support Sandhu and Pangea's executive leadership team in seeking to achieve the Company's goals of optimizing its supply chain, improving its manufacturing processes, and providing strategic direction on its distribution.

About Pangea Natural Foods Inc.

Pangea Natural Foods Inc. is a food manufacturing company focused on manufacturing and distributing high quality food products across North America.

On Behalf of the Board of Directors



(signed) "Pratap Sandhu"

Pratap Sandhu

CEO, Corporate Secretary and Director

For further information, please visit the Company's website a www.pangeafood.com or contact:

Pangea Natural Foods Inc.

Pratap Sandhu,

Chief Executive Officer

Telephone: +1 (604) 765-8069

Email: [email protected]

Forward-Looking Information

Certain statements contained in this news release constitute "forward-looking information" as such term is used in applicable Canadian securities laws, including statements relating to: the Company's plans to expand distribution of its products throughout North America, including growth in its market and retailer position; and expected improvements in the Company's supply chain and manufacturing processes. Generally, forward-looking statements and information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "intends," "anticipates," "it is expected," or variations of such words and phrases, or statements that certain actions, events or results "may," "could," "should," or "would" occur.

Forward-looking information is based on plans, expectations and estimates of management at the date the information is provided and is subject to certain factors and assumptions. In making the forward-looking statements included in this news release, the Company has applied several material assumptions, including, but not limited to, assumptions that: the Company's financial condition and development plans do not change; the Company will be able to widen the distribution of its products in North America and grow its market and retailer position; the Company will improve its supply chain and manufacturing processes; and the Company's business will grow. Forward-looking information is subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause plans, estimates and actual results to vary materially from those projected in such forward-looking information. Factors that could cause the forward-looking information in this news release to change or to be inaccurate include, but are not limited to: market conditions and volatility and global economic conditions; risks relating to the extent and duration of the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on global markets; risk of changes in the Company's financial condition and development plans; the risk that the Company will not be able to expand its distribution network or grow its market or retailer position; the risk that the Company's supply chain and manufacturing processes will not improve as anticipated; the possibility that the growth of the global organic food and beverage market will not be consistent with the Company's expectations, as well as the other risks and uncertainties applicable to the Company as set forth in the Company's continuous disclosure filings filed under the Company's profile at www.sedar.com.

Although management of the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking statements or forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements and forward-looking information. Readers are cautioned that reliance on such information may not be appropriate for other purposes. The Company does not intend, and does not assume any obligation, to update these forward-looking statements or information to reflect changes in assumptions or changes in circumstances or any other events affections such statements and information other than as required by applicable laws, rules and regulations. We seek safe harbor.

SOURCE Pangea Natural Foods Inc.
This new international health care plan, in a partnership with DavidShield-Passportcard Group, simplifies health care management and offers Papaya's clients an additional competitive advantage in recruiting and managing global talent while unifying employees under one flexible plan.

TEL AVIV, Israel, Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Papaya Global, the SaaS fintech company providing global payroll and payments technology, announced today its new premium healthcare benefits plan. With this singular global plan, Papaya's clients can provide their employees employer-sponsored, customized international health insurance in over 160 countries while eliminating the complex, time-consuming process of comparing multiple plans across regions. The new offering signals continued growth for Papaya while building on its commitment to supporting organizations and their global employees.

Designed to leverage group buying power, Papaya delivers a superior solution to businesses of all sizes, providing unified global plans with flexible and convenient health care benefits for their employees. This unique approach consolidates the management of health benefits for employees across multiple countries under one umbrella. Papaya's clients also gain a significant advantage in recruiting global talent as their employees can access a comprehensive medical care plan without the headaches of traditional health insurance.

Insured members can now pay for medical services using a designated card and without out-of-pocket spending. It can be used to cover outpatient treatments, prescription drugs, standard lab tests, emergency room visits, doctor visits, and X-rays. They have the freedom to choose their doctors, with no limit to any provider networks, and receive global coverage in over 160 countries. The plan also includes unique: emergency medical care coverage for up to 60 days outside of the employee's home location worldwide (including the U.S.), giving employees peace of mind when traveling without the need for additional medical insurance.

"With dispersed workforces becoming increasingly prevalent, multinational organizations must provide an improved and more unified employee experience for all team members, especially those who may not have access to comprehensive health benefits in various global locations," said Papaya Global CEO Eynat Guez. "This new partnership with DavidShield will allow employees to have an easy-to-use and flexible access to medical, dental and vision benefits no matter where they work. This benefit upgrade reflects our continued commitment to employee experience and helping our clients build strong workplace cultures worldwide."

The new plan's main benefits for employees are:

Global coverage (over 160 countries outside the U.S.) including emergency medical coverage away from home location (up to 60 days)

Doctors of choice; no network limit for providers

24/7 customer support through WhatsApp, phone, email and messenger

Inpatient and outpatient services, and alternative medicine options

Wellness screenings

Maternity coverage

Optional dental and vision coverage

Main benefits for employers are:

No minimum headcount requirement

Simplified registration, including optional no medical questionnaire requirements (applies to certain sized groups)

Consistent medical coverage for employees across multiple geographies

About Papaya Global

Papaya Global is a SaaS fintech company providing global payroll and payments technology  the only tech-first payroll software built for global enterprises. Papaya's comprehensive automated solution provides the visibility, speed, and flexibility that finance teams need to control workforce spending. Papaya serves as the brain connecting the dots of global payroll, unifying data streams and integrating with HCM and ERP tools to create a single source of truth. It turns payroll - every company's biggest expense and liability - into a strategic asset.

Papaya's team currently spans Tel Aviv, New York, Austin, London, Kiev, Singapore, and Melbourne. Its technology has been recognized by all leading global analysts, including Gartner, Visa, NelsonHall, and others, as disruptive in the field of global people, payroll, and payments. Papaya was included in the Forbes Cloud 100 and CNBC's Top Startups for the Enterprise.

SOURCE Papaya Global
The surge in the incidence of neurological diseases, the prevalence of epilepsy and migraines in children, and the rise in the number of advanced product launches drive the growth of the global Pediatric Neurology Devices market

PORTLAND, Ore., Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Allied Market Research published a report, titled, "Pediatric Neurology Devices Market by Product Type (Neurostimulation Devices, Neurosurgery Devices, Interventional Neurology Devices, Cerebrospinal Fluid Management Devices, and Others), by Condition (Stroke, Seizures, Hydrocephalus, Oncology, and Others), by Age group (0-5 Years, 5-10 Years, and 10-15 Years) and End User (Hospitals, Ambulatory surgery centers, and Others): Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2021-2031." According to the report, the global pediatric neurology device market valued for $2.76 Billion in 2021 and is projected to reach $5.84 Billion by 2031, registering a CAGR of 7.8% from 2022 to 2031. The report offers a detailed analysis of changing market trends, top segments, key investment pockets, value chains, regional landscapes, and competitive scenarios.

Download Free Sample of the Report- https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/request-sample/12035

Drivers, Restraints, and Opportunities-

Increased emphasis on early detection and treatment of neurological disease, the surge in demand for medical devices, and the rise in applications of pediatric medical devices in neurological disorders drive the growth of the global Pediatric Neurology Devices market. On the other hand, the High cost associated with the diagnosis and treatment of neurological disorders restrains the growth to some extent. However, the increase in funding for the treatment of neurological disorders and the rise in the prevalence of neurological disorders are expected to create lucrative opportunities in the industry.

Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Pediatric Neurology Devices Market-

The outbreak of the pandemic restricts the growth of the pediatric neurology devices market due to disrupting the supply chain of Pediatric Neurology Devices and limitations in manufacturing capacity. This factor impacted the market negatively.

However, the global market for Pediatric Neurology Devices has recovered slowly and steadily.

Procure Complete Report (264 Pages PDF with Insights, Charts, Tables, and Figures)

https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/checkout-final/pediatric-neurology-device-market

The neurosurgery devices segment to maintain its dominance during the forecast period-

By product type, the neurosurgery devices segment held the largest share in 2021, garnering nearly three-fourths of the global Pediatric Neurology Devices market revenue, and is projected to maintain its dominance by 2031. The same segment would also showcase the fastest CAGR of 8.7% during the forecast period. This is driven by the rising number of neurosurgeries.

The hospital segment to rule the roost-

By end user, the hospital, the segment contributed to more than two-thirds of the global Pediatric Neurology Devices market share in 2021 and is projected to rule the roost by 2031. The ambulatory surgery centers segment would also display the fastest CAGR of 8.4% throughout the forecast period. The expansion of the pharmaceutical industry drives segment growth.

For Purchase Inquiry- https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/purchase-enquiry/12035

North America garnered the major share in 2021-

By region, North America held the major share in 2021, garnering more than three-fifths of the global Pediatric Neurology Devices market revenue, and is expected to dominate by 2031. This is due to the prevalence of neurological disorders in North America. on the other hand, Asia-Pacific, would showcase the fastest CAGR of 9.2% from 2022 to 2031.

Leading Market Players-

Integra Lifesciences Holdings

B. Braun se

Medtronic PLC

Natus Medical Incorporated

Stryker Corporation

Boston Scientific Corporation

Abbott laboratories

Livanova PLC

Zimmer Biomet holding inc.

Karl Storz se and co. Kg

The report analyzes these key players in the global Pediatric Neurology Devices market. These players have adopted various strategies such as expansion, new product launches, partnerships, and others to increase their market penetration and strengthen their position in the industry. The report is helpful in determining the business performance, operating segments, developments, and product portfolios of every market player.

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SOURCE Allied Market Research
PETER ARNELL PORTFOLIO 1980-2020

Published by Hatje Cantz

Including texts by Frank Gehry, Tom Brady, Peter Lindberg, Andre Leon Talley, and Michel Marriot offering thoughts, insights and praise for the visionary

LOS ANGELES, Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Hatje Cantz Verlag announces the publication of PETER ARNELL PORTFOLIO 1980-2020. Peter Arnell is an American branding expert, designer, photographer, author, marketing executive and Founder of PETERARNELL. Arnell's monumental and ingenious two-volume portfolio spans his phenomenal forty-plus-year career,

Lauded by many as "The Brand Guru," Arnell is widely known as the first to pioneer a holistic approach to product design, marketing and communications creating fully integrated products and campaigns. This two-volume boxed collection illustrates how Arnell created unlimited and unparalleled work for some of the world's most influential brands and is the perfect must-have for anyone interested in design, branding, marketing, and photography from students to collectors.

Throughout his career Peter Arnell built an unparalleled reputation creating groundbreaking, boundary-averse work for many of the world's most well-known companies and their products. His unique interdisciplinary approach to brand uniting graphic arts, communications, photography, filmmaking, experience design, industrial design, product engineering, architecture, and more to create comprehensive and unified solutions for clients and collaborators that drive enduring brand value. Included are signature projects for Samsung, Chanel, Gucci, DKNY, PepsiCo, Reebok, Chrysler, Nespresso, Fontainebleau, and the Special Olympics.

Beautifully conceptualized, the publication celebrates over four decades of creativity and innovation providing rich insight into Arnell's mind as he rose to become a household name.

Arnell's epochal career has spanned disciplines ranging from graphic, industrial, and automotive design, to architecture, photography, and filmmaking, and has involved numerous collaborations with iconic figures like Helmut Newton, David Hockney, Muhammad Ali, Tom Brady, Spike Lee, Gwyneth Paltrow, Steven Spielberg, and Jay-Z to name just a few.

Arnell's philanthropic work is no less prolific. He has been honored to donate his communications prowess to help messages resonate for such organizations as DIFFA, Hale House; created pro-bono campaigns for the NYPD and FDNY, and served on the Board of globally renowned non-profit, Special Olympics. After 9/11, Arnell designed the identity graphics for the fund-raising to help the families of the victims and designed the Tribute Museum's identity and exhibit to commemorate its heroes. Additional Board appointments include DreamWorks, Savannah College of Art and Design and The Art Center College of Design in Pasadena and he currently serves on the Board of the FDNY Foundation.

His professional awards include the now coveted, first-ever Council of Fashion Designers of America Award of Excellence in Branding and Communications in 1987, Gold and Silver International Design Excellence Awards in 2007, the Cannes Gold Lion for Best in Category in 2003 and he is a recipient of the Ellis Island Medal of Honor.

Proceeds from the sales of the publication will be donated to the Special Olympics in honor of its founder, Eunice Kennedy Shriver.

Accolades for Arnell:

"One of the most brilliant and inspired thinkers." - Gwyneth Paltrow  CEO Goop

"There are endless commonalities in our careers that have each spanned several decades. Study the opponent, come up with a plan, practice the plan, reshape the strategy, compete, and execute, learn and grow, adjust in the field, and always try to get it right. Both of our ultimate end goals: to win." - Tom Brady - Seven-time Super Bowl Champion

"He was and remains the person with the most powerful lens to look at the Special Olympics movement from the inside out, on revealing the beautiful hearts and souls that animate the world of Special Olympics and allowing others to peer inside their world." - Timothy Shriver  Chairman Special Olympics

"Peter is a maverick of design whose work has broken boundaries as it changes the way we look at things." - Dave Burwick  Former CMO PepsiCo

"Peter Arnell is a genius he's a great photographerHe's relentless in his creativity. The length and breadth of his accomplishments are extraordinary. He's an author. He's an architect. He's a photographer. He's an inventor." - Frank Gehry - Architect and Designer

"I saw your work with DKNY and Donna Karen. I asked Donna what she thought of you, and Donna said, 'In three words, he's a genius.'" - Tommy Hilfiger - Fashion Designer

"Someone that can look at the same thing that I'm looking at and see something totally different." - Ray Lewis - Professional Athlete

"He gets a big idea, and he does it, and he does a bang up job on it." - George Lois  Art Director, Designer, Author

"An architect by education and orientationPeter, early on, had a propensity to build environments, spaces, and journeys that both encompass and beckon consumers to a brand." - Michel Marriot - Journalist for The New York Times

"I can't say enough about the creativity, the dynamism of the man and the friendship that we had over the years. Peter was just an outstanding contributor to every industry that I had the privilege of working in." - Robert Nardelli - Former Chairman GE, Home Depot, Chrysler

"He is one of the most impactful and disruptive brand builders and marketers of our time." - Muktesh Pant  Former CEO Yum China

"Peter Arnell, visionary, marketing, and creative genius, fast, honest, authentic, and real. Just like the brands, products, and campaigns he's done, Peter's one of a kind. - Mike Repole - Glaceau co-founder, Founder Driven Capital

"Over 40 years, the guy has been making things, creating things, and designing things that the world falls in love with." -Tie Domi- Professional Athlete

"To me, he's the popcorn machine. He pops out one idea after another." -Alois Ruf  Chairman and Chief Engineer Ruf Automobile

"He's the most fabulous creative guy. And he's not just a photographer, he's everything else, in advertising and marketing and he's a conceptualist, and pop culture icon."- Martha Stewart  Founder Martha Stewart Living

"Every project needs a Peter Arnell. He is and has always been the guy behind the guy. From Architecture to Brand Creation and Product Design, Peter Arnell's holistic approach to building a business is one of a kind"- Brett Mufson  President, Fontainebleau Development

ABOUT PETER ARNELL:

Peter Arnell (*1958, Brooklyn, New York) started his career working in the architectural offices of Robert A.M. Stern and Michael Graves before publishing, writing, designing, and editing over twenty books on contemporary architecture, art, and photography for Rizzoli International Publications, Electra, Harpers and Knopf. He has lectured and consulted extensively worldwide. He began specializing in design, branding, and product design with the founding of Arnell/Bickford in 1980. A twenty-year retrospective of his photography Made in Brooklyn was published in 1996, and his New York Times best seller, Shift: How to Reinvent Your Business, Your Career, and Your Personal Brand appeared in 2010.

Peter Arnell 19802020Innovation in Branding, Communication, Design and Marketing

Hatje Cantz Publisher

Edited by Nadine Barth

Texts by Peter Arnell, Frank Gehry, Peter Lindbergh, Michel Marriott, Tristan Thom, Tom Brady, Andre Leon Talley

Design by Liyuan Tong

ISBN: 9783775746670

Price: $170.00

Dimensions 212 x 305 mm

848 pp, 2600 ills.

MEDIA CONTACTS:

[email protected]

MEDIA

Peter Arnell Portfolio Sample Pages

https://www.hatjecantz.de/popup-626-1.html?flipbook=00004667

Peter Arnell Photography

https://peterarnellphotography.com

Peter Arnell Portfolio 1980 - 2020

https://vimeo.com/801377320/0fd6b146f8

SOURCE Hatje Cantz
DALLAS, Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- PF Warriors, the largest pulmonary fibrosis (PF) patient support group dedicated to patients helping patients, announced the appointments of Teresa Barnes and Dolly Kervitsky to executive leadership positions.

Barnes will serve as the prominent face and voice of the organization, while Kervitsky will join as its president, executing programs to benefit the global PF community. Barnes and Kervitsky begin their new roles March 1 and will work closely with the Executive Committee to develop and execute plans in improving the quality of life for PF patients.

Teresa Barnes and Dolly Kervitsky selected to executive leadership positions at PF Warriors. Tweet this (L-R: Teresa Barnes, Chief Executive Warrior and Dolly Kervitsky, President)

The appointments of Barnes and Kervitsky will not eliminate the roles that Bill Vick and Shelly Mathis are already engaging in. As the founder, Vick will continue to focus on providing inspiration, hope, and support to members, while Mathis will keep leading the organization's education programs.

"PF Warriors is truly lucky to have these 'superstars' on our team," said Vick. "Teresa and Dolly have been entrenched in the PF community for many years, fighting for patients and their families. Both will bring a whole new dimension of growth and opportunity for PF Warriors."

Teresa Barnes has a long history of purpose-driven commitment, which began with her father being diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) decades ago. Later, four more relatives from her father's side succumbed to IPF. Barnes was a founding board member for the first IPF organization  the Coalition for Pulmonary Fibrosis (CPF)  in 2001 and later served as the organization's vice president until it merged its key programs with the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation (PFF) and ceased operations in 2015.

Barnes developed a strong network within the medical and patient communities, serving on boards of directors or trustees and research advocacy committees. She was appointed as advisory roundtable chair for the American Thoracic Society (ATS). Barnes established the Fibrosis Across Organs Symposium, which ATS convened in 2012, resulting in the first-of-its-kind funding from the NIH. She also worked as a lung research and patient advocate on Capitol Hill. In 2020, Barnes co-founded fluidIQ, a public-benefit company that offers solutions based on a proprietary fluidics technology platform.

"Despite the number of potential new molecules and life-extending therapies now available, we still lose thousands of patients to PF annually," said Barnes. "I'm excited to begin my role as the organization's 'Chief Executive Warrior' to accelerate our fight to the forefront and help patients and caregivers overcome the challenges of living with PF."

Dolly Kervitsky began her career working in critical care as a respiratory therapist. She was then recruited to join a team of world-renowned researchers at National Jewish Health investigating rare lung diseases. Kervitsky helped develop the Interstitial Lung Disease Clinical and Research Program and established collaborations with physician researchers globally. She also worked closely with pharmaceutical companies and the NIH on developing and implementing clinical trials for rare diseases.

Kervitsky collaborated with advocacy organizations as a medical educator developing and hosting patient and healthcare provider symposiums and workshops, as well as actively advocated for patient rights on Capitol Hill. After leaving the research division, she worked for PFF as vice president of Patient Relations and Medical Affairs. She also helped form PF support groups in Europe. After leaving PFF, Kervitsky supported small, clinical-stage and large, global pharmaceutical companies as a medical science liaison, communicating clinical and scientific data to various stakeholders. Dolly also worked alongside Barnes at fluidIQ as vice president of Medical Affairs.

"PF Warriors touches so many patients and caregivers globally because of its empathy and ability to give families hope," noted Kervitsky. "I will use my extensive experience in the PF Community to expand membership and educational resources we deliver to patients and families. "

About PF Warriors

PF Warriors is the largest patient support group reaching between 12,000  14,000 patients, caregivers, providers and partners who have been touched by fibrotic lung diseases. The PF Warriors community expands across the U.S. and in 14 other countries providing resources, educational programs and peer-to-peer support for caregivers and patients. Their expert-led meetings via Zoom draw more than 200 people each month. To learn more or to become a member of PF Warriors, visit pfwarriors.com.

FOR INFORMATION, CALL:

Marita Gomez

630-936-9105

SOURCE PF Warriors
Summary: Phoenix Capital Group Holdings, LLC, is excited to announce it has promoted Matt Willer to serve as the lead for its expanded Capital Markets division with additional expansion of the investor relations department.

DENVER, Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Phoenix Capital Group Holdings, LLC is excited to announce that it will expand its Capital Markets division for both capital markets and the investor relations department. Matt Willer has been promoted to Managing Director of Capital Markets to continue to lead the Capital Markets department. He previously served as vice president of Capital Markets.

Phoenix Capital Group is excited to announce it has promoted Matt Willer to lead its expanded Capital Markets division. Tweet this Join over 1,000 investors and learn more about the philosophy behind Phoenix Capital Group as we strive to bring unique investment opportunities to individuals. Our private corporate bond offerings are audited and filed with the SEC and FINRA. We offer short- and long-term solutions with returns ranging from 8-12% APY, paid monthly.

Phoenix Capital Group has a growing base of more than 1,400 investors, necessitating an expansion of the division to meet the demand and ensure top-level investor communication continues. In addition, the firm recently rolled out Regulation A+ and expanded Regulation D offerings, which are expected to generate significant investor interest.

Serving under Matt Willer on the Capital Markets team will be associates Cameron Smart, Bradford Potthoff, Ryan Duman, and Jimmy Kochannski. The team will also be growing to add new members soon.

The Investor Relations division hires critical team members to assist in dedicated account and specialist roles to ensure seamless relations with valued investors. Brynn Ferrari, interim VP for the department, leads this critical build-out. Ferrari comes with managing experience at Amazon, Omnicom Group, and Estee Lauder Companies.

Phoenix Capital Group plans to build a customer service and investor relations team to meet the demand of prospective interest and handle inquiries from its existing customer base. With new technology buildouts and an emphasis on automation, these new process efficiencies will be an optimized system for investors to track their accounts and monthly interest payments.

One of the main pillars of the firm is to provide high-touch white-glove customer service for all aspects of the investor journey, which includes education about their offerings, onboarding new investors into their portal, answering questions about investments, and much more.

Expanding and building out its Capital Markets team will allow Phoenix Capital Group to handle the expected influx of new investors. In addition, it will enable the team to maintain the quality of its customer service while the investor base grows.

Between July and December of 2022, Phoenix Capital Group paid more than $7.2 million in investor payments, with continued and increased success projected throughout 2023.

In addition to its impressive suite of current offerings, Phoenix Capital Group is rolling out new Regulation A+ and expanded Regulation D offerings.

Open to all investors; the Regulation A+ offering requires a $5,000 minimum investment. In three years, the investment will generate a 9% APY for a total ROI of 27%, based on monthly payments of 0.75%.

Phoenix Capital Group's Regulation D offerings are open to accredited investors only with a $100,000 minimum investment. Investors can choose their terms between nine months and seven years and receive an APY between 8% and 12%. They can also choose between monthly payments with a total ROI between 6% and 84% or monthly compounding with a tangible ROI between 6.16% and 130.67%.

The firm is excited about these offerings and its expanded Capital Markets division for investor relations. Together, they will help Phoenix Capital Group continue to serve investors well.

SOURCE Phoenix Capital Group Holdings LLC
The decrease will be reflected beginning with customers' March 2023 bills

Video here: Learn how your natural gas bill works and what factors influence your monthly bill

CHARLOTTE, N.C., Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Piedmont Natural Gas has received approval from the North Carolina Utilities Commission and the Public Service Commission of South Carolina to reduce customer billing rates due to a decrease in the market cost of natural gas compared to last fall. The decrease will be reflected beginning with customers' March 2023 bills.

This rate reduction translates to a savings of approximately $2.33 per month, or $28 per year, for the average North Carolina residential customer and approximately $2.42 per month, or $29 per year, for the average South Carolina residential customer. Because natural gas usage often is higher during the winter months, both North Carolina and South Carolina customers may see as much as a $4 reduction each month on their winter bills.

Piedmont previously decreased the benchmark cost in the Carolinas effective with customers' February 2023 bills.

"The downward trend in the cost of natural gas is great news for Piedmont customers," said Sasha Weintraub, senior vice president and president of Piedmont Natural Gas. "Piedmont purchases natural gas at the best price possible so our customers can benefit from those savings."

Piedmont requests periodic rate adjustments to reflect fluctuations in the market price of the natural gas it purchases for its customers. By law, Piedmont does not mark up the cost of natural gas and must pass through the actual cost on a dollar-for-dollar basis to customers.

"We know that even with lower prices, some customers may continue to struggle with paying their monthly bills or may just be looking for opportunities to keep their expenses down. We encourage customers who want more control over their natural gas bills to take advantage of programs such as our Equal Payment Plan, implement energy-saving tips or apply for assistance, if needed," added Weintraub.

Level out your bill with the Equal Payment Plan (EPP) program

This free service helps customers manage their budgets by eliminating high winter bills. The EPP program levels out a customer's natural gas bills, allowing them to pay a predictable, equal monthly amount to help avoid billing surprises. Piedmont determines this payment by adding up a customer's annual natural gas usage and then dividing it into the same payment amount each month. Learn more here.

Assistance for customers in need

Piedmont is reaching out to customers whose bills are past due through email and/or text with information about utility assistance administered by agencies in their state and local communities.

Share the Warmth provides funds to local agencies to assist families with their utility bills, no matter the source of energy they use.

The Low Income Energy Assistance Program (LIEAP) provides winter heating assistance to pay for natural gas, electric and other methods customers use to heat their homes. There are many customers who are eligible but do not apply for this annual federal benefit that can reduce winter heating costs for low-income families. Information on how to apply locally:

North Carolina : www.ncdhhs.gov/assistance/low-income-services

: www.ncdhhs.gov/assistance/low-income-services South Carolina : oeo.sc.gov/liheap.html

Piedmont says anyone in need should apply for this and other newly available programs to see if they qualify. For detailed federal and state-specific information, go to piedmontng.com/WinterBills and click on your state.

Energy-saving tools

Piedmont Natural Gas also offers a variety of energy-saving tools to help customers and our communities identify ways to save money and energy all year long. These programs and tools help customers understand what factors are impacting their natural gas bills and emphasize specific actions they can take to reduce the impacts of high winter usage.

Eight low- to no-cost energy-saving tips and projects

Natural gas use typically spikes in the winter as customers combat low temperatures to stay warm. Below are tips to help manage your energy use when temperatures decline. B-roll of energy efficiency measures is available here.

Set your thermostat to the lowest comfortable setting to help save. Installing a "smart" or programmable thermostat will also help reduce your energy use while you are asleep or away.

Leave drapes or blinds open during sunny winter days to allow the sun to warm the house. Close them at night to help insulate your home.

Change air filters regularly. A dirty air filter makes a heating system work harder, which uses more energy.

Manage water heating. Set your water heater temperature to 120 degrees Fahrenheit or consider installing an on-demand or tankless water heater that only heats water when you need it.

Learn how to reduce energy use. The first step to reduce energy use in your home is to identify and prioritize energy-saving improvements. This can be accomplished through a certified auditor or by performing your own energy audit.

Seal air ducts. Make sure the air ducts from your home's furnace and central air conditioner are properly sealed. Ducts that leak into the attic or crawl space can substantially increase your heating and cooling bills.

Seal your home. One of the quickest energy-saving tasks you can do is caulk, seal and weatherstrip all seams, cracks and openings to the outside. This can save 10% to 20% on your heating and cooling bills.

Consider insulation. Consider whether you need to add insulation to your ceilings, floors and walls. Insulation between the indoors and outdoors reduces energy demand, saving you money while improving the comfort of your home.

Piedmont Natural Gas

Piedmont Natural Gas, a subsidiary of Duke Energy, distributes natural gas to more than 1.1 million residential, commercial, industrial and power generation customers in North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee. Piedmont Natural Gas earned the No. 1 spot in customer satisfaction with residential natural gas service in the South among large utilities, according to the J.D. Power 2022 U.S. Gas Utility Residential Customer Satisfaction Study, and has been named by Cogent Reports as one of the most trusted utility brands in the U.S. More information: piedmontng.com. Follow Piedmont Natural Gas: Twitter, Facebook.

Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK), a Fortune 150 company headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., is one of America's largest energy holding companies. Its electric utilities serve 8.2 million customers in North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky, and collectively own 50,000 megawatts of energy capacity. Its natural gas unit serves 1.6 million customers in North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Ohio and Kentucky. The company employs 28,000 people.

Duke Energy is executing an aggressive clean energy transition to achieve its goals of net-zero methane emissions from its natural gas business by 2030 and net-zero carbon emissions from electricity generation by 2050. The company has interim carbon emission targets of at least 50% reduction from electric generation by 2030, 50% for Scope 2 and certain Scope 3 upstream and downstream emissions by 2035, and 80% from electric generation by 2040. In addition, the company is investing in major electric grid enhancements and energy storage, and exploring zero-emission power generation technologies such as hydrogen and advanced nuclear.

Duke Energy was named to Fortune's 2022 "World's Most Admired Companies" list and Forbes' "World's Best Employers" list. More information is available at duke-energy.com. The Duke Energy News Center contains news releases, fact sheets, photos and videos. Duke Energy's illumination features stories about people, innovations, community topics and environmental issues. Follow Duke Energy on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook.

Media contact: Jason Wheatley

Media line: 877.348.3612

[email protected]

SOURCE Piedmont Natural Gas
2023 ongoing earnings guidance to be affirmed during meetings

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M., Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- PNM Resources (NYSE: PNM) management will meet with analysts and investors this week in Boston.

During the meetings, management is expected to affirm the company's 2023 consolidated earnings guidance of $2.65 to $2.75 per diluted share. Presentation materials are available on the company's website at http://www.pnmresources.com/investors/events.cfm.

Background:

PNM Resources (NYSE: PNM) is an energy holding company based in Albuquerque, N.M., with 2022 consolidated operating revenues of $2.2 billion. Through its regulated utilities, PNM and TNMP, PNM Resources provides electricity to more than 800,000 homes and businesses in New Mexico and Texas. PNM serves its customers with a diverse mix of generation and purchased power resources totaling 2.7 gigawatts of capacity, with a goal to achieve 100% emissions-free generation by 2040. For more information, visit the company's website at www.PNMResources.com .

CONTACTS:

Analysts Media Lisa Goodman Ray Sandoval (505) 241-2160 (505) 241-2782

Safe Harbor Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995

Statements made in this news release for PNM Resources, Inc. ("PNMR"), Public Service Company of New Mexico ("PNM"), or Texas-New Mexico Power Company ("TNMP") (collectively, the "Company") that relate to future events or expectations, projections, estimates, intentions, goals, targets, and strategies, including the preliminary unaudited financial results and earnings guidance, are made pursuant to the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Readers are cautioned that all forward-looking statements are based upon current expectations and estimates and apply only as of the date of this report. PNMR, PNM, and TNMP assume no obligation to update this information. Because actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements, PNMR, PNM, and TNMP caution readers not to place undue reliance on these statements. PNMR's, PNM's, and TNMP's business, financial condition, cash flow, and operating results are influenced by many factors, which are often beyond their control, that can cause actual results to differ from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Additionally, there are risks and uncertainties in connection with the proposed acquisition of us by AVANGRID which may adversely affect our business, future opportunities, employees and common stock, including without limitation, (i) the expected timing and likelihood of completion of the pending Merger, including the timing, receipt and terms and conditions of any remaining required governmental and regulatory approvals of the pending Merger that could reduce anticipated benefits or cause the parties to abandon the transaction, (ii) the occurrence of any event, change or other circumstances that could give rise to the termination of the Merger Agreement, (iii) the risk that the parties may not be able to satisfy the conditions to the proposed Merger in a timely manner or at all, and (iv) the risk that the proposed transaction could have an adverse effect on the ability of PNMR to retain and hire key personnel and maintain relationships with its customers and suppliers, and on its operating results and businesses generally. For a discussion of risk factors and other important factors affecting forward-looking statements, please see the Company's Form 10-K, Form 10-Q filings and the information included in the Company's Forms 8-K with the Securities and Exchange Commission, which factors are specifically incorporated by reference herein.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

GAAP refers to generally accepted accounting principles in the U.S. Ongoing earnings is a non-GAAP financial measure that excludes the impact of net unrealized mark-to-market gains and losses on economic hedges, the net change in unrealized gains and losses on investment securities, pension expense related to previously disposed of gas distribution business, and certain non-recurring, infrequent, and other items that are not indicative of fundamental changes in the earnings capacity of the Company's operations. The Company uses ongoing earnings and ongoing earnings per diluted share to evaluate the operations of the Company and to establish goals, including those used for certain aspects of incentive compensation, for management and employees. While the Company believes these financial measures are appropriate and useful for investors, they are not measures presented in accordance with GAAP. The Company does not intend for these measures, or any piece of these measures, to represent any financial measure as defined by GAAP. Furthermore, the Company's calculations of these measures as presented may or may not be comparable to similarly titled measures used by other companies. The Company uses ongoing earnings guidance to provide investors with management's expectations of ongoing financial performance over the period presented. While the Company believes ongoing earnings guidance is an appropriate measure, it is not a measure presented in accordance with GAAP. The Company does not intend for ongoing earnings guidance to represent an expectation of net earnings as defined by GAAP. Since the future differences between GAAP and ongoing earnings are frequently outside the control of the Company, management is generally not able to estimate the impact of the reconciling items between forecasted GAAP net earnings and ongoing earnings guidance, nor their probable impact on GAAP net earnings without unreasonable effort, therefore, management is generally not able to provide a corresponding GAAP equivalent for ongoing earnings guidance.

SOURCE PNM Resources, Inc.
Entering the market this Fall, the ABX-1 data center in Loudoun County features a two-story, 265,000 SF building with an on-site 300MW electrical substation delivering up to 80 MW of power

MCLEAN, Va., Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- PowerHouse Data Centers , a joint venture between American Real Estate Partners (AREP) and Harrison Street that offers turnkey site selection, powered shell, and build-to-suit data center solutions, and DPR Construction, one of the nation's top five data center builders, announce they have placed the final steel beam at PowerHouse Data Center's ABX-1 facility. A Topping Out celebration on Friday, February 17th marked the milestone event. Turnover to tenants is expected in July, and final completion is scheduled for October.

PowerHouse Data Centers and DPR Construction placed final steel beam at ABX-1 data center at Topping Out celebration. Tweet this

ABX-1 is the first of PowerHouse's six data center projects representing 2.1 million square feet of data center space in Northern Virginia. The 10-acre property features a two-story, 265,000 SF building, with an on-site 300 MW substation delivering up to 80 MW of power to the facility. The substation, built in partnership with Dominion Energy, commences construction soon, with completion expected by 2026.

"Because of our deep relationships in the real estate community, PowerHouse Data Centers is identifying and building state-of-the-art data centers in prime Northern Virginia locations, with capabilities that meet the needs of today and tomorrow's digital business ecosystem," says Doug Fleit, Co-founder and CEO of AREP and PowerHouse Data Centers. "We are thrilled to meet the rising demand of hyperscalers and operators in this market and to disrupt the landscape of Data Center Alley."

Buddy Rizer, Executive Director of the Department of Economic Development in Loudoun County, Virginia, said the positive impact that ABX-1 will have on this region from an economic standpoint is immeasurable. "ABX-1 is infusing additional tax revenue into Loudoun County, creating construction and tech-related jobs and driving economic growth for our neighbors while generating excitement and revitalization in this region while transforming our economy," says Rizer.

ABX-1 sits directly on the core Ashburn Fiber ring and national fiber backbone, offering zero mile, low latency access to multiple interconnection hubs, key internet exchanges, all major cloud platforms, and hundreds of network providers. The site is surrounded by more than 100,000 strands of fiber at the corner of Loudoun County Parkway and Beaumeade Circle, one of the world's densest fiber intersections. There are no less than 25 fiber providers beneath and adjacent to this site, offering easy connections to one of the densest communications networks in North America.

The ABX-1 project highlights PowerHouse's sustainable construction focus. Approximately 10,780 tons of the former building's concrete was crushed on-site and reused in the ABX-1 development, while 387 tons of other building metals were recycled. PowerHouse and DPR Construction recently became two of 170 companies to join the Infrastructure Masons (iMasons) Climate Accord (ICA) .

"The ABX-1 project celebrates teamwork at its highest level, partnering with PowerHouse to bring this project to fruition and phasing work to meet their business objectives. With the support of eight trade partners and DPR's self-perform team, the rigor and discipline in the execution of their safety planning and work have amounted to 40,000 work hours in four months with zero lost time incidents. The alignment of the team, from owner to trade partner, behind a common goal has helped us achieve today's milestone," says DPR Construction's Project Executive Karim Farouki.

Examples of ABX-1's project magnitude include:

39,235 cubic yards of soil moved

1,200 geo piers drilled to support the foundation and gross weight of the building

8,415 cubic yards of concrete poured to date, with 11,000 cubic yards at completion

2,359 tons of steel used

91,286 square feet of 10" precast building skin panels needed

11,700 feet of communications conduit used

27,800 feet of power conduits installed

40,000 work hours to date, 100,000 work hours expected upon completion

The ABX-1 construction trade partners include Cooper Steel, Pro-Air, Hercules Fence, Advanced Caulking, DPR Construction's self-perform concrete crews, Rosendin Electric, Independence Excavating, Christopher Consultants, and GeoConstructors.

About ABX-1

ABX-1 is the first of PowerHouse's six data center projects representing 2.1 million square feet of data center space in Northern Virginia. For more information about unique data center opportunities in the region, click here to contact the PowerHouse team or visit www.powerhousedata.com

About PowerHouse Data Centers

PowerHouse Data Centers, a division of AREP, is a developer and owner of next-generation data centers and technical real estate solutions for hyperscalers in Northern Virginia. The company owns its land sites, offering unique fully entitled tracts and fast-track approvals right in the heart of the world's largest data center market. As a disruptor, PowerHouse Data Centers provides flexible 'Powered Shell' next-generation data center models with the quickest speed to market of any Ashburn project while meeting hyperscalers' growing market, data, and space demands. PowerHouse Data Centers is committed to building six powered shell data centers representing 2.1 million square feet of data center space in Northern Virginia. For more information, visit www.powerhousedata.com and follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter .

About DPR Construction

DPR Construction is a forward-thinking, self-performing general contractor and construction manager specializing in technically complex and sustainable projects for the advanced technology, life sciences, healthcare, higher education and commercial markets. DPR consistently ranks as a top data center builder, completing more than 4.27 million square feet of data center space in Northern Virginia's Data Center Alley in the last five years. The company is strategically focused on delivering more predictable outcomes through applications of virtual design & construction, prefabrication, its corps of self-perform craft, and leveraging data to learn and improve from. For more information about general contracting services from site selection and cost modeling to design integration, construction and day-2 support, click here to contact DPR or visit https://www.dpr.com/construction/mission-critical

SOURCE PowerHouse Data Centers
ATLANTA, Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- In its 40th year, Primrose Schools, the leading early education and care provider, and its over 480 independently owned schools across the country collectively donated nearly $600,000 to charitable organizations and gifted over 400,000 items to underserved families and children through its Primrose Promise Corporate Social Responsibility program  a 71% increase in monetary donations compared to 2021. Primrose Promise is driven by Primrose's mission to forge a path that leads to a brighter future for all children by giving Primrose Support Center team members, as well as franchise owners, staff, students and their families the opportunity to participate in meaningful service learning and charitable giving efforts that make a difference in their communities.

Students at Primrose School of the Woodlands at College Park (Woodlands, TX) participate in the annual Ogs Bountiful Book Drive.

Experience the full interactive Multichannel News Release here: https://www.multivu.com/players/English/9016752-primrose-schools-2022-charitable-giving-results/

"At Primrose, we are passionately committed to the children, families and communities we serve," said Primrose Schools CEO, Jo Kirchner. "As part of this commitment and our dedication to nurturing kindness and character development skills like generosity and compassion in young children, we take pride in making a difference by giving back to children and families in our communities, especially those who are underserved or in crisis."

Charitable highlights and initiatives from 2022 include:

Nonperishable Food Donations: Primrose schools donated more than 350,000 nonperishable food items to food banks and shelters across the nation during its annual Caring and Giving Food Drive, surpassing 2021's total of 300,000.

Primrose schools donated more than 350,000 nonperishable food items to food banks and shelters across the nation during its annual Caring and Giving Food Drive, surpassing 2021's total of 300,000. Book Donations: Each year, Primrose students spend the entire month of February leading up to Read Across America Day collecting new and gently used books for the annual Og's Bountiful Book Drive. Primrose schools donated nearly 50,000 books to local libraries, schools, children's hospitals and other nonprofit partners - a 34% increase over donation efforts in 2021.

Each year, Primrose students spend the entire month of February leading up to Read Across America Day collecting new and gently used books for the annual Og's Bountiful Book Drive. Primrose schools donated nearly 50,000 books to local libraries, schools, children's hospitals and other nonprofit partners - a 34% increase over donation efforts in 2021. In-Kind Donations: Primrose schools provided more than 10,000 items including clothing, diapers, wipes and toys to underserved children and families through various Primrose Promise giving events.

As part of the nearly $600,000 in monetary donations made in 2022, families raised more than $175,000 for the Primrose Schools Children's Foundation, the charitable arm of Primrose Schools, which combines donations from all schools in order to make a greater national impact for children.

Additionally, Primrose schools, Support Center staff, vendor partners and the Primrose Schools Children's Foundation collectively donated over $500,000 to the West Lakes Early Learning Center, an innovative nonprofit early education and care center for underserved families. Launched in 2020 with the support of Primrose Schools, the center offers the Primrose Balanced Learning curriculum to empower its young students, over 90 percent of whom would not be able to attend the school without subsidized tuition.

Students at Primrose schools across the country will continue to learn the importance of giving without expectation through Primrose Promise in 2023 by giving back to charities and underserved children and families both through monetary and in-kind donations. Learn more about Primrose's commitment to supporting communities.

About Primrose Schools

Primrose Schools is the leader in providing premier early education and care to children and families in the United States. Founded in 1982, there are more than 480 Primrose schools in 33 states today. Each school is independently owned and operated by Franchise Owners who partner with parents to help children build the right foundation for future learning and life. Primrose believes who children become is as important as what they know. The Primrose-exclusive Balanced Learning approach is created from the best early education wisdom and balances purposeful play with nurturing guidance from teachers to encourage curiosity, creativity, confidence and compassion. For more information, visit www.PrimroseSchools.com, connect with us on Facebook and Twitter, explore our blog, sign up for our emails and find a Primrose school near you.

SOURCE Primrose Schools
BATON ROUGE, La., Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Prominently featured in The Inner Circle, John T. Couvillion is acknowledged as Distinguished Healthcare Provider for his contributions to the retina and vitreous surgical field.

Dr. Couvillion earned a Bachelor of Science degree in biology and Bachelor of Arts degree in history from the University of the Pacific. He earned a Medical Degree at Tulane University, School of Medicine. He also completed a fellowship in vitreous and retinal surgery at Baylor University, College of Medicine. Dr. Couvillion was granted a scholarship for additional training in Uveitis at McGill University in Montreal Canada.

Dr. Couvillion opened his private practice, Retina & Vitreous of Louisiana, in 1999. He notes that he was inspired to pursue ophthalmology by his father who was also an ophthalmologist. Retina & Vitreous of Louisiana is one of the first specialty ophthalmologists in the Baton Rouge area, according to Dr. Couvilion, and is devoted to offering the best eye health treatment available in Louisiana. The highly-trained and dedicated eye doctors have not lost sight of their mission and continue to provide exceptional eye care for vitreoretinal problems and diseases.

Dr. Couvillion sub-specializes in retina and vitreous surgeries. He provides advanced eye injections, laser treatments, and performs surgery for retinal detachment, diabetic care, and age-related macular degeneration. The doctor notes that he spends time with his patients, insuring they are educated about their condition and the proper steps to correct the issue.

Dr. Couvillion is board-certified in ophthalmology by the American Board of Ophthalmology (ABO). According to the doctor, the ABO is an independent non-profit organization responsible for certifying ophthalmologists in the United States of America. He notes that ophthalmology is a branch of medicine and surgery which deals with the diagnosis and treatment of eye disorders. Ophthalmologists are experts in the diseases, functions, and anatomy of the eye and are also surgeons. They repair traumatic injuries to the eye and may perform cataract, glaucoma, and corneal surgery. Dr. Couvillion has provided patients with the most cutting edge, efficient retina care.

The doctor is affiliated with Baton Rouge General Medical Center and Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center. He has received Patients' Choice Award (2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009, and 2008); Patients' Choice 5th Anniversary Award (2012); Compassionate Doctor Recognition (2017, 2016, 2015, and 2014); and On-Time Doctor Award (2018, 2017).

In his spare time, Dr. Couvillion has volunteered his time with medical missions to Mongolia and New Guinea with Sea International. His father, Glynne Couvillion, MD, was the first physician in Louisiana to perform retinal surgeries and was a charter and founding member of the State Retina Society.

Dr. Couvillion would like to dedicate this honor to Del Caldwell, MD, and in memory of Barrett Haik, MD, who were both mentors during his training.

For more information, please visit the website www.retinala.com.

Contact: Katherine Green, 516-825-5634, [email protected]

SOURCE Continental Who's Who
Notable Quick-Service Restaurant Publication Features Massachusetts Own in This Year's List

REVERE, Mass., Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Boston-based inventor of the North Shore roast beef sandwich, Kelly's Roast Beef, is thrilled to announce that they have been recognized by notable food publication, QSR Magazine. The brand is featured in QSR's 2023 edition of "The 40/40 List," which highlights America's hottest fast-casual food concepts and works to benefit the industry by celebrating the brands that are leading in innovation. Kelly's Roast Beef was commended for positioning itself as a differentiator in the roast beef sandwich category, their newly designed locations which feature a fresh interior and welcoming environment, and the implementation of new technology to help franchisees run their locations seamlessly.

Their recognition in this year's QSR 40/40 List shows that Kelly's Roast Beef has proven to be a fierce competitor in the quick-service industry. Not only has the brand gone above and beyond by elevating and perfecting the classic menu items that have made them a household name, but their continued support of their franchisees and their community has certainly helped raise brand awareness nationwide. With six locations currently open, the brand plans to add seven more this year throughout the east coast and Florida, further extending Kelly's national presence.

"To be recognized for our hard work and dedication to innovation in the fast-casual dining space by a notable publication like QSR is such an honor," said Neil Newcomb, CEO of Kelly's Roast Beef Franchising. "This acknowledgement proves that we are achieving major success and further fuels our desire to continue staying ahead of industry trends to ensure we are creating an exceptional fast-casual dining experience."

Founded in 1951, Kelly's Roast Beef is famously known as the inventor of the North Shore roast beef sandwich. Kelly's roasts its beef in-house all day while serving everything fresh and made to order. Today, a busy location during its peak season can sell upwards of 20,000 roast beef sandwiches a month. Across its multiple locations, Kelly's estimates a staggering one million sandwiches are sold a year. The figures are impressive but equally impressive is that even in the face of tremendous volume, Kelly's has not gone towards a commissary set-up. Instead, each location roasts its beef in-house all through the day, ensuring that sandwiches can still be carved to order as they have been for decades. The process begins with a carving machine that thinly slices 25-day-aged, medium-rare roasted sirloin-tip meat. The sirloin is then placed on a buttered, griddled hamburger roll, and topped with any condiments the customer desires plus a slice of cheese. That, in and of itself, is the hallmark of a Kelly's sandwich, said Newcomb, "It's never sitting. It's a medium-rare, melt-in-your-mouth, roast beef sandwich."

"I am so proud of everyone within the Kelly's organization. Their continued devotion to brand loyalty is the reason we are in the position to expand and be recognized as an innovator within our industry," continued Newcomb. "This is an incredible honor and validates that the team we have in place are exceptional at what they do."

Throughout the years, Kelly's has gained national attention on the Food Network's show $40 a Day with Rachael Ray, a PBS Special called "Sandwiches You Will Like", Robert B. Parker's Wonderland by Ace Atkins, NBC's three-time Emmy award-winning 30 Rock, and on the silver screen in Oscar-winning Good Will Hunting. In 2019, Thrillist named Kelly's one of "11 New England Chains the Entire Country Needs" and Business Insider said travelers shouldn't leave Boston without trying the roast beef sandwich at Kelly's. Including a franchise fee of $40,000, the total initial investment to open a Kelly's franchise is $1.8-$3 million.

About Kelly's Roast Beef

Founded in 1951 and franchising since 2020, Kelly's Roast Beef is the inventor of the North Shore roast beef sandwich. Kelly's roasts its beef in-house all through the day, serves everything fresh and made-to-order, and estimates serving a staggering one million sandwiches a year. The brand has become a symbol for Boston and has been referenced in pop culture, including in 30 Rock and Good Will Hunting. Today, there are six locations open in the Boston metropolitan area, New Hampshire, and Florida. For more information, visit https://kellysroastbeeffranchise.com/

SOURCE Kellys Roast Beef
REALLY to launch new phone service powered by a decentralized mobile network (DeWi), enabling the REALLY community to earn while demystifying the wireless shopping experience. The funding marks the largest telecommunications seed round in U.S. history.

AUSTIN, Texas, Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- REALLY , an innovative platform bringing the sharing economy to mobile phone service founded by CEO Adam Lyons, the founder of TheZebra.com, today announces its $18 million seed round led by Polychain, Floodgate founding partner Mike Maples Jr.a repeat investor in Lyons' previous business venturesand other strategic partners.

REALLY logo

REALLY's mobile network and infrastructure will create a blockchain-powered telecommunications community owned by the people using it, with an unparalleled focus on privacy, accessibility, and true anonymity for a 5G network. As a part of REALLY's offering, today, the company is also launching the U.S.'s most comprehensive phone plan comparison tool, REALLY.com, allowing individuals to compare 56 carriers and 379 plans and switch to the service right for them. Among the industry experts leading the infrastructure and service build-out for REALLY are executives from AT&T, T-Mobile, GoogleFi, uShip, Indeed, Niche, and The Zebra.

"Smartphones and mobile networks have become indispensable, yet most people don't love their service provider. We see a massive opportunity to fix this, and our mission is to create a brand in this industry that people trust and love," said REALLY CEO, Adam Lyons. "We are building a better, more affordable phone service allowing communities to build equity and support their neighbors by using their cell phones. Those interested in putting a mini cell tower in their home or business will also have the opportunity to earn in USD. No other network exists that truly puts the ability to create and power the network in the hands of users like this."

Consumers can compare phone plans and join REALLY DeWi by applying to become an Owner today at REALLY.com . REALLY Wireless is set to launch later this year.

"The ongoing and rapid adoption of Web3 and blockchain into our everyday lives has allowed for an unprecedented period of change in telecommunications," said Mike Maples Jr., founding partner at Floodgate. "Adam and the team of industry experts that have assembled to make REALLY a reality have proven track records of excellence in their fields. We are excited to be able to play a part in this paradigm shift in telecommunications that will redefine how the industry functions."

About REALLY:

Founded in 2022, REALLY is the latest venture from CEO Adam Lyons, founder of unicorn TheZebra.com, the top insurance comparison site in the United States. REALLY is paving the way for a new era of community-driven mobile ecosystems. In addition to launching the REALLY Wireless phone service and a decentralized mobile network (REALLY DeWi) that makes the sharing economy accessible to all, their easy-to-use compare, switch, and save platform, REALLY.com, helps to ensure all mobile device users have the best service and plan to fit their unique needs. By harnessing the latest infrastructure and blockchain technology breakthroughs, REALLY will offer consumers more choice, security, privacy, and coverage. REALLY's $18M seed round marks the largest telecommunications seed round in U.S. history.

Contact:

Name: Gregory Russo

Email: [email protected]

SOURCE REALLY
Emphasis on Research & Innovation, Top Tier Physicians Offer Best-in-Class Reproductive Services to Houston Residents

HOUSTON, Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Reproductive Medicine Associates recently announced the opening of its newest fertility center in Houston, marking RMA's first expansion into the Lone Star State and adding to an extensive network of clinics around the country.

The Houston clinic, located at 888 Westheimer Road, Suite 200 in Houston's Montrose area, brings the comprehensive and patient-centered approach to fertility assessment and treatment that RMA is known for, ensuring that family-building goals can be achieved in one convenient location.

The full-service center will offer a range of treatments, including intrauterine insemination (IUI), in vitro fertilization (IVF), preimplantation genetic testing (PGT), and egg freezing to meet patients at any stage of their fertility journeys. RMA ensures that all types of families have an opportunity to grow, with resources and options for LGBTQ+ and single individuals to begin building their families.

Medical Director Nola Herlihy, M.D., has dedicated her career to building families through her practice and extensive fertility research with RMA. Dr. Herlihy completed her fellowship in Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility through the Thomas Jefferson IVIRMA program where she focused on techniques in the embryology lab and preimplantation genetic testing. Her research has been published in the Journal of Assisted Reproduction and Genetics, Fertility and Sterility and other peer-reviewed journals. "My partner and I provide patients with evidence-based treatment plans and we see our patients at every visit. We perform all procedures and provide results immediately," Dr. Herlihy said. "The location features on-site endocrine, andrology and embryology labs and surgical capabilities, in addition to resources to help support and educate patients through their fertility journeys from consultations and genetic testing to IVF and beyond."

Dr. Herlihy is joined in the Houston clinic by Dr. Caroline Juneau, M.D., a board-certified specialist in Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility (REI). Dr. Juneau, like Dr. Herlihy, aims to be integral to the Montrose and greater Houston communities, bringing RMA's success rates and patient-centered care to Texas.

"We were attracted to Montrose by the community's diversity and are eager to provide personalized, holistic care to all those who seek reproductive medicine assistance," said Dr. Juneau. "Our team is truly focused on elevating the patient experience, which is why we chose a location at the heart of a lively community surrounded by yoga studios, boutiques, cafes and ice cream shops to enhance every visit to RMA."

The team at RMA Houston plans to hold events to help educate prospective and current patients on different fertility topics including egg freezing, genetic testing, and IVF, partnering with local businesses along the way. On March 8th they will be hosting "A night in with our doctors," a free fertility-focused event in celebration of International Women's Day. Further details on all events can be found here.

RMA Houston is officially open and scheduling new patient visits. Appointments can be made by calling the office at (281) 643-7703 or visiting www.rmahouston.com. Individuals and couples worried about financing their fertility treatments should check whether their health insurance plan covers comprehensive reproductive services. If fertility treatments are not covered by their insurer, many employers offer supplemental coverage through benefit providers like Progyny.

About RMA

Reproductive Medicine Associates (RMA) has been helping build families through the most advanced treatment options and patient-centered fertility care for over 20 years. RMA is a leader in IVF research, pioneering the Single Embryo Transfer (SET), increasing safety for mom and baby and Pre-Implantation Genetic Testing (PGT-A), dramatically increasing successful outcomes. With access to practices nationwide, RMA has helped welcome over 50,000 babies into loving families. Learn more at rmanetwork.com.

Contact:

Caroline Rebosio

973-588-2033

[email protected]

SOURCE Reproductive Medicine Associates
GILBERT, Ariz., Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Roots Management Group has partnered with DoorDash's Project DASH to deliver canned foods and dry goods to Roots residents in need in Arizona manufactured housing communities. Project DASH is DoorDash's initiative to empower food banks, food pantries, and social impact organizations to leverage DoorDash logistics to increase access in their communities. Since Project DASH was launched in 2018, it has powered over 3.5 million deliveries of an estimated more than 60 million meals in the U.S. and Canada.

Roots surveyed residents in seven of its Treehouse Communities to determine how best to meet their needs in a difficult economy. Food insecurity and transportation to area food banks were identified as the biggest hardships. Roots then worked with Project DASH to pilot the delivery of charitable food to local residents. This work included securing a grant from DoorDash to power a limited amount of deliveries.

"We recognized a critical need in these communities and are pleased to partner with Project DASH to deliver food to residents in our communities who need help," said Matt Mathison, Roots chief executive officer. "We are grateful to DoorDash and the area food banks and look forward to continuing to find ways to help our residents."

The manufactured housing communities include: White Sands and The Palms in Apache Junction, Arizona with deliveries from Salvation Army Apache Junction Food Bank; Villa del Sol (West Winds), Villa Nueva (Wishing Well), Villa Nueva (Elmwood), Villa Nueva (Green Tree) in Chandler, Arizona with deliveries from Azcend Food Bank; and Grand Missouri in Glendale, Arizona with deliveries from West Valley Community Food Pantry.

"Partnerships, both private and other non-profits are the lifeline for AZCEND, especially our food bank," said Paula Knight, AZCEND Food Bank manager. "Partnerships allow us to serve more in the community. Currently the partnership with Roots allows guests to get food boxes, who currently are unable to make it into our food bank."

"We are honored to partner with Roots Management Group to broaden food access, said Daniel Riff, DoorDash Drive senior manager of government and nonprofit. "Local delivery has helped support food banks and food pantries' provision of food and other essentials while emphasizing convenience and dignity. We're excited to work with our stakeholders and partners across the country so everyone can join together to meet the need in a long-term, sustainable way."

Roots Management

Roots Management is one of the country's premier manufactured housing companies. With 236 manufactured housing communities across the country, including 49 in Arizona, Roots is dedicated to increasing the availability of housing that people can afford.

Door Dash

DoorDash (NYSE: DASH) is a technology company that connects consumers with their favorite local businesses in 27 countries across the globe. Founded in 2013, DoorDash builds products and services to help businesses innovate, grow and reach more customers. DoorDash is building infrastructure for local commerce, enabling merchants to thrive in the convenience economy, giving consumers access to more of their communities, and providing work that empowers. With DoorDash, there is a neighborhood of good in every order.

Contact: Claire Parker

[email protected]

SOURCE Roots
CHICAGO, Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Ryerson Holding Corporation (NYSE: RYI) (the "Company" or "Ryerson") announced today the closing of an underwritten secondary public offering of 2,486,580 shares of its common stock by an affiliate of Platinum Equity LLC (the "Selling Stockholder"). Ryerson did not offer any shares of its common stock in the offering and did not receive any of the proceeds from the sale of the shares offered by the Selling Stockholder.

Concurrently with the completion of the offering, Ryerson repurchased directly from the Selling Stockholder 1,513,420 shares of common stock. The price per share paid by the Company equaled the price at which the underwriter purchased the shares from the Selling Stockholder in the offering, net of underwriting discounts and commissions. The Company funded the share repurchase with cash on hand.

Jim Claussen, Ryerson's Chief Financial Officer, stated "The completed secondary offering and concurrent share repurchase represent an important milestone in the continued evolution of Ryerson, where we have increased our public company share float, increased ownership to non-selling shareholders and put our authorized share buyback program to great use. This is a welcome addition to our capital allocation accomplishments over the past year, which now reflect returning to shareholders more than $120 million through dividends and share repurchases, increasing our quarterly dividend by 70 percent to $0.17 per share, and retiring the final $300 million of our outstanding high-yield debt. We would like to thank Platinum Equity for its ongoing investment and support throughout our 15-year relationship."

The secondary offering was made pursuant to an effective shelf registration statement on Form S-3 (including a prospectus) which was filed by Ryerson with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"). You may obtain these documents for free by visiting EDGAR on the SEC website at www.sec.gov. 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 does 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
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C., Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Hatch Early Learning, announced today that it has appointed Sam Bonfante as the company's new president. Bonfante will set the vision for Hatch, define the company's overall strategy, and lead the organization in building on its success in the early childhood education market. Hatch, Inc., is the developer of Ignite, the only digital learning tool for preschool, pre-kindergarten, and kindergarten that accelerates whole-child development across seven domains, with an emphasis on socialemotional skills, mathematics, and literacy.

Bonfante has more than two decades of senior management experience with leading education technology companies, including Age of Learning, Inc., and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (HMH). Previously, he founded and sold a global publishing consultancy specializing in the development of advanced analytics and market-share management for digital and education publishers. Earlier in his career, Bonfante was the associate publisher of The Chronicle of Higher Education, Education Week, and The Chronicle of Philanthropy.

"Education technology is at a pivotal crossroads, especially as it relates to our youngest students," Bonfante said. "Hatch's technologies are opening the possibility of finally disrupting the long-standing and unacceptable status quo that leaves some children locked out of academic success. No company is more dedicated to supporting whole child development than Hatch Early Learning, and I'm honored to be leading our dedicated and talented team."

"School districts, Head Start providers, and the early childhood learning community are seeking standards-based, research-validated solutions," Bonfante said. "The success of Ignite by Hatch in demonstrating rapid grade advancement is being enthusiastically received by educators, and our mission will be to deliver our solution to as many students as possible, as quickly as possible, because the need has never been greater."

In his role, Bonfante will also serve as a member of the Wall Family Enterprise leadership team.

About Ignite by Hatch

Ignite by Hatch is a powerful early childhood education platform that delivers engaging, research-proven learning gains in a dynamic digital play environment. Built to promote growth and whole child development across seven learning domains, Ignite supports children's development through kindergarten. Ignite delivers real-time data to inform individualized instruction and provides evidence for developmentally appropriate assessment systems.

About Hatch Early Learning

Since 1984, Hatch, a division of Wall Family Enterprise, has transformed the lives of young children with technology and classroom materials that prepare them with essential skills to succeed in school and beyond. From interactive hardware to adaptive software and classroom supplies, Hatch is the leading early learning solutions provider nationwide. Child-appropriate hardware, research-based content tied to standards, and individualized progress-monitoring tools combine to create complete classroom solutions that improve fundamental math, literacy, and socialemotional skills. For more information, visit www.HatchEarlyLearning.com.

Press Contact

Nate Cox

Senior Vice President of Revenue

[email protected]

800.624.7698

SOURCE Hatch Early Learning
Former NRG Energy executive enters SB Energy at stage of hypergrowth

REDWOOD CITY, Calif., Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- SB Energy Global, LLC ("SB Energy") announced today that Gaetan Frotte has joined the company as Chief Financial Officer to lead SB Energy's corporate finance functions.

Mr. Frotte joins SB Energy from NRG Energy (NYSE: NRG), where he held various leadership positions in corporate and project finance for over 16 years. Over the course of his career, Mr. Frotte has developed a broad financial experience in the power and renewable industry including successfully leading a company through the public offering process and raising over $25bn of financings. As interim CFO of NRG, he led all finance functions during a period of unprecedented financial and energy change.

"We are thrilled to welcome Gaetan to SB Energy at a time of rapid growth for our company and of transformation for the entire energy industry," said Abhijeet Sathe, co-CEO of SB Energy. "Gaetan's experience and relationships across the financial sector will compliment SB Energy's Head of Capital Markets, Gianluca Signorelli, and further strengthen SB Energy's execution and capital raising capabilities," added Rich Hossfeld, co-CEO of SB Energy.

In 2021 and 2022, SB Energy delivered 1.7 GW of clean energy to the grid and expects to reach 3 GW operating in the first half of 2024, demonstrating the company's ability to develop, secure supply chain, finance, and operate at significant scale. To date, the company has secured over $5 billion of project and corporate financing to fund this growth. As SB Energy looks ahead, its focus is on building the leading renewable energy platform by combining strong execution with its expertise on delivering high-capacity renewable product offerings that are reliable, local, and matched to load.

"In just four years, SB Energy has created one of the strongest execution teams and growth opportunities in renewable energy," said Gaetan Frotte, Chief Financial Officer of SB Energy. "I look forward to accelerating SB Energy's growth and strengthening the company's financial infrastructure, as we differentiate SB Energy as the leading renewable energy platform combining technology and infrastructure at scale."

About SB Energy

SB Energy is a leading utility scale solar, energy storage, and technology platform backed by SoftBank Group Corp. and funds managed by the Infrastructure and Power strategy of Ares Management Corporation. With 1.7 GW of solar in operation and another 8 GW of solar and 14 GWh of storage under development, SB Energy develops, owns, and operates some of the largest and most technically advanced renewable projects across the U.S. SB Energy's mission is to provide flexible renewable energy at scale, accelerating the global energy transition, and benefiting our planet, customers, communities, and people. For more information, visit SBEnergy.com.

SOURCE SB Energy
ORLANDO, Fla., Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is committed to helping small businesses, especially those in underserved markets. SBA's North Florida District Office, along with the Georgia District Office and North Carolina District Office, entered a first-of-its-kind multi-state Strategic Alliance Memorandum with Prospera to help bring resources to Hispanic-owned businesses in the Southeast U.S. Prospera is an economic development, nonprofit organization headquartered in Orlando and specialized in providing bilingual assistance to Hispanic entrepreneurs trying to start, sustain, or grow their business.

"In FY22, over $506 million in SBA loans went to Hispanic businesses in Florida, and we intend to grow that number. This year, SBA's top focus is helping small businesses overcome the capital challenge, especially startups and small, disadvantaged businesses. Working with organizations like Prospera is one of the ways we intend to do that. This strategic alliance will bring SBA's most valuable small business resources into reach for many entrepreneurs and furthers the Biden-Harris Administration's commitment to build equity and opportunity in Hispanic communities," stated Allen Thomas, SBA Region IV Administrator.

The North Florida District has worked with Prospera since 2014 to provide counseling and technical assistance for bilingual business owners. In part as a result of the Alliance, Prospera has assisted Hispanic business owners in the process of applying for over $70 million in SBA-backed loans.

The newly signed multi-state Strategic Alliance Memorandum (SAM) will increase the participation of Prospera's clients with special emphasis on Women-Owned, Minority, Hispanic, and Veteran-Owned businesses in the SBA's capital-access, procurement, international trade, women's business, and advocacy programs.

Jonel Hein, SBA North Florida District Director stated, "Hispanic businesses contribute to their communities, they hire from their neighborhoods, and they pay into their local tax base; but significant opportunity gaps persist due to underinvestment. We hope partnerships like this will continue to help lessen the gap and increase opportunities for our Hispanic business owners in our district, and across the region."

"The U.S. Small Business Administration has been an important partner to Prospera in helping us strengthen and grow Hispanic-owned small businesses," said Prospera President and CEO Augusto Sanabria. "As we continue to grow, we are grateful to renew our partnership with the SBA and extend its reach across the three states we currently serve  Florida, Georgia, and North Carolina. We look forward to facilitating collaborations in our various offices to help our small business owner clients access capital, procurement, and advocacy opportunities through the SBA."

About Prospera

Prospera is an economic development, nonprofit organization that has specialized since 1991 in providing bilingual assistance to Hispanic entrepreneurs who want to start, sustain, and grow their business. In the last five years alone, Prospera facilitated over $70 million in loans for small business clients, trained 17,300 entrepreneurs, and helped consulting clients create or retain more than 16,000 jobs. Prospera currently serves Florida, North Carolina, and Georgia. For more information, visit www.prosperausa.org.

About the U.S. Small Business Administration

The U.S. Small Business Administration makes the American dream of business ownership a reality. As the only go-to resource and voice for small businesses backed by the strength of the federal government, the SBA empowers entrepreneurs and small business owners with the resources and support they need to start, grow or expand their businesses, or recover from a declared disaster. It delivers services through an extensive network of SBA field offices and partnerships with public and private organizations. To learn more, visit www.sba.gov.

Media Contacts:

Maria Yabrudy, 407-412-3303, [email protected]

Nayana Sen, 904-443-1933, [email protected]

SOURCE Prospera
WOBURN, Mass., Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Scientific Systems Company, Inc. (SSCI) and MIT Sea Grant demonstrate artificial intelligence (AI) for unmanned surface vehicles (USV) using the Navy's Unmanned Maritime Autonomy Architecture (UMAA).

Scientific Systems Company and MIT Sea Grant co-create AI software to power a fully autonomous boat on the Charles River Tweet this Autonomous Boston Whaler, courtesy of the AUV Lab at MIT Sea Grant

Scientific Systems Company, Inc. (SSCI) and MIT Sea Grant developed and demonstrated a first-of-kind integrated suite of software applications for unmanned surface vehicles (USVs) to virtualize the combined human shipboard functions of Lookouts, Sensor Operators, Quartermaster, Helmsman, and the Officer of the Deck. The software combined computer vision, waypoint navigation, obstacle avoidance, vehicle control, and mission management into a fully integrated and orchestrated autonomy stack. This capability was demonstrated on the Charles River in October 2022 using MIT's fully autonomous Boston Whaler.

This new capability is crucial for the Navy's Unmanned Maritime Autonomy Architecture (UMAA); an initiative "to promote the development of common, modular, and scalable software for Unmanned Maritime Vehicles (UMVs)" and reduce costs for acquisition programs and accelerate the fielding of autonomous systems.

The software's hierarchical levels of control open an evolutionary path of implementing ever-increasing degrees of onboard intelligence for complex decision-making. During the demonstration, the autonomous Boston Whaler safely navigated the busy Charles River while piloting around another vessel using COLREG maneuversInternational Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Seato avoid a collision.

MIT provided open-source Maneuver Operations software through MOOS-IvP (Mission Oriented Operating Suite - Interval Programming), performing local waypoint navigation, obstacle avoidance (COLREGs), and vehicle control. The AUV Lab at MIT Sea Grant provided the Boston Whaler.

SSCI provided the Mission Management software, which performed high-level reasoning, route planning, and executive oversight similar to human operator functions. SSCI also provided Perception and Situational Awareness software, which allowed the autonomous Boston Whaler to sense its surroundings with fused onboard sensors, including an electro-optical camera, LIDAR, and RADAR.

SSCI and MIT Sea Grant quickly connected their autonomy software by packaging them in UMAA-compliant modules, allowing them to "speak the same language" without having to refactor the code to meet UMAA requirements. SSCI leveraged its UPSHOT software (UMAA's Process SHOrtcutting Tool) to rapidly integrate the various components and make them UMAA-ready. UPSHOT greatly facilitated system development, integration, and testing, allowing the team to field the capability quickly.

About Scientific Systems Company, Inc.

Founded in 1990 and based in Woburn, MA, Scientific Systems Company Inc. (SSCI) invents disruptive technologies and develops revolutionary solutions for challenging missions. SSCI focuses on creating AI/ML enabled capabilities to command, control, communicate with, and manage composable collections of intelligent agents, smart sensors, and autonomous platforms across all domains. Learn more at https://www.ssci.com.

SOURCE Scientific Systems Company Inc.
New network deployments and enterprise momentum expected to spark growth and double 5G connections by 2025

BARCELONA, Spain, Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- New figures from GSMA Intelligence show 5G connections are expected to double over the next two years, expedited by technological innovations and new 5G network deployments in more than 30 countries in 2023 alone. Of the new networks to be deployed in 2023, it is expected that 15 will be 5G Standalone networks.

The forecasts from GSMA Intelligence, announced during MWC Barcelona 2023, point to a significant period of growth in terms of mobile subscribers and enterprise adoption. Consumer connections surpassed one billion at the end of 2022 and will increase to around 1.5 billion this year  before reaching two billion by the end 2025. This momentum confirms 5G as the fastest generational roll-out, when compared to 3G and 4G.

As of January 2023, there were 229 commercial 5G networks globally and over 700 5G smartphone models available to users.

Opening up in emerging markets

Growth will also come from key markets within APAC and LATAM, such as Brazil and India, which have recently launched 5G networks. India will be especially significant, with the expansion of services from Airtel and Jio in 2023 expected to be pivotal to the region's ongoing adoption. GSMA Intelligence predicts there will be four 5G networks in India by the end of 2025, accounting for 145 million additional users.

Many of the new 5G markets scheduled to launch networks in 2023 are in developing regions across Africa  including Ethiopia and Ghana  and Asia. Today, 5G adoption in the sub-Saharan region sits below 1% but will reach over 4% by 2025 and 16% in 2030, largely thanks to a concerted effort from industry and government organisations to provide connectivity to citizens.

"Until now, 5G adoption has been driven by relatively mature markets and consumer use cases like enhanced mobile broadband, but that's changing. We're now entering a second wave for 5G that will see the technology engage a diverse set of new markets and audiences," said Peter Jarich, Head of GSMA Intelligence. "The extension to new use cases and markets will challenge the mobile ecosystem to prove that 5G truly is flexible enough to meet these diverse demands in a way that's both inclusive and innovative."

The Rise of 5G FWA

As of January 2023, more than 90 fixed broadband service providers (the vast majority of which are mobile operators) had launched commercial 5G-based fixed wireless services across over 48 countries. This means around 40% of 5G commercial mobile launches worldwide currently include an FWA offering.

In the US, T-Mobile added over half a million 5G FWA customers in Q4 2021 and Q1 2022 combined. By 2025, it expects to have eight million FWA subscribers, while Verizon is targeting five million FWA subscribers for the same period. And, with operators such as Jio announcing ambitions to connect as many as 100 million homes across India to its 5G FWA network, the number of FWA users looks likely to grow substantially over the next few years.

While the majority of current 5G FWA deployments focus on the 3.53.8 GHz bands, several operators around the world are already using 5G mmWave spectrum as a capacity and performance booster to complement coverage provided by lower bands.

Only 7% of 5G launches have been in 5G mmWave spectrum so far but this looks set to change given 27% of spectrum allocations and 35% of trials are already using 5G mmWave bands. Furthermore, in 2023 alone, the industry will see ten more countries assigned 5G mmWave spectrum for use  a significant increase from the 22 countries who have been assigned it to date. Spain received the first European 5G mmWave spectrum allocation this year, resulting in Telefonica, Ericsson and Qualcomm launching its first commercial 5G mmWave network at MWC Barcelona 2023.

Enterprise IoT Driving Growth

The figures from GSMA Intelligence also suggest that, for operators, the enterprise market will be the main driver of 5G revenue growth over the next decade. Revenues from business customers already represent around 30% of total revenues on average for major operators, with further potential as enterprise digitisation scales. Edge computing and IoT technology presents further opportunities for 5G, with 12% of operators having already launched private wireless solutions  a figure that will grow with a wider range of expected IoT deployments in 2023.

Another major development for the enterprise will be the commercial availability of 5G Advanced in 2025. Focusing on uplink technology, 5G Advanced will improve speed, coverage, mobility and power efficiency  and support a new wave of business opportunities. GSMA's Network Transformation survey showed half of operators expect to support 5G Advanced commercial networks within two years of its launch. While this is likely optimistic, it presents the ecosystem with a clear opportunity to execute on.

Visit us at MWC Barcelona 2023

Find out more about GSMA Intelligence at the GSMA Pavilion in Hall 4 at MWC Barcelona 2023 or visit GSMAIntelligence.com.

About GSMA

The GSMA is a global organisation unifying the mobile ecosystem to discover, develop and deliver innovation foundational to positive business environments and societal change. Our vision is to unlock the full power of connectivity so that people, industry, and society thrive. Representing mobile operators and organisations across the mobile ecosystem and adjacent industries, the GSMA delivers for its members across three broad pillars: Connectivity for Good, Industry Services and Solutions, and Outreach. This activity includes advancing policy, tackling today's biggest societal challenges, underpinning the technology and interoperability that make mobile work, and providing the world's largest platform to convene the mobile ecosystem at the MWC and M360 series of events. We invite you to find out more at gsma.com

Logo:https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1882833/GSMA_Logo.jpg

SOURCE GSMA
Combination to broaden Simpli.fi's omnichannel advertising platform, adding powerful contextual and native capabilities to Simpli.fi's strengths in CTV, mobile, and display advertising

FT. WORTH, Texas, Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Simpli.fi, the advertising automation platform for agencies, brands, and media companies, announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Bidtellect , a leading contextual and native demand-side platform (DSP).

The acquisition accelerates Simpli.fi's ability to execute and scale performance for contextual and native campaigns, leveraging Bidtellect's proprietary suite of contextual capabilities including targeting, optimization, and addressability to complement alternative ID solutions. Bidtellect's technology stack will enhance Simpli.fi's advertising automation platform and accelerate new native and contextual product development for the company.

Simpli.fi's acquisition of Bidtellect extends the company's product offerings and roadmap, while providing existing Bidtellect customers access to Simpli.fi's best-in-class programmatic solutions including CTV, mobile, and display, as well as omnichannel managed services and workflow software. Simpli.fi's platform has grown to execute over 140,000 campaigns for over 30,000 advertisers each month. Even more, with the accelerating growth of CTV advertising, Simpli.fi served more than 47,000 CTV campaigns for over 12,000 advertisers in 2022 alone. The integration of the companies' solutions will increase scalability, efficiency, and profitability for clients.

As a highly automated demand-side platform, Simpli.fi has long enabled advertisers of all sizes to operate more effectively and efficiently. Similarly, Bidtellect's robust contextual targeting suite combines the industry's best third-party contextual integrations with its proprietary contextual targeting solutions.

"We are thrilled to welcome the Bidtellect team as we continue to enhance and scale our advertising automation platform. From industry-leading brand safety technology, premium supply quality, superior contextual capabilities, and proprietary bid factoring and optimization technology, Bidtellect consistently outperforms competitors, and will bring immediate value to our clients," said Frost Prioleau, CEO of Simpli.fi. "Our team is excited about this integration as we continue to scale in 2023 and beyond."

"We are very excited to join Simpli.fi, a recognized leader in the DSP space. This will allow us to bring new capabilities and services like advanced CTV advertising, precision programmatic targeting, and advertising automation to our clients," said Lon Otremba, CEO of Bidtellect. "As I've come to know the team at Simpli.fi, I'm also convinced there's a clear culture fit, shared vision, and a tremendous growth opportunity for our employees to join forces with a larger-scale organization, where together we can all create the next generation of digital advertising solutions."

For more information about Simpli.fi's platform and capabilities, please visit https://simpli.fi/ .

For more information about Bidtellect and capabilities, please visit https://bidtellect.com/ .

About Simpli.fi

Simpli.fi is the leading advertising automation platform that provides workflow software and programmatic advertising solutions to over 2,000 agencies, advertisers, and media buying organizations. Our solutions enable our customers to perform more effectively and efficiently, and maximize ROI on their advertising spend across CTV, mobile, display, and other media types. Our platform delivers performance on budgets of all sizes, executing over 140,000 campaigns for 30,000 advertisers in a typical month. Simpli.fi's investors include leading private equity firms Blackstone and GTCR.

About Bidtellect

Bidtellect is a performance-driven DSP that delivers ads that work. Founded in 2014 with roots in native, Bidtellect built its platform on context-driven technology and optimization down to the placement level, ensuring performance outcomes and readiness for the cookieless future, while offering deep campaign insights across a wide range of KPIs for brand, agency, and trading desk partners. Bidtellect consistently outperforms competitors in nearly every head-to-head performance test, and now offers carbon reduction and CTV solutions with our powerful context-driven technology.

Media Contact:

[email protected]

SOURCE Simpli.fi
NEW BRITAIN, Conn., Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Stanley Black & Decker (NYSE: SWK) invites investors and the general public to listen to a webcast of a presentation by Don Allan, President and CEO, at the Raymond James 44th Annual Institutional Investors Conference in Orlando, FL on Tuesday, March 7, 2023 at 9:15 AM ET.

The live webcast will be available in the "Investors" section of the company's website at www.stanleyblackanddecker.com/investors. A replay of the webcast will be provided on the website and will be available for 30 days.

Headquartered in the USA, Stanley Black & Decker (NYSE: SWK) is a worldwide leader in tools and outdoor operating manufacturing facilities worldwide. Guided by its purpose  for those who make the world  the company's more than 50,000 diverse and high-performing employees produce innovative, award-winning power tools, hand tools, storage, digital tool solutions, lifestyle products, outdoor products, engineered fasteners and other industrial equipment to support the world's makers, creators, tradespeople and builders. The company's iconic brands include DEWALT, BLACK+DECKER, CRAFTSMAN, STANLEY, CUB CADET, HUSTLER and TROY-BILT. Recognized for its leadership in environmental, social and governance (ESG), Stanley Black & Decker strives to be a force for good in support of its communities, employees, customers and other stakeholders. To learn more visit: www.stanleyblackanddecker.com

Stanley Black & Decker Investor Contacts

Dennis Lange

Vice President, Investor Relations

(860) 827-3833

[email protected]

Cort Kaufman

Senior Director, Investor Relations

(860) 515-2741

[email protected]

Christina Francis

Director, Investor Relations

(860) 438-3470

[email protected]

SOURCE Stanley Black & Decker
VANCOUVER, BC, Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ - Strategic Resources Inc. (TSXV: SR) (the "Company" or "Strategic") is pleased to announce it has closed its first tranche of the $13.5 million subscription receipts (the "Receipts" or "Receipt Offering") financing announced on December 13, 2022. The $9.2 million first tranche consisted of $4.3 million from Orion Resource Partners (USA) LP, $3.0 million from Ross Beaty and $1.9 million from other investors. The $4.3 million balance of the Receipts is expected from Investissement Quebec following necessary authorizations.

Offering Details

Strategic intends to issue a total of 27,000,000 Receipts at $0.50 per Receipt for gross proceeds of $13,500,000. Each Receipt will automatically convert to one common share of the Company on closing of the Company's acquisition of BlackRock Metals Inc. In the event the acquisition fails to close by March 31, 2023 (or such other date as may be agreed upon), the Receipt proceeds will be returned to investors without interest or deduction. The Company plans to use the net proceeds from the Receipts to advance BlackRock Metals Inc. to a construction decision, continue permitting and pre-feasibility study work at Mustavaara, and for general corporate purposes. The Receipts are subject to certain conditions customary for placements of this nature, including approval of the TSXV. Investissement Quebec's participation in the Receipt Offering is subject to final authorizations prior to closing.

All prices are on a pre-consolidated basis. All securities issued in the Receipt Offering will be subject to a statutory hold period of four months and one day.

The securities to be offered pursuant to the Receipt Offering have not been, and will not be, registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act") or any U.S. state securities laws, and may not be offered or sold in the United States or to, or for the account or benefit of, United States persons absent registration or any applicable exemption from the registration requirements of the U.S. Securities Act and applicable U.S. state securities laws. This news release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy securities in the United States, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful.

Certain officers, directors and other insiders of Strategic participated in the Receipt Offering. This constitutes a "related party transaction" within the meaning of TSXV Policy 5.9 and Multilateral Instrument 61-101  Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions ("MI 61-101"). The Company will rely on exemptions from the formal valuation and minority shareholder approval requirements of MI 61-101 contained in sections 5.5(a) and 5.7(1)(a) thereof in respect of related party participation in the Receipt Offering as neither the fair market value (as determined under MI 61-101) of the subject matter of, nor the fair market value of the consideration for, the Receipt Offering, insofar as it involves the related parties, will exceed 25% of the Company's market capitalization (as determined under MI 61-101).

About Strategic Resources

Strategic Resources Inc. (TSXV:SR) is a Vancouver, Canada-based mineral exploration and development company focused on vanadium projects in Finland. The Company is primarily focused on its flagship Mustavaara vanadium-iron-titanium project in Finland. The Company is currently in the process of closing the acquisition of BlackRock Metals Inc.

Further details are available on the Company's website at https://strategic-res.com/. To follow future news releases, please sign up at https://strategic-res.com/contact/.

Follow us on: Twitter or Linkedin.

STRATEGIC RESOURCES INC.

Signed: "Scott Hicks"

Scott Hicks, CEO

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Completion of the Transaction is subject to a number of conditions, including but not limited to, TSXV acceptance and if applicable, disinterested shareholder approval. Where applicable, the transaction cannot close until the required shareholder approval is obtained. There can be no assurance that the transaction will be completed as proposed or at all.

Investors are cautioned that, except as disclosed in the management information circular or filing statement to be prepared in connection with the transaction, any information released or received with respect to the transaction may not be accurate or complete and should not be relied upon. Trading in the securities of Strategic should be considered highly speculative. The TSXV has in no way passed upon the merits of the proposed transaction and has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this news release.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Information

Certain statements and information herein, including all statements that are not historical facts, contain forward-looking statements and forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Such forward-looking statements or information include but are not limited to statements or information with respect to (i) closing of the Transaction; (ii) completion of the Offering and the future uses thereof; and (iii) obtaining all necessary shareholder and regulatory approvals to the Transaction. Often, but not always, forward-looking statements or information can be identified by the use of words such as "will" or "projected" or variations of those words or statements that certain actions, events or results "will", "could", "are proposed to", "are planned to", "are expected to" or "are anticipated to" be taken, occur or be achieved.

Although management of the Company believes that the assumptions made and the expectations represented by all forward-looking statements or information are reasonable, there can be no assurance that a forward-looking statement or information herein will prove to be accurate. Forward-looking statements and information by their nature are based on assumptions and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the Company's actual results, performance or achievements, or industry results, to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements or information. These factors include, but are not limited to: risks associated with the business of the Company; business and economic conditions in the mining industry generally; the supply and demand for labour and other project inputs; changes in commodity prices; changes in interest and currency exchange rates; risks relating to inaccurate geological and engineering assumptions (including with respect to the tonnage, grade and recoverability of reserves and resources); risks relating to unanticipated operational difficulties (including failure of equipment or processes to operate in accordance with specifications or expectations, cost escalation, unavailability of materials and equipment, government action or delays in the receipt of government approvals, industrial disturbances or other job action, and unanticipated events related to health, safety and environmental matters); risks relating to adverse weather conditions; political risk and social unrest; changes in general economic conditions or conditions in the financial markets; and other risk factors as detailed from time to time in the Company's continuous disclosure documents filed with Canadian securities administrators. Strategic does not undertake to update any forward-looking information, except in accordance with applicable securities laws.

SOURCE Strategic Resources Inc.
RANCHO CUCAMONGA, Calif., Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Reimagining care for students in the Inland Empire is an all-hands-on-deck effort as reaffirmed at the Student Behavioral Health Incentive Program (SBHIP) event held Feb. 27 at Inland Empire Health Plan's (IEHP) headquarters.

Riverside County Office of Education superintendent, Ted Alejandre, shares the value of collaborative work, breaking down silos and leveraging resources.

IEHP, Molina Healthcare of California, Riverside University Health System Behavioral Health, San Bernardino Department of Behavioral Health, the Offices of Education in Riverside and San Bernardino Counties, local school districts and charter schools gathered to acknowledge their collaboration and planning efforts over the last year.

These efforts are in response to the California Department of Health Care Services' (DHCS) goal to expand prevention and early intervention behavioral health services in and around schools. The initiative provides financial incentives to partnering school districts and charter schools.

To move beyond planning and gear up for the implementation phase of the initiative, the group shared experiences and insight and raised awareness about their plans. Event speakers included Dr. Amy Young-Snodgrass, chief of the division of forensic pediatrics at LLU Children's Hospital, Dr. Edwin Gomez, Riverside County Office of Education superintendent, Ted Alejandre, San Bernardino County Office of Education superintendent, Jarrod McNaughton, IEHP chief executive officer, Abbie Totten, plan president of Molina Healthcare of California and others.

"Molina Healthcare of California is committed to improving access to behavioral health care services in our local schools," said Totten. "We are grateful for the opportunity to collaborate with organizations that share in this mission as we move forward to implement innovative solutions addressing this critical issue."

The initiative's implementation phase will include key interventions that focus on behavioral health wellness programs, care teams, expansion of the behavioral health workforce, substance use disorders and culturally appropriate and targeted populations. In addition, IEHP will be supporting SBHIP interventions through their Health Plan Navigators, stationed on local school campuses.

"The relationships, processes and infrastructure we build together will redefine how we care for our children, and have a positive impact for generations to come," said Amrita Rai, IEHP's clinical director of community behavioral health. "Having the opportunity to reimagine our systems of care takes intention and it takes work. I'm so thankful for organizations that share that vision and are willing to make that future a reality."

About IEHP

With a mission to heal and inspire the human spirit, Inland Empire Health Plan (IEHP) is one of the top 10 largest Medicaid health plans and the largest not-for-profit Medicare-Medicaid plan in the country. In its 26th year, IEHP supports more than 1.6 million residents in Riverside and San Bernardino counties who are enrolled in Medi-Cal or IEHP DualChoice (those with both Medi-Cal and Medicare). IEHP has a growing network of nearly 6,800 Providers and more than 3,000 Team Members. Through dynamic partnerships with Providers and Community Organizations, paired with award-winning service and a tradition of quality care, IEHP is fully committed to their vision: We will not rest until our communities enjoy optimal care and vibrant health. For more information, visit iehp.org .

About Molina Healthcare of California

Molina Healthcare of California has been providing government-funded care for over 40 years. The Company serves members through Medi-Cal, Medicare, Medicare-Medicaid (Duals) and Covered California (Marketplace). Molina's service areas include Sacramento, Los Angeles, San Bernardino, Riverside, San Diego, Orange County and Imperial counties. Through its locally operated health plans, Molina Healthcare, Inc., a FORTUNE 500 company (currently ranked 155), provides managed healthcare services under the Medicaid and Medicare programs and through the state insurance marketplaces. Molina Healthcare served approximately 5.3 million members as of December 31, 2022, located across 19 states. For more information about Molina Healthcare of California, visit MolinaHealthcare.com .

SOURCE Inland Empire Health Plan (IEHP)
Enterprise AI leader continues to accelerate innovation and reach of transformative financial crime prevention solutions

PALO ALTO, Calif., Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- SymphonyAI, a leader in high-value enterprise AI SaaS for strategic industries, announced today it is further expanding its role as a Microsoft partner, adding market-leading SymphonyAI NetReveal Watch List Management (WLM) solutions to the suite of SymphonyAI vertical offerings available via the Microsoft Azure Marketplace. Combining both sanctions name screening and transaction screening, NetReveal WLM helps financial institutions effectively comply with sanctions regulations by dynamically screening customers, employees, connected parties, entities, and transactions against rapidly changing, complex watch lists.

Driving financial crime management transformation, NetReveal Watch List Management joins SymphonyAI Sensa, also available in the Microsoft Azure Marketplace. SymphonyAI also offers financial services, manufacturing, retail, and IT service management solutions on the Azure Marketplace.

NetReveal WLM provides financial institutions with:

Name Screening : screens customers and involved parties against multiple internal, external, domestic, and international sanctions screening lists and politically exposed persons (PEP) lists for negative news, matching persons, legal entities, countries, or PEPs and their associates

: screens customers and involved parties against multiple internal, external, domestic, and international sanctions screening lists and politically exposed persons (PEP) lists for negative news, matching persons, legal entities, countries, or PEPs and their associates Transaction Screening: screens transactions to entities found on any internal and external watch lists while minimizing false positive alerts

Together sanctions screening and transaction filtering offer:

Match exclusion technology : reduces the number of false positives investigators must examine on average by 40-60% without compromising filtering accuracy

: reduces the number of false positives investigators must examine on average by 40-60% without compromising filtering accuracy Real-time response to regulatory changes : integrates new watch lists in as little as 15 minutes, configurable to any requirement, in real-time. Provides deployment flexibility to minimize investigator time and achieve better, faster, more confident decision-making.

: integrates new watch lists in as little as 15 minutes, configurable to any requirement, in real-time. Provides deployment flexibility to minimize investigator time and achieve better, faster, more confident decision-making. Entity-based investigation : improves investigator efficiency on average by 20-30% via a single centralized 360-degree view of alerts relating to a customer or entityfostering intelligence-led dispositioning decisions

: improves investigator efficiency on average by 20-30% via a single centralized 360-degree view of alerts relating to a customer or entityfostering intelligence-led dispositioning decisions Comprehensive filtering coverage : inclusion of protocols for any message type, including SWIFT MT and MX, ACH, and FedWire. Lists are automatically imported and updated daily or even multiple times per day to ensure institutions are screening against the most up-to-date lists to reduce exposure across their organization.

: inclusion of protocols for any message type, including SWIFT MT and MX, ACH, and FedWire. Lists are automatically imported and updated daily or even multiple times per day to ensure institutions are screening against the most up-to-date lists to reduce exposure across their organization. SWIFT 2022 certified application : performs real-time and batch screening against more than 350 global watch lists, consolidated list vendors, and internal lists for transaction interdiction to ensure compliance prior to inspection and disposition

: performs real-time and batch screening against more than 350 global watch lists, consolidated list vendors, and internal lists for transaction interdiction to ensure compliance prior to inspection and disposition Concatenated matching: increases detection strength by alerting on sanctioned entities or persons that have intentionally included too many or removed spaces in their name to avoid detection by screening systems

"Accessing systems of record through one secure and comprehensive cloud platform enables financial institutions to overcome information silos, harmonize data management and boost operational efficiency," said Microsoft Corporate Vice President Cloud + AI Ulrich Homann. "SymphonyAI is delivering tailored solutions to banks committed to mastering financial crime prevention."

"With Microsoft Azure, SymphonyAI NetReveal is making improved risk management easier to access and deploy for regulated organizations worldwide," said Mike Foster, president and CEO of SymphonyAI NetReveal. "By making NetReveal WLM available in the Azure Marketplace rapidly after the launch of our SymphonyAI NetReveal-Sensa suite, this accelerates financial leaders' ability to tap into our material improvements in the detection and prevention of financial crime."

"SymphonyAI has the leading industry-specific, intelligence AI applications to combat financial crime, and the impact of this vertical approach is truly profound," said Kumar Abhimanyu, SVP of strategic partnerships at SymphonyAI. "NetReveal and Sensa on Microsoft Azure are delivering value to our customers quickly and efficiently. This makes SymphonyAI the premier choice for financial institutions looking to stay ahead of the curve in contending with today's ever-evolving world of financial crimes, and to harness the power of AI to achieve real business results."

Additional vertical solutions available through the Microsoft Azure Marketplace include:

The SymphonyAI solutions available through the Microsoft Azure Marketplace can be sold by the Microsoft sales team, expanding the reach of both companies' offerings. All SymphonyAI solutions available through the Microsoft Azure Marketplace run on Microsoft Azure, alleviating the added cost of storage and computational capabilities required when running AI outside a cloud ecosystem.

About SymphonyAI

SymphonyAI is building the leading enterprise AI SaaS company for digital transformation across the most critical and resilient growth verticals, including retail, consumer packaged goods, finance, manufacturing, media, and IT/enterprise service management. SymphonyAI verticals have many leading enterprises as clients. Since its founding in 2017, SymphonyAI has grown rapidly to 3,000 talented leaders, data scientists, and other professionals. SymphonyAI is a SAIGroup company, backed by a $1 billion commitment from successful entrepreneur and philanthropist Dr. Romesh Wadhwani. Learn more at www.symphonyai.com.

Media Contact: Chris Gale, [email protected]

SOURCE SymphonyAI
Retailer to deliver 'affordable joy' through an unparalleled assortment of owned brands and a renewed focus on deal-conscious shoppers

Drive Up Returns rolling out nationwide starting this spring, adding more ease to the guest shopping experience

Company to open about 20 new stores and make updates to about 175 existing locations

MINNEAPOLIS, Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Target Corporation (NYSE: TGT) today announced its plans for 2023 at the retailer's annual Financial Community Meeting in New York, emphasizing its focus on offering a differentiated guest shopping experience that will continue to position the company for long-term growth.

The company plans to invest $4 billion to $5 billion this year to expand its guest-centric services, operations network of stores and supply chain facilities, digital experiences and other capabilities. The retailer also shared more about its plans to advance its enterprise efficiency efforts, aimed at optimizing its operations after years of rapid growth.

"Investments in our shopping experience and frontline team have deepened our guests' engagement with Target during the last few years, which is reflected in our continued traffic and sales growth," said Michael Fiddelke, chief financial officer of Target Corporation. "This year, we'll continue investing in our long-term strategic initiatives that propel our market share and profit growth over time. Coupled with our teams' ongoing efforts to scale our business with greater simplicity, we are confident in our ongoing ability to meet the evolving needs of our guests and deliver value for our shareholders."

Delivering affordable joy

This year, the retailer plans to launch or expand more than 10 owned brands, bringing thousands of new, differentiated products to guests at incredible prices. Additionally, the retailer will appeal to value-conscious shoppers with more items starting at $3, $5, $10 and $15. In addition, the retailer will deepen its focus on offering clear, compelling promotions, introduce enhancements to its Target Circle loyalty program and debut a new advertising campaign that celebrates how Target delivers affordable joy.

Launching Drive Up Returns nationwide

Beginning this spring, Target will expand its latest offering, Drive Up Returns , which allows guests to return most new, unopened items within 90 days of purchase from the comfort of their car  for free. Drive Up Returns will be available on purchases made through guests' Target.com accounts. Before heading to their Target store, guests can initiate a return through a guided experience in the Target app. Guests then follow the normal Drive Up process to return their order, and wait in their car for a team member to pick up and complete their return.

In addition to making the Target guest experience even easier, Drive Up Returns brings more efficiency to the retailer's returns process and reduces expenses for mail-in returns.

Opening more new stores and updating existing locations

Target plans to open about 20 new stores in a variety of sizes as it seeks to reach new guests. Many of the new stores will include new design elements that reflect the local community, experiences that highlight new brands, assortment and services, and sustainable features. Target is also making investments in about 175 of its existing stores, ranging from full remodels to the addition of Ulta Beauty at Target or Apple at Target shop-in-shop experiences, or expanded capacity for same-day fulfillment services. These new and updated stores are one way Target brings new partnerships and the latest innovations in fulfillment services to guests while also investing in operational enhancements for its team.

Expanding sortation center network

The company plans to expand its sortation center network from nine to more than 15 locations by the end of 2026, which will expand its next-day delivery capabilities to guests across major U.S. markets. These specialized supply chain facilities allow Target to deliver digital orders faster, more efficiently and at a lower cost, with up to 40% of orders delivered by its last-mile delivery capability arriving next day. Additionally, these facilities remove pressure from Target's stores, giving team members more time to serve guests. This latest sortation center investment will create hundreds of additional jobs in major metro areas offering the retailer's market-leading wages.

Driving efficiencies to fuel growth

Target also expanded upon its newly introduced enterprise efficiency efforts, aimed at simplifying its operations and enhancing its team and guest experience while fueling near- and long-term growth. While this efficiency work will be a sustainable, long-term plan, Target's goal is to achieve $2 billion to $3 billion in cost savings over the next few years.

To stay updated on Target's strategy and initiatives, visit corporate.target.com.

Miscellaneous

Statements in this release regarding the company's future financial performance, planned investments in its business, enhancement of fulfillment and other operational capabilities, new store openings and remodels, potential benefits from the company's enterprise efficiency efforts, and growth of strategic brand partnerships are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties which could cause the company's actions to differ materially. The most important risks and uncertainties are described in Item 1A of the company's Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended January 29, 2022. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made, and the company does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statement.

About Target

Minneapolis-based Target Corporation (NYSE: TGT) serves guests at nearly 2,000 stores and at Target.com , with the purpose of helping all families discover the joy of everyday life. Since 1946, Target has given 5% of its profit to communities, which today equals millions of dollars a week. Additional company information can be found by visiting the corporate website and press center and by following @TargetNews .

SOURCE Target Corporation
Recipients will assist people and communities who may be disproportionately impacted by climate change and/or the transition to a low-carbon economy

CHERRY HILL, N.J., Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- TD Bank Group today named winners of its 2022 TD Ready Challenge, an annual North American initiative that seeks to support non-profit and charitable organizations developing innovative, impactful, and measurable solutions for a changing world. This year's recipients include four U.S. non-profit organizations that work to develop or implement community-based solutions that are addressing the challenges of climate change and the transition to a low-carbon economy.

As both the private and public sectors take steps to help mitigate the effects of climate change and transition toward a low-carbon economy, communities may be impacted in different and inequitable ways. This year's challenge focused on organizations supporting those who may be disproportionately affected by climate change - including people of color and indigenous communities, seniors and youth, low-income communities, and people with disabilities  by working to design solutions to help prepare for, adapt to and mitigate the potential impacts of climate change, and/or initiatives that support the transition to a low-carbon economy.

"Climate change is a global issue that continues to have a growing impact on communities, on businesses and on the economy  but specifically on the economies of communities that are already struggling," said Shelley Sylva, Head of US Corporate Citizenship, TD Bank. "A healthy environment is foundational to feeling confident about our economic future and the world we are leaving to the next generation. Supporting innovative programs and scalable solutions for our communities is a meaningful way we can support progress."

This year's recipients will focus on making an impact in communities across TD's footprint through initiatives that include large-scale green infrastructure projects, the development of renewable energy solutions, and workforce development/retraining opportunities.

"Opening doors for a more inclusive and sustainable future is core to our purpose as an organization," said Leo Salom, President and CEO, TD Bank. "Through this year's TD Ready Challenge, we're standing behind organizations with promising new ideas that support communities across our footprint and address the challenges of transitioning to a low-carbon economy."

Each year, the TD Ready Challenge invites eligible organizations to submit applications that offer solutions for a problem statement that is connected to the TD Ready Commitment and its four drivers of change: Financial Security, Vibrant Planet, Connected Communities and Better Health. Always themed around timely issues, in previous years, the TD Ready Challenge has focused on driving more equitable health outcomes, promoting income stability, and addressing pandemic-related learning loss.

The four $1 million U.S. 2022 TD Ready Challenge recipients describe their winning submissions in their own words:

Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC): Bridges to Green Jobs  US, Southern New England

"Bridges to Green Jobs provides a pathway to quality jobs in green energy and climate resiliency for communities that have been disproportionately affected by climate change and historically excluded from and underrepresented in the green jobs sector and adjacent industries (e.g. construction and related trades). We will expand in Boston and scale to Newark and Detroit over a 2-year period."

Maine Farmland Trust: Climate Resilience for Maine Farms: supporting farm viability from the soil up  Northern New England, U.S.

"Maine Farmland Trust is building upon our farmland conservation efforts by fostering greater resilience to climate change on farms in our 500-Farm Network. MFT will expand its Soil Health Network initiative by addressing the need for funding and technical assistance to support farms transitioning to climate-smart practices on their agricultural land and field edges, and in farm landscape planning."

New York City Energy Efficiency Corporation: Addressing the Financial and Workforce Barriers for an Equitable Clean Energy Transition in NYC Affordable Housing and Low to Moderate Income (LMI) Communities  Metro New York, U.S.

"An equitable clean energy transition requires large-scale green capital deployment, a qualified workforce to implement projects, and community participants that are engaged in an authentic way. This program addresses barriers to capital deployment through green finance while building a more inclusive technical workforce and increasing community engagement through training and education."

Rowan University Foundation: Green Jobs Academy of Rowan University: Educating the Workforce of Tomorrow and Building a Robust, Sustainable Economy for Southern New Jersey  PA, NJ, U.S

"Rowan University, Rowan College of South Jersey, and the SJ Workforce Development Boards, seek to establish a Green Jobs Academy to build pathways to required industry credentials in offshore wind and solar power to meet the state's growing need to respond to the climate crisis, by developing a home-grown, green energy workforce, supporting those affected by carbon-based industry closures."

The TD Ready Challenge is part of TD's longstanding commitment to creating a more inclusive and sustainable future. The bank has invested over $1 billion in clean technology and renewable energy projects and has set a target to become carbon neutral by 2050.

To learn more about the 2022 grant recipients and the TD Ready Challenge, visit www.td.com/readychallenge.

About the TD Ready Commitment

TD has a long-standing commitment to enriching the lives of its customers, colleagues and communities. As part of its corporate citizenship platform, the TD Ready Commitment, TD is targeting CDN $1 billion (U.S. $775 million) in total by 2030 towards community giving in four areas critical to help open doors for a more inclusive and sustainable tomorrow  Financial Security, Vibrant Planet, Connected Communities and Better Health. Through the TD Ready Commitment, TD aspires to link its business, philanthropy and human capital to help people feel more confident - not just about their finances, but also in their ability to achieve their personal goals in a changing world. For further information, visit td.com/tdreadycommitment.

About TD Bank Group

The Toronto-Dominion Bank and its subsidiaries are collectively known as TD Bank Group ("TD" or the "Bank"). TD is the sixth largest bank in North America by assets and serves over 27 million customers in four key businesses operating in a number of locations in financial centers around the globe: Canadian Personal and Commercial Banking, including TD Canada Trust and TD Auto Finance Canada; U.S. Retail, including TD Bank, America's Most Convenient Bank, TD Auto Finance U.S., TD Wealth (U.S.), and an investment in The Charles Schwab Corporation; Wealth Management and Insurance, including TD Wealth (Canada), TD Direct Investing, and TD Insurance; and Wholesale Banking, including TD Securities. TD also ranks among the world's leading online financial services firms, with more than 15 million active online and mobile customers. TD had $1.9 trillion in assets on October 31, 2022. The Toronto-Dominion Bank trades under the symbol "TD" on the Toronto and New York Stock Exchanges.

SOURCE TD Bank
TECNO will launch its first foldable smartphone, PHANTOM V Fold, debut its SPARK 10 Pro selfie phone and MEGABOOK S1 2023 laptop with the latest Intel Core processor, and showcase its diverse AIoT digital ecosystem at MWC Barcelona 2023.

LONDON, Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- TECNO, an innovative technology brand with operations in over 70 global markets, today marks its debut at Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2023 in Barcelona. To celebrate, the brand will be launching its first premium flagship foldable smartphone, PHANTOM V Fold, as well as debuting the exciting SPARK Pro 10 selfie phone, and the upgraded MEGABOOK S1 2023 laptop with Intel's latest 13th Gen Core processor. The brand will also be showcasing selective products from its wide range of AIoT products and demonstrating the value of its innovative digital ecosystem.

TECNOs booth on the brands debut at MWC Barcelona 2023. PHANTOM V Fold elevates the premium foldable experience with innovative technologies and stylish design. SPARK 10 Pro combines outstanding photography with powerful performance. TECNO demonstrated the capabilities of its wide-ranging AIoT ecosystem.

PHANTOM V Fold: A Powerful Premium Foldable Smartphone

TECNO will launch PHANTOM V Fold, its first-ever foldable smartphone, on day two of MWC Barcelona 2023, at a special launch event. As the newest product from TECNO's premium smartphone sub-brand PHANTOM, the device promises to level up the premium smart foldable experience with a series of self-developed technologies, key collaborations and innovative design features.

PHANTOM V Fold will be the world's first left-right foldable smartphone to be powered by MediaTek's flagship Dimensity 9000+ processor. The dual-SIM, dual 5G processor customized especially for the device is produced by an advanced TSMC 4nm manufacturing process and delivers outstandingly smooth foldable device performance with low power consumption.

The phone will also be equipped with an ultra-clear 5-lens photography system, including a 50MP main camera with a super light-sensitive custom sensor, a further two rear lenses, as well as two front lenses. The system creates an exciting photography experience made possible by the phone's folding design, from enhanced rear-camera selfies to more immersive large-screen video calling.

In addition to being on display at TECNO's MWC booth, PHANTOM V Fold will also be the only foldable device equipped with the Dimensity 9000+ processor on display at MediaTek's MWC booth, as part of TECNO's interactions with its various strategic partners at the exhibition.

SPARK 10 Pro: A Glow-Up for Selfies and Performance

SPARK 10 Pro, the superior model of the brand-new SPARK Series, also makes its debut at MWC. Tailored for Gen Z, this device is distinguished by its young and trendy design, advanced selfie capability, and strong performance in its target section.

SPARK 10 Pro features a 32MP ultra-clear glowing selfie front camera with dual flash for capturing amazing selfies in any light, as well as a 50MP rear camera.

Besides superior selfies, SPARK 10 Pro's powerful MediaTek Helio G88 gaming processor creates an amazing experience for gamers and a super smooth user experience for daily use, while its unique hard-wearing starry glass back panel creates a glossy finish that is comfortable in the hand.

With these features, SPARK 10 Pro is perfect for trendsetters looking to express their vibrant, youthful energy. The official launch of SPARK 10 Series will start in March, but the SPARK 10 Pro will first be shown at TECNO's MWC Barcelona 2023 booth.

MEGABOOK S1: Updated with the Latest Intel Processor

Also on show at TECNO's booth will be the premium flagship MEGABOOK S1 laptop. First launched in December 2022, the device has been newly equipped with the latest 13th-gen Intel Core processor, while its weight of just 1.35kg (2.97lbs) and a thickness of only 13.5mm (0.53") make powerful computing at home and on the go more effortless than ever.

MEGABOOK S1 2023 is equipped with PC SwiftTransfer through hand gesture, which support TECNO's new generation OneLeap connection, data sharing, file management, multi-screen collaboration and reverse network sharing across TECNO's digital ecosystem. As a result, users can enjoy deeper integration between their devices and a more comprehensive digital experience.

MWC 2023: A Showcase of TECNO Innovation

Starting in 2019, TECNO began its push to build a digital ecosystem with the launch of its AIoT strategy, aimed at revolutionizing the digital lifestyle of target consumers and inspiring them in their lives. With this vision, TECNO's AIoT business has evolved rapidly to a lineup that includes smart wearables, smart audio products, laptops, smart home devices and more. TECNO will be showcasing the value of its digital ecosystem, which is centered around its smartphones and laptops, at MWC 2023.

Besides smartphones and the smart business MEGABOOK S1 2023 laptop, TECNO will be presenting the MEGABOOK Series laptops, smart personal devices including True 1 and Ultimate 1 TWS earbuds; and a security WiFi camera and WiFi router from the smart home device lineup. Visitors to TECNO's booth are welcome to experience the brand's forward-looking and ambitious spirit while discovering its technological innovations.

By marking its first appearance at MWC with the launch of an outstanding new device and showcasing its extensive AIoT product range, TECNO is underlining its confidence in its position as a rising star in the industry, driven by its "Stop At Nothing" philosophy and a commitment to customer-centric innovation.

Visitors to MWC are welcome to visit TECNO's booth, located at 7A90, Hall 7, Fira Gran Via.

Guests are also invited to attend the PHANTOM V Fold official launch on February 28 at 15:30 in Hall 6, Theatre 1, Fira Gran Via. To apply to attend the launch event, please visit:

https://www.mwcbarcelona.com/agenda/session/tecno-phantom-v-fold-global-launch

SOURCE TECNO
PHANTOM V Fold offers a 120Hz flagship dual screen, and a powerful 5-lens photography system for an unparalleled crease-free large-screen experience.

LONDON, Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- TECNO's premium sub-brand, PHANTOM, today launched a new flagship smartphone, the PHANTOM V Fold, marking the brand's emphatic entrance into the foldable device market. The phone delivers an immersive visual experience through an optimally sized flagship dual screen and an ultra-clear 5-lens photography system for unparalleled image-making. Launched during TECNO's debut appearance at MWC Barcelona 2023, PHANTOM V Fold is the latest innovation from the brand as it continues to revolutionize the premium smartphone experience through outstanding technologies and exceptional performance.

Two Flagship Screens Create New Possibilities

Empowering users to discover greater smartphone fluency, whether gaming, watching movies or at work, PHANTOM V Fold's flagship dual LTPO screens have an adaptive 10-120Hz high refresh rate, delivering smooth motions and fluid transitions both when folded and unfolded.

The phone's 6.42-inch sub screen has a unique micro-curved design and a 21:9 aspect ratio for a classic single-screen flagship smartphone experience. Unfolded, PHANTOM V Fold reveals an outstanding 7.85-inch display with an optimal 8:7 aspect ratio on an ultra-flat screen with a virtually invisible crease.

TECNO's Technologies Inspire an Almost-Invisible Screen Crease

PHANTOM V Fold's main inner screen is enhanced by the results of TECNO's continuous pursuit of the next best technologies. The brand's self-developed, aerospace-grade drop-shaped hinge creates an ultra-flat main inner screen surface that is virtually crease-free. The hinge's innovative reverse snap structure significantly improves the phone's structural stability, while its aerospace-grade construction materials create strength with a light weight.

The self-developed fixed-axis rotation and slide technology hinge design ensure PHANTOM V Fold's main inner screen fits tightly together, ultimately delivering a crease that is almost unnoticeable. When new, the device's screen crease measures just 0.11mm, and the device is capable of 200,000 folds.

Five Lenses for Unprecedented Image-Making

PHANTOM V Fold's ultra-clear 5-lens photography system creates an unprecedented image-making experience with lenses to meet a wide range of uses. With three rear lenses and two front lenses, users can explore the world through new lenses.

Enabling spectacular nighttime image making, PHANTOM V Fold's 50MP Super Night main camera features a super light-sensitive custom 1/1.3-inch sensor, large f/1.85 aperture and 7P composition. Making up the other rear lenses are a powerful 50MP telephoto lens with 2x optical and 20x digital zoom, and a 13MP ultra wide-angle lens.

In addition to the rear lenses, a further two front lenses  one on the sub screen and one on the main inner screen  bring more fun to photography, with exciting image-making possibilities. While rear lenses can now be easily used for high-quality selfies, the foldable screen design allows for large-screen image capturing with a preview displayed to the subjects on the sub screen, while the front camera on the main inner screen enhances video calling and video conferencing.

HiOS13 Fold Provides a Super-Optimized Experience

Though the large-screen foldable smartphone experience has much to offer, it has often been hampered by having operating systems unsuitable for the devices. As a result, TECNO developed HiOS13 Fold  a highly optimized and customized operating system based on Google's Android 13, specially designed for the foldable device.

Large-screen capabilities such as split screens, picture-in-pictures, parallel windows, and drag and drop across screens, as well as differentiated interactive animation designs create a system that empowers users' productivity and overall enjoyment. Foldable customizations have been made to the top 1,000 apps with the highest download frequency globally, of which 90% have been adapted to support split-screen and multi-window modes. In total, over 2000 apps have been adapted for HiOS13 Fold.

MediaTek Dimensity 9000+ Delivers a First for the Industry

PHANTOM V Fold is the world's first left-right foldable smartphone to be powered by MediaTek's flagship Dimensity 9000+ processor. In developing the phone, TECNO deepened its long-term collaboration with industry giant MediaTek, with the chipmaker developing a dual-5G processor with dual-SIM functionality customized for the PHANTOM V Fold's large-screen design. The processor delivers exceptional performance that allows efficient multi-tasking and seamless switching between screens.

With the powerful chip and charging capabilities, PHANTOM V Fold was awarded an incredible 1,023,478 benchmark score by AnTuTu, the most professional benchmarking software/website in China that provides accurate and realistic performance evaluations for smartphones. The score highlights PHANTOM V Fold's outstanding 'hardcore' gaming performance, as well as its exceptional user experience delivered across both traditional smartphone and large-screen tablet-style displays.

Empowering Pioneers - A Beyond The Extraordinary Event

To celebrate the launch of PHANTOM V Fold, TECNO hosted a special event on day two of MWC Barcelona 2023. The event focused on how TECNO, along with its strategic partners, is pushing the boundaries of smartphone innovation with the ultimate aim of delivering a user experience that is Beyond The Extraordinary.

Attendees at the event included media and executives from TECNO's collaborative partners, who were welcomed with an opening speech from TECNO's General Manager, Jack Guo, before keynote speeches from MediaTek and Counterpoint Research. The speakers then took part in a fascinating panel discussion where they offered further insights about a wide range of subjects, from the meaning of the launch to the future landscape of foldable smartphones, offering an informative yet thought-provoking end to the event.

Upon conclusion of the event, guests were invited to join TECNO at their MWC booth for their first hands-on experience of the new PHANTOM V Fold.

The development of PHANTOM V Fold reflects TECNO's intensive efforts to bring desirable, high-end technologies to frontier markets through its PHANTOM sub-brand. Combining advanced innovations with bold style, PHANTOM V Fold delivers the premium foldable experience to new audiences. It empowers users to show their identity and become pioneers in business and in society, while enjoying a first-class foldable device experience.

SOURCE TECNO
TURKU, Finland, Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Teleste has agreed on the delivery of its passenger information system with Verkehrsregion-Nahverkehr Ems-Jade (VEJ) to the association of municipal public transport authorities in the Ems-Jade region in Germany, comprising the districts of Aurich, Friesland, and Wittmund, as well as the independent cities of Emden, Leer, and Wilhelmshaven. The delivered system will include 179 LED displays for the VEJ bus stops and management software that takes care of the delivery of realtime passenger information to the displays. In addition to this, Teleste will be responsible for installation work and user training during the system implementation in 2023.

Through its dense bus route network, VEJ serves more than 40 million passengers each year. The network comprises almost 300 bus lines mostly in regional transport and thousands of bus stops. Providing an excellent passenger experience with such an extensive network requires special focus on the management of routes and schedules, as well as on the delivery of up-to-date travel information to passengers along the routes. Teleste's passenger information system gives transport operators excellent tools to achieve this goal: the central software, iqu Hub, allows feeding the network with real-time information and other content while the displays present the information clearly and brightly at bus stops.

"Access to real-time travel information helps passengers use public transport in a more reliable, safer and timely manner that underpins their satisfaction with a journey. For this reason, a modern passenger information system is among the most important factors in developing transport services that are able to deliver a great passenger experience and increase ridership," said Claudio Borrello, head of Teleste's Public Transport Operators business line.

"With decades of experience in the industry, providing solutions to passengers' information needs is our core expertise, and we are pleased to work with VEJ to develop the access to information in their bus network. For us, this project is also an opportunity to strengthen our local presence and increase our visibility in the German operator market."

In addition to the management and delivery of real-time passenger information, Teleste's iqu Hub software also offers several tools to guarantee reliable operation of the system from checking the status of displays to receiving predefined alerts and notifications of possible interruptions in the operation of the system. Adding significantly to the quality of the entire transit network, these features help the operator ensure seamless flow of information and a connected journey for the passengers even in harsh outdoor conditions. Please visit our website to learn more about the software and our passenger information system.

Inquiries for more information:

Mirkka Lamppu

Director of Communications, Teleste Corporation

Tel. +358 2 2605 611

[email protected]

About Teleste

Teleste offers an integrated product and service portfolio that makes it possible to build and run a better networked society. Our solutions bring television and broadband services to you, secure your safety in public places and guide your use of public transport. With solid industry experience and drive for innovations, we are a leading international company in broadband, security and information technologies and related services. We connect with our customers through a global network of offices and partners. In 2022, Teleste's net sales reached EUR 165 million and it had approximately 860 employees. Teleste is listed on Nasdaq Helsinki. For more information, see www.teleste.com and follow @telestecorp on Twitter.

SOURCE Teleste Corporation
LONDON, Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Tetragon has released its Monthly Factsheet for January 2023.

Net Asset Value: $2,808m

Fully Diluted NAV Per Share: $30.16

Share Price (TFG NA): $9.54

Monthly NAV per share total return: +1.6%

Monthly Return on Equity: +1.8%

Most recent quarterly dividend: $0.11

Dividend yield: 4.6%

Please refer to important disclosures on page three of the Monthly Factsheet.

Please click below to access the Monthly Factsheet.

January 2023 Factsheet

About Tetragon:

At Tetragon, we seek to provide stable returns to investors across economic cycles and market conditions. Tetragon is a Guernsey closed-ended investment company. Its non-voting shares are listed on Euronext in Amsterdam N.V. and also traded on the Specialist Fund Segment of the Main Market of the London Stock Exchange. Our investment manager is Tetragon Financial Management LP. Find out more at www.tetragoninv.com.

Tetragon Investor Relations:

Yuko Thomas

[email protected]

Press Inquiries:

Prosek Partners

[email protected]

U.K. +44 203 890 9193

U.S. +001 212 279 3115

This release does not contain or constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to purchase securities in the United States or any other jurisdiction. The securities of Tetragon have not been and will not be registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933 and may not be offered or sold in the United States or to U.S. persons unless they are registered under applicable law or exempt from registration. Tetragon does not intend to register any portion of its securities in the United States or to conduct a public offer of securities in the United States. In addition, Tetragon has not been and will not be registered under the U.S. Investment Company Act of 1940, and investors will not be entitled to the benefits of such Act. Tetragon is registered in the public register of the Netherlands Authority for the Financial Markets under Section 1:107 of the Financial Markets Supervision Act as a collective investment scheme from a designated country.

SOURCE Tetragon Financial Group Limited
CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Tevard Biosciences, Inc., the pioneer of tRNA-based therapies for severe genetic diseases, today announced a four-year global research collaboration with Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated aimed at creating new tRNA-based therapies for patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) caused by nonsense mutations with options to expand into additional muscular dystrophies and a second indication.

The agreement provides access to Tevard's proprietary platforms for discovering and developing tRNA-based therapies. Under its terms, Tevard will receive up-front, option-exercise, and milestone payments, plus royalties on any approved products.

Tevard will advance the research and discovery of novel tRNA-based therapies, with all program costs funded by Vertex. Vertex will be responsible for all subsequent development, manufacturing and commercialization.

DMD is the most common muscular dystrophy in children, primarily affecting boys, and is caused by a mutation in the dystrophin gene. Patients with DMD are unable to produce normal amounts of dystrophin protein, resulting in progressive muscle weakness and degeneration. Tevard's tRNA-based therapies may be able to restore dystrophin production in patients whose disease is caused by a nonsense mutation in the dystrophin gene.

"Tevard is devoted to improving the lives of people with severe genetic diseases like Duchenne. Given Vertex's proven track record of developing novel therapies to treat serious disease, we're thrilled to partner with them on this important effort," said Tevard CEO and co-founder Daniel Fischer. "By combining Tevard's ability to restore the production of critical proteins with Vertex's clinical, regulatory, and manufacturing expertise, we hope to make an important difference for patients and their families."

"Our tRNA-based approach is one of the only methods available to restore production of the full-length dystrophin protein in DMD patients with nonsense mutations. We hope the therapy will be transformative for these patients" said Tevard co-founder Harvey Lodish, Ph.D., who chairs the company's SAB and sits on its board of directors.

"Vertex is committed to transforming the treatment of DMD and we are pursuing various approaches across multiple therapeutic modalities to bring treatments to as many patients as possible. We are excited to partner with Tevard and add their suppressor tRNA technology to our portfolio as another tool we can use to develop treatments for DMD patients with nonsense mutations," said Mike Cooke, SVP, Vertex Cell and Genetic Therapies.

About Tevard Biosciences

Tevard Biosciences is pioneering tRNA-based therapies to cure a broad range of genetic diseases. The privately held biotechnology company was founded by MIT Professor and Whitehead Institute Founding Member Harvey Lodish, with life science entrepreneurs and executives Daniel Fischer and Warren Lammert, fathers of children with rare genetic diseases, and scientific co-founder Jeff Coller, a Bloomberg Distinguished Professor in the Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Tevard is exploring the use of its novel Suppressor tRNA, Enhancer tRNA, and mRNA Amplifier platforms in neurological disorders, heart disease, and muscular dystrophies. For more information, please visit tevard.com.

CONTACT:

Tevard Biosciences

Rebecca Zacks

[email protected]

SOURCE Tevard Biosciences
Penn State and CellWatch, a collaboration between Georgia Tech, UC Santa Barbara, and Northern

Arizona University, to collect accurate data on broadband deficits and help communities qualify for

federal funding

NEW YORK, Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Rockefeller Foundation announced $1 million in funding between The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State) and CellWatch  a collaboration between the Georgia Institute of Technology, University of California, Santa Barbara, and Northern Arizona University  to launch complimentary initiatives aimed at closing America's broadband equity gap. Over the next year, Penn State, through its extension organization, will develop an accessible national map of fixed broadband access, modeling support, and education tools; and CellWatch will develop a mobile application and machine learning algorithm to measure and make public mobile broadband availability data. Together, these initiatives will help the estimated 21 million Americans mis-identified in federal broadband maps, who are disproportionately from low-income, rural, and BIPOC communities, apply for funding and increase equitable access to broadband services.

"There are millions of people in the U.S. without consistent broadband coverage. In the 21st century, if you don't have access to broadband, you don't have access to the full range of information and opportunities that should be available to you. Unfortunately, it's hard to address this problem because we don't have the data to show us where there are gaps in broadband coverage and performance. This prevents communities from getting the federal funding they deserve." said Zia Khan, Senior Vice President of Innovation at The Rockefeller Foundation. "The Rockefeller Foundation is proud to work with Penn State and the CellWatch team to close these gaps and help ensure that all Americans can leverage the benefits of broadband."

Current estimates show that Federal Communications Commissions' (FCC) maps measuring broadband coverage significantly overestimates the number of Americans with access to high-speed connectivity. According to Broadband Now, that has left an estimated 21 million Americans out of current U.S. federal broadband coverage plans and millions are incorrectly designated as "served," preventing them from receiving the $65 billion available through Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act funding to improve broadband access. Reports reveal that a mere 10% increase in broadband access could add ~175,000 more jobs and $37.2 billion to the economy per year.

"Penn State Extension has a long track record of disseminating research-based knowledge to help residents navigate the issues and opportunities of new technology and connected digital infrastructure," said Brent Hales, Director of Penn State Extension. "With this partnership, we seek to develop new mapping and spatial analysis tools that inform equitable distribution of FCC BEAD funding to communities nationwide and enable them to estimate the costs of fiber deployment to homes and businesses, emphasizing underserved markets. Our similar work in collaboration with the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission already has helped the state secure almost $369 million in federal broadband funding, which will enable up to 327,000 Pennsylvanians to gain high-speed internet access."

"We are exceptionally grateful to the Rockefeller Foundation for their support of this project," said Dr. Ellen Zegura, Regents and Fleming Professor in Computer Science at Georgia Tech. "CellWatch will provide communities with the ability to measure and map their mobile broadband connectivity and to challenge the accuracy of broadband provider data at the federal level. Ultimately better quality data will contribute to data-driven decisions about expanding Internet access to reach areas of greatest need."

The Rockefeller Foundation is collaborating with Penn State to:

Develop a national fixed broadband map to identify and prioritize underserved communities and populations for broadband deployment and utilization effort.

Implement first-of-its-kind modeling to support local and regional data-driven decisions about broadband deployment.

Design a Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) project map layer to assist state and federal legislators better understand the unserved and underserved areas of their district and the potential for BEAD funding.

Deploy a team of educators and communicators to raise awareness and adoption of the new mapping tools to support their local community.

The Rockefeller Foundation is collaborating with CellWatch to:

Harness the power of machine learning algorithms for predicting mobile broadband performance from public datasets.

Design a new open-source mobile application, "CellWatch," for Android phones that will allow users to take measurements of network performance and view maps of broadband quality.

Make CellWatch data public to help communities challenge current provider claims of broadband coverage, which often go uncontested and can be inaccurate, and apply for FCC investment in broadband.

Launch a new interactive dashboard and map to support communities as they organize measurement campaigns and help them achieve more equitable broadband access.

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.

About Penn State Extension



Penn State Extension is dedicated to delivering science-based information and solutions to people, businesses and communities. In support of Penn State's land-grant mission, extension programs promote a vibrant food and fiber system, a clean environment, and a healthier population in Pennsylvania and beyond. With support from federal, state and county governments, the organization has a tradition of bringing unbiased, research-based information and support to the citizens of Pennsylvania for more than 100 years.

About CellWatch



The CellWatch team spans three public universities, Georgia Tech in the southeast, Northern Arizona University in the southwest, and the University of California Santa Barbara (UCSB) in Southern California. All three universities embrace the mission of serving the public good through research, education, and outreach. The CellWatch collaborative team has a long history of working together on issues of digital equity and broadband internet access for rural and tribal regions.

SOURCE The Rockefeller Foundation
DUBLIN, Feb. 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Global Inhalable Drugs Market (2022-2027) by Product, Application, and Geography, Competitive Analysis and the Impact of Covid-19 with Ansoff Analysis" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.





The Global Inhalable Drugs Market is estimated to be USD 35.11 Bn in 2022 and is expected to reach USD 49.47 Bn by 2027, growing at a CAGR of 7.1%



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.

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 Inhalable Drugs 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 Inhalable Drugs 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 Inhalable Drugs 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

Rising Incidence of Respiratory Diseases Such as Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Diseases and Asthma

Increasing Healthcare Infrastructure and Rising Awareness among Patients

Surge in the Number of Non-respiratory Diseases Such as Parkinson's Disease

Restraints

Strict Regulations for the Approval of Inhalable Drugs

Opportunities

Surge in Development of Inhalable Drugs for Ease of Administration

Emerging Reformulation of Current Non-inhaled Molecules into Inhaled Molecules for Improved Drug Delivery

Challenges

Availability of Unregulated and Alternate Therapy

Market Segmentation



The Global Inhalable Drugs Market is segmented based on Product, Application, and Geography.

By Product, the market is classified into Aerosol, Dry Powder Formulation, and Spray.

By Application, the market is classified into Non-Respiratory Diseases and Respiratory Diseases.

By Geography, the market is classified into Americas, Europe , Middle-East & Africa , and Asia-Pacific .

Companies Mentioned

Adherium, Ltd.

AptarGroup, Inc.

AstraZeneca, PLC

Avalyn Pharma, Inc.

Boehringer Ingelheim International GmbH

Cipla, Inc.

GEA Group Ag

GSK, PLC

Merck & Co., Inc.

Mundipharma International, Ltd.

Novartis Ag

Orion Corp

Pfizer, Inc.

PureIMS B.V.

Respira Therapeutics, Inc.

Sanofi S.A.

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, Ltd.

TFF Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Vectura Group, Ltd.

Verona Pharma, PLC

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/2oi9my-inhalable?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

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Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/539438/Research_and_Markets_Logo.jpg

SOURCE Research and Markets
Tech Agency With Expertise in Integrated Digital Marketing, Demand Gen, Content and PR Campaigns Recognized for Two-year Revenue Growth of 89.2 Percent

BOSTON, Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Inc. magazine today revealed that Three Rings Inc. is on its third annual Inc. 5000 Regionals: Northeast list, the most prestigious ranking of the fastest-growing Northeast private companies, based in Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Vermont. Born of the annual Inc. 5000 franchise, this regional list represents a unique look at the most successful companies within the Northeast economy's most dynamic segment  its independent small businesses.

"The ironic thing is, we don't spend any energy on business development  in fact, we don't even have dedicated business development personnel," said Andy Murphy, principal at Three Rings Inc. "Growth is a byproduct of what we do  and that's serving clients and making them, and our employees, incredibly satisfied. In our experience, when you focus on doing those things, growth takes care of itself."

The companies on this list show a remarkable rate of growth across all industries in the Northeast region. Between 2019 and 2021, these 168 private companies had an average growth rate of 450 percent and, in 2021 alone, they added 12,066 jobs and nearly $4.4 billion to the Northeast region's economy. Companies based in the New York and Boston areas had the highest growth rates overall.

Complete results of the Inc. 5000 Regionals: Northeast, including company profiles and an interactive database that can be sorted by industry, metro area and other criteria, can be found at inc.com/northeast starting February 28, 2023.

"This year's Inc. 5000 Regional winners represent one of the most exceptional and exciting lists of America's off-the-charts growth companies. They're disrupters and job creators, and all delivered an outsize impact on the economy. Remember their names and follow their lead. These are the companies you'll be hearing about for years to come," said Scott Omelianuk, editor-in-chief of Inc. magazine.

About Three Rings Inc.

Three Rings Inc. provides a full spectrum of PR, marketing and digital services to B2B technology clients worldwide. The company combines a comprehensive array of expert skills, with a highly flexible business model that enables clients to shift services, priorities and geographies on demand. This approach delivers superior results for clients while also providing a dynamic work environment for employees. Three Rings Inc. is based in Boston with additional operations across the U.S., U.K. and the EU. To learn more, visit www.threeringsinc.com or connect with us on LinkedIn and Instagram .

More about Inc. and the Inc. 5000 Regionals

Methodology

The 2023 Inc. 5000 Regionals are ranked according to percentage revenue growth when comparing 2019 and 2021. To qualify, companies must have been founded and generating revenue by March 31, 2019. They had to be U.S.-based, privately held, for-profit, and independentnot subsidiaries or divisions of other companiesas of December 31, 2021. (Since then, a number of companies on the list have gone public or been acquired.) The minimum revenue required for 2019 is $100,000; the minimum for 2021 is $1 million. As always, Inc. reserves the right to decline applicants for subjective reasons.

About Inc. Media

The world's most trusted business-media brand, Inc. offers entrepreneurs the knowledge, tools, connections, and community to build great companies. Its award-winning multiplatform content reaches more than 50 million people each month across a variety of channels including websites, newsletters, social media, podcasts, and print. Its prestigious Inc. 5000 list, produced every year since 1982, analyzes company data to recognize the fastest-growing privately held businesses in the United States. The global recognition that comes with inclusion in the 5000 gives the founders of the best businesses an opportunity to engage with an exclusive community of their peers and the credibility that helps them drive sales and recruit talent.

The associated Inc. 5000 Conference is part of a highly acclaimed portfolio of bespoke events produced by Inc. For more information, visit www.inc.com.

SOURCE Three Rings Inc.
A first-ever solutions-oriented border event

helping communities learn how to take action on

Fentanyl Deaths, Child Sex and Human Trafficking, and Border Security

LAFAYETTE, La., Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Members of the media are invited to join The America Project's Border 911 event on Saturday, March 11, 2023, beginning at 1:00 p.m. at Doubletree by Hilton Lafayette, 1521 West Pinhook Road, Lafayette, LA 70503 for the first-ever solutions-oriented border event in Lafayette Parish, Louisianna.

The America Project is raising awareness about the border crises our Nation is facing and asking that parents, teachers, local business owners, community leaders, elected officials, law enforcement, EMS, firefighters, active-duty military veterans, and all those who care about the safety of our children, Americans and those affected by illegal immigration to attend this important event.

Border 911 speakers include Tom Homan (former Acting Director of ICE and border expert), Victor Avila, (retired Special Agent with expertise in child and human sex trafficking and cartel activities), Jaeson Jones, (former Captain with the Texas Department of Public Safety's Intelligence and Counter-terrorism Division), who will present horrific, true stories about what is really happening at our borders and in our communities and what "We The People" can do to stop this humanitarian crisis plaguing our communities. Every state is a border state.

Special guests include Congressman Clay Higgins and Lafayette Mayor-President Josh Guillory.

The AMERICA PROJECT is an America First, non-profit organization defending rights and freedoms, election integrity, and border security to save America. To learn more about The America Project's efforts and how you can get involved, please visit: https://americaproject.com

For more information contact:

Ms. Amanda Freytes, Director of Public Relations [email protected]

Ms. Elizabeth Scott, Chief Communications Officer [email protected]

Email: [email protected]

SOURCE The America Project
FAIRHOPE, Ala., Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Trawick International, an industry-leading international insurance company, is celebrating 25 years of providing insurance solutions to support today's globally mobile population.

Founded by Daryl Trawick in February 1998, Trawick International began as an insurance broker providing solutions for students and scholars studying outside their home country. In 2008, with healthcare reform on the horizon and uncertainty in the student market, Trawick diversified the Company's portfolio by adding travel insurance to its offerings. By 2010, travel insurance became the Company's core offering. Today, Trawick International continues to offer student insurance and a suite of domestic and international travel insurance solutions, from travel medical to trip cancellation, cruise to adventure travel insurance.

Trawick further diversified the Company's offerings in 2022 by adding products to support expatriates and educators worldwide, including international group health, life, and disability. Additionally, the Company's global footprint grew with expanded Latin America and UK divisions and Global Accident, Health & Life Reinsurance services.

When asked about the secret to the company's success, Daryl Trawick, President and CEO, Trawick International commented, "There are many factors that have contributed to our success, but none more than the people that work here. The employees at Trawick International have deep international insurance experience combined with passion and drive to innovate and excel at what they do. I truly believe they are the reason the Company has grown and succeeded in the way it has."

What started as a one-person business in the bedroom of Trawick's then-home grew to about ten employees based out of a small Alabama office and is now a fully remote, nearly 100-person company with employees across the U.S. and U.K. The Company also has more than 15,000 partners distributing its products.

Trawick added, "Along with the employees, I want to thank our customers and partners. Without them, we could not exist. I am extremely proud of our accomplishments over the last 25 years. The best is yet to come, and I look forward to many more years of growth and innovation."

Watch the story of Trawick International.

About Trawick International

Trawick International has been a leading provider of international insurance, administration, and other assistance services for 25 years. The Company offers a full suite of innovative products and services to support today's globally mobile population.

Media Contact

Melissa Nicholson

Director of Corporate Communications

Trawick International

+1-949-275-7246

[email protected]

SOURCE Trawick International
Premiered: February 26, 2023

Time: 12:00 a.m. (Sunday Night)

Streaming Platform: Gdocs.tv

Production Company

Think Global Media

dba Global Filmz

MIAMI, Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- From the Global Filmz founder and award-winning Executive Producer Nathan Taupez Scinto comes "Trolled" a three-part docuseries that profiles The Island Boys. The Global Filmz crew have traveled all over the world to tell incredible stories. This time the film crew found themselves right back where it all began  in south Florida.

Their latest documentary project is an in-depth profile of the controversial identical twin brothers and Florida natives, Alex (Flyysoulja) and Franky (Kodiyakredd) Venegas also known as the "Island Boys,"

Executive Producer: Nathan Taupez Scinto "Trolled" The Untold Island Boys Story Docuseries

This series takes an unprecedented deep dive into the systematic development of their brand through otherwise unconventional means. As well as dissecting an emerging multi-million-dollar revenue stream that has been built by a strategic plan of action known as "Trolling" for the purpose of gaining "Clout" that has taken social media by storm.

The project was shot on location in south Florida and recently wrapped post-production at the Think Global Media / Global Filmz, New York City branch. The documentary was released to the public online at 12:00 a.m. on February 26, 2023.

The twins' childhood is analogous to many in the current generation creating a sense of callousness amongst young adults worldwide. Armed with the internet, many have taken the opportunity to both create and destroy the works of others. Morphing from a world where only food and movie critics were relevant, now, everyone's opinion "matters." In this series, the Venegas brothers will serve as our real-life example to explore how this toxicity, combined with social media can be leveraged to build a notable platform and profitable brand.

"I always knew that me and my brother were going to make it. I just didn't know we were going to make it off of hate." - Alex 'Flyysoulja' Venegas

Media Contact:

Nathan Scinto

888.653.2688

[email protected]

SOURCE Think Global Media Group
DUBLIN, Feb. 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Turkey Data Center Market By Solution (IT Infrastructure, General Infrastructure, Electrical Infrastructure, Mechanical Infrastructure and Other Infrastructure), By Type (Corporate and Web Hosting), By End User Industry, By Region, Competition Forecast & Opportunities, 2027" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.





Turkey data center market is anticipated to grow at a steady CAGR in the forecast period, 2023-2027

The primary drivers for the Turkey data center market are the shift from the on-premises model to the cloud and colocation facilities and the digitization of the prominent industry verticals.

Turkey's strong economic position and favorable geographical location, along with cultural ties with the Middle East and European countries, are expected to bring more businesses to set up their facilities in Turkey.

Also, the booming IT industry and the growing awareness about the effective utilization of data for business growth are expected to boost the growth of Turkey data center market over the next five years.



Advantages of Setting up Data Center Facilities Drives the Market Growth



Organizations are constantly looking for solutions to lower operational and maintenance costs. Datacenter servers, racks, power tariffs, and HVAC systems increase the operational costs for an organization. Organizations have started to prefer to avail the services of data centers instead of investing in capital and power.

Turkey data center is emerging, and with the rise in the organizations who prefer to opt for data centers acts as a positive factor for the market. Data centers spend a significant amount of their money setting up the data center infrastructure and installing power systems.

By availing of data center services, organizations can focus on methods to increase the workplace's productivity. Data centers improve redundancy and flexibility, streamline critical infrastructure, and utilize IT sources more effectively. It can help the firm achieve higher energy efficiencies and provide enhanced security to an organization's sensitive information.

The advantages and cost-effectiveness of the data center are expected to create lucrative growth opportunities for the Turkey data center in the forecast period.



Favorable Government Policies Support the High Market Growth



The government is investing hefty amounts in the development of top-class infrastructure to make it capable of handling cloud architecture and IoT and Big Data applications.

The concerned authorities in Turkey have launched an initiative to develop the data center sector in which they offered a reduction of 30 percent in energy bills for up to 10 years. The condition on which the offer was based on that the future projects should meet the minimum requirement of 5,000 sq m of white space and must be designed according to Tier III level standards.

The government is also providing sales tax incentives based on economic development and operations of the data center facility. Free Zones are developed to attract investments with several tax incentives. The advantages of the free zone are 100% exemption from customs and other assorted duties and stamp duty for applicable documents.

Organized Industrial Zones are designed to provide a friendly working environment with ready-to-use infrastructure and social facilities. World Bank has launched a project which will aid Organized Industrial Zones to become more technologically advanced and efficient by working on the infrastructure development of these zones.

Turkey has 346 Organized Industrial Zones across 81 countries expected to attract data center operators to set up their facilities in Turkey. Technology Development Zones (TDZ) are the areas that are designed to attract high-end investments in high-technology fields and support research and development activities. There are 84 Technology Development Zones in Turkey, out of which 63 are operational, and the rest are under construction.

Competitive Landscape



Company Profiles: Detailed analysis of the major companies present in Turkey data center market.

Sparkle

Equinix

Telehouse Istanbul

Amazon Web Services

Turkcell

Vodafone

Turk Telekom

Teknotel Telekom

IBM Corporation

Huawei Technologies

Report Scope:



Turkey Data Center Market, By Solution:

IT Infrastructure

General Infrastructure

Electrical Infrastructure

Mechanical Infrastructure

Other Infrastructure

Turkey Data Center Market, By Type:

Corporate

Web Hosting

Turkey Data Center Market, By End User Industry:

IT & Telecom

Government

BFSI

Healthcare

Others

Turkey Data Center Market, By Region:

Marmara Region

Central Anatolia

Aegean Region

Mediterranean Region

Black Sea Region

South-Eastern Anatolia Region

Eastern Anatolia Region

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/izgga-data?w=5

About ResearchAndMarkets.com

ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends.



Media Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

[email protected]



For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470

For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630

For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900



U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907

Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716

Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/539438/Research_and_Markets_Logo.jpg

SOURCE Research and Markets
TOKYO and GENEVA, Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Global Health Innovative Technology Fund (GHIT Fund) and global health agency Unitaid have signed a cooperation framework that aims to strengthen collaboration between the two agencies to increase cooperation between the Japanese research and development industry and the broader global health response. The partnership will focus on tackling complex challenges such as emerging drug resistance in tuberculosis (TB) and malaria and shifting patterns of vector-borne diseases due to climate change.

Unitaid logo

By reinforcing links between the GHIT Fund's research and development pipeline and Unitaid's expertise in product introduction and access, the framework will further efforts to connect partners and ideas dealing with topics of health innovation, access, and scale.

The agreement unites the two agencies at a broad strategic level and creates a channel for continuous collaboration, scanning the innovation pipeline for late-stage products that address the most pressing global health needs. This work will further efforts to ensure vulnerable and underserved populations have access to better health products and support progress towards universal health coverage.

"GHIT looks forward to strengthening the strategic partnership with Unitaid as both organizations enter the next chapter of respective 5-year strategic plans. We strive for seamless transition of GHIT's innovation pipelines to Unitaid's expertise in new product introduction and access, bridging to equitable and sustainable access and delivery at scale. We will accelerate the R&D pipeline to maximize impact." said Dr. Osamu Kunii, CEO of GHIT Fund.

"The recent COVID-19 pandemic has illustrated the importance of global collaboration in solving global problems," said Dr Philippe Duneton, Executive Director of Unitaid. "Unitaid's reinforced partnership with the GHIT Fund will leverage ties with Japanese innovators who are addressing some of today's most pressing health challenges. This will improve equitable access to the benefits of new medicines, diagnostics and health technologies for people everywhere, in pursuit of a healthier, safer world for all."

The GHIT Fund is a Japan-based international public-private partnership fund (PPP) that was formed between the Government of Japan, multiple pharmaceutical companies, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Wellcome, and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The GHIT Fund invests and manages an R&D portfolio of development partnerships aimed at addressing neglected diseases such as malaria, tuberculosis, and neglected tropical diseases that afflict the world's vulnerable and underserved populations. The GHIT Fund mobilizes Japanese industry, academia, and research institutes to create new drugs, vaccines, and diagnostics for malaria, tuberculosis, and neglected tropical diseases, in collaboration with global partners.

https://www.ghitfund.org/en

Unitaid is a global health agency engaged in finding innovative solutions to prevent, diagnose, and treat diseases more quickly, cheaply, and effectively, in low- and middle-income countries. Its work includes funding initiatives to address major diseases such as HIV, malaria, and tuberculosis, as well as HIV co-infections and co-morbidities including advanced HIV disease, cervical cancer, and hepatitis C, and cross-cutting areas, such as fever management. Unitaid is now applying its expertise to address challenges in advancing new therapies and diagnostics for the COVID-19 pandemic, serving as a key member of the Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator, co-leading the Therapeutics Pillar with Wellcome and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria and participating in the Diagnostics Pillar. Unitaid is hosted by the World Health Organization.

For more information, contact:

Katy Lenard at +1-301-280-5719 or [email protected]

Eriko Mugitani at +81-36441-2032 or [email protected]

Maggie Zander at +41 79 593 17 74 or [email protected]

SOURCE Global Health Innovative Technology (GHIT) Fund
DUBLIN, Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The "United States Certificate in Employee Relations Law?Seminar" conference has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The Certificate in Employee Relations Law Seminar provides the most comprehensive, practical, up-to-date employment law training available. This is a 4 day seminar is geared to the real-world needs of human resource professionals, attorneys, and managers. The seminar provides "best practices" insights and information on the full range of employee relations and labor law issues.

The seminar is presented by prominent employment law attorneys who are also excellent presenters. The focus is on the practical implications of the law and what steps participants can take on the job to cope with the complex requirements of the various laws and regulations.

The Certificate in Employee Relations Law Seminar is designed to provide participants with a broad base of practical knowledge in all facets of employment law.

The seminar provides participants with:

A comprehensive understanding of all of today's significant employment laws and regulations, and the ability to know what to do about them in their own workplace.

The skills to recognize and deal with problem situations and to minimize exposure to litigation by learning what steps and policies to implement in the workplace.

Complete information regarding current and expected future laws and regulations, enabling your organization to anticipate and plan for the future.

Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM)

The host is recognized by SHRM to offer Professional Development Credits (PDCs) for the SHRM-CP or SHRM-SCP. This 4 day program has been approved for 29.75 PDCs.

HR Certification Institute (HRCI)

This 4 day program has been approved for 29.75 HR recertification credit hours toward PHR and SPHR recertification through the HR Certification Institute (HRCI).

Agenda:

Block 1 - Labor Law in the Union & Non-Union Workplace (Monday - Tuesday)

Overview of Laws Governing the Employer-Union Relationship

Analysis of the provisions of the Labor Management Relations Act and other applicable laws.

Practical guide to understanding and successfully dealing with the National Labor Relations Board.

Practical Guidance for Managing Non-Unionized Employees

How to minimize legal risk through good hiring practices

Identification of the most important employment policies

How to use performance evaluations effectively

The keys to avoiding an employment-related lawsuit

How to conduct effective internal investigations

Managing leaves of absence effectively

Why employees unionize-recurring problems in the non-union workplace.

Preventive measures to avoid union organizing efforts.

Changes in the Law and How they Affect You - The Election Process

Examination of election procedures-statutory provisions and NLRB processes.

How to conduct a legal and effective campaign against unionization.

Collective Bargaining

What should management want in a collective bargaining agreement?

How to get what you want out of the collective bargaining process.

Extent of responsibility to bargain in good faith.

The correlation between collective bargaining agreements and employee handbooks.

Strikes and Picketing Activity

Legal limits on strikes, picketing, and employer responses.

Legal remedies and best strategies for dealing with actual or threatened strikes, picketing, and boycotts.

Operating Under a Collective Bargaining Agreement

Living with a collective bargaining agreement.

Making effective use of the grievance procedure.

Preparing for and winning arbitration cases.

Successorship and the Law

Buying a business whose employees are unionized.

Understanding your rights and liabilities in mergers and acquisitions.

Ending the Union Relationship

The decertification process.

Other non-election means through which to legally end the relationship.

Block 2 - Employment Discrimination Law (Wednesday - Thursday)

A survey course that examines legal theories under Title VII and other Civil Rights Acts, including discrimination and harassment based upon race, sex, religion, national origin, age, and disability.

Analyzes race, color and national origin discrimination claims under Title VII and the Post-Civil War Civil Rights Acts.

Examines the various theories of sex discrimination, including such issues as pregnancy discrimination, employee benefits design and equal pay.

Discusses sexual and other types of harassment, investigations and policies employers need to mitigate their risk of liability.

Reviews trends in protecting the rights of persons based on sexual orientation.

Updates religious discrimination issues, including employer obligations to accommodate employees' religious practices.

Strategies and Practical Advice for Dealing with Issues Under the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Family and Medical Leave Act

A thorough examination of the Americans with Disabilities Act and the effective handling of the disabled employee, including a discussion of the changed standards under the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendment Act.

An analysis of current decisions interpreting an employer's rights and responsibilities under the Americans with Disabilities Act.

An examination of the Family and Medical Leave Act, its regulations, and recent cases dealing with leave issues.

An Update on Developments in the Law Under the Age Discrimination in Employment Act

An examination of developing legal issues, including disparate impact claims and defenses.

A review of issues associated with employee benefits designs, especially severance benefits.

Resolving Discrimination Claims Without Litigation

Resolving complaints internally and encouraging employees to use your procedures.

Avoiding litigation through binding arbitration.

A discussion of recent court decisions concerning the enforceability of agreements to arbitrate employment claims and class claims.

Litigating Discrimination Claims

A review of the case handling process under EEOC regulations.

How to win your case at the administrative level.

An examination of effective litigation strategies.

Avoidance of retaliation claims.

Settlement strategies, including pre-charge settlements as well as settlements in conjunction with agencies.

An Examination of Affirmative Action

A detailed discussion of voluntary affirmative action trends.

An examination of the requirements of Executive Order 11246 for government contractors.

How to prepare affirmative action plans.

Dealing with the OFCCP effectively.

Update on judicial opinions regarding affirmative action and "reverse discrimination."

Block 3 - Special Issues in Employee Relations Law (Friday)

This block will address specific employment law/labor law issues of interest to participants not covered in Blocks I and II plus up-to-the-minute laws, regulations and court decisions. Topics may include:

Wage and Hour Issues

An examination of the Fair Labor Standards Act and regulations affecting the categorization of employees as exempt from minimum wage and/or overtime premium pay and calculating overtime premium pay under various pay arrangements.

Wrongful Discharge Litigation

An examination of the various theories of recovery arising from employee discipline and discharge. An examination of litigation prevention techniques including practical suggestions regarding employment policies, internal review procedures, and discipline/termination decision making and implementation.

Assessments of effective litigation strategies in response to these developments.

A discussion of post-employment inquiries and the use of separation agreements as a litigation avoidance tool.

Employment-Related Tort Litigation

Defamation claims arising from communications to employees, other employers, customers and others.

Intentional infliction of emotional distress.

Intentional interference with contract or prospective business advantage.

Fraudulent or negligent misrepresentation.

Negligent hiring, supervision entrustment and supervision.

Alternative Dispute Resolution

Pros and cons.

Utilization of arbitration agreements.

Features of an effective ADR System.

Substance Abuse in the Workplace

Legal restrictions and considerations in developing and implementing effective policies and programs.

Workplace Privacy Claims

Workplace searches and related issues.

Employee monitoring and pending legislation.

Emerging types of claims.

Protecting Confidential Information

What is protectable.

How to protect it

Speakers

Patrick Scully, Esq.

Partner at Sherman & Howard, LLC

Wayne W. Williams, Esq.

Founder of the Law Offices of Wayne W. Williams

For more information about this conference visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/yqxivb

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

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SOURCE Research and Markets
DUBLIN, Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The "U.S. Prostate Cancer Testing Market - A Country Analysis: Focus on Type of Biomarker, Application, End User, and Region - Analysis and Forecast, 2022-2030" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The U.S. prostate cancer testing market is anticipated to reach $1,901.6 million in 2030 from $544.1 million in 2021, with a CAGR of 14.7%, during the forecast period 2022-2030.

The growth in the U.S. prostate cancer testing market is expected to be driven by high investments in the field of cancer research and the rising prevalence of prostate cancer in U.S. In addition, the focus of business leaders is establishing a deep understanding to address the unmet needs in clinical research to understand the prostate cancer market.

One of the main reasons for the expansion of the prostate cancer testing market in the upcoming years is the rise in prostate cancer cases. Prostate cancer is the second most frequent disease diagnosed in men, and its frequency is rising across the globe.

Prostate cancer is thought to be diagnosed in one million additional cases worldwide each year. Due to an aging population, growing urbanization, and accompanying lifestyle changes, the overall incidence of prostate cancer has increased over the past few decades.

Impact of COVID-19

During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, a number of disease models issued warnings about an excess of cancer fatalities brought on by missed cancer screenings as a result of the general population's quarantine and a lack of healthcare resources.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a negative impact on early diagnosis in the specific case of prostate cancer, the second most common cancer in men, by reducing participation in screening programs and on time from diagnostic testing to surgery/radiotherapy, which may translate into a worse prostate-cancer-specific death rate in the coming years. Additionally, in other areas, including Florida, state governments disallowed non-essential healthcare services.

Significant reductions in cancer screenings were seen in the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. According to a research paper published in January 2022 by the University of Florida, screenings for prostate cancer were reduced by 74%. Due to these screening figures, there may have been thousands more cancer deaths in the U.S. than were registered.

For instance, prostate-specific antigen (PSA) testing rates and the identification of several urological malignancies, including prostate cancer, have been found to be declining in significantly afflicted populations. Several Australian urologists worry that men with possibly curable prostate cancer may have missed their chance for a cure due to low screening test uptake during the lockdowns of 2020.

According to a research paper published by BMC Urology in June 2022, a total of 4,048,099 PSA tests and 118,328 prostate biopsies were performed in Australia over the six years of data analysis. In the years 2019 and 2020, 68,429 prostate magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) were performed. Between 2015 and 2019, there were, on average, 19,573 prostate biopsies and 678,082 PSA testing performed per year.

Market Segmentation

Based on biomarker type, the pre-biopsy test in the U.S. prostate cancer testing market is expected to be dominated by the biomarker type segment. This is due to the increasing popularity of prostate cancer testing and rising awareness related to prostate cancer testing.

Based on application, the U.S. prostate cancer testing market is dominated by the diagnostics biomarkers segment owing to the rising R&D activity focused on the development of prostate cancer testing. The diagnosis of prostate cancer has developed a new molecular-based diagnostics technology. To detect clinically relevant cancer upon diagnosis, several tools or therapeutic options are required to improve the patient's quality of life.

As of 2021, the U.S. prostate cancer testing market (by end user) was dominated by ambulatory surgical centers (ASCs), holding a 28.55% market share with a market value of $155.3 million.

The TAM of the pre-biopsy/post-negative biopsy testing segment is expected to grow at a CAGR of 4.5% during the forecast period 2022-2030 in the South U.S. prostate cancer testing market. Several established diagnostics manufacturers in this region who are focusing on expanding their portfolios in prostate cancer testing and are collaborating with service providers and pharmaceutical giants to co-market prostate cancer testing solutions with its complementary precision medicine solutions.

Moreover, the U.S. government is currently undertaking several initiatives to develop tests for cancer and provide funds to new start-ups in the cancer diagnostics field.

Key Market Players and Competition Synopsis

The companies that are profiled have been selected based on inputs gathered from primary experts and analyzing company coverage, product portfolio, and market penetration.

Key Companies Profiled:

Abbott.

Abcam plc.

Agilent Technologies, Inc.

Bio-Techne. (ExoDx)

Cleveland Diagnostics, Inc.

Danaher. ( Beckman Coulter , Inc.)

, Inc.) Exact Sciences Corporation

F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd (FOUNDATION MEDICINE, INC.)

H.U. Group Holdings, Inc. (Fujeribio)

mdxhealth.

Siemens Healthcare GmbH

Myriad Genetics, Inc.

NeoGenomics Laboratories.

OPKO Health, Inc. (GenPath)

Veracyte, Inc.

Key Topics Covered:

Market: Overview

Market Footprint and Growth Potential

Future Potential Evolution of Prostate Cancer Testing

Epidemiology of Prostate Cancer in the U.S.

COVID-19 Impact on U.S. Prostate Cancer Testing Market

Industry Analysis

Legal Requirements and Framework in the U.S.

National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) Guidelines

American Urological Association (AUA)

American Cancer Society (ACS)

U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF)

Patent Analysis

Patent Filing Trend

Patent Analysis (by Year)

Role of Biomarkers In Prostate Cancer Management (Guidelines for treatment of PCa in the U.S)

Market Dynamics

Market Drivers

Rising Prevalence of Prostate Cancer in the U.S.

Increasing Number of Prostate Cancer Screening and Testing

Government Initiatives Related to Prostate Cancer

Market Restraints

High Probability of False Positives during Prostate Cancer Testing

Clinical Gaps Related to Prostate Cancer Testing

Market Opportunities

New Treatment Therapy and Technique for Prostate Cancer

Prostate Cancer Testing Market: Competitive Landscape

Corporate Strategies

Mergers and Acquisitions

Synergistic Activities

Business Expansions and Funding

Business Strategies

Product Launches and Approvals

Regulatory and Legal Activities

Licenses and Agreements

Other Activities

Reimbursement Scenario in the U.S.

State Efforts to Ensure Prostate Cancer Screening Coverage

Medicare Coverage for Prostate Cancer Screening

Biomarker Testing Reimbursement Scenario in the U.S.

Market Share Analysis (by Company)

U.S. Prostate Cancer Testing Market (by Biomarker Type), Value ($Million), 2021-2030

Initial Evaluation: Prostate-Specific Antigen (Total PSA, Free PSA)

Pre-Biopsy/Post-Negative Biopsy Testing

Blood-Based Biomarker

Urine-Based Biomarker

Imaging

Multiparametric Magnetic Resonance Imaging (mp-MRI)

Post-Biopsy Tissue Testing

Tissue-Based Biomarker

U.S. Prostate Cancer Testing Market (by Application), Value ($Million), 2021-2030

Diagnostic Biomarkers (PHI, 4KScore, SelectMDx, etc.)

Prognostic Biomarkers (Prolaris, OncotypeDx, Decipher, etc.)

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/ksi16p-s-prostate?w=5

About ResearchAndMarkets.com

ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends.

Media Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

[email protected]



For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470

For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630

For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900



U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907

Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716

Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/539438/Research_and_Markets_Logo.jpg

SOURCE Research and Markets
The home of UMD's School of Public Policy now bears the name of the late civil rights lawyer and former U.S. Supreme Court justice

COLLEGE PARK, Md., Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The University of Maryland celebrated today the naming of Thurgood Marshall Hall , home of its School of Public Policy, with an event that brought together faculty, staff, students and alums, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore and the son of Thurgood Marshall, Thurgood Marshall, Jr.

This state-of-the-art facility now bears the name of the late civil rights lawyer and former U.S. Supreme Court justice, honoring his role in breaking down barriers for Black and African American students, including the desegregation of the University of Maryland.

"Today marks another historic step in our efforts at the University of Maryland to create a multicultural, inclusive community that gives everyone a chance to succeed," said UMD President Darryll J. Pines. "On behalf of our community and in honor of Thurgood Marshall's trailblazing legacy, we now have a building named in honor of one of our greatest Marylanders."

At the event, Moore presented a governor's citation to Thurgood Marshall Jr., a School of Public Policy Dean's Advisory Council member. Moore told the audience, "The naming of a public policy building, the Thurgood Marshall building, is not just honoring a legacy. It is an obligation. It means the things that we are teaching, the students that we are instructing, the legacies that we are building, they must uphold the legacy of the namesake. It means every single day as the work is being done here, it must be done with a full focus in the way that Justice Marshall lived his life. And that was without boundaries."

Opened in fall 2022 , the 70,000-square-foot building dramatically enhanced the student experience with its multifunctional and high-tech spaces.

"Public Policy faculty, students and staff who will work in this beautiful new building are dedicated to developing and reforming policies that will have countless and immeasurable impacts on our society," UMD Senior Vice President and Provost Jennifer King Rice said at the event. "They partner with local communities, and they engage with leaders and legislators in our state, in our nation's capital and around the globe."

Thurgood Marshall Hall supports the school's mission to advance the public good by drawing together students, faculty and other experts to foster world-changing policy discourse and action.

"Thurgood Marshall was an exemplary policy shaper, policy maker, analytical thinker, powerful advocate, defender of democracy, guardian of civil and human rights, and inspiring leader. He embodied everything our School of Public Policy aspires to, and stands for," said School of Public Policy Dean Robert C. Orr. "We will come every day to Thurgood Marshall Hall seeking to fashion leaders, to educate moral and wise policy makers, to produce and apply cutting-edge research, and shape inclusive and equitable policy for all."

Speakers at the event also included University System of Maryland Chancellor Jay A. Perman and School of Public Policy student Shivani Sidh '25. On behalf of the university, Pines presented a gift of a framed pair of photos of Thurgood Marshall and the newly named building to his son.

"It is an honor to see the School of Public Policy building at the University of Maryland named after our father," the Marshall family said in a statement. "This recognition serves as a testament to his legacy as an unapologetic trailblazer for justice and equality. The inspiring work the School does every day to create the next generation of students embodies what was at his coreensuring a more just and equitable world for all."

Born in Baltimore, Marshall was barred from applying to the University of Maryland School of Law in 1930 because he was Black. Soon after his graduation from Howard University Law School, where he was ranked first in his class, Marshall joined the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund. He sued the University of Maryland on behalf of another Black student seeking admission to the law school and was part of the team that launched successful legal battles against the university on behalf of Parren Mitchell and Hiram Whittle, who were denied admission based on their race. In 1950, Mitchell became the first Black student to take graduate classes on the College Park campus, and a year later, Whittle enrolled as the university's first Black undergraduate student.

Marshall went on to argue the landmark case Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, which declared segregation unconstitutional. He was appointed to the Supreme Court in 1967, and held the role of associate justice for 24 years.

The honorary naming of Thurgood Marshall Hall expands upon one of the initiatives President Pines announced on his first day in office to embed the names of trailblazers on our campus. This naming builds upon the namings of Yahentamitsi dining facility that honors the Indigenous people of Maryland; and Jones-Hill House, and the Pyon-Chen and Johnson-Whittle residence halls.

About the University of Maryland

The University of Maryland (UMD) is the state's flagship university and a leading public research institution, propelled by a $1.3 billion joint research enterprise. Located four miles from Washington, D.C., the university is dedicated to addressing the grand challenges of our time and is the nation's first Do Good campus. It is driven by a diverse and proudly inclusive community of more than 50,000 fearless Terrapins. UMD is a top producer of Fulbright scholars and offers an unparalleled student experience with more than 300 academic programs, 25 living-learning programs and 400 study abroad programs. Spurred by a culture of innovation and creativity, UMD faculty are global leaders in their field and include Nobel laureates, Pulitzer Prize winners and members of the national academies. For more information about the University of Maryland, visit umd.edu.

SOURCE University of Maryland
The Ukraine crisis has been kept on for over a year. Its development is attracting global attention. On Feb.24, China issued a document on its position on the political settlement of the Ukraine crisis, reiterating its persistent stand and listening to other countries' legitimate concerns. The document demonstrates China's major country responsibility in standing firmly on the side of peace and the right side of history, in promoting talks for peace, in providing Chinese wisdom and a Chinese approach to the political settlement of the Ukraine crisis, and in injecting more stability and certainties to the fluid world. Since the outbreak of the crisis, China has taken an objective and impartial stance based on the merits of the issue. President Xi Jinping put forward "four points" on what must be done, "four things" the international community must do together, and "three observations" of the crisis, which has played a responsible and constructive role in easing the situation and deescalating the crisis. As Xi puts it clearly: conflicts and wars produce no winner; there is no simple solution to a complex issue; and confrontation between major countries must be avoided. The sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of all countries must be effectively upheld. The purposes and principles of the United Nations Charter, must be strictly observed. The legitimate security concerns of all countries must be taken seriously. All efforts conducive to the peaceful settlement of the crisis must be encouraged and supported. China will continue to make an independent judgment based on the merits of the matter itself and in an objective and fair manner, and work with the international community to promote dialogue and negotiation to address the concerns of relevant parties and seek common security. China's impartial stand and constructive efforts are obvious to all, for which the country has won understanding and support from the international community. Dialogue and negotiation are the only viable solution to the Ukraine crisis. The crisis has complex historical merits as well as ins and outs. It is a result of the long-term security tensions in Europe, as well as the Cold War mentality and bloc confrontation. In solving the Ukraine crisis, Ukraine's sovereignty and security should be upheld and Russia's legitimate security concerns should also be respected. Europe's peace and stability should be defended, and the same goes for other countries. China firmly advocates and safeguards international law and widely accepted basic norms governing international relations, and upholds the purposes and principles of the United Nations Charter. China will never be a bystander, and would never add fuel to the fire, still less exploit the 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. In the document China's Position on the Political Settlement of the Ukraine Crisis, China reiterates respecting the sovereignty of all countries, abandoning the Cold War mentality, ceasing hostilities and resuming peace talks. China said it will continue to play a constructive role in promoting peace talks. The more complex the situation is, the more should a level head be kept; the more protracted the situation is, the more efforts shall be made to achieve peace. China believes that 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. Xi's solemn proposal of the Global Security Initiative offers a Chinese approach to tackling global governance challenges, eliminating the root causes of international conflicts and achieving durable stability and security in the world. So far, more than 80 countries and regional organizations have commended and expressed support for the initiative. Recently, China issued the Global Security Initiative Concept Paper to lay out a more systemic approach and more practical measures to address global security challenges. The concept paper raises concrete paths in supporting political settlement of hotspot issues such as the Ukraine crisis through dialogue and negotiation. In the document China's Position on the Political Settlement of the Ukraine Crisis, China expounds its positions and raises proposals on issues of common concern, such as 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, offering important guidance on the settlement of the crisis. The Ukraine crisis is another wake-up call for all in the world. It reminds people that blind faith in the so-called "position of strength" and attempts to expand military alliances and seek one's own security at the expense of others will only land oneself in a security dilemma. In this day and age, global and regional security frameworks should no longer be built with a 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. No country has the privilege of having its own way in the world, and any hegemonic, domineering or bullying practices should be rejected. The international community should jointly oppose hegemonism and power politics, build a new type of international relations based on mutual respect, fairness, justice and win-win cooperation. It should be clear that the world is a community in which all countries share a common stake, and see that the light of peace will reach all corners of the world. Making the world a safer place is the strong desire of all people, the common responsibility of all countries, and more importantly, the right direction for the advance of our times. China will keep holding a just and impartial position, foster synergy in the international community and play a constructive role in promoting the peaceful settlement of the Ukraine crisis.
VANCOUVER, BC, Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Urinalysis Market is expected to grow significantly over the forecast period, according to the latest analysis by Emergen Research. The market size reached USD 1.87 billion in 2021 and is expected to register a CAGR of 6.7% during the forecast period. The increasing incidence of kidney diseases, urinary tract infections, and other urological disorders, coupled with the growing demand for point-of-care diagnostic testing, are the primary factors driving the growth of the urinalysis market.

In addition, the increasing prevalence of chronic diseases such as diabetes and hypertension, which are linked to kidney and urinary tract disorders, is expected to fuel market growth. The rising aging population, increasing healthcare expenditure, and technological advancements in urinalysis testing equipment are also expected to contribute to the growth of the urinalysis market over the forecast period.

Request Free Sample Copy (To Understand the Complete Structure of this Report [Summary + TOC]) @ https://www.emergenresearch.com/request-sample/1561

Drivers:

The rising prevalence of kidney diseases and urinary tract infections, especially in geriatric populations, is a key driver of the urinalysis market. The increasing prevalence of chronic diseases such as diabetes and hypertension has also resulted in a rise in the number of patients with kidney and urinary tract disorders, further boosting the market growth.

Moreover, the growing demand for point-of-care diagnostic testing has led to the development of innovative urinalysis testing equipment. These devices offer quick and accurate results, making them ideal for use in emergency rooms, outpatient clinics, and other healthcare settings. In addition, advancements in technology have resulted in the development of automated urinalysis systems that provide fast and accurate results, making them ideal for use in high-throughput clinical laboratories.

Restraints:

The high cost of automated urinalysis systems and other diagnostic testing equipment is one of the major factors that may hinder the growth of the urinalysis market. Moreover, the lack of skilled professionals to perform diagnostic tests, particularly in developing countries, is expected to limit the growth of the urinalysis market.

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Furthermore, the inaccurate results obtained from some urinalysis tests, which can lead to misdiagnosis and inappropriate treatment, may also hamper market growth. The lack of standardization in urinalysis testing methods is another factor that may affect market growth, as different testing methods can lead to different results, making it difficult to compare results across different laboratories.

Growth Projections:

The Urinalysis Market is expected to register a CAGR of 6.7% over the forecast period, and revenue is projected to increase from USD 1.87 billion in 2021 to USD 2.87 billion by 2030. The increasing incidence of kidney and urinary tract disorders, coupled with the growing demand for point-of-care diagnostic testing, is expected to support the growth of the market.

In addition, the rising aging population and increasing healthcare expenditure are expected to contribute to market growth. Technological advancements in urinalysis testing equipment, such as the development of automated urinalysis systems, are also expected to drive market growth over the forecast period.

Current Trends and Innovations:

The Urinalysis Market is witnessing several trends and innovations, such as the development of innovative urinalysis testing equipment and the increasing use of point-of-care diagnostic testing. The use of artificial intelligence and machine learning in urinalysis testing is another trend that is expected to gain traction in the market in the coming years.

In addition, the increasing demand for portable and easy-to-use urinalysis testing equipment, especially in low-resource settings, is driving the development of innovative devices that are simple, affordable, and require minimal training to operate.

Browse Full Report Description + Research Methodology + Table of Content + [email protected] https://www.emergenresearch.com/industry-report/urinalysis-market

Urinalysis Market Major Players:

The urinalysis market is a rapidly growing market with several major players vying for market share. Some of the major companies included in the market report are Siemens Healthineers, Sysmex Corporation, F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd, Beckman Coulter, Inc., Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc., ARKRAY, Inc., ACON Laboratories, Inc., URIT Medical, and 77 Elektronika Kft.

On May 5, 2022 , Siemens Healthineers, a leading medical technology company, announced the launch of its new urinalysis analyzer, the CLINITEK Status+ Analyzer. The analyzer provides rapid and reliable results for multiple parameters in urine analysis, making it an ideal tool for both point-of-care testing and laboratory use. With the launch of the CLINITEK Status+ Analyzer, Siemens Healthineers aims to strengthen its position in the urinalysis market.

, Siemens Healthineers, a leading medical technology company, announced the launch of its new urinalysis analyzer, the CLINITEK Status+ Analyzer. The analyzer provides rapid and reliable results for multiple parameters in urine analysis, making it an ideal tool for both point-of-care testing and laboratory use. With the launch of the CLINITEK Status+ Analyzer, Siemens Healthineers aims to strengthen its position in the urinalysis market. On January 18, 2022 , Sysmex Corporation, a leading provider of diagnostic instruments and reagents, announced the launch of its new fully automated urine analyzer, the UN-Series. The analyzer uses Sysmex's proprietary fluorescence flow cytometry technology to provide rapid and accurate results for urine analysis. With the launch of the UN-Series, Sysmex aims to expand its product portfolio and capture a larger share of the urinalysis market.

, Sysmex Corporation, a leading provider of diagnostic instruments and reagents, announced the launch of its new fully automated urine analyzer, the UN-Series. The analyzer uses Sysmex's proprietary fluorescence flow cytometry technology to provide rapid and accurate results for urine analysis. With the launch of the UN-Series, Sysmex aims to expand its product portfolio and capture a larger share of the urinalysis market. On December 9, 2021 , F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd, a Swiss multinational healthcare company, announced the launch of its new cobas u 701 urine analyzer. The analyzer provides rapid and accurate results for multiple parameters in urine analysis, including protein, glucose, and ketones. With the launch of the cobas u 701 urine analyzer, F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd aims to consolidate its position as a leading player in the urinalysis market.

, F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd, a Swiss multinational healthcare company, announced the launch of its new cobas u 701 urine analyzer. The analyzer provides rapid and accurate results for multiple parameters in urine analysis, including protein, glucose, and ketones. With the launch of the cobas u 701 urine analyzer, F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd aims to consolidate its position as a leading player in the urinalysis market. On October 26, 2021 , Beckman Coulter , Inc., a leading provider of diagnostic solutions, announced the launch of its new Access 2 urine analyzer. The analyzer provides rapid and accurate results for multiple parameters in urine analysis, making it an ideal tool for both routine and complex testing. With the launch of the Access 2 urine analyzer, Beckman Coulter aims to enhance its presence in the urinalysis market.

, , Inc., a leading provider of diagnostic solutions, announced the launch of its new Access 2 urine analyzer. The analyzer provides rapid and accurate results for multiple parameters in urine analysis, making it an ideal tool for both routine and complex testing. With the launch of the Access 2 urine analyzer, aims to enhance its presence in the urinalysis market. On September 14, 2021 , Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc., a global provider of life science research and clinical diagnostic products, announced the launch of its new D-10 Hemoglobin A1c Program for the VARIANT II TURBO System. The program provides rapid and accurate results for hemoglobin A1c testing in urine samples, making it an ideal tool for diabetes management. With the launch of the D-10 Hemoglobin A1c Program, Bio-Rad Laboratories aims to expand its presence in the urinalysis market.

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Emergen Research has segmented the global urinalysis market based on products, test type, application, end-use, and region:

Products Outlook (Revenue, USD Billion; 20192030)

Consumables



Pregnancy and Fertility Kits Dipsticks Disposables Reagents

Instruments



Automated Urine Analyzers



Biochemical Urine Analyzers



Sediment Urine Analyzers Microscopy Analyzers

Flow Cytometry Analyzers

Integrated Urine Analyzers

Semi-automated Urine Analyzers

Point-of-Care Urine Analyzers

Test-Type Outlook (Revenue, USD Billion; 20192030)

Pregnancy & Fertility Tests

Biochemical Urinalysis



Laboratory Tests POC Tests

Sediment Urinalysis

Application Outlook (Revenue, USD Billion; 20192030)

Disease Screening



Urinary Tract Infections Kidney Diseases Diabetes Liver Diseases Others

Pregnancy and Fertility

End-Use Outlook (Revenue, USD Billion; 20192030)

Diagnostic Laboratories

Hospitals and Clinics

Home Care Settings

Research Laboratories and Institutes

Regional Outlook (Revenue, USD Billion; 2019-2030)

North America



U.S. Canada Mexico

Europe



Germany UK France Italy Spain Sweden BENELUX Rest of Europe

Asia Pacific



China India Japan South Korea Rest of APAC

Latin America



Brazil Rest of LATAM

Middle East & Africa



Saudi Arabia UAE South Africa Israel Rest of Middle East & Africa

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The luxury hosiery brand leads the industry by expanding most popular style to include chocolate brown as part of accessibility and inclusivity expansion

BOSTON, Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- VienneMilano , a luxury hosiery brand dedicated to thigh-high stockings made in Italy, is announcing the expansion of its best selling style, the ISABELLA , which is available in various skin tone matching colors and sizes. Previously, the style has been available for purchase in classic black, hazelnut, chestnut brown and ivory. Now, VienneMilano's ISABELLA is launching a new color, chocolate brown, as well as additional sizing for the classic black ranging from 1XSmall-3XLarge.

VienneMilano's ISABELLA is launching a new color, chocolate brown Tweet this VienneMilano

VienneMilano was founded by Vienne Cheung Brown, who immigrated to the United States from Hong Kong when she was six years old. Cheung Brown was inspired to create the brand after struggling to find thigh-highs that fit comfortably and stayed up.

Inclusiveness is not a new concept to the brand. Cheung Brown's inspiration comes from experiencing first hand what it is like to be underrepresented in the fashion industry and that one size and skintone does not fit all.

From the hosiery brand's inception, inclusivity and accessibility was always the priority at the forefront of every decision made. Thigh-highs are a versatile product by design, which set the tone for the rest of the brand's formation. Since thigh-highs are made without a gusset, the tight and formfitting material used in stockings to hold the hosiery up and in place, size discrepancies based on height are eliminated.

"I often am asked, 'why thigh-highs' and it's because I believe they are superior to stockings as they are more versatile, comfortable and sexier," says Vienne Cheung Brown, founder of VienneMilano. "Legs are a canvas for colors, texture, and style, and thigh-highs allow you to express your creativity. Thigh highs provide an extra boost of confidence; when a woman puts on a pair of thigh highs, she can achieve anything. For this reason, it is imperative to create a line of sheer thigh high stockings that women of all shapes, sizes and skin tones can wear."

VienneMilano's goal is to continue to develop the accessibility of the line's sizes and colors, until all consumers are represented. As a small company, the roll out will move at a steady but sustainable pace, to ensure that costs do not become prohibitive to the customer, and VienneMilano stays an affordable luxury.

Prices start at $16.95.

For more information or to purchase, visit www.VienneMilano.com

###

About VienneMilano

VienneMilano has helped redefine thigh-highs as a fashion category. Founded in 2011 by Vienne Cheung Brown, the luxury hosiery brand is dedicated to thigh-high stockings and made in Italy. The hosiery collection offers one of the world's most extensive variety for thigh-high stockings consisting of classic styles, fashion-forward pieces, skin tone matching sheers, eco-friendly stockings, plus sizes and much more. VienneMilano is the first ecommerce brand dedicated to thigh-high hosiery.

VienneMilano reveals the confidence of a woman who knows how to be elegant, playful and sexy on every occasion.

Media Contact

Diana Bassett

DBPR

[email protected]

516.697.7677

SOURCE VienneMilano
DUBLIN, Feb. 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Vietnam Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Market By Component (Software and Services), By Deployment Type (On-Premises and Cloud), By Function, By End User, By Enterprise, By Region, Competition Forecast & Opportunities, 2027" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.





Vietnam ERP market is anticipated to register growth with an impressive CAGR in the forecast period, 2023-2027

The market growth can be attributed to increasing demand for managing the day-to-day business activities within the organizations. The growing penetration of global IT companies and their excellent services further drive the growth of the Vietnam ERP market in the upcoming five years.

Rapidly increasing industrial organizations, and corporate offices along with the expansion of the IT industry further support the growth of the Vietnam ERP market in the next five years. The recent market is also experiencing growth in the demand for affordable and effective multi-level functions of businesses and organizations that also aid market growth.

With the increased usage of the internet and the internet of things, the incorporation of the processes with artificial intelligence also facilitates the growth of the Vietnam ERP market in the future five years.



ERP widely stands for enterprise resource planning. The process has specific software provided by different sources and services that help in using the software effectively throughout the company.

The software helps in managing the company's financials, supply chain, operations, commerce, reporting, manufacturing, and human resource activities. Multiple verticals of a business that can be operated feasibly using ERP include accounting, business entities, corporate governance, corporate law, corporate title, economics, finance, consumer management, employee management, etc.



Expanding Applications Of ERP Facilitate Market Growth



Rising adoption of the integrated use of ERP in organizations and businesses drives the growth of the Vietnam ERP market in the upcoming five years. Multiple organizations are actively investing in ERP implementations in their business across a single-product business or multi-disciplinary business thus aiding market growth.

The advantages of the use of ERP in process, management experience and best practices in business along with its operational capacity, security, and interoperability also influence the adaptation of the ERP systems and thus substantiate the market growth.



Different industries and businesses have different models of ERP to facilitate business applications. Banking and finance companies use financial management ERP systems that are integrated with the core business systems like core banking, and core insurance.

For commercial businesses, functions like financial management, warehouse management, purchasing, and sales management are important sectors that ERP may aid. Other advantages supporting the demand for ERP include managing personnel effectively, clear processes, eliminating duplication of work, quality control, project management, etc.

Competitive Landscape



Company Profiles: Detailed analysis of the major companies present in Vietnam ERP market.

IBM Vietnam Company

SAP Vietnam

Oracle Vietnam Pte Ltd

Sage Software Asia Pte Ltd

Microsoft Vietnam

Infor Vietnam Inc

Epicor Software Vietnam Company Limited

ESI Services Vietnam Co., Ltd

Workday, Inc.

Syspro Software Company

Report Scope:



Vietnam ERP Market, By Component:

Software

Services

Vietnam ERP Market, By Deployment Type:

On-Premises

Cloud

Vietnam ERP Market, By Function:

Finance

Human Resource

Customer Management

Inventory Management

Supply Chain

Others

Vietnam ERP Market, By End User:

Manufacturing

BFSI

Healthcare

Retail

Government & Utilities

IT & Telecom

Others

Vietnam ERP Market, By Enterprise:

Medium

Large

Small

Vietnam ERP Market, By Region:

Northern Region

Central Region

Southern Region

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/nasea9

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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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State-of-the-Art Studio and CGI Technologies Procure Unlimited Creativity

NEW YORK, Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Tag Americas, a leading independent global creative production powerhouse to brands and agencies, has announced expansion of its virtual production capabilities.

A behind-the-scenes look at Tag Americas' Virtual Studio Production

"In addition to our CGI, VFX, 2D/3D animation, and AR/VR technology capabilities, Tag Americas has expanded its capacity to create video, film, and stills for brands with a world-class virtual production studio in Jacksonville, Florida," remarks Joe Holmes, Tag Americas' Chief Growth Officer. He continues, "Equipped with an impressive 66 feet x 14 feet LED wall for 2D/3D backdrops, a state-of-the-art 4,000 square-foot sound stage, and robotic arms and dollies to maneuver the latest camera and cinematography equipment, the addition of this studio to our Marketing Centers of Excellence will benefit our clients immensely. There is truly no limit to how creative Tag can be."

When compared to traditional shoots, virtual production delivers remarkable benefits, including an average cost savings of 25%. The savings comes from fewer set builds, no weather delays, and an overall reduction in production time, which increases speed-to-market for brandsa crucial factor for success in today's ultra-competitive marketing landscape.

Virtual production also offers brand consistency, giving clients pre-production control over visioning, brand voice, with the ability to develop reusable assets to adapt and repurpose in the future. Andrew Hall, VP Head of Studio, loves the creative flexibility virtual production and CGI offers. "Instead of countless edits in post-production, Tag Americas works with brands to solve potential creative challenges in pre-production." Hall adds, "Because we understand the shoot production and post-production workflow, our team makes smart, client-focused decisions throughout the entire virtual production process to assure our clients get the best value for their project."

Virtual studio productions do not require excessive crew and equipment transportation, which offers brands another cost and timesaving benefit. More so, fuel and electricity emissions are greatly condensed, which makes a virtual studio a more sustainable choice as brands strive to become carbon neutral.

Holmes and Hall are at ProcureCon Indirect West in San Diego this week, where yesterday they presented to senior procurement leaders how virtual production and related technologies can help them transition to a Web 3.0 virtual world where exceptional value can be delivered across a brand's entire product pipeline. Holmes explains, "Tag is positioned to offer brands the competitive edge over others who continue to use the same content production methods they have used for the past decade.

With more than 10 Marketing Centers of Excellence at Tag Americas, brands have direct access to a fully integrated line of creative production solutions including language services, adaptation, social media, shopper marketing, and now, use of a virtual production studio in our Shoot Production and CGI, Post-Production Centers. As technology advances, so will Tag's ability to take a brand's marketing concept and bring it to life across all channels, reaching consumers across the globe."

To know more about Tag, visit www.Tagww.com

Tag works with brands to create and deliver impactful content at speed and scale. From creative production and activation to strategic sourcing and delivery, analytics, and subject matter expertise, we transcend digital and physical touchpoints to allow brand content and concepts to travel globally and connect locally, through flexible, tech-enabled solutions.

SOURCE Tag Worldwide (USA) Inc.
WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif., Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- NR West, the parent company of Warner Pacific, the most trusted General Agency for brokers across California, Colorado, Texas and Oklahoma, announced today its acquisition of The Insurance Exchange.

As a respected Dallas-based General Agency, The Insurance Exchange is known for offering brokers the highest level of customer support and administrative service. Brokers now have access to more selling tools and teams of highly connected, experienced and specialized staff.

Warner Pacific Parent Company Acquires The Insurance Exchange, Deepening Its Texas Presence Tweet this

"It's our commitment to provide the fastest, easiest, and most trusted benefits-selling experience for our brokers," said NR West and Warner Pacific Co-CEO, John Nelson. "The Insurance Exchange shares this commitment, and it has clearly fueled their success. We are thrilled to welcome The Insurance Exchange team."

The Insurance Exchange now operates as a division of NR West, continuing under its current name and dedicated team of employees. The addition of The Insurance Exchange to NR West's family of companies builds upon its Texas footprint, and strengthens its ability to work with health plans and brokers to provide healthcare coverage for all Americans.

"Our brokers have come to count on us for consistent excellence," said John Bievenour, President of The Insurance Exchange. "This new chapter will allow us to build on that reputation through a wider and unequaled range of services and support for all of our customers."

The acquisition of this reputable firm allows employer clients of both our firms to access a wider range of carriers and networks.

About Warner Pacific

With over $4 billion of in-force premiums, servicing more than 70,000 employers, Warner Pacific is a top-producing General Agency for many of the nation's largest insurance carriers. Warner Pacific provides insurance agents in California, Colorado, Texas and Oklahoma with sales assistance, innovative technology and back-office service.

Media Contact

Jordan Rapp

[email protected]

(800) 801-2300

SOURCE Warner Pacific
Located in the southernmost part of Japan, Okinawa consists of a group of unique islands of great charm that was once called "the Ryukyu Kingdom" as an independent region.

For nearly three years, the Covid-19 pandemic was a shackle for travel enthusiasts around the world, with worldwide tourism travel largely grinding to a halt. But with travel restrictions now lifted, travelers can finally return to Okinawa, a destination where you can forget about the stresses of daily life and fully relax, whether it be alone or with family and friends.

Check out PewDiePie's video: 'We escaped to Japan's Paradise Okinawa'

Surrounded by blue coral waters, the islands are filled with deep soothing forests, and the island's long history of trade provides a wealth of cultural and historical attractions for visitors. Experiences and times that are exclusive to being in Okinawa, and the warmth of people that can only be felt in Okinawa, beyond mere sightseeing, are waiting for you.

The "Be.Okinawa" project

The "Be.Okinawa" project was launched by Okinawa Prefecture in March 2013 to inform potential overseas visitors about the appeal of traveling to Okinawa. Check out information on things to see and know about Okinawa now on the official "Be.Okinawa" site: https://beokinawa.jp/

The mission of "Be.Okinawa" is to show to the world that travelers can blend in with the atmosphere and scenery of Okinawa, interact with the people who live there, and connect with their hearts, with visitors to Okinawa being able to regain their true selves surrounded by beautiful nature and warm folks.

You can also find a series of video that captures the charm of "Be.Okinawa" below.

Be.Okinawa2022 "Bloom your heart"

SOURCE Tourism Promotion Division, Okinawa Prefectural Government
ATLANTA, Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- West Physics Consulting, LLC ("West Physics"), the leading national provider of integrated medical and health physics services, announced today that it has completed the purchase of Enterprise Physics, LLC ("Enterprise Physics"), a highly respected regional medical and health physics company based in Slidell, LA.

"We are excited to announce the acquisition of Enterprise Physics and the addition of its owner, Dr. James Terry, to our physics team. This acquisition will allow us to expand our client portfolio in Louisiana and Mississippi and to further improve our services to our current customers in the Gulf States region. We look forward to combining the talent, technology, and expertise of Enterprise Physics with West Physics, and to achieving success together. We also look forward to providing a seamless transition for clients as Dr. Terry gradually transitions into a part-time role while looking forward to his eventual well-earned retirement," stated Dr. Geoffrey West, President & Chief Medical Physicist of West Physics.

"Joining forces with West Physics ensures that Enterprise's customers have a reputable, reliable, and technically proficient medical physics partner to support and continue the work that I have done for them. The two companies can leverage each other's strengths, collaborate and create additional value for our customers. I am very happy that my customers will now have access to more organizational resources and staff to rely on and look to for their medical and health physics support," said Dr. James Terry, President of Enterprise Physics, LLC.

"I am thrilled about this acquisition and can't wait to see where this new journey takes us," concluded Terry.

The acquisition of Enterprise Physics fits into West Physics' strategy to deliver the highest-quality and most cost-effective medical and health physics services to customers throughout the U.S. and beyond. With the acquisition complete, West Physics now employs a staff of over 120 professionals supporting over 5,400 customer locations in all 50 U.S. states, multiple federal territories, the Caribbean and the Middle East, making it the largest diagnostic medical physics practice in the United States.

About West Physics:

West Physics, headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, is a global provider of medical and health physics testing and radiation safety consulting services. West Physics serves over 5,400 client sites, including hospitals, freestanding imaging centers, mobile imaging providers, and physician offices throughout the 50 U.S. states, federal territories, the Caribbean and the Middle East. West Physics specializes in assisting healthcare providers in maintaining their accreditation with organizations such as The Joint Commission, the American College of Radiology, the Intersocietal Accreditation Commission, and in radiation regulatory compliance with state and federal agencies. For more information, please visit http://www.westphysics.com.

About Enterprise Physics, LLC:

Enterprise Physics, LLC, headquartered in Slidell, LA was founded in 2015 and is a proven leader in the gulf states region of the U.S., providing diagnostic medical and health physics services. Enterprise Physics serves approximately 75 client sites, including hospitals, freestanding imaging centers, mobile imaging providers, and physician offices in Louisiana and Mississippi.

CONTACT: Denny Runnion, [email protected]

SOURCE West Physics Consulting, LLC
ANAHEIM HILLS, Calif., Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Winnow Solutions, LLC , a leading provider of regulatory technology solutions, has been named a finalist in the " 2023 Legalweek Leaders in Tech Law Awards " in the Regulatory Technology category. The publication has selected Winnow for recognition due to its legal innovation in providing a reliable automated regulatory compliance platform that empowers subscribers to build comprehensive state and federal law surveys across a wide range of lending, banking, and privacy-related topics.

The winners will be announced on March 20th during the Legalweek conference.

"We are honored to be recognized as a finalist in the Regulatory Technology category of the Legalweek Leaders in Tech Law Awards," said Chris Hilliard, COO and Founding Member of Winnow. "Our team is dedicated to providing our customers with the tools they need to stay compliant in an ever-changing regulatory environment, and this recognition is a validation of our efforts."

Winnow is nominated in partnership with its parent company, Buckley LLP . Buckley, a leading law firm, has played a vital role in the development and success of Winnow's technology. Together, they have been able to offer innovative solutions to help businesses navigate the complex landscape of regulatory compliance.

In January, Buckley and Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP jointly announced a strategic combination in response to the growing demand for forward-looking regulatory and enforcement advice. The combined firm will act for most of the leading consumer banks, more than 700 fintech market participants, leading funds, 4,000+ emerging companies, and 10 of the Fortune 20 tech companies.

About Orrick

Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP is a global law firm focused on serving the technology & innovation, finance and energy & infrastructure sectors. Founded more than 150 years ago in San Francisco, Orrick today has offices in 25+ markets worldwide. In each of the past seven years, Financial Times has named the firm among the top 3 most innovative law firms, and Fortune has named Orrick to its list of the 100 Best Companies to Work For seven times and twice in the top 15, including in 2022.

About Buckley

With offices in Washington, D.C., Santa Monica, San Francisco, New York, Chicago and London, Buckley LLP offers premier enforcement, litigation, compliance, regulatory and transactional services to financial services institutions and early stage and leading fintech and technology companies, as well as venture capital and private equity funds, investment companies, and corporate and individual clients throughout the world. "The best at what they do in the country." (Chambers USA)

About Winnow

Winnow Solutions, LLC is the developer of Winnow , a database-driven, RegTech platform that provides subscribers with accurate topic-driven surveys and automated compliance change management. Winnow catalogs over 57,000 individual state and federal law requirements maintained by an experienced team of attorneys and professionals. Winnow subscribers build highly tailored compliance surveys unique to their business type, licensing, financial products, and jurisdictions. For more information, visit www.winnow.law or call 1-888-488-6797.

IMPORTANT: Winnow is a software product offered by Winnow Solutions, LLC, which is not engaged in the practice of law. Winnow is not legal advice or a substitute for legal advice from a licensed attorney.

Media Contact:

Barton Welt

(949) 674-4920

[email protected]

SOURCE Winnow Solutions, LLC
Companies on the 2023 Inc. 5000 Regionals: Pacific list had an average growth rate of 559%

SAN DIEGO, Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Inc. Magazine today revealed that Wildfire Systems is No. 7 on its third annual Inc. 5000 Regionals: Pacific list, the most prestigious ranking of the fastest-growing Pacific region private companies, based in Alaska, Hawaii, California, Oregon, and Washington. Born of the annual Inc. 5000 franchise, this regional list represents a unique look at the most successful private companies generating sustainable growth and jobs.

Wildfire provides an innovative fintech platform that powers white-label reward programs and shopping companions to the financial services and technology sectors. In 2022, Wildfire's platform was responsible for driving over $260 million in online purchases at participating brands, while consumers initiated more than 32 million online shopping journeys via Wildfire.

In addition, in 2022 Wildfire established a key partnership with Visa, the world leader in payments, to power its new Visa Affiliate Marketing Solutions (VAMS) program. VAMS provides a loyalty and retention platform to Visa's worldwide network of card issuers. Wildfire also secured strategic funding from Citi Ventures in 2022 which will fuel Wildfire's technological innovation to develop new offerings that drive rewarding online shopping experiences for consumers in 2023 and beyond.

"Wildfire is honored to be recognized by Inc. as one of America's fastest-growing companies," said Jordan Glazier, founder and CEO, Wildfire Systems. "The past two years have been transformational for Wildfire and making it into the top 10 of the Inc. 5000 Pacific Regionals is a testament to the hard work of our team and the spirit of partnership we enjoy with our clients' and investors. We look forward to continuing our momentum as we build a great business."

The companies on this list show a remarkable rate of growth across all industries in the Pacific. Between 2019 and 2021, these 184 private companies had an average growth rate of 559 percent and, in 2021 alone, they added 14,536 jobs and $4.6 billion to the Pacific region's economy.

Complete results of the Inc. 5000 Regionals: Pacific, including company profiles and an interactive database that can be sorted by industry, metro area, and other criteria, can be found at inc.com/pacific starting February 28, 2023.

"This year's Inc. 5000 Regional winners represent one of the most exceptional and exciting lists of America's off-the-charts growth companies. They're disruptors and job creators, and all delivered an outsize impact on the economy. Remember their names and follow their lead. These are the companies you'll be hearing about for years to come," said Scott Omelianuk, editor-in-chief of Inc. magazine.

For more information about Wildfire Systems' white-label rewards platform, please visit: https://www.wildfire-corp.com/

About Wildfire Systems, Inc.

Wildfire Systems provides an enterprise platform which enables clients to embed social commerce, cashback rewards, digital coupons, and shopping companions within their existing services. Wildfire's patented suite of technologies rewards online shopping and harnesses digital word-of-mouth, delivering enhanced user experiences, consumer loyalty, and new revenue streams for clients. Wildfire drives incremental revenue for over 50,000 online merchant programs in over 50 countries. The company is based in San Diego and was founded in 2017. For more information, visit wildfire-corp.com .

More about Inc. and the Inc. 5000 Regionals

Methodology

The 2023 Inc. 5000 Regionals are ranked according to percentage revenue growth when comparing 2019 and 2021. To qualify, companies must have been founded and generating revenue by March 31, 2019. They had to be U.S.-based, privately held, for-profit, and independentnot subsidiaries or divisions of other companiesas of December 31, 2021. (Since then, a number of companies on the list have gone public or been acquired.) The minimum revenue required for 2019 is $100,000; the minimum for 2021 is $1 million. As always, Inc. reserves the right to decline applicants for subjective reasons.

About Inc. Media

The world's most trusted business-media brand, Inc. offers entrepreneurs the knowledge, tools, connections, and community to build great companies. Its award-winning multiplatform content reaches more than 50 million people each month across a variety of channels including websites, newsletters, social media, podcasts, and print. Its prestigious Inc. 5000 list, produced every year since 1982, analyzes company data to recognize the fastest-growing privately held businesses in the United States. The global recognition that comes with inclusion in the 5000 gives the founders of the best businesses an opportunity to engage with an exclusive community of their peers and the credibility that helps them drive sales and recruit talent.

The associated Inc. 5000 Conference is part of a highly acclaimed portfolio of bespoke events produced by Inc. For more information, visit www.inc.com .

SOURCE Wildfire Systems
VENICE, Calif., Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Inc. Magazine today revealed that MagicLinks is No. 84 on its third annual Inc. 5000 Regionals: Pacific list, the most prestigious ranking of the fastest-growing Pacific private companies. Born of the annual Inc. 5000 franchise, this regional list represents a unique look at the most successful private companies within the Pacific economy that are generating sustainable growth and jobs.

"It's an honor to be recognized among such an elite group of businesses, and a testament to the hard work and dedication of our entire team," said Brian Nickerson, CEO and Co-Founder of MagicLinks. "Our growth over the years has been fueled by our unwavering dedication to innovation, client satisfaction, and operational excellence, and I'm incredibly proud of what we've achieved together."

The 2023 Inc. 5000 Regionals are ranked according to percentage revenue growth when comparing 2019 and 2021. In 2021 alone, the companies on this list added 14,536 jobs and $4.6 billion to the Pacific region's economy. Companies based in the Irvine, Santa Monica, and Venice, California areas, which includes MagicLinks, had the highest growth rates overall.

"This year's Inc. 5000 Regional winners represent one of the most exceptional and exciting lists of America's off-the-charts growth companies. They're disruptors and job creators, and all delivered an outsize impact on the economy. Remember their names and follow their lead. These are the companies you'll be hearing about for years to come," said Scott Omelianuk, editor-in-chief of Inc. magazine.

About MagicLinks

MagicLinks is an award-winning Influencer Marketing Platform and Certified B Corporation powering social commerce with Creators and the world's leading consumer Brands. MagicLinks' proprietary technology, Match Intelligence, provides strategic Creator matching for Brands looking to drive awareness, engagement, and sales across social media. The platform provides scalable, data-backed eCommerce solutions with dependable ROI and full-funnel reporting.

About Inc.

Inc. offers entrepreneurs the knowledge, tools, connections, and community to build great companies. Its prestigious Inc. 5000 list, produced every year since 1982, analyzes company data to recognize the fastest-growing privately held businesses in the United States.

Contact:

Alexis Papadopoulos

[email protected]

SOURCE MagicLinks
DALLAS, Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Inc. magazine revealed that Ironside Human Resources is No. 38 on its 2023 Inc. 5000 Regionals Southwest list, the most prestigious ranking of the fastest- growing private companies based in Arizona, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas.

Ironside HR CEO, Douglas Carter provided the following statement. "It is an honor to not only be listed on this year's Inc. 5000 Regionals Southwest list for our 2nd consecutive year, but to have also jumped up significantly from our previous year's ranking as No. 71 to No. 38 this year. It is hard to imagine that a little over a decade ago, Ironside HR was just a dream, and now, it is a reality thanks to those that believed in the impact we could make as an ally in addressing healthcare staffing shortages nationwide. Congratulations to all winners, each of your teams has worked hard to prove themselves to be more than just dreamers, but innovators with the passion and dedication to transform what were once mere ideas into reality."

The companies on this list show a remarkable rate of growth across all industries in the Southwest region. Between 2019 and 2021, these 166 private companies had an average growth rate of 557 percent and, in 2021 alone, they added 16,116 jobs and nearly $5.5 billion to the Southwest region's economy.

"This year's Inc. 5000 Regional winners represent one of the most exceptional and exciting lists of America's off-the-charts growth companies. They're disrupters and job creators, and all delivered an outsize impact on the economy. Remember their names and follow their lead. These are the companies you'll be hearing about for years to come," says Scott Omelianuk, editor-in-chief of Inc. magazine.

Ironside HR was established in Dallas, TX in 2011 with the mission to provide cost-effective recruitment services to healthcare facilities across the nation. The firm is known to be a "one-stop shop" as they provide both perm and contract staffing solutions to a diverse portfolio of clients, from remote tribal health organizations to large health systems in metroplex areas.

The 2023 Inc. 5000 Regionals are ranked according to percentage revenue growth when comparing 2019 and 2021. To qualify, companies must have been founded and generating revenue by March 31, 2019. They had to be U.S.-based, privately held, for-profit, and independentnot subsidiaries or divisions of other companiesas of December 31, 2021. The minimum revenue required for 2019 is $100,000; the minimum for 2021 is $1 million.

Complete results of the Inc. 5000 Regionals Southwest can be found at inc.com/southwest.

Contact:

***@ironsidehr.com

Photo(s):

https://www.prlog.org/12953260

Press release distributed by PRLog

SOURCE Ironside Human Resources
VLV Features 85 Bands, 25 DJs, a Huge Classic Car Show, Tiki Pool Parties, Dancing, Burlesque, and More!

LAS VEGAS, Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- We are pleased to announce that the Viva Las Vegas Rockabilly Weekend , a four-day music festival, now in its 26th year, is returning April 27th-30th to The Orleans Hotel and Casino. VLV is the Longest Running Music Festival in Las Vegas and the Largest Rockabilly Event in the World. Last year, the festival's Promoter Tom Ingram received the Key to the City of Las Vegas from the Mayor, and VLV was voted "Best Music Festival in Vegas" in 2019.

Viva Las Vegas Rockabilly Weekend #26, April 27-30th at The Orleans Hotel & Casino

VLV annually attracts 9,000 international revelers for the 4-day festival, and up to 20,000 for the huge Saturday Classic Car show event. The VLV crowd are some of the most eye-catching, stylish, head-turning people you'll ever see in one place, spanning multiple generations.

Besides 85 bands & 25 DJs, there's the Classic Car Show, a Burlesque Showcase and Competition, a Vintage Fashion Show, Dance Lessons and Competition, 3 days of Tiki Pool Parties, Vintage Swimsuit Contests, Burlesque Bingo, a Pin-Up Contest, a Tattoo Lounge, a Film Premier, Meetups for singles, sober folks, and LGBTQ+ attendees, over 120 Vendors, Record Hops till 7am, and more.

This year's attractions include: The Dave & Deke Combo, Dale Watson, and Cash'd Out performing at the Classic Car Show on Saturday, April 27th. VLV brings original 1950s artists to generations that would have missed them. This year's Stars of Rock n Roll Show is Saturday night, featuring original 50s hit recording artists: Billy Harlan, Wesley Reynolds, Jimmy Dell, and The Majors. Viva also features up-and-coming young Rockabilly acts & well-known bands from around the globe!

The VLV Car Show is one of the Largest Classic Car Shows in North America, featuring 8001,000 vintage cars, all pre-1964, as well as famous movie cars, the Pin-up Contest, and 5 bands. One day tickets are available for the car show. Children of all ages are welcome and under age 15 get in free with an adult.

VLV is held at The Orleans Hotel and Casino, 4500 West Tropicana Avenue, Las Vegas, NV 89103. Tickets are available until they sell out. VLV works with several hotels to provide discounts for fans. For Media Inquiries, contact [email protected].

SOURCE Viva Las Vegas Rockabilly Weekend
ENGLEWOOD, Colo., Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- WOW! Internet, Cable & Phone (NYSE: WOW), a leading broadband services provider, today announced it has gained great momentum toward meeting its Greenfield expansion goals by leasing a facility in its Greenville County, South Carolina market and welcoming WOW! veteran Dominick Silvio into the role of director of operations. Additionally, in Seminole County, Florida, further construction is in progress in Wekiwa Springs, Casselberry and Forest City. Each of these milestones is part of the company's ongoing market expansion to bring its reliable, state-of-the-art all-IP fiber network to 400,000 homes passed in new service areas by 2027.

Dominick Silvio named director of operations for Greenville, South Carolina region

Dominick Silvio is returning to WOW! as regional director of operations in Greenville County. Dominick previously spent more than 18 years with WOW!, most recently in 2021, supporting the company's Chicago, Evansville, Huntsville, and Knoxville markets. In this new position, Silvio will play a critical role in overseeing the launch of WOW!'s operations in Greenville County as it prepares to offer its services to new communities.

"I'm thrilled to join the dedicated team at WOW! as the company executes on its Greenfield expansion plans and demonstrates continuous momentum," said Silvio. "We are extremely excited and fortunate to be able to offer residents of Greenville County the opportunity to enjoy our innovative products and quality service, supported by an award-winning customer care team."

In addition to welcoming Dominick Silvio, WOW! has also acquired a new field operations and warehouse facility in Greenville County to support its expansion in the area, beginning with construction in Mauldin, South Carolina. WOW! anticipates its services will become available in parts of Greenville County soon.

Construction continues across Seminole County communities

In Seminole County, construction of WOW!'s high-speed fiber network is progressing rapidly in Wekiwa Springs, Casselberry and Forest City on the heels of WOW! adding its first fiber Internet customers in nearby Altamonte Springs . Residents in these Seminole County communities will soon be able to subscribe to WOW! fiber services, which include symmetrical Internet speeds up to 5 Gbps. Subscribers will receive the necessary equipment upfront to get started on WOW!'s reliable, high-speed network along with WiFi at no extra cost, unlimited data, and no annual contracts. Among its suite of products, WOW! will also offer WOW tv+ , reliable home phone plans, WOW! mobile powered by Reach , and flexible, comprehensive solutions for businesses .

"Since announcing our first three Greenfield markets just last year, we're pleased to report that we've made significant progress towards bringing WOW!'s fast and reliable services to our Central Florida and Greenville County communities," said Robert DiNardo, corporate SVP of market expansion at WOW!. "We'd also like to extend a warm welcome to Dominick Silvio as he rejoins the WOW! team to lead our Greenville County operations. Together we look forward to providing the best options and clear value to residents and businesses as a trusted community partner."

To learn more about WOW!, and to find out if its services are available in your area, please visit www.wowway.com .

About WOW! Internet, Cable & Phone

WOW! is one of the nation's leading broadband providers, with an efficient, high-performing network that passes nearly 2 million residential, business and wholesale consumers. WOW! provides services in 15 markets, primarily in the Midwest and Southeast, including Michigan, Alabama, Tennessee, South Carolina, Georgia and Florida, including the new all-fiber network in Central Florida. With an expansive portfolio of advanced services, including high-speed Internet services, cable TV, home phone, mobile phone, business data, voice, and cloud services, the company is dedicated to providing outstanding service at affordable prices. WOW! also serves as a leader in exceptional human resources practices, having been recognized nine times by the National Association for Business Resources as a Best & Brightest Company to Work For in the Nation, winning the award for the last five consecutive years and making the 2022 Top 101 National Winners list. Visit wowway.com for more information.

SOURCE WideOpenWest, Inc.
LAS VEGAS, Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Zoomlion Heavy Industry Science & Technology Co., Ltd. ("Zoomlion"; 1157.HK) is set to exhibit 22 products across seven categories, including equipment customized for the North American market, and its innovative green manufacturing technologies to CONEXPO-CON/AGG 2023 from March 14 to 18 in Las Vegas Convention Center. Zoomlion will be at booth F9615.

CONEXPO-CON/AGG is North America's largest construction trade show. Themed "Vision Creates Future," Zoomlion will highlight products most in demand with North American customers, especially in green intelligent manufacturing, localized production and sales, through showcasing products with exceptional performance, quality and technological innovation.

Zoomlion's flagship portfolio at CONEXPO-CON/AGG will feature:

Earthmoving Machinery: six models of the G-series excavators that cover micro to large tonnage range and the ZS090V skip steer loader will be highlighted, all meeting the North American emission standards. Audiences will also be able to experience the products through interactive human-machine demonstrations.

Hoisting Machinery: the ZTR1100D533 off-road crane, an ANIS-certified product, will take center stage. It has a maximum lifting height of 66 meters, combined with main and fly booms to achieve industry-leading hoisting capability.

Tower Crane: Zoomlion will feature its latest core components like the new CR8-H driver cabin and RB dowel joint of the R-generation tower crane designed for the high-end European and American markets.

Concrete Machinery: as an APCA member, Zoomlion will unveil the all-new 50X-6RZ pump truck, a 4.0 series model with a six-section boom and APD technology that reduces overall consumption and extends service life. Zoomlion's German subsidiary m-tec will also exhibit dry mixing equipment products.

Industrial Vehicle: the FB25H and FL25H adopt the Kubota O5 series engine and a series of advantaged design features to better meet the local market demand.

Since entering the US market in 2007, Zoomlion's globalization roadmap focuses on accelerating business model transformation and an international localization strategy. In 2012, Zoomlion established the North America R&D Center. Nowadays, its North American subsidiary has a network integrating R&D, sales and marketing, and a production base, while covering the logistics and spare parts supply in the local market.

SOURCE Zoomlion
London, Feb 28 : The UK and the European Union (EU) concluded a new post-Brexit trade arrangement for Northern Ireland.

The agreement - dubbed the 'Windsor Framework' - was struck over the Northern Ireland Protocol, aiming to ease the trading issues created by the Protocol.

After months of negotiations, the deal was announced by UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen after their meeting in Windsor near London on Monday, Xinhua news agency reported.

"I'm pleased to report that we have now made a decisive breakthrough," Sunak said at a joint press conference with von der Leyen. "Together, we have changed the original Protocol and are today announcing the new Windsor Framework." He said the agreement delivers the smooth flow of trade within the UK, as goods destined for Northern Ireland will travel through a new Green Lane, with a separate Red Lane for goods at risk of moving on into the EU.

In the Green Lane, burdensome customs bureaucracy will be scrapped, meaning food retailers such as supermarkets and restaurants as well as wholesalers will no longer need hundreds of certificates for every lorry, Sunak told reporters.

"This means we have removed any sense of a border in the Irish Sea," he said.

The two sides have also amended the legal text of the Protocol to ensure the country can make critical value-added tax and excise changes for the whole of the UK, "for example on alcohol duty, meaning our reforms to cut the cost of a pint in the pub will now apply in Northern Ireland." With a settlement on medicines, moreover, drugs approved for use by the UK's medicine regulator will be automatically available in every pharmacy and hospital in Northern Ireland.

A new so-called "Stormont Brake" was also introduced. It will allow the elected Northern Ireland Assembly to stop EU goods laws that would have "significant and lasting effects on everyday lives." When pulled, "the UK government will have a veto," the Prime Minister said.

"This gives Northern Ireland a powerful safeguard," he said.

Many had called for Stormont, or the Northern Ireland Assembly, to have a say over these laws, he noted. "But the Stormont Brake goes further and means that Stormont can in fact stop them from applying in Northern Ireland." Sunak called the Windsor Framework a "turning point" for the people of Northern Ireland, saying it fixes the practical problems they face and preserves the balance of the Belfast Good Friday Agreement.

Noting that this year will mark the 25th anniversary of the Belfast Agreement, von der Leyen said the new Windsor Framework is here to benefit people in Northern Ireland and support all communities celebrating peace on the island of Ireland.

"We were both genuinely committed to finding a practical solution for people and for all communities in Northern Ireland," the EU chief said. "This new Framework will allow us to begin a new chapter." Signed in 1998 following three decades of conflict, the landmark Belfast Agreement established a power-sharing system of government, including an Executive and Assembly. It underpins Northern Ireland's peace, constitutional settlement and institutions.

A lengthy dispute over the Northern Ireland Protocol has recently posed a threat. Under the protocol, Northern Ireland was part of the British customs territory but subject to the EU's customs code, value-added tax rules and single market rules for goods.

However, a de facto Irish Sea border was thus created between the British mainland and Northern Ireland, meaning goods transported to and from Northern Ireland were subject to border controls.

Northern Ireland's pro-Brexit Democratic Unionist Party has demanded the removal or replacement of the protocol as a precondition for it to sit in the assembly and form a devolved government.
Srinagar, Feb 28 : One terrorist has been killed in an ongoing encounter between terrorists and security forces at Padgampura area in South Kashmir's Pulwama district, officials said on Tuesday.

"One terrorist killed. Body of the killed terrorist yet to be retrieved. Encounter in progress," the police said.

The firefight started after a joint team of police and security forces got an input about the presence of terrorists in that area.

After security forces cordoned off the area, terrorists hiding there started firing drawing retaliation by the security forces.

There have been a series of encounters between terrorists and security forces across Kashmir in the recent past in which many terrorists have been eliminated.
Kiev, Feb 28 : The US has provided about $50 billion in aid to Ukraine since the start of the Russia-Ukraine war, visiting US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said.

"In the field of security, economy, humanitarian and social support, we have already provided about 50 billion dollars in assistance," Yellen said on Monday after her meeting with Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, Xinhua news agency reported, citing a report by the Interfax-Ukraine news agency.

In particular, the US has provided $14 billion to support the economic resilience of Ukraine, Yellen said, noting that it plans to allocate another $8 billion for the same needs in the near future.

For his part, Shmyhal said that in 2022, the US was the top contributor of funds to the Ukrainian economy among foreign countries.

According to estimates of the Ukrainian government, the country would need $38 billion in financing, including from external sources, to cover its budget deficit this year.
Washington, Feb 28 : A top US lawmaker has cautioned India against "compromised" Chinese elements in technology it may have imported from Russia in view of growing ties between Moscow and Beijing.

"We don't want to be in a situation where for some reason, the Russians somehow have given technology that's compromised by the CCP to India or others that could be taken advantage of by the CCP," said Raja Krishnamoorthi, the top Democrat and the ranking member of the newly established House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the US and the Communist Party of China (CCP), in an interview.

"I think there's just a very detailed conversation that's probably happening and should happen between our governments with regard to a whole range of technology now that we believe that it's critical to our collective security," he added.

The compromised parts could give the Chinese a window into the Indian defence systems, and/or into American hardware being used by Indians.

As India and the US have deepened and broadened defence cooperation, with Indian purchases of American military hardware at an all-time high, Washington DC has had concerns that its sensitive-technology military hardware sold to India can be accessed by Russia through their equipment that flood Indian armories. This has been cited as a chief concern by Americans as they press India, without success, to cancel its order of the Russian S-400 air missile defence system. They also say that the presence of Russian equipment impeded interoperability between the militaries of India and the US.

Asked about India's ties with Russia, the lawmaker, who was born in New Delhi and came to the US when he was three, said, "I understand the historical ties between the Indians and the Russians. And I also understand the practical nature of the relationship. I hope that over time, the US can prove to be a reliable source of security equipment. But also, we can deepen our ties so that the Indians aren't as dependent on the Russians for certain critical items." India has indeed been diversifying military purchases in recent years and it has substantially cut dependence on Russia and the US has been among the countries that are rushing in to fill that space, along with others, by, among other things, upgrading India's access to sensitive technology at par with close allies.

Americans have publicly urged India to review ties with Russia in view of this growing proximity. "I do think that the CCP and the Russians have entered into a rather unholy relationship right now with regard to Ukraine with regard to other matters that I don't think are in the best long term interests. of the world," said Krishnamoorthi, who had earlier served on the House Permanent Select Committee that oversees the work of America's 17 intelligence agencies.

Ties between Russia and China have grown dramatically close in recent times, specially 2022, when Presidents Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping declared their relationship has "no limits". The two countries said in a joint statement after their meeting in February 2022, "The new inter-state relations between Russia and China are superior to political and military alliances of the Cold War era. Friendship between the two States has no limits, there are no 'forbidden' areas of cooperation." Congressman Krishnamoorthi is a rising star in the Democratic party and he breaks new ground as the lead Democrat on the China committee - over the claims of other Democrats.

"I'm honoured to be the first Indian American to ever lead either Democrats or Republicans on any select committee or standing committee in Congress," he said, adding, "I'm honoured to have the opportunity to to work on this particular assignment. I think leader (Hakeem) Jeffries (the top Democrat in the House of Representatives and Minority Leader) is to be strongly commended for the new voices that he's bringing to leadership and the discussion of these critical issues in this Congress - makes him the first Indian American ever to lead a standing or a select committee for both Democrats and Republicans." This panel - variously called the China Committee and the tough-on China committee - was set up by this new Republican-led House in an overwhelmingly bipartisan vote by Republicans and Democrats. Republican Mike Gallagher, a China hawk, is the chairman.

Krishnamoorthi said the committee's charter is to "to investigate and report upon the economic, technological and national security challenges posed by the Chinese Communist Party, also known as the CCP, to the United States."
Kiev, Feb 28 : During her surprise visit to Kiev, US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen announced the transfer of an additional amount of over $1.2 billion in economic assistance to Ukraine.

Upon her arrival in the capital city on Monday, Yellen said her visit is "to reaffirm our unwavering commitment to Ukraine, discuss ways we can continue our support, including through economic assistance, and pay tribute to the bravery of the Ukrainian people a year after Russia's unprovoked invasion".

In her announcement, she said that the US is proud to be Ukraine's largest bilateral donor and to date, Washington has provided close to $50 billion in security, economic, and humanitarian assistance to the war-torn nation.

"Today, I am proud to announce the transfer of an additional amount of over $1.2 billion. That's the first tranche of about $10 billion in direct budget support that the US will provide in the coming months," she was quoted as saying in a statement issued by the Treasury Department.

Later in her remarks with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky that the country's "fight is our fight, for our shared values of democracy, the right to self-determination, and for an international order that advances peace and prosperity".

"We will stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes," she added.

On his part, Zelensky said that the "US has been powerfully supporting us since the first days of this war not only with weapons, but also on the financial front. We really appreciate it".

"Thank you for systematic steps to increase sanctions pressure on the aggressor state. It is necessary to further strengthen sanctions to deprive Russia of the ability to finance the war," he added.

Yellen also held a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal.

The Treasury Secretary's trip comes on the heels of President Joe Biden's trip to Kiev last week.
Bengaluru, Feb 28 : A group of male activists from the Save Indian Family Federation (SIFF) NGO, which fights for men's rights, organised a special 'puja' here for Tesla and Twitter CEO Elon Musk and thanked him for purchasing the micro-blogging platform "allowing men to express their views against the oppression of authorities".

The video of the incident that took place in the city's Freedom Park has gone viral on social media.

In a Twitter post on Monday, the NGO said that "men's Activists of SIFF used to be often shadow banned from Twitter by previous woke admins of the company".

"After Elon Musk fired them, the MRAs have got back their right to free speech." The "special worshipping" was done on the sidelines of a protest against PILs on marital rape in the Supreme Court.

The post by the activists stated "SIFF members are worshipping guru Elon Musk in Bengaluru, India for purchasing Twitter and allowing men to express their views against the oppression of authorities".

The activists were seen in the video with banners that read "mens lives matters" and "men have a right to peaceful existence" The members lit incense sticks before a portrait of the tech billionaire and chanted "Elan Muskaya Namaha", "Elon Musk ki Jaia, "Elon Musk se kuch seekho Adani, Ambani".

SIFF members maintained that laws on rape, domestic violence and dowry are biased against men which are leading to lodging of false cases against them.

"The law is twisted to create fear among men rather than delivering justice to the victims. The members clarified that at the same time they are not against the laws relating to sexual violence in marriage or relationship, they are concerned with the abuse of laws," they added.
Lucknow, Feb 28 : Civic bodies in Uttar Pradesh will impose a fine on improper disposal of water.

A penalty of up to Rs 2,000 will be levied on people for not segregating waste at home before giving them to sanitation workers. This will be implemented from March 4.

The move is part of the state government's recently-launched campaign, '10 Tak Door to Door', under the Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM-Urban).

SBM-Urban state mission director Neha Sharma has issued necessary instructions for mandatory implementation of the rule, to all municipal commissioners and executive officers. The quantum of the penalty has been fixed from Rs 50 to Rs 2,000.

She said, "The '10 Tak Door to Door' campaign is in effect from February 1 to ensure 100 per cent door-to-door collection and segregation of waste across the state.

There are three phases of this campaign. The first was to request residents to segregate their waste; the second was their approval and awareness, which will end on March 3. In the last phase, action will be taken against those who do not segregate their waste." She made it clear that all gated colonies and resident welfare associations have been involved in the awareness campaign, and all competent officers and employees of municipal corporations, municipal councils and nagar panchayats would be conducting regular inspection of households from March 4 to March 31 to ensure compliance with the newly-laid rules.
Chennai, Feb 28 : Five people were killed on Tuesday when the car in which they were travelling rammed into a container lorry in Tamil Nadu's Namakkal district, police said.

According to the police, the accident occurred in Parmathy Velur and all the victims died on the spot.

Rescue officials had to cut through the vehicle to retrieve the bodies.

The bodies have been sent to the Namakkal district hospital for post-mortem.

Identities of the victims were not yet known.
New Delhi, Feb 28 : Differences have cropped up between Delhi unit of Congress and the central party over extending support to deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, arrested in connection with alleged corruption in the now-scrapped liquor policy for 2021-22.

While the Delhi unit of the party welcomed the CBI action, veteran leader Jairam Ramesh on Monday night flayed it and termed all the probe agencies "harassment tools" of the BJP-led Central government, thus bringing forth the underlying difference.

Apparently, Delhi Congress leader Sandeep Dikshit has sought time from the Lieutenant Governor to attack the AAP over the issue.

According to sources, the state leaders are upset over being snubbed publically by Ramesh with some privately alleging that he has a soft corner for AAP.

In an oblique reference to the arrest of Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia by the CBI in connection with the excise policy scam, the Congress on Monday termed the Enforcement Directorate (ED), Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Income Tax Department "harassment tools" of the BJP-led Central government.

"@INCIndia has always held the belief that institutions like the ED, CBI and Income Tax Department have become instruments of political vendetta and harassment under 'Modi Sarkar'. These institutions have lost all professionalism. Opposition leaders are selectively targeted to destroy their reputation," Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said, without mentioning anything about the arrest of the deputy of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.

The Congress' reaction had come 24 hours after Sisodia's arrest by the CBI on Sunday after a day-long questioning, even as the leaders of the party's Delhi unit welcomed the move.
Hong Kong, Feb 28 : After it was first imposed on July 15, 2020, in the wake of the raging Covid-19 pandemic, Hong Kong has finally dropped its mask mandate after 959 days, the city's government announced on Tuesday.

The mandate, enforced through fines that could reach more than $1,000, had required facial coverings in all public spaces, reports CNN.

The rule came into effect for public transport and was expanded two weeks later to include indoor and outdoor areas -- though the vast majority of people in the city had begun wearing masks months earlier as reports of coronavirus infections spread, leading to panic buying and shortages as early as January that year.

The mandate will be fully lifted on Wednesday, Hong Kong's Chief Executive John Lee said while addressing a press briefing.

"We are now returning to normalcy," CNN quoted Lee as saying.

In recent months, Hong Kong has rolled back several other major Covid restrictions, most notably mandatory quarantine for all international arrivals in an effort to boost tourism.

Also addressing the same news briefing, Health Secretary Lo Mau-chung said that with the lifting of the mask mandate, "we have now removed all epidemic restrictions".

"I'm looking forward to seeing a smile on everyone's face now," he said.

He however, added that the government still advises the wearing of masks in "high risk" settings such as elderly care homes and hospitals.

Most other places in Asia have either fully or partially eased their mask mandates in recent months, including South Korea, Japan and Taiwan.
Toronto, Feb 28 : Canada has become the latest country to ban Chinese short-video-making app TikTok from government-issued mobile devices.

The country joins the European Union and some state governments in the US in banning TikTok on government devices.

Mona Fortier, President of the Treasury Board, announced the ban of the use of the TikTok application on government-issued mobile devices "Effective February 28, 2023, the TikTok application will be removed from government-issued mobile devices. Users of these devices will also be blocked from downloading the application in the future," Fortier said in a statement.

Following a review of TikTok, the Chief Information Officer of Canada determined that it presents an unacceptable level of risk to privacy and security.

"The decision to remove and block TikTok from government mobile devices is being taken as a precaution, particularly given concerns about the legal regime that governs the information collected from mobile devices, and is in line with the approach of our international partners," Fortier explained.

On a mobile device, TikTok's data collection methods provide considerable access to the contents of the phone.

"While the risks of using this application are clear, we have no evidence at this point that government information has been compromised," said the Canadian government.

The European Commission last week directed all employees to remove TikTok from their corporate devices.

The suspension also extends to workers' personal devices where they are used for work purposes.

The US House of Representatives recently ordered its staff to delete TikTok from official work devices.

In 2020, India banned TikTok and several other Chinese apps for allegedly sharing user data with China.
Chennai, Feb 28 : Farmers' organisations in Tiruchi district of Tamil Nadu have demanded the release of water from the Mettur dam for at least two weeks to prevent the crops from withering away due to heat and lack of water.

It is to be noted that the Mettur dam is generally opened to release water from June 12 and closes on January 28. However, with the water in borewells drying up and temperature soaring, the farmers demand that the Mettur dam be opened for at least two weeks to prevent crops from getting destroyed.

Farmers said that crops in around 1000 acres of farm land in Thingalur, Perumpuliyur, Rayapettai, Tillaisthanam around Thiruvayuru started withering due to scarcity of water.

The recent unseasonal rains have also caused destruction to crops but with the heat and temperature at their maximum, farmers said that crops that are 100 days old have to get some water.

Vasanthakumar, a farmer from Thiruvayuru told IANS: "Mettur water has to be released for at least two weeks so that our crops are saved. Unseasonal rains had destroyed large quantities of our crops but the heat that followed led to the fields parching and crops withering away. To save these crops, we need water from Mettur which is the only solution for this issue".

The farmer said that bringing in water in from other borewells was costing them a fortune and to water one acre of farmland, the farmers have to shell out Rs 35,000, and with such an expense they would not get any profit from the crops.
Budapest, Feb 28 : Hungarian low-cost carrier Wizz Air said that it will suspend all flights to and from Moldova next month due to security concerns linked to growing tensions with Russia, according to media reports.

It comes after a Russian missile was fired over Moldovan airspace earlier this month, reports the Guardian.

The airline said: "Safety of the passengers and crew remain Wizz Air's number one priority. Following the recent developments in Moldova and the elevated, but not imminent, risk in the country's airspace, Wizz Air has made the difficult but responsible decision to suspend all flights to (the capital) Chisinau from 14 March." Moldova's infrastructure ministry said it regretted Wizz Air's decision, assuring in a statement that flights "which respect a number of procedures, could be carried out safely".

The country's civil aviation authority said the airline had sought approval for its summer flight schedule on February 14 and the agency "determined that flights in the national airspace can be carried out safely by following a number of procedures", the BBC reported.

The pro-European republic of 2.6 million people, located between Romania and Ukraine, has reported "attempts at destabilisation" in recent weeks.

Its territory has been hit by debris from the war in Ukraine several times and Moldova has occasionally shut down its own airspace during the Ukraine conflict.

Moldova has also suffered energy blackouts after Ukraine stopped exporting electricity because of Russian airstrikes on critical infrastructure, The Guardian reported.

Earlier this month, Moldovan President Maia Sandu accused Russia of plotting to violently overthrow the country's pro-European leadership with the help of saboteurs disguised as anti-government protesters.

Moscow however, denied the claim.

Wizz Air is the first airline to announce such a suspension of flights.

The Romanian national airline, Tarom, Air Moldova, and Turkish Airlines continue to fly to the Moldovan capital, the Guardian reported.
New Delhi, Feb 28 : For Indian families looking to travel domestically, Goa is the most common search destination, while Dubai is the most popular international destination. Based on search data from digital travel platform Agoda, the states / cities of Goa, New Delhi and NCR, Mumbai, Pondicherry, and Jaipur popped up as the top five national favourites, while Dubai, Singapore, the Maldives, Bali (Indonesia) and Phuket (Thailand) lead the search charts in the international segment.

In addition to Dubai, the search data reveals that Southeast Asian countries are preferred by Indian families for their international holidays. These places are appealing because they have a tropical climate, stunning beaches, and a variety of lodgings and activities that make travelling with kids simpler.

Although city stays are common when travelling domestically, each of the top locations has something special to offer that families can take advantage of. Goa is known for its vibrant beaches, New Delhi NCR and Mumbai are popular destinations for sight-seeing, Pondicherry is well-known for its serene aesthetics, and Jaipur provides a rich history and culture.

The places mentioned above are in line with the findings of Agoda's Family Travel Trend Survey, which surveyed over 14,000 family travellers from 12 markets around the world. The survey found that the top three family attractions were seeing landmarks, relaxing on the shore, and having a good time at theme or amusement parks.

"Families are taking advantage of the school breaks to spend quality time on trips together. And Agoda's data shows that when travelling, Indians are choosing beach destinations for family travel abroad," said Krishna Rathi, Country Director Agoda India. "Planning vacations with large groups across different age groups and budgets can be a challenge. Which is why at Agoda, we have done our best to make the booking journey as seamless as possible with accommodations, flight, and activities all at the click of a button." There is no one style of lodging that works for all families travelling together. While some families prefer a hotel with kids' clubs, babysitting, or adjoining rooms for families, others search for villas that offer kitchens or additional living area to accommodate family groups.

(IANSlife can be contacted at ianslife@ians.in)

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
New Delhi, Feb 28 : The Crime Branch of Delhi Police has arrested two criminals for committing Rs 16 lakh robbery to buy sophisticated weapons to eliminate the rival gang members, said an official on Tuesday.

The accused were identified as Lakshay alias Pandit alias Junglee and Himanshu, both residents of village Jatola in district Sonipat, Haryana.

The official said that the accused were also found previously involved in seven cases, including three of murder registered in Uttar Pradesh and Haryana.

According to police, on February 9, a 24-year-old complainant told police that he along with his friend had collected approximately Rs 16 lakh from various places and while returning to office when they stopped at a cigarette shop, two men at a gunpoint robbed the cash and their vehicle.

"During investigation, specific inputs were received regarding the accused following which a trap was laid near Arya Samaj Akhada, Bankner and duo was apprehended," said Ravindra Singh Yadav, the Special Commissioner of Police (Crime).

On interrogation, Lakshay disclosed that he was lodged in Sonipat jail, where one Ankit alias Maya was also lodged and after their release from Sonipat jail, Ankit contacted him and told that he needed money for purchasing sophisticated weapons as he wished to eliminate some associates of his rival gang Sunny Deo alias Kookie Gang.

"After this, Lakshay shared this information with Himanshu, who previously worked at Golu Cafe, Alipur from where the complainant collected huge payments. Thereafter, Himanshu conveyed this information to the Lakshay, who did recce of the movements of the victim," said the Special CP.

"He along-with Ankit and another associate executed their plan and robbed cash approximately Rs 15-16 lakh and scooty on gunpoint from the victim. The accused persons dumped the robbed scooty on their way back," said the official.

Lakshay and Himanshu received Rs 65,000 and Rs 50,000 out of the robbed amount whereas, the remaining amount was kept by their associate Ankit for the expenses of his gang and for purchasing weapons.
New Delhi, Feb 28 : The Punjab government has moved the Supreme Court challenging the state Governor's refusal to convene the budget session of the Assembly on March 3.

Senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, representing the Punjab government, mentioned the matter for an urgent hearing before a bench of Chief Justice of India (CJI) D.Y. Chandrachud and Justice P.S. Narasimha.

Singhvi contended that the Governor said since the chief minister made some statements in unconnected matters, he would not convene the session.

The top court then scheduled the matter for hearing at 3.50 p.m. on Tuesday.

Last week, Governor Banwarilal Purohit said that he will decide on allowing the proposed Budget session of the state slated on March 3 only after seeking legal advice on the "derogatory and patently unconstitutional tweets and letter" written by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann.

The council of ministers had recommended that the budget session be held from March 3-24 and a letter seeking the Governor's approval was sent to him.

In the letter, Purohit reproduced the tweets and letter sent by the Chief Minister on February 13 and 14 in response to his letter.

On February 13, the Governor had slammed the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government by questioning decisions taken by it in the past couple of weeks, including lack of transparency in selecting teachers to be sent to Singapore for training.

He had also questioned the appointment of a "tainted" person as chairperson of Punjab Infotech, saying he was accused in property grabbing and kidnapping cases.

The Governor had sought the criteria and details of the entire selection process of Principals for sending them to Singapore as there were allegations of "no transparency".
Hyderabad, Feb 28 : A man has approached Telangana State Human Rights Commission, saying he is facing threat to his life from state agriculture minister S. Niranjan Reddy and a police official.

Shiva Kumar Yadav from Wanaparthy district has alleged that Srinivas Reddy, Circle Inspector of Kothakota police station, arrested and beat him up for forwarding a social media post critical of the minister.

Yadav, with the help of some Backward Classes organisations, lodged the complaint with the State Human Rights Commission, seeking action against the police official. He also told the panel that he is facing a life threat from the minister and the CI.

He alleged that he was kept in the police station on the night of February 22 and the CI physically tortured him.

The police official also allegedly warned Yadav that if he tells the judge that he was beaten up in the police station, his family members will be implicated in false cases and they will be killed in the encounter.

The complainant said that two constables took away his mobile phone and when he went to the police station, the officer beat him up for forwarding a post against the minister on WhatsApp.

Yadav has already lodged a complaint with higher police officials in the district, demanding action against the CI.

BC Political JAC Telangana State chairman Rachala Yugender Goud has also demanded that stringent action be taken against the police officer for beating up Yadav.
Chennai, Feb 28 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi's younger brother Prahlad Modi has been admitted at a private hospital in Chennai due to a kidney ailment, sources said.

Without providing further details, the sources at the hospital in Ayanambakkam told IANS that his condition is stable.

Prahlad Modi, who is also the Vice President of All India Fair Price Shop Dealers Federation, is on a spiritual tour with his family and had visited the Madurai Meenakshi temple, Rameswaram temple and Kanniyakumari Devi temple.

Further details regarding his health condition is awaited.
Islamabad, Feb 28 : Pakistans Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has launched a probe into the network of traffAickers responsible for sending Pakistani migrants abrAoAad who died after their boat capsized off the coast in southern Italy.

In addition, the death toll from the incident incrAeAaAsed to 62 on Monday with the majority of victims feared to be Pakistanis, Dawn reported.

In a statement on MonAday, FIA said teams have been formed to investigate the matter and arrest the traffickers who had illegally sent the victims.

The agency has also started contacting heirs of the deceased, most of whom hailed from Punjab's Gujrat district.

As the death toll increased to 62 on Monday, Foreign Office Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said a senior embassy official has met with 16 Pakistani survivors.

"They seemed in good physical condition. According to them there were 20 Pakistanis on the ship," the spokesperson said in a tweet.

"(The) embassy is in close contact with Italian authorities to verify the status of four missing Pakistanis." Local authorities said 80 people survived the disaster, but between 180 to 200 people were believed to have boarded the vessel when it left from Turkey, suggesting many more passengers may have perished or be missing, Dawn reported.

The shipwreck has stoked a debate on migration in Europe and Italy, where the recently elected right-wing government's tough new laws for migrant rescue charities have drawn criticism from the UN and others.

"These tragedies are the result of the tragic collateral damages of Italian and European policies, protecting borders and reducing safe and regular passage to Europe," said Marco Bertotto, director of programmes for MSF in Italy.
New Delhi, Feb 28 : As the Telangana Assembly polls are scheduled later this year, a meeting of the BJP leaders to deliberate on the poll preparedness, is underway at party National President J.P Nadda's residence under the leadership of Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

Telangana leaders, State president of Telangana Sanjay Bandi, Arvind Dharmapuri, D.K. Aruna, BJP National General secretary and Telangana state in charge Tarun Chugh, Union Minister G. Kishan Reddy are attending the meeting.

In a bid to increase its outreach to the grassroots, the party is running several programmes like Praja Gosha BJP Bharosa and Praja Sangram yatra which are being well received by the public, as per a source.

The party is deliberating on how to strengthen it at the booth level.

According to the sources, a state presidential election will be held soon as the BJP president Sanjay Bandi's term is going to end in the first week of March. But speculations are rife that his term would be extended and a decision to this effect could be taken in the meeting.

Earlier in the national executive meeting, Sanjay was the centre of attraction as Prime Minister Narendra Modi praised his Praja Sangram Yatra and asked all the states to learn from his journey and appreciated his struggle and hard work.
Valsad, Feb 28 : Two employees were killed while as many injured in a blast in an industrial unit's plant in Gujarat's Valsad district, police said on Tuesday.

Valsad District In-Charge Superintendent of Police Vijay Singh Gurjar said: "A blast in Ven Petrochem and Pharma occurred around 11.30 p.m. on Monday and rescue operation is going on." According to Ketan Patel, whose uncle Kirti Patel is thought to be trapped under the plant's debris, "Around 10.30 p.m., my uncle received a call from the plant, after which he left for the work. Around 11.30 p.m., we received an information that a blast had occurred in the plant, and since then, there is no information." Two people are feared to be trapped under the debris, Ketan said.
London, Feb 28 : Pollution coming from tyre particles is a great cause of concern on human health and the environment, and not enough has been done yet to tackle it, say researchers calling for urgent action to manage tyre waste.

According to researchers from the Imperial College London, six million tonnes of tyre wear particles are released globally each year.

When tyres break down they release a range of particles, from visible pieces of tyre rubber to nanoparticles that do not naturally degrade. These contain a range of toxic chemicals including polyaromatic hydrocarbons, benzothiazoles, isoprene, and heavy metals like zinc and lead, which may potentially interact with other pollutants as well as biological organisms.

Importantly, the smaller particles have the potential to reach into the deep lung, warned the researchers. They noted that emerging evidence links tyre wear particles to a range of negative health impacts including heart, lung, developmental, reproductive, and cancer outcomes.

"We are growing increasingly concerned by the impact of tyre wear on human health. As some of these particles are so small they can be carried in the air, it's possible that simply walking on the pavement could expose us to this type of pollution," said Professor Terry Tetley of Imperial's National Heart and Lung Institute.

Further, particulate matter from tyre wear is also a significant source of 'microplastics' in rivers and oceans, and tyre wear in cities could pose up to a four-fold greater risk to the environment than other microplastics.

While existing technological interventions, such as filters, and environmental policies could help to control our ecological footprint, there are huge gaps in our knowledge, understanding, and ability to forecast the impacts of tyre wear pollution, they said, stressing on the need for prioritising new technologies on the generation and impact of tyre wear.

"Tyre wear particles pollute the environment, the air we breathe, the water run-off from roads and has compounding effects on waterways and agriculture. Even if all our vehicles eventually become powered by electricity instead of fossil fuels, we will still have harmful pollution from vehicles because of tyre wear," said lead author Zhengchu Tan, from Imperial's Department of Mechanical Engineering.

Urging policymakers and scientists to embark on ambitious research into tyre wear pollution, the researchers argued that reducing tyre pollution should be seen as a critical part of making transport cleaner and more sustainable, alongside reductions in carbon dioxide and other exhaust emissions.
Wellington, Feb 28 : A dairy shop owner of Indian descent and his family were left traumatised after robbers stormed his shop in West Auckland to steal cigarettes and cash.

Uresh Patel from Kaurilands said he was at the back of the shop when burglars entered and attacked on Monday, ripping the till from the counter and stealing cigarettes.

"Three kids came in and one jumped over the counter. Two others came from the other side and grabbed the cash register," Patel told The NZ Herald.

"I heard my wife and daughter screaming. I rushed outside and tried to catch one of them but he attacked me and got away," he said.

According to the police, two of the culprits were found and arrested in Glen Eden "without further incident", and another was held in the store by the public.

"On top of that traumatising event, we had to deal with the police who came half an hour later, they interrogated us like we are criminals," Manisha, Patel's wife, told The NZ Herald.

She rued that nothing has changed ever since 34 year-old Janak Patel was stabbed to death in December 2022 by robbers in Sandringham, Auckland, where he worked.

Following Janak's death, New Zealand erupted in protests with people turning up in huge numbers shouting "enough is enough" and holding placards reading, "change the law", in front of then Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern's electoral office in Mt Albert.

Last month, Kanna Sharma's gas station on Kaurilands Road in Auckland was ram-raided by robbers for a third time in a row.

According to New Zealand government statistics, there were close to 23 ram raids in the Northland region alone until November 20, 2022.
New Delhi, Feb 28 : A division bench of the Delhi High Court on Tuesday said it will hear an appeal filed by Ishfaq Ahmad Bhat, who was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment in a Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) conspiracy case, on March 24.

Before the bench of Justices Siddharth Mridul and Talwant Singh, Bhat's counsel submitted that the present case is related to the same FIR, RC, and order passed by the bench in other connected appeals and requested that the matter be re-notified along with the connected appeals.

Noting which, the bench re-notified the matter for March 24 along with the similar appeals.

"Let the matter be re-notified along with the connected appeals before us," it added.

On November 28, 2022, a special NIA court had handed life imprisonment to Bhat with four others after convicting them under Sections 121 A, 120 B of the IPC, Sections 18, 38, 39 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and Sections 4, 5 of the Explosives Substances Act.

In January this year, the bench had issued notice to NIA in an appeal filed by the four convicts namely, Bilal Ahmad Mir, Muzaffar Ahmad Bhat, Mehraj-Ud-din Chopan and Sajad Ahmad Khan.

The case pertains to criminal conspiracy by JeM leaders, namely Mufti Abdul Rauf Asghar, brother of Maulana Masood Azhar, based in Pakistan, to recruit persons to carry out terrorist acts in different parts of India.

A large number of Pakistan-trained terrorists, weapons and explosives trainers of JeM had illegally infiltrated into Indian territory after crossing the border, with the help of their associates based in different states.

All the accused, especially Bilal Mir and Muzaffar Bhat, had carried out reconnaissance of targets, arranged hideouts and had provided logistical support to terrorists to carry out terror attacks in India.

Sajad Ahmad Khan had been sent to Delhi to carry out reconnaissance of important targets and to establish a hideout in the national capital.

The main aim was to identify, radicalize and recruit youth, impart them training in handling of weapons and explosives and fieldcraft and raise funds, procure weapons etc. in order to execute their nefarious designs.
Dhanbad : , Feb 28 (IANS/ 101Reporters) Life was not so tough until two decades ago for Dilip Mahto (35), a chai pakora seller in Dhanbad district's Topchanchi. That was a time when tourists flocked to the picturesque Topchanchi Lake in hordes, helping his father Naresh Prasad Mahto earn decently from his lakeside eatery.

Fast forward to 2023, Dilip is struggling hard due to dwindling footfalls to the historic lake built under the British Raj in 1924. "Monthly income has dropped to Rs 3,000 in the off-season. How can I manage household expenses and educate my three children with such meagre earnings? That is why I also work as a daily wage labourer these days." According to Dwarika Mahto (70), another tea stall owner who joins Dilip at work, the lake's heyday was from the 1960s to the 80s. The situation started deteriorating in the early 90s due to non-maintenance.

The latest peak-season (December 15 to January 31) tourist arrivals were around 500 per day against almost 1,000 up until the 90s. Nowadays, during the off-season, and particularly in summer, the count drops to less than 100. Compare this with the days when people used to drive in for picnics and New Year revellries from other parts of the country, especially West Bengal! "For me, the more the number of vehicles, the better the chances of earning well. Therefore, it was not difficult to manage the food and educational expenses of my six children. Two of them are graduates and one is an intermediate (Plus Two) pass. The rest have studied up to Class 10. In contrast, my married sons now find it difficult to make ends meet," says Md Shamshuddin (55), a puncture repair mechanic who had to shift his shop close to the National Highway 2 in need of more customers.

Vikash Mahto, a young mukhiya from Dumdumi panchayat in Topchanchi block, says migration for work was also on the rise due to the lake's poor condition.

Rejuvenate & restore A man-made reservoir, Topchanchi Lake was constructed by tapping 10 water streams flowing down the adjoining Parasnath, the highest mountain peak in Jharkhand at 1,365 m, located in Giridih district. While most of the streams dried up over the years, two of them -Dholkatta and Nalki - continued to be the lake's major water sources. However, diversions made by farmers for irrigation and silt deposition have greatly affected their flows.

Simultaneously, silt deposition in Topchanchi Lake also hit its holding capacity. The lake's normal water level is 50 ft, but it recedes to 30 ft in summers. Taking note of the need to bring back both supply channels and the lake to good health, besides diverting other water streams in Giridih district into Topchanchi Lake, Chandrashekhar Agarwal initiated a drive in 2016 in his capacity as the then Dhanbad mayor.

"We restored the lake's major supply channels to their full glory and made plans to ensure supply from Maheshduba canal in Giridih. However, that did not materialise as an expert team from the urban development department informed us after a survey that it was not technically feasible as the canal was located at a lower altitude. For it to be integrated with Nalki, water should be diverted to a much higher altitude," Agarwal tells 101Reporters.

Further, the silt removal from the lake in 2018-19 by utilising Rs 13.50 crore provided by the minor irrigation department replenished the lake, which touched above 60 ft. Over 100 labourers were employed for the clean-up and six tipper trucks arranged by Dhanbad Municipal Corporation were used to transport the collected mud. As a result, the water level increased to 78 ft in November 2020 and led to a breach for the first time after 2011.

However, a plan to build a tourism circuit connecting Topchanchi and Maithon Dam on River Barakar did not materialise due to lack of funds with the JMADA and the involvement of several departments in the proposed plan.

Tourism push needed Despite its improved health, Topchanchi Lake has not been able to draw as many tourists as it did before. "You know, it is not just about the scenic beauty of the lake spread over 21 acres. Several hillocks surround it. Due to the serene atmosphere, more Siberian birds arrive here when compared with Maithon Dam, located 48 km from Dhanbad," informs Gokul Mukherjee (36), a private tutor.

The 8.7-sq km Topchanchi Wildlife Sanctuary is a dense forest with leopard, jungle cat, chital, barking deer, wild boar, mongoose, langur, jackal and fox roaming it. Apart from locally found bronze-winged jacana, pond heron, egret and swamp partridge, migratory birds such as black cormorant, black-winged stilt, common teal, gadwall, brown-headed gull, spoonbill, red-crested pochard and common coot flock to the lake in winters.

By organising youth in the locality, Mukherjee founded Topchanchi Helping Hands Foundation, which has been calling for concretisation of the lake embankment, renovation of guest houses, tree plantation in nearby areas, repair of a connected bridge and better security as the nearby Giridih has Maoist presence. Also, robbery and street harassment have been reported by tourists recently.

"On our part, we organise cleanliness drives in the lake and nearby spots. As part of our social work, we have established Swami Vivekanand Nishulk Pustakalay, a no-cost library to raise awareness among local children and youth," Mukherjee adds.

Meanwhile, foundation member Advocate Panchanchan Singh draws attention towards the guest houses of the Jharkhand Mineral Area Development Authority (JMADA) in Topchanchi. "Four decades ago, both guest houses offered a comfortable stay for visitors. They are in ruins now." Official position

In its position as the custodian of Topchanchi Lake, the JMADA claims that decreasing revenue since the 1980s is the primary reason for the non-maintenance of existing infrastructure. Right now, the water supply tax is the only source of revenue left with it as the Jharkhand government has handed over collections under tonnage cess, royalty cess and stamp duty to other departments.

Pankaj Kumar Jha, the executive engineer (in-charge) of JMADA, tells 101Reporters that they were working simultaneously on two plans. "For the repair of bridges and culverts in bad shape, a cost estimate is under preparation. The JMADA itself will carry out the repairs. A comprehensive beautification plan for the lake and surroundings is also in the works. This will include the revival of guest houses and building of park benches around the lake." Jha says they have written to the technical team of the state's urban development department to launch a survey to prepare a detailed plan and estimate before April. "We now have sufficient funds to carry out a comprehensive beautification," he adds.

(Praduman Choubey is a Jharkhand-based journalist and a member of 101Reporters, a pan-India network of grassroots reporters)
Hyderabad, Feb 28 : Police in Telangana have assigned a new bullet-proof vehicle to suspended BJP MLA T. Raja Singh following his claims that he was receiving threat calls from Pakistan.

The controversial MLA had been demanding a replacement of the vehicle provided as part of his security and recently tried to stage a protest near the official residence of the Chief Minister.

A white-coloured vehicle has been assigned to the MLA. Raja Singh, who was in Srisailam, said he was yet to check the condition of the new vehicle.

The MLA from Goshamahal constituency in Hyderabad had earlier alleged that the vehicle assigned to him was in bad condition.

On February 10, Raja Singh was detained by police near the official residence of the Chief Minister to stage a protest demanding a replacement of the vehicle.

He had complained that the BR vehicle assigned to him broke down on multiple occasions and also slammed the state government for providing a vehicle which is in poor condition despite the fact that he faces threat to his life from terrorists.

He said the state intelligence officials provided him with a bullet-proof vehicle after the central intelligence agencies stated that he faced threat to his life.

As a mark of protest, Raja Singh had also come to the Assembly early this month on a motorbike.

Last week, the MLA complained to Director General of Police Anjani Kumar he received phone calls from Pakistan threatening to kill him.

The callers claimed their sleeper cell network was very active and one call would end his life.

Raja Singh said that he has been receiving threatening calls every day.

"I have given written complaints many times to the police department but no action has been taken. Not even one person has been arrested," he said.

The MLA was arrested by the police in August last year for making certain comments hurting religious sentiments of Muslims. The BJP had also suspended him from the party.

Raja Singh was released from jail in November.
Chennai, Feb 28 : Madras High Court judge Justice Velmurugan will be travelling to the Vachathi tribal hamlet on March 4 before pronouncing judgment in the three-decade-old rape and assault case of tribal women.

The court on Monday reserved orders in the appeal of the convicts who were government officials with the revenue, police, and forest departments of Tamil Nadu.

The government servants were convicted by a local court for raping 18 tribal women, assaulting more than 100 men and killing cattle on June 20, 1992 when they had visited the village for two days to investigate a sandalwood smuggling case and to get information on forest brigand Veerappan According to the investigating officers, 155 forest personnel, 108 policemen and six revenue officials were involved in the case.

The case was probed by the CBI and a special court convicted 269 people on September 29, 2011. The convicts had moved the Madras High Court which has now reserved the judgment.
Lucknow, Feb 28 : The blame game over the affiliation of the accused in the Umesh Pal murder has now entered the picture gallery.

Pal, a witness in the murder case of a Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) MLA, was shot dead in Prayagraj on February 24.

Several BJP leaders on Tuesday shared an undated picture from their Twitter handles which showed Sadaqat Khan, an accused in the murder, with Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav.

The SP was termed a "nursery of criminals" by Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak who said that his government has zero tolerance against crime.

"Our government has a zero tolerance against crime. The whole state knows that the Samajwadi Party is a nursery of criminals. But we are committed to ensure that no matter what reach any criminal has, we will not spare that person," Pathak said.

Meanwhile, Akhilesh Yadav said that anyone can come up and get a photo clicked with a public official.

"One can get a photo clicked with anyone. Yesterday, the Chief Minister and I had a photo together. It's the age of social media and anyone comes and gets photo clicked," he said while responding to the tweet.

Hours later, SP leader Ameeque Jamei also shared an image of Sadaqat Khan with former BJP MLA Udaybhan Karwariya.

Karwariya is a senior BJP leader and a former MLA.
Hubballi : , Feb 28 (IANS) Reacting to allegations levelled by the Congress leaders against Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP National President J.P. Nadda that they have become "poll agents", Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Tuesday asked whether former AICC President Rahul Gandhi is working as a "Congress agent".

Opposition leader and senior Congress leader, Siddaramaiah had slammed Nadda and Shah, saying that they were working as poll agents.

Addressing the media in Hubballi district, Bommai said the statements made by Congress leaders show the frustration of the party.

"They (Congress) were making such statements as they are worried to see a large number of people gathering during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Karnataka," he added.

"Is it right for the former Chief Minister (Siddaramaiah) to speak in such language. I will leave it to the people," Bommai said.

Asked about the JD(S) leader and former Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy's statement that the upcoming state Assembly election will be his last, Bommai said he did not know about the context but this is not the age for retirement as he (Kumaraswamy) still has to serve people.

"All such things happen during the election. The maturity of the voters grows from one election to another. The people will think when politicians speak," he added.

He said a 'Rath Yatra' will start from March 1-4 and conclude in Davangere after covering all the 224 Assembly constituencies in the state.

"A lot of people will participate in the 'Rath Yatra'. The visit of PM Modi, Amit Shah and Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan to Karnataka will get massive support, and thereafter other BJP leaders will also be coming to the state." Reacting to another query, the Chief Minister said the BJP Parliamentary Board will decide on the list of candidates for the upcoming state Assembly polls.

Asked about the issue of the "Go back CM" campaign in Banavasi, Bommai added that he is not bothered about a few people opposing him, adding that the Rath Yatra programme will be completed at any cost.
Mumbai, Feb 28 : The Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance of Congress-Nationalist Congress Party-Shiv Sena (UBT) protested outside the Assembly here on Tuesday on the plight of the farmers demanding a fair price for the farm produce, especially onion, cotton and soybean cultivators.

Many of the opposition leaders and MLAs came sporting garlands of 'onion' mock 'selling' basket-loads of the vegetable to draw the state government's attention to their situation in view of the sudden drop in procurement prices.

Inside the Assembly, NCP's Leader of Opposition Ajit Pawar raised the issue and said the farmer is in dire straits and the house must drop everything else to discuss their woes.

"We have already informed the government how a cheque of Rs 2 was given to an onion producer in Barshi (Solapur) for his stock, which is a mockery. The government should immediately intervene and direct organisations like the NAFED to purchase the agro-produce plus coordinate with the Centre to resolve the issue," Pawar urged.

He emphasised that the farmers must be given the right prices for their produce since Maharashtra is India's largest onion growing state with 33 per cent share, and the state leads in exports owing to the good quality of the vegetable produced here.

"However, presently, the price is barely Rs 500-600/quintal that has disappointed the farmers and led to widespread protests like roadblocks, dharnas, marches, etc. Besides, even those cultivating cotton, soybeans, gram, grapes are also suffering huge financial losses as they are unable to recover even the production costs," said Pawar.

He called for restarting the Onion Export Promotion Scheme and procuring onions through NAFED and Marketing Federations in the state Outside the Assembly, several opposition MLAs raised slogans, displayed placards and banners in support of the onion farmers, and condemned the indiscriminate caning of the peasants protesting peacefully in Buldhana.

They pointed out how a farmers leader Ravikant Tupkar has threatened to self-immolate himself if the demands of the agriculturists are not met, while Pawar moved an adjournment motion inside the House demanding a probe against the caning incident.

The opposition MLAs like Amol Mitkari, Bhaskar Jadhav, Chhagan Bhujbal, Yashomati Thakur and others pointed out that farmers have been agitating for compensation for crop losses in heavy rains, crop insurance, etc, but nothing has been given so far.

Half the farmers in the state cultivate soybean, which is around 40 per cent of the total national production, and the average cost is around Rs 5,783/quintal, but they are getting barely Rs 5,000/quintal.

Similarly, the production costs for cotton is around Rs 8,180/quintal, but the current market rate is around Rs 8,000/quintal and keeps fluctuating, demanding a fair price for their produce.
Lucknow, Feb 28 : Uttar Pradesh will soon get 79 new women police outposts and counselling centres will also be set up across 74 districts of the state.

Three women's PAC (Provincial Armed Constabulary) battalions are also being established, a statement issued by the Mission Shakti office said.

While some of these police outposts have already been set up with links to the women stations of the respective districts, others are still in the process of being built and are yet to become functional.

The ones being set up in Lucknow will be linked to the women station in Hazratganj. Three such police outposts have already been set up and are operational in Ghaziabad.

Inspector Brajeshlata, who oversees Mission Shakti programmes in Meerut, said: "The mahila thanas are often not accessible to those who live in the rural areas. The chowkis are being set up to make it easier for them to access police services.

"In Meerut, so far, one such chowki has been set up and it is linked to the mahila thana. May be, more such chowkis will come up as and when the need arises." As for the PAC battalions, recruitments are underway according to information from the office of the additional director general (PAC) headquarters.

"The battalions are being established in Lucknow, Gorakhpur, and Badaun, and the recruitment process is underway. As many as 3,786 posts have been sanctioned by the government for the three proposed battalions," a police spokesperson said.

A state institute of forensic sciences will soon be established in Lucknow.
London, Feb 28 : Are you one of those pet parents using smart collars, GPS tracking apps, automatic feeders and pet cameras for the well being of your dogs and cats? Beware, pet and animal-related apps are creating cybersecurity risks to their owners, new research has shown.

A team of computer scientists from the universities of Newcastle and London exposed multiple security and privacy issues by evaluating 40 popular Android apps for pets and other companion animals as well as farm animals.

The results show that several of these apps are putting their users at risk by exposing their login or location details.

"Pet tech such as smart collars and GPS trackers for your cat or dog, is a rapidly growing industry and it brings with it new security, privacy, and safety risks to the pet owners," said lead author Scott Harper, a doctoral student at Newcastle.

Three applications had the user's login details visible in plain text within non-secure HTTP traffic. This means that anyone is able to observe the internet traffic of someone using one of these apps and will be able to find out their login information.

In addition, two of the apps showed user details, such as their location, that may enable someone to gain access to their devices and risk a cyber-attack.

Another concern was the use of trackers. All but four of the applications were found to feature some form of tracking software. A tracker gathers information on the person using the application, on how they use it, or on the smartphone being used.

The scientists also warn that the apps perform very poorly in terms of notifying the user of their privacy policy. Their analysis shows that 21 of the apps are tracking the user in some way before the user even has a chance to consent to this, violating current data protection regulations.

"We would urge anyone using these apps to take the time to ensure they are using a unique password, check the settings and ensure that they consider how much data they are sharing or willing to share,a Harper said.

The findings were presented at the 2022 IEEE European Symposium on Security and Privacy Workshops conference.
Chennai, Feb 28 : Three school students riding two bicycles on Tuesday were hit by a speeding SUV at Valaymaptu village near Vaniyambadi in Tirupattur district of Tamil Nadu, police said.

The three boys identified as S. Rafiq and two siblings, R. Vijay and R. Suriya, who were in their bicycles died on the spot. All the deceased studied in Class 8.

While the brothers, Suriya and Vijay were riding the same bicycle, Rafiq was in another bicycle.

The deceased children were residents of the Melavampatti village in Vaniyambadi.

Tiruvattur Superintendent of Police, S. Balakrishnan, told IANS, "The driver of the SUV which mowed down the boys, Santosh Kumar (29) is in our custody and he said that he had lost control of the vehicle when some cattle suddenly crossed the highway." The SUV then veered towards the opposite side and hit the children who were riding a bicycle to reach school.

There was heavy traffic congestion on the Chennai- Bengaluru highway at the accident spot and the Superintendent of Police took direct control of the situation and cleared the traffic congestion.

The bodies of the three boys are kept in Vaniyambadi Taluk hospital for post-mortem.

Tirupattur District Collector, Bhaskara Pandian reached the hospital and met the parents of the children who died in the accident.
Mumbai, Feb 28 : Seerat Kapoor, who made her debut with the Telugu film 'Run Raja Run' and was also seen playing a gray character in the crime thriller 'Maarrich' starring Tusshar Kapoor, discussed the importance of finding the right medium for the right content, and her thoughts on OTT versus theatrical release.

She said: "In just a few years, I believe filmmaking has expanded dramatically for all of us. Cinema and its experience have evolved. From theatrical releases to now having content instantly accessible on your phone. There are even web series and shows that have travelled across the world in terms of content. Whereas many people are concerned that the growth of OTT would result in fewer people going to see movies in theatres, I disagree." The actress was also seen in 'Raju Gari Gadhi 2' opposite Nagarjuna and 'Touch Chesi Chudu' opposite Ravi Teja.

She added: " I believe OTT and theatrical releases are completely different experiences altogether. Either way, it lies in the hands of the audience really. Whether it's the taste of the kind of story they prefer or the experience they chose to enjoy it." While concluding the conversation, she shared that for her, medium is not that important as she is more concerned about the story and the role given to her. She wants to give her best in her work and this matters most for her.

"For me, the story and the characters have always held utmost importance regardless of the medium. Over the years, I have formed a relationship with my audience, where they shower and support me with their love for the characters I have chosen." "Most of my films have left them pondering while also entertaining. It's a very sacred connection I share with them. So whichever platform the story may release, on the bright side, today as creatives we have extended ways to explore our potential and give back to our audiences to keep their smiles around life intact," she concluded.

On the work front, Seerat will be seen playing the lead in Dil Raju's next, which is yet untitled.
Kolkata, Feb 28 : The Calcutta High Court on Tuesday sought a detailed report from the West Bengal government on the statistics of migrant labourers in the state.

A division bench comprising Chief Justice Prakash Srivastava and Justice Rajarshi Bharadwaj directed the state government to file a detailed report in the matter in the form of an affidavit within next four weeks.

The bench also expressed anguish on why the state government has been unable to provide a clear picture.

The bench was hearing PIL filed by one Biswajit Mukhopadhyay. During Covid-pandemic and lockdown period, several migrant workers from the state returned. However, there was no initiative on part of the state government to have a clear count on the approximate number of migrant labourers from the state.

The petitioner alleged that immediately after the 2021 West Bengal assembly elections, he sought an answer from the state government for which he did not get any response.

In 2022, Mukhopadhyay filed an RTI for the same after which the state government informed him about the absence of specific information.

As per rule, if any factory employs five or more migrant workers from a particular state, the factory authorities are required to inform the native state authorities.
San Francisco, Feb 28 : Elon Musk-run Tesla has paused the rollout of its Full Self-Driving (FSD) beta software in the US and Canada until a firmware update can be issued to address a safety recall.

"Tesla has issued a voluntary recall on certain Model S, Model 3, Model X and Model Y vehicles that have installed or are pending installation of software that contains the Full Self-Driving (FSD) Beta feature. This recall affects only US and CA vehicles," Tesla wrote on the support page.

"Until the software version containing the fix is available, we have paused the rollout of FSD Beta to all who have opted-in but have not yet received a software version containing FSD Beta," it added.

Earlier this month, Tesla announced to update Full Self-Driving (FSD) beta over "crash risks" in nearly 3,63,000 vehicles.

However, the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has "recalled" several Tesla models -- including Model S, Model X, Model 3 and Model Y series that have installed or were pending installation of a software release that contains the FSD Beta.

Musk earlier tweeted about his disdain for the word "recall," saying Tesla is not recalling any cars.

"The word 'recall' for an over-the-air software update is anachronistic and just flat wrong," he posted.

NHTSA has been investigating Tesla's driver-assist technology for several years.

FSD Beta is a driver support feature that can provide steering and braking/acceleration support to the driver under certain operating limitations.

With FSD Beta, the driver is responsible for the operation of the vehicle whenever the feature is engaged and must constantly supervise the feature and intervene (steer, brake or accelerate) as needed to maintain the safe operation of the vehicle.
United Nations, Feb 28 : Representatives of fugitive self-proclaimed godman Swami Nithyananda's fictional nation of 'Kailasa' have wormed their way into a UN committee's discussion on sustainable development in Geneva creating the false impression that the world organisation has recognised it.

At a general discussion on Sustainable Development held by the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR) on February 24, two persons spoke during the part of the session open to the public claiming to be from the "United States of Kailasa (USK)".

The USK is not among the 193 countries recognised by the UN, which has stringent rules for admission that require the approval of both the Security Council and the General Assembly.

The UN human rights outfits in Geneva are very generous in allowing people to come in and speak at open sessions of their meetings, often drawing charlatans and dubious organisations who make weird claims and the organisations' open procedures allow them to submit presentations that are included in their archives, which make it seem official.

Seldom do real countries that are attacked care to respond as it is acknowledged that the participation of the fringe groups is but a circus and engaging with them will only appear to give them legitimacy.

Charged with rape and abduction and facing a court warrant for his arrest, Nithayananda, fled India in 2019 and later founded what he calls the "nation of Kailasa", an amorphous entity that may be based on an island off the Pacific coast of Central America claiming to represent 2 billion Hindus.

The February 24 meeting took a break from evaluating the reports of countries to have the general discussion featuring experts on sustainable development, legal matters, indigenous people, poverty and labour standards speaking about how the covenant applied to these issues.

The session was chaired by the Committee's head Mohamed Abdel Moneim, and moderated by member Peter Emuze.

The two USK representatives appeared to have gotten in by offering to comment on development issues under discussion.

A woman with heavy make-up wearing a turban, a forehead ornament and necklaces introduced herself with what sounded as Vijayapriya Nithyananda, USK's representative to the UN, She claimed that under "Supreme Pontiff of Hinduism" Nithayananda, "Kailasa has been implementing the ancient Hindu policies and indigenous solutions that are in alignment with a time-tested Hindu principles" for sustainable development".

She added that in the make-believe country, "the basic necessities of livelihood which is which are food, shelter, clothing, education, medical care, they're all offered for free to all citizens".

Vijayapriya then inserted the propaganda about Nithayananda's "intense persecution and human rights violation for reviving the indigenous traditions and lifestyle and lifestyle of Hinduism".

"And he was even banned from preaching and exiled from his birth country," she added, asking the panel what can be done to help him.

Later a man who identified himself as Ian Kumar claiming to be a small farmer and a USK representative addressed a question to an official panellist, Saima Zia from Pakistan who spoke as an expert on small farmers.

He did not bring up Nithyananda but only asked her about what can be done about "local legislation that might significantly stifle indigenous groups who want to authentically practice their cultural agricultural traditions" -- a problem in the imaginary country.

He was dressed in a yellow kurta and was flanked by two women, both wearing rudraksh malas and necklaces, one also sporting a turban and a pendant on her forehead, adding to the carnival atmosphere around them.

One of the women tried futilely to speak.

None of the panellists responded to their comments or questions.

The CESCR, which operates under the broad umbrella of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, is a committee of 18 independent experts who monitor the implementation of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights that enshrines rights to adequate food, adequate housing, education, health, social security, water and sanitation, and work.

The covenant was adopted by the General Assembly in 1966 and was ratified by India in 1979.

Earlier this year, USK submitted a response to an open call for inputs by the Rapporteur on the sexual exploitation of children.

The USK sent in a report about its "Nithyananda Gurukul, the traditional residential education system" which teaches "the 64 vidyas", which it said was shut down by "deep state elements" in 2010.

The rapporteur posted the submission along with those of 12 other organisations in preparation for a report to the Human Rights Council next month.

USK claims the posting is a recognition by the UN of Nithayananda's "persecution".
Kochi, Feb 28 : The regional judicial colloquium on "POCSO Act (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act), Juvenile Justice & Drug Abuse among Children" organised by the Kerala High Court has decided to make recommendations to the Central and State governments to adopt certain measures for tackling the issue of drug abuse amongst children.

Judges from the five Southern states and Puducherry took part in the meeting and also to sensitise different stakeholders in the justice delivery system who handle cases involving children in the backdrop of the legislations enacted in that regard.

At the end, the colloquium recommended that the Centre take proactive steps to establish dedicated drug treatment and rehabilitation centres for children as per the guidelines laid down by the Supreme Court in its judgment in Bachpan Bachao Andolan v. Union of India, and the provisions of the Central Sector Scheme of Assistance for Prevention of Alcoholism & Substance (Drugs) Abuse and for Social Defence Services that was framed by the Central Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment.

It also wanted the High Courts to ensure that respective Registrar Generals intimate the above resolution to the competent authority of the Union Government in the Ministry of Social Justice and the State Governments concerned, including the Union Territory of Puducherry for information and necessary action.

The colloquium was inaugurated on Saturday by a judge of the Supreme Court of India and Chairperson of the Juvenile Justice Committee of the Supreme Court, Justice S. Ravindra Bhat.

Justice Bhat highlighted the issue of increasing drug use amongst children and the need for exercising discretion in cases involving consensual sexual relationships between adolescents.
Lucknow, Feb 28 : Early onset of summer has led to a drop in the water level of Gomti river to 1.4 feet below the normal 346.7 feet due to the extreme weather.

No winter rains and unusually high temperatures in February are being cited as reasons.

According to officials, the normal level is the "intake point" below which the Jal Sansthan pumping station at Gaughat water works cannot draw water to supply it to many areas of the Old city.

Sources said that the situation may lead to a drinking water crisis in the state capital, if the river is not provided fresh supply from Sharda canal by the irrigation department in the next six days.

According to the Jalkal department, the water level has reached 345. 3 feet at Gaughat pumping station - the level the river reaches usually in May.

Due to drop in water level, the Jalkal department had to cut water supply for half an hour in the morning and evening in Aminabad, Aishbagh, Nakhas, Rakabganj, Naka, KKC, Lalbagh, Latouche Road last week.

Thereafter, some quantity of water was released from the canal by the irrigation department that is being used.

Prof Dhruvsen Singh, a geologist at Lucknow University who has done extensive work on the Gomti, said that there are three main reasons behind this.

"The first reason is no winter rains this year, the second is the extremely hot February and the third is the widespread withdrawal of groundwater," he said.

"The river originates from Gomat Taala in Pilibhit and is a groundwater fed river that is enriched with rainwater. Since, this year, all three factors were adversely affected, water level went down," he said.

He further stated, "We cannot control rain or weather conditions, so groundwater extraction should be controlled, and rain water harvesting should be done in every household. If remedial steps are started today, it will take at least two years to restore normalcy." The temperature in February, this year, has remained 2 to 5 degrees Celsius higher than normal and there has been 73 per cent reduction in winter rainfall.

According to a senior official at the School of Earth Environmental Sciences (SEES), BBAU, global warming could be the reason behind meteorological anomalies.

"If we follow the meteorological department's "100 Year Rainfall Series", which was released a few years back, we will find that the rainfall in the upper basin of the Gomti has decreased for the last 20 years. As a result, the tributaries have dried up, but people kept extracting groundwater. All this is slowly drying up the river," he said.

Ram Kailash Gupta, general manager, Jalkal department, said, "We are in talks with the irrigation department to release 100 cusecs of water per day from Sharda to Gomti soon to meet the crisis."
Bhubaneswar, Feb 28 : Ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) and opposition BJP and Congress on Tuesday created a ruckus in Odisha Assembly over different issues forcing the Speaker to adjourn the proceedings till 4 p.m.

After the smooth conduct of the Question Hour, as soon as the Zero Hour began at 11.30 a.m., the treasury bench members stood up on their seats and raised slogans against the central government for non-sanctioning of PMAY houses for Odisha.

Holding posters and banners, the BJD members blamed the BJP-led union government for not sanctioning the pucca house for poor people of the state.

On the other hand, BJP and Congress targetted the BJD government, raising minister Naba Das murder case. As a chaotic situation prevailed, Speaker Bikram Keshari Arukha adjourned the proceedings till 4 p.m.

BJD MLA Dhruba Charan Sahoo said the Centre is showing step-motherly attitude towards Odisha in sanction of houses under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY).

"Our Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had sought 15 lakh PMAY houses for the state. However, the Centre has sanctioned only 8 lakh houses. They are not sanctioning the remaining 7 lakh houses," he said.

Speaking to media persons outside the House, BJP chief whip Mohan Majhi said the opposition has moved an adjournment motion on alleged murder of Gobind Sahu, prime accused in sensational lady teacher Mamita Meher murder case.

The treasury bench members disturbed the Assembly during zero hour so that the issue cannot be discussed in the House, he said.

Leader of opposition Jayanarayan Mishra (BJP) raised the question in absence of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik in the House.

"It is unfortunate that the ruling party members are afraid to face the Assembly. That's why they don't want to allow the House to function smoothly," said Congress legislature party leader Narasingha Mishra.

Though one month has passed since the murder of Naba Das, the motive behind the crime has not yet been revealed, he said.

Meanwhile, both the BJP and BJD are holding separate demonstrations over the minister's murder case and central negligence on sanction of PMAY houses in Bhubaneswar, respectively.
Bengaluru, Feb 28 : Karnataka Police said on Tuesday that it has cracked the murder case of a 71-year-old man in Bengaluru and arrested his son and two contract killers in connection to the crime.

Investigations have revealed that the victim's son, Manikantha (30), had hired the contract killers by paying them a sum of Rs 1 crore.

The two other accused were identified as T. Adarsha (26) and Shivakumar (24).

The victim, Narayanaswamy, was hacked to death on February 13 in the parking lot of his apartment.

The police said that they also suspect the role of other persons in the case and will arrest them soon.

According to the police, the victim favoured Manikantha's second wife and decided to register his property in her name.

Feeling dejected by this, he then decided to kill his father.

In 2013, Manikantha was jailed for allegedly killing his first wife. He was again imprisoned for a second time for trying to kill his second wife.

He met the contract killers while he was in prison for the second time and had promised them of Rs 1 crore and an apartment each for killing his father.

Manikantha also paid Rs 1 lakh in advance, the police said.

Narayanaswamy owned an apartment complex which had 28 flats, as well as acres of land in Bengaluru.

He had decided to register one of the flats, 1.7 acre of land and Rs 15 lakhs in cash in the name of Manikantha's second wife's name.

The Marathahalli police are investigating the case.
Srinagar, Feb 28 : Two terrorists and a soldier were killed on Tuesday in an encounter in South Kashmir's Pulwama district that has now ended, officials said, Of the two terrorists, Aqib Mustaq Bhat was responsible for the murder of Sanjay Sharma, a Kashmiri Hindu who was killed in the district on Sunday.

Police said Bhat had initially worked for the Hizbul Mujahideen terror outfit, but he was presently associated with The Resistant Front militant group.

"Incriminating materials including arms and ammunition were recovered. A search is going on." The identities of the second terrorist and the soldier were not immediately known/

The encounter in the Padgampura erupted after a joint team of police and security forces received a tip-off about the presence of terrorists in the area.

After the security forces cordoned off the area, the terrorists tarted firing drawing retaliation.
New Delhi, Feb 28 : The Delhi High Court on Tuesday asked the Central government to file a proper counter affidavit to a Vice News journalist Angad Singh's plea challenging his deportation from Delhi to New York in August last year and being "blacklisted" despite being an Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) card holder.

Appearing for the Centre, advocate Anurag Ahluwalia had last month told the court that as the US-based journalist has violated Section 11A of the Foreigners Order, 1948, which prohibits a foreigner from producing any picture, film or documentary without permission in writing from the Centre, he is a blacklisted subject.

During the hearing on Tuesday, appearing for Singh, Advocate Swathi Sukumar said that she had moved an amendment application against the blacklisting which was mentioned in the counter affidavit of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).

The FRRO, in an affidavit, told the court that Singh was blacklisted at the instance of the Consulate General of India in New York.

According to the affidavit, Singh had allegedly depicted India in a negative manner in the "India Burning" documentary.

Ahluwalia had earlier submitted that Singh was entering India on his journalist visa for a personal visit but he wasn't issued a visa for that.

On Tuesday, Sukumar further said that she did not have a copy of the blacklisting order.

Ahluwalia said that he would file a "detailed response". He added that the primary condition was that Singh comes to the place, makes a video, gives it to the consulate general for approval, once approved, then the video could have been made public.

Sukumar argued that the Centre had to seek instructions on whether any proceedings were initiated for cancellation of Singh's OCI card.

To this, Ahluwalia said that they have not initiated any proceedings as of now and added that filing the blacklisting order may not be necessary.

While allowing the amendment to the writ petition and directing the Centre to file a proper counter affidavit to the amended petition, the court noted: "It is submitted by the Centre that their stand would be stated in the counter affidavit which is now to be filed in the amended writ." The court listed the matter for the next hearing in May.

Singh has covered important issues in his documentaries, including the Shaheen Bagh protests, the farmers' protests and the Covid-19 pandemic in India, among others.

In his plea, Singh has mentioned that his fundamental right under the Citizenship Act, 1955, is being violated by not letting him into India.

Earlier, Singh's counsel had sought a declaration that his deportation from the government was illegal and disclosure of all the materials and data available with the government related to him.
Kochi, Feb 28 : The Kerala High Court on Tuesday denied anticipatory bail to a man accused of manhandling a doctor for allegedly misbehaving with his wife while examining her at a hospital.

It would be difficult for a doctor to pursue his profession if a patient is aggrieved by the doctor touching him or her during clinical examination, it observed.

"If a patient, who wants treatment, is aggrieved in the matter of touch on the body of the petitioner as part of the examination, it is difficult for a doctor to do his medical profession by resorting to clinical examination. The same would include placing a stethoscope on the left chest portion of the patient to observe and evaluate the heartbeat," the court said.

At the same time, genuine cases of misbehaviour by doctors overstepping their limits cannot be ignored, it added.

The Court further said that the truth of those allegations should be evaluated based on evidence and circumstances to separate the grain from the chaff.

As per the prosecution case, on January 8 around 6 p.m, the doctor on call duty, had examined the wife of the accused, aged 27 years, at the casualty section of the hospital.

While doing so, the accused caught hold of the doctor's collar and slapped him alleging that he touched his wife's body.

The prosecution, on the other hand, strongly opposed the grant of anticipatory bail and contended that the accused has criminal antecedents and that various crimes have been registered against him.

After going through the case records, the court noted that the doctor examined the accused man's wife in the presence of two sisters in an open space at the casualty.

The misbehaviour case was registered against the doctor only after the registration of the crime against the accused, it was further observed.

Therefore, the Court refused to grant anticipatory bail to the accused, stating it could create a dangerous situation, whereby, doctors, who are duty-bound to treat patients as part of their oath, will not get protection and the proper maintenance of the health of the public at large would be in peril.
New Delhi, Feb 28 : The Supreme Court was informed on Tuesday that the Punjab Governor by an order has summoned the house for the budget session on March 3.

The Punjab government had moved the Apex Court challenging the state Governor's refusal to convene the budget session of the Assembly on said date.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta submitted before a bench headed by Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud that governor of Punjab has agreed to call the budget session of the Assembly on March 3. The hearing in the matter is in progress.

In the morning, senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, representing the Punjab government, mentioned the matter for an urgent hearing before a bench of Chief Justice of India (CJI) D.Y. Chandrachud and Justice P.S. Narasimha.

Singhvi contended that the Governor said since the chief minister made some statements in unconnected matters, he would not convene the session. The top court then scheduled the matter for hearing at 3.50 p.m. on Tuesday.

Last week, Governor Banwarilal Purohit said that he will decide on allowing the proposed Budget session of the state slated on March 3 only after seeking legal advice on the "derogatory and patently unconstitutional tweets and letter" written by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann.

The council of ministers had recommended that the budget session be held from March 3-24 and a letter seeking the Governor's approval was sent to him.

In the letter, Purohit reproduced the tweets and letter sent by the Chief Minister on February 13 and 14 in response to his letter.

On February 13, the Governor had slammed the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government by questioning decisions taken by it in the past couple of weeks, including lack of transparency in selecting teachers to be sent to Singapore for training.

He had also questioned the appointment of a "tainted" person as chairperson of Punjab Infotech, saying he was accused in property grabbing and kidnapping cases.

The Governor had sought the criteria and details of the entire selection process of Principals for sending them to Singapore as there were allegations of "no transparency".
New Delhi, Feb 28 : Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates on Tuesday visited the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) office in Mumbai, where he held wide-ranging discussions with Governor Shaktikanta Das.

In a tweet, RBI said that Gates went its office during his visit to India, where he is exploring business opportunities in sectors like health and education.

Gates had recently indicated that he wants to do business-related activities in India.

"Like every other country on the planet, India has limited resources. But it has shown us how the world can still make progress in spite of that constraint," Gates had tweeted on Monday.
Dharamsala, Feb 28 : The spirit of Vaclav Havel's friendship with Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama lives on, remarked Czech foreign minister Jan Lipavsky on Tuesday on meeting representative of the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) in New Delhi.

On the sidelines of the ongoing G20 foreign ministers meeting, Lipavsky met with Norzin Dolma, CTA's Minister for the Department of Information and International Relations.

After the meeting with the Tibetan delegates, the Czech Foreign Minister tweeted, "It was a pleasure to meet again with representatives of Tibetans in exile during my visit to India.

"The friendship between Vaclav Havel and His Holiness the Dalai Lama lives on," he said, adding the meeting was a productive exchange of views on mutual priorities and concerns.

Lobsang Shastri, a representative at the Bureau of His Holiness the Dalai Lama in New Delhi, said the meeting cemented the continued support of the Czech Republic for Tibet and the Tibetan people.

On December 18, 2011, at the age of 75, Vaclav Havel passed away. The last president of Czechoslovakia and first president of the Czech Republic, Havel was the playwright-cum-politician who led the Velvet Revolution that ended Communist rule in his eastern European nation.

Just a week before his passing, Havel met with His Holiness in Prague. The Dalai Lama glowingly described his friend.

Upon hearing news of Havel's death, the Dalai Lama said in a letter from his office that "the world has lost a great statesman whose steadfast and unflinching determination played a key role in bringing freedom and democracy to the then Czechoslovakia. He was an unassuming and a courageous leader." The Dalai Lama has been living in India since fleeing his homeland in 1959. The Tibetan administration in exile is based in the hill town of Dharamsala in Himachal Pradesh.
Mumbai, Feb 28 : Continuing its string of wins, filmmaker S. S. Rajamouli's 'RRR' recently bagged five awards at the recently concluded HCA awards. While Ram Charan was seen during the ceremony, the absence of the film's other lead, NTR Jr left his fans fuming.

The hullabaloo reached a point where Hollywood Critics Association (HCA) itself had to step in and issue a clarification over why the actor, who played Komaram Bheem in Rajamouli's magnum opus, didn't attend the ceremony.

Taking to its Twitter handle, the HCA released a statement saying that they had indeed invited the actor but he couldn't be there as he is busy shooting for another film in India and his work commitment kept him away from the ceremony.

The statement read: "Dear RRR fans & supporters, We did invite N. T. Rama Rao Jr. to attend the #HCAFilmAwards but he is shooting a new film in India. He will be receiving his awards from us shortly. Thank you for all your love and support. Sincerely, The Hollywood Critics Association." At the Hollywood Critics Association Awards, 'RRR' won Best International Film along with 3 big awards, including Best Action Film, Best Stunts, and Best Original Song for the Oscar-nominated 'Naatu Naatu' and also the special 'spotlight' award.
Chennai, Feb 28 : The Madras High Court on Tuesday dismissed a bail application by D. Kowse Azam Basha who allegedly had plotted and executed the murder of his brother, D. Masthan who was the then vice chairman of Tamil Nadu Minorities Commission.

Madras High Court judge, Justice T.V. Thamilselvi dismissed the bail application after hearing the argument by the prosecution as well as the deceased leader's son, Harish Shanavaz.

The government counsel Vinoth Raj, during his argument, said that the investigation of the murder case was at its preliminary stages and that bail should not be granted to the accused. The advocate also submitted the forensic report on the murder of Masthan.

The advocate for Masthan's son, S. Manuraj said that the murder of Masthan was a pre-planned one and that as per the forensic report his client's father was smothered to death by the accused. He said that Masthan was also strangulated, and opposed the bail to the accused.

Masthan died on December 21 near Guduvanchery and initially the death was dismissed as due to a heart attack. However, his son raised suspicion and police questioned, Imran Basha, son of the petitioner who was with Masthan during his death.

During interrogation, it became clear that Kowse Azam Basha, the petitioner had communicated with the accused and was arrested. Further probe revealed that Basha and Masthan were at loggerheads due to some issues regarding sharing of ancestral property.
United Nations, Feb 28 : The UN mission in Mali condemned and vowed to investigate a recent raid where terrorists killed at least 12 civilians, a UN spokesman said.

The UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilisation Mission in Mali, known as MINUSMA, condemned the attack by an armed terrorist group at the Kani-Bonzon village in the Bandiagara region, said Stephane Dujarric, the Chief Spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, on Monday. The raiders killed the villagers, wounded three others and torched several buildings.

Dujarric added that the special representative of the Secretary-General and Head of MINUSMA, El-Ghassim Wane, met with authorities and has taken the necessary steps to investigate the attack, in line with the mission's mandate to promote and protect human rights.

The Spokesman said the meetings bolstered cooperation and reaffirmed the mission's efforts to help stabilise the country, Xinhua news agency reported.

Landlocked Mali, one of the poorest countries in the world, suffered jihadist raids and political turmoil in recent years.
New Delhi, Feb 28 : The Adani Group is a portfolio of businesses with strong fundamentals and robust assets. Over the years, it has consistently reported excellent financial and operational performance.

Senior leaders and captains of the industry have come forward to assure the country that India's financial sector is robust and well-governed. They have cautioned investors against believing those who question India's ability to govern itself.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has described India as "a very well-regulated financial market".

Quoting LIC's and SBI's senior leadership, she assured investors that the two institutions are not overexposed to Adani Group stocks.

"They have very clearly said that their exposure (to Adani Group) is very well within the permitted limits and with valuation falling as well, they are still over profit. That is the word from the horse's mouth," she said.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has put to rest concerns about PSU banks' exposure to the Adani Group. The RBI said that the "banking sector remains resilient and stable".

It added that, as the regulator and supervisor, RBI maintains a constant vigil on the banking sector and on individual banks with a view to maintain financial stability.

Subsequently, RBI Deputy Governor M.K. Jain said that bank exposure to the Adani Group is "not very significant" and also that exposure against shares of Adani companies is "insignificant".

He added, "Domestic banks' exposure is against underlying assets, operating cash flows, projects under implementation and not based on the market cap." Former SEBI Executive Director J.N. Gupta said the Hindenburg report lacks credibility because of the short positions - designed to profit from a fall in stock price - that the US-based firm has.

"In my opinion, the Hindenburg report is not a gospel truth," he said.

Explaining the motive behind Hindenburg's action, he added, "A report can be called credible if there is no motive attached to it. In this particular case, there appears to be two motives. One, clearly stated that they have a short position. The other is an indirect motive, aimed at causing maximum harm to the shares of Adani Group, once again to further their motive of short selling." In a move that will further boost market confidence in the Adani Group's strong fundamentals, Devendra Fadnavis, Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra, said the state will soon issue a government resolution (GR) formally awarding the Dharavi redevelopment project to the Adani Group.

"A few nitty-gritties are to be worked out before the GR is issued. It will be done very soon," he said.

In the south, the Government of Kerala has agreed to provide Adani Ports Rs 400 crore when 30 per cent of the breakwater construction at the Vizhinjam Port is completed. As work picks up pace, the state government is working on raising the required funds.

SBI Chairman Dinesh Khara said that the bank has not extended any loans against the shares of Adani Group companies, demystifying the exposure of the state lender to Adani Group's stocks.

He said, "The stock price will not impact our loans. It is all against assets that are cash generating and have an excellent track record in repayments." He added that SBI's exposure to the Adani Group is around Rs 27,000 crore or 0.8 per cent to 0.9 per cent of its loan book. He also said that SBI does not see any challenges in servicing the loans.

"We have lent to Adani for projects which have tangible assets and have adequate cash collections. They are able to meet obligations." LIC CEO Siddhartha Mohanty is positive on Adani stocks. He said that all investments by LIC were made in accordance with the company's standard operating procedures.

DBS Bank, one of the 'Big Three' banks in Singapore, has also put its weight behind the Adani Group.

Referring to the Adani portfolio of companies, Piyush Gupta, CEO of DBS, said, "They are solid, cash-generating companies. So, we are not concerned about the exposure." Southeast Asia's largest bank sees "huge potential" in the cement industry and is confident that the bank's exposure is "quite tightly managed". DBS provided $750 million to the Adani Group during last year's acquisition of Holcim's cement business in India.

Describing investments in the Adani Group's gas and renewable energy businesses as "healthy", Patrick Pouyanne, CEO of TotalEnergies, said, "These companies [ATGL & AGEL] have assets and revenue. Adani Green is still worth twice as much as we invested. Adani Gas is still worth eight times more. Our accounting is healthy, there was due diligence before and due diligence after." Underlining the significance of the Adani Group's green energy initiatives, Erik Solheim, noted green activist, diplomat, and former Norwegian Minister for Climate Change, expressed solidarity with the business group and tweeted, "Adani has been under heavy attack for the last couple of weeks. It's very important to know Adani's response. Adani Green is a most important company for India's green future." Addressing concerns around the stock valuation of Adani, Prakash Kacholia, MD of Emkay Global Financial Services, said that the medium-term implications of the allegations against the Adani Group are unlikely to be significant.

"While we are not forensic accountants, almost all major assets of the Adani Group are in ports, airports, power and transmission, and roads, where returns are regulated and unit numbers are reported to various regulatory bodies," he said.

Rubbishing suggestions that banks in India would have lent to the Adani Group "on instructions from higher-ups", DLF Chairman K.P. Singh said the turmoil engulfing the Adani Group following the allegations levelled by the US-based short seller has not shaken the faith of global investors in India.

Uday Kotak, Chairman of Kotak Mahindra Bank, said that he "does not see systemic risk to the Indian financial system".

He added that "large Indian corporates relying more on global sources for debt and equity finance creates challenges and vulnerabilities, and it is time to further strengthen Indian underwriting and capacity building".

Sanjiv Chadha, MD & CEO of Bank of Baroda, said that the bank will continue to lend to the Adani Group.

In another statement, he said that Bank of Baroda is willing to consider lending additional money to the Adani Group, including for remodelling of the Dharavi redevelopment project.

"You have underwriting standards and you stick to them in good times as well as bad times," Chadha said, adding that he is not concerned about the market volatility around Adani stocks.

Goldman Sachs has said that Adani Ports' debt is well capitalised with cash on hand, while being liquid enough to trade. It also expects the company to be able to refinance its bonds while also having the prospect of attracting equity investors and selling assets.

Credit ratings agency Fitch Ratings too has dispelled concerns about the Adani Group's companies, stating that there is no immediate impact on the ratings of the Fitch-rated Adani entities and their securities.

Fitch added that it expects no material changes to its forecast cash flow and informed that there are also no near-term significant offshore bond maturities, reducing refinancing risks and near-term liquidity risks.

Later, the agency also said that the exposure of Indian banks to the Adani Group is insufficient to present substantial risk to the banks' standalone credit profiles. It added that it believes the economic and sovereign implications of the Adani controversy remain limited.

Moody's pointed out that the credit ratings for Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Ltd, Adani Green Energy Ltd, and Adani Transmission Ltd are underpinned by their regulated infrastructure businesses with long-term sales contracts, or their strong operating cash flows and dominant market position.

Dismissing concerns about the quality of the Adani Group's debt, financial services major JP Morgan Chase said that Adani Group companies remain eligible for inclusion in CEMBI, JACI and JESG indices, as per current index rules. Besides CEMBI and JACI, Adani's dollar bonds remain eligible to be part of JP Morgan's ESG Global Corporate Index (JESG).

Echoing the sentiments of industry leaders, Anand Mahindra, Chairman of the Mahindra Group, said, "Global media is speculating whether current challenges in the business sector will trip India's ambitions to be a global economic force. I've lived long enough to see us face earthquakes, droughts, recessions, wars, terror attacks. All I will say is: Never, ever bet against India." Former Solicitor General Harish Salve, one of India's top legal minds, said, "Nobody is happy that Indian businessmen are making their presence felt globally." He said that the accusations against the Adani Group is a wholesale assault on India and Indians, adding that most of Adani's assets are regulated. Salve also said that the records of the Adani Group companies are in the public domain, and for someone to say that they did some hidden research is "all nonsense".

The Mauritius Financial Services Commission has not found any breach of law by the companies and funds linked to the Adani Group, according to its CEO Dhanesswurnath Vikash Thakoor.

"Based on the submissions we have got so far with respect to what they are supposed to do, we have not found any breach of law, notwithstanding the fact that a number of these entities were also subjected to our routine onsite inspection according to our cycle," said the Chief of the Mauritius' securities market regulator.

Refuting the allegations levelled by Rahul Gandhi that the Mumbai airport was wrested from the GVK Group by the Adani Group, GVK Vice Chairman Sanjay Reddy said that the Adani Group's offer had come as a welcome relief for the GVK Group which had then been under debt repayment pressure.

He also revealed that the Adani Group Chairman had been willing to close the transaction very quickly to help the GVK Group meet its repayments.
Berlin, Feb 28 : Two people have been seriously injured following gunshots near a school in Bramsche in northwest Germany, according to the local police.

Police have arrested the suspected shooter, and there is no danger to the people. The school itself was also not affected, the police said as quoted by Xinhua news agency report.
Chennai: Vice President Jagdeep Dhankar interacts with students during the inauguration ceremony of 'Centre for Innovation' at IIT Madras in Chennai on Tuesday, Feb 28, 2023. (Photo:IANS/Twitter) Image Source: IANS News

Chennai: Vice President Jagdeep Dhankar interacts with students during the inauguration ceremony of 'Centre for Innovation' at IIT Madras in Chennai on Tuesday, Feb 28, 2023. (Photo:IANS/Twitter) Image Source: IANS News

Chennai: Vice President Jagdeep Dhankar during the inauguration ceremony of 'Centre for Innovation' at IIT Madras in Chennai on Tuesday, Feb 28, 2023. (Photo:IANS/Twitter) Image Source: IANS News

Chennai: Vice President Jagdeep Dhankar interacts with students during the inauguration ceremony of 'Centre for Innovation' at IIT Madras in Chennai on Tuesday, Feb 28, 2023. (Photo:IANS/Twitter) Image Source: IANS News

Chennai, Feb 28 : Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankar on Tuesday said that students have now become employment providers and entrepreneurs instead of job-seekers.

The Vice-President was speaking at a function in Indian Institute of Technology-Madras (IIT-M) after inaugurating a new innovation facility at the premier institute.

The new centre, IIT-Madras Centre for Innovation is dedicated to supporting and encourage Innovation and Entrepreneurship (I&E) activities of students and researchers.

The Vice-President in his inaugural speech said that alumni is the strength of an institution and that the alumni of institutions will take the country towards the path of growth.

Dhankar also said that the country has 80,000 start-ups and that this was the third largest in the world. The Vice-President praised the IIT-Madras and other similar institutions for their functioning over the years.

He also said that India has become the third largest economy in the world and that now when India speaks world was listening.

The Sudha and Shankar Innovation hub at IIT-Madras is the first architect-designed space dedicated to the student-led activities.
Colombo, Feb 28 : Sri Lanka's Cabinet of Ministers has approved a proposal to allow private companies to supply Jet A-1 aviation fuel to airplanes as the state-owned petroleum distributor fails to meet the demand, government Spokesperson Bandula Gunawardena said on Tuesday.

Addressing a press conference, the Spokesperson added that Jet A-1 aviation fuel is currently being supplied to aircraft by the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC), Xinhua news agency reported.

However, in the past year the operations at the Sapugaskanda Oil Refinery, where the country's Jet A-1 fuel is produced, has been disrupted due to foreign exchange shortages, Gunawardena said.

Importing Jet A-1 fuel is also a challenge for the CPC because of the foreign currency shortage, the official added.

The Spokesperson said that in recent months the number of aircraft arriving in Sri Lanka has risen due to increasing tourist arrivals.

Gunawardena added that Sri Lanka needs to ensure that there is a continuous supply of Jet A-1 fuel for cargo and passenger airplanes so as to prevent any inconvenience to tourists.

Minister of Ports, Shipping and Aviation, Nimal Siripala de Silva said earlier that in 2022 Sri Lanka was unable to provide adequate jet fuel for aircraft, which resulted in flight cancellations.
New Delhi, Feb 28 : The Supreme Court on Tuesday declined to entertain a plea by arrested Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia challenging his arrest by the CBI in an alleged case of corruption in now-withdrawn Delhi liquor policy.

A bench of Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud and comprising Justice P.S. Narasimha told senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, representing Sisodia, that his client has alternative remedies available before the Delhi High Court and stressed that he must move either the trial court or the high court for the relief he is seeking from the apex court.

The bench also pointed out that this is a case involving the Prevention of Corruption Act and it would not interfere directly ,adding that an efficacious alternate remedy is available. "It will set a very wrong precedent... Just because an incident occurs in Delhi, we can't entertain it here directly," said the bench.

It further pointed out Sisodia is challenging an FIR, challenging remand, seeking bail, all under Article 32. "You have remedies before the High Court under Section 482 CrPC," the bench told Singhvi.

Singhvi referred to the cases of Arnab Goswami and Vinod Dua to say that Article 32 can be invoked for bail in exceptional circumstances. The Chief Justice replied that Goswami's case came to the apex court after the high court, and in Dua's case, it was FIRs against a journalist for critical reports.

Singhvi further contended that the roster judge of the Delhi High Court is not holding sittings on most days as he is involved with the work as UAPA Tribunal in the PFI case. The Chief Justice said the matter could be mentioned before the Chief Justice of the high court.

Singhvi argued that how could they arrest Sisodia when he has appeared on all occasions, and where is the flight risk? However, the apex court declined to entertain the plea.
Kabul, Feb 28 : The intelligence and military chief of Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP) was killed during an operation in Kabul, according to a media report.

Meanwhile, in a separate operation, the Afghan Taliban administration arrested a high-ranking ISKP officer who is known to have been working as the terrorist organisation's subcontinent chief, The Express Tribune reported.

According to the operation details, two Daesh members were killed in an overnight operation against a cell on 1st Street of Shahrak-e-Zakireen, Khair Khana, Kabul.

Among the killed was a key member of the ISKP, Qari Fateh, who previously served as Amir-al-Harb (military leader) for Khorasan, head of Kunar province, head of the eastern zone and currently as the intelligence and operations chief who directly masterminded recent operations in Kabul, including against diplomatic missions, mosques and other targets, The Express Tribune reported.

Afghan Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid told the media that on February 13, a special operation by the IEA Special Forces had also resulted in the death of three Daesh members, including its Indian subcontinent leader, Ijaz Amin Ahingar.

"A number of other Daesh members, including foreign nationals, planning deadly attacks have also been detained in recent days," he added.

It may be noted that the operations come under the backdrop of meetings where Pakistan managed to secure ;fresh commitment" from the Afghan Taliban on tackling the renewed threat posed by banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) after a high-level delegation led by the country's defence minister visited Kabul last week, according to officials familiar with the development, Express Tribune reported.
New Delhi, Feb 28 : Launching a scathing attack on the AAP, the BJP on Tuesday said under the scrapped excise policy, Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia tripled number of liquor shops and reduced dry days.

Addressing a joint press conference, Rajya Sabha MP and BJP national spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi and Delhi BJP working president Virendra Sachdeva said: "The party which claimed that it would bring in a new politics, did not even hesitate to open liquor shops near schools and residential areas. Thousands of lives were ruined due to alcohol." "You would not have seen any such example where a government is providing a liquor bottle free of cost on purchase of one bottle," he added.

Sisodia is in CBI custody in connection with the liquor policy case.
New Delhi, Feb 28 : The Indian government has received the 2023 'Government Leadership Award' at the GSMA's Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2023 event in Barcelona, Spain, Union IT Ashwini Vaishnaw informed on Tuesday.

The GSMA is an association representing the mobile operators and global mobile industry.

"The reforms introduced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government in the telecom sector have transformed it completely. This global award recognises those efforts," the minister said.

"Target of pan-India 5G coverage will be achieved by the end of next year. In a landmark achievement, 387 districts have already been covered under 5G services," Vaishnaw informed.

Lt Gen Dr SP Kochhar, Director General, the Cellular Operators' Association of India (COAI) said that the GSMA's 'Government Leadership Award' recognises world-class leadership in the establishment of sound regulatory policies for mobile connectivity.

"We express our warm compliments on this tremendous achievement, especially to the Union Minister of Communications & IT, the Minister of State for Communications, the Telecom Secretary, as well as the entire Department of Telecommunications and the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India, for the prolific leadership and dynamic support provided to the industry," Kochhar said in a statement.

The industry is delighted and greatly enthused by this development, and "we look forward to playing our role in taking the Indian telecom sector to further heights and help achieve more milestones going ahead," he added.

Meanwhile, Reliance Jio has launched True 5G service in 277 cities across the country and is on the path to achieve the declared goal to increase the Jio 5G footprint to cover every town, taluka and tehsil across the country by December this year.
New Delhi, Feb 28 : China's Foreign Minister Qin Gang will visit India later this week to attend the G20 Foreign Ministers' meeting in the national capital, according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry.

Qin is expected to meet his Indian counterpart S. Jaishankar on the sidelines of the G20 meeting, where according to reports, they are likely to discuss the border issues and review the outcome of talks at diplomatic and military levels, to resolve the matter.

The Chinese Foreign Minister's visit to New Delhi comes even as the two countries continue efforts to resolve border disputes along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Ladakh area and attempts of incursion by the People's Liberation Army of China.

"At the invitation of Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang will attend the G20 foreign ministers conference in New Delhi, India on March 2," the Chinese Foreign Ministry said in a brief statement on Tuesday.

"As the main forum for international economic cooperation, the G20 should focus on addressing outstanding challenges in the field of international economy and development and play a greater role in promoting world economic recovery and global development," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Mao Ning said.

The Chinese Foreign Minister's meeting will be a first after his predecessor Wang Yi had visited India in 2019.

Relations between India and China have been uneasy since the Galwan valley standoff in May 2020.

The March 1-2 meeting of G20 Foreign Ministers will be attended by Russia's Sergei Lavrov, US' Antony Blinken and the UK's James Cleverly.

India has invited representatives of 40 countries, including non-G20 members. meeting of foreign ministers of the Quad countries - the US, India, Australia and Japan - is also scheduled to be held on the sidelines.
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 28, ARMENPRESS. Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructures Gnel Sanosyan held a meeting with the delegation led by Irans Minister of Cooperatives, Labour and Social Welfare Sowlat Mortazavi.

The Iranian Ambassador to Armenia Abbas Badakhshan Zohouri, the Iranian Consul General in Kapan Abedin Varami, representative of the Armenian Embassy in Iran Vardan Kostanyan and other officials were present at the meeting, the ministry said in a press release.

Minister Sanosyan welcomed the officials and appreciated the multi-sector cooperation with friendly Iran.

The Iranian minister attached importance to the existing high level relations between Armenia and Iran. But we shouldnt stop here. We must work to further increase the trade-economic relations between the two countries, Minister Mortazavi said, adding that Armenia is an important actor for Iran in terms of accessing the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) market.

A number of issues of bilateral interest were discussed.

Utilizing the potential of Iranian companies for the development of Armenian infrastructures was highlighted.

Weve increased road construction volumes several times, the construction volume of other infrastructure has also increased, which means that we need additional construction companies and workforce and we will be happy to see Iranian companies in this sector, the Armenian minister said.

Mortazavi said that Iranian private companies have big potential and are ready to contribute to the construction of Armenian infrastructures, including roads, railway and tunnels.

Minister Sanosyan welcomed the readiness and an agreement was reached to convey the needs of the Armenian side to Iran.
Gangtok, Feb 28 : Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, on her second day of Sikkim visit, has left for Lachen, a remote settlement in North Sikkim close to the Indo-China border. She is expected to reach the border village in the late afternoon hours.

Addressing a NABARD outreach programme at Gangtok in the morning before leaving for North Sikkim, Sitharaman said her visit to Lachen, falling under 'Vibrant Village' scheme, is to check the availability of connectivity services, infrastructure and other public facilities for the border populace.

Lachen is about 124 km away from Gangtok at an altitude of 9400 ft and normally takes about five hours to reach there. It is a premier tourism destination for its natural beauty and also as the route to sacred Gurudongmar lake (17,000 ft).

In her address at Gangtok, Sitharaman said there is a big emphasis by the Centre on development of border villages that are very close to the international borders under the 'vibrant village' policy. What we have done in this budget and more particularly in the last budget is to ensure that besides individual benefits, common facilities like roads, internet, proper schools and wellness centres should reach to these vibrant villages, she said.

Sitharaman added that objective is to ensure that youth of these remote border villages do not migrate elsewhere due to lack of connectivity and public facilities. Ministers have been very clearly told that each of us has to visit a border village which is a vibrant village and ensure that all facilities are not merely on paper but should be there on ground, she said.

"I have chosen to go to Lachen and I will definitely spend time there to see if the border village is getting all the facilities. I also realise that it won't be achieved in one visit and therefore I will have to come again. Border villages should be better equipped and connect. Youth there should not leave such villages just because there is lack of infrastructure and connectivity," said Sitharaman.

At the programme also attended by Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang, the Union Finance Minister launched via video-conferencing the much-awaited ropeway connecting Dhapper to Bhaleydhunga cliff near Yangang town, South Sikkim.

Bhaleydhunga peak is located at an altitude of around 3,300 m and offers a 360 degree panoramic view of the Himalayan range. It takes around six hours of trekking to reach the cliff from the base.

Now with the 3.5 km long ropeway service, one can reach the peak top in just 13 minutes.

The passenger ropeway project, which started in 2016, was constructed at a cost of Rs 209.57 crore with a gap funding of Rs 57.82 crore from PM-DevINE. It is expected to boost tourism in the area.

Earlier in the morning, the Union Finance Minister visited an exhibition by NABARD at MG Marg featuring local entrepreneurs who are promoting local handicrafts and handlooms.
Hyderabad/New Delhi, Feb 28 : Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP national President J.P. Nadda and other central leaders discussed the party's strategy for the upcoming Assembly elections in Telangana with the party's state leaders in the national capital on Tuesday.

A crucial meeting was held at Nadda's residence in Delhi which was attended by Union Minister G. Kishan Reddy, BJP's incharge for Telangana Tarun Chugh, state party President Bandi Sanjay and other leaders.

Amit Shah and Nadda discussed with the state leaders the public outreach programmes undertaken by the party in the state and gave directions to strengthen the party in the run-up to the elections.

After the meeting, Bandi Sanjay told reporters that BJP will come to power in the state as people want a change and see the BJP as the only alternative to Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS).

He said the BRS and the Congress were spreading lies that BJP does not have leaders and candidates in all constituencies. "We have strong leaders in all 119 Assembly constituencies," he said.

Sanjay claimed that the BJP is ready for Assembly elections whenever they are held. He announced that a massive public meeting would be organised soon for which Prime Minister Narendra Modi would be invited.

He said the central leaders elicited opinions of the state leaders about various programmes undertaken by the party and gave suggestions on how to take the programmes forward in the coming days.

The state BJP chief said the central leadership expressed satisfaction over the response to 11,000 corner meetings organised by the party across the state recently.

Replying to a query, Sanjay said the BJP has nothing to do with Delhi liquor policy scam and arrest of Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia. "BJP is in no way concerned with the liquor case. The CBI is conducting the investigations," he said.

The BJP leader, however, criticized Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao for not responding to the allegations against his daughter K. Kavitha in the liquor case. "The CBI has mentioned Kavitha's name four times in the charge sheet. Why is KCR silent on this," he asked.

BJP MPs K. Laxman, D. Arvind, MLA Eatala Rajender, D.K. Aruna, Vijaya Shanti,AG. Vivek, Rajagopal Reddy, Jitender Reddy and other leaders attended the meeting.
Addis Ababa, Feb 28 : The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) has warned of the impact of the drought in the Horn of Africa region.

"Following a historic fifth consecutive failed rainy season in the Horn of Africa, more than 36 million people have been affected by the drought in the region, of which more than two million people have been forced to leave their homes in search of life-saving assistance," the IOM said in its latest East and Horn of Africa Drought Response Situation Report issued late Monday.

The World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) last week warned that catastrophic consequences of the multi-year drought will continue in 2023 in the Horn of Africa region, leaving communities in urgent need of assistance, Xinhua news agency reported.

According to a new seasonal forecast, below-normal rainfall is expected in most parts of the region over the next three months, the WMO said in a statement issued last Wednesday.

"Should this happen, it would be an unprecedented sixth poor season for the worst hit countries -- Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia." The WMO said the current drought began with the poor performance of the October-December 2020 rains and has since deepened with all four subsequent seasons also performing poorly. A persistent La Nina event has had a key influence.
New Delhi, Feb 28 : Arrested Delhi ministers - Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and and Satyendar Jain - on Tuesday resigned from the cabinet.

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has accepted their resignations.

According to a AAP source, the CM may reshuffle the cabinet after the resignation of two ministers who were holding important portfolios.

Sisodia, who was arrested on Sunday and sent to CBI custody till March 5 on Monday, held 18 portfolios including Finance and Education. He was also holding charge of Health, which was with Jain, who, now, has been in jail for 10 months.

The resignation of the ministers came after the Delhi BJP demanded that jailed ministers should be out of the cabinet.
Thiruvananthapuram, Feb 28 : As the ultimate aim of science is to bring about a qualitative change in the society, it is important for the scientific community to acquire communication skills to explain to common people how their work has contributed to their wellbeing and the progress of the country, according to A. Ajayaghosh, former director of CSIR-National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology (NIIST), Thiruvananthapuram.

Delivering the National Science Day lecture at Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology (RGCB) here, Ajayaghosh said, "Creation of public awareness about science and its achievements is as important as making progress in science and technology. We scientists should learn how to talk to people on what science has done to make their lives better in a way they understand." Talking on the theme 'Science and Society', Ajayaghosh emphasised that the youth who make science as their preferred domain can contribute significantly in telling the people of the progress of the science and how it impacted their lives.

"Our country has made remarkable progress in science over the last 75 years after attaining Independence due to government support and collective efforts of the scientific institutions," said Ajayaghosh, a recipient of the prestigious S.S. Bhatnagar Award.

Making an overview of the evolution of science in India since ancient times, and through the pre and post-Iindependence period, Ajayaghosh said there is no reason to regret for Indians when it comes to scientific progress though there are some areas where the country is not at a par with some of the advanced countries.

"This progress has been happening collectively in many domains. People are enjoying the benefits of scientific and technological research and development. And, science is going to play a critical role in achieving India's goal of becoming a global super power by leveraging the intellectual ecosystem of Indian science," Ajayaghosh said, adding that the idea of 'Aatmanirbhar Bharat' has been conceived in this spirit.
New Delhi, Feb 28 : Direct flights between New Delhi and Copenhagen will resume from March 1, Danish foreign minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said on Tuesday.

Rasmussen made this announcement during the India-Denmark: Partners for Green and Sustainable Progress conference, which was held here.

Air India had stopped its non-stop flight between New Delhi and Copenhagen in the aftermath of the Coronavirus pandemic.

The carrier, now owned by Tata Sons, will restart direct flights on the route from March 1, 2023. The flight will leave New Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport on March 1 at 1:30 p.m. and reach Copenhagen at 22:20 p.m. after eight hours and 50 minutes, according to reports.

As per reports, Air India's chief executive Campbell Wilson was quoted as saying recently that the airline's focus would be on long-haul and business fliers in addition to leisure passengers.

Earlier this month, Air India had launched a four-times-a-week non-stop operation from Delhi to Milan, after starting direct flights between Bengaluru and San Francisco in December and new flights between Mumbai and JFK airport in New York from February 14.
Seoul, Feb 28 : South Korean and US special commandos are conducting "realistic" combined drills here, involving AC-130J and MC-130J warplanes, to strengthen the "ironclad" security commitment between the allies, a US official said on Tuesday.

The Exercise Teak Knife kicked off a month-long run early this month, according to Captain Kimberly Chatto, Director of Public Affairs for US Special Operations Command-Korea (SOCKOR), as tensions rose due to North Korea's missile launches, including that of a long-range one on February 18.

"It is training that ensures combat readiness for special operations forces no matter the environment while also strengthening the ironclad commitment between the US and South Korea," Chatto told Yonhap news agency.

For the exercise, the US has deployed an AC-130J warplane from Hurlburt Air Force Base in Florida and an MC-130J multi-mission combat transport aircraft from the 353rd Special Operations Wing at Kadena Air Base in Japan, Yonhap news agency reported.

It is the first time an AC-130J, a heavily armed, long-endurance, ground-attack plane, has been sent to South Korea, according to the official.

"Having this aircraft come from the US gives us opportunities throughout the exercise to support extended deterrence and what special operations aircraft is able to provide throughout different training scenarios with both US and South Korea's special operations forces," Chatto said.

Extended deterrence refers to the US' commitment to mobilising a full range of its military capabilities, including nuclear, to defend its allies.

During the ongoing exercise, the allies have been able to incorporate special operations-centric aircraft, like the AC-130J and MC-130J, in the training alongside strike aircraft stationed here, the official said.

The allies are known to have conducted the Exercise Teak Knife since the 1990s, mainly behind closed doors.

In September 2022, the SOCKOR unveiled it had carried out the exercise amid North Korea's missile launches at the time.
Chandigarh, Feb 28 : Peroshah village in Punjabs Gurdaspur district will be honoured with the national award -- Swachh Sujal Shakti Samman 2023 -- by the President of India and the Union Minister for Jal Shakti on March 4.

The award will be given to village sarpanch Harjinder Kaur for providing excellent sanitation facilities. In the context of International Women's Day (March 8), this award will be given to those women who have done good work in the water supply and sanitation sectors.

State Water Supply and Sanitation Minister Bram Shanker Jimpa said that with the support of the state government, the village has got recognition at the national level by properly managing waste water and solid and liquid waste.

Peroshah village falls in the Sri Hargobindpur block near Batala, where dirty water is being purified by the villagers using the Thapar technology following which the water is being used for irrigation. Also, compost is being prepared from the waste in the village itself.

Harjinder Kaur has expressed happiness over the village being named for the award.

She said that other villages should also come forward to establish such projects with the help of the government.
New Delhi, Feb 28 : The Supreme Court on Tuesday stressed on maturity in context of the constitutional dialogue conducted between constitutional functionaries, while hearing a plea by Punjab government challenging the Governor's refusal to convene the Budget session of the Assembly on March 3.

A bench, headed by Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud and comprising Justice P.S. Narasimha, said the failure of a constitutional authority to fulfil its duty would not be a justification for another to not fulfil his distinct duty under the Constitution.

"Constitutional discourse should be conducted with a sense of decorum and mature statesmanship, particularly in the context of the constitutional dialogue conducted between constitutional functionaries. Political differences in a democratic polity are acceptable and have to be worked with a sense of sobriety and maturity without allowing the discourse to degenerate into a race to the bottom," it said.

The bench observed that first, it is to ensure the constitutional position in regards to the duty of the Governor to act on aid and advice of Council of Ministers to summon the legislative Assembly is fulfilled without any delay or demur. Second, to ensure the obligation of the Chief Minister to furnish information to the Governor in terms of Article 167 (b) of the Constitution, it added.

The bench said unless these principles are borne in mind, the effective implementation of the constitutional values is liable to be placed in jeopardy as a situation emerged before this court leading to institution of petition under Article 32 of the Constitution for summoning the legislative Assembly.

The Governor does not enjoy discretionary powers under the Constitution's Article 174 in summoning the Assembly, as settled in the Nabam Rebia case by the apex court's constitution bench.

"It is inconceivable that the Budget session of the legislative Assembly would not be convened. Can only hope that mature constitutional statesmanship would ensure that such instances do not occur in the future as much as we reiterate our expectations that constitutional functionaries should be deeply cognisant of the entrustment of public trust in the offices, which they occupy," said the bench.

It further added the public trust which is entrusted to them is intended to subserve the cause of our citizens to ensure the affairs of the nation are conducted with a sense of maturity so as to accomplish objects of the Preamble.

During the hearing, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the Governor, informed the bench that the Punjab Governor, by an order, has summoned the house for the budget session on March 3.

The case stemmed from a face-off between the Governor and the Chief Minister over some information sought by the former, who then delayed convening the state Assembly for the Budget session.

The bench emphasised that CM is constitutionally bound to furnish the Governor with information and "not furnishing the information would be against his constitutional duty".

Chief Justice Chandrachud noted "the tone of the Chief Minister left much to be desired...", however the dereliction of the CM to do so would not allow the Governor to not do his constitutional duty to summon the Budget session.

The bench noted that the Governor spoke of seeking legal advice, while referring to the cabinet's decision and the tweet and the letter dated February 14, but held that there is no question of seeking legal advice on convening the house. He was duty bound.

Last week, Governor Banwarilal Purohit said that he will decide on allowing the proposed Budget session of the Assembly slated on March 3 only after seeking legal advice on the "derogatory and patently unconstitutional tweets and letter" written by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann.

The council of ministers had recommended that the budget session be held from March 3-24 and a letter seeking the Governor's approval was sent to him.

In the letter, Purohit reproduced the tweets and letter sent by the Chief Minister on February 13 and 14 in response to his letter.

On February 13, the Governor had slammed the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government by questioning decisions taken by it in the past couple of weeks, including lack of transparency in selecting teachers to be sent to Singapore for training.

He had also questioned the appointment of a "tainted" person as Chairperson of Punjab Infotech, saying he was accused in property grabbing and kidnapping cases.

The Governor had sought the criteria and details of the entire selection process of Principals for sending them to Singapore as there were allegations of "no transparency".
New Delhi, Feb 28 : The UK issued a total of 2,836,490 visas in 2022, out of which 25 per cent went to India, the highest number issued to any country, British High Commissioner to India Alex Ellis said on Tuesday.

Indian nationals received the highest number of student visas which went up by 73 per cent from 2021. India was also issued 30 per cent of visit visas, which is the largest share compared to any other country, Ellis said, adding that the work visas increased by 130 per cent in the year 2022.

Nearly a quarter of all international students in Britain are from India, and Indian investment into the UK supports 95,000 jobs across the UK.

The UK Immigration Statistics, published in August 2022, showed that nearly 118,000 Indian students received a student visa in the year ending June 2022 -- an 89 per cent increase from the previous year.

India has overtaken China as the largest nationality being issued sponsored Study visas in the UK.

The announcement came even as India and Britain opened their visa application process for students to apply for the new Young Professionals Scheme (YPS) under the India-UK Migration and Mobility partnership.

Launched last month, the scheme allows Indian citizens between 18 and 30 years old to live and work in the UK for up to two years.

Announcing the scheme's opening on Tuesday, Indian High Commissioner to the UK Vikram Doraiswami said: "Under the Young Professionals Scheme, announced about a month ago, young citizens of India and the UK can visit each other for up to two years at a time." "I am pleased to be able to tell you that the scheme goes live from February 28. We will be launching this simultaneously in Delhi and in London, respectively for Indians to come to the UK and British citizens to go to India," he added.

The UK government announced that 2,400 visas will be made available to eligible Indians under the scheme for which the last date of application is set on March 2 at 2:29 pm (IST).
On February 21, the UN Security Council held a public meeting on the Nord Stream Pipeline Destruction and its follow-up investigation. I made a video speech at the meeting. The destruction of the Nord Stream pipelines on September 26, 2022 constitutes an act of international terrorism and represents a threat to the peace. It is the responsibility of the UN Security Council to take up the question of who might have carried out the act, in order to bring the perpetrator to international justice, to pursue compensation for the damaged parties, and to prevent future such actions. The consequences of the destruction of Nord Stream 2 are enormous. They include not only the vast economic losses related to the pipelines themselves, but also the heightened threat to transboundary infrastructure of all kinds: submarine internet cables, international pipelines for gas and hydrogen, transboundary power transmission, offshore wind farms, and more. The global transformation to green energy will require considerable transboundary infrastructure, including in international waters. Countries need to have full confidence that their infrastructure will not be destroyed by third parties. Some European countries have recently expressed concern over the safety of their offshore infrastructure. For all of these reasons, the investigation by the UN Security Council of the Nord Stream explosions is a high global priority. The destruction of the Nord Stream pipelines required a very high degree of planning, expertise, and technological capacity. The Nord Stream 2 pipelines are a marvel of engineering. Each section of pipe is rolled steel of over 4 cm thickness, and with a pipeline internal diameter of 1.15 meters. The pipe is encased in concrete of 10.9 cm thickness. The weight of each section of concrete-encased pipe is 24 metric tons. The Nord Stream pipelines contain around 200,000 pipes. The pipelines sit on the sea floor. Destroying a pipeline of heavy rolled steel, encased in concrete, at the depth of 70-90 meters, requires highly advanced technologies for transportation of the explosives, diving to install the explosives, and detonation. To do so undetected, in the exclusive economic zones of Denmark and Sweden, adds greatly to the complexity of the operation. As a number of senior officials have confirmed, an action of this sort must have been carried out by a state-level actor. Only a handful of state-level actors have both the technical capacity and access to the Baltic Sea to have carried out this action. A recent report by the Washington Post revealed that the intelligence agencies of the NATO countries have privately concluded that there is no evidence whatsoever that Russia carried out this action. This also comports with the fact that Russia had no obvious motive to carry out this act of terrorism on its own critical infrastructure. Indeed, Russia is likely to bear considerable expenses to repair the pipelines. Three countries have reportedly carried out investigations of the Nord Stream terrorism: Denmark, Germany, and Sweden. These countries presumably know much about the circumstances of the terrorist attack. Sweden, in particular, which its divers investigated the crime scene. Yet Sweden has kept the results of its investigation secret from the rest of the world. Sweden has refused to share its findings with Russia, and turned down a joint investigation with Denmark and Germany. In the interest of global peace, the UN Security Council should require these countries to immediately turn over the results of their investigations to the UN Security Council. 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. Hersh attributes the Nord Stream destruction to a decision ordered by US President Joe Biden and carried out by US agents in a covert operation that Hersh describes in detail. 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. Senior US officials made statements before and after the Nord Stream destruction that showed the US animus towards the pipelines. In January 2022, Under-Secretary of State Victoria Nuland tweeted, If Russia invades Ukraine, one way or another, Nord Stream 2 will not move forward. On February 7, President Biden said, "If Russia invades... again, then there will be longer Nord Stream 2. We will bring an end to it." When asked by the reporter how he would do that, he responded, "I promise you we will be able to do it." On September 30, 2022 immediately following the terrorist attack on the pipeline, Secretary of State Antony Blinken declared that the destruction of the pipeline is also a tremendous opportunity. Its a tremendous opportunity to once and for all remove the dependence on Russian energy. In January 2023, Under-Secretary Nuland declared to Senator Ted Cruz, "I am, and I think the administration is, very gratified to know that Nord Stream 2 is now, as you like to say, a hunk of metal at the bottom of the sea." Such language is not at all appropriate in the face of international terrorism. I hope that the US together with all other Security Council members will condemn this heinous act of international terrorism and join together in an urgent UNSC-led investigation of this international crime in order to determine the truth. The truth is not yet known by the world, but it is knowable. More than ever, the world depends on the UN Security Council to do its work to stop war. The world will be safe only when the permanent members work together diplomatically to solve global crises. The UN Security Council provides the unique global venue for that peace-affirming work. More than ever, we need a healthy, functioning UN Security Council carrying out the mission assigned to it by the UN Charter. A UN Security Council objective investigation of the Nord Stream terrorism, in which all countries contribute what they know, is important for the global confidence in this body and most importantly, for global peace and sustainable development.
Artsakh Republic President Harutyunyan paid tribute to the memory of victims of the Sumgait massacres, the Presidential Office stated.

February 28, 2023, 11:25 President Harutyunyan paid tribute to the memory of victims of the Sumgait massacres

STEPANAKERT, FEBRUARY 28, ARTSAKHPRESS: On February 28, on the occasion of the Day of Commemoration of the Victims of the Massacres organized by Azerbaijan and the Day of Protection of the Rights of Armenian Refugees, President of the Artsakh Republic Arayik Harutyunyan accompanied by Chairman of the National Assembly Artur Tovmasyan, Primate of the Artsakh Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church Bishop Vrtanes Abrahamyan, representatives of the legislative and executive bodies, members of the Security Council attended the Stepanakert Memorial Complex, paid tribute and laid a wreath at the memorial stone perpetuating the memory of the Armenians who fell victims to the massacres organized by the Azerbaijani authorities.



Thereafter, a requiem ceremony was performed by Primate of the Artsakh Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church Bishop Vrtanes Abrahamyan dedicated to the memory of the victims of the massacres.
New York, Feb 28 : A 'biocomputer' powered by human brain cells could be a reality in the coming decade, US researchers have claimed.

Calling the technology "organoid intelligence", a team from Johns Hopkins University noted that it will exponentially expand the capabilities of modern computing and create novel fields of study.

According to Thomas, Professor of environmental health sciences at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, computing and artificial intelligence which drove the technology revolution, have hit a ceiling. And biocomputing can help "push past our current technological limits," he noted.

For nearly two decades, scientists have used tiny organoids, lab-grown tissue resembling fully grown organs, to experiment on kidneys, lungs, and other organs without resorting to human or animal testing.

Recently Hartung and team has been working with brain organoids, orbs the size of a pen dot with neurons and other features that promise to sustain basic functions like learning and remembering.

"This opens up research on how the human brain works," Hartung said. "Because you can start manipulating the system, doing things you cannot ethically do with human brains." Hartung began to grow and assemble brain cells into functional organoids in 2012 using cells from human skin samples reprogrammed into an embryonic stem cell-like state. Each organoid contains about 50,000 cells, about the size of a fruit fly's nervous system. He now envisions building a futuristic computer with such brain organoids.

Computers that run on this "biological hardware" could in the next decade begin to alleviate energy-consumption demands of supercomputing that are becoming increasingly unsustainable, Hartung said, in the paper published in the journal Frontiers in Science.

While "the brain is still unmatched by modern computers," by scaling up production of brain organoids and training them with artificial intelligence, Hartung foresees a future where biocomputers support superior computing speed, processing power, data efficiency, and storage capabilities.

The researchers said that organoid intelligence could also revolutionise drug testing research for neurodevelopmental disorders and neurodegeneration.
Kolkata, Feb 28 : The judge of a special PMLA court here on Tuesday severely reprimanded Kolkata Municipal Corporation Mayor Firhad Hakim and Trinamool Congress MLA Madan Mitra for their later arrival in the court.

Both Hakim, also the state Municipal Affairs and Urban Development Minister, and Mitra were supposed to be present at the court on Tuesday in connection with the 2016 Narada sting video case, where both were seen allegedly accepting cash from the purported representative of a private entity against promises of doling out favours.

As they arrived at the court late, when the judge had already occupied his chair and the proceedings had started, the judge, irked by their delay, severely reprimanded both of them.

"I will have to wait for you. Are you such important VIPs? I know how to fix things," the judge was heard telling the minister and the MLA.

The matter, however, ended there as Mitra immediately apologised and cited the immense traffic on the streets of Kolkata as the reason for his delay. However, former Kolkata Mayor Sovan Charropadhyay, who was also summoned at the court on Tuesday, reached the court well before the proceedings in the matter.

Soon after the 2021 West Bengal Assembly polls, Hakim, Mitra, Chattopadhyay and former Panchayat Affair & Rural Development minister Late Subrata Mukherjee, was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) sleuths in connection with the Narada sting video case. Later the Enforcement Directorate (ED) too joined the investigation and named these four persons in its charge sheet.

Meanwhile, Subrata Mukherjee died following a sudden and massive heart attack in November 2021, following which his name was removed from the case.
New Delhi, Feb 28 : The Delhi High Court on Tuesday asked counsel for Goshiya Colony Sewa Samiti and others residing in Mehrauli area of south Delhi to submit a list of identity documents of 467 residents in a plea challenging the colony's demolition by the Delhi Development Authority (DDA).

A bench of Justice Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora asked advocate Anupradha Singh, counsel for petitioner, to provide a list of the identity documents to counsel of the DDA and Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB).

The judge also asked her to file a rejoinder to the affidavits filed by the DDA and DUSIB, for which the court granted her one week's time.

The court then listed the matter for the next hearing on March 14.

On February 17, the High Court had directed the DDA and DUSIB to file affidavits in the plea.

The plea challenges the December 12, 2022 demolition notice, wherein the DDA planned to carry out a demolition drive in the entire Goshiya Colony, which is in existence for more than five decades and consists of over 600 houses, with approximately 4,000 population.

The plea stated, citing the 'Ajay Maken and others vs Union of India' case that a demolition drive cannot be carried out without following the protocol for removal of jhuggis as per the order of High Court.

The petition claimed that the land-owning agency cannot begin the demolition process until the DUSIB determines that the jhuggis are not eligible for rehabilitation.

However, the DDA in its affidavit has stated that the land falls in Mehrauli Archaeological Park which forms part of the Southern Central Ridge where a large number of historical world-famous monuments exist which are protected/unprotected and maintained by the Archeological Survey of India (ASI).

It is stated in the affidavit that according to DDA's land record, the land subject matter of the present petition false in khasra number 216 and 217 villages Ladha Sarai Mehrauli New Delhi and that Khasra Number 217 is acquired land.

The land has been set apart as green in the master plan of Delhi since the beginning and is to be developed and maintained as green and to be conserved under the Mehrauli Heritage Zone, the DDA's affidavit stated.
Hyderabad, Feb 28 : Telangana Jana Samithi (TJS) President M. Kodandaram on Wednesday announced that 'Telangana Bachao' meeting will be held on March 10.

Releasing the posters of the programme, he said those who participated in Telangana movement will attend the meeting. He told the media that the meeting would be held with the same spirit with which the 'Million March' was organised to achieve statehood to Telangana.

He announced the future programme will be chalked out on the basis of suggestions received during the meeting.

Kodandaram said that Telangana state had not been realised because of Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao alone but it became a reality because of the people's fight.

Lashing out at Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), the TJS leader said the Delhi liquor policy scam shows how the BRS government was misusing power. He said one family tried to get its share in the scam.

Kodandaram alleged that Dharani portal for land registrations has been designed to help BRS leaders in land encroachments.

He said Chief Minister KCR was adopting double standards. "He is acting as a staunch democrat in Delhi but in Telangana he is functioning as an autocrat," he said.

The TJS leader remarked that KCR's style of functioning has become a curse for the people of Telangana.

During the Telangana movement, Kodandaram was heading the Joint Action Committee (JAC) comprising all political parties and non-political organisations fighting for Telangana state. He was considered close to KCR but they parted ways after the formation of a separate state.

--IANS ms/vd

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Bhopal, Feb 28 : Terror suspect Sarfaraz Memon, who has alleged links with the now-banned Popular Front of India (PFI), has been detained in Indore.

On Monday, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) had issued an alert about Memon's whereabouts, after which Indore police was alerted.

Based on NIA inputs, Memon was detained on Monday, Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Narottam Mishra said on Tuesday.

"Those involved in suspicious activities will not be spared," Mishra added.

Memon, who knows many languages, hails from Chandan Nagar in Indore and was residing near a mosque in the Khajrana area. He also opened a medical store in the area.

Police sources said that Memon has allegedly undertaken training in handling arms and ammunition in Pakistan, China and some other countries.
Kolkata, Feb 28 : A permanent solution to appointments of Vice Chancellors in a number of state universities in West Bengal seems to be far from sight as yet as on Tuesday, the state Education Department and the Raj Bhavan agreed upon a temporary and interim solution in the matter.

The solution was reached at a meeting between Governor C.V. Ananda Bose and state Education Minister Bratya Basu, also attended by seven state university Vice Chancellors, whose appointment have been legally questioned.

These Vice Chancellors submitted their resignations to the Governor on Tuesday and accepting them, the Governor gave them an extension for another three months.

"There are similar questions in case of certain other state university Vice Chancellors, who could not be present at the meeting. They will come to the Governor House on Wednesday and tender their resignations and will also get similar extensions for three months. During their extension period, the process will start for appointment of permanent Vice Chancellors as per the directives of the Supreme Court," the Education Minister said.

Basu also said that the state government, state Education Department and the Governor's House will work together in mitigating the complications on this count. "As directed by our Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, I discussed the matter with the Governor today. After that, the solution was arrived at," he said.

The Governor said that it is not desirable that there is an air of tussle in the education sector. "West Bengal is famous for its rich educational and cultural heritage. We all have to preserve that heritage together. We will all have to work together to ensure the progress of India. Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaks of self- reliant India. To achieve that, progress in the education sector is absolutely essential," he said.

The legal hassles regarding appointments of Vice Chancellors in the several state universities arose since they were appointed by search committees that did not have any representative from the University Grants Commission. The Supreme Court too has opined that such appointments were not good in law. The Governor too has expressed reservations over such appointments.
Mumbai, Feb 28 : Actor Ronit Agarwal, who acted in the short films 'In The Loop', 'Vaidya', and 'Two Answers', is all set for his next movie 'What A Kismat' starring Tiku Talsania and Bharat Dhabolkar.

The actor showers words of praise on his co-stars and also expresses gratitude towards the director for making him part of his creation. Ronit is all praise for senior actor Tiku Talsania, with whom he shares most of his scenes.

He shares: "Most of my scenes are with Tiku Talsania Sir as he plays the commissioner and I play the Inspector. And what an amazing actor he is. He never made me feel like a newcomer but just motivated and complimented me. In spite of him being such a veteran actor in the film industry for almost a decade, he preferred to rehearse with me only to make sure that I give my best." Ronit says further that Atul Kulkarni, Tiku Talsania, and Bharat Dabholkar are all legends, but he was not intimidated.

He thanks director Mohan Azad for giving him the opportunity to share a space with legends such as them. In this comedy, Ronit plays the character of a corrupt young cop named Santokh Singh. His only aim in life is to manage his first encounter as a police officer.

Happy with his career graph, Ronit shares: "Acting is my childhood dream. It all started with dancing at birthday parties and matured into a passion for acting as a profession. Later in college, I performed in various theatrical plays. In my first one-act play named 'Anton Chekhov's The Bear', I performed for 45 minutes at a stretch. This made me believe in myself. However, what really pushed me into acting as a career was my father's appreciation and inspiration."
Bengaluru, Feb 28 : The call for an indefinite strike by the Karnataka Government Employees Association has taken a political turn with the JD-S squarely blaming ruling BJP for the situation.

Meanwhile, ruling out the possibility of invoking the provision of Karnataka Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA) against government employees, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai expressed confidence that the matter would be resolved by Wednesday (March 1).

Meanwhile, former Chief Minister and JD-S leader H.D. Kumaraswamy termed the indefinite strike call by government employees the result of deliberate negligence on part of the government.

"After forming 7th Pay Commission, CM Bommai should have announced the implementation of its recommendations during the presentation of the budget and reserved funds for that purpose.

"But, CM Bommai did not do it and gave vague answers. The government employees are fed up with his vague answers and have announced indefinite strike," he said.

Bommai maintained that government employees are "our people". "The 7th Pay Commission was formed for salary revision. We have cooperated with the Commission. Their demand is to get an interim report and implement the 7th Pay Commission report.

"I have spoken about it while giving answers on the budget. I will get the interim report and will implement it. I am in touch with the Commission. Will talk to members of the Commission and senior officers. I have confidence in resolving the issue by tomorrow (Wednesday)," he said.

Asked how tenable it is to hike officials' salaries, CM Bommai said, there is debate on this. But, after forming the Pay Commission, the recommendations will have to be implemented. "We are on these lines only," he said.
Kolkata, Feb 28 : The Calcutta High Court, on Tuesday granted bail to 11 Maoists accused in the 2010 Jnaneswari Express accident, in which as many as 148 persons were killed and 180 were injured.

The 11 accused were granted bail after spending almost over a decade since their arrests while the investigation of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in the matter is yet to be concluded.

A division bench of Justice Debangshu Basak and Justice Md. Shabbar Rashidi, while granting the bail of the 11 accused Maoists, questioned whether the investigation agency is not aware of the fundamental rights of the accused.

According to the bench, it is a matter of shame the legal formalities and even the process of integrating the witnesses is yet to be completed even after 13 years since the incident took place.

"Do not forget that even the accused persons have fundamental rights. They cannot be locked behind the bars for years without trial. All of them have spent over 10 years behind the bars with the trial process being yet to be completed," Justice Basak observed.

The 11 accused who were granted bail on Tuesday were Khagen Mahato, Bholanath Mahato, Jaladhar Mahato, Ram Mudi, Manik Mahato, Amiyo Mahato, Jaideb Mahato, Mohonto Mahato, Lakksmikanto Roy, Sunil Mahato, and Manoj Mahato.

The Jnaneswari Express derailed in 2010 near Jhargram in West Midnapore district of West Bengal, following which 148 persons were killed and 180 were injured.

Investigation revealed that the train got derailed because some miscreants removed the fishplates. The incident took place when the Maoists were continuously observing strike in the area. The CBI had taken over the investigation in the matter.
Agartala, Feb 28 : After a huge controversy rocked Tripura, the Maharaja Bir Bikram (MBB) University, a state government varsity, on Tuesday denied that it has published any poll survey.

MBB University Registrar Sumanta Chakrabarti said that the varsity has not published any poll survey about the outcome of the February 16 Assembly elections in Tripura.

"The poll survey report tiled "Tripura Electorate 2023 Election - Survey Report" by Policy Research and Centre for Contemporary India Study (PRACCIS) is an independent poll survey and MBB University has not authorised any person, group or organisation to use its name or logo or photo for the purpose of survey," a statement said.

It said that the MBB University strongly condemned the use of its name and logo by the PRACCIS in its poll survey report.

In its survey report, PRACCIS, a Delhi-based research institution specialising in field work-based study of contemporary India, has predicted that the BJP will win 34-39 seats in the 60-member Tripura Assembly elections.

Tripura Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Gitte Kirankumar Dinkarrao told a CPI-M-Congress joint delegation that the Election Commission would serve a show-cause notice to the MBB University.

CPI-M state Secretary Jitendra Chowdhury, after meeting the CEO, said that a government varsity cannot do a survey violating the model code of conduct of the elections.

Chowdhury along with Congress leader Sudip Roy Barman has demanded strict action against the Vice-Chancellor of the University.

Claiming that the Left-Congress, which contested the election on a seat-sharing adjustment, would return to power and said that the prediction of the survey was far from the truth.
The leaders of Serbia and Kosovo on Monday accepted a European Union (EU) proposal to normalize the long-strained ties between the Balkan neighbors, EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell said, DW reported.

February 28, 2023, 12:16 Borrell: Serbia, Kosovo agreed to EU plan to normalize relations

STEPANAKERT, FEBRUARY 28, ARTSAKHPRESS: Borrell made the announcement after hosting meditation talks with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Kosovo's Prime Minister Albin Kurti in Brussels.

"Progress was made today, and I commend the parties for their engagement," Borrell told the media.

"At the same time, more work is needed, to ensure that what was accepted today by the parties will be implemented. It is important to agree [but] it is still more important to implement what has been agreed."

Borrell said that a next meeting with Vucic and Kurti is slated to take place in March, with a focus on how to implement the plan.

The EU foreign policy chief also said that the two sides vowed not to take unilateral measures that could lead to tensions and put the agreement in jeopardy.

"This agreement is above all for the citizens of Kosovo and Serbia," he said.

Under the new deal, Belgrade stops short of recognizing Kosovo as an independent nation, but agrees to recognize official documentation like passports, diplomas, and license plates.
Mumbai, Feb 28 : Actress Samantha Ruth Prabhu, who swayed the nation with "Oo Antava", suffered an injury while shooting for the Indian adaptation of "Citadel".

The actress took to her Instagram Stories on Tuesday and shared a picture of her bruised hands after shooting for some action sequences. She captioned her post "perks of action".

Earlier, the actress had also shared a video in which she can be seen practising action sequences with stunt performer and action director Yannick Ben. She could be seen preparing for the action shoot in Nainital.

Helmed by "The Family Man" creators Raj and DK, "Citadel" is the Indian counterpart of the larger international series of the same name which has been originally created by the director duo, Russo Brothers. The global version of the series stars Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Richard Madden.

Earlier, Priyanka Chopra Jonas shared the first glimpse of the web series Citadel. She captioned the photos, "First look at @citadelonprime." Samantha, who is a part of the Indian version of the show, took to the comments section and wrote, "Yassss".

Meanwhile, Samantha is waiting for the release of her highly anticipated mythological film "Shaakuntalam". The film was scheduled to be released this month, on February 17 but got postponed.

--IANS aa/vd

A
Patna, Feb 28 : Three girls of a family, who had run away from their home in Haryana's Faridabad city, were traced by Patna police from the city's Kadam Kuan locality on Tuesday, officials said.

The girls, who are sisters, fled from their home, due to their parents applying pressure on them for the marriage.

Their father had lodged a complaint in Faridabad. The Faridabad police traced their location on the basis of technical and scientific analysis of their phones.

Patna's DSP, Town, Ashok Kumar Singh said: "We have been approached by Haryana Police. Accordingly, we have traced their location. They were staying in a rented accommodation in Dariyapur locality under Kadam Kuan police station and were handed over to Haryana Police." As per the statement of the girls, they want to build their careers but the family members were applying pressure for their marriages. Hence, they left the house and boarded a Patna-bound train. After reaching Patna railway station, they stayed for two days in a hut near the railway station. With the help of a local person, they found rented accommodation in Dariyapur locality.

"The girls were searching for jobs to earn for their livelihoods. They were jobless till the time," the DSP said.
New Delhi, Feb 28 : India and Lithuania on Tuesday agreed to work in the areas of deep tech startups as well as forge lasting ties in manufacturing of semiconductor chips.

A high-level Lithuanian delegation led by Economy and Innovation Vice Minister Karolis Aemaitis on Tuesday called on Union Science & Technology Minister Jitendra Singh and discussed ways and means to revive the 2010 agreement in the area of science and technology.

Responding to the keen interest of the Indian minister to give a further fillip to startup culture to create more job opportunities and wealth creation, Aemaitis assured him that Lithuania has robust know-how and capacities in life sciences, biotechnology and other STEM areas and keen to have cooperation between the two countries in high tech startups.

Singh said that India has made rapid advances in the last nine years under Prime Minister Narendra Modi in areas of science, technology and Innovation and conveyed to the Lithuanian side that India is ready to extend all help to its age-old partner. He said, apart from rapid and globally recognized achievements in space, its biotech laurels in terms of 4 indigenous vaccines of COVID is before the world.

The Lithuanian Minister mentioned that a global MNC from his country, "Teltonika" is working with Taiwan for manufacturing of sophisticated chips and the company has a presence in India also and can take collaboration of chip making to a new height in years to come.

The Department of Science & Technology, through the MEA, has been negotiating a Science & Technology Agreement with Lithuania since 2010. In April 2010, a revised Indian counter-draft incorporating few minor modifications was formally submitted to the Lithuanian side and its formal response is still awaited.
Bhubaneswar, Feb 28 : At least two persons were killed and two others were critically injured in an explosion at a firecracker manufacturing unit in a village in Odisha's Jagatsinghpur district on Tuesday.

According to police, the mishap took place at Inchapur village under the jurisdiction of Balikuda police station in the district around 1.15 p.m.

The explosion took place after a fire erupted at the unit where firecrackers were being made. The blast not only destroyed the firecracker unit completely, but the resultant fire also gutted a house and huge quantities of paddy stored nearby.

Aftre getting information, fire service personnel reached the spot and doused the fire. Local police also reached the spot and initiated an investigation.

The deceased are identified as Dillu Mohanty and Bulu Das of local villages. Both died on the spot, the police said.

Two others, Susant Prusty and Dinabandhu Das, who sustained critical burns, were immediately rushed to the district headquarters hospital at Jagatsinghpur.

Later, Dinabandhu was shifted to the SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack while Prusty is now under treatment in a private hospital in Bhubaneswar. The health condition of both injured persons is stated to be critical, sources said.
Kolkata, Feb 28 : The Calcutta High Court on Tuesday cautioned the West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC) to be careful on replacing terminated non-teaching staff of Group D category in different state-run schools from those who were on the waiting lists.

"Remember, there are reasons to doubt the fairness of the waiting lists. There is no reason to believe that the waiting lists are as pure as River Ganga water. Just remember that and be cautious when making the replacements from the waiting lists," a bench of Justice Biswajit Basu told the WBSSC counsel.

Recently, the services of 1,911 candidates in Group D were terminated following an order from a single-judge bench of Justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay, who also directed the commission to make their replacements from the waiting list. On this matter, Justice Basu issued a note of caution to the commission.

The terminated staff had already approached the division bench of Justice Subrata Talukdar and Justice Supratim Bhattacharya, which had put an interim stay on the portion of the single-judge bench order directing the terminated staff to immediately return the money they have received as salaries so far, but did not put any stay on the main order pertaining to the termination of services.
New Delhi, Feb 28 : After two jailed ministers of Delhi government - Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and Satyendar Jain - resigned from the cabinet on Tuesday, two new ministers will join the cabinet to continue the functioning of the government.

Aam Aadmi Party spokesperson Saurabh Bhardway said that there is a small cabinet in Delhi which includes six ministers apart from chief minister. Most of the important portfolios were held by these two ministers, who have resigned, in that case two ministers will join the cabinet soon, he said.

Blaming BJP-led central government for the conspiracy, AAP leader said, "Two ministers of the Delhi government are in jail today. They have resigned from the cabinet. Delhi has very small cabinet that includes chief minister and other six ministers. As important ministries were held by these two leaders, two new ministers will join the cabinet in their places to ensure smooth functioning of Delhi Government." However, Bhardwaj did not disclose any time line of inducting new ministers in the cabinet. After Satyendar Jain landed in the jail, Sisodia was given the charges of his ministries. Sisodia had total 18 ministries that included Education, Health, Industry, Home, Excise among others.

"It is unfortunate for the country that Manish Sisodia and Satyendar Jain known for their work have been implicated in false cases by the Centre. It has given a signal in the country that the Centre is behind this entire episode," he claimed.

Reiterating that the cases against both the leaders are fabricated, he said that such politics is detrimental to the society and is going to ruin the society in the longer run. Both of our senior ministers dedicated their lives and careers for the upliftment of Delhi and its people, but the BJP has subjected them to the lowest of the low levels of politics, he argued.

"No matter what, the whole Aam Aadmi Party, all its cadres, and the entirety of the Delhi government will continue to stand in solidarity with Manish Sisodia and Satyendar Jain," he said.
New Delhi, Feb 28 : Flagged off from Varanasi on January 13, the world's longest river cruise -- 'MV Ganga Vilas' -- culminated its journey in Dibrugarh, Assam, on Tuesday after traversing for 50 days.

Welcoming the MV Ganga Vilas at its culminating destination, Sarbananda Sonowal, Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways, hailed it as a historic and path-breaking event witnessed in the inland waterways sector since India attained Independence 75 years ago.

MV Ganga Vilas arrived at Bogibeel at 2.30 p.m. on Tuesday where a warm welcome was accorded by the dignitaries led by Sonowal to all the 28 foreign tourists travelling in it.

With the successful conclusion of its maiden journey covering a distance of over 3,200 km, the MV Ganga Vilas opens up a new vista of opportunity in river tourism for the entire South Asia region.

Earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had flagged off MV Ganga Vilas - the first indigenously made cruise vessel in India - from Varanasi on January 13.

Built with a unique design and a futuristic vision, the cruise has three decks and 18 suites on board with a capacity of carrying 36 tourists. It is already booked for to and fro journey for the next two years.

During the journey, the tourists travelled to some iconic places such as Patna Sahib, Bodh Gaya, Vikramshila, Dhaka, the Sunderbans and the Kaziranga before reaching Dibrugarh in Assam.

Sonowal said, "The robustness of the ship during the course of this journey shows how our tremendous strength in ship building capacity is a world class enterprise. The successful cruise movement as well as cargo movement on inland waterways is a testament to the vision of Prime Minister Modi to bring about transformation through transportation. We continue to work under the dynamic leadership of the Prime Minister towards achieving the 'Maritime India Vision' by 2030, 'Sagarmal' by 2035 along with PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan and National Logistics Policy." MV Ganga Vilas has put India and Bangladesh on the river cruise map of the world. It has also opened a new vista and vertical for tourism and freight carriage in the Indian sub-continent.

Tourists, both domestic and global, who would like to experience spirituality, now have the opportunity to visit destinations like Kashi, Bodh Gaya, Vikramshila, Patna Sahib, while those who want to explore the natural diversity will cover destinations like Sundarbans and Kaziranga.
Washington, Feb 28 : Nikki Haley, who is seeking the Republican nomination to run for White House, on Tuesday slammed Pakistan as one of the "bad guys" the United States had paid millions out of its own weaknesses.

Haley, who is a former ambassador to the UN, sounded here a bit like her former boss and present rival for the Republican nomination, former President Donald Trump, who had plunged ties with Pakistan to new depths accusing it of lying and deceiving the United States despite getting billions in aid.

"A weak America pays the bad guys: Hundreds of millions to Pakistan, Iraq, and Zimbabwe last year alone," Haley wrote in a tweet, adding, "A strong America won't be the world's ATM." This was probably one of the few foreign policy pronouncements from Haley after she declared her candidacy for the Republican party nomination for the White House race in 2024. She is only second in the field after Trump, who took the lead months ago. More are expected to join in soon.

Pakistan has received billions of dollars in aid from the United States for the help it provided to American forces fighting in Afghanistan after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. That flow has turned into a trickle as American policy makers came to fully understand Pakistan's duplicity in aiding and harboring the same terrorists that the Americans were fighting.

Islamabad has lately received some aid for relief and rehabilitation measures post the devastating floods in 2022, but it's nothing compared to the largesse it had gotten before Trump took office.

"The United States has foolishly given Pakistan more than 33 billion dollars in aid over the last 15 years, and they have given us nothing but lies & deceit, thinking of our leaders as fools," Trump wrote in the tweet as the world entered the year 2018. "They give safe haven to the terrorists we hunt in Afghanistan, with little help. No more!" Trump proceded shortly to suspend all security-related aid to Pakistan, and put the bilateral relationship on ice.

Haley 's criticism of Pakistan is in stark contrast to the gradual softening tone of the Biden administration, which has cleared a package worth millions of dollars for the maintenance of its fleet of F-16 fighter jets.
Chennai, Feb 28 : The Olive Ridley turtle, which is an endangered species, has delayed hatching due to an increase in soil temperature at Nagapattinam and nearby areas in Tamil Nadu, where it is found in large numbers.

Scientists and researchers, who study the nestling of Olive Ridley turtles, said that the soil temperature in the Nagapattinam area has touched 34-degree Celsius, which has hindered its hatching.

Around 50,000 eggs are laid by the Olive Ridley turtles that reach the Nagapattinam beach area in November and generally the hatchlings come out in 42 to 70 days.

Experts are of the opinion that soil temperature in the nestling area is a major factor for these turtles. According to a researcher, the soil temperature even determines the gender of the turtles.

The turtles are born male if the soil temperature in the nesting area is less than 29-degre Celsius, and the temperature is above that level, the turtles are born female.

Interestingly, the female Olive Ridley turtles return to the same beach from where they were released into the sea as a hatchling after 15 years. This phenomenon is called 'site fidelity'.
Patna, Feb 28 : As BJP leaders in the Bihar Assembly created an uproar demanding the resignation of state Science and Technology Minister Mohammad Israil Mansoori for alleged links to a murder case, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar called the latter to his chamber and sought clarification in the matter.

During police investigation, it came to the fore that three bike-borne assailants recently opened fire on protesters in Muzaffarpur in which a youth identified as Rahul Kumar died.

Three persons arrested in this connection are said to have links with Mansoori.

Rahul's family and other protesters have alleged that the firing was done on Mansoori's direction.

Leader of opposition in the Assembly, Vijay Kumar Sinha, alleged that the local police, under "pressure" from the ruling party, are not taking action against Mansoori despite having evidence and statements of eyewitnesses.

However, Mansoori told the Chief Minister that the opposition is trying to malign his image.

"I have no role in this incident. I have reached here by winning elections. Everyone knows me in the constituency. Muzaffarpur police have already arrested three attackers in this case. I have no connection with them which will be proved during the course of investigation," Mansoori said.
Due to the blocking by Azerbaijan of the only road connecting Artsakh with Armenia, 8 patients from the Republican Medical Center the Republic of Artsakh with serious diseases of the oncology and pathologies requiring emergency surgical interventions have been transported today, on February 28, to specialized medical institutions of the Republic of Armenia with the mediation and escort of the International Committee of the Red Cross, the Artsakh InfoCenter informs.

February 28, 2023, 12:25 ICRC facilitated transfer of eight people from Stepanakert to Yerevan for treatment

STEPANAKERT, DECEMBER 28, ARTSAKHPRESS: Scheduled surgeries continue to be suspended in the medical centers of the Republic of Artsakh.

7 patients remain in the intensive care unit of the Republican Medical Centre, 3 of them in critical condition.

A total of 135 patients have been transported so far from Artsakh to Armenia with the mediation and support of the International Committee of the Red Cross.
New Delhi, Feb 28 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the post-budget webinar on the theme "Urban Planning, Development and Sanitation" on Wednesday at 10 a.m. through video conferencing.

The webinar will be led by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs and co-led by the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change.

It will involve discussions on the budget announcements pertaining to various themes in coordination with the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation, and the Jal Shakti Ministry.

Officials said that several voices from the ground like those of SafaiMitras, leading NGOs, civil society organisations, worker associations, financial institutions, urban planners, industry representatives, research institutions, public representatives, government officials etc. will be joining the webinar and sharing their inputs.

The stakeholders will deliberate and prepare implementation strategy and timelines pertaining to budget announcements, including mechanised sanitation facilities in all cities to ensure transition from man-hole to machine-hole, wet and dry waste management, waste to wealth plants under GOBARdhan scheme, scope of processed wet waste for PM-PRANAM, urban planning reforms and scheme for special assistance to states for capital investment 2023-24, Urban Infrastructure Development Fund for tier-2 and tier-3 cities, ring fencing of user charges and property tax reforms.

As a part of the webinar, four parallel breakout sessions, including waste to wealth, SafaiMitra Suraksha (Man-hole to Machine-hole), Urban Planning Reforms and Action, and Urban Infrastructure Development Fund will be organised.

The plenary closing session will have summarisation by the moderators of the above breakout sessions in the presence of the Union Ministers.
Patna, Feb 28 : Bihar Finance Minister Vijay Kumar Chaudhary on Tuesday presented a Rs 2.61 lakh crore budget for 2023-24, with a focus on employment, health and education.

He said that the state budget has increased three fold in the last 10 years, while pegging economic growth rate of the state at 10.98 per cent in the last financial year "which is much higher than the country".

He said that the the economy of Bihar has increased and the growth rate reached to third position among all states, but said it is still a developing state and needs financial help from the Centre to become a developed state.

Chaudhary also announced a huge recruitment drive for various state government departments.

"We are going to recruit for 75,543 posts in the Police Department, 40,506 primary teachers, 44,193 middle school teachers, and 89,724 upper middle school teachers in the Education Department. Besides, we will also recruit for 49,000 posts through the BPSC and 2,900 by the SSC. We have also allocated funds for the recruitment of 63,900 more posts in different departments," he said.

The Finance Minister also claimed that the Centre has adopted many projects which were started in Bihar.

"We have started 'Har Ghar Bijli Yojana' in 2016 and the Modi government has started in 2017. We have started "Har Ghar Nal Ka Jal Yojana" in 2019. The Modi government had implemented it in the entire country after a few months," he saidsaid.

This led to an uproar from BJP legislators after the minister mentioned PM Narendra Modi.

Chaudhary also allocated Rs 5,540 crore for the expansion of the PMCH, Rs 40 crore for the development of madrasas, Rs 50 crore for the female students bicycle scheme, Rs 100 crore in female students dress scheme, and Rs 94 crore in the fund allocated for students who come first in Class 10 Board examinations.

The state government will also convert 21 Sadar hospitals of the state into model hospitals. He has also announced schools for the minority community in every district. At present, such schools are running in Darbhanga and Kishanganj districts.
New Delhi, Feb 28 : Targeting the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) after the Supreme Court declined to entertain a plea filed by Manish Sisodia challenging his arrest by the CBI in connection with the 2021-22 Delhi liquor policy case, the BJP alleged on Tuesday that now the AAP has become synonymous with "cut, commission and corruption".

The BJP will now raise the issue of corruption by AAP across the country and tell the people that AAP leaders have not got any relief in the matter from the Supreme Court.

Addressing the media at the party headquarters here, senior BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad said that the Supreme Court did not give any relief to Anna Hazare's 'great disciple' Manish Sisodia in connection with the liquor policy case, which he termed as a 'text book' case of corruption.

"These people had claimed to fight corruption before coming to power in Delhi. But after assuming charge of the government, these same people worngfully gave away liquor contracts, reduced the drinking age and made a profit of Rs 100 crore. These people made people drink liquor by promising to open schools," Prasad said.

Prasad also said that Sisodia and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had claimed that they are the torch-bearers of transparency in the country, but now they have maligned the legacy of Anna Hazare's anti-corruption movement.

Holding Kejriwal directly responsible for the liquor policy case, the BJP leader said: "Can any minister dare to work in the Delhi government without asking Kejriwal? Now even the Punjab government functions only on his directions." Launching a scathing attack against AAP, Prasad said that he used to think that 'cut and commission' is the legacy of only one party, but today it has to be said that '3Cs', i.e., 'cut, commission and corruption' are also synonymous with Kejriwal's party.

"Sisodia must disclose why he changed 16 phones, why did he destroy evidence," Prasad said.

The BJP leader also accused Kejriwal of lying repeatedly, adding that Kejriwal's ministers, who had levelled allegations against the CBI and the Central government, are currently lodged in jail.
The High Court, on January 12, refused to stay the release of the series, which released the next day.

New Delhi, Feb 28 (IANS) Eeal estate magnate Sushil Ansal on Tuesday told the Delhi High Court that he wants to withdraw his plea seeking to stay release of the upcoming Netflix series <dbl-qts>Trial By Fire<dbl-qts>, which is based on the 1997 Uphaar Cinema fire tragedy.

The High Court, on January 12, refused to stay the release of the series, which released the next day.

For the pleadings to be completed, the plea was placed before Joint Registrar, Judicial, Vandana Jain on Tuesday.

Ansal's counsel said that he wishes to withdraw the present suit and requests for placing the matter before the court.

The Joint Registrar listed the matter for April 17 for further directions before the bench which had passed the interim order.

A single-bench judge of Justice Yashwant Varma was dealing with the case seeking interim relief.

Ansal had filed a suit seeking permanent and mandatory injunction against the series and a restraint of further publication and circulation of the book titled "Trial By Fire - The tragic tale of the Uphaar Tragedy" by Neelam and Shekhar Krishnamoorthy, who lost their two young children in the 1997 catastrophe.

Representing Ansal, senior advocate Siddharth Aggarwal had stated that Ansal's real name is used three times in the trailer, hurting his reputation and other rights, despite the series' warning that it is a piece of fiction.

In response, Justice Varma had said: "This may be their critique of their judgment and anguish of the parents, but it cannot be a claim for defamation." Senior advocate Vikas Pahwa had argued on behalf of Krishnamoorthy that Ansal was previously aware of the book's publishing because it was mentioned in a 2012 plea presented to the Supreme Court.

Ansal has contended that the publication of the contested series will further harm him and will constitute a major violation of his fundamental rights, particularly his right to privacy.

Recently, the High Court issued a notice to Sushil Ansal and his brother Gopal Ansal and other convicts on a revision petition by the state challenging a trial court's order of reducing their sentence from seven years to eight months for allegedly tampering with evidence in the 1997 Uphaar Cinema fire tragedy case.

--IANS spr/vd

</dbl-qts></dbl-qts>
Hyderabad, Feb 28 : Tension prevailed in Bhupalapally town of Telangana on Tuesday night after BRS supporters hurled eggs and tomatoes on state Congress chief A. Revanth Reddy when he was addressing a public meeting.

Revanth Reddy, who was addressing the meeting as part of his ongoing "Haath Se Haath Jodo Yatra", continued his speech, blaming ruling Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) for the attack.

Later, supporters of both the parties pelted stones on each other. A policeman sustained head injuries in the clash.

Trouble began when BRS supporters raised slogans against Revanth Reddy when he was addressing the public meeting. They tried to surge towards the dais. Police acted swiftly to lock up the protestors in the premises of a nearby cinema theatre.

However, BRS men hurled eggs and tomatoes towards the Congress' Telangana unit President.

Security personnel formed a ring around Revanth Reddy and tried to shield him by holding a piece of cloth. Some Congress workers retaliated by pelting stones and bottles on BRS men in the theatre. The stone pelting by both sides continued for about 10 minutes. Window panes of the theatre were damaged in the attack. A sub-inspector of police was injured in stone pelting.

Normalcy restored after the public meeting was over and Revanth Reddy left the venue.
New Delhi, Feb 28 : Delhi BJP working President Virendra Sachdeva held a joint press conference with leader of opposition Ramvir Singh Bidhuri on Tuesday, wherein they alleged that getting Manish Sisodia and Satyendar Jain to resign from their ministerial posts is a new political move by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.

As the investigation into the 2021-22 Delhi liquor policy case progresses, it is becoming clear that it is Arvind Kejriwal who will be implicated next, the BJP leaders said.

"Frightened by the heat of the investigation, Kejriwal has played a new trick. If the resignations of Sisodia and Jain came on moral grounds, they should have come long ago. But Kejriwal has made them resign now after they beaome completely infamous," Sachdeva said.

Sachdeva also said that the Supreme Court on Tuesday declined to entertain a plea filed by Manish Sisodia challenging his arrest by the CBI in connection with the liquor policy case.

"The top court's decision makes it clear that now the Aam Aadmi Party in Delhi will have to follow the rules in administrative and judicial matters. AAP has to understand that it will also have to show administrative accountability as per the Constitution and if there is any complaint, it will have to answer the investigating agencies," Sachdeva said.

He also announced that the party has formed a 'Sangharsh Samiti' to campaign against the liquor policy case and other corruptions of the Kejriwal government, which is headed by Ramvir Singh Bidhuri, state secretary Kuljeet Singh Chahal and members Jai Prakash and Ashok Goyal Devraha.

Sachdeva said that a campaign committee has also been formed to run this campaign in Delhi, which includes Aarti Mehra, Jitendra Mahajan, Praveen Shankar Kapoor, Harish Khurana, Virendra Babbar, Richa Pandey Mishra and Mohan Lal Gihara.

Sachdeva added that in the next phase, the BJP will launch a public awareness campaign against the Delhi government at all the 13,649 booths across the national capital.

Addressing the media, Bidhuri demanded that Kejriwal should resign from his post.

He said that as soon as the new liquor shops were opened in Delhi, the BJP had started protesting against the move by holding sit-in demonstrations.
Kohima, Feb 28 : The Election Commission on Tuesday announced re-polling in four polling stations in Nagaland, where Assembly elections were held on Monday, officials said on Tuesday.

The fresh polling will be held on Wednesday from 7 a.m to 4 p.m. at New Colony polling station (Zunheboto Assembly constituency), Pangti-V (Sanis Assembly constituency), Jaboka Village (Tizit Assembly constituency), and Pathso East Wing (Thonohy Assembly constituency).

The EC in a letter to the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Nagaland, V. Shashank Shekhar, said that on the basis of reports submitted by the general observers, and after taking all material circumstances into account, the Commission hereby declares the polls held on February 27 at the four polling stations as void, and fixes March 1 (Wednesday) as the date of fresh polls.

Election officials in Nagaland did not explain to the media the reasons for re-polling in the four polling stations.

According to election officials, voting was largely peaceful on Monday across the northeastern state except for some incidents of violence reported from five districts -- Mokokchung, Wokha, Mon, Zunheboto and Tseminyu.

In Akuk village under the Bhandari Assembly constituency in Wokha district, supporters of a candidate attacked the rival party workers using sharp-edged weapons in which three persons were injured.

Firing by underground militants, and stone pelting by rival party workers were also reported from Wokha and Mon districts, in which five persons were injured, including two security personnel.

Briefing the media on Monday night, Shashank Shekhar had said that the law and order situation all over the state was largely peaceful and polling was successfully completed in all the 2,315 polling stations.

Meanwhile, the Nagaland government on Tuesday prohibited the use of mobile internet and data service of all the service providers in the entire Kiphire district with immediate effect till further orders in view of the tension in the district after Monday's polling.

Nagaland Home Commissioner Abhijit Sinha said in a notification that messaging services like SMS and WhatsApp and other social media platforms could be used for spreading rumours, false information, and for circulating inflammatory texts, pictures, videos etc., which may exacerbate the law and order situation in the district.
Chennai, Feb 28 : Police in Tamil Nadu's Madurai opened fire on an accused in a murder case after he tried to attack a policeman early on Tuesday, an official said.

The accused, Vinod Kumar sustained a bullet injury on his right leg in the police firing.

A police official said that Vinod Kumar, who is a "history-sheeter" was the main accused in the murder of G. Balamurugan, 29, of Vallar in Madurai on February 22.

He was taken into custody and during interrogation, told the police that he had used a knife to stab Balamurugan and the knife was hidden at a certain spot.

As a police team took him to this spot to recover the knife on early Tuesday, he retrieved the hidden knife and attacked a policeman with it.

Police said that they had no option left but to open fire at the accused and hit him on his right leg. He was injured and admitted to Madurai Government Hospital.

Policeman Saravanakumar, who was injured in the knife attack, was also admitted to the hospital.
New Delhi, Feb 28 : A 22-year-old man succumbed to his injuries at a city hospital a day after he was shot at by unidentified gunmen at his cable TV office in the Ranhola area in West Delhi, a police officer said on Tuesday.

The footage of the incident has been doing the rounds on social media since Monday.

In the footage, two people could be seen entering the cable operator's office, where three people were sitting. On entering the office, they fired several rounds with the victims trying to escape the attack in order to save themselves.

The deceased has been identified as Hitesh.

According to the police, a PCR call was received on Monday informing about the firing incident near Chanchal Park, following which a police team was rushed to the spot.

The police found that three unidentified bike-borne men came to the cable operator's office on Som Bazar Road in Chanchal Park.

"Two men entered the office and one of them fired three rounds at Hitesh. Thereafter, the men came out and all the three again fired at the glass panes of the office, before fleeing from the spot," the officer said.

"Hitesh was taken to the Rathi Hospital as he sustained two gunshot injuries. A total of 13 empty cartridges were found outside the office while three empty cartridges and a few broken lead pieces were found inside the office," the officer added.

The officer said that the motive behind the assault is being ascertained, adding that different teams have been formed to nab the accused.
Shillong/Kohima, Feb 28 : A total 85.90 per cent of Nagaland's 13.16 lakh voters and 85.17 per cent of Meghalaya's 21.75 lakh electors cast their votes on Monday in the Assembly polls in the two northeastern states, officials said on Tuesday night after scrutinising the reports of Returning Officers.

Polling percentage was 83.85 per cent in Nagaland and 85.59 in Meghalaya in the 2018 Assembly polls.

Election officials of the two states said that poll percentage would further increase after the calculation of postal ballots.

Thousands of polling staff, security personnel, and other workers engaged in election related duties, and 80 plus senior citizens and physically challenged voters cast their votes through the postal ballots.

According to the officials, except for some incidents of violence in five Nagaland districts of Mokokchung, Wokha, Mon, Zunheboto, and Tseminyu, the polling was by and large peaceful on Monday in both states.

Votes would be counted in Meghalaya,Nagaland and Tripura on Thursday.

Assembly elections were held on February 16 in Tripura, where 89.95 per cent of the 28.14 lakh voters exercised their franchise. Voter turnout was 91.82 per cent and 89.38 per cent in 2013 and 2018 Tripura Assembly elections, respectively.
Russia is guided by the do no harm principle in the South Caucasus, but not all players in the region share this approach, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said.

February 28, 2023, 17:35 Russia guided by do no harm principle in South Caucasus - FM Lavrov

STEPANAKERT, DECEMBER 28, ARTSAKHPRESS-ARMENPRESS: We are guided by the principle that can be described as do no harm, and above all the principle of contributing to resolving all emerging problems, which will first of all be based on the principled agreements of the three leaders within the framework of their four statements, TASS quoted Lavrov as saying at a joint press conference with his Azeri counterpart Jeyhun Bayramov.

The other principle, according to Lavrov, is to ensure mutually beneficial cooperation between countries of the region based on mutual respect. Not all players are guided by the same principles, especially those who are far from South Caucasus, the Russian foreign minister said.

Lavrov also commented on the EU civilian mission in Armenia. According to him, the mission raises many questions in terms of legitimacy.

We see how the EU is explicitly abusing its relations with Armenia and Azerbaijan, including by advancing its so-called mission in the territory of Armenia, which raises serious doubts in terms of legitimacy, Lavrov said.

The mission raises numerous questions, according to the Russian FM, including in terms of its functions, mandate and the added value that it can bring to the efforts aimed at the normalization of the relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia.

But it is the sovereign choice of the parties with whom to cooperate and with whom not, FM Lavrov added.
New Delhi, March 1 : After Manish Sisodia's resignation from the Delhi cabinet, the AAP government has decided to assign his departments to two of his cabinet colleagues - Kailash Gahlot and Raaj Kumar Anand - till the new ministers are inducted into the cabinet.

Out of 18 departments that Sisodia was leading, the responsibilities of eight departments, including Finance and PWD, have been given to Gahlot, while the remaining ten departments that includes Education and Health have been assigned to Anand.

With the new responsibilities given to Gehlot and Anand, both ministers will have now 14 departments each.

Gahlot was already handling six departments that includes Law, Justice and Legislative affairs, Transportation, Administrative Reforms, Information Technology, Revenue, and Women and Child Development.

While Rajkumar Anand was the minister of four departments - Gurudwara Elections, SC & ST, Social Welfare, and Cooperative.

Meanwhile, Gopal Rai currently handles three departments - Development, General Administration Department, and Environment, Forest and Wild life. Imran Hussain has the responsibility of two departments - Food & Supplies and Election.
Bhubaneswar, March 1 : Odisha BJP leaders and workers launched a dharna (sit-in protest) in outside the Capital police station here in protest of the arrest of 22 Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) activists including state president Irasish Acharya.

The BJYM, youth wing of BJP, has lodged a complaint at the Capital police station on the issue. Following which, some BJP workers and leaders sit in dharna outside the police station.

Senior BJP leader Surama Padhy "strongly" condemned the police action on BJYM workers during a "peaceful protest" in Bhubaneswar.

The BJP has launched the protest following an appeal made by BJYM national president and MP Tejasvi Surya.

"Odisha is suffering at the hands of BJD Govt & its failure to maintain law & order... During BJYM's demonstration against murder of Former Health Minister Naba Das, police resorted to brutal attacks on our karyakartas who were grievously injured... BJYM is undeterred," Surya said in a tweet.

"Police brutality against BJYM karyakartas is hitting new low in Odisha. Having manhandled our activists this (Tuesday) morning during the protest, police are now filing draconian cases & illegally arresting them. BJYM will protest through the night at Capital Police Station, Bhubaneswar," he added.

Alleging that the Odisha police have registered false cases, including IPC 307, against protesting BJYM political activists, Surya demanded the Odisha police to drop all "false charges" against the BJYM activists and release them from "illegal detention" immediately.

On Tuesday (February 28), the BJYM activists scuffled with Odisha police while marching towards the Odisha Assembly in protest over the assassination of minister Naba Das and deteriorating law and order in the state.

Later, a clash broke out between the BJYM workers and the police at Mahatma Gandhi Marg here.

Several police officials including one ACP rank officer and BJP Yuva Morcha activists were injured in the clash. At least 22 BJYM workers including its state president Irasis Acharya have been arrested following the violence.
Patna, March 1 : The Vaishali district police in Bihar have reportedly arrested the father of an army personnel who lost his life in the 2020 Galwan Valley clash with Chinese PLA troops in eastern Ladakh.

The police said that Raj Kapoor Singh, father of late Jay Kishore Singh, is facing charges of encroaching a piece of land and building a monument of his son who sacrificed his life in service of the nation. The police claimed that he was obstructing the way of other residents of the area.

"We registered an FIR in Jandaha police station against Raj Kapoor Singh... After the martyrdom of his son, Raj Kapoor Singh built a monument on a public road... He has encroached the land and not vacated despite our warning," said Poonam Keshri, SDPO of (Jandaha) Vaishali.

Jay Kishore's younger brother Nand Kishore Singh said: "A team of Jandaha police headed by SHO Vishvanath Ram came to my house and arrested my father. He slapped my father and used abusive language for my family. He dragged my father in a police van and took him away." Following the incident, a large crowd gathered and sought immediate release of Raj Kapoor Singh. They were angry over the police for "humiliating" the father of a martyr.
Colombo, March 1 : The World Bank assured its support to development reform programme of Sri Lanka, which is going through its worst-ever economic crisis in the history.

The World Bank's Vice President in charge of the South Asia region, Martin Raiser who met President Ranil Wickremesinghe on Tuesday assured to provide technical assistance in drafting laws for development policy operations, and to provide further guidance and necessary support regarding the use of international media and welfare benefits.

The World Bank Development Policy Operational Program was fully investigated and the President and World Bank representatives gave their views on its progress, President Media Division (PMD) said on Tuesday.

"Improving financial supervision and credit management, improving tax administration, reducing sovereign-financial sector linkages and systemic risks, maintaining stability and confidence in the banking sector, restructuring and decentralisation, reducing policy uncertainty and increasing the competitiveness of the economy, mobilising private capital and competition in the broadband market, strengthening the social security institution, delivery system and targeting were discussed at length," the PMD stated.

World Bank representative included Country Director Faris H. Hadad-Zervos, Country Manager Chiyo Kanda, International Finance Corporation Sri Lanka and Maldives Manager Alejandro Alvarez de la Campa and Country Advisor Husam Abu Daga, while Sri Lankan delegation included Finance Ministry Secretary, Mahinda Siriwardena and Central Bank Governor Nandalal Weerasinghe.
This could change the way we look at AI forever.ChatGPT provided clear instructions on what humans should do to become better versions of themselves.

"UNLEASH YOUR POTENTIAL: How Artificial Intelligence Wants to Improve YOU!", a new book by researcher and explorer, Don Schmincke, will alter the way you view AI.

Don had a thought when his MIT fraternity brothers were having a heated discussion on ChatGPT: "With everyone attempting to improve AI, why hasn't anyone asked AI how it wants to improve us?"

Don asked.

I didn't anticipate anything extraordinary, but when ChatGPT began reacting, it caught my attention. The results were fascinating, and may forever alter how we view artificial intelligence.

What people should do to become better versions of themselves? ChatGPT clearly laid this out. Although many of the findings may not be original, it's intriguing that AI considered THESE to be the most crucial for humans. It authored more than 80 pages on recommendations like:

 Humans need to learn more about themselves.

 Humans need to improve mental wellness in humans.

 To have a bigger impact on their wellbeing and sense of self, humans need to build better relationships.

 In order to offer all areas of their lives the proper amount of focus and attention, humans must get better at routinely reevaluating and modifying.

This innovative book challenges the way we view AI as a collaborator in our pursuit of self-actualization. Everybody interested in self-improvement should read this book since it takes such an innovative look at the future of personal growth enhanced by AI.

About Don Schmincke:

Don, a scientist and explorer, is a top-10 speaker in the world's largest CEO organization and has trained over 30,000 CEOs. What else would you expect from an MIT and Johns Hopkins researcher who was almost arrested as a capitalist spy in the Soviet Bloc, was shot off an aircraft carrier, survived in the Kurdish capital while Tehran held hostages, investigated religious integration in Vietnamese mountain tribes, developed missile guidance systems while his frat brothers took Vegas (later depicted in the film "21), and was last seen in a North Korean DMZ mine-field with his kids (bad dad!)? Don now ravels 200,000 miles a year to give keynote speeches at conferences, consult with CEOs, and inflict his unconventional techniques with innocent graduate students.


The Spearhead Group CEOs: Pooja Sikand, Patricia Burguete, Heather Fritzsche, Giovanna Pinna

The Spearhead Group, a global packaging and Physical Brand Enhancement company with headquarters in Yardley, Pennsylvania has announced a global expansion led by four women in the USA, Mexico, Italy and India. A certified women-owned business, Spearhead USA is led by Co-founder Heather Fritzsche, CEO, and will be a model for the new independent businesses and their owners: Patricia Burguete, Owner & Founder of Spearhead Mexico, Giovanna Pinna, Owner & Founder of Spearhead Italy and Pooja Sikand, Owner & Founder of Spearhead India. The Spearhead Group has set a global precedent for an all-women ownership team that shares a commitment to promote core values of innovation, sustainability, diversity, equity and inclusion. This newly formed global team of all-women owners and founders is the first of its kind in the packaging industry.

With the announcement, Fritzsche is thrilled to continue supporting new and established women-owned businesses. The Spearhead Group USA has already set an impressive standard through intentional supply chain management: almost 60% of the companys 2022 purchasing benefitted other women-owned businesses. I am committed to promoting diverse leadership opportunities and creating equity that gives back, Fritzsche shares. Our new team shares a powerful vision to deliver truly innovative packaging solutions while reinforcing a positive company culture defined by sustainability at all levels. Our collective business network aims to create boundless opportunities for mentorship and growth potential. We are continually learning from each other and leveraging years of experience to develop client solutions that span the world.

Founded in 2018, Spearheads international expansion follows a $40 million revenue growth in the spirits and beverage industries within the last five years. The owners of each Spearhead Group company bring an inspiring and fresh approach to the consumer packaging industry:

Heather Fritzsche, CEO & Co-founder, Spearhead USA

With more than 20 years of global packaging expertise and the CEO and Co-founder of The Spearhead Group USA, Heather Fritzsche is a highly valued business partner for some of the worlds foremost beverage and CPG brands. Fritzsche is a recipient of the prestigious 2022 Trusted Adviser Award for outstanding mentorship from WBENC-East, the leading community for women business owners and entrepreneurs. Fritzsche was also named a 2020 Tory Burch Foundation Fellow for best business practices and is a Co-founder of Spearhead Project Earth, a new charitable foundation dedicated to eliminating single-use plastics in international waterways.

Patricia Burguete, Owner & Founder, Spearhead Mexico; Head of Global Sustainability Strategies

Patricia Burguetes lifelong appreciation for artisan craft and design led her to a career in architecture, design, and packaging. As Spearheads Head of Sustainability based in Mexico City, she has used her experience in corporate design to develop a network of manufacturing and technology partnerships throughout the country and beyond. In her role as Owner & Founder of Spearhead Mexico, Burguete hopes to promote the work of Mexican people around the world and to ensure everyone knows the phrase bien hecho en Mexico, meaning, well made in Mexico. Burguete is also the Head of Sustainability at Spearhead USAs non-profit Spearhead Project Earth, and works with the global team to support the integration of environmentally friendly best practices at every level of corporate life from production to sourcing, freight and charitable giving.

Giovanna Pinna, Owner & Founder, Spearhead Italy

A graduate of the University of Turin in economics and business, Giovanna Pinna has more than two decades of experience in the world of advertising, communications, branding and packaging for international clients. She has worked closely with the Istituto Europeo di Design (IED) in Turin to help cultivate the next generation of creative design talent and manages all aspects of Spearheads annual Physical Brand Enhancement (PBE) Awards to identify emerging talent and share cutting-edge ideas in the packaging industry. As Owner & Founder of Spearhead Italy, Pinna aims to apply her expertise to offer simplified, sustainable solutions to European and global clients shaped by the defining influence of Italian design.

Pooja Sikand, Owner & Founder, Spearhead India

Based in New Delhi, Pooja Sikand is an operations and production design expert with more than 20 years of experience in delivering solutions for global brands, both within the Indian market and the larger Asia-Pacific region. Her operational acumen, combined with strong skills throughout the supply chain, logistics and finance, make her an invaluable asset to Spearheads leadership team. In her new role as Owner & Founder of Spearhead India, Sikand will lead product design, development and supply chain management for Spearhead in the Asia-Pacific region.

To request more information or interviews, please contact Claire Martin (claire@gregoryvine.com) or Samantha Rissling (samantha@gregoryvine.com).

About The Spearhead Group USA

A global leader in innovation in the packaging industry and a proprietary process called Physical Brand Enhancements, The Spearhead Group USA was founded in 2018 by Heather Fritzsche, CEO, and Robert Catalano, Chief Innovation Officer. The Spearhead team brings more than 50 years of collective experience enriched by Pioneer Partners around the world. The result: a proprietary packaging process and unparalleled relationships that ensure the execution of high-value business and brand-building goals for each client. Headquartered in Pennsylvania, The Spearhead Group USA manages client-facing Packaging Innovation Centers in Louisville and Yardley and supports additional independently owned companies in Mexico, China, India and Italy. The Spearhead Group is certified by the Womens Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC-East) and is a member of Women of the Vine & Spirits. The company also funds Spearhead Project Earth, an independent non-profit foundation founded to support the environmental protection of international waterways. Find out more: thespearheadgroup.com and @thespearheadgroupinc.

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"This marks the fourth time weve been recognized by one of Inc.s prestigious award programs and once again, it proves our business strategies and innovative technology roadmaps within the FinTech sector and electronic payments ecosystem are on point," said Heather Altepeter, CEO of NMA.

Inc. magazine today revealed that National Merchants Association (NMA), an innovative FinTech company, pro-business advocate and payments acquirer transforming the financial services industry, ranked No. 47 on its third annual Inc. 5000 Regionals: Rocky Mountain list. This list is the most prestigious ranking of the fastest-growing Rocky Mountain private companies, based in Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Utah, and Wyoming. Developed from the annual Inc. 5000 franchise, this regional list represents a unique look at the most successful companies within the Rocky Mountain economys most dynamic segmentits independent small businesses. To view the full Rocky Mountain list, click here.

Were honored to be included in Incs list of the Rocky Mountain regions fastest-growing private companies this year, said Heather Altepeter, CEO, founder and owner of NMA. This marks the fourth time weve been recognized by one of Inc.s prestigious award programs and once again, it proves our business strategies and innovative technology roadmaps within the FinTech sector and electronic payments ecosystem are on point.

As an Inc. 5000 regionals winner, NMA showcased a remarkable growth rate across the FinTech industry in the Rocky Mountain region. Between 2019 and 2021, the private companies had an average growth rate of 414 percent and, in 2021 alone, they added 3,399 jobs and nearly $1.3 billion to the Rocky Mountain regions economy.

This years Inc. 5000 Regional winners represent one of the most exceptional and exciting lists of Americas off-the-charts growth companies. Theyre disruptors and job creators, and all delivered an outsize impact on the economy. Remember their names and follow their lead. These are the companies youll be hearing about for years to come, said Scott Omelianuk, editor-in-chief of Inc. magazine.

NMA is an innovative merchant services provider, pro-business advocate and payments acquirer that has been transforming the FinTech industry for nearly 20 years, one payment at a time. As a premier card-not-present service provider and trusted partner to brick-and-mortar businesses across the globe, NMA continues to create a seamless payment experience for merchants, agents and consumers.

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About National Merchants Association (NMA)

National Merchants Association (NMA) is a powerhouse in the payment processing industry and a merchant advocacy group that champions for every merchant, regardless of their risk level, to ensure fair and affordable electronic payment options for businesses of all sizes. As a premier card-not-present service provider and trusted partner to brick-and-mortar businesses across the globe for nearly 20 years, NMA has revolutionized the payment processing space by creating a trusted and easy-to-use payment experience for merchants, agents, referral partners and consumers. NMA has achieved remarkable success since its inception  securing a spot on the Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing companies for three consecutive years and landing partnerships that afford exclusive access to innovative FinTech and payments solutions. For more information about NMA, visit NationalMerchants.com.

More about Inc. and the Inc. 5000 Regionals

Methodology

The 2023 Inc. 5000 Regionals are ranked according to percentage revenue growth when comparing 2019 and 2021. To qualify, companies must have been founded and generating revenue by March 31, 2019. They had to be U.S.-based, privately held, for-profit, and independentnot subsidiaries or divisions of other companiesas of December 31, 2021. (Since then, a number of companies on the list have gone public or been acquired.) The minimum revenue required for 2019 is $100,000; the minimum for 2021 is $1 million. As always, Inc. reserves the right to decline applicants for subjective reasons.

About Inc. Media

The worlds most trusted business-media brand, Inc. offers entrepreneurs the knowledge, tools, connections, and community to build great companies. Its award-winning multiplatform content reaches more than 50 million people each month across a variety of channels including websites, newsletters, social media, podcasts, and print. Its prestigious Inc. 5000 list, produced every year since 1982, analyzes company data to recognize the fastest-growing privately held businesses in the United States. The global recognition that comes with inclusion in the 5000 gives the founders of the best businesses an opportunity to engage with an exclusive community of their peers and the credibility that helps them drive sales and recruit talent. The associated Inc. 5000 Conference is part of a highly acclaimed portfolio of bespoke events produced by Inc. For more information, visit http://www.inc.com/.
MyFBAPrep Logo Weve made our mark by offering a level of white-glove customer service that is unmatched in the industry. We look forward to further expanding our warehouse network and building on the success weve had to date.

MyFBAPrep, the leading eCommerce warehouse network for Amazon aggregators, enterprise-level brands and top Amazon sellers, today announced its debut on Inc. magazines 2023 Inc. 5000 Regionals: Southeast List. Landing in the No. 9 spot, the South Florida-based company achieved a 2,886% two-year revenue growth from 2019 to 2021.

In its third year, the Inc. 5000 Regionals: Southeast list is the most prestigious ranking of the fastest-growing Southeast private companies, based in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, and Tennessee. Born of the annual Inc. 5000 franchise, this regional list represents a unique look at the most successful companies within the Southeast economys most dynamic segmentits independent small businesses.

Cracking the top 10 of the Inc 5000 Regionals Southeast list is a great milestone for MyFBAPrep. It validates the support weve received from some of the largest eCommerce brands and Amazon aggregators in the industry and reinforces our credibility in the hyper-competitive eCommerce logistics space, said Tom Wicky, Co-Founder and CEO of MyFBAPrep. Weve made our mark offering a level of white-glove customer service that is unmatched in the industry. We look forward to further expanding our warehouse network and building on the success weve had to date. There is much more to come.

For more information about MyFBAPrep, visit myfbaprep.com/. Be sure to subscribe to the weekly newsletter and follow @MyFBAPrep on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn and TikTok to stay updated on the latest industry happenings, company news and product launches. The full Inc. 5000 Regionals: Southeast can be found at inc.com/southeast.

About MyFBAPrep

MyFBAPrep is the leading eCommerce warehouse network for Amazon aggregators, enterprise-level brands and top Amazon sellers. Operating a global network of more than 50 warehouses and 12-million-square-feet of operating warehouse space, MyFBAPrep offers a full suite of ecommerce 3PL services including Amazon wholesale and private label, direct-to-consumer (DTC) fulfillment, and B2B retail. Powered by its SaaS technology platform Preptopia, sellers get access to unified billing, analytics, business intelligence reporting tools and real-time inventory views across multiple warehouses in the network. The company provides FBA Prep automation, modern robotics item picking, and a dedicated account management team. Based in Coral Springs, Florida, MyFBAPrep moves over $1 billion in Gross Merchandise Value (GMV) and processes over 10-million units annually.

More about Inc. and the Inc. 5000 Regionals.

Methodology

The 2023 Inc. 5000 Regionals are ranked according to percentage revenue growth when comparing 2019 and 2021. To qualify, companies must have been founded and generating revenue by March 31, 2019. They had to be U.S.-based, privately held, for-profit, and independentnot subsidiaries or divisions of other companiesas of December 31, 2021. (Since then, a number of companies on the list have gone public or been acquired.) The minimum revenue required for 2019 is $100,000; the minimum for 2021 is $1 million. As always, Inc. reserves the right to decline applicants for subjective reasons.

About Inc. Media

The worlds most trusted business-media brand, Inc. offers entrepreneurs the knowledge, tools, connections, and community to build great companies. Its award-winning multiplatform content reaches more than 50 million people each month across a variety of channels including websites, newsletters, social media, podcasts, and print. Its prestigious Inc. 5000 list, produced every year since 1982, analyzes company data to recognize the fastest-growing privately held businesses in the United States. The global recognition that comes with inclusion in the 5000 gives the founders of the best businesses an opportunity to engage with an exclusive community of their peers and the credibility that helps them drive sales and recruit talent. The associated Inc. 5000 Conference is part of a highly acclaimed portfolio of bespoke events produced by Inc. For more information, visit http://www.inc.com.
Mutert joined the company in 2013 when Brown Printing acquired Show Me Printing, which he together with his father Gary Mutert owned and operated. Since then, Mutert, serving as General Manager, has been integral in the daily sales and production management of Brown Printing. He has expanded the product and service offerings of the company including wide format, signage and display graphics, matched mailing and high-speed inserting, and variable data and imaging. Other highlights include leading the company through the integration of operations and customer onboarding that have resulted from several acquisitions of regional commercial printing companies along with sole-service contracts with shuttered in-plant print facilities.

He is a Jefferson City native where he lives with his wife Dana and three children Mason, Isabelle, and Addison. He graduated from Jefferson City High School and continued his education at the University of Central Missouri. He is a member of the Special Learning Center Foundation Board, Jefferson City Schools Foundation, and Egroup Business Leadership.

Brian has proven himself a formidable leader not only in technical expertise but also through his relationship-building skills both with customers and vendors and especially within our family of employees. His energy and passion are contagious as he approaches each challenge with a winning attitude. I am proud of the work he has done to position the company as the go-to printer for our community, and excited for the future of Brown Printing, commented Darla Porter, outgoing President of Brown Printing.

About Modern Litho and Brown Printing

With nationwide clientele and headquartered in Jefferson City, Missouri, with additional facilities in St. Louis and Kansas City, Modern Litho has been serving the print needs of client organizations for more than 85 years. Regarded as a premier printer of specialized publications and catalogs for niche markets, Modern Lithos capabilities include high-performance offset print, finishing and distribution of marketing and member communications, advanced variable data print, direct mail, and mailing services. Modern Litho is a G7 Master Qualified Printer and holds renewable resource FSC and SFI Chain-of-Custody Certifications. Markets of interest include non-profit and member-based organizations. For more information visit http://www.modernlitho.com

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Media Contact: Cassandra Atchison

catchison@modernlitho.com

573-644-7024
Alfred AD-215-S Self-checkout Kiosk The new AD-215-S is a flexible self-checkout kiosk solution that allows retailers  from convenience and drug stores to specialty retail, liquor and hardware stores to streamline the checkout process.

Partner Tech USA Inc, a global technology company and innovator of intelligent POS and self-service solutions, announces that it has extended its popular Alfred kiosk family with Alfred AD-215-S, a purpose-built self-service kiosk for speedy checkout in high-volume, grab-and-go retail stores with limited floor space.

Based on the same modular technology platform as the other Alfred kiosks, Alfred AD-215-S has been optimized for use in retail. It has a built-in, high- performance 2D barcode scanner, support for all your preferred payment options, and a built-in receipt printer that is protected by a lock to prevent user interference. At checkout, customers interact with the kiosks vibrant touch display, which is available in a 21.5- or 15.6-inch version and built-in speakers can provide audio guidance. Two durable side tables with optional bag holders make bagging quick and easy. In addition, the Alfred platform offers a broad selection of peripherals such as a multi-color LED indicator, camera, RFID reader and ADA keypad for accessibility.

We are experiencing an unprecedented shift to self-service solutions and our Alfred self-checkout solutions enable us to meet the new demand from our customers, says Sandra Hsia, president of Partner Tech USA. The new AD-215-S is a flexible self-checkout kiosk solution that allows retailers  from convenience and drug stores to specialty retail, liquor and hardware stores to streamline the checkout process. As a result, retailers can add extra capacity during peak hours, and because store associates are no longer tied to the cash register, they can focus on revenue-generating sales activities and improvement of the customer experience.

About Partner Tech

Partner Tech, a member of Qisda Group, is a global technology company and innovator of intelligent POS and self-service solutions with focus on retail and hospitality. Founded in 1990, Partner Tech has more than 30 years experience as an ISO 9000-certified manufacturer of touch screen POS terminals, self-service kiosks, self-checkout systems, tablets, and mobile computers. The company also offers value-adding solutions for Wi-Fi optimization, cloud device management, global fiscalization software, and more.

Partner Techs American headquarters is located in Anaheim, CA and is providing daily assistance to customers in US, Canada and Latin America. Please reach out to sales@partnertechcorp.com or call 949-598-1888 for more information about our POS and self-service solutions. Visit http://www.partnertechcorp.com and follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.
The State of Vermont established the VHC in 2013 to provide the people of Vermont with the ability to find, compare, and enroll in health insurance plans, providing a one-stop-shop for all health insurance needs, including Medicaid and tax credits. Archetype was brought in to replace the original reporting platform, which was overwhelmed with technical, functional, and operational issues that made the process slow and difficult for State workers.

Archetype addressed these challenges, through their Modern Data Analytics & Reporting

(MDAR) solution. The MDAR offering, now available on the AWS Marketplace, is a powerful, cloud-based solution that allows organizations to quickly and easily turn raw data into meaningful insights. For example, the original platform took 1-2 days to extract, transform, and load (ETL) the data, resulting in dated reports. The ELT process was reduced to 30 min - 2 hours, ensuring SOVs reporting data are more current.

I would be remiss if I did not shout the necessary praises for the work of Archetype. said Dammy Mustapha, Business Reporting Administrator of Vermont Health Connect. Their availability, knowledge, and guidance that theyve provided our team over the course of this project has been the most valuable and efficient collaboration that I have witnessed in the last 9 years while being at the State of Vermont.

MDAR is designed to work with a variety of data sources, including cloud-based platforms like AWS, and provides a wide range of reporting and visualization capabilities. With its intuitive user interface, businesses can quickly and easily create reports, dashboards, and other analytical tools that help them make informed decisions about their operations.

"We are excited that our MDAR solution has increased the efficiency and scalability of critical operational reporting and analysis at VHC said Jason Webster, CEO of Archetype. "This kind of implementation is a major milestone in our mission to make data analytics accessible to organizations of all sizes and industries.

If youre interested in utilizing Archetype's cutting-edge analytics capabilities through MDAR, you can access it directly from the AWS cloud platform or learn more about the MDAR implementation with Vermont Health Connect: https://archetypeconsulting.com/case-studies/2023-02-07.

About Archetype Consulting

Archetype is a top digital consultancy that is equally versed in both performance management and data analytics platforms that enables leadership with critical information needed for decision making.

Archetype brings a highly experienced team with diverse industry backgrounds and capabilities to the table which proudly has yielded a 100% client success rate. This breadth of expertise and dedication to our craft is the foundation of our digital advisory to future-proof data platforms to help meet our customers long-range business goals.

For more information: http://www.archetypeconsulting.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/archetypeconsulting/

Twitter: @archetypConsul

Contact us

(857) 350-4369

info@archetypeconsulting.com
The Employee Benefits Insurance Basics series is the perfect onboarding curriculum for early talent. The interactive learning courses contain rich content, engage the learner, and prepare the new hire with essential, foundational knowledge."

Due to their ongoing success New Level Partners has expanded their online insurance library, My Agency Campus. Their latest installation is a 22-course, online learning series on Employee Benefits Insurance, specifically targeted at new hires.

The new My Agency Campus Employee Benefits catalog has been curated from industry experts and developed by New Level Partners specialist instructional design team, to accelerate learners understanding and competency of employee benefits insurance basics.

Employee Benefits Teams play a pivotal role in organizations, competing for the best insurance policies for employees, which has a huge influence on employee engagement and retention. The new My Agency Campus catalog covers topics for all members of the Employee Benefits Team, from identifying the key ingredients in a proposal, understanding legal terminology, healthcare plans, ancillary benefits, and recognizing the importance of the legal essentials in employee benefits administration and care.

Commenting on the new offering, Nancy Langton of New Level Partners said, The Employee Benefits Insurance Basics series is the perfect onboarding curriculum for early talent. The interactive learning courses contain rich content, engage the learner, and prepare the new hire with essential, foundational knowledge. The overall mission is for the new employee benefits broker to understand how their expertise will help guide their clients.

The new, 22-course online learning series can be found at http://www.myagencycampus.com

About New Level Partners: New Level Partners (NLP), founded in 2001, specializes in training solutions for the Property and Casualty Insurance Industry. NLP designs, develops and delivers customized and interactive training programs, both instructor-led and web-based. A wide range of instructional design tools and technologies ensure NLPs programs are the most interactive and effective on the market. Learn more at newlevelpartners.com.
Express International engaged ControlCase as the official Qualified Security Assessor (QSA) company to assist in achieving and maintaining compliance with SOC 2 for both physical and cloud environments. The SOC 2 Compliant status indicates that Express International has met the stringent regulations and requirements established for protecting and securing sensitive data.

SOC 2 provides a report and a services auditors opinion about the effectiveness of controls pertaining to security, availability, processing integrity, confidentiality, or privacy at a service organization. SOC 2 reports are specifically intended to meet the needs of a broad range of users requiring detailed information and assurance about the confidentiality and privacy of the data processed within an organizations systems.

ControlCases SOC 2 compliance solution includes a combination of hardware, software, onsite, and offsite services that deliver one of the best values for determining adherence to unique, company-tailored requirements created against SOC 2 trust services criteria.  Mike Jenner, CEO of ControlCase.

ControlCase is committed to partnering with clients and delivering a supportive compliance experience with simplified processes that provide both efficiency and accuracy. Our clients rely on our solutions and technology to advance their businesses and keep their customers information private. We recognize the significant risks that a security breach entails and are fully committed to providing world-class security and the highest level of privacy in all our offerings.

Express International understands the industry from every angle, thanks to our development process. We have merged the trucking industry with the Business Process Outsourcing industry to get and give the best of both worlds. Security and privacy are of the utmost importance to us.  said Ken Deocharran, Owner and CEO of Express Group of Companies.

SOC 2 Type 1 reports on managements description of a service organizations system and the suitability of the design and operating effectiveness of controls. Use of a SOC 2 Type 1 report is restricted.

ABOUT CONTROLCASE

ControlCase is a global provider of certification, cyber security, and continuous compliance services. ControlCase is committed to empowering organizations to develop and deploy strategic information security and compliance programs that are simplified, cost-effective, and comprehensive in both on-premises and cloud environments. ControlCase offers certifications and a broad spectrum of cyber security services that meet the needs of companies required to certify to PCI DSS, HITRUST, SOC2 Type II, ISO 27001, PCI PIN, PCI P2PE, PCI TSP, PA DSS, CSA STAR, HIPAA, GDPR, SWIFT, and FedRAMP.

ABOUT EXPRESS INTERNATIONAL

Express International is one of the world's leading BPO providers, specializing in providing omnichannel support to both businesses and consumers across a wide range of industries. We are conveniently located in Guyana, South America, which is the only English-speaking country on the continent. Let our experience improve your operation.
We started Numerated to ensure banks and credit unions could easily and efficiently provide their business customers access to the capital they need to thrive, said Numerated co-founder and CEO Dan OMalley.

Today, it was announced that Numerated, the modern, data-driven digital lending solution for business banking, ranked No. 7 on the third annual Inc. 5000 Regionals: Northeast list, the most prestigious ranking of the fastest-growing Northeast private companies.

This years Inc. 5000 Regional winners represent one of the most exceptional and exciting lists of Americas off-the-charts growth companies. Theyre disrupters and job creators, and all delivered an outsize impact on the economy. Remember their names and follow their lead. These are the companies youll be hearing about for years to come, said Scott Omelianuk, editor-in-chief of Inc. magazine.

Since 2017, Numerated has been dedicated to transforming the future of digital business lending through the creation of innovative solutions that reduce friction and increase efficiency in the loan origination process.

Numerateds award-winning solution makes the experience of applying for capital easier by streamlining lending from application to close. More than 100 financial institutions have leveraged Numerated to drive profitable loan growth and customer satisfaction. Using the solution, Numerated customers have processed over $50B in lending to more than 500,000 small businesses nationwide.

We started Numerated to ensure banks and credit unions could easily and efficiently provide their business customers access to the capital they need to thrive, said Numerated co-founder and CEO Dan OMalley. On behalf of all of us at Numerated, I am incredibly proud that we have been recognized by Inc. for the second year in a row, and Im looking forward to driving continued business lending innovation with our partners in 2023 and beyond.

In 2022, Numerated ranked No. 4 on the Inc. Regionals Northeast list and No. 65 on the Inc. 5,000. Additionally, the company was also recognized by both Deloitte and Fintech Breakthrough as a leader in the fintech software as a service industry.

For a complete list of the 2023 Inc. 5000 Regionals honorees from the Northeast, visit inc.com/northeast.

About Numerated

Numerated transforms the way financial institutions lend to businesses. Banks and credit unions use Numerateds modern business lending solutions to exceed businesses expectations for digital convenience while driving significant gains in efficiency. The platform uses data to streamline originations and underwriting for business banking products, from application to decision to close. More than 500,000 businesses and 30,000 financial institution associates have leveraged the platform to process over $50 billion in lending, making Numerated the fastest-growing fintech SaaS company on the 2022 Inc. 5,000. To learn more about how Numerated is taking digital business lending to the next level visit us at http://www.numerated.com.

More about Inc. and the Inc. 5000 Regionals

Methodology

The 2023 Inc. 5000 Regionals are ranked according to percentage revenue growth when comparing 2019 and 2021. To qualify, companies must have been founded and generating revenue by March 31, 2019. They had to be U.S.-based, privately held, for-profit, and independentnot subsidiaries or divisions of other companiesas of December 31, 2021. (Since then, a number of companies on the list have gone public or been acquired.) The minimum revenue required for 2019 is $100,000; the minimum for 2021 is $1 million. As always, Inc. reserves the right to decline applicants for subjective reasons.

About Inc. Media

The worlds most trusted business-media brand, Inc. offers entrepreneurs the knowledge, tools, connections, and community to build great companies. Its award-winning multiplatform content reaches more than 50 million people each month across a variety of channels including websites, newsletters, social media, podcasts, and print. Its prestigious Inc. 5000 list, produced every year since 1982, analyzes company data to recognize the fastest-growing privately held businesses in the United States. The global recognition that comes with inclusion in the 5000 gives the founders of the best businesses an opportunity to engage with an exclusive community of their peers and the credibility that helps them drive sales and recruit talent.

The associated Inc. 5000 Conference is part of a highly acclaimed portfolio of bespoke events produced by Inc. For more information, visit http://www.inc.com/
With integrating Skylos NTN, direct-to-device service into our T IoT offering, we expand our IoT network of networks with a new innovative satellite connectivity, perfectly suited for narrowband IoT-cases," says Christopher Ruettgers, Chief Product Officer with DT IoT.

Skylo, a Non-Terrestrial Network (NTN) service operator focused on connecting anything, anywhere, today announced its collaboration with Deutsche Telekom (DT), one of the worlds leading telecommunications carriers, to provide the satellite network for DTs converged cellular and satellite connectivity offering for IoT applications under the T-IoT brand. This eliminates the need for end users to purchase separate devices, services, and bills from multiple providers, and have access to ubiquitous coverage wherever they have access to the open sky.

We are honored to get to work with the team at Deutsche Telekom, to support it in its continuous innovation in the telecommunications space, and to bring ubiquitous coverage to its customers, said Tarun Gupta, Chief Product Officer and Co-Founder of Skylo. Customers will benefit from Skylos direct-to-device (D2D) service that allows 3GPP Release 17-compatible devices to connect over existing satellites. This allows them to obtain affordable connectivity in all areas of the world with the devices they already have.

Skylos NTN, 3GPP-compatible D2D service is supported by its technology stack that is secured with over 65 patents. Its network includes all of the features of a standard mobile operator, including a standards-based RAN, a mobile core, a billing system, and more. This enables users with compatible cellular devices to automatically toggle between terrestrial and non-terrestrial connectivity, using satellite connection as if theyre roaming. This is an ideal scenario as users dont have to change their behavior, such as manually switching between the connectivity options.

With integrating Skylos NTN, direct-to-device service into our T IoT offering, we expand our IoT network of networks with a new innovative satellite connectivity, perfectly suited for narrowband IoT-cases," says Christopher Ruettgers, Chief Product Officer with DT IoT. "The opportunity to switch with compatible devices seamlessly between terrestrial and non-terrestrial connectivity, enables completely new possibilities for IoT. For our customers, this means best network connectivity everywhere, totally simple and comprehensive.

IoT modules from leading module manufacturers Murata and Quectel, supporting the new NTN service from Deutsche Telekom and Skylo, will be available for Deutsche Telekom customers and developers later this year.

More information on Deutsche Telekoms service will be available on its website in the summer timeframe. To learn more about Skylos NTN service, click here.

About Skylo

Skylo Technologies is an NTN service provider based in Palo Alto, CA, offering a service that allows cellular modems and devices to connect directly over existing satellites. Devices connected over satellite are managed and served by Skylos commercial NTN vRAN, featuring a 3GPP standards-based cloud-native base station and core. Skylo works with existing satellite operators, terrestrial mobile network operators, and device makers to provide subscribers an anywhere, anytime connectivity solution that seamlessly roams between terrestrial and satellite networks. Skylos focus is on enabling connected services for people outdoors and connected workflows for machines at work across critical industries such as agriculture, maritime, logistics, mining, and others, in addition to mass-market consumer devices. For more information, visit http://www.skylo.tech or contact info@skylo.tech.
Derrick Wongs Power Broker Award confirms the industrys recognition that Risk Cooperative is doing outstanding work. With our MBE certification and talented team, the firm is positioned for continued success in 2023, says Risk Cooperatives Co-founder and CEO.

Risk Cooperative, a certified minority business enterprise specializing in insurance brokerage and risk advisory services, announces a prestigious industry award and Employee Benefits staffing transitions amidst continued business growth. Derrick Wong, who joined Risk Cooperative in 2019 as an Account Executive and transitioned to leading the firms Employee Benefits Practice in 2022, has been named a 2023 Power Broker by Risk & Insurance, affiliated with The Institutes.

This is the 19th year that Risk & Insurance has celebrated individual brokers for exceptional client work, and the Employee Benefits category boasts a particularly crowded field of industry talent. Derrick could not be more deserving of this industry recognition, says Andres Franzetti, Risk Cooperatives Co-Founder and CEO. He has demonstrated excellence in every facet of his role here, driving 100% client retention with top-notch customer service, while also leading our Employee Benefits business development strategy to great success.

While we broker Employee Benefits for firms across multiple industry verticals, weve really seen traction with government contractors, technology focused professional services firms, and nonprofit organizations. Familiarity with their specific challenges makes us the best broker to serve these clients, Mr. Wong says. Thats why were seeing such high growth, client retention and referral numbers. Concurrent with Mr. Wongs recognition, Beverly Simms has emerged as an exceptionally talented Account Executive in the Employee Benefits Practice. Ms. Simms joined the firm in 2021 as an Account Manager and quickly demonstrated her talent for exceeding client service expectations. To meet the sustained growth and service needs of our customers, Risk Cooperative is also pleased to announce the hiring of Amanda Flowers, as our newest Account Manager in the Employee Benefits Practice.

Economic uncertainty scuttled many firms business development plans over the last 2-3 years, leading high-profile brokerages to be pessimistic about 2023. While circumstances forced the insurance industry at large to adapt to shifting realities, Risk Cooperative was able to simply capitalize on their knack for innovation, which has been central to the firm since its founding in 2014 by a team of seasoned risk and insurance executives. Now in its 9th year of business and licensed in all 50 states, D.C. and Puerto, Risk Cooperative is globally recognized in the fields of enterprise risk management, emerging risks, global insurance solutions, and operational resiliency.

Our MBE certification, and staff expansion have positioned our firm for continued success in 2023, says Mr. Franzetti. Derricks Power Broker Award confirms the industrys recognition that Risk Cooperative is doing outstanding work in servicing our clients and the firm continues to make strides as a powerhouse firm in the marketplace.

***

About Risk Cooperative

Risk Cooperative is an independent and certified minority-owned insurance brokerage and risk advisory firm. Licensed in all 50 states, D.C. and Puerto Rico, Risk Cooperative helps organizations address risk, readiness and resilience across all classes of risk  including comprehensive employee benefits, life and health, property and casualty, cyber and other specialty lines. Appointed with all major carriers and the Lloyds of London market, we place domestic and international insurance solutions to help meet clients needs.

About Risk & Insurance, Affiliated with The Institutes

Risk & Insurance covers the people, stories and risks that embody the essential functions of risk management and commercial insurance. Power Broker designations are based on nominations provided by brokers and judged based on references given by risk managers. Judging is based on a nominees creativity in problem solving, industry knowledge and client service. To review the complete list of Power Brokers, visit Risk & Insurance.
Campspot today revealed the winners of its 2023 Campspot Awards The Campspot Awards not only provide an important opportunity to recognize those campgrounds owners, operators, and staff who strive to provide special camping experiences to their guests, but they also serve as inspiration for the many travelers looking to book their spring and summer trips now.

Today, Campspot revealed the winners of its second annual Campspot Awards to recognize the best campgrounds across the U.S. and Canada. Ranging across 12 traveler-driven categories, these award-winning destinations offer something for every kind of outdoor enthusiast, including RV resorts, family campgrounds, tent sites, cabins, glamping options and more.

To identify its winners, Campspot first combed through more than 70,000 data points including bookings, reviews, and category-specific factors to identify a shortlist of nominees. They then asked the camping community to weigh in, inviting the public to vote on their favorite campgrounds in America and partnering with camping experts to score and select the winners in the remaining categories based on uniqueness, listing completion, and overall appeal.

The 2023 Campspot Awards are a celebration of everything that makes the camping industry so awesome. They not only provide an important opportunity to recognize those campgrounds owners, operators, and staff who strive to provide special camping experiences to their guests, but they also serve as inspiration for the many travelers looking to book their spring and summer trips now, said Erin Stender, CMO of Campspot. We purposefully created new categories this year that make it easy to find the right spot for you, whether youre already a full-timer, or just discovering the many options available to campers today.

Campspots 2023 Best Campgrounds in America are:

#1 - Indian River RV Resort (Indian River, MI)



Within close proximity to Michigans famous lakes, walking trails, and vacation hotspot Mackinac Island, this campground offers log cabins, RV and tent sites with a unique, rustic charm on a shaded, manicured property.

#2 - On the Saco Family Campground (Brownfield, ME)



This campground is located on a beautiful property with 1700 feet of Saco River frontage, offering pet-friendly RV sites and riverfront tent sites as well as convenient on-site amenities and plentiful river activities.

#3 - The Nugget RV Resort (Saint Regis, MT)



Surrounded by beautiful mountain ranges and the Clark Fork and St. Regis Rivers of Montana, this park is in a natural wonderland that makes the perfect homebase for fishing, biking, or photography enthusiasts, with cozy cabins, RV sites, a dog park, general store and more on offer.

#4 - Otahki Lake (Patterson, MO)



Located in the heart of the Missouri Ozarks, this 1200-acre park features a 23-acre lake with beach and 2 miles of river frontage, ideal for rafting and float trips. Stay in deluxe cabins with hot tubs, unique covered Wagons, glamping tents, and many more options.

#5 - Stonebridge RV Resort (Maggie Valley, NC)



This campground has everything you need for a family-friendly getaway in the Great Smoky Mountains, complete with on-site arcade, live music, playground, sport facilities, dog park, and more.

#6 - Dark Sky RV Campground (Kanab, UT)



The perfect place for a Utah adventure with close access to Zion National Park, Bryce Canyon National Park, and others, this design-forward campground offers luxurious amenities, including private bath suites, outdoor showers, open terrace lounge, meditative areas, a dog park, kids zip line and more.

#7 - Pecan Park (Jacksonville, FL)



For travelers looking for stunning views, beautiful weather and a friendly atmosphere, this pet-friendly campground offers that and more, including a fully-stocked fishing lake, a pool area, colorful cottages, as well as nearby beaches and attractions.

#8 - Kootenai River Campground (Troy, MT)



Offering both quiet tent sites and charming cabins, this campground provides a secluded escape in stunning Montana surroundings with riverfront access and a variety of nearby activities including fishing, hiking, backpacking, kayaking, OHV trails, and more.

#9 - Okefenokee Pastimes Cabins and Campground (Folkston, GA)



This lush campground makes it easy to indulge your hobbies, with a hummingbird and butterfly pollinator area, fish feeding area, off-leash dog park, communal fire-pit and bar, and even a dedicated astronomy field to enjoy the famous dark skies of the area.

#10 - Jellystone Park: Memphis (Horn Lake, MS)



Just 5 miles from Memphis, Tennessee, this park sprawls across 21 acres with 170 sites and a variety of amenities and activities for guests of all ages, like weekly themed weekends, a waterpark, pedal cart, shuffleboard, an outdoor theater, bike rentals, and much more.

The complete list of award winners can be viewed here across the following categories:



Best Campgrounds in Canada

Best RV Campgrounds

Best Tent Campgrounds

Best Glamping Campgrounds

Best Campgrounds for Spontaneous Campers

Best Campgrounds for Families

Best Campgrounds for Couples

Best Campgrounds for National Park Lovers

Best Campgrounds for Weekenders

Best Campgrounds for Pet Lovers

Best Campgrounds for 55+ Adventurers

Visit the Campspot Awards pagehttps://www.campspot.com/about/campspot-awards to view and explore all 65 winning campgrounds, and to pick your favorites to visit this summer.

About Campspot

Campspot is the leading software provider and online marketplace for RV resorts, family campgrounds, cabins, glamping options, and more, providing access to more than 200,000 campsites across the United States and Canada. Campspot provides an intuitive, easy-to-navigate guest booking experience that returns relevant and easy-to-modify searches, making planning a vacation seamless. For campground customers, Campspots real-time, cloud-based management solution enables a best-in-class reservation system by giving its customers a POS system and the necessary management tools to provide the best possible user experience.
"Theyre disrupters and job creators, and all delivered an outsize impact on the economy. Remember their names and follow their lead. These are the companies youll be hearing about for years to come, said Scott Omelianuk, editor-in-chief of Inc. magazine.

Inc. Magazine revealed today that Charles IT is No. 165 on its third annual Inc. 5000 Regionals: Northeast list, the most prestigious ranking of the fastest-growing Northeast private companies, based in Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont. Born of the annual Inc. 5000 franchise, this regional list represents a unique look at the most successful companies within the Northeast economys most dynamic segmentits independent small businesses.

Most people have joined Charles IT to grow. They want to increase their position and further develop in their careers. As we continue to expand, we ensure that our people have the opportunity for continued upward momentum, which in turn allows us to deliver exceptional service and create those wow moments with our clients. Said Foster Charles, Founder & CEO of Charles IT

The companies on this list show a remarkable growth rate across all industries in the Northeast region. Between 2019 and 2021, these 169 private companies had an average growth rate of 450 percent, and in 2021 alone, they added 12,066 jobs and nearly $4.4 billion to the Northeast regions economy. Companies based in the New York and Boston areas had the highest growth rates overall.

Complete results of the Inc. 5000 Regionals: Northeast, including company profiles and an interactive database that can be sorted by industry, metro area, and other criteria, can be found at inc.com/northeast starting February 28, 2023.

This years Inc. 5000 Regional winners represent one of the most exceptional and exciting lists of Americas off-the-charts growth companies. Theyre disrupters and job creators, and all delivered an outsize impact on the economy. Remember their names and follow their lead. These are the companies youll be hearing about for years to come, said Scott Omelianuk, editor-in-chief of Inc. magazine.

Charles IT is the Northeasts compliance expert, headquartered in Middletown, Connecticut, with a second location in Stamford, Connecticut. As a managed service provider (MSP), Charles IT specializes in compliance, including SOC 2, HIPAA, DFARS, CMMC 2.0, SEC, and NIST CSF, in addition to its IT support, security, and service offerings. With a human-first focus, Charles IT values knowing client teams just as well as they know their technology, allowing the MSP to find the right solutions that take clients from functioning to flourishing.

More about Inc. and the Inc. 5000 Regionals

Methodology

The 2023 Inc. 5000 Regionals are ranked according to percentage revenue growth when comparing 2019 and 2021. To qualify, companies must have been founded and generating revenue by March 31, 2019. They had to be U.S.-based, privately held, for-profit, and independentnot subsidiaries or divisions of other companiesas of December 31, 2021. (Since then, a number of companies on the list have gone public or been acquired.) The minimum revenue required for 2019 is $100,000; the minimum for 2021 is $1 million. As always, Inc. reserves the right to decline applicants for subjective reasons.

About Inc. Media

The worlds most trusted business-media brand, Inc. offers entrepreneurs the knowledge, tools, connections, and community to build great companies. Its award-winning multiplatform content reaches more than 50 million people each month across a variety of channels including websites, newsletters, social media, podcasts, and print. Its prestigious Inc. 5000 list, produced every year since 1982, analyzes company data to recognize the fastest-growing privately held businesses in the United States. The global recognition that comes with inclusion in the 5000 gives the founders of the best businesses an opportunity to engage with an exclusive community of their peers and the credibility that helps them drive sales and recruit talent.

The associated Inc. 5000 Conference is part of a highly acclaimed portfolio of bespoke events produced by Inc. For more information, visit http://www.inc.com.
Legendary Supply Chain We are excited to enhance our software solution with new features to include field service functionality, contract lifecycle management and advanced entitlements while growing our partnership eco-system which has enabled us to continue seeing strong growth.

Inc. magazine today revealed that Legendary Supply Chain is No. 89 on its third annual Inc. 5000 Regionals: Southeast list, the most prestigious ranking of the fastest-growing Southeast private companies, based in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, and Tennessee. Born of the annual Inc. 5000 franchise, this regional list represents a unique look at the most successful companies within the Southeast economys most dynamic segmentits independent small businesses.

Helping our customers transform and optimize their supply chain has been extremely rewarding, said Rob Steele, Chief Growth Officer at Legendary Supply Chain. We are excited to enhance our software solution with new features to include field service functionality, contract lifecycle management and advanced entitlements while growing our partnership eco-system which has enabled us to continue seeing strong growth.

The companies on this list show a remarkable rate of growth across all industries in the Southeast region. Between 2019 and 2021, these 199 private companies had an average growth rate of 673 percent and, in 2021 alone, they added 25,844 jobs and nearly $7 billion to the Southeast regions economy. Companies based in the Miami, Florida, Fairhope, Alabama and Covington, Louisiana areas had the highest growth rate overall.

Complete results of the Inc. 5000 Regionals: Southeast, including company profiles and an interactive database that can be sorted by industry, metro area, and other criteria, can be found at inc.com/southeast starting February 28, 2023.

This years Inc. 5000 Regional winners represent one of the most exceptional and exciting lists of Americas off-the-charts growth companies. Theyre disrupters and job creators, and all delivered an outsize impact on the economy. Remember their names and follow their lead. These are the companies youll be hearing about for years to come, said Scott Omelianuk, editor-in-chief of Inc. magazine.

Legendary Supply Chain, Inc. is a supply chain software company focused on service and distribution companies. Legendary offers a commercial stand-alone application built on salesforce.com's infrastructure. As a Salesforce OEM partner, Legendary offers the core application stand alone or in conjunction with the full range of applications on the Salesforce AppExchange. Legendary HCP offers a marketplace for healthcare service organizations to manage suppliers, high technology purchasing and leverage data insights for smarter risk management. Legendary Supply Chain was incorporated in January 2016 and is headquartered in Goodlettsville, TN.

Contact: Carly Steele, (615) 671-9463, marketing@legendarysupplychain.com

https://legendarysupplychain.com

More about Inc. and the Inc. 5000 Regionals

Methodology

The 2023 Inc. 5000 Regionals are ranked according to percentage revenue growth when comparing 2019 and 2021. To qualify, companies must have been founded and generating revenue by March 31, 2019. They had to be U.S.-based, privately held, for-profit, and independentnot subsidiaries or divisions of other companiesas of December 31, 2021. (Since then, a number of companies on the list have gone public or been acquired.) The minimum revenue required for 2019 is $100,000; the minimum for 2021 is $1 million. As always, Inc. reserves the right to decline applicants for subjective reasons.

About Inc. Media

The worlds most trusted business-media brand, Inc. offers entrepreneurs the knowledge, tools, connections, and community to build great companies. Its award-winning multiplatform content reaches more than 50 million people each month across a variety of channels including websites, newsletters, social media, podcasts, and print. Its prestigious Inc. 5000 list, produced every year since 1982, analyzes company data to recognize the fastest-growing privately held businesses in the United States. The global recognition that comes with inclusion in the 5000 gives the founders of the best businesses an opportunity to engage with an exclusive community of their peers and the credibility that helps them drive sales and recruit talent.

The associated Inc. 5000 Conference is part of a highly acclaimed portfolio of bespoke events produced by Inc. For more information, visit http://www.inc.com.
This album is a reflection of my career, in both time and what I call color, explains Bulby. "Most people think color is what they see, but I am referring to sound. How music colors what we feel and how we see the world. The kind of music we listen to even colors our identity.

From learning about recording from the iconic King Tubby to being an engineer for the likes of Sly & Robbie and Winston Riley to working with pop icons like Rihanna and Britney Spears, Collin Bulby York has been a central figure in Jamaican music for more than 30 years. With his latest album Time & Color, Bulby is drawing from his expansive career with a variety of Caribbean and Latin-American flavors and a roster of talent that spans decades.

Released on his birthday, February 24th, Time & Color is a reflection of the range and scope of work he has produced over the years with names ranging from Reggae legends Beres Hammond and Ali Campbell (of UB40) to Panamanian artist El Maleante and new vocalist Stacey Mirander.

This album is a reflection of my career, in both time and what I call color, explains Bulby. It features timeless music with ageless artists like Beres, Ali, Bounty Killer, Tanya Stephens, Admiral Bailey, and Richie Spice. Most people think color is what they see, but I am referring to sound. How music colors what we feel and how we see the world. The kind of music we listen to even colors our identity.

Time & Color features 13 tracks colored with the sounds of Gospel, Reggae, Dancehall, and Latin music. The latest single Good Time by Richie Spice is a feel-good bass-heavy roots Reggae single that is currently streaming on all platforms. The album also features spiritually uplifting songs from Jahvinci and Stacey Mirander, smooth lovers rock single from Beres Hammond, and a remake of a pop music classic with Ali Campbell and Bounty Killer.

Previously released singles on the album include dancehall singles Queen with Tanya Stephens and Malica, Ignorant with Admiral Bailey and Christopher Martin, and Race to Waste Your Life with Spragga Benz, and the pop-tinged Want her Love with Maxi Priest.

Bulbys 30-plus-year journey in music began when he started following his uncle, George Dusty Miller of the famous Firehouse Crew band, to King Tubbys studio in the Waterhouse area of Kingston. Bulby learned the art of recording and engineering from the master and even helped Tubby build his state-of-the-art studio, assisting with rewiring and soldering. Bulby eventually created the Fat Eyes label with Lynford Fatta Marshall and produced classic hits like Stop Live Inna Di Pass (Memories) by Beenie Man, Suspense by Bounty Killer, Down By the River by Morgan Heritage, and Want You Back by Singing Melody. He has engineered tracks for No Doubt, Chaka Khan, Cyndi Lauper, Sinead OConnor, Michael Franti & Spearhead, and Sean Paul. He launched his own label Bulby York Music in 2016.

To be honest, I cant even remember all the albums Ive worked on and all the people Ive worked with, Bulby chuckles. Ive been involved in music since I was very young. It's been a long time and A LOT of color!

Time & Color is Bulbys fourth studio album on the Bulby York Music imprint, following Epic & Ting (2016), Master Blaster (2018), and Heart Crafted (2020). Additionally, he has released juggling projects Padang Padang Riddim (2021) and Far East Riddim (2022).

Time & Color is available on all platforms.
A Melbourne mum says she endured a flight from hell after being booted off a grounded Jetstar plane and put in a police wagon over a heated exchange with the captain.

Nikki Mitropoulos had been holidaying in Thailand with her son and friend before she underwent tummy tuck surgery in Bangkok, A Current Affair reported. Still in pain and recovering from the cosmetic procedure, she boarded the Jetstar flight on Saturday expecting a nine-hour trip home.

But things took a turn for the worse when JQ30 was forced to make an emergency landing in Alice Springs after a passenger suffered a suspected stroke. Still on the tarmac, the 320 passengers were then told that the Dreamliner had an electrical fault which meant a second plane would need to be flown in.

Nikki Mitropoulos says she was put in the back of a paddy wagon and told she would be taken to a cell following her exchange with the Jetstar captain. Source: Instagram/A Current Affair

Seven hours later, everyone was still stuck on board.

The air conditioning was playing up. There was no food, Ms Mitropoulos told A Current Affair. I said, is there any way I can speak to the captain? I said I just want to talk. Im not a troublemaker.

But during her conversation with the pilot, the mother of one said the captain spoke abruptly.

He goes, nope, Im done, Im going to make an example out of you, youre getting arrested, she said.

While admitting she may have pushed the questioning, Ms Mitropoulos claimed she has anxiety and was suffering from a panic attack.

Passengers were kept on board the Jetstar flight for seven hours before they were allowed to disembark. Source: A Current Affair

Women to be kept in 'a cell'

Officers were called on board the Jetstar flight and placed Ms Mitropoulos and her friend Michelle in the back of a police wagon.

The mother says they were told they were going to be kept in a watch room. But once they got to Alice Springs police station, the sergeant informed them that theyd been cleared.

In a statement to Yahoo News Australia, Jetstar says the passenger was removed from the flight after repeatedly failing to follow instruction and being abusive towards our crew.

"While we appreciate this was a lengthy and frustrating delay for everyone involved, safety is our first priority and we have zero tolerance for disruptive behaviour, a spokesperson for the airline said.

Story continues

Two days later, still feeling sick, in pain and exhausted, Ms Mitropoulos shared a video on Instagram account, finally on her way home.

So were checking out of Alice Springs hotel after a flight from hell, she told the camera on Monday while walking alongside her friend Michelle. I dont know the hell were going to get on a bloody flight today, I have no idea.

I cant, I cant, Michelle said in the background. Im getting panic attacks thinking about getting on that plane now.

Jestars zero tolerance for disruptive behaviour

In the statement to Yahoo News Australia, Jetstar said its crew is there to ensure a safe and respectful environment for everyone.

We have zero tolerance for disruptive behaviour, a spokesperson said. Any passenger who refuses to follow instructions or who is abusive will be removed from the flight.

Apologising to customers for the diversion to Alice Springs, the airline explained that because the airport was only for domestic travel, it needed to work with authorities to allow passengers to disembark into a specially partitioned section of the airport where they were provided with drinks and food.

The replacement aircraft landed in Melbourne just after 11pm on Monday, two days after passengers left Bangkok. Jetstar says all passengers have been offered a $200 voucher as compensation for the disruption.

Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com.

You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Twitter and download the Yahoo News app from the App Store or Google Play.
Entertainers delight and dazzle at the 2021 Hollywood Burlesque Festival The Hollywood Burlesque Festival aims to ensure the ongoing tradition of burlesque in the arts and to raise awareness and appreciation of an art form that both empowers and admires the human figure.

The Hollywood Burlesque Festival, now in its 10th year, returns March 17-19. Located at the iconic Vermont Hollywood venue, more than 70 burlesque performers from near and far will dazzle and delight attendees throughout an eventful and unforgettable weekend.

In addition to the naughty and nice performances, there will be a red-carpet event Friday night, an afterparty on Saturday night and brunch on Sunday. Attendees will also be able to take part in burlesque classes and workshops and imbibe in the most delectable food and drinks curated for The Hollywood Burlesque Festival by sponsors Sailor Jerry Rum, Hendricks Gin, Milagro Tequila, Reyka Vodka and Monkey Shoulder Whiskey.

This years lineup is one of the most diverse with artists of all shapes, sizes, ethnicities and gender identities, said Miss Spent Youth, Hollywood Burlesque Festival producer and veteran performer. The Hollywood Burlesque Festival aims to ensure the ongoing tradition of burlesque in the arts and to raise awareness and appreciation of an art form that both empowers and admires the human figure. We believe that modern burlesque is for every body regardless of the previous beauty standards performers were forced to adhere to. We welcome acts of all styles and performers of any shape, size, color, ability, background, age, identity, gender, or economic class to join our stage and showcase what they have to offer to the art form as it grows and evolves.

Tickets are on sale now at hollywoodburlesquefestival.com. The cost of a single day ticket is $80.00 and weekend passes start at $200.
Our goal at TuneCore is to make our artists lives easier. For years, self-releasing artists have been required to take on additional support roles to sustain their artistic endeavors. By offering splits, TuneCore artists can now spend less time being accountants and more time making great music.

Leading digital music distributor for self-releasing artists, TuneCore, a division of Believe, one of the worlds leading digital music companies, has launched royalty splits. The move better serves the self-releasing artist community and facilitates seamless collaboration between music creators.

Andreea Gleeson, CEO, TuneCore commented, Our goal at TuneCore is to make our artists lives easier so that they can focus on making music. For years, self-releasing artists at all stages of their careers have been required to take on additional support roles to sustain their artistic endeavors. By offering splits, TuneCore artists can now spend less time being accountants and more time making great music.

TuneCore artists are now able to split their royalty payments from their streaming & download revenue between all collaborators on any track or album. All TuneCore artists on a paid UNLIMITED release plan are automatically eligible to utilize royalty splits, while those who utilize TuneCores free New Artist plan can access splits for just $7.99 a year through the Splits Collaborator add-on, all with no royalty commission paid to TuneCore from their streaming and download revenue.

Papoose, TuneCores Head of Hip-Hop commented, As an artist, collaborating with other artists is very important; it can help bring out the best of our collective creativity while also allowing us to cross-promote and gain exposure to other artists audiences. For independent artists, the business side of collaboration can be a burden, organizing monthly payouts to make sure everyone gets their fair share. TuneCores new splits program allows us to enter the royalty percentages for each artist on a track and TuneCore handles the payouts. Once again, TuneCore continues to put artists first and make it easier for us to focus on making music together.

Through splits, TuneCore also offers price-sensitive creators a means to facilitate collaboration by allowing them to offer featured artists a share of streaming and download revenue rather than paying an advance fee, decreasing the upfront financial barriers that could otherwise block collaboration.

Once splits are registered for a track or album, TuneCore will provide automatic payouts to collaborators as well as full visibility into payout details. Artists will be able to execute functions such as editing their splits at any time, adding or removing collaborators, and updating percentages, thereby lifting the burden of handling accounting for all collaborators on a specific track and allowing the artists to focus more on working together to create art and express themselves through music.

About Believe:

Believe is one of the worlds leading digital music companies. Believes mission is to develop local artists and labels in the digital ecosystem by providing them with the solutions they need to grow their audience at each stage of their career and development. Believes passionate team of digital music experts around the world leverages the Groups global technology platform to advise artists and labels, distribute and promote their music. Its 1,610 employees in more than 50 countries aim to support local artists and labels with a unique digital expertise, respect, fairness and transparency. Believe offers its various solutions through a portfolio of brands including TuneCore, Nuclear Blast, Naive, Groove Attack and AllPoints. Believe is listed on compartment A of the regulated market of Euronext Paris (Ticker: BLV, ISIN: FR0014003FE9).http://www.believe.com/http://www.believe.com

About TuneCore:

TuneCore is the leading independent development partner for self-releasing artists to build audiences and careers  with technology and services across distribution, publishing administration, and a range of promotional services. TuneCore Music Distribution services help artists, labels, and managers sell their music through Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, Deezer, TikTok, Tencent, and more than 150 download and streaming stores worldwide, while retaining 100 percent of their sales revenue and rights for a low annual flat fee. TuneCore Music Publishing Administration assists songwriters by administering their compositions through licensing, registration, worldwide royalty collections, and placement opportunities in film, TV, commercials, video games, and more. The TuneCore Artist Services portal offers a suite of tools and services that enable artists to promote their craft, connect with fans, and get their music heard. TuneCore, part of Believe, is headquartered in Brooklyn, NY, with offices in Los Angeles, Nashville, and Atlanta, and operates globally through local teams based in the UK, Germany, France, Belgium, The Netherlands, Italy, Brazil, Mexico, Nigeria, South Africa, India, Japan, Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines and Singapore across 5 continents.http://www.tunecore.com
Customers and users have recognized that using SkyTouch HOS has empowered them to run their hotel anytime, anywhere, all from a device of their choice.

Today SkyTouch Technology, one of the worlds most widely used cloud-based property management systems, announces its 10-year anniversary and commemorates its core value to continuously develop technology that empowers customers.

Since 2013, SkyTouch Technology has paved the way as industry vanguards with its product SkyTouch Hotel OS, which empowers hoteliers to take control of their hotel from anywhere in the world with an internet connection. To celebrate the 10-year anniversary, SkyTouch Technology unveils a temporary commemorative logo with the tagline A Decade of Empowering You. Reflecting on 10 years in the hotel technology industry, the tagline was developed to represent the empowerment SkyTouch has provided customers, users, and team members. Customers and users have recognized that using SkyTouch HOS has empowered them to run their hotel anytime, anywhere, all from a device of their choice. Hotels that previously did not have these capabilities were restricted to being on property to run their business. Now customers can support their hotels remotely from wherever they are in the world.

When SkyTouch Technology introduced their solution to the industry in 2013 it was rooted in a decade of success. Originally the technology was implemented in 2003 as choiceADVANTAGE (cA), available exclusively to Choice Hotels. Over the next 10 years, Choice would deploy cA to thousands of hotels in North America and expand to countries spanning the globe in 2010. With cA running smoothly across the United States at this time, news of this kind of technology intrigued the industry. Soon hoteliers were inquiring about purchasing cA for their independent properties. Not long after, SkyTouch Technology emerged as a PMS marketed to other chains and independent hotels with the functionality that hoteliers desired. SkyTouch has grown to 113 team members proudly serving approximately 6,800 properties and counting in 12 countries around the world.

In the decade since coming to market, SkyTouch has not stopped looking for ways to continue to empower their customers.



2015 - SkyTouch Guest Experience was introduced adding a customizable CRM and loyalty program which helps hotels to recognize their very best guests with a local flair.

2016 - SkyTouch was one of the earliest cloud native PMS providers with a fully integrated EMV solution.

2018 - SkyTouch transitioned their technology stack to AWS leading to increased performance uptime for all their customers.

2019 - SkyTouch introduces the innovative /CONNECT integration platform allowing on property interfaces to be configured remotely for the first time, in many cases without additional support from on-site vendors.

2021 - SkyTouch deployed SkyTouch GT which automated the check-in registration card experience, reducing cost and shrinking the environmental footprint of the hotel. SkyTouch Technology recognizes Jays Inn and Suites as the longest serving customer, using SkyTouch HOS since 2013.

Jays Inn and Suites is a busy independent property located in Virden, MN, Canada. When the property was contacted about SkyTouch celebrating 10 years as the hotels PMS, the current general manager was thrilled to share how SkyTouch HOS has empowered the property.

We have worked with SkyTouch for just over 10 years! SkyTouch is a very user friendly, easily adaptable, property management system. SkyTouch is a web-based program that works wonderfully for our smaller hotel, along with the friendly tech support which is available on an on-call basis when needed, SkyTouch has sure proved to us over the course of ten years to be one of the best property management systems available! Happy 10th Anniversary SkyTouch, we look very forward to seeing what SkyTouch has in store for us over the next 10 years, stated Melissa Stewart, General Manager at Jays Inn and Suites.

Customer success is at the heart of everything SkyTouch does. It serves as a compass and provides guidance for the efforts SkyTouch drives to modernize hotel operations and personalize the product to meet each customers needs. None of that would be possible without a diverse, vibrant team of dedicated people. The teams effort has allowed SkyTouch Technology to become what it is today. We talked to a few of our founding members and asked them to tell us a little about their SkyTouch experience over the last 10 years and this is what they had to say.

I love that I have a real impact in creating solutions to solve challenging industry and customer problems. - Jill Burrus

We are not a company that just offers a PMS cloud-based solution for hoteliers. We are empowered to think outside the box and help push ourselves to connect and develop services to our customers by listening to what they want and need. We are a company that does not think why cant we do that? I also love the positive feedback from our first-time customers that have not used SkyTouch before. - Robbie Gaffey

In the span of a decade, weve bolstered our position in the industry and continue to maintain strong confidence in our excellent product Im certain that SkyTouchs future looks bright as we continue to adapt our product to meet the new needs of our clientele. - Sylvio Martins

About SkyTouch Technology

SkyTouch Technology is the provider of a widely used cloud-based property management system. Built in the cloud by hotel professionals for hotel companies, the SkyTouch hotel operations platform is designed to help hotel executives meet their most important strategic objectives: to enhance the guest experience, advance performance, and achieve growth while evolving with changing market needs. Accessible from anywhere, the SkyTouch PMS provides visibility and control of operations through real-time, impactful business analytics that help improve hotel guest experience, operational decision-making, and financial results for todays hotelier. SkyTouch provides an integrated approach to online hotel reservations that fits any size property. For more information about SkyTouch Technology, visit http://www.skytouchtechnology.com. SkyTouch, SkyTouch Technology, and SkyTouch Hotel OS are proprietary trademarks and service marks of SkyTouch Solutions, LLC.
Atlas Roofing Corporation is excited to announce the 10 finalists in its Asphalt Life Truck Giveaway!

As part of the companys 40th anniversary celebration in 2022, contractors were able to earn points throughout the year that qualified them for a chance to win a fully refurbished 1982 Chevy Silverado pickup truck, which features custom black leather seats with red-embroidered Atlas logos, a roll bar with KC Lights, and a brand-new Bluetooth stereo.

Points were awarded to contractors for registering Atlas warranties, attending Atlas-sponsored events, reaching AtlasPRO+ and PRO+ Select status(es), interacting with Atlas on social media, creating homeowner testimonials, and purchasing EagleView or HailTrace reports via the AtlasPRO Portal.

Once all the points were tallied, the 10 contractors with the highest totals were notified that they are finalists and will receive a 3-day/2-night all-expenses-paid trip to Dallas, TX, for the 2023 International Roofing Expo (IRE), which runs Tuesday, March 7, through Thursday, March 9.

The 10 finalists are:



Gerald Klemm/Jeffrey Rosier  G. Klemm Roofing (Geneva, IL)

Robert & Nina Wormley  Wormley Roofing (Apopka, FL)

Robert & Kaitlin Schlueter  American Windows and Roofing (Blue Ash, OH)

Mike Allen/James Cox  Allen & Sons Enterprises (Hamilton, OH)

Susan Chrostowski/Michael Molthan  In Motion Construction (Aloma, FL)

Vaughan Blehl/Francesco Caporale  Northkit Contracting (Cedar Grove, NJ)

Nico Soave/Marissa Garcia  Greater Midwest Exteriors (Shorewood, IL)

Randy Parish  Parish Roofing Solutions (Allen, TX)

Sondra & Don Davis  All Things Roofing & Restoration (Colorado Springs, CO)

Doug Meckley  Triple R Roofing (Littlestown, PA)

The truck giveaway is scheduled for 3 p.m. on Wednesday, March 8, at Booth 5904 (aka the Atlas Lodge), where one of these lucky roofers win the 1982 Chevy Silverado K-20 pickup via a Price Is Right-style game.

The Atlas booth will also feature new products and other Price Is Right-themed games with a lot more prizes up for grabs!

Atlas would like to congratulate all the finalists and extend its appreciation for all the contractors who participated in the points process for the Asphalt Life truck giveaway.

About Atlas Roofing Corporation

Atlas is an innovative, customer-oriented provider of asphalt shingles, roof underlayments, rigid expanded polystyrene and polyiso insulation, geofoam, cold chain, protective packaging, lost foam, and cutting-edge coated and paper facers and underlayments for a diverse set of markets. Atlas has grown from a single asphalt shingle manufacturing facility to 36 facilities in North America with worldwide product distribution. Products from the company's four major divisions, Polyiso Roof & Wall Insulation, Shingle & Underlayment, Molded Products, and Web Technologies, are manufactured in state-of-the-art facilities and shipped from its network of manufacturing plants and distribution facilities in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

For more information about Atlas Roofing Corporation, please visit AtlasRoofing.com.
One of the foundational pillars of LIVEbe is being connected to others, and BEkind month is an opportunity to showcase the devotion we have to our residents and our ambassadors.

LIVEbe Communities, a premier apartment developer and operator dedicated to delivering distinct apartment homes within connected communities, today announced the unveiling of its first ever BEkind month, in which team members and residents at the companys four communities engage in a series of kind-and-wellness-infused initiatives throughout February.

As part of the effort to celebrate national Kindness Month, LIVEbe has posted a Random Acts of Kindness Wall at each of its communities, each of which feature various ideas for kindhearted deeds. Residents at Baltimore-based 2Hopkins, for instance, are encouraged to engage in tasks such as paying for the person in line behind them, telling a manager how good their service was or even simple courteous measures, such as holding the door open for someone. Residents are encouraged to post photos of their philanthropic efforts on social media and tag their respective communities, and those featured on LIVEbes social media pages will be awarded with a Starbucks gift card.

While kindness certainly should be a year-round undertaking, it can be uplifting to spread the good vibes even further, said Debra White, events coordinator for LIVEbe, who is spearheading the event. Our associates and residents have embraced the concept, and the amount of goodwill and graciousness being displayed at our communities is truly touching. Reminding each other of ways we can be even more kind helps set the blueprint to foster connections through compassion, regardless of the month.

Various LIVEbe residents are assembling gift boxes filled with beauty and bath essentials for women in shelters and assisted living facilities. LIVEbe is also offering gratitude journals with a 30-day kindness challenge designed to assist in developing daily thankfulness, mindfulness and positivity. Additionally, residents have the option to paint a reflective self-portrait designed to encourage self-love. As another component of Kindness Week, White is interviewing residents to gauge their perceptions of kindness in current times and what being kind means to them, with each interview posted on the Instagram of that residents community.

LIVEbe's communities are also engaging in a series of property-specific initiatives. The Remy, located in the Harkins District of Prince George's County, for instance, has focused on self-care initiatives. Residents were given chair massages by certified masseuses, underwent complementary blood pressure checks and routine health screenings, were offered healthy meal prepping information and samples from a local restaurateur and had access to a mind-body medicine workshop. Glen Oaks, located in Greenbelt, Md., provided a "heartfelt" community luncheon.

LIVEbe's team members, which are affectionately dubbed ambassadors, also play a key role in Kindness Month. Ambassadors are encouraged to show each other kindness and compliments by anonymously posting heartfelt notes to one another on their communitys "Praise Wall." Each associate also was provided with a Kindness bingo card with various heartfelt ideas on each entry. LIVEbe's Diversity, Equity & Inclusion committee also got into the spirit with a workshop at each community to help ambassadors use their personal talents to make others feel engaged and included.

A primary characteristic of apartment living is that youre always surrounded by people, and that shouldnt be a cold experience, said Elaine De Lude, vice president of LIVEbe. One of the foundational pillars of LIVEbe is being connected to others, and BEkind month is an opportunity to showcase the devotion we have to our residents and our ambassadors. Were appreciative of the enthusiasm surrounding the campaign, and its something that I could envision LIVEbe doing every February.

About LIVEbe Communities

Headquartered in Rockville, Md., LIVEbe was founded in 2016 and is helmed by multifamily veterans Elaine De Lude and Jennifer Rucker. LIVEbe is the multifamily division of Berman Enterprises and was established with a specific focus on fostering a sense of community by offering an unparalleled living experience for residents and employing LIVEbe Ambassadors who are forward thinking and passionate about providing exceptional customer service.

About Berman Enterprises

Berman Enterprises is a multi-generational real estate and investment company founded on the principles of honesty, integrity, hard work, hands-on management, community and philanthropy. Employing a conservative financial strategy, Berman Enterprises has experienced sustained growth since brothers Melvin J. Berman and I. Wolford Berman founded the company in 1952.

Today, the Company and its affiliates own and manage more than 8 million square feet of commercial office, retail, industrial/flex and residential properties in Maryland, Virginia and Illinois. The Company also owns several hundred acres of developable land representing thousands of units of residential and hundreds of thousands of square feet of commercial and retail development potential.
Christian Eiroa and Omar McGee Christians masterful skill with tobacco aligns with how I approach everything I do.

Omar McGee, CEO of The Posh Collection and luxury brand influencer is pleased to announce a new offering in the world of cigars, The Rose Gold Reserve Cigar. The Rose Gold Reserve is an exclusive cigar blend produced by legendary Cigar Mogul Christian Eiroa of C.LE. Cigar Company. This collaboration is the first for both that will tie in one of the leading high end luxury influencers in Los Angeles with top premium Honduran cigar brand in the world.

With supercars, private jets, celebrity clientele and the television series, Million Dollar Wheels Executive Produced by Oscar Winner, Jamie Foxx, Omar McGee has risen to the top as the Master of cool. With expanding his brand, the natural progression was to think about his own lifestyle. He had the opportunity for brand partnerships but in true to form for this serial entrepreneur, why not create his own brand, and Rose Gold Reserve was born. To offer it to his clientele, it had to be created from the best master blender in the world, Christian Eiroa. When you are providing the best cars and exclusive experiences for clients, offering cigars as an extension of the brand is not forgiving. You must get it right the first time., says McGee. Christians masterful skill with tobacco aligns with how I approach everything I do.

With the name Christian Eiroa, it exudes cool and is one of the most respected, award-winning Master Blender on the planet. At 50 years young, blending has been his lifes blood from the seed to the packaging to the perfecting in the consumer experience, he has it all down to a science. Now with this blend made exclusively for Rose Gold Reserve, it will be enjoyed for years to come.

The Rose Gold Cigar experience will be provided to The Posh Collection clientele and sold worldwide.

About Omar McGee, The Posh Collection  The Rose Gold Reserve Cigars

Entrepreneur and Luxury Brand Influencer, Omar McGee is the owner of Posh Luxury Imports, the only African American owned exotic vehicle sales and rental dealership in Los Angeles, and one of the co-stars of the TNT television series, Million Dollar Wheels from executive producer Jamie Foxx, follows a diverse group of top luxury and supercar dealers in the world as they find and sell the most exclusive vehicles in existence to an elite clientele. The Posh Collection has been the entire extension of Omars own personal brand as a respected cigar connoisseur.

http://www.theposhcollection.net

About Christian Eiroa and C.L.E. Cigar Company

Was born the youngest of three children in Danli, Honduras in 1972. Just days after he was born, As young as the age of 8 he was helping move tobacco around. It can be said that he was being indoctrinated to be in tobacco his entire life. It was in 1995 when Christian returned to Honduras to learn about tobacco and cigars.

In 2000, Christian made his mark with the launching of the Camacho Corojo. When Camacho Cigars was purchased in 2008, Christian remained with the company for the duration of the transition until 2011 when he decided to venture on his own. In July of 2012, Christian once again returned to the cigar industry with the launch of C.L.E. Cigar Company.

Contact for The Posh Collection  Rose Gold Reserve Cigars

Cammie Johnson | Cammie Johnson Public Relations

cammie@cammiejohnsonpr.com

310.526.3371
Dr. Les Kalman (left) and Brent Griffith. P.E., have been awarded AMUG scholarships and will be participants in AMUG 2023. Both of our scholarship winners exemplified a passion for additive manufacturing that was triggered many years ago but has not waned.

The Additive Manufacturing Users Group (AMUG) today announced the recipients of its scholarships. Dr. Les Kalman, Assistant Professor in restorative dentistry at Western University (London, Ontario, Canada), has been awarded the Randy Stevens Scholarship for educators in additive manufacturing. Brent Griffith, P.E., is pursuing a Master of Engineering in Additive Manufacturing and Design through Penn State University (State College, Pennsylvania) and has been awarded the Guy E. Bourdeau Scholarship for students in additive manufacturing.

As scholarship recipients, Kalman and Griffith will attend the AMUG Conference, where they will engage with additive manufacturing users. They will take the stage to present their work on Monday, March 20, 2023. The AMUG Conference will be held in Chicago, Illinois, from March 19-23, 2023.

The scholarships recognize students and educators demonstrating passion and vision for additive manufacturing to advance education and industry. Rajeev Kulkarni, Chair of the AMUG Scholarship Committee, said, "Both of our scholarship winners exemplified a passion for additive manufacturing that was triggered many years ago but has not waned. Beyond that, the committee recognized their visions of changing how things are done coupled with diligence to make the changes a reality."

Kalman and Griffith also empower others to change the world through their mentorship efforts, Kulkarni noted.

Kulkarni continued, "This year, we reviewed an almost record number of submissions. We were impressed with the elevated quality of the work. With every passing year, it is becoming increasingly difficult to pick the top scholarship recipients, which indicates the progress made by the additive manufacturing industry."

Brent Griffith's passion for additive manufacturing was ignited during his undergraduate studies when he received a 3D printer kit as an early graduation gift. Years later, he elected to further his additive manufacturing expertise by pursuing a master's degree through Penn State while working at Labconco Corporation, where he manages the company's additive manufacturing program.

Brandon Gray, Labconco's VP of Engineering, said, "Brent has turned our world upside down, and we are so much better for it. He has done (and continues to do) an amazing job identifying innovative additive manufacturing solutions to add value to our business. He has demonstrated thought leadership in the field of additive manufacturing."

Griffith's research through Penn State focuses on the health and safety issues resulting from printer emissions. He said, "My hope is to contribute to existing research and help develop or add to the development of standards regarding the safety of printer operations. Ensuring that the printing process is safe in the long term for operators is important for the future of additive manufacturing."

Griffith also makes the time to actively mentor and teach youth groups about additive manufacturing and its applications. He said, "I have taken every opportunity to use additive manufacturing to teach and help kids learn either directly or indirectly about the technology. Kids, especially younger kids, are unique in that they don't yet have enough experience to fully grasp what is and isn't possible, which I have found results in a high level of creativity. When you can help pair that level of creativity with a technology like additive manufacturing, you get to witness some really inspiring things happen."

Dr. Les Kalman is an Assistant Professor at Western University, where he teaches and conducts research. He said, "In all of my teachings, I try to focus on improving the clinical experience through accuracy, efficiency, or communication. That is why 3D printing has become an important component in my teaching."

Kalman has developed and instructed novel digital dentistry courses, some of which employ an experiential learning hands-on program with digital scanning, CAD/CAM, and 3D printing. These courses educate students and dentists on the advantages of 3D printing and its importance in patient care. Course development leveraged collaboration between industry and academia.

On the research side, Kalman stated, "I am currently involved in research that I feel is pushing and advancing the boundaries of 3D printing and additive manufacturing in dentistry. As a medical (dental) device researcher, additive manufacturing has provided an avenue to fabricate complex geometries and devices that were not previously possible."

Kalman's interest in attending the AMUG Conference stems from the many challenges and limitations that researchers face in the current climate. By attending the conference, he hopes to increase collaborative partnerships, benefit from conversations with those outside of dentistry, gain awareness of funding possibilities, and receive technology updates.

In testimony of his work, Dr. Yara Hosein, former Director of Operations at ADEISS, said, "I have always found Dr. Kalman to be a passionate professor and researcher, innovative in his development of ideas related to the field of dentistry. He possesses research experience, teaching expertise, and an inquisitive and invested interest in the future of additive manufacturing for the dental industry."

Thomas Nguyen, DMD and Assistant Professor at McGill University, said, "Les has demonstrated excellence in his field by being a well-published clinician and internationally sought-after speaker. He is a renowned expert in the use of 3D printing in dentistry, especially with metal and zirconia." He continued, "Dr. Kalman has also demonstrated leadership in his field as he served on the Board of Directors of many organizations and associations. He is so deeply committed to his career that he not only takes opportunities to learn but practically creates opportunities to expand his knowledge and experience."

The Guy E. Bourdeau Scholarshipfounded by Guy's wife, Renee Bourdeau, and financially supported by Cimquest, Inc. since 2019is awarded annually to one college student. The Randy Stevens Scholarshipfounded and financially supported by Randy's former employer, In'Tech Industriesis awarded annually to one educator focusing on additive manufacturing.

ABOUT ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING USERS GROUP (AMUG)

AMUG is an organization that educates and advances the uses and applications of additive manufacturing technologies. AMUG members include those with industrial additive manufacturing/3D printing solutions used for professional purposes from companies such as Dyndrite, GE Additive, GoEngineer, Nexa3D, Evonik, Tekna, DMG MORI, Stratasys, EOS, Wurth Additive Group, Meltio, ADDiTEC, and Formlabs. AMUG meets annually to provide education and training through technical presentations on processes and new technologies. This information addresses the operation of additive manufacturing equipment and the applications that use the parts they make. Online at http://www.amug.com.
This is a huge win for taxpayers and sets a precedent for legitimate 179D providers. At alliantgroup, we take pride in our more than 20 years of quality service and expertise in our clients industries. Matthew Noll, alliantgroup Chief Operating Officer.

alliantgroup, the nations premier consulting firm for small and medium-sized businesses, is celebrating a historic win for taxpayers. The U.S. Tax Court issued a precedent-setting opinion on IRC sec. 179D for alliantgroups client.

The 179D deduction incentivizes efforts to increase the energy efficiency of a building. At the time of this case, taxpayers could claim a deduction up to $1.80 per square foot for qualifying buildings where the energy consumption was reduced below the ASHRAE standard.

In 2013, Edwards Engineering engaged alliantgroup to help them claim the 179D deduction. Edwards contracted with a federal government entity, the VA, to supply and install components of a federal buildings HVAC system. Subsequently, the IRS denied the claim, challenging the process and methodology.

Claiming 179D requires several key steps including, but not limited to:



Identification of the designers

Obtaining an allocation letter from the appropriate entity

Modelling and Inspection of property

Certification of energy consumption

The U.S. Tax Court found that alliantgroup properly applied the law in each of the above steps  overruling the IRS interpretations of the law in Johnson v. Commr, 160 T.C. No. 2. Where most U.S. Tax Court decisions come in the form of a memo, this decision came in the form of an opinion, binding law, that was agreed upon by all 19 U.S. Tax Court Justices. And further, it is the only tax court opinion on 179D that specifically addresses the key steps to substantiating this deduction.

This is a huge win for taxpayers and sets a precedent for legitimate 179D providers. At alliantgroup, we take pride in our more than 20 years of quality service and expertise in our clients industries. Matthew Noll, alliantgroup Chief Operating Officer.

alliantgroup is the nations premier consulting and management engineering firm with a mission to strengthen Americas small and medium-sized businesses through reinvestment in innovation and job growth. We educate businesses, the industry groups that serve them and the accounting firms that advise them on federal and state credits and incentives that are legislated by our government to keep the U.S. competitive in the global landscape. alliantgroup is headquartered in Houston, Texas with additional offices located in Austin, Boston, Chicago, Indianapolis, New York, Irvine, Sacramento, Washington, D.C.; Hyderabad, India; and Bristol and London in the U.K. For more information, visit alliantgroup and engage with us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.
Disability Network Disability is a natural part of life. Changing our name to Disability Network Washtenaw Monroe Livingston puts disability first and embraces who we are and who we serve.Alex Gossage, Executive Director

The Ann Arbor Center for Independent Living, a nonprofit disability advocacy and service agency, announced today that it has rebranded as the Disability Network Washtenaw Monroe Livingston. The change demonstrates the organizations connection to the larger system of Disability Network offices within Michigan while strengthening its commitment to promoting independent living and advocating for the rights of people with disabilities.

The Ann Arbor Center for Independent Living was founded in 1976 and has worked closely with the disability community to help people live more fulfilling, self-determined lives. Over 80% of staff and board identify as having a disability.

In addition to the name change, Disability Network Washtenaw Monroe Livingston (DNWML) has debuted a new logo and updated website.

We will continue to be a Center for Independent Living; that will never change. We will continue to be disability-led, disability-run, and a place for people with disabilities to gather; that, too, will never change, said Executive Director, Alex Gossage. Disability is a natural part of life. Changing our name to Disability Network Washtenaw Monroe Livingston puts disability first and embraces who we are and who we serve.

The rebrand showcases the three counties the nonprofit serves and symbolizes an era of growth, progress, and improved visibility within the disability community. Disability Network Washtenaw Monroe Livingston continues its mission to empower the lives of people with disabilities and to advocate for a more inclusive community for all.

Visit http://www.DNWML.org to explore the new website and branding.

About Disability Network Washtenaw Monroe Livingston

The nonprofit is run by people with disabilities for people with disabilities. In addition to providing individualized services, community advocacy, and group workshops for self-improvement, DNWML is a dynamic community enrichment and recreation center filled with events and activities to help you connect with people and your passion.


The Archway hackathon is a unique opportunity for developers to become early contributors to the ecosystem while showcasing their talents and creativity.

Archway, the L1 protocol that prioritizes developers by rewarding them programmatically based on dapp usage, is excited to announce the launch of its Release Your Inner Bull hackathon. The event runs from March 13 to April 24, 2023. Winners will be announced on May 1st.

The primary objective of the Archway hackathon is to engage and support the global developer community while showcasing its innovative economic model, which automatically rewards developers based on their dapp usage. The hackathon serves to highlight how Archway can reinvent the way value is created and shared across blockchain ecosystems by opening up a completely new kind of developer-centric economy that allows developers to earn consistent rewards and customize their dapps economic model. Throughout the course of the hackathon, Archway hopes to see a host of new dapps with unique use-cases and provide the most innovative developers post-hackathon funding via grants.

By entering the hackathon, developers will have the chance to deploy their dapps on Archway once mainnet goes live, thereby becoming first-movers and early contributors to the ecosystem. With the official mainnet launch around the corner, Archway encourages developers to become a part of its community now and explore the vast opportunities that exist on its network.

The hackathon will have a prize pool of up to 1 million ARCH tokens, with 3 winners per track and up to 250,000 ARCH tokens allocated to each track. First place will receive 125,000 tokens; second place, 75,000; and third place, 50,000. Prizes will be allocated to winners after Archway's mainnet launch and will be subject to a 1-year lock-up period.

Another significant incentive of taking part in this hackathon is the opportunity to get noticed: Archway's business development team will be scouting select projects to potentially offer extended funding and support to officially join the Archway ecosystem. U.S. residents and residents of prohibited jurisdictions are not eligible to participate nor receive ARCH tokens. For more information, visit the Hackathon's Terms and Conditions.

The judges evaluating the BUIDLs will be a mix of notable Web3 investors and engineers from firms such as IDEO Colab Ventures, Figment Capital, Chorus One, and Messari. Phi Labs employees will also act as judges. They will be evaluating not just the creativity and execution of the dapp ideas, but also how they contribute to the wider ecosystem.

"The Archway hackathon is a unique opportunity for developers to become early contributors to the ecosystem while showcasing their talents and creativity," said Griffin Anderson, CEO of Phi Labs, a core contributor to Archway. "We are excited to see what innovative dapp ideas developers will bring to the network."

Archway encourages developers to start brainstorming their unique dapp ideas and to sign up for the hackathon starting March 13, 2023. For more information, please visit: https://dorahacks.io/hackathon/archway-releaseyourinnerbull

For media inquiries, please contact Jonathan Duran at (310) 260-7901 or Jonathan(at)MelrosePR(dot)com

About Archway

Archway is a Cosmos-native layer-1 blockchain designed to reward developers for the value they contribute to the network. The network features programmatic rewards that automatically reward dapps based on their usage. This means developers building on Archway can start earning rewards as soon as the dapp is in use and customize their economics to employ these rewards in creative ways. With its frictionless and intuitive developer tooling, Archway is positioned to become the gateway to the Cosmos ecosystem by dramatically lowering barriers to entry into the multi-chain world for developers, incentivizing the growth of a diverse and equitable Web3.
Some people pay a lot of money for a view like this.

But airline passengers couldn't believe their luck when their pilot made a 360-degree turn mid-flight to catch the Northern Lights in all their glory.

The easyJet flight was travelling from Reykjavik in Iceland to Manchester Airport on Monday night (local time) when the natural phenomenon was on full display as passengers took it all in from their sky-high vantage point.

The passengers were left awestruck by the Northern Lights as they observed the natural phenomenon mid-flight. Source: Flight Tracker/Twitter

Photos taken from on board the aircraft showed the sky alight with vivid colours of green and pink which is caused by a solar storm.

A flight tracking website also recorded the plane's path and the 360-degree turn is clearly visible on the route, showing a complete loop was made over the northern Atlantic Ocean so passengers could soak up the view.

Adam Groves, one of the lucky passengers, shared that he was initially positioned on the wrong side of the aircraft to see the lights and was only able to catch a glimpse thanks to the pilot deciding to turn around.

Big thanks to the @easyJet pilot of EZY1806 from Reykjavik to Manchester who did a 360 fly by mid flight to make sure all passengers could see the incredible Northern Lights  pic.twitter.com/A4CHi9Hqgo  Adam Groves (@APTGroves) February 27, 2023

We took off and halfway into the flight the pilot turned all the lights off and the view was out the left window. We were sat on the right-hand side and after two to three minutes the pilot switched back and did a 360 loop around for everyone to see, he told Manchester Evening News.

Story continues

The pilot has been praised for going out of their way to ensure everyone could enjoy the experience. It has been reported that permission was granted from air traffic control before the pilot performed the manoeuvre.

Pictures taken by passengers were posted to social media, with many applauding the airline. "Bravo bravo to the tech crew, not every day this happens," one person wrote.

"Go easyjet. It's the little things," a woman commented. "All hail easyjet!!!" another said.

What are the Northern Lights?

It was the second night in a row that much of the United Kingdom has been subject to the glorious sight, with northern Scotland being the best spot to witness the display.

The lights seen from the ground (or in this case the sky) are caused by high-speed electrically charged particles entering Earth's upper atmosphere from space.

The particles originate from the Sun, which steadily pushes out these charged particles known as solar wind. When these charged particles hit our upper atmosphere, they become excited. Once they calm and decay, they begin to emit vivid colours which we enjoy as the Northern Lights.

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"Whether planning a relaxing escape, a romantic honeymoon, or a family reunion, we are here to handle every detail hassle-free." - Rafael Rodriguez, Dream Vacations vacation specialist and franchise owner

Rafael Rodriguez and Elizabeth Barbosa recently completed an intensive training program to become certified Dream Vacations travel agents in Brunswick. As part of the nations leading home-based travel agent franchise network, Rafael & Elizabeth have access to the best cruise and land vacation deals and Dream Vacations exclusive, elite product and service offerings.

As vacation specialists with 30-plus combined years of travel experience, we are committed to creating your next customized dream vacation. Whether planning a relaxing escape, a romantic honeymoon, or a family reunion, we are here to handle every detail hassle-free. Where do you want to go? said Rodriguez, Dream Vacations vacation specialist and franchise owner.

To complete the certification program, Rodriguez & Barbosa both participated in in-depth training and workshops, including sales and marketing seminars; product briefings by major cruise lines; hands-on computer systems orientation introducing new agents to CruiseControl, a proprietary customer relationship management, sales reporting and reservation system; and onboard ship inspections at the state-of-the-art Dream Vacations training center in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Additional certifications obtained by Rafael & Elizabeth are Travel Alaska Certified Experts, Anchorage Wild Certified Experts, and Travel Safety Program.

Consumers can browse Rafael & Elizabeths new Dream Vacations website, http://www.BarbosaTravel.com, complete with a live search engine and booking capabilities, or contact them for expert, personalized guidance in planning memorable vacations. Rafael & Elizabeth Barbosa  Dream Vacations walks clients step-by-step through the entire booking and planning process, from selecting destinations and excursions based on clients interests to providing packing lists and enhancing special occasions.

As Dream Vacations franchise owners, Rafael & Elizabeth are now part of the World Travel Holdings family of brands, one of the top travel retail networks in the world with incredible buying power with every major cruise line and many tour operators, resulting in exceptional low prices and exclusive offers such as upgrades, discounts and more.

For more information or to book a dream vacation, please call (301)244-0755 / (866)270-2732 or visit http://www.BarbosaTravel.com. Hours of operation are Monday  Saturday, 9:00 AM  6:30 PM EST.

About Dream Vacations

Travel agents with the top-ranked home-based travel agency franchise Dream Vacations have the resources to plan and create seamless vacation experiences for their customers while offering the best value. A member of the International Franchise Association, Dream Vacations is part of World Travel Holdings and has received franchise partner of the year, a top-ranking status by all the major cruise lines, and national recognition for its support of military veterans.
Sally Herman working with Ghanaian Volunteer Doreenlove Serwah The lifelong connections made between volunteers and with patients and their families are one of the greatest perks of volunteering with Operation Smile. And why so many volunteers, just like Sally, keep volunteering on surgical programs year after year.

Sally Herman of Mesa, Arizona, is a first responder flight nurse transporting critically ill patients of all ages and conditions to special care facilities in the area. Her passion for her work drives her desire to open a nonprofit helping vulnerable pediatric and adolescent patients and professional first-responders through equine therapy and other psychotherapies. The inspiration behind Sallys nonprofit aspirations comes from Sallys work with global surgical nonprofit Operation Smile. Sally serves as a volunteer clinical coordinator, helping orchestrate the functions of Operation Smile surgical programs all over the world for nearly two decades. Her dedication to helping others moves beyond showing up to the clinic and performing her duties; Sally also mentors local nurses and clinical coordinators, so they are able to continue providing year-round care long after international volunteers like Sally return home.

During her time with Operation Smile in Ghana, Sally met local clinical coordinator Doreenlove Serwah, who found her love for nursing and helping others through her mothers wise words and guidance. My mom was a nurse, and I grew up looking up to her, Doreenlove said. Her compassion, care and love for us as well as other family members and neighbors had a great impact on me. The only profession I could think of was nursing.

When Sally started working with Doreenlove, she was immediately drawn to her quick thinking and deft problem-solving skills in the clinic. I always had my eye on Doreenlove, Sally said. She had the same curiosity as I did. She wanted to see the big picture and see how everything comes together. She was always asking the most important questions and going way above and beyond. Those sorts of people stand out to me.

Throughout her time with Operation Smile Ghana, Sally stewarded Doreenloves clinical coordinator training and observed how she handled the challenges of the position. I felt privileged to train under Sally because she had such rich experience, Doreenlove said. She shared her experiences with me regarding how to critically manage unforeseen events during missions as well as how to manage volunteers and bring them all together. Through volunteering with Operation Smile, I found a means to give back to my country. The joy I experience when I see kids and adults receive free surgeries is worth every sacrifice Ive made.

During a past surgical program in Ghana, Sally and Doreenlove both had the pleasure of working with an older patient whose story left a considerable impact on the duo. At the time of her surgery, Faustina was a 17-year-old girl who had lived in isolation due to the cultural stigmas surrounding her cleft condition. She was ostracized and bullied for her appearance and spent most of her time hidden away inside her home. Through the influence of dedicated Operation Smile volunteers and Faustinas supportive father and other family members, she was able to travel to an Operation Smile Ghana surgical program and receive her life-changing cleft lip surgery.

Today, Faustina is working in her dream field as an apprentice seamstress for her village. Faustina said she would never have imagined this kind of future for herself with her cleft condition. Prior to her surgery, Faustina was shy and reserved; post-surgery she is gregarious and open and has developed lasting friendships. Witnessing this reclusive teen blossom into a confident young woman is one of Sally and Doreenloves fondest memories of volunteering on an Operation Smile surgical program. The lifelong connections made between volunteers and with patients and their families are one of the greatest perks of volunteering with Operation Smile. And why so many volunteers, just like Sally, keep volunteering on surgical programs year after year.

The knowledge the team carries gets shared and the impact grows and grows and grows, Sally said. It is a force that cant be stopped if people are willing to go and share their talents and eventually pass those talents onto the next generation of willing volunteers. The experience must be impactful in ways that they feel they could spread the news of this opportunity with their communities and everyone who is suffering would have an open opportunity to come.

Read Doreenloves full story here: https://www.operationsmile.org/story/these-nurses-are-building-legacies-care

Read Faustinas full story here: https://www.operationsmile.org/story/tailor-her-future

About Operation Smile

Operation Smile is a global nonprofit specializing in expert cleft surgery and care. Over the last 40 years, we have provided medical expertise, research, and care through our dedicated staff and medical and student volunteers around the world, working alongside local governments, nonprofits, and health systems, and supported by our generous donors. Learn more at http://www.operationsmile.org or by following @operationsmile on social media.

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People who have been internally displaced during the ongoing conflict in the North Kivu Province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo* and are seeking shelter at Don Bosco Ngangi in Goma had access to nutritional support thanks to a partnership between Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco, and Feed My Starving Children, a nonprofit Christian organization committed to feeding Gods children hungry in body and spirit. The shipment of rice-meals and other food helped 1,440 households.

The conflict has left more than 5.8 million people displaced across the provinces of Ituri, North Kivu, South Kivu and Tanganyika, according to UNHCR  the United Nations Refugee Agency. Since the beginning of October 2022, more than 28,000 people seeking refuge from violence have arrived at Don Bosco Ngangi. Salesian missionaries, with support of volunteers from the Salesian-run International Volunteering for Development (VIS), are supporting people as best as they can.

Those who have been displaced and seeking shelter with the Salesians include 19,000 children, who are suffering from insufficient food and are challenged by harsh living conditions. Salesians have identified more than 1,000 children under age 5 who have been showing signs of malnutrition due to lack of food in sufficient quality and quantity while the war has continued.

One Salesian missionary said, This area of the Democratic Republic of the Congo is extremely fertile and most families work in the agricultural center. However, more than 90 percent of the farmers had already sown their crops and were at a stage where the agricultural crops needed more maintenance in order to hope for a very good harvest. Unfortunately, the war caught them unprepared, and they were forced to leave their homes and take refuge in Ngangi.

People who received the rice-meals have been extremely grateful for the donation, especially the children who look forward to mealtimes. Salesians report that the rice-meals have helped to address malnutrition. As the war rages on, Salesian missionaries and VIS continue to look for ways to help support those who have been displaced.

*Any goods, services, or funds provided by Salesian Missions to programs located in this country were administered in compliance with applicable laws and regulations, including sanctions administered by the U.S. Department of Treasurys Office of Foreign Asset Control.

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About Salesian Missions USA

Salesian Missions is headquartered in New Rochelle, NY, and is part of the Don Bosco Networka worldwide federation of Salesian NGOs. The mission of the U.S.-based nonprofit Catholic organization is to raise funds for international programs that serve youth and families in poor communities around the globe. The Salesian missionaries are made up of priests, brothers and sisters, as well as laypeopleall dedicated to caring for poor children throughout the world in more than 130 countries and helping young people become self-sufficient by learning a trade that will help them gain employment. To date, more than 3 million youth have received services funded by Salesian Missions. These services and programs are provided to children regardless of race or religion. For more information, go to SalesianMissions.org.

Contact:

Laura Perillo

media@salesianmissions.org

908-406-3413 (text messages OK)

Twitter: @MissionNewswire

Newswire: MissionNewswire.org

Press room: SalesianMissions.org/press
Dr. Joana Kam to Attend the KenyaRelief.org Medical Mission in Migori, Kenya This mission is an opportunity to get back to giving. To provide surgical care for those who need it, and feel joy in the act of giving. Making a difference in patients lives fuels my love for medicine, and doing it here in Kenya reminds me to focus on what matters.

Dr. Joana Kam of Kam Facial Plastic Surgery is proud to announce that she will be attending the KenyaRelief.org international medical mission to Migori, Kenya, in March 2023. KenyaRelief.org is a non-profit organization that provides life-changing surgeries for impoverished people in southwestern Kenya who need medical care. Dr. Kam and the mission team are expected to perform about 70 to 80 surgeries and provide medical treatment for an additional 300 to 400 patients.

Joanna Kam, MD, is an expertly qualified otolaryngologist-head and neck surgeon who has received additional certification in facial plastic surgery. She will bring her medical expertise to Migori, Kenya, alongside a team of international medical professionals specializing in various skills. The team will spend 10 days in Kenya performing surgeries for individuals who might not have a chance to meet with a doctor otherwise.

KenyaRelief.org is a non-profit organization that provides medical aid and assistance to communities in Kenya. Founded by Steve James in memory of his late daughter Brittany, the organization started as a simple mission to meet Brittanys former sponsor child. While in Kenya, Steve saw firsthand the pain and suffering of many people in the community and made it his mission to make a difference.

Steve began by bringing much-needed medicines to Migori and distributing them from a makeshift clinic under a tree. Over the years, KenyaRelief.org expanded their services and they now operate a full-service medical and surgery clinic, a school and an orphanage in southwestern Kenya. Their mission is to improve the quality of life for people living in the region by providing access to healthcare, clean water, education, and housing.

KenyaRelief.org typically runs 23 mission trips a year. The mission teams consist of surgeons and medical professionals who encompass a broad range of specialties, including eye specialists, ENT specialists, OB/GYN specialists, general surgeons and pediatric surgeons.

Many of the mission teams work out of Kenya Reliefs Brase Clinic and Vision Center. The clinic offers comprehensive medical care to over 15,000 patients annually in a region where access to cost-effective healthcare is scarce. Every year, over 1,000 life-altering surgeries are performed by international surgical teams in conjunction with the clinic's local staff.

Additionally, the clinic operates a full-fledged eye diagnostic center, where ophthalmology teams perform nearly 200 cataract surgeries twice a year. For many patients, including those who have been blind for years due to cataracts, this is their first visit to an eye doctor.

Dr. Joana Kam will attend the next KenyaRelief.org mission taking place from March 16, 2023, to March 26, 2023. During that time she will offer her medical expertise in facial reconstruction, functional nasal and sinus surgery, scar revision surgery, and skin cancer reconstruction to perform surgeries as needed in the community.

About Dr. Joana Kam

Before obtaining her Bachelor's degree in Microbiology & Immunology from the University of British Columbia, Dr. Kam honed her musical skills as a classical pianist and earned a Piano Performer's Associate Diploma from the Royal Conservatory of Music. She was awarded a full-tuition scholarship to attend the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine and earned recognition as a member of the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society.

After completing a residency in OtolaryngologyHead and Neck Surgery at Henry Ford Health System in Detroit, Michigan, Dr. Kam relocated to Philadelphia as a Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery fellow at the University of Pennsylvania. She now resides in South Jersey, where she heads Kam Facial Plastic Surgery, a plastic surgery practice with two locations in New Jersey.

Dr. Kam aims to deliver exceptional personalized care to her patients, tailoring each treatment plan based on their specific goals. Her area of expertise includes rejuvenation of the aging face and neck, reconstruction of the face after skin cancer removal, and cosmetic nose surgery. In addition, she is proficient in functional nasal and sinus surgery, revision of scars, and reconstruction of skin cancer.

The KenyaRelief.org mission is an exciting opportunity for Dr. Kam. She says, In the hustle and bustle of our daily lives, its easy to get distracted by little frustrations - the traffic on the way to work, a supply chain issue, or delayed projects.

This mission is an opportunity to get back to giving. To provide surgical care for those who need it and feel joy in the act of giving. Making a difference in patients lives fuels my love for medicine, and doing it here in Kenya reminds me to focus on what matters.

About Kam Facial Plastic Surgery

The Kam Facial Plastic Surgery practices in Sewell and Voorhees offer a variety of surgical and non-surgical procedures to enhance the appearance of the face, including facelifts, rhinoplasty, eyelid surgery, cheek augmentation, and more. Dr. Kam and her team take a holistic approach to facial aesthetics with individualized plans for each patient.

The goal at Kam Facial Plastic Surgery is to enhance patients' natural features by balancing facial lines and curves. The professional aesthetics team offers personalized recommendations based on individual features and aesthetic goals. The end goal is natural-looking results that harmonize for facial refreshment and refinement.

If you would like to learn more about the facial refinement techniques at Kam Plastic Surgery, or the work Dr. Kam is doing in New Jersey and abroad in Kenya, you can contact the practice here or call 856-565-2903.
Abhinavs and Aarons considerable leadership expertise and experience will greatly further our mission of bridging the educational equity gap in America by accelerating learning outcomes, said FEV Tutor CEO, Jim Tormey.

FEV Tutor, the market-leading provider of the most comprehensive virtual tutoring solution in K-12, recently announced the addition of two executives to its senior leadership team. The company has named Abhinav Ramani as chief operating officer and Aaron Osmond as chief growth officer.

Before joining FEV Tutor, Ramani oversaw regional operations for the health care provider DaVita (DVA) Kidney Care. In west Los Angeles, he led a team of managers in implementing change management and process innovation measures across 10 clinics, improving their overall outcomes until they ranked among the top 25% of clinics across the enterprise. Next, Ramani worked as a DVA group regional operations director in the state of Washington, leading three regional directors in overseeing 36 clinics in Portland, Tacoma, and Seattle. There, he increased net revenue by over $1 million. Ramani holds an MBA from Harvard Business School.

Osmond has approximately 30 years of experience in K-12 education. Most recently, he held several business development leadership positions at Amazon Web Services. He first served as the western regional lead for the companys Education to Workforce Team program and then led the programs U.S. business development and program management team. After that, Osmond was promoted to global lead for the AWS Training and Certification team.

In addition, Osmond has held executive positions at companies such as Pearson Assessments and Certiport, a Pearson VUE business. He has also led education programs at Microsoft and Novell. Osmond holds an MBA from the Brigham Young University Marriott School of Business.

Since 2010, FEV Tutor has transformed the lives of K-12 disadvantaged and at-risk students through its high-impact virtual tutoring model and expansive suite of district services. FEV partners with schools and districts to provide high-quality, structured 1:1 online tutoring solutions, delivered by an extensive 24/7 network of highly trained tutors. FEV provides high-touch client support, tailored program design, data analytics, and ongoing formative assessments for its K-12 customer base. FEV Tutors products meet the Level Two Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), the national education law that helps ensure success for students and schools.

Abhinavs and Aarons considerable leadership expertise and experience will greatly further our mission of bridging the educational equity gap in America by accelerating learning outcomes, said FEV Tutor CEO, Jim Tormey. Abhinav brings extensive experience with directing cross-functional teams, and Aaron has an enormous talent for expanding sales of education offerings. With these two additions to our executive team, we are well positioned to achieve our growth goals and to positively impact more deserving students.

About FEV Tutor

Based in Boston, FEV Tutor is the leading Level 2 ESSA research and evidence-based online tutoring platform working nationally to effect change in K-12 education. Its intervention programs are strategically designed in close collaboration with each partner school, district, charter school, and other organizations to accelerate learning for every student. FEV Tutor leverages technology to deliver 1:1 high-impact and transformative personalized learning pathways through live, virtual tutoring sessions. For more information on FEV Tutor, visit fevtutor.com or follow on Twitter

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Life is hard, and humans are resilient, not fragile. Through all forms of adversity, we grow, learn, and become stronger...not weaker.

Featured February 23, 2023 in American Thinker, Jon Henschens article, "Maybe the Workplace Needs Political Neutrality" he shows how when the political climate is increasingly polarized, attitudes toward those who believe differently can be harsh and what we should strive for is a neutral space where everyone works together to achieve the same goals."

"After looking at the list of rules the British Royal Family must follow, one of the rules stood out, "The Royals cannot express any political opinions. They cannot vote. They can't even speak publicly about politics or run for political office of any kind."

Henschen notes, "With companies around the country increasingly perpetuating political stances, I thought of how appropriate it would be for companies to take a similar stance to the Royals, by not taking political sides."

He sites the history of the teachings by Frankfurt School academics and how they have evolved into Critical Race Theory, intersectionality, cultural appropriation, and a variety of other academic theories. "The main focus of the Frankfurt School has been Critical Theory, which is primarily focused on critiquing modernity and capitalist society. These theories are disseminated through what you may be more familiar with in the workplace as Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity (DIE). Critical Theory divides people via race, sex, and class, with individuals falling into either oppressed or oppressor roles."

"To be clear," Henschen goes on, "the implementation of DIE being pushed at broker dealers and the workplace in general is a political stance. A company is certainly free to impose these theories on employees but should realize there are repercussions to taking sides. In my field of expertise, financial services recruiting, a financial adviser in a recent interview requested (as he put it) "an alternative firm that is less WOKE." His current broker dealer had required him and other advisers to attend a Zoom conference call that comprised Human Resources staff indoctrinating advisers in the intricacies of DIE. The adviser found this Zoom meeting inappropriate, insulting, and a turnoff, to say the least."

Henschen closes, "With the political climate increasingly polarized, attitudes toward those who believe differently can be harsh. These conversations can be disruptive to a harmonious work environment. What we should strive for is a neutral space where everyone works together to achieve the same goals."

Jon Henschen is founder of http://www.henschenassoc.com, an independent recruiting firm focused on independent broker dealers and RIAs based in Marine on St. Croix, MN. With more than 30 years of industry experience, Jon is a staunch advocate for independent financial advisors, and is widely sought after by both advisors, broker dealers and RIAs for his expertise and insight on industry topics. He is frequently published and quoted in a variety of industry sources, including Wealth Management, ThinkAdvisor, Investment Advisor Magazine, Wealth Management Magazine, Financial Advisor IQ, Financial Advisor Magazine, Investment News and others.
By joining the Intelerad team, I see a prime opportunity to combine my imaging and cloud scale development and operational experience to improve the practice of healthcare.

Intelerad Medical Systems, a leading global provider of enterprise medical imaging solutions, today announced the appointment of industry veteran Robert Petrocelli as the companys Chief Technology Officer.

The strategic hire further advances Intelerads ongoing commitment to scale its technology solutions in the public cloud era. As demand for managing, sharing and analyzing patient data increases for providers, so does the importance of providing a secure and integration-friendly imaging system. Petrocelli will be a key player as Intelerad continues to expand its footprint while supporting some of the world's largest healthcare and hospital systems.

We are thrilled to have Robert join our executive leadership team, said Mike Lipps, CEO, Intelerad. Roberts deep understanding of medical imaging and leadership experience will elevate our ability to provide more robust solutions and better patient outcomes for our valued clients.

Petrocelli has over 30 years of experience in medical imaging and technology innovation, including an extensive blend of expertise in PACS and data storage. He will lead nearly 300 employees that are part of Intelerads Research & Development, Information Technology and Engineering teams around the globe. Under Petrocellis new leadership, the team will focus on enhancing Intelerads software capabilities, driving stronger alignment between client needs and company offerings, while supporting the expansion of the companys product lines.

By joining the Intelerad team, I see a prime opportunity to combine my imaging and cloud scale development and operational experience to improve the practice of healthcare, Petrocelli said. Im eager to build on Intelerads nuanced understanding of how scalable medical imaging platforms are the connecting link across the image-sharing ecosystem.

For more information on Intelerad and its products, please visit http://www.intelerad.com and follow the company on LinkedIn and Twitter.

About Intelerad

Intelerad is one of the leading providers of medical imaging software and services for the healthcare industry. Headquartered in Raleigh, NC and Montreal, Quebec, Intelerad has over 900 employees located in offices across six countries. Nearly 2,500 healthcare organizations around the world rely on Intelerad products to manage patient data, helping them reduce time and workload while improving patient outcomes. Intelerads award-winning enterprise imaging solutions have been recognized globally by KLAS, with Intelerads Ambra Health ranked #1 in Image Exchange for eight consecutive years. To learn more, visit http://www.intelerad.com.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Hollie Barnidge

Alloy on behalf of Intelerad

855-300-8209

hollie.barnidge@alloycrew.com
Inxeption ranks in Inc. Regionals: Southeast list. I am proud to see a Kentucky-based company that is creating hundreds of jobs in our state receive the recognition it very much deserves. I wish Inxeption all the best in the years to come.

Inxeption, the leader in Industrial Commerce, has been ranked number 18 out of 199 companies in the third annual Inc. 5000 Regionals: Southeast list, a ranking of the fastest-growing Southeast private companies.

From our home in Louisville, the center of Americas heartland, we are right next door to the large number of manufacturing facilities that form the foundation of the domestic industrial sector. These companies have historically been overlooked by digital commerce innovation, said Inxeptions CCO Josh Allen. We provide manufacturers with an Amazon-like service that orchestrates the digital procurement of mission-critical products. These companies can now leave behind manual operations, partnering with Inxeption to embrace a digital business underpinned by extensive fintech and supply chain infrastructure.

The companies on the Inc. Regionals list show a remarkable rate of growth across all industries in the Southeast region. Between 2019 and 2021, these companies had an average growth rate of 673 percent; in 2021 alone, they added 25,844 jobs and nearly $7 billion to the Southeast regions economy.

I recently had the opportunity to visit Inxeptions Louisville headquarters, and it was great to see this rapidly growing companys progress up close, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said. I am proud to see a Kentucky-based company that is creating hundreds of jobs in our state receive the recognition it very much deserves. I wish Inxeption all the best in the years to come.

Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg said, The presence of innovative technology companies like Inxeption in Louisville not only leads to job growth in a revitalized downtown area but continues to put the city on the map as a technology bright spot in the Southeast. Congratulations on Inxeptions continued success in Louisville.

Complete results of the Inc. 5000 Regionals: Southeast, including company profiles and an interactive database that can be sorted by industry, metro area and other criteria, can be found at inc.com/southeast.

This years Inc. 5000 Regional winners represent one of the most exceptional and exciting lists of Americas off-the-charts growth companies. Theyre disruptors and job creators, and all delivered an outsize impact on the economy. Remember their names and follow their lead. These are the companies youll be hearing about for years to come, said Scott Omelianuk, editor-in-chief of Inc. magazine.

Inxeption has continued to grow exponentially. The company achieved more than 200 percent growth in Q4 while surpassing a $300 million revenue run rate. In that same period, demand for solar products and energy storage in the Inxeption Marketplace drove annual run rate revenue from $220 million to $300 million.

About Inxeption

Inxeption is the leading technology platform digitizing the global Industrial Commerce value chain. We are advocates for our ecosystem of suppliers and buyers, enabling them to Do Business Better.

More about Inc. and the Inc. 5000 Regionals

Methodology

The 2023 Inc. 5000 Regionals are ranked according to percentage revenue growth when comparing 2019 and 2021. To qualify, companies must have been founded and generating revenue by March 31, 2019. They had to be U.S.-based, privately held, for-profit and independentnot subsidiaries or divisions of other companiesas of December 31, 2021. (Since then, a number of companies on the list have gone public or been acquired.) The minimum revenue required for 2019 is $100,000; the minimum for 2021 is $1 million. As always, Inc. reserves the right to decline applicants for subjective reasons.

About Inc. Media

The worlds most trusted business-media brand, Inc. offers entrepreneurs the knowledge, tools, connections and community to build great companies. Its award-winning multi platform content reaches more than 50 million people each month across a variety of channels including websites, newsletters, social media, podcasts and print. Its prestigious Inc. 5000 list, produced every year since 1982, analyzes company data to recognize the fastest-growing privately held businesses in the United States. The global recognition that comes with inclusion in the 5000 gives the founders of the best businesses an opportunity to engage with an exclusive community of their peers and the credibility that helps them drive sales and recruit talent. The associated Inc. 5000 Conference is part of a highly acclaimed portfolio of bespoke events produced by Inc. For more information, visit http://www.inc.com.
Steven Flanagan, FAIA, LPA Director of Higher Education Under Stevens leadership, LPA has expanded the idea of what design can deliver to higher education institutions, said LPA President Dan Heinfeld.

LPA Design Studios Director of Higher Education Steven Flanagan has been elevated to the 2023 College of Fellows by the American Institute of Architects (AIA) in recognition of his significant national contributions to the architecture profession.

Since joining LPA in 1994, Flanagan has committed his career to improving student outcomes and sustainable performance for higher education institutions. His work has impacted millions of students, particularly on community college campuses, where he has helped transform the design ethos and elevate the standards for facilities supporting underserved students. His elevation to the College of Fellows is testimony to his impact on design, sustainability, and campus placemaking, all achieved within a shared governance process and tight publicly funded budgets.

Steven is an enthusiastic design leader whose work is powerful proof that design changes lives, said CEO Wendy Rogers, who is also a member of the College of Fellows. This is the AIAs highest membership honor and recognizes the exceptional work and contribution that Steven has made to architecture, society and our firm.

In addition to Rogers, Flanagan joins three other LPA leaders who have spent their careers at LPA and earned the Fellows distinction: President Dan Heinfeld; Design Director Rick DAmato; and Chief Design Officer Keith Hempel.

Flanagan collaborated to establish LPAs higher education practice in 2000 from the ground up, instituting an integrated design process that merges typically separate design disciplines with research to deliver contextually sensitive, and inspiring state-of-the-art facilities. His focus on the early phases of design, where collaboration with decision makers and users is paramount, made it possible to elevate quality while controlling costs in a notoriously budget-conscious fiscal environment.

Under Flanagans leadership, LPAs higher education practice work has been recognized for its design excellence with 85 national, state and local AIA awards, including two national Committee on Architecture in Education (CAE) awards and two national Society of College and University Planners (SCUP) awards.

LPA is a very special place that allows people to passionately express themselves and to work toward larger goals, Flanagan says. It is an honor to belong to a family of likeminded design professionals, who are working side-by-side with institutions to develop the next generation of leaders.

Flanagans influence on higher education campuses can be seen on a wide variety of award-winning projects on California Community College Campuses and California State University Campuses.

Under Stevens leadership, LPA has expanded the idea of what design can deliver to higher education institutions, said LPA President Dan Heinfeld. The processes he pioneered have achieved greater campus cohesion, improved student wellbeing and sustainability that is focused on energy and carbon reductions."

Much of Flanagans work has been in the California Community College (CCC) system, where many students are the first in their families to attend college. His passion for equity has created campuses that inspire students to go to college, stay in college and graduate. His work across three decades has elevated the expectations of the CCC system as a whole and raised the bar for facilities on community college campuses.

Membership in the College of Fellows is reserved for architects who have made significant contributions to the profession and society on a national level and who have achieved an extraordinary standard of excellence. Only about 3 percent of the AIAs 95,000 members are Fellows.

The 2023 College of Fellows includes 76 AIA members from across the nation. Flanagan and the other newly elevated AIA Fellows will be recognized at the 2023 AIA Conference on Architecture in San Francisco, an event scheduled in June 2023.

About

LPA is a multi-discipline firm focused on collaboration, inclusion and an integrated design process that connects building performance and design excellence. Founded in 1965, the firms mission is to deliver timeless, sustainable designs that benefit the environment, generate lasting value, enrich the human experience, and ensure a better future. With six studios in California and Texas, LPAs team includes more than 400 in-house architects, master planners, engineers, interior designers, landscape architects and research analysts, working across a wide array of sectors. In 2021, LPA was honored as AIA Californias Firm of the Year, the organizations highest annual honor for an architectural firm. For more information, visit https://lpadesignstudios.com.
Prevent Blindness declares March as Workplace Eye Wellness Month. Maintaining healthy vision is a critical part of maintaining overall good health for working adults, said Jeff Todd, president and CEO of Prevent Blindness. We strongly urge everyone to talk to their eye doctor about the best ways to keep eyes healthy at their jobs today and for years to come.

Prevent Blindness, the nation's leading eye health and safety nonprofit organization, has declared March as Workplace Eye Wellness Month in an effort to help keep eyes healthy, safe and protected on the job. Whether a job is on an industrial or construction site, or in an office setting, protecting vision should always be a priority.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, every year thousands of workers sustain a job-related eye injury that requires medical treatment. The American Academy of Ophthalmology states that 90 percent of these eye injuries could be avoided by wearing the proper eye protection. Prevent Blindness recommends eye protection that is appropriate for each job setting. Bystanders are also at risk with some injuries occurring by passing through a work area.

Common causes for workplace eye injuries are:



Flying objects (bits of metal, glass)

Tools

Particles

Chemicals

Harmful radiation

Any combination of these or other hazards

Employers are required by law to ensure the safety of all employees in the work environment, according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Additionally, eye and face protection must be provided whenever necessary to protect against chemical, environmental, radiological or mechanical irritants and hazards. All eye safety gear should meet the eye protection standards set by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI).

Workers who use digital devices such as computers, tablets and smart phones for their jobs are at risk for eye strain, headaches, and eye fatigue. According to Cedars-Sinai, you may be at greater risk for digital eye strain if you:

Spend a few hours or more a day at a computer or on a digital device.

Are too close to your computer or digital device screen.

View your computer or digital device at the wrong angle.

Have bad posture while using your computer or digital device.

Have eye problems (even minor ones) not corrected with glasses or contact lenses.

Have a pair of glasses that is not suitable for viewing the distance of your computer.

Dont take breaks while you are working.

To help employers educate workers on eye protection and safety, Prevent Blindness offers a Workplace Safety module as part of its free program, the Healthy Eyes Educational Series. The module includes a Presentation Guide and corresponding PowerPoint presentation. Prevent Blindness also offers a variety of workplace eye safety fact sheets and shareable social media graphics.

Maintaining healthy vision is a critical part of maintaining overall good health for working adults, said Jeff Todd, president and CEO of Prevent Blindness. We strongly urge everyone to talk to their eye doctor about the best ways to keep eyes healthy at their jobs today and for years to come.

For more information about workplace eye health topics, including the effects of prolonged digital screen use, blue light and eye injuries, please visit PreventBlindness.org.

About Prevent Blindness

Founded in 1908, Prevent Blindness is the nation's leading volunteer eye health and safety organization dedicated to fighting blindness and saving sight. Focused on promoting a continuum of vision care, Prevent Blindness touches the lives of millions of people each year through public and professional education, advocacy, certified vision screening and training, community and patient service programs and research. These services are made possible through the generous support of the American public. Together with a network of affiliates, Prevent Blindness is committed to eliminating preventable blindness in America. For more information, visit us at preventblindness.org, and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube.

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Belarusian anti-government activists on Sunday claimed they had blown up a sophisticated Russian military surveillance aircraft in a drone attack at an airfield near Minsk.

Aliaksandr Azarov, leader of Belarusian anti-government organisation BYPOL, was quoted as saying that Belarusian partisans had used drones to carry out the attack on a Russian Beriev A-50 spy plane, which is thought to be worth 274million.

The plane, which carries the NATO reporting name Mainstay, is an airborne early warning aircraft with command and control capabilities and the ability to track up to 60 targets at a time.

They were drones (that carried out the attack). The participants of the operation are Belarusians, Mr Azarov was quoted as saying on the organisations Telegram messaging app and on Poland-based Belsat news channel.

A Russian A-50 early warning aircraft flies above a cathedral during the Victory Day Parade in Moscow, in June 2020 (REUTERS)

Mr Azarov did not provide immediate evidence to back his claim.

Belarus - a staunch Russian ally - has allowed Moscow to use its territory to launch attacks on Ukraine, but has so far held off from getting directly involved in the war.

BYPOL, which includes former law enforcement officers who support opposition politicians, has been branded a terrorist organisation by Minsk.

The Kremlin declined to comment on Azarovs claim, saying that the alleged incident had occurred on the territory of Belarus which it said had denied it.

A senior Belarusian official dismissed the claim as fake on Tuesday.

"Given the absence of an official reaction, I am deeply convinced that this is another fake (claim) aimed at highlighting certain failures in our national security," Belarusian Deputy Foreign Minister Yuri Ambrazevich told Reuters.

Franak Viacorka, an adviser to Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, earlier said in a post on Twitter that two Belarusian partisans had been involved in the attack on the Machulishchy air base outside Minsk.

He said the drones had damaged the front and central parts of the A-50 plane, including the aircrafts radar antenna.

Story continues

GLORY TO BELARUSIAN PARTISANS!



Partisans from the "Pieramoha" (Victory) plan confirmed a successful special operation to blow up a rare Russian plane at the airfield in Machulishchy near Minsk. This is the most successful diversion since the beginning of 2022. pic.twitter.com/4Q6UmmvylT  Franak Viacorka (@franakviacorka) February 26, 2023

The two people who had carried out the attack were now safely outside Belarus, he said.

I am proud of all Belarusians who continue to resist the Russian hybrid occupation of Belarus & fight for the freedom of Ukraine, Ms Tsikhanouskaya, the opposition leader, wrote on Twitter, with a link to a report by her adviser Franak Viacorka.

There have been several acts of sabotage in Belarus and in Russian regions bordering Ukraine, especially on the railway system, since the start of Russias invasion of Ukraine.

The Belarusian human rights group Vyasna said on Monday that a woman was detained in Machulishchy, where the air base is located. It said it was unaware of the reason for the detention.

Detentions in Belarus are common, especially after President Alexander Lukashenko crushed mass protests against him in 2020 and jailed all leading opposition figures or forced them to flee abroad.
J.C. Pardue was one of the survivors of the Bataan Death March and several of the most brutal prisoner of war camps in Japan during World War II. He carried and wrote about those experiences for the rest of his life. His daughter, Janis Pardue Hill, Ph.D., compiled those essays, journals, and other writings about her fathers experiences, as well as personal interviews with her father, in her new book, Telling His Story: POW #1000: The Bataan Death March and Japanese POW Camps.

J.C. Pardue graduated from high school during the Great Depression, and enlisted, in 1939, with the United States Army Air Corps. By 1941 he was being deployed to the Philippines. After arriving at the Bataan Peninsula and facing Japanese forces, he was taken as a prisoner of war (POW) after U.S. forces surrendered and forced to embark on the Bataan Death March.

Not enough people are aware of the atrocities veterans suffered during the Bataan Death March, Hill said. They witnessed the brutality of the Japanese guards as they bayonetted, shot, beheaded, or buried alive any who fell.

Most prominent among her fathers memories was the miracle of his Bible. Surviving a direct hit from a fragmentation bomb, confiscation in a POW camp, and disposal on a Hell Ship (a term used to describe a ship with extremely inhumane living conditions or a reputation for cruelty in WWII), his Bible always returned. His most treasured possession, it made it home to the states with him. He attributed his survival to the faith acquired and absorbed from the weapon he considered the most valuable of allhis Bible.

His faith is what saved him, Hill said. It gave him the hope and strength to go on while living in POW camps and working and being forced to do slave labor.

Hills goal is to share her fathers story to honor her father and to help educate readers about a dark chapter in United States history.

Telling His Story: POW #1000: The Bataan Death March and Japanese POW Camps

By Janis Pardue Hill PhD

ISBN: 9781489742278 (softcover); 9781489742285 (hardcover); 9781489742261 (electronic)

Available at LifeRich Publishing, Amazon and Barnes & Noble

About the author

Janis Pardue Hill, a retired university professor and lifelong educator, holds a Ph.D. in Curriculum Theory from Louisiana State University (LSU), a masters in literature from Louisiana Tech University, and a bachelors in English education from the University of Louisiana Monroe. She has taught in university and high school classrooms, served as a Program Coordinator in the Louisiana Department of Education, and worked as a Curriculum Coordinator in the Ouachita Parish School System. Hill and her husband, Charles A. Hill, Jr., live in North Louisiana.

General Inquiries:

LAVIDGE  Phoenix

Ashley Fletcher

afletcher@lavidge.com
Supporting Diverse Family Caregivers was created with the goal of assisting patient advocacy groups in reaching and providing culturally responsive supports and resources to diverse family caregivers. Tools like this can help the field build equity with and for family caregivers.

The National Alliance for Caregiving (NAC) has released a new publication to assist patient advocacy groups in their efforts to support diverse family caregivers. Through research with professional patient advocacy group representatives and diverse family caregivers in the condition areas of lung cancer, heart disease, blood cancer and lupus, Supporting Diverse Family Caregivers: A Guide for Patient Advocacy Groups addresses the impact of culture and identity on the way that family caregivers provide care, and introduces ways in which patient advocacy groups can support their caregiving experience through culturally responsive resources and supports.

Caregiving impacts us all, but it doesnt impact us all equally, said Jason Resendez, President and CEO of the National Alliance for Caregiving. Supporting Diverse Family Caregivers was created with the goal of assisting patient advocacy groups in reaching and providing culturally responsive supports and resources to diverse family caregivers. Tools like this can help the field build equity with and for family caregivers.

The number of diverse family caregivers in the United States is growing yearly, and their aggregate number will soon surpass non-Hispanic white, non-LGBTQ+ caregivers. According to Caregiving in the U.S. 2020, of the 53 million family caregivers in the United States, 17% identify as Hispanic/Latino, 14% identify as African American, 8% identify as LGBTQ+, and 5% identify as Asian American or Pacific Islander. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention identifies one in every four American Indian or Alaska Native adults as family caregivers.

"With the growing number of diverse caregivers and the disproportionate health disparities faced by families in underserved communities, now is the time to deliver supportive, inclusive resources that drive health equity, said Christie Bloomquist, Vice President of US Corporate Affairs and Government Affairs at AstraZenca and President of the AstraZeneca Foundation. AstraZeneca is proud to support patient advocacy groups providing culturally relevant resources that have the power to advance equitable care and transform patient outcomes. We are immensely thankful to NAC for bringing awareness to this critical topic and collaborating with caregivers and patient advocacy groups to publish this guide."

Family caregivers, including families of choice, are the cornerstone of support for underserved communities, said Sherrill Wayland, Senior Director of Special Initiatives and Partnerships at SAGE. SAGE is grateful for this report as it uplifts the experiences and unique needs of diverse family caregivers, including LGBTQ+ family caregivers.

Among many, the topics addressed in this guide include:



Findings from diverse family caregivers on how culture affects their caregiving experience

Statistics and research on diverse family caregivers from the Diverse Elders Coalition

Information on how patient advocacy groups can help advocate for the caregiver

Tips on empowering caregivers through culturally responsive support

Information and stories from diverse family caregivers themselves on the resources theyd like to see from patient advocacy groups

Through stakeholder interviews and consistent consultation over 14 months, the National Alliance for Caregiving engaged professionals in patient advocacy, family caregivers, and subject matter experts in family caregiving in the development of this guide. In combination, these insights deepened our understanding of how patient advocacy groups can help bridge the inequities that exist in care supports and services. A full list of the advisory committee and expert committee of patient advocacy organizations that were engaged in the creation of the guide can be found on the guides acknowledgments page. We are grateful to our funder AstraZeneca for their support, to the advisory committee members and expert committee of patient advocacy organizations who leant us their expertise, and to the family caregivers whose lived experience helped to guide our research and work.

Patient advocacy groups and those who are involved in the family caregiver space may visit the guide here in order to read our findings and to learn more from diverse family caregivers.

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About the National Alliance for Caregiving:

Established in 1996, the National Alliance for Caregiving is a non-profit coalition of national organizations focusing on building health, wealth, and equity for family caregivers through research, innovation, and advocacy. We envision a society that values, supports, and empowers family caregivers to thrive at home, work, and life. Learn more at http://www.caregiving.org.
We appreciate the opportunity to continue to provide planning and programming in support of the Corps and its vital initiatives, which strengthen our nations security, economy, and resilience.

The U.S. Army Engineering and Support Center, Huntsville, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, has contracted with the Pond-Woolpert Joint Venture for an indefinite delivery contract to provide architecture and engineering services in support of real property planning, programming, and management. The five-year, $160 million capacity contract applies to U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) and non-DoD agencies and activities at U.S. government installations worldwide.

Woolpert Senior Vice President David Ziegman thanked the Huntsville Center for its selection of the Pond-Woolpert JV, which was awarded the previous iteration of this contract in 2018.

Supporting the Corps at Huntsville and around the world is one of the best things we get to do at Woolpert, Ziegman said. That support is only made better by working beside this great team at Pond. We appreciate the opportunity to continue to provide planning and programming in support of the Corps and its vital initiatives, which strengthen our nations security, economy, and resilience.

Pond is proud to work alongside our longtime partner, Woolpert, to continue our support of the USACE Huntsville Planning Program, Pond Senior Vice President and Principal-in-Charge Sam Briuglio said. Our team of planners, programmers, geospatial and asset management specialists, and resiliency subject matter experts are excited to continue supporting our countrys military.

About Pond

Pond is a full-service consulting firm providing integrated engineering, architecture, planning, and construction management solutions to public and private clients since 1965. Our staff located throughout the U.S. and globally, is committed to delivering tailored solutions. Recognizing that clients benefit the most when multi-disciplined expertise are leveraged, Pond builds teams based on client and project requirements, regardless of location, reinforcing our culture of One Pond. Learn more by visiting pondco.com

About Woolpert

Woolpert is the premier architecture, engineering, geospatial (AEG) and strategic consulting firm, with a vision to become one of the best companies in the world. We innovate within and across markets to effectively serve public, private, and government clients worldwide. Woolpert is a top 100 ENR Global Design firm, earned six straight Great Place to Work certifications, and actively nurtures a culture of growth, inclusion, diversity, and respect. Founded in 1911 in Dayton, Ohio, Woolpert has been Americas fastest-growing AEG firm since 2015. Woolpert has over 2,000 employees and more than 60 offices on five continents. For more, visit woolpert.com.
Our commitment to continuous improvement remains steadfast, and we head into 2023 ready to develop and implement new ways to better serve our global customers.

Smith, a leading global distributor of electronic components and semiconductors, today announces its year-end financial results and growth summary for 2022. The company earned $4.8 billion last year, surpassing its 2021 revenue numbers by more than 40 percent, and made substantial investments in global expansion.

Smith had our best year ever in 2022, said Bob Ackerley, Co-Founder and Director at Smith. As a leader in the semiconductor-distribution industry for nearly four decades, we have seen many of the worlds largest electronics manufacturers come to us for solutions over the last few years. Across the company, our people have worked day and night to fill our customers critical shortages.

Over the last five years, Smith has earned more than $12.6 billion in global revenue, tripling its global revenue of the previous five years. In that same timeframe, the company has shipped more than 9.5 billion electronic components, a 350-percent increase over the previous five years.

The company saw a 100-percent year-over-year increase in sales of both integrated circuit (IC) components and SSDs. Additionally, IC sales over the last five years are fifteen times higher than the previous five years.

As the products we use every day become increasingly smarter, the demand for components to power them has skyrocketed, said Lee Ackerley, Co-Founder and Director at Smith. Through a combination of our broad global outlook, extensive data analytics, and incisive market expertise, Smith has stayed ahead of the shortages to connect our customers with the parts they need to build tomorrows innovations.

Smiths achievements earned the company and its employees numerous awards and recognitions throughout the year. Notable rankings include:



#1 Electronics Sourcing North America Top Independent Distributor

#1 Houston Business Journal Largest Family-Owned Business

#7 SourceToday Top Distributor

#5 Houston Chronicle Best Private Companies

#12 ESM China Top International Electronic Distributor

Additionally, Smith was named Featured Electronic Components Distributor by EE Awards Asia, Outstanding International Branded Distributor by ASPENCORE, and Inc. Best in Business.

Chief Trading Officer, Marc Barnhill, and Chief Operating Officer, Kirk Wehby, were both named among the winners of Supply & Demand Chain Executives 2022 Pros to Know, honoring their leadership and commitment to innovation and growth.

We are proud to be recognized for the monumental achievements of both Smith and our employees, said Bob. The commitment and ingenuity that our workforce and leadership have brought to Smith have propelled us to new heights, and we celebrate the many successes we have had this past year as a result of those efforts.

Smith has focused heavily on increasing its global presence, including opening a new sales office in Maidenhead, UK and relocating or expanding its existing sales offices in Guadalajara, Hong Kong, Shenzhen, Cluj-Napoca, and Berlin.

Our sales teams and industry experts have put us at the forefront of the semiconductor supply chain, said Marc. As market trends emerge and develop around the world, we are prepared with a legion of talented localized support for our customers to offer immediate, best-in-class service.

The company also significantly expanded its operational footprint. Its global services hub in Houston, Texas opened in June, offering 30,000 square feet (2,787 square meters) to house Smiths US-based IT asset disposition (ITAD) services, which were previously operating out of the companys flagship distribution center. Smith completed the renovation of its Houston hub a few months later, increasing the size of its functionality and authenticity test labs by 43 percent and 139 percent, respectively.

Smiths full suite of testing capabilities is a hallmark of our quality program and a major draw to our customers, said Kirk. With the additional space, we have been able to expedite our services while maintaining our impeccable standards for quality excellence.

The company opened its fourth distribution center, located in Singapore, in early 2023. The 20,000-square-foot (1,858 square-meter) facility mirrors Smiths hubs in Houston, Hong Kong, and Amsterdam, offering state-of-the-art testing, inspection, and storage for components. Worldwide, Smith has invested more than $4 million in new testing equipment to double testing capacity across its operations.

We have expanded our worldwide operational space by more than 70 percent in the last year to meet the increasing demand for semiconductors across industries, said Kirk. Our new Singapore hub and equipment investments will help us continue to offer premier support to our growing global customer base.

Smith had the opportunity to attend and exhibit at fourteen tradeshows in 2022, including Electronica Munich in November. These shows offered numerous opportunities for Smith representatives to demonstrate the companys comprehensive supply chain solutions, including shortage sourcing and lifecycle management, as well as its leading, systems-based quality program.

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, we are grateful to be able to connect with our customers in person again, said Mark Bollinger, Chief Globalization Officer. As we head into 2023, we are excited for even more opportunities to meet our existing and potential customers around the world.

The company increased its workforce by 18 percent worldwide and is continuing to grow. Smith also received numerous awards recognizing its company culture and employee satisfaction, including:

JobMarket Employer of Choice Award

JobMarket Employee Engagement Award

JobMarket Asia Pacific Employer Award

HR Asia Best Companies to Work for in Asia

#60 Comparably Best Company Compensation List

#71 Comparably Best Company Culture List

#83 Comparably Best Company Perks & Benefits List

#87 Comparably Best CEOs for Diversity

#93 Comparably Best Companies for Diversity

Our employees are one of Smiths greatest assets, and we invest in them accordingly, said Mark. From our comprehensive training and mentorship programs and leadership-development opportunities to our generous benefits and welcoming environment, we equip our employees with the tools and resources they need to achieve success, both for Smith and for themselves.

As Smiths business continued to flourish, its corporate social responsibility efforts grew in tandem. The company donated more than $750,000 in electronics to organizations providing aid to Ukrainian refugees. The companys employees also raised $30,000 for World Central Kitchen, which provides meals to communities facing natural disasters and humanitarian crises, and Smith provided an additional $25,000 donation, bringing the total contribution to $55,000.

Success at Smith is defined by more than our bottom line, said Lee. We strive to be an exemplary corporate citizen in our global communities and provide support not only to our customers but also to those impacted by world crises and other difficult challenges.

Looking ahead to 2023, Smith will continue its investments to drive efficiency and effectiveness across the companys departments and locations.

2022 has been a year unlike any other, but we are far from finished, said Marc. Our commitment to continuous improvement remains steadfast, and we head into 2023 ready to develop and implement new ways to better serve our global customers. Thank you for your partnership, and we look forward to building new opportunities to connect your supply chains in the years to come.

About Smith

Founded in 1984, Smith sources, manages, and distributes the electronic components that go into everything from mobile phones and computers to appliances and automobiles. In 19 cities around the world, Smiths legion of employees communicates in 50 languages and dialects and buys and sells components 24 hours per day, generating global annual sales in excess of $4.8 billion in 2022. Smith is always moving: helping manufacturers navigate market shifts; customizing supply chain solutions; testing components using cutting-edge technology. The support of Smiths flexible Intelligent DistributionTM model optimizes customers supply chains from beginning to end, including offering customized options for IT asset disposition that deliver maximum ROI, sustainability, and security. Smiths testing and logistics hubs in Houston, Hong Kong, Amsterdam, and Singapore cover critical areas like quality management, counterfeit prevention, and environmental safety. Smiths operations, purchasing, and sales worldwide are seamlessly integrated with the companys global IT infrastructure, offering real-time, global inventory and logistics visibility. Smith is the leading independent distributor of electronic components and ranks number seven among all global distributors. For more information, please visit http://www.smithweb.com or reach out to a Smith representative any time of day at +1 713.430.3000.

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SEAL Top 50 2022 Winners Encouragingly, the number of companies participating in ESG benchmarking assessments has increased by over 450% in the past decade. As a result, the bar for world-class ESG performance has risen our mission at SEAL is to rigorously assess and then celebrate extraordinary sustainability leadership.

SEAL Awards today announced the winners of the 2022 SEAL Business Sustainability Awards, celebrating their leadership, transparency, and commitment to sustainable business practices.

Global brands like Colgate-Palmolive, HP, Kering, Stanley Black & Decker, Inc. and Unilever were among those selected for the SEAL Organizational Impact Award. Selected by combining two premier ESG data sets - the CDP A-List  and the Corporate Sustainability Assessment (CSA, now part of S&P Global ESG Scores ) - the 2022 SEAL Organizational Impact Award honors the 50 most sustainable companies globally.

Encouragingly, the number of companies participating in ESG benchmarking assessments has increased by over 450% in the past decade. As a result, the bar for world-class ESG performance has risen, commented Matt Harney, SEAL Awards Founder. Our mission at SEAL is to rigorously assess and then celebrate extraordinary sustainability leadership. Were honored to present our analytically-driven selections for the Top 50 Most Sustainable Companies in the World.

The Organizational Impact winners were:



Acciona, S.A.

Amorepacific Corporation

ANA Holdings Inc.

AstraZeneca PLC

Atlantica Sustainable Infrastructure plc

Atos SE

Banco Santander, S.A.

Brambles Limited

British American Tobacco p.l.c.

CaixaBank, S.A.

Capgemini SE

Cathay Financial Holding Co., Ltd.

China Development Financial Holding Corporation

Cisco Systems, Inc.

Coca-Cola Europacific Partners PLC

Colgate-Palmolive Company

CP ALL Public Company Limited

Delta Electronics, Inc.

EDP - Energias de Portugal, S.A.

Enel SpA

Ferrovial, S.A.

First Financial Holding Co., Ltd.

Holcim Ltd

HP Inc.

Iberdrola, S.A.

Intesa Sanpaolo S.p.A.

Italgas S.p.A.

Japan Tobacco Inc.

Kao Corporation

Kering SA

Klabin S.A.

Konica Minolta, Inc.

Koninklijke KPN N.V.

Koninklijke Philips N.V.

LANXESS Aktiengesellschaft

NEC Corporation

Nikon Corporation

Nomura Research Institute, Ltd.

Novartis AG

NTT DATA Corporation

OMRON Corporation

Ono Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.

Owens Corning

Philip Morris International Inc.

PTT Global Chemical Public Company Limited

Red Electrica Corporacion, S.A.

Ricoh Company, Ltd.

Schneider Electric S.E.

Sekisui House, Ltd.

Shiseido Company, Limited

Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy, S.A.

Signify N.V.

SK Telecom Co.,Ltd

Stanley Black & Decker, Inc.

Sumitomo Forestry Co., Ltd.

Taiwan Mobile Co., Ltd.

Tech Mahindra Limited

Telefonica, S.A.

Transurban Group

UBS Group AG

Unilever PLC

United Microelectronics Corporation

UPM-Kymmene Oyj

Veolia Environnement S.A.

Volvo Car AB (publ.)

Wipro Limited

Zurich Insurance Group AG

Selected Sustainability Award Winner Perspectives:

Sustainability is at the heart of HPs business strategy, said James McCall, chief sustainability officer at HP. We have one of the most comprehensive environmental and social impact agendas in our industry and are honored to be recognized by SEAL for our ongoing commitment toward meaningful sustainable policies and practices.

ABOUT THE SEAL AWARDS

SEAL (Sustainability, Environmental Achievement & Leadership) Awards is an environmental advocacy organization that honors leadership through our business sustainability awards & environmental journalism awards while funding research and pursuing our own environmental impact campaigns.

The SEAL Awards' core pillars are:

Business Sustainability Awards  honors the most sustainable companies in the world, like Adidas, AMD, Cisco, and Tide

Environmental Journalism Awards  representative past winners include journalists from Guardian, New York Times, and Grist

Impact Campaigns  representative campaigns include #UpTheCup and Eco Rewards

Environmental Research Grants  we funded a researcher in Ethiopia for 2022.

SEAL Awards is not affiliated with the CDP, CSA, or S&P Global. The selection process for the SEAL Organizational Impact Award drew entirely upon publicly available information from each of the CDP and CSA.

https://sealawards.com.

In the event, you are interested in the 2023 SEAL Business Sustainability Awards (e.g. SEAL Award for Environmental Initiatives, SEAL Sustainable Product Award, SEAL Sustainable Service Award, SEAL Sustainable Innovation Award), our final entry deadline is April 27th.

Entries can be submitted here: https://bit.ly/2023-seal-business-sustainability-awards
"...ODACHI series is YEYIAN's flagship gaming desktop PC created to offer top performance, stability, and excellent built qualityAMD Ryzen 9 X3D processors are a great fit for ODACHI gaming desktops and perform extremely well with AMD RX7000 and NVIDIA RTX4000 series GPUs..."

YEYIAN Gaming, the prominent designer and manufacturer of innovative pre-built gaming PCs, peripherals, and computer components, is thrilled to announce the market launch of their latest offering, the ODACHI Gaming PCs. These high-performance gaming machines are powered by the cutting-edge AMD Ryzen 9 7900X3D and 7950X3D gaming CPUs, providing gamers with a remarkable gaming experience. The ODACHI Gaming PCs are available in three impressive models, the ODACHI 795DC-490, ODACHI 790DC-480, and ODACHI 790DC-79W. Each model is expertly crafted to meet the specific needs and preferences of discerning gamers who demand nothing but the best.

These new additions to flagship ODACHI gaming PCs are designed to meet the fluctuating demands of pro gamers, content creators, and streamers. Powered by the latest AMD Ryzen 9 7900X3D and 7950X3D gaming processors incorporating next-gen AMD 3D V-Cache. The new ODACHI gaming desktop PCs are integrated with the latest AMD RX 7900XTX and NVIDIA RTX 4000 series graphic cards, supporting the fastest DDR5 6000MHz memory and Gen4x4 M.2 NVMe SSD for unparalleled system performance and reliability. Gamers can now enjoy the latest games, live stream broadcasts, and multitask with ease, without experiencing any lags or slowdowns

"Our team at YEYIAN is excited to introduce these new powerful ODACHI gaming desktops. ODACHI series is YEYIAN's flagship gaming desktop PC created to offer top performance, stability, and excellent built quality. YEYIAN partnered with AMD to enhance our customers' gaming experience further. The newly launched AMD Ryzen 9 X3D processors are a great fit for ODACHI gaming desktops and perform extremely well with AMD RX7000 and NVIDIA RTX4000 series GPUs. With the ODACHI flagship gaming desktops, users can enjoy a seamless gaming and streaming experience while achieving top-notch content creation," said Frank Lee, the VP of YEYIAN Gaming.

The YEYIAN ODACHI 795DC-490, ODACHI 790DC-480, and ODACHI 790DC-79W gaming PCs are tailor-made for hardcore gaming, visual content creation, or live streaming performance, based on AMD's latest Ryzen 9 X3D platforms and AMD/NVIDIA latest graphic cards these three gaming desktops come equipped with a 32GB DDR5 6000MHz DRAM kit and a 2TB/1TB NVMe Gen4x4 SSD for extreme system performance and ultra-low game latency. Moreover, these ODACHI gaming desktops are built with a 360mm AIO watercooler and four 14cm ARGB cooling fans to maintain good ventilation under the most demanding system conditions.

Backed by the YEYIAN-Shield program, the gaming PCs warranty, the YEYIAN ODACHI gaming PCs are now available pre-order from select retailers or through the company's website and ready to ship starting March 13th, 2023.

Amazon:

YPA-OD795DC-4901U: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BWRLRRBM

YPA-OD790DC-79W1U: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BWS1K78V

YPA-OD790DC-4801U: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BWRRDNHK

Newegg:

YPA-OD795DC-4901U: https://www.newegg.com/yeyian-ypa-od795dc-4901u-odachi/p/N82E16883630024?Item=N82E16883630024&Tpk=83-630-024

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Summer camping at the Auburn YMCA-WEIU has a long and impressive history that goes back well over a century. In preparing for Camp Y-Owasco's 100th anniversary, camp committee member Luke Netti dug out the history books and uncovered the amazing history of how the Auburn YMCA-WEIU camps were created on Owasco Lake.

Before the Auburn YMCA-WEIU had a permanent camping location, youth and leaders of the Auburn YMCA had to travel to many different locations to experience summer camp. The first known group of campers from the Auburn YMCA camped at Peterson Point on Owasco Lake in 1902. Another group of boys from Auburn, led by camp committee member Courtney C. Avery, traveled to LeRoy Island Camp Manherrin for 10 days. In the summer of 1907, John Bradford created the Tri-City camp initiative between Auburn, Geneva and Canandaigua. The camp was located on the west side of Canandaigua Lake. In 1911, the Auburn YMCA held a summer camp on Utt's Point on Cayuga Lake. The camp was named Goiogourn, after the old Native American village the camp was on. The same site was used between 1912 and 1915 for the following summer sessions.

The Edgewater Camp, located on the west side of Owasco Lake, was founded in 1911 by the YMCA-WEIU. Girls from the Women's Education and Industrial Union went to Edgewater in the summers to learn to cook, swim, fish and care for the camp buildings. In 1916, and for two weeks in 1917, the Auburn YMCA returned to the Tri-City camp. Following the two-week session in 1917, summer camping was discontinued following the start of World War I and remained that way through the summer of 1920. In 1921, a camp was formed on Otisco lake, where 50 boys from the Auburn YMCA attended. The camp was unavailable for the 1922 summer session, so the Auburn boys returned to camp Goiogourn.

The weather was particularly bad during the 1922 camp session at camp Goiogourn. The conditions left the play area and sleeping tents in intolerable conditions. That year, the Auburn YMCA annual report recommended abandoning the summer camp program or finding a more permanent site. In 1923, The Auburn YMCA purchased 4 acres of land with 600 feet of waterfront on Owasco Lake and an 11-room camp lodge known today as Camp Y-Owasco. That summer, a two-week summer session was offered.

In 1924, the "Y" camp grew to 200 boys and went from a two-week session to a full nine-week summer. In 1937, a YMCA day summer camp was formed on Martin's Point on land purchased by William Emerson. The camp was called Willowbrook and served around 60 boys. During the summer of 1953, girls began attending Willowbrook.

On July 19, 1954, the Emerson Foundation purchased 31.2 acres of land adjacent to "Camp Y" for $3,100. The Emerson Foundation then deeded the land to the YMCA, stipulating that the land could only be used for recreational purposes and jointly with the Boy and Girls Scouts. In 1965, Edgewater Camp merged with another YMCA camp, Camp Y-Owasco.

In 2005, Camp Y-Owasco underwent major renovations, including converting its tents into more permanent cabins for sleeping, and upgrading its bathhouses. In 2011, the Auburn YMCA, led by Kurt Kramer, bought Camp Rotary, the former Boy Scouts camp, for $350,000. The new land added an additional 2,200 feet of waterfront and multiple buildings, including Osborne, Emerson and Fitts lodges.

Now in 2023, 100 years after the permanent site was founded, Camp Y-Owasco operates for nine weeks out of the summer, impacting the lives of hundreds of youth and teens. Summer camping has been a huge part of our community, and the spirit of camping has been passed down from generation to generation. The Auburn YMCA-WEIU and Camp Y-Owasco look forward to the next 100 years, continuing to pass down the values, traditions and camp spirit that started our communities camping movement over 100 years ago.

Registration for the 2023 summer camp season is scheduled to open on March 1.
Novelist Laini Taylor is known for her complex YA fantasy fiction, especially the trilogy that began in 2011 with Daughter of Smoke & Bone and the duology that followed, Strange the Dreamer. Fans who have been waiting for more in this genre will be surprised to learn that her forthcoming book, a collaboration with her husband, illustrator Jim Di Bartolo, is a madcap middle-grade graphic novel, Billie Blaster and the Robot Army from Outer Space, scheduled for publication by Amulet this August. PW has an exclusive look at the cover, revealed here for the first time, as well as insights on the books journey to publication from the creative team that brought it to fruition.

The story stars 10-year-old Billie, genius spawn of two famous scientists, who has inventing in her blood, and has been winning science fair awards since kindergarten, to the growing desperation of her archrival Hector Glum. One year, in angry revenge, Hector launches one of Billies inventionsRoburt, a robot that can create other robotsinto outer space. The book opens with the return of Roburt, bringing news that the evil Emperor Mwahaha is planning to attack Earth with a robot army. Its up to Billie to build a rocket ship, head into outer space, and stop the invasionwhich she does, thanks, to some degree, to the unbeatable combination of dancing and farting.

Filled with kid-friendly elements like toilet weasels, floating cheese puffs, and bees in hazmat suits, the book includes a few slightly deeper openings to conversations, if readers want to have them, Taylor told PW, but basically, the couple prioritized humor. We wanted to create something funny and kid-friendly that adults could enjoy with kids, Di Bartolo said. We wanted to characterize science as fun, something where the skys the limitand something with robots! Taylor added.

The couples agent, Jane Putch of Eyebait Management, believes that the release of the graphic novel, which Abrams senior v-p and publisher Andrew Smith describes as wildly inventive, is perfectly timed to enter what she calls a market hugely welcoming to middle-grade graphic novels. The state of the current market, though, had no bearing on the genesis of the book: Taylor and Di Bartolo conceived it years ago, well before the birth of their daughter, Clementine, who is now 13.

We had gone on a creative retreat together, to Netarts, along the Oregon coast, Di Bartolo recalled. Were always tossing silly ideas back and forth and we brainstormed this story together.

Weve always loved comic books, Taylor added, and we were aware of the lack of comics for kids. It always struck us as a bizarre absence, especially since many people associate comics with kids, going back to the old days, or golden age of comics. But if youre someone who went to comic-book stores in the 90s and early 2000s, like Jim did, you would have been struck, too, by the notable lack of comics suitable for younger readers. It had become a very adult-driven market.

Soon after their retreat, they showed their workwhich then consisted of the complete text plus eight pages of sequential art and a few character drawingsto Putch. I was blown away by the inviting and inventive kid power story of Billie, with its wonderful belly-laugh inducing wackiness, Putch said. But at that time, the appetite for middle-grade graphic novels was very limited in mainstream book retail. Because of that, we decided to place the project in their creative vault of stories for later, while they both focused on their contracted projects.

The first book Taylor and Di Bartolo had created together was also a comic book: The Drowned: A Tale of Mystery and Horror, which was published by Image Comics in 2004. After that Taylor wrote her middle-grade fantasy series Dreamdark (Putnam, 2007), with Di Bartolos cover art and interior illustrations. In the National Book Award finalist Lips Touch: Three Times (Scholastic/Levine, 2009), Taylors collection of three short stories, each hinging on a life-changing kiss, Di Bartolos contribution is an intrinsic part of the storytelling. His illustrations tell the prequel to each story as a visual narrative. Weve always been proponents of art in books, Di Bartolo commented. I am emotionally engaged with traditional novels all the timeI love thembut I think the combination of the written word and visual art just sings!

While Billie lay in their creative vault and the couple worked on their individual projects, the market for graphic novels began expanding. A few years ago, Putch was talking with Smith, who had been deputy publisher at LBYR and had helped launch Daughter of Smoke and Bone. He and the couple, all three self-acclaimed comic nerds, had remained friendly, spending time together at trade shows and Comic Cons.

Our conversation morphed into Abrams success with middle-grade graphic novels, Putch said. The companys graphic novels list encompasses all age groups, early readers through YA, Smith noted, and multiple genres. He had always particularly admired Taylor and Di Bartolos collaboration on Lips Touch: Three Times, and wondered if the couple would be interested in diving into the arena, as Putch put it, of middle-grade graphic novels together. Putch remembered Billie Blaster and pitched it to Smith.

Immediately enthusiastic, Smith offered to make a preempt on the book if Taylor and Di Bartolo were game. Knowing their personalities and interests, it seemed obvious that they would create a story of a child genius and her evil (miniature) nemesis that includes a talking side-kick pet goat, a robot army and a toilet weasel from a different planet, Smith said.

The couple were not only game, they were thrilled. Returning to the project, they made a few crucial changes to their main character: mostly importantly, a gender swap. They had written Billie as a boy but now we realized Billie definitely had to be a girl, Di Bartolo said. The female nemesis Hazel became the male Hector. And Billies last name Raygun became Blaster, not only because ray guns are now known as blasters but also because both Taylor and Di Bartolo now felt strongly about not having the word gun in the title.

The Look of the Book

Once acquired, the project was in the hands of editorial director Maggie Lehrman and senior designer Andrea Miller, both with extensive experience working on graphic novels. Lehrman has edited numerous series in the genre, including Nathan Hales Hazardous Tales series (now at 12 books and counting, she said), and Amy Ignatows Popularity Papers, first introduced in 2010, which makes it one of the first middle-grade graphic novel series. Miller has worked on a wide range of childrens books throughout their career, and now focuses exclusively on designing graphic novels at Abrams.

The team bonded quickly over their love and enthusiasm for the project. Lehrman said. It felt like just the right book for us at Abramsthe way the story leaps all over the galaxy, light as a feather. I love its sly, wry humor, and Jims art style gives it such a distinct, vibrant look.

While Lehrman and Miller both provided notes for layout and clarity, Miller worked closely with Di Bartolo to bring out the distinctive character of this story. Billie Blaster is set in a fantastic time and place where the dial on science and whimsy is turned all the way up, they noted. We really wanted to make that clear via the color, which is sometimes hard to do with a normal CMYK printing process. To solve that, we used a special mix of inks to make Billie and her world really pop off the page. Rhodamine Magenta ensured that her hot pink space boots and her fiery hair have a lot of impact.

Technically speaking, graphic novels are their own thing, Di Bartolo reflected. Thats one reason it took traditional publishers so long to educate themselves about how they are created. Traditionally a comics artist works in black-and-white pencil, then someone else inks the drawings and a third person colors them. Timelines are generally too short for one person to do all of it. In this case, I did the black-and-white drawings digitally and a few color samples of the look I wanted. Then I found a fantastic colorist, WK Sahadewa, on Instagram, who did all the color work. She was greatso fast, and willing to redo things as needed. The final product from her really knocked it out of the park.

For the cover, which Smith extolled for showcasing our hero and supporting cast while at the same time teasing the epic adventure that lies within, Di Bartolo submitted several sketches and was delighted that his favorite was selected: I love having overlaps and angles on covers, having things a little skewed, and I wanted to incorporate a number of elements and characters. Miller asked for minor changes, such as the size of some of the elements and making space for the typewhich they designed. I was aiming for the cover to be dynamic and have a sort of old-school sci-fi vibe, they said. We ended up with what Id call a movie-poster approach that I love, and I wanted to balance that with friendly yet bold type to capture readers attention and invite them in. When Taylor and Di Bartolo saw the print proofs of the cover, they were especially pleased that spot gloss had been used to highlight the title, their names and Billie herself.

For Taylor and Di Bartolo, both back to work on other projects, Billie Blaster was a wonderful opportunity to engage a different set of muscles, as Taylor said. My fantasy work for older readers, which is more serious in tone, is a different mindset and process. Intentionally working in a tone that is so silly made it much more fun than trying to make everything adhere to the rules I create for the fantasy worlds of my other books.

Di Bartolo agreed, saying Im often drawn to edgier, more realistic work, and it was fun to create something sillier, to borrow from anime and manga. Ideally, Im working on something serious and something silly at the same time. At the moment he is focused on a project that is something edgier and older, while Taylor is working on her first adult novel.

The ending of Billie Blaster clearly leaves the door open for future books, and the couple admits to harboring some ideas, though they emphasized that nothings nailed down yet. Andrew Smith mused that he knew from the start that this amazing cast of characters had other stories to tell and I could envision lots more adventures. It will be up to readers, next August, to weigh in.
Local viewers will get updates on Owasco Lake and local businesses on two new public affairs programs this week.

Dr. Adam Effler, of the Owasco Lake Watershed Management Council, will give an update on the Owasco Watershed that includes Owasco Lake on "Inside Government with Guy Cosentino."

The show will first air Tuesday at 7 p.m. on Spectrum 12 and at 8 p.m. Thursday and will replay on Spectrum 12 and 98 and Verizon 31 on Saturday at 5 p.m. from Auburn Regional Media Access (ARMA).

New Cayuga County Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Amy Fuller and Education and Resource Coordinator Jessica Wrench will discuss the chambers work and upcoming events on "Beyond The Front Page with Guy Cosentino."

The show airs at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday on Spectrum 12 and at 8:30 p.m. Thursday and will replay on Spectrum 12 and 98 and Verizon 31 on Saturday and Sunday at 5:30 p.m. from ARMA.

On Thursday, the guest on "Inside Government with Guy Cosentino" will be Assembly Minority Leader Will Barclay, who now represents much of northern Cayuga County. He will discuss his new Assembly district and give a legislative update. The show airs at 7 p.m. on Spectrum 12 on Thursday and at 8 p.m. Tuesday, March 7, and will replay on Spectrum 12 and 98 and Verizon 31 on Saturday and Sunday at 6 p.m. from ARMA.

That show will be followed by "Beyond The Front Page with Guy Cosentino" featuring CCC Professor Steve Keeler to give an update on the Telecom Department. The show airs at 7:30 p.m. on Spectrum 12 on Thursday and at 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 7, and will replay on Spectrum 12 and 98 and Verizon 31 on Saturday and Sunday at 6:30 p.m. from ARMA.

The shows are rebroadcast at 10 a.m. Saturday morning on the CCCs radio station, WDWN89.1 FM, and posted to auburnpub.com for viewing on demand.

Future guests this semester include state Sen. Rachel May, Assemblyman John Lemondes, Cayuga County Legislature Chair David Gould, Cayuga County District Attorney Britany Grome Antonacci, Cayuga Economic Developent Agency Executive Director Michael Miller, the Rev. Vasile Colopelnic of SS. Peter and Paul Ukrainian Church, film director Loch Phillips, Tyburn Academy Principal Connor ODonnell and CCC President Brian Durant.

Viewers with questions for any of the shows guests can e-mail cozguytho@aol.com. The shows are taped at CCC on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons by CCC Telecom/Media Department students.
Gibbs Smith, the 54-year-old publishing company known for its lavishly illustrated books on interior design, crafts, and cooking, as well as childrens books, is launching a childrens imprint this fall, called 7 Cats Press. The titles will emphasize early learning concepts in both secular and inspirational themes. according to a release. Describing 7 Cats Press titles as colorful and fun, and containing high-quality content, Gibbs Smith noted that the books will be sold at price points below the average of comparable trade books.

The Utah company, which has been employee owned since 2015, is described by sales director Moneka Hewlett as mission-driven. As such, we feel it is important to make books available, and affordable, for all families at a variety of retailers.

Hewlett, along with publisher/chief creative officer Suzanne Taylor, will oversee the imprint, while design editor Danielle McGuigan will guide its creative processes. McGuigan promises to offer value in a new era of early learning titles with a fresh perspective and trendy themes.

Taylor noted that Gibbs Smith has already been extremely successful in the marketplace with its two childrens imprints, BabyLit and Flying Frog. Gibbs Smith reports that total sales of of books published under the BabyLit imprintlaunched in 2011 to introduce toddlers to classic literature and to teach early learning concepts such as emotions, numbers, letters, and colorshave topped $14 million.. And in 2022, Gibbs Smith sold 1.7 million books published under the Flying Frog imprint, which the publisher acquired in 2019. Childrens books account for about 50% of total units sold for the company, both frontlist and backlist.

Gibbs Smith plans on releasing 16 titles annually under the 7 Cats imprint. It will debut this fall with 12 board book releases that include such titles as Everyday Counting; Books with Bumps: Animal Colors; God Is Good; and We Are Blessed. Each of these board books will be released on August 1 with a 10,000-copy initial print run.

The 7 Cats Press name pays homage, Hewlett noted, not only to the role cats have played through millennia as protectors of books against harmful elements, but also to the seven morale-boosting cats that reside at the barn at Gibbs Smith headquarters, located on a working farm at the base of the Wasatch Mountains, midway between Ogden and Salt Lake City.
Kaepernick Publishing and Haymarket Books are joining forces to crash, in May, a compilation of essays by Black scholars and other thinkers writing in the Black radical tradition, and will do so with financial support from the Marguerite Casey Foundation. Our History Has Always Been Contraband: In Defense of Black Studies, which is edited by Colin Kaepernick, Robin D.G. Kelley, and Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor, will initially be released in e-book format and will be free to download. The copublishers intend to release a print edition in late spring or early summer, depending upon printer scheduling.

Were working as quickly as we can, Haymarket editorial director Anthony Arnove said, disclosing that there may be a digital short run, followed by a larger offset print run, to further expedite the release of the print edition. The book, he added, is being crashed in response to the ongoing controversy surrounding the Advanced Placement African American Studies curriculum and the College Board.

Its not just Florida, Arnove said, referring to criticism from Florida governor Ron DeSantis that is widely considered to have influenced the College Board's decision to alter its African American Studies curriculum, despite its CEO's insistence that this was not the case. The sad reality is that were seeing such assaults in North Dakota, in Oklahoma, and in other statesalthough Florida certainly is leading the charge on this attack on librarians, on teachers, on educators, and on the whole infrastructure for having the kinds of critical and open conversations we need to have about our history. Speaking for Haymarket, this really goes to the core of our mission.

Haymarket has been at the forefront of defending peoples right to read banned books and to study African American history that has not been sanitized for political reasons. Recently, the Chicago-based press partnered with Dream Defenders, a Florida grassroots organization, to distribute free books to young people there; it has donated 650 print books and 7,000 e-books to date. It also recently donated books to another grassroots group, this one in Tulsa, Okla., called Black History Saturday Schools, that is fighting the elimination of African-American history books from the curriculum.

Were collaborating with Haymarket to forcefully repel this attack upon Black Studies specifically and Black History in general, Kaepernick Publishing editorial director Christopher Petrella said. Weve long been familiar with Haymarket and in admiration of them for their stated commitment to publishing titles that can support and accompany movements for racial, economic, and cultural justice. Were excited that when we approached them a number of weeks back, we received an immediate and enthusiastic yes.

"Black Studies itself is integral to making sense of our current political moment, Petrella continued. We want to underscore that. From our perspective, Black Studies really does the necessary work to uproot some of the countrys mythologies. The fight is broadtheyve been planning this for years and theyre well-fundedand its going to require an intersectional approach. Were really happy to be doing some of the work on the publishing side alongside Haymarket."

In an email, Colin Kaepernick added: "Were thrilled to be partnering with Haymarket Books on this important project. The political stakes in the fight to protect, preserve, and expand Black Studies couldnt be higher. For close to 60 years, the [Black Studies] field has built bridges from knowledge to collective action in service of our liberation."

This is the first book that is being copublished by Haymarket Books and Kaepernick Publishing; the two companies also are collaborating on a September release, the trade paper edition of a Kaepernick Publishing anthology edited by Colin Kaepernick, Abolition for the People: The Movement for a Future Without Policing & Prisons, originally released in 2021. "That collaboration was already in the works when we then discussed the idea of copublishing this new project," Arnove explained.

Haymarket publicity director Jim Plank added in an email to PW: "Our slogan at Haymarket is 'Books for Changing the World,' but we know that in reality it is people organizing and coming together, often brought together by books and the ideas therein, that can really change the world."
Regnery Publishing has acquired the ISI Books imprint from the Intercollegiate Studies Institute, a conservative higher education nonprofit. The purchase involves more than 85 titles, including works by J. Budziszewski, Anthony Esplen, Paul Kengor, Russell Kirk, and Karen Santorum, as well as the Student Guides series.

Regnery is retaining the ISI Books name, although as titles are reprinted, some will appear under the Regnery Gateway imprint, Regnery president and publisher Tom Spence told PW. Going forward, Regnery plans to publish two books a year with the Intercollegiate Studies Institute, Spence said; those books will be released under the ISI Books imprint.

In a statement, ISI president Johnny Burtka said the sale to Regnery will allow ISI to concentrate on its core mission of educating young Americans for liberty while giving these enduring books a loving home where they will flourish for years to come.

Beginning March 1, distribution of the ISI line will move to Regnery's distributor, Simon & Schuster.

The purchase is the latest step by Spence, who took over as Regnery president and publisher in January of 2020, to deepen Regnerys backlist. The publisher has depended on conservative political and current events titles to drive sales, a strategy that led to a bit of a rollercoaster ride for company revenue, Spence said. That was the case in 2022, when sales fell from 2021, a year in which Regnery had a number of solid sellers, including books by Ted Cruz and Josh Hawley. And while Regnery tends to do better in years when there is a Democrat in the White House, that hasnt happened with the Biden Administration. There havent been many books that are critical of Biden, Spence noted.

As part of his shift to publish books that will have a longer shelf life at bookstores, Spence is also making a slight change in Regnerys publishing philosophy. While Regnery will always publish politically-charged books, Spence said, the publisher is also looking for books that examine a range of cultural issues from a conservative point of view. An example of this approach is a book Regnery published under its Salem Books religion imprint, Fault Line: The Social Justice Movement and Evangelicalisms Looming Catastrophe.

Other new initiatives by Spence include expanding Regnerys history program. Under associate publisher Mark Bloomfield, Regnery has published a number of books by or about Holocaust survivors that have done well, and later this year will release Inseparable: A Holocaust Survivors Story by Faris Cassell. (Regnery has previously published Cassells The Unanswered Letter: One Holocaust Familys Desperate Plea for Help.)

Regnery, which celebrated its 75th anniversary last year, is also in the process of reissuing a number of titles on religion and philosophy that were originally published by founder Henry Regnery. The first of these, Gateway to the Stoics, was released in January, and three additional titles are set to be published this year.

Spence said 2023 has gotten off to a good start for Regnery, and he is optimistic about the year. Cruz and Hawley both have new books due out this year, and there is a biography on the late Supreme Court justice Antonin Scalia, Scalia: Rise to Greatness, 1936 to 1986, set for release on March 7. Spence also said that Regnery has seen more submissions the last few years following the decision by most major New York publishers to shy away from releasing conservative books, but he said that the impact of those decisions is not as much as I thought it would be.
A staff member packs takeouts at a restaurant in Xi'an, capital of Northwest China's Shaanxi province, Jan 13, 2022.[Photo/Xinhua] The spotlight will be on Beijing as the two sessions, China's biggest annual political event and a window to observe the country's development, get underway on Saturday. The two sessions are the meetings of the National People's Congress, the nation's top legislature, and the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, the country's top political advisory body. While looking back at achievements made in the past years, policymakers will use the two sessions to set development goals for the year ahead and unveil new policy priorities. Against the backdrop of the lingering effects of COVID-19, all eyes are on China and how it formulates its 2023 socioeconomic development goals after announcing on Feb 16 that it had secured a "major, decisive victory" in fighting the virus. Observers are also watching how policymakers respond to people's concerns over issues such as employment, education, housing and healthcare, as well as how the legislation and policies unveiled at the two sessions boost market confidence both at home and abroad. Gao Ruidong, chief macroeconomist at Everbright Securities, said the key phrases for this year's two sessions will be "stabilizing growth" and "boosting high-quality development". The focus will also be on what measures are unveiled to stimulate consumption and expand investment, particularly in the infrastructure, manufacturing and real estate sectors, he said. In the past three years, China's average economic growth maintained a hard-won 4.5 percent year-on-year, Gao said, adding that the growth rate is expected to be higher this year given the good momentum and the rapid recovery of both consumption and investment. The strong resilience of the Chinese economy can be seen in official statistics. In January, the country's manufacturing sector started to expand again after shrinking for three consecutive months, with the purchasing managers' index reaching 50.1, up from 47 in December, according to data from the National Bureau of Statistics. As China has optimized its epidemic prevention and control measures, the flow of people, goods and information has brought much vitality to the country. The rebound of the Chinese economy has not just attracted global attention, but has also sparked interest among international investors. Foreign direct investment in the Chinese mainland, in actual use, expanded 14.5 percent year-on-year to 127.69 billion yuan ($18.4 billion) in January, according to the Ministry of Commerce. After international investment banks and financial institutions, including Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs, HSBC, Barclays and Natixis, upwardly revised their 2023 forecasts for China, the International Monetary Fund also lifted its forecast of China's economic growth rate for this year. "Growth in China is projected to rise to 5.2 percent in 2023, reflecting improving mobility," the IMF said in an update to its World Economic Outlook report. The updated number was 0.8 percentage points higher than the October 2022 forecast. Seen as an embodiment of Chinese democracy, the NPC session will bring together some 3,000 lawmakers from across the country to discuss major laws, and approve several key documents, including the Government Work Report and the national budget. More than 2,000 political advisers will participate in discussions of the documents and put forward their opinions and suggestions at the session of the CPPCC National Committee. While shaping the political and economic agendas for the year ahead, the two sessions are also likely to announce plans for military, diplomatic, trade, environmental and other policies. The sessions are very significant this year as 2023 marks the start of the country's new journey to realize Chinese-style modernization  a goal that the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China in October set in order to build China into a modern socialist country in all respects by the middle of this century. As this year marks the 45th anniversary of China's reform and opening-up, the two sessions might send messages to the world on the fresh moves to further deepen reform and opening-up, while emphasizing coordination of both development and security, analysts said. The tone-setting Central Economic Work Conference in December made it clear that China will promote a new round of all-around reforms and adhere to high-level opening-up. A proposal for the reform of Party and State institutions was discussed at the meeting of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee on Feb 21. Yang Changyong, a researcher at the Beijing-based Academy of Macroeconomic Research, said that amid the complex international environment, it is necessary to pay attention to the traditional security issues in opening-up, such as trade frictions and export restrictions. In the meantime, Yang said, the nation should attach greater importance to the new security problems arising from the changes of the international landscape in recent years, including food security, energy and resources security, and industrial and supply security. While watching China's policy support for economic recovery, observers said that global attention will also be focused in the direction of China's post-COVID foreign policy amid the challenges of geopolitical competitions and the influences of the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict, particularly how it handles relations with the United States.
In the first month of 2023, there were 27,207 China-made Tesla-branded vehicles registered across the Chinese mainland, representing a 34.7% decrease compared to the previous month, according to the data compiled by Gasgoo Auto Research Institute ("GARI").

Nevertheless, amid the overall downturn in Chinas auto market mainly due to the Spring Festival holiday, Tesla still saw its Jan. registrations of made-in-China vehicles leap 38.8% year-on-year in the worlds largest auto market.

The significant year-on-year rise entirely owned to the 311.98% surge in the monthly Model 3 registrations, which came in at 12,829 units in Jan. 2023. The Shanghai-made Model Y recorded a 12.84% year-on-year decline with 14,378 units registered last month.

Regarding the monthly registrations of China-made new energy vehicles (NEVs) in Jan. 2023, Tesla was credited the runner-up among all auto brands in China.

Among all locally-built NEV models sold in China, the Model Y and the Model 3 ranked 4th and 6th by Jan. 2023 registrations, respectively.

With regard to regional distribution in Jan. 2023, Shenzhen ranked highest among cities in China with 1,014 made-in-China Model 3s registered, while both Shanghai and Hangzhou had 868 Model 3s registered.

In terms of the Jan. registrations of the homemade Model Y, there were four cities with over 700 units registered each. Of those, Shenzhen was still the champion with a registration volume of 1,146 Models Ys.
Athens-Clarke County will be conducting a special called election for the position of District 2 Commissioner on Tuesday, March 21.

Early voting opened on Monday, Feb. 27 and will continue until Friday, March 17. Applications for absentee ballots are available now and will be accepted until Friday, March 10. Absentee ballots will begin being mailed on Monday, Feb. 27. The Athens-Clarke County Elections office will be holding in-person elections on Saturday, March 4, Saturday, March 11, and Sunday, March 12.
While laudable progress has been made since women were first allowed into universities and colleges, pervasive sexism still persists within the academic field even today, both for students and professors. For example, in humanities classes where discussions are common, women often have difficulty speaking up or being heard and experience frequent interruptions or complete disregard from male students.
On Saturday night, Athens became a national spotlight for Indian dance at the 29th annual University of Georgia India Night. The Classic Center sold out to a crowd of around 2,000 for the Bollywood fusion dance competition, which hosted teams from across the country.
Earlier this month, the Arizona Board of Regents (ABOR) approved a new multiyear tuition setting process for Arizonas three public universities, with the hope of increasing predictability and transparency for students and their families.

Instead of the current yearly process, Northern Arizona University, Arizona State University and the University of Arizona will now have six-year cycles with a set maximum percentage growth rate for several categories of fees.

Tuition (both graduate and undergraduate), academic fees, meal and housing plans will have a set growth rate for each cycle. That percentage, when added to the previous years tuition, for example, would be the highest each university is allowed to set its tuition, though it will also be able to set a lower rate.

The policy also eliminates course fees, while continuing mandatory, program and college fees.

ABOR will take action in the fourth year of each cycle, setting a new growth rate for the next four years.

The timeline for tuition setting will also shift from the spring to the fall, with the universities presenting their proposals by Nov. 15 and publishing their rates for each category by Dec. 15 each year (a public hearing will still be held prior to the November meetings). The tuition and fees for the next academic year will then be published by Dec. 31, alongside the maximum tuition and fees for the following year.

This years tuition setting process will serve as a transition between the two policies.

ABOR will be setting tuition and fees for the 2023-2024 school year in its April meeting. To transition to the new policy, it will first use the current process to set fees for the year and then use the new policy to set a maximum growth rate that will stay in place through the 2028-2029 school year.

Tuition and fee setting will then move to the fall, with tuition and fees for the 2024-2025 school year being set this December.

This change is intended to give more notice to students and the Arizona legislature before its spring legislative session begins, executive director John Arnold said in the Feb. 9 meeting.

Under the new policy, whether an increase goes into effect will also depend on the state legislature.

If the state approves additional funding (specifically, general fund appropriations for either general operations or student financial aid) for the universities in a given year that is at least 2.5% of the total tuition, the policy states that the universities cannot increase their tuition rates.

If the legislature reduces the universities funding, they will also be able to increase tuition over the growth rate as an offset.

Arnold also noted that the policy allowed for exceptions to the maximum rate in response to new circumstances.

For the current year, Arnold said in the meeting, a 2.5% increase would equal $110 million.

We are hoping the state will support Arizona families and students, chair-elect Fred Duval said in a press release. So we are making a clear and simple offer to the legislature: if the legislature commits to a sufficient level of committed multi-year funding, we will cap tuition.

The tuition setting changes have been a topic of discussion at ABOR meetings throughout this school year, with the initial proposal brought to the Finance, Capital and Resources Committee on Sept. 15, 2022. After a few rounds of revisions, the board approved the first reading in November.

In the Feb. 9 meeting, Arnold and other regents said the goal was to give students and their families more transparency and more predictability when it comes to tuition.

We hope this tuition restructure will be helpful for students and families, chair Lyndel Manson said in the release. Our intention is to reduce confusion about tuition and fees and  most of all  provide predictability for students so they know what to expect when budgeting for college.

ABOR voted to approve the new policy at that meeting, with regent Larry Penley giving the only dissenting vote.

There is so much to like about this proposal: the timing so that parents and students and their families know well ahead of time what the price is going to be to go to school, the predictability that it gives, the transparency that it provides and also the tuition tiers, he said. ...I will likely vote against it because of the restriction that I think is inappropriate when were not confronting the fact that substantial additional funding, well beyond what is called for in this particular policy, should be provided by the state of Arizona.

Duval disagreed, saying we are not seeking in excess.

Institutional financial aid now is larger than the states investment in our universities  its an unsustainable model, he said. I am enthusiastic about this tuition proposal precisely because it says to the state, be our partner and we will respond in a partner-esque way by holding tuition down. The ball is in your court to make the kind of investment we need and we will pass that savings on to the consumers of our products: our students and families.

The full version of the new policy can be found online. A recording of the Feb. 9 ABOR meeting can be found on its YouTube page, with this discussion beginning around 35 minutes.
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At its meeting Tuesday, Flagstaff City Council discussed a resolution on its position on Arizona legislatures laws on abortion, directing the city attorneys office to put together a resolution that will be put to a vote in the March 7 meeting.

This item was in response to a petition brought to the council in August 2022 that requested they discuss ways to protect Flagstaff citizens who were accessing, assisting with or providing abortion services from possible arrest or prosecution. This was signed by 87 residents of the city.

Arizona laws regarding abortion shifted throughout last summer and fall in response to a U.S. Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade in June. Abortion is currently legal in the state to 15 weeks of pregnancy, though access in Flagstaff and northern Arizona is limited.

Both Tucson and Phoenix have passed resolutions expressing dissent with the Supreme Courts decision (in June and Oct. 2022, respectively) and the resolution that Flagstaffs council directed staff to create will be similar to those documents.

As we were reminded during COVID, the State of Arizona regulates the health industry, not the cities, said city attorney Sterling Solomon, and if you direct my office to bring a resolution back for consideration, it will be very similar to what Tucson and Phoenix did  not create a law, make a statement.

Tuesdays meeting did not discuss a specific Flagstaff resolution, instead focusing on whether to move forward with creating one.

A proposed resolution was later posted on the agenda for the March 7 council meeting, having been created in response to this discussion.

The resolution (which can be viewed online) lists that the council supports pregnant peoples right to reproductive healthcare, including abortion, and opposes both this Supreme Court decision and Arizona laws aimed at limiting and denying access to abortion care.

It also includes ways it will support Flagstaff Police Department (FPD) in establishing priorities and policies related to abortion that consider the need to protect the physical, psychological and socioeconomic well-being of pregnant persons and their care providers.

Section 6 of the resolution reads, for example:

The City Council supports [FPD] in establishing policies that require a report of an alleged violation of A.R.S.  36-2321 through 2326, that is reported to have taken place at a medical facility, be referred to the Arizona Department of Health Services for investigation and that no physical arrest be made by [FPD].

Council will be discussing the specifics of this resolution and voting on whether to adopt it at its March 7 meeting. Discussion at Tuesdays meeting focused on whether to create a resolution, coming after an hour of public comment on the topic.

A total of 16 commenters  including students, healthcare workers and residents sharing their experiences with abortion  were in favor of the resolution, citing the need for abortion access in the city and northern Arizona more generally, some using personal experiences to do so. Many were part of the Flagstaff Abortion Alliance (FAA), which was formed in 2022 in response to a leaked draft of the Dobbs decision, and whose leaders organized the petition originally brought to the council.

One FAA member who spoke was Joyce Davidson. She has been a nurse practitioner and nurse specialist in Flagstaff for 30 years and said she was working to restore abortion services in the city.

We are asking that you approve this resolution so we can dispel an atmosphere of fear and disinformation that exists within our community, she said. We believe abortion is healthcare and should be part of the full range of reproductive services that people get from medical providers.

Sedona resident Erika Christensen shared her own experience with needing an abortion due to pregnancy complications in her comment. She and her family receive healthcare in Flagstaff.

Of course terrible things happen, but we will never be able to legislate away bad pregnancy outcomes, she said. What we can control are the laws that punish us for them or push care out of reach, especially for those already struggling.

Mia Rodriguez was one of a few NAU students who spoke in favor of the resolution.

We all have a chance to speak up and make a change, she said in her comment. I will not stop advocating for the rights of those who are disadvantaged, discriminated against and discouraged from basic healthcare. ...It does not matter where you are, who you are or where you come from, this is something that affects us and will continue to affect us until a change is made.

Another four Flagstaff residents made comments asking the city not to pass the resolution. Most said that while they opposed abortion, they were more concerned that Council was not using this time to focus on more local issues in Flagstaff such as housing or snow.

Flagstaff resident Rosanna Tarr asked the council not to move forward with the resolution. Doing so would not be representative of her opinion, or that of any of the people that I know, she said.

Abortion is an incredibly divisive human rights issue, she said. For the Flagstaff City Council to issue a position statement on abortion as though this statement reflects the attitudes and beliefs of all Flagstaff citizens is heavy-handed and disingenuous.

Sandra Engleke, also a Flagstaff resident, quoted the councils mission statement in her comment against the resolution.

The council is charged with the responsibility to protect and enhance the quality of life for all, she said. ...Please respect my opinion, I will respect your opinion and let this go through the courts and legislation and handle it there, but I think its out of place for this city.

This view was echoed in councilmember Lori Matthews statement, which opened the councils discussion. She said while she was committed to making decisions that represented the Flagstaff community rather than her own opinions, the council did not have the power to make any changes, so passing the resolution would only be making a politically charged statement.

Flagstaff City Council cannot change the law; we cannot protect your right to abortion, she said. ....In this time and space, I wish we were discussing actions and ideas to address our housing crisis, our traffic congestionbut instead, we are discussing a politically charged resolution making strong statements that will surely upset many citizens, but sadly do not have any authority to make the changes or set any ordinance resolution.

Several other councilmembers disagreed with this in their statements, saying this was an important issue to many residents and that Council was able  and often needed  to address multiple issues at the same time.

It is my responsibility as a councilmember to do the best that I can to provide whatever support and assistance I can for the members of this community, said councilmember Deborah Harris. Every issue that you bring to the dais or that you bring to this council is important.

Mayor Becky Daggetts statement responded specifically to some of the comments that the resolution would not be representative of all Flagstaff residents.

Every day were making value statements, she said. Our budget is a value statement, our votes are statements of our values and where we want to put our time and attention and money.

She also noted that we can do multiple things simultaneously and its a good thing, or nothing would get done in this city.

Matthews was the only councilmember who did not explicitly state her opinion on abortion or the resolution in the discussion. To varying degrees, the other members all said they supported abortion as a right and wanted to move forward with the resolution. Jim McCarthy, Austin Aslan and Daggett all said, for example, that they would like to see the resolution make as strong a statement as possible.

I wish we could do more, but my understanding of the law is that we cant, McCarthy said. ...Its up to the legislature, but we can urge them to do what needs to be done. That may not happen in the next six months, that may not happen in the next year, but it needs to happen.

The resolution will be brought back to Council at its March 7 meeting. A recording of this discussion can be viewed online (beginning 2 hours into the video).
Hun Sen says he wants to use courts to end culture of being blamed and insulted.

Son Chhay, vice president of Cambodias Candlelight party, speaks to media representatives in front of Phnom Penh Municipal court on Oct. 7, 2022.

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen has rejected a statement from a senior opposition party leader that followed a recent Supreme Court decision upholding a U.S.$1 million defamation judgment.

Son Chhay, vice president of the Candlelight Party, has been ordered to pay the damages to the Cambodian Peoples Party and the National Election Commission. The judgment, which was upheld by the Supreme Court last week, stems from comments he made last year following local commune elections, which he said was marred by irregularities.

In anticipation of that decision, Son Chhay wrote a letter to the prime minister on Feb. 13 in which he said he didnt have any intention of accusing the CPP or the NEC of stealing votes, and I didnt mean to say the CPP is a thief that will steal votes in the future.

He also said, If the CPP and NEC thought I alleged them as thieves, I am sorry.

Son Chhays letter, which Hun Sen posted on Telegram, did not contain an apology that was directed at the prime minister. But Hun Sen on Tuesday nonetheless implied that it did.

We cant accept this apology. We want to eliminate the culture of being blamed and insulted, he wrote in his own statement on Telegram. We cant accept being accused of stealing votes. They asked [for] apologies from us many times but the same things are happening.

He pointed out that exiled political opposition leader Sam Rainsy had apologized to him many times but his supporters continue to make accusations and make unfair criticisms.

We want to end this culture, he said. We are using the court to make sure that bad people stop doing the same things.

Sam Rainsy is a co-founder of the Cambodia National Rescue Party, which was the previous main opposition party before the countrys Supreme Court dissolved it in 2017. He has been living in self-exile in France since 2015, when he fled a series of charges his supporters say are politically motivated.

Potential election impact

Sam Kuntheamy, executive director of the Neutral and Impartial Committee for Free and Fair Elections in Cambodia, said he wants to see politicians think of the national interest and have productive discussions with each other that avoid political conflict.

Alternatively, the defamation lawsuit that targeted Son Chhay could have a negative impact on the upcoming July election by discouraging debate, he said.

NICFEC wants this case to be over and the compensation to be forgiven because the court already made its decision and he [Son Chhay] is already sorry, he said.

CPP spokesman Sok Ey San said he supports Hun Sens rejection of Son Chhays statement. The defamation lawsuit is not a threat against the Candlelight Party and wont affect the election, he said.

We all can see whether the political environment is heated or calm. It doesnt mean without the Candlelight Party, the election cant proceed, he said.

Translated by Samean Yun. Edited by Matt Reed.
Supporters of the Candlelight Party shout slogans from a vehicle during a rally on the last day of campaigning for the commune elections in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, June 3, 2022.

UPDATED at 9:15 A.M. EST on 03-01-2023

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen is continuing efforts to compel political opposition figures to back his ruling Cambodian Peoples Party ahead of general elections in July.

Activists from the Candlelight Party  the main challenger to the ruling party  say authorities are defacing and stealing party signs and billboards, and police are monitoring their meetings. Candlelight Party activists in almost all provinces have reported cases of intimidation and harassment, party spokesman Kim Sour Phirith said.

Police and local authorities have threatened those who join the party, saying they will take away their state-issued poverty cards that allow struggling families to collect about 176,000 riels, or U.S. $43 per month, to buy dry food ingredients and products with long shelf lives.

Su Yean, deputy chairman of the partys executive committee in Tbong Khmum province, said authorities directly and indirectly threatened him and others amid an increase of harassment of the partys leaders and activists in February.

It is a scheme to discourage the public and Candlelight Party grassroots leaders not to carry out any activities to support the party, Su Yean said.

Not a good son

Additionally, Prime Minister Hun Sen has lately directed his attention toward Sorn Dara, a prominent political commentator on social media who is now living in exile in France and seeking asylum there.

Thousands of viewers watch Sorn Daras talk shows on Facebook during which he routinely attacks Hun Sen and calls for his removal from office.

Speaking at a graduation ceremony at the Royal University of Phnom Penh on Friday, Hun Sen told the crowd that Sorn Dara, whose father is a military officer and a longtime Hun Sen supporter, was not a good son because he didnt listen to his parents.



You insult your parents to whom you owe gratitude saying they have less education than you, he said. Your parents gave birth to you. You still look down on them. How about the regular people? If you dont recognize your parents, then you are not human.

Sorn Dara, a prominent Cambodian political commentator who is seeking asylum in France, hosts a talk show on Facebook. Credit: Sorn Dara/Facebook Sorn Daras parents appeared in a short video last week posted by the pro-government Fresh News, saying they had severed ties with their son because he didnt listen to them.

His father, Col. Sok Sunnareth, deputy chief of staff of the Kampong Speu Provincial Operations Area and a ruling party working group official, publicly implored his son on Feb. 22 to stop criticizing Hun Sen and his government, according to a Khmer Times report.

Sorn Dara is a former official of the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party, or the CNRP, which was dissolved by the countrys Supreme Court in November 2017. He said his father disowned him that same year because he had refused to join the CPP.

Parents held hostage

My parents support for the Cambodian Peoples Party is a fact, Sorn Dara told Radio Free Asia on Monday. However, the fact that he came forward and attacked his own son is not true.

He went on to say that his fathers criticism of him was inspired by threats and intimidation that amounted to his family being held hostage by Hun Sen and his government.

My parents are not politicians, Sorn Dara said. If you [Hun Sen] want to target me, go ahead with me, but not my parents.  This is an inhuman act, a crime against humanity and an act of terrorism.

Ros Sotha, executive director of the Cambodian Human Rights Action Committee, a coalition of 22 local NGOs, said Hun Sen is targeting Sorn Dara because he is very influential.

This will dilute Hun Sens popularity, he said. Hun Sen worries about it.

For nearly four decades, Hun Sen has used repressive measures, including violence, arrests, detentions and lawsuits to keep the political opposition at bay so he can remain in power, especially before elections.

Before the last general election in 2018, Cambodia's Supreme Court dissolved the CNRP and banned 118 of its members from participating in political activities for five years. Now, in the run-up to the July election, Hun Sen and his party are targeting the Candlelight Party.

Threatening to a high level

Khem Monikosal, Candlelights president in Pailin province, told RFA on Monday that party members have been photographed while attending meetings. Authorities also warned that they would confiscate the poverty cards of those who own the homes where the meetings take place, he said.

Up to now, police have refused to accept party complaints that commune authorities and unidentified men stole and destroyed their signs, he said.

This situation is threatening to a high level, and it is my concern, and all colleagues in this Candlelight Party, especially activists at the grassroots level, are concerned about their safety after coming under more pressure and oppression at the grassroots level, Khem Monikosal said.

Election watchdogs urged Candlelight Party members and activists to collect evidence of political persecution and submit complaints to the Ministry of Interior, which governs the countrys police.

RFA could not reach Interior Ministry spokesman Khieu Sopheak for comment.

Hun Sen, 70, has also tried to lure political opposition and environmental activists to the side of the ruling party by offering them government positions.

RFA recently reported that environmental workers and opposition party members were being offered government jobs by the CPP as a way to weaken any competition ahead of the general elections. At least eight activists have recently joined the ruling party and have taken government positions.

Similarly, Hun Sen publicly offered government jobs to staff members of the recently shuttered Voice of Democracy, saying they could apply for positions without taking the required civil service exam. His government revoked the operating license of the independent media outlet earlier this month, leaving Cambodia with no independent source of news.

Translated by Sok Ry Sum and Samean Yun for RFA Khmer. Edited by Roseanne Gerin and Matt Reed.

The story was updated to say that authorities warned that they would confiscate the poverty cards of those who own the homes where the meetings take place.
The job offers were extended by Prime Minister Hun Sen when the independent outlet was closed earlier this month.

At least 25 former staffers of the shuttered Cambodian media outlet Voice of Democracy have applied for government jobs as of Tuesday, the deadline that Prime Minister Hun Sen set for them to join without taking the required entrance examinations.

The offer from the prime minister followed the closing of the countrys last independent news outfit earlier this month. The government job offers are part of a wider effort ahead of the July general elections to co-opt opposition members by luring them to join the ruling Cambodia Peoples Party.

Six of the 25 staff members are women who have already applied to work in government ministries, CPP spokesman Sok Ey San told Radio Free Asia. As promised by Hun Sen, the former employees wont need to take the normally required government entrance examinations, he said, calling it a special case.

The government has the right to make the decision. Please have confidence in the government who is responsible for giving jobs to them [VOD staff] during this difficult time, he said.

VOD reported widely on abuses of power and corruption in Cambodia for more than 20 years. It was shut down by Hun Sen after the outlet reported on Feb. 9 that the prime ministers son had approved a government donation to support Turkeys earthquake recovery efforts.

The closure has left the country with no independent source of news.

VODs acting director Ith Sothoeut said the former staff members have the right to join the government. He said he remains saddened that the government revoked the license, but he hopes VOD can someday continue its mission to promote freedom of expression in Cambodia.

Cambodias constitution guarantees press freedom. VOD hopes to promote this freedom, he said.

Translated by Samean Yun. Edited by Matt Reed.
Using fake accounts on Telegram, Instagram, they tried to get information about overseas Hong Kongers.

People hold sheets of paper in protest over COVID-19 restrictions in mainland China at the University of Hong Kong on Nov. 29, 2022.

Two Reuters journalists had their identities impersonated by someone who used fake social media accounts to try to obtain information from activists about overseas Hong Kongers, the news service reported.

The false portrayals of the two journalists, Hong Kong-based correspondent Jessie Pang and Shanghai bureau chief Brenda Goh, began in late November and took place on the Telegram message app and on Instagram, according to Reuters.

The unknown impersonator or impersonators sought information about people linked to the white paper protests of late last year, in which people protested against China's strict COVID-19 controls by holding up white sheets of paper to reflect their voicelessness, according to screenshots and several accounts provided to Reuters.

An Australia-based Chinese dissident cartoonist known as Badiucao revealed the impersonations on Saturday on Twitter, Reuters reported.

According to screenshots taken by Badiucao and seen by Reuters, a fake account was set up on Telegram and one on Instagram claiming to be Pang.

Badiucao said he was approached in a Telegram chatroom by someone who said they were Pang. The imposter sought to gain the trust of members of the chat by giving details of Pang's background and recent work, Badiucao told Reuters.

Very odd questions

The questioning started out superficial, then went deeper, Badiucao told Radio Free Asia. She asked me, Do you know who the organizers of Wenxuan China are? Are they in Hong Kong or somewhere else?

Wenxuan China refers to the name of the Telegram group chat where the exchange took place.

I told her straight that the organization is decentralized, and we don't ask each other where we are located, Badiucao said to RFA. She said, Im a reporter from a Western mainstream media outlet, so you dont have to get so bureaucratic with me. I've given a lot of interviews, and so her questions seemed very odd to me.

According to Reuters, Badiucao asked to confirm the person's identity through Pang's verified Twitter account. A screenshot of the conversation provided to Reuters by Badiucao showed that the imposter responded, saying that they had no control over the Twitter account, as it was run by a team at Reuters.

The imposter then sent Badiucao a photo of Pang's press ID, which had expired. Another activist told Reuters he had communicated on Telegram with a fake persona of Goh for three months.

Pang and Goh refused to comment when contacted by an RFA reporter. Reuters also would not comment, referring RFA to their news article.

After the fakes were uncovered, all their known accounts and conversations were deleted, according to Reuters. None of Goh's or Pang's official social media accounts seem to have been hacked.

Organizations that pose a threat

The "white paper movement sparked a wave of arrests and a broad security clampdown. It was the first time mainland China experienced widespread civil disobedience since President Xi Jinping assumed power a decade ago.

From the perspective of the Chinese government, this has been quite successful, but it is dangerous for us, Badiucao said to RFA, referring to the impersonation of the two reporters.

The Chinese government knows the power of [non-government] organizations very well. Sexual minority groups, religious organizations, people organizing a decentralized protest on Telegram, organizations like that definitely pose a threat to them, he said.

It's my belief that they want to track down, control and arrest their members like in [the Hong Kong 2002 movie] Infernal Affairs, he said, referring to the 2002 Hong Kong movie that includes a main character who works as a police officer but is secretly a spy for organized crime.

Translated by Luisetta Muide. Edited by Matt Reed and Paul Eckert.
'I have gone from being shocked and angry  to realizing I may not be able to change anything.'

Protesters hold up blank sheets of paper and chant slogans as they march in protest against strict anti-COVID measures in Beijing, Nov. 27, 2022. "Chinese people overseas owe a huge debt to the young people inside the Great Firewall who took part in the white paper movement," says a Chinese student.

Feeling disheartened about the future, Chinese graduate student Qi Cui took an online quiz a few years ago that suggested she was depressed. She thought she would feel better once she started her new job and the COVID pandemic eased.

But the sense of despair has persisted, and even worsened. Now, as she reads the news about Xi Jinpings tightening grip on power and Chinas intensifying clampdown on dissent, she realizes something more is going on.

Qi, who is in her early 30s, has concluded that she is experiencing something many on Chinese social media are calling political depression  a deep sense of hopelessness that they can change or influence the government, and that attempts to speak out are pointless.

"Political depression eventually winds up with just feeling numb," she said. "I have gone from being shocked and angry and feeling that I have to say or do something, to the realization that I may not be able to change anything."

"When you're Chinese growing up in mainland China, you'd have to be wicked or ill-informed not to suffer from at least a bit of political depression," said Qi, who opted to use a pseudonym for fear of reprisals arising from giving interviews to overseas media.

"Everything has been ruined by the outrageous behavior of the government," she said.

Crushed hopes

The term emerged in Chinese discourse during the lockdowns, mass quarantines and compulsory daily testing under the zero-COVID policy.

Chinese state media even published some articles during that time advising people how to manage political depression, but focused only on the pandemic measures, not on anything political or deeper.

Today, the phrase is widely found on Weibo, a Chinese microblogging site, and surfaces regularly in private conversations between people, sources inside the county tell Radio Free Asia.

The Chinese website Huxiu listed political depression" as one of last year's key psychological phrases.

Signs of hope and change flickered briefly in late November, during the protests across more than a dozen cities in solidarity with the Uyghur victims of a fatal lockdown apartment blaze, and more widely against the lack of freedom of expression in the country.

But within days the protests faded, and since then dozens of young Chinese  many of them women  have been detained for taking part in the "white paper" protests, in which people held up white sheets of paper to reflect their voicelessness.

Feeling suffocated

A college student in China who gave only the surname Zhang for fear of reprisals said he feels as if he's being suffocated, unable to cry for help or make any sound at all.

"It feels bad, but there's also a feeling of helplessness," Zhang said. "I often vent outside the Great Firewall and also to my friends circle [on WeChat], and with a sarcastic or negative attitude."

Customers shop at a shoe store during a clearance sale ahead of the Chinese Lunar New Year, at a mall in Beijing, Jan. 15, 2023. Economic openness hasnt brought about political reform and progress towards democracy as many in China had hoped. Credit: Reuters





The Great Firewall uses a combination of blocks, filters and human censorship to limit what Chinese users can see or do online, and Chinese nationals are under huge political pressure not to complain about China overseas, lest they give ammunition to "hostile foreign forces" that are allegedly trying to bring down the Chinese Communist Party.

Zhang's personal experience of "political depression" stems from an experience in high school, where he complained about the violation of students' human rights, leading to retaliation from the authorities.

Since then, he has turned his attention to researching other attempts to stand up for human rights in China.

"I read all of the reports from The People's Daily dating from April 15 to June 4, 1989," Zhang said, referring to the time period of the Tiananmen Square massacre, which the government has tried to cover up. "I was so sad and felt so helpless; I wanted to cry."

He said he had once believed that economic openness would naturally bring about political reform and progress towards democracy.

Now he feels that he might have been better off not knowing how much better things could be.

This is just a fantasy

A Chinese woman currently studying in Boston, who gave only the nickname Kayla, said she had grown up in a household where political indifference was the norm.

Talking to her parents about politics was like throwing rocks into deep water. "There was no response," she said.

"When I was younger, I thought that I could bring about change," she said. "After all, I would grow up, start work, and take part in various forms of activism."

"Then I found out that I didn't have the right to do that," she said. "Most people in junior high school were fully intending to come back to China, to help build the country's future."

"Then you figure out that this is just a fantasy, and will never come true."

For Kayla, the low point came when China's rubber-stamp parliament, the National People's Congress, nodded through changes to the country's constitution abolishing presidential term limits, paving the way for indefinite rule by Communist Party leader Xi Jinping.

Chinese President Xi Jinping waves as he leads new Politburo Standing Committee members to meet the media following the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China in Beijing, Oct. 23, 2022. Credit: Reuters

By the time that lone protester Peng Lifa hung banners calling for Xi's resignation and democratic elections from a Beijing's flyover ahead of the 20th party congress on Oct. 13, Kayla couldn't hold in her tears.

"I remember that I was eating at the time, and the tears were just rolling down my face, and I couldn't eat another thing," she said.

"I was just chatting, and then suddenly I lost control of my own mind .. I felt awful, so guilty and so depressed," Kayla said. "I also had excessive anxiety, worrying about how things would turn out."

A ceiling on ones possibilities

Shayna Mell, a licensed psychological counselor in the United States, said political depression seems to include feelings of hopelessness, helplessness and powerlessness, as well as symptoms similar to sadness.

The experience leaves many feeling frustrated and exhausted, as if they have a bleak future ahead of them.

She said authoritarian governments can exacerbate depression with strict censorship, controls on content and official propaganda.

People who are prone to political depression will look on in horror, deprived of any agency, amid growing uncertainty and despair, Mell said.

Psychologist Robert Lusson wrote a HuffPost article in 2017 that described political depression as including the perception that work, education, imagination and perseverance do not matter, and that there is a ceiling on ones possibilities.

He said it may be a type of depression that meets the requirements of the American Psychological Association for depressive disorders.

Huge debt

Kayla is now in therapy, where she talks about her country's political life as much as about her personal life.

"But when you are depressed, you want to watch and read more [of the news], and want to know more about what's happening and what other people think. It's like an obsessive behavior," she said, adding that this is also a way to feel that she is somehow in control.

Qi Cui and Kayla both reported feelings of survivors' guilt on reading reports of those who have been detained for speaking out.

"Chinese people overseas owe a huge debt to the young people inside the Great Firewall who took part in the white paper movement," Qi said. "But now there is more political depression among young people in China as a result, and they will pay a higher price for it."

Despite all of that, Kayla still takes part in protests relating to China from overseas, while Zhang is convinced that regime change is only a matter of time.

"All of us here are determined to protect ourselves, to protect our health, so that we live to see that day come, and to set off firecrackers," he said.

Translated by Luisetta Mudie. Edited by Malcolm Foster.
She must be eating so well, her face is so white and plump like the moon.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and his daughter Kim Ju Ae attend a ceremony for the construction of a new street, in Sopho District, Pyongyang, in this undated photo released on February 26, 2023 by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

The officially titled Beloved Child of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un wore a fur-collared long coat with golden buttons, festooned with a golden brooch and high-quality leather gloves.

She was careful not to mess up her immaculately-primped hairstyle as she, her father, and several other VIPs dug the ceremonial first shovels of dirt at the dedication of a new street in the capital Pyongyang on Feb. 25 in her latest official public appearance, and third in the same month.

Experts speculate that the recent introduction of Kim Ju Ae, believed to be 9 years old, is either an part of a propaganda effort to soften her fathers image by portraying him as a family man, or that she is being positioned to one day rule after her father.

Either way, the media barrage has aroused widespread, if secret, resentment among the North Korean public, sources in the country say. It reminded the people of the national pecking order: Those close to the countrys leadership come first, and everyone else lives in relative squalor.

In a country plagued by chronic food shortages and widespread poverty, merely surviving is a struggle for many. So reports of the latest father-daughter event upset many people, a resident of the northwestern province of North Pyongan told Radio Free Asias Korean Service on condition of anonymity for security reasons.

It makes me angry that my situation is so hard to bear, and Kim Ju Ae, who we all know is eating and living well, is showing up on TV in her fancy clothes so often, the source said.

Round, rosy cheeks

Other people noticed how healthy Ju Ae looked with her round, rosy cheeks.

The people are saying things like, She must be eating so well, her face is so white and plump like the moon, the source said. Most people arent able to eat properly so their cheekbones stick out from their faces even more than ever before.

Residents living north of the capital in South Pyongan province compared Kim Ju Aes appearance to the skinny children that live in their neighborhoods, a source there told RFA.

They are angry to see the plump white face of the Beloved Child appearing so often in propaganda, the second source said. They say that she looks so different than the children of the common people, who cannot even eat three meals a day due to a lack of food.

South Korean experts estimate that North Korea will be short 1 million tons of grain this year, about 20% of its annual demand, the Associated Press reported on Monday.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and his daughter Kim Ju Ae shovel dirt at a ceremony for the construction of a new street, in Sopho District, Pyongyang, in this undated photo released on February 26, 2023 by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

Parading Kim Ju Ae around in such fine clothes is hypocritical when authorities punish high-schoolers for supposedly following capitalist culture for growing their hair long or chasing fashion trends, the second source said.

Kim Ju Aes clothing and appearance are completely different from what an ordinary teenage girl could get away with.

Groomed to be leader one day?

The street dedication was Ju Aes seventh public appearance since she first showed up at an intercontinental ballistic missile test in November 2022.

With each successive appearance, rumblings among observers that Kim Jong Un may be preparing her to one day take his place grow louder.

But it is still too early to consider her as heir apparent, Kwon Young Se, South Koreas minister of unification said on CBS Radio on Tuesday.

Even if North Korea creates a succession structure from now on, questions remain as to whether a woman will be able to lead the military-centered North Korean regime, he said.

Kwon said that North Korea is far more patriarchal and male-centered than the more prosperous, democratic South, and a successor is likely not a priority for the regime right now because Kim Jong Un at 40 years old is relatively young compared to most world leaders.

But he did not completely discount the idea. Kwon said that North Korea has shown signs that it wants dynastic rule to pass to a fourth generation, but it is not clear if Kim Ju Ae is the successor.

Kim is believed to have three children with his wife Ri Sol Ju, but whether any of his children are boys has not been confirmed, Kwon said.

Ken Gause of the Virginia-based Center for Naval Analyses think tank, told RFA in an interview for a previous report that Kim Ju Ae is far too young to be named successor right now. But introducing her to the people at such a young age may be part of a long term plan to normalize her so that her gender is less of an obstacle if and when she becomes the successor at a later date.

If you're going to do something like this, you're probably going to have to get started early and spend not years but probably decades socializing this with the larger leadership, said Gause.

Translated by Claire Shinyoung Oh Lee Written in English by Eugene Whong.
As soldiers and police looked on, bulldozers destroyed more than 100 houses on two streets in Myanmars second largest city, leaving residents  many of whom had been living there for decades  homeless overnight, sources in the country told Radio Free Asia.

The junta demolished the homes on Monday on Mandalays Ma Kha Yar street and on 49th street the following day, claiming that the structures had encroached on land owned by the state.

According to rights organizations, the junta has forcibly evicted people living in informal settlements as part of a bid to increase its land holdings.

The United Nations estimated in December that the junta had evicted more than 50,000 people since the February 2021 coup, and burned or destroyed 38,000 homes, leading to the displacement of over 1.1 million people.

RFAs sources estimate that the military has destroyed more than 5,000 homes under the pretext of encroachment since the coup, claiming the land belongs to the railway department, the irrigation department, or has been zoned for municipal infrastructure.

Myanmar junta authorities destroyed more than 100 houses in Mandalays Pyi Gyi Tagon township on Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2023, leaving the residents homeless. Credit: Citizen journalist

Like the many who were evicted before them, the Mandalay residents were given no warning, and some were not even allowed to gather their belongings before their homes were torn down, a man who witnessed this weeks destruction told RFA.

Houses are being destroyed and removed with encroachment accusations very frequently these days, said the source who, like others interviewed for this report, spoke on condition of anonymity citing fear of reprisal. The residents have lived there  for over a decade. Some big buildings built of bricks and concrete were also destroyed.

While some of the people were essentially squatting in undocumented buildings, others purchased their homes legally. But the authorities made no distinction.

RFA attempted to contact Thein Htay, the juntas economic minister for the Mandalay region, but calls went unanswered.

The juntas spokesman Maj. Gen. Zaw Min Tun told RFA previously that the military has had to deal with encroachment violations to adhere to the rule of law, because previous governments ignored the issue.

Homeless overnight

A woman who lives in the area said her cousin, a mother of five whose home was destroyed, is now scrambling to find somewhere to live.

[She] has lived there for quite a long time and they destroyed her house, so shes no longer a homeowner, the woman said.

The eviction came out of the blue, so her cousin had no time to save up for a move, the woman said.

Rent is a minimum of 80,000 kyats [U.S.$38] and that's just enough for a very tiny house, the woman said. For a family with five children it would be difficult to live in something like that.

The cousin is now roaming the neighborhood with all her possessions, looking for somewhere to live, she said.

They are in big trouble under the burning heat of the sun, she added.

The junta is now destroying homes on a daily basis in Mandalay, according to residents, prompting a run on rent prices as the displaced desperately search for shelter.

People who have lost their homes often choose to pull their children out of school because they are struggling to make ends meet.

I have lost all my belongings and I am having a really hard time, a man who had his home and water storage tanks bulldozed told RFA. Where can I go and stay? Just look at my situation. As a Buddhist, I just pray that those who destroyed our homes will not meet the same fate.

Translated by Myo Min Aung. Edited by Eugene Whong.
A 70-year-old man and a 30-year-old woman were killed, and four others civilians were injured when junta artillery shells hit an internally displaced persons camp in Myanmars eastern Kayah state.

The army fired heavy artillery at the camp in Demoso township on Monday, according to Banyar, the director of the Karenni Human Rights Group.

Banyar  who goes by one name  said the woman died and two other civilians were injured when around 10 shells exploded in the camp in the west of the township.

He said the junta was deliberately targeting camps where people are sheltering after being forced to flee their homes due to Myanmars civil war.

There was no fight at all yesterday but the junta forces were continuously firing heavy artillery and [shells were] landing in civilian areas, killing and injuring people, Banyar told RFA.

In the past two months the junta troops have been firing shells in the direction of the internally displaced persons camps.

The remains of a shell which landed on a village in Demoso township, Kayah state on Feb. 27, 2023. Credit: Karenni National Defense Force





In a separate incident a man was killed and two injured when troops shelled a camp and villages in the eastern part of Demoso, according to a statement from the Karenni National Defense Force on Monday. It said the shelling was constant, damaging many houses in the villages.

RFA called junta spokesperson for Kayah state, Aung Win Oo, to get his comments on the two incidents but no one answered.

More than two thirds of the 296,000 people living in Kayah state have been forced to flee their homes due to fighting and insecurity in the two years since the military seized power from Myanmars democratically elected government, according to the Karenni Human Rights Group and other local organizations.

Translated by RFA Burmese. Edited by Mike Firn.
Critics say the junta wants to isolate Aung San Suu Kyi and President Win Myint from the outside world.

Deposed Myanmar State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi and deposed President Win Myint leave a meeting of National League for Democracy (NLD) members of parliament in Naypyidaw following a parliament session on March 14, 2016.

Myanmars deposed State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi and President Win Myint have not been allowed to meet with their legal team since their trials ended in December of last year, Radio Free Asia has learned.

The two leaders were the most senior members of Myanmars democratically elected government when it was overthrown by the countrys military in a coup in February 2021. Suu Kyi has been sentenced to a total of 33 years in prison in 19 corruption cases, whereas Win Myint has been sentenced to a total of 12 years in eight cases.

The legal team requested to meet with their clients in mid-January, but the military junta authorities have not granted them permission, a source close to the legal team, who requested anonymity for security reasons, told RFAs Burmese Service.

I am very worried because the legal teams request to see them was not granted, and we know nothing about whether the detained leaders are in good health, he said. I do believe that the team should be allowed to see them. They need instructions for [legal processes.]

Suu Kyi, 78, is held alone inside a small building inside the Naypyidaw Prison. The legal team has said that they were allowed to send necessities to her in the prison once per week, but they have not been allowed to meet her since December.

Authorities transferred Win Myint, 72, to Taungoo Prison in the southern Bago region on Jan. 14.

Demonstrators shout slogans and display pictures of Myanmars Aung San Suu Kyi and President Win Myint during a protest march against the Myanmar military junta in Washington, D.C., Saturday, Feb. 25, 2023. Credit: Gemunu Amarasinghe/RFA

RFA attempted to contact Naing Win, the spokesman and the deputy director for the prison department for comment, but phone calls went unanswered.

According to the law, prisoners and detainees must have the right to meet with their lawyers, a criminal justice lawyer from Yangon, who declined to be named, told RFA. It is clearly stipulated in the law. The prison manual specifically provides the right for inmates to meet with their lawyers. There is no restriction on this right.

The lawyer said the junta was disrespecting the rule of law by not allowing the ousted leaders access to legal representation.

The legal team has filed appeals for multiple cases in the Supreme Court, and the court has rejected some of the appeals and accepted others.

Intentionally isolating the leaders

The junta is isolating the two ousted leaders from the outside world, said Bo Bo Oo, who prior to the coup represented Yangons Dala township in the National Assembly as part of Suu Kyis National League for Democracy Party, or NLD. He said it is to their advantage to not allow the leaders to communicate with anyone outside of their prisons.

[The junta] knows that they will never hear any words of support for them from the leaders, he said. I must say this is a blatant violation of their rights.

Than Soe Naing, a political analyst, said that continuing to deny them legal access was not surprising, considering the coup itself is based on false accusations.

It is one of their usual suppression methods. They restricted lawyers and legal experts so that they can only participate to the extent that they are allowed, he said. The junta courts final verdicts  means trying to stop all legal activities.

He said the junta is discarding the law because it is advantageous in this case.

Khin Maung Zaw, the leader of Aung San Suu Kyis legal team, speaks at a press conference after the military coup in 2021. Credit: RFA

Maung Maung Swe, another lawmaker from the NLD party who served time at the same prison where Suu Kyi is detained, told RFA that he was worried about her health.

At her age, and I know that her building is too small she has been completely cut off. he said. Frankly speaking, I am really worried something might have happened to her as we havent been able to hear from her for a long time.

The U.N. Secretary-General, the United States, the European Union and other members of the international community have called for the release of Suu Kyi, Win Myint and every other person unfairly detained by the junta.

Special Envoy to Myanmar for the U.N. Secretary-General Noeleen Heyzer requested that Suu Kyi be allowed to return to her home when she visited with the juntas leader Sr. Gen. Min Aung Hlaing in August 2022.

Translated by Myo Min Aung. Edited by Eugene Whong and Malcolm Foster.
A family of five, including a 3-year-old boy and an 80-year-old man, were gunned down in their Yangon home by six people in civilian clothes  believed to be pro-junta militia members  as frightened neighbors looked on.

The family is related to Win Soe, a secondary school teacher who is also an activist with the anti-junta Civil Disobedience Movement, often called the CDM. The Feb. 22 killings shows that activists  and their families  are also being targeted in urban areas, not just the countryside.

A person close to the family, who refused to be named for security reasons, told Radio Free Asia that six people in civilian clothes came to the house on two motorcycles and asked whether household members were related to Win Soe, who has been in hiding since the 2021 military coup detat.

There was no one in the street, as the night was dark and because of the unsafe security situation, the person said. I thought they were there to buy some dried fish, as usual. Then they asked them to crouch down and not to look up and asked if they were the family of Win Soe.

I think they answered that they were. Thats when they shot three times at each of them  two times only in the head, the person said. They even shot at the little kid.

Locals believe the killings in the Yeik Thar ward of Hlegu township was the work of the pro-junta groups, but exactly which group was responsible was unknown. RFA tried to contact the police station in Hlegu township, but the call went unanswered.

Pro-junta supporters have formed militia groups with the help of the military in some townships. They often target and attack supporters of the opposition party and political activists.

More than 250,000 education workers have boycotted their government jobs to protest military rule and have joined the CDM, the shadow National Unity Government said last year.

Of those, junta authorities had killed at least 33 and arrested 218 others as of the end of 2022, according to statistics compiled by the Thailand-based Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (Burma).

Specifically targeted

A lawyer in Yangon, who refused to be named for security reasons, said the killing of a defenseless child and an elderly man shows the failure of the rule of law in the country.

You can see that this was specifically targeted, the lawyer said. What this shows is that the rule of law in the country has almost completely broken down and the people are not free, not safe, and their freedom and safety are not protected by any organization.

These kinds of mass killings, which have been happening sporadically since the coup, are leading the country toward failed state status, said Kyaw Win, director of the Burma Human Rights Network.

The military junta wanted to prove that it can rule the country but it cannot even protect the people from such crimes and the junta itself is also the one who commits these crimes, he said.

The family members were named as: San Nwet, a 50-year-old woman, Ko Maung and Win Nwe, each 30 years old, and Aung Maung, the 80-year-old man. The 3-year-old boy was not named. They were buried in Hpaung Gyi cemetery on Feb. 25, local sources said.

RFA contacted some of the surviving family members about the incident, but they were still traumatized and wouldnt talk to a reporter.

Translated by Myo Min Aung. Edited by Matt Reed and Malcolm Foster.
Police said that lawyers may have violated Vietnams penal code by providing legal assistance

Vietnamese police are investigating the lawyers for the Peng Lei Buddhist Church. From left: Trinh Vinh Phuc, Dang Dinh Manh, Nguyen Van Mieng, Ngo Thi Hoang Anh and Dao Kim Lan.

Police in Vietnam said they are investigating lawyers for the Peng Lei Buddhist Church, accusing them of violating the countrys penal code as part of their representation for the religious group.

Officials from the Ministry of Public Security said the lawyers could be charged under Article 311, which criminalizes abusing democratic freedoms to infringe on the interests of the State and is often used by authorities to target dissidents and opponents in Vietnam.

On Feb. 22, police in Ho Chi Minh City arrested Vo Van Dien, a YouTuber who had posted videos supporting Nguyen Phuong Hang, another Vietnamese netizen who was charged by authorities. Vo Van Dien was accused of disturbing public order with their videos. Both YouTubers had spoken about the Peng Lei Buddhist Church case on their channels.

Police in Vietnams Long An province have sent a notice to several lawyers involved in the Peng Lei case saying that they could be charged for their work.

One of the lawyers, Dao Kim Lan, told RFA that the notice had something to do with our comments and complaints against Long An provinces judicial agencies.

Perhaps, they targeted our comments on how they had covered up crimes and showed signs of fabricating evidence, he added.

Lawyers for the church had submitted a complaint claiming violations of due process for their clients to Vietnams Ministry of Public Security, but the ministry assigned the same police who were named in the complaint to investigate the allegations.

Dao Kim Lan also said that the lawyers were receiving threats, and were sent anonymous messages online saying they would be arrested.

I am not sure whether it was an act of retaliation, he added. The fact that the Long An police, who accused them of committing crimes, are investigating the case makes us think that objectivity cannot be guaranteed.

Lawyers are requesting that the ministry assign an independent entity to investigate, saying that the accused cannot investigate the accuser in a fair case.

Ngo Thi Hoang Anh, another one of the lawyers in the case, told RFA that at present,  I cannot say anything as I need to do my best to protect my clients' interests.

For lawyers, being unable to best protect their clients is a shame, and I am very worried about having to quit or refuse to continue defending them. I hope everything will be clarified soon so I can keep practicing law.

Another lawyer from Hanoi, speaking to RFA anonymously, said that charging the lawyers would send a chilling message to defense lawyers across the country.

Translated by Anna Vu. Edited by Nawar Nemeh and Malcolm Foster.
When the Taliban returned to power in 2021 in a lightning military insurrection that toppled Afghanistans internationally recognized government, the country immediately fell into diplomatic isolation.



Two of Kabuls neighbors to the north, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan, chose a different route, putting the hard-line groups fractious history with the former Soviet Central Asian republics aside and prioritizing engagement over criticism and pressure.



But a giant canal project in Afghanistan now taking shape that the Taliban is pursuing at a rapid pace is giving the two water-stressed countries doubts about whether strategic patience with the Islamic fundamentalist group will yield rewards.



If you look at other projects that have involved Afghanistan and Central Asia somehow, there has often been a win-win element, Jennifer Brick Murtazashvili, founding director of the Center for Governance and Markets at the University of Pittsburgh, told RFE/RL.



But the Qosh Tepa Irrigation Canal, which will divert large volumes of water from the dwindling transboundary Amu Darya River, is a very different case.



This is very much zero sum, because water is a finite good and there dont seem to be any benefits for Afghanistans neighbors here, said Murtazashvili, adding that she expects the Central Asian countries to pursue a lot of quiet diplomacy on the project that will add to the pressures faced by outsized agricultural sectors already battling climate change and historical mismanagement.

But the Taliban will be probing to see how far it can go, Murtazashvili said, something she suggested its downstream neighbors will have to get used to.



If the first Taliban [regime that ruled most of Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001] was weighed down by insurgency and in some ways never really behaved like a state, Taliban 2.0 seems to really like the idea of projecting state power, Murtazashvili said.



Old Project With New Momentum



The stated dimensions of the irrigation canal that workers started digging last spring are enough to understand why the downstream countries have concerns.



With a length of 285 kilometers and a width of some 100 meters, experts believe it could draw a significant portion of the Amu Daryas flow while irrigating 550,000 hectares of land.



An Afghan civil servant with knowledge of the project told RFE/RLs Uzbek Service that work on the second of three stages of the project that began in the spring of 2022 is expected to begin in the coming months, with more than 100 kilometers already dug and visible from space.



The plan to irrigate land in northern Afghanistan is not new.



Farid Azim, an official at the National Development Company overseeing its construction, pointed out last year that Afghanistans first president, Mohammad Daud Khan, had a similar vision in the 1970s.

The project was most recently pursued by the U.S.-backed administration of President Ashraf Ghani -- which the Taliban overthrew less than two years ago.



A press release issued by the United States Agency for International Development from 2018 marking the launch of a Washington-funded feasibility study for Qosh Tepa described a 200 kilometer-long canal serving a cultivated catchment area of 500,000 hectares.



Developing Afghanistans agriculture sector provides great potential for employment and economic growth, then-U.S. Ambassador John R. Bass said in the release.



But the project was not a pressing concern for neighbors, primarily because political infighting and chronic instability in northern Afghanistan had made it impractical.



Bismellah Alizada, a researcher at Londons School of Oriental and African Studies, told RFE/RL that Rashid Dostum, who was the Afghan first vice president from 2014 to 2020, was among the influential politicians with concerns about the project.



One of those concerns was that it would be used to benefit and resettle members of the politically dominant Pashtun group to which President Ashraf Ghani belonged, Alizada said.



Dostum -- an ethnic Uzbek warlord -- long enjoyed strong ties to the regime in Uzbekistan and was even reported to have fled there when the Taliban captured Mazar-e Sharif, overwhelming forces jointly under his command before the group advanced on Kabul.

Members of Dostums exiled Junbish-e Milli party have reiterated these concerns more recently, but the reality is that the Taliban has no opponents capable of preventing it from forging ahead with giant public works projects, Alizada said.



More obvious obstacles are technical capacity and cash, with billions of dollars in funds belonging to Afghanistans central bank frozen after the Taliban takeover. That would make it hard for the cash-strapped Taliban to finance a project whose first phase cost nearly $100 million, according to reports.



But Graeme Smith, a senior consultant for the International Crisis Groups Asia Program, said the Taliban has a strong political will to finish off projects begun by the former government with Qosh Tepa the biggest that the group has revived so far.



With their very limited resources, the Taliban have prioritized [Qosh Tepa], said Smith, expressing skepticism that the Islamic fundamentalist group would pay attention to its neighbors concerns.



The Taliban is a nationalist movement intensely focused on their domestic constituencies, Smith said.



I think its fair to assume they will continue governing with a strong focus on issues inside the country and less regard for concerns outside, he told RFE/RL.



Games Of Leverage



Taciturn Turkmenistan has so far said nothing about the canal project.



But a Turkmenistan-based hydrologist speaking in March to RFE/RLs Turkmen Service on condition of anonymity called the project not a problem, but a disaster.



RFE/RL correspondents in the closed authoritarian country reported this year about severe water shortages in Turkmenistans Soviet-built Karakum Canal, which is four times the length of the one the Taliban is seeking to complete.



The World Resources Institute in 2019 ranked Turkmenistan as one of 17 countries in the world with extremely high water stress. Uzbekistan and Afghanistan were placed in the next highest category. Central Asia as a whole depends on rivers that rise in mountains, where many glacier stocks are being depleted by climate change.



Tashkent, whose own Moscow-imposed, cotton-growing legacy is one of the chief causes of the Amu Daryas demise, has been more proactive on Qosh Tepa.

According to the Talibans deputy prime minister for economic affairs, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the topic was among those broached by Uzbek presidential envoy and former Foreign Minister Abdulaziz Komilov when he was in Kabul last month for talks on economic cooperation.



Komilov was cited by Baradars office as saying that Uzbekistan was ready to work with the Islamic emirate (the Taliban-ruled Afghanistan) through technical teams in order to maximize the benefits of the Qosh Tepa canal project.



Uzbekistan provided no comment to that effect in its release on the talks, but President Shavkat Mirziyoev -- in a national address in December -- flagged Qosh Tepa as a concern as he touched on the problem of desertification.

At the moment, we consider it necessary to conduct practical talks on the construction of a new canal in the Amu Darya basin with the interim government of neighboring Afghanistan and the international community based on international standards and taking into account the interests of all countries in the region, he said.



We believe that this approach will be supported by our neighbors.



Mirziyoevs preference for dialogue over threats on transboundary water use has been welcomed by the neighborhood since predecessor Islam Karimov passed away in 2016.



This appears to have worked with upstream Kyrgyzstan, where successful border negotiations saw Uzbekistan granted de facto control of a strategic reservoir located inside Kyrgyz territory, albeit not without a rash of political discontent in Kyrgyzstan.

And although authoritarian Karimov virulently opposed the construction of giant hydroelectric dams in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, Mirziyoev has given both his blessing, with Tashkent even attaching itself to Kyrgyzstans Kambar-Ata-1 project as a partner -- a move that will give it a hand in upstream management.



Qosh Tepa, however, is becoming a source of public anxiety in Uzbekistan.



With the volume of the Amu Darya water [already] decreasing, Afghans will take a quarter of its water through this canal, complained Uzbek academic and outspoken government critic Khidirnazar Allakulov in an interview with RFE/RLs Uzbek Service.



Instead of solving the problem, the Uzbek government takes the Taliban to Samarkand, dressing them and presenting them with gifts. The government bows to Afghanistan.. Not only the current generation, but also future [Uzbek] generations can be endangered by the water problem, Allakulov said.



Regular exchanges between the Turkmen and Uzbek governments and the Taliban predated the fall of the Ghani government, and Turkmenistan was among the first countries in the world to accept a Taliban-appointed ambassador.

But in line with the international community as a whole, neither has recognized the new regime in Kabul.



This only complicates what Alizada calls the legal lacuna between Afghanistan and its former communist neighbors, since Kabul had not previously signed treaties with them on transboundary management.



And while Afghanistan is keen for more trade opportunities and relies on its northern neighbors for supplies of electricity for several provinces, there are other areas of these bilateral relations where the Taliban feels it has real leverage, Alizada argued.



For the Central Asian countries, I think the number one concern is hard security, especially with the regions history with transnational extremist groups. The Taliban will continue to use assurances on security in negotiations with these countries going forward.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has said that the situation around the besieged city of Bakhmut is becoming "more and more difficult." As Russia concentrates its efforts on the industrial city, Ukrainian artillery units are pushing back against waves of assaults by Russian troops. They claim to have destroyed Russian forces, equipment, and fortifications in an effort to stymie the enemy advance.
As Western attention focused on the deepening ties between China and Russia and the potential transfer of Chinese military aid to Moscow, Belarusian ruler Alyaksandr Lukashenka embarked on a three-day state visit to Beijing.



In going to China, Lukashenka -- a Kremlin ally and regular interlocutor of Russian President Vladimir Putin -- is hoping to offset Belaruss political and economic reliance on Moscow, which has grown even more dependent on Russian energy, security, and financial assistance following large-scale anti-government protests in 2020 and Minsks increased international isolation since the war in Ukraine started.



Arriving on February 28, the trip represents an opportunity for Lukashenka to court Chinese investment and comes as the authoritarian leader has moved carefully during the yearlong war as Belarus has hosted Russian troops and was a launching pad for Moscows invasion -- though it has refrained from committing its forces to the grinding conflict.

This visit has symbolic meaning for Lukashenka and it can help lend some credibility to the idea that he isnt as isolated as he was in the past, Katsiaryna Shmatsina, an expert on Belarusian politics at Virginia Tech university, told RFE/RL.



But while Belaruss important relationship with China is set to be the focus of the trip, the visit to Beijing will draw further scrutiny on Chinas role in the war following allegations from U.S. officials that Beijing is considering supplying Moscow with arms and ammunition at a time when supplies are running low.



Chinese officials have denied Washingtons claim, but Kyiv and its Western allies will be watching Lukashenkas trip closely to see if it leads to further deals on military cooperation between Beijing and Minsk given Lukashenkas proximity to both Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping.



The only way that Xi would bother to meet with Lukashenka right now would be because something larger is at stake for Beijing and it likely has to do with the war in Ukraine, Shmatsina said.



Between Moscow And Beijing



Belarus and China have a history of military ties, especially around technology transfers.



In 2015, Minsk announced the completion of its Polonez multiple-rocket-launcher system, which military experts say uses modified Chinese designs and was developed with Chinese help.



The development of the Polonez came about after Moscow refused to sell its Iskander missile system at a discount to Belarus, leading Lukashenka to turn to Beijing in a bid to gain strategic distance from Russia.



Belarus is looking to keep those lines open. In a joint statement at Septembers Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit, Lukashenka and Xi vowed to further expand practical cooperation in every sphere between the two militaries.



But sweeping Western sanctions placed on Belarus following its crackdown on protesters in 2020 after a presidential election that the opposition and international observers deemed fraudulent has seen Lukashenka become more obedient to the Kremlin after it came to his aid -- a trend that has increased following Russias 2022 invasion of Ukraine.



Minsks past strategy of limiting its dependence on Moscow by balancing between China and Russia has been further offset by the deepening relationship between Xi and Putin.

Both leaders declared a no-limits partnership a few weeks before the Russian invasion and China has since increased its trade with Russia, scooping up cheap energy supplies and supplying its neighbor with dual-use deliveries of more advanced technology like microchips, which could potentially be used in weapons.



Some private Chinese companies are already grappling with sanctions and added scrutiny amid U.S. accusations of military transfers to Russia.



Chinese satellite-maker Spacety was sanctioned by Washington in February for supplying satellite imagery of Ukraine to the Wagner Group, a Russian mercenary organization with close connections to the Kremlin that has played a prominent role in the war.



Both Russian and Ukrainian troops are also using Chinese civilian drones -- mostly from DJI Technology, the worlds largest manufacturer -- for military surveillance and strikes. The company has said that its drones are not sold for military use and that it is trying to limit their sale to war zones.



Zhu Feng, an international affairs professor at Nanjing University, told the South China Morning Post that Beijing could not prevent the possibility of sales of Chinese-made weapons and equipment to Moscow by third parties.



Beijing and DJI couldnt rule out the possibility [of third-party acquisitions]. However, once any cases occur, Beijing and the company should make their position clear and help in further investigations to prevent similar situations from happening, Zhu said.



Minsk And The War In Ukraine



This makes escaping the shadow of the Ukraine war difficult for Lukashenka during his trip.



On February 24, China released a 12-point proposal for ending the conflict. The Chinese position paper was not warmly received in the West but has been supported by countries with China-friendly governments like Kazakhstan, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, and Lukashenka himself.

In an interview with Chinese state news agency Xinhua released prior to his trip, Lukashenka is quoted as saying that Beijings proposal is a testimony to Chinas peaceful foreign policy and an original step that would have a far-reaching impact.



Lukashenka will also look to translate any goodwill with China into expanded investment and trade, which has become strained in recent years.



Chinese money once poured into Belarus, financing new roads, factories, and rail links with Europe, as well as a sprawling industrial park on the outskirts of Minsk that drew more than $1 billion in investment from 56 foreign companies, including Chinese technology giants Huawei and ZTE.



But Western sanctions on Minsk made Belarus a less attractive partner to China, with Beijing not offering a new project or loan to Minsk since 2019.

Despite the stalled economic ties, China has sought to offer rhetorical support for Lukashenka as he clashed with Europe and the United States.



Xi was the first foreign leader to congratulate Lukashenka after the 2020 presidential election despite international condemnation and, ahead of his arrival in Beijing, Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang told his Belarusian counterpart Syarhey Aleynik that Beijing supports Belarus maintaining national stability and that it opposes attempts by external forces to interfere in its internal affairs or impose illegal unilateral sanctions.



Amid a shared standoff with the West by Belarus, China, and Russia, attention will also be focused on just how much autonomy Lukashenka has, given his dependence on the Kremlin and how that fits in with China and Russias evolving ties.

Lukashenka had a long conversation with Putin a few days before flying to Beijing and hints of the expanded imbalance in their dynamic are increasingly on display.



Both countries are signatories to a Union State treaty that has been the source of friction between Minsk and Moscow for decades. Yahoo News recently reported that it had obtained leaked documents showing a Kremlin plan to absorb Belarus by 2030 under the guise of the treaty. Lukashenka has since dismissed the report as nonsense and chatter.



But even Lukashenka has seemingly acknowledged Moscows dominance.



After Putin thanked him for agreeing to come to a meeting earlier in February between the two leaders, Lukashenka hinted at his growing subservience.



As If I could not agree, he replied.
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.
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.
ASTANA -- The Kazakh Interior Ministry says police have apprehended a person who allegedly coordinated a recent series of attacks on independent journalists.

Ministry official Albina Makhambetova said on February 28 that "a foreign national identified as O. Tokarev" had been detained in the Central Asian country's largest city, Almaty, after police and security officers found materials in his home suggesting that he had coordinated the attacks on several noted journalists.

"The main goal of the attacks carried out by the criminal group was to discredit Kazakhstan's president and his ongoing democratic reforms," Makhambetova said. "The suspect was placed in a pretrial detention center. No more details can be revealed as the investigation is under way."

She added that other individuals arrested earlier on suspicion of carrying out the attacks were charged with the obstruction of journalistic activities, violating privacy, issuing threats, damaging private property, and hooliganism.

The police said last week they had detained 18 people suspected of attacking six journalists and bloggers, as well as one associated individual, in a spate of incidents since September 2022.

It remains unclear who ordered the attacks.

Makhambetova's statement comes five days after the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists urged theKazakh authorities to "thoroughly investigate" the series of attacks on independent journalists.

Last week, a masked man physically attacked investigative journalist Daniyar Moldabekov while shouting "don't stick your nose where it doesn't belong!"

On February 20, another Almaty-based journalist and vlogger, Vadim Boreiko, said his cameraman Roman Yegorov's two cars were torched in an arson attack.

Also in February, the chief editor of the Ulysmedia.kz news website in Almaty, Samal Ibraeva, received a box that contained a hunk of meat and pictures of her children, a parcel she called a fresh attempt "to intimidate" her and her staff.

International human rights watchdogs and several Western embassies have also urged the Kazakh authorities to investigate the attacks.
The leaders of Serbia and Kosovo have agreed that no further talks are needed on an agreement to normalize relations between the two Balkan countries and expressed their readiness to continue with its implementation, European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said.

Speaking on February 27 after hosting talks in Brussels between Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti, Borrell said the leaders agreed "no further discussions" were needed on the deal.

But he said that "further negotiations are still needed" on how the agreement and previous commitments made by the two sides would be implemented.

Borrell said earlier on Twitter that "some progress" had been made at the meeting and added that "more work is needed."

Borrell will convene another meeting between Vucic and Kurti in March with the aim of finalizing discussions on the part of the agreement that will guide the implementation phase.

Borrell's office published the plan later on February 27.

The 11-point document says that neither side will resort to violence to resolve a dispute nor seek to prevent the other from joining the European Union or other international bodies.

"The parties shall develop normal, good-neighborly relations with each other on the basis of equal rights. Both parties shall mutually recognize their respective documents and national symbols, including passports, diplomas, license plates, and customs stamps," according to Article 1.

"Serbia will not object to Kosovo's membership in any international organization," Article 4 says.

The EU previously said the agreement included other measures to improve the lives of people in both Serbia and Kosovo, which declared independence in 2008. Serbia still regards it as a breakaway province.

Miroslav Lajcak, the EU special representative for the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue, will visit Kosovo and Serbia to continue the EU's diplomatic effort and prepare for the next high-level meeting, Borrell said.

The EU reminded both parties of their obligation to implement all previous dialogue agreements, which remain valid and binding.

Both sides agreed to refrain from any uncoordinated actions that could lead to renewed tensions on the ground and disrupt the negotiations, the statement added.

Vucic said the meeting with Kurti was "difficult," but that he believed more meetings would take place, including one in North Macedonia on March 18. Borrell will visit the region at that time, Vucic said.

Vucic expressed hope that it would be possible to reach some compromises and to work on the implementation of existing agreements. He said he would clear his schedule to work with Lajcak on the implementation plan.

The formation of an association of municipalities with a Serbian majority has been a main sticking point, and Vucic said he continued to insist on it, while Kurti was not ready to accept it.

"We will see if he will in the future," Vucic said.

Kurti reiterated that the formation of an association can be considered under several conditions, including that it was "in accordance with the constitution and laws" of Kosovo and that it not be monoethnic.

After the meeting, he said there was "confirmation that the European proposal is acceptable and unchangeable" and progress is now expected on the implementation plan.

"We are on the right track and in the direction of normalizing relations. It is an agreement of symmetry, good-neighborliness, and cooperation in the future," Kurti said of the EU plan, which also has the backing of the United States.

He said the agreement wasn't signed because "the other side wasn't ready to sign," adding that it was "a shame" that it wasn't signed, "since we agreed."

With reporting by Reuters and AFP
As villagers on both sides of the poorly defined Kyrgyz-Tajik frontier rebuild their lives and homes after violence in September that killed at least 100 people, authorities in the two Central Asian countries say they are close to finding a permanent solution to the longstanding border dispute, a legacy of their Soviet past.

Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov said in November -- without providing many details -- that he expects all border delimitations with Tajikistan to be completed by May.

Although many think it unlikely the May deadline will be met, both Kyrgyz and Tajik officials have reported "progress" and are seemingly optimistic about the ongoing efforts to finalize mutually acceptable demarcation lines.

Officials also expect all border crossings between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan to reopen soon after being unilaterally shut down by Bishkek in late April 2021.

The most recent meeting between working groups from Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan took place in Bishkek on February 3-9, with more such gatherings slated to be held in the coming months.

"The most important achievement [thus far] is mutual understanding between the two sides," Orif Khojazoda, head of Tajikistan's State Committee for Land Management, said on February 15.

Khojazoda didn't give details of the meeting, citing a nondisclosure agreement until the delimitation process is finished. But he expressed confidence the border disputes will be resolved.

According to Tajik President Emomali Rahmon, 63 percent -- or some 625 kilometers of the roughly 980-kilometer border between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan -- has been demarcated so far, as the sides work to define the remaining areas.

In a phone call last month, Japarov and Rahmon vowed to settle the border conflict through a "constructive approach" and "diplomacy."

It indicates the countries have come a long way from the September violence that killed dozens and wounded hundreds more, including many civilians on both sides.

Hundreds of buildings were damaged, and tens of thousands of people -- predominantly Kyrgyz -- were forced from their homes. Schools, businesses, and mosques were also affected by the clashes that each side blames the other for instigating.

The September 14-17 violence marked the worst hostilities between the two countries, which have had more than 140 border-related conflicts in the past decade.

In fact, border conflicts have flared up every year since 2012, triggered mostly by disputes over water, roads, or land.

But there were also many meetings and negotiations over the years between Bishkek and Dushanbe officials to resolve the issue. All have thus far failed.

The two sides seem to have hope it will be different this time.

Shortly after the negotiations began after the September violence, Kamchybek Tashiev, head of the Kyrgyz State Committee for National Security, said the parties have taken a new and more constructive approach.

"We were unable to agree on anything before, arguing constantly. Now we have begun, little by little, to find a common language," he told local media at the time.

"Were resolving issues with Tajikistan through negotiations, like: You take this site, and well take this one, if you need this land, gives us that one in exchange," Tashiev explained.

More Complicated Than The Kyrgyz-Uzbek Border

It is not yet clear how close Bishkek and Dushanbe are to working out a final deal.

Kyrgyzstan reached a historic border-delimitation agreement with Uzbekistan in late November that includes a land swap and a transfer of a major water reservoir from Kyrgyzstan to Uzbekistan.

Securing a similar deal with Dushanbe won't be as easy given the history of violent clashes between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, said Parviz Mullojonov, a Tajik political analyst.

"Unlike the situation on the Tajik-Kyrgyz border areas, there aren't hot spots [between Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan]; that makes it considerably easier for them to negotiate with local communities," Mullojonov told RFE/RL's Tajik Service.

Mullojonov suggested that Tashkent can now play an important mediating role to help its neighbors reach a similar agreement.

Temur Umarov, a fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, doesn't rule out that Bishkek and Dushanbe will move in a "positive direction" toward a final deal.

But he said the two governments might face pressure from their own people, especially those who live in border areas -- as well as soldiers deployed there -- who have been most affected by the violence, witnessing their loves ones being killed and homes and livelihoods being destroyed.

"These people want justice, these people want revenge," Umarov told RFE/RL.

Local leaders are acutely aware of their communities anxiety.

An imam in the Kyrgyz border village of Kyzyl-Bel recently called on Kyrgyz and Tajik worshippers to visit each other's mosques to perform prayers together to help restore mutual trust.

"Until the wounds are healed, its difficult to reestablish trust. After all, many houses and properties were burnt down, people lost family members," Abdulhamid Karimov, a resident of the Tajik village of Chorkuh, told local media.

It's hard to forgive and forget, but it's the only way to move forward, the villager said.
SKOPJE -- In Moliere's theatrical classic Tartuffe, a household is nearly torn apart by a courtship based on a hoax. The title character, an interloper, fakes religious virtue to win the affections of his hosts' daughter.



The interplay of its 2,000 lines of rhyming couplets is a study in playful subtlety in the original French, never mind in Macedonian translation.



It's an aspect of learning that high-school teacher Biljana Kostkova says is impossible to capture through a computer screen.



"We had a dramatization of excerpts from the play Tartuffe so that students could hear the text, see the characters, see what acting is, what a play is, so those reading the roles could get into them," Kostkova, who teaches Macedonian language at Nikola Karev High School in Skopje, told RFE/RL's Balkan Service. "But that benefit can't be captured and realized through distance learning."



The limitations and pressures of online teaching are added challenges being heaped on teachers, students, and parents in North Macedonia after an outbreak of bomb threats that routinely send children and educators scrambling for safety until police bomb sweeps can be conducted, usually spelling the loss of another day of school.



Following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Balkan countries, including North Macedonia, Serbia, and Montenegro, have been targeted with bomb threats, which are often directed at schools.



"Students lose that aspect of teaching," Kostkova said of distance learning, which was mostly unheard-of at the primary and high-school levels before the COVID-19 pandemic forced teaching, work, and many other facets of life around the world online in 2020.



The specter of a forced return to virtual classrooms is just part of the problem posed by the bomb hoaxes in North Macedonia. Shopping malls and hospitals are feeling the pain, too, of the mostly unexplained wave of threats that officials have only indirectly blamed on Russia.



But the disruption to schools packs a particularly potent punch to the schedules and psyches of working parents, frustrated educators, and a young generation of Macedonians already scarred by lockdowns during a global pandemic.



Weeks Of Lost Learning



Classes in the squat, gray, brutalist buildings of Nikola Karev High School are some of the most severely affected with near-daily threats. However, they're far from the only ones.



After abating last summer, the deluge of bomb threats at Macedonian schools spiked again in October 2022 after a return to classes and has seemingly intensified.



One day last week, police in Skopje evacuated 14 schools on the basis of an e-mailed threat. A day earlier, officials said that hoaxes affected more than 60 schools, including a kindergarten.

The Union of Secondary School Students estimated recently that, in the first half of the current academic year, some 10 weeks of class has been lost to such hoaxes.



At some of the schools most frequently targeted by the threats, the union said, the suspensions and cancellations have derailed three out of every five days in the classroom.



No explosives have been found in connection with any of the resulting 400-plus evacuations and sweeps in North Macedonia.



Authorities have already announced an extension of the school year to mid-June to compensate for a prolonged winter break aimed at saving on heating costs driven up by the global energy crisis sparked by the Ukraine war.



This week, the Education Ministry advised primary- and secondary-school directors to organize distance learning for days interrupted by bomb threats. Online teaching is better than no teaching at all and helps keep teachers and students safe, the ministry reasoned.



Big Problems For Little Kids



Particularly in light of experience during the pandemic, parents in North Macedonia say there are added complications for younger pupils and their parents.



Marina, the mother of a third-grader in Skopje who didn't give her last name, said she worried about the psychological effects of constant reminders of possible danger.



"Every ringing of the bell five times causes them stress, and they ask, 'Why do they do this?'" she said. "I think it will be necessary to work a lot with the students after such events, so it doesn't have any lasting consequences on the children's mental health, because unfortunately this has been happening for months and affects the psyche of both children and some adults."



She said the situation also places parents in a near-constant holding pattern. Marina recalled how during the pandemic she and other parents "managed as best we could" before invariably being called to pick up their young children and trying to find childcare or just "asking for understanding from work."



"It's really difficult for many parents to organize," she said. She noted the added challenge for some families of ensuring computer and Internet access for multiple children.



"I think we'll face the same problems as during the COVID pandemic and will find that things haven't moved on in recent years," she said. "I doubt much work has been done to improve online teaching, and I'm skeptical that even if there's online teaching it will always be what it should be."



Russia Under Suspicion



The perpetrators of the bomb threats, which have likely spawned copycats, are not publicly known. North Macedonia Interior Minister Oliver Spasovski has described the hoaxes, which began after Russia's invasion of Ukraine last year, as "hybrid terrorist attacks" emanating from abroad.



AP quoted one of the recent threats as accusing Macedonians of being "complicit in the destruction of my country" and demanding an end to unspecified sanctions.



The war in Ukraine has tested loyalties and resilience, particularly among countries with historical ties to Russia that are still aspiring to EU or NATO membership or have only recently joined.



North Macedonia joined NATO in 2020, and it has been widely regarded as a leading EU candidate despite outlying challenges from EU members Greece and, more recently, Bulgaria.



Tensions between Skopje and Moscow have deteriorated as Macedonian integration efforts with the West accelerated following the breakup of Yugoslavia in the early 1990s.



In March of last year, Moscow put North Macedonia on its list of "unfriendly countries," which was expanded dramatically after Skopje joined Western sanctions to punish Russia for its invasion of Ukraine.

North Macedonia's prime minister, Dimitar Kovacevski, and other senior Macedonian officials have avoided directly blaming Moscow or Russians publicly for the deluge of bomb threats.



But Kovacevski this month linked them and very recent cyberattacks to Russia's war on Ukraine.



Interior Minister Spasovski has also said that officials have a good idea of their origins and are working with Skopje's NATO "partners" on the problem.



Digital anonymity has reportedly thwarted the overwhelming majority of Macedonian investigations in the past year, with a handful of notable exceptions allegedly involving student perpetrators.



'Normal' But 'Not Normal'



The Union of Secondary School Students, which is tracking lost classroom time, has cautioned that online teaching cannot become a substitute for all aspects of the education process.



"Dealing with the lost teaching has so far been left to the schools and teachers," the union's president, Luka Pavicevic, told RFE/RL's Balkan Service. "But a distinction should be made between online teaching as additional teaching for what was lost and what the [Education and Science Ministry] is offering -- that is, online teaching as a replacement for the entire educational process."



Meanwhile, Kostkova and the other teachers at the country's roughly 1,200 primary and secondary schools continue to struggle to make up for lost time in the classroom, although they and their students are by now used to the drill.



"In the beginning, we were taken aback. The parents were afraid for the safety of the children and the arrival of the students was a waste of time," she said.



Teachers and children have to dash home, she said, and it can take a while before some of the slowest students rejoin their classmates online, especially if passwords are "forgotten."



Students were initially frightened by the bomb threats, Kostkova said, but at this point "it has become normal, which is not normal."

Written by Andy Heil based on reporting by Ivana Stojkova in Skopje.
A law on state property has taken effect in Republika Srpska despite attempts by High Representative to Bosnia Christian Schmidt to block it.

The law on immovable state property used for the functions of public authorities came into effect on February 28, the Republika Srpska's authority responsible for property matters told RFE/RL.

It is seen as an attempt by Republika Srpska to transfer state property from Bosnia to the Serb entity.

The implementation of the law is a direct challenge to previous decisions by Schmidt to repeal the original decree creating the law and his decision on February 27 to suspend it pending a final decision by Bosnia's Constitutional Court.

Republika Srpska says the law aims to ensure that properties used by the authorities of Republika Srpska, including local governments, public companies, public institutions, and other departments founded by Republika Srpska, belong to them.

Schmidt said on February 27 that the matter of state property "cannot be solved by unilateral actions and reminded all decision makers that the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina is the right place to resolve that issue."

He said until the court rules "legal insecurity must be avoided."

Schmidt attempted to block the law last year by declaring unconstitutional a decree issued by Zeljka Cvijanovic, then-president of Republika Srpska, on the enactment of the law. He also said then that the Bosnian Constitutional Court should decide the matter, but at the same time called on Bosnian politicians to sit down and discuss the future of state property and reach a reasonable solution.

That decision on April 12, 2022, was the first time Schmidt used powers allowing his office to impose or change laws, remove elected and appointed officials from their positions. The Office of the High Representative was granted those powers in the implementation of the peace accords that ended the 1992-95 Bosnian War.

Despite Schmidts decision to repeal the decree, the law on immovable properties was published in the official journal of Republika Srpska and was passed by the Republika Srpska Assembly on February 10.

The Peace Implementation Council for Bosnia-Herzegovina, and international body that includes representatives of the United States, Russia, Britain, Germany, France, Italy, Canada, Turkey, Japan, and the European Union asked Bosnia in September 2004 to come up with a permanent solution for the issue of state property.
Romania's Defense Ministry has warned that dozens of social-media posts claiming Bucharest has been massing troops and military equipment at its border with Moldova are part of "a fake news" campaign launched by the Kremlin since it invaded Ukraine in February 2022.

"We remind everyone that the accuracy of such sensationalist and panicky information can best be verified by consulting official sources," the ministry said on February 28.

Moldova is sandwiched between EU- and NATO-member Romania and Ukraine, with which it shares a 1,200-kilometer border. Russia maintains more than 1,000 troops in Moldova's separatist region of Transndiester.

Russia has falsely claimed that Ukraine is planning to invade Transdniester, raising suspicions that Moscow is looking for a pretext to annex the separatist region, as it did with Ukraine's Crimea in 2014.

Moldova's pro-Western President Maia Sandu and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy have warned that Moscow is planning destabilizing actions inside the country to justify a Russian invasion from Transdniester that could transform Moldova into a launch pad for Russian attacks on Ukraine.

A Twitter account called Geoinsider that bears the site's "verified" blue check mark published on February 26 an image allegedly depicting Romanian troops moving toward the Moldovan border.

The caption of the image read, "Romania deployed antiaircraft systems to the border with Moldova. Romanian military tanks and armored vehicles have also been deployed at the border."

The post by the account, which claims to be located in the U.S. state of Massachusetts and reports "geopolitical & military news from all over the world, has since been deleted.

However, it was reposted several hundred times by dozens of Twitter accounts, with some even claiming that Romanian troops had already crossed into Moldova.

In a statement to RFE/RL, Defense Ministry spokesman Constantin Spinu rejected those claims, saying that "there have been no changes whatsoever in the deployment of Romanian forces and antiaircraft systems."

Much of Moldova was part of Romania until World War II, before being occupied by the Soviet Union and transformed into a Soviet republic. Romania and Moldova share a common history, culture, and language.

Spinu told RFE/RL that the Romanian military had been facing a wave of fake news since the start of the war in Ukraine on February 24, 2022, with some posts going viral.

He said the Defense Ministry had established its own anti-fake-news platform called Inforadar to discredit and dispute the fake claims.

The ministry said separately on February 27 that the screenshots posted on social media were actually taken during the National Day military parade in the city of Alba Iulia on December 1, 2022, and that familiar landmarks, such as the city stadium, are visible in the background on video.

Earlier this month, U.S. President Joe Biden met with Sandu in Poland and "reaffirmed strong U.S. support for Moldova's sovereignty and territorial integrity."

With reporting by G4media.ro

CORRECTION: This article has been amended to clarify that the year in which the military parade took in Alba Iulia was 2022, not 2002.
Ukrainian forces struggled to hold out against Russian attacks in the city of Bakhmut, as Russian forces pressed an ongoing offensive in multiple locations in eastern Ukraine.

Further west, Russian rockets or missiles killed several civilians in the southern city of Zaporizhzhya, regional officials said on March 2.



With Moscow's invasion of Ukraine now in its second year, Russian forces have launched a new offensive in Ukraine's Donbas region, seeking to push back Ukrainian forces in several locations.



The fiercest fighting in recent weeks has been reported near Vuhledar, southwest of Donetsk city, and Kreminna, to the north.

Ukrainian forces have steadily lost ground in and around Bakhmut; last month the settlement of Soledar fell to Russian forces led in part by soldiers from the private mercenary company Wagner.



In recent days, Ukrainian officials have suggested that their troops might have to pull out of Bakhmut entirely. Western experts have questioned the Russian push for the city, saying it has less strategic and symbolic value for Moscow. Ukraine reportedly has far stronger defensive positions to the west and northwest of Bakhmut.

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.

The Ukrainian militarys General Staff reported more than 170 attacks in the east and northeast overnight on March 2; the bulk were directed against Bakhmut, but also targeting Lyman, Avdiyivka, and Shakhtarsk,



"The enemy continues to advance in the direction of Bakhmut, attempting to storm Bakhmut," the military said.



Russia has been throwing waves of infantry at Bakhmut in its attempt to surround it and cut the Ukrainian supply lines. There were still several thousand civilians in the ruined city, which had a pre-war population of 70,000.



"We continue to see intense fighting near Bakhmut," Brigadier General Pat Ryder, a U.S. Defense Department spokesman, said on March 2. "Wagner and regular forces are pressing their attack on Bakhmut, but Ukrainian forces continue to hold their lines."



In Zaporizhzhya, the number of civilians killed by overnight Russian shelling of a residential building climbed to four, the regional prosecutor's office reported on March 2. Five other people were missing, including a child. It put the number of those wounded at eight.



The city of Kherson, on the west bank of the Dnieper River, which Russian forces withdrew from in November, also came under artillery fire, the military said.



Russian attacks on civilian and infrastructure objectives were also reported in the northeastern Kharkiv region and Poltava in central Ukraine, wounding a number of people and damaging property and infrastructure.



Meanwhile, Russian officials alleged that a group of Ukrainian saboteurs crossed into western Russia and fired on civilians in villages, a claim that Kyiv denied, while suggesting Moscow might be seeking a false-flag pretext to stage new attacks on Ukraine.

Details about the March 2 incident, near the southwestern city of Bryansk, were not entirely clear.



Russian media quoted unnamed Federal Security Service officials as saying a group, which the Kremlin later called "Ukrainian terrorists," had infiltrated the Bryansk region and attacked several villages, taking hostages in the process.



In Kyiv, a senior adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy called the Russian statements a "classic deliberate provocation."



"Russia wants to scare its people to justify the attack on another country and the growing poverty after the year of war. The partisan movement in Russia is getting stronger and more aggressive," Mykhaylo Podolyak wrote in a post to Twitter.



In Brussels, European Union diplomats were preparing to allocate 1 billion euros to purchase badly needed artillery ammunition for Kyiv, according to a draft proposal seen by the AFP news agency. EU officials estimate that Ukraine is firing about 7,000 shells per day, compared to up to 50,000 daily fired by Russian forces.



EU defense ministers are expected to discuss the proposals at a meeting in Stockholm on March 7-8.

With reporting by Reuters, AFP, and RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service
The Beatrice City Council met on Monday evening for a work session where Lonnie Burklund with JEO Consulting Group presented the Lincoln Street Corridor Study. The focus of the report was on Fifth to 22nd streets.

City Administrator Tobias Tempelmeyer said JEO had been retained about a year for the project.

As Lincoln Street started to fall apart and before we start to replace it, we wanted to look at it more closely, he said.

Lonnie Burklund said he was excited to be able to come to Beatrice.

You all have a lot of projects going on in town, he said.

He noted the study focuses on existing conditions, possible future traffic scenarios, improvement options and a summary of the community engagement.

Be proud of the folks that attended, he said. We had a lot of good feedback and had fun.

He noted that in looking at the existing conditions there was an operational and safety review.

At the Sixth and 19th street intersections of Lincoln Street, we found that they both operate fairly well, he said. In looking at the safety record, data was reviewed from Nebraska Department of Transportation. There were not any obvious patterns and overall, the safety record was decent on Lincoln Street.

Signalized control at the 19th Street intersection was discussed with options for improvement. The right of way, drained and parking was noted also.

A roundabout was also discussed for the 19th Street intersection. Councilman Dave Eskra asked about the mini roundabout and how it would work with harvest traffic on 19th Street. Burklund noted the roundabout could be designed with a truck apron to allow for easier us of the roundabout by trucks.

Properties surrounding the intersection were also discussed.

Burklund noted that the two open house events were advertised in a variety of ways. During the March 21, 2022, event 51 people signed in with 61 comments. The May 9, 2022, meeting had 40 people sign in with 55 comments received.

The recommendations included aligning the lanes at 6th and Lincoln Street. The west bound right lane would be removed, improvement of the signal and relocation of the mid-block pedestrian crossing.

On the 13th Street intersection, the alignment of the east and west skew was recommended with a taper from 12th Street.

At the 19th Street intersection an all-way stop was recommended in the interim with a roundabout phased into the improvements.

A plan for phasing the plan was discussed. The seven total phases were estimated at $11,550,000.

Council members discussed a focus on the priority safety concerns on Lincoln Street.

Burklund said JEO appreciated being involved in the project.

No action was taken by the City Council.
A new attempt to remove Yellowstone-area grizzly bears from the endangered species list was rolled out Tuesday by Wyoming and Montana representatives in the U.S. House.

Reps. Harriet Hageman and Ryan Zinke say the grizzlies are no longer at risk of extinction. Human and livestock encounters with the apex predators in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem are increasing and dangerous, the Republicans say.

A law proposed by the two would return population control of the grizzlies to the states. The legislation comes a few weeks after U.S. Fish and Wildlife announced it would again, under state pressure, launch a year-long study about delisting grizzlies in areas surrounding Yellowstone and Glacier national parks. A 2017 attempt by U.S. Fish and Wildlife to delist the bears failed a court challenge brought by wildlife groups. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the delisting responded to political pressure, not scientific and commercial data.

A 2007 attempt by U.S. Fish and Wildlife, also failed in court. The Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem is 22-million-acre area that stretches beyond Bozeman to the north, and approaches Kemmerer to the south. The area approaches Idaho Falls to the west and Cody to the east.

One of the main problems with the Endangered Species Act is that when we deal with these various species that are identified as either threatened or endangered, we typically have a recovery goal, said Hageman, of Wyoming. No matter how much we meet, no matter whether we meet that recovery goal, or substantially exceed that recovery goal, we can't ever get these species delisted, which I think is one of the primary weaknesses of the Endangered Species Act.

Hageman, the bill's primary sponsor, said the expectation is that congressional action would avoid another court challenge. Zinke, who was secretary of the Department of The Interior during the last attempt to delist the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem grizzlies, said the legislation relies on agency work already done.

There are reams of data that support the population, particularly the Yellowstone, as recovered. Its not in dispute, Zinke said. So rather than everyone saying you know what, the Endangered Species Act worked, it shows by science the species has recovered. Lets celebrate a win and look at species that are challenged and under duress. Once you get on the highway, it seems on endangered species theres no off ramp.

Legislation specifically dealing with the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem was the chosen starting point because of the earlier research by U.S. Fish and Wildlife, Zinke said. The next step for the Western Montana representative would be the Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem, which includes the area surrounding Glacier National Park and the Bob Marshall, Mission Mountains, Great Bear and Scapegoat wilderness areas. That region also includes parts of the Flathead and Blackfeet reservations.

Wildlife advocates say the bears still deserve protection and that state political pressure is still driving attempts to delist grizzlies in the Greater Yellowstone Area.

The number of grizzlies necessary to sustain a population that won't overtime die out because of in-breeding is much larger than the populations seen in the Northern Rockies today, said Michael Garrity of the Alliance for Wild Rockies. He points to the observations of David Mattson, a large carnivore specialist who recently argued in a Gazette op-ed that concentrated populations of bears in four areas of the Rockies aren't enough to ensure the necessary genetic diversity.

Mattson puts the total number of grizzly bears in the Greater Yellowstone and Northern Continental Divide ecosystems at "a tad over 2,000," twice the population of 45 years ago and 4% of population in the mid-1800s.

"Grizzly bears are the slowest reproducing mammals in North America. It can take 10 years for a female to successfully reproduce. And Mattson is always pointing out that the Grizzly bear populations are expanding their territory mainly because of the collapse of their food sources," Garrity said.

For example, in Yellowstone Park, grizzly bears used to rely heavily on whitebark pine, which produce energy-rich seeds, Garrity said. But whitebark pines, which grow high atop mountains in the West, have been decimated by insects and disease. U.S. Fish and Wildlife listed the whitebark pine as an endangered species in January. Grizzlies used to rely on Yellowstone cutthroat trout, but the trout have been diminished by rival, non-native lake trout. The cutthroat are now considered a "sensitive species," but not endangered. Grizzlies adapt by traveling further out to find food.

The congressional delegations of both states have supported the 2017 attempt by U.S. Fish and Wildlife to delist grizzlies.

Theres several things wrong with legislatively delisting a species. Its simply not driven by science. It isnt the experts making the decision, its politicians who dont have a good grasp on the science, said Kristin Combs, Wyoming Wildlife Advocates director. Oftentimes, theyre listening to state management agencies and state wildlife agencies that are always pushing for delisting of grizzlies and to have large carnivores under their control and management.

The pressure applied to state governments, by outfitters dependent on hunting income and ranchers facing livestock loses, have fueled efforts to delist grizzlies, Combs said. Human encounters with bears have also increased with the rise in population in places like Bozeman and Kalispell, two of the fastest growing areas in the United States over the last decade.

But Combs said hunting in Wyoming is doing well. The success rate of elk hunting is strong. Livestock losses to bears could be reduced through managing the cattle and sheep differently.

Theres a lot of things that can be done to mitigate human-bear conflict, whether bears are listed or not, Combs said. Its not that dependent on listing. There are non-lethal options so that were not constantly turning to lethal options for bears to die whenever there is some kind of conflict.

This (delisting) is pretty much just about hunting bears, which all states have made known thats the first thing theyre going to do.

Hageman is emphasizing the human conflict with grizzlies in the Greater Yellowstone Area as she tells other representatives about a wildlife issue unique to three states with a lot of wilderness and a small presence in Congress.

We had two wrestlers last year attacked outside of Cody, and mauled. The only way that they were able to escape with their lives was one of them just absolutely tore into the bear. But if you see the photographs of those young men, it was a pretty traumatic and a dangerous situation and probably within a matter of seconds of both of them being killed, Hageman said. We have the farmer, also up by Cody, just changing his water out in the field and the bear came up and ripped his face off.

It's making areas of my state very dangerous, Hageman said. And that isn't fair. And it's not right. And it's not fair to the people who are entitled to use those areas and access those areas. We've met the recovery goals, it's time to delist the grizzly bear.

Lone wolf trekked across southwest Montana into Pryor Mountains before deadly decision A male wolf trekked from the Dillon area to the Pryor Mountains last year before killing livestock and being shot. This is the first documented wolf in the island mountain range.
Montana State University Billings hosted its annual Faculty Excellence Award Ceremony last week and recognized over 30 faculty members for their exemplary contributions.

The annual event highlights the excellence of MSUB faculty members in their teaching, community service, research, and scholarship.

Associated Students of MSU Billings Outstanding Faculty recipients include Dr. Rhonda Dillman, assistant professor of organic chemistry; Dr. Thomas Regele, associate professor of modern languages and literature; Anne Cole, instructor in the Department of General Education; Dr. Melanie Reaves, associate professor of literacy education; Dr. Anna Talafuse, assistant professor of marketing.

The Montana Center for Inclusive Education Award for Support of Students with Disabilities was awarded to Dr. Rhonda Dillman, and Dr. Jason Comer, assistant professors in the Department of Biological and Physical Sciences.

Dr. Heather Thompson-Bahm, assistant professor of business administration, and Dr. Ana Diaz, associate professor of English, philosophy & modern languages, were honored with the Dr. Tasneem Khaleel Award for Mentoring Young Female Professionals.

The Promoting International Student Success Award was awarded to Dr. Jessie Perius, assistant professor of business administration.

The Part-Time Faculty Award recipient was Lorrie Henrie-Koski, instructor in the Department of English, Philosophy & Modern Languages.

The City College Faculty Leadership Award recipient was Eric Gilbertsen, instructor in the Department of General Education.

Program Director and instructor for the Radiologic Technology Program Jenna Jones, was awarded the Excellence Award for Non-Tenured Faculty.

Dr. Melissa Sullivan-Walker, assistant professor in the Department of Educational Theory and Practice, was awarded the Outstanding Service-Learning Award.

Recipients of the Faculty Excellence Award are Dr. Melissa Boehm, associate professor of communication; Dr. Joy Crissey Honea, professor of social sciences and cultural studies; Dr. Jennifer Lynn, professor of history; Dr. Alex Shafer, associate professor of health and human performance.

The Winston and Helen Cox Fellowship Award was presented to Dr. Aaron Mertes, assistant professor of rehabilitation and human services.

The Walter and Charlotte Pippenger Excellence in Innovation Award was presented to Allison Bailey, Austin Grant Bennett, Erica R. Shea, Eric Gilbertsen, Andrea Payne Garza, Anne Cole, Roger MadPlume, Lance A. Mouser, Chairsty E. Stewart, Christine Whitlatch, Dr. Ana K. Diaz, and Dr. Walter Gulick for their collaborative effort to implement an ethics learning outcome across five disciplines including writing, mathematics, communications, reading, and psychology.

Twenty-three faculty members were acknowledged for their years of service and two were recognized for achieving tenure at MSUB.

I am extremely proud to see so many incredible contributions made by our faculty to our students, to their field, to MSU Billings, and to our community,  said MSUB Provost Sep Eskandari. MSU Billings has outstanding faculty, and their contributions must be recognized and celebrated.
A multi-agency task force arrested a Billings man Sunday who is accused of several previous crimes, including shooting a man earlier this month in Lockwood.

John Joseph Caylon III, 28, pleaded not guilty Tuesday to five felonies in Yellowstone County District Court. When members of the Montana Violent Offenders Task Force arrested him, his warrants amounted to nearly $650,000.

Caylon, previously sentenced in Yellowstone County on counts of criminal endangerment and drug possession, was on probation when a warrant was issued for his arrest in June 2022, according to a statement from acting U.S. Marshal Timothy Hornung. In July, U.S. Marshals and local partners with the MVOTF took the case.

Prior to his arrest Sunday, Caylon shot a man, stole a truck and crashed into a closed garage door, according to charging documents filed in district court. Caylon allegedly broke into and stole a pickup truck belonging to a Billings engineering firm in mid-December, and less than two weeks later he stole another pickup truck on Avenue C.

A day after the owner of the latter pickup truck reported it stolen to Billings police, officers found it at the scene of a hit-and-run crash at Yellowstone Avenue and Fifth Street West. The impact from the crash, court documents said, wrecked the white pickup truck. Analysts with the Billings Police Department allegedly identified finger prints left on the drivers side door as belonging to Caylon.

That same day, a resident on the 4600 block of Bruce Avenue near Optimist Park allegedly told police Caylon, driving a white pickup truck, rammed his closed garage door. The damage allegedly amounted to about $10,500.

On Feb. 17, deputies with the Yellowstone County Sheriffs Office responded to a shooting at a trailer home on the 1600 block of Dickie Road in Lockwood, court documents said. A man who was shot in his shoulder allegedly told deputies two men drove up to the trailer in an SUV and fired several rounds, then left the area. He identified one of the men as Caylon, according to court documents.

Gunfire has killed dozens of people in Yellowstone County since 2020. Two people have been charged with deliberate homicide so far this year in district court following shootings in Billings.

At this time, the MVOTF devoted all available resources to locating and apprehending (Caylon) before he could injure any other members of the community, Hornung wrote in his statement published Monday.

Task force members tracked Caylons location to Godfathers Pizza on Main Street in the Billings Heights on Sunday afternoon. After he walked inside, Hornung wrote, law enforcement was setting up a perimeter around the restaurant when Caylon ran out a side door and into a trailer park on Shawnee Drive.

Officers, with assistance from BPD, YCSO and the Montana Highway Patrol, tracked foot prints left by Caylon to a home on the 800 block of Radford Square. Law enforcement knocked on the front door, and the homeowner told them a stranger was hiding on his patio. The stranger, according to Hornung, was Caylon, who was then arrested and booked into Yellowstone County Detention Facility.

Last year, according to data from the U.S. Marshals Service, the MVOTF has arrested 1,252 people. As of the end of January, the task force has made 142 arrests.

Along with accusations of parole violation, Caylon is facing two counts of felony theft, two counts of assault with a weapon and one count of criminal mischief.
Editor's note: Chinese modernization is a new model for human advancement, and it presents another picture of modernization, expands the channels for developing countries to achieve modernization, and provides a Chinese solution to aid the exploration of a better social system for humanity. Three experts share their views on the issue with China Daily. The 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China held in October 2022 laid the foundation for a new era of modernization while emphasizing the importance of "Chinese-style modernization". Chinese-style modernization has two specific characteristics; it is inclusive and peaceful. By applying a new development philosophy, the Chinese leadership stresses that economic, political, cultural, social and ecological developments are intertwined, and comprise the key components of China's modernization, which is aimed at fulfilling people's aspiration for a better life. Similarly, socialism with Chinese characteristics has entered a new era of continuous improvement of every aspect of people's lives. This instills in people the confidence that the future will be better. And this confidence comes from an already proven track of positive results and the idea that China's leadership has a vision about the future, and a mission to complete in order to realize national rejuvenation. This new era presents to the world a country willing to work with the other countries to uphold the common values of humankind, and pursue peace and development while helping build a community with a shared future for all. Thanks to its pragmatic cooperation with other countries, China has become the largest trading partner of more than 140 countries and regions and leads the world in total merchandise trade. Even in the three difficult years of the pandemic, China continued to be the stabilizing factor for the global industrial supply chains and a driving force of global economic recovery. With the world facing unprecedented challenges, China's commitment to improving the international community has increased. Indeed, a fully modernized China will create more opportunities for the world while remaining committed to deepening reform, widening opening-up, and pursuing high-quality development. The world has become more polarized than ever, and hostilities are on the rise. As such, the world needs rational and prudent actors to resolve differences and take pragmatic steps toward modernization. For many countries struggling with economic problems, modernization means development. But several preconceived notions of right development paths have proven wrong. In this regard, China's modernization and high-quality development present new opportunities for such countries to take forward their modernization drive. But what impact will China's modernization have on the outside world? The impact can be seen in the various initiatives China has launched. Over the years, China has established multilateral platforms fostering interaction among institutions, citizens and governments. For instance, the Belt and Road Initiative, after a decade of promotion and development, has become a powerful engine of global growth by, among other things, helping upgrade infrastructure in the Belt and Road countries. Two other initiatives announced by China respond to the needs of the times. The first is the Global Development Initiative, which mainly focuses on poverty eradication and sustainable development. It calls for joint efforts by parties around the world to build cooperation networks to, among other things, improve agriculture, education and healthcare, fight climate change, and better protect the environment and ecology. The second is the Global Security Initiative, which is a pledge to the vision of common, comprehensive and cooperative security. By deepening cooperation with China and harnessing specific comparative advantages, developing countries can increase the vitality and resilience of their economies. And once bilateral and/or multilateral cooperation is set on the right path, they can choose their own path to modernization. China's modernization is an example of human progress, and demystifies the notion that "modernization is equal to Westernization". It provides a different perspective on modernization, opens up new avenues for developing countries, and offers a Chinese approach to build a more humane national and international structure, as it is based on a deeper understanding of the times and history. To achieve true modernization, a country has to identify the socioeconomic conditions under which human beings can flourish, build an environment where health and wealth can coexist, and implement policies to pursue prosperity. With China's modernization, the government will make more efforts to improve people's lives and livelihoods, because for the country's leadership, people come first. China's modernization is a blueprint for identifying what better suits the ground reality of a country and what better caters to people's needs, as well as to advance social fairness and improve the well-being of the people.
A Mandan man accused of having 700 videos and images of child sexual abuse on his phone has pleaded guilty to a federal sex crime.

Trevor Duenas, 21, was charged in state court in May 2022. A federal grand jury in July indicted him on a charge of distribution of images depicting the sexual exploitation of children, court records show. He entered the guilty plea Tuesday. Hell be sentenced June 1.

Duenas faces a possible 20-year prison sentence and a $250,000 fine, court documents show. The attorney listed for him in court records declined comment when contacted by the Tribune.

Authorities arrested Duenas after executing a search warrant at a Lewis Road Northwest residence, according to an affidavit. They were following up on tips from August 2020 to March 2022, with most dated between March 17 and March 29 of 2022.

Officials found 23 files had been uploaded to accounts associated with email addresses that Duenas later admitted owning, authorities allege. The files depicted girls ages 6-16 engaged in sexual conduct, the affidavit states.

Investigators said they found 500 videos and 200 images on Duenas phone. He admitted to possessing and distributing the materials since moving to North Dakota in 2020, according to the affidavit.
The Bismarck School Board has filled the seat vacated by Emily Eckroth with the woman Eckroth beat by one vote in last year's election.

The four board members voted unanimously Monday night to appoint Amanda Peterson. The Bismarck native and former public school English teacher is director of educational improvement and support for the state Department of Public Instruction, a position in which she deals with the states most at-risk students and schools.

The board opted for an appointment rather than a special election to save money. A special election could have cost over $130,000, according to Board President Jon Lee.

The board looked at the last election results as a guide for who to choose.

"There's just no other person but Amanda Peterson in my mind to fill this position," Lee said.

Eckroth, a family physician, finished third and Peterson fourth in the June 2022 election to fill three seats on the board. Preliminary results had Eckroth leading by three votes. The race went to a recount, and Eckroth ended up winning by one vote.

Board Member Dan Eastgate said, "I'd really like us to get back to a board of five," before moving to appoint Peterson. She will serve in the seat until the next school board election -- roughly 16 months.

Peterson is a 2000 Bismarck High graduate and has taught at her alma mater and at Shiloh Christian School. She was not present at the meeting and did not immediately respond to a Tribune request for comment.

She will fill the seat vacated when Eckroth resigned last week in the wake of her run-in with police late last year and a formal reprimand by her colleagues, and in the midst of a citizen effort to recall her from office.

Eckroth in early December pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor count of obstructing officers during a Sept. 3 traffic stop on Interstate 94 in Bismarck involving her husband. Police video footage shows Eckroth cursing at deputies and urinating in the back of a patrol vehicle.

Then-South Central District Judge Douglas Bahr approved her plea agreement with prosecutors, sentencing her to nearly a year of unsupervised probation and $325 in court fees. The offense will not go on her record if she stays out of trouble during probation.
A storm system that moved out of the Rockies and into the Northern Plains could drop nearly a foot of snow on parts of southern North Dakota.

The National Weather Service posted a winter storm warning for south central and southeastern North Dakota from noon Tuesday to noon Wednesday, for heavy snow and wind gusts up to 45 mph. A winter weather advisory was in effect for the southwest and central regions, for up to half a foot of snow and wind gusts up to 35 mph.

"An area of heavy snow is expected across south central North Dakota and the James River Valley (Tuesday) afternoon through Wednesday morning," the weather service said in a statement. "Impactful snow will fall elsewhere across western and central North Dakota south of Highway 2."

Snow on Tuesday afternoon was falling at rates up to an inch per hour, according to the weather service. No travel was advised in most of south central North Dakota, and the Highway Patrol restricted travel for permitted oversize vehicles in the region. Motorists in much of the rest of southern North Dakota were cautioned to be aware of treacherous conditions.

The difficult travel conditions were forecast to continue into Wednesday, especially for the morning commute.

Bismarck State College canceled Tuesday evening classes due to the weather, and said a decision on Wednesday classes would be made by 6 a.m.

The Bismarck-Mandan area is expected to get 6-10 inches of snow before the system blows out Wednesday afternoon.

The system will not usher in frigid arctic air like last week's storm did. Wednesday's high temperature in the capital city is forecast in the teens, warming to the 30s by the end of the workweek and into the weekend.

"Arctic air will be absent from this system when it initially moves across the central United States, which means the heavy snow threat will need to be generated mainly through the strength of the storm itself," AccuWeather Meteorologist Matt Benz said. "An intense storm can overcome a warm atmosphere to generate heavy snowfall, but if this storm is slow to strengthen, snowfall may not be especially heavy over the central states."

Bismarck has received 63.1 inches of snow so far this winter, 26.4 inches above normal, according to weather service data. The citys record snowfall for an entire winter is 101.6 inches in the winter of 1996-97.
The North Dakota House of Representatives unanimously passed a bill to approve $500,000 in state general funds to help with the construction of a Fisher House in Fargo.

Rep. Michelle Strinden, R-Fargo, sponsored House Bill 1157 and said the need for a Fisher House in North Dakota is great. The bill now goes to the Senate. Lawmakers reconvene Wednesday after a midsession break.

The Fisher House Foundation houses military and veteran families while a loved one is in the hospital, near Veterans Affairs medical centers around the world.

The Fisher House is like a Ronald McDonald House for families of veterans who are undergoing serious medical treatment at the VA hospital in Fargo, she said.

The first Fisher House was built 30 years ago by John and Elizabeth Fisher. The two were at Walter Reed hospital in the District of Columbia when they noticed family members and veterans sleeping on couches and in vehicles, which disturbed them.

Since that time, more than 80 Fisher Houses have been built in the U.S. and military posts around the world, but not in North Dakota, Strinden told the House last week.

Strinden also told legislators that the Fargo VA Medical Center has the biggest footprint in the nation, serving North Dakota, 18 counties in western Minnesota and one county in South Dakota. Some veterans travel up to 300 miles for treatment in Fargo, but there has been no place for their families to stay.

The cost of a hotel during a 7-10-day stay is very expensive, Strinden said.

More than $7 million in private funds have been raised for the project, and the 2022 special legislative session set aside $500,000 in America Recovery Plan Act dollars. The state will now match the federal contribution.

Groundbreaking on the Fisher House is expected to begin near the VA campus in May 2024, Strinden said.

We love our veterans and also the families of veterans who have made great sacrifices and are rarely ever acknowledged for it," she said. "Our veterans will be able to stay in a home away from home during their medical crisis."
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Digital Transformation/ Zero Trust You may have some fears about moving your workloads to the cloud, including that youll experience a lack of visibility of your sensitive data. Symmetry Systems DataGuard can help you sidestep this issue. How? Learn how the hybrid cloud data security solution works in this white paper.

Industry Solution Brief: Energy, Oil and Natural Gas Energy, oil, & natural gas companies are integral to the way the modern world runs. When malicious threat actors attack these organizations, they are attacking infrastructure that is critical to homes, cities, and entire industries. Read on to see

Industry Solution Brief: Federal Government Because of the classified nature of their data, the Federal government exists as a prime target for cybercriminals. To help Federal agencies secure their hybrid cloud data stores, Symmetry Systems developed DataGuard. Browse this case study to learn about 4 results that DataGuard can deliver for agencies.

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How DataGuard helps with FedRAMP compliance When deploying a cloud product or service thats assessed at a certain risk level, a federal agency must comply with the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP). So, how do agencies not only meet but also maintain FedRAMP compliance? Check out this overview to learn how DataGuard can help.

Industry Solution Brief: Manufacturing Manufacturing organizations collect vast amounts of data from their customers, supply partners, research & development projects, and more. With so much data, manufacturers are high-priority targets for cybercriminals. Download this white paper to learn how Symmetry Systems DataGuard can help defend manufacturers from cyberthreats.

Forensics Whitepaper Cybersecurity is a race against the clock. The difference between a thwarted attack and major security incident often comes down to how quickly the compromised data was identified, a matter of minutes. This white paper looks at how organizations can better prepare themselves to identify cyberthreats before its too late. Read on to learn more.

Cloud Data Activity Monitoring (Cloud DAM) Database activity monitoring (DAM) solutions, while effective, have been limited in their adoption outside of regulated industries and have struggled to transition to the cloud. Symmetry Systems Data Security Posture Management (DSPM) aims to provide a high level of data monitoring within their cloud environments. Read on to learn more.

Industry Solution Brief: Communications and Media As communications and media companies rely heavily on customer data, they are a prime target for hackers trying to steal that data. DataGuard is a data security posture management (DSPM) solution that communication & media organizations can use to better understand their data, so that they can better secure it. Read on to learn more.

Data Security Posture Management (DSPM) The issues associated with securing vast loads of business data are complex, This product overview looks at Data Security Posture Management (DSPM), and offering that aims to help modern organizations manage the level of complexity and scale involved in protecting their data. Read on to learn more.

Symmetry Case Study - Seven Bridges Genomics Seven Bridges offers customers genomic and bioinformatic data analytics and insights. With supply chain attacks rising, Seven Bridges decided to make a change. With Symmetry Sytems DataGuard, they were able to secure their clients personal information through the use of ML and AI-fueled data tracing. Read on to learn more.

Data Security Posture Zero Trust Reporting: Symmetry Systems DataGuard Express Data is the key to modern secuirty, and in order to protect your crucial data you must maintain consistent and accurate visibility. DataGuard Express is a streamlined data security posture management (DSPM) solution designed for managed security service providers (MSSP) who want to help their customers gain data visibility. Read on to learn more.

Zero Trust and Data Security Posture Management (DSPM) Zero Trust presents a shift in security thinking: Moving away from location-centricity in favor of data specificity and individualized access management. DataGuard Zero Trust and Data Security Posture Management (DSPM) is designed to allow security teams to protect their data with zero trust principles. Read on to learn more.
[1/2] Ralf Brandstaetter, CEO of the Volkswagen Passenger Cars brand gestures in front of the revised logo of German carmaker Volkswagen AG during a preview of the world's biggest automaker at the international Frankfurt Motor Show IAA in Frankfurt, Germany September 9, 2019. REUTERS/Wolfgang Rattay

Summary

Companies Volkswagen China chief toured Xinjiang plant on Feb 16-17

No indication of forced labour on visit - China chief

Company notes 'more repressive approach' in region since 2015

Labour standard verification impossible, campaigners say

Plant carries reputational and legal risk, investor warns

BERLIN, Feb 28 (Reuters) - Volkswagen (VOWG_p.DE) faced a barrage of criticism from campaigners and its works council on Tuesday after the head of its Chinese business said he saw no sign of forced labour during a visit to the carmaker's Xinjiang plant.

Activists and an international group of lawmakers as well as the head of sustainability and corporate governance at top-20 Volkswagen investor Deka Investment said verifying labour standards in the region was impossible.

"However much Mr Brandstaetter makes an effort, Volkswagen cannot be certain. That leads not only to reputational risk, but also legal issues, for example with supply chain laws," Deka's Ingo Speich said.

Rights groups have documented human rights abuses in Xinjiang since the 2000s, including mass forced labour in detention camps which the U.N. said could constitute crimes against humanity. China has denied any abuses in Xinjiang.

Volkswagen's China chief Ralf Brandstaetter spent 1-1/2 days on Feb. 16-17 touring the German group's facility in the region, which is part of a joint venture with China's SAIC, along with Volkswagen's compliance and external relations chiefs in China.

Brandstaetter said he saw no signs of forced labour.

"I can talk to people and draw my conclusions. I can try and verify the facts [from joint venture partner SAIC], and that's what I did. I didn't find any contradictions," he said, adding it was his first visit but not his last.

But Luke de Pulford of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China, a group of legislators from thirty democratic countries including Britain, Germany, and the United States, said human rights organisations felt labour standards could not be verified in the region because members of the Uyghur minority could not speak freely without fearing for their safety.

Campaigners at the World Uyghur Congress and researchers from Sheffield Hallam University, who authored a report on the auto industry supply chain's links to Xinjiang, said the visit and conversations with workers were likely planned and coordinated with authorities.

Brandstaetter said he spoke at length to seven workers individually - including Han Chinese, Uyghurs and Kazakhs - some through a translator of Volkswagen's choice and some in English, and held shorter discussions with other workers on his tour, which he said occurred without government supervision.

The plant, which previously assembled the Santana, has seen 65% staff cuts since the pandemic and only conducts final quality checks and installation of certain features before handing over vehicles to dealers for sale.

Planned output for this year is 10,000, a fraction of the 50,000 targeted when it first opened.

REPUTATIONAL RISK

Volkswagen says it has never found evidence of forced labour among its Xinjiang workforce and its presence is positive for the local population. It denied maintaining the plant was a condition imposed by Beijing to keep producing across China.

The carmaker was initially praised for setting up the plant, chief lobbyist Thomas Steg said, comparing the goal of building infrastructure and boosting living conditions to Germany's reunification.

But the atmosphere shifted after numerous deadly attacks in Xinjiang and elsewhere between 2009-2014 which the Chinese government blamed on militants from the region, leading to a "significantly more repressive approach", he said.

However, with Volkswagen seeking new partners worldwide - partly to diversify its business from the Chinese market - breaking its agreement with SAIC (600104.SS) to keep the plant until at least 2030 would make Volkswagen an unreliable partner and was out of the question, Steg said.

In a statement, a works council spokesperson said the carmaker must make clear what value the plant has for the business and take an active stand against human rights violations in China.

"VW is stuck in a situation of reputational risk in Xinjiang," Speich of Deka said.
The Indian economic indicators have started showing re-acceleration after a slowdown post festive season in October 2022, said Morgan Stanley.

In a report, Morgan Stanley said the growth indicators for India had slowed post the festive season in October in a fairly broad-based manner raising investors' concern. "However, growth indicators have started to show signs of re-acceleration in early 2023," it notes.

According to Morgan Stanley, healthy household balance sheets and a pickup in private and public capex will sustain gains in employment -- which will allow consumption growth to stay strong in the coming quarters.

"Government policies are still very much geared towards reviving private investment, which we expect will continue to unfold as strong trailing demand has already lifted capacity utilisation," the report notes. The Indian budget for FY24 was another step in the right direction to crowd in private investment.

As regards China's growth, Morgan Stanley expects its economy to grow by 5.7 per cent this year, with much of the growth recovery underpinned by a revival in consumer spending.

Consumption is expected to grow by 8.3 per cent in 2023 after two per cent growth in 2022. "However, investors are still somewhat sceptical about a consumption-led rebound as that has not typically been the key driver to a growth recovery in China.

Moreover, they are also concerned that the consumers might choose to hoard their excess savings rather than spend it, given that the excess saving was accumulated through unspent consumption rather than through government transfers," Morgan Stanley said.

The Chinese growth recovery will benefit Japan in the form of increased tourist arrivals and goods export. In 2019, 30 per cent of Japan tourists arrived from China and about 19 per cent of its exports were to China, Morgan Stanley said.

In recent weeks, high-frequency data suggests improvement in Chinese tourist arrivals into Japan has picked up, having likely raised to 18 per cent of its pre-Covid levels as of the week of February 21, the report notes.

Similarly, the Korean economy that contracted sequentially in 4Q22 with broad-based weakness across all expenditure components is expected to benefit from China's revival. According to Morgan Stanley, Korean exports will have a modest recovery if there is pickup in China.

In the case of Indonesia, the demand indicators are fairly strong and the fall in the commodity prices is not much as the export prices are still 30-200 per cent higher than where they were before Covid.
Officially Supported by NITI Aayog and Powered by Intel Xeon, the 12th annual Big CIO Show brings together a prestigious group of C-level technology innovators and leaders who will gather to shape Indias IT landscape. Big CIO Show will also recognize and pay tribute to industry pioneers who have made a significant impact with the esteemed Big CIO Awards.

Trescons 12th annual of Big CIO Show is scheduled to take place on 9th March 2023 at the Sheraton Grand Whitefield in Bengaluru. The event will showcase the remarkable achievements of India's top Chief Information Officers, Chief Technological Officers, and IT leaders by offering a platform to share their captivating experiences and insightful lessons learned. These IT decision-makers will explore their evolution from business enablers to growth accelerators, delving into the secrets of their success and unlocking new possibilities for the future.

Big CIO Show will act as a unique platform to network with the nation's top IT executives and inspire stories of triumph and innovation.

During the show, CIOs from various industries in India will have the opportunity to engage with highly regarded technology thought-leaders, experts, and innovators to find solutions to challenges in their professional and personal growth. The nation's top IT executives will come together to discuss the latest digital innovation trends and assess the state of the market, as well as address important business-centric concerns.

This one-of-a-kind occasion will feature the highly anticipated announcement of the world-renowned Big CIO Award winners, a special segment dedicated to recognizing and honoring the ground-breaking brilliance of the top IT mind and CIOs from around the country. The Big CIO Awards will celebrate exceptional leadership and significant contributions that leaders have made in their respective fields. The awards segment is anticipated to be a momentous celebration of the country's top tech titans.

The event is set to host a captivating keynote presentation by Vikram Chauhan, Director & Head of Enterprise & Government Business, Intel India. Vikram will be speaking on the topic "Future Forward: Digitally Transformed India", shedding light on how India's tech landscape, business needs, and technology requirements are dynamically evolving. This promises to be an engaging and informative talk that will give attendees valuable insights into the future of technology in India.

Other key topics that will be discussed at Big CIO Show; Future of Digital India, which will explore the latest trends in the digital landscape. Beyond Digital Transformation, which will focus on how companies can evolve beyond just technology to truly transform their business models. The Metaverse: The Limitless Possibilities for Brands will be another key focus, as industry leaders will explore the potential of this emerging technology for engaging customers and creating immersive brand experiences. Additionally, the conference will delve into the theme of Humans with Machines: Unleashing Automation to Experience Innovation. Other important themes that will be discussed include Once in the Cloud, there is no turning back, as well as Going Green: Creating Sustainable Data Centers. Finally, Security takes Center Stage where experts will discuss the latest trends and best practices for keeping data and systems secure, and the Maturity of 'everything-as-a-service,' or XaaS will be explored to understand the evolution of the concept and its current and future applications.

Big CIO Show has an impressive lineup of speakers who will be sharing their knowledge and expertise with attendees. Some of the top speakers include:

Sanjay Mohan , Group Chief Technology Officer, MakeMyTrip

, Group Chief Technology Officer, MakeMyTrip Krishnan Venkateswaran , Chief Digital & Information Officer, Titan Company Ltd

, Chief Digital & Information Officer, Titan Company Ltd Vikram Chauhan , Director & Head of Enterprise & Government Business, Intel India

, Director & Head of Enterprise & Government Business, Intel India Abhinav Srivastava , Chief Information Officer, Daimler India Commercial Vehicles Pvt Ltd (DICV)

, Chief Information Officer, Daimler India Commercial Vehicles Pvt Ltd (DICV) Kishore AK , Chief Technology Officer, ZEE5

, Chief Technology Officer, ZEE5 Amit Kumar Verma , Chief Technology Officer, Practo

, Chief Technology Officer, Practo MonishKaul , Chief Technology & Product Officer, Zivame

, Chief Technology & Product Officer, Zivame Gaurav Bhalotia , Chief Technology Officer, udaan

, Chief Technology Officer, udaan AshutoshDabral , Chief Product & Technology Officer, Tata CLiQ

, Chief Product & Technology Officer, Tata CLiQ Sourav Das , Chief Digital & Information Officer, Aditya Birla Group - Essel Mining

, Chief Digital & Information Officer, Aditya Birla Group - Essel Mining Prashant Thakkar , Chief of Operations & Technology Officer, LIC Mutual Fund

, Chief of Operations & Technology Officer, LIC Mutual Fund Alexey Sidorov, Data Management Director, Chief Evangelist, Denodo

Data Management Director, Chief Evangelist, Denodo Karun Azhisur , Chief Information Officer, GE Gas Power Asia

, Chief Information Officer, GE Gas Power Asia Neeraj Chauhan , Chief Information Officer, PayU

, Chief Information Officer, PayU Anup Vijay Daware, Chief Technology Officer, Hector Beverages Pvt Ltd (Paper Boat), among others.

Technology has already had a monumental influence on travel, and its ripples will become more apparent over the next two decades, providing travelers with convenience, safety, and fewer touchpoints. I look forward to engaging in a constructive dialogue with my fellow panelists and the participants at Trescons Big CIO Show to identify ideas that will drive further growth and innovation, said Sanjay Mohan, Group Chief Technology Officer, MakeMyTrip.

Neeraj Chauhan, Chief Information Officer at PayU said,"The truth is, as challenges emerge, mistakes will always be made, and our work is never done. We will always have problems. We must work to uncover them and assess our own role in them. Until we dont have an initial framework it will be very hard to be present-minded."

The CIO role is quickly changing in a time of constant change. With the help of their C-suite counterparts, CIOs accelerate the adoption of digital business models, enable the future of work, and promote corporate expansion. IT fraternity should take advantage of the Big CIO Show to network with CIOs and help them advance their businesses into the future, said Naveen Bharadwaj, Group CEO, Trescon.

Big CIO Show is:

Powered by: Intel Xeon

Intel Xeon Supported by : NITI Aayog

: NITI Aayog Gold Partner: Manage Engine

Manage Engine Silver Partner : Denodo

: Denodo Exhibitors: NeoSoft, STTelemedia Global Data Centers, Dista and Informatica

The nominations for the Big CIO Awards are open until the 28th February 2023. Nomination link: bigcioshow.com/awards
SAP Labs India accepted Federal Chancellor of Germany, Olaf Scholz, at their Bengaluru campus on Sunday, February 26, 2023. He was delighted by Sindhu Gangadharan, SVP & MD, SAP Laboratories India, and Christian Klein, CEO and Executive Board Member of SAP SE.

During the two-hour visit, Federal Chancellor of Germany, Olaf Scholz congratulated SAP Labs India on completing 25 years of building breakthrough innovations for SAPs half a million customers worldwide. The Chancellor experienced demos in the areas of digitalisation, sustainability, digital supply chain, e-mobility and human capital engagement. He also gained cognizance of SAP Labs Indias undertaking in the field of new technologies, upskilling, sustainability, climate change and networked enterprises.

Federal Chancellor of Germany, Olaf Scholz, said, I was delighted to visit the impressive SAP Labs India campus in Bengaluru. The work SAP is doing there and worldwide is crucial for Germanys and Indias future in the field of digitalisation, cloud computing and artificial intelligence. India and especially Bengaluru set an example when it comes to the aforementioned fields. The fact that Germanys biggest digital company is succeeding in India with Indian expertise and ingenuity is a great example of the living bridge between our two countries.

 Christian Klein, CEO and member of the Executive Board of SAP SE, who is on a short visit to India, said, It was an honor to have Chancellor Olaf Scholz visit the SAP Labs India Bengaluru campus. SAP Labs India is among our top R&D hubs, fuelling SAPs transformation into the cloud in one of the worlds fastest-growing regions. As a strategic location for nurturing the growth of skilled tech talent, SAP Labs India is helping drive the move towards a knowledge-based economy. SAPs strong growth journey here is a testament to the strong relationship between the technology ecosystems of India and Germany.

Sindhu Gangadharan, MD and SVP, SAP Labs India added, Chancellor Olaf Scholzs visit to SAP Labs India is a historic moment for us as we mark our 25th Anniversary of building breakthrough innovations centered around people, purpose and power of the ecosystem. As SAPs largest R&D location, SAP Labs India is in a unique position to address the challenges of supply chain resiliency and enable every organisation and industry to become a network of intelligent, sustainable enterprises. Were excited to fuel India and Germanys bilateral relations and partnership in the areas of new technologies, digitalisation, sustainability, and climate change.
Tata Technologies signed a 10-year Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) with the Uttar Pradesh (UP) government on Sunday to upgrade and modernise 150 government-owned Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) across 75 districts. Following upgradation, these ITIs will cater to the advanced skill requirements for both students and employers, and also become technology hubs for MSMEs.

According to official information, the total investment in this project is Rs 5472 crores. With this investment, the ITI upgrade project will see the modernisation of these centres on existing ITI premises with approximately 10,000 square feet of ITI area being developed by the UP government.

The upgraded ITIs will offer six new trades and 23 new short-term courses, catering to Industry 4.0 demands, and training over 1,20,000 students annually at full capacity once the ITIs is upgraded.

The project begins in March 2023, and the centres are expected to be ready between January 2024 and March 2024. This project will improve industrial training and education, creating a better learning environment for youth to meet industry needs.

Upgraded ITIs will offer guidance and experiential learning through physical and digital delivery as well as employability skills. They will also serve as skill centres and boost local artisan and handicraft industries by offering custom courses on product design and increasing their artistic level.

Sharing his thoughts on the collaboration, the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said, The transformation of ITIs in UP to Industry 4.0 Technology hubs is a significant step towards positioning Uttar Pradesh as an investment destination of choice for the manufacturing industry. We already have the best of talent in Uttar Pradesh, and this project will upskill our talent and create employment opportunities for the youth." He further added, Moving with the times, we also have to join training programs related to new technology, so the state government is signing an MoA amounting to Rs 5472 crore with Tata Technologies today.

Kapil Dev Aggarwal, UP Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Vocational Education and Skill Development said, "This collaboration with Tata Technologies will help in developing the state's technology upskilling infrastructure and improve the employability of our youth. We are confident that this project will play a pivotal role in making UP a leading state in technology.

Warren Harris, CEO & Managing Director, Tata Technologies, said, "We are excited to collaborate with the government of Uttar Pradesh to transform 150 ITIs into Industry 4.0 technology hubs. Our vision of Engineering a better world embodies our commitment to skill-building and developing skilled talent that would be required by the manufacturing industry to develop and manufacture innovative products. Through this collaboration with the Uttar Pradesh government, we are committed to supporting the development of technical and digital skills across Uttar Pradesh and empower the youth."

Elaborating on the collaboration, Pawan Bhageria, President, Global HR, IT Admin and Education, Tata Technologies, said, "This collaboration with the Uttar Pradesh government is a great opportunity for us to help train our youth on Industry 4.0 technologies and solutions and make them job-ready and this, in turn, may help the industry which is looking for such talent."

The upgradation and modernisation of the ITIs will facilitate upskilling in sectors related to Industry 4.0, Product Design & Development, Product Verification and Virtual analysis, Design for Artisans and Handicrafts, Additive manufacturing (3D printing), Modern Automotive Maintenance Repair and Overhaul, Battery Electric Vehicle Training, IoT and Digital Instrumentation, Process Control and Automation with HMI, PLC SCADA, Advanced Manufacturing and Prototyping, Industrial Robotics with arc welding, AI-based Virtual Welding & Painting, Advanced Plumbing, Digital Meters, Agriculture and Horticulture, and much more.
A startup summit will be held on February 28 in Hyderabad by the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying, National Dairy Development Board, Telangana government, and industry group CII to support businesses in the livestock, dairy, and animal husbandry industries.

Parshottam Rupala, minister of fisheries, animal husbandry, and dairying, will open the conclave, which is being planned to bring together business owners, investors, and industry professionals to exchange ideas, network, and learn from one another. It will offer a chance to present cutting-edge concepts and goods while networking with business partners and other stakeholders.

A demonstration of a few selected startups, a pitch fest, a buyer-seller meetup, and a workshop to teach early-stage startups the craft of pitching and company development will all be included. Sanjeev Kumar Balyan and L Murugan, Ministers of State for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry, and Dairy, Minister of Tourism G Kishan Reddy, and Telangana Minister for Animal Husbandry and Fisheries T Srinivas Yadav will also be in attendance.
San Mateo, CA (94402)

Today

Cloudy early, becoming mostly sunny in the afternoon. High 57F. Winds WNW at 10 to 20 mph..

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies during the evening will give way to cloudy skies overnight. Low 46F. Winds W at 10 to 15 mph.
Top end of town investors are focusing on the city fringe areas where the properties offer development potential and can cater for the new flexible working practices with more people staying closer to home for shopping and nightlife.

Recent developments have included Public Hospitality headed by ex-KPMG executive Jon Adgemis and ex-Crown Hotels & Resorts Chairman Peter Crinis who transformed the Arts Hotel and 3 weeds into sleek designer hotel accommodation and pool bar emulating LAs hipster hotel scene. The deal was valued at $36 million.

Another is by Central Element & Boston Global, backed by ex-Macquarie Bank executive Bill Moss, with the construction underway for Accors new $100 million 25Hours boutique hotel due for completion mid-2024.

The property at 21 Elizabeth Bay Road, Elizabeth Bay is being sold with Bar Grazie as the tenant.

Two new deals with a retail focus, are at 21 Elizabeth Bay Road, Elizabeth Bay and 245 Oxford Street, Darlinghurst through private investor and developer Greg Magree and Matt Hudson from Hudson Capital.
Newly released court documents in the Dominion lawsuit against Fox News contain excerpts of a Rupert Murdoch deposition in which he blames Fox News hosts, not the network, for knowingly endorsing lies that the 2020 Presidential election was stolen.

From the documents:

While Fox does argue at times that its hosts were reporting "neutrally without "endorsing" any of the lies about Dominion the record demonstrates the opposite. The hosts of the accused shows repeatedly endorsed the "stolen election" lies. Even Rupert Murdoch had to concede the point:

Interviewer: You are aware now that Fox did more than simply host these guests and give them a platform; correct?

Murdoch: I think vou've shown me some material in support of that.

Interviewer: In fact, you are now aware that For endorsed at times this false notion of a stolen election?

Murdoch: Not Fox, No. Not Fox. But maybe Lou Dobbs, maybe Maria, as commentators.

Interviewer: We went through Fox hosts Maria Bartiromo, yes?

Murdoch: Yes. C'mon

Interviewer: Fox host Jeanine Pirro?

Murdoch: I think so.

Interviewer: Fox Business host Lou Dobbs?

Murdoch: Oh, a lot.

Interviewer: Fox host Sean Hannity?

Murdoch: A bit.

Interviewer: All were in that document; correct?

Murdoch: Yes, they were.

Interviewer: About Fox endorsing the narrative of a stolen election; correct?

Murdoch: No. Some of our commentators were endorsing it.

Interviewer: About their endorsement of a stolen election?

Murdoch: Yes. They endorsed.
Traditional owners are demanding greater guarantees that uranium mining will never return to the World Heritage-listed Kakadu National Park as a company backed by Rio Tinto continues to attribute a $90 million value to the untapped Jabiluka deposit.

The Gundjeihmi Aboriginal Corporation, representing the Mirarr people in the Northern Territory, welcomed mining giant Rio Tintos decision last week to cease referring to Jabiluka as a prospective mineral resource, because it has promised not to mine the deposit as long as traditional owners oppose it.

The Mirarr traditional owners are firmly opposed to the development of the Jabiluka uranium deposit. Credit: Glenn Campbell

The group called on Rio Tintos majority-owned Energy Resources Australia (ERA) to follow the lead of its major shareholder and do more to rule out any suggestion that the development or sale of Jabiluka remained a possibility.

Jabiluka is still sacred to Aboriginal people, its cultural heritage value is still globally significant ... and now the second-largest miner in the world says it is unrecoverable, Gundjeihmi Aboriginal Corporation chief executive Justin OBrien said. ERA should do the same.
All the Beauty and the Bloodshed 

(R) 122 minutes

Nan Goldin is one of the most influential American photographers of our time. Her pictures, since the 1970s, have depicted the wide range of sub-cultures in which she moves, like drag queens, drug addicts and sex workers, be they in the Bowery in New York or the bars of Berlin.

Photographer Nan Goldin in the 1970s. The documentary is a brilliant, compelling, confronting examination of her work and activism through the years. Credit: Neon

Her pictures are challenging, compassionate, political, notable for their lack of distance from her subjects. She has even turned the camera on herself, including having sex and being beaten up by her boyfriend. Her scrutiny runs both ways.

Combining her talents with that of activist documentary maker Laura Poitras (Citizenfour) was always going to be combustible, and All the Beauty and the Bloodshed lives up to its promise. Its a brilliant, compelling, confronting examination of Goldins work through the years, with Goldin as narrator and accomplice. Its also an indictment of the Sackler family, whose company Purdue Pharma produced OxyContin, the drug behind the American opioid epidemic.
Western Australias independent environmental watchdog has been asked to review Alcoas plans to mine jarrah forests, which state government agencies fear will endanger Perths water supply.

The WA Forest Alliance on Tuesday referred two plans, normally considered behind closed doors by bureaucrats, to the WA Environment Protection Authority.

The rare move brings into the open a battle between Alcoas need to keep its three alumina refineries supplied with 28 million tonnes of bauxite a year, and growing concerns about the northern jarrah forest ecosystem that the United Nation in 2022 rated as in danger of collapse due to hotter, drier conditions and greater fire risk.

Forest Alliance convenor Jess Beckerling said the risks from Alcoas mining warranted a full and transparent assessment of its cumulative impact.
CBDs faith has been shaken by the disturbing goings-on at the Australian Christian Lobby  which is not, as some have alleged, a hate group  since last Fridays abrupt departure of high-profile frontman Martyn Iles.

Martyn  a smoother operator than his combative predecessor Lyle Shelton  announced last week via the lobbys email list that his employment had been terminated by the board after differences of opinion emerged over the ACLs direction.

Iles reckons he was told the groups new strategy would focus primarily on political tactics, less on the gospel.

I absolutely agree with them that I am not the right person for that vision, Iles wrote. I have always been a preacher first and politician second (or third  ).

The new strategy sounds to us a lot like the old strategy, and although Martyn was eager to stress that he was leaving without bitterness and urged supporters to pray for the board, his sign-off letter appears to have gone down like a Safe Schools pamphlet with his former colleagues.
Level crossing removal worker allegedly assaulted bakery owner in Melbourne

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First published in The Sydney Morning Herald on March 2, 1983

Harry M. out and running

Harry M. Miller, friend of royalty and politicians, promoter of Jesus Christ Superstar and other showbiz extravaganzas  but more lately of Her Majestys Prison, Cessnock, wants some privacy.

Harry M. Miller is met at Cesnock Jail by his wife, Wendy. Credit: Mark Stothard

In a statement issued yesterday after his release from jail, Mr Miller said he wanted to make it plain that I will not answer any questions at all.

But he added: Naturally I am delighted to have been released from prison and be reunited with my wife and family and then getting back to work.
Police are calling for public assistance to identify a man allegedly involved in a sexual touching incident in St Andrews Square, near Sydney Town Hall.

NSW Police released CCTV images after they were told a 17-year-old girl was sexually touched by a man about 5.30am on Monday in Sydney city.

CCTV vision of a man allegedly involved in sexually touching a 17-year-old girl. Credit: NSW Police

After the alleged incident, the girl walked to Day Street Police Station where she reported the matter.

Police have released images of a man who may be able to assist with the investigation. The man is described as being of Caucasian appearance, aged 25 to 30, of muscular build, olive complexion, with brown hair and a brown beard.
Councillors have slammed the state governments move to seize planning control of a massive seven-tower proposed development that would transform central Box Hills already-bulging skyline.

Planning Minister Sonya Kilkenny is preparing to amend Whitehorse Councils planning scheme to allow Vicinity Centres to develop its 18,500-square-metre masterplan, which includes seven residential and commercial towers, the tallest of which would be 50 storeys.

Long-term Box Hill resident Kevin Earl is concerned about Whitehorse Council losing planning controls. Credit: Scott McNaughton

Four of the towers would be higher than Box Hills current tallest building, the 36-storey Sky One apartment block.

Vicinity Centres bypassed the local council to request that the former planning minister consider its masterplan in December 2020. This was done through the Andrews governments Development Facilitation Program, which was created during the pandemic to revitalise the economy by speeding up approvals for major projects and skipping usual council processes.
The planes final journey or the back of a low loader started a week ago from the RAAF base at Amberley in Queensland, where it was restored, to the RAAF Museum at Point Cook.

One of two restored World War II Boston bombers found in jungle on an island off Papua New Guinea in the 1980s, arrived in Melbourne yesterday.

First published in The Age on March 2, 1998

As the plane passed through country towns, people lined the main streets to get a glimpse at the warbird.

RAAF Flight Lieutenant Peter Meehan said when the plane passed through Dubbo, some of the locals had old newspaper clippings of the plane, which they compared with the real thing.

The twin-engine plane was one of 69 light bombers made in America in 1941, and sent to Papua New Guinea to fight off the Japanese invasion.

The No. 22 Squadron Bomber was plucked from a swamp on Papua New Guineas Goodenough Island in 1982 and restored by the RAAF and Friends of the RAAF.

Lieutenant Meehan said much of the equipment on the deserted plane was still in working condition.
Hundreds of Jetstar passengers were stranded for hours at Ho Chi Minh City airport early on Tuesday morning when a safety issue forced the cancellation of their flight to Melbourne.

The hold-up came just two days after the airline had more than 300 passengers stranded on the tarmac at Alice Springs when a flight from Thailand was grounded.

Another aircraft issue has left Jetstar passengers stranded. Credit: Nine

Melbourne-bound Jetstar flight JQ64 was scheduled to depart Vietnam at 10.35pm on Monday (local time) but was delayed because of an issue with the door of the Boeing 787-8 aircraft.

More than 300 passengers waited for hours at the Vietnam international airport awaiting news on the flight, before it was officially cancelled at 4am.
San Francisco radio DJ Jeffrey Vandergrift has been missing since Friday, and police are asking the public for help. The 54-year-old Fremont, California native, who covers music, celebrities, and pop culture on Wild 94.9 as well as his podcast shows, was last seen at his home in San Francisco at 10pm Thursday, according to the San Francisco Police news release. Police are describing him as "at risk."

According to CBS, there has been no activity on Vanderbilt's phone or credit cards since his disappearance.

From the San Francisco Police news release:

Mr. Vandergrift is described as a 54-year-old white male, 6'0", 180 pounds, bald, and brown eyes. Mr. Vandergrift has several tattoos including ones on his arms and above his right ear. He was last seen wearing black sweatpants. Mr. Vandergrift's photo accompanies this news release. Anyone who locates Mr. Vandegrift should call 911 and report his current location and physical description. Anyone with information on his possible whereabouts should call the SFPD Tip Line at 1-415-575-4444 or Text a Tip to TIP411 and begin the text message with SFPD. You may remain anonymous.

Jeffrey Vandergrift was last seen at his residence on the 200 block of King St in SF on 2/23 at 10 PM.



If you see Mr. Vandergrift, call 911 and report his current location and physical description.  https://t.co/A2SVzuI7sG pic.twitter.com/AEHUAGGElD  San Francisco Police (@SFPD) February 24, 2023

An update about JV. Sending prayers to him, Natasha and their families right now as we wait to hear more  pic.twitter.com/YXLTs9KS2S  WiLD 94.9 (@Wild949) February 27, 2023

Front page thumbnail image: San Francisco Police news release
Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus has backed the need for the Indigenous Voice to parliament to have the power to advise federal ministers and bureaucrats, dismissing concerns it would lead to High Court litigation that would hamstring government decision-making.

There has been a push within conservative and legal circles for the Albanese government to scrap the ability of the Voice to speak to executive government, instead limiting its power to advise only the parliament. This is driven by fears about the role the High Court could play in interpreting the scope of the body.

Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus says the Voice to parliament will be effective if it speaks to both the executive and the parliament. Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

The draft constitutional amendment proposed by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese empowers the Voice to make representations to parliament and the executive government - including cabinet, ministers and public servants, on matters relating to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples.

Dreyfus said on Tuesday that the prospect of High Court action should not be a deterrent, arguing that people had been litigating questions of constitutional interpretation since Federation.
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 Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has announced that the tax on superannuation earnings for balances over $3 million will double from 15 per cent to 30 per cent in two years time. The move will bring the government an extra $2 billion in tax revenue a year, and will affect the top 0.5 per cent of Australians with large super balances. The opposition has ruled out supporting the changes, saying Labor is coming after Australians money. But superannuation funds say its an appropriate step towards ensuring the retirement income system remains sustainable. So, what are the changes? Who will they affect? And why are they being made? Credit:Getty Images Why are we talking about this? Compulsory superannuation was introduced in 1992 to help workers fund a comfortable retirement and to reduce reliance on the pension system. Through that forced saving system, with employers paying a percentage of worker wages into dedicated accounts, Australians have squirrelled away a total of about $3.3 trillion.

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But that money is far from evenly divided. Two-thirds of Australians (66 per cent) have less than $100,000 in their super accounts, including many younger people a few years into their working life. Other, older Australians have been accruing superannuation for much longer. Some have been able to take advantage of earlier, more generous contribution caps; and some have non-cash assets such as art and housing in funds that are self-managed. A very few Australians  just 0.5 per cent of the population  have $3 million or more in their accounts. There are 6000 people with more than $10 million, and as Albanese has pointed out, some of those balances are enormous. With 17 people having over $100 million in their superannuation accounts, [and] the individual who has over $400 million in his or her account, most Australians would agree that thats not what superannuation was for. Its for peoples retirement incomes, he said. What exactly are the changes? Unlike with income, tax rates on superannuation are relatively flat. Earnings on funds investments are generally taxed at 15 per cent while people are working. Once that person reaches 60, the tax rate falls to zero for earnings they make on their investments under $1.7 million.

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Thats vastly different from the marginal income tax rates. There are five tax brackets  starting at zero tax for earnings up to $18,200 and, at the top end, a rate of 45 per cent for income over $180,000. So, for many higher income earners theres a clear incentive to contribute to their retirement fund. The government has proposed changes to the superannuation tax concessions. From July 1, 2025, it will tax superannuation earnings on balances over $3 million at 30 per cent, which is double the current rate. Under the treasurers current plan, that $3 million threshold will not be indexed (meaning the level at which the higher tax will be levied wont rise over time) to help keep the superannuation system sustainable. How will the super tax changes work in practice? Two things will be used to calculate whether people are eligible for the higher tax rate. The first is their super earnings for the financial year, including withdrawals but minus contributions; and second, the proportion of those earnings above the $3 million threshold. Their tax liability would be calculated using the following formula, the Department of Treasury says: Tax liability = 15 per cent x earnings x proportion of earnings over $3 million (The tax liability is calculated with a rate of 15 per cent, as all earnings over $1.7 million are already taxed at 15 per cent, this adds the additional levy.) Treasury says if an individual makes losses in a financial year, those can be carried forward to reduce their tax liability in future years. Take Warren, an example created by the department. He is 52 and has $4 million in super at June 30, 2025. He makes no contributions or withdrawals, and by June 30, 2026 his balance is $4.5 million. That means Warrens earnings are $500,000, and his proportion of earnings corresponding to funds above $3 million are 33 per cent. So his tax liability for 2025-26 is 15 per cent X $500,000 X 33 per cent, which is $24,750. The department has more examples here. What are the reasons for the move? The prime minister and treasurer gave two main reasons: improving the budget bottom line and ensuring the tax concessions are more equitable. The federal governments gross debt is nearly $900 billion, and spending on programs including defence, aged care, health and the National Disability Insurance Scheme is projected to continue rising. Treasurer Jim Chalmers says the super tax change will help ease some of those budget pressures.

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Given the federal governments total tax take is north of $560 billion, the extra revenue from this move is relatively modest, but Chalmers says its about fairness. The cost of these tax breaks is overwhelmingly skewed towards a small number of people with high balances  with balances well beyond whats required for a comfortable and a dignified retirement. Loading Data released by Treasury has shown the vast bulk of the benefit from those concessions on super earnings goes to people with above-median incomes, and the top 10 per cent of income earners enjoy 39 per cent of the total benefit. The prime minister says that with accounts worth millions and millions of dollars, its hard to argue that those levels are about actual retirement incomes. (Before the changes were made, Assistant Treasurer Stephen Jones said that for super balances in the multimillions of dollars, those accounts were clearly not just about retirement income. Its about tax management, its about estate planning but not about retirement income, he said.) The government has also unveiled a suggested definition for superannuation that would essentially restrict its use to retirement income. It would make it difficult for future governments to, say, unlock superannuation for a first home purchase (which is a current Coalition policy). How many people will be affected? Fewer than 80,000 people will be affected, and the government expects some of those to shift money or assets out of their accounts in response  though it is unclear what the benefits of that would be.

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NSW Labor is on track to return to government for the first time since its landslide 2011 election defeat, although one-quarter of voters are still undecided about which party to support less than a month from polling day.

Less than four weeks before the March 25 election, Labors primary vote has increased one point to 38 per cent while the Coalitions has slipped two points to 32 per cent  its lowest level since the long-running John Barilaro trade appointment scandal last year.

The results of the latest Resolve Political Monitor, conducted for the Herald by research company Resolve Strategic, translate to an overall swing of 7 per cent to Labor, which would give it the required 47 seats to govern in its own right, although a uniform swing is unlikely on polling day.

Premier Dominic Perrottet remains preferred as premier over Labor leader Chris Minns, 38 per cent to 34 per cent. Both men gained five percentage points compared with the last Resolve survey in January.
China accuses the US of overreacting over TikTok ban

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Australias continuing failure to reopen the embassy in Kyiv is teetering towards an embarrassment, with the potential to undermine solidarity with Ukraine and the global community in the effort to stand against Russias brutal assault on a sovereign nation.

The embassy has been empty for more than a year. It is a bad look, given so many other countries have reopened missions. Further, Ukraines President Volodymyr Zelensky has pointedly invited Australia back during interviews marking the recent first anniversary of Russias invasion.

Ukraines President Volodymyr Zelensky has invited Australia to reopen its embassy in Kyiv. Credit: Washington Post

Media reports suggest, incredibly, that the closure is a result of a stand-off between diplomatic staff and senior bureaucrats in Canberra over workplace safety.

Yet, the Albanese government has done little to allay perceptions that working conditions have made international diplomacy a second-order issue in Kyiv.
Beirut: Unknown assailants broke into the offices of Lebanons state-run National News Agency and stole the servers that contain its archives, the Information Ministry said Monday.

The theft occurred in a tightly secured area, further reflecting the cash-strapped countrys continued decay. The archives are located in a building that houses two ministries, across the street from the Lebanese central bank, and adjacent to the heavily guarded Interior Ministry that is in charge of security in the country.

Information Ministry employees saw the door to the archive room below ground level open and its lock broken on Monday morning.

An anti-government protester flashes the victory sign and waves a Lebanese flag in Beirut, Lebanon. Credit: AP

According to the statement from caretaker Information Minister Ziad Makari, the archives contained photos and material dating back to 1961. The assailants also stole five computers.
PHILIPSBURG:--- The General Audit Chamber of St. Maarten presented its 2022 Annual Report to the Governor and Parliament on February 27th, 2023, fulfilling its obligation to submit the report well ahead of the required deadline (before July 1st). As an independent High Council of State, the Audit Chamber ensures the value for money and legal compliance of the Government's income and expenses.

The annual report provides a comprehensive overview of the audits conducted throughout the year and presents a detailed account of the institution's use of its budget for the fiscal year 2022. The Audit Chamber emphasizes its independent position and acknowledges that the COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted the government and the institution.

In terms of performance, the Audit Chamber produced eight reports on various topics, including the country's financial statements, the allocation of the income generated from road tax, the execution of the COVID-19 Stimulus and Relief Plan, the possibilities of rent reduction for the Government, and APS 2021 financial statement. The annual report describes each report in detail. Additionally, the Audit Chamber has worked diligently throughout the year to enhance its internal policies.

The annual report also provides information on the institutions budget realization for 2022. It outlines the Audit Chambers communication performance, including several key performance indicators (KPIs) for its social media platforms. The Audit Chamber's online interactive environment delivered significantly improved KPIs, and the institution plans to enhance its online presence further by adding new topics.

The Annual Report for 2022 is published in English and Dutch and is available on the General Audit Chamber's website (www.arsxm.org) and social media platforms, Facebook and LinkedIn. Interested parties are encouraged to read the report and gain valuable insights into the Audit Chamber's activities and achievements throughout the year.

Click here for Annual Report 2022
PHILIPSBURG:--- on Friday, February 24, Prime Minister and Minister of General Affairs, Ms. Silveria Jacobs attended and spoke a few words of introduction at the commencement of the three-day NPOwer Conference.

Following a moving message from His Excellency Governor Ajamu Baly, keynote speaker, Dr. Bonnie Benesh, PhD, Chief Executive Officer of the Think To DO Institute, gave an inspiring speech on the importance of NGOs and the roles of connectivity and inspiration.

In her speech, Prime Minister Jacobs referred to NGOs as the circulatory system to the role of head that the Government plays in community building. Following her address to the NGOs, the Prime Minister pledged to support the organizations by offering her services speaking at requested engagements, and informational exchanges.
WILLEMSTAD:--- Be introduced to the Creative Leadership Seminar Curacao, where authentic creativity meets proven business strategies. This Thursday, March 2, 2023, Cre8tive Revolution Group, the organizers of the seminar, will give an opportunity to business owners to get a preview of this dynamic seminar. During the preview, which will take place on Instagram Live @Cre8tiveRevolution between 8 and 9 pm, or di anochi, you can also purchase tickets for the seminar. The three-day seminar will take place from March 14 to 16, 2023.

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In 2018, Kevin de Radamie, better known as the rapper 'Blaxtar', founded the Cre8tive Revolution Group in the Netherlands. With a background in independent music, storytelling, policy consultancy, mentoring hundreds of entrepreneurs, and international projects, Kevin is well-versed in all things business. Additionally, he's the owner of a spoken word platform, the founder of Braenworks Academy, the first business school for creators in the Netherlands, and an award-winning copywriter and performing artist.

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According to Kevin, creativity is the most underestimated business asset on the planet and Curacao is no exception to that rule. They are looking for businesspeople that want to take charge in their communities and business environments. Led by Kevin and his team, Cre8tive Revolution is responding to this call, by collectively creating a global movement that empowers entrepreneurs to embrace their creativity and earn the impact they deserve. This is achieved by informing, training, and supporting entrepreneurs in the establishment of their creative capital.

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When you sign up and participate in the Creative Leadership Seminar Curacao, a few deepest-held beliefs about your own creativity will be brought to the surface by deepening your understanding of the psychology behind the value, the economy, and the multiplicity of your creativity.

As a participant, you will obtain different strategies that will help you verbalize your mission, teach you how to create strategic alliances, and clarify your added value to clients and partners. You will also create a complete strategic overview of your business practices, next to a Blue Ocean Strategy Canvas that will help you distinguish yourself from the competition.

Get ready to be inspired to reach the next level of your business, where you will receive advice, tips, and tricks on how to finance your next project, so that ultimately you can expand your horizon. If you have additional questions, you can contact Rachel Tokromo at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or WhatsApp +31-6-84547064 for more information. Also, take a look at the website of Cre8tive Revolution http://www.cre8tiverevolution.com

In Ya Face ... we're in the business of groundbreaking exposure!
Mineralization Confirmed in Underground Workings at Sheep Creek with Samples up to 10.23% Total Rare Earth Elements

US Critical Metals Corp. (aUSCMa) (TSXV: USCM, OTCQB: USCMF; FSE: 0IU0  https://www.commodity-tv.com/ondemand/companies/profil/us-critical-metals-corp/ ) and US Critical Materials Corp. (\Materials Corp.\) (collectively, the \Partners\) are pleased to report the results for the underground channel sampling completed at the Sheep Creek Rare Earth Project in southwestern Montana (aSheep Creeka or the aProjecta). The sampling was completed in Adit #1 and Adit #3 which were developed in the late 1950a?s for niobium mineralization by the Continental Columbium Company. Until now, the workings have not been accessed and evaluated for rare earth mineralization. A total of 23 samples were collected and described by the Partners, and were analyzed by Activation Laboratories (Actlabs), located in Ancaster, Canada. A

Highlights from Underground Sampling Program

A total of 23 carbonatite samples confirmed rare earth mineralization with grades up to 102,293ppm (10.23%) Total Rare Earth Elements (aTREEa) (Sample #720), including 13,940ppm (1.39%) combined neodymium and praseodymium, which are the most sought after of the Light Rare Earth Elements (aLREEa) group.

Underground results reveal an average of 50,400 (5.04%) TREE, including an average combined 6,721ppm (0.67%) neodymium and praseodymium. These grades are consistent with the surface sample results (reference press release dated February 14, 2023) and therefore suggest uniformity in the TREE content of the carbonatite bodies. A

The carbonatites within the Sheep Creek mine workings are strongly enriched in LREE with an average value of 5.03% compared to 121.6ppm for Heavy Rare Earth Elements (aHREEa).

Preliminary geologic mapping has tentatively connected several of the carbonatite bodies suggesting continuity over several hundred meters. The exposures sampled in the adits are likely contiguous with surface exposures, a vertical distance of about 50 meters. Expanding both dimensions will be the focus of a drilling program.

The samples collected in 2022 from Adit #1 and Adit #3 are summarized in Table 1 and shown in Figures 2 and 3.

Figure 1 displays the dominance of LREE in the Sheep Creek carbonatites with a combined neodymium and praseodymium content of 13,940ppm (1.39%). These ranges and relative amounts are consistent with the surface samples (Figure 2; summarized in press release dated February 14, 2023).

The three adits, shown in Figure 2, were developed in the late 1950a?s for niobium mineralization by the Continental Columbium Company and had not been assessed for rare earth mineralization. Access was gained to Adit #1 and Adit #3 which allowed for the Partners to examine, map and sample the carbonatite dikes. Both adits were mapped by Continental Columbium (F.A. Crowley, 1956 and 1957) and this work is reproduced in Figures 4 and 5. The rare earth mineralization hosted in the carbonatite dikes is composed of calcite and barite with subordinate ancylite, allanite, monazite, columbite and trace molybdenite in sheared and widely fenitized augen gneiss or amphibolite. Examples of the mineralization are presented in Figures 3 and 4. The results from the 2022 mapping campaign are pending but several of the surface samples, hosted by carbonatite dikes, are likely contiguous with the documented subsurface exposures.

Adit #1 exposes a roughly N75oE trending carbonatite dike for about 95 metres which dips variably to the north and south. The carbonatite ranges in width from 1.25 to 3.0 feet. Fourteen channel samples were collected from Adit #1 and are shown in Figure 5. TREE grades up to 10.2% (Sample #709). Surface exposures of the dike are present in the adita?s collar as well as in the collar of Adit #2 (about 30 meters vertically above) but are very limited by the steep, talus mantled terrain.

Adit #3, located in Figure 2, was driven N25oE for about 130 meters where it traversed a N60oW-trending carbonatite dike with moderate dips to the NNE. The dike was exposed over a strike of about 43 meters (Figures 3 and 4). A total of 9 channel samples were collected across the carbonatite which ranged in width from 1.5 to 4.0 feet (Figure 6). TREE contents ranged from 1.3% to 10.2%. Similar mineralization is present on the surface approximately 55 meters above Adit #3.

The work completed to date by the Partners has identified a broad area hosting REE-enriched carbonatites within a favorable regional corridor. Sampling in the historical adits provides high quality sample data along the dikea?s strike providing confidence in the geologic model. The next step is the completion of the surface geologic map along with receipt of the soil and stream sediment samples from 2022. The compilation of this work will serve as the basis for a Phase 1 drill program for which permitting will commence in March.

Management Commentary

Mr. James Hedrick, President of US Critical Materials Corp., comments: The combination of surface and underground sampling gives us an indication that mineralization could be contiguous, and in combination with detailed mapping, will form the basis of our Phase I drill program. These results continue to support our geologic thesis and significantly advance our ability to generate high quality drill targets.A A

Mr. Darren Collins, Chief Executive Officer and Director of USCM, comments: aThe combined result of the surface and underground sampling continues to support our investments into Sheep Creek. We look forward to the receipt of additional results in the near term and finalizing a drill program for permitting.a

Quality Control and Quality Assurance

In June, 2022, Robert J. Johansing, BSc (geology), MSc (economic geology), who is a qualified person as defined in National Instrument 43-101 a Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects (the aQPa), visited the carbonatites at Sheep Creek to confirm the geologic environment and the presence of the noted mineralization. At that time, the QP recommended detailed mapping and sampling over the carbonatites and in the historical mine workings along with reconnaissance-type activities.A A The scientific and technical information contained in this news release has been reviewed and approved by the QP. This included a review of the lab results and certificates. A Mr. Johansing is a consultant for the Company.

The samples were analyzed by Activation Laboratories, located in Ancaster, Canada (\Actlabs\). Actlabs is an independent ISO/IEC 17025 certified laboratory. Internal standards and blanks were inserted for all REEs and major elemental oxides. Additional standards were inserted by the Partners and are in good agreement with the standarda?s certified values. All samples were ground to 95% -200 mesh to ensure complete fusion with lithium metaborate/tetraborate and analyzed by ICP-OES and ICP-MS. The Zr-Nb-Ta-Hf are semi-quantitative owing to P2O5 values in excess of 0.3%.

Additional information relating to Actlabsa? analytical and testing procedures can be found at www.actlabs.com. Actlabsa? Quality System monitors all steps and phases of the operations. Quality Assurance program covers all areas of sample transportation, collection, preparation, analysis and data reporting.A A

Project Overview

Sheep Creek is located in Ravalli County, southwest Montana. Sheep Creek spans 223 lode claims representing approximately 4,500 acres of total land package. The claims are on multiple-use ground administered by the US Forest Service. Exploration activities performed by US Critical Materials Corp. and conducted in late 2021 have identified more than 50 carbonatite dikes in the Sheep Creek exploration area. The carbonatites are up to three meters wide and can be followed for more than 300 meters along strike. Important ore minerals identified include ancylite, allanite, low-thorium monazite, and columbite. The dikes are valuable for their contained light rare earth elements and other strategic metals. Historical grab and rock chip sampling of carbonatites indicate the potential for high-grade mineralization with up to 18.0% total rare earth elements, including 2.4% (23,810ppm) combined neodymium and praseodymium, plus credits in niobium and other strategic metals.

About US Critical Metals Corp.

US Critical Metals Corp. (aUSCMa) is focused on mining projects that will further secure the U.S. supply of critical metals and rare earth elements, which are essential to fueling the new age economy. Pursuant to option agreements with private Canadian and American companies, USCMa?s assets consist of four agreements, each providing USCM with the right to acquire interests in five discovery-focused projects in the US. These projects include the Clayton Ridge lithium project located in Nevada, the Sheep Creek rare earth project located in Montana, the Haynes cobalt project located in Idaho, the Lemhi Pass rare earth project located in Idaho and the Long Canyon uranium project located in Idaho. A significant percentage of the world\-s critical metal and rare earth supply comes from nations with interests that are contrary to those of the US. USCM intends to explore and develop mineral resources with near- and long-term strategic value to the advancement of US interests.

About US Critical Materials Corp.

US Critical Materials Corp. is a private rare earths exploration and development company with holdings in Montana and Idaho. Future development of the Properties includes additional exploration, geologic mapping, sampling and analysis, and drilling with the objective of completing a future resource and reserve estimation. The deposits in Sheep Creek are unique due to low levels of thorium, as discussed above, which potentially allows mining with minimal damage to the environment. U.S. Critical Materials goal is to develop its properties with strategic partners who have the capital and expertise to explore, mine and extract the critical minerals. US Critical Materials Corp. is based in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Disclaimer for Forward-Looking Information

This news release contains certain information that may be deemed aforward-looking informationa with respect to the Company within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Such forward-looking information involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the Companya?s actual results, performance or achievements, or developments in the industry to differ materially from the anticipated results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Forward-looking information includes statements that are not historical facts and are generally, but not always, identified by the words \expects,\ \plans,\ \anticipates,\ \believes,\ \intends,\ \estimates,\ \projects,\ \potential\ and similar expressions, or that events or conditions \will,\ \would,\ \may,\ \could\ or \should\ occur. Forward looking information contained in this press release may include, without limitation, exploration plans and expected exploration results at the Project, results of operations, and the expected financial performance of the Company.

Although the Company believes the forward-looking information contained in this news release is reasonable based on information available on the date hereof, by its nature, forward-looking information involves assumptions and known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause our actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements, or other future events, to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking information.

Examples of such assumptions, risks and uncertainties include, without limitation, assumptions, risks and uncertainties associated with general economic conditions; the Covid-19 pandemic; adverse industry events; the receipt of required regulatory approvals and the timing of such approvals; that the Company maintains good relationships with the communities in which it operates or proposes to operate, future legislative and regulatory developments in the mining sector; the Companya?s ability to access sufficient capital from internal and external sources, and/or inability to access sufficient capital on favorable terms; mining industry and markets in Canada and generally; the ability of the Company to implement its business strategies; competition; the risk that any of the assumptions prove not to be valid or reliable, which could result in delays, or cessation in planned work, risks associated with the interpretation of data, the geology, grade and continuity of mineral deposits, the possibility that results will not be consistent with the Companya?s expectations, as well as other assumptions risks and uncertainties applicable to mineral exploration and development activities and to the Company, including as set forth in the Companya?s public disclosure documents filed on the SEDAR website at www.sedar.com.

The forward-looking information contained in this press release represents the expectations of USCM as of the date of this press release and, accordingly, is subject to change after such date. Readers should not place undue importance on forward-looking information and should not rely upon this information as of any other date. While USCM may elect to, it does not undertake to update this information at any particular time except as required in accordance with applicable laws.
Did you know that you can create a new LEGO idea and submit it to the company with the hope of your idea being turned into an actual LEGO product? If your idea gets at least 10,000 fan votes, it then undergoes a panel review from the company. You can see the current ideas and vote on them here. The LEGO website further explains the process:

If you are over 13 years old then LEGO Ideas is where you can find thousands of fun LEGO ideas that could become real LEGO products in the future. They have been designed by LEGO fans from all over the world and include lots of amazing models like vehicles, futuristic space stations and well-known scenes from famous movies. Flip through all the awesome models,and if you are 13 years old (and over) you can vote for your favorite ones. If an idea gets 10,000 votes within a certain amount of time, it will be judged by a LEGO review panel and could become a real product that you will find in your local LEGO store. There are already lots great ideas that have become LEGO Ideas products, so why not help us find the next one!

The very first idea to get 10,000 votes so far in 2023, and thus the first that will go to review this year, is an E.T.-themed movie poster created out of LEGO bricks. Brick Fanatics explains:

Brick Fanatics goes on to explain that the decision by LEGO to turn this E.T.-themed build into a product will be made by October, and other ideas will likely join it, if they get 10,000 votes by May, which is when the voting stage of the process ends. If you want to add an idea or vote, now's the time!
TANAKA Strengthens Electrical Contact Supply System in China

TOKYO, Feb 28, 2023  (JCN Newswire)  TANAKA Kikinzoku Kogyo K.K. (Head office: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director & CEO: Koichiro Tanaka), one of the core companies of the Tanaka Precious Metals group based in Japan, announced today that it acquired all shares of Metalor Electrotechnics (Suzhou) Ltd. (hereafter, \Metalor Suzhou\) held by its group company Metalor Technologies International SA (hereafter, \Metalor\) on April 1, 2023. Metalor Suzhou is Metalor\-s subsidiary in China, and this acquisition of shares makes Metalor Suzhou a wholly-owned subsidiary of TANAKA Kikinzoku Kogyo. The subsidiary has been renamed METALOR TANAKA Electrical Materials (Suzhou) Ltd., and its system of directors will be changed.

In recent years, there have been increasing needs from major Chinese customers for local production of electrical contacts in China. Therefore, TANAKA aims to continuously expand business in China by integrating TANAKA Kikinzoku Kogyo\-s production knowledge with Metalor Suzhou\-s resources to expand production capabilities and build a system for stable supply. Furthermore, it will be an essential base for business expansion, using TANAKA\-s network to open new markets and gain new customers in Asia, which has prominent market growth. In 2024, a portion of TANAKA Kikinzoku Kogyo\-s electrical contact-related products will be transferred, and mass production will commence. It is expected that the new company\-s sales will double by 2030.

In addition, the system will be capable of supplying a broader range of products through collaboration with group company TANAKA Kikinzoku (Ningbo) Co., Ltd., which manufactures silver electrical contacts used in automotive components.

About Metalor Suzhou

Metalor Suzhou commenced operations in 2006 as Metalor\-s base for the manufacture and sales of electrical contacts for Asia and China. The company manufactures and sells electrical contacts and contact assemblies used mainly in circuit breakers and contactors. In 2014, the Metalor Suzhou plant was relocated to its current location in Wuzhong, Suzhou.

Outline of New Company (from April 2023)

 Company Name: English: METALOR TANAKA Electrical Materials (Suzhou) Ltd.

 Chairman (Representative Director): Tomoyuki Tada

 Location: 888 Wusong Road, Wuzhong Economic and Technological Development Zone, Suzhou, China

 Activities: Manufacture and sales of electrical contacts/wires and contact assemblies

About TANAKA Precious Metals

Since its foundation in 1885, TANAKA Precious Metals has built a portfolio of products to support a diversified range of business uses focused on precious metals. TANAKA is a leader in Japan regarding the volumes of precious metals handled. Over the course of many years, TANAKA has not only manufactured and sold precious metal products for industry but also provided precious metals in such forms as jewelry and assets. As precious metals specialists, all Group companies in Japan and around the world collaborate and cooperate on manufacturing, sales, and technology development to offer a full range of products and services. With 5,225 employees, the Group\-s consolidated net sales for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2022, were 787.7 billion yen.*

*From the current consolidated fiscal year, the amounts of sales for some transactions are indicated as net values due to the application of the Accounting Standard for Revenue Recognition.

Global industrial business website

https://tanaka-preciousmetals.com/en/

Product inquiries

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The E-Invoicing Exchange Summit celebrates its 1st MEA edition with more than 120 experts in Dubai

Over 120 E-Invoicing and E-Reporting experts from 27 different countries celebrated on February 21 and 22, 2023 in Dubai the first MEA edition of the E-Invoicing Exchange Summit. The agenda offered two days packed full of insights presented by global experts from corporates, tax administrations, and solution and service providers. Speakers, panellists and participants shared and openly discussed their experience and gave deep insights into what next steps have to be expected:

+ Globally 50+ new mandates /obligations for E-Invoicing and E-Reporting announced

+ Tax administrations all over the globe see opportunity to close tax gap

+ For Europe ViDA expected to bring huge changes to the E-Invoicing and E-Reporting landscape

+ Egypt and Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as first movers: blueprints for the MEA region?

+ In Africa a huge E-Invoicing / E-Reporting wave is expected to be seen over the next 5 years

+ Multinational companies challenged to comply with different regulatory and technical requirements

+ Corporates often faced with too short time frames for adopting their business processes to comply with new and changing requirements

+ Need for a egal, organisational, semantic and technical interoperability, that ideally would have to be defined on a global scale and thus could serve as a strong accelerator for adoption and digitisation

+ Focus on overall optimisation of business processes; potential of end-to-end automation of processes is much higher than \just\ closing the tax gap

The E-Invoicing Exchange Summit has proven once more to be a great opportunity to network with thought leaders and like-minded experts in the field of E-Invoicing and E-Reporting. Expecting the accelerating implementation and roll-out of E-Invoicing in the region, the E-Invoicing Exchange Summit team has already started to plan the next edition in Dubai in February 2024.

More information on the E-Invoicing Exchange Summit: www.exchange-summit.com

Die Vereon AG veranstaltet hochkarAtige Tagungen, Konferenzen und Workshops zu aktuellen Themen aus Wirtschaft und Wissenschaft. Ausgewiesene Experten aus Forschung, Wissenschaft, Praxis und Politik prAsentieren regelmAssig pragmatische LAsungsansAtze und wegweisende Trends. FAhrungs- und FachkrAfte aller Branchen schAtzen diese Informationsplattformen zum Wissensausbau, Erfahrungsaustausch und zur Gewinnung wertvoller neuer Kontakte.
Hoptroff calls for recognition of the potential vulnerabilities of GNSS with launch of Roundtable Event

Posted by Publisher Telecommunication

London 28th February 2023: Hoptroff, the global timing solutions provider offering resilient, traceable and precise time to enterprise businesses, today announces its thought  leadership industry roundtable event. The event will explore the impact of escalating GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) vulnerabilities to business continuity and how organisations can best protect business-critical operations.

The GNSS has become ubiquitous in modern society and plays an essential role in numerous industries including transportation, broadcast media and global financial services. However, GNSS and GPS are vulnerable to various types of interference and cyber-attacks that can have a detrimental impact on the trust, resilience, and accuracy of GNSS based systems.

aBusinesses and financial institutions need to accept and start planning how they are going to mitigate the risks associated with GNSS,a said Tim Richards, CEO at Hoptroff. aThis livestream roundtable will allow business and financial institutional decision-makers to better understand the impact and disruption GNSS vulnerabilities can have on their bottom line and why they need to act now.a

The livestream roundtable will be moderated by the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology, US Department of Transportation, Dr Robert Hampshire. The roundtable is an opportunity for those in the financial and business sector to learn more about the status of GPS, the growing potential risks from increased jamming, spoofing and cyber-attacks, what disruption looks like and the new technologies that are available providing complementary PNT technologies to help mitigate risk.

aGNSS vulnerabilities create serious consequences for critical infrastructure,a said Richard Hoptroff, Founder and Chief Time Officer at Hoptroff. aTo effectively mitigate these threats, complementary PNT solutions need to be deployeda.

The livestream roundtable will be held on Tuesday 21st of March 2023 at 07:00 PDT, (10:00 EDT & 14:00 GMT). Speakers at the roundtable event include:

a Dr Robert Hampshire a Deputy Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology, US Department of Transportation

a Diana Furchtgott  Roth a Heritage Foundation and George Washington University

a Judah Levine a Fellow, National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)

a Karen Van Dyke a Director for PNT, US Department of Transportation

a Steve Suarez a Global Head of Innovation, Financial Services

a Kathryn Condello a Sr Director, National Security/ Emergency Preparedness, Lumen Technologies

a Richard Hoptroff a Founder and Chief Time Officer, Hoptroff

Areas of discussion at the roundtable include:

a The rising GNSS vulnerabilities and the potential consequences of GNSS disruption such as service outages, errors, or inaccuracies

a Example use cases where GNSS vulnerabilities can have a significant impact on your business continuity

a How to enable new resilient complementary technologies for your disaster recovery plans

a How to start utilising these technologies today in your real-life applications such as precision timing for global financial services

a Practical advice for businesses on reducing GNSS risk in financial transactions, fraud detection, compliance and data integrity

To attend the aGNSS the time is upa? livestream roundtable, sign up here. https://www.hoptroff.com/business-continuity-planning-gnss-vulnerabilities
Gov. Ron DeSantis refuses to condemn Nazis who have been aggressively harassing and threatening Jews on the streets of Florida. So Sheriff Mike Chitwood in Volusia County has stepped in, tearing into the white domestic terrorists known as the Goyim Defense League (GDL) while calling for unity against hate.

"These scumbags came to the wrong county We are not going to tolerate this," Sheriff Chitwood shouted at a press conference yesterday. "This is not about free speech. This is about violence." (See video below.)

Unlike Florida's cowering Gov. DeSantis, Chitwood said he's not afraid of the many threats the Nazi group has sent his way. "There's a lot of people in this room, there's a lot of people in this country of the Jewish faith that are on their hit list. They try to besmirch your character, they try to put death threats on you and your family. Well I wear that as a badge of honor," the fed-up sheriff said, who admitted the group wants to "shut my big mouth and put a bullet in the back of my head." And to that, he said, "Go for it!"

"You want to try to get into my computer and plant child porn in there with a group of people that have an IQ of 12? Go for it. I challenge you to go for it. You want to put surveillance on me 24 hours? Go for it. And the best of all: you're going to dox me and make me unelectable? Go for it," he said. But

"You came to the wrong county. I stand with my Jewish friends and I'm honored to be on your hit list. It's an honor to be sought after by a bunch of punk thugs like you."

Later, when speaking to the Daily Beast, he had a message for GDL's ringleader, Jon Minadeo: "Excuse my French, but fuck you, motherfucker."

See his full press conference here, with the quotes above mostly between 8:10-9:30:
FBI Efforts Since the Russian Invasion of Ukraine

Since Russias unprovoked invasion of Ukraine one year ago today, the FBI has successfully disrupted criminal, cyber, and hostile intelligence activities from Russia that endanger Ukraine, our partners, and American citizens.

The FBI has surged personnel and technical resources in field offices across the country and our legal attaches overseas to protect the Ukrainian people and infrastructure, U.S. assets, and anyone threatened by the Russian government. We arent alone: The FBI is joined by our partners in this fightwhether from the private sector, the KleptoCapture Task Force, or our international law enforcement partnersbecause this threat requires everyones cooperation.

It has been one year since Russia launched an unprovoked invasion of its neighbor, but the FBI has been working with our Ukrainian partners for years to battle Russian aggression thereand we arent going anywhere, said FBI Director Christopher Wray. The FBI's commitment to Ukraine remains unwavering, and we will continue to stand against Russia at home and abroad.

Over the past year, the FBI has successfully:

Identified over $500 million in assets belonging to Russian oligarchs and others who unlawfully supported the Russian regime, leading to warrants for their seizure.

Identified two luxury yachts: the Tango, a $90 million yacht owned by sanctioned oligarch Viktor Vekselberg and located in Spain at the time; and the Amadea, a $300 million mega-yacht owned by Suleiman Kerimov and recovered from Fiji Identified eight real properties totaling approximately $100 million associated with Russian oligarchs and agents. These collectively include two condominiums in Beverly Hills, California; three luxury properties in New York and Washington, D.C.; an apartment on Park Avenue in New York City; an estate in Southampton, New York; an apartment on Fisher Island, Florida; and a penthouse apartment also on Fisher Island, Florida Identified four airplanes: a $45 million Boeing 737-7EM owned by Russian energy company PJSC LUKOIL; two airplanes worth over $400 million owned by Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich; and a $90 million Airbus A319-100 owned by sanctioned Russian oligarch Andrei Skoch

Investigated over 10 individuals and corporate entities accused of sanctions evasion, export control violations, money laundering, and other crimes, leading to their indictment. Investigated sanctioned oligarch Konstantin Malofeyev and Russian member of parliament Alexander Babakov for sanctions evasion and other related crimes Investigated U.S. television producer Jack Hanick for his role in assisting sanctioned Russian oligarch Konstantin Malofeyev with his television network Investigated U.K. businessman Graham Bonham-Carter for allegedly violating U.S. sanctions on behalf of Russian oligarch Oleg Vladimirovich Deripaskaand wire fraud in connection with Deripaskas U.S.-based properties and artwork Investigated sanctioned oligarch Oleg Deripaska and three co-conspirators for conspiracy to evade sanctions and making false statements Investigated sanctioned former Ukrainian legislator Andrii Derkach for conspiracy to violate sanctions, bank fraud conspiracy, money laundering conspiracy, and four counts of money laundering in connection with the purchase and maintenance of two U.S.-based properties Investigated four individuals and two companies with violating U.S. export laws by attempting to smuggle a high-precision, computer-controlled grinding machine (jig grinder) to Russia for likely use in its defense program Investigated Master Yachts, U.K. citizen Richard Masters, and Russian/Swiss national Vladislov Osipov for sanctions-evasion acts tied to the yacht Tango, attributed to sanctioned oligarch Viktor Vekselberg

Used intelligence and data analytics to prevent a broad range of national security threats stemming from Russias destabilizing activities in Ukraine. Identified and stopped illegal transfers of weapons and civil-military, dual-use technologiessome of which have been recovered on battlefields in Ukrainefrom illicit procurement networks illegally trafficking them to Russia Proactively disrupted a global botnet controlled by the Russian military intelligence agency (GRU), similar to those used by the Russian government to attack Ukrainian targets during the invasion. Maintained robust collaboration with Legat Kyiv to obtain developing intelligence on cyber activity related to the war, and to provide Ukrainian partners with actionable intelligence Provided dozens of cyber-related notifications to the Ukrainian government and others to promote infrastructure and data security work. Those efforts resulted in the following actions taken by U.S. based service providers: Mitigation of DDOS attacks targeting various Ukrainian government agencies Suspension of social media, mobile application, and other communication accounts used to geo-locate, track, and broadcast the movement of Ukrainian military positions Identification of the compromise of social media accounts belonging to members of the Ukrainian military Identification of the use of social media channels to spread disinformation related to the war Proactively identified and mitigated cyber threats to U.S. interests. As potential threats to critical infrastructure and private sector agencies were identified, the FBI proactively engaged those organizations throughout the country, in both classified and unclassified settings, to provide technical and contextual intelligence to better protect U.S. equities and national security.

Mobilized agents, and other personnel to investigate war crimes and other atrocities in Ukraine. Partnered with the Ukrainian Prosecutor Generals Office to boost collaboration in the investigation and prosecution of crimes committed by Russia in Ukraine Partnered with Ukraines National Police of Ukraine and State Border Guard Services to provide training and mentoring, including on tactical and criminal investigative assistance and forensics and evidence collectionfoundational skills for war crimes



The FBI will continue to use our unique expertise and authorities to strengthen the resilience of our partner, Ukraine; protect U.S. national security; and inflict severe consequences on Russia and its enablers.

This story has been published on: 2023-02-28. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Marjorie Taylor Greene, the Queen of Qonspiracy theories, strikes again! This time, the Congresswoman from Georgia is blaming the Biden administration for the increase in fentanyl seizures at the border. According to her, the fact that more fentanyl is being seized is a direct result of the Biden administration's "failure policies."

"I want you to know that in 2020 there were 4.8 thousand pounds of fentanyl seized by CBP," she said to her colleagues. "But in 2021, fiscal year 2021, it increased to 11.2 thousand pounds of fentanyl was seized by the CBP. That is a direct result of Biden administration failure policies. Now here we are in to date fiscal year 2023. They have already seized 12.5 thousand pounds of fentanyl. The Biden administration is failing this country by not protecting our border and securing our border and stopping Chinese fentanyl from being brought into our country illegally by the cartels and people are dying every single day because of it."

But wait a minute, Marge. Let's think about this for a second. If more fentanyl is being seized, doesn't that mean that the border patrol is doing a better job of catching illegal drugs? More seizures mean less fentanyl on the streets and fewer deaths from overdoses. Shouldn't we be applauding them for their efforts?

Not in Greene's world. Like all good fascists, she knows facts and logic are poor persuaders. Instead, she's using classic propaganda techniques to push her twisted strategy to divide and conquer the country. It's a textbook example of her fearmongering tactics, and her gullible and loyal followers love her for it.




In this episode we see greed, anger and deception and how businesses can take advantage in a foreign market. We also get to see some glimpses of perhaps some new romance on the horizon.





At the beginning of the episode, Jamie is at the Hungarian Police force and is helping to do some training with some new officers. It is so enjoyable to see that the FBI has a great relationship with the local authorities where their office is and are invited in to help with training. Kellett also demonstrates how tough she is as she demonstrates a take down with Lieutenant Benedek Erdos, and she ends up injuring him but he tries to shake it off.We then see a man on the phone who is emptying out a safe of documents. He goes to get into his car and it explodes. The explosion also injures a young girl who is walking her dog along the sidewalk and someone comes out of their home and calls for help.Kellett and Smitty arrive and Forrester tells them there was a car bomb and Vo presents the case. The victim is Neil Cobb, who is a lawyer out of Houston, and represents a company called Avercol, which is a US based company that has a plant and workers in Budapest. Avercol is in the middle of a class action law suit and Cobb was lead defense. They are accused of using Cadmium in their plants, which poisoned their workers, and then when things went south, the company relocated. Avercol is still trying to negotiate a settlement in Budapest and Cobb was heading that up. In addition, Margo Halmi, a 14 year old walking her dog was also injured in the blast and is in critical condition.We finally also find out a bit more about Smittys background when Forrester asks her to be on the ground due to her 10 years in the explosive disposal unit. It also can only make one wonder if this was the unit she was working with when she and Scott initially worked together. It will be nice when we get the fulsome details of their past together, including if there was ever any romance.The team heads to the bomb site. Lieutenant Erdos is on scene to brief them on what they have found so far and he is wearing a sling on his arm, but tells Kellett it is just a precaution. He tells them that the bomb was wired to the ignition and Cobb was killed instantly and unfortunately the only witness just went into surgery. Erdos says they feel the motive was related to his job, and that Avercol had come to Hungary to exploit their infrastructure and tax laws, and the company does not have many allies in the city after they lined their pockets, poisoned the people and then left.As one of the more recognizable faces of the company, Cobb had made several complaints to police about being harassed. He did not say by who but they suspected likely by the plant workers who have rallied together for the lawsuit. They could unfortunately find no substance behind his complaints and Cobb then accused the police of scheming against him, and they all felt he was a little paranoid, but Kellett brings up that perhaps he was right considering he was just assassinated.Smitty says the residue has been sent to the lab and if they conduct a proper post blast search they may be able to put the device back together and Erdos says he can help arrange that. Seeing Smittys knowledge and leadership with this part of the investigation clearly indicated Forrester was correct in putting her in charge of that part of the investigation. Forrester goes to check in with Raines and Vo. Kellett and Erdos discuss his arm and Jamie says that she would feel better if a doctor said it was fine. Erdos tells her that Hungarian tradition says that if you break someones arm, you have to dispense with formalities and to call him Ben. You definitely cannot ignore the heat between these two characters, and to be honest, it is great to see Jamie showing some interest in love again after what happened with Scott. Although they still appear to be close friends and trust each other as colleagues, it was certainly sad to see the ship sail on their romance last season. Perhaps Jamie having a new love interest will spark some old feelings and it will be interesting to see Scotts reaction if they do indeed become involved.Vo and Raines are in Cobbs apartment, and Raines tells Forrester that there was a prepaid burner and a leather document bag in the front seat of the car, both burnt to a crisp. Forrester asks Raines to try to get something off the records from the burner. They also found a safe that was cleaned out. The team is trying to figure out if they just wanted Cobb or were after something he had or knew when a woman arrives and is making a scene about getting into the apartment. She is an associate of the law firm and her name is Elia Cruz. She tells them their job was to ensure the case did not go to trial and that Avercol pays as little as possible, and that of course was going to ruffle feathers. She is worried that if they were trying to take Cobb out, what if they are not finished and Vo says they can put her into protection for now. She says she had not seen Cobb in two weeks since the last deposition. Suddenly Kellett comes up and has a note that was left on their car that says Secure the Files.Raines runs the note and there is no DNA and also no witnesses to who left if because they parked around the corner. They discuss that perhaps the empty safe in the flat was where the files were, which means they burned up with Cobb. Vo comes in with a report from Smitty and the main ingredient in the bomb was TATP so it could have been homemade. They also identify one plaintiff with a criminal record. Daniel Simion was a truck driver for some companies after Avercol shut down, which would have given him access to chemicals, and Raines and Vo are sent to check him out. Daniel however is dying and there is no way he would have been well enough, but his wife agrees to allow them to look around but asks them to be quiet as he needs to rest. She tells Vo that the Cadmium targeted lungs, kidneys and bone, and that after he gave everything to that company, and all they did was take from them.Forrester and Kellett go to see the lawyer representing the plaintiffs in the class action lawsuit, Zalan Madares. He tells them the only crime his clients had was being naive that their employer would care after they poisoned them. He says the case has been going on for 3 years and his clients only want to settle but Avercol just wants to erase their story. He tells them that he is going to Rosa Chapel for a meeting with his clients to discuss how Cobbs death will impact the case and tells them they can come along, but tensions are high so they will want to keep their badges hidden.Raines contacts Forrester and tells him that Cobb had called another local burner before being killed. Raines calls the number and the phone of a woman at the meeting begins to ring. She runs but Kellett and Forrester stop her. She tells them she was working with Cobb and he was going to turn over all the evidence to help them and was working against Avercol and that is why they had him killed.Ama Kovach tells them that she is from a working class family and when Avercol said they were opening a factory in Budapest they saw promise and opportunity. She says the company knew they were being exposed to cancer and then they buried it. Neil had made copies of everything Avercol thought they destroyed and she feels that this is why Avercol silenced him. Neil believed Avercol was about to take drastic measures and he trusted her so she was going to connect him to a contact she had in the press to leak the story about the cover up. She says that the Avercol CEO is Sam Gilroy and he is pure evil and he was the only person that scared Cobb.Raines does some research and it turns out Cobb and Gilroy have known each other and been friends and colleagues for years and got filthy rich together. Kellett says maybe after years of protecting him, Cobb had enough. One of the best parts of the investigations in this show is how deeply the team delves into the lives of the victims and suspects but also that they are open minded to look at all the possible motivations and reasoning for the actions they are seeing, and are even willing to give people the benefit of the doubt when other law enforcement agencies are not so open minded.Smitty calls and says the bomb is a dead ringer for ex-military. They are also still looking for the detinator. Jamie goes to see Ben and asks for help to see if the tolls picked up Cobbs license plate. He now has a cast on his arm and says Hungarian tradition says if you break someones arm you have to buy them a beer. Jamie signs his cast with her phone number. An officer also brings in a piece of evidence that was removed from the young victim during surgery and Jamie takes it to Smitty.Scott and Andre go to see Gilroy and he tells them he was going to pay Cobb a bonus when the case settled. He said they had known each other for 30 years and when you get rich the way Cobb did, there was no way he had a change of heart. He says they had factories on 3 continents and sometimes things happen that he is not always aware of. Raines is appauled that Gilroy did not even deny the conspiracy or cover up, and Forrester says that men like him just like to hear the sound of their own voice. Smitty calls and what they pulled from Margo during surgery was the detonator and it has writing on it in Bulgarian.Vo goes to let Ama know that the phone she turned over to them had spyware on it and someone was monitoring her calls with Cobb. They are trying to identify where it came from but wonder about a malware attachment sent by another plaintiff, but she says she was the only one in communication with Neil, and thinks they came for Neil because of her but Madares tells her she cannot blame herself.They caught Cobbs car prior to the bombing and in one image, it is being driven by Elia Cruz. She not only saw him the night before he blew up, but she also had his car keys. Vo and Kellett question her about it and she tells them that he was too drunk to drive and says she had picked him up at a gentlemans club and that he was a bit of a mess ever since his wife left him. They ask how Cobbs relationship was with Avercol and she says lucrative. She tells them that she got an alert one night that Neil downloaded some files before they were purged from the system. The files are gone for good but there should be a digital footprint on the server, and they ask to review it. She also says she overheard a call last labor day that she should not have been on. Neil was tearing Mr. Gilroy a new one and lawyers do not speak to their clients that way and that Neil said what Gilroy did was indefensible.Raines also uncovers that Gilroy was having an affair with Cobbs wife. Forrester and Raines confront Gilroy. He says there was a brief fling and then he made up with his wife. They show Gilroy evidence that Cobb accessed Avercol servers and downloaded the files, and not the doctored ones they used, but the real reports of the actual levels of Cadmium that the employees had ingested. They tell him this proves Cobb had something that Avercol did not want getting out. Gilroy says the cover up was Cobbs idea. He says that if Cobb had leaked the info he would have come after him in court for attorney client priviledge and then there would have been a change in lawyers which only would have delayed the settlement for another two years or more.The team tries to decide if Cobb did what he did because of caring about the plant workers or if it was all about payback for the affair. Vo then brings in the video from the gentlemans club entrance and they see someone following Cobb and Cruz after they leave the club. They identify the car and it is registered to a man who passed away. They go to the farm he owned and when they go inside there is a motion sensored bomb. Everyone gets out just in time, and are overall unharmed, so they search the other buildings on the property and find the bomb making materials and a computer and Raines tells the police to check the drives. The vehicle is returning and tries to run them down. It breaks through the barricade and they put out spikes to stop the car. The driver shoots at Kellett and Forrester with a machine gun before driving into the spikes. One of the officers then takes him down using the technique Kellett showed them in class. This was a great linkage back to the opening of the episode and that clearly Kellett is an effective instructor and knows what techniques really will control a fleeing suspect.Hale Corvelov is a former member of the Bulgarian armed forces who was dishonorably discharged and became a hired gun. Smitty and Forrester tell him to give up the person who hired him and maybe they can work something out so that he does not end up living out his years in a Bulgarian prison, but he needs to give up who hired him. He tells them it was Zalan Madares. They go to Madares office and he is trying to escape out the window. They chase him down and arrest him. The team digs deeper and Raines and Smitty share that Zalan Madares has made a lot of bad business decisions this last year and he had a lot of debt to clear. He borrowed from the wrong people, a group of Hungarian Loan Sharks, and most recently he borrowed the exact amount to hire the bomber and the Loan Sharks had even made the introduction to Corvelov. His only hope to pay back his debt was the payout on the class action case, which he would have gotten if it were not for Cobb. He said that if Cobb blew the whistle it would have meant more money for his clients and him, so why would he have done that. Vo and Raines say because he was out of time. Raines says they confiscated his PC and found the monitoring software for the spyware that was on Amas phone.They tell him to come clean and say the Bulgarian rolled on him. He asks to make a deal too and they say he is too late and what about the 18 people he was supposed to defend. They bring in Ama Kovach and she shows him pictures to remind him of his broken promise. He cries and says he is so sorry.They let Ama know the victims will get more money from the settlement but she is upset that Gilroy gets to walk away but Smitty, Raines and Vo let her know that when he admitted the cover up was Cobbs idea, he implicated himself and now the FBI can open an investigation in the US. They tell her she is very brave for her conviction to help those hurt by the company.In the final scene, Kellett is having a beer with Erdos. She tells him she is thinking about all the collateral damage of this case and who is looking out for anyone. She asks him to take a drive and she orders some food to go. They go to the hospital and she takes meals to Margos family. She tells him she owes him a proper drink and that that is an American tradition.So we were not only able to see the effectiveness of the Fly Team and their investigative prowess this week, but we are also able to learn about some team members history, and perhaps a glimpse of someones romantic future.
TOP 10 LISTS: February 20 - February 26Fans traveled to an idyllic island as Season 3 of Outer Banks debuted atop the English TV List with 154.97M hours viewed, making it the most viewed title this week. In advance of the premiere, Pogues also revisited Seasons 1 (35.1M hours viewed) and Season 2 (23.86M hours viewed). The world of POGUELANDIA was also brought to life in Netflixs first-of-its-kind, fan-fueled, immersive event in Huntington Beach, CA, with musical performances from Khalid, Lil Baby, alt-J, Elley Duhe, Surf Mesa, and The Nude Party along with appearances from the cast. Fans will get to enjoy even more adventures as Season 4 returns.New entrants on the English TV List included three-part docuseries Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal in the #2 spot with 40.5M hours viewed and Season 5 of Formula 1: Drive to Survive with 25.76M hours viewed which took fans behind the scenes of one of the world's most thrilling sports. Fans returned to their favorite murder mystery You (27.75M hours viewed), which has now amassed 44.9M views (183.9M hours viewed divided by runtime of 4.1 hours) for the first five episodes. Reality dating series Perfect Match (39.51M hours viewed), Red Rose (20.54M hours viewed) and Wednesday (18.95M hours viewed) all remained on the list.We Have a Ghost entered the English Films List with 40.47M hours viewed. Written and directed by Christopher Landon with a star-studded cast, the family-friendly horror comedy was in the Top 10 in 91 countries. Psychological thriller The Strays kept members on the edge of their seats with 28.78M hours viewed. Meanwhile, Your Place or Mine continued to pull at the heartstrings of viewers, landing in the #3 spot with 22.29M hours viewed.Korean mystery Unlocked topped the Non-English Films List with 16.15M hours viewed. Following its sweep at the BAFTAs and in its 14th week on the Top 10 list, German film All Quiet on the Western Front moved into the #2 spot. Returning titles included Polish romantic comedy Squared Love All Over Again, Mexican comedy All the Places, Japanese horror Re/Member and French action-adventure The Last Mercenary.On the Non-English TV side, Mexican thriller Triptych topped the list with 50.73M hours viewed. Korean titles were mainstays on the list with competition reality series Physical: 100, and romantic comedies Love to Hate You and Crash Course in Romance. The Law According to Lidia Poet, inspired by the true story of Italys first female lawyer, also returned to the list. French thriller Ganglands Season 1 and Season 2 kept members entertained. Colombia series Eva Lasting debuted on the list. Season 3 Mexican drama La Reina del Sur closed out the list.You can view all Top 10 Lists here
Massachusetts police charged Devarus Hampton, 40, in the murder of Todd Lampley who was shot way back in 2011. At the scene of Lampley's death, police had found a sweet potato. Fans of the TV series The Wire will recall that in one episode, a murderer used a potato as a gun silencer. And a dozen years later, Hampton was using a mobile phone under the alias of Marlo Stanfield, a ruthless gangster character from The Wire. Ooops.

From KMOV:

According to officials, the sweet potato had Hampton's DNA on it.

Prosecutors say they can place Hampton at the home at the time of the murder because of data from a GPS monitor he was wearing due to a previous crime.


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Data protection

Significance of data protection in statistics compilation

Data protection is a fundamental principle of official statistics, by which to ensure the availability of reliable basic data and the confidence of data suppliers. Attending to the protection of data is a prerequisite for the trust Statistics Finland must have when collecting data.

To be able to produce reliable statistics, Statistics Finland's basic data obtained for the compilation of statistics must be as exhaustive as possible. This can be achieved when the data suppliers can be confident that data concerning them will be treated appropriately taking data protection needs into account.

Processing and use of data

By law, Statistics Finland has the duty to use primarily data collected by other authorities. Data are collected from data providers directly when data are not available from elsewhere. Statistics Finland uses the data for the compilation of statistics. Data files derived from various sources are combined in statistics production.

Statistics Finland's data files

Statistics Finland has extensive rights to obtain personal data for the compilation of statistics from different authorities. Data are obtained from the Digital and Population Data Services Agency (Finnish Digital Agency), the Tax Administration, the Social Insurance Institution of Finland and the Finnish Centre for Pensions, for example. Data are also collected from employers that supply data concerning their employees pay and working time.

Statistics Finland also collects data direct from citizens on voluntary basis with interview surveys and inquiries. These are such as the Labour Force Survey, Leisure Survey and Time Use Survey.

Some of the data files held by Statistics Finland cover the entire population of Finland, some are sample data.

The Statistics Act requires that respondents' identification data, such as name and personal identification number, are not collected or stored unless it is necessary for the production of statistics. It is usually necessary when identification data are needed for combining the collected data with some other data.

When the respondent is other than an individual person, Statistics Finland approaches the enterprise and corporation based on data derived from other sources. When an enterprise or corporation responds to an inquiry, Statistics Finland stores information on the contact person, his/her name, work email address, work telephone number and occupational status.

More detailed information on Statistics Finland's data files and statistics can be found on Metadata pages.

Customer assignments

Statistics Finland also collects data with interview surveys and inquiries on assignment of other organisations. More information on the Interview and survey services pages.

Release of data

According to the Statistics Act, Statistics Finland has the right to release confidential personal data for statistics compilation to another statistical authority, which are the National Institute for Health and Welfare, Finnish Customs and the Natural Resources Institute Finland. Data are also released to the Statistical Office of the European Union, Eurostat.

Data collected for statistical purposes can be released for scientific research. Releasing is always done so that individuals cannot be directly identified from the data. A significant part of research data are used in Statistics Finland's remote access system, when the data are held by Statistics Finland and a researcher processes the data through remote access.

Confidential data may never be released for use in administrative decision-making, investigation, surveillance, legal proceedings or similar purposes.

Further information about research use of data is available on the research services microdata pages.

Statistics Finland's data security principles

Data are handled only by persons who need the data in their work. The use of data is restricted by usage rights. All persons employed by Statistics Finland have signed a pledge of secrecy, where they have obliged to keep secret the data prescribed as confidential by virtue of the Statistics Act or the Act on the Openness of Government Activities.

Researchers handling Statistics Finland's data also sign a pledge of secrecy.

Legislation

The compilation of statistics is steered by the Statistics Act (280/2004). Alongside the Statistics Act, the EUs General Data Protection Regulation EU 2016/679 and the national Data Protection Act will be applied to the processing of personal data.

Confidentiality of data collected for statistical purposes is decreed in the Act on the Openness of Government Activities (621/1999).

In addition, statistics compilation is steered by the EU Regulation on European statistics and various statistics-specific regulations.

Appeal to supervision authorities

Data subjects have the right to appeal to supervision authorities if they have doubts about the lawfulness of the processing of their data.

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Further information

tietosuoja@stat.fi
About the site

The addresses of Statistics Finland's web service are tilastokeskus.fi and stat.fi.

Content of the service

The web service is available in Finnish, Swedish and English. The contents are limited in Swedish and English. The contents of the language versions may differ.

The front page contains links to the latest statistical data that are updated on weekdays at 8 am. The release times are given in advance in the release calendar. The front page also comprises topical news, updated key figures and shortcuts to Statistics Finland's key services.

The Statistical data section comprises statistics by topic.

The Metadata section contains classifications and definitions of the concepts used in the statistics. The section also includes information on statistical data protection and data protection descriptions.

The Data collections section provides information about data collections carried out by Statistics Finland and gives instructions to respondents.

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The About us section presents Statistics Finland as an organisation and describes the agency's national and international cooperation network.

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Statistical releases by topic: Agriculture, forestry and fishery: https://stat.fi/api/rss/en/agriculture-forestry-and-fishery.rss Culture, media and time use: https://stat.fi/api/rss/en/culture-media-and-time-use.rss Digitalisation: https://stat.fi/api/rss/en/digitalisation.rss Education and research: https://stat.fi/api/rss/en/education-and-research.rss Energy: https://stat.fi/api/rss/en/energy.rss Enterprises: https://stat.fi/api/rss/en/enterprises.rss Environment and nature: https://stat.fi/api/rss/en/environment-and-nature.rss Health and social protection: https://stat.fi/api/rss/en/health-and-social-protection.rss Housing and construction: https://stat.fi/api/rss/en/housing-and-construction.rss National economy: https://stat.fi/api/rss/en/national-economy.rss Population and society: https://stat.fi/api/rss/en/population-and-society.rss Prices and consumption: https://stat.fi/api/rss/en/prices-and-consumption.rss Transport and tourism: https://stat.fi/api/rss/en/transport-and-tourism.rss Work, wages and livelihood: https://stat.fi/api/rss/en/work-wages-and-livelihood.rss



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The interfaces offered by Statistics Finland to open data users can all be found on the Open data pages.

The state of accessibility of Statistics Finland's different web services has been described in the accessibility statement of each service.

Further information about the accessibility of Statistics Finland's web services is available by email at saavutettavuus@stat.fi.

Further information about accessibility can be found in Finnish and Swedish on the accessibility website maintained by the Regional State Administrative Agency for Southern Finland.

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Statistics Finland's data protection descriptions can be found in Finnish and Swedish on the Data protection descriptions page.

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You can send feedback with the feedback form or by email at verkkotoimitus(at)stat.fi.
Accessibility statement for Statistics Finlands web service

Statistics Finland aims to guarantee the accessibility of its web services in accordance with the Act on the Provision of Digital Services (306/2019).

This accessibility statement applies to Statistics Finland's stat.fi website. Separate statements have been made on Statistics Finland's other web services.

State of accessibility

Statistics Finlands web service is partially compliant with the requirements of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 level AA.

We are in the process of renewing our website, and parts of the contents are already published on new kinds of pages. New kinds of pages are now available in the Statistical data section of the website. We aim to make all the pages that are being renewed accessible. There are deficiencies in accessibility particularly on older pages.

If you need such content that you cannot use because of deficiencies in accessibility, please contact Statistics Finlands information services. Email address of information services is info@stat.fi and telephone number +358 29 551 2220.

Non-accessible content

Not all images on the website have text alternatives or the text alternatives are incomplete. There are deficiencies especially in the figures of the statistical releases published before 5 April 2022. The structure and content of tables used as text alternatives to newer statistical figures are in some cases difficult to understand (WCAG 1.1.1)

The website has videos that do not have subtitling and do not have an audio description or script. The requirements of the Act do not apply to videos published before 23 September 2020. Audio description is also missing from videos published after that. (WCAG 1.2.1, 1.2.2, 1.2.3, 1.2.5)

There are shortcomings in the headings of the pages. For some pages the heading levels have not been used or they have not been used hierarchically correctly. Especially in tables the notations of column and row headings are missing. In the files on the pages the content structures have been marked deficiently. The requirements of the Act do not apply to files published before 23 September 2018. There are also deficiencies in newer files than this. (WCAG 1.3.1)

The order of contents in the Future publications section does not fully describe the relationships of the content. Some PDF files have deficiencies in reading sequence affecting meaning especially in graphs. The requirements of the Act do not apply to files published before 23 September 2018. There are also deficiencies in newer files than this. (WCAG 1.3.2)

Only colour is used in figures for conveying information, so it may be difficult to perceive the content of the figure. In the statistical releases published before 5 April 2022, corrections are reported only in red colour. (WCAG 1.4.1)

In some pictures originating from international organisations the text is shown as figures and colour contrasts between the text and background are not sufficient. The requirements of the Act do not apply to such content of a third party. (WCAG 1.4.3, 1.4.5)

In statistical graphs, the contrast of all adjacent colours is not sufficient. (WCAG 1.4.11)

In some interactive visualisations, moving the pointer over an element triggers more content to become visible that cannot be hidden or shown. (WCAG 1.4.13)

The calendar menu of the archived release calendar cannot be used with the keyboard. (WCAG 2.1.1)

The website data collection section is missing a transition link that bypasses blocks. (WCAG 2.4.1)

The titles are in good order in most parts of the website, but at places the titles do not describe the content sufficiently. (WCAG 2.4.2)

Accompanying letters for data collections are available on the web pages as PDF files. Swedish and English language files are marked as Finnish. There are also deficient language markings in other files. (WCAG 3.1.1)

The website has pages that contain sections in different languages without the different languages being marked in a way that is understood by assistive devices. For example, links referring to international materials are often in English and there are some expressions in Finnish on Swedish-language pages. (WCAG 3.1.2)

Elements on the website that implement the same functionality are not consistently marked. (WCAG 3.2.4)

The website code contains shortcomings and errors. Some errors may make it difficult to use or prevent using some pages with assistive devices. (WCAG 4.1.1, 4.1.2)

Due to the extent of the website, not all pages have been assessed and other deficiencies in accessibility may be found there.

We are not able to correct all the shortcomings of our old website due to the large volumes of data and the lack of cost-effective and automated methods, as the correction would impose a disproportionate burden. In assessing the disproportionate burden we have taken into account the needs of people with disabilities to use our web services. (Act on the Provision of Digital Services, Section 8). We will renew our web service one section at a time and intend to make the new pages accessible.

Our website also has content that is not covered by the Act on the Provision of Digital Services due to release time limits or content limitations (Sections 3 and 17 of the Act on the Provision of Digital Services). Such content includes

Videos published before 23 September 2020

Content archived before 23 September 2019

Files published before 23 September 2018

Map services not meant for navigation

Content produced by a third party that Statistics Finland has not produced or financed and the production of which has not been supervised by Statistics Finland.

Preparation of this accessibility statement

This statement was prepared on 4 April 2022.

We have assessed the accessibility of the service ourselves. In respect of the newest parts of the pages, the assessment was supported by an earlier evaluation made by an external expert organisation. The main and most used pages have been examined in the assessment.

Feedback and contact information

If you notice any deficiencies in the stat.fi web service that are not listed on this page, please let us know about it. We will do our best to correct the deficiencies.

You can send feedback with our feedback form or by email at saavutettavuus@stat.fi. If you want to give feedback by telephone, call Statistics Finland's information services, tel. +358 29 551 2220.

We will respond to your feedback as soon as possible or within two weeks at the latest.

Supervision authority

If you notice accessibility problems on the website, start by giving feedback to us, that is, the website administrator. Receiving a response may take 14 days.

If you are not satisfied with the response from us or if you do not receive any response within two weeks, you may file a report with the Regional State Administrative Agency for Southern Finland. The agency website has detailed instructions (in Finnish and Swedish only) on how to file a complaint and how the issue will be processed.

Supervisory authoritys contact information

Southern Finland Regional State Administrative Agency

Supervision unit of accessibility

Saavutettavuusvaatimukset web service (in Finnish and Swedish only)

saavutettavuus(at)avi.fi

tel. (switchboard) +358 295 016 000
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The ambassador of Ukraine in Bucharest, Ihor Prokopchuk, expressed on Tuesday his conviction that Romania will continue to help the Ukrainians as long as necessary, stressing that cooperation with Ukraine is necessary for peace.

He highlighted the help constantly received by the Ukrainians, conveyed his country's gratitude for the support provided by Romania, but drew attention to the fact that the war, with its destruction, continues.

"We are sure that Romania will be with us until the end. (...) We must speed up the victory. For this, Ukraine must receive help in defense to overcome Russian capabilities. (...) It is very important that international sanctions stop the flow of money to the Russian Federation. (...) There is no legal basis to justify the actions of the Russian Federation. Ukraine's borders must be respected. We must cooperate to maintain peace in Ukraine and in the world," Prokopchuk said on Tuesday, at the round table meeting entitled "365 Days of War in Ukraine", organized at the Parliament by the Union of Ukrainians from Romania, in partnership with the Parliamentary Group of National Minorities.AGERPRES
When police showed up at a Kentucky home looking for a fugitive, all of the adults in the house kept mum. But it was a toddler who broke the silence, saying with his hands on his hips, "It is good to be honest  we shouldn't lie. She is inside the room next to the bathroom!" He then pointed to make sure the officers knew where the room next to the bathroom was.

The fugitive in question was 45-year-old Tina Hicks, according to NBC News, who was in the small town of Williamsburg, 100 miles outside of Lexington, when the little boy assisted police in finding her. She had "multiple outstanding warrants for her arrest."

From NBC News:
Arad border policemen discovered on Tuesday 20 migrants from Pakistan and India who attempted to illegally exit Romania, hidden in a van driven by a Romanian heading to France, told Agerpres.

The van was checked at the Nadlac II Border Crossing Point and the documentation presented at the border control stipulated that the driver was transporting pallets for a commercial company in France.

"Based on the risk analysis, the border policemen conducted a thorough control of the means of transportation. Thus, 20 foreign citizens were discovered, hidden in the cargo compartment. The persons were taken in and transported at the sector headquarters for investigations, where, following the checks, our colleagues established that they were citizens of Pakistan and India who intended to fraudulently get to a Western European country," the Arad Border Police informed.

The driver is risking a criminal case for migrant trafficking and the foreigners a criminal case for attempting to fraudulent cross the state border.
Foreign Affairs Minister Bogdan Aurescu delivered on Tuesday the national address at the high-level segment of the Conference on Disarmament, expressing regret over Russia's decision to suspend its participation in the New START Treaty and calling on Moscow to "reconsider this decision and return to full compliance with its obligations under the Treaty", the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

The Romanian top diplomat highlighted in this context that the war unleashed by Russia against Ukraine has drastically changed the paradigm of European and global security and will have long-term consequences on disarmament and non-proliferation efforts.

Aurescu also reiterated Romania's firm support for the strengthening of the global architecture of arms control, disarmament and non-proliferation, seriously affected by the Russian Federation's unjustified and unprovoked military aggression against Ukraine. He emphasized that this brutal and unjustified action of the Russian Federation has escalated the existing tensions in the international security environment and added to other serious crises and challenges. In this thread, Aurescu expressed concerns over the developments in the North Korean nuclear file, as well as for the deadlock recorded in negotiations for the revitalization of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) with Iran.

Minister Bogdan Aurescu also deplored the fact that the Tenth Review Conference of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty - a document that remains at the core of the current disarmament and non-proliferation regime and an essential instrument of collective security - produced no substantial outcome because of the Russian Federation's decision to block consensus. In this context, Aurescu reiterated Romania's support for the Treaty and its three fundamental pillars - disarmament, non-proliferation and the peaceful use of nuclear energy. AGERPRES
The Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Romania (CCIR) signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Bogota Chamber of Commerce for the promotion of bilateral trade and investments, within the framework of the World Chambers Federation (WCF) General Council, an event organized in Colombia, informs the CCIR in a press release sent to AGERPRES on Tuesday.

"Both Romania and Colombia, one of the most important countries in Latin America, need a dynamic economic relationship that fully exploits the economic potential of the two countries. It is very important that today, following the discussions with president Uribe, we have managed to establish areas in which Romania and Colombia can have concrete achievements, such as: green energy, sustainability, IT&C, transport and infrastructure. Equally important is the framework created by the WCF meetings through which such contacts can be established at economic level," declared the CCIR president, Mihai Daraban.

Colombian exports to Romania increased by 187.7 percent in 2022, so it is a very good time to build new bridges in the economic field. For more than 140 years we have maintained diplomatic relations with Romania and signed agreements in tourism, culture, scientific, technical and commercial cooperation. The signing of this memorandum represents an opportunity for the Bogota Chamber of Commerce to put Colombia on the investment radar of countries that, at first glance, are very far from Latin America. At the same time, the current geopolitical context can represent an opportunity for Colombia to become a destination for investments, emphasized the president of the Bogota Chamber of Commerce, Nicolas Uribe Rueda.AGERPRES
President Klaus Iohannis will participate on Wednesday, March 1, in the event Women in Sustainability, which will be hosted by the Cotroceni Presidential Palace.

The meeting scheduled at noon will bring to the foreground the contribution of women, including those who are at the beginning of their careers, to the promotion and achievement of Romania's sustainability goals, the Presidential Administration informs.

The event will be attended by women with a substantial involvement in the promotion of sustainability in the public, associative, financial and business, educational and research sectors.

According to the Presidential Administration, women already play a key role in the adaptation to climate change, the energy transition, the green economy or environmental and climate education.

"President Klaus Iohannis has been a constant supporter of the involvement of women in political, economic and social life, and the event hosted by the Cotroceni Presidential Palace will focus on sustainability, a relatively new field, but relevant for long-term sustainable development. The major challenges related to limiting climate change, sustainable economic growth or reducing pollution require everybody's contribution, women and men alike. In this regard, the discussions between the guests from the country and abroad will facilitate the exchange of opinions and best practices regarding the more consistent participation of women to the decision-making processes and sustainability-related policies," the cited source states. AGERPRES
An extraordinary show called Madrigal 60, conducted by Anna Ungureanu, will be mounted by the Madrigal - Marin Constantin National Chamber Choir today at the Ion Caramitru Hall of Bucharest National Theatre House (TNB), told Agerpres.

"Six years ago, to celebrate the legendary founder of the Madrigal Choir, Marin Constantin, a genius conductor and mentor for hundreds of Romanian artists, we named his birthday as the choir's celebration: Madrigal Day. This year, the 60th of uninterrupted activity, we will celebrate with a premiere: the Madrigal 60 show - an exclusive repertoire of madrigals and motets in 60 minutes, in a new setting and also in clothing redesigned by scenographer Iulia Gherghescu. Also six years ago, we established the Marin Constantin Award for personalities outside the ensemble who have significantly contributed to the cultural life of Romania. This is the 60th year of celebration, and the numerous events prepared by Madrigal will amaze you," according to Emil Pantelimon, the choir manager and director of the show.

At the end of the show, the Marin Constantin Excellence Awards Gala will take place. Theatre critic Marina Constantinescu will be the host.

Tickets for the event are available on the ticket.ro platform.

The event will be broadcast live by Televiziunea Romana, on the TVR Cultural station, as well as on the Radio Romania Muzical channel.

The Madrigal 60 show is part of the Madrigal 60 anniversary programme that includes an extensive series of over 30 special projects to be carried out throughout 2023.
As many as 68,382 people, including 6,155 Ukrainian citizens, entered Romania on Monday, February 27, the General Border Police Inspectorate (IGPF) reported on Tuesday, told Agerpres.

According to IGPF, at the border points nationwide on Monday, nearly 138,200, Romanian and foreign citizens, were checked both on the way in and on the way out of Romania, as well as more than 39,750 means of transport.

Starting February 10, 2022 (pre-conflict time) 3,639,977 Ukrainian citizens entered Romania.

The border police detected 40 illegal acts (22 crimes and 18 misdemeanors) in the areas under their jurisdiction - the crossing points and the green border - committed by both Romanian and foreign citizens, levying more than RON 12,335 in fines in the process.

Assets of an estimated value of RON 65,000 were impounded.

Fifteen foreign citizens who did not meet the conditions provided by the law were denied entry.

Also on Monday, 16 Romanian citizens were not allowed to leave for various legal reasons.
Romania's civil protection professionals are always on duty and sometimes they risk their own lives, showing a lot of courage and professionalism, Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca said on Tuesday in a message on the Romanian Civil Protection Day, told Agerpres.

"Today, we celebrate the lifesavers from Romania's civil protection system - firefighters, doctors, paramedics, nurses, mountain rescuers, lifeguards, pilots and all the technical staff who manage civil emergency responses and missions. They are always on duty and sometimes they risk their own life, showing a lot of courage and professionalism. Let us thank these heroes and appreciate them for what they do for the Romanians who, unfortunately, end up in situations that put their lives or property in danger. Care towards fellow people in their daily actions is what has endeared the first responders to the whole society since the establishment of the first civil protection departments in our country 90 years ago," said Ciuca.

He added that the succession of unprecedented challenges that we have been facing for several years in Romania and in the world has called for one of the most difficult rescue missions.

"After the almost superhuman effort during the pandemic, when they carried out their activity almost under continuous fire, the civil protection professionals displayed the same dedication in the support actions that Romania has carried out in response to the humanitarian crisis of refugees from Ukraine. The responsibility with which the rescuers do their duty is also an example of humanity, appreciated both in the country and abroad, after some difficult missions in which teams from Romania also participated, such as those for extinguishing wild fires in Greece and France in 2022, and, most recently, saving lives after the devastating earthquake in Turkey," Ciuca highlighted.

Ciuca added that the government will continue to provide funds for properly equipping the civil protection departments.

"Challenges in the activity of the rescuers never end, but the success of the missions must be supported by the appropriate provision of specific logistics, and the government will continue to provide money for proper equipment," said Ciuca.

At the end of his message, the prime minister thanked the rescuers and all the civil protection personnel for their work.

"I want to thank our dear rescuers and all the civil protection professionals for everything they do. I wish them success and may they return safely from their missions!," the prime minister concluded.
MEP Eugen Tomac, president of the People's Movement Party (PMP), voiced conviction on Tuesday that Romania would enter the Schengen area sooner than through political negotiations following the approach he made to the Court of Justice of the European Union against the Council of the EU.

"We have very good news, the request we submitted to the Court of Justice of the European Union against the Council of the European Union, regarding the injustice done to Romania on December 8, last year, by which our free access to the Schengen area was restricted, is submitted and officially registered at the Court of Justice of the European Union. I am convinced that we will have a lawsuit, I am convinced that following this Romania will enter Schengen. (...) I believe that through this lawsuit we will succeed in reaching the Schengen area much earlier than through political negotiations. I saw, on December 8, the JHA Council entered with a proposal and left the Council with two decisions. Croatia accepted, Romania and Bulgaria, unjustifiably, without any argument, rejected. So, I think that from this point of view it is very important to understand that here we no longer have a political conflict but a legal conflict", Tomac told a press conference at the PMP headquarters.

He added that the agenda of the JHA Council from March 9 does not include the extension of the Schengen area for Romania and Bulgaria.

"Unfortunately, there is a lot of discussion about Schengen in this meeting, but the expansion of the Schengen area for Romania and Bulgaria unfortunately, it is not on the agenda, as our decision-makers have assured us countless times. It is clear that there is continue this unjustified opposition of Austria and no progress has been made on this file. Therefore, we will continue this approach in court. It is essential that we can regain the dignity of the Romanians through this case that we opened at the Court of Justice of the European Union against the Council of the European Union, because we are witnessing an abuse of law and, obviously, this legal conflict must be resolved there", explained the PMP leader.

"It will take a while until, obviously, all the parties will be summoned. I, in this case, have the status of a non-privileged plaintiff, so I justify my interest by the fact that my activity as a MEP is affected. In the next period I will take all the necessary steps so that behind me, in this process, the European Parliament, which has the status of a privileged plaintiff, is also involved. In this process, in addition to the cancellation of the action I am asking for, I am also asking for something extremely important, namely that the MEPs may have, starting with this decision, the right to be privileged plaintiffs, so the possibility to challenge any deed of the Commission or the Council at the Court of Justice of the European Union, because, as you know, the members of the European Parliament do not they have the right of legislative initiative (...) The European Parliament itself obtained the status of privileged plaintiff in the relationship with the Council and the Commission following a case at the Court of Justice of the European Union", said Tomac. AGERPRES
A group of ambassadors from NATO member countries, including Romania's Ambassador, Dan Neculaescu, paid a working visit to Finland, organized with the support of the Finnish Mission to NATO, in the context of this country's aspirations to to join the North Atlantic Alliance.

During the meetings that the group of allied ambassadors had with the President of Finland, Sauli Niinisto, with the President of the Finnish Parliament, Matti Vanhanen, and with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Pekka Haavisto, the preparation and determination of Finland to join NATO was highlighted, according to a Tuesday's post on the Facebook page of Romania's Permanent Delegation to NATO.

In the context of the current security risks to Euro-Atlantic stability generated by Russia's unjustified and unprovoked aggression against Ukraine, strengthening the entire Eastern Flank is important for increasing the deterrence and defense posture of the Alliance from the Baltic Sea to the Black Sea.

The group of allied ambassadors also visited the Helsinki Hybrid Center of Excellence. On this occasion, there was an exchange of opinions regarding hybrid threats and their countermeasures, as well as ways to support the most vulnerable partners.

The delegation was formed by the ambassadors of Belgium, Bulgaria, Italy, Luxembourg, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Romania, Spain, Sweden, together with the ambassador of Finland to NATO.

At the Madrid Summit on June 28-30, 2022, the leaders of the NATO member countries took the decision to invite Sweden and Finland to join the North Atlantic Alliance. The accession protocols of the two countries were signed by the 30 member states, of which 28 ratified them. Only Turkey and Hungary have not yet ratified the documents, but the Budapest Parliament will decide at the beginning of March. AGERPRES
Bitwise Industries  the California-based startup that brought its scalable, venture capital-funded approach to diversifying tech employment to Buffalo last year  recently received an $80 million investment.

The investment will allow the company to continue driving economic impact in the 10 cities Bitwise operates in, including Buffalo.

Bitwise teaches people from marginalized communities  people of color, immigrants and refugees, low-income populations, women, LGBTQ+ people, the formerly incarcerated  the in-demand skills they need to work in well-paying tech jobs. More than 60 Western New Yorkers have taken advantage of Bitwise's training opportunities since March 2021, said CJ Banks, vice president of Bitwise Buffalo.

The $80 million will allow Bitwise to increase its capacity in Buffalo while continuing its mission of driving participation in the digital economy for those typically left out of tech opportunities, Banks said.

"This just helps us push forward our approach in our city," Banks said. "This increased investment in Bitwise is an increased investment in the Buffalo community."

The money will support Bitwise Buffalo as it works to partner with more local organizations to fill its consulting and apprenticeship pipelines.

After Bitwise students complete their training, they are often hired to work for Bitwise's in-house technology consulting firm, working to help local companies solve their technology challenges. They also have the option to join a paid apprenticeship program through Bitwise, or some students will seek work with a local employer.

The investment is funded by the Kapor Center, Motley Fool, Goldman Sachs Asset Management and Citibank, Bitwise said. The investment from Goldman Sachs is part of the firms One Million Black Women initiative, which seeks to help narrow opportunity gaps facing Black women across key pillars including, job creation and workforce advancement.

The money from these big-name investors "add more validity to (Bitwise's) model," Banks said.

Bitwise Buffalo's CJ Banks: 'We need to stop fishing from the same pond' Banks discussed what the Western New York technology and startup ecosystem can do to promote community development, diversity and inclusion.

"It shows to the nation that Buffalo is a big future of the tech industry," he said. "It also acknowledges the role technology plays in driving economic impact in previously underserved communities."

Bitwise was founded in 2013 in Fresno, Calif. Since then, in Fresno alone, Bitwise has helped support the creation of more than 15,000 jobs. Bitwise has trained more than 10,000 people across the country, with 80% going on to work in tech jobs. The average Bitwise student's annual salary after training is between $60,000 and $80,000.

When Bitwise comes into a city, it typically transforms a blighted historical building into a technology hub, where classes are held, its operations are housed and other tech companies can rent space.

Over the summer, Bitwise announced its future Buffalo headquarters will be in a vacant, 32,000-square-foot warehouse at 368 Sycamore St., on the city's East Side. The money will help accelerate this renovation project.

"This is more support to help us achieve what we set out to do and that's to create tech opportunity and help push Buffalo closer to its technology goal," Banks said of the impact the $80 million investment will have on Western New York.

The investment will also allow Bitwise to open a location in Chicago's South Side, its 10th city, the group said.
Nearly 70 cities and counties across rural America have banned abortion in the past few years as part of a slow-burning conservative campaign to outlaw the procedure everywhere.

The ordinances, debated in states from California to Ohio, aim to prevent health clinics from offering abortions or allow private civilians to sue providers. Most of the bans have had no practical impact, passing in tiny towns without abortion providers such as Willey, Iowa  population 73  or in states such as Louisiana and Texas, which already ban abortion.

But the movements architects, a pair of conservative activists best known for their work on the Texas Heartbeat Act  the first state abortion ban to rely on private lawsuits for enforcement  have recently expanded into states that allow abortion, including Montana, Nebraska and New Mexico.

In January, New Mexico Attorney General Raul Torrez, a Democrat, petitioned the state Supreme Court to nullify ordinances in Hobbs, Clovis and two other jurisdictions. State Democratic legislators have introduced a bill called HB 7 that would prohibit local governments from interfering with access to any type of reproductive care.

The local ban activists say their ultimate goal is to set up legal battles between municipal and state governments that could land before a sympathetic U.S. Supreme Court.

Im kind of tempted to show up in Santa Fe and let those legislators know I double dog dare them to pass HB 7, said Mark Lee Dickson, the founder of the activist group Sanctuary Cities for the Unborn and the primary spokesperson for the local ban movement. Because I would love to see the Supreme Court rule in our favor and potentially see abortion de facto outlawed in every single state in America.

The clash represents the opening of yet another front in recent battles between state and local governments. Municipal leaders also have defied their state counterparts on issues including gun rights, immigration and marijuana legalization.

The stakes could not be higher for abortion access, law experts and advocates say. The most recent city ordinances rely on an obscure federal anti-obscenity law called the Comstock Act, which courts have not applied to abortion since the 1870s. But federal courts have recently demonstrated a willingness to entertain even specious arguments that challenge abortion, said Mary Ziegler, a law professor at the University of California, Davis.

This is a real threat, said Ziegler, one of the countrys most prominent scholars of abortion law. Im not saying theres a guarantee these city ordinances will work, but theyre premised on the composition of the courts. All you need is a plausible argument and judges who want to agree with you.

While the municipal anti-abortion movement is still in its infancy, Ziegler said she worries that abortion advocates and politicians who support abortion rights sometimes have been too quick to dismiss it. Since 2019, Dickson and his partner, the former Texas solicitor general Jonathan F. Mitchell, have persuaded 65 cities and two counties to adopt the bans, almost entirely in sparsely populated rural areas.

At first, Dickson and Mitchell relied on a novel legal strategy  later enshrined in the 2021 Texas Heartbeat Act  that restricted abortion services within city limits by allowing private residents to sue doctors and the clinics that offered the procedure.

In the past six months, the pair also have lobbied cities to adopt ordinances based on the 19th-century Comstock Act, which prohibits the shipment of obscene and lewd materials, including instruments, drugs and information related to abortion and contraception. While the law has not been enforced in decades, it remains on the books.

Twenty Republican attorneys general, including Missouris Andrew Bailey, have made a similar argument in attempting to block large pharmacy chains from dispensing abortion pills.

The municipal bans target abortion providers, not patients. They allow abortions in cases where the patients life is in danger, though they do not make exceptions for rape or incest.

By and large, they also have not prevented people from getting abortions, said Andrea Miller, the president of the National Institute for Reproductive Health, an advocacy group. The existing ordinances collectively cover a population of fewer than 1 million people  mostly in states that already restrict abortion, or in rural communities that lack access to reproductive health clinics, she said.

Of the 43 bans enacted between 2019 and 2021, 39 passed in Texas  where abortion access has been restricted for decades, and illegal since August 2022.

Our primary focus now is putting those statutes in New Mexico, Colorado, Montana and other states that are perceived blue, Dickson said.

Nowhere has this approach been more successful than in New Mexico, where three cities and two counties have passed abortion ordinances in the past four months.

The state makes an attractive target, said Ellie Rushforth, a reproductive rights attorney at the American Civil Liberties Union of New Mexico, because it is one of few states in the South or Mountain West to preserve open access to the procedure.

But in the states conservative pockets  such as the tiny town of Hobbs on the Texas border  public opinion often runs in the opposite direction. A record 150 people, many from outside the immediate area, attended an October city commission meeting to discuss a potential abortion ban there, said Sam Cobb, the citys mayor.

The ban, drafted by Dickson, Mitchell and a city attorney and passed Nov. 7, effectively prohibits the procedure by requiring most health care facilities to comply with the 1873 Comstock Act. In theory, that would prevent clinics from getting shipped any medication or medical device that can cause an abortion  potentially including drugs and devices that treat other conditions.

Facilities that do not comply risk losing their license to practice in Hobbs, though no abortion clinics currently operate in the city and the ban doesnt apply to its two hospitals. City officials did not consult those hospitals or any other local health care providers before adopting the ordinance, Cobb said.

You need to realize that our commission chambers hold 150 people, and it was standing room only, he added. What we felt as a community, and how I felt personally, is that there was overwhelming support for the ordinance.

But whether Hobbs and other cities can regulate abortion is  intentionally  up for debate. Dicksons organization is counting on state governments to challenge the bans, he said.

The strategy could prove costly for local governments, which may have to spend taxpayer money to defend losing ordinances, said Rushforth, of the ACLU of New Mexico. Mainstream legal experts, including Ziegler, the UC Davis professor, generally agree that Dickson and Mitchells legal theories strain traditional interpretations of both federal laws and local powers.

Since September, the attorneys general of California and Minnesota have issued stern warnings to cities considering the bans, informing them that such restrictions exceed local authority and conflict with state constitutions. On Jan. 23, New Mexico Attorney General Torrez went a step further, petitioning the state Supreme Court to nullify ordinances in Hobbs, Clovis and two other jurisdictions.

In a legal opinion last December, the U.S. Justice Department also advised that the federal law at the heart of the new abortion ordinances  the Comstock Act  does not apply to prescribed abortion medications.

Its no surprise theyre trying to hearken back to the 1800s to prevent access to abortion care, said Miller, of the National Institute for Reproductive Health. But the Comstock Act has long been considered outdated, and the Department of Justice has come out and made very clear that, as the entity that interprets and implements federal statutes, they dont believe it applies to abortion.

The New Mexico House last week passed a bill that would prohibit local restrictions on abortion access. The bill is designed to guarantee equal health care access across the state, said state Rep. Linda Serrato, a Democrat and one of the co-sponsors, and is expected to pass along party lines. Democrats control both chambers of the legislature, and Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has made abortion access a primary issue of her administration.

Abortion rights groups say they also are mobilizing supporters in New Mexico and around the country to push back against local abortion ordinances. Cities in Colorado, Florida, Minnesota, Montana and Nebraska have recently abandoned or voted down proposed bans, according to the Planned Parenthood Federation of America.

Some rejections have been forceful.

In Mason, Ohio, residents voted out two supporters of that citys anti-abortion ordinance in a 2021 election, replacing them with new councilmembers who, in their first session, repealed the ban on an emergency basis.

Across the country in San Clemente, California, a proposed abortion ban failed to attract support even from conservative politicians.

It appears to me to be a document that could have been written by a Taliban tribunal, San Clemente Mayor Gene James told The Los Angeles Times in August, and Ill say that as a conservative, pro-life Republican.

But the long-term threat to access remains, Ziegler warned, regardless of public opinion or prevailing legal interpretations. With a conservative supermajority on the U.S. Supreme Court, she said, policymakers must weigh the risk that any crackdown on municipal laws could jeopardize abortion rights in other places.

For New Mexico state Rep. Serrato, the calculus is not a difficult one.

I know there are always going to be tactics, she said. But you cant have a hodgepodge of regulations for health care access.
New York City has long been a haven for people who want an abortion, and new city programs and policies aim to make sure it remains one since the Supreme Court reversed Roe v. Wade and tossed abortion regulation back to the states.

In 1973, before Roe legalized abortion nationwide, New York was the only state that generally allowed abortions without a residency requirement or medical restrictions before fetal viability, according to the Guttmacher Institute. A year earlier  1972  more than 100,000 women traveled to New York City for a legal abortion.

New York wasnt convenient, but it was the only option in the continental United States, said Mary Ziegler, who is the Martin Luther King Jr. Professor of Law at the University of California-Davis and a leading historian on abortion in the United States.

Now, following last summers high court ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health Organization, which reversed the landmark law, a dozen states ban nearly all abortions and many others severely restrict them. But as abortion access contracts, people may have other options closer to home, which would be cheaper than traveling to the Big Apple. New York and other emerging abortion hubs are critical to keeping abortion accessible across the country, advocates say. Yet traveling out of state can present intractable financial and personal obstacles for many people.

Last month, Mayor Eric Adams announced that New York City would begin offering free medication abortions at four sexual health clinics, in addition to the 11 public hospitals that already provide abortion pills and surgical abortions in the city.

The program will be funded as part of a $1.2 million package for sexual health services, according to Rachel Vick, a spokesperson for the city health department. The city will provide free pills used to terminate pregnancies to up to 10,000 patients annually.

The move is the latest effort by the city to become a destination, connecting residents and anyone else interested in getting an abortion to medical care as well as financial and logistical aid through a toll-free number.

Last summer, the mayor signed a package of bills that expand abortion access for New Yorkers and for outsiders seeking reproductive asylum in the city. The bills also protect abortion providers and increase public outreach and education about abortion services.

New York City continues to make efforts to increase access to abortion within the region, and it has put its money where its mouth is, said Sarah Moeller, director of resource development at the Brigid Alliance, which provides logistical support  including travel, lodging, food, and child care  for people seeking abortions.

Helping to meet these needs is important, say activists, because they are part of what makes travel a serious, sometimes insurmountable barrier.

According to a 2021 survey of 856 people considering an abortion, those who lived 50 or more miles from an abortion facility were significantly more likely to still be pregnant four weeks after answering the initial inquiry than those who lived less than 5 miles from one. Among the obstacles they cited were arranging for child care and covering the cost of travel. The findings were published in JAMA Network Open.

A lot of times when I work with people, theyve never left their home state or their hometown, said Renee Bracey Sherman, executive director and founder of We Testify, which provides information about abortion and a platform for people to tell their abortion stories.

Traveling for an abortion creates more than logistical hurdles, said Katie Glenn, state policy director at Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, an advocacy group that opposes abortion.

What if she has an abortion and has complications and has a big medical bill? said Glenn, noting why such travel is a bad idea. Following a medication abortion, the FDA recommends that patients follow up with the provider a week or two later, Glenn noted. If theyve returned to their home state, does that appointment happen? There are all these other considerations that dont get addressed, she said.

Coastal states like New York and California  the latter has also made strong efforts to expand abortion care and protect abortion providers  are often expensive destinations for people in regions like the South where abortion is largely banned, say advocates. Illinois and New Mexico, both of which have relatively few abortion restrictions but are an easy drive from states with bans or severe limitations, have become increasingly popular destinations for abortion seekers, said Melissa Fowler, chief program officer at the National Abortion Federation, which represents abortion providers.

The District of Columbia, which places no restrictions on how late in a pregnancy an abortion can be performed, is a destination for people from West Virginia, where nearly all abortions are banned, and other Southern states, said Bracey Sherman.

The Choices Center for Reproductive Health opened its doors in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1974, a year after the Roe decision, to fill a need left by local doctors and hospitals refusing to perform abortions despite the ruling, said Jennifer Pepper, Choices president and CEO. In time, in addition to abortion services, the center offered contraceptives, general wellness services, LGBTQ+ health care, and a birth center staffed by midwives.

We realize people make different choices, and we want to take care of them, Pepper said.

When a trigger law criminalizing abortion took effect in Tennessee after the Supreme Court reversed Roe last June, Choices was ready with an option for those who could make a trip. The center was nearing completion on a clinic in Carbondale, Illinois, a few hundred miles away, where abortion is protected by the states constitution. The clinic, which will eventually offer a full menu of reproductive health care services, welcomed its first abortion patients in October.

In addition to serving Choices patients from Tennessee, people have driven to the Carbondale clinic from Arkansas, Mississippi, Texas, and a few other states with restrictive laws, Pepper said.

Medication abortions at the Carbondale clinic cost $550 and abortion procedures cost between $700 and $1,000. The center doesnt accept insurance at this time. Travel, lodging, child care, and lost income from work add more to patients costs. Even though the clinic staff refers patients to organizations that provide financial help with medical and logistical needs, many people cant make the trip.

Those that we see have the ability to travel and take off work, Pepper said. The folks with the least amount of resources are going to be least able to travel.

State laws that permit or restrict abortion arent the only legal issues that may affect people who are considering traveling for an abortion.

In general, if people travel to a state where abortion is legal, they can legally receive one there.

Likewise, state laws that require minors to get parental consent to have an abortion dont apply once someone leaves the state, said Leila Abolfazli, director of federal reproductive rights at the National Womens Law Center.

We dont support any type of penalty for an adult who is freely traveling from state to state, said Glenn, of the Susan B. Anthony organization.

Travel across state lines is protected by the U.S. Constitution, as Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh noted in his concurring opinion on the Dobbs decision. For example, may a state bar a resident of that state from traveling to another state to obtain an abortion? In my view, the answer is no, based on the constitutional right to interstate travel.

The tricky part is once people return to their home state, where abortion may be banned or restricted, could they be prosecuted for having an abortion?

If someone receives abortion pills in New York, for example, and then travels home to Ohio, where most abortions are banned, to take one or both doses of the medication, will they be in legal jeopardy?

That might be considered committing a crime, said Katharine Bodde, assistant policy director at the New York Civil Liberties Union.

KHN (Kaiser Health News) is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues. Together with Policy Analysis and Polling, KHN is one of the three major operating programs at KFF (Kaiser Family Foundation). KFF is an endowed nonprofit organization providing information on health issues to the nation.

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It was the first day of her familys vacation in the San Juan Islands last June when Danielle Laskey, who was 26 weeks pregnant, thought she was leaking amniotic fluid.

A registered nurse, Laskey called her OB-GYN back home in Seattle, who said to seek immediate care. Staff members at a nearby emergency department found no leakage. But her OB-GYN still wanted to see her as soon as possible.

Laskey and her husband, Jacob, made the three-hour trip to the Swedish Maternal & Fetal Specialty Center-First Hill. Laskey had sought the clinics specialized care for this pregnancy, her second, after a dangerous complication with her first: The placenta had become embedded in the uterine muscles.

Back in Seattle, doctors at the clinic found Laskeys water had broken early, posing a serious risk to her and the fetus, and ordered her immediate admission to Swedish Medical Center/First Hill. She delivered her son after seven weeks in the hospital. Though she was treated for multiple postpartum complications, she was well enough to be discharged the next day. Her son, who is healthy, went home a month later.

Laskey soon developed a fever and body aches, and she was told by her OB-GYN to go to Swedishs emergency department. She said doctors there wanted to admit her when she arrived Aug. 20 and scheduled a procedure for Aug. 26 to remove a fragment of placenta that her body had not eliminated on its own.

Laskey, who had already spent weeks away from her 3-year-old daughter, chose to go home. She returned for the procedure, which went well, and she was home the same day.

Then the bills came.

The Patient: Danielle Laskey, 31, was covered by a state-sponsored plan offered by her employer, a local school district, and administered by Regence BlueShield.

Medical Service: In-patient hospital services for 51 days, plus a one-day stay that included a second placenta removal procedure.

Service Provider: Swedish Medical Center/First Hill, part of Providence Health & Services, a large, nonprofit, Catholic health system.

Total Bill: Swedish, through Regence, billed about $120,000 in cost sharing for Laskeys initial hospitalization and about $15,000 for her second visit and procedure.

What Gives: The specialized clinic caring for Laskey before her hospital admission was in her insurance plans network. The clinics doctors admit patients only to Swedish Medical Center, one of the Seattle areas only specialized providers for Laskeys condition  which, given that connection, she assumed was also in the network.

So after being urgently admitted to Swedish, Laskey believed her bills would be largely covered, with the couple expected to pay $2,000 at most for their portion of in-network care because of her plans out-of-pocket cost limit.

It turned out Swedish was out of network for Laskeys plan and, at first, Regence determined that Laskeys hospitalizations were not emergencies. In November, a Regence case manager initially told Jacob that Laskeys lengthy hospitalization was an emergency admission and out-of-network charges would not apply. But then she called back and said the charges would apply after all, because Laskey had not come in through the emergency department.

Both Washington state and federal laws prohibit insurers and providers from billing patients for out-of-network charges in emergency situations. The couple said neither Swedish nor Regence told them before or during the two hospitalizations that Swedish was out of network, and that they never knowingly signed anything agreeing to accept out-of-network charges.

Jacob, who works as a psychiatrist at a different hospital, said he mentioned the surprise-billing laws to the case manager, but she replied that the laws did not apply to his familys situation.

It was only after Regence was contacted by KHN that the insurer explained its reasoning to the reporter: Regence said the Swedish hospital, while out of network for Danielle, had a broader contract with the insurer as a participating provider and so the insurer was not in violation of surprise-billing laws by approving Swedishs out-of-network coinsurance charges.

The broader contract allowed Swedish to bill members of any Regence plan who receive out-of-network services there 50% coinsurance  the patients portion of the overall cost the insurer allows the provider to charge  with no out-of-pocket maximum for the patient.

Whats the difference between a hospital thats in network and one thats a participating provider? In this case, by contracting with Regence as an out-of-network but also participating provider, Swedish straddled the line between being in and out of network  designations that traditionally indicate whether a provider has a contract with an insurer or not.

Setting the terms with an insurer for providing its members emergency or other care appears to allow hospitals to sidestep new surprise-billing laws that prevent out-of-network providers from charging high, unpredictable rates in emergencies, according to government and private-sector medical billing experts.

Experts said they had not heard of out-of-network providers evading surprise-billing laws by being contracted as participating providers until KHN asked about Laskeys case.

Ellen Montz, director of the Center for Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, said that under the federal No Surprises Act the definition of a participating emergency facility thats subject to the laws surprise billing protections depends on whether the facility has a contract with the insurer specifying the terms and conditions under which an emergency service is provided to a plan member.

Matthew Fiedler, a senior fellow at the University of Southern California-Brookings Schaeffer Initiative for Health Policy who studies out-of-network billing, said Laskeys case seems to fall into a weird gray area of the state and federal laws protecting patients from out-of-network charges in emergency situations.

If there had been no contract between Regence and Swedish, the laws clearly would have prohibited those charges. But since there was a contract specifying a 50% coinsurance rate when Swedish was out of network for a particular Regence plan, those laws legally may not apply, Fiedler said.

After he declined to apply for the hospitals financial assistance program, Jacob said Swedish also notified the couple in November that they had two months to pay or be sent to collections.

Natalie Kozimor, a spokesperson for Providence Swedish, said the hospital disagreed with some of the details and characterizations of events presented by the Laskeys, though she did not specify what those were. She said Swedish assisted Danielle with her appeal to Regence.

We had no luck with Swedish taking any role or responsibility with regard to our billing or advocating on our behalf, Jacob said. They basically just referred us to their financial department to put us on a payment plan.

The Resolution: In December, the couple appealed Regences approval of Swedishs out-of-network charges for the 51-day hospitalization, claiming it was an emergency and that there was no in-network hospital with the expertise to treat her condition. They also filed a complaint with the state insurance commissioners office.

The office told KHN that the participating provider contract does not override the laws barring out-of-network charges in emergency situations. Danielle had an emergency and Regence acknowledges it was an emergency, so she cannot be balance-billed, said Stephanie Marquis, public affairs director for the Washington state Office of the Insurance Commissioner.

On Jan. 13, Regence said it would grant the Laskeys appeal to cover the first hospitalization as an in-network service, erasing the biggest part of Swedishs bill but still leaving the family on the hook for the $15,000 bill for Danielles second visit and procedure.

On Jan. 27, two days after KHN contacted Regence and Swedish about Danielle Laskeys case, a Regence representative called and informed her that her second hospitalization also would be reclassified as an in-network service.

Ashley Bach, a Regence spokesperson, confirmed to KHN that both stays now will be covered as emergency, in-network services, eliminating Swedishs coinsurance charges. But in what appears to be contrary to the insurance commissioners stance, he said the bills had not violated state or federal laws prohibiting out-of-network charges in emergency situations because of the contract with Swedish covering all its plans.

Under the Washington state and federal balance-billing laws, the definitions of whether a provider is considered in network hinges on whether there is a contract with a specific provider, Bach said.

The Takeaway: More than a year after the federal surprise-billing law took effect, patients can still get hammered by surprise bills resulting from health plans limited provider networks and ambiguities about what is considered emergency medical care. The loopholes are out there, and patients like Laskey are just discovering them.

Washington state Rep. Marcus Riccelli, chair of the House Health Care and Wellness Committee, said he will ask the states public and private insurers what steps they could take to avoid provider network gaps and out-of-network billing surprises like this. He said he will also review whether there is a loophole in state law that needs to be closed by the legislature.

Fiedler said policymakers need to consider addressing what looks like a major gap in the new laws protecting consumers from surprise bills, since its possible that other insurers across the country have similar contracts with hospitals. Potentially this is a significant loophole, and its not what lawmakers were aiming for, he said.

Congress might have to fix the problem, since the federal agencies that administer the No Surprises Act may not have authority to do anything about it, he added.

Bruce Alexander, a CMS spokesperson, said the Departments of Health & Human Services, Labor, and Treasury are looking into this issue. While the agencies cant predict whether a new rule or guidance will be needed to address it, he said, they remain committed to protecting consumers from surprise medical bills.

In the meantime, patients, even in emergencies, should ask their doctors before a hospital admission whether the hospital is in their plan network, out of network, or (watch for these words) a participating provider.

As the Laskeys discovered, hospital billing departments may offer little help in resolving surprise billing. So, while it is worth contesting questionable charges to the provider, its also usually an option to quickly appeal to your state insurance department or commissioner.

Bill of the Month is a crowdsourced investigation by KHN and NPR that dissects and explains medical bills. Do you have an interesting medical bill you want to share with us? Tell us about it!

KHN (Kaiser Health News) is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues. Together with Policy Analysis and Polling, KHN is one of the three major operating programs at KFF (Kaiser Family Foundation). KFF is an endowed nonprofit organization providing information on health issues to the nation.

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ST. LOUIS  Courtney McKinley caught only a glimpse of the speeding car before it smashed into the side of the SUV he was driving early Sunday.

The next thing he saw was darkness. And he felt the SUV lift into the air and fall to the ground again.

McKinley was one of eight people in the SUV that crashed Sunday night after another vehicle ran a red light in the citys Midtown neighborhood, smashed into McKinleys SUV and sent it careening off an overpass.

Four people, including McKinleys older brother, Corntrail McKinley, 20, of St. Louis, and Bryanna Dentman-Johnson, 18, of Vinita Park, were killed in the crash. Courtney McKinley, 19, and three others were injured and taken to a hospital and listed as critical but stable.

The driver who hit their car fled the scene. Police have not publicly identified any of the four victims who died.

The crash upended the lives of the eight young friends riding together during a night out.

Dentman-Johnson, a senior at KIPP High School in St. Louis, was a fashion enthusiast who was thrilled to graduate and enroll in college.

I miss her just coming to the door and telling me she was home from work, her mother, Stephanie Boyd, 38, said. I keep breaking down in pieces. Just breaking down and crying.

Courtney McKinley, who asked to speak with a reporter from his hospital bed, said he and his brother were inseparable. They graduated from Vashon High School and moved into their own apartment. They both worked as merchandisers at Pespi Co.

We did everything together, McKinley said. We were always together.

Courtney McKinley had borrowed his mothers Chevrolet Tahoe to pick up friends on Sunday. He picked everyone up around 1 a.m. and headed to an ATM before deciding where to go next.

McKinley said he remembers exiting Interstate 64 (Highway 40) onto Forest Park Avenue and passing a green light.

I passed the green light. I saw a little car  I dont remember the color, he said. After I looked, it was just too late. I just saw all black. I felt when the car went up in to the air, when it fell. I felt everything.

The other vehicle, a 2004 Chevrolet Impala, was headed south on South Grand Boulevard and drove into the northbound lanes, around stopped traffic, to run a red light. It smashed into the SUV, which then went through a bridge guardrail and landed on its roof in the westbound lanes of Forest Park.

Courtney McKinley was trapped in the car until he saw a light in the corner. He crawled out, telling his friend to stay calm and to follow him.

He was in the hospital Monday with multiple wounds including a punctured and bruised lung and a fracture to his rib . But he said he wanted to talk to a reporter, primarily because he said he thought first responders took too long to remove his brother and the others trapped in the car.

His sister, Antonette Sutton, 21, shared several videos taken by an onlooker after the crash showing Courtney McKinley and others sitting on the ground while the Tahoe remained flipped on the roof and police were nearby.

Everybody was just watching us, McKinley said. We were on the ground, not getting helped.

Did everything together

Corntrail was the quieter of the two brothers; Courtney was outgoing and social, and he often pulled his brother out of his shell. Sunday was one of those times.

He wouldnt really talk to you otherwise, McKinley said. If you didnt meet him through me, you didnt really know him.

Corntrail was most excited about being a new father. His son, 2, was with Sutton at Courtneys side Monday.

He was a full-time father, McKinley said. He wanted to have more kids. He had plans for his future. He was going to get everything he wanted to.

The McKinley family launched a GoFundMe to help the family pay for burial and medical costs.

The McKinley brothers are a part of a large, close family, Sutton said. They have three older sisters, including Sutton, and three younger brothers.

Sutton said the family wants the driver to turn himself in.

We feel like they should turn themselves in and be responsible for the eight kids that they left to die, Sutton said.

Thoughtful, calm and positive

Dentman-Johnson was friends with the McKinley brothers and another girl who was wounded in the crash, said Boyd, her mother.

Dentman-Johnson worked her way through high school to save money to buy outfits and even designed her own logo she hoped to put on future creations, Boyd said.

She was excited to go to prom and get her dress and all of that, Boyd said. She only needed 1 (class) credits to graduate.

Dentman-Johnson was scheduled to graduate in May and had been accepted into Lindenwood University, Lincoln University, and Harris Stowe State-University, KIPP St. Louis said in a statement. Dentman-Johnson had been a KIPP student since fifth grade and had four younger siblings who also attend KIPP.

The school will award her mother an honorary degree and plans a celebration in her honor.

Bryanna will be remembered for her thoughtful, calm and positive presence, the school said. She always had a smile on her face, loved to express herself through fashion and was a support for her peers.

Dentman-Johnson had been working part-time jobs since she was 14, at different restaurants and at Six Flags, because she liked being independent, Boyd said. She was also saving money for her own car.

She had to have a job, Boyd said. Ever since she knew she could make her money. She was real independent.

I knew that once she got out in the world that she would be OK.

She was kind and almost always in a good mood, Boyd said.

She could never stay mad at anyone, Boyd said. She was a very respectful girl, she always said Yes maam, no maam, all of that. She had a good soul, a good heart.

Dentman-Johnson's family has launched a GoFundMe for burial and memorial costs. Boyd said she, too, hopes police find the hit-and-run driver soon.

At the end of the day, because of all the kids that were involved, they need justice, Boyd said. You fled the scene and without even caring about anybodys well being. Im sure you looked over there and seen the car and knew exactly what happened. But you didnt try to help them or anything. You just ran.

Updated Tuesday with a GoFundMe for the family of Bryanna Dentman-Johnson
JEFFERSON CITY  Students at Central Visual and Performing Arts High School made the trip west to the state Capitol on Tuesday to push for tighter gun laws, recounting the school shooting on their campus in October that left a teacher and student dead.

I should be worried about moving off to college, worrying about what Ill wear to prom, worrying about who Ill give my graduation tickets to  not how to make the voices of the dead heard, said Bryanna Love, a 17-year-old student at the school.

Flanked by about 50 fellow students, Love said loopholes in state law allowed Orlando Harris, the 19-year-old shooter, to possess the gun he used to kill Jean Kuczka, 61, a mother of five who taught health and physical education, and sophomore Alexzandria Bell, 15, who loved art and dance.

Nine days before the shooting, Harris mother asked police for help removing the AR-15-style rifle used in the shooting from Harris, but police said he was legally entitled to carry the gun.

While a third person known to the family took possession of the gun, police said Harris eventually used it in the shooting and authorities did not initially know how Harris regained possession. In the months before the shooting, the shooters family sought mental health care for him.

He struggled with mental illness, he was a danger to himself and others, yet due to legal loopholes, they were unable to ... remove the gun from his possession, Love said.

The students were introduced by Rep. Peter Merideth, a St. Louis Democrat whose legislation would allow police to petition a court for a risk protection order to remove firearms from someone deemed a danger to themselves or others.

Merideth, later speaking on the floor of the House, recounted how his relatives attended the amazing school. His niece is a teacher there.

All of them were forever changed, Merideth said. They are survivors.

Merideth urged lawmakers to take action on laws that could have stopped the shooter from obtaining a firearm.

They dont want more thoughts and prayers. They want action. They dont want silence. They want to be heard, Merideth said.

The GOP-controlled House hasnt shown an interest in taking up the risk protection order bill, or in additional legislation prohibiting the sale of semi-automatic weapons to individuals younger than 21.

House Speaker Dean Plocher, R-Des Peres, has not referred the legislation to a committee, the usual first step for viable proposals.

The House has approved legislation to appoint a special prosecutor for St. Louis violent crimes.

One firearm restriction attached to that legislation would limit shooting off firearms within city limits, in response to concerns over celebratory gunfire in cities.

Another restriction had been attached to the bill, but didnt survive a House committee: a measure that would have prohibited unsupervised minors from possessing guns in public, with an exception for legal hunting, by adding the activity to the list of unlawful possession of a firearm offenses.
UPDATED with baby's full name

OFALLON, Mo.  The basement of the home on Narrowleaf Lane was littered with what authorities say killed an 8-month-old girl:

A fentanyl capsule in her portable crib. Another on the floor, with indentation marks that could be from the babys two teeth. Syringes, some with exposed needles. Cut straws with white powder residue.

And all of it intermingled with baby formula and infant toys on the floor.

OFallon police Detective Drake Nelson alleged in court documents that officers found these and other items last month at the home in the 300 block of Narrowleaf. Police had gone there after the baby, Aaliyah Denson-Shelley, was found unresponsive. Medics revived her, but she died two days later.

St. Charles County prosecutors on Thursday charged her parents, Jordan M. Denson and Valerie M. Shelley, with endangering the welfare of a child, resulting in death.

Their daughter Aaliyah is now the latest and youngest child to die recently in the St. Louis region of a drug overdose. Charges have been filed in the fentanyl deaths of at least six toddlers since 2022 in the area. The previous victims ranged in age from 1 year to 22 months.

Denson, 25, and Shelley, 33, were held in the St. Charles County Jail on Tuesday in lieu of $500,000 cash bail.

The couple, the baby and a 10-year-old child lived in the partially finished basement of a home belonging to the babys grandmother, Shelleys mother, police said. The grandmother could not be reached Tuesday, and the babys aunt told a reporter she had no comment. Shelleys attorney, Patrick Coyne, could not be reached. Denson does not have a lawyer listed in court files.

In addition to child endangerment resulting in death, Denson and Shelley were charged with endangering the welfare of a child, creating substantial risk; felony drug possession; and misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia. Denson, found with a few capsules of fentanyl on him, also faces a second felony drug possession charge.

Police were called to the home about 1 p.m. on Feb. 21 after Denson and Shelley found the 8-month-old limp and unresponsive in her portable Pack n Play-style crib. Police said a fentanyl capsule was found where the pad met the wall of the crib, Nelson said. Her parents told police Aaliyah had been napping in the crib for about an hour before they called 911.

The parents started CPR before police arrived, Nelson said, and medics and police were able to get a heartbeat. Aaliyah was rushed to a nearby hospital, given Narcan to counter the effects of opioids, then flown by helicopter to Cardinal Glennon Childrens Hospital. She died there Feb. 23.

Toxicology testing revealed fentanyl and methamphetamine in her system, Nelson said.

The O'Fallon Police Department released the baby's name to the Post-Dispatch through a Sunshine Law request.

The 10-year-old child in the home was uninjured, but police and prosecutors allege that the drugs presented a danger to the older child too. Both children tested positive for illicit drugs at birth, Nelson said.

A spokesperson for Missouris Department of Social Services cited state law and said the states family services office could not comment on specific child abuse and neglect investigations.

Nelson said Shelley and Denson have convictions for crimes including DWI, drug possession and assault.
ST. LOUIS  St. Louis Police on Tuesday identified all four people killed in a hit-and-run crash early Sunday at the intersection of South Grand Boulevard and Forest Park Avenue.

Anthony Robinson, 19, of Jennings, Richard Boyd, 19, of Sullivan, Bryanna Dentman-Johnson, 18, of Vinita Park, and Corntrail McKinley, 20, of St. Louis, were killed when a vehicle ran a red light in the citys Midtown neighborhood, smashed into the SUV they were in and sent it careening off an overpass.

McKinley's brother, Courtney McKinley, 19, was driving the SUV and was among four others in the vehicle who were seriously hurt.

The driver who struck the SUV fled the scene. Police did not immediately release more details about the crash investigation Tuesday.

Corntrail McKinley is the father of a son, 2, and graduate of Vashon High School who worked as a merchandiser for Pepsi Co. alongside his brother. The McKinley family launched a GoFundMe to help the family pay for burial and medical costs.

Dentman-Johnson, a senior at KIPP High School in St. Louis, was a fashion enthusiast who was thrilled to go to prom, graduate and enroll in college, and eventually launch her own fashion line. Her family has launched a GoFundMe for burial and memorial costs.

Relatives of Boyd and Robinson could not immediately be reached.

Brothers who did everything together, fashionista among victims in fatal St. Louis crash Corntrail McKinley, 20, of St. Louis, and Bryanna Dentman-Johnson, 18, of Vinita Park, and two other friends were killed in the crash. Courtney McKinley, 19, and three others were seriously hurt and hospitalized in critical but stable condition.
JEFFERSON CITY  A Missouri Senate committee on Monday dug into a plan to install a special prosecutor in St. Louis  an idea that has gained momentum since controversy ignited over a downtown car accident that critically injured a visiting teenage athlete, costing her both legs.

Proponents of the legislation say the case underscores why St. Louis needs a special prosecutor: Daniel Riley, the man accused of causing Janae Edmondsons injuries, faces a robbery charge and was out on bond despite having violated it more than 50 times.

But an aide to Circuit Attorney Kimberly M. Gardner on Monday defended the circuit attorneys office, saying Judge Bryan L. Hettenbach refused to revoke bond.

The issue was framed erroneously as her (Gardner) having allowed Daniel Riley to remain out on bond, Redditt Hudson, diversion specialist for Gardner, told the Senate Judiciary and Civil and Criminal Jurisprudence Committee on Monday.

The legislation in question would allow Gov. Mike Parson, a Republican, to appoint a special prosecutor for certain types of violent crimes in St. Louis and other high-crime jurisdictions in the state.

Opponents have described the legislation as a racially motivated attack on the citys first Black elected prosecutor and argue the states relaxed gun laws have fueled high crime.

The hearing ended as opponents accused Republicans of racism as the majority party voted to end the hearing ahead of the Senates scheduled 4 p.m. start as others hoped to testify.

The special prosecutor legislation sailed out of the House on Feb. 9 and could see fast action in the Senate.

It remained to be seen whether a new factor would cause lawmakers to lose enthusiasm for the special prosecutor plan: Gardner, a Democrat, faces a legal proceeding launched by Republican Attorney General Andrew Bailey to remove her from office.

Speaking against the bill for the county prosecutors association, Platte County Prosecuting Attorney Eric Zahnd, a Republican, said the proceeding showed state law already contained a mechanism to hold prosecutors accountable, making the change allowing for a special prosecutor unnecessary.

Gardner did not appear at the committee hearing.

But in an interview Sunday with journalist Roland Martin available on YouTube, Gardner made clear she opposes the legislation, calling it an attempt at voter suppression by Republicans who currently control state government. She also blamed the St. Louis Police Officers Association and the Ethical Society of Police, whose leadership has been sharply critical of her performance in office.

There (are) many individuals who are championing this because, of course, we want to blame the violent crime of the city of St. Louis on the first African American elected prosecutor, which is, as we know, a problem, Gardner said.

She went on to note that the special prosecutor would be put in charge of shootings involving city police officers.

Those cases are also murders. So thats what this is really about, Gardner said. This is about a individual getting into this office, who is controlled by the governor, that will rubber stamp these investigations and justify most of the officer-involved shooting cases, which she said her office needed to review.

This is an attempt for the police union and others who want to continue the status quo to usurp the peoples voice, she said.

The wide-ranging crime bill contains other provisions that have garnered less attention.

Sen. Steven Roberts, D-St. Louis, said the House legislation would allow felons to possess firearms if their crime isnt considered a dangerous felony.

He said second-degree assault, first-degree stalking, first-degree statutory rape if the victim is 12 or older, and voluntary manslaughter arent considered dangerous felonies under Missouri law.

I think that this is a little overbroad, Roberts said.

The House stripped a plan designed to prevent unsupervised juveniles from possessing firearms in public.

Sen. Nick Schroer, R-Defiance, said he might support a change in the Senate addressing unsupervised juveniles with guns.

Schroer said he and colleagues are hoping to thread that needle and fix that issue to give law enforcement the tools to ensure that minors are not walking around with stolen guns that will later be used in crimes.

The legislation is House Bill 301.
ST. LOUIS  About 30 people rallied Tuesday morning outside the Carnahan Courthouse in downtown St. Louis, where they blamed Judge Bryan L. Hettenbach for his role in a robbery case thats ignited a new round of backlash against Circuit Attorney Kimberly M. Gardners office.

What we have here today is a judge who is hiding, smiling, while the circuit attorney of the city of St. Louis is being lynched for the errors in judgment that (Hettenbach) made, said Community Justice Coalition member Walle Amusa. He was the one responsible for not revoking the bond. He is the one responsible for Janae Edmondson losing her legs.

CJC, a group of community leaders advocating for policy reforms to end mass incarceration and the subsequent cycle of poverty, organized Tuesdays rally in support of Gardner.

The citys circuit attorney came under fire last week because the suspect in a downtown St. Louis crash was out on bond for a 2020 robbery case despite violating his bond conditions more 50 times. Daniel Riley is accused of then crashing into pedestrian Janae Edmondson, 17, and pinning her between two cars. Both of her legs were amputated after the crash.

Rileys robbery case had once been set for trial, but prosecutors dismissed and refiled the case. After the crash, a spokesperson for the office erroneously said the case had been dismissed because the victim was dead. The office later said the mistake was due to a computer system error.

Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey filed a lawsuit seeking to remove Gardner from office, citing negligence and mishandling of multiple cases. And Mayor Tishaura O. Jones, a frequent Gardner ally, said the citys top prosecutor had lost the trust of the people.

But on Thursday, supporters said blame was misplaced on Gardners office.

There was a rush, a hysterical rush to blame somebody that they have always wanted to get rid of, Amusa said. Some of our people, including some very good people  Black and white  rushed to judgment.

Zaki Baruti, chair of the CJC coalition, said the group plans to ask Mayor Jones to apologize.

Several CJC members traveled to Jefferson City on Monday for a Senate hearing on a bill that would allow Gov. Mike Parson, a Republican, to appoint a special prosecutor for certain types of violent crimes in St. Louis and other high-crime jurisdictions in the state.

Supporters pointed to an order that said shows a prosecutors request for bond revocation was denied by the court in April.

But no one talked about the receipts, CJC member Willie Boyd said Tuesday. Nobody talks about that? Why? Because they want to spin a false narrative. We are tired of it. Racism exists in St. Louis and in the state of Missouri  and thats a fact.

Redditt Hudson, diversion specialist for Gardner, told the Senate Judiciary and Civil and Criminal Jurisprudence Committee on Monday that the issue was framed erroneously when Gardner was blamed for allowing Riley to remain out on bond.

Kim Gardner has not lost the trust of the community, Baruti said. She is a victim of the most vicious, coordinated attack on an elected official in the history of St. Louis. It is a malicious campaign to malign her name, character and destroy her record of achievement.
ST. LOUIS  A suspected gunman on Tuesday was charged in the fatal shooting of a man in downtown St. Louis one day earlier.

The suspect, 23-year-old Deshawn Thomas, was taken into custody hours after the shooting when he was spotted by an officer on patrol, police said Tuesday. Witnesses told investigators the suspect killed the man after a fight near the Shell gas station in the 700 block of North Tucker Boulevard.

The victim, identified Tuesday afternoon as David Saldana, was found killed on the sidewalk shortly after 10 a.m. Monday in front of The Globe Building near Tucker and Convention Plaza. Police believe Saldana may have been homeless.

Thomas ran from the scene, police said Tuesday. The officer who spotted him called for backup, and police arrested Thomas as he entered the St. Louis Public Library on Olive Street.

He was arrested without incident, and officers said they found a gun and bullet casing on him. He was charged with first-degree murder and armed criminal action.

A bystander video of the killing circulated online Tuesday despite social media companies including Twitter taking down several versions.

The video shows two men standing over Saldana, who is sprawled on a curb on Tucker as vehicles drive by and at least one pedestrian walks past.

One of the men leaves the area while the other struggles to load a gun. The man loading the gun appears to talk briefly on a cell phone, loads the gun and shoots Saldana one time in the head. The video ends with the video narrator saying, He just (expletive) killed him!
Niagara University and Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center are teaming up to offer paid internships at the hospital to Niagara students in virtually any field of study that applies to health care, the university and medical center announced Tuesday.

The new Career Pathways Program aims to address the critical shortage of nurses across the region, but also to provide workforce opportunities for students in other disciplines, including accounting, human resources and marketing.

This is significant because when most people think of health care systems, they think of doctors and nurses, but the breadth of career opportunities is enormous in health care, said Joe Ruffalo, CEO of NFMMC. There are information technology, social work, finance, project management, quality control, revenue cycle management, biomed, food services, just to name a few of the over 200 diverse career opportunities available in a health care system.

Niagara University President Rev. James Maher said the school and the hospital have been teaming up for years on revitalization initiatives for the Niagara Falls area, more recently with an eye to workforce development.

Many nursing students at Niagara already get some of their required clinical experience at the hospital, and the medical center recently began offering mentorships for Niagara students in other disciplines, Maher said.

Last fall, Niagara alum Bill Gacioch and his wife, Nancy, made a $3.5 million gift to the university that will help fund paid internships for students, Maher said. The John R. Oishei Foundation also provided a grant to support Niagaras partnership with the hospital on paid work opportunities there, Maher said.

University and industry partnerships have become a buzzword in higher education as schools competing for a declining pool of students look to offer smoother and more supportive pipelines into jobs and meet the workforce needs of area employers.

The need is especially pressing in nursing, a field that was already experiencing a worker shortage made worse by Covid-19. The stress on nurses, especially in the first year of the pandemic, led many to leave the field or retire early.

Ruffalo said Western New York is projected to experience a 32% shortage of nurses in the next 10 years.

The Pathway Program is not going to solve this problem, but its certainly going to help, he said.

The Niagara University nursing internships began three weeks ago, with seven of eight nursing interns hired so far, said Joann Pelligrino, chief nursing officer at NFMMC. She said the interns have only worked a few days and are so enthusiastic that some are already requesting unpaid volunteer hours to gain more experience.

Christine Verni, dean of Niagara Universitys college of nursing, said that besides getting real-life experience, the nursing students are receiving help preparing for their nursing licensure exam (NCLEX) as well as learning resiliency skills.

Joanns team is providing training or education on topics that are really important for the NCLEX, but also really important for health care systems across the world, Verni said.

Just this week we were watching some simulated scenarios regarding shock, and we noticed some gaps in terms of how students recognized and managed shock, Verni said. We know that health outcomes are poor if nurses cant recognize the signs of shock  so we then have conversations about how Joanns team can upskill the nursing students in this area.

Niagara also just hired a nurse resilience and retention officer to train students to recognize stressors that can lead to nurses making errors, experiencing burnout or leaving the discipline, Verni said.

Pelligrino said the ability to pay student interns to get valuable experience has generated excitement among the interns as well as doctors and nurses who want Niagara interns to put in some work time assisting their teams, which will result in students gaining experience on multidisciplinary teams.

Niagara University nursing student Mackenzie Fassett, who is preparing to graduate and take her licensing exam in May, was the first intern hired under the Pathways Program. She said her experience has been absolutely amazing.

Ive been here for three weeks and Ive been in the ICU and the tele-health floor, and I loved it, she said. I cant wait to come back. And I plan on going basically everywhere in the hospital, but Im really excited for the mental health units, the emergency department and the cardiac center.

Fassett said her clinical experience at Oishei Childrens Hospital in Buffalo and now her internship at Niagara Falls Memorial has made her realize she wants to go into pediatric critical care, maybe in a neonatal ICU.

These programs have helped perfect my skills and prepare for real life, she said. Ive made connections with these hospitals and Im excited and nervous to graduate in May. Im excited to start my real life and to go into nursing and be working for the next 50 years.
The Jackson County Republican Party on Monday ruled a motion to censure Missouri state Rep. Chris Sander out of order.

However, the party is forming a committee to consider potentially censuring the Lone Jack Republican lawmaker in the future, Sander told The Star Monday evening.

I think Im doing the right thing, Sander said. If the party is lagging behind me, I need to be patient. But I have no patience, so I will continue trying to move forward.

The county GOP party was considering censuring Sander, an openly gay Republican state lawmaker, for filing a proposed constitutional amendment that would redefine marriage in the Missouri Constitution from being between a man and a woman to two individuals.

The Star was removed from a live stream of the meeting before it began.

Jackson County GOP Chair Mark Anthony Jones, who also serves as the spokesperson for the party, said in a text to The Star that censuring members was not within the committees purview.

This resolution was dead on arrival, the text said.

Jones, who was first elected party chair in 2014, touts himself as the first openly gay elected Republican county committee chairman in the country, according to his Linkedin profile.

The party considered Sanders censure at a meeting at Tiff N Jays in Lees Summit. The resolution, filed by party committee member Dave Thomas from Grandview, also states that any member of the party could be censured for trying to define marriage as anything other than between a man or a woman.

Marriage is valid as defined only between one man and one woman according to nature and natures God, and this truth is held by us to be self-evident and unalienable, Thomas resolution said in part.

Missouri voters passed a constitutional amendment that barred same-sex marriage in 2004. That amendment was nullified in 2015 when the U.S. Supreme Court overturned statewide bans on same-sex marriage nationwide.

Sanders proposed constitutional amendment would bring Missouri in line with the federal Respect for Marriage Act signed by President Joe Biden late last year which enshrined same-sex and interracial marriage into federal law.

_____

The earlier story, posted at 1:21 p.m. Monday.

JEFFERSON CITY  The Jackson County Republican Party on Monday will vote on a resolution to censure an openly gay Republican state lawmaker for filing a proposed constitutional amendment that would redefine marriage in the Missouri Constitution from being between one man and one woman to two individuals.

The partys censure vote, which is scheduled for 7 p.m. Monday at Tiff N Jays in Lees Summit, targets state Rep. Chris Sander, a Lone Jack Republican. The resolution also states that any member of the party could be censured for trying to define marriage as anything other than between a man or a woman.

Marriage is valid as defined only between one man and one woman according to nature and natures God, and this truth is held by us to be self-evident and unalienable, the partys resolution says in part.

Missouri voters passed a constitutional amendment that barred same-sex marriage in 2004. That amendment was nullified in 2015 when the U.S. Supreme Court overturned statewide bans on same-sex marriage nationwide.

While the county party has no authority to remove Sander from office, the resolution would send a request to House Speaker Dean Plocher, a St. Louis Republican, for an official condemnation or further punishments. Plocher told The Star Monday that he would wait to see what the committee forwards to his office.

Well have to work together as a caucus to reach some sort of conclusion if any action should be warranted, Plocher said.

The resolution was filed by party committee member Dave Thomas from Grandview, according to a copy of the resolution obtained by The Star. Jackson County GOP Chair Mark Anthony Jones, who serves as the spokesperson for the party, did not return a call for comment Monday.

Jones, who was first elected party chair in 2014, touts himself as the first openly gay elected Republican county committee chairman in the country, according to his Linkedin profile.

Sander and LGBTQ advocates have decried the committees censure resolution as homophobic and hateful. Sander told The Star on Monday he has no plans to withdraw his legislation.

I dont believe people should have to leave Missouri in order to be married, he said. The debate needs to be had. If there are people that are hateful towards LGBT people, I think they need to be on record as being hateful. So Im okay with them using me as an example of their hate.

Sanders constitutional amendment would have to be approved by a majority of Missouri voters, in addition to the General Assembly. It was in response to the Respect for Marriage Act signed by President Joe Biden late last year which enshrined same-sex and interracial marriage into federal law.

The federal law received support from members of both parties, including then-Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Missouri).

While federal law enshrines same-sex marriage, the Missouri Constitution still defines marriage as between a man and a woman under the amendment approved by voters in 2004.

It is ridiculous that after all the progress weve made for marriage equality on a federal level, local municipal organizations not only feel empowered to discriminate against LGBTQ+ Missourians but to also uphold that hate by means of religious beliefs, said Katy Erker-Lynch, executive director of PROMO Missouri, an LGBTQ advocacy group.

We are appalled that Rep. Sanders own party, in his own county district, is wrongfully targeting him for simply trying to uphold federal law and enshrine those protections to love and marry who you love within our states constitution. It is a clear sign that openly gay Republican legislators and LGBTQ+ members of the Republican party are not celebrated in their unions or free to love who they love in Jackson County.
JEFFERSON CITY  A House panel Tuesday moved to expand Medicaid coverage for low-income mothers and their babies without Senate language that could otherwise endanger federal approval of the long-sought extension.

A week after the Senate approved a plan to offer health insurance coverage to moms and babies for 12 months after a pregnancy, the House Emerging Issues Committee voted unanimously to forward their version of the bill to the full House.

The key difference in the two is the lack of provisions that would bar women who have abortions from receiving the extended benefits.

That language was added in the Senate but is viewed as a poison pill because it could be rejected by the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

We did not add any of the Senate language, said Rep. Bill Hardwick, R-Waynesville, who chairs the committee.

Im really hopeful we can keep it that way, added Rep. Ashley Aune, D-Kansas City.

The measure, sponsored by Rep. Bishop Davidson, R-Republic, 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.

But in the Senate, conservatives including 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 last week prohibiting postpartum benefits if a women has an abortion.

That left Senate leaders on both sides of the aisle hoping the House could send the upper chamber a so-called clean version, devoid of the abortion wording, that will pass muster with federal regulators.

In a December 2021 memo from CMS, federal regulators say the extension should be given to mothers regardless of any changes in circumstances, suggesting the agency would reject abortion-related provisions in a states application.

Aune said the bill heading to the full House could culminate years of bipartisan efforts to extend the benefits period.

There is a clear bipartisan push to make life easier for new mothers, Aune said following the House committee vote.

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.

The legislation is House Bill 354.
KIRKWOOD  The Rev. Matthew Harrison, the longtime leader of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, which has about 6,000 congregations nationwide, is used to taking heat.

But he said reaction to a new book that helps pastors and other serious Lutherans interpret their beliefs in a modern era has a special place in his tenure.

Of all the things Ive seen as LCMS president, this is the most bizarre, he said last week in a prepared statement. I am informed that other conservative denominations are experiencing similar challenges.

Harrison said alt-right individuals leveled scandalous attacks and widespread falsehoods online in response to Luthers Large Catechism with Annotations and Contemporary Applications, a 734-page text recently released by Concordia Publishing House in St. Louis.

The book includes Martin Luthers original catechism from the 1500s and several new essays that explore faith in the context of many issues of the day, including race, homosexuality and culture. In response, contributors and others involved with the project were attacked via social media.

They are causing local disruption and consternation for their pastors, congregations and district presidents, Harrison said. They have publicly stated that they seek the destruction of the LCMS leadership. They have made serious online threats to individuals and scandalously attacked several faithful LCMS members.

He didnt specifically name the attackers.

Im talking about a small number of men who based their opposition upon racist and supremacist ideologies, he said, adding that the Kirkwood-based LCMS and its leaders categorically reject the horrible and racist teachings of the so-called alt-right.

Earlier in February, Harrison announced that hed asked Concordia Publishing House to pause distribution of the book out of an abundance of caution in response to an online disturbance over content.

I have had time to re-evaluate the controverted sentences and found that while some things might have been expressed more clearly, nevertheless, there is nothing in the content of the volume promoting critical race theory (CRT), confusion of sexuality issues, or any theological position at odds with biblical and confessional Lutheranism, Harrison said in the earlier statement.

Harrison, who wrote the forward to the book, has served as president of the LCMS since 2010. He is up for reelection this year.
GENEVA  Russias full-scale invasion of Ukraine has triggered the most massive violations of human rights in the world today, the head of the United Nations said Monday, as the war pushed into its second year with no end in sight and tens of thousands dead.

The Russian invasion has unleashed widespread death, destruction and displacement, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in a speech to the U.N.-backed Human Rights Council in Geneva.

After failing to capture Kyiv in the opening weeks of the invasion on Feb. 24 last year and suffering a series of humiliating setbacks during the fall, Russia has stabilized the front and is concentrating its efforts on capturing four provinces that Moscow illegally annexed in September  Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk, and Zaporizhzhia. Ukraine, meanwhile, hopes to use battle tanks and other new weapons pledged by the West to launch new counteroffensives and reclaim more of the occupied territory.

Guterres said attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure have caused many casualties and terrible suffering.

The intense fighting for territory in eastern Ukraine was in sharp focus Sunday at a Ukrainian field hospital treating wounded from the intense battle for the city of Bakhmut, which is devastated. A constant flow of battered and exhausted soldiers came in on stretchers.

Anatoliy, the chief of the medical service, said his team treats dozens of soldiers every day and barely has time to eat.

My medics work practically non-stop. Before the full-scale invasion we had 50-60 wounded in a nine-month rotation, and now sometimes we have more (than that) in one day, he told The Associated Press. He provided only one name for security reasons.

Guterres' remarks came as the Ukrainian military said that Russia launched attacks with exploding drones on several regions of the country from late Sunday until Monday morning, killing two people.

Meanwhile, Belarusian opposition activists claimed a military air base outside Belarusias capital that hosts Russian warplanes came under attack Sunday by Belarusian guerrillas.

BYPOL, an online messaging app channel run by the activists, and several other online resources operated by the Belarusian opposition, said an A-50 early warning and control aircraft was seriously damaged in the attack at the Machulishchy base near Minsk.

The activists provided no evidence to support the claims, which couldnt be independently verified. Belarusian and Russian officials made no comment, but Belarusia's President Alexander Lukashenko urged top military and security officials on Monday to tighten discipline.

Russia used the territory of its ally Belarus to invade Ukraine a year ago. Belarus continues to host Russian troops, warplanes and other weapons.

Guterres, in his Geneva speech, cited cases of sexual violence, enforced disappearances, arbitrary detention and violations of the rights of prisoners of war documented by the U.N. human rights office.

He decried how the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, now 75 years old, has been too often misused and abused.

It is exploited for political gain and it is ignored, often, by the very same people, Guterres said. Some governments chip away at it. Others use a wrecking ball.

This is a moment to stand on the right side of history, he told the council, the U.N.s top human rights body. Russia withdrew from its seat last year amid a surge in international pressure over the war in Ukraine.

Dozens of high-level envoys at the Geneva meeting  many from Western countries  lashed out at Russia over its conduct of the war. At the simultaneous Conference on Disarmament, another U.N.-backed body, delegates criticized Putins decision to suspend Russias participation in the New START agreement with the United States, the last nuclear arms control agreement between Moscow and Washington.

Russia was not represented at the council, and its top envoy to the session wasnt expected to speak until Thursday.

Russian officials have shown little sign they may be reconsidering their attack on their neighbor, however.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Monday: We arent seeing any conditions for a peaceful settlement now.

Dmitry Medvedev, the deputy head of Russias Security Council that is chaired by President Vladimir Putin, went a step further, once again raising the specter of nuclear war and a nightmare outcome to Europes biggest and deadliest conflict since World War II.

He chided the U.S. and its allies for providing Ukraine with military and other support to help push back the Kremlins forces. Their longer-term aim, he claimed, is to break up Russia.

Putin has also framed the war in those terms, saying it's an existential risk to Russia.

In the Sunday-Monday attacks, Ukraines General Staff said Kyiv's forces shot down 11 out of 14 Iranian-made Shahed drones.

Ukraines presidential office said Monday that at least two civilians were killed and nine others wounded by Russian attacks over the previous 24 hours.

It said intense fighting has continued around Bakhmut, Avdiivka and Vuhledar in the Donetsk region, which have come under relentless Russian shelling.

Ukrainian military analyst Oleh Zhdanov said the Russian offensive aimed at securing control of eastern Ukraine has effectively become bogged down while losing huge numbers of weapons and ammunition.

Meanwhile, U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said Monday her first visit to Ukraine underscored Washington's commitment to continuing its economic support for the country, as the din of air raid sirens echoed across the Ukrainian capital.

Yellen said following talks with Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal that the US has provided nearly $50 billion in security, economic and humanitarian assistance and announced another multibillion dollar package to boost the country's economy.

Shmyhal offered thanks to the U.S. for its support and hailed Yellen as a "friend of Ukraine.

5 ways war in Ukraine has changed the world 1. The return of European war 2. Alliances tested and toughened 3. A new Iron Curtain 4. A battered and reshaped economy 5. A new age of uncertainty
RUNNING SPRINGS, Calif.  Jennifer Cobb and her husband planned to stay four days in their vacation rental in Southern California's San Bernardino Mountains. But that stretched into a week as they were trapped by a relentless storms that piled snow so high, they can barely see out the windows.

When they try to shovel themselves out, it just snows again. They're thinking of walking to a main road to see if they can hitch a ride down the mountain, so they can get home to their teenage daughter and Cobb's elderly father in San Diego County.

"We hear the phantom sounds of plows, but they never come," said Cobb, 49. "Being stuck up here in this beautiful place shouldn't be awful, but it is."

Cobb and other beleaguered Californians weathered yet another storm Tuesday, as blizzard warnings blanketed the Sierra Nevada range in the northern half of the state, more snow was on its way to the southern mountains including the San Bernardino range, and forecasters warned that travel was dangerous.

On the eastern flank of the Sierra, the Mono County Sheriff's Office bluntly tweeted: "The roads are closed. All of them. There is no alternate route, back way, or secret route. It's a blizzard, people."

San Bernardino County declared a state of emergency, with mountain residents trapped in their homes and motorists stranded. More snow was expected in many communities where residents, unable to drive through deep snow on roads that were closed anyway, largely got around on foot.

The latest storm in California was one of two bookending the country, with snow closing or delaying the opening for hundreds of schools in the Northeast, which saw the most significant snowfall Tuesday of what has been a mild winter.

In the Northeast, parts of Connecticut, New York, Massachusetts, New Jersey and Rhode Island had heavy snow forecast through Tuesday afternoon. Some areas of western Massachusetts and northern Connecticut got about 7 inches. The Albany, New York, area saw less snow than expected  2 to 5 inches  but it was enough to close schools.

Michigan again fought a battle with ice after a storm Monday left thousands of customers without power in the central part of the state. To the southeast, around Detroit, some customers still lacked power for a sixth day after a prior storm.

The storms have delayed travel, shuttered schools and overwhelmed crews trying to dig out of the snow and repair downed power lines. Nationwide, there were about 500 commercial flight cancellations and more than 3,000 delays as of Tuesday afternoon, according to FlightAware.com.

In the West, the weather was expected to last into Wednesday, with winter storm warnings stretching from the Oregon coast to many of Southern California's already-snow-laden mountains.

In the San Bernardino mountain community of Running Springs, the town is covered in snow with some mounds more than 6 feet tall. Some residents walked to a grocery store to stock up on food and carried back the bags atop a plastic sled.

In nearby Crestline, Michael Johnstone said his family's grocery store was running low on key inventory even though it stocked up before the storm.

"We're completely out of bread. Milk is getting really light. We're almost completely out of produce," said Johnstone, of Goodwin and Sons Market. "Beer  domestic beer  is really, really low."

Authorities were escorting two full grocery trucks up to the mountain community, Johnstone said  just in time for the new storm to add as much as a foot of snow.

Johnstone said many of the store's employees couldn't make it to work, so he has been using a plow truck to shuttle them. Most customers were coming in on foot.

Christian Vinceneux, 60, is among them. He made it to Goodwin's on foot but the shelves were bare of bread and had minimal produce. Still, he felt lucky he was close enough to get there in a 15-minute walk.

"There have been people posting online where they're running out of groceries because they live in a part of town that's too far to walk to the grocery store," he said. "We haven't had any snow plows  It's going to take a while before we can all get out."

For California's skiiers and snowboarders, the storms were too much of a good thing. Most resorts around Lake Tahoe suspended operations Tuesday. Big Bear Mountain Resort opened but all roads leading there were closed. Mount Baldy Resort on the massive peak that looms over greater Los Angeles opened but also anticipated an early closure.

However, California's Sierra snowpack, which provides about a third of the water supply for a state grappling with years of drought, continued to benefit from the back-to-back dumps of heavy snowfall. The water content of the snowpack Tuesday was 186% of normal to date and 162% of the average on April 1, when it is historically at its peak, according to the state Department of Water Resources' online data.
The list of victims of the sanctioned lawlessness in St. Louis is increasing. The downtown tragedy that took place on Feb. 18 tops the ever-growing list of the losses associated with the utter disorder taking place in our city. The progressive criminal justice policies are failing the very communities they are trying to help. Unless residents and voters wake up to that, the list of losses will only increase.

Janae Edmondson and her family obviously suffered the greatest loss. The 17- year-old volleyball player not only lost both her legs but also life as she knew it. She and her family are also most likely to grieve the loss of the future they dreamed for her.

Beyond the physical and emotional losses suffered by Edmondson and others, the region has been experiencing myriad other casualties. The lack of law and order within the city limits creates other losses as well. The city is likely to see fewer visitors, conventions or sporting events. Expect an ongoing, declining population and an inhospitable business climate. Perhaps more importantly is the damage to St. Louis reputation and the destruction of confidence and trust in the relationship between the citys guardians and its citizens. This will take years to rebuild, if it ever happens.

Speaking of costs of crime, St. Louis was named by Forbes magazine in 2022 as the most dangerous city in America. Already this year, it has the dubious distinction for the highest per-capita crime cost in the nation: $8,457.

The progressive leaders of St. Louis have failed to take any accountability in the role they have played in the chaos within the boundaries of Mound City. Progressive Circuit Attorney Kimberly M. Gardner disregards her duties to protect her community. Gardners neglect for the rule of law has allowed criminals back on our streets. Daniel Riley, the driver of the car that caused the crash resulting in the amputation of Janae Edmondsons legs, should have never been able to skip bond 51 times and get behind the wheel of a car. Mayor Tishaura Jones policies thwart police from enforcing traffic laws.

These soft-on-crime progressive administrations embolden criminals. What seems to be missing from the current conversation is the acknowledgement that the toll falls primarily on the very population that the progressive leaders say they are trying to help.

In his book Criminal (In)Justice, Rafael A. Manguel writes that he wanted to establish that perhaps the biggest risk associated with mass decarceration and depolicing programs  an increase in serious crime  will be disproportionately borne by those already absorbing the lions share of Americas existing violent crime problem, which has gotten significantly worse in many of the countrys already-troubled urban enclaves since 2015.

The defund-the-police movement is neither popular nor viewed as particularly effective by Americans. In a USA Today-Ipsos poll, only 18% of respondents supported the defund movement, and 58% opposed it. Though white Americans (67%) and Republicans (84%) were much more likely to oppose the movement, only 28% of Black Americans and 34% of Democrats were in favor of it. In a 2022 Politico-Morning Consult poll, 75% of surveyed Americans said that the defunding of police departments is a reason that violent crime is increasing in the United States. For 49% of those polled, defunding police was regarded as a major reason for the rise in violent crime, while 26% said it was a minor reason. Only 25% said it was not a reason.

The problem and a portion of the responsibility lies with voters. Gardner was elected in 2016 and easily won reelection in 2020, beating her opponent by nearly 50 points. Rep. Cori Bush, D-St. Louis, also won her reelection in 2022, also by nearly 50 points. Defund-the-police was a major platform of Bushs campaign.

There is also a disconnect between factions of the Democratic Party. In his 2022 State of the Union address, President Joe Biden told the country: Lets not abandon our streets. Or choose between safety and equal justice. We should all agree: The answer is not to defund the police. The answer is to fund the police. Fund them with resources and training they need to protect our communities.

One can admit, just as the president did, that there is and has been systemic racism within the criminal justice system while at the same time acknowledge that the progressive campaign of depolicing and decarceration is not the answer.

The citizens and voters of St. Louis need to wake up and realize that these losses are widespread and growing, and their progressive leaders are not delivering safety to them.

Lynn Schmidt is a Post-Dispatch columnist and Editorial Board member. lynnschmidtrn@outlook.com On Twitter: @lynnschmidtrn
Missouris Sunshine Law is hardly rocket science: Meetings and records in which the publics business is discussed are supposed to be open to the public. So what did St. Louis County Council Chair Shalonda Webb propose as the first substantive order of business during a special session called Saturday specifically to discuss the open-meetings law? To shut out the public and go into executive session, of course.

The worst part of the story is that Webb didnt apparently see the irony. Luckily, other members did. They refused to go into closed session, which prompted Webb to filibuster in protest, which prompted enough members to walk out that there was no longer a quorum. And thats how a meeting to discuss the open-meetings law morphed into no meeting at all.

The fact that a council session collapsed in disarray over the issue of public access should speak volumes to St. Louis County voters about the way their elected government functions. It functions through dysfunction, exactly as it has for the past several years. It should outrage everyone, regardless of political affiliation, that a simple Sunshine Law familiarization session would lead to a standoff.

Webbs justification was that the council needed to hear from the countys attorney, Maggie Brueggemann. The Sunshine Law does, in fact, allow for meetings to be closed to the public when legal issues need to be discussed with government legal counsel. But that provision is specifically limited to pending or active litigation.

Dont take our word for it. Heres what the actual law says: A public governmental body is authorized to close meetings, records and votes, to the extent they relate to the following: Legal actions, causes of action or litigation involving a public governmental body and any confidential or privileged communications between a public governmental body or its representatives and its attorneys.

Despite Brueggemanns recommendation to close the meeting, members voted against it, to their credit. As the Post-Dispatchs Kelsey Landis reported, the majoritys refusal apparently upset Webb, who then filibustered by reading out loud from an 80-page booklet by the state Attorney Generals office explaining the Sunshine Law.

Lisa Clancy, a council Democrat, left the meeting. Republican Ernie Trakas tried to interrupt, saying, All of us are capable of reading the book ourselves. I see no point in taking up valuable time.

Webb wouldnt be swayed. Another Republican, Mark Harder, tried to interrupt after about 20 minutes of this performance, but Webb ignored him. Harder left.

It remains unclear why Webb so badly wanted to conduct the publics business behind closed doors or why she behaved the way she did. For the general public, the big question should be: If this is how the top member of the council behaves in public, how does she behave when the public isnt allowed to watch?
How convenient that presidential hopeful Nikki Haleys proposed mental-competency test for politicians would kick in at age 75  just below the age of her only other announced Republican opponent, former President Donald Trump, and a few years below incumbent Democrat Joe Biden. Since the Constitution already specifies age criteria for federal elective office (minimum of 25 years for the House, 30 years for the Senate and 35 years for the presidency, but with no upper limit for any of them), Haleys idea presumably couldnt go into effect without a constitutional amendment.

In any case, the transparently self-serving proposal by Haley, 51, reportedly has already backfired with older Republican voters, a key block in the GOP. If this is an example of her political instincts on the national stage, she shouldnt expect to last long.

Still, Haley has raised an issue that voters in both parties may soon have to confront.

Biden, 80, is already the oldest president in U.S. history. If, as expected, he runs for reelection, he would be 86 by the end of a hypothetical second term. While there has been no medical prognosis indicating loss of cognitive ability, no one who watches Bidens speeches today could honestly deny his age is already taking a toll. And Trumps erratic behavior seems only to be getting worse with age.

Theres much to be said for the benefits of experience, but it does seem odd that the ages of so many in the nations political power structure are double or more the nations median age (38, according to the census). More than one-sixth of the U.S. Senate is 75 or older. The oldest, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-California, 89, plans to retire in January 2025. The second-oldest, Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, also 89, has filed for reelection in 2028.

Were certainly not siding with CNN morning host Don Lemon, 56, who took a brief hiatus recently after opining that Haleys idea made no sense because shes in her 50s and a woman is considered to be in her prime in her 20s, 30s and maybe her 40s. His female cohosts looked on in astonishment.

On the other hand, America is currently under the yoke of a radical-right Supreme Court in part because octogenarian Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg refused demands from fellow liberals to retire during Barack Obamas presidency so he could appoint her replacement, then died during Trumps presidency. Her ill-timed death and replacement by a conservative also served as the death knell for abortion rights.

As for Trump, 76, we would argue that demonstrable concerns about his psychological stability and temperament long predate any concerns about his age  but he, too, will have crossed into his 80s by the end of the next presidential term. And its not like those additional years are going to make him more fit for office.
Loath as we are to grant attention to reprehensible Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, the latest head-spinning pronouncement from the Georgia Republican demands discussion  if only for what it says about the House speaker who empowered her after rescuing her from irrelevance. Greene says red states and blue states need a national divorce. In red states, she suggests, only tax payers would be allowed to vote, effectively disenfranchising millions of lower-income Americans. She would also prevent people who move from blue states to red states from voting for five years, presumably to clear their minds of blue-state ideas.

Thus Greene says the quiet part out loud: Todays political right is hostile to the very concept of free and open elections and is itching to control them. She also confirms that House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, political hostage that he is, has elevated an anti-constitutional, anti-democracy, un-American crank to a position of significant and dangerous national influence.

Greene, of course, is the QAnon-coddling conspiracy theorist and white-nationalist sympathizer who once posited that California wildfires were caused by a space-based laser controlled by Jewish investors. She also voiced support for violence against Democrats, prompting her removal from committees when Democrats controlled the House.

When the new Republican majority took power January, and McCarthy struggled to win the speakership against a cabal of hard-right Republicans who wanted someone else, Greene stuck with him. She has since become a kind of ambassador between the right-wing ideological fringe and McCarthy, whose only ideology is self-preservation. He has rewarded her with assignments to key committees like Oversight and Homeland Security  platforms from which she could do serious damage with her often-verbalized hatred of any Americans who dont share her views.

That hatred was on full display in a tweet last week declaring, We need a national divorce. We need to separate by red states and blue states.  From the sick and disgusting woke culture issues shoved down our throats to the Democrats traitorous America Last policies, we are done.

Following up in several interviews, she said red states should limit voting to people who make enough money to pay taxes  perhaps hitting closer to home about the GOPs true priorities than some in the party would like. As for liberals who stray from their blue-state reservations: Once they move to a red state, guess what, maybe you dont get to vote for five years.

Its no surprise that Greene is ignorant of the Constitution she swore to uphold, in addition to being viciously dismissive of the voting rights of anyone with whom she disagrees. She is, after all, quite possibly the single most ideologically repugnant sitting member of Congress.

But shes not the most craven. That distinction goes to a House speaker who, in his desperate bid for power, elevates an extremist who openly fantasizes about tearing America apart.
A 25-year-old Hamburg man was ticketed after he lost control of his vehicle and smashed into a State Police SUV late Monday, injuring the trooper who was seated inside, State Police said Tuesday morning.

The crash happened about 7:30 p.m. after State Police had responded to a disabled vehicle on the westbound Thruway, in Newstead, between exits 48A and 49.

Trooper Kevin R. Jobity of the Troop T Buffalo barracks was parked behind that vehicle, on the left shoulder, with the emergency lights activated on his SUV, State Police reported.

That's when, troopers said, Quinten P. Simet approached, at a speed too fast for the conditions, left the road and hit Jobity's patrol vehicle from behind.

Photos provided by State Police show the trooper's SUV sustained minor rear-end damage but Simet's vehicle was heavily damaged, with the front hood lifted and bent in half and the grill pushed into the engine area.

Jobity was taken to Erie County Medical Center, where he was treated for his injuries and released. Simet, who was uninjured, was given several traffic tickets.
Its been a year since Russia invaded Ukraine and the Ukrainians are seen as the unexpected victor against the theoretically more powerful Russians. The Russian effort was poorly planned and carried out by poorly trained and often reluctant Russian troops. The Ukrainians were prepared and determined to defend their independence. This was the largest war Russia has been involved in since 1945 and Russian commanders and troops were not ready for what they faced in Ukraine. Its common for Russian forces to perform poorly in the early stages of a war, especially when they are the attacker. The Russian government thought they had solved all these problems. That was not the case and in some respects Russian reform efforts made matter worse

From the start of the invasion the Russians under-performed. Initially this was seen as the Ukrainians getting lucky. After a few weeks it was clear that Russian and Ukrainian forces were using very different tactics. The Ukrainians have been winning from the beginning by using better tactics and having better leadership in general. These differences 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 Russians overly dispersed their attacks and the Ukrainians were far more prepared than the invaders. Ukrainian war preparations were no secret and Russian intel (FSB and GRU) had lots of people inside Ukraine observing and reporting back to Russia. These reports were accurate but, by the time they reached senior leaders, especially Vladimir Putin, they had been modified to tell Putin what he wanted to hear. Putin believed the Ukrainians were incapable of organizing an effective resistance against his planned massive land and air attack that would paralyze and demoralize them. Russia expected to 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 being retired or reported as a victim of a fatal accident.

Russia had a hard time accepting the fact that the Ukrainians were better trained, armed and led. To an outside observer Russia has two major problems with their armed forces. The most obvious one is continued use of outdated (pre-1991) Soviet-style planning and command techniques. Plans are still 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. During World War II German dictator Hitler often ordered troops to not retreat and that is one of the reasons for this Russian military style. Many major Russian World War II victories were due to frequent German stand fast orders. This did not work against the more flexible Ukrainians, who were using planning methods and tactics developed in the West during the last century and tested and found effective many times during and after World War II. The standard Russian tactics dont work against a more flexible defender and the Ukrainians were yet another demonstration of that.

Another Russian problem is a lot more corruption than in Ukraine. This makes it difficult for Russia 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 common. Those who dont desert face almost certain death or injury making suicidal frontal attacks on well prepared and determined Ukrainian defenders. In response to this the Russian plan is to keep the war going for as long as it takes to 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 this is what Russians have done in the past. Currently most Russians still support the war. At the same time there are also a growing number of Russians trying to get out of Russia to avoid military service or staying and subverting or sabotaging the war effort.

Russia is trying to produce some victories, no matter how minor, by carrying out dozens of small offensive operations. Some of these do gain minor amounts of territory and are declared as great victories even though they usually have no value at all and were gained at the cost of thousands of Russian casualties.

Captured documents indicate Russia has developed a new solution to the problems revealed a year ago when the BTG (Battalion Task Group) system that Russia expanded since the 1980s was a major failure in combat. The new combined arms units contain fewer than a hundred troops and about a dozen tanks and other armored vehicles. The BTGs had as many as 800 troops and Russian officers (there are few NCOs) were unable to handle the many different weapons and other systems found in a BTG. The new, smaller task groups are more the size of an infantry company and could be called CTGs (Company Task Groups). As simplified as they are, the key problem is the lack of small unit officers in general and combat experienced officers in particular.

The BTG concept was based on the success Western armies had with task forces. The Russian BTGs missed that point that a successful task force required trained, and preferably combat experienced officers and NCOs to work. Russia didnt have sufficient small unit leaders for the 170 BTGs they had before the invasion and lost a lot of combat officers in the first months of the Ukraine war. It is believed that Russia will form far fewer CTGs and use only as many as it can find competent junior officers who are able to command them in combat. In Ukraine Russia sought to replace heavy losses of junior combat officers by offering competent soldiers officer rank and command of small units. Historically, officers given battlefield promotions to officer rank are not reluctant to point out problems to their superiors. This apparently led to the CTGs. Russia is desperate for some battlefield victories, no matter how small and the few CTGs in action so far seem capable of delivering some wins.

Before the invasion the BTGs became the standard for Russian divisions, which now consisted of two or three brigades. Each of these usually had just two BTGs. The division had fewer support units because most of these troops were now assigned to BTGs or brigades. BTG combat elements consisted of one tank company, two or three infantry companies and one or two batteries of artillery. These contained contract (volunteer) troops while most of the rest of the BTG depended on conscripts. The conscripts had several shortcomings. They could not be used in a combat zone outside Russia. The Conscript's term of service was only one year and they were not as well trained or trained at all compared to the contract troops. Many newly formed BTGs were sent to the Ukrainian border in late 2021 to threaten Ukraine and if that did not work, to invade. Most of the troops in BTGs were not aware of the invasion option.

The flaw in the BTGs was not obvious until they encountered well-armed and motivated opponents. That happened soon after they crossed the border into Ukraine. The leadership in these BTGs could not handle the complex composition of BTGs. Senior Russian leaders knew this from the performance of BTG leaders during military exercises. This was not a surprise as the quality of officers had declined in the last decade and there were still not enough experienced NCOs.

The lack of competent leadership meant the troops in the BTGs were poorly used during combat and troops increasingly abandoned their vehicles and fled if they encountered Ukrainian troops, who concentrated on hitting the very vulnerable tanks and light armored vehicles. BTG commanders failed to carry out effective reconnaissance or get the infantry out of their armored vehicles and protect their tanks from Ukrainian infantry armed with modern Western anti-tank weapons. Worse, the Ukrainians concentrated on attacking the BTG supply trucks and vehicles transporting maintenance personnel. The Ukrainian attacks on these trucks meant that the combat units could not refuel and had to stop before they reached their objectives. The Ukrainians now had stationary Russian armored vehicles to attack. The few competent or determined BTG officers were soon killed as they tried to get their troops to put up an effective fight. These young officers had no experience and many had little or no training for combat. An example was a weather officer forced to serve as an armored reconnaissance officer. Senior Russian officers (colonels and generals) who did have experience were under tremendous pressure from their military and political commanders to get the problem fixed. Many went to the front line BTGs to show the junior officers how it was done, often by example. Many of these senior officers were killed or wounded. This further weakened the leadership of the brigades and divisions that went into Ukraine dependent on their BTGs.

It remains to be seen if the CTGs can be turned into a success. The BTGs were a major embarrassment; the CTGs appear more the result of practical necessity than damage control by embarrassed Russian generals. Ukraine is the first major war Russia has fought since World War II and after two years of heavy losses in 1942-2, the surviving Russian officers and troops had become practical and effective in how they fought, and eventually defeated the Germans. In Ukraine the Russians are the invaders and the Ukrainian defenders have been far more innovative and effective at defending themselves and killing Russians. For Russia, this is not World War II and the Russians are the bad guys in Ukraine.

Ammunition Supply Problems

Russia is also running out of ammunition and weapons because its defense industries are not large enough to build the needed replacements. Economic sanctions also limit defense production and war-related spending in general. Few countries were willing to sell to Russia. The solution was to find countries willing to barter instead. Russia found two suppliers. Iran offered Russian ammunition as well as more UAVs. Iran manufactures a wide range of artillery and infantry weapon ammunition, and some UAVs. Many of the Iranian made mortars, assault rifles and machine-guns are compatible with Russian weapons. In return Iran wanted modern Russian military aircraft, including recent jet trainers and electronic warfare systems. Russia is apparently reluctant to provide Iran with assistance in developing nuclear weapons. North Korea was willing to provide artillery munitions in return for food and fuel.

Atrocity Blues

Another cost of the war for Russia is legal and international. Ukraine has assembled a large quantity of evidence, including recorded cell phone conversions, captured cellphones and testimony from Russian prisoners as part of an effort to bring charges of war crimes against Russian troops in Ukraine, especially those in Russian occupied territory. There the Russians have been particularly brutal against Ukrainian civilians who refuse to accept Russian rule. Food and access to utilities (electricity and water) is limited for those who refuse to accept Russian identification documents or use Russian currency.

Russia continues to send kidnapped Ukrainian children to Russia where they are adopted by Russian couples and raised as Russian. Details of these war crimes have been smuggled out or Russian occupied territory and formal war crimes charges have been brought for more 65,000 separate incidents including mass murder, deliberate attacks on civilians, rape and kidnapping. Many of these continue to occur in Ukrainian territory or were discovered when the Russians are driven out of Ukrainian territory. Many of these crimes have no Ukrainian witnesses, just a lot of dead bodies. Ukraine is accused of killing Russian troops seeking to surrender and sometimes firing artillery shells at civilian occupied areas. Russia is way ahead of Ukraine when it comes to bad behavior in or out of combat.

February 27, 2023: Russia continues to face problems with its neighbor and sometimes ally Belarus. Efforts to persuade Belarus to join Russian forces inside Ukraine continue to be turned down. The main obstacle to that happening is that Russia wants to annex Belarus as well as Ukraine. This was confirmed recently when a classified Russian document describing how Russia planned to absorb Belarus without a war. This was not news. Before 2022, Belarus was seen as the next former Soviet territory to be annexed by Russia. The response of Ukrainians to the Russian invasion changed attitudes towards annexation of Belorussia. This is despite the fact that the longtime (27 years so far) Belarus president-for-life Alexander Lukashenko has ruled Belarus as a loyal ally of Russia. That has not helped the Belarussian economy or improved the lives of Belarus voters. A new post-Soviet Union generation of voters has seen how life is better in democracies, especially other former victims of Russian rule like neighboring Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, and Ukraine. They blame Lukashenko for the poverty and mismanaged economy in Belarus, as well as an incompetent response to covid19. Since 2020 Lukashenko has faced growing popular protest against government incompetence and decades of rigged elections, corrupt rule, and inability to do much of anything effectively. Since the late 1990s Lukashenko has won reelection with 80-90 percent of the vote in visibly fraudulent elections. Lukashenko is a Soviet era official, who runs Belarus using the Soviet Union as a model. Belarus is a police state, where elections, and everything else, is manipulated to keep the same politicians in power. It's a tricky business, but so far Lukashenko has kept the security forces up to snuff, and on his side. He bribes or bullies key officials to keep the country running. Lukashenko has maintained good relations with Russia, getting him cheap fuel supplies and other aid. Belarus is small (9.5 million people) compared to neighbors Russia (146 million) and Ukraine (42 million) and Russia wants to absorb Belarus and Ukraine to rebuild the centuries old Russian empire that the czars created and the communists lost. Lukashenko, like most Belarussians, opposes annexation by Russia. So far Russia is not actively seeking to annex Belarus or send in security forces to help suppress what has turned into a rebellion against Lukashenko. Lukashenko is becoming more of a liability for Russia but is currently still a favored ally. Russia would like to be rid of Lukashenko but there is no one in Belarus with his skills, experience and pro-Russia attitude. Russia has created a major problem for itself in Belarus. Not as bad as the mess in Ukraine, but still another setback in the Russian effort to rebuild the Soviet-era Russian empire. Lukashenko noted what happened to pro-Russia Ukrainian politicians after the Russians invaded and most Ukrainians joined or supported the fight against Russian domination and any pro-Russia Ukrainians. Currently Lukashenko is on his way to China for a three day official (state) visit that will involve discussions with China about helping Belarus retain its independence from Russia, even if that means becoming dependent on China.

February 26, 2023: The Ukrainian economy shrank by over 30 percent in 2022 and deliberate Russian attacks on the Ukrainian economy mean post-war reconstruction will cost between $140 billion and one trillion dollars. Emergency rebuilding efforts for essential services (medical and utilities) are being paid for by a few billion dollars in emergency economic aid.

The Russian GDP shrank by about five percent but the number of Russians living below the poverty line reached 60 percent. The government is managing the economic decline caused by growing sanctions. This involves ensuring that no one starves to death and concentrating military mobilization efforts in regions with the largest number of military age men who are unemployed. The growing economic problems are accompanied by more corruption, especially by officials who distribute emergency aid and manage military mobilization efforts.

February 25, 2023: Ukrainian military intelligence keeps track of Russians losses and so far this year the Ukrainians estimate (usually based on observable evidence) that Russian forces have lost (dead, wounded, prisoners) about 149,000 troops in the last year. In addition, Russia has lost over 3,300 tanks, twice as many other armored vehicles, 2,800 towed or self-propelled artillery systems plus nearly 500 MLRS (multiple launch rocket systems), nearly 600 hundred aircraft and helicopters and over two thousand UAVs. About 5,500 trucks were lost, including fuel tankers and cargo transports of various sizes.

February 24, 2023: On the first anniversary of the Russian invasion, Ukrainian counterintelligence forces discovered and arrested six Russian FSB members who were operating in southern Ukraine. The Russians were responsible for finding and reporting to Russia targets for Russian missile attacks. Ukrainian counterintelligence personnel have been busier in the past year than before the invasion. Russia is losing a lot of FSB professionals and local hires in Ukraine. The FSB and the smaller GRU (military intelligence) are more active in Russian occupied Ukraine. Both Russia and Ukraine use internal security agencies based on Soviet era agencies. The SBU is the successor to the Ukrainian branch of the KGB. After Ukrainian became independent in 1991, obvious KGB loyalists were fired but many vets remained and they perpetuated a culture of corruption along with the formidable deception and operational skills the KGB excelled in. The SBU is a large organization, with 35,000 employees. That is the same size as the American FBI, for a country with seven times more people. Equivalent European agencies, like DST in France and MI5 in Britain are equally small, relative to population, as the FBI. On a per-capita basis Western internal agencies have about 109 agency personnel per million population. For the Russian FSB it is 591 and for the SBU it is about 850. For the Soviet KGB it was 1,600. The SBU, like its predecessor the KGB, demanded high performance and discipline. In return, KGB personnel were free to make a little extra on the side, The KGB was literally above the law as the only ones who could arrest KGB personnel were other KGB personnel. The post-Soviet FSB and SBU have similar immunities. The Russian invasion has meant more work for the SBU and less tolerance for the remaining pro-Russia SBU personnel.

February 23, 2023: The Czech Republic has gone public with information about its line of fake (inflatable rubber) versions of the American HIMARS and larger M270 GMLRS missile launchers as well as M777 155mm howitzers. Russia claims to have destroyed dozens of these vehicles while Ukraine insists they have lost none to Russian artillery, rocket or airstrikes. What Russia has destroyed is many of the Czech inflatable replicas. This form of deception was first used during World War II when hand built fakes began getting replaced by the inflatable versions.

February 22, 2023: Russia admits that the Ukraine War has further damaged the frail Russian military aircraft production industry. Economic sanctions and loss of many export customers resulted in Russia building only 27 combat aircraft in 2022. China was producing much more than that and the United States was delivering about 150 F-35s a year, in three models. Most of this was for American forces but more and more are going to export customers. The F-35 is a combat proven success and very popular with pilots. A thousand have been built so far and there are orders for 2,000 more, to be delivered at the rate of about 150 a year to American and export customers way into the 2030s.

Russia used to be a major producer of military aircraft. Late in the Cold War the Soviet Union was still producing several hundred combat aircraft a year. The Soviet Union collapsed and dissolved in 1991. So did Russian production of combat aircraft. During the 1990s, production of a hundred combat aircraft a year was only possible by obtaining many export sales. Twenty years after the Soviet Union collapsed, Russian warplane production was increasing because exports were still strong and Russia could afford to buy more aircraft for itself. The Soviet Air Force had 10,000 warplanes in 1991 and most of those went to the fourteen new countries where they were based. Russia could not afford to maintain the few thousand combat aircraft it was left with after 1991 and, by 2000, found it could not maintain more than a thousand combat aircraft. Another loss during the 1990s was the ability to design and build new aircraft. Most Russian defense firms went out of business in the 1990s while some managed to switch production to items that were still sold. In the last decade most Russian producers of military aircraft were merged into one state-owned United Aircraft Corporation or UAC. A similar merger created a similar company for helicopters.

UAC had a lot of work to do producing new model aircraft as well as older designs that were still popular, especially with export customers. UAC could produce over a hundred aircraft a year and until 2014 it looked like the Russian demand for military aircraft would keep growing along with export sales. UAC had to be profitable and achieved that by shutting down many of the facilities it acquired via all those mergers. Aircraft design and production was concentrated in three facilities and MiG finally disappeared, leaving only Sukhoi (Su series) warplanes in production. The Su-27 and MiG-29 appeared late in the Cold War and while the Su-27 kept evolving and improving, the MiG-29 did not. That eventually put MiG out of business.

February 21, 2023: A year of fighting in Ukraine has left the Russian army defeated, depleted and demoralized. Most of the army personnel available before the invasion have been killed, wounded or missing (captured, deserted or body not found). About half the troops were conscripts untrained for combat. Conscripts only serve for a year and are called up twice a year (spring and fall) and, by the time they have acquired useful skills, they are discharged and placed in the reserves. In Russian the government has your last known address and will try to notify you if there is a national emergency and all veterans of the military are needed quickly.

Few conscripts were prepared for the intensity of combat encountered in Ukraine. The other half of Russian military personnel joined voluntarily to serve longer and receive higher pay. These somewhat more experienced troops are what passed for NCOs, since Russia has not been able to recreate the NCO Corps it had a century ago but destroyed because the new communist government believed (with some justification) that sergeants are more likely to lead a revolution than more carefully selected and trained officers. Using junior officers to supervise the troops and lead them in combat did not work as well as the Western system of having sergeants supervising the troops and a junior officer to command and lead them in combat.

Junior officers in combat units, who arent already veterans, require years more of training and dutifully try to carry out their orders. In Ukraine that got them and most of their troops turned into casualties, or prisoners of war. Russian combat zone medical care was also a mess and not able to handle the large number of wounded. As a result, most of the wounded died or developed conditions that rendered them unfit for further military service. Russia still has not solved this medical problem, even after trying to improvise by taking over local civilian hospitals and their staffs to just treat military casualties.

February 20, 2023: A month ago the United States began imposing sanctions on members of the Russian Wagner Group and those affiliated with Wagner Group. The United States defines much of what Wagner Group does as a form of terrorism. Some of it definitely is. Most of the criminal offenses were committed by Wagner Group personnel sent to Africa, where the profits from legal and illegal activities were abundant. More recently, a Chinese space satellite manufacturer and satellite operator was sanctioned for selling the Wagner Group satellite imagery of Ukrainian military units and facilities. These imagery services aided Wagner Group in its recent offensive against Ukrainian forces in eastern Ukraine. During these operations Wagner Group members committed numerous atrocities and war crimes. Then there was the Wagner Group activity in Ukraine, which received far more publicity than the more lucrative dirty deeds Wagner was guilty of in many parts of Africa. For Ukraine the Wagner Group recruited convicts with the promise of a pardon if they served six months. This backfired when it became known that only about 20 percent of the first convicts recruited survived their six months and received their pardons. Recent recruiting efforts show that far fewer convicts are willing to volunteer and, justifiably, feel safer serving out their sentences. Russia has now officially banned Wagner from recruiting prison inmates. Instead, the Russian military does the recruiting and offers more survivable terms of service as well as the pardon after the term of service is completed.

February 19, 2023: Russia has started using their new Strizh-3 EW (Electronic Warfare) against the many different UAV models used by Ukrainian troops. Strizh-3 disrupts the operator control signal or the video images sent back by the UAV.

February 18, 2023: 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. This situation has caused Russia to shut down all cell phone and Internet service in an area where they plan to move a lot of troops and supplies around. With cell phone and Internet service active the Ukrainians would often disrupt and destroy a lot of those movements with artillery or missile attacks.

February 17, 2023: Russia does have some international support for its invasion of Ukraine. Those supporters have a lot in common with Russia as they tend to be aggressive and warlike dictatorships or those with ideological or economic reasons to back Russia. These supporters include Belarus, China, Eritrea, India, Iran, Mali, Myanmar, Nicaragua, North Korea and Syria. All these supporters agree that the West is a problem for them and Russia. Russia continues to insist that its operations in Ukraine are part of an effort to defend Russia from growing NATO efforts to destroy Russia.

February 16, 2023: Iran announced that it would have to complete major oil industry projects without Chinese investments or Chinese specialists. While China quietly withdrew its participation, Iran had to explain the change, especially since Iran will miss the Chinese money most of all because Iran is very short of cash. A delegation of senior Iranian government officials ended its official visit to China today. The Iranians wanted more cooperation and investment from China and instead were told there would be way less until the political and economic situations in Iran calm down. The growing unrest since last September and Iranian involvement with Russia in the Ukraine war are seen as creating a very risky situation for foreign investors.
VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / February 28, 2023 / EnviroMetal Technologies Inc. ("EnviroMetal" or the "Company"), (CSE:ETI)(OTCQB: EVLLF)(FSE:7N2) announces it has entered into an investor relations agreement with Jemini Capital ("Jemini") to provide strategic investor relations and financial communications services.

Jemini Capital is a full-service merchant bank advisory firm with extensive experience assisting natural resources and tech companies. Since its inception in 2014, Jemini has participated in and been part of over $400 million in financing activities. Jemini's team is made up of experienced former bankers, marketing specialists, and professional investors with a broad range of skill sets.

Under the terms of the investor relations agreement, Jemini receives a monthly consulting fee of $3,000 and stock options to purchase 200,000 common shares of the Company at a price of $0.15 per share. The options are subject to vesting provisions, the terms of the Company's stock option plan and the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange. The contract term commences immediately, for a period of 6 months and is subject to Canadian Securities Exchange Approval.

Neither Jemini nor any of its principals have an ownership interest, directly or indirectly, in EnviroMetal or its securities.

Convertible Note

EnviroMetal has issued convertible notes (the "Notes") with a total face value of up to CA$215,200 bearing interest at a rate of 12% per annum accruing daily. The Notes mature 120 days from the date of issuance ("Maturity Date"). If the Company completes an equity financing prior to the Maturity Date the Notes will be converted into units of the equity financing. If the Company does not complete an equity financing prior to the Maturity Date the face value of the Notes plus accrued interest will automatically convert into units ("Maturity Unit") of an equity financing on the Maturity Date. Each Maturity Unit will consist of one common share of the Company and one share purchase warrant ("Warrant"). Each Warrant will be exercisable into one common share of the Company for a period of two (2) years from the Maturity Date at a price of $0.15 per share if converted within one (1) year of the Maturity Date and at a price of $0.24 if exercised more than one (1) year following the Maturity Date.

About EnviroMetal Technologies Inc.

EnviroMetal Technologies is engaged in the development and commercialization of environmentally friendly formulas and technologies for the treatment of materials in the primary and secondary metals industries. Using its proprietary non-cyanide, water-based, neutral pH treatment process, EnviroMetal extracts precious metals from ores, concentrates, and E-Waste. For more information please visit: https://EnviroMetal.com

Contact Information:

Jason Leikam

VP Corporate Development

EnviroMetal Technologies Inc.

[email protected]

(604) 428-2400 x 104

Forward-Looking Statements

This News Release contains "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable Canadian and the United States securities legislation. Statements contained herein that are not based on historical or current fact, including without limitation statements containing the words "anticipates," "believes," "may," "continues," "estimates," "expects," and "will" and words of similar import, constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking information may include, but is not limited to, information concerning our Research and Development activities, the accuracy of our capital and operating cost estimates; production and processing estimates; the results, the adequacy of EnviroMetal's financial resources, and timing of development of ongoing research and development projects, costs and timing of future revenues or profits and adequacy of financial resources. Wherever possible, words such as "plans", "expects", "projects", "assumes", "budget", "strategy", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "anticipates", "believes", "intends", "targets" and similar expressions or statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved, or the negative forms of any of these terms and similar expressions, have been used to identify forward-looking statements and information. Statements concerning future revenue or earnings estimates may also be deemed to constitute forward-looking information. Any statements that express or involve discussions concerning predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions, or future events or performance are not statements of historical fact and may be forward-looking information. Forward-looking information is subject to a variety of known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking information. Forward-looking information is based on the expectations and opinions of EnviroMetal's management on the date the statements are made. The assumptions used in the preparation of such statements, although considered reasonable at the time of preparation, may prove to be imprecise. We do not assume any obligation to update forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise, other than as required by applicable law. For the reasons set forth above, prospective investors should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. The CSE has not approved or disapproved of the information contained herein.

SOURCE: EnviroMetal Technologies Inc.

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VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / February 28, 2023 / Usha Resources Ltd. ("USHA" or the "Company") (TSXV:USHA)(OTCQB: USHAF)(FSE:JO0), a North American mineral acquisition and exploration company focused on the development of drill-ready battery and precious metal projects, is pleased to announce continued progress at the Jackpot Lake Lithium Brine Property ("Project"), with the second hole ("JP22-2") of its drill program having reached the 1,755 feet level and the exploration team reporting a high-porosity zone of sand followed by conglomerate has been identified beginning at 1,533 feet.

Additionally, the Company is pleased to report that it is also actively reviewing opportunities to acquire and develop new lithium projects with a focus on Ontario and Quebec.

Jackpot Lake Exploration Update

The exploration team continues to encounter similar stratigraphy to the core observed from the first hole ("JP22-1") with the identification of a partially cemented sand zone beginning at 1,533 ft and a conglomerate zone beginning at 1,697 feet. Reaching this sand-conglomerate zone is a high priority for the program as it should contain the greatest porosity within the basin aquifer (see Figure 1). As per the Preliminary Economic Assessment (PEA) completed by Pure Energy Minerals for their Clayton Valley project, their sand and conglomerate zone was identified to contain a large volume of brine with superior grades.

"We are pleased with the drilling completed so far in JP22-2," said Deepak Varshney, CEO of Usha Resources. "Demonstrating continuity within the first two drill holes of our project is a key finding that continues to support that Dry Lake, within which Jackpot is hosted, is a similar geologic setting to that of Clayton Valley. The information identified continues to help us build our model of the basin and we look forward to seeing the stratigraphy within the rest of our second hole as drilling continues."

Figure 1 - Core taken from JP22-2 showing core from the conglomerate zone. Reaching the sand-conglomerate zone is a high priority for the program as it should contain the greatest porosity within the basin aquifer.

Lithium Strategy Update

The Company is also pleased to report it is actively reviewing opportunities to acquire or develop additional projects in the lithium industry with a specific focus on portfolio expansion into Ontario and Quebec. These acquisitions, if completed, would be complementary to the Company's flagship Jackpot Lake Lithium Brine Project as they would add "hard-rock" lithium assets to the Company's portfolio.

Advanced negotiations are taking place for specific projects in proximity to both Green Technology Metals' (ASX: GT1) Seymour Lake lithium deposit - which is estimated to contain 2-3 million tons of 1.25% lithium, and the prolific CV Lithium Trend which contains Patriot Battery Metals' (PMET's) Corvette lithium discovery in the James Bay District of Quebec. The Company will provide further updates as negotiations progress.

"Ontario and Quebec are rapidly emerging as major centres of lithium exploration and development comparable to some of the largest districts globally based on the occurrence of several deposits and recent discoveries," said Varshney. "We believe there is a high probability that there will be additional discoveries throughout the province given the early stage of exploration in most areas. We believe we are well-positioned to participate in this emerging sector of exploration in North America and accordingly, we have undertaken a review of properties that are of interest."

Investors are cautioned that there is no assurance that negotiations involving any potential acquisition will conclude successfully.

About the Jackpot Lake Lithium Brine Project

USHA's Jackpot Lake Lithium Brine Project is located within Clark County, 35 kilometres northeast of Las Vegas, Nevada, and is comprised of 442 optioned and staked mineral claims that total 8,714 acres (approximately 35.3 km2).

The Project's geologic setting is similar to that of Albemarle's Silver Peak Nevada Lithium Mine, the only producing lithium mine in North America, which has operated continuously since 1966, where sediments from lithiumrich surrounding source rocks accumulate and fill the deposit leading to a potential concentration of lithium brine due to successive evaporation and concentration events. Considering the elevated lithium concentrations identified in historic soil samples, such events could theoretically concentrate lithium as rainwater passes through these materials, developing enriched brines at depths.

The Company has permitted 2,700 metres over six holes and has commenced a maiden drill program with the goal of defining a 43-101 resource. The Project target was identified based on geophysical studies and 129 core samples collected by the USGS with an average lithium value of 175 ppm with a high of 550 ppm. Samples from the first hole of its drilling program have identified lithium is present at a grade of up to 300 ppm within ten samples collected from shallow surface soils (

Modelling indicates that the Project target comprises the entirety of the Company's core optioned claim block (2,800 acres; 11.3 km2) and is open in all directions for expansion. The target is shallow, predominantly above bedrock depths of 600 metres, and is approximately 450 metres thick. The total basin within which the target is situated is estimated to be approximately 10,900 acres of which the Company now controls 8,714 acres.

The Project's Qualified Professional (QP) is Michael Rosko, a professional geologist with over 30 years of experience, with extensive experience with world-class lithium brine projects including Tier 1 projects such as Galaxy's Sal de Vida Deposit, Millennial Lithium's Pasto Grandes Deposit, and Lithium America Corp's Cauchari-Olaroz Deposit.

Figure 2 - Conceptual basin model illustrating the theoretical location of borehole JP22-01 with respect to the deposition anticipated in a geologic setting as that of Clayton Valley. The stratigraphic column on the left, taken from Pure Energy's Preliminary Economic Assessment, shows the stratigraphy of borehole CV-8, located in a similar position within the Clayton Valley basin. The general stratigraphy of CV-8 consisted of lacustrine sediments (clays, silts) overlaying a zone of sand and conglomerate where superior grades of lithium were identified which is similar to the stratigraphy observed in JP22-01.

Qualified Person

The technical content of this news release has been reviewed and approved by Mr. Seth Cude, P.G., CPG. RM, M.Sc., a qualified person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI 43-101").

About Usha Resources Ltd.

Usha Resources Ltd. is a North American mineral acquisition and exploration company focused on the development of quality battery and precious metal properties that are drill-ready with high-upside and expansion potential. Based in Vancouver, BC, Usha's portfolio of strategic properties provides target-rich diversification and consist of Jackpot Lake, a lithium project in Nevada; Nicobat, a nickelcoppercobalt project in Ontario; and Lost Basin, a gold-copper project in Arizona. Usha trades on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol USHA, the OTCQB Exchange under the symbol USHAF and the Frankfurt Stock Exchange under the symbol JO0.

USHA RESOURCES LTD.

"Deepak Varshney" CEO and Director

For more information, please call Tyler Muir, Investor Relations, at 1-888-772-2452, email [email protected], or visit www.usharesources.com.

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Forward-looking statements:

This news release may include "forward-looking information" under applicable Canadian securities legislation. Such forward-looking information reflects management's current beliefs and are based on a number of estimates and/or assumptions made by and information currently available to the Company that, while considered reasonable, are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors that may cause the actual results and future events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Readers are cautioned that such forward-looking information are neither promises nor guarantees and are subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties including, but not limited to, general business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties, uncertain and volatile equity and capital markets, lack of available capital, actual results of exploration activities, environmental risks, future prices of base and other metals, operating risks, accidents, labour issues, delays in obtaining governmental approvals and permits, and other risks in the mining industry.

The Company is presently an exploration stage company. Exploration is highly speculative in nature, involves many risks, requires substantial expenditures, and may not result in the discovery of mineral deposits that can be mined profitably. Furthermore, the Company currently has no reserves on any of its properties. As a result, there can be no assurance that such forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements.

SOURCE: Usha Resources Ltd.

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Ambac Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE: AMBC), a financial services holding company, today announces that C. James Prieur, a member of the Board of Directors, has made the decision to resign from the Board for personal reasons, effective February 22, 2023.

"On behalf of the Board, the Ambac management team and our shareholders, I would like to thank Jim for his service on our Board of Directors," said Jeffrey S. Stein, Chairman of the Board of Ambac. Since joining the Board in 2016, Jim has provided valuable counsel and guidance through the completion of AACs segregated account rehabilitation, legacy litigations, and a global pandemic, among other challenges. We wish him well in his future endeavors.

Mr. Prieur stated, Given the companys significant successes in 2022 underscored by the settlement of its largest legacy litigations and Puerto Rico exit, as well as the successful expansion of the specialty P&C business, I felt it was the right time for me to step down from the Board. I want to wish the Board and management all the very best as the company continues its successful transition into the specialty P&C business.
ST. JOHN'S, Newfoundland and Labrador--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Adia Resources Inc. (Adia or the Company) has submitted applications for three Mineral Exploration Licences (MELs) totalling approximately 61,000 hectares, which are pending issuance by the Government of Manitoba, and will bring the Companys current land position to 145,000 hectares. Adia has expanded its land position to cover recently recognized targets it considers prospective for lithium-bearing pegmatites, in addition to critical rare earth element (REE), gold, and diamond potential.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230228006279/en/

Figure 1: Adias Lynx property showing the location of mapped pegmatites and Li-Cs-Rb in till samples from the Manitoba Geological Surveys regional till dataset4,5. (Graphic: Business Wire)

Lithium. Spodumene-bearing pegmatites have been historically documented by government mapping programs south of the Lynx Property around the McGill Lake intrusion, such as at Mclaughlin Lake and also near Gods River [Godslith property; historical drilling results of 14.81m of 1.59% Li2O and historical, non-43-101 compliant resources of 4,800,000 tons of 1.27% Li2O (indicated) and 4,600,000 tons of 1.14% Li2O (probable)1], while additional pegmatite occurrences have been documented on the Lynx project near south Knee Lake2,3. None of these occurrences on the Lynx Project have been investigated to date by Adia.

Moreover, using till data from the Manitoba Geological Survey4,5, Adia has identified a number of coincident lithium-cesium-rubidium anomalies representing till samples in the 95th and 98th percentile. A positive spatial correlation of these elements is evident near the McLaughlin Lake pegmatite occurrences and other pegmatite dykes mapped within Adias property (see figure 1). As such, Adia believes these lithium, cesium and rubidium till anomalies on its exploration licences may represent nearby bedrock sources of similar pegmatite which have no documented historical work and to date have received no follow up by the Company.

Rare Earth Elements. In the center of the Lynx Property is the ~25 square kilometre Cinder Lake alkaline intrusive complex and related pegmatite and carbonatite dykes (see figure 2), all of which have been noted to host rare earth element bearing minerals, suggesting the potential for critical REE mineralization with the Knee Lake greenstone belt6,7. No exploration has been done in the Cinder Lake area for REE mineralization since the discovery of the related carbonatite dykes in 2014.

Gold. The Knee Lake Greenstone belt is host to a number of gold prospects, including the Domain Project to the south of the Lynx Project which is being explored by Yamana Gold. Yamana has reported drilling results including 9.0 meters at 7.29 g/t gold and 2.65 meters at 17.44 g/t gold hosted within iron formation, with further drilling reportedly imminent8. Similar iron formation-hosted gold mineralization at Domain has not been systematically explored for in the Knee Lake greenstone belt. Adias 2020 drilling targeting diamonds intersected iron formation with minor quartz veining and pyrite (drill holes LX20-01 and LX20-02). Select sampling of these intervals returned anomalous results ranging from 0.24 g/t to 0.37 g/t gold over sample intervals of less than 1 meter. The iron formation does not outcrop but has an extensive strike of approximately 8 kilometres based on Adias interpretation of historic airborne magenetic survey data (see figure 3). This constitutes a new exploration target on the Lynx Project.

In addition, while focussed on mapping for diamond potential, numerous gold showings were verified which occur in south Knee Lake along the Long Island shear zone, a major fault separating the Oxford Lake and Hayes River groups of Archean greenstone occurring to the northwest of the aforementioned area of iron formation. Historic results include:

- Celtic showing: historic results 1.45 g/t gold over 13.7 metres from diamond drilling (Noranda8), and where Adia sampled 4.36 g/t gold from grab samples from outcrop.

- The Celtic Extension Zone: located approximately 130 metres east of Celtic, has historic results that include 1.1 g/t gold over 2.0 meters and 0.64 g/t gold over 6 meters (Noranda9).

- Adia further discovered a new showing which assayed 6.38 g/t gold from grab sampling, collected from a small island located approximately 1 kilometre west from the Celtic Showing.

- Lake Showing: Adias sampling yielded 3.25 g/t gold from grab samples.

Note: the reader is cautioned that rock grab samples are selective by nature and values reported may not represent the true grade or style of mineralization across the property.

Diamonds. The diamond-bearing ultramafic sequence at Lynx is an Archean submarine volcanciclastic sequence which is unusual in its large scale and age (ca., 2.72 Ma10), which places it amongst the oldest primary diamond bearing host rocks known. Adia has completed two drilling phases on the Lynx project in 2019 and 2020 for a total of 4,080 metres of drilling in ten holes. Eight of the ten holes intersected the diamond-bearing volcaniclastic unit with true thicknesses estimated to be up to 360 metres. Two separate units, known as Eastern Bay and Western Bay, remain open along strike in both directions and at depth. 3,537 kg of samples from drill core have returned a total of 29,467 microdiamonds, including 20 diamonds in the +0.6  0.85 mm size fraction and 2 in the + 0.85 mm size fraction.

Adia is excited by the multi-commodity, multi-deposit type exploration potential on its 100% owned Lynx project. The Company has released an updated presentation which is available on its website at: https://adiaresources.com/pdf/Feb-2023-Adia-CP.pdf. Adia is seeking parties interested in partnering to advance the exploration potential at Lynx.

Qualified Person. Lawrence Winter, Ph.D., P.Geo., Director for Adia Resources Inc., a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects, is responsible for the scientific and technical data presented herein and has reviewed, prepared and approved this release.

QA/QC. Rock (grab) samples collected for gold and multi-element analysis were placed inside plastic sample bags in the field and given a unique sample tag number. Samples were held in secured storage and sealed containers and shipped to the ALS laboratory in Thunder Bay, Ontario for processing and then to ALS laboratory in North Vancouver for analysis. Drill core intervals selected for gold analyses were cut in half, with one half of the core bagged for gold analysis and the other half placed back in the core tray for future record. A sample tag containing the corresponding sample number was placed into the bag with each sample, while the other half of the tag containing the sample number was placed into the core tray with the remaining core. Cut core samples were shipped to the ALS laboratory in Sudbury, Ontario for processing and then to ALS laboratory in North Vancouver for analysis. Once received, each rock sample was logged into the tracking system, weighed, dried and finely crushed to better than 70 % passing a 2 mm screen. A split of up to 250 grams is taken and pulverized to better than 85 % passing a 75 micron screen. A statistically representative sample of the powder was subjected to the Au-ICP22 and ME-MS41 analytical procedures.

About the Lynx Diamond Project. The Lynx Diamond Project is located near Knee Lake approximately 25 kilometers southeast of Oxford House, Manitoba, Canada. The Project comprises >145,000 hectares of mineral exploration licences over the first discovery of diamonds in bedrock within the province of Manitoba. The project lies within the traditional land use area of the Bunibonibee Cree Nation of Oxford House with which Adia shares a cooperative and mutually respectful relationship under an Exploration Agreement related to the Lynx Project signed in January 2018.

About Adia Resources Inc. Adia Resources Inc. is a private company focused on exploration of its 100% owned Lynx Project near Oxford House, Manitoba. Altius Minerals Corp. (TSX: ALS; OTCQX: ATUSF) is Adia's largest shareholder.

On behalf of Adia Resources Inc.,

Lawrence Winter,

Director.

Caution Regarding Forward-Looking Statements. This news release may contain "forward-looking information" such as statements regarding estimates, expectations, future plans and objectives of the Company, exploration and future drilling plans for the Lynx Diamond Project and is subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking information, including statements relating to the liquidity and capital resources of Adia and potential of the Lynx Diamond Project.

Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of Adia to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Factors that could affect the outcome include, among others: future prices and the supply of diamonds; the results of drilling; inability to raise the money necessary to incur the expenditures required to retain and advance the Lynx Diamond property; environmental liabilities (known and unknown); general business, economic, competitive, political, social, public health conditions and impacts and uncertainties; inability to fulfill the duty to accommodate First Nations and other indigenous people, accidents, labour disputes and other risks of the mining industry. Although Adia has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results to differ from those anticipated, estimated or intended. Forward looking statements contained herein are made as of the date of this news release and Adia 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 applicable securities laws.

References

1  https://capellaminerals.com/projects/precious-metals/domain-jv-manitoba/ Hood, W. C. 1986: Geology and Ore Reserves of the Sherman Lithium property at Gods Lake, Northeastern Manitoba; prepared for W.B. Dunlop Ltd (internal report) by W. C. Hood, Hood Geological Consulting, 1986, 27 pp.

2  Lenton, P.G. 1985. GS-40 Granite-Pegmatite Investigations: Knee Lake-MaGill Lake Area.

3  Barry, G.S. 1962. Geology of the Munro Lake area; Manitoba Mines Branch, Publication 61-1.

4 - Fedikow, M.A.F., Nielsen, E.,Conley, G.G. and Lenton, P. 2000. Operation Superior: multimedia geochemical surveys in the Knee Lake greenstone belt (southern half), northern Superior Province, Manitoba (NTS 53L); Manitoba Industry, Trade and Mines, Manitoba Geological Survey, Open File Report OF2000-2.

5 - Fedikow, M.A.F., Nielsen, E., Conley, G.G., and Lenton, P.G. 2002. Operation Superior: multimedia geochemical survey results from the northern portion of the Knee Lake greenstone belt, northern Superior Province, Manitoba(NTS 53L); Manitoba Industry, Trade and Mines, Manitoba Geological Survey, Open File Report OF2001-1.

6  Martin, T. 2017. Rare Metals in Manitoba. Cinder Lake Alkaline Intrusive Complex.

7  Kressall, R.D., Chakhmouradian, A.R. and Bohm, C.O. 2010. Petrological and geochemical investigation of the Cinder Lake alkaline intrusive complex, Knee Lake area, east-central Manitoba (part of NTS 53L15); in Report of Activities

2010, Manitoba Innovation, Energy and Mines, Manitoba Geological Survey, p. 146158.

8  Rees, K. 1988. Diamond drill report, Celtic claims, Manitoba, Project 1435. Manitoba Assessment File 93184.

9  Rees, K. 1989. Geological report, Celtic claims, Knee Lake, Manitoba, Summer 1988, Project 1435. Manitoba Assessment File 93139.

10 - Anderson, S.D. 2017: Preliminary geology of the diamond occurrence at southern Knee Lake, Oxford LakeKnee Lake greenstone belt, Manitoba (NTS 53L15); Manitoba Growth, Enterprise and Trade, Manitoba Geological Survey, Open File OF2017-3, 27 p.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230228006279/en/

Website: www.adiaresources.com

Tel: 1-877-576-2209

Email: [email protected]

Source: Adia Resources Inc.
PITTSBURGH--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- United States Steel Corporation (NYSE: X) (U. S. Steel) announced today that Alicia J. Davis has been elected to the Companys Board of Directors, effective March 1, 2023.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230228006151/en/

Alicia J. Davis (Photo: Business Wire)

Ms. Davis is Chief Strategy Officer at Lear Corporation, a global automotive supplier of seating and electrical distribution and electronic systems. In this role, Ms. Davis leads the Corporate Strategy group, which helps develop and drive Lears global strategy and executes value-enhancing acquisitions, divestitures and strategic investments. From 2018 to 2021, Ms. Davis progressed through a variety of positions at Lear, including Senior Vice President, Strategy and Corporate Development, Senior Vice President, Corporate Development and Investor Relations, and Vice President of Investor Relations.

Before joining Lear Corporation, Ms. Davis was on the faculty at the University of Michigan Law School, where she served as a tenured professor, a position she still holds via dry appointment, and the Associate Dean for Strategic Initiatives. She also served as an Associate and later Of Counsel at Kirkland & Ellis LLP, Vice President at Raymond James & Associates, and an Analyst at Goldman Sachs.

Ms. Davis received a bachelors degree in business administration from Florida A&M University, a Juris Doctor from Yale Law School, and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

Founded in 1901, United States Steel Corporation is a leading steel producer. With an unwavering focus on safety, the Companys customer-centric Best for All strategy is advancing a more secure, sustainable future for U. S. Steel and its stakeholders. With a renewed emphasis on innovation, U. S. Steel serves the automotive, construction, appliance, energy, containers, and packaging industries with high value-added steel products such as U. S. Steels proprietary XG3 advanced high-strength steel. The Company also maintains competitively advantaged iron ore production and has an annual raw steelmaking capability of 22.4 million net tons. U. S. Steel is headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, with world-class operations across the United States and in Central Europe. For more information, please visit www.ussteel.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230228006151/en/

Arista Joyner

Manager

Financial Communications

T  (412) 433-3994

E  [email protected]



Kevin Lewis

Vice President

Finance

T  (412) 433-6935

E  [email protected]

Source: United States Steel Corporation
Members of CUPE Local 5050 (Cape Breton Victoria Regional Centre for Education) will be holding a roving rally today, travelling between MLA offices across CBRM to bring their concerns to their elected representatives. They join 5000 CUPE Education workers across the province participating in todays Day of Action.

After ten days of bargaining with the Government of Nova Scotia over eleven months, CUPE Education members have not been able to reach an agreement that secures significant wage increases for members, who are among the lowest paid workers in the public sector. CUPEs Nova Scotia School Board Council of Unions filed for conciliation in January in the hopes that a third-party can help refocus government on finalizing a fair deal that helps members escape poverty.

CUPE Local 5050 President Nelson Scott and other members will be available in-person for comment at the following times and locations:

Fred Tilley, MLA for Northside-Westmount

2 Elliot Street, Sydney Mines

9:30 am  10:30 am

Derek Mombourquette, MLA for Sydney-Membertou

500 Kings Road, Sydney

9:30 am  10:30 am

Keith Bain, MLA for Victoria-The Lakes

1415B Highway 105 Little Bras D'or

2:45 pm  3:45 pm

Kendra Coombes, MLA for Cape Breton Centre-Whitney Pier

2249 Main Street, Reserve Mines

2:45 pm  3:45 pm

Brian Comer, MLA for Cape Breton East

1724 Kings Road, Sydney

4:00 pm  5:00 pm

John White, MLA for Glace Bay-Dominion

219 Commercial Street, Glace Bay

4:00 pm  5:00 pm

:sm/cope 491

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230228005921/en/

For more information, please contact Mary-Dan Johnston, CUPE Atlantic Communications Representative, at 902-412-5780 or [email protected].

Source: Canadian Union of Public Employees
BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- EngageSmart, Inc. (EngageSmart) (NYSE: ESMT), a leading provider of vertically tailored customer engagement software and integrated payments solutions, announced today the commencement of a proposed underwritten public offering of 8,000,000 shares of its common stock being offered for sale by certain of its stockholders, including affiliates of General Atlantic, L.P. and Summit Partners and certain members of the Companys management (collectively, the Selling Stockholders). In addition, certain of the Selling Stockholders have granted the underwriters a 30-day option to purchase up to 1,200,000 additional shares of common stock at the public offering price, less underwriting discounts and commissions. The Selling Stockholders will receive all of the proceeds from the offering. EngageSmart is not selling any of its shares in the offering and will not receive any of the proceeds from the sale of shares in the offering. The offering is subject to market and other conditions, and there can be no assurance as to whether or when the offering may be completed, or as to the actual size or terms of the offering.

Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC, J.P. Morgan, BofA Securities and Citigroup will act as joint book-running managers for the offering.

The public offering is being made pursuant to an automatic shelf registration statement on Form S-3 that was filed by EngageSmart with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the SEC) and automatically became effective upon filing. A preliminary prospectus supplement and accompanying prospectus relating to and describing the terms of the offering will be filed with the SEC and will be available on the SECs website at www.sec.gov. When available, copies of the preliminary prospectus supplement and accompanying prospectus may be obtained by contacting: Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC, Attention: Prospectus Department, 200 West Street, New York, New York 10282, by phone at (866) 4712526 or by email at [email protected]; J.P. Morgan Securities LLC, c/o Broadridge Financial Solutions, 1155 Long Island Avenue, Edgewood, New York 11717, by phone at (866) 803-9204 or by email at [email protected]; BofA Securities, Attention: Prospectus Department, NC1-004-03-43, 200 North College Street, 3rd Floor, Charlotte, NC 28255-0001, by telephone at (800) 299-1322 or by e-mail at [email protected]; or Citigroup Global Markets Inc., c/o Broadridge Financial Solutions, 1155 Long Island Avenue, Edgewood, NY 11717, toll-free: (800) 831-9146 or by e-mail at [email protected].

This release shall not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy these securities, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any state or other jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to the registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or other jurisdiction.

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements in this release are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements other than statements of historical facts contained in this release may be forward-looking statements, including statements relating to the offering, including the timing and size of the offering and the grant of the option to purchase additional shares. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terms such as may, will, should, expects, plans, anticipates, could, intends, targets, projects, contemplates, believes, estimates, forecasts, predicts, potential or continue or the negative of these terms or other similar expressions. The forward-looking statements in this release are only predictions. EngageSmart has based these forward-looking statements largely on its current expectations and projections about future events and financial trends that EngageSmart believes may affect its business, financial condition, and results of operations.

Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other important factors that may cause EngageSmarts actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to, the important factors discussed in Item 1A of EngageSmarts Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022, and Forms 10-Q and 8-K subsequently filed with SEC. Such statements in this release are based upon information available to EngageSmart as of the date of this release, and while EngageSmart believes such information forms a reasonable basis for such statements, such information may be limited or incomplete, and such statements should not be read to indicate that EngageSmart has conducted an exhaustive inquiry into, or review of, all potentially available relevant information. These statements are inherently uncertain and investors are cautioned not to unduly rely upon these statements. EngageSmart qualifies all of its forward-looking statements by these cautionary statements. Except as required by applicable law, EngageSmart does not plan to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements contained in this release, whether as a result of any new information, future events, or otherwise.

About EngageSmart

EngageSmart is a leading provider of vertically tailored customer engagement software and integrated payments solutions. Our mission is to simplify customer and client engagement to allow our customers to focus resources on initiatives that improve their businesses and better serve their communities. EngageSmart offers single instance, multi-tenant, true Software-as-a-Service vertical solutions, including SimplePractice, InvoiceCloud, HealthPay24 and DonorDrive, that are designed to simplify its customers engagement with their clients by driving digital adoption and self-service. As of December 31, 2022, EngageSmart serves approximately 99,300 customers in the SMB Solutions segment and approximately 3,300 customers in the Enterprise Solutions segment across several core verticals: Health & Wellness, Government, Utilities, Financial Services, Healthcare, and Giving.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230228006405/en/

Investor Relations:

Josh Schmidt

EngageSmart, Inc.

[email protected]



Press:

Nicole Bestard

Quarter Horse PR

[email protected]

Source: EngageSmart
As Chrissy Casilio announced her campaign for county executive Monday in a Clarence fitness center, weights clanked to the ground and sweaty workout buffs hurried out of the gym.

It was an unusual setting for a political announcement, but perhaps a fitting one for the task at hand. Casilio, a businesswoman who has never run for elected office, will need to overpower three-term incumbent Mark C. Poloncarz and raise an estimated $1 million if she stands a chance at an upset victory.

Erie County Republicans pick Clarence businesswoman to challenge Poloncarz The Erie County Republican Committee this weekend endorsed a Clarence businesswoman who is a

"I think people are so excited about the concept of change that thats not going to be a problem," Casilio said in an interview after her announcement. "Im also a very hard worker, and Im not going to stop until I raise the money that we need."

Poloncarz received a boost Monday after Nate McMurray, the former Grand Island supervisor who planned to challenge him in a Democratic primary, announced that he was dropping out of the race.

Casilio comes from an affluent suburb that voted for Poloncarz's GOP/Independence challenger  Lynne Dixon  four years ago. She also has name recognition from her father  Patrick Casilio  serving as town supervisor. Signs for the Casilio Companies real estate development firm dotting plazas throughout the Northtowns also don't hurt her cause.

Still, Casilio acknowledges she has a tough road ahead of her, though she said she's proven people wrong before, like when the 36-year-old mother started her own marketing firm, Casilio Communications, or became the Clarence Rotary's youngest president.

"This wouldnt be the first time Ive faced these battles as a woman in business, as a young community advocate," Casilio said. "My record has proven that I can succeed and I can make it happen. I go to where the change is needed."

Suburban areas key

In 2011, Poloncarz defeated incumbent County Executive Chris Collins by a 12,000-vote margin.

Four years later, he buried then-Assemblyman Raymond W. Walter by more than 44,000 votes.

Nate McMurray ends Democratic candidacy for county executive Nate McMurray, the former Grand Island supervisor who narrowly lost a congressional bid to Republican Chris Collins in 2018, has ended his Democratic candidacy for Erie County executive less than a month after announcing it.

His latest victory, in 2019 against Dixon, was by a margin of 35,000 votes.

"Mark, as in every other race, will run as if he's 10 points behind," campaign spokesman Peter Anderson said. "He looks forward to running on his record and he will make every effort to communicate to the residents of Erie County about his many achievements during his tenure in office."

Part of Poloncarz's success against Dixon was rooted in the increasingly blue suburbs. Cheektowaga, Amherst and Tonawanda were key Democratic bastions for the county executive.

Dixon, meanwhile, notched victories in the Democratic enclaves of Lancaster, Hamburg and West Seneca. This year, the GOP will attempt to duplicate those wins while trying to flip the towns that went blue in 2019.

"Those first-ring suburbs of Amherst, Cheektowaga, Hamburg, Tonawanda and Lancaster, they're population centers, in many instances theyre swing towns, and those are going to be where were going to go try to find our vote," Erie County Republican Committee Chairman Michael A. Kracker said.

The GOP chairman said he believes Casilio, a mother of three, will connect with suburban voters  particularly women  on a different level than the county executive.

"I think Chrissys going to be able to identify with a voter on a different set of issues," Kracker said. "She really understands what Erie County moms are dealing with everyday, because she is one."

Kracker noted that with the exception of Amherst and Tonawanda, former Rep. Lee Zeldin performed "extremely well" in the first-ring suburbs against Gov. Kathy Hochul last year.

"So theres been a bit of a shift there," Kracker said.

Issue of shelf life

Poloncarz is also trying to buck historical trends. No Erie County executive has ever won a fourth term. Dennis T. Gorski attempted the feat in 1999, but was defeated by Republican Joel A. Giambra.

Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz likely to face plenty of obstacles on road to re-election His delayed announcement for what would be an unprecedented fourth term was made on social media Thursday morning, putting to rest rumors regarding his interest in remaining the county's top elected leader.

Many wondered whether Poloncarz would opt for another campaign after rumors circulated that he might take a post in Albany in Gov. Hochul's administration.

"The shelf life applies for his relationship to the voters, but also his passion and commitment to do the job," Kracker said. "Whether you support the county executive or not, I think at some point a change of leadership is needed to prevent the place from becoming stale."

Anderson, who also serves as Poloncarz's press secretary, scoffed at that notion.

"Mark is running for the job he wants to have," Anderson said. "He is as passionate about doing this as he ever has been."

In Anderson's view, the fact that a well-known politician like Dixon couldn't put much of a dent Poloncarz's numbers in 2019  combined with traditionally Republican suburbs like Amherst trending blue  bodes well for the Democrat.

So do elections for Buffalo's Common Council, which are expected to increase turnout in the overwhelmingly Democratic city.

"I think more than anything, it underlines the difficulty of winning a countywide race," Anderson said. "You have to have an appeal in lot of different municipalities in order to bring those voters along, whether theyre Democrat or Republican. The fact that those municipalities were trending blue kind of underscores what Mark has been doing for the past few years."

Casilio said that while she'll be working to raise funds and meeting people in the county's cities, towns and villages, she'll have her three children at the front of her mind.

"I want a bright future for them," she said. "I don't want them moving to another state when they grow up because they cant afford to live here."
NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Guidepost Solutions, a global leader in domestic and international investigations, compliance solutions, monitoring, and security and technology consulting, announced the expansion of its Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Regulatory Compliance Practice. Led by Krista Tongring, senior managing director, the practice group has grown over the past year with the addition of several new multi-disciplinary team members. The DEA Regulatory Compliance Practice assists clients navigating the requirements of DEA regulations and minimizing financial and reputational risks that can arise from noncompliance. Clients include major pharmaceutical manufacturers and distributors, health care solutions companies, pharmacies, hospital systems, and other DEA registrants.

Under Kristas direction and bolstered by a team of respected experts, our DEA Regulatory Compliance Practice continues to ensure our clients compliance with federal and state laws and regulations, said Julie Myers Wood, CEO of Guidepost Solutions. In todays environment, DEA registrants throughout the controlled substances supply chain must take proactive steps in their self-assessments and communications with government regulators. Guidepost is well-suited to help companies take the appropriate actions to meet any regulatory requirement.

Recent additions to the Guidepost DEA Regulatory Compliance Practice include:

Robert J. Bell, senior managing director, is the practice groups most recent hire. Bell is a former senior executive with the DEA, with over 30 years of experience in federal, state, and local law enforcement. Bell last served as Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Chicago Division, where he led a staff of approximately 600 in 11 offices across Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin. He oversaw investigations into transnational organizations involved in drug trafficking, money laundering, corruption, and violence. He also led investigations and compliance programs relating to the diversion of legally produced controlled substance pharmaceuticals.

Sarah Pechnick, senior director, joined Guidepost in 2022 and is an expert in pharmaceutical controlled substance investigations and regulatory compliance. Pechnick served with the DEA for more than 13 years, first as a diversion investigator, then as an instructor and course developer at the DEA Academy in Quantico, VA, staff coordinator of the Import/Export Section, and finally as lead staff coordinator/CSOS liaison within the Registration and Program Support Section.

Debra Sandstrom, program manager, drug diversion specialist, arrived at Guidepost in 2022. Sandstrom is a veteran program analyst, manager, and certified paralegal. Prior to joining Guidepost, she spent almost two decades working within the Department of Justice and DEA, finishing her tenure as a program analyst in the DEA Office of Training, International and Personnel Recovery Training Section.

Additional Guidepost DEA Regulatory Compliance team members include:

Krista Tongring, senior managing director, leads the Guidepost DEA Regulatory Compliance practice and oversees a variety of compliance engagements, monitorships, and investigatory matters. Tongrings client base includes an extensive array of DEA registrants for whom she performs various compliance functions, including the assessment, evaluation, and enhancement of numerous DEA registrants Controlled Substances Monitoring Programs; performing DEA regulatory assessments, evaluations, and gap analyses, and implementing compliance enhancements, including mock audits and/or mock DEA inspections; conducting pre-acquisition assessment and post-acquisition assessment of controlled substance protocols for DEA registrants to identify potential risks for the potential buyer; and assisting clients seeking DEA registrations. Previously, she was a senior attorney with the DEA Diversion and Regulatory Litigation Section and the acting section chief in the DEAs Office of Compliance.

Susannah Herkert, who was recently promoted to senior managing director, served with the DEA for more than 15 years, beginning her career as a diversion investigator and lead investigator on numerous criminal/civil cases. Herkert was the lead investigator on numerous cases resulting in the federal convictions and/or civil fines of physicians, pharmacists, and co-conspirators. After her success in the field, she transferred to Quantico and wrote the book on how to train DEA personnel to successfully investigate violators of the Controlled Substances Act. She was the first unit chief for the Diversion Specialized Training Unit and the acting unit chief for the Diversion Training Unit, which trained all incoming DEA diversion investigators. Throughout her career, Herkert has testified in federal court on diversion related matters, including providing expert testimony. Her investigative techniques have been adopted by DEA diversion investigators throughout the United States and her expertise is recognized by prosecutors nationwide.

Russell C. Holske, senior managing director, spent more than 30 years with the DEA overseeing global investigations and serving in leadership positions in the United States, Asia Pacific, and Europe. Most recently, he was the regional director of the DEAs Senior Executive Service leading operations based in Bangkok, Thailand, operating as the principal U.S. official in Asia for all narcotics, pharmaceutical, and money laundering operations. Prior to this assignment, Holske served as chief of the DEAs Pharmaceutical Investigations where he engaged with the private sector to address compliance issues and delivered comprehensive situational presentations to medical and pharmaceutical groups to tackle the opioid crisis. He also spearheaded the largest diversion operation in U.S. law enforcement history to confront rogue doctors and pharmacies.

William J.C. Matthews was recently promoted to senior managing director and is a proven leader and strategist with 24 years of experience in complex investigations, international operations, security/personnel recovery, and training with the DEA. For nearly two decades, he served in investigative and leadership roles in support of the DEAs global Special Operations Division throughout Africa, Asia, Latin America, Central America, and Europe. He and his teams spearheaded some of the Department of Justices most sensitive and significant criminal investigations and related training.

Our team of former career DEA officials brings a wealth of professional expertise in pharmaceutical controlled substance investigations, regulatory compliance, and drug diversion training, said Tongring. The expansion of this team over the past year is testament to the important work done for numerous clients by the entire DEA Regulatory Compliance team. Current and future DEA registrants can feel confident with our hands-on approach to solving their DEA regulatory compliance program needs.

About Guidepost Solutions LLC

Guidepost Solutions is a leader in domestic and international investigations, compliance solutions, monitoring, and security and technology consulting. We work wherever your needs take us  whether on the ground around the globe  or from one of our offices located in Bogota, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Honolulu, London, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Palm Beach, Philadelphia, Phoenix, San Francisco, Seattle, Singapore, Walnut Creek, and Washington, DC. For more information, visit www.guidepostsolutions.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230227006026/en/

Rebecca Bender, Montieth & Company

[email protected]

Source: Guidepost Solutions
Issuer Tender Offer (Buyback of Equity Shares)

HYDERABAD, India--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- SoftSol India Limited (BSE: 532344) announces an offer to buyback upto 20,58,824 fully paid Equity Shares of face value of INR 10/- each (Equity Shares) of the Company at a price of INR 170/- per Equity Share on a proportionate basis through a tender offer (the Buyback). The Buyback Offer will open on Friday, March 03, 2023 and will close on Friday, March 17, 2023. The Letter of Offer for the Buyback along with the Tender Forms have been despatched to all the persons who were the shareholders of the Company as of January 13, 2023 (Record Date), at the address elected by the shareholders and registered with the depositories for all correspondence by the Company. The Letter of Offer is available on the websites of SEBI at www.sebi.gov.in and BSE at www.bseindia.com where the Companys shares are listed, the website of the Company SoftSol India Limited at www.softsolindia.com and on the website of the Manager to the Offer; akasam consulting private limited at www.akasamconsulting.com

https://www.softsolindia.com

For more information, please visit www.softsolindia.com

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230227005478/en/

For more information:

M P Naidu | +91 99496 95940 | [email protected]

akasam consulting private limited (Manager to the Offer)

Source: SoftSol India Limited
Vertically integrated cannabis dispensary franchisor and operator recognized on prestigious list for third year in a row with its dispensary franchise, Unity Rd.

PHOENIX--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Item 9 Labs Corp. (OTCQX: INLB)a vertically integrated U.S. cannabis franchisor and operator that produces premium, award-winning productshas been ranked No. 3 on the 2023 Best Cannabis Companies to Work For list in the dispensary category by leading industry publication and cannabis conference producer, Cannabis Business Times. This award, which Item 9 Labs Corp. has received for the third time with its dispensary franchise Unity Rd., and moved up three spots from last year, identifies and recognizes the best employers in cannabis cultivation and dispensary markets, honoring cannabis companies that excel in creating quality workplaces for employees.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230228005398/en/

Item 9 Labs Corp. is powered by a talented team of professionals across its Unity Rd. and Item 9 Labs brands, who have a diverse set of skills and deep experience in the cannabis, franchising, and capital market sectors. Guided by a leadership team with extensive industry expertise, the Company consists of multiple teams  retail, cultivation, manufacturing, and production  with the mission to inspire confidence in the benefits of cannabis for all. (Photo: Business Wire)

Headquartered in Arizona, the Company is powered by a talented team of professionals across its Unity Rd. and Item 9 Labs brands, who have a diverse set of skills and deep experience in the cannabis, franchising, and capital market sectors. Guided by a leadership team with extensive industry expertise, Item 9 Labs Corp. consists of multiple teams  retail, cultivation, manufacturing, and production  with the mission to inspire confidence in the benefits of cannabis for all. Each team is committed to transparent communication, efficient functionality and providing the highest-quality product and guest experience. The Company has received nearly 50 awards for its achievements across franchising, cannabis, and thought leadership since 2017.

We are honored to be recognized by Cannabis Business Times as one of the Best Cannabis Companies to Work For once again in 2023. It is extremely gratifying when a light is shone on the healthy company culture you have built together with your team from the ground-up, one based on transparency and trust, said Mike Weinberger, CEO of Item 9 Labs Corp. We take our time to recruit the best of the best  we consistently hire for what people can do and stand for, not what they have done. We have created a team, full of good and passionate people, who not only have the skillsets but a true moral compass and live by a code of ethics.

The "Best Cannabis Companies to Work For awards are based on a comprehensive evaluation of each participating companys workplace policies, practices, and demographics  accounting for 25% of the evaluation. Company employees also were anonymously surveyed, and their aggregate responses were used to assess their workplace experiences and attitudes  accounting for 75% of each companys total score.

Cannabis Business Times developed the awards in partnership with the Best Companies Group (BCG), a global research organization that conducts employee survey engagement and satisfaction surveys. Through this work, Cannabis Business Times and BCG identify and recognize employers in the cannabis cultivation and dispensary industry and provide organizations with valuable employee feedback.

For the past four years, Cannabis Business Times has published The Best Cannabis Companies to Work For  Cultivation and Dispensary rankings and features, which recognize businesses that have created environments where employees feel valued, are celebrated for work well done and have opportunities to grow, said Michelle Simakis, Editor-in-Chief of Cannabis Business Times. The companies that ranked on this years list are engaging their teams despite the particularly challenging time and the regulatory and economic pressures straining the industry.

Weinberger added, With every local entrepreneur that we support, team member we onboard or neighborhood cannabis shop that we open, we strive to build a brighter future for the cannabis industry. Recognition from a highly respected publication such as Cannabis Business Times reaffirms that we are on the right track.

For more information about Item 9 Labs Corp. and its brands, visit item9labscorp.com. For those interested in a career opportunity with Item 9 Labs Corp., contact [email protected].

ABOUT ITEM 9 LABS CORP.

Item 9 Labs Corp. (OTCQX: INLB) is a vertically integrated cannabis operator and dispensary franchisor delivering premium products from its large-scale cultivation and production facilities in the United States. The award-winning Item 9 Labs brand specializes in best-in-class products and user experience across several cannabis categories. The company also offers a unique dispensary franchise model through the national Unity Rd. retail brand. Easing barriers to entry, the franchise provides an opportunity for both new and existing dispensary owners to leverage the knowledge, resources and ongoing support needed to thrive in their state compliantly and successfully. Item 9 Labs brings the best industry practices to markets nationwide through distinctive retail experience, cultivation capabilities and product innovation. The veteran management team combines a diverse skill set with deep experience in the cannabis sector, franchising and the capital markets to lead a new generation of public cannabis companies that provide transparency, consistency and well-being. Headquartered in Arizona, the company is currently expanding its operations space up to 640,000-plus square feet on its 50-acre site, one of the largest properties in Arizona zoned to grow and cultivate flower. For additional information, visit item9labscorp.com.

ABOUT UNITY RD.

Unity Rd. is the first national cannabis dispensary franchise model in the U.S. Since launching in 2018, Unity Rd. has always had one mission and vision in mind for the cannabis industry: to inspire confidence in the benefits of cannabis for all. From consumers to entire communities and investors, Unity Rd. was founded on the belief that everyone has a place in the budding $28 billion industry. The result is high-quality cannabis products guests can rely on that are sold in shops run by local entrepreneurs who are backed by Unity Rd.s collective 200 years of legal cannabis and franchising experience. An industry pioneer, Unity Rd. is the retail franchise from Item 9 Labs Corp. (OTCQX: INLB). The franchise has been named one of the top cannabis retail leaders in the nation by MJBizDaily, became the first concept of its kind to become a member of the International Franchise Association (IFA) and was named one of the Best Cannabis Companies to Work For in the dispensary category of Cannabis Business Times 2023, 2022 and 2020 lists. Unity Rd. currently has four shops open and multiple agreements signed with 20-plus entrepreneurial groups who are developing the brand across 10-plus states. For more information, visit unityrd.com.

ABOUT CANNABIS BUSINESS TIMES

Cannabis Business Times is an award-winning trade magazine founded in July 2014. Its focus is to help accelerate the success of legal plant-touching businesses in medical and adult-use markets by providing actionable intelligence in all aspects of the business, from legislation, regulation and compliance news to analysis of industry trends and opportunities, as well as expert advice on cultivation, marketing, financial topics, legal issues, business management and more. Cannabis Business Times produces Cannabis Conference, the leading event for professionals from plant-touching cannabis businesses. Now in its 7th year, the educational, expo and networking event draws thousands of attendees from throughout the U.S., Canada and nearly 30 other countries. With guidance from an advisory board that includes cultivators, dispensary professionals and other experts, the conference is known for its industry-leading educational program. Learn more and register here: cannabisconference.com.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements involve risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to, risks and effects of legal and administrative proceedings and governmental regulation, especially in a foreign country, future financial and operational results, competition, general economic conditions, proposed transactions that are not legally binding obligations of the company and the ability to manage and continue growth. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual outcomes may vary materially from those indicated. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements we make in this news release include the introduction of new technology, market conditions and those set forth in reports or documents we file from time to time with the SEC. We undertake no obligation to revise or update such statements to reflect current events or circumstances after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230228005398/en/

Media Contact:

Item 9 Labs Corp.

[email protected]



Investor Contact:

Item 9 Labs Corp.

[email protected]

Source: Item 9 Labs Corp.
JFFs social capital framework provides practical social capital strategies for employers and higher education institutions to promote Black economic advancement.

BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Jobs for the Future (JFF), a national nonprofit driving transformation in the American workforce and education systems, today released an action-based framework that addresses systemic barriers in education and workforce development, and outlines strategies for colleges and employers to support career advancement for Black learners and workers by building professional social capital.

In partnership with the University of Phoenix, JFFs Center for Racial Economic Equitys framework, Professional Social Capital: A Key to Black Economic Advancement, challenges practitioners to increase their advocacy and support for Black learners and workers by helping them map education and career trajectories, and leverage and activate their social capitalconnections, networks, and resources which are crucial to advancing educational and economic advancement.

Many education and workplace strategies for Black learners and workers only focus on credential attainment, but this is not enough to solve education and economic disparities, as Black Americans continue to have less systemic access to build and maintain professional social capital, said JFF Vice President Michael Collins, leader of JFFs Center for Racial Economic Equity. This framework offers tangible recommendations to postsecondary institutions and employers to ensure Black Americans have the necessary tools and resources to thrive in higher education and throughout their career.

Professional social capital helps people understand, access, and navigate educational systems and the labor market and is a proven accelerant to learner and worker success. In todays society, only 5% of Black employees reported having a sponsor at work, compared to 20% of their white counterparts, and Black managers are 65% more likely to progress in their careers with a sponsor.

It is critical for us to work together to address inequities in the workforce and in education, states Chris Lynne, president of University of Phoenix. This framework for building social capital is a meaningful mechanism to reduce those inequities and build a more inclusive workspace and learning environment.

Among the strategies, the framework suggests implementing peer mentoring, paid work-based learning, building partnerships for intentional and inclusive hiring, and elevating career services and DEIB efforts to be organizational priorities.

Kimberly Underwood, Ph.D., MBA, is chair of the University of Phoenixs Center for Workplace Diversity and Inclusion Research (CWDIR) in the College of Doctoral Studies and serves on the University of Phoenix Presidents Advisory Council for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging. Professional social capital can be built in higher education as well as in the workplace, says Underwood. Higher education has a responsibility to foster social capital, and the framework weve developed provides actionable steps that Black learners and workers across industries and education models can use to help with their success.

While Black American have recently made modest job gains, their rate of unemployment has historically been twice as high as for white Americans, signaling the urgent need for institutions and employers to substantial increase efforts to prepare Black learners and workers for success in postsecondary education and the workforce.

About JFF: Jobs for the Future (JFF) drives transformation of the American workforce and education systems to achieve equitable economic advancement for all. www.jff.org

About JFFs Center for Racial Economic Equity:

The JFF Center for Racial Economic Equity accelerates Black economic advancement by identifying solutions and best practices to disrupt occupational segregation and eradicate the Black-white wealth gap. For more information, visit https://info.jff.org/racialequity.

About University of Phoenix:

University of Phoenix is continually innovating to help working adults enhance their careers in a rapidly changing world. Flexible schedules, relevant courses, interactive learning, and Career Services for Life help students more effectively pursue career and personal aspirations while balancing their busy lives. For more information, visit phoenix.edu.

About University of Phoenix Career Institute:

University of Phoenix Career Institute was founded to address broad, persistent and systemic barriers to career advancement through research-based solutions and impactful partnerships that break down barriers Americans face in their careers, and its inaugural 2021 Career Optimism Index study found that nearly half of American workers do not have someone in their professional life who advocates for them. These findings provided the impetus for the Universitys partnership with JFF to address inequities in social capital for Black workers and learners.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230228006292/en/

Sharla Hooper

University of Phoenix

[email protected]

Source: University of Phoenix
NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- KBRA releases a Day 1 recap of the SFVegas 2023 conference held in Las Vegas at Aria Resort & Casino on February 26 to March 1.

The day began with three plenary sessions focused on policy and regulatory developments as well as assessments of macro and geopolitical risks in the securitized market. The afternoon was once again allocated to several breakout panel sessions focused on specific securitized asset classes.

Click here to view the report.

About KBRA

KBRA is a full-service credit rating agency registered in the U.S., the EU, and the UK, and is designated to provide structured finance ratings in Canada. KBRAs ratings can be used by investors for regulatory capital purposes in multiple jurisdictions.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230228006309/en/

Analytical Contact

Brian Ford, CFA, Structured Finance Research

+1 (646) 731-2329

[email protected]

Source: KBRA
The Global Leader in Mens Grooming Introduces Upgraded Electric Trimmer for Unwanted Facial Hair

SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- MANSCAPED, the leading global mens grooming company and lifestyle consumer brand, today announces the launch of the Weed Whacker 2.0 electric nose and ear hair trimmer, available now in the United States and Canada.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230228005550/en/

Designed with the state-of-the-art technology that our MANSCAPED engineers obsess over, the Weed Whacker 2.0 is the sleek sequel to the original, offering an elevated and extra efficacious experience. (Photo: Business Wire)

On the heels of the launch of its state-of-the-art electric beard trimmer, The Beard Hedger, the male grooming giant continues to innovate its premium grooming tool offerings with the debut of the Weed Whacker 2.0. This sleek sequel builds on the success of the original with enhanced performance, a smoother cut, and an all-new look and feel.

Weed Whacker 2.0 features:

Improved rotary steel blade with taller and wider slots to allow for better catching of hair, providing superior performance and an exceedingly comfortable trim

SkinSafe technology to help reduce the risk of pulls and cuts

Waterproof capabilities for wet or dry operation and easy cleaning

Ergonomic shape and matte rubberized finish for ultimate grip and comfort

7,000 RPM motor

Single LED battery level indicator

We continue to double down on our goal of delivering premium quality grooming products, whether that means expanding our current collection or updating existing items, said Paul Tran, Founder and CEO of MANSCAPED. After vigorous research and testing, were excited to introduce a more efficient, more elegant version of the Weed Whacker that improves upon the original in a number of impactful ways.

New product launches are some of the teams most exciting initiatives but refreshing our legacy tools  like the Weed Whacker  is invigorating in its own right, added Chee Min Hong, Vice President of Product Development. We know our customers love these tried-and-true products, and our dedication to continued innovation ensures theyre using only the best tools in their grooming routines.

Where to Buy:

The Weed Whacker 2.0 is currently available in the U.S. and Canada with further international availability soon to follow. Consumers can purchase the product on Manscaped.com and Amazon for $39.99 USD and $59.99 CAD. Retail rollout of the Weed Whacker 2.0 will begin in the coming months.

About MANSCAPED

Founded by Paul Tran in 2016, San Diego, California-based MANSCAPED is the global mens lifestyle consumer brand and male grooming category creator trusted by over eight million men worldwide. The product range includes a diversified line of premium tools, formulations, and accessories designed to introduce and elevate a whole new self-care routine for men. MANSCAPEDs collection is available globally in 39 countries via DTC and on Amazon in more than 100 countries worldwide. Retail placement includes Target, Best Buy, Macys, Walgreens, and Military Exchanges in the U.S., Hairhouse and Woolworths in Australia, and Tesco in Ireland. For more information, visit the website or follow on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, Tumblr and YouTube.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230228005550/en/

Media Contacts

Allison Frazier

Director of Communications, MANSCAPED

[email protected]

Source: MANSCAPED
CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Motorola Solutions (NYSE: MSI) today released the results of its Healthcare Worker Safety Report after surveying 500 respondents, including doctors, nurses, technicians and administrators between December 2022 and January 2023. Overall, the data shows that healthcare workers feel safe in their respective medical environments, but are grappling with safety issues that have dominated headlines in recent years. Those that have healthcare professionals most concerned include: patients becoming violent (72%), the impacts of burnout/mental health (61%) and active assailants (42%). Healthcare employees also provided insights on their preferred communication methods for when safety issues do arise in facilities or in patients homes.

Healthcare workers have been through a lot over the past few years. Theyve been on the frontlines of COVID-19, are experiencing high levels of job burnout and are exposed to todays mental health issues on a frequent basis, said Todd Piett, vice president of Rave Mobile Safety at Motorola Solutions. It is imperative that healthcare employees - arguably a hospital or health systems best asset - feel safe in their roles so that they can perform at a high level and deliver the best possible care to patients.

Key findings from the report include:

The initial and persisting impact of COVID-19 continues to threaten healthcare workers mental health and propensity for job burnout (77%) .

. As home healthcare services become more commonplace, 41% of respondents indicated they would worry more about their personal safety if they were to deliver care in a patients home versus in a traditional hospital/healthcare system setting .

. Like many in society, 40% of healthcare workers are concerned about the threat of an active assailant.

Respondents (54%) voiced that personal safety is a top priority for them to continue working in the industry.

Healthcare workers believe the right safety communications and training will help them to feel more prepared for emergencies at work. Respondents expressed interest in panic button technology or another 9-1-1 alerting system (55%), safety procedure training (51%), customized texts and/or phone alerts (48%), easily accessible, digital safety plans (46%) and the availability of a safety app with resources, plans and emergency contacts (44%).

To view the full findings of the survey, download the Motorola Solutions 2023 Healthcare Worker Safety Report here.

Motorola Solutions offers a unified technology ecosystem to help hospitals proactively manage safety and security, including access control, video security, body-worn cameras, critical communications, command center software and weapons detection solutions. Its Rave Mobile Safety platform communicates emergencies to 9-1-1, connects on-site personnel and first responders, improves operational efficiencies and informs community members via mobile safety apps and other modalities.

Methodology

The independent research firm Researchscape conducted this survey. Respondents were 500 healthcare workers aged 18+ in the United States. Responses were gathered in December 2022 and January 2023.

About Motorola Solutions

Motorola Solutions is a global leader in public safety and enterprise security. Our solutions in land mobile radio communications, video security & access control and command center software, bolstered by managed & support services, create an integrated technology ecosystem to help make communities safer and businesses stay productive and secure. At Motorola Solutions, were ushering in a new era in public safety and security. Learn more at www.motorolasolutions.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230227005959/en/

PR Contact:

Amanda Maguire, V2 Communications

[email protected]

Source: Motorola Solutions
OSHKOSH, Wis.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Oshkosh Corporation (NYSE: OSK), a leading innovator of purpose-built vehicles and equipment, will participate in a fireside chat at the Raymond James 2023 Institutional Investors Conference.

The event is scheduled to start at 9:50 a.m. EST on March 7, 2023, and will be webcast. To access the webcast, please visit oshkoshcorp.com prior to the start of the event.

About Oshkosh Corporation

At Oshkosh (NYSE: OSK), we make innovative, mission-critical equipment to help everyday heroes advance communities around the world. Headquartered in Wisconsin, Oshkosh Corporation employs approximately 15,000 team members worldwide, all united behind a common cause: to make a difference in peoples lives. Oshkosh products can be found in more than 150 countries under the brands of JLG, Hinowa, Pierce, MAXIMETAL, Oshkosh Defense, McNeilus, IMT, Jerr-Dan, Frontline, Oshkosh Airport Products, London and Pratt Miller. For more information, visit oshkoshcorp.com.

,  All brand names referred to in this news release are trademarks of Oshkosh Corporation or its subsidiary companies.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230228006082/en/

Financial: Patrick Davidson

Senior Vice President, Investor Relations

920.502.3266

Media: Jennifer Stiansen

Vice President, Global Branding and Communications

240.500.6485

Source: Oshkosh Corporation
BIRMINGHAM, Ala.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- ServisFirst Bank, a subsidiary of ServisFirst Bancshares (NYSE: SFBS), announces that it has been ranked 15th on the 2023 Forbes Americas Best Banks list. Forbes looks at growth, credit quality, and profitability to rank the 100 largest publicly traded banks, by assets, and then ranks them from best to worst. This is Forbes 14th annual Americas Best Banks list.

ServisFirst Bank is honored to be included on Forbes Americas Best Banks list, states Tom Broughton, ServisFirst Bank Chairman, President and CEO. We are extremely proud to be recognized on a list that sets the precedent for banks in the United States, and we are excited to continue our growth and profitability in 2023.

Companies do not pay a fee for placement on Forbes Rankings. While S&P Global Market Intelligence provides the data, the rankings are done separately by Forbes.

For more information regarding this accomplishment or to speak to a representative of ServisFirst Bank, please contact Krista Conlin, [email protected]. For more about ServisFirst Bank, please visit www.servisfirstbank.com.

ABOUT SERVISFIRST BANK

ServisFirst Bank is a full-service commercial bank focused on commercial banking, correspondent banking, treasury management, private banking and the professional consumer market, emphasizing competitive products, state-of-the-art technology and a focus on quality service. Recently, the Bank announced its assets exceed $14 billion. The Bank offers sophisticated treasury management products, Internet banking, home mortgage lending, remote deposit express banking, and highly competitive rates.

ServisFirst Bank was formed in May 2005, and has offices in Atlanta, Birmingham, Charleston, Charlotte, Dothan, Huntsville, Mobile, Montgomery, Nashville, Northwest Florida, West Central Florida, and Western North Carolina. In April 2015, and annually thereafter, ServisFirst Bank has earned investment-grade ratings and a stable outlook from Kroll Bond Rating Agency (KBRA), which measures companies financial fundamentals. ServisFirst Bancshares, Inc. files periodic reports with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Copies of its filings may be obtained at www.servisfirstbancshares.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230228005425/en/

Krista Conlin, [email protected]

Source: ServisFirst Bancshares, Inc.
Consolidated revenue up by a good third (+34.3%) compared to the previous year to EUR 3.07 billion, outperforming the pre-Covid year 2019* by 22.6%

Consolidated earnings before taxes (EBT) reach historic high of EUR 550.2 million (+24.4%) and, at 17.9%, significantly exceed the base target of 10% return on investment

Attractive dividend proposal: EUR 4.11 per ordinary share, EUR 4.13 per preferred share and a special dividend in the amount of EUR 2.00 per ordinary share and preferred share

SIXT expects another very positive business year in 2023: Significant increase in consolidated revenue expected as well as EBT of 430 million to EUR 550 million

Substantial further investments in growth and quality planned

Largest borrowers note loan transaction in the companys history with a volume of EUR 450 million secures long-term investment scope for its growth agenda

PULLACH, Germany--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- SIXT performed better than ever before in financial year 2022. According to preliminary figures, the international mobility services provider achieved year-on-year growth in consolidated revenue of 34.3% to EUR 3.07 billion, with all three segments  Europe, North America and Germany  contributing to this growth. SIXT benefitted from the continued positive market environment in terms of demand for rentals as well as prices. Consolidated earnings before taxes (EBT) also increased notably despite significant investments in growth and quality, reaching an all-time high of EUR 550.2 million, an increase of 24.4% year-on-year and of 78.5% compared to the pre-Covid year 2019*. Despite the limited ability of vehicle manufacturers to ship vehicles due to the semiconductor crisis and supply chain disruptions, SIXT succeeded in increasing its global rental fleet in the corporate countries by more than 10% on an annual average compared to 2021. Currently, it can be observed that the general delivery capability of OEMs is improving. SIXT is planning another substantial expansion of its fleet for the current year.

Sixt SE has always stood for a profit-oriented and shareholder-friendly dividend policy. Subject to the approval of the Supervisory Board, the Management Board plans to propose a dividend of EUR 4.11 per ordinary share and EUR 4.13 per preferred share as well as a special dividend of EUR 2.00 per ordinary and preferred share to the companys upcoming Annual General Meeting for the past financial year. The Management Board has decided in its meeting today to propose this based on the preliminary, very positive, results for the financial year 2022, the business performance to date in the current financial year, and the expected business performance of the current business year as a whole.

Alexander Sixt, Co-CEO of Sixt SE: 2022 was the second record year in a row for SIXT. I would like to express my sincere thanks to all our employees for their efforts last year. The results show that our Group has reached a noticeably higher level in terms of its strategic positioning, earnings power and resilience than before the Covid pandemic. We invested heavily last year, in our fleet, staff, technology and marketing, for example. We have thus laid the foundations for future growth and the further sharpening of our premium positioning. Despite these investments and thanks to our continued internationalisation, operational improvements, and an increasingly positive market environment, we were able to achieve an EBT margin of 17.9%, significantly exceeding our basic target return of 10%.

Highlights of business year 2022

Internationalisation: SIXT continued to drive its internationalisation in 2022. The foreign share of consolidated revenue increased year-on-year from 67.2% to 71.4%. In the United States, the Group has nearly doubled its revenue since 2019. By launching operations in Canada last July as a new SIXT corporate country, SIXT is tapping into another billion-dollar market that also offers potential for synergies with its US business.

Marketing: SIXT more than doubled its Group-wide marketing spend in 2022 compared to the previous year. Its highlight is the campaign launched in the US last December, which displays SIXT challenging the commonly used Rent a car category designation and positioning itself as the first Rent THE Car brand in the US. In addition to distribution via digital channels and television advertising, the wide-ranging campaign also includes out-of-home spaces such as Times Square in New York City. As a result, SIXT has been able to significantly increase its brand awareness in the US in only a short period of time.

Staff: SIXT invested greatly in further staff expansion in 2022. Despite the staff shortages in the travel and hospitality industry, the company managed to increase the number of its employees across the Group by more than 1,100 to around 7,500 on average for the year. At the same time, the company significantly increased its overall salary levels and paid out a special bonus of EUR 1,700 per employee.

Technology: SIXT increased its investment in technology developments by an additional 26% year-on-year, including the opening of a new tech hub in Lisbon. Compared to the previous year, the number of jobs (FTEs) in the tech departments also increased by around 10%.

Premium rental fleet: SIXT increased its average stock of rental vehicles in its corporate countries by more than 10% to 138,400 cars last year despite the tight procurement situation. This was achieved mainly thanks to the long-standing good business relationships with all renowned car manufacturers. The fleet share (measured by vehicle value) of the premium brands BMW (incl. Mini), Audi and Mercedes-Benz was 57% in 2022, a constant level compared to the previous year and 7 percentage points higher than in the pre-Covid year 2019. The electric share (incl. plug-in hybrids and mild hybrids) of the rental fleet in Europe, where SIXT is aiming for an e-share of 70 to 90% by 2030, was increased from around 10% to more than 14% year-on-year as part of the sustainability programme adopted in 2022.

Key figures for the Group in 2022

Consolidated revenue increased by 34.3% from EUR 2.28 billion to EUR 3.07 billion and was thus in the upper half of the target range of EUR 2.8 to 3.1 billion. SIXT achieved the strongest growth in the North America segment, with the United States now being the largest single market for SIXT worldwide; revenue in North America increased by 55.4% to EUR 908.2 million. The Europe segment (excluding Germany) achieved growth of 35.1% to EUR 1.28 billion. The German segment also made a substantial contribution to the Groups growth by posting a 17.6% increase to EUR 869.8 million.

Consolidated earnings before taxes (EBT) reached a record level of EUR 550.2 million, an increase of 24.4% over the previous year (EUR 442.2 million). EBT was thus at the upper end of the range of EUR 500 million to EUR 550 million.

Corporate EBITDA, which shows the Group's operating profit including interest income and depreciation on rental vehicles, reached EUR 699.4 million, an increase of 21.4% compared to the previous years figure (EUR 575.9 million).

The Group closed the year with net profit after taxes of EUR 385.7 million, an increase of 23.2% (2021: EUR 313.2 million).

As of 31 December 2022, Group equity amounted to EUR 2.0 billion (+13.4%), corresponding to a 35.8% share of total assets. Compared to the previous year, the Group equity ratio was 2.8 percentage points lower (38.6%). It is thus still well above the levels of major competitors and the minimum target value of 20%. This also applies when taking the proposed dividend payments into account.

Konstantin Sixt, Co-CEO of Sixt SE: Our growth strategy for the years ahead is centred on the claim of Being Better, which we want to focus on even more distinctly. This goal encompasses delighting our customers with a premium experience in all respects, achieving a leading position in the worlds most attractive segments, expanding our leadership in technological innovation, aiming for best cost efficiency and further strengthening our bold and iconic brand.

The recent successful placement of Borrowers note loans with a total volume of EUR 450 million also serves to finance the companys future growth. The transaction, arranged by BayernLB, DZ BANK AG and UniCredit Bank AG, is the largest promissory note transaction in the companys history. The loans have terms of three, five and seven years and were placed by Sixt SE with institutional investors in Germany and abroad. With an order book of more than EUR 750 million, the issue achieved extraordinarily high demand and was priced at the lower end of the target range that had been announced.

Prof. Dr. Kai Andrejewski, CFO of Sixt SE: Thanks to our excellent capitalisation, high financing strength and our proven business model that includes a high share of variable costs, we are ideally prepared to finance our continued growth. We are also encouraged by the fact that the market environment for travel is much friendlier than was expected a few months ago in view of the gloomy geopolitical mood.

Outlook for the current business year and forecast

SIXT will continue to invest in growth and quality in 2023, focusing on four key areas:

Further increase of service excellence, especially through investments in existing stations and the further digitalisation and automation of services. The investment budget foreseen for such measures (which also includes costs for the construction of new stations) amounts to more than EUR 100 million in 2023.

Further improvement of operational excellence to reduce costs and increase capacity utilisation to offer more vehicles to customers even faster.

Continuous expansion of the (premium) rental fleet as well as expansion of the global SIXT network, in particular by adding airport and downtown stations in the US and in the Van&Truck sector.

Continuous transformation of the rental fleet towards electric drives and acceleration of enthusiasm for this technology among customers (e.g., through the progressive expansion of SIXTs own charging infrastructure).

In general, confidence in the development of global travel has increased considerably. For example, the global airline umbrella organisation IATA projects that passenger traffic on domestic flights will reach 95% of 2019 pre-Covid levels already in 2023 and 80% on international routes, not yet taking into consideration the re-opening of China. The data analyst firm Statista forecasts a 20% increase in the global travel and tourism market volume in 2023.

For the first quarter of 2023, SIXT expects to see consolidated revenues increase by 10 to 25% compared to the same quarter of the previous year (Q1 2022: EUR 580.8 million). In view of the currently emerging developments, the Management Board of Sixt SE estimates earnings before taxes (EBT) of between EUR 20 million and EUR 40 million for the first quarter of 2023 (Q1 2022: EUR 93.5 million). The first quarter of 2022 and the first quarter of 2023 were both characterised by special circumstances. These special circumstances are mainly driven by staffing levels and fleet size that were still at an unusually low level at the beginning of 2022 due to the pandemic, which had a positive impact on the cost situation in the first quarter of 2022. At the same time, marketing expenses in the first quarter of 2023 will be high compared to previous years as a result of the major US campaign currently underway.

Alexander Sixt, Co-CEO of Sixt SE: We expect to see a significant increase in consolidated revenue for the full year 2023. Group EBT in 2023 is projected to be in the range of EUR 430 million to EUR 550 million. The upper end of this range is thus on course for the record year 2022 and the lower end is clearly above the pre-Covid record level. We are encouraged by the continued improvement in operational execution and continued international and product expansion. Furthermore, our forecast is based on demand returning to pre-pandemic levels, as seen in 2022 and the first weeks of 2023, but at higher prices.

The entire range of the forecast for the full year is thus very clearly above the base targeted return of 10%. All forecasts assume that the macroeconomic and industry-specific conditions will not deteriorate significantly compared to the current assumptions.

The figures for financial year 2022 referred to in this release are preliminary and unaudited. Sixt SE will publish its audited Consolidated Financial Statements for 2022 and the Annual Financial Statements of Sixt SE on its website at http://ir.sixt.com in the Publications section on 30 March 2023 as already announced.

*The comparative figures for 2019 used in this press release have been adjusted and refer in each case to continuing operations. For instance, the leasing business was sold in July 2020.

About SIXT

Sixt SE, with its registered office in Pullach near Munich, is a leading international provider of high-quality mobility services. With its products SIXT rent, SIXT share, SIXT ride and SIXT+ on the mobility platform ONE the company offers a uniquely integrated premium mobility service across the fields of vehicle and commercial vehicle rental, car sharing, ride hailing and car subscriptions. The products can be booked through the SIXT app, which also integrates the services of its renowned mobility partners. SIXT has a presence in more than 100 countries around the globe. The company stands for consistent customer orientation, a lived culture of innovation with strong technological competence, a high proportion of premium vehicles in the fleet and an attractive price-performance ratio. In 2022, according to preliminary figures, the Sixt Group achieved a record consolidated pre-tax earnings of EUR 550 million and a significant increase in consolidated revenues to EUR 3.07 billion. Sixt SE has been listed on the Frankfurt stock exchange since 1986 (ISIN ordinary share: DE0007231326, ISIN preference share: DE0007231334). https://about.sixt.com

The SIXT Group at a glance

(Data according to IFRS; rounding differences may occur)

Revenue development Change in EUR million 2022 2021 in % Rental revenue 2,847.5 2,097.4 +35.8 Other revenue from the rental business 208.6 172.4 +20.9 Other revenue 10.2 12.6 -19.5 Consolidated revenue 3,066.2 2,282.4 +34.3

Earnings performance Change in EUR million 2022 2021 in % Fleet expenses 630.0 506.5 +24.4 Personnel expenses 567.7 405.3 +40.1 Depreciation and amortisation expense 554.6 370.0 +49.9 Net other operating income/expenses -725.1 -521.4 +39.0 Earnings before net finance costs and taxes (EBIT) 588.8 479.2 +22.9 Financial result -38.6 -37.0 +4.4 Earnings before taxes (EBT) 550.2 442.2 +24.4 Income tax expense 164.4 129.0 +27.5 Consolidated profit/loss 385.7 313.2 +23.2 Earnings per share (in EUR) 8.22 6.67

Other key figures for the Group 31 Dec. 2022 31 Dec. 2021 Change in % Total assets (in EUR million) 5,527.4 4,521.2 +22.3 Rental vehicles (in EUR million) 3,833.4 2,856.6 +34.2 Equity (in EUR million) 1,979.4 1,746.2 +13.4 Equity ratio (in %) 35.8 38.6 -2.8 points 2022 2021 Change in % Investments (in EUR billion)1 4.92 5.12 -4.0 Average number of rental vehicles (Group) 138,400 125,300 +10.5

1 Value of vehicles added to the rental fleet

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Sixt SE

Johannes Gunst

Sixt Central Press Office

Tel.: +49  (0)89  74444 6700

E-mail: [email protected]

Source: Sixt SE
A former administrator at a Buffalo investment advisory firm has been sentenced to three years in prison for stealing more than half a million dollars from the company and its clients, U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross announced.

Jennifer Campbell, 48, of Niagara Falls, who was convicted of wire fraud, also was ordered by U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. Vilardo to pay $371,332 in restitution.

Prosecutors said that Campbell, as office manager and chief compliance officer at the firm, forged signatures of clients and officers of the firm on checks and deposited them in her personal account between November 2018 and May 2021.

According to prosecutors, Campbell also gave clients false account statements to conceal the theft, transferred funds from one client's accounts to another and diverted emails from the firm's broker-dealer, who was raising questions about her transactions.

Prosecutors said Campbell also used the email account of a principal in her firm to submit false statements and documentation to make her transactions seem proper.
Spirent Landslide used to certify third-party NF vendors participating in the Azure Operator Nexus Ready program

BARCELONA, Spain--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Spirent Communications plc (LSE: SPT), a leading provider of test and assurance solutions for next-generation devices and networks, today announced a collaboration with Microsoft for the pre-certification of third-party network functions (NFs) on the new Microsoft Azure Operator Nexus platform. Recognized as the leading solution for 5G Core testing and emulation, Spirent Landslide can be used to certify that NF offerings can interoperate with the Azure Operator Nexus platform using the Azure Operator Nexus Ready program.

Microsoft Azure Operator Nexus is a next-generation hybrid cloud platform for operators built for the future of telecommunications, said Doug Roberts, General Manager of Spirents Lifecycle Service Assurance business. It will enable operators to be more competitive, deliver new services and increase revenue. Were pleased to assist Microsoft as it works to support deployments at the edge of the cloud, network, or for the enterprise.

This instance of the Azure Operator Nexus platform combines a North American Tier-1 operators Network Cloud with Azures security, monitoring, analytics, and AI capabilities. It also supports the new Azure Operator 5G Core, a packet-core-as-a-service application for mobile networks. NF vendors will be able to certify their offerings on Azure Operator Nexus once they have been validated by Landslide testing.

As NF vendors prepare to deploy on the Azure Operator Nexus platform, their solutions must be validated and pre-certified to ensure they work as intended, said Ross Ortega, VP Azure for Operators at Microsoft. Spirent provides the testing capabilities and experience required, and we see Spirent Landslide as a critical component of our Azure Operator Nexus Ready program, ensuring the smooth deployment of 5G service offerings.

In the cloud, network functions no longer sit in well-defined network elements with other similar functions. Landslide supports this new paradigm by validating the performance of individual cloud-native functions not just in isolation, but also as part of an end-to-end system.

For more information on Spirent Landslide, visit www.spirent.com/landslide.

About Spirent

Spirent Communications plc. (LSE: SPT) is the leading global provider of automated test and assurance solutions for networks, cybersecurity, and positioning. The company provides innovative products, services and managed solutions that address the test, assurance, and automation challenges of a new generation of technologies, including 5G, SD-WAN, cloud, autonomous vehicles and beyond. From the lab to the real world, Spirent helps companies deliver on their promise to their customers of a new generation of connected devices and technologies. For more information visit www.spirent.com and follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230227005958/en/

MEDIA:

Americas:

Sherri Walkenhorst

Connect Marketing

T: +1-801-373-7888

[email protected]

Asia Pacific:

Janet Peng

Spirent Communications

T: +86 (10) 823 30055 (x160)

[email protected]

EMEA:

Anne Harding

The Message Machine

T: +44-7887-682943

[email protected]

Source: Spirent Communications plc
NEWCASTLE & HOUSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- TechnipFMC (NYSE: FTI) has been awarded a substantial(1) contract by Azule Energy to supply flexible pipe for the Agogo Integrated West Hub Development Project, offshore Angola.

The contract is one of TechnipFMCs largest ever awards for flexible pipe in West Africa, and covers the engineering, procurement, and supply of jumpers, flowlines, risers, and all associated ancillary equipment. The flexible pipe will connect the new Agogo facility to the subsea production systems.

Azule Energy, a bp and Eni company, is the operator of Block 15/06 in Angola offshore, partnering with Sonangol P&P and SSI Fifteen Limited.

Jonathan Landes, President, Subsea at TechnipFMC, commented: Our ability to meet Azules flexible pipe needs, which allows for optimized riser and flowline system configuration, was instrumental in winning this award. This is another example of our unique capability to support fast-track greenfield developments, and we are excited to be supporting Azule Energy and its partners on this project.

(1) For TechnipFMC, a substantial contract is between $250 million and $500 million.

Important Information for Investors and Securityholders

Forward-Looking Statement

This release contains "forward-looking statements" as defined in Section 27A of the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the United States Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. The words expect, believe, estimated, and other similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements, which are generally not historical in nature. Such forward-looking statements involve significant risks, uncertainties and assumptions that could cause actual results to differ materially from our historical experience and our present expectations or projections. For information regarding known material factors that could cause actual results to differ from projected results, please see our risk factors set forth in our filings with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission, which include our Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, and Current Reports on Form 8-K. We caution you not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof. We undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any of our forward-looking statements after the date they are made, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except to the extent required by law.

About TechnipFMC

TechnipFMC is a leading technology provider to the traditional and new energy industries, delivering fully integrated projects, products, and services.

With our proprietary technologies and comprehensive solutions, we are transforming our clients project economics, helping them unlock new possibilities to develop energy resources while reducing carbon intensity and supporting their energy transition ambitions.

Organized in two business segments  Subsea and Surface Technologies  we will continue to advance the industry with our pioneering integrated ecosystems (such as iEPCI, iFEED and iComplete), technology leadership and digital innovation.

Each of our approximately 20,000 employees is driven by a commitment to our clients success, and a culture of strong execution, purposeful innovation, and challenging industry conventions.

TechnipFMC uses its website as a channel of distribution of material company information. To learn more about how we are driving change in the industry, go to www.TechnipFMC.com and follow us on Twitter @TechnipFMC.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230228006107/en/

Investor relations

Matt Seinsheimer

Senior Vice President, Investor Relations and Corporate Development

Tel: +1 281 260 3665

Email: Matt Seinsheimer

James Davis

Senior Manager, Investor Relations

Tel: +1 281 260 3665

Email: James Davis

Media relations

Nicola Cameron

Vice President, Corporate Communications

Tel: +44 1383 742297

Email: Nicola Cameron

Catie Tuley

Director, Public Relations

Tel: +1 713 876 7296

Email: Catie Tuley

Source: TechnipFMC plc
New Features Include User-selectable Core Parameters, Pre-print Analysis to Identify Potential Costly and Time-consuming Errors, and Rapid Resequencing for Multi-part Prints

CAMPBELL, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Velo3D, Inc. (NYSE: VLD), a leading metal additive manufacturing technology company for mission-critical parts, today announced the latest release of its Flow print preparation software. Flow 5.0 unlocks an array of new capabilities for engineers using Velo3Ds fully integrated solution including user-selectable core parameter sets that provide enhanced control over builds with the ability to assign different parameters to any part on the build plate. This improvement, in addition to Flows ability to apply skin and contour overrides, gives customers enhanced control over the final material properties of printed parts.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230228005111/en/

Velo3D's Flow 5.0 software now features a new graphical merging feature that enables operators to calculate build times for builds of different part quantities more quickly. (Graphic: Business Wire)

Through our software, we are able to continually expand our manufacturing capabilities based on customers needs and feedback, said Alexander Varlahanov, VP of Engineering at Velo3D. By enabling selectable core parameters for customers, engineers can modify the material properties of their parts to better suit the need of the application, including more isotropic parts. This even works on builds with multiple types of parts where each requires a different core parameter set.

The new Flow 5.0 release also includes checks and messages that identify possible errors before a build even starts, reducing the likelihood of customers experiencing failures in their builds. In doing so, engineers can be confident that a part will print successfully before the process begins. Flow also now includes labeling for objects. Customers can easily add alphanumeric characters, like serial numbers or other unique identifying text, to their builds within the Flow print preparation software to clearly identify and label instances of their parts. Once the print file is produced, the characters can be updated through a new Label Updater tool.

The release also enables a faster method to calculate build times for builds of different part quantity. After a part has been prepared for print, users can vary the quantity of that part and see updated build times to better understand the economics of scaled production. This enables contract manufacturers to speed up their quoting process and accelerates OEM planning and scheduling.

The Flow print preparation software is a key part of Velo3Ds fully integrated metal additive manufacturing solution. The software takes traditional CAD files and turns them into print files without any specialization or design for additive manufacturing (DfAM). Other parts of the solution include the Sapphire family of printers, Assure quality assurance software, and the underlying Intelligent Fusion manufacturing process that ensures consistent, repeatable outcomes across different Sapphire printers from the same print file.

About Velo3D:

Velo3D is a metal 3D printing technology company. 3D printingalso known as additive manufacturing (AM)has a unique ability to improve the way high-value metal parts are built. However, legacy metal AM has been greatly limited in its capabilities since its invention almost 30 years ago. This has prevented the technology from being used to create the most valuable and impactful parts, restricting its use to specific niches where the limitations were acceptable.

Velo3D has overcome these limitations so engineers can design and print the parts they want. The companys solution unlocks a wide breadth of design freedom and enables customers in space exploration, aviation, power generation, energy, and semiconductor to innovate the future in their respective industries. Using Velo3D, these customers can now build mission-critical metal parts that were previously impossible to manufacture. The fully integrated solution includes the Flow print preparation software, the Sapphire family of printers, and the Assure quality control systemall of which are powered by Velo3Ds Intelligent Fusion manufacturing process. The company delivered its first Sapphire system in 2018 and has been a strategic partner to innovators such as SpaceX, Honeywell, Honda, Chromalloy, and Lam Research. Velo3D has been named to San Francisco Chronicles prestigious annual list of Top Workplaces in the Bay Area 2022. For more information, please visit Velo3D.com, or follow the company on LinkedIn or Twitter.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1996. The Companys actual results may differ from its expectations, estimates and projections and consequently, you should not rely on these forward-looking statements as predictions of future events. Words such as expect, estimate, project, budget, forecast, anticipate, intend, plan, may, will, could, should, believes, predicts, potential, continue, and similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements include, without limitation, the Companys goals for 2023 and the Companys other expectations, hopes, beliefs, intentions, or strategies for the future. These forward-looking statements involve significant risks and uncertainties that could cause the actual results to differ materially from the expected results. You should carefully consider the risks and uncertainties described in the documents filed by the Company from time to time with the SEC. These filings identify and address other important risks and uncertainties that could cause actual events and results to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements. Most of these factors are outside the Companys control and are difficult to predict. The Company cautions not to place undue reliance upon any forward-looking statements, including projections, which speak only as of the date made. The Company does not undertake or accept any obligation to release publicly any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statements to reflect any change in its expectations or any change in events, conditions, or circumstances on which any such statement is based.

VELO, VELO3D, SAPPHIRE, and INTELLIGENT FUSION, are registered trademarks of Velo3D, Inc.; and WITHOUT COMPROMISE, FLOW and ASSURE are trademarks of Velo3D, Inc. All Rights Reserved  Velo3D, Inc.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230228005111/en/

Media Contact:

Dan Sorensen, Senior Director of Public Relations

[email protected]



Investor Relations:

Bob Okunski, VP Investor Relations

[email protected]

Source: Velo3D
Platform Will Help Improve Access to Capital for Walmarts U.S. Supplier Base through Network of over 70 lenders, Including 20+ Diverse Financial Institutions

NEW YORK & BENTONVILLE, Ark.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Walmart and Citi are collaborating to introduce the Bridge built by Citi platform (Bridge) to Walmarts 10,000 small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) in their US-based supplier network. Bridge is a digital platform that connects SMBs with a diverse group of more than 70 lenders that provide qualifying businesses with loans of up to $10 million.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230228006155/en/

Through a single loan request form, Walmart suppliers can interact with a broad group of lenders located across the United States. Once a request is submitted, the platform seamlessly connects suppliers with multiple potential lenders that can evaluate their requests. This provides for a more efficient loan process for both the suppliers and lenders and empowers suppliers by offering them greater choice, convenience, and access to capital. It also provides lenders with the potential to expand their reach beyond their immediate local market and diversify their lending businesses. In preparation for this launch, the platforms lender base has grown from 18 banks in 2021 to more than 70 lenders nationwide currently on the platform.

At Walmart, we know small- and medium-sized businesses are the engine that drives the U.S. economy and local communities. Many diverse owned businesses also fit the small- and medium-sized business profile. As such we stand to strengthen our longstanding Supplier Inclusion offering through this specific opportunity, said Jason Fremstad, Senior Vice President of Supplier Development at Walmart. By leveraging the platform, our suppliers can have better access to the funding they need to expand their operations to reach and surpass their goals. Greater access to capital will help our suppliers continue to provide the products that our customers are looking for.

Working capital loans, commercial mortgages and other pre-shipment financing loans are among the potential loans extended by some of the lenders on the platform. Walmart has programs that help with post-shipment financing, but Bridge built by Citi has the potential to expand options available to qualifying suppliers.

Bridge was developed to provide more inclusive access to capital while supporting innovative, digital-first solutions for SMBs. Many small and medium-sized business owners dont have a network of existing bank relationships  especially those operating in underrepresented communities, said Rohit Mathur, Head of the Bridge built by Citi platform. Bridge offers a modern and efficient way for Walmarts U.S. suppliers to navigate the lending process and cultivate relationships with multiple lenders while helping them gain access to the capital that is essential for them to grow.

In preparation for engaging Walmarts supplier network, Citi focused on increasing the number of Minority Depository Institutions (MDIs) and Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) on the platform. Of the more than 70 lenders currently participating on the Bridge built by Citi platform, more than 20 are MDIs and four are women-owned institutions. In addition, 15 of the 20 Black-owned banks in the U.S. are lenders on the platform. Citi and Walmart are proud to help introduce suppliers to financial institutions that are committed to serving their communities and promoting racial and gender equity.

M&F Bank in North Carolina has used the platform to source opportunities to lend hundreds of thousands of dollars to businesses they would not have found otherwise. Were proud to be part of a platform that enables us to connect with our target market in a more intentional and efficient way and are excited to now extend our reach to Walmarts extensive supplier network, says M&F Bank CEO James Sills. By growing and diversifying our business mix, Bridge enables us to make even more of a positive impact on the communities we serve.

In addition to the introduction of Bridge built by Citi to Walmart suppliers, Walmart and Citi will also collaborate to provide suppliers with educational content to increase financial literacy.

At Citi, we are focused on delivering innovative solutions that create value for our clients and contribute to a more inclusive and efficient financial ecosystem. This includes our collaborations with clients and partners such as Walmart to identify optimal paths for the solutions we are creating, says Emily Turner, Head of Business Development, Institutional Clients Group at Citi.

Walmart suppliers can access the platform and review terms of use through a dedicated website: www.bridgebuiltbyciti.com/walmart.

Note: Neither Walmart nor Citi have any influence in lending decisions, nor do they participate as lenders on the platform. Bridge helps to facilitate the establishment of an independent relationship between a prospective borrower and one or more lenders.

About Walmart

Walmart Inc. (NYSE: WMT) helps people around the world save money and live better - anytime and anywhere - in retail stores, online, and through their mobile devices. Each week, approximately 240 million customers and members visit more than 10,500 stores and numerous eCommerce websites in 20 countries. With fiscal year 2023 revenue of $611 billion, Walmart employs approximately 2.1 million associates worldwide. Walmart continues to be a leader in sustainability, corporate philanthropy and employment opportunity. Additional information about Walmart can be found by visiting https://corporate.walmart.com, on Facebook at https://facebook.com/walmart, on Twitter at https://twitter.com/walmart, and on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/walmart/.

About Citi

Citi is a preeminent banking partner for institutions with cross-border needs, a global leader in wealth management and a valued personal bank in its home market of the United States. Citi does business in nearly 160 countries and jurisdictions, providing corporations, governments, investors, institutions and individuals with a broad range of financial products and services.

Additional information may be found at www.citigroup.com | Twitter: @Citi | YouTube: www.youtube.com/citi | Blog: http://blog.citigroup.com | Facebook: www.facebook.com/citi | LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/citi

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230228006155/en/

Mark Costiglio

Citi Communications

212-793-4521

[email protected]

Jacquelyn Cook

Walmart Communications

425-698-3389

[email protected]

Source: Citigroup Inc.
HOUSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Westlake Corporation (NYSE: WLK) today announced that Westlake Epoxys European business received a 2022 Platinum Medal from EcoVadis, the worlds largest and most trusted provider of business sustainability ratings. Westlake Epoxy was also rated at this level in 2021 which positions it at the top 1% of companies assessed by EcoVadis.

Westlake Epoxy is a leading global producer of epoxy resins, modifiers and curing agents for high-performance materials. It serves a variety of industries including aerospace, automotive, civil engineering and construction, composites and wind energy, electronics, electrical equipment, and marine and protective coatings.

Sustainability is key to Westlakes strategy and integrated in our operations and product offering, said Larry Schubert, vice president, corporate development and sustainability for Westlake Corporation. This EcoVadis Platinum rating reaffirms our commitment to create a sustainable present and future. True to our Mission of Enhancing Your Life Every day.

Westlake Epoxy is delighted that EcoVadis has recognized its sustainability efforts by maintaining the Platinum rating. This external benchmark shows our progress to reduce our carbon footprint and climate impact. It is a strong encouragement for the growing group of our associates who are actively contributing to our CLEAN strategy, said Ann Frederix, vice president, Westlake Epoxy. Our materials and technical solutions are essential for our customers today and we are committed to providing the essential materials of their future.

About Westlake

Westlake is a global manufacturer and supplier of materials and innovative products that enhance life every day. Headquartered in Houston, with operations in Asia, Europe and North America, we provide the building blocks for vital solutions  from building and construction, to packaging and healthcare, to automotive and consumer. For more information, visit the company's website at www.westlake.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230228006386/en/

Westlake Corporation

Chip Swearngan, 1-713-960-9111

Source: Westlake Corporation
NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Z Capital Group, L.L.C. (ZCG), a leading private markets asset manager, today announced promotions across the firm.

Erik Kreutzer has been promoted to General Counsel, Chief Compliance Officer and Head of Legal. Mr. Kreutzer is responsible for supporting firmwide legal and compliance matters as well as working jointly with ZCG Investment Teams and portfolio company management teams.

Bechara Abouarab has been promoted to Vice President within the ZCP Investment Team which is responsible for making and managing investments of existing and prospective private equity portfolio companies.

Roi Manor has been promoted to Vice President within the ZCP Investment Team which is responsible for making and managing investments of existing and prospective private equity portfolio companies.

Bill Gao has been promoted to Associate with ZCG Consulting (ZCGC). Mr. Gao is part of ZCGCs Strategic Finance group which is responsible for portfolio company financial matters, including oversight of financial reporting and strategic finance transformation initiatives to aid management teams in identifying and evaluating growth opportunities.

About ZCG

ZCG is a leading, privately held merchant bank comprised of private markets asset management, business consulting services, technology development and solutions.

For almost 30 years, ZCG Principals have invested approximately $30 billion and have industry leading track records in private equity and credit.

ZCG has approximately $6.5B of AUM in asset management and its investors are some of the largest and most sophisticated global institutional investors including pension funds, endowments, foundations, sovereign wealth funds, central banks, and insurance companies.

ZCG has a global team comprised of over 375 professionals. For more information, please visit www.zcg.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230228006212/en/

Media:

Tim Ragones / Kate Thompson / Erik Carlson

Joele Frank, Wilkinson Brimmer Katcher

212-355-4449

Source: ZCG
FILE PHOTO: Signage is seen outside of the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) in Washington, D.C., U.S., August 30, 2020. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly

By Chris Prentice

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) has hired a former New York prosecutor with expertise in cryptocurrency and cyber crimes to lead its enforcement unit, the agency said in a statement on Tuesday.

Ian McGinley, who was most recently an attorney with Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld in New York, was previously the co-chief of the complex frauds and cybercrime unit at the Manhattan U.S. Attorney's Office.

His appointment at the CFTC, which oversees swaps markets and virtual currencies such as Bitcoin, underscores the agency's focus on policing these markets at a time of "heightened stress and volatility" and new threats, the statement said.

The CFTC is a key agency involved in the oversight of digital assets at a troubled time for the industry following a wave of bankruptcies and high-profile charges levied against crypto players including Sam Bankman-Fried, FTX founder and former chief executive officer.

CFTC Chairman Rostin Behnam in the statement described McGinley as a "leader in combatting modern financial fraud".

"His background as a prosecutor with unique experience in commodities, crypto, and cyber-crimes and frauds makes him an ideal person to lead the CFTCs enforcement team," Behnam said.

While at the Justice Department, McGinley pursued investigations and oversaw cases involving a $1 billion crypto Ponzi scheme, initial coin offering fraud and pandemic-related fraud cases.

McGinley, whose appointment is effective immediately, replaces the CFTC's acting director of enforcement and veteran CFTC official Gretchen Lowe.

(Reporting by Chris Prentice; Editing by Mark Potter)
Abbott (NYSE: ABT) today announced late-breaking data for its next-generation Navitor transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) system. Results from the study supported Navitor's recent U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval to treat people with severe, symptomatic aortic stenosis who are at high or greater risk for open-heart surgery.

The company also showcased late-breaking data for the Amplatzer Amulet Left Atrial Appendage (LAA) Occluder that continue to highlight the benefits of this device's immediate and complete closure of the LAA  a differentiator from competing therapies  for patients with atrial fibrillation (AFib) at risk of stroke.

The results of both studies were presented during late-breaking presentations at the annual Cardiovascular Research Technologies (CRT) meeting held in Washington, D.C. (February 25-28, 2023). The findings reinforce the importance of continued advancements in minimally invasive technology that offer hope to patients with debilitating heart conditions.

New Results Highlight the Benefits of Navitor TAVI SystemFollowing the development of Abbott's next-generation TAVI system, the company launched the PORTICO NG (Next Generation) study; a prospective, multi-center, international, single-arm trial that supported the recent FDA approval of the Navitor TAVI system. Navitor features an active sealing cuff to reduce or eliminate the backflow of blood around the valve (paravalvular leak, or PVL), a known challenge with early generation TAVI devices. Based on the results from that study, Navitor was found to be a safe and effective treatment option for patients with severe, symptomatic aortic stenosis who are at high or greater surgical risk.

In the PORTICO NG study, Navitor was found to offer:

High rate of procedural success (97%)

Low rate of all-cause mortality (1.9%) and disabling stroke (1.9%) at 30 days

Excellent PVL results, including 0% moderate or greater PVL at 30 days, demonstrating effectiveness of the NaviSeal active sealing cuff

"Abbott's Navitor device offers a minimally invasive treatment option for severe aortic stenosis that can be lifesaving," said Michael Reardon, M.D., Alison Family Distinguished Chair of Cardiovascular Research and professor of cardiothoracic surgery at the Houston Methodist Hospital, who served as principal investigator for the study that led to FDA approval of Navitor. "The trial provides promising results on the safety and effectiveness of Navitor in addressing this common heart valve disease, highlighting a reduction in the backflow of blood around the valve due to the system's design."

New Findings From the Amulet IDE StudyThe Amulet IDE trial is the largest randomized LAA occlusion study to date, consisting of more than 1,800 patients. Findings demonstrate the Amplatzer Amulet LAA Occluder with dual-seal technology (consisting of a lobe or piece to fill the cavity of the LAA and a disc to seal off the opening into the LAA) had fewer unresolved, severe peri-device leaks (PDLs), where blood leaks around the implant, compared to Boston Scientific's Watchman device that has a single component to close the LAA. PDLs after LAA occlusion have been shown to be associated with poor five-year outcomes (ischemic stroke or systemic embolism).

The new data demonstrated:

Larger LAA anatomy was a predictor of severe PDL with the Watchman device whereas there were no anatomical predictors with the Amplatzer Amulet

Severe PDLs with the Amulet device were less common and resolved over time more often than with Watchman

Severe PDLs with Amulet were less commonly associated with adverse events and deaths than Watchman

"These results for Navitor and Amulet demonstrate that the innovative designs of our minimally invasive devices are changing how doctors are approaching  and patients are experiencing  the treatment of structural heart conditions," said Michael Dale, senior vice president of Abbott's structural heart business. "We continue to focus on addressing the unmet needs of patients with heart disease and advancing standards of care so people can live their fullest possible lives."

For U.S. important safety information on Navitor, visit https://abbo.tt/NavitorISI.

For U.S. important safety information on Amulet, visit https://abbo.tt/AmuletISI.
Advance Auto Parts, Inc. (NYSE: AAP) today announced that Tom Greco has informed the company of his plan to retire as President and Chief Executive Officer of the company at the end of the year. Following Mr. Grecos retirement, he plans to serve in an advisory capacity through a transition period.

In connection with Mr. Grecos planned retirement and the companys succession planning process, the Advance Auto Parts Board has formed a Succession Committee, composed of independent directors. The Board intends to retain a leading executive search firm to assist in a thorough and comprehensive search that considers both internal and external candidates.

Tom Greco, Advances president and chief executive officer, said, It has been a privilege to lead Advance and I am extremely proud of the talented team we have built as well as the accomplishments we have delivered together. Since my appointment as CEO, we have successfully integrated a transformative acquisition while scaling the business and enhancing our operational efficiency, inventory and distribution capabilities to better serve our customers.

Greco added, I believe now is the right time to begin to transition leadership for two primary reasons. First, we are in the final year of our three-year strategic business plan and are in the process of updating our next multi-year strategy. This transition will enable my successor to play a role in developing the next chapter of Advances strategy and help ensure the long-term success of Advance. Secondly, by planning for retirement in advance, I will be able to work with the Boards Succession Committee to identify my successor and facilitate a smooth transition. In the meantime, Im committed to the execution of our 2023 plan to continue delivering for customers and driving long-term shareholder value.

Eugene I. Lee, Jr., Chair of the Board of Directors, commented, On behalf of the Board, we thank Tom for his service and ongoing commitment to Advance. Tom has constructed a strong foundation that will enable success in Advances next chapters. Under his leadership, Advance has transformed its talent base and culture, delivered nearly $2 billion of revenue growth and more than doubled its adjusted earnings per share over the last five years. Advance is now better positioned to meet the challenges of todays dynamic environment and as we undertake our search for the next CEO, we are focused on ensuring that the company continues to unlock its enormous potential and deliver long-term shareholder value.

Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2022 Results and Conference Call

In a separate press release issued today, Advance Auto Parts released its financial results for the fourth quarter and full year 2022. The company will detail its results via a webcast scheduled to begin at 8:00 a.m. Eastern Time today, February 28. The webcast will be accessible via the Investor Relations page of the company's website (ir.AdvanceAutoParts.com).
U.S. Food and Drug Administration Accepts Bristol Myers Squibbs Supplemental Biologics License Application and European Medicines Agency Validates Application for Opdivo (nivolumab) as an Adjuvant Treatment for Patients with Completely Resected Stage IIB or IIC Melanoma

Bristol Myers Squibb (NYSE: BMY) today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted the supplemental Biologics License Application (sBLA) and the European Medicines Agency (EMA) has validated the Type II Variation Marketing Authorization Application (MAA) for Opdivo (nivolumab) as monotherapy in the adjuvant setting for the treatment of patients with completely resected stage IIB or IIC melanoma. In the U.S., the FDA has assigned a Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA) date of October 13, 2023. In Europe, the EMAs validation of the application confirms the submission is complete and begins the start of the EMAs centralized review process.

Melanoma can be a devastating diagnosis, and patients with stage IIB or IIC melanoma tend to be at high risk of disease recurrence. Approximately one third of stage IIB and half of stage IIC patients experience recurrence within five years after surgery, said Gina Fusaro, PhD, vice president, development program lead, Bristol Myers Squibb. The data from the CheckMate -76K trial demonstrate the benefit that Opdivo can have for patients with this earlier stage of cancer. We look forward to working with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the European Medicines Agency to potentially offer a treatment option to patients with stage IIB or IIC melanoma that could help prevent recurrence.

The submissions were based on safety and efficacy results from the pivotal Phase 3 CheckMate -76K trial, in which Opdivo demonstrated a statistically significant and clinically meaningful benefit in recurrence-free survival (RFS) versus placebo in patients with completely resected stage IIB or IIC melanoma. The safety profile of Opdivo was consistent with previously reported studies.

Results from CheckMate -76K were presented as late-breaking data during a plenary session at the Society for Melanoma Research (SMR) Annual Meeting in October 2022.

CheckMate -76K is part of BMS development program studying Opdivo and Opdivo-based combinations in earlier stages of cancer (adjuvant, neoadjuvant, and peri-operative), which currently spans seven tumor types. To date, Opdivo-based therapies have shown improved efficacy in the neoadjuvant or adjuvant treatment of four tumor types: non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), bladder cancer, esophageal/gastroesophageal junction cancer, and melanoma.

Bristol Myers Squibb thanks the patients and investigators involved in the CheckMate -76K trial.

About CheckMate -76K

CheckMate -76K is a randomized Phase 3, double-blind study evaluating adjuvant Opdivo (nivolumab) 480 mg Q4W for up to 12 months versus placebo in patients with completely resected stage IIB/C melanoma.

The primary endpoint of the trial is recurrence-free survival (RFS). Secondary endpoints of the trial include overall survival (OS), distant metastases-free survival (DMFS), progression-free survival on next-line therapy (PFS2), and safety endpoints.

About Melanoma

Melanoma is a form of skin cancer characterized by the uncontrolled growth of pigment-producing cells (melanocytes) located in the skin. Metastatic melanoma is the deadliest form of the disease and occurs when cancer spreads beyond the surface of the skin to other organs. In the United States, approximately 97,610 new diagnoses of melanoma and about 7,990 related deaths are estimated for 2023. Globally, the World Health Organization estimates that by 2035, melanoma incidence will reach 424,102, with 94,308 related deaths. Melanomas can be mostly treatable when caught in very early stages; however, survival rates can decrease as the disease progresses.

Bristol Myers Squibb: Creating a Better Future for People with Cancer

Bristol Myers Squibb is inspired by a single vision  transforming patients lives through science. The goal of the companys cancer research is to deliver medicines that offer each patient a better, healthier life and to make cure a possibility. Building on a legacy across a broad range of cancers that have changed survival expectations for many, Bristol Myers Squibb researchers are exploring new frontiers in personalized medicine, and through innovative digital platforms, are turning data into insights that sharpen their focus. Deep scientific expertise, cutting-edge capabilities and discovery platforms enable the company to look at cancer from every angle. Cancer can have a relentless grasp on many parts of a patients life, and Bristol Myers Squibb is committed to taking actions to address all aspects of care, from diagnosis to survivorship. Because as a leader in cancer care, Bristol Myers Squibb is working to empower all people with cancer to have a better future.
A Jamestown man who was caught by police with a loaded pistol during a traffic stop a year ago has been sentenced to six years in prison, Chautauqua County District Attorney Jason Schmidt announced.

Chautauqua County Court Judge David Foley also ordered five years of post-release supervision for Joel Coleman Jr., 21, who pleaded guilty in December to a charge of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon.

Coleman was riding with two other men on Feb. 19, 2022, when their vehicle was stopped for driving with its headlights off. Officers found two loaded handguns in the vehicle.

It was the first of three incidents involving Coleman and firearms last year. In March, he reportedly was involved an exchange of shots between people in two vehicles in Jamestown, and in May he was taken into custody when Jamestown Police and the FBI reportedly recovered a loaded gun during a follow-up investigation.
FILE PHOTO: Tesla electric vehicle chargers are seen during the winter in Hofn, Iceland, February 16, 2022. REUTERS/Nacho Doce

By Dave Graham and Daina Beth Solomon

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) -Tesla Inc will build a new assembly plant in northern Mexico, the country's president announced on Tuesday, marking a push by the electric vehicle maker to broaden operations outside the U.S. in a deal an official said was worth over $5 billion.

President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said "the whole Tesla company" was coming to Mexico to build a "very big" automotive plant, noting that potential investment in batteries was still pending. He did not reveal what models it would produce.

One Mexican official said the plant would be a Tesla "gigafactory" that could produce the Semi truck, Roadster sports car, and potentially other vehicles. Another official said the plant could produce a kind of sport utility vehicle (SUV).

The Model Y is Tesla's best-selling SUV. Tesla will likely give details of its plans on Wednesday, Mexico's government said.

Lopez Obrador's announcement of the plant in the Monterrey metropolitan area dispelled recent concerns that he could upend the investment by imposing conditions on the company due to problems over a lack of water in the arid border region.

"This will represent a considerable investment and many, many jobs," Lopez Obrador told reporters, saying Chief Executive Elon Musk had been receptive to Mexico's concerns and made commitments on how to address the shortage of water.

That would in part involve Tesla recycling water used in the assembly process, the president said.

Martha Delgado, a Mexican deputy foreign minister, told Milenio Television the investment was worth "in excess of $5 billion," and that Tesla would produce about one million vehicles a year there for domestic and international markets.

Tesla has a combined annual production capacity of more than 1.9 million cars at other factories.

Separately, a Mexican source with knowledge of the matter said the initial investment will be worth around $1 billion and further phases could bring total spending to $10 billion.

Tesla did not respond to a request for comment.

The company has car factories in the U.S. states of California and Texas as well as in Berlin and Shanghai.

Musk has said for months that the EV maker will announce a new factory, and he is set to discuss expansion plans, next-generation vehicle platforms and other topics at an "Investor Day" event on Wednesday. The company is also expected to give details of a new, cheaper model of vehicle at the event.

The news is a boost for Mexico, which is working to establish itself as a hub for the so-called nearshoring of investment - capitalizing on geopolitical tensions and supply- chain disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic by luring manufacturing capacity to North America, and away from Asia.

Lopez Obrador said Mexico and Tesla had reached agreement after a call with Musk on Monday, following a separate conversation he said the two held late last week.

EYES OF THE WORLD

The plant will be built in Santa Catarina in the greater Monterrey area, said the municipality's mayor, Jesus Nava, echoing reports that have circulated for weeks.

"Santa Catarina will have the eyes of the world," he said on Instagram. In another video, captioned "10 billion dollars" in bright red, Nava said Tesla's investment would be five times the private investment in the municipality over the past decade.

Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard hailed the news on Twitter, calling it the result of 14 months of "patient labor."

Mexican-made electric cars shipped to the United States qualify for subsidies provided by the Biden administration to boost EV adoption, according to industry officials.

The call between Musk and the Mexican president took place after Lopez Obrador had on Friday stirred fears he might block the investment in Monterrey if water was too scarce there.

Lopez Obrador said he had told Musk Mexico would not be granting subsidies to make batteries or semiconductors.

The discussions around Tesla have been a major test of how investors respond to Lopez Obrador's resource nationalism and how he influences the decision-making process on investments, which have sparked misgivings among business groups.

Lopez Obrador has put a stop to billions of dollars' worth of investments using referendums, and some Mexican media portrayed his decision to back the Tesla plant as a concession to Musk.

Antonio Ocaranza, head of consulting group Oca Reputacion, said the president ultimately showed common sense in allowing such a major deal, which should attract further investment.

"The president knows how far to push it," he said. "Behind (his) rhetoric and ideological zeal, there's pragmatism."

Speculation about Tesla going to Mexico has circulated for months, and the plant promises to be one of the major investments of the Lopez Obrador administration.

Mexico recorded its highest foreign direct investment for years in 2022, as businesses took advantage of a lower-cost and skilled work force as well as its free trade deal with the U.S. that has made the country a global center of the car industry.

However, overall investment has been held back by companies unsettled by Lopez Obrador's efforts to strengthen state control of the energy market at the expense of private capital.

(Reporting by Dave Graham and Daina Beth Solomon in Mexico City; Additional reporting by Diego Ore and Kylie Madry in Mexico City, David Shepardson in Washington and Hyunjoo Jin and Peter Henderson in San Francisco; Editing by Ben Klayman, Sharon Singleton, Matthew Lewis and Richard Chang)
Missouri American Water President Rich Svindland announced the companys recent acquisition of the Stewartsville water and wastewater systems. Located approximately 20 miles east of St. Joseph, Missouri, the acquisition adds approximately 700 total customers to the companys northwestern service area.

We welcome the residents of Stewartsville and are honored they have chosen us to provide safe, reliable water and wastewater service to their community, said Svindland. Customers will benefit from the much-needed investments we are making, and they will be supported by water and wastewater professionals both locally and throughout the state.

Missouri American Water plans to invest approximately $3.2 million to upgrade Stewartsvilles water and wastewater systems over the next five years.

Communities are facing challenges with current and future regulations for water and wastewater, said Jody Carlson, Vice President of Engineering and Business Development. We have a proven track record of service, in some areas of Missouri for over 140 years, and I am proud we can help communities like Stewartsville maintain regulatory compliance and improve service reliability.

In November 2021, 90% of the voters approved a ballot measure selecting Missouri American Water as their trusted provider of water and wastewater service.

Our residents overwhelmingly chose Missouri American Water for their expertise in water and wastewater and the ability to make investments which will allow our community to benefit from quality, reliable service now and in the future, said Stewartsville Mayor Mark Francis.

Missouri American Water

Missouri American Water, a subsidiary of American Water (NYSE: AWK), is the largest investor-owned water utility in the state, providing high-quality and reliable water and/or wastewater services to approximately 1.5 million people. For more, visit missouriamwater.com and follow Missouri American Water on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.
Riley Exploration Permian, Inc. (NYSE American: REPX) ("Riley Permian" or the "Company") today announced that it has entered into a definitive purchase agreement to acquire oil and gas assets from Pecos Oil & Gas, LLC ("Pecos"), an affiliate of Cibolo Energy Partners LLC ("Cibolo"), for cash consideration of $330 million. The acquisition will be funded through a combination of borrowings under the Company's revolving credit facility and the proceeds from the issuance of new senior unsecured notes. Concurrent with the signing of the purchase agreement, the Company entered into a commitment letter with EOC Partners Advisors L.P. for the issuance of $200 million of senior unsecured notes upon closing of the acquisition and subject to the terms and conditions set forth therein. The transaction is subject to customary terms and conditions, including purchase price closing adjustments. The transaction has an effective date of January 1, 2023 and is expected to close early in the second quarter of 2023.

Bobby Riley, Riley Permian CEO and Chairman, commented, "We're excited to add this prolific asset and new region to our portfolio. Our team has been highly selective in reviewing acquisition opportunities, and this is a deal that fits our criteria, as it brings over 100 high quality drilling locations and provides immediate accretion to relevant financial metrics. This is an under-developed asset with extensive development potential, allowing for value creation potential through the drillbit. Our enhanced scale will improve our cost structure, will facilitate normalizing development cadence and may lead to oilfield service cost savings. Overall, we believe this transaction positions our Company to continue delivering strong financial performance and shareholder returns."

Asset Highlights:

11,700 total contiguous net acres in Eddy County, NM (99% held by production)

Current production of 7.2 MBoe/d and 4.2 MBo/d (58% oil, 81% liquids)

Estimated PDP PV10(1)(2) of $260 million, as of January 1, 2023, with 16.5 MMBoe PDP reserves(2)

Over 100 gross horizontal development drilling locations

Primary geologic targets within the Yeso trend include the Blinebry, Glorieta and Paddock formations

100% ownership of water gathering and disposal infrastructure including nearly 70 miles of water gathering pipelines, multiple saltwater disposal wells and frac ponds

Strategic Rationale:

Attractive Financial Accretion: The transaction is valued at 3.4x 2023 Adjusted EBITDAX(1) and a 15% free cash flow yield(1), accretive relative to Riley Permian's 2023 stand-alone metrics. On a combined basis, the transaction is forecasted to increase Riley Permian's Adjusted EBITDAX(1)(3) by ~50% and Free Cash Flow(1)(3) by ~70% in 2023 (vs. Riley Permian standalone), with no increase in share count.

The transaction is valued at 3.4x 2023 Adjusted EBITDAX(1) and a 15% free cash flow yield(1), accretive relative to Riley Permian's 2023 stand-alone metrics. On a combined basis, the transaction is forecasted to increase Riley Permian's Adjusted EBITDAX(1)(3) by ~50% and Free Cash Flow(1)(3) by ~70% in 2023 (vs. Riley Permian standalone), with no increase in share count. Significant Increase in Inventory Depth and Quality: Significant growth in Riley Permian's inventory of oil-weighted, horizontal development drilling locations. Drilling economics compete with Riley Permian's existing core asset, with overall lower drilling and completion costs for shallower, conventional source rock as compared to deeper shale wells.

Significant growth in Riley Permian's inventory of oil-weighted, horizontal development drilling locations. Drilling economics compete with Riley Permian's existing core asset, with overall lower drilling and completion costs for shallower, conventional source rock as compared to deeper shale wells. Logical Extension Area: Yeso trend asset has many similarities to Riley Permian's existing core asset focused on the San Andres: a shallow, conventional reservoir on the same Northwest Shelf geology trend that can be developed using modern, unconventional techniques (horizontal drilling and fracturing), and which has a lower production decline rate than shale. Riley Permian's extensive expertise with similar geology reduces execution risk. Adding an extension area diversifies our operating footprint, reducing single-area concentration and alleviating some operations constraint, such as midstream gas take-away capacity.

Yeso trend asset has many similarities to Riley Permian's existing core asset focused on the San Andres: a shallow, conventional reservoir on the same Northwest Shelf geology trend that can be developed using modern, unconventional techniques (horizontal drilling and fracturing), and which has a lower production decline rate than shale. Riley Permian's extensive expertise with similar geology reduces execution risk. Adding an extension area diversifies our operating footprint, reducing single-area concentration and alleviating some operations constraint, such as midstream gas take-away capacity. Enhanced Scale and Cost Synergies: Significantly increased size with only modest increased G&A leads to improved cost structure (25% lower pro forma G&A on a per Boe basis). Overall increased drilling and completion activity may lead to normalized activity cadence and oilfield service cost savings.

Significantly increased size with only modest increased G&A leads to improved cost structure (25% lower pro forma G&A on a per Boe basis). Overall increased drilling and completion activity may lead to normalized activity cadence and oilfield service cost savings. Modest Pro Forma Leverage Profile: Estimated pro forma leverage at close of ~1.3x, based on forecasted, pro forma combined 2023 Adjusted EBITDAX(1)(3), with estimated pro forma liquidity of ~$125-150 million based on an anticipated increased borrowing base. The Company forecasts both leverage and liquidity improving through 2023 based on forecasted debt reduction. Further, attractive updated derivatives positions allow for improved downside protection while maintaining upside price exposure.

(1) See Non-GAAP financial measures below. Forecasts based on Riley Permian's estimates and NYMEX strip pricing as of February 24, 2023.(2) Riley Permian's estimate of proved developed reserve volumes and values as of January 1, 2023, discounting cash flows at a rate of 10% and utilizing NYMEX strip pricing as of February 24, 2023.(3) Illustrative pro forma combined as if the transaction closed on January 1, 2023. The Company expects to close the transaction early in the second quarter of 2023.

Conference Call:Riley Permian will host a conference call for investors and analysts today February 28, 2023 at 2:00 p.m. CT to discuss the transactions and to host a Q&A session. Interested parties are invited to participate by calling:

Toll Free Dial-In, 1 (888) 330-2214

Toll Dial-In, 1 (646) 960-0161

Conference ID number 5485428

A replay of the call will be available until March 14, 2023 by calling:

Toll Free Dial-In, 1 (800) 770-2030

Toll Dial-In, 1 (647) 362-9199

Conference ID number 5485428

Further details of the acquisition will be set forth in the Company's Current Report on Form 8-K, which will be filed by Riley Permian with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") and available in the "Investors" section of the Riley Permian website, www.rileypermian.com.

Advisors:Truist Securities is serving as financial advisor to Riley Permian and Kirkland & Ellis and Holland & Knight are serving as legal advisors to Riley Permian.

Jefferies is serving as financial advisor to Cibolo and Vinson & Elkins is serving as legal advisor for Cibolo.
SIFCO Industries, Inc. (NYSE American: SIF) received a notice on February 22, 2023 from the NYSE American LLC ("NYSE American") indicating that, due to the delay in the filing of its Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the period ended December 31, 2022 (the Form 10-Q), the Company is not in compliance with the continued listing standards of the NYSE American, and is subject to the procedures and requirements set forth in Section 1007 of the NYSE American Company Guide. Under the applicable provisions of the NYSE American Company Guide, until SIFCO files its Form 10-Q, its common stock will remain listed on the NYSE American under the symbol SIF, but will be assigned an ".LF" indicator to indicate late filing status. Five business days following the receipt of this noncompliance notice, SIFCO will be added to the list of NYSE American noncompliant issuers on the website and the indicator will be disseminated with the Companys ticker symbol. The indicator will be removed once the Company has regained compliance with all applicable listing standards.

As noted in the Form 12b-25 filed on February 14, 2023, SIFCO has experienced delays in obtaining and compiling the information required in order to complete the preparation of its financial statements to be included in its Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the period ended December 31, 2022. This is primarily attributable to information access limitations experienced due to the cyber incident that occurred on December 30, 2022 (the Cyber Incident) and was reported by the Company on Form 8-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on January 6, 2023 and further described by the Company on Form 8-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on February 10, 2023. Accordingly, the Company was not able to complete the timely preparation, review and filing of its Form 10-Q for the quarter ended December 31, 2022 within the prescribed time period without unreasonable effort or expense.

In order to maintain its listing, SIFCO will have a six-month period from February 22, 2023 to regain compliance with Section 1007 of the NYSE American Company Guide. The Company will be monitored by the NYSE American during this time, and the NYSE American will initiate delisting procedures if deemed appropriate.

The Company expects to complete the preparation, review and filing of the Form 10-Q within the timeframe prescribed under Section 1007 of the NYSE American Company Guide.
FILE PHOTO: A 3-D printed figures are seen in front of displayed Tik Tok logo in this picture illustration taken November 7, 2019. Picture taken November 7, 2019. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration

By Foo Yun Chee

BRUSSELS (Reuters) -The European Parliament has banned TikTok from staff phones, following in the footsteps of two top European Union policymaking institutions and underlining the mounting unease over the Chinese short video-sharing app and who accesses its user data.

The European Commission and the EU Council last week banned TikTok from staff phones due to growing concerns about the company, which is owned by Chinese firm ByteDance, and whether China's government could harvest users' data or advance its interests.

Beijing has regularly denied having any such intentions.

The ban, starting from March 20, will apply to corporate devices such as mobile phones and tablets which are enrolled in Parliament's mobile management application, a Parliament spokesperson said.

The assembly also strongly recommended lawmakers and staff remove TikTok from their personal devices, confirming an earlier Reuters story.

TikTok said the bans were misguided and based on fundamental misconceptions.

"TikTok is enjoyed by 125 million EU citizens and potentially depriving users from access to their representatives is a self-defeating step, especially in our shared fight against misinformation and when this action is being taken on the basis of fears rather than facts," the company said.

The U.S. Senate also banned TikTok on government-owned devices, with Canada adopting a similar decision on Monday. India has banned the app throughout the country.

(Reporting by Foo Yun Chee; Editing by Louise Heavens and Josie Kao)
Representations of cryptocurrencies are seen in front of displayed FTX logo in this illustration taken November 10, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration

By Jody Godoy and Luc Cohen

NEW YORK (Reuters) -Nishad Singh, the former director of engineering at now-bankrupt cryptocurrency exchange FTX, pleaded guilty to U.S. criminal charges on Tuesday, and agreed to cooperate with prosecutors' investigation into FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried.

"I am unbelievably sorry for my role in all of this," Singh said, adding that he knew by mid-2022 that Bankman-Fried's hedge fund, Alameda Research, was borrowing FTX customer funds, and customers were not aware. Singh said that he would forfeit proceeds from the scheme.

Bankman-Fried, FTX's founder, pleaded not guilty to eight criminal charges filed against him in December. Prosecutors say he stole billions in FTX customer funds to plug losses at Alameda. He has acknowledged inadequate risk management, but says he did not steal funds.

Singh, 27, pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud, three counts of conspiracy to commit fraud, one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering and one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States by violating campaign finance laws.

He traveled back from the Bahamas shortly after FTX imploded in November in part to assist the U.S. investigation, prosecutor Danielle Sassoon said at Tuesday's hearing. He was released on $250,000 bond.

Bankman-Fried, 30, now faces 12 criminal charges after prosecutors unsealed a new indictment against him last week. A spokesman for Bankman-Fried declined to comment.

Singh is the third Bankman-Fried close associate to plead guilty and cooperate with the probe. Caroline Ellison, who was Alameda's chief executive, and Gary Wang, who was FTX's chief technology officer, pleaded guilty in December to seven and four criminal charges, respectively.

"He wants to do everything he can to make things right for victims, including by assisting the government to the best of his ability," Singh's lawyers, Andrew Goldstein and Russell Capone, said in a statement.

Separately on Tuesday, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission filed civil lawsuits against Singh.

'STRAW' DONORS

Bankman-Fried rode a boom in the values of bitcoin and other digital assets to amass an estimated $26 billion net worth and become an influential U.S. political donor.

Singh also became a major donor to Democratic politicians, contributing $8 million to campaigns in the 2022 election cycle, according to OpenSecrets.

In the new charges filed last week, prosecutors said Bankman-Fried conspired with two other former FTX executives to donate tens of millions of dollars to influence lawmakers to pass legislation favorable to the company.

The donations were illegal because they were made with "straw" donors or corporate funds, prosecutors said. They said Bankman-Fried directed another FTX executive, identified as CC-1, to donate more than $21 million to a pro-LGBT group.

Federal Election Commission records show that Singh contributed $1.1 million on July 7, 2022 to the LGBTQ Victory Fund, a national organization dedicated to electing openly LGBTQ people.

Singh said in court that he agreed in 2022 to make political donations in his own name that were funded in part by transfers from Alameda, without providing details of the donations. He said that while he agreed with the political leanings of those he donated to, he did not select the candidates.

Singh was a close friend of Bankman-Fried's younger brother in high school, Bankman-Fried wrote in a deleted blog post.

"Today's guilty plea underscores once again that the crimes at FTX were vast in scope and consequence," Damian Williams, the top federal prosecutor in Manhattan, said in a statement.

"They rocked our financial markets with a multibillion-dollar fraud. And they corrupted our politics with tens of millions of dollars in illegal straw campaign contributions."

(Reporting by Luc Cohen and Jody Godoy in New York; Editing by Matthew Lewis and Bill Berkrot)
EDMONTON, ALBERTA, CHATHAM, ONTARIO and TEL-AVIV, ISRAEL, Feb. 28, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Atlas Global Brands Inc. (Atlas Global or the Company) (CSE: ATL), a cannabis company with expertise across the cannabis value chain, is pleased to announce the appointment of BDO Canada LLP (BDO) as its new external auditor effective February 28, 2023 until the close of the next annual general meeting of shareholders.

BDO Canada LLP (the Successor Auditor) replaces Manning Elliott LLP (Manning Elliott) (the Former Auditor) as Atlas Globals auditor. The board of Directors of the Company (the Board) and audit committee of the Company (the Audit Committee) each approved the appointment of the Successor Auditor. There were no reservations or modified opinions in the Former Auditors audit reports for any financial period during which the Former Auditor was the Companys auditor and there are no reportable events (as defined in National Instrument 51-102  Continuous Disclosure Obligations (NI 51-102)) between the Company and the Former Auditor.

In accordance with NI 51-102, the Notice of Change of Auditor, together with the required letters from the Former Auditor and the Successor Auditor, have been reviewed by the Audit Committee and Board and will be filed under the Company's SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com.

The Board and Audit Committee have also approved a change in Atlas Globals financial year end from December 31 to March 31 to allow for the transition to the Successor Auditor. The Company will file the interim financial statements for the 3 and 12 months ended December 31, 2022, on or before March 1, 2023, and audited financial statements for the transition year ended March 31, 2023, on or before July 31, 2023. Further details regarding the change in financial year end will be available in the Company's notice of change in year-end prepared in accordance with Section 4.8 of NI 51-102 and filed under the Company's SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com.

About Atlas Global

Atlas Global is a global cannabis company operating in Canada and Israel with expertise across the cannabis value chain, including cultivation, manufacturing, marketing, distribution, and pharmacy. Atlas currently distributes to eight countries: Australia, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Israel, Norway, Spain, and the United Kingdom. In addition to a differentiated product mix, Atlas operates three licensed cannabis facilities  one with EU-GMP and two with GACP and CUMCS certifications  along with five medical pharmacies and one Trading House in Israel. Atlas expects to drive incremental commercial opportunities with an enhanced brand and SKU portfolio, while delivering accretive margin expansion by capitalizing on its strategy  maximize value in delivering quality products to global markets through its vertically integrated supply chain.

Contacts

Bernie YeungChief Executive Officer 1-844-415-6961[email protected]

Alyssa Barry Media and Investor Relations 1-833-947-5227[email protected]

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Market Regulator (as that term is defined in the policies of the CSE) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Source: Atlas Global Brands Inc.
Advancing our development programs to offer meaningful training for a positive employee experience

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa, Feb. 28, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- CBE was recognized with the 2023 Training APEX Award issued by Training magazine, a premier learning and development publication in business for more than 55 years. The APEX award program surveys participating organizations worldwide with both qualitative and quantitative metrics, including breadth, financial investment, and effectiveness of employee development programs. The evaluation also takes into consideration how efforts impact business goals and objectives. This is the third consecutive year that CBE has received a Training APEX award.



We are pleased to be recognized as a 2023 Training APEX Award winner for the third year in a row, and we are proud of our high ranking out of more than 100 organizations, responded Alex Reed, Chief Operating Officer of CBE Companies. I see training and development as an investment into our most valuable resource, our people. CBE is a learning organization, and our focus on continuous development benefits not only our employees, but also our clients through greater results.

The 2023 Training APEX Award honors organizations that demonstrate best-in-class training and development practices, including learning management systems, employee support systems and satisfaction surveys, and tuition reimbursement programs.

Organizations were required to complete a comprehensive application, which was quantitatively scored by an outside data company, as well as qualitatively scored by Training magazines editor/publisher and representatives of the Training Hall of Fame. CBE was ranked 22nd out of 105 awarded companies.

The 2023 Training APEX Awards winners elevated their ability to consistently and agilely deliver stellar employee training and development in an ever-changing world, said Lorri Freifeld, editor/publisher of Training magazine. We salute their continuing training inspiration, perspiration, and dedication.

About CBE Companies

CBE Companies is a national service provider specializing in innovative accounts receivable management and call center solutions. Our clients recognize performance and experience matter. Established in 1933, CBEs capacity to consistently adapt and evolve with ever-changing consumer behavior, business needs, and the regulatory environment sets us apart from other servicers.

CBE was founded on five core values that influence every interaction we have with our clients and their customers, and we design our thinking and innovative strategies to address client challenges directly. We put our clients business and their customers first. Our accomplished approach starts with asking the right questions, listening with care to alleviate challenges and elevate the client experience for a long-term solution.
OLDSMAR, Fla., Feb. 28, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Cryo-Cell International, Inc. (NYSE American LLC: CCEL) (the Company), the worlds first private cord blood bank to separate and store stem cells in 1992, announced results for its fiscal year ended November 30, 2022.

Financial Results

Revenue

Consolidated revenues for fiscal 2022 were $30.3 million compared to $28.9 million for fiscal 2021. The revenues for fiscal 2022 consisted of $29.8 million in processing and storage fee revenue, $104,000 in product revenue and $462,000 in public banking revenue compared to $28.4 million in processing and storage fee revenue, $111,000 in product revenue and $376,000 in public banking revenue for fiscal 2021.

Net Income

The Company reported net income of $2.8 million in fiscal 2022 or $0.33 per basic and diluted share, compared to net income of $2.1 million in fiscal 2021 or $0.26 per basic and $0.25 per diluted shares. Net income for the fiscal year ended November 30, 2022 was due to a 5% increase in revenue, a 2% decrease in cost of sales and a 7% increase in selling, general and administrative expenses compared to the prior fiscal year. Also included in net income for the twelve months ended November 30, 2021 was a public bank inventory impairment charge of $1.2 million. Due to changes in sales trends and estimated recoverability of cost capitalized into the public bank inventory, an impairment charge was recognized during fiscal 2021 to reduce inventory from cost to net realizable value.

About Cryo-Cell International, Inc.

Founded in 1989, Cryo-Cell International, Inc. is the worlds first private cord blood bank. More than 500,000 parents from 87 countries have entrusted Cryo-Cell International with their babys cord blood and cord tissue stem cells. In addition to its private bank, Cryo-Cell International has a public banking program in partnership with Duke University. Cryo-Cells public bank has provided cord blood for more than 600 transplantations and operates cord blood donation sites across the U.S in prominent hospitals such as CedarsSinai Hospital in Los Angeles and Baptist Hospital in Miami. Cryo-Cells facility is FDA registered, cGMP-/cGTP-compliant and licensed in all states requiring licensure. Besides being AABB accredited as a cord blood facility, Cryo-Cell was also the first U.S. (for private use only) cord blood bank to receive FACT accreditation for adhering to the most stringent cord blood quality standards set by any internationally recognized, independent accrediting organization. Cryo-Cell has the exclusive rights to PrepaCyte-CB, the industrys most advanced cord blood processing technology.

Cryo-Cells mission is to provide the premier cord blood and cord tissue cryopreservation services, to develop, manufacture and administer cellular therapies to significantly improve the lives of patients worldwide and to offer the highest quality and most cost effective biostorage solutions available. In February 2021, Cryo-Cell entered into a license agreement with Duke University that the Company believes has allowed Cryo-Cell to begin its transformation into an autonomous, vertically integrated cellular therapy company. In March 2022, Cryo-Cell launched ExtraVault to offer its expertise in biostorage and distribution to biopharmaceutical companies and healthcare institutions. For more information, please visit (www.extravault.com).

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the Securities Act) and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the Exchange Act). In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terminology such as will, may, should, could, would, expects, plans, anticipates, believes, estimates, predicts, forecasts, potential or continue or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology. Generally, the words anticipate, believe, continue, expect, intend, estimate, project, plan and similar expressions identify forward-looking statements. In particular, statements about our expectations, beliefs, plans, objectives, assumptions or future events or performance contain forward-looking statements.

We have based these forward-looking statements on our current expectations, assumptions, estimates and projections. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties and reflect only our current views, expectations and assumptions with respect to future events and our future performance. If risks or uncertainties materialize or assumptions prove incorrect, actual results or events could differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Risks that could cause actual results to differ from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements we make include, among others, risks related to: the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our sales, operations and supply chain, the success of the Companys global expansion initiatives and product diversification, including its addition of the ExtraVault services, the Companys actual future ownership stake in future therapies emerging from its collaborative research partnerships, the success related to its IP portfolio, the Companys future competitive position in stem cell innovation, future success of its core business and the competitive impact of public cord blood banking on the Companys business, the success of the Companys initiative to expand its core business units to include biopharmaceutical manufacturing and operating clinics, the uncertainty of profitability from its biopharmaceutical manufacturing and operating clinics, the Companys ability to minimize future costs to the Company related to R&D initiatives and collaborations and the success of such initiatives and collaborations and the success and enforceability of the Companys umbilical cord blood and cord tissue license agreements, together with the associated intellectual property and their ability to provide the Company with royalty fees, along with the Risk Factors set forth in the Companys Annual Report on Form 10-K filed on February 28, 2023.

This list of risks and uncertainties, however, is only a summary of some of the most important factors and is not intended to be exhaustive. Given these risks and uncertainties, you are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties may cause our actual future results to be materially different than those expressed in our forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are made only as of the date hereof. Except as otherwise required by applicable law, we do not undertake and expressly disclaim any obligation to update any such statements or to publicly announce the results of any revisions to any such statements to reflect future events or developments. All subsequent written and oral forward-looking statements attributable to us, or to persons acting on our behalf, are expressly qualified in their entirety by these cautionary statements.

Contact:

Irene Smith 813-749-2102 [email protected]

Source: Cryo-Cell International, Inc.
Suffice to say Brian Pawloski takes issue with the decision to close Buffalo Collegiate Charter School for good.

"I don't agree with their recommendation," Pawloski, the school's founder, said Tuesday of the SUNY Charter Schools Institute. "We had a burgeoning community."

Buffalo Collegiate Charter School to close in June; 300 students affected The decision came after the State University of New York's Charter School Institute issued a draft renewal decision saying that the school was falling short of standards for operations, performance and academics.

Those officials said the school did not meet several goals outlined in its mission. As a result, they announced that the school would close and leave 300 students in fourth-through-eighth grade scrambling to find new classroom homes for next year.

Pawloski spent much of Tuesday answering questions from parents and students about why the school would not continue beyond June. He said the decision was hasty, lacked important context and did not recognize how "really complicated" the last three years have been in education.

Pawloski said he became emotional during part of his daily routine: greeting students as they got off the bus this morning.

"Today is the hardest day," he said, later adding, "95% of the response" from parents and students "has been deep and profound sadness."

SUNY Charter Schools Institute, which originally authorized Buffalo Collegiate's charter, stated general reasons Monday why it recommended that the school close.

"In issuing a preliminary recommendation for non-renewal, the Institute found Buffalo Collegiate did not meet the standard of academic achievement expected of a SUNY-authorized charter school and lacked effective systems necessary to support the charters leadership, operations and academic program to improve student learning in the future," read a statement by SUNY trustee Joseph Belluck, who chairs the Charter Schools Committee.

Buffalo Collegiate could have appealed SUNY's recommendation, as Westminster and Enterprise charter schools did to its authorizer, the Buffalo Board of Education, in 2021, but the Board of Trustees, led by chair Jamel Perkins, determined the reasons for recommending closure were thoroughly researched and fair.

But Pawloski said even those connected to the school locally missed an "element of hope" in the building.

"There were people outside the day-to-day who didn't give a fair and equitable evaluation of the school," he said.

State data shows most New York students are struggling with English language arts and math A total of 46.6% of all students taking the third through eighth grade assessments achieved a proficient level in ELA, while 38.6% of students were deemed proficient in math.

The numbers were not pretty, Pawloski acknowledged. According to state assessment results released late last year, Buffalo Collegiate was in the bottom-five among Buffalo-area charter schools in English Language Arts and second-worst in math, at 2% proficiency. Buffalo Collegiate was supposed to expand to ninth grade for this school year, but staff turnover meant that step had to be delayed.

But Pawloski said Buffalo Collegiate had shown improvement  in part thanks to literacy supports in English Language Arts  in its benchmark assessments conducted this year. Working with Expeditionary Learning and developing initiatives for struggling readers based on phonics and fluency were beginning to pay dividends. And the founder, who also serves as Head of School, said SUNY's "black-and-white, hard line" approach clashed with the instability and challenge of education during and after remote learning caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

"An attitude of judgment is missing the mark for what the last three years have been like in schools," Pawloski said, "especially in those with a majority of Black and Brown students."

Pawloski emphasized he does believe charter schools should be held accountable. A lack of accountability from charter schools is one of the loudest complaints from traditional public schools in a growing divide between the two.

Another Voice: The U.S. Education Department is breaking its promise to Buffalo students The past two years have marked one of the most challenging periods in modern education history. From the devastating COVID-19 pandemic to an increase in school shootings, our students are reeling from the impacts.

Buffalo Collegiate was approved for its first charter in June 2017 and opened at 45 Jewett Ave. in August 2018 with grades four and five. The five-year charter with SUNY directed Buffalo Collegiate to enroll fourth-through-ninth grades by the end of its the charter, with an eventual goal of 4-12.

Among the highlights, Pawloski said, were how Buffalo Collegiate finished in the top three of staff diversity in the region. He was impressed with how the school's team of math teachers  all Black women  grew professionally in addition to helping their students. Community initiatives, from fall and spring festivals to an on-site Juneteenth celebration to the Buffalo Collegiate Community Love Fridge that supplied free food to the Central Park neighborhood, were others.

Pawloski's task now is to aid the students with their transitions. Most will choose between Buffalo Public Schools or another charter school.

"I don't want them to feel abandoned," he said.
Dallas, Feb. 28, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Dickeys Restaurant Brands delivered some smokin results in catering and online sales, domestic and international expansion, loyalty program and fundraising in 2022, despite economic and industry woes.

The 81 year old Texas-style barbecue brand finished 2022 with record sales having one of their best catering years to date by exceeded their previous year catering sales by 30.68% across all ordering platforms. 2022 also produced a notable increase in online ordering sales with a record shift to curbside pickup and direct carryout from delivery, an indicator guests are further stretching their spending dollars. Another compelling win comes with the brands loyalty program, The Big Yellow Cup rewards program, which saw a substantial increase of 76.5% in new loyalty memberships and a 12.8% increase in Be My Guest coupon redemptions in 2022. Guests are continuing to display recession spending behaviors, like high coupon redeem motion, while still enjoying barbecue.

The restaurant brand continued to increase its virtual footprint across the country with the addition of Boost Virtual Concepts. In 2022, Dickeys Restaurant Brands opened 169 Boost Virtual Concept locations starting in July, and 29 new Wing Boss, Trailer Birds, and Big Deal Burger stores. Internationally, Dickeys expanded by opening 6 new stores in 2022 in Singapore, Canada, Pakistan, and Botswana. Domestically, multiple Dickeys Barbecue Pit brick & mortar stores opened across the country in California, Nevada, Arizona, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Alabama, Louisiana, Texas, Pennsylvania, and Ohio.

Additionally in 2022, The Dickey Foundation, the non-profit arm of the brand, provided 17 grants to first responders across the country with a total value of more than $150,000. In 2022, Dickeys guests continued to support the Dickey Foundation with every purchase of a Big Yellow Cup yielding a donation. On Giving Tuesday 2022, donation functionality was added to Dickeys POS, Online ordering, and App to give guests the option to donate to The Dickey Foundation seamlessly with their order.

Dickeys has made incredible strides over the last year, proving that our barbecue and brands have loyal guests, quality food and the ability to weather a challenging economy, said Laura Rea Dickey, CEO of Dickeys Barbecue Restaurants, Inc. Were very proud of Dickeys barbecues continued global growth, and are very much looking forward to whats in store for 2023. What 81 years of experience has taught us; is you have to work for success every day. We always must evolve, and work smart to maintain exceptional quality barbecue and value. A momentous operations win for Dickeys in 2022 was the launch of their Inventory Engine Tool, designed to help combat the continued rise in costs of goods for their Owner/Operators.

With such a successful year behind them, Dickeys is ecstatic about the release of their new Optimized Menu, in Q1 2023.This optimization will reduce their current menu by 42% and hold multiple benefits for both their Owner/Operators and guests. With intuitive s like this, Dickeys is further planning for profitability while preserving quality and value for guests to prepare for success despite challenging economic forecasts.

For your convenience, Dickeys has you covered with orders for carry out, in store pickup, curbside to go and even delivery! Order ahead in the Dickeys mobile app or online by visiting dickeys.com.

To learn more, follow Dickeys Barbecue Pit on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Download the Dickeys Barbecue Pit app from the Apple App Store or Google Play.

To learn more about Dickeys Virtual Concepts follow: Wing Boss on Facebook, Instagram and Tik Tok, Trailer Birds on Facebook, Instagram and Tik Tok and Big Deal Burger on Facebook, Instagram and Tik Tok

About Dickeys Barbecue Restaurants, Inc.

Dickey's Barbecue Restaurants, Inc., the worlds largest barbecue concept, was founded in 1941 by the Dickey family. For the past 80 years, Dickeys Barbecue Pit has served millions of guests in 44 states Legit. Texas. Barbecue. At Dickeys, all our barbecued meats are smoked onsite in a hickory wood burning pit. Dickeys proudly believes theres no shortcut to true barbecue and its why our name isnt BBQ. The Dallas-based, family-run barbecue franchise offers eight slow-smoked meats and 12 wholesome sides with 'No B.S. (Bad Stuff)' included. Dickeys Barbecue has 550 locations across the United States and eight other countries.

Dickeys was named to Newsweeks 2022 Americas Favorite Restaurant Chains list and USA Today 2021 readers choice awards. Dickeys won first place on Fast Casuals Top 100 Movers and Shakers list, been named a Top 500 Franchise by Entrepreneur and named to Hospitality Technologys Industry Heroes list. Led by CEO Laura Rea Dickey, who was named among the countrys 50 most influential women in foodservice in Nations Restaurant News, was recognized by Fast Casuals Top 100 Movers and Shakers list and honored by Dallas Business Journal. Dickey's Barbecue Pit has also been recognized by Fox News, Forbes Magazine, Franchise Times, The Dallas Morning News, The Wall Street Journal, People Magazine and QSR Magazine. Dickeys Barbecue is part of Dickeys Restaurant Brands which has more than 700 restaurants nationwide including brands Wing Boss, Trailer Birds, Big Deal Burger and bbqathome.com. DRB is led by CEO Roland Dickey Jr. For more information, visit www.dickeys.com.

# # #

Attachment

Shannon Santos Dickey's Barbecue Pit [email protected]

Source: Dickeys Barbecue Restaurants
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Feb. 28, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Mark Jarvis, CEO of Giga Metals Corp. (TSX.V: GIGA, OTCQX: HNCKF, FSE: BRR2) announced today that Giga Metals will exhibit at booth #2606 at the Prospectors & Developers Association of Canadas (PDAC) Convention at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre (MTCC) from Sunday, March 5 to Wednesday, March 8, 2023. Stop by our booth to meet management, ask questions and learn more about the Turnagain nickel/cobalt project.

Watch Giga Metals Management present at PDAC:

Mark Jarvis, Giga CEO will be presenting at the Canada Investment Forum hosted by Invest in Canada and Natural Resources Canada, in partnership with Global Affairs Canada, taking place on March 6, 2023, from 1 pm to 4:30 pm ET.Details here: https://www.pdac.ca/convention/programming/presentation-and-reception-room-program/sessions/presentation-and-reception-room-program/canada-investment-forum

Lyle Trytten, Manager of Development will be speaking about How Prospectors and Developers Can Contribute to the Sustainability of Nickel at PDACs Nickel technical session on March 5th, 2023, from 2 pm to 4 pm ET. Details here: https://www.pdac.ca/convention/programming/technical-program/sessions/technical-program/how-prospectors-and-developers-can-contribute-to-the-sustainability-of-nickel

About Giga Metals

Giga Metals Corporations core asset is the Turnagain Project, located in northern British Columbia, which contains one of the few significant undeveloped sulphide nickel and cobalt resources in the world. Giga Metals has formed a joint venture with Mitsubishi Corporation and plans to complete a Prefeasibility Study in Q2 2023.

About PDAC

PDAC 2023: The Worlds Premier Mineral Exploration & Mining Convention is the leading event for people, companies and organizations connected to mineral exploration.

This annual convention in Toronto, Canada is known for attracting up to 30,000 attendees from over 130+ countries for its educational programming, networking events, outstanding business opportunities and fun. Since it began in 1932, the PDAC Convention has grown in size, stature and influence. Today, it is the event of choice for the worlds mineral industry hosting more than 1,100 exhibitors and 2,500 investors.

For more information and/or to register for the conference please visit: https://www.pdac.ca/convention/attend/registration.

Giga Stock Option Plan

The Giga Stock Option Plan was approved at the shareholders AGM held on December 13, 2022 and by the TSXV. Pursuant to the terms of the Plan, a maximum of 10% of the issued shares are issuable.

On behalf of the Board of Directors,

Mark Jarvis MARK JARVIS, CEOGIGA METALS CORPORATION

Contact InformationOffice Phone: +1 (604) 681-2300Investor Inquiries: [email protected]Company Website: www.gigametals.com

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Certain statements in this news release are forward-looking statements, which reflect the expectations of the Company. Forward-looking statements consist of statements that are not purely historical, including any statements regarding beliefs, plans, expectations or intentions regarding the future. Such statements include, but are not limited to, the timing and delivery of a Prefeasibility Study (a "PFS") and the future development of the Turnagain Project. Such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results, performance or developments to differ materially from those contained in the statements. No assurance can be given that any of the events anticipated by the forward-looking statements will occur or, if they do occur, what benefits the Company will obtain from them. These forward-looking statements reflect management's current views and are based on certain expectations, estimates and assumptions which may prove to be incorrect. A number of risks and uncertainties could cause our actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements, including: (1) the timing of delivery of the PFS could be delayed and additional and currently unforeseen work may be required to advance to the pre-feasibility stage; (2) prices for nickel and cobalt could fall substantially or the project costs could increase and make any commercialization uneconomic;(3) inferred and indicated resources may not materialize; (4) permits, environmental opposition, government regulation, cost overruns or any of many other factors may prevent the commercialization of the Turnagain Project; and (5) even if the Turnagain Project goes into production, there is no assurance that operations will be profitable. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this news release and, except as required by applicable securities laws, the Company assumes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements, or to update the reasons why actual results differed from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Additional information about these and other assumptions, risks and uncertainties are set out in the "Risks and Uncertainties" section in the Company's most recent MD&A filed with Canadian securities regulators.

Suite 203  700 West Pender St., Vancouver, BC, Canada V6C 1G8

Source: Giga Metals Corporation
NEWTOWN, Pa., Feb. 28, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The law firm of Edelson Lechtzin LLP is investigating securities fraud claims on behalf of all purchasers and holders of Global Payments, Inc. (Global Payments or the Company) (NYSE: GPN) common stock.

Investors who purchased Global Payments, Inc. common stock between October 31, 2019, and October 18, 2022, both dates inclusive (the Class Period) may move the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia to appoint them as lead plaintiff, no later than April 10, 2023. Current holders of Global Payments stock may pursue corporate governance reforms. Investors who wish to discuss Global Payments stock should contact Edelson Lechtzin LLP, toll free at 1-844-696-7492, or by e-mail at [email protected]. A copy of the class action complaint can be viewed HERE.

Background on Global Payments

Global Payments is a leading payments American technology company that delivers innovative software and services to merchants and financial institutions worldwide. It is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. In June 2021, the Company was named to the Fortune 500. One of Global Payments wholly owned subsidiaries is Active Network, which provides third-party registration and payment processing services to consumers signing up to participate in events.

The Securities Fraud Claims

The Complaint alleges that throughout the Class Period, defendants made materially false and misleading statements regarding the Companys business, operational, and compliance policies. Specifically, Defendants made false and misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (i) Active Network used deceptive and abusive practices to dupe customers into enrolling in Active Networks own discount club (ii) since July 2011, Active Network, and by extension Global Payments, was aware of such unauthorized conduct and that it violated laws aimed at protecting consumers; (iii) since 2011, Global Payments failed to properly monitor its subsidiary from engaging in such unlawful conduct, detect and stop this misconduct, and identify and remediate harmed consumers. As a result of the forgoing, the Company was subjected to a foreseeable risk of heightened regulatory scrutiny or investigation, and the Companys revenue was, in part, the product of Active Networks unlawful conduct and inherently unsustainable.

On October 18, 2022, the truth about Global Payments practices was disclosed when the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) issued a Complaint against Active Network for illegally cramming consumers with membership fees. On this news, the price of Global Payments stock fell precipitously and closed at $113.67 on October 18, 2022.

For more information, please contact:

Marc H. Edelson, Esq.Eric Lechtzin, Esq.EDELSON LECHTZIN LLP411 S. State Street, Suite N-300Newtown, PA 18940Phone: 844-696-7492 or 215-867-2399 ext. 1Email: [email protected] Web: www.edelson-law.com

About Edelson Lechtzin LLP

Edelson Lechtzin LLP is a national class action law firm with offices in Pennsylvania and California. In addition to cases involving securities and investment fraud, our lawyers focus on class and collective litigation in cases alleging violations of the federal antitrust laws, employee benefit plans under ERISA, wage theft and unpaid overtime, consumer fraud, and dangerous and defective drugs and medical devices.

Source: Edelson Lechtzin LLP
On 28 February 2023, INVL Technology (hereinafter  the Company) received a notification from the Bank of Lithuania informing that the Company was allowed to change the Articles of Association of the Company.



On 20 February 2023, a new wording of the Articles of Association of the Company was registered in the Register of Legal Entities. The new wording of the Articles of Association was approved on 6 February 2023 during the General Shareholders Meeting.

The person authorized to provide additional information:

Kazimieras Tonkunas

INVL Technology Managing Partner

E-mail [email protected]





Attachment
KINGSTON, Jamaica and LOS ANGELES, Feb. 28, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Kaya Group ("Kaya") or ("the Company") (O.T.C.: NUGL), the first medicinal Ganja herb house in the Caribbean and holistic, wellness-focused ecosystem, announced today plans to showcase many exciting events leading up to the fifth anniversary of the first legal sale of medical cannabis in the Caribbean on March 10. Kaya intends to kick off March by supporting/sponsoring the 2023 Irie FM Music Awards ceremony on Wednesday, March 1, 2023, which awards the best and most popular elements of Jamaican music and culture during the past year. Irie FM, Jamaica's leading radio station, hosts the annual event as part of its mission to honor Jamaicans in music.

Bali Vaswani, CEO. of Kaya Group and NUGL, said, "The IRIE FM awards are among the most respected honors for local Jamaican Reggae artists, so it is only fitting that we support them. As proud Jamaicans, Kaya empowers local communities by respecting and supporting our Jamaican culture." Mr. Vaswani continued, "Respect drives every decision we make  from our relationships with our employees to how we treat our community, herbs, brand, products, and nature. We proudly support the artists who make up such an important part of our Jamaican culture."

The IRIE FM Music Awards will be broadcast live on https://www.iriefm.net and IRIE FM's YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/user/iriefmjam. Dancehall entertainer Valiant is nominated for eight awards, Popcaan is nominated for five awards, Spice and Shenseea are nominated for four awards, and Dexta Daps, Shaneil Muir, Stalk Ashley, Moyann, and Skeng each have three nominations. Other nominees include Ding Dong, Koffee, Masicka, D'Angel, Alkaline, Burna Boy, Jada Kingdom, Shaggy, Sean Paul, and several other Reggae artists.

In February 2015, Jamaica's legislature voted to amend the nation's cannabis laws to allow the possession of up to 2 ounces and the cultivation of up to five plants. Practitioners of the Rastafari faith could use cannabis for religious purposes, and tourists with a prescription for medical marijuana could apply for permits to purchase small amounts. On March 10, 2018, Balram Vaswani, a long-time advocate for the legalization of marijuana, opened the first legal, medical marijuana dispensary, Kaya Herb House, in Drax Hall, St. Ann. Thousands of people lined up to buy medical cannabis marking the first time they could buy cannabis legally with a receipt. Unlike dispensaries in the U.S., Kaya Herb House does not rush each transaction. A typical transaction at a Kaya Herb House might take an hour and a half at our retail complex, as customers might take the time to enjoy our consumption lounge, Dab Bar, have an espresso, pizza or simply a cup of Jamaica Blue Mountain coffee.

The Jamaican operations of Kaya Group include three Kaya Herb House premium retail locations. The Kaya Herb House in Kingston is only a few minutes from Bob Marley's house and across the road from T.G.I. Fridays in the heart of Kingston within the golden triangle. The Kaya Herb House in the historic town of Falmouth is located in front of the cruise ship terminal about 30 minutes from Montego Bay. The flagship Kaya Herb House retail complex, cultivation, and processing operations are in Ocho Rios. Kaya recently opened the first phase of its Wellness Center at The Gap, located in the pristine hills of the Jamaican Blue Mountains, part of the UNESCO World Heritage site.

About Kaya Group and NUGL Inc.

NUGL and Kaya merged in April 2022 to form a multifaceted cannabis lifestyle company deriving globally diverse revenue streams from a portfolio of powerful brands and operations delivering quality at scale. Kaya Herb House's flagship retail store and farm operations are located in the tourism mecca of Ochi Rios. The company also operates a retail store in Kingston within the golden triangle and another in the historic town of Falmouth. Kaya recently opened its first phase of its Wellness Center at The Gap, located in the Blue Mountains' pristine hills, in the Winter of 2022.

Kaya Herb House Drax Hall is Jamaica's first legal Medical Marijuana dispensary. It offers tours of Kaya Farm, which has a variety of over 45 different genetics being cultivated and processed. Our retail complex includes Kaya Herb House with Dab Bar Consumption Lounge, authentic Italian thin crust pizzeria and Square Grouper bar on-premise.

Website  Kaya Herb House website Instagram  Kaya Herb House Instagram Facebook - Kaya Herb House Facebook Twitter - Kaya Herb House Twitter

NUGL App highlights profiles for businesses in all sectors of the cannabis industry, including retail stores, brands, services, events, and more. Our platform allows companies to build and structure detailed items within our global menu, aiding connections between business and consumer communities through targeted networking and enabling various advertising opportunities to expand their reach.

Forward-Looking StatementsCertain statements in this press release may be considered "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements may include projections of matters that affect revenue, operating expenses, or net earnings; projections of growth; and assumptions relating to the preceding. Such forward-looking statements generally start with the "plans," "anticipates," "expects," "believes," or similar words of like kind. Forward-looking statements are inherently subject to risks and uncertainties, some of which cannot be predicted or qualified. Future events and actual results could differ materially from those outlined in, contemplated by, or underlying the forward-looking information. The company's business plan addresses these factors in greater detail, along with NUGL's current financial filings with the OTC Markets Group.

For Media and Investor Relations, please contact:David L. Kugelman(866) 692-6847 Toll Free - U.S. & Canada(404) 281-8556 Mobile and WhatsApp[email protected]Skype: kugsusa

Source: NUGL, Inc.
LONDON, Feb. 28, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via NetworkWire -- Informa PLC (Informa), a London-based events production, digital products and academic research services agency will host FinovateEurope. A cutting-edge fintech conference catering to the digital future of financial institutions, the event will be held in person from March 14-15, 2023, at the Intercontinental O2 Hotel in London, England.

Finovate events are world-class fintech happenings drawing attendees from across the globe. 1,000+ senior financial and fintech thought leaders are expected to be in attendance at FinovateEurope alongside 100+ globally renowned speakers. Each event is geared to help navigate the changing environment and discover new opportunities.

Invited speakers are sought-after analysts and innovators from the world of fintech, digital finance and financial institutions who will outline their unique perspectives on emerging technologies, regulatory trends and the evolving landscape via specially designed sessions that amplify knowledge sharing and encourage networking. The audience is highly intellectual and incredibly well-versed in the financial space, with C-suite leaders, senior executives, new-age financial innovators and financial journalists in attendance.

Speakers will participate in numerous formats including keynotes, general sessions, special addresses, executive briefings, interactive workshops, fireside chats, panel discussions and thematically focused streams.

A selection of the industry leaders who will be sharing strategic insights crafted through years of expertise includes Michael Ramsbacker, chief product officer at Trulioo; Guy Mettrick, industry vice president of financial services at Appian; Malin Lignell, VP digitalisation & innovation at Handelsbanken; Elizabeth Rossiello, CEO at AZA Finance; and renowned authors Steven Van Belleghem and Leda Glyptis.

Several live product demo sessions will be conducted by senior management of carefully selected, innovative companies such as Five Degrees, Refine Intelligence, Merlin Investor, Trulioo, Your Juno, Quoroom and others. These short sessions will offer attendees a glimpse into the latest technological trends in fintech and provide invaluable insights into the market outlook as well as future direction of C-suite leaders.Attendees will have the rare opportunity to delve into the minds of elite thinkers during energetic panel discussions across a wide spectrum of topics including:

We're In the Revenue - Now What?

The Fintech Ecosystem & Strategic Partnerships  From Competition to Collaboration & Co-Creation

What Are the Next Big Opportunities in Fintech?

Digital Transformation: How Can Banks that were Born Analogue Compete with Fintechs & Big Tech that were Born Digital?

How Will New Competitors and New Business Models Shape the Future of Payments? How Will Open Banking & Embedded Payments Change the Competitive Landscape?

FinovateEurope will also feature punchy and on-point startup booster sessions to highlight founder insights, developments in the investor landscape, customer acquisition models and strategies to optimize content marketing for wider market reach. These insights will prove invaluable to financial players looking to adapt to the evolving fintech environment.

Greg Palmer, Vice President of Finovate, will offer the welcome address on Day One and Day Two. The event will be precisely designed to optimize business efficiency and cultivate unparalleled networking opportunities. Scheduled networking events will drive high-powered relationship building, strengthen the broader fintech community and exploration of potential synergies with platform players, financial institutions, regulators and investment houses that are poised to redefine the coming age of financial services.

To view the detailed agenda for both days, visit https://informaconnect.com/finovateeurope/agenda/1/

To register for the in-person event, visit https://informaconnect.com/finovateeurope/purchase/select-package/

About FinovateA subsidiary of Informa Connect, Finovate is a research and events firm focused on innovation in financial and banking technology. Its team runs the Finovate conference series and authors the popular Finovate blog. Finovate is the only conference series focused exclusively on showcasing the best and most innovative new financial and banking technologies. Finovate conferences consistently attract large, high-impact audiences of senior financial and banking executives, venture capitalists, press, industry analysts, bloggers, regulators and entrepreneurs. For more information visit www.finovate.com.

General ContactFinovatewww.Finovate.com (800) 418-0980[email protected]

Corporate CommunicationsIBN (InvestorBrandNetwork)Los Angeles, Californiawww.IBN.fm 310.299.1717 Office[email protected]

Source: Finovate
TORONTO, Feb. 27, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Medivolve Inc. (Medivolve or the Company) (NEO: MEDV; OTC: MEDVF; FRA: 4NC) is pleased to announce that it will be hosting a corporate update presentation with analysts and investors via live webinar on March 8, 2023 at 1pm EST. Participants can register to attend at the following web address:

Registration link: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_FN_IqgzsRiihZI_bmg3esA

Specifically, the webinar will feature Medivolves Chief Executive Officer, David Preiner, to discuss updates on the Companys business developments.

About Medivolve, Inc.

Medivolve, Inc. (NEO: MEDV; OTC: MEDVF; FRA: 4NC) is a healthcare technology company that seeks to reinvent the US healthcare system by leveraging a bespoke telehealth platform, a clinical diagnostic network, and a data-driven AI framework to improve patient care.

The Company was born out of the healthcare crisis; to rethink, relearn and ultimately, reimagine a better way for the healthcare system to operate. Our network of retail collection sites play an important role in recovery by giving Americans access to fast, accurate, and inexpensive clinical services when and where they need it. These centers will also play a pivotal role in diagnostic testing, vaccinations, and other point-of-care services. We are building disruptive technologies to make it easier and faster to identify, treat, and prevent medical issues. In doing so, we are working to give patients a holistic and empowered view of their personal health.

Our long-term mission is to address systemic issues in the nations fragmented, overly complex, and expensive healthcare system. Medivolves next phase of growth is about pivoting the model and putting the pieces together to build a profitable health-tech company. We are developing a singular, streamlined technology network to provide data-driven physician consultations, clinical diagnostics, and prescription services. Our team is united by a powerful, singular purpose: harnessing the transformative power of technology to create healthier lives.

Underpinned by a bespoke, AI-driven platform, were developing a system that constantly gets smarter, takes the guesswork out of diagnostics, and flags critical health issues to help physicians, delivering a high level of personalization for each patient.

For investing inquiries, please contact: David Preiner, CEO, [email protected], 702-990-3737.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-looking Information

This press release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking information includes, but is not limited to, statements with respect to the Companys future plans. Generally, forward-looking information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "plans", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", or "believes", or variations of such words and phrases or state that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will be taken", "occur" or "be achieved". Forward-looking information is 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, as the case may be, to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information, including but not limited to: general business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties; accidents, labour disputes and shortages and other risks of the healthcare industry. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking information, except in accordance with applicable securities laws.

Source: Medivolve Inc.
SUNNYVALE, Calif., Feb. 28, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Proofpoint, Inc., a leading cybersecurity and compliance company, today released its ninth annual State of the Phish report, revealing attackers are using both emerging and tried-and-tested tactics to compromise organizations. Eight in 10 organizations (84%) experienced at least one successful email-based phishing attack in 2022, with direct financial losses as a result increasing by an astonishing 76% compared to 2021. And while brand impersonation, business email compromise (BEC), and ransomware remained popular tactics among threat actors, cyber criminals also scaled up their use of less familiar attack methods to infiltrate global organizations.

This years State of the Phish report provides an in-depth overview of the real-world threats, as sourced by Proofpoints telemetry encompassing more than 18 million end-user reported emails and 135 million simulated phishing attacks sent over a one-year period. The report also examines perceptions of 7,500 employees and 1,050 security professionals across 15 countries, revealing startling gaps in security awareness and cyber hygiene that propagate the real-world attack landscape.

While conventional phishing remains successful, many threat actors have shifted to newer techniques, such as telephone-oriented attack delivery and adversary-in-the-middle (AitM) phishing proxies that bypass multifactor authentication. These techniques have been used in targeted attacks for years, but 2022 saw them deployed at scale, said Ryan Kalember, executive vice president, cybersecurity strategy, Proofpoint. We have also seen a marked increase in sophisticated, multi-touch phishing campaigns, engaging in longer conversations across multiple personas. Whether its a nation state-aligned group or a BEC actor, there are plenty of adversaries willing to play the long game.

Some of this years key findings include:

Cyber Extortion Continues to Wreak HavocSeventy-six percent of organizations experienced an attempted ransomware attack in the past year, with 64% suffering a successful infection; yet only half regained access to their data after making the initial ransomware payment. Alarmingly, over two-thirds of respondents said their organization experienced multiple, separate ransomware infections.

Most infected organizations paid up, and many did so more than once. Of the organizations impacted by ransomware, the overwhelming majority (90%) had a cyber insurance policy in place for ransomware attacks, and most insurers were willing to pay the ransom either partially or in full (82%). This also explains the high propensity to pay, with 64% of infected organizations paying at least one ransoma six-point increase year-over-year.

End Users Fall Prey to Bogus Microsoft EmailsIn 2022, Proofpoint observed nearly 1,600 campaigns involving brand abuse across its global customer base. While Microsoft was the most abused brand name with over 30 million messages using its branding or featuring a product such as Office or OneDrive, other companies regularly impersonated by cyber criminals included Google, Amazon, DHL, Adobe, and DocuSign. Its worth noting that AitM attacks will display the organizations real login page to the user, which in many cases will be Microsoft 365.

Considering the volume of brand impersonation attacks, its alarming that nearly half (44%) of employees indicate they think an email is safe when it contains familiar branding, and 63% think an email address always corresponds to the matching website of the brand. Its no surprise to see that half of the 10 phishing simulation templates most used by Proofpoint customers were brand-impersonation related, which also tended to have high failure rates.

Business Email Compromise: Cyber Fraud Goes Global On average, three-quarters of global organizations reported an attempted BEC attack last year. While English is the most common language employed, some non-English-speaking countries are starting to see higher volumes of attacks in their own languages. BEC attacks were higher than the global average or experienced a notable increase compared to 2021:

The Netherlands 92% (not featured in prior analysis)

Sweden 92% (not featured in prior analysis)

Spain 90% vs. 77% (13 percentage point increase)

Germany 86% vs. 75% (11 percentage point increase)

France 80% vs. 75% (5 percentage point increase)

Insider ThreatsPandemic-related job mobility, coupled with post-pandemic economic uncertainty, has resulted in large numbers of workers changing or leaving jobs to the tune of one in four employees in the past two years. This job market trend makes data protection more difficult for organizations, with 65% reporting they have experienced data loss due to an insiders action. Among those who have changed jobs, nearly half (44%) admitted to taking data with them.

Threat Actors Scale Up More Complex Email Threats Over the past year, hundreds of thousands of telephone-oriented attack delivery (TOAD) and multi-factor authentication (MFA) bypass phishing messages were sent each dayubiquitous enough to threaten nearly all organizations. At its peak, Proofpoint tracked more than 600,000 TOAD attacksemails that incite recipients to initiate a direct conversation with attackers over telephone via bogus call centersper day, and the number has been steadily rising since the technique first appeared in late 2021.

Cyber attackers now also have a range of methods to bypass MFA, with many phishing-as-a-service providers already including AitM tooling in their off-the-shelf phish kits.

Room for Improvement with Cyber Hygiene Threat actors always innovate, and once again this years report shows that most employees suffer security awareness gaps. Even basic cyber threats are still not well understoodmore than a third of survey respondents cannot define malware, phishing, and ransomware.

In addition, only 56% of organizations with a security awareness program train their entire workforce, and only 35% conduct phishing simulationsboth critical components to building an effective security awareness program.

The awareness gaps and lax security behaviors demonstrated by employees create substantial risk for organizations and their data, said Alan Lefort, senior vice president and general manager, security awareness training, Proofpoint. As email remains the favored attack method for cyber criminals and they branch out to techniques much less familiar to employees, there is clear value in building a culture of security that spans the entire organization.

To download the State of the Phish 2023 report and see a full list of global and regional comparisons, please visit: https://www.proofpoint.com/us/resources/threat-reports/state-of-phish.

For more information on cybersecurity awareness best practices and training, please visit: https://www.proofpoint.com/us/product-family/security-awareness-training.

About Proofpoint, Inc.Proofpoint, Inc. is a leading cybersecurity and compliance company that protects organizations greatest assets and biggest risks: their people. With an integrated suite of cloud-based solutions, Proofpoint helps companies around the world stop targeted threats, safeguard their data, and make their users more resilient against cyber attacks. Leading organizations of all sizes, including 75 percent of the Fortune 100, rely on Proofpoint for people-centric security and compliance solutions that mitigate their most critical risks across email, the cloud, social media, and the web. More information is available at www.proofpoint.com.

Connect with Proofpoint: Twitter | LinkedIn | Facebook | YouTube

Proofpoint is a registered trademark or tradename of Proofpoint, Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries. All other trademarks contained herein are the property of their respective owners.

PROOFPOINT MEDIA CONTACT:[email protected]

Source: Proofpoint, Inc.
NASHVILLE, Tenn., Feb. 28, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Qualifacts, a leading provider of electronic health record (EHR) platforms for behavioral health, rehabilitative, and human services organizations, is pleased to announce that Inyo and Trinity County Behavioral Health Departments are fully implemented and live on Qualifacts fully integrated electronic health record (EHR) platform, Credible.

Inyo and Trinity County have implemented the Credible EHR platform in conjunction with Qualifacts partnership with Kings View Professional Services Organization, which provides intuitive EHR management services to 25 California counties. As both a healthcare provider and IT services organization, Kings View Professional Services has a unique in-market perspective and expertise to help its partners understand and adhere to the objectives, provisions, and challenges of the new CalAIM initiative, as well as emerging Value Based Reimbursement (VBR) state requirements.

The Credible platform brings multiple advances to the countys users, including California-specific billing and state reporting, intuitive form-development capabilities to support county requirements, and a fully disconnected mobile solution for community-based services.

Before going live, the dedicated Qualifacts implementation team and Kings View Professional Services team of project managers, configuration analysts, and billing specialists ensured Inyo and Trinity County were onboarded efficiently and with high quality results. The Qualifacts implementation team uses expertise from hundreds of successful go-lives and leverages best practices to optimize the Credible platform to Inyo and Trinity Countys unique workflows and business processes and developed a tailored plan specific to their needs.

From the sales cycle through the implementation and into customer service and support, we make sure customers are heard and questions and needs have been answered, said Robert Patton, Qualifacts Vice President of Implementation Services. Kings View Professional Services was an engaged partner in the implementation process, and our teams worked together to successfully complete this implementation. They made subject matter experts and its team leaders available to the Credible teams in an open and collaborative joint effort, which enabled us to succeed together.

Our commitment to California agencies is a priority, and we are excited to see Inyo and Trinity County successfully implemented. We look forward to implementing several other California counties this year in partnership with Kings View, said Paul Ricci, chief executive officer of Qualifacts

The Credible platform has teamed up with Kings View Professional Services to provide California Counties with support and expertise. Over the past 25 years, Kings View Professional Services has paved the way for clear and actionable technical data for Californias behavioral health data.

Our county agencies benefit from a highly configurable, next-generation EHR platform as they expand their services. CalAIM's initiatives will also require county providers to adapt to advancing technology, like the Credible EHR, to reduce risk, said Dr. Amanda Nugent-Divine, chief executive officer, Kings View Professional Services. We are pleased to partner with Inyo and Trinity County, along with many California behavioral health agencies, they trust us to provide and support a robust, flexible EHR technology platform that ensures their providers can meet their compliance goals, achieve accurate and timely billing and avoid exposure to risk in a rapidly changing care environment.

For many years, California counties have been limited in accessing data due to aging legacy applications. The Credible platforms unique architecture provides California Counites the ability to:

Have full access to all data critical for demonstrating improved outcomes, and better treatment protocols in the new California environment

Configure their EHR to meet the unique workflow needs of each County without costly customization

Utilize multiple reporting tools to harvest data in addition to the use of a Business Intelligence tool to provide real time dashboards measuring County Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and outcomes

Qualifacts has equipped 15 California counties with their EHR platforms, 13 on Credible and 2 on InSync. To learn more about how the Kings View Professional Services Program can help your California agency improve outcomes, simplify compliance and drive revenue with our Credible Behavioral Health EHR platform, please visit Kings View Professional Services online today.

ABOUT QUALIFACTS Qualifacts is a leading provider of behavioral health software and SaaS solutions for clinical productivity, compliance and state reporting, billing, and business intelligence. Its mission is to be an innovative and trusted technology and end-to-end solutions partner, enabling exceptional outcomes for its customers and those they serve. Qualifacts comprehensive portfolio, including the CareLogic, Credible, and InSync platforms, spans and serves the entire behavioral health, rehabilitative, and human services market supporting non-profit Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics (CCBHC) as well as for-profit large enterprise and small business providers. Qualifacts has a loyal customer base, with more than 2,500 customers representing 75,000 providers serving more than 6 million patients. Qualifacts was recognized in the 2022 and 2023 Best in KLAS: Software and Services report as having the top ranked Behavioral Health EHR solutions.

Media Contacts: Qualifacts [email protected]

Bambi Hosaka Qualifacts [email protected]

Source: Qualifacts
All-new generation of hearing aids aimed at reducing stigma

Eden Prairie, Minnesota, Feb. 28, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Starkey is leading the hearing industry in redefining the future of hearing health, not just with incremental improvements, but with breakthrough benefits. The result is Genesis AI, a new, unprecedented experience for both patients and hearing professionals. Completely reimagined from the inside out, its the only hearing technology system to feature an all-new processor, all-new sound, all-new industrial design, all-new fitting software, and all-new patient experience.

The future of Starkey has been created by pushing the edge of what was possible, said Starkey President and CEO Brandon Sawalich. With Genesis AI, we did just that. Proven through patient research and over one million hours in development, Genesis AI is the best sounding, best performing hearing aid available, offering infinite benefits to patients and hearing healthcare professionals alike. From the beginning, we have never wavered from providing exceptional service and groundbreaking innovations, creating Caring Technology.

All-New Processor

The all-new Starkey Neuro Processor features the industrys most advanced processor technology which mimics the function of the central auditory system through a Deep Neural Network (DNN) on-chip accelerator and automatic functions.

Smallest processor ever by Starkey, but also the most powerful with 6x more transistors.

Speed  the Starkey Neuro Processor operates quickly, efficiently, and quietly and is up to 4x faster than previous processors.

Less power, more processing  the processor is more efficient with power while delivering significantly higher processing.

Loaded with 5X more computational memory and 10X the amount of non-volatile memory.

All-New Sound

Starkeys new Neuro Sound Technology provides the best hearing experience for patients in all situations. The additive compression system synthesizes the signals from slow and fast compression systems for optimized perceptual outcomes, like the neural fibers that code different information for the brain.

By spending countless hours with hearing professionals and patients, researching and analyzing every element of the hearing journey, we relentlessly pursued how to develop and bring the most advanced hearing technology to professionals and patients in a simple and intuitive way, said Achin Bhowmik, Ph.D., Chief Technology Officer and Executive Vice President of Engineering at Starkey. Our all-new, powerful processor was designed to work like the human brain, leveraging the neuroscience of the ear-brain connection and information processing to create better sound quality, pushing energy-efficient artificial intelligence to its limits, analyzing and automatically optimizing sound over 80 million times an hour. Genesis AIs improved performance levels are unlike anything else in the industry, while doubling the battery life.

All-New Design

Genesis AI features an all-new sleek, discreet and stylish aesthetic product design thats durable and comfortable for all-day wear, and which helps break barriers and reduce the stigma of what is hearing care technology today.

Genesis AI includes RIC RT, the industrys longest-lasting RIC rechargeable hearing aid on the market. The battery holds up to 51 hours on a single charge.

The new mRIC R has the second longest-lasting RIC rechargeable battery life with up to 41 hours on a single charge.

Industry-first custom rechargeable product has the highest custom battery life in the industry with up to 36 hours on a single charge.

All-New Patient Experience

The new My Starkey App gives patients full control over their hearing aids, plus the ability to get helpful tips, track their health, and access intelligent features designed to simplify their lives.

Starkey leads the hearing industry as it relates to incorporating health and wellness features into hearing aids, including being the first to integrate 3D sensors; the first to enable counting steps; the first to track and encourage social engagement; and the first to provide benefits that went beyond just better hearing. Starkey was also the first hearing manufacturer  and still the only  to make hearing aids that can detect falls and send alerts.

Genesis AIs improved streaming capabilities utilize binaural phone steaming, sharing information to both ears directly and simultaneously. This supports two-way, hands-free calling through compatible Apple and Android devices and makes it easier for patients to enjoy their favorite music with more natural results.

All-New Fitting Software

Starkeys all-new fitting software, Pro Fit, was architected from the ground up based on input from hearing professionals around the globe. Designed for efficiency, ease of use and a seamless fitting experience  from first fit to fine tuning.

For more information about Starkey, click here.

###

About Starkey

Starkey is a privately held, global hearing technology company headquartered in Eden Prairie, Minnesota. Owned by Bill Austin since 1967, Starkey is known for its innovative design, development and distribution of comprehensive digital hearing systems. Led today by President and CEO Brandon Sawalich, Starkey has more than 5,000 employees, operates 29 facilities and does business in more than 100 markets worldwide. Learn more at starkey.com.

Attachments
Lauren Washington and Jenna Haring are among the hundreds of people in Buffalo who have had their vehicles stolen recently because of a manufacturer's defect in Kias and Hyundais that morphed into a social media sensation among thieves.

That's why the two Buffalo women on Monday joined U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer to draw attention to the problem.

"When people bought these cars, they had no idea that they were so prone" to theft, Schumer said.

During a news conference in Buffalo Police Department headquarters, Schumer noted that more than 350 such vehicles have been stolen so far this year in Buffalo. Schumer vowed to put the brakes on such thefts by forcing the manufacturers to take responsibility for fixing the defect in their vehicles and provide support to their affected customers.

He called on both Kia and Hyundai to provide free anti-theft kits, including steering wheel locks to all affected customers, and to immediately develop a universal software fix that solves this issue for every owner of an at-risk Kia or Hyundai.

Haring's Kia Sportage was stolen in December and found later that day. She and her parents went to the impound lot to retrieve it.

"And it was just completely destroyed inside. The car was caked it mud. It looked like they took it off-roading," she said.

A class-action lawsuit claims that Kias manufactured between 2011 and 2021 and Hyundais made between 2015 and 2021 don't have engine immobilizers, which make them difficult to steal unless you have a key or a fob. All a thief needs to do is break a window, crack the steering wheel and use a USB connector to hot-wire the cars.

Kia officials have said that criminal behavior is to blame and have offered to work with police departments to provide anti-theft clubs to try to deter thefts, but both companies have said their vehicles exceed federal safety standards. However, 2022 vehicles of both makers now have the engine immobilizers.

Schumer called on the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration to conduct an investigation into how the problem with the defective safety equipment was allowed to proceed, and for so long, and have the federal agency make recommendations as to what the manufacturers should do to fix the issues and ensure there isn't a repeat of them.

"Why did they let this happen? They had to have known about it, and the federal agency will get to the bottom of it," he added.

Schumer, along with Mayor Byron W. Brown and Police Commissioner Joseph A. Gramaglia, described the Kia and Hyundai theft challenges that have gone viral on social media as a horrifying new trend that is more than a matter of theft, but also a matter of life and death. The video challenge teaches viewers, many of them under the age of 18, how to hotwire Kias and Hyundais using only a USB charger port.

A social media trend, a stolen car and speeding prove a deadly combination A day after a horrific crash Monday left four teens dead, another hospitalized and the driver facing criminal charges, Buffalo was learning about the young lives that were lost and the tragic consequences of a dangerous trend spread through TikTok.

Gramaglia said that in August 2022, Buffalo began to see a surge in the theft of Kia vehicles. Three months later, four people were killed when the stolen Kia they were riding in crashed where the Kensington and Scajaquada expressways meet.

"We had a more than twice increase month after month until January when we had a substantially higher increase than that, a 2,270% increase compared to last year of Kias, and 2,667% increase on Hyundais stolen compared to last year. That's accounting for almost three-quarters of our stolen cars for this year alone. It's a monumental task," Gramaglia said.
Eden Prairie, Minnesota, Feb. 28, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Starkey is leading the hearing industry in redefining the future of hearing health, not just with incremental improvements, but with breakthrough benefits. The result is Genesis AI, a new, unprecedented experience for both patients and hearing professionals. Completely reimagined from the inside out, its the only hearing technology system to feature an all-new processor, all-new sound, all-new industrial design, all-new fitting software, and all-new patient experience.

The future of Starkey has been created by pushing the edge of what was possible, said Starkey President and CEO Brandon Sawalich. With Genesis AI, we did just that. Proven through patient research and over one million hours in development, Genesis AI is the best sounding, best performing hearing aid available, offering infinite benefits to patients and hearing healthcare professionals alike. From the beginning, we have never wavered from providing exceptional service and groundbreaking innovations, creating Caring Technology.

All-New Processor

The all-new Starkey Neuro Processor features the industrys most advanced processor technology which mimics the function of the central auditory system through a Deep Neural Network (DNN) on-chip accelerator and automatic functions.

Smallest processor ever by Starkey, but also the most powerful with 6x more transistors.

Speed  the Starkey Neuro Processor operates quickly, efficiently, and quietly and is up to 4x faster than previous processors.

Less power, more processing  the processor is more efficient with power while delivering significantly higher processing.

Loaded with 5X more computational memory and 10X the amount of non-volatile memory.

All-New Sound

Starkeys new Neuro Sound Technology provides the best hearing experience for patients in all situations. The additive compression system synthesizes the signals from slow and fast compression systems for optimized perceptual outcomes, like the neural fibers that code different information for the brain.

By spending countless hours with hearing professionals and patients, researching and analyzing every element of the hearing journey, we relentlessly pursued how to develop and bring the most advanced hearing technology to professionals and patients in a simple and intuitive way, said Achin Bhowmik, Ph.D., Chief Technology Officer and Executive Vice President of Engineering at Starkey. Our all-new, powerful processor was designed to work like the human brain, leveraging the neuroscience of the ear-brain connection and information processing to create better sound quality, pushing energy-efficient artificial intelligence to its limits, analyzing and automatically optimizing sound over 80 million times an hour. Genesis AIs improved performance levels are unlike anything else in the industry, while doubling the battery life.

All-New Design

Genesis AI features an all-new sleek, discreet and stylish aesthetic product design thats durable and comfortable for all-day wear, and which helps break barriers and reduce the stigma of what is hearing care technology today.

Genesis AI includes RIC RT, the industrys longest-lasting RIC rechargeable hearing aid on the market. The battery holds up to 51 hours on a single charge.

The new mRIC R has the second longest-lasting RIC rechargeable battery life with up to 41 hours on a single charge.

Industry-first custom rechargeable product has the highest custom battery life in the industry with up to 36 hours on a single charge.

All-New Patient Experience

The new My Starkey App gives patients full control over their hearing aids, plus the ability to get helpful tips, track their health, and access intelligent features designed to simplify their lives.

Starkey leads the hearing industry as it relates to incorporating health and wellness features into hearing aids, including being the first to integrate 3D sensors; the first to enable counting steps; the first to track and encourage social engagement; and the first to provide benefits that went beyond just better hearing. Starkey was also the first hearing manufacturer  and still the only  to make hearing aids that can detect falls and send alerts.

Genesis AIs improved streaming capabilities utilize binaural phone steaming, sharing information to both ears directly and simultaneously. This supports two-way, hands-free calling through compatible Apple and Android devices and makes it easier for patients to enjoy their favorite music with more natural results.

All-New Fitting Software

Starkeys all-new fitting software, Pro Fit, was architected from the ground up based on input from hearing professionals around the globe. Designed for efficiency, ease of use and a seamless fitting experience  from first fit to fine tuning.

For more information about Starkey, click here.

###

About Starkey

Starkey is a privately held, global hearing technology company headquartered in Eden Prairie, Minnesota. Owned by Bill Austin since 1967, Starkey is known for its innovative design, development and distribution of comprehensive digital hearing systems. Led today by President and CEO Brandon Sawalich, Starkey has more than 5,000 employees, operates 29 facilities and does business in more than 100 markets worldwide. Learn more at starkey.com.

Attachments

Karen Spaeth Starkey 952-947-4522 [email protected]

Source: Starkey
TORONTO, Feb. 28, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Canadian Childrens Literacy Foundation is launching an online public gallery featuring stories and art by children from across Canada about their pandemic experiences. Retired astronaut and childrens author, Col. Chris Hadfield will share his love of reading and thoughts on its impact with Scarborough families and invited guests at the launch of Lost & Found: pandemic stories of discovery as told by kids in Canada.

Toronto event details

What National launch of the Lost & Found digital exhibition Date Tuesday, March 7, 2023 Time 2:00 to 3:30 pm ET Location Malvern Family Resource Centre, Scarborough, ON90 Littles Rd, Scarborough, ON M1B 5E2 Available for comment Hon. Karina Gould, Minister of Families, Children and Social Development of Canada (TBC)

Chris Hadfield, O.C., O.ONT., M.S.C., C.D., Colonel, Astronaut (retired) and member of the board of directors of Canadian Childrens Literacy Foundation

Ariel Siller, Canadian Childrens Literacy Foundations Chief Executive Officer

Anusha Narendran, Childrens Program and Services Manager, Malvern Family Resource Centre

The Canadian Childrens Literacy Foundation, in partnership with child-serving organizations across the country are hosting in-person launch events throughout the month of March in Vancouver (March 9), Whitehorse (March 17), Quebec (March 18) and Halifax (March 29).

For more information, to request an embargoed media kit or to arrange an interview please contact:

Angela PinzonPilot PMR[email protected]647-295-0517

Wendy VincentKonvo Media[email protected] 416.722.0608

Omar SiddiquiCanadian Childrens Literacy Foundation[email protected] 647.493.5013

Source: Canadian Childrens Literacy Foundation
UAB Atsinaujinancios Energetikos Investicijos (the Company) publishes its unaudited interim condensed consolidated and standalone financial statements for the 12-month period of 2022.

Financial results

The Companys objective is to earn a return for the Companys investors from investments in facilities of the renewable energy infrastructure and related assets. The main financial indicators for the period were:

As at 31 December 2022, the Companys total assets were EUR 156,590 thousand, total equity was EUR 103,532 thousand, and total liabilities were EUR 53,058 thousand.

As at 31 December 2022, the Companys investment assets at fair value through profit or loss were EUR 144,908 thousand, which compared to 31 December 2021, grew by EUR 78,227 thousand or 117.32%.

The Companys total comprehensive income for the period was EUR 13,360 thousand, which was primarily driven by the gain on the investment portfolio due to the annual valuation of the Companys shares.

During the 12-month period of 2022, shareholders' contributions amounted to EUR 25,159 thousand.

During the 12-month period of 2022, the Company issued bonds in the total amount of EUR 27,000 thousand.

Contact person for further information:

Grete Bukauskaite

Manager of the Investment Company

[email protected]

Attachment
TORONTO, Feb. 28, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Wallbridge Mining Company Limited (TSX:WM, OTCQX: WLBMF) (Wallbridge or the Company) is pleased to report additional results from its 2022 drilling program at the Companys 100%-owned Fenelon gold project (Fenelon) that have expanded the satellite Ripley Zone towards the southwest. In addition, new prospective targets have been identified along the Sunday Lake Deformation Zone (SLDZ).

Following a two-month pause in drilling, two rigs were deployed in early February to commence exploration drilling in the vicinity of the Fenelon gold deposit; a third drill has now been mobilized to test newly identified gold targets along the SLDZ.

Building on the multi-million-ounce resource we have already established at Fenelon and Martiniere, our 2023 exploration program is targeting the discovery of new gold zones on the Companys highly prospective Detour-Fenelon Gold Trend land package, said Attila Pentek, Wallbridges Vice President, Exploration. Positive drill results at Ripley, a satellite zone located one kilometre south of the main Fenelon deposit, reinforce the potential for further discoveries along the SLDZ, which remains largely untested towards the east and west. The upcoming drill program will focus on testing extensions of the main host rocks and structures that control known gold mineralized trends in this region using large-spaced drill step-outs.

Results reported today (Table 1) successfully expanded the Ripley zone to the southwest and support the potential for further gold mineralization along the SLDZ. These new drill results and geological interpretation indicate potential folding of the host rocks immediately south of the Ripley Zone, providing a high-priority drill target.

Ripley Zone Highlight Assay Results FA-22-490 27.75 g/t Au over 1.50 metres, FA-22-514 1.93 g/t Au over 12.50 metres, including 29.94 g/t Au over 0.50 metre; FA-22-537 1.53 g/t Au over 16.50 metres, including 4.85 g/t Au over 3.00 metres; FA-22-529 1.61 g/t Au over 12.20 metres, including 2.87 g/t Au over 3.20 metres.

About the Ripley Zone

The Ripley Zone straddles the northern contact of the SLDZ, in contrast to the main Fenelon deposit, which is located along the Jeremie Fault, a secondary splay of the SLDZ (see Figure 1). Agnicos Detour Lake Mine is also located along the northern edge of the SLDZ, emphasizing the importance of this structural horizon.

Sporadic gold mineralization was first discovered at Ripley in the summer of 2019, following up on the discovery of the Fenelon Area 51 and Tabasco/Cayenne Zones. The drilling program conducted by Wallbridge in 2021-22 further delineated the mineralized footprint of the Ripley Zone. Systematic drilling also revealed the continuity and pervasive nature of the gold mineralization.

The gold-bearing system at Ripley has now been traced for a lateral distance of over 750 metres, and has only been tested down to a vertical depth of approximately 500 metres. Exploration potential remains open in most directions, both laterally and at depth.

Important geological observations at Ripley also include the spatial proximity of gold mineralization with Timiskaming-type sedimentary rocks. In the Southern Abitibi, such units are known to provide excellent markers for structures that acted as mineralizing gold fluid pathways (e.g., Timmins and Kirkland Lake gold camps). This new information will be useful to define additional prospective targets regionally.

2023 Drill Program

Very limited historic drill testing was conducted along the SLDZ outside a 1.5 kilometre strike length corridor centered on the Ripley Zone (see Figure 2). Several targets were identified within a few kilometres of the Ripley Zone that, based on geology and geophysics, are interpreted to be favorable for the deposition of gold mineralization.

Wallbridges 2023 drilling strategy will aim to evaluate the extensions of known mineralized zones using large-spaced step-outs. In addition, exploration drilling along the SLDZ will focus on conceptual targets, including the potential folding of the Jeremie diorite intrusion immediately south of the Ripley Zone.

The results reported in todays press release are from 14 drill holes completed in 2022. All figures and a table with drill hole information of recently completed holes are posted on the Companys website under Current Program at https://wallbridgemining.com/our-projects/fenelon-gold/.

Figure 1. Detour-Fenelon Gold Trend

Figure 2. Fenelon Gold, Total Magnetic Intensity and Geology

Figure 3. Fenelon Gold. A) Fenelon Plan View and B) Ripley Zone Plan View

Figure 4. Ripley Zone West, Cross-Section, 150-metre corridor

Table 1. Recent Drill Assay Highlights for Ripley Zone (1) Drill Hole From To Length Au Au Cut(2) VG(3) Zone/Corridor (m) (m) (m) (g/t) (g/t) RIPLEY FA-22-490 197.50 199.00 1.50 27.75 27.75 Ripley FA-22-512 634.60 636.00 1.40 9.67 9.67 Ripley FA-22-514 78.00 97.00 19.00 0.56 0.56 Ripley FA-22-514 258.50 271.00 12.50 1.93 1.93 VG Ripley Including 261.20 261.70 0.50 29.94 29.94 VG Ripley FA-22-516 No Significant Mineralization (4) Ripley FA-22-519 108.70 110.90 2.20 3.92 3.92 Ripley FA-22-522 No Significant Mineralization (4) Ripley FA-22-525 817.50 819.00 1.50 6.23 6.23 Ripley FA-22-527 430.00 434.50 4.50 1.56 1.56 Ripley FA-22-527 479.50 481.00 1.50 7.32 7.32 Ripley FA-22-528 319.50 324.00 4.50 1.49 1.49 Ripley FA-22-529 376.00 388.20 12.20 1.61 1.61 Ripley Including 385.00 388.20 3.20 2.78 2.78 Ripley FA-22-529 596.50 598.00 1.50 3.92 3.92 Ripley FA-22-533 No Significant Mineralization (4) Ripley FA-22-534 No Significant Mineralization (4) Ripley FA-22-537 228.00 241.50 13.50 0.45 0.45 Ripley FA-22-537 466.50 483.00 16.50 1.53 1.53 Ripley Including 475.50 478.50 3.00 4.85 4.85 Ripley FA-22-537 532.70 533.55 0.85 7.35 7.35 Ripley FA-22-538 No Significant Mineralization (4) Ripley (1) Table includes only assay results received since the latest press release dated December 8, 2022. (2) Au cut at: 75 g/t Au for the Ripley Zone. (3) Intervals containing visible gold ("VG"). (4) Metal factor of at least 5 g/t*m and minimum weighted average composite grade of 0.45 g/t Au within the 2023 MRE open pit shell and 1.5 g/t Au for outside open pit shell. Note: True widths are estimated to be 50-80% of the reported core length intervals.

Assay QA/QC and Qualified Persons

Drill core samples from the ongoing drill program at Fenelon are cut and bagged either on-site or by contractors and transported to SGS Canada Inc. or Bureau Veritas Commodities Canada Ltd. for analysis. Samples, standards and blanks are included for quality assurance and quality control, were prepared and analyzed at the laboratories. Samples are crushed to 90% less than 2mm. A 1kg riffle split is pulverized to 85% passing 75 microns. 50g samples are analyzed by fire assay and AAS or ICP. At SGS and Bureau Veritas, samples >10g/t Au are automatically analyzed by fire assay with gravimetric finish or screen metallic analysis. To test for coarse free gold and additional quality assurance and quality control, Wallbridge requests screen metallic analysis for samples containing visible gold. These and future assay results may vary from time to time due to re-analysis for quality assurance and quality control.

The Qualified Person responsible for the technical content of this press release is Lucas Briao Koth, M.Sc., P.Geo., Senior Project Geologist of Wallbridge.

About Wallbridge Mining

Wallbridge is focused on creating value through the exploration and sustainable development of gold projects along the Detour-Fenelon Gold Trend while respecting the environment and communities where it operates.

Wallbridges flagship project, Fenelon Gold (Fenelon), is located on the highly prospective Detour-Fenelon Gold Trend Property in Quebecs Northern Abitibi region. An updated mineral resource estimate completed in January 2023 yielded significantly improved grades and additional ounces at the 100%-owned Fenelon and Martiniere properties, incorporating a combined 3.05 million ounces of Indicated gold resources and 2.35 million ounces of Inferred gold resources. Fenelon and Martiniere are located within an approximate 830 km2 exploration land package controlled by Wallbridge. The Company believes that these two deposits have good potential for economic development, especially given their proximity to existing hydro-electric power and transportation infrastructure.

In addition, Wallbridge believes that the extensive land package is extremely prospective for the discovery of additional gold deposits.

Wallbridge also holds a 19.9% interest in the common shares of Archer Exploration Corp. (Archer) as a result of the sale of the Companys portfolio of nickel assets in Ontario and Quebec in November of 2022.

Wallbridge will continue to focus on its core Detour-Fenelon Gold Trend Property while enabling shareholders to participate in the potential economic upside in Archer.

Wallbridge Mining Company Limited

Marz Kord, P. Eng., M. Sc., MBA

President & CEOTel: (705) 6829297 ext. 251Email: [email protected]

Victoria Vargas, B.Sc. (Hon.) Economics, MBAInvestor Relations AdvisorEmail: [email protected]

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Information

This press release contains forward-looking statements or information (collectively, FLI) within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. FLI is based on expectations, estimates, projections, and interpretations as at the date of this press release.

All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein are FLI that involve various risks, assumptions, estimates and uncertainties. Generally, FLI can be identified by the use of statements that include words such as seeks, believes, anticipates, plans, continues, budget, scheduled, estimates, expects, forecasts, intends, projects, predicts, proposes, "potential", targets and variations of such words and phrases, or by statements that certain actions, events or results may, will, could, would, should or might, be taken, occur or be achieved.

FLI herein includes, but is not limited to, statements regarding the potential future performance of Archer common shares, future drill results; the Companys ability to convert inferred resources into measured and indicated resources; environmental matters; stakeholder engagement and relationships; parameters and methods used to estimate the mineral resource estimates (each an MRE) at the Fenelon and Martiniere properties (collectively the Deposits); the prospects, if any, of the Deposits; future drilling at the Deposits; and the significance of historic exploration activities and results.

FLI is designed to help you understand managements current views of its near- and longer-term prospects, and it may not be appropriate for other purposes. FLI by their nature are based on assumptions and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance, or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such FLI. Although the FLI contained in this press release is based upon what management believes, or believed at the time, to be reasonable assumptions, the Company cannot assure shareholders and prospective purchasers of securities of the Company that actual results will be consistent with such FLI, as there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended, and neither the Company nor any other person assumes responsibility for the accuracy and completeness of any such FLI. Except as required by law, the Company does not undertake, and assumes no obligation, to update or revise any such FLI contained herein to reflect new events or circumstances, except as may be required by law. Unless otherwise noted, this press release has been prepared based on information available as of the date of this press release. Accordingly, you should not place undue reliance on the FLI or information contained herein.

Furthermore, should one or more of the risks, uncertainties or other factors materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described in FLI.

Assumptions upon which FLI is based, without limitation, include the results of exploration activities, the Companys financial position and general economic conditions; the ability of exploration activities to accurately predict mineralization; the accuracy of geological modelling; the ability of the Company to complete further exploration activities; the legitimacy of title and property interests in the Deposits; the accuracy of key assumptions, parameters or methods used to estimate the MREs; the ability of the Company to obtain required approvals; the evolution of the global economic climate; metal prices; environmental expectations; community and non-governmental actions; any impacts of COVID-19 on the Deposits; and, the Companys ability to secure required funding. Risks and uncertainties about Wallbridge's business are more fully discussed in the disclosure materials filed with the securities regulatory authorities in Canada, which are available at www.sedar.com.

Information Concerning Estimates of Mineral Resources

The disclosure in this press release and referred to herein was prepared in accordance with NI 43-101 which differs significantly from the requirements of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"). The terms "measured mineral resource", "indicated mineral resource" and "inferred mineral resource" used in this press release are in reference to the mining terms defined in the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum Standards (the "CIM Definition Standards"), which definitions have been adopted by NI 43-101. Accordingly, information contained in this press release providing descriptions of our mineral deposits in accordance with NI 43-101 may not be comparable to similar information made public by other U.S. companies subject to the United States federal securities laws and the rules and regulations thereunder.

Investors are cautioned not to assume that any part or all of mineral resources will ever be converted into reserves. Pursuant to CIM Definition Standards, "inferred mineral resources" are that part of a mineral resource for which quantity and grade or quality are estimated on the basis of limited geological evidence and sampling. Such geological evidence is sufficient to imply but not verify geological and grade or quality continuity. An inferred mineral resource has a lower level of confidence than that applying to an indicated mineral resource and must not be converted to a mineral reserve. However, it is reasonably expected that the majority of inferred mineral resources could be upgraded to indicated mineral resources with continued exploration. Under Canadian rules, estimates of inferred mineral resources may not form the basis of feasibility or pre-feasibility studies, except in rare cases. Investors are cautioned not to assume that all or any part of an inferred mineral resource is economically or legally mineable. Disclosure of "contained ounces" in a resource is permitted disclosure under Canadian regulations; however, the SEC normally only permits issuers to report mineralization that does not constitute "reserves" by SEC standards as in place tonnage and grade without reference to unit measures.

Canadian standards, including the CIM Definition Standards and NI 43-101, differ significantly from standards in the SEC Industry Guide 7. Effective February 25, 2019, the SEC adopted new mining disclosure rules under subpart 1300 of Regulation S-K of the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "SEC Modernization Rules"), with compliance required for the first fiscal year beginning on or after January 1, 2021. The SEC Modernization Rules replace the historical property disclosure requirements included in SEC Industry Guide 7. As a result of the adoption of the SEC Modernization Rules, the SEC now recognizes estimates of "measured mineral resources", "indicated mineral resources" and "inferred mineral resources". Information regarding mineral resources contained or referenced in this press release may not be comparable to similar information made public by companies that report according to U.S. standards. While the SEC Modernization Rules are purported to be "substantially similar" to the CIM Definition Standards, readers are cautioned that there are differences between the SEC Modernization Rules and the CIM Definitions 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 resource estimates under the standards adopted under the SEC Modernization Rules.

Photos accompanying this announcement are available athttps://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/6235c468-46c4-4cec-a4d1-64ae5ae1a478https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/e02b410f-84f7-4b17-92dd-d597325aca2chttps://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/39dba415-0aba-4c6d-b344-7f043281ad7ahttps://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/4e4e9849-05a8-44eb-b7e3-4d873088e8aa

Figure 1 Detour-Fenelon Gold Trend Figure 2 Fenelon Gold, Total Magnetic Intensity and Geology Figure 3 Fenelon Gold. A) Fenelon Plan View and B) Ripley Zone Plan View Figure 4 Ripley Zone West, Cross-Section, 150-metre corridor

Source: Wallbridge Mining Company Limited
GREENWICH, Conn., Feb. 28, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- XPO (NYSE: XPO), a leading provider of less-than-truckload (LTL) transportation in North America, today announced that it has been named National LTL Carrier of the Year by MODE Global, one of the largest 3PL transportation platforms in North America. XPO and MODE have worked together to provide quality LTL shipping solutions for customers for over a decade.

Chase Smith, vice president, carrier services for MODE, said, 2022 was an amazing year of growth with XPO. Their commitment to being an industry-leading LTL provider supports our employees and agents in ensuring high customer satisfaction. We deeply value our partnership with XPO and anticipate continued success in 2023.

Mario Harik, chief executive officer of XPO, said, This award is a testament to our ability to deliver high-quality results across our LTL network, due in large part to the unwavering commitment of our employees. We thank MODE for recognizing our strong record of customer service and collaboration.

The MODE carrier awards are based on specific performance criteria, such as service quality, technological capabilities, customer service excellence, volume and revenue growth, as well as collaboration and communication. XPO was awarded National LTL Carrier of the Year for being exceptional in its approach, delivery and support.

About XPOXPO (NYSE: XPO) is one of the largest providers of asset-based less-than-truckload (LTL) transportation in North America, with proprietary technology that moves goods efficiently through its network. Together with its business in Europe, XPO serves approximately 48,000 customers with 554 locations and 38,000 employees. The company is headquartered in Greenwich, Conn., USA. Visit xpo.com for more information, and connect with XPO on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and YouTube.

Media ContactKarina Frayter+1-203-484-8303[email protected]

Source: XPO, Inc.
Advisors Mortgage Group, based in Ocean Township, New Jersey, today announced that Adam Ennabe, sales director from the companys Lake Forest, California, branch, recently took part in a webinar called The Wheelhouse, which focused on the return on philanthropic investment. Ennabe shared how, for just a $96 donation to Free Wheelchair Mission, a nonprofit organization that designs and manufactures cost-efficient wheelchairs for developing countries around the world, donors can transform someones life. A major sponsor of Free Wheelchair Mission, the Lake Forest branch donates $96, which is the cost of one wheelchair, for every loan it closes. Every day when I come to work, I think about not only did I help someone buy their first home, but we are looking at how many wheelchairs we are getting. Someone in another part of the world is being lifted off the ground, Ennabe said. Ten years ago, we were given the opportunity to open our branch office by Advisors, and now we are giving our employees the opportunity to give back to people in other countries around the world.

To view the full press release, visit https://ibn.fm/NEpIm

About Advisors Mortgage Group

With big dreams and even bigger determination, Advisors Mortgage Group was founded in October 1999 by a single loan officer in a 400-square-foot office in Shrewsbury, New Jersey. In the years since its formation, Advisors has grown to serve not only the greater New Jersey area but also a vast portion of the United States. With branch offices up and down the East Coast and its corporate office in Ocean Township, New Jersey, Advisors Mortgage has established itself as a pillar of excellence in the mortgage industry. Its immense experience is Advisors Mortgage Groups greatest asset and is the foundation of the success of the company and every Advisors branch and loan officer. In 2005, Advisors Mortgage Group was designated by the Federal Housing Authority as a Full Eagle FHA Underwriter. As a Full Eagle, Advisors has been able to expand its loan volume by approving loans, which a majority of the competition could not dream of. Advisors Mortgage Group has built a platform for a seamless and stress-free mortgage process for all of its customers, and it has that same mission throughout all of its offices. Advisors Mortgage Group understands that success cannot be attained without teamwork and communication, two of its most important strengths.

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Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - February 27, 2023) - Bolt Metals Corp. (CSE: BOLT) (FSE: A2QEUB) (OTCQB: PCRCF) ("Bolt" or the "Company") announces it intends to consolidate the Company's issued share capital on a ratio of one (1) new post-consolidated common share for every ten (10) old pre-consolidated common shares (the "Consolidation"). The Company currently has 14,981,415 issued and outstanding common shares and on completion of the Consolidation there is expected to be 1,498,141 issued and outstanding common shares, no fractional shares will be issued. Any fractional interest in shares resulting from the Consolidation, will be rounded down to the nearest whole share. Outstanding common share purchase warrants will also be adjusted by the Consolidation ratio and the respective exercise prices will be adjusted accordingly.

Registered shareholders will receive a letter of transmittal from the Company's transfer agent, Computershare Investor Services Inc., with instructions for exchanging their preconsolidated shares. Shareholders who hold their shares through a broker or other intermediary and do not have shares registered in their name, will not need to complete a letter of transmittal.

The Company name and symbol will not be changed in connection with the Consolidation. Shareholder approval of the Consolidation is not required under the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange nor under the Articles of the Company. The Board of Directors determined the Consolidation was necessary in order for the Company to raise additional capital and seek new business opportunities and approved the Consolidation on February 24, 2023.

The Company expects trading of the common shares on a post-Consolidation basis on the Canadian Securities Exchange and OTCQB to commence on or around market open on March 6, 2023.

About Bolt Metals

Bolt Metals is a Canadianbased exploration company focused on the acquisition and development of production grade nickel and cobalt deposits, key raw material inputs for the growing lithiumion battery industry. Visit https://boltmetals.com/ to find out more.

Bolt Metals Corp.

Ranjeet Sundher - President and CEO

(604) 9228272

[email protected]

Steve Vanry - CFO & Director

(604) 9228272

[email protected]

Reader Advisory

This news release contains statements that constitute "forward-looking statements." Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results, performance or achievements, or developments in the industry to differ materially from the anticipated results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and are generally, but not always, identified by the words "expects", "plans", "anticipates", "believes", "intends", "estimates", "projects", "potential" and similar expressions, or that events or conditions "will", "would", "may", "could" or "should" occur. Forward-looking statements are necessarily based upon a number of estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable by management of the Company at this time, are inherently subject to significant business, economic and competitive risks, uncertainties and contingencies that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in such statements. Investors are cautioned not to put undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Applicable risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to regulatory risks, changes in laws, resolutions and guidelines, market risks, concentration risks, operating history, competition, the risks associated with international and foreign operations and the other risks identified in other disclosure documents available on the Company's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. The Company is not under any obligation, and expressly disclaims any intention or obligation, to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as expressly required by applicable law.

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/156387
Calgary, Alberta--(Newsfile Corp. - February 28, 2023) - Fathom Nickel Inc. (CSE: FNI) (FSE: 6Q5)(OTCQB: FNICF) (the "Company" or "Fathom") is pleased to announce that the Q1-2023 drill program at the Gochager Lake Project has been completed. Equipment and personnel are currently being remobilized to the Albert Lake Project. Diamond drilling is expected to commence at Albert Lake by March 3.

Commenting on the Gochager Lake Exploration Program, Ian Fraser, CEO and VP Exploration stated, "We are very pleased with the outcome of both the drilling and BHEM initiatives at Gochager Lake. The initial drillhole confirmed the presence of mineralization previously identified in historic drillhole IVY-67-012, and the second drillhole also confirmed the Gochager Lake deposit style of mineralization and provided an excellent platform for the BHEM surveys. As expected, the BHEM tool has proven extremely useful in identifying off-hole conductors. We eagerly await assay results which will be released upon receipt and interpretation, expected in early April. Our attention now turns to the Albert Lake project where we will be targeting several very exciting priority areas including the Tremblay-Olson Claims area."

Summary

Q1-2023 drill program at Gochager Lake Project completed.

2 Drillholes completed at Gochager; both intersected broad zones of disseminated, semi-massive to massive sulphide mineralization; results expected by mid-April.

results expected by mid-April. Albert Lake Project drilling to commence by March 3, 2023.

Q1-2023 drilling at Albert Lake will initially focus around the Tremblay-Olson Claims area.

The Tremblay-Olson Claims area (NIC-5 and Tremblay-Olson) had returned the highest concentration of metals-in-soil collected to date at the Albert Lake Property (Press Release Jan. 17, 2023)See also Figure 1.

Gochager Exploration Program

The Q1-2023 exploration program at Gochager was designed around two primary objectives: 1) drill testing of the reported results from a historic drillhole (IVY-67-012) that encountered mineralization over a 290-meter zone, and; 2) probe both current and historic drillholes with a borehole electromagnetic ("BHEM") tool to determine the existence and extent of off-hole conductors.

We are pleased to announce success in meeting both objectives. Drillhole GL23003 was drilled to a depth of 336 meters; GL23004 was drilled to a depth of 389 meters. Both holes intersected broad zones of disseminated, semi-massive to massive sulphide mineralization. Three historical drillholes were also open to bottom and were probed with induction and fluxgate probes. The r2023 drillholes were also probed with both systems. Several off-hole responses were detected including, importantly, a strong response outside the area of known mineralization. The Company continues to interpret and model these data which will form the basis for future exploration and drilling programs.

Core samples are currently being prepped for shipping to ALS Global's Vancouver laboratory. Samples will be assayed for the full suite of base and precious metals including, importantly, cobalt. Historic samples were never systematically sampled for cobalt in spite of reported grades as high as 0.143% Co from selected assays retrieved from historic drillhole IVY-67-12 available at the La Ronge Core Library.

Albert Lake Exploration Plan

Further commenting on the Albert Lake Exploration Program, Ian Fraser, stated, "We are excited to drill test the favourable soil geo-chem targets that we have defined at the Tremblay-Olson Claims area. The soil geochem, the coincident gradient MAG and MAG inversions, VTEM and AirTEM along with the recently completed gravity survey data defines a very favourable exploration target along trend and to the southwest of the historic Rottenstone deposit. We look forward to confirming that the metal (Ni, Cu, Co, Mg, Cr and Pd, Pt) contained in soils at the Tremblay-Olson Claims area is the result of a mineralized ultramafic source".

B-Horizon soil geochemistry has now defined a multi-element anomaly that encompasses all known mineralized ultramafic occurrences and deposits, most notably, the historic high-grade Rottenstone Ni-Cu + PGE deposit (see Figure 1). This anomalous feature now has a strike length in excess of 5 kilometers and a width up to 1 kilometer. Ongoing interpretation within this zone has defined favourable stratigraphy that is comparable to that which is host to the historic Rottenstone Mine as well as Fathom's recently discovered Bay-Island Trend. The stratigraphy also hosts the necessary structural traps that act as the trapping mechanism for the magmatic nickel deposits thus far defined on the Albert Lake property.

The focus of the exploration strategy at Albert Lake for the Q1-2023 program is centred on the Tremblay-Olson Claims area anomaly(s). Within the Tremblay-Olson Claims area, the robust, multi-element soil geochemistry anomaly(s) is directly coincident with recently completed gravity, historic VTEM, gradient MAG and AirTEM data sets. Fathom will be drill testing these target areas beginning in the first week of March.

The priority target areas for the Q1-2023 Albert Lake program are as follows:

Nic-5 - The Nic-5 area has the most robust multi-element soil geochemistry anomaly(s) encountered thus far at the Albert Lake Project. Individual soils collected in the Fall of 2022 returned up to 497ppm Ni, 547ppm Cu, and one soil sample with a combined 1.21 g/t 3PE (platinum-palladium+gold). Historic drillholes dating back to the 1960's intersected ultramafic rock of varying widths with some holes containing elevated nickel and copper within non-ultramafic rock. Fathom's exploration team has evaluated MAG, EM and recent gravity data plus inversions (MAG, gravity) collected within the Nic-5 area. All data sets define anomalies coincident with the multi-element soil geochemistry anomaly(s). Fathom's interpretation of all data sets, and in particular the soil geochemistry is indicative of an ultramafic source occurring within the Nic-5 area. Nic-5 is the highest priority drill target area during the Q1-2023 program. Two to three drillholes are planned for this area.

Bay-Island Trend Extension - The Bay-Island Trend, which occurs 400-500 meters west - northwest of the historic Rottenstone deposit, defines a 300+ meter mineralized ultramafic body discovered by drilling in 2021-2022. This structurally controlled ultramafic intrusion remains open along trend to the northeast. Gravity and MAG. together with their respective inversions, define a fold nose-like feature 650 meters along strike of where the 2022 drilling stopped. Structural traps and an interpreted fold hinge/nose is an ideal trap for a mineralized ultramafic body to occur. There is a coincident VTEM signature occurring on the immediate shore to the northeast and favourable/anomalous soil geochemistry occurs immediately along the shoreline. This priority drill target will be drilled from the ice.

TO-South - TO-South refers to a coincident deep MAG/gravity target with a strong localized multi-element soil geochemistry anomaly occurring along trend of all known ultramafic occurrences southwest of the historic Rottenstone deposit. The enclosed Ni in soil map illustrates a strong Ni anomaly at this location. The recently completed gravity survey marks a strong increase in density at this location. One drillhole is planned at the TO-South target area.

Rottenstone Mine Southwest Extension - Time and budget permitting, Fathom will test the northeast continuation into the lake from the Nic-5 area, along trend to the historic Rottenstone deposit. MAG, historic surface EM and gravity signatures are suggestive of a possible ultramafic body/intrusion in this area. Furthermore, this planned drillhole will test the footwall of the F-Fault. The Rottenstone deposit occurs in the hanging wall and is in contact with the F-Fault. A drillhole in this area, followed by a BHEM survey, would test this possible footwall offset.

Qualified Person and Data Verification

Ian Fraser, P.Geo., CEO, VP Exploration and a Director of the Company and the "qualified person" as such term is defined by National Instrument 43-101, has verified the data disclosed in this news release, and has otherwise reviewed and approved the technical information in this news release on behalf of the Company.

About Fathom Nickel Inc.

Fathom is an exploration company that is targeting magmatic nickel sulphide discoveries to support the rapidly growing global electric vehicle market.

The Company now has a portfolio of two high-quality exploration projects located in the prolific Trans Hudson Corridor in Saskatchewan: 1) the Albert Lake Project, a 90,000+ hectare project that was host to the historic and past producing Rottenstone deposit (produced high-grade Ni-Cu+PGE, 1965-1969), and 2) the Gochager Lake Project, a 4,696-hectare project that is host to a historic (NI43-101 non-compliant) open pitable resource consisting of 4.3M tons at 0.295% Ni and 0.081% Cu[1]. The Company has commenced the Gochager Lake exploration program and upon completion immediately start the Albert Lake exploration program.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD

"Ian Fraser P.Geo."

CEO, VP Exploration, Director

For Further Information Please Contact:

Ian Fraser, Chief Executive Officer and Vice-President, Exploration

1-403-650-9760

Email: [email protected]

Manish Grigo, Director of Corporate Development

1-416-569-3292

Email: [email protected]

Forward Looking Statements:

This news release contains "forward-looking statements" that are based on expectations, estimates, projections and interpretations as at the date of this news release. Forward-looking statements are frequently characterized by words such as "plan", "expect", "project", "seek", "intend", "believe", "anticipate", "estimate", "suggest", "indicate" and other similar words or statements that certain events or conditions "may" or "will" occur, and include, without limitation, statements regarding payment of terms under the Option Agreement, permitting for the Property, receipt of an exploration permit, timing of the exploration program on the Property and the Company achieving the earn-in thresholds under the Option Agreement. 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 which could cause actual events or results to differ from those reflected in the forward-looking statements, including, without limitation: risks related to failure to obtain adequate financing on a timely basis and on acceptable terms; risks related to the outcome of legal proceedings; political and regulatory risks associated with mining and exploration; risks related to the maintenance of stock exchange listings; risks related to environmental regulation and liability; the potential for delays in exploration or development activities or the completion of feasibility studies; the uncertainty of profitability; risks and uncertainties relating to the interpretation of drill results, the geology, grade and continuity of mineral deposits; risks related to the inherent uncertainty of production and cost estimates and the potential for unexpected costs and expenses; results of prefeasibility and feasibility studies, and the possibility that future exploration, development or mining results will not be consistent with the Company's expectations; risks related to commodity price fluctuations; and other risks and uncertainties related to the Company's prospects, properties and business detailed elsewhere in the Company's disclosure record. Such forward looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. These forward- looking statements are made as of the date hereof and the Company does not assume any obligation to update or revise them to reflect new events or circumstances except in accordance with applicable securities laws. Actual events or results could differ materially from the Company's expectations or projections.







FIGURE 1 Nickel-in-Soil Geochemistry Map

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NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO UNITED STATES NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES. ANY FAILURE TO COMPLY WITH THIS RESTRICTION MAY CONSTITUTE A VIOLATION OF U.S. SECURITIES LAWS

1 The Saskatchewan Mineral Deposit Index (SMID#0880) reports drill indicated reserves of 4,262,400 tons grading 0.295% Ni and 0.081% Cu mineable by open pit. Fathom cannot confirm this resource estimate nor the parameters and methods used to prepare the reserve estimate. The estimate is not NI43-101 compliant and further work is required to verify this historical drill indicated reserve.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/156493
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - February 28, 2023) - Forum Energy Metals Corp. (TSXV: FMC) is pleased to announce that the Company will be presenting at Red Cloud's Pre-PDAC 2023 Mining Showcase. We invite our shareholders and all interested parties to join us.

The annual conference will take place in-person at the Sheraton Centre Toronto Hotel from March 2-3, 2023.

Rebecca Hunter will be presenting on March 2nd at 2:10pm Eastern Standard time.

For more information and/or to register for the conference please visit: https://redcloudfs.com/prepdac2023/.

We look forward to seeing you there.

About Forum Energy Metals Corp.

Dr Rebecca Hunter VP, Exploration for Forum Energy Metals will be presenting the Company's exploration plans for 2023 in the Red Cloud Pre-PDAC Uranium session. Rebecca will review the recent drilling in the Athabasca Basin and plans for its Nunavut Uranium project on claims staked over former Cameco discoveries of uranium adjacent to Orano's Kiggavik deposit in the Thelon Basin, a geological equivalent to the prolific Athabasca Basin. Dr. Hunter will also review developments on its energy metals portfolio of copper and nickel projects in Saskatchewan and its cobalt project in Idaho.

For further information:

Forum Energy Metals Corp.

Rick Mazur

CEO

6046301585

[email protected]

[email protected]
Ottawa, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - February 28, 2023) - Gold79 Mines Ltd. (TSXV: AUU) (OTCQB: AUSVF) ("Gold79" or the "Company") is excited to announce the completion of its Phase 2 drilling campaign and the analytical results from its Gold Chain project in Mojave County, Arizona. The program consisted of 12 reverse circulation (RC) drill holes totaling 956 metres (m) testing the Tyro, Sheep Trail and Boulevard mine targets with about 50 percent of the drilling focused on the Tyro vein system.

Highlights from the drilling include:

GC23-23: 44.2m of 2.01 g/t Au - drilled approximately 50m south of the underground mine workings at Tyro and returned similar grades and mineralization to the underground sampling previously completed (Figure 1, 2, and 3).

GC23-24: 27.4m of 2.17 g/t Au - drilled approximately 150m south of the underground mine workings at Tyro and returned similar grades and mineralization to the underground sampling previously completed (Figure 1, 2, and 4).

GC23-28: 85.3m of 6.23 g/t Au - tested the northwest-southeast trending White Spar fault that intersects the Tyro vein system at approximately 45 degrees. The hole included two lower grade zones (61.0m of 0.58 g/t Au and 15.2m at 0.74 g/t Au) with a new high-grade zone in-between of 9.1m at 51.09 g/t Au.

Analytical results for Phase 2 drilling are presented below in Table 1 and 2.

Derek Macpherson, President & CEO, stated, "We are very pleased with the drill results from Tyro which confirm a strike length of nearly one kilometre for Tyro and have discovered a new high-grade zone at this target. Considering that Gold79 has only drilled 28 holes for 2,024m at Gold Chain we are very pleased with the progress to date. Our next step is to further evaluate the Tyro Vein system as we believe the strike could exceed two kilometres. Additionally, we plan some follow-up surface work at Sheep Trail to better understand these results."

Table 1. Summary of the Phase 2 Gold Chain Drilling Program.

Hole No. Target Interval (m) Width

(m)* Gold (g/t) Comments From To

Boulevard Mine 4.6 16.8 12.2 0.25

GC23-17 including 24.4 27.4 3.0 1.35 Widespread quartz veinlets

including 61.0 64.0 3.0 0.42

GC23-18 Boulevard Mine 12.2 27.4 15.2 0.33 Widespread quartz veinlets GC23-19 Boulevard Mine

No Significant Intervals



Sheep Trail Mine 12.2 35.1 22.8 0.24

GC23-20 including 16.8 21.3 4.5 0.63 Widespread quartz veinlets

and 47.2 51.8 4.6 0.28



Sheep Trail Mine 27.4 35.1 8.7 0.27

GC23-21 including 30.5 32.0 1.5 1.08 Widespread quartz veinlets

and 48.8 61.0 12.2 0.29



and 67.1 71.6 4.6 0.24

GC23-22 Sheep Trail Mine 29.0 35.6 6.6 0.62 Widespread quartz veinlets 47.2 54.9 7.7 0.69

Tyro Mine 57.9 102.1 44.2 2.01

GC23-23 including 62.5 67.1 4.6 5.19 Line 400 below pit

including 85.3 93.0 7.6 4.26



Tyro Mine 18.3 44.2 25.9 2.27

GC23-24 including 18.3 25.9 7.6 3.93 Line 300

including 42.7 44.2 1.5 14.53

GC23-25 Tyro Mine 24.4 76.6 51.8 0.28 Line 200 GC23-26 Tyro Mine 3.0 35.0 32.0 0.54 Line 150 GC23-27 Tyro Mine 0.0 18.3 18.3 0.13 Lost hole below void (stope?).

Tyro Mine 0.0 85.3 85.3 6.23



including 0.0 61.0 61.0 0.58

GC23-28 including 61.0 70.1 9.1 51.09 Strong quartz veining

including 65.5 68.6 3.1 151.60 Strong quartz veining

including 65.5 67.1 1.5 282.00



including 70.1 85.3 15.2 0.74 Hole lost at fault *Reported mineralized intervals are downhole widths. True widths have not been determined at this time.

Tyro Results

The results from drill holes GC23-23 and GC23-24 are consistent with the results from the Tyro 200 level sampling program (see Gold79 press release from April 28, 2022) about 50 - 150m north and 60m vertically above (Figure 1). Following from the well-defined geologic model north of Line 300, where the vein system is near vertical, the mineralized zone is estimated to have a true width of 20m to 30m. On Lines 850 to 1000, approximately 500m to the NE, similar grades and widths were identified in the 2021 drilling program (see Gold79 press release from October 25, 2021). The suspected continuity along the Tyro vein system is best portrayed in longitudinal section (see Figure 1). Geologic sections for both holes are shown in Figures 2 and 3.





Figure 1. Longitudinal section of the Tyro vein showing pierce points, sample data and mine workings; section is located on Figure 2.



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Recent surface mapping, in conjunction with the Phase 2 drill results, has confirmed that the Tyro vein system is traversed by a N20W mineralized fault zone (White Spar fault) at about Line 300. Holes GC23-25 and GC23-26 were drilled south of this structure, on Lines 200 and 150, respectively, and encountered a broad zone (see Table 1) of silicification and quartz veining/breccia with significant gold values (i.e. GC23-26 returned 32m of 0.54 g/t Au). Both holes intersected quartz veining distinct from the veining observed north of Line 300. Surface mapping and sampling here identified a mineralization style (along with lower gold grades) distinct from gold mineralization north of the fault. It is likely that the White Spar fault has served as both a pre- and post-mineral structure guiding gold-bearing fluids and offsetting the gold zone downwards south of the fault (see Figures 1 and 6).

The final hole in this campaign, GC23-28, was drilled N50E and roughly perpendicular to the previous holes (Figure 1). The goal was to traverse a swarm of N20-50W veins associated with the White Spar fault (Figures 2 and 6). The hole encountered a relatively high percentage of quartz vein to a total depth of 85.3m and higher than expected grades. The results, summarized in Table 1, suggest that this structural intersection could play an important role and will be a focus of future exploration. Additional detailed mapping of this area is planned to be completed in the near-term.





Figure 2. Geologic map of the Tyro vein system showing section lines, Phase 1 and Phase 2 drill hole collars/traces and structural setting; see Figure 6 for additional detail.



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Robert Johansing, Vice President, Exploration, states, "The recognition of this transverse structure and its likely relation to high-grade gold values presents Gold79 with a vector defined by the intersection of the Tyro structure, a northwest-trending structural corridor and multiple rhyolite dikes. To date, we have focused on defining a +1.5 g/t vein system but now recognize an opportunity for higher grades as demonstrated by drill hole GC23-28."





Figure 3. Section L400 showing GC23-23 results and relative position of the Tyro 200L and open pit.



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Figure 4. Section L300 showing GC23-24 results and relative position to the White Spar fault.



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Figure 5. Preliminary geologic section along drill holes GC23-27 and GC23-28 showing revised geologic interpretation with high gold grades developed in the hanging wall of the White Spar fault.



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Figure 6. Initial geologic map of the intersection of the Tyro vein system with the White Spar fault showing drill holes and section lines.



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Figure 7. Geologic map of the core area of the Gold Chain project showing select Phase 2 drill holes and Phase 1 drill holes.



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Phase 2 Drilling at the Sheep Trail and Boulevard Mine Areas

Six scout-type holes, ranging from 70.1 to 111.3 m in depth, were drilled across the footwall contact of the rhyolite dike where historical mining has occurred at both the Boulevard and Sheep Trail mines (Figure 6). All holes traversed broad zones of quartz veining hosting anomalous gold values (Table 1) with gold values up to 1.35 g/t (3.1m) but did not reflect the elevated grades observed at the surface. The strength of the veining and alteration in both the drill holes and surface exposures require additional work to better understand the mineralization at this target.

Table 2. Hole Details of the Phase 2 Gold Chain Drilling Program.

Hole No. Target Collar Coordinates Total Hole

Depth (m) Azimuth Angle N (NAD83) E (NAD83) GC23-17 Boulevard Mine 3,900,147 732,195 70.1 30 -60 GC23-18 Boulevard Mine 3,900,169 732,132 76.2 30 -60 GC23-19 Boulevard Mine 3,900,095 732,129 111.3 30 -60 GC23-20 Sheep Trail Mine 3,900,374 731,869 80.8 60 -55 GC23-21 Sheep Trail Mine 3,900,375 731,869 74.7 30 -55 GC23-22 Sheep Trail Mine 3,900,446 731,780 79.3 50 -55 GC23-23 Tyro Mine 3,901,070 732,002 106.7 305 -50 GC23-24 Tyro Mine 3,901,020 731,926 67.0 305 -55 GC23-25 Tyro Mine 3,900,899 731,901 94.5 305 -50 GC23-26 Tyro Mine 3,900,874 731,849 91.4 305 -50 GC23-27 Tyro Mine 3,900,962 731,850 18.3 50 -55 GC23-28 Tyro Mine 3,900,968 731,858 85.3 50 -55

Qualified Person / Quality Control and Quality Assurance

Robert Johansing, M.Sc. Econ. Geol., P. Geo., the Company's Vice President, Exploration is a qualified person ("QP") as defined by NI 43-101 and has reviewed and approved the technical content of this press release. Mr. Johansing has also been responsible for all phases of the Phase 2 drilling program including sample collection, labelling, bagging and transport from the project to American Assay Laboratories of Sparks, Nevada. Samples were then dried, crushed and split, and pulp samples were prepared for analysis. Gold was determined by fire assay with an ICP finish, over limit samples were determined by fire assay and gravimetric finish. Silver plus 34 other elements were determined by Aqua Regia ICP-AES, over limit samples were determined by fire assay and gravimetric finish. Standard sample chain of custody procedures were employed during field work and the drilling campaign until delivery to the analytical facility.

About Gold79 Mines Ltd.

Gold79 Mines Ltd. is a TSX Venture listed company focused on building ounces in the Southwest USA. Gold79 holds 100% earn-in option to purchase agreements on three gold projects: the Jefferson Canyon Gold Project and the Tip Top Gold Project both located in Nevada, USA, and, the Gold Chain Project located in Arizona, USA. In addition, Gold79 holds a 32.3% interest in the Greyhound Project, Nunavut, Canada under JV by Agnico Eagle Mines Limited.

For further information regarding this press release contact:

Derek Macpherson, President & CEO

Phone: 416-294-6713

Email: [email protected]

Website: www.gold79mines.com.

Book a 30-minute meeting with our CEO here.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS:

This press release may contain forward looking statements that are made as of the date hereof and are based on current expectations, forecasts and assumptions which involve risks and uncertainties associated with our business including any future private placement financing, the uncertainty as to whether further exploration will result in the target(s) being delineated as a mineral resource, capital expenditures, operating costs, mineral resources, recovery rates, grades and prices, estimated goals, expansion and growth of the business and operations, plans and references to the Company's future successes with its business and the economic environment in which the business operates. All such statements are made pursuant to the 'safe harbour' provisions of, and are intended to be forward-looking statements under, applicable Canadian securities legislation. Any statements contained herein that are statements of historical facts may be deemed to be forward-looking statements. By their nature, forward-looking statements require us to make assumptions and are subject to inherent risks and uncertainties. We caution readers of this news release not to place undue reliance on our forward-looking statements as a number of factors could cause actual results or conditions to differ materially from current expectations. Please refer to the risks set forth in the Company's most recent annual MD&A and the Company's continuous disclosure documents that can be found on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Gold79 does not intend, and disclaims any obligation, except as required by law, to update or revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

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/156365
The family of actor Tom Sizemore is currently "deciding end of life matters" following an update from doctors, according to a statement received by CNN. Get that and more trending news here.
Chicago, Illinois--(Newsfile Corp. - February 28, 2023) - I-ON Digital Corp (OTCQB: IONI) CEO Carlos X. Montoya will participate in two exciting panel discussions at the Secure Technology Alliance's 2023 U.S. Payments Summit on Wednesday, March 1, 2023.

This year's conference, entitled "Innovations Abound: Exploring the new frontier of payments technologies," will bring together hundreds of global payment leaders to provide actionable guidance for the development of next-generation payment technologies and the growing importance that identity, compliance, consent, and security play in these cutting-edge payment solutions.

Mr. Montoya will join top industry leaders to discuss current trends, innovative technologies, and the challenges of creating frictionless payment ecosystems that are secure and compliant. With Mr. Montoya's expertise in creating regulatory-compliant fintech ecosystems, he will share insight into I-ON's approach toward identity, cybersecurity, compliance, reporting, and consent.

"I am honored to be a part of the critical discussions being led by the Secure Technology Alliance surrounding financial industry payment settlement, now inclusive of the broader arena of healthcare payments," said Mr. Montoya. "Topics like security, identity, and immutable reporting are essential to building trust in the payment systems and increasingly distributed data networks that connect payers, patients, and healthcare providers."

At the event, Mr. Montoya will discuss I-ON's Trust Framework, designed to ensure identity, cybersecurity, compliance, reporting, and consent management for digital businesses worldwide. The Trust Framework is a set of protocols and processes that help organizations verify user identity in real-time while providing secure communication and consent control measures that protect data from unauthorized access or tampering by malicious actors. It also ensures compliance with applicable regulations such as GDPR and HIPAA and allows companies to customize their consent management systems according to their needs.

"We are thrilled to have this opportunity to present our Trust Framework at the U.S. Payments Forum and share with other industry professionals how it can help increase security and transparency for digital businesses," said Mr. Montoya. "The demand for secure digital transactions continues to grow as more businesses move online, and we believe our framework provides an invaluable solution."

The U.S. Payments Forum is one of the premier events for payment professionals worldwide. It provides attendees with valuable insights into trends in payments technology and new solutions for consumer protection and fraud prevention strategies for merchants and financial institutions alike.

About I-ON Digital Corp

I-ON Digital Corp (the "Company") designs, develops, and acquires technologies to deploy fully compliant, institutional-level ecosystems that fuel precious metals digitization, safe and secure wealth transfer, and data and identity sovereignty for a new generation of financial and data-driven transactions. The Company's channels for value creation include, but are not limited to, service fees associated with asset digitization, secure transactional revenues, and the licensing of the Company's growing intellectual property portfolio for offerings to prominent institutional organizations within the financial, healthcare, and information technology services marketplace. Additional information is available at https://iondigitalcorp.com/.

About the U.S. Payments Forum

The/U.S. Payments Forum is a cross-industry body that brings stakeholders together on neutral ground to enable efficient, timely, and effective implementation of emerging and existing payment technologies. This is achieved through education, guidance, and alternative paths to adoption. The Forum is the only non-profit organization whose membership includes the whole payments ecosystem, ensuring that all stakeholders/have/the opportunity to/coordinate, cooperate and have/a voice in/the future of the U.S. payments industry. The organization operates within the/Secure Technology Alliance, an association that encompasses all aspects of secure digital technologies.

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties, which may cause actual results to differ materially from the statements made. When used in this document, the words "may," "would," "could," "will," "intend," "look to," plan," "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "expect," "seek," "potential," "outlook," and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Such statements, including, but not limited to, I-ON's current views with respect to future events and its financial forecasts, are subject to such risks and uncertainties. Many factors could cause actual results to differ materially from the statements made, including those risks described from time to time in filings made by I-ON with the Securities and Exchange Commission. In addition, there is uncertainty about the further spread of the COVID-19 virus or new variants thereof, or the occurrence of another wave of cases and the impact it may have on the Company's operations, the demand for the Company's products, global supply chains and economic activity in general. These and other risks and uncertainties are detailed in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. 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 or expected. Statements in this news release regarding past trends or activities should not be taken as a representation that such trends or activities will continue. I-ON does not intend and does not assume any obligation to update these forward-looking statements, other than as required by law.

SOURCE: I-ON Digital Corp

Media Contact:

Ken Park

[email protected]

(866) 440-2278

www.iondigitalcorp.com

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/156443
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - February 28, 2023) - Lahontan Gold Corp. (TSXV: LG) (OTCQB: LGCXF) (the "Company" or "Lahontan") is pleased to announce that, further to its press releases of February 8, 2023 and February 14, 2023, it has completed its previously announced brokered private placement through the issuance of 27,857,400 units (the "Units") at a price of $0.11 (the "Issue Price") per Unit for gross proceeds of $3,064,314 (the "Offering"), which includes the exercise of the agents' option.

The Offering was conducted pursuant to the terms and conditions of an agency agreement entered into by the Company, Beacon Securities Limited ("Beacon") as lead agent and sole bookrunner, and Canaccord Genuity Corp. (together with Beacon, the "Agents").

Each Unit is comprised of one common share in the capital of the Company (each, a "Unit Share") and one-half of one common share purchase warrant (each whole warrant, a "Warrant"). Each Warrant is exercisable to acquire one common share (a "Warrant Share") until February 28, 2026 at a price of $0.18 per Warrant Share.

As consideration for services provided by the Agents in connection with the Offering, the Company: (i) paid a cash commission in the amount of approximately $193,514 being equal to 7% of the proceeds of the Offering (except, with respect to certain purchasers on a "President's List", the commission being equal to 3.5%); and (ii) issued 1,750,168 non-transferrable compensation warrants (the "Compensation Warrants") being equal to 7% of the number of Units issued under the Offering (except, with respect to certain purchasers on a "President's List", the commission being equal to 3.5%);. Each Compensation Warrant is exercisable to acquire one common share at the Issue Price until February 28, 2026.

The securities issued in connection with the Offering are subject to a four-month hold period from the date of closing of the Offering in addition to any other restrictions under applicable law. The net proceeds from the Offering will be used for: (i) exploration expenditures on the Company's Santa Fe, Nevada property; and (ii) working capital and general corporate purposes. The Offering is subject to certain conditions including, but not limited to, the receipt of all necessary approvals, including the approval of the TSX Venture Exchange.

Kimberly Ann, Founder, CEO, and President of Lahontan Gold Corp commented: "Lahontan is pleased to close this upsized private placement and would like to thank Beacon and Canaccord Genuity Corp for their hard work in completing the placement. The Company looks forward to the resumption of oxide resource expansion drilling at the Santa Fe Mine and our continued rapid progress with the project."

The Offering constituted a related party transaction within the meaning of TSX Venture Exchange Policy 5.9 and Multilateral Instrument 61-101 - Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions ("MI 61-101") as an insider of the Company subscribed for 455,000 Units pursuant to the Offering. The Company is relying on the exemptions from the valuation and minority shareholder approval requirements of MI 61-101 contained in sections 5.5(b) and 5.7(1)(a) of MI 61-101, as the Company is not listed on a specified market and the fair market value of the participation in the Offering by the insider does not exceed 25% of the market capitalization of the Company in accordance with MI 61-101. The Company did not file a material change report in respect of the related party transaction at least 21 days before the closing of the of the Offering, which the Company deems reasonable in the circumstances in order to complete the Offering in an expeditious manner.

The securities offered have not been registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an applicable exemption from the registration requirements. This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy nor shall there be any sale of the securities in any State in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful.

About Lahontan Gold Corp:

Lahontan Gold Corp. is a Canadian mineral exploration company that holds, through its US subsidiaries, three top-tier gold and silver exploration properties in the Walker Lane of mining friendly Nevada. Lahontan's flagship property, the 19 km2 Santa Fe Mine, is a past producing gold and silver mine that utilized heap-leach processing (past production of 345,000 ounces of gold and 711,000 ounces of silver between 1988 and 1995; Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology, 1995). The Santa Fe Mine has an Indicated Mineral Resource of 1,112,000 oz Au Eq (grading 1.14 g/t Au Eq) and an Inferred Mineral Resource of 544,000 oz Au Eq (grading 1.00 g/t Au Eq), all pit constrained (please see Lahontan press release dated January 17, 2023). The Company plans to continue to aggressively explore the entire property during 2023 and begin the process of evaluating development scenarios to bring the Santa Fe Mine back into production. Quentin J. Browne, P.Geo., Consulting Geologist to Lahontan Gold Corp., is the Qualified Person for the Company and approved the technical content of this news release. For more information, please visit our website: www.lahontangoldcorp.com.

On behalf of the Board of Directors

Kimberly Ann

Founder, CEO, President, and Director

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:

Lahontan Gold Corp.

Kimberly Ann

Founder, Chief Executive Officer, President, Director

Phone: 1-530-414-4400

Email: [email protected]

Website: www.lahontangoldcorp.com

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements:

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Except for statements of historic fact, this news release contains certain "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. 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 including, but not limited to delays or uncertainties with regulatory approvals, including that of the TSXV. There are uncertainties inherent in forward-looking information, including factors beyond the Company's control. 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. Additional information identifying risks and uncertainties that could affect financial results is contained in the Company's filings with Canadian securities regulators, which filings are available at www.sedar.com.

NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO UNITED STATES NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES

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The Customer operates 7 dealerships in Alberta and will continue to license Plurilock's high-margin software offering

Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - February 28, 2023) - Plurilock Security Inc. (TSXV: PLUR) (OTCQB: PLCKF) and related subsidiaries ("Plurilock" or the "Company"), an identity-centric cybersecurity solutions provider for workforces, is pleased to announce that the Company has signed a contract renewal for its flagship software platform, 'Plurilock', with an auto dealership based in Alberta, Canada (the "Customer").

The Customer has been operating for over 38 years and delivers various leading car brands across 7 dealerships. According to the terms of the contract, the Customer has renewed its subscription for the cloud security functionality of the Plurilock platform, which includes SSO, Access Control Management features, and Password Policies.

"We are pleased to announce a contract renewal with a Canadian auto dealership," said Ian L. Paterson, CEO of Plurilock. "This transaction represents the latest in a series of new contract renewals and sale orders in recent weeks and we aim to continue expanding our sales pipeline for our high-margin cybersecurity software offering across different industry verticals."

About Plurilock

Plurilock provides identity-centric cybersecurity for today's workforces. The Plurilock family of companies enables organizations to operate safely and securely while reducing cybersecurity friction. Plurilock offers world-class IT and cybersecurity solutions through its Solutions Division, paired with proprietary, AI-driven and cloud-friendly security through its Technology Division. Together, the Plurilock family of companies delivers persistent identity assurance with unmatched ease of use.

For more information, visit https://www.plurilock.com or contact:

Ian L. Paterson

Chief Executive Officer

[email protected]

416.800.1566

Roland Sartorius

Chief Financial Officer

[email protected]

Prit Singh

Investor Relations

[email protected]

905.510.7636

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release may contain certain forward-looking statements and forward-looking information (collectively, "forward-looking statements") related to future events or Plurilock's future business, operations, and financial performance and condition. Forward-looking statements normally contain words like "will", "intend", "anticipate", "could", "should", "may", "might", "expect", "estimate", "forecast", "plan", "potential", "project", "assume", "contemplate", "believe", "shall", "scheduled", and similar terms. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance, actions, or developments and are based on expectations, assumptions, and other factors that management currently believes are relevant, reasonable, and appropriate in the circumstances. Although management believes that the forward-looking statements herein are reasonable, actual results could be substantially different due to the risks and uncertainties associated with and inherent to Plurilock's business. Additional material risks and uncertainties applicable to the forward-looking statements herein include, without limitation, the impact of general economic conditions, the success of the Company in obtaining new or extended contracts or orders; the Company's ability to maintain existing customers or develop new customers; the Company's ability to successfully integrate acquisitions of other businesses and/or companies or to realize on the anticipated benefits thereof; and unforeseen events, developments, or factors causing any of the aforesaid expectations, assumptions, and other factors ultimately being inaccurate or irrelevant. This list is not exhaustive of the factors that may affect the Company's forward-looking statements. Many of these factors are beyond the control of Plurilock. All forward-looking statements included in this press release are expressly qualified in their entirety by these cautionary statements. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are made as at the date hereof, and Plurilock undertakes no obligation to update publicly or to revise any of the included forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise, except as may be required by applicable securities laws. Risks and uncertainties about the Company's business are more fully discussed under the heading "Risk Factors" in its most recent Annual Information Form. They are otherwise disclosed in its filings with securities regulatory authorities available on SEDAR at www.sedar.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.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/156475
FILE PHOTO: TikTok app is seen on a smartphone in this illustration taken, July 13, 2021. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo

By David Shepardson

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The White House on Monday gave government agencies 30 days to ensure they do not have Chinese-owned app TikTok on federal devices and systems.

In a bid to keep U.S. data safe, all federal agencies must eliminate TikTok from phones and systems and prohibit internet traffic from reaching the company, Office of Management and Budget Director Shalanda Young told agencies in a guidance memorandum seen by Reuters.

The ban, ordered by Congress late last year, follows similar actions from Canada, the EU, Taiwan and more than half of U.S. states.

The device ban  while impacting a tiny portion of TikTok's U.S. user base  adds fuel to calls for an outright ban on the video-sharing app. National security concerns about China surged in recent weeks after a Chinese balloon drifted over the U.S.

ByteDance-owned TikTok has said the concerns are fueled by misinformation and has denied using the app to spy on Americans. The action does not affect the more than 100 million Americans who use TikTok on private or company-owned devices. TikTok did not immediately comment on the White House memo.

Congress in December voted to bar federal employees from using the Chinese-owned video app on government-owned devices and gave the Biden administration 60 days to issue agency directives. The vote was the latest action by U.S. lawmakers to crack down on Chinese companies amid national security fears that Beijing could use them to spy on Americans.

Federal Chief Information Security Officer Chris DeRusha said "this guidance is part of the Administrations ongoing commitment to securing our digital infrastructure and protecting the American peoples security and privacy."

Many government agencies including the White House, Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security, and the State Department had banned TikTok from government devices before the vote.

The TikTok ban does not apply if there are national security, law enforcement or security research activities but agency leadership must approve these activities, Young's memo said and "blanket exceptions applying to an entire agency are not permitted."

On Tuesday, the House Foreign Affairs Committee is set to vote on a bill that would give President Joe Biden the authority to ban TikTok from all U.S. devices.

"My bill empowers the administration to ban TikTok or any software applications that threaten U.S. national security," Representative Mike McCaul, the committee chair, said. "Anyone with TikTok downloaded on their device has given the (Chinese Communist Party) a backdoor to all their personal information. Its a spy balloon into your their phone."

The American Civil Liberties Union said it opposed a congressional ban on TikTok.

The White House memo said within 90 days, agencies must address any use of TikTok by IT vendors through contracts and with 120 days agencies will include a new prohibition on TikTok in all new solicitations.

Earlier on Monday, Canada announced a ban on TikTok from government-issued devices, saying it presents an "unacceptable" level of risk to privacy and security, adding to the growing rift between the two countries.

The Canadian ban was issued "without citing any specific security concern or contacting us with questions," a TikTok spokesperson said.

The European Union's two biggest policy-making institutions last week banned TikTok from staff phones for cybersecurity reasons.

(Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Chris Sanders and Lisa Shumaker)
FILE PHOTO: U.S. Congressman Michael McCaul (R-TX), chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, attends a news briefing in front of Saint Michael's Cathedral, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine February 21, 2023. REUTERS/Anna Voitenko/

By Karen Freifeld and Alexandra Alper

(Reuters) -The Biden administration approved more than $23 billion worth of licenses for companies to ship U.S. goods and technology to blacklisted Chinese companies in the first quarter of 2022, a Republican lawmaker said on Tuesday.

The data comes amid growing pressure on the administration of Democratic President Joe Biden to further expand a broad crackdown on shipments of sensitive U.S. technology to China from Republican lawmakers, who now control the House of Representatives.

Overwhelmingly, (the Commerce Department) continues to grant licenses that allow critical U.S. technology to be sold to our adversaries, Republican Representative Michael McCaul, chair of the House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee, said at a hearing on combating the generational challenge of Chinese aggression, as he grilled U.S. officials for allowing the licenses to be approved.

How does this align with your statement that were doing everything within (the Commerce Departments) power to prevent sensitive U.S. technologies from getting in the hands of (Chinese) military, intelligence services or other parties?

McCaul said the Commerce Department, which oversees export controls, denied only 8% of license requests to sell to companies on the U.S. trade blacklist during the January to March period last year.

Commerce Department official Alan Estevez, who oversees U.S. export policy, told the hearing that a Trump-era policy that allows Chinas blacklisted telecommunications equipment maker Huawei to receive some U.S. technology below the 5G level is under assessment.

Estevez also described TikTok as a "threat," noting that a powerful committee that reviews foreign investments in the United States was dealing with how to handle the popular Chinese-owned social media app.

TikTok said in a statement the company has been working with the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States "for over two years on a plan to address national security concerns about TikTok in the U.S."

Democratic Congressman Gregory Meeks cautioned against reading too much into the licensing numbers, noting that the approval and denial data provides no information about the transactions.

The data comes a week after the Biden administration added new Chinese companies to the trade blacklist for aiding Russias military and months after announcing a sweeping new policy aimed at dramatically curbing shipments of chips and chipmaking tools to China.

Chinese tech giant Huawei Technologies Co Ltd was added to a trade blacklist known as the entity list by former Republican President Donald Trump in 2019, amid allegations of sanctions violations, spying capabilities, and intellectual property theft.

Suppliers of most companies added to the entity list see their requests to ship to the targeted firms denied, but the Trump administration implemented a special policy for Huawei, pledging to deny it access to some things like 5G chips but allow it to receive other items, such as 4G chips.

(Reporting by Karen Freifeld and Alexandra Alper; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama, Marguerita Choy and Leslie Adler)
EVANSTON, Ill., Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- 160 Driving Academy's newest location in Joliet, Illinois in partnership with Joliet Junior College hosted a Ribbon Cutting Ceremony to celebrate the Grand Opening of the Academy.

The Ribbon Cutting Ceremony for the Joliet Location occurred on Friday, January 20th from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Attendees included the 160 Driving Academy Joliet Leadership team, several media outlets, local partners and many enthusiastic students.

The Joliet Branch is located at 17840 W Laraway Road, Joliet, IL 60433.

Overview of 160 Driving Academy CDL Training Programs in Joliet:

Starting salaries for 160 Driving Academy graduates (on average) start at $65,000/annual, with tremendous growth potential

Commercial Truck Driving is one of today's fastest growing career paths. Estimates predict 300,000 new jobs for CDL Holders.

Technologically Driven: Our unique and data-driven programs focus deeply on driver safety and personalized analytics to provide our students with individual feedback and top of the line instruction via our proprietary App.

Lifelong Career Support: We offer continuous job placement opportunities through our subsidiary company, Truckers Network.

About 160 Driving Academy

160 Driving Academy is the nation's largest commercial driving school. As the fastest growing vocational school in the country, in 2023, the Company will train over 35,000 students on how to safely operate a semi-truck; 4,500 of which will be Illinois Residents. 160 Driving Academy is licensed and operates in 43 states and each school is certified and licensed by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration's Entry Level Driver Training Program. The 160 Driving Academy is integrated with over 400 Workforce offices nationwide to create jobs for unemployed and underemployed workers.

The 160 Driving Academy supplies the largest employers in the nation with an unparalleled level of recruiting, high-quality training, safety effectiveness, and driver analytics. Many of these employers have trusted the Company to provide the majority of their driving workforce.

160 Driving Academy's sister companies, Truckers Network, and the 160 Driver Score provide the most advanced job placement and compliance scoring capabilities in the industry.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/160-driving-academy-launches-new-location-in-joliet-il-301758707.html

SOURCE 160 Driving Academy
Overall malware up 2%, with surges in IoT malware (+87%) and cryptojacking (+43%)

Ransomware attacks dipped 21% globally, but 2022 still second-highest year on record for global ransomware attempts (493.3 million)

Education (+157%), finance (+86%) and retail (+50%) verticals hit hardest by malware

Ukraine saw record levels of malware (25.6 million) and ransomware (7.1 million)

SonicWall discovered 465,501 'never-before-seen' malware variants in 2022

Intrusion attempts against Log4j vulnerabilities eclipsed 1 billion

MILPITAS, Calif., Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- SonicWall, publisher of the world's most quoted ransomware data and trusted cyberattack intelligence, today released the 2023 SonicWall Cyber Threat Report. The bi-annual report details an increasingly diversified cyberattack landscape amid shifting threat actor strategies. SonicWall recorded the second-highest year on record for global ransomware attempts, as well as an 87% increase in Internet of Things (IoT) malware and a record number of cryptojacking attacks (139.3 million) in 2022.

"The past year reinforced the need for cybersecurity in every industry and every facet of business, as threat actors targeted anything and everything, from education to retail to finance," said SonicWall President and CEO Bob VanKirk. "While organizations face an increasing number of real-world obstacles with macroeconomic pressures and continued geopolitical strife, threat actors are shifting attack strategies at an alarming rate."

Threat Actors Shift Strategies, Opt for Covert Cyberattack Methods

Global malware volume increased 2% year-over-year, but it was jumps in IoT malware (+87%) and cryptojacking (+43%) that offset the decline of overall global ransomware volume (-21%), signifying a strategic shift. Threat actors have embraced slower and more stealthy approaches to achieve financially-motivated cyberattacks.

"Cyberattacks are an ever-present danger for companies of all sizes, putting their operations and reputation on the line," said SonicWall Threat Detection and Response Strategist Immanuel Chavoya. "It is crucial for organizations to understand attackers' tactics, techniques and procedures (TTPs), and commit to threat-informed cybersecurity strategies to defend and recover successfully from business-disrupting events. This includes stopping sophisticated ransomware attacks as well defending emerging threat vectors, including IoT and cryptojacking."

In addition to cyberattacks becoming more sophisticated and covert, threat actors are showing clear preferences for certain techniques, with notable shifts toward weak IoT devices, cryptojacking and potentially soft targets like schools and hospitals.

Prominent ransomware attacks impacted enterprises, governments, airlines, hospitals, hotels and even individuals causing widespread system downtime, economic loss and reputational damage. Following global trends, several industries faced large year-over-year increases of ransomware volume, including education (+275%), finance (+41%) and healthcare (+8%).

Diverse Attacks Offset Global Ransomware Decline

Cybercriminals are using increasingly advanced tools and tactics to exploit and extort victims, with state-sponsored activity growing as a concern. While ransomware continues to be a threat, SonicWall Capture Labs threat researchers expect more state-sponsored activity targeting a broader set of victims in 2023, including SMBs and enterprises.

The 2023 SonicWall Cyber Threat Report provides insight on a range of cyber threats, including:

Malware  Total volume was up 2% in 2022 after three straight years of decline  just as SonicWall predicted in the 2022 SonicWall Cyber Threat Report. Following that trend, Europe as a whole saw increased levels of malware (+10%) as did Ukraine, which had a record 25.6 million attempts, suggesting malware was used heavily in regions impacted by geopolitical strife. Interestingly, malware was down year-over-year in key countries like the U.S. (-9%), U.K. (-13%) and Germany (-28%).

Total volume was up 2% in 2022 after three straight years of decline  just as SonicWall predicted in the 2022 SonicWall Cyber Threat Report. Following that trend, Europe as a whole saw increased levels of malware (+10%) as did Ukraine, which had a record 25.6 million attempts, suggesting malware was used heavily in regions impacted by geopolitical strife. Interestingly, malware was down year-over-year in key countries like the U.S. (-9%), U.K. (-13%) and Germany (-28%). Ransomware  Although overall ransomware numbers saw a 21% decline globally, the total volume in 2022 was higher than 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020. In particular, total ransomware in Q4 (154.9 million) was the highest since Q3 2021.

Although overall ransomware numbers saw a 21% decline globally, the total volume in 2022 was higher than 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020. In particular, total ransomware in Q4 (154.9 million) was the highest since Q3 2021. IoT Malware  Global volume rose 87% in 2022, totaling 112 million hits by year's end. With no corresponding slowdown in the proliferation of connected devices, bad actors are likely probing soft targets to leverage as potential attack vectors into larger organizations.

Global volume rose 87% in 2022, totaling 112 million hits by year's end. With no corresponding slowdown in the proliferation of connected devices, bad actors are likely probing soft targets to leverage as potential attack vectors into larger organizations. Apache Log4j  Intrusion attempts against the industry's Apache Log4j 'Log4Shell' vulnerability eclipsed 1 billion in 2022. The vulnerability was first discovered in December 2021 and has been actively exploited since.

Intrusion attempts against the industry's Apache Log4j 'Log4Shell' vulnerability eclipsed 1 billion in 2022. The vulnerability was first discovered in December 2021 and has been actively exploited since. Cryptojacking  Use of cryptojacking as a 'low and slow' approach continued to surge, rising 43% globally, which is the most SonicWall Capture Labs threat researchers have recorded in a single year. The retail and financial industry felt the sting of cryptojacking attacks, seeing 2810% and 352% increases, respectively, year-over-year.

"Cyberattacks of all varieties continue to hinder organizations worldwide," said Logically Chief Operating Officer Keith Johnson. "SonicWall's annual intelligence report gives us a deeper understanding of the current threat landscape and helps breakdown why cyberattacks continue to be successful, as well as the drivers and trends behind them. By making this report available to partners, SonicWall helps elevate us as trusted advisors and strengthens our ability to provide sound security measures to our customers."

Patented RTDMI Discovered more than 465,000 'Never-Before-Seen' Malware Variants in 2022

SonicWall's patented Real-Time Deep Memory InspectionTM (RTDMITM) technology identified a total of 465,501 never-before-seen malware variants in 2022, a 5% year-over-year increase and an average of 1,279 per day. Dating to 2019, this is the fourth straight year RTDMI increased its total of malware discoveries.

To learn more about SonicWall and get the complete 2023 SonicWall Cyber Threat Report, please visit SonicWall.com/ThreatReport.

About SonicWall Capture Labs

SonicWall Capture Labs threat researchers gather, analyze and vet cross-vector threat information from the SonicWall Capture Threat network, consisting of global devices and resources, including more than 1 million security sensors in nearly 215 countries and territories. SonicWall Capture Labs, which pioneered the use of artificial intelligence for threat research and protection over a decade ago, performs rigorous testing and evaluation on this data, establishes reputation scores for email senders and content, and identifies new threats in real-time.

About SonicWall

SonicWall delivers Boundless Cybersecurity for the hyper-distributed era in a work reality where everyone is remote, mobile and unsecure. SonicWall safeguards organizations mobilizing for their new business normal with seamless protection that stops the most evasive cyberattacks across boundless exposure points and increasingly remote, mobile and cloud-enabled workforces. By knowing the unknown, providing real-time visibility and enabling breakthrough economics, SonicWall closes the cybersecurity business gap for enterprises, governments and SMBs worldwide. For more information, visit www.sonicwall.com or follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram.

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SOURCE SonicWall
Hiring event to fill roles across customer service, IT support and alarm center dispatch

IRVING, Texas, Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ --Today 7-Eleven, Inc. announced the creation of new jobs based out of the organization's Store Support Center in Enon, OH, supporting customers, employees and Franchisees across the 7-Eleven, Inc. banner of brands including 7-Eleven, Speedway, Stripes, Laredo Taco Company and Raise the Roost Chicken and Biscuits.

Next week, the company is hosting a hiring event to fill the open roles across customer service, IT support and alarm center dispatch. The event is scheduled for 9 a.m.  4 p.m. on Tuesday, March 7 at the Enon Store Support Center located at 500 Speedway Dr., Enon, OH 45323.

IT support jobs will be responsible for troubleshooting IT issues and ensuring compliance of in-store equipment, in addition to fulfilling requests from our loyal customers. Alarm center dispatch jobs will support stores' emergency mitigation and response and ensure customer safety protocol.

Employee benefits include competitive hourly wages, flexible work schedules, paid time off and career advancement opportunities. Tuition reimbursement is also available to qualifying employees.

"For more than 95 years, 7-Eleven has been leading the way to revolutionize convenience  and in 2023 our family of brands is committed to investing in even more local growth opportunities to continue this legacy to serve our customers, stores and Franchisees," said Sam Mulkey, Senior Vice President, General Manager of Speedway and Speedway Integration. "Bringing local, domestic jobs to the hometown of Speedway helps fulfill our mission to give our customers what they want, when and where they want it."

In addition to the in-person hiring event, interested applicants can also apply online at the Speedway careers website. All levels of work experience will be considered.

About 7-Eleven, Inc.7-Eleven, Inc. is the premier name in the convenience-retailing industry. Based in Irving, Texas, 7-Eleven operates, franchises and/or licenses more than 13,000 stores in the U.S. and Canada. In addition to 7-Eleven stores, 7-Eleven, Inc. operates and franchises Speedway, Stripes, Laredo Taco Company and Raise the Roost Chicken and Biscuits locations. Known for its iconic brands such as Slurpee, Big Bite and Big Gulp, 7-Eleven has expanded into high-quality sandwiches, salads, side dishes, cut fruit and protein boxes, as well as pizza, chicken wings and mini beef tacos. 7-Eleven offers customers industry-leading private brand products under the 7-Select brand including healthy options, decadent treats and everyday favorites at an outstanding value. Customers can earn and redeem points on various items in stores nationwide through its 7Rewards loyalty program with more than 50 million members, place an order in the 7NOW delivery app in over 2,000 cities, or rely on 7-Eleven for bill payment service, self-service lockers and other convenient services. Find out more online at www.7-Eleven.com.

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SOURCE 7-Eleven, Inc.
ANCHORAGE, Alaska, Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Arbor Digital, the leading direct exposure crypto-asset investment solution for individual investors and RIAs, has announced a strategic partnership with Polygon Advisory Group, the leading crypto-tax service provider in the industry. Through the partnership, Arbor Digital and its SMA clients will have access to Polygon's tax planning strategy expertise in the crypto-industry. Marc Nichols, Product Director of Arbor Digital, said: "Tax planning and strategy are critical components of crypto-asset management, and Polygon Advisory Group is the leading provider in this space."

Arbor Digital and Polygon share a client-centric approach in providing value and service in crypto -assets.

The two firms share a client-centric approach in providing value and service in crypto-assets to individual investors and financial professionals. The partnership will help financial advisors and their clients safely and securely engage with the crypto-economy.

Sharon Yip, CPA, Co-Founder of Polygon Advisory Group, said: "We share Arbor Digital's commitment to putting clients first, and we look forward to working together to help investors navigate the complex tax landscape of the crypt-industry."

The crypto industry has seen rapid growth in recent years, making it increasingly important for investors to understand the tax implications of their investments. The partnership between Arbor Digital and Polygon Advisory Group will help investors navigate the complex tax landscape of the crypto-industry.

Arbor Digital and Polygon Advisory Group's partnership will provide comprehensive investment solutions that offer investors direct exposure to cryptocurrencies in a secure and regulated environment. The partnership represents a significant step forward in providing a full-service wealth management offering for individual investors and RIAs.

This week's The Asset (r)Evolution Podcast, scheduled to release on February 28, will feature experts from both companies discussing the impact of digital transformation on the financial services industry. On March 8, the companies will hold a webinar designed to help investors navigate the complexities of cryptocurrency taxation.

Arbor Digital is a leading direct exposure crypto-asset investment solution for individual investors and RIAs. Its team of seasoned investment professionals and blockchain experts provide comprehensive investment solutions that offer investors direct exposure to cryptocurrencies in a secure and regulated environment.

Polygon Advisory Group is a leading crypto-tax service provider in the market, specializing in tax planning and strategy in the crypto-industry. The company has a wealth of experience in navigating the complexities of crypto-tax laws and regulations and is widely regarded as a trusted authority in the space.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/arbor-digital-and-polygon-advisory-group-announce-strategic-partnership-to-offer-tax-advice-and-services-in-the-crypto-industry-301758601.html

SOURCE Arbor Digital
NEW YORK , Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Middle-market CEOs are feeling better about the current business climate and less fearful the economy will fall into recession, according to the latest CEO survey from Marcum LLP and Hofstra University's Frank G. Zarb School of Business.

Middle-market CEOs are feeling better about the current business climate and less fearful the economy will fall into recession, according to the latest CEO survey from Marcum LLP and Hofstra University's Frank G. Zarb School of Business.

Highlights of the survey, conducted earlier this month, also reveal that about a quarter of companies have begun to use artificial intelligence tools in operations, as more than half say their customers and clients have become more demanding in the past year.

Business Trendlines

CEOs' outlook on the economy and business maintained a positive trend from the previous survey in late 2022, including sentiment about a possible recession. Significantly fewer executives (33%) said they are "very concerned" about a recession in the coming year, a notable improvement from 47% in the November 2022 survey, and 55% in September. More CEOs say they are "somewhat concerned" about the prospect of recession  54% currently as compared to 43% in November.

Those with a positive overall outlook on the business environment rose to 84% from 80% in November. The weighted average continued to hover in the mid-range on a scale of 1-10, advancing to 6.6 from 6.4 in November, but down from the 6.7 recorded in September.

On an industry basis, the greatest CEO optimism was seen in food, beverage & hospitality (64%) and technology (47%). Construction CEOs were decidedly less upbeat than in other sectors, with only 25% selecting the highest ratings on the optimism scale.

The three most important influences for business planning cited by CEOs were "economic concerns," "availability of talent," and "rising material/operational costs."

Succession Planning

Recognizing that succession planning is an essential process for business continuity, retaining talent, and developing future leaders, 79% of CEOs indicated that their companies have a succession plan in place. However, only 45% are "very confident" in their company's succession plan and three percent are not at all confident.

Among those without a succession plan, 41% said it is not a priority for their companies, while 29% said they don't know how to approach developing one, and 27% said "the business will take care of itself when the time comes."

Customer Expectations

In an increasingly competitive environment, more than half of CEOs (58%) say their customers or clients are more demanding and have higher expectations than the past year. Among the explanations offered by CEOs:

"They have been more needy because of all the market volatility, and they have been more anxious about their assets. They also want things done yesterday."

"They expect for us to be more productive and help them be more successful."

"Expect more personalized service and immediate response times."

"More technology and around the clock support."

"They refuse price increases and are constantly shopping the business."

Artificial Intelligence

About a quarter of CEOs surveyed (26%) indicated their companies have begun to utilize AI tools in their operations, and almost half (47%) are exploring how AI tools could be used. Only 1 in 10 do not envision their company utilizing AI tools.

Companies using AI tools employ them for process improvements, business planning, and customer service, such as:

"Financial analysis and modeling, predictive analytics, data mining."

"Customer experience optimization."

"Risk mitigation."

"Better align existing data to help us plug in gaps in our dashboarding."

"The overall optimism we see in this survey is very encouraging. Now that the pandemic economy is behind us and companies have resumed full operation, CEOs are challenged to meet higher expectations from customers, who are also working hard to make up lost ground, while continuing to reinvest in the business," said Jeffrey M. Weiner, Marcum's chairman & chief executive officer.

"This certainly includes figuring out how to deploy new tools such as artificial intelligence to effectively position their companies for the future. Whether you're a family-owned enterprise or a publicly traded company, ensuring you have a sound succession plan is critical for any business with an outlook beyond its current management team. If the C-suite is not confident in their current plan, their business advisors should be able to provide a thorough, objective assessment."

The first Marcum-Hofstra CEO Survey of 2023 was conducted in February. 265 middle-market CEOs participated. Data compare to the previous survey in November 2022.

Said Janet Lenaghan, dean of the Zarb School of Business: "The pressure of the pandemic has abated, but in its wake, there are new forces to contend with, namely rising consumer demands and expectations. I think the uptick in CEO optimism is a reflection not only of their feelings about the economy, but their confidence in their own ability to be flexibility and meet the moment, something they had to learn to get through COVID-19."

About the Survey

The Marcum-Hofstra CEO Survey is a periodic gauge of mid-market CEOs' outlook and their priorities for the next 12 months. The survey polls the leaders of companies with revenues ranging from $5 million to $1 billion-plus.

It is developed, conducted, and analyzed by Hofstra MBA students, led by Dr. Andrew Forman, associate professor of international business and marketing, in partnership with Marcum.

"The Marcum-Hofstra CEO survey provides students with an instructive lesson on balancing present concerns with long-range planning. Rising customer expectations present company leaders with an immediate challenge, while decisions regarding investment in new technologies, such as artificial intelligence, have a longer time horizon. Ultimately, company executives recognize the importance of planning for a handover to a new generation of leaders.

About Marcum

Marcum LLP is a top-ranked national accounting and advisory firm dedicated to helping entrepreneurial, middle-market companies and high net worth individuals achieve their goals. Marcum's industry-focused practices offer deep insight and specialized services to privately held and publicly registered companies, and nonprofit and social sector organizations. The Firm also provides a full complement of technology, wealth management, and executive search and staffing services. Headquartered in New York City, Marcum has offices in major business markets across the U.S. and select international locations. #AskMarcum. Visit www.marcumllp.com for more information.

About the Frank G. Zarb School of Business at Hofstra University

Hofstra University's Frank G. Zarb School of Business prepares students to become tomorrow's global leaders. Located just 25 miles from New York City, Zarb students have access to internships and networking opportunities across every industry. The Zarb School combines entrepreneurial, hands-on learning and research with real-world experience and mentorship in state-of-the-art facilities, including a Behavioral Research in Business Lab, Center for Entrepreneurship, and academic trading room. Our undergraduate and graduate programs in accounting, management and entrepreneurship, marketing and international business, finance, and business analytics are ranked and recognized by US News & World Report, Princeton Review, Pets & Quants, and Fortune Magazine.

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SOURCE Marcum LLP
SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Concerted efforts to enhance food safety has encouraged cold storage industry companies to give importance to environmental, social and governance (ESG) performance. Sustainable development has come into the spotlight to foster eco-friendly refrigeration technology and utilize energy-efficient materials. Food & beverage companies have sought cold storage amidst an increased emphasis on ESG pillars. Cold storage is invaluable in preventing disruptions in food availability and emission-intensive losses of food. Food waste is one of the significant sources of GHG emissions, triggering food insecurity and burdening waste management systems. Increasing access to fresh food and reducing food insecurity can boost social equality.

Advancements in cold storage have provided potential opportunities for industry leaders to expand their ESG penetration. Stakeholders, including hotels, bakeries, stores, restaurants and other businesses, have invested in managing the temperature of perishable goods. Industry leaders have exhibited an interest in social opportunity, health & safety, diversity, product liability, business ethics, transparency and environmental opportunities.

Discover more regarding the practices and strategies being implemented by industry participants in the Cold Storage Industry ESG Thematic Report, 2023, published by Astra ESG Solutions

Environmental Perspective

With carbon emissions becoming pronounced across business verticals, state-of-the-art refrigeration control systems have gained ground. Notably, energy consumption has become a major concern at refrigerated warehouses. Efficient cooling equipment and a temperature-controlled supply chain have received an impetus to minimize food loss and GHG emissions. The University of Edinburgh's Department for Social Responsibility and Sustainability has undertaken cold storage sustainability project to minimize the energy consumption linked with cold storage facilities in Life Science Labs. In 2020, Americold poured over USD 8.4 million to complete 55 sustainability projects. The company installed four variable frequency drive (VFD) controls in four cold storage sites during the same period, saving around 1.5 kWh annually. It is contemplating installing 100% energy-efficient lighting across the global portfolio by 2030.

Social Perspective

Global push to minimize the environmental footprint of the cold storage industry has subsequently put the spotlight on the social pillar, including workplace safety, diversity & inclusion and investments in training & education, among others. Barloworld Limited is gearing up for a 50% female representation in leadership roles by 2025. The company has emphasized policies, such as Group Human Rights Policy, Employee Wellness Strategy, Group Talent Management Framework and Policy, Barloworld Harassment Policy and Group Health and Safety Policy. Industry leaders have upped their efforts to adopt a proactive approach to bolster safety management. For instance, the Total Recordable Incident Rate (TRIR) at Americold was 2.29 in 2020. Besides, the company launched inclusive hiring training for HR, talent acquisition and hiring managers in 2022. Stakeholders are poised to further their strategies for maintaining the culture of diversity and safety.

Is your business one of participants to the Cold Storage Industry? Contact us for focused consultation around ESG Investing, and help you build sustainable business practices

Governance Perspective

Good governance has come on the horizon as a torchbearer of innovation, growth and smooth functioning of organizations. Leaders have underscored their policies on ethics, corporate opportunities, zero tolerance for corruption and transparency. Shareholders and other stakeholders have vouched for a sustainable company that recognizes the impact of activities on the environment, society and the economy. To illustrate, executive management at Barloworld embeds an ethical and responsible culture to safeguard the interest of its shareholders and group. The company has also invested in anti-bribery and corruption and due diligence policies. It is slated to include ESG in Executive Performance Management and Remuneration philosophy, policy and practices. The South Africa-based company has furthered its tax strategy with an increased emphasis on Group Tax Risk Management Policy and disclosure and assurance practices in line with global standards and frameworks.

Get more insights about how key industry participants like Americold Logistics, LLC, Burris Logistics, Barloworld Limited, Cloverleaf Cold Storage, Henningsen Cold Storage are identifying, analyzing and mitigating ESG risks and ensuring compliance

Well-established players and startups have reinforced their strategies on long-term cost savings, managing waste, diversity and sound corporate behavior. In doing so, industry dynamics, such as mergers & acquisitions, partnerships, technological advancements and product offerings, could gain traction. For instance, in June 2022, Burris Logistics acquired R.W. Zant to bolster its footprint on West Coast. The latter deals in the redistribution of diary brands and proteins to retail and food service distributors. These trends suggest the global cold storage market could witness approximately 13.4% CAGR from 2021 to 2030.

Browse more ESG Thematic Reports from the Technology Sector, published by Astra - ESG Solutions

About Astra  ESG Solutions by Grand View Research

Astra is the Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) arm of Grand View Research Inc. - a global market research publishing & management consulting firm.

Astra offers comprehensive ESG thematic assessment & scores across diverse impact & socially responsible investment topics, including both public and private companies along with intuitive dashboards. Our ESG solutions are powered by robust fundamental & alternative information. Astra specializes in consulting services that equip corporates and the investment community with the in-depth ESG research and actionable insight they need to support their bottom lines and their values. We have supported our clients across diverse ESG consulting projects & advisory services, including climate strategies & assessment, ESG benchmarking, stakeholder engagement programs, active ownership, developing ESG investment strategies, ESG data services, build corporate sustainability reports. Astra team includes a pool of industry experts and ESG enthusiasts who possess extensive end-end ESG research and consulting experience at a global level.

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SOURCE Astra ESG Solutions
Propel Park represents industrial opportunity for New Orleans East

NEW ORLEANS, Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, economic development partners from the state, region, and city, recognized the groundbreaking of Propel Park, alongside the project developer, Industrial Realty Group, LLC (IRG) and the builder, Impetus. The new industrial and office development, the first facility of its kind within New Orleans city limits in over 20 years, is located within NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility (MAF) campus, and construction will now begin on the 50-acre campus.

"Doubling-down on the importance and success of NASA Michoud, Propel Park will welcome new companies and drive new growth for New Orleans East," said Michael Hecht, President and CEO of Greater New Orleans, Inc. "MAF is a world-class facility, designing and assembling the biggest rockets and the longest windmill blades in human history, so it makes great sense to create a new facility to allow others to be near and leverage this capacity."

Once complete, the project will generate over 1 million square feet of new modernized industrial space, which represents a unique and powerful opportunity for continued advanced manufacturing and distribution growth in New Orleans East.

"There has been incredible momentum on site," said Stuart Lichter, President of IRG. "Our team has already begun the preliminary site preparations to ready the ground for construction. We anticipate more tenants will join the project in 2023."

This new regional asset will bolster business attraction efforts, providing a new location for companies in need of facilities for light assembly, manufacturing, distribution, and office operations.

"IRG and Textron's investment in New Orleans East at Propel Park will indeed propel the campus forward, providing economic opportunity for a new generation and building on the foundation that the NASA Michoud Assembly Facility has stewarded for over a half century," said Mayor LaToya Cantrell. "This project undoubtedly will create more jobs and spur additional investment in our community, and we look forward to continuing to support this development through all its phases."

For decades, NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility has been a driver of economic activity and job growth, which continues with this project that will bring new private sector activity and provide high-growth, high-wage jobs for New Orleans East residents. While already a thriving industrial area, Propel Park reinforces further development and growth of New Orleans East as a whole.

"Propel Park is creating a new era of growth for high-demand advanced manufacturing jobs in New Orleans," says Lynnette White-Colin, Senior VP Small Business Growth at New Orleans Business Alliance. "As the first major new industrial construction project in the city in decades, Propel Park proves New Orleans East is poised to strengthen its position as a center of opportunity for residents and businesses. NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility is a long-time driver of high-quality jobs, and today's investment demonstrates the next step in the city's increased economic prosperity. NOLABA looks forward to working with our future Propel Park tenants to ensure New Orleans' skilled workforce is tapped into new job opportunities at this site."

The project's first tenant, Textron Systems, has signed a ten-year lease to relocate from their existing space within an MAF building into a brand new, 97,025 square foot distribution hub. Their presence will occupy a portion of the first phase of the development, a 260,000 square foot warehouse building, and demonstrates the ability for Propel Park to serve as an expansion option for existing Michoud tenants.

"We are proud to expand our footprint in New Orleans East, as this project will provide a safe, secure, and efficient location to conduct our material logistics operations. We have enjoyed a long partnership with the Michoud campus, and this project will serve as an excellent complement to our shipyard operations," Ryan Schaffernocker, Vice President Sea Systems at Textron Systems.

With 50 acres of developable land, Propel Park is expected to include up to 1.3 million square feet of buildings developed in phases. Potential uses include light assembly, manufacturing, distribution, and office space. The site is inherently secure with a 19  foot levee and substantial onsite pumps, as well as access to a deep-water port.

"The development of Propel Park demonstrates the importance of community partnerships in attracting businesses and creating jobs in New Orleans, especially in New Orleans East. We all must have a seat at the table to help New Orleans continue to grow and thrive," said Taurus Wright, Director of Economic Development for Entergy New Orleans. "This economic development project will offer vast opportunities for additional industrial growth with its proximity to the airport, highways, ports, and the rich culture of New Orleans."

Construction of the project is being performed by Impetus, a regional general contractor specializing in the building and infrastructure spaces.

"We are honored to have been selected as the design-build partner by IRG to bring this development to life. At Impetus, we have an innovative approach to project delivery, much in line with the kind of innovation for which the NASA Michoud Facility has long been known," said Nick Moldaner, Chief Operating Officer for Impetus, the builder leading the project. "With Impetus self-performing more than 40% of the work at Propel Park to date and a significant number of local sub-contracting partners involved, the capability and talent pool in the Greater New Orleans region has shined. The economic impact during construction has already been apparent and will continue to thrive as new tenants and job opportunities are added as the park expands."

IRG was represented by Bill Boyer of CBRE and Leon ("Lee") Audibert of Property One for this transaction. For more information about available space, contact Lee at [email protected] or Bill at [email protected] and visit propelneworleans.com

About IRG About Industrial Realty Group (IRG). IRG is a nationwide real estate development and investment firm specializing in the acquisition, development, and management of commercial and industrial real estate throughout the United States. IRG, through its affiliated partnerships and limited liability companies, operates a portfolio containing over 150 properties in 31 states with over 100 million square feet of rentable space. IRG is nationally recognized as a leading force behind the adaptive reuse of commercial and industrial real estate, solving some of America's most difficult real estate challenges. Learn more at www.industrialrealtygroup.com.

About Greater New Orleans, Inc.

GNO, Inc. is the regional economic development organization for Southeast Louisiana. GNO, Inc.'s mission is to create a Greater New Orleans with a thriving economy and an excellent quality of life, for everyone. More information can be found at www.gnoinc.org.

About New Orleans Business Alliance

One of fewer than 80 Accredited Economic Development Organizations worldwide, the New Orleans Business Alliance is the official public-private partnership created to increase economic gains for the city of New Orleans. Through a direct partnership with the City of New Orleans and strong connectivity with the business community, the New Orleans Business Alliance works to ensure the economic security of all New Orleanians by diversifying the local economy, developing local talent, and expanding entrepreneurial opportunity. Through an inclusive economic development strategy, we will create a more equitable and prosperous future for all. Learn more at www.nolaba.org.

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SOURCE INDUSTRIAL REALTY GROUP
PARIS, Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Ekinops (Euronext Paris - FR0011466069  EKI), a leading supplier of optical transport systems and network access solutions, announced it has received 1,290k in funding, officially granted by the French Prime Minister's Office to support the development of its 5Geneva project in collaboration with Orange.

5Geneva is funded by both the French government as part of "France 2030" and the European Union through its Next Generation EU initiative within the France Relance plan. Launched in 2021 and backed by 54 billion in funding, France 2030 is an ambitious plan to sustainably transform key sectors of the economy (energy, industry, transport, agriculture, food, digital, etc.) through innovation.

Lasting 36 months, the 5Geneva project aims to:

Develop platforms for experimenting 5G use cases at the network Edge for business players (verticals) and telecom operators. Such platforms use on-site network equipment: pCPE (physical Customer Premise Equipment), uCPE (universal CPE),

Engineer applications as containers or Virtual Machines (VMs);

Provide open experiments to external companies to test the benefits of 5G using multiple configurations, including 5G private networks.

As part of the France Relance plan, Ekinops was already granted 3.6 million in funding from the French government to promote the development of its New Generation electronic equipment for optical networks (NGOpt) project, focused on high-speed optical transport solutions.

5Geneva continues this approach by combining Ekinops' specialization in the development of on-site equipment with Orange's expertise in 5G, virtualization and integration. The goal is to deploy new solutions based on containerization and virtualized functions to facilitate the rollout of services at company premises. The project also seeks to enable on-demand local deployment of business services by leveraging Edge Computing and 5G infrastructure.

The project opens up many possibilities for enhanced business solutions that not only deliver data security, but also resource availability, customized service quality and agile deployment.

Vincent Muniere, Chief Technical Officer and VP R&D at Ekinops commented:

"Thanks to this funding, we will accelerate implementation of large-scale innovation projects, with a focus on 5G and Edge Computing. This project confirms our ambitions for the Edge industry as well as our active efforts to optimize digital network performance."

All press releases are published after the close of trading on Euronext Paris.

EKINOPS ContactDidier BredyChairman and CEO[email protected]

InvestorsMathieu OmnesInvestor relationTel.: +33 (0)1 53 67 36 92[email protected]

PressAmaury DugastPress relationTel.: +33 (0)1 53 67 36 74[email protected]

Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2009592/ekinops_5geneva.jpgLogo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/814911/Ekinops_Logo.jpg

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SOURCE Ekinops
New Texas facility will be 700 percent larger and allow ECL to provide a wider variety of services to meet growing demand

SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Emerald Cloud Lab (ECL), the first highly automated, secure, and centralized cloud laboratory, today announced the move to a new facility located in Austin, Texas. The new facility will allow ECL to offer a wider variety of experimentation services and greater throughput to customers in industries spanning pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, and life sciences research.

Emerald Cloud Lab announces move to a new facility located in Austin, Texas

ECL provides customers with remote access to the company's cutting-edge cloud lab where scientists can run multiple experiments in parallel, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year from anywhere on earth. This new approach allows researchers to spend less time managing their laboratory and more time designing and analyzing new experiments and data.

"Our mission at ECL has always been to provide scientists with the tools they need to accomplish groundbreaking research," said Brian Frezza, co-founder of Emerald Cloud Lab. "We're elated that this relocation will allow us to increase lab productivity further and address reproducibility challenges at an even greater capacity than before."

"The Austin area is emerging as one of the fastest-growing hubs for life sciences in the United States," added ECL co-founder D.J. Kleinbaum. "Austin's Chamber of Commerce estimates the region is home to 300 life sciences companies, and a specialized workforce of over 18,000. We're looking forward to making a real impact on both the economy and scientific ecosystem here."

The 105,000-square-foot facility will house over 230 unique types of instruments needed to run most experiments, all controlled by a single unified software interface, ECL Command Center. ECL's platform grants researchers access to over 4,500 different functions, including machine learning, image processing, and multi-dimensional analysis.

Since ECL's launch in 2016, the concept of cloud labs has since exploded in popularity. In 2021, ECL and Carnegie Mellon University entered into a partnership to build the world's first cloud lab in an academic setting, set to open in the fall of 2023.

Emerald Cloud Lab aims to open the new facility in July 2023. The company is also developing new highly automated technology to expand workflow capabilities of numerous scientific disciplines, including cell biology and organic chemistry.

About Emerald Cloud Lab

ECL was founded by scientists, for scientists. Our vision is to build a system that sweeps aside the daily grind scientists face in the laboratory and allows the day-to-day work to center on orchestrating science. There is transformative potential in a world where scientific ideas have a more direct route to realization and where progress in science and medicine is driven more by the strength of our ideas than our labor in the lab. Succeeding in this mission has the chance to provide unprecedented leverage and autonomy to scientists worldwide and in doing so to accelerate the rate of progress in pharmaceutical research, materials science, medical diagnostics, and agriculture.

Emerald Cloud Lab Media Contact:

[email protected]

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SOURCE Emerald Cloud Lab
GOTHENBURG, Sweden, Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Heliospectra AB's (publ) board is happy to announce that they have appointed Bonny Heeren as permanent CEO. Bonny was appointed interim CEO on January 1st, 2022. Following a transitional year for Heliospectra, on both a strategic and operational level, he has accepted the position as permanent CEO and will assume his new role as of March 1st, 2023. At the same time, Bonny will also take over as interim CFO from Annika Westlund, who will step down as CFO.

Following his appointment in January 2022, Bonny took a critical look at Heliospectra, its strategy, and its offerings. It resulted in several organizational changes, leaving a streamlined and agile company, more in tune with the industry, and significantly decreased operational costs. As a result, Heliospectra is now ready to reclaim its position as a leader in smart lighting with a robust wireless solution that brings commercial growers' high-quality plants, control, and significant energy savings.

Last week the company announced MITRA Flex, their new wirelessly controlled flexible far-red light. With three spectra in one, MITRA Flex allows growers to fully gain all the advantages of application-based growing and far-red light. Bringing significant value to growers whose crop reacts positively to far-red light, such as cut flowers, potted flower plants, and leafy greens.

To show their belief in Bonny, the three major shareholders have granted him call options as part of an incentives program for 5,000,000 shares with a strike period between February 1st to April 30th, 2026. The call options are acquired at market value in accordance with the Black and Scholes option valuation model.

"This past year has been a journey. I am very proud of our team and what we have accomplished. Their hard work has resulted in Heliospectra offering a unique smart energy-saving lighting solution designed for large commercial installations. We have updated and improved our helioCORE system and finalized Adelphi, our new wireless connector, to integrate our static lighting. Launched and installed our new MITRA X and wireless solution at growers in Denmark, the Netherlands, and the UK, and last week we just launched our new MITRA Flex, a unique wireless controlled flexible far-red light. All while creating important networks and connections with growers and partners in the European market. I am certain that Heliospectra now has all the prerequisites to grow to become a leader in the LED grow light market, and I want to be part of that. Investing in the company, therefore, felt self-explanatory", says Bonny Heeren, CEO of Heliospectra.

"Bonny has made significant positive changes to Heliospectra this past year, both on an operational and strategic level. He has a clear strategy for where Heliospectra is going. I, and the rest of the board, are fully confident that Bonny is the right person to bring Heliospectra to break-even and beyond. We are delighted that he will continue to head Heliospectra into a, indeed, bright future," says Andreas Gunnarsson, Chairman of the Board, Heliospectra.

Bonny Heeren started as a board member of Heliospectra in May 2021. Before that, he held several different senior positions within the Saint-Gobain Group, most recently as division manager for Horticulture. Prior to that he was for several years the CFO of different activities within Saint-Gobain. He has also invested in several start-up AgTech companies. His background has allowed him to build a solid experience in the global horticulture and greenhouse market and an extensive network of growers and suppliers in the Netherlands.

At the same time, Annika Westlund has resigned from her position as Heliospectra's CFO. Now that the more significant part of the restructuring of Heliospectra is completed, Annika has chosen to focus on new challenges and commitments. As a result, the board has initiated the recruitment process and the search for her successor. During the transition period, Bonny Heeren, CEO of Heliospectra, will step in as acting CFO as of March 1st, 2023.

As Bonny assumes his new position, he will also resign as a board member of Heliospectra.

For More Information:Rebecca Nordin, Head of IR at Heliospectra | +46 (0)72 536 8116 | [email protected]

http://www.heliospectra.com

The information was submitted for publication, though the agency of the named contact persons, at 14:15 CET on February 28, 2023.

The following files are available for download:

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SOURCE Heliospectra
Hormel Foods team members commemorate MLK Day and Black History Month with an essay competition for elementary and middle school students from across the country

AUSTIN, Minn., Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Three winners of the 12th annual Hormel Foods MLK essay contest visited the company's World Headquarters today to read their winning essays to Hormel Foods team members. The students  Ava Pigrum from Sacramento, Calif., Andre Smith from Minneapolis, Minn., and Michael Htoo from Willmar, Minn.  claimed the top honors among hundreds of entries from 12 schools this year.

The Hormel Foods Black Leaders & Allies Advancing Cultural Knowledge (BLAACK) business resource group sponsors the essay competition for elementary and middle school students across the United States. Contestants are asked to write an essay with the theme, "What Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Means to Me."

"BLAACK is excited to bring our annual MLK Essay Contest back to our World Headquarters after several years of a hybrid format," said Cedric Moore, BLAACK president and senior customer executive for Retail sales at Hormel Foods. "The goal of this event is to promote the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. by having the top three students from across the country share what Dr. King's legacy means to them. One of my favorite quotes from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is, 'No work is insignificant. All labor that uplifts humanity has dignity and importance and should be undertaken with painstaking excellence.' Today, these students are displaying the excellence of Dr. King's legacy by sharing their stories."

The nationwide competition promotes the value and importance of cultural differences and provides a platform for celebrating diversity. The goals of the program are to promote Dr. Martin Luther King's legacy, encourage children to aim high, give them exposure to minority professionals in business and create a lasting partnership between Hormel Foods and local schools.

These three students honored Dr. Martin Luther King's legacy by putting into words what he means to them.

"I thank my ancestors who pushed through," said winner Andre Smith in his essay. "I thank Dr. King because he gave me and everyone the faith to become a leader and take the next step to keep his dream alive. There is still not justice for all, if it wasn't for Dr. King we would not know how to fix today's problems."

ABOUT HORMEL FOODS  Inspired People. Inspired Food.

Hormel Foods Corporation, based in Austin, Minn., is a global branded food company with over $12 billion in annual revenue across more than 80 countries worldwide. Its brands include Planters, SKIPPY, SPAM, Hormel Natural Choice, Applegate, Justin's, WHOLLY, Hormel Black Label, Columbus, Jennie-O and more than 30 other beloved brands. The company is a member of the S&P 500 Index and the S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats, was named on the "Global 2000 World's Best Employers" list by Forbes magazine for three years, is one of Fortune magazine's most admired companies, has appeared on the "100 Best Corporate Citizens" list by 3BL Media 13 times, and has received numerous other awards and accolades for its corporate responsibility and community service efforts. The company lives by its purpose statement  Inspired People. Inspired Food.  to bring some of the world's most trusted and iconic brands to tables across the globe. For more information, visit www.hormelfoods.com and http://csr.hormelfoods.com/.

Contact: Media 507-437-5345[email protected]

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SOURCE Hormel Foods Corporation
"Smartphone-based conversational agents can provide psychologically driven interventions and support"

TORONTO and PHILADELPHIA, Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- JMIR Publications published "Adolescents' Well-being While Using a Mobile Artificial Intelligence-Powered Acceptance Commitment Therapy Tool: Evidence From a Longitudinal Study" in their journal JMIR AI, which showed the potential for using mobile-based conversational agents to deliver engaging and effective Acceptance Commitment Therapy interventions for adolescents. Smartphone-based conversational agents can provide psychologically driven interventions and support, which can increase psychological well-being over time.

The objective of the study was to test the potential of an automated conversational agent named Kai.ai to deliver a self-help program based on Acceptance Commitment Therapy tools for adolescents, aimed to increase their well-being. A total of 10,387 adolescents aged 14-18 years who used Kai.ai on one of the top messaging apps participated in this study. The World Health Organization Well-being Index questionnaire assessed users' well-being levels between 2 and 5 times during the study.

Users engaged with the conversational agent for an average of 45.39 days. The average well-being score at the first time point was 39.28, indicating that users experienced reduced well-being. Latent growth curve modeling indicated, however, that participants' well-being significantly increased over time.

Dr Dana Vertsberger from Stanford University said, "Adolescence is a developmental period that is filled with changes: changes to one's body, in one's social environment, and even to one's mind. It is also a crucial period for mental, social, and emotional well-being, which is characterized with an increased risk to develop mental health problems, such as anxiety, depression, substance abuse, and eating disorders." This period is therefore crucial for prevention and treatment, emphasizing the need for accessible and customized mental health tools aimed at decreasing adolescents' ill-being and increasing their well-being.

The few longitudinal studies that have focused on adolescents' well-being tend to find a decrease in well-being over time. Studies on adult populations suggest that different interventions can improve well-being, compared to control groups who did not receive interventions or were in delayed intervention groups. Mental mHealth interventions are either aimed at complementing traditional mental health treatments or providing mental health support to those who are unable to receive quality mental health services--for example, due to long waiting lists--and have been found to be beneficial to adult populations.

In this study, the authors tracked adolescents' well-being scores and followed their well-being during a time in which they used a digital artificial intelligence-powered personal companion designed to promote well-being and mental health.

The research team concluded in their JMIR Publications Research Output, "These initial results demonstrate the potential of a text-based conversational companion as a cost-effective and accessible tool to improve adolescents' well-being. Due to the great economic cost for poor well-being and mental health and the decrease in the accessibility of various support systems, partly due to the COVID-19 pandemic, developing efficient interventions should be considered a societal priority. Future studies should test if any of the process-oriented features of Kai.ai are beneficial for improving users' well-being or if the recognized increase in well-being represents a regression to the mean."

DOI - https://doi.org/10.2196/38171

Full-text - https://ai.jmir.org/2022/1/e38171

Free Altmetric Report - https://jmir.altmetric.com/details/139346295

Keywords - well-being, adolescents, chatbots, conversational agents, mental health, mobile mental health, automated, support, self-management, self-help, smartphone, psychology, intervention, psychological, therapy, acceptance, commitment, engagement

JMIR Publications is a leading, born-digital, open access publisher of 30+ academic journals and other innovative scientific communication products that focus on the intersection of health and technology. Its flagship journal, the Journal of Medical Internet Research, is the leading digital health journal globally in content breadth and visibility, and it is the largest journal in the medical informatics field.

To learn more about JMIR Publications, please visit https://www.JMIRPublications.com or connect with us via:

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The content of this communication is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work, published by JMIR Publications, is properly cited.

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SOURCE JMIR Publications
Acquisition Expands Micross' High-Reliability Power Management Solution Capabilities

MELVILLE, N.Y., Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Micross Components, Inc. ("Micross" or the "Company"), a leading provider of high-reliability microelectronic product and service solutions for aerospace, defense, space, medical and industrial applications and a portfolio company of Behrman Capital, today announced it has closed the acquisition of the High-Reliability DC-DC converter business (the "Business") of Infineon Technologies AG (FSE: IFX / OTCQX: IFNNY), a global semiconductor leader in power systems and IoT.

Headquartered in San Jose, California with a facility in Copenhagen, Denmark, the Business provides high-reliability DC-DC converters, including hybrid and custom board-based power products for space, strategic defense, aerospace, and other high-reliability customers. The Business designs and manufactures proprietary power solutions which operate in the harshest environments.

Micross' acquisition  the eighth under Behrman Capital's ownership and fourth since consummating a continuation fund transaction in February of 2022  continues to build on the strategic priorities for the Company. The addition of Infineon's High-Reliability DC-DC converter business expands Micross' power management solution offerings which are supported by a high degree of intellectual property. The acquisition also expands Micross' geographic footprint in the US and Europe and the Company's presence in the high-growth space end market, better positioning the Company for future growth opportunities.

Vince Buffa, Chairman and CEO of Micross, said, "We are delighted to partner with this experienced team which further expands the Micross team's design capabilities. The acquisition brings significant proprietary IP around power management, combined with state-of-the-art manufacturing capabilities and a product portfolio that is a market leader for the advancement of innovative solutions. We will be better positioned to produce an even wider range of high-quality products for our customers. Together, we plan to pursue a number of compelling opportunities to further realize our exciting growth prospects, all while upholding excellent quality and service to our customers."

Simon Lonergan, Managing Partner of Behrman Capital, said, "This acquisition represents an extremely strong strategic fit for Micross, as the Company continues to build out its high-reliability product portfolio to better serve its customer base. Adding Infineon's DC-DC converter Business to Micross' platform further differentiates and adds significant IP to the Company's leading position as a one-stop source of supply for high-reliability electronic products and services. We look forward to continuing to work with management to identify additional opportunities to drive growth at Micross."

About Micross

Micross is a leading global provider of mission-critical microelectronic components and services for high-reliability markets. Micross provides a wide range of product and service solutions to customers, including Die & Wafer services, Advanced Interconnect Technology, Custom Packaging & Assembly, Component Modification Services, Electrical & Environmental Testing and other high-reliability products and services. In business for more than 40 years, Micross' extensive high-reliability capabilities serve the Aerospace & Defense, Space, Medical and Industrial markets, among others. Micross possesses the sourcing, packaging, assembly, engineering, test and logistics expertise needed to support applications throughout their entire program life cycles. For more information about Micross, please visit www.micross.com.

About Behrman Capital

Based in New York City, Behrman Capital was founded in 1991 by Grant G. and Darryl G. Behrman. The firm invests in management buyouts, leveraged buildups and recapitalizations of established growth businesses. The company's investments are focused in three industries: defense and aerospace, healthcare services, and specialty manufacturing and distribution. Since its inception, the firm has raised $4.0 billion and is currently investing out of its sixth fund.

About Infineon

Infineon Technologies AG is a global semiconductor leader in power systems and IoT. Infineon drives decarbonization and digitalization with its products and solutions. The company has around 56,200 employees worldwide and generated revenue of about 14.2 billion in the 2022 fiscal year (ending 30 September). Infineon is listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange (ticker symbol: IFX) and in the USA on the OTCQX International over-the-counter market (ticker symbol: IFNNY). Further information is available at www.infineon.com.

Media Contact: Chris Stabile, Director of Corporate Marketing CommunicationsMicross Components[email protected]

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SOURCE Micross Components
NEW YORK, Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Neuberger Berman Next Generation Connectivity Fund Inc. (NYSE: NBXG) (the "Fund") has announced a distribution declaration of $0.10 per share of common stock. The distribution announced today is payable on March 31, 2023, has a record date of March 15, 2023 and has an ex-date of March 14, 2023.

Under its level distribution policy, the Fund anticipates that it will make regular monthly distributions, subject to market conditions, of $0.10 per share of common stock, unless further action is taken to determine another amount. The Fund's ability to maintain its current distribution rate will depend on a number of factors, including the amount and stability of income received from its investments, availability of capital gains, and the level of other Fund fees and expenses. There is no assurance that the Fund will always be able to pay a distribution of any particular amount or that a distribution will consist of only net investment income.

Due to an effort to maintain a stable distribution amount, the distribution announced today, as well as future distributions, may consist of net investment income, net realized capital gains and return of capital. In compliance with Section 19 of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, a notice would be provided for any distribution that does not consist solely of net investment income. The notice would be for informational purposes and not for tax reporting purposes, and would disclose, among other things, estimated portions of the distribution, if any, consisting of net investment income, capital gains and return of capital. The final determination of the source and tax characteristics of all distributions paid in 2023 will be made after the end of the year.

About Neuberger Berman

Neuberger Berman, founded in 1939, is a private, independent, employee-owned investment manager. The firm manages a range of strategiesincluding equity, fixed income, quantitative and multi-asset class, private equity, real estate and hedge fundson behalf of institutions, advisors and individual investors globally. With offices in 26 countries, Neuberger Berman's diverse team has over 2,600 professionals. For eight consecutive years, the company has been named first or second in Pensions & Investments Best Places to Work in Money Management survey (among those with 1,000 employees or more). Neuberger Berman is a PRI Leader, a designation, since last assessed, that was awarded to fewer than 1% of investment firms for excellence in Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) practices. In the 2021 PRI Assessment, the firm obtained the highest possible scoring for its overarching approach to ESG investment and stewardship, and integration across asset classes. The firm manages $427 billion in client assets as of December 31, 2022. For more information, please visit our website at www.nb.com.

Statements made in this release that look forward in time involve risks and uncertainties. Such risks and uncertainties include, without limitation, the adverse effect from a decline in the securities markets or a decline in the Fund's performance, a general downturn in the economy, competition from other closed end investment companies, changes in government policy or regulation, inability of the Fund's investment adviser to attract or retain key employees, inability of the Fund to implement its investment strategy, inability of the Fund to manage rapid expansion and unforeseen costs and other effects related to legal proceedings or investigations of governmental and self-regulatory organizations.

Contact:Neuberger Berman Investment Advisers LLCInvestor Information(877) 461-1899

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SOURCE Neuberger Berman
TORONTO, Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ - Orvana Minerals Corp. (TSX: ORV) (the "Company" or "Orvana") announced today that, at its annual shareholders' meeting (the "Meeting") held on February 28, 2023, the individuals noted below were elected as directors of the Company. The report on proxies provided by the Company's transfer agent indicated the following:

Michael Davies received 73,884,532 votes (representing 99.83% of votes cast); Alfredo Garcia Gonzalez received 73,883,892 votes (representing 99.83% of votes cast); Robert Metcalfe received 73,884,532 votes (representing 99.83% of votes cast); and Michael Mutchler received 73,884,392 votes (representing 99.83% of votes cast).

Following the Meeting, Mr. Robert Metcalfe was appointed as chairman of the board of directors; Mr. Juan Gavidia was re-appointed Chief Executive Officer; Ms. Nuria Menendez was re-appointed Chief Financial Officer; and Mr. Binh Vu was re-appointed Corporate Secretary/VP Legal Affairs, for the ensuing year.

The Company received 78,468,495 votes (representing 99.92% of votes cast) to re-appoint PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP as the Company's independent auditor for the ensuing year and to authorize the directors to fix the auditor's remuneration.

For full voting details please see Orvana's voting results as filed on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

ABOUT ORVANA - Orvana is a multi-mine gold-copper-silver company. Orvana's assets consist of the producing El Valle and Carles gold-copper-silver mines in northern Spain, the Don Mario gold-silver property in Bolivia, currently in care and maintenance, and the Taguas property located in Argentina. Additional information is available at Orvana's website (www.orvana.com).

Cautionary Statements - Forward-Looking Information

Certain statements in this presentation constitute forward-looking statements or forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities laws ("forward-looking statements"). Any statements that express or involve discussions with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions, potentials, future events or performance (often, but not always, using words or phrases such as "believes", "expects", "plans", "estimates" or "intends" or stating that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might", "will" or "are projected to" be taken or achieved) are not statements of historical fact, but are forward-looking statements.

A variety of inherent risks, uncertainties and factors, many of which are beyond the Company's control, affect the operations, performance and results of the Company and its business, and could cause actual events or results to differ materially from estimated or anticipated events or results expressed or implied by forward looking statements. Some of these risks, uncertainties and factors include: the potential impact of the COVID-19 on the Company's business and operations, including: our ability to continue operations; our ability to manage challenges presented by COVID-19; the accounting treatment of COVID-19 related matters; Orvana's ability to prevent and/or mitigate the impact of COVID-19 and other infectious diseases at or near our mines; our ability to support the sustainability of our business including through the development of crisis management plans, increasing stock levels for key supplies, monitoring of guidance from the medical community, and engagement with local communities and authorities; fluctuations in the price of gold, silver and copper; the need to recalculate estimates of resources based on actual production experience; the failure to achieve production estimates; variations in the grade of ore mined; variations in the cost of operations; the availability of qualified personnel; the Company's ability to obtain and maintain all necessary regulatory approvals and licenses; the Company's ability to use cyanide in its mining operations; risks generally associated with mineral exploration and development, including the Company's ability to continue to operate the El Valle and/or ability to resume long-term operations at the Carles Mine; the Company's ability to successfully implement a sulphidization circuit and ancillary facilities to process the current oxides stockpiles at Don Mario; the Company's ability to successfully carry out development plans at Taguas; sufficient funding to carry out development plans at Taguas and to process the oxides stockpiles at Don Mario; the Company's ability to acquire and develop mineral properties and to successfully integrate such acquisitions; the Company's ability to execute on its strategy; the Company's ability to obtain financing when required on terms that are acceptable to the Company; challenges to the Company's interests in its property and mineral rights; current, pending and proposed legislative or regulatory developments or changes in political, social or economic conditions in the countries in which the Company operates; general economic conditions worldwide; the challenges presented by COVID-19; fluctuating operational costs such as, but not limited to, power supply costs; current and future environmental matters; and the risks identified in the Company's disclosures. This list is not exhaustive of the factors that may affect any of the Company's forward-looking statements and reference should also be made to the Company's Disclosures for a description of additional risk factors.

Any forward-looking statements made herein with respect to the anticipated development and exploration of the Company's mineral projects are intended to provide an overview of management's expectations with respect to certain future activities of the Company and may not be appropriate for other purposes. Forward-looking statements are based on management's current plans, estimates, projections, beliefs and opinions and, except as required by law, the Company does not undertake any obligation to update forward-looking statements should assumptions related to these plans, estimates, projections, beliefs and opinions change. Readers are cautioned not to put undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements made in this information are intended to provide an overview of management's expectations with respect to certain future operating activities of the Company and may not be appropriate for other purposes.

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SOURCE Orvana Minerals Corp.
To say that developer Douglas Jemal has been an asset to Buffalo is to understate the obvious. His presence, passion and wealth have played a key role in helping the city and its suburbs capitalize on their latent strengths.

But, as any accountant could attest, a balance sheet comprises liabilities as well as assets and over the past several months, enough of those have cropped to worry about a trend. Three problems have occurred: at the Richardson complex; on Elmwood Avenue; and, most recently, on High Street.

Its possible, of course, that these are anomalies  lapses that reflect nothing more than an occasional, unfortunate oversight. But two of them suggest a willingness to take shortcuts and, in a city that boasts of its historic architecture, thats worth a yellow flag.

Those two incidents occurred at historic properties where Jemals company, Douglas Development, altered properties without all the permissions it needed. At the Richardson complex, where Jemal plans to reopen the former Hotel Henry, the company prematurely began installing a porte cochere  a covered entrance  to the building.

It was at least partly the citys fault. In a communications foul-up, municipal officials authorized construction, but the Buffalo Preservation Board disapproved of the scale, size and design of the proposed addition. Work on it has been halted since April.

More recently, at the 150-year-old Meidenbauer House at 204 High St., the company went beyond the approved work of stabilizing the historic structure and putting on a new roof. It also changed the height and widened the angle of the roofline by adding new layers of brick. Coincidentally or not, that work provided more space for third-floor loft apartments. The developer also put new vinyl windows in the building, a lesser concern since it said the windows were temporary and helped protect the building until more appropriate ones could be installed.

But it was all too much for the Preservation Board, which scolded both the company and its architect for making significant alterations without approvals. At least some of that work will have to be torn out, the board says. What is allowed to remain, a skeptic might conclude, is the companys net gain for seeking forgiveness rather than asking permission.

Lastly, the developer has sought  and received  permission to increase the scale of a controversial mixed-use project on Elmwood Avenue. What began as a four-story building 976 Elmwood Ave. is now a five-story project, based on the Zoning Board of Appeals approving five variances from the Green Code.

Its all aboveboard, with Douglas Development having secured the permission it needs. Even so, the same skeptic could see the goal posts being moved after the previously approved work had already begun.

Any one of these incidents might be written off as not overly concerning. Together, they suggest either inattention to critical detail or, more troublingly, a willingness to push the limits in ways that could hurt both Jemal and the city.

Jemal is without doubt a boon to Erie County. Many other of his projects are moving forward without this kind of controversy. What is more, he has shown himself to be a friend to historic preservation. For those reasons  and for now  that earns him the benefit of the doubt. But fewer such surprises in the future would be helpful.

  

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.
President and CEO of PHLY appointed to prominent role with parent company Tokio Marine.

BALA CYNWYD, Pa., Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Philadelphia Insurance Companies (PHLY) announces the appointment of President and CEO John W. Glomb, Jr. to Executive Officer with Tokio Marine Holdings, Inc. The appointment is effective as of April 1, 2023.

Mr. Glomb will continue to serve as CEO at PHLY and Tokio Marine North America Services while supporting global efforts in his new Executive Officer role with Tokio Marine Holdings, Inc. In addition to these roles, he most recently was part of the global Tokio Marine task force that explored the business impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

"Being part of the Tokio Marine Group lets PHLY and all of our sister companies deliver unmatched service and protection to customers and society," shared Glomb. "Through our global diversification of business and talent, we can deliver innovative solutions to market challenges and disruptions. This supports our mission To Be a Good Company while providing consistent, sustainable, and profitable growth for our stakeholders."

In 2008, Philadelphia Insurance Companies was the first major U.S. acquisition for the Tokio Marine Group. Mr. Glomb was named President of PHLY in 2020 and CEO at PHLY and Tokio Marine North America Services (TMNAS) in 2021. TMNAS was formed in 2012 as a shared services company supporting PHLY, Tokio Marine America, and First Insurance Company of Hawaii. TMNAS grew from 50 employees to 500 as of 2022 and now delivers operational and strategic services in IT, Accounting and Finance, Actuarial, Internal Audit, and Corporate Communications to Tokio Marine companies across North America and internationally.

Tokio Marine is one of the world's largest and longest-standing insurance groups with over 40,000 employees in 46 countries and regions. The Tokio Marine Group is the international network of leading insurance businesses owned and invested in by Tokio Marine Holdings. Tokio Marine Holdings announced 23 changes to its Executive Management Team earlier this month. As a result, Mr. Glomb is one of 15 new appointments on the 44-member Tokio Marine Holdings Executive Management Team.

Mr. Glomb started his career in investment banking before joining Philadelphia Insurance Companies in 2007 as Senior Vice President of the Management and Professional Liability Underwriting division. Two years later, he took on responsibility for PHLY's entire Underwriting department before being appointed Chief Underwriting Officer in 2011.

Headshots for Mr. Glomb are available upon request by emailing [email protected].

About Philadelphia Insurance Companies

Philadelphia Insurance Companies designs, markets, and underwrites commercial property/casualty and professional liability insurance products incorporating value-added coverages and services for select industries. The Company is rated "A++" (Superior) by AM Best Company and "A+" for counterparty credit and financial strength by Standard & Poor's. In business for over 60 years, PHLY is nationally recognized as a member of Ward's Top 50, one of the Best Places to Work in Insurance, and one of the Healthiest 100 Workplaces in America. The organization is strategically located across the United States to provide superior service. For more information, please visit www.PHLY.com

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SOURCE Philadelphia Insurance Companies
The Alexandria Redevelopment and Housing Authority, Fairstead, Mill Creek Residential, and The Communities Group are reimagining and redeveloping the public housing site to create 532 units of affordable and mixed-income housing, community resources, and public open space

ALEXANDRIA, Va., Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Alexandria City Council approved the plans to transform the existing Samuel Madden Homes public housing site into a new mixed-use community. The City Council voted unanimously on February 25th marking the final public approval needed for the redevelopment plan.

"This is the result of the strong partnership and diligent work by City staff and ARHA to develop and implement an aggressive agenda to increase the number of new and preserved affordable housing opportunities in Alexandria," City of Alexandria Mayor Justin Wilson said. "We are excited the redevelopment of Madden will more than double the number of units on the site that will serve some of our city's most rent-burdened residents."

"This approval is an important milestone for every Alexandrian dedicated to expanding affordable housing in our great city," said Keith Pettigrew, CEO of the Alexandria Redevelopment and Housing Authority (ARHA). "We are now a step closer to providing two new multifamily buildings with modern amenities and situated in an environmentally sustainable community. I'd like to personally thank all members of City Council, as well as the administration of Mayor Justin Wilson, for their unwavering support."

Led by the Alexandria Redevelopment and Housing Authority, Fairstead, Mill Creek Residential, and The Communities Group, the redevelopment will consist of 532 units of affordable and mixed-income housing, 5,000 square feet of public open space, community resources run by longstanding local non-profit institutions, and 13,000 square feet of ground-floor retail.

"Working alongside our partners, the residents of Samuel Madden, the Alexandria community, and City leaders, we now have a final, unified vision for the Samuel Madden redevelopment that will create a new gateway to Alexandria and bring much needed housing and supportive services to Old Town," said Noah Hale, Director, Development at Fairstead. "We look forward to turning this vision into a reality for Alexandria."

"Mill Creek is humbled to be a part of the team that is advancing this transformational redevelopment," said Joe Muffler, Senior Managing Director at Mill Creek Residential Trust. "As a native Alexandrian, this community is personally important to me, and we look forward to working with the development team, the City, and most importantly the residents throughout the rest of this process."

As part of the approved redevelopment plan, ALIVE!, the largest private safety net in Alexandria dedicated to fighting poverty and hunger, will establish a food and services hub at the site. The hub will offer the entire Alexandria community access to fresh and nutritious food, as well as connections to supportive services including financial and legal services and healthy cooking demonstrations. Hopkins House, a leading Northern Virginia provider of early childhood education programs since 1939, will operate a full-day, year-round preschool for up to 150 Alexandria children (ages 6 weeks to 5 years old), full-time employment for as many as 20 community residents, and a career development program for teens and adults in partnership with Northern Virginia Community College. Housed in a newly constructed, state-of-the-art facility, Hopkins House will be a safe haven for children while their parents are at work and provide post-secondary studies and career assistance for teens and adults leading toward stackable professional credentials and an associate degree in early childhood education.

"Food insecurity is on the rise in Alexandria, and the emergency food benefits for low-income families that were put in place during the pandemic are about to expire," said Jenn Ayers, Executive Director of ALIVE! "Being a part of the new vision for the Samuel Madden Homes will help ALIVE! grow our impact and reach even more families in need throughout Alexandria. But our mission doesn't end with food. Once we connect with a family, we work with them to understand their needs to layer in the services they need to improve their lives. You can come into an ALIVE! Food Hub location for free groceries, and leave connected to other supports, such as educational, workforce, and health care services."

"Hopkins House looks forward to providing high quality early care and education to the children of the new Samuel Madden Homes community, along with opportunities for their parents to earn professional credentials, a college degree, and a permanent career as early childhood education professionals. As this redevelopment project progresses over the next two years, we will work with ARHA to offer training, career development, and other services to residents with the goal to put them first at the front of the line as we hire educators and staff at the new Hopkins House  Helen Day Preschool Academy in the Samuel Madden Homes community," said J. Glenn Hopkins, President and CEO of Hopkins House.

The redevelopment will replace all of the existing units at the site on a one-for-one basis, with all current residents returning to new homes. Residents will have access to amenities, including a pool, exercise and community rooms, on-site management offices and more.

In line with Alexandria's commitment to addressing the climate crisis, the team will be partnering with the Virginia Center for Housing Research at Virginia Tech to incorporate green design elements, strategies to reduce energy and water consumption, and pursue sustainability certifications.

Renderings of the Samuel Madden Homes can be found here.

About Alexandria Redevelopment and Housing AuthorityFor almost 80 years, the Alexandria Redevelopment and Housing Authority has managed Alexandria's public housing units and provided affordable housing, economic opportunities and a living environment free from discrimination for low income and moderate income citizens of Alexandria. Our mission for the next five years is to become an industry leader in the development and management of model mixed income communities, while simultaneously increasing ARHA residents' self-sufficiency and quality of life. For more information, visit www.arha.us/.

About FairsteadFairstead is a purpose-driven vertically integrated real estate developer specializing in creating sustainable, high-quality housing. The firm's national footprint includes more than $7.8 billion in assets and identified pipeline. With offices in New York, Maryland, South Carolina, Colorado, and Florida, Fairstead's team manages 170+ communities across the country and runs its comprehensive real estate platform, which includes acquisitions and development, venture capital investments in proptech, design and construction, energy and sustainability, property management, marketing, and leasing. The firm also administers one of the industry's most proactive community impact programs to provide on-site support services to residents. For more information, visit www.fairstead.com.

About Mill Creek ResidentialMill Creek Residential Trust LLC is a national rental housing company focused on the development, acquisition and operation of rental communities in targeted markets nationwide. The national company, headquartered in Boca Raton, Florida proactively develops, acquires, constructs and operates communities through its seasoned team of real estate professionals in offices across the United States. Mill Creek is building its portfolio in many of the nation's most desirable markets in Seattle, Portland, the San Francisco Bay area, Southern California, Phoenix, Denver, Dallas, Austin, Houston, South Florida, Tampa, Orlando, Atlanta, Nashville, Charlotte, Raleigh, Washington, D.C., New Jersey, New York, and Boston. As of September 30, 2021, the company's portfolio is comprised of 111 communities representing over 30,500 rental homes that are operating and/or under construction. For more information, please visit www.MillCreekPlaces.com.

About The Communities GroupThe Communities Group specializes in the planning and development of affordable housing, with a primary focus on addressing the capital needs of older, obsolete properties in need of renewal. Over nearly four decades, TCG has worked with hundreds of authorities from Coast to Coast, as well as directly with HUD, and has served as technical assistance provider, planner and also as co-developer in partnership with PHAs for 30 major area redevelopments, with resources from the HOPE VI and Choice Neighborhood Initiatives programs. For the past ten years, TCG has concentrated on HUD's Rental Assistance Demonstration Program. For more information, see www.tcgdevelopment.com.

Media ContactsARHA: [email protected]Fairstead: [email protected]

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SOURCE Fairstead
HARRISBURG, Pa., Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- With the arrival of spring break, many Pennsylvanians are looking forward to a well-deserved vacation. Unfortunately, scammers are also looking to take advantage of unsuspecting travelers. That's why AARP Pennsylvania is warning all Keystone State residents to be aware of common travel scams and take steps to protect themselves.

One of the most common scams involves offers of heavily discounted travel packages that seem too good to be true. These offers often require payment in advance, and when the time comes to travel, the promised accommodations and activities may not be available. Sometimes, travelers arrive at their destination only to find that the hotel or resort they booked doesn't even exist.

Another common scam involves phishing emails and fake travel websites. These messages may look like legitimate offers, but they often contain links to fake websites or ask for personal information that scammers can use to steal your identity. It's important to always double-check the URL of any website you visit and never click on links in unsolicited emails.

AARP Pennsylvania offers the following three tips to avoid travel scams:

Be wary of any deal that is dramatically lower than what else is available at your destination

Verify the legitimacy of online travel sites by looking closely at the web address  scammers often "spoof" legitimate hotels and third-party booking sites

Don't trust anyone who requests a wire transfer or prepaid gift card to pay for your getaway  these are the payment forms preferred by today's scammers.

"Spring break should be a time to relax and have fun with your loved ones, not a time to become the victim of a scam," said David Kalinoski, Associate State Director of Community Outreach. "We encourage all Pennsylvanians to be vigilant and take steps to protect themselves from travel scams. Remember, if an offer seems too good to be true, it probably is."

Don't get left out in the cold this spring, be a fraud fighter! If you can spot a scam, you can stop a scam. For more information on avoiding travel scams and protecting yourself while traveling, visit the AARP Pennsylvania website.

Report scams to local law enforcement. For help from AARP, call 1-877-908-3360 or visit the AARP Fraud Watch Network at www.aarp.org/fraudwatchnetwork.

About AARP

AARP is the nation's largest nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to empowering people 50 and older to choose how they live as they age. With a nationwide presence and nearly 38 million members, AARP strengthens communities and advocates for what matters most to families: health security, financial stability and personal fulfillment. AARP also produces the nation's largest circulation publications: AARP The Magazine and AARP Bulletin. To learn more, visit www.aarp.org, www.aarp.org/espanol or follow @AARP, @AARPenEspanol and @AARPadvocates, @AliadosAdelante on social media.

MEDIA CONTACT: TJ Thiessen | [email protected] | (202) 374-8033

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SOURCE AARP Pennsylvania
WASHINGTON, Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association (BCBSA) released policy solutions that could save patients and taxpayers $471 billion over 10 years. The paper, Delivering Lower Costs for Patients and Taxpayers Through Site-Neutral Payment Reform, expands on BCBSA's Affordability Solutions for the Health of Americaa comprehensive set of health care affordability proposals. These commonsense solutions would lower costs for patients and the Medicare program by bringing payment parity for certain medical services regardless of where the care is administered or who owns the facility.

Under current law, Medicare patients are being overcharged for health care services, like routine office visits and lab work, at certain practices owned by hospitals labeled as hospital outpatient departments (HOPDs). These services cost patients less when provided in a doctor's office or another setting outside of the hospital. Hundreds of millions of dollars are spent on those services with little evidence of improvement in the quality of care.

"Rising prices for medical care are one of the main drivers of the health care affordability crisis in this country," said David Merritt, BCBSA's senior vice president of policy and advocacy. "Hospitals have strong financial incentive to continue purchasing physician practices, giving these new entities the upper hand when negotiating payment rates with insurers, resulting in higher costs for patients. Congress must protect patients from these inappropriate billing practices by expanding site-neutral payment policies and cracking down on anti-competitive behavior among providers."

The Balanced Budget Act of 2015 (BBA) established site-neutral payments under Medicare for services received at newly established off-campus HOPDs which restricted new HOPDs from charging patients more for the same medical services that would cost less in other care settings. However, current off-campus HOPDs as of 2015 were exempted and allowed to expandand can charge higher rates that apply to hospital settings, despite the services not being rendered in a hospital.

To lower health care costs and generate a total savings of $471 billion for Americans over the next decade, BCBSA recommends that:

Policymakers enact federal legislation to eliminate the BBA exemption that allows certain HOPDs to overcharge Medicare patients.

Medicare adopt site-neutral payment policies for services that are commonly delivered outside the hospitalexcluding rural facilitiesat the lower payment rates applicable in non-hospital settings.

"Medicare generally pays more for services provided in hospital outpatient departments than it does for the same services at other sites of care," said Philip Ellis, president of Ellis Health Policy and a former Congressional Budget Office economist who estimated the savings for BCBSA's site-neutral policy recommendations. "This disparity directly affects payment rates for private health insurance plans because they typically use Medicare's system as a basis for paying doctors and hospitals. BCBSA's proposals to adopt site-neutral payments would not only cut Medicare spending significantly but also would reduce private insurance premiums by $117 billion and yield another $152 billion in out-of-pocket savings for Medicare patients and enrollees in private plans."

Medicare's move to expand site-neutral payments would pave the way for private insurance plans to also implement these payment policies, ultimately increasing access to high-quality and affordable care.

"We are committed to advancing commonsense solutions to improve care and lower costs for Americans because the bottom line is that no one should have to pay more for health care services based only on the site of care," continued Merritt.

About Blue Cross Blue Shield Association

The Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association is a national federation of 34 independent, community-based and locally operated Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies that collectively provide health care coverage for one in three Americans.

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SOURCE Blue Cross Blue Shield Association
A view of damaged Apple supplier Foxlink is seen after a fire at its assembly facility in Tirupati district in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh, India, February 28, 2023. REUTERS/Praveen Paramasivam

By Praveen Paramasivam and Munsif Vengattil

CHITTOOR, India (Reuters) -Much of the fire safety equipment at Apple supplier Foxlink's facility in southern India was not functional, a government official told Reuters on Tuesday, a day after a blaze halted production at the maker of iPhone charging cables.

The factory is located in the Chittoor district of India's Andhra Pradesh state and is unlikely to resume full operations for two months, raising supply chain concerns for the U.S. tech giant, Reuters reported earlier in the day.

Foxlink was engulfed in a massive fire on Monday that led part of the building to collapse, but there were no casualties.

Except for fire extinguishers, safety systems such as smoke detectors, sprinklers and fire hydrants were faulty, leading to a slower response in containing the fire, said J Ramanaiah, who leads the Fire Services Department in the region.

"The smoke detector was not activated and fire alarms didn't go off," Ramanaiah added.

Apple and Foxlink did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The cause of the fire is still being investigated.

The regional fire department will submit a report on the incident to state authorities, which will decide whether to investigate the matter further, said Shuvana Sony, zone manager of the industrial park where the plant is located.

Sony added her previous visits to the plant had shown no safety lapses at the facility.

Some Apple representatives visited the facility for meetings on Tuesday, according to three people familiar with the matter, although what was discussed was not clear.

Foxlink operates a total of 10 assembly lines in two separate facilities at the plant in Andhra, of which four were completely destroyed, one source with knowledge of the situation said. Production at the remaining six assembly lines is expected to resume later this week.

A second source said that Foxlink was a key supplier for Apple in India, and "there could be potential supply chain disruptions for iPhones made in India, or shipped from India".

Cupertino, California-based Apple has bet big on India since it began assembling iPhones in the country in 2017, in line with the Indian government's push for local manufacturing.

The incident is the latest problem to hit one of Apple's 11 suppliers in India.

Production was hit at a facility of Apple contract manufacturer Foxconn in 2021 due to food poisoning among workers, and a Wistron India plant was affected by worker unrest in 2020 over non-payment of wages.

IMPACT ON BUSINESS

Foxlink exports charging cables and some other equipment to countries such as China and Hong Kong, with total exports worth $32.2 million since 2022, according to figures from a private customs data provider.

Last year, the data indicates Foxlink exported around 7 million USB-C to lightning cables from India, and in January shipped 1.6 million units. Around 98% of exports were cables.

Foxlink's Indian sales numbers were not immediately clear.

Reuters visited the Foxlink site on Tuesday where part of the building was completely charred and residual smoke was still seen rising in the morning. The factory is surrounded by other industrial units, including one for Indian phone maker Karbonn.

Many workers gathered outside the facility, with some anxious about the status of their contract jobs. They told Reuters the fire broke out during lunch break on Monday.

"The fire became uncontrollable," one worker said, declining to be named.

Other Foxlink workers said they had been asked to not come to work on Wednesday.

A police official said on Monday there was an estimated loss of $12 million at the factory.

(Reporting by Munsif Vengattil in New Delhi and Praveen Paramasivam in Chittoor, Additional reporting by Maurice D. Tamman; Editing by Aditya Kalra, Louise Heavens, Emelia Sithole-Matarise and Sharon Singleton)
Two commanders and four others have been fired from units at Minot Air Force Base, a strategic nuclear installation in North Dakota, Air Force Global Strike Command officials said.

Col. Gregory Mayer, commander of the 5th Mission Support Group, and Maj. Jonathan Welch, the 5th Logistics Readiness Squadron commander, were dismissed from their jobs along with four of their subordinates, a base spokesperson told Stars and Stripes on Monday.

They were dismissed due to a loss of confidence in their ability to complete their assigned duties, an Air Force statement said.

Their names were withheld to protect the privacy of the individuals in the initial statement but later released. The Pentagon services typically release the names of commanders when announcing reliefs for cause.

Mayer took command of the 5th Mission Support Group in June last year.

Further details about the firings or related reprimands were not made available Tuesday.

The decision was made by Maj. Gen. Andrew J. Gebara, commander of 8th Air Force, which oversees the Air Forces fleet of nuclear-capable strategic bombers and comes amid heightened scrutiny of the U.S. military's nuclear readiness.

"These personnel actions were necessary to maintain the very high standards we demand of those units entrusted with supporting our nation's nuclear mission," Gebara said Monday in a command statement.

The 5th Bomb Wing maintains a fleet of 28 nuclear-capable B-52H Stratofortress bombers. The 91st Missile Wing, also located at Minot, oversees 150 Minuteman III missiles in underground launch facilities spread across an 8,500 square-mile missile complex.

Mayer was responsible for $4.3 billion in base and missile field assets, according to his biography, which has since been removed from the units website.

Previous command removals at Minot AFB included the dismissal of the 91st Missile Wing Operations Support Squadron commander in 2021 and the 69th Bomb Squadron and 91st Security Forces Group commanders in 2018.

The firings come as the Air Force is expanding a review of whether nine instances of blood cancer found in officers over decades are linked to nuclear silo work. The broadened review includes all personnel who worked on, guarded, supported or operated ground-based warheads, Global Strike Command announced last week.
WASHINGTON  Two of the Armys top leaders said Monday that 2023 is an important year for the United States to show China that any attempt to unify with Taiwan would meet with a strong U.S.-led coalition of resistance like what Russia is seeing in Ukraine.

We want to lower the temperature in the relationship with China, Army Secretary Christine Wormuth said during a discussion on the Indo-Pacific region at the American Enterprise Institute, a Washington-based think tank. Im personally not of the view that an amphibious invasion of Taiwan is imminent, but we have to obviously prepare. We have got to be prepared to fight and win that war.

U.S. and other Western leaders have been concerned for years about Chinas rising influence outside its borders, including the entire Indo-Pacific region that stretches from the eastern coast of Africa to the South Pacific and includes countries such as Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, the Philippines and Indonesia.

The Pentagons National Defense Strategy late last year identified China as the top pacing challenge for the U.S. and certain recent activities in the South China Sea  as well as a surveillance balloon that was shot down this month after it was spotted over the United States  have only increased concerns. Such Chinese actions, coupled with Russias invasion of Ukraine last year, have raised worries about the possibility that China might attempt to unify with Taiwan, an island that it considers a breakaway Chinese territory.

Our goal is to avoid fighting a land war in Asia, Wormuth said. This is all about deterrence.

Gen. Charles Flynn, the top commander of U.S. Army Pacific, said during Mondays discussion that China has sent signals that an invasion of Taiwan is possible at some point, but added Beijing probably isnt ready to make such a move.

They are on a historical trajectory. The military arm they have created is extraordinary, he said. They are preparing those forces for something.  The prize is Taiwan.

They are working on it, but I will tell you from my perspective  they have work to do, Flynn added. And I think now is the time for us to get into position to be able to deter that [invasion] from happening.

Wormuth and Flynn detailed some efforts the Army is pursuing to create readiness, including taking advantage of new training and capabilities in the Indo-Pacific, planning for tactical positioning of troops in the region, and deploying long-range hypersonic weapons  ones that can travel at least five times the speed of sound, or Mach 5.

A lot of people dont know this, but our first battery of long-range hypersonic weapons is actually training with their ground equipment at [Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash.] right now, Wormuth said. By this fall, we will have our first battery of long-range hypersonic weapons.

Both leaders emphasized the importance of congressional support in Washington, especially when it comes to passing necessary spending bills that fund the Pentagon. Also important, they said, is learning lessons from Russias invasion of Ukraine.

U.S. and Ukrainian military officials and various news reports have said for months that Moscow has sent Russian troops into battle with little training and limited weapons for the invasion, which has entered its second year. The United States, meanwhile, has pledged more than $30 billion worth of security aid to Ukraine and some of it has come from Defense Department stocks, which must be resupplied.

Everything were seeing in Ukraine shows us that we have to ramp up production, Wormuth said. The peacetime, just-in-time supply chain model is not appropriate.

Congress passed a $1.7 trillion omnibus federal spending bill in late December to fund the government through the end of September and it was signed into law a few days later by President Joe Biden. Congress also passed the National Defense Authorization Act for 2023 and Biden signed it to authorize a Pentagon budget of almost $817 billion.

The U.S. government is fully funded through September, though some political experts have already expressed concerns about possible spending difficulties as early as October and the resulting impact on the U.S. armed forces  mainly due to sharp partisan divides on Capitol Hill and a faction of Republican lawmakers who have already shown a willingness to complicate money matters.

Congressional Republicans have so far refused to agree, for example, on raising the U.S. debt ceiling unless Biden and congressional Democrats agree to tens of billions in spending cuts in other areas such as education, housing and health care.

The U.S. hit the debt ceiling last month without a deal to raise it, but emergency measures by the Treasury are expected to stave off a deadline to deal with it until June. If that passes with no deal from Congress, the U.S. could default on its debts and lead to domestic and global economic trouble.

Some of the key new weapons systems the Army is developing will be impacted if we go into an extended continuing resolution [from Congress]. So that is very problematic, Wormuth said about what effects funding troubles could have the military. If you think about that, thats really sort of preparing to deter with one hand [tied] behind your back.
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (Tribune News Service)  Huntsvilles Redstone Arsenal is getting new attention for an ongoing $1 billion cleanup of old and unexploded chemical and conventional munitions from burial sites on the base.

The online military website Army.mil featured the chemical munitions cleanup in February focusing on soldiers who get experience with chemical agents through the operation. An unexploded ordnance supervisor interviewed for the story estimated the work will continue through 2025.

Known today as home to major U.S. military commands and a top NASA center, the Huntsville arsenal was literally that  a large Army munitions factory  during and for a period after World War II. American troops also brought home unused munitions and captured enemy munitions that ended up at Redstone for study and disposal after the war.

So far, 3,500 munitions and explosives of concern have been removed from ground, said one official involved in the Redstone cleanup. They are taken from the recovery sites overnight or early in the morning by different routes to magazines  buildings covered with dirt  to await disposal.

This ordnance was either buried intact, burned or detonated during authorized disposal in the 1940s - 1960s, project supervisor Steven Tewhill told Army.mil. Most of the munition residue encountered shows a complete disposal, although occasionally there is liquid residue inside. Then that ordnance will be packaged and stored for further disposal.

Tewhill is an Army civilian employee and the senior unexploded ordnance supervisor on Redstone Arsenal. Jason Watson of the Garrison Directorate of Public Works leads teams doing the work. There have been no missed work hours for safety issues or injuries since the program started in 2010, Watson said.

We have approximately 15 chemical munition sites and probably another 20 conventional munition sites, Watson told AL.com. Some are near NASAs East Test Stand and some near the West Test Stand, he said.

The Army dug on Redstone approximately six miles of bury trenches, if you lined them all up, Watson said. Theyre not all in one place. General debris such as construction waste and old office furnishings is also in the trenches.

Watson said his team has weekly meetings with NASA and private companies such as Blue Origin operating on Redstone. The arsenal cleanup team also works closely with the Alabama Department of Environmental Management, Watson said. We have a very good relationship with the (state), he said. They are part of our project development team. We have meetings with them every other week. They did a site visit and inspection on us two weeks ago.

We have a technology permitted with the State of Alabama that is a vessel we use where any detonations for chemical munitions are done in a controlled vessel that has gas filtration units, Watson said. Anytime, we find a chemical munition, we go to extra, extra, extra efforts to make sure that the cleanup and the dismantling of that is done in an environmentally safe way.

There have been no missed work hours for safety issues or injuries since the program started in 2010, Watson said.

All of this work is going on, but everybodys safe, Watson said. It sounds real scary  chemical munitions and World War II stuff, bombs and unexploded ordinance  but we have many, many ways to protect our workers, utility and construction workers or the lunchtime walkers, whoever it might be.

Were doing dangerous stuff, but the people are safe and the environment is getting cleaner a ton a day, Watson said.

The work these professionals are doing not only removes potential military hazards from the environment, but it also allows the site to be reutilized for ongoing expansion on Redstone Arsenal, Franz Amann told the Army publication. He is director of the Armys Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, Explosives Analytical and Remediation Activity (CARA).

Once the sites are cleared, the Department of Defense, FBI and NASA will plan to construct new facilities in the cleared area, Amann said.

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Sexual assault prevention programs in the military rely too heavily on college date-rape scenarios that differ from the way many troops experience such attacks, according to a new study that suggests the Army must adapt prevention efforts to its own social reality.

The Rand Corp., in a U.S. Army-commissioned study released Monday, found that reported assaults by male soldiers on women were unsurprisingly the most common form of sexual violence. But the study also revealed statistically significant numbers of sexual assaults in which a man was the victim, either in hazing situations or in cases of assault by a woman.

Some of the types of sexual assault and sexual harassment identified in this report do not closely align with popular stereotypes about victims, perpetrators, and contexts of sexual assault and sexual harassment in the Army, the Rand report said.

In the military, sexual assault prevention programs are heavily drawn from material geared toward college students. Assault scenarios typically revolve around dating and an alcohol-infused campus life where male perpetrators target women, Rand said.

However, such prevention programs may fail to address the unique features of sexual assault in the Army, and focusing primarily on this one type may fail to address the majority of assaults, Rand said.

A male soldier attacking a female soldier accounts for 46% of sexual assaults, according to the study. The remaining 54% differ in important ways, the report said.

Among the differences in the Army: a much larger fraction of assaults have male victims; are done with the intent to abuse, bully, or haze the victim; involve multiple perpetrators; do not involve alcohol; or occur in the workplace, Rand said.

After male soldier assaults on female soldiers, the next most common type was unwanted sexual touching in the workplace at 22%, followed by bullying/hazing sexual assaults at 15% and female assaults on male soldiers at 10%.

Meanwhile, the most reported sexual harassment scenario involved men offended by sexual talk and jokes at work, at 24% of cases, according to Rand. That was followed by gender discrimination against women at 18% and harassment on duty by an individual perpetrator at 14%.

The workplace harassment scenario involving the unwanted pursuit of a woman by a man accounted for 12% of cases.

These findings should help individual commanders increase their awareness of the different types of sexual assault and sexual harassment victims and experiences, and how those victims and experiences may apply to the soldiers under their command, Rand said.

Taking such factors into consideration could better prepare commanders to identify risks unique to their units and adapt prevention efforts as needed, the report said.
(Tribune News Service)  A dead humpback whale was seen floating about 4 or 5 miles off the New York- New Jersey coastline Monday, federal officials confirmed.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said Monday afternoon that earlier in the day the Atlantic Marine Conservation Society, which responds to marine mammal strandings and rescues in New York, received a report from the United States Coast Guard of an unidentified whale carcass just south of the Ambrose Channel.

The channel, according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, is the principal shipping route in and out of the Port of New York and New Jersey.

Both (U.S. Coast Guard) Sector NY and (the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation) deployed assets to attempt to relocate and further document the animal, and it was determined to be a humpback whale, Andrea Gomez, a NOAA spokeswoman, said in a statement Monday afternoon.

Reports of another dead whale come as at least ten have landed on beaches in New York or New Jersey since Dec. 5. Its unclear how many whales have been reported floating out on the ocean in that span.

Teams will continue to monitor the situation, but due to human safety concerns with impending weather, a response may not be possible, Gomez added at about 3 p.m. Monday.

A snowstorm is just hours away and winter storm warnings have been issued in several New Jersey counties.

Officials from the Atlantic Marine Conservation Society could not immediately be reached Monday.

Gov. Phil Murphy said last week no evidence has linked the whale deaths to offshore wind survey work despite claims from some officials and groups. The governor said pre-construction of offshore wind turbines would continue as federal officials investigated further.

The cause of death of the whale seen floating near Ambrose Channel on Monday was not released. NOAA officials continue to point to entanglement, vessel strikes and the impacts of climate change as the likely causes for whales continuing wash ashore.

The following whales have washed up since Dec. 5 in New Jersey or New York, according to officials:

 A 12-foot infant sperm whale in Keansburg on Dec. 5

 A humpback whale in Amagansett, N.Y., on Dec. 6

 A juvenile humpback whale on Strathmere Beach on Dec. 10

 A female sperm in Rockaway Beach in Queens, N.Y., on Dec. 12

 A 30-foot female humpback whale in Atlantic City on Dec. 23

 A 30-foot female humpback whale in Atlantic City on Jan. 7

 A 20- to 25- foot long sub-adult humpback whale on Jan. 12 in Brigantine

 A 40-foot adult whale on Jan. 30 near the south coast of Long Island

 A 35-foot female juvenile humpback whale reported Feb. 13 near Whiting Avenue Beach in Manasquan

 A 25-foot minke whale in Rockaway Beach in Queens, N.Y., on Feb. 17

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Steven Rodas may be reached at srodas@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @stevenrodasnj.

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WestJet passengers line up to board a bus travelling from Calgary to Regina on Feb. 26. (Gilbert Proulx/Twitter - image credit)

Gilbert Proulx said he almost couldn't believe it when he looked at his phone.

He had just landed in Calgary on Sunday afternoon after a flight from Toronto. Proulx, his wife and two sons, 9 and 6, were returning from a trip to the Bahamas.

As the family prepared to dash off the plane to make their final connection to Regina, Proulx received a ping from WestJet.

Due to unscheduled maintenance, their flight had been cancelled, the email said. To get passengers home, ground transportation would be provided.

"I had to do a double take," said Proulx, a teacher in Regina, in an interview on The Homestretch on Monday.

"I was sitting there, like, is this actually happening right now? You know, you pay good money to these airlines to provide you with transportation, and I'm sitting there, like, this is the best they can do for us right now?"

Submitted by Gilbert Proulx

In an emailed statement to CBC Calgary, Denise Kenny, manager of public relations with WestJet, said the airline apologizes for the disruption to passengers' travel plans.

"Unfortunately, reaccommodation options were limited due to the high demand for travel over the weekend and significant weather events across Vancouver and Vancouver Island, which caused compounding operational impacts and limited aircraft availability," the statement read.

"In order to best support impacted guests in reaching their destination as quickly as possible, ground transportation was arranged to provide an immediate travel option for those who were unable to wait for an alternative flight option."

For some passengers, the swap meant a one-hour flight became about an eight-hour bus ride through the night.

Eight-hour ride

Proulx said that after receiving the message, his wife and children went to find some food  which the airline had sent vouchers for  while he scoped out the bus situation. The email instructed passengers to meet at Gate 1 for 4:30 p.m. MT, about a half hour after they'd landed.

Story continues

"By the time I got there, there was a pile of passengers already kind of just standing around," he said.

"I was actually really impressed with the overall vibe of a group of passengers being told that this was the only way that they were going to get home."

Submitted by Gilbert Proulx

Proulx said staff on the ground told him the next available flight to Regina would leave three days later, on March 1.

"They basically said this is your only option. If you want to get home, you need to get on the bus."

The group left Calgary at about 5 p.m. MT, Proulx said. They took a 10-minute rest stop in Medicine Hat and arrived in Regina at about 1 a.m. MT.

"Part of me is glad I got home," he said. "But I have such a hard time wrapping my head around that that was their answer. We're going to put everyone on a bus."

LISTEN | Gilbert Proulx describes his travel experience on Sunday:

Chris Henderson, a musician from Regina, got the same email notifying him about the cancelled flight after landing in Calgary from Grande Prairie, Alta. He'd planned to take a connection home from there.

Instead of boarding the bus, he visited the customer service counter, hoping to snag another flight.

Since he was travelling solo, he said he was able to book the only seat left on a WestJet flight to Regina on Monday morning. He said he'll be trying to get his hotel stay in Calgary reimbursed.

"I know there were a bunch of other people that were looking for alternatives because they were rebooked to fly out on Wednesday or Thursday," he said.

"It was just kind of a mess. I've never been offered a bus ride from an airline before."

'Really unacceptable'

Proulx said he will be following up with WestJet to try to get a full refund for his family's trip.

"It was not what we had paid for," he said. "I'm going to do what I can to make sure that we're fairly compensated for, I mean, what in my opinion is a really unacceptable thing on an airline's part."

He said the airline might've helped ease some frustration if it had better communicated with passengers throughout the evening.

"I always like to give people the benefit of the doubt, but I will be hard pressed to book another flight with WestJet."

The lack of available seats comes after Air Canada cut service between Calgary and Regina and Calgary and Saskatoon, leaving Prairie travellers reliant on WestJet.

However, WestJet said last month it would ramp up service between Alberta's largest city and Saskatchewan starting Feb. 16, with one more daily flight between Calgary and Regina, amounting to as many as seven flights each day.

It also said it would tack on three more daily flights between Calgary and Saskatoon, totalling up to nine direct flights a day.
YOKOSUKA NAVAL BASE, Japan  A U.S. Navy ship originally named for a Confederate victory will soon be known by the name of a former slave who hijacked a Confederate vessel.

The USS Chancellorsville, named for an 1863 battle in Virginia remembered as a major victory for Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee, will be renamed for Robert Smalls, Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro announced Tuesday in a news release.

Smalls, born into slavery in South Carolina in 1839, was conscripted into the Confederate States Navy in 1862 to serve as a pilot for the Planter, an ammunitions transport ship, according to his biography on the U.S. House of Representatives website. He rose to fame that year when he hijacked the ship and turned it over to the Union Navy.

He went on to pilot the Planter and another ship, the ironclad Keokuk, on behalf of the Union in numerous battles. Later, Smalls accepted a commission as brigadier general of his home state before being elected as a South Carolina state representative from 1870 to 1874.

Between 1875 and 1887, Smalls represented South Carolina for five terms in the House of Representatives, then returned to local government in Beaufort, S.C., before dying of natural causes in 1915, according to his biography.

Robert Smalls is a man who deserves a namesake ship and with this renaming, his story will continue to be retold and highlighted, Del Toro said the release.

The Chancellorsville, which was at its homeport in Yokosuka on Tuesday, is one of two Navy vessels set to be renamed this year due to their Confederate ties; the oceanographic survey ship USNS Maury is the other, following a 2021 Congressional mandate.

The renaming of these assets is not about rewriting history, but to remove the focus on the parts of our history that dont align with the tenets of this country, and instead allows us to highlight the events and people in history who may have been overlooked, Del Toro said in the release.

It will not be the first military vessel named after Smalls. The logistics support vessel Major General Robert Smalls, which was inducted into the Armys watercraft fleet in 2007, was the first Army vessel named for an African American.

The Navy did not identify a date for unveiling the USS Robert Smalls, but assets under the congressional mandate have until the end of 2023 to be renamed, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said in September.
CLARKSVILLE, Md. (Tribune News Service)  Lilly Malnik pulled up her sleeve, revealing black numbers tattooed on her left forearm.

The Clarksville resident said shes never considered getting rid of the identification tattoo she received upon arrival at the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp nearly 80 years ago.

I want the world to see and know what happened, said Malnik, 94. If I erase it, I erase everything.

On Sunday, Malnik shared her story with an audience at the Chabad Lubavitch Center for Jewish Life in Columbia, at an event presented by Chabad of Ellicott City.

She spoke about the importance of remembering the Holocaust and the more than 6 million Jewish lives it claimed, including those of her mother, brother and sister.

Malniks words have resonated far beyond Howard County thanks, in part, to her granddaughter Miriam Ezagui, who joined her onstage. Last year, Ezagui asked her Bubbe (grandma in Yiddish) if she would share her Holocaust memories on TikTok.

I did not have to ask her twice, said Ezagui, 36, who lives in Brooklyn. She was so willing to share what she always has been.

Ezaguis TikTok channel, which had about 10,000 followers before she posted videos with Malnik, now has more than 1.4 million.

One post from last June, in which Malnik describes drugs given to female inmates at Auschwitz to prevent them from menstruating, went viral with 23.3 million views. A Canadian professor who saw the video included Malniks testimony in a study of infertility among Holocaust survivors.

With Europes largest conflict since World War II still raging in Ukraine and antisemitic incidents on the rise in the U.S., Malnik said its always possible for the past to repeat itself. But she hopes that by raising her voice, future generations will be empowered to fight whatever form hate takes and to never forget what she and other Holocaust victims experienced.

If we dont talk about it, it will be forgotten and could happen again, Malnik said. I forced myself to do it because I feel its an obligation for me to show the world what evil can bring.

From Antwerp to Auschwitz

Malnik was born in Antwerp, Belgium, in 1928 and still vividly recalls when Nazi armies invaded the country in spring 1940.

Malnik was in the hospital with tonsillitis in 1942 when the deportation of nearly 25,000 Belgian Jews began and her sister was sent to a concentration camp. Her brother and mother were discovered and taken away next, never to be heard from again, while Malnik went into hiding with the assistance of non-Jewish neighbors.

To earn money, she found work at a factory and beauty salon. While working at the salon, she had a close call when a Nazi officer asked for a manicure and massage.

I did not know how I didnt cut his fingers because my hands were shaking, she said. He left me a nice tip.

While visiting her aunt and uncle in the outskirts of Brussels in 1944, Malnik awoke one morning to banging at the door and the sight of two Nazi soldiers aiming rifles at their windows. The family was rounded up and sent to the town of Malines for six weeks before being packed into cattle cars on what Malnik would later learn was the second-to-last transport of Jews out of Belgium before its liberation.

Malnik recalls that upon arrival at Auschwitz in occupied Poland, individuals who had been suffocated or trampled to death on the journey being pulled from the car. The remaining passengers filed into a line and were sorted by Dr. Josef Mengele, an S.S. officer nicknamed the Angel of Death, who performed a range of fatal experiments on prisoners.

My aunt and uncle went to the left, which meant the oven, said Malnik, who came face-to-face with Mengele on two other occasions.

The 15-year-old Malnik had her head shaved and was showered and tattooed twice. She believes her second marking was made after her initial number was found to belong to a still-living inmate.

Word eventually spread to Malnik that the advancing Allies had entered Belgium.

You can imagine how I felt knowing that Belgium was liberated, she said. I was looking up to the stars that night and crying.

Malnik recounted numerous stories from her time at Auschwitz, from befriending a gentile French girl named Christiane, who had been caught by mistake, to standing for hours at roll calls as ashes from recently incinerated prisoners rained down on her. While working in the camps kitchens, Malnik said she once snuck out a pail of potatoes to feed a group of newly arrived Hungarian Jews who were slated for the gas chamber the next day.

As the Soviet Unions Red Army approached in early 1945, Malnik and other inmates were evacuated on a death march to Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in northern Germany. It was there that the French girl Christiane died of typhus, and Malnik subsequently contracted the disease.

She weighed 70 pounds by the time British armored units finally liberated Belsens 60,000 remaining prisoners in April 1945.

I dont know if I would have had another week to live, Malnik said. My days were numbered.

After spending two months in a field hospital, Malnik was taken back to Belgium by the Red Cross. She made her way to the U.S. in 1947 and reunited with her father, who had immigrated there prior to the war.

Shes always uplifting

After she arrived in Washington, Malnik met and married her husband, Abe, a Holocaust survivor from Lithuania. The couple raised three boys and was active in the establishment of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. Abe died in 2007.

Despite the horrors she has witnessed, Malnik has always maintained a strong sense of humor, according to her family, which now includes six grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.

She knows how to laugh, said her son Leon, 71, who also lauded her Belgian-French-inspired cooking prowess. She always has a smile. Shes always uplifting.

That warmness is on full display in Ezaguis TikToks, in which Malnik is seldom seen without a twinkle in her eye as she sings Yiddish lullabies, puts on makeup and hugs her great-grandchildren, in addition to recounting her time in Auschwitz.

You and Abe were not supposed to survive Hitler  and survive him you did  and built this beautiful family in this great country, said Eli Rosenbaum, former director of the U.S. Department of Justices Office of Special Investigations, who was tasked with identifying and deporting Nazi war criminals.

At the Chabad event, Rosenbaum recounted how he met Abe Malnik in 1995 when he served as a witness in a successful denaturalization case against Jonas Stelmokas, a Lithuanian police officer who participated in the 1941 massacre of 9,200 Jews of the Kovno Ghetto.

Your husband reached a lot of people, Rosenbaum told Malnik. You have reached many more people, because you have lived long enough for the technology to exist for that. You have opened your heart to so many audiences.

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Afghanistan, Aug. 11, 2011: Soldiers from Company C and Scout Platoon, 1st Battalion, 32nd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division salute as soldiers killed in an improvised explosive device strike are flown from Combat Outpost Nalgham to Kandahar Air Field.
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (Tribune News Service)  A Colorado Springs veteran recently completed a years-long mission to celebrate the World War II exploits of one of the citys greatest heroes.

Keith LaMee, former commander of the PFC Floyd K. Lindstrom American Legion Post 5 in downtown Colorado Springs, traveled to Italy in late January to trace the path the war hero took during the 1943 battle that earned Lindstrom the Medal of Honor.

The journey, aided by Italian members of the Society of the 3rd Infantry Division, was the culmination of 15 years of research and advocacy on LaMees part.

Everyone in Colorado Springs should know Floyd Lindstroms name and what he did to earn the Medal of Honor, he said.

In 2008, LaMee received a phone call from a resident who wanted to know why Lindstrom, a Cheyenne Mountain High School graduate, was not being properly honored.

I grew up here in Colorado Springs, but I had never heard of Lindstrom, LaMee said. So I decided to find out what I could.

The more research LaMee conducted, the more he needed to know. With a determination bordering on obsession, he has pored over websites, microfilm and old newspaper clippings for a decade and a half. He has Lindstroms initials tattooed on his right forearm.

LaMee is likely the foremost authority on the life, wartime service and death of Lindstrom, who never had children. (Lindstrom was killed in action during the landing at Anzio Beach, Italy, on Feb. 3, 1944.)

Keith has made it his lifes mission to learn everything he can about Lindstrom, so he can share it, said Andrea Finnegan-Fosse, Post 5 commander. I just find that amazing.

Floyd K. Lindstrom was born on June 21, 1912, in Holdrege, Neb. His mother, Anna, moved him to Colorado when he was a toddler. After his graduation from Cheyenne Mountain High School, Lindstrom worked as a truck driver for 11 years. He was engaged to marry a woman named Mary Jane Wackenhut, but she died of a heart attack in 1942.

He must have been really torn up about her death, LaMee said.

Lindstrom joined the Army on June 22, 1942, a day after his 30th birthday.

On Nov. 11, 1943, Lindstroms unit found itself engaged in battle with German machine gunners near Mignano, Italy. When enemy gunfire from the crest of Monte La Difensa scattered much of his unit, Lindstrom picked up his machine gun, which reportedly weighed more than 100 pounds, and ran up the steep, rocky slope, completely ignoring enemy small-arms fire which was striking all around him, according to his Medal of Honor citation.

Despite the fact that the enemy had the high ground, Lindstrom engaged in an intense duel with two hostile machine gunners from about 10 yards away. When he realized that the shooters were protected by a large rock, he pulled his pistol and charged uphill. He killed both gunners with his pistol, took their gun to his own men, and went back up the hill to the machine gun nest for two boxes of ammunition. He gave his men the German ammunition, then went up the hill again to retrieve his own machine gun.

The hand of God must have been protecting him, LaMee said.

While looking at the Find A Grave website, LaMee discovered a posting that announced an upcoming ceremony honoring Lindstrom. The ceremony was to take place in Italy.

I could see that they used a lot of the information that I had posted, LaMee said.

Thus began a long-distance friendship between LaMee and Luigi Settimi, the author of the post. Settimi implored LaMee to make a trip to Italy to see the site of Lindstroms heroic deeds.

Before my wife passed (in 2020), she made me promise that I would make this trip, LaMee said.

In January, LaMee flew out to Italy and met with Settimi and other members of the Society of the 3rd Infantry Division Outpost 16. While there, he visited Anzio Beach, the site of Lindstroms final, fatal battle, and he walked up Monte La Difensa. The walk up the steep hill was the culmination of 15 years of chasing this guy, he said.

The walk was a treacherous one for LaMee, who has had knee and shoulder replacement surgeries. But he was determined to get up that hill, even if he had to crawl, he said.

Im 63 years old, and I dont have all my original parts, he said. But I wasnt about to let that stop me. My legs did not like it. But I wouldnt have traded (the experience) for the world.

Standing on the hill evoked the sights and sounds of the 1943 battle in a way that research never could, LaMee said.

When you actually stand where the German machine gunners were, and you look down, you can really tell how steep that hill was. And (Lindstrom) carried that heavy machine gun up there. ... It just blows your mind. I mean, how could an individual do that?

LaMee brought home a few treasured keepsakes, including sand from Anzio and soil from La Difensa, and has forged a lasting friendship with Settimi and others from the Italian outpost. He said he would recommend the trip for anyone who wishes to know more about the war hero for whom Post 5 and the VA Clinic are named.

In the meantime, LaMee intends to keep spreading the word about the war hero, whose remains are interred at Evergreen Cemetery in Colorado Springs.

As long as Im around, I plan to keep (Lindstroms) name in the public eye, he said.

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A Canadian man is planning to walk 187 miles on two continents to commemorate one of the bloodiest battles of the Korean War.

The Battle of Kapyong is memorialized at two sites in Canada, where Guy Black, of Coquitlam, British Columbia, walked the 186 miles between them in 2021.

This year, he plans to start his walk in Canada, fly to South Korea and continue to the former Kapyong battleground east of Seoul on April 20 to mark the 70th anniversary of the end of combat in the Korean War.

Although an armistice signed July 27, 1953, ended actual fighting, a peace treaty was never concluded, and North and South Korea remain technically at war.

When Black arrives at the Kapyong battlefield 37 miles northeast of Seoul, he plans to attend a battle ceremony and lay a poppy wreath he is bringing from Canada.

I'm just hoping that it will draw a little bit more attention to the Korean War, and just remembering the guys that died, Black, a medals and commemoration consultant for Seaforth Highlanders of Canada, said by phone Feb. 8. We just can't forget them.

The 27th British Commonwealth Infantry Brigade, two battalions each of British, Canadians and Australians, for three days in April 1951 held off a Chinese division whose spring offensive buckled a division of the South Korean army. New Zealand artillery and U.S. tanks provided fire support.

The Australians, called up to stem the Chinese advance, took the heaviest casualties at the outset. As the battled neared its conclusion the night of April 24, the Canadian commander refused to withdraw his battalion from its hilltop position, which the Chinese surrounded and pummeled with heavy fire. The Canadians hunkered down, and, resupplied by air, kept the Chinese attackers at bay.

For that feat, the 2nd Battalion of Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry was awarded a U.S. Presidential Unit Citation, a very rare honor for a Canadian unit, according to Veterans Affairs Canada. Ten Canadians were killed and 23 wounded in the fight, according to the agencys website.

Black started his journey as a volunteer at Seaforth Highlanders of Canada Museum and Archives in Vancouver, where he heard from other volunteers  Korean War veterans  of their experiences.

After a veteran brought him some memorabilia from the 50th anniversary commemoration of the war, Black contacted the U.S. 50th Anniversary of the Korean War Commemoration Committee and joined as a volunteer.

They always say Korea was in the shadow of the Second World War, which was much bigger. So, no one really knew about the Korean War and when you read about when the veterans came back from the war, they didn't get a parade. Nothing happened for them. There was no recognition, Black said.

Black wrote articles in newspapers and magazines and over 35 proclamations for cities and districts within the province of British Columbia, he said, and recently submitted one to the province for the 70th anniversary of the armistice.

And once I got started on and I kept going, and the more that I did, the more that I could see what was not being done, Black said. I want to get the Korean War out of the history book and put it into, like, the newspapers and TV news.
TOKYO (Tribune News Service) Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi is unlikely to attend a meeting of G-20 foreign ministers in India on Wednesday, instead prioritizing parliamentary business, according to a government official.

It remains unclear whether he will attend a Friday meeting of the Quad nations, consisting of the United States and Australia, alongside India, according to the official, who asked not to be identified in line with policy. The news was reported earlier by Japanese media, including the Nikkei newspaper. A deputy minister is likely to be dispatched in his place, the reports said.

Keeping the foreign minister at home for a domestic matter could irritate Group of 20 host India. The move comes as Japan seeks to bolster security and other ties with Narendra Modis government amid growing concerns about Chinas assertive behavior in the region, as well as Russias war in Ukraine.

The news sparked criticism from lawmakers and members of the public on social media, who said it was a lost opportunity to show leadership as Japan prepares to host the Group of Seven summit in May. Modi made a trip to Tokyo in September to attend the state funeral for former Prime Minster Shinzo Abe and held talks with current premier, Fumio Kishida.

Bolstering ties with India has been a priority for the Kishida government as it seeks partners beyond its sole treaty ally, the U.S., to counter security threats posed by the likes of China. The Quad is a prominent format for cooperation. It has grown in stature in recent years as a counter to Beijing, which has criticized the group as a clique that could stoke a new Cold War.

In addition, Japan and India in January held their first joint military air drills and Kishidas government is making arrangements to invite Australia and India to the G-7 summit in May to discuss issues including Ukraine, nuclear disarmament and climate change, public broadcaster NHK reported.

Its a regrettable decision that means forfeiting a chance to emphasize the importance of the rule of law to the developing countries that take part in G-20, Goshi Hosono, a ruling Liberal Democratic Party lawmaker said on Twitter.

Hosono, who previously belonged to the opposition Democratic Party, added such decisions to prioritize parliament over diplomacy were often made to please the ruling parties. Hayashi had already arranged bilateral discussions with some of his counterparts on the sidelines of the meeting, Kyodo News reported.

The agency cited an unidentified Indian government official as saying the decision not to attend would be a negative for Japans foreign policy and give the mistaken impression that Tokyo values only the G-7.

Japans lower house of parliament is likely to pass the budget later Tuesday and hand it over for discussion in the upper house. All members of the Cabinet are customarily present for the initial sessions of the budget committee, which are planned for Wednesday and Thursday.

___

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TORONTO  Mulham Alkhalil has been working for a high-end furniture manufacturer in Toronto since arriving in Canada last year from Syria via Libya.

The 40-year-old, whose job involves operating a computer-assisted furniture cutting and engraving machine, fled Syria in 2012 because he didn't want to get involved in the country's ongoing war by being drafted to compulsory military service.

He first went to Libya but said he wasn't able to find long-term stability there after that country's civil war escalated. In 2019, he decided to seek refuge elsewhere with his wife and three children.

Alkhalil was able to secure a job and move to Canada with his family last May thanks to a pilot program the federal government has expanded to provide refugees with a pathway to resettlement based on their job skills.

"It's like starting a new life," he said in a phone interview. "My children now go to school, learn English and engage in social activities ... life is stable here."

Canada launched the pilot project in 2018 to bring in 10 to 15 skilled refugees. It was extended for two more years in 2020 to admit up to 500 applicants and as of last October, more than 100 skilled refugees and their family members had arrived under the program.

In December, the Immigration Department said it would work with employers to expand the program to welcome 2,000 skilled refugees to fill specific labour shortages in high-demand sectors, including health care, skilled trades and information technology.

Federal Immigration Minister Sean Fraser said that month that Ottawa would provide $6.2 million to support organizations helping refugees apply to come to Canada as skilled workers.

Khoder El-Dassouki, the owner of Emanuele Furniture Design, said Alkhalil was the second employee he hired under the pilot program for skilled refugees.

"We cannot find the skilled labour that we're requiring here in Canada," he said. "We've been searching and we've been putting ads all over the country and we're just not getting the right candidates."

Story continues

El-Dassouki, who has had his high-end custom millwork cabinets business for 35 years, said skilled workers are essential for his company.

"We're very specific on the quality and the finesse of the products," he said.

The pilot program  officially called the Economic Mobility Pathways Pilot  allows non-profit organizations that are partnering with the government to help skilled refugees overseas connect with employers to apply for a job.

After applicants receive a job offer, they can apply to immigrate to Canada through existing economic programs using the pilot program.

El-Dassouki said it took more than a year to process the applications of the two employees who joined his company under the pilot program.

"The duration of the application is way too long," he said. "When we have an application, we wish to have somebody here anywhere between three to six months."

Dana Wagner, co-founder and managing director of TalentLift Canada, a non-profit that helped Alkhalil, said refugees are traditionally able to move to Canada and other safe countries through humanitarian resettlement programs but those have limited capacity compared to the high number of refugees seeking resettlement.

The pilot program allows people who happen to be refugees and have skills that are in demand in the job market to immigrate to Canada under existing skilled immigration pathways, she said.

"The reason that we needed (this pilot program) was because skilled visa pathways were not built for people in refugee circumstances," she said.

"Traditionally, all of Canada's skilled immigration pathways have required a valid passport to apply. That has nothing to do with your education level, your work experience."

The pilot began to change some requirements that had been barriers preventing refugees from applying to come to Canada as skilled workers, including documentary and financial barriers.

"If you have an expired passport from Afghanistan or Syria before (the pilot) you just were not eligible, period," Wagner said.

"Globally, humanitarian resettlement still only supports such a small number (of refugees)."

A spokesperson for the federal Immigration Department said the pilot project aims to address labour shortages while providing solutions for refugees who have the skills and qualifications Canadian employers need.

"It is an innovative way to welcome more refugees and their families to Canada, while also helping employers fill critical labour shortages," Michelle Carbert wrote in a statement.

The government is fine-tuning the pilot to ensure it's meeting the needs of candidates, employers and non-governmental organizations, Carbert said.

"We will continue to work with our partners to look at more ways to make it easier for employers to bring skilled refugees and their families to Canada as economic immigrants," Carbert said.

The United Nations estimates the number of refugees in need of resettlement will increase to more than two million this year, up from 1.47 million in 2022, which represents a 36 per cent increase.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 27, 2023.

Maan Alhmidi, The Canadian Press
WASHINGTON  The Pentagon has found no evidence that U.S. military aid earmarked for Ukraine has been diverted for unauthorized uses, defense officials told House lawmakers Tuesday to allay congressional fears that weapons could be falling into the wrong hands.

The Pentagons comprehensive oversight efforts for nearly $32 billion in security assistance for Ukraines defense against Russias invasion is successfully working to track and account for military equipment, officials said during a hearing of the House Armed Services Committee.

We think the Ukrainians are using properly what theyve been given, said Colin Kahl, the undersecretary of defense for policy.

Robert Storch, the Defense Departments inspector general, detailed a vast accountability system that the U.S. has set up to watch over the material being sent to Ukraine in the past year. More than 90 employees are conducting oversight and the department has about 20 ongoing and planned audits and evaluations focused on ensuring U.S. tax dollars are being spent properly, he said.

The Pentagon is also partnering with inspector generals at the State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development to monitor more than $113 billion in total aid to Ukraine, about 60% of which is military assistance, Storch said.

Were laser focused on this issue, he said. Were doing audits and evaluations that look at the weapons from the time they begin at the port, while theyre transferred, as they get to the transshipment points and then go into the country.

Ukrainians have been provided with tracking systems, including hand-held scanners and logistics software, to keep tabs on the equipment, Kahl said. The limited military personnel at the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital, also has conducted six site visits to provide additional oversight.

We dont see any evidence of diversion in our reporting, he said. But well continue to foot stomp the importance of accountability and transparency.

Ukraines long history of corruption has been a top concern for defense officials since the U.S. began actively assisting Ukraines military nine years ago, Kahl said. But there has been progress in that area, he said, especially in the defense sector.

Rep. Joe Courtney, D-Conn., noted Ukraines position on a corruption index compiled by the group Transparency International has improved in the past year and praised Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyys recent crackdown on graft within his government.

I would say he courageously took steps to remove officials, some very close even to his office and political supporters of his own, which shows, I think, a tremendous commitment to not just talking about trying to address this problem, Courtney said. I think that should be acknowledged in terms of the seriousness with which he and his administration are pursuing this goal.

Rep. Adam Smith of Washington, the top Democrat on the committee, said Ukraines success on the battlefield  defying many expectations that the country would fall to a Russian assault in a matter of days  has shown that U.S. aid is going where it needs to go.

If the weapons and equipment and support that we were sending them was being sent elsewhere or stolen or misused, they would have lost a long time ago, he said.

Republicans have been more skeptical of U.S. assistance to Ukraine, with a vocal minority arguing to put an end to it. Reps. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., and Mike Johnson, R-La., on Tuesday raised concerns over the challenges of conducting end-use monitoring in a country with no active U.S. military presence.

Kahl acknowledged those difficulties but said safeguards are in place to make certain Ukrainians are not misusing U.S. aid. Ukrainian officials are regularly providing information from their inventories and transfer logs, and data from NATO-standard scanners is being transmitted directly to the U.S., he said.

A couple dozen military personnel from the U.S. Embassys Office of Defense Cooperation are also making day trips to sites outside Kyiv when it is safe to do so, Kahl said.

This is an active combat zone, its not like Iraq and Afghanistan where we had thousands of soldiers all over the country so there are inherent restrictions, he said. But were trying to maximize the use of technology and the people we do have on the ground to get the best sight picture as possible.
(Tribune News Service)  Former Nevada Republican congressional candidate Sam Peters learned a couple of weeks ago that his military records  containing personal information  were improperly released to a Democrat-paid research group a year before.

Peters, who lost his race against incumbent Democratic Rep. Steven Horsford in the 4th Congressional District, received a Feb. 8 letter from the Air Force informing him about the unauthorized release of his records to an employee of Due Diligence Group, a company hired by the Democratic Partys chief fundraising committee.

(The Air Force) without question, did not follow the protocols that were in place, said Peters, who served from 1992 until retiring in 2013 and was one of 11 people whose records were released without authorization. I want rules to be followed and my privacy protected because these organizations are not supposed to release this type of private information without the members consent, and they did not have it.

20 years of records released

The letter states that on Feb. 10, 2022 and March 4, 2022, the Air Force Personnel Center Military Records Branch received requests for Peters military records from Abraham Payton, a background investigation analyst with Due Diligence Group LLC, a company that specializes in using public records research for its clients, including political campaigns, according to its website.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, the Democratic Partys fundraising committee that works to elect Democratic candidates to Congress, paid Due Diligence Group in 2021 and 2022 as a generic strategic/political consultant work, according to OpenSecrets.

Due Diligence Group did not return requests for comment.

Payton already had Peters Social Security number and requested the records for the purpose of Peters employment and benefits, the letter said.

Letter by Jessica Hill on Scribd

On Feb. 14, 2022, an employee in the Air Force records branch shared a copy of Peters Form 214, the record of service all members receive when they leave the military. It includes the persons Social Security number, the dates that they entered and exited service, the rank they obtained, awards and training they received, Peters said.

When a military member applies for a job or applies for veteran benefits, those employers or organizations will ask for a copy of their Form 214, Peters said.

Its a pretty common document, Peters said. But again, its a private document. It has personal information on it. And for the Air Force to release it to somebody without my knowledge, its not allowed.

On March 8, 2022, an Air Force employee also released a copy of his military personnel records, which is a large folder of documents with information spanning Peters 20-year career, including his first enlistment, every promotion, every evaluation from his commanders and his retirement paperwork, he said.

Changes made

Col. Robert A. Hoskins, director of personnel support, wrote in the letter to Peters that he takes the matter seriously and conducted an investigation and internal audit, which determined there was no criminal action or malicious intent by the employee in the records branch.

Hoskins wrote that the Air Force held the employee accountable for not following the proper procedures but did not specify what was done. To prevent the issue from happening again, the personnel center also reviewed its policies and practices and made procedural changes, including implementing a higher level review and adding more security checks, Hoskins wrote in the letter.

Since finding out those records were released, Peters is trying to find out where all his information went. He called Hoskins office twice and has not been able to speak with him, he said Friday. My personal information is out there, to people who shouldnt have it, who clearly wanted to use it against me, Peters said. And what are they doing with it now? And how are they using it?

During the campaign, Peters did not see any attack ads or information publicized that he thought was private and came from those records. The messaging from Horsford and the Democratic campaigns did not go into his military history, he said.

Miguel Ayala, spokesman for Horsfords campaign, said in an email that the campaign did not have a relationship with the researcher and strongly condemns the use of information used by illegal means.

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(Tribune News Service)  There was once hope that the Tampa Bay area would become Hollywood South, but Atlanta grabbed that mantle by building the production studios used to film the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Two local producers  one of whom made the highest grossing independent movie of all time  say that doesnt mean this area cant still become the hub for movies about superheroes.

But rather than telling comic book stories, they say Tampa Bay needs to focus on the real-life heroes.

We are home to so many who served or still serve this countrys military, Kristian Krempel said. They are our national superheroes. They have stories that people need to know.

He has produced and edited two documentaries so far, doing so with filmmaking partner Dan Myrick, best known for directing The Blair Witch Project.

And while neither focuses on locals, Krempel and Myrick expect those projects will come.

There are countless tales here, Krempel said. I think once they see what we are doing, they will be more comfortable coming forward with them.

Their first documentary, titled Drop Zone Everest and now streaming on FITE TV, follows a team of former special operators who skydive into Mt. Everest to honor the 31 Americans who lost their lives in Afghanistan on Aug. 6, 2011. Their helicopter was shot down by the Taliban. It was the deadliest U.S. incident during the war there.

The film details the stories of the skydivers and those who died in action 12 years ago. The documentarys postproduction was completed locally.

The next project, a docuseries titled Triple 7, is still being filmed. It follows a team of former U.S. and Canadian service members who skydived onto all seven continents in seven days in mid-January. Each member of the expedition jumped in honor of someone who died in service to the nation.

They skydived in Antarctica, and then over the Andes, Miami, Barcelona, the Pyramids of Giza in Cairo, Abu Dhabi and finally Perth, Australia. Their time of skydiving in seven continents in six days, six hours, and six minutes was a new world record.

On the eighth day, the team made an honorary jump in Zephyrhills to memorialize the 13 American service members who died during the withdrawal from Afghanistan.

Krempel said that they are now editing the jump footage and filming interviews  many in the area  detailing the lives of those to whom the documentary pays tribute.

The film will also promote the teams effort to raise $7 million for the Folds of Honor nonprofit, which provides scholarships to the children and spouses of those who lost their lives or were disabled in service.

Ive always been a big supporter of the men and women in uniform, said Myrick, who splits time between Tampa and Bainbridge Island, Wash. I did a 2,700-mile backcountry, bike-packing tour last year to raise money for the Wounded Warrior Project. This documentary was a natural extension since it was raising money for Folds of Honor. Both experiences have been amazing, and I hope to have more like them.

The two productions were planned by Legacy Expeditions, which, according to its website, seeks to uphold the legacy of our fallen by planning and executing adrenaline-fueled, extreme expeditions while also raising funds and awareness for select veteran responder charities.

Krempel hopes to do more with Legacy Expeditions while also mining stories from this area.

Documentaries, series, feature films, you name it, he said. Our area is ground zero for American heroes.

Hillsborough County is home to 93,400 veterans, more than anywhere else in the state, county spokesman Jose Patino said. Pinellas has nearly 76,000 veterans, according to the latest census.

And the area is home to MacDill Air Force Base and United States Coast Guard Air Station Clearwater that, in total, provide 175,108 local jobs, according to Enterprise Florida.

When you look at our region, there is a huge untapped resource in telling the stories of the armed service members who are a huge part of our DNA, said Tyler Martinolich, head of Hillsboroughs film commission, Film Tampa Bay. The agency provided Triple 7 with a $60,000 production incentive for shooting here. They have stories that can inspire.

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SPOKANE, Wash. (Tribune News Service)  Donn Thompsons 100-year-old frame snapped to attention in the cold afternoon air Friday outside his home at the Rockwood South Hill retirement community, his hand extended in the formal military salute of a Marine Corps veteran.

Beneath that outward show of military decorum, performed in response to a procession that included a World War II era jeep and a color guard salute, lies memories of a conflict that has fewer and fewer firsthand witnesses as time passes.

War is not very kind, remember that, Thompson, who turned 100 Friday, said. And most people wouldnt be able to understand anything I told them.

As a private first class in the Marines, Thompson participated in five assault landings in the Pacific Theater during World War II, said his son, Jim Thompson. Like many of his generation, he didnt talk about the war with his children, but drips and drabs of information  and spontaneous bursts of emotion  would bubble out over the years.

On his first assault, the doors opened and the man next to him was immediately struck by gunfire and killed, Jim Thompson recalled his father telling him. He would later ask to see the mans wallet when he was being carried away for burial, and inside were pictures of the mans wife and two children.

He would say, I can still see those images in my head,  Jim Thompson said.

He was in the Pacific when the United States dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, leading to Japans surrender in World War II. In an interview in 1995, Thompson said he remembered the white flags dotting the Japanese hills as American forces arrived in August 1945.

Chills ran up and down my spine, Thompson recalled then. I thought: Man, if wed invaded here, we would have been cut to ribbons. 

Donn Thompson is a member of an increasingly exclusive club. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs estimated in September that of the 16 million Americans who served during World War II, fewer than 168,000 remained alive last year. That number was down from roughly 240,000 the year before.

Several generations and friends at Rockwood and beyond stopped Friday afternoon to share a handshake or a word of congratulations for Thompson, a Lewis and Clark High School alumnus who enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1943 before finishing college. At his side was his wife of 75 years, Dude, (pronounced Dew-dee).

Theyve always called each other love bugs,  Jim Thompson said.

Dude Thompson stood with her husband as the Melvin M. Smith Detachment of the Marine Corps League and active members of the military presented the colors, along with proclamations and challenge coins to her husband.

Its a little emotional, Dude Thompson said. I tried to hold back tears, and I did.

Joining the celebration were former neighbors Darrell and Colleen Kuhn, whove been attending birthday celebrations for the couple for years.

Weve stayed friends for 20-plus years, Colleen Kuhn said. We still consider them neighbors.

They were good neighbors, good mentors, good friends, Darrell Kuhn said. The world needs more people like them, especially today.

Among the gifts that Donn Thompson received Friday were 178 cards of well wishes, sent from 38 states, collected by local chapters of the Daughters of the American Revolution. The local chapter of the Children of the American Revolution also collected cards for Thompson.

Donn Thompson credited his good genes for his longevity. His dear dad lived to 97 and died of a heart attack.

God bless you, Dad, Im still here, Thompson said Friday, lifting his eyes to the sky over a celebratory glass of wine.

Later, after the procession had passed and the proclamations had been read, Thompson once again lifted his hand to his forehead, addressing the men and women in uniform in front of him.

I salute you, he said.

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Jack Holder, a sailor whose service during World War II included the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, the Battle of Midway and flying dozens of B-24 bomber missions over the English Channel, died Friday. He was 101.

His death was announced Sunday in a Facebook post by Darlene Tryon, a retired Air Force master sergeant who is the executor of Holders estate.

Tryon wrote that she was at Holders side when he died at Chandler Regional Medical Center in Chandler, Ariz.

For more than four decades after the wars end, Holder rarely spoke of his Forrest Gump-like presence at key events of the conflict, Tryon wrote.

That changed in the late 1980s, however, when he was invited to join a veterans honor flight and visited war memorials in Washington, D.C., she wrote.

The trip inspired him to become a regular at Pearl Harbor commemorations and to speak at museums and schools of his experiences, she wrote.

Holder, an only child, was raised on a farm in Gunter, Texas, and joined the Navy in 1940 immediately after graduating from high school, he said in a videotaped interview published online in 2020 by The Log Book Project.

He was stationed at Ford Island on Pearl Harbor late that year, where he was a crew member aboard an amphibious patrol bomber, or PBY, as part of PBY Squadron VP-23.

During the months before the war began, Holder rose to the position of flight engineer.

On the morning of Dec. 7, 1941, he had just lined up for muster inside the squadron hangar, with the section leader commencing roll call, he said in the interview.

We heard the screaming aircraft and moments later a terrible explosion, he said. They ran outside and found the hangar next to theirs engulfed in flames and smoke.

Most of the PBY aircraft standing between the hangars were damaged during that bombing, he said.

The sailors raced for a nearby ditch being dug for a new sewer line. One Japanese plane strafed them as they crouched there, missing them by only a few feet.

Ive been asked so many times: What were your thoughts at that time?  he said in the interview. But you have so many its hard to describe  fear, anger, surprise, whatever, you know?

My most vivid memory was, God, please dont let me die in this ditch. 

Sleeping on the wing

Six months later, on June 4, 1942, Holder was aboard his PBY, which was armed with four 500-pound bombs and on the hunt for submarines as the Japanese commenced with their plan to take the island of Midway.

Unbeknownst to Japan, the U.S. had broken its secret code and anticipated what came to be known as the Battle of Midway, regarded by many historians as the turning point in the war in the Pacific.

The Japanese fleet was caught by surprise by the U.S. Navy and lost almost 300 planes, a cruiser, four aircraft carriers and about 2,500 men.

Holders plane dropped two bombs on a Japanese submarine, destroying it.

Later in the afternoon, we lost all contact with Midway, and we didnt know if we had it or the Japanese had it, Holder recalled in the interview.

We had a decision to make: We could return to Midway, or we could drop our remaining bombs and set down at sea, he said. We dropped our remaining bombs, landed and drifted all night. I took a sleeping bag, climbed on top of the wing, tied myself to an antenna and spent the evening.

At sunup they learned from Midway that it was still in friendly hands.

Later that summer, Holders PBY squadron headed to the Solomon Islands, flying 48 missions over seven months during the Battle of Guadalcanal.

We returned most days with bullet holes in the aircraft, recalled Holder, who manned one of the two .50-caliber machine guns on the plane. Sometimes they made it back to base with only one engine still functioning.

From Pacific to Atlantic

Holder was then sent back to San Diego to train on the B-24 Liberator bomber for hunting German submarines off the European coast.

In the interview, he recalled contending with Messerschmitt fighters, during which his B-24 would head for cloud cover to escape attack. The Liberator would then barrel from the cloud at top speed in hopes of catching a Messerschmitt by surprise.

You know, its either you or him, he said.

Holder was awarded two Distinguished Flying Cross medals and one Presidential Citation, among other awards during the war.

He was honorably discharged from the Navy in 1948 and worked in the aviation industry for 25 years. He formed the Texco Oil Co., on which he served as board chair and president for four years.
Peter McDermott, CEO of Lumos talks about what it's been like for the charity in the year since the Ukraine conflict began.

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Its hard to believe that its been a year since the war in Ukraine began. Time has seemed to both stand still, and to drive forwards relentlessly.



When I joined Lumos as CEO in June 2021, wed been working in Ukraine since 2013, supporting the transformation of the care system so that children can live at home with their families, rather than in orphanages. While our operations in the Eastern regions were hindered by the armed conflict beginning in 2014, in the Zhytomyr region we saw the number of children in institutions decrease by 48%. Unfortunately, our plans to build on this work were brought to an abrupt halt when, on 24th February 2022, Russia attacked Ukraine.



For Lumos, this sombre anniversary is a moment to reflect on the last 12 months, and to adapt our work to further our mission to fight for every childs right to a family  even in the most difficult of circumstances.



Key achievements



Although Lumos is not a humanitarian agency, we immediately pivoted to where the need was greatest. Quite simply, children needed food, medical and hygiene items. Thanks to the incredible support of donors, and a hugely successful public fundraising appeal, in 2022 Lumos delivered:

- Humanitarian aid to 13,925 vulnerable children

- Educational kits to 7,450 children

- Educational equipment to 28 Inclusive Resource Centres

- 30 tonnes of fuel for the transportation of children with disabilities, foster families and internally displaced families.



Instantly, it became clear that the trauma experienced by these already incredibly vulnerable children would be on an unimaginable scale. Mental health support was a top priority, and in 2022 we delivered trauma training to practitioners all across the country. Through this training, 25,900 psycho-social support sessions have been delivered to children and their carers across Ukraine.



Working Together



The partnerships weve been fortunate to form over the last 12 months have enabled us to act quickly. As well as working with central and local governments, weve connected to numerous national and international networks and partnered with local NGOS such as Manifest Mira. Our recent alliance with Terre des Hommes Netherlands will develop our work with refugee children and families whove fled to Moldova. Through multiple collaborative projects, were prioritising strengthening Civil Society in 2023.



Our increasing presence on the ground in Ukraine is empowering our advocacy work. In June we expanded our work to Odessa, and were pleased to now have a Country Manager based in Kyiv, as well as a staff member in the office of the Ombudswoman for Children. We have been key participants in a number of high-level meetings and in July organised a UK Parliamentary event. Were hoping to lead roundtables in 2023 with key national and international actors. It is crucial that, as we look towards the rebuilding of Ukraine, children are top of the agenda.



It is always easier to reflect on successes than on challenges, but 2022 has been a sharp learning curve. I am continually in awe of the resilience, bravery and sheer dedication of our colleagues in Ukraine and Moldova. Working through the coldest winter months, sometimes without electricity or heating, under the constant threat of bombardment, are conditions that fortunately many of us cant imagine. On several occasions weve had to halt our operations because it simply wasnt safe. But through it all, our colleagues determination to be there for the children that need us goes above and beyond.



Imagining Ukraines Future



The Ukraine Recovery Conference in the UK this June is a key moment. We now need to think about the families returning to Ukraine  with so much infrastructure destroyed, how do we ensure they can access vital services like inclusive education and healthcare? We know that lack of access to such services is one of the major reasons why, before the war, over 100,000 of Ukraines children were in institutions  though only a staggering 8% of these were orphans. At the beginning of the war, around 43,000 children were rapidly returned home without proper assessment or support. Worryingly, one year on were seeing the numbers of children in institutions rising again  again in no small part due to a lack of resources and access to vital services.



It is critical for Ukraines future that community services are properly funded and strengthened so that children arent trapped in institutions but can thrive at home with their families. In her recent speech at the World Economic Forum, First Lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska said: We must completely get rid of classical orphanages [] giving all children the opportunity to grow up in families. This raises a crucial question  what does the future of a Ukraine without these institutions look like? And how can we make it happen?



Child protection interventions save lives, and the war has severely eroded Ukraines child protection system. Strengthening it will require cross-sectoral co-operation, which is why collaboration is central to our plans for the year ahead. In 2023 our main goal is to support the holistic transformation of child welfare and protection systems so that all children can grow up in a family, with access to education, health and protection services.



We will also continue to deliver aid, particularly targeted at children at risk of entering the residential care system, such as:



- Children rapidly evacuated from institutions

- Children with disabilities

- Children who have been displaced.



All of us in the sector have a role to play. Its crucial that charities actively responding to the Ukraine crisis ensure a united and collaborative approach, for example by joining international networks dedicated to child protection. Charities with a less direct link might be able to donate resources or expertise to local NGOS on the ground in Ukraine who are well-placed to act. Finally, weve seen and heard many examples of well-meaning supporters donating to orphanages over the last year. This is valuable funding that, if wisely redirected into community services through proactive signposting, could be used to create real and lasting change to the future of Ukraines children.



The institutional care system in Ukraine did not appear overnight, and despite the destruction that war brings, it cannot be dismantled overnight either. But this is nevertheless an opportunity for us all to reimagine a Ukraine where children are not trapped in orphanages, but where families and communities have the resources and services they need to take care of children where they belong  at home.

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At the time, Jackie Paul Kirkwood was on remand after he was caught red-handed'' with 190k worth of cocaine

A man recently caged for transporting two kilograms of cocaine has been handed a three-month prison sentence for having drugs in jail.

Appearing at Lisburn Magistrates Court via video-link from prison, Jackie Paul Kirkwood (45) entered guilty pleas to having class B cannabis and class C prescription drugs clonazolam and buprenorphine on April 3 last year. The drugs were concealed in a Kinder egg.

At the time, Kirkwood, from Everogue Lane in Crossgar, was on remand after he was caught red-handed'' with 190,000 worth of cocaine, with a prosecuting lawyer noting he had been granted compassionate bail on March 31 to scatter his sons ashes.

When he returned to prison, it was suspected that he was concealing drugs and he was placed into a dry cell. It was heard that on April 3 staff saw him acting suspiciously at the toilet.

CCTV footage showed him excreting what appeared to be a Kinder egg, said the prosecuting lawyer.

When the yellow, plastic cylindrical container was examined, officers retrieved 58 tablets and a small quantity of cannabis.

Kirkwood claimed that rather than smuggling it into prison, the container had fallen out of a gallon drum of shower gel which he had taken back to his cell.

His plea to possession, rather than smuggling, was accepted on the basis that prison staff shortages meant the shower area may not have been properly searched.

District Judge Austin Kennedy ordered the three-month jail sentence to be served concurrently to Kirkwoods ongoing sentence.

Earlier this month, he was handed sentences totalling four years for drug dealing and driving while banned.

In that case, Belfast Crown Court heard police stopped Kirkwood driving a Yamaha moped on the Beersbridge Road in east Belfast on November 10, 2021. They found almost two kilograms of cocaine in the storage compartment under the seat.

Searches of his home uncovered a number of cutting agents and drugs paraphernalia including benzocaine, weighing scales and dealer bag.

While prosecuting counsel Natalie Pinkerton conceded we can't gainsay that this defendant was any more than a courier couriers play a vital role in crimes of this nature and crimes of this nature can't be completed without couriers.

It was also revealed that Kirkwood had 214 previous convictions, including 95 for road traffic offences.
Samantha Maughan (27) also became violent and tried to headbutt a garda during the incident.

A mother of three screamed threats at McDonalds staff about their curry sauce, then became violent and tried to headbutt a garda.

Samantha Maughan (27) was being taken into custody after lashing out over the curry sauce when she told a garda if you didnt have that badge Id kill you.

A court heard her purse had been stolen earlier that day and she was in very bad form.

Giving her a two-month suspended sentence, Judge Bryan Smyth said her behaviour on the day was pretty disgraceful.

Maughan, from Inchicore, Dublin 8, pleaded guilty to public intoxication and threatening, abusive and insulting behaviour.

Garda Charlotte Ann Donne told Dublin District Court she was on patrol on OConnell Street Lower on April 23 last year when she was flagged down by staff at McDonalds.

They were having difficulty with a woman threatening staff over curry sauce, the garda said.

When the garda went to investigate, she saw Maughan was screaming and lashing out at restaurant staff.

She brought the accused outside, where Maughan continued to scream about the curry sauce.

The garda directed her to leave the area and the accused lunged at her, saying: if you didnt have that badge Id kill you and take off that f***ing uniform.

The accused lashed out as she was arrested and placed in a patrol car. She again lunged at the garda, attempting to headbutt her.

She had previous convictions. Maughan was in very bad form as her phone had been stolen earlier, her solicitor said.

She had imbibed some alcohol and perhaps drugs at the time.

Maughan apologised to the court, told the judge she knew her behaviour had been horrible and said she was going through a lot at the time.

The judge said the offences warranted a sentence but he suspended it for a year.
The Republican co-chairs of the states powerful budget committee on Tuesday signaled a 3.25% flat income tax, an idea floated by the Senates top Republican, is unlikely to be included in the states next two-year spending plan.

Speaking at a WisPolitics.com luncheon in Madison, budget committee co-chairs Sen. Howard Marklein, R-Spring Green, and Rep. Mark Born, R-Beaver Dam, said their long-term goal is to shift the state away from its more than 110-year-old progressive income tax to a flat tax. However, both acknowledged that is not likely to be a component of the 2023-25 biennial budget, which lawmakers hope to have wrapped up by the end of June.

Its not going to happen overnight, Marklein said. I doubt it will happen in this budget.

Born said the Legislature will include tax cuts in the coming budget that will move the state closer to a flat tax, but added its probably unlikely to get to a full flat tax in this budget.

We have to be competitive, especially in the Midwest  so thats going to have to be a goal that were going to continue to work towards, Born added.

Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu, R-Oostburg, earlier this year unveiled his proposal to phase down Wisconsins four income tax brackets until the state reaches a 3.25% flat tax for all earners in 2026. The shift would reduce revenues by just shy of $5 billion over the first two years, according to LeMahieus office.

LeMahieus spokesman Michael Pyritz said the flat tax plan would be a four-year effort, adding we are still fully committed to starting Wisconsin on a path to a flat tax during budget deliberations this spring.

Gov. Tony Evers has said he would veto a flat tax if it came to his desk. The Democratic governor has called for roughly $1.2 billion in income tax cuts for low- and middle-income residents.

The governor and state lawmakers enter the budget process with a more than $7 billion projected state surplus, which provides the opportunity to address calls for tax cuts as well as increased spending on state services and programs. The trick will be reaching a consensus between the Democratic governor and GOP-led Legislature, which proved challenging in Evers first term in office.

Evers unveiled his $103.8 billion, two-year spending plan two weeks ago. The 2023-25 biennial budget proposal includes a nearly 18% increase in spending in its first year, followed by an almost 1% decrease its second year.

Legislative Republicans have signaled they plan to handle Evers proposal the same way they did in the last two budget sessions  by stripping the measure down to its base and starting over from scratch. The Republican-controlled budget committee will soon begin rewriting the budget that will eventually be sent back to Evers desk for action sometime this summer.

Speaking at the Wisconsin Counties Associations legislative conference on Tuesday in Madison, Evers said he remains optimistic that both sides can find compromise in the coming months.

I dont think Ill get everything I want, nor will they, Evers said.

Im convinced that were going to be able to increase our funding for schools, to be able to continue fixing our roads and bridges, and broadband, Evers added.

Another issue that Democrats and Republicans appear to agree on is increasing funding for counties and municipalities, Evers said. In his budget, Evers called for funneling 20% of the states sales tax revenue to local communities for basic services through the states shared revenue program. Its a proposal Republicans raised before Evers proposed it in his budget.

State Journal reporter Alexander Shur contributed to this report.
Daniel O'Callaghan (33) was sentenced to ten years' imprisonment last March

A former All-Ireland winner who stole an "eye-watering" sum of money as part of a cross-border gang that used stolen diggers to pull ATMs from walls has failed in a bid to overturn his conviction after challenging the identification of him at the scene of a foiled raid.

In sentencing Daniel O'Callaghan to ten years' imprisonment last March, Ms Justice Tara Burns said the accused took part in an "audacious" operation on behalf of a "well-oiled" criminal organisation that committed a series of ATM thefts and an attempted theft that was thwarted by gardai in 2019.

O'Callaghan (33), formerly of Monog Road, Crossmaglen, Co Armagh, who won three All-Ireland club medals playing for Crossmaglen Rangers, was convicted at the Special Criminal Court after a trial for 16 offences relating to a series of ATM thefts in Meath, Cavan and Monaghan carried out by the gang in 2018 and 2019.

At the Court of Appeal today, Vincent Heneghan SC, for O'Callaghan, argued that the identification of his client had been flawed and that an application at trial for O'Callaghan's acquittal had been incorrectly refused.

Mr Heneghan said the trial judges had made a "significant finding of fact" when accepting the evidence of the NSU garda in Virginia on the night of the botched ATM theft.

Mr Heneghan said that O'Callaghan was appealing his convictions because of the "pivotal and fundamental" identification claim made by the NSU officer, which was an identification more relied upon by the sentencing court than a separate one made by the ERU garda.

Mr Justice George Birmingham, presiding at the Court of Appeal, said the question for the court was whether or not the identification by the NSU garda was right or wrong and that there was "an abundance of other evidence to say he was dead right".

Mr Heneghan said the NSU garda gave evidence to say he had a view of two men fleeing a Toyota Landcruiser jeep, running towards his position, when it was rammed by gardai. The garda said he identified O'Callaghan and had around 30-40 seconds to do so, said Mr Heneghan.

Mr Heneghan said, however, if the position of the garda was consistent with what he told the trial, then he was 12-15 metres from the incident and could not have had this amount of time to make the identification. Counsel said it would have taken as little as three seconds for O'Callaghan to exit the Landcruiser and make up the ground if he was sprinting by the NSU garda.

Counsel added that the NSU garda said he was aware of O'Callaghan from garda intelligence, social media posts and photos but had not physically identified O'Callaghan before.

Ms Justice Isobel Kennedy said the NSU garda was a trained observer with other surveillance skills learned over years and that he had been involved in the investigation for months.

Mr Justice Birmingham said the garda "didn't turn up by chance on the night" of the attempted theft and that the identification of O'Callaghan had been borne out by DNA evidence.

Mr Heneghan said that at the trial the NSU garda had given a location on a map to mark his position but had changed it and then given another. Counsel said the garda then gave a third location as to his position on the street by marking a photograph of the scene.

Mr Justice McCarthy said the NSU garda had been "virtually opposite" the ATM on the night and therefore had "a pretty good opportunity to identify" O'Callaghan.

Mr Heneghan said it was dark, there had been rain on the night and that another male, fleeing the digger, had also been identified in the seconds available to the NSU observer.

Mr Birmingham said the "overwhelming evidence in the case shows he [the NSU garda] got it one hundred per-cent right", adding that it was "almost impossible to have a stronger case - it's as strong as it is possible to imagine".

In dismissing the appeal, Mr Justice Birmingham said the NSU garda had been given a map he had never seen before and quickly amended where he marked it at the trial.

Mr Justice Birmingham said the NSU garda had been working on the investigation for two-to-three months and had a clear view of the ATM on the night when two of the gang ran past him. The judge said the NSU garda had been a "truthful, reliable, honest witness and there's no basis for any suggestion of any evidence being fabricated".

Mr Justice Birmingham said there had been no "significant divergence" between the two locations marked on the map and that the court did "not believe it to be fair and accurate" to say that a third location was then identified on a photo.

The judge said that whether or not the NSU garda had three seconds or 40 seconds it did not call into question the prowess of the identification of O'Callaghan.

Mr Justice Birmingham said the opportunity to identify O'Callaghan was good, made from the ground level as he passed at close proximity and that the NSU garda had taken time to familiarise himself with the appellant.

Mr Justice Birmingham said the Special Criminal Court was "fully entitled to convict" O'Callaghan for the Virginia ATM attempted theft, which was a "gateway" to the other convictions. He then dismissed the appeal.

At the sentencing hearing, Ms Justice Burns said O'Callaghan had control over what the judge said was an "eye-watering" sum of stolen money, amounting to more than 700,000.

O'Callaghan played a central role, the judge said, as a planner and active member of the gang. She said O'Callaghan contested the charges against him despite being caught "red-handed" at the scene of an attempted ATM theft in Virginia, Co Cavan. Four of O'Callaghan's accomplices were also jailed for their roles in the ATM thefts.

The gang's final attempt to steal an ATM was thwarted by gardai who were watching as they drove a digger up to an ATM on the main street of Virginia Co Cavan in the early hours on August 14, 2019. Gardai saw a stolen Toyota Landcruiser move in convoy with the digger. The Landcruiser was pulling a trailer into which the gang intended to place the ATM before taking it to a premises at Tullypole, Moynalty, Co Meath, where the money would be removed.

Gardai rammed the Landcruiser, prompting O'Callaghan and another man to run from the jeep while a third man ran from the digger. All three jumped over a wall into a field but before they got away a garda from the National Surveillance Unit (NSU) and another garda from the Emergency Response Unit (ERU) identified O'Callaghan.

Ms Justice Burns said the court accepted the identification evidence of the two gardai. She said the identification by the NSU officer was particularly reliable because he had familiarised himself with O'Callaghan over many years as part of his duties in preventing and detecting cross-border crime. The officer was just a few feet away from O'Callaghan with a clear view when he made the identification, Ms Justice Burns said.

O'Callaghan's DNA was also found in a sauna in a nearby shed where O'Callaghan hid while gardai searched the area and caught two of his accomplices. The owner of the shed told gardai he suspected an intruder had interfered with the insulation in the shed's attic. Ms Justice Burns said the DNA evidence provided support for the identification evidence of the two gardai.

Daniel O'Callaghan of Monog Road, Crossmaglen, Co. Armagh pictured at the Criminal Courts of Justice (CCJ) on Parkgate Street in Dublin for a court appearance. Photo: Paddy Cummins/IrishPhotoDesk.ie

O'Callaghan had pleaded not guilty to offences under Section 72 and 73 of the Criminal Justice Act.

He was found guilty of the attempted theft of an ATM at the Riverfront Hotel, Main Street, Virginia, Co Cavan on August 14, 2019, for the benefit of, at the direction of, or in association with a criminal organisation.

He was also convicted for the theft of an ATM on Main Street, Castleblayney, Co Monaghan, on April 3, 2019 for the benefit of, at the direction of, or in association with a criminal organisation.

He was found guilty of two charges of participating or contributing to the possession of cash totalling 125,930 intending to facilitate the commission by a criminal organisation or any of its members of a serious offence at Tullypole, Moynalty, Co Meath, on August 14 and 20, 2019.

He was convicted of possessing 298,000 at the same location on August 14, 2019, along with a charge of possessing a petrol can intending to use it or cause or permit another to use it to damage a stolen Toyota Landcruiser with false plates in Virginia, also on August 14.

In addition, he was found guilty of possessing a stolen Toyota Landcruiser, possession of a stolen 14-tonne digger and appropriating a digger without the consent of its owner in Virginia.

Finally, he was convicted of being in possession of bolt-cutters with the intent of stealing a 14-tonne digger, with the attempted dishonest appropriation of the ATM at the Riverfront in Virginia and with being in possession of a stolen flatbed trailer all on August 14 of 2019. He was also convicted of counts relating to criminal damage at the ATM in Castleblayney and attempted criminal damage in Virginia.

Ex-Crossmaglen Rangers player Daniel OCallaghan

Three brothers have also been sentenced for their roles in the thefts and attempted thefts. In March 2022, Stephen Duffy (36), of Tullynahinera in Castleblayney, Co Monaghan, was sentenced to four years imprisonment for possessing stolen cash at The Yard in Tullypole, Moynalty, Co Meath.

Gerard Duffy (32), of Loughnamore, Co Monaghan, was jailed for a total of seven years and nine months for the attempted theft of an ATM at the Riverfront Restaurant on the Main Street in Virginia, Co Cavan.

The youngest of the Duffy brothers, Ciaran (29), also of Loughnamore, Co Monaghan, was given a total of seven years and nine months imprisonment for the attempted bank machine theft and participating in the movement in cash on behalf of a criminal organisation. All three brothers had pleaded guilty to the charges against them.

In November 2021, Niall Finnegan (40) was jailed for four-and-a-half years with the final 18 months suspended for possessing cash, which was the proceeds of the ATM thefts carried out by the gang.

Finnegan of Cherry Grove, Cullyhanna, Co Armagh, pleaded guilty in July 2021 to possessing or handling 103,000 at Tullypole in August 2019.
The 50-year-old is seeking a retrial because of the way the judge decided to allow phone evidence obtained by gardai to be put before the jury

The outcome of killer Graham Dwyers appeal against his conviction for the murder of childcare worker Elaine OHara will be known next month.

The Court of Appeal has listed the case for judgement on March 24.

The 50-year-old Foxrock architect is seeking a retrial because of the way the trial judge in his case decided to allow phone metadata evidence obtained by gardai to be put before the jury.

His appeal against his 2015 conviction was heard over two days in December and came after a separate and ultimately successful challenge to the law under which his metadata was retained and seized.

The challenge resulted in rulings in Dwyers favour by the High Court, Supreme Court and Court of Justice for the European Union (CJEU).

The metadata proved crucial to establishing a link between Dwyer and his victim and helped detectives to build up a picture of their secret sadomasochist relationship.

The evidence was included in Dwyers trial despite opposition from his lawyers.

The Court of Appeal heard Dwyer was no longer arguing for the exclusion of the evidence altogether but believed it should have been the subject to an admissibility test, arising from a Supreme Court case called JC.

His lawyers argued that because such a test was not applied, he was entitled to a retrial.

In the JC case, which was ruled upon shortly after Dwyers conviction, the Supreme Court found by a narrow majority that evidence obtained unconstitutionally can be admissible, but only if the prosecution can show the breach was inadvertent.

Dwyers lawyers also argued he should have been declared not guilty at his trial because the possibility that Ms OHara had taken her own life could not be excluded.

It was further argued that it was prejudicial for the trial judge to allow the jury to view videos of Dwyer engaging in sexual acts with Elaine OHara and other women. In the videos, Dwyer could be seen stabbing or pretending to stab the women.

Ms OHara (36), a vulnerable woman who had been receiving psychiatric care, went missing in August 2012.

Her remains were found 13 months later in a forest at Killakee in the Dublin Mountains.

Using the 2011 Communications Act, gardai obtained data associated with Dwyers work mobile phone and other handsets. Using cell-site analysis, they were able to pinpoint roughly where Dwyer was at certain points in time based on the movements of his work phone.

This helped investigators establish his routine in the months prior to Ms OHaras disappearance.

Cell-site analysis was also able to link the movements of Dwyers work phone to those of a Nokia mobile phone found in the Vartry Reservoir in Co Wicklow in September 2013.

Dwyer denies he owned or operated burner handsets, dubbed the master and slave phones, which the prosecution alleged he and Ms OHara used to communicate with each other.

However, lawyers for the DPP argued that the evidence against Dwyer was overwhelming even if mobile phone data was excluded.

They said old-fashioned detective work was undertaken, including retrieving texts from Ms OHaras phones for information that might identify a suspect.

Dwyers DNA was also matched with semen found on Ms OHaras mattress.

They also argued that the trial judge was right to allow the jury to see the videos.

The State also argued against the suicide theory, posing the question that if Ms OHara had committed suicide, how did her keys and phone end up in the reservoir.
Frankie Shanley, who had 79 previous convictions including 37 for theft and fraud, pleaded guilty to harassment

Irish DJ Frankie Shanley who got gardai involved in the viral Jerusalema dance challenge in 2021, has been jailed for harassing a garda and a Co Clare hotelier.

Known as DJ Frankie Beats, Shanley, who had 79 previous convictions including 37 for theft and fraud, pleaded guilty to harassment of Co Kerry garda Marcus Twomey between December 1st, 2018 and September 30th, 2020.

The 47-year-old international DJ, radio broadcaster and convicted conman with an address at 304 The Abbey Bridge Street, Tralee, and formerly of Boyle, County Roscommon  appeared via video link at a Circuit Court sitting in Tralee on Monday.

He also pleaded guilty and to harassing Co Clare hotelier Derek Logue between June and October 2019.

Mr Shanley had made multiple false allegations about Garda Twomey via social media and to RTE, as well as to Government Ministers and Garda figures, including the Garda Commissioner, the Court was told.

This had occurred after Garda Twomey noted a sighting of Mr Shanley in Tralee and placed this on the Garda Pulse System which was then improperly disclosed to Mr Shanley by an unknown individual.

Judge Staines noted that Garda Twomey had simply been going about his duty.

In his victim-impact statement, Garda Twomey explained that he has been a member of the gardai for almost 23 years, during which time he has encountered incidents and scenes of a traumatic nature that have left a lasting impression.

He said he had always been able to process and compartmentalise this but what Mr Shanley had subjected him had been like a nightmare that would not go away.

Garda Twomey said Mr Shanleys campaign affected his home and family life.

The Court heard that Mr Shanley targeted hotelier Derek Logue who had offered him a job as a porter at the Kilkee Bay Hotel.

Mr Shanley carried out work at the hotel during an induction period and when he did not turn up for work, the reasons he offered Mr Logue were initially accepted.

It later transpired that Mr Shanley was on holidays in Greece. When Mr Logue subsequently discovered Mr Shanleys true identity as he had applied under the name Frankie Regan, he did not want to continue employing Mr Shanley.

Mr Shanley sent abusive e-mails to Mr Logue and initially demanded 100 for work he had done for the hotel, though this sum increased to 300.

Mr Logue refused to be bullied, prosecuting barrister Tom Rice said and he did not pay this money.

The court heard that Mr Logue did not owe the accused any money but Mr Shanley had then made allegations about Mr Logue to other hotels and to The Clare Champion newspaper.

Mr Logue did not provide a victim-impact statement as he felt Mr Shanleys campaign had taken enough of a toll on him, and he suffered reputational damage by [Mr Shanleys] false allegations.

Defence Barrister Rebecca Tracey said there was no excuse for her clients behaviour.

She said he was sincerely remorseful and wished to convey his apologies to both victims. She said he had acted on a perceived injustice and misinformation relating to Garda Twomey.

She said her client had been trying to turn his life around and asked Judge Staines to consider, in sentencing, a job offer Mr Shanley has received to work as a radio DJ in Greece.

Judge Staines took into account Mr Shanleys early guilty plea; a psychologists report, including details of a history of depression dating back to age 16; and his remorse.

She sentenced Mr Shanley to three-and-a-half years in prison for harassing Garda Twomey. The last 12 months were suspended for two years on condition Mr Shanley attend psychological services and receive treatment for alcohol issues.

A one-year sentence for harassing Mr Logue will run concurrently with the other sentence. The sentence was backdated to March, 2022, when Mr Shanley was taken into custody. He was ordered not to communicate with his two victims for a period of time, although she added that Mr Shanley should never contact them.

Shanley had been credited here for getting the Gardai involved in the Jerusalema online dance challenge which went viral online during the Covid pandemic.

After the Swiss police performed the challenge, the DJ tweeted the gardai, saying: Police officers in Switzerland @fedpolCH decided to do something special for its people in these dark times. Just amazing! @gardainfo will you accept the challenge if enough people retweet this?

Following this, the challenge took off with groups around the country and around the world taking part.

The challenge involved groups from around the world, particularly emergency services such as the gardai, appearing on video dancing to the song Jerusalema by South African DJ and record producer Master KG, and nominating the next group they wanted to record it.

In March 2019, Shanley told the Irish Examiner: Im lucky, Im doing what I love, Im getting a second chance at it, but Id like to think Ive warranted that second chance, that its not out of sympathy. Ive worked very hard for the last couple of years, under hard circumstances, which are self-inflicted, but I have stuck with it. Ive stayed focussed and its paid off.

Ive a lot of friends, and a big family, huge family. Theyre aware, but theyre not concerned. They can see it in me, that something changed. Im more articulate with life.

Shanley, once dubbed Irelands greatest conman, has more than 70 convictions in Ireland for offences including stealing cars and electronic equipment, and served more than three years in jail from 2011 to 2014.

He would pose as a garda, a radio DJ or TV producer to con people, and came to national attention when he was the subject of three episodes of Liveline, and even rang and spoke to Joe Duffy live on air while on the run in 2006.
Christopher Stokes had pleaded not guilty on Monday to a charge of the attempted murder of Simone Lee (43)

Christopher Stokes (39) pleaded guilty to assault causing serious harm to Simone Lee (pictured)

A man has pleaded guilty to assault causing serious harm to a woman who was treated in a Limerick hospital for burn injuries.

Christopher Stokes (39) pleaded guilty to a total of three charges when he was re-arraigned before the Central Criminal Court sitting in Cork.

Stokes of Sarsfield Avenue, Garryowen, Limerick had pleaded not guilty on Monday to a charge of the attempted murder of Simone Lee (43).

The charge involved an address at Fairview Crescent in Limerick on May 11, 2021.

The jury of seven women and four men were discharged by Mr Justice Michael McGrath after Stokes was arraigned on three other charges on Tuesday.

Stokes pleaded guilty to assault causing serious harm whereby he intentionally or recklessly caused serious harm to Simone Lee at Fairview Crescent two years ago.

That charge was brought contrary to the Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act.

He also pleaded guilty to damaging a property by fire, namely a premises at Fairview Crescent in Limerick.

Stokes further pleaded guilty to threatening to kill another individual, Timothy Fehin, leaving him with the belief that the threat to kill or cause serious harm would be carried out.

Sean Gillane SC, for the State, asked Judge Michael McGrath for the three charges to be put to the defendant before the jury.

The jury was then discharged when the guilty pleas were entered to those three charges.

"The trial will not be proceeding and you will not be required," the judge explained.

Stokes - who appeared in court wearing a slacks, shirt and jumper - did not speak during the hearing beyond confirming guilty pleas to the three fresh charges.

Mr Gillane said that a detailed victim impact statement would now be prepared to assist the court.

Expert reports will also be made available.

Mr Justice McGrath adjourned the matter until 11am on Wednesday for a sentencing hearing.

An outline of the general facts of the case will be dealt with during that hearing.

The jury had been told on Monday that the trial on the attempted murder charge could last for between two to three weeks.

Stokes was first charged in relation to the incident before Limerick District Court two years ago.

The defendant is represented by Brian McInerney SC.
Gavin Guerrine mounted the kerb and sent the victim flying 20ft into the air, according to one eyewitness, before driving off at speed.

A man who deliberately ran over a man he believed was involved in the death of his brother, leaving him brain damaged and in a coma, has been warned that if he fails again to engage with the probation services, he could serve five years of a suspended sentence.

If you come back before me for further breaches, I will reactivate the sentence, Mr Justice Paul McDermott told Gavin Guerrine (31), with a listed address at Church Grove, Tallaght, after the court heard that Guerrine had failed to keep his probation appointments due to illness.

In January 2011, Guerrine was sentenced to 10 years with the last five years suspended on certain conditions, after pleading guilty to intentionally or recklessly causing serious harm to Christopher ORourke in April 2009.

The final five years of the ten-year sentence were suspended on condition Guerrine be of good behaviour for a decade and have no contact with the ORourke family.

That court heard that Mr ORourke was walking along Huband Road in Bluebell with his girlfriend on the afternoon of April 19, 2009, when Guerrine, who was aged just 17 at the time, drove towards them at speed.

He mounted the kerb and sent Mr ORourke flying 20ft into the air, according to one eyewitness, before driving off at speed.

Mr O'Rourke was rushed to St James's Hospital where he remained in a coma with a severe brain injury for a number of weeks.

He had to stay in intensive care for four months in total and had also sustained a number of facial fractures, rib fractures and a serious injury to his knee.

When he regained consciousness he spent a number of weeks in rehabilitation, where he found it difficult to walk and had problems swallowing and talking.

Darren Guerrine

He left Dublin and went to live with his mother in Newry but became depressed and began abusing drugs.

Mr O'Rourke made two attempts to take his own life in 2010 and died one month after his 25th birthday in August 2010, from a drugs overdose.

At the sentencing hearing, a garda explained that Guerrine held a genuine belief that Christopher O'Rourke was involved in the death of his brother and that this belief was at the forefront of his mind when he knocked him down.

Darren Guerrine, of La Touche Road, Bluebell, west Dublin, was shot in the head about 500m from his home in February 2008.

At the Central Criminal Court yesterday, prosecution counsel Imelda Kelly BL said that this matter had been before the court on a number of occasions and there had been a lack of contact between Guerrine and the probation services over the last few months, with the probation officer being unable to contact him since Christmas.

A probation officer gave evidence to the court that Guerrine had made some efforts to contact probation but had not been compliant with urinalysis.

The officer said he was asking the court to remind Guerrine to comply with the probation services, provide urinalysis as directed, and engage with training and employment services.

Ms Kelly said that the terms of the suspension were that Guerrine was to remain under probation supervision for ten years and have no contact with the injured party in this case.

She said that the period of suspension, relating to a conviction for causing serious harm, would not expire until June 2, 2024.

Defence counsel Ciara Murray BL said that the period of difficulty related to the end of January of this year.

She said her client was ill and had been hospitalised as he was being treated for cancer.

He wouldnt have been in a position health-wise to take steps for training and education, said Ms Murray.

The probation officer replied that this may have been so, but he did not have any information on this.

Mr Justice McDermott said that it is perfectly understandable if a difficulty arises due to illness, but if someone is going to bow out for a period for legitimate medical reasons, the probation services need to be told.

People cant be expected to be mind readers, and if you dont engage thats a breach of probation, he said.

The judge warned Guerrine that he would not tolerate a situation where the court was not informed.

If you dont tell them about it you end up in here, which can lead to you going out the wrong door, Mr Justice McDermott said.

He said he would not activate the suspended sentence and told Guerrine that if there was a good reason for not attending then the probation services needed to know.

If theres not a good reason or they dont know, we end up back here, and that wastes my time, your time and probations time, he said.

Mr Justice McDermott told Guerrine that he was bound by the order of the court, and if there were any further slips the court would hear about it.

He warned him that if he came back before the court for any further breaches, the suspended sentence would be activated.

Please engage with the probation services. Im saying that politely; I wont be so polite next time, he said.
Mr Asari said that the attendant would not unlock the pump for him  and he was left waiting as other customers came and went

A taxi driver who said he was refused diesel and was called the n-word over a series of late-night visits to a Galway filling station is to receive 7,500 for discrimination.

The Workplace Relations Commission (WRC), which heard the mans complaint, found that the company's response likely pointed to an attitude of inherent racism.

In a decision published this morning, the WRC found Daniel Asari had been subjected to a pattern of humiliating treatment by the attendant at the Sweeney Oil filling station on the Headford Road in Galway city over two nights in March and April last year.

The tribunal added that the companys response, or the lack of one when Mr Asari wrote to them about the matter indicated an attitude of unimportance on the part of the company  as it had failed to fully investigate what happened or reply to his complaints.

On the balance of probabilities, that indifference and neglect in the handling of the complaints and the failure to respond to the ES1 [statutory complaint form], represents an attitude of inherent racism," wrote the adjudicating officer who heard the case.

The WRC upheld Mr Asaris complaint against XYZ Retail Ltd under the Equal Status Act 2000 and directed the company to bring in a complaints policy, train up its managers and amend its policies to state that any acts of discrimination by workers could lead to their sacking.

Mr Asari told the tribunal in evidence last month that the attendant  identified only as Mr P in todays decision  would not unlock the diesel pump for him on the nights in question  and he was left waiting half an hour on the first night as other customers came and went.

The tribunal was told its usual policy requiring prepayment for fuel at night made an exception for taxi drivers, with Mr Asari stating that he was a regular at the location.

Mr Asari said he went to the service station again two nights after the first incident, finding the same attendant on duty and the pump locked again.

I approached to ask him to allow me to fill the tank. He was using his phone camera to film mecalling me names, n***** and stuff, Mr Asari said.

He threatened to meet me in court, names calling, the n-word and all of that, he added.

Is that that particular racial slur? asked adjudicating officer Janet Hughes.

Yes. I was called that name, I think, because of my colour, said Mr Asari.

The petrol stations position was that on the second night, when it was alleged the racial slur was used, Mr Asari had asked for a sandwich to be made up from the deli counter.

Sweeney Oil group retail manager Liam Killeen, who appeared to defend the case, asked Mr Asari whether a sandwich order had caused a row.

There was no altercation, no issue with a sandwich or any other item, Mr Asari said, but went on to add: I didnt ask for a sandwich to be made. I asked for a sandwich already made.

Mr Killeen said in a submission that having viewed CCTV of the incident, he could see that the employee was animated and that Mr Asari had his mobile phone out and was making hand movements.

However, he told the tribunal at hearing that he had been unable to locate the footage.

The complainants solicitor Deirdre Sharkey said that if her client were an Irish or white person, "he wouldnt have been treated in that manner".

Everyone who comes to our shop is a customer. We strongly deny we refused to serve this man on the grounds of creed or race, Mr Killeen told the tribunal.

In her decision, Janet Hughes, the adjudicating officer, wrote that she was satisfied Mr Asari did engage actively in a dispute with Mr P on the second night  and that the complainant had omitted to mention any issue about a sandwich until it was put to him in cross-examination.

She said the complainant had been somewhat evasive on that point but wrote that she was satisfied the discrimination on the second night was the racist language used by [Mr] P and not any unjustified refusal of service on race grounds.

This does not mean that racist abusive language towards Mr Asari by P can be justified or was not discriminatory, she wrote  noting elsewhere that Mr Asaris evidence had been consistent.

She made an order for the payment of 7,500 in compensation to Mr Asari against the operating company, writing that the order took into consideration what she considered a pattern of humiliating treatment of Mr Asari by the former employee compounded by the respondents response, which is also found to be discriminatory and for which [it] is directly liable.

The manner in which the respondent dealt with the complaint and the repeated failures to reply to those complaints, infer an attitude of unimportance attaching to Mr Asaris complaints which he had taken great care to bring to [the firms] attention, repeatedly and in detail. On the balance of probabilities, that indifference and neglect in the handling of the complaints and the failure to respond to the ES1 [statutory complaint form], represents an attitude of inherent racism," wrote Ms Hughes.

Ms Hughes made further orders that the company amend its staff policies to cover discrimination within three months, set up a complaints procedure, and provide training to management and supervisors in the area.
The 31-year-old was convicted of raping two women while still a man, then known as Adam Graham

Photo issued by Police Scotland of Isla Bryson, formerly known as Adam Graham. Photo: Police Scotland/PA Wire   PA

A transgender rapist who raped two women while still a man has been jailed for eight years.

Isla Bryson, from Clydebank, was sentenced to eight years in prison at the High Court in Edinburgh, with a further three years on licence.

The 31-year-old was convicted last month of raping two women  one in Clydebank in 2016 and one in Drumchapel, Glasgow, in 2019  while a man known as Adam Graham.

During sentencing on Tuesday, judge Lord Scott noted Bryson continues to vehemently deny the offences, claiming the victims colluded to press charges.

The court heard the rapist, who appeared in court wearing a blond wig and dressed in black leggings and a fluorescent pink jacket, is still pursuing full gender reassignment and is currently on the maximum recommended doses of hormone prescription from the Sandyford clinic.

Defence advocate Edward Targowski KC said this, coupled with troubled early years, makes his client vulnerable.

He told the court Brysons move to transition following both rapes was not an afterthought cynically designed to reduce the punishment, contrary to what he described as ill-informed and ill-judged comments made outside of the court.

Photo issued by Police Scotland of Isla Bryson, formerly known as Adam Graham. Photo: Police Scotland/PA Wire   PA

However, Lord Scott said the seriousness of the crimes far outweigh Brysons mitigatory circumstances.

He acknowledged Bryson is considered vulnerable in some ways due to adverse childhood experiences, but said: You see yourself as the victim in this situation. You are not.

Your vulnerability is no excuse at all for what you did to these two women.

You raped two women who can both be regarded as vulnerable.

Prosecutors said Bryson, from Clydebank, met both the victims online and preyed on vulnerable women.

The case sparked uproar after the convicted rapist was initially housed in an all-female prison before being moved to the male estate.

Scottish Justice Secretary Keith Brown ordered an urgent review of the case and the Scottish Prison Service took the decision to halt the movement of all transgender prisoners with a history of violence against women into the female estate.

Bryson first appeared in court as Adam Graham in 2019 and was later named in court papers the following year  around the time of the decision to transition  as Isla Annie Bryson, formerly known as Adam Graham.

During the trial, the High Court in Glasgow heard Bryson was going through the breakdown of a brief, unhappy marriage and went to stay with the first victim at her mothers house in Clydebank in 2016.

Giving evidence on pre-recorded video, the victim (30) said she was raped for half-an-hour.

All I said was no over and over and over again, she said.

At the time I was so scared. Sick to the stomach. I just didnt know what was going on.

The second victim, who gave evidence via live video-link, told the court Bryson continued to have sex with her after she said stop.

The court heard Bryson entered the victim with her penis, and was told to stop because Bryson was crushing the victim.

The victim told the court: I said to stop but he (Bryson) just kept on going, and thats when I just closed my eyes and I am doing what he wanted to do.

Giving evidence during the trial, Bryson claimed both women consented to having sex.

On Tuesday, Lord Scott said Bryson was, in fact, preying on these two women because of their vulnerability and raped them in their own homes where they were entitled to feel safe.

Addressing Bryson, he added: You are not at the stage of accepting what you did or acknowledging the serious harm you inflicted on two women.

He said the rapist was a high risk of reoffending, adding: There will need to be a high level of supervision.

As well as the sentence, which was backdated to January 24, and extended supervision, Bryson has also been placed on the sex offenders register indefinitely.

Bryson told during the trial of identifying as transgender at the age of four but not making the decision to transition until the age of 29.

Following Brysons sentencing, Scottish Conservative shadow community safety minister Russell Findlay said: In reality, an eight-year prison sentence means this double rapist could be back on the streets in as little as four years, which will likely be of little comfort to victims.

Theyve already suffered from the perverse decision to address this rapist as she and by Nicola Sturgeon and her Justice Secretary refusing to say what everyone in Scotland can see with their own eyes  that Bryson is a man.

Even following Nicola Sturgeons sudden resignation, the SNP government continues to attempt to dupe the public by saying this case has nothing to do with its gender self-ID Bill.

But if this SNP law is enacted, it will be wide open to exploitation by giving the legal right to sex offenders to declare they are female, no matter the risks to women and girls.

Going forward, the prison service must publish its delayed new policy on transgender prisoners, allowing for full scrutiny, feedback and, if necessary, amendment.

SNP leadership candidate Humza Yousaf was asked about Brysons case as he spoke to journalists on Tuesday.

He said: Isla Bryson is deceptive, manipulative, trying to get advantage of the system.

I hope theyre incarcerated and will be incarcerated in a male prison.

Asked about the policy of gender self-identification, he said: I dont think we should be rolling back on trans rights because of one despicable individual.
Mahon sat in the body of the court next to his partner Audrey, who is the mother of missing teenager Amy

The stepfather of missing teenager Amy Fitzpatrick has had his case for assaulting a pensioner adjourned again on consent  as issues relating to a disclosure request are set to be dealt with later.

Dave Mahon (51) is charged with assaulting the 70-year-old man in Carrick-on-Shannon on August 26 of 2020.

Mahon's case was called at Carrick-on-Shannon Circuit Court today.

Mahon sat in the body of the court next to his partner Audrey, who is the mother of missing teenager Amy Fitzpatrick.

Dressed in blue jeans, a check shirt and black jacket, he did not speak during the proceedings.

Addressing Judge John Aylmer, Mahons counsel said the case could be adjourned to the next term by consent.

Audrey Fitzpatrick and Dave Mahon in Carrick on Shannon court today

State prosecutor Donal Keane confirmed this was the case but asked that the matter be let stand to deal with an issue relating to an outstanding request for disclosure on the part of the defendant.

Mahons solicitor later said this issue could be discussed by the legal teams prior to the next sitting.

Missing Amy Fitzpatrick's mum supports Dave Mahon as he appears on OAP assault charge

Mahon was originally served with the book of evidence in the case and sent forward for trial to the Circuit Court on October 22 of 2021.

In November of the same year, he was granted access to recordings of his interviews with gardai ahead of his trial

Mahon's stepdaughter and the daughter of his partner Audrey, Amy Fitzpatrick (15), went missing on New Year's Eve in 2007 while the family were living on the Costa del Sol in Spain and remains missing to this day.

No trace of her has been found since that time.
Earlier this month, the internet giant delisted an article about convicted brothel keeper Mark McCormick. This meant the article no longer appeared in Google search results when certain search terms were used.

Mark McCormick was jailed after he admitted running six brothels in 2010

Google has admitted it wrongly approved a right to be forgotten request relating to press coverage of a criminal who was behind a multi-million euro vice ring.

Earlier this month, the internet giant delisted an Irish Independent article about convicted brothel keeper Mark McCormick. This meant the article no longer appeared in Google search results when certain search terms were used.

Ironically, the delisted news item had revealed how the European data privacy law was previously used to make articles about McCormick harder to find online.

Google reversed the decision to delist the article after it was queried by the Irish Independent.

But its handling of the matter has raised further questions about the operation of the right to be forgotten, introduced following a landmark ruling of the Court of Justice for the European Union (CJEU) in 2014, and whether it is open to abuse.

Mark McCormick admitted to running six brothels in Dublin in 2010. He received a 30-month jail sentence, 14 of which were suspended.

His father, convicted pimp Peter McCormick, is the founder of Irelands biggest sex-worker website.

Yet Googles decision, temporarily at least, greatly reduced the chances of an article relating to Mark McCormicks activities being found via the Google search engine.

The U-turn on the McCormick article delisting is an admission by Google it got the balancing exercise wrong

The CJEU decision established a right for individuals to request that internet search engines delist webpage links containing information about them that are inadequate, irrelevant or no longer relevant, or excessive.

But it is not an absolute right because public interest factors must be considered. Search engine operators such as Google ultimately must conduct a balancing exercise when dealing with right to be forgotten requests.

However, there is no external oversight of the process.

Google admitted it got the delisting decision wrong   Reuters

The U-turn on the McCormick article delisting is an admission by Google it got the balancing exercise wrong.

According to Google, any webpage that relates to a persons criminal history is considered sensitive personal data under data protection law.

It says a search engine can refuse to remove a webpage only if displaying that page is strictly necessary for protecting the freedom of information of internet users.

The default position in a right to be forgotten case is that the page that is sought to be removed should be removed, unless the search engine can identify a public interest.

Google says it takes several factors into account when deciding whether to delist a webpage containing details of a conviction.

These include how long ago the offence occurred, the seriousness of the crime, whether there is a pattern or a likelihood the crime will be repeated, and whether the criminal activity is relevant to the persons ongoing role in public life.

The McCormick delisting is not the first time some of Googles decisions have been open to question.

TheIrish Independent revealed in 2021 that Google had also delisted news articles relating to convictions for sexual offences, including court reports on men convicted of possessing child sexual abuse material.
The Young Commando noticed a price list beside a second entrance, and the Guinness was being advertised for 4.50.

This week we travelled 90 minutes west of Dublin to the small village of Clonaslee in north west Co Laois.

It was our first visit to the area since January 2017 and its hard to believe thats more than six years ago.

However, after much debate in our pub-mobile, we couldnt recall ever visiting John Feerys pub.

Pub Spy is 50 years on the go this year, we more than likely have come across it at some stage or another, but for the life of me I cant remember.

Theyre all starting to look the same to me at this stage, the Old Commando joked.

Feerys bar was enjoying a lively trade when we opened the front door and we were welcomed immediately by the barman on duty who we think was named Colin.

He was friendly and took our order without delay, and although he was working alone throughout our stay he was well able to keep up with the demand from the punters while simultaneously controlling the music system  mostly country and western music, which pleased the Old Commando.

There were plenty of options available on draught, such as Rockshore and Carling alongside the usual drinks, and the creamy pints of Guinness set us back 5 each.

There were no seats available at the counter so we stood just inside the front for a few minutes.

The Young Commando was quick to notice a certain theme in the pub with a photo of Bobby Sands on display and an Ireland flag draped from the ceiling commemorating Long Kesh 1981.

I often wonder if people in the 26 counties give much thought to what would have to change in a United Ireland, the Young Commando said.

I cant see it ever happening [peacefully] but if it did, would nationalists be willing to take down those photos and remove those flags and rename GAA grounds? he asked. And thats just the small stuff.

We eventually moved to the second section of this pub where it was somewhat quieter and there was plenty of seating available.

The brown leather bench seating was in good condition but does have quite a vintage look about it.

The timber flooring looks newer and was very clean. There is a large screen TV on the back wall, the tables and chairs are at the counter, and our Commandos agreed that this was one of just two things they liked when Covid restrictions were introduced to pubs all those years ago.

I always liked the idea of the table pushed up to the counter for convenience and I also liked the table service, the Old Commando said.

Everything else was a load of cobblers, though, he muttered.

Apart from the republican items on display, there were Munster and Leinster rugby flags but we were surprised to see the Offaly GAA flag hanging, even if there was a Laois one too.

Our designated driver was on toilet inspection and he reported that they were small but clean with three urinals which were all lined with orange and lemon slices  we presume for odour control!

There is one cubicle containing a sink and dryer, which means if the cubicle is occupied you have nowhere to wash and dry your hands. Well nowhere we could see, anyway.

The Young Commando noticed a price list beside a second entrance, and the Guinness was being advertised for 4.50.

Its important that publicans update their price lists accordingly, for legal reasons, too.

Rating: Three pints out of Five

One for the road

Fallons  Clonaslee

WERE no strangers to Fallons bar in Clonaslee, although with the way the two heavyset gentlemen at the front door were staring at us youd think we had just arrived from outer space.

We had eyes on us throughout our stay but that didnt deter us from sampling the porter and enjoying the superb atmosphere as the locals engaged in a sing-song.

There wasnt a seat to be found so we stood beside the counter as the all-male clientele kept the young barmaid on her toes.

There are two TVs in the bar but both were switched off and also a dartboard, but nobody was throwing on this occasion.

The toilets contained a ceramic urinal and one cubicle but the electric dryer wasnt working.

As we departed and closed the front door behind us, we overheard the two husky detectives pass comment on our presence.

Are non-locals not welcome?

Rating: Three pints out of Five
Cedar Rapids, Nebraska, a village of around 400 in Boone County, has a school, a church, a few local shops and a very unique grocery store, Bethscheider's Market.

"You've got to have a grocery store," Owner Tom Bethscheider said.

His grandfather, Carl Bethscheider, opened the store in 1918, later passing it to Tom's father, Carroll, who passed it to Tom in 1975. Tom, of course, worked there for a while before becoming owner.

"I've been in it all my life, so I just kind of grew up with it. I was probably in grade school when I started. I've been here a long time," Tom said.

Tom and his wife, Chris, having run the store for 48 years, said they recently decided it was time to move on to the next stage of their lives, to travel and spend time with their family. Connor Spelic and his family, operators of Spelic's Market and Meats in Spalding, will be taking over the location.

"(We took) a chance to sell it and not lose having a grocery store in this town because a town needs a grocery store," Tom said.

Spelic said, upon hearing the Bethscheiders were looking to sell, he and his wife saw an opportunity to keep another small-town grocery store alive, for the same reason.

"My wife Alex and I have seen what happens to small towns when they lose a grocery store, we have a strong passion for keeping small towns together, shopping local because it seems like as soon as you lose schools, grocery stores, bars, it starts going down quick," Spelic said. "We want to keep it alive, keep the money local."

Over the years, Tom and Chris said, they've had some struggles, but powered through them. Not once did they think it would be the end, however. Chris said over the years, they did try several things to maybe boost traffic or income, but they all phased out after several years. No matter what, they would just try something new and see what stuck.

"We tried different things, like we had a gift shop, when that wasn't working so good, we had an ice cream shop with food," Chris said. "We had that for like nine years. You just keep trying new things."

While they had a crew they could depend on, they felt like it was time for them to move on and let somebody else take the reins as they aren't able to do all the things they once did, and getting workers who can do those things are getting scarce.

"There is a lot of competition and staffing is getting harder. We've been very fortunate we have very dependable help right now but as we get older, we need young guys to help us lift things and stuff and its harder to get that," Tom said.

Having spent their last day at the store on Feb. 25, Tom and Chris said they will now spend some of their free time visiting their family across the country.

"We'll do some traveling. We've got grandkids playing ball, we'll find something," Tom said.

"Our kids are all over. One's in Atlanta, one's in St. Petersburg, Florida, one's still here in Nebraska and we have a granddaughter in Portland, Oregon, so we have a lot of traveling," Chris said.

The grocery store, Spelic said, will reopen Feb. 28 but a lot of changes will come in the next few months as he merges it with his current system for Spelic's Market and Meats.

"We'll have a lot of lot of new items, deli-prepared meals, give it a little bit of a facelift, so to speak, a new front end scan system instead of the manual registers," Spelic said. "The building and store should look very different when we're done."

Tom and Chris agreed that they're thankful for all the support over the years and that the best part of the whole experience for them was the customers who came in every day and supported them and their business.

"The customers in this area, they're like family. You know their kids, we've seen all their families grow up," Chris said. "That's the hard part of leaving the business, it's kind of your social time too."
Laois native Sean Clear (24) was working to retrieve a piece of machinery when overhead lines were struck

Sean Clear, who died in a tragic accident in New Zealand.

Sean Clear, the young Irishman killed in a tragic accident in New Zealand eleven days ago, will be buried this Saturday after his body was repatriated to Ireland.

The 24-year old, from Ballacolla, Co Laois, passed away on February 17 whilst working as an agricultural contractor.

The whole community is trying to pull together to help the family, said Niamh Delaney, PRO for Clogh Ballacolla GAA club.

Sean, who was killed while working in on the north island of New Zealand, had been due to celebrate his 25th birthday on Monday.

Mr Clear had only been in New Zealand for a couple of months, having left Ireland last October.

It is understood Mr Clear, who was a mechanic by trade, was working to retrieve a piece of machinery when overhead lines were struck.

It has rattled everybody in the whole community, who will do everything to take care of his relatives in the coming days and weeks. People have really got together, Ms Delaney added.

Sean Clear, who died in a tragic accident in New Zealand.

Sean was a popular member of the Ballacolla community, a hurler with Clough-Ballacolla and a past pupil of Ballacolla NS and St Fergals in Rathdowney.

He was a graduate of Salesian Agricultural College in Pallaskenry in Limerick.

His dad, Tom, is very well-known in GAA circles as a former vice-chairman of Laois County Board and a current Leinster Council delegate.

Paying tribute, Clough-Ballacolla GAA chairman, Gordon Pearson, said the club and community are heartbroken at the death of the popular young man.

We as a community, as a club; we are deeply saddened over it. Sean was the nicest young lad you could ever meet, said Mr Pearson. He was such a nice chap. He had a word for everybody.

We are deeply saddened and we will do all we can to support them in this terrible time, said Mr Pearson. They are a lovely family. It is terrible. It was a freak accident.

Leaving condolences on rip.ie, one Laois mother wrote:

Deepest sympathy to the Clear and Martin families on the very sad and untimely passing of your beloved Sean. You are all in our thoughts and prayers at this sad time. May he rest in peace

Whilst a family from the area wrote:

Our heartfelt sympathy to Tom, Julie and Ella on the loss of your beloved Sean, also to Emma, Barry, Becca, Rachel, Arran and Mary and all of the Clear and Martin families our deepest condolences.

A vibrant spirit like Sean's will never be far away from you, holding you close in strength, comfort and love. Rest in peace Sean.

Mr Clears family have requested that the house remain private from Monday to Wednesday.

Sean is survived by his parents Tom and Julie, sister Ella, Grandmother Mary and Grandfather, Jerry.
It cited "extreme waiting times" for public patients in accessing cardiology services, and a shortfall in follow up services, such as cardiac rehabilitation, for heart attack sufferers.

Gaping holes in the prevention and care of people with cardiovascular disease in Ireland have emerged, despite it killing 9,000 patients a year, a new report warns today.

Among the serious concerns are figures showing Ireland has the lowest rate of detection of high blood pressure  a risk factor for heart attack and stroke  in western Europe.

The report comes from the National Institute for Prevention and Cardiovascular Health and the National Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) Prevention Council.

It cited "extreme waiting times" for public patients in accessing cardiology services, and a shortfall in follow up services, such as cardiac rehabilitation, for heart attack sufferers.

It is supported by the charity Croi which points out that 80pc of premature cardiovascular disease is preventable.

Some 75pc of people who suffered a heart attack between 2017 and 2020 had no idea in advance they suffered from cardiovascular disease.

Posed image of a heart patient. Photo: Getty Images   Getty Images

Likewise, more than 1,200 people that suffered an ischaemic stroke in 2020 were found to also have atrial fibrillation (AF), a common type of irregular, usually rapid, heartbeat. However, AF was not identified in 40pc of patients until they suffered the stroke, the report warned.

Ireland is also without an up-to-date cardiovascular strategy after the last one expired in 2019.

Other deficiencies include problems around the treatment and discharge of patients following the detection of disease.

AF was not identified in 40pc of patients until they suffered the stroke

These issues include long waiting times in public hospitals and the lack of tailored discharge plans for patients.

Access to cardiac rehabilitation is paramount to the recovery of those post-cardiac events yet it has significantly declined.

A 2017 study previously identified that there was national capacity to meet only 39pc of the need for cardiac rehabilitation while in 2021 there was a waiting list of more than 2,800 people, with 40pc waiting at least three months following hospital discharge.

The issues in the management of patient discharges are particularly worrying when considering that in the absence of Irish data, the report references a Swedish study which reveals that nearly 20pc of people that suffer a heart attack die from a cardiovascular cause or experience a repeat heart attack or stroke within a year.

It calls for the development of a national strategy to tackle cardiovascular disease. It also recommends a screening programme for familial hypercholesterolaemia (FH), a genetic condition which causes dangerously high cholesterol levels from birth.

FH affects around 1 in 200-250 people in Ireland however the majority of this goes undetected. Childhood FH screening programmes are commonplace throughout Europe.

The implementation of electronic health records is identified as a critically important key to integration of services required for effective prevention in clinical practice, said Croi.

Speaking at the launch of the report, NIPCs research and medical director, Professor Bill McEvoy said: With Ireland's ageing population, making the prioritisation of CVD prevention part of that transformation is more important than ever, he said.

The lack of a national strategy for what is societys greatest killer is a significant and worrying gap. CVD is a preventable disease, yet it kills nearly 9,000 people per year. We have previously demonstrated national leadership in the space through lasting actions such as the smoking ban; we now need to recognise that more needs to be done to tackle cardiovascular disease.

Dr Angie Brown, medical director of the Irish Heart Foundation, said: We face a groundswell of rising cardiovascular disease risk factors from population ageing, obesity, and new environmental threats from climate change. These challenges will result in a growing burden of disease and pressure on our healthcare system.
We have major concerns for our community groups here and for the wider community

Fianna Fail TD Robert Troy assured locals community groups would be able to continue as normal

A column of tents have been erected to house refugees on the grounds of Columb Barracks in Mullingar.

The tents have been placed on the site of the former barracks in the Westmeath town in recent weeks.

However, the head of one local community group has described the decision as being like a concentration camp.

The chairperson of the Columb Barracks Restoration and Regeneration Committee (CBRRC) in the town, Helen Donnelly, said that housing refugees in the barracks is entirely inappropriate.

Plans to use the former army barracks to house 120 asylum seekers in temporary tented accommodation has already led to local protests with one recent demonstration bringing 300 people out onto the streets.

The CBRRC, which is an umbrella group that assists more than 30 voluntary and community organisations that already use the facilities at the barracks, claimed there had been no consultation with them or their members.

Since its closure in 2012, the 25-acre barracks in the centre of the Westmeath town has been used by various community groups, who voiced their concerns regarding the disruption this may cause to their activities.

The tents are all there now, and there is water and electricity and toilets connected, as far as we can tell, Ms Donnelly said. We understand that the refugees are due to move in next week.

We have major concerns for our community groups here and for the wider community, she added.

But we also have major concerns for the people who are going to be housed in a concentration camp type of environment. It's absolutely not appropriate.

Since its official closure as an Irish Defence Forces base in 2012, Columb Barracks has been a home for groups that assist those with mental health issues and vulnerable youth among many others.

In a previous statement the Columb Barracks Restoration and Regeneration Committee (CBRRC) voiced concern about what it sees as "the lack of community consultation with the people of Mullingar" about the erection of tented accommodation for refugees and asylum seekers in the barracks courtyard.

There was no consultation with more than 30 voluntary and self-help groups that have occupied the barracks for the last ten years, Ms Donnelly added.

Weve been told nothing. We have no information about how this operation will be managed.

Fianna Fail TD Robert Troy assured locals there will be no disruption to community activities taking place at the facility.

The refugee accommodation area will be fenced off, and a professional facility management company will operate the site on the behalf of the Department of Integration, he told the Irish Times.

He added that while 120 males will stay in tented accommodation for an estimated period of eight weeks, the circumstances would change once Portacabins were installed.

Portacabins will not be used to house single males. At peak capacity the Portacabins will house approximately 200 family members total, Mr Troy added.

In a previous statement, the Department of Integration said 15 tents will be erected for a limited period of up to eight weeks to accommodate asylum applicants at Columb Barracks.

It plans to use the site for a maximum of 12 months.

The department spokesperson was quoted as saying: The intention is that no person should have to stay at Columb Barracks for more than three weeks before being moved on to more suitable accommodation.

This is in response to the current challenge whereby adult international protection applicants are not offered accommodation due to lack of availability.

The plan, aided by the Department of Defence, is for both Ukrainian and other international refugees to be housed at the facility.

While the tents are in use, the department will procure and install Portacabins for more medium-term use, the department said.
Public property records obtained by MailOnline have revealed that Jamie and his wife Amelia Warner splashed out on a six-bed former guesthouse last September.

Jamie Dornan has reportedly forked out 1 million (1.1m) for a new home in Portugal.

The Co Down actor (40) recently caused speculation that he had relocated abroad after he was spotted buying some fruit and vegetables in a small village in the south of the country.

Public property records obtained by MailOnline have revealed that Jamie and his wife Amelia Warner splashed out on a six-bed former guesthouse last September.

The couple purchased the property, which comes with its own private swimming pool, at a public notary in Lisbon.

The house was formerly a luxury country hotel owned by a Spanish woman who described the property as one of Portugal's best-kept secrets.

Previous guests praised it as an outstanding place full of tranquility and comfort, in a series of online reviews for the property.

It comes after Jamie and Amelia reportedly sold their eight-bedroom pad in the Cotswolds for 5 million (5.7m) last year, leaving fans wondering where they were moving to at the time.

It is not yet known if the couple plan to use their new pad as their full-time residence with their three daughters Dulcie (9) Elva (7), and Alberta (4).

Jamie has previously opened up about his love for his children and said that his favourite sound in the world is his kids laughing together.

However, the 40-year-old admitted that this is a rarity.

The collective of all my children laughing at the same time, thats a rarity, he explained.

All you want is your kids to get on with each other and not pull each others hair out and scream at each other and say hurtful things to each other, which they spend a lot of their time doing.

So when they are all laughing together, that is the best thing.
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The number of people accessing their KiwiSaver to make ends meet is expected to rise as people start to rebuild after the severe weather events of the past few months.

The KiwiSaver scheme was designed to only be accessed when someone retires or purchases their first home, but people can withdrawal savings if they meet the criteria for financial hardship.

Koura Wealth managing director Rupert Carlyon says he has seen an increase in KiwiSaver queries after the Auckland floods and Cyclone Gabrielle.

Accessing KiwiSaver savings under hardship can be a daunting and complicated process and applicants have to prove they have no other options, says Rupert.

"The key to accessing your KiwiSaver for financial hardship, it's really [about] proving to the supervisor of the KiwiSaver scheme that you've got nowhere else to turn, because that's the key thing for them.

"You are taking away money from your retirement, and so for them, they want to make sure that this really is the last option and you've exhausted all other potential sources of funding."

Rupert says Koura Wealth is fielding queries from Auckland residents unable to pay the insurance excess on their severely damaged homes after February's flooding, or who live in the Hawke's Bay and have been made redundant.

This week, the government expanded temporary accommodation services for people displaced by recent storms to cover regions affected outside of Auckland, including Te Tai Tokerau, Tai Rawhiti, Hawke's Bay, Bay of Plenty, Waikato and Tararua District.

Housing Minister Megan Woods has said estimates show up to 1800 households in Auckland alone might need temporary accommodation, including hotels, motor lodges and portable accommodation.

Rupert says some financial advisers rule out accessing KiwiSaver at any time, even under extreme hardship.

"It can be all too easy to think you need to save for your retirement and you need to stay in KiwiSaver for the long run, but actually, our job is also to help people survive today.

"That, to me, is what it's all about.

"It's about making sure people survive and thrive in the current environment, as well as the future, and if we want people to really buy into our products and really connect with the financial sector, these are the kind of things we need to make as easy as we can."

It's important people accessing their KiwiSaver only withdraw what they need, because the scheme aims to accumulate wealth over time, says Rupert.

"For example, a 35-year-old that takes out $5000 today, if they had left that invested in a growth fund the whole way through, that would be $25,000 by the time they hit 65.

"There is an opportunity cost. If they spend money today and take money out of their KiwiSaver, then they're going to have to fund their retirement from somewhere else.

"It's not free money, it's definitely money that should be used for retirement and that's one of the conversations we have with a lot of our clients. Once they understand the implications of taking it out, some of them change their minds."

-RNZ.
At the site of a derailment near Rukuhia, south of Hamilton, work to put a locomotive back on its tracks was in full swing on Tuesday morning.

After colliding with a ute at a level-crossing on Rukuhia Rd between SH3 and Gillard Rd on Monday afternoon, a DL locomotive and its three carriages had derailed leaving the engine partly off the rails and at a precarious tilt.

The train was a shunt en route from the Fonterra dairy factory in Te Awamutu to the Te Rapa marshalling yard, according to a worker at the derailment.

In total, about 25 kiwirail track workers, signal technicians and overhead lines electricians were tending to the derailment with plant and manpower.

An 11 tonne digger belonging to rail contractor Woods Contracting could be seen straightening a set of rails that split at a set of points that diverts trains into a passing loop, and several truckloads of rail ballast had been unloaded in preparation for the arrival of a crane on Tuesday afternoon.

According to a Kiwirail spokesperson, the 108 tonne locomotive had derailed such that a crane would have to be sought to lift it, and the trailing carriages back onto the track.

Near the level crossing a warped section of track could be seen.

About 25 workers were on site on Tuesday morning to tend to the derailment and put the locomotive and its waggons back on the tracks.

An alternative for smaller derailments is to use hydraulic jacks to lift and shift locomotives back on to the rails, although this is generally a method undertaken in flat, expansive rail yards.

In this case, a ballast pad will be laid from which the crane can manoeuvre and lift the locomotive back onto the tracks.

The site of the derailment is on the North Island Main Trunk line, and freight services between Auckland and Wellington will remain paused while work is underway, says the spokesperson.

A neighbour who gave her name only as Cathy, described the sound of the derailment as screeching and scraping.

Simon Pleasants, a spokesperson for the Transport Accident Investigation Commission, says the Commission are aware of the derailment.

The commission is aware of the derailment and is gathering more information to inform a decision about whether to investigate, he says.

-Jonah Franke-Bowell/Stuff.
A much loved Tauranga teacher is in stable condition and communicating after being taken to hospital following a disorder, SunLive understands.

The disorder occurred at Otumoetai College at 12.30pm yesterday.

Principal Russell Gordon says the event happened after two students not from this college entered the premises.

After the disorder, Russell says the Otumoetai College staff member suffered a medical emergency.

When asked, Russell says he couldn't say if the incidents were unrelated.

What we understand is there was 90 seconds between the event outside and the staff member coming into the administration block.

Russell says there have been allegations the teacher is in ICU as a result of an assault, and these allegations are patently untrue.

What we have learned is [the staff member] is in a stable condition in hospital and is communicating.

On the event response, Russell says he would like to praise the quick response of the three staff members who helped with the event.

However, he says the school needs to do more to assist with situations like this in the future.

We need to have better camera coverage so we are able to identify people if in the worst case scenario, something like this were to happen again.

The police have done a thorough investigation and I am confident as a result of what they are doing, this will be addressed in an appropriate manner.

Police responded to a report of a disorder at a premises on Windsor Road at 12.30pm, according to a police spokesperson.

One person was transported to hospital in serious condition.

Police are speaking with two youths in relation to the incident.

Enquiries are ongoing.
A community partnership in Columbus aims to help keep those with special needs and/or cognitive disabilities safe from wandering off and getting into a potentially unsafe situation.

Columbus Community Hospital, the Columbus Police Department, the Platte County Sheriffs Office and Columbus Public Schools have been working on bringing Project Lifesaver to the area.

Project Lifesaver is a nonprofit that provides law enforcement, rescue personnel and caregivers with a way to quickly locate individuals prone to roam, such as those with autism or Alzheimers disease.

In the program, individuals wear a personalized wristband that sends a tracking signal to an assigned radio frequency every second for 24 hours a day. If the enrolled person goes missing, a caregiver can notify their local Project Lifesaver agency and a trained emergency team responds. The tracking signal helps reduce the time, cost and support needed for a search and rescue mission.

Project Lifesaver is being introduced to CPS as a soft launch. It will be offered to school-aged children, which could be expanded as additional funding becomes available.

CPS officials noted at a February board of education meeting that the project efforts were underway.

Chip Kay, director of finance and human resources, reported at a Feb. 13 CPS board meeting that letters were sent to families who would be eligible for the new program.

The cost for our district is going to be less than $5,000 for starting this up and it could benefit up to 13 to 15 of our students, or families who agree to participate, Kay said.

We've had one sign up so far  with us. We're waiting to get about three to five before we do (additional paperwork). This is a great program for our community, its a great program for these kids that are in need. I think we're very fortunate to partner with the police department and the hospital to be the school district that's wanting to be a part of this.

According to a Jan. 12 press release from CCH, local law enforcement representatives from the police department and sheriffs office attended a three-day training class to learn more about Project Lifesavers technology and rescue tactics.

We have a responsibility to do what we can to help protect wandering individuals, Columbus Police Capt. Doug Molczyk said, in the press release. After working with our local schools and community partners, we decided Project Lifesavers technology would benefit our community.

"This project is a testament to the cooperation between agencies in Platte County."

According to the nonprofit organizations website, Project Lifesaver is run by public safety agencies and, when an agency decides to implement the project, they are equipped with the needed technologies and are provided training to those involved.

In Nebraska, Project Lifesaver programs are also implemented in Omaha, Papillion, Lincoln, Kearney and Grand Island.

To learn more about Project Lifesaver, contact the Columbus Police Department at 402-564-3201 or the Platte County Sherriffs Office at 402-564-3329.
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Police said a Wellsville man tried to kill a 92-year-old person in a patient room at Holy Spirit Hospital Sunday night.

East Pennsboro Police said they were dispatched to Holy Spirit around 7:17 p.m. Sunday for the report of an assault. Police said their investigation revealed a man attempted to kill the victim inside a patient room and a staff member witnessed the incident and stopped the assault on the victim.

Police said John Joseph Stoll Jr., 58, of Wellsville, was arrested and transported to Cumberland County Prison where he is being held on $250,000 bail. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for March 15 before Magisterial District Judge Michael Sanderson.

According to court documents, Stoll is charged with attempted homicide, aggravated assault and strangulation.
Two men are awaiting extradition to Pennsylvania after what State Police call a grandparent scam that involved a Perry County victim last week.

Alfonso Manuel Montero-Perez, 29, of Bronx, New York, and Rafael Humberto Recio-Santana, 40, of New Brunswick, New Jersey, were charged with felony attempted theft by deception and conspiracy of theft following an investigation that started last week.

State Police at Newport said they received a call from an 86-year-old woman who reported losing $25,000 through a scam. She reported that she received phone calls that said her grandson had arrest warrants out of Pittsburgh and she was instructed to send money to help.

At the time she talked to police, they said she had already withdrawn $10,000 and another $15,000 and sent the money with drivers on a rideshare service.

Police then worked with the woman to contact the suspected scammers to tell them she had more money to send, and they arranged for another rideshare service to deliver the money.

The driver arrived at the victims home and took possession of the package, telling her that the destination was in New Jersey, according to police.

Police then made contact with the driver, whom they said was an unknowing participant in the scam. The driver agreed to assist police, who accompanied him to the location in New Jersey.

Police said Montero-Perez and Recio-Santana were awaiting the cash delivery at the drop-off location, and they were both taken into custody without incident by New Jersey State Police.

Police said the investigation continues as they await extradition to Pennsylvania. Police thanked New Jersey State Police and the rideshare driver for their assistance in the investigation.

Police also warned residents to be aware of scams, including this type of grandparent scam.

Police said the victims information, as well as information of family members, are commonly used by scammers in attempt to make the claims appear credible.

Police suggests residents take extra steps to verify any claims made by scammers and to never give out personal information or money to anyone they dont trust.
Samfromindia BHPian



Join Date: Jan 2014 Location: Kolkata - Pune Posts: 594 Thanked: 2,332 Times

re: Rann Ke Rang | Featuring Ahmedabad Rann Of Kutch



Finally the time came to visit the most unique part of Gujarat, The Great White Rann ! Its a huge salt desert having a unique white look. During winters, additionally two things are present : Rann Utsav, which is like a fair having flea markets and cultural events and the Tent City. Both of them are present just outside the entry of White Rann near Dhordo village at Bhuj. Tent City comprises of huge area having events and cultural activities throughout the day. While Rann Utsav is open to public, only guests who booked accommodation have access to Tent City.



https://youtu.be/o8UPQIq1xz8



Decided for a one night stay. That place is around 400KM / 8Hrs from Ahmedabad. The recommended place to stay is the Tent City by Gujarat Tourism :

https://www.rannutsav.net/



https://youtu.be/sqhHlLImN3E



Unfortunately being Christmas weekend, all entry - mid level tents were sold out, and only ones costing 30K + per night were available So decided to go there and book other available options. As that place is secluded, most accommodation comes with stay + lunch + dinner options as a combo.





One needs to get permit for visiting the white rann, which can be done both online and offline. However offline process can take some time, so its recommended to get it before online.

https://rannpermit.gujarat.gov.in/



The road was a mix of good and bad. Started from Ahmedabad early morning and reached there post noon.



Tropic Of Cancer Board





Offline Permits are issued here, few KM away from Rann checkpoint.





Way to Rann Utsav





Tent City









Booked cottages here, walking distance from White Rann checkpost





















Cultural festival at accommodation at night





Included Gujarati Veg Thali for dinner







Rann Utsav















Finally the time came to visit the most unique part of Gujarat, The Great White Rann ! Its a huge salt desert having a unique white look. During winters, additionally two things are present : Rann Utsav, which is like a fair having flea markets and cultural events and the Tent City. Both of them are present just outside the entry of White Rann near Dhordo village at Bhuj. Tent City comprises of huge area having events and cultural activities throughout the day. While Rann Utsav is open to public, only guests who booked accommodation have access to Tent City.Decided for a one night stay. That place is around 400KM / 8Hrs from Ahmedabad. The recommended place to stay is the Tent City by Gujarat Tourism :Unfortunately being Christmas weekend, all entry - mid level tents were sold out, and only ones costing 30K + per night were availableSo decided to go there and book other available options. As that place is secluded, most accommodation comes with stay + lunch + dinner options as a combo.One needs to get permit for visiting the white rann, which can be done both online and offline. However offline process can take some time, so its recommended to get it before online.The road was a mix of good and bad. Started from Ahmedabad early morning and reached there post noon.Tropic Of Cancer BoardOffline Permits are issued here, few KM away from Rann checkpoint.Way to Rann UtsavTent CityBooked cottages here, walking distance from White Rann checkpostCultural festival at accommodation at nightIncluded Gujarati Veg Thali for dinner Last edited by Samfromindia : 27th February 2023 at 01:04 .
Why it matters: The US Air Force has begun implementing facial recognition into its autonomous drones. The Air Force intends to use the technology for Intelligence gathering and as support in "other missions." However, some fear the US could deploy drones for assassination and that even the most sophisticated systems still are not 100 percent accurate.

The added capability comes from long-time Seattle tech firm RealNetworks. The name probably sounds familiar because it's the same company that delved into streaming media before anybody else. You may recall the RealPlayer from the late 1990s and some of the choppy live broadcasts the media player could stream.

Since then, RealNetworks shifted its focus to machine learning and facial recognition, developing the Secure Accurate Facial Recognition (SAFR) platform in 2018. New Scientist notes that in 2021, RealNetworks scored a $729,000 Phase II defense contract with the Pentagon to adapt SAFR to small unmanned aircraft systems (sUAS).

RealNetworks fulfilled that contract by the end of last year. In addition to flying itself, the company says the drones could prove helpful in various situations, including rescue missions, perimeter protection, and domestic search operations. The technology also reduces risks for Air Force personnel in security situations, identifying faces with 98.85 percent accuracy.

"We see this as an incredible opportunity to demonstrate how AI is a force multiplier and can be used to reduce risk to security forces and emergency responders," said SAFR senior product manager Eric Hess told Airforce Technology in 2021 after winning the bid for a ground-based vehicle system.

Proponents of the technology state that equipping robotic machines with the capability of pulling a trigger is dangerous and unethical. Such systems are not immune to failure, and an indiscriminate autonomous vehicle can harm innocents. We recently saw this very issue overturn the San Fransico Police Department's decision to allow robots to execute lethal force in situations where officers' or citizens' lives were threatened.

The USAF claims it does not fly unmanned drones without human supervision. At any given time, commanders can have operators issue standdown directives and other orders to an sUAS. It's important to note that even human pilots must receive a go-ahead to fire unless the enemy has already engaged them in combat.

Additionally, sUAS aircraft are not the same as large combat drones. They are not much bigger than their consumer-grade cousins (above being one of the larger examples). While they can be weaponized, their small size limits their usefulness in combat roles, so they are typically used in support missions for recognizance and patrolling duties.

RealNetworks has an ongoing relationship with the Air Force. The sUAS project is the company's latest contract with the military branch. In addition to the drone assignment, the company also accepted a commission in 2021 to implement its SAFR system into unmanned ground vehicles. Both contracts were part of the USAF's Small Business Innovation Research program. It also secured two earlier Phase II jobs through the AFWERX program worth $1.9 million.
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The big picture: The US government has had a bad run of cybersecurity-related incidents over the last couple of weeks. In the span of 12 days, officials from the FBI, DoD, and USMS have confirmed one data leak caused by human error and two separate attacks against government systems. So far, investigators have either not found any suspects or are keeping the lid on what they have discovered.

On Monday, the US Marshals Service (USMS) announced that hackers had infected its systems with ransomware. The security breach exposed a cache of data, including personally identifiable information (PII) of USMS employees. Officials say the attack was isolated to one "stand-alone" system, which is now offline. The attack has not caused an interruption in operations.

"The affected system contains law enforcement sensitive information, including returns from legal process, administrative information, and personally identifiable information pertaining to subjects of USMS investigations, third parties, and certain USMS employees," spokesman Drew Wade told NBC News.

The incident occurred on February 17. Senior Justice Department officials have labeled it a "major" attack. An ongoing forensics investigation is in full swing, but little is known about the event. Officials at the DoJ and USMS have not named any suspects nor the ransom demands.

However, they did mention that the attack did not involve the Witness Security Program database and assures everyone that nobody in witness protection is in danger. The downed system primarily contained information on current investigations, but the USMS has developed a "workaround" to continue operations without the infected system.

The attack happened suspiciously close to another hack against federal law enforcement computers. On the same day of the USMS incident, the FBI announced it had "contained" a cybersecurity event on its systems.

Bureau officials were tight-lipped on information regarding the attack. It refrained from commenting on what systems were affected, possible suspects, or the damage caused. However, anonymous sources briefed on the incident told CNN that the breach involved the FBI's child sexual abuse material (CSAM) system at a "high-profile" field office in New York. Officials are still investigating the attack's origin, but it doesn't appear that it involved ransomware. An official FBI spokesperson claimed that it was an "isolated incident."

As if that were not enough, the Department of Defense suffered a data leak last week thanks to a misconfigured email server. The system was hosted on a Microsoft Azure account reserved for DoD personnel and isolated from civilian servers. The exposed emails contained "sensitive but not classified" information.

One example was a completed SF-86 form, which is used to apply for classified security clearance. This type of document contains PII and other sensitive information that could be useful to foreign adversaries.

The wide-open server was spotted by a security researcher and reported to the DoD. Administrators immediately reconfigured the server. As far as anybody knows, no one but the security researcher accessed the data in the few weeks that it was exposed.
Every dystopian science fiction starts with the idea that humans will be overrun by robots. 90s movies and books believed this would happen to us in the 2000s. And decades later, we find ourselves with robots in almost every field.

We also have artificial intelligence (AI), sparking fears that it will replace humans and displace them from their jobs. AI is only going to be more advanced from now on, especially with an AI chatbot that has garnered millions of users in just less than a week.

Lo and behold, ChatGPT - the next big thing that may just be as disruptive and transformative as the Internet. And it might as well inspire upcoming dystopian fiction.

ChatGPT, which stands for "Generative Pretrained Transformer 3," is a massive language model developed by OpenAI. It is structured on a deep-learning architecture known as a transformer, enabling the tool to provide human-like responses to natural language prompts.

This tool is like a personal assistant or secretary who would heed every request you make except for coffee. You can call it a slave or even your best buddy since it can help you with your research, compose a song or a poem, and even listen to your relationship problems.

These qualities were all made possible by language models developed for natural language processing. It helps the machine understand the nuances and quirks of a natural language text, enables speech recognition by predicting the next word in a spoken sentence, provides summaries to queries, and understands the sentiment or tone of the text.

This is why ChatGPT is very human-like and it is scary yet fascinating at the same time. But to understand how this chatbot came to be, we must trace its roots back to the earliest forms of language models.

Brief History of Language Models

Researchers started creating rule-based systems to evaluate and produce language in the 1950s and 1960s. These programs could produce sentences that followed predetermined rules since they were based on formal grammar. However, they still had trouble dealing with the ambiguity and complexity of natural language.

But in the 1980s and 1990s, large amounts of data, such as in the form of text corpora, were employed to create more realistic and nuanced natural language. Statistical language models began to surface at this time, and they used probability theory to determine the likelihood of a word or phrase emerging in a particular context.

Researchers then started investigating neural network-based models in the early 2000s, which use layers of synthetic neurons to understand patterns in linguistic input. As data and processing capacity expanded, these models got more potent, and they are now the standard method for language modeling.

Language models had a long way to go, but all roads may have just led them to a human-like chatbot such as ChatGPT. And though it may seem like an overnight success, it was years in the making that, started in 2015.

Read Also: Microsoft Closed Internal Metaverse Team to Focus on ChatGPT

ChatGPT's Timeline

December 11, 2015: The Birth of OpenAI

OpenAI was officially established on December 11, 2015, by several tech luminaries such as Elon Musk, Sam Altman, Greg Brockman, Ilya Sutskever, John Schulman, and Wojciech Zaremba, among others.

The company's co-founders were worried about the possible dangers of highly developed AI, including the loss of jobs, disruption of the economy, and even existential threats to civilization. Hence, they founded OpenAI.

In short, the company was built in way of accepting that the future is AI and that there is nothing to worry about. But we also know that business is business; from then on, AI was an attractive market that needed to be exploited.

June 11, 2018: Laying the Groundwork with GPT-1

The first GPT (Generative Pre-trained Transformer) language model, GPT-1, was unveiled by OpenAI on June 11, 2018.

GPT-1 represented at the time a substantial advancement in the field of natural language processing as it boasts 117 million parameters and the capacity to produce a coherent and contextually relevant response to a particular prompt. It was ultimately the groundwork for ChatGPT's success.

It is also worth noting that Elon Musk stepped down from the company on February 21, 2018, due to conflicts of interest since he was also the CEO of several companies, such as SpaceX and Tesla.

February 14, 2019: GPT's Second Installment

GPT-2 was introduced on Valentine's Day in 2019. Due to the model's extraordinary size and language-generating skills, it attracted significant attention from the AI community and the media. It was the largest and most potent language model at the time of its introduction, with 1.5 billion parameters, proving that such models will only get larger and larger as the years go by.

July 22, 2019: Microsoft-OpenAI Partnership Announced

Microsoft has been working with OpenAI since the two businesses announced their partnership to create new AI technology in 2019. As part of the collaboration, Microsoft contributed $1 billion to OpenAI and committed to working with the firm to create fresh AI tools and services.

Since then, Microsoft has taken a leading role in assisting OpenAI's research and development initiatives, particularly those connected to GPT and ChatGPT.

This partnership was crucial in expanding the resources available to OpenAI. Microsoft has a specialized hardware and cloud computing infrastructure and boasts expertise in machine learning.

With a boost from Big Tech, it was clear that GPT was on its way to disruption.

June 11, 2020: The Largest and Most Powerful GPT

GPT-3 was released by OpenAI on June 11, 2020. With 175 billion parameters, GPT-3 was the largest and most potent language model ever created, marking a significant turning point in the field of natural language processing.

November 30, 2022: ChatGPT is Born!

ChatGPT started making waves upon its introduction in November of last year. It employs OpenAI's GPT-3.5 language technology, a model trained with a vast collection of text data from various sources. The bot can respond to follow-up questions and even acknowledge its errors.

But most impressively, it can understand hundreds of languages, including various dialects and mother tongues. It can also generate contextually-relevant responses due to its vast amount of data.

However, it is not guaranteed that ChatGPT is proficient in all of these languages since it depends on the quantity and quality of text data fed to this chatbot. This goes to show that ChatGPT's capacities are finite and are not as omnipotent and all-knowing as we assume.

The responses to this viral chatbot have been diverse so far. Microsoft's founder Bill Gates said he is excited about the potential of ChatGPT and hailed it as the "most important innovation" right now.

But most importantly, it is challenging Google's dominance in the search engine field as Microsoft integrated AI capabilities into Bing, which would enable it to respond to user prompts and requests.

ChatGPT is shaking Google and is causing quite a stir in the tech scene.

ChatGPT's Tech Solutionism Tendencies

While I concur that this tool is the next big thing after the Internet and will only advance from henceforth, a looming danger must not be neglected from this viral chatbot as it may provide "tech solutionism."

Techsolutionism is the idea that technology in itself is enough to solve all of our problems. It was first coined by Evgeny Morozov, a Belarusian-American author, researcher, and journalist, in his book "To Save Everything, Click Here: The Folly of Technological Solutionism".

Morozov argues that technological solutions neglect the complex nature of social, political, and economic factors that underline some of the most pressing issues we face. Although ChatGPT's large language model promises to provide context-relevant responses, it remains to be limited and hinges on the data that it was fed with. And this will never be enough.

For one, its current training data was cut off in 2021. This means that it has no access to current and real-time information, and it can never replicate the jobs of journalists in decentralizing relevant and up-to-date information.

ChatGPT also boats extensive knowledge of the arts - it can criticize artwork, write poems, and compose music. However, it can only replicate and recreate, and it will never capture the romantic ardor of Shakespeare's writing or Taylor Swift's deeply personal songwriting since it revolves around data and not imagination or inspiration.

AI, in general, has tech solutionism tendencies if humans are overdependent on this technology for various solutions. I still believe that a future where robots control humans is pure fiction, but such a scenario would be possible if we miss the flaws and errors of AI and misapply it to our daily lives.

In a philosophical sense, technologies are only as good as the meanings we ascribe to them and how they translate these meanings.

ChatGPT will only be as good as the attention and clamor that it receives. It will only be as good as the meanings ascribed since it is a language model, not a human brain.

OpenAi tested its Technology on the DOTA eSports Event

Did you know that OpenAI's Five defeated DOTA world champions, team OG, in an eSports event? The aim of testing Five at the event was to demonstrate the capabilities of this innovation and showcase OpenAI's tech, Five, potential in the field of AI. However, the company retired this program after crashing the eSports champs.

Related Article: Conversation With ChatGPT: Multiverses, Singularity, Future of Machine Learning

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An almost perfectly preserved 3,500-year-old bear was found in Siberian permafrost. The Etherican brown bear was found by reindeer herders in 2020 and is now being autopsied by researchers at North-Eastern Federal University.

(Photo : KAISA SIREN/AFP via Getty Images)

Palle-Jooseppi, a male brown bear of Ranua Zoo, wakes up after winter hibernation in Ranua on February 23, 2012.

Perfectly Preserved 3,500-Year-Old Bear

A female brown bear was found perfectly preserved for 3,460 years. According to researchers at North-Eastern Federal University, the bear is estimated to be 5 feet tall and weighs 172 pounds. Interesting Engineering reported that the bear was found at the permafrost on Bolshoy Lyakhovsky Island, which is a part of the New Siberian archipelago.

The scientists named the bear after the Bolshoy Etherican River, naming it the Etherican brown bear. Due to extreme weather conditions, researchers were able to study the brown bear's soft tissue and the last meal remained.

Lazarev Mammoth Museum Laboratory Chief Maxim Cheprasov stated that finding a complete carcass of an ancient brown bear is a unique experience. Skeletons or skulls were only the usual finds for researchers to examine.

He stated, "For the first time, a carcass with soft tissues has fallen into the hands of scientists, giving us the opportunity to study the internal organs and examine the brain."

Autopsy

By cutting the bear's skin, the Reuters reported that the whole team inspected its brain and internal organs as they conduct various cellular, microbiological, virological, and genetic tests.

The pink tissue and yellow fat of the bear were also visible during the autopsy, making it easy for the researchers to study the Etherican brown bear. A vacuum cleaner was also used for the skull in order to remove the skull bone dust before extracting its brain.

Cheprasov added that the analysis showed that this bear does not differ from the modern bear from north-east Russia when it comes to its DNA. The bear lived about 2-3 years before it died from an injury to its spinal column.

Aside from this, the scientists found the bear's final meal intact that consists of bird feathers and plants still in its stomach, thanks to the Siberian temperatures that helped preserve the bear completely.

Also Read: [VIRAL] This Cute Bear Takes 400 Selfies in Colorado's Wildlife Motion Capture Camera

Discovering the bear on the island remains unclear as Business Insider reported that it is one divided from the mainland by a 50 km strait. The preserved bear might have crossed over the ice and swum over, making it visible to the reindeer herders.

The Lyakhosky islands contain some of the richest treasures in the world when it comes to paleontology, which is not surprising that it attracts both scientists and ivory traders as they hunt woolly mammoths. The bear is still being tested for researchers to determine its exact biological age, the exact time it died, and other causes of death.

Related Article: Dinosaur Remains Reveal First Mammal Eaten, Earliest Evidence of Discovering a New Food Chain

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Marketing analytics services are provided through businesses that help other companies collect, analyze, and make sense of data about their marketing campaigns. These companies offer a wide range of services, like digital analytics for web and social media, customer behavior analysis, and market research.

They use advanced technologies and methods like artificial intelligence and machine learning to give companies actionable insights, helping them make better decisions and improve their marketing strategies.

Businesses can save money, work more efficiently, and get better results by outsourcing marketing analytics. In the end, marketing analytics aims to help companies grow.

In this article, we'll talk about the top 5 best digital marketing analytics service providers in 2023.

What Is Digital Analytics?

Digital analytics analyzes digital data from various places, like websites and mobile apps. It gives organizations a clear picture of how their customers or users act, which is very helpful. It also helps companies figure out where they need to improve. Businesses can reach their long-term goals by using digital analytics to improve their online experience for current and potential customers.

Companies use digital analytics tools to gather, measure, and analyze qualitative and quantitative data. These facts can come from many different places. After that, the data is used to improve and fine-tune the way business is done to give customers a better online experience.

What Marketing Analytics Does

Marketing analytics is all about collecting and analyzing data so that marketing campaigns can be judged on how well they work, and decisions can be made based on the data. It covers various topics: campaign tracking, customer behavior analysis, market research, forecasting, return on investment calculations, multi-channel attribution analysis, A/B testing, and customer journey analysis. Marketing analytics aims to understand better their customers' likes, dislikes, and market trends so the companies can make better decisions that lead to better results and a better return on investment.

1. Accenture

Accenture is a renowned professional services firm with a global presence headquartered in Dublin, Ireland. The company specializes in information technology services and consulting, offering unparalleled digital, cloud, and security expertise. With a vast network of advanced technology and intelligent operations centers, Accenture boasts a workforce of 674,000 skilled professionals serving clients in over 120 countries.

The company offers a range of services, including strategy and consulting, interactive technology, and operations, aimed at addressing clients' most complex challenges and driving innovation. Accenture has established partnerships with over three-quarters of the Fortune Global 500, delivering transformational outcomes in the digital world.

Key Features

Accenture operates in over 120 countries, boasting a robust global network of experts and resources.

Boasts extensive industry expertise and has worked with a diverse range of clients across industries, including financial services, healthcare, and government.

Accenture offers a comprehensive suite of services, including strategy, consulting, digital, technology, and operations.

Renowned for its focus on innovation and employing cutting-edge technologies and approaches to assist clients in achieving their goals.

Prioritizes the development of its employees and offers ample opportunities for professional growth and advancement, including comprehensive training and career progression.

Accenture adopts a collaborative approach, working closely with clients to understand their unique needs and objectives and developing customized solutions to drive success.

2. WebFX

WebFX is a digital marketing analytics services company based in Pennsylvania that has brought in more than $3 billion in sales and 7.8 million leads for its clients so far. They also have over 25 years of experience running digital marketing campaigns based on data.

WebFX is the best data analytics company and can help your business reach its advertising goals. Their team is made up of more than 450 experts in digital marketing.

Key Features

Their marketing team is the best in its field. They use their analytical skills to figure out your target audience and make your site more visible to that audience.

WebFX's team uses different tools to make search ads, display ads, geo-targeted ads, and remarketing campaigns based on value.

They have a team of social media experts who look at your competitors using different social analytics tools and strategies to create and implement a winning social media management plan that gets the right brand message to your desired audience.

They give you a real-time analysis of how your website is doing, such as how your sales pipeline looks, what your competitors are doing, and what opportunities are open in your industry.

They can give you access to MarketingCloudFX, which uses analytics to track the minor details of each campaign, including all of the leads and sales.

3. Seer Interactive

Seer Interactive is a digital analytics experience agency that provides services to improve campaigns' return on investment (ROI). Considerable data power these services. The company has nearly two decades of experience in digital marketing and boasts a client satisfaction rate of 94%. It was established in 2002 and maintained its headquarters in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Seer Interactive, one of the top marketing analytics services, has more than 200 business and analytics consultants who serve as subject matter experts (SMEs). They cater to the needs of clients in various markets, such as search engine optimization (SEO), pay-per-click (PPC), conversion rate optimization (CRO), and web design.

Key Features

Seer Interactive's Analytics team thinks about how people use your site and finds actionable insights that can be used to move people further down the funnel.

The SEO, PPC, and CRO teams work with the data intelligence team to find critical areas to improve that will lead to the most conversions.

They make custom business plans with the audience in mind to help you understand how users act online and offline.

They use a GA4 measurement strategy that aligns with your business goals and objectives so that you can use the correct data to take the proper steps.

Seer Interactive uses a method based on data to give your target audiences a personalized content experience, which leads to a higher conversion rate.

They use analytics and pay-per-click advertising to get a high conversion rate. In one case, they could increase the conversion rate by 69%.

They use Closed Loop analytics solutions to help connect what people do on the web to how they generate leads.

Google Analytics 360 Remarketing gives your marketing and ad campaigns more power, leading to a higher ROI and more sales.

4. Rise Interactive

Rise Interactive is a digital marketing analytics services agency founded in 2004 and offers a comprehensive range of services. The company's headquarters are in Chicago, with offices in Buenos Aires and Mexico City.

Their primary areas of expertise are in "advance analytics," "digital media," and "customer experience." In addition, they have experience in catering to a wide variety of clients, including B2B brands, consumer product brands, and consumer service brands. The Rise Interactive marketing team was also victorious in the B2B Marketing Elevation Award competition in 2021.

Key Features

Rise Interactive's advanced services combine statistics, predictive analytics, customer modeling, and industry data to make a custom marketing plan to help your business reach its goals.

The team helps you create customer persona segments, a customer lifetime value analysis, and a competitor analysis so that you can properly define your target audience and target market.

Seer Interactive's data analytics experts can help you understand complex customer interactions, improve UX, and increase conversions by using advanced statistics and custom-designed testing methods.

They use advanced analytics reports to find potential high-value customers and implement lead scoring so that you can target your prospects more effectively and invest wisely.

Seer Interactive uses analytics to find out what to test, how to implement it, and how to measure it. This helps improve the customer experience, get more people involved, and improve conversions.

5. AlphaConverge

AlphaConverge is a consulting company known for its deep expertise in digital and analytics. It has been featured in top publications and named the Best Big Data and AI Consulting services and the Most Innovative Data Integration Startup in the US and won multiple awards internationally. Their partners and alliances further extend their capabilities to meet client needs and to accelerate change across clients' enterprises. Adobe, Microsoft, AWS and IBM are all part of their partner network.

Daisy Chen, a thought leader and Accenture veteran, is in charge of AlphaConverge's analytics practice. She has managed several top companies' digital analytics and data science departments, including HP. She has helped many innovative Fortune 500 clients enhance their digital transformations and build industry-leading analytics capabilities.

CDO by AlphaConverge, the company's most crucial business publication, gives insights, how-to guides, and use cases to help Chief Digital Officers, Chief Data Officers, Chief Analytics Officers, Chief AI Officers, and other C-level leaders stay ahead of the curve. You can also follow the insights on Twitter and Instagram.

Revolutionizing Marketing Analytics through Big Data and NLP Techniques

It's known for its expertise in data science as well as digital, including the following: stitching cross-channel and cross-device data using different identity solutions tools such as CDP, DMP, and LiveRamp; and building AI-driven omnichannel identify solution and personalization capabilities, AI-powered customer journeys, AI-powered omnichannel attribution, and marketing mix modeling.

It's known for its cutting-edge offerings in big data analytics, such as analyzing Adobe Analytics (formerly Omniture) clickstream raw data. This company has received accolades not only for its other achievements but also for its pioneering work. It unlocks the untapped value of unstructured data (such as live chat and customer reviews) by applying natural language processing (NLP) in marketing analytics.

Key Features

The user experience of a website should have its design optimized. You can use the Adobe Analytics API or look at the Adobe Analytics hit-level clickstream raw data to develop better use cases or insights. Also covered are cross-channel and cross-device ID stitching, LiveRamp, access/enhance Data Management platforms (such as Adobe Audience Manager and Salesforce Krux), and CDP use cases.

It helps clients build dynamic pricing system, AI-driven goal setting as well as capabilities to better measure return on marketing investment (ROMI) such as AI-driven account-based attribution, marketing mix modeling, and the Design of Experiments (DoE) test, amongst others.

Customer analytics encompasses a variety of practices, such as customer segmentation, customer profiling, propensity modeling and lead scoring, survival analysis, and predicting the lifetime value of a customer. They can build a 360-degree view of a potential customer using data, including natural languages and images to predict customer intent and next best action. They can also create a plan and a map for the journey the customer will take to enhance AI-driven personalization.

Natural Language Processing (NLP) includes the following activities: summarizing insights, finding duplicate files, performing Named Entity Recognition (NER), analyzing sentiment, discovering personality insights, performing topic modeling, solving size problems, categorizing text, performing AI-enabled intent mapping, and converting speech to text.

These strategies include business-to-consumer and business-to-business (B2C and B2B) marketing strategies, artificial intelligence (AI), blockchain, federated learning, pricing strategy, and RACI (responsibility assignment matrix).

Marketing analytics services like AlphaConverge, Rise Interactive, etc., are essential for businesses that want to improve their marketing strategies and stay ahead of the competition. These companies offer various services, like data analysis, marketing automation, customer relationship management, and more.

By using these services, businesses can make decisions based on accurate data and insights, which can help them make their marketing more effective and increase their sales. Marketing analytics services help companies get the most out of their marketing efforts and stay ahead of the curve in a digital world that is constantly changing.

 2023 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
SpaceX launched the first of a new generation of Starlink internet satellites into orbit on Monday evening, Feb. 27, as reported first by Space.com.

At 6:13 p.m. EST (2313 GMT), a Falcon 9 rocket carried twenty-one of SpaceX's brand-new Starlink "V2 mini" satellites into orbit from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.

The launch was delayed for five hours due to a space weather concern, according to SpaceX's tweet.

Third Launch and Landing

The Falcon 9's first stage landed safely on the SpaceX drone ship A Shortfall of Gravitas, which was positioned in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Florida, 8.5 minutes after liftoff. According to representatives of SpaceX, it was the booster's third launch and landing.

The upper stage of the rocket kept accelerating toward low Earth orbit. If all goes as planned, it will launch the 21 Starlink satellites 64.5 minutes after takeoff.

The 21 V2 mini Starlink satellites are a test set made to fit onboard the Falcon 9 rocket. The massive Starship Mars rocket from SpaceX, which is not yet operational, will be used to launch the full-size Starlink V2 spacecraft in batches.

Elon Musk, the founder and CEO of SpaceX, claims that the full-size Starlink V2s are bigger and more powerful than earlier Starlink versions. Each V2 spacecraft will be 1.25 tons (1,130 kilograms) in weight and capable of providing a direct phone connection.

Read Also: Elon Musk: SpaceX Starship to Attempt Orbital Launch in March-What Happened to the Feb Window?

4x More Capacity

According to SpaceX, the V2 minis incorporate crucial technology enabling Starlink to deliver four times more capacity per satellite than earlier iterations, including more potent phased array antennas and using E-band for backhaul.

Argon Hall thrusters, which had never been utilized off Earth before, are also equipped on the V2 minis. The new thrusters outperform first-generation thrusters by 2.4 times the thrust, according to SpaceX.

For internet access worldwide, SpaceX has deployed more than 4,000 Starlink satellites, and there are still more to come.

In fact, the business has received regulatory authority to launch 12,000 Starlink craft, and it has requested permission to launch around 30,000 satellites.

The NASA Crew-6 manned mission, set to launch early on Monday morning, and a second Starlink launch from California's Vandenberg Space Force Base on Monday afternoon were initially planned to launch simultaneously with the new Starlink satellites.

However, Crew-6's scheduled liftoff was canceled because of a ground-system problem late in the countdown. NASA and SpaceX are considering another opportunity to launch on Thursday, Mar. 2.

Related Article: SpaceX and NASA to Launch Crew-6 on Feb. 26-A Minor Delay From Initial Mid-February Target Date

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The Mobile World Congress 2023 was a massive platform for Nokia to bring its latest tech offers to the world, and one that stole the spotlight was its G22 Android smartphone which features a highly-repairable design for all. It is the perfect smartphone for DIYers who want to perform tweaks or repairs on their device at home.

Not only that, its replacement parts are widely available once the device is released, and it offers low and affordable prices for all, alongside guides from its partners.

Nokia G22 is a Highly Repairable Android Smartphone

The Nokia G22 is coming, and as per the company's showcase over at MWC, it will feature a highly-repairable device that allows users to take matters into their own hands. Nokia, alongside HMD Global and iFixIt, claims that the G22's repair may take minutes only, unlike other smartphones of the company requiring hours of work.

HMD said that the G22's entire device, from top to bottom, may be fixed in under 20 minutes, corresponding to its easily navigatable design.

The G22 features a 6.52-inch Corning Gorilla Glass screen with a 20:9 aspect ratio. It also brings Android 12 off the box, with two years of OS upgrades guaranteed. The G22 is equipped with a 5,050 mAh battery that claims to last up to three days, Bluetooth 5.0, and a three-lens setup with its main camera featuring 50MP.

Nokia equipped the G22 with 4GB RAM and 2GB Virtual RAM, 64GB of internal storage, with an expandable memory card slot of up to 2TB.

Read Also: Nokia C12 Announced: The Low-End Android 12 Go Smartphone

How Much are Nokia's G22, Replacement Parts?

Nokia retails the G22 for $158.88 ( 149.99) for the entire package.

On the other hand, Nokia made the G22's parts affordable as well, with its replacement battery available for $24.35 (22.99), replacement display for $47.65 (44.99), and replacement charging connector for $20.11 (18.99).

Nokia's Tech Developments

After being absent in the limelight of smartphone development, Nokia is coming strong in the present, akin to its previous success in the mobile phone industry in the early 2000s. The Finnish multinational tech company came back with its touchscreen offers, powered by Android, and is now a massive smartphone brand as well.

One of the most notable offers from Nokia is the low prices for its smartphone availability in the market, across its many releases present in retail stores and the company's website.

The company is also not shy to deliver its classic lineup, reminiscent of its decades-old designs, which were the previous frontrunners in the mobile phone industry.

In terms of their Android releases, the Finland-based tech conglomerate wants people to have full access to it, reminiscent of what people enjoyed in the past with widely available parts. This is embodied by the latest Nokia G22, as revealed in the MWC, with an affordable smartphone packed with top specs but remains DIY part replacement-friendly to all.

Related Article: Nokia Changes Logo for the 7th Time: New 'K' and 'A'

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WASHINGTON  A spokesman for Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman says the Democrat is on a path to recovery after checking himself into a hospital for clinical depression earlier this month, and he is still expected to be away from the Senate for several weeks.

We understand the intense interest in Johns status and especially appreciate the flood of well-wishes, Fettermans communications director, Joe Calvello, said in a statement Monday afternoon. However, as we have said this will be a weekslong process and while we will be sure to keep folks updated as it progresses, this is all there is to give by way of an update.

Fetterman is being treated at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, where he checked in Feb. 15 as he was still struggling with the aftereffects of a stroke.

His office said at the time that he had experienced depression off and on throughout his life, but it had only become severe in recent weeks. Capitol Physician Brian P. Monahan recommended his hospitalization after an evaluation, his office said then.

Fetterman, 53, suffered the stroke last May as he was campaigning for the Senate race against GOP nominee Dr. Mehmet Oz. He won the election in November and was sworn in Jan. 3, giving Democrats an extra seat in the Senate and a 51-49 majority.

One of Fettermans main aftereffects from the stroke is auditory processing disorder, which can render someone unable to speak fluidly and quickly process spoken conversation into meaning. To manage it, Fetterman uses devices in conversations, meetings and congressional hearings that transcribe spoken words in real time.

Post-stroke depression is common, with one in three stroke patients suffering from it, and is treatable through antidepressant medication and counseling, doctors say.

Calvellos news release Monday was the first update on Fettermans status.

Our team is moving full speed ahead and working tirelessly for the people of Pennsylvania. Just last week we opened a new office in Erie and will be opening several more offices in the coming weeks, Calvello said. We understand the intense interest in Johns status and especially appreciate the flood of well-wishes. However, as we have said this will be a weekslong process and while we will be sure to keep folks updated as it progresses, this is all there is to give by way of an update.

Pennsylvanias other senator, Democrat Bob Casey, returned to the Senate on Monday. He had also been away in recent weeks after he underwent surgery for prostate cancer.
Verizon is one of the leading US providers of 5G unlimited data plans. As the demand for faster and more reliable internet connections increases, more and more consumers are opting to upgrade their service plans to include 5g unlimited data.

Verizon is Launching the 5G Unlimited Data Plan with Discounts and Deals for Different Devices

One of the biggest advantages of opting for a 5G unlimited data plan from Verizon is that customers can access blazing-fast speeds with almost no data caps or limits, allowing them to surf and stream as much as they want.

This will also mean that customers can take advantage of the latest technological developments, such as virtual reality, gaming, and intelligent automation, without worrying about running out of data.

The iPhone 13 Will be Offered for Free Under Verizon's 5G Unlimited Plan

According to the story by Tom's Guide, Verizon announced one of its best deals yet: the new 5G Unlimited Plan comes with a free iPhone 13. With a subscription to the service's 5G unlimited plan, users will get the iPhone 13 for free.

The iPhone 13 is the latest smartphone from Apple, packed with features. For users looking to join the 5G revolution, it makes sense to do so with the Verizon 5G Unlimited Plan. Users getting the iPhone 13 will also get unlimited data, talk, and text.

Apple iPhone 13 Specs Include Its 12MP Camera and Other Capabilities

If a user is looking for a top-of-the-line iPhone with modern features, they should consider the iPhone 13. It will provide users with exceptional performance and features for the price.

From its 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR OLED display to its dual 12MP (wide/ultrawide) rear lenses, the iPhone 13 has plenty to boast about. The cameras offer excellent low-light performance, Photographic Style filters, and Cinematic mode focus-tracking ability.

The New iPhone 13 Comes with the A15 Bionic Chip and Usually Costs $699

Fans can also expect impressive battery life that lasted 10 hours and 33 minutes in tests. Furthermore, its power-efficient A15 Bionic CPU is specially optimized for gaming.

Usually sold for $699, this Verizon deal knocks it to $0. So if users want a dependable phone with modern features and want to save money, they can go right with the iPhone 13.

Read Also: Apple's iPhone SE 4 Lives On, To Arrive with 5G, Bigger Screen-Why?

The Deal is Not Available for the 'Welcome' Unlimited Plan

Interested buyers can go to Verizon to check out the deal, which reportedly doesn't include the "Welcome" unlimited plan. For buyers that decided to switch from another carrier, the company is offering a $200 credit for future purchases with the company.

According to its description, the deal is only available for a limited time, and fans wanting to get the iPhone 13 for free will have to move fast to avail of it. Fans can check the phone's listing on Apple's website, which shares its specs, colors, and other device variations.

As seen on Verizon, the free iPhone 13 is for the 128 GB version, and users will have to pay a little extra if they want the 256 GB and 512 GB variants.

Related Article: Apple's Upcoming OLED iPad Pro in 2024 Will Be More Expensive Because of New Production Process

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Apple's iPhone 16 Pro is reportedly adopting a more seamless under-display Face ID technology.

And now, a new report corroborates previous predictions, adding that the renowned phone maker is still on track with making the design revamp a reality.

But despite that, the under-screen selfie camera might take a while before arriving on iPhones.

(Photo : by JOHANNES EISELE/AFP via Getty Images)

A customer uses her new smartphone during the release of the iPhone 6s at an Apple store in Shanghai on September 25, 2015. Apple launched the new iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus on September 25 featuring 3D touch screen technology.

Apple iPhone 16 Pro's Under-Display Face ID

Mac Rumors reports that display consultant, Ross Young, previously predicted that Apple is set to put its Face ID technology under the screen of its iPhone 16 Pro models. It should give the high-end flagship device a cleaner look, potentially a punch-hole design - much like what we see on Android phones these days.

According to Forbes, Apple introduced the Face ID technology in 2017 when it debuted the iPhone X. It allows phone users to glance at their phones to unlock their mobile devices rather than having to enter a password. It sure is pretty convenient.

However, the Face ID sensors have become obtrusive to the design of the phone through the years. But that might change after the iPhone 15 lineup, as the all-new iPhone 16 Pro models see the light of day.

While Young disclosed such plans last January, a news story from the South Korea-based news outlet, The Elec, corroborates the earlier predictions. The Korean media outfit claims Apple is on track with its under-display Face ID technology.

Under-Display Face ID Development Still on Track

The Elec further reports that the Cupertino-based firm is unlikely to face any roadblocks in its attempt to hide its Face ID technology beneath the display of its future iPhones. It comes as the technology for it resembles the current process of smartphone production these days.

(Photo : by RYAN ANSON/AFP via Getty Images)

Steve Jobs, chief executive officer of Apple Inc., shows off the company's new advertisement after introducing the iPhone 3G and 2.0 software update during the Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco, CA, Monday, June 9, 2008.

For instance, the Korean news website notes that the under-screen Face ID follows a similar process as the under-display selfie cameras on the Samsung Galaxy Flip 4 and the Galaxy Fold 4.

And as such, Apple would not have a hard time securing the technology that would make its under-display Face ID possible for its future iPhones.

The report predicts that "if the current trend continues, Apple can apply Underpanel Face ID to the [non-Pro] iPhone series lineup in 2025." With that, the non-Pro iPhone 17 might start getting a design to revamp as well.

Read Also: Apple Urges iPhone Users To Install iOS 16.3.1 Update: What Happens if You Ignore It?

No Under-Display Selfie Camera for iPhone 16?

While the under-screen Face ID looks to be on track to arrive in the upcoming iPhone 16 Pro lineup, the same could not be said for the under-display selfie camera found on current Galaxy foldable phones.

The Elec suggests that the under-display front-facing snapper is likely coming to iPhones by 2026, perhaps as the iPhone 18 series debuts.

Related Article: Apple iOS 16.3.1: What are the New Features? Now Available for Update

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NASA's James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has captured in one of its first images a galaxy from the early universe that piqued the interest of astronomers from Cornell University. Hence, they scanned these photos and came across a surprising discovery.

Star-forming Galaxy from the Early Cosmos

SPT0418-47, one of the brightest dusty, star-forming galaxies in the early cosmos, was their initial focus and the telescope's target. The gravity of a nearby galaxy distorted and magnified the distant light from SPT0418-47 into an Einstein ring, which is a circle-shaped region of light.



A companion galaxy that was previously hidden behind the light of the foreground galaxy was accidentally discovered when astronomers dug deeper into the early JWST data that was released last fall.



Surprisingly, the companion galaxy, which is thought to be only 1.4 billion years old, appears to have already hosted several generations of stars.



"We found this galaxy to be super-chemically abundant, something none of us expected," Bo Peng, a doctoral student in astronomy, who led the data analysis, said in a press release statement.



"JWST changes the way we view this system and opens up new venues to study how stars and galaxies formed in the early universe."

Read Also: NASA's James Webb Space Telescope Finds Massive Galaxies That Are 'Too Big to Even Exist'

New Galaxy

Amit Vishwas, the paper's second author, noted that earlier pictures of the same Einstein ring taken by the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) in Chile showed clues of the companion resolved clearly by Webb, but they could only be regarded as random noise.



Peng discovered a second new light source inside the ring by examining the spectral data encoded in every pixel of photos taken by Webb's NIRSpec instrument.



Despite being eight to 16 times fainter, he concluded that the two new sources were the pictures of a new galaxy being gravitationally lensed by the same foreground galaxy that was responsible for forming the ring.

Additional examination of the light's chemical makeup revealed that strong emission lines from hydrogen, nitrogen and sulfur atoms all exhibited comparable redshifts, which is a measurement of how much a galaxy's light stretches into longer, redder wavelengths as it gets farther away.



As a result, the two galaxies were located near one another and at a redshift of around 4.2, or roughly 10% of the universe's age, which also puts them roughly the same distance from Earth.



The companion galaxy, which the researchers designated SPT0418-SE, was thought to be located just 5 kiloparsecs away from the ring.



Due to their close closeness, the galaxies will likely interact and possibly even merge, according to the research team.

These galaxies are observed at a time when the universe was less than 1.5 billion years old, in contrast to the sun, which is around 4 billion years old and acquired most of its metals from earlier generations of stars that had around 8 billion years to be developed.

The researchers have requested observing time from JWST to continue their studies of the ring and its neighbors and resolve any differences between the optical and far-infrared spectrum.

The findings of the study were published in the Astrophysical Journal Letters.

Related Article: NASA's James Webb Space Telescope Sees Clouds of Star Formation in Nearby Galaxies

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The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) announced the selection of two new astronaut candidates, Ayu Yoneda, and Makoto Suwa, from over 4,000 applicants on Tuesday, Feb. 28.

Phys.org reports that this is the first time in over 13 years that JAXA has named new astronauts, as well as the first time that a surgeon and a climate scientist have been chosen for the program.

It has been over 20 years since Mamoru Mohri, the first Japanese astronaut, went to space on the Space Shuttle in Sept. 1992.

Meet Japan's Newest Astronauts

University of Tokyo's School of Medicine graduate Yoneda, a surgeon at the Japanese Red Cross Medical Center in Tokyo, is just the third woman chosen for the JAXA space training program in history. She is 28 years old.

When asked about the predominantly male space program, Yoneda responded, "Of course there are factors such as age and gender, and I think that men and women are often viewed in different ways, but I myself would like to put forth my best first as an astronaut candidate rather than as one that is a young female."

Suwa, a senior disaster risk management specialist at the World Bank, was selected following an unsuccessful application he submitted more than ten years ago.

Read Also: Engineers Create Fast, Efficient Amphibious Robots Inspired by Flippers, Centipedes

Upon learning of her selection, Yoneda shared that she felt joy, surprise, and "a sense of responsibility and mission." Speaking via video from the United States, Suwa expressed his delight at the prospect of joining the Japanese space training program.

Suwa, who grew up in Tsukuba, a city that houses research institutes and JAXA facilities, hopes to use the moon as a stepping stone to discovering how the climate of Mars evolved. "By learning about the Moon, by learning about Mars, we not only learn about those celestial bodies themselves but also we learn about our planet," Suwa explained.

A Japan Times report tells us that a manga comic about Japan's first female astronaut Chiaki Mukai inspired Yoneda to become an astronaut. Yoneda's objective is to investigate how space travel affects human health.

"We will see an era where many people will go to space. The duration and distance of those stays will become extended. As a physician, I believe I can do my part to learn about what happens to human bodies in space," she stated.

Next Step of the Space Training Program

Following a joint US-Japanese plan to land a Japanese astronaut on the moon by the end of the decade, the pair will start a two-year training program, after which they may join missions to the International Space Station and become the first Japanese astronauts to visit the moon.

In 2021, JAXA removed the requirement that astronaut candidates have advanced scientific or engineering degrees, leading to a more diversified pool of applicants.

Hiroshi Yamakawa, President of JAXA, said he hopes to conduct another round of recruitment in five years, focusing on finding astronauts who can bring space programs closer to the public.

Stay posted here at Tech Times.

Related Article: SpaceX Starship March Test Launch: First Flight of the Spacecraft is a 'Must-See' Claims Executive

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The US's mistrust of TikTok's Chinese ownership has further intensified as the White House gave all federal agencies 30 days to remove TikTok from all government devices, following earlier moves of several US states that also prohibited the app on government-owned gadgets.

The guidance, which was released on Monday, Feb. 27, is hailed by the Office of Management and Budget as a crucial step in addressing the risks that the app allegedly poses to private government information, reported first by AP.

New Guideline

The directive instructs the remainder of the federal government to implement restrictions within 30 days after some departments, such as the Departments of Defense, Homeland Security, and State, have started reinforcing the ban.

This guideline is a part of the administration's continued commitment to secure digital infrastructure and safeguard the security and privacy of the American people, according to Chris DeRusha, the federal chief information security officer.

As part of a comprehensive government financing package, Congress passed the "No TikTok on Government Devices Act" in December. The law does permit the use of TikTok in specific circumstances, such as the purposes of law enforcement, research, and national security.

"The ban of TikTok on federal devices passed in December without any deliberation, and unfortunately that approach has served as a blueprint for other world governments. These bans are little more than political theater," TikTok spokesperson Brooke Oberwetter said in a statement, quoted by AP.

A bill that would grant Biden the authority to outlaw TikTok nationally is anticipated to move forward in the House of Representatives on Tuesday. Rep. Michael McCaul's measure seeks to avoid the legal obstacles the administration would have if it pursued sanctions on the social media company.

If approved, the proposal would give the administration the authority to impose a ban on any software program that poses a risk to national security and not just TikTok.

Read Also: US House of Representatives Bans TikTok on Official Government Devices, Following State Governments' Move

Canada Bans TikTok

TikTok is particularly popular with the younger generation due to its shareable visual content. However, the US has long been concerned that Beijing may use the app to steal American user data.

However, the US is not the only one with such concerns.

According to an announcement from Canada's Treasury Board, TikTok will no longer be available on mobile devices provided by the government starting on February 28.

The ban was imposed due to concerns that TikTok may provide unprecedented levels of risks to privacy and security. However, it is worth noting that no proof has been found that the app has compromised government data but its Chinese ownership has ultimately prompted the US and Canada to take precautions.

Related Article: [VIRAL] TikTok Video Explains Why Chin Dimple is a Weird Muscle; Users Are Quite Surprised

 2023 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
A series of assessments by recognized scholars has shown that public health professionals during the Covid-19 outbreak were often inaccurate.

But to be clear, they were not in the wrong when they made suggestions based on the information they had at the time.

They were inaccurate because they stubbornly stuck to their original orders despite new information. They ignored facts that contradicted their policy and silenced critics.

To give you an idea, here are some ways in which they misled us, according to the New York Post:

'Natural immunity is weaker than vaccine immunity'

An investigation examined 65 key studies on natural immunity from 19 nations. Natural immunity outperformed the core Covid vaccination series, according to the researchers.

Notwithstanding Facebook's "misinformation" policy, 160 research provided scientific facts.

The majority of Americans sacked for not getting the Covid vaccination already had antibodies that neutralized the virus, but the government did not recognize them.

'Masks stop Covid transmission'

Medical evidence is assessed through Cochrane Reviews. A reputable Oxford study team concluded that masks had no meaningful effect on Covid transmission last month.

Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Dr. Rochelle Walensky, dismissed this comprehensive analysis as faulty since it relied on randomized and controlled experiments.

'School suspensions diminish Covid spread'

The CDC disregarded the practice of keeping schools open throughout Europe, where most countries did not require students to wear masks. Studies were done in Spain and Sweden showed no difference in transmission rates.

'Vaccine-induced myocarditis is rarer than infection-induced'

Vaccine-induced myocarditis, or heart muscle inflammation, was minimized by public health experts. They referenced research that underestimated complications, while several well-designed studies disagreed.

Myocarditis is six to 28 times more likely in 16- to 24-year-old boys after the Covid vaccination than without infection. Tens of thousands of healthy youngsters received a Covid vaccination that caused myocarditis, usually subclinical.

See Also: COVID Vaccine Drink on the Works, but Will it be as Effective as Injected Doses?

'Vaccine boosters help kids'

In elderly, high-risk People, boosters decreased hospitalization. They never reduced Covid mortality in young, healthy adults, though.

The CDC presumably did not report hospitalization rates for boosted Americans under 50, but they did for those over 50.

'Vaccine demands higher vaccination rates'

Unvaccinated personnel, regardless of danger or immunity, were sacked by President Biden and others. They sought dishonorable dismissal for troops and layoffs for nurses during a staffing shortage. The requirement was based on the mistaken belief that immunization prevented transmission.

With a widespread understanding that vaccination did not prevent transmission, the requirements continued and still do.

George Mason University found that vaccine requirements in nine major US cities did not increase immunization rates. They did not affect Covid transmission rates, too.

'One in five persons had prolonged Covid'

According to the CDC, 20% of COVID-19 infections may lead to long-term illness. Meanwhile, one UK research revealed just 3% of Covid patients experienced 12-week residual symptoms. So, why is there such a big difference?

After being ill and inactive for weeks, minor weariness or weakness is common. When these situations are referred to as "long Covid," it signifies the stigma of everyday life.

See Also: Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine to Increase Price by 400% - CEO Says It's 'Consistent with the Value'

 2023 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Redmi, a sub-brand of Xiaomi, released the Redmi Note 12 Discovery Edition in China with support for 210W fast charging last year. Today, the Chinese smartphone maker, announced the 300W fastest charging technology, which can charge a smartphone in under 5 minutes.

The announcement from Redmi comes just hours before the launch of Realme GT 3 with 240W fast charging at the MWC 2023 in Barcelona later today, which is the global variant of the Realme GT Neo 5 that supports up to 240W fast charging.

According to Redmis translated post on Chinas popular social media website Weibo, the new charging technology is named 300W Immortal Second Charger, which suggests that it could be an alternative charging technology.

The company also noted that this is not a completely new technology but a modification of the current fast charging technology available on the Redmi Note 12Pro+.

This is the 300W charging test of the Note 12 Pro+ magic version, the post reads.

In a recently shared video and a teaser image on Weibo, Xiaomis Redmi showcases its new 300W wired charger where the device used for testing is the Redmi Note 12 Pro+ handset with a 4,100mAh battery.

During the demo, Redmis 300W wired charger takes less than 5 minutes to completely charge the phone to 100 per cent, as opposed to Realmes GT 3 240W with 4,600mAh battery that takes around 10 minutes.

Further, it took 2 minutes and 13 seconds to charge the smartphone to 50 per cent, and only 43 seconds to charge the device to 10 per cent.

As per the companys official data, the peak power of the charger managed to reach up to 290W during the demo. Further, the power above 280W can last for 2 minutes to charge the smartphone up to 50%.

The battery is said to have powerful 15C cells (as opposed to the 10C cells in the Discovery Edition), which consist of new carbon materials for reduced thickness, and higher power density with a faster charge and discharge rate (via Engadget).

It has a sandwich structure and a double-layer design to improve heat dissipation while making better use of internal space.

Additionally, the charger is said to use the Double GaN technology with more than 50 safety protections built into the system in regard to the battery charging technology.

Xiaomi has not disclosed when the 300W fast charging tech will be available for commercial use and in which smartphones.
Philadelphia state Rep. Joanna McClinton on Tuesday became the first woman to serve as speaker of the Pennsylvania House, ascending to the chamber's top position on the strength of a fresh one-vote Democratic majority.

It was almost 250 years before a woman could stand at this desk, not just to give a prayer, but to get the gavel, McClinton said after being sworn in. Thats pretty incredible."

The leadership reshuffling came nearly two months after Rep. Mark Rozzi, a Berks County Democrat, became the surprise choice for speaker. Democrats flipped a net of 12 seats in November to retake majority control by the narrowest of margins after more than a decade, but their control did not become effective until their candidates won three special elections in February.

Rozzi said Tuesday he was willingly stepping aside after being speaker since Jan. 3, but is remaining a House member. Rozzis top legislative priority, a two-year window for victims to file otherwise outdated lawsuits with claims of child sexual abuse, passed the House last week but faces an uncertain fate in the GOP-majority Senate.

I will not allow the allure of power or the trappings of office to keep me from doing what is right. I was not elected by the people for this office and I will not stand in the way of the woman who was, Rozzi said in floor remarks. He called McClinton one of the most intelligent and compassionate women I have met in politics.

In nominating her, Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta, D-Philadelphia, said McClinton is also the second African American to serve as speaker, after the late Speaker Leroy Irvis, who held the position in the late 1970s. The vote for McClinton over the Republican nominee, Rep. Carl Walker Metzgar of Somerset County, was 102-99, reflecting two absences.

Shes brilliant, formidable, and she gives voice to our values in ways that ring so true it reverberates around this chamber, said Rep. Dan Frankel, D-Allegheny.

McClinton, 40, a state lawmaker since 2015, grew up in southwest Philadelphia, where she still lives, and attended La Salle University and Villanova Law School. She has worked as a public defender and a state Senate attorney. She had been the Democratic floor leader since 2020, and was also the first woman to hold that position.

Democrats will have to reshuffle their leadership ranks and get rules passed about how the chamber operates. McClinton vowed that the House will "have rules that protect women, people of color, LGBTQIA+, because this is Pennsylvania, where democracy was born.

Rozzi said his own rules proposal, developed after holding several public hearings around the state to gather suggestions, will be made public in the near future. A woman lobbyist's account of being sexually harassed by an unnamed House Democrat, told publicly during one of Rozzi's meetings, is fueling interest in allowing people who don't work for the Legislature to be able to file formal sexual misconduct complaints with the House.

Posted earlier on Cumberlink:

Pennsylvania House Speaker Mark Rozzi announced Tuesday that he will step down as speaker after less than two months in the position.

Rozzi (D-Berks) also said on the House floor he planned to vote for Democrat Majority Leader Joanna McClinton (D-Delaware/Philadelphia) to be the next speaker.

Joanna, I believe in your words. I believe in you, Rozzi said in remarks on the House floor, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. "I and all Pennsylvanians are counting on you.

Moments later, Pennsylvania lawmakers elected McClinton as the first woman to become House Speaker.

The House was in stalemate for several weeks as Rozzi and House leaders worked to pass the sex abuse window legislation. Rozzi led a statewide listening tour and worked to pass the Rozzi Rules in the House.

Pennsylvania House Republican Leader Bryan Cutler (R-Lancaster) issued a statement Tuesday after Rozzi's resignation.

As former speaker of the House and the twice-elected leader of the House Republican Caucus, I know that trust is the basis of a successful legislative leader and provides the ability to move our chamber forward," Cutler said. "Unfortunately, despite the attempt to find a unique solution for an evenly divided House, Rep. Rozzi openly broke that trust essentially from the moment he was elected.

Right now, the House is in dire need of a reset, and I remain committed to working with anyone who is willing to work with us to find solutions."
"A deliberate and premeditated act": in Angers, an investigation opened after the ransacking of a church

"Can cause very serious complications": doctors - about the increase in the incidence of measles in Russia

10 restaurants to eat (very good) for less than 40 euros in Madrid

11 exclusive menus to try in the most fashionable places in Madrid

Bordeaux: a car ploughs into the crowd during a wild race, 7 injured, 2 of them serious

"I worked with incredible overstrain": a historian on the importance of the railway for the victory of the USSR over the Wehrmacht

The week of God Tuitero: Cain and Abel are a model of fraternity next to Iglesias and Yolanda Diaz

Opposition fever after the pandemic: "Studying in holes did not work for me. When I got from 9 to 9 I passed two and the first one"

How to tell if you have an allergy or a cold

After work, you should also pay close attention to WeChat to see if it is considered overtime

The Yuxi mountain fire in Yunnan was all extinguished, and the fire site was successfully encircled

The most famous warrior of his time. Genghis Khan the orphan who founded the Mongol Empire

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

Exceptional reliability: Yang Nepomniachtchi defeated Ding Liren and took the lead in the match for the world chess crown

At the age of 40, he conquered the American professional boxing scene and became a boxing champion

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

"Courtyard economy" is written into Central Document No. 1 for the first time What is the potential?

Former Minister of Brazil: Lula's visit to China is an important milestone in the relations between the two countriesWorld view

In Germany, the last three nuclear power plants were turned off

The G7 wants to "accelerate" its exit from fossil fuels, but no new date

Bompard (LFI) at La Nupes: "Let's open the discussion on the European elections before the summer"

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"

Naoko, Emma Nogueiro and the other women in Sanchez Drago's life (always younger and with short hair)

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

The Future of Online Casinos and the Technologies That Will Shape It

The questions surrounding Beatriz Flamini and her 500 days in a cave: "I can think of many questions"

Political scientist Dudchak on Hersh's statement about Zelensky: there are probably a lot of such stories

The athlete Beatriz Flamini leaves the cave where she has remained alone and isolated for 500 days

Akharin khabar: the leak from the Pentagon was a secret message to Zelensky on Russia

"I worked with incredible overstrain": a historian on the importance of the railway for the victory of the USSR over the Wehrmacht

Bad Bunny silences criticism at Coachella: "Don't believe what you don't see that came out of my mouth"

Brazilian scholars and experts discuss "the opportunity of Chinese-style modernization for China-Brazil relations in the new era"

The PP prepares to dispute the PSOE several autonomous communities "until the last day"

Exceptional reliability: Yang Nepomniachtchi defeated Ding Liren and took the lead in the match for the world chess crown

 Communities 2019 - Privacy

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In recent months, Cumberland County has awarded just over $24 million in pandemic recovery grants to government agencies, local municipalities and nonprofit organizations.

The grants were drawn from the $49.2 million in federal American Rescue Plan Act funds the county was awarded in 2021. Ranging from $50,000 to $2 million each, the grants were made available to support mental and physical health initiatives, infrastructure projects and business/nonprofit COVID-19 recovery efforts.

In the series Where Does the Money Go, The Sentinel will take a deeper dive into how these grants are game-changers to many of the recipients. This weekly series will detail the rationale behind the grant request and the way the money will be used.

Employment Skills Center

Grant amount:

$133,441

Grant source:

American Rescue Plan Act

Grant recipient:

Employment Skills Center

Grant purpose:

To hire two full-time staff members to set up a nurses aide training program site

Location:

Stuart Community Center, 415 Franklin St.

The Employment Skills Center in downtown Carlisle plans to use a $133,441 grant from Cumberland County to start its own nurses aide training program site by 2024.

Drawn from federal American Rescue Plan Act funds, the bulk of the grant will pay the salary and benefits of two new full-time positions  a registered nurse and a program coordinator, said Mindy Tremblay, center executive director.

The plan is to hire a nurse with long-term care experience to develop the curriculum and to teach the course through at least five cycles of instruction per year, Tremblay said.

The coordinator will be tasked initially with helping the nurse complete an application to the state Department of Education to have a classroom at the Stuart Community Center in Carlisle approved as a program site, she said.

Later, the coordinator will handle the administration, in particular, processing the paperwork of each student in the lead-up to the written and skills exams they need to pass to qualify as certified nursing assistants.

Since 2006, over 900 students have graduated from a two-week pre-CNA training course that the skills center offers as an introduction to the career field, Tremblay said. Graduates often advance to CNA training offered by a state-approved provider that works in partnership with the skills center.

It has been a long-term goal for us to become our own state-approved training program, Tremblay said. This grant will allow us to set up a space and, more importantly, hire a nurse and program coordinator. To be completely straightforward, we would not be in a position to move forward with this.

Our goal is to have something here in Cumberland County to serve residents in this area, she said. Being the fastest growing county in the state, surrounded by long-term care and nursing home facilities, we thought that this [the grant] was the best opportunity to grow the program.

The skills center is outfitting and preparing its classroom at the community center. Once the program is ready, it would need to provide students with 100 to 120 hours of instruction. The last six days of the 18-day course will be set aside for students to work at a nursing home as part of their hands-on clinical phase of training.

There will be about 10 students for each cycle up to a maximum of about 50 students per year, Tremblay said. After the grant money is spent, the plan is to seek funds from charitable foundations and other revenue sources, she said.

Photos: Employment Skills Center Graduation
EAST PALESTINE, Ohio  Shipment of contaminated waste from the site of a fiery train derailment earlier this month in eastern Ohio near the Pennsylvania state line will resume Monday to two approved sites in Ohio, according to federal environmental authorities.

The announcement came a day after the Environmental Protection Agency ordered Norfolk Southern to pause shipments from the site of the Feb. 3 derailment in East Palestine to allow additional oversight measures about where waste was shipped. Some liquid and solid waste had already been taken to sites in Michigan and Texas.

EPA-certified facilities able to accept some of the waste had been identified, which meant shipments could restart Monday, Region 5 administrator Debra Shore, of the Environmental Protection Agency, said Sunday.

Some of the liquid waste will be sent to a facility in Vickery, Ohio, for disposal in an underground injection well, Shore said. Norfolk Southern will also begin shipping solid waste to an incinerator in East Liverpool, Ohio, and additional solid waste disposal locations were being sought, she said.

All of this is great news for the people of East Palestine and the surrounding community, because it means cleanup can continue at a rapid pace, she said.

The Ohio governors office said Saturday night that five of the 20 truckloads (approximately 280 tons) of hazardous solid waste had been returned to East Palestine after 15 truckloads were disposed of at a Michigan hazardous waste treatment and disposal facility.

Shore said material shipped to sites in other states, but later returned to East Palestine, would now be shipped to the two Ohio sites.

All of the rail cars except for the 11 cars held by the National Transportation Safety Board have been removed from the site, which will allow excavation of additional contaminated soil and installation of monitoring wells to check for groundwater contamination, said Anne Vogel, director of the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency.

No one was injured when 38 Norfolk Southern cars derailed on the outskirts of town, but as fears grew about a potential explosion due to hazardous chemicals in five of the rail cars, officials evacuated the area. They later opted to release and burn toxic vinyl chloride from the tanker cars, sending flames and black smoke billowing into the sky again.

Federal and state officials have repeatedly said its safe for evacuated residents to return to the area and that air testing in the town and inside hundreds of homes hasnt detected any concerning levels of contaminants. The state says the local municipal drinking water system is safe, and bottled water is available for those with private wells. Despite those assurances, many residents have expressed a sense of mistrust or have lingering questions about what they have been exposed to and how it will impact the future of their families and communities.
Lara Nicholson writes for The Advocate as a Report for America Corps Member. Email her at lnicholson@theadvocate.com or follow her on Twitter @LaraNicholson_.

To learn more about Report for America and to support our journalism, please click here.
FILE - In this Jan. 6, 2021, file photo supporters of President Donald Trump are confronted by U.S. Capitol Police officers outside the Senate Chamber inside the Capitol in Washington. An Arizona man seen in photos and video of the mob wearing a fur hat with horns was also charged Saturday in Wednesday's chaos. Jacob Anthony Chansley, who also goes by the name Jake Angeli, was taken into custody Saturday, Jan. 9. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta, File) ORG XMIT: WX101
That high-pitched boom heard at Qantas Mascot head office is the sound of the starter gun being fired in the race to take on what is arguably the highest-profile job in corporate Australia  chief executive of the nations biggest airline.

Alan Joyce has not officially announced his retirement, maintaining he will remain until at least the end of this calendar year, but he is expected to outline his departure schedule formally some time this year.

Qantas boss Alan Joyce - loved by shareholders, but criticised by customers. Credit: Louie Douvis

Love him or loathe him, Joyce is a hard act to follow. Most would agree they broke the executive mould when they created Joyce.

Qantas chairman Richard Goyder, who heads Joyces pom-pom-shaking fan club, agrees there isnt another Joyce out there.
The chief executive of Milklab manufacturer Noumi (formerly Freedom Foods) is banking on Australians enduring love for coffee in the year ahead despite the looming consumer spending crunch as the company looks to pull itself out of multimillion-dollar losses and shake off its turbulent past.

Michael Perich, the CEO of Noumi, which produces plant-based beverages Milklab, Australias Own and a range of dairy and protein brands, believes consumers wont stop drinking coffee  in cafes or at home  even as they pull back on discretionary spending.

Noumi produces plant-based beverages Milklab and Australias Own. Credit: Janie Barrett

Coffee culture is still something that people will continue on for some period of time, Perich said. We do see that there are a lot of consumers that have particular discretionary spend that they do like not to reduce as well.

He pointed to consumer data from December that showed revenue from cafe and restaurant channels were flat while retail rose slightly, signalling a shift away from out-of-home spending towards at-home consumption.
Its one of the more bizarre episodes, even for a commodities sector studded with not dissimilar scandals. How did one of the worlds biggest and most sophisticated commodities traders end up losing about $US577 million ($856 million) while supposedly financing 25,000 tonnes of nickel cargoes?

The answer is, at face value, straightforward.

Trafigura has accused Prateek Gupta of a systematic fraud that was only uncovered when it, and the four third parties to whom it had sold $US94 million of the nickel, began checking the containers and discovered that they actually contained carbon steel. Credit: Bloomberg

Trafigura, which rivals Glencore as one of the worlds largest commodity traders (and which shares parentage, as both groups were started by former Marc Rich + Co traders 30 years ago), thought it was financing valuable cargoes of nickel but says it subsequently discovered that the more than 1000 containers supposedly carrying the metal were actually full of material worth a fraction of nickels value.

Trafigura was doing something quite commonplace in the commodity trading business. It was buying the nickel from another trader with an agreement that it would subsequently be sold back to them, or to a third party nominated by them, or into the open market.
The executive board of the Missouri Association for Jazz Education presented the Missouri Outstanding Jazz Educator Award to Truman State University faculty member Tim AuBuchon. The annual award, which has been given out since 1976, was presented to AuBuchon for his outstanding contributions to jazz education at the Missouri Music Educators Association Conference as part of the All-State Jazz Ensemble concert. AuBuchon credited his many former students for nominating him for the award.

I was very surprised, he said about being chosen, noting that when he received a phone call from the MOAJE president, he felt it would be to ask him to take more responsibility within the organization. I did not think Id ever get that award. In my mind it goes to older, really established, super educator types, and I didn't think I was really at that level yet.

AuBuchon said he was touched by the many comments from former students that were read off when he was accepting the award.

It's very nice stuff, he said. It's nice to hear you're actually making an impact.

Raised in the Parkland, AuBuchon has taught at Truman for 21 years. He arrived after teaching part-time in Chicago for five years after grad school. Hes also taught at summer camps and has given private lessons over the course of the last 30 years.

He said that he grew up nearby a really good" jazz saxophonist, Mike Shannon from Farmington, who exposed him to the genre.

I just happened to be in a spot where he could give me jazz lessons and he gave me these really great recordings to listen to and told me who was good to model myself after, AuBuchon said. So that was really fortunate.

His high school band director liked jazz a lot as well and when, as a freshman, AuBuchon heard the schools jazz band play at the school assembly, he thought, That's really cool, I should probably do that.

He joined the band and began lessons. At one point when the band was performing in a jazz festival in Park Hills, he heard a tenor sax being played by Paul DeMarinis, the director of Jazz Studies at Webster University in St. Louis, which set him on the path to becoming a jazz music instructor.

I thought, that sounds like a good job, he said. I think I'll be a tenor saxophone player and a director of jazz studies.

Both DeMarinis and AuBuchons former high school band director, Dan Schunks, have been awarded the Outstanding Jazz Educator Award.

It's pretty cool company to be in, AuBuchon said. They definitely helped start me in a good direction.

AuBuchon said that he was glad to be working at Truman in his home state of Missouri. He said he has a deep appreciation for the Truman culture as well as in the music faculty and students.

They're all not always super into jazz, but the ones who get into it tend to be really smart and self-directed. If they decide they want to be good at jazz, then watch out  they really can take off, he said about the students hes taught and continues to teach. I've had several of them over the years who have really gotten to be good players.

AuBuchon has also had a few of his students go on to be band directors at schools and it is his hope that they grow to be better teachers than he has been and that eventually, the music will spread out further in that way.

This really helps me keep things in perspective because teaching can be kind of a grind sometimes, he said. You think, Oh, no one's really paying attention, but it's nice to know some of it gets through and they're really caring and then reaching a lot more people, he said.

AuBuchons wife, Elaine, is a music teacher at Truman as well and his three children have inherited their talents.

At Truman he teaches two big band classes, both with as many as 18 students. He teaches small combo jazz classes that range from four to six musicians, as well as classes in jazz improvisation, jazz arranging and jazz pedagogy. Pedagogy class covers how to teach jazz and is taken by future band directors.

The school's big bands perform concerts on campus every semester, including at the Annual Phi Mu Alpha Jazz Festival, where the Truman Jazz Ensemble will play in the middle of the day. This year the festival will feature the 16-piece Vanguard Jazz Orchestra from New York City at the Baldwin Auditorium on campus on Feb. 25. The Truman band plays at 11:30 a.m., and the VJO will take the stage at 7:30 p.m.

It's a pretty big deal, AuBuchon said about the guest group. If you're a big band jazz person, this would be like if the Rolling Stones came through.

AuBuchon said he looks forward to a future of teaching Truman State students the art of jazz and that having received the Outstanding Jazz Educator Award, he felt very honored and touched.

It's nice to remember to thank your teachers because teaching can be hard, he said. This was a good time for me to feel that appreciation and remember that I should find some people to thank, too. It doesn't take too much effort, but people appreciate it when you say, 'Hey, thanks for what you do. It was very meaningful award, and I definitely appreciate all the sentiments from the students who took the time to send in a nomination. That was really cool.
Professional services company PwC Australia has followed the lead of MinterEllison and distanced itself from the Adelaide Festival because of its support of two Palestinian authors whose social media posts have drawn controversy and led to accusations of antisemitism.

The firm removed its logo from the Adelaide Festival website on the weekend and issued an all-staff memo on Tuesday explaining its actions in response to speakers Susan Abulhawa and Mohammed El-Kurd.

Mohammed El-Kurd and Susan Abulhawa are on the program at this years Adelaide Writers Week. Credit: Instagram/T Sauppe

Abulhawa, a Palestinian-American activist and novelist who has described Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as a depraved Zionist, and poet El-Kurd, who said Zionists had completely internalised the ways of the Nazis, are slated to speak at Adelaide Writers Week, which starts this weekend.

PwC Australia is the auditor of the Adelaide Festival Foundation, which provides financial support to the Adelaide Festival and Adelaide Writers Week. We conduct this audit on a pro bono basis as an acknowledgment of the contribution the Adelaide Festival Foundation makes to the South Australian economy and arts sector. We do not have any role in the Festivals programs, the memo said.
The gap between male and female wages in Australia remains vast, and women are getting short-changed when it comes to their pay packets. Now, with the labour market so tight and the jobless rate at a near 50-year low, its time for women to demand equal pay for equal work.

According to the most recent data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics, the median wage for a man working full-time was $1390 in May 2021 and just $1042 for women. That represents a gap in wages of around 33 per cent between men and women, which is no small matter.

The gap between mens and womens wages in Australia is vast. Credit: Matt Davidson.

The median wage is calculated by taking the middle salary level, for which half of the salaries are greater and half are smaller. The average, in contrast, is calculated by adding up the individual salaries paid to workers, and dividing this total by the number of workers.

Even looking at average wages, the gap is still wide: average weekly earnings sat at $1910 for men and $1639 for women in May 2021, a gap of 16.5 per cent. In the male-dominated mining industry, the pay gap in average wages between males and females was even wider, at 23 per cent: males earned an average of $2863 a week while females earned $2327.
Crane company fined for catastrophic incident

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University students studying psychology, social work and occupational therapy are working in mental health centres across NSW, treating children and adolescents to help plug gaps in the workforce.

More than 100 students have taken up the work experience placements with mental health service headspace, conducting patient assessments, providing clinical sessions and other forms of support and funded by the NSW governments COVID-19 Recovery Package.

Access to psychology services is becoming increasingly challenging for Australians, particularly those who cannot afford the rising out-of-pocket costs. Credit: Getty Images

NSW Minister for Mental Health Bronnie Taylor said the program offered 350 placements to give students the chance to develop critical on-the-job skills, and help meet the rising demand for mental health services from young people.

Alex Lowe is studying a masters of clinical psychology and completed 300 hours at headspace in Wagga Wagga in September last year.
Three of south-east Queenslands fastest-growing councils have demanded the state government bolt infrastructure spending to population growth trends.

Logan, Ipswich and Moreton Bay councils told a Property Council of Queensland forum on Tuesday that infrastructure plans must reflect new population growth patterns in the south-east.

South-east Queensland councils want infrastructure funding to be more closely tied to population growth. Credit: Nine News

Brisbane Times reported last week that population growth had been underestimated in the Moreton Bay region for 15 years and overestimated in Ipswich, as a new South East Queensland Regional Plan is developed.

Planner Greg Chemello, who worked with Economic Development Queensland before being appointed interim administrator of Ipswich in August 2018, then chief executive of Moreton Bay Regional Council from 2020, said funding change is needed urgently.
Serial rapist Frank Hu used hot chocolate, coffee and a juice to secretly sedate at least seven women whom he filmed while he abused them.

For three years, Hu  a migration agent also known as Xiadong Hu  was seemingly getting away with his crimes until a string of women began showing up at police stations and hospitals fearing they had been drugged.

Victoria Police and Australian Border Force officers raid Frank Hus Melbourne office in 2019.

One victim became so gravely ill she went into cardiac arrest and spent time in intensive care. Hu at times accompanied some of his victims to hospital when they overdosed.

Court documents show that after seizing and analysing Hus electronic devices following a raid on his suite of offices in Little Collins Street, investigators connected close to 70 rapes to Hu, alongside 18 sexual assaults.
It feels to me that were right on the cusp of dramatically smashing mental illness stigma. Professional athletes are allowed to have anxiety now. Some people can call into work and say mental health day without getting fired. Mental illness is on the edge of being normalised, representative of everyday folk able to speak openly, get help, and ultimately live a happy and productive life.

And then things like Alphington Grammar happen. The non-government school in Melbournes inner north-east is in the news for fighting a proposal to convert a nearby former aged care home into a mental health hospital, arguing its students could be exposed to drug-affected or predatory patients.

Alphington Grammar argued the proposed facility presents risks to the school community. Credit: Simon Schluter

Almost 200 objections to the new facility  many from families of students at the school  tell us that mental health care is still a scary scenario.

Almost 40 per cent of young people in Australia (aged 16-24) had a 12-month mental disorder in 2020-21. Thats up from 26 per cent in 2007 and represents, on average, double the rate of mental illness compared to the rest of the adult population. The available data shows only 31 per cent of young women seek professional help, and only 13 per cent of young men.
Victorias Director of Public Prosecutions, Kerri Judd, KC, has supported calls to amend the states evidence laws to give greater protections to victims when they present impact statements to court.

The problem with the law gained exposure when the victim of Jeffrey Joffa Corfe, said he did not fully describe the impact of Corfes abuse on him because he was worried he would be subjected to aggressive cross-examination on its contents.

Victorias Director of Public Prosecutions, Kerri Judd, KC, has backed a push to amend the states evidence laws. Credit: Paul Jeffers

The former Collingwood Football Club icon had asked County Court judge Gerard Mullaly for a sentencing indication if he entered a guilty plea to sexual penetration of a child under 16.

Alex Case said he was not candid in the victim impact statement he gave to the court because a quirk in the law meant Corfes legal team could have cross-examined Case about its contents if the accused changed his mind and took the matter to trial.
Perths notoriety as one of the most sprawling cities in the world shows no signs of abating, with new figures revealing the rate of urban infill has fallen to its second-lowest level on record.

The construction of new residential dwellings in urban areas has fallen to 29 per cent, well short of the state governments urban infill target of 47 per cent.

in the 20-year period to December 2021, an average of 890 hectares of land per annum were consumed by subdivision according to the latest Urban Growth Monitor. Credit: City of Swan

The 47 per cent target was set to cater for an anticipated 3.5 million Perth residents by 2031. The infill rate had been tracking up: in 2020 it was 44 per cent, up from 43 per cent in 2019, 38 per cent in 2018, and 28 per cent in 2012.

The Department of Planning, Lands and Heritages Urban Growth Monitor showed in 2021 a total of 10,260 dwellings were constructed in the Perth metropolitan and Peel regions  of these, 4150 were built in infill areas and 6110 in greenfield areas.
A potential nationwide move to ban the deadly engineered stone popular in kitchen benchtops will take at least a year, Workplace Relations Minister Tony Burke says, as he urges state and territory ministers to consider prohibiting the substance at a meeting on Tuesday.

Speaking to ABCs RN Breakfast on Tuesday morning, Burke said even if a ban was agreed to at the meeting, national advisory body Safe Work Australia would have to scope what a ban would look like, then each state and territory parliament would have to pass their own laws to enact it.

Workplace Relations Minister Tony Burke says an engineered stone ban will take at least 12 months. Credit: Scott McNaughton

Its going to take a good 12 months or more, Burke said, adding the lag in decision-making was a key reason he wanted to bring consideration of a ban on engineered stone forward. National discussions on a ban were originally slated to take place from July 2024.

The moment you get to this point, theres still further delays.
State and federal workplace ministers have been accused of abdicating their responsibilities after deferring a decision on banning the use of deadly engineered stone to a meeting some time within the next six months in a stance criticised as too slow by a government backbencher and a doctor from the dust diseases taskforce.

Workplace Relations Minister Tony Burke announced on Tuesday that a meeting of his state and territory counterparts had agreed to consider prohibiting the product behind workers contracting silicosis, giving Safe Work Australia up to half a year to report on what a ban would look like.

Employment and Workplace Relations Minister Tony Burke: I wish governments had started this process sooner. Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

He announced the Commonwealth would explore blocking the importation of engineered stone but offered no timeline on that decision.

I wish governments had started this process sooner, he said, qualifying that if the report was ready earlier, then all ministers would reconvene earlier. Everything we could do today, we did.
Veteran investment banker Tim Burroughs and his wife Judith will likely remember this Tuesday as a momentous one: his appointment to the board of Westpac was announced to the ASX at the same time as the couples Bellevue Hill home, Monkton, was sold.

The appointment of the former chair of investment banking at Goldman Sachs Australia was announced by chairman John McFarlane, and Burroughs is expected to take up the role in March.

The Bellevue Hill residence Monkton has sold for more than $30 million. Credit: Domain

Hell serve alongside Lendlease chair Michael Ullmer, to replace former directors Steven Harker and Peter Marriott.

The sale price of the Burroughs family residence remains undisclosed by The Agencys Ben Collier, but was listed late last year with a guide of $30 million to $32 million, and is believed to have sold well within that range.
High school students from across the region had the opportunity to learn about 10 different historically Black colleges and universities at Albemarle Countys first HBCU exposition on Monday.

Enrollment at HBCUs has trended down over the past 45 years, according to data from the National Center for Education Statistics. In 1976, the percentage of Black students enrolled at HBCUs was 18%; in 2021, that number was 9%. Still, they offer an opportunity for some underserved students: 41% of HBCU students are the first in their families to attend college, compared to 35% at other schools, according to data from the Lumina Foundation, a private organization aimed at expanding access and success in postsecondary education.

Some of the students are here just because they just have a thirst for knowledge and theyve already been accepted to some schools. Some children are still researching and trying to determine whats going to be the best fit for them, Albemarle County Public Schools Director of Student Services Jesse Turner told The Daily Progress at Mondays event.

Jayla Thompson, a junior at Albemarle High School, said attending an HBCU would be good for her.

I think I can just learn more and see and experience different things, Thompson, who identifies as Afro-Latina, told The Daily Progress.

HBCUs were founded to offer Black students college degrees during a time when states denied Black people access to education. The schools have historically been open to all students. Nationally, about three quarters of all students at HBCUs are Black, but the share of non-Black students at HBCUs is growing.

Often youll find students who havent learned or known about HBCUs, Diane Price, a Howard University alumna representing the school at Mondays exposition, told The Daily Progress.

Price said students of color from Charlottesville and Albemarle County could be better served by an HBCU than by another college or university.

Youre going to be in a minority there, and youre not going to get the lessons and the experience that you would get at an HBCU, Price said.

Graduation rates for Black students at HBCUs are almost double that of Black students at other colleges and universities. A 2017 report from the Education Trust, a national nonprofit focused on closing educational achievement gaps, shows that the Black graduation rate at North Carolina Central University is 47.6%. At Alabama State University, a school with similar average test scores and student demographics, that number is 26%.

Theres a lot theyre going to come away with just from being in environments with people who look like them, Denise Harris, another Howard University alumna at the event, told The Daily Progress.
In his first major public meeting in the wake of a spate of recent shootings, Charlottesville Police Chief Michael Kochis got nearly two hours of free advice from a community in pain.

We have young children with guns, and they cant even spell, resident Dorenda Johnson said at a community forum Kochis convened at Old Trinity Church on Monday evening.

They cant even spell, she repeated. How did we get here?

Born and raised in Charlottesville, Johnson encouraged her own Black brothers and sisters to pursue some self-reflection on the recent rise in violence, which was one of the evenings central themes.

But so was an opposing view.

It feels like you are representing an organization, one young man challenged the police chief and his officers. The man complained that officers dont even make eye contact with people on the street.

They dont speak to me, bro, said the young man.

A man who gave his address as 10 1/2 Street said that he was struggling to recall when hed last seen an officer walking a beat and asked for a show of hands if anyone else had.

Few hands rose.

Thats a failure, said that man. We need to see you in the neighborhood to know youre actually doing your job.

Kochis noted near the meetings start that his department is understaffed, down a third of its force. And while the chief conceded that police could be doing better, he said that officers are still a crucial line of defense when theres trouble.

No ones calling parks and rec, said Kochis. Theyre calling police.

Kochis reiterated what he told The Daily Progress on Friday, that he plans to target three specific neighborhoods that have become hot spots for gun violence: 10th and Page, parts of Charlottesville a little further away from 10th & Page and the Corner near the University of Virginia. Each has been a scene of gun violence in recent months.

Shootings have taken 11 lives and injured at least 21 people in the city of Charlottesville and surrounding Albemarle County since September, according to a Daily Progress tally. In Charlottesville alone there have three homicides in the first six weeks of the year, officially surpassing the two killings that were reported in that same period last year.

There was an emotional moment on Monday evening when the mother of Daiquan Anderson, a man slain near Court Square in September, asked the chief for information. He said hed like to speak with her privately.

Her friend, Francine Chambers, told the crowd that she predicted from the moment of Andersons slaying that nobody would be arrested.

No one has.

Chambers said that she organized a gun buyback to honor Andersons life.

You get them guns off the street, she shouted. This is a hot mess.

Kochis, who took office in mid-January, expressed anguish Monday about the ubiquity of guns.

Theyre coming from all over. Guns are being left unlocked in peoples homes, stolen, you name it, said Kochis. Most of our shots-fired calls that were seeing are typically teenagers, between neighborhood beefs to settle conflicts.

He said the city gets an average of one shots-fired call each day and that police plan to open a substation on Prospect Avenue shortly in response.

One person demanding accountability of the police without vilifying them was Mary Coleman, the executive director of City of Promise, which connects young people in Charlottesvilles West haven, Starr Hill and 10th & Page neighborhoods to mentors, tutors, after-school programs and service providers. While she too lamented the apparent lack of officers on the street, she spoke fondly of participating in a program called the Citizens Police Academy and feeling empathy for them.

Twelve weeks together, were eating together, theyre humanized to me, said Coleman, who then suggested reversing the program and having officers spend 12 weeks with the citizens. There was laughter and applause.

Colemans group is dedicated to reducing poverty, and that was something several speakers on Monday evening cited. One of them was Jay James, a well-known radio host speaking Monday on behalf of the Bridge Ministry.

People are being set up for failure, said James. What about working with their parents who are stuck in a cycle of systemic oppression?

The B.U.C.K. Squad, a Charlottesville group dedicated to removing gun violence from the citys streets, didnt speak during the meeting, but one of the groups leaders expressed enthusiasm afterwards for some of the things that were said.

Its all economic, a lack of resources, a lack of fathers, and were just seeing the results, said the squads Assistant Executive Director Bryan Page. The kids are abandoned.

Page said one thing he heard Monday evening chilled and anguished him.

We know these people, said Page. Theyre babies.
Press Release

February 28, 2023 Pia: planned jeepney phaseout runs counter to several PH commitments to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Manifestation on Senate Resolution No.507 urging the LTFRB to postpone the planned phaseout of traditional jeepneys By Senator Pia S. Cayetano

Chairperson, Senate Committee on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Innovation, and Futures Thinking Thank you, Mr President. I join my colleagues in expressing concern over this issue. I commend the Chairperson, Sen. Grace Poe, for taking up this resolution. Although this starts with a transportation issue, I would like to point out, what our colleagues have also discussed, is that this affects not just transportation. Obviously, it affects the jeepney drivers and their families. And this goes directly to SDG 1 which is No Poverty. Clearly, our jeepney drivers are contributing to our economy. And therefore, this also includes SDG 8, Decent Work and Economic Growth. But your honors, they cannot contribute to economic growth if they do not have decent work, when they will be losing their jobs. So I want to put on record, your honor, that as we discuss the issue of sustainable transportation, which I would assume is the objective of DOTr, people's lives are affected. And that's where SDG 1 and SDG 8 come in. But I'd also like to put on record, our former Chairman of the Committee on Energy will recall that during his hearings on electric vehicles, I had pointed out the importance of the jeepneys in our traditions and culture. The jeepneys, as everyone, I think everyone here will still recall, most jeepneys of our youth were decorated lavishly in very vivid colors representing different aspects of Filipino culture and life. And time and again, when we talk about the transition to e-vehicles, I would always point out two things: (1) the Philippines has had the unique opportunity to transition after World War II these vehicles that were used during the war into what became an everyday means of transportation. So that in itself, the jeepney itself as a structure, is part of our culture and traditions. And second, (2) the art that goes on these jeepneys again form part of our art and our culture. Does it mean that we do not move forward? That we do not innovate? No. That is not what it means. But it means that we shouldn't leave behind this amazing representation of our culture that we have created. This innovation that happened maybe half a century ago or more, is something we should seriously consider. When the government determines that it will subsidize the jeepney drivers with a measly P160,000 when the total cost [of a modern jeep] is P2 million, it's a joke, your honors. It does not clearly allow our drivers to make a decent living. And it is contrary to SDG 8, which we are committed to. We are a signatory to these SDGs, your honors. And let's recognize that these innovations were made by various Filipino companies. Our colleague from Cavite, Sen. Francis Tolentino mentioned Sarao. The other company that I remember is Francisco Motors. And I know there are others. And has the government thought of supporting these companies so that they can continue to innovate and thrive during this time? These are questions that I hope can also be tackled, your honors, in the coming hearings. So on that note, I'd like to point out one more SDG: SDG 11, Sustainable Cities and Communities. Obviously, when we think of sustainable cities, our vision includes walkable cities, bikeable cities. The Senate has done our part, we've passed that bill. And then we think about sustainable transportation as a whole. And that is public transportation that is easily accessible to the public, which would include trains, buses, and they can include jeepneys or whatever we want to transition into. But it must always consider sustainability. This particular SDG 11 also includes customs and traditions. And so my fervent hope is that we include this in our discussions in the coming hearings and again, I thank her honor for taking this up and bringing this to our attention. Thank you, Mr. President.
Michael Payne, a Democrat who has championed working families and affordable housing since he was elected to City Council in 2019, announced Monday that he would be seeking a second term.

I think theres a lot of unfinished work, Payne told The Daily Progress.

Payne, now 30, was 26 when he was first elected, making him the youngest councilor in Charlottesvilles history since the city abandoned the mayor-council form of government in 1922.

Since he was elected four years ago, Payne said hes grown concerned by the 25% increase in property tax assessments over the past two years and called for a continuation of Charlottesvilles investments in affordable housing, an effort that has, he said, received $10 million in city funding annually in recent years.

An early advocate of the zoning overhaul that is now getting subjected to public scrutiny, Payne said he hopes the proposed rezoning fulfills its promise of increasing density without displacing the lower and middle classes.

We have to allow more diverse housing types, he said. We have to allow smaller apartment complexes, duplexes, as part of the affordability solution.

Payne said that the recent rise in gun violence in the city can be traced to Charlottesvilles systemic problems.

There have been three reported homicides within city limits since the start of the year, two of which occurred in broad daylight and a third which killed a member of the citys B.U.C.K. Squad, a group dedicated to removing gun violence from Charlottesvilles streets.

The citys police chief has increased patrols in hot-spot neighborhoods and announced a community forum on gun violence to be held the same day Payne announced his reelection bid.

Payne said he supported more community policing so long as it was really intentional.

Payne added that City Council could fight gun violence by supporting youth mentorships and job opportunities, assisting disadvantaged neighborhoods and contributing more to anti-violence groups such as the B.U.C.K. Squad.

Unfortunately, Payne said, I dont think theres any easy overnight solution.

Among the successes of his first term in office, Payne listed the citys recent adoption of a collective bargaining ordinance, a tenant-directed public housing renovation and the citys decision to spend some federal pandemic relief funds on affordable housing and fighting evictions.

He also expressed pride in successfully stopping the construction of a second Market Street parking garage arranged by a previous City Council that would have closed a city street, demolished the Lucky 7 convenience store and the Guadalajara Mexican restaurant, and, Payne said, didnt seem needed after the pandemic changed commuting patterns.

Payne noted that the money saved by nixing the parking project freed up funds for school reconfiguration. As part of that process, the city may spend about $70 million to renovate and rebuild Buford Middle School, a project currently open for bidding until March 14.

Payne said he will seek a nomination in the Democratic primary, which is slated for June 20.

Four years ago, when three seats were open as they will be this fall, Payne led the Democratic primary but finished third in the 2019 general election behind fellow Democrats Sena Magill and Lloyd Snook.

Magill, who won the most votes, left council abruptly in January of this year citing family needs. Magills successor, Leah Puryear, who takes office Feb. 27, has not said whether she will seek election after her 10-month term ends in December. Snook, who currently serves as mayor, is expected to announce his bid for reelection Tuesday.

A Democratic primary win in Charlottesville typically leads to a victory in the general election. Charlottesville last saw a Republican elected in 2002 and its first independent elected in 69 years in 2017.
Batavia, NY (14020)

Today

Except for a few afternoon clouds, mainly sunny. High 83F. Winds SSE at 10 to 15 mph..

Tonight

Showers with a possible thunderstorm in the evening, then variable clouds overnight with still a chance of showers. Low 43F. Winds SW at 15 to 25 mph. Chance of rain 90%.
The Virginia Master Naturalists has honored its Rivanna chapter for its diversity and inclusion efforts.

The Diversity and Inclusion Working Group of the Rivanna Master Naturalists has worked with community groups to provide opportunities for nature education, conservation and understanding of indigenous land stewardship. In 2022, the organization helped train teenage Green Ambassadors from a redlined community promote tree canopy expansion. That same year, the chapter also led a Voices from the Land program for kindergarten, first- and second-grade students.

Also in the past year, more than 150 chapter volunteers contributed to nearly 10,000 hours of stewardship, citizen science and education, according to a Rivanna Master Naturalists statement.

Certain members were recognized for milestone hours of service:

250 hours: Betsy Fechteler, Barbara Marshall, Lauren Record and Janet Walker.

500 hours: Bill Henry, Erin Johnson, Dean Joyner, Virginia Masterson, Christine Putnam and Armand Thieblot.

1,000 hours: Rod Walker.

2,500 hours: Clark Walter.

"Because of our efforts, waterways are cleaner, pollinator habitat has been expanded, trails for community enjoyment built and maintained, and much more," outgoing chapter President Beth Kuhn said in a statement.

The Rivanna Master Naturalists serves Charlottesville and the counties of Albemarle, Fluvanna, Louisa and Nelson.
The Rivanna Water and Sewer Authority plans to hold a meeting for its board of directors on Tuesday.

The meetings consent agenda calls for staff reports on finances, operations, ongoing projects and wholesale metering, among other items.

Other business to be discussed includes a presentation on the 2024-28 capital improvement program and a presentation on Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule 5 & Permanganate Update.

The meeting is set to be held in the second-floor conference room at the Rivanna Authorities Administration Building at 695 Moores Creek Lane east of Charlottesville.

Those interested in joining can also do so via Zoom.
The attorneys general of 19 different states have sent a letter to Costco and Kroger warning the retail brands against sending abortion pills through the mail.

Last month, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced updated rules that allow stores with pharmacies, such as Costco and Kroger, to dispense the abortion drug mifepristone through the mail.

While the FDA announcement may have suggested certified pharmacies could more readily dispense the abortion drug, the group of attorneys general argued that the FDAs relaxed regulations are superseded by existing federal law that prohibits sending abortion medications through the mail system.

[Y]ou may not yet be aware that federal law expressly prohibits using the mail to send or receive any drug that will be used or applied for producing abortion,' the attorneys general wrote in letters to executives at Costco and Kroger.

The warning letters were sent by attorneys general from Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, and West Virginia.

Although many people are unfamiliar with this statute because it has not been amended in a few decades, the text could not be clearer: Every article or thing designed, adapted, or intended for producing abortion  shall not be conveyed in the mails. And anyone who knowingly takes any such thing from the mails for the purpose of circulating is guilty of a federal crime, the attorneys general added.

The prohibitions the attorneys general cited have been in place for over a century, which were implemented under the Comstock Act of 1873.

Fox Business reported the 19 attorneys general sent the same warning letter to Walmart. Earlier this month, Fox News reported 20 state attorneys general sent similar letters to CVS and Walgreens.

Revised FDA Rule

The FDA has regulated access to mifepristone for years through its risk evaluation and mitigation strategy (REMS). In the past, the abortion drug could only be given in-person at a hospital, clinic, or medical office. In December 2021, the FDA announced it had revised the REMS rating for mifepristone, eliminating the requirement to administer the drug in-person at a medical facility.

On June 24, 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the landmark Roe v. Wade abortion case, giving individual states broader authority to regulate and restrict abortion. Several states have restricted abortion access since that Supreme Court decision.

President Joe Bidens administration has criticized the Supreme Courts decision, and activists have looked for ways to preserve access to abortions in various states.

Shortly after the Supreme Courts decision, the U.S. Postal Service sent a letter to the Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) for the Department of Justice, asking for their opinion on whether the U.S. law prohibits mailing mifepristone. On Dec. 23, 2022, the OLC returned an opinion (pdf) that federal law does not prohibit mailing mifepristone where the sender lacks the intent that the recipient of the drugs will use them unlawfully.

Because there are manifold ways in which recipients in every state may lawfully use such drugs, including to produce an abortion, the mere mailing of such drugs to a particular jurisdiction is an insufficient basis for concluding that the sender intends them to be used unlawfully, the OLC opinion read.

Following the OLC opinion, the FDA issued its revised REMS decision (pdf) on mifepristone, granting its permission to send the abortion drug through the mail.

In their letters, the 19 state attorneys general predicted the Biden administrations interpretation of laws surrounding the mailing of abortion drugs will not stand up to scrutiny in court.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), which has advocated for greater access to abortions, said the FDAs revised mifepristone REMS came at a crisis moment for reproductive freedom, as access to abortion has plummeted nationwide. The ACLU credited the FDAs decision with repealing an outdated and medically unnecessary requirement for in-person administering of mifepristone, but said the agency still maintains some medically unnecessary restrictions that impede patient access.

Democrat Attorneys General Suing for More Access to Abortion Pills

While the Republican attorneys general have challenged the OLCs opinion and the FDAs decision to allow pharmacists to mail abortion drugs, a group of Democratic attorneys general filed a lawsuit (pdf) last week that would relax restrictions on mifepristone even further. That lawsuit was filed by the attorneys general of Washington, Oregon, Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Michigan, Nevada, New Mexico, Rhode Island, and Vermont.

The Democratic state attorneys general argued that while revised FDA regulations allow for sending abortion drugs in the mail, the FDA still heavily regulates who can fill prescriptions for the abortion drug.

The REMS require burdensome documentation of the patients use of mifepristone for the purpose of abortion, making telehealth less accessible and creating a paper trail that puts both patients and providers in danger of violence, harassment, and threats of liability amid the growing criminalization and outlawing of abortion in other states, the Democratic attorneys general argued.

A federal lawsuit filed in November by the conservative advocacy group Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine has accused the FDA of ignoring science and law to appease pro-abortion advocates when the agency approved mifepristone and misoprostol.

This lawsuit could conflict with lawsuits seeking to ease access to abortion medications and potentially see federal courts issue conflicting decisions.

From NTD News.
2nd Suspect in Goshen Familys Cartel-Style Massacre Pleads Not Guilty

A second suspect recently pleaded not guilty to multiple murder and illegal gun charges in what the county sheriff called a cartel-like slaying of multiple family members on Jan. 16 in the small central California area of Goshen.

Angel Nanu Uriarte, a 35-year-old from Goshen; and Noah Beard, a 25-year-old from Visalia, were arrested Feb. 3. Beard pleaded not guilty five days later.

Uriarte was wounded during his arrest after engaging in gunfire with a federal agent and was hospitalized. He pleaded not guilty Feb. 21 on six counts of murder and firearms possession.

Known gang member Noah David Beard. (Tulare County Sheriffs Office via AP)

Both suspects were charged with six counts of murder and numerous other special circumstance allegations that included illegal firearms possession and committing the murders to further the activities of a criminal street gang, according to the countys district attorney.

The early morning massacre of six peopleincluding a teen mother and her 10-month-old babyrattled the small community about an hour and half north of Bakersfield. The motive is still not clear, according to the sheriffs department.

None of this was by accident. It was intentional, Tulare County Sheriff Mike Boudreaux said in a Jan. 17 press conference.

Some of the slain family members were affiliated with the Sureno gang. Beard is a Nortenos gang member, one of its rivals.

The massacre of an entire family goes above and beyond usual gang rival behavior, leading the sheriff to conclude it was a high-level gang style shooting, he said.

The Nortenos and Sureno gangs are known to distribute methamphetamine, marijuana, cocaine, and heroin smuggled into California from Mexico, according to the Department of Justice.

Not only is it shocking for a small farming community of something like this to take place, its shocking to our county and shocking to the city, Boudreaux said.

Sheriffs deputies visited the slain familys home two weeks before the shooting to check on residents who were on parole for felony convictions, according to Boudreaux.

Tulare County Sheriff Mike Boudreaux announces the arrests of two suspects in the Jan. 16 homicide of six people in Goshen, Calif., during a news conference in Visalia, Calif., on Feb. 3, 2023. (Ron Holman/The Times-Delta via AP)

During the checks, authorities found shotgun casings outside the home, ammunition, illegal firearms, and a rifle.

This type of activity in this home was known to us, the sheriff said.

The released video shows a teenage mother fleeing a backyard with her 10-month-old baby during the shooting. In the video, she can be seen placing the baby over a tall fence and climbing over it to the street.

She was followed by one of the suspects and killed.

Investigators said Beard was suspected of shooting the girl and her baby both in the back of the head, Lt. Steve Sanchez told reporters Feb. 3.

Both suspects will be tried together, a spokesman for the county district attorneys office told The Epoch Times. A preliminary hearing conference is set for March 15 and a hearing is scheduled for March 20.

Tulare County District Attorney Tim Ward said he may ask for the death penalty in both cases.

Ive made my views on capital punishment clear time and time again, he said in a statement. We reserve this monumental decision for the worst of the worst.

According to Ward, the sheriff has asked the governor to revisit the states death penalty moratorium. In 2019, Newsom signed an executive order halting it.
Air Force Removes 6 Leaders at Nuclear Base, Gives No Explanation

An ICBM launch site among fields and farms in the countryside outside Minot, N.D., on June 24, 2014. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

The U.S. Air Force confirmed it removed six leaders from their positions at a nuclear base in North Dakota, although few details were provided about why.

A news release issued by the military branch said that Maj. Gen. Andrew J. Gebara, commander of the 8th Air Force, removed two commanders at Minot Air Force Base on Monday. They were identified as the commanders of the 5th Mission Support Group and the 5th Logistics Readiness Squadron.

These personnel actions were necessary to maintain the very high standards we demand of those units entrusted with supporting our Nations nuclear mission, said Gebara. He did not elaborate.

The Air Force also said that four additional subordinate leaders assigned to Minot were relieved. Further details about the individuals will not be provided due to privacy concerns, it said.

Eighth Force continues to safeguard global combat power and conduct around-the-clock strategic deterrence operations in a safe, secure and effective manner, Gebara said. Our mission is foundational to our Nations defense, and we remain committed to the success of that no-fail mission.

The Epoch Times has contacted the U.S. Air Force for comment.

The 5th Mission Support Group is focused on providing flawless mission support and delivering essential installation mission support and community service, securing our resources, providing proper care of base facilities and infrastructure, while developing combat-ready airmen, according to the bases website. The group serves the 5th Bomb Wing, 91st Missile Wing, 5th Logistics Readiness Squadron, and others.

An inert Minuteman III missile in a training launch tube at Minot Air Force Base, N.D., on June 25, 2014. (Charlie Riedel/AP Photo)

Minot Air Force Base, according to its website, is the only dual-wing nuclear capable base in the Air Force, hosting two legs of the Strategic Triad. The 5th Bomb Wing operates 26 nuclear-capable B-52 bombers, while the 91st Missile Wing operates 150 intercontinental ballistic missile sites.

Minot has experienced several high-level dismissals over the past 20 years or so, including the ousting of the 91st Missile Wing Operations Support Squadron chief in 2021, the 69th Bomb Squadron and 91st Security Forces Group commanders in 2018, the 741st Missile Squadron chief in 2014, the 91st Missile Wing head in 2009, and the 5th Bomb Group head in 2007, according to the Air Force Times.

Concerns were raised last year when Chinese firm Fufeng sought to build a corn mill in Grand Forks, North Dakota, located about 200 miles from Minot Air Base and about 12 miles from the Grand Forks Air Force base. Local and federal officials had said that the company had extensive ties to the Chinese Communist Party.

But Fufengs plans were halted when the Grand Forks City Council voted 50 earlier this month to strike down the companys proposal. Grand Forks Mayor Brandon Bochenski said the move to block the mill was prompted by a letter from the Air Force, which was sent to Sens. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) and John Hoeven (R-N.D.). That letter said the mill presents a significant threat to national security with both near- and long-term risks of significant impacts to our operations in the area.
American Citizen Fatally Shot in Violence in West Bank: US State Department

Israeli Border police officers walk outside the house of Palestinian gunman Khaire Alkam in A-Tur in East Jerusalem, after Alkam shot and killed seven people near a synagogue in Neve Yaacov, on Jan. 28, 2023. (Ammar Awad/Reuters)

An American citizen was shot and killed in the West Bank on Monday during the continued unrest between Israelis and Palestinians in the area, the U.S. State Department confirmed.

The Israeli-American man was killed when gunmen opened fire near the West Bank city of Jericho, according to Reuters, which reported that the killing was one of several shootings conducted by Palestinians along a highway near Jericho.

The Israeli army said the suspected Palestinian attackers opened fire at an Israeli car near Jericho, hitting the motorist.

Palestinian groups have not yet claimed responsibility for the attack.

The gunfire came just hours after Jewish settlers rampaged through the Palestinian village of Huwara on Sunday night, setting fire to homes and other buildings, damaging vehicles, and attacking Palestinians. A 37-year-old Palestinian man was killed in the rampage and dozens more were injured.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas called the raids terrorist acts.

The United States is extremely concerned by the events of this weekend and the continuing violence in Israel and the West Bank, State Department spokesman Ned Price told reporters during a press briefing Monday.

As we noted yesterday, we condemn the horrific killing of two Israeli brothers near Nablus and the killing today of an Israeli near Jericho, who we understand was also an American citizen. We express our deepest condolences to all of the victims families and their loved ones.

Victim Identified

We also condemn the widescale, indiscriminate violence by settlers against Palestinian civilians following the killing, Price added. The attacks reportedly led to the death of one Palestinian man, more than 300 residents injuredfour seriouslyand the torching of an estimated 30 Palestinian homes and cars. These actions are completely unacceptable. The United States extends its deepest condolences to those affected by this violence.

Separately, U.S. Ambassador to Israel Tom Nides confirmed on Twitter that a U.S. citizen was killed in what he called a terror attack in the West Bank tonight.

I pray for his family, Nides wrote.

Neither the ambassador nor the State Department identified the Israeli-American who was killed, but The Times of Israel identified him as 27-year-old Elan Ganeles, an Israel Defense Forces veteran originally from West Hartford, Connecticut.

Emergency responders reportedly arrived at the scene where Ganeles was shot, close to the Nevo military base, and found him in critical condition before taking him to the Hadassah Hospital Mount Scopus in Jerusalem, where he was later declared dead.

The injured person was evacuated during resuscitation efforts which also continued at the hospital, but unfortunately the staff had to pronounce him dead, the hospital said in a statement to The Times of Israel.

The Israeli consulate in San Francisco also identified the victim as Ganeles on Twitter and said he was a recent graduate of Columbia University in New York.

Sunday nights attack on Huwara came shortly after the killing of two Israeli brothers, Hallel Yaniv, 21, and Yagel Yaniv, 19, from the Jewish settlement of Har Bracha by a Palestinian gunman.

The shooter fled the scene shortly after opening fire, according to officials.

Large groups of Israelis then set fires and threw stones along a main road in Hawara, which is used by both Palestinians and Israeli settlers, setting fire to dozens of cars and buildings.

A 37-year-old Palestinian man, identified as Sameh Hamdallah Mahmoud Aqtash, was shot and killed, allegedly by Israeli fire, during the incident, the Palestinian Ministry of Health said.

Israeli President, PM Condemn Attack

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas called the attack on Hawara a terrorist act carried out by Israeli settlers, under the protection of the Israeli occupation forces, in a statement.

Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urged Israeli settlers not to take the law into their own hands. Israeli President Isaac Herzog echoed his remarks, adding that violence against innocent people is not our way.

During Sundays press conference, Price said the United States appreciates Netanyahu and Herzogs statements calling for a cessation of this vigilante violence.

We expect the Israeli government to ensure full accountability and legal prosecution of those responsible for these attacks, in addition to compensation for the lost homes and property, Price said. Accountability and justice should be pursued with equal rigor in all cases of extremist violence, and equal resources dedicated to prevent such attacks and bring those responsible to justice.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
On the afternoon of Feb. 26, 2023, painter Lin Zongxian watched Shen Yun at the Miaoli North Art Center, in Taiwan. (Annie Gong/The Epoch Times)

MIAOLI, TaiwanCeramic artist Lin Tsung-Hsien watched Shen Yun Performing Arts for the first time at the Miaobei Art Center on Feb. 26. Mr. Lin said that the water sleeves dance left a deep impression on him.

The visual composition of the water sleeves dance was very interesting, said Mr. Lin. It was beautifully choreographed.

Based in New York, Shen Yun was founded in 2006 by leading Chinese artists and quickly became the worlds premier classical Chinese dance and music company.

The long, flowing water sleeves have been part of classical Chinese dance for thousands of years.

It was very unique, visually, said Mr. Lin. The dance we usually see consists of vertical movements, such as jumps or waves. Yet [classical Chinese dance] moves in ripples, and includes horizontal movements.

The water sleeves costumes had beautiful colors and were very pleasing to look at. Mr. Lin praised the layered effect the dance created. The horizontal movements paired with the beautiful, gradient colors of the sleeves made it look like a part of nature.

It was like [seeing] the rhythm of nature, said Mr. Lin. It was beautiful, like ripples.

The Tibetan dance was very interesting too, Mr. Lin added. There was an added gentleness to the power it had. We often think of Tibetan dance as very bold and unrestrained, but the dancers were youthfully energetic, and the movements flowed very well.

In addition to the dance and the colors, Shen Yuns patented animated backdrop, which allows dancers to travel between the stage the background, also caught Mr. Lins eye.

It combines technology with tradition, and is a very innovative creation, said Mr. Lin. The way the digital backdrop and the dancers interacted was very entertaining and easy to understand; the children [in the audience] were all laughing, and could understand [the performance].

Planted in My Mind

Mr. Lin talked about the unseen benefits he obtained through watching Shen Yun.

Its like saving a computer file, he said. This will be planted in my mind, and perhaps will suddenly resurface when I am in need of it one day.

The colors Shen Yun uses are very Eastern, very saturated, very bold, and very enjoyable.  Lin Tsung-Hsien

I myself use a more Eastern color scheme, because there are many bold colors said Mr. Lin. As an artist, he found the colors in Shen Yuns performance to be very inspiring. The colors Shen Yun uses are very Eastern, very saturated, very bold, and very enjoyable.

The cool and warm colors are very well coordinated. Although they are highly saturated, they are not unpleasant to look at. I might try using some bolder colors myself in the future.

Mr. Lin said he felt that Taiwanese people are not very confident in their culture, especially when it comes to current arts.

[We] often consider things from a Western perspective, instead of looking at things and making creations from the perspective of our own culture. Actually, when it comes to passing on traditional Chinese culture, the beauty of it is whats most important.

When you go to a museum and see an artifact, you wont see anything ugly; everything is beautiful. They are blessings to people.

A Blessing of Peace

Mr. Lin said that to him, Shen Yun was a blessing that brought peace.

This is what beauty should bring to people, he said.

Mr. Lin said that the performance gave him confidence.

Everyone looked so happy. Bringing people positive energy will be something I will continue to aim for in my own works, because people who are happy will not commit bad deeds and will not want to harm others.

Actually, the greatest power art has is to bring peace to people.  Lin Tsung-Hsien

Actually, the greatest power art has is to bring peace to people, said Mr. Lin. He believed that Shen Yun was extremely powerful, and could bring peace to different people in different ways. I was very calm and very happy this entire afternoon.

Everyone gathering in one place to admire something beautiful is basically a form of cultivation, said Mr. Lin. There was this peaceful energy that was very soothing.

Its meditative. For me, creating art is a form of cultivation. Music is a form a cultivation. Todays performance brought me a meditative peace.

The Epoch Times is a proud sponsor of Shen Yun Performing Arts. We have covered audience reactions since Shen Yuns inception in 2006.
At Least 5 Killed in Southwest China Mine as Hope Fades for 47 Trapped in North

The site of a collapsed open pit coal mine in Alxa Banner in northern China's Inner Mongolia region, on Feb. 24, 2023. (Bei He/Xinhua via AP)

BEIJINGAt least five workers were killed in a roof collapse at a mine in southwestern China, as hope appeared to be fading for 47 miners trapped under tons of rubble after a mining disaster last week in northern China.

In the mine in Sichuan province, 25 miners were underground when part of the roof collapsed Sunday morning. Five were killed, three were badly injured and the others escaped, the provincial Department of Emergency Management said. Reports said the mine did not produce coal, but gave no details.

Meanwhile, the official death toll at the open-pit mine in the Inner Mongolian regions Alxa League remains six with six others pulled from the rubble alive. The cause for the collapse of a mine wall on Feb. 22 is under investigation and an unknown number of people have been detained.

The actual number of casualties from such events may be much higher. The actual number of casualties is difficult to verify, as the Chinese regime routinely suppresses or alters information.

Calls to the Ministry of Emergency Management rang unanswered on Monday.
Ban on Domestic Use of Silica on the Cards in Australia

Employment and Workplace Minister Tony Burke speaks during the jobs and skills summit at Parliament House in Canberra, Australia, on Sept. 1, 2022. (Martin Ollman/Getty Images)

Australian federal workplace ministers will ask state and federal ministers to accelerate the ban on the domestic use of silica due to the risks it carries of causing an incurable, progressive, and in many cases, fatal lung disease.

Each year around 600,000 Australian workers are exposed to silica dust at work, according to the Australian Workers Union.

As it is 100 times smaller than a grain of sand, when breathed in, silica dust is small enough to penetrate deep into the lungs, causing irreversible lung damage.

As one of the key components of soil, sand and granite, its used on a vast scale across Australia in construction, tunnelling, excavating, mining, and road construction. Its also widely used in the renewable energy sector, such as in thermal energy storage and solar panels.

Minister Confident Draft Legislation Will Be Finalised By December

Tony Burke will urge ministers to ban the domestic use of silica and consider an importation ban at a meeting on Tuesday, with the hope that draft legislation will be finalised by the end of the year.

Burke noted he was confident that states and territories workplace health ministers would back an immediate ban, which would take at least 12 months.

The federal minister needs two-thirds of jurisdictions to agree.

Silica has the risks of becoming the new asbestos, he told reporters in Canberra.

But as weve had the conversations office to office, it hasnt been a party politics thing across which governments, Labor or Liberal. There has been a good degree of support for the concept that we shouldnt be waiting any longer before were at least scoping out what a ban might look like.

Burke said the scoping would include what percentage of silica in stone would be banned.

If youre talking about kitchen, bathroom benchtops, some of them go up to 95 per cent silica. Others can be as low as 40 per cent, lower than ordinary stone, he said.

He added that Work Australia had the expertise to work through exactly where the line should be drawn.

But wherever that line is drawn, it has to be drawn on the side of people being able to go to work and come home without a terminal illness.

Workers Exposed to Silica in Australia Estimated at 600,000 Each Year

A study by Curtin University estimated that between 80,000 and 100,000 workers suffered from silicosis symptoms, with about 600,000 workers exposed to the potentially deadly dust each year.

Silicosis is a serious, incurable, irreversible and progressive disease affecting the lungs, Australian Workers Union said.

It occurs with the bodys immune response to the presence of silica dust in the small airways and tiny air sacs (alveoli) of the lungs and results in scarring the lung tissue. In the early stages of silicosis, there arent any warning signs, but as the disease progresses, symptoms such as shortness of breath, coughing, fatigue, and weight loss develop

The Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU) said it would take the extremely rare step of prohibiting engineered stone from July 2024 if the federal government didnt take action earlier.

We cant afford to waste another day, incoming CFMEU National Secretary Zach Smith said.

Anything less than a ban sends a signal this product is fine, when in actual fact its the asbestos of this generation.

Morally bankrupt companies flooding Australia with cheap engineered stone need to be sent the clearest possible message.

The dust and diseases task force recommended governments start considering a ban in July next year.

A report by Safe Work Australia to be presented to the ministers will recommend three actions  an education and awareness campaign, better regulation of silica dust across all industries, and further analysis and scoping of a ban on use of engineered stone.

Ministers will meet again later in the year to review progress.

Occupational health experts say the material cant be worked with safely despite the use of equipment such as masks.

AAP contributed to this report.
BC Announces Temporary TikTok Ban for Government-Issued Mobile Devices

The British Columbia government has announced a temporary ban on the use of TikTok on provincial government-issued mobile devices, coming just hours after the federal government announced a similar measure.

TikTok, a popular video-sharing app by the Chinese company ByteDance, has come under increased scrutiny by different governments due to security concerns.

Due to recent concerns that have emerged regarding this particular platform, and out of an abundance of caution, we feel it is prudent to temporarily ban the use of the TikTok app on government-issued mobile devices as we continue to examine the risks associated with the app, B.C. Citizens Services Minister Lisa Beare wrote on Twitter on Feb. 27.

Beare said the temporary ban takes effect immediately and is done as a measure to protect government data.

B.C. has an expert team dedicated to protecting systems from intrusions and security risks, she wrote. This team of experts monitors the security of government networks 24 hours a day, seven days a week. That includes monitoring a range of security risks in computer systems as well as cybersecurity threats.

Beare added that the B.C. government will continue to examine security risks associated with TikTok in coordination with the federal government and provincial counterparts.

B.Cs temporary ban of the application on government mobile devices comes amid a joint investigation of TikTok by federal Privacy Commissioner Philippe Dufresne and by the respective privacy watchdogs from B.C., Alberta, and Quebec.

Federal Treasury Board President Mona Fortier also announced on Feb. 27 that Ottawa would be banning TikTok on all federal government-issued devices effective Feb. 28.

Users of these devices will also be blocked from downloading the application in the future, Fortier said.

Security Concerns

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau addressed the federal governments TikTok ban while speaking to reporters in Mississauga, Ont., on Feb. 27, saying that Ottawa decided it was better for federal employees and for government equipment not to have TikTok access because of safety concerns.

This may be a first step; it may be the only step we need to take, Trudeau said, adding that he hopes the move will also influence Canadians who are not working in the federal public service to reflect on the security of their own data and perhaps make choices in consequence.

Fortier said the decision to ban TikTok on federal devices came after Chief Information Officer Catherine Luelo determined in a review of the application that it presented an unacceptable level of risk to privacy and security.

A TikTok spokesperson told The Epoch Times that the company wasnt contacted by the federal government prior to the ban being announced, adding that TikTok is always available to meet with our government officials to discuss how we protect the privacy and security of Canadians.

Singling out TikTok in this way does nothing to achieve that shared goal, the spokesperson said.

The U.S. government and over 28 U.S. states have already banned the app from being downloaded on state-owned devices, and TikTok is also prohibited by the U.S. armed forces on military devices.

Both the European Commission and the European Union Council also prohibit their staff from using TikTok on their corporate devices and phones over cybersecurity concerns.

FBI Director Christopher Wray last year told the U.S. House Homeland Security Committee that TikToks risk to national security include the possibility that the Chinese government could use it to control data collection on millions of users or control the recommendation algorithm.

Andrew Thornebrooke contributed to this report.
Biden Administration Struggles With Child Labor Problem Amid Illegal Immigration Surge

Unaccompanied minors wait to be processed by Border Patrol agents near the U.S.Mexico border in La Joya, Texas, on April 10, 2021. (John Moore/Getty Images)

The Biden administration has vowed to crackdown on a surge in the illegal exploitation of children for labor in the United States, citing a nearly 70 percent increase in kids being employed illegally by companies over the past five years.

The Department of Labor (DOL) said in a statement on Feb. 27 said that it is working with the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to combat child labor nationwide and is establishing a new interagency task force to deal with the issue.

According to the department, there has been a 69 percent increase in children being employed illegally by companies in the United States since 2018.

In the last fiscal year, the department found 835 companies it investigated had employed more than 3,800 children in violation of labor laws, the department said.

The maximum civil monetary penalty under current law for a child labor violation is $15,138 per child. Thats not high enough to be a deterrent for major profitable companies, it added.

According to officials, the task force will improve information sharing among agencies and advance the health, education, and well-being of children in the United States.

For instance, timely information regarding active child labor investigations, as appropriate, enables HHS to apply additional scrutiny in the sponsor vetting process when warranted because of geographic or other concerns, the department said.

Groups of children of illegal immigrants receive food from the San Antonio Catholic Charities outside the Migrant Resource Center in San Antonio, Texas, on Sept. 19, 2022. (Jordan Vonderhaar/Getty Images)

Congress Must Raise Child Labor Penalties

Through this task force, the agencies will also jointly conduct education and training initiatives in relevant communities, the statement said.

As well as the task force, the DOL is establishing a national strategic enforcement initiative on child labor that will use data-driven, worker-focused strategies to initiate investigations where child-labor violations are most likely to occur.

The task force will also allow the division and the departments Office of the Solicitor to use all available enforcement tools, including penalties, injunctions, and preventing the movement of goods made with child labor where warranted. Criminal referrals will also be available to use under the task force, the department said.

Additionally, employers will be held accountable to ensure child labor is removed from supply chains, mandated follow-up calls will be rolled out for unaccompanied children who report safety concerns to the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) National Call Center, and HHS will work with Congress to ensure sufficient resources for ORR so that they can provide post-release services to all children and sponsors by 2025.

Funding for the DOLs enforcement agencies will also be bolstered, and new training materials will be given to unaccompanied children in care and potential sponsors about child labor laws.

The DOL also called on Congress to raise the penalties for companies that are found to use child labor, adding that the current maximum penalty of $15,138 is not high enough to be a deterrent for major profitable companies.

A string of other new policies will be implemented to help tackle the rise in child labor, the department said.

Groups of asylum seeking illegal immigrants wait outside the Migrant Resource Center to receive food from the San Antonio Catholic Charities in San Antonio, Texas, on Sept. 19, 2022. (Jordan Vonderhaar/Getty Images)

Border Crisis

Every child in this country, regardless of their circumstance, deserves protection and care as we would expect for our own child, said HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra.

At Health and Human Services, we will continue to do our part to protect the safety and wellbeing of unaccompanied children by providing them appropriate care while they are in our custody; placing them in the custody of parents, relatives, and other appropriate sponsors after vetting; and conducting post-release services including safety and wellbeing calls. Everyone from employers to local law enforcement and civic leaders must do their part to protect children, Becerra added.

The rise in illegal child labor cases comes amid an ongoing immigration crisis that has seen a surge in unaccompanied children entering the United States without their parents.

Customs and Border Protection data show that 130,000 unaccompanied children were processed by U.S. officials along the southern border in 2022.

Under U.S. law, HHS is mandated to house unaccompanied children until it can re-home them via sponsors.

A group of illegal aliens walk up the road after crossing the Rio Grande from Mexico. Further up the road, they will board a bus bound for the Border Patrol processing facility in McAllen, Texas, on April 18, 2019. (Charlotte Cuthbertson/The Epoch Times)

Child Workers Found at Meatpacking Plants

The latest crackdown on child labor comes after the Labor Department announced it had fined one of the nations largest food sanitation service providers, Packers Sanitation Services Inc. (PSSI), $1.5 million for employing at least 102 minors between the ages of 13 and 17 in dangerous jobs cleaning meatpacking plants across 13 facilities in eight states.

The children were reportedly found to be working overnight shifts in the facilities, allegedly using hazardous chemicals and cleaning meat processing equipment including back saws, brisket saws, and head splitters.

An investigation found that at least three minors had been injured while working for the company.

A PSSI spokeswoman told NBC News that it has a strong corporate commitment to our zero-tolerance policy against employing anyone under the age of 18, and fully shares the DOLs objective of ensuring full compliance at all locations.

A recent investigation by The New York Times found that 12 immigrant child workers had been killed in the United States since 2017, including a 14-year-old boy who was hit by a car while delivering food on his bike in Brooklyn, and a 15-year-old boy who fell 50 feet from a roof in Alabama while laying down shingles.

The DOL said it currently has 600 child labor investigations underway and continues to receive complaints regarding illegal child labor across the country.

The department takes these egregious violations very seriously and investigates every child labor complaint they receive and acts to hold employers accountable, the DOL said.
A team of University of Virginia graduate students has been named a finalist in an international urban design competition.

The Urban Land Institute Hines Student Competition offers teams two weeks to propose a development program for a U.S. city. This year teams were asked to create a concept for a mixed-income, mixed-use community in North Charleston, South Carolina.

UVas team of Vishal Jayan, James Williams, Andre Rezaie, John Ward and Chinar Ravindra Balsaraf is one of four finalists for their proposal, The Quilt. The design features components such as public transit connectivity, pedestrian-friendly areas and increased access to the waterfront, according to an Urban Land Institute statement.

In the final stage of the competition, the team will pitch a completed design before a jury on April 6. The UVa team will compete against two teams from Harvard and one team from UC Berkeley, with a winner being announced that same day. The winning team will receive a $50,000 prize, with the remaining finalists winning $10,000.
Biden Climate Czar John Kerry Will Stay at Least Through UN Summit in November

Special climate envoy John Kerry, who is speculated to soon leave the Biden administration, has confirmed that he will remain in his post at least through this years United Nations climate summit.

Theres sufficient unfinished business that I felt it would be inappropriate to walk away from that at this point in time, Kerry told The Boston Globe in a report published on Sunday.

The U.N. summit, called COP28, will be held in Dubai from Nov. 30 to Dec. 12. President Joe Biden has been relying on Kerry to lead those climate talks since 2021, when he reversed Trump administrations decision to abandon the Paris pact and resumed sending formal delegations to annual meetings.

My main objective is to raise the ante at this COP, so we are coming out of there with a head of steam on emissions reduction and finance, the former secretary of state told the Globe. There are things that are riper, more compelling, more obvious, more necessary, more urgent.

We absolutely understand the road ahead and what we need to do, and I think we can make this COP even more important in terms of eliciting increased ambition, he said. This has a chance of kicking everybody in the rear end and pushing this process into higher gear, which is where it needs to go.

COP28 will be the 28th time that U.N. member states have met in an attempt to agree on appropriate global action in response to the changing climate.

It was widely reported last year that Kerry was actively considering leaving the Biden administration after COP27 in Egypt. The rumor prompted Kerry office to clarify that he was solely focusing on the U.N. summit and that anything else is baseless speculation.

As Bidens climate czar, Kerry has been pushing the worlds other major greenhouse gas producers, including China and Russia, to accelerate moving away from coal and reducing carbon emissions. The effort to convince China to abandon coal has been largely fruitless, as the communist-ruled country has become more reliant on coal as a power source than it was during its nationwide COVID-19 lockdown.

Kerrys mission to encourage Russia to speed up meeting its climate pledges also took a down turn last year, when Russian President Vladmir Putin launched a full-scale military offensive against Ukraine. In fact, Kerry drew much criticism after expressing hope that the world would not lose focus and that Putin would stay on track with addressing climate change amid the Russian-Ukrainian conflict.

It could have a profound negative impact on the climate, obviously. You have a war and obviously youre going to have massive emissions consequences to the war, Kerry said in a Feb. 24, 2022, interview with BBC Arabic. But equally importantly, youre going to lose peoples focus, youre going to lose certainly big country attention because they will be diverted and I think it could have a damaging impact.

Hopefully President Putin would realize that in the northern part of his country, they used to live on 66 percent of the nation that was over frozen land, he said. Now its thawing, and his infrastructure is at risk and the people of Russia are at risk. And so I hope President Putin will help us to stay on track with respect to what we need to do for the climate.
Biden Says Its Totally Legitimate to Question His Age as Reelection Campaign Announcement Imminent

President Joe Biden delivers the keynote address during the National Association of Counties at the Washington Hilton Hotel in Washington on Feb. 14, 2023. (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images)

President Joe Biden admitted that concerns about his age from supporters, critics, and, recently, 2024 presidential contenders are totally legitimate, something hes said many times in the past.

Biden made the most recent comment during an interview with ABC Newss David Muir on Feb. 24.

Muir asked Biden about a conversation that people are having at homeconcerns that if he were to be reelected, Biden would be 82 when sworn in and 86 at the end of his second term.

Is your age part of your own calculation into whether to run again? Muir asked Biden.

No, Biden replied. But its legitimate for people to raise issues about my age. Its totally legitimate to do that. And the only thing I can say is, Watch me.'

He went on to say that his intention has been from the beginning to run.

But theres just too many other things that I have to finish in the near term  before getting into a full-blown campaign, he said.

Biden has not officially announced his reelection campaign for president, but many people, including his wife First Lady Jill Biden, believe the announcement is imminent.

Last week, while on the second stop in Nairobi, Kenya, of a five-day trip to Africa, The Associated Press (AP) conducted an exclusive interview with the first lady. During it, she gave one of the clearest indications yet that President Joe Biden will run for a second term, the news service reported.

When AP asked Jill Biden, So, is all thats left at this point is just to figure out a time and place for the announcement? she simply said, Pretty much.

I mean, how many times does he have to say it for you to believe it? the first lady asked. He says hes not done. Hes not finished what hes started. And thats whats important.

A November 2022 Reuters/Ipos poll of about 1,000 people conducted shortly before President Bidens 80th birthday found that putting political affiliation aside, 68 percent thought that Biden may not be up for the challenge of being president two years from now. Of the 468 Democrats participating in the poll, 46 percent shared that opinion.

Republican presidential contender Nikki Haley spurred on the debate during her Feb. 15 presidential campaign kick-off speech when she called for mental competency tests for aging politicians, an obvious jab toward her elderly competition for the White HousePresident Biden and former President Donald Trump who would be 82 and 78, respectively, if either were to take office in January 2025.

On Feb. 16, Bidens second annual health report summary (pdf) was released, which deemed him fit for duty and able to fully execute all of his responsibilities without any exemptions or accommodations.

According to the health summary, Biden underwent an extremely detailed neurologic exam that other than finding a mild peripheral neuropathy in both feet, was reassuring in that there were no findings which would be consistent with any cerebral or other central neurological disorder, such as stroke, multiple sclerosis, Parkinsons or ascending lateral sclerosis.

However, the health report lacked any mention of the presidents mental status.

Bidens aides and allies note that making [his] announcement now would be historically early, The Hill reported.

From NTD News
Bipartisan Quartet Seeks to Establish Federal Watchdog Over US Aid to Ukraine

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)

A bipartisan quartet of U.S. senators wants Congress to create an inspector general (IG) with broad authority to conduct comprehensive oversight investigations of how U.S. military and civilian assistance to Ukraine has been administered and whether the aid has served the purpose for which it was given.

Americans are supporting Ukraines brave work to beat back Russia by providing at least $113 billion in aid and military equipment, Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) said in a Feb. 28 statement to announce the proposal. This is not an act of charity. Its bolstering our own national security.

The title of the bill is the Independent and Objective Oversight of the Ukrainian Assistance Act. While Kennedy introduced the same proposal in May 2022 in the 117th Congress, it failed to advance in the Senate. Rep. Robert J. Wittman (R-Va.) introduced a companion bill in the House but, like Kennedys version in the Senate, the proposal went nowhere in the lower chamber of Congress.

U.S. aid to Ukraine has in the months since May 2022 spiraled to as much as $113 billion, providing extensive military weapon systems and ammunition, as well as measures designed to keep the Ukrainian government functioning, such as subsidizing Ukrainian pensions. Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022 and, while the much smaller nation on Russias southwestern border has incurred great damage and thousands of casualties, the invasion has been mostly stymied.

American taxpayers deserve to know that their money is helping Ukraine defeat Putin effectively, and Congress needs to guarantee that oversight, Kennedy said. This investment is too big to relegate to the normal bureaucratic channels. It demands an inspector general with a singular focus on Americas return on investment in Ukraine.

Joining Kennedy as principal sponsors are Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.), Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), and Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.).

The United States continues to stand with the people of Ukraine, and by establishing a Special Inspector General for Ukrainian Assistance, we ensure accountability for Americans and Ukrainians as they defend their homes and freedoms from Russias illegal and unprovoked war, Sinema wrote in the statement with Kennedy.

The United States taxpayer should be confident in knowing Ukraine is using our aid for one thing: defeating Russia. Establishing a Special IG will hold Ukraine accountable to use the aid we give them in the most efficient and effective manner, Cramer wrote.

The American people need and deserve assurances that their taxpayer dollars are being used responsibly in the defense of Ukraine and our allies. A special inspector general would work to account for the billions we are expending in the fight against Russias blatantly evil aggression against Ukraine and global security, Hyde-Smith wrote.

The Ukraine aid IG proposal is patterned after the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) created by Congress and President George W. Bush in 2008. John Sopko, a veteran congressional investigator and counsel, was appointed to the post by President Barack Obama in 2012. Sopko had served on the staffs of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, the Select Committee on Homeland Security, and the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations when he became SIGAR.

As SIGAR, Sopko issued a multitude of investigative and audit reports that document billions of dollars lost to waste, fraud, and abuse in both U.S. operations and the former government and military of Afghanistan. When President Joe Biden ordered the United States to evacuate Afghanistan in 2021, more than $80 billion in military equipment, including firearms, ammunition, uniforms, night-vision goggles, winged aircraft and helicopters, and heavy munitions remained behind.

The bill now before Congress provides $20 million from the money that Congress has already provided in Ukraine aid to fund the new Ukraine watchdog. The $20 million represents less than 0.02 percent of the $113 billion in supplemental aid that has been set aside for Ukraine since January 2022.

The U.S. total of $113 billion in aid to Ukraine represents 76 percent of the $146.8 billion in U.S. relief and reconstruction aid to Afghanistan, beginning in 2002.

In SIGARs most recent report, the Afghanistan aid watchdog offered six reasons for the sudden collapse of the U.S.-backed government, including a high level of centralization, endemic corruption, and struggle to attain legitimacy, which were described as long-term contributors to its eventual collapse.

The report continued: The Bonn Conference, convened in late 2001, established a process for the construction of a new political order in Afghanistan that involved the adoption of a new constitution and democratic elections. Forged between various factions of the Afghan polity, the agreement that emerged from Bonn centralized power in the Afghan presidency.

By investing so much power in the executive, Afghanistans political system raised the stakes for political competition and reignited long-running tensions between an urban elite eager to modernize and conservative rural populations distrustful of central governance.

The Kennedy proposal was introduced the same day as the House Armed Services Committee held a hearing at which Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Colin Kahl and Department of Defense Inspector General Robert Storch testified to their belief that U.S. aid to Ukraine hasnt been wasted.
Brian Giesbrecht: The Genocide Lie

Commentary

The case of Jim McMurtry is now well known to Canadians. He is the Abbotsford schoolteacher who told his class the truth about the claim that 215 indigenous students had been killed and secretly buried at Kamloops Indian Residential Schooland was fired for it.

He said that any students who died at the school had likely succumbed to natural causes, mainly tuberculosis. Students who had heard wild stories about children tortured by priests and left in the snow to die were outraged. They complained, and McMurtry was promptly escorted from the classroom in disgrace, placed on indefinite leave, and subsequently fired.

Eminent writers such as Conrad Black and Barbara Kay have already commented in detail about the outrageous injustice of a schoolteacher being fired for telling the truth. I agree with them, and have nothing useful to add in that regard.

However, there is one event which has largely escaped comment that is highly relevant to the case. That is the parliamentary motion unanimously passed on Oct. 27, 2022, equating residential schools with genocide.

The foundation for that motion was the Kamloops claim (and subsequent copycat claims) of about 215 sinister deaths and secret burials. The crime of McMurtry was refusing to accept those claims as fact. Parliaments passage of the genocide motion implicitly gave the school board that fired McMurtry permission to do so. It sent a clear signal that the genocide claim must be accepted without question. The motion was passed with no study and no debate.

Parliaments genocide motion also gives international human rights abusers, like communist China, a perfect defence against any legitimate criticism we might make about their atrocious treatment of the Uyghurs or Tibetans. It is a blood libel against every Canadian soldier who fought to defend our freedom, every important Canadian historical figure, and all of our ancestors. It declares them all to be genocide-complicit.

But it also smears every MP and PM who came before them with the genocide label. Think of it: Sir Wilfred Laurier, Lester Pearson, Brian Mulroney, Jean Chretienall indicted as genocide-complicit.

So, with all that, perhaps we should take a look at what Jim McMurtry actually told his students. He said that students who died at the school mainly died of disease, likely tuberculosis. A quick check of the death certificates on the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation list of the 51 children who died at the school (available online) proves exactly that. They died of disease, a few as a result of accidents; some died at home, and some died at a hospital. Heres one example: 48. Theophile Dick Billy (1941/4/22)d Royal Inland Hospital, Kamloops, DIA Inquiry held.

There is no mystery there, or with any of the other 50 sad deaths. Most were buried on their home reserves. In every case their deaths were properly recorded and they would have received a proper Catholic funeral, with family present. In Theophiles case, an inquiry was held into his death.

There is no credible evidence that any residential school student died under sinister circumstances, went missing and was never found, or was buried secretly. We know where they are buried. And there is no credible evidence that anyone is buried in the apple orchard at the Kamloops Schooland especially no credible evidence that any residential school students were buried late at night with the forced help of 6-year-olds. The fact that many people lie in untended graves that became unmarked with the passage of time is nobodys fault.

The children who died came from reserves with shockingly high tuberculosis death rates. Their deaths were not caused by residential schools. As Dr. Peter Bryce, chief medical examiner said at the time, the children arrived at the schools already infected, where they infected others. If residential schools had never been built, they would still have died.

In short, there is no credible evidence that there was anything sinister about any of the 51 deaths, or any of the 51 burials.

So, Jim McMurtry told his students the truth. Indigenous children were not tortured by priests and left to die in the snow. They died of natural causes, and were given proper burials. Parliaments implied message to McMurtrys school board was to force teachers to disregard the truthand teach nonsense.

But some of our leaders arent content with the egregious genocide motion, and want to take things even further. They even want to prevent articles like the one you are reading now from being published. MP Leah Gazan, with the approval of Indigenous Affairs Minister Marc Miller, wants legislation that criminalizes any questioning of the secret burial stories, calling it denialism.

Parliament must reconsider. They have made a serious error. At the very least, evidence must be presented, and the claims about murder and secret burials at residential schools must be thoroughly examined.

It was a bungled attempt at education, not genocide.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Canada Pension Board Invests in TikToks Chinese Parent Firm; App Just Banned on Govt Devices Over Security Risks

A woman walks past a building belonging to ByteDance, the parent company of video-sharing app TikTok, in Beijing on Sept. 16, 2020. (Greg Baker/AFP via Getty Images)

The Canada Pension Plan Investment Board holds investments in ByteDance, the Chinese company whose TikTok video-sharing app was just banned on government-issued devices by Ottawa due to security concerns.

The pension board currently lists ByteDance under its holdings in the Private Equity Asia category on its website.

Canadas ban of TikTok on federal government-issued devices announced on Feb. 27 comes on the heels of the European Commission and the European Union Council making a similar announcement for staff devices last week.

A screenshot from the website of CPP Investments showing Beijing Bytedance Technology as one of the companies the pension board is currently investing in. (CPP Investments/Screenshot via The Epoch Times)

The U.S. federal government and many U.S. states have also banned the app on government-issued devices. Democrat and Republican lawmakers in the United States are currently pursuing legislation to ban TikTok from operating in the country.

Allowing the app to continue to operate in the U.S. would be like allowing the U.S.S.R. to buy up The New York Times, Washington Post, and major broadcast networks during the Cold War, U.S. Rep. Mike Gallagher said in a statement as he introduced the bipartisan legislation on Feb. 17.

No country with even a passing interest in its own security would allow this to happen, which is why its time to ban TikTok and any other CCP [Chinese Communist Party]-controlled app before its too late.

FBI Director Christopher Wray last year told the U.S. House Homeland Security Committee that TikTok presents a significant national security concern.

I would say that we do have national security concerns, at least from the FBIs [perspective], about TikTok, Wray said.

They include the possibility that the Chinese government could use it to control data collection on millions of users or control the recommendation algorithm, which could be used for influence operations if they so chose, or to control software on millions of devices, which gives it opportunity to potentially technically compromise personal devices.

The Epoch Times contacted the pension board for comment but didnt hear back.

Other China Investments

Canadas pension board is also heavily invested in Tencent, another Chinese internet giant. According to a 2019 report by iPolitics, MPs were told by the House of Commons cybersecurity team to stay away from Tencents flagship social media app, WeChat, due to security concerns.

The board owned around $1.2 billion in shares in Tencent as of March 2022.

A 2020 study by the University of Torontos Citizen Lab said that communications on WeChat are subject to pervasive content surveillance.

Documents and images transmitted entirely among non-China-registered accounts undergo content surveillance wherein these files are analyzed for content that is politically sensitive in China, the study said.

The board has also been criticized in the past by human rights groups and parliamentarians for owning shares in companies in China that make video surveillance equipment used by the CCP to persecute Uyghurs.

Canadas TikTok Ban

The federal government said on Feb. 27 it is banning the TikTok app on government-issued devices over concerns that its data collection methods leave users vulnerable to cyberattacks.

The decision to remove and block TikTok from government mobile devices is being taken as a precaution, particularly given concerns about the legal regime that governs the information collected from mobile devices, and is in line with the approach of our international partners, the Treasury Board said in a statement.

On a mobile device, TikToks data collection methods provide considerable access to the contents of the phone.

TikTok says the Canadian government didnt cite specific security concerns and didnt contact the company with questions prior to announcing the incoming ban.

We are always available to meet with our government officials to discuss how we protect the privacy and security of Canadians, but singling out TikTok in this way does nothing to achieve that shared goal, a TikTok spokesperson told The Epoch Times via email. All it does is prevent officials from reaching the public on a platform loved by millions of Canadians.

TikTok is also currently under investigation by Canadas federal privacy commissioner as well as the privacy authorities of the provinces of Alberta, British Columbia, and Quebec.

Andrew Thornebrooke and Peter Wilson contributed to this report.
Peaceful Parenting: What It Is and How to Implement It
Beijings Peace Plan Reveals True Intentions

Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) gestures while speaking to Chinese leader Xi Jinping during the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, on Sept. 16, 2022. (Sergei Bobylev, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)

Commentary

The history of armed conflict reveals at least one truism: wars are more easily started than concluded.

Consider the bloodiest conflict of the 20th century, the Great War.

The conflict was at a stalemate for years until the Australian Gen. John Monash engineered a breakthrough at Villers-Bretenneux and Le Hamel. For years, the frontlines had barely moved a few hundred meters.

This truism is worth bearing in mind when considering the conflict in Ukraine.

If put simply, the purpose of war is to defeat an adversary or command sufficient advantage to sue for peace, the prospects for peace in Ukraine are limited.

Having commenced an invasion that he thought would be successful within days, President Vladimir Putin is bogged in a war that he seems unlikely to win, provided other nations continue to assist his adversary. Putin could end the war he initiated by withdrawing from Ukraine, but having invested so much in the conflict; this action seems unlikely.

Passengers and military personnel wait on the platform of the Lviv train station in Western Ukraine on Feb. 18, 2023. (The Canadian Press/Laura Osman)

Facing an existential threat, Ukraine cannot readily agree to a peace settlement unless Russia completely withdraws from occupied territory. Just as occurred in the past, allowing the Russians to remain in Crimea would embolden them to prosecute the war again in the future.

These observations are pertinent when considering the Chinese Communist Partys (CCP) 12-point peace plan position paper.

The document is replete with the usual CCP foreign policy statements about abandon cold war mentality and stopping unilateral sanctions.

But the shallowness of the document is revealed in the first point about respecting the sovereignty of all countries.

It states: 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.

The logical consequence of this assertion is a Russian withdrawal from Ukraine. Ukraine is a sovereign nation that has been an independent member of the United Nations, as is Russia, since the dissolution of the Soviet Union. It has internationally accepted borders.

If the CCP were genuine about its desire for peace, it would advise Russia to withdraw.

Words and Actions Dont Match

When asked at a press conference why China didnt call on Russia to withdraw its troops in the position document and why it did not identify an aggressor in the conflict, Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin didnt directly answer the questions.

Chinas Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin speaks during the daily briefing in Beijing on June 11, 2021. (AP Photo/Liu Zheng)

Instead, the CCP continues pursuing unlimited partnership with the Putin regime. It has benefitted economically from the conflict with growing bilateral trade between the two nations.

Yet the plan also asserts that the security of a region should not be achieved by strengthening or expanding military blocs.

This underlies Chinas fear. Apart from Iran and China, no nation of any consequence supports Russia, yet many countries are assisting Ukraine.

China wants to narrow the conflict to one between Russia and Ukraine, thus weighing the odds in favour of Putin. China and Russia share a common enemy, namely the United States.

China is also playing a long game. If Russia becomes heavily indebted to the CCP, the prospect of China claiming its territory on the Pacific Ocean becomes a future possibility.

The true intent of the Chinese regimes statement is revealed in point 10, which insists that only sanctions authorized by the United Nations are appropriate. Yet Russia exercises a veto at the U.N., meaning such sanctions will never be approved!

It is impossible to conclude that Chinas document is a serious peace plan.

The document is also written with Taiwan in mind. The Chinese regime would use a similarly worded document if it invaded the self-governing country.

It demonstrates that the CCP is concerned about sanctions being used against antagonists and the growing international response to its naked aggression in the Indo-Pacific.

Chinese and Russian officials continue to meet, and Vladimir Putin has announced that Chinese leader Xi Jinping will visit Moscow.

Reports in the last week also suggest that China is considering the sale of military equipment to Russia, not the action of a nation genuinely interested in peace.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Chinese Spying: A Huge Effort and a Huge Success

Sailors prepare material recovered in the Atlantic Ocean from a China-claimed high-altitude balloon for transport to federal agents at Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek on Feb. 10, 2023. (Ryan Seelbach/U.S. Navy via Getty Images)

Commentary

Chinese spy balloons are one small part of an enormous, whole of society, decades-long espionage campaign that communist China has been conducting against the United States. And unfortunately, it has been successful.

As with most intelligence operations, its a mix of technical and human platforms that aim to obtain (by any means) other countries secrets. However, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) operates on a completely different scale.

It isnt just the Ministry of State Security (MSS) deploying officers to recruit spies.

Chinas 2017 National Intelligence Law explicitly requires all Chinese companies and citizens to assist the regime. An organization or citizen shall support, assist in, and cooperate in national intelligence work in accordance with the law and keep confidential the national intelligence work that it or he knows. The state shall protect the individual organization that has supported, assisted in, or cooperated in national intelligence work.

Even before 2017, an invitation for tea by the security services would have been plenty to know what was expected of one. It still is. Every Chinese company or citizen anywhere is a potential platform. Even people of Chinese extraction can be pressured to assist, especially if they have family, business interests, or anything else that ties them back to China.

This is very different from the United States, where, for example, Apple refused even to help U.S. authorities unlock a terrorists phone.

Conversely, the CCP uses satellites, electronic eavesdropping, and cyber operations, as well as its companies and hardware, to get into U.S. telecommunications and electrical networks. To name just a few: Huawei, ZTE, Lenovo, Hikvision, and China Telecom. And U.S. companies helped them get set up and embedded into American systems. Why? The CCP makes sure its companies products are cheap, and U.S. companies just cant resist.

And this isnt just sucking up information. Some of it can be used offensively. Dont be surprised when the power goes off and public utilities in the United States dont function.

A person stands by a Huawei sign during the World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai on Sep. 1, 2022. (Aly Song/Reuters)

The Chinese regimes spies also capitalize on all the freedoms the United States has to offer, including freedom of movement, freedom to call yourself a journalist (even if you are an MSS operative), and freedom to buy strategically located real estate to serve as collection platforms.

FBI Director Christopher Wray said the FBI opens a counterintelligence case involving China every 12 hours. But for every case they open, they are probably missing 100.

The CCP goes after military and state secrets, as well as commercial secrets and intellectual propertyanything thats potentially useful.

Its been doing this for years. The idea is to leap over stages and advance Chinas economic development. And, in that, the Chinese regime doesnt have a monopoly on spying.

Individual citizens in the regime will steal technology and know-how with the aim of setting up their own companies. And an American company that sets up in China is making things easy for Chinese spiesboth from the government and freelancers. Even Elon Musk is going to learn the hard way.

It might not necessarily be state directed, but it might be useful to the regime later and adds to Chinese economic advantage and national power.

How resilient is the United States against Chinese spying?

There probably never has been a great power that did less to protect itself from an avowed enemys espionage efforts. And even the United States might someday find itself at a fatal disadvantage.

A screenshot of the FBI wanted poster for Chinese military members involved in the Equifax hacking. (FBI/Screenshot via The Epoch Times)

How bad is it?

There have always been Americans in government and outside who recognized the Chinese espionage threat. Nicholas Eftimiades, formerly with the Defense Intelligence Agency and the CIA, wrote the book on Chinese spying in the early 1990s and has spread the gospel ever since. But there are too few people like Eftimiades, and he and the others havent been listened to as they should.

Indeed, as the Americans examine the Chinese balloon, much of the technology in the collection part of the system will no doubt look familiarsince China got it from us.

The FBI regularly indicts and sometimes punishes CCP spies (if it actually has them in custody) and their associatesincluding Americans. But this is a pinprick. Also, the penalties arent much. The Chinese national who helped MSS steal the C-17 transport plane plans was convicted and imprisoned for only four years.

And, by and large, the United States has overlooked (usually intentionally) Chinese spying.

One data point of many: The private security firm Strider reported in 2022 that, from 1987 to 2021, at least 162 Chinese scientists who had worked at Los Alamosthe U.S. research lab where the atomic bomb was developedreturned to China to contribute to its research and development programs. Besides nuclear weapons designs, these alumni have helped China advance key military and dual-use technologies.

A sign welcomes visitors to the Los Alamos Laboratory after they cross over the Omega Bridge in Los Alamos, N.M., on June 14, 1999. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Yes, Chinese nationals work at the most sensitive U.S. facilities. What could go wrong?

How does the United States defend itself?

It doesnt, really. The FBI makes a modest effort, private-sector companies go through the motions of protecting their technology, academia is firmly opposed to cracking down on Chinese spying at U.S. universities and research centers, and Wall Street resists anything that angers the CCP. As late as 2009, the commander of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command offered to help China develop aircraft carriers. And many senior officers still want to engage with the Peoples Liberation Army.

U.S. administrations have mostly ignored the problem. When Chinese hackers stole 23 million Office of Personal Management files in 2015, the Obama administration refused to say the word China. Reward or ignore bad behavior, and youll get more of it.

There have been some efforts at self-defense, but they often arent sustained. The Trump administration closed Chinas Houston consulatea hotbed of spyingand forced the DOJ to launch the China Initiative against Chinese spies at U.S. universities. This put the fear of God in Beijing. Then, shortly after taking office, the Biden administration shut down the China InitiativeU.S. academics claimed it was racist.

The U.S. government did revoke China Telecoms license in 2021although it was two decades late.

Doesnt the United States also spy?

The United States does spy, but its the traditional methods, such as electronic and satellite surveillance and a relatively tiny number of intelligence officers trying to recruit Chinese spieswho might produce and hopefully not be compromised by an American Quisling or dodgy covert communications devices. The United States doesnt do commercial espionage.

Ultimately, if a U.S. congressman with alleged ties to a Chinese spy can serve on the House Intelligence Oversight Committee, the Americans arent serious.

Im reminded of a comment by a young Marine officer in Afghanistan some time back: Sir, I think we want to lose.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Climate Activists Set to Take Control of the World Bank

The takeover may come with geostrategic risk

Commentary

A change at the World Bank signals change in both U.S. development policy to climate concerns and, possibly, creates a geostrategic risk for the United States.

David Malpass, the head of the World Bank, has announced he would leave the office in June, a year before his term was to expire. Malpass, who had been appointed by then-president Donald Trump in 2019, is a Republican who ran for the Senate from New York in 2010 and whose wife formerly chaired the New York County Republican Committee. He had held various economic and policymaking roles in Washington going back to the Reagan administration, and had been chief economist for Bear Stearns, the former investment bank.

Malpass, who had criticized the lending practices and growth of the World Bank even before his nomination to head it, came under attack from its supporters when Trump named him. He had been under pressure since September, when climate activist and former vice president Al Gore asserted, without evidence, that Malpass was a climate denier at a New York Times forum, despite an April 2021 New York Times story headlined, Out of Trumps Shadow, Malpass Embraces Climate Fight.

When Malpass was asked about the Gores allegation later in the day at the same forum, he said that he had never met Al Gore and that Gore was ignorant of the World Banks work.

Malpass went on to list a number of climate initiatives, including his Climate Action Plan for 20212025. But when the program moderator asked whether Malpass accepted the scientific consensus that the burning of fossil fuels is dangerously warming the planet, Malpass offered a fulsome, nuanced, and detailed answer, outlining substantive programs and investments the World Bank had made on his watch. But the moderator again repeated the question in a fashion that seemed accusatoryif not argumentativeand Malpass, showing some irritation with the question, answered, I dont know what  Im not a scientist. It was this last comment that the media chose to report, setting off a public relations feeding frenzy that ended in Malpasss resignation from the bank early in February.

The White House has nominated Ajay Banga, the former head of MasterCard, the global credit card company, to succeed Malpass. Banga is an India-born American financial executive who is well-respected in the U.S. financial community as well as in his native India, where he was awarded that nations third-highest civilian honor, the Padma Shri, akin the U.S. presidential Medal of Freedom, in 2016. The son of an Indian Army officer who moved frequently for different assignments, he has said that he is adoptable and is said to be personable by colleagues. He has been an advocate for greater empowerment and women in the workplace, as well as climate activism. He pledged to have MasterCard plant 100 million trees and boasted of its green-certified offices and zero-waste footprint.

The World Bank

The World Bank was founded as part of the Bretton-Woods Agreement that reset global finance rules in 1944. Its initial mission was to rebuild the infrastructure of European and Asian economies that had been devastated by World War II. Today, it provides low-interest loans, zero to low-interest credits, and grants to developing countries, as well as technical advice, to eradicate poverty and boost the income of the lowest 40 percent of the population of countries around the world.

The World Bank group is comprised of five separate entities: the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), the International Development Association (IDA), the International Finance Corporation, the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency, and the International Center for Settlement of Investment Disputes. Each of them operate as cooperatives. The IBRD lends to governments of middle-income and creditworthy low-income countries. The IDA makes no-interest loans and grants to the poorest countries. Together, the IBRD and the IDA make up what most people consider when they refer to the World Bank.

The United States, Japan, China, Germany, France, and the United Kingdom are the largest shareholders, although there are 189 member counties. The United States is the largest single shareholder. Traditionally, an American has run the World Bank while a European ran the International Monetary Fund (IMF), another multilateral institution whose principal mission is to monitor national economies, to stabilize international trade, and to provide lending to recover fromand avoidnational financial crises.

A New Green Mission?

Ajay Bangas appointment to head the World Bank, which seems all but final, signals yet another iteration of the World Banks agenda and priorities. While traditionally it has been a development bank, early in this century, the World Bank shifted from development to social reform, health, and labor and pension protections. That changed again in the 2008 in the wake of the global financial crisis and changed yet again in 2019 with the appointment of Malpass, who said he hoped to plateau funding for the World Bank to better evaluate whether its programs were working.

Now it seems the Biden administration and other climate activists are launching yet another iteration of World Bank priorities of the kind of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) investments that have become fashionable in Western capital markets over the last several years.

As several writers have noted, financial innovation that didnt exist in 1944, like securitization, has largely made obsolete the need for the kind of long-term, big balance sheet loans the World Bank makes to developing countries. While there will always be a need for the kind of no-interest loans and grants the IDA makes to the poorest countries, the need for loans of the type IBRD, to middle-income or credit-worthy countries, has now largely passed.

But it is the nature of bureaucracies to continue on, as if by inertia, even when their missions are completed or made obsolete. That is particularly true in the international arena in organizations like the World Bank, where accountability is diffused among a board of directors of 25 members representing 189 member countries who all have different priorities.

The Biden administration, seeing an opening, and with a green activist agenda, will likely now use the World Bank to extend that agenda internationally. There is a geostrategic risk in moving priorities away from development to climate activism because there are a number of national development banks, and also an international development bank run by U.S. adversary China, the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), launched in 2015 as a direct competitor to the U.S.-dominated World Bank.

The AIIB would be happy to step up in the absence of World Bank financing. Doing so would allow China to further expand its geopolitical influence in critical strategic areas. For example, Chinas has just invested in Indonesia, a strategic island outpost between U.S. allies the Philippines and Australia, and Pakistan, a key U.S. ally in Central Asia.

Summary

The U.S. Congress should take a more direct and assertive role in the Biden administrations work with the World Bank and assess the banks utility relative to other U.S. development finance agencies, such as the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). Where Congress determines there is a U.S. geostrategic interest, development funding should come from USAID, with the clear imprimatur of the United States, not the World Bank. And the World Banks investments should be scaled back from being the principal lender in years-long loans to an advisor on third-party private funding. Aid to the most impoverished countriesthe aid from the IDAshould continue, but to the extent the United States can discern whether the recipient nation is of current or future geostrategic interest to American security aid should come from the USAID, not the World Bank. The highest priority of all U.S. development aid, however sourced, should be to box out China from earning global influence with lending.
Commons Committee Summons Google Execs on News Links Blocking

A House of Commons committee decided on Feb. 28 to summon Google executives to testify over the companys decision to test the blocking of news links in response to the Liberal governments Bill C-18.

I think its important for Parliament to take a look and see what Google is doing, I dont particularly like their track record on this, said Liberal MP Chris Bittle at the committee meeting.

Its a company that has not necessarily been responsible, but at the same time does not want any regulation.

Bittles motion to summon Google executives to testify on March 6 was adopted unanimously and seeks to hear from Google CEO Sundar Pichai.

MPs debated the use of summoning instead of inviting to request the presence of the executives, given the potential implications if they do not show up.

The committee clerk explained that a summons issued by a committee only applies to individuals located inside Canada. A failure to appear can be referred to the House of Commons, which would then decide if the summoned individual is in contempt.

At least one of the executives summoned is presumably in Canada and thats Sabrina Geremia, the vice president and country manager for Google in Canada.

Bittles motion also requires Google parent company Alphabet to submit all records pertaining to its action plans regarding Bill C-18, as well as the list of news organizations that were recently blocked.

Google is opposed to the Trudeau governments Bill C-18, the Online Streaming Act, which seeks to compel online tech giants to strike ad revenue sharing deals with Canadian media outlets.

The company says the bill is overly broad and it could impact the use of its products in Canada.

Google started testing some countermeasures recently by blocking access to news content through its platform, saying that less than 4 percent of Canadian users were impacted.

Googles attempt to try to censor and to try to block certain sites is something certainly that is backfiring, said NDP MP Peter Julian.

Ive heard more negative comments about Google in the last few days than Ive heard in many years.

A Google spokesperson didnt say if its executives will attend the committee meeting, and if so which ones.

Well be responding directly to the committee, said the spokesperson.

Another tech giant Meta, owner of Facebook, has also implied it would take retaliatory measures if Bill-18 passes. The bill has cleared the House and is now in the Senate.

It had blocked access to news viewing and sharing on its platform in Australia in 2021 as the countrys government was working on a similar bill.

The embargo was lifted after the social media company and the government stuck a deal on the piece of legislation.

The Liberals seek to pass Bill C-18 to support a fledging news sector as advertisers have shifted to social media.

Critics of the bill say it has been lobbied for by major media and it will not make the press more free, as claimed by the government, and instead make it dependent on big tech.
Lawmakers have proposed spending more than $200 million to pay for Gov. Tina Koteks plans to help unhoused people and avert further homelessness.

In addition to the $130 million Kotek specified in a Jan. 26 request, their plan adds $27 million for communities outside Oregons five urban areas that Kotek designated in an executive order Jan. 10, and more spending to increase some types of housing and aid homeless youths.

The spending will be in the form of House Bill 5019, which the Legislatures joint budget committee will consider as the housing committees in both chambers continue to work on related legislation (House Bill 2001) to set housing policies. The Oregon constitution bars policy legislation from being attached to budgets.

Democratic legislative leaders say they want to have both bills ready for votes by both chambers by mid-March.

Rep. David Gomberg, a Democrat from the central coast, said the added $27 million responds to the concerns of rural and coastal communities. The League of Oregon Cities and the Oregon Mayors Association proposed per-capita state assistance at $40 per resident, with a minimum of $50,000 per city, but Kotek said that formula still would favor larger cities.

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Gomberg is the House co-chair of the budget subcommittee that will take up the money measure.

As a legislator representing parts of rural and coastal Oregon, it was important to me that our response to homelessness reach the entire state, he said in a statement. Im proud to say we were able to secure funding that ensures our rural and coastal regions will be taken care of.

More housing spending

Beyond the $27 million, the plan adds these other items to Koteks proposed spending, which is listed separately:

$25 million for aid to homeless youths, such as shelters, rental assistance, outreach, and connections with mental health and addiction treatment services and programs for specific cultural needs.

$20 million for production of modular homes, priority going to areas where wildfires or other disasters prompt the need for replacement housing. Marine Terminal 2 at the Port of Portland is being converted into a modular-housing production plant using mass timber, which will reduce the cost of and construction time for housing.

$5 million for improvements in on-site housing for farmworkers. The housing must be in camps registered with the Department of Consumer and Business Services.

$3 million for a revolving loan fund to help communities and developers jump-start construction for worker housing. The fund is aimed at helping developers get advance help for such pre-construction expenses as permit fees and systems development charges.

The plan also will contain provisions in House Bill 2001 to enable the state land use planning agency to help cities and counties  Metro in the three Portland area counties  set housing production goals and identify ways to make development easier. (The Land Conservation and Development Commission, the agencys policy-making arm, also would be empowered to issue enforcement orders if local governments do not comply.)

The plan also proposes compromise language that would lengthen the notice for evictions from 72 hours (three days) to 10 days, and allow more time for tenants to obtain rental assistance or other help to avert evictions based on nonpayment of rent. The debate between tenant advocates and housing providers occurred Jan. 30 in a Senate committee considering Senate Bill 799.

Leaders react

The leaders of the Legislatures housing committees said in statements that the plan responds to immediate needs as lawmakers continue other work toward advancing Koteks stated goal of increasing annual state housing production to 36,000, up from an annual average of 20,000 during the past five years. Kotek said her goal covers a decade-old housing backlog  half of which is needed by people making less than the area median income  and future population growth in the next two decades.

Each of my colleagues, no matter their party affiliation or elected office, understands our communities need to see change and that we must work together to make it happen, said Rep. Maxine Dexter, a Democrat from Northwest-Portland, who leads the Housing and Homelessness Committee. We have answered this moment of intense need with a swift and collaborative response.

Sen. Kayse Jama, a Democrat from Southeast Portland, said the plan deals with the most pressing needs.

Oregonians need relief now, and they need stability in the long term, he said. This bill accomplishes both.

Governors request

The specifics of Koteks Jan. 26 request, $40 million of which would come from the current two-year budget and $90 million from the next two-year budget that starts July 1, are below:

Eviction prevention: $33.6 million to help 8,750 households stay put through rental assistance and other services.

Shelter beds and housing navigators: $23.8 million to add 600 low-barrier shelter beds and staff for navigation centers to connect people with housing and other services. While she was Oregon House speaker in 2021, Kotek helped steer state money for navigation centers outside the Portland metro area, among them Salem, Eugene, Bend, Medford, Roseburg and McMinnville.

Re-housing services: $54.4 million to help at least 1,200 households obtain new housing through prepaid rental assistance, block leasing of at least 600 vacant homes, guarantees and incentives for landlords, and other actions.

Tribal assistance: $5 million for state help for the nine federal recognized tribes in Oregon.

Culturally responsive organizations: $5 million to help such groups ensure equitable outcomes under Koteks declared state of emergency, so that no community is disproportionately affected.

Sanitation: $2 million for local sanitation efforts.

Coordination: $1.8 million for the Department of Emergency Management and the Department of Housing and Community Services to coordinate their efforts under one of Koteks executive orders, which call for state emergency management officials to oversee efforts in four of five designated regions (Marion and Polk counties; Eugene/Springfield; Medford/Ashland, and Central Oregon). In the Portland metro area, Kotek or her designee will oversee the effort.

Kotek activated the regional coordination on Friday, Feb. 23, when she convened the first meeting of the group consisting of the three Portland metro counties. Because of weather, the meeting was conducted via video link.
Conservative Supreme Court Justices Question Legal Authority of Biden Administration to Forgive Student Loans

Chief Justice John Roberts (R) with Justice Clarence Thomas (L) while sitting for the High Court's official portrait in Washington on Oct. 7, 2022. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

During oral arguments on Feb. 28, conservative members of the Supreme Court seemed skeptical of Biden administration statements that the governments plan to partially forgive student loans is authorized by federal law.

U.S. Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar told the High Court that the federal Higher Education Relief Opportunities for Students Act gives the federal secretary of education blanket authority to grant loan forgiveness en masse, a contention several justices found fault with.

Biden introduced the plan in August 2022 in a move critics decried as a constitutionally dubious attempt to help Democrats in November 2022 congressional elections. The Congressional Budget Office said the plan could cost about $400 billion, but the Wharton School estimates the price tag could blow past $1 trillion.

The program is premised on the existence of the emergencies the Trump administration declared in March 2020 to combat the COVID-19 virus.

The national emergency and the public health emergency enabled federal agencies to exercise expansive powers in managing the governments pandemic response.

Complicating matters, Bidens Office of Management and Budget said on Jan. 30 that it would extend the soon-to-expire emergencies to May 11 and then end both emergencies on that date.

The Biden administration put a pause on student loan payments and interest during the recent pandemic at an estimated cost of $100 billion but then claimed last year that the pandemic gave it emergency authority under the law to proceed with partial loan forgiveness.

Congressional Republicans say the emergencies arent justified and should be ended sooner.

About 26 million people reportedly applied under the program before courts blocked it last year. Of that total, 16 million are said to have been approved before the government stopped accepting applications.

The U.S. Department of Education claims that it has the authority to move forward with the debt relief proposal, which would cancel as much as $20,000 in loan principal for 40 million borrowers.

But lawmakers involved in the passage of the HEROES Act say it was enacted after the 9/11 terror attacks to provide student loan relief to military service members and their families, not to cancel debts en masse.

The Supreme Court heard two related cases dealing with the program, Biden v. Nebraska (court file 22-506) and Department of Education v. Brown (court file 22-535), back to back on Feb. 28.

The Biden v. Nebraska appeal springs from a lawsuit Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, and South Carolina brought against the federal government.

The other appeal arises from a lawsuit filed by two borrowers who say the department improperly denied them the opportunity to participate in the public commenting process and that they would have urged the agency to provide greater debt relief.

During oral arguments, Prelogar told the justices that canceling the student loan relief program would hurt vast numbers of Americans.

COVID-19 is the most devastating pandemic in our nations history and  over the past three years, millions of Americans have struggled to pay rent, utilities, food, and many have been unable to pay their debts, she said.

If forbearance ends without further relief, its undisputed that defaults and delinquencies will surge above pre-pandemic levels.

Prelogar argued the HEROES Act gives the federal secretary of education, Miguel Cardona, wide discretion to excuse student loan debts.

The other side countered that the statute does not specifically authorize loan forgiveness, but instead may authorize some loan modifications.

Nebraska Solicitor General James Campbell said Cardona is trying to write off nearly half a trillion dollars in student loans, while attempting to bypass Congress.

No statute authorizes this action, which he called sweeping and unprecedented.

Never before has the HEROES Act been used to forgive a single loan, he said.

Cardona asserts a breathtaking power, to do anything that he thinks might reduce the risk of borrowers defaulting, even years after a national emergency arises. He needs clear congressional authorization for such power but the HEROES Act does not provide it even in a national emergency, Campbell said.

Prelogar argued the states challenging the loan forgiveness plan lack legal standing to contest the program.

Responding to Justice Clarence Thomas, Prelogar said Congress in creating the HEROES Act was attempting to broadly cover the field to provide the secretary the tools to respond to the national emergency with whatever relief might be necessitated.

Justice Samuel Alito noted that Missouri is claiming that the program will hurt the revenues of the Missouri Higher Education Loan Authority (MOHELA), which the state created to service student loans. This would give the state standing, Alito implied.

Why shouldnt the test be something more like whether the relationship between this entity and the state of Missouri is such that an injury to MOHELA will necessarily or presumptively be an injury to the state? the justice said.

Campbell said Missouri has the right to address harms done to the loan authority and that Cardonas relief program would cut MOHELAs operating revenue by 40 percent, which would undermine the organizations ability to further its critical public purposes.

Justice Elena Kagan told Campbell the secretary has discretion. The act allows any statutory or regulatory provision applicable to the student financial assistance programs to be waived or modified.

Congress could not have made this much more clear, Kagan said.

Chief Justice John Roberts said the federal government characterizes the debt relief program as an attempt to modify the federal student loans program to excuse student debt.

Roberts noted that in an opinion the late Justice Antonin Scalia said the word modify  connotes moderate change.

Scalia said, It might be good English to say that the French Revolution modified the status of the French nobility, but only because theres a figure of speech called understatement and a literary device known as sarcasm, the chief justice said.

Were talking about half a trillion dollars and 43 million Americans. How does that fit under the normal understanding of modifying? he said.

Prelogar said in the act the word modify has to mean making a change up to the point of wholesale elimination.

It would be really strange for Congress to say you can eliminate obligations altogether or tweak them just the littlest bit, but you cant do anything in between, the governments top attorney said.

The Supreme Court is expected to render its judgment by or before June.
DeSantis, Pence to Be Absent From CPAC, Trump to Give Keynote Speech

Former President Donald Trump speaks at the Conservative Political Action Conference 2022 (CPAC) in Orlando, Fla., on Feb. 26, 2022. (Chandan Khanna/AFP via Getty Images)

Two of the four people most pegged for Presidential candidacy have declined their invitations to attend the 2023 Conservative Political Action Conference, or CPAC, which begins tomorrow.

It is the first time since COVID struck that Americas largest gathering of conservatives will meet in Washington.

A CPAC spokesperson informed ABC that Governor DeSantis, who has yet to announce his candidacy, has other plans. For one, today was the governors release of his new book called The Courage to be Free, a book marketed as Floridas Blueprint for Americas Revival.

On Saturday (March 4), the Florida governor is scheduled to headline two Republican fundraisers in Texas. The next day, he will address a reception for the GOP of Orange County, California.

DeSantis, one of the most anticipated Presidential candidates, has yet to announce his Presidential runand he is keeping tight lipped about it. Should he decide to run, the latest polls have him tied with current president Biden.

Former Trump VP Mike Pence, who hasnt attended the event in two years, again turned down the invitation. A spokesperson for Pence declined to provide content or comment.

Its a missed opportunity for any potential presidential candidate to not address the thousands of grassroots activists at CPAC this year. Luckily, CPAC attendees will get to hear from every announced presidential candidate and over 100 premiere speakers, including over 30 elected officials, Megan Powers, a spokesperson for CPAC, told ABC News.

Both Donald Trump and Nikki Haley have announced their plans to run for the GOP nomination. Both are scheduled to speak at the conference, with Trump giving the keynote address on Saturday.

The recently re-elected RNC chairwoman Ronna McDaniel called for party unity. As she told CNNs Dana Bash, she is expecting the 2024 presidential candidates to sign a pledge to back the partys final nominee for the primary debates.

We havent put the criteria out, but I expect a pledge will be part of it. It was part of 2016, I think its kind of a no-brainer, McDaniel said. If youre going to be on the Republican National Committee debate stage asking voters to support you, you should say Im going to support the voters and who they choose as the nominee.

Casting a shadow over the event will no doubt be the sexual assault scandal CPAC chairman Matt Schlapp is currently embroiled in. A staffer for Herschel Walkers senate campaign accused Schlapp of making sustained and unwanted and unsolicited sexual contact with him while chauffeuring the chairman home from a bar in Atlanta, as reported by The Daily Beast.

Later that night, the staffer made a series of tearful videos describing the event. Schlapps attorney stated the attack is false and Mr. Schlapp denies any improper behavior. We are evaluating legal options for response. The staffer has filed a lawsuit against Schlapp and his wife, seeking $9.4 million for sexual battery and defamation.

From NTD News
Criminals Grooming Children With Fast Food Amid Cost of Living Crisis

MPs told gangs are 'reeling' in children with food, vapes, and online 'gifts'

Merseyside Police perform an early morning raid on a home in Liverpool as part of Operation Toxic to infiltrate county lines drug dealing, on Dec. 6, 2021. (Christopher Furlong/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

The cost-of-living crisis has seen criminal gangs in the UK groom young children into their ranks by buying them food, child safety experts have said.

In one case, a schoolchild who couldnt afford lunch was bought fast food, while another was targeted with sweets and magazines, Parliaments Education Committee was told on Tuesday.

MPs heard shocking oral evidence from a range of child protection and trafficking experts on the growing number of young people being groomed into county lines gangs.

They said the COVID-19 pandemic had led to a surge in online grooming for trafficking and exploitation purposes, and how some criminals used social media to post ads to recruit vulnerable children.

The cross-party committee is examining what government, schools, police, and other agencies can do to protect those at risk.

Speaking on Tuesday, Johnny Bolderson, a senior manager in county lines support and rescue at Catch22, said at least 27,000 young people had been identified as involved in county lines.

Almost 4,000 of those children are in London, Bolderson said.

However, the true figures are believed to be far higher.

Rebecca Griffiths, head of the national counter-trafficking service at Barnardos, said the childrens charity had 300 children in England and Wales referred to them under criminal exploitation fears in the last three months.

The problem for us in terms of scale is so much more in depth, she told MPs.

Vulnerability is changing all the time in regards to children who have been criminally exploited and were seeing much younger children being exploited to what we would kind of experience or know about through media or for our own awareness raising that were doing as charities.

And also were seeing a lot of children, the MO [modis operandi] of traffickers and exploiters changing in regards to targeting more affluent children or from more affluent families, and looking at those kind of aspects.

So I just want to draw that attention when were looking at vulnerability, that every child can be exploited criminally and this is what were seeing as traffickers are moving on their business.

Groomed With a Sandwich

County lines is where illegal drugs are transported from one area to another, often across police and local authority boundaries, usually by children or vulnerable people who are coerced into it by gangs.

The Home Offices 2020 Drugs Review by Dame Carol Black found strong associations between young people being drawn into county lines and increases in child poverty, the number of children in care, and school exclusions.

Speaking about the impact the cost of living crisis has had on the vulnerability of children being targeted by gangs, Griffiths said: We are seeing an emerging kind of trend where children are being targeted who are from families who are professional, so they might be able to shift work: police, nurses  traffickers will do anything to make sure that their business is going well.

And in that in that way, they will look and see where the vulnerability is.

So, were getting children where families are not around, because theyre working and theyre trying to make ends meet.

And  that vulnerability around not having money, children kind of wanting to provide for the family, and that route in for traffickers is becoming more of an issue.

A teenage child looks at the screen of a mobile phone in London on Jan. 17, 2023. (Leon Neal/Getty Images)

The experts told MPs that more and more children are being held in debt by gangs, which coerce and force them into further work.

Its not just money, Griffiths said. This week weve had referral of an 8-year-old, and that 8-year-old has been enticed with magazines and sweets.

And what happens in terms of debt bondage of any form, whether it be money or gifts, the child thinks, oh, theyre giving me me stuff, and then at another point, it comes in where that debt has to be paid off.

Talking about a recent incident where a child was bought fast food as a form of grooming, the Barnardos anti-trafficking chief said: We had another child that we referred in this week, who was given a Subway [sandwich] as a lunch.

They couldnt afford their lunch and they were given the Subway and then they were told they had to repay the debt.

And thats why I think, and certainly from Barnardos, we think we are getting younger children who are being enticed in with things that they dont have at the moment because of cost of living crisis.

Vapes Used to Coerce

The committee was also told that vapes were being used by criminals to reel children in as well as energy drinks and virtual gifts used in online gaming and social media.

This, coupled with a breakdown in the family home or unit, puts children further at risk, the committee was told.

Bolderson said: If youre a young person coming home and your mum and dad are arguing, or your mum [has] substance misuse [issues], you will turn to social media, you will turn to online gaming, you will turn to anyone else who will make you a part of something, an OCG, a criminal gang, who will be a family to them.

He added: They dont even have to leave the house to be groomed [] they can almost have packages of mobile phones delivered to their house.

They can have weapons put through the letterbox to hold and drop out the window another time, so they dont even have to leave the house.

So its understanding that a breakdown in the family is huge, I think because it makes them extremely vulnerable.

Describing online gaming as the foundation to county lines exploitation, Bolderson also described how brazen criminals were also using social media advertising as a way to recruit vulnerable children.

He told MPs: Theres an advert Ive seen that was on Snapchat and Instagram, and the young person is an advert for young people to get involved in county lines.

This advert looked like it was professionally done, it looked like a music video, it looked like something that you see on TV every day.

And if Im a young person who is struggling economically with my family stressed, Im seeing this ad that looks professionally done. Im almost thinking, actually, this must be this must be legal, because it looks so good. It must be and at the end of it, it actually says recruitment opportunities available.

School Mobile Phone Ban

Asked if banning mobile phones in school would help the issue of children being targeted by criminals, MPs were told it would help.

However, the gangs would more than likely use other means to target children, including waiting for them after school, the committee was told.

Issues around excluding children from schools were also touched upon, where experts said excluded children were more susceptible to being exploited or trafficked.

Griffiths also said she was aware of instances were gangsters were telling children how to be expelled from school.

So its not just the exclusions that happened because of behaviour, she said.

But it is also being used as a way of kind of isolating children out of the education system so theyre not identified.

Other chilling evidence heard how gangs themselves were contacting child protection groups and agencies to fish for information.

Bolderson said: They will contact support services like ourselves to understand whats in place to support the young person.

We recently had a phone line that has been connected and they will find us to actually reach out to try and find out what support is in place.

Youve got to remember, it [crime gangs] is a business model.

Were talking about a lot of money that these gangs have got and if were actually going out there to actually try and challenge county lines, then youre challenging a multi-million business.
DC Officer Who Struck Protesters With Flagpole on Jan. 6 Bragged That Was My Best Weapon

Metropolitan Police Department Officer Michael Dowling uses a flagpole to jab at a protester in the Lower West Terrace tunnel at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. (Metropolitan Police Department/Screenshot via The Epoch Times)

A Metropolitan Police Department officer wielding a wooden flagpole like a medieval lance inside the U.S. Capitol tunnel on Jan. 6, 2021, later bragged to fellow officers that the long wooden dowel was my best weapon, newly released bodycam video shows.

Video recorded by Officer Michael Dowlings bodycam shows him climbing onto a narrow ledge in the Lower West Terrace tunnel and attacking a woman in a white coat standing near the entrance.

As Dowling jabbed at the womanincluding two contacts to the headshe hurried to get off the ledge and escape the tunnel.

Im trying! she cried out.

Someone at the front of the tunnel shouted at her, Get the [expletive] out of here!

Dowling picked up the flagpole from the floor of the tunnel entrance at 3:19 p.m. and moved into the tunnel.

After dislodging the woman in white, Dowling jabbed at a number of men at the front line who faced inward toward the police. That drew the ire of protest leader Anthony Alexander Antonio of Wilmington, Delaware, who had been addressing the crowd with a bullhorn.

Quit that [expletive], Antonio shouted at Dowling. Quit that [expletive].

Two hours later, after the crowds were pushed from the Lower West Terrace, Dowling met up with MPD Officer Jeffrey Leslie.

I lost my flagpole, Dowling lamented. That was my best weapon.

Metropolitan Police Department Officer Michael Dowling uses a flagpole to jab at protesters at the Lower West Terrace tunnel entrance of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. (Metropolitan Police Department/Screenshot via The Epoch Times)

You did well with that, sir, Leslie replied. When another officer approached, Leslie told him, This guys the man with the flagpole.

Dowling explained, I started jabbing people with the flagpole.

A fourth officer joined the conversation. You got a few people with it? he asked.

Oh yeah, Dowling replied.

Good!

It snapped, and then they took it back, Dowling said.

After that conversation, Dowling went back into the Capitol and spoke with another MPD officer at the top of a staircase.

Listen, I would have never thought Id have the occasion to hit a man with the American flag in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol Building, the officer told Dowling. And I got to today.

The Epoch Times asked the Metropolitan Police Department for comment on Dowlings use of force, but did not receive a reply.

The tone for the afternoon was set at 2:41 p.m., when an officer in the staging area just inside the Capitol shouted instructions.

We need an old-school CDU [civil-disturbance unit] for these doors, you hear me? Old-school CDU, the officer said. Nightstick out. We are not losing the U.S. Capitol today! Do you hear me? We are not losing the U.S. Capitol!

At 2:49 p.m., someone discharged a fire extinguisher into the tunnel, causing the interior Capitol hallways to fill with a dry airborne chemical.

Sordid Record

Brad Geyer, the Jan. 6 defense attorney who posted the Dowling bodycam on Twitter, said the videos are peeling back the court-enforced veneer that, in many cases, hid the truth.

Now that CCTV and MPD bodycam footage is emerging, more than two years too late, embarrassing and inconvenient facts are coming into the sunlight, Geyer told The Epoch Times. The public will find unwelcome surprises on these newly released tapes that show outrageous police misconduct and abuse of protesters on a grand scale.

Geyer said Dowlings conduct is shocking but not atypical.

It is certainly not the worst conduct of police on that day. Protesters were bombarded by an array of less than lethal munitions and, at times, were beaten mercilessly, Geyer said.

As this sordid record enters the public space, the American public is likely to see January 6 in a very different light, Geyer said, and January 6 Americans as a beleaguered minority that has been horrendously treated by the nation.

Helped Move Rosanne Boyland

Dowling helped drag a pulseless Rosanne Boyland into the Capitol just after 4:31 p.m. He grabbed hold of her right foot and helped move her into the center of two hallways. Shortly before Dowling began pulling on Boylands leg, another officer slipped and fell on top of her.

Just minutes earlier, Dowlings bodycam showed several MPD officers carrying a highly agitated MPD Officer Lila Morris from the tunnel into the building. I cant breathe, Morris said.

Numerous videos from the crowd outside the tunnel showed Morris beating an unconscious Boyland about the face and head with a wooden walking stick she took from a rioter. Minutes later, when bystanders pulled Boyland to safety and began CPR, blood was visible on her face. Morris was not charged for the attack on Boyland.

Medics inside the Capitol did the first chest compressions on Boyland at 4:31 and 37 seconds, the video showed.

Dowlings bodycam picked up the roar of protesters outside after Boyland was dragged inside. Officers at the front of the tunnel stood by while protesters repeatedly begged for medical help for Boyland.

Above: A police officer slips and falls on an unconscious Rosanne Boyland as Officer Michael Dowling helps move her into the Capitol. Below: Medics work to insert a breathing tube as CPR continues on Jan. 6, 2021. (Metropolitan Police Department/Screenshots via The Epoch Times)

Dowling walked back and forth past the area where tactical officers and other medics performed CPR on Boyland for 15 minutes. At 4:40 p.m., his bodycam picked up one of the medics saying, No pulse.

Eight minutes later, Dowling stood inside the two double doors that lead into the tunnel. An explosion at the tunnel mouth created a blinding flash.

At nearly 5:01 p.m., someone in the crowd with a bullhorn said, Youre all a bunch of [expletive] traitors. Every last [expletive] one of you!

Metropolitan Police Department Officer Michael Dowling fires a stream of high-velocity pepper spray at a protester at the West Front of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. (Metropolitan Police Department/Screenshot via The Epoch Times)

At 5:05 p.m., Dowling rummaged through a hard-shell case inside the double doors and handed out munitions to a platoon of Virginia State Police that worked its way to the tunnel entrance.

Pass it up, he told one officer after handing him a gas canister. Some 30 seconds later, explosions were heard on the Lower West Terrace.

Officers Dowling and Leslie were awarded the Ribbon of Valor by the Metropolitan Police Department for their service on Jan. 6.
DeSantis Touts Decisive, Sometimes Divisive, Leadership in De Facto Campaign Speech

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is greeted by a crowd of about 1,500 on Feb. 28 at PGT Windows + Doors in North Venice, Fla. (John Haughey/The Epoch Times)

NORTH VENICE, Fla.When Ron DeSantis arrived in Tallahassee in January 2019 after winning Floridas 2018 gubernatorial race by 32,000 votesless than a half-percent of 8 million ballots casthe was told by insiders, experts, and pundits that the narrow victory was cause for cautious moderation in managing the swing state.

I rejected that advice, he said.

While [I] may have only won the election with 50 percent of the vote, I have 100 percent of the executive power. My duty is to put that to best use.

And so he didearly and often, as DeSantis explained to about 1,500 people at PGT Custom Windows + Doors in North Venice on Feb. 28, the first of four speaking engagements for the day, including in Leesburg and The Villages, with at least three more planned in Naples, Miami, and Palm Beach on March 1.

One of the first things he did as governor was to fire Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections Susan Bucher by executive order, one of many decisive actions that would lead to clashes with school boards, corporations, and the federal government over the next four years.

We had a strategic plan on how to use the levers available to me to advance our agenda, he said. Were going on the offensive, actively seeking out issues. From day one, we went off to the races.

Voters responded.

We took a 32,000-vote victory and turned it into a 1.5-million vote victory in four years time, DeSantis said of his November 2022 reelection. I love what we have coming up in the next legislative session (which begins March 7). Buckle up. Its going to get a lota lotbetter.

A crowd of about 1,500 showed up to hear Gov. Ron DeSantis speak at PGT Windows + Doors in North Venice, Fla., with people lining up for more than two hours before his arrival. (John Haughey/The Epoch Times)

Sudden Spurt of Serial Speeches

The governor is barnstorming the state touting his Florida Blueprint plan in his recently published book, The Courage to Be Free, without formally acknowledging that the sudden spurt of serial stump speeches are what amounts to the unofficial launch of his 2024 presidential campaign.

If those in the sprawling PGT window factory were hoping for some transparency regarding his presidential ambitions, DeSantis didnt deliver. He did spell out that he is a man of action who understands that candidates arent elected to be potted plants but to use the tools of government to get things done.

DeSantis spells out how he honed his leadership skills in Tallahassee in his book, which he held up for all to see a day after it officially hit the shelves.

Youre looking at the No. 1 book on Amazon, he said, holding a copy aloft to kick off his 75-minute speech. There are a lot of people in the media who are not happy to see this at No. 1.

DeSantis said any newly elected leader must find where the pressure points are and address remedies regardless of immediate reactions from ideologues and whatever the polls say.

As a leader, he said, you are not captive to public opinion but shaping public opinion.

The DeSantis administration has battled school boards, corporations, and then federal government across a range of issues that surfaced with the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020.

In an executive order, DeSantis in May 2020 lifted business lockdowns long before most others states did so, drawing the ire of the federal Centers for Disease Control (CDC), National Institute of Allergy & Infectious Diseases Director Anthony Faucinow chief medical adviser to President Joe Bidenthe National Institutes of Health, and the Food & Drug Administration.

Fauci dictated all this stuff. He was so upset with Florida for everything we did, he said. Federal agencies were not following the data. They were following an agenda. They were bogus, they were wrongthey were disastrously wrong.

When DeSantis decreed schools would reopen as normal in August 2020, We got nothing but negativity from the media and Fauci. Good Morning America [portrayed rural residents] as dumb Floridians are putting their kids in harms way.

But the bottom line, he said, was that data showed it was safer for students to be in schools than isolated at home, especially when the disease did not pose significant risk to youngsters.

There was no argument against every school in Florida being opened for the students, DeSantis said. At the time, they actually believed lockdowns worked. I knew that wasnt the case. Now, nobody will admit they opposed us on the schools reopening.

Kathleen Perez (far right) and Michael Gray (white shirt) brought their DeSantis for President banner but Gov. Ron DeSantis did not say during his Feb. 28 speech in North Venice if he was running, he just explained how hes running Florida with a model that would work nationwide. (John Haughey/The Epoch Times)

Florida Charting Countrys Course

So followed battles with the federal government over banning vaccine mandates for medical workers and for outlawing vaccine passports; with school boards over parents rights, which amounts to sending kids to schools without a teacher telling them they are in the wrong body; and against woke corporations, such as Disney.

The day before, DeSantis had signed into law a measure adopted by lawmakers in a special session that formally terminated Disney Worlds Reedy Creek special district after the corporate behemoth opposed a 2022 bill giving parents the right to object to teaching sexuality and gender ideology in kindergarten-through-third-grade classrooms.

The governor said he advised Disneys then-CEO Bob Chapek to not get involved in this. I dont think that is too smart because for those who try to placate the woke mob, it is not a recipe for success.

The 40-plus mile special district gave Disney unrivaled privilege in self-government that the company abused not only in exerting influence in Tallahassee but in homes across the globe with programming DeSantis said was becoming problematic with many Americans.

You all subsidized that activism through this arrangement, he told the booing audience. They called the shots in the state of Florida. Thats the way things worked until I got in there. We are not going to subcontract out [state responsibilities] to a woke corporation based in Buena Vista, California.

DeSantis said his actions against Disney, on behalf of parents, and in thwarting control by the federal government just for the sake of control, have proven Florida under his leadership saved America from going into the abyss.

He recalled how tremendous pressure from all sides was levied against him and it would have been easier to relent to give myself political cover but he wasnt going to do thatnor would heshould he, say, find himself in a higher executive capacity.

We were the refuge of sanity while so much of the world had gone mad, DeSantis said. I told myself, I got to be the one who has to make decisions here. I said, We are going to have to chart a course for the country out of these lockdowns. That is what Florida did for the country.

DeSantisLand T-shirts and hats and other merchandise touting Floridas governor are available before DeSantis speech in North Venice, on Feb. 28. (John Haughey/The Epoch Times)

T-Word Never Mentioned

There were 2.400 tickets issued for the event with doors open at 8:30 a.m. for the governors 10 a.m. speech. By 7:40 a.m. the line was already 100 yards long.

Kathleen Perez, a retired cop from New York City moved from Staten Island to Osprey four years ago. We relocated here to escape the crime-infested city, she said.

Perez and friends were toting a DeSantis 2024 banner. I like him for his leadership, she said.

He can win in 2024 because he can build a big base and is a phenomenal leader who can make the country safe.

Michael Gray, who works in the PGT factory but was enjoying his day off on line to see the governor said he wants DeSantis to run, even though the nations gain would be Floridas loss.

People in Florida dont want to let him go, but we need DeSantis to save our country, he said, noting the governor is someone who has shown he is not going to be a follower.

Jim Lentini of Venice was there because, I want to see what Gov. Ron has to say. I want to see him up closesee if hes for real.

An entrepreneur who has retired 14 times after owning numerous businesses, including a hurricane shutter factory and a glass and mirror ship, Lentini said hes working on three inventions, including an EV battery that could go from here to California on one charge.

There are too many progressives in government, he said, and too little common cause.

I grew up in this country when there was the American Dream. Now nobody even knows what that American Dream is anymore, Lentini said.

He voted for Donald Trump in 2016 and 2020 and was the only one who mentioned the former president, at least out loud, in the window factory in North Venice while the governor was there. He wouldnt say whom hell vote for in 2024, but has it narrowed down.

Ron or Trump, basically, Lentini said.
Election Reformers Get New Tool to Pressure States to Clean Up Voter Rolls

A man walks past voting signs displayed outside a polling station during the mid-term elections in Hamtramck, Mich., in this Nov. 4, 2014, file photo. (Joshua Lott/Getty Images)

A new interactive website database is now available for free to individual citizens and election reform groups across the country to help in the fight to get all states to obey a federal election law mandating regular voter roll maintenance.

The Public Interest Legal Foundation (PILF), a national nonprofit law firm dedicated to election integrity, announced the launch of the website on Feb. 27.

The data provided on the website is designed to encourage some defiant state election officials to comply with the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 (NVRA).

J. Christian Adams, president of the Public Interest Legal Foundation (PILF). (Courtesy of PILF)

We hope this interactive database will draw attention to the hundreds of thousands of errors in the voter rolls. Every error in the voter rolls is a vulnerability in our elections that can lead to fraud and abuse. Election officials must do their job and keep accurate voter rolls, PILF President J. Christian Adams said in a statement.

According to the federal statute, state election officials must conduct a general program that makes a reasonable effort to remove the names of ineligible voters from the official lists of eligible voters.

Evidence of Nonfeasance

As evidence that some state election officials have failed to make a reasonable effort, the database spotlights more than 317,000 deceased people that continue to appear on the registration lists of certain states.

PILF researchers also found that 449,000 individuals are registered to vote in more than one state and discovered 54,000 same-address duplicate voter registrations still on the books.

Attorneys for PILF have had to file lawsuits against election officials in Pennsylvania, Texas, North Carolina, Mississippi, Minnesota, and Michigan to force state election officials to do their statutory duty to clean up the voter rolls.

In 2021, PILF succeeded in getting election officials in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to agree to remove 20,000 dead people from its voter rolls.

In this screenshot from the DNCCs live stream of the 2020 virtual Democratic National Convention, Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson addresses those attending on Aug. 20, 2020. (DNCC via Getty Images)

Since November 2020, PILF has tried to encourage and assist Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, a Democrat, to remove 25,975 deceased individuals from the voter rolls of her state.

Of these, 23,663 have been dead for five years or more, with 17,479 of them being dead for at least a decade, and 3,956 have been deceased for at least 20 years.

After a year of inaction, PILF filed a federal lawsuit to force Benson to comply with NVRA.

In response, Benson filed a motion to dismiss PILFs case.

On Aug. 25, 2022, the United States Western District Court of Michigan denied Bensons motion to dismiss.

The court also denied the motions to intervene filed by the Michigan Alliance for Retired Americans, the Detroit Downriver Chapter of the A. Philip Randolph Institute, and Rise, Inc., all liberal activist groups.

The Michigan Secretary of States Office doesnt comment on pending litigation.

Presidential Citizens Award

In an online statement, Adams called it remarkable that after the data was shared with Benson, the dead registrants remained on Michigans voter rolls.

It is astonishing that Secretary Benson is so vigorously opposing effective list maintenance, he said.

Adams said the ongoing lawsuit was the first step to reducing the opportunity for fraud in Michigan elections and ensuring that dead people arent receiving ballots.

In January 2023, Benson traveled to the White House to be presented with the Presidential Citizens Award by President Joe Biden in honor of her service in the office and her courage in standing up to election-denying protesters, Biden said.

The award is Americas second-highest civilian award given to a citizen for exemplary deeds or services for his or her country or fellow citizens.
Elon Musk Regains Title of Worlds Richest Person as Tesla Shares Rebound

Elon Musk has reclaimed his position as the worlds richest man as the Tesla CEOs net worth reached an estimated $187 billion this week, according to data tracked by Bloomberg Billionaires Index.

In mid-December, Musk lost his top rank to French business magnate Bernard Arnault, chief executive of luxury brand Louis Vuittons parent company LVMH, as shares in the car manufacturing industry declined.

While Tesla shares lost more than 50 percent value in 2022 and slid to their lowest level in nearly two years, shares for the electric vehicle maker rebounded this year and have since surged.

According to Bloomberg, Tesla stock is up by about 100 percent since its intraday low on Jan. 6, with each share currently trading at $207.63 per share. The increase is driven by a better economic forecast as investors reinvest in riskier growth stocks.

The latest increase allowed Musk, after the markets closed, to top Arnaults fortune of $185 billion, per the daily ranking. The majority of Musks fortune is tied up in Tesla stock.

Although Musks fortune has once again risen notably since the SpaceX founders net worth declined tremendously, to about $137 billion in December, it is still quite lower than its peak of roughly $337 billion in November 2021.

Late last year, Musk officially broke the Guinness World Records title for the largest loss of personal fortune by anyone in history, losing approximately $200 billion in wealth, according to a Jan. 6th report published on the ultimate record-breaking authoritys website.

Besides Tesla, Musk also owns spacecraft manufacturer SpaceX, Twitter, and Neuralink, which is developing a brain implant it hopes will help paralyzed people walk again and cure other neurological ailments.

Amid fluctuating Tesla shares, Musk is making cost cuts at Twitter, which he acquired last year for $44 billion. In November, Musk stated in a tweet that the microblogging website was losing more than $4 million a day.

In a tweet on Feb. 5, Musk said the social networking service is on the path to financially break even in 2023, as the company implemented several measures to boost declining revenues.

Last three months were extremely tough, as had to save Twitter from bankruptcy, while fulfilling essential Tesla and SpaceX duties. Wouldnt wish that pain on anyone, Musk wrote. Twitter still has challenges, but is now trending to breakeven if we keep at it. Public support is much appreciated!

To increase revenues, Musk implemented a paid-in subscription service called Twitter Blue that adds a blue checkmark to an account and gives users additional features, such as allowing them to edit tweets within a 30-minute window, use custom app icons, bookmark tweets into folders, and so on.

Since Feb. 9, Twitter also started to charge for access to its Application Programming Interface (API), which is used to create third-party apps by developers.

Free API is being abused badly right now by bot scammers and opinion manipulators. Theres no verification process or cost, so easy to spin up 100k bots to do bad things. Just ~$100/month for API access with ID verification will clean things up greatly, Musk wrote in a tweet on Feb. 3.

In January, Twitter auctioned off dozens of appliances, furniture, memorabilia, and other items from the companys headquarters in San Francisco.

Naveen Athrappully contributed to this report.

From NTD News.
EPA Administrator Admits There Is a Deficit of Trust in Toxic Train Derailment Response

Recognizing there has been a deficit of trust in the federal government among East Palestine residents in the aftermath of the Feb. 3 toxic train derailment, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Michael Regan returned to the eastern Ohio village on Feb. 28.

Regan attended a roundtable with students and teachers at East Palestine High School and talked to small business owners before holding a press conference to commemorate the opening of the EPAs Community Welcome Center.

Located in downtown East Palestine, the welcome center is designed as a resource for residents and business owners to get questions answered, sign up for home air monitoring, and learn more about cleaning services, said Regan.

I can promise that as this community continues to look forward, were going to be here every step of the wayfor as long as it takes, Regan said. We arent going anywhere and I can tell you, and you can tell by the storefront behind me, that we are here for the long haul. We want to make sure that the community knows were here for them, and that were bringing resources to bear for them.

Flames rising from the derailed train are seen from a farm in East Palestine, Ohio, on Feb. 3, 2023. (Melissa Smith via AP)

On Feb. 3, a 151-car Norfolk Southern Railway train derailed in East Palestine, a village of 4,761 near the Pennsylvania border.

Video footage from a manufacturing plant around 20 miles west of the derailment site showed an axle on one car glowing brightly.

A mile down the track, another facilitys camera captured the fiery axle.

About 50 cars, including 11 carrying hazardous materials, jumped the tracks, and a fire broke out.

On Feb. 6, authorities decided to release and burn vinyl chloride from five cars, sending flames and thick black smoke billowing into the sky once more.

Vinyl chloride is a chemical used to make PVC pipes and other products. The National Cancer Institute notes that vinyl chloride has been linked to cancers of the brain, lungs, blood, lymphatic system, and liver.

On Feb. 8, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine held a press conference and announced that the evacuation order had been lifted and that it was safe for East Palestine residents to return to their homes.

Since the derailment and the burn and release of vinyl chloride, residents in East Palestine and surrounding communities have reported headaches, nausea, skin rashes, blurred vision, and other ailments.

Federal and state authorities have said that testing indicates the air and water are safe.

Now that the EPA welcome center is open, staff members are likely to hear ongoing questions from residents about dioxins, which the agency defines as a group of chemical compounds known as persistent organic pollutants because they break down very slowly once they are released into the environment.

Dioxins can cause cancer, damage the immune system, create reproductive and developmental problems, and interfere with hormones.

EPA Region 5 administrator Debra Shore said that the agency will not test for dioxins, at least for now.

Dioxins are ubiquitous in the environment, Shore said. They were here before the accident, they will be here after, and we dont have baseline information in this area to do a proper test. But, we are talking to our toxicologist and looking into it.

In a Feb. 18 letter Regan and Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (OEPA) Director Anne Vogel, Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) and Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) expressed concern that testing for dioxins may not have been included in the agencies air monitoring processes to date.

We are concerned that the burning of large volumes of vinyl chloride may have resulted in the formation of dioxins that may have been dispersed throughout the East Palestine community and potentially a much larger area, the lawmakers wrote.

It can take decades for dioxins to fully break down and dissolve. They can settle on surfaces and plants, and in water and soil among other places.

We did receive a letter from Sen. Brown and Sen. Vance. Our toxicologists are taking a look, Shore said. Unfortunately, we dont have any baseline information about the levels of dioxins which are produced also by wildfires, by backyard grilling, by a host of other things.

Stephen Lester is the science director at the Virginia-based Center for Health, Environment, and Justice. He noted that there is concern about dioxins in East Palestine and surrounding communities because of the amount of farmland and livestock.

I think theyre reluctant to test, because they know they will find it, and they will be put in a place where they have to address it, Lester said.

The level of dioxin that gets into a body, a person, an animal, a cow, that could lead to health problems is extraordinarily low. It does not take very much, Lester added. Id be very concerned if I had a farm, especially if I was aware, as some people described in that meeting, that the black cloud from the burning had settled onto their property.

One reporter at Regans press conference said he has talked to farmers in the area, and that they are concerned about the impact of dioxins on milk, beef, and other goods being sold.

You know, I understand all of the concerns that have been raised on that particular issue, Regan said. Were doing all of the proper analyses we can do along with the state to determine those safety measures.

Regan added that the EPA is looking to DeWine and the state of Ohio to lead the response on that effort.

He also noted that he has heard residents loud and clear and is taking their concerns back to Washington.

Portions of a Norfolk and Southern freight train that derailed in East Palestine, Ohio, are still on fire at mid-day, on Feb. 4, 2023. (Gene J. Puskar/AP Photo)

The EPAs response has been and will continue to be based on science, Regan added.

We have a complete inventory of everything that was on that train and everything were monitoring for and testing for, Regan said. We understand the levels of potential adverse health impacts from those toxics or any byproducts. There are no gaps in the testing. If there are concerns or folks have questions like the legitimate concerns and questions that were posed, well, thats why were having these conversations.

Early in his remarks, Regan thanked President Joe Biden whos made every resource source available to help his community get back on his feet after the train derailment.

Thats why you see representatives from across the federal family, FEMA, HHS (Department of Health and Human Services), FRA (Federal Railroad Administration), and others, who in addition to supporting cleanup activities are leading public engagement efforts to ensure the community is kept informed every single step of the way.

Biden, Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, and the Biden administration as a whole have been widely criticized for their response to the derailment and the subsequent release and burn of vinyl chloride.

Regan reminded reporters that, during his visit to East Palestine last week, he ordered Norfolk Southern to conduct a complete cleanup of the derailment area, including the removal of contaminated soil and water.

As part of the legally binding order, Norfolk Southern must reimburse the EPA for cleaning services provided to residents and businesses. These cleaning services will be completed by the EPA and government contractors. If Norfolk Southern refuses the order, it will require the company to pay triple the costs, Regan explained.

In no way shape, form, or fashion will Norfolk Southern get off the hook for the mess that theyve created, Regan said. As the cleanup work continues at a rapid pace, the EPA is awaiting Norfolk Southerns work plan, which we will review and approve. The work plan will outline every single necessary step to clean up the environmental damage caused by the derailment. No detail will be overlooked.

For now, we will continue to work day by day to earn the trust of this community and reassure this community that when the cameras leave, we will still be herehowever long it takes, Regan said.

Moments before the press conference ended, Regan was asked if he would let his children play in the local creeks.

I would not, he said. Im a father of a 9-year-old. I think we have to all agree that we wish this accident didnt occur. The accident occurred and as a result, some of our creeks and our streams have pollution in them.

While the pollution is present, Regan added, as a father, I would not advise anybody, adult or child, to play in the creeks and streams.

Regan reiterated that testing has shown the municipal water is safe in East Palestine, but while were cleaning up this disaster site, I wouldnt advise that anyone play in water thats contaminated or soil thats contaminated.
Flight From China

American and European firms are pulling out

Soldiers are seen near a poster of Chinese leader Xi Jinping next to the entrance to the Forbidden City in Beijing on May 18, 2020. (Nicolas Asfouri/AFP via Getty Images)

Commentary

Chinese leader Xi Jinping and others in Chinas communist regime frequently associate themselves with the reputation Chinese culture has for patience and taking the long view in human interaction. If that cultural reputation is justified, Beijings claims ring false. Little of what Chinas leadership doescertainly in the realm of economicsexemplifies either patience or the long view.

On the contrary, they have exhibited an almost adolescent impatience to pull every lever of power as quickly as they can. And what is more, this rather un-Chinese behavior has begun to undermine the economic basis of their power.

Not all of Chinas problems have to do with an impatience to exercise power. Some stem from the natural result of the economys development. When China began its stupendous economic rise in the late 1970s, its ability to offer Western and Japanese businesses a disciplined, reasonably well-educated, and inexpensive workforce was a major asset. Even as late as 2000, when China first joined the World Trade Organization (WTO), its average annual wage was barely over 3 percent of the American equivalent. That cheap labor brought in billions of Western and Japanese investments, bringing income and opportunities to Chinas economy.

But as the Chinese economy developed, Chinese wages have risen a lot faster than those in the rest of the developed world so that by 2021, the last full year for complete data are available, the average Chinese wage amounted to almost one-third of the American equivalentstill a big gap but nowhere near what it was and not nearly as compelling either.

But on top of this unavoidable development are some ill-considered policies coming out of Beijing. During the COVID pandemic, for example, Beijing blocked vital exports to the rest of the world, such as surgical masks. All could understand Beijings desire to supply its own population, but the act nonetheless prompted Western and Japanese businesses to reassess the reliability of Chinese sourcing. Following that experience, the severe lockdowns and quarantines of Beijings Zero-COVID policies reinforced those questions about reliability.

With the loss of these two attractionsinexpensive labor and reliabilityWestern and Japanese businesses found reason to chafe more than previously at other unattractive features of doing business in China. Beijing, for example, insists that any firm doing business in China share its technology and trade secrets with a Chinese partner. If that were not enough, the regime has routinely stolen patented and copyrighted intellectual property from foreign-based firms.

While China was small and offered other compelling advantages, most foreign businesses and their governments could overlook such obnoxious behavior. But as China has grown and lost other attractions, overlooking such behavior has become more difficult, especially since Beijing, despite international complaints, shows no sign of changing such practices.

An airstrip made by China is seen beside structures and buildings at the man-made island on Mischief Reef in the Spratlys group of islands, in the South China Sea, on March 20, 2022. (Aaron Favila/AP Photo)

And then there is the bullying and vindictive practices to which Beijing has increasingly succumbed. It has maintained a naval presence in the South and East China seas despite legitimate claims by Japan and the Philippines. Beijing has ignored findings by international courts. It has regularly threatened military action against Taiwan. Chinese authorities used both formal and informal means to retaliate against South Korean business interests when their government installed the THAAD anti-missile system. These authorities cut off Australian wine sales to punish Canberra just for questioning the origin of COVID-19. Beijing has taken similar actions against Swedens Ericsson, South Koreas Lotte supermarkets, and all Lithuanian manufacturing simply for trading with Taiwan.

And if such actions were not enough to make businesses think twice about Chinese exposure, the tendency of governments in the United States, Europe, and Japan to react to such bullying and other longer-standing irritants has led businesses to worry about getting caught in the middle of diplomatic disputes.

Recent surveys and Western business commentary testify to changing attitudes. A poll taken last June by the European Chamber of Commerce in China noted that one-quarter of its members currently operating in China were considering closing and moving their operations elsewhere. Half complained that doing business in China had become too politicized. These responses contrast markedly with earlier attitudes. As recently as 2019, a similar poll showed widespread enthusiasm about the prospects for business in China.

Also indicative of new thinking are remarks by Director General of the Confederation of British Industry Tony Danker. In a recent interview, he declared that every company with which he had spoken was considering a change in the China focus of its supply chains.

Bettina Schoen-Behanzin, vice president of the European Chamber, noted that the only thing predictable about China was its unpredictability, and that is poisonous for the business environment.

The Anglo-American insurer, Willis Towers Watson, reported that 95 percent of multinationals are concerned about the risk of doing business in China, up from 62 percent only two years ago.

A number of prominent firms have already begun to move or are seriously considering doing so. Apple has scheduled the production of its AirPod Pro 2 for Vietnam and not China. Samsung is making similar decisions regarding its China production. Volvo rejected China for a new factory and will build it in Slovakia. Adidas and other shoe and apparel makers have long since left China for Vietnam and other venues. Japanese firms have begun to bring some of their production home from China. And this list is far from complete.

For all the movement, Chinas economy will remain dominant. It simply is too large and too important. But the decoupling of which Washington never tires of speaking has clearly begun, notably for mostly market reasons and not compulsions imposed by the United States or any other Western government.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Former Santa Ana Church Youth Pastor Sentenced to 12 Years for Molesting Girl

SANTA ANA, Calif.A 60-year-old former Santa Ana church youth pastor pleaded guilty and was immediately sentenced Feb. 24 to 12 years in prison for sexually assaulting a 12-year-old girl.

The victim came forward to police in October 2018 and said Jonathan Lamont Jenkins started making sexual advances toward her in January 2018, according to police.

She was at a service at Starlight Baptist Church in March 2018 when she went to the bathroom, where Jenkins was waiting for her. The girl tried to get away, but he locked the door, choked her, and physically restrained her while he sexually assaulted her, police said.

The girl did not tell anyone and continued going to the church, police said, but on Aug. 5, 2018, Jenkins mocked her about the sexual assault and warned her not to tell anyone or he would claim the sex was consensual.

The Starlight Baptist Church at 1201 W. Second Street. (Screenshot via Google Street View)

Jenkins touched the victims buttocks in January 2018 and attempted to assault her again in April 2018, according to prosecutors. He also attempted to assault her in July 2018, prosecutors said.

Jenkins, of Riverside, pleaded guilty to a felony count of continuous sexual abuse of a child. As part of the plea deal, charges of aggravated sexual assault of a child, aggravated sexual assault of a child-oral copulation with force or fear, aggravated sexual assault of a child with foreign object, and two counts of lewd or lascivious acts with a minor.

Jenkins was given credit for 1,848 days in custody, or about five years.

Jenkins initially faced up to 90 years to life in prison, authorities said when he was charged in 2018.

Jenkins had been a member of the Starlight Baptist Church at 1201 W. Second St. since 2012, and served as a youth pastor there for two years, police said.

Jenkins has a lengthy criminal history dating back to 1999 that includes robbery, assault with a deadly weapon, and drug charges, police said. He has prior convictions for robbery in Los Angeles in 1983 and burglary in Orange County in 1986, according to prosecutors.
Testimony on U.S. military support to Ukraine will be presented to the House Armed Services Committee at 10 a.m. ET on Feb. 28.

Speakers include Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Colin H. Kahl, Department of Defense Inspector Gen. Robert P. Storch, and the Joint Staff Director for Operations J-3, Lt. Gen. Douglas A. Sims II.
House Committee Testimony Highlights How Border Policy Failures Are Driving Americas Fentanyl Crisis

A display of the fentanyl and methamphetamine that was seized by U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the Nogales Port of Entry in Nogales, Ariz., on Jan. 31, 2019. (Mamta Popat/Arizona Daily Star via AP)

Poignant testimony delivered during a Feb. 28 congressional hearing on the U.S. border crisis brought legislators to a firm conclusion: Failed or ineffective immigration policies are directly fueling Americas drug crisis.

Our country faces record fatalities from drug overdoses, eclipsing 100,000 deaths, 71,000 from synthetic opioids alone, Rep. Mark Green (R-Tenn.) said during the House Homeland Security Committee hearing.

At the forefront of this crisis is fentanyl, a synthetic opioid thats up to 100 times more potent than morphine. Most of the substance is making its way into the United States from Mexico, much of which is smuggled in by drug cartels.

Though fentanyl seizures at official ports of entry on the U.S. border are on the rise, Sheriff Mark Lamb of Pinal County, Arizona, told the committee that border apprehensions of fentanyl account for only half of what makes it into the United States.

Los Angeles County Sheriffs detectives and Drug Enforcement Administration agents seized approximately 12,000 suspected fentanyl pills at Los Angeles International Airport on Oct. 19, 2022. (Courtesy of the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department).

I hear that 90 percent comes through the ports. Those numbers are not what were seeing. Its 50-50, Lamb said.

He noted that, despite Pinal not being a border county, the amount of fentanyl his officers have seized has skyrocketed since 2019. Part of that is due to the proximity to Interstate 10, a main artery for drug and human trafficking heading north from Mexico.

Lamb said his jurisdiction had seen a 600 percent increase in fentanyl pass through his county over the past four years. In 2019, Lambs officers seized around 700 pills. That number spiked to more than 200,000 in 2020.

In 2021, Lambs task force intercepted more than 1.2 million pills, a number that surged to more than 1.4 million last year.

He further noted that finding abandoned camouflage gear, backpacks, and carpet shoes littering the desert in his county is an everyday occurrence. It suggests a significant number of drug traffickers are making it past border security undetected.

This is what we deal with on a daily basis, Lamb said.

Green said the Mexican cartels are calculated in their approach to getting drugs like fentanyl into the United States. He said the traffickers also force illegal immigrants who owe the cartels money for transport into indentured servitude as drug runners.

Green added that despite the increase of fentanyl seized at official ports of entry, the drug is still pouring into the United States. The legislator held up a photo showing 232 pounds of fentanyl seized inland, which bypassed security at the ports of entry.

In emotional testimony, Michigan resident Rebecca Kiessling shared the story of how Mexican fentanyl killed her two sons in July 2020.

Before the horrific incident, she said, I didnt know what fentanyl was  I didnt know that my boys were taking anything that could kill them. They didnt think they were either.

Kiessling said that her two sons, ages 20 and 18, were with a 17-year-old girl and a drug dealer who supplied the trio with fentanyl on July 29. All three youths died shortly after taking the drug.

Law enforcement made it clear to me that this fentanyl came from Mexico. It came from our southern border, she said.

Kiessling went on to describe what her former law partners husband, a local sheriff, told her.

He has a stack, every day, theres a stack of dead people [from drug overdoses], and there are no leads.

However, Kiesslings case was unique. The dealer who gave her sons the lethal dose of fentanyl was apprehended. Yet he only received a maximum sentence of 15 years for his involvement in the deaths of three youths.

I found out from the funeral home that they have tons of these cases regularly, she said, then added for perspective, Im from Rochester Hills, Michigan. We were ranked in Money magazine in the top 10 cities to live in America a few years ago.

The year that Kiesslings son Calebone of the overdose victimswas born, in 2000, the number of U.S. drug overdose deaths was roughly 20,000. But by the year the young man died, in 2020, that number had soared to more than 100,000.

You talk about children being taken away from their parents. My children were taken away from me  this is a war, she said.

Act like it. Do something.
U.S. House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic Chairman Brad Wenstrup (R-Ohio) holds a roundtable at 2:00 p.m. ET on Feb. 28 with renowned doctors to discuss COVID-19 policy decisions and to thoroughly examine the response of the federal government to the COVID-19 pandemic.
House Judiciary Leaders Demand Documents on Teen Illegal Alien Accused of Murdering Maryland Woman

Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) nominates House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) for Speaker of the House of the 118th Congress during a speech in the House Chamber of the U.S. Capitol Building on Jan. 3, 2023 in Washington. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) and Rep. Tom McClintock (R-Calif.), chairman of the panels Subcommittee on Immigration Integrity, Security, and Enforcement are demanding multiple documents from executive branch officials regarding an unnamed 17-year-old illegal alien who is accused of murdering a 20-year-old Maryland woman in an unprovoked attack.

The documents being demanded are required in order for House investigators to piece together why the illegal alien, who is also suspected of being an MS-13 gang member, was able to roam freely in the United States and what steps, if any, federal officials took to investigate his background and monitor his whereabouts in this country after being released by immigration authorities.

On January 15, 2023, the police department in Aberdeen, Maryland, arrested [redacted], a 17-year-old illegal alien and known MS-13 gang member from El Salvador for the violent assault and murder of 20-year-old Maryland resident, Kayla Hamilton. Press reports indicate that [redacted] entered the United States in March 2022 in Rio Grande City, Texas, and identified as an unaccompanied minor,' Jordan and McClintock told Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas in a Feb. 27 letter.

Criminal aliens and gang members exploit the U.S. immigration system to harm Americans. The Biden Administrations border and immigration policies only increase the likelihood that those criminal aliens will successfully enter and remain in the U.S., Jordan and McClintock told Mayorkas.

Hamilton, who was autistic, had recently moved to Aberdeen to be with her 22-year-old boyfriend, according to her family. The illegal alien is accused of strangling her and he also faces additional charges of rape and robbery.

Maryland law enforcement officials told a Baltimore TV station after the illegal aliens arrest that Hamiltons case has had a tremendous impact on investigators.

Lt. C. William Reiber said Hamiltons death impacted investigators, working around the clock to help bring the family closure, according to CBS News Baltimore. This was about making that arrest for Kayla, and so she just wasnt a number. That this meant something. It meant something to be a part of it, I can tell you it meant a lot to me and our team here in Aberdeen.

The documents sought by the House panel chairmen include case history information, including, but not limited to, the aliens immigration history, immigration benefits applications, the alien file (A-file) or consular file (including all consular notes), and immigration detention status and history.

Xavier Becerra, Secretary of Health and Human Services speaks during a press conference at the HHS headquarter in Washington, on June 28, 2022. (Nicholas Kamm/AFP via Getty Images)

In addition, the chairmen are seeking all available information about the illegal aliens crossing into the United States from Mexico, as well as information regarding the aliens processing by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials, including whether CBP officials were alerted to derogatory information about the alien and what questions were asked of the alien during the screening process. 

Jordan and McClintock also demanded in a Feb. 27 letter to Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) Xavier Becerra related documents held by the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR). That office is responsible for the care and placement of unaccompanied alien children referred by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).

The documents sought from HHS include all case history information, including but not limited to case file, family reunification packet, as well as any materials provided to HHS ORR by federal agencies such as CBP upon referral and any information provided to HHS ORR pursuant to its request for information from the referring agency.

The Jordan/McClintock letters to DHS and HHS regarding the Maryland murder case are part of the judiciary panels comprehensive investigation of President Joe Bidens immigration policies that have allowed more than five million illegal immigrants to cross into the United States, mostly from Mexico, but also in boats landing in Florida from Cuba and Haiti, as well as the Canadian border.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton lauded the judiciary investigation in a recent letter to Jordan.

There are no words that can fully capture the devastating impact that Bidens border crisis has had on American citizensand Texans in particular. An increase in violent crime rates, the deterioration of public health systems, all-time high border crossings and drug overdose deaths, and the empowerment of vile Mexican drug cartels and human traffickers are all direct consequences of this Administrations decision to abandon virtually every form of border security, Paxton told Jordan.

The Lone Star State has been especially hard-hit by the illegal immigration flood, with 50 counties along the Texas portion of the U.S.-Mexico border being declared disaster areas by state officials.

Spokesmen for DHS and HHS could not be reached for comment.
House Votes to Block Biden Administrations ESG Investment Rule

House Financial Services Committee Chairman Andy Barr (R-Ky.) leaves a GOP caucus meeting at the Capitol Hill Club on Capitol Hill on February 28, 2023 in Washington. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

The House on Feb. 28 passed a resolution by a vote of 216-204 disapproving of a Department of Labor (DOL) rule allowing retirement plan managers to take environmental, social, and governance (ESG) considerations into account when making investment decisions.

The investment plan for retirement funds that collectively invest $12 trillion on behalf of 152 million Americans has been criticized by Republican lawmakers who claim the DOL regulation politicizes investing by allowing fund managers to pursue liberal causes.

The measure is now headed to the Senate, where Republicans hope to gather enough support to pass it as early as Wednesday. If the law gets put to President Joe Bidens desk, the White House has warned that he would veto it.

Sen. Mike Braun (R-Ind.) and Rep. Andy Barr (R-Ky.) submitted the bipartisan resolution of disapproval last month. The legislation has the support of all Republican senators, Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.V.), and more than 100 groups.

Barr said on the House floor that since Biden took office his administration has waged a war on American energy production.

He said that ESG funds carry higher fees and are less diversified than non-ESG funds. Twenty-one percent of investors dont even know what ESG stands for, Barr said.

But Democrats argued that Republicans were tying the hands of capitalists by not promoting the Biden-backed plan.

Rep Sean Casten (D-Ill.) weighed in saying that Republicans talk a good game about personal freedom but are essentially taking the freedom of individual investors with the resolution.

If you all are afraid of free markets  If you want to force your constituents to invest in proven losers, then please vote for this resolution, Casten said on the House floor.

The White House said Monday that Biden would veto the bill if it came to his desk.

The rule reflects what successful marketplace investors already knowthere is an extensive body of evidence that environmental, social, and governance factors can have material impacts on certain markets, industries, and companies, the White House said in a statement.

The measure will need just a simple majority to pass the Senate, where Democrats have a 51-49 majority. Republicans hope for a vote of at least 50-49 in favor of the measure given Manchins support and Sen. John Fettermans (D-Pa.) recent absence due to a hospitalization.

Ill be proud to support this commonsense measure later this week, Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell said in a floor speech.

Sen. Braun is bringing the resolution under the Congressional Review Act, which bypasses the Senates filibuster rule that requires the support of 60 senators to pass most legislation.

Reuters contributed to this report.
House Wants Companies to Tell Consumers About Cameras, Microphones in Devices

Smart home service devices is displayed at CES 2017 at the Sands Expo and Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nev., on Jan. 5, 2017. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

The House of Representatives on Feb. 27 overwhelmingly voted to make manufacturers tell consumers if an Internet-connected device comes with a camera or microphone, with enforcement left to the Federal Trade Commission.

That requirement does not cover certain devices, such as a telephone (including a mobile phone), a laptop, tablet, or any device that a consumer would reasonably expect to have a microphone or camera.

A motion to suspend the rules and pass H.R. 538 flew through the chamber with 406 yeas and 12 nays: 201 Democrats and 205 Republicans voted for it, while 12 Republicans voted against it. 15 representatives didnt vote.

The motions opponents include a number of well-known conservative and libertarian lawmakers.

Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), Rep. Dan Bishop (R-N.C.), Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.), and Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) all voted against it.

Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) in Washington on March 8, 2022. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

The Epoch Times has reached out to those lawmakers to learn why they opposed the motion.

This is a relatively straightforward bill, said Rep. Gus Bilirakis (R-Fla.), a supporter of H.R. 538.

Internet-connected devices are becoming increasingly present in our lives, and its important for people to understand what theyre buying.

Rep. Frank Pallone (D-N.J.), another supporter of the measure, told his colleagues about the rapid speed and massive scale of the Internet of Things (IoT) revolution in consumer products.

Today, the average American home has 11 Internet of Things, or IoT, devices, Pallone said.

Yet, Pallones numbers appear to be out of date.

A recent Deloitte survey suggests the number of Internet-connected items is even higher, at 22 smart devices per home as of 2022.

We must ensure that the IoT revolution does not come at the expense of consumers privacy, said Pallone. He went on to describe reports that IoT-connected devices are recording users without them being aware.

The danger of smart devices extends beyond the threat from petty scammers and data-hungry corporations.

One 2022 report by Christopher Balding suggested that China could surreptitiously record Americans using coffee makers manufactured in the country.

While we cannot say this company is collecting data on non-Chinese users, all evidence indicates their machines can and do collect data on users outside of mainland China and store the data in China, the report states.

Meanwhile, IoT is currently helping Australia transform a coal port, Newcastle, into a smart city.

The European Union has also recognized growing security concerns over smart devices. It unveiled new cybersecurity rules in September 2022.

A Senate version of the smart device disclosure bill has been sent to that bodys Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation for review.
Illegal Immigrants Putting Enormous Strain on US Health Facilities: Senior Executive

Illegal immigrants walk toward the U.S.-Mexico border in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, on Dec. 14, 2022. (Christian Chavez/AP Photo)

During a Feb. 28 congressional hearing, senior health executive Dr. Robert Trenschel spotlighted the soaring cost of health care for the surge of illegal immigrants crossing the U.S. southern frontier.

In 2022, U.S. officials encountered more than 2 million illegal migrants trying to cross into the United States. This represents a considerable spike since 2021, with 1.7 million encounters.

According to Trenschel, many of these illegal immigrants require extensive hospital stays. On average, the doctor said they cost up to three times more in human resources to resolve their cases and provide a safe discharge.

Some [illegal] migrants come with minor ailments, but many of them come in with significant disease, Trenschel said during the hearing.

Many Illegal Migrants Very Sick

Weve had migrants patients on dialysis, cardiac catheterization, and in need of heart surgery. Many are very sick.

Trenschel is the president and CEO of the Yuma Regional Medical Center in Arizona. His 406-bed hospital is the only acute care facility within a three-hour drive, making it the obvious choice for illegal immigrants in the area suffering from health problems.

Yuma is a town within striking distance of the Mexican border and has just under 100,000 residents in the city. For comparison, Trenschel noted more than 300,000 illegal aliens had crossed the border near his town in the past year.

And in that 12-month window, the Yuma Regional Medical Center has accrued more than $26 million in unpaid medical services to illegal immigrants.

Though this isnt a new problem.

One 2018 estimate for the cost of services provided to 3.9 million uninsured illegal immigrants totaled $4.6 billion in care funded by U.S. tax dollars.

Long-Term Complications

Many of these arent quick-fix emergency room visits either.

Some who cross the U.S. southern border suffer from exposure-related concerns like dehydration, but Trenchel says many of the people treated at his facility have long-term complications of chronic disease that havent been cared for.

He says many illegal migrants who enter the country and need medical assistance end up staying in the ICU ward for 60 days or more.

A large portion of the patients is pregnant women whove had little to no prenatal treatment. This has resulted in excess babies being born requiring neonatal care for 30 days or longer.

In response, legislator Mark Green (R-Tenn.) said, With 4.7 million [illegal] migrants who need health care, everyone pays higher insurance premiums as this care has ultimately got to be paid for.

Its also an unsustainable business model, according to Trenschel.

Auxiliary Support Not Paid For

No business or service can survive ongoing large-scale expense without any offsetting revenue, he said.

Trenschel added that the $26 million in unpaid medical services to illegal immigrants didnt include all auxiliary support provided.

He noted his facility has had to pay for hospital transfers, hotels, emergency air transport, car seats, and more just to get patients out the door and free up hospital beds.

None of these expenses are included in the $26-million-dollar figure, Trenschel said.

The doctors testimony is an echo heard more frequently in recent months as the migration crisis at the U.S. southern border continues to escalate.

Other states struggling with the burden of unpaid medical bills in the wake of illegal immigrant health care include Florida, California, and Texas.
In Black History Month Speeches, Biden and Harris Talk Equity, American History

Critical race theory the backdrop as top Democrats outline results

U.S. President Joe Biden speaks during an event in the East Room of the White House marking Black History Month in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 27, 2023. Also pictured is U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris (L) and DuWayne Portis Jr., High School Senior and Youth Leader at Chicago Youth Service Corps. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris delivered remarks at a Feb. 27 Black History Month reception, seeking to position themselves as defenders of American history amid national furor over critical race theory (CRT).

Let us all be clearwe will not as a nation build a better future for America by trying to erase Americas past, Harris said.

This month, and all year round, we must recognize the full arc of our nations history.

I cant just choose to learn what we want to know. We learn what we should know. We have to learn everythingthe good, the bad, the truth, Biden said.

Their comments come as Americans of all colors trade views over history and the current relevance of race in the country.

A Feb. 23 insider report, released exclusively to The Epoch Times, revealed that the University of Florida has concealed the scope of its programs on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), which encompasses CRT.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis took on actions to limit CRT in classrooms, citing its discriminatory classroom instruction, through moves that include the April 2022 Stop WOKE Act.

DeSantis hosted his own Black History Month reception just days ago.

In late 2020, former President Donald J. Trump signed an executive order targeting race-based ideology in workplace diversity trainings.

Biden reversed that executive order as soon as he entered the White House.

Meanwhile, Hollywood actor Bryan Cranston said in a Feb. 26 CNN interview that CRT is imperative for the classroom.

Pursuit of Equity and Black Female Judges Touted

For decades, black American voters have overwhelmingly supported Democrats.

Both Biden and Harris outlined some of the results of that backing, including through their focus on equity in place of equality.

Although the term is vague, equity generally translates to greater equality of outcome in place of equal opportunity.

Harris spoke of the need to address not inequality, but inequities.

Biden, for his part, said the last two years of his administration marked progress to lay the foundation for a stronger, more resilient, more equitable economy.

Equity, he added, is at the center of everything we do.

Biden noted that he was using his presidential power to give more federal contracts to people who arent white.

By 2025, were gonna increase to 15 percent of every single contract I award as president of the United States will go to black and brown small businesses, he said.

To deliver equal justice under the law, were building a federal bench with judges that reflect all of America, led by Ketanji Brown Jackson, Biden said.

He noted that he had explicitly promised to make a black woman his first Supreme Court nominee and to make a black woman his vice president.

A Feb. 3 analysis on Twitter from Jeremy Carl, senior fellow at the conservative think tank The Claremont Institute, pointed out that Biden has nominated 22 black women and 5 white men to the federal judiciarynumbers well out of proportion to their shares of the total U.S. population and of high scorers on the Law School Admission Test (LSAT).

White men were 27 [percent] of Biden voters and likely the provided majority of Bidens fundingyet they are almost absent from leadership. NONE of Bidens twenty-five cabinet-level positions is filled by someone of white Protestant background, Carl noted in the same thread.

Weve appointed more black women to the federal circuit courts than every other president in history combined, Biden said, crediting Sen Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) for his contributions to that race-baced achievement.

Biden praised his own team as the most diverse administration in history.

Black unemployment is near record lows, he also said.

Black unemployment hit a record low under former President Donald Trump.

In a back-and-forth with the crowd, Biden pointed out House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), the first black party leader in U.S. history, as well as the presidents of the Divine Nine, an organization of historically black fraternities and sororities.

I may be a white boy, but Im not stupid. I know where the power is, he joked in reference to the Divine Nine.

We have to keep goingwere not finished yet, Biden said, asking the audience members to remind their communities why they should continue supporting his administration.
Young and old alike discover the wonders of sending messagesthe old-fashioned way

Im a very lucky person. Several years ago, I was asked to be a reenactor at the Ashland, New Hampshire, railroad station. Its now a museum, and each summer and fall, other reenactors and myself treat visitors to a trip in a time machine.

This is the Ashland, N.H., railroad station museum as of September 2022. It was a grand autumn afternoon. (Courtesy of Tim Carter)

Im the stations telegrapher, replete with sleeve socks, black paisley vest, electric-blue paisley bow tie, and period visor. Ive been told my mustache adds a delightful finishing touch to the illusion.

You cant believe how humbled I am to sit at the same desk where real railroad telegraphers listened to the telegraph sounder and then transmitted replies for nearly 100 years.

The Ashland station opened in 1849 and professional telegraph operators kept the trains running safely by sending and receiving messages to/from other stations up and down the railroad tracks.

You can get a fantastic book right here about the history of the Boston, Concord, & Montreal RR that describes the full history. Youll also discover the fierce competition between small railroads in New Hampshire in the early days of railroads. Just like today many businessmen, if not all, made shady deals with politicians to get charters to start their railroads. (Courtesy of Tim Carter)

Stopping in Ashland

The scenic railroad that operates on the historic Boston, Concord & Montreal Railroad line does weekend five-hour fall foliage trips from late September until Columbus Day in October. The round trip originates out of the Meredith, New Hampshire, station south of Ashland, New Hampshire.

The train departs from the Meredith station about 10:30 a.m. heading north toward Plymouth, New Hampshire. It passes the Ashland station but doesnt stop. Once the train arrives in Plymouth, the passengers exit the train and eat a relaxing buffet lunch inside a cozy restaurant.

On the return trip to Meredith, the train makes its stop at the Ashland station. Passengers are encouraged to get off the train to chat with the women in their stunning huge hoop dresses and bonnets as well as men and children dressed in period clothing. They also wander inside the restored train station to view all of the fascinating railroad memorabilia.

Jim Cluett (L), the conductor for the scenic train, with reenactors (LR) Winnifred in the white dress, John in the straw hat and crimson vest, and Sue in her stunning red dress and goldenrod wool coat. (Courtesy of Tim Carter) This is just a small part of the historic memorabilia collection inside the station. (Courtesy of Tim Carter)

While inside the station, theyre also treated to me sending Morse code just like the telegraphers of old. If the chatter from the passengers isnt too loud, my Morse drifts out the open station door to the platform.

On Sunday, Sept. 25, 2022, I was all dressed up waiting for the train to glide into the Ashland station on the well-worn iron rails. The trains conductor provides a short 20-minute stop in Ashland just after 2 p.m. Ashland is about halfway between Plymouth and Meredith.

Carter in the fall of 2021 with his new black paisley vest. The sleeve socks and visor complete the costume. (Courtesy of Tim Carter)

Kaylee and Her Mom

Last Sunday was unusual as I felt not many passengers got off the train to look around. When they walk into the station, the telegraphers office is immediately to the right, and most people are polite and just pop their heads in the open door to see the source of the dihs and dahs resonating throughout the historic building.

The door into the telegraphers office is open on the right side of this photo. You can see into the office looking through the service window on the clipped corner. (Courtesy of Tim Carter)

Im always looking out the window to try to spy any children who might be on the trip. While doing a ham radio demonstration about six years ago at a STEM school event with my Morse mentor Jim Cluett, W1PID, we discovered quite by accident that kids delight in hearing their name sent in Morse code.

Hi! Whats your name? I said. Standing at the doorway with her eyes nearly as big as her oversized eyeglasses was a young girl with long brunette hair. The rhythm of me sending Morse must have captivated her like a sirens song does a seafarer.

She was wearing a warm hoodie sweatshirt as autumn was in the air. My guess is this young lady was no more than 10 years old. Standing next to her was her mom.

Its Kaylee.

Such a beautiful name! Would you like to hear what it sounds like in Morse code? Help me spell it so I get it right.

Sure! K A Y L E Eits got two es, she said with a smile as big as the throbbing locomotive idling just down the tracks.

As often happens, Kaylee was drawn into the station by the sound of the Morse code like Im pulled into my kitchen by the intoxicating aroma of my wifes delicious fresh vegetable soup.

Kaylees eyes were laser focused on my right hand as I pounded brass with my Kent straight key. She reminded me of what our house cats look like when theyve cornered a mouse thats trying to set up home before a long New Hampshire winter.

Carters Kent straight key is in the bottom of the photo. A real key used by the telegraphers sitting at this exact desk is near the window. (Courtesy of Tim Carter)

Going Slow

Some adults love to hear their names in Morse, too. Just before sending each letter, I tell them what Im about to send so they can hear how unique each letter sounds. I then send it in real time as if I was pushing a telegram update to a friend or relative at a distant station through the miles of copper wire that used to hang beside the tracks.

Heres a re-creation of what I said to Kaylee:

As soon as I stopped sending it, her face reminded me of my own children on Christmas morning. The entire station was ablaze with Kaylees happiness. Her mom was also glowing like a pile of coal in a steam locomotives firebox.

Oh my gosh, that was so cool! Thanks for doing that. Kaylee started asking questions faster than water shoots from a firehose. I answered each one and shared that in less than one month she could easily memorize the entire alphabet.

Kaylee, how about you try to send a few letters?

Can I?

Why, of course!

I then had her send a K and an A, as those are both pretty simple letters in Morse code. She wanted to keep pressing down on the straight key as if it were a doorbell, so I had to show her how to hold the straight-key knob with her two fingers and thumb.

Moments later the train conductor, my Morse code mentor, Jim, called, All aboard! He was out on the platform, and it was time for the train to depart back to Meredith.

Kaylees mom asked for a photo of Kaylee and me, we said our goodbyes, and they both disappeared out the door.

I Want to Send Your Name

Moments later, Kaylee was back in the telegraphers office.

I want to send your name! Can you show me how?

You can imagine my surprise to see her. I glanced up and saw Jim standing just outside the office door with a huge smile on his face. He wasnt going to release the train until the magic happened.

In case you dont know it, a train engineer cant move a train until such time as the conductor gives the order. Jims grin telegraphed to me that I might have just created the next new young ham radio operator.

OK, my name is really easy. Its T I M. Its just one dash or dah, two dots or dihs, and two dashes or dahs. Close your eyes and listen closely. Remember, Morse is auditory. You learn Morse the same way your mom taught you to talk. You just hear the distinct sounds.

I looked at her face to make sure her eyes were closed tight and said, Im going to send my name slowly three times. Focus on the spacing and concentrate on each letter.

Kaylee did exactly as I had requested. It was now her turn. She grasped the Kent key knob just right and started pounding her first bits of brass.

The first time she tried, it was a little sloppy. But the second time was perfect.

Great job, Kaylee! That was excellent! Youre going to have a great fist!

Kaylees face said it all and she rushed out the door past Jim, hopping up onto the train. I was beaming myself as I was sure a new CW operator had just been born.

I walked out to the platform to wave to her as the train chugged away and she leaned out an open window, slapping my hand with a high five.

The Highlight of the Trip

The next day, Jim called me with news.

As I was walking down the aisle of the train the little girls mother stopped me. She told me that your demonstration of Morse was the highlight of the entire weekend trip. In fact, while they were still on the train, Kaylees mom went to Amazon and purchased an inexpensive Morse oscillator so Kaylee can start to practice.

I dont know that it gets any better than this. Its possible that moment in time in the Ashland railroad station may be tattooed in four minds for the rest of our lives.

Its my hope that I hear from Kaylee or her mom one day. I did give her mom one of my business cards, so well see what happens.

Spending that time with Kaylee was magical for me, too. I came home so excited about it, I shared the entire story with my wife, Kathy. Being a mom, she got it right away. Kathys got no interest in Morse, but shes all about making kids happy.

Originally published on the W3ATB blog.
Invitation from 1952: A Melodrama About Lies and Love

Commentary

One letter in the mail can disrupt your whole world. Invitation is a classic film that explores this premise by focusing on one womans happy life, which is based on love and lies. Starring Van Johnson, Dorothy McGuire, and Ruth Roman, its a dramatic MGM film from 1952 directed by Gottfried Reinhardt, a German-born filmmaker whose father, Max, and brother, Wolfgang, were also in the production end of show business.

Just about everybody has seen some old movie at some point in his life, even if only a few clips. Movies like Casablanca, The Wizard of Oz, Singin in the Rain, Citizen Kane, and Gone with the Wind have entered the fiber of American culture since they were originally released 70 to 85 years ago. These few famous examples dont even scratch the surface, however, of the amazing body of films Hollywood produced during its Golden Era, specifically 1934-1954. During these miraculous twenty years, Hollywood followed the moral guidelines of the Motion Picture Production Code, which were carefully enforced by Joseph I. Breen at the Production Code Administration (PCA). The result was movies that were vital and entertaining yet tasteful and subtle. Whether you enjoy comedy, drama, Westerns, adventure, war, tragedy, or romance, there is a wealth of obscure Code masterpieces which are now readily available, just waiting to be discovered.

Invitation is just such a film. It isnt listed on any Top 10, 50, or even 100 list of the greatest movies of all time. It wasnt even a financial success when it was originally released. However, the exceptional acting and the thought-provoking story make it a captivating film that deserves attention.

Cropped screenshot of Dorothy McGuire from the trailer for the film Gentlemans Agreement from 1947. (Public Domain)

A Stirring Story

This movie focuses on the life and loves of Ellen Bowker Pierce (McGuire). She is a happily married woman who lives with her beloved husband, Dan (Johnson), in a beautiful house in Connecticut. She has a dutiful maid, Agnes (Lisa Golm), to help her around the house, and an adoring, wealthy father (Louis Calhern) who showers her with gifts. Life is beautiful for Ellen. Her existence was very different just a year earlier, however. As we see in flashbacks throughout the film, she was a lonely old maid whose fathers love and money couldnt fill the emptiness she felt, because she was resigned to permanent spinsterhood. Despite her fathers arguments to the contrary, Ellen was convinced that no man would ever love her, because she was plain and suffered from a heart disorder, brought on by rheumatic fever as a child; this mysterious condition prevented her from engaging in physical activities and forced her to rest frequently.

Ellens life changed suddenly when Dan, a shiftless but handsome young man Ellen had known and admired her whole life, started paying romantic attentions to her. He persuaded her that, although he had been seeing her best friend, Maude Redwick (Roman), he had fallen in love with her. After recovering from the initial shock, Ellen accepted Dans proposal of marriage. However, she was disturbed by Maudes threats at the wedding that she would get Dan back in about a year. Still, she tried to forget her bitter friends cruel words. Mr. Bowker paid for a beautiful honeymoon and wonderful home for his daughter and her new husband, whom he also set up in business as an architect. Their life was blissful.

Back in the present, things take a strange turn as their first year of marriage nears its end. After visiting her father, she stops in to see Maude, who returns her attempt at reconciliation by taunting her that Dan just married her for her fathers money and repeating her vow to win Dan back soon. Ellen is deeply disturbed by her words, and Dans reassurances cant shake her conflicted suspicions. More clues point to only one year of happiness for her marriage. Finally, she receives an invitation to an event, which is the last piece of the puzzle she needs to determine the truth. Is her whole happy life with Dan based on a lie?

Cropped screenshot of Van Johnson from the trailer for the film High Barbaree in 1947. (Public Domain)

Acceptable Drama

The Invitation wouldnt be classified as a family film today. Many Code films wouldnt have been rated G by the modern rating system. Why not? In PCA-approved films, which was all Hollywood movies, there was no profanity, no blasphemy, no excessive violence, no indecent costuming, no obscene content, nothing more than the subtle suggestion of amorous immorality, and no wrongdoing without punishment. They also never included the sort of rude gags and bathroom humor common in G-rated films. The reason modern raters wouldnt consider them suitable for the General classification is that many Code films include mature, serious topics, which are now deemed too sophisticated for younger viewers. However, the Code helped Hollywood perfect the art of implication, allowing mature audiences to infer the subtle details while younger viewers remained blissfully innocent. Using this brilliant system of compromise and moderation, the film industry was able to produce movies which handle emotionally challenging and dramatic topics while remaining decent enough for all ages and sensibilities to enjoy.

Although all the actors are excellent, this is really Dorothy McGuires picture, since the story happens to Ellen. For years, I only knew this talented actress as the loving mother in two 1960s live-action Disney classics, Swiss Family Robinson and Summer Magic. Ive just realized in recent years that she was a popular leading lady in the 1940s and 50s. Before Invitation, she had huge successes with films like A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (1945) and Gentlemans Agreement (1947). As Ellen, she shows us the exquisite joy of a woman who finally finds love after years of thinking she would never know the happiness of marriage and a home of her own. She is so sweet, gentle, and selfless that she feels guilty for grieving her father with her infirmity. As the film progresses, she grows increasingly desperate as her life unravels before her eyes. She gives a very raw performance, making us truly believe she is this woman who feels betrayed by those she loved and trusted most.

Van Johnson was the clean scrubbed boy next door in many of his 1940s movies. Whether starring opposite June Allyson or playing a wholesome war hero, he flourished in comedies and lighthearted romantic fare. However, from his early days of stardom, he showed a powerful dramatic talent, which you might not expect from a man dubbed The Bobbysoxers Sweetheart. He shows this talent in Invitation as Dan, a very multi-faceted character. Although he always gives a bright smile to Ellen, it fades to a furrowed look of concern as soon as he turns away from her. Is he just worried about her heart condition? Is he concerned that she gets needlessly upset over small things? Could he be hiding something, perhaps about Maude? His intense performance keeps us guessing about his characters motivation for most of the film.

Cropped screenshot of Louis Calhern from the trailer for the film Woman Wanted in 1935. (Public Domain)

A Fathers Love

Simon Bowker, Ellens father, is a very important character in this story. He doesnt have as much screentime as the two leading characters, but his actions motivate much of the plot. Hes a millionaire, but he would give away all his money if it would make his daughter healthy and happy. Hes been a widower for years, so hes lavished all his attention and affection on his only child for years. He adores his daughter so much that he goes to perhaps questionable lengths to put his love into action. This role is embodied with seriousness and care by the great actor Louis Calhern. His performance in this part is a beautiful tribute to a fathers love.

This films theme song is a hauntingly beautiful melody. It was first written by Bronislau Kaper for MGMs A Life of Her Own two years earlier. After being reused in Invitation, it became a jazz standard under the same title as the film. Theres something about film scoring from the 1940s and 50s that strikes the perfect balance between classical music and popular ballads, creating the perfect mood music.

I encourage you to see Invitation if you enjoy stirring, emotional dramas you can watch without cringing at bad language, blushing at suggestive content, or looking away from violent imagery. Its a well-acted, sophisticated romance which those who appreciate the elegance of classic cinema will appreciate.
Lawmaker Sees Moonshot Moment for All-Out Effort to Propel US Tech, Fight China Threat

Witnesses testifying before a U.S. House of Representatives Committee were, from L: Kelvin Droegemeier, Deborah Wince-Smith, Kim Budil, and Klon Kitchen, during a hearing on Capitol Hill on Feb. 28, 2023. (Janice Hisle/The Epoch Times via screenshot of video)

While fending off Chinese efforts to steal American technology remains top-of-mind, some lawmakers are excited about the recent scientific breakthrough involving fusion energy.

It feels like this is a moonshot moment for us, U.S. Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.) told fellow members of a congressional committee examining Chinas technology threat.

U.S. Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.), in an undated photo. (Courtesy of the U.S. House of Representatives)

And, we need a moonshot-style national effort to make fusion energy a reality, he said at a Feb 28 hearing on Capitol Hill.

Lets move Heaven and Earth, an all-of-government approach, [with the] private sector. This is our moonshot moment.

After a witness suggested he felt like applauding, Bowman said, Are we allowed to clap in a hearing room? I think we should clap.

Bowman then led the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology in a round of applause for accomplishments at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.

A 60-year research effort paid off in December. That [was] the first time in history that more fusion energy has been produced than the energy required to drive the experiment, laboratory director Kim Budil told the committee.

Long-term Plan Needed

But the celebration of that achievement came with cautionary notes. Witnesses and lawmakers described significant challenges during the hearing entitled The United States, China, and the Fight for Global Leadership: Building a U.S. National Science and Technology Strategy

The laboratorys successful experiment, which the Epoch Times detailed previously, carries critical applications for national security, Budil said.

The prospects for energy are real, she said, and they will require a whole-of-nation, private sector, public sector, community-based approach to advancing the science and technology here.

The Livermore experiments decades-long journey to success shows that the U.S. needs a long-term plan for propelling its technology into the future, said Kelvin Droegemeier, a former director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.

Kelvin Droegemeier, former director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. (Courtesy of Kelvin Droegemeier via the U.S. House of Representatives)

Although a four-year plan has advanced, a longer-range, 25-year outlook is neededfree of politics, Drogemeier said.

He said one of our nations biggest strengths is its free-enterprise system and the interlocking nature of academia, industry, nonprofits, and the federal government.

Its not perfect. Its kind of clunky at times, but it works exceptionally well because the government does its role, but they leave to the scientific and the research community, the rest of the decision-making and what the priorities ought to be. And where the innovation actually happens, Drogemeier said.

That freedom is something that is super-attractive, and its one of the most important attributes that we have as a nation to wield against China in what it seeks to do in terms of global dominance.

Avoiding Valley of Death

Deborah Wince-Smith, president and CEO of the Council on Competitiveness, described several examples of how American innovations have been caught in a valley of death. That term is often used when great ideas fail to be developed into usable products because they are stranded in the lab, the National Institute of Standards and Technology has stated.

She said that better coordination is needed among universities, government, and businesses to avoid that problem.

Wince-Smith noted that China has openly declared that it intends to overtake the United States as the worlds technological leader and become the dominant economic, military, and geopolitical power.

China wants to shape the foundation, the standards, and the rules of the new age of innovation, she said.

To stop that, America must make long-term, large-scale investments in its people and infrastructure, Wince-Smith said.

If that doesnt happen, the nation will be crippled in its efforts to create high-value jobs and solve societal and environmental problems, she warned. And very importantly, we will erode our geopolitical leadership and seriously damage our national security capabilities and power, she said.

Deborah Wince-Smith, President and CEO of the Council on Competitiveness, speaks to a congressional committee on Capitol Hill on Feb. 28, 2023. (Janice Hisle/The Epoch Times via video screenshot)

Washington vs. Beijing

Klon Kitchen, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, said American science and technology continues to be the envy of the world.

To maintain that standing, the nation must confront Chinese technological theft and aggression head-on, he said.

Beijing, like Washington, understands that emerging technologies like artificial intelligence, advanced robotics, and quantum science will decisively shape tomorrows societies, economies, and battlefields, said Kitchen.

Chinese leader Xi Jinping (R) talks to former president Hu Jintao as he is assisted to leave from the closing ceremony of the 20th Chinese Communist Partys Congress at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Oct 22, 2022. (Noel Celis/AFP via Getty Images)

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is harnessing its innovation industry and using it as an extension of the state for traditional and economic espionage, he said.

As FBI Director Christopher Wray has pointed out, Kitchen said Chinese intellectual property theft surpasses every other nation combined and represents one of the largest transfers of wealth in human history.

The U.S. science and innovation enterprise, which spans the public and private sectors, is hemorrhaging data and intellectual property, Kitchen said, and will be left decimated if these losses are not stopped.

Klon Kitchen, Senior Fellow, American Enterprise Institute, testifies at a congressional hearing on Feb. 28, 2023. (Janice Hisle/The Epoch Times via video screenshot)

He suggests that the United States begin to strongly enforce its intellectual property rights and laws internationally.

By allowing Chinese technology companies in the U.S. marketplace, we are being willingly robbed blind daily, Kitchen said.

Im not accusing every Chinese-origin technology company of being malevolent. They dont need to be malevolent; they simply need to be compliant with Chinese law, he said.

Chinese law, he said, is explicit and very clear  they require that every bit and byte of data that is collected by, transferred, stored on, or any other way touches a Chinese network must be provided to the CCP.

We need to recognize that and confront it, Kitchen said. If we want to begin to protect not only our intellectual property, and our individual data, there are some pretty obvious doors that we need to close.

Allies Help is Needed

The nation also must help our allies understand that a strategy of regulate first and ask questions later will hurt, not help, all of us, vis-a-vis the Chinese, he said.

Pushing the frontiers of science and pioneering game-changing technologies is expensive. The resources and talent to do these things are precious and desperately scarce, Kitchen said.

He said American companies that have succeeded in this realm should not be criticized for becoming too big. Instead, Kitchen said we should be thankful that our free-market economy has fueled those companies expansions.

This uniquely American advantage may well be decisive in an era of escalating geopolitical competition. It would be reckless to give it away.
Liberal MP Denies Allegations in Report That He Was a Witting Affiliate in Chinas Election Interference Network

Han Dong, now a federal MP, celebrating with supporters as a provincial Liberal candidate in the Toronto area on May 22, 2014. (Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press)

Liberal MP Han Dong is denying allegations in a Global News report that Prime Minister Justin Trudeaus office was warned by intelligence officials that Dong was part of a Chinese foreign interference network.

The Feb. 24 report by Global News cited unnamed national security sources saying that the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) believes Dong to be a witting affiliate in Chinas election interference networks and advised the Trudeau team to rescind Dongs candidacy.

Dong went on to be elected MP for Torontos Don Valley North riding in 2019, and was reelected in 2021.

In a statement posted on his Twitter account on Feb. 27, Dong said that all the procedures and processes related to his campaign and political career have been continually, transparently and publicly reported as required.

As a Member of Parliament I have the utmost regard for the integrity of our democratic institutions and electoral processes, he said.

I strongly reject the insinuations in media reporting that allege I have played a role in offshore interference in these processes and will defend myself vigorously against such inaccurate and irresponsible claims that come from an unverified and anonymous source.

He said that his nomination and campaign teams have found no indication of any irregularities or compliance issues regarding my candidacy or election.

Please see my statement below. Thank you. pic.twitter.com/5RADk5hDF7  Han Dong (@handongontario) February 27, 2023

Dong, who moved to Canada with his parents in the 1990s, also said as part of his response to the allegations that minorities have been marginalized in Canada when it comes to politics.

Many of my constituents come from racialized and cultural communities, who have been historically marginalized from politics. In my career I have engaged and encouraged them to participate in Canadas democracy, Dong wrote.

Allegations

The allegations in the the Global News report include that Dong made frequent calls to Chinese officials and was considered a close friend of the Toronto Consulate.

The report also cites an intelligence official as saying that Dong met with a United Front Work Department (UFWD) official in New York state while CSIS was investigating Beijings 2019 election interference. The UFWD is a Chinese Communist Party body that is used to stifle criticism, infiltrate foreign political parties, diaspora communities, universities and multinational corporations, according to a post by Public Safety Canada citing research by think tanks.

During the 2019 election campaign, buses loaded with Chinese international students with fake addresses were allegedly brought into the Dong Valley North riding and coerced to vote for Dongs candidacy for the Liberals, Global News reported.

Global News added that according to CSIS, Dong was a close contact of former Ontario cabinet minister Michael Chan, who is a target of CSIS. Chan, who is now deputy mayor for Markham, Ontario, was allegedly the subject of a CSIS warning to the Ontario government for being under foreign influence, reported the Globe and Mail. Chan has sued the Globe for its reporting.

Chan, who is now deputy mayor of Markham, said on Twitter on Feb. 25 that the Global News report is an overflowing basket of lies and malicious insinuations.

Chan and Dong havent responded to requests for comment from The Epoch Times.

Trudeau was asked about the allegations at a press conference on Feb. 27, but didnt answer multiple questions on the issue directly, instead commenting on racism.

One of the things weve seen, unfortunately over the past years, is a rise in anti-Asian racism linked to the pandemic, and concerns being raised or arising around peoples loyalties, he said.

Omid Ghoreishi and Noe Chartier contributed to this report.
Man With Knife Shot Dead at Sydney Police Station

A man who stabbed a cleaner at a western Sydney train station just minutes before bursting through the doors of a nearby police station has been shot dead.

The 32-year-old launched a random and frenzied attack on the Auburn Railway Station cleaner just minutes after midnight on Tuesday.

He stabbed the 28-year-old worker in the arm before slashing him across the hip.

Assistant Commissioner Stuart Smith says the pair did not know each other and the unprovoked attack happened without warning.

The cleaner was just going about his duties, he told reporters.

He just happened to be the first person who was inside the turnstiles and was set upon without motive.

Four minutes later, the attacker, still brandishing a knife, launched through the doors of Auburn Police Station, charging toward two officers who shot him twice in the chest with a pistol and again with a taser.

He was rushed to Westmead Hospital where he was pronounced dead an hour later.

Mr Smith says the situation was traumatic for all involved and officers were forced to take action within seconds to avoid being attacked.

The CCTV footage is highly concerning, he said.

It would have been a stressful situation for the officers. They had no alternative but to respond.

He launches through the glass doors at the officers and they have little time to react.

Police are investigating the incident with counterterrorism staff but have assured the public the man was acting alone.

The attacker, who had come to Australia from India in 2019 on a student visa, had previously interacted with police during the pandemic when law enforcement knocked on doors to ensure western Sydney residents were complying with lockdown restrictions.

None of the interactions were related to criminal or mental health interventions.

The train station cleaner remains in a stable condition in hospital.

Police are yet to establish a motive for the attack.
CHISINAU, MoldovaMoldovas intelligence agency said Monday that two foreign nationals who posed as tourists have been expelled from the country and banned from returning for 10 years after they were caught carrying out subversive actions to destabilize Moldova.

The Intelligence and Security Service, SIS, said in a statement that the pair were trained in data and information gathering for the implementation of a plan to destabilize the internal situation in the country, to provoke what it described as violent change to Moldovas constitutional order.

The SIS did not state when the foreign nationals arrived in Moldova, which countries they were from, or for whom they were allegedly working.

The agency said the pair carried out subversive actions that included investigating various locations near government offices and critical infrastructure, and that they were coordinated from the shadows by a group of individuals affiliated with a conspiratorial network of overseas political technology and social engineering experts.

The SIS added that the foreign nationals were actively monitoring and documenting social and political processes in Moldova, including protests it said were organized in the capital by certain political forces.

Moldovas President Maia Sandu speaks to the media after casting her vote in a snap parliamentary election, in Chisinau, Moldova, on July 11, 2021. Moldovan citizens vote in a key snap parliamentary election that could decide whether the former Soviet republic fully embraces pro-Western reform or prolongs a political impasse with strong Russian influence. (AP Photo/Aurel Obreja)

Last Sunday, several thousand anti-government protesters rallied in the capital, Chisinau, to demand the new government fully cover energy bills amid a cost-of-living crisis. They also demanded that pro-Western President Maia Sandu step down.

The protest was organized by a recently formed group called Movement for the People and supported by members of Moldovas Kremlin-friendly SOR Partylead by Ilan Mironovich Sor (Shor) in its early days as part of the socio-political movement Equalitywhich holds six seats in the former Soviet republics 101-seat legislature.

The SIS statement Monday also came after Sandu outlined on Feb. 13 what she claimed was an alleged plot by Moscow to overthrow the government in order to put the nation at the disposal of Russia and to derail it from its course to one day join the European Union.

Through violent actions, masked under protests of the so-called opposition, the change of power in Chisinau would be forced, she said. In carrying out the plan, the authors rely on several internal forces, but especially on criminal groups such as the Shor formation and all of its derivatives.

Sandu said that the purported Kremlin plot envisioned attacks on government buildings, hostage-takings, and other violent actions by groups of saboteurs. The Kremlin has rejected those claims.

In June, Moldova, a country of about 2.6 million people, was granted EU candidate status, the same day as Ukraine.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
National Broadcaster to Re-Train Journalists on Impartiality After Pressure Over Inaccurate Alice Springs Report

An employee walks past the logo of the ABC located at the main entrance to the ABC building located at Ultimo in Sydney, Australia, on June 5, 2019. (AAP/David Gray)

Reporters from Australias national broadcaster, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), will undergo impartiality training when covering news about the controversial Indigenous Voice proposal.

The move comes after the countrys largest taxpayer-funded media outline faced heavy backlash for its reports on the Alice Springs community meeting in January, which its Ombudsman office has ruled as not impartial and not accurate.

According to an internal email to staff on Monday obtained by The Australian, journalists will be attending a deep-dive session into impartiality to make sure a diversity of views are presented in the report.

The guidelines warned reporters against favouring one opinion over another while at the same time avoiding the unjustified use of stereotypes or discriminatory content.

The email also stated that the ABC takes no editorial stance other than its commitment to fundamental democratic principles including the rule of law, freedom of speech and religion, parliamentary democracy and equality of opportunity.

Editorial policy manager Mark Male and editorial policy adviser Bridget Caldwell-Bright will chair the session.

It was, however, unclear whether the impartiality training also covered other issues or only focused on the Voice.

ABCs editorial policies stated that the media outlet aims to present, over time, content that addresses a broad range of subjects from a diversity of perspectives reflecting a diversity of experiences, presented in a diversity of ways from a diversity of sources.

Impartiality does not require that every perspective receives equal time, nor that every facet of every argument is presented, the ABC notes.

Past Accusation Of Impartiality

Despite its stated commitment to accurate and unbiased reporting, the ABC has come under pressure over the past few years for its coverage of controversial topics such as climate change, Indigenous affairs, religious discrimination or gender identity.

In late January, ABC apologised for its incomplete coverage of an Alice Springs town meeting, in which locals worried about escalating crime rates in the community were accused of being racist.

The ABCs flagship radio program AM on Jan. 31 featured interviews of people criticising the meeting as a white supremacist fest and describing the vibe as scary.

In a Senate estimates hearing on Tuesday, ABC managing director David Anderson admitted there were mistakes in the AM report and that it should not have gone to air.

I do think that the systems and processes we have in place did not pick up the issue with that story before it was included in the AM package, he said.

Liberal Senator and Shadow Minister for Communications Sarah Henderson, a former ABC journalist, said she would proceed to ask the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) to investigate the ABC over its Alice Springs coverage.

Reports by ABC Were Materially Misleading

In December 2022, the taxpayer-funded company was also accused by the ACMA of materially misleading audiences and inaccurately reporting on Fox News and its relationship with former U.S. President Donald Trump.

ABC described their report, titled Fox and the Big Liewhich aired on its Four Corner programas a special investigation into Rupert Murdochs Fox News and how the network promoted Donald Trumps propaganda and helped destabilise democracy in America.

However, in one case, ACMA found that ABC did not report on the role that social media played in inciting the Jan. 6 breach of the U.S. Capitol.

ACMA also discovered that one Fox News interviewee was not adequately informed about the way ABCs show would be presented.

Further, the broadcasters journalistic standards have also come under criticism from ex-soldier Heston Russell and Senator Jacinta Price, who have both claimed they were defamed in programs by the outlet.

In July 2020, the public broadcaster also ran an in-depth program on the Falun Dafa Association of Australiaa spiritual group severely persecuted and defamed by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) due to its popularity.

Falun Dafa, also known as Falun Gong, is a spiritual practice consisting of moral teachings based on the principles of truthfulness, compassion, and forbearance, along with a set of meditative exercises.

Since its introduction in China in 1992, the practice has attracted individuals from all walks of lifefrom high-ranking communist officials to rural villagersleading to an estimated 70 million to 100 million adherents across the country by the end of the decade.

Its surging popularity, however, was deemed by the communist regime as a threat to its control over society. In 1999, then-Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leader Jiang Zemin ordered a sweeping campaign to eradicate Falun Gong, resulting in millions of practitioners being thrown in detention facilities, where they are subjected to brainwashing, torture, or even killed for their organs under the CCPs prisoner organ harvesting regime.

After the ABCs report was broadcasted, the Chinese governments 610 Office quickly jumped on to promote the program on its website. The 610 Office is a Gestapo-like agency set up by former Chinese leader Jiang Zemin in 1999 as an extra-legal body to specifically target adherents of Falun Gong.

While very little public information is available about the office, including its chain of command, what is clear is that its activities arent confined to Chinas borders, according to a French think tank, the Institute for Strategic Studies of Military Schools.

Jessie Zhang and Frank Fang contributed to this report.
NATO Expansion Focus of Parliamentary Committee Trip to Europe to Study Ukraine

Canada's Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly arrives for the first day of the meeting of NATO Ministers of Foreign Affairs in Bucharest, Romania, Nov. 29, 2022. (The Canadian Press/AP-Andreea Alexandru)

Expanding the North Atlantic Treaty Organization has become a major focus of Parliaments foreign affairs committee as it tours several European countries to study the impact of the war in Ukraine, the committee chair said in an interview in Warsaw Sunday.

The committee members started their journey in Sweden last week and will end in Finlandtwo countries that are in the final stages of joining NATO.

We think that the eastern flank really has to be strengthened, said committee chair Ali Ehsassi.

Canada was the first NATO ally to approve Sweden and Finlands bids to join the organization, doing so through a unanimous vote in Parliament. The countries applied to join the military alliance just months after Russias invasion of Ukraine one year ago.

Their bids have stalled as they await approval from two holdout countries: Hungary and Turkey.

The committee members made a stop in Brussels to speak with NATO officials there about the importance of extending membership to the two countries and to reiterate Canadas staunch support.

Canada signed an agreement with Latvia in June to lead a NATO battlegroup in the country as an advanced forward presence along the Russian border.

Ehsassi said further requests to Canada from NATO are an ongoing discussion.

Were doing a superb job in Latvia, but we need to examine more ways in which we can assist, he said.

The committee has already published one interim report on the findings of their study of the war in Ukraine, but Ehsassi said it is important for members to travel abroad to speak to international allies.

The committee was invited by their counterparts in Ukraine to visit the country itself, but the request did not get the green light from the liaison committeethe parliamentary body responsible for approving the budget for the tripbecause of security concerns.

Theres no substitute for being on the ground, listening to Ukrainian parliamentarians, having those discussions, said Ehsassi, who already made a personal trip to the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv earlier this year.

The committee is also studying Canadian aid to Ukraine and keeping up with international best practices to support the embattled country.

The final report will bring together several elements of Canadas role in the conflict, including financial, military and humanitarian aid.

Weve had the opportunity to visit shelters, weve had the opportunity to meet with NGOs on the ground who are providing assistance, we are meeting with individuals who are operating in Ukraine itself, Ehsassi said.

I think its really, really important that we remain on top of developments in Ukraine, and that were up to date as to where some of those gaps are.

Members from various political parties on the committee put emphasis on different measures, but Ehsassi said all are united on the importance of maintaining staunch support for Ukraine against the Russian invasion.

As I like to put it, our differences come to an end at the waters edge when it comes to the issue of Ukraine, he said. Were all very much focused and very much committed to helping as best we can.
New Bill Would Protect American Sovereignty Against WHO: GOP Senators

Committee Chairman Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) questions Department of Justice Inspector General Michael Horowitz during a Senate Committee On Homeland Security And Governmental Affairs hearing at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Dec. 18, 2019. (Samuel Corum/Getty Images)

U.S. Sens. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) and Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) introduced legislation in the upper chamber this month that they say would be a safeguard of American sovereignty against the World Health Organization (WHO).

This legislation would require any convention or agreement resulting from the work of the [WHOs] intergovernmental negotiating body be deemed a treaty, requiring the advice and consent of a supermajority of the Senate, according to a Feb. 27 statement published on Blackburns website. The proposed legislation is named the No WHO Pandemic Preparedness Treaty Without Senate Approval Act.

The lawmakers statement was part of a longstanding effort of some Republicans to push back against what they call infringements on personal liberties and freedoms in the name of COVID-19 response.

Johnson introduced a previous version of the bill in the Senate on May 26, 2022. It was read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations, according to the Senates website. Johnson re-introduced the bill on Feb. 17, according to a statement on Johnsons website.

The legislation comes as the WHO continues to move the pandemic treaty process forward and is expected to formally present a draft to member states later this month, the statement reads.

Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) speaks during a Senate Judiciary Committee business meeting to vote on Supreme Court nominee Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson on Capitol Hill in Washington, on April 4, 2022. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images).

The WHO Agreement

The pandemic treaty in question is related to ongoing U.S.-WHO efforts to adopt additional international health measures after the COVID-19 pandemic started. A major part of these efforts is reflected in a draft agreement the WHO published on its website in February 2023 named WHO CA+ (pdf), which came as a product of a Strategic Dialogue between the United States and the WHO beginning in September 2022.

The agreement says it recognizes the central role of WHO as the directing and coordinating authority on pandemic-related international health work, including pandemic prevention, preparedness, response and health systems recovery at national, regional and international levels.

The WHO draft agreement also says the agreement should be legally binding and contain both legally binding as well as non-legally binding elements.

It is unclear, at least officially, how the WHO agreement would impact U.S. public health policy if passed.

Case precedents give Congress the authority to make and implement laws pursuant to treatiessuch as what would become the WHO agreementwhich can supersede state laws (Missouri v. Holland), and allow the U.S. President to sign legally binding executive agreements, with the force of treaties, with foreign nations without Senate consent (United States v. Belmont).

In recent decades, presidents have frequently entered the United States into international agreements without the advice and consent of the Senate. These are called executive agreements. Though not brought before the Senate for approval, executive agreements are still binding on the parties under international law, reads an explanation on the Senates website.

With their legislation proposed on Monday, the GOP lawmakers are proposing the requirement that any agreements, including executive agreements, made with the WHO are subject to approval of a supermajority, or two-thirds, of the Senate.

The WHO, along with our federal health agencies, failed miserably in their response to COVID-19. This failure should not be rewarded with a new international treaty that would increase the WHOs power at the expense of American sovereignty, Johnson wrote. Im proud to reintroduce this legislation to hold the WHO accountable for their failures and increase transparency for the American people. The sovereignty of the United States is not negotiable.

While the lawmakers assert that U.S. sovereignty will be impacted by the WHO agreement, the Biden administration denies that the WHOs agreement will give the international body any authority to direct U.S. health policy.

It is false to claim that the World Health Organization has now, or will have by virtue of these activities, any authority to direct U.S. health policy or national health emergency response actions, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services wrote in a statement to the press, referring to WHOs draft agreement. The WHO has no such enforcement mechanisms, and its non-binding recommendations to member states are just that: non-binding. Any associated actions at the national level will remain reserved to sovereign states, including the United States.

The WHO says the draft agreement, currently being negotiated by the 194 sovereign states that make up the WHO, allows the nations to make their own legislative and policy decisions.

Sovereignty remains squarely with the countries which are responsible for setting health policies for their citizens, a spokesperson for the WHO said in an emailed statement to The Epoch Times on Feb. 27. As with all international instruments, any new accord, if and when agreed by Member States, would be determined by governments themselves, who would take any action while considering their own national laws and regulations.

A sign outside World Health Organization headquarters in Geneva on Aug. 17, 2020. (Fabrice Coffrini/AFP via Getty Images)

Additional Comments

In the text of the proposed law (pdf), the lawmakers elaborated on why they believe the WHO mismanaged the pandemic, citing a letter that former President Donald Trump sent to the WHO in May 2020 before withdrawing from the agency, as well as further justifications for the proposed law.

President Trumps May 18 letter cited numerous instances of WHO mismanagement of the COVID-19 pandemic, including(A) unjustified delays informing member states about a potentially serious disease outbreak in Wuhan, China; and (B) repeatedly grossly inaccurate or misleading claims about the transmissibility of the virus and about the Government of Chinas handling of the outbreak, reads the proposed law.

Considering these factors, the legislation states, the Senate strongly prefers that any agreement related to pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response adopted by the World Health Assembly pursuant to the work of the [intergovernmental negotiating body (INB)] be considered a treaty requiring the advice and consent of the Senate, with two-thirds of Senators concurring, it continued. The World Health Assembly is the decision-making body of the WHO, and the INB is the body that drafted the WHOs agreement.

In the same statement, Blackburn echoed critics of the WHO who accuse the agency of abetting the Chinese regime in shedding accountability, as evidence mounted during the early stages of the pandemic that the pandemic could have initially spread from a laboratory in Wuhan, China.

The World Health Organization is a puppet for the Chinese Communist Party. Their mismanagement of the COVID-19 pandemic made it abundantly clear they should never have a say over Americas response to any crisis, wrote Blackburn in the Feb. 27 statement.

Its time for President Biden to put the rights of the American people ahead of the corrupt public health experts who are only interested in lining their pockets and amplifying Xi Jinpings propaganda, Blackburn continued.

Furthermore, Blackburn and Johnson pointed to a Feb. 26 Wall Street Journal article, which said that a classified intelligence report by the Energy Department judged that the virus most likely leaked from the Wuhan Institute of Virology. The Energy Departments conclusion, the lawmakers say, came after the Biden administration repeatedly denied this assessment for years.

After the Biden administrations failed COVID-19 response and the WHOs mismanagement of the pandemic, Americans remain skeptical of continuing infringements on personal liberties and freedoms, the lawmakers wrote. The legislation would provide more transparency in WHO agreements and a constitutional check on the administration.

Other co-sponsors of the bill include Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.), John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Mike Lee (R-Utah), Rick Scott (R-Fla.), John Hoeven (R-N.D.), Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Steve Daines (R-Mont.), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), Mike Braun (R-Ind.), Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.), Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) and Katie Britt (R-Ala.), according to the Feb. 27 statement.

The Epoch Times has contacted the White House for comment.
No Consensus in US Government Over COVID Origin: White House

Coordinator for Strategic Communications at the National Security Council John Kirby speaks during the daily press briefing at the White House in Washington, on Feb. 17, 2023. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

The Biden administration has continued to deny the conclusion of a Department of Energy report that the COVID-19 pandemic likely originated in a lab.

The Wall Street Journal reported Feb. 26 on a classified document the Energy Department sent to the White House and crucial members of Congress that concluded that it is likely COVID-19 leaked from a lab in China. There is low confidence in the conclusion, intelligence officials told WSJ and CNN. That conclusion means that the assessment cannot be said with absolute certainty.

The Department of Energy did not respond to The Epoch Times request for comment about the WSJ report. An Energy Department spokesperson did not confirm the classified documents existence but told WSJ and CNN that the department continues to support the thorough, careful, and objective work of our intelligence professionals in investigating the origins of COVID-19, as the president directed.

During a Feb. 27 White House press briefing, National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby and White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre asserted that there is no consensus in the U.S. government on the origin or origins of COVID.

If we have something that we believe can be reported to Congress and to the American people that were confident in, then we will absolutely do that, Kirby said.

We really do want to know what happened here. The president wants to make sure that were postured to prevent any future pandemics or, if not, prevent them to be able to get farther along ahead of them, he added. So were working very hard to understand this as best we can. Again, theres just no consensus across the government. The work continues. And Im not gonna get ahead of conclusions that have not been arrived at yet.

Jean-Pierre echoed national security adviser Jake Sullivans words that President Joe Biden wants to get to the conclusion of how COVID started.

On CNN, Sullivan said on Feb. 26 that there is a variety of views in the intelligence community. Some elements of the intelligence community have reached conclusions on one side, some on the other. A number of them have said they just dont have enough information to be sure.

Heres what I can tell you. President Biden has directed repeatedly every element of our intelligence community to put effort and resources behind getting to the bottom of this question. And one of the things in that Wall Street Journal report, which I cant confirm or deny, but I will say the reference to the Department of Energy, President Biden specifically requested that the National Labs, which are part of the Department of Energy, be brought into this assessment because he wants to put every tool at use to be able to figure out what happened here.

And if we gain any further insight or information, we will share it with Congress and we will share it with the American people. But, right now, there is not a definitive answer that has emerged from the intelligence community on this question.

Jean-Pierre also reiterated Kirbys words that there is no unanimous U.S. government agreement on how COVID started.

There has been no consensus, she said, adding that the intelligence community has been seeking to get to the bottom of how COVID began.
No Evidence US Weapons Being Diverted, Misused by Ukraine: Pentagon

Ukrainian service members are shown with an infantry fighting vehicle near the frontline town of Bakhmut, amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine, in the Donetsk region on Feb. 25, 2023. (Yan Dobronosov/Reuters)

Defense Department officials assured members of Congress on Feb. 28, that there was no evidence to suggest the misuse or diversion of weapons the United States had provided to aid Ukraine in its war with Russia.

The U.S. government has not seen credible evidence of any diversion of U.S. provided weapons outside of Ukraine, noted Celeste Wallander, assistant secretary of defense for International Security Affairs, at a hearing of the Defense Subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee.

Wallanders statement echoed remarks made earlier in the day by Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Colin Kahl at an oversight hearing of the House Armed Services Committee, during which he stressed that the Defense Department had seen no signs of diversion or that the Ukrainians are not following procedure.

Adding that Russian soldiers may have captured equipment on the battlefield, Kahl continued: This is an active war zone. There are always going to be things that you dont know are happening or you dont see. But we are not seeing any evidence of systemic diversion of the equipment that the United States has provided.

Aid Under Scrutiny

The officials comments come amid a bipartisan push on Capitol Hill for increased oversight of the spending of billions of dollars in aid the United States has provided to Ukraine over the past year.

American taxpayers deserve to know that their money is helping Ukraine defeat Putin effectively, and Congress needs to guarantee that oversight, Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) noted Tuesday while introducing legislation to establish a special inspector general to ensure that funds provided to Ukraine are appropriately spent.

The bill (pdf) would equip the special inspector general with $20 million of the funds already set aside for Ukraine to conduct oversight. The bill also includes a clause that would terminate the position once appropriations for Ukraine drop below $250 million per year.

The legislation is co-sponsored by Sens. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.), and Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.).

The United States continues to stand with the people of Ukraine, and by establishing a Special Inspector General for Ukrainian Assistance, we ensure accountability for Americans and Ukrainians as they defend their homes and freedoms from Russias illegal and unprovoked war, Sinema said.

Following President Joe Bidens surprise visit to Ukraine on Feb. 20, the administration announced additional actions it would be taking to support the war-torn nation and hold Russia accountable on Friday, including providing an additional $2 billion in military aid and imposing new sanctions and tariffs on Russia.

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, the Defense Department said in a statement.
No Hostile Intent Toward North Korea, US Says of Its Support for Regional Allies

State Department spokesman Ned Price speaks on the situation in Afghanistan at the State Department in Washington, D.C., on Aug. 18, 2021. (ANDREW HARNIK/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

The United States said on Monday that its security supports for regional allies serve no hostile aim toward North Korea, rejecting North Koreas claims that joint military drills in the region are provocative actions.

U.S. State Department spokesperson Ned Price said that North Koreas recent missile launches pose a threat to the United States and its regional allies, but the United States will not change its stance on North Korea.

It is the DPRK that, time and again, at an unprecedented rate, has engaged in provocations, including multiple tests of ICBM systems, other ballistic missiles, and other provocative activities that have posed a threat to peace and security in the Indo-Pacific and, in some ways, even well beyond, Price said, using the acronym of North Koreas official name, the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea.

Even as we have pointed out the threat that we and our partners in the region face from these programs and these dangerous provocations, we have made clear that we have no hostile intent towards the DPRK, he added.

Price said the United States has offered to engage in direct talks with North Korea without preconditions for over a year, but North Korea rejected the U.S. diplomatic overtures and only responded with provocations.

Our diplomatic overtures remain. We would like an opportunity to discuss these issues face-to-face if thats the preference, Price told reporters.

We believe in diplomacy, even as we have made clear, in word and in deed, that we are going to stand by the security commitments that we have to our treaty allies, to Japan, to the Republic of Korea, to our allies around the world, he added.

The United States has pledged to maintain close cooperation with South Korea and Japan to deter North Koreas provocations, including joint drills and deploying military assets to the region.

On Saturday, the U.S. nuclear-powered submarine USS Springfield made a port call in Busan, South Korea, after North Korea launched four strategic cruise missiles last week.

The USS Springfield is one of five Los Angeles-class fast-attack submarines based in Guam. The vessel and its crew routinely conduct maritime security operations in support of national security interests.

North Korea Condemns US Joint Drills

North Korea condemned U.S. joint drills as rehearsals for an invasion and warned that increased presence of U.S. strategic assets on the Korean peninsula will push the security situation to an extreme red line.

The North Korean regime vowed to retaliate against any military action according to its principle of nuke for nuke and an all-out confrontation for an all-out confrontation.

If the U.S. continues to introduce strategic assets into the Korean Peninsula and its surrounding area, the DPRK will make clearer its deterring activities without fail according to their nature, the Norths Foreign Ministry spokesperson said on Feb. 16.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un walks next to what state media reports is the Hwasong-17 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) on its launch vehicle in an undated photo released on March 25, 2022. (KCNA via Reuters)

On Feb. 18, North Korea launched an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) that landed outside Japans exclusive economic zone. Japan said the ICBM had the capacity to strike the United States.

The United States then staged joint air drills with South Korea and Japan on Feb. 19, to which North Korea responded by firing two tactical nuclear missiles into the sea.

North Korea fired more than 70 missiles last year, one of which reportedly flew over Japan and triggered alerts warning citizens in the Hokkaido and Aomori prefectures to take shelter.

South Korea and Japan have strongly condemned the Norths missile launches and urged North Korea to stop its provocative acts.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un previously said that his country has no intention of engaging in dialogue with enemies that pose military threats to North Korea, despite their continued efforts to do so.

The country adopted a first-use nuclear doctrine on Sept. 8, 2022, which Kim stated would make North Koreas status as a nuclear weapons state irreversible.

Kim rules the totalitarian state of North Korea, where people must seek his permission to enter or exit the country. Basic liberties are withheld from the populous of 24 million people, with more than half living in extreme poverty and suffering abuse in the forms of threats of execution, wrongful imprisonment, enforced disappearance, and forced labor. The hermit kingdoms annual GDP per capita is around $1,800.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Feb. 27 signed a bill that takes control of a special tax district surrounding Walt Disney World that for half a century allowed Walt Disney Company to operate with a high degree of autonomy. DeSantis says Disney World will now be treated just the same as Sea World.

A lab leak in China was the most likely origin of COVID-19, according to a new analysis from the Department of Energy. Meanwhile, lawmakers on Capitol Hill are sounding the alarm that the World Health Organization could be compromised by the Chinese Communist Party. The global organization met in Switzerland to negotiate final terms of an accord that will grant it centralized authority over American policy in the case of another pandemic.

Severe weather conditions continue across the country as tornadoes and severe winds hit the central United States, with snow and rain from the West Coast to the Great Lakes.
Virginia is moving to ban foreign adversaries, namely communist China, from buying farmland. Many lawmakers have expressed concerns that such purchases will undermine U.S. national security.

Supreme Court justices will hear arguments on Feb. 28 over President Joe Bidens student debt cancellation plan. Millions of borrowers could be impacted.

The NTD International Figure Painting Competition is back and is now calling for entries. We take a closer look at the requirements.

Topics in this episode include:

1. Blizzard in Nevada, Tornadoes in Oklahoma

2. SCOTUS to Hear Student Debt Cancellation Arguments

3. Murdaugh Trial: Jurors to Visit Murder Scene

4. Virginia Moves to Ban China From Buying Farmland

5. Canada Bans Tiktok on Government-Issued Devices

6. Agreement Seeks W.H.O. Control of US Pandemic Policy

7. Air Marshal Hiring Drive Amid Retirement Wave

8. BAE Systems Australia Unveils Military Drone

9. Social Robot Applications

10. Shen Yun Lifted My Soul: Nevada Audience

11. NTDs 6th International Figure Painting Competition
Only A Matter of Weeks Before Iran Could Be Able to Manufacture Nuclear Weapons: CIA Chief

An Iranian flag is seen at a nuclear power plant in Iran, on Nov. 10, 2019. (Atta Kenare/AFP via Getty Images)

It could only be a matter of weeks before Iran is capable of enriching uranium to 90 percent purity, at which point the country could manufacture nuclear weapons, according to CIA Director William Burns.

To the best of our knowledge, we dont believe that the supreme leader in Iran has yet made a decision to resume the weaponization program that we judge that they suspended or stopped at the end of 2003, the CIA chief said in a Feb. 26 interview with CBS. But the other two legs of the stool, meaning enrichment programs, theyve obviously advanced very far, you know, over the past couple of years.

Even though Burns said he does not see any evidence that Iran has decided to resume its weaponization program, he sees other dimensions of this challenge growing at a worrisome pace. The Iranians are still a ways off when it comes to their ability to develop a nuclear weapon, he added.

Iran and Nuclear Material

According to the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) nuclear deal, Iran had originally committed to restricting enriching uranium to a purity level of 3.67 percent in exchange for lifting economic sanctions imposed by global powers. At 3.67 percent purity, the uranium could be used for powering nuclear plants. The deal was negotiated under the Obama administration.

In 2018, former President Donald Trump withdrew the United States from the deal and reimposed tight sanctions on Iran. Trump called the JCPOA a horrible, one-sided deal that should have never been made. Trump had earlier warned that the deal would be scrapped if Iran would not accept certain demands, including the cessation of its ballistic missile program.

A Feb. 19 report by Bloomberg suggested that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the U.N. nuclear watchdog, detected Iran as having enriched uranium to 84 percent purity, close enough to the 90 percent level seen as weapons-grade.

The IAEA is aware of recent media reports relating to uranium enrichment levels in Iran. Director General @rafaelmgrossi states that the IAEA is discussing with Iran the results of recent Agency verification activities and will inform the IAEA Board of Governors as appropriate, the agency said in a Feb. 20 Twitter post.

Since 2021, Washington has initiated talks to bring Iran back into the deal. However, negotiations have not progressed, and the Biden administration has admitted that diplomacy between the two nations is in gridlock.

IranRussia Ties

In the CBS interview, Burns expressed concerns about the strengthening relationship between Tehran and Moscow, noting that the alliance is moving at a pretty fast clip in a very dangerous direction right now.

Iran has already provided Russia with hundreds of armed drones that have been used in Moscows war against Ukraine. In addition, Tehran has also given ammunition for artillery and tanks.

And what we also see are signs that, you know, Russia is proposing to help the Iranians on their missile program and also at least considering the possibility of providing fighter aircraft to Iran as well, Burns said.

That creates obvious risks not only for the people of Ukraine, and weve seen the evidence of that already, but also risks to our friends and partners across the Middle East as well. So its a, you know, quite disturbing set of developments.

During a Feb. 24 call with reporters, White House National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby stated that Irans support for Russias war in Ukraine is expanding. The two countries are also seeking to exchange high-tech capabilities, he added.
Oregon Puts Gas Generator Into Governors Mansion Despite Transition Away From Fossil Fuels in Homes

After campaigning on a promise to transition away from the use of fossil fuels like methane gas in homes and commercial buildings, Oregons Democrat Governor Tina Kotek is having a dual natural gas and propane backup generator installed at Mahonia Hall, the official residence of the governor.

According to the official bid for work at the governors mansion in the capital city of Salem, the project includes updating the utility service with backup emergency dual natural gas and propane. Adds a full building services generator to the facility for power, should normal utility power fail.

The Salem permit describes the project as, Adding piping from existing NG [natural gas] utilities to [the] new generator.

The project also includes adding a 500-gallon propane tank.

Bad Timing

The project comes to light as the debate over banning natural gas in homes and buildings heats up across the nation, and just weeks after Eugene became the first Oregon city to ban natural gas hookups in all new construction.

Eugene Mayor Lucy Vinis applauded the Feb. 6 city council vote, saying that burning fossil fuels in homes pose an imminent threat to our health and climate.

Its clear we cannot let this source of pollution grow unchecked, she added.

Vinis also expressed her support for the governors leadership on the states housing shortage while denouncing the use of fossil fuels.

We have a governor who has pledged to build 36,000 new houses a year, said Vinis in a public statement signing the ordinance. We do not want those houses with natural gas hookups.

Backers of the ban say they are just getting started.

Flames burn on a natural gas-burning stove in Chicago, Ill., on Jan. 12, 2023. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

Councilor Jennifer Yeh called the resolution just a first step to a fossil-fuel-free Eugene.

She expects the city to expand the restrictions to commercial and industrial buildings as well.

Its going to be slow, and its going to take us decades, but we have to start moving and this is that movement.

According to DHM Research, 70 percent of those surveyed oppose the Eugene gas ban. A citizen petition is now being circulated to put the issue on the ballot in May.

Meanwhile, bans are being considered elsewhere in the state.

Officials in Multnomah Countywhere most of Portland is locatedhave passed a nonbinding resolution to stop using fossil fuels in new city-owned buildings, and the city of Milwaukie has made a similar pledge for new privately owned properties.

These prohibitions put Oregon in line with its West Coast neighbors, where fossil fuel restrictions are widespread and growing.

Battle of the Bans

Since Berkeley enacted the nations first gas ban in 2019, several dozen west coast citiesincluding Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, and Seattlehave followed suit.

Such actions are also taking hold on the East Coast.

In Dec 2021, New York became the first large cold-weather city to phase out fossil fuel in new construction. Washington soon followed.

Meanwhile, 20 U.S. states controlled by conservative legislatures have made it illegal for cities to restrict fossil fuel use in buildings.

Gas Stove Ban on Back Burner

Talk of federal government bans on gas stoves recently ignited a firestorm of controversy.

Late last year, Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) member Richard Trumka Jr. suggested that the agency should develop new regulations on gas stove emissions and should not rule out an end to sales of the product.

As of 2020, about 38 percent of the countrys households used natural gas for cooking, according to Census data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. That number reaches 70 percent in some states.

This is a hidden hazard, Trumka said in an interview with Bloomberg. Any option is on the table. Products that cant be made safe can be banned.

His statement put gas stoves at the center of the culture wars.

CPSC chair Alexander Hoehn-Saric quickly disavowed the idea of a federal gas-stove ban but acknowledged research finding that gas stoves may pose air-quality hazards.

The CPSC is now gathering information and public comment about the hazards posed by gas stoves and could consider barring the manufacture or import of gas stoves and setting standards on emissions from the appliances in the future.
Protesters Concerned About Beijing Interference Hold Rally Outside BC Organization Probed by RCMP

As reports of Beijings interference on Canadian soil mount in recent months, a group of protesters concerned about such interference demonstrated outside a B.C. organization amid reports of Chinas overseas police service stations.

Protesters at the Feb. 25 rally were seen carrying signs, some reading No CCP interference in Canada, expel Chinese spies, and No to China police stations in Canada. They were also heard chanting CCP get out or oppose the CCPs infiltration.

The reason weve chosen this location is because this society, the Wenzhou Friendship Society (WFS), has been investigated twice now by the RCMP, said Andrew Wagner of HK Defense Initiative, which co-hosted the protest with the group Vancouver Activists of Hong Kong.

Andrew Wagner of the HK Defense Initiative speaks at a rally outside of a building that serves as the headquarters of the Wenzhou Friendship Society in Richmond, B.C., on Feb. 25, 2023. The protest was held to raise concerns about Chinese interference in Canada following media reports of an RCMP investigation at the building. (Vivian Yu/NTD)

In December 2022, RCMP national security officers reportedly visited the WFS building at 4266 Hazelbridge Way in Richmond and conducted interviews in the surrounding neighbourhood.

When asked about the nature of that visit, the RCMP told The Epoch Times it is actively investigating reports nationally of criminal activity in relation to the so-called police stations, but declined to provide further details, saying investigations are underway.

The RCMP is aware of foreign actor interference activity in Canada from foreign state actors. Various methods and techniques are in place to combat foreign actor interference within the RCMPs mandate, the police service said in an email statement on Feb. 27.

While for operational reasons we cannot speak at length about this, however, should there be criminal or illegal activities occurring in Canada that are found to be backed by a foreign state, it is within the RCMPs mandate to investigate this activity.

A protester holds a sign that reads No CCP interference in Canada at a rally outside of the Wenzhou Friendship Society in Richmond, B.C., on Feb. 25, 2023. (Vivian Yu/NTD)

The RCMP visit came after media reports that a total of 102 unofficial Chinese police service stations were being operated in 53 countries by four local-level police bureaus in China.

The reports were based on studies published by the Spain-based human rights NGO Safeguard Defenders, which has identified five such Chinese police outposts in Canada, including three in the Greater Toronto Area and one in Vancouver.

Safeguard Defenders said in its studies that some of the overseas Chinese police stations have reportedly engaged in intimidating and coercing Chinese nationals living abroad who are suspected of crimes to return to China to face trial. But it noted that dissidents of the communist regime have also been targeted for harassment.

Election Meddling Investigation

Wagner also said his group was concerned about reports that WFS was investigated on allegations of buying votes in a previous municipal election.

In 2018, the RCMP reportedly investigated the WFS, after the organization allegedly sent out messages via the Chinese social media platform, WeChat, offering a $20 transportation subsidy to Chinese Canadians as an incentive to vote for certain political candidates of Chinese descent during that years municipal election.

Protesters at a rally outside of the Wenzhou Friendship Society in Richmond, B.C., on Feb. 25, 2023, were seen holding signs that read Expel Chinas Spies among other slogans. (Vivian Yu/NTD)

Wagner, who previously co-organized a similar protest at the WFS building in January, said media reports of the Safeguard Defenders studies added to the suspicion that he and other protesters have long felt for the association.

Its suspicious, he said. I dont think its normal for a non-profit to be repeatedly visited by the police.

WFS is a registered charity that describes itself on its website as a hometown association for people from Wenzhou, an industrial city in Chinas Zhejiang Province. A director of the WFS previously confirmed to Global News that police were at the groups clubhouse but said he didnt know why. He also told the outlet that the society was not affiliated with the so-called overseas Chinese police service stations operating in Canada.

The headquarters of the Wenzhou Friendship Society is seen on Jan. 27, 2023. (Screenshot/NTD)

The Epoch Times has contacted WFS for comment but has not heard back.

Call for Action

Protestors also called attention to a recent report by the Globe and Mail on leaked documents from the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) showing Beijings elaborate strategy to disrupt Canadas elections. The report noted that Beijings operation had two goals in mind for the 2021 federal election: the return of a Liberal minority and the defeat of Conservative candidates deemed unfriendly to the regime.

The CCP is attacking our sovereignty; the CCP is threatening and harassing people in Canada; the CCP is eroding our elections with lies and propaganda, said Father Richard Soo, the protosyncellus of the Eparchy of New Westminster, Ukrainian Greco-Catholic Church in Canada, in a speech at the protest.

Soo also warned of Beijings attempt at long-arm policing, such as the introduction of the Hong Kong National Security Law. Article 38 of the Law says the scope of the appliance shall apply to offences  from outside the Region by a person who is not a permanent resident of the Region, which is widely regarded as asserting extraterritorial jurisdiction over any individual, including non-citizens of China or Hong Kong, anywhere in the world.

That law says anyone anywhere in the world, anyone in Canada, who opposes [the Chinese authority] is a criminal, Soo said, adding that the authorities in Beijing, have no right to tell people in Canada what to do.

Soo urged the federal government and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to defend overseas Chinese people living in Canada.

Let us, each one of us, call on the Government of Canada: protect us, Soo said. The Government of Canada must protect us. Prime Minister Trudeau, you must protect us.

Protect us, the protesters chanted in response.

Wagner noted that Canada lacks the appropriate legislative tools to combat foreign interference, and called for the creation of a foreign agent registry, which would compel an individual or organization working on behalf of a foreign entity to register their activities with the government, or would otherwise face penalties.

Canadas allies have either put in place or introduced their own versions of a foreign agent registry. The United States, which has a Foreign Agents Registration Act that dates back to 1938, introduced new legislation in recent years to address Beijings growing interference in the country.

Australia enacted the Foreign Influence Transparency Scheme in 2018, while Britain introduced the Foreign Influence Registration Scheme in October 2022.

NTD contributed to this report.
Putin Signs Bill to Suspend Last Nuclear Arms Treaty With US

Russian President Vladimir Putin listens to Yuri Borisov, the new CEO of the Russian State Space Corporation "Roscosmos," at the Kremlin in Moscow on July 26, 2022. (Mikhail Klimentyev/Sputnik/Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday signed a measure to formally suspend the last remaining nuclear arms pact with the United States amid high tensions over the war in Ukraine.

Russia will no longer take part in the New START treaty, according to the bill he signed that was published by the Kremlin. The document says that its up to the president to decide whether Moscow could return to the pact.

Putin had declared a week ago in his state-of-the-nation address that Moscow was suspending its participation in the 2010 New START treaty. He had charged that Russia cant accept U.S. inspections of its nuclear sites under the pact at a time when Washington and its NATO allies have openly declared Russias defeat in Ukraine as their goal.

Both houses of parliament quickly ratified Putins bill on the pacts suspension last week. On Tuesday, Putin signed it into law, effective immediately.

Putin has emphasized that Moscow was not withdrawing from the pact altogether, and the Russian Foreign Ministry said the country would respect the caps on nuclear weapons set under the treaty and keep notifying the United States about test launches of ballistic missiles.

As of today, Russia is suspending its participation in the strategic offensive arms treaty, Putin said in a national address last week. Were not withdrawing from the agreement, he added. Were just suspending [our participation in] it.

On Monday, a federal official in charge of arms control criticized Russia as being not a responsible nuclear partner after Putins speech.

Only a few days ago, President Putin announced that Russia was unilaterally suspending the implementation of the New START treaty. Russia is once again showing the world that it is not a responsible nuclear power, Bonnie Jenkins, the U.S. under-secretary for Arms Control and International Security, told a United Nations conference in Geneva, according to the Reuters news agency.

What the Treaty Does

Signed by then-presidents Barack Obama and Dmitry Medvedev in 2010, the treaty limits each country to no more than 1,550 deployed nuclear warheads and 700 deployed missiles and bombers, while the agreement envisages sweeping on-site inspections to verify compliance. President Joe Biden in early 2021 signed another five-year extension of the treaty.

The inspections have been dormant since 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Discussions on resuming them were supposed to have taken place last November, but Russia abruptly called them off.

The Center for Arms Control & Non-Proliferation estimates that Russias arsenal consists of about 5,977 nuclear warheads, while the United States currently has about 5,550 warheads.

Military specialists walk past a Russian Topol intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) at the exposition field in Kubinka Patriot Park outside Moscow on Aug. 22, 2017. (Alexander Nemenov/AFP/Getty Images)

Several weeks ago, the State Department told Congress in a report that Moscow stopped partaking in the New START treaty since the start of the Ukraine war.

Russias refusal to facilitate inspection activities prevents the United States from exercising important rights under the treaty and threatens the viability of U.S.Russian nuclear arms control, the State Department said in a report dated Jan. 31 (pdf).

Despite Russias recent moves, the agencys report noted that the United States continues to assess that there is not a strategic imbalance between the United States and the Russian Federation that endangers the national security interest of the United States.

The United States retains a safe, secure, and effective nuclear arsenal that is sufficient to deter strategic attack, assure allies and partners, and respond in the event of adversary attack, the report stated, adding that the now-suspended treaty continues to constrain Russian strategic nuclear forces and provides insight into Russian forces.

This is a developing news story. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Quebec Follows Federal Lead, Bans TikTok Application on Government Cellphones

The TikTok startup page is displayed on an iPhone in Ottawa on Feb. 27, 2023. (The Canadian Press/Sean Kilpatrick)

Quebec has banned the installation and use of the social media application TikTok on government cellphones as of Tuesday.

Cybersecurity and Digital Technology Minister Eric Caire announced the ban late Monday, several hours after the federal government announced a similar ban.

The ban is preventative, Caire said in a news release, adding that theres no evidence a foreign government has used the application to spy on Quebec government employees.

The security of information and the protection of data held by government agencies remains an absolute priority for the Quebec government and thats why were adopting this preventative measure, he said.

The use of social media applications by government employees on their own devices, outside of their work, remains a personal choice and individual users will have to evaluate the risks themselves, he said.

The federal government banned TikTok on its mobile devices several days after federal and provincial privacy commissioners launched an investigation into the social media platform.

The bans came after a review by the chief information officer of Canada, who determined that TikTok presents an unacceptable privacy and security risk.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has said that while the application has not been banned completely in Canada, the ban on its use by civil servants could encourage individuals and businesses to think about the security of their own data.

The United States and the European Union have also banned government employees from using TikTok on their work devices.

In an email, TikTok said it is open to meeting with government officials to discus its privacy protections in Canada.

But singling out TikTok in this way does nothing to reach this common goal. All that it does is prevent officials from reaching the public on a platform enjoyed by millions of Canadians, the company said.
Rep. Huizenga Raises Alarm Over Chinese Links to Group Pushing Gas Stove Ban

Rep. Bill Huizenga (R-Mich.) is sounding the alarm about links between China and an organization that has advocated against the continued use of gas stoves in the United States.

Gas stoves have been the subject of increased debate in recent weeks after a recent study linked their use with an increased risk of childhood asthma, while a government safety regulator raised the possibility of banning or more strictly regulating their use. The Department of Energy recently proposed a regulation that would prohibit about half of the gas stoves currently on the market.

Huizenga sent a letter (pdf) to Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Jennifer Granholm on Monday, alleging the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI)an organization that has advocated for increased restrictions on gas stoveshas considerable documented ties to the Chinese government.

The Rocky Mountain Institute is an organization that advocates for the adoption of increased energy efficiency and the adoption of more sustainable business practices. RMI researchers co-authored the recent study, which found that up to 12.7 percent of childhood asthma cases could be linked to gas stove use.

RMI operates an office in Chinas capital city of Beijing, and has worked with Chinas communist regime on efforts to transition away from fossil fuels.

Huizengas letter listed a variety of instances in which officials in President Joe Bidens administration have worked with RMI. The congressman also said White House visitor logs showed RMI officials visiting more than once in 2022, while the DOE has announced millions of dollars in grants to RMIincluding as recently as February. Huizenga also cited records obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request that indicated Granholm met directly with RMI CEO Jules Kortenhorst in June 2021.

Given Chinas active undermining of our nations energy independence, RMIs blatant longtime connections to the Chinese government should be alarming to any member of the Cabinet. Their ties are no secret, Huizenga wrote to Granholm.

In an interview with Fox News, Huizenga said, The Biden Administration has not been honest with the American people about its desire to ban gas stoves.

I remain deeply concerned that the Biden Administration has granted elevated access to an entity with Chinese ties in pursuit of a radical energy agenda that will raise costs on American families and small businesses, Huizenga continued.

RMI recently argued that gas stoves pose risks to personal health while contributing to the climate change problem.

As an independent global non-profit, RMI has worked with and alongside governments around the world for four decades to accelerate the adoption of market-based solutions that cost-effectively bring about a clean energy transition, said Rachel Sarah, a spokesperson for the Rocky Mountain Institute. We aim to work with any entity accelerating the transition to a zero-carbon future and securing its benefits for all. We share our research and analysis routinely with governments, policymakers of both parties, fellow non-profit organizations and corporations, including those in the fossil fuel business.

Chinese Interests in US Green Energy

The Biden administration has characterized the U.S. relationship with China as one of competition, but has said that combating climate change is one area where the two countries could cooperate.

Some observers have expressed their skepticism of Chinas commitment to clean energy and to addressing climate change. While China has promoted green energy projects in other parts of the world, the country has expanded its own coal production.

In a November 2022 interview with NTD, Silicon Valley author Ann Bridges warned that U.S. efforts to move away from fossil fuels would increase U.S. reliance on green energy productionwhich is heavily reliant on China.

Co-author of the book Groundbreaking! Americas New Quest for Mineral Independence, Bridges noted that most of the rare earth minerals used in computer chips and batteries for electric cars are controlled by China, which has really created a reliance on a single country for the technology and the tools that the rest of the world uses for our daily life. Bridges said Chinas dominance in the rare earth minerals market could lead to the communist regime establishing itself as the choke point for much of the rest of the worlds industry and growth.

Battle Over Gas Stoves

Last month, Huizenga and Rep. Alex Mooney (R-W.Va.) introduced the Stop Trying to Obsessively Vilify Energy (STOVE) Act, which would preempt any attempts by executive branch agencies to regulate gas stoves and other gas-powered appliances.

While Mooney and several Republican lawmakers have opposed new regulations on gas stoves, many Democrat lawmakers have favored new regulations.

In December, Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.) joined with 16 other Democrat lawmakers and Independent Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders in writing a letter (pdf) to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission calling for new regulations on gas stoves.

From NTD News
U.S. Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.), Chairman of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, and other members of the Select Committee host an event at 3:00 p.m. ET on Feb. 28 to mark the anniversary of the Hong Kong 47 incident.

In February 2021, 54 activists, former legislators, social workers, and academics were arrested by the National Security Department of the Hong Kong Police Force under the CCPs controversial national security law for practicing freedom of speech and freedom of the press. Forty-seven of the arrested were charged with conspiracy to commit subversion.
Russians Claim to Have Encircled Bakhmut, Kyiv Calls Situation Extremely Tense

Smoke during the shelling of the front line city of Bakhmut in Donetsk region, Ukraine, on Feb. 9, 2023. (Yevhen Titov/Reuters)

All roads leading into the strategic town of Bakhmut are now under Russian control, Moscows military officials asserted this week.

The scene of fierce fighting for the past several months, Bakhmut is a key transport hub for Ukrainian forces deployed in the eastern Donetsk region.

Bakhmut [Artyomovsk in Russian] has been encircled, Yan Gagin, an adviser to the head of the Moscow-recognized Donetsk Peoples Republic (DPR), told Russias TASS news agency on Feb. 27.

Our forces control the roads leading into the city, he said.

Ukrainian army from the 43rd Heavy Artillery Brigade fire the German howitzer Panzerhaubitze 2000, called Tina by the unit, near Bahmut, in Donetsk region, Ukraine, on Feb. 5, 2023, amid Russias attack on Ukraine. (Marko Djurica TPX Images of the Day/Reuters)

According to Gagin, ammunition supplies to Ukrainian forces inside Bakhmutalong with troop reinforcementshave now been choked off due to recent Russian advances.

On Feb. 28, Oleksandr Syrskyi, commander of Ukrainian ground forces, conceded that fighting in and around Bakhmut was extremely tense.

Speaking on a military messaging app Syrskyi, who reportedly visited Bakhmut over the weekend, said Russian forces are trying to break through our defenses  and surround the city.

Military officials in Kyiv say Russia has bolstered its troop strength near Bakhmut and has stepped up artillery attacks on the citys outskirts.

Last September, Moscow mobilized 300,000 fresh army reservists, many of which are now being deployed to the front in Donetsk and the neighboring Luhansk region.

Key Objective

Last month, Russian forces overran the town of Soledar, located five miles northeast of Bakhmut. Since then, Russia claims to have taken more key positions, including the settlements of Paraskoviivka and Berkhivka.

The fall of Bakhmut will likely pave the way for a Russian advance to the northwest aimed at bringing all of Donetsk under Moscows control.

Donetsk and Luhansk together comprise the Russian-speaking Donbas region. Since Russia invaded Ukraine more than one year ago, the capture of Donbasin its entiretyhas remained a key objective.

On Feb. 26, DPR head Denis Pushilin claimed that Russian forces were now advancing northwest of Bakhmut. Positive news is expected in this direction shortly, he was quoted as saying by TASS.

The Epoch Times could not verify Pushilins assertions.

After holding controversial referendums last September, Russia unilaterally annexed Donetsk, Luhansk, and the southern regions of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia.

Ukraine and its allies reject the move, which they say amounts to an illegal land grab. Encouragedand armedby its Western backers, Kyiv has vowed to continue fighting until all four regions are recovered.

On Feb. 27, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov did not rule out a negotiated settlement of the conflict but said Kyiv must recognize what he called new territorial realities.

Banned Toxic Materials

In a related development, the Russian Defense Ministry has accused the United States of planning to stage a provocation in Donetsk using banned toxic materials.

On Feb. 28, Igor Kirillov, head of the ministrys Radiological, Biological, and Chemical Protection Unit, alleged that two large consignments of toxic materials had arrived by railon Feb. 10 and 19to the city of Kramatorsk.

Located in northern Donetsk, Kramatorsk is currently under the control of Ukrainian forces.

According to Kirillov, at least one of the two consignments was accompanied by several foreign nationals.

Speaking to reporters in Moscow, Kirillov claimed the consignments were later transported to areas near the frontline on American-made armored vehicles.

The alleged activities, he said, indicated that Kyivwith U.S. helpwas planning to stage a large-scale provocation using internationally-banned toxic materials.

As of the time of writing, U.S. officials had not yet responded to Kirillovs allegations.

Secret Biological Laboratories

The Epoch Times has sent a request for comment to the U.S. State Department.

Russian officials have made similar allegations in the past.

Since the conflict began early last year, Moscow has repeatedly accused the United States of running clandestine biological weapons programs on Ukrainian territory.

In a Feb. 21 address to Russias Federal Assembly, President Vladimir Putin alleged that the United States and NATO had operated secret biological laboratories near Russian borders.

Last month, the Russian Defense Ministry claimed that its troops deployed in Ukraine had found thousands of documents pertaining to covert U.S. biological research programs.

U.S. officials have consistently denied the allegations, calling them textbook examples of Russian disinformation.

Reuters contributed to this report.
Russians Tighten Noose on Ukraines Bakhmut, Putin Warns of Western Espionage

Ukrainian service members next to an infantry fighting vehicle near the frontline town of Bakhmut in Donetsk region, Ukraine, on Feb. 25, 2023. (Yan Dobronosov/Reuters)

KYIVRussian forces on Tuesday pressed forward their weeks-long drive to encircle and capture the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut where the commander of Ukraines ground forces described the situation as extremely tense.

Capturing Bakhmut, scene of some of the wars bloodiest battles, would open the way for Russia for taking the last remaining urban centers in the Donetsk region, one of four Moscow claims to have annexed in its special military operation in Ukraine.

Russian President Vladimir Putin instructed the FSB security service on Tuesday to bolster security in the four regions and also to counter what he described as growing espionage and sabotage operations against Russia by Ukraine and the West.

He was speaking after a Russian regional governor said a drone had crashed near a natural gas distribution station on Tuesday in an apparent failed attack near the town of Kolomna, just 110 km (68 miles) southeast of Moscow.

Ukraine does not publicly claim responsibility for attacks inside Russia. If it was behind the Kolomna incident, it would be its closest attempted drone strike to the Russian capital since the conflict began over a year ago.

Earlier, Russias defense ministry also accused Ukraine of launching two attempted drone attacks against two southern Russian regions overnight but said they caused no damage.

Around Bakhmut, Russian troops, including mercenary fighters from the Wagner Group, are trying to cut the Ukrainian defenders supply lines and force them to surrender or withdraw.

Despite significant losses, the enemy threw in the most prepared assault units of Wagner, who are trying to break through the defenses of our troops and surround the city, Ukraines Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskyi claimed in a statement.

Russias state-run RIA news agency released a video clip which it said showed Russian Su-25 fighter jets roaring over Bakhmut. We are glad they are ours, says a man in the clip identified as a Wagner fighter, adding the jets helped them psychologically.

Ukraines military said Russia was shelling settlements around Bakhmut, which had a pre-war population of around 70,000 but now lies in ruins after months of intense trench warfare.

Russia, its forces replenished with hundreds of thousands of conscripts, has intensified its attacks right along the eastern front but its assaults have come at a high cost, claims Ukraine, which is expected soon to launch its own counter-offensive.

Putin Urges Vigilance

In Moscow, Putin told officials of the FSBthe Federal Security Service of the Russian Federationthey must stop sabotage groups entering Russia from Ukraine, step up protection of key infrastructure and prevent any Western efforts to revive what he called terrorist or extremist cells on Russian territory.

Western intelligence services have traditionally always been actively working in Russia, and now they have thrown additional personnel, technical and other resources against us, said Putin.

We need to respond accordingly, he added.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov repeated Moscows position that it is open to peace negotiations but that Kyiv and its Western allies must accept Russias annexation of four Ukrainian regionsDonetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhiafollowing referendums last September Kyiv and the West say were illegal.

The constitution of the Russian Federation exists, and cannot be ignored. Russia will never be able to compromise on this, these are important realities, Peskov told reporters.
Shipment of Contaminated Waste Resumes From Ohio Toxic Train Derailment Site

A tank car sits on a trailer as the cleanup of portions of a Norfolk Southern freight train that derailed over a week ago continues in East Palestine, Ohio, on Feb. 15, 2023. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

After halting the process on Feb. 24, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced that shipment of contaminated waste from the toxic train derailment site in eastern Ohio could resume on Feb. 28.

Amid objections from Michigan authorities who said they werent aware that hazardous materials were headed into their state, the EPA ordered a temporary pause on the contaminated waste shipments over the weekend.

The decision was made to allow more oversight about where the waste was taken. Some liquid and solid waste from the site had already been transported to locations in Michigan and Texas.

Everyone wants this contamination gone from the community, EPA Region 5 Administrator Debra Shore said after the shipping pause. They dont want the worry, and they dont want the smell, and we owe it to the people of East Palestine to move it out of the community as quickly as possible.

Caution tape surrounds areas affected by the derailment of a train carrying hazardous materials as members of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) are due to arrive at the site in East Palestine, Ohio, on Feb. 16, 2023. (Alan Freed/Reuters)

EPA-certified facilities that can accept the waste were identified, allowing shipments to resume on Feb. 28, Shore said.

A portion of the liquid waste will be transported to a facility in Vickery, Ohio, where it will be disposed of in an underground injection well, Shore explained. Norfolk Southern will also send some of the solid waste to an incinerator in nearby East Liverpool, Ohio.

The EPA is searching for additional solid waste disposal facilities, Shore added.

All of this is great news for the people of East Palestine and the surrounding community, because it means cleanup can continue at a rapid pace, she said.

A 151-car Norfolk Southern Railway freight train derailed on Feb. 3 in East Palestine, a village of 4,761 near the Pennsylvania border.

Eleven cars that derailed contained hazardous materials, according to the National Transportation Safety Board.

A Feb. 10 letter from the EPA indicated that toxic compounds released into the environment included butyl acrylate, ethylhexyl acrylate, ethylene glycol monobutyl ether, and vinyl chloride.

A colorless gas used in making plastic products, vinyl chloride, has especially caused concern since the derailment.

To avoid an uncontrolled explosion that officials claimed would send shrapnel into the air, vinyl chloride was intentionally released and burned from five cars on Feb. 6, sending up a massive cloud of thick black smoke 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 on the residents of East Palestine.

Vinyl chloride can cause a rare form of liver cancer after long-term exposure. When burned, it transforms into phosgene, a chemical warfare gas used in World War I that has been banned by the Geneva Convention, and other gases.

Aside from the 11 cars held by the NTSB, all of the rail cars involved in the derailment have been removed from the site. This allows the continued excavation of contaminated soil and the installation of groundwater contamination monitoring wells, Ohio EPA Director Anne Vogel said.

List of Disposal Sites

Norfolk Southern had been responsible for waste disposal until Feb. 24, Shore said. The railroad provided Ohio environmental officials with a list of disposal sites.

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said in a Feb. 23 statement, [Under EPA guidance,] Norfolk Southern brought in large dump trucks to move contaminated soil to U.S. Ecology Wayne Disposal, a licensed hazardous waste disposal facility in Michigan. This will be a continuous effort to properly manage and safely dispose of the waste.

On Feb. 23, the Ohio Emergency Management Agency said in a press release that more than 1.7 million gallons of contaminated liquid had been removed from the derailment site. Of those materials, more than 1.1 million gallons were transported to Texas Molecular in Deer Park, Texas, and in Vickery, Ohio

On Feb. 25, DeWines office said that 15 truckloads of hazardous solid waste were taken to the Michigan facility. Five truckloads of hazardous solid waste, weighing around 280 tons, were shipped to sites in other states but returned to East Palestine. Those contents will now be shipped to Vickery and East Liverpool, Ohio, which is around 17 miles south of East Palestine.

East Liverpools Heritage Thermal Services, which was approved for Norfolk Southern to transport and burn contaminated soil, has been fined for violating federal air quality laws and fought multiple lawsuits.

Authorities in municipalities that have received waste from the derailment site have expressed anger.

On the evening of Feb. 24, Wayne County (Michigan) Executive Warren Evans said his team didnt get advance notice that the materials would arrive. State officials also got last-minute bits and pieces of information, he noted.

Some Not Consulted

Evans said Wayne County government officials should have been consulted before the contaminated waste was shipped to their area.

I dont know how you do that without contacting the local officials so that we can, No. 1, know how to respond to our communities, and No. 2, give advice in terms of routes that you may take, Evans said.

Im not here to say anybody was attempting to do anything nefarious. But I can say that the outward effect of it looks like were being sandbagged.

Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo is also the countys chief executive and director of emergency management. Deer Park, Texas, is in her jurisdiction.

Approximately 2 million gallons of firefighting water from the derailment site were scheduled to be disposed of in Harris County.

In a Feb. 24 statement, she said that I and my office heard today that firefighting water from the East Palestine, Ohio, train derailment is slated to be disposed of in our County.

Hidalgo said she was frustrated that she learned about the plans from the media, and not a government agency of Texas Molecular, the company tasked with disposing of the water.

There is no legal requirement that her office be notified, Hidalgo explained, but it doesnt quite seem right.

On Feb. 23, Texas Molecular told Hidalgo that 500,000 gallons of the contaminated water were already in Harris County, and shipments started arriving the previous day, she added.

The EPA announced on Feb. 28 that Ross Incineration Services in Graton, Ohio, and Heritage Environmental Services hazardous waste landfill in Roachdale, Indiana, have been lined up to accept liquid and solid waste.

These sites are in addition to the disposal centers in Vickery and East Liverpool.

The news was not well-received by Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb.

I continue to object to the EPA Administrators decision, from Washington, D.C., to move hazardous waste from the East Palestine train derailment to Indiana, he said. Further, there has been a lack of communication with me and other Indiana officials about this decision.

After learning third-hand that materials may be transported to our state yesterday, I directed my environmental director to reach out to the agency, Holcomb added. The materials should go to the nearest facilities, not moved from the far eastern side of Ohio to the far western side of Indiana.

Holcomb added that he has requested to speak to the EPA.

I want to know exactly what precautions will be taken in the transport and disposition of the materials.
Singh Says Allegations That Foreign Interference Impacted Some Ridings Is Very Serious

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh says recent allegations based on Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) leaks suggesting that some ridings may have been interfered with by Beijing must be taken very seriously.

Theres some serious concerns around our security with the political interference, Singh told reporters in Winnipeg on Feb. 28. That is something that we take very seriously.

It should be very clear that none of the experts have said that this in any way has changed the outcome of the election, he added. But we have to take it seriously, even though it didnt impact the entire election. The fact that it impacted potentially candidates or elected officials is something very serious.

Singhs comments come one day after he called on the federal government to initiate a public inquiry into the foreign interference allegations. Former CSIS head Richard Fadden and Canadas former chief electoral officer Jean-Pierre Kingsley, along with a number of Conservative MPs, have also called for an inquiry.

The calls for an investigation follow recent reports by the Globe and Mail and Global News that have cited secret CSIS documents and sources showing widespread election interference efforts by Beijing in Canadas 2021 federal election.

Supply and Confidence Deal

Singh was also asked by reporters today if he is considering breaking his supply-and-confidence deal with the Liberal government if Prime Minister Justin Trudeau fails to call a public inquiry into the allegations of Beijings interference.

Weve not made a decision in terms of where the government stands on this. Were going to continue to apply pressure, Singh said when asked by reporters whether it would become a non-confidence issue if Trudeau did not call an inquiry.

Thats not a decision were making today in terms of if were going to an election or not, but it is something that we take very seriously, he later added. I have made the call for a public inquiry. So far, the prime minister has said thats not something hes going to do. We disagree on that.

In March 2022, the NDP entered into an agreement with the minority Liberal government to keep it in power until 2025 in exchange for national pharmacare and dental plans.

Singh has previously said he would consider calling off the agreement if the Liberals fail to introduce and pass a bill for a universal national pharmacare program in 2023.

The NDP leader said that for the time being he will maintain his position on the matter and will continue to apply pressure on the government to move forward on an inquiry, without giving further details of whether or not it could impact his partys supply-and-confidence agreement with the Liberals.

Andrew Chen contributed to this report.
Some US Troops Must Still Get COVID-19 Vaccine, Pentagon Says After Mandate Ends

Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin at the Pentagon in Arlington, Va., on Nov. 29, 2022. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

Certain U.S. troops will still be mandated to receive COVID-19 vaccines, the Department of Defense (DoD) said in a recent memorandum.

Troops who are deployed to countries that require COVID-19 vaccinations must satisfy the requirements, Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks said in the Feb. 24 document.

The Departments Foreign Clearance Guide will be updated to reflect that DoD personnel must continue to respect any applicable foreign nation vaccination entry requirements, including those for COVID-19, Hicks said.

Other than to comply with DoD Foreign Clearance Guidance, DOD Component heads and commanders will not require a Service member or group of Service members to be vaccinated against COVID-19, nor consider a Service members COVID-19 immunization status in making deployment, assignment, and other operational decisions, absent establishment of a new immunization requirement in accordance with the process described below, she added.

Military rules (pdf) have been altered to include a new section that states that a secretary of a military department, a director of a defense agency or field activity that operates medical clinics, or a commandant of the Coast Guard can submit requests to the assistant secretary of defense for health affairs for approval to mandate COVID-19 vaccines.

The officials are told that they can submit requests for approval to initiate, modify, or terminate mandatory immunizations of personnel and voluntary immunizations of other eligible beneficiaries determined to be at risk from the effects of deliberately released biological agents or naturally occurring infectious diseases of military or national importance.

Hicks said she expected any such requests will be made judiciously and only when justified by compelling operational needs and will be as narrowly tailored as possible.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin imposed a military-wide mandate in August 2021 after U.S. regulators approved Pfizers COVID-19 vaccine. The order stemmed from a need for military readiness, he said.

U.S. lawmakers in 2022 inserted a provision in the recent defense funding bill to force Austin to rescind the mandate, and President Joe Biden signed the legislation. The bill stated that Austin must rescind the mandate no later than 30 days after enactment. The military complied with the requirement in January.

Austin said in his rescission memo that commanders still had the ability to consider troops vaccination status in making operational decisions.

Deadline

Hicks, in the new memo, ordered component heads to formally rescind all policies related to the mandate as soon as possible and to certify to the Pentagon that they had done so by March 17.

The Marine Corps rescinded the requirement in a January memo.

Pursuant to [Pentagon] guidance, the Marine Corps is no longer subject to a Defense Department-wide COVID-19 vaccination mandate, a spokesperson told The Epoch Times via email. Commanders have discontinued administrative separations processing of Marines solely for declining to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.

The Navy removed the mandate on Jan. 23 and has since specified that under no circumstances shall a Commander mandate any Navy service member receive the COVID-19 vaccine, a spokesperson told The Epoch Times in an email.

Navy guidance also states that COVID-19 vaccination status shall not be a consideration in assessing individual service member suitability for deployment or other operational missions but that commanders retain authority to restrict movement of service members in order to comply with host nation quarantine regulations.

Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall informed commanders on Jan. 23 (pdf) that his order implementing Austins mandate was rescinded. The Air Force said on Feb. 24 that it would remove information such as letters of admonishment over vaccine refusal from records of service members who werent kicked out and who had sought a vaccine mandate exemption.

That same day, Army Secretary Christine Wormuth announced the removal of all policies associated with the mandate. That included ordering the removal of adverse information from the records of soldiers who requested exemptions and the designation of all such requests as resolved.

Still, Wormuth noted that other policies that may affect the unvaccinated remain in effect.

Austin said in his memo rescinding the mandate that no military personnel shall be separated solely on the basis of their refusal to receive the COVID-19 vaccination if they sought an accommodation on religious, administrative, or medical grounds. The memo did not mention personnel who did not receive a vaccine and are still in the military. Many who refused the vaccination order, including some who applied for accommodation and were rejected, have been honorably discharged.

Not Addressing Harms

Sean Timmons, a military law attorney with Tully Rinckey, said the military isnt addressing the harms caused by the mandate.

Theyre trying to erase the string of what occurred, but at the same time theyre not addressingand theyre trying to avoidthe issue regarding everybodys [careers] that they ruined, Timmons told The Epoch Times.

Members who were removed should be reinstated, he said, noting that the military has been struggling with recruitment since imposing the mandate.

Military officials have said that discharged members violated a lawful order and wont be reinstated, though officials have been considering back pay.

Multiple judges have concluded that at least some members who applied for religious accommodation were treated unlawfully, Timmons noted.

Hes representing multiple members in cases that are still ongoing despite the end of the mandate, including that of Army Maj. Samuel Sigoloff, who was punished for handing out COVID-19 vaccine exemptions.

New Letter

Under the mandate, most troops did get a vaccine. Members of Congress say the military had a good opportunity to collect data on vaccine effectiveness and safety because of the wide uptake.

Rep. Brad Wenstrup (R-Ohio) and 19 other doctors with medical backgrounds asked Austin in August 2022 whether the military was collecting the data. The answer didnt come until Jan. 26, and it was a brief reply (pdf) that merely stated the mandate had been removed.

Wenstrup admonished Austin on Feb. 27 (pdf), saying the response was inadequate.

From your response, it is clear that this letter was not carefully reviewed nor were the questions carefully considered, Wenstrup said. He urged Austin to provide the requested answers by March 6.
South Carolina Considers $500 Yankee Tax for Newcomers Who Want to Drive

An influx of people moving down South has prompted South Carolina lawmakers to debate whether newcomers should pay a $500 Yankee tax before they can take advantage of the states infrastructure.

Under a bill proposed by Republican state Sen. Stephen Goldfinch, incoming South Carolina residents must pay two one-time fees: $250 to obtain a drivers license and $250 to register a car. The payment is dubbed the Yankee tax because it is expected to mostly affect those moving from Northern states.

Specifically, new residents would pay the fee with their property taxes and present the receipt at their local Department of Motor Vehicles office for drivers licenses and car registration. Each county may have its voters decide whether or not to implement the fee by adding the question to the ballot in a general election.

According to Goldfinch, this would make sure newcomers pay their fair share for roads and bridges that had already been funded by existing taxpayers. He also described the fee as something similar to what a construction company typically pays to offset the potential impact its new project may have on the neighborhood.

Were not trying to build a wall across the North Carolina border, Goldfinch said, reported The Associated Press. But, at the same time, we think that people should have to pay their fair share when they show up.

Meanwhile, Democratic state Sen. John Scott argued the newcomers are already paying their share through other ways such as gas tax, noting that South Carolina in 2017 approved a plan to increase gas taxes by two cents every year for six years. Most of the new revenue is deposited into a trust fund dedicated to infrastructure maintenance.

Republican state Sen. Sean Bennett also raised the question of why, under the bills logic, the same tax wouldnt be imposed when new residents register their children for school.

Growth is not easy to manage, particularly in your community, certainly in my communities, said Bennett, who supported the proposal. But where does it stop, I guess, is my question.

Although the proposed fee is called a Yankee tax, it would affect other Southerners as well. According to the latest interstate migration data from the U.S. Census Bureau, the majority of the 129,227 people South Carolina took in in 2019 were from states traditionally considered Southern, including North Carolina (22,740), Georgia (18,828), Florida (9,909), Virginia (9,721), and Texas (9,240). The top Yankee contributors to South Carolinas population growth were Pennsylvania (4,742), New York (3,169), and Massachusetts (2,647).

South Carolina is still among the top destinations for Americans to move to, according to a report published in January by national long-distance household mover United Van Lines. With an inbound moving rate of 61 percent, South Carolina is ranked the fourth most popular destination after Vermont (77 percent), Oregon (67 percent), and Rhode Island (66 percent).
South Carolinas Wilson Reintroduces National Right-to-Work Guarantee Bill

U.S. House Rep. Joe Wilson (R-S.C.) speaks during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington on May 19, 2016. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Every American seeking a jobincluding the millions in the 23 states that presently lack such protectionwould be shielded against being forced to join a union as a condition of employment under legislation introduced in Congress on Feb. 27 by South Carolina Republican Rep. Joe Wilson.

In addition to Wilson and 30 of his House Republican colleagues who are co-sponsoring the proposal in the lower chamber, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) and 20 Senate GOP co-sponsors are backing the bill in the upper chamber.

Every American and their employer should have the power to negotiate the terms of their employment, and no American should be forced to pay union dues or fees just to get or keep a job, Wilson told reporters during a news conference in the U.S. Capitol.

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) speaks during a hearing in Washington in an April 26, 2022, file image. (Al Drago/AFP via Getty Images)

South Carolina is a right-to-work state, and we have seen tremendous economic growth by expanding economic freedom for our businesses. We must continue to work towards promoting job creation and ending automatic unionism for the American people.

Eighty percent of the people in our country support putting an end to dues as a condition of employment. I am grateful to stand alongside my colleagues to offer protections for workers and their employers.

Wilson pointed to his states status as one of the 27 that have adopted right-to-work laws authorized by Section 14b the 1947 Taft-Hartley Act as a critical factor in South Carolinas attraction to Boeing, BMW and Volvo, among other major manufacturers, that have established facilities there in recent decades.

The National Right to Work Act ensures all American workers have the ability to choose to refrain from joining or paying dues to a union as a condition for employment, said Paul.

Kentucky and 26 other states have already passed right to work laws. Its time for the federal government to follow their lead.

The proposed National Right to Work Act (NRTW) amends the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) to make it consistent with the Taft-Hartley Act and thereby guarantee at the federal level that no worker can be forced to join a union and pay its dues in order to keep his or her job.

Wilson told reporters that workers in the 23 states that lack Section 14b right-to-work laws are only required to join unions because of the NLRA.

National Right to Work Committee President Mark Mix told reporters the NRTW is needed now because labor leaders across the country are pushing hard to repeal many of the existing state-level statutes.

At a time when Big Labor-backed politicians are trying to repeal every state right-to-work law in the country, Congressman Joe Wilson is introducing bold legislation that will extend right-to-work protections to every American.

The National Right to Work Act ensures that union dues are voluntary, not forced. We are extremely pleased that Congressman Wilson is introducing this legislation, which represents an important step toward ending forced union dues in America, Mix said.

The number of co-sponsors in the House increases every time I ask for additional support, Wilson said at the outset of the news conference.

Then, when asked about the prospects for passage of the proposal in Congress, which has a Republican House majority and a Senate Democratic majority, Wilson expressed confidence.

Its an issue that is right and we will keep fighting, Wilson added.
State Department Creates $7 Million Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Initiative Fund

The flag of Ukraine is seen beside the Peace Tower, on the same day as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyys address to Parliament in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, on March 15, 2022. (The Canadian Press/Justin Tang)

The Department of State has allocated $7 million to a Ukraine Cultural Heritage Response initiative.

The state department spokespersons office issued a note about the Initiative on Feb. 23, saying the department was prompted to action due to Ukranians cultural identity and heritage being under continuous threat and attack by Russian forces.

The U.S. Department of State announced an initial $7 million investment in the Ukraine Cultural Heritage Response Initiative, which will support Ukraines efforts to protect and preserve its cultural heritage from Russias continuous threats and barbaric attacks, a State Department spokesperson told The Epoch Times.

The U.S. Department of States Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) is investing the money to support Ukrainian efforts to protect their cultural heritage.

According to the State Departments press release, the initiative will prioritize cultural heritage locations and collections that are believed to have been harmed by Russias conflict in Ukraine. The ECA will work in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine, Ukrainian NGOs, and foreign partners.

The program will allow the ECA to assist with tasks like recording damaged collections and sites for accountability, safeguarding against damage and theft, stabilizing damaged sites in an emergency, creating and implementing conservation and restoration plans, coordinating cultural heritage response efforts, and receiving specialized training.

The initiative is an addition to larger programs managed by the ECAs Cultural Heritage Center to support emergency preparedness and response, track Russias destruction of cultural assets in Ukraine through the Conflict Observatory, and promote public-private partnerships to safeguard cultural assets.

With the U.S. Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation, the United States has worked with the Government of Ukraine on cultural heritage conservation and preservation for over 20 years.

When asked about whether the State Department would provide a breakdown of where the U.S. Ukraine Cultural Heritage Response Initiative funding was spent, a Department of State spokesperson told The Epoch Times that information was not yet available, but more details would likely be offered in the future.

The spokesperson said that The Department will make future announcements on grant awards through this Initiative, as appropriate.

The United States has sent tens of billions of dollars in financial assistance to aid Ukraine in its conflict with Russia.

Concerns about the use of that funding prompted Samantha Power, who leads the U.S. Agency for International Development, to assure Americans that the administration doesnt have any evidence that U.S. assistance is being misused or misspent.

Recent data indicates the total amount of U.S. taxpayer-funded military aid provided to Kyiv in the past 12 months is around $32 billion, which is roughly five times Ukraines annual military budget. The total military and humanitarian aid given to Ukraine in the last year is estimated to be over $100 billion.
Stellantis, Unions Agree 2,000 Voluntary Job Cuts in Italy This Year

The logo of Stellantis at the main entrance of the FCA Mirafiori plant in Turin, Italy, on Jan. 18, 2021. (Massimo Pinca/Reuters)

MILANStellantis and unions signed an agreement to cut up to 2,000 workers from the carmakers Italian operations this year through voluntary redundancies, workers representatives said on Monday.

The redundancies amount to more than 4 percent of Stellantis current workforce in Italy of around 47,000 people, FIM, UILM, Fismic, Uglm, and Aqcfr unions said in a joint statement.

The plan only targets specific functions, in particular those not directly linked to line production, they said.

A spokesman for Stellantis confirmed the agreement but had no further comment.

Incentives will vary based on seniority and proximity to retirement age, the unions added.

Employees aged 50 or over and at least four years below retirement age, who agree to leave, will receive 24 months of salary, for no less than 55,000 euros ($58,000), plus an extra 30,000 euros. Proposed packages will be smaller for younger workers, while office workers will also be offered relocation schemes, unions said.

The deal adds to at least two previous accords Stellantis and unions signed last year for more than 2,500 voluntary layoffs in Italy.

Leftist FIOM union, the only major metalworkers union which has not signed the agreement, said in a separate statement that including the job losses announced on Monday, almost 7,000 jobs had been cut at Stellantis Italian operations since 2021, when the group was formed through the merger of Fiat Chrysler and Peugeot maker PSA.

($1 = 0.9447 euros)
U.S. Supreme Court hears arguments in two related cases from 10 a.m. ET on Feb. 28 on President Joe Bidens plan to cancel up to $10,000 in federal student loan debt.
Supreme Court Not Receptive to Biden DOJs Arguments About Reach of Identity Theft Law

Associate justices of the Supreme Court Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh in the chamber of the U.S. House of Representatives at the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Feb. 5, 2019. (Doug Mills-Pool/Getty Images)

The Supreme Court seemed unreceptive to the Biden administrations arguments on Feb. 27 that a Texas man convicted of Medicaid fraud should also be convicted of aggravated identity theft arising out of the same transaction because a form he filed contained a patients name.

Several justices expressed concern that the government wants to interpret the Identity Theft Penalty Enhancement Act, which mandates a two-year prison sentence, so broadly that it could entangle potentially innocent individuals.

When President George W. Bush signed the act in July 2004, he said it would dramatically strengthen the fight against identity theft and fraud, but didnt address the situation the court now finds itself concerned with.

The law establishes the federal offense of aggravated identity theft, Bush said, adding it would ensure someone convicted of that crime would receive jail time for stealing a persons good name.

These punishments will come on top of any punishment for crimes that proceed from identity theft, he said. The law raises the standard of conduct for people who have access to personal records through their work at banks, government agencies, insurance companies, and other storehouses of financial data.

The petitioner, David Fox Dubin, worked as a managing partner for PARTS, a psychology practice in Texas created by his father, William Dubin, a licensed psychologist. Both men were convicted by a federal district court for a scheme to defraud Texass Medicaid program. A divided U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit affirmed the convictions in March 2022.

Medicaid is a joint federal-state program that serves low-income people of all ages and varies from state to state. Its run by state and local governments within federal guidelines. Each state sets its own rules about eligibility and services. Although patients usually dont have to pay for covered medical expenses, a small co-payment is sometimes required.

Petitioner David Dubin filed a claim with Medicaid for $540 for services provided to someone identified as Patient L. The government didnt dispute that the corporation treated the patient or had the authority to use the patients name in the billing process, according to Dubins petition.

Instead, the governments theory was that petitioner overbilled Medicaid for the services provided, which was sufficient for a conviction for health care fraud.

But the government was not content with that conviction. It also indicted petitioner for aggravated identity theft, the petition stated. The governments position is that Dubin violated the identity theft law because he placed Patient Ls identifying information on the fraudulent Medicaid claim form.

The 5th Circuit held that a defendant is guilty of aggravated identity theft anytime he recites someone elses name as part of a predicate crimeeven when he has authority to use that persons name and the predicate crime does not involve a misrepresentation about that persons identity, the petition stated.

Dubin argues that the 5th Circuits interpretation of the law, which required that a mandatory two-year sentence be stacked on top of the sentence for fraud, applies not only to most every commission of healthcare fraud, but would also sweep in tax preparers, immigration attorneys, and anyone else convicted of submitting any form on someones behalf that contains a misrepresentation unrelated to the persons identity.

Dubins attorney, Jeffrey L. Fisher, told the Supreme Court during oral arguments on Feb. 27 that the 5th Circuits decision here stretches the aggravated identity theft statute beyond its breaking point.

Overbilling Medicaid by $101 may provide fodder for a simple healthcare fraud prosecution, but  it does not meet any ordinary understanding of the term identity theft.

The governments hardline interpretation would just sweep in every misbilling, Fisher said. As an example, he said that a lawyer who bills 4.9 hours when he worked 4.8, bills for a second-year associate when it was really a first-year, could be prosecuted.

We would not assume Congress would sweep in vast arrays of conduct without doing it clearly, the lawyer said.

Justice Samuel Alito said Fishers argument has a lot of intuitive appeal because this does not seem like what one normally thinks of as identity theft.

Responding to Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, who expressed concern about the broad application of the Identity Theft Penalty Enhancement Act, Fisher said the governments theory is that there is this incredibly broad statute that makes every fraud prosecution also punishable as aggravated identity theft, and that  creates exactly the kind of standardless sweep that the due process clause of the Constitution is directly concerned with and gives you very serious pause.

Justice Neil Gorsuch was skeptical of the governments far-reaching theory, saying that under it, every time I order salmon at a restaurant [and] Im told its fresh, but its frozen, and my credit card is run for fresh salmon, thats identity theft.

After Justice Brett Kavanaugh said there may be a danger of trapping the unwary or increasing the sentence on an unwary person, U.S. Department of Justice attorney Vivek Suri said supporting the governments position here wouldnt give federal prosecutors a free hand to transform law-abiding people into criminals.

This statute only comes into play only if someone has committed a predicate crime, the lawyer said.

When you really get down to it, all health care fraud is done using peoples names, Justice Elena Kagan said.

The Supreme Court is expected to hand down its decision in Dubin v. United States, court file 22-10, by June.
More than 5,000 immigrants from South and Central America have arrived in Denver since early December when an influx of new arrivals prompted city leaders to set up temporary shelters and declare an emergency.

Denver hit the milestone over the weekend.

During the height of the migration, the city saw busloads of immigrants from El Paso, Texas arrive in the Mile High City. Nearly half came between Dec. 19 and Jan. 3, City and County of Denvers Joint Information Center (JIC) data shows.

The city has seen fewer than 50 a night arrive since mid-January.

Our systems are a little bit relieved seeing fewer migrants coming each day, said Ryan Jeffers, a JIC spokesperson.

Had the number of immigrants Denver saw migrating here early in the crisis continued, Jeffers said city officials had expected to hit the 5,000 mark much sooner.

Historically, immigrants have settled where they can find support, typically in cities where family and friends already live.

Right now, the level of desperation is so high they're doing whatever they can to enter the country, said Laura Lunn, director of advocacy and litigation for the Rocky Mountain Immigrant Advocacy Network (RMIAN).

Since early December, 5,091 immigrants  the majority from Venezuela  have arrived in the city. Mayor Michael B. Hancock said the crisis strained city resources. At the time, the city had spent about $800,000 responding to the influx of immigrants coming.

In early February, city officials estimated the cost at about $5 million.

Officials will not have an up-to-date tally on the costs until Tuesday, Jeffers said.

More than 100,000 Denver County residents identify as immigrant or refugee, according to the Immigrant and Refugee Affairs Office for Human Rights & Community Partnerships. This existing immigrant community in Denver has made the metro area attractive to new arrivals.

The vast majority of new arrivals have stopped here on their way to somewhere else, most notably New York and Illinois, city data shows.

About 30% of the immigrants coming to Denver  according to city and state officials  intend to stay here.

City officials had hoped to curb the length of time immigrants required food and shelter, limiting their stay to two weeks or less. Instead, the city transferred responsibility for sheltering the immigrants to nonprofit partners and religious organizations.

Housing and work opportunities continue to be the greatest barriers for the new arrivals. But finding work and housing within two weeks of arriving, Lunn said, is a big ask.

In my experience, people try to figure out a stable way of living as quickly as possible, Lunn said.

Last month, city officials reopened to the public the recreation center that had been used as a temporary emergency shelter.

As of Monday, 1,209 immigrants were sheltered in Denver. The vast majority are being cared for by organizations who have partnered with the city. Only 77 immigrants were staying in a city-run facility.

The scores of immigrants fleeing Central and South America is illustrative of a U.S. border crisis that has spilled over into other cities, including Denver, which is more than 600 miles from El Paso, Texas.
Supreme Court Slashes IRS Penalty Against Taxpayer for Not Reporting Foreign Bank Accounts

Neil Gorsuch during a hearing in the Hart Senate Office Building in Washington on March 22, 2017. (MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images)

The Supreme Court ruled 54 in a fractured opinion on Feb. 28 that the IRS imposed an excessive fine on a businessman for failing to report foreign bank accounts, reducing the financial penalty to $50,000 from $2.72 million.

The decision came after the House of Representatives, now controlled by Republicans, voted in January to repeal a congressional provision allotting almost $80 billion to the IRS over the coming 10 years for increased enforcement.

Democrats say the IRS has long been underfunded, but Republicans say the extra money would have been used to harass taxpayers. Only 4 percent of the additional funding would have been devoted to improving taxpayer service, while 58 percent would have gone to escalating enforcement efforts, the New York Post reported in August 2022.

The petitioner, Alexandru Bittner, was born in communist Romania. He moved to the United States in his youth, working as a dishwasher and later as a plumber. Eventually, he was naturalized in the United States and has been a dual RomanianU.S. citizen ever since.

Bittner returned to Romania after the collapse of Soviet bloc communism in 1990 and lived there until 2011.

He was a successful businessman and had several non-U.S. personal bank accounts and owned stock in a number of Romanian corporations that also had foreign bank accounts. While living abroad, Bittner had limited contact with the United States.

He said later he was unaware that he was required to file U.S. income tax returns reporting his foreign income. He was also unaware of the existence of the Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts (FBAR) form or Financial Crimes Enforcement Network Form 114, or his duty to file such forms.

When Bittner returned to the United States in 2011, he came to learn that he should have filed U.S. tax returns while living in Romania. He hired a professional accountant, who advised him on the requirement to file FBARs and to prepare the needed documents.

The IRS found that Bittner had failed to timely file FBARs for five years: 2007 through 2011. In that period, because he had more than 25 foreign accounts, he wasnt required to detail those accounts but was permitted merely to state the total number of foreign accounts in which he had a financial interest, or so he thought at the time. He then filed corrected forms that volunteered the full information. The financial penalty was initially set at $50,000 for the nonwillful violations.

But the IRS decided to impose the maximum penalty under the Bank Secrecy Act (BSA), even though Bittners delinquency was unintentional. Despite the fact that Bittner only failed to file five annual forms on time, the IRS took the position that he had violated the law a full 272 timesonce for each account that wasnt reported in each of those five years and fined him $10,000 for each unreported account.

Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote the majority opinion (pdf) in Bittner v. U.S., court file 21-1195, which only Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson joined in full.

The BSAs penalty should be calculated per report, not per bank account, Gorsuch wrote.

Best read, the BSA treats the failure to file a legally compliant report as one violation carrying a maximum penalty of $10,000, not a cascade of such penalties calculated on a per-account basis, he wrote.

Section 5314 of the BSA does not speak of accounts or their number. The word account does not even appear. Instead, the relevant legal duty is the duty to file reports.

Nor does Section 5321, which authorizes a civil penalty of $10,000 for any violation of Section 5314, refer to accounts or their number, he wrote.

Section 5314 provides that a violation occurs when an individual fails to file a report consistent with the statutes commands, Gorsuch wrote.

Multiple deficient reports may yield multiple $10,000 penalties, and even a seemingly simple deficiency in a single report may expose an individual to a $10,000 penalty. But in all cases, penalties for non-willful violations accrue on a per-report, not a per-account, basis.

The contrary decision of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit should be reversed and the case remanded to that court for further proceedings consistent with this opinion, Gorsuch wrote.

Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Samuel Alito and Brett Kavanaugh joined the majority opinion except for Part IIC, which suggests the three jurists disagreed with the reasoning in that specific part.

The part discusses the rule of lenity that provides that when there are ambiguities in a criminal statute related to prohibitions and penalties, the matter should be resolved in the defendants favor when doing so would not go against legislative intent.

Gorsuch said the rule should apply in this case and explained why, but the three justices didnt attach a statement indicating why they disagreed.

Justice Amy Coney Barrett filed a dissenting opinion, which was joined by Justices Clarence Thomas, Sonia Sotomayor, and Elena Kagan.

Bittner held as much as $16 million across more than 50 bank accounts in Romania, Switzerland, and Liechtenstein, Barrett noted.

The most natural reading of the statute establishes that each failure to report a qualifying foreign account constitutes a separate reporting violation, so the Government can levy penalties on a per-account basis, she wrote.

Section 5314 indicates that its reporting requirement attaches to each individual account with a foreign financial agency. Each account triggers the requirement to file reports and each failure to report an account violates the reporting requirement, Barrett wrote.

Bittners attorney, Daniel Geyser of Haynes and Boone, welcomed the courts ruling.

The Courts decision correctly cabins the IRSs discretion and curbs agency overreach, protecting countless innocent taxpayers from devastating penalties that did nothing to advance the Acts goals, he told The Epoch Times by email.

Were delighted for our client and grateful that the Court accepted our position.

The Department of Justice didnt respond by press time to a request by The Epoch Times for comment.
Supreme Court to Hear Arguments on Bidens Student Loan Forgiveness Plan

An engraving of the Contemplation of Justice is seen outside the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 7, 2022. (Stefani Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images)

On Tuesday, Feb. 28, the United States Supreme Court will hear arguments regarding challenges on the legality of the Biden administrations contested program to forgive billions of dollars in federally-backed student loan debt. Confirmation that the High Court would hear the case came on Dec. 1, 2022.

The Biden administration announced the three-pronged Student Debt Relief program in a Fact Sheet on Aug. 24, 2022, just a little over two months before the Nov. 8, 2022, midterm elections. As previously reported by The Epoch Times, some suggested the program was one of several efforts to buy votes.

Virtually every legal scholar that I have spoken to has said that the president of the United States really doesnt have the authority to do this, and the people at the White House and Domestic Policy Council know that, Tom Basile told The Epoch Times. But they also know they couldnt get it through Congress so they figure they would do this and let people believe they were going to be able to do this.

Basile also suggested that this wasnt the first time the Biden administration has pushed for a program they knew would face legal challenges so they could make Republicans look like the bad guys by trying to uphold the rule of law.

They knew it would be litigated, Basile noted, adding that the move is very similar to what the administration did with the eviction moratorium.

Basile, best known as the host of the Newsmax program America Right Now, is an adjunct professor at Fordham University and a member of the New York State Bar Association.

Because of the legal challenges, the Biden administration was forced to delay the implementation of his plan several times.

The Arguments

President Joe Biden announces student loan relief in the Roosevelt Room of the White House on Aug. 24, 2022. (Olivier Douliery/AFP via Getty Images)

There are currently two legal challenges to Bidens student loan forgiveness program.

Republicans and conservative groups argue that Biden doesnt have the power to cancel consumer debt without Congressional approval and that the policy itself is harmful.

In September, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimated that Bidens program, if implemented, would cost U.S. taxpayers around $400 billiona figure that critics say underestimates the scope of the cost that will actually settle upon the shoulders of U.S. taxpayers.

In the meantime, the Biden administration insists that it is acting within the law, arguing that the Heroes Act of 2003 grants the U.S. Secretary of Education the authority to waive regulations related to student loans during national emergencies. The United States has been operating under an Emergency Declaration due to COVID since March 13, 2020.

Biden v. Nebraska

On Sept. 29, 2022, Republican attorneys general in six statesArkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, and South Carolinafiled a challenge (pdf), asking the Supreme Court to consider the legality of the Biden administrations student debt relief program, asserting that the plan exceeds the Secretary of Educations authority.

While the six states allege that Bidens student loan forgiveness plan exceeds the Secretary of Educations authority, the Biden administration argues that the Higher Education Relief Opportunities for Students (HEROES) Act of 2003 authorizes the secretary to waive or modify statutes during or in the aftermath of national emergenciesprovides the Secretary of Education the authority to implement the debt relief program.

The Eighth Circuit ruled that Missouri does have standing, based on harm that would be suffered by the Missouri Higher Education Loan Authority (MOHELA), a loan provider created by Missouri statute. Plaintiffs further argue that the forgiveness program could harm state tax revenues and diminish investments tied to student loans. Plaintiffs further argue that the secretarys action is not authorized by statute because the economic conditions used to justify the student loan forgiveness plan are not sufficiently connected to the COVID-19 emergency and that its purpose is to keep certain borrowers from suffering further financial trouble in relation to their student loans.

As stated in the White Houses fact sheet, an objective of the plan is to: Advance racial equity.

By targeting relief to borrowers with the highest economic need, the Administrations actions are likely to help narrow the racial wealth gap, the Biden administration explained, alleging that, Black students are more likely to have to borrow for school and more likely to take out larger loans, and that Black borrowers are twice as likely to have received Pell Grants compared to their white peers. Other borrowers of color are also more likely than their peers to receive Pell Grants.

Due to these reasons, the plaintiffs are asking the court to shut down the program, asserting that it is unconstitutional and not remotely tailored to address the effects of the pandemic on federal student loan borrowers.

Department of Education v. Brown

On Oct. 10, 2022, a separate lawsuit (pdf) was filed in the state of Texas on behalf of two student-loan borrowers, Myra Brown and Alexander Taylor, who argue that the Administrative Procedure Acts notice-and-comment procedures exist for good reason: to ensure that unelected administrators, who are not directly accountable to the populace, are forced to justify their quasi-legislative rulemaking before an informed and skeptical public.

Nothing in this Act shall be held to diminish the constitutional rights of any person or to limit or repeal additional requirements imposed by statute or otherwise recognized by law, the statute clarifies. Except as otherwise required by law, all requirements or privileges relating to evidence or procedure shall apply equally to agencies and persons. If any provision of this Act or the application thereof is held invalid, the remainder of this Act or other applications of such provision shall not be affected.

It is further argued that the Biden administration failed to follow federal law when it rolled out its debt-forgiveness plan. Federal law (pdf) requires that government agencies allow at least 30 days after publication of a program for the public to submit written data, views, or arguments regarding the proposed rule.

Instead of providing notice and seeking comment from the public, the Department hammered out the critical details of the Program in secret and with an eye toward securing debt forgiveness in time for the November election, the Republican AGs argue in the brief.

Along the way, the Department made numerous arbitrary decisions about the Program, including which individuals will receive debt forgiveness, how much of their debt will be forgiven, and which types of debt will qualify for the Program.

White House Responds

In a legal brief filed in January 2022, the Biden administration defended itself, insisting that the HEROES Act of 2003 authorizes the Secretary of Education to waive or modify any statutory or regulatory provision applicable to student aid programs when necessary in connection with a war or other military operation or national emergency.

To protect student-loan borrowers affected by a national emergency from student-debt-related financial harm, Congress provided the Secretary of Education with authority to waive or modify statutory and regulatory provisions governing their student-loan obligations under specified conditions, the administration contends. In August 2022, the Secretary announced a plan to use that statutory authority to provide targeted debt relief to millions of student-loan borrowers suffering the continuing economic fallout of an unprecedented global pandemic.

House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio arrives for a caucus meeting on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 21, 2015. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

However, John Boehner, Howard Buck McKeon, and John Klinethe former Republican House members who drafted the HEROES Actfiled an amicus brief (pdf) asserting that, by passing the measure, Congress never intended anything like the loan cancellation effort underway here.

Despite the staggering scope of this regulatory action, it was taken with breathtaking informality and opacity, the brief clarified. The Department did not undertake the notice-and-comment process required for rulemaking, much less solicit any public input. It did not even issue a formal order or directive setting out its cancellation program. Instead, it issued a press release on August 12th along with two legal memoranda providing its justifications, and, later, a hastily created a FAQ section on its website.

On Sept. 27, 2022, attorneys for Frank Garrison filed another complaint against the U.S. Department of Education (pdf), arguing that the HEROES Act only authorizes the Secretary of Education to waive or modify any statutory or regulatory provision applicable to student aid programs when necessary in connection with a war or other military operation or national emergency.

Importantly, to qualify for such a waiver or modification, individuals must reside or be employed in a disaster area as declared by a federal, state, or local official in connection with a national emergency, the brief explains, insisting that concluding that the entire nation is a disaster area because of the COVID pandemic, the administration claims that the Secretary of Education has the power to automatically issue blanket loan forgiveness to 8 million borrowers 

Dozens of organizations and individuals, including civil rights groups, labor unions, legal experts, and state governments, filed amicus briefs or friend of the court documents in support of the Biden administrations plan.

The Supreme Courts decisions in the cases are expected before the end of June. Considering the High Courts 6-3 conservative-leaning majority, some speculate that Bidens program will be struck down. Others suggest the Biden administration will lose the battle because the merits of the case against the legality of the program is strong.
Taliban: 2 Senior ISIS Members Killed in Afghanistan

The locator map for Afghanistan with its capital, Kabul. (AP Photo)

ISLAMABADTwo senior regional members of the ISIS terrorist group have been killed in Afghanistan in recent weeks in separate operations by the Taliban security forces, a Taliban spokesman said Tuesday.

Taliban forces killed Qari Fateh, the regional ISIS intelligence and operations chief, during a raid in Kabul over the weekend, Zabihullah Mujahid, the main spokesman for the Taliban, said in a statement.

Earlier this month in a separate operation in Kabul, three ISIS membersincluding senior ISIS leader Ijaz Amin Ahingarwere killed.

Mujahid said that a number of other ISIS members, including foreign nationals planning deadly attacks, also have been detained in recent days.

The regional affiliate of ISIS known as ISIS-Kis a key rival of the Taliban terrorist group. ISIS-K has increased its attacks in Afghanistan since the Taliban takeover of the country in August 2021. Targets have included Taliban patrols and members of Afghanistans Shiite minority.

In January, eight ISIS terrorists were killed and nine others arrested in a series of raids targeting key figures.

The raids in the capital city and western Nimroz province targeted ISIS terrorists who organized attacks on Kabuls Longan Hotel, Pakistan embassy and the military airport.

ISIS claimed responsibility for a deadly bombing near a checkpoint at the Afghan capitals military airport. ISIS said that attack was carried out by the same terrorists who took part in the Longan Hotel assault in mid-December.

ISIS claimed the attack on a Chinese-owned hotel in the heart of Kabul.

Earlier, the ISIS also claimed a shooting attack targeting the Pakistani Embassy in Kabul. Shots were fired at the embassy from a nearby building, triggering anger in Pakistan and raising tensions between the two South Asian neighbors.

Pakistans top diplomat in Kabul was walking across the lawn inside the embassy compound at the time of the attack. He was unharmed, but one of his Pakistani guards was wounded.

The Taliban swept across the country in mid-August 2021, seizing power as U.S. and NATO forces were withdrawing from Afghanistan after 20 years of war.

The international community has not recognized the Taliban, wary of the harsh measures they have imposed since their takeoverincluding restricting rights and freedoms, especially for of women and minorities.

By Rahim Faiez
Texas Superintendent Resigns After Third-Graders Find His Gun in Bathroom

A Texas school district superintendent has resigned after his gun was found in the bathroom by a third-grade student.

Former Superintendent Robby Stuteville submitted his resignation from Rising Star Independent School District on Feb. 20 after news of the firearm incident was made public, according to multiple reports.

School Board Trustees accepted his resignation three days later during a special meeting and appointed secondary school principal Monty Jones as acting superintendent until a replacement is hired.

No one to my knowledge called for his resignation, Jones told NBC News. And the board certainly did not. We were supportive, and we were trying to work through it.

Stuteville didnt feel like it was a situation to where he could carry on without further distractions, Jones added.

Local law enforcement launched an investigation last week after becoming became aware of the incident that occurred in January.

Rising Star is a small, rural community in Eastland County, about 135 miles southwest of Fort Worth. The town has a population of less than 900.

What Happened?

Last month, a third-grader at Rising Star Elementary found a firearm in the bathroom.

The student reported the discovery to his teacher, who sent the student and another boy back into the bathroom to be sure thats what he found, Jones told NBC.

The students went back to their teacher, who has not been publicly identified, and confirmed that there was a gun in the bathroom stall.

Once it was determined thats what it was, they went straight to the superintendents office, Jones said.

The students did not touch the gun, according to Jones.

Stuteville told KRBC that the firearm had been left unattended for approximately 15 minutes and that he was proud of the students for reporting it.

It is unclear why the district did not immediately notify law enforcement or parents when the incident occurred.

Jones did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Campus Carry

Stuteville and Jones were permitted to carry their weapons on campus in reaction to the school shootings that have occurred on school campuses across the nation over the last several years.

Both men completed a weeklong firearm and emergency situation training course.

Be advised that Rising Star ISD will take any means necessary to protect our students and staff, the district website states.

Investigation

Rising Star Police Chief Don Braly told KTAB that the department is taking the incident very seriously and that the situation is under investigation.

When that investigation is concluded, the information and the facts, not rumors, will be turned over to the district attorneys office, Braly said.

Rising Star Police Department did not respond to a request for comment.

Parents Respond

Over two dozen parents attended the emergency school board meeting to voice their concerns over the districts handling of the incident.

The district did not inform parents about the issue.

Many said they first learned what had happened through the news, according to KTAB.

It makes the school seem like they have something to hide, one parent reportedly said at the meeting.

Another parent, Giovanni Mata, said that his family had recently moved to the district from Uvalde.

Mata said he did not approve of how the teacher handled the information from the student who initially found the gun.

So the teacher asked another kid, my son, Can you go see if its a real gun? Mata reportedly said. Why would you send a kid? Why not send someone else?

Still, others said they believed the issue was being blown out of proportion.

How many of your kids have access to guns in your home? one parent said to the others who attended. A bunch of you, including mine. I think its a mistake, and I think you pointing fingers at [Stuteville] for doing something like this is wrong.

But Mata believes some of the parents might feel differently if their child had been the one involved.

If this was your kid in that situation, Im sure you would act completely different, the father said. You cant say that was a mistake to leave a gun there.

School Board of Trustees

The school board issued a statement to parents after it appointed Jones as acting superintendent.

The past is history and cannot be changed, the Rising Star Board of Trustees wrote in the statement posted on its website.

Today we are weathering the storms from past decisions. We are striving to make sure that our children are educated in a safe, loving, healthy, and secure environment.
The 1619 Project Is Wrong About Capitalism, but Not in the Way You May Think

Commentary

In 1834, an angry mob descended on a gathering at a New York church. Their target was Lewis and Arthur Tappan, owners of a successful mercantile import business. When the Tappans fled, the mob went to Lewis Tappans home and threw his belongings into a fire on the street. The Tappans were the epitome of American capitalism and entrepreneurship. Not coincidentally, they were also prominent abolitionists. The pro-slavery mob wanted to bring them to their knees.

The 1619 Project, a series of essays and poems by New York Times journalists, blames capitalism for slavery. In order to understand the brutality of American capitalism, writes Matthew Desmond, you have to start on the plantation. They are confused. Slavery springs from anti-capitalism. As Phillip Magness of the American Institute for Economic Research explains, pro-slavery theorists of the 19th century held capitalism in contempt, while the free market liberal tradition had a directly adversarial view of slavery. Free enterprise and personal autonomy are two sides of the same coin.

But the 1619 Projects confusion is understandable. After all, we live in a time of political upheaval. Capitalism is in retreat. Big business, once thought to be a symbol of free markets and social prosperity, now colludes with government. In America, commercial relationships are no longer driven predominantly by market forces. Instead, according to AIERs Samuel Gregg, in its place is an accelerating partnership of technocratic government and powerful corporate elites that control an ever-greater proportion of economic activity. Americas economy is now dominated not by capitalism but by corporatism.

Corporatism is an economic and political system in which government coordinates the private sector towards the realization of political and social objectives. The state favors, protects, promotes, subsidizes, and benefits the interests of cooperative business partners.

The authors of the 1619 Project are right that we have serious problems in this country. America is the most enterprising and prosperous country in history, but its success is no longer assured. Many people are having a tough time. They can longer assume that they will be better off in the future than they or their parents were in the past. But 1619 is right for the wrong reasons.

It used to be that America was the land of opportunity. Hard work and a little ingenuity were enough to take you places. The beauty of capitalism is that nobody controls it. When demand and supply rule, no one else does. Free markets protect everyone because they prevent anyone from taking control. No one can fix prices, limit supply, dictate the terms of employment, or restrict competition. True capitalism means freedom and opportunity for everyone.

But in America we are giving up on capitalism. Big corporations have become entangled in the arms of big government. There is favoritism, gatekeeping, revolving doors, pork barreling, and all kinds of funny business. Political power and economic might concentrate in fewer hands. The little guy is being squeezed out. Corporatism is, in fact, a genuine source of oppression.

Public institutions once dedicated to protecting the poor, the persecuted, and the powerless have become corrupt. Union leadership jealously protect their power and status, cooperating with employers to mandate medical interventions on their members. Universities, former champions of free and open inquiry, are the most extreme of ideological institutions. Big Tech takes marching orders from government to supervise speech. Establishment media, once known as the fourth estate for its independence, promotes the only game in town. America is now governed by propaganda, surveillance, censorship, and ideological conformity.

Nikole Hannah-Jones, the architect of the 1619 Project, says that capitalism is a systemic tool of oppression. She tries to say it with a straight face. But oppression is coercion, and coercion is illiberal. Socialism, communism, fascism, and corporatism are cut from the same illiberal cloth. The most notorious corporatist regimes were fascist, like Mussolinis Italy. As Hayek described, Everyone who has watched the growth of these movements in Italy or in Germany has been struck by the number of leading men, from Mussolini downward, who began as socialists and ended as Fascists or Nazis.  Few are ready to recognize that the rise of fascism and Nazism was not a reaction against the socialist trends of the preceding period but a necessary outcome of those tendencies.

In the end, the Tappan brothers were vindicated. With their entrepreneurial spirit intact, they invented a new way of doing business, recovered their wealth, and continued to fight to end slavery.

The story of America is the story of the struggle between two political imperatives. On one side are those who seek to control and enslave. On the other are those who want peopleall peopleto be free. Personal freedom and economic freedom are two parts of a whole. Free markets mean free people, and vice versa. Capitalists like the Tappan brothers are libertys true champions.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
The 4-Day Workweek and Bernie

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) speaks during a rally in support of the Biden administration's student debt relief plan in front of the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington on Feb. 28, 2023. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Commentary

Some 61 varied British businesses with a total of 2,900 employees over the course of six months recently participated in the largest experiment ever of a four-day workweek, effectively providing their workers with a paid day off a week.

Conducted by the British think tank Autonomy, two nonprofits, and researchers at Cambridge and Boston College, the goal was to ascertain whether the increased time off would lessen stress and burnout while maintaining or even increasing productivity and revenue, as well as test the effects on employee health and turnover.

The findings were tremendously positive, with over 90 percent of the businesses favoring the continuation of the practice, 18 of whom intended to make a four-day week permanent.

Quick to weigh in was Vermonts democratic socialist Sen. Bernie Sanders, writing on Twitter that With exploding technology and increased worker productivity, its time to move toward a four-day workweek with no loss of pay. Workers must benefit from technology, not just corporate CEOs.

You see, its an ancient Marxist slander against the free market that private sector employers seek to drain every drop of labor out of their workers, and so it was vital for Sanders to brand the four-day workweek with the progressive seal of approval before Republicans began touting the idea. (The senator, however, is actually quite late to the party since all the way back in 1956, one Vice President Richard Nixon was promising that Eisenhowers economic policies would mean a four-day workweek for Americans in the not too distant future.)

In chapter 10 of Das Kapital, devoted to The Working Day, Marx warns that the owner of a private business is capital personified. His soul is the soul of capital. And capital seeks to absorb the greatest possible amount of surplus-labor.

Marx declared: Capital is dead labor, that, vampire-like, only lives by sucking living labor, and lives the more, the more labor it sucks. The time during which the laborer works, is the time during which the capitalist consumes the labor-power he has purchased of him. If the laborer consumes his disposable time for himself, he robs the capitalist.

The notion that the Dracula who pays you the money you use for your familys livelihood would choose to suck out less of your blood and sweat, and would actually actively promote a shorter workweek for his employees, is 180 degrees opposed to what Marx prophesied; capitalists are supposed to want to work you into the ground. Just as business owners deigning to share their profits with grateful workers contradicts Marxist theory that the proletariat would rise up and smash the bourgeoisie. Vast majorities of Americans, spanning party and ideology, it turns out, like receiving a share of the profits.

Curious how those working for Sanderss 2020 presidential campaign were allegedly treated in this regard. One Sanders campaign worker, in the early days of that campaign, actually filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) charging that employees would be punished by Sanderss campaign if they attempted to organize and seek a collective bargaining agreement. Sanders also cut workers hours so he could pay them less (in contrast to the four-day week idea, which maintains 40-hours pay). As the Washington Post described it, Campaign field hires have demanded an annual salary they say would be equivalent to a $15-an-hour wage, which Sanders for years has said should be the federal minimum. The organizers and other employees supporting them have invoked the senators words and principles in making their case 

In the Soviet Union, where Sanders and his wife spent their honeymoon in 1988, its 66 million non-farm workers were required to labor some six days a week until no sooner than 1967, when the Kremlin acceded to a five-day workweek. And in communist mainland China, a 996 work culture has long been the de-facto norm, with employees working from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. six days a week, despite unenforced laws limiting a work day to eight hours, and a workweek to 44 hours.

Such labor laws are obviously as valueless as articles 35 and 36 of the Peoples Republic of Chinas Constitution, which laughably guarantee that Citizens of the Peoples Republic of China enjoy freedom of speech, of the press, of assembly, of association, of procession and of demonstration as well as freedom of religious belief. And that No State organ, public organization or individual may compel citizens to believe in, or not to believe in, any religion; nor may they discriminate against citizens who believe in, or do not believe in, any religion.

Such preposterous constitutional rights didnt stop Beijing from convicting and incarcerating 90-year-old Cardinal Joseph Zen for helping those protesting for freedom in Hong Kong.

Despite Sanderss attempts to take credit for the four-day workweek, its a capitalist idea; the vampires Marx theorized about, thirsty for slave labor, are turning out to be his own red-handed followers.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
The Importance of American Assistance in Ukraines Fight Against Russia

Commentary

The decisive moment is at hand in Ukraine. While other NATO countries have assisted Ukraine, that country wouldnt have been able to resist successfully without American military and humanitarian assistance that now exceeds $50 billion. Its only the United States that could assure Ukraines durable ability to resist almost any level of assault by Russia. And its only the United States that could outbid China for Russias goodwill, and could, however disagreeable it would be, compel Ukraine to accept a compromise peace.

The unique position of the United States hasnt been reflected in the stated war aims of the administration and its Republican supporters, nor sensibly addressed by the rational opponents of the bipartisan U.S. policy thats been pursued to date.

Those who robotically repeat their objections to the cost of supporting the Ukraine war are simply not thinking it through. $50 billion is approximately three-fifths of 1 percent of the annual budget of the U.S. government. Its almost all stimulative spending within the United States, which generates income for American individuals and companies and ricochets positively through the economy.

These tiresome and juvenile efforts to imply that the United States cant sustain that level of support for Ukraine without depriving the American public of essential spending at home, and even more absurdly that the president cant visit Ukraine without cheating New Palestine, Ohio, or other communities of his presence, adds nothing to the intelligent public discussion that should now be occurring.

If Russia were enabled to fulfill its initial war aims, and reabsorb Ukraine entirely into Russia again, given that it already dominates Belarus and can intimidate several of the other smaller republics of the former USSR, Russian President Vladimir Putin would succeed in substantially reversing the result of the Cold War, which was, lest we forget, the greatest and most bloodless strategic victory in the history of the world.

President Dwight Eisenhower was vindicated: At the cost of maintaining the containment policy around the Soviet Union, it eventually simply disintegrated without firing a shot. It would be a strategic blunder as immense as the bloodless victory in the Cold War was a triumph if we passively allowed the Soviet Union to be reassembled while the independence of the brave Ukrainian people was cruelly strangled before the eyes of the world. What credibility would the West have then?

Shame on those who dispute that aid to Ukraine is a justifiable strategic investment for America and its allies. However, the preservation of Ukraineand Western assistance in giving it a heroic tradition to build upon, and a comprehensive aid program at the end of the war to help transform the hitherto failed state of Ukraine into a prosperous and competently governed countryabsolutely doesnt require the utter humiliation of Russia. No such goal could be easily achieved and it isnt desirable. The Western objective must be to apply on both sides the pressure required to preserve a secure Ukraine that can flourish while assuring that Russia gets some modest apparent benefit from its aggressive war, so that we can begin the process of pointing out to the Russians why their national interest is better served cooperating with the West than with China. The West isnt a threat to Russia, and China is, and the Russians mustnt be allowed to forget that.

This dual strategic requirement complicates our war aims. The bravura of the president and his principal collaborators including Republican Senate leader Mitch McConnell, that the United States will remain for as long as it takes, with as much as it takes gives no hint that the decision-makers in the administration are thinking in any terms other than the total expulsion of Russia from Ukraine including the Crimea, which was in fact part of Russia until 1954. Because Ukraine didnt exist as an identifiable political entity until the establishment of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics in 1922 does support the Russian view that it has some legitimate interests in Ukraine, even though, from all accounts the approximately one-sixth Russian-speaking section of the population of Ukraine prefers by a wide margin to be citizens of Ukraine rather than of Russia.

Since Russia is a much larger and stronger country than Ukraine, and despite the fact that Ukraine is a sophisticated arms manufacturer and clearly is fighting bravely for its independence, it will not be possible to expel Russia completely from Ukraine without an immense commitment of American and NATO resources. And the additional cost of doing so would be such a humiliating defeat for Russia that its alliance with China would probably become unlimited accessibility to Siberian resources for resource-poor China, as well as the relocation of masses of overcrowded Chinese to underpopulated Siberia. This would put the West in a rivalry with a China that effectively included a large part of the Russian landmass and unexploited resources, and would make China a much more formidable geopolitical adversary than it has any expectation of becoming otherwise.

It wont do for President Joe Biden to return to prattling about how hes defending every square inch of NATO territory, since not one inch of it is at the moment under any threat. Whatever his public position, its time for the administration to open parallel negotiations with the Russians and Ukrainians to preserve Ukraine but give Putin a few crumbs for his domestic plausibility, particularly within the corridors of the Kremlin, which has a formidable history of failed officials paying a heavy price for their shortcomings.

The interest of the West is in assisting Ukraine to become a secure and prosperous democracy while maintaining its ability to bring Russia into the West as an honored and cooperating nation, and as the great power that it has been since the time of Peter the Great more than 300 years ago.

Americans would do well to remember the unsatisfactory history of their wars these past 70 years. Gen. Douglas MacArthurs orders were abruptly changed from the reunification of Korea to the retention of the existing division in 1951. His public insubordination was unacceptable, but he was correct that In war there is no substitute for victory, and if he and Eisenhower had been listened to, we wouldnt have had the disaster in Vietnam. They both said that the Ho Chi Minh Trail had to be cut; it wasnt, and the non-communist government in Saigon didnt survive because the Democrats, having propelled the country into the war, didnt seek a military victory, and undercut Richard Nixons promising effort to preserve the government in the south.

By not getting rid of Saddam Hussein in the first Gulf War, we invited the second Gulf War. By trying to transform Iraq into a democracy, we handed much of it to Iran. We couldnt win in Afghanistan when we allowed the Taliban to winter in Pakistan. The abrupt withdrawal from Iraq brought in ISIS. There was never any sense to the Libyan intervention, nor any discernible plan of action in regard to Syria.

The effect is the United States smashes up these countries and then becomes bored and leaves. This isnt a process that enhances American prestige in the world. Ukraine is an opportunity to gain a durable and important strategic objective without taking a single casualty. Biden wouldnt be my choice to sort this out, but he has been handed the ball, and the whole civilized world should hope that he doesnt fumble it.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Time to Defeat Chinas Proxies in Mexico

The fentanyl scourge in the US must be stopped

A display of the fentanyl and meth that was seized by U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the Nogales Port of Entry during a press conference in Nogales, Ariz., on Jan. 31, 2019. (Mamta Popat/Arizona Daily Star via AP)

Commentary

Communist China has been conducting a hybrid war against its main enemy, the United States of America, for years. There are multiple fronts in that war, including economic warfare, diplomatic intimidation (wolf warriors), espionage, elite capture, suborning international institutions (the World Health Organization), and social media (TikTok cultural warfare). A key front thats frequently overlookedand downplayedby the Biden administration is the flood of China-sourced fentanyl and other opioids into the United States.

Let us examine the topic, the effects, and what needs to be done about it.

The Fentanyl Scourge

Virtually all fentanyl has been produced by communist China from the beginning. However, the Chinese switched operations because of Trump administration diplomatic pressure in 2019. Chinese-sourced fentanyl precursors have now replaced pure fentanyl as the primary scourge in the United States, as noted by the Congressional Research Service (CRS) (pdf) in December 2022.

CRS further reports: Today, Mexican transnational criminal organizations (TCOs) are largely responsible for the production of U.S.-consumed illicit fentanyl, using PRC-sourced primary materials, including precursor chemicals that are not internationally controlled (and are correspondingly legal to produce in and export out of China).

Those TCOs refer specifically to the Jalisco and Sinaloa drug cartels that control northern Mexico.

From the Wilson Center, here are points made by several U.S. senators and the administrator of the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) in public testimony during a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on countering illicit fentanyl trafficking on Feb. 15.

The Sinaloa and Jalisco cartels are the main traffickers of fentanyl into the United States. T he vast majority of fentanyl and meth is coming from th os e two cartels in Mexico .

Chinese traffickers and money launderers are also increasing cooperation with Mexican cartels .

The  cartels are profiting from and prolonging the illegal migration crisis caused by the Biden administrations weak enforcement of border security and immigration controls .

The number one killer of Americans today, of young people between the ages of 18 and 45, is drug overdose. Most of it is fentanyl.

In fiscal year 2022, U.S. Customs and Border Protection ( CBP ) seize d 14,700 pounds of fentanyl (enough to kill every person in the United States); more than 12,500 pounds have been seized already in fiscal year 2023.

Between October 2021 and September 2022 , CBP source s estimated there were 364,000 gotaways, people that ran away to avoid detention at the border . And o ther border patrol officials put the number of gotaways at 1.2 million.

I n 2018 , t he amount of money cartels made from human trafficking according to the New York Times was $500 million. Now, just from human trafficking, the cartels are making $13 billion a year, again according to The New York Times . T hats a 2,600 percent increase.

Fentanyl is 50 times stronger than heroin (and more addictive).

I n fiscal year 22, roughly 85 percent of all fentanyl seizures occurring at the southwestern border of the United States occurred at ports of entry through tractor-trailer trucks and passenger vehicles .

Collusion between cartels and Mexican authorities is a recurring challenge , and Mexicos increas ingly politicized national prosecutors office has shown little appetite to prosecute fentanyl-related cases.

The cartels are increasingly brazenly expanding their operations directly in the United States. For example, Breitbart reported on Feb. 22 that two brothers from Mexico ran a large-scale meth distribution operation in Dallas, Texas, on behalf of Cartel Jalisco New Generation, with a single shipment that was captured in the diesel tank of a tractor-trailer rig headed to Oklahoma and was worth $9.9 million (street value).

The drug smugglers have also used U.S. mail and express carriers to move their product into the United States. As also reported by Breitbart on Feb. 22, CBP officials said the shipment of fentanyl into the U.S. by smugglers via the U.S. mail and other common express consignment carriers like FedEx, UPS, and DHL is increasing at an alarming level.

Biden Administration and Other Democrat Smoke and Mirrors

The basic Democrat policy has been open borders from the days of Ted Kennedys 1965 immigration law that subsequently brought 59 million foreigners into the United States, with President Joe Bidens open border policies having allowed more than 2 million illegal aliens into the United States since January 2021.

First there were anchor babies (children born in the United States to illegal parents who, as naturally born Americans, facilitate entry of their parents and other extended family members into the United States). Then there were Dreamers. Dreamers are illegal immigrant youths who qualify under the Democrat-sponsored Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act. This act (never passed into law) would have created a pathway to citizenship for immigrant youth who were brought to the United States as children without documentation. President Barack Obama implemented the provision via executive order, bypassing the will of Congress in 2012anything to bring more illegal immigrants into the United States.

And the latest scam is this.

Illegal immigrant encounters at the U.S.Mexico border surged to 252,000 in the month of December 2022 alone, as reported by Voice of America, with over 874,000 encounters overall since October 2022. As a means of attempting to control and massage those numbers, the U.S. CBP implemented a parole program in four countries in January 2023 that allows up to 30,000 migrants per month from [the highest offending countries] to enter the U.S. and live for up to two years. Thats 120,000 legal illegals into the United States every month for the foreseeable future1.2 million alone from just four countries.

How much fentanyl can the drug cartels co-opt those entrants into carrying over the border? The Biden administration isnt serious about stopping the fentanyl scourge or enforcing existing U.S. immigration laws. Its all about the continued disintegration of the U.S.Mexico border and all that entails to the detriment of U.S. national securityand the glee of the Chinese Communist Party.

Other Direct Impacts

From the Senate Foreign Relations Committee meeting referred to above, the DEA administrator made direct reference to the money laundering required to repatriate drug profits made in the United States back to the cartels in Mexico: After the cartels sell those drugs in the U.S., they work to get their profits back to Mexico. And they do that through illicit finance, often today we see through Chinese money laundering organizations that are operating both in the United States and in Mexico.

Those money-laundering operations involve Americans. To control and facilitate their operations in the United States, the Mexican cartels have allegedly corrupted Arizona beyond most peoples wildest imagination. And a lot of Americans are apparently on the take. An example is this still unfolding news story in Arizona regarding [alleged] massive corruption and collusion between American politicians, appointed government officials, and the Sinaloa Cartels, including alleged money-laundering, racketeering, narcotics trafficking, and other crimes.

According to expert testimony given before Arizonas Senate Elections and Municipal Oversight & Elections Joint Committee, The money laundering and racketeering scheme allegedly uses fraudulent mortgages, real estate transactions, and insurance claims in Maricopa County to hide money made through cartel human trafficking, drug trafficking, and bribery of elected officials, and to rig elections, intimidate, or murder those who threaten the operation.

The scandal is unraveling, with those allegedly benefiting from the cartels money-laundering operation including numerous members of the Arizona political class in both political parties.

Corruption on such a massive scale in America was heretofore unthinkable. The likelihood that this is the only such alleged cartel money-laundering operation in the United States is slim to none.

Concluding Thoughts

Mexico has become a de facto failed narco state incapable of controlling the Sinaloa and Jalisco cartels and its own borders.

Large segments of Mexicos people, territory and economy are falling under the rule of Mexican criminal groups, according to the Brookings Institution. These conditions along the U.S.Mexico border are made to order for the cartels drug trafficking (and human trafficking) operations.

The communist Chinese have built relationships with the cartels to export fentanyl and other illicit drugs into the United States as a means of corrupting and killing Americans, as well as diverting scarce U.S. resources that could be used for other purposes. This is hybrid warfare aimed at the heart and soul of the United States: its civilian population.

Theres precedent for the United States dealing directly with criminality in the border area. A porous U.S.Mexico border in the early 1900s led to U.S. Army clashes with Mexican revolutionary and guerilla leader Pancho Villa, including cross-border raids to avenge Villas attack on Columbus, New Mexico, in 1916. U.S. President Woodrow Wilson dispatched Gen. John Pershing to deal with Villa. As reported on History.com, For nearly two years, Pershing and his soldiers chased the elusive Villa on horseback, in automobiles, and with airplanes.

Then consider the U.S. response to the Sept. 11 attacks in New York and Washington, D.C. The deaths of 3,000 Americans launched a 22year Global War on Terrorism (GWOT) to eliminate the threats worldwide. The entire U.S. military and intelligence community resources were marshaled against the threat, and trillions of dollars were spent with an additional cost of more than 7,000 American lives in fighting the GWOT, not to mention the paraplegics and quadriplegics sadly being paraded in various television ads and the thousands of suicide deaths from PTSD.

Thanks to Chinese-supplied fentanyl and its precursor chemicals, tens of thousands of Americans are dying annually from fentanyl overdosesmore than 71,000 in 2021 alone. Surely its time to declare overt war against the Mexican cartels and redirect the might and capabilities of the U.S. military and intelligence community to do whatevers necessary to wipe out the cartels and their American and Mexican partners once and for all (and Chinese narco-traffickers, too).

The national willpower was there in 1916 and again in 2001 to do what needed to be done. With far greater and recurring losses of American lives, the willpower to do whats necessary appears to be completely absent in the Biden administration in 2023. Disgraceful and cowardly!

The United States needs to defeat the Mexican cartels, who are de facto proxies in Chinas hybrid war against the United States, now.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Tories Blast PMs Choice of Former Trudeau Foundation Head to Write Report on Election Interference Amid Latest CSIS Leak

The Conservatives are crying foul over the appointment of former Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation president and CEO Morris Rosenberg to head up a panel examining foreign interference in Canadian elections.

Rosenberg was CEO in 2016 when the Trudeau Foundation received $200,000 in donations from Zhang Bin, a wealthy Chinese businessman tied to the Chinese communist regime, who was also in attendance at a Liberal Party cash-for-access fundraiser event in 2016 with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

The Conservatives issued a statement on the matter late on Feb. 27, just before a Globe and Mail report the following day citing an unnamed national security source saying that in 2014, a Chinese diplomat had instructed Zhang to donate $1 million to the Trudeau Foundation, and that Beijing would reimburse him for the amount.

The source told the Globe that the conversation was captured by the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) in 2014, soon after Trudeau became Liberal leader in 2013. According to the Globe, the source said the diplomat and Zhang discussed the upcoming 2015 federal election, and the possibility that the Liberals could defeat the Conservatives to form government.

Shortly after the 2016 fundraiser, Zhang and another Chinese businessman donated $1 million to honour the memory and leadership of former prime minister Pierre Trudeau, the Globe says. Of that amount, $200,000 went to the Trudeau Foundation, $50,000 toward the building of a statue of Pierre Trudeau, and $750,000 to the University of Montreals faculty of law, where the former prime minister had attended as a student and was later an instructor.

Panel

The Conservatives allege Trudeau handpicked Rosenberg, who is described by the Trudeau Foundation as a previously appointed Trudeau mentor, to write a report on foreign interference in the 2021 election.

The development comes following recent reporting based on leaked intelligence documents that China interfered in elections with the goal of electing a Liberal minority government, while obstructing some Conservative candidates.

For months, Justin Trudeau has repeatedly attempted to deny, minimize and cover up reports of serious interference in Canadian elections, says the Feb. 27 Conservative Party statement. Serious questions must be asked about this appointment, and whether the Liberals are actually taking this threat against our democracy seriously.

When tweeting the release, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre commented: Trudeau says we shouldnt worry about Beijings interference in our [elections] because he is having a report drafted on foreign interference. Who drafted it? The former head of the Trudeau Foundationwhich got $200k in donations from  an official from Beijings communist government.

Neither Rosenberg nor the Prime Ministers Office replied to Epoch Times requests for comment.

Rosenberg, a former deputy minister of foreign affairs, served as president and CEO of the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation from August 2014 to July 2018.

Liberal MP Mark Gerretsen, parliamentary secretary for the leader of the government in the House of Commons, said on Twitter that Poilievre is playing a very dangerous game here.

To take partisan cheap shots at a dedicated public servant is truly irresponsible, Gerretsen said on Feb. 27. Morris Rosenberg has faithfully served Canadian (sic) for many years, including under Conservative governments.

Rosenbergs report on incidents of foreign interference in the 2021 election is now complete but is not yet available to the public, while the 2019 evaluation was completed about 13 months after the election that year. The panel didnt make any announcement about foreign interference during the 2019 or 2021 elections.

CCP Ties

Zhang Bin was a member of the 12th National Committee of the Chinese Peoples Political Consultative Conference, a political advisory body within the Chinese communist regime. He was also president of the China Cultural Industry Association (CCIA).

According to the CCIAs English website, the organization is empowered to develop Chinas cultural industry, to boost the soft power of Chinese culture and advance the campaign of going global of [sic] Chinese culture, while striving to become a social organization with global standing in the cultural field.

The Epoch Times contacted Zhang for comment but didnt hear back.

Chinas Election Interference

Recent reports by the Globe and Mail and Global News cited secret CSIS documents and intelligence sources detailing widespread election interference by China in Canadas 2019 and 2021 federal elections.

Among the allegations are that Beijing provided funding to some candidates in the 2019 election; a Chinese diplomat boasting that she helped defeat two Conservative candidates whose positions werent favourable to Beijing in the 2021 election; and Chinese authorities wanting the outcome of the 2021 election to be a Liberal minority. A Liberal minority government would best serve Beijings interests, while keeping the Liberals power in check by opposition parties, a source told the Globe.

The Commons Procedure and House Affairs Committee is currently looking into the allegations in the news reports.

The Conservatives said they will be calling for a separate investigation, and for Rosenberg to appear before the committee to provide answers on this attempt by the Liberals to paper over serious threats to our democracy.

The Canadian Press contributed to this report.
Trumps Truth Social Asks Congress to Investigate SEC Over Unfair Merger Delays

Photo of the Truth Social network logo taken on Feb. 21, 2022. (Dado Ruvic/Illustration/Reuters)

Former president Donald Trumps social media platform Truth Social has asked Congress to investigate the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) over its delayed merger alleging egregious conduct and blatant politicization.

The parent company for Trumps Truth Social platform wrote a Feb. 27th letter acquired by Just the News to the GOP-controlled House of Representatives to investigate the SEC for delaying a potential merger with an acquisition firm.

Truth Social was launched last year as an alternative for conservatives to social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook. It then gained millions of users after Apple and Google Android approved its app for use in its stores.

The letter accused regulators of engaging in egregious conduct and blatant politicization to postpone the social media platforms merger plans multiple times since 2021, reported Just the News.

Digital World Acquisition Corp. (DWAC) filed an S4 plan in October 2021 to merge with Trump Media & Technology Group (TMTG), which owns the Truth Social platform. The SEC has been reviewing the proposal since then.

DWAC is a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) that has raised millions of dollars from investors for Truth Social, but progress has been in limbo for 18 months due to the alleged political actions of federal regulators.

The SEC has needlessly delayed its review of our proposed merger, causing real and unnecessary financial harm to DWAC investors, roughly 90 percent of whom are small, retail shareholders whom the SEC is chartered to protect, TMTG said in a previous press statement in September 2022.

In the interests of simple fairness, the SEC needs to set aside any improper political considerations and bring its review to a swift conclusion.

TMTG Asks House Republicans to Investigate SEC Political Bias on Merger

Scott Glabe, the general counsel at TMTG, called the SECs unexplained delays unwarranted in the letter to the House.

Americas cherished free speech tradition is under unprecedented attack by Big Tech companies working hand-in-glove with censorious government agencies, powerful media outlets, and well-connected political operatives, Glabe wrote to the Republican chairmen of the House Judiciary, Oversight, and Financial Service Committees.

I write to request your urgent assistance in investigating egregious conduct and blatant politicization of the Securities and Exchange Commission, wrote Glabe.

The TMTG attorney requested that representatives Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), James Comer (R-Ky.), and Patrick McHenry (R-N.C.) to investigate both the delays in approval and the alleged multiple severe conflicts of interest among the key regulators, who may be tainted by political loyalties.

In the letter, Glabe highlighted several members of the SEC, including Chairman Gary Gensler, of having bias for previously working as the CFO of Hillary Clintons presidential campaign against Trump in 2016.

Glabe further called out potential bias from the Melissa Hodgman, who was the acting director of division of enforcement of the SEC when the review began in 2021.

Hodgeman is married to the disgraced former FBI agent Peter Strzok, who ran the politically biased probe into the alleged collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia during the 2016 election.

The facts set forth above cannot be squared with the requirement that SEC proceedings be so completely devoid of biasor the appearance of biasthat every step of the process is vested with the very appearance of complete fairness,' wrote Glabe in the letter.

It is therefore deeply alarming that SEC has refused to reveal whether Chairman Gensler and Associate Director Hodgman have recused themselves from matters related to TMTG, he continued.

SEC Refuses to Explain Delays for Merger Review

The social media companys general counsel explained that TMTG has been cooperating with the SEC and has repeatedly asked for an explanation for the 18-month delay for the merger approval.

The S4 merger between TMTH and DWAC is one of the longest delayed ongoing SPAC cases under review.

On June 21, 2022, SEC staff member Joshua Shainess informed DWACs counsel that the Division of Corporation Finance had indefinitely suspended its review of the S-4, without citing any valid legal basis for such suspension, wrote Glabe.

The SEC thus failed to provide comments on the S-4 within the customary 30 days. As of today, SEC has still failed to provide substantive feedback on DWACs S-4which was filed more than nine months ago.

The S-4 will soon have lingered for longer than the time between SEC filing and SEC effectiveness for any of the 100-plus SPAC transactions that closed in 2022, he noted.

Glabe said that the SECs delays have harmed both efforts to build an alternative to the Big Tech social media giants and have hurt investors opportunity to grow the company.

The obvious bias of SEC leadership irrevocably taints the agencys ability to conduct an impartial inquiry, he argued We therefore seek immediate congressional action to investigate these abuses, ensure documents are preserved, and uphold the rule of law.

Meanwhile, shares of DWAC rose today after the company announced a new June 8th deadline to complete its merger with Truth Social. The acquisition companys prior deadline was Mar. 8.

The deadline extension is the third time that DWAC has changed the date due to SEC regulators. This is the third out of four deadline extensions the company is allowed to use.
Press Release

February 28, 2023 MANIFESTATION P.S. RES NO. 507 - LTFRB PHASE OUT

February 28, 2023 Thank you, Mr. President. Mr. President, before I read my manifestation, I just would like to encourage the Chairman of Public Services na sana during her investigation into this issue, ma-establish natin 'yung sinasabi ni Senator, Majority Leader, na may mafia na nasa likuran nito. Kawawa naman 'yung maliliit na driver natin na mahirap na nga, ma-mafia-hin pa ng sarili niyang gobyerno. Kung totoo itong may mafia, dapat malaman natin ito't tulungan natin itong maimbestigahan para malaman kasi there seems to be a scheme, a scheme of everything. Magpamiyembro ka muna ng kooperatiba, then pagkatapos mamiyembro, hindi ka magiging miyembro kapag walang... hindi ka mag-procure nu'ng jeep na modernized jeep. So sana ma-establish natin ito, kung sino itong mga mafia na ito. And, Mr. President, I stand before you today to join this August Chamber in calling the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) to defer the scheduled phase out of all traditional jeepneys by June 30, 2023. The Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program of the Department of Transportation (DOTr) and the LTFRB has the most notable intention, and that is to provide a safe, convenient, contemporary and state of the art public transportation system. We, in the Government, are doing our best to provide the riding public a hassle - free public transportation experience. However, we should be realistic in fulfilling this dream, and acknowledge the difficulties that lie ahead. Ginoong Pangulo, kaisa po ninyo ako sa paghangad ng modernong pamamaraan at palakad ng pampublikong transportasyon. Ngunit kailangan natin isaalang-alang ang limitasyon at hirap na hinaharap ng mga drayber ng mga traditional na jeepney na namayagpag sa ating mga daan sa maraming dekada na nakalipas. Traditional jeepneys, otherwise known as the King of the Roads, have been the significant symbol of our busy streets in Manila. Even in the provinces, the sights of these iconic public utility vehicles provide the needed help in transporting the commuters to their respective work places, and to reach their families back home after a day's work. Sa kagustuhan natin na mabigyan ng modernong mukha ang ating jeepneys sa lansangan, naisip ba natin ang magugugol na halaga ng mga drivers, operators, at maging mga local manufacturers para maisakatuparan ang tinakdang programa ng DOTr at LTFRB para sa modernisasyon ng pampublikong sasakyan? We, in the Senate, are not insensitive to the plight of our drivers, operators, and local manufacturers. With the economic crisis brought by the pandemic, the transportation sector suffered much from the economic losses brought by Covid-19. With this in mind, utmost consideration, therefore, should be the burden that we pass on to our partners in the public transportation sector. Hence, I add my voice in appealing to the LTFRB to give more time to carry out the phase out of our traditional jeepneys. Today, more than ever, our compassionate hearts should speak louder than the call of modernization. Thank you, Mr. President.
In a bizarre turn of events, the city government of Makati, the financial district of Manila, the Philippines capital, has reportedly padlocked the headquarters of wireless carrier Smart Communications over a tax and permit dispute.

It seems that all Smart offices in Makati are covered by the closure order, including in-mall branches.

It is claimed that Smart owes 3.2 billion pesos (about $57.84 million) in unpaid taxes  and that it has been operating for four years without a valid business permit issued by the city government.

The city government is quoted in Gulf News as saying: "To date, Smart has failed to settle or obtain any relief from the courts over its franchise tax deficiency worth over Php3.2 billion covering the period January 2012 to December 2015."

The city administration said in the closure order that the ordinance violated involves an annual charge for the issuing of a mayor's permit to businesses working in the city.

Smart has allegedly also refused to offer a breakdown of revenues and company taxes paid in all of its branches nationally.

For its part, Smart, a subsidiary of PLDT, the Philippines' largest telecommunications operator, apparently filed a review petition with the Makati Regional Trial Court (RTC) in 2018, seeking to discard the Office of City Treasurer's Notice of Assessment, which claimed that the company owed the city government billions of pesos in what is known as franchise tax.

Smart argued at the time that Makati has no jurisdiction to audit the companys financial statements and operations in other branches nationwide.

Smart, whose subscriber numbers were estimated in November last year at just under 68 million, has assured the public that its services will remain available and accessible to its subscribers.

In a statement on the closure order Smart says it remains committed to complying with Makati Citys local tax ordinances, and with relevant national laws, applicable in respect of local taxation.

It adds: Smart has filed the appropriate cases to resolve outstanding legal issues; these cases remain pending. Our legal and tax teams continue to be in touch with the Makati LGU on the matters at hand.
Tucker Carlson Has Limited Access to Jan. 6 Tapes, Republican Confirms

A key Republican lawmaker said Fox News Tucker Carlson doesnt have unrestricted access to tens of thousands of hours of Jan. 6 Capitol footage, said a Republican lawmaker, coming after it was confirmed that House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) handed the footage to him.

Its basically controlled access to be able to view tapes. Cant record, cant take anything with you, Rep. Barry Loudermilk (R-Ga.), the chairman of the House Administration Subcommittee on Oversight, told The Hill Tuesday, adding that his panel is working with the House sergeant-at-arms and Capitol Police. Then they will request any particular clips thatthat they may need, and then well make sure that theres nothing sensitive, nothing classifiedyou know, escape routes.

Elaborating, Loudermilk told CBS News that Carlsons staff may request any particular clips they may need, then well make sure theres nothing sensitive, nothing classified, including escape routes  we dont want al-Qaeda to know certain things.

While both McCarthy and Carlson have confirmed the move, few details about the agreement were provided. Other mainstream outlets have asked McCarthy to provide them with the footage.

Loudermilk said that those news outlets and the public would ultimately get access to the tapes. Hopefully sooner rather than later, but I think were talking about weeks to months, he told CBS.

A group of outletsAdvance Publications, ABC News, Axios, CBS News, CNN, Scripps, Gannett, the Los Angeles Times, Politico, and ProPublicawrote a letter to McCarthy and other congressional leaders to grant access to the footage.

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, attorney Charles Tobin wrote on behalf the media outlets last week.

Metropolitan Police Department Officer Michael Dowling fires a stream of high-velocity pepper spray at a protester at the west front of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. (Metropolitan Police Department/Screenshot via The Epoch Times)

More Details

During an interview with the New York Times earlier this month, McCarthy said he was releasing the footage to Carlson by saying: I promised. Like Loudermilk, McCarthy said that the footage would be made more widely available at a later date, although its unclear when.

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, the California Republican told the NY Times.

As for Carlson, he said on his popular Fox News show that he would make some of his findings public this week. We believe we have secured the right to see whatever we want to see, Carlson also said during a broadcast of his show last week, adding that producers are combing through the footage to see how it contradicts, or not, the story that weve been told for more than two years.

We think already that in some ways it does contradict that story, Carlson said.

Democrats Lash Out

But Democrats say that the decision represents a national security risk. Among them, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) wrote that it would embolden people who question the official results of the 2020 election.

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) talks to reporters after meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden at the White House in Washington on Feb. 01, 2023. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Separately, 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, according to a Dear Colleague letter sent this month.

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 last week in a similar letter to fellow House Democrats.

Responding to their complaints, McCarthy has said the public has the right see what happened on Jan. 6. He also criticized Democrats for what he described as a partisan witch hunt by targeting former President Donald Trump, his family, and former administration officials via its Jan. 6 select committee.
Universities Push for Quantity Over Quality Results in Higher Failure Rates

Financial incentives are encouraging Australian universities to admit more and more high school graduates that receive low Australian Tertiary Admission Ranks (ATAR) or use alternative admission schemes, resulting in a soaring number of dropouts, a new report found.

While there are calls to scrap ATAR entirely, the Centre of Independent Studies argues that greater, not less, the focus should be placed on ATAR-based university admissions.

Rob Joseph, a data scientist specialising in education, found that higher-ranked ATAR students achieve the highest tertiary completion rates (finishing their degree on time).

Students walk around Sydney University in Sydney, Australia, on April 6, 2016. (Brendon Thorne/Getty Images)

Non-ATAR based admissions are almost twice as likely as ATAR-based admissions to drop out of university in their first year, he said.

Additionally, completion rates are falling faster for non-ATAR based admissions than any other ATAR band, declining by 4.9 percentage points over the decade, more than twice the drop for all school leavers.

Fees Taking Precedence Over Ability

Joseph found evidence that universities have been relaxing their admission standards while chasing a naked desire for more fees revenue.

Three in ten students enrolled in bachelor courses fail to obtain their degree within six years, and almost one in five drop out completely.

This is not only a waste of taxpayer resources but also a waste of time and money for the students themselves, Joseph said.

Further, he found that only half the students admitted from a low to no ATAR basis have a chance of completion.

Therefore, it seems that past academic success continues to be a significant predictor of future academic success.

Despite this, universities have increased their offer rates from 80 to 90 percent between 2011 and 2021. The greatest increase in offers is seen for low ATAR studentsfrom 18 to 55 percent for students with ATARs under 50.

Meanwhile, the number of students admitted on a non-ATAR basis has increased from 15 percent in 2016 to 25 percent now, a figure that is increasing every year.

According to data from the Department of Education, six-year completion rates fall, and attrition rates rise as the ATAR band gets lower.

Just four percent of school leavers with an ATAR of 95 and above drop out completely, a significantly lower portion than the 39 percent of those with an ATAR of 30-49.

However, the University of Notre Dame was noted as an exception, where almost 90 percent of students are admitted on a non-ATAR basis yet has a completion rate of 72 percentcomparable to the Group of Eight universities and above the national average.

Universities Should Pay Up

While there are some unavoidable circumstances, such as leaving due to factors outside of their control, Joseph said the universities must take some responsibility for this growing issue.

Some blame must go to the universities themselves for either admitting school leavers with a poor chance of success or not providing them with the support necessary to succeed. That is, universities have a duty of responsible admission standards and providing sufficient student support, the report said.

Joseph called on the federal government to require universities to foot part of the bill when students drop out.

This would correct the distorted financial incentives for universitiesto enrol as many students as possible and teach them as cheaply as possibleand encourage them to invest in making their admissions process more rigorous and to improve support for students at risk of attrition, he said.

While universities have opened the door for more young people to obtain a degree, many young people have also left institutions with nothing. Joseph believes the goal should be to help more young students finish their degrees, not just start one.

For high school graduates, completion rates are highest at the University of Melbourne, Bond University, and the University of New South Wales.

Other characteristics associated with lower completion rates include off-campus attendance and low socio-economic background.

Additionally, males have lower completion rates than females, and people who come from an English-speaking background have lower completion rates than people from a non-English-speaking background.
US Committed to WHO Pandemic Accord, Ambassador Says

The flag of the World Health Organization (WHO) at their headquarters in Geneva on March 5, 2021. (Fabrice Coffrini/AFP via Getty Images)

The lead negotiator representing the United States in discussions on a global pandemic accord said in a statement this week that the United States is committed to the accord amid debate on the draft document.

Leaders are meeting this week in Geneva as part of the fourth meeting of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Bureau (INB) to consider a Zero Draft (pdf) of the agreement.

The INB was set up by the World Health Assembly (WHA) in December 2021 to draft and negotiate a convention, agreement or other international instrument under the Constitution of the World Health Organization to strengthen pandemic prevention, preparedness and response.

The first draft was released this month and is being debated during this weeks meeting and will be continuing in April. The INB will issue a report on the development of the accord at the WHA in May with a final report expected in 2024. On the agenda this week is to decide whether the draft will be the basis of negotiations for a pandemic accord and discuss the document in-depth.

Ambassadors Recommendations

The U.S. pandemic negotiator for the proposed accord, Ambassador Pamela Hamamoto, said this week that the United States is committed to forming the accord as part of a major component of the global health architecture for generations to come.

Shared commitment, shared aspirations and shared responsibilities will vastly improve our system for preventing, preparing for, and responding to future pandemic emergencies, she said. We seek a Pandemic Accord that builds capacities; reduces pandemic threats posed by zoonotic diseases; enables rapid and more equitable responses; and establishes sustainable financing, governance, and accountability to ultimately break the cycle of panic and neglect.

Hamamoto said the draft has a lot of work to build on and specifically said it is unbalanced toward response at the expense of prevention and preparedness.

While we need to avoid duplicating substantive elements contained in the [International Health Regulations], such as surveillance and alerts, we need to discuss how best to address pandemic prevention and preparedness here, she added. These efforts should be mutually supportive and complementary.

She added the United States would like to see a focus on equity across the draft, to be inclusive and applicable for the improved health and wellbeing of all people not only between countries, but also within them.

Not just protecting populations from pandemicsbut also from illness, death, and disrupted access to essential health care services during pandemics, including sexual and reproductive health services, she said in the Feb. 27 letter.

Hamamoto said the United States did not support common but differentiated responsibilities and capabilities, something she said was not appropriate in the context of pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response.

The draft agreement explains the accord should emphasize improving pandemic prevention, preparedness, response and recovery of health systems relies on a commitment to mutual accountability, transparency and common but differentiated responsibility by all States Parties and relevant stakeholders.

The concept of common but differentiated responsibilities and capabilities says that all member nations are responsible for the health of their people.

Given that the health of all peoples is dependent on the fullest cooperation of individuals and States, all Parties are bound by the obligations of the WHO [proposed accord], the draft language states. States that hold more resources relevant to pandemics, including pandemic-related products and manufacturing capacity, should bear, where appropriate, a commensurate degree of differentiated responsibility with regard to global pandemic prevention, preparedness, response and recovery.

The draft states further the goal is to support every participating party to achieve the highest level of capacity while prioritizing specific needs and special circumstances of developing countries that may not be able to respond as well to a pandemic.

We look forward to seeking common ground to best ensure universal application while also ensuring capacities are strengthened so that countries can meet their obligations.

A sign outside World Health Organization headquarters in Geneva on Aug. 17, 2020. (Fabrice Coffrini/AFP via Getty Images)

The Ambassador also said the United States had concerns about financing language in the accord related to specific allocations of domestic budgets or GDP, and hopes to work to identify appropriate financing methods for the accord.

She added the accord must stand the test of time while building on prior pandemics and also creating solutions that are flexible and adaptable.

By creating solutions that are flexible and adaptable, by laying out commitments that are clear regarding triggers and responsibilities, and by strengthening coordination and capacities, together we can build a stronger global health architecture for all.

What The Accord Could Do

Countries have delivered a clear message that the world must be better prepared, coordinated and supported to protect all people, everywhere, from a repeat of COVID-19, said Roland Driece, Co-Chair of the INB. The decision to task us with the duty to develop a zero draft of a pandemic accord represents a major milestone in the path towards making the world safer.

Some are worried the accord could hinder the autonomy of individual nations when it comes to responding to pandemics, while others argue the accord has no real means of legal enforcement.

It has more heart and brain than I expected, said Kelley Lee, scientific co-director at the Pacific Institute on Pathogens, Pandemics and Society, according to Nature. But it still has insufficient teeth and an insufficient spine to ensure that well definitely have a better response next time.

According to Nature, researchers are concerned the treaty in its current form is too weak to keep signatories from following its rules.

Its still quite heavily reliant on voluntary compliance, Lee told Nature.

Former Republican U.S. congresswoman Michelle Backmann called the possibility of the United States joining the accord a power grab by the Biden administration.

There has never been a bigger power grab than this power graband its being led by the Biden administration, Bachmann told Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council. The whole purpose of this legislation would be that 194 countries, all of the member states of the UN, would give up their sovereignty to the World Health Organization over health care.

She added she believed the accord would empower the WHO to make decisions over things such as vaccines, masks, lockdowns and supply chains.

American Autonomy

While the document (pdf) has some language in place for legal and non-legally binding agreements, the United States would remain autonomous even if it joins the treaty next year.

The Parties commit to safeguard the humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality and independence, and to facilitate the unimpeded access of humanitarian staff and cargo, the zero draft says. The commitment to facilitate such access is understood to be legally binding and to apply in all circumstances, consistent with humanitarian principles.

Protestors against the WHO pandemic treaty gather outside the UN building in Manhattan, New York, on May 24, 2022. (Enrico Trigoso/The Epoch Times)

Other language in the document containing legally binding language includes the sharing of information related to any viruses, such as the sharing of genomic sequencing under the proposed Pathogen Access and Benefit-Sharing (PABS) System.

The PABS System will be consistent with international legal frameworks, notably those for collection of patient specimens, material and data, and will promote effective, standardized, real-time global and regional platforms that promote findable, accessible, interoperable and reusable data available to all Parties, the zero draft states.

Nations are also encouraged to incorporate measures in line with their own national laws in order to protect human rights during pandemic preparedness, prevention, response, and recovery.

The draft document notes the goal of reaffirming the principle of sovereignty of States Parties in addressing public health patterns, notably pandemic prevention, preparedness, response and health systems recovery.

The WHOs draft says the vision of the agreement is to strive for a world where pandemics are effectively controlled while also recognizing the sovereign rights of countries.

States have, in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations and the principles of international law, the sovereign right to determine and manage their approach to public health, notably pandemic prevention, preparedness, response and recovery of health systems, pursuant to their own policies and legislation, provided that activities within their jurisdiction or control do not cause damage to their peoples and other countries, the agreement reads. Sovereignty also covers the rights of States over their biological resources.
US Gives Go Ahead for New Lethal Hardware for Australia

An AGM-88E Advanced Anti-Radiation Guided Missile is fired from a VX-31 FA-18 Hornet over the NAWCWD China Lake land range in August during the missiles Operational Assessment. (Mike McGinnis, Naval Air Systems Command)

The Australian Defence Forces (ADF) just became more lethal after the United States government greenlit the sale of long-range guided missiles and their supporting equipment.

The sale, which is estimated to cost the Australian federal government around $750 million (US$506 million), will see Australia acquire up to 63 of the U.S. new medium-range air-to-ground Advanced Anti-Radiation Guided Missiles-Extended Range (AARGM-ERs), and up to 20 AARGM-ER Captive Air Training Missiles (CATMs).

Additionally, the acquisition will also include AGM-88G Advanced Anti-Radiation Guided Missile-Extended Range Dummy Air Training Missiles, containers, component parts and support equipment, repair of repairables; software, publications, training, transportation, U.S. Government and contractor engineering support; and other related elements of logistical and program support.

The United States Defence Security Co-operation Agency (DSCA) said its determination to approve the sale supported the foreign policy and national security objectives of the U.S.

Australia is one of our most important allies in the Western Pacific. The strategic location of this political and economic power contributes significantly to ensuring peace and economic stability in the region. It is vital to the U.S. national interest to assist our ally in developing and maintaining a strong and ready self-defense capability, DSCA said in the media release on Feb. 27.

The agency also noted that the sale would improve Australias capability to meet current and future threats by suppressing and destroying land or sea-based radar emitters associated with enemy air defences.

This capability denies the adversary the use of its air defense systems, thereby improving the survivability of Australias tactical aircraft, they said.

The acquisition will have no effect on the U.S. defence capabilities, and the DSCA noted Australia would have no difficulty absorbing this equipment into its armed forces.

Acquisition Part of Australias New Defence Strategy

The acquisition for the ADF comes as Australia moves to adapt its defence strategy to meet the growing challenges in the Indo-Pacific region.

Defence Minister Richard Marles outlined in a speech on Feb. 27 that Australia could no longer rely on its geography to protect it from those who wish to do it harm.

Today we face a range of threatsincluding longer-range missiles and hypersonics and cyber-attackswhich render our geographic advantages far less relevant, he said.

The result of all this is that any adversary meaning to do us harm can inflict an enormous amount of damage on Australia without ever having to enter our territorial waters or our air space.

He said that it was fundamentally now important for Australia to now be able to hold any potential adversaries much further from our shores.

Fundamental to a step up in Australias defence capability is deterrence so that no state will ever conclude the benefits of conflict outweigh the risks, he said.

We must invest in targeted capabilities for our ADF which provide for impactful projection and to be able to do this through the full spectrum of proportionate response. And this strategic posture is the idea which is at the heart of the DSR.

The Defence Strategic Review (DSR) is set to be released in April.

China Driving the Military Build-Up in Indo-Pacific

Marles noted that Beijing was the reason behind the uncertainty in the region.

In the Indo-Pacific, China is driving the largest conventional military build-up weve seen anywhere in the world since the Second World War. And much of this build-up is opaque, he said.

As such, it has never been more important for Australia to employ sober, responsible and clear-eyed statecraft.

Australia is not the only nation choosing to beef up its military with the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Indo-Pacific Security Affairs Ely Ratner telling the Washington Post on Feb. 20 that proactive actions taken by countries like China, North Korea, and Russia are causing the United States and its closest allies in the Indo-Pacific to ramp up military capabilities and deepen their cooperation.

Theyre bolstering their own defences, theyre looking to strengthen their alliances and partnerships with the United States in particular, and theyre reaching out to each other, Ratner said. All of these things are happening at once.

Meanwhile, Australias military ramp-up is about to get larger as the federal government moves, along with the UK and the U.S., to announce its pathway to obtaining nuclear submarines in the coming weeks.
US Gives More Than $400 Million in New Yemen Aid, Bringing Total to $5.4 Billion

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks during a Security Council meeting concerning the war in Ukraine at United Nations headquarters in New York on Feb. 24, 2023. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

The U.S. Department of State has pledged more than $444 million in additional humanitarian assistance to Yemen, bringing the total amount contributed by Yemens top donor to over $5.4 billion since conflict in the country began in 2014.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement on Feb. 27 that the donation illustrates the continued generosity of the United States, noting that the new financial assistance will enable U.S. partners to deliver life-saving aid to Yemens most vulnerable people.

The United States commitment to alleviating the suffering of millions from the worlds worst humanitarian crisis in Yemen remains resolute, Blinken said.

To date, our support, combined with the continued benefits and relative calm created by the U.N.-brokered truce, enabled 2.2 million Yemenis to avoid experiencing acute food insecurity and tens of thousands of others to avoid slipping into famine-level conditions, he added.

A U.N.-brokered truce initially agreed last April has delivered the longest stretch of relative calm and has largely held despite expiring in October without agreement between the warring sides to extend it.

Yemens eight-year conflict pits a Saudi Arabian-led military coalition against the Iran-aligned Islamist Houthi group, which ousted Yemens internationally-recognized government from the capital, Sanaa, in late 2014. The conflict has killed tens of thousands of people and devastated the countrys infrastructure and economy.

Blinken said that nearly a decade of conflict has pushed the war-torn countrys economy and institutions to the brink, and families have been left unable to buy basic goods, provide for their children, or access healthcare.

The U.S. diplomat announced the United States latest contribution during an annual donor conference in Geneva, where he urged more donors to give generously to Yemen in order to meet a benchmark of more than $4 billion that was set by the United Nations to help provide more aid to millions of Yemenis.

While todays pledges are important, much more is needed, Blinken said, noting that two-thirds of Yemens populationor about 21.6 million peopleneed vital humanitarian assistance.

According to U.N. data, the intergovernmental organization was unable to meet funding goals in 2022, collecting only $2.2 billion of the $4.27 billion sought. The United States, Saudi Arabia, Germany, and the European Union were the top four donors last year.

Underfunding has seen agencies scale back Yemen aid projects, including food rations, in the past couple of years.

Last year, funding gaps forced the U.N. to scale back or cut over half of its life-saving programs, including emergency food assistance, Blinken said. That means intense hunger or life-threatening starvation for more than two million children facing deadly malnutrition.

So far, the United Nations has been able to raise around $1.2 billion for its 2023 aid plan of $4.3 billion. According to a Geneva Solutions report, a total of 31 countries announced pledges during Mondays conference.

The European Union announced the blocs largest pledge since the start of the conflict, amounting to $207 million, the Swiss-based nonprofit reported. Other large donors are the United Arab Emirates, which announced a $325 million donation, followed by Germany, which pledged $127 million.

The United States, Yemens top donor by far, provided more than $1 billion to the country in the fiscal year 2022, according to the U.S. Agency for International Development.

Reuters contributed to this report.

From NTD News
US Marshals Service Partners With Yurok Tribe for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons Initiative

Northern Californias Yurok Tribe will work with the U.S. Marshals Service as a pilot location for the agencys Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons Initiative, according to a Feb. 21 press release by the U.S. Marshals Service.

The Initiative is in accordance with the agencys plans to develop tribally-led collaborative partnerships to proactively examine public safety issuesparticularly those involving missing endangered children.

In the press release, U.S. Marshals Service Director Ronald L. Davis stated: It is my sincere hope that by dedicating resources in Indian Country and partnering with the Yurok Tribe, U.S. Marshals will help address the problem of missing children from the Yurok Tribe and assist with other public safety initiatives, such as ensuring that registered sex offenders in the area are compliant with their statutory requirements. We are fully committed to supporting the Yurok Tribes efforts to keep their communities safe.

The U.S. Marshals Service also stated that the Yurok Tribe is a leader on criminal justice issues in Indian Country and has done specific work on the issue of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons.

Attendees walk in Sacramento, Calif., for the MMIP Day of Action on Feb. 7, 2023. (Courtesy of The Yurok Tribe)

The Yurok Reservation is located in Northern California about 75 miles west of Mount Shasta and 250 miles north of San Francisco. According to the Tribes website, it is the largest tribe in California and has over 5,000 members.

The Yurok Tribe is extremely grateful to partner with the U.S. Marshals Service on this important and timely initiative, Yurok Tribe Chairman Joseph L. James said in a public statement. The knowledge and tools we will gain from this unique partnership will significantly increase our capacity to keep our community safe.

On Feb. 7, the Yurok Tribe sponsored a Missing and Murdered Indigenous People (MMIP) Day of Action at the California State Capitol in Sacramento, the Yurok Today reported. The goal was to advocate for tribally proposed solutions that address the crisis of missing and murdered indigenous people, according to the Yurok Today.

Attendees and speakers showed their support for Assembly Bill 44 (Tribal Public Safety) and Assembly Bill 273 (Protecting and Locating Foster Children Missing from Care) which they say will help protect their children and prevent more MMIP cases.

According to the press release, the Initiative and partnership may involve training, investigative support, data analysis, public outreach, and other efforts depending on the priorities of the Tribe.
US Marshals Service Suffers Major Data Hack, Compromising Sensitive Information

Two U.S. Marshals stand on a building as they look out toward the city in a file photo. (Illustration - Elliott Cowand Jr/Shutterstock)

The United States Marshals Service (USMS) suffered a major security breach earlier this month when hackers broke into a computer system and accessed sensitive information about employees and investigative targets, officials confirmed on Feb. 27.

In a statement, a spokesman for USMSwhich is responsible for apprehending and handling federal prisoners, pursuing fugitives, and operating the Witness Security Programsaid the law enforcement agency discovered the hack and theft of data from its network on Feb. 17.

Spokesman Drew Wade told The Hill that the agency found that the ransomware and data exfiltration event had impacted a stand-alone system.

After discovering the breach, the Marshals Service disconnected the system and the Department of Justice began a forensic investigation, according to Wade.

The affected system contains law enforcement sensitive information, including returns from legal process, administrative information, and personally identifiable information pertaining to subjects of USMS investigations, third parties, and certain USMS employees, Wade said.

Major Incident

Wade added that on Feb. 22 after the agency briefed senior DOJ officials about the breach, those officials determined that it constitutes a major incident.

An investigation into the breach is ongoing, Wade said.

NBC News reported that the incident did not impact the Witness Security Program, which was not breached, meaning no one in the program is at risk.

The latest hack came just days before the Department of Defense (DoD) said it was able to secure an open email server that had been inadvertently leaking internal military communications across the internet for roughly two weeks.

That leak, which was discovered by independent cybersecurity researcher Anurag Sen, impacted USSOCOM, also known as SOCOM, a unit within the DoD that oversees and coordinates special operations in various military branches, including the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force.

According to reports, that leak was prompted by a misconfiguration with the DoD server that left it accessible with a password, meaning that the server could be accessed by anyone on the internet via the servers IP address.

The server was part of an internal mailbox system that stored around three terabytes of military emails, including sensitive personal and health information of federal employees that were being vetted for security clearance.

Some of the data on the server dated back several years and was mainly related to USSOCOM.

Hacker Finds No-Fly List

Officials did not say if anyone other than Sen had accessed the exposed server and the data held on it before it was secured.

In an emailed statement to The Epoch Times, a DoD spokesperson said: U.S. Cyber Command and Joint Force Headquarters-Department of Defense Information Network [JFHQ-DODIN] continue to work with affected DoD entities and the cloud service provider [CSP] to assess the scope and impact of this potential data exposure.

The DoD chief information officer in coordination with JFHQ-DODIN is working with the CSP to understand the root cause of the exposure and why this problem was not detected sooner.

The spokesperson added that any DoD personnel affected by the incident would be notified.

DoD takes this matter very seriously and will incorporate all lessons learned from this event to strengthen its cybersecurity posture, the spokesperson said.

Prior to the discovery of the exposed server, a hacker claimed she was able to access a version of the Transportation Security Administrations (TSAs) no-fly list on an unsecured server linked to the commercial airline company CommuteAir.

The TSA has said it was investigating a potential cybersecurity incident following the hackers claim.

The Epoch Times has contacted the U.S. Marshals Service for comment.
The United States will be sending 100 to 200 troops to Taiwan, which would increase U.S. troop presence on the island nation by close to four times. While the initial increase is relatively small compared to the 20,000 U.S. troops now being stationed in Europe, the increase marks a new step in potential commitment to defend against the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

Meanwhile, global alliances are now forming around the conflict in Ukraine. In this, the United States is beginning to lose global support, while the conflict and sanctions are pushing Russia and other nations closer to the CCP.

In this live Q&A with Crossroads host Joshua Philipp, well discuss these stories and others, and answer questions from the audience.
US Should Not Let WHO Usurp Its Pandemic Response Authority, Says Sen. Roger Marshall

Senator Roger Marshall (R-Kans.) is urging restraint and skepticism before the United States accepts a recently proposed World Health Organization (WHO) pandemic response agreement, known as WHO CA+.

The WHO recently introduced an early-stage draft proposal for a convention, agreement, or other international instrument for coordinating global pandemic responses.

The draft document states that the WHO intends for this pandemic response agreement to achieve greater equity and effectiveness for pandemic prevention, preparedness and response through the fullest national and international cooperation. The document lays out goals for international coordination to prevent and respond to disease outbreaks. The draft document further describes the sharing of pandemic-related products, including diagnostics, vaccines, personal protective equipment, and therapeutics to enable equitable distribution, in particular to developing countries.

The WHO proposal comes amid heightened skepticism of the organization following its response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Marshall is among those who signaled hesitance to accept the draft proposal and suggested the agreement would see the WHO usurp some U.S. authority in the public health realm.

I want to read it twice, have my lawyers look at it as well, but well never usurp [sic] authority to the World Health Organization over the United States, Marshall told NTD News.

Marshall went on to suggest that a one-size-fits-all approach to public health scenarios might not make sense. He said the United States could treat the WHOs proposed international pandemic response agreement as a piece of advice but said broader WHO control over how countries handle public health is way outside of their lane.

As a physician, Im willing to listen to that advice, Marshall added. But absolutely, we need local control. The same response to a public health emergency like COVID, what works in Kansas probably is not going to be the same thing that works in in a very crowded state like New York, so were not going to usurp [sic] any power to the World Health Organization.

Earlier this month, Marshall joined other Republican Senators who introduced a bill that would bar U.S. participation in a WHO global pandemic response agreement without first gaining the approval of the U.S. Senate.

The Proposed Agreement

Given its draft nature, the specific details of the WHOs proposal are subject to change.

One of the most concrete proposals in the draft legislation is a commitment by countries that develop treatments, vaccines, and tests to reserve 20 percent of any such products for the WHO to administer to developing countries.

The proposed agreement would also include legally binding language for its participating members.

The World Health Assembly convened yesterday to begin deliberations on the international pandemic response agreement.

Proponents of the draft proposal see it as a way to ensure that developing nations provide key details on disease outbreaks and disease genomic sequences in a timely manner to ensure that developed nations know how to respond to emerging diseases and begin preparing treatments. In return for sharing this key information about disease outbreaks, developing nations are ensured at least some access to testing and treatments created by richer developed nations.

It will address the injustice of the COVID-19 and AIDS pandemics that saw people in lower-income countries forced to wait at the back of the line for vaccines, tests, and treatments, Mohga Kamal-Yanni, policy co-lead for the Peoples Vaccine Alliance, said in a recent interview with Market Watch.

Distrust of WHO

Marshall shared his distrust of the WHO, describing WHO Director Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus as someone who has been bought and paid for by the Chinese Communist Party.

The WHO has been criticized for its initial response to the global COVID-19 outbreak.

During the initial COVID outbreak period, then National Security Advisor Robert OBrien alleged that China was slow to provide information about the risks posed by the virus and it took weeks before a WHO team was allowed to enter the country. The WHOs initial report praised the Chinese response while making little mention of the Chinese governments efforts to suppress critics and whistleblowers.

We should go back and restrict all of our funding with the World Health Organization until it has a complete review, Marshall told NTD News. It probably needs to have a hearing here in Congress and take a really deep dive because I do think that theyre being controlled by the Chinese Communist Party right now.

The conservative Heritage Foundation also criticized the proposed WHO agreement, saying the enforcement mechanisms for disease outbreak reporting are not much better than WHOs existing voluntary International Health Regulations (IHRs), which allowed China, without repercussion, to conceal the [COVID-19] outbreak, refuse to share critical information, and impede access by WHO expert teams.

The bulk of WHO CA+ does not focus on addressing the weaknesses in pandemic prevention and detection revealed by the COVID-19 pandemic, but on establishing a system to direct expenditures by the treaty parties, require regulatory and policy changes relating to pandemic-related products and intellectual property, and equitably redistribute knowledge, technology, and other resources, the Heritage Foundation wrote.

From NTD News
Vermont Officials Investigating After Man Dies Crossing Border From Quebec

Photo shows the headquarters of the U.S. border patrol's Swanton Sector in Swanton, Feb. 10, 2020. (The Canadian Press/AP-Wilson Ring)

Vermont State Police are investigating after a man collapsed and died shortly after crossing the border into the United States from Quebec on foot last week.

They say U.S. border patrol agents spotted Jose Leos Cervantes and two other people crossing the border into Holland, Vt., at about 10:30 p.m. on Feb. 19.

Police say in a news release that Leos Cervantes collapsed when encountered by the agents and that the other two men ran back toward Canada.

The 45-year-old from Aguascalientes, Mexico, was taken to hospital, and his death is not considered suspicious.

This is the second time this winter a person has died crossing the bordera 44-year-old man was found frozen to death in early January in a wooded area near St-Bernard-de-Lacolle, Que., where police said he was trying to enter the United States.

A 31-year-old Ecuadorian woman from Connecticut was charged last week with unlawfully attempting to transport three individuals within the United States following Leos Cervantess death.
Leading Philippine fibre internet provider Converge ICT Solutions and South Korean service provider KT Corporation have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) that aims to extend digital tools and innovations to enterprises in the Philippines, and to explore new digital transformation solutions for the evolving needs of ICT customers. The MoU signing was held at the sidelines of the Mobile World Congress.

The agreement was signed by Converge President and Co-Founder Maria Grace Uy, and KT Senior Vice President Sunguk Moon.

Ms Uy said: As businesses continue to move their operations online, the demand is strong for cutting-edge enterprise solutions that would enable their different business processes. This potential partnership with KT will allow us to co-innovate and deliver advanced technologies suited for the needs of Philippine businesses, especially small and medium enterprises (SMEs), she added.

Both companies also plan to jointly pursue digital transformation solutions in the country, including a cloud-based video surveillance solution called video surveillance as a service (VSaaS) and a transportation management technology  mobility as a service (MaaS)  among others.

Converge CEO and Co-Founder Dennis Anthony Uy, who was present during the signing ceremony, said the potential partnership will enable both companies to leverage each other's expertise in information and communication technology for the delivery and development of enterprise-grade solutions.

We are continuously working with global technology companies to provide augmented digital solutions that adapt to the requirements of our evolving business environment. We will continue to co-innovate with our partners as we strive to empower our local industries and help them unlock better opportunities and growth, Mr Uy noted.

KT Corporation provides integrated wired and wireless communication solutions and services, spanning a wide range of industry use cases such as energy management, security and safety management, and financial technology, among others.

Converge, a fixed broadband service provider in the Philippines, runs an end-to-end pure fibre internet network in the country. Aside from broadband services, Converge also offers integrated data centre and network solutions services.

With over 614,000 kilometres of fibre optic cable network, Converge has one of the most extensive fibre networks in the Philippines.
In a Japanese think tanks latest simulation predicting who would win a cross-strait war, Taiwan emerges victorious, with Beijing failing to conquer the island. But both sides sustain heavy losses. As for the players, Beijing is on one side facing off with Taiwan, the United States, and Japan. The year is 2026, and the losses are tens of thousands killed or wounded on either sidewith the tide turning at a key point in battle. But what about after 2026, when most experts predict Chinas military growth will reach a new stage?

Topics in this episode:
Watchdog to Probe Buttigiegs Use of Government Aircraft

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg listens to a question during a press conference following a tour of a Southside transportation hub in Chicago, Ill., on July 16, 2021. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) is facing an audit by its internal watchdog following reports about Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigiegs use of government aircraft.

The Office of Inspector General (OIG) said in a memo (pdf) on Monday that Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), citing news reports, requested the audit to determine whether Buttigiegs use of government aircraft complied with all applicable federal regulations and DOT policies and procedures.

According to the memo, the OIG will conduct its audit at DOT headquarters and other sites as needed, focusing on official trips taken since Jan. 31, 2017.

The watchdog said the audit also aims to minimize cost and improve the management and use of government aviation resources and that it will begin shortly.

Buttigieg, who has pushed for policies to end using the same fossil fuels used to power government jets, has faced criticism over his use of such aircraft, which, according to a 2021 report from the group Transport and Environment, are 10 times more carbon intensive than airliners on average, and 50 times more polluting than trains.

The transportation secretary responded on Twitter, welcoming the review and emphasizing that his use of government aircraft was mostly for official purposes and to save taxpayer money.

Glad this will be reviewed independently so misleading narratives can be put to rest. Bottom line: I mostly fly on commercial flights, in economy class. And when I do use our agencys aircraft, its usually a situation where doing so saves taxpayer money, Buttigieg wrote.

According to the memo, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) operates and maintains a fleet of aircraft on behalf of the DOT, which are used for various purposes, including transporting senior executives from both DOT and FAA.

The Office of Management and Budgets guidance allows executive department heads to travel on government aircraft, but there are restrictions.

The guidance states that government aircraft can only be used for official travel or on a space-available basis, subject to certain policies and authorizations. According to the memo, this applies to all government-owned, leased, chartered, and rental aircraft and related services operated by executive agencies.

Rubio, Grassley Letters

On Dec. 16, 2022, Rubio called for the watchdog review after Fox News reported on Buttigiegs use of taxpayer-funded private jets in the United States and internationally at least 18 different times since taking office.

The total cost of Buttigiegs flights is unknown, but according to The Washington Post, the FAA charged federal agencies $5,000 per hour to use its aircraft.

If these reports are confirmed, it would represent yet another troubling example of this administrations continued willingness to skirt basic ethics rules, Rubio wrote (pdf)

The Fox News report cited flight tracking data obtained by independent watchdog group Americans for Public Trust.

The Republican senator asked that the review specifically examine Buttigiegs travel expenses and the purpose of the trips. He also requested the review assess if DOT monitored executive travel and if personnel raised concerns about Buttigiegs use of private flights.

Rubio emphasized that taxpayers deserve accountability for government spending.

On Jan. 24, Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) questioned the cost-effectiveness of Buttigiegs use of private jets to attend meetings in what some describe as a list of presidential swing states and for a radio interview in New York.

Grassley noted that two of the meetings, one with the president of the American Civil Liberties Union and another with DOT employees, were brief. The purpose of this travel was revealed via a Freedom of Information request obtained by Americans for Public Trust.

It is difficult to see how these trips, and perhaps others, required use of expensive non-commercial travel. For example, many commercial travel options exist between Washington and New York, Grassley wrote (pdf).

Moreover, radio interviews presumably can be done by calling in to the program, he continued. Brief meetings with people you could have met with in Washington, or picked up a phone to talk to, create questions about whether you really required the use of a private jet, especially as you call on Americans to sacrifice to reduce carbon emissions.

A DOT spokesperson said the department welcomes the audit.

We welcome this independent audit moving forward in order to put some of the false, outlandish, and cynical claims about the Secretarys mode of travel to rest, the spokesperson said in comments obtained by The Hill. The fact remains that he flies commercially the vast majority of the time.

The spokesperson added that the only exception had been when DOT ethics officials determined it would be more cost effective or appropriate to use a 9-seat FAA plane due to exceptional scheduling or security reasons.

The unnamed DOT ethics officials have served under both Democrat and Republican administrations, the spokesperson noted.

The Epoch Times contacted the DOT for further comment.
Wells Fargo Banker Gets Nearly 3 Years in Prison for Role in Money Laundering Scheme

SAN DIEGOA former Wells Fargo personal banker, who pleaded guilty to federal charges for his role in an international money laundering scheme, was sentenced Feb. 27 to nearly three years in federal prison.

Leopoldo Lora Aguilera, 58, of Chula Vista, admitted to opening bank accounts under false names and wiring millions of dollars to Mexico, for which he received cash payments from an unspecified criminal organization.

The money he transferred was linked to the sale of narcotics by a Mexican drug cartel, specifically the sale of multi-kilogram amounts of fentanyl in the Midwest, the U.S. Attorneys Office said.

According to his plea agreement, Aguilera opened 26 bank accounts for a money laundering organization. Of those, he created 11 accounts with false names, passport numbers, and dates of birth. Those 11 accounts were used to wire $3.8 million to Mexico and prosecutors allege Aguilera conducted most of those wire transfers himself.

Aguilera was arrested in 2019, but the investigation led to the arrests of three others last year, who have each pleaded guilty to taking part in the money laundering conspiracy.
While California Wearies of Snowstorms, Northeast Greets One

A person drags a sled through the snow at Frazier Park in Calif., on Feb. 27, 2023. (David Crane/The Orange County Register via AP)

RUNNING SPRINGS, Calif.Jennifer Cobb and her husband planned on staying four days in their vacation rental in Southern Californias San Bernardino Mountains. But that stretched into a week as they were trapped by a relentless series of storms that has piled snow so high they can barely see out the windows.

When they try to shovel themselves out, it just snows again. Theyre thinking of walking to a main road to see if they can hitch a ride down the mountain so they can get home to their teenage daughter and Cobbs elderly father in San Diego County.

We hear the phantom sounds of plows, but they never come, said Cobb, 49. Being stuck up here in this beautiful place shouldnt be awful, but it is.

Cobb and other beleaguered Californians weathered yet another storm Tuesday, as blizzard warnings blanketed the Sierra Nevada range in the northern half of the state, more snow was on its way to the southern mountains like the San Bernardino range, and forecasters warned that any travel was dangerous.

On the eastern flank of the Sierra, the Mono County Sheriffs Office bluntly posted on Twitter: The roads are closed. All of them. There is no alternate route, back way, or secret route. Its a blizzard, people.

San Bernardino County has declared a state of emergency, with mountain residents trapped in their homes and motorists stranded. More snow was expected in many communities where residents, unable to drive through deep snow on roads that were closed anyway, largely got around on foot.

Snow surrounds the I-5 freeway through Gorman, Calif., on Feb. 27, 2023. (David Crane/The Orange County Register via AP)

The latest storm in California was one of two bookending the country, with snow closing or delaying the opening for hundreds of schools in the Northeast, which saw the most significant snowfall Tuesday of what has been a mild winter.

And Michigan again fought a battle with ice after a storm Monday left thousands of customers without power in the central part of the state. To the southeast, around Detroit, some customers still lacked power for a sixth day after a prior storm.

The storms have delayed travel, shuttered schools and overwhelmed crews trying to dig out of the snow and repair downed power lines. Nationwide, there were about 500 commercial flight cancellations and more than 3,000 delays as of Tuesday afternoon, according to FlightAware.com.

In the West, the weather was expected to last into Wednesday, with winter storm warnings stretching from the Oregon coast to many of Southern Californias already-snow-laden mountains.

In the San Bernardino mountain community of Running Springs, the town is covered in snow with some mounds piling more than six feet high. Some residents walked to a grocery store to stock up on food and carried back the bags atop a plastic sled.

In nearby Crestline, Michael Johnstone said his familys grocery store was running low on key inventory even though they stocked up before the storm. Authorities are escorting two full grocery trucks up to the mountain community, Johnstone saidjust in time for the new storm to add as much as a foot of snow.

Were completely out of bread. Milk is getting really light. Were almost completely out of produce, said Johnstone, of Goodwin and Sons Market. Beerdomestic beeris really, really low.

Johnstone said many of the stores employees cant make it to work, so he has been using a plow truck to shuttle them to and from work for limited hours. Most customers are coming in on foot.

Christian Vinceneux, 60, is among them. He made it to Goodwins on foot but the shelves were bare of bread and had minimal produce. Still, he felt lucky he was close enough to get there in a 15-minute walk.

There have been people posting online where theyre running out of groceries because they live in a part of town thats too far to walk to the grocery store, he said. We havent had any snow plows . Its going to take a while before we can all get out.

For Californias skiiers and snowboarders, the parade of storms was too much of a good thing. Most resorts around Lake Tahoe suspended operations Tuesday. Big Bear Mountain Resort opened, but all roads leading there were closed. Mount Baldy Resort on the massive peak that looms over greater Los Angeles opened but also anticipated an early closure.

But Californias Sierra snowpack, which provides about a third of the states water supply, continued to benefit from the back-to-back dumps of heavy snowfall. The water content of the snowpack Tuesdayin a state grappling with years of droughtwas 186 percent of normal to date and 162 percent of the average on April 1, when it is historically at its peak, according to the state Department of Water Resources online data.

In the Northeast, parts of Connecticut, New York, Massachusetts, New Jersey and Rhode Island had heavy snow forecast through Tuesday afternoon. Some areas of western Massachusetts and northern Connecticut got about 7 inches. The Albany, New York, area saw less snow than expected2 to 5 inchesbut it was enough to close schools.

Deke Andrew, a Maine snowboarder, said he couldnt imagine such a thing as too much snow. The 51-year-old is living out of his Sprinter-style van at Sugarloaf, and was out snowboarding as snow was falling Tuesday.

There really isnt any such a thing as too much snow in the wintertime, Andrew said. We want as much as we can possibly get. Its incredible, and gives a purpose to the cold weather.

By Jae C. Hong, Amy Taxin, and Mark Pratt
White House: Chinas Peace Plan for Ukraine and Russia Not a Sustainable Option

National Security Council spokesman John Kirby speaks during the daily press briefing in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House in Washington, on Feb. 27, 2023. (Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images)

WASHINGTONWhite House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby, who has voiced concerns about Beijings growing ties with Moscow and involvement in the RussiaUkraine conflict, says he doubts that the Chinese proposal to end the fighting would work.

We want them to make the right choice not to make it easier for Putin to kill Ukrainians, Kirby told The Epoch Times. Theyre going to have to make these choices. And we dont think its in their interest to come in on the side of Russia wholeheartedly and inside this war.

Its difficult to see how this [the Chinese peace plan] could represent a sustainable option here when there have been no discussions between the Chinese and Ukrainians, he added.

Beijing issued a paper titled Chinas Position on the Political Settlement of the Ukraine Crisis on Feb. 24 in an effort to portray itself as a mediator in the year-old war. Beijing referred to the paper as a peace plan, although it contained few details.

The paper called for respecting the sovereignty of all countries and stated that the sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity of all countries must be effectively upheld.

Speaking at a news conference on Feb. 24, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that territorial integrity, which the paper championed, would demand that Russia leave Ukraine.

Territorial integrity implies the withdrawal of Russian troops. If its not there, that means its not OK with us, he told reporters.

Zelenskyy said hed like to meet with Chinese communist leader Xi Jinping to discuss Beijings proposal.

I believe that it will benefit our countries and the security of the world, he said.

The paper also urged abandoning the Cold War mentality, a phrase frequently used by Chinese officials to criticize the United States and its allies, as well as stopping unilateral sanctions against Russia.

On the one-year anniversary of Russias invasion, U.S. President Joe Biden made a surprise visit to Kyiv and held meetings in Poland on Feb. 20, reaffirming his commitment to Ukraine. That same week, Russia and China held high-level meetings in Moscow, where both sides agreed to strengthen ties.

The White House recently stated that Beijing was considering sending lethal military aid to Russia.

We have not seen the Chinese make a decision to move in that direction, Kirby said during a press conference on Feb. 27, adding that if the Chinese regime chooses to provide military assistance to Russia, there will be ramifications.

CIA Director Bill Burns also confirmed the possibility of China sending lethal assistance to Russia in a Feb. 24 interview with CBS News.

On Feb. 24, the Biden administration announced new sanctions against Russia and its allies. The measures include increased tariffs and export controls on key Russian sectors, as well as export controls against Chinese entities known to have assisted Russias war machine.

Andrew Thornebrooke contributed to this report.
White House Orders TikTok Purge From Government Devices

A smartphone with a displayed TikTok logo is placed on a computer motherboard in this illustration taken on Feb. 23, 2023. (Dado Ruvic/Reuters)

The White House on Monday ordered the removal of the Chinese-owned TikTok app from all government devices and systems within 30 days in a bid to keep U.S. data safe.

The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) said on Twitter that the Biden administration has made advancing our nations cybersecurity a top priority.

Today, OMB is releasing guidance on implementation of the No TikTok on Government Devices Act, requiring agencies to cease using the app except in select circumstances, the agency wrote.

OMB Director Shalanda Young issued the guidance to all federal agencies requiring them to prohibit internet traffic from reaching the Chinese-owned company as part of the purge.

An OMB memo states that agencies must address any use of TikTok by IT vendors through contracts within 90 days. Further, they must include a new prohibition on TikTok in all new solicitations within 120 days.

According to the memo, while some uses of the app on government devices may be permittedsuch as for national security, law enforcement, or security research activitiesblanket exemptions for entire agencies will not be permitted.

However, agency leaders must approve such activities, according to the memo.

Chinese Spy App

Chinas laws require any company within its borders to hand over information to its ruling communist regime, including any data collected by Beijing-based Byte Dance, TikToks parent company.

Multiple elected officials and security experts have expressed concerns about TikTok being used as a tool for Chinese spying.

National security concerns about China heightened recently after a Chinese spy balloon floated over the United States. The surveillance balloon was shot down after several days, but not before it had moved over sensitive military installations.

The TikTok purge is part of the Biden administrations ongoing commitment to securing our digital infrastructure and protecting the American peoples security and privacy, Federal Chief Information Security Officer Chris DeRusha said, according to Reuters.

The White Houses move aligns with a bipartisan ban on federal employees using TikTok on government-owned devices voted on by Congress in December. That legislation gave the White House 60 days to issue agency directives.

The more than 100 million ordinary Americans who use TikTok on private or company devices are not included in the ban.

Rep. Mike McCaul (R-Texas), chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, introduced a bill (pdf) last week that would give President Joe Biden the authority to ban TikTok from all devices in the United States.

He described TikTok as a spy balloon into your phone.

Currently, the courts have questioned the administrations authority to sanction TikTok. My bill empowers the administration to ban TikTok or any software applications that threaten U.S. national security, McCaul said in a statement to The Epoch Times.

And make no mistakeTikTok is a security threat. It allows the CCP to manipulate and monitor its users while it gobbles up Americans data to be used for their malign activities, he continued. Anyone with TikTok downloaded on their device has given the CCP a backdoor to all their personal information.

The House Foreign Affairs Committee is set to mark up the bill on Tuesday, according to Punchbowl reporter John Bresnahan.

Bans in Multiple Countries

India, Taiwan, the European Union, and several U.S. states have already ordered similar bans. Canada also announced a ban earlier on Monday.

Canadian Treasury Board President Mona Fortier said in a statement on Monday that the country will ban TikTok from all government-issued devices by Feb. 28 over concerns the apps data collection leaves users open to cyberattacks.

Fortier said users would also be blocked from downloading the application in the future on government-issued devices.

Canadas ban comes amid a review of TikTok by Canadian Chief Information Officer Catherine Luelo, who determined it presents an unacceptable level of risk to privacy and security.

The decision to remove and block TikTok from government mobile devices is being taken as a precaution, particularly given concerns about the legal regime that governs the information collected from mobile devices, and is in line with the approach of our international partners, the Treasury Board said.

On a mobile device, TikToks data collection methods provide considerable access to the contents of the phone.

The European Union also banned TikTok on Feb. 25 from European Commission corporate and personal devices, citing similar concerns as the United States and other countries.

To increase its cybersecurity, the [European] Commissions Corporate Management Board has decided to suspend the use of the TikTok application on its corporate devices and on personal devices enrolled in the Commission mobile device service, it said in a statement.

This measure aims to protect the Commission against cybersecurity threats and actions which may be exploited for cyber-attacks against the corporate environment of the Commission, it added.

TikTok Responds

In a statement obtained by The Epoch Times, a TikTok spokesperson called the bans political theater and urged the U.S. Congress to adopt a proposed Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) agreement.

The ban of TikTok on U.S. federal devices was passed in December without any deliberation, and unfortunately that approach has served as a blueprint for other world governments. These bans are little more than political theater, the spokesperson said.

The TikTok spokesperson expressed concern about the potential for the popular video app to be banned from the personal devices of ordinary Americans outside of the government sphere.

We hope that when it comes to addressing national security concerns about TikTok beyond government devices, U.S. Congress will explore solutions that wont have the effect of censoring the voices of millions of Americans, the statement said.

The swiftest and most thorough way to address any national security concerns about TikTok is for CFIUS to adopt the proposed agreement that we worked with them on for nearly two years, the statement continued. These plans have been developed under the oversight of our countrys top national security agencies, and we are well underway in implementing them to further secure our platform in the United States.

This report has been updated to include statements from TikTok and McCaul.
WHO Was Complicit in Chinas Cover-Up of COVID-19 Origins: Sen. Daines

Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.) questions U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell as he testifies at a Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington on March 3, 2022. (Tom Williams-Pool/Getty Images)

The World Health Organization (WHO) was complicit in helping Chinas communist regime cover up the origins of COVID-19, according to Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.).

Speaking with NTD News, The Epoch Times sister outlet, Daines on Feb. 27 suggested that the WHO could not be trusted due to its compliance with in Chinas attempts to hide the truth of how the pandemic began.

Based on what we are seeing in the latest intelligence reports about the origin of COVIDthat theres credible evidence now that it may indeed have been a leak out of the Wuhan lab, given the role that WHO played in many ways of being complicit with the Chinese and covering up what happened in WuhanI think  youre going to see a lot of new questions as the evidence continues to come out of Wuhan as to what really happened to the origins of the COVID, the senator said.

Daines remarks came amid calls from his fellow senators for the Biden administration to declassify a U.S. Energy Department report that concluded that the COVID-19 pandemic most likely originated from a Wuhan laboratory leak.

According to a Feb. 26 Wall Street Journal report, the assessment was described in a document update by Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines. The report added that officials who had access to the classified report said the judgement was made with low confidence, given the lack of access to China. The FBI, in its own 2021 assessment, came to the same conclusion but with moderate confidence, the WSJ said.

As news of the report has spread, cries for transparency have erupted on Capitol Hill, including from Sens. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), and Mike Braun (R-Ind.), all of whom said they felt the information should be declassified.

The Biden administration has new intel pointing to a lab leak, Braun wrote in a Monday tweet. The American people deserve to see it!

The Senate Republicans concerns were also shared by their counterparts in the House, as House Oversight and Accountability Committee Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) and Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Chair Brad Wenstrup (R-Ohio) called on the Energy Department, State Department, and the FBI to provide documents and testimony on the matter.

Since April 2, 2020, Committee on Oversight and Accountability Republicans have been investigating the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic, including the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)s role in obscuring the truth regarding the initial outbreak, and whether any U.S. taxpayer dollars funded the Wuhan Institute of Virologys (WIV) dangerous gain-of-function research, the lawmakers wrote in letters to the three departments. The Select Subcommittee is now the only Committee in Congress with explicit jurisdiction to conduct this wide-ranging and important investigation.

Uncovering the truth, the congressmen added, is vital to U.S. national security, critical to the prevention of future pandemics, and will bring some semblance of closure to the families of those who lost loved ones during the pandemic.

At a White House press briefing on Monday, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby addressed the subject, noting that the president agreed that determining the source of the pandemic was important, but added, There is not a consensus right now in the U.S. government about exactly how COVID started.

Braun, responding to that comment via Twitter, said: Let the American people decide for themselves. Declassify all COVID origins intel.

The Epoch Times has reached out to the World Health Organization for comment.
Yellen in Surprise Visit to Kyiv to Reaffirm US Economic Aid to Ukraine

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy welcomes U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen (R) in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Feb. 27, 2023. (Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/Handout via Reuters)

KYIVU.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen paid a surprise visit to Kyiv on Monday to reaffirm U.S. support for Ukraine in its struggle against Russias invasion and promote U.S. economic aid that is bolstering Ukraines war effort.

Yellen met with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Finance Minister Serhiy Marchenko, and other key government officials just days into the wars second year, repeating U.S. assurances delivered by President Joe Biden a week ago in Kyiv.

America will stand with Ukraine as long as it takes, Yellen, flanked by sandbags at the cabinet ministers office, told Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, in a trip also aimed at shoring up support at home for continued aid.

In a private meeting with Zelenskyy late in the afternoon, the Treasury chief aid she commended him for his leadership and resolve in the face of Russias illegal and unprovoked war.

Yellen said she welcomed Zelenskyys actions to strengthen governance and address corruptionactions needed to ensure that U.S. economic aid is being spent responsibly, a message she repeated in her meeting with Marchenko.

The United States has been powerfully supporting us since the first days of this war not only with weapons, but also on the financial front, Zelenskiy said on his Telegram social media channel.

It is necessary to further strengthen sanctions to deprive Russia of the ability to finance the war.

In public remarks, Shmyhal said he and Yellen discussed additional sanctions on Russia, including confiscating frozen Russian assets to benefit Ukraines recovery.

But Yellen told reporters in a phone briefing that there were still significant legal obstacles to fully seizing some $300 billion in Russian frozen central bank assets and expressed caution about new curbs on Russias nuclear energy sector.

Yellen announced the transfer of the first $1.25 billion from the latest, $9.9 billion tranche of economic and budget assistance from Washington.

Air Raid Siren on Arrival

Yellens visit comes a week after Biden staged an unannounced trip to Kyiv and promised $500 million in additional military aid for Ukraine and new sanctions on Russia announced days later, including effectively banning U.S. imports of Russian aluminum.

As Biden did, Yellens staff worked to keep the visit a secret until she left Kyiv, with a daily media advisory for Monday saying only that she would meet with advisors and staff.

She traveled into Kyiv via an overnight train with a small group of senior aides after landing in a U.S. military aircraft near Rzeszow, Poland, near Ukraines western border, and left again by overnight train after a full day of meetings.

Shortly before her arrival in the capital, city air raid sirens wailed as a warning of a possible attack, although they often turn out to be false alarms.

On a chilly morning, Yellen laid a wreath at a memorial wall for Ukrainian soldiers killed in the war.

She stopped to inspect a destroyed Russian tank and mobile artillery piece on display at a city square cleared of visitors and met with first responders from the citys emergency services.

Budget Support

Yellen visited Kyiv on her return to Washington from a Group of Twenty (G-20) finance leaders meeting in Bengaluru, India, where she urged counterparts to boost economic aid to Ukraine and insisted that G-20 ministers issue a strong condemnation of Russias invasion.

Since the war began, the United States has given Ukraine more than $13 billion in economic and budget support funding, and the latest disbursement will push that to over $14 billion, with an additional $8.65 billion expected through Sept. 30.

Yellen and Treasury officials viewed the trip as a key way to reinforce the importance of sustaining economic and budgetary assistance for Ukraine to the American public, a Treasury official said, amid signals from some Republican lawmakers that they are growing skeptical.

Ukraine is estimated to need $40 billion to $57 billion in external financing this year to support its economy and is negotiating a $15.5 billion loan program with the International Monetary Fund to partly fill the gap.

Yellen told Marchenko she backed completion of a fully financed program for Ukraine with the IMF by the end of March, Treasury said in a statement.

Yellen said such economic support is keeping Ukraines government and critical public services running, schools open and pensions paid, providing a bedrock of stability that fuels Ukrainian resistance.

A sustained military effort cannot succeed without an effective government at home, Yellen said at the Kyiv Obolon School No. 168, where the salaries of teachers, administrators and support staff are reimbursed from U.S. budget support funds.
Residents of the Woodland Heights are petitioning to get a section of White Oak Bayou designated as green space so it would not be developed as part of an impending TxDOT development. (Photo from Facebook)
That release could not be found.
The Southern and Middle Belt Leaders Forum, (SMBLF) has warned the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) not to tamper with the results of the Presidential and National Assembly elections.

SMBLF, in a statement, expressed concern over the non-transmission of results of the Presidential and National Assembly elections to INEC portal, after collation of the results at the various polling units across the country.

The group said it was disturbed that President Muhammadu Buharis promise to Nigerians and the international community of holding free, fair and credible elections may have been undermined by the actions and inactions of INEC.

Edwin Clark, Afenifere leader, Pa Ayo Adebanjo; President, Middle Belt Forum, Dr. Pogu Bitrus, and Secretary General, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, Ambassador Okey Emuchay, are among the leaders that endorsed the SMBLF statement.

The statement read: Suffice to say that INEC failed to adhere to critical provisions of the amended Electoral Act, with several reports of Bimodal Voter Accreditation System, BVAS, challenges, the delay in upholding the results and excuses of server hitches.

There were also cases of outright voter intimidation in parts of the country, particularly, in Lagos, where people were allegedly prevented from voting, and the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has been silent on the occurrences.

Most worrisome are the suggestions that the delay in uploading results to the INEC Portal was deliberate; to provide certain persons opportunities to alter the election results, with Lagos and Delta states repeatedly cited.

These situations are unacceptable and should not be allowed. We warn INEC not to tamper with the results; the will of Nigerians as expressed through the votes cast on Saturday, across the country, must be upheld. Let the choice of the people stand, in the interest of peace and stability.

There were high hopes that INEC would do a good job, unfortunately, it appears that the electoral body was not prepared to conduct credible elections.

SMBLF cautions the INEC Chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu not to pour scorn on his hard earned reputation, due to pressure from desperate politicians. Nigeria is greater than any individual or group.
Patong Police crack down on street racers

PHUKET: Patong Police have launched a crackdown on street racers, including foreigners speeding on motorbikes, following instructions in Bangkok for police to clamp down on street racing throughout the country.

tourismtransportSafetypolice

By The Phuket News

Tuesday 28 February 2023, 06:08PM

Officers were stationed throughout Patong after 10pm last night to enforce the crackdown, following orders from Patong Police Chief Col Sujin Nilbadee and Deputy Chiefs Lt Col Somphon Surin and Lt Col Phum Semvoranon, Patong Police announced today (Feb 28).

Coordinating efforts on the street was Patong Traffic Police Chief Lt Col Wutthiwat Liangboonjinda, who tasked Lt Nirun Chaowaiphot to set up a special checkpoint at the bottom of Patong Hill, Patong Police reported.

Patong Police did not clarify how many people were caught speeding dangerously. The crackdown in Patong last night follows the mass motorbike rally by mostly French nationals that overwhelmed the streets of Patong earlier this month.

It also follows the national government last week launching a campaign offering a B3,000 reward to each person who reports street races.
Russia blasts EU, US sanctions as absurd and futile

MOSCOW: Russia hit out at the European Union and the United States yesterday (Feb 27) after they adopted their latest packages of sanctions against the country for its military intervention in Ukraine.

RussianUkrainepolitics

By AFP

Tuesday 28 February 2023, 09:23AM

An abandoned herd in Prechistovka village near front line not far Ugledar, Donetsk region yesterday (Feb 27). Photo: Anatolii Stepanov / AFP

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters the EUs latest round of sanctions, which was adopted last week, was absurd.

The EUs penalties, which target 121 individuals and entities, are the 10th round of sanctions aimed at undercutting Russias finances and military supplies for the conflict.

Peskov said Western countries were struggling to find more people and entities to punish.

That explains the illogical listing of individuals and entities, Peskov said.

We are talking about such accomplished people and for them, inclusion in the lists will not cause any discomfort, he added.

The latest EU sanctions target dozens of Russian businesses and state agencies including three Russian banks.

Being on the list means an asset freeze in the EU and a visa ban.

Separately, the Russian foreign ministry blasted the latest US round of sanctions - also adopted last week - as futile and mindless attempts aimed at undermining our industrial and financial potential, at shutting Russia off from international economic relations.

The new US penalties, which are targeting sectors including banks, mining, and the defence industry, will hit more than 200 individuals and entities, including both Russian and third-country actors.

We are preparing responses by creatively using our experience, Moscow said.

Russian counter-sanctions will continue to be built on the principle of strict reciprocity.
Swede arrested in Phuket, faces deportation for narcotics production

PHUKET: A 34-year-old Swedish man has been arrested by Immigration officers in Phuket and is facing deportation for collaborating in the production of narcotics.

immigrationdrugscrime

By Eakkapop Thongtub

Tuesday 28 February 2023, 06:28PM

The arrest came as part of the Phuket Crime - Free campaign, involving some 100 officers including Immigration, regular police and Tourist Police, Phuket Provincial Police Deputy Commander Col Jirasak Siemsak announced today (Feb 28).

Officers arrested the Swedish national, named in Thai language as Christopher Daniel Yokim Boy, at about 11am, Col Jjirsak said.

The Swedes permit to stay in the country had been revoked because he is an offender and conspired with other defendants in the production and possession of narcotic substances, Col Jirsak said.

Such behavior constitutes a person prohibited [from staying in the country] under Immigration Act 1979, Col Jirsak continued.

No further details of the arrest were announced. More details of the arrest and the drugs operation are expected to be released.
Supporters of Attleboro mayoral candidates Cathleen DeSimone and Jay DiLisio campaign Tuesday morning at the entrance to the LaSalette Shrine polling place. DeSimone is second from the left.
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Mostly cloudy skies early will become partly cloudy later in the day. Slight chance of a rain shower. High 78F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph..

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Partly cloudy in the evening then becoming cloudy with periods of rain after midnight. Low around 55F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%.
SEAN BERGEL, Wheeler, Baseball, Junior; Bergel struck out eight and allowed only five hits as Wheeler defeated Griswold in its season opener. Bergel walked just one batter and allowed two earned runs.

CAMI BROWN, Stonington, Softball, Junior; Brown finished 11 for 16 in four games for the Bears. Brown doubled four times, tripled twice and drove in nine runs.

CASEY MACERA, Westerly, Girls Lacrosse, Freshman, Macera scored five goals in a Division III win against Rocky Hill. Westerly ended a 15-game losing streak with the victory.

ADAM CARPENTER, Chariho, Baseball, Sophomore; Carpenter pitched a two-hitter in his varsity debut as the Chargers beat East Providence. Carpenter carried a no-hitter into the sixth. He struck out 10 and did not walk a batter.

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The Flatbush Jewish Community Coalition (FJCC) hosted a leadership meeting yesterday to introduce the NYPDs new Commanding Officer of Patrol Borough Brooklyn South, Chief Charles McEvoy to community leadership. In light of recent anti semitic attacks and an uptick in crime the meeting was an opportunity for yeshiva, shul and community leaders to discuss their concerns with NYPD brass.

The meeting, held at the Ohel building was attended by more than 50 leaders under the FJCC coalition. The meeting was coordinated by NYPD Brooklyn South Community Affairs Commander Lt. Ira Jablonsky who continuously works alongside the Chief day and night to ensure the communitys safety. Rabbi Moshe Scheinerman, Rov of Khal Bnei Yeshivos gave the opening invocation.

Senator Simcha Felder, Assembly Member Simcha Eichenstein, Council Members Kalman Yeger and Inna Vernikov participated to show solidarity for a safe, secure and flourishing community. Inspector Richie Taylor, Commanding Officer of Community Affairs brought a message of support from One Police Plaza.

Mayor Eric Adams and the FJCC honored police officers Meir Green and Jessica Morgan-Brown of the 76 precinct for their bravery in the line of duty. They rescued a transit rider who fell on the tracks in a video that went viral. The Mayoral award was presented by Senior Advisor to the Mayor Joel Eisdorfer and Commissioner of the Community Affairs Unit, Fred Kreizman.

Flatbush is the largest demographic and geographic Jewish community in New York encompassing six police precincts. The commanders of the 60, 61, 62, 63, 66, 70 precincts and their community affairs staff attended the meeting and interacted with the yeshiva and shul leaders. As Rabbi Rephael Netanel, Dean of Students at YDE stated this crucial leadership interaction fosters relationships and communication that help keep our students safe.

FJCC Chairman Josh Mehlman and executive board member Rafi Treitel chaired the meeting, welcoming the officers and the community leaders, whose attendance indicates their deep commitment to serving the community. The FJCC was established in July 2013 to unite the greater Flatbush Jewish community on communal, civic, and political concerns. The Coalition represents over 200 organizations, shuls, yeshivas, and Bais Yaakov schools.

(YWN World Headquarters  NYC)




U.S. intelligence shows that Chinas President Xi Jinping has instructed his countrys military to be ready by 2027 to invade Taiwan though he may be currently harboring doubts about his ability to do so given Russias experience in its war with Ukraine, CIA Director William Burns said.

Burns, in a television interview that aired Sunday, stressed that the United States must take very seriously Xis desire to ultimately control Taiwan even if military conflict is not inevitable.

We do know, as has been made public, that President Xi has instructed the PLA, the Chinese military leadership, to be ready by 2027 to invade Taiwan, but that doesnt mean that hes decided to invade in 2027 or any other year as well, Burns told CBS Face the Nation.

I think our judgment at least is that President Xi and his military leadership have doubts today about whether they could accomplish that invasion, he said.

Taiwan and China split in 1949 after a civil war that ended with the Communist Party in control of the mainland. The self-governing island acts like a sovereign nation yet is not recognized by the United Nations or any major country. In 1979, President Jimmy Carter formally recognized the government in Beijing and cut nation-to-nation ties with Taiwan. In response, Congress passed the Taiwan Relations Act, creating a benchmark for a continuing relationship.

Taiwan has received numerous displays of official American support for the island democracy in the face of growing shows of force by Beijing, which claims Taiwan as part of its territory. President Joe Biden has said that American forces would defend Taiwan if China tries to invade. The White House says U.S. policy has not changed in making clear that Washington wants to see Taiwans status resolved peacefully. It is silent as to whether U.S. forces might be sent in response to a Chinese attack.

In Sundays interview, Burns said the support from the U.S. and European allies for Ukraine following Russian President Vladimir Putins invasion of that country may be acting as a potential deterrent to Chinese officials for now but said the risks of a possible attack on Taiwan will only grow stronger.

I think, as theyve looked at Putins experience in Ukraine, thats probably reinforced some of those doubts, Burns said. So, all I would say is that I think the risks of, you know, a potential use of force probably grow the further into this decade you get and beyond it, into the following decade as well.

So thats something obviously, that we watch very, very carefully, he said.

*AO)




Shalom and Esty Yaniv, the parents of Hillel and Yigal, hyd, who were murdered in a terror attack on Sunday, spoke to the media on Monday prior to their sons levaya in Jerusalem.

Standing with the head of the Shomron Council Yossi Dagan at the entrance to their home on Har Bracha, Esty tearfully spoke in a broken voice.

There are no words to describe this tragedy, she said. What can be said? The price we paid is too heavy to bear. Instead of taking our children to the chuppah, were burying them.

I grew up in Gush Katif, she continued. I received a slap in the face from the State. I sent one son to the army and my second son wanted to join the combat forces. I love Israel, we love the IDF, we want security and unity. We want unity. Were brothers. We want security. We cant afford such a loss. The two oldest brothers were taken.

Shalom spoke about the youth who had gathered outside their house. The youth here lost their best friends. I beg and plead that this will be the last tragedy.

Rochel Yaniv, the sister of the kedoshim, said tearfully that the family members are trying to accept the bitter loss that Hakadosh Baruch Hu gave us yesterday with love.

Its difficult and painful. Were enduring difficult days. But were strong and Am Yisrael has been through so many other things. Im sure well withstand this.

Ill continue to live here and settle Eretz Yisrael. Hillel and Yigal would want us to mourn but also to continue and be happy and rejoice. I never thought I would be in such a situation, definitely not at this age. But we thank Hashem for what He gives us. We dont understand it but apparently, this is what our family needs. We dont understand and we also wont understand but this is what is.

(YWN Israel Desk  Jerusalem)




As per their usual heinous custom, Palestinians celebrated following the murder of Hillel and Yigal Yaniv, hyd.

Numerous videos and photos of Arabs in Shechem and other cities handing out candies and other sweets circulated on social media.

One video showed a Palestinian being asked why they celebrate even when civilians are killed.

While Israeli security officials are meeting in Jordan with US, Egyptian, Jordanian and PA officials in order to calm tensions in the West Bank down, Palestinians are celebrating the murder of 2 Israeli brothers today (16 and 21 year olds) by a Palestinian terrorist near Nablus. pic.twitter.com/uc4K15wV9Z  Ofir Gendelman (@ofirgendelman) February 26, 2023

(YWN Israel Desk  Jerusalem)
OZARK  A pay increase for the deputy coroners in Dale County was unanimously approved by the Dale County Commission Tuesday. The increase, requested by Dale County Coroner John Cawley, is effective immediately.

In his letter of request to the commissioners, Cawley said the current rate of pay for deputy coroners, established in 2020, is $75 per call. It is just not enough for the amount of time and conditions per call, said Cawley in his letter of request to the commissioners. The average time spent per call is around four hours or more and the current amount just does not cover that, he said. The amount of $125 per call was figured into the budget when it was established for this current fiscal year.

In unrelated business, a routine appointment of three people to the SARCOA  Southern Alabama Regional Council on Aging  Board was tabled after the commissioners changed one of the three names listed on the agenda and another of the nominees, who was present at the commission meeting, told commissioners that she declined to serve on a board with the person the commission had just added to the list.

Named on the written commission meeting agenda as SARCOA Board appointees were Cynthia Gary, Bruce Grantham, and Jereme Creamer. During the work session immediately preceding the voting meeting, Dale County Commission Chairman Steve McKinnon told the commissioners that they had been advised by SARCOA that Gary, as mayor of Midland City, and Creamer, an employee of Midland City, could not serve concurrently on the SARCOA board. At that point, former Midland City Mayor Joanne Grimsley was named to replace Creamer as the third Dale County appointee to the SARCOA board.

Mr. Chairman, may I interrupt? Gary asked as McKinnon when he called for a motion on the revised SARCOA Board appointments. I withdraw my name, she said. I will not be on a board with her.

McKinnon then called for the agenda item to be tabled.

If I had been made aware of the change between Ms. Grimsley and Mr. Creamer, you could have removed my name earlier and put someone else in there, Gary said. I apologize for any amount of inconvenience that I have caused, but I am not sitting on a board with her.

The Dale County Commission meets the second and fourth Tuesday of each month in the meeting room at the Dale County Government Building in Ozark.




The leaders of a new House select committee on China defended Democratic Rep. Judy Chu on Sunday, saying it was abhorrent and unacceptable for a GOP lawmaker to question her loyalty to the United States based on her Chinese heritage.

One of my colleagues, unfortunately, attacked Judy Chu, the first Chinese American congresswoman in the United States Congress, saying that somehow shes not loyal to the United States. I find that offensive as an Asian American myself, said Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, the ranking Democrat on the panel, about the comments last week from Rep. Lance Gooden, R-Texas.

Wisconsin Rep. Mike Gallagher, the Republican chair of the China panel who appeared Sunday with Krishnamoorthi on CBS Face the Nation, said Gooden was out of line.

We should not question anybodys loyalty to the United States, Gallagher said. That is out of bounds. Its beyond the pale.

In a Fox News interview last week, Gooden criticized Chu for her defense of Biden economic appointee Dominic Ng, who the president named to the business advisory council of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation. Gooden questioned either Chus loyalty or competence. He also suggested that Chu, a California Democrat, should not have a security clearance or access to classified briefings.

Chu, the chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus who was born in Los Angeles, called Goodens comments racist, saying the attacks on her and Ng relied on false information from right-wing media.

On Sunday, Gallagher said his bipartisan committee, which is officially called the Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party was named as such to to constantly make that distinction between the party and the people.

We must constantly be aware of going overboard as we try and win this competition with China, he said.

(AP)




As thousands of Israelis engage in protests against the governments judicial reform plan, a campaign to support the reform was launched, including the hanging of banners with words of support for the architects of the reform.

The banners address Justice Minister Yariv Levin (Likud) and chairman of the Constitution, Law and Justice Committee Simcha Rothman (Religious Zionist Party), stating: Yariv, Rothman, the Am is With You. 2,304,964 Citizens Voted For The Judicial Reform.

Apparently, the banners raised the ire of leftists and many of them were defaced, with one banner now depicting Levin and Rothman as Hitler. Other banners were removed or destroyed.

Beerale Crombie, who is behind the campaign, slammed the vandalism, stating: The enlightened left [in its own view] continues to behave violently against any support for changing the legal systemwhat were seeing in recent days is an increase in violence. Were receiving dozens of videos and testimonies from all over the country of the signs being vandalized.

(YWN Israel Desk  Jerusalem)




Federal officials said Monday theyre working to cut down on a growing backlog of complaints lodged against health care providers, insurers or government agencies by patients who claim their civil rights or privacy have been violated.

Americans filed more than 51,000 complaints against health agencies last year, a number that has grown tremendously  69%  over the last five years, the federal Health and Human Services agency announced. Some complaints can take years to investigate.

About two-thirds of the cases involve potential violations of health information privacy and security, a problem that has worsened in recent years because of data breaches and cybersecurity hacks, the agency said. In 2021, more than 700 large breaches of health information were reported. Health insurer Anthem, for example, was forced to pay the government a record $16 million fine in 2018 after a data breach affecting about 79 million people  including names, birthdates, Social Security numbers and medical IDs.

Health care workers and patients can file federal complaints against providers, insurers, and government agencies when they think patients are being discriminated against or protected health information has been shared, a violation of a longstanding law known as HIPAA, or the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. HHS Office of Civil Rights is responsible for investigating those complaints.

The office will reorganize in an effort to more quickly investigate such complaints, the agency said Monday.

The office will keep a dedicated division to investigate HIPAA complaints, with a focus on the growing segment of cybersecurity breaches. It will also have three new different divisions with staff that focus on each of the following: policy, strategic planning, and enforcement.

This structure will enable OCR staff to leverage its deep expertise and skills to ensure that we are protecting individuals under the range of federal laws that we are tasked with enforcing, HHS Office of Civil Rights Director Melanie Fontes Rainer said in a statement.

(AP)




New Jersey Rep. Jeff Van Drew demanded that Dr. Anthony Fauci come clean over what he knew about the Covid-19 pandemics origins following an explosive report which said the federal Department of Energy has concluded that the virus most likely escaped from a lab in Wuhan, China, though it said it has a low level of confidence that thats definitively what happened.

National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said he cant confirm or deny the report, which was broken Sunday by the Wall Street Journal.

Van Drew, a former Democrat who joined the Republican Party during the Trump administration, said noted that American taxpayer money helped fund the lab from where Covid-19 is suspected to have leaked from.

Were going to dig in the House of Representatives. The House really wants to know true answers, Van Drew said on Fox News. These are some of the things we talked about even during the campaign. Its enough. People are tired. They want a government that tells them the truth. They want a government that works for them. We dont work for the government. I hate to say it this way, but this is sick stuff.

Its been lie after lie, misinformation after misinformation, he continued. And its about time we crack this egg open and really find whats actually going on. Whats most hurtful, not only did the Chinese and we and we know the real truth, poison the world and the United States, I mean, lets just tell the truth. Hopefully it was an accident. But not only did they do this, but they lied about it. And we have an administration that doesnt have the guts to go forward and get the truth out of them. And we paid for that part of it all. We paid for the lab.

(YWN World Headquarters  NYC)




A top political adviser to Glenn Youngkin insisted on Monday that theres room for the Virginia governor to enter the Republican presidential primary a day after the aide said the campaign was a two-person race between Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis.

Jeff Roe, a strategist for Youngkin, told The Associated Press that his weekend comments on Fox News were not a signal of Youngkins intentions or future prospects.

The current field and the current race shows two strong front-running candidates, but politics changes and a year is a lifetime in politics, Roe said Monday.

He called Youngkin a unicorn in American politics, the first Republican in more than a decade to be elected governor of Virginia, and only a year after Trump lost there to Democrat Joe Biden by 10 percentage points.

If Youngkin decides to run for president, he will make a lane for himself, Roe said. He doesnt need a lane created for him.

Youngkin has been seen as a potential presidential candidate but has repeatedly demurred about whether he will run. In a separate interview on Fox News Channel on Sunday morning, Youngkin said that he was very focused on Virginia, where the legislative session just ended and budget negotiations are underway.

My eyes right now are really on Virginia and weve got a lot of good work to do here, Youngkin said.

On the same network, Roe said during an appearance on Fox News Sunday that the field of 2024 GOP candidates will be very small because of Trumps and DeSantis strength and looming Republican National Committee rules requiring candidates to show broad support by meeting donor and polling thresholds in order to participate in debates.

The reality is, this is a two-person race between Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis, Roe said.

Seeming to close the door, he added, Theres simply no room for a third or fourth, or even fifth person in this race.

But he said on Monday that he was not broadcasting any advice to Youngkin.

The governor makes his decisions based on his ability to win, on his ability to make a difference and what his heart leads him to do, Roe said. He doesnt make decisions like that based on politics or political consultants or hacks.

Theres a time and a place for decisions like this to be made, he said.

Asked for comment about Roes remarks, Youngkin political aide Becca Glover did not directly address them. Instead, she said: The governor is always flattered to have his name come up in conversations about 2024, especially given that hes now a respected leader within the party, not just a new face.

Speculation about a possible bid by Youngkin began after he captured national attention by defeating Democratic former Gov. Terry McAuliffe in 2021.

Hes taken other steps that have added to the chatter, including traveling the country stumping for other Republican candidates for governor last year, hosting campaign-style policy events within the state and throwing a private event for high-profile donors.

An adviser to Youngkin confirmed he is scheduled to meet in New York City this week with Republican donors and political figures. The meetings were first reported by The New York Times.

Youngkin is a wealthy former private-equity executive who loaned his 2021 campaign $20 million and has business-world contacts hed be able to draw on for campaign contributions.

(AP)




Noam chairman Avi Maoz sent a letter on Monday evening to Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu in which he announced that he is resigning from his position in the government as deputy minister.

Maoz will remain in the coalition as an MK but is resigning due to his shock that the conditions of his coalition deal with the Likud are not being honored, including the formation of a Jewish national identity authority and the revocation of laws established during the Lapid government that conflict with Jewish values.

Maoz wrote that he is resigning but: Ill continue bezrat Hashem as a partner in the coalition and support all the moves we agreed on together, including the all-important legislation to restore the balance between the legislative and judicial authorities, and more.

Throughout the generations, Am Yisrael knew to protect what was dearest to them  our identity as a Jewish people, protection of the holy things of Israel and respect for the supreme value of the family. With the formation of the government, I was happy to be a part of it, as reflected in the coalition agreement.

As you know, I have tried throughout the last two months, since the formation of the government, to act to implement the agreements between us, in cooperation with the other ministers, in order to revoke the regulations of the Lapid government in the Education, Welfare and Health Ministries, whose purpose is to change our foundational values as Am Yisrael and the Jewish family.

I also tried together with my coalition members to have a new state position written on the Kotel for the Supreme Court, according to which the government would work to preserve the kedushah of the Kotel and stop the actions to divide it.

Also, I tried to take action to return the words father and mother [instead of Parent 1 and Parent 2] to the official forms of the government ministries, as we promised our voters and as was signed in the coalition agreement with us  but all these efforts have been unsuccessful.

Maoz added: I discovered that there is no serious intention to uphold the coalition agreement regarding the Jewish national identity authority. Therefore, I have decided to resign from the position of deputy minister in the Prime Ministers Office and fulfill my mission as a full member of the Knesset in the coalition.

(YWN Israel Desk  Jerusalem)




U.S. government bans on Chinese-owned video sharing app TikTok reveal Washingtons own insecurities and are an abuse of state power, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said Tuesday.

The U.S. government has been overstretching the concept of national security and abusing state power to suppress other countries companies, Mao Ning said at a daily briefing. How unsure of itself can the U.S., the worlds top superpower, be to fear a favorite young persons favorite app to such a degree?

The White House is giving all federal agencies, in guidance issued Monday, 30 days to wipe TikTok off all government devices. The White House already did not allow TikTok on its devices.

TikTok is used by two-thirds of American teens, but theres concern in Washington that China could use its legal and regulatory powers to obtain private user data or to try to push misinformation or narratives favoring China.

Congress and more than half of U.S. states have so-far banned TikTok from government-issued mobile devices.

Some have also moved to apply the ban to any app or website owned by ByteDance Ltd., the private Chinese company owning TikTok that moved its headquarters to Singapore in 2020.

China has long blocked a long list of foreign social media platforms and messaging apps, including YouTube, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

Washington and Beijing are at odds over myriad issues including trade, computer chips and other technology, national security and Taiwan, along with the discovery of a suspected Chinese spy balloon over the U.S. and its shooting down earlier this month.

On Monday, Canada announced it was joining the U.S. in banning TikTok from all government-issued mobile devices.

I suspect that as government takes the significant step of telling all federal employees that they can no longer use TikTok on their work phones many Canadians from business to private individuals will reflect on the security of their own data and perhaps make choices, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told reporters after the announcement.

Canadian Treasury Board President Mona Fortier said the Chief Information Officer of Canada had determined that TikTok presents an unacceptable level of risk to privacy and security.

On a mobile device, TikToks data collection methods provide considerable access to the contents of the phone, Fortier said.

The app will be removed from Canadian government issued phones on Tuesday.

The European Unions executive branch said last week it has temporarily banned TikTok from phones used by employees as a cybersecurity measure.

TikTok has questioned the bans, saying it has not been given an opportunity to answer questions and governments were cutting themselves off from a platform beloved by millions.

(AP)




Jerusalem and Heritage Minister Meir Porush informed Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on Tuesday that he is resigning from his position as minister in charge of the Lag BOmer event at Meron in 2023.

Porush wrote in a letter to Netanyahu: When I took office, it was brought to my attention about a month after the elections, even before the Minister of Religious Services was appointed, and when it was already widely known that the responsibility for the Lag BOmer event was being transferred to the Jerusalem and Heritage Ministry, the Center for the Holy Places rushed to sign an agreement with the production company that managed the Lag BOmer event in 2022, in complete contradiction to what is stated in the report of lessons learned from the 2022 event, and without any update or coordination with me.

Porush continued by explaining that he considered using a different production company and he also received legal advice that if he did decide to use the same production company, he has the right to negotiate a new contract.

However, in a meeting on Monday, it was made clear to him by representatives of the Religious Services Ministry and the Center for Holy Places that they are determined to adhere to the pre-existing contract and furthermore, will not allow Porush to be the one calling the shots with the production company.

Apart from the fact that they are trying to force me to accept a production company that was chosen without my knowledge, theres now another absurdity in the unambiguous message conveyed to us that the production company will be subject to the Center for Holy Places and not to me, as the minister in charge of the Lag BOmer event at Meron, Porush wrote.

In such a state of affairs, where I am given responsibility without authority, and where the authority is split between me and the National Center for Holy Places and the Ministry of Religious Services, and the National Center strongly opposes the removal of its authority over the Lag BOmer event, it is clear that I will not be able to fulfill my duties and fulfill the responsibilities entrusted to me by the government. It is also important to note that this is not consistent with the interim recommendations of the state commission of inquiry into the Meron disaster, according to which the government must appoint one minister responsible for managing, organizing and producing the event. It should be noted that what is described above is contrary to the coalition agreement between the Likud party under your leadership and the UTJ party.

According to a Kikar HShabbat report, Porush is considering resigning from the government due to the fact that the only reason he agreed to serve as a minister was in order to take responsibility for the Lag BOmer event.

Porushs move follows the resignation of Noam chairman Avi Maoz from his position as a deputy minister in the Prime Ministers Office on Monday evening due to the fact that the conditions of his coalition deal with the Likud are not being honored.

(YWN Israel Desk  Jerusalem)
A sea change is coming to British business after FTSE 350 firms hit a key gender balance target three years early.

The proportion of boardroom jobs held by women at the countrys biggest listed companies increased by nearly 3 percentage points last year to 40.2 per cent, according to the Government-backed FTSE Women Leaders Review.

This meant the 40 per cent target was hit three years ahead of the 2025 deadline. Campaigners hailed it a defining moment for British business  but called for even more to be done.

Sea change: The proportion of boardroom jobs held by women at the countrys biggest listed companies increased by nearly 3 percentage points last year to 40.2%

However, there are just nine female chief executives in the FTSE 100  a number branded frankly appalling  and nine companies across the FTSE 350 still have all-male executive committees. These committees are responsible for the day-to-day running of the business.

The nine without any women on their committee are Aston Martin, Savills, Plus 500, Discover IE, CMC, Capricorn Energy, Molten Ventures, BBGI and Bellway.

Ministers said this underlined the need for further progress despite the 40 per cent target being hit.

Kemi Badenoch, the Secretary of State for Business and Trade and Minister for Women and Equalities, said: Im pleased to see that FTSE 350 companies have surpassed this target, showing that change doesnt always require top-down interventions but can occur when everyone is pushing in the same direction.

'This progress is very welcome and Id urge business to keep up this momentum to achieve better balance in leadership positions as well as in boardrooms.

Just over a decade ago, 152 of FTSE 350 companies had no women on their boards at all.

Now there is at least one woman female director at every company in the FTSE 100 and FTSE 250  which together make up the FTSE 350  and the vast majority have three or more.

Firms such as Greggs, Severn Trent and Vodafone have made particular strides in this area, leading the way with more women than men on their boards, the review said.

Burberry, Next and Sainsburys are among the companies that have the highest percentage of women in leadership positions, including on their executive committees, who provide support for chief executives and the board.

With businesses hitting the 40 per cent target for women on boards well ahead of schedule, it is clear that momentum is on their side and a sea change is coming, the report said.

The latest figures put the UK in second place behind France for the best female representation at the top.

At Frances 40 biggest public companies, 44 per cent of boardroom jobs are held by women.

The UK has opted for voluntary action from companies, but France has imposed strict quotas, which force the largest firms to push for equality in the workplace.

Denise Wilson, chief executive of the FTSE Women Leaders Review, told the Mail that although there has been a complete revolution in recent years the tone is set at the top.

She said: We still have a long way to go even though we have made strides in taking this topic of equality beyond just being fringe water cooler conversation.

There are still only nine chief executives in the FTSE 100, including Emma Walmsley at GSK, Alison Rose at NatWest and Liv Garfield at Severn Trent.

Sue Vinnicombe, professor of women and leadership at Cranfield School of Management, in Bedford, described this number as frankly appalling, adding: For real change to happen, women simply must be in the significant decision-making roles of chief executive and chair.

MP Maria Caulfield, the minister for women, said: Making sure the right people are in the top roles is not just morally right, it makes good business sense.
Fund giant Abrdn swung to a full-year loss as investors withdrew over 10billion amid plunging stock markets, while it was hit by rising costs and falling investment returns.

Chief executive Stephen Bird, who is two years into a three-year turnaround plan, said 2022 had been 'one of the toughest investing years in living memory'.

However, it flagged strong performance at DIY investing platform Interactive Investor, which it acquired last year for 1.5billion.

Revenues at Interactive Investor surged 38 per cent to 176million, as it continued to attract new customers, while operating profit more than doubled to 94million.

Investors have continued to withdraw funds from Abrdn amid plunging stock markets

Abrdn reported a 42billion drop in assets under management to 500billion and suffered net outflows of 10.3billion, largely from equities, as investors headed for the door amid plunging valuations.

The fund giant which last year briefly dropped out of the FTSE 100 for the first time since the 2017 mega-merger of Aberdeen and Standard Life, reported a pre-tax loss of 615million for 2022, compared to profit of 1.11billion in 2021.

It said this reflected a 187million hit from falling share prices of its investments and 369million in impairments 'largely due to a fall in market levels'.

Stripping out the one-off costs, operating profit fell 19 per cent to 263million. However, this was better than analysts' forecasts, sending Abrdn shares surging as much as 6 per cent in early trading.

They had lost some of those gains by 12.30pm on Tuesday though, trading up 2.25 per cent to 218.2p.

Last year, Abrdn tumbled out of the FTSE 100 for the first time since its 2017 mega-merger as its shares slumped following a run of poor performance.

They have risen 14 per cent since the start of the year, but remain down by around 50 per cent compared to five years ago.

Alongside its results, the company also said it had struck a 140million deal to sell its discretionary fund management arm Abrdn Capital to Liechenstein-based private bank LGT.

The sale involves the transfer of around 6.1billion of assets and about 140 employees, the company added.

Looking ahead, Abrdn said the outlook for global markets remained uncertain, with the business continuing to work to simplify and reduce costs.

John Moore, senior investment manager at RBC Brewin Dolphin, said the results showed 'a company in flux'.

He added: 'Abrdns share price has been strong on the back of the company becoming a recovery play at the tail end of last year, which boomeranged it back into the FTSE 100.

'Whether it can remain in the UKs top index will depend on the companys ability to continue with its strategic plan and re-shaping of the business, while keeping investors on side through its dividend policy and ongoing share buybacks.'
Customers hold glasses of beer at a restaurant in Hanoi. Photo by Reuters/Kham

The Vietnam Beer, Alcohol & Beverage Association has called for delaying a proposed tax increase on liquor saying the industry has yet to recover from the effects of Covid.

The association president, Nguyen Van Viet, called for putting off the tax hike until at least 2025, saying the alcohol industry has yet to recover after being affected by the Covid pandemic for nearly three years.

Besides, the prices of raw materials such as malt and fuel have risen by at least 20% and the conflict between Russia and Ukraine has disrupted supply chains, he said.

However, prices have not been hiked and so increasing taxes during this period of recovery would aggravate their difficulties, he claimed.

The association also wanted the imposition of special consumption tax on sugary drinks delayed until late 2024 or mid-2025.

When the tax imposed, the rate should be calculated based on the sugar content in the drinks, it said.

The Ministry of Finance is soliciting opinions from various stakeholders about increasing the special consumption tax on alcoholic drinks this year.

Currently the tax rates stand at 65% on beer and 35-65% on liquor depending on the alcohol content.

In 2014 the ministry had proposed a 10% special consumption tax on sweetened beverages saying consuming less sugar would help prevent people, especially children, from becoming obese, but other ministries had opposed it.

The Ministries of Planning and Investment and Justice had said the argument for the tax was not convincing, and the Ministry of Industry and Trade said it could have a negative impact on businesses.
Fishermen return to Phu Quy Island after an offshore trip in April, 2022. Photo by VnExpress/Tu Huynh

Hundreds of fishermen from Phu Quy Island have run out of food and water after being stranded for a month now on Truong Sa (Spratly) Islands.

They left early this month with 524 crew members on 130 boats for the Spratly Islands off Binh Thuan Province with enough food and water for 17-20 days.

But they unexpectedly came up against adverse weather conditions that did not allow them to fish or return home, Spratly authorities informed the Binh Thuan administration Monday.

Almost a week ago the northeast monsoon arrived, resulting in rough seas off Vietnams south-central coast.

The area between Phu Quy and the Spratly Islands 540 km away is expected to remain rough with winds of 62-88kph and waves of up to five meters.

Binh Thuan authorities have asked naval forces on Spratly to provide the stranded fishermen with food.

The Navys 4th Regional Command that protects Spratly, Phu Quy Island and the south-central coast assured Tuesday that each fishing boat would be provided with 15kg of rice and 60 liters of fresh water.
Senate asks LTFRB: Defer June 30 jeepney phaseout

The Senate has urged the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) to postpone its planned phaseout of traditional jeepneys in the Philippines by June 30.

Senators unanimously adopted on Tuesday, February 28, 2023, Resolution No. 44, strongly urging the LTFRB to suspend the planned phaseout pending the resolution of valid and urgent concerns raised by affected operators and drivers regarding the government's Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program (PUVMP).

Authored and sponsored by Committee on Public Services chairperson Sen. Grace Poe, the measure refers to the implementation of LTFRB's memorandum circular giving traditional jeeps until June 30, 2023 to ply the roads should their operators fail to join or form a cooperative or corporation.

"The LTFRB should not coerce PUV operators into complying with their guidelines without addressing the sector's concerns, particularly on the high capital costs of acquiring modern jeepneys," read the resolution, which cited concerns from transport groups.

"To continue with the phaseout without taking these concerns into consideration would run counter to the directive of the Constitution to promote social justice in all phases of national development," it added.

Poe, who led numerous committee hearings on the PUVMP, also raised the lack of a route rationalization plan from the LTFRB, which is a prerequisite to determine the routes for modern jeeps.

Further, bills have been filed in the Senate for a "just transition" for PUV modernization, and that these could address the flaws and concerns about the program, Poe noted.

"We are not against modernization. If anything, we want to make it easier to achieve. There is always a win-win solution," Poe said in her speech.

"To enforce a deadline is not only insanity, but also inhumane," she, however, stressed.

All senators were made co-authors of Resolution No. 44.
February 27, 2023 | 04:33 pm PT

Last month I was invited to a dinner in France. It was a traditional meal to finish the Lunar New Year ceremony at a Vietnamese family's house.

It was my first invitation to a meal like this since I left Vietnam 16 years ago. Things that may seem normal or even ordinary in my home country are exceptional abroad.

This dinner was special. There was a ritual in which offerings were burned and sent to our ancestors for their afterlife in the hope their souls came back and celebrated Tet with us.

The hosts, Hung and his wife, work at the Pierre and Marie Curie University. He is an associate professor in electronics and telecommunications there.

Although he has lived in France for many years and speaks French fluently, he has maintained a balance between his Vietnamese traditions and a modern western lifestyle.

After burning the offerings, we gave lucky money envelopes to our children and wished that they grow up quickly, healthily and with filial piety.

Everyone seemed to have prepared envelopes in advance. They were small red envelopes, sealed like letters, containing real money. Though the children did not open them right away to see how much was inside, I was sure they were all 10 euro banknotes, the only French bill that is red and symbolizes luck in the East Asian belief system.

Hung told me: "It's good that we keep our homeland traditions like this; let's try to promote them."

Three families had been invited to the dinner. Besides my friend Van's family, who helped me know Hung, there was also Binh, who works at the French National Library. Binh is one of the people in charge of preserving the world's largest collection of documents on Vietnamese studies, from ancient books written in the Han-Nom script to books written in the Quoc Ngu script, stored in the library.

Whenever we got together like this for tea or drinks, our favorite topics of discussion would be world events, politics, culture, and the state of society in France and Vietnam.

But that day, with the special meal full of traditional Tet dishes, we wanted to discuss a topic of common concern: passing on the Vietnamese language to the younger generation living abroad.

While we were toasting and catching up with each other after not meeting for a long time, the children at the adjacent table were also talkative. However, we conversed in Vietnamese while they were speaking to each other in French.

After observing them for a while, Hung came up with a game for the children: "Try to speak Vietnamese with each other for 10 minutes. Anyone who uses any French words will lose."

Our children, who can speak Vietnamese with their parents at home, switch to French when they meet their peers. After a hesitant start, they began speaking Vietnamese to each other in a clumsy manner, seemingly not understanding each other and eventually ending up in silence waiting for the time to expire.

We stopped drinking and looked at each other in anticipation. Things became very quiet. Hung broke the silence after taking another sip of wine: "Our children all have Vietnamese parents, yet they can't communicate with each other in Vietnamese. What do you think?"

I pondered for a moment before replying: "When I came here, the thing I regretted most for my children was not being able to speak Vietnamese, which is the essence of Vietnamese culture. If we can't afford to visit Vietnam regularly to see our families there, our children may end up just like the children in the song 'Bonjour Vietnam'."

I mentioned the song that touches the hearts of overseas Vietnamese about children born abroad who cannot speak Vietnamese or even pronounce their own Vietnamese names correctly, and only know Vietnam through imaginary images.

Vietnamese perform Lunar New Year ceremony at a Vietnamese market in California, U.S., Feb. 13. 2023. Photo by AFP

Having lived in France for a while, I have many Vietnamese friends living here. And surprisingly, most of them use French to communicate with their children. How quickly they are losing their roots! It has been only one generation and we have already lost our roots.

Look at the Chinese, Jewish and Arab people: They wander all over the world and live abroad for generations, and still maintain their own culture and language. Why can't we do that? Language is a part of culture. Without the Vietnamese language, we are no longer Vietnamese.

"Sometimes we feel powerless," Hung said.

"As Vietnamese, communicating with our children in Vietnamese can convey the full emotion of the message. Furthermore, being proficient in Vietnamese also means knowing another language. Admittedly, maintaining Vietnamese is not easy. Without a communication environment, even those who have known Vietnamese for a long time will gradually forget certain words.

"Children who only communicate with their Vietnamese parents cannot acquire enough social vocabulary. The semantic structure of Vietnamese is one of the most ambiguous and difficult in the world to learn. Vietnamese students have a Vietnamese language program for many years before they can become proficient. And because their comprehension of Vietnamese is low, parents sometimes speak French to their children to save time. Gradually, it becomes a habit. Nobody thinks deeply about losing their roots or culture."

Van said: "Giving up Vietnamese to communicate with children in another language such as French is regrettable, a loss of the child's language skills. Truly, if we want to maintain Vietnamese for our children, even at a minimum level, we need determination and effort to communicate with them.

"Living abroad, of course, we need to use the language of the country as the main language to develop and integrate. We cannot help our children speak Vietnamese fluently like French, which they learn thoroughly in school, but we can at least equip them with a second language, enough to understand and speak at a basic level.

"From there, they will have the motivation to learn about their roots. There is a truth that many of us often avoid: a national inferiority complex. We belittle ourselves and do not take pride in being Vietnamese, and so we do not value the Vietnamese language. This is not something that can be ignored, but if we do not consider Vietnamese valuable, we will not want to pass it on to future generations."

Van's words remind me of a French family I know who currently live in Bordeaux and have a deep connection with Vietnam.

The son, Jean, was born in Vietnam and did not move to France until he was 40. His father was a French official in the colonial government of Indochina. He did not speak Vietnamese while in Vietnam though his family had helpers and his grandmother was Vietnamese.

Simply put, they were proud to be French, proud of their language. In France, tourists who come here can see that there was a time when French people would not even bother to answer in English. They build French cultural centers around the world to spread their language and culture. In other words, they see the value of their language not just for themselves but also for foreigners.

Meanwhile, there is currently a trend among wealthy people in Vietnam to send their children to international schools from an early age, even before they can speak Vietnamese, and study 100% in English. We do not consider it important for our children to know how to read and write Vietnamese. We do not see any tangible benefits.

At the table, Van continued to argue: "For children living abroad, knowing Vietnamese is actually beneficial, both in the short and long terms. Firstly, the more languages children are taught, the more their language skills develop, which makes them more intelligent.

Secondly, knowing an additional language means not only understanding that language, but also learning a new way of thinking. If a child knows Vietnamese, it means they have the thinking of a Vietnamese person, which leads to correct expressions in their mother tongue. Thirdly, the obvious immediate benefit is the ability to communicate with relatives, grandparents and great grandparents. When they grow up, they can still maintain a connection with their siblings, relatives and other loved ones still living in Vietnam."

At the next table, our children are still talking to each other in French. They have never known a Vietnamese folk song or proverb. The history and literature they learn at school is all French. They are losing their roots.

But then we cannot force our children to learn Vietnamese, to speak Vietnamese or face punishment like teachers and our grandparents did in the past.

Only love, sincerity and, above all, persistence in communication between parents and children can help them maintain Vietnamese culture.

We bid farewell to our hosts after midnight. I returned to Paris with many questions left unanswered. How to integrate without losing ourselves. Maybe tomorrow I will convince my child to take Vietnamese as a second foreign language at school.

The older he gets, the busier he is with outside life, while we, like other parents, focus on making money.

But from now on I am determined to spend more time with my children, and talk to them in Vietnamese in one way or another so that they can feel the richness and beauty of Vietnamese through poetry and music.

*Le Quoc Anh has a PhD in Computer Science from Telecom ParisTech, France. He lives and works in Paris as a software engineer. He is also a part-time writer and his area of interests include politics and culture.
The situation in the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut was extremely tense on Tuesday, the commander of Ukrainian ground forces said, as Russian troops besieging it stepped up their assault in a bid to encircle it.

Russia is trying to cut the Ukrainian defenders supply lines to the city, the scene of some of the wars toughest fighting, and force them to surrender or withdraw. That would give Russia its first major prize in more than half a year and open the way to the capture of the last remaining urban centres in the Donetsk region.

Despite significant losses, the enemy threw in the most prepared assault units of Wagner, who are trying to break through the defences of our troops and surround the city, Ukraines Colonel general Oleksandr Syrskyi was quoted as saying on a military messaging platform.

Ukraines military said earlier Russia had strengthened its forces in the Bakhmut area and was shelling settlements around the city.

Over the past day, our soldiers repelled more than 60 enemy attacks, the military said early on Tuesday referring to Bakhmut and nearby eastern areas, adding that Ukrainian forces repelled Russian attacks on the villages of Yadhidne and Berkhivka, on the northern approaches to Bakhmut.

Ukrainian military analyst Oleh Zhdanov said Russian forces had driven a wedge between those villages as they tried to cut the road west to Chasiv Yar.

The southern part of Bakhmut is the only area which can be described as under Ukrainian control. In all other districts, the situation is unpredictable, he said in a video commentary, adding: It is impossible to say where the front line lies.

Ukrainian soldiers in Donetsk region hunkered in muddy trenches after warmer weather thawed out the frozen ground.

Both sides stay in their positions, because as you see, spring means mud. Thus, it is impossible to move forward, said Mykola, 59, commander of a Ukrainian frontline rocket launcher battery, watching a tablet screen for coordinates to fire.

The spring thaw, known as the rasputitsa, has a history of ruining plans by armies to attack across Ukraine and western Russia, turning roads into rivers and fields into quagmires.

Reuters saw several military vehicles stuck in mud. In a zigzag trench, Volodymyr, a 25-year-old platoon commander, said his men were prepared to operate in any weather.

When were given a target that means we have to destroy it.

Russia, its forces replenished with hundreds of thousands of conscripts, has intensified its attacks along the eastern front but its assaults have come at a high cost, Ukraine and its allies say.

Vicious battles are going on there. The command is doing everything it can to stop the enemy from advancing through our territory, Serhiy Cherevatyi, a spokesperson for Ukraines eastern military command, told Ukrainian television.

Russia said its forces had destroyed a Ukrainian ammunition depot near Bakhmut and shot down U.S.-made rockets and Ukrainian drones.

Reuters could not verify the battlefield reports.

The Russian defence ministry said the United States was planning a provocation in Ukraine using toxic chemicals. There was no immediate U.S. response.

YELLEN IN KYIV

U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen became the latest senior Western official to visit the Ukrainian capital, promising assistance and more measures to isolate Russia after meetings with President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and other officials.

Her boss, President Joe Biden, went there a week ago to mark the first anniversary of Russias invasion of Ukraine.

America will stand with Ukraine as long as it takes, Yellen, flanked by sandbags at the Cabinet office, told Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal.

Yellen announced the transfer of the first $1.25 billion from the latest, $9.9 billion tranche of U.S. economic and budget assistance, and visited a school where teacher salaries are reimbursed with U.S. support.

She also backed completion of a fully financed programme for Ukraine with the International Monetary Fund by the end of March.

Ukraines forces have mostly focused on holding defensive positions in recent weeks but are expected to attempt a counter-offensive later in the year with new weapons from the West.

Zelenskiy pushed again for F-16 fighter jets that his Western allies have been reluctant to provide.

We will be able to completely protect our skies when the aviation taboo is fully lifted in relations with our partners, Zelenskiy said in his nightly radio address.

The Feb. 24 first anniversary of Russias invasion saw both sides trying to demonstrate resolve for a second year of war.

Russian President Vladimir Putin gave a speech in which he abandoned the last remaining nuclear arms control treaty with the United States but announced no major initiatives to change the wars course.

He was upstaged by Biden, who journeyed to Kyiv and gave a landmark speech of his own in Warsaw.

Ukraines outnumbered troops repelled Russias attack aimed at taking the capital early in the war and later recaptured substantial territory. Russia still occupies nearly a fifth of Ukraine which it claims to have annexed.

SOURCE: REUTERS
Gardai are warning people about the dangers of 'sextortion' and encourage any victims to come forward.

A new social media campaign has been launched to raise public awareness of the issue and highlight sextortion as a crime.

Sextortion is a form of cyber extortion which involves a threat or blackmail of having intimate information, images or clips shared without consent.

The threat or blackmail may be to get the victim to do or refrain from doing something, or the threat or blackmail may be purely for money or financial gain.

Sextortion can occur in a number of ways:

 During a relationship or where a relationship has broken down  either partner can be the victim

 During online activity, sharing intimate images with another online partner, either strangers or people known to you

 Sharing of images on messaging apps

 Juveniles involved in the sharing of intimate images, in addition to being open to potential sextortion and online bullying, the sharing of any intimate image of a juvenile is Child Sexual Abuse Material.

An Garda Siochana has today (February 28) posted on its social media a series of text conversations.

The text messages included in the awareness campaign are real and formed part of the evidence in a case that was brought before the courts in 2021.

The perpetrator was convicted of committing sextortion of a woman aged in her 30s.

This case will be highlighted as part of tonights Crimecall programme on RTE One at 9.35pm.

The Harassment, Harmful Communications and Related Offences Act 2020 or more commonly known as Cocos Law was enacted on in February 2021 and, to date, An Garda Siochana has commenced 72 prosecutions related to 49 investigations. Some case examples that have been finalised before the courts include:

In April 2021 a female reported intimate image of her captured on hidden camera in the shower and circulated without consent. A male was prosecuted and sentenced to 12 months imprisonment.

In May 2021 a female reported an intimate video had been shared without consent. A male was prosecuted and sentenced to 6 months (under appeal).

An Garda Siochana highlighted in the published Domestic, Sexual and Gender Based Violence report, that of 471 incidents of Blackmail/Extortion including intimate material, 82% of these involved male victims with almost 30% of victims being in the 18-24 age group.

According to Hotline.ie, the Irish national centre responsible for combatting illegal content online, they received 688 reports in relation to Intimate Image Abuse (IIA) in 2022. There has been a 93% successful removal rate by Hotline.ie, and the removal of intimate images takes an average 0-3 days.

Detective Superintendent Ian Lackey of the Garda National Protective Services Bureau said, "We recognise that there are victims of sextortion that may not necessarily realise that what they are experiencing is very serious, criminal and can be subject to prosecution.

"We want people to know that it does not matter what age, gender, background, qualification, profession or personal circumstances you are in  this can happen anyone. There is no shame or embarrassment to be associated with sextortion.

"We have no doubt whatsoever that there are victims experiencing this in silence, who must feel stressed or alone not knowing where to turn, but we are here to help and support.

"An Garda Siochana is fully committed to supporting victims of these crimes to feel fully safe and protected. You can come forward to us confidentially if you have been affected by sextortion or are experiencing it at present. Please contact us whether in person at any Garda Station or by phone.

He added, "Raising awareness of the possible warning signs of sextortion can help in ensuring fewer people are affected, but our campaign is also aimed at shifting public attitudes. Society can support us in our work to increase awareness around these types of crimes.

The warning signs:

Something does not add up  their online profile is not consistent with what you see and hear when you talk or chat with them.

Theyre moving too fast  they express strong emotions for you almost straight away, and quickly tempt you across to a more private channel, suggesting you get nude or sexual in a video call.

They make excuses  they say their webcam is not working and instead send a nude photo which they claim is of them.

They say they need help  they say they need money for some sort of personal emergency like medical treatment or to cover the rent

An Garda Siochana advice:

 Dont panic, help and support is available

 Dont pay

 Save the evidence: Take screenshots. Save messages and images. Collect URL links to where the information is being shared online

 Report it to any Garda Station as well as via the online reporting facility available on Hotline.ie so they can process a content removal request

 Block all communication with the person targeting you

 If you are in an intimate relationship and it is happening to you, seek help and report to your local Garda Station

 Advice for parents of children and juveniles sharing images can be found here.
Former HSE chief executive Paul Reid has been appointed chairman of the Citizens Assembly on Drugs Use.

Mr Reid resigned from his role at the HSE, which he held during the Covid-19 pandemic, in early October.

Announcing the appointment, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said Mr Reid has vast leadership experience and a successful track record from his roles at the HSE and at Fingal County Council.

I am confident he will be an excellent choice as chairperson of the Citizens Assembly on Drugs Use, the Taoiseach added.

Mr Reid said he is delighted to have been appointed.

The problems associated with drugs use in Ireland affect us all, directly or indirectly, he said in a statement.

Previous assemblies have shown that members of the general public have an important contribution to make to tackling complex societal problems, and I expect that the Citizens Assembly on Drugs Use will be no different.

A campaign to select members of the public to join the Citizens Assembly will begin this week. I look forward to working with my fellow members of the Citizens Assembly over the coming months.

The Citizens Assembly on Drugs Use was established following resolutions in the Dail and Seanad Eireann in late February.

The terms of reference call on the Citizens Assembly to examine and make recommendations on the legislative, policy and operational changes the State could make to significantly reduce the harmful impacts of illicit drugs on individuals and communities.

The Citizens Assembly will consist of Mr Reid and 99 members of the general public, who will be chosen through a random selection process.

Over the coming week, 20,000 households around Ireland will receive letters from the Taoiseach inviting someone to apply to join the assembly before March 19.

The final 99 members will be chosen from those applications based on their age profile, gender and location.

The first meeting of this Citizens Assembly is scheduled to take place on April 14, and it is due to complete its work and submit its report to the Houses of the Oireachtas by the end of the year.
A national lead in charge of housing refugees and asylum seekers is needed in Ireland, a committee has head.

The Oireachtas Committee on Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth was urged to push this issue as a matter of priority, having been told a different approach was needed on migration.

It comes as Ireland continues with the challenge of finding accommodation suitable for tens of thousands of Ukrainian nationals and other international protection seekers who arrived in Ireland last year.

Private accommodation provided by hotels and B&Bs; refurbished buildings owned by the State; and rapid-build modular homes are among the strategies Ireland has pursued to house people quickly.

But concerns have been raised about the number of public buildings that have been offered in response to requests from the Department of Integration, and the number of hotels expected to end contracts with the State ahead of the upcoming tourism season.

During an appearance before the Oireachtas committee on Tuesday, groups raised frustration that a national lead to coordinate Irelands response on migration had not been pursued.

Nick Henderson, chief executive of the Irish Refugee Council, said it had recommended in a crisis paper published in October that a refugee response director should be appointed.

He suggested that a lack of engagement from some government departments, which he called deeply frustrating, was an area where such a role could offer improvement.

As an example, one thing thats deeply frustrating at the moment is that people who arrive in Ireland may not be offered accommodation and theyre homeless, he said.

As an example, the lack of other government departments supporting people or at least responding to us.

We sent out a letter to the Department of Justice, to the Department of Children, and the Department of Housing, saying that not accommodating people was a breach of the law  but if that is going to happen, you could take various mitigating measures to support people.

Giving people information; supporting homeless services in the Dublin area; setting out clearly and in a language somebody would understand, what their rights and entitlements are, and we did that in mid January and we havent got a response.

And that, we would imagine, is a very easy thing for somebody to do.

Edel McGinley, director of the Migrant Rights Centre, also said a new approach was needed.

For almost a year, weve been calling for central coordination, for somebody to lead that, and its fallen on deaf ears in government circles, across government, and in the Taoiseachs office, she said.

And its exceptionally frustrating because you see the manifestation of this: the lack of coordination, the lack of an emergency approach thats given to this issue by the government and by the Department of the Taoiseach.

So I think its incumbent on this committee to really push for that and to really push for a whole of government approach, to support this minister in the delivery of that.

We need a different approach now. And that really needs to be pushed at this point.

Reuben Hambakachere, a community development worker with Cultur Migrant Centre, also raised concerns that the International Protection Office (IPO) has started accelerating asylum applications.

He said that applicants now have less time to get legal advice before submitting their questionnaire, which is used as a reference document throughout the process of applying for asylum.

He also said that people in Direct Provision should not be overlooked as part of the governments spring bonus for social welfare recipients announced last week.
Number of foreign visitors to Vietnam up 7% in February

Foreign tourists take a boat tour along the Hoai River in Hoi An ancient town. Photo by Xuan Phuong

The number of international tourists arriving in Vietnam in February increased 7.1% from the previous month to 933,000 visitors, signaling a positive recovery for the tourism industry.

In the first two months of this year, Vietnam welcomed 1.8 million foreign arrivals, around 60% of pre-pandemic levels and nearly one-fourth of this year's 8-million target, according to data from the General Statistics Office.

South Korea continued to be Vietnam's biggest feeder market followed by the United States.

The number of Chinese arrivals during the January-February period reached over 70,000, mainly experts and businessmen as China has yet to allow its nationals to travel to Vietnam.

Tourism and aviation experts recently urged the government to expand its visa exemption list and allow a maximum stay of up to 30 days to help the country compete with Southeast Asian neighbors.

Vietnam waives visas for travelers from just 25 countries compared to 162 for Malaysia, 157 for the Philippines and 65 for Thailand.

Experts also suggested the government resume its multi-entry three-month visa policy that was available before Covid. Vietnam now offers a one-month single-entry e-visa to visitors from 80 countries.

Despite being one of the first Southeast Asian countries to fully reopen tourism, Vietnam just received 3.6 million foreign tourists last year, lagging far behind Thailands11.5 million foreign visitors.
Stormont leaders have urged the DUP to reach a swift conclusion over the Windsor Framework to unlock the powersharing logjam.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak met with the leaders of some of the political parties during a visit to Northern Ireland to sell the benefits of the deal he has agreed with the EU on post-Brexit trading arrangements.

The framework removes the Northern Ireland Protocols barriers on trade across the Irish Sea and hands a veto to politicians in Stormont on EU law.

Mr Sunak met with Naomi Long, leader of the cross-community Alliance Party and Ulster Unionist leader Doug Beattie in Co Antrim.

I have spoken with @RishiSunak by telephone. I welcomed yesterdays breakthrough. The deal is now done. My key message is to lets keep momentum going. The priority must now be getting Stormont up and moving without delay.  Michelle ONeill (@moneillsf) February 28, 2023

The DUP and SDLP leaders are currently in London and Sinn Fein Stormont leader Michelle ONeill said she had spoken to Mr Sunak on the phone.

She tweeted: I welcomed yesterdays breakthrough. The deal is now done.

My key message is to lets keep momentum going.

The priority must now be getting Stormont up and moving without delay.

DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson, whose party has been boycotting Stormont, said they would take time to consider the detail of the framework.

But other party leaders urged the DUP to get back to work.

Mrs Long said: I think we are in the right space.

Key for us now is we need to get this done. We need to get a decision from the DUP and we need to get back to our day jobs.

We want to be sitting in committee rooms and in the Assembly chamber doing our jobs.

In terms of trading arrangements between the UK and particularly Northern Ireland and the EU, we recognise this is a major step forward.

This is the deal we could have had in 2019 if we had a serious prime minister who was willing to engage respectfully with the EU.

Mrs Long did say her party had some concerns about how the Stormont brake, which allows the Northern Ireland assembly to flag concerns about the application of new EU laws on goods, would operate.

She added: It remains unclear in terms of how it will function, at what level the trigger will be set.

The one thing we do not want to do is to inject more instability into the institutions at Stormont.

Mr Beattie said: I think the Stormont brake is one of those things which sounds good when you talk about it, but as soon as you start delving into it and understanding how it actually works, it throws up more questions than it does answers.

But I can see the Prime Minister is working hard to sell this deal and we will work hard to scrutinise it.

Anyone who is saying this should take weeks and months, I think, is being disingenuous.

Any political party should be able to look at this and engage with their party at every level and come up with what they believe to be the outcome, certainly within a week or so.

Stormont could be up and running now. You could have an executive now, and at the same time we could be looking at this framework.

You can do that at the same time.

But if we drag this out for months then businesses will be sitting there not knowing whether they are coming or going.

We need to hear from business, we need to know if it works for them.

But there is no point dragging it out. People need to show the courage of their convictions, look at the deal, come up with your analysis and make your pitch.
[February 27, 2023] FASTSIGNS Ranked First in Signage and Communication Category by Global Franchise

The Leading Sign, Graphics and Visual Communications Franchise

Wins its Fifth Consecutive Global Franchise Award at the Annual IFA Conference CARROLLTON, Texas, Feb. 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- FASTSIGNS , the leading sign, graphics and visual communications franchise in the nation, ranked first in "Signage & Communication" for the annual Global Franchise Awards . This marks the fifth consecutive year FASTSIGNS has won this award, highlighting the brand's superb ethics, dedication and excellence as an international franchisor. "Our franchisees work to establish FASTSIGNS as the go-to resource for visual communications in their communities and receiving this prestigious recognition for the fifth year is a testament to the strength of our growing network," said Mark Jameson, chief support and development officer at Propelled Brands. "We are thrilled to be recognized as number one in our category for both this award as well as recently in Entrepreneur magazine's highly competitive Franchise 500 list. We are proud of our entire team and thank our amazing franchisees helping us to achieve these accolades." The Global Franchise Awards, now in its sixth year, honors exceptional franchise brands that are leaders in their respective categories. To decide the winners of these Awards, Global Franchise shortlists the applications using an independent panel of key, impartial and industry experts working to the criteria created by the Global Franchise team. Using these criteria as a guide, the judges select an entry from each category that best demonstrates the values Global Franchise is looking to celebrate. FASTSIGNS experienced exceptional growth last year surpassing $700 millon in sales for the first time. Today there are over 765 FASTSIGNS locations in eight different countries with more being awarded as new franchisees continue to join FASTSIGNS. In 2022, 20 franchises were awarded through either traditional franchise agreements or through co-brands and conversions, including four international locations. Currently, at least 400 more U.S. and Canadian markets and additional international markets are targeted for development.



"FASTSIGNS was a 'leap of faith' or a 'leap before you look' type of situation, but we have never regretted it for a single moment," said Donna Bilodeau, FASTSIGNS franchisee of Windsor, Ontario. "The support from FASTSIGNS is second to none. The corporate team is designed to assist the franchisees in making our businesses front runners in the industry. We have grown many relationships and sales over the years, and could not have done it without the support of our franchisor and the family of other franchisees." The total investment for a FASTSIGNS franchise is approximately $233,555 - $307,308 including a $49,750 franchise fee. Ideal candidates have a net worth of $300,000, of which $80K is liquid. Additionally, FASTSIGNS offers a special incentive for veterans and first responders, including paramedics, emergency medical technicians, police officers, sheriffs and firefighters, which includes a 50% reduction on the franchise fee -- a savings of $24,875.

To view FASTSIGNS in the full Global Franchise Award winners list, visit https://www.global-franchise.com/awards/winners . For information about the FASTSIGNS franchise opportunity, contact Mark Jameson ([email protected] or 214-346-5679). About FASTSIGNS FASTSIGNS is a leading national visual ideas company that creates a wide variety of comprehensive sign and graphics solutions. With over 35 years of experience, FASTSIGNS helps you achieve more than you ever thought possible. We are the worldwide franchisor of more than 765 independently owned and operated FASTSIGNS centers. FASTSIGNS locations span across the United States, Puerto Rico, the United Kingdom, Canada, Chile, Grand Cayman, Malta, the Dominican Republic and Australia (where centers operate as SIGNWAVE). FASTSIGNS is frequently recognized for franchisee satisfaction and through franchising awards which include being ranked #1 on Entrepreneur's Highly Competitive Franchise 500 List for the Seventh Consecutive Year for 2023 as well as being named a 2023 Best-in-Category Franchise by Franchise Business Review. In 2021, Propelled Brands was formed, and is now the multi-brand franchisor for FASTSIGNS, NerdsToGo, MY SALON Suite and Salon Plaza brands. To learn more visit fastsigns.com . Follow the brand on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/company/fastsigns , Twitter @FASTSIGNS or Facebook at facebook.com/FASTSIGNS . For information about the FASTSIGNS franchise opportunity, contact Mark Jameson ([email protected] or call 214.346.5679). View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/fastsigns-ranked-first-in-signage-and-communication-category-by-global-franchise-301756919.html SOURCE FASTSIGNS International, Inc.

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[February 27, 2023] TRAFIX ACQUIRES ITS EXPANDING PRODUCTS AND SERVICES IN CANADA

NEW YORK, Feb. 27, 2023 /CNW/ -- TRAFiX LLC (www.trafix.com), a Fintech Company, has agreed to the acquisition of Integrated Transaction Systems Ltd. and ITS Online Ltd. (ITS), a provider of trading applications, connectivity and smart order routing to the Canadian capital markets Industry. The integration of TRAFiX and ITS products and services will make available robust trading solutions and connectivity to the Canadian capital markets. Through the Canadian introduction of TRAFiX's leading edge OMS, EMS and FIX routing applications, the combined entities will provide cost effective, seamless integrated access to Canada, United States and EMEA markets. As ITS integrates into the TRAFiX ecosystem and works to expand the TRAFiX reach within Canada, ITS will continue to support its current products and clients. "We are very excited to be adding the ITS team and their applications into TRAFiX and our industry-leading suite of products and services," Michael Ottrando, Global Head of Sales at TRAFiX. "This acquisition further emphasizes TRAFiX's continued mission of providing the global Financial Services Industry with best-of-breed FinTech solution."



Stephen Plut, Managing Director ITS, "I'm excited about the future product offerings that will come from the synergies of the TRAFiX acquisition of ITS. Being associated with a client-focused organization like TRAFiX is a great opportunity for me and the ITS team. I and my coworkers look forward to becoming a part of the team that TRAFiX has put together." Walter Fitzgerald CEO TRAFiX, "This transaction allows us to continue to execute our strategic plan for global expansion and show our commitment to the Canadian Markets. All of us at TRAFiX look forward to working with the Team at ITS."

About TRAFiX:

TRAFiX is a broker neutral FinTech company providing innovative global Order & Execution Management solutions, real-time FIX connectivity and normalized API interfaces to address the functional and regulatory requirements of the Financial Services Industry. Our scalable offering has been specifically designed to utilize the latest enhancements in software development and enterprise architecture to resolve the growing challenges faced by today's trading community. Currently supporting electronic global equity, option and complex option trading, our open architecture allows for the ongoing addition of asset classes. The TRAFiX team has decades of experience and is singularly focused on designing superior applications that integrate within our customer's technology ecosystem and lowers the total cost of ownership. About ITS:

Integrated Transaction Systems Ltd and ITS Online Ltd (ITS) are providers of software, connectivity, services and consulting to the Canadian trading industry since 1998. ITS launched the first production Canadian Smart Order Router (SOR) in 2007 when multimarket trading was introduced to Canada. Over its 25 years in the industry, ITS has provided cutting edge technology and services to many of the largest trading organization in Canada and continues to expand its client offerings. View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/trafix-acquires-its-expanding-products-and-services-in-canada-301756816.html SOURCE TRAFiX

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[February 27, 2023] Global Medical Carts Market Report to 2028: Increased Efficiency For The Healthcare Team Along With Reduced Errors Drives Growth

DUBLIN, Feb. 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Global Medical Carts Market Size, Share & Industry Trends Analysis Report by Type, Product, End-use, Regional Outlook and Forecast, 2022-2028" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.



The Global Medical Carts Market size is expected to reach $4.8 billion by 2028, rising at a market growth of 15.0% CAGR during the forecast period.



Some of these medical carts may have storage bins, computers, laptops, and scanning gadget compartments. Utilizing premium medical carts, hospitals can keep all medical supplies organized. This also contributes to the enhancement of the efficiency of emergency rooms, hospitals, and trauma centers. These carts are useful for transferring pharmaceuticals, oxygen tanks, anesthetics, and medical equipment.



Convenient and well-organized medical carts provide secure access to drugs and other medical requirements when they are most needed. It increases staff efficiency and enhances patient care. The medical carts are designed to withstand the challenges of daily life and meet the requirements of every department within any healthcare industry.



Medical carts can be customized for any circumstance, including crash carts, respiratory carts, isolation carts, and a number of other purposes. Hospitals might utilize medical carts to organize their medicinal supplies. There are numerous kinds of medical carts, including emergency crash carts, anesthetic carts, operation carts, isolation carts, and medicine carts.



COVID-19 Impact Analysis



The COVID-19 pandemic majorly impacted several economies all over the world. Various businesses were significantly impacted due to the abrupt emergence of the COVID-19 outbreak. In addition, the healthcare infrastructure of all countries throughout the world was significantly burdened. Moreover, the rapid spread of the infection also created a shortage of medical supplies all over the world in the initial period of the lockdown imposed by the government to regulate the diffusion of the coronavirus. However, the impact of the pandemic was positive on the medical carts market. There was a surge in the demand for medcal carts designed to carry COVID care supplies.







Market Growth Factors Increased Efficiency For The Healthcare Team Along With Reduced Errors





A mobile computer cart for medical use is more efficient than fixed computer workstations. Medical carts are mobile, allowing physicians, nurses, and other medical personnel to give prescriptions and check on several patients or residents during rounds. This can be accomplished without the need to visit a computer station after each patient or resident visit. Doctors, nurses, and care workers must traditionally share a computer to input or retrieve patient data at a central station. However, a medical cart with wheels improves data entry because more of it can be performed in the patient's room.



Patient Retention Due To Improved Customer Experience



Medical carts on wheels of superior quality can improve the patient experience. Doctors, nurses, and care workers can enhance patient participation by being present during the evaluation of medical records. When medical and care personnel spend less time trying to access a shared, wall-mounted computer system, they may spend more time with patients and improve their bedside manner. Modern medical carts provide staff with direct access to a computer, enabling them to promptly make appointments or reply to patient inquiries.



Market Restraining Factors Stringent Regulatory Framework For Commercialization Of The Product



One of the biggest challenges that are hampering the growth of the medical carts market is the increasing number of strict regulations all over the world. Healthcare is a very critical industry, which is required to be regulated. With an aging population and multiple malignant diseases necessitating lengthy hospital stays as well as routine medical care, hospitals are rapidly adopting medical carts with a variety of specialized features and technological developments. Scope of the Study Market Segments Covered in the Report: By Type Emergency

Anesthesia

Procedure

Others By Product Mobile Computing

Wall-Mounted Workstations

Medication

Storage Columns, Cabinets, & Accessories

Others By End-use Hospitals

Ambulatory Surgical Centers

Physician Offices or Clinics

Others By Geography North America

US

Canada

Mexico

Rest of North America

Europe

Germany

UK

France

Russia

Spain

Italy

Rest of Europe

Asia Pacific

China

Japan

India

South Korea

Singapore

Malaysia

Rest of Asia Pacific

LAMEA

Brazil

Argentina

UAE

Saudi Arabia

South Africa

Nigeria

Rest of LAMEA Key Market Players List of Companies Profiled in the Report: Advantech Co., Ltd

McKesson Corporation (McKesson Medical-Surgical, Inc.)

Medline Industries Inc.

Capsa Healthcare LLC

Ergotron, Inc.

ITD GmbH

Her go Ergonomic Support Systems, Inc.

Enovate Medical

GCX Corporation

JACO , Inc. For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/krgxrk-medical?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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Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716 Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/539438/Research_and_Markets_Logo.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/global-medical-carts-market-report-to-2028-increased-efficiency-for-the-healthcare-team-along-with-reduced-errors-drives-growth-301756905.html SOURCE Research and Markets

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[February 27, 2023] CATALENT SHAREHOLDER ALERT by Former Louisiana Attorney General: Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC Reminds Investors With Losses in Excess Of $100,000 of Lead Plaintiff Deadline in Class Action Lawsuit Against Catalent, Inc. - CTLT

Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC ("KSF") and KSF partner, former Attorney General of Louisiana, Charles C. Foti, Jr., remind investors that they have until April 25, 2023 to file lead plaintiff applications in a securities class action lawsuit against Catalent, Inc. (the "Company") (NYSE: CTLT), if they purchased the Company's securities between August 30, 2021 and October 31, 2022, inclusive (the "Class Period"). This action is pending in the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey. What You May Do If you purchased securities of Catalent and would like to discuss your legal rights and how this case might affect you and your right to recover for your economic loss, you may, without obligation or cost to you, contact KSF Managing Partner Lewis Kahn toll-free at 1-877-515-1850 or via email ([email protected]), or visit https://www.ksfcounsel.com/cases/nyse-ctlt/ to learn more. If you wish to serve as a lead plaintiff in this class action, you must petition the Court by April 25, 2023.



About the Lawsuit Catalent and certain of its executives are charged with failing to disclose material information during the Class Period, violating federal securities laws.

On November 1, 2022, the Company reported its financial results for 1Q2023 ending September 30, 2022, disclosing that its earnings had fallen to zero, a slashed fiscal year 2023 revenue guidance from $4.975B to $5.225B to the range of $4.625B to $4.875B, and that it was anticipating "negative P&L [profit and loss] effects," due to regulatory issues. On this news, shares of Catalent plummeted by 31.7% over two trading sessions, to close at $44.90 per share on November 2, 2022. The case is City of Warwick Retirement System v. Catalent, Inc., No. 3:23-cv-1108. About Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC KSF, whose partners include former Louisiana Attorney General Charles C. Foti, Jr., is one of the nation's premier boutique securities litigation law firms. KSF serves a variety of clients - including public institutional investors, hedge funds, money managers and retail investors - in seeking recoveries for investment losses emanating from corporate fraud or malfeasance by publicly traded companies. KSF has offices in New York, California, Louisiana and New Jersey. To learn more about KSF, you may visit www.ksfcounsel.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230227005963/en/

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[February 27, 2023] LG Innotek to lead the future device market with high-performance 2-Metal COF

Supporting high-resolution display... Expected to increase the level of immersion for users.

Flexibility and unbounded design with thin films

Creating differentiated customer values with 2-Metal Chip on Film (COF) highlighting 50 years of substrate business SEOUL, South Korea, Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- "Be in IT." The slogan for the CES held in Las Vegas last January was all about the metaverse. Visitors to the exhibition focused on who will be the winner in the competition for extended reality (XR) devices that will bring the metaverse to life. LG Innotek (CEO Jeong Cheol-dong) announced on February 27 that it had introduced 2-Metal Chip on Film(COF), an essential product for XR devices, to strengthen its market targeting. The product attracted visitors' attention as it was exhibited at LG Innotek's metaverse zone. COF is a semiconductor package substrate that connects displays and flexible Printed Circuit Board(PCB)s. It minimizes display bezels of devices such as TVs, notebook PCs, monitors, and smartphones and helps to reduce modules' form factor. It requires advanced technology because it forms microcircuits on a very thin film. It is also called the ultra-thin flexible PCB (FPCB) that replaces existing FPCB. 2-Metal COF technically upgrades conventional single-side COF. While a conventional COF implements circuits on only one side, the biggest advantage of 2-Metal COF is that this is super integraed by forming circuits on both sides.



This product finely perforates micro-via holes on a thin film and implements an ultra-micro circuit on both sides, transmitting signals between electronic devices more quickly and enabling ultra-high definition screens. According to LG Innotek, the via hole size of this product is 25 m (micrometer). Considering that the thickness of the hair is 100 m, it makes holes one-quarter as thick as the hair. The smaller via holes create more channels connecting the product's top and bottom and the more pattern circuits that electrical signals can pass through.

As the metaverse era has recently been in full swing, demand for curved or folding displays has increased, and flexibility is also required for the attached components. It is also why 2-Metal COF, which can be freely bent, is considered one of the products in line with current trends in the display industry. Supporting high-resolution display... Expected to increase user concentration level LG Innotek's 2-Metal COF can form a total of more than 4,000 circuits (pattern circuits, also called channels, through which a signal passes per display pixel) on a film (1 unit), which is limited space. Generally, more pattern circuits result in enhanced pixels. And XR devices require higher levels of immersion that only enhanced pixels can deliver. If the resolution of the virtual image displayed through an XR device is low, the users may feel like viewing the image through a mosquito net which is said a screen door effect. LG Innotek has continuously improved the specifications of the 2-Metal COF since 2016 to minimize the screen door effect and support the ultra-high resolution. In particular, LG Innotek applied new engineering technology to reduce the circuit width from 18 to 16 m pitch, representing the narrowest level in the industry. Since the number of pattern circuits that can fit on the COF surface increases as the circuit width is reduced, users can view images with better quality, even on a display of the same size. IT manufacturers are increasingly adopting displays with high definition and minimal bezels to enhance the competitiveness of their devices. In the past, manufacturers used chip-on-glass (COG) technology to support display operations. However, as COG places a chip on a display, it does not meet current display industry trends of no bezel and flexible since it cannot support flexibility. It has forced the manufacturers to look for alternative technology that stably supports high pixels while the display's bezels continued to be reduced, leading to the wide demand for 2-Metal COF. Flexibility and unbounded design with thin films LG Innotek's 2-Metal COF is a thin, flexible film type that can be smoothly folded or rolled. Moreover, it bends more smoothly than conventional single-sided COF. It reduces the required mounting space for the display, and the set makers can secure more space for other parts. It even helps with designing and engineering more advanced XR devices. LG Innotek applied unique ultra-micro circuit forming technology to double the circuit integration of the 2-Metal COF while minimizing the thickness. The product's film thickness is only 70 m, the thinnest of semiconductor substrates, and clearly offers many advantages compared to the thickness of 150 m or more for conventional semiconductor packaging substrates. Reducing the thickness helps make finished products to be more flexible and slimmer. It can increase design and engineering freedom for display panel manufacturers. It also helps consumers find products with designs that are more complete than conventional XR devices. Opening the era of XR and a wide range of applications with 2-Metal COF LG Innotek is further advancing its technologies and actively carrying out promotional activities in North America and Japan, where many XR device companies are active, to widen the gap with competitors. The highly integrated circuit implementation technology of 2-Metal COF is applied as an alternative technology for products in which FPCBs are not satisfactory and are developed for new product group applications such as micro LEDs. "We will continue to lead the 2-Metal COF market based on the technical capabilities and quality that have led the substrate business for 50 years," said Son Kil-dong, Senior Vice President of the Substrate & Materials Business. "We will continue to create differentiated customer value with products that can be applied to various applications." SOURCE LG Innotek

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[February 27, 2023] Mutualink to Host the Connecticut School Safety Symposium on March 2

Mutualink, a leading provider of security and safety solutions for schools, in cooperation with the Connecticut Chiefs of Police Association and the Dr. Henry C. Lee Institute of Forensic Science, is pleased to announce the Connecticut School Safety Symposium. The symposium is aimed at bringing law enforcement, school administrators and school safety experts together to discuss school violence and innovative technology that can enhance safety at school. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230227005796/en/ The Connecticut School Safety Symposium will bring together the law enforcement, education, and mental health communities to discuss the psychology of mass shootings and how to prevent them. (Photo: Business Wire) Currently, the state offers the Multi-Media School Security Grant Program to enhance school safety at public schools. This event will raise awareness of life-saving technology available to public and nonpublic schools through these grants as well as feature presentations on technical and non-technical topics related to school safety, including mental health, psychology, and the profile behind mass violence in schools.



The event will take place on March 2, 2023 from 8:30 am to 3 pm at the Student Center at Southern Connecticut State University. The day-long event includes presentations by leading experts in the field of active shooter response, cyber security, and critical infrastructure.

Panelists include: Dr. Henry Lee, Professor at the University of New Haven

Dr. Peter Langman, Psychologist and Author

Dr. Leigh Wall, Former Superintendent of Sante

Chief Christopher Vanghele, Plainville Chief of Police This symposium is a free event and attendees are required to register. Morning refreshments and lunch will be provided. Members of the media are invited to attend the event and cover it. Please RSVP by February 28, 2023 to Jane Beup at [email protected] to confirm your attendance. To register, go to www.mutualink.net/CTSymposium. About Mutualink, Inc.: Mutualink, Inc. is the leading technology provider of a best-in-class intelligent multimedia network that enables public safety community partners to securely share voice, text, video, and data for instant communications and real-time data sharing. Certified by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security SAFETY Act for interoperable communications, partners and clients trust Mutualink, Inc. to provide innovative, scalable, secure solutions they rely on every day and in any emergency. About Connecticut Chiefs of Police Association: The Connecticut Chiefs of Police Association is a professional association representing the chief law enforcement officers of Connecticut's cities and towns. About Dr. Henry C. Lee Institute of Forensic Science: The Dr. Henry C. Lee Institute of Forensic Science is a leading forensic science research and education institution, named after its founder, Dr. Henry C. Lee, a renowned forensic scientist. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230227005796/en/

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[February 27, 2023] ZA Tech invests in Carro to improve and transform the auto insurance experience across Southeast Asian markets

Cutting edge generative AI-powered, personalised and immediate: this investment enables Carro to leverage ZA Tech's suite of InsureTech solutions to distribute highly personalised insurance products and process real-time claims backed by AI capabilities

Several leading insurers, including MSIG and Income , are available for this experience across Singapore and Malaysia , with plans to expand to other insurers and markets within the next 6 months SINGAPORE, Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- ZA Tech Global Limited ("ZA Tech"), a leading InsureTech player headquartered in Singapore, has signed an investment and Joint Venture Agreement with Carro, Southeast Asia's largest used car marketplace. This will transform and streamline the online insurance distribution and claims process for customers and insurers alike, allowing Carro to fill in the gaps in the automotive sector through innovative tech powered by generative AI tools such as ChatGPT. Auto insurance is mandatory in most Southeast Asian regions, including Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand. Yet the process of buying insurance and making claims remain frustrating for many. By leveraging ZA Tech's core platform, Fusion, Carro will be able to tap into a rich set of APIs and tools to manage administrative tasks, such as quote generation, policy renewals and e-policy notifications. Fusion will also enable Crro to easily embed and control insurance journeys for customers.



This journey is now available for Carro in Singapore and Malaysia. Insurers include Income, MSIG and DirectAsia for Singapore as well as Takaful Malaysia, MSIG, Allianz, and Zurich for Malaysia. Being a regional online-first platform, Carro is well-suited to help transform auto insurance across Southeast Asia. The group will also co-develop cutting-edge generative AI technologies to better educate customers on the various policies available, thereby helping them make faster, but more informed online insurance purchase decisions.

With an initial focus on auto insurance, there is a roadmap to extend the product portfolio offerings to include property, life and health insurance in the future. Young Yang, General Manager of ZA Tech Southeast Asia says "We are thrilled to have the opportunity to work closely with a market leader to support their strategic ambitions and enable them to offer a wider set of insurance solutions to their customers and partners. Opportunities like this allow ZA Tech to keep pushing the boundaries of our technology, support our partner's strategic ambition, while improving the overall quality of insurance products in the market." Carro's CEO and co-founder Aaron Tan says, "This investment with ZA Tech allows us to adopt the best practices as well as technologies from ZA Tech and bring it across Southeast Asia. We truly want to power and transform the way consumers learn and buy insurance online." About ZA Tech Headquartered in Singapore, ZA Tech Global Limited ("ZA Tech") is a technology venture founded by ZA International and backed by Softbank's Vision Fund 1. ZA Tech aims to redefine insurance through innovation with operations in multiple regions across the globe (i.e. Europe, Japan, Southeast Asia and Greater China) and a diverse 800+ employee force. ZA Tech enables leading insurers and platforms to unlock the value of digital in insurance, grow ecosystem partnerships and accelerate the delivery of next-gen innovative insurance propositions. ZA Tech's leading insurance solutions hold a proven track record through the issuance of hundreds of millions of insurance policies on its platform. For more information, please visit www.zatech.com About Carro Founded in 2015, Carro is Southeast Asia's largest used car marketplace. By offering a trustworthy and transparent experience, Carro transforms the traditional way of buying and selling cars through proprietary pricing algorithms, AI-enabled capabilities, and innovative technological solutions. Carro holds a strong presence in key markets across Southeast Asia including Malaysia, Indonesia, and Thailand, and has recently expanded its reach to Japan and Taiwan. Headquartered in Singapore, the unicorn startup is supported by more than 5,000 employees across Asia-Pacific, and has raised over S$700M from Softbank Vision Fund and several sovereign funds. For more information, please visit: http://carro.co. For media enquiries, please reach out to [email protected]. SOURCE ZA Tech

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[February 27, 2023] Robb Report Hong Kong welcomes the launch of its official website, robbreport.hk

HONG KONG, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Robb Report Hong KongHong Kong's definitive luxury lifestyle media titlecelebrates the launch of its official website, www.robbreport.hk. Alongside its prestigious annual print magazine, the digital platform will publish daily digital content and serve as the ultimate guide to lifestyle and luxury in the city. For over 40 years, the Robb Report brand has maintained a global reputation for reporting on all aspects of luxury, including automobiles, aviation, boating, real estate, travel, dining, whiskies, wine, watches, jewellery, and fashion. Its entry into the Hong Kong market adds to the title's portfolio of 18 editions in 10 languages across 28 countries. "We are excited to announce the launch of our new website," says Tak Man, Chief Executive Officer and Director at Nexus Media Limited, who has brought the esteemed brand to Hong Kong. "Robb Report has an unrivalled reputation for featuring only the very best of the best, and the Hong Kong website will continue the tradition, staying true to Robb Report's motto: Luxury without Compromise. "We are also honoure to bring to Hong Kong the grand signature events that Robb Report is known for, including tailor-made experiences and unforgettable encounters. What's extraordinary about this launch in Hong Kong is that RR1, our membership programme, is by invitation only. RR1 members get to experience tailored, specially curated events, the likes of which many have never seen or experienced before."



Be it Signature Events or Tailored Events, Robb Report Hong Kong affords unparalleled access and benefits to RR1 members. From first-look previews to private evenings, and sojourns and travels to exotic destinations, RR1 experiences truly speak to living life to the fullest. Starting the year off strong is the Best of the Best Gala to herald the annual Best of the Best print magazine. Each year, Robb Report bestows its Best of the Best awards on the very finest luxury products, services, and experiences that the world has to offer, and 2023 will mark the inaugural Hong Kong edition. A select group of readers will gather for a private celebratory dinner at the Regent hotel to toast the winners. Situated on the harbourfront of Tsim Sha Tsui in a prime location to overlook the skyline of Hong Kong Island, the majestic Regent is due to reopen in the first quarter of 2023. Robb Report Hong Kong will host a spectacular black tie evening to celebrate not only the launch of the Best of the Best Hong Kong print magazine, but also the return of the iconic hotel brand before it fully opens to the public.

Other RR1 staples can also be expected on the Robb Report Hong Kong events calendar. Car of the Year celebrates extraordinary cars of the moment; Ultimate Drive takes readers on a pilgrimage to experience exclusive drives with the top automotive marques in the world; Culinary Masters will bring together epicureans and Michelin-starred luminaries for an unforgettable weekend of gourmet dining; and Dream Machines allows readers to take the latest machines, wings, and wheels for a spin on a fun, adrenaline-driven adventure. Robb Report is the leading voice in the global luxury market, synonymous with affluence, luxury, and the best of the best. Its discerning audience around the world has a shared appreciation and desire for quality, exclusivity, heritage, taste, and fine design. It is the brand the most successful people rely on to discover the ideas, opinions, products, and experiences that will matter most to them. Robb Report: Luxury Without Compromise. About Robb Report Hong Kong Robb Report Hong Kong is part of Nexus Media Group, a company celebrating its tenth year in Hong Kong. The bold title joins a roster of expert curated content creation platforms and media titles that includes Nexus Media, Localiiz, WeeGo, MyLocals, and Nexus Digital. SOURCE Robb Report Hong Kong

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[February 28, 2023] The Rockefeller Foundation Collaborates with Universities to Close America's Broadband Equity Gap

Penn State and CellWatch, a collaboration between Georgia Tech, UC Santa Barbara, and Northern

Arizona University, to collect accurate data on broadband deficits and help communities qualify for

federal funding NEW YORK, Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Rockefeller Foundation announced $1 million in funding between The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State) and CellWatch  a collaboration between the Georgia Institute of Technology, University of California, Santa Barbara, and Northern Arizona University  to launch complimentary initiatives aimed at closing America's broadband equity gap. Over the next year, Penn State, through its extension organization, will develop an accessible national map of fixed broadband access, modeling support, and education tools; and CellWatch will develop a mobile application and machine learning algorithm to measure and make public mobile broadband availability data. Together, these initiatives will help the estimated 21 million Americans mis-identified in federal broadband maps, who are disproportionately from low-income, rural, and BIPOC communities, apply for funding and increase equitable access to broadband services. "There are millions of people in the U.S. without consistent broadband coverage. In the 21st century, if you don't have access to broadband, you don't have access to the full range of information and opportunities that should be available to you. Unfortunately, it's hard to address this problem because we don't have the data to show us where there are gaps in broadband coverage and performance. This prevents communities from getting the federal funding they deserve." said Zia Khan, Senior Vice President of Innovation at The Rockefeller Foundation. "The Rockefeller Foundation is proud to work with Penn State and the CellWatch team to close these gaps and help ensure that all Americans can leverage the benefits of broadband." Current estimates show that Federal Communications Commissions' (FCC) maps measuring broadband coverage significantly overestimates the number of Americans with access to high-speed connectivity. According to Broadband Now, that has left an estimated 21 million Americans out of current U.S. federal broadband coverage plans and millions are incorrectly designated as "served," preventing them from receiving the $65 billion available through Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act funding to improve broadband access. Reports reveal that a mere 10% increase in broadband access could add ~175,000 more jobs and $37.2 billion to the economy per year.



"Penn State Extension has a long track record of disseminating research-based knowledge to help residents navigate the issues and opportunities of new technology and connected digital infrastructure," said Brent Hales, Director of Penn State Extension. "With this partnership, we seek to develop new mapping and spatial analysis tools that inform equitable distribution of FCC BEAD funding to communities nationwide and enable them to estimate the costs of fiber deployment to homes and businesses, emphasizing underserved markets. Our similar work in collaboration with the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission already has helped the state secure almost $369 million in federal broadband funding, which will enable up to 327,000 Pennsylvanians to gain high-speed internet access." "We are exceptionally grateful to the Rockefeller Foundation for their support of this project," said Dr. Ellen Zegura, Regents and Fleming Professor in Computer Science at Georgia Tech. "CellWatch will provide communities with the ability to measure and map their mobile broadband connectivity and to challenge the accuracy of broadband provider data at the federal level. Ultimately better quality data will contribute to data-driven decisions about expanding Internet access to reach areas of greatest need."

The Rockefeller Foundation is collaborating with Penn State to: Develop a national fixed broadband map to identify and prioritize underserved communities and populations for broadband deployment and utilization effort.

Implement first-of-its-kind modeling to support local and regional data-driven decisions about broadband deployment.

Design a Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) project map layer to assist state and federal legislators better understand the unserved and underserved areas of their district and the potential for BEAD funding.

Deploy a team of educators and communicators to raise awareness and adoption of the new mapping tools to support their local community. The Rockefeller Foundation is collaborating with CellWatch to: Harness the power of machine learning algorithms for predicting mobile broadband performance from public datasets.

Design a new open-source mobile application, "CellWatch," for Android phones that will allow users to take measurements of network performance and view maps of broadband quality.

Make CellWatch data public to help communities challenge current provider claims of broadband coverage, which often go uncontested and can be inaccurate, and apply for FCC investment in broadband.

Launch a new interactive dashboard and map to support communities as they organize measurement campaigns and help them achieve more equitable broadband access. 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. About Penn State Extension



Penn State Extension is dedicated to delivering science-based information and solutions to people, businesses and communities. In support of Penn State's land-grant mission, extension programs promote a vibrant food and fiber system, a clean environment, and a healthier population in Pennsylvania and beyond. With support from federal, state and county governments, the organization has a tradition of bringing unbiased, research-based information and support to the citizens of Pennsylvania for more than 100 years. About CellWatch



The CellWatch team spans three public universities, Georgia Tech in the southeast, Northern Arizona University in the southwest, and the University of California Santa Barbara (UCSB) in Southern California. All three universities embrace the mission of serving the public good through research, education, and outreach. The CellWatch collaborative team has a long history of working together on issues of digital equity and broadband internet access for rural and tribal regions. View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/the-rockefeller-foundation-collaborates-with-universities-to-close-americas-broadband-equity-gap-301757258.html SOURCE The Rockefeller Foundation

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The humanitarian horrors of Russias unprovoked war against Ukraine continue to cause massive human suffering both inside of Ukraine and around the world, declared U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield.

Within Ukraines borders, more than 17 million Ukrainians need humanitarian aid. Nearly six million people are internally displaced in Ukraine, forced to flee their homes in search of safety and shelter, she said.

Russias forces have launched barrage after barrage of missiles and drones against Ukraine, hitting cities and infrastructure, killing and injuring civilians, damaging roads, homes, schools, medical facilities, farmland, and power systems. Millions of Ukrainian civilians are now without food, power, water access, health services, and proper heat even as temperatures remain below freezing.

Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield called on Russia to stop bombing critical infrastructure and killing innocent civilians. Until Russia does, global humanitarian donors must stand by the Ukrainian people.

We need to prioritize winterization assistance to address immediate humanitarian needs and support the Government of Ukraines efforts. Humanitarians from the UN and NGOs are on the ground right now, trying to help. Sadly, even these groups, just trying to help save lives, have not been spared from Russias attacks, she said.

Russia is engaging in coerced relocations of Ukraines children to Russia-occupied territories of Ukraine, stated Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield:

Russia is also transferring and deporting Ukraines children to Russia itself, giving children away to families in Russia and attempting to permanently separate them from their families. This is a violation of the principles of child protection. This must stop.

Russias war has greatly exacerbated the global food crisis. Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield expressed support for the Black Sea Grain Initiative, which has helped meet the needs of the worlds most vulnerable and benefitted middle-income countries by stabilizing world grain prices. But because of Russia, the movement of grain from Ukraines ports has slowed and the backlog of ships waiting for grain is growing. Russia must not be allowed to continue its weaponization of food and energy in winter.

Putin started this war, and he can end it today by pulling his troops out of Ukraine, said Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield.

The United States urges all countries to support the UNs 2023 Humanitarian Response Plan and Regional Refugee Response Plan and to hold Russia accountable for its aggression and horrific abuses, inflicting unconscionable suffering on the people of Ukraine.
[February 28, 2023] Fame Markets Joins Web3 Revolution Through KryptoPips' Loyalty Program

Singapore, Singapore, Feb. 28, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Fame Markets, a leading brokerage service provider, has announced its adoption of KryptoPips innovative blockchain-based loyalty program solutions. This makes Fame Markets the second brokerage company to adopt the initiative. KryptoPips is a cutting-edge blockchain-enabled solution that offers a multi-level rewards system to deliver a robust client loyalty program for global brokerages. KryptoPips changes how brokerage companies acquire and retain customers, with its platform that allows users to stake the KryptoPips token [KTP] to avail attractive features such as lower trading fees, extra rebates, customizable leverage, or earn APY to name some examples. The KryptoPips product is fully customizable, allowing every brokerage that adopts the technology to individually customize its program according to what best fits its customers and model.

Danny Christ, CEO of KryptoPips, said, We are glad to announce this strategic partnership with Fame Markets. This rewards token was developed after seeing two major trends happening over the years. Firstly, client acquisition costs a lot more than client retention, and secondly, the increase in trading volumes recently recorded by brokerages since the pandemic started. We want to democratise the brokerage world and bring value to brokers, partners, and clients.

Fame Markets is a brokerage service provder that provides industry-leading and highly competitive CFD and Forex trading features with a focus on crypto-related services as well. Fame Markets' ecosystem allows traders, fund managers, and large investors to participate easily. As a forward-thinking organization, Fame Markets recognizes the importance of staying ahead of the curve when it comes to new technology and has taken a step further, directly incorporating KryptoPips on its platform. With this, Fame Markets will completely change how users are rewarded for their loyalty and participation in the platform.





"We're excited to be one of the first few companies in our industry to adopt KryptoPips," said Hazil Izham Ismail, CEO of Fame Markets. "We believe that this technology has the potential to transform the way we deliver our products and services, and we're eager to see the impact it will have on our business and our customers."



"We believe that by adopting KryptoPips product early on, we'll be better positioned to meet the evolving needs of our customers and stay ahead of our competition," continued Hazil. "We're always looking for ways to improve our products and services, and we're confident that KryptoPips will help us do just that." About KryptoPips

KryptoPips is dedicated to providing innovative investors with the tools and opportunities to capitalize on the crypto asset economy within the trading ecosystem. With a strong belief that crypto-assets are the future of money and markets, the company aims to change the perception surrounding digital assets and wealth.

For more details on KryptoPips, please contact [email protected] or visit www.kryptopips.com. About Fame Markets

Fame Markets, a next-generation broker highly competitive in Forex, CFDs trading services and crypto-centric, looks forward to leading the way in its industry and providing its customers with the highest level of quality and innovation. With a focus on innovation and quality, Fame Markets is committed to staying ahead of the curve in its industry.

For more information, please contact [email protected] or [email protected] * This press release is not a prospectus, disclosure document or offering document under Singapore, Peoples Republic of China, The United States of America, Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea, and the list of countries as specified on www.kryptopips.com. This is for informational purposes only. It does not constitute an offer to buy or sell, or a solicitation of an offer to buy or sell any investment product or security or instrument or participate in any particular trading strategy and no representation or warranty is given with respect to any future offer or sale.

Media Contact: Araminta Bloom [email protected]

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[February 28, 2023] VMware Collaborates with Samsung on Virtualized RAN to Pave Way for Open 5G Networks

Mobile World Congress 2023-VMware, Inc. (NYSE: VMW) today announced an expanded collaboration with Samsung resulting in the integration of Samsung's O-RAN compliant virtualized RAN solutions and VMware Telco Cloud Platform as part of the DISH Wireless 5G network buildout. This milestone advances the ongoing efforts between the two companies to enable Communication Service Providers (CSPs) to gain the full benefits of Open RAN networks. VMware and Samsung announced their global 5G collaboration in 2020, and have since co-developed a validated architecture and cell site deployment model integrating the Samsung virtualized Distributed Unit (vDU) running on top of the VMware Telco Cloud Platform. This advanced topology is tested and fully interoperable, and can help CSPs accelerate and streamline their RAN deployments at scale while reducing network costs. The joint topology provides the flexibility to support a diverse ecosystem of partners. The two companies are now working together to make the evolution of 5G Open RAN networks enabled by a cloud-native architecture simpler for CSPs. VMware is collaborating with Samsung on building the foremost network architecture to support th DISH Wireless traffic on their cloud-native Open RAN 5G network. Samsung has been supporting DISH since last year, when it was selected for the deployment of 5G Open Radio Access Network solutions across the DISH 5G network.



"VMware, together with Samsung, has developed the next-generation RAN by combining the power of software-defined, open interfaces, and scalable virtualization all running in a cloud-native architecture. We've begun to crack the RAN code-this is the first step to full network programmability enabling the vision of networking on demand for dynamic applications," said Lakshmi Mandyam, vice president of Product Management and Partner Ecosystem, Service Provider and Edge, VMware. Additionally, VMware has also collaborated with Samsung on 5G Core, which is responsible for key functions within a mobile network-User Plane Function (UPF), Network Slicing Selection Function (NSSF), Session Management Function (SMF), Access and Mobility Function (AMF) and Network Repository Function (NRF)-on the VMware Telco Cloud Platform.

"We are excited to share that our collaboration with VMware is now delivering the power of 5G and Open RAN to CSPs with real network traffic running in the Core and RAN," said Kicheol Lee, Vice President and Head of System S/W R&D, Networks Business, Samsung Electronics. "Together, we are making it easier for CSPs to embrace open, virtualized cloud-native technologies that will help accelerate the advancement of commercial 5G networks." With this collaboration, the two companies are bringing their respective strengths to help CSPs leverage a fully cloud-native infrastructure in a faster, more cost-effective manner. Going forward, the companies plan to continue to enhance their combined solutions to meet the requirements and demands of telco clouds at any scale. About VMware VMware is a leading provider of multi-cloud services for all apps, enabling digital innovation with enterprise control. As a trusted foundation to accelerate innovation, VMware software gives businesses the flexibility and choice they need to build the future. Headquartered in Palo Alto, California, VMware is committed to building a better future through the company's 2030 Agenda. For more information, please visit www.vmware.com/company. VMware and VMware Telco Cloud Platform are registered trademarks or trademarks of VMware, Inc. or its subsidiaries in the United States and other jurisdictions. This article may contain hyperlinks to non-VMware websites that are created and maintained by third parties who are solely responsible for the content on such websites. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230227005235/en/

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Arrcus' Expanding Ecosystem of PACE Partners to Showcase Innovations at Mobile World Congress 2023

Mobile World Congress - Arrcus, the hyperscale networking software company and a leader in core, edge and multi-cloud network infrastructure, is at Mobile World Congress 2023 with its powerful Arrcus Connected Edge (ACE) platform, which unlocks new efficiencies, opportunities and flexibility for 5G, data center and enterprise network operators. Arrcus frees communication services providers (CSPs) and enterprises from legacy routing and switching technology that creates integration challenges, limits their choices and impedes digital transformation. The Partner with ACE (PACE) ecosystem is a critical part of the Arrcus platform approach, and several of the company's PACE partners are in Barcelona this week illustrating the power of the ACE platform.

"The PACE program is the first ecosystem of its kind for open transport networking spanning routing and switching, and makes it easy for partners to provide a variety of network functions and services for customers on our ACE platform," said Shekar Ayyar, chairman and CEO at Arrcus. "Network operators and enterprise customers can accelerate their 5G and multi-cloud transformation with the benefit of our partner solutions to complement Arrcus innovation. The PACE program also benefits ecosystem members by providing them with the access, tools and support they need to build tailored services to meet customer needs and expand opportunities."

Arrcus' PACE partners offer validated and certified solutions that allow network operators to navigate their journey to cloud adoption and digital transformation more effectively by enabling CSPs and enterprises to discover, try, purchase and deploy solutions.

Mobile World Congress attendees are encouraged to visit PACE ecosystem partners Accedian Networks, Edgecore Networks, Quanta, Rohde & Schwarz, UfiSpace and Viavi Solutions at their booths on the event floor. CSPs and enterprises in Barcelona this week can also connect with representatives from attending PACE partners A5G Networks, Netcube, QuadGenWireless and Xoriant.

"A5G Networks is proud to collaborate as part of the Arrcus PACE program to enable networks with simplified but seamless connectivity across multiple technologies, recognizing that the value chain is changing and networks are becoming more open and distributed," said Rajesh Mishra, co-founder and CEO of A5G Networks, a leader in autonomous 4G, 5G and Wi-Fi mobile core network software.

"We are excited to showcase our latest innovation at MWC 2023 and demonstrate how our switching and routing platforms with our diverse ecosystem can help service providers and data centers achieve their next-generation networking goals," said Heimdall Siao, president at Edgecore Networks. "Our goal at Edgecore is to make networking technology more accessible to both solution developers as well as users of networking technology. Our ecosystem of partners and Edgecore's development environment are important fo us to transform the networking industry from legacy proprietary solutions to a more open environment. We are excited to partner with Arrcus' PACE program by working together to provide the latest technology of switching and routing platforms with Arrcus' software solutions."







"Implementing open and disaggregated architectures is giving service providers more control over their networks and enabling more choices for deploying the most suitable solutions," said Vincent Ho, CEO of UfiSpace. "We are happy to be collaborating with Arrcus' ACE platform with our disaggregated cell site gateways, open aggregation and open core routers, as it will open up boundless possibilities for our customers to revolutionize their network transformations with speed and efficiency."

"Xoriant is excited about working with Arrcus on its economically efficient 5G solution," said Girish Gaitonde, CEO of Xoriant. "Our expertise in 5G monitoring allows us to nicely complement the Arrcus ArcIQ solution. We provide real-time streaming data from 5G RAN and 5G core which is validated and stored in a time series database for further analytics and observability. The combined solution with Arrcus provides an end-to-end solution that monitors everything from RAN to the core of the network."

To connect with Arrcus and its PACE partners at Mobile World Congress 2023:

Visit the Arrcus booth in Hall 2-Stand 2D19 Schedule a time to meet with Arrcus at MWC

Visit the Arrcus PACE partner booths Accedian Networks: Hall 2-Stand 2D41 Edgecore Networks: Taiwan Pavilion, Hall 5-Stand 5A61 Quanta Cloud Technology: Hall 5-Stand 5E21 Rohde & Schwarz: Hall 5-5A80 UfiSpace: Taiwan Pavilion, Hall 5-Stand 5A61 Viavi Solutions: Hall 5-Stand 5A18



PACE program members benefit from access to early ACE SDKs and APIs; product integration verification; product certification and certification badges; and co-marketing in the form of internal and external webinars, press releases, and website listings and events.

Additional Resources

About Arrcus

Arrcus was founded to enhance business efficiency through superior network connectivity. The Arrcus Connected Edge (ACE) platform offers best-in-class networking with the most flexible consumption model at the lowest total cost of ownership. The Arrcus team consists of world-class technologists who have an unparalleled record in shipping industry-leading networking products, complemented by industry thought leaders, operating executives, strategic partners and top-tier VCs. The company is headquartered in San Jose, California. For more information, go to www.arrcus.com or follow Arrcus LinkedIn and @arrcusinc.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230227005716/en/
[February 28, 2023] AliExpress Launches AliExpress Choice and Announces First-Ever Choice Day

AliExpress Customers Can Access Even Greater Value Products and an Elevated Shopping Experience HANGZHOU, China, Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- AliExpress, a global retail online marketplace part of Alibaba Group, officially announces the launch of a new service "AliExpress Choice", which will offer a curation of the best value products the platform has to offer and a new monthly shopping event "Choice Day". From March 1, 2023, AliExpress Choice will provide customers in selected countries with free shipping, free returns, delivery guarantees and even more affordable prices. "We're very excited to announce the launch of AliExpress Choice and our inaugural AliExpress Choice Day shopping event," said Jason Liu, General Manager of AliExpress International Markets. "Due to ever-changing customer needs, we always strive to ensure we provide the best quality offering, at the most affordable prices, delivered in a convenient and timely manner. A More Seamless Shopping Experience at AliExpress Choice



Products in the AliExpress Choice section in the majority of regions will be eligible for free shipping for a single item or any three selected items. Over 15 countries including Spain and France will enjoy free returns on all products. Nearly 20 countries including Germany and Switzerland will be offered delivery guarantee. South Korean users can expect as fast as 3-day delivery window.

The First-Ever AliExpress Choice Day Starting from March 1, 2023 What's more, March 1, 2023 will see the launch of the first AliExpress Choice Day  a monthly shopping event which will offer even greater value to customers for a limited period. The first Choice Day will cover more than 55 countries including Spain, South Korea, and Australia and will continue to occur on the first 3 days of each month thereafter. During AliExpress Choice Day, great value products will turn into even better deals that customers will save $3 on every order over USD$15 and USD$6 on orders over USD$30. AliExpress will also introduce bundle promotions of N items for USD$N  for example any three products for USD$5.99 and a special new user flash sale with any three selected products for USD$0.99. Don Lee is selected as the South Korea Brand Ambassador To celebrate the first AliExpress Choice Day, AliExpress is thrilled to announce South Korean-American Hollywood actor, Don Lee, as its Brand Ambassador in South Korea. A special Don Lee promotion page will be introduced to offer South Korean customers featuring exclusive mega discounts with some products as low as USD$1. About AliExpress Launched in 2010, AliExpress (www.aliexpress.com) is a global marketplace serving consumers from around the world and enabling them to buy directly from manufacturers and distributors in China and around the world. In addition to the global English-language version, the AliExpress platform is also available in 17 other languages. AliExpress is a business of Alibaba Group. SOURCE AliExpress

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[February 28, 2023] Driving Localization of Global Digital Transformation, H3C NAVIGATE 2023 International Business Summit Successfully Concludes

NUSA DUA, Indonesia, Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- H3C NAVIGATE 2023 International Business Summit was successfully held in Bali, Indonesia. Themed "Together, For A Digital Future", the event brought together ICT industry experts and digital business leaders from around the world to discuss how to build a green and sustainable digital future. Brighten Li, Chairman of Tsinghua Unigroup, stated at the summit that as an investment holding group with multi businesses, Unigroup adheres to its IMIC development principle, namely International, Market Driven, Independent and Customer Satisfaction. And H3C, as an important growth arm of Unigroup, has made great achievements in digital economy. In the future, Unigroup will continuously provide full support for H3C regarding talents, capital and internationalization to achieve global reputation and value. "Cooperation and trust are the cornerstone of success". Together with our partners, Tsinghua Unigroup and H3C will share the prosperity of the digital economy and continue to build better business, better model, better life and better world together. Tony Yu, CEO and President of H3C, shared three visions in his keynote speech: a deep belief in a thriving digital economy, a strong dedication to becoming one of the best partners for global digital transformation, and a long-term commitment to "Partner First" strategy. "H3C is always committed to develop creative products and solutions through innovation. With the strong visions, we are confident of contributing to the robust growth of the digital economy," said Yu. Gary Huang, Co-president and President of International Business of H3C, delivered a keynote speech titled "Embedding Localization in Digital Transformation". He said that the pandemic has not only increased the demand for and investment in digitalization worldwide, but has also brought up new challenges as to how to make digital transformation adaptable, compatible, and sustainable so that it can truly serve production and life. Hence, localization is the path to realize the adaptability, compatibility and sustainability of digital transformation. "In 2023, embedding localization in digital transformation is our international business strategy  to build the localized technology innovation capabilities, to enhance the localized talents empowerment, and to build a localized ecosystem. On the way to the digital-first world, H3C intends to effectively embed our globalized vision and experience into localized innovation, empowerment and ecosystem, and make all countries truly benefit from digital transformation," Huang reiterated. At the annual industrial flagship event, besides unveiling its new global roadmap of localization, H3C lso launched a series of scenario-based solutions and new products, catering to the ever-changing demands of global customers and partners.



Embedding localization in digital transformation, gaining momentum with the three-pronged strategy Digital transformation is becoming a top priority for business leaders, with expenditures on track to exceed US$3.4 trillion by 2026, according to IDC's report. Nevertheless, the next phase of this transition poses new issues, such as how can digital technologies come truly integrated into local into local economic development? Indeed, digital transformation is not a simple one-time task. It requires the consideration of several factors, including adaptability to business processes, productivity and organization culture, compatibility with architecture, systems platforms and applications, and sustainable business application, system upgrade and skills development.

In 2022, H3C rolled out its international business strategy focusing on building a healthy ecosystem and offering scenario-based solutions. This year, H3C upgraded the strategy to localization. "Think Globally, Act Locally" seeks to localize technology innovation capabilities, talent empowerment, and ecosystem, ensuring the fast and sustainable development by integrating digital technologies into local industries and economies. Firstly, to build the localized technology innovation capabilities. H3C has launched five scenario-based solutions: Synergy Working, Innovative Education, Smart Manufacturing, Efficient Healthcare and Reliable Public Service in response to the increasing demand for digital transformation across various sectors worldwide. Secondly, to enhance the localized talents empowerment. H3C hopes to collaborate with local customers and partners to build a comprehensive ICT talent system that enables colleges, institutions, ICT engineers, and other groups through technical lectures, practical training and other methods. The nurturing of local ICT talents thus will help local digital transformation. Thirdly, to build a localized ecosystem. H3C has made remarkable achievements in building an open, win-win and blooming global partner ecosystem over last several years. So far, H3C has more than 200 service partners, delivering more than 800-hour service training and 1,200-hour technical training with more than 1,800 certified talents worldwide, to provide timely and high-quality delivery service to local customers. H3C is committed to laying the groundwork and providing resources to support a sustainable, innovative, and win-win development model through infrastructure building, technology innovation, talent training, and industry integration. By doing this, H3C is able to assist governments and industries in finding a digital transformation path that meets local realities. Establishing a solid foundation: reviving cloud & AI native to accelerate digital innovation Among the three main axes of H3C's digital localization path, technology innovation is given a higher priority. To this end, Steven Yoe, co-president, CTO and Chairman of Technical Committees at H3C, launched the 2023 technology strategy encompassing four innovative H3C Digital Solution Platforms  Cloud & AI Platform, Digital Infrastructure, Active Security, and Unified O&M. Yoe said that H3C is committed to strengthen its capabilities of technical infrastructure and join hands with partners to deliver adaptable and scenario-based solutions to meet the needs of local customers. At the conference, H3C, based on its "Cloud & AI Native" strategy, also released its new flagship products and solutions for 2023, including the H3C distributed cloud platform CloudOS, computing management platforms, new series of UniServer G6 servers, H3C AD-NET 6.0+ solutions, a full range of switches, routers, and Wi-Fi 7 products, as well as a full line of smart home networking products, 8K MagicHub, and enterprise-class laptops and desktops, to further enhance its full stack of products and solutions. Among them, cloud computing and AI are at the core of digital technology. James Chen, Senior Vice President, Executive President of Cloud and AI Business Group of H3C, said that H3C's cloud and AI solutions have been applied across multiple industries globally. "Sticking to the 'Cloud & AI Native' strategy, H3C will continue to deliver one-stop Cloud & AI solutions to the local markets and drive the digital transformation of local enterprise and organizations." In addition, creating localized innovation capabilities in the digital age is another crucial step in the digital transformation process. Li Li, Vice President and Chief Scientist of H3C, introduced that in order to better integrate H3C's products and solutions with the industry capabilities of local partners and jointly provide customers with more customized solutions, we also plan to launch the digital innovation platform named DI.Lab in the overseas market. Li added that H3C DI.Lab is a one-stop solution platform serving as a joint innovation center to develop competitive solutions, a solution integration center to develop, test and verify the solutions and ensure the delivery quality, a talents empowerment center to provide hands-on training and remote testing, and an experience center to observe the scenario-based solutions and latest technologies. So far H3C has set up 6 DI.Lab in China with a strong track record, and will cover over 20 countries by 2025. Developing a viable model of international collaboration on digital transformation through localization Local digitalization, a challenging task that evaluates the ability of ICT service providers to respond quickly and offer long-tail services locally, calls for capable local teams and partner ecosystems. The process also evaluates how well digital platforms, infrastructure, and applications meet actual regional needs. During the roundtable session, guest speakers including IDC analyst, H3C's customers and partners representatives all stressed the importance of localization in digital transformation and discussed the differences between the digital needs of SME and large enterprises, and how to successfully implement digital upgrades in line with regional realities. Leung Wai Hoong, Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer of H3C, said at the session that given the pressing demand for local digital transformation, ICT vendors are more likely to integrate into the local ecosystem, developing localized products and solutions, while providing the soil for innovation to local clients and partners. H3C has gained a substantial edge in local services thanks to its end-to-end capabilities ranging from market expansion, delivery to support services. H3C has by far established spare parts centers in 36 countries and regions; its services can be delivered to 174 countries and regions; and the number of its certified overseas partners has reached over 1,200. The well-established local service ecosystem, which can quickly and effectively respond to customer needs, lays the groundwork for implementing the localization roadmap. In the post-pandemic era, demand for industrial innovation and economic revival will skyrocket. Aiming to be the best partner for digital transformation, H3C will continue to devote itself to helping more people join the process of global digitalization through the efforts of building localized technology capabilities, talent hubs, and partner ecosystems in addition to offering digital solutions to customers in all countries and industries. SOURCE H3C

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[February 28, 2023] Industrywide Survey Reveals Centralizing Regulatory is Number One Priority for Medtech

Growing need for visibility and speed driving shift to digital regulatory systems BARCELONA, Spain, Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- New research shows a majority of medtech organizations are taking action to advance regulatory affairs, according to the second annual Veeva MedTech Regulatory Benchmark Report. More than half of medtech companies say establishing a single source for regulatory information (62%) and implementing a global and centralized regulatory information management (RIM) system (51%) will be the industry's top focus over the next two years. With the move to modernize RIM underway, medtech leaders are bringing together data, content, and systems for improved insights and time to market. Data reveals an increased focus on digital systems to harmonize operations globally, with two out of every five companies already selecting digital regulatory technology. This shift toward digital RIM systems highlights the need for greater transparency and collaboration across regional teams to meet evolving regulations and change management requirements. The report reveals positive changes to regulatory affairs and opportunities for improvement, including: Manual processes still linger: Just 13% of companies have implemented a global digital RIM system for end-to-end management of regulatory operations. Many medtech organizations rely on manual processes, disconnected data sources, and siloed systems that aren't scalable, making it harder to expand into new markets.





Just 13% of companies have implemented a global digital RIM system for end-to-end management of regulatory operations. Many medtech organizations rely on manual processes, disconnected data sources, and siloed systems that aren't scalable, making it harder to expand into new markets. Single source for registration data trends upward: Companies who collect global registration data in a single system increased year-over-year, highlighting urgency for establishing one source for regulatory information.





Companies who collect global registration data in a single system increased year-over-year, highlighting urgency for establishing one source for regulatory information. Post-market compliance processes lack connections: Most companies (83%) have partial integrations, point solutions, or manual processes across regulatory and quality to capture post-market changes within the product portfolio. The lack of a seamless and automated change control process increases risks and can lead to compliance issues or delays. "With new regulations and increasing supply chain complexity, medtech companies are evaluating paths to more seamless processes so high-quality data can be shared across teams," said Seth Goldenberg, vice president, Veeva MedTech. "This research shows the medtech industry is making progress by advancing regulatory operations for better global visibility, data accuracy, and compliance." The Veeva MedTech Regulatory Benchmark Report examines the medical device and diagnostic industry's progress toward modernizing regulatory operations. Survey respondents include regulatory affairs professionals from more than 100 medtech organizations around the globe, ranging from enterprise to midsize businesses. See the full annual study which explores how medtech companies manage global compliance and visibility, speed to market, post-market compliance, and modernization. About Veeva Systems

Veeva (NYSE: VEEV) is the global leader in cloud software for the life sciences industry. Committed to innovation, product excellence, and customer success, Veeva serves more than 1,000 customers, ranging from the world's largest pharmaceutical companies to emerging biotechs. As a Public Benefit Corporation, Veeva is committed to balancing the interests of all stakeholders, including customers, employees, shareholders, and the industries it serves. For more information, visit veeva.com/eu.







Contact:



Jeremy Whittaker

Veeva Systems

+49-695-095-5486

[email protected]

Deivis Mercado

Veeva Systems

925-226-8821

[email protected]

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[February 28, 2023] Financial Plus Credit Union Partners with MANTL to Improve Member Experience and Back-office Automation

Financial Plus Credit Union, a $1.2B credit union with 11 branches across Michigan, today announced a partnership with MANTL, a leading provider of account origination solutions, to improve its member experience and back-office automation. Financial Plus Credit Union will leverage MANTL for Credit Unions to enhance its online account opening process and deepen relationships with current members. MANTL for Credit Unions was purpose-built with the member experience in mind and optimizes three key aspects of the member experience at the point of origination: speed, simplicity and security. Financial Plus Credit Union will now be able to automate over 90% of application decisions, including KYC, AML, BSA, product service ordering, funding, and core booking, to create efficiencies and keep manual processes to a minimum. With MANTL for Credit Unions, new applicants can originate checking, savings, CD money market and minor accounts in under three minutes and existing Financial Plus Credit Union members can open a new share account in just one click. "Our members are our number one priority: elevating their experience and ensuring their success is a driving factor in every decision we make," said rad Bergmooser, president and CEO of Financial Plus Credit Union. "This partnership reflects a cultural shift at Financial Plus Credit Union to embrace innovative technology that transforms the digital experience, automates manual tasks, and improves back-office efficiencies. This allows our employees to refocus their efforts on growing member relationships, and that value extends to our member base."



MANTL uses intelligent automation to provide dynamic eligibility verification. This means that Financial Plus Credit Union will collect and verify only the information needed to determine eligibility, removing friction from the onboarding process. Financial Plus Credit Union will also get access to best-in-class fraud mitigation because MANTL leverages sophisticated risk modeling based on 30+ data sources to quickly verify members while preventing fraud. "Our focus is on service and providing solutions that are seamless at every interaction. Meeting the members where they are, and delivering an outstanding experience that begins the moment they open their account, is at the heart of our decision to partner with MANTL," said Jessica McNier, VP of Member Experience at Financial Plus Credit Union.

This partnership highlights Financial Plus Credit Union's commitment to giving its members and the state of Michigan access to best-in-class technology and superior digital experiences. Enhancing and automating the digital experience will also elevate the branch experience, as Financial Plus Credit Union employees will have more time to meet face-to-face with members to grow existing relationships. "Financial Plus Credit Union has built an excellent reputation as a member-first, relationship-based institution," said Nathaniel Harley, co-founder and CEO of MANTL. "We are thrilled to partner with Financial Plus Credit Union to ensure that the curated experience extends to its digital channels and its members have a seamless onboarding journey from their very first touchpoint." For more information on MANTL or to schedule a demo, please visit: https://mantl.com/request-a-demo/. About MANTL MANTL is a financial technology firm offering omnichannel account origination software for banks and credit unions. Consumer Deposit Origination by MANTL is among the fastest and most performant solutions on the market, empowering net-new prospects to open accounts in under three minutes, enabling existing account holders to open additional accounts with just one click, and reducing fraud by as much as 67%. Commercial Deposit Origination by MANTL is a first-of-its-kind solution that reimagines account opening for businesses of all sizes by automating up to 97% of application decisions. MANTL's customers have raised billions in core deposits to date. Founded in 2016, MANTL is a privately held company headquartered in New York with the backing of prominent venture capital investors. For more information, visit mantl.com. About Financial Plus Credit Union Since 1952, Financial Plus has been putting today's needs and tomorrow's dreams all within reach. Owned by over 81,000 members with more than $1.2 billion in assets, the credit union provides a full range of modern, easily accessible banking products and services to all throughout the state of Michigan. For more information, visit www.myfpcu.com or call (800) 748-0451. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230228005313/en/

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[February 28, 2023] Kansas Teachers Community Credit Union Signs with Mahalo Banking to Modernize Digital Banking Platform Usability

Pittsburg, Ka.-based Kansas Teachers Community Credit Union (Kansas Teachers - $130 million in assets), today announced the signing of a new partnership agreement with Mahalo Banking, a CUSO that provides online and mobile banking solutions for credit unions. In tandem with the credit union's upcoming Corelation core conversion, launching the Mahalo digital banking platform enables Kansas Teachers to accelerate its digital transformation strategy and improve member usability. Serving school employees and residents of Southeast Kansas communities, Kansas Teachers has more than 13,000 members and five branches. The credit union selected Mahalo for its improved functionality, usability, visual appeal and ease-of-use. With Mahalo, the credit union's members also gain the ability to link to external banking accounts and independently alter personal account details. "When we received an overview of Mahalo's mobile banking experience, we felt that they offered a fantastic opportunity to accelerate our digital transformation and expand our platform capabilities. Leveraging their optimized platform will be incredibly helpful in offering our members a modernized digital banking experience with unlocked functionality possibilities that they either have not had access to or have not been able to use easily," said Elesa Parsons, President of Kansas Teachers. The Mahalo Banking platform provides robust and secure feature sets across all delivery platforms for a true omni-experience. Mahalo's technology leverages deep integrations into credit union cores and streamlined third-party integrations, making both the credit union and member experience seamless. With security at the forefront of the platform's desgn, credit unions launching the solution possess a strong capability to protect their members from fraud risks.



Parsons added, "We greatly enjoy collaborating with Mahalo and admire their partnership mentality, which has enabled us to seamlessly work hand-in-hand. Their team is incredibly approachable and friendly and strongly aligns with the culture we've cultivated within our organization." Driven by an appreciation of the credit union movement, the Mahalo team is comprised of credit union industry natives with firsthand knowledge of the challenges faced by credit unions and their members. As a result, Mahalo offers intuitive solutions uniquely catered to help all asset-size credit unions connect with their customers and gain a technological advantage to retain and grow their membership.

"As members' digital banking experience expectations are quickly evolving, the best way for credit unions to retain and continue to attract new interest is by focusing on digital transformation strategies," said Denny Howell, COO of Mahalo. "Our team is proud to work with member-focused credit unions like Kansas Teachers that are continuously striving to deliver digital banking solutions that better serve and improve ease of use for their customers." About Kansas Teachers In 1949, Kansas Teachers Community Credit Union was chartered and served the teachers of Pittsburg State University. KTCCU's mission is to be a sound, quality-driven organization that provides the most desirable financial services for community members while safeguarding their assets. Today it has assets of $130 million, over 13,000 members and five branches located in Pittsburg, Independence, Coffeyville and Fort Scott. For more information on Kansas Teachers, visit www.kstcu.org or call 800-779-7875. About Mahalo Mahalo Banking provides online and mobile banking solutions for credit unions. Based in Troy, Mich., the Mahalo platform is designed and built on superior architecture with deep integration to core processing, providing security and a robust feature set across all delivery channels for a true omni experience. Mahalo Banking is feature-rich and price competitive to help all credit unions achieve a technology advantage in the marketplace. For more information about Mahalo Banking, please visit us at mahalobanking.com, follow us on Twitter or connect via LinkedIn. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230228005365/en/

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[February 28, 2023] XTM Provides Corporate Update

XTM Inc. ("XTM" or the "Company") (QB: XTMIF / CSE:PAID / FSE:7XT), a Miami and Toronto-based Fintech creator of disruptive payment innovations and staff management solutions to inspire today's workers in the hospitality, personal care and service space published a corporate update for shareholders, retail and institutional investors. The Company press released certain December 2022 results on January 5, 2023 as well as ancillary revenue streams. The Company will release its 2022 year-end results on or before April 29, 2023. "XTM is solidly growing and strategically navigating the market with its efficient, b2b2c approach," said Marilyn Schaffer, CEO, XTM. "We have expanded our focus beyond hospitality as indicated in our corporate update and we are building and monetizing our product featurization with a SAAS model to inspire more of the worker experience including expense management, shift call-outs, staff management and gamification. We are encouraged to see the market's positive response to our expanded offering." "The changes and growth we are effecting are material and require time and strategic effort," Marilyn added. "We are confident that our direction will continue to report on success and quantifiable accomplishments." Please access the XTM Inc. corporate update here: XTM Corporate Update.



About XTM XTM, www.xtminc.com, is a Miami and Toronto-based fintech innovator founded in the neo-banking space and now further helping businesses inspire their workforce in the hospitality, personal care and services staffing industries beyond on-demand pay with digitized staff management, expense management, and gamified loyalty programs. XTM's TodayFinancial solution is in use through POS and Payroll integrations and directly through web-portals by thousands of businesses and their workers across Canada and the United States.

This news release contains "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable securities laws (the "forward-looking statements"), within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking information is not a guarantee of future performance or results, since it involves risks and uncertainties. There is no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in forward-looking statements. Some of the factors on which the forward-looking statements are premised include (but are not limited to) the satisfaction or waiver of the conditions to the completion of the private placement, the receipt of the approval of the Canadian Securities Exchange, and the lack of material changes to general economic, market and business conditions. The CSE has not approved nor disapproved the contents of this press release, and the CSE does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230228005885/en/

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[February 28, 2023] TheMathCompany Features in Everest Group's Analytics and AI Services Specialists PEAK Matrix Assessment 2022

TheMathCompany, Illinois-headquartered leading global data analytics and engineering firm, announced that it has emerged as a Major Contender in Everest Group's Analytics and AI Services Specialists PEAK Matrix Assessment 2022. The company was also conferred a Star Performer title for demonstrating the most improvement over time on the PEAK Matrix. According to the assessment, one of TheMathCompany's strengths lie in its IP-first approach with built-in IP, Co.dx, providing solutions for specific domains such as promotion, price, and marketing. This report was conducted via multiple interactions with leading analytics and Al services specialists, client reference checks, and an ongoing analysis of the analytics and Al services market. Anuj Krishna, Co-founder & Chief Product Officer, TheMathCompany, said, "Enterprises are seeing partners that enable their analytics & AI programs to be more self-sufficient. TheMathCompany's hybrid consulting approach combines the capabilities of Co.dx with our deep expertise to address pressing gaps in conventional models. Everest Group's recognition inspires us further to help every enterprise with its big decisions."



Vishal Gupta, Vice President, Everest Group, said, "TheMathCompany's strong technical expertise and an IP-led approach - with its proprietary AI/ML platform Co.dx - has helped cater to ever changing enterprise needs." He added, "Strong account management, customer centricity, and investments in talent have helped TheMathCompany achieve significant growth and emerge as a Major Contender and a Star Performer in Everest Group's Analytics and AI Services Specialists PEAK Matrix Assessment 2022." Based in Illinois, TheMathCompany was founded in 2016 by industry leaders, Sayandeb Banerjee, Aditya Kumbakonam, and Anuj Krishna. The company has more than 50 Fortune 500 companies as clients across industry verticals like consumer-packaged goods, retail, pharma, automotive, technology, and manufacturing industries in the US, UK, and EU. Its proprietary flagship platform Co.dx helps businesses solve problems through low-code, custom artificial intelligence applications. With a team comprising scientists, data engineers, visualization experts, consumption specialists as well as analysts and consultants, TheMathCompany goes beyond what traditional consultancies, pure-play service providers, and information technology services providers offer in terms of data insights to solve specific problems for companies.

In 2022, the company raised USD 50 million in a funding round led by Brighton Park Capital, an investment firm specializing in software, information services, and technology-enabled services. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230228005783/en/

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The United States and the Philippines will conduct their annual joint military exercises, known as Balikatan, in the second quarter of this year. Balikatan means shoulder to shoulder, and Commanding General of the Philippine Army Romeo Brawner recently announced that this year would involve the largest joint drills since 2015.

The exercises will take place against the backdrop of intensified, aggressive moves by the Peoples Republic of China (PRC). The latest occurred earlier this month when the PRC Coast Guard allegedly used laser devices against the crew of a Philippine Coast Guard ship in the South China Sea. The ship was a Philippine patrol vessel on a resupply mission to Filipino forces. State Department Spokesperson Ned Price said in a statement, The PRCs conduct was provocative and unsafe, resulting in the temporary blindness of the crewmembers of the BRP Malapasua and interfering with the Philippines lawful operations in and around Second Thomas Shoal. More broadly, the PRCs dangerous operational behavior directly threatens regional peace and stability, infringes upon freedom of navigation in the South China Sea as guaranteed under international law, and undermines the rules-based international order.

The PRC continues to make vast territorial claims to the South China Sea, despite a legally binding decision by an international tribunal in 2016 that such claims have no basis in international law. After the latest incident, Defense Department Spokesperson General Patrick Ryder tweeted, The PRCs actions stand in direct opposition to the United States, the Philippines and likeminded nations commitment to sovereignty and international law, including the 2016 Arbitral Tribunal ruling which unequivocally rejects PRC claims to Second Thomas Shoal.



State Department Spokesperson Price emphasized that the United States stands with our Philippine allies, and warned that an armed attack on Philippine armed forces, public vessels, or aircraft, including those of the Coast Guard in the South China Sea, would invoke U.S. mutual defense commitments under Article IV of the 1951 U.S. Philippines Mutual Defense Treaty.

Pentagon Spokesperson General Ryder tweeted, The Department will redouble its efforts with our Philippine ally to bolster the defense capabilities of the Armed forces of the Philippines and the Philippine Coast Guard as we work shoulder-to-should to uphold the rules based international order.
[February 28, 2023] VizyPay Ranks No. 86 on the 2023 Inc. 5000 Regionals: Midwest

WAUKEE, Iowa, Feb. 28, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- VizyPay , an industry-disrupting payment processing fintech with a mission to empower small-town businesses with simple, reliable and transparent services, ranked No. 86 on the 2023 Inc. 5000 Regionals: Midwest . This prestigious list includes the fastest-growing private companies in Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota, Nebraska, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. In VizyPays second consecutive appearance on the prestigious list, it ranked No. 2 in Iowa and No. 5 in financial services.

Year after year, VizyPay is shaking up the Midwest by bringing innovation and opportunity to the region. Our transparent payments solutions, powerful technology and rapidly growing, dedicated team are reshaping the stagnant payments industry for the better, said CEO and Founder Austin Mac Nab. Were proud to be a key pillar of the Midwests flourishing economy. By eliminating unnecessary payment processing fees, small business owners across rural America can keep more of their hard-earned money and reinvest it back into the communities they serve. The companies on this list show a remarkable rate of growth across all industries in the Midwest region. Between 2019 and 2021, the private companies on the list had an average growth rate of 535 percent and, in 2021 alone, they added 22,750 jobs and nearly $13.9 billion to the Midwest regions economy. This years Inc. 5000 Regional winners represent one of the most exceptional and exciting lists of Americas off-the-charts growth companies. Theyre disrupters and job creators, and all delivered an outsize impact on the economy. Remember their names and follow their lead. These are the companies youll be hearing about for years to come, said Scot Omelianuk, editor-in-chief of Inc. magazine.



Completely bootstrapped since its inception in 2017, VizyPay has achieved outstanding success, ranking No. 918 in America and No. 4 in Iowa on the 2022 Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing private companies in America with a three-year revenue growth of 695 percent. The company has rapidly expanded in recent years, installing more than 12,000 merchants across the nation, partnering with more than 700 independent sales contractors and onboarding 100 talented, in-house employees. Complete results of the Inc. 5000 Regionals: Midwest, including company profiles and an interactive database that can be sorted by industry, metro area, and other criteria, can be found at inc.com/midwest .

About VizyPay

Headquartered in Waukee, Iowa, VizyPay was founded in 2017 by entrepreneurs who each had either significant credit card processing experience or were previously small business owners. Their combined understanding of these different industries created the perfect cocktail for a credit card processing company that could truly look out for the business owner. Making a huge splash nationwide by being honest and simple, VizyPay ranked #918 on the 2022 Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing private companies in America with a three-year revenue growth of 695%. Media Contact

Ericka Rivera

Uproar PR for VizyPay

[email protected] More about Inc. and the Inc. 5000 Regionals Methodology

The 2023 Inc. 5000 Regionals are ranked according to percentage revenue growth when comparing 2019 and 2021. To qualify, companies must have been founded and generating revenue by March 31, 2019. They had to be U.S.-based, privately held, for-profit, and independentnot subsidiaries or divisions of other companiesas of December 31, 2021. (Since then, a number of companies on the list have gone public or been acquired.) The minimum revenue required for 2019 is $100,000; the minimum for 2021 is $1 million. As always, Inc. reserves the right to decline applicants for subjective reasons. About Inc. Media

The worlds most trusted business-media brand, Inc. offers entrepreneurs the knowledge, tools, connections, and community to build great companies. Its award-winning multiplatform content reaches more than 50 million people each month across a variety of channels including websites, newsletters, social media, podcasts, and print. Its prestigious Inc. 5000 list, produced every year since 1982, analyzes company data to recognize the fastest-growing privately held businesses in the United States. The global recognition that comes with inclusion in the 5000 gives the founders of the best businesses an opportunity to engage with an exclusive community of their peers and the credibility that helps them drive sales and recruit talent. The associated Inc. 5000 Conference is part of a highly acclaimed portfolio of bespoke events produced by Inc. For more information, visit www.inc.com.



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[February 28, 2023] NovaSignal Donates NovaGuide 2 Intelligent Ultrasound to The Jacobs Institute to Advance Stroke Research

LOS ANGELES, Feb. 28, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- NovaSignal Corp., a medical technology and data company specializing in the assessment and management of brain health, today announced the donation of a NovaGuide 2 Intelligent Ultrasound to The Jacobs Institute. A non-profit vascular medical technology innovation center, the Jacobs Institute operates at the forefront of developing the next generation of medical technology for the treatment of vascular disease. The NovaGuide 2 system is an automated device that blends artificial intelligence, ultrasound, and robotics. It provides healthcare practitioners with a real-time look at blood flow in the brain to identify potential risks for stroke and other neurovascular issues. NovaGuide 2 will be used by Adnan H. Siddiqui, MD, Ph.D., CEO/CMO of the Jacobs Institute, to continue research on the use of transcranial Doppler (TCD) for continuous neuromonitoring as a way to guide the development of methods to minimize the risk of stroke during cardiovascular procedures and improve neurovascular procedures to reduce strokes burden.

Understanding cerebral blood flow and accurately detecting emboli during cardiovascular procedures can have a dramatic impact on patient outcomes, said Robert Hamilton, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer and co-founder of NovaSignal. We are excited to partner with The Jacobs Institute to expand our current applications of cerebral hemodynamic monitoring into surgery using the NovaGuide 2 Intelligent Ultrasound. Despite advancements in cardiointervention technology, stroke remains a major complication and can result in procedure-related death. Recent studies estimate that silent ischemic cerebral infarcts, which are common ater a wide range of procedures, affect 600,000 patients annually in the United States.1 The importance of monitoring is established in neurovascular procedures but remains relatively unexplored in cardiac surgery despite this known risk. The robotic NovaGuide 2 Intelligent Ultrasound makes it easier for healthcare professionals to monitor patients during medical procedures. The automated capability allows use beyond expert trained sonographers and novel AI algorithms assist with interpretation of the captured blood flow data.



Vascular disease research continues to evolve and advance because of companies like NovaSignal, said Adnan H. Siddiqui, MD, Ph.D., CEO/CMO of the Jacobs Institute and Director of Neurosurgical Stroke Service for Kaleida Health. Were honored to receive this donation and to continue the important research about stroke related events following cardiac procedures. This donation will help improve access to intelligent ultrasound capabilities for thousands of vascular disease patients in the Buffalo, NY region. The NovaGuide system will be used at the Gates Vascular Institute, the largest Kaleida Health facility and a major teaching affiliate of the Jacobs School of Medicine.

To learn more about the NovaGuide 2 Intelligent Ultrasound, please visit www.novasignal.com. About NovaSignal

Founded in 2013, NovaSignal Corp. is a medical technology company whose mission is to save lives by unlocking the power of cerebral blood flow data. The companys FDA-cleared NovaGuide Intelligent Ultrasound combines non-invasive ultrasound, robotics, and artificial intelligence to assess cerebral hemodynamics in real time. Using cloud computing and data analytics, NovaSignal supports physicians in their clinical decision making in several neurological conditions including stroke, traumatic brain injury, and dementia. To learn more, visit novasignal.com. About The Jacobs Institute

The Jacobs Institute is a non-profit organization whose mission is to accelerate the development of next-generation technologies in vascular medicine through collisions of physicians, engineers, entrepreneurs, and industry. The JI's vision is to improve the treatment of vascular disease in Western New York and the world, while fostering local economic development. The JI fosters medical collaboration and innovation through partnerships with the University at Buffalo (UB), Kaleida Health, and industry, to be a fitting tribute to the work and memory of Lawrence D. Jacobs, M.D. To learn more about the Jacobs Institute, please visit our website at: https://jacobsinstitute.org. Media Contacts:

Theresa Masnik

SHIFT Communications

[email protected] _______________

1 Lansky AJ, Messe SR, Brickman AM, et al. Proposed Standardized Neurological Endpoints for Cardiovascular Clinical Trials: An Academic Research Consortium Initiative. Eur Heart J. 2018;39(19):1687-1697. doi:10.1093/eurheartj/ehx037



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[February 28, 2023] Prime Insurance Company Prevails in Case Against the State of Mississippi

On February 1, 2023, Prime announced that the Mississippi District Court entered an order dismissing the ill-advised lawsuit against the firm. Prime Insurance Company, a leading provider of innovative liability solutions for specialty risks, prides itself on protecting, and fighting for, its clients. However, in 2018, Prime was in the unusual position of having to defend itself against the State of Mississippi. The State of Mississippi lawsuit was initiated 13 years after Hurricane Katrina. After 1,800 deaths and $125 billion in damage, with massive government response, insurance companies scrambled to evaluate and pay claims to help homeowners and businesses recover from the immense calamity. Prime Insurance Company was among those firms. Prime paid out some $10 million in claims to Mississippi insureds yet had received only about $2 million in premiums from those clients. Yet nearly 13 years after the disaster, after all claims were resolved to everyone's satisfaction, plaintiff attorneys, hired by politicians and paid on contingency, descended on the insurance industry demanding that the companies pay even more-with a chunk of the money collected going into the pockets of the private attorneys. The State of Mississippi, using contracted attorneys, filed lawsuits against 12 insurance companies who the State claimed breached their obligations to policyholders affected by the Hurricane. The state claimed Prime, and the other companies should pay millions of dollars to reimburse the state for federal funding used t help the homeowners after the hurricane. The AG argued that HUD disaster relief funds were used to pay victim costs that should have been paid by insurance companies. These claims for payment to the state were without precedent and beyond all applicable statutes of limitation.



The other 11 insurance companies, despite asserting their innocence, caved in, and entered settlements, costing them millions of dollars. However, Prime refused to capitulate to what amounted to legal plunder, rejecting settlement offers and engaging in a lengthy court battle. The Mississippi attorney general at the time also gave free rein to the plaintiffs' bar to sue the insurance companies on behalf of the state regarding the Katrina claims already settled and paid to policyholders a decade earlier. In addition, any money collected in these lawsuits would not go to hurricane victims but would be kept by the state and the plaintiff attorneys. The money would also not be returned to HUD, which granted substantial amounts of money to the state for disaster relief.

"The state initially demanded $6 million from Prime," says Rick J. Lindsey, Chairman, CEO & President of Prime Holdings Insurance Services. "Our attorneys negotiated it down to $150,000. But I refused to pay even that amount. I believe fervently that settling such claims is bad for everyone-for homeowners, for governments and for insurance companies." In its case against the State of Mississippi, Prime asserted that the statute of limitations principle(s) was abused as were contingency fee arrangements, and proper procurement practices were ignored. After a hard-fought battle that lasted five years, the Mississippi District Court dismissed the lawsuit against Prime on February 1, 2023. "We treated our policyholders and the State of Mississippi properly throughout the Hurricane Katrina disaster and its aftermath. We are proud to be vindicated for standing up for truth and right. Standing up to bullies is always the right thing to do," said Lindsey. Prime Insurance Company is *Rated A (Excellent) by AM Best. Prime provides specialty lines insurance solutions across all 50 states, US Virgin Islands and Guam. Prime has offices in Salt Lake City, Utah; Chicago, IL; Naples; FL and Exton, PA. *For recent ratings please visit www.ambest.com View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230227005634/en/

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[February 28, 2023] Aliro Quantum's AliroNet Chosen as the Network Controller for EPB Quantum Network? powered by Qubitekk

Aliro Quantum, The Quantum Networking Company, today announced that its AliroNet solution has been selected to provide the quantum network controller for the recently announced EPB Quantum Network? powered by Qubitekk. AliroNet will provide the user interface to EPB Quantum Network customers enabling end-users to define, validate, schedule, run and control EPB Quantum Network? services. All user data and telemetry will be securely gathered and stored to safeguard intellectual property. "EPB Quantum Network will support the commercialization of quantum industry innovations and position Chattanooga for new economic, employment and technological developments," said David Wade, EPB president and CEO. "AliroNet will provide an essential component of the network by enabling the seamless and reliable configuration, management and control to advance the acceleration of commercial quantum technologies." AliroNet will also provide the network operator's interface, which will allow EPB operators to manage and monitor the physical quantum network infrastructure. EPB operators will be able to define and manage quantum services offered to EPB Quantum Network customers and end-users. "Quantum networks require sophisticated control, management, and orchestration software to operate seamlessly and at optimum capacity," said Jim Ricotta, CEO and Chairman of Aliro Quantum. "AliroNet will provide comprehensive quantum network control software for the end-to-end system." On the backend, AliroNet will be responsible for managing and scheduling access to the pooled quantum hardware resources, routing traffic across the quantum network, and executing the end-user service workflows. "Quantum product developers must be able to depend on reliable, predictable technology to ensure their developments will succeed when they go to market," said Dr. Duncan Earl, Qubitekk co-founder, president and CTO. "AliroNet software along with Qubitekk hardware and embedded software technology will provide a consistent, dependable solution to help EPB Quantum Network clients integrate to the network." "EPB is a national leader in deploying cutting edge fiber optic technology and with Qubitekk continues to operate on the frontier of possibilities," said Dr. Prineha Narang, founder and CTO with Aliro. "EPB will take advantage of AliroNet, a comprehensive quantum network software solution, for orchestration and control to simplify the deployment, configuration an management of EPB Quantum Network for potential use in secure communications implementations, quantum computing connectivity and distributed quantum sensing."



EPB Quantum Network? is a quantum-as-a-service offering that will provide quantum technologists with fiber optic infrastructure that integrates the latest foundational quantum equipment and software to accelerate their process for bringing quantum technologies and applications to market. Aliro Quantum services also include helping with the analysis, selection and acquisition of third-party quantum networking hardware components used to build quantum memories, repeaters, routers, photon sources, photon detectors and other optical components. AliroNet use cases include quantum secure communications (QSC) between sites, campuses, branch offices, data centers and clouds. AliroNet also operates in conjunction with traditional classical networks and existing fiber installations meaning it does not require a forklift upgrade to implement an entanglement-based quantum network.

About Aliro Aliro Quantum, The Quantum Networking Company, offers AliroNet to emulate, pilot and deploy entanglement-based quantum networks that are capable of running a wide variety of applications from secure communications to clustered quantum computing and distributed quantum sensing. Aliro, spun out of NarangLab at Harvard University, includes world-class experts in quantum and classical networking and is leading the charge in quantum network development by offering the foundational technologies needed for organizations around the world to build scalable and powerful distributed quantum systems. AliroNet users include utility companies, telecommunications providers, public sector organizations, enterprises and researchers who are simulating, designing, piloting orchestrating and building the world's first entanglement-based quantum networks. Aliro also works with industry and academic partners through the Quantum Economic Development Consortium (QED-C), the NSF Center for Quantum Networks (CQN) and the NSF Quantum Leap Challenge Institute Hybrid Quantum Architectures and Networks (HQAN). Additionally, Aliro is involved in several quantum networking standards groups at IEEE and QED-C. To learn more, visit www.aliroquantum.com. About EPB EPB delivers advanced smart city infrastructure and world-class energy and connectivity solutions, including the most resilient smart grid power distribution system in the United States and the fastest internet in the world. EPB gained national notice when it deployed America's first community-wide Gig-speed internet in 2010, later expanding the ubiquitously available service to 10 Gig in 2015 and 25 Gig in 2022. Ever committed to keeping Chattanooga on the cutting edge, in 2022, EPB established EPB Quantum NetworkSM powered by Qubitekk, America's first industry-led, commercially available quantum network designed for private companies as well as government and university researchers to run quantum equipment and applications in an established fiber optic environment. EPB utilizes its fiber optic network as the communications backbone for more than 200,000 smart switches, sensors and other devices. As a result, the Chattanooga area's power distribution system is the most advanced and highly automated smart grid in the nation. This led the U.S. Department of Energy to name EPB a living laboratory for pioneering smart grid technologies. Since then, EPB has partnered with Oak Ridge National Laboratory, the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and more than 20 other national research partners to play a critical role in more than $155 million in smart city research, earning such recognitions as the R&D 100 Award for its work to apply quantum technologies to securing America's electric grid. EPB was also the first major power distribution utility to earn the GBCI's PEER certification for having a highly automated, modernized electric power grid in 2015 and followed up in 2021 by re-certifying at PEER Gold. EPB is an independent board of the City of Chattanooga which began serving customers in 1939 and today reaches a 600-square-mile service territory that includes the city of Chattanooga, Tennessee and the surrounding area. Visit epb.com for more information. About Qubitekk Qubitekk designs, builds and integrates the hardware and software for quantum networks, precursors to the quantum-enabled internet while championing the growth of a robust quantum ecosystem through education, advocacy and collaboration. Qubitekk's comprehensive entanglement distribution technology is at the core of the Bohr-IV Metro Quantum Network solution deployed at EPB and utilized in its Quantum Network Essentials product line and secure network solutions being developed for drones, satellite communications and the electric grid. Co-founded by Dr. Duncan Earl, a nationally recognized pioneer in the field of practical quantum applications, Qubitekk holds more patents than any American player in quantum communications and security and has been recognized with an Edison Gold Award and R&D World's R&D 100 award. Qubitekk's quantum technology is empowering the next generation of solutions for AI, machine learning, automation, sensing applications, cybersecurity and secure communications. The company's growing list of partners and customers includes NASA, GE, Verizon, Juniper, Boeing, the United States Department of Energy and the United States Department of Defense. For more information, visit Qubitekk.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230228005236/en/

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[February 28, 2023] Jackery Named to "Best of CES" 2023 Lists by Tech-Focused Media Following Trade Show Attendance

Digital Trends, ZDNET, Rolling Stone, and Popular Mechanics reviewers laud Jackery's 2023 offerings FREMONT, Calif., Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Jackery ("the company") proudly walked away from CES 2023 with awards and further recognition thanks to their inclusion in online "Best of CES" lists and reviews. Popular, tech-focused reviewers and thought leaders such as Digital Trends, ZDNET, Rolling Stone, and Popular Mechanics visited the Jackery booth at CES 2023 and got first-hand demonstrations of the company's latest products. Tech gurus left the booth impressed with the company's trendsetting in solar energy and energy efficiency and included them in their reviews and recommendations following the show. Digital Trends excited about many of Jackery's offerings Harkening the future of camping, the LightTent-AIR garnered the Best of Innovation Award at this year's CES and attention from Digital Trends. The reviewers were wowed by this one-of-a-kind portable tent fitted with flexible GaAs solar panels on its adjustable canopy to offer 24/7 green energy and how the tent allows campers to charge their gear overnight, making it easy to get up and go on the next adventure. Its sturdy design is provided by a self-supporting inflatable structure, and the waterproof and flame-retardant PVC-coated fabric ensures safety while staying in the great outdoors. Likewise, reviewers at Digital Trends delighted in the Air-W's portability and versatility for almos any terrain or outdoor location and the capability to charge the LightCycle-S1 while driving. A marriage of green energy and mobility, the LightCycle-S1 can be towed by most vehicles so that it converts kinetic energy into electricity to charge its built-in battery pack. After 200 km, travelers have a fully charged battery that fascinated writers.



ZDNET recommends Solar Generator 1000 Impressed with the Solar Generator 1000's safety and reliability, ZDNET recently named it the best power generator overall in their roundup of similar products. With a 1002Wh output, the generator's capability of powering multiple electronic devices, such as a mini fridge or space heater, charmed reviewers. They commented on its many outlet options and different ports for charging phones and other appliances.

Rolling Stone dubs the Solar Generator 3000 Pro one of the Best of CES 2023 Green energy solutions are what consumers are looking for these days, and Rolling Stone was taken with the Solar Generator 3000 Pro's ability to help outdoorspeople enjoy nature while at the same time protecting it. Their Best of CES 2023 list pointed out the light, portable quality of the generator as well as its powerful input and its re-charge speed. They recommended the generator for anyone about to go on a trip who needs a large amount of power. Popular Mechanics names Explorer 3000 Pro the Best Portable Generator Adding to the media love for Jackery following their CES attendance was Popular Mechanics, which focused on the Explorer 3000 Pro's 3024 wh capacity. The well-established tech media included the generator on their Best of CES 2023 list and called it the best portable generator currently on the market. Other media accolades Other tech media outlets such as Brainnerd Dispatch and Android Authority sang Jackery's praises for their cutting-edge solar energy products. With all this coverage, 2023 is shaping up to be a year to watch out for Jackery. For more information, please visit: https://www.jackery.com About Jackery Jackery, the world's leading innovative portable power and green outdoor energy solution provider founded in California in 2012, is a global top-selling solar generator brand born with a vision to offer green energy to everyone, everywhere. View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/jackery-named-to-best-of-ces-2023-lists-by-tech-focused-media-following-trade-show-attendance-301757681.html SOURCE Jackery Inc.

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[February 28, 2023] In Youth Power program Gen Z spells out its optimism on China's economy

BEIJING, Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- As spring is ushered in, and as eased pandemic control regulations take effect, China's economy is moving back into top gear. The ninth episode of season two of Youth Power, titled "China's economy: the best days lie ahead", was broadcast online on Feb 28. In the episode, Gen Zers from China, Egypt, Germany, Kazakhstan, South Korea and the United States gathered to discuss economic development in China and around the world. A report to the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China last year said the country has advanced reform, opening up and socialist modernization and has written a new chapter on rapid economic growth and long-term social stability. In discussing the progress and future of China's economy, confidence was a word frequently mentioned by Gen Zers in the program. Their confidence on how China's economy will perform this year was based on the hard work of Chinese companies, as well as an environment of innovation, entrepreneurship and abundant opportunities. "China has always been a vibrant place, and I also think there's now this new wave of Chinese companies going global," said Jonas Wolf, a young businessman from Germany. The emphasis on education and the learning capacity of Chinese are the main reasons why he is confident in China's economy, he said. Uldana Zhunisbek, an international student from Kazakhstan, said China's technology is frequently used in her country. "You can see many Xiaomi scooters on the street  and we are importing a lot of cars from China, like Chery, one of the top ones right now." Moreover, in street interviews, Gen Zers in or from more than 10 countries spoke of their favorite Chinese brands, one observation being that many involve new technology or infrastructure. This proves that Chinese technology is advancing rapidly, powering an economy that is increasingly dynamic and competitive. With constant innovation and perpetual hard work, more quality Chinese products will enter the international market, Gen Zers who talked to Youth Power said. Government incentives and a friendly business environment in China will attract young business people from all over the world, tey said.



Wolf, impressed by China's creative start-ups, said: "The theme of Chinese business parks is really big (in Germany). And I think for every entrepreneurial venture  these are great opportunities." A South Korean businessman, Kim Jun-bum, spoke of entrepreneur-friendly policies adopted by the Chinese government, including the cluster registration policy and the start-up visa policy. "I believe entrepreneurs will enjoy brighter prospects from China's innovation-driven development," he said.

Chen Shihua of Peking University said: "Today there are more than 48 million micro, small and medium-sized enterprises in China, and for every 1,000 Chinese there are 34 entrepreneurs. In the torrent of Chinese economic development, these invisible but significant entrepreneurs are millions of waves, dancing and blossoming in such a unique, beautiful and enthusiastic way." Yin Mingqi, a student at Tsinghua University in Beijing, said one of the most important sources of economic vigor in China is the government's support for those starting up their own business. Yin, of Taiwan province, told of producing culturally innovative products and helping villages create brands. "What China does is to give full play to the important role of rural areas as consumer markets and also as sector markets." As China makes an ever greater contribution to world economic growth, Gen Zers worldwide have seen for themselves the changes brought by China to their countries. Uldana Zhunisbek, the Kazakhstani, said her country is involved in the Belt and Road Initiative. "We get a lot of investment from China. It always helps us to grow. Another thing is that China is helping us with the infrastructure with a lot of machinery and with technology." Sarah Khattab from Egypt praised Chinese construction companies for their reliability and efficiency, and she listed several projects on which China and Egypt have collaborated, including the Chinese CBD project in the Egyptian capital, Cairo, a monorail project there, and the development of the Suez Canal. Enoch Wong, a guest from the Hong Kong special administrative region, said that in the past decade the Belt and Road Initiative has resulted in significant economic growth for a large part of the developing world, further contributing to global development. He expressed excitement and confidence over such collaboration. One view aired in the program was that when China does well, the world does well, and vice versa. The host, Zhong Yutong, who graduated from Fudan University in Shanghai and Cambridge University in England, said China's development now has an even bigger impact on the world, which has benefited greatly from the country's high-quality development, just as China has benefited from international prosperity. This year China begins fully to implement the guiding principles of the 20th CPC National Congress, and Gen Zers talked about their expectations for China's economy this year. Great emphasis was put on China's high-quality development, consumption and services. Young people from the US showed great interest in domestic and international dual circulation, a South Korea highlighted science and technology innovation and talent cultivation, and a German perspective was that the balance and coordination of China's economic development is important. The Gen Zers agreed that the economy has been highly resilient, vibrant and has tremendous long-term potential. As a generation focusing on innovation, hard work and opportunities, it is clear that Gen Zers will step forward and contribute to China's economy with utter confidence. Zhong Yutong said many business people, especially those from overseas, are excited about opportunities in China. "This confidence is very justified. In the past few years, China has opened its arms even wider to investors from outside the country, entrepreneurs otherwise not really known in China's mainland." Youth Power, organized by China Daily and first broadcast in June 2021, aims to build a global platform of communication and exchange, focusing on the interests and ideas of Generation Z. The program comes in the form of interviews, forums and speeches, with topics related to anything of current interest in the world. View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/in-youth-power-program-gen-z-spells-out-its-optimism-on-chinas-economy-301757973.html SOURCE China Daily

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[February 28, 2023] Intracom Telecom Announces mmWave FWA Gigabit Terminal Station

Telecom operators can now deliver true Gigabit speed of connection to subscribers with mmWave wireless at long ranges from the base station ATHENS, Greece, Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Intracom Telecom, a global telecommunication systems and solutions vendor, announced today the launch of its new millimeter wave (mmWave) MU-MIMO Terminal Station, the WiBAS G5 GigaConnect. The company is displaying its uniquely featured product at its stand number 7B44 in hall 7, during MWC Barcelona 2023, 27 February  2 March. Operators can now offer high-end wireless Gigabit connectivity services to more homes in suburban and rural areas thanks to the improved modem technology of the system, while gaining higher channel bandwidth utilization and denser networks (PMP). The WiBAS G5 GigaConnect is ideal for service locations requiring cost-effective and rapidly-implemented FWA networks as it enables state-of-the-art IP connectivity in zero-footprint installations. This innovative terminal delivers download speeds of 1 Gigabit/s, increased operational convenience, reliable performance and power-saving features, while its MU-MIMO technology facilitates high spectrum utilization in parallel with fast and reliable connections. It also offers advanced networking features, extended coverage and leading PMP radio technology in the 24.25-29.50 GHzarea-licensed bands, while its zero-touch provisioning capabilities enables effortless network deployment.



John Tenidis, Marketing Director of Intracom Telecom's Wireless Networks Solutions portfolio, noted: "With the commercial launch of the WiBAS G5 GigaConnect terminal station, we deliver our promise to our customers for a device that, apart from the gigabit download speeds it offers, is backwards compatible and forward interoperable with the WiBAS G5 dual-BS and G5 smart-BS base station devices, providing 100% reuse of the existing network investment." Dimitrios Pantelopoulos, R&D Director of Intracom Telecom's Wireless Networks Solutions Division, added: "We are capitalizing on the vast experience and accumulated knowledge of our R&D team gathered over the past 30 years to develop the most competitive and innovative products, to enable our customers to serve a much larger number of homes and businesses, upgrade their existing infrastructures and reduce their network TCO. The MU-MIMO WIBAS technology of the GigaConnect terminal enables maximum exploitation of the available spectrum and the provision of wide coverage of rural areas with 1 Gbps service."

About Intracom Telecom Intracom Telecom is a global telecommunication systems and solutions vendor operating for 45 years in the market. The company has become the benchmark in fixed wireless access and it successfully innovates in the 5G/4G wireless RAN transport and small-cell SON backhaul international arena. Intracom Telecom offers a comprehensive revenue-generating software solutions portfolio and a complete range of ICT services, focusing on IoT, SDN/NFV, Big Data analytics & data-driven intelligence, and Smart City solutions. Moreover, it addresses the Energy & Utilities industry, emphasizing on smart metering and end-to-end IT solutions. Intracom Telecom is also active in the defense systems sector providing security integrated systems for critical infrastructure protection and border surveillance. The company has extensive know-how and a proven track record in the market, serving fixed and mobile telecom operators, public authorities and large public and private enterprises. Intracom Telecom maintains its own R&D and production facilities, and operates subsidiaries worldwide. For more information please visit: www.intracom-telecom.com View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/intracom-telecom-announces-mmwave-fwa-gigabit-terminal-station-301758039.html SOURCE Intracom Telecom

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[February 28, 2023] Kanbrick Announces Acquisition of Calibration and Testing Company JM Test Systems in Partnership with Family Owners, the Morrisons

Kanbrick, the long-term investment partnership focused on investing in and building founder- and family-owned businesses, today announced its partnership with JM Test Systems, which calibrates, repairs and tests a wide variety of equipment. Kanbrick will partner with current owners, the Morrison family, to support the next phase of growth for the business. For nearly half a century, JM Test Systems has been dedicated to helping the world run accurately and safely by calibrating, renting, and distributing test and measurement equipment and providing other related services and products. "We're delighted to partner with Kanbrick on the next phase of growth for JM Test," said CEO Scott Morrison. "Kanbrick was the clear choice given their long-term perspective, experience building businesses, and focus on partnering with family- and founder-owned businesses. We're looking forward to continuing to deliver best-in-class services for our customers and accelerating growth, while honoring our father's legacy." The idea for JM Test began in 1982, when founder Ed Morrison, an equipment manager for a large instrumentation and electrical contractor in Louisiana, saw an opportunity to enhance service for customers. He knew just how important high-quality certfied test equipment was to a jobsite. But when he couldn't find vendors that lived up to his standards, he launched JM Test out of a borrowed trailer in a backyard. He grew the firm and eventually passed the business on to his three sons, who have run JM Test and helped expand to 10 locations in the United States.



"JM Test has espoused the values of quality, accuracy and reliability since it was founded more than 40 years ago and has delivered consistent, annual growth," said Tracy Britt Cool, Co-Founder of Kanbrick. "That kind of legacy is rare, and we're proud to have the opportunity to partner with the Morrison family and the JM Test team to build on its reputation of satisfied customers and unparalleled solutions." The Kanbrick team will work closely with the JM Test team to expand into new geographies and adjacent services, grow through strategic M&A, and continue building a strong platform providing mission-critical test and calibration services for high cost-of-failure equipment in diversified commercial applications.

About Kanbrick Kanbrick is a long-term investment partnership founded by Tracy Britt Cool and Brian Humphrey. Kanbrick is focused on acquiring, growing, and building great businesses by providing a long-term home for companies. Kanbrick partners closely with owners and executives, taking a hands-on approach to empower people and companies to reach their full potential. For more information, visit: www.kanbrick.com. About JM Test Systems Founded over 40 years ago, JM Test provides mission-critical test & measurement equipment and services to thousands of customers in a variety of industries, ensuring accuracy, reliability, and quality. JM Test's full-service metrology labs provide sales, rental, test, and calibration services for customers' mission-critical test & measurement and electrical safety equipment. JM Test is increasingly bringing its full suite of mission critical services to more local markets in the United States. For more information, visit: https://jmtest.com/ View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230228005693/en/

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[February 28, 2023] Los Angeles County's Covid-19 Test-to-Treat Program With Healthvana Successfully Reaches Underserved Populations by Leveraging Technology

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, Stanford University researchers, and Healthvana, a patient engagement technology platform, are published in the March 2023 issue of NEJM Catalyst - "Streamlining Test-to-Treat: A Novel Care Delivery Model for Oral Antiviral Access to Close the Equity Divide in Los Angeles County." (Full study + key takeaways: https://catalyst.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/CAT.22.0328) The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health and Healthvana piloted an innovative treatment-dispensing model, cost-free to patients, to address inequitable access, complex care costs, and the time-sensitive nature of Covid-19 medication prescriptions. The intervention successfully combined confidential digital delivery of test results, antiviral education, and direct access to therapeutics within hours of a positive test result. "Thanks to this innovative approach, people living in disproportionately impacted communities were able to access free services within hours after receiving a positive test. This helped people get well and undoubtedly kept people out of the hospitals and saved lives," said Dr. Barbara Ferrer, Ph.D., M.P.H., M.Ed., Director of the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. "The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health is committed to addressing racial and economic inequities by bridging service gaps and this program helped us improve access to life-saving services in the midst of a deadly pandemic. I want to thank our partners at Healthvana for providing timely information about our telehealth services to residents and workers living in under-resourced communities." The study notes equitable public health solutions targeting underserved communities are unlikely to come from the same health care infrastructure that initially created them. "Successful public-private partnerships like this can be replicated by local, state, and federal leaders, with the goal of reimagining how to reach at-risk populations with more streamlined solutions that leverage technologies we all use every day," said Nirav R. Shah, MD, MPH, Senior Scholar, Clinical Excellence Research Center, Stanford University School of Medicine. One of the key takeaways from the publication was 'meeting people where they are' and coupling it with the rapid roll-out and real-time iteration. That's what will make the future of public health successful. "The largest county in the U.S. made getting Paxlovid as easy as ordering a pizza - bringing access to populations that have traditionally not been reached," said Ramin Bastani, CEO of Healthvana. "Programs like these show the future of public health. A fture where the power of technology is leveraged to reach people at the highest risk and that helps them navigate toward better health. A future where patient trust is earned - one positive interaction at a time. A future where focusing on at-risk and underserved populations is not only the right thing to do but also saves considerable money. In this case, one Covid-19 hospitalization costs about $500,000 in California (according to Becker's Hospital Review), while the cost of each intervention in this program was relatively minuscule. That's a big win-win. Our team is grateful for the innovative leaders from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health that enabled the program and to the researchers at Stanford University."



Program details: access to antivirals directly from a positive result, free telehealth services in over 60 languages For individuals who completed a free PCR test at dedicated Los Angeles County Department of Public Health testing sites, Healthvana delivered confidential test results through email and/or text messages.

Positive patients were provided the option to "Get Treatment" via a large button on the same screen as the patient's positive result, and residents were directed to call the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health Telehealth Call Center for a nurse or physician consultation (available in over 60 languages).

Prescriptions were available at the patient's choice of pharmacy or were delivered to the home by overnight mail from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health pharmacy. Program results: 1 in 15 patients who saw their positive test result received an antiviral prescription

During the study period, this care model delivered over 25,000 PCR-positive test results from over 75 Los Angeles County Department of Public Health test sites and enabled patients to connect with a clinician within hours; nearly 1,500 patients received a prescription for antivirals.

90% of patients lived in the highest-vulnerability zip codes as identified by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health.

The median time between a patient receiving their result notification via Healthvana and clicking the "Get Treatment" button was 6.25 hours (375 minutes), allowing patients to quickly begin the process to receive their antiviral medication. (This is critical, as time is of the essence with Covid-19 antivirals, which must be taken within 5 days of the first symptoms.) Study impact: lives saved, long-COVID, 100x healthcare system cost savings The test-to-treat program focused on providing antiviral access to high-priority communities in Los Angeles County; the poorest zip codes have a 2x risk of death: "Hospitalization and death rates are nearly double for people living in the county's poorest neighborhoods compared to those residing in the wealthiest neighborhoods." (Los Angeles County Department of Public Health Email)

Los Angeles County Department of Public Health's overall program cost was considered nominal compared with the average hospitalization cost to manage a single case in California, which ranged from about $111,213 (non-complex) to $461,780 (complex). Program costs include part of the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health clinician salaries, the phone banking salaries, and the Healthvana program costs which are estimated to be less than the treatment of a single hospitalized complex case.

The longer-term impacts of access to Paxlovid on long-Covid are still being studied; however early data suggests that not receiving antivirals could have compounding effects over time, resulting in worse long-term health outcomes for the individual and increased national healthcare costs over time. About Healthvana Healthvana makes healthcare better for patients. The company's engagement platform is used to manage and communicate with patient populations, leading to better health outcomes and lower costs. Since 2015 the company has delivered over 50 million health records to patients across the U.S. Healthvana's work has been featured everywhere from Fox News to The New York Times, and at the White House. For more information, visit www.Healthvana.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230228006001/en/

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[February 28, 2023] Thumzup Grows Advertising Clients Listed on its Proprietary Social Media Marketing Platform by 1,000 Percent in 3 Months

Available in the App Store and Google Play, Thumzup Enables Virtually Everyone to Earn Cash Rewards through Venmo and PayPal for Posting on Social Media about Participating Brands Los Angeles, CA, Feb. 28, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Thumzup Media Corporation ("Thumzup") (OTCQB:TZUP) today reports that over the last three months, the number of advertisers listed on its platform grew by 1,000 percent. This growth illustrates that more people have the ability to earn cash rewards through Venmo and PayPal for their posts about participating brands products and services made on social media through the Thumzup platform. The Thumzup mobile application, available for download in the App Store and Google Play, incentivizes everyday customers with cash simply for posting on social media, through the Thumzup app, in support of their favorite brands. By incentivizing everyday customers to become advocates for the brands they enjoy, Thumzup offers users an easy way to earn money while promoting products and services they love. We are pleased our recently-announced outreach efforts to businesses on the Westside of Los Angeles area have shown such strong growth. Our platform is resonating with both advertisers seeking a cost-effective marketing solution and consumers looking to reap cash rewards, stated Robert Steele, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Thumzup. Most importantly, we are building strong onboarding processesand customer relationship management systems which will be pivotal as we scale Thumzup to additional target markets nationwide. We believe that the solid foundation we are laying down will continue to facilitate Thumzups growth throughout 2023 and beyond.



Thumzups platform enables virtually everyone to earn cash for posting on social media about companies and brands listed in the Thumzup App. Thumzup cash rewards are available based on each advertisers specifications. For more information, please visit https://www.thumzupmedia.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. Thumzup is a 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

[email protected]



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We were taught, back in the 1960s, that Jupiter had twelve moons. Our sixth grade teacher even made us memorize the four largest: Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto. Its neighboring planet Saturn only had nine, and because it was the smaller of the two planets made sense to us using grade-school logic. On Earth, we had to be content with only one moon because some planets like Venus and Mercury and even Pluto didnt have any. But over time things change in astronomy as we know.

For example, three hundred years earlier, schoolchildren were told that Venus had one moon named Neith after the Egyptian goddess of the cosmos and it could be seen if you had a telescope. First reportedly sighted by the famous Giovanni Cassini in 1672 and later by several others, Neith was observed up to 30 times by astronomers in Europe until 1770 when it suddenly disappeared. Completely absent during the transits of Venus across the Sun in 1761 and 1769, it was silently removed from all astronomy texts thereafter.

The same thing happened in reverse with Mars. For hundreds of years the Red Planet was barren of moons until August 12, 1877, when Asaph Hall, using the rather small telescope at the US Naval Observatory in Washington, D.C., a 26-inch refractor, discovered the two Martian moons Phobos and Deimos in one night.

Going back to Jupiter, the planets four largest moons were discovered by Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei. Lifting up his newly constructed 20-power homemade telescope towards Jupiter on Jan. 7, 1610, Galileo noticed three other points of light near the planet, first believing them to be distant stars. Observing them over several nights, he noted that they appeared to move in the wrong direction with regard to the background stars and they remained in Jupiters proximity but changed their positions relative to one another. He later observed a fourth star near the planet with the same unusual behavior. By Jan. 15, Galileo correctly concluded that they were not stars at all but moons orbiting around Jupiter. This observation provided concrete evidence for the Copernican theory which proposed the Sun as the center of our Solar System and not the Earth. This almost got him burned at the stake.

The number of moons for Jupiter stood at four until late in the 19th century when astronomer Edward Barnard observed Amalthea in 1892 using purely visual observations (eyesight) while an astronomer working with the 36-inch telescope at the Lick Observatory in San Jose, California. With the aid of cameras and longtime exposures with sensitive photographic plates, further discoveries followed quickly over the course of the 20th century. Himalia was discovered in 1904 also at the Lick Observatory, Elara in 1905 also at Lick, Pasiphae in 1908 was discovered by the Royal Greenwich Observatory, Sinope, again at Lick in 1914, Lysithea and Carme in 1938, Ananke in 1951, those three from Mount Wilson bringing the number to the twelve that I mentioned earlier.

It was a dozen moons until a thirteenth was discovered in 1974 at Mount Palomar after three nights worth of images taken. Named Leda in honor of the lady with the swan, that was it until the Voyager mission.

The Voyager spacecraft discovered an additional three inner moons in 1979: Metis, Adrastea, and Thebe. With advances in opto-electronics, astronomers began using charge coupled devices (CCDs), the same kind of camera found in an iPhone, in telescopes on Earth, allowing for detailed surveys of the sky at unprecedented sensitivities, ushering in a wave of new moon discoveries. By 2018, astronomers had increased the number of moons revolving around Jupiter to a staggering 79.

Just last week the number has been officially increased to 92. The new moons have been discovered using telescopes in Hawaii and Chile in 2021 and 2022, and their orbits were confirmed with follow-up observations. These newest Jovian moons range in size from 0.6 miles to 2 miles. This number is more than any other planet in our solar system. Saturn, the ringed planet, comes in a close second with 83 confirmed moons. For the record, Uranus has 27 moons at this point, Neptune 14 and Mars still two.

The Jupiter moons were added recently to a list kept by the International Astronomical Unions Minor Planet Center with many of these additional moons discovered by Scott Sheppard of the Carnegie Institution.

Next year, NASA will launch the Europa Clipper to explore Jupiters moon of the same name, which could harbor an ocean beneath its frozen crust. This should be interesting.
[February 28, 2023] TransPerfect's GlobalLink Connect Becomes First-Ever Akeneo-Certified Application

NEW YORK, Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- TransPerfect, the world's largest provider of language and technology solutions for global business, today announced that its GlobalLink Connect translation management technology is Akeneo's first-ever certified application and is available in the Akeneo App Store. GlobalLink Connect for Akeneo is TransPerfect's all-in-one solution to initiate, automate, control, track, and complete all facets of the translation process, all within Akeneo's user interface. The combination of Akeneo's product information management (PIM) system and the extended localization workflow capabilities of GlobalLink provides users with a comprehensive solution for managing global enterprise content with minimal effort and virtually no IT overhead. Akeneo's newly established app certification program is designed to ensure the quality, value, and performance of the apps that it offers and endorses for its customers in its official App Store. As the first and only Akeneo-certified application for language services and multilingual content management, GlobalLink Connect has been endorsed as the platform of choice for Akeneo users who want an integrated solution to help globalize their content. This process happens automatically and securely between Akeneo and GlobalLink through a new authentication integration between the two platforms and considers the unique needs around PIM, including tagging and change management. Organizations will benefit from having more control over their product catalog, ensuring that all product-specific information is correctly flagged for translation and enabling them to quickly, efficiently, and securely rach customers worldwide.



Kristin Naragon, Akeneo's Chief Marketing and Strategy Officer, added, "Through this newly certified app, we look forward to providing even more solutions to help global brands and retailers better navigate the ever-changing, cross-border commerce landscape as well as further deepening our longstanding, Premier-level partnership with TransPerfect." TransPerfect President and CEO Phil Shawe stated, "We are honored to be the first app to be certified in Akeneo's marketplace. We appreciate the endorsement of GlobalLink and look forward to being part of the global product strategy for Akeneo users."

More information about TransPerfect's GlobalLink Connect for Akeneo solution is available here. Attendees of Akeneo Unlock can see a live demo of the integration in Paris on March 8 and 9, and shared customer Pierce Group will also be presenting their story of how these two technologies have helped them save time and money. About Akeneo

Akeneo brings a complete and composable SaaS-based solution for managing, orchestrating, activating, and optimizing the entire product record in order to drive compelling and consistent product experiences across all owned and unowned channels and routes-to-market. With its open platform, leading PIM for product data and asset management, and ecosystem connectivity with Akeneo App Store, Akeneo Product Cloud empowers commerce businesses to deliver world-class product experiences that unlock growth. Leading global brands, manufacturers, distributors, and retailers, including Thrasio, Staples Canada, boohoo, and Air Liquide trust Akeneo to scale and customize their omnichannel commerce initiatives. Using Akeneo Product Cloud, brands and retailers can activate product experiences in any channel, therefore driving improved customer experiences, increased sales, reduced time to market, accelerated expansion, and increased team productivity. About TransPerfect

TransPerfect is the world's largest provider of language and technology solutions for global business. From offices in over 100 cities on six continents, TransPerfect offers a full range of services in 200+ languages to clients worldwide. More than 6,000 global organizations employ TransPerfect's GlobalLink technology to simplify management of multilingual content. With an unparalleled commitment to quality and client service, TransPerfect is fully ISO 9001 and ISO 17100 certified. TransPerfect has global headquarters in New York, with regional headquarters in London and Hong Kong. For more information, please visit our website at www.transperfect.com. View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/transperfects-globallink-connect-becomes-first-ever-akeneo-certified-application-301758199.html SOURCE TransPerfect

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[February 28, 2023] AFFOA WELCOMES ELISABETH B. REYNOLDS, Ph.D. TO ITS BOARD OF DIRECTORS

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Advanced Functional Fabrics of America, Inc. (AFFOA) is proud to announce the addition of Elisabeth B. Reynolds, Ph.D., to its Board of Directors. The Institute's newest board member brings a wealth of knowledge in supply chain management, government policy, and manufacturing/industrial strategy, having held positions in the White House as well as MIT. Reynolds' expertise and background complement AFFOA's current board, creating a highly knowledgeable and accomplished committee. AFFOA adds to institute board focusing on scaling up and semiconductor integration for America's textile industry. Reynolds was the Special Assistant to the President for Manufacturing and Economic Development at the National Economic Council until October 2022. During her time in President Biden's administration, she oversaw the work on supply chains, national manufacturing strategy, regional economic development, and the broader industrial policy agenda. Before joining the White House, Reynolds was the executive director of the MIT Industrial Performance Center as well as the MIT Task Force on the Work of the Future. Currently, Reynolds is a Lecturer at the MIT Department ofUrban Studies and Planning, where her research encompasses systems of innovation, manufacturing ecosystems, and the scale-up of innovative firms.



"I am thrilled to be joining the board at AFFOA. The organization is uniquely positioned to play a major role in product development and R&D, particularly in the innovation wave created by the CHIPS act. Functional fibers make an incredible, flexible packaging for semiconductors, an area where the U.S. lags other semiconductor ecosystems. We will see more and more integration with the technology AFFOA has been developing and fostering in the textile and e-textile industries, and I'm glad to be part of the national team creating the strategy to scale up this capability for US industries." shared Reynolds. "I can't say enough about how honored we are to have Dr. Reynolds join the AFFOA Board," stated Sasha Stolyarov, CEO of AFFOA, "Her broad experience in industrial innovation strategies is invaluable for AFFOA and our ecosystem, particularly as we work to transition from R&D into manufacturing scale-up of critical emerging fiber and textile technologies."

"10+ years ago, most US companies would look overseas to scale smart textile manufacturing; AFFOA changed that in 2016. In 2023, I'm very happy to see AFFOA's mission strengthen by growing its Board of Directors to include Dr. Reynolds' expertise in scaling up manufacturing and economic development, as these are crucial areas in American industry. The entire domestic technology and textile community will benefit greatly from this addition," shared Venk Varadan, Co-founder and CEO of Nanowear, an AFFOA member company leading the path towards innovative US-made wearable healthcare-at-home monitoring and diagnostic products. About AFFOA

AFFOA is a non-profit, public-private partnership founded in 2016 as one of the DoD funded Manufacturing USA Innovation Institutes. Headquartered in Cambridge, MA, AFFOA's mission is to rekindle the textiles industry by leading a nationwide enterprise for advanced fiber & fabric technology and manufacturing innovation, enabling revolutionary new system capabilities for commercial and defense applications. To catalyze the development of advanced functional fibers and strengthen the domestic textile industrial base, AFFOA has assembled a Fabric Innovation Network (FIN) made up of 155+ member organizations including startups, universities, manufacturers, commercial industry and defense partners to bring advanced fiber technologies to market. For more information visit www.affoa.org or tweet @AFFOA_RFT Contact Information:

Advanced Functional Fabrics of America (AFFOA)

Joshua Rapoza

Director of Marketing and Communications

508.558.6682

[email protected] View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/affoa-welcomes-elisabeth-b-reynolds-phd-to-its-board-of-directors-301758227.html SOURCE AFFOA

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[February 28, 2023] Vitalchat Revolutionizes Inpatient Telehealth for Hospitals with AI-Enabled E-Sitter

Committed to defining the hospital room of the future, Vitalchat has introduced the first-ever virtual sitter enabling nurses and other providers to monitor up to 100 patient rooms at once from a single workstation. The inpatient telehealth innovator leverages artificial intelligence to close care gaps, improve efficiencies and enhance human interactions. The AI-Enabled E-Sitter features exclusive hands-free technology that is solely powered by movement and voice. Its patented architecture conserves data transmitted over the network while enabling video to be activated upon an alert, minimizing network requirements by approximately 20-fold compared to video streaming. This is an essential feature for the future of 24/7 monitoring across a hospital, as compact telehealth TV kits continue to replace large server and supply carts. Unlike traditional technologies, providers and patients are not required to manage touchscreens or cumbersome equipment. Whether a patient requires assistance, a visitor enters or the IV needs a refill, video AI captures needs as they occur and alerts hospital staff accordingly. Further, predictive analytics can alert staff before a problem arises. "This virtual nursing solution is poised to revolutionize care in hospitals," sid Vitalchat CEO Alan Pitt, M.D. "Traditional e-sitters can only monitor around a dozen rooms at a time. We have elevated that current capacity about 10-fold, dramatically impacting two of the biggest issues hospital leaders face right now - reducing provider burnout and improving the patient experience cost-effectively."



Designed and priced to scale across an entire hospital or hospital system, Vitalchat has eliminated costly third-party licensing dependencies common with competitive virtual sitter solutions. The AI-Enabled E-Sitter is also hardware agnostic, meaning it can seamlessly integrate with any existing technology stack, further reducing overhead costs for hospitals. Key features include: SmartView: Patented software that continuously scans rooms for movement using in-room video - without bogging down the hospital's network. Cameras monitor for irregular movement and voice cues, providing 24/7, at-a-glance monitoring of patient activities, staff rounding and visitors.

Patented software that continuously scans rooms for movement using in-room video - without bogging down the hospital's network. Cameras monitor for irregular movement and voice cues, providing 24/7, at-a-glance monitoring of patient activities, staff rounding and visitors. MultiView: Configurable dashboard with intuitive interface enables providers to view up to 100 patient rooms simultaneously across a department, facility or locations. Remote alerts help nurses get to patients in need faster. Hospital systems can experience ROI within months of implementing the AI-Enabled E-Sitter. In just one year, an Arizona hospital recently reported a 66% reduction in falls following implementation, and zero falls with injury since installation.

"While there's many technologies aimed at combatting provider burnout and shortages, none do it as seamlessly, intuitively and affordably," Pitt continued. "Within weeks, our virtual nursing solutions can help hospitals transform care and culture." Visit Vitalchat online to schedule a demo. In addition to the AI-Enabled E-Sitter, the demo includes Vitalchat's Hands-Free Virtual Visits software, which gives providers full control over the camera, enables them to share content, utilizes voice-to-text translation, improves patient privacy and invites family or caregivers to join without downloading an app, among other features. About Vitalchat Revolutionizing hybrid healthcare, Vitalchat combats labor shortages and burnout while improving patient satisfaction with proprietary, hands-free telemedicine solutions that enable providers to monitor and treat up to 100 patients from a single workstation. Leveraging video AI and seamless integration with other technology partners, Vitalchat is defining the hospital room of the future - cost effectively and at scale - while enhancing the human experience. More at vitalchat.com View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230228005562/en/

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[February 28, 2023] KARMAN SPACE & DEFENSE ANNOUNCES BOARD OF ADVISORS

Featuring former NASA Astronaut, Boeing Executive, and Government Affairs Professional HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif., Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Karman Space & Defense ("Karman"), an integrated concept-to-production solutions provider for mission-critical systems, including crewed-space flight and hypersonic missions, announced today the formation of its Board of Advisors. The Board is comprised of leading industry experts that will support the executive management team, through strategic guidance and technical analysis. A highly distinguished defense professional will join the board in the following months and be publicly announced. Board features former NASA Astronaut, Boeing Executive, and Government Affairs Professional Tony Koblinski, CEO of Karman Space & Defense, said: "We are honored and excited to welcome this group of admirable and talented industry leaders as members of our Board of Advisors. Their distinct backgrounds, intelligence, and invaluable years of experience, will help further enable Karman to drive our mission forward and better serve our key customers." The Karman Space & Defense Advisory Board Members announced todayare:



Anthony "Tony" Antonelli  NASA Astronaut, US Navy (ret.)



Retired Astronaut, Naval Aviator and Test Pilot, with engineering degrees from MIT and University of Washington . Antonelli has accumulated over 4,700 flight hours in over 40 different kinds of aircraft and has completed 273 carrier arrested landings. He served as the Pilot for two Space Shuttle Missions, STS-119 and STS-132. After retiring from NASA, he worked at Lockheed Martin in various Executive roles including Chief Technologist and Director of Advanced Programs and Artemis II Mission Director for the Orion Program Office.





Retired Astronaut, Naval Aviator and Test Pilot, with engineering degrees from and . Antonelli has accumulated over 4,700 flight hours in over 40 different kinds of aircraft and has completed 273 carrier arrested landings. He served as the Pilot for two Space Shuttle Missions, STS-119 and STS-132. After retiring from NASA, he worked at Lockheed Martin in various Executive roles including Chief Technologist and Director of Advanced Programs and Artemis II Mission Director for the Orion Program Office. Rich Choppa - Lieutenant Colonel, US Army (ret.)



President of DellaCioppa Inc., an Aerospace and Defense Consulting firm, providing expertise in leadership, program management and operations, business development and sales, talent management, strategic and organizational planning. Choppa retired after 17 years as an executive at Boeing, most recently as Program Director for Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) Sustainment Programs and former Senior Director of Global Sales and Marketing for the company's Missile & Weapons Systems division. He served 21 years in the U.S. Army, starting as a private and retiring as a Lieutenant Colonel. He served as a forward observer, fire support officer and commander in Ranger and Airborne units with multiple worldwide deployments.







President of DellaCioppa Inc., an Aerospace and Defense Consulting firm, providing expertise in leadership, program management and operations, business development and sales, talent management, strategic and organizational planning. Choppa retired after 17 years as an executive at Boeing, most recently as Program Director for Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) Sustainment Programs and former Senior Director of Global Sales and Marketing for the company's Missile & Weapons Systems division. He served 21 years in the U.S. Army, starting as a private and retiring as a Lieutenant Colonel. He served as a forward observer, fire support officer and commander in Ranger and Airborne units with multiple worldwide deployments. Jack Czerwinski  Government Affairs



Founder and president of Reston Strategy Group "RSG," a successful government affairs and strategic business consulting firm located in Northern Virginia . Czerwinski has extensive experience with the Congressional appropriations process and focuses on the aerospace, defense, and technology sectors. Before moving to the private sector, Czerwinski served as Appropriations Legislative Assistant to Virginia Congressman Frank R. Wolf (VA-10), who served as Chairman of the House Commerce-Justice-Science Appropriations Subcommittee with oversight and funding jurisdiction over NASA, DOJ, the FBI and other federal agencies. About Karman Space & Defense

Karman Space & Defense is a concept-to-production solutions provider for the Space and Defense industry's most complex and mission-critical systems, including crewed-space flight and hypersonic missions. Headquartered in Huntington Beach, CA, with facilities in Washington, Alabama, and Washington DC, Karman brings together industry-leading capabilities, advanced technologies, and the multi-decade history of its four business divisions, AAE Aerospace, AEC, AMRO, and Systima. For more information, visit our website Karman-SD.com. View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/karman-space--defense-announces-board-of-advisors-301758235.html SOURCE Karman Space & Defense

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[February 28, 2023] ULTRA-RED and Dentsu Kokusai Service Conclude New Partnership

TEL AVIV, Israel, Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- ULTRA-RED Ltd. (Headquarters: Tel Aviv, Israel, CEO: Eran Shtauber, hereinafter referred to as ULTRA-RED), which provides the market's first fully automated CTEM (Continuous Threat Exposure Management) platform has announced today that ULTRA-RED has made a domestic distributor agreement with Information Services International-Dentsu, Ltd. (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo, President and CEO: Ryoichi Nawa, hereinafter referred to as ISID), targeting a wide range of industries such as finance and manufacturing, we will further strengthen our sales structure for the Japanese market by leveraging ISID's specialized wide range of business know-how and strengths in system construction capabilities. In a recent report on CTEM, a Gartner analyst said, "Traditional approaches to threat surface management can no longer keep up with digital speed.

CTEM is a pragmatic, effective, and systematic approach to continuously adjusting priorities, leading to complete remediation and vulnerability management. We will carefully navigate between the extreme and unrealistic ways of procrastinating." https://www.gartner.com/doc/reprints?id=1-2APCAC3H&ct=220729&st=sb Comment from ULTRA-RED Ltd. CEO Eran Shtauber

We welcome that ISID has officially started handling ULTRA-RED. Together with our existing customers and ISID, we believe our technology and capabilities will fundamentally change the way security teams deploy and manage complete CTEM programs.

With ULTRA-RED, security teams can validate their organization for ulnerabilities, misconfigurations, and other serious security threats/issues in just three clicks. We are looking forward to all the new possibilities that will arise in collaboration with ISID.



Comment from ULTRA-RED JAPAN Ltd. President Doron Levit

We are thrilled to further solidify ULTRA-RED's foothold, expand into multiple new markets, and partner with such an amazing and strong company. This new partnership will enable ISID to offer ULTRA-RED's ground-breaking advanced technology to manage and maximize the benefits of a complete CTEM program on a day-to-day basis. About ULTRA-RED

ULTRA-RED is the first and only CTEM provider.

We bring to the table a completely new approach to cyber security by utilizing unmatched scanning depth for attack surface mapping and combining it with cyber intelligence enrichment.

ULTRA-RED's Features

ULTRA-RED has a development base in Israel, one of the world's leading cyber powerhouses, and provides military-level security solutions developed by engineers of the Israeli military's world-class cyber force of 8,200 unit.

Utilizing the experience and knowledge cultivated in the cyber force and making full use of automated attack simulation technology, it is possible to demonstrate the presence or absence of vulnerabilities inherent in the organization and the effectiveness of intrusion, and to continuously manage them.

ULTRA-RED has the following features compared to other EASM solutions, providing asset managers with appropriate information and response procedures, and making decisions based on real risks. 1)Risk detection from an attacker's perspective Using the same TTP (Tactics, Techniques, Procedures) as an actual attacker, it accurately presents possible points of intrusion and attacks. By clarifying points that should be prioritized and automatically detecting risks in advance, it is possible to take countermeasures from an advantageous position over attackers. 2)Prioritize vulnerability response based on real risk It is possible to understand the priority of response by scoring vulnerabilities on a scale of 1 to 5 based on the severity of threats supported by attack emulation. 3)A platform that integrates three technologies By combining not only EASM but also attack emulation technology (BAS) using technology cultivated in cyber warfare, information (CTI) including Dark Web, Deep Web, cybercriminal forums and dark trades, etc. Enables a more secure environment? Inquiries about products and services

ULTRA-RED Ltd. Location: Shin-Marunouchi Center Building 20F, 1-6-2 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo Contact to: Michinori KonoEmail: [email protected], Phone: 03-6634-7836 Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2007815/ULTRA_RED_Logo.jpg

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2007816/iSiD_logo_Logo.jpg View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/ultra-red-and-dentsu-kokusai-service-conclude-new-partnership-301758240.html SOURCE ULTRA-RED

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[February 28, 2023] New Innovation and Craft Workforce Center in Chandler, Ariz. Unveiled by McCarthy Building Companies

McCarthy Building Companies Inc. unveiled its new multifunctional Innovation and Craft Workforce Center (ICWC) with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. The facility serves as home to the firm's craft workforce training, providing career development opportunities for those in the trades and the next generation of craft workers. The 40,000-square-foot, two-story facility, located at 411 N. Roosevelt Ave. in Chandler, Ariz., serves the firm's approximately 500 Arizona-based and 2,000 regional craft professionals and trade partners. It will be utilized to conduct discipline-specific craft training; prefabricate and modularize components for installation on McCarthy projects; provide space for McCarthy's craft-focused teams; and to house equipment. The ICWC also includes the firm's integrated design department, self-perform teams, the solar group's O&M control center, an equipment maintenance and storage area, additional office space, and an outside yard featuring a BBQ /dining area for team-building events. The facility will also support the development of Arizona's future construction trade workforce through partnering with local Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs, such as the East Valley Institute of Technology (EVIT), Western Maricopa Education Center (West-MEC), ACE Mentor Program of America, and various other K-12 and college programs. "The need to develop a more robust skilled craft workforce has intensified in recent years with the population growth in Arizona and across the Southwest, requiring communities to expand on the construction of critical infrastructure and facilities," said Justin Kelton, president of McCarthy's Southwest region. "With our new best-in-class Innovation and Craft Workforce Center, McCarthy is doubling down on its commitment to our craft professionals and helping to train the next generation of those skilled in the trades, while also providing our clients with value-add innovations that improve their projects." According to the National Center for Construction Education & Research, the U.S. currently lacks approximately 430,000 construction workers. Moreover, 80% of construction employers struggle to fill hourly craft jobs or salaried professional positions (Associated General Contractors). Due to this worforce shortage, craft professionals can find competitive pay in the construction industry. In fact, workers in construction now earn an average of 18.1% more per hour than in the private sector as a whole (AGC).



The ICWC expands McCarthy's construction teams focused on various aspects of the construction process while fostering an environment for innovation through collaboration, and scaling the solutions to bring them to market. The ICWC combines teams in multiple areas, including: Integrated Design: Collection of construction project information in design management for analysis and adjustments to processes and tools that can be applied to all construction delivery methods and training project teams to offer value-add innovations to client projects.

Self-Perform: Concrete, mechanical, electrical, and carpentry self-perform teams support McCarthy's delivery of self-perform preconstruction and construction services on projects in the Southwest region, aiding in quality and scheduling. Virtual Design and Construction (VDC): Utilization of advanced technology to allow a design and construction team to estimate, coordinate, plan and build projects in the virtual space, long before construction begins. This provides a clear picture of the project and the best way to proceed with construction, budgeting, scheduling, logistics and safety. Prefabrication: A dedicated warehouse space for teams to prefabricate construction materials and deliverables for McCarthy's projects across the Southwest region. Solar Operations & Management Center: For the monitoring, controlling, and facilitating of day-to-day operations and performance of McCarthy constructed solar fields across the country. From the center, the team proactively and remotely detects and corrects performance shortfalls before they impact the performance of solar projects. McCarthy collaborated with design partner, DLR Group, to reimagine the space at ICWC into a place that celebrates craft workforce development and innovation. The interior scope of this project included renovation of 32,000 square feet of office/training space and 8,000 square-feet of warehouse/ prefabrication space. The new facility expands McCarthy's Arizona operations into the East Valley, marking the company's third facility in the state. McCarthy also has facilities in Phoenix and Flagstaff, Ariz. B-roll of the facility, student training and ribbon cutting event is available here. About McCarthy Building Companies McCarthy Building Companies, Inc. is the oldest privately held national construction company in the country - with nearly 160 years spent collaborating with partners to solve complex building challenges on behalf of its clients. With an unrelenting focus on safety and a comprehensive quality program that span all phases of every project, McCarthy utilizes industry-leading design phase and construction techniques combined with value-add technology to maximize outcomes. Repeatedly honored as a Best Place to Work and Healthiest Employer, McCarthy is ranked the 19th largest domestic builder (Engineering News-Record, May 2022). With approximately 6,000 salaried employees and craft professionals, the firm has offices in St. Louis; Atlanta; Collinsville, Ill.; Kansas City, Kan.; Omaha, Neb.; Phoenix; Las Vegas; Denver; Austin, Channelview, Dallas, and Houston, Texas; and San Diego, Newport Beach, Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Jose and Sacramento, Calif. McCarthy is 100 percent employee owned. More information about the company is available online at www.mccarthy.com or by following the company on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230228005372/en/

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[February 28, 2023] QuisLex and ContractPodAi Announce Strategic Partnership

NEW YORK, Feb. 28, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- QuisLex , a leading alternative legal services provider long recognized as a pioneer in the industry, and ContractPodAi , the award-winning provider of the AI-powered, contract life cycle management product and One Legal Platform, are proud to announce their new partnership. As part of the agreement, the two organizations will collaborate on providing best-of-breed contract solutions for their respective clients.

QuisLex supports clients across 16 time zones and various jurisdictions, in industries including technology, pharma, retail, finance, insurance and banking. The company delivers expert and scalable contract support with services including review, analysis, abstraction, negotiation and life cycle management across multiple agreement types and industries. As part of that support, QuisLex consults with clients to select, implement and optimize the best technology available to meet each of their unique needs. ContractPodAi enables legal teams to add strategic value and proactively protect their business by helping them expedite issues and author and review contracts. ContractPodAi Cloud is the industrys most powerful and intuitive legal platform, giving users complete visibility, command and control over all legal records their company faces, from anywhere and at any time. The platform helps in-house counsel initiate, automate, execute and manage any legal scenario, such as contracts and legal intake. The two companies will leverage their partnership to provide clients with an integrated solution for optimal contract support. Clients rely on QuisLexs consultative approach to deliver solutions tailored to their unique needs. Through this partnership, QuisLex will provide referrals to ContractPodAi where a client is looking for a trusted CLM solution. ContractPodAi clients benefit from the subjec matter expertise that QuisLex provides in contract management and support services.



The combination of ContractPodAis platform with QuisLexs process, workflow and skilled legal personnel allows for a seamless approach to managing large-scale CLM implementations, says QuisLex director of sales operations and partnerships David Cochran. Our combined strengths enable clients to work with one team when they are looking for a complete, cohesive solution, making ContractPodAi a valuable addition to our channel partner program. We are always excited to find true synergy between the value we bring to customers and the value our partners can provide, says ContractPodAis SVP of global partnerships Mark Langsbury. There is great alignment on both our go-to-market strategies and, importantly, a cultural fit between our two organizations. This alignment will truly benefit our existing and potential customers when it comes to achieving their goals around legal and digital transformation.

More information about each of their contract solutions is available on the QuisLex and ContractPodAi websites. About QuisLex

QuisLex is an award-winning legal services provider that specializes in managed document review, contract management, compliance services, legal spend management and legal operations consulting. Our full-time highly trained attorneys, process experts, legal technologists, statisticians and linguists work closely with our clients to reduce cost, mitigate risk and maximize efficiency. QuisLex is regularly acknowledged as a leader in the legal services industry and proud to be recognized by the Association of Corporate Counsel as an ACC Value Champion, Chambers and Partners as a Band 1 Alternative Legal Service Provider, the New York Law Journal as a Top Managed Document Review Services Provider and the IACCM as its Outstanding Service Provider for contract management solutions. QuisLex is nationally certified by the New York & New Jersey Minority Supplier Development Council as a minority business enterprise (MBE). To learn more, visit www.quislex.com . About ContractPodAi

Well-established as a leader in end-to-end contract life cycle management, ContractPodAi harnesses AI for leading corporations around the world. Now, the platforms robust, intuitive and easy-to-use capabilities have been extended to handle the entire end-to-end legal life cycle  any use case, any document type, any scenario. ContractPodAis One Legal Platform makes it easier for legal teams to expedite issues and author and review contracts so they can add more strategic value and proactively protect the business. ContractPodAi Cloud amplifies business readiness through its partnerships with complementary technology providers including IBM, Microsoft, DocuSign and Salesforce. ContractPodAi is headquartered in London and has global offices in New York, Glasgow, Chicago, Sydney, Mumbai and Toronto. Learn more about ContractPodAi at: https://contractpodai.com. Media Contact

Vicki LaBrosse

Edge Marketing for QuisLex

[email protected]

651.552.7753



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[February 28, 2023] Government of Canada champions sustainable procurement through new green standards for major contracts

TORONTO, Feb. 28, 2023 /CNW/ - The Government of Canada is committed to greening its operations and supporting Canada's transition to a cleaner economy. Today, the Honourable Mona Fortier, President of the Treasury Board and the Honourable Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Environment and Climate Change, jointly announced new initiatives to reach Canada's Net-Zero commitments. As of April 1, 2023, major Government of Canada suppliers will now be compelled to disclose their greenhouse gas emissions and set reduction targets. The new Treasury Board Standard on the Disclosure of Greenhouse Gas Emissions and the Setting of Reduction Targets outlines that federal government procurements over $25M should incent suppliers to disclose their GHG emissions and set reduction targets. Suppliers can fulfill this requirement through participation in Canada's Net-Zero Challenge or another approved internationally recognized and functionally equivalent standard or initiative. Additionally, the new Treasury Board Standard on Embodied Carbon in Construction will require the reporting and reduction of the embodied carbon footprint of all new major government construction projects initially starting with concrete. Specifically, these projects must use lower carbon concrete, where available, so that the total GHG emissions associated with the project's concrete is at least 10% less than the regional average for concrete. This is an important step towards implementing a Buy Clean Strategy in federal government procurement. Ministers also announced that more than 40 companies have now joined the Net Zero Challenge since it was launched in August 2022 - including Microsoft Canada, Aecon Group Inc., 3M Canada and Cogeco. Going forward, the Net-Zero Challenge will not only be for businesses, but also for cities. We are committed to expand the program to public entities and local government to ensure all parts of the economy are moving toward net-zero. The Net-Zero Challenge is a voluntary initiative that encourages businesses to develop and implement credible and effective plans to transition their facilities and operations to net-zero emissions. Climate change is one of the greatest global challenges of our time and the Government of Canada is leading by example and committing to reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and delivering a low-carbon, climate-resilient and clean-growth economy. Quotes "Climate change is one of the greatest global challenges of our time. The new standards announced today are part of the government's plan to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. This approach will not only ensure greener government operations, but it will also help Canada meet its targets as a country. The government's ongoing commitment to fight climate change and its leadership in the transition to a green economy is key to Canada's success in reducing greenhouse gas emissions."



 The Honourable Mona Fortier, President of the Treasury Board "More and more businesses are aiming to make their operations net-zero, not just to fight climate change, but also to stimulate innovation and ensure the long-term sustainability. By baking these requirements into the Government of Canada's contracting, we will help bring more businesses on board the target of net-zero. Since its launch, over 40 companies have joined the Net-Zero Challenge, and we are now expanding the program to include public entities and local government. Climate change means business and businesses are stepping up."

 The Honourable Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Environment and Climate Change Quick Facts A net-zero emissions economy represents opportunities for Canadians  to secure and create jobs, to grow our industries, and to lead the world with the resources and technologies it will need for generations to come.

Through the Standard on the Disclosure of Greenhouse Gas Emissions and the Setting of Reduction Targets , the Government of Canada will induce major suppliers to disclose greenhouse gas emissions and set reduction targets.

, the Government of will induce major suppliers to disclose greenhouse gas emissions and set reduction targets. Through the Standard on Embodied Carbon in Construction , the Government of Canada will move industries that supply to the federal government towards lower carbon concrete. This will not only ensure greener government operations, but it will also help Canada meet its GHG emission targets.

, the Government of will move industries that supply to the federal government towards lower carbon concrete. This will not only ensure greener government operations, but it will also help meet its GHG emission targets. The Net-Zero Challenge aims to encourage businesses and other organizations to develop and implement credible and effective plans to transition their facilities and operations to net-zero emissions by 2050.

Companies that participate in the Net-Zero Challenge are supported in the planning process and benefit from technical guidance, best practices, a community of peers, and the opportunity to highlight their commitment to achieving net-zero emissions. Associated Links Government of Canada's Greening Government Strategy

Greening Government Strategy Standard on the Disclosure of Greenhouse Gas Emissions and the Setting of Reduction Targets

Standard on Embodied Carbon in Construction

Canada's Net-Zero Challenge

Net-Zero Challenge Canada's 2030 Emissions Reduction Plan Stay connected Twitter: @TBS_Canada

Facebook: www.facebook.com/YourGovernmentatWork/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/tbs-sct/ Follow Environment and Climate Change Canada on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn and Instagram. SOURCE Government of Canada

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[February 28, 2023] "The Moonbirds" to Be Released as a Bitcoin NFT Collection

Brighton, UK, Feb. 28, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Moonbird NFTs attracted nearly $500 million in sales last April. Users now will have a chance to enter the promising Birds NFT collection on Bitcoin via the recently introduced Ordinals protocol.



After a meteoric rise in popularity, the BAYC monkeys have solidified themselves as one of the top-selling NFT collections, with a whopping value of $1.3M. The descendant of the final collection of NFTs has now been released on the Bitcoin blockchain, drawing lots of attention from the NFT enthusiasts worldwide.



The Birds NFT collection is about to pick up the trend, dropping their collection onto the Bitcoins NFT Ordinals Protocol with a $200,000 prize for one of the participants. Birds BTC is a collection of unique utility-enabled PFPs that feature a rich, diverse and unique pool of rarity-powered traits on the Ordinals protocol. The collection is bound to live up to its global name and maintain its unchallenged leadership in the NFT "PFP" space, spinning off as Bitcoin NFTs.



Consisting of 10,000 PFPs, the collection comes with a special set of rare traits available on Ordinals. With design elements comparable to projects like Bored Ape Yacht Club and CryptoPunks, it's no surprise this Bitcoin-based series has sparked excitement in the entire NFT space.



The worldof Bitcoin and NFTs is getting more interesting by the minute. The demand for a reunion with the root of all blockchains has sent its growth skyrocketing, proving this could be another sign pointing towards the bull market. The Ordinals protocol has been shaking up the crypto marketplace ever since making its debut in 2014. However, it was only two weeks ago that things truly started to heat up when NFTs found their way onto Bitcoin's blockchain thanks to the nifty code updates of SegWit and Taproot. Adding even more fuel to the fire, Ordinals recently made headlines again as they debuted a collection called 'Ordinal Punks,' taking inspiration from CryptoPunks' iconic designs.



The Birds NFT collection is the next to join the fast-growing Bitcoin NFT boom. Since the Moonbirds launch on April 16th, 2022 on Ethereum, it has already raked in a whopping $500 million from the buyers, with an impressive first 48 hours being bolstered by over $200 million alone. Ethereum put up quite a fight, but now bets are firmly placed against them as speculators make bold predictions of even greater success for its Bitcoin spin-offs down the line. With record revenues and CryptoSlam placing this project second only to their bestselling counterpart, it's not a surprise that its titanic popularity has attracted some high-profile fans such as Beeple, Tim Ferriss, Garry Vee and Alex Ohanian, among many others. Its 10k utility-enabled PFP tokens provide additional value along with unique mint features, making sure that the Moonbirds stay flying high. After the first 500 Bird NFTs are purchased, $5,000 will be split among 32 purchasers. Once the 10,000 Bird NFTs are sold out, $200,000 will be awarded to a random purchaser. Purchasing more than 10 Bird NFTs in one transaction applies a discount of 5 up to 20%.

Head over to moonbirdsbtc.com on February 28th at 12:00 UTC and get your hands on a unique Birds NFT on the thriving Bitcoin for only 0.008 BTC. Follow them on Twitter, Telegram and Discord



Contact: Name: Marcus Johnson Website: moonbirdsbtc.com Email: Hello-at-moonbirdsbtc.com Location: Brighton, UK.

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[February 28, 2023] INVESTIGATION NOTICE: Girard Sharp Law Firm Encourages Investors in Medical Properties Trust, Inc. to Contact the Firm

Girard Sharp, LLP and Malmfeldt Law Group P.C., national investment, securities, and consumer class action firms, announce that they are investigating claims on behalf of investors who acquired stock in Medical Properties Trust, Inc. (NYSE: MPW). If you acquired Medical Properties Trust, Inc. stock and would like to discuss your potential claim, please email [email protected] or call (866) 981-4800 for a free consultation. Medical Properties Trust, Inc. ("MPW") is a real estate investment trust headquartered in Birmingham, AL focused on the acquisition and development of net-leased healthcare facilities. According to recent reports, MPW "has engaged in billions of dollars of uncommercial transactions with its tenants." More specifically, the report state that certain of MPW's tenants "show that they are severely distressed and do not have the ability to meet MPW's rent requirements if not for financial contributions from MPW", and that these "round-tripped revenues ave no economic substance, and serve for a sole purpose of masking financial distress of MPW's tenants."



MPW's share price declined by approximately 20% between February 21, 2023 and February 27, 2023. If you acquired Medical Properties Trust stock, click here to participate.

We also encourage you to contact Adam Polk of Girard Sharp LLP, 601 California Street, Suite 1400, San Francisco, CA 94108, at (866) 981-4800, to discuss your rights free of charge. You can also reach us through the firm's website at www.girardsharp.com, or by email at [email protected]. Why Girard Sharp? Girard Sharp represents investors, consumers, and institutions in class actions and other complex litigation nationwide. We serve on the Plaintiffs' executive committee in the recent spoofing litigation against JPMorgan Chase that settled for $60 million, a favorable resolution that the district court preliminarily approved in December 2021. Our attorneys have obtained multimillion-dollar recoveries for victims of unfair and deceptive practices in antitrust, financial fraud, and consumer protection matters against some of the country's largest corporations, including Raymond James, John Hancock, and Sears. Girard Sharp has earned top-tier rankings from U.S. News and World Report for Securities and Class Action Litigation and has been repeatedly selected as an Elite Trial Lawyers finalist by the National Law Journal. This press release may be considered Attorney Advertising in some jurisdictions under the applicable law and rules of ethics. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230228006245/en/

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The Mine Safety and Health Administration has issued its final report on the March 4, 2022 fatality at the Brunswick Canyon Materials surface construction sand and gravel mine in Carson City.

The report says that at about 10:55 a.m. on March 4, Robert Covington, a 37-year-old bulldozer operator, died from injuries he sustained when the bulldozer he was operating traveled over the highwall and tumbled about 65 feet to the quarry floor.

According to the MSHA report, Covington had more than eight years of mining experience, during which he worked as an equipment operator, a leadman, and a shift supervisor at three different mines. He had operated 13 types of bulldozers.

He had been working at Brunswick Canyon Materials a little less than a month. At Brunswick Canyon he started out operating a John Deere Model 1050K bulldozer, and was on his fourth day of operating a Liebherr PR 756XL flat track bulldozer at the mine when the accident occurred.

Investigators determined that the condition of the bulldozer, the communications equipment and the weather did not contribute to the accident.

At the time of the accident Brunswick Canyon Materials employed six miners. As part of the process of moving material at the mine, a bulldozer removes and pushes material from the top of the highwall into a slot cut, a narrow trench cut into a highwall. The bulldozer pushes the material along the slot cut and then out to the quarry floor, where the material is picked up by a front-end loader.

In an interview with MSHA the mines general manager said he directed Covington to take the bulldozer to the top of the highwall of Bench #1 and push material toward the slot cut. According to interviews with other miners who were on the job that day, Covington instead pushed material from Bench #1 to Bench #2 for about three hours. Three men saw Covington on Bench #1 pushing large boulders to Bench #2 below.

The general manager said he observed Covington twice during the three-hour period and was not alarmed at anything Covington was doing at those moments.

According to interviews, Covington trammed the bulldozer over the top of Bench #1 to Bench #2 and began pushing large rocks and boulders off the end of Bench #2. Covington began pushing an approximately five-foot wide, ten-foot long, and three-foot thick boulder over the side of Bench #2 to Bench #3 below. When the boulder went over the edge of Bench #2, the bulldozer also went over and landed at a steep angle with the blade resting on the boulder. One observer saw the tracks of the bulldozer moving into reverse, but the bulldozer was unable to move back up to Bench #2.

People working at the mine witnessed the bulldozer begin to move forward and tip onto its right side, off the top of the boulder. They watched the bulldozer roll over Bench #2, land on Bench #3, roll over Bench #3, and come to rest on the cab on the quarry floor.

The dry plant operator ran to the accident scene, looked into the cab and determined that Covingtons injuries were likely fatal.

The MSHA report said Bench #2 was not large enough for Covingtons bulldozer to operate safely.

Bench #1, approximately 200 feet above the quarry floor, was a wide sloping area with berms, the report said. Covington pushed the berms over the edge of Bench #1 prior to the accident.

Investigators could not determine the reason, the report said.

According to the report, Bench #2 was 26 to 29 feet wide. Covingtons bulldozer was 26.8 feet long and 9.2 feet wide and the blade was 13 feet wide.

The mine operator did not barricade to prevent the bulldozer operator from going to Bench #2 or post warning signs to indicate that the bulldozer could not be safely operated on Bench #2, the MSHA report said. The mine operator did not assure a workplace examination was conducted for Bench #2 prior to Covington tramming to Bench #2. The workplace examination would have identified that there was not sufficient room to safely operate the bulldozer.

MSHA issued three citations to Brunswick Canyon Materials  for failing to assure that the bulldozer operator maintained control of the bulldozer, for failing to put up a barricade or warning signs saying that the bulldozer could not be safely operated on Bench #2, and for failing to conduct a workplace examination which would have identified that there was not sufficient room to safely operate the bulldozer.

The report said that since the accident Brunswick Canyon Materials has established new written procedures on slot bulldozing and trained all miners on the procedures; implemented a new written procedure to assure workplace examinations are conducted before miners begin work and trained all miners on the new procedures; and established new written procedures that require berms and appropriate signage be installed on benches.

As an additional precaution, Brunswick Canyon Materials hired a mining engineering firm to survey the quarry and provide a written mining plan. The plan describes the proper bench widths and heights and specifies the type of equipment which must be used to perform work.

With the report, MSHA listed several best practices, including: Dump loads a safe distance back from the edge of the highwall and push the material over, perform ground condition and workplace examinations, and train miners to safely perform tasks.
Jose Fontes Joins Newfront's Growing P&C Team

Newfront, the tech-driven insurance brokerage firm based in San Francisco, has welcomed Jose Fontes as Senior Vice President and P&C Producer. Fontes, located in Fresno, Calif., brings two decades of experience.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230228006298/en/

Jose Fontes, Senior Vice President and P&C Producer at Newfront (Photo: Business Wire)

"Jose is masterful in providing innovative insurance solutions for the private eqity real estate segment, including financial institutions, private lenders, real estate investment trusts, asset management, and loan servicing companies," said Tom Whitenight, Newfront Executive Vice President and Bay Area Regional Managing Director. "His knowledge will allow Newfront to further its reach in these areas."







Fontes joins Newfront from DiBuduo & DeFendis Insurance Brokers, LLC, where he focused on companies' risk management needs at the IPO stage and beyond. He also specializes in protecting assets within the agriculture market throughout the state of California, including the Central Valley and Central Coast.

"I'm thrilled to grow the Newfront name to the Central and Southern California markets," said Fontes, who was born and raised in Mexico and moved to Los Angeles to attend Pepperdine University on a scholarship. He holds a Bachelor of Science in International Business and Finance.

"Newfront's data-driven technology platform will enhance my ability to bring product specialization options to clients on collateral protection insurance, lender-placed and real estate owned insurance, and professional lines such as Directors and Officers (D&O,) Errors and Omissions (E&O,) cyber security, and management liability," he added.

While Fontes mostly works with companies on their property and casualty risks, he also has experience in providing solutions around group health insurance.

To learn more about Newfront, visit www.newfront.com.

About Newfront

Newfront is transforming the delivery of risk management, employee experience, insurance, and retirement solutions by building the modern insurance platform. Transparent data delivered real-time translates into a lower total cost of risk and greater insights. Newfront makes insurance work for you. Headquartered in San Francisco, Newfront has offices throughout the country and is home to more than 850 employees who serve clients across the United States and globally.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230228006298/en/
[February 28, 2023] GOTU FINAL DEADLINE TODAY: ROSEN, LEADING TRIAL ATTORNEYS, Encourages Gaotu Techedu Inc. f/k/a GSX Techedu Inc. Investors to Secure Counsel Before Important February 28 Deadline in Securities Class Action Initiated by the Firm - GOTU, GSX

WHY: Rosen Law Firm, a global investor rights law firm, reminds purchasers of the securities of Gaotu Techedu Inc. f/k/a GSX Techedu Inc. (NYSE: GOTU, GSX) between March 5, 2021 and July 23, 2021, both dates inclusive (the "Class Period"), of the important February 28, 2023 lead plaintiff deadline. SO WHAT: If you purchased Gaotu securities during the Class Period you may be entitled to compensation without payment of any out of pocket fees or costs through a contingency fee arrangement. WHAT TO DO NEXT: To join the Gaotu class action, go to https://rosenlegal.com/submit-form/?case_id=2595 or call Phillip Kim, Esq. toll-free at 866-767-3653 or email [email protected] or [email protected] for information on the class action. A class action lawsuit has already been filed. If you wish to serve as lead plaintiff, you must move the Court no later than February 28, 2023. A lead plaintiff is a representative party acting on behalf of other class members in directing the litigation. 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 handle securities class actions, but are merely middlemen that refer clients or partner with law firms that actually litigate the cases. 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. Rosn 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 firm's attorneys have been recognized by Lawdragon and Super Lawyers.



DETAILS OF THE CASE: According to the lawsuit, defendants throughout the Class Period made false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose, among other things, 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; and (2) the impact such regulations would have on Gaotu's operations and profitability and the value of Company securities. When the true details entered the market, the lawsuit claims that investors suffered damages. To join the Gaotu class action, go to https://rosenlegal.com/submit-form/?case_id=2595 or call Phillip Kim, Esq. toll-free at 866-767-3653 or email [email protected] or [email protected] for information on the class action.

No Class Has Been Certified. Until a class is certified, you are not represented by counsel unless you retain one. You may select counsel of your choice. You may also remain an absent class member and do nothing at this point. An investor's ability to share in any potential future recovery is not dependent upon serving as lead plaintiff. Follow us for updates on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-rosen-law-firm or on Twitter: https://twitter.com/rosen_firm or on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rosenlawfirm. Rosen Law Firm represents investors throughout the globe, concentrating its practice in securities class actions and shareholder derivative litigation. 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. Rosen Law Firm has achieved the largest ever securities class action settlement against a Chinese Company. Rosen Law Firm's attorneys are ranked and recognized by numerous independent and respected sources. Rosen Law Firm has secured hundreds of millions of dollars for investors. Attorney Advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230228006296/en/

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[February 28, 2023] DogAI: An innovative AI protocol on Blockchain for better Digital Asset Management

NEW YORK CITY, NY, Feb. 28, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The widespread adoption of blockchain technology has provided an unprecedented level of security and reliability for digital asset management. However, the current protocols need the ability to combine AI with these protocols for even better performance. To address this gap, DogAI, a new AI protocol on blockchain, has been developed to improve digital asset management. This protocol harnesses the power of artificial intelligence to provide an enhanced user experience by improving data security and streamlining asset management processes.

By combining the power of artificial intelligence with blockchain technology, $DOGAI seeks to provide the Crypto community with innovative decision making assistance tools. The launch of $DOGAI is a significant step forward in the future of financial technology and how people manage their own money. $DOGAI is developing a platform that will allow users to benefit from the power of AI. Through AI, $DOGAI will offer innovative financial services such as market prediction, portfolio management, and trend analysis. As per DexTools, there has been an significant growth in the demand of $DOGAI in less than four days.





In conclusion, DogAI is a groundbreaking decentralized, self-managed protocol that creates a new automated digital asset management ecosystem. By utilizing AI with analytical data, DogAI offers a wide range of AI tools like Chat and image, NFT creation, and a bot for social networks (Telegram, Discord and Twitter), among other applications.

By combining the power of artificial intelligence with blockchain technology, DogAI seeks to provide the Crypto community with innovative decision-making assistance tools. The launch of DogAI is a significant step forward in the future of financial technology and the way we manage our money. DogAI is developing a platform that will allow users to benefit from the power of AI. Through AI, DogAI will offer innovative financial services such as market prediction, portfolio management, and trend analysis. $DOGAI will also be doing some airdrops to the current holders, so stay tuned to their telegram group

Media Contacts DOGAI Official website : https://www.dogaitoken.com/

Twitter link: https://twitter.com/dogaitoken Media Contact:

David Smith

[email protected]

https://www.dogaitoken.com/



Media Contact: David Smith david at dogaitoken.com https://www.dogaitoken.com/

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[February 28, 2023] Guangzhou Metro Group, China Mobile Guangzhou Branch and ZTE win "Best Mobile Innovation for Connected Economy" at the 2023 GLOMO Awards

BARCELONA, Spain, Feb. 28, 2023 /CNW/ -- ZTE Corporation (0763.HK / 000063.SZ), a global leading provider of information and communication technology solutions, in partnership with Guangzhou Metro Group and China Mobile Guangzhou Branch, has been rewarded the "Best Mobile Innovation for Connected Economy" for the joint project "5G-empowered Smart Metro in Guangzhou" at the Global Mobile (GLOMO) Awards during the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2023 in Barcelona, Spain. The accolade is in recognition of the impressive efforts that the winners have been dedicated to enhancing productivity and much more in fuelling up the transformation of the 5G industry and society. Metro is of utmost importance to the transportation system of a city, especially for Guangzhou, a city of 20 million population. Since the year of 2020, with the advent of 5G, Guangzhou Metro Group, China Mobile Guangzhou Branch and ZTE, have jointly launched the 5G-empowered Smart Metro project and transformed the traditional metro system into 5G-enabled smart metro system. Based on actual service scenario requirements, 5G network slicing resource guarantee, 750Mb/s uplink rate enhancement, 160 km/h high-speed mobile performance guarantee, and other new 5G private network performance optimization are used. A multi-layer cloud-edge collaboration system architecture is deployed to implement in-depth interaction and sharing of online data among people, vehicles, operating environments, devices, and dispatching, implementing multiple scenario-based applications such as 5G smart stations, 5G train-to-ground communication, and 5G digital tunnels. With these deployments and innovations, in the past two years, Guangzhou Metro has witnessed improved automated operations and maintenance, more efficient dispatching and management, and higher passenger satisfaction. 20 million people of Guangzhou have also greatly benefited from this project,enjoying a more comfortable, much safer, and more colourful travel experiences, including 600 Mbps average data rate in metro carriages, higher security and faster luggage inspection, shortened average turnstile duration during peak hours, more detailed guidance, etc.



"We are honoured to win this award together with our partners. 5G smart subways enhance the intelligence and flexibility of stations, train safety, and subway operation efficiency," said Mr. Cai Changjun, the Deputy General Manager of Guangzhou Metro Group. "Moving forward, we will verify more 5G+ smart subway services, form the 5G+ smart metro system architecture and industry standards, and promote the rapid growth of 5G+ in the metro industry." Mr. Luo Weimin, the General Manager of China Mobile Guangzhou Branch, commented, "We're honoured to receive this award and attribute it to our partners, who have shown us valuable support. We are committed to building leading 5G networks in terms of quality, technology, service, and operation. We will continue our efforts in building a new 5G industry ecosystem in conjunction with partners by using leading 5G networks."

"This award is a great endorsement of our efforts in keeping innovating in digitizing the workplace," said Dr. Bai Gang, Vice President of ZTE. "We will work further with partners to promote 5G even deeper to the production domain and bring greater value and benefit to more people." The annual GLOMO (Global Mobile) Awards are judged by the sector's most prominent subject matter experts, in celebration of the individuals and companies driving innovation and showcasing excellence in the rapidly growing mobile industry. ABOUT ZTE:

ZTE helps to connect the world with continuous innovation for a better future. The company provides innovative technologies and integrated solutions, its portfolio spans all series of wireless, wireline, devices and professional telecommunications services. Serving over a quarter of the global population, ZTE is dedicated to creating a digital and intelligent ecosystem, and enabling connectivity and trust everywhere. ZTE is listed on both the Hong Kong and Shenzhen Stock Exchanges. www.zte.com.cn/global FOLLOW US:

Facebook www.facebook.com/ZTECorp

Twitter www.twitter.com/ZTEPress

LinkedIn www.linkedin.com/company/zte MEDIA INQUIRIES:

ZTE Corporation

Communications

Email: [email protected] View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/guangzhou-metro-group-china-mobile-guangzhou-branch-and-zte-win-best-mobile-innovation-for-connected-economy-at-the-2023-glomo-awards-301758551.html SOURCE ZTE Corporation

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[February 28, 2023] Attorney General Bonta, Governor Newsom and CPPA File Letter Opposing Federal Privacy Preemption

Today, Governor Gavin Newsom, Attorney General Rob Bonta, and the California Privacy Protection Agency (CPPA) sent a joint letter to Congress opposing preemption language in H.R. 8152, the American Data Privacy and Protection Act (ADPPA). The ADPPA, introduced in the last Congressional session, sought to replace California's landmark law with weaker protections and could compromise the ability of the California Privacy Protection Agency (CPPA) to fulfill its mandate to protect the privacy of Californians. California today calls on Congress to set the floor and not the ceiling in any federal privacy law, and to allow states to provide additional protections in response to changing technology and data privacy protection practices. "National data privacy laws passed by Congress should strengthen, not weaken our existing laws here in California," said Governor Newsom. "As personal data is routinely bought and sold it is critical that consumers have the ability to consent to the sharing of this information, especially in an era where Roe v. Wade has been overturned and access to personal data can be used in legal proceedings. California has been on the leading edge when it comes to creating new digital technology, but we have also coupled these advances with stronger consumer protections. The rest of the nation should follow our lead." "There is no doubt that stronger federal action is needed to protect the privacy of Americans, but these actions must not preempt existing protections in place," said California Attorney General Rob Bonta. "California is at the forefront of privacy in response to quickly changing technology. We urge Congress not to undercut the important protections that have been established through efforts by the states. Any federal law should set the floor, not the ceiling for privacy law." Ashkan Soltani, Executive Director of the CPPA, said: "Federal privacy protections cannot come at the expense of Californians and residents of other states that have adopted innovative privacy protections. In the last year alone, California added key new children's privacy and reproductive privacy legislation to its existing privacy laws. But if ADPPA is adopted in its current form, not only could existing privacy protections be weakened, but it could prevent California legislators, and Californians through the ballot initiative, from passing new protections to address changes in technology. We urge federal legislators to ensure that any federal privacy law allows states to continue to innovate on privacy." The joint letter was submitted to the House Energy & Commerce Committee in advance of the Committee's March 1 hearing, "Promoting U.S. Innovation and Individual Liberty through a National Standard for Data Privacy." The Committee is expected to reintroduce ADPPA in the new legislative session. California continues to lead on data privacy, and to adopt laws in response to rapidly evolving technology, with the strongest and most groundbreaking data protections in the nation. Californians currently have robust protections and rights to manage and control the use of their data through the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA). As Congress considers adopting ADPPA, California urges changes to the proposed law as the ADPPA in its current form would undermine the CCPA and would hamper state efforts to keep up with and adapt laws to changing technology. The path forward to a robust data privacy law is one that sets federal floor, not a ceiling, to allow states to continue to innovate and be nimble in protecting their residents. In the letter, Governor Newsom, Attorney General Bonta, and CPPA urge Congress to make changes to the ADPPA proposal that:



Allow states to respond to changes in technology and data collection practices to allow rigorous enforcement in those areas most affecting residents, and

Ensure that the ADPPA is passed without a preemption clause in order to protect critical data privacy protections in state law and preserve California's authority to establish and enforce those protections. Last fall, then-United States House Speaker Nancy Pelosi released comments outlining her concerns with ADPPA's limits on state privacy protections. Governor Newsom, Attorney General Bonta, Assembly Speaker Rendon, and members of the California Senate have also previously released letters raising concerns about ADPPA. On July 19, 2022, Attorney General Bonta led a multistate coalition calling on Congress in its consideration of ADPPA to respect the role of states to enforce and provide for strong consumer privacy laws while advancing legislation enacting long-overdue privacy protections nationwide. The California Privacy Protection Agency released a letter opposing H.R. 8152 last year, and in September, Agency Chairperson Jennifer Urban published an opinion piece in the San Francisco Chronicle highlighting how the ADPPA could remove existing protections from California consumers.

The California Privacy Protection Agency's mission is to protect the consumer privacy of Californians. Established in 2020, the Agency is governed by a five-member board that consists of experts in privacy, technology, and consumer rights. The Agency has several responsibilities, such as promoting public awareness of consumers' rights and businesses' responsibilities under the CCPA; adopting regulations in furtherance of the CCPA; and beginning July 1, 2023, the Agency is tasked with enforcing the CCPA through administrative enforcement actions. It will share CCPA enforcement authority with the Attorney General. A copy of the letter can be found here. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230228006374/en/

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[February 28, 2023]

Release of latest Assessment of the Critical Election Incident Public Protocol

OTTAWA, ON, Feb. 28, 2023 /CNW/ - Today, the Government of Canada released the independent assessment of the Critical Election Incident Public Protocol (CEIPP) covering the 44th Canadian general election held on September 20, 2021.

The CEIPP is administered by a Panel of senior federal public servants who, working with national security agencies, are responsible for communicating with Canadians in the event of an incident or series of incidents that threaten the integrity of a federal election. During the 2021 general election, the Panel did not detect foreign interference that threatened Canada's ability to have a free and fair election.

As in 2019, an independent assessment of the CEIPP's effectiveness in addressing threats to the 2021 election is required by Cabinet Directive. This directive also requires the report to be provided to the Prime Minister, the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians and, in an unclassified format, to the public. These reports are intended to help inform whether adjustments to the protocol should be made.

The 2021 assessment of the CEIPP, conducted by Morris Rosenberg, a former Deputy Minister from 1998 to 2013, found that the CEIPP worked well and should be maintained with some suggested improvements. The Government of Canada will be reviewing the recommendations carefully and responding in due course. They can be found in the Report. The release of the Report follows a national security review to prepare an unclassified and public version.

The CEIPP lays out a simple, clear and impartial process by which Canadians would be notified of an incident or series of incidents that threatened Canada's ability to have a free and fair election. Regular assessments of the CEIPP have been conducted after Canada's general elections in 2019 and 2021.

To ensure that Canada's federal elections remain fair, trustworthy and participatory, the Government of Canada continues to take action through the 2019 Plan to Protect Canada's Democracy. In addition to the CEIPP, measures include the Digital Citizen Initiative, the Paris Call for Trust and Security in Cyberspace, the Security and Intelligence Threats to Elections (SITE) Task Force, the G7 Rapid Response Mechanism and the Canada Declaration on Election Integrity Online. Through these efforts, the Government of Canada is addressing threats to Canada's democratic institutions and is helping to keep our democracy strong.







Quotes

"I want to thank Mr. Rosenberg for his report and his recommendations. Since 2015, our government has taken action to protect our democracy and ensure Canada's federal elections continue to be free and fair. We have always been clear: foreign interference poses a threat to all democracies, including ours. That's why our government has put in place measures to counter this problem and strengthen Canada's resilience to it. We will continue to work with Canadians and our allies to assess what additional tools and practices are needed to respond to the evolving nature of this threat."

 The Honourable Dominic LeBlanc, Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, Infrastructure and Communities

Quick Facts

Following the 2019 general election, James Judd , a former director of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, released his independent assessment of the CEIPP. Recommendations, including that the CEIPP and the Panel remain in place for future elections, were taken into consideration prior to the 2021 general election.





, a former director of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, released his independent assessment of the CEIPP. Recommendations, including that the CEIPP and the Panel remain in place for future elections, were taken into consideration prior to the 2021 general election. Mr. Morris Rosenberg , a former senior public servant, was selected by the public service to prepare the independent report assessing the implementation of the CEIPP and its effectiveness in addressing threats to the 2021 general election.





CEIPP The Government of Canada continues to take action to combat election interference, including by becoming a co-lead in the Paris Call for Trust and Security in Cyberspace, renewing its Plan to Protect Canada's Democracy and collaborating with key partners, including Elections Canada and the Commissioner for Canada Elections.

Associated Links

Stay Connected

https://www.canada.ca/en/democratic-institutions.html

BACKGROUNDER

Critical Election Incident Public Protocol

The Critical Election Incident Public Protocol (CEIPP) was first established in 2019 during the 43rd General Election to establish a mechanism to communicate clearly, transparently and impartially with Canadians during an election in the event of an incident or a series of incidents that threatened the election's integrity.

Following the 43rd general election, Cabinet issued an amended Cabinet Directive on the Critical Election Incident Public Protocol in May 2021, which included the removal of the reference to the CEIPP's application during a specific general election. As a result, the CEIPP remains in place for future general elections until revoked or amended by Cabinet.

The CEIPP is administered by a group of experienced senior Canadian public servants (the Panel) who, working with the national security agencies, are responsible for jointly determining whether the threshold for informing Canadians of an incident has been met, either through a single incident or an accumulation of incidents. The Panel is comprised of the following five members:

the Clerk of the Privy Council;

the National Security and Intelligence Advisor to the Prime Minister;

the Deputy Minister of Justice and Deputy Attorney General;

the Deputy Minister of Public Safety; and

the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs.

The threshold for an announcement by the Panel is very high and limited to exceptional circumstances that could impair Canadians' ability to have a free and fair election. The incidents in question would pose a significant risk of undermining Canadians' democratic rights, or have the potential to undermine the credibility of the election.

The 2021 Assessment of the CEIPP covering the 44th general election was conducted by former senior civil servant Morris Rosenberg. The report finds that the CEIPP worked well and should remain in place with some modifications for improvement.

In the lead up to the 2021 general election, the Panel received regular security briefings by the national security agencies. The Panel determined that the government did not observe activities affecting Canada's ability to have a free and fair election that met the threshold for public announcement.

SOURCE Minister for Democratic Institutions
[February 28, 2023] Marret Asset Management Announces Write-Down of Private Portfolio of Marret High Yield Strategies Fund and Marret Multi-Strategy Income Fund

Marret Asset Management Inc. ("Marret") today announced that Marret High Yield Strategies Fund ("MHY") (CSE: MHY.UN) and Marret Multi-Strategy Income Fund ("MMF") (CSE: MMF.UN) will take an 82% write-down in the value of securities held in Cline Mining Corporation ("Cline"). Cline is the main asset of MHY and MMF. As a result of the write-down, the net asset value per unit of MHY on February 28, 2023 will decrease from $0.302 to $0.0548 or by $0.2472 per unit, the net asset value per class A unit of MMF on February 28, 2023 will decrease from $0.1447 to $0.00 or by $0.1447 per class A unit, and the net asset value per class F unit of MMF on February 28, 2023 will decrease from $0.1554 to $0.00 or by $0.1554 per class F unit. New Elk Coal Company, LLC ("NECC") filed for Chapter 11 protection on February 21, 2023. NECC is the issuer of the secured notes held by Cline ("NECC Notes"). In addition to NECC, its parent company Allegiance Coal Limited ("AHQ") and three other related entities also filed for insolvency protection. The write-down reflects the increased uncertainty of future cash flows to Cline from the NECC Notes. About Allegiance Allegiance is a publicly listed (ASX:AHQ) Australian company that owns the NECC mine in Colorado and is advancing a metalurgical coal mine into production in British Columbia.



About Marret Asset Management Marret Asset Management Inc. is a specialist fixed-income manager. With mandates in investment grade credit, short-term cash alternatives, high yield and opportunistic distressed securities, Marret's focus is on achieving positive absolute returns with emphasis on risk management. CI Financial has a 65% ownership stake in Marret.

Forward-looking information This press release contains forward-looking statements and information within the meaning of applicable securities legislation. Forward-looking statements can be identified by the expressions "seeks", "expects", "believes", "estimates", "will", "target" and similar expressions. The forward-looking statements are not historical facts but reflect the current expectations of Marret and the managers of the underlying portfolios regarding future results or events and are based on information currently available to them. Certain material factors and assumptions were applied in providing these forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements in this press release are qualified by these cautionary statements. Marret believes that the expectations reflected in forward-looking statements are based upon reasonable assumptions; however, Marret can give no assurance that the actual results or developments will be realized. These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from current expectations, including the matters discussed under "Risks Factors" in the annual information forms of MHY and MMF dated March 25, 2022. Readers, therefore, should not place undue reliance on any such forward-looking statements. Further, a forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which such statement is made. Marret undertakes no obligation to publicly update any such statement or to reflect new information or the occurrence of future events or circumstances except as required by securities laws. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this press release. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230228006037/en/

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ACTUALLY . . .

We're looking forward to this concert if only so that progressive middle-class white ladies can learn how little they have in common with Black women outside of political talk shows.



Here's a bit of hype celebrating impressive dance moves in support of two and a half decent songs over a 20 year career . . .



"The Verified Fan presale has been lifted and remaining tickets are now available to the public. Beyonce will bring her world tour to GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium on Sept. 18."

Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com links . . .

Tickets for Beyonce's 'Renaissance' World Tour in Kansas City now available for general purchase Tickets for Beyonce's Renaissance World Tour stop at Arrowhead Stadium are now available for general purchase. Arrowhead Stadium said the verified fan presale was lifted on Monday and all remaining inventory for the show can be purchased. Earlier this year, she announced that Kansas City would be one of 41 stops on her tour.

Beyonce tickets now on sale to general public for Kansas City show KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Tickets to Beyonce's Renaissance World Tour stop in Kansas City, Missouri, are now on sale to the general public. The Verified Fan presale has been lifted and remaining tickets are now available to the public. Beyonce will bring her world tour to GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium on Sept.

Developing . . .
We'll get into this more later but here is the basics on new info just sent our way . . .

MISSOURI ETHICS DOX REVEAL AT LEAST TWO DONATIONS TO KANSAS CITY COUNCILMAN ERIC BUNCH EXCEEDING CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTION LIMITS!!!



As always, don't just take my word for it . . . Check the Missouri Ethics Commission website to see for yourself.

We have a screenshot for a follow-up post.

But more importantly . . .



The two donations in question are for $2,975.00 from the Operating Engineers Local 101 Political Action Committee . . .

And . . .

A local construction company & developer gave the council dude about $2,900.00.

Currently, the KCMO Municipal Code explains that In-District candidates are limited to donations of no more than $1800.



A couple of quick things come to mind . . .

More than any other candidate, Council Dude Eric Bunch seems to be relying on developer support. Midtown voters might want to consider this amid a bevy of projects that threaten to infringe on neighborhoods and in the aftermath of the Main & Armour project enduring protest and eventual defeat because of excessive tax breaks.

And then . . .

Local 4th District voters ALSO might remember that councilman Eric Bunch offered scathing rebuke against his opponent Geoff Jolly a mere 4 years ago over union affiliations, contacts and donations.

When things got really heated . . . Bunch supporters called their opponent a "union hack" as they championed their "green" candidate Eric Bunch.

Now . . . Just 4 short years later . . . Councilman Bunch is touting his union endorsements and seems desperate to accept as much money as possible from organized labor.



Developing . . .
Something to consider and a perspective that started on this blog now is gaining traction . . .

KANSAS CITY HATES DUMPING TRASH ON OUR SUBURBAN NEIGHBORS AND SO MUCH DECEPTION ABOUT THE PLAN!!!



Let's not forget that for the latter half of this year City Hall denied the project and called neighbors conspiracy theorists when they complained about the effort . . . 12th & Oak also refused to listen when cities like Raymore passed their own anti-dump resolutions calling out KCMO.



Nevertheless . . .



We advise that a great deal of this sentiment is easy to share BEFORE ELECTIONS but might not earn the same response after our betters earn a place in office.

The bright side . . . Missouri GOP legislators seem to be lending a sympathetic ear and there have been a great many strong statements against the trashy idea.



For now a long ago movement against a similar plan captures our interest . . .



Four decades removed from that landfill dispute, a new group of Cass and Jackson County residents, city leaders, state, and federal lawmakers, are organizing opposition against a landfill developers highly anticipated application for a new dumpsite permit to the Missouri Department of Natural Resources . . . You've got to have facts, says realtor Linda Benson who organized citizens committee against landfill



Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com link . . .

Realtor remembers winning fight against Cass County landfill in 1980s Realtor Linda Benson remembers winning the fight against a landfill proposal in Cass County more than 40 years ago. That battle went to court where residents against the landfill in Cass County ultimately won.

A nice surprise . . . Even the Kansas City Star opposes the plan . .

Don't let a new landfill turn south Kansas City neighborhoods into a dump | Opinion A landfill on Kansas City's southern border would be ruinous to the rural area and nearby communities. Kansas City Council and Missouri lawmakers should use all means possible to block it. Developers have not yet submitted a formal proposal to build a landfill on nearly 1,000 acres south of Longview Lake, but rumors have circulated since the fall.

Developing . . .


RENO  i-80 Gold Corp. has entered into an agreement to acquire Paycore Minerals Inc., a move that will expand i-80s 100%-owned Ruby Hill property outside the town of Eureka in Eureka County.

Paycore owns the FAD Property which the company says is host to the high-grade FAD deposit immediately south of and adjoining the Ruby Hill property.

The i-80 Gold-Paycore transaction will consolidate the northern portion of the Eureka District and will increase the size of the land package at Ruby Hill by more than 34% to about 14,272 acres, providing i-80 enhanced exposure to what the company says is one of the worlds premier emerging carbonate replacement deposit districts.

The Ruby Hill district had an estimated historical production of 1.65 million ounces of gold and 39 million ounces of silver, of which 80% is estimated to be from the original Ruby Hill Mine on the FAD property.

The FAD deposit is the down-faulted, polymetallic-rich, extension of the original Ruby Hill Mine.

The geological setting being defined in the Eureka District is truly the most unique I have witnessed in my career, said i-80 CEO Ewan Downie. In the immediate area surrounding the Archimedes pit, we have identified oxide gold, Carlin-type refractory gold, base metal skarn and polymetallic carbonate replacement mineralization. Older mineralizing events are often overprinted by Carlin-type mineralization resulting in precious metal rich deposits not found elsewhere in the Great Basin. We have intersected high-grade mineralization in every one of our targets tested in 2022, all of which remain wide open for expansion. The expanded property has the potential to host a world-class polymetallic deposit with enhanced potential for further discoveries.

The consolidation of the core part of the Ruby Hill district will allow i-80 to aggressively pursue the optimization of the companys multi-year development plan  to create one of the largest U.S.-focused diversified mineral producers, said i-80 Executive Vice-President Matthew Gollat. Step-out drilling results from Paycores 2022 drill program confirm the upside potential of what we believe to be one of Nevadas highest-grade undeveloped deposits that will benefit from the Ruby Hill processing infrastructure.

Paycore President & CEO Christina McCarthy said, This transaction not only provides Paycore shareholders with greater exposure to the Eureka District, but also to i-80s high-grade Granite Creek and Cove Projects, and its existing permitted infrastructure which includes an autoclave, while also delivering a significant premium and enhanced liquidity as i-80 shareholders.

The mineralization of these two properties is indicating a massive carbonate replacement system along the fault corridor between the two properties, said Paycore Minerals Chairman James Gowans. The combination of i-80 and Paycores deposits is shaping up to be among the highest-grade carbonate replacement deposits in the world.

Under the agreement, i-80 Gold will acquire all the outstanding common shares of Paycore at an exchange ratio of 0.68 of an i-80 common share for each Paycore share held, representing a 36% premium for Paycore shareholders based on the 20-day volume-weighted average price for Paycore and i-80 for the period ended on Feb. 24, and a 26% premium based on the closing prices of both companies on Feb. 24.

Based on the Exchange Ratio, upon completion of the transaction existing i-80 shareholders will own about 90% and former Paycore shareholders will own about 10% of the combined company.

A special meeting of shareholders of Paycore to approve the transaction is expected to be held in late April.
Right now hottie Lindsey and her social media goodness inspire another glimpse at pop culture, community news and top headlines.



Check TKC news gathering . . .

EPIC Local Eat Out Takes Flight

New KCI includes over 50 restaurants and businesses, most of which are based in Kansas City Travelers will have plenty of food and shopping options at the new Kansas City International Airport. One of the biggest complaints for those who came through the old Kansas City International Airport was the lack of food options. That will not be a problem starting on Feb. 28.

Lights Out Across The Bridge

North Kansas City impacted by 'major' power outage KANSAS CITY, Mo. - A power outage in North Kansas City, Missouri, is impacting 1,749 customers. The outage spans from NE 33rd Terrace to E 15th Avenue, from north to south, and from the Missouri River to N Tracy Avenue, from east to west.

Local Hand Up Offered

Nonprofit bringing health care to Kansas City's homeless gets big boost Roughly 1,800 people in the Kansas City Metro area are experiencing homelessness right now, according to the Greater Kansas City Coalition to End Homelessness. While there are organizations to help them find food, jobs, and a house, only one organization brings them medical care.

College Scare Postscript

Social Media threat causes William Jewell College to close campus LIBERTY, Mo. - William Jewell College closed its campus Tuesday morning as police investigate what it calls a 'credible threat.' Liberty Police said a student notified campus security after seeing a threating post by a former Jewell student on social media. The college's president notified students and faculty about the situation through an email Monday evening.

Campy

Gifts For Fans Of FAIL

Fans who buy tickets to Royals opener may receive special Bobby Witt Jr. bobblehead Shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. is too young to remember a time when the Royals previously wore powder-blue uniforms, but he'll be sporting the look on opening day. Ditto for a special Bobby Witt Jr. bobblehead.

Lindsey Pays Cost For Beauty

Instagram star Lindsey Pelas' size 30HH breasts are causing her pain Lindsey Pelas, 26, says her natural 30HH breasts are causing severe back pain The pin-up says her boobs weigh 11 pounds and make exercising very difficult The Instagram star revealed stretching and massages can help to ease the pain Louisianna-born beauty Lindsey says people judge her because she's 'busty' Her fans have advised her to consider a breast reduction to ease her pain She has a cleavage that most women can only dream of, but an Instagram model has claimed her 30HH breasts are more of a curse than a blessing.

Prez Biden's Civil Rights Record Questioned By Critics

Biden flamed for 'lying' that he attended Black church, fought segregation during youth: 'All debunked lies' Twitter users accused President Joe Biden of lying about his time visiting Black churches and being an activist in the desegregation movement in his younger years.

SCOTUS Doubts Loan Scheme

Supreme Court appears skeptical of Biden's student debt relief plan President Joe Biden's plan to forgive student loan debt for tens of millions of Americans seems to be in danger based on oral arguments at the Supreme Court on Tuesday. A majority of justices appeared dubious about the Biden administration's pandemic-related legal justification for the sweeping debt relief program, which offered up to $20,000 of loan forgiveness per borrower.

MAGA Manic Over Betrayal

Trump Melts Down Over Murdoch Admitting Fox Lied About Election Fraud The fallout between former President Donald Trump and Fox News continued on Tuesday following the release of a deposition from Fox Corporation Chairman Rupert Murdoch. The deposition stems from a defamation suit brought against Fox News by Dominion Voting Systems, which alleges the network knowingly misled the public about claims of fraud in the 2020 election.

Mickey Mouse Politics Part Deux

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis cements control of Disney World's special district Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill on Monday to end a special tax district encompassing Walt Disney World, dealing another blow to the company's ability to operate with autonomy. "The corporate kingdom finally comes to an end," DeSantis said during a news conference Monday near Orlando.

Giveaway Without Rules

San Francisco Reparations Committee Chairman Admits No 'Math Formula' behind $5 Million Payout Plan The San Francisco committee which came up with a reparations figure of $5 million for each black resident did not use a mathematical formula to determine that number, according to the committee chairman. Critics have pushed back against the hefty recommendation, claiming it isn't serious and distracts from other, more reasonable recommendations the committee made.

Politics Ruins Lunch

Marjorie Taylor Greene claims she was 'attacked' in a restaurant Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., claimed she was "attacked" in a restaurant Monday night. In a tweet, Greene said she was "attacked" by an "insane woman and screamed at by her adult son. They had no respect for the restaurant or the staff or the other people dining or people like me who simply have different political views."

What About Trusting The Science?!?

Five takeaways from the big COVID-19 'lab leak' story The tangled story of the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic has taken a new twist. On Sunday, the Wall Street Journal revealed that the Department of Energy had shifted its position, now holding that the most likely source of the virus was a laboratory mishap, presumably in Wuhan, China - the so-called "lab leak theory."...

Far East Flexes On Tesla

Chinas CCP warns Elon Musk against sharing Wuhan lab leak report Chinese state-run media warned Tesla CEO Elon Musk that he was risking his relationship with China after he retweeted about the U.S. governments low-confidence assessment that the Covid pandemic originated in a Wuhan laboratory.

European Fight Crosses Russian Border

Russia says military drone attempted to strike gas facility near Moscow A military drone attempted to strike a gas facility in the Moscow region, according to a senior Russian official, and photos of the wreckage suggested it was Ukrainian-made, indicating a rare attempted strike hundreds of miles behind Russian lines.

From Funnyman To World Leader

The strengths and weaknesses of Volodymyr Zelenskyy In the weeks leading up to Russia's invasion, senior Ukraine opposition politicians and former ministers were brimming with frustration. They'd been imploring President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to meet with them - something he'd not done since his landslide election nearly two years before.

Breathe Easier

Hong Kong's government says it will lift its COVID mask mandate on Wednesday HONG KONG - Hong Kong will lift its mask mandate Wednesday, ending the city's last major restriction imposed during the COVID-19 pandemic. The city's Chief Executive John Lee said the requirement will end outdoors and indoors, including public transit, but some high-risk premises including hospitals and elderly homes can still require people to wear masks.

Tech Scroll Debuts

Lenovo's Rollable Screen Concept is Almost Like Magic Motorola has already impressed us with its rollable phone concept at MWC in Barcelona, but parent company Lenovo is getting in on the flexible display game too with an awesome-looking concept laptop with a screen that somehow grows larger at the touch of a button. Having seen it in person, it's almost like magic.

Sharing & Caring Debated

My husband wants to form a throuple with my BEST FRIEND In this week's agony aunt column, Jane Green shares some wisdom with a woman whose husband is eager for her best friend to join their marriage She also reaches out to a 54-year-old left mortified by menopausal symptoms Do you have a question for Jane?

Baller Banners Debut

Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl LVII Champions flags on sale KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Chiefs fans can have a permanent reminder that the team won Super Bowl LVII earlier this month. Fans spotted Super Bowl LVII Champions flags around Kansas City. Now members of Chiefs Kingdom can grab one for their own homes or businesses.

Check Local Good Time Calendar

The best events in KC for March 2023 Check out the best events in KC happening for March in 2023.

Everything Is Swine At New KCI

Local eatery Pigwich expands at new Kansas City International Airport Waiting for your flight at KCI has never been this tasty. You'll no longer have to travel to the River Market to eat at Pigwich. "It's going to be kind of surreal that to see it at the airport," said Matthew Kafka, the managing partner of Pigwich.

Local Tasty Tradition Explained

Keep it Kosher: The Not-So-Secret Secret World of M & M Bakery and Delicatessen Photo by Robert Miner A lot of restaurant owners like to talk about family. Their kitchen staff: family. Their customers: family. Their community: family. It's become so common as to feel cliche. But when you hear Pat Williams of M & M Bakery and Delicatessen talk about family, there's nothing trite about it.

Spring Sneak Peek

FORECAST: Mid-60s Tuesday afternoon It's going to be a beautiful Tuesday on tap. Morning temps in the 30s & 40s, but that quickly warms up into the mid-60s by the afternoon. Meteorologist Greg Bennett has your full StormTrack5 Daily Forecast.

And this is the OPEN THREAD for right now.
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.
ELKO  A Montello man convicted of lewdness two years ago is scheduled for mandatory parole release from Northern Nevada Correctional Center in April.

Wade T. Shupe, 51, was arrested in August 2019 on a warrant charging him with child abuse, coercion, and 10 counts of open or gross lewdness.

According to court documents, a female alleged that starting in 2014, Shupe had committed numerous acts of sexual conduct upon or with [the victim] against her will which gradually grew in severity.

The victim told an Elko County Sheriffs detective that Shupe started with cuddling and kissing, which led to inappropriate touching and conduct that she did not want or invite. She also alleged that Shupe would choke her or use force to make her comply.

He pleaded no contest to three counts of open or gross lewdness, second or subsequent offense, and was sentenced to 38-96 months in prison by District Judge Al Kacin.

The court documents said Shupe was also convicted of open or gross lewdness in Elko District Court on Nov. 9, 2001.

Elko County Jail records also state he was booked in May 2003 on a warrant charging aggravated stalking and habitual criminal behavior; in December 2007 on an unspecified warrant; and in June 2017 for domestic battery by strangulation.
ELKO  U.S. Highway 93 was closed between Wells and Jackpot late Monday night and remained closed Tuesday morning.

The Nevada Department of Transportation posted a notice at 10:42 p.m. that lanes in both directions were closed from Jackpot to Goose Creek Road due to weather conditions. There was no estimate when the highway might be reopened.

Adverse driving conditions were also reported on Interstate 80 across most of Elko County.

The Elko Daily Free Press print edition will not be delivered Tuesday due to the road closure. Tuesdays edition is expected to be mailed with Wednesdays.

Drifting snow and hazardous road conditions also resulted the Elko County School District canceling classes in Wells on Tuesday, and delaying the start of classes by two in Elko, Spring Creek and Carlin.

Please remember to drive slowly and carefully, stated the school district. Students will be waiting for buses, walking to school at different times, using different routes, and may be walking in the street due to snowy sidewalks. Please help keep our students safe and look out for each other.

State offices in western Nevada will remain closed Tuesday as well. Gov. Joe Lombardo announced that the closures include offices in Carson City, Douglas County, Lyon County, Storey County, and Washoe County.

"Aside from essential public safety and corrections personnel, state offices in these counties will be closed today due to ongoing severe winter weather," stated the announcement.

Lombardo asks Nevadans to continue to follow all local transportation and public safety guidance as winter storms continue to create regional transportation difficulties and potentially dangerous road conditions across northern Nevada.

Nearly all of northern Nevada is under a winter weather advisory until Wednesday morning. Elko could see another 2-4 inches of snow Tuesday and 1-3 inches Tuesday night, according to the National Weather Service.

Wind gusts up to 30 mph are expected Tuesday and temperatures will stay below freezing through Friday.
For many of his loved ones, the death of Chaguanas Businessman Rishard Ali came as a shock. 
Lockheed Martin's mobile rocket launcher plant in Camden, Arkansas is gearing up to boost production of the HIMARS system after its success on the battlefield in Ukraine drove up demand from other nations.

That's according to Reuters, Ukrinform reports.

"When you have a combat proven system that is out there and in the news - daily - then that's driving that demand," said Jennifer McManus, the vice president for operations of Lockheed's missile business.

The company said that it plans to increase the production of HIMARS systems to 96 units a year. Lockheed started 2022 with a HIMARS launcher production rate of 48, but has since ramped up to 60 year.

Thanks to some investments made over the last year in the 282,000 square foot building where the ground vehicles are made, Lockheed only needs a few upgrades to meet that increased production rate, Lockheed executives said.

The HIMARS launcher had been growing in popularity even before its success in Ukraine.
First satellite images have been released showing the Machulishchy airfield in Belarus after a likely drone attack.

That's according to the Twitter account of the Bellingcat investigation team.

"On February 26th a Belarusian partisan group, BYPOL, and opposition leaders claimed a Russian A-50 airborne early warning & control aircraft had been damaged in a UAV attack. Bellingcat has now obtained satellite imagery from after the alleged attack of the Machulishchy Airbase," Bellingcat wrote.

On February 26th a Belarusian partisan group, BYPOL, and opposition leaders claimed a Russian A-50 airborne early warning & control aircraft had been damaged in a UAV attack



Bellingcat has now obtained satellite imagery from after the alleged attack of the Machulishchy Airbase.  Bellingcat (@bellingcat) February 28, 2023

According to investigative journalists, the imagery was captured on Feb 28. It shows an aircraft with the same configuration as an A-50 with a dark mottled pattern on the wings.

The .5m resolution imagery was captured on Feb 28th by @planet. It shows an aircraft with the same configuration as an A-50 with a dark mottled pattern on the wings. pic.twitter.com/6g21LiWj3q  Bellingcat (@bellingcat) February 28, 2023

They compared satellite images before and after the apparent attack.

They came to the conclusion that the color of the wings is different, but noted that, in particular, this could also be the result of snowfall, so they cannot confirm claims by Belarusian partisans about damage to the A-50.

An aircraft matching the A-50 configuration was captured by @Planet in .5m resolution imagery on Feb 19th (left) and 3m resolution imagery on Feb 23rd (right)  both before the apparent attack. pic.twitter.com/PDl7PJAaMh  Bellingcat (@bellingcat) February 28, 2023

Compared to the earlier Feb 19th image (right) there does appear to be a difference in the colour of the wings. pic.twitter.com/KgTkMVLgyn  Bellingcat (@bellingcat) February 28, 2023

The Belarusian Hajun project, in turn, reported that the plane was "sanded" before repainting.

"The plane seems to have been 'sanded' before repainting. At this moment, we do not make any definite statements, however, this may also be a consequence of the fact that the fuselage burned out," the report reads.

It emerged on February 26 that explosions rang out at the Machulishchy military airfield in Belarus in the morning, and it was also reported that an A-50 Airborne Early Warning system and control aircraft had been damaged. Alexander Azarov, a representative of the BYPOL initiative, said that Belarusian partisans were behind the alleged attack. According to him, the participants of the alleged act of sabotage at Machulishchy have left Belarus and are now in safety.
The Ministry of Finance of the Kingdom of Belgium has frozen Russian assets worth EUR 58 billion, which is the highest sum among other EU countries.

The relevant statement was made on the web page of Belgian Deputy Prime Minister - Finance Minister Vincent Van Peteghem, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

Additionally, the ministry blocked Russian financial transactions worth EUR 191 billion. In general, these measures affected 1,789 Russian entities and individuals who had been put on the blacklist.

Meanwhile, the Belgian customs intensified control over imports and exports in relation to Russia and Belarus. Currently, a total of 529 containers have been blocked to receive additional information on goods, and over 1,000 vehicles have been prevented from being sent to Russia.

Van Peteghem expressed support for close coordination within the EU regarding the application of sanctions. Thus, the Belgian Finance Ministry is in constant contact with the European Commission and other Member States, which often cite the approach of Belgium and its ministry as an example.
The establishment of real peace in Ukraine is possible only if Kyiv restores control of all the territories occupied by Russia.

"Forcing Ukraine to betray part of her citizenry would not be just, nor would it bring peace. Such "agreements" only lay the foundations of the next conflict. That is why we ask Ukraine's allies to commit fully to a complete Ukrainian victory. This is the only true option," Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania Gabrielius Landsbergis posted on Twitter, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

He emphasized that we all want peace in Ukraine, but a lasting peace cannot be based on myths. With this in mind, the minister debunked several myths about a potential peace deal.

As noted, the first myth is that Ukraine is unable to win back all territory including Crimea. "Reality: Ukrainians have shown repeatedly that they can restore territorial integrity, given the necessary weapons and training. Our support can be decisive. The ball is in our court," the minister wrote.

According to him, the second myth claims that Russia is unbeatable. "Reality: Ukraines allies have only committed a tiny fraction of their resources. Manufacture can be ramped up. The combined Nordic-Baltic GDP alone is bigger than Russias. Russia could and should be defeated," Landsbergis stressed.

The third myth is that Russia will get tired and want to settle. "Putin's goals have not changed. He still believes he can achieve them. He will only settle as a timeout before the next aggression. He will keep reigniting the conflict. He announced a crusade, so he cannot stop," Landsbergis noted.

He further debunks the myth that Crimea is a red line for Putin. "Putin has announced many red lines. He threatened huge consequences if Ukraines allies sent any help at all, but his red lines keep evaporating. Internationally agreed borders must be respected without fear. Crimea is Ukraine," Lithuanias top diplomat underscored.

Landsbergis also does not agree that the world can go back to business as usual with Putin. " Putin is far too heavily invested in his crusade against the West. He cannot turn back. He sees our peace offerings as weakness and uses them against us. He should be in court, not in power," he noted.

According to the minister, the sixth myth is that all wars end with negotiations. "WWII didnt end with negotiations. Peace can only be sustainable if Putin is defeated. Ongoing negotiations with Putin would lead only to recurring conflict. Swift, full victory is the only guarantee of lasting peace," he stated.

Finally, Landsbergis debunks the myth that the Baltics and Poland only want revenge. " Reality: After centuries of Russian aggression we want security. We know we cannot expect security without a just and lasting peace in Ukraine. It's simple: Peace means respecting borders," he concluded.
In Russia's war against Ukraine, there is no such thing as neutrality for Japan or any other country.

Japanese Ambassador to Ukraine Kuninori Matsuda said this in a speech at the third Ukraine-Japan Forum "Responsible partnership. Ukraine and Japan in the context of Russia's war," according to an Ukrinform correspondent.

The Japanese diplomat noted that it has now become much more obvious for Japan and Ukraine that both countries have many common challenges and common interests, and their common neighbor  Russia  is one of the many issues that the two countries have to deal with from now on.

"From day one of this [Russian] aggression, Prime Minister [Fumio] Kishida has set the tone for Japan's discourse and Japan's policy. What is happening now in Ukraine could sooner or later happen to East Asia, so there is no such thing as neutrality not only for Japan but also for any other country. And also, there is no such thing as business as usual with Russia," Matsuda said.

He added that Japan has a very strict sanctions package against Russia.

"Today we announced the latest sanctions package against Russia. And also, we are actively involved in financial, budget, humanitarian, technical support as well as non-lethal military support for Ukraine. And also, we are actively reaching out with the Global South and particularly those countries that are sitting on the fence and are undecided what to do with this war," the ambassador said.

Matsuda noted that the recent UN vote for the Ukrainian resolution proved that international support for Ukraine remains strong.
The Ministry of National Defense of Romania has warned about fake news circulated online about the alleged recent transfer of a number of air defense systems toward the border with the Republic of Moldova.

This was reported by Romania Journal, Ukrinform saw.

"Falsely (and with the clear aim of causing panic), the video report of February 27, 2023, is presented as 'the movement of Romanian air defense systems to the border with the Republic of Moldova this morning,'" the Romanian Ministry of Defense said in a statement.

The ministry explained that in fact the video used to spread this fake story on various online platforms (it features, among other things, HIMARS systems and Gepard air defense systems operated by Romanian military units) was actually shot at the end of November 2022 in the center of Alba Iulia on the occasion preparations for the military ceremony during the celebration of Romanias National Day.

The ministry also notes that many users who commented on the post "noticed that the footage was actually an old recording, and they also correctly indicated the actual shooting location, even urging users not to spread this false information.

As Ukrinform reported earlier, the Ministry of Defense of Moldova called out as false information that appeared in the Russian media that a general military mobilization would be announced in the country.

Moldova also denied the statement spread by the Ministry of Defense of Russia that Ukraine is allegedly preparing provocations involving an invasion of Transnistria.
For much of her adult life, Shamsa Amin Ali has had to cope with failed rains withering her crops, killing her livestock and displacing her and her family within Somalia. But faced with a relentless drought that has gripped the Horn of Africa region for the past three years, her resilience reached breaking point.

In previous droughts, we would move to nearby towns and go back when the rains come, but this drought is the worst we have ever seen, said the 38-year-old mother of ten children from Saakow, southern Somalia.

About 18 months ago, she finally lost hope of the longed-for rains returning and embarked on the long and difficult journey with her children to safety in Kenya.

We walked for eight days to reach here. There was nothing to feed my children. They would cry and cry and cry, Ali said. At some point, I thought of taking my own life instead of watching them die of hunger in front of me.

Ali's 82-year-old mother said the current drought eclipsed any other she could remember. I have never experienced this kind of drought. It forced me to flee my country in search of food.

In the last several years, more than 110,000 Somalis have arrived in Kenyas Dadaab camps driven by a devastating combination of conflict and drought in search of food, water and safety.

The Horn of Africa region including Ethiopia, Somalia and Kenya is facing the longest and most severe drought in 40 years. The unprecedented failure of five consecutive rainy seasons is pushing millions of people towards famine.

Shamsa and her family, like other Somali refugees who have arrived here, are the victims of this mix of toxic elements; climate change, conflict, and displacement, said Joung-ah Ghedini-Williams, UNHCRs Head of Global Communications, who visited Dadaab recently.

They are suffering here because of things entirely out of their control, things that they have not created, she added.

Guuray Abdi, 68, said she had endured 30 years of conflict in Somalia but there was no way she could withstand hunger. The drought destroyed her familys crops and killed all their livestock.

"Imagine not being able to feed your children ..."

She described the bones of dead animals scattered across the parched landscape of her southern hometown of Buale like "piles of white stones".

The drought is worse than the ongoing conflict in Somalia, it made life even more difficult. Imagine not being able to feed your children and they sleep on hungry stomachs, Abdi said.

There was fighting in my village. My relative and his son were both killed and his children fled to Ethiopia. But when the drought claimed the last of our crops, we had no choice but to flee to Kenya, she added.

With the new arrivals, the population of Dadaab has swollen to over 320,000 refugees, putting pressure on already overstretched resources. UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, and its partners are struggling to provide much-needed assistance including water, food, health care and other vital services to the most vulnerable, including children who are among the hardest hit.

Guuray Abdi, 68, from Bu'ale in Somalia fled to Dadaab with her son Omar after enduring 30 years of conflict.  UNHCR/Charity Nzomo

Last December, over 3,000 children under five were treated for malnutrition. Admissions to the paediatric wards have doubled in a year, said Lorraine Dalizu Ombech, UNHCRs protection officer in Dadaab.

Together with partners, we have launched critical child protection services, including high-impact nutrition interventions for pregnant and breast-feeding women, infants and young children. The innocent children of Somalia deserve a healthy start in life. We owe it to the children and women of Somalia, who continue to bear the brunt of the long conflict and cyclical droughts.

The Dadaab camps were first established in the 1990s to host some 90,000 Somali refugees fleeing the countrys civil war, but have since grown to become one of the largest refugee settlements in the world. Abdullahi Ali was among the first group of refugees who arrived at the camp as a child. He is now 40 and serves as a community leader helping new arrivals to settle in.

The refugees in Dadaab have gone through so many challenges. But nothing compared to what they are going through today, Ali said. Those of us who have been here longer are helping the new arrivals. They need shelter, food, water and health services. We try our best to share what we can with the new arrivals but we can only do so much.

While those newly displaced like Ali had initially hoped their stay in Dadaab would be temporary, forecasts of a sixth failed rainy season make the prospect of returning to their farms very slim.

I cannot go back to Somalia because the challenges are still there, Ali said. The drought is still there. My farm, animals and even my house have been destroyed, so there is nothing to go back to.

She added that due to climate change, weather patterns have become more unpredictable. Sometimes there is rain, sometimes theres no rain. The weather becomes very harsh.

We cannot afford to watch children die of hunger, said Ghedini-Williams. The people of Dadaab and the millions of other displaced families in the Horn of Africa region who were uprooted from their homes by climate change deserve assistance and protection. We must come together to do whatever we can to save lives and help communities recover and rebuild.

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Shamsa Amin, 38, arrived in Kenya's Dadaab with her mother and 10 children in March 2022 after the drought ravaged her crops and livestock back in Somalia.  UNHCR/Charity Nzomo

As the Horn of Africa enters its sixth consecutive rainy season with no rain, displacement continues to climb as millions from Somalia, Ethiopia and Kenya struggle to survive amid scarce water sources, hunger, insecurity and conflict.

With no immediate end in sight to one of the longest and most severe droughts on record, UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is appealing for US$ 137 million to provide life-saving aid to 3.3 million refugees and internally displaced people who have been forced to flee their homes in search of safety and assistance, as well as affected local host communities.

While famine has so far been averted in Somalia, mostly due to a stepped-up humanitarian response, people continue to battle life-threatening food and water shortages resulting from massive losses of harvests, livestock, and income. Local commodity prices also remain at an all-time high, out of reach for many. The dangerous confluence of climate and conflict in the region is worsening an already dire humanitarian situation.

As a result, hundreds of thousands of people have been uprooted from their homes in search of safety and assistance. According to UNHCR data, over 1.7 million people have been internally displaced in Ethiopia and Somalia due to the drought, most of them last year. More than 180,000 refugees from Somalia and South Sudan also crossed into drought-affected areas of Kenya and Ethiopia.

In recent weeks, nearly 100,000 people have arrived in Doolo, a remote area in Ethiopias Somali region itself hard hit by the drought, fleeing conflict in the Laascaanood area within Somalia. In Somalia alone, since the start of the year, over 287,000 people have been internally displaced due to conflict and drought.

Due to space constraints in Kenyas Dadaab camps, arriving refugees seeking relief from this climate catastrophe have been forced to reside along the outskirts of the camps where assistance is limited, while efforts are underway to establish a new settlement at the site of a previously closed camp. One refugee woman in her late sixties who recently arrived in Dadaab told our staff that despite enduring three decades of conflict in southern Somalia, extreme hunger forced her to flee for her life.

As drought and insecurity persist in 2023, humanitarian needs are also expected to rise.

UNHCR plans to provide more basic relief items including emergency shelter and household items for new refugee arrivals and displaced people in the three countries. Water supply will be increased through water trucking, drilling additional boreholes as well as refurbishing existing water and sanitation systems.

Cash assistance will be prioritized for the most vulnerable so they can supplement their food needs and encourage traders to make food and other necessities available.

Health facilities will also be supported to step up nutritional assistance for women and children through high-nutrient feeding and medical treatment for related diseases.

UNHCR will work with local authorities to strengthen border monitoring and facilitate refugee registration and documentation so that new arrivals, including those with special needs, can access appropriate assistance. Child protection as well as interventions to mitigate gender-based violence will also be intensified.

This additional assistance and protection is required urgently.

In 2022, UNHCR received less than half of the required financial resources to respond to the drought. We continue to call for more global solidarity and support to protect, assist and empower drought-affected communities and save millions of lives.

Note for editors :

You can download the UNHCR 2023 Horn of Africa Drought Appeal here.

For broadcasters, news organizations and other media professionals, b-roll is available here.

Link to the multimedia package: https://media.unhcr.org/Package/2CZ9LOB20B3P

For more information on this topic, please contact:
At the meeting of the Bureau of the Parliament, the second version of the 'Agents of foreign influence' law was registered and submitted to the leading committees for consideration.The bill was initiated by the deputies who formally left the Georgian Dream and were supported by the ruling party.The media representatives protested the bill with banners with the inscription "No To Russian Law".63 media organizations issued a joint statement, which reads that in the case of the adoption of the 'Russian law', they refuse to register as "agents of foreign influence". According to them, the purpose of this law is to stop critical voices from being heard, and media and public organizations will no longer be able to reflect the corruption, injustice and poverty in the country.According to the Media representatives, the adoption of this law damages the process of joining the European Union, which was clearly indicated by the High Representative of the European Union on February 24 - therefore, the submitted legislative amendment hinders the development of Georgia and closes the window of opportunity that has appeared today.The Public Defender issued a report stating that on February 19, a group of specialists invited by the Public Defender of Georgia made another visit to the "Vivamed" clinic in order to assess Mikheil Saakashvili's health condition.According to the Office of the Public Defender, taking into account their mandate, the purpose of the visits of the expert group, from the day of its creation, is to monitor the medical services provided to the patient. The group was/is not involved in the direct process of the patient's treatment."On February 19, the members of the expert group were scheduled to examine the patient and review his medical documentation. Mikheil Saakashvili's physical examination was completed, and unfortunately, the clinic could not provide medical materials on site due to non-working days. However, the Office of the Public Defender has requested complete medical materials from December 4, 2022 (the last visit of experts to Mikheil Saakashvili) until now, and the group of experts will additionally review the materials.The Office of the Public Defender and the group of experts will continue intensive documentary monitoring of Mikheil Saakashvili's health management in the near future," the statement reads.According to the assessment of the group of specialists invited by the ombudsman, the movement of the patient without supervision is dangerous, because the risk of falling, body damage/fractures is very high.
China will follow its path of human rights development and contribute to the global human rights governance, Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang said on Monday.

Qin made the remarks when addressing a high-level segment of the 52nd session of the UN Human Rights Council via video link.

Qin said that a country should adhere to the path of human rights development that suits its national conditions.

All parties should comprehensively promote and protect all kinds of human rights, uphold international fairness and justice, and adhere to dialogue and cooperation, said Qin.

China's human rights cause has made historic achievements as the country followed a path that conforms to the trend of the times and suits its national conditions, Qin said, stressing that China will unswervingly follow this path.

Qin said China firmly opposes attempts to use Xinjiang and Tibet-related issues to smear China's image and contain its development.

China will unswervingly, comprehensively and accurately implement the "one country, two systems" principle, resolutely safeguard national sovereignty, security and development interests, and maintain Hong Kong's prosperity and stability, Qin said.

The foreign minister also called on all countries to urge Japan to dispose of nuclear-contaminated water in an open, transparent, scientific and safe manner.
As of April 1, Twitter is requiring a paid subscription to Twitter Blue to have a verificati Read moreMain Point: Verification doesnt equal credibility
(@FahadShabbir)

A delegation of Executive Directors of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) of Japan, China and South Korea called on Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif here Tuesday and renewed ADB's resolve to continue working closely with Pakistan in addressing its economic challenges

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 28th Feb, 2023 ):A delegation of Executive Directors of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) of Japan, China and South Korea called on Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif here Tuesday and renewed ADB's resolve to continue working closely with Pakistan in addressing its economic challenges.

The prime minister lauded ADB's longstanding association with Pakistan and for being a reliable partner in the socioeconomic development of Pakistan.

He appreciated ADB's generous support in the wake of the 2022 floods. This includes the emergency relief grant, Post Disaster Needs Assessment, and pledges made during the Climate Resilience Conference in Geneva.

The prime minister appreciated ADB's financing across key economic sectors of Pakistan, particularly transport, energy, climate change, and social sector.

He expressed the hope that ADB's would continue its strong partnership with Pakistan in addressing the country's macroeconomic challenges.

The participants were apprised that the 9th review under the International Monetary Fund (IMF) programme was progressing well with staff-level agreement expected in the next few days.

The prime minister underlined that Pakistan was committed to complete the reforms agreed in the programme.

The ADB's executive directors expressed their deep satisfaction with the government's efforts in addressing the huge challenges of the devastation caused by the recent floods.

The meeting was attended by Federal Minister for Economic Affairs Sardar Ayaz Sadiq and relevant senior officials.
The Cuban Embassy delegation takes a photo with the leaders of Quang Tri province. (Photo: VNA)

So said Mr. Hoang Nam, Vice Chairman of the Quang Tri Provincial Peoples Committee on February 27, when Cuban Ambassador to Vietnam Orlando Nicolas Hernandez Guillen held a working session with authorities of the province to discuss activities marking the 50th anniversary of Cuban leader Fidel Castros visit to the liberated area in the south of Vietnam (September 1973).

According to Mr. Nam, Cuba is always interested in supporting Quang Tri in the post-war reconstruction process, and in its development in all areas.

Quang Tri always appreciates the opportunity to cooperate with Cuba in agriculture, and is ready to welcome Cuban businesses in the fields of culture, tourism, health and education.

He said scheduled activities for the occasion include a State-level meeting in September, a Vietnam-Cuba photo exhibition, a seminar on the 62nd anniversary of Vietnam-Cuba diplomatic ties and Cuban leaders visit to Quang Tri, a floral tribute and tree planting at Fidel Park in Dong Ha city, and visits to relic sites where Fidel Castro arrived in 1973.

For his part, Cuban Ambassador Guillen wished that ties between Vietnam and Cuba, and between Quang Tri and Cuba in particular, would be further tightened in culture, tourism, sport and economy.

The Cuban Ambassador highly appreciated the efforts of Quang Tri province in the preparation of the 50th anniversary of Cuban leader Fidel Castros visit to the liberated area in the south of Vietnam.

After listening to the preparation plan of Quang Tri province, he expressed his agreement with the province in preparing for this special event.

On this occasion, the delegation visited and offered flowers at Fidel Park in Dong Ha city, and visited the expected sites of the celebration of the 50th anniversary of Cuban leader Fidel Castro's visit to the liberated area in the south of Vietnam in Quang Tri, such as the Provincial Cinema Culture House, the Headquarters of the Provisional Revolutionary Government of the Republic of South Vietnam in Cam Lo district, and Hill 241 Tan Lam./.
MINSK (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 01st March, 2023) Belarus and Russia have signed intergovernmental agreements that set pricing terms for Russian gas deliveries to Belarus until 2026 at the level of 2022, the Belarusian Energy Ministry said on Tuesday.

Earlier in the day, Russian Energy Minister Nikolay Shulginov and his Belarusian counterpart, Viktor Karankevich, held a working meeting in Moscow. The two officials signed protocols amending existing intergovernmental agreements between the two countries on gas supplies.

"The signed documents consolidate finally the agreements the leaders of Belarus and Russia reached on December 19, 2022 on keeping the terms of natural gas supplies from Russia to Belarus till December 31, 2025, at the level of 2022," the ministry said in a statement.

Shulginov and Karankevich also discussed bilateral energy cooperation and the implementation of joint energy programs aimed at integrating electricity and natural gas markets within the Union State of Russia and Belarus.

Last week, Karankevich said that the Belarusian government had signed a protocol with Russian energy giant Gazprom on the formation of gas prices until 2025 in relation to the Russian ruble and based on the conditions of 2022.

In 2022, Belarus imported gas from Russia at a price of $128.52 per 1,000 cubic meters. Starting last April, Minsk started paying for Russian gas supplies in rubles.
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South Korea, the United States, and Japan on Monday held the first meeting of the recently created economic security dialogue, where they discussed ways to stabilize semiconductor supply chains, among other things, the South Korean presidential office said on Tuesday

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 28th February, 2023) South Korea, the United States, and Japan on Monday held the first meeting of the recently created economic security dialogue, where they discussed ways to stabilize semiconductor supply chains, among other things, the South Korean presidential office said on Tuesday.

"This meeting was the first meeting where South Korea, the United States and Japan jointly discussed economic security issues, and the delegations from the three countries sought ways to enhance their mutual understanding and cooperate on areas of common interest in the economic security field," the office said in a statement quoted by South Korean news agency Yonhap.

The parties discussed cooperation in quantum, bio, and space technologies, as well as joint efforts to stabilize semiconductor, battery and critical mineral supply chains, the report added.

Trilateral cooperation will allow the countries to strengthen supply chain resilience and crisis response capabilities, the report noted.
The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) will announce Monetary Policy on Thursday (March 02) in a meeting of the Monetary Policy Committee

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 28th Feb, 2023 ):The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) will announce Monetary Policy on Thursday (March 02) in a meeting of the Monetary Policy Committee.

"The Monetary Policy Committee of SBP will meet on Thursday, March 02, 2023, at SBP Karachi to decide about the Monetary Policy", a press release issued by SBP said.

Later on, SBP will issue the Monetary Policy Statement through a press release on the same day.
The Islamabad Police on Tuesday registered a case against vandalism at the Judicial Complex Islamabad during the appearance of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan in courts

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 28th Feb, 2023 ) :The Islamabad Police on Tuesday registered a case against vandalism at the Judicial Complex Islamabad during the appearance of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan in courts.

The first information report (FIT), registered under ATA 7/353 and other sections, stated that arms were recovered from some persons in the crowd and it was an attempted attack on the Judicial Complex in Sector G-11.

It noted that security arrangements at the Judicial Complex were disrupted as the PTI workers removed all the barriers during their leader's appearances in the different courts. Some of the workers even vandalised the building and undermined the decorum of the courts.

The Islamabad Police spokesperson, in a post on Twitter, said at least 25 persons had been arrested with a Kalashnikov and other weapons.

Under a premeditated plan, he said, the mob attempted to attack the Islamabad High Court and the Judicial Complex. Police teams had been dispatched to different provinces to arrest the people involved in the incident, he added.

The spokesperson, in a statement, claimed that the leaders of a political party provoked the mob, who resorted to vandalism.

He said the government property was damaged at the Judicial Complex, while the police managed to prevent the mob from damaging the high court.
(@ChaudhryMAli88)

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 28th Feb, 2023 ) :A lower court on Tuesday issued non-bailable arrest warrants against former prime minister Imran Khan in Toshakhana case due to non-appearance.

The court had summoned Imran Khan this day for indictment but his counsel requested the judge to grant him exemption from attendance.

The lawyer said that his client also had to appear before several courts this day.

The court earlier granted time to Imran Khan till 3:15pm and later issued his non-bailable arrest warrant due to non-appearance.

It may be mentioned here that the court had already granted exemptions to the PTI chief in last two hearings.
(@ChaudhryMAli88)

At least five Pakistanis were among the people who lost their lives in two different capsized boat incidents off Southern Italy and Libya

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 28th Feb, 2023 ) :At least five Pakistanis were among the people who lost their lives in two different capsized boat incidents off Southern Italy and Libya.

Foreign Office Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, on her Twitter handle, on Tuesday announced that they could confirm with great sorrow that two Pakistanis had lost their lives in the tragic incident of a boat capsized off the coast of Italy, as identified by their families.

"However, another Pakistani national has Alhamdulillah been found among survivors the in same incident, bringing total Pakistani survivors to 17," she further posted.

The spokesperson said the Embassy of Pakistan in Italy remained engaged with the authorities to assist in the matter.

The embassy officials had met survivors and were in contact with the Italian authorities as well, she further added in her tweet.

While in a related tweet, she posted that in an earlier, separate tragic incident, three Pakistani nationals perished in a boat wreck near Benghazi, Libya.

The Pakistan embassy in Libya was facilitating the process of transportation of the mortal remains to Pakistan, she added.

According to BBC at least 63 migrants were confirmed to have died, with 12 children including a baby said to be among the victims after the vessel, thought to have carried some 200 people, broke apart while trying to land near Crotone, Italy on February 26.

On board, there were people from Afghanistan, Pakistan, Somalia, Syria, Iraq and Iran, the report claimed.

More than 170 migrants were estimated to have been aboard the ship, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees and the International Organization for Migration said in a joint statement.

Among them were children and entire families with most of the passengers from Afghanistan, Pakistan and Somalia, the report said.
(@FahadShabbir)

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday granted pre-arrest bail to PTI's chairman and former prime minister Imran Khan till March 9 in an attempted murder case registered by Secretariat Police Station

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 28th Feb, 2023 ) :The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday granted pre-arrest bail to PTI's chairman and former prime minister Imran Khan till March 9 in an attempted murder case registered by Secretariat Police Station.

The court directed the PTI (Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf)'s head to submit surety bonds worth Rs100,000 against the interim bail in the said case.

Earlier on Tuesday morning, the PTI's chief had withdrawn his interim bail case from a lower court in Islamabad and filed it to the high court through his counsel, Barrister Salman Safdar.

The registrar office of IHC raised several objections against the bail petition of Imran Khan, including missing biometric verification, skipping the relevant forum and difference in his two signatures.

However, later Imran Khan appeared before the court and removed the objections with regard to biometric verification and signatures.

After this, Chief Justice Aamer Farooq took up the case for hearing and approved the bail of Imran Khan against surety bonds worth Rs100,000.

It may be mentioned here that foolproof security arrangements were made during the appearance of Imran Khan at the IHC.

The Secretariat Police Station had registered a First Information Report (FIR) against Imran Khan on the complaint of PML-N's leader, Mohsin Shahnawaz Ranjha.
The US Supreme Court heard arguments Tuesday in a challenge to President Joe Biden's plan to erase nearly $400 billion of student debt, with all eyes on how far the conservative-dominated bench is willing to go to override the Democratic leader

Washington, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 28th Feb, 2023 ) :The US Supreme Court heard arguments Tuesday in a challenge to President Joe Biden's plan to erase nearly $400 billion of student debt, with all eyes on how far the conservative-dominated bench is willing to go to override the Democratic leader.

The court's ruling, expected before June 30, will decide whether millions of Americans will see up to $20,000 of debt disappear, but could also have implications for future presidential actions.

About 200 protesters gathered outside the court, carrying signs backing Biden's policy.

Lamar Brooks, 22, an African American student from Baltimore, said he already had $18,000 of debt and expected the sum to rocket as he hopes to study to become a psychiatrist.

"I could benefit, and also it will help other minorities as well," he told AFP, saying student debt was a "generational financial burden." Relying on a Covid-related legal justification, Biden announced his student loan forgiveness plan last August, shortly before the crucial midterm elections.

"This relief is critical to over 40 million Americans as they recover from the economic crisis caused by the pandemic," he tweeted early Tuesday.

"We're confident it's legal. And we're fighting for it in court." Republican-led states were quick to claim he had overreached his authority and an appellate court halted the measure in November.

Under the relief plan, $10,000 would be cut from all loans owed by people earning less than $125,000 per year. For students who went to university with need-based government assistance known as Pell grants, the relief would be $20,000.

In addition to the coalition of Republican states, two students have also filed suit arguing they were unjustly excluded from the program.

During his 2020 campaign, Biden pledged to act to address the massive amounts of debt US students take on to attend higher education -- the White House says nearly 43 million Americans hold $1.6 trillion in Federal student loans.
The European Union on Tuesday signed a document that provided Serbia with 610 million euros ($647 million) in grants for the construction of a high-speed railway line from its capital, Belgrade, to the south of the country

BELGRADE (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 28th February, 2023) The European Union on Tuesday signed a document that provided Serbia with 610 million euros ($647 million) in grants for the construction of a high-speed railway line from its capital, Belgrade, to the south of the country.

The contract to finance the railway project was signed by Alessandro Bragonzi, the head of the Regional Representation for Western Balkans of the European Investment Bank (EIB), and Serbian Minister of Construction, Transport and Infrastructure Goran Vesic. The signing ceremony was also attended by European Commissioner for Enlargement and Neighborhood Oliver Varhelyi and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic.

"The EU is currently providing us with 610 million euros as a gift, do you realize that? We are receiving 610 million euros in a gift from the EU. This is the biggest help, the biggest support, the largest amount of money (Serbia has ever received in grants)," Vucic told a press conference.

The Serbian leader also thanked Brussels and several European officials "for huge money for Serbia."

The cost of the 230-kilometer (143-mile) railway project between Belgrade and the Serbian city of Nis is estimated at a total of 2.8 billion euros, with construction expected to be divided into three parts. The project will be jointly financed by the Serbian government, the EIB and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. The high-speed railway is expected to be build by 2029.

The grant allocated to Belgrade is the bloc's first tranche within the financial package for pan-European railway Corridor X, which runs between Salzburg in northern Austria and Thessaloniki in eastern Greece through Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia and North Macedonia. The project is one of the flagship investments of the EU under its Economic and Investment Plan for the Western Balkans.
(@FahadShabbir)

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 28th February, 2023) Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken agreed to deepen security, energy, trade and investment cooperation between their two countries during a meeting in Astana on Tuesday, the president's press office said.

"Your (Blinken's) visit is extremely important in terms of giving additional impetus to our strategic cooperation. We have built a very good and reliable long-term partnerships in so many strategically important areas like security, energy, trade, and investment. So we are ready to have a follow up on this cooperation," Tokayev was quoted by his press office as saying.

During the talks with the top US diplomat, the Kazakh leader also expressed appreciation "for the continuous and firm support of the United States" for the country's independence, territorial integrity and sovereignty.

The US is one of Kazakhstan's largest contributors, with total investments of over $62 billion, Tokayev noted. He also welcomed Washington's efforts to enhance the C5+1 format, which consists of five Central Asian nations and the United States.

Blinken, for his part, thanked Tokayev for the hospitality, praised the political and economic transformations in Kazakhstan, as well as conveyed greetings from the US President Joe Biden.

"It is important, of course, on a bilateral level, to build on the remarkable work that has been done now over more than 30 years, to deepen and strengthen our partnership. And I think just in the last couple of years, we have made further important strides in that direction. The relationship is strong, it will only get stronger. We are committed to that," Blinken said, as quoted by Tokayev's press office.

As part of his visit to Astana, the top US diplomat also met with Kazakh Foreign Minister Mukhtar Tileuberdi to discuss practical work in bringing the region together.

"The United States is proud to have an established enhanced strategic partnership with Kazakhstan built upon promoting prosperity, strengthening security, and supporting sovereignty in Central Asia," Blinken twitted after his talks with Tileuberdi.

In addition, the US official is scheduled to participate in the C5+1 ministerial meeting later in the day to discuss development of regional cooperation and partnership.

The C5+1 diplomatic platform has been held every year since 2015 between the foreign ministers of the five Central Asian countries of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan, and the US secretary of sate to discuss cooperation and regional issues.
Doctors and nurses at Level 2 Field Hospital No. 4 prepare many medicines to give to people in South Sudan. (Photo: TDO)

The leader of Level 2 Field Hospital No. 4 said that in order to practically celebrate Vietnam Doctors' Day, doctors and nurses of the hospital, who are working away from home, joined many voluntary activities to help and support the hospital as well as patients and people in Bentiu, South Sudan.

Preparations were carried out thoroughly. The machinery, equipment, medical equipment, medicine and small presents for the people were prepared by the Level 2 Field Hospital No.

The volunteer group led by Major Le Viet Anh, Deputy Professional Director, presented Bentiu General Hospital with essential medicines, disinfectant solutions, ensuring environmental and people's hygiene; and provided people in number of places in the area of Bentiu the necessary items.

Although the number of patients who came for examination was very large, exceeding the expectations of the Hospital, the doctors and nurses of the Level 2 Field Hospital No. 4 examined carefully, gave advice and dispensed medication for each patient.

Lieutenant Colonel Do Thi Hang Nga, Deputy Military Director of Level 2 Field Hospital No. 4, said that the Director of Bentiu General Hospital was very moved. He deeply thanked the Level 2 Field Hospital No.4 and sent best wishes to the hospital's medical staff as well as the whole country of Vietnam on the occasion of the Doctors Day. The patients and people of the Bentiu area also expressed their deep gratitude for the sincere and warm feelings of the Vietnamese medical soldiers.

Professional medical and health care activities of the hospital have always been considered a central task and continuously achieved success, improving the prestige of the doctors and nurses and leaving good impressions of Vietnamese people on international friends./.
MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 28th February, 2023) The US company Meta (banned in Russia as an extremist organization) will create products based on artificial intelligence (AI), Mark Zuckerberg, the company's head and founder, said on Facebook (banned in Russia as an extremist organization).

"We're creating a new top-level product group at Meta focused on generative AI to turbocharge our work in this area. We're starting by pulling together a lot of the teams working on generative AI across the company into one group focused on building delightful experiences around this technology into all of our different products," Zuckerberg said.

He added that the company is currently researching the prospects of using AI in messengers, like WhatsApp, video and images (like filters in Instagram (banned in Russia as an extremist organization).

Facebook Inc. was renamed Meta Platforms, Inc. in 2021. Its founder Mark Zuckerberg said that the company would concentrate on developing a metauniverse, where users abandon second screens and will experience being present in the virtual reality.
(@FahadShabbir)

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 28th February, 2023) Moscow's Tagansky District Court fined the Wikimedia Foundation 2 million rubles ($26700) for not taking down Wikipedia articles with fake information about Russia's special operation, a Sputnik correspondent reported from the courtroom on Tuesday.

"To declare Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. guilty of committing an administrative offense under Part 2 of Article 13.41 of the CAO RF (Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation), and to impose a penalty in the form of an administrative fine of 2 million rubles," Judge Timur Vakhrameev said.
(@FahadShabbir)

The Russian Interior Ministry told Sputnik on Tuesday that it was considering the introduction of a single period of short-term stay of foreigners in Russia, which would be limited to 90 days within one calendar year

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 28th February, 2023) The Russian Interior Ministry told Sputnik on Tuesday that it was considering the introduction of a single period of short-term stay of foreigners in Russia, which would be limited to 90 days within one Calendar year.

Currently, foreigners who arrive in Russia on a visa-free basis can stay in the country for no more than 90 days within a six month period, with the single visit also lasting no more than 90 days.

"The draft Federal law 'On the conditions of entry (exit) and stay (residence) in the Russian Federation of foreign citizens and stateless persons' provides for the establishment of a single period of short-term stay for foreign citizens on the territory of the Russian Federation  90 days within a calendar year," the ministry said.

The bill also proposes to introduce three migration regimes: short-term stay, long-term stay and permanent residence. As part of a long-term stay, foreigners could remain in Russia for more than 90 days during the year without obtaining the right to permanent residence.

The ministry said that for foreigners with the right to long-term stay, namely foreign students and migrant workers, the period of stay will be determined "depending on the grounds for obtaining such a right."

The relevant bill was submitted to the Russian government in September last year, and now it is being finalized by the Cabinet, the ministry added.
The United States is offering a reward of up to $5 million for information leading to identifying or locating the key leader of the al-Shabaab terror group - Ali Mohamed Rage, the US Department of State said in a press release on Tuesday

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 28th February, 2023) The United States is offering a reward of up to $5 million for information leading to identifying or locating the key leader of the al-Shabaab terror group - Ali Mohamed Rage, the US Department of State said in a press release on Tuesday.

"The US Department of State's Rewards for Justice (RFJ) program, which is administered by the Diplomatic Security Service, is offering a reward of up to $5 million for information leading to the identification or location of al-Shabaab key leader Ali Mohamed Rage," the release said.

Rage, also known as Ali Dheere, has been a senior leader of the terror group and its chief spokesperson since May 2009. The State Department has designated al-Shabaab as a foreign terrorist organization and a global terrorist in March 2008.

A native of Somalia, Rage has been involved in the planning of terrorist attacks in that country as well as in Kenya. On August 6, 2021, the State Department designated Rage a global terrorist.
(@ChaudhryMAli88)

The United States has sanctioned a Mexican arms trafficker for supplying weapons to the Mexico-based Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generacion (CJNG), the US Treasury Department said on Tuesday

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 28th February, 2023) The United States has sanctioned a Mexican arms trafficker for supplying weapons to the Mexico-based Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generacion (CJNG), the US Treasury Department said on Tuesday.

Jesus Cisneros Hernandez was sanctioned for allegedly conspiring to purchase high-powered firearms in Wisconsin, from where he was to smuggle them into Mexico to supply the CJNG, the Treasury Department said in a press release.

"CJNG relies on high-powered weapons primarily obtained from the United States to protect its territory while intimidating rivals and governmental authorities. CJNG's access to these weapons contributes to its ability to flood the United States with fentanyl and other deadly drugs," Treasury Under Secretary Brian Nelson said in the release.

The Treasury Department is working with US and Mexican partners to expose, isolate and disrupt those who facilitate CJNG's lethal activities, the release also said.

In November 2021, a Federal grand jury in Wisconsin charged Hernandez with 22 counts of various firearm-related violations., the release added.

As a result of Tuesday's sanctions, all property and interests in property by Hernandez that are in the United States or in the possession of US persons are blocked and must be reported to the Treasury Department, according to the release.
The White House has called for Congress to reauthorize Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which allows for warrantless surveillance on foreigners, including when they interact with Americans, according to a release

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 28th February, 2023) The White House has called for Congress to reauthorize Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which allows for warrantless surveillance on foreigners, including when they interact with Americans, according to a release.

"The Biden-Harris Administration strongly supports the reauthorization by Congress of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), a vital intelligence collection authority, which the Attorney General and the Director of National Intelligence conveyed today in a joint letter to congressional leadership," National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said in a release.

Sullivan called Section 702 "a cornerstone of U.

S. national security" and "an invaluable tool that continues to protect Americans every day and is crucial to ensuring that U.S. defense, intelligence, and law enforcement agencies can respond to threats from the People's Republic of China, Russia, nefarious cyber actors, terrorists, and those who seek to harm our critical infrastructure."

Sullivan added that he had assigned Principal Deputy National Security Advisor Jon Finer to coordinate the reauthorization effort for the White House, which would work closely with the Department of Justice, Office of the Director of National Intelligence, and other Federal partners to lobby Congress.
(UroToday.com) To kick-off the 2023 AUA Summit, Denise Asafu-Adjei, MD, MPH, the 2023 AUA Gallagher Scholar, provided an overview of this years main legislative priorities and Congressional asks that would be addressed during the Congressional Hill visits.





The first ask identified was for Congress to support equitable reforms to the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS). Although the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023 reduced the degree of reduction in Medicare funding to 2% from 4.5%, the financial implications of this pay cut in the setting of continued strain providing care to patients during and after the COVID-19 public health emergency. Specifically, several urologic procedures face cuts of more than 10% since the MPFS is budget neutral, and Medicare has not updated direct practice expense clinical labor rates.



The next priority focused on expanding and preserving access to telehealth services. During the pandemic, both providers and patients have benefited from temporary flexibilities surrounding the replacement of in-person visits with telehealth services. Urology had a 70% adoption rate of telemedicine since the pandemic began, and led all surgical specialties in utilization. Although the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023 did preserve some benefits of telehealth services, the AUA is requesting payment parity with in-office E&M services that were not included in the bill.



Additionally, the AUA provided information regarding a new bill to be co-sponsored by members in both the Senate and the House, the PSA Screening for Him Act. In 2023, the incidence of prostate cancer increased for the first time in 20 years, likely as a result of changes to the screening guidelines over the last decade. To help address this troubling trend, the legislation requires private insurers to fully cover preventive prostate cancer screenings that do not have existing coverage under the recommendations of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) for men with a family history of prostate cancer, without any cost-sharing or out-of-pocket cost to the patient.



The last ask for this Summit was for representatives to cosponsor the Support the Specialty Physicians Advancing Rural Care Act (SPARC Act). This bill aims to alleviate the disparity in access to specialty care, and urology services, in rural communities by providing eligible specialty medicine physicians an opportunity for student loan forgiveness in exchange for practicing in a rural area.



Presented by: Denise Asafu-Adjei, MD, MPH, Assistant Professor of Urology at Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine, Director of Male Reproductive Medicine



Written by: Ruchika Talwar, MD, Urologic Oncology Fellow, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, @RuchikaTalwarMD during the 2023 AUA Annual Urology Advocacy Summit, Washington, DC, February 27  March 1, 2023
(UroToday.com) Dr. Lisa Finkelstein and Dr. Kara Watts provided a presentation on the utility of telehealth services, one of the focuses of the 2023 AUA Summit. The public health emergency declared during the pandemic expanded allowances for telehealth services, but these changes were temporary. The presentation identified five legislative priorities that will be addressed during the Congressional Hill visits.



The first referred to eliminating the originating site requirement. When telehealth was initially designed prior to the pandemic, the focus was to allow for increased access to physicians in rural and underserved areas; there were designated sites that patients were required to travel to in order to perform their visit. During the pandemic, this originating site requirement was waived, and patients were permitted to perform the telemedicine visit from their homes. Dr. Watts stressed the difficulty for elderly, disabled, and lower income patients to organize transportation  these patients would all benefit from permanent allowance for virtual visits from home.



Next, Dr. Watts outlined that the AUA has been advocating for payment parity, which refers to the reimbursement for in personal versus digital visits. She highlighted several resources that are required for telehealth visits, such as technological support, funding for a HIPAA-compliant program, and digital supplies. Dr. Finkelstein underscored that telehealth does require an investment in infrastructure to ensure that visits are able to be performed. As the third priority, both speakers covered the need to support audio-only visits, given that many patients have barriers to video capabilities. Internet access varies, and audio-only visits allow for equity in access to high quality telehealth care.



Next, Dr. Finkelstein summarized the opportunity for an in-person healthcare provider, often medical students and nurses, to be virtually supervised by a physician as they examine and/or provide care to patients in person. She provided several examples of virtual supervision of medical students, including at her Alma Mater in Philadelphia. Lastly, the physicians covered interstate licensure as the last legislative telehealth priority. As a practitioner in rural America, Dr. Finkelstein underscored the importance of the interstate licensure to allow for patients to access telehealth services across state lines, especially in the context of the ongoing shortage of urologists in rural areas.



In conclusion, Dr. Watts and Dr. Finkelstein both stressed the timeliness of the telehealth related asks that are set to expire once Omnibus flexibilities end of January 1, 2024.

Lisa Finkelstein, DO, St. Johns Health; Jackson Hole, WY

Kara Watts, MD, Montefoire Medical Center; Bronx, NY

Odukoya EJ, Andino J, Ng S, Steppe E, Ellimoottil C. Predictors of Video versus Audio-Only Telehealth Use among Urological Patients. Urol Pract. 2022;9(3):198-204. doi:10.1097/UPJ.0000000000000301

Andino JJ, Zhu Z, Surapaneni M, Dunn RL, Ellimoottil C. Interstate Telehealth Use By Medicare Beneficiaries Before And After COVID-19 Licensure Waivers, 2017-20. Health Aff (Millwood). 2022;41(6):838-845. doi:10.1377/hlthaff.2021.01825

Presented by:Written by: Ruchika Talwar, MD, Urologic Oncology Fellow, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, @RuchikaTalwarMD during the 2023 AUA Annual Urology Advocacy Summit, Washington, DC, February 27  March 1, 2023 References:
USM Admissions Officer Earns Associates Degree Through Transfer Credit Program

Mon, 02/27/2023 - 04:26pm | By: David Tisdale

Dr. Naomi Clement has already reached the academic mountaintop, having earned her bachelor's, masters, and doctoral degrees.

But recently, the Petal, Mississippi native who is assistant director of operations for The University of Southern Mississippi (USM) Office of Admissions, took care of some unfinished business to add one more credential to her vita.

Dr. Clement entered Jones College in nearby Ellisville, Mississippi as a freshman in 1996. But before completing her associates degree, she reconsidered her plans.

I attended Jones from 1996-1998 and was taking classes that would count toward any degree, as I was unsure of what I wanted to major in, she said. This led to me taking a year off from attending school to decide what I wanted to do.

Noting that shes taken a very different educational path than most people, her personal education journey gives her a passion to work with all students, specifically non-traditional students, to help them with their own academic and career moves. She started working in the USM Admissions office in 2003, first as an admission evaluator, reviewing student applicants for admission; later, she took on more duties, increasing her expertise in the readmission process in the application of transfer students credits to academic programs at USM.

Helping transfer students not only became a passion but helped Dr. Clement realize she had now found her career. She then obtained advanced degrees in higher education at USM, enabling her to move into her current role as an embedded recruiter for the university at Jones and at Pearl River Community Colleges Poplarville and Hattiesburg campuses. She initially started visiting students at the three campuses this past fall semester, keeping set office hours each week on both campuses.

It's a partnership she says is leading to many positive outcomes for students choosing to continue their education at USM.

I meet with students interested in transferring to Southern Miss and talk over their goals, make sure the classes they are taking will be direct transfer equivalents and the best fit for their degree here, and discuss scholarship opportunities. Basically, I help them with all things admission related.

Her work with community college transfer students not only inspired her career choice, but to wrap up the associates degree she started years earlier at Jones. After a review of the classes needed to finish the program and fill those using credits earned at USM, she was awarded the degree last fall.

Having journeyed via the road often less travelled in higher education makes Dr. Clement an example of what one can achieve with persistence and patience, even if it means taking care of some unfinished business along the way.

And being a first-generation college graduate, I take my role seriously in walking through the whole higher educational process with students, she further noted.

With that philosophy in mind, Dr. Clement develops positive faculty and staff relationships through USMs community college partners to help smooth the transfer process for their students coming to USM.

I have over 19 years working with transfer students, pointing them to resources that can help them choose a major best utilizing their transfer credits and available financial resources, just to name a few, she said. And I work with my partners at the community colleges to make sure the student is getting the best care possible in their transition to USM.

And its a priority for Dr. Clement to make a potential new students first impression of Southern Miss a positive one. She takes that initial interaction with the university to heart.

I tell them about the financial aid opportunities (scholarships, etc.) we offer while emphasizing the importance of maintaining a strong GPA (grade point average), the academic support we provide, such as through the Writing Center and the Speaking Center, and the extracurricular opportunities available so that they can get the full college experience, she said.

Its also important for me to use my own story to help them understand they can overcome any obstacle in their way, and to work hard to finish what they start.

Kayla Shaffer of Hattiesburg, a student at Pearl River who plans to transfer to USM in the fall of 2023 to major in social work, praised Dr. Clement for help in preparing her for the next steps in toward her degree.

Dr. Clement has gone above and beyond to help me in the transfer process, and she continues to help me, Shaffer said. She has made the process as smooth as she possibly can, and Im very appreciative for that.

For information about the admissions process at USM, visit https://www.usm.edu/admissions/index.php.
Vietnam hands over ACC Chairmanship to Brunei. (Photo: baoquocte.vn)

At the meeting, Ambassadors of ASEAN member countries in Cairo exchanged information on the situation in Egypt, the region and the world. The ACC also discussed and adopted a number of action plans of the block that are expected to be implemented in 2023.

At the end of the meeting, Ambassador Nguyen Huy Dung handed over the rotating position of Chairman of ACC to Ambassador of Brunei PG. Salimin Daud.

Ambassadors of ASEAN member countries attend 265th monthly regular meeting of ACC.

(Photo: baoquocte.vn)
Spectrum of the Seas brings 3.500 international tourists to Vietnam. (Photo: thesaigontimes.vn)

After docking at Phu My Port, tourists from Spectrum of the Seas have chosen many tours to explore Ba Ria - Vung Tau, Ho Chi Minh City and Tien Giang province.

Some of them chose to visit Ho Phap Pagoda, Tan Hoa sanctuary, Hoa Long market and ancient houses in Ba Ria - Vung Tau province. Others came to Ho Chi Minh City to visit the Independence Palace, City Post Office, City Theater, shopped at Ben Thanh market and joined cooking classes, visited Cu Chi tunnels, rode bicycles to see rubber forests and rice fields; and visited Long Phuoc tunnels.

Many of them chose tours to My Tho in Tien Giang to visit the workshop making traditional dishes such as coconut candy, rice paper, popcorn, or wine; and took a rowing boat to visit the orchard and listen to the folk music.

According Saigon Travel Service Company (Saigontourists), together with Spectrum of the Seas, in the first quarter of this year, the company will continuously welcome international tourists from cruise ships of companies such as TUI Cruises, Silversea Cruises, Azamara Cruises, Silversea Cruises, and Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines.

These ships will dock in Ha Long, Hue, Da Nang, Nha Trang, Ba Ria - Vung Tau and Ho Chi Minh City./.
Officials from South Korea, the United States and Japan have held their first economic security dialogue, South Korea's presidential office said Tuesday, amid efforts to strengthen the resilience of supply chains and develop technology.

Though Japan and South Korea are at time uneasy neighbors, the three countries are keen to expand cooperation in various fields in the face of increased global tensions, a more assertive China and an unpredictable North Korea.

"This dialogue is meaningful in expanding bilateral economic security cooperation with the United States to the trilateral level," the office of South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol said in a statement.

"It is expected to strengthen the three countries' major supply chain resilience and crisis response capabilities and play a role in fostering cooperation to promote and protect key and emerging technologies."

Yoon, U.S. President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida agreed to launch the talks  held in Hawaii on Monday  during a summit in November.

The United States has accused China and Russia of weaponizing supply chains to disrupt the global economy and stoke geopolitical tension.

At the talks in Hawaii, the officials discussed exchanges in areas including quantum, bio and space technologies, and ways to step up cooperation to stabilize supply chains for semiconductors, batteries and core minerals, Yoon's office said.

They also discussed cooperation to protect technology and data and vulnerabilities arising from economic interdependence, it added.
U.S. President Joe Biden's administration urged Congress on Tuesday to reauthorize a controversial surveillance program that officials say has become a vital tool of protecting the United States from all manner of threats, from foreign terrorist attacks to Chinese efforts to steal U.S. technology.

The program, established in 2008 under Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), allows U.S. spy agencies to collect the online communications of foreigners for intelligence purposes but can also result in "incidental collection" of U.S. citizens' messages.

Although Congress has reauthorized the program twice in the past, the bipartisan support that it once enjoyed has ebbed in recent years, leaving officials worried about the specter of losing a powerful weapon in the national security arsenal.

"What keeps me up at night is thinking about what could happen if we do not renew section 702 of FISA," said Matt Olsen, assistant attorney general for national security, speaking at the Brookings Institution.

Olsen's appearance at the influential Washington think tank was part of what he called an "all-out effort" by the Biden administration to ensure Congress reauthorizes the law before it lapses at the end of the year.

In a joint letter to top congressional Republicans and Democrats, Attorney General Merrick Garland and Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines said the surveillance program's renewal was a "top legislative priority" for the Biden administration.

"Over the last 15 years, Section 702 has proven invaluable again and again in protecting American lives and U.S. national security," the two officials wrote.

Intelligence information obtained under Section 702 has been used to identify threats from China, Russia, Iran and North Korea, they said, adding that it "contributed" to the success of a drone strike that killed al-Qaida leader Ayman al-Zawahiri last summer.

"It has become clear that there is no way to replicate Section 702's speed, reliability, specificity, and insight," Garland and Haines wrote, urging Congress to "promptly reauthorize" the law.

In a statement, national security adviser Jake Sullivan added his voice to the administration's call.

"This authority is an invaluable tool that continues to protect Americans every day and is crucial to ensuring that U.S. defense, intelligence and law enforcement agencies can respond to threats from the People's Republic of China, Russia, nefarious cyber actors, terrorists and those who seek to harm our critical infrastructure," Sullivan said.

Although the law faces a December 31 expiration date, Olsen urged Congress to act as far in advance of the deadline as possible.

Garland is expected to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday, while Haines will appear before both the Senate and the House intelligence committees next week. Both officials will likely face tough questions from lawmakers about the surveillance program.

Opposition to the program is even stiffer in the House where newly empowered Republicans, upset over the wiretapping of a Trump campaign aide in 2016 and other alleged abuses, have formed a "select subcommittee on the weaponization of the federal government" against conservatives.

Congressional Republicans opposed to renewing the program have found an improbable group of allies: civil liberties and privacy rights advocates.

Among the program's most vociferous critics is the American Civil Liberties Union.

Patrick Toomey, deputy project director of the ACLU's National Security Project, said the program has become a "spying tool" for the FBI.

"The government claims to be targeting people overseas, but it's clearer than ever that agents are using this surveillance as a backdoor into Americans' private emails and messages," Toomey said in a statement to VOA.

In what the ACLU and other critics deride as a "backdoor search loophole," FBI analysts are allowed to search the data collected through the program by running queries using Americans' personally identifying information.

"The FBI is amassing huge quantities of protected communications and then searching through them millions of times each year without a warrant," Toomey said.

Olsen acknowledged past "mistakes" and "improper conduct" on the part of FBI analysts but said the Justice Department has instituted a series of changes designed to address concerns about the program.

In their letter, Garland and Haines noted that the surveillance authority under Section 702 "may not be directed against Americans at home or abroad, or any person regardless of nationality, known to be located in the United States."

But Toomey said the Biden administration is seeking reauthorization of the program "without significant reforms that will protect Americans."
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken pledged support Tuesday for Kazakhstans independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity during his first visit to Central Asia as the top U.S. diplomat.

At a news conference after a meeting with officials of the five Central Asian states in the Kazakh capital, Astana, Blinken said, We are watching compliance with sanctions very closely, and we're having an ongoing discussion with a number of countries, including our C5 partners, on the economic spillover effects.

The sanctions are intended by Western nations to pressure Moscow to end its war on Ukraine.

Blinken added that temporary waivers have been granted to companies or entities in countries that are engaged with sanctioned Russian companies so that they have time to wind down those activities and cut their ties with Russia.

On Tuesday, Blinken also announced additional aid to Kazakhstan.

We also stood up the economic resilience initiative for Central Asia  $25 million to expand regional trade routes, establish new export markets, attract and leverage greater private sector investment, providing people with practical skills for the modern job market. Today, I'm announcing an additional $25 million to that initiative, a total of $50 million to build up the regional economy, he said at a joint press conference with Kazakh Foreign Minister Mukhtar Tileuberdi.

Kazakhstan has a population of 19 million people, of whom 3.5 million are ethnic Russians and 250,000 are ethnic Ukrainians.

The level of concern is very high and has been from the beginning, said a Central Asian senior official, referring to Russias war on Ukraine.

Kazakhstan has provided humanitarian aid to Ukraine. Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev is the only one among Central Asia leaders who keeps in touch with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, according to the official.

Meanwhile, Kazakhstan maintains good relations with both Russia and China.

Kazakhstan will continue its multilateral foreign policy. It means that we are trying to keep the system of checks and balances to develop the mutually beneficial cooperation relationship with all the countries of the world," Tileuberdi said during the press conference on Tuesday.

Blinken renewed the U.S. warning for China not to provide lethal weapons to Russia for its use in the war against Ukraine. He said the U.S. has "information" that China is considering moving beyond the nonlethal support that some of its companies have been providing to lethal material support for Russia.

We will not hesitate to target Chinese companies or individuals that violate our sanctions or otherwise engage in supporting the Russian war effort in Ukraine, Blinken added.

Ahead of the trip, the Biden administration said it was focused on supporting independence and sovereignty of the regions five former Soviet republics, which maintain strong political, economic and socio-cultural ties with Russia.

Blinkens meeting with Central Asian officials Tuesday was aimed at boosting regional cooperation. It was a continuation of the C5+1 diplomatic dialogue launched in 2015 with Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.

As he began a meeting with Tokayev, Blinken said he looked forward to engaging with foreign ministers from the group in ever more practical work in bringing the region together, creating greater connections, connectivity and focusing on practical things that we can do to strengthen that work.

U.S. officials say the trip is an opportunity to reach out and try to improve alliances as the United States tries to further isolate Russia for invading Ukraine. But democracy supporters also are urging Washington to promote systemic reforms, arguing that accountability, openness, and the rule of law are prerequisites for ensuring the regions long-term security and prosperity.

Strategic move

Richard Hoagland, a former ambassador to Kazakhstan and Tajikistan, sees Blinkens trip as a welcome reminder to the Central Asian leaders that U.S. foreign policy is paying attention while they grapple with their traditionally dominant partner, Russia, because of [Russian President Vladimir] Putins criminal war in Ukraine.

Washington has no desire to supplant Moscow in Central Asia, Hoagland told VOA. But it does want to remind the leaders of the region that the United States has not forgotten their multivector foreign policy and continues to be a reliable partner.

Assistant Secretary of State Donald Lu, a senior policy official traveling with Blinken to the region this week, has said that Russias war in Ukraine has put enormous pressure on these countries.

We see high food and fuel prices, high unemployment, difficulty in exporting their goods, slow post-COVID recovery and a large influx of migrants from Russia. We are working to support people in the region, Lu told reporters in a briefing last week.

Blinkens meetings with Kazakh and Uzbek leaders were expected to focus on security issues and economic cooperation, while also urging leaders to speed up promised reforms.

Advancing human rights in Central Asia has always been a top priority of the United States. We are committed to supporting the protection of vulnerable populations in Central Asia. That includes refugees, asylum-seekers, LGBTQI+ persons, women and girls, Lu said.

Despite progress in recent years, human rights reports by the State Department and international watchdogs point to widespread violations of basic freedoms in both Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, specifically by law enforcement and other authorities.

U.S. assistance

With Ukraine high on Blinkens agenda, Lu told reporters, We are not asking for countries to choose between us and Russia, or us and China.

He argued that Astana and Tashkent value Americas unique political and economic input, which are different from the engagement of Moscow and Beijing.

While Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan have avoided explicit condemnation of the Kremlins invasion of Ukraine, they have refused to recognize the independence of Russia-backed separatist regions in Ukraine, or their annexation late last year by Putin.

Weve committed $41.5 million in assistance this year to Central Asia to support food security and economies that we see are struggling. This money will help them explore new export routes, retrain their workforce, reduce unemployment and spur private sector growth, said Lu.

The State Department is helping Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan avoid secondary sanctions as the West increases economic and financial restrictions against Russia.

Three banks have been transformed from Russian subsidiaries to wholly locally owned, added Lu, through licenses allowing for the transfer of assets into Kazakh hands.

It boils down to freedom

Closely watching Blinkens visit, Uzbek and Kazakh civil society activists are asking the U.S. to push for systemic reforms without which, they argue, these republics will not be able to overcome geopolitical challenges, including preserving their independence.

We have seen some positive action by the Uzbek government, but it has a long way to go in terms of allowing political freedoms and space for pluralism, Abdurahmon Tashanov, who heads the Ezgulik Human Rights Society of Uzbekistan, told VOA from Tashkent. The state must ease the registration of nongovernmental organizations and political parties. The authorities dont seem to want to take these steps.

Last week, Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev voiced support for journalists and bloggers, confessing that many around him want to suppress media freedom. He claims he is open to constructive criticism.

Freedom of expression and media are basic rights to be enjoyed by everyone, not because the president backs them or wants to allow them, Tashanov said.

As a witness to the repression under previous Uzbek leader Islam Karimov, Tashanov sees two clear paths for his country: true democratic reforms or further authoritarianism.

U.S. officials say Washington will remain on the side of reforms, and not just in Uzbekistan, advancing our shared goal of a prosperous, secure and democratic region.

Some information for this report came from Agence France-Presse.
China says the fight of a U.S. military plane over the Taiwan Strait Monday endangered peace and stability in the region.

The Eastern Theater Command of the Peoples Liberation Army said in a statement that it closely monitored a U.S. Navy maritime patrol and reconnaissance plane as it flew over the waterway that divides mainland China and the self-ruled island of Taiwan. The Command said the flight deliberately interfered with and disrupted the regional situation and endangered peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.

The statement also warned that forces in the region maintain a high level of alert at all times and will resolutely defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity.

The U.S. Navys 7th Fleet issued a statement saying the plane flew over the Strait in international airspace. The United States will continue to fly, sail, and operate anywhere international law allows including within the Taiwan Strait," the statement said, adding that by doing so the U.S. upholds the navigational rights and freedoms of all nations."

China considers Taiwan part of its territory, even though the island has been self-governing since the end of Chinas civil war in 1949, when Chiang Kai-sheks Nationalist forces fled there when they were driven off the mainland by Mao Zedongs Communists. China has vowed to bring Taiwan under its control by any means necessary, including a military takeover.

China has carried out numerous air and naval military exercises near Taiwan in recent years to intimidate the island from formally declaring independence. It has also put diplomatic pressure on countries to get them to cut formal ties with Taiwan.

Some information for this report came from The Associated Press and Reuters.
Afghanistans Taliban authorities said Tuesday that 80 Afghan nationals, including women and children, died in a shipwreck this week off the southern coast of Italy.

Rescuers have so far confirmed at least 64 people were killed and 80 rescued after a wooden boat carrying hundreds of migrants on Sunday sank in heavy seas near Steccato di Cutro, a seaside resort on the eastern coast of Calabria. Officials overseeing rescue efforts fear the death toll may still rise.

"With great sadness, we learned ... that 80 Afghan refugees, including women and children, who were travelling from Turkiye to Italy in a wooden boat, drowned and died in the southern sea of Italy," Taliban foreign ministry spokesman Abdul Qahar Balkhi said in a statement.

"The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan prays for forgiveness for the martyrs and patience for the families and relatives of the victims, urging all citizens once again to avoid going to foreign countries through irregular migration," Balkhi said, using the official title of the Taliban government.

Neighboring Pakistan also confirmed Tuesday that two of its citizens were killed and another 17 survived.

Survivors estimate that between 150 to 200 people, many of them from Pakistan and Afghanistan, were on board the vessel that began its journey a few days ago from Turkey.

Three men, a Turkish national and two Pakistani nationals, have reportedly been arrested by Italian authorities on suspected human trafficking charges.

Huge piles of debris from the vessel began washing up on the beach Monday near Steccato di Cutro, including wood, gas tanks, food containers and childrens toys.

More than 105,000 migrants arrived in Italy by sea in 2022, with most coming from Africa, the Middle East and South Asia.

Italy has asked other European Union countries to step up and take in some of the migrants, many of whom are not looking to stay in Italy, but instead are focused on traveling elsewhere in Europe to find work and/or reunite with family members.

The government of right-wing Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has approved legislation that has placed strict restrictions on humanitarian groups ability to deploy boats to assist with rescues.

Some information for this report came from The Associated Press and Reuters.

Ayaz Gul contributed to this report.
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Russian forces pursue a brutal offensive in the industrial Donbas region. NATOs Secretary General prepares for talks next week on Finland and Sweden joining the alliance. How Russias invasion of Ukraine is impacting its own economy. The conflict has disrupted education for millions of children.
The meetings between officials of the Vietnamese Ministry of Industry and Trade and the US Department of Agriculture in Hanoi on February 27 (Source: Ministry of Industry and Trade)

He made the request at a meeting with a USDA delegation led by Jennifer Lester Moffitt, Under Secretary of Agriculture for Marketing and Regulatory Programmes, and Alexis Taylor, Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs, in Hanoi on February 27.

Emphasising the US as one of the leading partners, Hai said Vietnam hopes both sides will maintain the stable development of bilateral economic and trade ties and continue promoting their comprehensive partnership in a substantive manner.

He applauded recent efforts by both countries to realise the commitments in the action plan towards harmonious and sustainable trade balance, step up market opening, and resolve problems in bilateral economic and trade relations on the basis of objectivity and equality.

The Deputy Minister asked the USDA to accelerate the approval process for irradiation facilities to boost the export of Vietnams fresh fruits, frequently share information, and coordinate to create favourable conditions for Vietnamese businesses to take part in activities promoting the trading of farm produce, especially fresh fruits and canned agricultural products, in the US.

In particular, the two sides should increase sharing experience in building and enforcing law related to illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing, he went on.

Talking about Vietnams orientations for bio-fuel use in the coming time, Hai also suggested stronger cooperation in the ethanol industry and the promotion of sustainable energy transition in Vietnam.

Agreeing with the Vietnamese ministrys views, the USDA officials said both sides should continue boosting the discussion on the market opening for the fruits mentioned by the US and the creation of optimal conditions for some plant and nut-based products and animal feed to be imported into Vietnam.

They also voiced their hope for enhanced partnerships in the field of bio-fuel and ethanol with Vietnam./.
French President Emmanuel Macron heads to central Africa Wednesday on a four-nation visit marked by what he said ahead of his planned Wednesday departure.

On Monday, he announced a revamped relationship with Africa, amid an increase in anti-French sentiment in some places and rising Russian and Chinese influence.

Partnership, humility, and reorganization are part of Macrons lexicon this week, with his new, recalibrated strategy for Africa.

He said French military bases in Africa would be reorganized  with some becoming military academies or run in collaboration with African and European partners  based on goals defined by African hosts.

He said France will conduct more training, supply more equipment and work more closely with local troops, according to their needs.

Macron also said France must show a profound humility and carve out a new balanced and mutual responsible relationship with African nations.

Macrons revamped Africa strategy will be put to the test this week, as he heads first to Gabon on Wednesday for a summit on forests. He then goes on to visit Angola, the Republic of Congo and the neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo. Only two countries on his list  Gabon and the Republic of Congo  are former French colonies.

His Africa visit follows key setbacks for France, especially in the Sahel region, as a partnership to fight an Islamist insurgency unravels. France has ended military operations in Mali and Burkina Faso, amid deteriorating relationships with the military power-holders, and rising anti-French sentiment.

Paris is also feeling pressure from other foreign powers on the continent. That includes the private Russian military group Wagner, present in places like Mali and the Central African Republic, where it is accused of committing human rights violations.

Macron derided Wagner as a so-called life insurance policy for failed regimes and putschists. His government accuses Russia of spreading anti-French disinformation.

The past 10-15 years, every French president comes to power with the idea of sort of reforming the relationship with Africa  moving beyond the old legacy of post-colonial relations, said Martin Quencez, the Paris office director for the German Marshall Fund. He spoke to VOA before Macrons speech. He said every recent reset effort has failed.

Shortly after becoming president in 2017, Macron called for turning a "new page in French-African relations at a meeting with university students in Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso. It didnt happen the way he planned  at least not in Burkina Faso.

Macron right now is in a position where clearly France has lost influence in a region where we have invested a lot of money and military capacity in the region, Quencez said. The results are quite limited, to say the least.

Its not clear how Macrons latest recalibration effort will fare.

Some Africans interviewed by French media said they heard nothing new in Macrons speech. But others were more receptive.

Speaking to Frances TV5 Monde, Alioune Tine, founder of Dakar-based research group the Afrikajom Center, noted Macron was addressing not just African allies, but countries like Mali where France has problems. He said it was good the French president was trying to improve ties  but that it takes two to do so.

Separately, Macron's push to return African artifacts taken during colonial times has also drawn praise, and objects have been returned to Benin and Senegal. He announced draft legislation to return objects to more African countries.
Ghana increased already high taxes on imported goods this year, making sanitary pads unaffordable to vulnerable women and girls who are then forced to skip school during their periods. Activists are calling for the taxes to be scrapped and are also producing locally made, biodegradable pads so girls and women don't miss out on education. Senanu Tord reports from Kpong, Ghana.
The newly created House Select Committee on U.S. competition with China will hold its first hearing late Tuesday, with testimony from former President Donald Trumps national security advisers and Chinese human rights activists. VOAs Congressional Correspondent Katherine Gypson sat down with three of the committees members to discuss their upcoming work. Camera: Saqib Ui Islam
A year since Russia invaded Ukraine, the flow of refugees into Poland has slowed, but hundreds still make the journey every day. Among the aid groups welcoming them across the border is a charity staffed by Russian volunteers. As Henry Ridgwell reports from the city of Przemysl, the refugees respond in different ways to their Russian helpers
India imposed by far the highest number of internet shutdowns in the world in 2022, internet advocacy watchdog Access Now said on Tuesday, as the country topped the list for the fifth successive year.

Out of 187 internet shutdowns globally recorded by Access Now, 84 took place in India, including 49 in Indian-administered Kashmir, the New York-based digital rights advocacy group said in a report published on Tuesday.

"Authorities disrupted internet access at least 49 times in Kashmir due to political instability and violence, including a string of 16 back-to-back orders for three-day-long curfew-style shutdowns in January and February 2022," the watchdog report added.

Kashmir has long been a flashpoint between India and archrival Pakistan, which claim the region in full but rule only parts.

In August 2019, the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi scrapped the autonomy of the Muslim-majority state of Jammu and Kashmir, splitting it into two federally administered territories.

The government has since regularly imposed communications restrictions on the region on security grounds, which rights groups have condemned and described as measures to quash dissent.

Militants have battled India's rule in Kashmir for more than three decades. The South Asian country blames Pakistan for stoking the revolt. Islamabad denies the claims.

Although India once again led the world in internet shutdowns, 2022 marked the first time since 2017 that there were fewer than 100 shutdowns in the country, the watchdog said.

Ukraine was second on the list, with the Russian military cutting access to the internet at least 22 times after Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24 of last year.

"During Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Russian military cut internet access at least 22 times, engaging in cyberattacks and deliberately destroying telecommunications infrastructure," the watchdog said in its report.

Ukraine was followed on the list by Iran, where authorities imposed 18 internet shutdowns in 2022 in response to demonstrations against the government.

Nationwide anti-government protests erupted in Iran last fall after the death of 22-year-old Kurdish Iranian woman Mahsa Amini in police custody on September 16, 2022. Amini was arrested in Tehran by the morality police for flouting the hijab rules, which require women to entirely cover their hair and bodies. She died while in custody.
Fox Corp. chairman Rupert Murdoch acknowledged that some Fox News commentators endorsed the false allegations by former President Donald Trump and his allies that the 2020 presidential election was stolen and that he didn't step in to stop them from promoting the claims, according to excerpts of a deposition unsealed Monday.

The claims and the company's handling of them are at the heart of a defamation lawsuit against the cable news giant by Dominion Voting Systems.

The recently unsealed documents include excerpts from a deposition in which Murdoch was asked about whether he was aware that some of the network's commentators  Lou Dobbs, Maria Bartiromo, Jeanine Pirro and Sean Hannity  at times endorsed the false election claims. Murdoch replied, Yes. They endorsed.

The Murdoch deposition is the latest filing in the defamation case to reveal concerns at the top-rated network over how it was handling Trump's claims as its ratings plummeted after the network called Arizona for Joe Biden, angering Trump and his supporters.

An earlier filing showed a gulf between the stolen election narrative the network was airing in primetime and doubts about the claims raised by its stars behind the scenes. In one text, from November 16, 2020, Fox News host Tucker Carlson said Sidney Powell is lying about having evidence for election fraud, referring to one of Trump's lawyers.

The Dominion case is the latest example showing that those who were spreading false information about the 2020 election knew there was no evidence to support it. The now-disbanded House committee investigating the January 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol disclosed that many of Trump's top advisers repeatedly warned him that the allegations he was making about fraud were false  and yet the president continued making the claims.

Murdoch urged in September 2020, weeks before the election, that Dobbs be fired because he was an extremist, according to Dominion's court filing. Murdoch also said he thought it was really bad for former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani to be advising Trump because Giuliani's judgment was bad and he was an extreme partisan, according to a deposition excerpt.

Murdoch was asked whether he could have requested that Powell and Giuliani not be put on the air: I could have. But I didn't, he replied.

Denver-based Dominion Voting Systems, which sells electronic voting hardware and software, is suing both Fox News Network and parent company Fox Corp. for defamation. Dominion contends that some Fox News employees deliberately amplified false claims by supporters of Trump that Dominion machines had changed votes in the 2020 election, and that Fox provided a platform for guests to make false and defamatory statements about the company.

Dominion attorneys contend that executives in the chain of command at both Fox News and Fox Corp. knew the network was broadcasting known lies, had the power to stop it, but chose to let it continue. That was wrong, and for that, FC and FNN are both liable.

Attorneys for Fox Corp. note in their filing that Murdoch also testified that he never discussed Dominion or voter fraud with any of the accused Fox News hosts. They say Dominion has produced zero evidentiary support for the claim that high-level executives at Fox Corp. had any role in creating or publishing the statements at issue.

They say Dominion's contention that the company should be held liable because Murdoch might have had the power to step in and prevent the challenged statements from being aired has no basis in defamation law, would obliterate the distinction between corporate parents and subsidiaries, and finds no support in the evidence.

The handful of selective quotes cited by Dominion have nothing to do with the statements that Dominion has challenged as defamatory, Fox's attorney said: Dominion repeatedly asked Fox News executives, hosts, and staff whether Fox Corporation employees played a role in the publication of the statements it challenges, they wrote. The answer  every single time, for every single witness  was no.

Meanwhile, Fox News attorneys note that when voting-technology companies denied the allegations being made by Trump and his surrogates, Fox News aired those denials, while some Fox News hosts offered protected opinion commentary about Trump's allegations.
The United States and its allies are moving to treat Iran as a global threat, warning that its growing alliance with Russia  and cooperation in the war on Ukraine  mean Tehrans destabilizing activities will pose a greater danger than ever before.

"We are now at a point where Iranian threats are no longer specific to the Middle East, but a global challenge," Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Dana Stroul told reporters during a media call Tuesday.

Stroul pointed to the enhanced military cooperation between Tehran and Moscow and specifically to Irans provision of one-way drones to the Russian military, calling for "a global coalition to push back on the malign cooperation between Iran and Russia."

"It is reasonable to expect that the tactics, techniques and procedures that the Iranians are learning and perfecting in Ukraine will one day come back to our partners in the Middle East, which is why we are increasing cooperation now, intelligence sharing, understanding these networks and increasing our collective defensive capabilities so that we are prepared to counter these threats in the region," she said.

Stroul is the latest high ranking U.S. official to sound the alarm about Irans alliance with Russia.

This past Sunday, CIA Director William Burns called the growing relationship "disturbing."

"It's moving at a pretty fast clip in a very dangerous direction right now, Burns said during an interview with CBSs Face the Nation.

"We know that the Iranians have already provided hundreds or armed drones to the Russians.  We know that they've provided ammunition for artillery and for tanks, as well," he said, adding there are signs Moscow could give Iran Russian-made fighter jets and even help Tehran with its ballistic missile program.

Iran denies it has provided drones to Russia.

The description of Iran as a "global challenge" appears to be a departure from language used by the U.S. intelligence community just last year.

"Iran will remain a regional menace with broader malign influence activities," the Office of the Director of National Intelligence said in its annual Worldwide Threats Assessment report.

"The Iranian regime sees itself as locked in an existential struggle with the United States and its regional allies, while it pursues its longstanding ambitions for regional leadership," the report noted, adding Irans leadership would seek to "entrench its influence and project power in neighboring states."

The State Departments just-released report, Country Reports on Terrorism 2021, called Iran "the leading state sponsor of terrorism, facilitating a wide range of terrorist and other illicit activities around the world."

The report further warns that Tehran maintains "a near-global procurement network," to acquire cutting-edge technology for its military and its various proxies, like Hezbollah.
On a hot day in July 2022, a gray SUV pulled into the parking lot of a grocery store in the Navajo community of Shiprock, New Mexico. One of the three men talking outside the store was Marvin, a 47-year-old Navajo man from Utah.

The driver and another guy asked us if we needed a place to stay, Marvin told VOA, asking that his full name not be used. They told us they ran a sober home. They said there was plenty of food in the refrigerator.

Hours later, Marvin says he and his companions were locked inside a house 600 kilometers away in Phoenix, Arizona, victims of a growing scam that fuels addictions to defraud health care funds.

Sober homes are affordable alcohol and drug-free group homes designed to help recovering addicts transition from hospital rehabilitation programs to independent living in their communities. Thousands of licensed sober homes operate across the U.S., and studies have shown that they can help delay or prevent recovering addicts from relapsing.

Scam sober homes in Phoenix use Native Americans to enroll for healthcare benefits under the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System, which partners with the federal Indian Health Service to pay for behavioral health services for members of federally recognized tribes. Fraudsters bill for benefits never delivered to at-risk Native Americans.

They dont get any treatment and are given drugs or alcohol to keep them dependent so they can stay in these so-called programs longer, said the organizer of a Phoenix neighborhood watch group who spoke with VOA and asked not to be identified for fear of retribution by gangs running the fraud.

Special Agent Antoinette Ferrari investigates financial crimes for the FBIs Phoenix field office. She told VOA that hundreds of fraudulent sober homes have popped up across Phoenix in the past year alone.

Medicaid and health care plans are a huge, multi-billion-dollar industry, and these fraudsters are costing taxpayers millions of dollars, said Ferrari.

The FBI is asking victims to come forward, but agents stress that their investigation, for now, is focused on the fraudulent use of federal funds, not human trafficking or kidnapping.

A Phoenix, Arizona, resident provided VOA this video doorbell footage which shows a young man returning to a sober living home whose operators force him to sleep outside at night. Fraudsters bill the state Medicaid for services never delivered to at-risk Native Americans.

Law enforcement and community leaders say scam sober homes are skirting Phoenix regulations that facilities with six or more residents must register with the city and may not operate within 1,320 feet of any other group home. By keeping just five people to a house, they avoid registration and can rent adjoining properties.

If the rule is no more than five residents, one operator could open up four group homes on the same street and get away with it, said the neighborhood watch leader. Nobody's regulating them. They're just popping up like cockroaches.

Reva Stewart, Navajo, manages a Native American arts, crafts and music store across the street from Phoenixs Indian Medical Center.

Last summer, I started seeing these vans pulling up and taking Navajo relatives away, she said. Something didnt seem right about it, so I started documenting it.

Last October, she posted a video of a recruiter in action on Facebook. And that's when people started reaching out to me from all over Phoenix, she said. I had no idea the problem was this big.

So Stewart teamed up with family services case worker Colleen Chatter, Navajo, to organize Advocates for Native Relatives to identify fraudulent group homes and help victims get back home.

Snacks, drinks and a bus ticket

In December, word of their work reached Marvin, who says scammers supplied him with drugs and alcohol to keep him rotating through six homes in five months. The first time he ran away, he says operators found him and threatened him into returning.

Last week, Marvin escaped through a back door, hopped a fence, and walked more than 40 kilometers through the night to Stewarts store. She gave him snacks, drinks and a bus ticket to his mothers home in Colorado, all from her own pocket.

Im tired, he told VOA via Facebook video, shivering in the morning chill. "I really want to go back (home). This is just not me over here in Phoenix. Probably everybody's wondering where I'm at again. I haven't even been able to call home."

Legislative moves

Neither the Phoenix Police Department, Navajo Nation police nor the office of the Arizona Attorney General responded to VOAs requests for comment on fraudulent sober homes.

Arizona lawmakers have introduced several bills aimed at tightening regulations on group homes, including written discharge and transfer plans and quarterly updates on compliance with fire and zoning restrictions.
M23 rebels continued fighting in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, local sources said on Tuesday, the day they were supposed to begin withdrawing from their positions under a regional plan.

On February 17, East African leaders urged all non-state armed groups to withdraw from territory they occupy in eastern Congo by March 30.

The withdrawal was intended to take place in three stages, with the initial phase to begin on February 28.

But M23 rebels continued advancing in the DRC's North Kivu province on Tuesday.

On Monday, the Tutsi-led group seized the town of Mweso, about 100 kilometers west of the provincial capital Goma.

Local civil society leader Alphonse Habimana told AFP on Tuesday that the M23 was in control of the town of 30,000 people.

Heritier Ndangendange, spokesman for the APCLS, one of the militias fighting the M23, confirmed rebels had captured Mweso.

Clashes with the M23 continued Tuesday about 30 kilometers west of Goma, a city of more than 1 million people, according to a security official who declined to be named.

M23 fighters also remained in their positions several dozen kilometers north of Goma.

The rebels are close to encircling the city, which is sandwiched between Lake Kivu and the Rwandan border, with three of the four roads leading out of it cut off.

The remaining road, which leads to neighboring South Kivu province, is in a state of disrepair because of heavy rain last year.

The M23 reemerged from dormancy in November 2021, accusing the DRC of ignoring a promise to integrate its fighters into the army.

It subsequently won a string of victories over state forces, seizing swaths of territory in North Kivu province and displacing hundreds of thousands of people.

The DRC accuses its smaller neighbor Rwanda of backing the M23, a charge supported by independent U.N. experts as well as the United States and several other western countries but denied by Kigali.
U.S. officials are calling for increased diplomatic attention to the Western Balkans, a region seen as vulnerable to malign Russian influence campaigns in the shadow of the war in Ukraine.

Russias war has clarified how urgent our work is to assist all the countries of the Western Balkans to fully advance democratic reforms and achieve their aspirations of integration into European and Euro-Atlantic institutions, A State Department spokesperson said in reply to written questions from VOA.

The spokesperson wrote that diplomatic priorities for the region include the mutual recognition of countries, reduction of trade barriers, media freedom and fighting corruption.

Its critical that we continue to stand together in the face of this unprecedented aggression, the spokesperson wrote. Endemic corruption debilitates the region, accelerates brain drain and benefits a malign Russia.

Among the most concerning issues in the region is a gradual unraveling of the delicate set of compromises laid out in the 1995 Dayton Accords, which ended the Bosnian war that left more than 100,000 people dead.

Serbian support for Russia

That agreement divided Bosnia-Herzegonia into a Serb-dominated Republika Srpska and a region known as the Federation, dominated by Bosniaks and Croats.

Republika Srpska President Milorad Dodik, once a self-proclaimed social democrat, has adopted an increasingly nationalist tone in recent years and emerged as the closest ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin in the region.

Dodik met with Putin in Moscow last September after endorsing the Russian invasion of Ukraine. In January, he awarded Putin a medal of honor for his patriotic concern and love for the Serb-controlled half of Bosnia.

The U.S. last year announced sanctions against Dodik  although he was already under U.S. sanctions since 2017. In its statement, the U.S. Treasury accused Dodik of corruption and secessionist efforts which threaten Bosnia-Herzegovinas stability and territorial integrity.

U.S. Representative Ann Wagner, a Republican and vice chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, told VOA, We have seen a dangerous increase in ethnic tensions in the Western Balkans, including hugely concerning secession threats from politicians like Dodik.

She charged that Russia wants to see chaos in the region, and Moscow and its proxies are backing these threats.

Wagner, whose Missouri district welcomed thousands of Bosnian refugees in the 1990s, told VOA that the Biden administration must use its sanctions authority to deter those politicians who are threatening Bosnias sovereignty and multiethnic identity.

Mathieu Droin, visiting fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, says Russian behavior has aggravated tensions not only in Bosnia but also in another Balkan hotspot  the Serbia-Kosovo border.

Serbia and Kosovo have enjoyed an uneasy peace since the end of the Kosovo war in 1999. NATO-backed Kosovo achieved a de facto independence in 2008 that has never been recognized by Serbia.

Fitful efforts at reconciliation were disrupted in December when ethnic Serbs living in northern Kosovo blockaded border crossings for almost three weeks to protest the arrest of a former Serbian policeman and a new regulation requiring Serbian vehicles entering Kosovo to install temporary Kosovo license plates.

There have been renewed tensions also between Serbia and Kosovo, which are not directly linked to Russia, but you can also see Russian disinformation campaigns running into the Serbian public, which are also fueling the tensions, Droin told VOA.

While Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic is less explicitly supportive of Putin and his war aims than Dodik, Serbia is highly dependent on Russian energy supplies and opinion polls show strong public support for Putin. Early in the war, thousands of Serbs marched through central Belgrade carrying Russian flags and pictures of Putin, although there were also pro-Ukrainian gatherings.

EU, US pushing for more Russia sanctions

Vucic, who says he still aspires to membership for Serbia in the European Union, has attempted a delicate balancing act, voting for the U.N. resolution that condemns Russian aggression in Ukraine but refusing to join most other European nations in imposing sanctions.

That failure to impose sanctions could leave him out of step with the international community, said Scott Cullinane, senior government relations adviser for the Razom for Ukraine organization in Washington.

On one side, we have democracy. On the other side, we have genocide and authoritarianism. And Serbia has to decide which one of those two models does it think is more attractive, said Cullinane, who worked at the House Foreign Affairs Committee for eight years.

The Russian government has been very good throughout Europe in using ethnonationalism and small and historic grievances along lines of religion or language or nationality as wedge issues, he added. They don't always create them, but they expand and exploit them.

U.S. Representative Dina Titus, a Democrat from Nevada, is also a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee. With other members of Congress, she signed a letter in March 2022 urging the State Department and Secretary of State Antony Blinken to deepen engagement in the Western Balkans.

It became obvious that Russia was pushing back the boundaries at every turn. Certainly, with Serbia, with Moldova, with Ukraine. So, we wanted to be sure that we set up a hard-line border there so that Russia could not extend its influence into areas beyond where it was already at war with Ukraine, Titus told VOA.

Titus added that the United States did strengthen its engagement  not just through military and humanitarian assistance for Ukraine but, for instance, in improving relations with Serbia: We've seen Serbia stand up and say they do not support the war in Ukraine.

When VOA asked Titus about Serbias failure to impose sanctions on Russia, she replied, It's not all perfect, but it's moving in the right direction, so we hope to be able to continue to encourage them to take a more active stand.

Nevertheless, many experts worry that the demands created by the war in Ukraine are leaving the West with limited capacity and willingness to deal with other problems.

In the long term, what I worry about is the Western Balkans, Serbia, Bosnia falling further behind. As more attention is placed on countries like Ukraine and Moldova, Western attention, Western resources are going to flow to those countries to help them rebuild and to further integrate with Western structures, said Cullinane.

He said the Balkan nations need to make important commitments that further integrate their economies, not with Russia and not with China but with Europe and with the U.S.

Cullinane added that the Western Balkans countries need to understand that things have changed and that we are not going to go back to the world we had before February 24.

Increasingly we're taking stock of which governments are helpful in that process, which governments are helping to stand up for human rights, standing up for territorial integrity, standing up to oppose genocide. And those governments that don't do that and aren't helpful in standing up, that's going to shape the environment for politics and diplomacy for years to come, said Cullinane.

This story originated in VOAs Serbian Service.
National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue (L) meets with health workers of the 108 Military Central Hospital on February 27. (Photo: VNA)

Addressing the event, Chairman Hue described the job of health workers as one of the few with high requirements for both morality and specialised capacity, adding it is a particularly noble job honoured by the Party, State, and people.

He highlighted Vietnams proud healthcare achievements, including the considerably improved stature of the Vietnamese people, the average life expectancy higher than the global average and that in many countries with the same income level, the medical service coverage larger than the Southeast Asian and global averages, the successful production of most vaccines used in the expanded vaccination programme, the successful application of many new techniques and high technologies, and especially the containment of the COVID-19 pandemic over the last three years.

He also highly valued the activeness, creativity, and dedication by the staff of the 108 Military Central Hospital to caring for not only senior officials of the Party, State, and army but also for the poor and residents in border and maritime areas.

The hospital is currently one of the biggest centres for tissue and organ transplantation in Vietnam.

Setting several tasks for the hospital, the top legislator affirmed that ministries, central agencies, Party committees, administrations, and the entire political system will continue standing side by side with the health sector by quickly overhauling policies and laws and tackling obstacles and difficulties, thus creating the best possible conditions for public health care and fundamental and breakthrough improvements to the sector to be made.

On this occasion, the NA Chairman visited and offered encouragement to health workers and patients at departments of the hospital.

Sixty-eight years ago, on February 27, 1955, then President Ho Chi Minh delivered a letter to a conference of medical workers, asking the sector to stay united, sincerely care for patients, and develop the countrys health sector. Since then, the date February 27 has become the sectors traditional day./.
Afghanistan's Taliban said Monday their security forces killed two key Islamic State commanders in an overnight counterterrorism raid against their hideout in the capital, Kabul.

The announcement came hours before the United States said in a new report that up to 3,000 IS fighters were operating in the South Asian nation and conducting terrorist activities.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said in a late-night statement that "the intelligence and operations chief of Daesh" in Afghanistan was also among those killed in the operation late Sunday. He identified the slain terror leader as Qari Fateh.

Daesh, or Islamic State-Khorasan (IS-K), is an Afghan affiliate of Islamic State and a key Taliban adversary.

Mujahid said Fateh had masterminded recent attacks against diplomatic missions, mosques and other targets in Kabul.

"The criminal was served justice last night for his brutal actions at the hands of IEA [Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan] special forces during a complex operation in the Kher Khana residential area [in Kabul]," he noted, using the official title for the Taliban government.

IS-K did not immediately comment on the Taliban's claims of killing its top leader.

Mujahid also confirmed in his statement Monday that a Taliban counterterrorism operation earlier this month had killed the IS-K chief for the Indian subcontinent, Ijaz Amin Ahangar, along with his two commanders. He added, without elaborating, that "a number of Daesh members, including foreigners" were also detained in recent days.

IS-K last week confirmed the death of Ahangar, also known as Abu Usman Al-Kashmiri, saying in a statement he was killed in a clash with the Taliban on February 14 but did not mention the exact location.

The Taliban have periodically carried out operations against IS-K since returning to power in Kabul in August 2021 as U.S.-led foreign troops withdrew from the country.

For its part, the terrorist group has routinely launched high-profile attacks targeting civilians, Taliban members and foreign diplomatic missions in the country.

The United States describes IS-K as a "dangerous" affiliate of Islamic State and remains skeptical about the effectiveness of Taliban counterterrorism efforts.

The U.S. State Department issued the 2021 country reports on terrorism on Monday, noting that IS and other regionally focused terror groups maintained "an active presence" and conducted terrorist activities in Afghanistan.

"ISIS-K remained a resilient enemy with roughly 2,000 to 3,000 fighters in the country, although precise estimates are hard to determine," the report said. "Although the Taliban committed to preventing terrorist groups from using Afghanistan to stage attacks against the United States or others, the extent of its ability and willingness to prevent AQ [al-Qaida] and ISIS-K from mounting external operations remained unclear," it added.

The international community has not yet recognized the Taliban as the legitimate rulers of Afghanistan, urging them to respect human rights, lift education and work bans on women, cut ties with terrorist groups, and govern the country through a politically inclusive government.

The Taliban defend their governance, saying it is in line with local culture and Islamic law. They have also dismissed the reported presence of thousands of IS-K fighters in Afghanistan as baseless.
Working from bomb shelters has become the norm for Ukrainians like Roman Osadchuk.

At the beginning, there were a lot of air raids. Nowadays, there are maybe two a week, said Osadchuk. I mean, I was in the shelter today, he said offhandedly when he spoke with VOA from Kyiv.

Most times Osadchuk still has a solid internet connection and sometimes he has Wi-Fi in the shelter so he can still work, just underground.

That work is part of the digital front of the war in Ukraine. Based in Ukraines capital, Osadchuk monitors Russian disinformation for the Atlantic Councils Digital Forensic Research Lab.

His work is part of a broader international effort from open-source researchers, analysts and journalists to study Russian disinformation, debunk false claims, and document violations.

Russia has deployed propaganda about Ukraine for years. And with the full invasion in February 2022, President Vladimir Putin falsely claimed the war was necessary to de-Nazify Ukraine and prevent genocide.

Some of those false narratives and tactics have changed in the past 12 months, but the omnipresence of Russian propaganda has remained constant, analysts said.

This is the most digital conflict to ever occur, and when it comes to the digital front, Russia has been on the back foot, said Nina Jankowicz, vice president in the U.S. for Londons independent nonprofit, the Center for Information Resilience.

I think they expected, just like in the kinetic side of the war, to be really unmatched in the digital side of the war, and that absolutely has not been the case, Jankowicz told VOA.

Open-source researchers have been working to throw cold water on the lies coming out of Russia, Jankowicz said. And thats what weve done.

The Center for Information Resilience launched the Eyes on Russia Project in early 2022, as Russian troops amassed along the Ukraine border.

When troops crossed into Ukraine, the project worked to verify and geolocate incidents and attacks on civilian infrastructure.

Like detectives, researchers use everything from satellite imagery and shadows to street signs and license plates to help verify events, she said.

Those skills have helped the team to expose lies and debunk everything from Ukraine is full of neo-Nazis, to Ukraine is attacking its own citizens, Jankowicz said.

The propaganda is mostly shared on social media, messaging platforms like Telegram, news sites and TV.

Initially the focus of propaganda was to justify the invasion, according to Ruslan Deynychenko, of the Ukrainian fact checking site StopFake.org and a journalist who previously contributed to VOAs Ukrainian Service.

They created stories about de-Nazification and liberation, nuclear programs and secret laboratories where Ukrainians and Americans supposedly developed combat mosquitoes and other bioweapons, said Deynychenko. But about six months after the invasion, Deynychenko noticed that the rhetoric on Russian networks changed.

They openly admit that they are fighting Ukraine and Ukrainians, and its not that theyre liberating Ukrainians from a neo-Nazi regime, Deynychenko told VOA from Kyiv. They basically [try to] justify Russian efforts to kill Ukrainians, to bomb Ukrainian cities.

Russias Washington embassy did not reply to VOAs email requesting comment.

The intensity of the work is a challenge, the researchers said.

It became more difficult to figure out which case is more relevant, said Nika Aleksejeva, who researches Russian disinformation about Ukraine at the Atlantic Councils Digital Forensic Research Lab.

What would have been noteworthy before the war isnt as important today, she said. The baseline has moved.

Her colleague Osadchuk agreed. Its kind of toxic when you eat a lot of it, Osadchuk said about the volume of disinformation he has analyzed over the past year.

For Toma Istomina, deputy chief editor at the English-language online newspaper, The Kyiv Independent, reporting accurately on the war is one of the best ways to combat disinformation.

Information is probably as big of a tool in this war as the traditional weapons used on the ground, Istomina told VOA from Vinnytsia, a city southwest of Kyiv.

Information has really been weaponized by Russia for a while against Ukraine, she added, but Ukraine did a very good job during this war debunking Russias bullshit.

The Kyiv Independent makes a point to not report on every lie that Russia tells, Istomina said, in part because there are just so many. But another reason is that reporting too much on Russian propaganda could risk legitimizing it.

Putin likely considers the Russian audience  inside the country and the diaspora  to be the most important target for disinformation, but Ukrainians are also in his sights, according to Osadchuk. The Global South has also become an increasingly important target, he said.

Its always challenging to measure how effective disinformation is at influencing public opinion, Aleksejeva said, but propaganda probably helps the Russian domestic audience cope with such an uncomfortable reality, basically escape it somehow.

As for the West, she said, it was much harder to win this battle from the very beginning.

The fight against propaganda has extra relevance for Ukrainian researchers.

Exposing disinformation and documenting violations is a way for them to contribute to the war effort.

Every Ukrainian on February 24 [2022] felt that there is a need to resist in some way, where you have some skills, Osadchuk said.

For StopFakes Deynychenko, he sees his work as a way to gather evidence that could be used to prosecute people who used media as a powerful weapon in the war. We believe that those people should be held responsible, he said.

And at The Kyiv Independent, Istomina said the mentality is that when we work, were not victims  were fighters.
Indigenous and environmental activists, including Greta Thunberg, blocked access to several Norwegian ministries on Tuesday, expanding a protest demanding the removal of wind turbines from reindeer pastures.

Norway's supreme court in 2021 ruled that two wind farms built at Fosen in central Norway violated Sami human rights under international conventions, but the turbines remain in operation more than 16 months later.

Police began removing a handful of demonstrators from outside the building housing most of the finance ministry, a new target for demonstrators, while over a hundred demonstrators chanted "C, S, V", the abbreviation of a 1970s Sami slogan meaning "Show Sami spirit."

The removals took place on Supreme Court Square, across the street from the court that ruled in favor of reindeer herders in the Fosen case.

Meanwhile, campaigners pressed on with a demonstration at the nearby energy ministry, which also houses the transport and family ministries and parts of the finance ministry.

Thunberg, an advocate for ending the world's reliance on carbon-based power, has argued that governments should not allow a transition to green energy to come at the expense of Indigenous Sami rights.

"They should have seen it coming for violating human rights," Thunberg told Reuters when asked about the need for the protests, while she was sitting outside the energy ministry.

One of the campaigners said they would "close down the state, ministry by ministry" for as long as necessary.

"The state has let the Sami people down," Ella Marie Haetta Isaksen told Reuters.

"I hope some ministers will soon understand that the only way out of this human rights violation is to tear town the wind turbines."

The finance ministry said it had asked staff to work from home if they are able.

Reindeer herders in the Nordic country say the sight and sound of the giant wind power machinery frighten their animals and disrupt age-old traditions.

'Quandary'

The energy ministry has said the fate of the wind farms is a complex legal quandary despite the supreme court ruling and is hoping to find a compromise.

Owners of the Roan Vind and Fosen Vind farms include Germany's Stadtwerke Muenchen, Norwegian utilities Statkraft and TroenderEnergi, as well as Swiss firms Energy Infrastructure Partners and BKW.

"We seek to find... mitigation measures in dialogue with the reindeer herders and the ministry that ensure the operating basis and the Sami opportunity for cultural expression," Statkraft said in a statement to Reuters.

Roan Vind on Monday told Reuters it trusted the energy ministry would find solutions allowing production of renewable energy to continue.

Utility BKW said it expected the wind turbines to remain in place, with compensatory measures to ensure the rights of the herders.

Stadtwerke Muenchen declined to comment.
In the year since Russia invaded Ukraine, Ukrainian authorities say they have documented more than 66,000 war crimes committed by Russian forces. As early as last March, the United States had determined that Russia had committed war crimes in Ukraine. But in a speech at the Munich Security Conference on February 18, Vice President Kamala Harris said the U.S. has now concluded that Russia has also committed crimes against humanity in Ukraine. Russia has denied targeting civilians.

In an interview with VOAs Ukrainian Service, Beth Van Schaack, State Department ambassador-at-large for global criminal justice, discusses the latest U.S. determination and says it is important to lay the groundwork for Russian accountability.

This interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.

VOA: On February 18, Vice President Kamala Harris announced that the United States has determined that Russia committed crimes against humanity in Ukraine. How does this change U.S. policy toward Russia and toward prosecuting those crimes?

Van Schaack: This determination is important because it signals that we have looked at all the evidence  open source, classified, human rights reports  and determined that Russia is in fact launching a widespread and systematic attack against the Ukrainian civilian. And so, this will be in part to point attention to the egregiousness of Russia's actions, but also to help lay the groundwork for accountability in the future. It's extremely important to call things what they are. And I think that's what Vice President Harris was doing at the Munich Security Conference.

VOA: The U.S. has formally determined that Russia is guilty of execution-style killings, torture, rape and forced deportations. Secretary Blinken noted that 'Putin has been trying from Day One to erase Ukraines identity. Does not that correspond to the definition of genocide offered by the U.N. Convention?

Van Schaack: So, those are the four crimes against humanity that this determination focused on. Now, that finding does not preclude a finding of additional crimes against humanity or eventually of genocide, as well.

VOA: Ukrainian and international law experts accuse Russia of creating a system of genocide that leads straight to Putin. A year into the full-scale war, would you say that these war crimes were, in fact, one of main methods of the war conducted by Russia in Ukraine?

Van Schaack: Yes. This is a war of aggression that has been committed by Russia, but it's been a war of aggression that has been committed through war crimes literally everywhere that Russia's forces have been deployed. These began as attacks that appear to be deliberate or indiscriminate or disproportionate against elements of the civilian infrastructure. And then, once investigators, journalists and advocates could get on the ground and could visit those areas when Russian troops withdrew or retreated, then they saw violence of a different order. This was interpersonal violence, acts of torture, sexual violence. The Conflict Observatory at Yale University recently released a new report. They could verify that 6,000 children have been taken from their families, from their guardians, from Ukraine and have been moved into Russia forcibly, or in some cases, have been held in Russia even after they'd been sent there. And they're not in touch with their families and not being allowed to be in touch with their families. This is also potentially a third indicia of genocide.

VOA: Will the U.S. use its leverage with the Red Cross or the United Nations and other international organizations to create a mechanism to track those cases and to ensure access to the children who were deported to Russia?

Van Schaack: It's extremely important to have a full list of children taken to Russia, and particularly if they've been separated from parents or guardians. Those children also should be given the means to be in touch with their family members and to ensure that those communications happen and that they happen successfully. This is the work of advocates. And also, as you mentioned the International Committee of the Red Cross, they have to have access to any areas in which children are being detained or held in order to be able to ensure that they are being treated properly and that they have contact with family members back home.

VOA: After your meeting with Ukrainian Prosecutor General of Ukraine Andriy Kostin in Washington, you noted that the U.S. was considering various options with partners regarding the issue of a special tribunal to investigate and prosecute Russia for the crime of aggression. Where does the U.S. stand on this issue?

Van Schaack: A core group of states has formed in Europe that are interested in pursuing the different ideas for an aggression tribunal. The United States participated in the last meeting of that core group that happened in the Czech Republic. We're still looking at the various options, and I think the international community is still exploring which is the best modality. One of the models that's being considered is some sort of a hybrid tribunal that would ultimately be a Ukrainian court, but [with] a lot of international assistance, including potentially judges, prosecutors, defense council, staff who could be attached to that tribunal to bring international expertise and legitimacy.

VOA: Some international experts, including your predecessor, Ambassador David Scheffer, say that only a fully international tribunal can overcome the problem of head-of-state immunity. What is the U.S. government's position regarding this proposal?

Van Schaack: It is true that certainly President Putin and maybe some of his closest ministers generally do enjoy head-of-state immunity before the courts of other nations essentially. So, if Ukraine were to attempt to prosecute President Putin while he's a sitting head of state, he would have a viable head-of-state immunity defense. Generally [with] international tribunals, there is jurisprudence that says they don't necessarily need to recognize head-of-state immunity. Either way, chances are if custody is ever obtained, it means that Putin is no longer a head of state. In which case, he would not be in a position to assert that defense anywhere he might be prosecuted.

What we're seeing now is that the international community has never been more united around the imperative of justice. We had it back during World War II ... and we're seeing that same level of attention and focus. This is an intergenerational challenge, but I think the world has articulated its commitment here that we cannot let these crimes go unpunished.
Ukrainian officials described fighting Tuesday around the eastern city of Bakhmut as intense, although little territory has changed hands between Moscows and Kyivs forces.

"The most difficult situation is still Bakhmut and the battles that are important for the defense of the city," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in his nightly address Tuesday. "Russia does not count people at all, sending them to constantly storm our positions. The intensity of fighting is only increasing."

Zelenskyy said the Ukrainian commander in charge of defending Bakhmut, Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskyi, reported 800 Russian troops have been killed in the area since Thursday.

Earlier Tuesday, Syrskyi said on social media, Despite taking significant losses, the enemy has dispatched its best-trained Wagner assault units to try to break through the defenses of our troops and surround the city."

He was referring to the Wagner Group, the Russian paramilitary unit fighting alongside Russian troops.

Russia has been intensifying its attacks on several areas in eastern Ukraine, including Bakhmut, the ruined city where 75,000 people once lived.

Fighting for months has focused on towns and villages around Bakhmut, with Moscow attempting to surround the city to cut off Ukrainian supply routes, although some fighting has occurred within the city itself.

After failing a year ago to quickly take Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital, in the earliest days of the war, Russia has concentrated its fight in the eastern Donbas region. Both sides have sustained heavy casualties in the warfare.

The Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington-based research organization, said in a new report Tuesday that 60,000 to 70,000 Russian troops have been killed in the last year, more combat deaths than Moscow sustained in all the conflicts it has fought since World War II combined, including in Chechnya and Afghanistan.

NATO expansion

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Tuesday that progress is being made toward ratifying the bids of Finland and Sweden to join the alliance and that both countries have lived up to agreements they made to address concerns raised by Turkey.

Only Turkey and Hungary have yet to give their final approval for the accessions of Finland and Sweden in a process that must be unanimous among NATO's current members.

"I'm absolutely confident that both Finland and Sweden will become members of NATO," Stoltenberg told reporters as he appeared alongside Finland's Prime Minister Sanna Marin in Helsinki. "The time is now to ratify both in Budapest and in Ankara."

Turkey has expressed objections to Sweden, accusing the government of being too lenient toward groups that Ankara considers terror organizations.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Monday that Sweden has not lived up to its side of a June agreement in which Sweden and Finland pledged to lift restrictions on selling weapons to Turkey and to intensify work on Ankara's requests to extradite suspected Kurdish militants.

Turkey, Sweden and Finland are due to resume talks about their NATO bids on March 9 after Turkey halted the process in response to far-right protesters burning a Quran outside the Turkish Embassy in Stockholm.

Marin said Tuesday the potential threat of Russia following its invasion of Ukraine last year prompted Finland to seek NATO membership, saying the NATO line "is the only line Russia wouldn't cross."

She said that while Finland and Sweden made the decision to apply for their own interests, it is also in the interest of NATO, because the expansion would strengthen the defense of northern Europe.

Some information in this report came from The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters.
With Russias war in Ukraine now in its second year, there is renewed attention on the eastern salt-mining city of Bakhmut, the focus of a sustained Russian offensive in recent months. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the situation in Bakhmut is becoming more and more complicated. Bakhmut is just one of many areas in Russias sights as the war continues.

Along with the billions of dollars in military assistance that Western nations have given, Ukraine seeks fighter jets, but so far, the West has refused that request. The NATO military alliance has also voiced concern that Ukraine is using ammunition faster than it can be replenished.

Russia controls about 20% of Ukrainian territory, far short of the quick, countrywide takeover that had been predicted when Russia invaded its neighbor on February 24, 2022.

VOA Eastern Europe bureau chief Myroslava Gongadze recently conducted a wide-ranging interview with Kyrylo Budanov, chief of the main intelligence directorate at the Ukrainian defense ministry in Kyiv. Budanov spoke of what to expect in the coming months as Russia intensifies its military campaign in Ukraine. The interview has been edited for clarity.

VOA: You are the only person, in fact, as people close to the processes say, who at the very beginning of the full-scale invasion, even before the start of a full-scale invasion, emphasized the need to be ready for a major Russian offensive. Have you been heard then?

Kyrylo Budanov, military intelligence chief, Ministry of Defense of Ukraine: Since today is already the 25th [of February 2023] and Russia has not been able to fulfill any of its strategic tasks, we can see that, at least partly, I was heard. At that time, let's say different people had different opinions; however, as the period of February 2022 approached  certain steps were taken and it was because of this that Russia was unable to implement its plan on the 24th."

VOA: You said, "Because of it. Because of what?

Budanov: As an example, I can give you that already on the 23rd [of February 2022], our aviation was dispersed. So, when the missile attacks began on the 24th [of February 2022], the losses in our combat aviation were almost minimal, almost zero. These are little-known steps, a lot of them were taken at the last moment, probably, but they were taken.

VOA: How else did Ukraine manage to survive, during the first, very difficult days of the full-scale invasion?

Budanov: Thanks to our people, heroism. What else can I add? Everyone saw ... Russia is out there crying that this is their Great Patriotic War; in fact, it is not yet for them. But for us, it is actually a Great Patriotic War. Everyone, from teenagers to old men, at that time, everyone stood up for defense.

VOA: Ukraine and Russia have very different military power, of course, both in terms of manpower and military equipment. What does Ukraine need most today in order to make a breakthrough in this military process?

Budanov: I don't think I will say anything new for you; it is the intensification of weapons supply. Intensification. "Armament is coming, but the pace and volume are not sufficient for a breakthrough."

VOA: Is it about some special, specific equipment, additional equipment, or is it about what is already supplied?

Budanov: Mostly about what I think is already supplied. In addition, we need attack aircraft, which as of now have not yet arrived.

VOA: There are many calls for the provision of F-16s to Ukraine. Is F-16 a panacea? Are there different types of similar weapons that Ukraine needs?

Budanov: In my opinion, we need attack aircraft. F-16 and similar platforms are not attack aircraft. Assault aircraft, in the USA, are first of all, A10 Thunderbolt II aircraft. This is also army aviation, but these are attack helicopters of the AH-64 type and so on. These are aerial platforms designed for ground strikes.

VOA: Why, then, does the president of Ukraine and his team talk specifically about the F-16?

Budanov: As I already said, this is my exclusively subjective vision, let's say so. Maybe someone sees a different concept.

VOA: There is a lot of talk about a major Russian offensive. There were predictions that there would be massive missile shelling on the 23rd, 24th [of February 2023]. We did not see it.

Budanov: Thank God, it hasn't happened yet. But this, let's face it, unfortunately, is quite an everyday matter for Ukraine now. The only irregularity in it is that each time, the time between missile strikes increases, and the number of missiles in the strikes decreases. Here is the only regularity.

VOA: And what is the reason for this trend?

Budanov: Reduction of missile stocks. There is no other reason. They are already, in fact, ranging almost at zero.

VOA: There is a lot of talk about China being able to supply weapons for [Russia].

Budanov: I do not share this opinion. As of now, I do not think that China will agree to the supply of weapons to Russia. I see no indication that such things are even being negotiated.

VOA: American officials are also talking about it

Budanov: I am the head of intelligence and, excuse me, but I rely, not on the opinion, with all due respect, of individual people, but only on facts. I do not see such facts.

VOA: Where else can Russia get supplies to continue the war in Ukraine today?

Budanov: Well, let's say, if you are interested in other countries, as I understand from your question, in fact, almost the only country that actually supplies more or less serious weapons is Iran. I won't tell you anything new either. There was information that something was coming from North Korea, but we have no confirmation of that. And there is not a single case when we would record that here is some kind of weapon that came from North Korea, that it was used here. Maybe we just haven't seen it yet or it goes to some other, lets say, needs. Well, let's say, other countries, Russia is just trying to buy anything, anywhere. Because their problems are significant. Serbia, which everyone in Russia hoped for, refused to supply weapons. There are certain efforts to buy through third countries. Large-scale withdrawal of weapons. Now they are trying with Myanmar, we will see what will come of it in time. But in fact, Russia is limited, let's say, by Iran in terms of weapons. As of now.

VOA: From what you say, Russia is practically exhausting its military reserves. But it doesn't look like (Russian President Vladimir) Putin is going to stop in this war.

Budanov: I'm sorry, but what, according to you, should it be so that somehow it looks different?

VOA: I'm not here to express my opinion, I'm asking. How can Russia continue this war under these conditions?

Budanov: Let's put it this way. Being in these conditions, Russia cannot afford, as of now, to admit that it will lose. This is, let's say, a direct dependence of the stability of the regime on this factor. However, if you rephrase, reformulate your question: "Is Russia unanimous, let's say, on the issue of continuing hostilities?" The answer will be no. Not unanimous. In terms of the top state leadership. Many have come to the understanding that, after all, something is wrong. Let's put it this way.

VOA: So, there is a split in the Russian leadership now?

Budanov: Opinions are divided. This cannot be called a split. Opinions are divided. And there are not so many people who speak out, in the leadership, I emphasize, for the fact that there is a war until the end and so on. For the most part, those people who are in favor of it, let's say, behind this desire, they have a banal fear of responsibility. Because there are a certain number of people who will not be able to say that somehow a decision was made there without us, it was not us. There are very few of them, by the way.

VOA: And those people who do not agree with this war, do they have an influence on the decision, do they have an influence on Putin?

Budanov: Everyone is waiting for a certain moment when, let's say, the tower of the Kremlin, which advocates a unanimous war, figuratively speaking, leans against the wall and admits that it is not going well. It's a dead end.

VOA: And then? What to expect?

Budanov: Then we will see how things will go on. If you want to lead to the idea that, well, then they will get along there. They will not get along. Nothing will happen without our decisive actions.

VOA: I have heard such thoughts among the political elite in the USA that they do not see how this war can end, and in particular, maybe it can be just some kind of long-term, deep, unstable truce. Do you see it?

Budanov: I do not believe in this. No. First of all, Ukraine will not agree to such conditions; this is the first reason why it is unrealistic. And secondly, it simply won't happen. And Russia is not ready for long-term hostilities. I am telling you this as the head of the military intelligence service. They show in every possible way that they are ready for "a war for decades," but in reality, their resources are quite limited. Both in time and in volume. And they know it very well.

VOA: So they are also in a hurry?

Budanov: Everyone will be in a hurry right now.

VOA: We have already talked many times about the fact that the next three months will be decisive.

Budanov: Not just decisive. They will be quite active. Well, very active. Which will determine the further course of events. It's active combat if you're leading to that. This is whats going to happen. Efforts will be on both sides.

VOA: Are we talking today about the east, Donetsk, Luhansk region. Or we are talking about the South?

Budanov: Absolutely everywhere.

VOA: Are we talking about the north?

Budanov: North, do you mean Russia's attempt to attack Kyiv? Let's put it this way. We do not know of such plans and there are no signs of any real ones. It's not that we don't know them, they just don't exist. Maybe when they get certain defeats, they will look for a quick solution, but it will be a disaster for them. Another one, similar to what happened back then [in February-March 2022].

VOA: From the very beginning of the full-scale invasion, even before the full-scale invasion, very active cooperation with the intelligence services of the USA and Great Britain began.

Budanov: You are wrong; this cooperation has been going on for many years. It just burst into the mass media now, let's put it this way. This cooperation has a long history.

VOA: How important is it for Ukraine today?

Budanov: With no exaggeration, you understand that we need everyone's help now. These are common truths. This helps us. Certain technical capabilities of the U.S., which we do not have, they significantly add to our understanding. First of all, it concerns the military component. Such as, movement at a considerable depth and so on.

VOA: Do you have ongoing cooperation with senior intelligence management? If possible, how does this cooperation take place?

Budanov: What intelligence?

VOA: In particular, the USA.

Budanov: We have all communications.

VOA: Now, about Ukrainian defense capability. During this year, in fact, for the first time, Ukraine strengthened militarily very much, and was also able to go further in its technical equipment and developments. What progressive changes have taken place in the army and in intelligence in particular?

Budanov: Let's put it this way, we have accelerated quite a lot, intensified the pace of reconnaissance of everything related to unmanned aircraft complexes. This area is developing very actively. This is, in principle, such a general global trend, and Ukraine, as, unfortunately, Russia, in this aspect did not become an exception. It should be mentioned, as an example, that the first thing Russia began to buy was drones. Drones were the first thing that they, and the most important thing, that in principle they try to get from all over the world.

VOA: Ukraine uses, and has an IT industry, very actively. Can today's Ukraine really be of service in the same way, in particular to NATO countries, because there is talk that after the end of the war, Ukraine will be one of the most powerful military machines in Europe. Can you agree with this?

Budanov: Ukraine will never serve anyone. But becoming a reliable partner, well, it has already happened in fact.

VOA: How can Ukraine be useful as a partner today?

Budanov: Ukraine is now the guarantor of security, in fact, for the whole of Europe. And this is true without exaggeration. Let's put it this way. All of Eastern Europe understands this absolutely clearly. There are different opinions further, but what concerns Eastern Europe, everyone agrees on this. And in fact, why is everyone trying so hard to help Ukrainians in every possible way? Because if it somehow happened that Ukraine would have fallen, they would be next. And I'm sorry, but the capabilities of these countries are in no way comparable to Ukraine. Everything would be much worse there.

VOA: It is clear that the countries of Eastern Europe understand very well that they are next, that is why they are very active, their leaders talk about it and lobby for the interests of Ukraine and their interests, first of all. Why do you think, especially in the countries of Western Europe, there is no such deep understanding of the danger that comes from Russia?

Budanov: I am sorry, but what is the danger for them other than this, purely hypothetical? Tell me. What could even be in theory?

If, this [aggression] went to the east of Europe, then they would understand that there is a problem, because it would come closer to them. Well, that already happened. After the end of the Second World War, the Warsaw bloc and the NATO bloc stood close to each other. Then everyone understood it. Then such a conditional buffer appeared. Everyone started saying that, well, in fact, you can trade and live normally with Russia. It's some of their business there; it's something of theirs, and we don't get into that. Well, it was the same. Very recently.

VOA: So, Ukraine today, in fact, creates new trends in international politics to some extent?

Budanov: Thanks to the idiocy of the Russians, all their biggest geopolitical horror stories have become a reality. And Ukraine will become one of the most powerful states, and, let's say, they have already encountered Western weapons. And we all disposed of, let's say, jointly, all the remains of Soviet weapons from around the world. And they threw out the defense industrial complex of the Russian Federation for many years from the world arms trade. And, let's say, yes, they limited the activity of their defense industrial complex. They disposed of, in fact, the entire able-bodied part of their army. This, again, sets back their military ambitions for many years. Because simply all specialists, the majority no longer exist.

VOA: If you're talking about Russia, I see here are maps of what Russia could look like.

Budanov: This is not what it might look like. This is their future. Their very real future.

VOA: So, you see the division of Russia after this war?

Budanov: There are already problems in Russia and they will only increase. The sooner they leave Ukraine, the more chances, in theory, they will have to keep their territory within more or less similar borders. It will not be the same as it was, but more or less similar. Perhaps it will become a real federation, because in fact, if you look at their legislation, they are closer to a unitary state, although they are called a federation. It could turn into a confederation. And so on. As it was, there will be nothing to hold on to.

VOA: You recently visited the Vatican. You have been meeting with the pope. What was the purpose of this visit? Why is the pope himself important?

Budanov: Let's put it this way. Since I hold several positions, and one of them is the head of the center for the exchange of prisoners of war, I have to, let's say, try all the mechanisms that even hypothetically exist in the world. This was my main, let's say, goal.

VOA: That the pope would help in the exchange process.

Budanov: Let's say, try to connect the Holy See to this process as well.

VOA: And?

Budanov: Lets put it this way, altogether the mechanisms gave the result we have.

VOA: How does this exchange process take place today, and how possible and effective is dialogue with Russia in this particular context, the return of prisoners of war?

Budanov: The situation is unique in all aspects. Because, maybe it was somewhere, but we have consulted with many foreign partners, how they do it. None of them conducted exchanges during hostilities. In principle, so far only we have succeeded in this. To say that everything is great is absolutely not the case, that would be a lie on my part. Because there are people and many of them in captivity. You can't say that things are going great. You can't say that it's terrible either, well, I'm sorry, with all due respect and understanding of the delicacy of the issue. Because, again, these exchanges are going on and about 2,000 people have already been returned. This is quite a significant amount. Therefore, everything is in working order. Unfortunately, the Russian side often puts sticks in the wheels. But still, we find effective mechanisms that force them to take such steps [war prisoners exchange].

Budanov: We have returned about 2,000. You can understand, these will be significant numbers [the total number of those in captivity].

VOA: You say you are finding mechanisms that work. May I ask, perhaps which ones?

Budanov: We are a special service. I'm sorry, our forms and methods of work are... read the books, they haven't changed in years.

VOA: Is it possible to publish the numbers of Russian prisoners of war in Ukraine?

Budanov: I tell you again, you should understand. Almost 2,000 were exchanged.

VOA: But are these numbers similar in the total amount? How many prisoners of war are there now on both sides?

Budanov: Unfortunately, they have more prisoners of war than we do. This is very easy to explain. First of all, they captured 90% of all prisoners of war in the first days. The first days, the first month... We do not take civilians as prisoners. There are a lot of women, unfortunately, and children, there are all kinds of elders, postmen, railway workers, mayors, and janitors. Everyone is there.

VOA: Are there any that Ukraine simply does not know  the number that is not recorded?

Budanov: Most likely, there are some, but believe me, 99%, we know who they are.

VOA: Recently, there has been a lot of information about the fact that (Ukrainian) President (Volodymyr) Zelenskyy announced Russia's desire to overthrow the leadership of Moldova. It was very well publicized, there was a lot of talk about it, and Moldova changed its government almost immediately after that. What risks do you see from that side?

Budanov: When you mentioned the change of government, you have to look at the person who came. (Prime Minister) Dorin Recean. He is quite a professional person and he is a military bloc, a power bloc; it is more correct to say so. Therefore, it is clear that the situation is not the easiest for Moldova. By the way, Transnistria (PMR ) plays not the first role here. This is precisely the issue of the Russian Federation's attempt to overthrow the constitutional authority. Well, as you can see, they haven't succeeded yet. A number of measures have been applied, which, for sure, will give results, and all these plans will once again fail. They have already partially experienced this failure in its infancy.

VOA: How important was it for you to convey this information to the Moldovan leadership? How important do you see the risks on that part?

Budanov: I'm telling you, the set of measures that have been taken and are being taken make Russia's efforts impossible.

VOA: Another question about nuclear weapons. Many people talk about this and say that if Ukraine approaches the borders of Crimea and really wants to take Crimea, then the last step will be, for Putin to use nuclear weapons?

Budanov: And how many times has it happened already? Red line  Russia will use nuclear weapons, Russia is already using it, almost. The first time it happened at the end of spring, and then once every month-and-a-half. The apogee was from late summer to mid-autumn. At that point it was that they will launch a nuclear strike right there tomorrow. Did they? No, they did not. Can they do it? Hypothetically, everything in life is possible. In reality? No, it's not possible. Because the Russian Federation is a state, let's say, a soap bubble.

I mean in a sense that they inflate everything. There are not such idiots sitting there as they want to appear to the world. They clearly understand the first thing: nuclear weapons are not [offensive] weapons. It is a means of strategic deterrence. Secondly: the use of a nuclear deterrent by anyone in the world will lead to fatal consequences for whomever does it. No matter who it is.

VOA: Even if we are talking about tactical nuclear weapons?

Budanov: Whats the difference? This is the answer.

VOA: What is the deterrent to them not to do it?

Budanov: Again, if you and I will get into details of this issue, we will spend hours. With all the power of the Soviet Union, and it is incomparable with the Russian Federation today, absolutely incomparable. Several times everything was on the edge. Well, have they used it? No. And can it be used? No it cannot. This is not a weapon, I tell you again, it is officially a means of strategic deterrence.

VOA: Final question. How do you see the end of this war?

Budanov: The most difficult question. The end of the war in the first stage will be the return to the administrative borders of 1991. This is probably the correct answer. This will cause a change in the entire architecture and security, and the economy, and everything else in the entire region. That's why I say: At the first stage, this is access to the administrative borders.

Next, we need to look at the security zone around Ukraine, at least from the Russian side. To a depth of 100 kilometers or more. And so on.
The head of a U.S. government program to fight AIDS, Dr. John Nkengasong, says that in its 20 years of existence the Presidents Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, or PEPFAR, has saved 25 million lives.

PEPFAR, set up in 2003 under the administration of former U.S. president George W. Bush, has transformed the trajectory of HIV/AIDS, Nkengasong told reporters Tuesday while visiting South Africa.

Twenty-five million lives have been saved, 5.5 million children have been born free of HIV/AIDS, health systems have been strengthened in a remarkable way, he said.

Nkengasong, who comes from Cameroon, said there was once a sense of hopelessness in Africa, the continent worst-hit by HIV/AIDS, but since then countries economies have increased and life expectancy has improved.

Some 95% of the total $110 billion spent through PEPFAR was spent on Africa as it bore the brunt of the disease, he said.

Before PEPFAR only 50,000 people, 50,000 people on the continent of Africa who were infected, were on treatment, 50,000. Today over 20 million people are receiving life-saving anti-retroviral therapy. he said.

Nkengasong said the infrastructure rolled out across Africa as part of the U.S. government program was also useful during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The AIDS official said he was also very positive about the tools in the pipeline to combat HIV, including the roll out of pre-exposure prophylactics for HIV negative people that can be injected every three months and will stop the spread of new infections.
The U.S. ambassador to China says Beijing needs to be more forthcoming about the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic, a day after reports that the U.S. Energy Department concluded the outbreak likely began because of a Chinese laboratory leak.

Nicholas Burns told a U.S. Chamber of Commerce event by video link Monday that China needs to "be more honest about what happened three years ago in Wuhan with the origin of the COVID-19 crisis." Wuhan is the Chinese city where the first cases of the novel coronavirus were reported in December 2019.

His comments come a day after U.S. media reported that the Energy Department determined the pandemic likely arose from a laboratory leak in Wuhan.

The department made its judgment in a classified intelligence report provided to the White House and key members of Congress, according to The Wall Street Journal, which first reported the development, citing people who read the report.

The WSJ said the Energy Department intelligence agency was now the second U.S. intelligence agency after the FBI to conclude a Chinese lab leak was the probable cause of the pandemic, although U.S. spy agencies remain divided over the origins of the virus.

White House national security spokesman John Kirby echoed that sentiment.

"There has not been a definitive conclusion and consensus in the U.S. government on the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic," Kirby told reporters Monday when asked about the WSJ report.

The Energy Department assessment was made with "low confidence," while the FBI conclusion was determined with "moderate confidence," according to the WSJ. Four other U.S. agencies have reportedly determined with "low confidence" that the virus was transmitted naturally through animals, while an additional two agencies remain undecided.

The reports again bring national attention to the question of what caused the COVID-19 outbreak.

The Energy Department's conclusion marks a change from its earlier position that it was undecided on how the virus began. U.S. officials did not disclose what new intelligence brought about the change. The Energy Department's analysis came from its network of national laboratories, giving it a perspective different from more traditional intelligence assessments.

On Sunday, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan told CNN that "there is a variety of views in the intelligence community."

"Some elements of the intelligence community have reached conclusions on one side, some on the other," he said.

Scientists have also been divided on the issue, with some pointing to the live animal market in Wuhan as the most probable place the virus emerged, noting that animal-to-human transmission has been the pathway for many previously unknown pathogens. Other scientists, however, have given credence to the lab leak theory, noting that no animal source has been found and that Wuhan is a major site of coronavirus research.

The question of how the virus began has also exacerbated political divisions in the U.S., with Republicans more likely to back the lab leak hypothesis.

Republican Senator Tom Cotton was one of the first high-profile politicians to voice the theory that the virus originated in a lab setting, commenting in February 2020, when the predominant view was the virus had been transmitted from bats and spread at a food market in Wuhan.

After a growing number of scientists urged for both hypotheses to be seriously considered, U.S. President Joe Biden ordered an intelligence review into the origins of COVID-19 in May 2021.

A declassified intelligence assessment in October 2021 stated that both hypotheses were plausible but that intelligence agencies remained divided over which theory was correct. The report said there was consensus among intelligence agencies that the pandemic was not the result of a Chinese biological weapons program.

China has repeatedly denied that a lab leak occurred in Wuhan. It has placed limits on World Health Organization investigations to determine the origin of the virus.

Some information in this report came from Reuters.
Canada and the United States moved forward Monday with bans of TikTok on government devices.

The White House gave federal agencies 30 days to halt the use of the popular social media app, implementing a ban approved by Congress in December.

The U.S. measure has limited exceptions for law enforcement, national security and research purposes.

This guidance is part of the Administrations ongoing commitment to securing our digital infrastructure and protecting the American peoples security and privacy, said Chris DeRusha, the federal chief information security officer.

TikTok, owned by Chinese company ByteDance, has drawn scrutiny from Western governments concerned about the security of user data and the potential the app could be used to promote pro-China views.

The company has dismissed the concerns and called the bans political theater.

A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman said during a briefing Tuesday that the United States has been overstretching the concept of national security and abusing state power to suppress other countries companies.

Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives are expected to proceed Tuesday with a bill that would give President Joe Biden the ability to ban TikTok nationwide.

In Canada, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the TikTok ban for government devices could serve as a signal to the wider population.

I suspect that as government takes the significant step of telling all federal employees that they can no longer use TikTok on their work phones many Canadians from business to private individuals will reflect on the security of their own data and perhaps make choices, Trudeau said.

The European Commission and the EU Council banned TikTok on staff phones last week.

Some information for this report came from The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters.
The U.S.-based Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation held an exhibition February 22 in Washington dedicated to the war in Ukraine.The traveling exhibit "War Up Close" uses virtual reality to show the horrors of the Russian invasion of its neighbor. Karina Bafradzhian has the story.
Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Feb. 18 that he stands ready to work with leaders of African countries to build a high-level China-Africa community with a shared future.

Xi made the pledge in his message to the 36th African Union (AU) Summit, in which he extended congratulations to African countries and the African people on the opening of the summit.

Xi said the AU, over the past year, has united and led African countries to stand up to global challenges, accelerate the development of the African Continental Free Trade Area, and play an important role in mediating hot issues in Africa, which has boosted Africa's international status and influence.

The Chinese president also expressed his sincere hope for African countries and people to achieve greater success on their path of development and revitalization.

China-Africa relations maintained sound momentum in development in 2022, Xi noted, saying that cooperation between China and Africa is moving steadily forward in an all-round, multi-tiered and high-quality fashion, which takes the lead in international collaboration with Africa.

Xi said he is willing to work with African leaders to further enhance friendly cooperation between China and Africa, and facilitate coordination in international and regional affairs.

News Source: Xinhua

Editor: WXY
ABUJA  Nigeria's Independent National Electoral Commission has begun announcing official results from Saturdays presidential election. But just minutes into the national tally Monday, party agents challenged the outcomes. Last weekend's polls were marred by delays and technical problems that saw thousands of voters hit the streets Sunday in protest.



The Abuja national collation center opened at midday Monday for the second day of vote counting.

Officials from Nigeria's electoral body INEC along with election observers, party members and journalists were present.



INEC announced early results from four out of Nigeria's 36 states putting the All Progressives Congress presidential candidate, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, in the lead.



Ekiti, Osun, Ondo and Kwara states are considered strong bases for the incumbent APC party.



But the announcement of results was met with resistance from political parties. They said INEC's field officers failed to upload the latest results from polling units in order to manipulate the figures.

INEC's Mahmood Yakubu addressed the issue.

"The law does not require that collation should be done on the basis of results transmitted, it's on the basis of results carried forward manually, physically to the various collation centers, but when there are discrepancies, it is the transmitted results that should be used to dissolve the discrepancies, he said.



All three top contenders have questioned the vote counting, including Nigerias Labor Party.

During a media briefing Sunday, the party said it will only accept results that corroborate with their agents tallies at polling units.

The elections Saturday were marred by widespread delays, technical difficulties with the voting machines, and threats of violence and insecurity. The delays forced INEC to extend voting into a second day on Sunday.

SEE ALSO:

But some eligible voters did not get a chance to cast their ballots.

On Sunday, hundreds including Abuja resident Kingsley Francis waited several hours for electoral officials to arrive.

"We had to queue, I was number one to be accredited but after the accreditation no paper was given to me. Other people were getting accreditation, no paper was given to them," he said.

Local and international observers are also raising concerns.

Former Sierra Leone President Ernest Bai Koroma, head of the election observation team for regional bloc ECOWAS, spoke to journalists.



At the end of our observations, we will make recommendations on how to improve the process because elections in our region are evolving. And we must continue improving and trying to harmonize them," he said.

The race to replace outgoing President Muhammadu Buhari is expected to be highly competitive.

Candidates for the biggest parties, PDP and APC, are facing a fierce challenge from the Labor Partys Peter Obi. Obi is mostly backed by young people, who accounted for over 80 percent of the 10 million first time voters.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Monday the situation is becoming increasingly difficult in the eastern city of Bakhmut, where Ukrainian and Russian forces are engaged in heavy fighting.

"The situation is getting more and more complicated," Zelenskyy said Monday during his nightly address.

He said Russian forces are "constantly destroying everything that can be used to protect our positions."

Russia has been intensifying its attacks on several areas in eastern Ukraine, including Bakhmut, a salt-mining town in the region of Donetsk. The ruined city once held about 75,000 people.

Reuters reports that Russian forces have made some progress from the north and south as they seek to encircle the city and cut off Ukrainian forces inside it.

Also Monday, Ukraine continued its push for allies to supply Ukrainian forces with fighter jets despite the latest U.S. assessment that providing F-16s would not be appropriate at this time.

"Every discussion about supplying Ukraine with a new, crucial kind of weapon started with a 'no' and ended with a 'yes,'" Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba tweeted. "In the last year, we have unlocked political decisions on six of the seven types of game-changer weapons. The only one left is combat aircraft."

Kuleba alluded to earlier reluctance to send Ukraine tanks and other military aid that its partners ultimately decided to provide.

U.S. President Joe Biden said Friday in an interview with ABC News that on the question of providing F-16s to Ukraine, he was "ruling it out for now."

White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan told NBCs Meet the Press Sunday that U.S. military commanders believe what Ukraine needs now are tanks, and armored personnel carriers, and infantry fighting vehicles, artillery, and air defense systems up there on the front line.

This phase is about ground combat and being able to have the tools in the hands of the Ukrainians to take the territory back that the Russians are occupying, Sullivan said.

He also said allies are providing Ukraine with spare parts for the Soviet-era MiG-29 and SU-27 fighters that Ukrainian pilots use every day.

SEE ALSO:

Yellen in Ukraine

Also Monday, U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen made a surprise visit to Kyiv, voicing continued U.S. support for the Ukrainian fight against Russias yearlong invasion, echoing Biden during his visit a week ago to the Ukrainian capital.

Yellen met with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other key government officials, saying, America will stand with Ukraine as long as it takes. She announced the transfer of the first $1.25 billion from the latest, $9.9 billion tranche of economic and budget assistance from Washington.

She laid a wreath at a memorial wall for Ukrainian soldiers killed in the war, saying, I am witnessing firsthand the devastating toll of [Russian President Vladimir] Putins brutal war.

Yellen stopped to look at a destroyed Russian tank and mobile artillery piece at a city square that was cleared of visitors for security purposes.

In the last year, the United States has given Ukraine more than $13 billion in economic and budget support funding, with an additional $8.65 billion expected through the end of September. The latest funds are part of $45 billion in new military, economic and humanitarian assistance approved by Congress in December.

Yellen said such economic support is keeping Ukraines government and critical public services running, schools open and pensions paid, providing a bedrock of stability that fuels Ukrainian resistance.

A sustained military effort cannot succeed without an effective government at home, Yellen said at the Kyiv Obolon School No. 168, where the salaries of teachers, administrators and support staff are reimbursed from U.S. budget support funds.

UN Human Rights Council

In Geneva, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Russia's invasion of Ukraine "has triggered the most massive violations of human rights" in the world today.

He made the comments as Russia's war in Ukraine took center stage at the opening of the U.N. Human Rights Council's five-a-half-week session in Geneva.

Guterres said Russia's invasion has "unleashed widespread death, destruction and displacement."

Russia withdrew from its seat on the council last year following international pressure over the war in Ukraine.

NATO expansion

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Monday talks with Sweden and Finland about their bids to join NATO will resume next month.

Cavusoglu told a news conference the meeting was set for March 9.

In January, Turkey halted the talks in response to far-right protesters burning a Quran outside the Turkish Embassy in Stockholm.

Sweden and Finland applied to join NATO in response to Russias invasion of Ukraine last year. All of NATOs existing members must approve their bids.

Turkey has expressed objections about Sweden, accusing the government of being too lenient toward groups that Turkey considers terror organizations.

Cavusoglu said Monday that Sweden has not lived up to its side of a June agreement in which Sweden and Finland pledged to lift restrictions on selling weapons to Turkey and to intensify work on Turkeys requests to extradite suspected militants.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said during a visit to Turkey earlier this month the time has come to ratify both Sweden and Finland as new NATO members. Only Turkey and Hungary have yet to give their approvals.

SEE ALSO:

Stoltenberg noted Turkeys legitimate security concerns, while also saying Sweden and Finland have both made big steps toward fulfilling their commitments under the deal reached in Madrid last year.

The NATO chief is due to visit Finland on Tuesday.

Some information for this report came from The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters.
Fighting around the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut is "extremely intense," a Ukrainian military official said Tuesday, although little territory has changed hands between Moscow's and Kyiv's forces.

In his nightly address Monday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the situation in Bakhmut "is getting more and more complicated."

He said Russian forces are "constantly destroying everything that can be used to protect our positions."

Oleksandr Syrskyi, commander of Ukraine's ground forces, said on social media, "Despite taking significant losses, the enemy has dispatched its best-trained Wagner assault units to try to break through the defenses of our troops and surround the city."

He was referring to the Wagner Group, the Russian paramilitary unit fighting alongside Russian troops.

Russia has been intensifying its attacks on several areas in eastern Ukraine, including Bakhmut, the ruined city where 75,000 people once lived.

SEE ALSO:

Fighting for months has focused on towns and villages around Bakhmut, with Moscow attempting to surround the city to cut off Ukrainian supply routes, although some fighting has occurred within the city itself.

After failing a year ago to quickly take Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital, in the earliest days of the war, Russia has concentrated its fight in the eastern Donbas region. Both sides have sustained heavy casualties in the warfare.

The Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington-based research organization, said in a new report Tuesday that 60,000 to 70,000 Russian troops have been killed in the last year, more combat deaths than Moscow sustained in all the conflicts it has fought since World War II combined, including in Chechnya and Afghanistan.

NATO expansion

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Tuesday that progress is being made toward ratifying the bids of Finland and Sweden to join the alliance and that both countries have lived up to agreements they made to address concerns raised by Turkey.

Only Turkey and Hungary have yet to give their final approval for the accessions of Finland and Sweden in a process that must be unanimous among NATO's current members.

"I'm absolutely confident that both Finland and Sweden will become members of NATO," Stoltenberg told reporters as he appeared alongside Finland's Prime Minister Sanna Marin in Helsinki. "The time is now to ratify both in Budapest and in Ankara."

Turkey has expressed objections to Sweden, accusing the government of being too lenient toward groups that Ankara considers terror organizations.

SEE ALSO:

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Monday that Sweden has not lived up to its side of a June agreement in which Sweden and Finland pledged to lift restrictions on selling weapons to Turkey and to intensify work on Ankara's requests to extradite suspected Kurdish militants.

Turkey, Sweden and Finland are due to resume talks about their NATO bids on March 9 after Turkey halted the process in response to far-right protesters burning a Quran outside the Turkish Embassy in Stockholm.

Marin said Tuesday the potential threat of Russia following its invasion of Ukraine last year prompted Finland to seek NATO membership, saying the NATO line "is the only line Russia wouldn't cross."

She said that while Finland and Sweden made the decision to apply for their own interests, it is also in the interest of NATO, because the expansion would strengthen the defense of northern Europe.

Some information in this report came from The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters.
Zimbabwe police on Tuesday beat up and arrested 16 ruling party members, who gathered at the district administrators office where they protested over the barring of small vehicles, commonly known as mushikashika, from operating in the town.

Lenny Samhembere, one of the youth leaders who initially took to his heels when a police crack unit descended on the protesters, said they are not happy about being barred from operating in the town.

"The sixteen of us are currently being interrogated at Kadoma Law and Order department the sixteen of us. We might appear in court tomorrow morning. I handed over myself to the police when I was told that they were looking for me.

Zanu PF communications director, Tafadzwa Mugwadi, said the arrest of Zanu PF members showed that the police are not selectively applying the law.

"The arrest of Zanu PF members by the police put to rest notions that our police force is biased towards the ruling party like what some other opposition parties want us to believe. Zanu PF members like any other citizen should observe laws of the country," said Mugwadi.

But Witness Dube, spokesperson of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change, said police are merely doing a catch and release game as they are set to be released without going to trial.

"Thats childs play. Its that familiar catch and release game soon they will be sent home without facing any charges," said Dube.

District Administrator, Emmanuel Mhlanga, was unreachable for comment.

Police national spokesperson, Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi refused to comment saying he is in a very important meeting. "Phone me later. I'm in a meeting.

A video, whose source could not be verified, is circulating on social media showing at least two women with bloodied faces following skirmishes with the police.
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Nobantu Dlodlo Mbambo, a Zimbabwean-born nurse, is running a social media platform in which she advises people about general life and health matters. She works in Ireland.
One on One with Joe Korkowski, is heard Saturdays on KXRA-1490AM / 100.3fm/105.7fm (@7:40am) and KXRA-92.3FM (@7:00am), as well as each Sunday morning on KXRZ Z99.3fm (@10:15am).

The interview is also re-broadcast on Monday mornings on KX92 at 10:00am and on Z99 at 9:10am.
We are not on the first but on the ninth anniversary of the war in Ukraine, which was unleashed in February 2014 with the coup detat under US-NATO direction. Speaking from Warsaw, President Biden promised to stand by President Zelensky no matter what. He is echoed by President Meloni who, reversing the position assumed in 2014, assured Zelensky that Italy will be with you until the end. These are disturbing statements, given the real possibility that the conflict could lead to a nuclear war, which would be the end not only of Europe but of the world. Ukraine is capable of producing nuclear weapons and, certainly, in Kyiv, there are those who pursue such a plan.

The New York Times confirms it: Ukraine gave up a gigantic nuclear arsenal 30 years ago. Today there are regrets. With the breakup of the USSR in 1991, Ukraine found itself in possession of the third largest nuclear arsenal in the world: some 5,000 strategic and tactical weapons. They were removed in the 1990s under agreements between the United States, Russia and Ukraine. However, the technological capability acquired by Ukraine in the military nuclear field during the US-Soviet confrontation has not been removed.

Ukraine  warns President Putin  intends to create its own nuclear weapons, and this is not a mere boast. The acquisition of nuclear weapons will be much easier for Ukraine than for other states conducting such research, especially if Kyiv receives foreign technological support. We cannot rule this out. If Ukraine acquires weapons of mass destruction, the situation in the world and in Europe will change dramatically

In which hands would the Ukrainian nuclear weapons be confirmed by the fact that Zelenskyy has just conferred on the 10th Ukrainian Assault Brigade the Edelweiss title of honour : the same name and symbol of one of the most ferocious Nazi Divisions, the 1st Edelweiss Division, which in 1943 massacred over 5,000 Italian soldiers who had surrendered in Greek Kefalonia.
China on Feb. 24, 2023 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.

China has called for international efforts to create conditions for the resumption of peace talks to resolve the Ukraine crisis.

Here are the highlights.

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 ones 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.

Editor: WXY
Excerpt from: Communicating with the Left in India (25/02/2023)

Transcript of Speech by member of Sotsialnyi Rukh at the international session of the 11th Congress of CPI(ML), February 17th, 2023

Dear Delegates of the Congress,

Thank you for inviting us to the 11th Congress of CPIML. As a growing left-wing political organization in Ukraine, we are always glad to connect with like-minded movements across the world. While Ukraine and India are very distinct and unique countries, they are facing similar threats: the ongoing neoliberal offensive, the rise of neo-nationalism, the assault on labour rights and social security, multiplied by the COVID-19 pandemic, and the looming ecological catastrophe. On top of that, Ukraine has been fighting against a brutal Russian military aggression for a year now. In this struggle, our country seeks not just abstract peace, but independence, self-determination, and liberation from the Russian colonial, imperialist, and increasingly fascist regime.

There are three key messages that I would like to convey today on behalf of the Sotsialnyi Ruh. First of all: who are we? Sotsialnyi Ruh (Social Movement) is a Ukrainian left-wing political organization that promotes an anti-capitalist and socially oriented agenda. The organization was founded in 2014 in the wake of the Euromaidan, or the Ukrainian Revolution of Dignity. As stated in one of our programmatic texts:

We believe the problems behind the numerous Ukrainian protests of last decades (poverty, striking inequality, social injustice, lack of democracy, corruption and vested interests in politics, police violence, and attacks on civil and social rights) could be solved only by a genuine social revolution  namely, replacing the existing system of oligarchic capitalism with democratic socialism.

While our political vision includes a canopy of anti-capitalist positions  from democratic socialism to eco-socialism, from social democracy to direct democracy, from socialist feminism to radical socialism  the unifying theme is to put people over profit. As political activists, we have followed this vision through defending Ukrainian workers, providing legal support, opposing deregulation and the IMF-driven neoliberal reforms, standing up for womens rights, or rallying against ultra-nationalist violence. We are also active in the trade union movement and international cooperation initiatives.

Secondly, let me communicate our anti-war message. With the onset of the Russian invasion on February 24  and even earlier  we have repeatedly asked the international Left to admit the revival of Russian imperialism, instead of continuing to blame NATO and the US for this war. It is absurd to choose which empire is better when a struggle for survival is at stake. It is obvious that the progressive cause of our organization can only be served if Ukraine and its people win this battle for independence and decolonisation, as a crucial pre-requisite.

As you know, India has adopted a diplomatic balancing approach to the conflict due to a number of political, economic, and historical reasons. In this regard, we are grateful to CPIML for standing openly in solidarity with the Ukrainian people against the war, and for demanding that Russia stops bombing Ukraine and withdraws its military. At the same time, we do not accept CPIMLs call for the US to withdraw the sanctions against Russia, and for NATO to stop its alleged expansion. We resolutely reject whataboutism, as expressed in the statements like interference and warmongering by the US and NATO.

Let me make it clear. In Sotsialnyi Ruh, we are absolutely aware and critical of the Western imperialist and capitalist objectives, whether in the past or present. We also condemn and fight the neoliberal policies of our own government. However, they absolutely do not justify the imperialist aggression of Russia. Furthermore, we request that Ukraines agency in this struggle is acknowledged. This cannot be done when the war is reduced to an imperialist rivalry between the West and Russia. Let us recollect that, more than a century ago, Lenin recognized Ukrainian sovereignty precisely because of the dangers of the Great-Russian chauvinism. No wonder this irritates Vladimir Putin so much.

Finally, let me conclude that Sotsialnyi Rukh is in full solidarity with CPIMLs mission to fight oppression both in India and beyond. As CPIML seeks to rescue India from the clutches of fascism, Ukraine is fighting an external fascist threat coming from its neighbour. Importantly, a combination of fear and hate, victimhood and supremacy, as correctly pointed out in the Draft Resolution for the 11th Congress of CPIML, is present in Russia as much as in India.

We agree that corporate plunder and fascist aggression need to be resisted by all means, and fully support CPIMLs call for the broadest possible unity and cooperation among all democratic forces and ideological streams. For that matter, Sotsialnyi Ruh is open to dialogue on joint initiatives and coordination of our efforts in solving mankinds most pressing issues caused by the current socio-economic order.

Let peace, equality, and social justice prevail.

Thank you very much for your attention.
Tourists watch a film at Luoyi ancient city in Luoyang, central China's Henan Province, Feb. 22, 2023. Official data showed that the city saw 10.31 million trips in January of 2023, generating 6.28 billion yuan (about 902.44 million U.S. dollars) in revenue, up 746.63 percent and 690.06 percent year on year respectively. (Xinhua/Li An)

A tourist selects clothes at a store in Luoyi ancient city of Luoyang, central China's Henan Province, Feb. 22, 2023. Official data showed that the city saw 10.31 million trips in January of 2023, generating 6.28 billion yuan (about 902.44 million U.S. dollars) in revenue, up 746.63 percent and 690.06 percent year on year respectively. (Xinhua/Li An)

This aerial photo taken on Feb. 23, 2023 shows the scenery of the Laojun Mountain scenic spot in Luanchuan County of Luoyang, central China's Henan Province. Official data showed that the city saw 10.31 million trips in January of 2023, generating 6.28 billion yuan (about 902.44 million U.S. dollars) in revenue, up 746.63 percent and 690.06 percent year on year respectively. (Xinhua/Li An)

Tourists visit the Laojun Mountain scenic spot in Luanchuan County of Luoyang, central China's Henan Province, Feb. 23, 2023. Official data showed that the city saw 10.31 million trips in January of 2023, generating 6.28 billion yuan (about 902.44 million U.S. dollars) in revenue, up 746.63 percent and 690.06 percent year on year respectively. (Xinhua/Li An)

This aerial photo taken on Feb. 23, 2023 shows visitors enjoying the scenery of the Laojun Mountain scenic spot in Luanchuan County of Luoyang, central China's Henan Province. Official data showed that the city saw 10.31 million trips in January of 2023, generating 6.28 billion yuan (about 902.44 million U.S. dollars) in revenue, up 746.63 percent and 690.06 percent year on year respectively. (Xinhua/Li An)

This aerial photo taken on Feb. 23, 2023 shows the scenery of the Laojun Mountain scenic spot in Luanchuan County of Luoyang, central China's Henan Province. Official data showed that the city saw 10.31 million trips in January of 2023, generating 6.28 billion yuan (about 902.44 million U.S. dollars) in revenue, up 746.63 percent and 690.06 percent year on year respectively. (Xinhua/Li An)

A tourist visits the Laojun Mountain scenic spot in Luanchuan County of Luoyang, central China's Henan Province, Feb. 23, 2023. Official data showed that the city saw 10.31 million trips in January of 2023, generating 6.28 billion yuan (about 902.44 million U.S. dollars) in revenue, up 746.63 percent and 690.06 percent year on year respectively. (Xinhua/Li An)

This aerial photo taken on Feb. 23, 2023 shows the scenery of the Laojun Mountain scenic spot in Luanchuan County of Luoyang, central China's Henan Province. Official data showed that the city saw 10.31 million trips in January of 2023, generating 6.28 billion yuan (about 902.44 million U.S. dollars) in revenue, up 746.63 percent and 690.06 percent year on year respectively. (Xinhua/Li An)

Tourists visit Luoyi ancient city in Luoyang, central China's Henan Province, Feb. 22, 2023. Official data showed that the city saw 10.31 million trips in January of 2023, generating 6.28 billion yuan (about 902.44 million U.S. dollars) in revenue, up 746.63 percent and 690.06 percent year on year respectively. (Xinhua/Li An)

This photo taken on Feb. 22, 2023 shows exhibits in a shop at Luoyi ancient city in Luoyang, central China's Henan Province, Feb. 22, 2023. Official data showed that the city saw 10.31 million trips in January of 2023, generating 6.28 billion yuan (about 902.44 million U.S. dollars) in revenue, up 746.63 percent and 690.06 percent year on year respectively. (Xinhua/Li An)

A tourist poses for photos at Luoyi ancient city in Luoyang, central China's Henan Province, Feb. 22, 2023. Official data showed that the city saw 10.31 million trips in January of 2023, generating 6.28 billion yuan (about 902.44 million U.S. dollars) in revenue, up 746.63 percent and 690.06 percent year on year respectively. (Xinhua/Li An)

Tourists visit the Laojun Mountain scenic spot in Luanchuan County of Luoyang, central China's Henan Province, Feb. 23, 2023. Official data showed that the city saw 10.31 million trips in January of 2023, generating 6.28 billion yuan (about 902.44 million U.S. dollars) in revenue, up 746.63 percent and 690.06 percent year on year respectively. (Xinhua/Li An)

Actors perform at Luoyi ancient city in Luoyang, central China's Henan Province, Feb. 22, 2023. Official data showed that the city saw 10.31 million trips in January of 2023, generating 6.28 billion yuan (about 902.44 million U.S. dollars) in revenue, up 746.63 percent and 690.06 percent year on year respectively. (Xinhua/Li An)

Editor: Zhang Zhou
Opposition rounds on Piantedosi as shipwreck death toll rises.

Italy's interior minister Matteo Piantedosi has caused public outrage for his response to Sunday's shipwreck off the southern Italian coast which has claimed the lives of at least 64 people, including 14 children, amid fears that the death toll could rise to around 100.

"Desperation can never justify travel conditions that endanger the lives of one's children", Piantedosi told reporters after visiting the scene of the shipwreck near Steccato di Cutro.

Piantedosi, who has spearheaded Italy's recent crackdown on migration under far-right premier Giorgia Meloni, made the remarks following a meeting with authorities in the Crotone province of Calabria, where a wooden sailboat smashed onto rocks off the shore after carrying migrants on a perilous voyage from Turkey.

There were 81 survivors among the passengers on the overcrowded vessel - estimated at between 180 and 200 people who came mainly from Afghanistan, as well as Iran, Pakistan, Somalia and Syria - and the search continues to find those still missing.

Last week the Italian parliament passed into law a government decree establishing a code of conduct for migrant charity ships which are obliged to request access to a port after a rescue operation and sail to it "without delay", impeding NGOs from making multiple rescues along the way.

Parole indegne dette con una prosopopea insopportabile. https://t.co/kn9wxXjgXw  Carlo Calenda (@CarloCalenda) February 27, 2023

Carlo Calenda, leader of the centrist Azione party, posted a video of Piantedosi's comments along with the caption: "Unworthy words spoken with an unbearable pomposity."

Elly Schlein, the newly-elected leader of the centre-left Partito Democratico (PD), said the government has the disaster on its "conscience" after "approving a decree that impedes sea rescues".

Piantedosi's remarks were slammed as "little more than a sad blame game, yet another slap in the face of the victims and survivors of this tragedy", by Marco Bertotto, director of programmes in Italy for Doctors Without Borders (MSF).

The interior minister hit back at accusations that he had implied the victims were to blame, describing such a suggestion as "shameful exploitation", and reiterated the government's position that people traffickers must be stopped.

"La disperazione non e una giustificazione per chi si mette in viaggio".



L'orrore nelle parole di #Piantedosi mentre la ricerca dei dispersi al largo di Crotone e ancora in corso. pic.twitter.com/eE3osdbj3N  Sea-Watch Italy (@SeaWatchItaly) February 27, 2023

In an interview with newspaper Corriere della Sera on Tuesday, Piantedosi denied he was "inhuman" and recalled that he travelled immediately to the scene of the shipwreck to express his "condolences for the victims and solidarity to the survivors on behalf of myself and the entire government."

He told the Corriere that there was "no delay" in rescue efforts in Cutro, insisting that "all possible efforts were made in absolutely prohibitive sea conditions", and underlined that there was "no link between the new rules and the possible increase in deaths at sea".

The minister also stressed that he would repeat in parliament the coalition's "clear political line that aims to combat the uncontrolled flows and the network of traffickers."
Stop-off in Italy en route back to US from Kenya.

US First Lady Jill Biden availed of a quick stop-off in Naples on Sunday night to enjoy a taste of the southern Italian city's famed pizza, media reports in Italy.

As the Executive One Foxtrot plane refuelled at the Capodichino US naval base - en route to Washington from Nairobi - the First Lady and her entourage ordered 10 margherita pizzas and nine of the diavola variety.

The order was placed with the pizzeria La Notizia 53 which is known to American audiences after it featured on Stanley Tucci's show Searching for Italy.

The pizzas were prepared and delivered personally by the restaurant's owner Enzo Coccia, who was requested to make the delivery to the military base at precisely 21.30.

Coccia told La Repubblica newspaper that he initially thought the pizzas were for US soldiers until he received a photo half an hour later from Executive One Foxtrot with the message "Pizzas on board".

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Moldova looks like the next Ukraine. So said Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov the other day. Obviously, that should worry us. Lavrov, like others in the small and shrinking circle around Russias president, is increasingly reduced to parroting whatever propaganda lies or feverish hallucinations spill out of Vladimir Putins mind. So its a concern that hes once again picking on Moldova.

Heres what Lavrov meant. Viewed from Moscow, Moldova resembles Ukraine before Putin attacked it a year ago. Both countries used to be parts of the Soviet Union, and before that of the Russian and other empires. Both regained independence after the Cold War. And both have in recent decades oriented themselves westward, with aspirations to join the European Union one day. Last year, the EU in fact fast-tracked both Chisinau and Kyiv into the official status of candidates.

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Moscow claims to see even more parallels. Both Kyiv and Chisinau, in the Kremlins narrative, also want to join NATO and align with the US-led  and therefore basically Satanic  West against Russia. In Moldovas case, thats simply false  neutrality is written into its constitution.

Putin and Lavrov also note that Moldova, like Ukraine since 2014, has an eastern region  called Transnistria because its across the Dniester River when viewed from Chisinau  thats home to ethnically Russian separatists running a pro-Kremlin breakaway republic. Transnistria also hosts more than a thousand Russian soldiers, as well as a huge ammunition depot.

This presence of Russians in Moldova, as in Ukraine and other post-Soviet countries, allows Putin to spread the fiction that his ethnic kindred are being oppressed and need his protection and intervention. He then uses these lies  which can include false-flag operations  as pretexts for more Russian aggression.

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When Lavrov muses that Moldova looks like the next Ukraine, hes implying that its the next country in Russias sphere of influence trying to defect to the evil West, requiring Russia to infiltrate or occupy or otherwise attack it  in pre-emptive self-defense, it goes without saying.

Ukraine and the West have therefore been expecting some sort of assault on Moldova. If Putin had succeeded in his original plan to swiftly subjugate Ukraine  or even in his subsequent fallback scheme to capture Odesa and Ukraines Black Sea Coast  it would have made military sense for the Russians in Transnistria to sweep into Ukraine from the west and close the chokehold. The rest of Moldova would have been left over as an afterthought for Putin to deal with later.

If the Kremlin hasnt yet meddled in Moldova more openly, its probably only because the Russians have failed so spectacularly in achieving any of their military goals in Ukraine. Even the Russians in Transnistria dont exactly appear eager to be drawn into a mess resembling that in Donbas, say.

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But that doesnt mean that Moldova is safe. This month, Kyiv said it had intelligence that Moscow was planning a coup to topple the government of Moldovan President Maia Sandu and install a puppet regime picked by the Kremlin. Sandu confirmed the plot a few days later, adding that it involved Russians, Belarusians, Montenegrins and Serbians. Shes now replaced her prime minister and tightened security. And she entreated US President Joe Biden during his visit to Europe to increase American support.

Sandu in a sense embodies the rich cultural and ethnic diversity of her country, as well as its Western outlook today. Formerly called Bessarabia, the region passed for centuries between Ottomans, Tsars, Romanians and Soviets. But most Moldovans, like Sandu, are ethnically Romanian and many, also like Sandu, even have dual citizenship in Romania, a member of NATO and the EU. For the Kremlin, thats enough to brand Sandu the spawn of the Western devil.

In fact, Sandu  again, like most of her compatriots west of the Dniester  genuinely appreciates Western (that is, non-Russian) ideals of democracy and rule of law. She studied at Harvard Universitys Kennedy School and did a stint at the World Bank in Washington, DC. Today, Moldova may be one of Europes poorest and most corrupt countries; tomorrow, Moldovans hope, it may be a prosperous and free member of the EU.

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In that aspiration, too, Moldova is indeed like Ukraine. And thats what so threatens Putin. Hed rather turn all former Soviet republics into vassals and failed states than see them prosper like Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. Heaven forbid, even Russians might then get Western ideas.

Thats why it seems certain that Putin will indeed treat Moldova as the next Ukraine. That could mean subverting it, attacking it, or  if the military situation in Ukraine allows it  even swallowing it.

Europe and the West must prepare now. Sending Moldova a few dollops of cash and offering it the distant prospect of EU membership are a start. But the EU should also help wean the country from its reliance on Russian gas and give it the means to house the many Ukrainian refugees Moldova has welcomed. And it must send weapons to Chisinaus army.

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If Lavrov and Putin indeed consider Moldova the next Ukraine, let the West leave them in no doubt that in both countries Russia will lose.

More From Bloomberg Opinion:



The Geopolitical Multiverse Is Back to Two Superpowers: Andreas Kluth



What Was Putin Thinking?: Hal Brands

 Putin Has Decided to Normalize His War: Leonid Bershidsky

This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.

Andreas Kluth is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering European politics. A former editor in chief of Handelsblatt Global and a writer for the Economist, he is author of Hannibal and Me.

More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com/opinion

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After years of chaos at the USs southern border, the government says that illegal crossings have fallen more than 40% in recent months. These figures suggest that border policies recently introduced by President Joe Bidens administration are starting to deliver results. Its regrettable that politicians in both parties are trying to undermine this progress before its barely begun.

Since late last year, the administration has employed a carrot-and-stick strategy to contain the surge of migrants attempting to enter the country. It launched a program for migrants from Venezuela, Cuba, Nicaragua and Haiti, allowing as many as 30,000 a month to apply for temporary visas before reaching the border. Under the program, known as humanitarian parole, applicants who have a sponsor, pass background checks and meet other requirements can work in the US for two years while their asylum claims are adjudicated. Border crossers who attempt to circumvent the process are expelled to Mexico, which had previously refused to accept deportees from the four nations covered by the program.

Early results have been promising. Between December and January, Customs and Border Protection encounters between ports of entry dropped from 221,675 to 128,410  the lowest figure in two years  with evidence of continued declines in February. Those numbers may well fall even further, due to a new rule announced last week that denies migrants the ability to request asylum without first applying in a country they pass through on the way to the US. Set to take effect in May, the rule adds to Title 42  the policy used by the government to turn away some asylum seekers during the pandemic  by imposing criminal penalties for illegal reentry once initial admission has been denied.

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While its too soon to declare the border secure, the administration deserves credit for taking steps to correct past failures. Yet far from working to build on these improvements, partisans on both sides are doing the opposite. Twenty GOP attorneys general, including from border states most affected by illegal immigration, have filed suit to try to overturn the administrations parole plan, claiming it violates limits on executive authority imposed by Congress. Several Senate Democrats, meanwhile, have denounced the proposed third-country asylum transit rule, accusing Biden of reviving his predecessors zero-tolerance immigration policies.

This obstructionism is misguided. Americas immigration system requires comprehensive reform to fill labor shortages; attract more high-skilled workers; and provide a fair, efficient asylum process for migrants genuinely fleeing persecution. Building public support for such policies, however, is impossible without more aggressive measures to deter unlawful entry  which too many progressives continue to oppose. At the same time, conservatives should recognize that prudent efforts to increase legal immigration can help ease pressure on the border and stem the illegal flow. The attacks by elected Republican officials on Bidens parole program, which appears to have significantly reduced the number of illegal border crosses, betrays more interest in continued chaos than practical solutions.

The underlying issues driving the migration crisis  namely, the movement of large numbers of people from across the Western hemisphere seeking to enter the US  wont be solved overnight, but the administrations new approach is a step toward a more rational, orderly system. Leaders from both sides should give it a fair chance to work.

More From Bloomberg Opinion:

 Treat Mexico Like a Partner, Not a Wall: Eduardo Porter

 Trumps Wall Settles Into a Strange, Costly Afterlife: Francis Wilkinson

 Unlocking Globalizations Goldilocks Formula: Adrian Wooldridge

The Editors are members of the Bloomberg Opinion editorial board.

More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com/opinion

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Note to politicians with presidential aspirations: Joining the cabinet makes the path that much harder. Just ask Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. Cabinet secretaries are just one of more than a dozen top bureaucrats in the executive branch. Theyre tied to the popularity or unpopularity of the administration. Their lot is to labor in obscurity unless and until something bad happens  and then to take criticism and absorb blame.

Once upon a time, serving as a cabinet secretary could lead to the presidency. But the last one to take that step was Commerce Secretary Herbert Hoover, in 1928. Since then, no sitting or former cabinet secretary has been elected president, and only one has been nominated  former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in 2016. Her circumstances were unique, but from Benghazi to her private email server, Clintons experience as the nations top diplomat was more a political liability than a benefit.

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So when a Norfolk Southern train carrying toxic materials derailed three weeks ago in East Palestine, Ohio, leaving residents unsure whether they could even drink their own water, the political finger-pointing inevitably turned ugly. Buttigieg, who hasnt ruled out another presidential bid and who hasnt shied away from sparring with the MAGA crowd, has become Republicans main target.

They charge that Buttigieg, the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, has been MIA, and that he should have visited the crash site sooner. Donald Trump, who went to East Palestine last week and handed out Trump-branded water, used the occasion to mock Pete Boot-Edge-Edge. Republicans (and a few Democrats) are calling for hearings, with Senator Marco Rubio saying he should be fired. Fox News host Tucker Carlson, who mocked Buttigieg for taking parental leave last year when he welcomed twins with his husband, called him flamboyantly incompetent, a brazen dog whistle.

The outrage at Buttigieg is misguided and opportunistic. Not only does it obscure the history of the rail industry spending heavily and working with some Republicans to roll back, stop or water down safety regulations, it also ignores the law: In a situation like this, the Transportation Department is not in charge. The EPA is on the front lines of the federal response. The National Transportation Safety Board, which is an independent agency, investigates the how and the why of the crash. The Transportation secretary has no role in the immediate response and cleanup efforts.

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Congress sometimes forgets to read their own laws, says Craig Fugate, former director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Buttigieg did visit the crash site last week, promising tougher regulations and pledging to hold Norfolk Southern accountable. Its still unclear whether the tighter rail regulations that were rolled back during the Trump era would have prevented this accident. But Buttigieg also acknowledged he waited too long to respond, noting that he was taking pains to respect the role that I have and the role that I dont have.

Politico reported last week that after the derailment, Buttigieg was prepared to answer any questions for 10 days, but no interviewer asked him. Thats a pretty passive response, especially considering that he was already under fire by Republicans for a series of transportation-related issues under his watch, including Januarys FAA computer meltdown.

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Yes, the political circus obscures the real victims, who just want to know if theyre safe and what kind of financial losses they face. But the circus is the reality.

That said, there are larger forces at work here: The accident is illustrative of an across-the-board failure of institutions, which plays into a deep public distrust of public and private institutions. Just 45% of the country trusts the government and media, while 55% trust business, according to the 2022 Edelman Trust Barometer. In the Midwest, the figures are 40% and 51%, respectively. Among low-income Midwesterners, just 28% trust key institutions.

The Midwest is the most likely region to say that businesses should prioritize stakeholders  customers and employees  over shareholders. And of all the regions in the US, its the most disappointed in business support for local communities  with a 49-point gap between those who say its what they expect versus what they see in terms of performance.

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People suspect that business has prioritized profit over the community, says Tonia Ries, executive director of intellectual property for Edelmans Trust Institute. And in East Palestine, she says, government has also not provided the oversight to protect the communities.

The bottom line, to use a business term: People see both business and government as failing their communities. Restoring trust in those institutions is a job bigger than even the most powerful cabinet secretary. Until thats accomplished, the kind of anger-inducing political fallout seen in East Palestine, Ohio, will keep arising.

More From Bloomberg Opinion:

 What Norfolk Southerns CEO Has to Say About the Ohio Derailment: Brooke Sutherland

 What We Can Learn From the Ohio Disaster: Faye Flam

 How Pete Buttigieg Could Save Mass Transit: Matthew Yglesias

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This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.

Julianna Goldman is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist who was formerly a Washington-based correspondent for CBS News and White House correspondent for Bloomberg News and Bloomberg Television.

More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com/opinion

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If health means wealth, as the adage has it, then Americas economic future looks grim. Traditionally, the US has enjoyed a health premium. In the Colonial era, American men were on average two to three inches taller than Europeans, according to military records, a fact that fascinates historical demographers because height is correlated with longevity, cognitive development and work capacity. Today, a premium is turning into a deficit. American men are shorter on average than Northern European men, and the gap is getting bigger. Six in ten Americans suffer from at least one chronic condition and four in ten suffer from two. America is a sick society, says William Galston in the Wall Street Journal. Literally.

Americas health deficit is a growing economic problem. The labor force participation rate is a dismal 62.4%: 11 million jobs are vacant, compared with just 5.7 million people who are looking for work, according to the US Chamber of Commerce, and 2.8 million people have disappeared from the workforce since February 2020. Employers complain about absenteeism and job-churn as well as their inability to fill jobs. Health-care costs head ever upward. At a time of growing tensions with both Russia and China, the health deficit is also a national security problem. A 2020 survey for the Pentagon found that more than three-quarters of young Americans (18-24) were unfit for military service due to health problems, with obesity the most prominent among them.

The most vivid sign of the health crisis is falling life expectancy. We have long assumed that modernity brings longer life  indeed, that longer life is proof that all that creative destruction is worth it after all. That has not been the case in the US since 2014. In 2021, life expectancy fell to 76.1 years  the lowest figure since 1996, erasing a quarter century of progress. Other advanced countries are pulling further ahead  Germans could expect to live 4.3 years longer than Americans in 2021 compared with 2.5 years in 2018 and the French six more years compared with four years in 2018. West Virginias life expectancy is lower than Mexicos.

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The US has one of the highest rates of obesity in the advanced world, a rate that has increased from 15% in 1980 to 30.5% in 2000 to 41.9% in 2020. This is ten times the rate in Japan and significantly higher than China. Obesity is linked to multiple health problems, including heart disease, depression, hypertension, lifestyle related cancer and diabetes, which afflicts 13% of the population and costs US employers an estimated $90 billion a year.

The obesity problem is significantly worse in a cluster of southern and southeastern states (Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas) that have strong military traditions. It is also worse in the working class and in Black and Hispanic populations (the figures for Asians are more complicated because there is such a difference between Southeast Asia and the Indian subcontinent). A 2020 study put the economic cost of obesity at almost $1.4 trillion for 2018  almost 7% of the gross domestic product.

The opioid epidemic turbocharged Americas problems with drug- and alcohol-abuse. Deaths from drug overdoses rose from 17,000 (62 per million) in 2000 to 92,000 (277 per million) in 2020, largely driven by the mass production and distribution of opioids by big pharmaceutical companies. Unsurprisingly, opioid abusers are more likely to take unscheduled leaves or drop out of the workforce entirely as well as to die prematurely.

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The opioid epidemic may have taken root in populations that already had health problems: The vast majority of opioids were originally prescribed to people who want relief from pain caused by either disability or illness. The epidemic is certainly more concentrated in certain classes and areas where repetitive physical work is a way of life: Death rates from overdoses are five to seven times higher for those without a college degree than for those with one and much higher in ex-coal mining communities, particularly in Appalachia, than elsewhere.

The Covid-19 pandemic acted as the third horseman of the health apocalypse. Americas Covid death rate is still much higher than in most other advanced countries, with 339 deaths per 100,000 population compared with 254 in France, 201 in Germany and 134 in Canada, thanks to the countrys poor primary healthcare system.

The pandemic led to a sharp decline in Americas (already low) labor force participation rate, a decline from which the country has still not recovered. It also seems to have left a longer-term legacy in terms of long Covid, a problem that doctors are still trying to understand but which leaves people with problems such as fatigue, shortness of breath, and brain fog. The Brookings Institution suggests that some three million people  or 1.8% of the civilian labor force  may be out of work due to long Covid, representing $168 billion in lost annual earnings.

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Covid has also exacerbated obesity and addiction-related problems. Overweight people are more likely to die from Covid or suffer enduring consequences than thin ones. The Covid epidemic acted as a national pusher for addictive substances, with the number of overdose deaths for opioids, methamphetamine and even alcohol surging during the pandemic. One 2022 study suggests that increased substance abuse during the pandemic accounts for between 9% and 26% of the decline in prime-age labor force participation between February 2020 and June 2021.

Uncle Sams mental health problems seem to be as pressing as his physical health problems, though they are clearly harder to measure and diagnose. A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report shows that in 2021 nearly a third of high school girls seriously considered taking their own lives. Young men suffer from an epidemic of alienation with increased dropout rates from school and falling rates of attendance for university. None of this bodes well for the future.

If all this is having an adverse effect on the US workplace, the US workplace may also be having an adverse effect on the health of the workforce. This is particularly true of blue-collar and frontline workers  that is, the people who operate in the physical world rather than the virtual one, making things or delivering packages. At best, American managers are guilty of ignoring the needs of frontline workers while living in a bubble of fellow managers. At worst, they have been squeezing them to work ever harder in what are already monotonous jobs. The epidemic of quitting such jobs is partly because people find them so unforgiving but partly because they suffer from health problems themselves, or else must look after family members who suffer from health problems.

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What can be done about all this? Addressing Americas health-care crisis is even more difficult than addressing declining educational standards. The fast-food industry is a powerful lobby determined to stuff the population (particularly the poor) with saturated fat and salt while whispering sweet nothings about ESG. The health-care industry is a mass of malign vested interests and skewed incentives. The lefts reluctance to blame the victim has left people (including doctors) unwilling to say the obvious  that obesity is generally caused by eating too much and moving too little. The rights instinctive loathing of government busy-bodying makes it difficult to deliver even the most basic advice on the foolishness of drinking a gallon of sugar-laden soda.

Still, hard does not mean impossible. America took on the once mighty tobacco industry and won: The US has lower rates of cigarette smoking than other advanced countries, particularly in southern Europe, where people still puff away over their meals. In the early 20th century, the British realized that they could not preserve their position as Europes leading economic and military power against a rising Germany unless they did something about the poor health of the population  as Lloyd George put it, you cannot conduct an A1 Empire with a C3 population. A reforming Liberal government waged war against adulterated food, established a school health service and splashed out on free school milk (there is no finer community than putting milk into babies, said Winston Churchill, who was then a Liberal).

Americans need to apply the same determination to the fight against junk food that they brought to the fight against tobacco. They also need to start thinking about the condition of the population in the same hard-headed way that Britains early 20th-century liberals did, as a matter of national efficiency as well as national compassion. Good health is not just something that is nice to have. It is a vital component of national competitiveness. And poor health is not just a tragedy for the individual who suffers from it. It is, in aggregate, a constraint on the countrys productivity and ability to defend itself.

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This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.

Adrian Wooldridge is the global business columnist for Bloomberg Opinion. A former writer at the Economist, he is author, most recently, of The Aristocracy of Talent: How Meritocracy Made the Modern World.

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The recent history of public-sector outsourcing in Britain is an epic tale of serial disasters. It culminated in the 2018 collapse of Carillion Plc, a construction and services company with hundreds of contracts spanning high-speed rail, schools and hospitals, which prompted the government to pull together a best-practice guide aimed at avoiding similar calamities. Hows the reset going? Call it a work in progress.

Theres little sign of a decisive break from the syndrome of scandal and underperformance. The government released its outsourcing playbook just a year before the pandemic brought a fresh batch of controversies over the awarding of personal protective equipment, or PPE, and other Covid-19 response contracts to politically connected companies. Last month, the health department sued PPE Medpro, a firm linked to a Conservative member of the House of Lords, seeking to recover 133 million ($161 million) for what it said were unusable protective gowns that failed safety tests. At the local level, meanwhile, the Labour mayor of London is facing questions over a program to provide discounted solar panels that has attracted hundreds of complaints over non-performance and poor customer service.

Outsourcing is an unlovely word but an important business. The British government spent 292 billion procuring goods and services from external suppliers in the 2018-19 financial year, or more than a third of all public expenditure, according to the Institute of Government, an independent think tank. The amount increased from 112 billion in 1987.

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Popular perceptions of the public-sector outsourcing business tend to be unflattering. Private contractors are often regarded as more likely to cut corners in pursuit of profit, while their commitment to quality is viewed with suspicion. High-profile failures such as the inability of G4S to supply enough security staff for the 2012 London Olympics; the 2016 closure of 17 privately built Edinburgh schools after building flaws were found, and the fatal Grenfell Tower fire in 2017 have helped to undermine public trust.

Thats unfortunate. While the conveyor belt of outsourcing-related failings has revealed real problems, it gives an incomplete picture. The danger is that further headline-grabbing misadventures will add to public pressure to unwind the outsourcing model that has prevailed for more than four decades  as the opposition Labour Party vowed to do under its last leader. That would probably do more harm than good.

It helps to understand how the market has evolved. Margaret Thatcher turned the UK into a global outsourcing pioneer after taking office in 1979. Her government saw competition as a way to improve efficiency and shrink what she regarded as a bloated public sector, and began with services such as waste collection and cleaning that were relatively simple. The Labour administration of Tony Blair continued the trend after 1997, more than doubling public procurement in a decade, and greatly expanding the use of private finance initiative, or PFI, contracts  complex, long-term deals for public projects such as schools and hospitals.

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These were the good old days for outsourcing contractors. Companies made out like bandits on early PFI deals with some appearing to benefit from the governments commercial naivete, according to the Institute of Governments 2019 study, which cited interviews with suppliers, industry experts and former government officials.

The coalition government led by David Cameron extended the role of private providers after it took office in 2010. By now, though, the economic backdrop had changed dramatically. Cameron took power in the aftermath of the global financial crisis and embarked on a program of austerity. At the same time, government had become more commercially savvy and sought to pare back what it saw as the excessive profits of some suppliers.

For these reasons, outsourcing markets became less attractive, and its no coincidence that the biggest fiascos date from the post-2010 era. Pretax profit margins fell at some of the biggest providers, including Capita Plc, Serco Group Plc and Interserve Plc (which collapsed into administration in 2019). Government played a role in encouraging risky behavior on the part of suppliers by creating markets that became increasingly low-margin and high-risk, the institute says.

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To compound matters, new markets the coalition government created were inherently less appealing. The institutes study contains a color-coded table evaluating how well outsourcing has worked by sector. Waste collection, cleaning, catering and maintenance  all early targets for private provision  got green codes signifying consistent evidence of savings, quality improvements or wider benefits. Sectors where the evidence was more mixed such as prisons, clinical health care and private financing of construction were given different shades of amber. Only one sector got a clear red code: Probation services, outsourced under the coalition in 2015. Performance was so poor that the Ministry of Justice said in 2018 that it would terminate contracts two years earlier than planned and bring the service back in-house.

The problems with outsourcing are genuine, then, but by no means universal. Returning to state provision of key public services  which the Labour Party, currently more than 20 points ahead in the polls, adopted as its policy in 2019  would mean jettisoning areas where the benefits are clear. In reality, thats unlikely to happen under Keir Starmer, the centrist leader who replaced Jeremy Corbyn in 2020. Nick Davies, program director at the Institute for Government, says there is little difference between the Conservatives and Labour on the issue  though this is a topic where public opinion is to the left of both main parties.

Dont tar all outsourcing sectors with the same brush. The ones that are working are the ones you never hear about.

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This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.

Matthew Brooker is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering finance and politics in Asia. A former editor and bureau chief for Bloomberg News and deputy business editor for the South China Morning Post, he is a CFA charterholder.

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In the 1970s Washington didnt seem to mind that Mexico was undemocratic. Enmeshed in the Cold War and engaged in Machiavellian (and not quite democratic) shenanigans elsewhere in Latin America and beyond, the US was content to see Mexico trundle along under the inevitable rule of the Institutional Revolutionary Party, known as the PRI.

Mexican politics now appear headed back to the practices of yore. Last week, President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador managed to pass legislation to hobble the countrys electoral watchdog, originally set up in 1990 to help put an end to the PRIs stranglehold on power and bring about a fledgling multiparty democracy that is not quite 25 years old.

Its the latest move in an agenda striving boldly toward Mexicos pre-democratic past.

Since being elected in 2018, AMLO, as the president is known, has repeatedly attacked institutions set up since the 1990s to check presidential power  from the electoral tribunal to the Transparency and Competition Commissions. He has pushed to re-establish state control over the energy industry.

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He has dismantled social programs set up by his predecessors, resorting instead to the kind of direct handouts that help incumbents win elections. Mistrustful of a state apparatus that he deems to be corrupt and co-opted by elitist neoliberal interests, he has handed over chunks of government services  from policing to customs enforcement  to the military.

Lopez Obrador may no longer belong to the PRI. He now leads his own party, Morena. But the 1970s-vintage PRI in which he cut his political teeth, an institution whose lack of a coherent ideological center was intended to ensure its grip on power, looks very much like his political template.

AMLO has concentrated so much power in the hands of the president, said Gaspard Estrada, executive director of the Latin American Political Observatory at Sciences Po in Paris. That is just like the PRI before the transition.

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President Biden may well be hoping the 1970s playbook will still hold. Like back then, Washington in the 2020s has been otherwise occupied  this time with China and Afghanistan, Covid and Ukraine. Its list of asks for Mexico can be narrowed down to a single priority: stability.

He is running out of luck, though. Whether he wants to or not, a president who came into office as a pro-democracy warrior, spending untold treasure to defend it in Ukraine and co-hosting a Democracy Summit next month, will be forced to take a stand on the less-than-democratic appetites of his compeer across the border. Congress is already getting antsy.

True, AMLO has so far helped to deliver the stability Biden craves. For all the fulminations of border-state Republicans, Mexico has played an essential role in slowing the arrival of migrants to the US. However badly his government mismanaged Covid-19, achieving one of the highest rates of excess death in the world, it maintained macroeconomic stability: The peso today is stronger than it was on the eve of the pandemic.

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Still, the Faustian bargain that Washington made with Lopez Obrador cant withstand the shocks coming to rattle the relationship. A case in point: the fairly pointless Three Amigos Summit with Canada last month, which underscored how the transactional relationship between the US and Mexico stands in the way of developing a regional strategy to face new global challenges.

We are not in the 1970s. Back then, globalization hadnt yet happened. The War on Drugs was just starting. Immigration was muted. Foreigners amounted to just 5% of the US population. As long as Mexico didnt jump into the lap of the USSR, everything would be fine.

In fiscal year 2022, by contrast, US border patrol agents ran into migrants trying to enter the country a record 2.4 million times. Fentanyl and methamphetamine  the vast majority of which comes via Mexico  are feeding a public health crisis, killing roughly 100,000 Americans in 2021 alone.

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Moreover, the politics on both sides of the border are getting complicated. The unprecedented political polarization in the US is not only likely to put reasoned, bipartisan policy out of reach. Drugs and migration are becoming top political flashpoints that the GOP will exploit in the runup to the presidential election of 2024.

And guess what, Mexico has a presidential election in 2024, too. Maneuvering around Mexicos plebiscite is not going to make managing the relationship any easier.

Cooperation between Mexico and the US on drug interdiction is already at a low ebb. It will likely get no easier as AMLO burnishes the nationalist credentials of whomever he anoints as his successor next year. Cooperation on migration could also become a victim of Mexican political machinations.

Whats more, the Mexican political transition could get messy, threatening the stability so paramount to Washington. AMLO is still robustly popular among Mexican voters. But the performance of his government is not. The vote in Mexicos Congress last week to undercut the National Electoral Institute suggests he is willing to go far to ensure his successor takes the prize.

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It would be an enormous waste of history for Mexico to return to the 1970s. Lopez Obrador is right to criticize a self-indulgent political class and a model of development that excluded so many Mexicans. But his government has little to brag about. And whether progress is measured in terms of poverty reduction or political rights, Mexico has made unquestionable headway over the last 50 years.

What course Mexico takes from here is, of course, for Mexicans to resolve. As Earl Anthony Wayne, former US ambassador to Mexico put it, its the Mexicans job to defend Mexican democracy. Still, notwithstanding President Bidens desire to take the border off US front pages and to focus on Ukraine, China and other geopolitical challenges, he might pay more attention to the erosion of Mexicos democratic institutions. The Faustian bargain may come back to bite him.

More From Eduardo Porter at Bloomberg Opinion:

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Treat Mexico Like a Partner, Not a Wall



An Immigration Deal for Dreamers Is Out of Reach



Economic Necessity Will Force Immigration Reform

This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.

Eduardo Porter is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering Latin America, US economic policy and immigration. He is the author of American Poison: How Racial Hostility Destroyed Our Promise and The Price of Everything: Finding Method in the Madness of What Things Cost.

More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com/opinion

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This photo taken on Feb. 14, 2023 shows pharmacist Zhang Haiou (R) helping a customer on medicine consultation at Baita Temple pharmacy in Beijing, capital of China. Zhang Haiou, a deputy to the 14th National People's Congress (NPC), is a licensed pharmacist at Baita Temple pharmacy of Beijing Golden Elephant Fortune Pharmacy Stock Co., Ltd. in Beijing. Zhang has been working patiently and meticulously to help customers with medicine consultation and medication instruction since her pharmacist career began over a decade ago.

What's more, Zhang and her colleagues have gone into communities to teach local residents about medication safety and popularizing knowledge on healthy life at grassroots level during the pharmacy's public benefit activities.

In Zhang's view, continuous learning and constant self-enhancement are the key to a qualified licensed pharmacist. Only by attaching great importance to the update of medicine knowledge can a pharmacist solve customers' problems timely and accurately.

Zhang said she will raise suggestions on designated retail pharmacies adding into medical insurance system and inheritance as well as spreading of traditional Chinese medicine culture during the upcoming first session of the 14th NPC. (Xinhua/Ju Huanzong)

This photo taken on Feb. 22, 2023 shows pharmacist Zhang Haiou checking on medicines at Baita Temple pharmacy in Beijing, capital of China. Zhang Haiou, a deputy to the 14th National People's Congress (NPC), is a licensed pharmacist at Baita Temple pharmacy of Beijing Golden Elephant Fortune Pharmacy Stock Co., Ltd. in Beijing. Zhang has been working patiently and meticulously to help customers with medicine consultation and medication instruction since her pharmacist career began over a decade ago.

What's more, Zhang and her colleagues have gone into communities to teach local residents about medication safety and popularizing knowledge on healthy life at grassroots level during the pharmacy's public benefit activities.

In Zhang's view, continuous learning and constant self-enhancement are the key to a qualified licensed pharmacist. Only by attaching great importance to the update of medicine knowledge can a pharmacist solve customers' problems timely and accurately.

Zhang said she will raise suggestions on designated retail pharmacies adding into medical insurance system and inheritance as well as spreading of traditional Chinese medicine culture during the upcoming first session of the 14th NPC. (Xinhua/Ju Huanzong)

This photo taken on Feb. 14, 2023 shows pharmacist Zhang Haiou at Baita Temple pharmacy of Beijing Golden Elephant Fortune Pharmacy Stock Co., Ltd. in Beijing, capital of China. Zhang Haiou, a deputy to the 14th National People's Congress (NPC), is a licensed pharmacist at Baita Temple pharmacy of Beijing Golden Elephant Fortune Pharmacy Stock Co., Ltd. in Beijing. Zhang has been working patiently and meticulously to help customers with medicine consultation and medication instruction since her pharmacist career began over a decade ago.

What's more, Zhang and her colleagues have gone into communities to teach local residents about medication safety and popularizing knowledge on healthy life at grassroots level during the pharmacy's public benefit activities.

In Zhang's view, continuous learning and constant self-enhancement are the key to a qualified licensed pharmacist. Only by attaching great importance to the update of medicine knowledge can a pharmacist solve customers' problems timely and accurately.

Zhang said she will raise suggestions on designated retail pharmacies adding into medical insurance system and inheritance as well as spreading of traditional Chinese medicine culture during the upcoming first session of the 14th NPC. (Xinhua/Ju Huanzong)

This photo taken on Feb. 22, 2023 shows pharmacist Zhang Haiou (L) helping a customer on medicine consultation and medication instruction at Baita Temple pharmacy in Beijing, capital of China. Zhang Haiou, a deputy to the 14th National People's Congress (NPC), is a licensed pharmacist at Baita Temple pharmacy of Beijing Golden Elephant Fortune Pharmacy Stock Co., Ltd. in Beijing. Zhang has been working patiently and meticulously to help customers with medicine consultation and medication instruction since her pharmacist career began over a decade ago.

What's more, Zhang and her colleagues have gone into communities to teach local residents about medication safety and popularizing knowledge on healthy life at grassroots level during the pharmacy's public benefit activities.

In Zhang's view, continuous learning and constant self-enhancement are the key to a qualified licensed pharmacist. Only by attaching great importance to the update of medicine knowledge can a pharmacist solve customers' problems timely and accurately.

Zhang said she will raise suggestions on designated retail pharmacies adding into medical insurance system and inheritance as well as spreading of traditional Chinese medicine culture during the upcoming first session of the 14th NPC. (Xinhua/Ju Huanzong)

This photo taken on Feb. 22, 2023 shows pharmacist Zhang Haiou (2nd L) sharing medicine knowledge with her colleagues before they start working at Baita Temple pharmacy in Beijing, capital of China. Zhang Haiou, a deputy to the 14th National People's Congress (NPC), is a licensed pharmacist at Baita Temple pharmacy of Beijing Golden Elephant Fortune Pharmacy Stock Co., Ltd. in Beijing. Zhang has been working patiently and meticulously to help customers with medicine consultation and medication instruction since her pharmacist career began over a decade ago.

What's more, Zhang and her colleagues have gone into communities to teach local residents about medication safety and popularizing knowledge on healthy life at grassroots level during the pharmacy's public benefit activities.

In Zhang's view, continuous learning and constant self-enhancement are the key to a qualified licensed pharmacist. Only by attaching great importance to the update of medicine knowledge can a pharmacist solve customers' problems timely and accurately.

Zhang said she will raise suggestions on designated retail pharmacies adding into medical insurance system and inheritance as well as spreading of traditional Chinese medicine culture during the upcoming first session of the 14th NPC. (Xinhua/Ju Huanzong)

This photo taken on Feb. 22, 2023 shows pharmacist Zhang Haiou checking on medicines at Baita Temple pharmacy in Beijing, capital of China. Zhang Haiou, a deputy to the 14th National People's Congress (NPC), is a licensed pharmacist at Baita Temple pharmacy of Beijing Golden Elephant Fortune Pharmacy Stock Co., Ltd. in Beijing. Zhang has been working patiently and meticulously to help customers with medicine consultation and medication instruction since her pharmacist career began over a decade ago.

What's more, Zhang and her colleagues have gone into communities to teach local residents about medication safety and popularizing knowledge on healthy life at grassroots level during the pharmacy's public benefit activities.

In Zhang's view, continuous learning and constant self-enhancement are the key to a qualified licensed pharmacist. Only by attaching great importance to the update of medicine knowledge can a pharmacist solve customers' problems timely and accurately.

Zhang said she will raise suggestions on designated retail pharmacies adding into medical insurance system and inheritance as well as spreading of traditional Chinese medicine culture during the upcoming first session of the 14th NPC. (Xinhua/Ju Huanzong)

Editor: Zhang Zhou
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As a Texas federal judge mulls whether to halt the Food and Drug Administrations longstanding approval of an abortion pill, 12 liberal states have filed a separate lawsuit in a federal district court in Washington State that seeks to force the FDA to drop some restrictions on the drug.

Both suits target mifepristone, one of the two drugs used in medical, non-surgical abortion  now the most common way to terminate a pregnancy. And both suits, in different ways, undercut the FDAs authority. And it is likely that both suits will end up at the US Supreme Court.

Its hard to imagine the current justices ruling in favor of the pro-choice state attorneys general. The lawsuit may therefore be intended strategically, to allow the justices to appear to take a middle ground and decide an eventual Supreme Court case in favor of the status quo. But its risky to file strategic lawsuits when it comes to protecting abortion rights. Especially in the era of the current super-conservative Supreme Court.

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To understand the new lawsuit, you need to know a bit of the backstory. When mifepristone was first approved in the US, in 2000, it was subject to a strict set of regulations that required at least two physician visits and administration of the pill in a clinical setting. Any health care provider seeking to prescribe it had to get special certifications and also had to be willing to dispense it directly to patients.

Over time, those regulations have been gradually relaxed. The two physician visits became one. And during the Covid-19 epidemic, the requirement of having the pill administered in the clinic was waived. None of these relaxations of the regulatory regime had any measurable negative consequences for people seeking to end pregnancies.

There are now three special rules that apply to mifepristone. These three are at issue in the pro-choice states case. All could plausibly be lifted without endangering patients.

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First, physicians who prescribe mifepristone must undergo a special certification process in which they show that they can properly date a pregnancy, diagnose an ectopic pregnancy and provide surgical intervention or a referral in case of complications. This isnt required for the vast majority of other drugs regulated by the FDA. And it can deter physicians from providing mifepristone, since registering is a public fact that could be known by antiabortion protesters who have threatened and even killed providers. The capacity to date pregnancy and diagnose an ectopic pregnancy is part of ordinary medical training.

Second, dispensing pharmacies are also required to be specially certified. This means the prescribing physician cant just ask the patient which pharmacy to send the prescription to. It creates significant inefficiencies in the process, without providing any clearly measurable benefits.

Third, the FDAs regime requires the patient to sign a form that reads, I have decided to take mifepristone and misoprostol to end my pregnancy. Although informed consent is a standard component of all medical treatment, you typically dont have to sign a special, treatment-specific form for other drugs. The form also creates a legal record of the abortion decision, which many women might balk at, particularly given the many states that now prohibit or restrict abortion. Whats more, the form is not accurate in some cases, because many physicians prescribe mifepristone to manage miscarriages.

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Although these existing FDA restrictions are not medically necessary, that is not the end of the legal question. Necessity isnt the legally relevant test of whether an FDA rule is valid.

Rather, under the law, the FDA may adopt such regulations only when the medication in question is associated with a serious adverse drug experience, which includes the risk of death or the necessity of a surgical intervention. And the regulations must not be unduly burdensome. The pro-choice AGs argue that mifepristone is so safe that it shouldnt fall under the category of serious adverse consequences, and that the regulations unduly burden providers and patients.

Here things get complicated  and interesting. Ordinarily, in deciding whether an administrative agency like the FDA has correctly applied the law in the area of its expertise, the courts defer to the agencys expertise provided the agency has acted reasonably and explained its logic clearly. To hold in favor of the pro-choice states, the court would have to say that the agency got it wrong despite its expertise.

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In the pro-life case filed in federal court in Texas, the plaintiffs are also asking the court to overrule the agencys expertise. Here, the plaintiffs are arguing that the agencys expert judgment was wrong in deciding that mifepristone is safe. The best legal response is to say that the agencys expertise should be respected.

The upshot is that, if the Supreme Court were to consider both cases at the same time, the best outcome for mifepristone access would be for the court to defer to the FDAs expertise. That would mean the pro-choice suit would also lose.

The state AGs know this, of course. So it may be that this lawsuit is intended as a kind of strategic counterpart to the pro-life suit. The idea would be that the Supreme Court could present itself as taking a middle ground, rejecting demands from both the pro-life and pro-choice side to overturn FDA regulation.

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But it any lawsuit questioning the expertise of the FDA is a risky idea at a moment where pro-choice advocates badly need the Supreme Court to reaffirm the agencys authority. When it comes to mifepristone, the justices will do whatever they want. A strategic lawsuit on the pro-choice side may show supporters that their side is willing to fight. But it isnt likely to result in a legal victory.

More From Bloomberg Opinion:

 Abortion Pill Lawsuit Wont Get a Fair Shake in Post-Roe America: Noah Feldman

 New FDA Rules on Abortion Pills Leave Too Many Hurdles: Sarah Green Carmichael

 Giving Birth in the US Is Getting Deadlier: Lisa Jarvis

This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.

Noah Feldman is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist. A professor of law at Harvard University, he is author, most recently, of The Broken Constitution: Lincoln, Slavery and the Refounding of America.

More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com/opinion

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After the UK left the European Union in 2020, the status of Northern Ireland became a bone of contention. Britains government complained that the post-Brexit trading arrangement for the region, known as the Northern Ireland Protocol, was stifling the local economy. It threatened to impose its own solution, until a deal known as the Windsor Framework was struck on Feb. 27 to replace the most contentious aspects of the protocol. The agreement, which still needs formal approval on both sides, has the potential to transform Britains uneasy relationship with its most important trading partner.

1. What is the Windsor Framework?

Its a solution to allow Northern Ireland to remain within the EUs single market and customs union while rolling back many of the cumbersome checks imposed on goods arriving from mainland Britain under the original Brexit deal. The UK government had complained that the burden of new paperwork was disrupting trade and effectively created an internal border within a sovereign country. The new framework includes a green and red lane system that will separate goods traveling from Great Britain to Northern Ireland from those continuing into the EU. Those not destined for the bloc will be subject to lighter border controls.

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2. Why was this such a thorny issue?

The EU initially proposed concessions to reduce the customs burden on traders but refused to renegotiate the protocol, arguing that the UK had already accepted it was the best solution to avoid a hard border with the Republic of Ireland to the south. Both sides have wanted to avoid that outcome due to the regions long history of sectarian violence. The concern for the EU was to make sure the open border didnt turn into a soft target for smuggling goods into its single market, which ensures the same standards and rules governing areas such as food safety. But Northern Irelands Democratic Unionist Party campaigned for the protocol to be scrapped as it treated Northern Ireland differently to the rest of the UK. The DUP refused to take its place in the regions power-sharing government unless the protocol was replaced.

3. So what changed?

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There was growing concern that the continued lack of a functioning government in Northern Ireland would destabilize the regions fragile politics. Russias invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 gave London and Brussels a common adversary, and a further incentive to put their Brexit squabbles behind them and present a more united front to the world. The exit of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson  who oversaw the break with the EU  in September 2022 was an opportunity to reset talks over the protocol in a more positive atmosphere. An important hurdle was cleared in January, when the EU agreed to use the UKs live database tracking goods moving from Great Britain to Northern Ireland.

4. What else was agreed?

Britain was also unhappy that the original Brexit deal allowed the European Court of Justice to oversee how the protocol was applied, as it didnt want EU regulations to supersede UK laws. The new framework includes a new mechanism called the Stormont Brake (named after the regions devolved governing assembly) for Northern Ireland to challenge amendments to existing EU law, while keeping the ECJ as the sole arbiter of EU regulations. There are also agreements on how UK taxation changes and subsidies for businesses apply in Northern Ireland.

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5. How might it still go wrong?

https://t.co/Alk3y2qhB0 pic.twitter.com/6u4DEQMZgA

To secure a durable settlement, Johnsons successor Rishi Sunak needs to convince the DUP and several Brexit-supporting members of his party to endorse the agreement. The hope is that the DUP will then re-form Northern Irelands power-sharing administration in time for the 25th anniversary of the regions 1998 peace treaty in April. If they vote against the deal, Sunak may have to rely on votes from opposition parties, which could damage him politically.

More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com

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In one decade, the risk to U.S. national security secrets has morphed from ideologically driven protesters to digital natives who live life online and think secrecy is for losers.
TAIYUAN/GUANGZHOU, Feb. 27 (Xinhua) -- When Alansi Mohammed saw the stretching terrain of the Loess Plateau through the porthole again, he was so excited that his heart almost "jumped out."

"It has been three years. I finally made it back to my second hometown," said the Yemeni.

Alansi is an international student majoring in electronic commerce at Shanxi University in Taiyuan City, capital of north China's Shanxi Province. He returned home for winter vacation in January 2020.

China downgraded its management of COVID-19 and facilitated the smooth and orderly cross-border travel of Chinese and foreign nationals in early January 2023. As the new semester approaches, many international students like Alansi are flocking back to China to restart campus life with excitement and hope.

Data from China's Ministry of Education showed that nearly 500,000 foreign students from 196 countries and regions studied in China in 2018. For the past three years, those who had returned to their home countries had to take classes online to continue their studies.

RESTART CAMPUS LIFE

"After I was informed that I could come back, the school provided meticulous assistance, while the entry procedures were easy, and so the whole trip was very smooth," said Alansi, who believed China's adjustment of entry-exit policies could greatly promote the resumption of global personnel exchanges, adding that he was one of the beneficiaries.

Although Tran Mai Huong is set to graduate from the International Business School of Zhejiang University in east China's Zhejiang Province in June, the Vietnamese student has never been to China. She plans to visit China to prepare for her graduation, and also to learn as much as possible about Chinese customs and culture.

To welcome the large number of returning international students, many universities have started to provide relevant services.

Peking University offered visa agency services during the winter vacation, including visa procedure application acceptance, collecting passports with visas already issued, consulting and answering questions, to name a few. In addition, the university has announced the enrollment prospectus for the Chinese Language Summer School this year, which is to offer a variety of offline courses.

Indonesian student Joshua Timothy Solomon (1st R, back) poses for a group photo with other Indonesian students in Guangzhou, south China's Guangdong Province, Jan. 15, 2023. (Xinhua)

SURGING VITALITY

Despite the impact of the epidemic, China's economy still shows significant resilience. In 2022, China's GDP exceeded 120 trillion yuan (about 17.25 trillion U.S. dollars) for the first time, an increase of more than 20 trillion yuan compared to three years ago. Returning to China, international students have learned about the changes taking place in China in a direct way.

Indonesian student Joshua Timothy Solomon came to China to study at Sun Yat-sen University in 2017. He returned to Indonesia before the outbreak of the epidemic in early 2020. During the past three years, Joshua had to take online classes.

He was eager to return to campus for offline medical courses. "Clinical medicine is a very practical major. In addition to theoretical knowledge, practice is of great importance," Joshua said, adding that the new semester is also a good opportunity to meet new friends.

At the same time, he also looks forward to various activities arranged by the university and face-to-face communication with fellow students and teachers, which is incomparable with online courses.

After a long separation, he said the campus had become more beautiful upon arriving at Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou, capital of south China's Guangdong Province.

"When I left in early 2020, everywhere was being renovated and it was like a large construction site. Most of the renovation work has been completed now, and it looks very clean and tidy."

Besides the campus, the city of Guangzhou has kept developing despite COVID-19. "What impresses me most is that there are now more subway lines in Guangzhou," the Indonesian student said.

Data shows that the mileage of Guangzhou Metro has increased by more than 100 km in the past three years, and the total mileage is expected to exceed 650 km by the end of 2023.

Dania Zaman, who studied clinical medicine at Shanxi Medical University in Shanxi Province, shared the same feeling about the changes in China. On the afternoon of the Lantern Festival, after a trip to China that lasted two days, Dania could not wait to put down her luggage and rush to downtown Taiyuan to experience the Lantern Festival.

"It was the first time I had participated in the celebration of the festival. The lantern riddle solving, lantern shows and other activities made me feel the great importance attached to traditional culture by the Chinese people," she said.

It has been just three years, but the changes in Taiyuan surprised the Pakistani student. Zhonglou Street, where the Lantern Festival was celebrated, was an ordinary commercial street three years ago. But now, it has been renovated and has become a popular area in the city, with a daily passenger flow of more than 200,000 people at the peak time.

In addition, Dania also noticed that transportation is now more convenient and more friendly to the environment. There are more shuttle buses from campus to downtown, the first subway in Taiyuan has opened, and more new energy vehicles can be seen on the streets of the city.

"Just as I expected, China is still full of vitality and bustle. It seems like I never left," Dania said.

Dania Zaman visits downtown Taiyuan in north China's Shanxi Province to experience the Lantern Festival on Feb. 5, 2023. (Xinhua/Xie Yuan)

SHARING DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES

China has made breakthroughs in the fields of 5G communication, new energy, artificial intelligence and other scientific and technological areas over the years. This has been among the key factors behind the country's appeal for foreign students.

"From my perspective, China is at the forefront of computer science development on a global scale. China is the most digitalized country I have ever visited. The sheer scale of its digital infrastructure is astonishing -- from the world's largest 5G network to the widespread use of artificial intelligence in top Chinese companies," said Paula Rodriguez De Viguri Azor, a Spanish student at South China University of Technology in Guangzhou.

According to data from the National Bureau of Statistics, China's research and development expenditure had exceeded 3 trillion yuan in 2022. The Global Innovation Index (GII) 2021, released by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), also said that China's global innovation index ranking had risen steadily for the 9th consecutive year, demonstrating strong upward momentum.

Speaking of her future plans after graduation, Paula said that she is determined to work for either a Chinese company or an international corporation with connections to China.

Paula Rodriguez De Viguri Azor, a Spanish student at South China University of Technology, attends International Youth Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao GBA Dialogue in Guangzhou, south China's Guangdong Province, Feb. 18, 2023. (Xinhua)

As a major contributor to the global economy, China has great potential for international collaboration and business opportunities with companies from all around the world, Paula said, adding that by promoting international exchanges and mutual understanding among different countries, more international friends will fall in love with China as much as she has.

For Alansi, who is about to graduate, his primary goal at present is to complete his thesis. More importantly, he hopes to better understand China's e-commerce industry and apply the experience to his future career.

Alansi said that he set up an e-commerce store in Yemen last year to sell Chinese cosmetics. Although the start was difficult, continuous adjustment of the business model and the support of friends and relatives, had enabled the small store to achieve a profit after seven months of operation.

However, Alansi is in no hurry to expand the store's sales at this stage. He believes that the most important thing right now is to learn more about the successful model of Chinese e-commerce and to secure a good reputation for his store.

Editor: Zhang Zhou
Mercer Superannuation is the first company being dragged to court by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission for allegedly making misleading statements about the sustainability of some of its investment products, as the regulator looks to crack down on greenwashing.

In a media release on Tuesday, ASIC announced it was commencing civil penalty proceedings in the Federal Court against the super fund for greenwashing  a move which the regulators deputy chair Sarah Court said reflected a growing area of concern. Greenwashing is when companies overstate or lie about their environmental credentials.

ASIC deputy chair Sarah Court says Mercer must uphold promises to invest ethically. Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

There is increased demand for sustainability-related financial products, and with that comes the growing risk of misleading marketing and greenwashing, she said.

The vast majority of Australians already investing in sustainable options are looking to continue to do so, and [...] funds being invested in sustainability-related options are just growing exponentially. If financial products make sustainable investment claims to investors and potential investors, they need to reflect the true position.
A man with extremely expensive taste in transport might have to contend with catching the bus for the next month after he was allegedly caught speeding and had his luxury car impounded by police.

The 48-year-old from North Fremantle was taking his Lamborghini Aventador  which sells second-hand for more than one million dollars  for a trip along a highway in Perths northern suburbs in January when he was allegedly clocked by traffic cops travelling at 155km/h more than 50km/h above the speed limit.

A Lamborghini Aventadore is seized by WA Police after its owner was caught speeding, Credit: WA Policed

Unsurprisingly, it took police a while to catch up with him and after being sighted in both Peppermint Grove and Mosman Park a month later, the man was arrested and charged with reckless driving and summonsed to appear in court.

There are currently two Lamborghini Aventadors listed for sale in Australia on carsales.com.au, both preowned, and with price tags exceeding one million dollars.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has made a big call on a small change to superannuation that is cleverly designed to keep most Australians happy while driving his opponents into a conservative ditch.

The result is a solid policy move to increase tax and a sharp political move to wedge Opposition Leader Peter Dutton.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has left his future tax options open  as he should. Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

Albanese and his cabinet ministers could have gone much harder to scale back the tax concessions on super after releasing Treasury figures showing that 39 per cent of the benefits go to the top 10 per cent of people by income.

Treasurer Jim Chalmers had made a strong case for change, but ministers were rightly worried about imposing budget changes they had not told voters about at the election. Any sudden change left Albanese exposed to claims of a broken promise.
The 14th session of the WCO Capacity Building Committee (CBC was held from 22 to 24 February 2023), under the theme "Spotlighting the Positive Impact of Customs Capacity Building.

The meeting was attended by over 350 representatives of Member administrations, development partners, academia and other stakeholders, actively at the WCO headquarters in Brussels and passively online.

In his opening address, the WCO Secretary General, Dr. Kunio Mikuriya, underscored that the active participation of Member administrations, partners, academia and other stakeholders had been the key to the successful preparation for this session.

The Secretary General emphasized the importance of improving the capacity building delivery and results. Dr. Mikuriya found essential Members contribution in assessing the feasibility and effectiveness of the delivery mode of the various WCO Technical Assistance and Capacity Building activities. He also outlined the importance of the capacity building aspects included in the WCO Data Strategy, which underlines that data and statistics are foundational to the transition to a data-driven organization and essential for evidence-based policymaking.

The 14th Session of CBC discussed and provided direction on a number of key issues, which included boosting performance and productivity by taking care of people and gender equality and diversity, expertise mobilization, the development of agile national training strategies, the WCO Performance Measurement Mechanism, the LMD Programme, the Mercator Programme tailor-made track progress, and capacity building in fragile and conflict-affected situations, among others.

The Secretary General highly appreciated the contribution of a number of private sector representatives to the panel discussions.

Mrs. Sigfriur Gunnlaugsdottir, from Iceland Revenue and Customs, and Mrs. Li Yan, from China Customs, were re-elected as Chairperson and Vice-Chairperson, respectively, for the Committee session in 2024.

Information on the date and place for the Committees next session in 2024 will be given later.

For more information, please, contact capacity.building@wcoomd.org.
The WCO conducted a mission from 28 January to 02 February 2023 to reconfirm the various collaboration areas to further strengthen the Bureau of Customs (BOC) capacity to effectively implement the World Trade Organizations Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA). The mission was in the context of its longstanding and comprehensive Mercator Programme partnership under the auspices of the United Kingdoms His Majestys Revenue & Customs (HMRC) supported Accelerate Trade Facilitation Programme.

The WCO team zoomed primarily in on capacity building to conduct a national Time Release Study (TRS) at the Port of Manila and to implement the WCO Immediate Release Guidelines at the Manila International Airport cargo area in order to align with TFA Article 7.8 on Expedited Shipments, which mainly relates to courier and express cargo shipments and as such constitutes an important building block to foster e-commerce. The mission built on the previously provided virtual capacity building to BOC in these two areas.

To observe the as is clearance process of courier cargo, the WCO mission visited two leading global courier companies operating in the larger Manila area. Led by the BOC implementation team, the mission walked through the clearance process to identify opportunities to further streamline and digitalize air cargo clearance, which would also allow for less hard copy paper printing and storage. Moreover, appreciating that the BOC already conducted several Customs focused TRS, the mission served as a catalyst to bring the TRS on the agenda of the Philippines Trade Facilitation Committee, which also brings together other governmental agencies and the private sector to allow for a more holistic baseline and picture of bottlenecks and opportunities for improvement.

The WCO delegation had strategic meetings with Acting Customs Commissioner Mr. Yogi Filemon Ruiz and the BOC senior executive team to take stock of progress made and to reconfirm future collaboration areas under the Accelerate Trade Facilitation Programme. Deliberations focused on capacity building and technical assistance on TFA measures and cross-cutting BOC organizational development enablers  including Risk Management, TRS, Air Cargo streamlining, Integrity, National Customs Trade Facilitation Champions, Competency-based Human Resource Management, and Gender & Diversity. The BOC leadership formally reemphasized its full commitment to the partnership and obtaining sustainable results for economic prosperity to benefit the people of The Philippines.

For more information on WCO capacity building, please contact Capacity.Building@wcoomd.org.
Chinese banking financial institutions saw a steady expansion in assets in 2022, data from the country's top banking and insurance regulator showed.

Local and foreign currency assets of these institutions totaled 379.4 trillion yuan (about 55.03 trillion U.S. dollars) at the end of last year, up 10 percent year on year, according to the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission.

A breakdown of the asset data showed that large commercial banks accounted for 41.2 percent of the total, while joint-stock commercial banks contributed 17.5 percent.

The country's commercial banks reaped combined net profits of 2.3 trillion yuan in 2022, up 5.4 percent from 2021.

By the end of last year, the non-performing loan ratio of commercial banks stood at 1.63 percent, lower than the level at the end of the third quarter of last year.

(Source: Xinhua)

Editor: Zhang Zhou
Iryna Mudra, Deputy Minister of Justice of Ukraine

During a recent visit to Kiev, U.S. President Joe Biden stressed that a year ago many doubted that Ukraine would stand. However, we have not just survived, but continue to go to victory and restore justice.

Fights are fought not only on the front line, but also in offices, where lawyers and diplomats are gradually reducing the influence of the Russian Federation in international institutions and developing mechanisms for paying reparations. Over the past year, there have been many impressive achievements on this field. And most of them are thanks to the continuous, well-coordinated work 24/7 of the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine.

Compensation mechanism for

When at the very beginning of a full-scale war I joined the sanctions development group led by diplomat Michael McFaul and head of the Office of President Andrei Yermak, I did not even expect the work to be so intensive and global. I had a successful experience of the case against the Russian Federation at Oschadbank, but here everything turned out to be larger.

At the Ministry of Justice, whose team I joined in May, we began to develop a compensation mechanism, the concept of which was proposed by Markian Klyuchkovsky and Patrick Piersol (Director of the International Claims and Reparations Project of Columbia University School of Law). We analyzed historical experience and proposed a solution based on similar approaches in the payment of compensation after Iraq's invasion of Kuwait.

But in addition to the development itself, it was important to convince partners - so we held dozens, probably a hundred face-to-face meetings with representatives of different countries, explaining and proving how important it is to launch the processes right now. And if at the end of 2022 we rejoiced at the support of the UN General Assembly, the parliaments of many countries, PACE, NATO, the European Parliament, the Council of Europe Committee, we already have the first practical results - the International Register of Damage begins its work in The Hague.

The launch of this institution is the most important element of the entire mechanism - the entire database will be collected in The Hague, on the basis of which compensation will be paid in the future. Now we expect the partners to confiscate the assets of the Russian Federation abroad and these funds will be filled by the Fund for payments to victims of the aggression of the Russian Federation in Ukraine.

Sanctions and confiscations

One of the most important areas of work throughout the year of the war is the seizure in favor of the state of assets of traitors of Ukraine and citizens of the aggressor country who have found themselves under the sanctions of the RNBO and support the war against our country.

At both the symbolic and practical levels, the most important decision is the return of the assets of the fugitive Yanukovych. But, of course, it's not just about Yanukovych. During the year, it was possible to confiscate the assets of 13 subsanctioned Russians, including the famous oligarch Deripaska, Evtushenkov and Shelkov, who tried to re-register Ukrainian assets for third parties, as well as rectors of Russian universities, deputies of the State Duma of the Russian Federation, members of the Federation Council of the Russian Federation. At the same time, we are talking about both the confiscation of large enterprises and the seizure of real estate, vehicles, luxury goods. And work in this direction will continue. Moreover, we expect similar actions from our partners abroad.

Billions in favor of Oschadbank

An important achievement for Ukraine this year, which I have already mentioned casually, is the progress in the case of Oschadbank against the Russian Federation. The Supreme Court of France overturned the decision of the Court of Appeal of Paris and upheld the decision of the International Arbitration to recover $1.1 billion from Russia in favor of Oschadbank. In addition, before the decision is implemented, interest will be accrued - about 100 thousand US dollars daily.

By the standards of international proceedings, the case was completed quite quickly, although it may seem to uninitiated people that the deadlines are long. I've been dealing with this case for more than 5 years. And it is worth saying that the amount of work was huge - as a result, 30,000 pages were sent to court, which proved the illegality of the expropriation of Oschadbank's investments, which were in Crimea.

Back in 2017, we presented a huge presentation of 600 slides to the Tribunal, consisting of highly qualified judges. Its head, Charles Brauer, is a well-known lawyer who took part in the development of arms reduction agreements between the United States and the USSR. And we managed to convince the eminent experts. The first victory was won in 2018, but then the Russian Federation appealed and the process dragged on. Nevertheless, last year the issue was still resolved in our favor - we will receive all fair compensation for the property of Oschadbank in Crimea.

The value of such a result is important not only for a particular bank - it is a precedent that allows you to move on in similar cases and seek compensation from the Russian Federation for its illegal actions.

The aggressor will be responsible for the crimes

Another important area of work is to seek the responsibility of the Russian Federation for crimes against Ukrainians. At the same time, the question concerns not only the period of full-scale invasion, but all years of the war since 2014.

Now the European Court of Human Rights is considering 4 interstate cases of Ukraine against the Russian Federation: on the issues of Crimea, on the murder of political opponents, on the seizure of Ukrainian sailors and ships in the Kerch Strait, a joint claim with the Netherlands for the downing of a plane in 2014 and violation of human rights in Donetsk and Luhansk regions. The other day, the ECHR combined the cases of "Ukraine and the Netherlands v. Russia" and "Ukraine v. Russia (X)" (submitted in June 2022) regarding a full-scale invasion of one large proceeding.

In January 2023, the ECHR declared the admissibility of the interstate case "Ukraine and the Netherlands v. Russia" and proceeded to its consideration in fact. After combining these cases, the ECHR will move to the stage of consideration of the case "Ukraine v. Russia (X)," which will speed up its consideration and not only. The merger will ensure a more effective consideration, as some aspects of the two cases are similar and complementary. Murders, abductions, torture, encroachments on private and family life, seizure/destruction of property, discrimination on language, religion, views - all this is part of the official policy of Russia since 2014, which has been continued in the territories of Ukraine, captured by the Russian Federation after February 24, 2022.

Nevertheless, I want to dwell on the January decision of the ECHR in the case "Ukraine and the Netherlands v. Russia" and its importance. The court established the fact of Russia's occupation of parts of Donetsk and Luhansk regions and the stay of Russian soldiers in these territories from the very beginning of the war - 2014! The court is ready to consider a systematic violation of human rights in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Ukraine. Episodes include kidnappings and attempts to smuggly orphans. In the same case, the downing of flight MH17 is being considered. The next stage is the decision of the Grand Chamber on the merits of the case.

The results in the ECHR will strengthen our country's position in obtaining fair compensation from the Russian Federation. In addition, it will bring citizens of the Russian Federation to justice. It is clear that they will try to avoid such an outcome, but decisions in such cases have no statute of limitations, which means that the aggressor state will still respond sooner or later. And as the dynamics of the year of full-scale war shows, justice will be achieved much earlier than the leadership of the Russian Federation would like.

There is still a lot of work ahead, this is the decision to establish the Special Tribunal, the Compensation Commission, the Compensation Fund. The long-awaited recognition of terrorism by the Russian Federation as a sponsoring state and exclusion from the UN Security Council. By the way, most recently the Yermak-McFol group achieved the suspension of the Russian Federation's membership in the FATF. Continuous work is underway to exclude/restriction the rights of the Russian Federation in various international organizations. We collect documentary base for filing an interstate claim on a bilateral agreement on investment protection. As well as sanctions, sanctions, sanctions...

The past year has shown that we have witnessed transformations in European and world politics. What seemed unreal to us at the beginning of the war is now the results achieved. And there will be even more of them. Yes, the process requires a lot of effort, but changes are happening. Now European partners have approved the compensation mechanism, although at the very beginning they took it carefully.

A similar situation with sovereign immunity - there is a taboo on the confiscation of seized assets of the Russian Federation abroad. However, it can also be overcome. Now it is Ukraine's perseverance on the battlefield and the legal front that makes it possible to change world approaches and create new realities. Obviously, this is not what the aggressor dreamed of a year ago. But that's our reality.
Ukraine on Monday received the first tranche of U.S. grant funding in 2023 in the amount of $1.25 billion, the Ministry of Finance of Ukraine reported.

A second tranche of the same size will arrive in March, according to a press release issued by the ministry following a meeting between Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal and Finance Minister Serhiy Marchenko with U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen on Monday.

The Ukrainian Ministry of Finance recalled that in total this year the United States confirmed its intention to provide Ukraine with $9.9 billion.

The funds are received as part of the World Bank's Public Expenditures for Administrative Capacity Endurance (PEACE) project and are used to reimburse state budget expenditures made to provide pension payments, housing and utility services subsidies, payments to low-income families, persons with disabilities, IDPs, benefits for children of single mothers, maternity benefits, wages for employees of higher education institutions, as well as payments to first responders (the State Emergency Service).
COLEBROOKDALE TWP., Pa. - Police in part of Berks County are searching for a man after a reported robbery and kidnapping Monday morning.

Rodney Moyer, 45, faces numerous felony charges, including robbery, kidnapping, unlawful restraint, and false imprisonment. He also faces a misdemeanor count of theft.

Moyer is formerly of Colebrookdale Township, but his current address is unknown.

The Eastern Berks Regional Police Department said officers were sent to the Circle-K convenience store at the corner of N. Reading and Montomery avenues in Colebrookdale Township shortly before 8:30 a.m. Monday regarding a reported robbery and kidnapping.

The victim told police that Moyer came up to him in the store's parking lot and said he had a gun, according to a news release from the Eastern Berks Regional Police Department.

Moyer told the other man to go into the store and withdraw money from the ATM machine, police said. Moyer said that he would shoot the victim and others in the area if he didn't withdraw the money, according to police.

Police say that Moyer also told the victim to drive him to Philadelphia after withdrawing the money. During the drive, Moyer told the victim to stop at another ATM and withdraw more money, according to the news release.

Moyer got out of the vehicle at a later location and time, police say, after which the victim contacted police.

Police say that Moyer threatened to use a gun, but he did not display one, and it is not known whether he actually had one.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Eastern Berks Regional Police at 610-369-3050, or through Berks County Dispatch at 1-800-372-9111 or 911. Callers can also provide anonymous tips by calling Crime Alert Berks at 1-877-373-9913.

Moyer should not be approached or contacted.
CAERNARVON TWP., Pa. - Police in Caernarvon Township believe a man suspected in over a dozen retail thefts at area Lowe's stores has struck again.

Investigators say in the early morning hours of February 16, a man pulled into the parking lot of the Lowe's in the 300 block of Crossing Boulevard in Caernarvon Township. Wearing a backpack and carrying bolt cutters, police say he walked behind the store on foot and stole a Craftsman Zero Turn lawn mower.

Caernarvon Police say the man is suspected in at least 14 similar thefts outside of Lowe's stores in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware.

The thief is described as a male of unknown race, approximately 6-feet-tall and wearing all black clothing with the hoodie up. Police say he was driving a silver in color 2008-2017 Chrysler Town & Country minivan bearing no registration plate.

Anyone with information is asked to contact police.
Reading, PA (19601)

Today

Clouds and some drizzle or fog possible early, then clouds break for sun..

Tonight

Mostly cloudy and breezy with a round of showers overnight and perhaps a thunderstorm.
BETHLEHEM TWP., Pa.  The Bethlehem Township Planning Commission reviewed a sketch plan for a proposed Wawa and an apartment building Monday night at the municipal building.

The proposal, offered by Paxos 4457 Holdings, is slated for 4457 Easton Ave., between Blue Grillhouse and Farmersville Road. The site is used currently for overflow parking for Blue.

Third Wawa proposed for Bethlehem Twp. The township will review a proposed third Wawa and 60 apartments at a meeting Feb. 27.

The plan presented Monday night was altered from a previously submitted version. The new plan features a 13,000-square-foot Wawa with gas pumps and 62 parking spaces on the north side of Easton Avenue, across from a Dunkin' restaurant and the Bethlehem Skateaway. The Wawa would be located along the property's front.

The apartment plan would feature a four-story, 93,447-square-foot building with 60 apartment units and 102 parking spaces, which would be located at the property's rear. The apartments were described as "boutique living" during Monday night's meeting.

"For many years, I contemplated what I wanted to do with this property," applicant George Paxos said. "...I have a project that is going to be fantastic for the township."

Planners cited traffic and site entrances as concerns.

"This is a very highly congested area," Planner Barry Roth said. "The number one thing in this township is traffic...I think you need to sit over there and watch the traffic to get a good feel for it."

Other concerns cited were parking underneath the building and fire hazards resulting from electric vehicles, inadequate parking for the apartments and flooding.

As the proposal was a sketch plan, the commission took no formal action.

Finally, during the meeting, the death of township Commissioner Dale Sourbeck was announced. Sourbeck was described as "committed to the township."
Energy Minister Herman Haluschenko called on European colleagues to support Ukraine's candidacy to the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

As the Ministry of Energy said on the Telegram channel on Monday, Haluschenko made such a proposal during an informal meeting of EU energy and transport ministers in Stockholm on February 27.

"The Minister of Energy announced that Ukraine is nominating its candidacy for the IAEA Board of Governors for 2023-2025 and called on the meeting participants to join the discussion of this issue and support the Ukrainian application," the ministry said.

During the meeting, the Minister of Energy thanked the EU representatives for the 10th package of sanctions against Russia and stressed the need not only to maintain pressure on the aggressor, but also to extend it to all areas of Russian energy, in particular the nuclear industry, the ministry informed.

According to Haluschenko, the time has come to introduce sanctions against Rosatom.

"It's time to go ahead and impose sanctions against Rosatom, which covers up the nuclear terrorism of the Russian regime and sponsors the Russian army. We welcome the decision of Finland, Bulgaria and the Czech Republic to refuse cooperation with Russia in the nuclear industry and urge other partners to take this step," the minister said.

According to the IAEA, the Board of Governors is one of the agency's two governing bodies, along with the annual general conference of IAEA member states.

The Board reviews the financial statements, program and budget of the IAEA and makes recommendations to the General Conference on them. It reviews applications for agency membership, approves safeguards agreements, and publishes IAEA safety standards. He also appoints the director general of the agency, who is approved by the general conference.
Allentown, PA (18103)

Today

Clouds and some drizzle or fog possible early, then clouds break for sun..

Tonight

Mostly cloudy and breezy with a round of showers overnight and perhaps a thunderstorm.
The total budget of technical assistance projects to be implemented in Ukraine as part of the International Climate Initiative will amount to EUR 44.5 million, they will include both new projects and those planned to be launched before the war or which work was temporarily suspended with the outbreak of hostilities.

As reported on the website of the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine on Tuesday, such initiatives were discussed in Berlin during a meeting of the Ukrainian delegation headed by Deputy Minister Oleksandr Krasnolutsky with representatives of the German Federal Ministry for Economics and Climate Protection, the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection, the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ) and the IKI Secretariat.

The German projects will cover, in particular, support for Ukraine in implementing the Paris Agreement and adapting to the effects of climate change in the Black Sea region, establishing an emissions trading system, implementing best available technologies and management practices, developing a low-emissions policy, preserving old-growth forests in the Carpathians, and enhancing Ukraine's ability to overcome the consequences of the war and integrate into the EU. Besides, the parties discussed Ukraines accession to the Climate Club, which is currently being formed by the EU countries.

The German Government is also ready to help Ukraine with the construction of rehabilitation centers for animals affected by war, which are provided for in the plan for the post-war recovery of Ukraine.

According to Krasnolutsky, Ukraine seeks to apply the best practices that exist in Europe today for its recovery and development.
Amber Davies (Back to the Future) and Gabrielle Brooks (Get Up, Stand Up!) are announcing the Olivier Awards nominations.

Recognising the capital's top talent and most well-received productions, the event will return to the Royal Albert Hall once more.

The awards themselves are due to take place on 2 April 2023, with Ted Lasso, Camelot and Wizard of Oz star Hannah Waddingham set to host for the very first time.

As revealed exclusively by WhatsOnStage, Brooks is set to lead the new revival of Once On This Island later this summer.
The Swedish government has decided to contribute almost $30 million to the Ukraine Energy Support Fund, Ukrainian Energy Minister Herman Haluschenko said after a meeting with Swedish Deputy Prime Minister Ebba Busch in Stockholm.

"In addition, Sweden will allocate funds to support the IAEA mission, which is working at all Ukrainian nuclear power plants," Haluschenko was quoted by the Ministry of Energy on the Telegram channel on Tuesday.

At the same time, it is important to support the IAEA mission in order to be able to record the impact of Russian attacks on Ukraine's energy system, nuclear and radiation safety.

The minister added that Ukraine constantly receives assistance from international partners, both in money and in equipment, which helps restore energy facilities after Russian attacks.

As reported, the Ukraine Energy Support Fund, established by the Energy Community Secretariat in April 2022, received EUR 144.366 million as of February 1, 2023.
Renowned storyteller, performer, teacher, and artist Clare Murphy will kick off the Sandbar Storytelling Festivals second season at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, April 15, with Wild Irish Tales.

Celebrated for her physical dynamism, wit and warmth, Murphy brings the ancient art of story firmly into the contemporary world. Born in Dublin, she has lived and worked in Spain and America and now resides in Bristol, UK. A woman of many skills, Murphy was born into a family of performers and poets. Her storytelling career began in 2006; since then she has told all kinds of stories from ancient myths to modern quantum physics.

She has shared her stories in many unusual situations including for Irish President Mary Robinson, at the Royal Shakespeare Company, and for Welsh Rugby Union. She has played world stages from NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena to the National Theatre in London. Her storytelling work goes beyond performance into the realm of teaching, training and consulting worldwide on a myriad of projects.

Tickets to Murphys performance, to be held at Saint Marys Universitys Page Theatre, are $25 for the public and $20 for students. Purchase tickets at sandbarstorytellingfestival.org. Tickets can also be purchased at the door, beginning at 6:30 p.m.

Additionally, Murphy will lead a storytelling workshop at Winona Arts Center, Fifth and Franklin streets, from 1 to 3 p.m. Sunday, April 16. Participation is $15 and limited space is available. Tickets are available at sandbarstorytellingfestival.org.

Enjoy Irish music by local band Patina in the lobby before the show.

The event is co-sponsored by SEMAC and the Elizabeth Callender King Foundation. This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through grants from the MN State Arts Board thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts & cultural heritage fund.

For more information about the festival and other events, go to sandbarstorytellingfestival.org.

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JUNEAU  Dodge County Sheriff Dale Schmidt has been active in the Badger States Sheriffs Association for several years prior to becoming the president of the organization this year. One benefit that he has seen is the donation of safety equipment for the county.

It is an honor to serve as the BSSA president as it is an organization that works to provide resources with the goal of serving every sheriff and aiding them in being the best sheriff they can be in service of their citizens, Schmidt said.

Dodge County citizens have benefited from my participation in BSSA as we have received about $33,000 worth of donations through the association for the purchase of protective equipment for our deputies as they protect Dodge County.

BSSA also provides training opportunities for the sheriffs office staff, Schmidt said.

Schmidt took over as the president of the organization on Jan. 1. For the last two years he has served as the vice president serving as the legislative committee chair and two years prior he served as the second vice president and was the training committee chair.

Schmidt will serve a two-year term as the Badger State Sheriffs Association president and will lead the organization in working with other state agencies, officials, and stakeholders. The primary responsibility of the BSSA is to be a resource for the sheriffs of Wisconsin.
Law on compensation for damaged or destroyed housing to come into action in May  Shuliak

The law on compensation for the housing damaged or destroyed as a result of Russia's aggression against Ukraine might come into action in May 2023, Head of the Servant of the People party Olena Shuliak has said.

"The law has been tabled for signing to the Verkhovna Rada chairman and then it will be sent to the president for signing. The law envisages two months for the development by the government of relevant normative legal acts. We hope that the law will come into action as soon as in May," she told a press briefing on Tuesday.

The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine will have to approve the price per square meter for compensation in every region by estimating the state of the housing market, Shuliak said.

Ukrainians have reported 335,000 cases of housing damage or demolition through the Diia portal, she said. Currently, the volume of reported destruction is estimated at around 23 million square meters. The majority of cases were reported om Donetsk, Kharkiv, and Kyiv regions.

According to the calculations, more than 1 million Ukrainians were left homeless as of today. The compensations will be paid in queue order, while priority will be given to the military and demobilized, families with many children and people with disability, Shuliak said.

More than 500 communities and data about 10,000 objects have been added to the register of damaged property, she said, recalling that applications can be submitted through Diia, administrative services centers, notaries public, social protection authorities, and their mobile points.

Verification of applications will be carried out by commissions under local governments created in each community where damaged housing is recorded. Shuliak explained that such a commission is also obliged to assist in the restoration of lost documents on the ownership of housing, interact with other authorities to obtain relevant certificates, and also assist in filing lawsuits to restore or confirm documents on housing in the de-occupied territories.

"Today, the government has UAH 17 billion  exactly from the sources that will be used to pay compensation. These are the first funds that came from the seized assets of the Russian Sberbank's subsidiary. We hope that all other funds from (similar) seized property will also be sent to the Fund for the Elimination of Consequences of Russian Aggression. And we will be able, without waiting for reparations, to provide citizens with compensation for destroyed and damaged housing," Shuliak said.

As reported, the Verkhovna Rada adopted in general bill No. 7198 on the creation of a state register of housing damaged and destroyed as a result of Russia's armed invasion of Ukraine, and the compensation procedure for it.
A Beaver Dam nursing home is trading hands in a $1.5 million deal  a fraction of what it sold for 17 years ago.

Cuarzo Healthcare Capital, formerly Golden Living, owned 410 Roedl Court through an affiliate. It initially purchased the property in 2006 for nearly $6 million, selling it to 121 Watertown Realty in January for $1,480,000. The parcel changed hands again in February to 410 Beaver Dam Realty, which is composed of the same members as Watertown Realty. Both companies are two months old.

The predecessor of Cuarzo and Golden Living  Beverly Enterprises  was once the largest nursing home chains in the United States.

The Beaver Dam Health Care Center, run by Bedrock Healthcare, confirmed that the skilled care nursing facility will remain in the space.

It really doesnt affect anything in our day-to-day operations, Bedrocks Chief of Operations Kenneth Nichols said. Now we just have a company that handles the property assets.

The Beaver Dam nursing facility and six other properties throughout Wisconsin were put through receivership in 2019 after Cuarzos former tenant, Dycora Transitional Health and Living Center, defaulted on all of its leases. Attorney Michael S. Polsky was appointed by the Milwaukee Circuit Court as the legal receiver.

He selected another affiliate of Cuarzo, Menominee River LLC, as a temporary operator since the company previously owned the facilities before leasing them to Dycora. Bedrock formally took over operations six months later.

Receivership is a court proceeding similar to bankruptcy that allows employees to continue to be paid and operations to continue, with the goal of giving a company time to get back on its feet.

Polsky stated in a press release at the time that the process could end in new ownership of the facility.

Cuarzos other Wisconsin properties also seem to be up for grabs; 121 Watertown Realty purchased the real estate trusts nursing facility in Abbotsford for $840,000. Like the Beaver Dam Health Care Center, it was subsequently sold to another LLC with the same members.

Nichols couldnt comment on the relatively low sale prices of the properties Bedrock operates, but noted that the healthcare company will continue to look at opportunities to expand its presence in Wisconsin. Before the receivership, Bedrocks centers were contained to Florida, Kentucky and Tennessee.

When we first started operations, the facilities had some reputation issues, some vendor issues. We cleaned that up quickly, Nichols said. When COVID hit, things got challenging but weve since stabilized.

He added that Bedrock was tasked with filling several senior staff and leadership positions, which it has since accomplished at nearly every property including the Beaver Dam Health Care Center.

We take a different approach to things, but wed rather do it ourselves then have another interim, Nichols concluded.
JACKSON, Miss.  The air-conditioning gave out as students returned from summer break last year to Jim Hill High School in Jackson, Mississippi, forcing them to learn in sweltering heat. By Thanksgiving, students were huddling under blankets because the heat wasnt working.

Along the way students dealt with broken showers in locker rooms, plumbing issues and a litany of other problems in the nearly 60-year-old school building.

Theres been times weve been cold, theres been times weve been hot, said Mentia Trippeter, a 17-year-old senior. Theres been times where it rained and it poured, weve been drowning. We go through it  we go through it, man.

Like other schools serving low-income communities across the country, Jim Hill has long dealt with neglected infrastructure that has made it harder for students to learn. So when Jackson Public Schools received tens of millions of dollars in federal COVID relief money, it decided to put much of the windfall toward repairing heating and plumbing problems, some of which temporarily caused the school to switch to remote learning.

For poorer school districts, deciding what to do with that money has involved a tough tradeoff: work on long-term academic recovery or fix long-standing infrastructure needs.

All told, the federal government has allocated $190 billion in pandemic relief aid to help schools recover  more than four times the amount the U.S. Education Department spends on K-12 schools in a typical year, and with few strings attached.

An Associated Press analysis of school district spending plans from across the country found that the poorest districts in each state are far more likely than the richest districts to spend emergency relief funds on upgrading their buildings or transportation systems.

Jacksons academic needs are no less pressing. The majority of students in the district learned virtually for a year and a half during the pandemic and math test scores plummeted by the equivalent of over a full years worth of learning, according to Harvard and Stanfords Education Recovery Scorecard. But school officials didn't want to miss a rare opportunity to fix infrastructure issues  some of which date back decades.

William Merritt, the school district's chief of staff, said the funds gave the district the ability to provide our students with tools that other students in well-to-do districts have.

The data in AP's analysis came from education market research firm Burbio, which reviewed how more than 6,000 districts across the country, representing over 75% of the nations public school students, planned to spend their federal relief money. The data covered the final and largest round of federal aid to schools, totaling $122 billion.

The AP found that school districts with the highest percentage of children living in poverty  the poorest 20% of districts in each state  were more than three times as likely as the wealthiest school districts to dedicate money to the construction of new buildings or classrooms. School districts with high levels of poverty were also more than twice as likely to include money for facilities repairs.

The poor districts are doing it because theyre chasing after emergencies, said Mary Filardo, executive director of the 21st Century School Fund.

Infrastructure is a prime example of long-standing inequities in school funding. While affluent districts can rely on local tax revenue to pay for major improvement projects such as installing state-of-the-art heating and ventilation systems, poorer districts that cannot often spend more money over time on short-term fixes.

In Texas, the Victoria Independent School District is also grappling with competing infrastructure needs and pandemic recovery. It plans to spend half of the $28.4 million it received in the last round of relief funds on academics, teacher retention and student supports that include social-emotional behavior specialists.

But the other 50% of the money is devoted to improving air quality, such as updating ventilation systems. Superintendent Quintin Shepherd says hed love to spend more on counselors and less on fixing broken air conditioners, but theres no way kids can learn safely in a classroom that's 100 degrees Fahrenheit.

We got into education to improve educational outcomes and life expectations. Its a hard position to have to make these impossible decisions," Shepherd said.

Some have argued the money shouldn't be spent on infrastructure projects, which can take years to complete and often with with no immediate benefit to students. But the government only required 20% of the emergency relief funds to be spent addressing learning loss.

In Jackson, officials chose to spend over half of the $109 million the district received in the last round of federal funding on fixing the facilities in schools like Jim Hill.

The school's principal, Bobby Brown, said the money spent on infrastructure needs is very necessary  although not enough to address decades of inequity in the majority Black school system.

As you listen to the students, and them having generations of families that have similar experiences, Brown said, this also sheds light on the types of investment that we have  or the lack of investment that we have in communities where people look like us.

How spending on public education in every state has changedand where the money comes from How spending on public education in every state has changedand where the money comes from #51. Idaho #50. Utah #49. Arizona #48. Nevada* #47. Tennessee* #46. Mississippi #45. Texas* #44. Florida #43. Oklahoma #42. North Carolina #41. Alabama #40. Indiana* #39. South Dakota #38. Arkansas #37. New Mexico* #36. Louisiana* #35. Missouri #34. Colorado #33. Georgia #32. Kentucky #31. West Virginia* #30. South Carolina #29. Iowa #28. Kansas* #27. Montana #26. Wisconsin #25. Nebraska #24. Virginia #23. Oregon #22. Michigan #21. Minnesota #20. Ohio #19. Maine* #18. California #17. Massachusetts #16. North Dakota #15. Washington #14. Maryland #13. Hawaii* #12. Delaware #11. Pennsylvania #10. Wyoming #9. Illinois #8. Rhode Island #7. New York #6. New Hampshire #5. Alaska #4. New Jersey #3. Vermont #2. Connecticut #1. District of Columbia
Janet Protasiewicz has a major early spending lead over Dan Kelly in the Wisconsin Supreme Court race, according to media tracking firm Medium Buying.

By early Monday afternoon, liberals had reserved over $7 million in ads between the primary and April 4 general election to boost Protasiewiczs Wisconsin Supreme Court bid.

Between the primary and Monday, conservatives hadnt run television ads to boost Kelly. But Fair Courts America, a group funded by GOP donor Richard Uihlein, committed to spending $866,000 on ads on Monday, according to Medium Buying.

Conservatives will almost certainly spend millions more to support Kelly, a former state Supreme Court justice. But at this point, Protasiewicz has more than a 7-to-1 ad spending advantage over Kelly in the general election.

The Protasiewicz (pronounced pro-tuh-SAY-witz) campaign committed to spending $6.5 million in ads, a spokesperson said, and A Better Wisconsin Together Political Fund committed to more than $500,000, according to Medium Buying.

Conservatives already have more work to do than liberals to unify their partisan camp, UW-Madison political science professor Barry Burden said, citing the scrappy primary dynamic between Kelly and fellow conservative Waukesha County Circuit Judge Jennifer Dorow.

Combined with the ongoing need to unify, being behind the eight ball on spending compared to Protasiewicz just puts them at a deeper disadvantage, and that has to be rectified pretty quickly if theyre going to be competitive, Burden said.

One of Protasiewiczs first ads in the general election, which began running on Wednesday, highlights anti-abortion groups support for Kelly. The other seeks to paint Kelly as soft on crime, saying he defended child sex predators in court.

Calling video advertising the most effective method of reaching potential voters, Burden said, Protasiewicz and her allies are at the moment able to define Dan Kelly in ways that are advantageous to them and disadvantageous to him.

The early ad spending disparity reflects that of last years U.S. Senate race, where supporters of U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Oshkosh, outspent those backing Democrat Mandela Barnes by $3.75 million in a four-week period in September. That doesnt include another $3 million coordinated between Johnsons campaign and a national group.

That spending disparity early in the general election phase was a key factor in Barnes loss because it gave conservatives time to define their opponent with hardly any pushback, Republicans and Democrats both have said. At this point, the tables between the partisan camps have turned, with the liberal Wisconsin Supreme Court contender spending far more than the conservative.

There is a parallel in that there was an imbalance during a key moment in the campaign where voters who hadnt been active in the primary were learning about the candidates, Burden said about the U.S. Senate race. And the advertising really created an image of one that was unfavorable, and he took a while to dig out from that.
The 52nd session of the UN Human Rights Council will be held in Geneva from February 27 to April 4, of which the high-level segment will be held from February 27 to March 2. Foreign Minister Qin Gang will address the event via video link on February 27.



CCTV: To follow up on your announcement of Foreign Minister Qin Gangs video remarks to the high-level segment of the 52nd session of the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC), what are Chinas considerations for addressing the event, and whatre Chinas expectations for the work of the UNHRC?

Mao Ning: We are committed to a Chinese path of human rights development. We have actively participated in global human rights governance and made historic achievements in advancing human rights in China. At the moment, the international human rights cause is faced with serious challenges and calls urgently for consensus and cooperation. Against this backdrop, Foreign Minister Qin Gang will attend the high-level segment of the UNHRC via video link, where he will elaborate on Chinas vision and measures on human rights and share Chinas proposals for global human rights governance, which will contribute Chinas insight to the sound development of the international human rights cause.

The UNHRC is an important platform for constructive dialogue and cooperation on human rights issues. China will take an active part in the discussions of all agenda items at this session, work with all parties to advance impartiality, objectivity, non-selectivity and non-politicization at the UNHRC, abide by the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, oppose certain countries moves to politicize, weaponize and instrumentalize human rights issues, and work with all parties for fairer and more equitable, reasonable and inclusive global governance on human rights.

Global Times: On February 24, the US sanctioned Chinese companies for involvement with Russia. Whats Chinas comment?

Mao Ning: The US actions lack both the basis in international law and UN Security Council mandate. They are typical unilateral sanctions and illegal long-arm jurisdiction and detrimental to Chinese interests. We deplore and reject this move and have made serious demarches to the US side.

On the Ukraine issue, Chinas position has been objective and fair and we have actively promoted peace talks and sought a political solution. The US, however, has been fanning the flame and fueling the fight with more weaponry. To date, it has provided Ukraine with over $32 billion worth of military aid, including large quantities of advanced armament. Just days ago, the US announced yet another tranche of military aid for Ukraine worth $2 billion. The US has been pouring weapons into one side of the conflict, thus prolonging the fight and making peace elusive, while spreading disinformation that China would supply weapons to Russia and sanctioning Chinese companies under that pretext. This is out-and-out hegemonism and double standard, and absolute hypocrisy.

I wish to point out that on the one-year mark of the full escalation of the Ukraine crisis, China issued its position paper on the political settlement of the crisis, whereas the US imposed sanctions on Chinese and other foreign companies. Who is promoting peace and deescalation, and who is fueling the tension and making the world more unstable? The answer is fairly obvious.

We call on the US to reflect on its behavior, bear in mind what is good for the world, and do something that will actually help deescalate the situation and get peace talks going. The US also needs to stop spreading disinformation and withdraw the sanctions on Chinese companies. The Chinese side will continue to do what is necessary to firmly safeguard the lawful rights and interests of Chinese companies. We will take resolute countermeasures in response to the US sanctions.

China News Service: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said China has been providing nonlethal assistance to Russia through its companies, and is now considering a provision of lethal aid. US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan warned that there would be real costs for China if the country went forward with providing lethal aid to Russia. Do you have any comment?

Mao Ning: On the Ukraine issue, China has been actively promoting peace talks and the political settlement of the crisis. The US is in no position to point fingers at China-Russia relations. We do not accept coercion or pressure from the US.

In addition to pouring lethal weapons into the battlefield in Ukraine, the US has been selling sophisticated weapons to the Taiwan region in violation of the three China-US joint communiques. What exactly is the US up to? The world deserves to know the answer.

Dragon TV: It was reported that ROK Foreign Minister Park Jin mentioned Taiwan in an interview with CNN. Park said that peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait is essential for peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula, and its indispensable for security and prosperity of the region as a whole, and that the ROK is opposed to unilateral change of status quo by force. So in that sense, the ROK will make sure that if something happens in the Taiwan Strait, they have to maintain peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula because this has a direct impact on the ROK. Do you have any comment on this?

Mao Ning: The Taiwan question is Chinas internal affair, we do not need to be told what should or should not be done. If the ROK needs to maintain peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula, it needs to respect Chinas sovereignty and territorial integrity, follow the one-China principle and be prudent on the Taiwan question.

AFP: Ukraines President Zelenskyy said on Friday that he plans to meet President Xi Jinping. He also said that only a country whose territory is under attack can initiate any peace initiatives. Do you have any comment on his remarks?

Mao Ning: Chinas position on the Ukraine crisis is consistent and clear, which boils down to promoting peace talks and working for a political settlement. We have maintained communication with all parties concerned, including Ukraine.

Xinhua News Agency: China announced that the President of Belarus will pay a state visit to China. How does China see its relations with Belarus and what are Chinas expectations for the visit?

Mao Ning: China and Belarus are all-weather comprehensive strategic partners. Since establishing diplomatic ties 31 years ago, the two countries have enjoyed stronger political mutual trust, deepening mutually-beneficial cooperation across the board, and ever-closer coordination on international and regional affairs. In September 2022, President Xi Jinping met with President Lukashenko on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit in Samarkand, during which they drew a new blueprint for the development of China-Belarus relations. China looks forward to working with Belarus and taking this visit as an opportunity to pursue further progress in the all-round cooperation between the two countries.

Bloomberg: The IMF chief said she welcomed Chinas latest participation in the sovereign debt roundtable talks in India while urging Beijing to do more under the Common Framework so that all parties can reach agreement on Zambias debt. Whats your response to this? How would China help push the debt talks on Zambia toward a resolution as soon as possible?

Mao Ning: China takes the debt issue of developing countries seriously and has actively contributed to alleviating developing countries debt burden and promoting their sustainable development. As Zambias friend, China attaches high importance to Zambias concerns about the debt issue. China is the first international official creditor to provide debt relief for Zambia, and facilitated the success of three meetings of the Creditor Committee for Zambia as a co-chair. China will continue to maintain close communication and friendly consultation with Zambia and other relevant parties and continue to play a constructive role in resolving Zambias debt issue.

It is our belief that finding the best solution to Zambias debt restructuring requires the understanding, trust and concerted efforts of all stakeholders. According to the data released by Zambias Ministry of Finance and National Planning, predominantly Western commercial lenders and multilateral financial institutions account for 70 percent of Zambias foreign debt. They need to take up due responsibilities and take stronger actions to relieve Zambias debt burden.

AFP: The US Energy Department said on Sunday that they have new evidence indicating that COVID most likely arose from a laboratory leak from China. Whats your response?

Mao Ning: The origins-tracing of SARS-CoV-2 is about science and should not be politicized. China has always supported and participated in global science-based origins-tracing. A laboratory origin of the pandemic was considered to be extremely unlikely is a science-based, authoritative conclusion reached by the experts of the WHO-China joint mission after field trips to the lab in Wuhan and in-depth communication with researchers. It was accurately recorded in the missions report and has received extensive recognition from the international community.

Certain parties should stop rehashing the lab leak narrative, stop smearing China and stop politicizing origins-tracing.

PTI: You have already answered a question regarding G20 and the IMF. There was a greater discussion in G20 countries about the debt burden, especially related to several of these developing countries. Reports say that there is a greater understanding between the G20 countries on how to move forward on this issue, especially helping countries like Sri Lanka, Zambia and other countries. What exactly is Chinas stand on this particular G20s approach towards reducing the debt burden, with rather the help of the IMF?

Mao Ning: I have just shared with you Chinas position on the debt issue of developing countries. We attach great importance to easing the debt burden of developing countries and have been making constructive efforts in this respect, and we have been actively participating in debt relief efforts, including those under the G20 framework. If you want more information, I would refer you to the competent authorities.
Oleksiy Vitchenko, a Ukrainian entrepreneur and founder of the Digital Future Fund, has united his business projects into a group under the Qollabe brand headquartered in Kyiv, the Qollabe press service reported on Tuesday.

According to the press release, the group included Govitall IT company, Translate.com online translation service, Calmerry psychological assistance platform and Digital Future venture fund.

The mission of the group is to create product solutions that make life and work easier for people around the world, the group said.

Earlier, Vitchenko told the Ukrainian edition of Forbes that Qollabe managed to maintain its market position in 2022 due to the good implementation of the company's services abroad. He also said that Qollabe is a Diia.city resident.
Ukraine has received an agreed form of a quality certificate for the import of Ukrainian fish products from the Turkish competent authority, which opens up new export opportunities for domestic producers of fish products.

As reported on the website of the State Agency for Land Reclamation and Fisheries of Ukraine, on Tuesday, the agency opened a new market for the sale of fish products jointly with the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and the State Service of Ukraine for Food Safety and Consumer Protection of Ukraine.

"Recently, Ukraine received from the competent authority of Turkey an agreed form of a quality certificate, which is necessary for the unhindered import of fish products from Ukraine. So, now Ukrainian producers of fish products have new opportunities to sell their own products  the export market to Turkey has opened. Work to promote Ukrainian fish products to enter the markets of other countries continues," the State Fisheries Agency said in the statement.

In addition, the agency recalled that it had initiated an online survey among Ukrainian producers of fish products to determine the priority for opening international markets and the priority for export of the domestic range of fish products.

The State Fisheries Agency also said that in 2022, Ukraine exported 8,400 tonnes of fish, fish products and other aquatic biological resources for a total of $48.6 million. Its largest volumes were delivered to Moldova, Germany, the United States, Denmark and Lithuania.
Guests including astronauts Nie Haisheng (first from right), Zhai Zhigang (center in front) and Chen Dong (third from right) look at the return capsule of a manned spacecraft on display at the exhibition at the National Museum of China in Beijing, Feb 24, 2023. [Photo by Jiang Dong/chinadaily.com.cn]
'Dilbert' to be replaced by 'Crabgrass,' a comic strip by a Kentucky artist, in Paxton Media papers
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The situation in Bakhmut direction is becoming more complicated, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a video address on Monday.

"Particular attention is paid to the situation in the east and, of course, Donetsk region. Bakhmut direction: the situation is becoming more complicated. The enemy is constantly destroying everything that can be used to protect our positions, consolidate and defend. Our soldiers who are defending in Bakhmut direction are real heroes" Zelenskyy said.
FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP)  Republican Ryan Quarles on Tuesday endorsed legalizing medical marijuana in Kentucky, pledging to navigate the proposal past legislative resistance if he's elected governor.

Its time for Kentucky to pass a responsible medical marijuana piece of legislation to help benefit patients across Kentucky, Quarles said at a news conference outside the state Capitol.

Quarles' stand on the long-running medical marijuana issue comes as Republican candidates are trying to separate themselves from a crowded field in the GOP primary for governor.

Quarles, in his second term as state agriculture commissioner, is among a dozen candidates vying for the GOP gubernatorial nomination in the May primary. Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear is seeking reelection in the Republican-trending Bluegrass State.

Medical cannabis legalization proposals have routinely died in Kentucky's Republican-led legislature. The House has shown its support in the past to legalize and strictly regulate the use of cannabis for a list of eligible medical conditions. Those proposals stalled in the Senate.

Quarles on Tuesday called it an access to care issue for many Kentuckians. In pushing for legalization, he said he would draw on his experience as a former state lawmaker and in overseeing the state's hemp program as agriculture commissioner.

Health care providers navigate medical marijuana prescriptions for patients Kentucky's legislature is set to discuss legalization again with Senate Bill 47.

Theres no candidate better positioned in this race to have a conversation about what the framework would be like to help pass a responsible medical marijuana bill through the General Assembly, Quarles said.

Quarles said he thinks a majority of Kentuckians support legalizing medical marijuana. The narrowly tailored program should respect the doctor-patient relationship and keep "government out of it, he said.

The medical cannabis program should be shaped in a way to benefit Kentucky farmers, he said. Quarles also pledged to work with law enforcement to make sure we get it right.

Frustrated by legislative inaction, Beshear took executive action late last year to allow Kentuckians suffering from debilitating conditions to legally possess small amounts of medical marijuana properly purchased in another state. The governor called it a viable alternative to addictive medications in a state ravaged by the opioid crisis.

Under his order, a Kentuckian needs certification from a licensed health care provider to verify a diagnosis for at least one of the series of conditions that qualify. Those include cancer, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, Parkinsons disease and post-traumatic stress disorder.

The governor has said he would be happy to rescind his order if the legislature passes legislation to legalize medical cannabis. Supporters of legalizing medical marijuana have not made any headway yet in this year's 30-day legislative session, which crossed the halfway point last week.
Rupert Murdoch, the chairman of Fox Corporation, acknowledged in a deposition taken by Dominion Voting Systems that some Fox News hosts endorsed false claims the 2020 election was stolen.
Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal, during a conversation with representatives of the largest faction of the European Parliament - the European People's Party, headed by Manfred Weber, called for the use of all tools to ensure the safety of the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant (NPP) and Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant (HPP).

"Discussed the further steps of Ukraine's European & Euro-Atlantic integration with representatives of the EPPGroup led by Manfred Weber. I told about the needs of recovery and decentralisation reform. Called for the use of all safety tools for Zaporizhia NPP and Kakhovka HPP," Shmyhal wrote on Twitter on Monday evening.
Up to 50,000 junior doctors in England are set to strike for three days from March 13 in a new wave of struggle by health workers against the Sunak government.

The strike is in opposition to a two percent pay award for 2022/3. The de facto pay cut is even lower than the pay award of around 4 percent for National Health Service workers made by the Conservative government, which prompted strike action by nurses and ambulance workers ongoing since last December, and more recently by physiotherapists.

The British Medical Association (BMA) representing around 48,000 junior doctors received it highest ever turnout of 77 percent and a vote for strike action of 98 percent.

Were industrial action to go ahead, it would be only the second time in its 74 year history that the BMA has sanctioned walkouts. The smaller Hospital Consultants and Specialists Association (HCSA) received a 97 percent majority for strike action on a turnout of over 74 percent from its 900 junior doctor members. This would be its first strike since its founding in 1948.

Junior doctors and their supporters march in Bristol during the 2016 national strike [Photo: WSWS]

The BMA and HCSA have cited a decline in real term wages for junior doctors of more than a quarter since 2008. As with nurses, ambulance workers and physiotherapists, junior doctors are highlighting unsafe staffing levels and the exhaustion of frontline staff due to underfunding.

A junior doctor told the Independent that nursing staff-to-patient ratios in Intensive Care Units which should be one-to-one were one-to-two: We dont have the minimum staffing level which is deemed to be safe for patients.

Another junior doctor told the Press Association, The whole system is at breaking point and I dont think patients are safe anymore.

Were seeing a lot of situations where were so understaffed that we actually feel like were putting multiple people in danger.

This demonstrates the rank hypocrisy of the government claiming its Strikes Bill legislation aimed at effectively outlawing strikes by health workers and other key workers, by demanding Minimum Services Levels during industrial action, is for safety.

The BMA and HCSA, along with the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) and Trades Union Congress (TUC) affiliated health unionsincluding the largest, Unison, Unite and the GMBhave organised no collective action in the current pay struggles. They are focussed on appeals to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.

This is only to justify their stalling of action and prevention of the unified fightback by NHS workers demanded by the rank-and-file.

The BMA confirmed receiving the mandate for the 72-hour strike last Monday but delayed a confirmation of the strike dates, while the HCSA initially stated their action would only cover March 15. It was only on February 24 that the three days of action from March 13 were confirmed by both unions, with the British Dental Association announcing hospital dental trainees would be taking part.

A BMA press release explained how desperate attempts to arrange meetings with Health Secretary Steve Barclay had been ignored.

The co-chairs of the BMA junior doctors committee, Dr. Rob Laurenson and Dr. Vivek Trivedi, stated, 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.

The confirmation last Monday of strike action by up to 50,000 junior doctors, around 40 percent of medical staff in hospitals, was a major factor in the announcement made the same day by the Sunak government to begin direct talks with the RCN. Its aim is to secure a deal with the RCN and prevent having to confront a unified offensive by NHS workers.

RCN leader Pat Cullen had spent the past weeks publicly rowing back from the mandated demand of RPI + five percent (19 percent) and agreeing to talks without any preconditions. The RCN went over the heads of its members to cancel the largest action to date, a 48-hour continuous stoppage in England beginning March 1. Nurses were only informed after the RCN produced a joint statement with the Department of Health and Social Care on the framework of talks on the governments terms, including pay restraint and productivity enhancing reforms.

This was met with widespread opposition from nurses.

The government has refused to reopen talks on the 2022/3 award and its recommendation to the pay review body for public sector workers including nurses for this upcoming year is just 3.5 percent.

On Friday, the Guardian reported, Ministers have been given the freedom to talk to unions about pay settlements that could include backdated or one-off payments as ways to end the escalating series of public sector strikes. But Downing Street says it is critical unions agree to call off planned industrial action before talks can begin, as the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) did on Tuesday.

The heads of the other health unions are eager to be included in talks. Unison General Secretary Christina McAnea, with around 500,000 members in the NHS, criticised a pick and mix solution, insisting five unions were engaged in the dispute.

Rachel Harrison, the national secretary of the GMB, stated, Choosing to speak to one union and not others wont stop the strikes and could make a bad situation much worse.

What the health union bureaucracy wants is a co-ordinated sell-out not a fightback. The GMB, Unison and Unite continue to carve up action, with strikes held on separate days in different areas. The GMB and Unite are organsing strike action among ambulance workers on March 6 and March 20 at different services while Unison announced last Friday further action by 32,000 NHS worker members, including ambulance workers, on March 8.

Unison and Unite pushed through acceptance of a pay deal with the Scottish government for 2022/3 worth on average just 7.5 percent, which was then enforced on health workers across NHS Scotland. The GMB, RCN and Royal College of Midwives, whose members rejected the deal, refused to call action on live mandates. This allowed the bureaucracy to enter back room negotiations bringing forward a pay deal for the upcoming year (2023/4), which has produced proposals for a pay award worth on average 6.5 percent.

Junior doctors have experience with BMA sell-outs: the unions betrayal of a national strike mounted in 2016 over new contracts ended with inferior pay and conditions agreed. This included a reduction in unsocial hours for weekend work and ending automatic pay progression, contributing to the dire situation junior doctors now face.

All NHS workers are confronted with the need to establish rank-and-file committees to unify their action against the divisions and behind-closed-doors dealings organised from above by the union bureaucracy.

This counteroffensive must be linked to a broader political struggle not only against the Tory government but its de facto ally the Labour Party . Sir Keir Starmer has come out against calls for restoration pay claims by NHS workers and is complicit in the policy of living with COVID which has seen all public health protections scrapped. While Starmer claims there is no money to fund NHS workers pay claims, he is committed to vastly increasing arms expenditure to wage NATOs war in Ukraine against Russia.
On Saturday, the French militarys Operation Orion 2023 (Orion 23) began with hundreds of parachutists being dropped in the Tarn region of southern France. On Sunday morning, an amphibious assault was simulated at Sete on the Mediterranean coast.

This undated photo provided Thursday January 5, 2023, by the French Army shows AMX-10 RC tanks. [AP Photo/Jeremy Bessat/Armee de Terre]

This first stage of Orion 2023, which continues until the end of the week, involves 7,000 troops from France, the US, Italy, Spain, Belgium and the UK, which are all part of the NATO alliance that is waging war against Russia in Ukraine. Over this week, as many as 2,300 military vehicles will be involved in the war games. These include 40 warplanes, over 100 drones, 30 warships and the Charles De Gaulle aircraft carrier.

According to General Yves Metayer, who led the organization of the operation, We have never done an exercise of this magnitude over such a long period of time. Another officer told France3: The amount of resources made available, the degree of synergy between the different armies, is unheard of since I joined the army.

However, the status of this weeks war games as the largest ever on French soil will only last a few weeks. A second stage of Operation Orion, involving over 12,000 troops, is scheduled to begin in mid-April in the Champagne region.

In the capitalist press, Orion 23 is being all but explicitly acknowledged as part of far-advanced preparations for an all-out NATO land war with Russia. Indeed, by supplying offensive weaponry to Ukraine, the NATO powers are already engaged in a de facto war on Russia.

State-run news agency France24 reported that the war games should enable the French army to prepare for a high-intensity conflict against an enemy state of equal strength.  In a context of global geopolitical upheaval, the use of force is no longer taboo, and the prospect of a major conflict is no longer science fiction.

While Frances bloody imperialist war in Mali allowed the military to hone its use of modern fighter-bomber aircraft and drones, its ground operations relied on smaller special forces groups. General Vincent Desportes told France24 that Orion 23 is essential to regain the know-how in terms of managing large joint forces that we have lost because for two decades we have focused on small operations.

The fictionalized scenario in this weeks war game is widely reported in the media. In a thinly veiled reference to Russia, a hostile power called Mercure has invaded a French ally named Arnland, and the French armys goal is to establish a bridgehead in occupied Arnland and begin to push back Mercure forces. Such a scenario played out in occupied southern Ukraine or Crimea is undoubtedly a critical part of NATOs battlefield plans for direct confrontation with Russia.

Another goal of Orion 23 is also to prepare to place the French state on a war footing. The Orion operation involved a simulated information war, where both sides struggle to control reportage on their actions. This is in line with the NATO powers efforts to suppress public knowledge of role played by Ukrainian neo-Nazi militias in the war against Russia, in addition to whitewashing war crimes committed by Ukrainian forces.

According to the French Defense Ministrys web site, the exercise will also involve many non-military government ministries and will bring together the energies of civilian and military personnel working on the cohesion of the French nation. In other words, police and nominally civilian sections of the French state machine are also readying themselves for propaganda operations and intensified repression of strikes at protests, in the event of all-out war.

Operation Orion comes amid an explosion of the class struggle in France, as millions march against French President Emmanuel Macrons widely despised pension reform, which he justifies with the claim that there is no more money.

When it comes to pursuing the imperialist ambitions of the French ruling class and its NATO allies, however, hundreds of billions of euros are thrown around like small change. Orion 23, which cost 35 million to organize and involves billions of euros in military equipment, is only part of a far larger French military rearmament. In January, Macron pledged to spend 413 billion on the French military by 2030 (compared to under 300 billion for 2020-2025). A special amendment adopted in October last year also added an extra 3 billion to the militarys 2023 budget.

Since the beginning of the conflict, France has spent around 2 billion on arms deliveries and other aid to Ukraine. In January 2023, Macron was the first NATO leader to commit to tank deliveries to Ukrainian forces, pledging dozens of AMX-10 RCR light tanks. This year, France will complete the delivery of 30 self-propelled Howitzers to Ukraine, which have a unit cost of 7.5 million. Moreover, 2,000 Ukrainian troops are currently being trained on French soil.

With millions marching against Macrons widely despised pension reform and deep popular opposition to further French arming of Ukraine against Russia, the French militarys open preparation for war with Russia with the Orion 23 exercises necessarily raises the question: How is Macron able to so brazenly funnel hundreds of billions to the military and prepare a bloody war against Russia?

The president has only been able to carry out his policy due to the support of the pseudo-left parties and trade union bureaucracies. While nominally opposed to Macrons pension reform, pseudo-left Unsubmissive France leader Jean-Luc Melenchonand his NUPES (New Popular Ecological and Social Union) coalition with French social democrats and Stalinistsclaim there is no link between the funding for the war and Macrons attack on the working class.

Melenchon and the unions have supported NATOs arms deliveries to Ukraine since the beginning of the war and continue to whitewash NATOs years-long efforts to provoke Putin into his reactionary invasion of Ukraine, which ultimately succeeded in February of last year.

The same forces also support massive investment into French rearmament. Earlier this month, a parliamentary report co-authored by Anna Pic, a member of the Socialist Party (PS), and Melenchons NUPES coalition called for even more funding for exercises to prepare France for the hypothesis of a major conflict.

The unprecedented scale of Orion 23 must be taken as a warning of the very advanced state of preparations for total war in Europe, and another major escalation of NATOs war against Russia that threatens to spiral into a global conflagration between nuclear powers. For the financial oligarchy that rules France and the other NATO powers, the losses and the costs of the war are to be borne overwhelmingly by the working class. Workers and youth who oppose pension cuts, austerity and other attacks on the working class must also therefore take up the struggle against the NATO war on Russia.
In the most violent settler attack on Palestinians in decades, 400 Israeli vigilantes went on the rampage in Huwara, a town close to the northern city of Nablus in the West Bank, Sunday evening. At least one Palestinian was killed and more than 100 were injured on the pogrom-style attack.

There were horrific scenes of settlers, some masked and carrying guns and other weapons, setting fire to scores of homes and shops, destroying 35 and damaging at least 40 more. They torched more than 400 cars and destroyed agricultural property, leaving the town aflame for hours afterwards. Nine Palestinian families had to be rescued from their homes, according to Israels public broadcaster, Channel 12 news.

Israeli soldiers and Jewish settlers stand next to a damaged Palestinian building in the town of Hawara, near the West Bank city of Nablus, February 27, 2023. Scores of Israeli settlers went on a violent rampage in the northern West Bank, setting cars and homes on fire. Palestinian officials say one man was killed and four others were badly wounded. [AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg]

Palestinian health authorities said that a 37-year-old man had been shot and killed by Israeli fire. Two people were wounded by gunfire, a third was stabbed and a fourth was beaten with an iron bar. Ninety-five others were being treated for teargas inhalation, stabbings and beatings. Settlers also attacked other towns in the area, as well as Ramallah and Salfit.

One Israeli commentator made the comparison with Kristallnacht, the Night of Broken Glass, the state-orchestrated pogrom carried out by the Nazis against the Jews in Germany in 1938.

The intention of the attackers is to provoke a wider conflagration and create the basis for stepped up ethnic cleansing of Palestinians from the West Bank and possibly an all-out war by Israel.

The attack came in the wake of the killing by a Palestinian of two Israeli brothers who lived in one of the nearby settlements that surround Huwara as they drove through the town earlier Sunday morning. It had been widely trailed on social media, with settlers announcing a rally through the town, posting flyers and giving out leaflets calling for revenge.

Despite this, the constant military patrols in the area and the regional headquarters of Samaria just two minutes away, neither the Border Police nor the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) deployed troops to stop the vigilantes. As in all previous settler attacks, those soldiers who were there simply stood by, protecting the vigilantes not the victims. The next day, the streets were empty, bar the settlers who chanted racist slogans and gave the thumbs up signal, taunting the residents.

Sundays violence caps weeks of escalating violence and criminality by Israeli security forces that have shot 67 Palestinians, including 13 children, as they carried out mass operations aimed at arresting alleged terrorists, including a Palestinian gunman who killed seven Israelis in a settlement in East Jerusalem.

These killing sprees, extra-judicial executions, are provocations designed to precipitate revenge attacks on Jewish Israelis. They come just two months after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus return to power at the head of a coalition of fascist, racist and ultra-orthodox religious nationalist parties that are determined to annex the Palestinian territories that Israel has occupied illegally since the 1967 Arab Israeli war.

Settler attacks on Palestinians, their homes, property and land, in the occupied territories, a recurrent feature for decades, spreading to attacks on Israels own Palestinian citizens in the last year, have escalated in tandem. They have been aided and abetted by the most advanced military machine in the Middle East.

Instead of protecting the Palestinians as required under international law, Israeli soldiers have fired tear gas grenades, rubber bullets and live rounds to drive Palestinians from their own lands and sometimes even joined the settlers in their attacks.

In 2022, Israeli security forces injured more than 2,000 Palestinians in settler-related incidents, four times more than in 2021. There was a near 50 percent increase in settler violence in 2022 compared to 2021. The last weekend in January saw 144 settler attacks on Palestinians and their property in just the northern part of the West Bank, according to Ghassan Daghlas, a Palestinian official.

Lior Amihai, executive director of Yesh Din, an Israeli legal advocacy group that defends Palestinians in legal cases, says that the Palestinians have no recourse to help when they are attacked. They are completely alone. Its the Wild West. Thats why its like a pogrom. Peace Now and BTselem, Israeli NGOs, also described the settler attacks as a pogrom supported by the government.

Recent weeks have seen Itamar Ben-Gvir, the Jewish Power leader and National Security Minister, take increasingly punitive measures against Palestinian prisoners in Israel jails, believed to number around 5,000, who, he said, were being treated too softly. These measures include the increased use of solitary confinement, searches of cells, bans on visits, the closure of prison-run bakeries and a four-minute time limit on showers, as well as legislative proposals to limit medical treatment.

The pogrom-like rampage in Huwara followed the call by Finance Minister and Religious Zionism leader Bezalel Smotrich for the IDF to strike the cities of terror and its instigators without mercy, with tanks and helicopters. He said that Israel should act in a way that conveys that the master of the house has gone crazy. He had earlier liked a tweet by a settler leader saying that the village of Huwara should be wiped out today, deleting it only after the revenge raid.

Not a single cabinet minister condemned the vigilantes or the security forces failure to restrain them. Netanyahu responded by immediately announcing that Israels parliament, the Knesset, had passed legislation approving the death penalty for those convicted of terrorism offences against Israelis. He and Ben-Gvir made pious statements, saying, This is not the way. But Ben-Gvir gave voice to his real agenda, declaring, The government of Israel, the state of Israel, the IDF, the security forcesthey are the ones who have to crush our enemies.

Jewish Power legislator Zvika Fogel gave his full-throated support for the burning down of Palestinian villages in revenge for attacks on Jewish Israelis. He said Monday, A closed, burnt Huwarathats what I want to see. Thats the only way to achieve deterrence. After a murder like yesterdays, we need burning villages when the IDF doesnt act. He also said, We need to stop shying away from collective punishment, a crime under international humanitarian law. Members of Netanyahus Likud party supported the settlers.

While the United Nations, the United States and the major European powers have condemned the violence and called for a de-escalation of tensions, they have supported Israels brutal suppression of the Palestinians for decades. They have all given Netanyahus fascistic government the green light to terrorise the Palestinians with ever greater force in pursuit of its agenda of annexing the Palestinian territories and implementing apartheid rule, as embodied in the Nation-State Law enshrining Jewish supremacy as the legal foundation of the state.

The raid on Huwara, orchestrated by the Netanyahu government and given de facto support by the Israeli military, came just hours after officials from Israel, the Palestinian Authority, Jordan, Egypt and the US met in the Jordanian port city of Aqaba. The talks reaffirmed the need to commit to de-escalation on the ground and to prevent further violence, in an effort ostensibly aimed at de-escalating the tensions in the West Bank and preventing a broader conflagration spilling over into neighbouring countries. The Jordan foreign ministry published a concluding statement saying Israel had agreed to pause the expansion of the settlements and the legalization of settlements outposts, illegal even under Israeli law, but Netanyahu immediately repudiated any such agreement.
The Socialist Equality Party (SEP) and the International Youth and Students for Social Equality (IYSSE) in Sri Lanka are holding an online public meeting this coming Sunday entitled Oppose Sri Lankan Presidents scuttling of local elections!

The meeting will mainly focus on the unprecedented attack on the democratic right to vote by President Wickremesinghe who last week cancelled the scheduled March 9 local government elections.

[Photo: WSWS]

Wickremesinghes autocratic actions are a part of his governments broader attacks on the democratic rights of the masses and another step towards dictatorial forms of rule. The government fears the rising wave of working class struggles against the savage austerity measures ordered by the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

The opposition Samagi Jana Balavegaya (SJB) as well as the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) and its National Peoples Power are fraudulently posing as defenders of democratic rights. Both parties, as well as other fringe groups, have only tactical difference with the Wickremesinghe regime and support the IMF austerity measures. The JVP has a long record of backing government attacks on democratic rights, while SJB leaders were, until recently, members of Wickremesinghes right-wing United National Party.

The opposition parties, the trade unions and pseudo-left groups were complicit in the ruling class conspiracy to install Wickremesinghe as president after former President Gotabhaya Rajapakse was forced to flee the country, following the eruption of mass protests in AprilJuly last year.

The SEP and the International Youth and Students for Social Equality is calling for the independent mobilisation of the working class through the formation of action committees to defend all democratic and social rights and take up the fight for a workers and peasants government on an international socialist program. We also call for the building action committees in rural areas to rally rural poor in this struggle.

The SEP has initiated a campaign for a Democratic and Socialist Congress of Workers and Rural Masses, based on delegates democratically elected by these action committees to unite the working class and rural toilers in this struggle.

Workers, youth and the poor need to fight for this perspective in order to defeat Wickremesinghes repressive measures. The response of the ruling elites internationally to a rising upsurge of working-class action, a deepening economic crisis and the ongoing catastrophic war in Ukraine in Russia, is to turn to dictatorial and fascistic methods.

Our meeting will discuss the international socialist strategy required to confront this danger. We invite workers, students, young people and the oppressed masses to attend this online meeting.

Register here.
In a disgraceful act of political and artistic censorship, the Frankfurt municipal administration, known as the Magistrat, decided on Friday to ban Roger Waters concert scheduled for May 28. The Magistrat, led by a coalition of the Social Democrats, Greens, and Free Democrats, who are in a coalition at the federal level, and the pro-EU Volt party, instructed the Frankfurt Messe venue to terminate Waters concert immediately and for good cause.

The governing parties in Frankfurt were effectively ordering themselves to carry out the ban. The hall is jointly owned in a 60-40 split between the city and the state of Hesse, whose Christian Democrat/Green government also approved the decision. The order will be implemented, emphasized the press spokesman for the Frankfurt Messe, Markus Quint, to the Frankfurter Rundschau.

Roger Waters performs in concert at Crypto.com Arena, Tuesday, Sept. 27, 2022, in Los Angeles. [AP Photo/Chris Pizzello]

This aggressive act is justified by brazen and baseless accusations of anti-Semitism against Waters. The background to the cancellation is the persistently anti-Israeli appearances by the former Pink Floyd front man, who is considered one of the anti-Semites with the largest reach in the world, stated a report on the official website of the Frankfurt municipality on Friday.

The denunciation of Waters as an anti-Semite is a brazen lie that he has repeatedly firmly rejected. I am not, never have been and never will be, he wrote on Facebook last autumn, when the campaign against his concerts in Germanyincluding in Frankfurt, Hamburg, Cologne, Munich and Berlintook off. I am known as a passionate supporter of peace movements in general and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in particular, and I stand up for equal human rights for all my brothers and sisters around the world, regardless of their ethnicity, religion or nationality.

In a recent interview with the Berliner Zeitung, Waters once again rejected the attempt to defame him as an anti-Semite by Frankfurt city authorities, who accused him of using anti-Semitic symbolism on a previous tour. The fact that during the song Goodbye Blue Sky during The Wall show, an inflatable pig with a Star of David flew over the stage, had nothing anti-Semitic either intended or expressed about it.

The real message was absolutely clear in the context of the show. Waters explained, And to explain the context, you see B-52 bombers, on a circular screen behind the band, but they dont drop bombs, they drop symbols: Dollar signs, Crucifixes, Hammer and Sickles, Star and Crescents, the McDonalds signand Star of Davids. This is theatrical satire, an expression of my belief that unleashing these ideologies, or products onto the people on the ground, is an act of aggression, the opposite of humane, the opposite of creating love and peace among us brothers and sisters. Im saying in the wrong hands all the ideologies these symbols represent can be evil.

Waters also supported the BDS campaign (boycott, divestment and Sanctions) against Israel, which has nothing to do with anti-Semitism. The musician explained that he is concerned with the struggle for the rights of the oppressed Palestinians and for democracy in Israel itself. Yes, Israel could change its laws. They could say: We have changed our mind, people are allowed to have rights even if they are not Jewish. That would be it, then we wouldnt need BDS anymore, he told the newspaper.

The method employed against Waters by the Frankfurt magistrate with the support of the state and federal governments is as filthy as it is well-known. Under the false accusation of anti-Semitism, any opposition to the brutal and essentially fascist policies of the Israeli government, in which openly right-wing extremist forces set the tone, is to be silenced.

The World Socialist Web Site has repeatedly made it clear that criticism of Israels oppression of the Palestinian population has nothing to do with anti-Semitism. On the contrary, the claim that the Zionist regimes violent action against a largely defenseless population is carried out in the name of Judaism has a decidedly anti-Semitic character.

In addition, the accusation of anti-Semitism is used above all in Germany by the same extreme right-wing and militarist forces from which the real fascist and anti-Semitic danger emanates. Significantly, the so-called anti-Semitism resolutions adopted by the German Bundestag (federal parliament) in recent years have all been supported by the fascist AfD (Alternative for Germany), a party whose leaders trivialize the Holocaust and glorify the Nazi Wehrmacht.

It is the height of cynicism for the city of Frankfurt, in its communication against Waters, to recall that after Kristallnacht 1938, 3,000 Jewish men from Frankfurt and the Rhine-Main area were brought to the Messe, mistreated and later deported to concentration camps. It is not Waters art that draws on the fascist traditions and crimes of the Nazi era, but the ruling class in Germany.

90 years after Hitler took power, the ruling class is pursuing the declared goal of making Germany the leading military power again and sending German battle tanks to fight Russia. Not only does it openly court and strengthen fascist forces in Ukraine, but also in Germany itself. Waters is a thorn in the side of the ruling parties above all because he is one of the few artists to bravely confront this dangerous development and the politics of war.

Waters current tour, This Is Not a Drill, which is now coming to Europe and Germany after a successful first leg in North America, is not only a musical but also a strong political statement. As the WSWS commented in its review, almost every song is directed toward pressing issues of our time: imperialist war, fascism, the poison of nationalism, the plight of refugees, the victims of state oppression, global poverty, social inequality, the attack on democratic rights, and the danger of nuclear annihilation.

In particular, Waters places the fight against the escalating NATO war against Russia in Ukraine at the center of his current work. Speaking to the Berliner Zeitung, he said:

All I am trying to achieve with my new recordings, my statements and performances is that our brothers and sisters in power stop the warand that people understand that our brothers and sisters in Russia do not live under a repressive dictatorship, any more than you do in Germany or I do in the US. I mean would we choose to continue to slaughter young Ukrainians and Russians if we had the power to stop it?

The cancellation of Waters concert in Frankfurt is a serious warning. The turn of the ruling class towards war and militarism is accompanied, as in the past, by massive attacks on democratic and social rights and the suppression of any opposition at home. The WSWS, the Socialist Equality Party and the IYSSE strongly condemn the action against Waters and will lead a campaign in his defense. The fight against censorship is an elementary part of building a new powerful international anti-war movement of the working class and youth.
Management at the University of Sydney has suspended two students for a semester because they participated in a protest at an address delivered by former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull to the universitys Law Society last year.

Malcolm Turnbull at University of Sydney [Photo: Honi Soit]

The students, Deaglan Godwin and Maddie Clarke, are both elected members of the universitys Student Representative Council. They are also associated with the Socialist Alternative organisation.

The Socialist Equality Party (SEP) has irreconcilable and well-documented political differences with Socialist Alternative. This, however, is a basic question of democratic rights. The SEP unequivocally condemns the suspensions of Godwin and Clarke and demands that university management reinstate their right to study immediately.

The issues, moreover, go beyond the two students. The university authorities have seized on what was a radical protest stunt, to attack not only Godwin and Clarke, but the student body and its rights as a whole.

At the centre of the SEPs campaign in the upcoming New South Wales (NSW) state election is the fight against war. A key component of this struggle against militarism is the defence of democratic rights, which are always among the first casualties of war.

As Australia has been ever-more deeply integrated into the US-led preparations for a catastrophic conflict, the universities have become militarist hubs where even the pretense of basic civil liberties, such as freedom of speech, is being dispensed with.

The protest, for which Godwin and Clarke have been suspended, occurred last September. Turnbull was the featured speaker at an event put on by the universitys Law Society, which has long functioned as one of the bastions on campus of the political establishment.

Turnbull, of the Liberal Party, was prime minister from 2015 to 2018. His government intensified Australias alignment with US war plans, carried out significant cuts to education, healthcare and other areas of social spending and continued a protracted assault on democratic rights. This included attacks on refugees and the bipartisan passage of sweeping foreign interference laws, aimed at outlawing anti-war activity and facilitating xenophobic witch hunts particularly targeting Chinese individuals.

At the protest, Godwin, Clarke and others denounced Turnbull as a right-wing representative of the ruling class.

Clarke has stated that she is in fact suspended for two semesters. Due to the latest reprimand, a deferred suspension over a separate anti-abortion protest has reportedly been enforced against her. That means Clarke cannot study for an entire year.

The suspensions came after Turnbull absurdly denounced the protesters as fascists, whose actions were supposedly at odds with every value Sydney University holds. The clear implication was that the demonstration was beyond the pale and action needed to be taken against those who participated in it.

In an article published by the Sydney Morning Herald over the weekend, the two students declared: We were suspended for protesting against Malcolm Turnbull, but wed do it again.

The students noted that their suspension was being imposed on the grounds that they had supposedly violated Turnbulls freedom of speech. They acknowledged that they had disrupted the event, but insisted that their intention was not to shut it down.

Clarke and Godwin wrote: Universities claim to be a marketplace of ideas, a space for evolving minds to discuss and debate. Sydney University has clearly demonstrated which ideas and speakers are allowed and which are not. If youre a politician or businessman, you are given a platform. If youre a student who challenges the status quo, you are met with the full force of the universitys disciplinary processes.

They added: This is a concerning attack on freedom of speech and the democratic right to protest. If we cant protest against the rich and powerful, what are we meant to do to put forward our alternative to the current state of the world?

In separate comments to the Guardian, the students provided additional information on the repressive process that was used to impose their suspensions. The university, they claimed, had hired an external investigator. Clarke and Godwin were compelled to meet with it twice last October. While they were subjected to questioning, they were not permitted to see any evidence against them or even to know who had initiated the complaint.

According to Clarke and Godwin, documents related to their suspension remain sealed under confidentiality clauses. They also stated that other students who participated in the protest against Turnbull have had suspensions imposed against them which have not been enforced, but could be in the event of further infractions.

In a statement to the Guardian, a University of Sydney representative repeated the claim that the students had been sanctioned for violating freedom of speech and academic freedom, asserting: We have a rich history of activism and protest on our campuses, and all students and staff have the right to express themselves freely, as long as its done safely and in accordance with our policies and the law.

University of Sydneys war on democratic rights

The recent history of the university suggests otherwise. Over the past decade, it has been at the centre of an aggressive crackdown on democratic rights at universities across the country, especially targeting opposition to war. Examples include:

The University of Sydney managements repeated deployment of campus security against students who have protested cuts to courses and attacks on the pay and conditions of staff. The management has repeatedly collaborated with the police against such demonstrations.

In 2015, the management launched an official investigation into Jake Lynch, a prominent academic and then the head of the universitys Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies. Lynch had attended a lecture on campus delivered by retired British Colonel Richard Kemp. Kemps address was a promotion of Israel. The speaker had also played a key role in the neo-colonial occupation of Afghanistan. When protesting students were forcefully ejected by security, Lynch voiced his opposition. In response, he was slandered by Zionist forces and in the press, a witch hunt aided by the opening of an investigation, even though it was eventually compelled to clear Lynch.

The same year, management banned a Socialist Equality Party meeting opposing the glorification of militarism on the centenary of the disastrous World War I landing of Australian and New Zealand at Gallipoli, Turkey. The university blocked the meeting after it had been denounced by fascists affiliated with the now-defunct United Patriots Front. In communications with staff, then-Vice Chancellor Michael Spence claimed that the censorship was being carried out at the recommendation of unspecified policing agencies. On the same day the SEP meeting was to be held, the university conducted a pro-war celebration of Anzac Day.

In 2019, the management sacked academic Tim Anderson, after he had shown an image of a swastika superimposed over the Israeli flag. The dismissal again followed a campaign by right-wing Zionist organisations. Last October, the Federal Court ruled that Anderson had been unlawfully fired. Justice Thomas Thawley found that Anderson was exercising his intellectual freedom and that the graphic had been created for academic purposes.

And now, this same administration has the audacity to lecture students about the importance of free speech, as it levels heavy penalties against pupils whose only offence has been to protest!

The University of Sydney is at the forefront of the transformation of universities into corporatised arms of big business and the military-intelligence establishment. Its repeated attacks on the pay and conditions of staff have served as a benchmark for universities across the country.

The University of Sydney was among the first campuses to establish an explicitly pro-war institute on campus. The US Studies Centre, funded by the Australian and American governments and major corporations, was founded in 2006 to overcome widespread hostility to war in the wake of Washingtons invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan. It is a key forum for strategic discussions on preparations for Australian involvement in war with China.

The attacks at the University of Sydney are part of a broader onslaught. At campuses across the country, the International Youth and Students for Social Equality, the youth movement of the SEP, has repeatedly faced censorship and attempts to drive it off campus. Last year, Macquarie University in Sydney disaffiliated the IYSSE club. The student union at the University of Melbourne did the same. Both seized on minor clerical issues to prosecute what were clearly acts of political censorship.

Last December, the IYSSE around the world launched a campaign to build a global anti-war movement of the working class. The urgency of that fight is demonstrated by the rapid escalation of the US-NATO war against Russia in Ukraine, the continuous provocations being directed against China and the evisceration of democratic rights that is accompanying the war drive.

Protest stunts, like the one directed against Turnbull, do nothing to develop such a movement. Instead, they obscure the essential political issues, including the Albanese Labor governments escalation of ruling class support for the US war offensive in Ukraine and against China. As with all protest politics, they essentially amount to an appeal to the powers-that-be to change their course and their personnel. Instead, students should turn to a study of the lessons of history, the revolutionary program of Marxism and Trotskyism and to a fight for socialism in the working class, the only social force that can stop war and overturn its source, the capitalist profit system.

The IYSSE is holding a series of meetings to discuss the socialist perspective required to end the war in Ukraine and prevent a catastrophe in this region.

Melbourne, VIC

7 p.m. AEDT, Tuesday March 14

Lecture Theatre 2, 295 Queen Street (entrance via Little Lonsdale St), Melbourne CBD

Victoria University: City Queen Campus

Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/for-a-mass-movement-of-youth-and-students-against-imperialist-war-registration-559858029437

The event will also be livestreamed for those who cannot attend in person, including the immunocompromised. Register for the Zoom livestream at this link: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_RwFpGh4fTwaALq5z9vuhvA

Newcastle, NSW

7 p.m. AEDT, Thursday March 16

Lecture Theatre V205 (Mathematics Building)

University of Newcastle (Callaghan campus)

Register for the Zoom livestream at this link: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_JrpMFl4dRzSx8sAZwia35Q

Sydney, NSW

Wednesday March 15

Venue and time TBC

Contact the SEP:

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.
The aircraft of the Russian invaders damaged at Machulischi air base near Minsk in Belarus is an A-50 Airborne Early Warning system and control aircraft coordinating the work of fighters, according to a defense intelligence statement published on Twitter by the Ministry of Defense of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland on Tuesday morning.

As noted in British intelligence, the incapacitation of this aircraft will significantly affect the possibility of conducting Russian air operations.

"On February 26, 2023, Belarusian partisan group BYPOL and exiled opposition leaders an A-50 MAINSTAY was sustained damaged from Uncrewed Aerial Vehicle (UAV) attacks at Machulischy air base. BYPOL reported two explosions and damage to the front and middle sections of the A-50 MAINSTAY as well as radar antenna. Attribution and damage has not been officially corroborated. However, the loss of an A-50 MAINSTAY would be significant as it is critical to Russian air operations for providing an air battlespace picture," the intelligence said.

According to British intelligence, this attack will limit Russian air operations. After it, the invaders will have six more combat A-50s in service.
The Revolt for Peace protest rally, which took place on Saturday in front of Berlins Brandenburg Gate, attracted around 13,000 participants, far fewer than had been expected. The Manifesto for Peace, published in advance by the rallys organizers, prominent Left Party politician Sahra Wagenknecht and feminist Alice Schwarzer, had received nearly 700,000 signatures.

View of the podium [Photo: WSWS]

The manifesto had refrained from any criticism of the rapid rearmament of the Bundeswehr (Armed Forces) and was limited to an appeal to Chancellor Olaf Scholz to end the escalation of arms deliveries and to seek peace negotiations. But hundreds of thousands had signed it because they oppose the German governments war course and take the danger of nuclear war seriously.

Since the manifesto was published two weeks ago, however, its right-wing character has become increasingly clear. The initiators are abusing opposition to the war for a nationalist and militarist agenda, the World Socialist Web Site explained in an article. In the run-up to the demonstration, co-initiator Oskar Lafontaine had even explicitly welcomed politicians from the fascist Alternative for Germany (AfD) to the rally.

As a result, it was not the hundreds of thousands who reject the war and its constant escalation by NATO who came, but only those who could at least accept the nationalist orientation and the openness towards the right wing. Young people were almost completely absent, and the many older participants were recruited in part from right-wing Querdenkern (lateral thinkers), members of the Left Party and the remnants of the peace movement. Quite a few justified an alliance with the far-right AfD under the slogan Unity of all opponents of war!

Following Lafontaines invitation, the AfD was also present at the rally. For example, leading AfD politicians Hans-Thomas Tillschneider, Jorg Urban and Gunnar Lindemann attended. They were joined by other right-wing extremists, such as Holocaust denier Nicolai Nerling and Compact editor-in-chief Jurgen Elsasser.

View of the rally on February 25, 2023 [Photo: WSWS]

Wagenknechts pro forma statement at the beginning of her contribution that neo-Nazis and Reichsburger would of course have no business at our peace rally was therefore pure charade. She also took pains in the very next sentence to assure that everyone who honestly wants to demonstrate for peace and negotiations would also be welcome at future ralliesthe same formulation with which Lafontaine had explicitly invited AfD politicians.

The nationalist and militarist orientation of the demonstration was most clearly summed up in the speech of its co-initiator, former Brigadier General Erich Vad. An advocate of massive rearmament, Vad publishes articles in far-right newspapers and promotes a more aggressive conduct by Germany and Europe in the world arena.

In his speech, he declared, Military operations and arms deliveries must always remain linked to attempts to bring about political solutions. However, he said, a long continuation of the Ukraine war was neither in Germanys nor in Europes interest. The German government, he said, must claim a say in Ukraine and, together with the French government, should finally take action so that Germany and Europe are no longer objects and pawns in a proxy war. To thunderous applause, Vad concluded, Europe must finally become an interest-driven strategic actor!

Wagenknecht also called for an independent European foreign policy. While she did call for a cease-fire, urged negotiations with Russia and warned of a nuclear inferno, she held the interests of the White House and the American sphere of influence solely responsible for the outbreak of the Ukraine war. She accused the German government of allowing Germany to be drawn more and more into this waruntil the war possibly arrived here. Wagenknecht criticized Germanys largest rearmament drive since the fall of the Nazi regime and the governments aggressive policy of escalation primarily from the standpoint that the federal government was allowing itself to be pressured into it by the United States.

General appeals for peacecombined with accusations that the German government had no objectives and was a vassal of the US governmentwere also the basic hallmarks of the other speeches. Speakers included neoliberal US economist and economic adviser Jeffrey Sachs (via video), actress Corinna Kirchhoff and peace activist Hans-Peter Waldrich. Feminist Alice Schwarzer, who spoke after Wagenknecht, claimed that the cause of the Ukraine war and the threat of nuclear war was not capitalism but a general masculinity.

At the end of the rally, Lafontaine, Wagenknecht, Schwarzer and Vad, as well as Left Party politician Sevim Dagdelen, stood hand in hand on the stage.

The whole rally was not a call to fight against war, but an appeal to the government to look after German interests more consistently. As a result, the militarists and nationalists of the AfD were also welcome.

In the leaflet supporters distributed at the rally, the Sozialistische Gleichheitspartei (Socialist Equality Party) declared:
Last week, the Young Guard of Bolshevik Leninists (YGBL), a youth organization in Russia and other countries of the former Soviet Union that has declared its political solidarity with the International Committee of the Fourth International, celebrated its 5-year anniversary. The YGBL was founded on February 23, 2018, which also marked the centenary of the formation of the Red Army under the leadership of Leon Trotsky.

In greetings brought to the meeting, David North, the chairman of the International Editorial Board of the World Socialist Web Site, stressed the significance of the YGBLs turn to the world Trotskyist movement based on the long-standing struggle by the ICFI in defense of the continuity of Trotskyism. North reviewed the historical and theoretical issues involved in the so-called Russian question, which has come up repeatedly at critical turning points in the history of Trotskyism. The revolutionary movement defended Marxism and the programmatic principles of the October Revolution in the face of the pressures exerted by the nationalist reaction against the revolution by Stalinism and the emergence of various forms of petty bourgeois opportunism.

The meeting was marked by a high level of consciousness among its participants of the historical and political tasks confronting workers and young people in the fight to build sections of the International Committee of the Fourth International.

A graphic designed by the Young Guard of Bolshevik Leninists to honor its 5-year anniversary. [Photo: WSWS]

Ostap Rerikh, the head and co-founder of the YGBL, stated at the onset of the meeting, The Young Guard of Bolshevik-Leninists was conceived of from its very inception as the organization that will fight for the truth about Lev Davidovich Trotsky, as an organization that clears the path so that a new generation of fighters for socialism can walk freely on it.

Rerikh stressed that the YGBL was dedicated to the conscious fight against Stalinism and various forms of petty bourgeois nationalist and anti-Marxist politics. He said, We must direct our fire equally against both Stalinism and all these so-called Marxists, in order to defeat them. They are, in fact, pseudo-Marxists, who replace the class struggle with identity politics, which prioritizes not the struggle of the proletariat, but the struggle between different identities.

The YGBL established political relations with the International Committee of the Fourth International shortly before the outbreak of the NATO-Russia war in Ukraine on February 24, 2022. As a result, Rerikh explained,

When on February 24, 2022 the first shots were fired and the shells began raining down from the sky, we were not alone; we were with the International Committee of the Fourth International. Their articles and statements were our articles and statements, for we could not stand otherwise, for we could have no other position on what was happening, for their position and assessment was our position and assessment. Of course, when we were only thinking about uniting with the International Committee of the Fourth International, we knew little of what we later learned when we actually established contact with it. Today, our comrades in the YGBL know very well what Pabloism is in both theory and in practice. They know perfectly well who represents a variety of Pabloism in Russia, who is fighting so hard for the title of the true Grantites, and they know, above all, that the International Committee of the Fourth International represents not simply one of many tendencies within the Fourth International, but that it represents the Fourth International itself.

Andrei Ritsky, a leader of the organization who has contributed many important articles to the WSWS, also emphasized the centrality of history for the political orientation of the YGBL.

The starting point for an analysis of the current political situation is a clear understanding of the legacy left to us by Stalinism and the need for a complete break with it. Without this there can be no further analysis. We must take the necessary measures to solve two very important problems: 1) The education of the core cadre; 2) The strengthening of the unity of our cadres throughout the former USSR. When we fight for the truth about Trotsky, and about his true followers, we do so not just for the sake of Trotskyism itself. It was for a reason that we chose the International Committee as our mentors and comrades. It was for a reason that we declared war on all kinds of opportunism. It was for a reason that we decided to take serious steps to educate the core cadre for the building of a section. All of this represents a conscious response to a state of affairs that we confront because of the entire preceding history. We are doing this so that the working class, armed with advanced theory, can overcome the resistance of the bourgeoisie and carry out the socialist revolution throughout the world! It is impossible to be a Marxist without being a Trotskyist. That is why the next years for the strengthening and development of the YGBL are only possible on this basisan understanding of Trotskyism.

A poster designed by the YGBL to honor the founders of the Red Army, Vladimir Lenin and Leon Trotsky. The YGBL was founded on February 23, 2018, which coincided with the centenary of the Red Army. The poster says: "Glory to the founders of the Red Army of Workers and Peasants" [Photo: WSWS]

Clara Weiss brought greetings to the meeting on behalf of the International Youth and Students for Social Equality (IYSSE), the youth and student organization of the International Committee, of which the YGBL forms part. Stressing that the war and the present situation more broadly could only be understood within the context of the political genocide of socialists in the Great Terror in the 1930s and the dissolution of the Soviet Union by the Stalinist bureaucracy, she said,

Thirty years after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, no one can deny that the warnings of the ICFI about the counterrevolutionary character of Stalinism and the disastrous consequences of the destruction of the USSR have been tragically vindicated. But the results of this historical process are not only the war and the other intersecting crises that we now see unfolding. As difficult as the conditions facing workers and youth today are, we have one tremendous historical advantage: We can build on the struggle of generations of Trotskyists in the International Committee who have accumulated colossal political experiences and historical and intellectual capital. When youth formed groups in the Soviet Union in the early 1950s and heroically sought to oppose the Stalinist bureaucracy from the left and reconnect with the heritage of Trotsky and Lenin, they tragically remained cut off from the Fourth International. The Stalinist bureaucracy ruthlessly murdered their leaders and imprisoned their members, unbeknownst to the outside world. By contrast, the YGBL, relatively early in its history, was able to contact the International Committee and develop a close collaboration with it.

In a lively discussion about the significance of the anniversary, one YGBL member said:

We are the heirs of October and everyone in our ranks shoulders a very special task: the task of constructing communism. And in order to achieve this, we must do one thing: we must study; knowledge is the key to victory. We hold a great heritage in our hands. We must learn to use it wisely. The bourgeoisie now actively tries to indoctrinate the youth and tries to mislead it, replacing internationalism with vicious chauvinism and nationalism. All their speeches are imbued with bourgeois nationalism against which we must fight. We must fight for our youth. For if we wont do it they will become cannon fodder for the bourgeoisie in the struggle against us. The youth must live according to the teachings of Lenin and Trotsky.

In responding to the discussion, David North placed the meeting in its broader political context of the pandemic, the war and the emergence of a global movement by the working class, stating:

Everywhere in the world, the oppressed masses are confronting the complete bankruptcy of this outmoded social system which really should have been overthrown during the last century. Look at what has taken place in just the past three years. A pandemic has claimed the lives of 20-25 million people throughout the world, and the ruling class has responded to this disease with an indifference that even exceeds that of the nobility in the era 700 years ago of the Black Death. The fact is that this was a preventable pandemic. Had there been coordinated and scientifically guided collaboration throughout the world, this disease could have been eradicated with minimal loss of life. But now we have a situation in every country of the world, in the US, Germany, England, Ukraine, Russia, Chinaeverywherewhere death has been normalized. It has become a matter of complete indifference to the governments as to how many people die each day. In America, the number of people dying each day of COVID is estimated between 500-1,000. No one knows because there is no accurate reporting. Within the last two weeks, the earthquake in Turkey and Syria has claimed at least 100,000 lives. Again, no one knows what the exact number is. An emergency now confronts the people in both countries who are deprived of basic necessities to live. But the needs of the people in Turkey and Syria in the face of yet another catastrophewhich also could have been preventedis being more or less ignored. The US and NATO are spending billions to prosecute the war in Ukraine and are giving virtually nothing to save the lives of people in Turkey and Syria. One could give countless other examples. That is the reality of modern-day, bankrupt, reactionary capitalism. And this is becoming clearer and clearer to the working class throughout the world. So the conditions which we confront today for the building of the Fourth International as the leadership of the global working class are in a historic sense immensely favorable. The influence of the International Committee is steadily expanding. This is because our program corresponds to historical necessity. And that is what gives us immense confidence in our perspective and in the inevitability of our success. So, comrades, on this important anniversary, and it is a day of great importance, you can be proud of what you have accomplished, but you must understand that the greatest tasks lie ahead. You are young, you must study. You must read as much as possible of Trotsky, of Lenin, of all the great classical Marxists, and you must, of course, familiarize yourself with the entire history of the Fourth International. In that way you are preparing yourselves, and through your efforts the working class within Russia and throughout the former Soviet Union, for the great revolutionary struggles into which it will be drawn by the global crisis of capitalism.
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) published a two-part series on February 20-21 entitled What would war with China look like for Australia? It highlighted the growing fears in some ruling circles over the disastrous consequences of a US-led war with China amid the increasingly belligerent stance of Washington.

ABC News' two-part series: "What would war with China look like for Australia?" [Photo: ABC News screen shot]

The article is based on interviews with, as the ABC described them, four of Australias most experienced military strategists. All hold the highest security clearances that its possible to have and have been involved in sensitive military operations.

The four are: Professor Hugh White, former deputy secretary for strategy and intelligence in the Department of Defence; Admiral Chris Barrie, defence force chief from 1998 to 2002; Allan Behm, former head of the International Policy and Strategy Divisions of the Defence Department; and Professor Clinton Fernandes, a former military intelligence officer.

None of them is in any sense anti-war or anti-imperialist. They represent a dissident faction of the ruling class deeply concerned about the economic and political implications for Australian imperialism of any involvement in a US-led war against its largest trading partner, China, with some advocating a more independent Australian foreign policy.

The fact that the state-owned national broadcaster has brought them together is striking confirmation that the time-line for US conflict with China is growing ever shorter. Under Trump and now Biden, the US has deliberately inflamed the most dangerous flashpoint in AsiaTaiwancalling into question in ever-more open fashion the One China policy that has underpinned US-China relations since 1979.

As the ABC explained, the analysts interviewed are all watching with great interest as the drums of war beat in some quarters regarding a possible war with China. US war planning is far more advanced than that statement would suggestas the four would know. In a leaked internal memo earlier this month, US four-star Air Force General Michael Minahan said he had a gut feeling the US would be at war with China over Taiwan in 2025. His memo, the first of many, ordered his commanders to make detailed preparations.

The ABC pointed out: Australians could wake up one morning to the news that we are at war with China. Confronting as that would be, perhaps more confronting is something many people do not realise: such a decision would not require any consultation in parliament. The decision to go to war would not require a public discussion. It would not require the assent of the Governor General and is entirely in the hands of the prime minister of the day.

Admiral Barrie made the starkest of warnings about a conflict with China. The consequences for us would be very serious in terms of the Australian economy, the impact on the Australian people and the ravages to our way of life throughout the land, he told the ABC.

Unlike the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, Barrie continued, that affected only the members deployed into the conflict and their families, a war with China would have an impact on all Australians. Economically, financially and personally it is likely to impoverish us all; it may even kill most of us if it goes nuclear, he said.

Hugh White pointed that a conflict with China would be devastating for Australia whether it joined or not. Our economy would be paralysed as all trade with China and other major East Asian partners would stop dead and may not resume for a long time. If we joined the fight, or allowed US forces involved to operate from bases here, then there would be a clear chance that Australia would face direct attack from Chinese long-range forces.

In reality, Australia would be involved in any US war with China from the outset. Over the past decade, Australian military forces and bases have been closely integrated into US plans for war with China. US Marines, warships and military aircraft, including nuclear-capable B-52 bombers, routinely rotate through northern Australia. Australia is a partner in the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue with the US, Japan and India, as well as the AUKUS pact with Britain and the US that will provide Australia with nuclear-powered attack submarines. The Pine Gap base in central Australia is indispensable to the US militarys intelligence-gathering, communications and targeting throughout Asia.

Hugh White, Emeritus Professor of Strategic Studies at the Australian National University. [Photo: Australian National University]

Asked what the US would require of the Australian military in a war with China, White declared: US forces would be fully committed to the maximum of their capacity, and they would expect and indeed demand the same of us. Asked about likely casualties, he concluded: There would thus be a high chance that involvement in a war with China would swiftly exceed the toll in casualties suffered in Vietnam and Korea.

Australian imperialisms dependence on the US

Of the four analysts, Allan Behm was the most openly critical of Australian involvement in US past wars. Australia is never reluctant to support and participate in American adventurism. Korea was an unnecessary war, as were the conflicts in Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan. Vietnam and Iraq were illegal wars, with the US Administration(s) lying to their citizens and their allies about the strategic necessity and the morality of the use of armed force, he told the ABC.

Australia has a fundamental strategic pathologyto support the interests of the US at the expense of our own. A war with China over Taiwan, awful as that would be, involves no Australian national interests. Behm criticised Liberal-National opposition leader Peter Dutton and Labors defence minister Richard Marles for adopting the default position of all the way with the USA wherever and whenever.

What Behm declared to be fundamental strategic pathology is not, however, the product of wrong-thinking individuals, much less a national character flaw, but stems from the objective weakness of Australian imperialism, a middle-order power. It has always relied on the major imperialist powerfirst Britain, then the US since the middle of World War IIto prosecute its economic and strategic interests in the region and internationally.

Those like Behm advocating a more independent Australian foreign and military policy have been largely marginalised precisely because, as far as the dominant sections of the ruling class are concerned, it is a pipe dream. What is looming is not simply a US-China tussle over Taiwan but a far broader global conflict involving nuclear-armed powersthe opening shots of which already have been fired in Europe.

Washington regards its war with Russia in Ukraine as the prelude to a war with China, which it openly declares is the major danger to its global hegemony. Just as it has goaded Russia into a debilitating war in Ukraine, so the US is baiting China to attack Taiwan. The object of this utterly reckless policy is the same in each caseto undermine, destabilise, break up and ultimately subordinate both countries to US interests.

Significantly, none of the four analysts has a word to say about the Ukraine war or Australias involvement, despite its implications for a war in Asia. For all his denunciations of other US wars, Behms reaction to the eruption of the conflict in Ukraine was not critical of Washington or its predatory aims. Rather he insisted that the Australian government should take no part and focus its military efforts in Asia.

Much of the ABC articles is narrowly focussed on whether the US would win a war with China over Taiwan. After weighing up relative military strengths, the geography and possible Chinese strategiesClinton Fernandes devotes his comments to the likelihood of a Chinese blockade rather than invasion of the islandall four conclude the outcome would either be a stalemate or a US loss.

Similar calculations are undoubtedly being made in the Pentagon and the White House, not only about the immediate military considerations but far broader political and strategic questions. Washington has been stepping up its preparations for war with China since President Obama announced the pivot to Asia in 2011 in the Australian parliament. Just as the US cannot afford to lose the war in Ukraine and is recklessly accelerating it, so its entire global position is at stake in a war with China. What might start as a war over Taiwan, with its population as cannon fodder, has the potential to rapidly escalate out of control, with catastrophic consequences for humanity as a whole.

As far as preventing the outbreak of a US war with China, the analysts hope to convince the very political and media establishment that is already signed up to US war plans, to perform an about-face. But the accelerating drive to war in the Indo-Pacific, like the war underway in Europe, is bound up with the immense and deepening crisis of global capitalism. Absent from the ABC discussion is any consideration of the basic economic, social and political forces driving US imperialism to war, and driving Australian governments to put the population on the frontline of the conflict.

Admiral Barrie repeatedly appeals for a change of heart. Australia should take a position where averting war is a serious policy objective. This is a statesman-like response to the challenges we are addressing today wherein the risk of war has grown since 2017, in my opinion. But the capitalist politicians of today have all jumped on board the wagons of war as they careen towards disaster, not only to prosecute strategic and economic interests, but to divert massive social tensions that are already fuelling the class struggle internationally outwards against an external foe. Pleas for statesmanship in ruling circles will fall on deaf ears.

Far from lessening the commitment to US war plans, the Albanese Labor government has intensified it, outdoing the previous Liberal-National government, both in Ukraine and the Indo-Pacific, since it took office in May 2022. Barely a day goes by without a new announcement of increased weapon purchase, more military aid to Ukraine or US access to Australian bases. Albanese and his ministers have also stepped-up the anti-China witch-hunting and bullying of Pacific states that establish links with Beijing.

Strikingly, even after he has outlined the catastrophic consequences of a US war with China, Barrie does not rule out Australian participation in all circumstances. Asked if Australia should join, Barrie declares: It depends. There are always a few possibilities that the right thing to do is to go to war irrespective of the expectation that we could win whatever that means. He only adds the caveat that such possibilities seem remote at present.

After the barbaric experiences of the Vietnam War and the US destruction of entire societies in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya and Syria, there is little popular support for further US-led wars. But that anti-war sentiment must not be diverted into support for the no less predatory interests of Australian capitalism.

No faith can be placed in any faction of the ruling class in Australia, the US or elsewhere to slow, let alone halt, the plunge toward a third world war and nuclear Armageddon. But the same contradictions of capitalism that are driving the ruling classes to conflict are propelling the working class in struggle. To the pressing social and economic demands of workers fighting to defend their jobs, conditions and wages must be added the necessity of building a unified anti-war movement of the international working class to prevent the outbreak of such a war by putting an end to the capitalist system that gives rise to it.

Contact the SEP

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
One year ago, on February 28, 2022, floodwaters swept through towns and villages across the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales (NSW), destroying thousands of homes. In the regional city of Lismore there were shocking scenes of people forced to cling for their lives for hours on rooftops, unable to get help from emergency services. Similar life-threatening situations occurred in many communities throughout the region.

Days earlier, the same weather system had already deluged and caused extensive damage to homes in neighbouring southeast Queensland, particularly in low-lying working-class suburbs of Brisbane, the state capital. In total, in one week, at least 16 lives were lost.

In the following statement, issued on March 6, 2022, the Socialist Equality Party (SEP) indicted the capitalist profit system for the catastrophe. As the statement documented, even though the rainstorms involved were extreme, it was not simply a natural disaster. The destructive outcomes were the result of profit-driven and cost-cutting political decisions, as well as the refusal of governments, Labor and Liberal-National governments alike, to take the necessary measures to halt climate change.

The statement explained that the floods crisis, like the devastating 201920 bushfires and the ongoing COVID pandemic, demonstrate the need for the total reorganisation of society on a socialist basis so that it is planned rationally and democratically to protect health and lives, and meet social need, not feed private profits and wealth accumulation.

A year later, none of the basic failures exposed by the crisis has been resolved. The contemptuous and inadequate response of governments continues. Thousands of flood victims are still living in makeshift accommodation, despite promises by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet that a buy-back, house-lift or repair scheme would assist them. Essential infrastructure, even flood gauges and the overwhelmed triple-O emergency phone line, remains chronically under-funded.

The failure of the official response has been further exposed in recent months by the wider floods that have engulfed homes in the Sydney area and townships across the Murray-Darling river basin in western NSW, as well as other such disasters in Tasmania and northern Western Australia.

As our election statement explains, the SEP is standing candidates in the March 25 NSW state election to take forward the fight for a socialist program, against the policies of war, austerity, climate disaster and let it rip COVID supported by every other party.

We appeal to working people and youth to promote and participate in our campaign as widely as possible, and above all, to join the SEP to build the revolutionary party needed to fight for this socialist alternative.

* * *

Australias floods: An indictment of capitalism

Socialist Equality Party (Australia)

6 March 2022

The floods that have shattered communities across large areas of Australias eastern states over the past week have further demonstrated the indifference of governmentsCoalition and Laborfor the health, lives and livelihoods of ordinary working people.

Coming on top of the 201920 bushfire catastrophe and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the floods have further laid bare their failure to take the necessary steps to protect the population from such disasters.

In this photo provided by the Fraser Coast Regional Council, water floods streets and houses in Maryborough, Australia, Monday, Feb. 28, 2022. (Queensland Fire and Emergency Services via AP) [AP Photo]

Every aspect of the floods crisisfrom the lack of preparation and warnings to people, to the inadequacy of basic infrastructure and support services, and the lack of assistance offered to the hundreds of thousands of flood victimsis the direct result of the subordination of society to the dictates of private profit.

Over the past week, at least 16 lives have been lost, and some people are still unaccounted for. More storms and flooding are predicted. Already, thousands of homes have been destroyed or severely damaged, especially in poor and working-class areas where most residents are not insured because of the exorbitant cost of premiums or the refusal of the insurance giants to cover flood damage.

More than a week after the floods first engulfed homes and small businesses, many people still have no power or food and fuel supplies, and entire towns and regions remain without essential Internet services and reliable phone coverage, adding to the dangers and trauma of the emergency. For days on end, flood victims have been unable to even contact emergency services to be rescued, access critical safety information or get in touch with their families.

In the worlds 13th largest economy there are people who have gone for days without food, clothing or shelter. Many are yet to see any government-organised assistance.

Just two years ago, governmentsstate and federalleft thousands of people unprotected and abandoned during bushfires that ravaged large areas of eastern Australia and enveloped cities and towns, including the countrys two largest citiesSydney and Melbourne, in a pall of smoke. As with the floods, essential services that have been run down over decades were simply not able to cope.

Governments have also let loose the COVID-19 virus right at the point when the threats posed by the highly infectious Omicron strain emerged in Australia. The scrapping of virtually all public health restrictions has led to a massive surge of infections, hospitalisations and deaths putting huge strains on the hospital system.

While governments and the media promote the lie that the pandemic is all but over, last month recorded the highest number of deaths per day. Workers and students are being pushed back into workplaces, schools and universities for the sake of corporate profit at the expense of the health and lives of the population.

The demand for people to live with the virus is matched by the insistence that people must live with floods and fires, and take individual responsibility and somehow make themselves resilient.

There have been shocking scenes. People have been forced to cling for their lives for hours on rooftops, unable to get help from emergency services. Most were eventually rescued only through the often dangerous and heroic efforts of fellow residents, who arrived with boats and kayaks. These selfless responses are in stark contrast to the failures of the governments, federal, state and municipal.

For the second time in 11 years, Brisbane and its surrounding regions have been devastated, with the damage more widespread than in the 2011 floods. Up to 20,000 homes have been affected in the countrys third largest city, with the worst damage in working-class areas such as Goodna, Logan and Beenleigh.

Queenslands state Labor Party Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk defended her governments failure to adequately prepare or warn people in time for them to save their possessions and evacuate. She claimed that weather forecasts had kept changing, but the Bureau of Meteorology issued a specific warning on February 23 that a slow-moving low pressure system was dragging water from the sea and dumping it over the coastline. There has been torrential rain for two days and there is much more to come, it stated.

The same weather system struck Lismore, a northern New South Wales (NSW) regional city of 44,000 people. A life-threatening wall of water swept through the lower working-class area of the city, swamping some 14,000 homes at about 3 a.m. last Monday. No official warning was provided to residents. The citys inadequate levee was overwhelmed, as it was most recently in 2017, but the NSW governments Special Emergency Services (SES) had only two boats on hand to rescue stranded survivors.

Governments and the media have depicted the floods as simply a natural disaster, describing it as a rain bomb. In reality, even though the weather systems involved are extreme, the destructive outcomes are the result of profit-driven and cost-cutting political decisions.

Profit-driven and cost-cutting decisions

Lack of disaster preparation: Despite the growing frequency of disasters, the federal Liberal-National governments $4 billion Emergency Response Fund has hardly spent a cent on disaster recovery since the funds creation in 2019, just before the black summer bushfires. Just $150 million had been set aside for disaster-mitigation projects and much less than that has actually been spent.

By contrast, more than $400 billion has been handed to business during the pandemic and $250 billion has been allocated for military spending in preparations for a US-led war against China. While the government failed to assist residents for days, it rushed to send $70 million to NATO to buy weapons for Ukrainian forces as part of the escalating confrontation with Russia.

Inadequate and privatised infrastructure: Dams built in previous decades to protect populations against floods, such as Sydneys Warragamba Dam and Brisbanes Wivenhoe Dam, have been known to be inadequate for years. The Wivenhoe dam, completed in 1984, after terrible floods in 1974, has not met national safety guidelines for large dams since about 2002. Levees in rural cities such as Lismore are likewise sub-standard. Freeways, local roads, rail networks and drainage systems have proven inadequate as well, quickly being swamped. Corporate-controlled and privatised Internet and phone services have dangerously broken down, blacking out entire regions for days on end.

Housing development in flood-prone areas: Government figures blame ordinary people for supposedly choosing to live in vulnerable areas, but successive governments, at the behest of property developers, have allowed further housing projects in areas susceptible to floods. Because of soaring house prices and falling real wages, working-class families often have no option but to live in these low-lying areas. According to the Insurance Council of Australia, 2 to 3 percent of homes nationally are now in frequent flood zones and 15 percent are susceptible to flood. With about 10 million households in Australia, that equals 200,000 to 1.5 million households living in danger!

Prohibitive cost of disaster insurance: More and more residents living in these zones cannot afford or have been denied flood insurance coverage, leaving many flood victims facing financial ruin and possible homelessness. This insurance crisis will worsen as the companies hike up premiums again due to the floods. The response of Prime Minister Scott Morrisons government has been to subsidise the insurance giants by giving them a $10 billion guarantee to cover any losses from cyclones in northern Australia.

Reliance on volunteers and the military: The chronically under-resourced SES agencies in each state, like the firefighting services in the bushfire crisis, depend almost entirely on volunteers who put their lives on the line without being paid. In NSW, with a land size almost 3.5 times that of the UK, the SES relies on some 9,000 volunteers, with just over 300 paid staff. In every major disaster, these services have been overwhelmed quickly, requiring people to take matters into their own hands.

Successive governments have exploited the lack of adequate civil disaster services to send in the troops to create the political climate for the use of the military to suppress social and political unrest. The Gillard Labor government mobilised more than 1,500 military personnel after the 2011 Brisbane floods, and the Morrison Coalition government has invoked emergency powers to do so again, as it did during the bushfire crisis.

Relief payments for business, pittances for residents: People whose homes have been damaged or destroyed have been offered a pittancejust $1,000 per adult and $400 per child in one-off disaster payments, plus possible 13-week income replacement payments. By contrast, Morrison and NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet jointly announced grants of up to $75,000 for primary producers and up to $50,000 for small businesses.

Climate change: Because of the heavy reliance of energy giants on fossil fuel revenues, the response of Australian governments, even compared to the totally inadequate measures taken internationally, is criminally irresponsible.

While individual extreme weather events cannot be traced directly to global warming, the latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report found that catastrophic flooding is becoming more likely. Scientific studies show that each 1C of heating due to greenhouse gas emissions allows the atmosphere to hold about 7 percent more moisture.

A socialist perspective

While governments have left residents to fend for themselves, however, ordinary people have come together, as they did in the bushfire calamity, to rescue victims and provide food, shelter and assistance to those in need, using Facebook and other social media platforms to organise independently.

This embryonic self-organisation by the working class needs to be informed by a socialist perspective and developed into a mass movement fighting to take political power in Australia and internationally. Workers need to establish their own rank-and-file committees in workplaces and working-class areas and neighbourhoods independent of the pro-capitalist parties and trade unions to fight for:

* The establishment of timely warning systems, including the expansion of meteorological and associated services, to cover the entire country and population.

* A vast expansion of paid civilian emergency and health services to respond to crises such as fires, floods and the COVID-19 pandemic.

* The establishment of a national public insurance fund to compensate individual losses and provide for the reconstruction and rebuilding of communities.

* A massive expansion of flood protection infrastructure in a coordinated plan to prevent the inundation of flood-prone areas.

* The establishment of a resilient and comprehensive telecommunication network to guarantee timely warning and communications in times of emergency, including regional, rural and remote areas.

* Climate change is a global emergency that cannot be resolved on a local or national basis but requires an international, scientifically-based plan to halt and reverse global warming.

All of these measures come into conflict with a society dominated by the insatiable drive for private profit and the conflicting interests of national states, over and above the essential social needs of working people.

Politicians, corporations and the media will invariably dismiss such demands as unrealistic as there is no money. However, trillions of dollars in socially-produced wealth have been amassed in private handsthe fortunes of the billionaires have doubled in the pandemicand billions are being spent on war preparations. The pressing social needs of the majority can and must be addressed by placing the banks, insurance companies, property developers and other corporate giants under working class ownership and democratic control.

The floods crisis, like the bushfire catastrophe and the COVID pandemic, demonstrates the need for the total reorganisation of society on a socialist basis so that it is planned rationally and democratically to protect health and lives, and meet social need.

The formation of independent rank-and-file committees is the basis for a political fight for a workers government to implement the necessary socialist measures. This means joining and building the Socialist Equality Party to provide the socialist and internationalist perspective to lead that struggle.

Contact the SEP:

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 an uncanny instance of history repeating itself, the script used to justify the 2003 invasion of Iraq based on false claims about weapons of mass destruction is being used to promote the United States aggressive military buildup against China.

On Sunday, the Wall Street Journal published an article entitled, Lab Leak Most Likely Origin of Covid-19 Pandemic, Energy Department Now Says, which was used to launch a campaign by the entire US media to legitimize the false claim that COVID-19 was a man-made virus created at Chinas Wuhan Institute of Virology.

None of the media coverage noted the fact that the person who wrote the Wall Street Journals report, Michael R. Gordon, is the most notorious liar in the American media, whose fabrications were so enormous that even his former employers at the New York Times had to repeatedly distance themselves from him.

Left: Secretary of State Colin Powell holds up a vial he said could contain anthrax as he presents evidence of Iraq's alleged weapons programs to the United Nations Security Council on Feb. 5, 2003. Right: Republican Senator Rand Paul, who claims COVID-19 was created at the Wuhan Institute of Virology during a Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee hearing on COVID-19. [AP Photo]

But in the tradecraft of the American media, this problem is easily solved. Media accounts of Gordons reporting simply did not refer to the fact that the author has a record of lying. If anyone notes this basic fact, he is referred to, in the quasi-racist language that has become accepted in the US media, as Chinese.

Gordon wrote the September 8, 2002 article falsely asserting that Iraqi President Saddam Hussein was seeking to build a nuclear weapon. That article, entitled U.S. says Hussein intensifies quest for a-bomb parts, cited anonymous Bush administration sources to promote the claim that the Iraqi government was seeking to build weapons of mass destruction.

A screenshot of the September 8, 2002 New York Times article by Michael Gordon: U.S. Says Hussein intensifies quest for A-bomb parts.

On May 26, 2004, the Times published a letter from its editors acknowledging that it repeatedly fell for misinformation in its reporting on the Iraq war, citing Gordons reporting in particular.

Gordons claims were part of a pattern of false reporting that had to be publicly retracted. In 2014, he published what he claimed were photographs of Russian soldiers operating in Ukraine, which the Times public editor since had to admit were discredited.

The retraction by the Times public editor quoted reporter Robert Parry, who explained the pattern in Gordons reporting:

All these stories draw hard conclusions from very murky evidence while ignoring or brushing aside alternative explanations. They also pile up supportive acclamations for their conclusions from self-interested sources, while treating any doubters as rubes.

And, indeed, this is the pattern of the Wall Street Journals latest article, which is, in the words of the late Parry, Another Michael Gordon Special.

Like so much of Gordons reporting, his latest article consists of hearsay about a secondary source ascribing a view to a section of the US government.

It is based on what anonymous officials told him were the contents of a report summarizing the views of different sections of the US government, which allegedly notes that the US Energy Department has changed its conclusion on the origins of COVID-19.

The article, based entirely on anonymous sources, was soon confirmed within hours by other strategically placed articles, also based on statements by U.S. officials in the New York Times, CNN, and NBC News, who also claimed to have knowledge about the secret document about a document.

Out of this agglomeration of nothings, of nothing piled on top of nothing, the US media concocted a supposed sea change of views about the origins of COVID-19, whose intended effect is to make a typical person believe the lab leak theory is credible.

Thus, a lie, the claim that COVID-19 was made in a laboratory, was magically transfigured into the truth, all without anyone going on the record to assert it or give any facts to back it up.

But the fact that Gordons reporting violates the most basic journalistic principles does not mean that his writing does not reflect the aims of the White House.

Time and time again, the Bush, Obama and now Biden administrations have used Gordon to launder lies to the public while preserving some degree of deniability. In this case, too, the Biden administration is seeking to promote the Wuhan lab conspiracy theory in order to promote anti-Chinese hatred and xenophobia to justify the US military build-up in the Pacific.

The virus that causes COVID-19 was not created in a laboratory. It, like every pandemic before it, has been shown to have spread from animals to humans. In the words of Dr. Peter Hotez, Theres an overwhelming feeling in the scientific community regarding the natural origin of COVID-19.

What WAS created, however, was the Wuhan lab conspiracy theory, which was manufactured by the fascist ideologue Steve Bannon and his right-wing Chinese expatriate business partners, Miles Guo and Wang DingGang, in January 2020.

Over the next three years, the conspiracy theory was accepted by an ever-broader section of the US media. On May 25, 2021, following the publication of an earlier Michael Gordon special, the Washington Post published an article entitled, How the Wuhan lab-leak theory suddenly became credible.

The next day, on May 26, US President Joe Biden publicly declared that there were two likely scenarios of the origins of COVID-19, reaffirming the position of the State Department under Donald Trump and giving the fascist conspiracy theory equal weight with the overwhelming scientific consensus of natural origins.

Gordons latest report was bound by two events. On Thursday, it became known that the US is planning to triple the number of US troops stationed in Taiwan, which the United States has for decades treated as part of China.

On Tuesday, the Republican-led House of Representatives Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party will hold its first high-profile meeting on The Chinese Communist Partys Threat to America.

The central figure in the hearing will be Matthew Pottinger, the deputy national security adviser to Donald Trump. Pottinger was the mastermind of two interrelated policies, the effort to decouple the US and Chinese economies, and the promotion of the Wuhan lab lie to justify US military escalation against China.

In the words of Josh Rogin, another journalistic proponent of the Wuhan lab lie, Pottingers views have lived on in the Biden administration, with the incoming Biden administration set to preserve many of the changes in the governments approach to China that Pottinger, along with other like-minded officials, worked to implement.

Over the past two months, however, the Biden administration has massively intensified its conflict with China, pushing through a bill at the end of last year that would directly arm Taiwan, surging US troops to the island, and this month, carrying out an attack on what was by all indications a Chinese research balloon that had blown over the United States.

The placement of the Wall Street Journals article and the wall-to-wall media coverage it has received are aimed at justifying the this threatening and aggressive military build-up near China.

All thinking people will reject the racist lies being promoted by the Biden administration and US media to scapegoat China and leading scientists for the deaths of 1 million Americans from COVID-19deaths that are attributable to the subordination of public health to private profit under both Trump and Biden.
The 2022 film Vengeance, now available on Amazon Prime, opens with a humorous dialogue between two young professionals at a New York City cocktail party. The two men are enthusiastically reinforcing each others commitments to hedonismand to perceiving themselves as unique geniuses. One of them, Ben Manalowitz (B.J. Novak), affirms everything his friend says with a staccato A hundred percent. The rest of the film follows Bens education in the foolishness of thinking one understands anything a hundred percent.

Novak, best known for his role as the scheming temp Ryan on the television series The Office, wrote and makes his directorial debut with Vengeance. The film is both a dark comedy and a mystery, succeeding in each category, with some glittering dialogue and engaging plot twists. More than this, Vengeance attempts a critique of contemporary American society at once thoughtful and compassionate toward the human condition, even if this critique is explicitly presented in speeches throughout the movie, which leave little room to the imagination.

B.J. Novak and Boyd Holbrook in Vengeance

Manalowitz is a successful writer for the New Yorker magazine with aspirations of launching a podcast that will go viral, but he is told by podcast star-maker Eloise (Issa Rae) that he has no story, that his pitch (the characters in New York are endlessly pitching) is all brain and no heart. That night Ben is awakened by a phone call, a man weeping and telling him that Abby has died. A frantic search through his phones brimming index of past hookups reveals that Abby (Lio Tipton) was a sex partner of Bens some months prior.

The man on the phone is Abbys brother, and he thinks Ben is Abbys boyfriend, which is apparently what she led her family to believe. Sensing a story with heart for his podcast, Ben decides to play the role of the grieving boyfriend and tells the caller he will attend Abbys (full name Abilene Shaw) funeral in Texas.

Once in Texas, Ben is told by Abbys excitable brother Ty (Boyd Holbrook) that in fact Abby was murdered. By a Mexican druglord ... the government ... This thing goes deep! Ty then tells Ben that together they will avenge her death. Ben is intrigued, thinking he has stumbled upon a contemporary American gothic and podcast gold.

Ben ingratiates himself with the Shaw family, revealing he is a podcaster and would like to record and broadcast their story. The family is delighted. He is fascinated, though he does not tell them so, both by the bleakness of their lives and their eagerness to believe in sweeping conspiracy theories, especially their readiness to apply such theories to Abbys death. So far, though, he maintains the lie that he was her boyfriend.

Vengeance makes much of the visual and cultural contrast between the polished world of acquisitive New York media professionals and the desolate Texas plains. Novak in his film, and Ben in his podcast, use the Shaw family to represent the America they see outside New York, a country of hopelessness and a failed education system dominated by addictions to opioids and social media. Novak is savvy enough, however, to make Ben as ignorant as the people he condescends to. When the proud and paranoid Granny Shaw (Louanne Stephens) recounts the story of the Alamo at her familys request, she is shocked to find that Ben does not know the Mexicans won the 1836 battle.

A Hollywood film that plays upon the city-slicker-goes-country premise usually ends up sentimentalizing country folk and their down home ways, and in this regard Novak scores points with Vengeance. The Shaw family, though they love each other and manage to find a few elements in their environment to enjoy (Whataburger! Its good because its right there!), are intensely unhappy. The opioid epidemic of rural America is not a passing reference in the movie, but an implacable fixture that comes to play a major part in the plot. Abbys sisters, Paris (Isabella Amara) and Kansas City (Dove Cameron), have aspirations not only beyond their reach but beyond their ability to imagine, and their mother Sharon (played affectingly by J. Smith Cameron) is a smiling but broken-hearted woman for whom all of life, she says, is regret.

Vengeance

One character who indulges and/or preys upon the aspirations of young people in this unnamed part of Texas is music producer Quentin Sellers (Ashton Kutcher), a philosophically minded hustler who claims to have gone to Yale (New Haven he tells Ben), is as fast-talking as Ben and produced recordings for the talented Abby. Kutcher portrays Quentin with an impressive blend of seductiveness and menace.

A word must be said here about the films fine cinematography by Lyn Moncrief. Vengeance features some stunning images that capture simultaneously the beauty and unforgiving barrenness of the Texas landscape. And the scenes shot inside the Whataburger convey perfectly the garish fluorescent lifelessness of such eateries.

As mentioned above, the mystery of Abbys death takes Ben and the viewer through a number of surprising twists and turns, but each one heightens the thematic stakes as well. With the final turns, though, Vengeance runs up against its limitations. While Novak pokes fun at Bens pretentiousness, his film is just as ambitious as Bens podcast, attempting to figure out something essential about America. Bens shortcoming through most of the movie is that he underestimates the complexity of the lives he exposes to the world. Novaks shortcoming is that he overstates that complexity, avoiding the burning social realities in front of his face.

In one scene, set up so that it has the full endorsement of Novak himself, Sharon tells Ben that people turn to drugs because they are unhappy. And there the revelation ends. Elsewhere in the film it is suggested that the determining factor in Americans happiness or unhappinessand in this New York and Texas are the sameis the ubiquity, and immortality, of digital media. We have become slaves to our recorded selves, or something.

In other words, the immiseration of Texas and the emptiness of promiscuous New York are ultimately a matter of attitudes. The attitudes people bring to media, to each other and to their own existence. Whats needed, the film concludes, is the right balance of head and heart, of freedom and love, of New York and Texas. Such a conclusion forgets that the unhappiness Sharon talked about has objective causes, and these causes are not that difficult to see.

Vengeance (2022)

First, Novak is right to feature the opioid epidemic in a film set in rural Texas. If the Texas Department of Health and Human Services is to be believed, one in four people in the state has overdosed or knows someone who has. And Texas is not among the highest opioid-using states.

According to the federal governments National Institute on Drug Abuse, 47,600 people in the US died of a drug overdose in 2017, with the numbers remaining about the same through 2019. But in 2020, that figure shot up to 68,630 reported deaths. In 2021, there were 80,411 reported overdose deaths in the country. It would seem safe to say that the most significant variable in the upsurge of overdose deaths has been the COVID-19 pandemic.

Yet the pandemic does not get so much as a mention in Vengeance. Let alone the fact that the US government, and all the state governments, have served the interests of the ruling elite in foisting a homicidal profits-before-lives policy upon the population. This silence on the pandemic is particularly deafening in a film that began shooting in March of 2020 but had to halt temporarily because of COVID.

Second, according to everytexan.org, Texas has one of the highest rates of child food insecurity in the nation, at nearly 22 percent, or almost 1.6 million children. While the Shaws are clearly a working class family, Vengeance does not register economic hardship as a factor in drug abuse. Nor is the condition of unprecedented social inequality in the US seen as anything but a cultural difference, between New York and rural Texas for instance.

Finally, although the Confederate flag makes a brief appearance in the film, the emergence in the US of a far-right political movement is relegated mostly to joking references to conspiracy theories. And war, like the pandemic, goes unmentioned in Vengeance, though the US has been conducting imperialist warfare around the globe for the last 30 years. All these objective factors send the message to young people like Abby Shaw that human life is worth little. While she and her family may not fully see that, the filmmakers should.

Novak is a talented writer and director, and Vengeance is a smart, amusing film, but its perspective is sorely limited by a muddled, subjective understanding of reality. Texas is not simply a state of mind.
The Socialist Equality Party (SEP) in Sri Lanka strongly denounces the Wickremesinghe governments brutal police attack on a 10,000-strong mass demonstration in Colombo on Sunday. Organised by the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP)-led National Peoples Power (NPP), the protest was over the governments anti-democratic cancellation of the March 9 local government elections.

Riot police at Town Hall area in Colombo against NPP protest on February 26, 2023, over the cancellation of local government elections. [Photo: WSWS]

As in previous crackdowns, the government deployed thousands of police equipped with tear gas and water cannon. Protesters marched from Victoria Park to Lipton Circus where they were blocked by police and sprayed with tear gas and water cannon. Dozens were injured and around 20 hospitalised. One of them, Nimal Amarasiri, an NPP candidate in the local government elections, died from his injuries in hospital yesterday.

The Wickremesinghe government was well prepared for the violent assault. Immediately after the NPP announced its protest, the police approached the Colombo Fort Magistrate Court to ban 26 individuals, including NPP/JVP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake and prevent them holding protests in several areas in Colombo city. Police claimed that these individuals planned to enter the Presidential Secretariat and other government buildings during their protests.

The court issued an order on Dissanayake and others directing them not to enter the Presidential Secretariat, Presidential Palace, Finance Ministry and Galle Face Green in Colombo or to obstruct passenger and vehicle traffic, damage public and private properties, or be involved in violence.

It is common practice for the police to use fabricated allegations to secure court orders banning mass protests. The court orders are then used to justify violent police attacks to break up the demonstrations.

Sundays violent police attack further underscores the fact that the Wickremesinghe government will not tolerate any opposition to its International Monetary Fund-dictated 2023 budget, which includes the restructuring of public sector enterprises and privatisations, job and wages cuts, higher income taxes and the slashing of social subsidies. Wickremesinghe demanded the cancellation of the local polls amid rising opposition to his assault on the social position of working people.

National People's Power supporters attempting to escape police tear gas and water canons attack on protest in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Sunday, Feb. 26, 2023. [AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena]

The SEP condemns the police crackdown on Sundays protests despite its principled and long-standing differences with the JVP/NPP and their pro-capitalist political agenda.

The JVP/NPP differences with the Wickremesinghe-SLPP government are entirely tactical. Like the Wickremesinghe regime, they are fully committed to the IMF program. While they oppose the cancellation of the local elections, their posturing as defenders of democratic rights is bogus. The JVP has previously been partners or supporters of Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) and UNP governments that ruthlessly attacked democratic rights.

The JVP/NPP are seeking to exploit the rising anger against the government, win electoral support in the local government polls and push for a general election. Concerned that the Wickremesinghe government is incapable of implementing the IMFs dictates, the NPP hopes to form its own government and carry out the same program, claiming it has a popular mandate.

Posturing as defenders of democratic rights, the JVP said it appeals to the Western imperialist powers. Last Wednesday, Vijitha Herath, its propaganda secretary, declared that the party would brief diplomats from the European Union, the United Nations and human rights organisations about Wickremesinghes cancellation of the local government elections.

In other words, the JVP is promoting illusions that the very powers waging war against Russia in Ukraine, and that previously killed millions in the Middle East and Afghanistan, will defend democracy in Sri Lanka.

An SEP statement on February 20 explained that the anti-democratic actions of the Wickremesinghe regime are part of broader attacks on democratic rights in preparation for suppressing opposition to the governments savage austerity measures dictated by the IMF.

The Wickremesinghe-SLPP regime is haunted by fears that the rising opposition of the working class will develop into a mass uprising like last year, which ousted former President Gotabhaya Rajapakse and his government.

On Monday night, Wickremesinghe issued an extraordinary gazette, declaring a wide range of sectors as essential services. It was desperate attempt to stop a one-day general strike called for tomorrow, March 1, by trade unions in the petroleum, ports, power, banks, health, and other key sectors.

The governments violent crackdown on Sundays protest and its essential service strike ban are a warning to the working class. Sri Lankas ruling elite is unleashing class war against the working masses and will stop at nothing in its assault on democratic rights.

The working class needs to politically prepare and fight for its own interests. This requires an independent mobilisation of the working class, not just against Wickremesinghes cancellation of the local elections but all of its repressive measures. The fight for basic democratic rights is inseparably bound up with the struggle for social rights.

Part of the NPP protest in Colombo on 26 February 2023 against the Wickremesinghe government's cancellation of local government elections. [Photo: WSWS]

The trade unions constitute the principal obstacle in the development of an independent movement of the working class. Just as they did during last years mass anti-government uprising, the trade unions are working desperately to prevent a political and industrial confrontation with the Wickremesinghe government and the capitalist class over the austerity agenda.

Tomorrows national strike is limited to just one day, is mainly restricted to protesting higher income tax rates, and does not include all sections of the working class. Its purpose is to contain the nationwide hostility to the governments social attacks and keep it politically tied to opposition parliamentary parties, such as the SJB and the JVP/NPP, which are committed to same IMF program.

As explained in numerous SEP statements issued since the mass anti-government uprising last year, workers need to take matters into their own hands. To fight for their social and democratic rights, workers need to form action committees at every factory, workplace, plantation and in urban and rural neighbourhoods, independent of the bourgeois parties and the unions.

The SEP is fighting to build a Democratic and Socialist Congress of Workers and Rural Masses based on democratically elected delegates from action committees throughout the island to lay the foundations for a government of workers and peasants committed to socialist policies as part of the struggle for socialism internationally.

As a part of this campaign, the SEP is holding an online public meeting on Sunday, March 5 at 4 p.m. We urge all workers, youth, rural toilers and professionals to attend this important discussion on political program and perspective. Register here.
This year it's time to start negotiations on Ukraine's accession to the EU, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Twitter on Tuesday.

"Ukraine has always been Europe, Ukraine will always be Europe. We've already guaranteed it. A year ago, on the fifth day of the full-scale war, Ukraine applied to join the European Union and secured the candidate status. This year is the time to decide on the launch of membership negotiations," he said.

"It's Ukraine that has brought the EU together like never before. It's Ukraine that's defending European values for generations to come. It's Ukraine where Europe becomes whole, free, and at peace. Together in struggle, together in victory. Long live Europe! Long live freedom," he also said.
Excellencies, exactly on this day next year, Ministers will be in Abu Dhabi for MC13, the Director-General told members. We have less than a year to ensure that the meeting yields meaningful outcomes. Ten months is a short time in WTO negotiations, so we have to step up our efforts, starting now.

Despite the impressive results you collectively delivered at the 12th WTO Ministerial Conference, we have so much more to do, she continued. MC12 cannot be seen as the miracle on Lake Geneva. We can only do that by showing that the organization is capable of delivering continuously, especially now that there's so little faith and belief in multilateral institutions across the world.

We need to show that we can deliver ourselves, even as our sister organizations are under pressure to reform and perform, the DG continued. So we cannot afford to have an MC13 that does not deliver.

MC13 is due to take place in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, during the week of 26 February 2024.

The chairs for the WTO negotiations on agriculture, fisheries subsidies and development  Ambassador Alparslan Acarsoy of Turkiye, Ambassador Einar Gunnarsson of Iceland and Ambassador Kadra Hassan of Djibouti  provided members with readouts on their consultations and work in their respective areas.

The Director-General noted that in her recent outreach to leaders, ministers and other stakeholders in the Gulf region, the Caribbean and Latin America, one theme that emerged was the need to address the challenges facing the multilateral trading system by delivering new outcomes in the lead up to, and during, MC13.

It has become a WTO imperative to contribute to solutions to food and energy insecurity, the climate crisis, sustainability issues, pandemic preparedness, economic recovery and persistent developmental challenges, the DG said.

The sooner we transition to delivery mode, the better the chances we will have for success, she continued. It is encouraging that certain paths forward are beginning to shape up in some areas. I urge all of you to step up your engagement even further.

On agriculture, the Director-General said food security was a recurrent theme in her discussions with many leaders over the past two weeks.

The challenge before us is, if we can take a food security lens to this problem, how exactly do we deal with the issues that we've always been concerned about so that we do not let them stand in the way of our delivering a food security result for MC13? What are the new approaches that we must take? How do we unpack the longstanding issues that we have so we can clearly see them and deal with them?

On fisheries subsidies, the Director-General welcomed the acceptance by Switzerland and Singapore of the MC12 Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies and said she was hopeful a significant number of additional acceptances would come in soon.

Acceptances from two-thirds of WTO members are needed for the Agreement to come into effect. She also welcomed Japan's recent donation to the WTO Fisheries Funding Mechanism and underlined to developing countries the importance of accepting the Agreement which is a condition for accessing the Fund.

On development, the Director-General thanked members for actively participating in the focused discussions on the development dimension of the WTOs reform agenda earlier this month. She noted that development is much broader in scope than the negotiations on special and differential treatment (S&DT) negotiations.

Given the immense economic and development challenges facing many members, we must deliver in this area even before MC13, she said, adding that this message was reiterated by many members claiming that adequate attention has not been devoted to the development agenda.

On WTO reform more broadly, the Director-General underlined that it remains of prime importance for members who agree on the need for a well-functioning multilateral trading system with the WTO at its core.

We need to advance work on all WTO functions. Let us ensure that we can report meaningful progress to Ministers at MC13  one that shows that the WTO is responsive and capable of driving success.

The Director-General noted the widespread support for dispute settlement reform and underlined that the restoration of a functioning mechanism is key to ensure the credibility of the WTO in the eyes of the outside world.

We need a clear road map and way forward. I want to underscore here that reform does not simply mean resolving the crisis in the Appellate Body. There is more at stake.

She also called on members to find a solution on the TRIPS waiver extension to diagnostics and therapeutics. While no longer in the headlines, the pandemic is still with us. Lives remain at stake, and we cannot afford to be complacent. We need to learn the lessons of the past so as not to repeat mistakes in the future. I hope that the proponents and non-proponents can find a mutually acceptable outcome soon, well before MC13, she said.

Finally, she urged members to work hard on e-commerce, following the mandate of the MC12 Ministerial Decision. We need to work hard to reach a collective agreement on where the moratorium is going, and to reinvigorate work on the Work Programme based on its mandate and in line with its development dimension, she stated.
After a year of full-scale Russian aggression, the number of enemy cyberattacks on Ukraine's state resources, military and critical infrastructure facilities has increased six times, but the country is successfully resisting on this front as well, head of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) Vasyl Maliuk says.

In an interview with The Independent published on Monday, he said that in the face of military aggression, the SBU is fighting on many fronts, in particular on the battlefield and in cyberspace.

According to Maliuk, after Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022, the number of cyberattacks by Russia doubled, and before the anniversary of military aggression, it increased by six times.

"These are different types of attacks. Sometimes they are really massive, sometimes they are quite subtle," the SBU head said.

He stressed: "Currently, Russia carries out an average of more than 10 cyberattacks daily ... Their goals are different - state resources, critical infrastructure facilities, etc. But we successfully resist the enemy in cyberspace as well."

The SBU head also said that since the beginning of the war, the SBU has opened more than 64,000 criminal proceedings against Russian servicemen, half of them are war crimes. "It is important for us to show the world not just emotions, but procedural evidence of illegal actions," he said.

In addition, Maliuk said that during the full-scale invasion, the Ukrainian intelligence service exposed 360 enemy agents.

At the same time, he expressed confidence that, despite enemy attacks on the battlefield and the digital front, Ukraine will win. "We are fighting not only for the future of Ukraine, but also for the safe existence of the entire civilized world," Maliuk summed up.
Civilian casualties from February 24, 2022, when Russia started the war against Ukraine, to February 26, 2023 amounted to 21,580 civilians (as of February 15, 21,293), including 8,101 killed (8,066), the Office of the High Commissioner of United Nations Human Rights Organization (OHCHR) has said on Monday.

"OHCHR believes that the actual figures are considerably higher, as the receipt of information from some locations where intense hostilities have been going on has been delayed and many reports are still pending corroboration," the UN said.

This concerns, for example, Mariupol (Donetsk region), Lysychansk, Popasna, and Sievierodonetsk (Luhansk region), where there are allegations of numerous civilian casualties.

According to confirmed UN figures, 3,584 men, 2,127 women, 256 boys and 201 girls killed, while the gender of 31 children and 1,902 adults has not yet been determined.

Among the 13,479 injured were 398 boys and 293 girls, as well as 271 children whose gender has not yet been determined.

Compared to the data as of February 15, one child killed and eight children were wounded.

If earlier the OHCHR report on the number of casualties was published daily, and then only on weekdays, since July it has become a weekly one. In this summary, as in the previous one, the data are given by months.

According to them, the death toll in February fell to 123 from 198 in January and 205 in December.

March remains the deadliest month for civilians, with a minimum of 3,943 deaths, according to the UN. In April, according to an OHCHR publication, the number of civilian deaths due to the war fell to 758, in May to 509, in June to 422 and in July to 378. In the first five days of the war, from February 24 to February 28, some 358 people died, for August some 332, for September some 386, for October some 305 and for November some 184.

The number of wounded in February was 402, the lowest since the beginning of the war: in January there were 539, in December some 617, in November some 541, for the first five days of the war in February last year some 464. In October, the number of wounded fell to 795 from 976 in September, when it turned out to be higher than in August some 917. Before that, the number of wounded every month exceeded a thousand: July some 1,126, June some 1,104, May some 1,136, April some 1,888, March some 2,974.

According to the report, in February 2023, some 115 people were killed and 377 injured by explosive weapons with a wide area of effect, while mines and explosive remnants of war killed eight and injured 25 people (6% of the total casualties).

Government-controlled territories accounted for 88% of the victims in February, according to the UN.

The summary has traditionally stated that the increase in figures from the previous summary should not be attributed only to cases after February 15, since during this period the Office verified a number of cases from previous days.
Head of the Main Intelligence Agency of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry Kyrylo Budanov does not believe that discussions are underway between China and Russia on the supply of weapons.

"I do not share this opinion. As of now, I do not think that China will agree to the transfer of weapons to Russia I do not see any signs that such things are even being discussed," Budanov said in an interview with Voice of America.

He said as the head of intelligence, he "relies only on facts," and he does not see such facts now.

According to Budanov, "almost the only country that actually transfers more or less serious weapons to Russia is Iran."

"There was information that something was coming from North Korea, but we have no confirmation of this. And there is not a single case when we would have recorded that some kind of weapons that came from North Korea were used here. Perhaps we just haven't seen it yet, or it goes to some other, as they say, needs," the head of intelligence said.

He also said Russia has attempts to buy through third countries "to import weapons on a more or less large scale."

"Now they are trying with Myanmar. What will come of this, we will see in time. But in fact, Russia is limited in terms of weapons, let's say, by Iran. As of now," Budanov said.
The situation in the area of Bakhmut is very tense, the most trained Wagner PMC is trying to break through the defenses of the Ukrainian troops and surround the city, Colonel-General Oleksandr Syrsky, Commander of the Land Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine has said.

"The situation in Bakhmut region is extremely tense. Despite significant losses, the enemy launched the most trained Wagner assault detachments into the offensive, trying to break through the defenses of our troops and surround the city," the Military Media Center said, citing Syrsky.

He also said in the battles for Bakhmut, Ukrainian soldiers show "numerous examples of stamina, courage and heroism."
At the invitation of External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar of G20 President India, Foreign Minister Qin Gang will attend the G20 Foreign Ministers Meeting in New Delhi on March 2.

CCTV: To follow up on your announcement of Foreign Minister Qin Gangs attendance at the upcoming G20 Foreign Ministers Meeting, do you have more details to offer? What expectations does China have?

Mao Ning: In a world fraught with uncertainties and struggling to reboot the economy, countries have much to do to overcome the challenges in order to deliver on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. As the premier forum for international economic cooperation, it is important that the G20 focus on the prominent challenges in the global economy and on development and play a bigger role in driving world economic recovery and global development. China stands ready to work with all parties to ensure that the G20 Foreign Ministers Meeting will send a positive signal on multilateralism, food and energy security and development cooperation.

CCTV: Foreign Minister Qin Gang attended the high-level segment of the 52nd session of the UN Human Rights Council and delivered an address via video link yesterday. Could you elaborate further on Chinas proposals on protecting and promoting human rights?

Mao Ning: Yesterday, Foreign Minister Qin Gang delivered video remarks to the high-level segment of the 52nd session of the UN Human Rights Council and proposed the following on advancing human rights and global human rights governance.

First, it is important to be committed to a path of human rights development that suits the realities of each country. The right of all countries to independently choose ones own path of human rights development should be respected. Blindly copying the model of others would be ill-fitted for ones own conditions, and imposing ones model upon others would entail endless troubles.

Second, it is important to be committed to the comprehensive promotion and protection of all human rights. Human rights are indivisible. The right to subsistence and the right to development are basic human rights of primary importance. Civil and political rights, and economic, social and cultural rights should be accorded equal attention and advanced in a holistic way. More attention should be paid to the human rights challenges facing developing countries and their human rights needs. Measures of unilateral coercion violate international law and the basic human rights of the people of the countries concerned, and should be lifted immediately and unconditionally.

Third, it is important to be committed to international fairness and justice. No country is qualified to act as the judge on human rights, and human rights should not be used as a pretext for meddling in other countries internal affairs or holding back other countries development. The purposes and principles of the UN Charter should be observed by all, and human rights exchanges and cooperation be carried out on the basis of equality and mutual respect. The acts by some to politicize, weaponize and instrumentalize human rights issues should be opposed. The practices of lecturing and finger-pointing on others human rights, while ignoring and failing to solve ones own serious human rights problems should be rejected.

Fourth, it is important to be committed to dialogue and cooperation. The Human Rights Council should be UN-membership-led and be a stage for constructive dialogue and cooperation, rather than an arena for political manipulation and bloc confrontation. Only by following the principles of impartiality, objectivity, non-selectivity and non-politicization can the UN human rights system function well and bring continued positive energy to the international human rights cause.

China will take an active part in global human rights governance and work with all parties including the UN to advance the global cause of human rights protection.

Bloomberg: Two questions on debt restructuring. The first is, is China willing to make any adjustments to fall in line with the assurances required to finalize Sri Lankas IMF program? If not, are there other steps that have been taken to overcome Chinese concerns on Sri Lankas recast and the overall debt restructuring landscape? The second question is on Ethiopia. There are local media reports that China agreed to restructure Ethiopias debt through alternative means including swapping debt through various mechanisms to increasing shipments of raw materials to China and awarding other projects to Chinese investors. Could the foreign ministry confirm this and do you have any comment?

Mao Ning: On your first question, we have shared with you the information on multiple occasions. The Export-Import Bank of China provided a financing support document to the Ministry of Finance, Economic Stabilization and National Policies of Sri Lanka, saying the Bank is going to provide an extension on the debt service due in 2022 and 2023 to help relieve Sri Lankas short-term debt repayment pressure. The Bank also noted that it will support Sri Lanka in its loan application to the IMF and continuously call on commercial creditors (including the International Sovereign Bondholders) to provide debt treatment in an equally comparable manner, and encourage multilateral creditors to do their utmost to make corresponding contributions.

What China did is first based on Chinas existing policy and position on debt issue. At the same time, as a special arrangement, it also reflects the traditional friendship between China and Sri Lanka. Chinas action fully demonstrates its sincerity and efforts to support Sri Lanka in achieving debt sustainability. China will continue to support relevant financial institutions in actively working out the debt treatment. We will work with relevant countries and international financial institutions to jointly play a positive role in helping Sri Lanka navigate the situation, ease its debt burden and achieve sustainable development.

On your second question, according to our knowledge, what you described is not whats happening. Id refer you to the competent authorities for more specifics. As a principle, China takes the debt issue of developing countries seriously and has actively contributed to alleviating developing countries debt burden and promoting their sustainable development. We are also ready to work with the rest of the international community to continue to provide necessary support to the real difficulties of relevant countries to the best of our capacity. We also call on developed countries and international multilateral financial institutions to take stronger actions in providing financial support to Africa to help it achieve sustainable development.

AFP: Following a ban ordered by Congress, the White House gave government agencies 30 days to delete TikTok from all federal devices. US officials said this is due to concerns over US national security amid US-China competition. Whats Chinas comment?

Mao Ning: How unsure of itself can the worlds top superpower be to fear a young peoples favorite app like that? The US has been over-stretching the concept of national security and abusing state power to suppress foreign companies. We firmly oppose those wrong actions. The US government should respect the principles of market economy and fair competition, stop suppressing the companies and provide an open, fair and non-discriminatory environment for foreign companies in the US.

CGTN: It was reported that in the wake of the derailment of a train packed with hazardous chemicals in Ohio on February 3, which caused a fire and the leak of multiple toxic chemicals, Ohio Attorney General said that his office is considering legal action against the rail operator, because the pollution, which continues to contaminate the area...created a nuisance, damage to natural resources and caused environmental harm. Do you have any comment?

Mao Ning: We noted the reports and also noted that many residents said there have been a large number of animal deaths around the area, and the chemical leak could cause long-term damage to the health of local residents and local environment, and even chronic ecological death. Given the fact that this event does not only have an impact within the US, but may affect US goods exported from the area and endanger the health and safety of foreign nationals in the country, it is hoped that the US will keep the international community informed in a responsible, timely and comprehensive manner and remain open and transparent on this issue.

The Paper: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said a few days ago that one of the reasons that the world is so concerned about a crisis across the Taiwan Strait is because this is not an internal matter, as China would have it, based on its sovereignty. Its a matter of concern to quite literally the entire world and that 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. What is your response?

Mao Ning: Secretary Blinkens remarks are absolutely irresponsible and absurd. China firmly opposes that. It seems that some history lessons are in order for the top US diplomat on the Taiwan question. Taiwan has been an inalienable part of China since ancient times. The one-China principle is a universally recognized basic norm in international relations and the important political prerequisite and foundation for Chinas diplomatic relations with countries in the world.

In 1972, the US stated in the Shanghai Communique that The United States acknowledges that all Chinese on either side of the Taiwan Strait maintain there is but one China and that Taiwan is a part of China. The United States Government does not challenge that position.

In 1978, the US stated in the Joint Communique on the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations between the United States of America and the Peoples Republic of China that The United States of America recognizes the Government of the Peoples Republic of China as the sole legal Government of China. The Government of the United States of America acknowledges the Chinese position that there is but one China and Taiwan is part of China.

In 1982, the US stated in the August 17 Communique that the United States of America recognized the Government of the Peoples Republic of China as the sole legal Government of China, and it acknowledged the Chinese position that there is but one China and Taiwan is part of China. The United States Government...reiterates that it has no intention of infringing on Chinese sovereignty and territorial integrity, or interfering in Chinas internal affairs, or pursuing a policy of two Chinas or one China, one Taiwan.

The US made those political commitments to China on the Taiwan question, which are written down in black and white.

For some time, the US has been deliberately ignoring and twisting the history and sending the wrong message on the Taiwan question. The US has significantly relaxed its restraint on official interactions and reinforced military contact with Taiwan and touted Ukraine today, Taiwan tomorrow. It has even been revealed by the media that the US government has a plan for the destruction of Taiwan. We cannot help but ask, what exactly is the US trying to achieve?

I need to stress again that the Taiwan question is purely Chinas internal affair. It is at the very core of Chinas core interests. It is the political foundation of China-US relations, and the first red line that must not be crossed in this relationship. China will never allow any external force to interfere in our internal affairs. We have a clear message for the US: It is time to stop - stop walking on the edge, stop using the salami tactics, stop pushing the envelope, and stop sowing confusion and trying to mislead the world on Taiwan. If the US refuses to change course and goes down that wrong path, there will be real consequences and it will come at real costs to the US.

TASS: Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko will start his visit to China today. What topics will he and President Xi Jinping talk about?

Mao Ning: China and Belarus are all-weather comprehensive strategic partners. During President Lukashenkos upcoming visit to China, the two sides will have in-depth exchanges on cooperation in various fields. We will release information on this visit in due course. Please check back for updates.

KBS: You said yesterday, If the ROK needs to maintain peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula, it needs to respect Chinas sovereignty and territorial integrity, follow the one-China principle and be prudent on the Taiwan question. Would you care to elaborate on that?

Mao Ning: The one-China principle is a universally recognized basic norm in international relations and the premise on which China establishes and develops diplomatic relations with other countries. When it comes to the Taiwan question, the importance of respecting the one-China principle and Chinas sovereignty and territorial integrity cannot be overemphasized.

Reuters: US Ambassador to China Nicholas Burns said recently that China should be more transparent about origins-tracing of the pandemic. Whats Chinas comment?

Mao Ning: On the origins-tracing of SARS-CoV-2, China has been open and transparent, and shared information and data on COVID-19 with the international community in a timely manner. China is the only country that has invited more than once WHO expert groups to come into the country to conduct joint origins study. China has shared more data and research findings on SARS-CoV-2 origins study than any other country, making important contribution to global origins-tracing.

It is the US who should respond to the worlds questions and concerns over Fort Detrick and its military and biological labs across the world. By politicizing the issue, the US will not succeed in discrediting China. Instead, it will only hurt the USs own credibility.

As US ambassador to China, Mr. Burns needs to do more to help improve China-US relations and promote mutual understanding between the two peoples, rather than the opposite.
Estimates of Russian military capabilities along the frontline in Zaporizhia region indicate that Ukraine has counteroffensive capabilities in this strategically important region, according to a February 27 report by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).

"Western officials and news outlets have recently expressed a degree of doubt about Ukrainian forces' ability to conduct a counteroffensive and the West's ability to provide long-term military aid to Ukraine. Ukrainian military officials report preparations for a spring counteroffensive in the country's south," the ISW said in the report.

In particular, this was stated by Deputy Head of the Main Intelligence Agency of Ukraine Vadym Skibitsky, noting that one of the strategic goals of Ukraine is the division of the Russian frontline into the Crimean and mainland. He also said the supply of Western military aid is one of the decisive factors in determining the timing of the Ukrainian counteroffensive.

Analysts report on the new tactics of the occupiers, who have begun using the so-called. battalion-sized "storm troops" optimized for frontal attacks on fortified areas. "The manual suggests that Russian forces are trying to adapt maneuver forces into smaller and more agile military formations than were employed earlier in the war... The increased reliance on dismounted infantry and the relegation of tanks to fire support from the rear indicates that Russian military leadership is prioritizing protecting main battle tanks over protecting infantry, which is reflective of recent reports of massive equipment losses that Russian armor units sustained over the first year of the war," according to the report.

The assault squad's tactics also indicate that the Russian military may be trying to use the methods of the private military company Wagner.

"Assault detachments may be able to make tactical gains at cost due to their simplicity but will likely culminate rapidly due to their small size and attritional tactics. Russian forces are unlikely to make operationally significant breakthroughs rapidly with this formation," ISW said.

According to the report Russian forces are concentrating and intensifying military operations along the frontline in Luhansk region, and also continued to deliver ground strikes northwest of Svatove and in Kreminna area. Also on Monday, the occupiers continued to carry out ground strikes across the front line in Donetsk region; Russian sources claimed that PMC Wagner forces had recaptured the territory north of Bakhmut.

"Ukrainian officials reported that Russian forces continue to focus on establishing defensive fortifications in east (left) bank Kherson Oblast and Crimea. Russian forces are continuing to expend their already limited stocks of precision munitions," ISW said.
There can be no "peace plans" that include clauses on an "immediate ceasefire" until the withdrawal of Russian troops from the territory of Ukraine, Mikhail Podolyak, adviser to the head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, said.

"Immediate ceasefire' is a ticking time bomb. Russia insists on it in order to 'freeze the conflict,' retain control over the occupied territory and build up military power. In nine years, we learned the bloody price of 'ceasefire.' No 'peace plans' before the withdrawal of Russian troops," Podoliak said on Twitter.

Earlier, an adviser to the head of the President's Office said any peace plans that only provide for a ceasefire and continued occupation of the territory of Ukraine would lead to the next stage of the Russian genocide against Ukrainians.

As reported, on the eve of the anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, China published its version of the peace plan to end the war. In particular, it includes clauses on a ceasefire and the transition of the belligerents to negotiations, but without indicating the need for the withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukrainian territory.
US-NEWS-MURDAUGH-CLIENT-5-CS - Credit: Tracy Glantz/The State/Tribune News Service/Getty Images

Alex Murdaughs younger brother, John Marvin Murdaugh, took the stand on Monday at Alexs murder trial, and described arriving at the crime scene where his sister-in-law and nephew were murdered in June 2021.

No mother, father, aunt, or uncle should ever have to see and do what I did that day, said John Marvin Murdaugh, the youngest of the Murdaugh siblings and the defense teams final witness. Alex Murdaugh, 54, the scion of a South Carolina legal dynasty, is accused of shooting his wife, Maggie, 52, and his son Paul, 22, on the familys Moselle estate in South Carolina.

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John Marvin told Colleton County jurors that he felt the need to go down to the scene the morning after the murders and to see for himself what had gone on and just kind of take it in. He said that before going to the scene, he reached out to a friend in law enforcement for permission, and that a few minutes later, Capt. Ryan Neal had given him the OK to go there.

When he arrived at the dog kennels on the familys hunting compound on June 8, 2021, John Marvin said that it was was not cleaned up and that he could still see where Maggies body had been found and that pieces of Pauls body still remained. I saw blood, I saw brains, I saw pieces of skull, he said while wiping away tears. I had to do it for Paul It was the hardest thing I ever had to do in my life.

In my mind and out loud I told Paul I loved him and I promised him that I would find out who did this to him, said John Marvin.

When Murdaughs defense attorney Jim Griffin asked if he had found out who was the murderer on behalf of his slain nephew, John Marvin replied, I have not.

John Marvin is the second family member to testify on behalf of Murdaugh. Last week, Alex Murdaughs surviving son Buster, 26, testified in the double murder trial of his father. Buster said his father was destroyed and heartbroken after discovering the bodies.

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The following Thursday, Alex admitted to lying to police and stealing money from clients. He also told jurors that although he lied to authorities about his whereabouts the night of the murders, he was nowhere near his wife and son when they got shot.

Alex has been embroiled in layer upon layer of scandal and criminal accusations, and has pleaded not guilty to the murders of his wife and son. He is being held in jail on a $7 million bond.

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The fall of a litigation dynasty. As one of the most watched trials in 2023, many true crime fans might wonder what Alex Murdaughs net worth is.

The former South Carolinian lawyer Alex Murdaugh was a fourth-generation prosecutor in the fourteenth circuit of the South Carolina Circuit Court. Murdaughs father, grandfather and great-grandfather were all top prosecutors in the region spanning a collective family history of almost 90 years. However, it all started falling apart after several suspicious attempts and fraud charges. The central turning point in the story was when Murdaughs wife and son, Margaret, 52, and Paul, 22, were murdered on June 7, 2021. Ive been gone, Murdaugh, his voice quivering, tells a dispatcher in a 911 call via The New York Times. I just came back.

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On September 4, 2021, Murdaugh was injured after he was shot in the head after a roadside accident. Two days later he resigned from his law firm Peters, Murdaugh, Parker, Eltzroth & Detrick. The murders of my wife and son have caused an incredibly difficult time in my life. I have made a lot of decisions that I truly regret, he said in a statement, citing his addiction to oxycodone. Im resigning from my law firm and entering rehab after a long battle that has been exacerbated these murders. I am immensely sorry to everyone Ive hurt including my family, friends and colleagues. I ask for prayers as I rehabilitate myself and my relationships. Days after the resignation, the law firm released its own statement alleging Murdaugh had misappropriated company funds and Murdaugh was arrested and charged with multiple felonies. So what is Alex Murdaughs net worth?

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What is Alex Murdaughs net worth?

Alex Murdaugh. Joshua Boucher/Getty Images

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What is Alex Murdaughs net worth? According to Exact Net Worth, Alex Murdaughs net worth is about $1 million. As a lawyer, the site reports that his occupation made him earn $250,000 a year.

Murdaugh was one of the owners of the law firm Peters, Murdaugh, Parker, Eltzroth & Detrick, which his great-grandfather Randolph Murdaugh Sr. founded his law office in Hampton County in 1910. His sons, Buster and Paul, also tried to follow in his footsteps by going to law school and attending his same alma mater, the University of Southern Carolina. Their family spent their time split a beach house, a couple of private islands, and a massive 1,772-acre estate known as Moselle  At the time of the roadside accident, the firm said that it had hired a forensic accounting firm to investigate the suspected misappropriation of funds and that it had also notified the police and the South Carolina Bar, according to the New York Times.

Days later on September 16, 2021, Alex Murdaugh surrendered to authorities and was charged with multiple felonies including insurance fraud, conspiracy to commit insurance fraud and filing a false police report. He returned shortly to a drug rehabilitation center after he was granted bond and a judge ordered him to surrender his passport.

After he was released from the drug rehabilitation center in October 2021, Murdaugh was arrested and charged with 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 his 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. Her case was opened up again in June 2022 after there were suspicions that arose after her death was listed as natural, which a coroner has said was inconsistent with injuries sustained in a trip and fall accident in Mudaughs home.

Alex Murdaugh. Image: Joshua Boucher/Getty Images

Prosecutors looked into Murdaughs roadside accident a week after it happened and accused Murdaugh of hiring someone to kill him so that his surviving son, Buster, could collect on a $10m life insurance policy. Murdaugh later admitted that he had asked his distant cousin and drug dealer Curtis Edward Smith to shoot him in the head. Murdaughs lawyers said he had come up with a plan to make his suicide look like murder because his life insurance policy didnt cover suicide. At the end of 2021, Murdaugh faced 48 separate charges including nine counts of breach of trust with fraudulent intent, seven counts of computer crimes, four counts of money laundering and one count of forgery. In a statement of December of that year, he attributed his opiate withdrawal My head is on straighter, Im thinking clearer than I have in a long, long time, Murdaugh says. I want to deal with these charges appropriately and head-on.

By January 21, 2022, his charges increased as he faced 71 charges involving the theft of about $8.5 million over the course of 11 years. In July of the same year, a jury ruled to indict Murdaugh for the murder of Paul and Margaret. A grand jury also indicted Murdaugh and Smith with criminal conspiracy and narcotics offenses. They are accused of conspiring to purchase and distribute oxycodone in Colleton County from October 7, 2013, to September 7, 2021.

In an opening statement to Alex Murdughs trial on January 25, 2023, prosecutor Creighton Waters told the jury that Margaret and Pauls injuries were listed as if they didnt see a threat coming from their attacker. He added that the injuries were gruesome, Waters told the jury. He also noted cellphone data that placed Murdaugh at the scene of the crime just minutes before his familys phones would go silent forever. Police also found a wadded up raincoat inside Murdaughs parents home that was coated in gunshot residue. Murdaugh later took to the witness stand and admitted that he lied to the police about where he was on the night of his familys murders. He also acknowledged that he had stolen from his law clients. He conceded that he had pocketed a check he was supposed to hand over to his law firm.

Murdaugh also confessed that he lied about his whereabouts on the night of the murder. 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.As of February 24, 2023, Murdaugh was charged with over 100 financial charges as well as stealing about $8.8 million from a range of victims and charges related to the murder.

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.

If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, help is available. Call the SAMHSA National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357) for free, confidential support.

If you or someone you know is experiencing a mental health crisis, help is available. Call the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988 for free and confidential counseling.

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SPOILER ALERT! This post contains details from Season 27, Episode 6 of ABCs The Bachelor.

Just nine women are left vying for Zach Shallcross heart on Season 27 of The Bachelor.

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This week, theyre in Estonia and the women are eager to see Zach again now that hes out of quarantine. Zach is just as eager to see them, telling host Jesse Palmer that being away from them for eight days has been tough.

Upon arriving in Estonia, Zach learns that Greer has been feeling under the weather and is quarantining in her own room, meaning that shes unlikely to make it on any of the dates this week.

Since Charitys one-on-one in London was canceled, shes the first contestant to get a date card in Estonia. When Zach comes to pick her up, all the women are excited to see him  but Kat stirs up a bit of drama when she steals Zach away for a quick kiss before he leaves with Charity. Brooklyn tells her that the move was classless, but Kat doubles down and says she doesnt think she did anything wrong.

Meanwhile, Charity is trying not to let Kats actions affect her time with Zach. He takes her on a horse drawn carriage ride through the town. As theyre exploring, they stumble upon a wife-carrying competition (too on the nose?) and decide to join in on the fun. Of course, they win. They then venture to a bar, where they imbibe in some Estonian spirits.

Back at the hotel, tensions are still high after Brooklyns argument with Kat. Kat tells Ariel that Brooklyn hurt her feelings by attacking her character, and Ariel empathizes but ultimately tells Kat that it was still wrong to steal Zach away at that moment. Jess admits to Gabi that shes been feeling insecure, because shes now one of the last women to get a one-on-one date. Shes not sure how shell react if she isnt chosen this week.

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After a full day of adventuring around the town, Zach and Charity share a romantic dinner. Charity tells Zach that he makes her feel seen, and she opens up about her past relationship, which she described as emotionally abusive and unfaithful. She says she got caught in a vicious cycle of manipulation, which she hid from her friends and family. Zach tells her that hes proud of her for getting out of that relationship and shares that he also lost himself in a previous relationship. At the end of their conversation, Zach offers Charity a rose.

The group date card arrives while Zach and Charity are gone. The women going on the group date this week are Brooklyn, Kaity, Kat, Gabi, Aly, and Jess. That means Ariel will be getting the second one-on-one in Estonia.

When she learns that she wont be getting a one-on-one this week, Jess becomes emotional. She and Greer are the last two women to get a one-on-one, which is leaving her questioning where she stands with Zach.

The next morning, Charity tells the other women about her date, hinting at the fact that she had a hard time getting out her head because Kat stole Zach away before the date. Kat says she doesnt want to have that conversation before the group date, which upsets Brooklyn, who points out that its hypocritical to not want to ruin her own experience when thats what she did to someone else.

Despite the tension, the women embark on their group date. For the first part of the date, they meet with an Estonian witch, who is supposed to tell the group who is ready to heal and find love. The women are a little hesitant at first, but they lean into the activity and come away feeling more connected to Zach. Well, except for Jess, who is still struggling to feel confident in her connection with Zach.

She goes into the cocktail party with the intention of talking to Zach more about why theyve stalled in the progression of their relationship. The conversation doesnt quite go as planned for either of them. Jess keeps stressing the importance of a one-on-one for her to feel close enough to Zach to open up to him, and Zach doesnt understand why she is so hung up on getting a one-on-one. He tells her he feels like theyre at an impasse, and she tells him she wont fight for him if hes not willing to fight for her. She leaves, which brings Zach to tears as he wonders what went wrong.

Zachs interactions with the other women go fairly well, but sending Jess home shakes him up enough that he decides not to give out a group date rose.

Zach is still pretty upset the next day, but he puts on a brave face for his one-on-one with Ariel. Hes planned to spend a relaxing day with her at a spathats actually a nude sauna. The pair decide not to go fully naked though, opting for swimsuits instead. Before the first portion of the date is over, Ariel says she feels light years ahead in her relationship with Zach now. But after a dip in the hot tub, its time for them to share some champagne and get deeper into their conversation.

Ariel tells Zach she has a hard time being vulnerable, especially after past relationships where she had her heart broken. Zach reassures her that he would never ask her to be anything other than herself, and he offers her a rose.

Its time for the rose ceremony, and nerves are understandably at an all-time high. Ariel and Charity both already have a rose, but nobody from the group date is safe.

Before Zach hands out the roses, Charity pulls Kat aside to chat about her actions before Charitys one-on-one. Kat says she stands by what she did, which is when Brooklyn intervenes. Kat storms away and tells them that she wont continue the conversation. Thats when Zach pulls Kat aside and asks her why things felt off during the group date, to which she says that nothing is wrong.

Zach offers roses to Kaity, Kat, Brooklyn, and Gabi. Greer also moves forward automatically, since she was quarantining this week. Aly is sent home.

The Bachelor airs Monday nights at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC and is available next day on Hulu.

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Captain Lee Rosbach , Captain Sandy Yawn and Alissa Humber Larry Marano/Shutterstock; Stephen Lovekin/Shutterstock; Laurent Bassett/Bravo

The calm before the storm. Captain Lee appeared thrilled with Captain Sandy's decisions aboard St. David  after he previously vocalized issues off screen.

During a new episode of Below Deck, which aired on Monday, February 27, the Michigan native, 73, returned to the boat after taking a brief break for health reasons. Lee asked Sandy, 57, to fill him in on what he missed  after the Florida native previously told him about Camille Lamb's departure.

"So, some changes, Alissa [Humber] is gone for insubordination," Sandy told Lee after letting the stew go for her rude behavior.

In response, the OG Below Deck star applauded Sandy for her decision. "She did the right thing. If they need to go, they need to go," he said in a confessional. "She's the one that had to deal with it and I am sure she made the best decision for the boat and the crew. I can't express how much I appreciate [her filling in for me]. And maybe one day I will get to return the favor for her."

Lee's praise came after he recently questioned why he wasn't alerted about staff changes in his absence.

"So, I found out after the fact that she fired one of my crew, not before. OK?" he tweeted in January after Camille's departure aired. "[Camille] deserved what she got. That was never my issue. So many people cant see that, and Im sorry for that. I didnt want [Sandy] to ask permission, just wanted the update, that quick call you mentioned, good manners."

He added: "She did it on TV in front of how many people with out [SIC] consulting me. That doesnt sound very private to me at all."

At the time, Sandy clarified that she was in charge during season 10 amid Lee's brief exit. "He's in the hospital. Who's gonna call and say, 'Can I fire Camille?' Never in a million years would I do that," she explained on SiriusXMs Reality Checked earlier this month. "But what I did was give him a courtesy call saying, 'By the way, I did fire her. You almost had a mutiny on your boat because of her.'"

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According to the Be the Calm or Be the Storm author, Lee was "definitely not acting" his age with his social media commentary.

"I called him and said, 'Come back to your boat.' Because I had a girlfriend that was going to have surgery. Like, I didn't step on there to take over a show," Sandy added at the time. "I don't want two shows. I like the Mediterranean. Are you kidding me? I like the Mediterranean."

Amid the drama, Us Weekly broke the news that Lee would be leaving the franchise after season 10. The Bravo star, who joined the hit series in 2013, will be replaced by Below Deck Adventure's Captain Kerry for season 11. Us also confirmed that the new season is currently filming in Grenada.

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Below Deck airs on Bravo Mondays at 8 p.m. ET.
The likelihood of a train derailing is slim, compared to the frequency of travel. Roughly 1,000 derailments occur each year for every half-million miles of train travel nationwide, according to the Federal Railroad Administration. And the vast majority of those do not make national headlines.

But when a fireball occurs and potentially deadly chemicals are involved, spurring evacuations and public health concerns, as with the derailment in East Palestine on Feb. 3, people want to improve safety and prevent the next one from happening. And some Greater Columbus officials have already begun the process.

Watching trains barrel past intersections or backyards, one may wonder about a possible derailment, and whether freight train speed limits should be lower, especially through heavily populated areas and when hazardous cargo is being carried.

More:Ohio train derailment fact check: What's true and what's false?

Jeff Young, director of Franklin County Emergency Management and Homeland Security, has responded to numerous emergencies, most in his career with the Upper Arlington Fire Division, where he was chief.

He views train speeds, derailments and hazmat cargo simply: "Slower is better," he said. "If you ask me what would be a beneficial discussion, I would tell you limiting train length and train speed."

Trains exceeding 100 cars are increasingly common as railroads strive to maximize profits. But slowing them at crossings is a hardship for motorists and emergency vehicles.

Young says that shorter trains would offset the wait times, even at slower speeds.

Simple physics and common sense, he said, will show that a "reduced speed reduces the likelihood of high-speed derailments. The slower the speed, the less impact on the rail car. We would really like the speed to match the ability of the rail cars to survive (impact) intact."

Stu Nicholson, executive director of All Aboard Ohio, and a long-time train buff, has a unique perspective on derailments. He's witnessed one.

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About 40 years ago, Nicholson, then a news reporter, recalled a derailment in a freight yard in Iowa.

A nearby fire had caused a train to move away for safety when one freight car slid off the rails.

"I saw box cars flying through the air even at 25 mph," Nicholson recalled. "When one (car) leaves the track, everything else runs into it."

Nicholson said he thinks that speed is less of a factor in derailments than most may think.

"I don't think speed is as much of a concern as is the condition of the train and the track," he said.

Tracks have advisory speed signs for train personnel who may slow depending on crossings, track conditions and terrain as they approach populated areas.

"As trains pass through towns with a lot of railroad crossings, that'll have an impact on speeds," he said.

But it's the federal government, not local police who enforce those speeds.

More to Read: Track Speeds Federal Governments set speed based on track classification

While high-speed rail can exceed 200 mph, speeds along main lines through Columbus can be 40-50 mph, depending on many factors, including train length.

The Ohio Senate will hold hearings this week on the East Palestine derailment, Senate President Matt Huffman, R-Lima, said last week.

While Huffman said that Ohio could not make changes because the federal government controls interstate commerce, there are already provisions for local government to do so.

Ohio law allows villages and cities to pass laws to reduce train speeds through their communities, said Josh Beasley, assistant law director in West Jefferson, Madison County.

Since 1987, the village of about 4,500 residents has had a 10 mph speed limit for trains within its villages boundaries.

According to state law, the village could have required speeds as low as low as 4 mph. But at those speeds, waiting for a long train to pass would be impractical.

West Jefferson has no crossings, relying instead on trestle overpasses, possibly explaining its low speed limit.

London, the county seat of Madison County and located about 10 miles west of West Jefferson, has no such ordinance, with engineers relying instead on federal guidelines, said Jennifer Hitt, city law director.

That means that trains may travel through the city at speeds as high as 50 mph.

"In light of recent events, I think that it would be appropriate for our city council to evaluate what would be reasonable speeds through our city," Hitt said. She said she'll likely propose that discussion.

Casey's Carryout & Drive Thru, at left, is located on Main Street in London and is within 22 feet of the Norfolk Southern railroad line and crossing there, according to owner, London Mayor Patrick Closser. The mayor wants to see London City Council adopt an ordinance allowed under Ohio law to reduce the speed limit along the rail line in the wake of the recent East Palestine train derailment. Current, trains traveling through the Madison County city can go up to the maximum 50 mph allowed under federal law.

About 20 trains per day pass along the main Norfolk Southern rain line in London. Casey's Carryout & Drive Thru, located along Main Street (Ohio 665) at one of the five railroad crossings in the city, sits just 22 feet from the rail line, according to owner and London Mayor Patrick Closser.

"I am going to city council and propose this ordinance and hopefully slow these guys down a little bit," Closser said.

An overheated bearing was the cause of the East Palestine wreck that forced the discharge of vinyl chloride from five of the freight cars along with a controlled burn.

More: "100% Preventable"Norfolk Southern alerted to overheated wheel bearing right before Ohio train derailment

"If you're going slower, maybe that bearing doesn't get overheated," said Closser.

But slowing trains, even those with hazardous payloads, isn't always a simple solution.

It takes at least a mile for larger trains with 100 or more cars to slow to a stop from speeds of 50 mph or faster, depending on tonnage per freight car.

And forcing trains to speed up and slow down from town to town "actually increases the risk of derailment by introducing buff and slack forces throughout a train," said Warren Flatau, public affairs deputy director for the Federal Railroad Administration.

Compounding any call to action is the lack of significant public outcry over changes in train speeds until there's good reason, officials say.

There haven't been many concerns raised, said Todd Dieffenderfer, deputy director for the Columbus Department of Neighborhoods.

"Occasionally we hear concerns about trains blocking a rail crossing or horns sounding in the early hours," Dieffenderfer said. He noted that speed might even be a benefit for those who don't like waiting at crossings or hearing trains passed by.

Columbus City Councilman Emmanuel Remy said the city will likely take a cautious approach before proposing any new laws just because of the derailment in East Palestine.

"This is so fresh. We don't drive policy based on knee-jerk reactions."

While some residents whose properties border tracks in the University District have said they have become increasingly on edge, they aren't necessarily demanding change.

Carol Talbott, property manager at the Iuka Park Commons at North Fourth Street and East Northwood Avenue, said many of her veteran tenants live closest to the tracks and "don't seem to ever pay attention to it. They never say anything."

Calls to City Attorney Zach Klein's office and the Ohio Emergency Management Agencywere not returned.

dnarciso@dispatch.com

@DeanNarciso

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio communities mull lower train speed limits after East Palestine
An attorney for Cuba Gooding Jr. claims the sex his client had with a rape accuser was consensual and that the alleged victim bragged about the encounter to witnesses.

On Monday (Feb. 27), Goodings attorney, Gary Becker, informed US District Court Judge Paul A. Crotty that the defense would be presenting three witnesses to testify on Gooding Jr.s behalf, all of whom will testify that the alleged victim, identified as Jane Doe, had bragged about bedding the Oscar-winner. The witnesses include two owners of the bar where Gooding initially met the accuser prior to the alleged attack, as well as a bartender.

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One of the alleged victims attorneys, Casey Wolnowski, has said that hes aware of the defenses witnesses, but vehemently denies their views on what transpired. Wolnowski told Insider that hes confident the jury is going to give the accusers own account of the incident the weight it deserves. Following the hearing, which took place in Manhattan Federal Court, Ed Sapone, Beckers co-counsel, shared that Gooding Jr. is confident hell emerge victorious when all of the evidence is laid out. [He] has a lot of faith in the civil justice system and cant wait for his day in court, Sapone said.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK  OCTOBER 13: Cuba Gooding Jr. Arrives at NYS Supreme Court for sentencing on October 13, 2022 in New York City. The Oscar-winning actor Cuba Gooding Jr., plead guilty to charges of forcible touching and sex abuse. The criminal charges Gooding plead guilty to were brought against him after a worker at a New York nightclub alleged he forcibly kissed her, while he also faced charges stemming from three other incidents in which he stood accused of forcible touching or abuse.

In 2020, Gooding Jr.s rape accuser filed a lawsuit against the actor, claiming that he sexually assaulted her in 2013 in his room at The Mercer Hotel in Manhattan. According to the victim, after meeting at the hotel bar, the pair went up to Gooding Jr.s room, where he sexually assaulted her two times despite being told no repeatedly. Judge Crotty hinted that a trial date could be set for the first week of June 2023.

The acclaimed thespian has found himself embroiled in allegations of sexual misconduct in recent years, including being arrested and booked in 2019 on suspicion of groping a woman at a Times Square bar. Two other accusers would come forward in that case with similar claims against Gooding Jr. In addition, prosecutors say that by August 2020, more than 30 women had accused Gooding Jr. of touching them inappropriately. In 2022, he pleaded guilty to harassment in a deal that allowed him to avoid jail time.

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Cuba Gooding Jr poses in the winners room at the EE British Academy Film Awards at the Royal Opera House on February 14, 2016 in London, England.

I apologize for making anybody ever feel inappropriately touched  I am a celebrity figure. I come into contact with people. I never want them to feel slighted or uncomfortable in any way, he said at the time of entering the plea.

In 2022, Gooding Jr. was ordered to pay a victim from the criminal case $80,000 in damages after she won the lawsuit shed filed against him in 2020. The woman, Natasha Ashworth, won by default due to Gooding Jr.s failure to respond to the suit after nearly two years.

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Cuba Gooding Jr. faces a civil lawsuit in which a woman has accused him of raping her in a hotel room. Frank Franklin II/AP

Cuba Gooding Jr.'s attorneys say they have three witnesses who challenge his rape accuser's story.

The three witnesses heard the accuser brag about having sex with Gooding, the actor's attorneys said.

Gooding and his anonymous accuser are headed toward an early June civil trial in New York City.

Lawyers for Cuba Gooding Jr. alleged Monday that the actor's rape accuser "bragged" about having consensual sex with him on the same night that she claims he attacked her inside a New York City hotel room in 2013.

Gooding's attorney, Gary Becker, told US District Court Judge Paul A. Crotty during a status conference in Manhattan federal court that they plan on calling two witnesses at trial who allege that the accuser returned to the bar where she met Gooding earlier in the evening, and boasted about having consensual sex with him. Outside the courtroom, Becker's co-counsel, Ed Sapone, clarified that they actually have three witnesses from the bar  two bar owners and a bartender.

The woman, identified only as "Jane Doe" in court documents, sued Gooding in 2020 and accused the Oscar-winning actor of raping her in his room at Manhattan's Mercer hotel in 2013 after the two met at a bar in Greenwich Village. She claimed in the lawsuit that she repeatedly told Gooding "no" and that he raped her a second time as she was trying to leave his hotel room.

Casey Wolnowski, one of Doe's attorneys, told Insider after the conference Monday that he's "aware of these witnesses" but "vehemently denies their views on what transpired." Wolnowski added that he's "confident the jury is going to give" his client's testimony "the weight it deserves."

Attorneys for the two parties also discussed a trial date on Monday. On Tuesday, the judge ordered that the trial start June 5. Wolnowski had asked for a 2024 trial date due to scheduling conflicts for his co-counsel, Nathan Goldberg, a partner at Gloria Allred's law firm, but Crotty did not want to delay the trial that long.

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"We're not putting the trial off for a year," Crotty said.

Gooding's attorneys also brought up several issues related to evidence that they're seeking for the trial at the hearing Monday, though the deadline for exchanging such information ended in October.

Gooding's attorneys said Doe refused to turn over several documents they requested, including a police report she said she filled out about the alleged assault shortly after hiring Allred's firm. Wolnowski said during the hearing that his client doesn't have paperwork relating to the police report and that Gooding's attorneys should have subpoenaed the police.

Crotty didn't rule on any of the evidence but seemed impatient with the issues being brought up after the discovery deadline had passed.

"The time for discovery is over. Let's get on with the trial," Crotty said Monday.

Gooding has denied Doe's rape allegations. After Monday's conference, Gooding's attorney Sapone said his client is "very confident" he'll win the case.

Gooding "has a lot of faith in the civil justice system and can't wait for his day in court," Sapone said.

This isn't the first time that Gooding has been accused of sexual misconduct. In 2019, Gooding was booked on suspicion of groping a woman at a Times Square bar. That case eventually grew to include similar complaints from two other women.

In August 2020, prosecutors said more than 30 women had come forward to accuse Gooding of unwanted sexual touching.

Last year, Gooding pleaded guilty to a harassment charge in a deal with prosecutors that allowed him to escape imprisonment.

One of the three accusers in the criminal case, Natasha Ashworth, also sued Gooding in New York Supreme Court. She won that case by default last year after Gooding refused to respond to the lawsuit for nearly two years. A judge ordered Gooding to pay Ashworth $80,000 in damages.

Update  February 28, 2023: This story has been updated to include the judge's ruling that the trial start on June 5.

Read the original article on Insider
Nishad Singh, former director of engineering at FTX, the bankrupt cryptocurrency exchange founded by Sam Bankman-Fried, agreed Tuesday to plead guilty to criminal charges, according to his lawyers and federal prosecutors in New York.

Singh agreed to plead guilty to six counts of fraud and conspiracy contained in information unsealed Tuesday, becoming the third member of Bankman-Fried's inner circle to admit guilt and cooperate with federal prosecutors as they build a case against those believed responsible for what U.S. Attorney Damian Williams has called one of the biggest financial frauds in American history.

MORE: A timeline of cryptocurrency exchange FTX's historic collapse

"Today's guilty plea underscores once again that the crimes at FTX were vast in scope and consequence," Williams said in a statement. "They rocked our financial markets with a multibillion dollar fraud. And they corrupted our politics with tens of millions of dollars in illegal straw campaign contributions. These crimes demand swift and certain justice and that is exactly what we are seeking in the Southern District of New York."

Caroline Ellison, former CEO of Alameda Research, Bankman-Fried's privately controlled hedge fund, and Gary Wang, co-founder of FTX, have also pleaded guilty to criminal charges and agreed to assist the government's prosecution. Bankman-Fried has pleaded not guilty to eight criminal counts and prosecutors recently added an additional four counts.

PHOTO: The FTX Arena logo is seen where the Miami Heat basketball team plays on Nov. 12, 2022, in Miami. (Marta Lavandier/AP, FILE)

Singh contributed to the fraud that led to the $32 billion bankruptcy of FTX by providing "misleading information to auditors about FTX's revenue," knowing that information would be given to prospective investors, according to the information.

Singh was also part of the conspiracy to make political contributions to candidates and committees that were paid for using funds from Bankman-Fried's privately controlled hedge fund, Alameda Research, but reported to the Federal Election Commission under different names, the information said.

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MORE: FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried faces 4 new charges

"Nishad is deeply sorry for his role in this and has accepted responsibility for his actions," Singh's lawyers, Andrew D. Goldstein and Russell Capone, said in a statement to ABC News. "He wants to do everything he can to make things right for victims, including by assisting the government to the best of his ability in this case."

In exchange for his cooperation, federal prosecutors agreed to recommend a sentence below the 75-year maximum attached to the charges, according to the plea agreement also unsealed Tuesday.

Prosecutors agreed to Singh's release on a $250,000 personal recognizance bond.

PHOTO: Representations of cryptocurrencies are seen in front of displayed FTX logo. (Dado Ruvic/Reuters, FILE)

The Securities and Exchange Commission filed separate, civil charges against Singh.

According to the SEC's complaint, Singh created software code that allowed FTX customer funds to be diverted to Alameda Research despite false assurances by Bankman-Fried to investors that FTX was a safe crypto asset trading platform with sophisticated risk mitigation measures to protect customer assets and that Alameda was just another customer with no special privileges. The complaint alleges that Singh knew or should have known that such statements were false and misleading.

The complaint also alleges that Singh was an active participant in the scheme to deceive FTX's investors and, as FTX neared collapse, Singh withdrew approximately $6 million from FTX for personal use and expenditures, including the purchase of a multimillion-dollar house and donations to charitable causes.

Former FTX executive Nishad Singh pleads guilty to charges related to crypto exchange's collapse originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
The post German City Cancels Roger Waters Concert: One of the Worlds Most Well-Known Antisemites appeared first on Consequence.

The city of Frankfurt, Germany has canceled an upcoming concert by Roger Waters after the artist espoused remarks the city council deemed to be antisemitic. In a statement, Frankfurts city council called Waters one of the worlds most well-known antisemites.

The former Pink Floyd member was slated to perform on May 28th at Frankfurts Festhalle, a venue that used to be a Jewish detention camp. 3,000 Jewish men were held at Festhalle during Kristallnacht, or the Night of Broken Glass, from November 9th to 10th, 1938.

As the venue is partially owned by the city, the council voted to cancel Waters show, citing his support for the BDS Movement and his defense of Russian president Vladimir Putin, among other reasons. The background to the cancellation is the persistent anti-Israel behavior of the former Pink Floyd frontman, who is considered one of the most widely spread antisemites in the world, the council said in a statement.

Waters has always been a politically outspoken artist, but his beliefs in recent years have grown increasingly polarizing. In 2020, he described Israels treatment of the Palestinian people as an apartheid and ethnic cleansing, and likened Israel to Nazi Germany.

Earlier this month, Waters appeared before the UN Security Councia and delivered a bizarre speech in which he blamed Ukraine and NATO for provoking a war with Russia. He also dismissed allegations of Russian war crimes as lies, lies, lies, lies, while claiming that Nazis are in control of Ukraines government and that US president Joe Biden is the true war criminal.

These statements prompted his former Pink Floyd bandmate David Gilmour to publicly call out Waters as a misogynistic, antisemitic Putin apologist.

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German City Cancels Roger Waters Concert: One of the Worlds Most Well-Known Antisemites

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The legal team for one of the defendants charged in the murder of late Run-DMC member Jam Master Jay claims that a witness for the prosecution is unreliable due to having given conflicting statements regarding the identity of the triggerman.

According to legal documents obtained by AllHipHop, Lydia High, who was present at the studio where Jam Master Jay was shot and killed in October 2002, has several impairing factors that damages the credibility of her testimony. In a letter to Judge LaShann DeArcy Hall, the Law Office of Ezra Spilke, which is representing defendant Ronald Washington, laid out multiple instances in which High recollection of the events surrounding the shooting either slightly wavered or changed completely.

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According to Highs initial statement to police, [T]wo black males entered the [sitting room] and both men had guns. Upon entering, one man remained in the doorway, the other man, who was wearing a knit wool mask and holding a gun, ordered Lydia [High] to the floor. The man with the mask then ordered Mr. Mizell to the floor, at which time Uriel Rincon stood up to assist . . . Mr. Mizell. The man with the mask then shot Mr. Mizell, fired another shot and fled out of the doorway with the other man.

However, in his letter, Spilke points out that High said the shooter was wearing a mask and that she failed to identify their client, although she later told authorities that she had known Washington for numerous years.

Musical artist Jason Jam Master Jay Mizell holds a toy figure of himself at a ceremony honoring his Hip-Hop group RUN-DMCs induction into the Hollywood RockWalk on Feb. 25, 2002 at the Guitar Center in Hollywood, Calif. Vince Bucci/Getty Images

Nine months after the shooting, Ms. Highs account changed in that she then knew the identity of one of the participants: Washington, whom she identified from a photo array. In identifying Washington, High told the police that he was the person who pointed a gun at her and told her to get on the ground while the masked person shot Mizell.

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Spilke continued, concluding that the witness simply cannot be relied upon without introducing reasonable doubt. Ms. Highs identifications of Mr. Washingtonfrom the photo lineup or in open court may be unreliable for multiple reasons.

Jam Master Jay, born Jason Mizell, was shot and killed in his studio in Hollis, Queens, on Oct. 30, 2002. After years of the case remaining unsolved, in 2020, federal prosecutors charged Jordan and Ronald Washington with the murder, during which they believe Jordan fired the shot that ultimately killed Mizell at close range.

Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images

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What happening with Ukraine could sooner or later happen with East Asia, so neutrality is impossible  Japanese ambassador

What is happening with Ukraine sooner or later could happen with East Asia, so neutrality in Russia's war against Ukraine is impossible, Japanese Ambassador to Ukraine Kuninori Matsuda said.

"From the first days of this aggression, our Prime Minister set the tone for what Japanese policy would look like in this section. What is happening now with Ukraine, sooner or later, could happen to East Asia. Therefore, of course, neutrality is impossible for Japan, nor for any other country, wherever it is located. It is also impossible to continue the policy of business as usual, further dealing with Russia," Matsuda said at the third Ukrainian-Japanese forum "Responsible partnership. Ukraine and Japan in the context of Russia's war" on Tuesday.

Matsuda said that thanks to his leadership, Japan can pursue a clear sanctions policy against Russia and announced a new package of sanctions.

"We have a sanctions package against Russia. And we are also now announcing a new package of sanctions," he said.

He said the future of Ukraine should be closely linked with Europe and Euro-Atlantic integration.

The ambassador also said Japan and Ukraine have many common challenges and common interests.
Jamie Dornan and Danielle Macdonald are heading to Ireland for the second season of the thriller series The Tourist.

The first season, which aired on the BBC in January 2022, became the most-watched drama of the year in the U.K. and won three Golden Nymphs awards at the Monte-Carlo Television Festival.

More from The Hollywood Reporter

The new six-part thriller, commissioned by the BBC in association with Stan and ZDF, was created and written by Jack and Harry Williams and produced by award-winning Two Brothers Pictures (Baptiste, The Missing, Fleabag) in association with All3Media International. Shooting is set to start this spring.

A year on from their adventure in the Australian Outback, the new series follows Dornan (Belfast, The Fall, Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar) and Macdonald (Unbelievable, Dumplin, Patti Cake$), who reprise their roles as Elliot and Helen as they travel to Ireland together.

Deciding that its finally time for Elliot to rediscover his roots following the car crash that left him with severe memory loss, the pair find themselves dragged into the dangerous whirlwind of his past life. Whilst Elliot fights with his own demons, Helen is left to pick up the pieces of a larger mystery; forcing them both to confront foes, old and new.

The Tourist was unlike anything wed written before and were hugely grateful for the incredible response to series one, said the Williams brothers. Its been an exciting journey getting stuck into that world again with the quirky characters that were so loved, and seeing where we could take them next, whilst continuing to deliver a tonally unique and off-beat drama.

International sales on The Tourist season two will be handled by All3Media international, the distribution arm of All3Media, which owns Two Brothers Pictures.

Click here to read the full article.
 Madonna Thanks Late Brother Anthony Ciccone for His 'Important' Influence Following Death

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Madonna is reflecting on how her big brother Anthony Ciccone influenced her following his death.

After Ciccone died at age 66, the Grammy Award winner, 64, praised her late brother for "blowing my mind" Monday on her Instagram Story, sharing a black-and-white throwback photo from the '80s of the two of them with all their siblings.

"Thank you for blowing my mind as a young girl," wrote Madonna, adding: "You planted many important seeds."

She credited Anthony for introducing her to Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, Buddhism, Taoism, Charles Bukowski, Richard Brautigan, Jack Kerouac and expansive thinking.

RELATED: Madonna's Older Brother Anthony Ciccone Dead at 66 After Decline in 'Past Few Months': Source

 Madonna Thanks Late Brother Anthony Ciccone for His 'Important' Influence Following Death

madonna/instagram

Madonna's brother-in-law Joe Henry  who is married to her sister Melanie Ciccone  announced Anthony's death Saturday on Instagram. "My brother-in-law, Anthony Gerard Ciccone, exited this earthly plane last evening," he wrote in the caption.

"I've known him since I was 15, in the spring of our lives in Michigan so many years now gone. As brother Dave Henry (who took this photograph) notes here, Anthony was a complex character; and god knows: we tangled in moments, as true brothers can.

RELATED: Madonna's Older Brother Says He's Homeless

"But I loved him, and understood him better than I was sometimes willing to let on," he continued. "But trouble fades; and family remains with hands reached across the table. Farewell, then, brother Anthony. I want to think the god your blessed mother (and mine) believed in has her there, waiting to receive you. At least for today, no one shall dissuade me from this vision."

RELATED VIDEO: From Madonna to the Beatles, A Look Back at Queen Elizabeth II's Most Memorable Music Meetings

A source told PEOPLE that although they were "estranged, Madonna supported him in every way she could when he was willing to take the support," adding: "Family members including Madonna visited him while in his rehab facility as he declined these past few months."

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In 2011, Anthony said he was "homeless on the street" and living under a bridge in their native Michigan. Their brother Christopher Ciccone told The Mirror in 2017 that Anthony was "back home" and "recovering" after spending time in a treatment center.
As a physician who provides health care to Hoosiers every day, its clear that our state is facing a mounting crisis of care. There simply arent enough physicians to meet the skyrocketing patient demand, and many of us are retiring. For years, Ive worked with advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) to provide patients with safe, high-quality care. Its time for the state legislature to remove the legislative roadblocks that prevent patients from choosing APRNs as their health care providers.

Across our state, the physician shortage is having detrimental effects on Hoosiers health. Health care costs are up and health outcomes are down. We hear every day that patients are having difficulty scheduling appointments for routine care. The lack of prenatal care is driving up infant mortality rates across our state. Kids devastated by the pandemic cant get the mental health care they need. The status quo isnt cutting it anymore and policymakers need to make a change.

More:Op/Ed: Indiana doesn't have enough primary care doctors  nurse practitioners can help

Todays health care workforce includes a wide variety of professionals who can help us turn the tide for our patients. Chief among them are the 9,400-plus APRNs practicing across our state. Weve seen firsthand the quality of care APRNs provide. I have routinely served as a nurse practitioner preceptor, supervising advanced practice nursing students during their clinical training. I work with APRNs in my practice and can attest to the outstanding care they deliver. Unfortunately, our current state laws limit these providers from delivering the care they are already state licensed and nationally certified to perform.

Nicolette Swords receives prenatal care from nurse practitioner Melissa Barker from Union Hospital's "Home OB" program on Thursday, Oct. 21, 2021, in Parke County, Indiana.

In our state, APRNs have to sign a contract with a physician in order to practice. These contracts can be costly for nurses and health systems and have shown no real benefit to patient care. This session, House Bill (HB) 1330 has been introduced in the House, and Senate Bill (SB) 213 in the Senate, to modernize our state laws and remove the requirement for our states nurses to sign physician contracts. In states that have taken similar actions, the APRN workforce has quickly expanded. We encourage Indiana legislators  including our physician colleague Rep. Brad Barrett, chair of the Public Health Committee  to bring these bills to a vote now.

More:Op/Ed: Don't solve doctor shortage by ending collaboration between medical professionals

As a physician, I am proud to work side by side with my APRN colleagues to meet the health care needs of Hoosiers and to support legislation that will allow them to answer the call for care. The National Academy of Medicine also supports legislation to allow APRNs to work to the top of their scope  and cites the decades of research demonstrating the safety and quality of care they provide. In fact, 26 states, the District of Columbia, the VA health system and two U.S. territories already eliminated these outdated laws to improve access to care.

Our state can no longer afford to continue on the current path. Millions of Hoosiers lack access to vital health care services, and there is a ready-made solution before the General Assembly. I call on them to pass SB 213 and HB 1330 so that Indiana patients can access the health care they need and deserve.

Dr. Charles Tripple specializes in emergency medicine and family medicine in Indianapolis and two other locations.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Remove roadblocks to medical care by nurse practitioners in Indiana
Post Malone has announced the long-awaited European leg of his 'Twelve Carat Tour' with special guest Rae Sremmurd. Produced by Live Nation, the 13-date run kicks off on April 22 at Oslos Telenor Arena, making stops in Stockholm, Copenhagen, Antwerp, Zurich, Cologne, London, Dublin, Glasgow, Birmingham and Manchester before wrapping up in Amsterdam at the Ziggo Dome on May 19. Post will bring his elaborate production setup of incredible lighting effects, pyro and multi-platform stages seen on his North American run to cities across Europe.

2022 saw Post embark on a 38-city trek across the U.S. and Canada, as an exhilarating celebration of Post Malones recently released, critically-acclaimed, fourth full-length album, Twelve Carat Toothache [Mercury Records/Republic Records]. With support from Roddy Ricch on select dates, each nights packed setlist featured hits like Reputation, I Like You (A Happier Song), and Cooped Up from the new album as well as fan-favourites like Rockstar, Congratulations, and Better Now. Each song featured a delicate precision of visual and auditory senses being triggered simultaneously through each unique production element.

Tickets will be available starting with local presales from Wednesday, March 1 at 12pm local time. The general on sale for Twelve Carat Tour will start Friday, 3 March at 12pm local time through the Live Nation website.

POST MALONE: TWELVE CARAT TOUR 2023 EUROPEAN DATES:

Saturday April 22, 2023: Norway, Oslo, Telenor Arena

Tuesday April 25, 2023: Sweden, Stockholm, Avicii Arena*

Wednesday April 26, 2023: Denmark, Copenhagen, Royal Arena*

Friday April 28, 2023: Belgium, Antwerp, Sportpaleis*

Sunday April 30, 2023: Switzerland, Zurich, Hallenstadion*

Monday, May 1 2023: Germany, Cologne, Lanxess Arena*

Thursday May 4, 2023: UK, London, The O2*

Saturday 6 May 6, 2023: UK, London, The O2*

Tuesday, May 9, 2023: Ireland, Dublin, 3Arena*

Saturday May 13, 2023: UK, Glasgow, OVO Hydro*

Sunday May 14, 2023: UK, Birmingham, Resorts World Arena*

Tuesday May 16, 2023: UK, Manchester, AO Arena*

Friday May 19, 2023: Netherlands, Amsterdam, Ziggo Dome*

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*With Support from Rae Sremmurd.

Listen to the best of Post Malone on Apple Music and Spotify.

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.
The post Psyduck Answers the Phone in Teaser for Netflixs Pokemon Concierge: Watch appeared first on Consequence.

The White Lotus is no longer the only resort-centric piece of media on your watchlist: Netflix has today unveiled the teaser for Pokemon Concierge, an upcoming stop-motion project. Get a first glimpse of it today just in time for Pokemon Day (February 27th).

Marking Netflixs first foray into the world of Pokemon, Pokemon Concierge follows the day-to-day happenings Haru, a young woman who works as concierge at the Pokemon Resort, which is  you guessed it  a resort for Pokemon and their trainers: Pokemon are the guests here, Haru says in Japanese in the teaser, as a Psyduck listens to her message over the phone.

Netflix is looking forward to delighting fans in Japan and around the world with Pokemon Concierge, an entirely new visual and storytelling experience featuring ground-breaking stop-motion animation set in the Pokemon world in close collaboration with The Pokemon Company, reads a statement from Minyoung Kim, Vice President of Netflix Content in Asia. Were also excited to reveal this new series on Pokemon Day and provide fans with even more things to look forward to on this special holiday celebrating the popular franchise.

Pokemon Concierge doesnt have a release date yet, and press materials are pretty vague about whether the project is a feature-length film, a short, or a series. Either way, it looks adorable. Stay tuned here for more information as its revealed, and watch todays teaser for Pokemon Concierge below.

Pokemon Concierge is not to be confused with the new Pokemon series coming down the pipeline, in which our fearless leader Ash Ketchum has retired.

Psyduck Answers the Phone in Teaser for Netflixs Pokemon Concierge: Watch

Abby Jones

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Richard Gere and Alejandra Silva attend a special screening of "Maybe I Do" hosted by Fifth Season and Vertical at Crosby Street Hotel on January 17, 2023 in New York City

Jamie McCarthy/Getty Richard Gere and Alejandra Silva

Richard Gere is finally ready to party.

The actor, 73, caught a case of pneumonia requiring hospitalization while vacationing in Mexico for his wife Alejandra Silva's 40th birthday, but now appears to be over the hump, health-wise.

On Saturday, Silva posted a carousel of photos to Instagram, showing off all the festivities she enjoyed with friends for her special day  including a shot of Gere smiling at her sparkler-topped birthday cake, plus one of the duo in a sweet embrace.

RELATED: Who Is Richard Gere's Wife? All About Alejandra Silva

"As you can see we are all mostly recovered," Silva  who reported she herself had been weathering sinusitis and an ear infection in an earlier update  captioned the post.

RELATED: Richard Gere's Wife Alejandra Silva Shares Rare Beach Photo with Their Kids for Her 40th Birthday

Gere has apparently been on the mend steadily for some time, as Silva posted on Feb. 19 that "the worst has already," passed. She followed that up two days later, assuring fans that "Richard is feeling much better," and that their two young sons who also fell sick were doing fine as well.

In addition to their two boys together (Alexander, 4, and James, 2), Gere is dad to 23-year-old son Homer, whom he shares with ex-wife Carey Lowell. Meanwhile, Silva is also mom to son Albert, 10, from a previous marriage.

RELATED VIDEO: Richard Gere Marries Spanish Girlfriend Alejandra Silva: 'They're Extraordinarily Happy'

Gere and Silva knew each other for over a decade before they first began dating in 2014.

In April 2018, a source close to the pair told PEOPLE they had married "weeks and weeks ago" and were "extraordinarily happy," adding, "They're so comfortable with each other, have fun together and are looking forward to their future together."

Never miss a story  sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

After news of their marriage broke, a film source who has known Gere for years told PEOPLE he "has been much happier in this half of his life because he is settled, confident and doing what he likes."
A Google streetview image of a Rosneft oil depot in Tuapse, Russia, dated to 2012. Google Streetview

A fire broke out at a Russian oil facility on Tuesday night, far from the country's borders.

The incident came amid a night of drone-inflicted chaos at multiple Russian sites.

Russian commentators were quick to blame Ukraine, which has so far not commented on the incidents.

A fire broke out at a coastal oil facility in southern Russia in the early hours of Tuesday, the aftermath of a possible drone strike by Ukraine deep into enemy territory.

Details on the attack were difficult to come by: Fires broke out in the early morning, as videos and photos that lit up Russian social media appeared to show.

Neither Ukrainian nor Russian authorities verified the incident as an attack, though Russian outlets said drones were seen near the oil facility, run by government-controlled oil giant Rosneft.

But an expert told Insider that Ukraine has the equipment to carry out such a strike. Similiar strikes, such as two on Russian air fields in December, have been attributed to Ukraine.

Local authorities said that the fire, at Tuapse oil depot on the Black Sea coast, spread to an area of around 200 meters square before being put out at around 3 a.m. local time.

Tuapse is roughly 300 miles from the nearest Ukrainian-held territory as the crow flies.

State news agency RIA Novosti said a drone had been seen overhead, while popular Telegram channels such as Baza and Face of War claimed that two drones struck the site.

Officials played down the incident, saying no oil was spilled and there were no casualties.

But local news outlet 93.ru cited nearby residents as hearing two loud blasts that shook their homes, while another Telegram channel posted a video purporting to show a massive explosion and a plume of flames.

Insider was unable to independently verify the video.

The apparent attack comes amid a barrage of both official and unofficial reports of drone attacks on multiple sites in Russia overnight.

Russia's Ministry of Defence said that there was a drone attack on a site in Krasnodar, though it claimed to have foiled it.

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Ukraine has not commented on the incidents, and many details remain unclear.

However, Russian TV propagandist Vladimir Soloviev was quick to blame Ukraine and its Western allies for the incident, sending his vast Telegram audience a message that it was unreasonable to blame Russia's air defense for missing the drones.

Drones expert Dr James Rogers spoke to Insider about the incident, noting that much is still unknown.

But Soloviev's accusation is "a clear attempt" to shape the narrative ahead of any concrete facts being known, Rogers said. "One where NATO is allegedly directly helping Ukraine to attack Russia."

He said Ukraine has the means for such an attack, in the form of its domestically-manufactured Tu-141 drones.

This Soviet-era surveillance drone has a range of around 600 miles and can be adapted to have an explosive tip, he said, allowing Ukraine to strike inside Russia without using Western-supplied equipment.

"The clear line has been that Ukraine has not been using any of the systems that have been supplied by the West to do this, because that would be an attributable escalation back to NATO and Western forces," he said.

Ukraine has previously struck Russian territory with the same modified drones, unnamed Kyiv officials told Politico in December last year.

In an attack that Ukraine did not formally acknowledge, two bombers at the Engels air base in Saratov were damaged, some 300 miles deep into Russian territory, the outlet reported.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Sampa The Great - Photo: Don Arnold/WireImage

Sampa The Great has announced her As Above, So Below North American tour this spring with a slew of upcoming shows spread across 15 cities throughout the US and Canada.

The forthcoming run is set to delight fans with an eclectic medley of her highly acclaimed 11-track 2022 album As Above, So Belowa career-eclipsing record spanning hip-hop, neo-soul, Zamrock, Amapiano, and Southern African rap, and anchored by Sampa The Greats spoken word in the Zambian-rooted language of Bemba.

Receiving praise in The New York Times, Rolling Stone, Pitchfork, The FADER, Teen Vogue, W Magazine, and more, As Above, So Below traverses Sampas memories of Africa through a self-exposed lens of authenticity and womanhood, while looking to the future of Africas relationship to the world and its global communities.

A reflection of Sampas transitory upbringing, the records sonic hybridity throws recognition to the music coming out of the African diaspora today, while honoring the stories of those who tread previously. The albums final track and single, Let Me Be Great featuring Angelique Kidjo was notably highlighted in a Song Exploder episode and featured in an Okayplayer feature, while single Never Forget ushered respect to the golden era of Zambias socially prolific genre, Zamrock, and appeared in the trailer for the widely beloved Marvel blockbuster Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.

Sampa The Great makes her first tour stop in Seattle, WA and rounds out the tour in Chicago, IL with additional dates at Lighting in a Bottle Festival as well as the Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival. Tickets go on sale Friday, March 3 at 10AM local time.

Visit Sampa The Greats official website for more information.

Sampa The Great Tour Dates:

May 17 Seattle, WA - Neptune

May 18 - Portland, OR - Revolution Hall

May 19 - Vancouver, BC - Hollywood Theatre

May 22 - San Francisco, CA - Fillmore

May 23 - Santa Cruz, CA - Catalyst Club

May 25 - Los Angeles, CA - The Regent

May 31 Atlanta, GA Terminal West

June 2 - Richmond, VA Brown's Island

June 4 - Washington, DC - 9:30 Club

June 6 - New York, NY - Irving Plaza

June 7 - Boston, MA - Royale

June 9 - Toronto, ON - Axis Club

June 14 - Chicago, IL - Thalia Hall

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.
EXCLUSIVE: Dark Star Pictures has snapped up North American rights to the Stephen King documentary King on Screen, examining cinematic adaptations of the iconic authors works, out of EFM. The film from actress-turned-director Daphne Baiwir, which bears Kings stamp of approval, will hit theaters in late summer, with a digital release to follow in the fall.

King on Screen offers audiences an intimate sit-down with directors who have adapted Kings work for the screen, looking at the movies and shows that have brought his body of work an entirely new life  both the ones that reached the top-tier echelons of pop culture history and those that fell by the wayside into obscurity. Among those sitting down for interviews in the film, which world premiered at Fantastic Fest last year, are Frank Darabont (The Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile), Mick Garris (ABCs The Stand), Mike Flanagan (Geralds Game, Doctor Sleep) and director and special makeup effects titan Greg Nicotero (Creepshow, Misery), to name a few.

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King is, of course, a master of literary horror and of the bestselling authors of all time who has seen more than 80 features made based on his work. Next heading from his pages to the screen is the Rob Savage-directed horror-thriller The Boogeyman from 20th Century Studios and 21 Laps, which hits theaters on June 2nd. Among the most recent titles of his to have been picked up for adaptation is 2021s Billy Summers, about a hitman set to take one last major job before retiring, which has landed at Warner Bros, as we told you first. Ed Zwick and Marshall Herskovitz are penning the script, with J.J. Abrams Bad Robot and Leonardo DiCaprios Appian Way to produce.

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Producers on King on Screen included Sebastien Cruz for Les Films de la Plage, Jean-Yves Roubin for Frakas Productions and Zoe Salmon for Mr Salmon Films, with the participation of OCS.

Daphne has done a spectacular job of showcasing the talented filmmakers who brought the work of Stephen King to life in moving images, said Dark Star Pictures President, Michael Repsch. As a lifelong King fan, I could not be more excited to bring this film to audiences across North America and have it as a part of the Dark Star family.

Recent releases from the L.A.-based distributor Dark Star Pictures include the WWII epic Onoda: 10,000 Nights in the Jungle, Shinzo Katayamas crime drama Missing, and the Tribeca-premiering drama Petit Mal. Other upcoming releases from the company include the Tim Roth vehicle Punch, Fantasia Grand Jury winner Megalomaniac, and the serial killer thriller Saturn Bowling from French auteur Patricia Mazuy.

Repsch negotiated the King on Screen deal for Dark Star Pictures, with Hugues Barbier, Justin Timms and Joe Yanick for Yellow Veil Pictures on behalf of the filmmakers.

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The Thessaloniki Intl. Documentary Festival kicks off its 25th edition Thursday at a time when the nonfiction genre has arguably reached unprecedented heights.

This years festival, which takes place March 2  12 in the seaside Mediterranean city, unfolds just days after veteran French docmaker Nicolas Philibert won the Golden Bear in Berlin for his documentary about a Paris mental health care facility, On the Adamant. The award capped a fortnight in which Sean Penns gonzo doc about Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Superpower, also generated plenty of buzz (albeit lukewarm reviews).

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Meanwhile, Cameroons Cyrielle Raingou took home Rotterdams Tiger Award just a few weeks earlier for Le Spectre de Boko Haram, a riveting view of terrorism seen through childrens eyes. And one summer ago, Laura Poitras triumphed on the Lido with All the Beauty and the Bloodshed, her docu-portrait of the photographer and activist Nan Goldin, which won the Venice Film Festivals Golden Lion award.

Its no coincidence, says Thessaloniki festival director Orestis Andreadakis, of the dramatic ascent of documentary films at world cinemas most prestigious fests. Documentary, the last 10 years, 20 years, its a different genre. And I think its much more important than fiction films.

Documentary directors and producers, because theyre more independent, because theyre more flexible, because they dont need so much money, they invent new things, he adds. They are audacious. Theyre going to look for new forms of cinematic direction.

The festival opens with the world premiere of La Singla, by Spanish filmmaker Paloma Zapata, which tells the story of the groundbreaking flamenco dancer Antonia Singla, who was born deaf and revolutionized the world of flamenco, before disappearing from the stage before her thirtieth birthday. It concludes with the international premiere of Johan Kramers My Pet and Me, a light-hearted and heart-warming exploration of the loving bonds between humans and their pets.

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This years edition begins on a somber note, after festival organizers canceled Thursdays opening ceremony following a train crash in northern Greece Tuesday night that claimed at least 40 lives. The Greek government has declared three days of national mourning.

In a statement posted on Facebook Wednesday evening, the festival said it had called off its official curtain raiser, as well as concerts and other events meant to celebrate its quarter-centennial. This unprecedented tragedy has left Thessaloniki Film Festival in a state of shock, numbness and grief, Andreadakis told Variety. Film screenings and events held as part of the festivals Agora industry program will continue as planned during the three-day mourning period.

Across its three competitive strands, the Thessaloniki Documentary Festival will present 34 feature films, with 32 of those celebrating their world, international or European premieres. Other highlights will include tributes to the Austrian documentary filmmaker Nikolaus Geyrhalter, and Greek director Stavros Psyllakis, whose films followed everyday people caught up in over-the-edge situations.

The festival will also honor the memory of the citys once-thriving Jewish community with the homage Adio Kerida: From Thessaloniki to Auschwitz  80 Years, which will take place eight decades after the first train departed the city bound for Nazi concentration camps. Andreadakis describes it as an obligation for the festival to pay homage to that somber anniversary, one year after it collaborated with Greek filmmakers Syllas Tzoumerkas and Christos Passalis on their hybrid docudrama The City and the City, which recounted the largely untold story of the atrocities committed against Thessalonikis Jewish population during World War II.

The program at this years Thessaloniki Documentary Festival showcases a range of filmmakers exploring stories of oppression and emancipation, of historical traumas and human triumphs, and of the struggle to preserve life as we know it on a planet hurtling toward extinction.

Among the selections from the international competition celebrating their world premieres is The Last Seagull, from veteran docmaker Tonislav Hristov, whose portrait of a male escort on Bulgarias Sunny Beach offers a multilayered allegory on life in the Balkans and the modern world. Tunde Skovrans Who I Am Not, from executive producer Patricia Arquette, tells the story of an intersex beauty queen in South Africa who proves that our world and our lives cant be contained by simple, binary definitions.

Fresh off a premiere at the Berlin Film Festival, Under the Sky of Damascus, from Oscar-nominated director Talal Derki (Of Fathers and Sons) and Heba Khaled, follows a group of Syrian women who embark upon on a radical project to produce a play that lays bare a culture of misogyny and sexual abuse. Veteran American documentarian Ralph Arlyck offers a nostalgic and cinematic love letter to the passage of time with I Like it Here, which recounts the people, places and events that left a mark on the directors life and inspired his five-decade career.

Meanwhile, Greek filmmaker Valerie Kontakos Queen of the Deuce (pictured), which premiered at DOC NYC, tells the story of Chelly Wilson, the queen of the porn industry in New York in the 1970s, who became an unconventional feminist icon.

That film is one of 61 feature-length and short documentaries screening this week in Thessaloniki, part of what Andreadakis sees as a clear-cut evolution in the industry since the festival first launched. Its changed a lot. If you go 20 years ago, 25 years ago, when we started the festival, Greek documentary was very primitive, he says. The Thessaloniki festival played a key role to help the Greek documentary community grow.

The Thessaloniki Intl. Documentary Festival takes place March 2  12.

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Four people were killed and five injured as a result of the shelling of Kherson by the Russian occupiers on Tuesday, head of Kherson Regional Military Administration Oleksandr Prokudin said.

"In Kherson region, enemy shelling does not stop during the day. Unfortunately, there are victims. As of this hour, four people have been killed, five injured," Prokudin wrote on the Telegram channel.

He illustrated the message with a video recording of the destruction caused by the shelling.

Earlier it was reported about two dead and one injured as a result of the morning shelling of the city. In addition, houses, power lines, gas pipelines, heating systems, and vehicles were damaged in Kherson and the surrounding area. A pretrial investigation has been launched in criminal proceedings on the fact of violation of the laws of war connected with premeditated murder (Part 2 of Article 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).
The post How to Get Tickets to Foo Fighters 2023 Tour appeared first on Consequence.

Foo Fighters are set to return to road in 2023 for their first extended live outing since the tragic passing of drummer Taylor Hawkins in March 2022 (get tickets here). The groups most recent performances came in late 2022 at the transatlantic tribute concerts dedicated to the late, beloved band member.

The upcoming tour includes a string of headlining shows, as well as festival stops at Bonnaroo and Boston Calling.

Read on for more details.

What Is Foo Fighters Next Tour?

The Foos have been cooking up something special for their first batch of live shows in 2023, and no, its not Daves charitable BBQ. The rock icons will play their first solo date this year in Gilford, New Hampshire on May 24th, followed by one-offs in Rogers, Arkansas on June 14th and Pelham, Alabama on June 16th.

Elsewhere, the band have been tapped to lead the top-line of festivals across the globe including Boston Calling, Canadas Ottawa Bluesfest, Japans Fuji Rock, and Germanys Rock am Ring. Theyll also play Bonnaroo; Sonic Temple in Columbus, Ohio; Outside Lands in San Francisco; The Town in Brazil; Sear.Hear.Now Festival in Asbury Park, New Jersey; Louder Than Life in Louisville; Ohana Festival in Dana Point, CA; and more throughout the year.

Update: Foo Fighters have announced a number of new headlining tour dates, including arena shows in Spokane, Salt Lake City, Virginia Beach, Phoenix, and El Paso.

Who Is Opening for Foo Fighters on Tour?

Taipei Houston will open Foo Fighters comeback show in Gilford, New Hampshire on May 24th, while The Breeders will serve as support at select dates on the bands run of shows in August and September.

How Can I Get Tickets for Foo Fighters 2023 Tour?

Tickets to all of Foo Fighters upcoming tour dates are available via Stubhub  where orders are 100% guaranteed through Stubhubs FanProtect program.

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Tickets for the newly announced headlining dates will be available on Ticketmaster beginning Friday, April 14th. A Live Nation pre-sale will take place on Thursday, April 13th (use access code VINYL).

What Are Foo Fighters 2023 Tour Dates?

See Foo Fighters full list of tour dates below, and get tickets to all of their upcoming concerts here.

Foo Fighters 2023 Tour Dates:

05/24  Gilford, NH @ Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion ^

05/26  Boston, MA @ Boston Calling

05/28  Columbus, OH @ Sonic Temple

05/30  Washington, DC @ The Atlantis

06/02  Nurburgring, DE @ Rock am Ring

06/04  Nurnberg, DE @ Rock im Park

06/14  Rogers, AR @ Walmart AMP

06/16  Pelham, AL @ Oak Mountain Amphitheatre

06/18  Manchester, TN @ Bonnaroo Music Festival

07/08  Quebec City, QC @ Festival Dete De Quebec

07/12  Ottawa, ON @ Ottawa Bluesfest

07/15  Milwaukee, WI @ Harley Davidson Homecoming

07/29  Naeba, JP @ Fuji Rock

08/04  Spokane, WA @ Spokane Arena *

08/08  Salt Lake City, UT @ USANA Amphitheatre *

08/10  Stateline, NV @ Lake Tahoe Outdoor Arena at Harveys *

08/11-13  San Francisco, CA @ Outside Lands Festival

09/03  Aspen, CO @ Aspen Snowmass

09/09  Sao Paulo, BR @ The Town

09/17  Asbury Park, NJ @ Sear.Hear.Now Festival

09/19  Virgina Beach, VA @ Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater at Virginia Beach *

09/21  Louisville, KY @ Louder Than Life Festival

10/01  Dana Point, CA @ Ohana Festival

10/03  Phoenix, AZ @ Talking Stick Resort Amphitheater

10/05  El Paso, TX @ Don Haskins Center

^ = w/ Taipei Houston

* = w/ The Breeders

How to Get Tickets to Foo Fighters 2023 Tour

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Russian President Vladimir Putin has handed actor Steven Seagal the Order of Friendship award for his humanitarian work.

The 70-year-old actor, who also holds Russian citizenship, has reiterated his support for Putin plenty of times in the past. In fact, last year, a birthday dinner was held in his honour in Moscow.

The awarding of the Order of Friendship was announced on the Russian government's internet portal over the weekend.

The order recognises people who Russia considers to have contributed to bettering international relations.

Seagal was a vocal supporter of Russia's 2014 annexation of Crimea and last year visited the Russian-held Ukrainian town of Olenivka where dozens of Ukrainian prisoners of war were reportedly killed in an attack for which Russia and Ukraine have blamed each other.

In 2018, Seagal was named as a Russian Foreign Ministry humanitarian envoy to the United States and Japan.

At the time, the Russian Foreign Ministry said Seagals responsibility would be to facilitate relations between Russia and the United States in the humanitarian field, including cooperation in culture, arts, public and youth exchanges.

In 2022, Seagal also recorded a birthday message for Putin, saying: Today is President Putins birthday. I just think that we are now living in very, very trying times. He is one of the greatest world leaders and one the greatest presidents in the world.

And I am really hoping and praying that he gets the support and the love and the respect that he needs. And that all the tribulations that are going on now will be over soon, and we will be living in a world of peace.

Additional reporting from agencies
Waco Branch Davidians

A spotlight shines over the Branch Davidian compound near Waco, Texas on March 22, 1993. Credit - Rick BowmerAP

Antigovernment militias have made Waco a code word for federal overreach. Even before the fiery end of the 1993 siege at the Branch Davidians compound south of Dallas, where David Koresh and more than 70 of his followers died, Army veteran Timothy McVeigh visited the site. A Koresh supporter, McVeigh sold bumper stickers reading FEAR THE GOVT THAT FEARS YOUR GUNS and A MAN WITH A GUN IS A CITIZEN, A MAN WITHOUT A GUN IS A SUBJECT. Two years later, McVeigh chose the anniversary of the Waco fire to bomb the Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City.

Conspiracist Alex Jones led a fund drive to build a chapel on the site of the compound. No more Wacos! he shouted. Mike Vanderboegh, cofounder of the Three Percenters militia, warned, Waco can happen at any given time. But the outcome will be different next time. One of the insurgents arrested after the January 6, 2021 U.S. Capitol riots anticipated a battle with police he called Waco 2.0.

Thirty years after the siege that helped inspire todays militias, the site has become a tourist attraction. On a good day, more than a hundred visitors pass through the gates of a property near Waco that Google Maps still labels Branch Davidian Compound. There are families, curiosity seekers, and militia members making pilgrimages to one of the hubs of what many call the patriot movement.

Todays Mount Carmel is a chapel on a grassy floodplain near the corner of Elk Road and Double-EE Ranch Road. The gravel driveway leads past a row of red and green crepe myrtles. Survivors planted eighty-two of the trees in 1994, one for each Davidian who died during the siege. Today there are eighty-one: the current pastor, Charles Pace, chopped down the tree dedicated to David Koresh.

One Sunday not long ago, a breeze rustled the crepe myrtles leaves. Dog-day cicadas chirred. Black Angus cattle grazed on the neighbors ranch across the fence. The church, sporting a fresh coat of paint, looked as clean and white as on the day it first opened its doors in 2000. After almost a quarter century, it was still one of the top tourist attractions in McLennan County. The only sign of decay was the Davidians cement-lined swimming pool, now half-full of rainwater. Nearby, a placard identified a hole in the ground as the entrance to THE VAULT AREA WHERE MOTHERS & CHILDREN WERE GASSED TO DEATH. This was not a true factthe vault had been at ground level, not underground, and about ten yards away, and the mothers and children inside had burned to death, died of smoke inhalation, or been buried as the compound collapsed around them. But the empty space in the earth suited the mood of the place.

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Inside the chapel, ceiling fans stirred the heat. A whiteboard cited a verse from Psalm 77: I have considered the days of old, the years of ancient times. I call to remembrance my song in the night . . . Hath God forgotten to be gracious? Hath he in anger shut up his tender mercies? The board held a map of the Old City of Jerusalem. TodaysDavidiansthereare a couple dozen in Waco, several thousand scatteredaround Texas and the rest of the worldstillbelieve they are Gods chosen few. Many consider Koresh a false prophet, perhaps the antichrist. Others expect him to rise again in time for the Last Days.

Pastor Pace and his wife, Alexa, greeted visitors. He had a shaved head and a neatly trimmed beard. Her T-shirt read PRAY TO END ABORTION. Pastor Pace had split off from the sect in the 1980s. I saw through their delusions, he said in a hoarse voice. He returned to lead Wacos diminished flock in 2006. Now seventy-two, he gets around in a wheelchair and has a stainless-steel right leg, the result of a tractor accident that mangled his right foot.

The churchs walls held photos of Davidian leaders: Victor Houteff, Ben and Lois Roden, Koresh. Despite his doubts about his predecessor, Pace knows its Koresh most visitors want to hear about. Posters show Koreshs 1988 mug shot and aerial views of the compound before and after the fire. A memory book holds snapshots of the Davidians who died here in the ATF raid on February 28, 1993 and the fire fifty-one days later. Those too young to be photographed are remembered with cards showing their names and nationalities. Two of the cards read, Trauma born baby, American.

This small chapel stands on the spot of David Koresh's Branch Davidian compound that was stormed and subsequently burned to the gound by the FBI and ATF in April 1993, in Waco, Texas, June 9, 2001. Shawn ThewAFP/Getty Images

The Paces rely on donations. They also sell merchandise: GOD ROCKED FROM WACO T-shirts and postcards showing Koresh playing guitar, Trump flags and shirts emblazoned MR TRUMP YOU ARE MY PRESIDENT 20202024. Another shirt reads, PATRIOTS, REMEMBER THE ALAMO? AND FORGET NOT WACO! Posters showed Bill and Hillary Clinton with their fingers to their lipsShh!and Koresh wielding a rifle over a line directed at President Joe Biden: SLEEPY JOE, WAKE UP OR WACO! COME GET IT!

Pastor Pace works day and night to maintain the church and the grounds, host Sabbath services, and run a website that blames deep-state conspirators for the siege and fire of 93, a subsequent cover-up that led to the murder of Vince Foster, and more.

Koresh may have been a false prophet, but he was onto something, Pace said that day. Partially blind, he had a gray left eye that wandered while his blue right eye fixed a listener in an iron gaze. Thats why the Clintons couldnt let him live. He knew too much about the human trafficking, pedophilia, and gun-and cocaine-running the Clintons and Bushes were guilty of. The Davidians had built their swimming pool, he believed, to reclaim a desecrated spot after Koresh found evidence of a sex-slavery ring based in the cellar, though Koresh never mentioned such a thing.

This is all proven, said Pace. A website he built for the church, wacothebranchdavidianpropheciesfulfilled.info, featured a Star of David logo, posts including Why the Deep State Massacred David Koresh and his Followers, references to Republicans and Demonic-rats, and the QAnon hashtag WWG1 WGA (Where we go one, we go all). President George H. W. Bush, he said, was a pedophile and homosexual. As head of the CIA, Bush built tunnels under the White House. They found fifteen hundred dead children in those tunnels, dead from torture and sexual abuse. When they found out, Donald and Melania Trump cried for hours. And Donald Trump did the right thing: he had Bush arrested for his crimes. George Bush did not die of natural causes in 2018. They executed him for treason. This will all come out in the near future.

Like Koresh, Pastor Pace knew his Bible well enough to recite much of it from memory. Prophecy is real, he said. I trust in prophecy. Thats what has kept me sane, so to speak. He was tender with his adult sons, who helped with chores and still found an occasional spent bullet in the acres of grass around the church. Pace said they knew their father might sound unhinged to some, but he was not a hypocrite. He was a believer. He had chopped down the bush dedicated to Koresh because God told me to. He thanked God for the militia members who come to Mount Carmel from all over the country. The Holy Spirit leads them here. The Proud Boys were here, about thirty of them. They say Waco is the Alamo of the modern patriot movement. I told them, If David Koresh were here today, hed be one of you.

Adapted from Cooks new book, Waco Rising: David Koresh, the FBI, and the Birth of Americas Militias
U.S. WFLD

Hundreds of teenagers flooded into Downtown Chicago on Saturday night, smashing car windows, trying to get into Millennium Park, and prompting a major police response. A woman whose car was smashed by people jumping on the windshield said her husband was beaten as he sat in the driver's seat. Police were escorting tourists and others back to their cars in the Millennium Park garage.
She spoke out about the barriers to making progress with modern ingredients on Instagram.

Photo: Win McNamee/Getty Images

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has made it known before that she's a beauty girlie through and through (in addition, of course, to being a progressive political leader). And on Monday while traveling in Asia, the congresswoman took to Instagram Stories to speak on a subject of which plenty American skin-care obsessives are all too aware: Sun protection is absolutely crucial, and the United States lags painfully behind other countries in terms of access to modern sunscreen ingredients.

Once again, for the cheap seats in the back: Daily sunscreen is a skin-care essential (for everyone, regardless of skin tone!) that protects against cancer, sun damage and signs of premature aging. But in the U.S., sunscreen is classified as a drug and is therefore regulated by the FDA. In theory, this is a good thing that ensures quality, safe, effective formulas make it to market. But in practice, this means that only a handful of old-school active ingredients are FDA-approved for sun protection, and many of the more advanced formulas available in countries like Japan and South Korea aren't available to U.S. consumers.

"Most of my friends know that I'm obsessed with sunscreen. It's one of my favorite things to get while traveling!" Ocasio-Cortez wrote to her social media followers, adding that "the FDA is woefully behind (think many years) on approving new sunscreen ingredients," and that "the rest of the world is literally decades ahead on sunscreen technology."

Sure, it may not seem like the most pressing of legislative issues for our political leaders to be fixating on, but the U.S. Representative is calling out this issue that's ultimately tied to the country's health and legislation. It's also been a trending topic among skin-care experts, some of whom are thrilled to see a politician addressing it.

View the original article to see embedded media.

Social media skin-care guru and Dieux Skin CEO and co-founder Charlotte Palermino joined the discourse in an Instagram post, confirming that the country's lack of sunscreen innovation is due to the way SPF is regulated. "We're doing great with what we have access to but it could be so much better," she said, adding that it's been "over 20 years" since the FDA approved new filters.

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Palermino explained that newer UV filters have better textures, cause less eye stinging, less white cast and are more flexible in formulating. So until the FDA updates its approved filters, we'll be picking up AOC's recommendations on our next trip overseas.

Please note: Occasionally, we use affiliate links on our site. This in no way affects our editorial decision-making.

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Standouts include a deep-fried golden pave and a cheesecake in the shape of a lemon.

Christian Harder

As much as we love the excitement of planning our next meal, snack, or restaurant outing, its nice to take some time to appreciate the delicious things weve already eaten. That's why this February, our editors made a conscious effort to really slow down and savor each bite, whether we were out at restaurants or in our kitchens. A variety of standout dishes impressed our editors this month, from tiramisu ice cream cake to New Orleans-Style Jambalaya. Read on for the best dishes we ate in February.

Lemon Cheesecake from Bad Roman (New York, NY)

Shaped like the most perfect lemon in the grocery store, this cheesecake is exactly why it's so fun to order dessert at the end of a big meal. I loved the graham cracker crumbs (instead of a crust), and the cake itself was a perfect balance of sweet and tart.  Oset Babur-Winter, Senior Drinks Editor

Ice Cream Sundae and Devil's Food Chocolate Cake from Porter House (New York, NY)

Steakhouse sides get all the love, but steakhouse desserts don't get nearly enough credit for being consistently delicious and comforting. On a recent trip to Porter House, the steakhouse from quintessential New York chef Michael Lomonaco, I refused to choose between the devil's food chocolate cake and the ice cream sundae, and I'm so glad I didn't. The vanilla and caramel ice cream sundae, packed expertly with chunks of brownie, cookies, meringue, and maple-soaked walnuts, became the bite of my dreams once I doused it all in hot fudge. And nothing goes with a sundae like a giant piece of cake to wash it all down.  Maria Yagoda, Senior Editor

Courtesy of PorterHouse Bar & Grill

Everything from Johnnys Homewood (Birmingham, AL)

Every single thing on the plate was so good, I did not want the experience to end.  Ameila Rampe, Senior Food Editor

Related:The Best Meals Our Editors Ate This Year

Crispy Okra from Tatiana by Kwame Onwuachi (New York, NY)

I'm still trying to break down how they achieved the textural feat of this okra. Crispy as advertised, sure  but a thick, sweet (but not overly so) honey-mustard-peppa-sauce glaze did nothing to dampen it, as so often happens when sauce meets shard. A fellow diner exclaimed, This is candy! in a way you never expect from okra, but then again, okra can do anything. Then again, I suppose so can Kwame.  Kat Kinsman, Executive Features Editor

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Steamed Egg from Porcelain (Brooklyn, NY)

This jiggly, luscious steamed egg ate almost more like silken tofu. It was topped with loads of black vinegar, chili oil, scallion, and crunchy peanuts, making it ultra savory and spicy. I keep dreaming about that perfect bite  a clean spoonful of the egg scooped on top of a small pile of rice, letting it soak up every last bit of that addictive saucy, oily situation.  Amelia Schwartz, Associate Editor

Grilled Cabbage with Sunflower Seeds and Dill from Claud (New York, NY)

Every dish at Claud surprises and delights with exceptionally executed flavor, but cabbage may not sound as tempting as the inevitably irresistible chicken liver agnolotti, delicate mushroom mille-feuille, and rich escargot croquettes. I am still daydreaming about the char, seasoning, and texture that made the humble wedge stand out and beckon for a repeat visit.  Ashley Day, Updates Editor

Karissa Ong

Related:Our Favorite Best New Chef Recipes of All Time

Dim Sum from Asian Jewels (Queens, NY)

I think few textures are better than steamed bun texture. These steamed custard buns (and all the other steamed buns I had at Asian Jewels) were perfectly done  the ideal balance of fluffy, chewy, soft, bounciness that constitutes steamed bun heaven. The sweet egg custard filling was so rich and flavorful, and it was literally oozing out after I took my first bite. This was only my second time having steamed custard buns, and I am already convinced that they're a perfect food.  Merlyn Miller, Social Media Editor

Leah's Cabbage and On My Way Home Mussels from Leah and Lousie (Charlotte, NC)

Everything from Leah & Louise is a 10/10 but I genuinely cant stop thinking about their smothered slow-roasted cabbage and mussels. The cabbage is stuffed with smoked sausage and smothered with pepper honey in a rich sauce  unreal. The mussels on the other hand are cooked in this delicious butter, lemon, and Worcestershire sauce paired with some dream cornmeal brioche. I couldnt stop eating them and once I was finished, I was savoring that brioche to sop up the leftover sauces.  Alexandra Domrongchai, Editorial Fellow

Peter Taylor Photography

Tiramisu Ice Cream Cake from Bad Roman (New York, NY)

This tiramisu ice cream cake was so creamy, with silky coffee ice cream and soft espresso-soaked cake. Sliced and presented like a layer cake, it was a whimsical twist on the classic Italian dessert. The dessert menu at New York's buzzy new restaurant Bad Roman echoes the ethos of the restaurant as a whole: playful takes on red sauce Italian classics that are expertly executed but not taken all too seriously (dessert aperitifs are served in glasses hot glued to cars, and the focal point of the restaurant's over-the-top interior is a massive warthog sculpture wearing a neon collar). As an ice cream fanatic, I loved ending my meal this way.  Lucy Simon, Editorial Assistant

Related:This Is the Best Hidden Gem Restaurant in the World, According to Tripadvisor Users

New Orleans-Style Jambalaya

This jambalaya by Anna Theoktisto was just what my husband and I needed on a chilly Fat Tuesday night. I love that she has you make a quick shrimp stock while you prep the other ingredients  it reduces your cooking waste and adds so much flavor to the dish. Searing the andouille sausage and bacon together rendered so much good, smoky fat to use for cooking the bell pepper, celery, onions, and rice, and using spicy smoked paprika gave the jambalaya just the right kick. This recipe is a definite keeper.  Chandra Ram, Associate Editorial Director

Potato Pave from Bar La Fete (Birmingham, AL)

One of the appetizers that's always on the menu at this new downtown Birmingham wine bar is the Potato Pave: deep-fried, golden, crispy, bite-sized cubes stacked, thinly shingled potatoes. It's served with an herbed creme fraiche that's like the fanciest ranch dressing you've ever had. I order it every time and every time, I love it.  Karen Shimizu, Executive Editor

Christian Harder

Hot Chicken Sandwich from Eugene's Hot Chicken (Birmingham, AL)

The quest for fried chicken sandwich glory, specifically ones with some kick, is a saturated battlefield. While there is a range of spice levels at Eugenes Hot Chicken, the sandwich isn't just piquant for piquancy's sake. Two massive tenders are fried to crackling perfection and one bite reveals white meat that is so moist it glistens. What sets this sandwich off is that the layers of spice, smokiness, and acidity don't sit atop the chicken's exterior. Those layers also penetrate the inside of the tenders with gusto. A little coleslaw, pickles, and a fluffy potato bun combine the whole thing for a massive bite. No one looks cute eating it, but everyone looks fantastic enjoying it. Bonus points if you get it with the fried pickled okra as a side!  Andee Mckenzie, Assistant Food Editor

Related:10 Extremely Remote Restaurants That Belong on Your Bucket List

Omakase Menu from Sushi Noz (New York, NY)

The dinner I got to enjoy was a collaboration between chef Nozomu Abe and chef Brian Lockwood (former head chef at Eleven Madison Park). The meal consisted of 15 incredible courses featuring classics from Abe and dishes that Lockwood prepared using ingredients and methods employed by Abe. Every course was a dream, but highlights included hay-smoked baby bluefin with fermented koi jalapeno sauce, rockfish with buttermilk-mussel jus and shiso blossom, and the most perfect chocolate tarte from Lockwood.

I also tried grilled blowfish shirako, a.k.a. blowfish semen, which was, if not my favorite thing to eat, certainly a memorable bite! The best thing about the meal was how you could taste the craftsmanship and attention to detail that went into every single morsel. It was also such a treat to be right in front of the chefs in a gorgeous, intimate setting and to be able to ask them about their techniques and inspiration. While this dinner series was short-lived, be on the lookout because chef Lockwood is coming back for another collaboration with chef Abe this summer!  Sam Gutierrez, Senior Social Editor



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Seabourn is ready to take cruisers to the far reaches of Australia, Greenland, the South Pacific, and more.

Courtesy of Seabourn

Seabourn is ready to take cruisers somewhere completely new during the 2024-2025 sailing season.

On Feb. 23, the luxury cruise line announced its new expedition voyages, set to embark over the summer of 2024 and through the winter and spring of 2025 aboard its two newest vessels, Seabourn Venture and Seabourn Pursuit. According to a statement provided to Travel + Leisure, both ships will take passengers to remote corners of the globe, including the line's first trip to the Kimberley region in northern Australia.

These new expeditions are going to be thrilling and offer so many opportunities for guests to discover the natural and cultural wonders found in some of the farthest corners of the planet, including our first-ever visit to the Kimberley in Australia, said Robin West, vice president and general manager of expeditions, in the statement. Best of all, guests will be experiencing everything in the company of Expedition Team members who will bring the wonders of each destination to life. Were looking forward to many Seabourn Moments with our guests, filled with thoughtful experiences for reconnection, discovery, and adventure.

As Seabourn Pursuit travels through the Kimberley and South Pacific in June, July, and August of 2024, it will bring guests to see ultra-remote regions along the Ord River and to King George Falls, the highest waterfall in Western Australia. Guests can even hop on optional helicopter viewing tours of the Hunter River, dive along Montgomery Reef, and see the horizontal waterfalls of Talbot Bay.

But this isnt the only exciting forthcoming journey for Seabourn Pursuit. The ship will also take a series of 15-day trips to Papua New Guinea and West Papua in May, June, August, and September 2024 (guests can combine voyages for 35-day trips in this region). Travelers on these trips can dive and snorkel, and enjoy land adventures, like touring the village of Watam near Papua New Guinea's Ramu River. These itineraries will also explore the scenic Raja Ampat Islands in Indonesia.

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Pursuit is also scheduled to sail through the South Pacific and along the coast of Chile on 14-, 17-, and 20-day journeys (guests can combine sailings for extended stays on this route, too). Those sailings will happen in the spring and fall of 2024 and visit the Juan Fernandez Islands and Easter Island off the coast of Chile, French Polynesia's Raiatea Island, the Yasawa Islands of Fiji, and Pentecost Island in Vanuatu.

As for the Seabourn Venture (which has not one but two onboard submarines), it will head out on three 14-day voyages between London and Edinburgh in April and May 2024. Guests can combine the two for an epic 28-day sailing, ensuring theyve left no travel stone unturned. Along the way, travelers will stop in the Orkney Islands, skirt along the Scottish Highlands, and visit charming U.K. seaside towns like Plymouth.



Those looking to take a farther-flung journey on Venture can hop on sailings through Norway, Greenland, Iceland, and the Canadian Arctic from June through September 2024, which includes 11- and 12-day Svalbard, Norway, itineraries; a 15-day voyage from Svalbard to Greenland to Iceland; an 11-day circumnavigation of Iceland, and 11- to 15-day trips to Iceland and Greenland; and a season-ending, 14-day voyage from West Greenland to St. Johns, Newfoundland. These trips include polar bear safaris, spectacular nights under the midnight sun, explorations of Greenlands capital, Nuuk, and even the chance to kayak through the largest icebergs in the northern hemisphere.

Both vessels will also be making their way to Antarctica in 2024 and 2025, with 11-, 13-, or 21-day options from October 2024 through mid-March 2025. No matter which sailing guests choose, theyll have the chance to spot a few plucky little penguins and majestic whales and walk along the edge of the world on the southernmost continent.

See more about the sailings and book your cruise at seabourn.com.

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PARIS  Paul Smith was given carte blanche to art direct a new exhibit at the Musee National Picasso. But instead of the traditional white walls typically used at galleries or museums, the British designer went with vintage wallpaper, posters, collages of plates and colorful stripes set against some of the painters most famous artworks.

A room dedicated to the iconic Les Demoiselles dAvignon is drenched in Paul Smith pink.

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I was thinking, If Mr. Picasso was around, would he think this was fun? Would he think this was tongue-in-cheek? Would he think this was a very modern way of showing his work? And hopefully he would, Smith told WWD.

The exhibit, set to open March 7, marks 50 years since Pablo Picasso died in his home outside of Cannes, in the south of France, and Smith wanted to show his works in new, inventive  and Instagrammable  ways.

They wanted to get people to think about it in a new light, Smith told WWD. Im not an art historian, and Im not somebody who has a great knowledge of Picassos work. And so it was very much about the exhibition being very much part of todays world, which is very visual because everybody has a telephone and everybody takes photographs all the time, so its a very visual exhibition.

The exhibit is curated by Cecile Debray and Joanne Snrech, while Smith art directed the displays.

It works through Picassos periods, from Cubism through the Blue Period of the early 1900s, with each room a more immersive, rather than observational, experience.

A room devoted to the Blue Period is swimming in shades from floor to ceiling which offsets the paintings, including Picassos famous self-portrait.

Picasso also used found items in his own works, particularly sculptures which he assembled with objects. The technique blurred the lines between artwork and object, and used decorative motifs in his paintings, which Smith plays on here with his use of wallpaper and plates.

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Early in his career, Picasso studied animals in still lifes, while later he worked in ceramics, on display in the exhibit against a bucolic green. Another room filled with his art depicting bullfighting, including his La Tauromaquia, is drenched in blood red.

A preliminary sketch of Paul Smiths scene setting at the Musee National Picasso.

Being asked to curate the exhibit was unbelievable, Smith said. They said they were looking for something very different to what has been done before in that museum or in any museum. What a humbling task and wonderful, amazing and quite overwhelming request.

Smith came to the museums attention in part for his fashion design, as well as his work on other types of design projects, including hotel suites, bikes and furniture. The way I see things is not always done the obvious route, he said.

The request came in 2018 with the work beginning at the end of 2019. Due to the pandemic, Smith started his work remotely, poring through the 200,000-piece strong archives of the museum.

Debray moved into the presidents post at the museum in late 2021, and invited contemporary artists including Guillermo Kuitca, Obi Okigbo, Cheri Samba and Dior muse Mickalene Thomas to join the exhibition with paired works.

Smith is well aware that his pop culture approach might be a bit too unconventional for some. I dont expect everybody to think its great. I am quite sure that some people would prefer it portrayed in a more traditional manner, but that wasnt the brief. The brief was a new light. But, obviously, people have strong opinions about things, he said.

Working on the exhibit was a bit of an education for him as well. I didnt really know how modern Picasso was and how he really embraced new ideas, Smith said. A lot of creators in fashion or writers, photographers often pick up on a particular way of doing things, and then that is something that stays with them throughout their career.

Picasso was not afraid to completely change his style, and experiment with other mediums, including pottery and ceramics. He was always on the move and always interested in new ideas and themes.

More than design influences, Smith drew comparisons with his own career, citing his position remaining an independent company at a time of industry consolidation.

That has stronger parallels with Picasso in the fact that you have to keep thinking and rethinking new ideas to still be relevant in fashion, he said, adding that he tries to keep a childlike curiosity despite being in the industry since the 1970s. That constant interest in newness and doing things differently has definitely kept me and my business having relevance after all these years, and certainly that is true about Picasso himself.

A preliminary sketch of the Colored Paintings room at the Musee National Picasso exhibit.

Smith cited the Cubist depiction of Paris Sacre-Coeur cathedral as one of his favorites. It was very brave and radical at the time, he said. The geometric shapes and color palette of cream and gray earned it a showstopping place as one of the first pieces in the exhibit.

Smith just designed a suite at Browns Hotel in London, as well as a new project with longtime partner Mini cars. Hell be presenting his latest womens collection March 6, the morning after the exhibits opening party.

The exhibit, he emphasized, is an independent piece of work, not tied to his fashion designs which instead plays on the textiles that he seeks out at fabric fairs.

Im very humbled; its certainly been a very emotional thing to do, he added. To be privileged to be in that empty museum in the morning with these masterpieces was pretty amazing.

The exhibit Picasso Celebration: The Collection in a New Light will run from March 7 to Aug. 27.

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Former president Donald Trump holds a commanding lead over a field of potential Republican primary challengers as the 2024 campaign season approaches, with Mr Trump garnering support from 55 per cent of self-identified GOP voters, a new Emerson College poll shows.

Mr Trumps next closest rival in his quest for a rematch against President Joe Biden, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, only clocks in with support from a quarter of the hypothetical GOP primary electorate pulled in the survey of 1,060 voters. Thats four percentage points lower than the 29 per cent who said theyd support Mr DeSantis in a similar survey last month.

Only two other GOP figures, former vice president Mike Pence and ex-UN Ambassador Nikki Haley, managed to garner more than one per cent of support from respondents, with Mr Pence earning eight per cent of support and Ms Haley getting the nod from just five per cent of respondents.

Both Mr Trump and Ms Haley, who announced her candidacy in the 2024 election earlier this month, are expected to address attendees at the American Conservative Unions Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Maryland later this week. The ex-president was one of the headliners during last years edition of the conference in Florida, while Ms Haley is returning after several years away from the annual right-wing confab.

While Mr DeSantis made an appearance at the Orlando conference last March, he, Mr Pence, and other potential GOP hopefuls will be absent from the this years CPAC, which has long served as a cattle call for Republican presidential contenders.

Instead, the Florida governor will be spending at least part of that time in his own backyard, at a Palm Beach weekend retreat organised by the conservative anti-tax group Club For Growth.

Other potential GOP candidates in attendance will be Mr Pence, Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina, New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu and anti-woke businessman Vivek Ramaswamy, who announced a 2024 bid of his own last week.

Mr Trump was not invited to the annual retreat.
Federal Emergency Food and Shelter Program funds distributed by United Way of Pueblo County may be used by organizations to buy groceries for food distributions, provide lodging at mass shelters and more.

United Way of Pueblo County will distribute $96,672 in federal funds to local organizations providing food and shelter services.

Applications are open for 501(c)3 nonprofits, faith-based organizations and government agencies until 11:59 p.m. March 6. Funds come from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Food and Shelter Program. Organizations may use funds to provide food, lodging at mass shelters, rent assistance, mortgage assistance, utility assistance, supplies and more to those in need.

Pueblo School for Arts and Sciences:Pueblo D60, PSAS leadership highlight post-pandemic challenges in annual report

"These funds are critical to being able to support the emergency needs of folks who are in the most need," said Bianca Hicks, vice psStrategic operations for United Way of Pueblo County. "Things like food and shelter really are basic services that everyone in our community should be entitled to."

Federal Emergency Food and Shelter Program funds must be used as a supplement an organization's existing services and may not be used to create new programs. Organizations also must have Unique Entity Identifier (UEI)  a 12-character identification code assigned by SAM.gov. Individuals may not apply for funds directly.

United Way of Pueblo County has administered funds from the Federal Emergency Food and Shelter Program for about 40 years, Hicks said. Funds have been awarded every one to one-and-a-half years to United Way of Pueblo County based on factors like local poverty rates, population and unemployment rates.

Typically, about 15 food, shelter and direct care organizations receive Federal Emergency Food and Shelter Program funding from United Way of Pueblo County. Parameters are not set for amounts an individual organization may receive.

"We just ask that organizations be mindful that we are trying to make the biggest impact that we can," Hicks said.

Funding previously has been given to the Pueblo Rescue Mission, Ecumenical Church of Pueblo West, Pueblo Cooperative Care Center, Catholic Charities of Southern Colorado, Posada of Pueblo and Rocky Mountain SER, among other organizations.

Story continues

Pueblo West High School:Lockdown at Pueblo West High wasn't part of rash of 'swatting' calls across Colorado

Outside of the Federal Emergency Food and Shelter Program, applications for additional funding opportunities through United Way are currently open. The Community Problem Solving Grant is an endowment to United Way from the El Pomar Foundation aimed to assist indigent populations and people experiencing homelessness. Community Problem Solving Grants are open until March 4.

Organizations may apply for Federal Emergency Food and Shelter Program funds or lean about additional funding opportunities online at pueblounitedway.org/funding-opportunities. Applicants must attend a March 8 meeting on the second floor of the Security Service Federal Credit Union building, 310 E. Abriendo Ave., at 10 a.m. Potential applicants also may contact Hicks by email at bianca@pueblounitedway.org, for information.

Pueblo Chieftain reporter James Bartolo can be reached by email at JBartolo@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: Pueblo United Way opens applications for federal food, shelter funds
Participants of Supreme Commander-in-Chief Staff review general operational situation at front, likely nature of enemy's actions in near future

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky held a regular meeting of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief's Headquarters on Tuesday.

According to the press service of the President, the members of the Staff reviewed the overall operational situation and the likely nature of the enemy's actions in the near future. Reports on that were delivered by Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valeriy Zaluzhny and Chief of the Main Intelligence Agency Kyrylo Budanov.

In addition, they also reviewed the state of supplying the defense forces with ammunition and equipment, the progress of training of Ukrainian servicemen abroad, and the needs of the defense forces in terms of numbers and specialties.

Commander of the Ground Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Commander of the Khortytsia Operational and Strategic Group of Troops Oleksandr Syrskyi and Commander of the Tavria Operational and Strategic Group of Troops Oleksandr Tarnavskyi reported on the course of combat operations in the areas of responsibility of their groups.

Commander of the North Operational and Strategic Group of Troops Serhiy Nayev and Commander of Odesa Operational and Strategic Group of Troops Eduard Moskaliov reported on the situation in the Northern and Southern directions.

The meeting was also attended by Head of the Presidential Office Andriy Yermak, Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal, Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council Oleksiy Danilov, and commanders of troops and operational directions. The meeting was also attended by members of the government, heads of security and law enforcement agencies.
The power of an important story told with passion and unflinching clarity always transcends the bonds of time. This explains the durability of Shakespeares plays when they land in the right hands, and it explains Edward Bergers adaptation of Erich Maria Remarques fierce anti-war novel, All Quite on the Western Front, which is nominated for the best picture Oscar.

Nearly a century ago, director Lewis Milestone triumphed in one of the first Oscar competitions with his Universal Pictures version of the 1928 tome, filmed, remarkably, completely in and around its Hollywood Studio home.

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Today, Front is registering with voters who are seeing the horrors of war in Europe live and in color as it sadly unfolds again with Russias invasion of Ukraine.

When Milestone filmed his Front, WWI was a decade behind the voters, who had just roared through the 1920s and hadnt yet confronted the grueling toll of the Depression or the deadly threat posed by the rise of Nazism in Germany.

So the first Front dominated the news in Hollywood  not only as a humanitarian wakeup call to stop a war or all wars, but was also covered from all angles a big new picture from Universal deserved.

It was noted at the time that the films young star, Lew Ayres, had leaped from banjo player in an orchestra to hottest young leading man in the movies.

Variety dutifully reported the top fiction bestsellers of the time and Remarques stark novel was an international sensation.

And as for the Nazis, Variety was reporting on rumblings in Europe when Front was finally released. G.W. Pabst made his own version of strikingly similar material, titled West Front 1918 and the National Socialists hated its pacifistic message. Ditto Milestones epic, when released caused movie theater mayhem in Germany, all whipped up by Nazis, including their propaganda chief, Josef Goebbels. Milestones masterpiece was quickly banned in Germany and Austria.

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Variety reported on Dec. 24, 1930: The Austrian government yesterday (Monday) decided that If Germany had ruled In Western Nichts Neues was an insult to the Germanic people, Austria couldnt take any other attitude.

What is remembered, however, is the power of the picture and the first Front remains a high-water mark of early studio artistry in the brand-new sound era. Bergers version of the novel benefits from a century of filmmaking technology but less happily, its humanistic plea for an end to war remains a dream more elusive than capturing the dancing beams of light on a white screen.

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It cannot be stressed enough that there is a big need for Ohio State to sign at least two running backs in the 2024 cycle. The Buckeyes failed to sign one in 2023, but the depth is there even without a freshman entering the mix. The need is there for the 2025 class as well.

There have been multiple running backs linked to OSU for the 2024 cycle. Samuel Dixon is one of them. Looking ahead to 2025, you can add Virginias Gideon Davidson to the list.

According to a report from 247Sports Bill Kurelic, Davidson plans to visit Columbus in June for a camp (subscription required). There is potential for him to also make a trip during spring practice as well.

Davidson doesnt appear on the 247Sports composite yet, but he is ranked by them as the top running back in the country and No. 19 overall player in the 2025 class.

More!

Ohio States C.J. Stroud will throw during this weeks NFL combine Ohio State has seemingly rescinded offer to star quarterback Dylan Raiola Believe it. Ohio State basketball among top fifteen in home court advantage since 2005. Chris Holtmann confirms commitment to Ohio State WATCH: Chris Holtmann reflects on win over Illinois

Contact/Follow us @BuckeyesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Ohio State news, notes, and opinion. Follow Michael Chen on Twitter.

Story originally appeared on Buckeye Wire
When we host wine tastings, we are often asked our thoughts on screw cap wines as opposed to the more traditional cork. Being New Yorkers, we respond with questions of our own, which are, How many people here today are wearing clothes with zippers? Okay, and how many have buttons on their clothes? Who is wearing both buttons and zippers? The point of our inquiry is that while types of closures on our garments is something we rarely think about, the way wine bottles are sealed is a hot topic and the subject of much debate.

Wine has been made for about 7,000 years, and its only been about 350 of those since bottles of uniform size have been secured with cork. The bark of a type of oak tree that is native to the Iberian Peninsula, cork was used as a topper for amphora during the Roman era, but at that time it was fashioned as a flat disc and sealed with wax or tree resin rather than forced into place mechanically. Prior to the industrial revolution, wine was shipped in amphora (ancient times) and then barrels (more recently) and was bottled by wine merchants rather than wineries. Containers of various sizes and shapes were used, which may have belonged to the final consumer rather than the seller. With all that in mind, inserting a small cork into a factory-produced bottle is not necessarily the traditional method that wine purists claim, nor is it inarguably the best.

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There are a lot of good things about closing wine bottles with cork, including the air exchange that occurs over time and adds desirable secondary characteristics to the wine. But there are also a lot of bad things about cork bottle closures, such as cork taint and the undesirable characteristics that wine can develop through contact with air. Aluminum screw caps were first introduced in 1959 by a French company, and in the mid-1970s they were tested in Australia. The Australian Wine Research institute found that screw caps are much more consistent than cork, especially concerning air exchange. Wines closed with an aluminum cap show signs of age and oxidation at a consistent rate, while bottles under cork exhibit a wide range of variance due to differences in the texture and permeability of individual corks.

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An archaeologist shows how the Romans bottled wine in 6th Century BC.

Inconsistent closures are singly the biggest shortcoming of the modern wine world, Australian wine expert and journalist Tyson Steltzer, co-author of the 2005 book Taming the Screw: A Manual for Winemaking with Screw Caps, told Robb Report. When I wrote my book on screw caps I relied upon the trial wines of the 1970s to assess the propensity for red wines to age long-term under screw cap. Now I am regularly opening 20-year-old reds from my own cellar under screw cap. Its a complete game-changer. Under cork, bottle variation exacerbates in time, even in a cellar at a perfectly stable 55 degrees and 75 percent humidity.

Closure under screw cap has been a large-scale ongoing experiment in Australia and New Zealand since the early aughts; today 95 percent of all New Zealand wines, including high-end reds are under screw cap, and upwards of 70 percent of Australian wines use this method. For instance, Henschke Hill of Grace single-vineyard Barossa Syrah that sells for around $900 and is bottled under Vino-lok, a glass stopper sealed with single-use metal cap. And Australias Penfolds bottles all of its white wines, even the most expensive, under screw cap.

The Screwcap Wine Seal Initiative was established in New Zealand in 2001 to promote screw caps as an alternative method of sealing wine bottles. To say it has been staggeringly successful is an understatement. Although many people think of screw cap as acceptable for an easy drinking Sauvignon Blanc or rose that is best consumed young, one of New Zealands best-known wineries, Villa Maria, jumped fully on board, becoming, in that same year, the first major winery in the world to move to 100 percent screw caps, according to Patrick Materman, director of winegrowing at Villa Maria. This includes premium reds such as Villa Maria Ngakirikiri from Gimblett Gravels in Hawkes Bay, a luscious blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Malbec that fetches $100 a bottle.

At Villa Maria, screw caps have ensured consistency and quality of our wines, Materman says. This ability to keep wines fresher for longer makes screw caps eminently suited to all wine, and that primarily includes our fine wine which may be cellared for longer periods. Having used screw caps since 2001, we have a strong library of wines to accurately gauge the evolution of wines under screw cap and are convinced of their performance over cork.

This $900 red comes with a glass stopper sealed with a metal cap.

Its hard to find a luxury-level red wine capped with anything other than cork in the United States, but first steps are being made. One of the earliest to give it a go is Gordon Gettys PlumpJack Collection of Wineries, which includes PlumpJack Estate Winery, Cade Estate Winery, Odette Estate Winery and 13th Vineyard by Cade; all of the groups wines are bottled half under cork and half under screw cap. Its first vintage bottled under both closures was the PlumpJack 1997 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon from Oakville. The metal-topped bottle debuted at the 2000 Napa Valley Wine Auction.

During the 90s, the percentage of wines that were cork-tainted was much higher, and Gordon did not understand why that was acceptable, John Conover, PlumpJack Collection of Wineries managing partner, told Robb Report. We spent so much time growing it and making it, and just to have the wine spoiled by its closure wasnt acceptable. So, we embarked on our grand experiment of bottling not our least expensive wine, but our most expensive wine, our most age-worthy wine, half under screw cap and half under cork. We partnered with UC Davis to do an independent third-party ongoing study on the ageability of the two closures.

Through their trials theyve found the effect on aging to be whats expected and that the reduced airflow on the screwcaps keeps those wines fresher longer. They hold on to the fresh fruit a few years after the cork-finished wine has started to evolve to show more dried fruits and oak spice, PlumpJack Winery winemaker Aaron Miller told Robb Report. That said, a winemaker can choose from several different grades of screwcaps that let in different levels of oxygen.

We tasted some wines from Cade and PlumpJack side by side, and in the case of Cade Estate 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valleys Howell Mountain, which you can buy for $120, the differences from screw cap to cork were barely perceptible but definitely present. The wines are young, so differences in evolution have not become evident, somewhat like identical twins raised in the same household who might wear different colored eyeglasses but have not yet formed separate friendships or gone away to college. Glasses of both wines exhibited similar aromas of black cherry, blackberry and violet, but while the screw cap version had dark chocolate on the nose, the one under cork had more of a milk chocolate scent and a quality we both described as bigger. On the palate, we found screw cap to be more precise and linear with stronger acidity and a touch of minerality-induced salinity. Meanwhile, the cork wine seemed more expansive and voluptuous in the mouth with just a hint of a savory note.

Californias PlumpJack is experimenting by sealing some bottles of the same vintage under screw cap.

Another California winemaker who has embraced screw cap is Adam Lee, founder of Clarice Wine Company, where he produces three $95 Pinot Noirs from Santa Lucia Highlands: an appellation wine and two single vineyard expressions. Lee is a co-founder of Siduri Vineyards, now owned by Jackson Family Wines, where he first began bottling appellation Pinot Noirs using this type of closure, . . .but held off on the vineyard designated wines for seven years total to make certain that screw caps not only worked in the short term but in the longer term as well. They did. Moving forward with screw caps, Lee says, I fully believe that they are the best closures, using the saranex liner, for longer-term aging of wines. That is because of the lack of TCA [the chemical compound responsible for cork taint] and the consistency of oxygen ingress. There has been great progress made with corks and TCA in recent years, in part due to the competition that screw caps have provided, but I still find that, over time and with varying cellar conditions, cork is variable and allows in different amounts of oxygen, while screw caps are much more consistent.

As the use of screw cap increases, dont expect to find Penfolds Grange in a bottle of this type any time soon. While there are no screw cap Penfolds reds imported into the United States that retail for over $20, Penfolds chief winemaker Peter Gago told Robb Report, Penfolds has successfully and intermittently used screwcaps on our white wines for over half a century, Penfolds chief winemaker Peter Gago told Robb Report, Were delighted with quality and longevity results. He told us that Penfolds Yattarna V, a multi-vintage deluxe & uber-rare Chardonnay that will come to the USA this year in very limited quantities with a price tag of $500 will also be sealed with screw cap.

Besides limiting oxidation and cork taint, there are several other advantages to screw cap wines. Although opening a bottle with a cork has a certain level of flair, especially tableside in a nice restaurant, screw caps are easy to open and just as easy to re-seal. Bottles can be stored upright rather than on their sides, and wine is more resistant to damage from fluctuating temperatures. And just because weve done something one way for years doesnt mean we have to continue. Progress in the United States and Europe will be slow on the fine red wine front, but already about 30 percent of all the wine produced worldwide comes in a screw cap bottle. Expect to see more in shops and restaurants as time goes on. We suggest you move past your first instinct and dont pass up fine wine sealed with a screw cap.

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As the Beatles once sang, "She's leaving home." The Daily Mail recently reported that the artist Yoko Ono is moving out of the Dakota, an iconic New York City co-op building, and spending the rest of her life on a 600-acre farm in Franklin, New York. For some, this might be a real-estate move they did not see coming. Ono has become almost synonymous with the luxurious apartment complex for the past 50 yearsfor better or for worse. (John Lennon, Ono's former partner, was killed on the steps of the Dakota in 1980.) But the move isn't actually that shocking, considering Ono and Lennon purchased the sprawling farm back in 1978. Her change of residence will be a full-circle moment.

Curious to learn more about Ono's departure from the Dakota? We're answering all of your biggest questions below. (If you can't get enough of the Beatles' real-estate-mania, be sure to check back here for updates.)



When did Yoko Ono Move Into the Dakota?

Though it feels like Ono always lived in the Dakota, which was built in 1884, she and Lennon actually moved into the residential building in 1973. Located on the Upper West Sidea stone throw's away from the city's famed Central Parkthe 65-unit building was notoriously strict about its residents. Legend has it, the building's co-op board rejected a slew of high-profile celebrities like Madonna, Billy Joel, and Cher. (However, stars like Judy Garland and Lauren Bacall were granted access.) The Dakota was all about preserving its peaceful-yet-private atmospheresomething that felt particularly on-brand for Lennon.

What Did Yoko Ono's Dakota Apartment Like?

Why have one apartment when you can have a few? According to the Cheat Sheet, Ono and Lennon had multiple units within the Dakota: their primary residence, two units for storage, one used as a studio, and two guests apartment.s (You know, just in case Paul, George, or Ringo wanted to stop by.) In a biography titled John Lennon: The Life, author Philip Norman says that the couple's seventh-floor residence had four bedrooms, and sweeping views of Central Park's treetops. Architecturally speaking, the unit boasts a sit-down elevator, brass details, and plenty of wooden paneling.

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Has Yoko Ono Listed Her Unit in the Dakota?



Though Ono reportedly has yet to list her beloved unitand not much is known about their additional spaces within the Dakotashe could sell it for a steep profit. Local real-estate platform StreetEasy shows that there are currently four listings at the Dakota, ranging from $4.5 million to a whopping $20 million. That's quite a markup considering when the Dakota first opened as a residential unit, tenants reportedly spent $1,500 to $5,000 per year.

Where is Yoko Ono Living Now?

After 50 years living in New York City, Ono is embracing the quiet country life. According to the Daily Mail, she is currently residing on her 600-acre farm in Franklin, New York, an upstate community with a population of 280 people. Lennon and Ono initially purchased this retreat in 1978, with hopes to raise Holstein dairy cows. (In fact, it's widely reported that Lennon once purchased a herd of 122 cows and 10 bulls for the farm.) Ono originally moved out to the farm during the Covid-19 pandemic, and has since decided that she will not return to her New York abode. Srawberry fields forever.

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The passenger said he was "shocked" to be given a pair of chopsticks alongside the banana. Kris Chari

A passenger on a Japan Airlines flight ordered vegan food but was disappointed to be given a banana.

Non-vegan passengers were served tuna with a salad, cheese, and a baguette as a snack, per the menu.

Japan Airlines apologized for not meeting expectations for its vegan offering.

A passenger aboard a Japan Airlines flight said he was served a banana with chopsticks as part of the vegan inflight menu.

Kris Chari told Insider he booked to fly business class on Tuesday from Jakarta, Indonesia, to Tokyo. The flight was scheduled to last more than seven hours.

There were two meal services during the flight  the first was a snack and light refreshment served after takeoff and the second was lunch, a Japan Airlines representative told Insider. The snack option for non-vegan passengers consisted of seared tuna with a Moroccan-style eggplant salad, cheese with orange salsa, and a baguette, per the airline's menu and Chari's experience.

Chari told Insider he expected to receive the equivalent of what non-vegan passengers were served as a snack, such as a sandwich, salad, vegan cheese, or a baguette.

"Instead, I was served a single banana," he said. Chari sent verification to Insider confirming he was on the flight.

Chari said he spoke with a flight attendant and was "frankly quite shocked" to learn that the banana was a catered meal.

"It's a bit insulting to be served a single banana while others are given a far more substantial and flavorful menu," he said. "It seems especially important given the growth in the number of vegans and vegetarians."

A representative from Japan Airlines told Insider: "We apologize for not being able to meet expectations."

The person confirmed the snack and refreshment option for all special meals on this flight was a banana.

"We will continue to respond to our menus in light of the growing interest and diverse needs of customers requesting special meals, including the valuable feedback from this customer," the person said.

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Chari said the second vegan meal he received was spaghetti. Lunch options for non-vegan passengers flying in February included a cheese omelet, ratatouille, and a chicken sausage on the "Western Menu," and grilled salmon on the "Japanese Menu," per the airline's website.

A "vegetarian vegan meal" is listed under special meal menus on Japan Airlines' website and shows a sample picture of salad bowls, a baguette, a halal sorbet, and a larger rice dish.

Other airlines have come under scrutiny for not providing substantial vegan food options. For example, an Air Canada passenger said flight attendants initially offered her only water during a 10-hour flight from Frankfurt to Toronto, Insider previously reported.

Have you had a similar experience? Get in touch with this reporter via email kduffy@insider.com or DM her via Twitter. She also has Signal.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Days after a surprise trip by President Joe Biden, his top economic official also visited Kyiv and reiterated the administration's support for Ukraine.

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, who met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, announced the first transfer of $1.2 billion as part of a nearly $10 billion package in civilian aid for the embattled country.

"Just as security assistance bolsters the front lines, I believe that this economic assistance is fortifying the home front, thereby strengthening Ukraine's resistance," she said.

Besides echoing Bidens words that the U.S. will stand with Ukraine as long as necessary, Yellen praised Zelenskyy's efforts to ensure transparency in how aid for his country is spent.

Yellen also visited a renovated school that sustained significant damage from a Russian missile that landed nearby in March and told students and teachers, America stands with you in this fight for freedom, and we will be by your side and help you rebuild.

CHINA SAYS ITS RELATIONSHIP WITH RUSSIA IS SOLID:Russian economy shrugs off sanctions: Ukraine live updates

Developments:

In his nightly video address, Zelenskyy confirmed defending the eastern city of Bakhmut is getting "more and more difficult,'' and once again appealed for Western fighter jets, saying: "We will be able to fully protect the sky when the aviation taboo in relations with our partners is lifted.''

China has not yet decided whether to provide Russia "lethal weaponry'' for its war in Ukraine, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told CNN on Monday.

A concert by Slovenia's avant-garde band Laibach in Ukraine has been canceled after the group angered Ukrainians by implying that Kyiv was fighting a war for its Western masters. Ukrainians apparently were angered by Laibachs statement calling the war a cynical proxy war for the geostrategic interests of world powers.

Story continues

Moscow-installed occupying authorities in Kherson province towns of Oleshky and Skadovsk are preparing to "escape" to Russian-occupied Crimea, fearing a Ukrainian counteroffensive, the Ukraine military reported.

American action-movie actor Steven Seagal, who also holds Russian citizenship and strongly supported the Kremlin's 2014 annexation of Crimea, was awarded the Order of Friendship by President Vladimir Putin.

PUTIN RELYING ON US 'ATTENTION DEFICIT DISORDER': Putin hoping Americans tire of Ukraine war, CIA chief says: Ukraine updates

Supporters of Ukraine fill the square during a Stand with Ukraine rally at Copley Square in Boston on Feb. 26, 2023.

China accuses US of 'hypocrisy,' 'hegemonism' because of sanctions

China slammed the United States on Monday for "illegal" sanctions placed on Chinese companies involved with Russia and warned of retaliation if the sanctions are not revoked.

Mao Ning, a spokesperson for the Chinese foreign ministry, said at a press briefing that the U.S. actions have no basis in international law and no U.N. Security Council mandate. She said China's position on Ukraine has been objective and fair, promoting peace talks and a political solution.

"The U.S., however, has been fanning the flame and fueling the fight with more weaponry," she said.

The Chinese company Changsha Tianyi Space Science and Technology Research Institute drew U.S. sanctions for supplying affiliates of the Russian mercenary Wagner Group with satellite imagery of Ukraine. Mao said the U.S. has been spreading disinformation that China would supply weapons to Russia  and sanctioning Chinese companies under that pretext.

"This is out-and-out hegemonism and double standard and absolute hypocrisy," Mao said. "The Chinese side will continue to do what is necessary to firmly safeguard the lawful rights and interests of Chinese companies. We will take resolute countermeasures in response to the U.S. sanctions."

U2 stars Bono, The Edge again show support, perform with Ukrainian band

Two and a half months into the war, U2 front man Bono and guitarist The Edge played at a Kyiv subway station used by residents as a bomb shelter, where they were joined by members of the Ukrainian rock band Antytila who were helping defend their country.

On Sunday the musicians joined forces again, this time in a more conventional setting.

Late in Antytila's charity concert at a London music venue, the rock legends walked on stage for a rendition of U2's "Mothers of the Disappeared'' alongside lead singer Taras Topolia and the rest of the Ukrainian group.

U2 called the opportunity to perform together "a privilege'' in a tweet, adding, "These musicians - Taras, Dmytros, Sherhi, Dmytros, Mykhailo  The people of Ukraine, dont want to be at war They want peace, but not without freedom.''

U2 members Bono, left, and The Edge, right, perform with Taras Topolia, lead singer of the Ukrainian rock band Antytila and army serviceman, during a set at a Kyiv subway station and bomb shelter in May.

Russian invasion triggered 'massive' human rights violations, UN chief says

Russias invasion of Ukraine triggered the most massive violations of human rights in the world today, the head of the United Nations said Monday.

"Attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure have caused many casualties and terrible suffering," U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in a speech to the U.N.-backed Human Rights Council in Geneva. He added that Russia has unleashed widespread death, destruction and displacement.

Russia has largely abandoned the fight in much of Ukraine, instead concentrating on capturing four provinces that Moscow claims to have annexed in September: Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia. The war rages fiercely with heavy casualties on both sides but little movement in the front lines. Ukraine says it will use battle tanks and other new weapons to launch its own offensive and reclaim all occupied territory.

Russia says it will never return Crimea to Ukraine

Crimea is an integral part of Russia and will never be returned to Ukraine, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Monday. Russia seized the peninsula in February 2014. In March 2014, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a treaty on Crimeas reunification with Russia.

The deputy head of the Ukrainian military intelligence service, Vadym Skibitsky, said a planned offensive includes the recapture of Crimea and attacks on Russian territory. "The purpose of our counteroffensive is to liberate all occupied territories of Ukraine  including Crimea," he told the German newspaper Berliner Morgenpost. "We won't stop until we have our country back in the 1991 borders."

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Sunday marked the anniversary of Russia's assault on Crimea. Zelenskyy has pledged to win back Crimea and all Ukraine territory controlled by Russia since its invasion a year ago.

"9 years ago, Russian aggression began in Crimea. By returning Crimea, we will restore peace," he said on social media. "This is our land. Our people. Our history. We will return the Ukrainian flag to every corner of Ukraine."

Zelenskyy fires commander leading forces in Donbas amid corruption scandal

Zelenskyy has fired a senior military commander, the latest major step in the restructuring of Ukraine's defense ministry amid a corruption scandal.

The Ukrainian president gave no explanation Sunday when he issued a decree dismissing Eduard Moskalyov, commander of the joint forces operation that has been waging battle in the eastern Donbas region.

It's not clear whether Moskalyov, who took the position in March 2022 shortly after the war began, was part of Zelenskyy's crackdown on corruption set as a condition for Ukraine eventually joining the European Union.

The Ukrainian military has been involved in two recent cases of alleged impropriety, one of them tied to a scheme of buying food for soldiers at inflated prices, which led to the resignation of Deputy Defense Minister Vyacheslav Shapovalov. The other instance was in connection with embezzlement of funds meant for rebuilding.

Contributing: The Associated Press

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Ukraine Russia war updates: Treasury's Janet Yellen visits Kyiv
El Paso police took a man with a gun into custody at Bassett Place at about noon on Monday after a miles-long vehicle chase that started when he allegedly pointed a gun at a motorcycle officer in the Northeast.

The pursuit began about 11:30 a.m. when the driver of an SUV, who was pulled over for not wearing a seat belt, allegedly pointed a handgun at an officer during a traffic stop on McCombs Street by Railroad Drive and then took off, police said. The man is an 18-year-old Northeast resident.

The traffic officer followed the SUV as other officers soon joined the chase that went south on Railroad onto Diana Drive and then south on Dyer Street, according to El Paso police radio transmissions.

More:'Crime spree' ends with arrest of El Paso teens with gun inside bar in Five Points

The SUV eventually entered the Logan Heights neighborhood, turning on Thomason Avenue before heading southbound on Byron Street and then making other turns before eventually getting on U.S. 54 and then Spur 601, according to police radio traffic.

An El Paso police officer rides with an AR-15 rifle strapped to the rear of his motorcycle in this file photo from 2019.

The SUV then went south on Airport Road and Montana Avenue before getting a flat tire and riding on a rim toward Bassett Place and crashing at Montana and Geronimo Drive, police said.

More:El Paso teen arrested in Cielo Vista Mall shooting charged with murder, aggravated assault

Police officers could be heard yelling on the radio that the driver had abandoned the SUV and was on foot running toward the mall with a gun in hand before he dropped the weapon. He was arrested near a mall entrance close to the movie theater.

An El Paso police statement said that the investigation continues into the incident and there is no danger to the public. The suspect's name was not immediately available.

This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: El Paso police arrest man with gun at Bassett Place after SUV chase
Tokyo-based ispace said Monday that its Hakuto-R lunar lander is on track to reach the moon at the end of April.

Ispace launched the lander on board a Falcon 9 in December; since then, the spacecraft has traveled around 1,376 million kilometers, the farthest a privately funded, commercial operating spacecraft has ever journeyed into deep space. The company anticipates completing all deep space orbital maneuvers by mid-March, followed by insertion into lunar orbit in late-March.

Ispace CEO Takeshi Hakamada said during a media briefing Monday that the flight has provided operational data that will inform subsequent missions. We have acquired tons of data and know-how on the lander and its subsystems, he said. They are very viable assets for ispace.

That includes information on the landers structural performance during launch and deployment, as well as the performance of thermal, communication and power subsystems.

Its almost impossible to assume everything perfectly before the mission, Hakamada said. It is inevitable to face off-nominal events. Some off-nominal events in the mission so far include thermal temperatures hotter than the company anticipated and a brief, unexpected issues with communications after the lander deployed from the Falcon 9. The thermal issues have not affected operations.

The company has two more missions planned, aptly named Mission 2 and Mission 3, scheduled for 2024 and 2025, respectively. Mission 2 will be the next technical demonstration of the Hakuto-R lander system, and also a test of an ispace micro rover that will collect data on the lunar surface. Ispaces eventual aim is to kickstart the lunar economy, largely through resource exploration and extraction; both the lander and rover will be important information-gathering sources as the company plans future missions.

The company will also be sending commercial payloads to the lunar surface for Mission 2, from companies including Takasago Thermal Engineering Co., Euglena Co. and the Department of Space Science and Engineering at Taiwans National Central University.

Ispace has different plans for Mission 3. That mission is being developed alongside aerospace contractor Draper, General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems and Systima Technologies, a division of Karman Space and Defense. Ispace is serving as the design agent and subcontractor for that mission. The companies won a $73 million contract from NASA as part of the agencys Commercial Lunar Payload Services program to deliver scientific payloads to the moon. Ispace is also planning to send commercial payload customers alongside the scientific payloads. The companies currently negotiating final payload service agreements are AstronetX, ArkEdge Space, Aviv Labs and CesiumAstro.
Emanuelle Vazquez speaks with his defense attorney, Assistant Public Defender John Selden, Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2023, during his first-degree felony murder trial in the death of his infant son.

Julius JJ Vazquez was acting like a normal infant just shy of 3 months old on Nov. 14, 2018. He was running a slight fever of 100.1 and he was a little fussy, so his mother, who needed to make a phone call, asked his father to take him.

Emanuelle Vazquez took his son out to a swing in the yard in their Deltona home, Assistant State Attorney Andrew Urbanak told jurors on Tuesday.

A short time later, Vazquez returned to the house holding the infant. But the child was lifeless, limp, non-responsive and barely breathing, Urbanak said.

Vazquez, who turns 33 on Wednesday, is on trial charged with first-degree felony murder and aggravated child abuse. He faces life in prison if convicted.

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Circuit Judge Leah Case is presiding over the trial at the S. James Foxman Justice Center in Daytona Beach.

Vazquez sat between his two-public defenders, John Selden and James Smith, while Urbanak made his opening statement.

Urbanak said that after Vazquez entered the house with the unresponsive infant, people at the home called 911 and began CPR. Law enforcement, which happened to be nearby on another assignment, also responded. Among the responders was Volusia County Sheriff Sgt. Don Maxwell, who took over CPR until paramedics arrived.

Julius was then taken to a Halifax medical facility in Deltona before being transferred to Halifax Health Medical Center in Daytona Beach.

But Julius would die the next day.

Urbanak, who is prosecuting the case along with Assistant State Attorney Sarah Thomas, told jurors they would hear from Dr. Noel Palma, a visiting associate medical examiner, who would testify that there was evidence of healing rib fractures and prior head injuries to the child.

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The child had also suffered a recent laceration of the liver and a recent brain injury, he said.

The manner of death was ruled a homicide and the cause of death was blunt force trauma, Urbanak said.

Urbanak said once the child suffered the liver laceration, he would have been unable to eat, including the full bottle of formula he had between 1:30 and 2 p.m. before Vazquez took him outside.

The brain injury would have rendered the infant unconscious and unresponsive, just as he was when Vazquez brought him back into the house, Urbanak said.

Assistant Public Defender John Selden said in his opening statement that Vazquez had cooperated with investigators.

Selden said Vazquez and Stephanie Jones had a daughter who was about a year old at the time and there had never been any problem involving that child or any of the other children in the household.

Selden said Jones shared three other children with an ex-husband; the ex-husband would come to the house and care for his children as well as the two children Jones had with Vazquez.

Selden said that on the day of the incident, Jones' ex-husband had been at the house with the children. Some of the children had gone to school.

Selden said there is no proof beyond a reasonable doubt that the only time the child could have been injured was when he was with Vazquez.

Selden said that at one point Jones accused her ex-husband.

He said it had been a long and difficult road for Vazquez, who had not only lost his son but had lost everything else.

He had no motivation, he had no reason to commit these crimes, Selden said.

The trial continues Wednesday.

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Trial begins for Deltona father accused of murdering infant son
Manicures can be a relaxing experience, but if you get gel polish and use the UV dryers, be aware that exposure to the light can lead to skin cancer.

Louise Langley enjoys having her nails done at least once a month, especially gel manicures.

"I love to get the gel," said Langley, 72, of Austin. "They don't break; they don't chip off; they look nice after they grow out."

Roseann Roberts, 62, used to go to the salon to get gel polish but now does it at home, complete with the UV dryer. Her kit came with fingerless gloves with SPF protection in them. She puts them on before doing her nails and while under the dryer.

"It's so convenient," she said. "I love having them done. They always look good."

In Austin, customers put their hands or feet under an ultraviolet light to dry their nails or toenails after a manicure or pedicure. So how safe is the UV light? A study published in January from researchers at the University of California San Diego examined these UV nail dryers, used to harden the polymers in gel polish, and the damage they could cause to the skin around the nails.

Louise Langley, 72, loves to get her nails done with gel polish because it strengthens them.

These nail dryers release 10 minutes of UVA radiation and are regulated by the Food and Drug Administration because of the radiation, though they were previously thought not to emit enough to cause damage. However, the researchers note that there have been a few recent cases of melanoma and other forms of skin cancer on the nail or the back of the hand.

The nail technicians are not beieved to be exposed to the UV radiation because no part of their bodies is underneath the lights.

In the study, human cells and mice cells were irradiated with the same kind of light as these nail dryers for 20 minutes at a time. The study then looked at changes in the DNA of those mice and human cells and compared them to the control group, which had not been exposed to the UVA light.

A nail dryer is used to cure the freshly applied gel. These dryers carry risk similar to tanning beds: Repeated exposure to the UV light can cause skin cancer.

They found that 20 minutes of irradiation resulted in 20% to 30% cell death. Three 20-minute sessions contributed 65% to 70% cell death. They also found genetic mutations and changes in the DNA of the cells.

Acording to the study, "Radiation emitted by UV-nail polish dryers may cause cancers of the hand and ... UV-nail polish dryers, similar to tanning beds, may increase the risk of early-onset skin cancer."

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The study was peer-reviewed and funded by grants from the National Institutes of Health.

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What does this study really mean?

We asked Dr. Chad Hartmann of U.S. Dermatology Partners in Cedar Park to break it down for us.

The exposure, he said, is still relatively low, "but how many cigarettes is it safe to be exposed to?"

"With skin cancer and cancers in general, they are triggered by damage to the DNA, then the body makes a correction," he said.

That correction is the cancer. For some people, he said, it can be one cell with damaged DNA, and for others it takes a lot of damaged DNA before cancer appears.

Is it just nail dryers?

No, this kind of UVA light is used in some dental procedures to dry sealants or fillings, but that tends to be a very pinpointed exposure, Hartmann said.

This light is also used in tanning salons.

And you get UVA from sun exposure.

Is skin cancer the only risk?

Damage to the skin can also cause age spots and wrinkles, taking away from the beauty of the manicure and pedicure, Hartmann said.

Langley said she's tried other polishes that don't harden her nails as well as the gel. She plans to continue doing them.

Roberts said she will do so as well, though she'll continue to use the protective gloves.

"I have to watch for cancer just going outside," she said.

Protecting your skin: Skin dry and cracked? Could be our chaotic Central Texas winter weather

If you like a manicure or pedicure, what should you do?

There are things you can do to lessen the exposure:

Use a different kind of polish instead of the gel polish. Other polishes don't require the UVA light to harden. Some salons have gone to using a gel dip polish, rather than traditional gel, which doesn't require the UV dryer.

Wear specialized gloves that have UV protection built in. Cut the fingertips off while you're at the nail salon. That will help with the back of the hand skin cancer, but not what's found in the nail beds.

Before manicurists begin painting your fingers or toes, ask them to put on your hands or feet an SPF 50 or higher sunscreen with a physical barrier such as zinc or titanium dioxide.

Do your monthly at-home skin checks and annual skin check at a doctor's office to look for changes in the skin. Don't forget the hands and feet or the fingers and toes, including between them.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Study says UV nail dryers could cause skin cancer: What to know
NATO allies have agreed that Ukraine will become a member of the Alliance in the long term perspective, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has said.

"NATO allies have agreed that Ukraine will become a member of our alliance, but at the same time that that is a long term perspective, what is the issue now is to ensure that Ukraine prevail as a sovereign, independent nation, and therefore we need to support Ukraine," he said at a press conference with Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin in Helsinki, the NATO press service reported.

The Secretary General also said that "we are not party to the conflict but we need to remember what this is."

"This is a war of aggression launched by President Putin against Ukraine. They have the right to defend themselves. That is right, which is enshrined in the UN Charter, and we have the right to help support Ukraine in upholding the right of self-defence," he said.

Stoltenberg said that at the same time, NATO has another task - to prevent an escalation, "prevent this from becoming a full fledged war between Russia and NATO."

"Therefore, we have also increased our military presence in the eastern part of the Alliance, also in the Baltic region to send a clear message that an attack on a NATO Ally will trigger the response from the whole Alliance," the Secretary General said.

He also added that "no one can tell exactly when this war ends, but when it ends, we need to ensure that history doesn't repeat itself that President Putin cannot continue to attack neighbours."

"And therefore we need to strengthen the military capabilities of Ukraine, but also look for frameworks that can ensure that President Putin, Russia doesn't invade Ukraine yet another time," he said.
Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) was swiftly shut down by a Pentagon official on Tuesday after trying to introduce Chinese propaganda as a credible source during a congressional hearing.

In a House Armed Services Committee hearing, Gaetz used his time to criticize U.S. efforts to aid Ukraines defense against Russias invasion. The committee heard from several Pentagon officials, including Colin Kahl, the undersecretary of defense for policy.

Gaetz began to grill Kahl, asking him whether the Pentagon currently has personnel in Ukraine. Kahl acknowledged a couple dozen Defense Department employees at the U.S. embassy in Kyiv, but no other personnel.

Kahl declined to answer Gaetzs question about whether CIA officials are training folks in Ukraine, stressing that he could only discuss such subjects in a classified setting. When Gaetz asked if the U.S. is supplying weapons to Ukraines Azov Battalion  a far-right nationalist paramilitary unit  Kahl responded: Not that Im aware of.

The Florida Republican then attempted to create a gotcha moment, entering into the record what he said was an investigative report by the Global Times, an English-language daily tabloid thats a subsidiary of the Chinese Communist Partys flagship newspaper The Peoples Daily.

Gaetz, who appeared unaware of the tabloids propaganda links, cited the report in claiming that the U.S. had supplied weapons to the Azov Battalion as early as 2018. Asked if he disagreed with the report, Kahl calmly responded: Im sorry, is this the Global Times from China?

No, this is ... Gaetz said before looking at the report in front of him and conceding. Yeah, it might be. Yeah.

Rep. Matt Gaetz asks about Global Times Investigative report.@DOD_Policy Kahl: "Is this the Global Times from China?"@RepMattGaetz: "No, this is well...yeah, it might be. Yeah..."



Kahl: "I don't take Beijing's propaganda at face value."



Gaetz: "Fair enough." pic.twitter.com/9XQewKdZeA  CSPAN (@cspan) February 28, 2023

As a general matter, I dont take Beijings propaganda at face value, Kahl said, his right pointer finger pressed against his temple.

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After Kahl repeated the statement a second time, Gaetz conceded. Fair enough, I would agree with that assessment, he said.

The Global Times is popularly referred to as Chinas Fox News. It often covers international issues from a Chinese ultranationalistic perspective. Under the Trump administration, the State Department designated the tabloid as a foreign mission that is substantially owned or effectively controlled by the Chinese government, according to The Washington Post.

Gaetzs introduction of the Global Times report as a congressional hearing exhibit is especially notable as tensions grow about the possibility of China supplying weapons to help Russia wage war against Ukraine.

Before going after Kahl, Gaetz spent several minutes attempting, unsuccessfully, to get Defense Department Inspector General Robert Storch to admit that the Biden administration has lost track of U.S. funding to Ukraine. Gaetz and some other GOP House extremists want to halt U.S. aid to Ukraine.
A Monroe man pleaded guilty last week to shooting to death a Newport man in 2021.

Austin Cory Green-Jordan, 23, pleaded guilty Feb. 24 in Monroe County Circuit Court to second-degree murder in the death of 26-year-old Michael Trip, Monroe County Prosecuting Attorney Michael G. Roehrig said in a news release. The plea includes a sentencing agreement that Green-Jordan will serve a minimum of 30 years in prison.

Second-degree murder is punishable by up to life in prison with the possibility of parole.

Green-Jordan, who had no previous criminal history, was represented by attorney Ben Gonek. Sentencing will be on April 20 in the courtroom of Circuit Judge William Paul Nichols, who presided over the case.

The incident on May 8, 2021, in Frenchtown Township was part of a domestic dispute involving a third party, Riley Young, 20, of Monroe, Roehrig said in the release. At approximately 3:15 a.m., Green-Jordan and Young chased Trip through the Pleasantville mobile home community located off Nadeau Road. Green-Jordan eventually caught up to Trip. After a momentary exchange, Green-Jordan fired one shot at Trips head at close range. Trip was severely injured and died a short time later.

More:Two charged in love triangle shooting death

Monroe County sheriff's deputies arrived within a minute or two and took Green-Jordan into custody. Green-Jordan was charged with one count of open murder and one count of felony firearm.

The open murder charge would have allowed a jury to decide the degree of murder, had the case gone to trial and the jury convicted Green-Jordan.

Young pleaded no contest to one count of felonious assault and was sentenced to a year in the Monroe County Jail and 3 years on probation, according to online circuit court records.

The incident was investigated by a team from the Monroe County Sheriffs Office led by Detective Jeff Hooper, Roehrig said. The prosecution team included Chief Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Jahn Landis and Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Eric Langton.

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Roehrig commended the efforts of the Monroe County sheriffs investigators, the Michigan State Police Crime Lab and the "exemplary" work o Landis and Langton.

This is yet another tragic example of the wave of gun violence sweeping the nation, Roehrig added.

This article originally appeared on The Monroe News: Monroe man pleads guilty in 2021 murder
Morristown's first cannabis dispensary is officially in the works after the Planning Board gave approval for a two-story building on Ridgedale Avenue that will house the business.

The board voted 7-0 on Thursday to approve the 4,650-square-foot dispensary, aftermore than three hours of testimony. The store is planned for the former Sam's Automotive Repair site near the Morris Township border. The property is currently owned by the neighboring Morris Brick and Stone Co., which will lease it to Massachusetts-based Uma Flowers to run the weed business.

No opening date was discussed for the store, which will offer both recreational and medicinal marijuana products.

Uma Flowers is co-owned by sisters-in-law Tejal and Priyanka Patel, who told the board they worked in the fields of public health and pharmacy, respectively, before starting the cannabis company a year ago.

Four renderings of a cannabis dispensary on Ridgedale Avenue approved by the Morristown Planning Board at its meeting Thursday, Feb. 23, 2023.

Morristown Mayor Tim Dougherty, who also sits on the Planning Board, praised the "stellar" work by the board in selecting the town's first dispensary. The panel took its time to understand the operations, he said, and as a result left Thursday's meeting impressed with the Patels' thorough presentation.

"You guys put a team together," Dougherty told the Uma Flowers co-owners. "You have a plan. I think if you execute that plan that you've now testified to, I think you'll be successful."

The Uma Flowers website touts the company's "safe, clean and pure" products available for both medicinal and recreational use. The company has only one listed location, but construction is underway for a second dispensary in Massachusetts scheduled to open in the summer, Tejal Patel said.

The application held a personal connection for Planning Board member Debra Gottsleben. Her husband, former Morristown Mayor Jay DeLaney, was prescribed cannabis to help with his cancer treatment before his death in November. But a family friend had to travel all the way to Trenton to pick up the products, his wife said Thursday.

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"The thought that there would be something closer is really very dear to my heart," Gottsleben said.

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Priyanka Patel, who formerly lived in Morris County, said she looked specifically to Morristown when she began to plan an expansion for Uma Flowers beyond Massachusetts. The Ridgedale location was "strategically selected," she said, because it has ample parking nearby and would have minimal traffic impact.

Plans call for the dispensary to be open from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., Monday through Saturday, and from noon to 8 p.m. on Sunday. There will be 12 to 13 employees per shift: six working at registers, two filling orders and one to two greeters as well as a receptionist, a security guard at the entrance and a parking attendant, Tejal Patel said.

The Patels will accept only online orders for at least the first four weeks to gauge the dispensary's popularity. Customers will select a time slot to pick up their products. The ordering system allows for a maximum of 28 customers  the same as the number of parking spots on the property  every 15 minutes.

The former Sam's Automotive Repair on Ridgedale Avenue, which will be the site of a cannabis dispensary after the application was approved by the Morristown Planning Board at its meeting Thursday, Feb. 23, 2023.

The Patels said they are open to extending the initial online-only phase of the business if needed and will make the decision on how long that lasts in conjunction with the Morristown Police Department

"We keep saying four weeks because we hope that by four weeks, we'll be able to get an idea" of the customer flow, Priyanka Patel said. She added, "We are more than happy to stay appointment-only, pre-order [and] pickups only by appointments, for as long as it's necessary."

Kyle Morel is a local reporter covering Morris and Sussex counties.

Email: kmorel@njherald.com; Twitter: @KMorelNJH

This article originally appeared on New Jersey Herald: Morristown gives green light to town's first cannabis dispensary
Shipment of hazardous wastes from the East Palestine, Ohio, train derailment to Michigan, which were halted Friday amid public outcry, will not resume  though other toxic wastes come to Wayne County sites routinely.

Tons of hazardous materials  including some more potentially hazardous than those coming from East Palestine  flow into Michigan daily.

Last week, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine announced that large dump trucks were transporting more than 4,800 yards of contaminated soils from the derailment site to US Ecology's Wayne Disposal hazardous waste landfill in Van Buren Township off Interstate 94. An unspecified volume of liquid hazardous wastes from the Ohio site were also transported to a hazardous waste injection well nearby in Romulus. Both facilities are owned by waste disposal giant Republic Services.

That prompted loud, instant outrage from Michigan officials and the public.

A view of the scene Friday, Feb. 24, 2023, as the cleanup continues at the site of of a Norfolk Southern freight train derailment that happened on Feb. 3 in East Palestine, Ohio. (AP Photo/Matt Freed)

Dingell: 'It's not coming here anymore'

"No one gave us notification about the transferring of this material," said state Sen. Darrin Camilleri, D-Brownstown.

Added Huron Township Supervisor David Glaab, who chairs the Conference of Western Wayne, an organization of 18 communities in western Wayne County, "We don't want Ohio's problems to become Michigan's problem."

The decision to use Republic Services and the Michigan hazardous waste disposal facilities was made by Norfolk Southern, the railroad involved in the Ohio derailment, said U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell. The Environmental Protection Agency took control of the cleanup on Friday, and responded to Michigan's calls to stop shipments here, she said.

"EPA played a critical role in the pause, and it's not coming here anymore," said Dingell, D-Ann Arbor.

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The Wayne County disposal hazardous waste landfill in Belleville in September 2014. Wayne Disposal Inc., is operated by USEcology in Van Buren Township.

Neither US Ecology nor EPA officials responded to Free Press requests for comment. At a news conference Monday, EPA Region 5 Administrator Debra Shore said three EPA-certified waste disposal facilities in Ohio had been identified to accept the liquid and solid wastes, as well as a hazardous waste landfill in Roachdale, Indiana.

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"We had promised to notify elected officials and our state agency partners before approving the shipment of any derailment waste to their state or district, and we have done that," she said.

"We will continue to evaluate options for safe and proper disposal facilities with the capacity sufficient to handle the needs of the cleanup."

Wayne Disposal landfill takes hazardous wastes from many states

Hazardous wastes from a large chemical spill following a train derailment is an unusual event that garnered tremendous news media attention. But Republic's Wayne County hazardous waste facilities regularly take in other states' toxic waste for treatment and disposal, garnering virtually no attention.

On US Ecology's website, the company declares itself open for business for anyone's hazardous waste disposal needs.

"US Ecology is the leader for landfill disposal solutions for hazardous and non-hazardous waste streams including PFAS, PCBs, NORM/TENORM radioactive, inorganic, metal and industrial waste," the website states.

More: Landfill taking radioactive waste has history of violations, leaks, fires

More: Most of Michigan's 24,000 contaminated sites await cleanup that might never come

'No requirement to notify state or local officials'

Officials with the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy responded to Free Press inquiries with a "fact sheet" statement Monday.

"The landfill and injection well facilities regularly handle both Michigan and out-of-state hazardous waste," the release states.

"Federal and state statutes require detailed manifests of deliveries be kept, but no requirement to notify state or local officials of individual shipments that arrive or are processed."

EGLE staff learned of the disposal of contaminated soils from East Palestine on Thursday afternoon, and about the disposal of liquid hazardous wastes here on Friday afternoon, the agency's fact sheet states.

The Republic injection well in Romulus was found to be out of compliance with environmental regulations during a July 2022 inspection by EGLE staff. Findings included inadequate waste identification, manifesting and labeling; liquid containment modification without required modifying of permits; facility inspection requirements not being met, and "improper tank system requirements," EGLE's release states.

Violations and fracking waste

The violations were addressed by the time of an EGLE follow-up visit in October. The agency is developing an administrative consent order and potential penalties for the company.

In an inspection Jan. 11 of this year, EGLE staff again found violations at the injection well  "hazardous waste violations related to container labeling and alarm system function." The problems were addressed during the inspection, EGLE staff stated.

"The facility is currently considered in compliance and able to process and dispose of hazardous waste," EGLE's release states.

The Wayne Disposal landfill previously generated controversy when it accepted some 36 tons of oil and gas fracking wastes from Pennsylvania containing elevated radioactivity, so-called TENORM waste, that two other states had previously rejected.

A U.S. Army Corps of Engineers staff member places a temporary air monitor on the perimeter fence of a former beryllium producing plant in Luckey, Ohio on Jan. 31, 2017. Radioactive soils from the project are proposed for shipment to the Wayne Disposal hazardous waste landfill near Belleville.

The landfill in 2017 also took tens of thousands of cubic yards of low-level radioactive waste from a long-shuttered beryllium plant in Luckey, Ohio. The plant supplied the strong, light but highly toxic metal to the U.S. military and Atomic Energy Commission in the 1940s and 1950s.

But in its day-to-day operation, most of what is coming into the Wayne County hazardous waste facilities receives virtually no attention.

The East Palestine derailment hazardous waste being shipped to Michigan "raises the question of what other types of materials are being sent to these facilities, and how would we know?" Camilleri said.

U.S. Supreme Court case on Michigan landfill resonates today

Preventing other states from bringing their hazardous wastes to Michigan landfills and disposal facilities is virtually impossible, thanks to a 1992 U.S. Supreme Court ruling on imported garbage.

St. Clair County officials attempted to prevent a local landfill from accepting out-of-state waste, and Michigan's Solid Waste Management Act at the time required a county to approve such imports. The Fort Gratiot Sanitary Landfill Inc. sued the state, and the case reached the U.S. Supreme Court, where justices in a 7-2 opinion in June 1992 declared the trash "articles of commerce"  essentially a commodity or good  whose interstate commerce could not be restricted under the Commerce Clause of the U.S. Constitution.

"States can't prohibit the flow of goods and products across state borders that way," said Nicholas Schroeck, an associate professor of law at the University of Detroit Mercy's School of Law.

"If Michigan wants to restrict imported waste, it can raise its fees, make it more expensive to import these materials, or not permit or license those waste-receiving facilities in the first place."

Once in place, a hazardous waste facility becomes difficult to stop or curtail, Schroeck said.

"It's really difficult to restrict their operations as long as they are not violating their permits," he said. "And even when a facility is not in compliance, they get a notice of violation and they have to seek a remedy to that violation. But it doesn't mean they get shut down."

Hazardous waste landfills, where dangerous chemicals are treated to make them less harmful and disposed of in appropriately protective facilities, are a vast improvement over historic practices of "just dumping wastes on the back of a property"  practices that created the thousands of brownfield sites that still need remediation today, Schroeck said.

"But that's cold comfort to someone who lives across the street from a hazardous waste landfill, or sees those waste trucks rolling down their roads," he said.

East Palestine residents fill the East Palestine High School auditorium as Erin Brockovich and others held a Justice for East Palestine event Friday, Feb. 24, 2023. More than 2,500 people attended. A Feb. 3 train derailment has had toxic ramifications ever since. Attorneys Tom Bevan, Mikal Watts and Alicia O'Neill also attended.

Dingell: Ohio train derailment should be a catalyst

Camilleri said he planned to take action in the Michigan Legislature to require "local and state officials know what is being sent to hazardous waste facilities."

"We need to better understand if the materials being accepted at locations like (Wayne Disposal and the Romulus injection well) are something that we all feel comfortable with."

The East Palestine train derailment could be a game-changer, Dingell said.

"This is going to be a catalyst for a national discussion on hazardous waste," she said. "Where is waste stored, and should it be in populous areas? Are we keeping the people in these communities safe?

"I think we need to have a very serious conversation to look at when these (Wayne County hazardous waste facilities) are up for reconsideration. They only have permits to a certain date, and then they must be renewed. Should they be?"Contact Keith Matheny: kmatheny@freepress.com.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Ohio train wastes halted  but hazardous waste stream into Michigan flows on
A Machesney Park man is in custody and has been charged with attempted murder after he allegedly shot multiple people at a Rockford-area bar over the weekend.

Jimmie Lee Rogers, 31, was taken into custody Monday morning in the area of Sandy Hollow Road and 20th Street in Rockford.

The Winnebago County Sheriff's Office said Rogers went to Onyx Bar & Grill, 1001 West Lane Road, Saturday night when he got into an altercation with someone at the bar.

The sheriff's office said Rogers was escorted out of the bar by security, but Rogers later returned with a gun.

Rogers then re-entered the bar, went directly to the person he had an altercation with and fired several shots, according to the sheriff's office.

More:Onyx shooting: Dispute leads to 4 people hurt at bar, police say

In total, four people were shot with one person suffering serious injuries. The sheriff's office said Tuesday that victim's condition has improved and are now stable. Two other victims remain hospitalized for their injuries and the fourth victim has since been released. A fifth person was not shot but also got hurt during the dispute and was taken to the hospital, authorities said Tuesday.

Rogers faces multiple charges, including attempted murder, aggravated battery/discharge of a firearm, unlawful use of weapons by a felon and a felon in possession of a firearm.

Rogers was on parole with the Illinois Department of Corrections when the shooting happened, the sheriff's office said.

The shooting is still under investigation.

This article originally appeared on Rockford Register Star: Onyx bar and grill shooting: Rockford-area man arrested, charged
Andrea Torralba Camacho, 24, pleaded guilty in January to second-degree murder.

Two individuals accused of the strangulation death of a newborn boy almost four years ago in Oxnard have pleaded guilty and face lengthy prison terms, Ventura County prosecutors announced Monday.

The child's mother, Andrea Torralba Camacho, 24, pleaded guilty in January to second-degree murder. Then on Monday, David Luna Villa, 24, who reportedly was her boyfriend, pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and dropped his bid to go to trial.

He faces a sentence of 25 years to life in prison, while she faces a sentence of 15 years to life, prosecutors said.

The child died in July 2019 at St. John's Regional Medical Center in Oxnard shortly after Camacho delivered him, The Star reported that year. The couple had moved to Oxnard from Oaxaca, Mexico early that year after Camacho was allegedly raped by another man and became pregnant, prosecutors said.

David Luna Villa, 24, pleaded guilty to first-degree murder.

The baby was born July 18, 2019 but was pronounced dead the next day after the strangulation, prosecutors said.

Camacho was allowed by the prosecution to plead guilty to second-degree murder. Prosecutors took into account medical evidence that she was suffering from post-partum depression as well as the possibility that she had been sexually assaulted, said Amber Lee, the senior deputy district attorney handling the cases against both defendants.

She had received prenatal care, but showed no interest in the child after the birth and her depression may have left her unable to bond with the child, according to prosecutors.

Lee said she did not know why Villa dropped his court fight and pleaded guilty but suggested that he recognized he had a weak legal position.

"He admitted to what he did at the time, and he wasn't going to be offered anything less (by the prosecution)," she said.

Initially, Camacho tried to suffocate the baby in her hospital room on the night of July 18, 2019, while Villa tried to strangle him and break his neck, Lee said. When they noticed the baby was still moving, Villa removed the child from the mother's grasp, sat down on a piece of furniture and pressed into the child's neck for approximately five to 10 minutes, Lee said.

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The baby named Diego was revived in the hospital's intensive care unit but pronounced dead the next day, she said.

Melanie Miles, the attorney handling the defense, could not be reached for comment Monday.

Both defendants have been held in the county jail system since their arrests in July 2019, the prosecution said. They are being held without bail, county records show. They are both scheduled to be sentenced in late March.

The District Attorney's Office said the case was preventable under California's Safe Surrender Baby Law. The law allows a parent or legal guardian to confidentially surrender an infant 3 days old or younger to any hospital emergency room or designated fire station.

As long as the baby has not been abused or neglected, the parent or guardian may surrender the child without fear of arrest or prosecution for child abandonment, the DA's Office said. The child will receive needed medical treatment and be placed in adoptive care, according to prosecutors.

Staff writer Kathleen Wilson covers Ventura County courts, crime and government issues. Reach her at kathleen.wilson@vcstar.com or 805-437-0271.

This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Pair pleads guilty in newborn's death in Oxnard
One of the preeminent modern leaders of the African American and Amarillo community, Alphonso Vaughn, retired in December of last year after a 16-year tenure as a Potter County Commissioner.

Vaughn, who has been heavily involved in the community since he returned in 1981, reflected on his service to the community and his time representing that community on the commissioners court.

Former Potter County Commissioner Alphonso Vaughn and his wife, Linda, the 2021 Amarillo Globe-News Woman of the Year, have served the Amarillo community through various leadership roles over their 36 years of marriage.

He was born in Amarillo in 1951 at the Dr. JO Wyatt Community Hospital, which operated at the current location of the Black Historical Center on 901 North Hayden. This community hospital serviced Black and Hispanic patients who were not allowed in local hospitals during the era of the '40s and '50s, and its history serves as a reminder that segregation was not some relic from generations ago.

After graduating from Palo Duro High School in 1970, Vaughn served in the Navy during the Vietnam era from 1971-1974. He then started his education at Amarillo College and finished it at the University of Texas at Austin and the University of Oklahoma, where he majored in journalism.

Upon returning to the Amarillo area in 1981, Vaughn said he felt compelled to get involved and do something to improve his community. He said that after living in Austin, it felt like a culture shock returning to Amarillo with the state of the city at that time.

At the time I returned, I felt I had to do something, to get involved with making the community better, or I would go crazy," Vaughn added.

Amarillo comes together to celebrate the 2022 Juneteenth Parade along North Hughes Street to Bones Hooks Park Saturday.

Bringing back Juneteenth

Vaughn said he was inspired and encouraged by a meeting with his second-grade teacher, Marvell White, to pursue his ambitions to bring Juneteenth back to Amarillo as an organized event.

"She was one of the most brilliant people I had been ever associated with in my life, Vaughn said. She was such an energetic and passionate woman.

After asking her to help guide him in bringing back a Juneteenth celebration to Amarillo, White helped get him involved with the right people and bring that conversation back to light in the area, resulting in the return of the celebration in 1981.

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"This all led back to having the first organized Juneteenth Celebration in probably decades, or a great number of years, Vaughn said. That really was my start to my involvement in the Amarillo community.

White also helped guide Vaughn to become involved in the creation of the Amarillo United Citizen Forum, which he helped to come up with the bylaws for the organization. The forum now stands on the grounds of where Vaughn was brought into the world at the former site of the JO Wyatt Community Hospital.

Vaughn met his wife, Linda, in 1985, and after dating, the couple married in March 1987.

She has put up with me all these years, Vaughn said. She is a beautiful person, both inwardly and outwardly. She is such an intelligent person. Her walking step by step with me as my right-hand person has been such a blessing in my life.

Incoming NAACP President Melodie Graves stands with current president Patrick Miller in this Nov. 5 file photo at the 2022 Dr. R.W. Jones Freedom Fund Banquet in West Amarillo.

Leadership in NAACP

After being asked to join the Amarillo Branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) by then-president Pearlene Martin, Vaughn began his relationship with the organization. He served the NAACP in multiple capacities until becoming the president of the local chapter in 1994, a position he served in for a decade. In 2000, he was appointed the Northwest Texas regional coordinator for the NAACP.

In 1999, in his capacity with the NAACP, Vaughn was involved in bringing exposure to the Tulia Drug Bust of 1999, which got national attention for the arrest of 40 residents of the Tulia African American community out of 43 brought up on charges, which was more than 10% of the entire African American population of the city.

Vaughn said that he became involved with the Tulia case after a minister called about the railroading of the African American defendants in the drug bust. He said that the cases involved were facing unchecked power in prosecuting these defendants. With this information, he contacted the NAACP legal defense fund to explore the deficiencies in the legal actions.

The sting, which included no money, drugs or weapons, had no surveillance or corroborating evidence, and it was all dependent on the testimony of one lone narcotics officer, with no other witnesses. From this case, 38 people were convicted of charges on this one officers testimony, resulting in sentences of up to 90 years. All convictions from this case were thrown out due to unreliable testimony in 2003, and defendants still serving were pardoned.

With this case, a great light was shone on the inadequacies and inequalities in the system as it was in administering justice to African Americans without the ability to get competent counsel. This case would later have a great impact on Vaughn for his vision for an indigent defense program as a county commissioner.

2. Potter County Courthouse Amarillo

Balancing justice: From Tulia to indigent defense

Vaughn stated that after his tenure as NAACP president, he had no ambition to seek public office and preferred to work in an informal role as diplomat for the community. This changed when Iris Lawrence, who was serving her second term as a Potter County commissioner, told him that she wanted him to run for her position, to which he replied he did not want to run for office. Lawrence adamantly told him that he would run for the position, to which he consented to her wisdom and influence as a respected community member.

He states that he was not called, but rather coerced, to run for county commissioner. Ultimately, Lawrence convinced him that he was needed for the position to represent the community.

Reflecting on his 16 years as a commissioner, Vaughn said that his most noteworthy achievement was the newly created indigent defense program. This managed assigned council provides counsel for defendants who cannot afford their own counsel.

His proposed program received a setback in 2021 after a select committee recommended using the Neighborhood Defense Service (NDS), which has provided defense for the indigent population nationally for decades with substantial success to work with Potter County in this capacity. Following public and commissioners' court objections raised about NDS, Judge Nancy Tanner withdrew the recommendation to use that program, prompting Vaughn to write an op-ed questioning the wisdom of rejecting the committees recommendation.

Alphonso Vaughn drags trash from under a tree as he volunteers with the Keep Amarillo Clean organization in this file photo.

However, with the opening of the Potter & Armstrong County Public Defender/Managed Assigned Counsel office in December, Vaughn has finally seen the light at the end of the tunnel on the vision to provide an equitable defense to those being prosecuted.

This was a dream that was six years in the making that I had, Vaughn said. "I brought the idea to the commissioners court because I believed that we needed to do something to address the issue of those in the system that required counsel to address the flawed court-appointed attorney system. Many defendants did not see their counsel until the day of trial. This system severely hampered the right of those on trial to receive an adequate defense. I had several people that reached out to me about this issue.

From this, Vaughn said the idea of an adequate public defender program went into development. He said that he then traveled to Wichita Falls and Lubbock to learn more about their systems to develop an idea of how to implement this type of program in Potter County, which led to the public defender assigned council now in place.

We have always been very nonchalant and unappreciative of the indigent population in our society, Vaughn said. I think that one of the things that we wanted to do is to live up to what the Sixth Amendment says, that all individuals have a right to a defense. These disadvantaged individuals and all deserve equitable and adequate representation that will advocate for their defense.

With this program, Vaughn feels that this will create more balance to the justice system for those that do not have the financial means to get a defense that can be a check on the prosecutorial side of the system, to ensure the justice system works as it's intended to work with the resources needed.

This program not only helps in the courtroom, but also helps to work with defendants as far as mental health, working with these individuals with a structure where you can address issues outside of the courtroom that hampers these individuals in their lives, Vaughn said.

Residents said the Black Historical Cultural Center, located at 901 N. Hayden St. in the North Heights neighborhood, has played an essential role in Black history and culture preservation here.

Impact in Potter County, North Heights and beyond

Vaughn said that becoming a commissioner opened up his eyes to many things that could be affected as a member of the commissioners court. He said that he was very proud of the building up of the fire department, the development of the law enforcement center, the district court and the strategic planning initiative. During his tenure, Vaughn also advocated strongly for county employees to receive fair compensation for their public work.

Vaughn said that now that he has retired from the commissioners court, he still plans to serve the community on local boards and committees. He also plans to do more work with the NAACP; he is now on the executive committee. He said he would be working closely with Amarillo NAACP President Melodie Graves and their leadership to share his experiences and knowledge with the organization. He also serves on the Another Chance House board, which helps to provide a positive path to create self-sufficiency for men who or homeless or at risk for homelessness in Amarillo.

Asked about issues still facing the residents he represented in the North Heights community, Vaughn said there is still a lot of work to be done in infrastructure for the community.

He said that he has and still will work for equitable treatment in education, policing and employment. The busing system has been an issue for years for students in the North Heights community. Vaughn said that many students in the area are picked up at times before 6 in the morning, being dropped off at school first and being among the latest dropped off in the afternoon, which creates issues for the child and the family.

With employment opportunities, Vaughn expresses that there is still concern that young Black people are still facing challenges of being successful in the job market.

There is still a concern that if you look like me, you may not have an equitable chance in some instances to get those particular positions to be able to take care of your family as you move through life, Vaughn said.

Concerns with policing and the Black community are still of concern for Vaughn and the North Heights community. He said that there is still a concern of being targeted just for driving while Black, which creates more unnecessary interactions with police. Vaughn says that a perception that victims of crime in that community have their cases come to a resolution at a slower priority than in other Amarillo communities is also an issue. To combat these issues, Vaughn helped initiate the Citizens Aligned with Law Enforcement in 2016 to help discuss and address concerns.

When looking forward as far as the future of North Heights, Vaughn says there has to be a concerted effort from all to work to make things better for the community.

We have to come together as a community; you cannot leave it to one person or one group of people to make it better, Vaughn said. "We have to instill within ourselves pride and say that we want our community to look as good as any community. We do not have all the resources that they have in some other communities. We need to form a core group of people working together that can help to enhance our community. We have to move forward and be supportive to be successful.

This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: Alphonso Vaughn reflects on his community service
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Tuesday charged Nishad Singh, the former director of engineering for FTX, with defrauding the crypto platform's equity investors. The charges followed the former executive's guilty plea to similar charges in a New York City courthouse earlier in the day.

According to the SECs complaint, the commission alleges the 27-year-old Singh created the software code that allowed funds of FTX customers to be diverted to related hedge fund Alameda Research.

The SEC alleged this happened as former CEO Sam Bankman-Fried, who has pleaded not guilty to eight criminal charges of fraud, made repeated "false assurances" to investors that FTX was a "safe crypto asset trading platform with sophisticated risk mitigation measures to protect customer assets and that Alameda was just another customer with no special privileges."

"We allege that this was fraud, pure and simple: while on the one hand FTX touted its supposed effective risk mitigation measures to investors, on the other Mr. Singh and his co-defendants were stealing customer funds using software code Mr. Singh helped create," Gurbir Grewal, the SEC's Division of Enforcement director, said in a statement.

The agency's charges follow parallel actions filed by the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Southern District of New York and the Commodities Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). Singh pleaded guilty to separate U.S. criminal charges during a court hearing on Tuesday. The SEC also noted Singh is cooperating with its ongoing investigation into FTX.

The SEC's complaint charges Singh with violating the anti-fraud provisions of both the Securities Act of 1933 and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. The agency is seeking a conduct-based injunction that prohibits Singh from participating in future securities activities except for his own personal accounts as well as forfeiting any profits of ill-gotten gains.

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Singh has consented to a bifurcated settlement, which is subject to court approval.

Former FTX Chief Executive Sam Bankman-Fried, who faces fraud charges over the collapse of the bankrupt cryptocurrency exchange, leaves federal court in New York City, U.S., February 9, 2023. REUTERS/Mike Segar

Upon motion of the SEC, a court will determine whether and what amount of forfeiture of ill-gotten gains plus prejudgment interest and/or civil penalty is appropriate.

Singh's guilty plea earlier Tuesday came on charges that included one count of wire fraud, three counts of conspiracy to commit fraud, one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering, and one count for conspiracy to defraud the United States through violation of U.S. campaign finance laws.

A known member of Bankman-Fried's inner circle, Singh also was cited in bankruptcy documents as having received a $543 million loan from Alameda Research, the trading firm alleged to have spent billions of dollars in customer funds according to the Justice Department's indictment. Singh also held a 7.8% stake in FTX.

Since FTX's collapse in November, the crypto firms original cofounder had remained largely out of the public eye. Two other top executives for the crypto firm  Alameda Research CEO Caroline Ellison and FTX CTO Gary Wang  pleaded guilty in late December.

The development follows a superseding indictment filed last week, which increased Bankman-Frieds initial charges from eight to 12 counts of fraud. The new counts include bank fraud, conspiracy to operate an unlicensed money transmitter business, conspiracy to commit money laundering and conspiracy to make unlawful political contributions and to defraud the Federal Election Commission.

Bankman-Fried is currently on bail in Palo Alto, California. His trial is set for October 2. The action brought against Singh represents the seventh the SEC has taken against a crypto firm.

"A pillar of our securities laws is that when companies and their representatives decide to speak on an issue, they cant lie to investors on matters that are core to their investment decisions," Grewal said. "Thats true when it comes to crypto asset securities, just as it is in connection with any other securities.

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A laptop computer shows the Facebook page of Memphis Theological Seminary and a photo of Rev. Autura Eason-Williams.

A grand jury Tuesday returned indictments of a 15-year-old and 21-year-old accused in the killing of Memphis Rev. Autura Eason-Williams.

Miguel Andrade, 15, and Eduard Rodriguez-Tabora, 21, were both charged with two counts of first-degree murder and especially aggravated robbery.

"One count of first-degree murder relates to the premediated killing of Mrs. Eason-Williams, and the second count relates to the killing of Mrs. Eason-Williams during the perpetration of a robbery," a press release from the Shelby County District Attorney's Office read.

Three people, including two juveniles, were arrested in connection with the killing. Andrade was transferred to adult criminal court in late January where he will now face charges.

The second 15-year-old entered a guilty plea and will be placed with the Department of Children's Services until he is 19, a spokesperson for the DA's office told The Commercial Appeal at the time. The Commercial Appeal is not naming the teen because he is not being charged as an adult.

Rodriguez-Tabora remains in custody at the Shelby County Criminal Justice Center at 201 Poplar with a bail set at $1 million. Andrade posted $200,000 bond in mid-February.

Eason-Williams was found dead in her driveway July 18, 2022, and her Infiniti Q50 was missing. A police affidavit said there were six bullet casings found on the ground. Her cause of death, which was presented in Tabora's October 2022 court appearance, was listed as "multiple gunshot wounds."

An affidavit said she was shot and then pulled from the car prior to it being stolen, and surveillance footage also showed her car being driven away by who prosecutors say was Andrade. He was identified as the shooter by prosecutors.

"At this point, the co-defendant (Andrade) is in the vehicle," said Sgt. Qadeer Smith, of the Memphis Police Department's homicide bureau, when reviewing the footage at Rodriguez-Tabora's Oct. hearing. "He actually runs over the victim as he's backing out of the driveway. They leave together  well  one vehicle going one direction and the other vehicle going into a different direction."

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Eason-Williams was the district superintendent of the Metro District in the Tennessee-Western Kentucky Annual Conference, the pastor of Capleville United Methodist Church, and a Memphis Theological Seminary alumna.

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: Grand jury indicts two in Rev. Autura Eason-Williams killing
Ukraine withdraws from several agreements with Russia, Belarus on development, joint control of checkpoints across state border

The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine has terminated several agreements with Russia and Belarus in the field of development and joint control of checkpoints across the state border.

As representative of the Cabinet of Ministers in the Verkhovna Rada Taras Melnychuk said on Telegram, the corresponding decision was made at a government meeting on Tuesday.

The agreement between the Governments of Ukraine and Russia on cooperation in the development of checkpoints across the Ukrainian-Russian state border, signed in Donetsk on October 18, 2011, has been terminated.

The agreement between the Governments of Ukraine and Belarus on the organization of joint control at checkpoints on the Ukrainian-Belarusian state border, signed in Kyiv on December 14, 1995, has been terminated.

In addition, withdrawal from the agreement on preferential supplies to the border troops of the CIS member states of special equipment of border troops and other materiel, signed in Moscow on September 9, 1994, was carried out.
Breaking news Memphis

A teenage boy is facing murder charges after a shooting in South Memphis Monday morning left two people dead, the Memphis Police Department said.

The teen, who is 17-years-old, was charged with two counts of second-degree murder, two counts of attempted second-degree murder, and two counts of employing a firearm during a dangerous felony.

Police responded to the shooting at W. Essex and Arkansas Monday morning and found two people dead at the scene  a 20-year-old man and 22-year-old man  and two injured 17-year-old boys.

The two 17-year-olds were taken to Regional One Hospital, and one was eventually released, while the other was in critical condition.

Police charged the teen upon his release from the hospital. The Commercial Appeal is not naming the 17-year-old since he has not been charged as an adult.

Memphis police also said a fifth person was injured, a 19-year-old man who was taken to a hospital in a personal vehicle. The department did not respond to questions about the condition of the 19-year-old, nor which hospital he was driven to.

It is still unclear what led to the shooting Monday morning.

The shooting came a day after five other people were shot and one person died Sunday morning in Westwood.

In that shooting, police responded to the shooting victims at Methodist South Hospital, where the five people were driven by personal vehicles. The hospital was about 4.5 miles from where the shooting took place.

Police have not confirmed any arrests in that shooting, but said they are looking for a "dark-colored four-door sedan."

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: Teen in custody after South Memphis shooting, fifth victim injured
Interstate 5 north of Redding is now open to all traffic, with no chain restrictions, the California Department of Transportation announced late Tuesday afternoon.

Northbound and southbound lanes are now clear, the agency said. While I-5 gets an all-clear for now, another storm is headed for the North State this weekend, bringing rain to lower elevations and snow in the mountains, according to the National Weather Service

Chains were still required on several North State highways, including highways 44 east of Shingletown, Highway 299 near Round Mountain, Highway 89 north of Lassen Volcanic National Park and Highway 97 north of Weed, Highway 3 south of Douglas City, Highway 36 west of Platina and Highway 89 east of I-5, according to Caltrans's Quickmap app.

The weather service cautioned drivers heading into the mountains that there is still plenty of snow in the foothills and higher elevations.

Motorists should expect to see from 5 inches to 3 feet of snow at elevations from 2,000 feet to 3,000 feet and 3 feet to 6 feet above 3,000 feet in elevation, the weather service said.

While most other schools have reopened since Tuesday's snowstorm, classes at Black Butte School near Shingletown remain canceled Wednesday.

Expect breezy conditions in the North State today. Another winter storm this weekend, with rains in the valley and lower elevations and moderate to heavy snow in the foothills, the weather service said.

2:30 p.m. Tuesday: Weather service issues hard freeze warning for Redding area Wednesday, Thursday mornings

The National Weather Service issued hard freeze warnings this week for the northern Sacramento Valley area, including Redding.

The warnings are in effect from 2 a.m. until 8 a.m. on Wednesday and Thursday.

Nighttime temperatures will drop as low as 20 to 24 degrees at Shasta Dam and in Shasta Lake, Redding, Red Bluff, Chico, Oroville, Marysville, Yuba City, Alder Springs, Paradise, Grass Valley and Jackson, according to the weather service.

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Those temperatures are cold enough to "kill crops and other sensitive vegetation, and possibly damage unprotected outdoor plumbing," the weather service cautioned.

Recommendations include protecting sensitive plants, bringing pets indoors and putting livestock in a warm barn. "To prevent freezing and possible bursting of outdoor water pipes, they should be wrapped, drained or allowed to drip slowly," the weather service recommended. People with "in-ground sprinkler systems should drain them and cover above-ground pipes to protect them from freezing."

Trucks lined up for miles along Interstate 5 Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2023, waiting to go north through the Sacramento River Canyon.

1:15 p.m. Tuesday: Parts of Hwy 32 and Hwy 36 close. Yreka I-5 screening lifted

Caltrans reported it will no longer screen trucks for chains going northbound on Interstate 5 at Yreka, as of 1 p.m.

All vehicles, including trucks, are still being screened for chains on I-5 at Fawndale, 10 miles north of Redding, according to Caltrans. Motorists must stop for the screening before they'll be allowed to continue going north on I-5.

Interstate 5 near the Lake Boulevard exit in north Redding on Tuesday morning, Feb. 28, 2023.

South of Redding, Highway 32 is closed from the junction with Highway 36 to the Tehama County-Butte County line, Caltrans reported. Highway 36 is closed east of Mineral, from the Highway 89 junction to the Highway 32 junction. Both closures are "due to zero visibility and winter weather conditions," Caltrans reported.

"Our crews have been working around the clock to keep the roadways clear and safe," Caltrans posted on social media. "Please watch out for our snowplows, give them space and do not attempt to pass them."

More:Snow and bad weather cancel classes at these Shasta, Siskiyou counties schools

6:30 a.m. Tuesday: I-5 reopens

I-5 reopened late Monday afternoon, but authorities were screening all vehicles for chains 10 miles north of Redding at the Fawndale exit. Those restrictions continue to be in place.

Trucks are being checked for chains on southbound I-5 about 10 miles south of the California/Oregon border in Hornbrook, according to Caltrans.

Chains are also required on most state highways in the North State, including highways 44, 299, 36 and 3. Chains are also required on Highway 97 in Siskiyou County.

Meanwhile, Grant School west of Redding and Happy Valley Union Elementary School District west of Anderson have canceled classes Tuesday due to the weather.

Dunsmuir High School in Siskiyou County will start school at 10 a.m. due to the snowy roads.

The National Weather Service forecasts snow in Redding before 9 a.m. It is expected to turn to rain after that.

This latest storm will be gone by Wednesday, when it's forecast to be sunny with highs in the low 50s.

4:30 p.m. Monday: I-5 reopens

Interstate 5 is back open, but all big-rig trucks are being screened for chains 10 miles north of Redding at the Fawndale Road exit. All other vehicles are required to have chains in order to proceed, according to Caltrans.

8:30 a.m. Monday: Motorists on I-5 face screenings for chains, road closures

All big-rig trucks traveling north are being stopped and held on Interstate 5 north of Redding, while all other vehicles are being screened for chains before heading through the Sacramento River Canyon, according to Caltrans.

All northbound lanes of I-5 are blocked near the Oregon border due to a jackknifed truck in the roadway, Caltrans said.

Northbound trucks are being stopped at the Fawndale exit, Caltrans said.

A Caltrans weather camera caught an image of snowy conditions on Interstate 5 near the Oregon border Monday, Feb. 27, 2023.

Monday's road closures marked the second time in a week the freeway had to be restricted due to weather. Heavy snow last Friday forced officials to close the road.

"We understand road closures are inconvenient & unpleasant and we do not take the decision to close a roadway lightly but we want to make sure you make it to your destination safe & sound and we want our employees to be able to return home to their families at the end of the day," Caltrans said in a Twitter post.

Snowy conditions on Interstate 5 at the Weed Airport in Siskiyou County on Monday, Fe. 27, 2023.

The state agency said motorists should avoid traveling, if possible during the current storm.

"Traveling during this storm (Monday-Wednesday) is highly discouraged as high winds and heavy snow are causing poor visibility and dangerous travel conditions. If motorists choose to travel, they should plan for road closures and delays and should have chains in their vehicle," Caltrans said.

The National Weather Service forecast heavy snow in the mountains and foothills, with blizzard conditions in the Sierra Nevada, gusty winds and rain in the valley.

Snow is possible in the valley Monday, the weather service said. Isolated thunderstorms and hail are possible Tuesday.

Chains were required Monday on most state highways throughout the North State on Monday, including highways 44, 299, 3 and 36, according to Caltrans.

There will be a break in the weather Wednesday but colder, freezing temperatures in the morning, the weather service said.

But another storm is predicted for the weekend, bringing widespread rain in the valley and more snow in the foothills and higher elevations in the mountains.

Reporter Damon Arthur welcomes story tips at 530-338-8834, by email at damon.arthur@redding.com and on Twitter at @damonarthur_RS. Help local journalism thrive by subscribing today.

This article originally appeared on Redding Record Searchlight: I-5 open north of Redding, but another storm expected this weekend
Margaret Sumner is an associate professor of history at The Ohio State University at Marion. As a history professor, she said she is "especially interested in taking students out into the wider Marion community to meet and talk to history professionals at museums, historical societies, and libraries." Her students are studying the "history of women's activism by visiting the Marion Womens Club, talking to current members, reading through club records that date back to the 1890s, and creating history presentations based on their research.

She found her dream career and now she considers herself incredibly lucky.

I was a total bookworm growing up, recalled Margaret Sumner. My favorite place in the world was our towns public library. I dreamed of being a writer or a teacher when I was a kid, so Im pretty much working my dream job now.

Today, Sumner is associate professor of history at OSU Marion.

I teach American history courses that range from the revolution to the gilded age, as well as courses on womens history," she explained. "I also teach the historical methods course where history majors start learning the skills and methods needed for historical research.

In all my courses, she added, Im especially interested in taking students out into the wider Marion community to meet and talk to history professionals at museums, historical societies, and libraries. I want them to realize research often involves more than surfing the internet. In my women's history course, for example, my students study the history of women's activism by visiting the Marion Womens Club, talking to current members, reading through club records that date back to the 1890s, and creating history presentations based on their research that they share with the public.

Sumner grew up in Reading, Massachusetts, a suburb north of Boston. She graduated from high school there in 1990, Mount Holyoke College in 1994 with a major in history and a minor in French, then earned a masters and PhD at Rutgers.

As a college senior, I took a class on the study of historical biography, she said. For my final project, I decided to research the life of a 19th century teacher. I spent months looking for information about her life, visiting libraries, historical societies, dusty old bookstores, and creepy graveyards! I realized I loved the detective work of research, the challenge of using that research to write a history of a womans life for others to read, and the chance to talk to everyone about it. I began thinking about becoming a history professor after that experience.

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After earning her masters and PhD, Sumner came to Ohio State in 2006.

Margaret has always been able to translate her excitement about history to her students, assessed Greg Rose, the dean and director at OSU Marion. Shes also sought out opportunities for students to engage in the local history thats all around them, but they may be unaware of. In the last few years, the engagement of her students with community history has increased as her students are helping document and save the local history of Marion. Its a great example of the outreach of Ohio State in action.

I really love the combination of teaching, community service work and research, Sumner responded. I want my students to have the same sense of intellectual engagement and historical adventure I had as a college student. I want them to love learning how to ask their own historical questions, experience the challenges of finding answers, and then share their discoveries with others. Not all my students want to become historians, but I hope everyone of them will find the critical thinking skills learned in my classroom will come in handy in any career they choose.

I moved from central New Jersey to Ohio in a van with my computer, a futon and a very irritated cat," she concluded. "Its challenging to juggle all these projects at times, and I sometimes wish there were 48 hours in a day, but Im never bored!

The Ohio State University at Marion is located at 1465 Mt. Vernon Ave. in Marion. For more information, call 740-389-6786 or log on osumarion.osu.edu.

Aces of Trades is a weekly series focusing on people and their jobs  whether theyre unusual jobs, fun jobs or people who take ordinary jobs and make them extraordinary. If you have a suggestion for a future profile, let us know at news@marionstar.com.

This article originally appeared on Marion Star: OSU Marion associate professor shares her love of history
Call the Midwife season 12 spoilers follow.

Call the Midwife has aired one of its most anticipated weddings, seeing Trixie (Helen George) and Matthew (Olly Rix) finally tie the knot.

In the wake of the episode, Rix sat down with Digital Spy to reflect on a precious piece of advice Cyril Robinson (Zephryn Taitte) gave Matthew on his big day.

As Matthew and Trixie had a fight before the ceremony, Cyril had some advice to offer the groom before he could say "I do."

BBC

Related: Call the Midwife shares update on Nancy and Lucille's future

"Never lose sight of the love. It's what got you this far, and it will carry you forward," Cyril tells Matthew. It seems these wise words also apply to Cyril's very own relationship with his wife Lucille (Leonie Elliott), who has taken a job in Jamaica.

"I think it's pretty universally applicable advice," Rix said.

BBC

"But they don't know each other brilliantly. It's sort of, you know, greetings card advice, I suppose. It's like saying to somebody, 'Just try your best, and be your best self'. It's never really going to go wrong, is it?

"You could give anybody that piece of advice, and it's pretty sound."

Ken McKay/ITV/Shutterstock

Related: Call the Midwife star Olly Rix breaks down season 12's touching finale

Rix explained Cyril's advice could be relevant to both his and Taitte's characters.

"I feel like [Cyril] was sort of gifting that to [Matthew] as a reminder of what's fundamentally important, not really knowing why he was on this bench, or why he's having a freakout, or whatever else," Rix explained.

"But it could very well be something that's echoing around his own head, and something that he's thinking about in regards to his own relationship.

"It could possibly have been even more about him than it is about Matthew," he conceded.

"But it's still moving."

Call the Midwife airs on Sunday nights on BBC One and streams on BBC iPlayer.

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CenterPoint Energy could be fined $125,000 after a mistake at a Clarksville, Indiana, plant exposed area residents to carbon monoxide just before Christmas.

The Pipeline Safety Division of the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission cited CenterPoint with four violations stemming from the incident, which forced dozens of Clark and Floyd county residents to leave their homes between Dec. 23 and Dec. 24.

At least four Clarksville residents had to be taken to the hospital, the News and Tribune reported, and firefighters in that town responded to more than 100 carbon monoxide calls. There were emergency runs in New Albany, as well.

Local news:Right to Life says abortions were performed in Evansville. State says records were wrong

People reported malfunctioning appliances at their homes and businesses, some that shot flames into the air, the newspaper wrote.

What happened in Clarksville, Indiana?

According to the pipeline divisions report released on Wednesday, CenterPoint initially blamed the issues on residents individual appliances. In a statement to Clarksville officials on Dec. 27, CenterPoint spokeswoman Natalie Hedde claimed the majority of the issues stemmed from improper appliance venting, as well as equipment working hard to keep up with extreme cold.

That turned out not to be the case, the IURC found.

After an investigation by CenterPoint, the IURC and the third-party company Standby Systems, officials mapped the origin of the problems to the Clarksville liquid propane plant, also known as a peak shaving facility.

Clarksville and the rest of Southern Indiana experienced brutally cold temperatures around Christmas, causing residents need for natural gas to rise.

According to Standby Systems, liquid propane is often injected into natural gas delivery systems during those high-usage times to supplement demand and keep homes heated. The Clarksville propane plant, which has been operating since 1970s, is used during those times.

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However, in order for propane to vaporize, it must be heated to at least 140 degrees. The IURC found CenterPoint only heated the propane going into the Clarksville plant to 120 degrees, meaning liquid propane was being flushed into the system, where it then re-vaporized.

Local news:Indiana medical board report details allegations against former Evansville doctor

That caused an excess of propane, leading to the carbon monoxide issues, the report stated.

Clarksville LP plant did not have the proper sensor or failsafe to catch that the propane had not been reached the correct temperature, the report read.

What violations were CenterPoint cited for?

IURC hit CenterPoint with four violations:

Failure to properly operate the Clarksville plant.

Failure to train and maintain a liaison between itself and area firefighters and Emergency Management Agency workers.

Failure to document its compliance with a state law which requires procedures for handling abnormal operations.

And a failure to report to the Division within one hour as required the occurrence of multiple same event calls, as well as a significant event that involved the Emergency Management Agency creating a press release.

CenterPoint has 30 days to respond. According to the report, CenterPoint has committed to performing additional operations and maintenance measures to ensure the remediation of affected equipment, including regulator stations.

Business news:The location of a proposed CenterPoint wind project is being kept under wraps. Here's why

The utility also shut down the Clarksville plant through the end of 2023, the News and Tribune reported.

How did lawmakers respond to the violations?

Still, that wasnt enough for some Southern Indiana lawmakers. Both Rep. Rita Fleming, D-Jeffersonville, and Rep. Ed Clere, R-New Albany, told the News and Tribune that CenterPoint should fully reimburse any customers who had to shell out money in the wake of the exposure.

Clere singled out one constituent who had to pay for a new boiler  which he said worked until the incident.

(CenterPoint) needs to step up and do the right thing, he told the News and Tribune. They should be thankful theyre not dealing with wrongful death claims.

This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: CenterPoint faces fine after Southern Indiana carbon monoxide incident
FILE PHOTO: Michael Wirth, Chairman and CEO Chevron Corp., speaks during an interview on the NYSE in New York

By Sabrina Valle

HOUSTON (Reuters) - Chevron Corp is producing about 90,000 barrels per day from its Venezuelan oil joint ventures, nearly double the daily output in 2022, Chief Executive Officer Michael Wirth said on Tuesday, warning that political risks could limit further gains.

The largest U.S. producer still operating in Venezuela, which is under U.S. sanctions, has returned some employees to operations in the South American country under an authorization from Washington.

Output is running at about 90,000 bpd, compared to the 50,000 bpd before the easing last year of the U.S. sanctions. Chevron received a six-month U.S. license last November that can be automatically renewed monthly.

But Chevron's production from Venezuela could remain modest, Wirth said, with the result of future elections still a factor.

"I would expect us to go slow" in Venezuela, Wirth told analysts during the company's annual investor day, adding that output "is a little bit higher than that (90,000 bpd) probably today."

The company has exported the oil to its own U.S. refineries as well as those of other companies since January. Chevron was on track to ship more than 100,000 bpd of Venezuelan crude to the United States this month, according to shipping documents and data seen by Reuters.

Wirth said the shift in policy by the U.S. government is relatively recent and the company could face challenges when the next elections are held in Venezuela. The country's 2020 parliamentary elections were boycotted by the largest opposition parties and widely branded as fraudulent by Western nations.

The United States, which has had a hostile relationship with socialist Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, has said it wants the country to hold new elections open to all candidates, including members of the opposition.

(Reporting by Sabrina Valle; Editing by Paul Simao)
WASHINGTON  Congress is wading into foreign affairs Tuesday, holding hearings on China's role as a national security and economic threat, as well as examining how the Biden administration is spending money in Ukraine's war with Russia, itself a major U.S. antagonist.

Following the one-year mark of the war in Ukraine, committee members on the Senate Armed Services Committee and the House Appropriations Committee will examine oversight of Ukraine military aid and hear from Defense Department officials. The hearing comes a day after the release of a report that the Pentagon contributed to the sudden collapse of the Afghan security forces in August 2021 partly due to poor planning and lack of accountability.

On China, the House Foreign Affairs Committee and House Committee on Science, Space and Technology will explore how China is becoming a growing national security threat and the increased competition with China on technological innovations. The hearings follow the shooting down of a Chinese spy balloon that flew over U.S. missile and nuclear weapons sites.

Stay in the conversation on politics: Sign up for the OnPolitics newsletter

More: As war in Ukraine continues, US officials warn Beijing to stay out of it

The House Select China Competition Committee is also holding a primetime hearing Tuesday evening on threats from the Chinese Community Party where committee members will hear from former President Donald Trump's national security advisers.

Here are the five hearings happening in Congress Tuesday focusing on China and Ukraine:

Senate examines Ukraine conflict

Ukrainian military fires from a multiple rocket launcher at Russian positions in the Kharkiv area, Ukraine, Saturday, Feb. 25, 2023.

The Senate Armed Services Committee is holding a hearing to receive testimony on the conflict in Ukraine.

The hearing falls just one week after the one-year anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. President Biden traveled to Poland last week for the anniversary and announced new sanctions against Russia.

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A congressional delegation also met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv.

The hearing's witnesses include:

Angela Stent  A Brookings Institution nonresident senior fellow and Georgetown University professor emerita

LTG Keith Kellogg  Co-Chair of the Center for American Security at the America First Policy Institute

Dara Massicot  RAND Corporation senior policy researcher

More: War in Ukraine protested around the world

More: Marinka in Ukraine devastated by fighting

Calls for more oversight of Ukraine aid

The House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense is also holding a hearing examining oversight of U.S. resources sent to Ukraine.

The United States has approved more than $100 billion in U.S. weaponry and financial aid flowing to Ukraine in less than a year. The Joint Strategic Oversight Plan for Ukraine Response report noted challenges accounting for the billions spent.

Republicans have demanded more oversight, calling for more details on how much money has been sent to Ukraine and how it's being used.

The hearing's witnesses include:

Celeste Wallander  Department of Defense's Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs

Lieutenant General Douglas Sims  Director of Operations (J-3), Joint Staff

US has spent billions on Ukraine war aid. But is that money landing in corrupt pockets?

Competition with China

Chinese President Xi Jinping, right, and Russian President Vladimir Putin pose for a photo prior to their talks in Beijing, China, Feb. 4, 2022.

The House Science, Space, and Technology Committee is holding a hearing on competition with China related to science and technology. The hearing will examine China's efforts to compete with and surpass the United States in science and technology-related accomplishments.

Lawmakers, particularly Republicans, have been critical of China's theft of intellectual property which analysts say costs U.S. companies hundreds of billions a year. Then-President Donald Trump in 2018 slapped $200 billion in tariffs on Chinese imports in response.

The Pentagon shot down a Chinese spy balloon earlier this month that carried devices to intercept sensitive communications. The balloon prompted Secretary of State Antony Blinken to cancel a trip to Beijing and outraged lawmakers who pressed the Biden administration for more information.

U.S. officials have also warned that China is considering sending military aid to Russia, increasing the country's role in the war with national security adviser Jake Sullivan telling CNNs State of the Union that it would come at real cost to China.

The hearing's witnesses include:

Kelvin Droegemeier , former Director of White House Office of Science and Technology Policy

Deborah Wince-Smith  Council on Competitiveness President and CEO

Kim Budil  Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory director

Klon Kitchen  American Enterprise Institute senior fellow

Efforts to counter the Chinese Communist Party

The House Foreign Affairs committee's Tuesday hearing will examine ways to counter the Chinese Communist Party.

With China a direct threat to U.S. national security and commitments in Asia, the hearing will look into the roles of several federal agencies including the State Department, the United States Agency for International Development, the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation on China and the Department of Commerce's Bureau of Industry and Security.

The hearing's witnesses include:

Daniel Kritenbrink  U.S. Department of State assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs

Michael Schiffer  U.S. Agency for International Development's assistant administrator of the Bureau for Asia

Scott Nathan  U.S. International Development Finance Corporation chief executive officer

Alan Estevez  U.S. Department of Commerce's Bureau of Industry and Security's under secretary of commerce for industry and security

Former Trump advisers to testify before select panel on China

Two of former President Donald Trump's advisers will provide testimony before the House select committee on the strategic competition between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party during a primetime hearing scheduled for 7 p.m.

The hearing is the first from the specially created select panel.

The hearing's witnesses include:

Matthew Pottinger  Former deputy national security advisor under Trump

H.R. McMaster  Former national security advisor under Trump

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Congress looks into competition with China and Ukraine funding. Why?
General Motors is cutting several hundred salaried jobs across the globe, most in the United States, as it looks to flawlessly launch several new electric vehicles this year in a bid to gain new market share in the increasingly competitive space.

The automaker also plans to cut $2 billion from its costs over the next two years, and this will be part of that cost reduction.

On Wednesday, the automaker informed employees of the job cuts in a memo obtained by the Free Press. In it, GM Chief People Officer Arden Hoffman said: "To deliver on our commitments and to beat the competition, we need to have the winning team, bar none. We need a culture shift that enables us to hold ourselves accountable for achieving the higher levels of operating that are now required."

The Renaissance Center, headquarters of General Motors, on the Detroit River in downtown Detroit.

Hoffman said GM has already made changes around its performance measurements to include "more frequent conversations between leaders and employees" and that it is looking at all the ways to boost efficiency and performance.

"This week we are taking action with a relatively small number of global executives and classified employees following our most recent performance calibration," Hoffman wrote. "They will be departing the company starting from today."

GM recently told Wall Street that 2023 will be GM's breakout year as it works to establish itself in the EV marketplace with several new launches, including the 2024 Silverado EV and Sierra EV, as well as all-electric midsize SUVs. GM CEO Mary Barra outlined how she plans for GM to have leading profit margins in EVs, which are currently not very profitable due to the high cost to make the batteries for them.

GM spokeswoman Maria Raynal declined to say how many salaried employees are being let go or provide any specifics on who is being fired. But a person familiar with the cuts, who asked to not be identified because they were not authorized to share information publicly, said it is "far less than 5% of salaried employees." It is not a big enough number to be considered a "material" change that requires GM to file notice with the Securities and Exchange Commission, the person said.

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In the U.S., GM has about 58,000 salaried workers and, globally, it has about 81,000, according to GM government filings. The person also said the cuts are across all GM departments and facilities in the United States and globally.

The person stopped short of saying these would be the only cuts this year, noting that GM has said its cost cuts will occur over the next two years. GM has also said it is limiting hiring to the most strategically important roles and will use attrition to manage overall head count.

More:Electric vehicle owners reveal surprising top favs  not Tesla, Ford, GM or VW

More:UAW runoff election nears end, counting to start Wednesday

Some of the cuts happened before Wednesday. At GM's Wentzville Assembly plant in Wentzville, Missouri, about seven group leaders were "walked out of the plant" Tuesday night, two people familiar with GM's decision told the Free Press. They are not authorized to speak to the news media and asked to not be named.

About a week ago, three others were let go for various reasons, the people said. A group leader is a salaried worker who oversees a team responsible for a specific area such as seat installation. GM makes its small pickups  the Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon and the Chevrolet Express and GMC Savana vans  at Wentzville.

A GMC Canyon at Wentzville Assembly Plant

Most of the employees who will be let go in the United States have already been informed, the person said. Those employees will receive a severance package, which varies based on seniority. Employees who work outside the United States will be compensated according to the laws of their respective countries.

GM's crosstown rivals are also trimming jobs. Ford Motor said on Feb. 14 it plans to slash 3,800 hourly and salaried jobs in Europe over three years, eliminating mostly people who work in product development, as the automaker pivots to EVs. Stellantis and unions agreed to cut up to 2,000 workers from the company's Italian operations this year, Reuters reported Monday. That's about 4% of its workforce in Italy, the report said.

Although GM CFO Paul Jacobson had promised there would be no layoffs at the automaker during GM's fourth-quarter and year-end earnings call, he did say GM planned to achieve $2 billion in cost savings in the automotive business over the next two years.

GM's newly hired CFO Paul Jacobson joins the automaker from Delta.

"The areas were focusing on include continuing to reduce complexity in all of our products and reducing corporate overhead expenses across the board," Jacobson said. "I do want to be clear, though, were not planning layoffs. We are limiting our hiring to only the most strategically important roles and will use attrition to help manage overall head count.

The person familiar with the cuts said 2023 is a crucially important year for GM and leaders are preparing for a more competitive environment. GM is set this year to start production of the 2024 Chevrolet Equinox EV and Blazer EV. Those are key vehicles to reach mass market EV adoption because the Equinox EV will start around $30,000 and the Blazer EV at $44,995, pushing it upmarket from where its gasoline-powered counterpart starts now at $34,800. GM currently sells the Chevrolet Bolt and Bolt EUV, both priced under $30,000 but on an older propulsion system than GM's newer EVs. On its new propulsion system, Ultium, GM sells the GMC Hummer EV pickup and SUV and the Cadillac Lyriq.

As Hoffman noted in her memo about the job cuts: "This is a fundamental cultural shift to be more performance-driven and accountable. Its clear our team is very strong, we have the right growth strategy, product portfolio, and vision."

Contact Jamie L. LaReau: jlareau@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @jlareauan. Read more on General Motors and sign up for our autos newsletter.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: GM cuts several hundred jobs to save money, improve performance
NEW YORK, February 28, 2023--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Guidepost Solutions, a global leader in domestic and international investigations, compliance solutions, monitoring, and security and technology consulting, announced the expansion of its Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Regulatory Compliance Practice. Led by Krista Tongring, senior managing director, the practice group has grown over the past year with the addition of several new multi-disciplinary team members. The DEA Regulatory Compliance Practice assists clients navigating the requirements of DEA regulations and minimizing financial and reputational risks that can arise from noncompliance. Clients include major pharmaceutical manufacturers and distributors, health care solutions companies, pharmacies, hospital systems, and other DEA registrants.

"Under Kristas direction and bolstered by a team of respected experts, our DEA Regulatory Compliance Practice continues to ensure our clients compliance with federal and state laws and regulations," said Julie Myers Wood, CEO of Guidepost Solutions. "In todays environment, DEA registrants throughout the controlled substances supply chain must take proactive steps in their self-assessments and communications with government regulators. Guidepost is well-suited to help companies take the appropriate actions to meet any regulatory requirement."

Recent additions to the Guidepost DEA Regulatory Compliance Practice include:

Robert J. Bell, senior managing director, is the practice groups most recent hire. Bell is a former senior executive with the DEA, with over 30 years of experience in federal, state, and local law enforcement. Bell last served as Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Chicago Division, where he led a staff of approximately 600 in 11 offices across Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin. He oversaw investigations into transnational organizations involved in drug trafficking, money laundering, corruption, and violence. He also led investigations and compliance programs relating to the diversion of legally produced controlled substance pharmaceuticals.

Sarah Pechnick, senior director, joined Guidepost in 2022 and is an expert in pharmaceutical controlled substance investigations and regulatory compliance. Pechnick served with the DEA for more than 13 years, first as a diversion investigator, then as an instructor and course developer at the DEA Academy in Quantico, VA, staff coordinator of the Import/Export Section, and finally as lead staff coordinator/CSOS liaison within the Registration and Program Support Section.

Debra Sandstrom, program manager, drug diversion specialist, arrived at Guidepost in 2022. Sandstrom is a veteran program analyst, manager, and certified paralegal. Prior to joining Guidepost, she spent almost two decades working within the Department of Justice and DEA, finishing her tenure as a program analyst in the DEA Office of Training, International and Personnel Recovery Training Section.

Additional Guidepost DEA Regulatory Compliance team members include:

Krista Tongring, senior managing director, leads the Guidepost DEA Regulatory Compliance practice and oversees a variety of compliance engagements, monitorships, and investigatory matters. Tongrings client base includes an extensive array of DEA registrants for whom she performs various compliance functions, including the assessment, evaluation, and enhancement of numerous DEA registrants Controlled Substances Monitoring Programs; performing DEA regulatory assessments, evaluations, and gap analyses, and implementing compliance enhancements, including "mock audits" and/or "mock" DEA inspections; conducting pre-acquisition assessment and post-acquisition assessment of controlled substance protocols for DEA registrants to identify potential risks for the potential buyer; and assisting clients seeking DEA registrations. Previously, she was a senior attorney with the DEA Diversion and Regulatory Litigation Section and the acting section chief in the DEAs Office of Compliance.

Susannah Herkert, who was recently promoted to senior managing director, served with the DEA for more than 15 years, beginning her career as a diversion investigator and lead investigator on numerous criminal/civil cases. Herkert was the lead investigator on numerous cases resulting in the federal convictions and/or civil fines of physicians, pharmacists, and co-conspirators. After her success in the field, she transferred to Quantico and "wrote the book" on how to train DEA personnel to successfully investigate violators of the Controlled Substances Act. She was the first unit chief for the Diversion Specialized Training Unit and the acting unit chief for the Diversion Training Unit, which trained all incoming DEA diversion investigators. Throughout her career, Herkert has testified in federal court on diversion related matters, including providing expert testimony. Her investigative techniques have been adopted by DEA diversion investigators throughout the United States and her expertise is recognized by prosecutors nationwide.

Russell C. Holske, senior managing director, spent more than 30 years with the DEA overseeing global investigations and serving in leadership positions in the United States, Asia Pacific, and Europe. Most recently, he was the regional director of the DEAs Senior Executive Service leading operations based in Bangkok, Thailand, operating as the principal U.S. official in Asia for all narcotics, pharmaceutical, and money laundering operations. Prior to this assignment, Holske served as chief of the DEAs Pharmaceutical Investigations where he engaged with the private sector to address compliance issues and delivered comprehensive situational presentations to medical and pharmaceutical groups to tackle the opioid crisis. He also spearheaded the largest diversion operation in U.S. law enforcement history to confront rogue doctors and pharmacies.

William J.C. Matthews was recently promoted to senior managing director and is a proven leader and strategist with 24 years of experience in complex investigations, international operations, security/personnel recovery, and training with the DEA. For nearly two decades, he served in investigative and leadership roles in support of the DEAs global Special Operations Division throughout Africa, Asia, Latin America, Central America, and Europe. He and his teams spearheaded some of the Department of Justices most sensitive and significant criminal investigations and related training.

"Our team of former career DEA officials brings a wealth of professional expertise in pharmaceutical controlled substance investigations, regulatory compliance, and drug diversion training," said Tongring. "The expansion of this team over the past year is testament to the important work done for numerous clients by the entire DEA Regulatory Compliance team. Current and future DEA registrants can feel confident with our hands-on approach to solving their DEA regulatory compliance program needs."

About Guidepost Solutions LLC

Guidepost Solutions is a leader in domestic and international investigations, compliance solutions, monitoring, and security and technology consulting. We work wherever your needs take us  whether on the ground around the globe  or from one of our offices located in Bogota, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Honolulu, London, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Palm Beach, Philadelphia, Phoenix, San Francisco, Seattle, Singapore, Walnut Creek, and Washington, DC. For more information, visit www.guidepostsolutions.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230227006026/en/

Contacts

Rebecca Bender, Montieth & Company

rbender@montiethco.com
Crimes of Russian occupiers in Ukraine should not go unpunished  Zelenskyy in talk with Khan

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a working meeting in Kyiv on Tuesday with Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court Karim Khan.

"During a meeting with Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court Karim Khan, he said that the terrible crimes committed by the Russian occupiers on the territories of Ukraine should not go unpunished. Those responsible for them should be brought to justice," Zelenskyy said on his Telegram channel following the meeting with Khan.

According to the head of state, it is important for Ukraine to hear signals about support and the importance of justice.

"This means that we are not alone in the desire to achieve justice for Ukraine and together we will be able to return justice for Europe and the world. So that such terrible crimes cannot be repeated in the future, even theoretically," the president said.
Norse Atlantic Airways is expanding once again, adding new flights between the United States and the United Kingdom

Courtesy of Norse Atlantic Airways

Newcomer Norse Atlantic Airways is expanding once again, adding new flights between the United States and the United Kingdom

The airline, which was founded in 2021, will launch flights from Los Angeles, San Francisco, Washington D.C., and Boston to Londons Gatwick Airport this summer, Norse Atlantic shared with Travel + Leisure on Tuesday. The new routes are in addition to the carriers previously announced flights to London from New York, Orlando, and Fort Lauderdale, the latter two the airline plans to start flying in May.

Were delighted to offer travelers an incredible flight experience and service, with affordable fares, as they experience what London has to offer this summer, Bjorn Tore Larsen, the CEO of Norse Atlantic Airways, said in a statement shared with T+L. I am very pleased that we are fulfilling our pledge to allow more people to travel further and stimulate demand while creating competition in the transatlantic market that will ultimately benefit consumers and lead to job creation on both sides of the Atlantic. We know that both leisure and business travelers have been eagerly awaiting our full summer schedule announcement and we are looking forward to a busy summer ahead.

Norse Atlantic Airways will start flying from Washington D.C. on June 1, flying the route six times each week. Then on June 30, the airline will add daily flights from Los Angeles before adding flights from San Francisco three times each week on July 1. Lastly, on Sept. 2, the carrier will plan to launch flights from Boston five times each week.

Flights will start at just $159 one-way from Boston, $185 one-way from San Francisco, $195 one-way from Washington D.C., and $199 one-way from Los Angeles.

Norse Atlantic exclusively flies a Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft with two cabin options: economy and premium, which features a 43 inch seat pitch and the ability to recline 12 inches.

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Read the original article on Travel & Leisure.
1. This is what the world's tallest man, Sultan Kosen, looks like next to his wife:

Originally from Turkey, Sultan Kosen stands 8'3" tall. Anadolu Agency / Getty Images

2. And this is what his hand looks like holding a can of Pepsi:

3. This is what the inside of a water tower looks like:

Looks like the water in that one scene in Titanic. u/allamericanseaweed / Via reddit.com

4. This flag, from 1850, is one of two original and authentic Jolly Rogers in existence today:

Hmmm. Much less intimidating than I would have thought. u/mehmed2theconquerer / Via reddit.com

5. This is what the host of Jeopardy's podium looks like during a show:

6. In the hours after he died, a bronze death mask was made of Napoleon Bonaparte's face:

Also not what I was expecting. Heritage Images / Heritage Images via Getty Images

7. This is what the biggest leaf ever found in the Amazon Rainforest looks like compared to a adult man:

8. This is what the Hindenburg looked like while it was under construction:

It was absolutely enormous. Michael Ochs Archives / Getty Images

9. And this is what the dining hall looked like on board the finished zeppelin:

/ Alamy Stock Photo

10. Every king except for the king of hearts has a mustache:

11. This is what an extreme close-up of a needle looks like compared to an extreme close-up of a honeybee's stinger:

Science Photo Library / POWER AND SYRED/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY

12. This is what a $500 bill looks like:

That's President McKinley's smiling face. Although these bills were printed close to 100 years ago, on the extreme off-chance you find one of them, they are still legal tender. u/supershayan / Via reddit.com

13. This is the oldest picture of the White House ever taken:

It was taken in 1846. / Alamy Stock Photo

14. This ridiculous looking thing is one of the many prototype space suits designed for NASA:

This one was designed at UCLA in 1961. / Alamy Stock Photo

15. Some flashlights have SQUARE BEAMS:

16. This is what the inside of the Statue of Liberty's face looks like:

17. A toucan's skull looks very, very tiny next to its beak:

Rozbeh / Shutterstock / rozbeh

18. This is Venus of Brassempouy, the oldest carving of a human face ever discovered:

It was found in southern France and is over 25,000 years old. Walter Geiersperger / Getty Images

19. This is what Stonehenge looks like from the road leading up to it:
Feb 28, 2023; Columbus, Ohio, United States; U.S. Attorney Kenneth L. Parker speaks in front of a painting of Martin Luther King Jr. during a press conference at the Columbus Metropolitan Library Martin Luther King branch regarding a civil settlement involving Park National Bank. Mandatory Credit: Joseph Scheller-The Columbus Dispatch

The U.S. Justice Department on Tuesday announced a complaint against Park National Bank for alleged racial discrimination in its lending practices in Columbus.

The department simultaneously announced that it negotiated a settlement with the Newark-based bank, according to which the bank will pay $9 million in fines but neither admits nor denies the allegations.

Park National Bank allegedly violated the Fair Housing Act and the Equal Credit Opportunity Act between 2015 and 2021 by failing to open branches in majority Black and Hispanic neighborhoods in the Columbus Metropolitan Area, issuing disproportionately low numbers of loans to people from those neighborhoods, and failing to ensure fair lending oversight, policies, and procedures.

The bank's chairman and CEO David Trautman said that the bank is cooperating completely with the Department of Justice.

While we disagree with any suggestion that intentional discrimination took place, we are united with the DOJ in our commitment to ensuring equal access to credit for all consumers," he said in a statement.

U.S. Attorney Kenneth Parker announced the complaint and settlement from the Martin Luther King, Jr. Branch of the Columbus Metropolitan Library. He noted that the case is part of an effort to combat modern-day redlining, or racially discriminatory mortgage lending practices that were outlawed by civil rights legislation in the 1960s and 70s.

Dr. Martin Luther King called homeownership a door to opportunity, which for most Americans, is their single most valuable assetthe United States Attorney's Office works to maintain fair housing opportunities for our communities of color, he said.

Park National Bank has 92 full-service branches in Ohio, Kentucky, North Carolina, and South Carolina, including 20 in Greater Columbus. It has $9.8 billion in assets, according to the civil complaint.

As part of the $9 million fine, the bank agreed to invest at least $7.75 million in a loan subsidy fund for use in communities of color, and to invest $750,000 in outreach, advertising, consumer education and credit counseling initiatives in those communities.

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Racial discrimination shaped the development of many Columbus neighborhoods, with informal racial covenants as well as government-approved redlining by banks limiting where non-white families could live or buy a house.

As the costs of housing rise, access to credit has become increasingly important. The median home sales price in central Ohio rose 11.5% in 2022, the third year in a row that it rose by double digits.

More:Redlining practices decades ago still influence life in Columbus neighborhoods

Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division Kristen Clarke, who traveled to Columbus for the announcement Tuesday, said the Justice Department began investigating Park National roughly two years ago.

She said the investigation falls under Attorney General Merrick Garlands Combating Redlining Initiative, announced in 2021, which has resolved six redlining cases across the country so far.

Redlining not only harms Black people and people of color who are denied equal access to credit and the opportunity to build wealth, it also spans generations as communities have been deprived of investment, said Clarke.

Let today's settlement send a clear message to banks and financial institutions in the Southern District of Ohio: that we will not tolerate discriminatory lending practices, Parker said.

Feb 28, 2023; Columbus, Ohio, United States; U.S. Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke, top left, stands next to U.S. Attorney Kenneth L. Parker while speaking during a press conference at the Columbus Metropolitan Library Martin Luther King branch regarding a civil settlement involving Park National Bank. Mandatory Credit: Joseph Scheller-The Columbus Dispatch

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: Park National pays $9M settlement for Columbus discrimination case
News brief logo

Governor appoints Terra board members

COLUMBUS - Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine has made the following appointments:

 Lucas M. Sutter of Martin (Ottawa County) has been appointed to the Terra State Community College Board of Trustees for a term beginning Feb. 24, 2023, and ending Dec. 30, 2026.

 James A. Lahoski of Bellevue (Sandusky County) has been appointed to the Terra State Community College Board of Trustees for a term beginning Feb. 24, 2023, and ending Dec. 30, 2028.

 Jodi Lynn Rucker of Bellevue (Sandusky County) has been appointed to the Terra State Community College Board of Trustees for a term beginning Feb. 24, 2023, and ending Dec. 30, 2028.

People for Peace to hold rail safety demonstration

FREMONT - People for Peace and Justice Sandusky County have announced a demonstration from 4 to 5 p.m. Wednesday, March 1, next to the Norfolk Southern rail crossing at West State Street at Front Street. The group is demanding greater rail safety and accountability in the wake of the East Palestine toxic rail disaster.

Clyde Planning Commission to eye city parking issues

CLYDE - The Clyde Planning Commission will meet at 7 p.m. Thursday, March 2, in the second floor conference room, 222 N. Main St.

On the agenda are organizing for the new year, electing a chairman and vice chairman for 2023, and approval of minutes from Dec. 1, 2022.

The commission will also discuss city street parking issues with the city manager and begin the process of creating new rules and legislation.

Kaptur announces $160,000 grant for the Carroll Township Law Enforcement Department

WASHINGTON  U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur, D-Ohio, ranking member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development, announced a $160,000 matching grant award to Carroll Township, Ottawa County, from the USDA Rural Development Agency.

This Rural Development investment will be used to construct a storage building for the Carroll Township Law Enforcement Department. The department has insufficient space needed by a modern law enforcement department. The new building will allow the Carroll Township Department to provide the 2,135 residents with enhanced service. The total cost of the project is $320,000.

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Health advisory council to meet, discuss levy

FREMONT - The Sandusky County Public Health District Advisory Council will meet at 2000 Countryside Drive at 7:30 a.m. March 13. The council will hold election of officers and board of health reappointments. The council will also discuss a 2023 public health levy.

This article originally appeared on Fremont News-Messenger: News Briefs: DeWine appoints Terra board members
LAS VEGAS  Nurullo Aliev beat Rafael Alves with a majority decision Saturday to open the preliminary card at UFC Fight Night 220 in Las Vegas.

Take a look inside the fight with Aliev, who won his UFC debut despite a first-round point deduction for biting.

Nurullo Aliev vs. Rafael Alves

Result: Nurullo Aliev def. Rafael Alves via majority decision (29-27, 29-27, 28-28)

Updated records: Aliev (9-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC), Alves (20-12 MMA, 1-3 UFC)

Key stat: Aliev, the first UFC fighter from Tajikistan, outstruck Alves 92-25.

Aliev on the fight's key moment

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA  FEBRUARY 25: (L-R) Nurullo Aliev of Tajikistan punches Rafael Alves of Brazil in a lightweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on February 25, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

There was no bite. I was controlling him with my head, and he was trying to get me off by putting his hand in my mouth. So I was trying to spit his hand out, and as I was spitting it out, his finger caught one of my teeth. And so maybe he was tired, so he decided that way to kind of call that there was a bite. But there wasnt a bite. He just was tired because a young eagle was pressuring him. He felt the pressure of a young eagle.

Aliev on the late opponent change

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA  FEBRUARY 25: (L-R) Rafael Alves of Brazil punches Nurullo Aliev of Tajikistan in a lightweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on February 25, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

When Sean Shelby told me that there was a different opponent, I said OK. It doesnt matter. He told me there were six different opponents that I was proposed to, and nobody wanted to fight me. And then when Alves said yes, that you knew that he was experienced, that he was ready, that he was going to bring me into a good fight. He fought some of the top contenders, top people in the division.  Hes really a serious opponent. So once I got him, I realized that this is going to be a good test for me. I only want to fight the top people in the division. Im pretty sure that he easily could be in the top 15.

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Aliev on what he wants next

Id like to go home. I dont really have a name. Id like to go home and rest. Ill be ready for whoever the UFC gives me. I want to celebrate Ramadan, and afterwards, Ill be ready for anybody.

To hear more from Aliev, check out the video of the full post-fight interview above.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkies event hub for UFC Fight Night 220.

[lawrence-related id=2619630,2619710]

Story originally appeared on MMA Junkie
The Department of Justice announced another multimillion-dollar settlement Tuesday in its campaign to combat discriminatory lending practices across the U.S.  an initiative that has won $84 million in relief to borrowers so far.

An Ohio bank accused of redlining majority-Black and Hispanic neighborhoods in the Columbus area has agreed to pay $9 million, said Kristen Clarke, assistant attorney general of the Justice Departments Civil Rights Division.

The settlement marks the sixth such agreement under the department's Combating Redlining Initiative, launched in 2021. It comes a month after the department announced the largest redlining settlement in its history  a $31 million agreement with City National Bank, the largest bank headquartered in Los Angeles.

"When banks fail to provide equal access to lending services in neighborhoods of color, they engage in modern-day redlining and exacerbate the racial wealth gap in our country," Clarke said at the Martin Luther King Jr. branch of the Columbus Metropolitan Library. "Unfortunately, redlining has not yet been relegated to the dustbin of history."

What is redlining?

"Redlining" is an illegal practice in which lenders avoid providing credit services to people living in communities of color because of the race, color or national origin of the residents, according to the Justice Department.

In the 20th century, banks determined neighborhoods where people of color lived  outlined in red ink  were deemed the riskiest to invest in. That meant it was largely impossible for people of color to get loans, thereby segregating communities.

Assistant Attorney General of the U.S. Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division Kristen Clarke, right, announces the largest redlining case in Justice Department history during a news conference Thursday, Jan. 12, 2023, at the Second Baptist Church in Los Angeles.

What is Park National Bank accused of?

Park National Bank, headquartered in Newark, Ohio, has 92 branches across four states, with 20 in the Columbus area. The federal complaint alleges that, from at least 2015 to 2021, the bank did not provide mortgage lending services by redlining majority-Black and Hispanic neighborhoods in the Columbus area.

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All of Park Nationals branches and mortgage lenders in the area were concentrated in majority-white neighborhoods, and the bank failed to take any "meaningful measures" to compensate for its lack of physical presence in majority-Black and Hispanic communities, the complaint alleges.

Peer banks generated mortgage applications at a rate between five and ten times the rate of Park National in the majority-Black and Hispanic neighborhoods, Clarke said.

What happens to Park National Bank now?

As part of the settlement, the bank agreed to invest at least $7.75 million in a loan subsidy fund to increase access to credit for home mortgage, improvement and refinance loans, as well as home equity loans and lines of credit in majority-Black and Hispanic neighborhoods in the Columbus area.

The bank also agreed to invest $1.25 million in outreach, advertising, consumer financial education and credit counseling initiatives, as well as in developing community partnerships.

The bank agreed to open one new branch and one new mortgage loan production office in majority Black-and Hispanic neighborhoods in the Columbus area, ensure that a minimum of four mortgage lenders  at least one of whom is Spanish-speaking  are assigned to serve these neighborhoods and more.

What is the DOJ initiative to combat redlining?

The Justice Department's Combating Redlining Initiative is its "most aggressive and coordinated effort" to address discriminatory lending practices, Clarke said.

The $84 million in relief to borrowers secured through the initiative so far includes $75 million in funds for loan assistance in impacted communities in Houston, Memphis, Philadelphia, New Jersey, Los Angeles and Ohio.

"This is about ensuring racial justice, economic justice and equal access to opportunity for all communities in our country," Clarke said.

Dig deeper on redlining

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: DOJ takes aim at redlining with $9 million major bank settlement
Julieta Cervantes

The sign in Sidney Brusteins window, in Lorraine Hansberrys play of the same name, is one which supports a liberal New York politician, Wally OHara, who ultimately turns out to be no good. And what the sign stands forideals defiled and made redundantare at the heart of Lorraine Hansberrys second Broadway play, which premiered in 1964. It followed her smash successand the play she remains best-known forA Raisin in the Sun, which the Public Theater mounted a near-perfect revival of last year.

But whereas what the latter said about race remains piercing and universal today, Sidney Brustein, presently revived in an all-star production at BAM (to March 24), feels very much of its time, and dustily lost in it too.

Hansberry died far too young at 34, just months after Sidney Brustein premiered on Broadway. It features a majority-white character set and cast, a bunch of allegedly cool cats in Greenwich Village in the early 1960s; and its concern is to show the depth and also frail pieties and concerted whining of the white 60s liberal. It is both merciful and merciless in this respect, and it is beautifully written as a piece of text. But it is a grating snooze of a play; it ponders, meanders, stalls, and ultimately gets stuck in its own plot-free thicket of words. Its characters circle each other, and its arguments do the same. Dramatically, it is rambling and unsatisfying.

A Raisin in the Sun at the Public Is a Stunning Revival of an American Classic

Still, at least this production has a starry castOscar Isaac, as Sidney, and Rachel Brosnahan as his wife Irisand one standout performance, Miriam Silverman as Mavis, Iris judgey, supposedly anti-Semitic sister, who injects significant pep into the grind of the evening.

The design doesnt help; indeed it adds to the stilted atmosphere; the Brusteins apartment is mounted as a mobile home might be, beached in the middle of the stage space, with a good deal of unused space at the front of the stage, presumably meant to signify the building courtyard as stated in Hansberrys script. However, this dead space remains unused until the last minutes of the play, and even then its an anemic, dull use of the space. The characters feel suspended, and the accentuation of the artifice of a stage set does the production no favors. We are and feel very detached from what is happening in front of us.

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The production begins with a good joke: Sidney himself is emerging from a failed business venture where people could listen to good folk records. It wasnt supposed to be a nightclub, he is forced to say over and over again to the very funny derision of Iris and others, like a young Black compadre, Alton (Julian de Niro). Who wants a piece of a non-profit nightclub? Iris wonders.

Isaac and Brosnahan capture the couples slinky sexiness and smarts; whatever problems they have, they are extremely attractive and hot for each other while having it. They have chemistry, and enliven the play with physical crackle, whether dancing, stretching, or falling on to couches. But Sidneys right-on persona barely conceals more traditional sexist parts of Sidneys behavior.

He objectifies his wife as his mountain girl, derides her acting skills, and diminishes Iris with pointedly vicious zingers, which he doesnt seem to realize cause the damage they do. Why dont you just hit me with your fists sometimes? she asks him. She parries well herself; when he questions the quality of the therapy shes been having, she says, I just called you a sadistic, self-satisfying son of a bitch to your faceinstead of just thinking it. Iris felt she was the luckiest girl in the world when she met Sidney, but now that isnt enough. She will shrivel up and die if she has to sit through more of the groups political noodling. I am 29 and I want to begin to know that when I die more than ten or a hundred people will know the difference.

Miriam Silverman as Mavis in 'The Sign in Sidney Brustein's Window.' Julieta Cervantes

Post the failed not-nightclub, Sidneys new mission is to launch an artsy newspaper that will deliberately exclude politics, claiming he has lost the pretensions of the campus revolutionary. Yet everything he says and does in the play shows that he has not. He derides Iris for her attitude of live and let live, of not-caring their upstairs neighbor David (Glenn Fitzgerald) is gay. He wants her to care, he wants everyone to care, yet professes not to be political or fight for political change with his new publication.

His blind spots and ignorancearound his imploding relationship with Iris, his liberal politics, the Black man he works with, and the gay man upstairsare plentiful. Alton tells Iris that she talks about not caring if he us blue, green, purple, or polka dot, but that she should think about what that means, as they are not an option to him as a Black person in a racist society.

Silverman as Mavis, who may be perceived as the interloper for her conservatism, is the most welcome presence on stage. Her line, The things you people think you have to talk about! was greeted with a ripple of appreciation by the audience this critic sat in. I am standing here, and I am thinking: How smug it is in bohemia, she saysand shes spot-on.

Mavis returns later for a deeper conversation with Sid, and again it is Silverman who seems to have the most clarified grip on her character. You know, sometimes I think you kids down here believe your own notions of what the rest of the human race is like. There are no squares, Sidney. Believe me when I tell you, everybody is his own hipster. Again, amen to that. Silverman provides a wonderful bucket of cold water.

The play becomes a lesson after lesson for Sidney, even if he does not learn much because he thinks he has nothing to learn (and he does, so much). Alton makes it clear to him, as a Black man, how he is spawned from commoditiesand their purchasers. He tells him the powerful story of his father, a railroad porters, awakening to the racism he has worked all around his adult life, wiping up spit and semen, carried drinks and white mens secrets for thirty years.

Mavis judgment, bracing as they are, also provoke in David the thought that he really must look into what makes the majority so oppressively defensive, which echoes down the years now in our own society-wide backlashthe war on wokeagainst progress and demands for equality for various marginalized communities.

However, there is no natural alignment between the marginalized in Sidney Brustein. Alton calls David fag face, and is viciously homophobic; David himself is written at a bunch of strange anglesarch, fun, yet opaque. A grand, climactic confrontation Sid has with politico Wally is a damp squib, as the play doesnt make a convincing case hes done anything that bad, apart from focus on community issues as opposed to bigger projects of social change.

An extremely weird scene finds Sidney with Iris other sister Gloria (Gus Birney), a prostitute, who Alton rejects once he finds out what she does for a living, kvetching, rambling, and boozing, and pill-popping, with an ultimately tragic result. It is a wacky scene, interminable really, which drags the whole play off its already fractured tracks, until a qualified, positive ending which literally brings the breaking dawn over Sid and Iris faces. This also feels weird, illogical, unearned, and improbable and untrue to the characters. It made this critic think how little we knew the plays title character. Did Sid care too much, care too little, and what did he care about? Honestly, the play takes as many gambits on these questions as you may care to.

Mavis, the world is about to crack right down the middle. Weve gotta changeor fall in the crack, Sidney says to his judgmental sister-in-law. But how would running a non-political arty newspaper do to substantially counter any of that? And why does Sid talk about politics way more thaan artgiven that he initially professes to embrace the latter and shun the former, and then spend hours lecturing people about politics and social change. Perhaps the play is a satire about white liberal intent and confusion, as embodied by Sidney and the other characters on stage. Whatever, time has outpaced it, and so just like Sidney, Iris, and the others, The Sign in Sidney Brusteins Window sadly ends up feeling stuck.

Letters From Max

Sarah Ruhls striking and beautifully written play, subtitled a ritual, is a two-hander, with a notable third hand (Signature Theatre, to March 19). An adaptation of Ruhl and Max Ritvos 2018 epistolary book, Letters from Max: A Poet, a Teacher, and a Friendship, the constant is Jessica Hecht as Ruhl herself who tells the story of her student Ritvo, their friendship, and his eventual death after a debilitating terminal illness.

Jessica Hecht, left, and Zane Pais in 'Letters From Max.' Joan Marcus

Ritvo is played, at different performances, by Zane Pais and Ben Edelman. If you see Pais play the role, as this critic did, Edelman plays a piano accompaniment to some scenes. If you see Edelman, Pais plays the guitar. Directed by Kate Whoriskeywith excellent design by Marsha Ginsberg, lighting by Amith Chandrashaker, and projections by S Katy Tuckerthe performance is structured around the correspondence Ruhl shared with Ritvo from the time he was her student right up to his death. Obviously, it helps that both are very intelligent, literate people, just at home with having deep conversations about literature and mortality as they are cursing those who make noise in a trains quiet car.

The two characters speak to each other, and to us. Night falls, hospital beds are occupied, holidays taken, essays marked, classes missed, and parties and weddings celebrated. The teacher becomes close to her student, and he idolizes heryet both are each other's most respectful, watchful, and honest critics and friends too. It feels a true Platonic ideal of friendship. They make each other think and laugh; they ponder big questions, including around his mortality, and then are also just silly. On the back of the stage, one of the most whip-smart text exchanges will leave you feeling inadequate if you usually are just swapping dumb jokes and YouTube links.

Both Hecht and Pais balance sharpness and whimsy, and somehow avoid the twinned traps of mawkishness and misery porn that can pepper these sorts of stories. Letters From Max is a joyan enveloping and jolting piece of both theater and writing.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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Sheep escape slaugherhouse in NJ

ABC 7 NY

Some lucky sheep in New Jersey are starting a new life after escaping a slaughterhouse.

Seven sheep  some with tags on their ears and a red spot on their wool coats, marks used to signify when animals are for slaughter  escaped from a slaughterhouse into Paterson, New Jersey, on Monday, according to WABC-TV.

Residents spotted six of the wooly animals roaming around River Street near a Dunkin' Donuts and a Sealy Mattress store and called animal control to pick them up.

According to the news station, one sheep even made a break for it, running a few miles north to Hawthorne, New Jersey, before it was captured in nearby Fair Lawn.

RELATED: Kentucky Police Help Reunite Monkey with its Family After Animal Went Missing During Car Crash

"The Paterson Police Department did a phenomenal job. We took two of the sheep, and ended up putting them in the back of a police car. We escorted them up here with their lights and [sirens] on," John DeCando with Paterson Animal Control told WABC-TV.

Paterson Animal Control decided that the brave sheep would not return to the slaughterhouse and instead contacted Skylands Animal Sanctuary and Rescue in Sussex County for assistance. The facility agreed to take the fluffy animals in and care for them for the rest of their lives, per the news station.

"It's a great feeling knowing that [the sheep are] not going to be on someone's plate," DeCando said.

Paterson Animal Control did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for additional details about the rescue.

RELATED Video: New York Animal Shelter Seeking Forever Home for 'Fire-Breathing Demon' Dog Called 'Ralphie'

Mike, a Skylands Animal Sanctuary and Rescue employee, told the station that the sheep likely hadn't had the best life.

"These guys, I hate to say, at no time have they gotten on a trail or has their life gotten better," he said.

Never miss a story  sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

However, the animals now have something to look forward to  a barn of their own on a 600-acre sanctuary.
Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered officials to tighten control of the Ukraine border Tuesday after a flurry of drone attacks targeted regions inside Russia  with one drone crashing just 60 miles from Moscow.

Ukraine authorities did not take responsibility for the attacks but have claimed the right to such forays to turn back Russia's invasion. Pictures of the drone showed it was a small Ukrainian-made model with a reported range of close to 500 miles but no capacity to carry a large load of explosives.

Russian forces shot down a Ukrainian drone early Tuesday over the Bryansk region, local Gov. Aleksandr Bogomaz said in a Telegram post. He said there were no casualties. Three drones also targeted Russias Belgorod region along the border, and one flew through an apartment window in its namesake capital, local authorities reported.

Moscow Regional Gov. Andrei Vorobyov said the Moscow-area drone apparently was targeting  but did not hit  a Gazprom gas distribution facility.

"There are no casualties or destruction on the ground," he said on Telegram. "There are no risks to the safety of local residents."

Russian President Vladimir Putin delivers a speech during a meeting of the Federal Security Service board in Moscow on Feb. 28, 2023.

Developments:

Putin followed through on last week's vow to suspend the last remaining nuclear arms treaty with the U.S., signing a bill to that effect Tuesday. Putin and Russian authorities have said they're not pulling out entirely from the New START treaty and will respect its caps on nuclear weapons and continue to notify the U.S. about test launches of ballistic missiles.

Air raid alarms interrupted TV and radio programming in several Russian regions Tuesday. Russias Emergency Ministry said in an online statement that the announcement was a hoax resulting from hacking.

Flights in and out of the main airport in St. Petersburg, the second-largest city in Russia, were stopped for an hour Tuesday, prompting reports that an unidentified drone was the reason. The Russian military later said it was because of air defense drills.

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At least four civilians were killed and five wounded by renewed Russian shelling in the southern Ukraine city of Kherson and surrounding villages, Ukraine authorities said Tuesday.

One-third of the Ukrainians who fled to European Union nations because of the war eventually want to return home, the same proportion as those who prefer to stay in their host country, according to nearly 15,000 respondents to a survey conducted by the EU's Agency for Fundamental Rights. About one-quarter of the respondents were undecided.

Wesley Clark: Putin's war is driven by his fears of Russia's decline. That gives Ukraine a path to victory.

Yevgeny "Eugene" Vindman: Victory in Ukraine is crucial for America and the world. Biden must do more.

Russian death toll surpasses all its wars since WWII

More than 60,000 Russian troops have died in the first year of the Ukraine war, more than all Russian wars since World War II combined, a new study says.

The analysis by the Center for Strategic International Studies estimates that 60,000 to 70,000 Russian soldiers have died in Ukraine. Russia suffered roughly 200,000 to 250,000 total casualties  personnel killed, wounded or missing  during the first year of the war, the analysis says.

In comparison, Russia had 13,000 to 25,000 fatalities in Chechnya from 1994 to 2009, and 14,000 to 16,000 in Afghanistan from 1979 to 1989.

"Some types of authoritarian regimes are willing to accept high casualties in interstate conflicts, but Russian casualty numbers are unprecedented for post-World War II Russia," the analysis says.

The Ukrainian military has also performed "remarkably well" against a much larger and initially better-equipped Russian military, in part because of the innovation of its forces, the analysis says. It adds that Putin has thus far been willing to accept large numbers of Russian fatalities with limited political repercussions, "but it is unclear that he will be able to do so forever."

'Grinding slog' in front lines unlikely to pick up in near future

A senior Pentagon official calls the front lines in Ukraine "a grinding slog,'' and field conditions don't augur much change in the near future, perhaps even longer.

"I do not think that there's anything I see that suggests the Russians can sweep across Ukraine and make significant territorial gains anytime in the next year or so," Colin Kahl, under secretary of defense for policy, told a House committee Tuesday.

Intense fighting continues in the eastern Donbas region as Russia tries to solidify its control, but neither side has gained much ground in the winter. The warming temperatures and softer soil of the upcoming spring don't lend themselves to major advances either.

"Both sides stay in their positions, because as you see, spring means mud. Thus, it is impossible to move forward," a Ukrainian commander identified only as Mykola told Reuters.

Tanks, but no tanks

Before their current insistence on getting fighter jets, Ukrainian leaders clamored for modern tanks to confront Russian troops. That request was finally granted Jan. 25, when the U.S. and Germany announced they had overcome their initial reluctance and would provide the vehicles, opening the door for other countries to contribute them as well.

Only they haven't done much of that.

Ukraine has asked for 300 tanks, the U.S. and its allies have pledged around 100, and few have made it to the battlefield so far. Some of the delay was expected because of the need for training and the challenging logistics of delivering the tanks -- the U.S. M1 Abrams, for example, weighs at least 60 tons.

But the same countries that pressured Germany to allow for their Leopard 2 tanks to be sent to Ukraine are running into obstacles, some based on lack of usable supply, some based on political resistance or other factors, the New York Times reported.

Of course some nations have delivered, or at least announced that they will, the newspaper quoted German Federal Minister of Defense Boris Pistorius saying at the Munich Security Conference this month. But others have not done that.

Contributing: Maureen Groppe, USA TODAY; The Associated Press

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Ukraine war updates: Putin issues alert after drones hit Russia
On a clear, sunny day in April 2014, two F/A-18s took off for an air combat training mission off the coast of Virginia. The jets, part of my Navy fighter squadron, climbed to an altitude of 12,000 and steered towards Warning Area W-72, an exclusive block of airspace ten miles east of Virginia Beach. All traffic into the training area goes through a single GPS point at a set altitude  almost like a doorway into a massive room where military jets can operate without running into other aircraft. Just at the moment the two jets crossed the threshold, one of the pilots saw a dark gray cube inside of a clear sphere  motionless against the wind, fixed directly at the entry point. The jets, only 100 feet apart, zipped past the object on either side. The pilots had come so dangerously close to something they couldnt identify that they terminated the training mission immediately and returned to base.

I almost hit one of those damn things! the flight leader, still shaken by the incident, told us shortly after in the pilots ready room. We all knew exactly what he meant. Those damn things had been plaguing us for the previous eight months.

I joined the U.S. Navy in 2009 and underwent years of rigorous training as a pilot. Specifically, we are trained to be expert observers in identifying aircraft with our sensors and our own eyes. Its our job to know whats in our operating area. Thats why, in 2014, after upgrades were made to our radar system, our squadron made a startling discovery: There were unknown objects in our airspace.



Initially, the objects were showing up on our newly upgraded radars and we assumed they were ghosts in the machine, or software glitches. But then we began to correlate the radar tracks with multiple surveillance systems, including infrared sensors that detected heat signatures. Then came the hair-raising near misses that required us to take evasive action.

These were no mere balloons. The unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP) accelerated at speeds up to Mach 1, the speed of sound. They could hold their position, appearing motionless, despite Category 4 hurricane-force winds of 120 knots. They did not have any visible means of lift, control surfaces or propulsion  in other words nothing that resembled normal aircraft with wings, flaps or engines. And they outlasted our fighter jets, operating continuously throughout the day. I am a formally trained engineer, but the technology they demonstrated defied my understanding.

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After that near-miss, we had no choice but to submit a safety report, hoping that something could be done before it was too late. But there was no official acknowledgement of what we experienced and no further mechanism to report the sightings  even as other aircrew flying along the East coast quietly began sharing similar experiences. Our only option was to cancel or move our training, as the UAP continued to maneuver in our vicinity unchecked.

Nearly a decade later we still don't know what they were.

When I retired from the Navy in 2019, I was the first active-duty pilot to come forward publicly and testify to Congress. In the years since, there has been some notable coverage of the encounters and Congress has taken some action to force the military and intelligence agencies to do much more to get to the bottom of these mysteries.

But there has not been anything near the level of public and official attention that has been paid to the recent shoot downs of a Chinese spy balloon and the three other unknown objects that were likely research balloons.

And thats a problem.

Advanced objects demonstrating cutting-edge technology that we cannot explain are routinely flying over our military bases or entering restricted airspace.

UAP events continue to occur in restricted or sensitive airspace, highlighting possible concerns for safety of flight or adversary collection activity, the Director of National Intelligence reported last month, citing 247 new reports over the last 17 months. Some UAP appeared to remain stationary in winds aloft, move against the wind, maneuver abruptly, or move at considerable speed, without discernible means of propulsion.

The Navy has also officially acknowledged 11 near misses with UAP that required evasive action and triggered mandatory safety reports between 2004 and 2021. Advanced UAP also pose a growing safety hazard to commercial airliners. Last May, the Federal Aviation Administration issued an alert after a passenger aircraft flying over West Virginia experienced a rare failure of two major systems while passing underneath what appeared to be a UAP.

One thing we do know is these craft arent part of some classified U.S. project. We were quite confident that was not the explanation, Scott Bray, the deputy director of the Office of Naval Intelligence, testified before Congress last year.

Florida Sen. Marco Rubio confirmed in a recent interview that whatever the origin of these objects it is not the U.S. military. We have things flying over our military bases and places where were conducting military exercises and we dont know what it is and it isnt ours, said Rubio, who is vice chair of the Intelligence Committee.

President Joe Biden rightly points out the real national security and aviation safety risks, from foreign intelligence collection to hazard to civilian air traffic, that arise from low-tech balloon-like entities. I applaud his new order to create an interagency UAP taskforce and a government-wide effort to address unidentified objects, and his proposal to make sure all aerial craft are registered and identifiable according to a global standard is good common-sense.

However, what the president did not address during his press conference Feb. 16 were the UAP that exhibit advanced performance capabilities. Where is the transparency and urgency from the administration and Congress to investigate highly advanced objects in restricted airspace that our military cannot explain? How will this new taskforce be more effective than existing efforts if we are not being clear and direct about the scope and nature of advanced UAP?



The American public must demand accountability. We need to understand what is in our skies  period.

In the coming days, I will launch Americans for Safe Aerospace (ASA), a new advocacy organization for aerospace safety and national security. ASA will support pilots and other aerospace professionals who are reporting UAP. Our goal is to demand more disclosure from our public officials about this significant safety and national security problem. We will provide credible voices, public education, grassroots activism and lobbying on Capitol Hill to get answers about UAP.

President Biden needs to address this issue as transparently as possible. The White House should not conflate the low-tech objects that were recently shot down with unexplained high-tech, advanced objects witnessed by pilots. Our government needs to admit that it is possible another country has developed game-changing technology. We need to urgently address this threat by bringing together the best minds in our military, intelligence, science and tech sectors. If advanced UAP are not foreign drones, then we absolutely need a robust scientific inquiry into this mystery. Obfuscation and denial are a recipe for more conspiracy theories and greater distrust that stymie our search for the truth.

We need a coordinated, data-driven response that unites the public and private sectors. The North American Aerospace Defense Command, the U.S. Space Force and a host of other military and civilian agencies need to be marshaled in support of a much more aggressive and vigilant effort, along with our scientific community and private industry.



Right now, the pieces of the UAP puzzle are scattered across silos in the military, government and the private sector. We need to integrate and analyze these massive data sets with new methods like AI. We also need to make this data available to the best scientists outside of government.

We have strong supporters of more data sharing. Sen. Rubio has suggested the Pentagon's All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO), which was set up by Congress last year, share its data on unidentified objects with academic institutions and civilian scientific organizations. The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics and the Galileo Project at Harvard, tech startups like Enigma Labs, and traditional defense contractors could all play a role.

Unfortunately, all UAP reports and videos are classified, meaning active-duty pilots cannot come forward publicly and FOIA requests are denied. These are two major steps backwards for transparency, but they can be mitigated with data-sharing.

I am impressed by the recent whistleblower protections enacted last year to encourage more pilots and others to come forward, and I support the fresh push by Rubio and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) for full funding of AARO. Given the stakes, Congress also needs to fund grants for more scientific inquiry of UAP.

Above all, we need to listen to pilots. Military and civilian pilots provide critical, first-hand insights into advanced UAP. Right now, the stigma attached to reporting UAP is still too strong. Since I came forward about UAP in 2019, only one other pilot from my squadron has gone public. Commercial pilots also face significant risks to their careers for doing so.

New rules are needed to require civilian pilots to report UAP, protect the pilots from retribution, and a process must be established for investigating their reports. Derision or denial over the unknown is unacceptable. This is a time for curiosity.

If the phenomena I witnessed with my own eyes turns out to be foreign drones, they pose an urgent threat to national security and airspace safety. If they are something else, it must be a scientific priority to find out.
Russian occupiers are giving land plots on the territory of the temporarily occupied Crimean Peninsula to their accomplices, the Center of National Resistance of Ukraine reports.

"Thus, policemen are paid for loyalty and unconditional fulfillment of orders regarding the repression of the local population, in particular the Crimean Tatars. It should be noted that the Russians plan to spread the practice of distributing land to the Russian guardsmen in other occupied territories," the message says.

At the same time, the Center notes that the acts of ownership of land issued by the occupiers have no legal force, therefore, the land plots illegally issued to the invaders will be returned to the Ukrainian state or land owners (as of 2014) after the de-occupation of the peninsula.

"It should also be noted that the list of owners of the land will become known as a whole after its formation," the Center of National Resistance of Ukraine said.
The Joint Committee on Legislative Services  essentially the administrative department of the General Assembly  had not met for more than a decade when the group gathered Wednesday.

When state inspectors write up assisted living facilities for health and safety violations, the owners of those facilities would like the right to ask for a second opinion.

And legislation advancing in the Rhode Island House of Representatives this week would give them access to an extra "informal dispute resolution process" for any violation or enforcement action with someone who wasn't involved in the initial citation.

The informal review "may lead to the modification, deletion, or removal of a violation, or parts of a violation," the bill says. And it would take place with "a licensing agency employee who did not participate in, or oversee, the determination of the violation or enforcement remedy under dispute."

Nursing homes can already appeal violations

The same informal appeal system is already available to licensed nursing homes and assisted living centers want something similar, which they say they had from 2011 to 2015 when Dr. Michael Fine was director of the Department of Health.

"The [informal dispute resolution] process is intended to provide for an exchange of information between the Rhode Island Department of Health and licensed assisted living providers that may lead to the modification, deletion, or removal of a violation, or parts of a violation, or enforcement remedy imposed by the Department," David Bodah, executive director of the Rhode Island Assisted Living Association, wrote to lawmakers in support of the bill earlier this year. "This allows for an efficient and more timely resolution of any disputes prior to resorting to the more formal 'Administrative Procedures Act' process."

More:Hate self-checkout at the grocery store? RI bill would limit how many can be open at a time

Not everyone appears enthusiastic about the idea.

In written testimony to the House Health and Human Services Committee, State Health Director Dr. Utpala Bandy said her agency already has an informal communication process around violations and if the bill passed Rhode Island would be the only New England state to have an "informal dispute resolution" process in state law.

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She doesn't explicitly oppose the bill, but suggests the McKee administration doesn't see an extra review process as necessary or helpful.

The lead sponsor of the bill is House Education Committee Chairman and state Democratic Party Chairman Joseph McNamara.

More:Lobbying RI's part-time legislators is big business. Here's how big it was in 2022.

A Senate version has been introduced by Sen. Mark McKenney, D-Warwick.

The Bradford Group, led by Wallace Gernt, is lobbying for the Assisted Living Association.

Last year former Speaker Nicholas Mattiello was lobbying in support of the bill.

The House Health and Human Services Committee is scheduled to vote on the bill Tuesday. Assuming it passes it would move to the full House for a vote.

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: RI assisted living centers with safety violations could challenge them with proposed bill
Rishi Sunak is expected to travel to Northern Ireland on Tuesday, after securing a deal with the EU that he promised would be a turning point for the region after years of post-Brexit tensions.

The new deal, dubbed the Windsor Framework, removes barriers on trade across the Irish Sea and hands a veto to politicians in Stormont on EU law  a set of concessions from Brussels that went further than some expected.

But it still includes a role for the European Court of Justice, with the Democratic Unionist Party and Tory backbenchers now set to study closely the details of the complex set of arrangements in the coming days.

The Prime Minister, who is also expected to speak to backbench MPs on Tuesday, spoke at length in the Commons on the deal as he sought to see off any threat of rebellion from within his own ranks.

But the reception so far has been warm, with DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson welcoming significant progress even as he warned that there remain key issues of concern regarding the deal.

The view of the party will be crucial, if the deal is to help restore powersharing at Stormont.

MPs are expected to get a vote on the deal, but Downing Street has not so far said when or how such a vote might take place.

A key part of the deal is an emergency Stormont brake on changes to EU goods rules that can be pulled by the Northern Ireland Assembly, with No 10 hopeful that it will ensure concerns over a democratic deficit are addressed.

The Prime Minister called it a very powerful mechanism for Stormont to use when it has concerns over EU law, as he heralded the overall deal as a decisive breakthrough.

Together we have changed the original protocol and are today announcing the new Windsor Framework, he said.

The Windsor Framework respects and protects our respective markets and legitimate interests.



Most importantly, it protects the very hard-earned gains of the Good Friday (Belfast) Agreement for the people of Northern Ireland, and across the island of Ireland. pic.twitter.com/fcwutUA0k0  Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) February 27, 2023

Todays agreement delivers smooth-flowing trade within the whole United Kingdom, protects Northern Irelands place in our union and safeguards sovereignty for the people of Northern Ireland.

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Leaders in the EU and beyond hailed the progress too, with Ms von der Leyen praising the new chapter in our partnership while French President Emmanuel Macron spoke of the important decision.

Rishi Sunak (PA)

US President Joe Biden said it was an essential step in protecting the Good Friday Agreement, while in Dublin Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said that the EU had moved a lot to facilitate a deal.

Former prime minister Boris Johnson, who until only recently had been urging Mr Sunak to see the benefits of the newly-jettisoned Northern Ireland Protocol Bill, remained silent on Monday.

A source close to the former prime minister said that he is continuing to study and reflect on the Governments proposals.

But elsewhere within the Conservative ranks there was enthusiastic backing for the Prime Minister, with many senior Tories praising the deal.

Northern Ireland minister and former Brexit rebel Steve Baker was one of the most ardent backers of the prime ministers deal, comparing the level of statecraft involved in the negotiations to that leading up to the Good Friday Agreement.

Speaking on ITV1s Peston, Mr Baker said: I think its a really historic moment.

I think this is capable of bringing this awful rollercoaster row to an end, if the DUP are satisfied with it. I think its an incredibly important moment.

Brexit: UK's relationship with Europe - In pictures

1975: Margaret Thatcher, sporting a jumper bearing the flags of European nations, in Parliament Square during her 'Yes to Europe' campaign (PA )

2016: Boris Johnson speaks at the launch of the Vote Leave campaign, in Truro, on May 11, 2016 (Reuters)

2020: Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage holds up a small Union Jack flag following a vote on the ratification of the Brexit deal during a European Parliament plenary session in Brussels on January 29, 2020 (AFP via Getty Images)

1962: French President General Charles de Gaulle gives a televised speech on New Year's Eve 1962 (AFP/Getty Images)

1973:

1972: Marie-Louise Kwiatkowski throws ink over Edward Heath in Brussels as he prepares to sign the Treaty of Accession (Popperfoto/Getty Images)

1973: Gertrude Shilling's Royal Ascot 'Common Market' outfit which was designed by her milliner son David (Getty Images)

1988: Jacques Delors, President of the European Comission, addresses the Trade Union Congress in Bournemouth to pose the idea of a wider European concept (PA )

1989: Margaret Thatcher greets French European Commission President Jacques Delors, months after she vowed to oppose a European superstate exercising a new dominance from Brussels

2001: Greengrocer Steve Thoburn sells fruit and vegetables in pounds and ounces rather than kilos and grams, in protest at the EU's official weights and measurement system (Reuters)

1998: European Monetary Affairs Commissioner Yves-Thibault de Silguy and President of the European Commission Jacques Santer mark the minting of the first euro coin (Reuters)

Writing in the Telegraph, Chairman of the backbench 1922 Sir Graham Brady said: The so-called Windsor Framework wont be perfect but it looks like a massive step forward.

Tory Brexiteers in the European Research Group (ERG) are to meet on Tuesday and will convene MP Sir Bill Cashs so-called star chamber of lawyers to scrutinise the deal before deciding whether to back it.

The protocol was designed to prevent a hard border with Ireland after Brexit but means Northern Ireland has continued to follow EU rules on goods to prevent checks being needed when crossing into the Republic.

Unionists anger over the trade barriers in the Irish Sea culminated in the DUP collapsing powersharing in February last year, leaving Northern Ireland without an executive or an assembly.
REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov

As Vladimir Putin vows to hunt down traitors and scum who betrayed the motherland by opposing the war against Ukraine, the son-in-law of his very own defense minister has become a target.

And Wagner Group founder Yevgeny Prigozhin seems intent on siccing his horde of followers on him.

Alexei Stolyarov found himself in Wagners sights over the weekend, when Russian media outlets discovered that Stolyarovmarried to the daughter of Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, the man tasked with running the war efforthad apparently liked a series of anti-war posts on social media.

He claimed the viral screenshots of his likes had been photoshopped, but that explanation failed to convince anyone, especially after another screenshot emerged of him apparently calling a war supporter a Z-lowlife.

Prigozhin, almost immediately, hinted at revenge. Since Wagner fighters cant like posts on social media like Stolyarov did because they have torn off arms and legs, he said, perhaps the thing to do would be to take a sledgehammer and deal with it in an adult way, leaving humor aside.

Russias Shadow Army Desperately Begs for Help in New Videos

He also called for Stolyarov to be sent to the frontline, and since I myself am a Z-lowlife, I will help him straighten up.

Prigozhin took fresh aim at Shoigus son-in-law Tuesday when he was told that Stolyarov, despite the scandal celebrated his birthday in Sochi over the weekend.

We are fighting, slaving away, getting killed, and he  well, its good that hes celebrating his birthday this way By no means should he come to the Donbass because we have neither pedicures, nor manicures there, and even hairdressers are absent, he said in an audio message released through his press service.

Shoigu, now second only to Ukrainian neo-Nazis as enemy No 1. among pro-war Russian military bloggers, has faced calls to step down over his son-in-laws apparent condemnation of the war (on top of a slew of embarrassing failures on the battlefield).

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Some patriotic Russian bloggers went even further and suggested the scandal might kick off a new revolution.

The situation in the country is getting worse. Another year or two of such a war, a drop in the standard of living, access to household goods a couple more surrenders of territory at the level of Balakliiya, not to mention Kherson, and for such behavior, with an asshole [like Stolyarov expressing] Russophobia and a history of support for Ukraine, and you very well might get a new 1917 with an Ipatiev basement, one popular military journalist wrote, referring to the Bolshevik Revolution and subsequent execution of Tsar Nicholas II and his family.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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Sirintip behind the scenes at her music video shoot.

Sirintip behind the scenes at her music video shoot.

Globalwarmingis a topic that elicits impassioned anger in some and resigned shrugs in others  seldom is anyone ever genuinely excited to talk about it. So when Sirintip decided she wanted to make an album about climate change, she knew it had to be sexy. She started by examining materials available in her Uptown Manhattan apartment: plastic trash from her kitchen and a water jug she decided to use as a drum to create. She also wanted to incorporate sounds from nature; she found a video online of a bird native to New Guinea, the Black Sicklebill, and sampled its strangely melodic mating call.

The result was an upbeat, jazz-infused song that washes over you like a rising tide: Plastic Bird is a part of her second album, carbon, which dropped last October. The entire project is like a sonic Trojan Horse, so sensual and experimental that a first-time listener wouldnt necessarily know that it was about the man-made destruction of our planet. For Sirintip, thats the point.

I dont think we will find solutions by making climate change a more polarized topic, she told HuffPost. You still have to make an album about climate change, fine art and enjoy the music for what it is.

When I tell Sirintip, a half-Thai, half-Swedish multimodal musician, that she reminds me of a Thai Solange, she smiles and tells me its not the first time shes heard that. Her experimental and tantric rhythms feel drawn from a deep place. Like a certain Knowles sister, she is unafraid to delve into the more peripheral parts of her cultural repertoire for inspiration. She uses Thai instruments and sounds not often heard in Western music, electronic and pop beats that harken to ABBAs homeland  and jazz, which brought her to New York in the first place. Many songs on carbon are slow burn and dont have clear-cut melodies or hooks. In other words, Sirintip is not here to make TikTok music.

But she is here  and that feels complicated. Like so many mixed kids before her, Sirintip felt insecure about her identity growing up. When she went to school as a child in Thailand, shed get flustered whenever she was picked up by her tall, blonde mom, who attracted much-unwanted attention. Then, when she moved to Sweden, people assumed she was an adoptee from Asia and made fun of her Thai name. It wasnt until she arrived in New York from Stockholm in 2015 that she finally found a place where she felt at home, and her blended identities were the norm, as opposed to the exception.

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That feeling of uprootedness is also a major undercurrent in Plastic Bird, a song that is, in addition to being about the plastic polluting our oceans, about imposter syndrome. In Sirintips head, it conjures images of a plastic toy bird who looks at other birds and realizes that it cant fly. She recalls a similar sense of being out of place and having trouble imagining her career as a musician when no one she knew about shared her cultural background. During a European tour, shed look out at the crowd each night and think, genuinely, that she didnt deserve to be there.

But thats the thing about having a seat at the table: You get to surround yourself with people like you so that youre no longer the only one. When everyone around you shares some part of your story, its harder to feel like a fraud. For example, in the music video for Plastic Bird, Sirintip made sure to have a primarily all-Thai cast, from the choreographer to the director of photography to the animator. For her, it wasnt just comforting but also grounding because of how her vision came to life in what felt like a place she belonged.

And thats the thing about collective action. When you zoom out too far, change feels overwhelming. We know that we cant solve climate change or diversify the music industry overnight, so we plant seeds in whatever way we can. We do our best to find joy in all the despair, and we walk further away from shame and closer to an ethos of care for ourselves and others. If we want to heal the earth, we must also heal ourselves.

Its why I decided to go by my birth name, which I know is difficult for people to say, Sirintip says. Its important for the western world to recognize our names.
Hazardous waste from a toxic train wreck in East Palestine, Ohio, might be coming to a landfill about 40 miles west of Indianapolis. On Monday, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced a decision to transport hazardous material to a landfill in Roachdale, Indiana. Here's what we know so far.

The latest:Roachdale landfill owner hosting public meeting on toxic waste from Ohio train crash

Where is Roachdale, Indiana?

The small Indiana town of Roachdale in Putnam County sits roughly 45 miles west of Indianapolis, about an hour's drive taking I-74. Its population is approximately 1,000 people and spans an area of less than one square mile, according to the town's website. The community was named after Judge Roach, a railroad official, and is home to local businesses, a Carnegie Library, churches and an elementary school.

The landfill itself is located about seven miles outside of the Indiana town.

A screenshot of the Heritage Environmental Services landfill outside of Roachdale, Indiana from Google Maps. This landfill has been selected to house some of the contaminated waste from the toxic train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio.

What is being sent to the Roachdale landfill from the East Palestine wreck

It is unclear at this time what type of waste  toxic soil or liquids  and in what amounts will be housed in the Roachdale landfill. IndyStar has reached out to the EPA for additional information.

Where else are contaminated materials from the Ohio train derailment being sent

EPA officials had previously said they approved shipments to two agency-certified sites in Ohio. On Monday, EPA Region 5 Administrator Debra Shore said an additional site in Ohio and one in Indiana had also been selected to receive contaminated soil and liquids from the train wreck.

After concerns were raised on where the hazardous waste was going  towns in Michigan and Texas complained they didn't receive notice  the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency paused the shipments to provide some oversight to the disposal plan. The shipments resumed on Monday, and the agency announced some of it would be heading to Indiana.

The EPA said it is now getting close to having enough certified facilities to take all the waste that was produced at the site of the Feb. 3 derailment in East Palestine.

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What have officials said about bringing hazardous waste to the Indiana landfill?

Objections are already being raised by officials who are concerned about hazardous waste being brought to Indiana from Ohio. Among them are Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb. In a tweet Tuesday, Holcomb cited a lack of communication between himself and other leaders.

I continue to object to the EPA Administrators decision, from Washington, D.C., to move hazardous waste from the #EastPalestine train derailment to Indiana. Further, there has been a lack of communication with me and other Indiana officials about this decision.  Governor Eric Holcomb (@GovHolcomb) February 28, 2023

He said he believes that the hazardous waste materials should go to the nearest disposal facilities and not be moved "from the far eastern side of Ohio to the far western side of Indiana."

More:Gov. Holcomb 'objects' to Indiana taking toxic waste from Ohio train derailment

Is there already toxic waste at the Heritage Environmental Services landfill in Roachdale?

The landfill is operated by Heritage Environmental Services and is a RCRA-certified facility. On its website, Heritage said that it has roughly 14 million cubic yards of permitted landfill capacity, and added that its landfill is geologically isolated.

The landfill is classified by the EPA as a "hazardous waste treatment and disposal site.''

What is the Resource Conservation Recovery Act?

The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) gives the EPA the authority to control hazardous waste from cradle to grave, meaning the agency oversees the generation, transportation, treatment, storage, and disposal of hazardous waste.

Congress passed the RCRA in October 1976 to address the growing volume of municipal and industrial waste. According to the EPA, it serves as the nation's primary law for handling solid and hazardous waste.

John Tufts covers trending news for the Indianapolis Star. IndyStar reporter Sarah Bowman contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Roachdale, Indiana, site to receive toxic waste: What to know
South Dakota hit a record low unemployment rate for 2022. The year-average was 2.3%, according to data from the South Dakota Department of Labor and Regulation (DLR).

But while this set a new record in our states history, at least since the department has been keeping track as far back as 1990, South Dakota traditionally has low unemployment rates, especially compared to other states.

Gov. Kristi Noem touted the states economic strength in a press release last week.

South Dakotas jobs market is thriving, she said. We are setting an example of the power of the American work ethic. The careers of the future are available right here. Thanks to our incredible economic strength, fewer South Dakotans than ever are having to rely on unemployment benefits to keep food on the table for their families.

More:'Being short staffed is the new pandemic': Sioux Falls businesses struggling to fill open positions

South Dakota staying ahead of the unemployment curve

The national average for 2022 was a 3.6% rate, according to the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL).

South Dakota traditionally has a lower unemployment rate than the rest of the country, said Mike Allgrunn, an economics professor at the University of South Dakota. This is low, even for South Dakota. But its not all that surprising.

In December 2022, specifically, the national unemployment rate was 3.5%, compared to South Dakotas unemployment rate of 2.3%, according to the DLR.

Gov. Kristi Noem signs a bill about employee contribution rates into law in the Capitol Building on Feb. 1. It's the first law signed into the books during the 2023 Legislative Session.

Sioux Falls had a rate of 1.9% in December, and the lowest single month for the state was September 2022, when the rate was 1.8%.

Obviously, with COVID, we saw record high unemployment rates. We're coming off of that high and coming down to a new low as our economy is booming right now, Allgrunn said. There's lots of pent-up demand that's still working its way through our labor force, and participation is relatively high. But its really sort of a two-edged sword.

Labor market participation on a steady decline

Allgrunn said while low unemployment is great for people and efficient for our economy, it leaves us with a tight labor market in the sense that employers are struggling to find workers.

Story continues

In some sense, theres some economic growth potential we're leaving on the table," he said. "There's productive capacity that we can still use, but we just can't find the workers to do it."

More:Gov. Kristi Noem signs first bill of 2023 into law, creating unemployment insurance tax cut

South Dakota and the country as a whole hit a peak in 2000 for how many eligible workers were participating in the labor market, Allgrunn said.

In South Dakota, the labor force participation rate stayed around 73% in 2000, meaning seven out of 10 people ages 16 or older were employed or actively seeking work, according to the DOL. The average unemployment rate at the time was also 2.5%, which was the previous record low, according to the DLR.

A chart from the South Dakota Department of Labor & Regulation shows the monthly unemployment rate in South Dakota from January 1990 to December 2022.

The number of people in the labor market has been on steady decline since then, but generally speaking, this was expected, Allgrunn said.

Part of the reason is because there have been many baby boomers leaving the workforce as they get older, and theres been a trend of young people not entering the workforce as early, often because of education or simply staying with their parents for longer.

South Dakota's labor force participation rate hit its all-time low in 2020 and is now at about 68.6%, according to the DOL, but Allgrunn thinks it could start to increase again.

It probably wont reach the levels we saw in 2000, but it is possible to see that go up, he said.

And a recession might have something to do with it.

More:Sioux Falls approves $3.3M in pay increases, inflationary adjustments for some city employees

South Dakota's current labor market could fare better in a recession

Some economists speculate the United States could be headed for one, although the data can tell conflicting stories.

Labor force participations rates could increase as some people will want to join the labor force during the recession to help their household out, Allgrunn said. But at the same time, unemployment rates could also go up.

Showplace Cabinetry employees build cabinets on Friday, August 26, 2022, at their factory in Harrisburg.

Generally speaking, unemployment increases during recessions, he said. But it depends on how big the recession is and how long it goes on.  And the timing of when a recession hits and when unemployment rates increase also dont line up exactly.

Allgrunn said unemployment rates are most likely to increase at the tail end of a recession if some of the people who are trying to enter the labor force havent found a job yet.

But in South Dakota at least, I dont expect unemployment rates to go a whole lot higher in the event there is a recession just because there are so many job openings available, Allgrunn said.

Of course, its not always as simple as giving the unemployed people those jobs. But I think even if we do see some slowdown in economic activity, theres still room for a lot of people to find jobs and I wouldnt expect large increases in unemployment throughout the rest of the year.

This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: South Dakota saw record unemployment in 2022. Here's what that means.
Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands--(Newsfile Corp. - February 27, 2023) - Tethys Petroleum Limited (TSXV: TPL) ("Tethys" or the "Company") is providing an update on the claim made by the Prosecutor's Office of the Aktobe region or the Republic of Kazakhstan ("the Republic").

Tethys wishes to announce that the Astana Specialized Economic Court has ruled today that there are not sufficient grounds for satisfying the claim made by the Prosecutor's Office of the Aktobe Region. As Tethys previously reported, the Prosecutor's office claimed that the 2020 and 2021 extension of the subsoil contract No. 1897 between Kul-Bas LLP and the Ministry of Energy were not valid. The Company's defense effectively demonstrated that the procedures for the extension were carried out in accordance with the current legislation, and that there are no sufficient grounds for satisfying the Prosecutor's claim. The Ministry of Energy also provided a letter confirming that there was an investigation that concluded with no criminal charges being filed against any MOE or Tethys employees on this case. The Court confirmed that the Prosecutor's Office did not provide sufficient grounds to recognize the additional agreements as invalid. At the same time, Kul-Bas was able to prove the proper fulfillment of its obligations. The judge also took into account the following: (i) information regarding the closure of the criminal case against the Ministry's authorities by the Prosecutor's Office and (ii) the social aspect of the issue, specifically the possible negative consequences for employees. Finally, the judge emphasized that the Ministry's actions to agree a new debt repayment schedule align with the Supreme Court's recommendations to find ways to reconcile government agencies with investors.

An appeal or motion by the Prosecutor may be filed within one month of this decision. Given the strength of the arguments of the legal defense in part due to the cooperation of the Ministry of Energy, and the unambiguous ruling from the court, management believes this to be unlikely.

Operations update:

Tethys has recently encountered reduced interest and lower pricing on its oil sales. About the time that the Prosecutor made his claim against the Kul-bas license, an order was proposed in the country that would have eliminated the ability of oil buyers to export certain products outside of the country from the refining of domestic oil (ex. naptha). The proposed order generated significant responses from the mini-refineries, oil buyers and oil producers who were most directly affected. Our understanding is that the order limiting export of these products for a limited period of four months has not yet been implemented and confirmed. Tethys management is unable to know to what extent the concerns of the oil buyers gravitated on the issues created by the prosecutor's claim or the issues created by the possible change in policy. Over the last few days, Tethys has entered into contracts with new oil buyers but at reduced prices and volumes. Management hopes the resolution of the prosecutor claim and an eventual resolution with the Order will allow for a better oil market going forward.

About Tethys

Tethys is focused on oil and gas exploration and production activities in Central Asia and the I Caspian Region. Tethys believes that significant potential exists in both exploration and in discovered deposits in the area.

Disclaimer

Some of the statements in this document are forward-looking. No part of this announcement constitutes, or shall be taken to constitute, an invitation or inducement to invest in the Company or any other entity and shareholders of the Company are cautioned not to place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements. Save as required by applicable law, the Company does not undertake to update or change any forward-looking statements to reflect events occurring after the date of this announcement.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Contact Information:

Tethys Petroleum

Casey McCandless

Chief Financial Officer

901-763-4001

info@tethys-group.com

www.tethys-group.com

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/156402
When Jesse D. Hayes IV was a child in 1960s Texas, his family would skip over the segregated American South by flying their own plane to see relatives in Gary, Indiana. The Mooney M20 shortened the trip by several days but also allowed them to avoid the risk of being denied service at hotels, restaurants or gas stations.

Less than 3 percent of pilots are Black, according to data from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, but for some families, aviation seems to be embedded in their DNA.

More from Robb Report

I grew up in the back of an airplane, Hayes, a former Air Force pilot and Boeing engineer, tells Robb Report. For a good part of my life, I thought all pilots were Black. That was all I knew.

A classic snapshot of the Hayes family getting ready for a flight.

His father, Jesse D. Hayes Jr.the first black ophthalmologist in Texas, according to Hayesshowed an aptitude for engineering as a student, but was encouraged to pursue medicine because it was one of one of the few acceptable careers for Black folks to serve their segregated community.

Instead, his father became an amateur pilot after meeting three Tuskegee Airmen, the legendary group of African-Americans who flew combat missions during World War II. Hayes Jr. went on to own several aircraft and become a leader in the flying communityboth as the founding president of the Bronze Eagles Flying Club in 1968 and as a co-creator of the Operation Skyhook flying competition for Black pilots.

By the time Hayes was a teenager, flying was second nature. He took his first solo flight in a Piper Cherokee 140 from Houston Hobby Airport as a 15-year-old Eagle Scout.

Hayes with grandchildren, Harper and Jesse, who have flown many times with Grandpa.

He recalls saying to his father, who was inducted into the Black Pilots of America Hall of Fame last year, I dont understand why youre part of so many organizations for Black people. My father said, Well, its as simple as understanding that youve never been told you cant do something because youre Black.

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For the last decade, Hayes has been helping diversify the aerospace industry as founder and president of the Mukilteo, Washington-based Red-Tailed Hawks Flying Club, a chapter of the non-profit Black Pilots of America that helps students earn scholarships and access flight training. The club has become the largest in the US, responsible for introducing over 5,000 underrepresented youths to the world of aviation. Im trying to build something that will be around long after me so this is, prayerfully, a long-term, longstanding institution in the Pacific Northwest, he says.

Beyond teaching others, Hayes has passed his love of flying to his children. Two of Hayes six children are involved with aviation. Eventually, he hopes his 11-year-old grandchildren, Harper and Jesse D. Hayes VI, will continue the tradition.

Dr. Audrey Hodge with daughter Alicia.

Dr. Audrey Hodge, who has known Hayes since they were children attending an annual Memorial Day flying event, is also creating an aviation lineage. Her father, a military pilot and Tuskegee Institute graduate, was instrumental in the development of the Black Pilots of America.

When she was 10, Charles Chief Alfred Anderson, the eminent Tuskegee Airmen instructor, taught Hodge to fly in a Cessna 172. Anderson, who taught himself to fly in the 1920s, is a legend in aviation history. In 1932, he was the first Black American to earn a commercial pilots license and, a year later, the first Black pilot to crisscross the country, often navigating with roadmaps.

Anderson went on to become lead trainer for the Tuskegee Airmen, the Black pilots who contributed to the Allied victory in World War II. During that time, Anderson flew then-First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt around during her visit to the War Training Service in Tuskegee.

Alicia Hodge with flight instructor Thomas Newman after her first solo flight.

Hodge, who owns a Cessna 182 and volunteers as a flight instructor, is extending the family legacy. Her twentysomething daughters, Alicia and Alani, who have have been flying ever since they could see over the instrument panel, have their student pilot licenses. She also gave Chief Andersons grandson his first airplane ride during the ceremony commemorating the hangar in Tuskegee named in Andersons honor.

I took him up on a flight over the city of Tuskegee and let him experience holding the controls, she says. That was an eerie feeling, given the historic nature of Tuskegee and my connection with Chief Anderson, and one of the highlights of my flying career.

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Topeka Lutheran School teacher Joshua Grass on Thursday compares a piece of an Oreo cookie to the moon phases as he teaches seventh- and eighth-grade students.

To take his students to the dark side of the moon, Joshua Grass had them eat some Oreos.

This was the best way the Topeka Lutheran School science teacher could illustrate the various phases of the moon, and it was an idea his wife suggested when the two of them were eating the sandwich cookies some years ago.

Students could easily scrape (and eat) away at halves of the Oreo cookies to show sunlight bounces off the natural satellite to create each of the four waxing and four waning phases of the moon.

More:With tax credit scholarship program, Republicans aims to expand Kansas school choice

"I've done this lab before, and students still come back and say, 'Remember that one time we ate cookies glued some to a piece of paper?' But at the same time, if you can ask them to name at least one phase, they can still do it, because they remember doing this lab."

It's projects and hands-on activities like this that earned Grass the hearts of this students and co-workers, and ultimately, a statewide teacher award.

Joshua Grass is the 2023 Distinguished Teacher of the Year for Lutheran Schools, as awarded by the Kansas Association of Independent and Religious Schools.

Grass earlier this month was named the 2023 Distinguished Lutheran School Teacher of the Year by the Kansas Association of Independents and Religious Schools.

He was nominated for the award by Topeka Lutheran School principal Kyle Johnson, who in just one year in that job, had seen the passion and energy Grass brings to the classroom each day.

"Hes kind of the heartbeat of the school, and I think thats about the best way to describe him, Johnson said. Mr. Grass has a big smile and fist bump for every kid who walks in his door, and the kids can see how much he cares and loves each one of them. He gets them ready to learn.

Joshua Grass' science lessons allow students to use their creativity and imaginations

Joshua Grass shows seventh-grader Oliver Snethen a twisting technique to open up Oreo cookies during a lab project over moon phases. Since only portions of the cookies are needed, Snethen and other classmates got to enjoy a treat while learning.

While he also teaches religion and math classes in the small Lutheran school, Grass' main focus has been on science, which has been a passion for him ever since he was a kid.

Grass, a Missouri native, is now in his ninth year teaching and his fifth at Topeka Lutheran School. Johnson said Grass has been transformational for the school in that time, helping put together a newly remodeled science classroom, creating a native prairie program and setting up an outdoor learning space, where Grass and other educators could teach Gods word out in Gods world.

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More:Should taxpayer money help pay for some Kansas families' private school tuition?

However, the science teacher was reluctant to take credit for those projects, pointing out that he was only able to accomplish those tasks with the help and support of other teachers and parents.

"I wasnt sure I deserved credit for things that a lot of people helped me do," Grass said. "Even in my day-to-day teaching, we work together as a team so well, that it really should have been called a team award, but it can be that. This award is a reflection on all of us here."

Topeka Lutheran seventh-grader Addelynn Micheel on Thursday uses the backside of a plastic knife to precisely divide portions of an Oreo cookie to represent the various phases of the moon.

Most of Grass' lessons involve some hands-on aspect, such as by teaching students about energy by building mouse-trap cars or biology by bringing in animals from one school family's farm.

"He doesnt make us just take notes," said fifth-grader Jayel Micheel. "He gives us opportunities to work with our classmates, build stuff and do experiments."

"Hes nice and helpful, and he helps us have fun whenever were doing projects," said George Hogg, also in fifth grade. He added that Grass' class experiments inspire him to conduct his own science experiments at home.

More:One of the best teachers in the country works at Seaman USD 345's Logan Elementary

It's tangible experiments and labs like the Oreo-modeled moon phases that stick with students, Grass emphasized.

Any time students can touch their learning makes lessons memorable.

"Most kids want to be creative they want to use their imaginations, and they want to use their hands," Grass said. "So if you can use that to teach a big concept, then thats fun. Thats how they enjoy coming back every day eager to learn more."

Inspiring passion for science is Joshua Grass' way of showing God's love

Standing by a greenhouse within his classroom Thursday, Topeka Lutheran teacher Joshua Grass holds up his 2023 Distinguished Teacher Award by KAIRS.

Beyond the experiments, Grass said his way of reaching and inspiring students is something he saw from his own teachers growing up.

"I was not easiest student when I was in middle school, but I had a lot of teachers who showed us a lot of care," he said. "What they were really doing is showing us how God loves us through how they treated us. This is an important mission and field to be able to do that on a daily basis."

In reflecting on the award, Grass said any successes he has had in reaching students have only been because of God's will working through him and others, and he appreciates that the school's first priority is living out God's word.

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It's what drew him and his wife to the school in the first place.

"Faith is really the first, biggest and foremost thing we do  we center our daily lives around God," Grass said. "Getting that award, too, isnt so much a reflection on me. Its more about the school, and being a place where God is taught first. That makes this a nice place to work and be a part of, and good things happen from there."

Johnson said Grass has a great ways with kids.

"For us, his ability to share that love of Jesus with students every day just makes him really special and unique," Johnson said.

Rafael Garcia is an education reporter for the Topeka Capital-Journal. He can be reached at rgarcia@cjonline.com or by phone at 785-289-5325. Follow him on Twitter at @byRafaelGarcia.

This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Topeka Lutheran School's Joshua Grass is KAIRS Distinguished Teacher
A group of deputies proposes at the legislative level to define March 8 as the International Day for the Protection of Women's Rights, and May 8 as a day off instead of May 9.

Corresponding bill No. 9009-1 (on amendments to Article 73 of the Labor Code of Ukraine on the establishment of holidays) was registered in the Rada on February 28.

"March 8 is celebrated annually in the world as the day of struggle for women's rights. The United Nations has been celebrating this day since 1975 as International Women's Day, and since 1975 also as the International Day of Struggle for Women's Rights and International Peace. In Ukraine, on the one hand, March 8 is celebrated with women's marches and events dedicated to women's rights and equality, however, on the other hand, according to an outdated Soviet tradition, a certain part of society perceives this day as a "holiday of spring and beauty". In our opinion, this perception is stereotypical and levels the social and political nature of this holiday," the explanatory note says.

At the same time, deputies pay attention to the fact that May 8, the Day of Remembrance and Reconciliation, is celebrated in most European countries as a symbol of victory over Nazism in World War II. Therefore, they propose to define May 8 as a holiday (day off) in the Labor Code of Ukraine. At the same time, the traditional events that take place on May 9, according to the bill, will take place on a working day. In addition, if necessary, the specifics of awarding on May 9 in the future can be determined at the level of the decree of the President of Ukraine.

The co-authors of the legislative initiative were more than a dozen deputies, in particular Maryna Bardina, Yevhenia Kravchuk, Yuriy Kamelchuk (all from Servant of the People party), Inna Sovsun and Yaroslav Yurchyshyn (Holos faction).
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) new memoir earned a stinging review in The New York Times on Monday.

Jennifer Szalai, the newspapers nonfiction book critic, slammed The Courage to Be Free: Floridas Blueprint for Americas Survival, released Tuesday, as reading like a politicians memoir churned out by ChatGPT, the artificial intelligence chatbot.

As governor of Florida, Ron DeSantis has been casting himself as a Trump-like pugilist, Szalai wrote. But the overall sense you get from reading his new memoir is that of the mechanical try-hard  someone who has expended a lot of effort studying which way the wind is blowing in the Republican Party and is learning how to comport himself accordingly.

The culture war Mad Libs cant distract from the dull coldness at this books core, the critic added. The likely 2024 presidential candidates attempts at soaring rhetoric are mostly too leaden to get off the ground, she added.

Despite attacks by Trump, DeSantis tries his best to tiptoe around the Trump dragon in his memoir, Szalai pointed out.

Read the full review here.

Related...
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Task Force KleptoCapture Unseals Two Cases Charging Evasion of Russian Economic Countermeasures

From the outset of Russias unprovoked, full-scale invasion of Ukraine, one year ago today, the Department of Justice has prioritized enforcing the sweeping sanctions, export restrictions, and economic countermeasures that the United States has imposed alongside our global partners. Today, the Department continues that work by actions in two separate federal cases to disrupt sanctions evasion and smuggling networks supporting the Russian regime.

Over the past year, the Ukrainian people have shown the world what courage looks like, said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. 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.

It has been one year since Russia launched an unprovoked invasion of its neighbor, but the FBI has been working with our Ukrainian partners for years to battle Russian aggression there  and we arent going anywhere, said FBI Director Christopher Wray. The FBI's commitment to Ukraine remains unwavering, and we will continue to stand against Russia at home and abroad.

The U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York has filed a civil forfeiture complaint against six real properties located in New York, New York; Southampton, New York; and Fisher Island, Florida, worth approximately $75 million. The complaint alleges that the properties beneficially owned by Russian oligarch Viktor Vekselberg are the proceeds of sanctions violations and were involved in international money laundering transactions. The case arises in the wake of the indictment of Vekselbergs alleged strawman, Vladimir Voronchenko, a fugitive previously charged in the Southern District of New York. In the Eastern District of New York, a five-count indictment was unsealed today charging Ilya Balakaev, 47, of Moscow, with various offenses related to a years-long scheme to illegally smuggle sensitive devices used in counterintelligence operations from the United States to Russia for the benefit of the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation (FSB), the principal intelligence and security agency of the Russian government. Balakaev is further charged with illegally exporting a gas detector and related software from the United States to Russia for the benefit of the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea (DPRK or North Korea). Concurrent with todays action in the Eastern District of New York, the Department of Commerce separately issued a Temporary Denial Order denying the export privileges of Balakaev and his company, Radiotester OOO (aka Radiotester LLC), for 180 days with the possibility of renewal.

Todays actions coincide with the one-year mark of Russias unprovoked war in Ukraine. Read more about the Justice Departments efforts to hold Russia accountable here.

The Vekselberg Properties

According to court documents, on April 6, 2018, the U.S. Department of Treasurys Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) designated Vekselberg as a Specially Designated National (SDN) in connection with its finding that the actions of the Government of the Russian Federation in Ukraine constituted an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States.

Prior to his designation by OFAC, between in or about 2008 and in or about 2017, Vekselberg, through a series of shell companies, acquired six real properties in the United States, today worth approximately $75 million:

19 Duck Pond Lane, Southampton, New York 11968.

515 Park Avenue, Units Units 21 and 2I, New York, New York 10022.

7002 Fisher Island Drive, Unit 7002 PH2, Miami Beach, Florida 33109.

7183 Fisher Island Drive, Units 7182 and 7183, Miami Beach, Florida 33109.

The FBI and HSI are investigating the case. The Justice Departments National Security Division and Office of International Affairs, and OFAC provided valuable assistance.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jessica Greenwood, Joshua A. Naftalis, and Sheb Swett for the Southern District of New York are prosecuting the case.

United States v. Ilya Balakaev

As alleged in the indictment, between 2017 and the present, Balakaev contracted with a part of the FSB that is responsible for the Russian governments communication security and cryptology, to repair spectrum analyzers and signal generators, devices used to detect surveillance equipment and to transmit covert communications. Because the devices were not readily available in Russia, the defendant established a network of individuals in the United States to assist him in purchasing the equipment, which the defendant then smuggled out of the United States, in violation of U.S. export control and sanctions laws.

In addition to his scheme to evade Russian sanctions, the defendant also illegally exported U.S. technology on behalf of a North Korean government official, in violation of U.S. export laws. As alleged, the defendant contracted with the First Secretary of the North Korean Embassy to the Russian Federation, based in Moscow, to obtain hazardous gas detectors and software from the United States for the benefit of the North Korean government.

If convicted on all counts, Balakaev, currently a fugitive, faces a maximum of 75 years in prison.

The FBI, HSI, Commerce Departments Office of Export Enforcement (OEE), and CBP are investigating the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Sara K. Winik for the Eastern District of New York is prosecuting the case with assistance from Trial Attorney Scott A. Claffee of the National Security Divisions Counterintelligence and Export Control Section.

* * *

These cases were coordinated through the Justice Departments Task Force KleptoCapture, an interagency law enforcement task force dedicated to enforcing the sweeping sanctions, export controls, and economic countermeasures that the United States, along with its foreign allies and partners, has imposed in response to Russias unprovoked military invasion of Ukraine. Announced by the Attorney General on March 2, 2022, and under the leadership of the Office of the Deputy Attorney General, the task force will continue to leverage all of the departments tools and authorities to combat efforts to evade or undermine the collective actions taken by the U.S. government in response to Russian military aggression.

This story has been published on: 2023-02-28. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Laman Ismayilova

Azerbaijan State Film Fund will host a cycle of retrospective of Azerbaijani films themed Chronicle of Azerbaijani Documentary Cinema.

Filmmaker Niyazi Badalov's films-150 years. Mirza Fatali Akhundov, Island in the Mountains and Relay Race will be screened as part of the project, Azernews reports.

The first film screening will take place on March 3. The project is timed to the 125th anniversary of Azerbaijani cinema and centenary of AzerbaijanFilm Studio.

Niyazi Badalov is considered one of the founders of Azerbaijani documentary cinema. The film director short dozens of documentaries and newsreels for magazines like Soviet Azerbaijan, Young Generation, News of the Day, Across the Country of Soviets, etc.

Badalov also took part in dubbing Soviet films. He taught film technology at the acting department of the Azerbaijan State Theater College.

Over his life, Niyazi Badalov produced dozens of films, including General Azi Aslanov (1945), Muhammad Fuzuli (1958), M.F. Akhundov (1962), People's Poet Samad Vurgun (1965), Island in the Mountains (1971), Bridge Over the Caspian Sea (1988) and others.

Badalov was also a member of the Union of Cinematographers of the Azerbaijan SSR.
he competent authorities of Ukraine are establishing the circumstances of a visit by an NBC journalist from the territory of the Russian Federation to the temporarily occupied Crimea, after verification a decision will be made on further steps, said spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Oleh Nikolenko.

Visiting the temporarily occupied Crimea from the territory of the Russian Federation is a violation of the legislation of Ukraine. Legal liability is provided for violators. In particular, foreigners are also banned from entering Ukraine for such actions, Nikolenko wrote on Facebook.

He noted that the competent authorities of Ukraine are establishing the circumstances of an illegal visit by an NBC journalist to the territory of Crimea.

Following the results of the inspection, a decision will be made on further steps, the Foreign Ministry said.

Earlier, NBC News published a video by reporter Keir Simmons about Crimea. The report states that the journalist arrived in Crimea by train from Moscow on the Kerch Bridge, which was blown up last fall.
Tbilisi denies reports that EU demanded Saakashvili be moved to Poland for treatment

Georgian Justice Minister Rati Bregadze has denied reports of some media outlets that the European Union allegedly demanded that the Georgian authorities transport incarcerated former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili to Poland for treatment.

Bregadze told Georgia's Imedi television broadcasting company on Tuesday that this issue had not been discussed during his meeting with head of the EU mission in Georgia Pawel Herczynski and Swedish Ambassador Ulrik Tidestrom on Monday.

As for the EU address handed over at the meeting, it dealt with concerns about Saakashvili's health, he said.

"We reported at the meeting about the actions of the Georgian state taken to protect Saakashvili's rights and treat him," he said.

Bregadze emphasized that reports that the EU allegedly demanded that Georgia send Saakashvili to Poland for treatment circulating in some media outlets "are not true."

"Our ministry has nothing to hide. On the contrary, we are committed to sharing as much information as possible in any possible form with the public," the minister said.
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U.S. business has every opportunity to take leadership position in restoring Ukraine's economy and infrastructure now  Zelenskyy

U.S. business has every opportunity to take a leadership position in restoring the economy and infrastructure of Ukraine right now, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a video address to members of the U.S. National Association of Manufacturers.

As the head of state said, participation in the restoration of Ukraine after the hostilities will give an extraordinary moral advantage to all businesses. At the same time, according to him, businesses that help Russian tyranny in one way or another will not be able to avoid problems and a reputational crisis.

"The American business has every opportunity to take leadership positions both in the reconstruction of the Ukrainian economy and infrastructure, and in demonstrating to the world that human nature should serve worthy goals and that it produces  and will always produce!  the best result. The Ukrainian life will inevitably get a new start after this war," Zelenskyy said.

He said that now Ukraine needs to restore hundreds of industrial, infrastructural and social facilities, residential buildings.

"Whole cities, industries, productions. This is a colossal task, but realistic. Ukraine is interested in projects to create a full production cycle of titanium, lithium, aluminum and ferrous metallurgy... We need to rebuild the energy system of Ukraine based on new security principles. It is in Ukraine that we will combine green transformation with security transformation and create an example for the same transformation in other countries," Zelenskyy said.

He also said that Machine building in Ukraine, agricultural processing in Ukraine, weapons production in Ukraine, including modern drones, IT in Ukraine, infrastructure and transport in Ukraine, localization of business in Ukraine and convenient logistics with other markets from Ukraine, human capital of Ukraine  "all these are not just investment opportunities, not just industries and not just growth. This is a wide space for victories. Your victories, American business!"

"I urge you to prepare for these victories now, to come to Ukraine now. So that by the time we restore peace, your hard work has already yielded results," the president said.

The U.S. National Manufacturers Association is one of the largest industrial associations in the American business world, representing large and small manufacturers from all industries in all 50 U.S. states. Now the association has about 14,000 members.
International online classified ads specialist Adevinta is leaving the Hungarian market, Media1 reports, citing the companys 2022 annual report published on Thursday.

In it, Adevinta informed investors that the 2022 portfolio optimisation review had been completed, with the launch of the sale process for Hungary.



The company is present in the Hungarian e-commerce market with the Jofogas classified ads site, the Hasznaltauto site for used cars and online car magazine Autonavigator since 2010.



According to its website, Adevinta employs 130.



The company told website Mmonline on Friday that further details regarding the sale and the buyer will be released on the day of the official announcement.



We have initiated the sale process and are confident that we will find new owners who are able to provide the focus and expertise needed to achieve the full potential of the website, the company said.



Geza Palocsay, considered one of the most influential e-commerce experts in Hungary, left his job as the head of Adevintas operations in Hungary after eight years last March, and was replaced by Artsiom Rabtsevich.



With its head office in Norway, Adevinta is a leading online classified ads specialist, operating 25 digital marketplaces in 11 countries, and employing more than 8,000 people.
Pope Francis will visit Hungary between April 28 and 30, the Holy See said on Monday. I was happy to hear that Pope Francis accepted my invitation and will visit Hungary, the Sandor Palace cited President Katalin Novak as saying in a statement.

The three-day apostolic journey, the pontiffs 41st visit abroad since he was elected in 2013, will include meetings with Hungarys heads of state and government on Friday, the Vatican said. According to the programme of the visit published on katolikus.hu,



Francis will also address state dignitaries in the prime ministers offices in the Buda Castle. He will meet bishops, priests, monks, seminarists and other religious officials in Budapests St Stephens Basilica on the same day.



On Saturday, the pontiff is scheduled to meet young people in the Papp Laszlo Arena, and people in need and refugees in a downtown church. He will celebrate mass on Kossuth Square on Sunday.



Cardinal Peter Erdo, the Archbishop of Esztergom-Budapest, welcomed that the visit would take place in Budapest, adding we will be happy to receive priests, congregations and pilgrims from Hungary and beyond the borders.



Hopefully, the meeting will be an important step on the road we travel together towards Christ, Erdo said.



The Government Communications Centre welcomed the announcement of the papal visit.



The Holy Father is an envoy of peace, which the peoples of central and eastern Europe are in great need of, the centre said in a statement. The government will provide all the assistance necessary for the preparations for state and religious programmes during the visit, the statement added.



Pope's detailed program:

On Friday, April 28, upon his arrival in his capacity as Head of State, the Pope will first meet with the President of the Republic and then with the Prime Minister at the Sandor Palace. On Friday afternoon at 5 pm, the Pope will meet with bishops, priests, deacons, monks, seminarians, and pastoral workers at the St. Stephen's Basilica in Budapest.



Only those with admission tickets will be able to enter the basilica, and participation will be coordinated by dioceses and religious communities. However, the catechists, religious educators, and anyone interested are expected to gather in the square in front of the basilica, where the meeting will also be broadcast on a screen, according to the plans.



On Saturday, April 29, Pope Francis will make a private visit to the Blind Batthyany Laszlo Roman Catholic Children's Home founded by Sister Anna Feher in 1982. The institution provides care for children and students with multiple disabilities and visually impaired children living in state care across the country.



After that, the Pope will meet with the poor and refugees in the St. Elizabeth Church on Rozsak tere in Budapest, organized by the Hungarian Catholic Bishops' Conference, as well as Catholic charitable and social organizations.



On Saturday afternoon, a youth meeting will be held at the Papp Laszlo Sports Arena, with the Pope's visit at 4:30 pm as the highlight. The meeting will mainly be attended by Catholic high school and university students, whose registration and participation will be coordinated by dioceses.



On Saturday evening, the Pope will meet with members of the Society of Jesus, that is, Jesuit monks, at the Apostolic Nunciature building.



The hightlight of Pope Francis' visit will be the Holy Mass starting at half past nine on Sunday, April 30, to which the members of the Episcopal body are inviting everyone from Hungary and neighboring countries as well. Sectors will be arranged on Kossuth Square, and the participation in the Holy Mass will be facilitated by projectors placed around the square and nearby areas.



On Sunday afternoon, before his departure, the Pope will visit Pazmany Peter Catholic University. Through the Faculty of Theology, the institution has nearly four centuries of history, but in its current form, it celebrates its 30th anniversary as Hungary's only Catholic university founded by the Holy See in this academic year.



Pope Francis will meet with representatives of the university at the building of the Faculty of Information Technology and Bionics on the occasion of the anniversary, but the leaders of the Catholic universities of Eger and Szeged, as well as the rectors of Catholic colleges, will also be present.
Parliaments defence and law enforcement committee on Monday approved the governments decision to extend the state of emergency in view of the migration crisis in Hungary.

The committee also supported a motion for the assembly to discuss the protocol on the NATO accession of Sweden and Finland.



Bence Retvari, state secretary at the interior ministry, told the committee that in 2022 over 270,000 illegal entry attempts had been recorded, far more than in previous years.



He also warned that some 3.5 million refugees currently in Turkey were potential migrants. He insisted that migrants were increasingly aggressive, adding that last year 477 attacks against border authorities were reported from the Hungary-Serbia border, with shots fired in 104 cases.



The government announced last Tuesday that it would extend the state of emergency until Sept. 7.



Retvari also slammed the European Union for its failed policy of sending migrants back to their homelands, and said a mere 7-15% of illegal migrants were sent back to their country of origin.



The European Union should contribute to the costs of border protection in Hungary, which amount to 650 billion forints (EUR 1.7bn), he added.
Left-wing and liberal authors believe that the West should support Ukraine until it regains the territories occupied by Russia.

Conservative analysts suggest that none of the two warring countries can win the war and therefore support calls by the Hungarian government for an urgent ceasefire and peace negotiations.



In Elet es Irodalom, Lajos Bokros, a former finance minister and unsuccessful liberal candidate for Prime Minister fears that some Western European NATO countries might be ready to accept Russian expansion in exchange for economic advantages.



He condemns the policies pursued by German leaders from 2014 onwards as reminiscent of the Munich agreement concluded by British and French leaders with Adolf Hitler in 1938. Nevertheless, if the West accepts Russias right to change borders unilaterally, it will open the way for China to annex Taiwan. Taiwans fate, he concludes, will be decided in Ukraine.



In a full-page editorial, Magyar Narancs writes that if Russia can keep its conquests in Ukraine, then the Ukrainian state will be economically dependent on Russia and at its mercy for its national security. If, on the other hand, Ukraine manages to break through towards the south and reconquer the occupied section of its Black Sea coast, that would open the possibility of promising peace talks.



Such a breakthrough, however, the editors write, would only become possible if large-scale and much bolder Western military support for Ukraine is delivered.



In a similar vein, Heti Vilaggazdasags Gyorgyi Kocsis believes the supply of efficient and heavy weaponry from the West is lagging behind what is required by the situation along the front lines in Ukraine. In fact, she writes, President Putin is ready to sacrifice a stunning number of human lives. To stave off his expected spring offensive, Ukraine badly needs more state-of-the-art combat vehicles, armour and artillery, she concludes.



Magyar Hangs Roland Majlath, on the other hand, believes that Russia simply has not amassed enough human resources to fundamentally change the course of the war. Its troops have made very little progress in their attempts to occupy the whole Donetsk region, even though it was one of the first two Ukrainian regions to be officially annexed by Russia. Majlath describes the situation along the front lines as a stalemate reminiscent of World War I with its endless trench warfare.



In his regular weekly editorial in Demokrata, Andras Bencsik condemns a statement by NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg who said all options were risky but the riskiest one would be a Russian victory. In other words, Bencsik writes, the Secretary General would feel more unsettled by a Russian victory than with the risk of World War III.



He praises the Hungarian government for its staunch insistence on the necessity of an immediate ceasefire as he believes that would be the only way to prevent the loss of further tens or hundreds of thousands of human lives.



In Mandiner, Krisztian Talaber, an analyst at the pro-government Nezopont think tank finds it suicidal for the opposition to oppose the governments stance on Ukraine. This, he continues, was the reason they suffered an unprecedentedly crushing defeat in last springs elections.



The current financial and energy crisis is a textbook opportunity for any opposition to win over new supporters, he explains and attributes the bad showing of the Hungarian opposition in opinion polls to the Lefts insistence on continuing the war until Ukraines total victory.



First Assessments of the Year One of the War in Ukraine



One year after Russia invaded Ukraine, commentators agree on one thing  that this first anniversary will not be the last.



On Mandiner, Gellert Rajcsanyi writes that Russia lost the war at the very moment it was launched. Russia, he explains, intended to annex Ukraine, uniting the brotherly Ukrainian people with its own. Instead, it has bombed Ukrainians into a hostile nation.



Now Russia is on a path to becoming a totalitarian dictatorship, while Ukraine is up for even more destruction, while it dreams of reconstruction with Western aid, sometime in the distant future, Rajcsanyi concludes.

On hvg.hu, international security expert Istvan Gyarmati deems it necessary for the West to keep supporting Ukraine and perhaps even step up weapons deliveries. Meanwhile, he warns against pushing Russia into a corner, and cautions that the prospect of negotiations must be kept open.



Gyarmati also believes Ukraine should radically revise its policies towards national minorities, including ethnic Hungarians. He deems such steps vital if Ukraine is to prove itself up to European standards but also to pacify its millions of ethnic Russians.



This opinion does not necessarily represent the views of XpatLoop.com or the publisher.



Your opinions are welcome too - for editorial review before possible publication online.



Click here to Share Your Story



Photo: Northfoto.com
Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari on Monday said before the end of 2024, Uttar Pradesh will have road infrastructure like in the US and the picture of the state will change with development of roads. Gadkari said UP will become the leading state in the country and called upon farmers to become a provider of food as well as energy. Earlier, Gadkari inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of seven National Highway projects worth Rs 6,500 crore at Chitbadgaon here. "The condition of roads in UP was not good before the year 2014. After the Narendra Modi government came to power, National Highway has increased from 7,643 km to 13,000 km in the state," Gadkari said.

"Before the end of the year 2024, Uttar Pradesh will have road infrastructure like in America. The state is growing very fast and its picture will change with the development of roads. The villages and the poor will be happy and prosperous in the state. The youth will also get employment and UP will become the leading state in the country," he said.

"Farmers should become food as well as energy providers and should play a major role in the export of energy," he said. The minister said that with the construction of Ballia Link Expressway, it would be possible to reach Patna from Lucknow through Purvanchal Expressway in just four-and-a-half hours.

"Ballia to Buxar can be reached in half an hour, Ballia to Chhapra in one hour and Ballia to Patna in one-and-a-half hour. With the construction of Greenfield Highway, eastern UP will get better connectivity with Chhapra, Patna, Buxar in Bihar," he said.

Vegetables of the farmers of Ballia will now reach 'mandis' of Lucknow, Varanasi and Patna easily, he said. Gadkari said the new road from Chandauli to Mohania being constructed at a cost of Rs 130 crore will provide connectivity to Chandauli in Uttar Pradesh and Kaimur district in Bihar through the Delhi-Kolkata GT Road.

He said with the construction of Saidpur to Mardah road there will be direct connectivity of Mau to Varanasi via Saidpur. The minister said due to better connectivity with other cities of the state, economic and social condition of UP will improve as well as backward areas of Azamgarh district will get new connectivity.

On this occasion, Gadkari also announced the new connectivity route between Ballia-Ara through 28-km new spur road at a cost of Rs 1,500 crore.
An Air India passenger, travelling in business class from Mumbai to Chennai, on Monday shared a video of an insect he found in his in-flight meal. "@airindiain insect in the meal served in businessclass. Doesn`t look like hygiene was taken. My flight was AI671 -Mumbai to chennai Seat 2C," passenger Mahavir Jain tweeted. Responding to the video, Air India said: "Dear Mr. Jain, we`re sorry to note your experience while flying with us. This is not something good to hear. We strictly follow measures to ensure hygiene at every step of the process."





"However, could you please DM your date of travel, and flight details along with the seat number? We`ll highlight this to our catering team for immediate review and action," the airline said. Earlier, on the same day, two such complaints surfaced regarding Air India.An Indian diplomat alleged the poor facilities at the airline`s business class lounge at the John F. Kennedy airport in New York. India`s High Commissioner to Guyana, Antigua & Barbuda, St.Kitts & Nevis, Dr K.J. Srinivasa, alleged that the Air India business class lounge at JFK Airport had "empty" food containers, disposable plates and cutlery and "unresponsive" staff.On the same day, renowned chef Sanjeev Kapoor on Monday hit out at Air India after he was served unsatisfactory meals on a flight from Nagpur to Mumbai. "Wake Up @airindiain. Nagpur-Mumbai 0740 flight. Cold Chicken Tikka with watermelon, cucumber, tomato & sev Sandwich with minuscule filling of chopped cabbage with mayo Sugar syrup Sponge painted with sweetened cream & yellow glaze," Kapoor said on Twitter."Really! Is this what Indians should eat for breakfast?" he said in another tweet.
Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi called on Saturday on Sudanese sides to prioritise the language of dialogue and national consensus, and to uphold the supreme interests of the brotherly Sudanese people.
Air India, the former national air carrier of India, under the new ownership of Tata Group, is planning for a major overhaul. The transformation plans of the airline include purchasing new aircrafts, 840 of which were recently ordered, merger with Vistara, refurbishing entire fleet and starting new routes. As per the airline's CEO Campbell Wilson, Air India has an enormous potential and efforts are on to make the group a significant international player in the aviation market. Once known for its 'Maharaja Experience', a string of food and delay related incidents battered the image of India's national air carrier in 2000s.

However, with Tata Group acquiring back the Air India from the government, things started to look bright, with many passengers sharing their flying experience in the Air India flights. Come 2023, a spree of unruly passenger incidents, and social media backlash related to food and other services has put Air India on back foot again. The incident that made the biggest noise among all such incidents was the Air India Pee-Gate episode by Shankar Mishra, a Mumbai based banker who is accused of peeing on an elderly female passenger, reportedly in an inebriated state.

This resulted in DGCA imposing a hefty Rs 30 lakh fine on Air India and suspending the pilot's licence for 3 months. The airline's CEO admitted to the mistakes made in the case by the crew and said the airline has now become strict and is reporting all such cases of unruly behaviour. Wilson said that the airline has learnt lessons and it could have reacted better to the issues surrounding the unruly passenger peeing incident which occurred in November last year. The CEO said that the airline has realised the importance of reporting incidents.

Here's a look at the recent incidents involving Air India:

1. Pee-Gate on New York-Delhi Flight

An incident of urination on an Air India international flight from New York to Delhi shook the entire aviation industry of India recently. The incident happened on November 26, 2022, when an allegedly intoxicated passenger Shankar Mishra peed on an elderly woman in the business class of the flight. The incident was not reported to the police, or aviation authorities at the moment and came to light in 2023, resulting in the arrest of Mishra from Bengaluru. Recently, DGCA slammed the airline and said "everybody failed" as the "case was not reported and people tried to cover it up".

2. Chef Sanjeev Kapoor's in-flight meal

Renowned celebrity chef Sanjeev Kapoor recently took to Twitter to hit out at Air India after he was served unsatisfactory meals on a flight from Nagpur to Mumbai. The Chef shared multiple photos of the food served on the flight and complained about the quality of the in-flight meal served on the Air India's domestic flight. Sharing photos of the meal on the flight, Sanjeev Kapoor wrote, "Wake Up @airindiain. Nagpur-Mumbai 0740 flight. Cold Chicken Tikka with watermelon, cucumber, tomato & sev Sandwich with minuscule filling of chopped cabbage with mayo Sugar syrup Sponge painted with sweetened cream & yellow glaze."

3. Diplomat slams AI for lounge at NYC Airport

Dr K.J. Srinivasa, an Indian diplomat, working as the India's High Commissioner of India to Guyana, Antigua & Barbuda, and St.Kitts & Nevis, recently complained about the poor facilities at Air India's business class lounge at the John F. Kennedy airport in New York. He alleged that the Air India business class lounge at JFK Airport had "empty food containers, disposable plates and cutlery and unresponsive staff". He tweeted, "@TataCompanies can splurge billions on buying new aircraft why not pay some attention to revamping existing lounge @RNTata2000."

4. Smoking on Paris-New Delhi flight

Days after the peeing incident on the New York-Delhi flight made headlines, incidents of smoking and peeing on the Air India international flight came to the light. Like the Pee-Gate episode, the airline failed to report the unruly passenger behaviour to the DGCA, resulting a fine of Rs 10 lakh. Allegedly, two drunk passengers were engaged in unruly passenger behaviour, in which one smoked in the flight and another peed on an empty seat on Paris-New Delhi flight.

5. Business Class passenger finds insect in food

An Air India passenger, travelling in business class from Mumbai to Chennai, shared a video of an insect he found in his in-flight meal. "@airindiain insect in the meal served in businessclass. Doesn't look like hygiene was taken. My flight was AI671 -Mumbai to chennai Seat 2C," passenger Mahavir Jain tweeted. Air India said: "Could you please DM your date of travel, and flight details along with the seat number? We'll highlight this to our catering team for immediate review and action," the airline said.
New Delhi: Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates met Mahindra group chairman Anand Mahindra today on his official visit to India. He earlier met RBI governor Shaktikanta Das in RBI office in Mumbai and discussed wide ranging topics with him. The meet was confirmed by Anand Mahindra on his official twitter handle and said that the entire conversation between our teams wasnt about IT or any business but about how they could work together to multiply social impact.

ALSO READ | Elon Musk Pips LVMH CEO Bernard Arnault To Become World's Richest Person Again

Mahindra shared the image of Gates giving his book to Mahindra and the autograph picture. In the caption, he wrote that he got a free, autographed copy of his book.

Good to see @BillGates again. And, refreshingly, the entire conversation between our teams was not about IT or any business but about how we could work together to multiply social impact. (Though there was some profit involved for me; I got a free, autographed copy of his book), Anand Mahindra tweeted.

Gates in his latest blog My Message in India: TO fight climate change, improve global health said India as a whole gives him hope for the future. India eradicated polio, lowered HIV transmission, reduced poverty, cut infant mortality, and increased access to sanitation and financial services.

Like every other country on the planet, India has limited resources. But it has shown us how the world can still make progress in spite of that constraint. By collaborating and trying novel approaches, the public, private, and philanthropic sectors can turn limited resources into big pools of funding and knowledge that lead to progress. If we work together, I believe we can fight climate change and improve global health at the same time, Bill Gates wrote in the blog.

Bill Gates was the co-founder of Microsoft firm which runs the popular computer Operating system (OS) Windows. He has started Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to support the programs aiming to getting rid of food hunger, poverty and malnutrition across the world. He is a philanthropist who is spending his time after retirement from the head post of Microsoft organisation to help the world from its problems and make a change.
New Delhi: Tech Billionaire and the head of several leading firms SpaceX, Tesla, & Twitter Elon Musk has become the world's richest man again, pipping LVMH chairman Bernard Arnault. The ranking is a daily index of the world's richest people, maintained by Bloomberg Billionaires Index. The rise in Musk's wealth is linked to the latest surge in Tesla Stock Price as they rose about 25% in the past one-month. Now, Musk stands at the top with the estimated wealth of USD 187.1 billion, with Arnault is on the second position having wealth of USD 185.3 billion.

In December 2022, Bernard Arnault, CEO of the French luxury brand Louis Vuitton, reportedly overtook the Tesla and Twitter CEO when he was at the second spot for more than two months.

Musk had been the world's richest person for many months after overtaking earlier richest person Amazon founder Jeff Bezos around September, 2021. Since then, he remained on the top spot until Arnault overtook him last year in December. Musks fortune once peaked at 340 billion in November 2021.

Musk had seen the biggest downfall in his income last year when he lost over $200 billion, becoming the first person in the history to lose this huge amount of wealth in the lifetime. The reason was attributed to sharp decline of Tesla's shares which dropped almost 11% from the price of September 2021.

What led to the fall of Tesla shares value?

Elon Musk had bought popular microblogging site Twitter this year with a whopping cost of $44 billion. The Twitter saga stretched throughout the year with Elon Musk had been having ifs and buts since he proposed the deal early this year. Finally, he had to conclude the deal by October end after facing a legal pressure.

Tesla Shareholders lost trust in Elon Musk as they believed Musk to get distracted from the company due to Twitter takeover.
NEW DELHI: Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Tuesday approached the Supreme Court against his arrest by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in connection with the Excise Police Case. According to sources, Sisodia is seeking an urgent hearing on his plea and has sought the intervention of CJI D Y Chandrachud. A special court had on Monday sent Sisodia to five-day CBI remand in the excise policy case to allow the agency to get "genuine and legitimate" answers to questions being put to him for "a proper and fair investigation".

Delhi Excise policy case | Delhi Deputy CM Manish Sisodia moves Supreme Court challenging his arrest, plea likely to be mentioned in SC today seeking urgent hearing on his plea.



(File photo) pic.twitter.com/QZQD7ptGIT  ANI (@ANI) February 28, 2023

Special judge M K Nagpal passed the order on a CBI plea, which produced the AAP leader before the court amid heavy security in and outside the Rouse Avenue Courts premises a day after arresting him. The agency had sought his five-day custodial interrogation.

The judge said that though the accused had joined the investigation of this case on two earlier occasions, it has also been observed that he has failed to provide satisfactory answers to most of the questions put to him during his examination and interrogation. Thus, he has failed to legitimately explain the incriminating evidence which has allegedly surfaced against him during the investigation conducted so far.

It is true that he cannot be expected to make self-incriminating statements, but the interests of justice and of a fair investigation require him to come up with some legitimate answers to the questions which are being put to him by the investigating officer (IO). "Some of his subordinates are found to have disclosed certain facts which can be taken as incriminating against him and some documentary evidence against him has also already surfaced...

"... A proper and fair investigation requires that some genuine and legitimate answers to the questions being put to him about the same are to be found and hence, in considered opinion of this court, this can only be done during custodial interrogation of the accused," the judge said.

"Keeping in view the facts and circumstances, the accused is being remanded to CBI custody for a period of 05 days i.E. Till March 4, 2023, for his further and extensive interrogation," the judge said.

He added that as far as the apprehensions being expressed by senior counsels regarding the use of any force or third-degree methods for extracting information from the accused are concerned, "this court does not expect the same from the officers of CBI who have been given the task of interrogating the accused holding the high post of Dy. Chief Minister of the GNCTD and also some other important portfolios". In any case, such apprehensions can always be taken care of by imposing certain conditions, the judge said.

CBI Arrests Sisodia In Liquor Scam case

The CBI on Sunday evening arrested Sisodia in connection with alleged corruption in the formulation and implementation of the now-scrapped liquor policy for 2021-22. During the hearing, which went on for over an hour, Sisodia's counsel said that it was the lieutenant governor who had approved the changes in the excise policy and that the central probe agency was going after the elected government. "I can't do anything. It has to be approved by the appropriate authority," he said.

Sisodia claimed that there was no evidence against him and opposed the CBI's plea for his remand. "I (Sisodia) am the finance minister. I have to present the budget... What changed yesterday that the finance minister was to be placed under custody? Was he not available for the next few days? Or was this arrest done for an ulterior motive? This case is an assault on an individual as well as the institution. Remand will send a message, this is a fit case for declining remand," Sisodia's counsel told the court.

He submitted that Sisodia acted as a member of the Delhi government and hence the decision can neither be attributed to him nor questioned. The CBI counsel submitted that Sisodia's custody was required for effective interrogation in the case. Sisodia claimed that he had no role in the case but the probe showed he personally took decisions, the agency submitted.

Sisodia's counsel, while opposing the probe agency's plea for custody, submitted that the CBI says he changed his cell phone, but that is not a crime. The counsel said the policy was implemented after taking suggestions even from the Delhi lieutenant governor and that since it required consultations, there was no chance of conspiracy. Sisodia was represented by senior advocates Dayan Krishnan, Mohit Mathur and Siddharth Aggarwal. The CBI informed the court that further investigation is underway in the case.

Earlier this month, the agency had interrogated Delhi minister Satyendar Jain in Tihar Jail in connection with the case after taking permission from the judge. Jain was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in a money laundering case. He is not an accused in the excise policy case. The CBI had also quizzed AAP's communication in-charge Vijay Nair, who is also lodged in Tihar Jail, in connection with the excise policy money laundering case being probed by the ED. Nair was earlier granted bail in the CBI excise policy case by the court.
New Delhi: Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates visited Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Mumbai on Tuesday and held discussions on wide ranging topics with RBI governor. ShaktiKanta Das. The meet was confirmed by RBI official twitter handle, which mentioned that a conversation happened between RBI governor Das and Bill Gates. Gates is on the visit to India to explore business opportunities in health, education and other sectors.

Gates in his latest blog My Message in India: TO fight climate change, improve global health said India as a whole gives him hope for the future. India eradicated polio, lowered HIV transmission, reduced poverty, cut infant mortality, and increased access to sanitation and financial services.

Like every other country on the planet, India has limited resources. But it has shown us how the world can still make progress in spite of that constraint. By collaborating and trying novel approaches, the public, private, and philanthropic sectors can turn limited resources into big pools of funding and knowledge that lead to progress. If we work together, I believe we can fight climate change and improve global health at the same time, Bill Gates wrote in the blog.

Bill Gates was the co-founder of Microsoft firm which runs the popular computer Operating system (OS) Windows. He has started Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to support the programs aiming to getting rid of food hunger, poverty and malnutrition across the world. He is a philanthropist who is spending his time after retirement from the head post of Microsoft organisation to help the world from its problems and make a change.
JEE Mains 2023: National Testing Agency has declared JEE Mains Result 2023 for Paper 2 on February 28, 2023. Candidates who have appeared for Session 1 Paper 2 examination can check the results through the official site of NTA JEE at jeemain.nta.nic.in. The final answer keys for the Session 1 Paper 2 was also released today, February 28, 2023. The result has been declared for around 46,000 thousand candidates. JEE Main 2023 Session 2 registrations are underway. Candidates who wish to appear for the JEE Main April Session can submit their registrations on the official website linked above till March 12, 2023. JEE Main 2023 Session 2 will be held from April 6 to 12, 2023.

JEE Main 2023 Result Paper 2  Steps To Download Scorecard

- Visit the official website - jeemain.nta.nic.in

- On the homepage, click on the link for Result - JEE Main Session 1 Paper 2

- Enter your JEE Main roll number, date of birth and other details asked for

- Your JEE Main Paper 2 Result will be displayed on the screen

- Download and take a printout for future references.

The authorities have already released the JEE Main 2023 Session 1 Answer Key for Paper 2. Candidates can download the JEE Main 2023 answer key PDF for session 1 on the official website. The JEE Main 2023 Paper 2 was conducted on January 28, 2023, in a 2nd shift for BArch and BPlanning programmes. However, candidates can check out the steps to download the JEE Main 2023 Paper 2 Result here.

Earlier, the eligibility criteria of the Joint Entrance Exam (JEE) Main 2023  which has been set at 75 per cent and top 20 percentile  was challenged in Bombay High Court. Several engineering aspirants have demanded that the percentile eligibility should be lowered from 75 per cent to 50 per cent for this years JEE Main 2023 entrance exam. They also want the top 20 percentile eligibility criteria should be removed. Stay tuned to India.com for all updates related to JEE Main 2023 Exam.


New Delhi, Feb 28 (IANS) Two men, who stabbed two youths here just because their scooty had touched them, were finally held.



DCP of North West Jitender Kumar Meena said that the accused were identified as Kunal alias Kunu and Pratham. Two accomplices of the accused are on the run.

The official said that the incident happened during the intervening night of February 24 and 25 at around 12 a.m in Bharat Nagar area.

"We received a call regarding a fight and a team was immediately rushed to the spot. The team found two injured persons who were shifted to a nearby government hospital. The injured were later identified as Rohit and Dharmender, both the residents of Wazirpur. Both of them had stab injuries," said the senior police official.

The victim told the police that they were attacked by four persons on the issue of touching Scooty.

After recording their statement, the police lodged an FIR and a team was formed to nab the accused.

The police said that they examined the CCTV footage of the area besides questioning local residents to get a clue about the accused.

"We finally identified them. A raid was conducted and the accused were caught. Both have confessed their involvement in the matter. They further disclosed that on the night of the incident, they were roaming in the area when a scooty of complainants touched them due to which arguments started and in order to teach them a lesson, they stabbed the victims and fled the spot," the police said.

Further, on verification, previous involvement of both the accused in criminal cases was found.

Police said that they were conducting raids to nab their associates who are on the run.

(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 [India], February 28 (ANI): As Delhi Deputy Minister Manish Sisodia resigned from the cabinet on Tuesday, the departments held by him will be given to Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders Kailash Gahlot and Raaj Kumar Anand, said sources. Sisodia held 18 departments, some of his departments will now be handled by Kailash Gahlot and the rest will be by Raaj Kumar Anand. Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders and Delhi ministers Manish Sisodia and Satyendar Jain resigned from their posts in the state cabinet on Tuesday. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal accepted their resignation. Their resignations will now be sent to Delhi LG VK Saxena.

The development comes two days after Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Sisodia was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in connection with the Delhi excise policy case.Sisodia was arrested on Sunday in an ongoing investigation of a case related to alleged irregularities in the framing and implementation of the excise policy of the Delhi government.

Also Read: Delhi Liquor Scam: SC Refuses To Hear Manish Sisodia's Bail Plea, AAP To Move HC Now

Meanwhile, Supreme Court on Tuesday refused to entertain Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia`s plea challenging his arrest in connection with the excise policy case.The apex court suggested Sisodia to move to Delhi High Court.

A bench headed by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud said that the court is not inclined to entertain the petition at this stage and suggested Sisodia to move to Delhi High Court."It can not interfere in the matter as it may open the gate of people approaching the top court in every such matter," the court remarked.Delhi`s Rouse Avenue Court on Monday sent him to CBI custody for 5 days.

On the other hand, CBI has quizzed AAP leader Satyendar Jain in Tihar Jail in connection with alleged corruption in the implementation of the Delhi Excise Policy.Jain is currently lodged in Judicial Custody in connection with another case related to money laundering case registered by the Enforcement Directorate (ED).

His name surfaced in the matter along with another cabinet Minister of Delhi as well as Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.Recently, CBI and ED have made several arrests for alleged corruption in the implementation of the Delhi Excise Policy.
Vaishali (Bihar): A startling incident has come to light from Bihar's Vaishali district where father of a jawan, who was among the martyred soldiers in the 2020 Galwan Valley clash was thrashed and arrested by the police. The family of the martyred army man alleged that his father was thrashed for building a memorial for his son on government land in Jandaha in Bihar`s Vaishali. At least 20 Indian Army personnel, including a Colonel, were killed in the clash with Chinese troops in the Galwan Valley on the intervening night of June 15-16, the biggest military confrontation in over five decades that has significantly escalated the already volatile border standoff between the two countries.

The jawan whose father was targeted was identified as Jai Kishore Singh. However, the police claimed that the matter is linked to an issue of illegal encroachment, which was in violation of the rights of the landowner.

Also Read: Indian Army Jawan Beaten to Death in Tamil Nadu; DMK Councillor Among 10 Arrested

"On January 23, a case was registered under SC/ST Act over a statue being erected on the land of Hari Nath Ram & on govt land in Jandaha. Later, walls bordering the statue were built. They have not sought any permission. If they wanted, they could have made it in their own land or sought land from the government. There would not have been an issue then. The landowner`s rights being violated due to illegal encroachment," the SDPO Mahua said.

#CORRECTION | Bihar | Family members of Jai Kishore Singh, who lost his life in the 2020* Galwan Valley clash, allege that Singh's father was thrashed and later arrested by police for building a memorial for his son on govt land in Vaishali's Jandaha. https://t.co/pjeDLCR7ZI pic.twitter.com/QyunOez92t February 28, 2023

However, the brother of the martyr, Jai Kishore Singh, who himself is in the armed forces, accused the police of thrashing his father and abusing him.

"DSP ma`am visited us, asking us to remove the statue within 15 days. I said I will show her the document. Later, the police station in-charge came to our home and beat up my father before arresting him. They also abused my father. I am also in the armed forces personnel," Nand Kishore, brother of Jai Kishore Singh, said. The locals protested against the police action and also chanted `Bharat Mata Ki Jai`.
New Delhi: Dismissing the oppositions charge of political vendetta, the BJP has hit out at the AAP for protesting against the arrest of Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, asserting that the CBI is acting lawfully against the "corrupt" but it seems that the city`s ruling party does not believe in law, Constitution and people. Addressing a press conference, BJP leader Gaurav Bhatia said, "With its drama and show of anarchy, the AAP has signalled that it will not let probe agencies do their work which amounts to obstructing the process of justice and contempt of court."

Bhatia described the AAP as "Arajak Apradh Party" (anarchic criminal party) and said that Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal seems to have taken oath on the Constitution to destroy it. He further said, "Neither does Kejriwal abide by law nor he sacks his ministers involved in corruption. Jain has not received bail yet because courts believe that the charges against him are serious."

Sisodia Sent To 5-Day CBI Custody

A special court here on Monday sent Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia to five-day CBI remand in the excise policy case to allow the agency to get "genuine and legitimate" answers to questions being put to him for "a proper and fair investigation".

Special judge M K Nagpal passed the order on a CBI plea, which produced the AAP leader before the court amid heavy security in and outside the Rouse Avenue Courts premises a day after arresting him. The agency had sought his five-day custodial interrogation.

The judge said that though the accused had joined the investigation of this case on two earlier occasions, it has also been observed that he has failed to provide satisfactory answers to most of the questions put to him during his examination and interrogation. Thus, he has failed to legitimately explain the incriminating evidence which has allegedly surfaced against him during the investigation conducted so far.

It is true that he cannot be expected to make self-incriminating statements, but the interests of justice and of a fair investigation require him to come up with some legitimate answers to the questions which are being put to him by the investigating officer (IO). "Some of his subordinates are found to have disclosed certain facts which can be taken as incriminating against him and some documentary evidence against him has also already surfaced...

"... A proper and fair investigation requires that some genuine and legitimate answers to the questions being put to him about the same are to be found and hence, in considered opinion of this court, this can only be done during custodial interrogation of the accused," the judge said. "Keeping in view the facts and circumstances, the accused is being remanded to CBI custody for a period of 05 days i.E. Till March 4, 2023, for his further and extensive interrogation," the judge said.

He added that as far as the apprehensions being expressed by senior counsels regarding the use of any force or third-degree methods for extracting information from the accused are concerned, "this court does not expect the same from the officers of CBI who have been given the task of interrogating the accused holding the high post of Dy. Chief Minister of the GNCTD and also some other important portfolios". In any case, such apprehensions can always be taken care of by imposing certain conditions, the judge said.

Manish Sisodia's Arrest

The CBI on Sunday evening arrested Sisodia in connection with alleged corruption in the formulation and implementation of the now-scrapped liquor policy for 2021-22.

During the hearing, which went on for over an hour, Sisodia's counsel said that it was the lieutenant governor who had approved the changes in the excise policy and that the central probe agency was going after the elected government. "I can't do anything. It has to be approved by the appropriate authority," he said.

CBI Has No Evidence, Claims Sisodia

Sisodia claimed that there was no evidence against him and opposed the CBI's plea for his remand. "I (Sisodia) am the finance minister. I have to present the budget.... What changed yesterday that the finance minister was to be placed under custody? Was he not available for the next days? Or was this arrest done for an ulterior motives? This case is an assault on an individual as well as the institution. Remand will send a message, this is a fit case for declining remand," Sisodia's counsel told the court.

He submitted that Sisodia acted as a member of the Delhi government and hence the decision can neither be attributed to him nor questioned. The CBI counsel submitted that Sisodia's custody was required for effective interrogation in the case. Sisodia claimed that he had no role in the case but the probe showed he personally took decisions, the agency submitted.

Sisodia's counsel, while opposing the probe agency's plea for custody, submitted that the CBI says he changed his cell phones, but that is not a crime. The counsel said the policy was implemented after taking suggestions even from the Delhi lieutenant governor and that since it required consultations, there was no chance of conspiracy.

Sisodia was represented by senior advocates Dayan Krishnan, Mohit Mathur and Siddharth Aggarwal. The CBI informed the court that further investigation is underway in the case. Earlier this month, the agency had interrogated Delhi minister Satyendar Jain in Tihar Jail in connection with the case after taking permission from the judge.

Jain was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in a money laundering case. He is not an accused in the excise policy case. The CBI had also quizzed AAP's communication in-charge Vijay Nair, who is also lodged in Tihar Jail, in connection with the excise policy money laundering case being probed by the ED. Nair was earlier granted bail in the CBI excise policy case by the court.

(With Agency Inputs)
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.
New Delhi [India], February 28 (ANI): As Delhi ministers Manish Sisodia and Satyendar Jain, who were being probed for their involvement in the alleged liquor scam in the national capital, quit from the cabinet,

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Ravi Shankar Prasad on Tuesday attacked Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) calling it a party of "3Cs - Cut, Commission and Corruption".

Addressing the media persons, Prasad said, "We have learnt that Delhi ministers Manish Sisodia and Satyendar Jain have resigned. Delhi Chief Minister Kejriwal accepted Satyendar Jain`s resignation after nine months. Manish Sisodia should have resigned the moment such scandalous allegations came to light."The BJP leader said that VIPs involved in liquor scam have changed hundreds of phones and Sisodia changed his phone 16 times.He said Kejriwal and Sisodia who had promised to open schools, are now selling liqour.

"You had said that schools will be opened... You are selling liquor. There is nowhere in India that the one who is the Education Minister is also the liquor minister," Prasad said.

He said people who claimed to be flag bearers of the fight against corruption and used to announce names of corrupt and honest in public life have ensured governance which increases the number of alcohol users in Delhi.

"If Manish Sisodia has any moral compass left, he should have resigned then. His bail plea in the Supreme Court was that he looks after 18 departments. He was keen to run departments and not to explain such allegations. AAP`s conduct is 3Cs -- `Cut, Commission and Corruption`," added the BJP leader.

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders and Delhi ministers Manish Sisodia and Satyendar Jain resigned from their posts in the state cabinet on Tuesday.Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal accepted their resignation. Their resignations will now be sent to Delhi LG VK Saxena.

The development comes two days after Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Sisodia was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in connection with the Delhi excise policy case.Sisodia was arrested on Sunday in an ongoing investigation of a case related to alleged irregularities in the framing and implementation of the excise policy of the Delhi government.

Meanwhile, Supreme Court on Tuesday refused to entertain Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia`s plea challenging his arrest in connection with the excise policy case.The apex court suggested Sisodia to move to Delhi High Court.

A bench headed by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud said that the court is not inclined to entertain the petition at this stage and suggested Sisodia to move to Delhi High Court."It can not interfere in the matter as it may open the gate of people approaching the top court in every such matter," the court remarked.

Delhi`s Rouse Avenue Court on Monday sent him to CBI custody for 5 days.On the other hand, CBI has quizzed AAP leader Satyendar Jain in Tihar Jail in connection with alleged corruption in the implementation of the Delhi Excise Policy.

Jain is currently lodged in Judicial Custody in connection with another money laundering case registered by the Enforcement Directorate (ED).His name surfaced in the matter along with another cabinet Minister of Delhi as well as Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.Recently, CBI and ED have made several arrests for alleged corruption in the implementation of the Delhi Excise Policy. (ANI)

(The above article is sourced from news agency ANI. Zeenews.com has made no editorial changes to the article. News agency ANI is solely responsible for the contents of the article)


New Delhi: In a major development, the Aam Aadmi Party has decided to hand over senior AAP leader Manish Sisodia's portfolios to Delhi cabinet ministers Kailash Gahlot & Raaj Kumar Anand, news agency ANI reported. No new ministers will be sworn in the cabinet. Earlier, Manish Sisodia resigned as Deputy Chief Minister of Delhi amid the allegations of corruption in the ongoing Liquor Scam Case. Along with Sisodia, Health Minister Satyendar Jain has also quit from his post. Jain is lodged in jail in a separate corruption case. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has accepted resignations of both the leaders. The CBI on Sunday evening arrested Sisodia in connection with alleged corruption in the formulation and implementation of the now-scrapped liquor policy for 2021-22.

Portfolios of former Delhi Dy CM Manish Sisodia likely to be given to Delhi cabinet ministers Kailash Gahlot & Raaj Kumar Anand. No new minister will be sworn in as of now: Sources pic.twitter.com/Fyj5AVe8fb  ANI (@ANI) February 28, 2023

SC Refuses To Hear Sisodia's Plea

Earlier today, the Supreme Court declined to hear the bail plea of Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, who is in CBI custody, in connection with the excise policy case, news agency PTI reported. The Aam Aadmi Party will now move to Delhi HC over Sisodia's arrest, news agency ANI reported.

Also Read: Liquor Scam: Manish Sisodia Resigns As Delhi Deputy CM, Satyendar Jain Too Quits As Health Minister

A bench comprising Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justice P S Narasimha has refused to intervene in Sisodias case, and asked him to 'avail alternative remedies'. The Delhi Deputy Chief Minister approached SC on Tuesday for bail in the excise policy case.

The top court observed that the arrested AAP leader has remedies under the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) to move the Delhi High Court for bail and seek the quashing of the FIR. A special Delhi court on Monday sent Sisodia to five-day CBI remand in the excise policy case to allow the agency to get "genuine and legitimate" answers to questions being put to him for "a proper and fair.

Earlier this month, the agency had interrogated Delhi minister Satyendar Jain in Tihar Jail in connection with the case after taking permission from the judge.

Jain was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in a money laundering case. He is not an accused in the excise policy case.

The CBI had also quizzed AAP's communication in-charge Vijay Nair, who is also lodged in Tihar Jail, in connection with the excise policy money laundering case being probed by the ED.

Nair was earlier granted bail in the CBI excise policy case by the court.
New Delhi: In an apparent dig at Gandhis, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday (February 26, 2023) said that Mallikarjun Kharge is the Congress President, but the entire world knows who holds the "remote control". Speaking about his adoration and respect for Kharge and his devotion to public service, Prime Minister Modi also expressed sadness at how the most senior member was not even considered worthy of being given an umbrella in the scorching sun at the 85th plenary session of Congress in Chhattisgarh.

"I have great respect for Mallikarjun Kharge, a son of this land, who has about 50 years of parliamentary or legislature experience. He has tried to do whatever he could in the service of people. But I was sad looking at how Kharge, who is the President of the party and a senior in age, was treated during the Congress' session in Chhattisgarh," Modi said after inaugurating multiple development projects in Belagavi, Karnataka.

"The weather was hot, everyone standing there feeling the heat was natural, but in that heat, the good fortune of the umbrella's shade was not there for Kharge who is Congress chief and senior in age. The umbrella's shade was for someone standing next to him. This shows Kharge is Congress President just for the sake of it, and looking at the way he is treated, everyone can understand as to whose hands the remote control is in," he added.

Addressing a large gathering in the city after a massive roadshow, PM Modi also accused the grand old party of disrespecting Karnataka and its leaders.

"I want to remind you how Congress hates Karnataka. Insulting Karnataka's leaders is part of Congress' old culture. From whomever Congress' family feels troubled, disrespecting them begins in that party," he said.

History is proof of how leaders like S Nijalingappa and Virendra Patil ji were insulted before the Congress family," he added.

Speaking at a programme in Belagavi, Karnataka. https://t.co/qCEVqEG4rj  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) February 27, 2023

The Prime Minister also said that "Congress people" are so disappointed that they feel that until Modi is alive they cannot do anything.

"So all of them are saying and raising slogans 'Marja Modi, Marja Modi' (Modi die, Modi die), some people are even busy digging 'kabr' (grave). They are saying 'Modi theri kabr khudegi' (Modi your grave will be dug)... But the country is saying 'Modi tera kamal khilega' (Modi your lotus will bloom)," he said.

In the poll-bound Karnataka, he also warned the people to stay alert from parties like Congress.

He spoke about the achievements of the "double engine government" (BJP governments at state and Centre) and said that the BJP rule in both Karnataka and the Centre is a "guarantee" for fast-paced development.
Mumbai: Mumbai Police are on high alert mode and have launched a search to trace a 'Pakistan-trained dangerous' man after receiving crucial information about his suspected activities in the city from the National Investigation Agency (NIA). According to Mumbai Police officials, "A search for the ''dangerous'' man has been launched after an e-mail was received from the city unit of NIA about his suspicious movements.

"The e-mail from the NIA was received on Sunday afternoon, following which all agencies were put on alert. The NIA communication identified the suspect as Sarfaraz Memon who it said had entered Mumbai, the official said, adding that as Memon hails from Madhya Pradesh, the police in that state have also been alerted.

"While informing about the suspect, NIA officials also shared details like an Aadhaar card, a driving license and a passport. As per information received, the suspect has received training in China, Hong Kong, and Pakistan," the police official said.

In its communication, the NIA reportedly warned that his man could pose a serious threat to Mumbai`s law and order situation. The central anti-terror agency, which is tracking him, said that Memon had reached Mumbai and advised the city police to be more vigilant as he is an "enemy of the state".

A senior Mumbai Police officer later confirmed that an e-mail was received from the NIA and a search is on for the man, according to news agency PTI. Based on the communication received from the NIA, the Mumbai Police has now sought more information about the dangerous man from Indore Police.

It may be recalled that in the past couple of months, the Mumbai Police have received several threats of possible terror strikes, but all proved to be hoaxes.
Prayagraj: Mafia-turned-politician Atiq Ahmed's wife Shaista Parveen wrote to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Monday, demanding a CBI probe into the killing of Umesh Pal, a prime witness in the 2005 murder of then BSP MLA Raju Pal. She and her family members are accused in killing of the witness. Umesh Pal and his police security guard Sandeep Nishad were shot dead last Friday outside his home in the Dhoomanganj area of Prayagraj. Another constable was injured in this attack. Atiq Ahmed is the prime accused in the BSP MLA Raju Pal's murder case and is currently lodged in a Gujarat jail.

In the letter addressed to the chief minister, Shaista Parveen said, "Friday's incident is extremely sad and condemnable. An FIR has been lodged by Umesh Pal's wife naming nine people including my husband Atiq Ahmed, my brother-in-law Khalid Azim alias Ashraf, me and my sons and nine unknown people."

"In this FIR, my husband, brother-in-law and sons have been accused of conspiracy, and based on CCTV footage, my son Ali has been named as the shooter. This allegation is completely baseless," she said in the letter.

ALSO READ | Umesh Pal Murder Case: Will Expel Atiq Ahmed's Wife From BSP If Found Involved, Says Mayawati

"The truth is that ever since the BSP declared me as the mayoral candidate from Prayagraj, a local leader and a cabinet minister in your government have conspired against us to retain the post of mayor. As part of this conspiracy, a person was killed, the allegation for which was natural to fall on my husband."

She further claimed, "Umesh Pal was not a witness in the Raju Pal murder case, but he was a litigant in the kidnapping case registered at Dhoomanganj police station, in which his testimony has already been recorded in the court on August 16 and 17, 2016."

"Since the Prayagraj police is working under the pressure of your minister, under a conspiracy on the pretext of remand, my husband and brother-in-law can be called from jail and killed on the way," Praveen feared.

Parveen has demanded in the letter that the case lodged regarding the murder of Umesh Pal should be investigated by CBI. A copy of the letter has also been shared on various social media platforms.

Meanwhile, the Uttar Pradesh police on Monday said it has gunned down an accused in the February 24 killing of the prime witness Umesh Pal. Police claimed that they retaliated when the accused opened fire at them.


Lucknow, Feb 28 (PTI) The war of words between the BJP and the Samajwadi Party over the killing of a prime witness in the 2005 murder case of a former BSP MLA intensified on Tuesday, with both citing pictures of an accused with leaders to point fingers at each other.

While the BJP attacked the SP over a purported picture of Sadakat Khan, who was arrested from the Allahabad University hostel in connection with last week's killing, with SP president Akhilesh Yadav, the opposition party hit back by posting images of Khan with some BJP leaders.

The Congress, meanwhile, alleged that both the Samajwadi Party and the BJP are hand-in-glove with the criminals and were two sides of the same coin.

"The entire state and the country know that the Samajwadi Party has been strengthening criminals. In other words, I can say that it is a nursery of criminals," Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak said on Akhilesh Yadav's picture that was being shared on social media.

Dismissing the allegation, Samajwadi Party spokesman Rajendra Chaudhary said that in public life many people get their pictures clicked with leaders but this is not an evidence of their having a link with the party or its leadership.

After Umesh Pal, who was the prime witness in then BSP MLA Raju Pal's murder, and his police security guard Sandeep Nishad were shot dead on Friday outside his home in Dhoomanganj area of Prayagraj, Akhilesh Yadav had questioned the law and order situation in the state. In a counter-attack, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had accused the SP of sheltering the mafias and vowed to destroy them.

Among those booked in the case is a gangster-turned politician Atiq Ahmed.

Pathak stressed that the state government has zero tolerance against crime and "no matter what reach any criminal has, he will not be spared".

Samajwadi Party media cell in a tweet alleged that the Pal and the murderers were engaged in transactions worth crores and some BJP leaders were also involved in it.

"Umesh Pal understood this conspiracy of the BJP leaders, that's why the BJP got him killed? If there is an investigation of land and other illegal business with BJP leaders, everything will be revealed," it claimed.

IP Singh, senior Samajwadi party leader, claimed that a picture of Khan with former BJP MLA Uday Bhan Muni Karvariya has emerged on social media and has been retweeted by his party's media cell.

Commissioner of Prayagraj Police Ramit Sharma had on Monday said that the name of Sadakat Khan, a resident of Ghazipur, had come to light in the conspiracy of the Umesh Pal murder case. He is a student of LLB at Allahabad University and the STF arrested him on Monday.

"Khan has given the names of some people involved in this conspiracy. He has also given information about calls made through social media apps. His room was searched by the police team in his presence. While returning, he tried to flee but fell after colliding with a divider and fell. He has sustained some injuries," Sharma added.

The BJP said that whenever serious crimes take place, pictures of the accused with Akhilesh Yadav have emerged.

"Is it a coincidence or an experiment - this has to be seen by everyone," BJP spokesman Alok Awasthi said.

"There are no two views on this. Even the children of the state know that those who committed this crime are associated with which party," BJP MLA Shalabhmani Tripathi said.

"The challenge before Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath is not just from these criminals but also from those giving political shelter to them to commit crimes and later create an atmosphere that crimes have increased," Tripathi added.

In a tweet, the UP Congress shared the picture of Akhilesh Yadav and said: "Look! Sadakat Khan, the main conspirator of the Umesh Pal murder case, is standing with the former chief minister.

Be it BJP or SP, both are two sides of the same coin in holding hands of criminals."

Uttar Pradesh Police on Monday gunned down one of the accused in an encounter.

Police claimed that they retaliated when the accused opened fire at them. A police officer was injured during the encounter, they said.

Deputy Commissioner of Police Navendu Kumar told PTI that Arbaaz was the driver of the white SUV used by the assailants to attack witness Umesh Pal.

(The above article is sourced from news agency PTI. Zeenews.com has made no editorial changes to the article. News agency PTI is solely responsible for the contents of the article)


New Delhi: The Congress on Tuesday hit back at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for attacking its leadership, including Sonia Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge, and accused him of not just insulting them but also women and Dalits of the country. The party also alleged that PM Modi has lowered the dignity of the office he holds. "What the prime minister talked about Kharge ji in Karnataka is not just an insult to Kharge ji but of all those who elected him for 50 years in electoral politics in both the assembly and Parliament and all those delegates who elected him as the Congress president," Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate told reporters here. She said she wants to tell the prime minister that he cannot withstand the fact that a Dalit has become the Congress president.

"May I remind the prime minister, when you speak the language against Congress Parliamentary Party chief Mrs Gandhi who is ailing and has been advised to stay away sun, but still chose to attend the party's plenary session in Nava Raipur because of her dedication to it, you disgraced women all over the country.

.@Kharge Ji has 50 years of legislative experience. When the PM insults him, he also insults our elected representatives who voted for him.



When the PM insults Sonia ji, he insults women of our country. The PM has failed to maintain the dignity of his post.



:@SupriyaShrinate ji pic.twitter.com/gp80s3PXEB  Congress (@INCIndia) February 28, 2023

"You do not just disgrace Mrs Gandhi but you disgrace the institution. I can put out multiple videos showing how senior leaders in the BJP are shown in a 'coma' the moment they cross the age of 75 years. "He has to talk about issues that are in Karnataka...Hate in Karnataka, instead he chooses to talk about our leaders. The more he attacks our leaders, the greater our resolve becomes to fight him and the greater the resolve of our people to push him out of a position whose dignity he cannot maintain," the Congress leader said.

.@RahulGandhi ji set the bar so high that no politician in this country or the world can ever cross it, & that bar is to go to the people directly.



In him, they see hope & vision. They see a man who is willing to listen to their pain & find solutions.



:@SupriyaShrinate ji pic.twitter.com/EPcIqLh0XJ February 28, 2023

She said sometimes, "you have objections to his scarf. Is it only you who can use expensive scarfs or a Mont Blanc pen or a Louis Vuitton scarf." "You are not insulting him but the community to which he belongs and you will have to stop that. You make insulting remarks about former Congress president Sonia Gandhi, which you often indulge in as it is your habit to insult women," she said.

"I can show you many of your videos...When party veterans like Advani ji and Murli Manohar Joshi ji are standing with folded hands before you and you do not even look at them and ignore them," she said. When the prime minister speaks against Kharge ji and Sonia ji, he lowers the dignity of the post he holds, the Congress leader alleged, noting that "with every passing day Mr Modi is reducing the little bit of semblance, respect and dignity left to an office that he has held for nine years now".

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday accused the Congress of disrespecting Karnataka, while alleging that its president Kharge, who hails from the state, was insulted by the party during its plenary session in Chhattisgarh. He said Kharge was insulted and disrespected by the party, in favour of a "family", apparently indicating the Nehru-Gandhi family, despite the Congress chief's seniority and age.

"I want to remind you how Congress hates Karnataka. Insulting Karnataka's leaders is part of Congress' old culture. From whomever Congress' family feels troubled, disrespecting them begins in that party. History stands witness to the insult meted out to the leaders such as S Nijalingappa and Veerendra Patil before the family. Everyone in Karnataka knows it," Modi said.

Addressing a massive gathering in Belagavi, he said now once again, one more leader from Karnataka was insulted by loyalists of the family.

"I have great respect for Mallikarjun Kharge, a son of this land, who has about 50 years of parliamentary or legislature experience. He has tried to do whatever he could in the service of people. But I was sad looking at how Kharge, who is the president of the party and a senior in age, was treated during the Congress' session in Chhattisgarh," the prime minister said.

"The weather was hot, everyone standing there feeling the heat was natural, but in that heat the good fortune of umbrella's shade was not there for Kharge who is Congress chief and senior in age. The umbrella's shade was for someone standing next to him. This shows Kharge is Congress president just for the sake of it, and looking at the way he is treated, everyone can see and understand, as to whose hands the remote control is in," he had said.
NEW DELHI: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has expressed confidence that there would be no hung assemblies in the three northeastern states  Tripura, Nagaland and Meghalaya  that recently went to polls and that the coalition led by his party BJP will form the government there. There won't be a hung assembly in any northeastern state. NDA will form govt in Tripura, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Sarma said.

The Assam Chief Minister, who is also the NEDA convenor, further said that Tripura will have a BJP CM, Nagaland will have a coalition government while that of Meghalaya will be decided as per seats won by the BJP.

Sarma also said, "No NDA (National Democratic Alliance) partners will go into any alliance with either Congress or the Trinamool Congress. There will be no hung assembly. The NDA will form the government in all three states."

Sarmas remarks came a day after exit polls predicted that the ruling NDPP-BJP alliance would retain power in Nagaland. The exit polls showed while BJP has a clear edge over its rivals in Tripura, it predicted a close race in Meghalaya. The outcome of exit polls was telecast by news channels after the conclusion of polling in Meghalaya and Nagaland on Monday.

Tripura

Tripura had gone to the polls on February 16. In Tripura where the BJP created history in 2018 by wresting the state from Left parties, the exit polls predicted that the BJP will be ahead of its rivals or get majority. India Today-Axis My India exit poll predicted that BJP would get 36-45 seats and the Left-Congress will get 6-11 seats. The exit poll gave 9-16 seats to Tipra Motha. The ZeeNews-Matrize exit poll predicted that BJP-IPFT will get 29-36 seats in the 60-member House. It said that Left-Congress combine is poised to get 13-21 seats and Tipra Motha 11-16.

The ETG-Times Now poll predicted BJP would get 24 seats, Left-Congress would get 21 seats and Tipra Motha 14 seats. The BJP had won 36 seats in the 2018 assembly election.

Nagaland

For the 60-member Nagaland assembly, India Today-Axis My India exit poll predicted that the NDPP-BJP alliance would get 38 to 48 seats. It said Congress is likely to win 1-2 seats, NPF may win 3-8 seats and other parties could get 5-15 seats. According to the Zee-Matriz exit poll, the NDPP-BJP alliance could get 35-43 seats. ETG-Times Now poll gave 27-33 seats to NDPP, 12-16 seats to BJP and 4-8 seats to NPF.

Meghalaya

In the 60-member Meghalaya assembly, the Zee-Matrize exit poll predicted NPP will get 21-26 seats, Trinamool Congress 8-13 seats, BJP 6-11 seats and Congress 3-6 seats. India Today-Axis My India exit poll for the state predicted NPP getting 18-24 seats, Congress (6-12), BJP (4-8), UDP (8-12 seats) and TMC (5-9) seats. Times Now ETG exit poll predicted that NPP will get 18-26 seats, AITMC 8-14 seats, UDP 8-14 seats and BJP 3-6 seats.

Assembly elections were held in Tripura on February 16, and in Nagaland and Meghalaya on February 27. Results will be declared on March 2. The counting of votes in all three states will take place on March 2.
New Delhi: The official Twitter account of TMC that got hacked was restored after more than 13 hours on Tuesday evening, news agency PTI reported. The account was hacked late on Monday night and its name was changed to 'Yuga Labs'. Along with the name, the display picture has also been changed. "#DidirSurakshaKawach is a mammoth effort at securing basic sustenance for every resident in Bengal, irrespective of age, gender, caste, or religion. To achieve state-wide inclusive growth & expand welfare cover, Didier Doots is generating awareness across households," read the last tweet by Yuga labs. The logo appeared in a `Y` shape in black font. "It was restored at around 4 PM after nearly 13 hours," a member of the AITC media team said.

The party lodged a complaint with the cyber cell of Kolkata Police, he said. TMC national spokesperson Derek O'Brien said in a statement this morning that the account was compromised. "We are in touch with officials from Twitter who are working to rectify the issue. They have assured us of prompt action," O'Brien, who is also the leader of the party in Rajya Sabha, said.

All India Trinamool Congress' Twitter account appears to be hacked. pic.twitter.com/wyE417xG0c  ANI (@ANI) February 28, 2023

After its account was restored, the party, which is in power in Bengal, posted three tweets about 'Didir Suraksha Kavach' (Didi's Protective Shield), its ongoing mass outreach campaign.

The TMC launched the campaign in January this year to ensure that people get benefits from the pro-people projects of the state government. Didi or elder sister denotes Party supremo Mamata Banerjee.

Last year in April, the Twitter account of the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister`s Office (CMO) was hacked.

UP CMO's (@CMOfficeUP) Twitter account has four million followers at present. The breach came to light when unknown hackers used the UP CMO Twitter handle to publish a post based on a tutorial called "How to turn your BAYC/MAYC animated on Twitter".

In addition, a cartoonist picture was used as a profile picture on the UP CMO account. The unidentified hackers also posted a thread of some random tweets on the UP CMO account.
Srinagar: Security forces on Tuesday gunned down a Pakistan-backed terrorist in an encounter that broke out in the Padgampura area in South Kashmir`s Pulwama district in the wee hours on Tuesday. One of the two Army soldiers, who were also injured during the encounter, succumbed to his injuries while another is said to be critical at the moment. He is being treated in ICU at 92 Base Army Hospital, said sources.

Both soldiers had sustained serious injuries during the Awantipora encounter. While one terrorist has been killed, 1-2 terrorists are still believed to be hiding in the area.

The firefight started after a joint team of police and security forces got input about the presence of terrorists in that area.

J&K| One terrorist killed in Awantipora encounter. Body of the terrorist yet to be recovered. Encounter underway: Kashmir Zone Police February 27, 2023

After security forces cordoned off the area, terrorists hiding there started firing drawing retaliation from the security forces. The slain terrorist has now been identified as Aqib Mushtaq Bhat, a resident of Pulwama. He was an A-category terrorist wanted by the security forces. Bhat initially worked for Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) terror outfit. However, he had recently joined hands with TRF.

Sharing more information, the ADGP Kashmir said that the killer of Kashmiri Pandit Sanjay Sharma has been neutralised. There have been a series of encounters between terrorists and security forces across Kashmir in the recent past in which many terrorists have been eliminated.

A massive search & cordon operation is still underway in the area, said sources.
The African Union is organising a national reconciliation conference for Libya, AU Commission chief Moussa Faki Mahamat told AFP on Sunday, the latest bid to restore stability to the conflict-wracked nation.

"We have met with the different parties and we are in the process of working with them on a date and place for the national conference," he said after a press conference wrapping up a two-day AU summit.

The meeting will be chaired by the African Union's pointman on Libya, Republic of Congo President Denis Sassou Nguesso, Faki said.

Libya descended into a decade of violence following the 2011 overthrow of dictator Moamer Gadhssafi in a NATO-backed rebellion.

The resulting power grab gave rise to myriad home-grown militias and prompted interventions by Arab powers as well as Turkey, Russia and Western states.

Since March last year, an administration in Libya's east backed by military leader Khalifa Haftar -- who has been close to Russia and Egypt -- has challenged the UN-recognised government of Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibah, arguing it has outlived its mandate.

Earlier this month, the United Nations announced that senior officials from the rival administrations had endorsed a coordination mechanism to clear the country of foreign troops and mercenaries.

The UN mission in Libya hailed "an important step toward achieving sustainable stability and peace in Libya" after a meeting in Cairo on February 8 along with officials from Sudan and Niger.

However, the discussions led by UN envoy Abdoulaye Bathily failed to produce a clear timetable or concrete measures for the withdrawal of foreign fighters.

The UN estimated in late 2021 that there were more than 20,000 foreign fighters, both military and paramilitary, in the country.

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SRINAGAR: In a major breakthrough, the security forces on Tuesday gunned down a Pakistan-backed terrorist and the killer of Kashmiri Pandit Sanjay Sharma in a fierce encounter that broke out in the Padgampura area in South Kashmir`s Pulwama district of Jammu and Kashmir. The slain terrorist was identified as Aqib Mushtaq Bhat, a resident of Pulwama. He was also an A-category-listed terrorist wanted by the security forces. Bhat initially worked for Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) terror outfit. However, he had recently joined the ranks with TRF.

Sharing more information about the status of the encounter, the ADGP Kashmir said that the killer of Kashmiri Pandit Sanjay Sharma has been neutralised.

Awantipora Encounter Update | Killed terrorist identified as Aqib Mustaq Bhat from Pulwama. He initially worked for the Hizbul Mujahideen terror outfit, nowadays he had been working with TRF. The killer of Kashmiri Pandit, Sanjay Sharma has been neutralised: ADGP Kashmir  ANI (@ANI) February 28, 2023

However, one of the two Army soldiers, who were also injured during the encounter, succumbed to his injuries while another is said to be critical at the moment. He is being treated in ICU at 92 Base Army Hospital, said sources.

Both soldiers had sustained serious injuries during the Awantipora encounter. While one terrorist was killed, 1-2 terrorists are still believed to be hiding in the area, sources claimed.

The firefight started after a joint team of police and security forces got input about the presence of terrorists in that area. After security forces cordoned off the area, terrorists hiding there started firing drawing retaliation from the security forces.

Sanjay Sharma, a security guard, was gunned down by terrorists when he was on his way to the local market on Sunday. He was shifted to the hospital however, he succumbed to injuries. It has to be noted that this is the first attack on a Hindu civilian in the last four months.

PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti, who paid a visit to his residence, demanded Rs five lakh compensation to be paid to the three children of the deceased Kashmiri Pandit. She said everyone is ashamed of the killing of Sanjay Sharma while at the same she aimed at the government for their crackdowns against Muslims in the name of eroding militancy.

She also said that the children of Sanjay Sharma should be given compensation of Rs five lakh each and a job to a family member in Jammu. "Sanjay`s sister`s sons should also be provided security," she added.

Last year, there were a number of targeted killings in Kashmir. Several of the casualties were migrant workers or Pandits from Kashmir. There have been a series of encounters between terrorists and security forces across Kashmir in the recent past in which many terrorists have been eliminated.

Meanwhile, a massive search & cordon operation is still underway in the area, said sources.
FCI Result 2023: The Food Corporation of India will declare the FCI Result 2023 today, February 28. FCI will announce the results FCI Grade 3 Result on its official website- fci.gov.in. As per the official notification released by the FCI, the date of declaration of FCI Grade 3 Phase I Result is tentative and it will also release the FCI Grade 3 Phase II Admit Cards along with the result.

FCI Grade 3 Result Date and Time

The corporation will release the FCI Grade 3 Result 2023 for phase I exam on its official website fci.gov.in on February 28, 2023 however the timing of the declaration of FCI Result is not confirmed yet.

Here's how to download the FCI Result 2023

Once released, candidates will be able to check their FCI Grade 3 Result for the Phase I exam on the official website- fci.gov.in. Candidates can follow the simple steps given below to check the FCI Result 2023

Step 1: Visit the official website of FCI- fci.gov.in

Step 2: On the homepage, click on the link that reads, "FCI Grade 3 Phase I Exam Result 2023"

Step 3: In the newly opened window, entre the required credentials like Roll Number, DOB etc

Step 4: Click on submit button and your FCI Result 2023 will appear on your screen

Step 5: Check your FCI Grade 3 Result and download it and take a printout for future refrence

FCI Grade 3 Phase II Admit Card 2023

Candidates who will be declared qualified in the FCI Grade 3 Phase I Result 2023, will be eligible for the FCI Phase II exam or the FCI Grade 3 Mains Exam. Qualified candidates will be able to download the FCI Grade 3 Phase II Admit Card 2023 from the official website- fci.gov.in.

FCI Grade 3 Phase II Exam Date

According to the official notice issued by the FCI, FCI Grade 3 Phase II Exam is scheduled to be conducted on March 5, 2023. Candidates who will be declared qualified for the FCI Grade 3 Phase I will be eligible to appear in FCI Phase II exam.
Hong Kong: The ex-husband and former in-laws of a slain Hong Kong model were detained Monday (Feb 27) on charges in her killing after police found body parts in a refrigerator and a pot. The case has gripped many in a Chinese territory where any violent crime is rare. Ex-husband Alex Kwong, his father Kwong Kau and his brother Anthony Kwong were charged with murdering model Abby Choi a day earlier. Alex Kwong's mother, Jenny Li, faces one count of perverting the course of justice. None of the four was granted bail.

Choi, a 28-year-old model with more than 100,000 followers on Instagram, disappeared Feb. 21, according to a report filed later with the Hong Kong Police. Her last post was Feb. 19, featuring a photo shoot she had done with fashion magazine L'Officiel Monaco.

On Friday, police found her dismembered body in a refrigerator in a house rented by Kwong Kau in a suburban part of Hong Kong about a 30-minute drive from mainland China. Authorities later discovered a young woman's skull believed to be Choi's in a cooking pot seized from the house. Officials say there was a hole in the skull.

The defendants have not yet entered their pleas, and it does not appear that their lawyers have commented on the case to the media. The case was adjourned until May.

Choi had financial disputes involving tens of millions of Hong Kong dollars (millions of dollars) with her ex-husband and his family, police said earlier, adding that ?some people? were unhappy with how Choi handled her finances. The gruesome killing has particularly transfixed many in Hong Kong and across the border in mainland China, since the the self-governed southern Chinese city has a very low level of violent crime.

Choi's friend Bernard Cheng said he initially thought she had been kidnapped. "I haven't imagined a person who's so good, so full of love, so innocent, a person who doesn't do anything bad will be killed like this," he said. "My heart is still heavy. I can't sleep well."

Cheng said Choi had four children, aged between 3 and 10. Alex Kwong, 28, was the father of the older two, who are now being taken care of by Choi's mother. Choi had remarried, to Chris Tam, and he was the father of the younger children, who are staying with his family. Cheng said Choi had good relationships with her family, including her in-laws, and would travel with the families of her current and former husbands together.

While violent crime is rare in Hong Kong, the case recalls a handful of other shocking killings. In 2013, a man killed his parents and their heads were later found in refrigerators. In another infamous 1999 case, a woman was kidnapped and tortured by three members of an organised crime group before her death.
New Delhi: Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) scheme 13th Installment update -- PM Narendra Modi gave the much needed cheers to lakhs of farmers who had been waiting for the transfer of funds under PM Kisan Samman Nidhi Scheme (PM-KISAN). The latest tranche or the 13th Installment money of the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) Yojna was transferred by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his visit to Karnataka yesterday (February 27).

PM Modi handed out the 13th tranche of around Rs 16,000 crore under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) to eligible farmers by releasing direct benefits transfer to more than 8 crore beneficiaries.

The central government provides benefits of Rs 6,000 every financial year to farming families by directly transferring the money to the their bank accounts. All the three installments of the current financial year have been transferred in the bank accounts of the farmers while it is believed that the next installment (13th installment) will on February 24.

PM Kisan Samman Nidhi 13th installment Status Check

-Visit official PM KISAN website https://pmkisan.gov.in/ Portal

- You will see the map of India under Payment Success tab.

- On the right hand side, there will be a yellow coloured tab called "Dashboard"

- Click on Dashboard

- After clicking, you will be taken to a new page

- On the Village Dashboard tab, you will have to fill your complete details

- Select the state, district, Sub-District and Panchayat

- Then click on show button

- After this you can choose your details

- Click 'Get Report' button

- Now you can see your name in the Beneficiaries list

Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) Yojna

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had released the 12th instalment of financial benefit under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) scheme. Modi transferred over Rs 16,000 crores to more than 10 lakh beneficiary farmer families on Monday, October 17.

Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) Scheme Details

The Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) Scheme, was launched by PM Narendra Modi in 2019, aims to provide income support to all landholder farmer families across the country with cultivable land, subject to certain exclusions.

Under the Scheme, the amount of Rs 6000 per year is released in three 4-monthly instalments of Rs 2000 each directly into the bank accounts of the beneficiaries.

Who are eligible to get benefits under the PM-KISAN Scheme?

All landholding farmers' families, which have cultivable landholding in their names are eligible to get benefit under the scheme.

Who are excluded from the PM-KISAN Scheme?

Those excluded from the PM-KISAN include institutional land holders, farmer families holding constitutional posts, serving or retired officers and employees of State or Central government as well as Public Sector Undetakings and Government Autonomous bodies. Professionals like doctors, engineers and lawyers as well as retired pensioners with a monthly pension of over Rs 10,000 and those who paid income tax in the last assessment year are also not eligible for the benefits.



PM-KISAN Scheme for only Small and Marginal Farmers' families?

ln the beginning when the PM- PM-KISAN Scheme was launched (February, 2019), its benefits were admissible only to Small & marginal Farmers' families, with combined landholding upto 2 hectare. The Scheme was later on revised in June 2019 and extended to all farmer families irrespective of the size of their landholdings

The Central Government had notified a decision to extend the benefit of Rs 6,000 per year under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi scheme to all 14.5 crore farmers in the country, irrespective of the size of their landholding.
Prayagraj: Days after Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath warned that his government will decimate criminals and mafias across the state, the UP Police on Monday gunned down one of the accused in the sensational killing of Umesh Pal - a prime witness in the 2005 murder case of the then BSP MLA Raju Pal in an encounter here.

How Was Umesh Pal Murder Accused Arbaaz Tracked & Killed?

Police claimed that they retaliated when the accused opened fire at them. A police officer was injured during the encounter, they said. Deputy Commissioner of Police Navendu Kumar later shared that Arbaaz, who was the driver of the white SUV used by the assailants to attack witness Umesh Pal, was surrounded by police teams following an intelligence input.

He opened fire at the police and was injured in the ensuing encounter in Nehru Park under Dhoomanganj police station at around 3 pm, Kumar said. He was taken to hospital where doctors declared him dead, the officer said.

Umesh Pal murder case, UP| Accused Arbaaz was shot during the encounter that took place near Nehru Park in Dhoomanganj, Prayagraj earlier today. On the day of the incident, he was driving the car that was used for murder & that he also fired upon: ADG law &order Prashant Kumar pic.twitter.com/DArPcUksO9  ANI UP/Uttarakhand (@ANINewsUP) February 27, 2023

"Arbaaz was accompanied by two or three other people who managed to escape from the spot. We are trying to track them," the officer added. Umesh Pal and his police security guard Sandeep Nishad was shot dead on Friday outside his home in the Dhoomanganj area of Prayagraj. Another security guard Raghvendra Singh, who was injured in the attack, was admitted to SRN Hospital in critical condition and was referred to Lucknow on Sunday.

Case Registered Against Gangster Atiq Ahmed

On the basis of a complaint lodged by Umesh Pal's wife Jaya Pal, a case was registered at Dhoomanganj police station against gangster-turned-politician Atiq Ahmed, his brother Ashraf, wife Shaista Parveen, two sons, aides Guddu Muslim and Gulam and nine others.

They have been booked under sections 147 (rioting), 148 (rioting, armed with deadly weapon), 149 (unlawful assembly), 302 (murder), 307 (attempt to murder), 506 (criminal intimidation) and 120B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code and provisions of the Explosive Substances Act and the Criminal Law Amendment Act, police said.

Mitti Me Mila Denge

UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had vowed to destroy the mafias after the opposition Samajwadi Party had questioned the law and order situation in the state in the wake of the February 24 killing. Police also arrested a lawyer who lived in an Allahabad University hostel and searched his room where the attack on the witness, police claimed, was planned.

Commissioner of Police, Ramit Sharma, later told reporters here that an award of Rs 50,000 was announced on the head of Arbaaz (25), a resident of the Sallahpur area of the district. Sharma said that the SHO of Dhoomanganj police station Rajesh Kumar Maurya got injured in his arm by a gunshot during the encounter and he is undergoing treatment at SRN Hospital. "A 0.32 bore pistol, four live cartridges and a motorcycle without a number plate have been recovered from Arbaaz," he added.

Giving information about other police action in the Umesh Pal murder case, Sharma said that the name of one Sadakat Khan, a resident of Ghazipur, has also come to light in this conspiracy. He is a practising lawyer who was staying at Allahabad University hostel. Police said they are looking into how he was staying in the hostel. STF arrested Khan on Monday and he is being interrogated, the officer said.

"Sadakat Khan lived in the Muslim hostel of Allahabad University and the conspiracy of the attack was hatched in his room," Sharma said. "Sadakat Khan has given the names of some people involved in this conspiracy. He has also given information about calls made through social media apps. His room was searched by the police team in his presence. While returning, Khan tried to flee but fell after colliding with a divider. He has sustained some injuries," he added.

One of the Accused Arbaaz killed in encounter with Prayagraj Police. He was a close aid of former Samajwadi MP Atiq Ahmad.pic.twitter.com/fyTuBNEiJB  Atul (@SaffronAtul) February 27, 2023

Umesh Pal murder case | When police reached Nehru Park in Dhoomanganj, Prayagraj, the accused fired on the police team. During the counter firing the accused was shot & later succumbed to injuries: Prayagraj Police Commissioner Ramit Sharma pic.twitter.com/aQ2SHqDM3Z  ANI UP/Uttarakhand (@ANINewsUP) February 27, 2023

Sharma added that 10 police teams are conducting raids to arrest the accused named in the FIR. The news about killing of Arbaaz in an encounter also found a mention in the Vidhan Sabha.

During the discussion on the budget estimates for the financial year 2023-24 after the Question Hour in the state assembly, BJP MLA Shalabh Mani Tripathi said that "after the unfortunate incident of Prayagraj, the chief minister had said that they (attackers) will be destroyed ("Mitti mein mila denge") and now news is coming that one of the criminals involved in Umesh Pal's murder has been buried in the soil. The police killed him in an encounter."

Pointing to the opposition, Tripathi said, "You have to understand that this is not the pre-2017 government. This is Yogi Adityanath's government. One (accused) has been killed and the remaining ones will also be destroyed (mitti mein mila diye jayenge)...You take note of this."

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Suresh Khanna told the Legislative Assembly that the state government has taken serious note of the killing of Umesh Pal in the House and that the guilty will be punished.

SP MLA Pooja Pal Alleges Threat To Life, Demands Security

Pooja Pal, the sitting Samajwadi Party MLA from Chail and wife of Raju Pal, has demanded security from the police following the incident. Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) member Umashankar Singh raised the issue of the murder of a key witness in the murder case of the then MLA Raju Pal and his gunner, under Rule-56 (adjournment) after Question Hour in the Vidhan Sabha.

UP | SP MLA Pooja Pal met CM Yogi Adityanath late last evening in Lucknow & demanded Y+ security for herself. In a letter to CM, Pal feared threat to life from jailed ex-MP Atiq Ahmed



This comes after the murder of BSP MLA Raju Pal's murder witness Umesh Pal & his guard Sandeep  ANI UP/Uttarakhand (@ANINewsUP) February 27, 2023

The BSP member demanded a high-level inquiry into the matter and action against the culprits. He further demanded a compensation of Rs 5 crore each and government jobs to the family members of the slain key witness and the gunner (constable).

BSP supremo Mayawati Monday said her party would expel mafia-turned-politician Atiq Ahmed's wife Shaista Parveen, named in the FIR in the killing of a prime witness in the Raju Pal murder case, if she was found guilty during the probe. She also charged Samajwadi Party, terming Atiq Ahmed its product.
Gurugram: In a startling incident from Haryana's Gurugram, a video of two men allegedly stealing flower pots set up for a G20 event went viral. In the viral video, the man can be seen stealing flower pots from Gurugram's Shankar Chowk kept there for a G-20 event and keeping them in a luxury Kia Carnival car. The video is going increasingly viral on social media. Many users are curious to find out why a person who owns a KIA Carnival car worth over Rs 40 lacs is stealing the flower pots, while others are commenting that money doesn't bring you class and morality. The preparations for organising the G20 Summit meeting of the anti-corruption working group from March 1 to 4, in Gurugram are gaining momentum. Arrangements have been made for displaying of the Haryanvi Culture from the IGI Airport to the Leela Hotel here to welcome the delegates.

Reacting to the viral video, Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority Joint CEO, SK Chahal said to ANI, "It has come to our cognizance & action will be taken against them."

Haryana | A video of two men allegedly stealing flower pots set up for a G20 event in Gurugram went viral



It has come to our cognizance & action will be taken against them: SK Chahal, Joint CEO, Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority



(Pic 1 from viral video) pic.twitter.com/03FPra9A5x February 28, 2023

G20 Summit meeting of the anti-corruption working group in Gurugram

Chief Secretary, Sanjeev Kaushal, along with Director General of Police, P.K. Agrawal on Monday reviewed the preparations for the G20 meeting of the Anti Corruption Working Group. The necessary directions have also been given to officers.

Kaushal said that the foreign delegates would experience India`s warm welcoming tradition of `Atithi Devo Bhava`, and the spirit of Haryana`s rich cultural heritage.

He was also apprised about the programmes being organised during the summit to be held in Gurugram.

The Chief Secretary reviewed the preparations made at the places fixed to be visited by the delegates at Museum Camera, Sultanpur Bird Sanctuary, Transport Museum and Pratapgarh Farm.

He also reviewed the route plan, traffic control and security arrangements from the airport to the venue fixed for the meeting.

The arrangements for the stay of the delegates and tours of sightseeing places have been reviewed. Police personnel have also been given special training for the G20 Summit.
Beijing: Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang will travel to India this week to take part in the G20 Foreign Ministers meeting on March 2, the Foreign Ministry announced here on Tuesday.

Qin's visit to India will be the first by the Chinese Foreign Minister after his predecessor Wang Yi's visit to New Delhi in 2019 to attend the Special Representatives dialogue on the border mechanism.

Wang and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval were the Special Representatives.

At the invitation of his Indian counterpart Minster S Jaishankar, Foreign Minister Qin will attend the G20 Foreign Ministers' Meeting in New Delhi, India, on March 2, the announcement here said.

Relations between India and China have virtually frozen ever since the eastern Ladakh military standoff between the two countries in May 2020.

The two countries have held 17 high-level military commanders talks to resolve the standoff.

India has been maintaining that its ties with China cannot be normal unless there is peace in the border areas.

India assumed the Presidency of the G20 on December 1, last year.

The G20 members represent around 85 per cent of the global GDP, over 75 per cent of the global trade, and about two-thirds of the world population.

The member countries include Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, the UK, and the USA.
Washington: Pakistan has made meager progress in its pledge to dismantle all terrorist organizations without delay or discrimination. The country experienced significant terrorist activity in 2021. The number of attacks and casualties was higher than in 2020, according to the US Bureau of Counterterrorism`s `Country Reports on Terrorism 2021: Pakistan`.Major terrorist groups that focused on conducting attacks in Pakistan included Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), and ISIS-K, the US Bureau of Counterterrorism`s report said.

"Pakistan reviewed and revised its 2015 National Action Plan (NAP) to counter terrorism, reducing the NAP from a 20-point plan to 14 key points, but made meager progress on the most difficult aspects -- specifically its pledge to dismantle all terrorist organizations without delay or discrimination," the report read. Terrorist attacks were conducted against varied targets in Pakistan`s Balochistan and Sindh provinces by separatist militant groups.

The terrorists used a range of tactics to attack varied targets, including IEDs, VBIEDs, suicide bombings, and targeted assassinations. Pakistan was in 2018, designated a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) under the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998. It was redesignated as a CPC in 2019, 2020, and 2021. In 2018, FATF identified Pakistan as a jurisdiction with strategic deficiencies in its AML/CFT system. Pakistan remained on the FATF grey list in 2021.

In 2021, members of religious minorities in Pakistan faced significant threats from terrorist groups. On January 3, ISIS-K militants claimed responsibility for the murders of 11 Shia Hazara coalminers in the Kachi district of Balochistan. On April 21, five persons were killed in a VBIED suicide attack in the parking lot of the Serena hotel in Quetta, Balochistan. According to details of the investigation, the attack targeted local and foreign officials.

TTP claimed responsibility for the attack, also claiming the targets were police and law enforcement, according to the Bureau of Counterterrorism`s report on terrorism in Pakistan.A prominent journalist in Pakistan was on October 10, 2021, killed in an explosion in Hub, Balochistan. According to law enforcement, the bomb was attached to his vehicle. The BLA claimed responsibility for the attack.

On December 30, attackers ambushed security officials in North Waziristan. Four security personnel were killed in the ensuing exchange of fire. TTP claimed responsibility for the attack.

As per the `Country Reports on Terrorism 2021: Pakistan`, the Pakistani government continued to implement the Antiterrorism Act of 1997, the National Counterterrorism Authority Act, the 2014 Investigation for Fair Trial Act, and major 2014 and 2020 amendments to the Antiterrorism Act, all of which give law enforcement, prosecutors, and courts enhanced powers in terrorism cases.

Military, paramilitary, and civilian security forces conducted CT operations throughout Pakistan against anti-state militants. Pakistani law allows for preventive detention, permits the death penalty for terrorism offenses, and creates specialized courts to try terrorism cases, as per the official report. The extremist doctrine was being taught by some madrassas in Pakistan.

While the government continued efforts to increase madrassa regulation, some analysts and madrassa reform proponents observed that many madrassas failed to register with the government, provide documentation of their sources of funding, or comply with laws governing acceptance of foreign students, according to the official report.
At least 22 Syrian migrants detained for more than five months in Libya began a hunger strike Monday to demand their release, a Libyan rights group said.

The group of migrants included three minors and have been held in a prison in the western town of Zawiya in appalling conditions, the group Belaady said. They were detained in October in the town of Ajaylat, which is some 80 kilometers (50 miles) west of the capital of Tripoli, said activist Tarik Lamloum.

A spokesman for the government in Tripoli didnt immediately respond to a request for comment.

The migrants arrived in Libya last year on a flight by private Syrian airline Cham Wings which operates routes to eastern Libya, Lamloum said. They entered the country legally and have all needed documents and stamps on their passports, he said.

They then moved to western Libyan where they were detained as part of a crackdown on migrants. A court in Ajaylat ordered their deportation after paying a fine of 600 Libyan dinars (around $125) each, according to a document obtained by The Associated Press.

Rights group Belaady said the Correction and Rehabilitation Institution in Zawiya, known as Jodeddaim Prison, is overseen by the Justice Ministry, unlike other detention centers for migrants run by the Interior Ministry.

The group, which visited the prison twice this year, said the detainees have suffered from scabies and other skin diseases.

Belaady called for the release of the migrants from prison and that they not be deported to Syria, where civil war has raged for over a decade.

Thousands of African and Middle Eastern people arrive every year in Libya which has become a major transit point for migrants seeking a better life in Europe. The North African nation descended into chaos following a NATO-backed uprising that toppled and killed long-time dictator Gadhafi in 2011.

Human traffickers have benefited from the lawlessness in Libya, smuggling in migrants across the countrys lengthy borders with six nations. The migrants are then packed into ill-equipped rubber boats and other vessels and set off on risky sea voyages.

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Tensions rose Monday during the counting of Nigeria's hotly contested presidential election when representatives from the parties of the two main opposition candidates walked out in anger from the center where state-by-state results were being announced.

With 11 of Nigeria's 36 states having reported as of Monday evening, ruling party candidate Bola Tinubu was leading with 46% of the 6.7 million counted votes so far. He was followed by the main opposition party candidate, Atiku Abubakar, who had 29%, and third party candidate Peter Obi, who had 20%.

In order to win, the candidate who leads the popular vote must also win at least a quarter of the votes in two-thirds of the states and the capital, Abuja.

Tempers flared Monday in Abuja where representatives of all the parties awaited the results. The two leading opposition parties claimed there were disparities between the results announced by the election commission and what their representatives learned at the polling stations.

"We are Nigerians and must defend our rights, said Dino Melaye, a representative of the main opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party, led by Abubakar. Nigerias electoral law allows party representatives or agents to raise concerns about results while they are being announced by the election commission.

The country's election chief, Mahmood Yakubu, dismissed claims of irregularities and said the results were authenticated by electoral officials.

Representatives for Nigeria's ruling party accused the opposition parties of inciting violence and called on security forces to restrain them.

If they dont, a situation may well arise that none of us want, whereby people actually act on this incitement and begin to kill other people, said Femi Fani-Kayode, former minister and part of the ruling party's presidential campaign council. And if that happens, I assure you it will be very difficult to restrain those on our own side not to retaliate.

The ruling party pointed to Obi's victory in the heavily coveted Lagos state, which is home to Nigeria's largest city, Lagos, as proof that the vote was free and fair. It was a particularly hard loss for ruling party candidate Tinubu, who was once the governor of the state.

It was not immediately known how many ballots were cast in the other 25 states or which candidates stood to gain the most votes from those results.

After the last presidential election in 2019, it took four days for a victor to be declared. A runoff election will be held if no candidate secures at least a quarter of the votes from two-thirds of Nigerias 36 states and the capital city, in addition to receiving the highest number of votes.

On Monday, the African Union observer mission said voting had been delayed in more than 80% of polling units mainly because of logistical challenges caused by Nigerias currency swap program. The redesign of the Nigerian bank note, the naira, caused cash shortages nationwide, and voters and poll workers had difficulties getting to polling stations Saturday. Voters in some states had to wait until late in the evening to cast ballots, while in other states the election continued Sunday.

Observers from the missions of the African Union and the West African regional bloc known as ECOWAS said the election was generally encouraging except for isolated cases of violence that disrupted voting in some states.

Isolated cases of violence on election day led to the deaths of nine civilians, according to the Lagos-based SBM Intelligence company, pointing to a far more peaceful election than in previous years, when there were more deaths.

Going by this trajectory, we are likely to have fewer deaths during the election period compared to 2019, said Confidence MacHarry, a security analyst with SBM Intelligence

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A suspected Palestinian gunman on Monday shot and killed an Israeli motorist in the occupied West Bank, the latest bloodshed in a fresh wave of fighting that showed no signs of slowing.

The killing occurred after Israeli settlers torched dozens of cars and homes in a Palestinian town, and one Palestinian was killed. It was the worst such violence in decades following the deadliest escalation by Israel in the West Bank.

The Israeli army claimed Monday's attackers opened fire at an Israeli car near the Palestinian city of Jericho, hitting the motorist.

The assailants, traveling in one vehicle, then drove further and fired again, the army said. The attackers set their own vehicle afire and fled, setting off a manhunt.

The Israeli motorist was transferred to Hadassah Medical Center in Jerusalem, where he later died of his injuries, the hospital said. The man was not immediately identified, but the U.S. ambassador to Israel, Tom Nides, said the man held American citizenship.

Earlier, Israel sent hundreds more troops to the northern West Bank.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government, the most right-wing in Israel's history, came under criticism for its failure to halt a surge in violence and for sending what some saw as mixed messages. As Netanyahu appealed for calm, a member of his ruling coalition praised the deadly rampage as deterrence against Palestinian attacks.

The Israeli army also came under criticism for its failure to move quickly to stop the rioting, the worst such violence in decades.

The government needs to decide what it is, veteran columnist Nahum Barnea wrote in the Yediot Ahronot newspaper. Is it resolved to enforce law and order on Arabs and Jews alike? Or is it a fig leaf for the hilltop youth, who do as they please in the territories?

The events also underscored the limitations of the traditional U.S. approach to the long-running Israeli-Palestinian conflict: Washington has been trying to prevent escalation while staying away from the politically costly task of pushing for a resolution of the core disputes.

As the violence raged in the West Bank, such an attempt at conflict management was taking place Sunday in Jordan, with the U.S. bringing together Israeli and Palestinian officials to work out a plan for de-escalation.

Sunday's events kicked off when a Palestinian gunman shot and killed two Israeli from the settlement of Har Bracha, in a shooting ambush in the Palestinian town of Hawara in the northern West Bank.

Following the shooting, groups of settlers rampaged along the main thoroughfare in Hawara, which is used by both Palestinians and Israeli settlers. In one video, a crowd of settlers stood in prayer as they stared at a building in flames.

Late Sunday, a 37-year-old Palestinian was shot and killed by Israeli fire, two Palestinians were shot and wounded and another was beaten with an iron bar, Palestinian health officials said. Some 95 Palestinians were being treated for tear gas inhalation, according to medics.

On Monday morning, the Hawara thoroughfare was lined with rows of burned-out cars and smoke-blackened buildings. Normally bustling shops remained shuttered. Palestinian media said some 30 homes and cars were torched.

Sultan Farouk Abu Sris, a shop owner in Hawara, said he briefly went outside and saw scores of settlers setting containers and a home on fire. Its destruction. They came bearing hatred, he said.

At the scene of the shooting, Defense Minister Yoav Galant told reporters that Israel cannot allow a situation in which citizens take the law into their hands, but stopped short of outright condemning the violence.

Shahar Glick, a reporter for Israel's army radio station who was in Hawara, said security forces blocked the roads into town, but were caught off guard when 200 to 300 settlers entered on foot.

He said only a handful of police and soldiers were there, even after activists had publicized the march on social media. The area is home to a number of hard-line settlements whose residents frequently vandalize Palestinian land and property.

Some police, Glick said, even wished the protesters well, telling them to take care of themselves.

For the journalists, It was clear to us from the outset, as we walked behind them, that this incident was developing, Glick said. It took a long time for the security forces to understand.

Lt. Col. Richard Hecht, an Israeli military spokesman, said the army deployed hundreds of additional troops to the area with the aim of de-escalation. Two battalions were sent late Sunday and two more on Monday, with several hundred soldiers each.

The situation remained quiet late Monday, though the army reported several cases of settler violence toward soldiers.

Netanyahu and President Isaac Herzog urged settlers not to engage in vigilante actions. Merav Michaeli of the opposition Labor Party condemned the rampage as a pogrom by armed militias of West Bank Jewish settlers.

Sundays violence has drawn condemnation from the international community. U.S. State Department spokesman Ned Price said the shooting attack and the rampage underscore the imperative to immediately de-escalate tensions in words and deeds.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said he held the Israeli government responsible for the terrorist acts carried out by settlers under the protection of the occupation forces.

The Palestinians claim the West Bank, east Jerusalem and Gaza Strip, areas captured by Israel in the 1967 Mideast war, for the Palestinian state and the international law and UN resolutions consider them as occupied territories. Some 700,000 Israeli settlers live in the West Bank and east Jerusalem. The international community overwhelmingly considers Israel's settlements as illegal and obstacles to peace.

So far this year, 62 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli troops and civilians. In the same period, 14 Israelis have been killed.

Last year was the deadliest for the Palestinians in the West Bank and east Jerusalem since 2004, according to the Israeli rights group BTselem. Nearly 150 Palestinians were killed in those areas, Some 30 people on the Israeli side were killed in Palestinian attacks.

* This story has been edited by Ahram Online.

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The session is reviewing reports on the status of the implementation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights for Egypt and five other countries - Panama, Peru, Sri Lanka, Turkmenistan and Zambia.

President of the NCHR Moushira Khattab, who is heading a high-level Egyptian delegation to the session, presented to the committee on the councils assessment of the Human Rights Committees report on the state of political and civil rights in Egypt from November 2020 to September 2022.

Political will on human rights

Khattab noted in her contribution that the Egyptian state deals in a serious manner with issues of human rights in light of the existing political will to enhance the state of political and civil rights in the country.

In this regard, Khattab cited the states adoption of a National Strategy for Human Rights in 2021, the reactivation of the Presidential Pardon Committee in 2022, and recent steps taken to release, reengage and rehabilitate prisoners.

She highlighted that the states initiation of a process to hold a national dialogue, which comprises all political currents, is a step that can bolster political and civil rights.

The states keenness to deal with human rights issues is also reflected in the composition of the NCHR, which adheres to the Paris Principles, Khattab noted.

The NCHR is chaired by a woman for the first time since its establishment with women representing a majority of the members of the council, she explained.

Citizens regular use of the councils in-place complaints system reflects public trust in the national human rights mechanisms, Khattab added.

She affirmed productive cooperation between the NCHR and the Presidential Pardon Committee.

She said that the councils frequent visits to the correctional and rehabilitation centres are means to exercise oversight on prisoners conditions.

Khattab noted that the NCHR made 10 visits to the correctional centres over the past 10 months, describing this rate of visits as unprecedented in the councils history.

The council also issued a training guide for visits to detention centres, which was based on the Nelson Mandela Rules, she added.

New reality

Meanwhile, in response to a number of questions by members of the Human Rights Committee, NCHR Deputy Chairman Mahmoud Karem said that the National Strategy for Human Rights has created a new reality in the country and reflected the states commitment to prioritise human rights issues.

Karem underscored the role played by the NCHR in monitoring the state of human rights in Egypt.

He affirmed that the NCHRs reports reflect the actual situation inside the country.

Karem stressed that the NCHR plays a pivotal role in reviewing legislations to ensure they are consistent with the international human rights standards, adding that the council monitors the implementation of the National Strategy for Human Rights.

He affirmed that the NCHR is open to cooperation with civil society organisations, highlighting that 2022 was declared as a Year of Civil Society in Egypt.

He also stressed the council's openness to cooperation with international partners amid local efforts to improve the human rights situation.

The NCHR was also the first body to send recommendations for the National Dialogue, Karem said.

The human rights situation in Egypt is improving rapidly, he asserted.

The government respects the separation of powers and the independence of the judiciary, Karem said.

The delegation included NCHR members Wafaa Benjamin, Samira Louka, Said Abdel-Hafez, Abdel-Gawad Ahmed and Mahmoud Bassiouny.

These members underlined in their contributions that the judicial authority in Egypt has been independent since its inception.

They also stressed that the countrys laws do not allow the executive authority to interfere in judicial matters.

They also said that 106 political parties operate in the country legally per the 1977 law on political parties.
Laman Ismayilova

On February 28, Azerbaijan marks the day of Charshanba, the Fire Tuesday before Novruz, a traditional holiday which celebrates the coming of spring.

Azerbaijan has always been famous for its sources of eternal fires. The Absheron Peninsula and Baku were centers of Zoroastrianism in ancient times.

Known as the Land of Fire, Azerbaijan has many traditions associated with fire. In Azerbaijan, the fire is the symbol of purification, which protects people from evil.

Thus, bonfires are made in Novruz and before the holiday comes people jump over fire to get rid of all troubles, saying: Give me your redness and take my yellowness. The fire is never put out by water.

So far Su Charshabasi (Water Tuesday) has been celebrated the Fire Tuesday. Azerbaijan is to mark Yel Charshanbasi (Wind Tuesday) on March 12, and Torpaq Charshanbasi (Soil Tuesday) on March 19. Novruz holiday will be celebrated on March 21.
Qatari businessmen are keen to pump new investments to contribute to building a new Egypt in a way that achieves prosperity for the Egyptian people, First Deputy Chairman of the Qatari Businessmen Association (QBA) Hussein Al Fardan said on Tuesday.

Al Fardan made the remarks in a meeting of the members of the board of directors of the Qatar Chamber and the QBA with Egypts Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly, who is currently on his first official visit to Doha, the Egyptian Cabinet said in a statement.

The QBA is fully ready to develop the partnership with the Egyptian private sector in a way that enhances the economies of both Egypt and Qatar and formulates a firm alliance that is capable of confronting global challenges, Al Fardan said.

He invited the Egyptian business community to explore the investment opportunities in the Gulf country in many fields, including industry, information, tourism, health, and education.

For his part, Madbouly affirmed Egypts readiness to put in place any incentives that would encourage investments in the various Egyptian sectors.

Earlier today, Egyptian Minister of Planning and Economic Development Hala El-Said told Bloomberg that Egypt and Qatar are considering creating a joint investment fund.

During their meeting with Madbouly, the Qatari investors affirmed their desire for the speedy establishment of the joint investment fund between the two sides with a large amount of capital in the near future.

The Qatari investors discussed the projects they are willing to carry out in Egypt in many areas, including food industries, health, tourism, and information technology.

One of the investors also said he looks forward to building a group of hotels in Egypt.

During Madboulys visit to Doha, Egypt and Qatar also signed a dual taxation elimination agreement that aims to boost Qatari investment, as well as three MOUs that aim to boost and support healthcare services in Egypt.

Egyptian Minister of Finance Mohamed Maait also noted today that negotiations are underway to sign more agreements with the Qatari side in the area of customs.

Chairman of the GCC Chambers of Commerce and Industry Sheikh Khalifa bin Jassim Al Thani said he hopes the Qatari businessmens meeting with Madbouly achieves its goals in enhancing the cooperation with Egypt and building Egyptian-Qatari partnerships.

He noted that the trade exchange between the two countries saw remarkable progress in recent years, amounting to 350 million Qatari riyals in 2022, up by 46 percent from 239 million Qatari riyals in 2021, and by 120 percent from 2020.

In a meeting with Madbouly on Monday, Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad also affirmed that the Gulf state will increase the size of its investments in Egypt in the near future.

Egyptian-Qatari relations

Egypt and Qatar have boosted their relations on all levels and exchanged high-level visits in the wake of the Al-Ula declaration for Arab reconciliation with Qatar, which Egypt signed in Saudi Arabia in January 2021.

The two countries recently celebrated in December their 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations.

The visit comes a few weeks after Egypt and Qatar held the first meeting of their diplomatic teams in charge of coordinating regional affairs.

In September, Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi made his first visit to Doha since assuming the presidency in 2014, where he held talks with Qatar's Emir Tamim and witnessed the signing of a number of MoUs between the two countries.

In June, the Qatari leader also made his first visit to Egypt since the two countries resumed their diplomatic relations.

In the same month, the two countries signed an MoU on financial policy coordination to foster cooperation and coordinate financial visions, positions, and policies at the bilateral and international levels

The two countries also announced in March 2022 establishing a high joint committee headed by their foreign ministers to boost cooperation and coordination in all fields as well as to continue consultation.

The announcement came during a visit by Qatari Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdul-Rahman Al-Thani to Cairo.

During Abdulrahmans visit, Egypt and Qatar agreed on a package of $5 billion in investments and partnerships in Egypt within "the framework of boosting economic cooperation between the two brotherly countries."

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Eleven EU member states vowed on Tuesday to "strengthen cooperation" on nuclear energy, which they said would help Europe move away from carbon-emitting fossil fuels.

Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Hungary, Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia agreed "to support new projects" alongside existing nuclear plants, according to a statement released during a meeting of EU energy ministers in Stockholm.

"Nuclear energy is one of many tools for achieving our climate targets", to produce electricity to meet consumer demand and "for security of supply", they said.

Ministers from the 11 countries also considered the opportunities for further scientific cooperation on nuclear energy and to share best practices to address safety issues.

France -- which has long relied on atomic power -- has spearheaded the effort to build closer European nuclear energy ties.

Before the ministers' meeting, the office of Ecological Transition Minister Agnes Pannier-Runacher said France's aim was to "create a nuclear alliance".

Paris believes nuclear power can help the country and Europe achieve its climate objectives, especially to produce "green" hydrogen for transport and industry.

But the issue has divided Europe and several EU states are fiercely opposed, with Germany and Spain leading the criticism.

Austria, Germany and Luxembourg reaffirmed their opposition in Stockholm to the development of nuclear energy in Europe.

"If we want to win the race against climate change, we need to be fast," Luxembourg Energy Minister Claude Turmes said on Monday, adding that new nuclear stations would take 15 years to build.

"It's much more about ideology than being practical," he added.

The EU is currently discussing reform of the electricity market which has also split the bloc.

France recommends long-term energy contracts at guaranteed prices that would benefit nuclear production but Germany is vehemently against such a move.

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Nigeria's two main opposition parties on Tuesday called for the cancellation of the weekend presidential elections, alleging manipulation of results, and demanded a new ballot.

"The election is irretrievably compromised and we have totally lost faith in the entire process," Labour Party chairman Julius Abure told reporters along with representatives of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

"We demand that this sham of an election should be immediately cancelled," Abure said. "We also call for a fresh election to be carried out."

Early tallies from Saturday's election show ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) party candidate Bola Tinubu ahead of PDP's Atiku Abubakar and the Labour Party's Peter Obi.

Voting was mostly peaceful, but many polling stations opened very late and delays and technical problems disrupted uploading of tallies from local polling stations to a central website.

The country's election overseer, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), said problems were technical glitches.

But opposition say failures in the system allowed for manipulation and disparities in the results.

"This election is not free, and far from being fair and transparent," Abure said.

"President Muhammadu Buhari, this is the time of a great test of your integrity. Use your office to save Nigerians from this electoral mismanagement."

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For geographer Gamal Hamdan, it is Egypts geographical location that has given it its stability and permanent character, writes Tarek Osman in his series of articles on the makers of modern Egyptian culture

Geography is destiny says one dictum of international relations. The work of Gamal Hamdan, modern Egypts most prominent geographer, aimed to explain the countrys destiny in just such terms.

His most famous book, The Personality of Egypt: A Study in the Genius of Location, revolves round six themes.

First, there is the way in which Egypts geography allows for a natural connection across the Nile Delta and along the Nile Valley from the shores of the Mediterranean in the north to the cataracts of the Nile in the south.

Second, there is the way in which the flow of the Nile in the last part of the rivers journey in the Delta has made that area one of the most fertile in the world.

Third, there is the way in which the connection between the Niles cataracts in the south and the shore of the Mediterranean in the north, all anchored on an agrarian economy, gave rise to similar socioeconomic needs and a largely similar lifestyle in both northern and southern Egypt.

Fourth, there is the way in which this created a cohesive society in the Nile Valley in Egypt.

Fifth, there is the way in which the features of this agrarian socioeconomic system, mostly isolated from its neighbours, led to the emergence of a state with consistent borders and governing structures that has hardly changed for millennia.

And sixth, there is the fact that these factors, unique to Egypt in the Middle East region, have given Egypt the permanence it enjoys.

In Hamdans view, this permanence has endowed Egypt with an historical gravitas that has extended beyond prestige and soft power. The Middle East, North Africa, and the Eastern Mediterranean have long been quick sands in which many states have sunk and many state-projects have come and gone.

Egypt, however, a state with consistent borders, a cohesive society, and guaranteed sustenance because of the Nile, has never undergone transformative changes that altered her personality.

No doubt Hamdans perspective is a highly nationalistic one, and several reviewers of his books questioned the causal connections and underlined what they considered to be flaws in his arguments. Were it to be published today, The Personality of Egypt would doubtless face acute academic criticism. Yet, despite all this, his work, with this book at its core, was always detailed and scrupulous and is most likely the most rigorous research that has ever been done on Egypts geography.

Hamdan was not the first to write on the special characteristics of Egypts geographical location. Almost 150 years earlier at the end of the 18th century, the French general and later emperor Napoleon Bonaparte wrote a paper arguing that Egypts location was the most strategic in the world, a theme that later appeared in the Description dEgypte, the colossal research work undertaken by the scientists that accompanied Napoleon on his campaign in Egypt in the final years of the 18th century.

But Hamdans approach to Egypts geography was different. It was not only that it was the work of an insider, some would say of a lover of the country, but there was also the fact that it was also historical in method. In many sections of the Personality of Egypt, Hamdan anchored his theses on historical examples, for example of the development of certain parts of the Delta or Upper Egypt or the evolution of industry in different parts of the country.

While the Description dEgypte and later works by British colonial administrators in the late 19th and early 20th centuries offered detailed and at times innovative views of the uniqueness and importance of Egypts location, Hamdans work transcended the here and now and gave his readers the sense of an overarching trajectory of Egyptian history seen through geography.

The Personality of Egypt proved to be a seminal book, making the idea that Egypt has a unique character a fixture of Egyptian political narrative. Hamdans theses resonated with large sections of Egyptian society, especially the intelligentsia. More importantly, the timing of the books publication was also perfect.

Hamdan put forward his ideas at the moment when Arab nationalism was facing its severest challenge after Israels victory in the 1967 Six Day War. The defeat was a major blow to the Nasserite project of a united Arab World with Egypt as its leader and political and cultural centre. Hamdans work came as a strong intellectual compensation for that defeat and a reminder of Egypts importance, uniqueness, and inherent power at a time when the countrys regional position was at a low point.

This reminder did not exalt Egypt at the expense of Arab nationalism. Hamdans thesis that Egypt was the most strategically important country in the region, that its stability was almost guaranteed, and that it was destined by geography to be a magnet to the wider neighbourhood sat comfortably with the view that Egypts modern identity was Arab and that its geostrategic interests could be achieved through close cooperation with its Arab neighbours.

Hamdan believed in a harmonious relationship between Egyptianness and Arabness and between the factors that had shaped the personality of Egypt and those that had underpinned the Arab nationalist project in the mid-20th century.

He saw no contradiction between this Egyptian personality and the role of religion, particularly Islam. He wrote extensively on secularism, regularly portraying it in soft hues as a gradual process that would advance society and strengthen economic development, but that did not stand in contradiction to individual piety and a special place for spirituality in the collective psyche.

This was a comfortable message, and in general Hamdan under-emphasised and often utterly eschewed the factors of division in modern Egyptian history. Given his emphasis on the uniqueness of Egypts location and therefore of its role, he often seemed to be saying that Egypt possessed intrinsic power, or potential, irrespective of its present condition.

He also drew a distinction between the personality of Egypt and that of Egyptians. This was also another comfortable message of his book, since in Hamdans view modern Egyptian society had been subjected to major, especially economic, transformations that had created class imbalances, instilled inequalities, and diluted the countrys regional positioning.

He himself was particularly hostile to the laissez-faire free-market economic policies that former president Anwar Al-Sadat adopted in the mid-1970s. But such socio-economic shocks and resulting socio-political imbalances were, in Hamdans view, superficial since they only temporarily affected conditions in a given period.

They could not alter the ingrained personality of the country as a whole and the characteristics of its society, which in his view represented some sort of historical mean to which Egypt must return.

Hamdan had a clever way of escaping the criticism that the present condition of Egypt flew in the face of his arguments, a criticism that gained momentum after the demographic boom of the 1970s and 1980s began to exact major costs on the countrys development and after the fall of Arab nationalism reduced Egypts preeminence in the Arab world.

In order to meet such criticism, he invoked an old argument about Egypt, saying that it was a land of paradox in which a thousand-year tradition of refined and spiritual philosophy existed alongside a highly prescriptive theology and an inward-looking agrarian society had given rise to the Middle Easts most culturally powerful state.

It was a country in which immense riches were concentrated in tiny groups amidst pervasive poverty and in which the Nile produced lush agriculture in the midst of a vast desert. For Hamdan, these paradoxes were not only features of Egyptian society, but factors that had shaped her whole personality.

Hamdans arguments often leave readers wanting to contest points that he presents as givens. Often his sentences seem to come from the heart of a lover rather than from the mind of a scholar. However, his work as a whole, particularly The Personality of Egypt, remains one of the most impassioned intellectual contributions in the countrys modern history.

The writer is the author of Islamism: A History of Political Islam (2017) and Egypt on the Brink (2010).

* A version of this article appears in print in the 2 March, 2023 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly

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By opening its airspace to Israeli flights, hosting Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad, and mediating between Tehran and Washington all at the same time, Oman is the meeting point for the regions adversaries, writes Ahmed Mustafa

Sultan Haitham bin Tarek Al Said plans to visit Tehran in the next few days. The media describes the visit as a new effort to mediate between Iran and the US. It is taking place within days of Muscat announcing opening its airspace to Israeli flights, facilitating the corridor opened last year by Saudi Arabia. In the last few days, the Omani sultan received Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad on one of his rare trips abroad since the turmoil in Syria began in 2011.

Some analysts describe such moves as a reclamation of Omans traditional position as the Switzerland of the Region. Traditional foreign policy, laid out by the late Sultan Qaboos bin Said Al Said, was based on maintaining positive relations with everyone in the region and beyond. Since his death early in 2020, all eyes were on the new sultan who vowed to follow the same principles.

Recent announcements about allowing Israeli planes to use Omani airspace did not mention Israel by name, but essentially stated simply that all flights may pass. Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen called the decision historic. The Israelis also thanked the US administration, which is understood to have facilitated the decision.

On his last visit to Saudi Arabia and Israel last summer American President Joe Biden managed to prompt a similar decision on the part of Riyadh, which allowed Israeli planes to fly directly across Saudi air space to Abu Dhabi and Manama  the two countries that normalised relations with the Jewish state in what is known as the Abraham Accords. But for Israeli planes to fully use Saudi airspace flying to destinations in Asia, this required Oman to open its own airspace to complete the corridor.

The Israeli media says Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu received word from the late Sultan Qaboos about opening Omani airspace to Israeli flights. That was during his previous premiership, when he visited Muscat in 2018. It was anticipated that Oman would be the Gulf country to join the Abraham Accords, after the UAE and Bahrain. But Sultan Haitham took a cautious approach.

Actually, Omans lower house of parliament voted late last year to expand its Israel boycott law. According to Assembly vice chair Yaaqoub Al-Harethi the amendment will expand the criminalisation and expand the boycott of Israel. Muscat is siding with the Saudi position not to rush into normalisation, as some commentators note, and the fact is not lost on the Israeli media, which does not expect an imminent change in Omani policy on Israel.

It is also not clear if the Omani decision is more of a quid pro quo with the Americans as Muscat starts a new mission of mediation with Iran on the stalled nuclear deal negotiations. Initial mediation to reach the 2015 nuclear deal was mainly Omani, and Muscat was the venue of the secret talks that led to the agreement. That was under the previous Democratic president Barack Obama. Republican president Donald Trump withdrew from the deal in 2018, and the Biden administration started negotiations to rejoin the deal after taking office in 2021.

Contrary to some analysts views that the new Omani Sultan prefers to sit on the fence, Muscat is becoming more proactive in regional diplomacy. It is true that internal economic challenges are a priority for Omani leadership, but foreign policy is not completely ignored. In fact, regional cooperation is sought as a means to face economic challenges through joint projects with Saudi Arabia, the UAE and others. Sultan Haitham bin Tarek has been taking part in regional meetings more often, the last being a summit hosted by the UAE president in Abu Dhabi that brought together the Bahraini king, Jordanian king, Egyptian president and Qatari emir.

The second visit to an Arab country in more than a decade by the Syrian president was to Muscat last week. The first was to Abu Dhabi last year. Though it is Algeria that is leading Arab efforts to bring Syria back into the Arab fold, the Gulf countries are divided on the matter. The UAE and Oman are for Damascus return to the Arab League, while Saudi Arabia and Qatar are somewhat hesitant to accept President Bashar Al-Assad.

Muscat looks to be in a better position to lead the efforts of normalisation with Syria. Though it withdrew its ambassadors from Damascus in 2012, as part of a concerted Gulf effort to isolate Syria, Oman maintained uninterrupted contact with Syria. Muscat resisted American pressure to cut relations with Syria, and it was the first Gulf capital to reinstate an ambassador in Damascus in 2020.

Quietly, Sultan Haitham bin Tarek is putting Oman back on track as the trusted mediator among regional adversaries. Traditionally, the Gulf power centre is Riyadh. Positions on issues like relations with Iran, the stand on Syria or even normalisation with Israel are heavily influenced by the kingdoms decision. Yet the Saudi Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman is not in a hurry to change tracks for now. While the UAE might be pushing for a Gulf foreign policy repositioning, its bold approach might not suit all Gulf leaders. The Omani sultan is presenting himself as the man who can keep the balance till the time is ripe for change.

* A version of this article appears in print in the 2 March, 2023 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly

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A security meeting in the Jordanian city of Aqaba this week brought together Palestinian and Israeli officials in the hope of ending the violence in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, reports Mohamed Abu Shaar

Egypt, Jordan, and the US brought Palestinian and Israeli security officials together in Aqaba at the southern tip of Jordan on 26 February in the hope of ending the spiralling violence in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, 64 Palestinian civilians have been killed since the beginning of this year by Israeli occupation forces or settlers, putting 2023 on track to becoming the bloodiest year for Palestinians since the second Intifada that broke out after former Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharons provocative intrusion into the Al-Aqsa Mosque sanctuary in 2000.

Israeli military operations in the West Bank have been focused on Jenin and Nablus. In the latter, 11 Palestinians were killed, including three elderly people and a child, during a security raid on 22 February.

Thirteen Israelis have been killed since the beginning of the year in separate attacks carried out by Palestinians. The most recent occurred on 26 February, the same day as the security meeting in Aqaba. Two Israelis were killed when gunmen opened fire on their car at the Hawwara checkpoint outside of Nablus.

The Aqaba meeting, which was attended exclusively by high-ranking security officials, had two main objectives. One was to restore calm ahead of the holy month of Ramadan, which usually occasions spikes in tensions in the West Bank, Gaza and Occupied Jerusalem. The other had a non-security dimension, which was to prepare a climate conducive to diplomatic efforts to foster a resumption of the Palestinian-Israeli negotiations that have been suspended since April 2014.

Following the Aqaba meeting, the participants released a joint communique in which they reaffirmed the need to de-escalate the situation and prevent further violence and to recognise the importance of upholding the historic status quo at the holy sites in Jerusalem inclusive of the Hashemite custodianship of them.

The statement also said that Israel and the Palestinian Authority (PA) were committed to immediately working to end unilateral measures for a period of three to six months. This included an Israeli commitment to stop discussion of any new settlement units for four months and to stop the authorisation of any new outposts for six months.

The parties agreed to meet again in Sharm El-Sheikh in Egypt in March and to pursue confidence-building measures and strengthen mutual trust in order to address outstanding issues through direct dialogue.

However, within hours of the meeting, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tweeted that the building and authorisation [of settlements in the West Bank] will continue according to the original planning and building schedule, with no change. There is not and will not be any freeze.

Israeli Finance Minister Betzalel Smotrich echoed Netanyahus denial. He is responsible for issuing the licenses for constructing settlement units in the West Bank in accordance with the division of responsibility among the partners in the current Israeli coalition government.

Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, another extremist in the current Netanyahu government, dismissed the importance of the security meeting, saying that what happened in Jordan would stay in Jordan.

Meanwhile, hundreds of Israeli settlers in the West Bank went on the rampage in Hawwara, Beit Furik, Zatara and Burin in Nablus, setting fire to Palestinian homes, shops, and cars in these villages. Two Palestinians were shot dead during the attacks and dozens were injured.

A statement from the Office of the Palestinian President released on Sunday evening held the government of Israel responsible for the escalation in the violence and for destroying efforts to restore calm in the West Bank.

The Israeli official statements were vehemently criticised in Israeli opposition circles. These responses to the efforts in Aqaba to promote de-escalation have driven home in Israel and elsewhere the fact that the prospects for restoring calm are very slim under the current far-right government in power in Israel.

The current government under Benjamin Netanyahu will never agree to engage in a serious political process with the Palestinians, Palestinian political analyst Talal Awkal told Al-Ahram Weekly. If it did, it would unravel immediately.

Referring to Smotrichs and Gvirs determination to legitimise the Israeli West Bank settlements and outposts, Awkal said that the ministers in the Netanyahu government are craving to annex portions of the West Bank and they are ideologically committed to it. So, there is no space for a diplomatic process.

He added that if the current Israeli government takes any steps towards a resumption of the peace process it would probably so destabilise Netanyahus coalition as to cause its immediate collapse.

Nazir Majli, another Palestinian political analyst, agreed. The Israeli right has been working to undermine Palestinian government institutions and stir up anarchy with the purpose of reverting to the pre-Oslo situation and ending any hope for the establishment of a state for the Palestinian people.

The chances for a return to negotiations are non-existent, he said in an interview with the Weekly. Washington has no desire to exert any real pressure on Tel Aviv on the Palestinians while it wants to embrace Netanyahu.

The US persuaded the PA to refrain from pushing for a vote on a proposed UN Security Council Resolution to demand an immediate halt to Israeli settlement activities and condemn Israels attempts to annex settlements and outposts in the West Bank. In exchange, Washington vowed to put pressure on Israel to cease unilateral measures in the West Bank.

But, as Majli pointed out, the US is preoccupied by international events, especially the war in Ukraine and the competition with China, which reduces the efficacy of its actions on the Palestinian question.

Internal Palestinian politics further dampen prospects for a restoration of calm and the resumption of talks with Israel. Any steps the PA might take to negotiate with Israel at this juncture would lack significant support among the Palestinian factions influential in Gaza and the West Bank.

Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), the militant factions in Gaza, reject steps to de-escalate with Israel and are stepping up efforts to create armed groups in the West Bank.

Both Hamas and the PIJ have intensified their military presence in Nablus and Jenin, and Hamas has recently revealed its military presence in Jericho. The Israeli occupation takes advantage of these armed groups to wage nearly daily raids across the West Bank on the pretext of preempting possible attacks against Israelis.

In retaliation for the multiple deaths that occur in such raids, Hamas and the PIJ then fire missile barrages at Israeli settlements near Gaza, as occurred most recently on 23 February when six missiles were fired. Israel then generally responds by bombing Hamas and PIJ targets in Gaza.

* A version of this article appears in print in the 2 March, 2023 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly

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The recent earthquakes in Turkey and Syria have triggered controversy about possible links between global warming and seismic activity.

In the last video shot by famous Syrian influencer Tayouba, dubbed the mother of the girls, the 27-year-old housewife told her viewers about the exceptionally good weather on a Saturday morning just a fortnight ahead of the earthquake that struck Syria and Turkey at dawn on 6 February.

Tayouba was unaware that this was the last sunlight she would ever see. Tragically, she passed away along with her six young daughters and husband under rubble when the building where she lived in Kahraman Merish, a town in southeastern Turkey, collapsed in the earthquake, claiming the lives of more than 50,000 people and injuring thousands of others.

Tayoubas videos, however, have lived on and even gone viral on social media after her tragic death. Could her mention of the exceptional warm sunlight of an otherwise typically snowy winter day in the region raise an important question? Could climate change have had a hand in causing the unexpected earthquake that hit the city just a few hours later?

The same question imposed itself when yet another earthquake measuring a magnitude of 6.8 struck eastern Tajikistan on 22 February, with its epicentre located near the Gorno-Badakhshan region that had earlier been hit by avalanches a week earlier. Could there be a link between the earthquake and the avalanches that hit the same region over two consecutive weeks?

As the tragedy in southeastern Turkey and northern Syria continues to unfold, scientists have been busy answering tough questions on how earthquakes suddenly strike and whether they can be forecast early enough to curb losses. Whereas the consensus had earlier been that earthquakes are too difficult to forecast, we have more recently been bombarded by geologists from different parts of the world warning of signs of earthquakes and tsunamis ready to hit in the near future, causing public anxiety.

Some geologists remain sceptical about whether such catastrophic events can be caused by climate change since what actually causes this most unpredictable of all natural disasters remains an issue of debate.

There has also been public anxiety over observations of exceptional ebb tides off the coast of Alexandria and other Mediterranean cities, which people think could also be the prelude to a tsunami. People have claimed to have spotted laser-like blue lights in the skies above Egypt in the aftermath of the second Turkish tremor, and Turkish residents of the earthquake-devastated areas have been reporting having heard strange noises coming from underground before and after the quake hit.

Such claims have all been found to be scientifically ungrounded, however, and are probably part of a global public panic as more tragedies unfold and as some geologists warn that perhaps the worst could be yet to come. Many people on social media have seen these tragedies as perhaps a sign of divine wrath and the nearing of Dooms Day, while geologists are still trying to figure out what is going on with Mother Nature.

Since anxieties about the impacts of climate change gather together many of these concerns, the question of whether global warming is directly or indirectly linked to earthquakes has risen to the fore. The UN COP27 Climate Change Conference that took place in Egypt last November rang alarm bells for many that global warming is the culprit behind many of the Earths natural disasters and that if temperatures continue to rise at their current rate, our planet will suffer from yet more droughts, famines, floods, and tsunamis.

Environmentalists warn that the continuing rise in temperatures is also bound to cause the polar icecaps to melt, raising sea levels and inundating many islands and coastal cities that are only a few metres above sea level. This would change the map of the world before the end of the century, even if some geographers see it as perhaps overblown.

HEATED DEBATE

Now that the Earths crust is literally shaking beneath our feet, causing a trail of destruction in different parts of the world, as well as unprecedented casualties, some researchers are revisiting previously suggested theories that claim a link between climate change and seismic activities.

Although some scientists refute such claims on the grounds that global warming affects the atmosphere while earthquakes erupt in the Earths rocky crust, many studies suggest that although rising temperatures do not directly cause earthquakes, they can accelerate them and increase the frequency and risk of tremors, volcanic eruptions, and tsunamis.

A study published in the International Journal of Engineering Science Invention and authored by Kolkata-based geographer Sujib Kar notes that seismic activities of five or more on the Richter Scale increased in earthquake-prone areas from 2001 to 2015, the period marking the highest rise in global temperatures yet.

The total number of earthquakes of five or more on the Richter Scale across the globe in 2001 was 157, Kar told the website thirdpole.net. This increased nearly 10 times in a decade and a half to 1,556 in 2015, with almost all the continents showing a rising trend.

The period was also the warmest, according to global data, with each year almost routinely breaking the maximum average temperature record set in the preceding year, Kar added. After all, he said, all the years between 2001 and 2015 fall within the 16 top warmest years, with 2015 being the warmest ever.

The latest findings by the US Air and Space Administration (NASA), the global leader in space exploration, may perhaps provide an explanation for what has been going on in Tajikistan. The agency has shown links between large downpours of heavy rain and snow, on the one hand, and earthquakes on the other. Large downpours, according to NASA, mess with fault lines resulting in earthquakes so small that people cant even feel them.

Still, though, they are still earthquakes, NASA said. Whether those earthquakes could become more dramatic, as was the case in Syria and Turkey, is a bone of contention among geologists.

Were simply not in a position at this point to say that climate processes could trigger a large quake, geophysicist Paul Lundgren who works at NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, told the website Greenmatters.com.

Some Egyptian geologists would go further and refute the idea of a link between an increasingly warming climate and earth tremors. There is no link between global warming and seismic actions, said Hatem Ouda, a professor at the National Institute for Astronomical Research in Cairo.

Oudas point is that an earthquake erupts in the Earths outermost layer, which is made of large sections of rock known as tectonic plates. These plates are stuck together like a giant puzzle forming the crust. The edges of the plates meet at faults, which are constantly moving, but remain stuck together due to friction. When there is too much stress at the edges of the plates, they slip along the fault, causing the ground to shake due to the release of waves of energy. This is what gives rise to an earthquake.

But global warming occurs in the atmosphere. It can cause other natural disasters like floods, droughts, and rising sea levels, but not earthquakes, Ouda insisted.

Geomorphologist Abdallah Allam, dean of the Faculty of Arts at Kafr Al-Sheikh University, would go further and suggest that the movement of the tectonic plates that causes earthquakes is what causes climate change and not the reverse.

He justifies his viewpoint through a scientific explanation of the gradual evolution of our mother planet over billions of years until it reached its current shape. The Earth, according to Allam, was originally a fiery rock before the movements of its crusts tectonic plates and volcanism gradually split them into different solid blocks forming continents in the way we see today.

The edges of these broken blocks  the continents  are normally the weakest points in this system and are prone to earthquakes as a result of tectonic movements.

Such tectonic movements and volcanism have led to the production of gases that have precipitated into the sky forming clouds and then falling in the form of downpours forming the Earths hydraulic landscape of oceans, rivers, and seas, Allam told Al-Ahram Weekly.

Then there was an age of droughts that produced many of our current deserts, including the Western and Eastern deserts in Egypt and the Sinai Peninsula, when some of these rivers dried up.

To cut a long story short, Allam insists that if we look deep into the stages of the Earths evolution we will conclude that climate change is the result of the movements of the crusts tectonic plates and not the reverse.

Ouda and Allam are not the only ones investigating a possible link between climate change and earthquakes, as many foreign studies are looking at the question too.

Waking the Giant: How a Changing Climate Triggers Earthquakes, Tsunamis, and Volcanoes is one of the most revolutionary books in the field. Its author, Bill McGuire, a professor emeritus of geophysical and climate hazards at UCL in London, has been explaining his viewpoint to sceptics.

The atmosphere is far from isolated, and it interacts with other elements of the so-called Earth system, such as the oceans, ice caps, and even the ground beneath our feet in complex and often unexpected ways capable of making our world more dangerous, McGuire wrote in the UK newspaper The Guardian.

We are pretty familiar with the idea that the oceans swell as a consequence of the plunging atmospheric pressure at the heart of powerful storms, building surges driven onshore by high winds that can be massively destructive, McGuire said. Similarly, it does not stretch the imagination to appreciate that a warmer atmosphere promotes greater melting of the polar ice caps, thereby raising sea levels and increasing the risk of coastal flooding.

But what sounds more extraordinary is the fact that the thin layer of gases that hosts the weather and fosters global warming really does interact with the solid Earth  the so-called geosphere  in such a way as to make climate change an even bigger threat.

McGuire puts it this way, the sleeping giant beneath our feet, the Earth, sometimes needs only a little nudge to awaken in the form of earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, or landslides, and the tiny extra disturbance can be produced by climatic alterations.

Many of these processes certainly do operate on small scales, McGuire told the website OpenMind.com. However, he adds, as a seismologist colleague of mine is fond of saying, if a fault is primed and ready to rupture, all that is needed is the pressure of a handshake to set it off.

If systems are critically poised, then the environmental changes associated with rapid and accelerating climate breakdown could easily do the job.

UNDERSTANDING THE DYNAMICS

These climatic changes primarily revolve around the melting of glaciers due to global warming, rainfall, and atmospheric pressures.

The melting of the ice caps is often blamed for putting enormous pressure on the Earths crust and is seen as a prime factor behind increased seismic activities, volcanic eruptions, and tsunamis. Scientists who believe in this theory explain that if temperatures continue to rise at their current rate, more of the ice caps and the worlds glaciers are bound to melt, putting even more pressure on the crust.

Glaciers and permanent ice sheets in the planets polar regions exert enormous pressure on the bedrock, causing it to warp downward, journalist Javier Yanes wrote in a story entitled Will Climate Change Also Trigger Earthquakes, Tsunamis, and Volcanic Eruptions? published on OpenMind.com.

As the ice melts and that weight is released from the Earths crust, the land responds with a rebound, like a slow, giant version of a trampoline. This rebound can have consequences for geologic faults and magma deposits.

Scientists who support this view tend to build their theory on past seismic activity due to changes in ice levels, claiming to see evidence of this over past centuries in many areas of northern and central Europe from Scandinavia to Russia, as well as in North America.

Today, experts agree that mountainous regions like those in Alaska, the Himalayas, and the Alps are facing similarly increasing risks.

In southern Alaska, some areas have lost a vertical km of ice, which is already being reflected in increased levels of seismicity, McGuire said. He warned that seismic activities may even trigger a tsunami off Greenland and Antarctica, since these continents are surrounded by water and any seismicity underwater would result in a tsunami.

That tsunami, geologists warn, could be strong enough to reach the coasts of Australia, North America, and South America.

Allam, however, refutes such claims, saying that the volume of the ice caps that will melt due to global warming does not exceed 10 per cent since the rest is underwater.

This 10 per cent of melting ice will cause a rise in sea levels, but that will soon evaporate due to the rise in temperature forming clouds, some of which will turn into rain and the rest will freeze in the outer atmosphere, rebuilding the ice caps that had melted earlier, Allam told the Weekly.

Recent research has also found that heavy downpours that lead to severe flooding can also affect the geology of the Earth and that since precipitation patterns are affected by climate change, this could in turn affect the intensity and frequency of such geological phenomena, perhaps leading to more seismic activities.

Scientists at the University of Miami in the US have found this link demonstrated in Taiwan, where low pressure associated with typhoons was blamed for causing tiny movements in the Earths faults. They noted that large earthquakes tend to erupt in the aftermath of exceptionally wet hurricanes or typhoons, most notably the most devastating, as was the case in the pattern of earthquake activity in the Himalayas when the 2015 Nepal earthquake took close to 9,000 lives and where the threat of future devastating quakes is very high.

In this case, the previous huge volumes of rain would perhaps stand for the handshake idea cited by McGuire or the proverbial straw that breaks the camels back, Yanes noted.

No one can tell for sure why earthquakes take place after torrential rains. But as Shimon Wdowinski of the Miami University team investigating the phenomenon told the Guardian, it could be that the erosion of the land caused by torrential rains acts to reduce the weight on any fault below, allowing it to move more easily.

Regardless of how the atmosphere affects the Earth, there is plenty of evidence that tiny environmental changes can trigger major geological events that can be deadly and destructive, McGuire said.

More and more earthquakes are striking in different parts of the world, and there is speculation that the shaking will not abate. Can geologists predict such earthquakes before more lives are lost?

Unfortunately, the answer is no. The consensus is that geologists cannot predict an earthquake before it happens.

Instead, geologists produce what are their best guesses in hazard maps where they calculate the probability of an earthquake within a timeframe of several years, wrote journalist Richard Gray in an article entitled Will we Ever be Able to Predict Earthquakes published on the BBC website.

While these can help with some degree of planning, such as improving building standards in the areas most at risk, it doesnt provide the level of prediction needed to provide early warnings to the public to allow them to evacuate or take shelter.

Earthquakes are the Earths natural way of protecting itself against bursting by releasing its inner gases of lava and magma through faults, and therefore no one can tell for sure when those seismic and volcanic activities will erupt, Allam said.

* A version of this article appears in print in the 2 March, 2023 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly

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Egypts President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi will receive Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban at the Al-Ittihadiya Presidential Palace on Tuesday.

Related Hungary enters recession as energy prices soar

El-Sisi and Orban will hold a meeting and a press conference afterwards, Egyptian presidency spokesman Ahmed Fahmy said in a brief statement today.

Egypt and Hungary have been working to develop their political and economic bilateral relations over the past few years, with high-level officials from both countries exchanging visits.

In September, Egypt's House of Representatives and Hungary's National Assembly signed a protocol of cooperation and legislative expertise exchange.

Hungary has also been supporting Egypt inside the European Union bloc, especially given the Egyptian efforts to prevent irregular migration to Europe over the past decade.

In October 2021, Prime Minister Orban said it is in the EUs interest to strengthen Egypt in light of its success in preventing boats carrying irregular migrants from leaving Egyptian coasts since 2016.

In a presser following the Visegrad Group (V4), which gathered Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, and the Czech Republic, in addition to Egypt, Orban warned that Europe will be in "great trouble" if Egypt cannot continue its current policies to rein in immigration to Europe.

El-Sisi visited the capital of Hungary Budapest in July 2017 and October 2021 to participate in the Visegrad Group summit and discuss issues of terrorism and irregular migration. Orban visited Egypt in June 2016 to discuss boosting political and economic relations with Cairo.

Egypt and Hungary also share strong economic relations, with the trade exchange between the two countries amounting to $400 million in 2021, according to data provided by Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto in February last year.

Politically, Hungary was also among the first countries which welcomed the anti-Muslim Brotherhood revolution in Egypt in 2013, while Orban was the among first of world leaders to welcome the election of President El-Sisi in 2014.

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Hungary will be able to import liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Egypt starting 2026 as the central European country seeks to cover its energy requirements, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on Tuesday.





Orban made the remarks in a joint press conference with Egypts President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi during his official visit to Cairo.

Hungary seeks to import LNG from Egypt following the development of the required infrastructure in Greece to guarantee its energy security, Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Szijjarto, who is also on a visit to Cairo, was quoted as saying on Tuesday.

Szijjarto also stated that a partnership deal is being established with Egypt that guarantees joint benefits in the nuclear industry, higher education, energy, and the economy.

Late in 2021, Egypt, a major gas exporter, and Greece agreed on expanding their cooperation regarding LNG supply and examining the possibility of constructing a subsea gas pipeline between the two states amid European countries keenness to diversify their energy sources.

Egypt also signed a gas deal with the European Union and Israel in June 2022, in which Egypt will export Israeli liquified natural gas to Europe via Egyptian LNG plants.

During the presser, El-Sisi said his discussions with Orban on Tuesday involved enhancing bilateral cooperation between Egypt and Hungary in many fields, including energy, transport, trade, industry, tourism, agriculture, irrigation, water management, culture, and education.

Fighting irregular migration

Orban hailed today Egypts efforts to stop irregular migration to Europe, reiterating that Europe would have been in great trouble if Egypt had not exercised the required measures to face the phenomenon.

He added that support for Egypts efforts to face irregular migration is strongly related to the security of Europe and Hungary, affirming that Europe should appreciate these efforts.

Orban said Egypt is at the top of the defence line in North Africa against irregular migration to Europe.

For his part, El-Sisi extended Egypts appreciation for Hungary under Orban for being our voice in the EU, as Budapest has been keen to explain to the EU the situation in the region, including in Egypt.

Last year, Hungary called on the EU to provide Egypt with financial support to help the North African country in its efforts to address irregular migration from Africa to Europe.

Egypt has stepped up its efforts to face irregular migration to Europe, allowing no boats carrying migrants to leave Egyptian coasts since 2016.





Boosting cooperation

El-Sisi hailed Egyptian-Hungarian relations as a role model amid unprecedented global challenges.

El-Sisi said his talks with Orban also addressed enhancing economic bilateral relations between Egypt and Hungary and the benefits that Hungarian businessmen can reap, especially in the Suez Canal Economic Zone (SCZone).

We have also stressed the necessity of continuing the formation of bonds between Egyptian companies and their Hungarian counterparts and exchanging expertise in agriculture, water management, and irrigation, El-Sisi said.

The president said the discussions addressed cooperation to face the global food and energy crises and also the need to increase the number of tourists between Egypt and Hungary.

El-Sisi said he affirmed to Orban the need to implement the contract of exporting 1,350 railway cars to Egypt within the agreed upon timeframes.

The president said he also agreed with the Hungarian PM on the necessity of discussing cooperation in localising the railway car industry in Egypt.

El-Sisi hailed Hungarys decision to increase the number of university and post-university scholarships to 200 starting from the academic year 2023-2024, saying that Egypt looks forward to increasing these scholarships even more in the future.





Strategic partnership, MoUs

The two leaders signed a joint declaration on the Egyptian-Hungarian strategic partnership to raise the level of bilateral relations between the two countries.

Egyptian Minister of Electricity and Energy Mohamed Shaker and Hungarys FM Szijjarto signed an MoU in training and education in the safe usage of nuclear power.

Furthermore, Egyptian Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research Ayman Ashour signed an MoU in the Stipendium Hungaricum Scholarship Programme for the years 2023-2026, as well as another MoU in higher education and scientific research for the same years.

Finally, Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry and his Hungarian counterpart signed an MoU in youth and sports.

Egypt-Hungary relations

Egypt and Hungary share strong economic relations and joint investments, with 74 Hungarian companies operating in Egypt in multiple sectors including agriculture, manufacturing, tourism, and services.

In February 2022, Egypt and Hungary signed an MoU to form a joint committee for trade and industry with the aim of enhancing industrial and commercial relations between the two countries.

The trade exchange between Egypt and Hungary amounted to $400 million in 2021, according to data provided by Szijjarto in February last year.

Hungary also exports to Egypt machinery, electric generators, glass and organic chemicals, while Egypt exports cotton, fruits, vegetables, cement, fertilisers, carpets, ceramics, and plastic.

The two countries inaugurated the Egypt-Hungary Business Council in 2009.

Regarding tourism, around 40,000 Hungarian tourists visited Egypt in 2021, according to data displayed by Extra News TV channel.

Egypt was the first Arab country to establish diplomatic relations with Hungary in 1928, and it set up its first embassy in Budapest in 1957.

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Egypts Minister of Foreign Affairs Sameh Shoukry headed on Tuesday to New Delhi to participate in the meetings of G20 Foreign Ministers as well as in the Raisina Dialogue 2023.

According to a statement released by the foreign ministry, Shoukry will take part in the activities of the G20 Foreign Ministers on 1-2 March within the framework of the Indian presidency of the groups invitation to Egypt to participate as a guest country.

In October 2022, India -- the president of the Group of 20 (G20) in 2023 -- invited Egypt to participate as a guest country in the G20 meetings, in which Ambassador Ragy El-Etreby, assistant minister of foreign affairs for international and regional multilateral economic affairs, will be the personal representative of President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi at the yearlong meetings.

Shoukry will participate in two working sessions of the G20 on food security, energy, multilateralism and development cooperation, in addition to combating terrorism, drawing a global skills map, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.

He will also hold a number of bilateral meetings with various counterparts on the sidelines of the G20 event.

El-Etreby recently said that "Cairo intends to closely cooperate with the Indian presidency of the G20" on files of mutual priority, including enhancing global food security and supporting international financing institutions to better face successive crises.

Raisina Dialogue

The Egyptian foreign minister will then participate in the Raisina Dialogue that will be held from 2-4 March, according to the statement.

Launched in 2016, Raisina Dialogue is held annually in New Delhi and is hosted by the Indian independent think tank Observer Research Foundation in cooperation with the Indian Ministry of External affairs.

The dialogue, which focuses on geopolitics and geoeconomics, is committed to addressing the most challenging issues facing the global community.

Shoukry will speak in a dialogue session entitled "From the Mediterranean to the Arabian Sea: A Region of Opportunities."

He will also speak in a dialogue session on climate change and just transitions.

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If we begin to list the areas of activity that bring us together, it will probably take a lot of time. We can count the areas where our work is not so active yet. However, this does not remain unnoticed either, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said at the meeting with visiting Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

The president noted: This is why we hope for serious mutual steps in the fields of traditional interaction  political dialogue, energy, transport, trade, humanitarian cooperation and alliance, which we need to bring to the level of interaction.
More than 8,000 men and women who are planning to tie the knot were screened nationwide during the first three days of the presidential initiative for pre-marriage medical tests that launched on Sunday.

In a press statement on Tuesday, the Spokesman for the Ministry of Health and population Hossam Abdel-Ghaffar said that the initiative reflects the government's keenness to combat the spread of diseases in the country and guarantee a healthy life for the Egyptian family.

The initiative targets Egyptians and non-Egyptians residing in the country.

The administered tests aim to identify a wide range of conditions such as genetic disorders, chronic illnesses, as well as blood-transmitted and other infectious diseases, Abdel-Ghaffar said.

The certificate -- which is valid for 6 months after the date of the screening -- will cost each of the applicants EGP 220 in total with the government bearing the remaining cost as the actual price for the certificate ranges from EGP 450-500.

In December, President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi spoke about the new pre-marriage medical procedures, saying marriages will have to be approved by a committee chaired by a judge after reviewing the automated examination results sent by the Ministry of Health.

El-Sisi said the new medical procedures aim to reassure the couples and their parents before marriage.

It is the duty of the state to reassure parents about the future of their sons and daughters, and to ensure that those who wish to marry accept what the examinations reveal, the president said while inaugurating two factories for medical and industrial gases in Giza's Abu Rawash district.

Medical examinations ahead of marriage has been compulsory in Egypt since 2008. However, the new certificate adds new obligatory tests for the couple, Spokesman of the Ministry of Health Hossam Abdel-Ghaffar told media on Saturday.

Applicants can call the hotline 15335 or visit the 100 Million Healthy Lives initiative's wesbsite to learn about the nearest health centre where they can undergo the pre-marriage tests, Abdel-Ghaffar added.

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The Egyptian Ministry of Environment has advised elderly and chest or respiratory disease patients nationwide to stay indoors on Tuesday and Wednesday due to poor air quality.

Based on reports by the Egyptian Meteorological Authority (EMA) as well as the ministrys early warning system, sporadic dust storms in the west of the country are expected to affect much of northern Egypt on Tuesday, including Greater Cairo and northern Upper Egypt. Intermittent airborne dust is expected on Wednesday, a statement by the ministry said on Monday evening.

There will also be a noticeable decrease in thickness of the atmospheric boundary layer, which will increase the feeling of a concentration of pollutants, the ministrys statement said.

Minister of the Environment Yasmine Fouad also affirmed that the ministry is tracking air quality index indicators through its constant monitoring system across the country.

Citizens can file complaints about air pollution of any kind with the ministry around the clock using the 19808 hotline, the ministry added.

Sporadic strong winds are expected on Thursday across Greater Cairo, Lower Egypt, the northeast coast, and northern Upper Egypt, the EMA said.

The North Coast will experience sporadic strong winds Friday through Sunday, the EMA affirmed.

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Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has called for stronger trade relations among African countries and lamented the high cost of buying products and services outside the continent.

Museveni on Tuesday began a state visit to South Africa in a bid to encourage better economic ties between Uganda and Africas most developed economy.

He met with President Cyril Ramaphosa accompanied by members of his cabinet who were scheduled to meet with their South African counterparts and sign various trade and bilateral agreements.

Making brief remarks ahead of the meeting with Ramaphosa, Museveni emphasized the importance of intracontinental trade, while highlighting some of the challenges that were making this difficult to achieve.

Among some of his priorities was the procurement of coal from South Africa to be used to transform Ugandas high-grade iron ore into steel, Museveni said.

Our part of the world, as you can see, is very far from the ocean, 1,000 miles," he said.

Bringing steel products from China, India, and Ukraine, in the past, is very expensive, the freight alone is bigger than even the cost of the product itself," said Museveni. So it is very important that we develop an inland steel industry for Uganda and those areas around there. We need coal from South Africa.

Museveni said it is important for the continent to be peaceful in order for intracontinental trade to be successful.

This will be a free trade area only if it is peaceful. But now the whole place is in chaos, he said.

Ramaphosa said South Africa sees Uganda as an important partner in East Africa and lauded its contribution to regional economic and political integration as well as regional peace and stability.

The South African leader said that as a continent, we need to continue to work towards the peaceful resolution of conflict and emphasize dialogue over military confrontation. ... South Africa remains deeply concerned about recent developments in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. We strongly condemn the upsurge of conflict, being fuelled by armed groups.

South African and Ugandan ministers signed bilateral and economic agreements in various sectors including tourism, transport, and agriculture.

Museveni and Ramaphosa were scheduled to address a South Africa-Uganda business forum later on Tuesday.

Uganda is South Africas 15th-largest trading partner in Africa and the second-largest in East Africa, according to South African government figures.

Between 2017 and 2021 total trade between the two countries reached a peak of $162 million.

South Africas exports to the Republic of Uganda amounted to $169 million in 2018, while its imports from Uganda increased from $6.8 million in 2017 to $17.5 million in 2020.

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Unidentified militants have kidnapped 25 young people in the northern Democratic Republic of Congo, an administrative official said on Tuesday, during attacks on several villages in the region.

Gunmen raided three villages in the Banda area of Bas-Uele province in the early hours of Tuesday morning, said Marcellin Mazale Lekabusiya, a local government administrator.

Details about the attack are hazy, but Lekabusiya said the militants kidnapped 25 people aged between 12 and 18 years old. Seven of those abducted were girls.

In a telephone interview, the administrator also explained that the gunmen had released adults they had captured.

AFP was unable to independently confirm the account.

Banda lies 180 kilometres (112 miles) from the border with the Central African Republic -- a volatile country that remains scarred by a 2013 civil war.

Violence in CAR has become less intense since 2018 but rebel groups continue to control swathes of territory.

The north of the DR Congo has been mostly peaceful for years -- suffering little of the militia violence that has plagued the east of the vast nation for decades.

The Lord's Resistance Army rebel group was once active in Bas-Uele.

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Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko will arrive in Beijing on Tuesday, kicking off a three-day trip in which he will meet Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping.

The state visit by Lukashenko, a key ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, comes after Beijing released a position paper on Russia's war in Ukraine insisting it is a neutral party and calling for dialogue between the two sides.

It also follows allegations by the United States and NATO that Beijing could be mulling sending arms to Russia as the conflict enters its second year. China has strenuously denied the claims.

Ahead of Lukashenko's visit, Beijing hailed its "all-weather and comprehensive" strategic partnership with Minsk.

In an interview with China's state-run Xinhua news agency, the Belarusian leader said he was looking forward to meeting with his "old friend" Xi.

He also praised Beijing's position paper as "a testimony to its peaceful foreign policy as well as a new and original step that will have a far-reaching impact all over the world", Xinhua added.

"Today, not a single issue in the world can be resolved without China," Lukashenko said.

Xi has spoken to Putin several times since the war began, but has not done so with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky.

Lukashenko is a close ally of Putin and has backed Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.

Belarus shares a border with both Ukraine and Russia, but is financially and politically dependent on the Putin administration.

A year after allowing Russia to use Belarus as a launch pad for its Ukraine offensive, Lukashenko said he was ready to do so again if Minsk felt threatened.

Kyiv has also expressed concerns that Belarus could again support Moscow in its war effort.

In September last year, Xi and Lukashenko met in the Uzbek city of Samarkand, where they again hailed their "all-weather" partnership.

Lukashenko's Beijing visit follows the announcement on Monday that the European Union had extended by one year sanctions on Belarus over Minsk's repression of political opposition and its support for Russia's war.

The bloc has hit Belarus with multiple waves of sanctions since Lukashenko launched a brutal campaign of repression against demonstrators protesting a disputed election in 2020.

The sanctions have been extended until February next year, the European Council, which represents 27 EU member states, said in a statement.

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A devastating earthquake that struck Turkey and Syria killed more than 50,000 people, in a toll revised by AFP that includes figures from both government and rebel-controlled parts of war-torn Syria.

A total of 5,951 people were killed across Syria, while Turkey recorded 44,374 deaths after the February 6 earthquake.

The new tally brings to 50,325 the total number of deaths caused by the disaster across both countries.

The Syrian government said 1,414 people had been killed in areas under its control, while Turkish-backed officials in Syria have put the death toll at 4,537 throughout rebel-held areas of the country.

The toll in areas outside government control includes deaths in territory held by rival rebel groups.

Local authorities relied on data collected from hospitals, medical centers, and civil defense in Idlib and northern Aleppo province, health official Maram al-Sheikh told AFP.

They also included civilian sources, he said, many of whom buried their dead without taking them to the hospital.

The toll was finalized with help from the Assistance Coordination Unit (ACU) organization, a local United Nations partner.

The UN said it relied on the ACU's data, including death tolls, which match those of the Turkish-backed authorities.

The death toll in rebel areas was "almost final, since most victims have been pulled from under the rubble", he said.

AFP had previously reported 3,688 deaths across Syria.

The quake came nearly 12 years into Syria's civil war, which devastated swathes of the country, killed nearly half a million people and displaced millions more.

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After multiple earthquakes in Turkey and Syria, Egyptians worry they are next, reports Reem Leila

Egypt experienced a 4.1 magnitude tremor earlier this week. According to the National Research Institute of Astronomy and Geophysics (NRIAG), the earthquakes epicentre was 27 km north of Suez. NRIAG officials assured the public there was no need to panic as Egypt is often hit by earthquakes which vary in strength from weak to medium.

The National Seismic Network (ENSN), affiliated to NRIAG, recently issued a press release stating that ENSN recorded more than 1,000 intangible earthquakes throughout the past year on Egyptian territory, in addition to recording more than 50 tangible earthquakes.

Abbas Sharaki, a professor of geology at Cairo University, told Al-Ahram Weekly that the source of most of the earthquakes in Egypt is the Mediterranean Sea from the Greek and Turkish regions. Among the weakest zones in the recurrence of earthquakes are the Red Sea and Suez Canal in Egypt, the Gulf of Al-Aqaba and the Dead Sea, Sharaki said, adding the Mediterranean is the area most exposed to earthquakes which is why Egypt felt the tremor of Turkeys quake.

Greece is one of the worlds most earthquake-prone countries, but among the thousands of quakes recorded each year they rarely cause severe damage or fatalities, Sharaki said. This is a very seismically active area that has seen more powerful quakes in the past, but none has seriously affected Egypt, he noted. NRIAG is monitoring the post-earthquake activity, which so far is not intense, he added.

According to Sharaki, Egypt is affected by two earthquake belts: the Horn of Africa Belt in the Gulf of Aqaba is a low-activity area 390 kilometres from Cairo. The Hellenic Belt in the west Mediterranean affects Egypts northern coast. It is more than 700 km from Cairo and has almost no effect on Upper Egypt, he noted. Most Egyptian territories are safe, confirmed Sharaki.

No one can predict when an earthquake will strike, Abdallah Allam, a professor of geology at Kafr Al-Sheikh University, pointed out. Science cannot specify where, when, and how strong a quake will be.

Allam understands the publics concerns regarding the repeated exposure to earthquakes in Egypt as the memories of the 5.9 magnitude earthquake that struck the country in 1992 still frightens people.

It was this centurys largest earthquake in northern Egypt with related destruction in the city of Cairo, the Nile Valley, and the Nile Delta areas, said a study titled The 1992 Cairo earthquake: A case study of a small destructive event.

The earthquake of that year was centred near the village of Dahshour, 18 km south of Cairo. It killed more than 500 people, injured 6,500, left 50,000 homeless and damaged or destroyed 8,000 buildings.

A major cause of the destruction is likely the poor state of construction of the Cairo buildings, the study said.

According to Allam, Egypt is located outside seismic belts and activities in general, but it is exposed from time to time to some weak or medium-sized earthquakes, especially those whose centre is located in the Eastern Mediterranean region and the northern Red Sea, where destructive earthquakes happen at a steady rate but with relatively long return periods. The nature of the earths plates in Egypt and Turkey differ, Allam said.

Besides 1992, Egypt had earthquakes in 2011, 2013, 2017, and 2019 where the magnitude ranged from 3.5 to 4.5 on the Richter scale.

Last month, more than 51,000 deaths were confirmed when a 7.8 earthquake struck southern and central Turkey and northern and western Syria.



* A version of this article appears in print in the 2 March, 2023 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly

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IN A MOVE that indicates thawing relations, Egypts Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukri visited Syria and Turkey to express solidarity after the two countries were rocked last month by devastating earthquakes that took the lives of over 50,000 people.

The aim of Shoukris meeting with Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad in Damascus, along with Egyptian and other Arab parliamentarians and their counterparts in the Syrian capital, was to show support in a move that could lead to Syrias further political reintegration in the Arab world. Syria was suspended from the Arab League in 2011 after the start of the Syrian civil war.

After his brief visit to Damascus, Shoukri headed to Turkey for the first time since 2016 and met top Turkish diplomat Mevlut Cavusoglu in Adana. The ministers then travelled to Turkeys Mediterranean port of Mersin where a second Egyptian ship carrying humanitarian relief docked.

It is important to agree on a roadmap for the speedy normalisation and restoration of relations between the two countries, Shoukri said.

He stressed that political will for the restoration of ties was strong in both countries and that it was important to set up a strong foundation that restoration work would rise upon.

Cavusoglu said the two top diplomats discussed concrete steps to improve relations, adding that ties could be carried to a much higher level.

Egypt has been among several Arab countries to send aid to Syria and Turkey in response to the earthquake.

* A version of this article appears in print in the 2 March, 2023 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly

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Egypt is maintaining a balanced position on the Russia-Ukraine conflict. During the past 12 months Cairo has repeatedly called on Moscow, Kyiv and involved international parties to pursue dialogue in order to peacefully resolve the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

Though some political commentators questioned Egypts vote last week supporting the resolution of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) calling on Russia to end hostilities in Ukraine, Cairo reiterated that it voted in accordance with its deep commitment to the UN Charters rejection of the use of force in international relations.

Egypt maintains good relations with both states, said one diplomat who preferred to remain anonymous. They are both important exporters of wheat and Egypt is the worlds largest importer of the grain. Tourists from the two countries also accounted for around 40 per cent of tourist flows into Egypt before the war.

Egypt hoped the UNGA resolution would initiate mechanisms to settle the crisis a year of conflict led to a worldwide food and energy crisis, said the diplomat.

Food security was addressed by President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky during their phone conversation last week. Both presidents agreed on the importance of continuing the grain export initiative, said the statement issued by the Egyptian presidency.

Concluded in Turkey last July, the grain corridor initiative between Russia and Ukraine allowed for the safe export of grain from named ports in an attempt to address the food crisis after the war that erupted in February last year led to a complete halt of maritime grain shipments from Ukraine. According to the European Commission, Ukraine supplies 10 per cent of the worlds wheat market, 15 per cent of the corn market and 13 per cent of the barley market.

In their phone conversation, Al-Sisi also stressed the importance of stabilising the world food market. Zelensky agreed, sharing his countrys efforts in safeguarding food security, especially in Africa.

The two presidents also discussed the latest developments in Ukraine. Al-Sisi reiterated Egypt firm stand in supporting efforts to calm the situation and reach a peaceful solution.

The UNGA vote was also an opportunity to remind the international community that double standards in dealing with crises will lead to the erosion of international law and the system of international legitimacy, a point highlighted in the statement of Osama Abdel-Khalek, head of Egypts permanent mission to the UN in New York.

Abdel-Khalek said the vote was prompted by the humanitarian and economic consequences of the war extending to everyone, not only the conflicting parties, and note developing countries, including Egypt, are still suffering directly from the continuation of the crisis.

His statement stressed the need to address the roots of the crisis in a way that guarantees the security concerns of all parties in an equal, fair and sustainable manner.

The resolution, drafted by Ukraine in consultation with its allies, passed 141-7, with 32 abstentions.

It was not the first time Egypt has voted for a resolution calling for Russia to end hostilities in Ukraine. In March, Egypt joined 140 other nations voting in favour of a resolution calling on Russia to withdraw its military forces from Ukraine, and in October voted for a UN resolution condemning Russias annexation of Ukrainian regions.

President Al-Sisi also appealed at the opening of the COP27 Climate Change Conference in Sharm El-Sheikh last November for an end to the war in Ukraine.

During his visit to Moscow in January, Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukri said that he had underlined to his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov that Egypt backed an end to the military confrontation in Ukraine in a way that meets the interests of all involved parties and would keep following up on developments within the framework of our bilateral and multilateral relationship with the involved parties. Lavrov, for his part, said Moscow appreciates Egypts balanced stand on the crisis in Ukraine.

Shoukris visit to Moscow followed his meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken during the latters visit to Cairo in January, and he delivered a message from Blinken to Lavrov. Egypt is also a member of the Arab liaison group which seeks to mediate a resolution to the conflict and includes Jordan, Algeria, Iraq, Sudan, and the UAE.

Cairo and Moscow have long been keen to improve their relations. In August, the two countries plan to organise celebrations to mark the 80th anniversary of their diplomatic ties. Bilateral relations have noticeably improved in recent years, and a strategic cooperation treaty was signed in 2018. They are cooperating over the construction of Egypts first nuclear power plant at Al-Dabaa, and trade between them has reached $6 billion. Cooperation extends across the industrial, military and technical fields.

On the international level, the two countries have also consulted over the Palestinian Israeli conflict and ongoing crises in Syria and Libya.

Cairo is expected to maintain its neutral diplomatic position, said the diplomat.



* A version of this article appears in print in the 2 March, 2023 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly

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On Monday Egypts population stood at 104.6 million, according to the Central Agency for Public Mobilisation and Statistics (CAPMAS). And it is forecast to reach 160 million by 2050, according to a report by Egypts Cabinet Information, Decision, and Support Centre (IDSC).

In an attempt to put a break on the exponential growth of the population, the government is hoping to create awareness through various campaigns. A survey will be carried out to explore youth attitudes towards a wide range of topics related to population trends. The survey, which will sound out 17,000 young people, began this month and is scheduled to continue throughout March. It is being carried out in partnership with the Population Council, a US NGO.

Also this month, a new initiative called Osra (family) was launched to provide young Egyptians with information on voluntary family planning and reproductive health options for healthy and sustainable child spacing. The project is being implemented by Pathfinder International through a $39 million grant by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). It is also in collaboration with various concerned authorities, including the Ministry of Health.

US Charge dAffaires Daniel Rubinstein said he recognises the importance of progress in this area to overcome the economic development challenges that Egypt faces because even with all the economic policy reforms and other progress in this area, if the population continues to grow, that could undermine the impact of economic development. The United States has been a strong partner to Egypt for many years in voluntary family planning and reproductive health, providing $435 million to Egypt throughout the last 30 years, according to Rubinstein.

The programme will utilise new technology and digital platforms to enable youths to access information that allows them to make the right kinds of choices when they are starting a family.

Osra will work in 10 governorates, mostly in Upper Egypt. The five-year programme targets 10.6 million people in 625 communities in the governorates of Sharqiya, Fayoum, Sohag, and Assiut, with plans to expand to Beheira, Daqahliya, Giza, Beni Sweif, Minya, and Qena in the future.

According to Mohamed Abu Nar, a leading figure in Osra, work includes increasing women and mens access to high-quality voluntary family planning information, counselling, contraceptive methods, and services delivered by competent healthcare providers with focus on digital technology integrations to improve access to and demand for reproductive health information and services. It will work on building knowledge about reproductive health.

For decades the government has said that population growth strains government resources. Throughout the past four decades it launched several campaigns aimed at creating awareness in family planning. In the 1980s the campaign Esaal Estashher (ask, consult) offered free family planning methods and consultations. In 2020 Etnein Kefaya (two are enough) offered financial assistance to families deemed successful in family planning.

According to a 2022 World Bank study, Achieving the Demographic Dividend in the Arab Republic of Egypt: Choice, Not Destiny, high population growth caused the working age of the population to decrease from 63 per cent in 2010 to 61 per cent in 2020. The report recommends that the problem of overpopulation could be solved through a six-pillar approach which includes expanding the capacity of the Ministry of Health in providing family planning services while focusing on building human resources. It also targets reducing female school dropouts and empowering females.

The report showed that in Brazil, for example, improvements in schooling for girls accounted for 70 per cent of the fertility decline observed in the country during the 1960s and 1970s. The report also recommended increasing the female labour force and delaying early marriages as well as leveraging social protection programmes like expanding the Takaful and Karama programme to promote womens education and have access to health services.

* A version of this article appears in print in the 2 March, 2023 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly

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Last year was marked by a very dynamic nature of Azerbaijan-Russia relations, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said as he received Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

There were several meetings at the presidential level. You visited Azerbaijan and your colleague visited Russia. There were mutual visits by the heads of governments and parliaments of our countries, as well as visits by other officials. This shows that our relations are fully developing, very important issues are being addressed, and I think we have got off to a good start this year. Your visit to Azerbaijan at the beginning of the year will also give a special impetus to our interaction this year, the head of state emphasized.
As Egyptian, regional, and international efforts to stem Israeli violence against Palestinians continued into a third week, flare-ups between Palestinians and Israelis spread from Gaza to the West Bank.

Last week began with an Israeli military raid in Nablus that killed 11 Palestinians, including a child and three elderly men. This week began with the violent rampage of dozens of residents of illegal Israeli settlements who tore through the Huwara area, setting fire to Palestinian houses, shops and cars, leaving one dead and several injured.

The same day, Egyptian, Jordanian, and US security officials and two representatives from the Israeli government and the Palestinian National Authority (PA) met in the southern Jordanian city of Aqaba to try to restore calm. According to a joint communique, the parties agreed to a number of de-escalatory measures, including an Israeli commitment to freeze the construction of illegal settlement units for four months and to halt authorisation of new outposts for six months. The participants also agreed to maintain the positive momentum and meet again in Sharm El-Sheikh on 7 March to pursue further confidence building measures.

The following day, Monday, the violence escalated further following the killing of an Israeli settler near Jericho. Israeli occupation forces deployed a fourth battalion, cordoned off the Huwara district entirely, and sealed the Jericho area. Palestinian observers described the measures as a deliberate attempt to undermine the agreement struck in Aqaba.

The Israelis have reneged on everything they agreed to in Aqaba and tensions have risen across the West Bank, political analyst Shadi Zamaara told Al-Ahram Weekly by phone from Ramallah.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and senior officials in his government had been quick to dismiss the results of the Aqaba meeting. What happened in Jordan will stay in Jordan, said the ultra-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir.

Zamaara believes Israeli officials are actively encouraging settler violence.

The extremist Israeli government wants to kill Palestinian youth, he says. It is protecting the settlers as they burn down peoples homes. It ties the hands of the PA and holds it responsible at the same time.

The situation has spun beyond the control of politicians on both sides, an Arab source in Israel told the Weekly. The source believes that even if Palestinian and Israeli officials wanted to contain the violence in the face of outside pressures from the US and Egypt, any momentum is now firmly in the hands of the street. Israeli settlers escalate and Palestinian youth counter-escalate. So volatile has the situation in the West Bank become that it is impossible to predict what will happen.

The Israeli government, itself, is in uproar even as Netanyahu attempts to keep it under control. Addressing the Knesset on Monday, he said: [We] will not accept anarchy. We will not accept a reality where people set homes on fire, burn cars, intentionally harm innocent people. This is exactly what our enemies want to see: a loss of control and a never-ending cycle of blood, fire, and smoke. Netanyahu blamed his National Security Minister Gvir for encouraging the settlers to set fire to Palestinian homes.

Said Okasha, an expert on Israeli affairs at the Al-Ahram Centre for Political and Strategic Studies, doubts that the discord in the government is strong enough to bring down the Netanyahu coalition given the Israeli opposition is more divided than the government, as Mondays Knesset session showed. Also, he said, history illustrates that Israelis tend to set their differences aside and unite whenever violence breaks out in the West Bank or war erupts in Gaza. The reverse is the case when the situation is calm, so the current situation benefits the Netanyahu government.

Nor are time or the balances of power in favour of the Palestinians. Even if there is pressure to sustain the Aqaba course, the settlement freeze is of limited duration.

It would be best to raise the bar, Okasha argues, rather than let events lead inexorably towards higher tensions and, ultimately, the killing of large numbers of Palestinians, sending de-escalation efforts back to square one.

Mustafa Barghouti, secretary-general of the Palestinian National Initiative (PNI), holds a different opinion. In a statement to the press he said that chasing after negotiations with Israel will do nothing to change the current situation.

It is better, he argued, to try to change the balances of power.

The US State Department has called on Israeli authorities to rein in settler violence against Palestinian civilians and hold the perpetrators to account. The State Department stressed that its opposition to settlement activities remains unchanged, intimating that it will not look kindly on Israeli attempts to backtrack on the commitments it made in Aqaba.

Tor Wennesland, UN special coordinator for the Middle East peace process, holds the Israeli army responsible for deteriorating conditions in the West Bank. There can be no justification for terrorism, nor for arson and acts of revenge against civilians, he stressed. All perpetrators of violence must be held accountable. Violence, provocations and incitement must stop immediately and be unequivocally condemned by all.

On Monday evening, the UAE called for a closed UN Security Council session on Tuesday to discuss the situation in Palestine. A source in Cairo familiar with developments said that Egypt is communicating with all parties and will intensify its efforts to halt Israeli provocations, especially on the part of settlers in the West Bank. The source added, however, that there is not much hope for the prospect of stopping the tit-for-tat violence given the extent to which the situation has spun out of control.

* A version of this article appears in print in the 2 March, 2023 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly

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If those wishing to ruin Egyptian-Saudi relations were aware of the solid, multidimensional, and strategic nature of these relations, which not only serve their own national interests but the interests of the Arab people as a whole, they would doubtless spare themselves the trouble.

Their efforts would inevitably be in vain. The strategic nature of the Egyptian-Saudi relationship is not the stuff of wishful thinking or hyperbole used to give it a boost. Instead, it is a reality that is grounded in history and that has always managed to overcome any temporary problems that may have arisen between the two countries.

Lets begin from a point in the relatively distant past. When the 23 July Revolution occurred in Egypt in 1952, overthrowing the monarchy that had up to that point run the country, some thought it would end the close cooperation that had existed between the Egyptian and Saudi royal houses.

However, exactly the opposite occurred, and the cooperation between the two countries grew closer. Saudi Arabia stood by Egypt during the gruelling battle that then president Gamal Abdel-Nasser fought against the British-inspired Baghdad Pact in 1955. Moreover, it proved a more stalwart supporter than Syria, which followed a more ambivalent line until the regime in Damascus was replaced with one with a more Arab nationalist outlook.

This outlook firmly opposed all attempts on the part of the Western powers, and Britain in particular, to advance their ambitions in the Arab region. The Arabian Peninsula figured prominently in their schemes.

After Egypts victory in that battle, Israel, France, and Britain launched the Tripartite Aggression against Egypt in 1956. The purpose was to punish Egypt for nationalising the Suez Canal and backing the Algerian liberation movement. Riyadhs support for Egypt on this occasion was not just political and diplomatic, as Saudi soldiers volunteered to fight in the ranks of the Egyptian resistance, among them children of then Saudi King Abdel-Aziz and including the current Saudi monarch King Salman.

Although Egypt and Saudi Arabia then had a falling out over Yemen, to which we will return in a subsequent article, they stood side by side in their opposition to the Iraqi claim to Kuwait on the eve of Kuwaiti independence in 1961. Thanks to their united stance, the Arab League succeeded where the UN Security Council had failed and sent in an Arab peacekeeping force that safeguarded Kuwaits independence.

A major juncture in the relationship was the June 1967 War, which delivered a crushing defeat at a time of sharp inter-Arab political polarisation. Egypt and Saudi Arabia were on opposing sides on the question of the Yemeni Revolution of September 1962 and the Civil War in that country. Those unfamiliar with the strategic nature of the Egyptian-Saudi relationship might have thought that the 1967 defeat would have given rise to mutual accusations and attacks. Instead, in fewer than three months after the defeat, the Arab leaders came together in the Steadfastness Summit meeting in Khartoum.

For Riyadh, this steadfastness was more than simply rhetoric. After the summit meeting, Saudi Arabia, like Kuwait, and Libya, was one of the foremost supporters of subsequent Arab efforts to reverse the effects of the Israeli aggression.

At the same time, Cairo and Riyadh resolved their differences over the Yemeni Civil War. This step was extremely important, as it signified that the demands of the central conflict between the Arabs and Israel overrode any inter-Arab conflicts or disputes. This is essential to the concept of Arab national security, and it played an important part in ensuring support for the Arab resistance through the War of Attrition after 1967 to the October 1973 War with Israel.

In fact, this war was the epitome of Arab national security and was launched in accordance with a joint Egyptian-Syrian plan that saw it fought on two fronts at once. Forces from nine Arab countries took part in the war, and Saudi Arabia led the Arab oil-exporting countries in the first ever use of the oil weapon in support of Arab interests.

After the Arab-Egyptian rupture that followed the 1977 Peace Agreement with Israel, Iraq again laid claim to Kuwait. This time, that claim was not just made in words, but was carried out in the form of an actual invasion that took place in August 1990. Although Egypt at the time was a member of the Arab Cooperation Council, a body founded on the basis of an initiative by then Iraqi president Saddam Hussein, the Egyptian leadership did not hesitate for a moment to support and protect legitimacy and other cardinal principles of the Arab order. Egyptian forces fought in the war to liberate Kuwait under Saudi command, just as Egypt placed its forces at the service of the Saudi-led Arab peacekeeping force in Kuwait in 1961.

I would like to underscore this point, because those seeking to undermine the Egyptian-Saudi relationship interpret the tensions that occasionally occur between the countries as being somehow symptomatic of their rivalry over Arab leadership. Nothing could be further from the truth. Egypts Arab role is a historical constant. It is fully conscious of its Arab responsibilities as these are integrally connected with Egypts national security. It is similarly aware of the changes that have taken place in the Arab regional order and understands that the responsibility for addressing the current challenges that threaten Arab security is a collective one that must be borne by all the Arab countries, each in accordance with its ability, in order to advance Arab national interests and the interests of all the Arab states.

I come now to a crucial episode in Egyptian-Saudi strategic relations, which occurred during the wave of grassroots uprisings that swept across the region at the outset of the second decade of this century. Egypt, like other Arab countries, was hit hard by the adverse repercussions of this wave, prime among them being the Muslim Brotherhoods monopolisation of power after June 2012 and the anarchy, destruction, and terrorism it unleashed on Egypt after the grassroots uprising to overthrow the Brotherhood a year later.

The economic situation became critical, and Egypt faced a harsh political situation abroad because of claims that the Egyptian peoples revolution against Brotherhood rule had in fact been something else. No Egyptian will ever forget how their Arab brothers, and Saudi Arabia and the UAE in particular, stood by them in those difficult times. It is impossible to forget the unstinting support that then Saudi King Abdullah gave to Egypt both politically and economically.

That support was instrumental in helping Egypt to overcome the huge challenges of the time. A former Egyptian ambassador to a major European country told me that the Saudi ambassador to that country had told him that Riyadh had issued a directive that the Saudi position in any international forum should be the same as Egypts.

*The writer is professor of Political Science at Cairo University.

* A version of this article appears in print in the 2 March, 2023 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly

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Among the customary rites and rituals in the American political process, is that anyone who runs for president, Congress or any other office, must offer a sacrifice to a god named Israel to ensure their success, to appease the influential Jewish American community. The offerings laid on the altar are spilled Palestinian blood and seized Palestinian land and property. The more plentiful the offerings the greater the candidates chances of victory.

The race is on in this arena between people who have announced their intention to run for president next year. Two of them are from former president Donald Trumps team. One is Nikki Haley, an Indian American who had served as governor of South Carolina and whom Trump appointed US ambassador to the UN. In the course of her career, she has established a shining record of unreserved bias for every action that Israel has taken for decades in defiance of UN resolutions and international law.

The other is Mike Pompeo who had served as CIA chief and then secretary of state under Trump. Pompeo far surpasses Haley in his sacrifices on the altar of Israel. He is the first prospective presidential hopeful to say that Isreal has a divine right to exist in Palestine because it is written in Bible. Ergo, Israel is not on occupying power. He also said that he does not believe in the two-state solution and he called the Palestinian president a terrorist. Pompeo describes himself as an evangelical Christian. His reading of the scriptures has made him believe, despite others denials, that Judea and Samaria  he uses the Israeli term to refer to the West Bank  is the national homeland of the Jews for 3,000 years. For this reason, he opposes the establishment of a Palestinian state side-by-side with Israel. Pompeo was instrumental to convincing Trump to recognise Jerusalem officially as the capital of Israel, and he oversaw the transfer of the US Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. The international community, including Washingtons European allies, maintains that the Israeli annexation of Jerusalem is a violation of the Geneva Convention and, therefore, illegal and in breach of international agreements.

Now, I wonder, what kind of policies will Pompeo adopt if he wins the elections and becomes president?

* A version of this article appears in print in the 2 March, 2023 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly

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As the war in Ukraine entered its second year, it is to be hoped that all the parties will work together to bring an end to this senseless and needless military conflict.

Now entering its second year, the war in Ukraine broke out in February 2022 when more than 100,000 Russian troops crossed into Ukraine in what Moscow called a special military operation and the West then described as Putins war and / or Russias unprovoked and brutal aggression against Ukraine is still raging, without an end in sight.

Regardless of the various diametrically opposed linguistic descriptions of the war in Ukraine, it seems that the warring parties, Russia and Ukraine, and the latters NATO allies, the indirect parties to this war, do not know, or rather do not want to know, how and when to bring about a cessation of hostilities in this senseless and needless military conflict.

Despite the fact that this conflict pits Russia against the West and NATO with Ukraine the main theatre of military operations, the rest of the world is being hard hit, particularly the developing countries that have no responsibility whatsoever for what has been taking place in Ukraine over the past year. They are also worried about how long this war could go on, with there being for the moment no end in sight.

The main protagonists, Russia and, indirectly, the US, have used the first anniversary of the war to double down on their respective positions concerning Ukraine.

Russian President Vladimir Putin addressed a gathering of leading figures from the world of Russian politics, repeating the official Russian justification for going to war against Ukraine. His most serious announcement was that Moscow has decided to suspend its adherence to the New Start Treaty with the US, though Putin emphasised that Russia would still honour its commitments under the treaty in a very cautious act of escalation on his part.

As for the US, it chose a spectacular way of observing the first anniversary of the war in Ukraine.

US President Joe Biden showed up in Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, on 20 February for a few hours and met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and his senior advisers. In a White House statement, Biden said that the purpose of the trip was to reaffirm [the US] unwavering commitment to Ukraines democracy, sovereignty, and territorial integrity.

According to US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, the two leaders went over the future course of the war in 2023 and tried to come to a common understanding of what the objectives are, where Ukraine is trying to get, and how the United States can most effectively support them alongside our allies and partners in getting to where it wants to be.

Regardless of the Ukrainian rhetoric on the war and the overly ambitious military objective of regaining by force all the Ukrainian territory claimed and occupied by Russia, including the Crimea, it is difficult to surmise the true objectives of the Ukrainian government regarding the cessation of hostilities and a peace agreement between Ukraine and Russia that would protect the security interests of both countries. This could be a kind of legally binding and sustainable modus vivendi with non-aggression clauses included in it, if not a separate non-aggression pact.

In the meantime, the leaders of the G7 group of nations released a statement on 24 February in which they welcomed the UN General Assembly Resolution adopted on 23 February at an emergency special session called Principles of the Charter of the United Nations Underlying a Comprehensive, Just, and Lasting Peace in Ukraine.

It was helpful for the cause of peace in Ukraine, however distant this may look now, that the leaders of the G7 group reiterated their commitment to diplomacy and expressed their support for what they termed President Zelenskys earnest efforts to promote a comprehensive, just, and lasting peace that would end the conflict.

However, the most interesting, and I would also say relatively promising, part of the G7 statement was the following. We remain ready to reach arrangements together with Ukraine as well as interested countries and institutions in sustained security and other commitments to help Ukraine defend itself, secure its free and democratic future, and deter future Russian aggression, the G7 leaders said.

Diplomats from the two countries at war in Ukraine with the help of the UN, the EU, the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), and China could negotiate a peace treaty that would guarantee the security, freedom, and sovereignty of Ukraine, while protecting the national security interests of Russia.

China has also come up with its own peace proposal that was officially presented to both Russia and Ukraine by the top foreign policy official in the Chinese Communist Party, Wang Yi, last week. He took part in the Munich Security Conference earlier this month, where he met with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. He then visited Italy, France, and Hungary before capping his European tour with a meeting with the Russian president in Moscow.

As the world enters the second year of the war in Ukraine, let us hope that international and European diplomacy succeeds in carrying out the objectives laid out in the preceding paragraphs for the sake of international peace and security as well as for the security, political stability, and economic viability of the developing countries, including Egypt.

It is doubtful that the international order can sustain another year of this senseless war. The security, political, and economic consequences of such a bleak scenario are too grave to imagine.

The writer is former assistant foreign minister.

* A version of this article appears in print in the 2 March, 2023 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly

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On Sunday, 26 February, President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi marked the launch of a new, ambitious programme of development maga-projects in Sinai now that security has been restored there.

This was a day to celebrate indeed, and perhaps the strongest blow to terrorist organisations who sought to turn this treasured part of the country into their horrific playground.

Prime Minister Mustafa Madbouli summed up the achievements made all over Sinai in the term the second crossing, the first being the one made following our victory in the 1973 War, defying all expectations and proving to the whole world that Egypt would never give up its territory or leave it under foreign occupation.

What adds to the significance of the second crossing even more is that it took place under extremely difficult and exceptional circumstances. Terrorist organisations linked to both IS and Al-Qaeda had exploited the chaos that followed the 25 January 2011 Revolution to amass their fighters there, attacking not only army and police posts, but workers seeking to build new roads, schools, hospitals and government offices providing basic services.

Al-Sisi made a firm choice not to halt development in Sinai under such security circumstances. He was fully aware that one of the key goals of terrorist organisations was to kill hope and convince Sinai residents that the central government was marginalising them. Thats why it was important to remain steadfast, fighting terrorism and continuing to give the people of Sinai their right to development and services.

As Al-Sisi said on Sunday, providing security in Sinai and restoring order was top priority, because without security, there cant be any development. In this context, the president expressed his gratitude for the suffering endured by the people of Sinai all through the past nine years. Curfews were imposed for several years, and movement between parts of Sinai, and from Sinai to the rest of Egypt was arduous. Electricity and internet services were constantly interrupted as the army and police fought their heroic war against the terrorists.

Considering that a top goal for terrorists was to isolate Sinai, one of the governments priorities was to ensure a strong connection between the mainland and the peninsula. For decades, there was only one tunnel and two bridges linking the two sides. In nearly no time, and with strong determination and persistence, the Egyptian army built five more tunnels and five advanced bridges to bolster up access to its Asian gateway.

Second came massive power projects. The government plan was to turn Sinai into an attraction for industrial and agricultural investment. This cannot happen without electricity, as well as costly water desalination projects and an extended network of well-built roads and bridges that link different parts of Sinai, north to south and east to west.

Developing urban centres with new, modern housing projects, building new communities and improving basic health and education services also all took part alongside other infrastructure projects. Moreover, to feed the growing need for agricultural products, the government has already managed to reclaim more than 400,000 acres of desert land, providing them with water and machinery.

All these projects came at a high cost. President Al-Sisi said $40-50 billion were invested over the past nine years in Sinai, and premier Madbouli estimated that EGP 600 billion were spent in the same period. Delays would have resulted in even higher costs, and added to the suffering of Sinai residents and their sense that they were deprived of their equal share of development.

As the president noted, the war against terrorism is not fought with weapons and security measures alone. An important aspect of this war is to refute the endless stream of rumours and false claims circulated by terrorist groups to weaken confidence in the Egyptian state and its ability to meet the needs of its people.

The latest example the president jokingly referred to was a fake recording made up of edited sentences from previous speeches of his that circulated widely on the social media, claiming that he was planning to selling the Suez Canal to foreign investors for a trillion dollars, which the vast majority had already recognised as bogus. People who had made so many sacrifices to restore the stability and ensure the stability of the country could not possibly go on to compromise its territories or resources. And already those sacrifices have borne fruit in both the north and south of Sinai  Al Arish and Sharm El-Sheikh, respectively  which looks and feels markedly different. Now that the threat of terrorism is at bay, there is more to look forward to there.

* A version of this article appears in print in the 2 March, 2023 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly

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After the building of Al-Qahira, the City Victorious, by the military commander Gawhar Al-Siqili in 969 CE at the order of the Fatimid Caliph Al-Muizz li-Din Allah as Egypts new capital, its walls enclosed opulent palaces and the prestigious 1,000-year-old mosque-university of Al-Azhar.

Throughout the ages, this city, now known as Historic Cairo, maintained its position and encouraged subsequent generations of Ayoubids, Mamelukes, Circassians, and Ottomans to enhance its character by building splendid mosques with soaring minarets, a vast citadel, decorated sabils (water fountains), kuttabs (Quranic schools), hammams (bathhouses), opulent private houses, and domed wekalas (trade complexes).

Historic Cairo is one of the oldest surviving mediaeval cities in the world, and since 1979 it has figured on UN cultural agency UNESCOs World Heritage List.

Time, however, has taken a heavy toll on some of the historic edifices in the district. Misuse by the inhabitants has caused various harms, environmental pollution has undermined foundations, and the 1992 earthquake threatened the historic zone.

An ambitious Historic Cairo Restoration Programme was launched to rescue the citys splendour, and several edifices were restored to their original allure. Another project aiming to restore and rehabilitate 100 monuments was also launched, as well as conservation projects in collaboration between the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities and several companies and NGOs in the field.

To encourage local and international tourism in Historic Cairo and visitors to spend more time admiring the splendour of its magnificent monuments, a new tourist trail connecting 12 monuments from different Islamic periods has now been established to connect this wealth of historic buildings and ancient handicraft markets together.

The increase in tourism brought by the trail is expected to impact thousands of families and artisans in the area.

The trail was built in collaboration with the Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC), which has helped in the restoration and conservation of several Islamic monuments, and with funds from the European Union.

The trail provides access to and preserves the Islamic cultural heritage in Cairo by strengthening the role of tourism as a major catalyst for local social and economic development, said Mustafa Waziri, secretary-general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA).

He said that it enables visitors to explore some dozen buildings located over its two-km length, with tickets costing LE20 for Egyptian visitors, LE10 for Egyptian students, LE120 for foreign visitors, and LE60 for foreign students.

Visitors start their journey at Al-Azhar Park, where a visitor centre welcomes them and introduces the trail and its monuments through a short film about each and the conservation work being done. Information about each monument is provided.

Electric cars then take visitors through the eastern Ayoubid walls around Al-Azhar Park and to the dome of the Emir Tarabay Al-Sharifi, the architectural complex of the Emir Khair Bek, the Blue Mosque, the Um Al-Sultan Shaaban School, the Qasabet Radwan, the Al-Razzaz House, the Qijmas Al-Ishaqi Mosque, the Al-Saleh Talaa Mosque, and the Ibn Barqouq Zawya (a small mosque).

Services along the trail have been developed including benches and sunshades as well as signage displaying information about each monument. QR codes are provided to enable visitors to know more about the history of every monument on the trail.

Sherif Erian, CEO at the Aga Khan Trust for Culture Egypt, explains that with further EU funding, the tourist route project is currently undertaking training and capacity-building of local businesses in tourism management, the promotion of small businesses, and pollution reduction in the Al-Darb Al-Ahmar area.

It is training SCA employees on digital documentation and in the English language to enable better communication with tourists about heritage crafts in the area, and it is upgrading craft shops along the route to encourage shopping. It is also engaging in the final phase of the restoration of the Al-Maridani Mosque.

Erian said that over the past two decades as part of a broader urban-regeneration project spurred by the creation of the Al-Azhar Park, the Aga Khan Trust for Culture has restored several historic monuments in this dynamic but fragile quarter. It has also helped local people to build better futures through education and health initiatives, as well as vocational training and job creation related to the restoration efforts.

The tourist trail of Al-Darb Al-Ahmar will take visitors on a trip through history, allowing them to admire some of the most mesmerising monuments of Islamic Egypt from the Fatimid, Ayoubid, and Mameluke eras. The monuments include mosques, schools, complexes, palaces, and 700-year-old handicraft markets whose workers are as talented and skilled as ever.

Among the monuments are the following:

THE EASTERN AYOUBID WALLS

These were built in three different periods.

In the first period, the walls used mud bricks and were designed by founder Gawhar Al-Siqili. They have now been demolished, and the only remains are now in the Archeological Triangle area and at Bab Al-Tawfik.

The second building campaign of the walls was carried out by Badreddin Al-Gamali, a minister of the Fatimid Caliph Al-Mostansir Bi-Allah. The remains of these walls can be seen in Bab Al-Tawfik.

In the third period, the walls were expanded during the reign of the Ayoubid Sultan Salaheddin Al-Ayoubi (Saladin), who extended them from the Citadel to Al-Fustat to surround the whole capital between 1171 and 1193 CE. Major parts still exist in the area of the Borg Al-Zafar Tower extending from Gawhar al-Qaed Street to Bab Al-Wazir between Al-Azhar Park and Al-Darb Al-Ahmar.

BAB AL-BARQIYA

This is a major gate in Cairos Ayoubid Walls constructed between 1171 and 1176 CE. It was covered in debris before its restoration and features a unique bent entrance design.

BORG AL-MAHROUQ TOWER

This is considered to be one of the most significant towers in the Ayoubid Walls.

It is a circular tower located at the meeting point of the northern wall with the eastern wall and consists of three floors. The ground level is an octagonal hall covered by a dome of the height of the floor of the tower supported by eight curved corner niches and side rooms, which are equipped with arrow slits.

A staircase leads to the first floor, consisting of a circular passage going around the dome of the ground floor. Opening out from the outer side of the passage are six small chambers with arrow slits. Another staircase leads up to uppermost floor of the Tower that consists of an octagonal middle open hall from which open five shooting rooms. Before its restoration, the tower was completely covered with rubbish.

THE ASLAM GATE

Also known as the Burned Gate, this is the third in importance of the gates of the eastern Ayoubid Walls.

It used to lead to a sheep market and was known as the Bab Al-Qarateen until the time of the Emir Al-Muizz Aybak, when a feud between him and the Amir Aqtay Al-Jamader led to the latter being killed and his Mameluke servants evacuated to Syria. They left their houses at night heading to the Bab Al-Qarateen, which they found closed, so they burnt it down and exited through it. Since then, it has been called the Bab Al-Mahrouq (Burned Gate).

The gate consists of two semi-circular towers, with shooting rooms in each. The towers once enclosed a passage with a bent entrance that was later completely demolished due to the modern constructions built above it. These were removed during the recent restoration and whatever remains from the original constructions has been revealed.

THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL TRIANGLE

Located on the eastern side of Al-Azhar Park, this was so named in 2000 due its shape and the presence of many monuments within it. The most significant are the rear facade of the eastern Walls of Salaheddin and the mudbrick remains of the earlier Walls of Gawhar Al-Siqili. There are also the remains of buildings of the Fatimid and Mameluke eras.

THE TARABAY AL-SHARIFI COMPLEX

Founded by the Emir Tarabay Al-Sharifi, one of the princes of the Sultan Al-Ashraf Abu Nasr Qaitbay, the complex consists of a sabil and a dome with several rows of stalactites. In the middle of the southwest side is the main entrance of the dome, which is preceded by a double staircase. The sabil consists of a rectangular chamber with a room dedicated to keeping tools and for the storage of water.

THE EMIR ALIN AQ PALACE

This was built by the Amir Alin Aq Al-Hossami in 1293 CE and is one of the few Mameluke private residences still conserved in Cairo. The palaces architectural style belongs to the same typology as the Emir Bashtak and Menjik Al-Youssefi Palaces in the same area, but is larger in terms of buildings. It consists of two floors: the ground floor has a vaulted entrance leading to a courtyard, while the second floor consists of a large open-air area.

THE KHAIR BEK COMPLEX

This was built by the Emir Khair Bek in 1502 CE, one of the princes of the Sultan Al-Ghuri. He played a major role in the political changes in Egypt and Syria at the time, particularity when he cooperated with the Ottomans against his master the Sultan in the battle of Marj Dabek close to Aleppo.

For this reason, people called him Khair Bek (the traitor). When the Ottomans conquered Egypt, they appointed him an important official for five years until his death in 1521 CE. The Khair Bek Complex consists of three main components: a madrassa, a mausoleum, and a sabil and its associated buildings.

AQ SUNQUR MOSQUE (BLUE MOSQUE)

This was constructed in 1347 CE by the Emir Shamseddin Aq Sunqur, a Mameluke of the Sultan Al-Nasir Mohamed Ibn Qalawun. It is located at an equal distance between the Bab Zuwayla and the citadel and was refurbished by the Ottoman prince Ibrahim Agha Al-Mustahfizan.

The mosque is also a funerary complex containing the mausoleums of its founder, his sons, a number of children of the Bahri Mameluke sultan Al-Nasser Mohamed, and that of its principal restorer, Ibrahim Agha Al-Mustahfizan. It was named the Blue Mosque because of the blue glazed ceramic tiles covering its walls.

The 1654 restoration project included restoring its roof and arcades and adding columns to support the mosques southern prayer hall. The building was decorated with blue tiles and used as a congregational mosque.

THE UM AL-SULTAN SHAABAN MOSQUE AND MADRASSA

This is the only royal construction in Al-Darb Al-Ahmar.

Sultan Al-Ashraf Shaaban Ibn Hussein Ibn Al-Nasser Mohamed Ibn Al-Mansour Qalawun commissioned the construction of this madrassa for his mother Khwand Baraka Khatoun Bent Abdallah and the wife of the Emir Al-Amgad Hussein Ibn Al-Nasser Mohamed Ibn Qalawun, who was the father of her son Al-Ashraf Shaaban.

Khwand Baraka made many religious donations, especially during her pilgrimage year of 1368 CE. She played a major role in the political life of the time and in consolidating her sons rule.

THE BEIT AL-RAZZAZ

This is one of the most beautiful Mameluke and Ottoman houses in Al-Darb Al-Ahmar and dates back to Sultan Qaitbays rule.

During the Ottoman era, it was the residence of Ahmed Katkhoda Al-Razzaz, a wealthy rice merchant after whom the house was named. The house is a single residence made of two single houses. The first property was built in 1480 by Sultan Qaitbay and has highly decorative windows on the second floor. Its structure mainly consists of stone, brick, and carved wooden windows, while its interior walls and ceilings are made of painted wood panels. The second floor was used as the womens quarters, while the men occupied the downstairs area.

The second house was built by Al-Razzaz in the 18th century, probably to accommodate a growing family and an increasing network of relationships. It is said that the mansion was used by the same family for centuries. The building was abandoned in the 1960s and became the property of the Ministry of Antiquities from the late 1970s.

THE AL-TANBUGHA AL-MARIDANI MOSQUE

This was built by Alaaeddin Altunbugha ibn Abdallah Al-Maridani, who began his career as a khassaki (imperial guard) and cup-bearer of the Mameluke Sultan Al-Nasser Mohamed ibn Qalawun. He started the construction in 1338-9 and finished it in 1340 CE.

The mosque has survived almost 700 years, and its plans resemble those of the Mosque of Al-Nasser in the Citadel. It contains a large number of high-quality ornaments, such as a beautifully carved wooden screen separating the qibla riwaq (prayer hall) from the rest of the mosque, Monumental granite columns and capitals reused from the Roman period, a mihrab of coloured marble with bands of thin tracery inlaid with mother of pearl of the finest craftsmanship, and ceilings painted and gilded with geometrical designs complete the decoration.

THE AHMED AL-MIHMENDAR MOSQUE

This was built by the Emir Shehabeddin Ahmed Al-Mihmandar, who was the commander of the Egyptian army in the third period of the Sultan Al-Nasser Mohamed Ibn Qalawuns rule. The building was initially organised as a school and as a khanqa (Sufi residence), but later the Amir Soliman al-Qazadoghli decided to build a minaret and a minbar and convert it into a mosque in 1722 CE.

THE MOSQUE OF QIJMAS AL-ISHAQI OR THE ABU HARIBA MOSQUE

This was built by Emir Qijmas Al-Ishaqi, one of the Mamelukes of the Sultan Qaitbay. Its alternative name, Abu Hariba, is inspired by Sheikh Abu Heriba, a local governor who was buried under the dome of the mosque in 1852. This mosque is distinguishable from other mosques in Al-Darb Al-Ahmar because of the large number of shops in the basement to fund the maintenance costs of the building. The mosque is featured on LE50 banknotes.

THE AL-SALEH TALAA MOSQUE

This was built by the Armenian Saleh Talaea Ibn Ruzik, who was a minister under the rule of the Fatimid Caliph Al-Faaez Bi-Allah. The building is located outside the gates of Fatimid Cairo and is considered the last mosque to be built in the Fatimid era. It is also the second Fatimid mosque to be built outside the walls of Cairo after the mosque built by the Caliph Al-Hakeem.

THE QASABAT RADWAN BEK (AL-KHAYIAMIA)

One of the main commercial places of the Ottoman era, it was established by the Amir Radwan Bek Al-Faqqari, one of the most important officials of the 17th century Ottoman period. Some of its shops are still in business.

THE ZAWYAT AND SABIL OF FARAJ IBN BARQOUQ

This is a small Sufi establishment that is noteworthy primarily for the lovely panels of inlaid polychrome stone on the exterior. It is likely there was originally a kuttab as well, but nothing of it survives.

The zawiya, or small mosque, which was restored by the Comite de conservation des monuments de lArt arabe in 1923, was moved from its original location directly fronting the Bab Zuwayla to accommodate the widening of Al-Darb Al-Ahmar. The portal was also added at this time. The painted and gilded wooden ceiling of the sabil is a masterpiece of muqarnas decoration.

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Aisha Fahmy Palace

1 Aziz Abaza St, Zamalek, Tel 02 2735 8211

The Complex of Arts

An exhibition of drawings and paintings by Ahmed Nawwar tracing his art career since the 1960s until today (20 February- 20 April).

American University in Cairo

New Cairo Campus, Abdul Latif Jameel Hall, Plaza Level, Tel 02 2615 3318

The Photographic Gallery

The Photographic Gallery organizes an exhibition of the best in visual journalism for 2022 as part of the 16th edition of Egypts Press Photo annual competition.

Egypt Press Photo is a renowned annual competition of national photojournalism organized by the Syndicate of Journalists and run by the Photojournalists Collective. The exhibition showcases 40 of the best-winning projects of contemporary photojournalism produced by 35 local Egyptian photojournalists (16 February-23 March).

Sharjah Art Gallery

Graphic Design Open Studio: Senior Show Exhibition, the open studio is a collective show of diverse graphic design students work over the past semesters (19 February - 9 March, open daily from 9am-4pm, closed in weekends).

Azad

4 Mohamed Anees St, in front of the Embassy of China, Zamalek, Tel 0100 3270364

Desert Fields paintings by Mhanny Yaoud (28 February-11 March).

Cairo Opera Complex

Gezira Exhibition Grounds, Zamalek

Salah Taher gallery

Tel 02 2739 0132/0144

A Journey 70 paintings by Osama Nashed on the rural life of Egypt and the life of fishermen (closing 4 March).

Music Library (Ziad Bakir) gallery

Without Limits exhibition by Ismail Attiya showcases 60 canvas paintings and 20 paintings printed on paper (closing 4 March).

Palace of Arts

The Third Sculpture Salon 2023 exhibition (closing 15 March).

Ebdaa

23 B Ismail Mohamed St, Zamalek, Tel 02 2736 6239/0100 2155702

A retrospective exhibition by artist Abdel-Ghaffar Shedid

(closing 2 March).

Goethe Institute

5 El-Bustan Street, Downtown, Tel 02 2575 9877/ 219/ 01288711134

Takhshena gallery

Ingrams on a Lunar Calendar exhibition by Rana Al-Nimr, a multidisciplinary artist whose work focuses on questioning the meaning of the experience of space and time. In this exhibition, she uses a variety of materials, along with video presentations and printing in various techniques. Through her works, she traces the different forms, modes, and sources of knowledge and invites visitors to reflect on individual and collective ways of absorbing knowledge (16 February- 30 April).

Italian/Egyptian Centre for Restoration and Antiquities (CIERA)

31 Al Suyuffeya St, Al Helmeya, Cairo, visitors are welcomed by appointments so contact the manager Mr. Salah Ramadan 0100 8716067

Architectural complex of the Mevlevi Dervish Samaa Khana, Restorations and Restorers permanent exhibition of the activities of the working/formation sites for the restoration and recovery of the monuments. Visitors are welcomed during the opening hours determined by the Ministry of Antiquities.

Karim Francis

1 Al-Sherifein St, 3rd St right off Kasr Al-Nile St, Downtown, Tel 0100 667 4823

Memory Flow exhibition of paintings by Mustafa El-Husseiny

(closing 9 March).

Mashrabia Gallery of Contemporary Art

10 Mahmoud Bassiouny St, Qasr Al-Nile, Downtown, 6th floor, Tel 02 25750353 /0100 1704554

How I Became a Madman is Essam Alaas second solo exhibition inspired by Khalil Gibrans book The Madman made up of parables and poems (23 February- 16 March).



The Egyptian Museum

Tahrir Sq, Sadat Station, Tel 02 2578 2452

Experiencing Heritage  A Digital Bridge between Egypt and Italy virtual exhibition is an immersive experience on Italian and Egyptian cultural heritage, combining three different digitization models (360 digitization - 2D digital animation - 3D interactive virtual reality), aiming to enhance and promote the importance of Italys cultural heritage, through an unprecedented virtual journey that allows viewers to visit some of the most prestigious cultural sites in Italy and Egypt

(5-9 March).

Picasso

30 Hassan Assem off Brazil St, Zamalek, Tel 02 2736 7544

Hall I

I am Free exhibition of paintings by Helmy El-Tony

(3-20 March).

Hall II

Spread your Wings painting exhibition by Hannan Youssef

(3-20 March).

TAM

KM 28, Cairo-Alexandria Desert Road, Abu Rawash, Giza, Tel 01000773860

Paintings exhibition by Ayyad Alnimer (18 February-11 March).

New Cairo, District 5, Marakez, Sokhna Road

The Light Side of Black solo exhibition of painting by Ahmed Osman (25 February-16 March).

Zamalek Art gallery

11 Brazil St, Zamalek, Tel 02 2735 1240

The Nile an exhibition by Futuristic Nostalgia Group: Farghali Abdel-Hafiz, Adel Mostafa, Carelle Homsy, Neamat El-Diwany, and others (5 March - 15 April).

ALEXANDRIA

Bibliotheca Alexandrina

Chatby, Alexandria 21526, Tel (03) 4839999

Archeological Museum

A permanent exhibition on the results of the Archaeological Mission of the University of Turin in Nelson Island.

Experiencing Heritage  A Digital Bridge between Egypt and Italy virtual exhibition is an immersive experience on Italian and Egyptian cultural heritage, combining three different digitization models (360 digitization - 2D digital animation - 3D interactive virtual reality)

(12-19 March).

* A version of this article appears in print in the 2 March, 2023 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly

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A 5.6 magnitude earthquake hit southeastern Turkey on Monday, killing one person, injuring at least 110, and causing a number of already-damaged buildings to collapse.

The new tremor came three weeks after a 7.8 magnitude shook Turkey and Syria and killed more than 50,000 people.

Turkish authorities said that rescue teams were immediately deployed Monday to rescue people from the rubble. A father and daughter who were trapped beneath the ruins of a four-story building they had entered in the town of Yesilyurt to retrieve their belongings after the earlier quake were saved. Yesilyurt, in Malatya province, was the center of Monday's quake.

Yunus Sezer, the head of Turkey's Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD), said that search and rescue teams had been deployed at five buildings. The region has had four earthquakes in the past three weeks, as well as more than 10,000 aftershocks, according to AFAD's general director of earthquake and risk reduction, Orhan Tatar.
Italian officials say at least 62 migrants died when the wooden boat they were in broke apart in heavy seas Sunday off the Italian coast. At least 12 of the dead are children. Some bodies washed ashore at a resort in the Calabria region.

At least 80 people, including those rescued by emergency workers and others who were able to swim ashore after the boat disintegrated, survived the wreck, officials said.

Photos show big chunks of the vessel on the beach near the town of Steccato di Cutro, and pieces of wood and other debris all along the shore. "It's an enormous tragedy," Crotone Mayor Vincenzo said.

One of the men from the ship was taken into custody by Italian authorities on suspected trafficking charges.

Survivors estimate that between 150 to 200 people were onboard the vessel that began its journey a few days ago from Turkey. Officials fear that the death toll may reach more than 100. Many of the migrants were from Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Sergio Di Dato of Doctors Without Borders told the BBC that the survivors are "heavily traumatized." He said, "Some children have lost their whole family. We are offering them all the support we can."
The National Assembly narrowly voted against a motion on Monday to strip main opposition Minjoo Party leader Lee Jae-myung of his immunity so he can be arrested for corruption and bribery.

Of the 297 lawmakers who cast their ballots, 139 supported the motion and 138 opposed it, nine abstained and 11 other votes were deemed invalid.

But a lawmaker's immunity can only be lifted by an absolute majority or at least 149 votes, so Lee scraped through safely in the end.

The Minjoo Party, which controls a super-majority in the National Assembly and had expected an overwhelming rejection, was stunned when at least 31 of its members rebelled. Only 138 out of the party's 169 lawmakers opposed the motion, while 20 abstained or spoiled their ballots.

It took much longer than expected to count the ballots as two were barely decipherable. After an hour-long discussion, one was eventually counted as a vote against and the other ruled invalid.

Rattled by the result, Lee said, "I intend to communicate more with my party members and listen to their opinions so that we can put up a strong fight against the dictatorial government of former Prosecutor General [now President] Yoon Suk-yeol."

Prosecutors sought an arrest warrant for Lee on charges of corruption in several land development projects when he was mayor of the satellite town of Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province.

They are now widely expected to indict him without arrest once further investigations into more allegations surrounding him are complete.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has today received Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

Speaking at the meeting, President Ilham Aliyev said:

- Dear Sergey Viktorovich, I am glad to see you again. Welcome to Azerbaijan! It is a good tradition that we have been hosting you for years now. Our minister also regularly visits your country. Your current visit is dedicated to the first anniversary of the Declaration on allied interaction signed in Moscow on February 22 last year. It is a very significant and important step in the development of relations between our countries. This Declaration essentially reflects the spirit and nature of our relations, the positive resources generated by our relations, and lays out the path for mutual activity in the coming years.

I must say that last year was marked by a very dynamic nature of our relations. There were several meetings at the presidential level. You visited Azerbaijan and your colleague visited Russia. There were mutual visits by the heads of governments and parliaments of our countries, as well as visits by other officials. This shows that our relations are fully developing, very important issues are being addressed, and I think we have got off to a good start this year. Your visit to Azerbaijan at the beginning of the year will also give a special impetus to our interaction this year.

If we begin to list the areas of activity that bring us together, it will probably take a lot of time. We can count the areas where our work is not so active yet. However, this does not remain unnoticed either. This is why we hope for serious mutual steps in the fields of traditional interaction  political dialogue, energy, transport, trade, humanitarian cooperation and alliance, which we need to bring to the level of interaction.

I would also like to note with pleasure that the pre-coronavirus dynamic of mutual visits between the citizens of our countries is being recovered now. Clear evidence of that is that, according to the information provided to me today, Russian and Azerbaijani air carriers perform 135 flights every week. That, in my opinion, this record figure indicates that citizens of our countries are visiting each other with great pleasure.

Of course, we will also talk about issues related to regional security today. I do hope that 2023 will be a year of progress in the normalization of relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia. Or at least we hope so. I would like to thank the Russian government and you personally for your active participation in this process. I think that Russia, as our friend, ally and neighbor, has a special role to play in helping to regulate interstate relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia. Last year, an important effort was made in this direction, documents defining the conceptual nature of the future peace agreement, namely the mutual recognition of the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the two countries, were adopted. This was confirmed by the documents adopted in Prague and Sochi last October. These documents have laid the foundation that can be used for reaching a peace agreement. In any case, we are determined to do positive and constructive work together with the Armenian side and our friend and neighbor, Russia, in order to quickly turn the page of this hostility and return peace to the South Caucasus.

Of course, the agenda of our relations and today's talks is not limited to the areas I have mentioned. Therefore, we will go over the agenda in detail. I am sure that the results of the visit will be positive as usual. Welcome again.

x x x

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said:

- Thank you very much, dear Ilham Heydar oglu. First of all, let me pass on President Putin's sincere greetings and friendly wishes to you. He personally pays special attention to the development of our allied interaction. As you said, these days we are celebrating the anniversary of the signing of the Declaration during your visit to the Russian Federation last year. It is beyond doubt that this Declaration established the new level of mutual activity and determined ways to deepen it and raise it to a qualitatively new level. As you noted, practical cooperation is developing very efficiently and extensively in all directions. This includes your regular contacts with the President of the Russian Federation, meetings between the heads of government and ministers of the two countries.

We are in regular and personal contact with my colleague, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan, Jeyhun Aziz oglu Bayramov, and, as it has just been said, in an online format. Undoubtedly, the turnover of goods, which is an indicator of our economic cooperation, is also reaching record levels, and this is not the limit. Because you have discussed with President Putin the preparation of several mega-projects that will be not only bilateral, but also regional and even global in nature. You and many of our partners are interested in these projects. This shows how promising interaction with the participation of Russia and Azerbaijan as leaders of this region is.

Of course, we are interested in the development of cultural relations. We have quite a few significant days. Last year, we celebrated the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations, this year we celebrated the first anniversary of the Declaration on allied interaction. In the spring, we will celebrate the 100th anniversary of the birth of Heydar Alirza oglu Aliyev. We are planning a series of events together with our Azerbaijani friends. I am sure that these events will demonstrate the mutual interest of our citizens in each other, in our history, and in the pages of our shared history that have continued to this day and helped us maintain friendly, family and kinship ties between our countries.

I completely agree with you that the indicators of the recovery of visits by our citizens further demonstrate this situation and our efforts to develop relations in the humanitarian and educational sectors. We appreciate your own and your government's attention to supporting the Russian language and creating all conditions for Azerbaijani citizens who wish to speak Russian and use it at work, as well as to give this opportunity to their children.

Dear Ilham Heydar oglu, as you have emphasized, regional security remains a very relevant topic in our bilateral and multilateral relations. Many of our international colleagues, including those located far from this region, are showing great interest in creating conditions for progress in the normalization of relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia. As President Putin has repeatedly said, we welcome all efforts aimed at stabilizing the situation and creating conditions for all countries located in this region to have the opportunity to cooperate in the interests of their countries and peoples on the basis of mutual respect and mutual benefit.

Let me sincerely thank you for receiving me, and I am sure that this visit will help us to move forward along the path laid out by President Putin and yourself.

x x x

President Ilham Aliyev: Thank you very much, Sergey Viktorovich. I would also like to ask you to convey my greetings and best wishes to Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, and also to express my gratitude for such a kind attitude to the memory of Heydar Alirza oglu Aliyev. We appreciate it very much. Thank you.
KYODO NEWS - Feb 28, 2023 - 19:37 | World, All

One of the Asia-Pacific region's largest multinational military exercises, Cobra Gold, kicked off Tuesday in Thailand in full scale after being scaled down in the past two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The 42nd annual drill, co-hosted by Thailand and the United States, is being held through May 10 with around 10,000 personnel from 30 countries participating under the aim of enhancing regional interoperability. It includes for the first time a space exercise, which covers response to potential attacks on satellites.

Aside from the co-hosts, Japan, South Korea, Indonesia, Singapore, and Malaysia are full participants, while China, India and Australia are involved in a limited scope.

The United States is sending about 6,000 personnel this year, while Japan is sending about 150 personnel.

At an opening ceremony at Utapao Navy Camp Base in the eastern province of Rayong, U.S. Ambassador to Thailand Robert Godec said the exercise has expanded over the years as its participants have recognized new opportunities for cooperation across a broad range of shared security challenges.

"Our response to human conflicts and natural disasters and emergencies includes many same core tasks, communicating and planning, moving personnel and equipment, and coordinating logistics. Practicing these tasks annually is critical to ensuring a timely and effective response," the ambassador said.

This year's exercises included tabletop exercises, field training, and exercises on humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, as well as training in the cyber and space domains.

The space exercise is aimed at fostering understanding of the impacts of aerial phenomena such as solar storms on military operations, communication systems and satellites.

The Cobra Gold exercises have been held since 1982.
KYODO NEWS - Feb 28, 2023 - 17:01 | All, Japan

Japan's House of Representatives on Tuesday approved a record 114.38 trillion yen ($840 billion) budget for fiscal 2023, making its enactment certain before the new fiscal year starts in April as the nation faces a cost of living crisis and security threats from its neighbors.

The state budget includes 6.82 trillion yen in defense spending to bolster its defenses against threats posed by China, North Korea and Russia and 36.89 trillion yen in social security costs, the largest ever, amid the rapid graying of Japan's population.

Following approval by the lower house, the House of Councillors will start its deliberations, but the upper chamber's approval is not a must. The budget automatically takes effect 30 days after it is sent to the upper house.

Fiscal 2023 is the first year of a five-year defense buildup program adopted late last year by the government of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida that is projected to cost 43 trillion yen, a more than 50 percent increase from the current five-year plan.

The government will use non-tax revenue to fund the record defense spending for the year from April and plans to secure necessary funds by increasing corporate, income and tobacco taxes from fiscal 2024 or later, with details on the exact timing yet to be worked out.

Opposition party lawmakers have been urging Kishida to explain why Japan needs to fundamentally bolster its defense capabilities and increase necessary spending by imposing higher taxes. The buildup plan includes buying 400 Tomahawk cruise missiles from the United States as part of its efforts to acquire "counterstrike capabilities."

In recent days, Kishida, who is scrambling to shore up his falling popularity, has come under fire for his remark in parliament that the government would double its child care budget, now at 2 percent of gross domestic product. Facing questions about how to fund the increase, the government has since toned down the pledge.

Japan's fiscal state is in dire straits, with debt more than twice the size of its economy. A record tax revenue of 69.44 trillion yen is estimated for fiscal 2023, but the government needs to issue government bonds worth 35.62 trillion yen to fund the state budget.

The powerful lower house is controlled by the ruling coalition of the Liberal Democratic Party and its smaller partner Komeito.

The Democratic Party for the People, an opposition party, has decided not to support the latest budget, citing its opposition to the government's tax hike plan to increase defense spending as one of the reasons. The decision is an about-face from last year when it endorsed the fiscal 2022 budget, a move criticized by other opposition parties as cozying up to the ruling parties.

Related coverage:

FOCUS: Kishida set to be asked to boost economy after tapping new BOJ chief

Gov't revises PM's pledge to double Japan's budget for children

Japan to build depots as likely sites for new missiles in Oita, Aomori
KYODO NEWS - Feb 28, 2023 - 18:36 | All, Japan

Japan's space agency said Tuesday that it has selected a World Bank employee and a surgeon as astronaut candidates in its first recruitment drive in more than 13 years, with expectations high that they may have the chance to join an international mission to the Moon.

Makoto Suwa, 46, a disaster prevention specialist at the World Bank, and Ayu Yoneda, one of the youngest ever candidates at age 28 and a surgeon at the Japanese Red Cross Medical Center, will join the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency for two years of training.

"I don't think the path ahead will be easy, but I hope to go to the Moon if possible," Yoneda told a press conference in Tokyo, as she expressed her joy after being picked from over 4,000 applicants, a record high.

She will become the third female astronaut in JAXA, after Chiaki Mukai and Naoko Yamazaki.

Suwa, who is the oldest candidate ever selected, said he felt "a great sense of responsibility," as he joined the press conference online from the United States, where he works. He did not give up despite failing in the previous 2008 astronaut recruitment drive.

If they become officially certified as astronauts, the two could participate in missions on the International Space Station, as well as take part in the Artemis Project, a U.S.-led international effort aimed at advancing lunar exploration and eventually sending astronauts on missions to Mars.

Under the Artemis program, which also involves Japanese and European space agencies, the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration is working to return American astronauts to the Moon for the first time since the conclusion of the last Apollo mission in 1972 and establish a long-term presence there.

Japan, a close U.S. ally, is pitching to become the second country after the United States to land an astronaut on the Moon, possibly in the latter half of the 2020s.

"I'm interested in seeing how the Earth looks from the Moon during an eclipse," Yoneda said.

The average age of JAXA astronauts is currently 52 to 53, and their retirement age is 60, triggering concerns about whether a sufficient number of astronauts will be in active service when lunar exploration is planned to accelerate.

Yoneda and Suwa have passed JAXA's exams that began in April last year, with a total of 4,127 people applying. The space agency had relaxed many of its entry conditions to garner a diverse array of applicants, with experience in related fields not a prerequisite.

Eight men and two women made it to the final round of exams in January through February this year.

Suwa previously worked on a Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers program in Rwanda and for the World Meteorological Organization. Yoneda graduated from the University of Tokyo's graduate school of medicine in 2019.

Suwa and Yoneda are the first people to be selected as potential astronauts since Norishige Kanai in September 2009.

According to the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, there have been two others chosen to be astronauts who were the same age as Yoneda upon selection -- Koichi Wakata and Yamazaki.

Related coverage:

U.S.-led Moon exploration project cannot succeed without Japan: NASA

Japan astronaut applicants take final exam on mock lunar surface

Japanese astronaut apologizes for data tampering, issued warning
KYODO NEWS - Feb 28, 2023 - 12:25 | All, Japan

Japan decided Tuesday to add 143 individuals and organizations linked to Russia to its list of sanctions over the country's invasion of Ukraine, after the Group of Seven leaders pledged to levy further punishments on Moscow last week.

The sanctions, including asset freezes and bans on exports by Japanese firms, target politicians, military officers, businesspeople and companies in Russia, among others.

The Wagner Group, Russia's private military firm founded by an ally of President Vladimir Putin, is among those added to the list of sanctions by Japan, the Foreign Ministry said.

Wagner has been designated as a "significant transnational criminal organization" by the United States, which alleges the military company is deploying about 50,000 personnel in Ukraine.

Since Russia launched its major attack on Feb. 24, 2022, Japan and Western countries have imposed sanctions on Moscow, such as freezing the assets of Putin and the nation's central bank.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who presided over a G-7 online summit on Friday, the first anniversary of Moscow's war against its neighbor, has expressed his readiness to bolster sanctions on Russia.

In a joint statement released after the video summit, the G-7 vowed to levy "new coordinated economic actions" against Moscow "in the days and weeks ahead" to "further undermine Russia's capacity to wage its illegal war of aggression."

Related coverage:

G-7 vows to strengthen coordinated sanctions on Russia over Ukraine

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Japan adds targets for Russia sanctions over war in Ukraine
KYODO NEWS - Feb 28, 2023 - 04:23 | All, World

U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen on Monday reaffirmed Washington's economic and budgetary support for Ukraine after making a surprise visit to Kyiv.

Yellen held meetings with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and high-ranking officials, telling them that the United States will continue to side with the country in its efforts to defend itself against Russia's attacks and rebuild its communities.

Her visit was made on her return to Washington from a meeting of Group of 20 finance chiefs in India. It came as Russia's invasion of Ukraine has entered its second year and after U.S. President Joe Biden staged an unannounced trip to Kyiv a week ago, pledging Washington's "unwavering" commitment to the war-torn country.

The United States has provided more than $14 billion in economic aid to Ukraine and will additionally disburse over $8 billion in the coming months, according to the Treasury Department.

"We are committed to providing you with the security assistance you need to defend your country. But we also know that resistance on the frontlines isn't possible without a strong and stable home front: an economy that functions, and a government that continues to provide vital services," she was quoted as telling Zelenskyy.

Related coverage:

U.S. unveils new sanctions against Russia, more aid for Ukraine

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Photos, video show impact of 1 year of war on Ukrainians
KYODO NEWS - Feb 28, 2023 - 14:40 | All, Japan

The operator of a century-old ryokan inn in southwestern Japan on Tuesday admitted telling staff not to regularly change its hot-spring bathwater, which led to levels of legionella bacteria as much as 3,700 times over standard limits.

"Management of the bathwater became inadequate from December 2019 and even more careless with the sharp drop in customers due to the coronavirus pandemic," Makoto Yamada, head of the operator of the Daimaru Besso inn in Chikushino, Fukuoka Prefecture, told a press conference in apologizing for the incident.

The Fukuoka prefectural government has found that the inn only changed the bathwater twice yearly. A local ordinance says hot-spring bathwater should be changed at least once a week.

"It was not about cutting costs, but to save time and effort," said Yamada, who added he will resign when the problem is settled.

Yamada also admitted to instructing staff to falsify bathwater chlorination records submitted to a public health office even though he knew doing so was against the law.

An inspection in November by the prefectural government found bacteria levels as much as 3,700 times the acceptable limits.

The inn apologized on its website, saying it resumed offering its main common bath at the end of December with proper hygiene standards.

The inn was founded in 1865 and its past guests include Emperor Hirohito, posthumously known as Emperor Showa.

Related coverage:

Japan inn in hot water for bathwater bacteria 3,700 times the limit
KYODO NEWS - Feb 28, 2023 - 20:21 | All, Japan

State-backed chipmaker Rapidus Corp. said Tuesday it will build a plant in Hokkaido, northern Japan, as it seeks to begin mass-production of chips with state-of-the-art 2-nanometer technology in five years.

The company declined to provide the investment plan for the new plant but has said it will spend 5 trillion yen ($37 billion), including research and development expenditure, to launch mass-production.

The factory will be a chip-production hub in Japan, as the country aims to rejuvenate its semiconductor sector through government initiatives.

Rapidus President Atsuyoshi Koike said in a meeting with Hokkaido Gov. Naomichi Suzuki that his company decided to set up a plant in Chitose, southwestern Hokkaido, citing ample water supply and availability of renewable energy as the reasons. Semiconductor chips need to be rinsed with ultrapure water.

The company is planning to set up the plant in an industrial complex near New Chitose Airport but declined to give other details such as production capacity and the construction schedule.

"We hope to make a specific plan based on the government's viewpoint and budget approval procedure", Koike told reporters.

Advanced chips to be made at the plant could be used in 5G communications, quantum computing, data centers, self-driving vehicles and digital smart cities.

Rapidus, established by Toyota Motor Corp., Sony Group Corp. and six other major Japanese companies last year, plans to set up a trial production line around 2025.

The government will provide subsidies of 70 billion yen as part of efforts to revive the country's semiconductor industry, which has lost its competitive edge to producers in Taiwan and South Korea over the years.

Rapidus has recently partnered with U.S. tech giant IBM Corp. to manufacture advanced chips.
KYODO NEWS - Feb 28, 2023 - 19:39 | All, World, Japan

A Japanese court on Tuesday sentenced a 26-year-old man to three-and-a-half years in prison for attacking another man with sulfuric acid at a Tokyo subway station.

The Tokyo District Court convicted Hirotaka Hanamori of causing injury to a man, who had belonged to the same university club as Hanamori, at Tokyo Metro's Shirokane-takanawa Station in the capital in August 2021. Prosecutors had sought a six-year sentence for the defendant.

Hanamori pled guilty at the trial's first hearing in September last year. According to the indictment, he threw acid on the man as he was riding an escalator on the night of Aug. 24, 2021, and caused burns to his face and damage to both eyes, which were injured due to further complications for around three months.

Presiding Judge Masaru Nomura said in the ruling that Hanamori had been made fun of and feared the victim would harm him and that experiences in the past had made him believe he was being targeted by the victim.

While recognizing that Hanamori could have been influenced by his autism, the judge said that he had planned the attack "with strong determination and made careful preparations."

Hanamori was put on a nationwide wanted listed after the attack. He initially fled Tokyo for his residence in Shizuoka, and subsequently flew to Okinawa, where he was arrested within days.

While the defendant and the victim were in the same club when students at the University of the Ryukyus in the southernmost prefecture of Okinawa, Hanamori later went on to enroll at Shizuoka University in central Japan.

Related coverage:

Suspect in Tokyo acid attack arrested in Okinawa

Man put on wanted list over acid attack at Tokyo subway station

2 injured in acid attack in Tokyo subway station, suspect at large
* China downgraded its management of COVID-19 and facilitated the smooth and orderly cross-border travel of Chinese and foreign nationals in early January 2023. As the new semester approaches, many international students are flocking back to China to restart campus life with excitement and hope.

* Despite the impact of the epidemic, China's economy still shows significant resilience. In 2022, China's GDP exceeded 120 trillion yuan (about 17.25 trillion U.S. dollars) for the first time, an increase of more than 20 trillion yuan compared to three years ago.

* Returning to China, international students have learned about the changes taking place in China in a direct way.

TAIYUAN/GUANGZHOU, Feb. 27 (Xinhua) -- When Alansi Mohammed saw the stretching terrain of the Loess Plateau through the porthole again, he was so excited that his heart almost "jumped out."

"It has been three years. I finally made it back to my second hometown," said the Yemeni.

Alansi is an international student majoring in electronic commerce at Shanxi University in Taiyuan City, capital of north China's Shanxi Province. He returned home for winter vacation in January 2020.

China downgraded its management of COVID-19 and facilitated the smooth and orderly cross-border travel of Chinese and foreign nationals in early January 2023. As the new semester approaches, many international students like Alansi are flocking back to China to restart campus life with excitement and hope.

Data from China's Ministry of Education showed that nearly 500,000 foreign students from 196 countries and regions studied in China in 2018. For the past three years, those who had returned to their home countries had to take classes online to continue their studies.

RESTART CAMPUS LIFE

"After I was informed that I could come back, the school provided meticulous assistance, while the entry procedures were easy, and so the whole trip was very smooth," said Alansi, who believed China's adjustment of entry-exit policies could greatly promote the resumption of global personnel exchanges, adding that he was one of the beneficiaries.

Although Tran Mai Huong is set to graduate from the International Business School of Zhejiang University in east China's Zhejiang Province in June, the Vietnamese student has never been to China. She plans to visit China to prepare for her graduation, and also to learn as much as possible about Chinese customs and culture.

To welcome the large number of returning international students, many universities have started to provide relevant services.

Peking University offered visa agency services during the winter vacation, including visa procedure application acceptance, collecting passports with visas already issued, consulting and answering questions, to name a few. In addition, the university has announced the enrollment prospectus for the Chinese Language Summer School this year, which is to offer a variety of offline courses.

Indonesian student Joshua Timothy Solomon (1st R, back) poses for a group photo with other Indonesian students in Guangzhou, south China's Guangdong Province, Jan. 15, 2023. (Xinhua)

SURGING VITALITY

Despite the impact of the epidemic, China's economy still shows significant resilience. In 2022, China's GDP exceeded 120 trillion yuan (about 17.25 trillion U.S. dollars) for the first time, an increase of more than 20 trillion yuan compared to three years ago. Returning to China, international students have learned about the changes taking place in China in a direct way.

Indonesian student Joshua Timothy Solomon came to China to study at Sun Yat-sen University in 2017. He returned to Indonesia before the outbreak of the epidemic in early 2020. During the past three years, Joshua had to take online classes.

He was eager to return to campus for offline medical courses. "Clinical medicine is a very practical major. In addition to theoretical knowledge, practice is of great importance," Joshua said, adding that the new semester is also a good opportunity to meet new friends.

At the same time, he also looks forward to various activities arranged by the university and face-to-face communication with fellow students and teachers, which is incomparable with online courses.

After a long separation, he said the campus had become more beautiful upon arriving at Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou, capital of south China's Guangdong Province.

"When I left in early 2020, everywhere was being renovated and it was like a large construction site. Most of the renovation work has been completed now, and it looks very clean and tidy."

Besides the campus, the city of Guangzhou has kept developing despite COVID-19. "What impresses me most is that there are now more subway lines in Guangzhou," the Indonesian student said.

Data shows that the mileage of Guangzhou Metro has increased by more than 100 km in the past three years, and the total mileage is expected to exceed 650 km by the end of 2023.

Dania Zaman, who studied clinical medicine at Shanxi Medical University in Shanxi Province, shared the same feeling about the changes in China. On the afternoon of the Lantern Festival, after a trip to China that lasted two days, Dania could not wait to put down her luggage and rush to downtown Taiyuan to experience the Lantern Festival.

"It was the first time I had participated in the celebration of the festival. The lantern riddle solving, lantern shows and other activities made me feel the great importance attached to traditional culture by the Chinese people," she said.

It has been just three years, but the changes in Taiyuan surprised the Pakistani student. Zhonglou Street, where the Lantern Festival was celebrated, was an ordinary commercial street three years ago. But now, it has been renovated and has become a popular area in the city, with a daily passenger flow of more than 200,000 people at the peak time.

In addition, Dania also noticed that transportation is now more convenient and more friendly to the environment. There are more shuttle buses from campus to downtown, the first subway in Taiyuan has opened, and more new energy vehicles can be seen on the streets of the city.

"Just as I expected, China is still full of vitality and bustle. It seems like I never left," Dania said.

Dania Zaman visits downtown Taiyuan in north China's Shanxi Province to experience the Lantern Festival on Feb. 5, 2023. (Xinhua/Xie Yuan)

SHARING DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES

China has made breakthroughs in the fields of 5G communication, new energy, artificial intelligence and other scientific and technological areas over the years. This has been among the key factors behind the country's appeal for foreign students.

"From my perspective, China is at the forefront of computer science development on a global scale. China is the most digitalized country I have ever visited. The sheer scale of its digital infrastructure is astonishing -- from the world's largest 5G network to the widespread use of artificial intelligence in top Chinese companies," said Paula Rodriguez De Viguri Azor, a Spanish student at South China University of Technology in Guangzhou.

According to data from the National Bureau of Statistics, China's research and development expenditure had exceeded 3 trillion yuan in 2022. The Global Innovation Index (GII) 2021, released by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), also said that China's global innovation index ranking had risen steadily for the 9th consecutive year, demonstrating strong upward momentum.

Speaking of her future plans after graduation, Paula said that she is determined to work for either a Chinese company or an international corporation with connections to China.

Paula Rodriguez De Viguri Azor, a Spanish student at South China University of Technology, attends International Youth Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao GBA Dialogue in Guangzhou, south China's Guangdong Province, Feb. 18, 2023. (Xinhua)

As a major contributor to the global economy, China has great potential for international collaboration and business opportunities with companies from all around the world, Paula said, adding that by promoting international exchanges and mutual understanding among different countries, more international friends will fall in love with China as much as she has.

For Alansi, who is about to graduate, his primary goal at present is to complete his thesis. More importantly, he hopes to better understand China's e-commerce industry and apply the experience to his future career.

Alansi said that he set up an e-commerce store in Yemen last year to sell Chinese cosmetics. Although the start was difficult, continuous adjustment of the business model and the support of friends and relatives, had enabled the small store to achieve a profit after seven months of operation.

However, Alansi is in no hurry to expand the store's sales at this stage. He believes that the most important thing right now is to learn more about the successful model of Chinese e-commerce and to secure a good reputation for his store.

(Video reporters: Lu Hao, Xie Yuan; video editors: Zheng Xin, Cao Ying) 
BEIJING, Feb. 27 (Xinhua) -- Chinese police dismantled more than 160 organized crime groups and 1,520 criminal gangs in 2022, amid ongoing efforts to combat organized crime, the Ministry of Public Security said on Monday.

More than 20,000 criminal cases were concluded last year, the ministry said, noting that these efforts consolidated the achievements of a three-year nationwide campaign against organized crime, which was launched in January 2018.

The police took down 28 organized crime groups and 229 gangs active in rural areas, effectively maintaining social order in China's countryside, the ministry said.

It said it would coordinate with special crackdown operations targeting the education sector, loan activities and the circulation of goods and services to prevent gang-related crime. 
Qabil Ashirov

On February 27, 2023, Azerbaijan launched inter-state arbitration against Armenia under The Energy Charter Treaty (ECT), Azernews reports, citing the Foreign Ministry.

In a Notice of Arbitration served on Armenia, Azerbaijan seeks redress and financial compensation for Armenia's violation of Azerbaijan's sovereign rights over its energy resources during Armenia's nearly 30-year-long illegal occupation of Azerbaijani territories from 1991 to 2020.

Armenia violated multiple provisions of the ECT and fundamental principles of international law by denying Azerbaijan from accessing its energy resources in the Karabakh region through military force; exploiting Azerbaijan's energy resources for Armenia's own benefit; and depriving Azerbaijan of the opportunity to further develop its energy resources in line with its national energy policy and environmental commitments.

A key feature of Azerbaijan's inter-state ECT claims against Armenia is the latter's illegal exploitation of the Karabakh region's rich hydropower resources.

The Karabakh region contains 25% of Azerbaijan's internal water resources, making it an optimal location to leverage for hydroelectrical power.

Chief among the hydropower assets illegally exploited by Armenia is the Tartar hydro-electricity plant (Tartar HEP) on the Tartar River's Sarsang reservoir. Armenia captured the Sarsang Reservoir and the Tartar HEP in 1994, as part of its armed aggression against Azerbaijan's sovereign territory.

Armenia also constructed at least 37 additional unauthorised hydropower facilities on Azerbaijan's sovereign territory during the occupation.

Along with the electricity generated by the Tartar HEP, the output of these additional unauthorised facilities was expressly designated "an avenue of export" to Armenia.

To facilitate its illegal exploitation of Azerbaijan's hydropower, Armenia established a "whole unified system" of electricity distribution from the formerly occupied territories to Armenia, "regulated from Armenia" the "daily volume of electricity production," and granted putative "licenses" to energy companies to operate the region's existing facilities.

During the occupation, Armenia also extracted coal from the Chardagly mine in Azerbaijan's Tartar district for use in the Yerevan thermal power plant in Armenia.

Eventually, Armenia facilitated its illegal exploitation of Azerbaijan's hydropower and coal resources by constructing additional energy infrastructure on Azerbaijan's territory. For example, Armenia funded the construction of a new coal-transport highway, described as a "direct lifeline" between Armenia and the occupied territories that would play "an instrumental role" in Armenia's security.

Armenia also damaged existing energy transit facilities, such as the natural gas pipeline connecting Yevlakh to the Nakhchivan exclave of Azerbaijan. Thus, as a result of the occupation, Azerbaijan was unable to provide natural gas service to Nakhchivan.

This arbitration case is an effort to secure justice and reparations for nearly 30 years of illegal exploitation and expropriation of Azerbaijan's energy resources by Armenia, on Azerbaijan's internationally recognized sovereign territory.
This undated photo shows Tang Dafeng (L), her husband and her daughter Zhizhi, who was diagnosed with Rett syndrome. (Xinhua)

by Xinhua writer Zhao Jiasong

BEIJING, Feb. 28 (Xinhua) -- Tang Dafeng began livestreaming on Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok, at 10 p.m., saying hello to the audience and introducing the story of her three-year-old daughter, who two years ago was diagnosed with Rett syndrome, a rare disease that most had never heard of.

On Douyin, many mothers of daughters with Rett syndrome like Tang are sharing their stories of their kids fighting the disease, and in this process more helping hands are extended to families in need.

Rett syndrome is a rare genetic neurological and developmental disorder that affects the way the brain develops. It particularly affects speech, purposeful hand use, and coordination, leaving individuals understanding more than they can communicate.

Caused by a gene mutation, this disorder is first recognized in infancy and occurs primarily in girls. According to statistics, one in every 10,000 to 15,000 girls is born with this syndrome.

Austrian medic Andreas Rett originally described Rett syndrome in 1966. The first case in China was reported by Peking University First Hospital in 1988.

"My doctoral supervisor Wu Xiru was the first to diagnose this disease in China. In 1991, I became a clinical doctoral student under the guidance of Professor Wu and began to do research on Rett syndrome," said Bao Xinhua, an expert in pediatric neurology with Peking University First Hospital.

Bao said that she diagnoses about five Rett syndrome cases monthly on average. "These children had usually been diagnosed with brain dysplasia and autism before," said Bao.

Tang's daughter Zhizhi is one of Bao's patients.

At the beginning of 2021, after discovering that her daughter showed signs of autism, as well as degradation in hand function and language, Tang arranged all kinds of examinations in a hospital in Beijing, but the results showed that everything was fine with her daughter.

"In a WeChat group for parents of autistic children, a father suggested that Zhizhi might be a 'Rett child,' and added that this meant that she wouldn't live long, and at that moment I was trembling," Tang recalled.

On March 9, 2021, Tang came to Bao's clinic with 18-month-old Zhizhi, and reserved a genetic test for Zhizhi. About a month later, Tang received the result of the report, which finally confirmed that Zhizhi had Rett syndrome.

After Zhizhi initially showed symptoms of Rett syndrome, Tang quit her job in Beijing and the whole family moved back to Cangzhou, a city in north China's Hebei Province, also the hometown of Tang's husband.

Tang said it was hard for her to transform her identity from an office worker to a stay-at-home mother, let alone being a mother of a child with special needs.

In May 2021, Tang established an account on Xiaohongshu, China's lifestyle-focused social media platform, to share her knowledge about Rett syndrome and details of her daughter's daily rehabilitation training. She has also been constantly answering questions for those parents who suspect their kids might have such a syndrome, and she readily accepts interview requests either from media organizations or college researchers.

Wang Nan is a mother of a pair of four-year-old twins, both of whom were diagnosed with Rett syndrome when they were 15 months old. Like Zhizhi, they are also receiving rehabilitation training.

"Now, the rehabilitation cost of two children is 80,000 to 100,000 yuan (about 11,500 to 14,400 U.S. dollars) a year," said Wang, adding that there is no rehabilitation institution that is exclusively set up for children with Rett syndrome in China yet, and this means her twins are receiving treatment together with autistic patients.

Currently, there are no drugs on the market globally to treat Rett syndrome. However, families like the Tangs and the Wangs are not simply waiting; on the contrary, they persist in communicating on social media, sharing information about this rare syndrome with the public.

"I used to worry that people would discriminate against my children, but now I don't. I truly feel the value of my daughter as a child with a rare disease and our value as parents of a child like Zhizhi," said Tang. In her view, "it is most urgent for patients with Rett syndrome to be noticed and understood by the public."

Rare diseases can be hard to diagnose and treatment can be difficult, and this is a major public health problem commonly faced by people around the world. In recent years, China has increased investment in medicine and health.

There are now more than 4,800 prenatal screening institutions and some 500 prenatal diagnostic institutions nationwide. Authorities are also making efforts by cutting value-added tax on imports and domestic production of anti-rare-disease drugs, and increasing the number of treatment drugs included in China's medical insurance catalog.

Thanks to a state bulk procurement program, starting from Jan. 1, 2022, the price of a single jab of Nusinersen, a medicine used to treat spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), a rare neuromuscular disorder, declined from 700,000 yuan to 33,000 yuan in China, while the national health insurance will cover many such expenses.

"This news has given us great confidence. Now, Zhizhi can also receive living and rehabilitation subsidies from the government. I have faith that we will overcome all the obstacles we face," Tang said. 
A doctor gives a boy medical treatment during an event held by Guizhou Provincial People's Hospital and the Guizhou Hospital of Shanghai Children's Medical Center to provide children with free multidisciplinary consultation and gene tests in Guiyang, southwest China's Guizhou Province, Feb. 28, 2023. (Xinhua)

by Xinhua writers Wu Si, Li Qianyu

GUIYANG, Feb. 28 (Xinhua) -- Wang Chaobin (pseudonym) and his wife, residents in southwest China's Guizhou Province, gave birth to two babies, who both passed away when they were less than one year old.

Their third child developed symptoms of coughing, wheezing, and breathing difficulties when he was nine months old. After treatment at the Guizhou Hospital of Shanghai Children's Medical Center, the little boy was temporarily out of danger.

After knowing the couple's reproductive history, doctors at the hospital carried out tandem mass spectrometry and gene testing. They found that the third child suffers from a rare disease -- primary carnitine deficiency combined with dilated cardiomyopathy.

Wang Xike, a pediatrician at the hospital, said this rare disease is mostly found in infancy and results from gene disorders. "Despite low incidence, the disease should be diagnosed and treated in time, which helps reduce the damage to the heart muscle and organs and improve the life quality of children," Wang added.

Now, the boy has his disease under control with the oral drug L-carnitine. He can go to kindergarten and enjoy his childhood like other children.

There are more than 7,000 rare diseases and 350 million related patients worldwide. About 80 percent of rare diseases are hereditary, and some 50 percent start in childhood.

Most rare diseases can neither be identified and diagnosed in time nor treated effectively, thus bringing a massive burden to society and the family.

China has about 20 million patients with rare diseases, with more than 200,000 new cases found annually. In January, seven drugs for rare diseases, including pulmonary hypertension and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, were added to the national medical insurance drug list. At present, there are 52 drugs on the list covering 27 rare diseases.

Before the Spring Festival holiday in 2023, six-year-old Xiaoshen (pseudonym) was hospitalized for bronchitis in a county hospital in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. He was diagnosed with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) when he was one and a half years old.

"Due to this disease, he is too weak to hold the spoon and easily chokes while sitting and eating," said Qin Li, Xiaoshen's mother. Thanks to the Chinese government's centralized drug-procurement program, the price of a single jab of the drug Nusinersen to treat SMA decreased from 700,000 yuan (about 101,000 U.S. dollars) to 33,000 yuan. China's national health insurance will cover most of the expenses, and they only need to pay some 8,000 yuan.

"With the drug, we have hope," said Qin.

From the diagnosis and publication of a catalog of rare diseases to drug development and establishment of a medical collaboration network, China has made great efforts to improve the public's awareness and treatment ability of rare diseases.

Cui Dao, a resident from Guizhou, took his child to have a physical examination in a local hospital and was told to take the child to Shanghai to figure out a problem with the youngster's hip joint. Fortunately, experts from Shanghai came to Guizhou.

"We can enjoy convenient medical services in the province, which helps save time and money for traveling," said Cui.

Since November 2022, experts from Shanghai Children's Medical Center have come to Guizhou to carry out diagnosis, treatment, and operations for children with complex and baffling diseases, including rare diseases.

In March, Guizhou Hospital of Shanghai Children's Medical Center will be put into formal operation in the capital city of Guiyang. This public hospital is one of the fourth batches of China's regional medical centers to bring high-quality medical resources from the east to the western regions.

"We try to reduce the incidence of rare diseases from the very beginning of life," said Ge Yihua, a senior doctor at Guizhou Hospital of Shanghai Children's Medical Center.

There are more than 8,000 known birth defects, and a large proportion are rare. China has encouraged premarital examination, birth examination, and newborn screening to prevent birth defects.

There are now more than 4,800 prenatal screening institutions and some 500 prenatal diagnostic institutions nationwide, offering early screening, treatment and intervention for rare diseases. 
HANGZHOU, Feb. 28 (Xinhua) -- When light hits many ordered structures in subtle objects, reactions such as refraction, diffuse reflection, and diffraction will occur, resulting in structural colors, such as the wing hues of insects and birds.

A Chinese research team from Westlake University has drawn inspiration from the phenomenon and developed full-color inkless printing technology.

In a study recently published in the journal Nature Communications, the research team has developed a composite film composed of ultra-hard ceramic materials and used an ultrafast laser to fabricate micro-nano structures on the film's surface, providing a new idea for the industrial application of inkless laser color-printing technology.

The annual global sales of printers have reached hundreds of millions. The widely used inkjet or laser color printers require a lot of ink or toner. The ink contains volatile harmful substances such as lead, cadmium, and mercury. The toner releases small particles that can be absorbed by the human body, causing harm to the environment and human health.

The structural color, however, features long durability and high resolution and is environmentally friendly, according to the study. It is hence becoming an attractive technique in many applications. But there are problems in these applications, such as narrow color gamut, limited materials, and easy fading.

The research team developed a novel "paper," a composite ceramic film about 110 nanometers thick, one thousandth the thickness of a human hair.

The film has three layers. The bottom layer is gold-like titanium nitride, which acts as a reflective layer to block light and increase brightness. The intermediate layer is a high-loss aluminum-titanium nitride dielectric, which can regulate the absorption of natural light. The top layer is aluminum oxide.

When an ultrafast laser is applied to the surface of the aluminum-titanium nitride, an additional transparent thin film of aluminum oxide is formed, which, together with the aluminum-titanium nitride, regulates the natural light absorbed.

The team applied the laser to the film and controlled the energy or scanning speed of the laser to change the thickness of the aluminum oxide film and the aluminum-titanium nitride film.

After the thickness changes, the natural light will form specific reflected colors through the complex interference effect between the three layers, thus forming different colors.

Using various techniques, researchers performed a material analysis of the laser-colored areas and confirmed that the observed colors were from the laser-induced oxide layer, said the study.

The technology can achieve full-color inkless printing with high speed and high resolution, presenting nearly 90 percent of the standard RGB, better than current mainstream laser coloring technology. 
ANKARA, Feb. 28 (Xinhua) -- Nearly 42,000 Syrian refugees in Turkiye have voluntarily returned to their homeland following the massive earthquakes that caused tremendous destruction in the region, Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said on Tuesday.

The Syrians, who were affected by the deadly quakes on Feb. 6 and "lost their home, children and relatives" in southern Turkiye, have been returning to their country, the minister told reporters at a press conference in southern Hatay province.

Turkiye hosts nearly 3.5 million Syrian refugees who fled their country after a civil war erupted in 2011. Nearly half of the refugees have been taking shelter in southern Turkiye which was heavily hit by devastating quakes.

The Turkish government last year banned Syrian refugees with temporary protection permits to make roundtrips between the two neighboring countries to encourage a thorough return to their homeland.

The government has loosened move-around travel restrictions for refugees after the quakes, allowing them to go and stay up to six months in Syria before coming back to Turkiye.

More than 46,000 people have died in Turkiye and Syria since 7.7- and 7.6-magnitude earthquakes struck the Turkish southern province of Kahramanmaras on Feb. 6. 
NEW YORK, Feb. 27 (Xinhua) -- On the morning of Feb. 13, 2022, 35-year-old Christina Yuna Lee was found dead in her bathroom stabbed 40 times after a man, Assamad Nash, silently followed her up six flights of stairs into her lower Manhattan apartment, only because of her Asian descent.

Following the random yet violent murder, mourners placed flowers, candles, photos and cardboard signs condemning anti-Asian hatred outside the residential building. However, the makeshift memorial for the Korean-American victim was repeatedly vandalized.

Every attack on the memorial is pretty much anti-Asian and "it is very scary now," said Brian Chin, Lee's former landlord, whose family came to the United States from China six decades ago. "They're doing it with hate."

Lee's tragedy and similar racist incidents are just the tip of the iceberg regarding anti-Asian racism in the country.

Since the COVID-19 outbreak, some U.S. politicians have blatantly spread and hyped up conspiracy theories to shift the blame for their failed response to the contagion onto Asian Americans, causing a surge in anti-Asian hate crimes.

Over three years into the pandemic, the U.S. government, turning a blind eye to science and basic facts, recently introduced discriminatory restrictions targeting tourists arriving from China, raising concerns about further aggravating the situation.

"THEY DON'T DARE GO OUTSIDE"

In the past few years, shocking racist attacks against Asian Americans have occurred frequently in the United States.

For instance, on July 14, 2020, in New York City, an 89-year-old Chinese American woman was slapped in the face by two male strangers on the street, and when she tried to escape, the men set her clothes on fire from behind.

On Aug. 30, 2021, an elderly Filipino woman was pushed down the stairs by a white man in Rego Park Subway Station in Queens, New York, resulting in her sustaining serious facial and physical injuries.

Jenny H., in her 60s, has been living in San Francisco for more than 30 years. She didn't give her full name to Xinhua for fear that she would again become a target of racial assaults after the interview.

The lady used to like going outside, doing voluntary work, talking to strangers on buses ... though such a life is now nothing but a distant memory to her.

In 2020, she had her bones broken in a subway station after someone violently pushed her to the ground. Furthermore, she was once hit in the face by a bus passenger, leaving permanent damage to her eye. Nowadays, she must go to the hospital every three months for a medical checkup, but other than that, she doesn't dare to go outside amid the spike in Asiaphobia.

Some U.S. politicians bear a great deal of responsibility for this situation, as they tend to scapegoat the Asian community and deliberately stoke xenophobia and racism to cover up their own incompetencies in solving domestic political problems.

Haipei Shue, president of United Chinese Americans, an Asian American advocacy group, told Xinhua that the United States is regressing in the fight against racial discrimination at an alarming rate.

In 2021, hate crimes against Asian Americans rose sharply by 339 percent compared with 2020, showed data from the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism, a U.S. nonpartisan research and policy center.

Between March 2020 and December 2021, nearly 11,000 hate incidents against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders were reported to the national coalition Stop Asian American and Pacific Islander Hate. One in five incidents occurred as an attacker attributed the impact of COVID-19, income volatility and other problems to Asians and Asian Americans.

In March 2021, Robert Aaron Long, a 21-year-old white man, opened fire in three Asian Massage shops and spas in Atlanta with a gun, killing eight people, including six Asian women.

When addressing a speech at Emory University, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris said, "Racism is real in America, and it has always been there. Xenophobia is real in America, and always has been."

"Asian Americans have been attacked and scapegoated," she said. "People with the biggest pulpits spreading this kind of hate."

In May 2021, U.S. President Joe Biden signed the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act. Yet a study published by Pew Research Center in May 2022 showed about six in ten Asian adults see violence against Asian Americans in the United States as increasing, while 19 percent say there has not been much change.

ANTI-ASIAN AMERICAN RACISM IN U.S. HISTORY

In June 2005, construction crews unearthed bones and artifacts while widening a road to make room for the Gold Line rail extension to east Los Angeles. Archaeologists later found 174 burial sites, some dating back as far as the 1880s. A few had headstones with engravings in Chinese, and some contained artifacts such as teapots and jade jewelry.

Historians believe the site was once a potter's field, a cemetery for the poor, that was lost to developments in the 1920s. Many Chinese were buried there because they were not allowed to be buried among whites in the nearby Evergreen Cemetery.

In 1863, the United States embarked on the Pacific Railroad project, North America's very first transcontinental railroad, and recruited some 12,000 Chinese workers to construct the project under extremely dangerous and challenging conditions.

Over five consecutive months between late 1865 and early 1866, more than 3,000 Chinese railway workers were killed in avalanches caused by frequent snowstorms. The victims, in ragged clothes and barefoot, were not discovered until the snow melted months later.

Despite their historical contributions to U.S. development, Chinese Americans have become victims of social repulsion and racial violence.

In 1854, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Asian Americans were not and could not be citizens in a case, and such restrictions on Asian Americans' access to citizenship were not finally abolished until around the 1940s.

The earliest record of organized violence against Asian Americans was in 1871, when a group of whites rushed into an Asian community near Los Angeles' Chinatown, shooting and hanging 21 Chinese Americans to death, burning down the community, and driving the residents out of the city.

The severe prejudice against Asian Americans eventually led to the prohibition of Chinese immigrants in the United States with the enactment of the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, which stayed in force until 1943.

The sin of racial discrimination is deeply rooted in U.S. history, with the Chinese Exclusion Act being one epitome, said Shue, head of the above-mentioned Chinese Americans advocacy group. Targeting and suppressing a specific ethnic group, the law has caused irreparable harm to Chinese Americans.

On the night of June 19, 1982, 27-year-old Chinese American Vincent Chin was beaten to death by two white autoworkers in the U.S. city of Detroit at a time when local politicians, union leaders and auto executives blamed Japan for the decline of the U.S. auto industry, and Chin was mistaken as a Japanese.

The two criminals were eventually fined 3,000 U.S. dollars and sentenced to probation. Charles Kaufman, a former U.S. judge who ruled the case, said, "These weren't the kind of men you send to jail ... You don't make the punishment fit the crime; you make the punishment fit the criminal."

"In 1982, Mr. Chin was made into a scapegoat not only for Japanese autoworkers and executives but also a deteriorating way of life for those once solidly in the middle class but quickly falling out of it," wrote David Shih, a professor of English at the University of Wisconsin, in an opinion piece published in The New York Times last year.

Today, Asian Americans are also "the scapegoat for a fading sense of well-being in a market-driven and hypercompetitive society," Shih said.

"IT'S A DEEP-ROOTED PROBLEM"

Earlier this year, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention instituted discriminatory entry restrictions against China, requiring travelers flying from China to the United States to provide negative COVID-19 test results taken within two days of departure or proof of recovery from the disease within 90 days.

Jonathan Reiner, a professor of medicine and surgery at the George Washington University School, tweeted in response that "The U.S. plan to require travelers from China to be tested prior to departure is mostly performative," adding "The Chinese testing is just a gesture."

The policy itself isn't the main concern, but rather the larger anti-Chinese environment under which the rule has been imposed. And it's an issue that extends beyond the pandemic, said John C. Yang, president and executive director of Asian Americans Advancing Justice.

"We are concerned that that is another place where it will be an excuse to China-bash and thereby cause a backlash against Chinese Americans and the Asian American community as a whole," Yang said.

Just about a week after the entry restrictions took effect, an 18-year-old Asian woman at Indiana University Bloomington was attacked and stabbed several times in the head by a 56-year-old white woman with a knife on a bus. The suspect told police that her target was "Chinese" and it "would be one less person to blow up our country."

Huping Ling, a renowned U.S. historian focusing on Asian American studies, said xenophobic violence against Asian Americans has deep historical roots in the United States. She pointed out in her book "Asian American History and Culture: An Encyclopedia" that driven by racially biased and discriminatory laws and policies, xenophobic violence began with the first wave of Chinese immigrants to the United States and has been repeated ever since.

Li Minjin, an Asian-American writer who grew up in Queens, New York, said in an interview with American media that no matter how educated Asian Americans are or how safe their communities are, they are likely to encounter insults and attacks, and may even be killed. This is the historical result of the long-term persecution of the Asian community.

Some scholars argue that unlike discrimination against African Americans, discrimination against Asian Americans in U.S. society has been xenophobic historically. At its core, from its psychological roots, is a view of "alienating Asians permanently."

Chinese-American historian Erika Lee wrote in the book "The Making of Asian America: A History" that while the discriminatory laws of the past have been repealed, Asian Americans have not achieved full equality in American society. Many Asians settled in the United States generations ago but are still considered outsiders, which has allowed discrimination against them and made them the target of violence, murder, and hate crimes.

Chinese-American writer and journalist Katherine Chen admitted in a review article that for many years, she has felt like an outsider in the United States, with no choice but to alienate her ethnic traditions and culture. Asian-American groups were beaten, stabbed, or pushed onto subway tracks, but "what happened to us was not noticed among our peers, nor in history textbooks and civil rights speeches," she said.

In a broader sense, anti-Asian racism is one manifestation of systemic racial discrimination in the United States. Like African Americans, Latinos, Native Americans and other ethnic minorities, Asians have all been objects of discrimination and oppression by "white supremacists" in the United States for a long time. They are also the victims of racial hatred and antagonism incited by U.S. politicians who are acting out of their own interests.

"We are a nation of immigrants with a history of discrimination and exploitation of minority groups. We are still learning from the mistakes of the past. Asian Americans have contributed mightily to the success of the United States, but there is still much work to be done to treat Asian Americans as Americans," said Committee of 100 President Huang Zhengyu.

The fight against racist words and actions of certain politicians and leaders towards the Asian American community as well as long-held stereotypes is staged on a daily basis, Huang added.

Zhang Yunhan, a tea shop owner in Washington, D.C., was subject to anti-Asian attack, and he believes that the surge in hate crimes in the wake of COVID-19 is a culmination of the racism that has plagued the United States for centuries. "It's not going to go away. It's a deep-rooted problem," he told Xinhua. 
BEIJING, Feb. 28 (Xinhua) -- At the invitation of External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar of the Group of 20 (G20) President India, Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang will attend the G20 foreign ministers' meeting in New Delhi on Thursday, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning announced here Tuesday. 
A Chinese seed company and a Pakistani company jointly provide high-quality hybrid seeds to Pakistani farmers to help the country meet its edible oil demand.







Produced by Xinhua Global Service
BEIJING, Feb. 28 (Xinhua) -- Tian Huiyu, former president of China Merchants Bank, has been indicted for suspected bribery, power abuse, trade on undisclosed information, insider trading and disclosing inside information, the Supreme People's Procuratorate (SPP) said Tuesday.

Upon the designation of the SPP, the prosecution was brought by a procuratorate in the city of Changde, Hunan Province, following the conclusion of investigations into Tian's cases by the National Commission of Supervision and the police department of Changde.

According to the indictment, Tian, also former Party chief of the bank, had taken advantage of his posts at various financial institutions to seek benefits for companies and individuals in loan approval, business contracting, job adjustment and other areas.

In return, he accepted an "especially huge amount" of money and gifts, said the SPP statement.

Tian was also accused of disclosing inside information that has a crucial impact on the trading price of securities, purchasing securities based on the information, and instigating others to do so either directly or indirectly, the SPP added.

Prosecutors had informed the defendant of his litigation rights, interrogated him and listened to the lawyers' opinions, according to the statement. 
BEIJING, Feb. 28 (Xinhua) -- Li Guohua, former general manager of the Chinese telecom giant China Unicom, has been indicted for taking bribes and abusing his power.

The Qingdao Municipal People's Procuratorate in Shandong Province initiated a public prosecution against Li at the Intermediate People's Court of Qingdao after the National Commission of Supervision concluded its probe into Li's case.

He was accused of taking advantage of his former positions, including head of the provincial post bureau of Jiangxi and deputy head of China's State Post Bureau, to help others on issues such as project contracting, enterprise organization, and personnel promotion, and taking an especially huge amount of money and valuables in return.

Li also allegedly abused his power, causing a heavy loss to the interests of the state, according to the prosecutor.

Prosecutors had informed the defendant of his litigation rights, interrogated him, and listened to lawyers' opinions. 
Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, makes an important speech at the second plenary session of the 20th CPC Central Committee in Beijing, capital of China. The plenary session was held from Feb. 26 to 28, 2023. (Xinhua/Ju Peng)

BEIJING, Feb. 28 (Xinhua) -- The 20th Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee issued a communique at the end of its second plenary session on Tuesday.

Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, made an important speech at the three-day session, which was presided over by the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee.

A total of 203 full members and 170 alternate members of the CPC Central Committee attended the session. Deputy secretaries of the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and leading officials of related departments were also present in a non-voting capacity.

At the session, the CPC Central Committee heard and discussed a work report presented by Xi, who was entrusted by the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee.

The session adopted a list of proposed candidates for the leading positions of state institutions to be recommended to the first session of the 14th National People's Congress (NPC), and a list of proposed candidates for the leadership of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) National Committee to be recommended to the first session of the 14th CPPCC National Committee.

The plenary session decided to recommend the two lists respectively to the presidium of the first session of the 14th NPC and the presidium of the first session of the 14th CPPCC National Committee, according to the communique.

The plenary session adopted a plan for the reform of Party and state institutions. Xi delivered explanatory remarks on the draft plan at the session.

The session agreed to put part of the reform plan to the first session of the 14th NPC for deliberation in accordance with due legal procedures.

The session fully affirmed the work of the Political Bureau since the first plenary session.

The plenum emphasized that upcoming sessions of the NPC and the CPPCC National Committee are of great significance for further mobilizing the whole Party and people of all ethnic groups to strive in unity to build a modern socialist country in all respects and advance the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation on all fronts.

It was pointed out at the plenum that since the 18th CPC National Congress, the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has made deepening the reform of Party and state institutions an important task in modernizing China's system and capacity for governance.

As a result, the functions of the Party and state institutions have been transformed in a systematic and holistic manner, which has provided a strong guarantee for the Party and the country to make historic achievements and see historic changes in the pursuit of the cause of the Party and the country. Valuable experience has also been accumulated in this process for further deepening the reform of Party and state institutions.

Noting that important arrangements for deepening the reform of Party and state institutions have been made at the 20th CPC National Congress, the session underscored efforts to coordinate the institutions of the CPC Central Committee, the NPC, the State Council, and the CPPCC National Committee, and coordinate the central and local authorities.

Efforts are needed to deepen institutional reform in key areas and ensure that the Party's leadership over socialist modernization becomes more refined in institutional setup, more optimized in the division of functions, more improved in institutions and mechanisms, and more efficient in operation and management, the session noted.

All local authorities and departments should fully appreciate the importance and urgency of the reform of Party and state institutions, and faithfully implement the tasks of institutional reform, the session stressed. 

The second plenary session of the 20th Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee is presided over by the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee in Beijing, capital of China. The plenary session was held from Feb. 26 to 28, 2023. (Xinhua/Yan Yan)

Xi Jinping, Li Qiang, Zhao Leji, Wang Huning, Cai Qi, Ding Xuexiang and Li Xi attend the second plenary session of the 20th Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee in Beijing, capital of China. The plenary session was held from Feb. 26 to 28, 2023. (Xinhua/Xie Huanchi)

Xi Jinping, Li Qiang, Zhao Leji, Wang Huning, Cai Qi, Ding Xuexiang and Li Xi attend the second plenary session of the 20th Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee in Beijing, capital of China. The plenary session was held from Feb. 26 to 28, 2023. (Xinhua/Xie Huanchi)

The second plenary session of the 20th Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee is presided over by the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee in Beijing, capital of China. The plenary session was held from Feb. 26 to 28, 2023. (Xinhua/Yue Yuewei)

The second plenary session of the 20th Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee is held in Beijing, capital of China. The plenary session was held from Feb. 26 to 28, 2023. (Xinhua/Yue Yuewei)
Qabil Ashirov

The parliamentary delegation from Mexico that paying an official meeting to Azerbaijan visited Shusha.

According to the Parliament, the delegation led by Alberto Viegas, the Chairman of the Mexico-Azerbaijan inter-parliamentary Friendship Group of the Chamber of Deputies of the Mexican Parliament, Azernews reports citing the Azerbaijani Parliament..

The delegation was informed about the history of Shusha city, the situation during the occupation period, and the construction works carried out in Shusha today under the direct supervision of President Ilham Aliyev and First Vice-President Mehriban Aliyeva, as well as the restoration of historical monuments in the city.

As part of the visit, the guests got acquainted with the mosques of Upper Govharaga, Lower Govharaga, and other monuments watched the fortress walls of Shusha and visited the city square. Later, the guests were informed about the statues of prominent Azerbaijani cultural figures, Khurshidbany Natevan, Bulbul, and Uzeyir Hajibeyli, that were subjected to Armenian aggression.

In the end, the guests visited Jidir Duzu, which became once again the venue for grandiose events.
A spring snow festival featuring multi-activities was held on February 25 at Yabuli Ski Resort, one of China's earliest ski resorts in NE China's Heilongjiang Province.

With a long snow season that spans half a year in Yabuli, ski enthusiasts were able to enjoy the vibe in early spring.

Produced by Xinhua Global Service


BEIJING, Feb. 28 (Xinhua) -- During an ongoing exhibition at the National Museum of China, it was revealed that China plans to expand its space station in near-Earth orbit by launching a new module that will dock with the existing structure and create a cross-shaped combination.

At the exhibition of achievements in China's manned space program of 30 years, the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) made public its follow-up plans after the assembly and construction of the space station's T-shape structure last year.

The new module, which will function as a node cabin, will have multiple docking ports like the core module Tianhe, allowing the space station to accommodate more spaceships, according to the CMSA.

The agency added that China plans to extend the in-orbit operation of its space station by implementing updates and upgrades.

The exhibition also showcased China's development of a new-generation reusable near-Earth crewed spacecraft with the capacity to carry four to seven astronauts into space and bring back over 700 kg of payloads to Earth. The country's existing spaceship can launch three astronauts into space and bring back 50 kg of payloads.

The space station will shift its priority from technological breakthroughs in the building stage to the performance of space applications. A slew of experiments is currently underway or poised to begin, in the space station. Some of them are aimed at figuring out how to resist microbes that may damage spacecraft metals, produce oxygen from algae in space, and convert heat energy into electricity.

Recently, the in-orbit Chinese astronauts of the Shenzhou-15 crew successfully obtained 3D structural images of their skin cells with the country's self-developed two-photon microscope, which is the first of its kind in the world.

In the coming years, over 1,000 applications across 65 projects will be implemented on the space station. This effort aims to advance key technologies in special material preparation, stem cell and regenerative medicine, high-precision time-frequency systems, and quantum precision measurement, according to the CMSA.

Chinese Survey Space Telescope, also known as the Chinese Space Station Telescope (CSST), will be launched as a part of the space station project, and the telescope, during its normal observations, will fly independently in the same orbit as China's space station.

The CSST is a space-based optical observatory for astronomers to carry out sky surveys, capturing a general map or images of the sky. It can dock with the space station for refueling and servicing as scheduled or as needed, making its maintenance more affordable than Hubble.

This flagship telescope of China is projected to survey an all-sky area with 17,500 square degrees in 10 years after its operation, in order to explore frontier sciences like the accelerating expansion of the universe, dark matter and dark energy, according to the CMSA.

During this exhibition, the CMSA also unveiled China's blueprint for human lunar exploration, which aims to send three astronauts into lunar orbit and allow two to land on the Moon.

Plans are underway for a lunar probe and sample return that will involve collaboration between humans and machines.

A scale-down model of the Long March-10 rocket was also displayed at the exhibition. The new-generation launcher will be used to bring no less than 27-tonne payloads including the lunar lander and moon craft into Earth-Moon transfer orbit.

The rocket measuring 88.5 meters in height, will have a liftoff thrust of about 2,678 tonnes and will be powered by liquid hydrogen, liquid oxygen and kerosene.

According to the exhibit profile, a rectified version of the rocket, without roll boosters and with a liftoff thrust of approximately 873 tonnes, is planned for the space station's manned and freight missions. Additionally, a portion of the rocket will be designed for reusability.

The miniature models of the lunar lander and moon craft have also been put on display at the exhibition, which began on Friday and will run for three months.

The museum's central hall showcases a variety of exhibits, including a same-sized replica of the space station's core module, the re-entry capsule of the Shenzhou-13 spaceship, rocket engines, spacesuits, and other life-supporting facilities in space, drawing a constant stream of visitors. 
BEIJING, Feb. 28 (Xinhua) -- The investigation conducted by the United States into a stray Chinese civilian unmanned airship lacks credibility and objectivity, only serving the political interest of the U.S. side to smear China, an expert on China-U.S. relations told Xinhua.

Wang Wen, executive director of China-U.S. People-to-People Exchange Research Center at Renmin University of China, said there is no specific international law that can be used as a reference for the airship that drifted into the United States due to force majeure earlier this month, so relevant countries should follow international practices.

According to international practices, if an airship or a balloon of one country enters the airspace of another country accidentally, the latter should first determine whether it belongs to the former. Then, the latter should maintain communication with the former over the incident in a restrained and sincere manner and escort the airship to make sure it is under control. Finally, the latter could force it to land if the airship is off course, Wang said.

It is very irrational and improper to shoot down the Chinese civilian airship with missiles, he said, adding that there are rational Americans who think the U.S. government, especially the military, is overreacting.

"Washington doesn't need to make such a fuss," Wang said, noting this as an example of how abusing the use of force has long been ingrained in the United States.

Wang noted an article by Pulitzer Prize-winning American journalist Seymour Hersh, who disclosed that the United States was behind the explosions of the Nord Stream pipelines. Wang also mentioned that a disastrous train derailment in the U.S. state of Ohio resulted in significant air and soil contamination.

"Such events are affecting the approval rating of the Biden administration," said Wang.

The United States intends to further stigmatize and demonize China through the airship incident, hyping up the "China threat" narrative, so as to deflect domestic and international accusations, Wang said, calling out the investigation for being based on the "presumption of guilt."

The United States has framed the airship as a "spy balloon," which is "a thief crying 'stop thief'," Wang said.

Calling the United States the number one country in surveillance, Wang said that Washington has been spying on many world leaders, even the leaders of its European allies. "This has been revealed by former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden and the founder of Wikileaks Julian Assange."

"Is the United States showing off its strength and bravery, or is it showing that it is fragile and not confident in its national security? In the eyes of the Chinese, this exposed the hegemony of the U.S. government and its violation of international law," Wang said. 
SYDNEY, Feb. 28 (Xinhua) -- Concern over Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) is mounting in the Australian state of Victoria, as a new serosurvey has indicated that there could be more infections than previously thought.

The serosurvey, released by the state's department of health on Monday, collected blood samples and questionnaires from more than 800 people in northern Victoria.

It found that about one in 30 participants had previously contracted JEV, which led the health authority to believe that there may have been more infections than the reported case number of 13 during last year's mosquito season.

Besides, the participants who showed evidence of prior infection were aged between 25 and 90, with a median age of 73, and the majority were male. They were identified in all three regions that took part in the survey, namely Loddon Mallee, Goulburn Valley, and Ovens Murray.

The health department noted that the state had already recorded one case of human infection this mosquito season, warning that the virus continues to circulate in parts of Victoria.

The eligibility criteria for vaccination against the virus has also been extended to seven new local government areas.

"By finding more cases than we were previously aware of, this important research reinforces the risk to all in the community that mosquito-borne diseases pose, especially in light of recent flood activity," said Victoria's deputy chief health officer Deborah Friedman.

While vaccination against JEV is available, there are a number of mosquito-borne diseases known to be circulating in Victoria, including Murray Valley encephalitis and West Nile virus, for which no vaccine is available.

Residents are encouraged to take sensible steps to avoid mosquito bites, such as wearing long, loose-fitting, light-colored clothing, using insect repellents, clearing stagnant water around homes or properties, and avoiding the outdoors when mosquitoes are observed. 
CANBERRA, Feb. 28 (Xinhua) -- Authorities have warned monsoonal flooding is likely to become more widespread across Australia's Northern Territory (NT) after rural communities were cut off.

More than 200 mm of rain has fallen across the NT over the past week, with more expected to come as an active monsoon trough produces thunderstorms.

More than 20 river catchments have been impacted by the heavy rains and several have broken their banks, flooding roads and isolating outback communities.

The Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) has issued a moderate flood warning for the Daly River and a severe weather warning for damaging winds and heavy rainfall in six districts.

"Through the Daly River catchment, we've definitely seen widespread falls of around 200 to 300 millimeters in the last week," senior meteorologist Billy Lynch was quoted by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation as saying.

"Rainfall is generally easing, but there's a lot of water flowing through the Daly River system at the moment, so rivers are rising."

The NT government on Sunday said it was planning food drops for communities that have been cut off.

In Woodycupaldiya, an outstation in the West Daly region, 16 adults and 15 children have been left without access to food and medical supplies.

Further south in Timber Creek the storms have exacerbated damage caused by ex-Tropical Cyclone Ellie in December.

The cyclone hit the town on Dec. 23, causing significant damage to homes and critical infrastructure.

Jack Horgan, a member of the Ngaliwurru-Wuli Aboriginal Corporation in Timber Creek, said the town had just returned to normality.

"We've only just recovered from that lot, and now there's another lot which looks to be - depending on what the Bureau is saying - just as bad, if not worse," he said. 
UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak (2nd R) and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen (1st R) attend a joint press conference in Windsor, Britain, on Feb. 27, 2023. The United Kingdom (UK) and the European Union (EU) concluded on Monday a new post-Brexit trade arrangement for Northern Ireland. (Simon Walker/No 10 Downing Street/Handout via Xinhua)

LONDON, Feb. 27 (Xinhua) -- The United Kingdom (UK) and the European Union (EU) concluded on Monday a new post-Brexit trade arrangement for Northern Ireland.

The agreement -- dubbed the "Windsor Framework" -- was struck over the Northern Ireland Protocol, aiming to ease the trading issues created by the Protocol.

After months of negotiations, the deal was announced by UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen after their meeting in Windsor near London.

"I'm pleased to report that we have now made a decisive breakthrough," Sunak said at a joint press conference with von der Leyen. "Together, we have changed the original Protocol and are today announcing the new Windsor Framework."

He said the agreement delivers the smooth flow of trade within the UK, as goods destined for Northern Ireland will travel through a new Green Lane, with a separate Red Lane for goods at risk of moving on into the EU.

In the Green Lane, burdensome customs bureaucracy will be scrapped, meaning food retailers such as supermarkets and restaurants as well as wholesalers will no longer need hundreds of certificates for every lorry, Sunak told reporters.

"This means we have removed any sense of a border in the Irish Sea," he said.

The two sides have also amended the legal text of the Protocol to ensure the country can make critical value-added tax and excise changes for the whole of the UK, "for example on alcohol duty, meaning our reforms to cut the cost of a pint in the pub will now apply in Northern Ireland."

With a settlement on medicines, moreover, drugs approved for use by the UK's medicine regulator will be automatically available in every pharmacy and hospital in Northern Ireland.

A new so-called "Stormont Brake" was also introduced. It will allow the elected Northern Ireland Assembly to stop EU goods laws that would have "significant and lasting effects on everyday lives." When pulled, "the UK government will have a veto," the prime minister said.

"This gives Northern Ireland a powerful safeguard," he said.

Many had called for Stormont, or the Northern Ireland Assembly, to have a say over these laws, he noted. "But the Stormont Brake goes further and means that Stormont can in fact stop them from applying in Northern Ireland."

Sunak called the Windsor Framework a "turning point" for the people of Northern Ireland, saying it fixes the practical problems they face and preserves the balance of the Belfast Good Friday Agreement.

Noting that this year will mark the 25th anniversary of the Belfast Agreement, von der Leyen said the new Windsor Framework is here to benefit people in Northern Ireland and support all communities celebrating peace on the island of Ireland.

"We were both genuinely committed to finding a practical solution for people and for all communities in Northern Ireland," the EU chief said. "This new Framework will allow us to begin a new chapter."

Signed in 1998 following three decades of conflict, the landmark Belfast Agreement established a power-sharing system of government, including an Executive and Assembly. It underpins Northern Ireland's peace, constitutional settlement and institutions.

A lengthy dispute over the Northern Ireland Protocol has recently posed a threat. Under the protocol, Northern Ireland was part of the British customs territory but subject to the EU's customs code, value-added tax rules and single market rules for goods.

However, a de facto Irish Sea border was thus created between the British mainland and Northern Ireland, meaning goods transported to and from Northern Ireland were subject to border controls.

Northern Ireland's pro-Brexit Democratic Unionist Party has demanded the removal or replacement of the protocol as a precondition for it to sit in the assembly and form a devolved government. 

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak (L, Rear) and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen (R, Rear) attend a joint press conference in Windsor, Britain, on Feb. 27, 2023. The United Kingdom (UK) and the European Union (EU) concluded on Monday a new post-Brexit trade arrangement for Northern Ireland. (Simon Walker/No 10 Downing Street/Handout via Xinhua)

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak (L) meets with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in Berkshire, Britain, on Feb. 27, 2023. The United Kingdom (UK) and the European Union (EU) concluded on Monday a new post-Brexit trade arrangement for Northern Ireland. (Simon Walker/No 10 Downing Street/Handout via Xinhua)

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak (R) meets with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in Berkshire, Britain, on Feb. 27, 2023. The United Kingdom (UK) and the European Union (EU) concluded on Monday a new post-Brexit trade arrangement for Northern Ireland. (Simon Walker/No 10 Downing Street/Handout via Xinhua)
The three-year-old male polar bear Dikson watches its reflection on water at Moscow Zoo in Moscow, Russia, Feb. 25, 2023. (Xinhua/Meng Jing)

by Meng Jing, Anastasia Osipova

MOSCOW, Feb. 28 (Xinhua) -- To meet Dikson, a three-year-old male polar bear, it is better to go as soon as Moscow Zoo opens at nine o'clock.

February mornings in Moscow are still freezing, but lively Dikson seems to enjoy playing in the snow, a scene totally different from that six months ago.

Dikson is named after an island in Krasnoyarsk Krai of Russia, where it was found in September last year. At that time, the paralyzed bear dehydrated severely and all it could move was its head and front paws, as it was reportedly shot by a villager for self-protection.

RECOVERING IN ZOO

A few days after it was found, the young bear was sent to Moscow Zoo for a better cure. Also in here, Dikson had a damaged tooth removed.

After more than five months into his rehabilitation, the bear is now recovering well, having grown from merely 60 kg to 160 kg.

Ivan Pazhetnov, head of the department of carnivores at Moscow Zoo, said the bear did not show any aggression upon its arrival. Some days later, it could recognize its caretakers' voices.

The zoo arranged internal enclosures for Dikson, with glass walls covered from outside and a few small observation windows left. Within its living quarters, there is a swimming pool, where it can be trained to move and catch fish.

When Dikson's caretakers released fish into the water, the tender creature suddenly showed interest and began to approach the pool.

After pointing its nose close to the water surface for a while, the bear turned around and lunged into the icy pool backward, where it looked rather accustomed.

After a short while, it made its way back ashore. For every step forward, Dikson had to lean forward, and bow its head with full strength to counter the weight of its lower body, half a step at a time.

Dikson will stay in Moscow Zoo for a while as it still needs continuous medical care, the zoo said.

VULNERABLE POLAR BEAR

Polar Bear is a Red Book animal in Russia, and scientists believe the bears are now in decline in some areas due to various reasons.

The work Moscow Zoo has been conducting is pioneering, as it is the first time in Russia that a polar bear in such a grave condition was transported to a zoo and rescued.

Dikson's caretakers recently have accustomed it to a vibratory massager, aimed at stimulating muscle contraction through an electrical impulse to prevent lactic acid stagnation.

Veterinarians have observed positive dynamics in the bear's condition, as Dikson occasionally puts his hind left paw from "lying" to "sitting" position, moves its ankle more often and responds to touch.

"The goals and objectives of rehabilitation are to achieve some kind of partial regression of the cut, so that we have a bear that eventually stands on its hind legs," said Pazhetnov.

On International Polar Bear Day, which fell on Monday, Svetlana Akulova, head of Moscow Zoo, called on everyone to raise awareness of protecting polar bears, saying the animals are powerful, but also vulnerable.

Global warming and man-made climate change have been making life tough for these impressive predators, with around 22,000 polar bears left in the wild, the World Wide Fund for Nature said on its website.

Dikson is fortunate to be cured, while its brothers and sisters are still facing a serious challenge. 

The three-year-old male polar bear Dikson's reflection is seen on water at Moscow Zoo in Moscow, Russia, Feb. 25, 2023. (Xinhua/Meng Jing)

The three-year-old male polar bear Dikson crawls with its paralyzed legs at Moscow Zoo in Moscow, Russia, Feb. 25, 2023. (Xinhua/Meng Jing)

The three-year-old male polar bear Dikson is seen outdoors at Moscow Zoo in Moscow, Russia, Feb. 25, 2023. (Xinhua/Meng Jing)

This video clip issued by Moscow Zoo on Oct. 5, 2022 shows a staff member feeding Dikson at the zoo in Moscow, Russia. (Xinhua)

This video clip issued by Moscow Zoo on Sept. 6, 2022 shows a staff member dealing with wounds of Dikson upon its arrival at the zoo in Moscow, Russia. (Xinhua)

This video clip issued by Moscow Zoo on Nov. 21, 2022 shows a staff member doing an operation for Dikson to remove a damaged tooth at the zoo in Moscow, Russia. (Xinhua)
BERLIN, Feb. 28 (Xinhua) -- Two people have been seriously injured following gunshots near a school in Bramsche in northwest Germany, according to the local police.

Police have arrested the suspected shooter, and there is no danger to the public. The school itself was also not affected, the police said. 
WARSAW, Feb. 28 (Xinhua) -- Poland's government signed a framework contract on Monday with the country's arms producer Huta Stalowa Wola for the delivery of around 1,000 infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs) and some 400 accompanying vehicles to boost the country's defense capabilities.

Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak said at the signing ceremony that the first four Borsuk (Polish for "badger") IFVs will be delivered by the end of the year. They will gradually replace the Soviet-era BWP-1 IFVs.

"I hope that the Polish Armed Forces will be equipped with new IFVs very soon," Blaszczak said, adding that "the times of the IFVs that the Polish Armed Forces have been using so far are over, now it's time for the Borsuk IFV era."

Alongside the IFVs, the contract also covers reconnaissance, command, medevac, technical support and contamination detection vehicles.

Since 2022, Poland has already signed huge contracts for firearms and howitzers with domestic producers as well as with the U.S. dealers for Abrams tanks and HIMARS rocket systems, and with South Korea for tanks, howitzers and light fighter jets.

In July last year, Blaszczak said his country aimed to build the strongest ground forces of all the North Atlantic Treaty Organization members in Europe. 
BERLIN, Feb. 28 (Xinhua) -- Germany's Transport Minister Volker Wissing has expressed reservations regarding a planned ban on new cars with internal combustion engines in the European Union (EU) from 2035.

A member of the Free Democratic Party (FDP), Wissing is calling for an exception for internal combustion vehicles fueled by e-fuels, namely synthetic fuels produced with green electricity. Otherwise, Germany will not support the legislation in the upcoming votes.

"Against the background of the enormous existing fleet of passenger cars that we have in Germany alone, for the FDP there can only be a compromise on fleet limits if the use of e-fuels is also made possible," Wissing told the German newspaper Bild on Tuesday .

E-fuels, like e-methane, e-kerosene and e-methanol, are all fuels in gas or liquid form that are produced from renewable (solar or wind power, for example) or decarbonized electricity. This raw material differentiates them from biofuels, which are primarily produced from biomass.

In mid-February, the European Parliament approved the new CO2 emissions reduction targets for new passenger cars and light commercial vehicles. Under the new legislation, new passenger cars are to become emission-free by 2035 as the EU is seeking to become climate neutral by 2050.

The law is still subject to the approval of EU member states.

Germany's largest carmaker Volkswagen plans to only produce electric cars in Europe from 2033. As of 2030, at least 70 percent of the company's sales in Europe are to be purely electric cars. In the United States and China, Volkswagen is aiming for more than 50 percent.

After record sales at the end of last year, there were over one million purely battery-electric passenger cars registered in the Europe's largest economy, according to the German Institute for Economic Research (DIW Berlin). The government target for 2030 is 15 million in Germany. 
Fatima Hasanova

Turkiye's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan paid a visit to the country's Adiyaman province, which was devastated by a powerful earthquake.

Additionally, President Erdogan met Sarvar Bashirli, a former internally displaced person from the Minkand village in Azerbaijan's Lachin District, whose efforts to aid citizens of Turkiye were documented, shared on social media, and went viral, Azernews informs.

After being photographed with his old car packed with donations for the fraternal country's earthquake victims, Bashirli gained fame. He arrived in Turkiye a few days ago and is currently helping out in the disaster area.

Noting that, according to the European-Mediterranean Seismological Center, 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.
Rio de Janeiro: Two Iranian warships are now able to dock in Brazil. Sunday's visit will go ahead despite diplomatic hesitation and US pressure.

Vice Admiral Carlos Eduardo Horta Arentz, deputy chief of staff of the Brazilian Navy, announced in the official state gazette (Diario Oficial da Unio) that the Iranian warships IRIS Makran and IRIS Dena have arrived in Rio de Janeiro.

The ships will remain there until March 4, when they leave for the Panama Canal, which separates the American continent.

Also Read: Beijing's peace plan for the ongoing conflict in Ukraine has the support of the Hungarian government

The choice was made despite the US ambassador to Brazil, Elizabeth Bagley, warning Brasilia not to allow the Iranian Navy access to the South American port.

It claimed these vessels "facilitated illegal trade and terrorist activities" at a press conference earlier this month. He continued by saying that so far, no port has been offered for these ships by other countries.

The Iranian warships set sail from Iran's southern coast on their voyage around the world in January. Brazil was supposed to receive the ships in January, but US pressure caused that date to be postponed.

Also Read: Joint NASA and SpaceX mission was suspended because of ignition technical errors

The arrival of ships in a Brazilian port was postponed while President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, also known as Lula, plans his trip to Washington to meet with US President Joe Biden.

Tehran's ships are once again welcome in Rio after the two leaders met earlier this month, which, according to their joint statement, "affirms the vital and enduring nature of the US-Brazil relationship."

Lula has a history of ties with the Islamic Republic; In 2009, he welcomed Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to Brasilia in an effort to mediate a nuclear deal between the United States and Iran.

The US and Iran have been at loggerheads since the Islamic Revolution and the hostage crisis of 19791981. Iran's potential nuclear energy developments are also fiercely opposed by the US, which argues they would give the Middle Eastern nation access to nuclear weapons.

Also Read: Dr. Ronny Jackson: US president's "cognitive decline" may result in fatalities

Tehran has also been accused by Washington of supporting terrorism. One of Iran's most powerful generals, Qassem Soleimani, was assassinated in 2019 in an airstrike by the Pentagon, further fueling the rivalry between the two countries.
Ukrainian businesses can now get grants from Germany via Oshchadbank 28 February, 11:29 AM Oshchadbank (Photo: via Facebook)

The State Savings Bank of Ukraine, or Oschadbank, has launched a program of sub-grants from Germany for micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises, the bank announced on its site on Feb. 24.

The Access to Finance and Support of Sustainability of Micro-, Small- and Medium-sized Enterprises (MSMEs) program is funding by the German government and implemented by German state company Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH in cooperation with Deutsche Sparkassenstiftung fur international Kooperation (DSIK) and the Foundation for Enterprise Development, Oschadbank's announcement reads.

Video of day

"Germany provides up to 30% of the funding in the form of grant support, Oschadbank stated said.

Projects worth up to EUR 240,000 ($255,000), VAT excluded, with a targeted use of funds for the purchase, modernization and reconstruction of fixed assets, as well as replenishment of working capital, are considered for participation in the program. The program is open to any legal non-state entity registered in Ukraine.

Read also: Ukraine receives first EUR 3 billion tranche of EU macro financial aid

The program also aims to enhance business potential and the development of business skills of MSMEs via support of the Ukrainian association of management consultants (CMC-Ukraine), the project beneficiaries.

The consultations will be provided in a wide range of topics, including market expansion within the country and beyond it, strategy development and adaptation, operational and production efficiency, digital transformation, and business relocation.

Grant Support requests will be accepted until April 25, 2023.

"Over 100 of Ukrainian entities will benefit from this grant support thanks to our European partners, in particular those from Germany, said Natalia Butkova-Vitvitska, Oschadbank Board Member in charge of MSMEs.

Read also: Four countries to provide additional financial aid to help Ukraine survive winter

We offer effective support for sustainable business development on reasonable terms. We have a strategically important goal: to ensure business functioning that will allow the countrys economy to recover.

The business lending is carried out under the Memorandum of Cooperation in Financing MSMEs, within the framework of an international technical assistance program called

Application and Implementation of the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement in the field of trade.

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

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Lukashenko urges Zelenskyy to sue for peace with Russia 28 February, 11:37 AM Alexander Lukashenko (Photo:Sputnik/Vladimir Astapkovich/Kremlin via REUTERS)

Self-proclaimed Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has said that Ukraine should "promptly make peace with Russia," Belarusian state news agency BELTA wrote on Feb. 27.

In an interview with China journalists, the Belarusian dictator claimed he is able to intuitively feel the right moment for establishing peace.

"There is a unique situation right now (I can see it and I can intuitively feel it) to put an end to the conflict. There may not be another chance," Lukashenko said.

Video of day

Reasoning his position, he said that Ukraine has time until Russia switches its economy to a war footing.

Lukashenko called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy "a not bad but not experienced man." He said he believes "Ukraine may perish," if it doesn't go for peace right now.

Lukashenko allowed Russia to use Belarusian territory as a launch point for a two-pronged attack by Russian forces on Kyiv in the early part of Moscows full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Since then, his military has hosted Russian warplanes, and drones and missiles have been launched from Belarusian territory to attack Ukraine.

Moreover, after forming a joint grouping of his forces with the Russian army, Lukashenko has regularly moved military forces around the southern border of Belarus, meaning that Ukraine has to maintain a force in its north and west in case of a repeat invasion, while also actively fighting Russia on a long front in the east and south.

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Persistence Market Research

Market Study on Air Oil Separators: Application High in Oil-lubricated Compressors

New York, Feb. 28, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Global air oil separators (non-housing) sales were valued at US$ 1.93 Billion in 2023, with balanced long-term projections, according to latest insights by Persistence Market Research. The report estimates the market to expand at 5.2% CAGR from 2023 to 2033. Air Oil Separator Market is projected to reach a market valuation of close to US$ 3.2 Billion by 2033.



Growing need from the food and beverage Industry for packaged food that needs to be oil-free and contamination free is majorly driving demand for air oil separators (AOS). it is rising due to use in different end-use industries with increase in importunity for oil-free compression in compressors and pumps.

The aftermarket offers potential opportunities for AOS manufacturers. Sales of separators from this channel currently account for more than half of the revenue, since suppliers are developing replacement AOS that meet or exceed OEM specifications.

Click Here to Get Free Sample Copy of this Report@ https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/samples/22252

Key Takeaways from Market Study

Air oil separator manufacturers are focusing on strong profitability from existing product portfolios along with the introduction of new products.

Accelerating growth in select end-markets such as food and beverages and chemicals, new product launches, and leveraging expanded compressor portfolio and technology across various channels are factors positively impacting market expansion.

Application in oil-lubricated compressors to hold around 55% market share.

Continued emphasis on energy efficiency, energy recovery, and CO2 emission reduction is one of the key factors that manufacturers are meeting with their products.

Market in Germany to surge at around 6.3% CAGR through 2031.

Manufacturers offer broad customer portfolios that serve OEMs, thereby building strong customer relationships. They also lay emphasis on the pull and push strategy for aftermarket as well as OEM clients.

Story continues

Upsurge in demand from end-use segments such as food & beverages, chemicals, and HVAC & refrigeration in recent years is expected to provide a thrust to air oil separator (non-housing) sales, says a Persistence Market Research analyst.

Get Full Access of this Report@ https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/checkout/22252

Competitive Landscape

The market for air oil separators is combination of several big players with local players having overseas presence, with key players accounting for around 30% market share. These players are likely to invest in new technology developments and expansion of their networks in order to maintain their market shares.

Some of the key players in this industry are Atlas Copco, Chicago Pneumatic, Donaldson Company Inc., Walker Filtration Inc., Fluitek Corporation, MANN + HUMMEL, Keltec Technolab, PSI Global Ltd., FAI Filtri S.R.L., Sotras S.R.L., T.G. Filter S.R.L., and Ingresoll Rand Inc.

Find More Valuable Insights

The research report analyzes demand for air oil separators. The global market has been analyzed with the COVID-19 impact, various macroeconomic factors, market trends & market background.

As per Persistence Market Researchs research scope, the market has been analyzed on the basis of application, sales channel, end use, and region. The report provides qualitative and quantitative information on various players in this market. This report also tracks the market by both, supply side and demand side.

You Can Customize this Report As per Your Requirement Click Here@ https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/request-customization/22252

Air Oil Separator Market by Category

By Application: Oil Lubricated Compressors, Oil Lubricated Vacuum Pumps

By Sales Channel: OEMs, Aftermarket

By End-Use Industry: Chemical Industry, Food and Beverage Industry, HVAC and Refrigeration, Medical and Laboratory, General Manufacturing

By Region: North America, Latin America, Europe, East Asia, South Asia Pacific, The Middle East and Africa

For additional insights on how the air oil separator market will shape up over the next decade, write to media@persistencemarketresearch.com

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The Industrial Automation division of Persistence Market Research offers a novel approach and innovative perspective in analyzing industrial automation market. Comprehensive coverage of capital, portable, process, construction, industrial and special purpose machinery across manufacturing sector and distinctive analysis about installed base, consumables, replacement, USP-feature-application matrix make us a pioneering voice in the industry. We are preferred associates with established as well as budding industry stakeholders and channel partners when it comes to sustain, grow and identify new revenue prospects.

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TORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / February 28, 2023 / Aclara Resources Inc. ("Aclara" or the "Company") (TSX:ARA) is pleased to announce drilling results completed over Veronica Norte (the "Project") located 45 km from Concepcion, Chile. The Project corresponds to a new target area approximately 45 kms south of the Penco Module Project.

Approximately 2,905 meters (m) from 125 sonic drill holes were completed in the Project in the second half of 2022 as part of an initial drilling campaign covering 982 hectares (Ha) of total target of 5,055 Ha (see Figure 1). The purpose of this initial drilling campaign was to confirm the depth extension of the positive results obtained from surface geological reconnaissance and geochemical sampling and to test the lateral extents of the mineralization.

The drill hole program:

confirmed rare-earth elements (REE) mineralization recognized through geological work, including geochemical sampling continued at depth.

recognized that the mineralization occurs mainly in the first 15m below surface, with an economic horizon of approximately 7m.

confirmed that REE are highly absorbed into ionic clays resulting in a high percentage of REE exchangeable fraction recovery (see table 3).

confirmed attractive recoverable values of the heavy rare earths (HREE,) Dysprosium and Terbium (DyTb), as well as the light rare earths, Neodymium and Praseodymium (NdPr).

confirmed that the mineralization remains open on its lateral extents at different topographic levels.

Ramon Barua, CEO of Aclara, commented:

"Initial exploration results at Veronica North represent the first step towards becoming a multi-modular HREE Company. As we progress, our in-house developed exploration model has proven highly effective in finding REE-enriched ionic clay deposits. We are very encouraged with these results and plan to continue with further drilling campaigns to unlock the full potential of the asset".

A location map is shown in Figure 1, where the full Veronica district is displayed covering approximately 13,122Ha in high priority drilling areas, comprising of Veronica Norte (5,055Ha), Veronica Centro (2,492Ha) and Veronica Sur (5,575Ha). The drilling campaign executed in 2022 is mainly concentrated in the north of Veronica Norte. Drill holes, averaging 25m in depth, intersected mineralization with TREY (total rare earth plus yttrium) economic grades; the interception length and average composite grades (ppm) of these intersections are shown in Table 1.

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Figure 1. Plant view of Veronica Norte Project location (purple outline), red dots show drill holes of the 2022 campaign while grey dots represent previous drill holes in the area.

Patricio Irribarra, Head of Geology at Aclara, commented:

"The drill holes in the Veronica Norte area were designed to (i) confirm the presence of REE mineralization beneath the good results obtained during surface geochemical scan and sampling, (ii) test other targets in the area and finally, (iii) understand the geological factors that control the mineralization.

Veronica Norte displays different characteristics to the Penco Module, such as being a shallower yet potentially larger deposit, with lower grades but with a significantly higher exchangeable REE fraction with interesting levels of both DyTb and NdPr. We are encouraged that Veronica Norte mineralization remains open on its lateral extents at different topographic levels, generating new targeting zones and rewarding our exploration efforts. We have decided to continue with the drilling and sub-surface sampling in the Veronica Norte area, targeting other sectors to keep evaluating the site potential and its extension.

The areas of Veronica district were heavily impacted by the fires during February, which has put a temporary restriction to re-initiate drilling works. During the summer season, we will keep helping the affected communities on site as well as collaborating with forestry companies. We intend to resume greenfield campaigns at the appropriate time once we receive clearance from superficial land owners."

Geological Overview

The Project hosts rare earth elements mineralization absorbed into an ionic clay deposit, which is formed by the weathering of calc-alkaline with peraluminous signal rocks as protolith, containing REE bearing and accessory minerals such as monazite, allanite, and apatite, and as impurities in primary minerals. Due to surface weathering, REE containing minerals are decomposed, and ionized REEs are absorbed on the surface of clay minerals such as halloysite and kaolinite.

According to the geological mapping and the information obtained from the Veronica Norte 2022 drill hole campaign, the local geology is shown to be homogeneous, defined by two lithological Units (Figure 2B). Predominating in areal extent is biotite granitoid (TBT) and, to a lesser extent, in the northern portion of the area, a diorite (DRT). The chemical results of both Units do not show significant differences in grade values, implying a priori the lack of lithological control of the mineralization. Even though mineralized DRT tends to be richer in TREY, the extent of TBT in the area presents more interest, considering it also reaches potentially economic values of its exchangeable fraction. The regolith profile shown in Figure 2A is characterized not only by its observed geological criteria (texture, alteration grade, mineral composition), but also by its chemical data, which helps limit their extent, narrowing the horizon hosting the mineralization. Topography appears to control the formation and preservation of the mineralized horizon, being present at different topographic altitudes, where the exchangeable fraction of the mineralization is hosted at shallow depths (between the first 10-15 m).

As the mineralization is controlled mainly by the weathering/regolith development instead of the lithology, Figure 3A shows the 3D geological units, which will be used for eventual Mineral Resource estimation. These units are displayed in the cross section presented in Figure 3A and the map view in Figure 3B.

Compared to the Penco project, Veronica Norte differs firstly on the protolith of the host rock, where the biotite tonalite exhibits, in general, different mineralogy and lower TREY values, reflected in the absence of garnets. However, it shows a more significant surface extension than the garnet granitoid Unit of Penco, with potentially economic REE exchangeable fraction values. On the other hand, the mineralized regolith is exposed at shallower depths, within the first 15 m, at different topographic levels, hosted mainly at lower pedolith rather than the transition zone between lower pedolith and upper saprolite as is the case at Penco.

Figure 2. Northern Veronica Norte. (A) Cross section (A-A') exhibiting association between the lithology and regolith on the area, and some holes displaying TREY in ppm. (B) Plan view showing associated geology and regolith extension through 3D modeling. A yellow trace line indicates the location of the cross-section displayed in "A." The black contour represents the delineated interest area that has been modeled and the white dots represent drill holes in the area. The image shows that the mineralized horizon (M) found at Veronica Norte is controlled by the development and conservation of favourable regolith horizon at certain topographic levels where continuity is exhibited. The mineralization is found at shallow depths (approximately first 10 - 15 m from the surface).

Figure 3. Northern Veronica Norte. (A) Cross section (A-A') showing geological units defined by favourable regolith. P, upper-medium pedolith; M, medium-lower pedolith; S, upper-lower saprolith; R, saprock and bedrock. Some holes display TREY exchangeable fraction (B) Plan view showing associated geology and regolith horizons. The yellow trace line indicates the location of the cross-section displayed in "A." The black outcrop contour represents the delineated areas of interest that have been modeled to date.

Sampling and Assay Protocols

The 125 sonic drill holes were sampled in intervals of 0.8m to 2m, for a total of 1,827 samples, which had been sent for TREY analysis to ALS, and desorption TREY Analysis to AGS. Sampling and analytical protocols are unchanged from the Penco Technical Report, which was identified to be in line with standard industry practice. The QA/QC program indicates high levels of precision and accuracy for Dy, Tb, Nd, Pr and Lu. Overall, the database for total grades similarly shows high precision and accuracy.

Qualified Person and technical help

The technical information in this news release, including the information related to geology, drilling, and mineralization, has been reviewed and approved by Luis Oviedo, an independent Consulting Geologist with more than 45 years of experience. Mr. Oviedo is a member of the Colegio de Geologos de Chile and the Comision Calificadora de Competencias en Recursos y Reservas Mineras (Institute of Mining Engineers of Chile) and is an Independent Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 (Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ).

The QP confirms that he visited the project area on January 26, 2023 and was supported by the Head of Geology at Aclara, Patricio Irribarra, and colleague Rene Henriquez, who reviewed and analyzed the relevant project information. Carlos Santos, Database and QA/QC Geologist of the company provided an analysis of the QA/QC work over the Veronica Norte deposit.

For further information, please contact:

Ramon Barua

Chief Executive Officer

investorrelations@aclara-re.com

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities legislation, which reflects the Company's current expectations regarding future events, including statements with regard to mineral continuity, grade, and upside at the Veronica Norte zone, the issuance of an updated Mineral Resource statement, and the contemplated development of greenfield targets and expected reduction in permitting risk. Forward-looking information is based on a number of assumptions and is subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the Company's control. Such risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the factors discussed under "Risk Factors" in the Company's annual information form dated as of March 30, 2022 filed on the Company's SEDAR profile. Actual results and timing could differ materially from those projected herein. Unless otherwise noted or the context otherwise indicates, the forward-looking information contained in this news release is provided as of the date of this news release and the Company does not undertake any obligation to update such forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as expressly required under applicable securities laws.

Table 1: Summary of Veronica Norte Drill Hole results
Allied Market Research

Advancements in farming techniques and investment from government and private players on research and development activities drive the global agrivoltaics market. Based on system design, the dynamic segment held the highest share in 2021. Based on region, North America held the largest share in 2021, contributing to more than one-third of the global agrivoltaics market.

Portland, OR, Feb. 28, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- According to the report published by Allied Market Research, the global agrivoltaics market garnered $3.6 billion in 2021, and is estimated to generate $9.3 billion by 2031, manifesting a CAGR of 10.1% from 2022 to 2031. The report provides an extensive analysis of changing market dynamics, major segments, value chain, competitive scenario, and regional landscape. This research offers a valuable guidance to leading players, investors, shareholders, and startups in devising strategies for the sustainable growth and gaining a competitive edge in the market.

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Report coverage & details:

Report coverage Details Forecast Period 20222031 Base Year 2021 Market Size in 2021 $3.6 billion Market Size in 2031 $9.3billion CAGR 10.1% No. of Pages in Report 312 Segments covered System design, Cell type, Crop, and Region Drivers Advancements in farming techniques Investment from government and private players on research and development activities Opportunities Energy shifts are taking place globally to reduce carbon emissions. Restraints High installation costs

COVID-19 Scenario:

The COVID-19 impact on the market was low since the market is still not commercialized at a wider level. It is a growing concept that is still not accepted by farmers and also lacks supporting data.

Agrivoltaics market expansion is also hindered by the weakening global economy, ongoing civil unrest in many regions of the world, developed economies entering a recession, and the Russo-Ukrainian war that disrupted trade relations.

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The research provides detailed segmentation of the global agrivoltaics market based on system design, cell type, crop, and region. The report discusses segments and their sub-segments in detail with the help of tables and figures. Market players and investors can strategize according to the highest revenue-generating and fastest-growing segments mentioned in the report.

Procure Complete Report (312 Pages PDF with Insights, Charts, Tables, and Figures): https://bit.ly/3Z31hZs

Based on system design, the dynamic segment held the highest share in 2021, accounting for around two-thirds of the global agrivoltaics market and is expected to continue its leadership status during the forecast period. However, the fixed solar panel segment is expected to register the highest CAGR of 10.5% from 2022 to 2031.

Based on cell type, the monocrystalline segment accounted for the highest share in 2021, contributing to more than half of the global agrivoltaics market and is expected to maintain its lead in terms of revenue during the forecast period. Also, the same segment is expected to manifest the highest CAGR of 10.2% from 2022 to 2031. The research also analyzes polycrystalline segment.

Based on crop, the crops segment accounted for the highest share in 2021, holding nearly three-fifths of the global agrivoltaics market. The same segment is expected to manifest the highest CAGR of 10.3% from 2022 to 2031. The research also analyzes vegetables, fruits, and others segments.

Based on region, North America held the largest share in 2021, contributing to more than one-third of the global agrivoltaics market share, and is projected to maintain its dominant share in terms of revenue in 2031. The same region is expected to manifest the fastest CAGR of 10.7% during the forecast period. The research also analyzes Europe, Asia-Pacific, and LAMEA regions.

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Leading market players of the global agrivoltaics market analyzed in the research include Ombrea, SunSeed APV Private Limited, Mirai Solar, JA Solar Holdings Co. Ltd., BayWa AG, SunAgri, Insolight SA, Next2Sun Technology GmbH, Namaste Solar, Enel Green Power Spa.

The report provides a detailed analysis of these key players of the global agrivoltaics market. These players have adopted different strategies such as new product launches, collaborations, expansion, joint ventures, agreements, and others to increase their market share and maintain dominant shares in different regions. The report is valuable in highlighting business performance, operating segments, product portfolio, and strategic moves of market players to showcase the competitive scenario.

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Expansive multi-year and multi-product Plusgrade and AirAsia partnership announced at Aviation Festival Asia in Singapore

AirAsia guests will soon have the opportunity to bid for upgrades and reserve empty seats beside them on flights

This is a significant partnership for Plusgrade as they continue to expand their footprint in the APAC region

MONTREAL, Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Plusgrade , the leading provider of ancillary revenue solutions for the global travel industry, is proud to announce its partnership with AirAsia , Asia's leading low-cost carrier. This extensive partnership will soon allow AirAsia customers to bid for upgrades and reserve the seat(s) beside them for extra space and comfort. The deal was unveiled today in Singapore at Aviation Festival Asia , the largest aviation tech event in Asia.

Ho Hoong Mau, Regional Director, APAC Sales, Plusgrade, and Paul Carroll, Group Chief Revenue and Network Officer, AirAsia.

With the relaxation of the remaining travel restrictions in the Asia-Pacific region in early 2023, travel industry recovery is well underway. Ancillary services that delight customers and drive revenue will be an essential tool for airline, hotel and rail companies as travel returns to  or even exceeds  pre-pandemic levels. Today's travellers are looking for streamlined travel experiences with a focus on comfort and innovative services to improve their journeys.

For consumers, ancillary services such as upgrades or the ability to reserve open seats beside them on their flight can make travel more enjoyable, giving them room to stretch out and relax, or enabling them to experience premium products and services that might otherwise be out of reach.

"We are thrilled to join forces with AirAsia to support them in driving meaningful ancillary revenue through incredible traveler experiences," said Plusgrade CEO, Ken Harris. "We look forward to supporting AirAsia as they continue to innovate and develop new products and services for their customers, and to expanding our footprint in the thriving APAC region."

Ms Karen Chan, Group Chief Commercial Officer at AirAsia added: "This collaboration will enable us to offer more passengers the chance to access our premium products and services, such as our award winning premium flatbeds or hot seats with extra legroom. We are confident that our guests will love this innovative and seamless way to enhance their travel experience."

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About AirAsia

AirAsia is the World's Best Low Cost Airline, flying to more than 130 destinations in the region and beyond. Founded in 2001, the airline has flown close to a billion passengers. With the resume of travel worldwide, AirAsia has gradually reinstated flights for many of its popular routes whilst launching new ones. AirAsia's vision and mission have always been to serve the underserved. Throughout its two decades of service, the airline has connected people and places, and has largely been credited for democratising affordable air travel in the region with its now famous tagline 'Now Everyone Can Fly''.

About Plusgrade

Plusgrade powers the global travel industry with its portfolio of leading ancillary revenue solutions. Over 200 airline, hospitality, cruise, passenger rail, and financial services companies trust Plusgrade to create new, meaningful revenue streams through incredible customer experiences. As an ancillary revenue powerhouse, Plusgrade has generated billions of dollars in new revenue opportunities across its platform for its partners, while creating enhanced travel experiences for millions of their passengers and guests. Plusgrade was founded in 2009 with headquarters in Montreal and has offices around the world.

Carrie Mumford, Director, Brand & Communications, Plusgrade, pr@plusgrade.com

Plusgrade logo

SOURCE Plusgrade
The Insight Partners

The global aircraft ignition system market accounted to USD 433.75 Mn in 2022 and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 5.4% during the forecast period 2022  2028, to account to USD 596.28 Mn by 2028.

New York, Feb. 28, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- According to The Insight Partners,  Aircraft Ignition System Market Forecast to 2028 - COVID-19 Impact and Global Analysis By Type (Electric Ignition and Magneto Ignition), Component (Ignition Leads, Igniters, Spark Plugs, Exciters, and Others), Engine Type (Turboprop Engine, Turbofan Engine, Turbojet Engine, and Piston Engine) and Geography, the global aircraft ignition system market demand is influenced by rising adoption of FADEC systems and growing production of aircraft.





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Global Aircraft Ignition System Market - Report Scope:

Market Size Value in USD 433.75 Million in 2022 Market Size Value by USD 596.28 Million by 2028 Growth rate CAGR of 5.4% from 2022 to 2028 Forecast Period 2022-2028 Base Year 2022 No. of Pages 161 No. of Tables 80 No. of Charts & Figures 82 Historical data available Yes Segments covered Type, Component, and Engine Type Regional scope North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa, South & Central America Country scope US, Canada, Mexico, UK, Germany, Spain, Italy, France, India, China, Japan, South Korea, Australia, UAE, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Brazil, Argentina Report coverage Revenue forecast, company ranking, competitive landscape, growth factors, and trends





Aircraft Ignition System Market: Competitive Landscape and Key Developments

Sonex LLC, Champion Aerospace Inc, Electroair Acquisition Corp, PBS Group AS, Tempest Aero Group LLC, Surefly Partners Ltd, Unison Industries LLC, FADEC International LLC, Kelly Aerospace Inc, and Continental Aerospace Technologies Inc are among the key aircraft ignition system market players profiled in the report. Several other essential aircraft ignition system market players were analyzed for a holistic view of the aircraft ignition system market and its ecosystem. The report provides detailed market insights, which can help major aircraft ignition system market players strategize their growth.

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In 2022: Unison Industries LLC announced that they are expanding its distribution agreement with AAR CORP. Under this agreement, AAR will be distributing ignition leads, igniter plugs, harnesses, and related spare parts to aftermarket customers worldwide. Through this agreement, the company will be able to improve its customer service for operators and MRO facilities.

In 2021: Champion Aerospace Inc announced that they had signed an agreement with S3 AeroDefense to distribute its solutions worldwide.





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The aircraft ignition system market is segmented into five major regions: North America, Europe, Asia Pacific (APAC), the Middle East & Africa (MEA), and South America (SAM). North America accounted for the largest aircraft ignition system market share in 2021. The presence of a large number of commercial and military aircraft manufacturers across the region triggers the demand for engines, thereby contributing to the need for engine components, such as aircraft ignition systems. For instance, in July 2022, Honeywell International Inc. signed a contract worth US$ 100 million to supply aircraft engines to Hindustan Aeronautics Limited. Similarly, the prominent presence of engine MRO service providers bolsters the demand for aircraft ignition system components, such as igniters, ignition leads, spark plugs, exciters, and ignition harnesses, in North America. Champion Aerospace Inc, Tempest Aero, FADE International LLC, Unison Industries LLC, Kelly Aerospace Inc, and Continental Aerospace Technologies are a few of the aircraft ignition system providers in the region.

The aircraft ignition system market size in APAC is expected to grow at the highest CAGR during 20222028. A continuously growing aviation sector, with the rise in government initiatives to promote this sector, is leading to a rise in demand for aircraft and airport components. The Indian government, in September 2021, announced its intentions to make the country a global MRO hub. Further, the growing interest of international companies in investing in the aviation sector in APAC countries, such as India and Japan, for establishing aircraft part manufacturing facilities is likely to generate market opportunities for aircraft ignition system market players during the forecast period.





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In 2021, the aviation industry witnessed some recovery as more than 5,000 aircraft resumed flying in 2021. After being grounded for months, various aircraft owners opted for MRO activities to ensure the aircraft models are airworthy. Owing to this, the aircraft models along with aircraft engines and engine components underwent extensive MRO, which facilitated the aircraft ignition system manufacturers to sell their products in higher quantity as compared to 2020. For instance, Airbus delivered over 611 aircraft in 2021, most of them were A320neo and A321neo. Boeing delivered 340 aircraft. The aircraft ignition system market growth has been recovering since 2021 owing to the resumption of aircraft fleet and is expected to continue to grow during the forecast period.

Many aircraft ignition system market players have a notable presence in North America. A few of these include Champion Aerospace Inc., Kelly Aerospace Inc, Unison LLC, Tempest Aero Group, and FADEC International. These companies are adopting various organic and inorganic growth strategies to expand their geographic presence, strengthen their distribution channel, and enhance their product portfolios. Unison, LLC announced the launch of its new igniter plug in June 2019. The new igniter enabled by a patented technology is designed to improve spark life under extreme environmental conditions. In March 2020, Champion Aerospace appointed Airpart Supply Ltd as its authorized distributor in Europe. The partnership includes the distribution of slick magnetos, oil filters, harnesses, spark plugs, and spare parts, along with the turbine range, including exciter boxes, igniter plugs, and ignition leads.





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Aircraft Ignition System Market: Type Overview

Based on type, the aircraft ignition system market size is segmented into electric ignition and magneto ignition. The electric ignition segment is expected to dominate the market in terms of aircraft ignition system market share in 2022. The growth for electric ignition segment is majorly attributed to the adoption of FADEC systems among the aircraft engine manufacturers and the demand from aircraft manufacturers for digital and electronification of engine systems. Further, the aircraft ignition system market growth for electric ignition segment is attributed to the rise in aircraft production and deliveries across different regions.





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VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / February 28, 2023 / Amarc Resources Ltd. ("Amarc" or the "Company") (TSXV:AHR)(OTCQB:AXREF) is pleased to provide details of its executive team's participation in conferences during March 2023.

March 5-9 , 2023 Amarc is attending the 2023 Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada Conference ("PDAC") in the Convention Centre in Toronto. Corporate Presentation by Dr. Diane Nicolson, President & CEO

March 6, 2023 at 10:02 am EST at the Corporate Presentation Forum for Investors, Base Metals 1, Room 801A Visit Amarc at booth #2850 in the Investor Exchange and meet with Dr. Diane Nicolson and Robert Dickinson, Executive Chair

March 28, 2023 , Amarc will be presenting at the virtual KINvestor Green Future Conference . Corporate Presentation by Dr. Diane Nicolson, President & CEO

March 28, 2023 8 am PST

To attend, register at https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/6016775439058/WN_TEaDseneQsm9I7ZW_mdJmw



Amarc's expansive, 100%-owned coppergold districts are located in British Columbia. The JOY, DUKE and IKE districts host four known coppergold deposits prime for moving toward development, and 10 porphyry copper-gold deposit targets that are ready for drill discovery. Active drilling programs have been underway in 2022 and continue into 2023.

Amarc and Freeport-McMoRan Mineral Properties Canada Inc. ("Freeport") made considerable progress at the JOY District ("JOY"), completing a second comprehensive program with a substantial drilling component in 2022. In November, Amarc and Boliden Mineral Canada Ltd. ("Boliden") completed an agreement on the DUKE District ("DUKE"), and initiated drilling at the DUKE Deposit before year end. Freeport at JOY and Boliden at DUKE can earn up to a 70% interest in the districts by funding $110 million and $90 million of staged earn-in expenditures, respectively.

With potentially $200 million in non-share dilutive funding, the investments made through these agreements will enable considerable advancement of the exploration and development of our projects. In addition, the fully-funded, ongoing exploration activities at the JOY and DUKE Districts will provide a significant flow of results in 2023.

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Conference delegates are also invited to contact Diane Nicolson, Amarc President & CEO, at (604) 684-6365 or at dianenicolson@hdimining.com in advance to organize a time for a meeting and to receive further information.

Dr. Roy Greig, P.Geo., a Qualified Person as defined under National Instrument 43-101, has reviewed and approved the technical content in this release.

For further details on Amarc Resources Ltd., please visit the Company's website at www.amarcresources.com or contact Dr. Diane Nicolson, President and CEO, at (604) 684-6365 or within North America at 1-800-667-2114, or Kin Communications, at (604) 684-6730, Email: AHR@kincommunications.com.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF AMARC RESOURCES LTD.

Dr. Diane Nicolson

President and CEO

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor any other regulatory authority accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Forward-Looking and other Cautionary Information

This news release includes certain statements that may be deemed "forward-looking statements". All such statements, other than statements of historical facts that address exploration plans and plans for enhanced relationships are forward-looking statements. 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. Assumptions used by the Company to develop forward-looking statements include the following: Amarc's projects will obtain all required environmental and other permits and all land use and other licenses, studies and exploration of Amarc's projects will continue to be positive, and no geological or technical problems will occur. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include market prices, potential environmental issues or liabilities associated with exploration, development and mining activities, exploitation and exploration successes, continuity of mineralization, uncertainties related to the ability to obtain necessary permits, licenses and tenure and delays due to third party opposition, changes in and the effect of government policies regarding mining and natural resource exploration and exploitation, exploration and development of properties located within Aboriginal groups asserted territories may affect or be perceived to affect asserted aboriginal rights and title, which may cause permitting delays or opposition by Aboriginal groups, continued availability of capital and financing, and general economic, market or business conditions, as well as risks relating to the uncertainties with respect to the effects of COVID-19. Investors are cautioned that any such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. For more information on Amarc Resources Ltd., investors should review Amarc's annual Form 20-F filing with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission at www.sec.gov and its home jurisdiction filings that are available at www.sedar.com.

SOURCE: Amarc Resources Ltd.





View source version on accesswire.com:

https://www.accesswire.com/741100/Amarc-Attending-Conferences-in-March




Qabil Ashirov

The customs committees of Belarus and Azerbaijan signed a plan for bilateral cooperation until 2024.

The delegation led by the chairman of the Customs Committee, the lieutenant general of the customs service Shahin Bagirov is on a business trip to Belorussia at the invitation of the customs service of the Republic of Belarus, Azernews reports, citing Azerbaijans State Customs Committee.

On February 27, Azerbaijani officials met with the Chairman of the State Customs Committee of the Republic of Belarus, Vladimir Orlovsky.

The meeting discussed the role of business relations between Azerbaijan and Belarus customs services, especially in strengthening cooperation in the economic field.

Besides that, the heads of the customs services of Azerbaijan and Belarus, Shahin Bagirov and Vladimir Orlovsky, signed the plan of bilateral cooperation between the state customs committees of the two countries for 2023-2024.

The interaction of customs authorities involves the exchange of experience on customs declaration and control at checkpoints, electronic declaration of goods, the use of an automated system and a risk management system, and the movement of transit goods.

Moreover, customs officers agreed to share their experience in the practical application of inspection and screening systems and X-ray installations, customs control after the release of goods, and interaction with business representatives.

After the meeting, the members of the Azerbaijani delegation visited the structural department of the Belarusian customs service, where transportable parcels are registered, and watched the customs control and sorting processes.
ReportLinker

Artificial Corneal Implants Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By Transplant Type (Hard Keratoprosthesis, Soft Keratoprosthesis), By Indication (Ocular Burns, Keratoconus), By Implant Type, By Region, And Segment Forecasts, 2023 - 2030.

New York, Feb. 28, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Artificial Corneal Implants Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By Transplant Type, By Indication, By Implant Type, By Region And Segment Forecasts, 2023 - 2030" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p06423437/?utm_source=GNW



Artificial Corneal Implants Market Growth & Trends



The global artificial corneal implants market size is expected to reach USD 118.3 billion by 2030, registering a CAGR of 7.1% from 2023 to 2030, as per a new report. Introduction of new products in the market that are aimed to reduce the post-surgery complications is the key factor driving the growth of the artificial corneal implants market.



In addition, the continuously growing patient pool and lack of human cornea donors create a huge demand and supply gap. Thus, in order to reduce this gap, manufacturers in the market are vigorously conducting research to introduce new products that will be able to address this shortage in the coming years.



Moreover, the high risk of transplant rejection, post the transplantation of human cornea, is also helping the market to grow at a significant rate. On the other hand, increasing corneal disorders that require a corneal transplant, as well as rising awareness regarding artificial corneal implants in Asia Pacific, are factors expected to boost market growth over the forecast period.



The COVID-19 pandemic had a significant negative impact on the market due to reduced hospital visits that resulted in a fall in the number of diagnosed patients that require a corneal transplant. In addition, the lockdowns and strict restrictions imposed by governments and the increased focus of healthcare professionals to treat COVID-19 patients also resulted in a drop in the number of transplantation surgeries carried out during the pandemic.



However, with everything moving towards normalcy and the huge demand-supply gap created as a result of the pandemic, the demand for artificial corneal implants is expected to soar. Moreover, with the expected launch of new products in 2023, the market is further expected to experience great sales opportunities over the forecast period.



Artificial Corneal Implants Market Report Highlights

 The hard keratoprosthesis segment held the highest market share in 2022 owing to an increasing adoption rate

 The soft keratoprosthesis segment is projected to experience maximum growth over the forecast period due to expected new product launches

 The keratoconus segment dominated the market with the largest revenue share in 2022 owing to the increasing prevalence and rising adoption of artificial corneal implants for this indication

 The Ocular Cicatricial Pemphigoid (OCP) segment is predicted to undergo maximum growth owing to new product launches for this indication

 Synthetic implants held the highest market share in 2022 owing to the easy availability of these products

 The hospitals segment accounted for the highest market share in 2022 owing to a large number of transplantation procedures being carried out in these facilities

 The ambulatory surgical centers are expected to render the highest growth over the forecast period due to the increasing number of patients opting for such facilities because of their advantages

 North America dominated the market due to the high penetration rate of technologically advanced products and the presence of a large patient pool

 Growing awareness regarding corneal diseases, rise in disposable income in Asia Pacific countries, and growing geriatric population is driving the market growth in the region

Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p06423437/?utm_source=GNW



About Reportlinker

ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place.



__________________________

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CONTACT: Clare: clare@reportlinker.com US: (339)-368-6001 Intl: +1 339-368-6001




Atlas Global Brands Inc.

EDMONTON, ALBERTA, CHATHAM, ONTARIO and TEL-AVIV, ISRAEL, Feb. 28, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Atlas Global Brands Inc. (Atlas Global or the Company) (CSE: ATL), a cannabis company with expertise across the cannabis value chain, is pleased to announce the appointment of BDO Canada LLP (BDO) as its new external auditor effective February 28, 2023 until the close of the next annual general meeting of shareholders.



BDO Canada LLP (the Successor Auditor) replaces Manning Elliott LLP (Manning Elliott) (the Former Auditor) as Atlas Globals auditor. The board of Directors of the Company (the Board) and audit committee of the Company (the Audit Committee) each approved the appointment of the Successor Auditor. There were no reservations or modified opinions in the Former Auditors audit reports for any financial period during which the Former Auditor was the Companys auditor and there are no reportable events (as defined in National Instrument 51-102  Continuous Disclosure Obligations (NI 51-102)) between the Company and the Former Auditor.

In accordance with NI 51-102, the Notice of Change of Auditor, together with the required letters from the Former Auditor and the Successor Auditor, have been reviewed by the Audit Committee and Board and will be filed under the Company's SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com.

The Board and Audit Committee have also approved a change in Atlas Globals financial year end from December 31 to March 31 to allow for the transition to the Successor Auditor. The Company will file the interim financial statements for the 3 and 12 months ended December 31, 2022, on or before March 1, 2023, and audited financial statements for the transition year ended March 31, 2023, on or before July 31, 2023. Further details regarding the change in financial year end will be available in the Company's notice of change in year-end prepared in accordance with Section 4.8 of NI 51-102 and filed under the Company's SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com.

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About Atlas Global

Atlas Global is a global cannabis company operating in Canada and Israel with expertise across the cannabis value chain, including cultivation, manufacturing, marketing, distribution, and pharmacy. Atlas currently distributes to eight countries: Australia, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Israel, Norway, Spain, and the United Kingdom. In addition to a differentiated product mix, Atlas operates three licensed cannabis facilities  one with EU-GMP and two with GACP and CUMCS certifications  along with five medical pharmacies and one Trading House in Israel. Atlas expects to drive incremental commercial opportunities with an enhanced brand and SKU portfolio, while delivering accretive margin expansion by capitalizing on its strategy  maximize value in delivering quality products to global markets through its vertically integrated supply chain.

Contacts

Bernie Yeung

Chief Executive Officer

1-844-415-6961

invest@atlasglobalbrands.com

Alyssa Barry

Media and Investor Relations

1-833-947-5227

invest@atlasglobalbrands.com

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Market Regulator (as that term is defined in the policies of the CSE) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.




Fortune Business Insights

The automotive camera market size was valued USD 3.8 billion in 2019 and is projected to grow USD 10.1 billion by 2027, growing at CAGR of 21.5% during forecast period of 2020 to 2027.

Pune, India, Feb. 28, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The global automotive camera market size is projected to reach USD 10.1 billion by 2027, exhibiting a CAGR of 21.5% during the forecast period. As per the report findings, the global market value stood at USD 3.8 billion in 2019. Increasing number of road traffic accidents worldwide will be a crucial factor in driving the growth of this market, states Fortune Business Insights in its report, titled Automotive Camera Market Size, Share & Industry Analysis and Regional Forecasts, 2020-2027.

Latest data from the World Health Organization (WHO) show that road traffic crashes kill nearly 1.35 million people every year and injure between 20 million and 50 million people. Motorcyclists, cyclists, and pedestrians have the largest share of road fatalities, the WHO highlights. Automotive cameras can play an instrumental role in preventing accidents as they can compensate for human errors such as driving under influence, driving while fatigued, or distracted driving. These cameras are an essential component of advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS), which have features such as blind-spot detection, automatic braking, adaptive cruise control, and pedestrian detection. Together, these features not only enhance the safety of the vehicles, but also ensure the safety of other road users.

Request a Free sample Report: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/enquiry/request-sample-pdf/automotive-camera-market-101912

Industry Development:



August 2020: Tesla announced the rollout of a software update that will enable the autopilot system in the companys vehicles to detect speed limit signs through the camera. The update will allow camera to detect the speed limit, inform the driver about it, and automatically set a speed warning.

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January 2020: US-based Ambarella, Inc. launched CV2FS and CV22FS, its latest automotive camera system on chips (SoC). Embedded with AI capabilities, the system is designed for targeting stereovision and forward-facing monocular ADAS cameras.

Report Highlights:

Report Coverage Details Forecast Period 2020-2027 Forecast Period 2020 to 2027 CAGR 21.5% 2027 Value Projection USD 10.1 Billion Base Year 2019 Market Size in 2019 USD 3.8 Billion Historical Data for 2016-2018 No. of Pages 200 Segments covered Automotive Camera Market Size, Share & Industry Analysis, By Application Type (Park Assist System, Lane Departure Warning System, Lane Keep Assist, Adaptive Cruise Control, Road Sign Assistance, Blind Spot Detection, Intelligent Headlight Control and Others), By Technology Type (Stereo and Monocular) Growth Drivers Increasing adoption of advanced cameras integrated with the Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS) is expected to drive the market during the forecast period The high Installation cost of advanced automobile cameras integrated with driver assistance systems is restraining the growth of the market.

Market Drivers and Restraints:

According to the World Health Organization (WHO) around 1.3 million people die each year in road accidents. Due to the increasing number of road traffic accidents, governments around the globe have made it mandatory to install cameras in all segments of vehicles. Stringent norms imposed by the government are driving the market growth. For example, in 2014, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) made it mandatory to equip all vehicles with cameras integrated with rear view visibility systems by 2018. Similarly, Transport Canada imposed regulations to equip all new cars with a rearview camera by 2018.

COVID-19 to Hit the Market as Companies Grapple with Tumbling Profits



The automotive camera market growth is set to suffer because of the COVID-19 pandemic as reduced production, deflating demand, and trade restrictions have stymied the sales and revenues of major companies in this market. For example, in July 2020, Valeo, the French leader in auto parts, reported a loss of 1.2 billion in the first half of 2020 as a consequence of disruptions in production operations caused by the coronavirus.

Similarly, the Japanese auto parts manufacturer, Denso Corp, announced a whopping 81% slump in its operating profits in the first quarter of 2020, suffering a loss of USD 571.8 million and reducing its global production by 50% owing to the upheavals generated by the pandemic.

Plunging profits will inevitably hamper investments in R&D and halt the adoption of advanced automotive cameras and other safety technologies, which will naturally impact the growth of the market.

To get to know more about the short-term and long-term impact of COVID-19 on this market, please visit: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/industry-reports/automotive-camera-market-101912

Report Coverage:

The market research report of automotive cameras provides a detailed analysis of the market and focuses on key aspects such as leading companies, product types, and leading applications of the product. Besides this, the report offers insights into the market trends and highlights key industry developments. In addition to the factors above, the report encompasses several factors that have contributed to the growth of the market over recent years.

Segmentation:

Based on application type, the market for automotive camera is segmented into park assist, lane departure, adaptive cruise control (ACC), blind-spot detection (BSD), lane keep assist, road sign assistance, and others. The adaptive cruise control segment is anticipated to dominate the market over the forecast period. For example, in September 2018, the Government of India made it mandatory to equip all vehicle segments with adaptive cruise control systems.

The government aims at equipping all vehicles with ACC by 2022. Adaptive cruise control also helps to maintain a safe distance between two cars and if any vehicle is nearing the car, it alerts the driver to apply the brakes. If the driver fails to do so, the ACC automatically applies the brakes, brings the vehicle to a halt, and avoids a collision.

Regional Insights:

Europe to Lead the Market Share Backed by Stringent Road & Vehicle Safety Norms

Europe is expected to dominate the automotive camera market share during the forecast period owing to the stringent implementation of road and vehicular safety standards by the European Union (EU). For example, under the (EC) 78/2009 and (EC) 661/2009 regulations, the EU makes it mandatory for automakers to install safety features in vehicles to ensure pedestrian safety. In 2019, the regions market size stood at USD 1.3 billion.

Asia Pacific is slated to occupy the second-largest position in the global market on account of surging demand for cost-effective vehicle components from automakers in North America and Europe made in Asian countries. North America is anticipated to grow steadily owing to the quick adoption of advanced vehicle safety features in the region.

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Competitive Landscape:

Key Players to Target Investments towards Innovation

With growing demand for smart safety features in cars, key players in this market are strategically investing in innovation to develop high-quality and reliable safety systems such as AI-enabled automotive cameras. These innovations are allowing companies to entrench their market position, widen their offerings, and expand global presence.

List of Key Players Covered in the Automotive Camera Market Report:

Ambarella (California, United States)

Mobileye (Jerusalem, Israel)

Garmin Ltd (Kansas, United States)

Magna International (Aurora, Canada)

Ricoh (Tokyo, Japan)

ZF Friedrichshafen (Friedrichshafen, Germany)

Autoliv, Inc (Stockholm, Sweden)

Kappa optronics GmbH (Lower Saxony, Germany)

OmniVision (California, United States)

Denso (Aichi, Japan)

Valeo (Paris, France)

Robert Bosch GmbH ( Gerlingen, Germany)

Continental AG (Hanover, Germany)

Automotive Camera Market Segmentation:

By Application Type

Park Assist System

Lane Departure Warning System

Lane Keep Assist

Adaptive Cruise Control

Road Sign Assistance

Intelligent Headlight Control

Other

By Technology Type

Stereo

Monocular

By Vehicle Type

Passenger Cars

Commercial Vehicles

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Table of Content:

1. Introduction

1.1. Research Scope

1.2. Market Segmentation

1.3. Research Methodology

1.4. Definitions and Assumptions

2. Executive Summary

3. Market Dynamics

3.1. Market Drivers

3.2. Market Restraints

3.3. Market Opportunities

4. Key Insights

4.1 Merger, Acquisitions, and Partnerships

4.2 Distributor Analysis  For Major Players

4.3 Growth and Penetration Analysis

4.4 Porters Five Forces Analysis

4.5 PEST Analysis

4.6 Vendor Landscape

5. Global Automotive Cameras Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast, 2016-2027

5.1. Key Findings / Summary

5.2. Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast  By Vehicle Type

5.2.1 Passenger Cars

5.2.2 Light Commercial Vehicles

5.3. Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast  By Application Type

5.3.1 Adaptive Cruise Control

5.3.2 Park Assist System

5.3.3 Blind Spot Detection

5.3.4 Lane Departure Warning System

5.3.5 Lane Keep Assist

5.3.6 Road Sign Assistance

5.3.7 Intelligent Headlight

5.3.8 Others

5.4. Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast  By Technology Type

5.4.1 Stereo

5.4.2 Monocular

5.5. Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast  By Region

5.5.1 North America

5.5.2 Europe

5.5.3 Asia pacific

5.5.4 Rest of the World

Continued

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Rise in the prevalence of electric mobility deployment, technological advancements are pushing the Battery Swapping Charging Infrastructure Market growth. North America to be one of the key regions for the Battery Swapping Charging Infrastructure market

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, Feb. 27, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The global Battery Swapping Charging Infrastructure market size is expected to surpass an impressive valuation of USD 202.07 million in 2023 and is projected to exhibit a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 21% from 2023 to 2033.



Infrastructure for EV charging will be more and more in demand for residential and business uses. The market for electric vehicle charging infrastructure is also anticipated to grow over the future decades as a result of improved automakers' cooperation for charging infrastructure via a monthly subscription.

Reduced battery replacement infrastructure construction costs, decreased EV purchase costs, increased demand for public charging infrastructure, and supportive government subsidies are accelerating market growth.

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Green energy is also anticipated to be a major factor in private and public electric vehicle charging. Owners of electric vehicles worry about carbon dioxide pollution. Makers are rapidly changing the charging mechanisms used in their electric vehicle charging infrastructure to address these issues. This is one of the most significant elements that will affect the development of the worldwide market for electric vehicle charging infrastructure.

During the forecast era, North America is anticipated to have the fastest growth rate. In the upcoming years, it is anticipated that the number of DC charging stations placed in the US will soar. In the US, there will likely be more home charging facilities for electric vehicles.

Consumer demand to maximize vehicle efficiency and reduce fuel costs has resulted in continuous technological advancements in electric vehicles. Additionally, rising gasoline prices, combined with stringent governmental regulations governing carbon dioxide emissions, are driving the adoption of electric vehicles in developed regions. says an analyst at Future Market Insights.

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Key Takeaways from Market Study

The two-wheeler segment dominated the industry in 2021, accounting for more than 30.00% of overall revenue.





In 2021, the pay-per-use segment dominated the market and held more than 61% of total revenue.





In 2021, Asia Pacific dominated the global marketplace, accounting for more than 30% of overall revenue.





Batteries represent roughly 35%-40% of the total EV cost.





According to the International Energy Agency's 'Global EV Outlook 2021,' the worldwide stock of electric two-wheelers is around 290 million.





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Market Competition

Key players in the Battery Swapping Charging Infrastructure market are NIO Inc., Gogoro Inc., Leo Motors Inc., Tesla Inc., SUN Mobility Private Ltd., BYD Co. Ltd., BattSwap Inc., Kwang Yang Motor Co. Ltd. (KYMCO), Panasonic Corp.

Blink Charging Co. acquired EB Charging, a UK-based electric vehicle charging, and sustainable energy solutions company, in June 2022. The acquisition was made to allow Blink to expand and broaden its portfolio in the UK market by developing nearly 1,150 EV charging points.





SUN Mobility declared a battery technology partnership with Greaves Electric in May 2022. SUN Mobility and Greaves Electric will utilize the same charging infrastructure to implement swappable batteries for EVs in electric two-wheelers and electric three-wheelers.





Xpeng Motors entered into a partnership with TELD in October 2019, which operates the biggest charging infrastructure and environment. Xpeng and TELD agreed to share charge and payment data throughout the country as part of the deal.





Tesla opened a battery swapping station in California in February 2021, prepared to swap out a vehicle's energy cells for fully charged ones, eliminating the need for EV owners to depend on fast-charging stations.





More Valuable Insights

Future Market Insights, in its new offering, presents an unbiased analysis of the global Battery Swapping Charging Infrastructure market, presenting historical analysis from 2018 to 2022 and forecast statistics for the period of 2023-2033.

The study reveals essential insights on the basis of Vehicle Type (Two-Wheeler, Three-Wheeler, Passenger Vehicle, Commercial Vehicle), Service Type (Pay-per-use, Subscription) & Region (North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and Middle East & Africa).

Speak to our Research Expert: https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/ask-question/rep-gb-15888

Report Scope

Report Attribute Details Market Value in 2023 US$ 202.07 Million Market Value in 2033 US$ 1,359.43 Million Growth Rate CAGR of 21% from 2023 to 2033 Base Year for Estimation 2023 Historical Data 2018 to 2022 Forecast Period 2023 to 2033 Quantitative Units Revenue in USD Billion and CAGR from 2022 to 2033 Report Coverage Revenue Forecast, Volume Forecast, Company Ranking, Competitive Landscape, Growth Factors, Trends, and Pricing Analysis Segments Covered Vehicle Type

Service Type

Region Regions Covered North America

Latin America

Europe

Asia Pacific

Middle East and Africa(MEA) Key Countries Profiled USA

Canada

Brazil

Mexico

Mexico

Germany

United Kingdom

France

Spain

Italy

India

Malaysia

Singapore

Thailand

China

Japan

South Korea

Australia

New Zealand

GCC Countries

South Africa

Israel Key Companies Profiled NIO Inc.

Gogoro Inc.

Leo Motors Inc.

Tesla Inc.

SUN Mobility Private Ltd.

BYD Co. Ltd.

BattSwap Inc.

Kwang Yang Motor Co. Ltd. (KYMCO)

Panasonic Corp.

For more Information: https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/battery-swapping-charging-infrastructure-market

Table of Content



1. Executive Summary | Battery Swapping Charging Infrastructure 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

Explore FMIs Comprehensive Coverage of the Automotive Landscape



Automotive Battery Management System Market Share: is expected to record a CAGR of 25.6% during the forecast period. The automotive battery management system market size is anticipated to rise from US$ 3.8 billion in 2023 to US$ 37.4 billion in 2033.



Electric Vehicle Battery Market Size: is set to strengthen its market hold in global market at a promising CAGR of 8.5%, while it is forecasted to hold a revenue of USD 18.09 Billion in 2032.



Electric Vehicle Battery Housing Market Demand: is estimated to develop at a fast pace CAGR of 31.8% during the forecast period. The present-day value of this market is US$ 1,531.1 Million in 2023.



EV Battery Heating System Market Growth: is projected to register at a moderate-paced CAGR of 18.7% over the forecast period. The EV battery heating system market is currently valued at US$ 3113.6 Million in 2023.



Train Battery Market Outlook: is projected to have an average-paced CAGR of 5.0% during the forecast period. The current valuation of the market is US$ 599.1 million in 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.

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(Bloomberg) -- The Biden administration will require companies that tap $39 billion in funding for semiconductor manufacturing to provide affordable child care for their workers, under rules due to be published Tuesday.

Most Read from Bloomberg

The regulations will mandate that firms receiving incentives under the Chips and Science Act, passed last year, take steps such as building day-care facilities near new manufacturing sites, or giving workers money to pay the costs through existing local options, according to the Commerce Department, which is in charge of the laws implementation.

Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo has repeatedly talked about how a lack of child care is holding back people, particularly women, from returning to the workforce since the start of the pandemic in 2020.

President Joe Biden had proposed measures to improve child care provision as part of social spending programs worth hundreds of billions of dollars that failed to win approval in Congress. The administration is now seeking to use the semiconductor legislation to achieve that goal in at least one sliver of the economy. Firms will be able to use some of the funds they get through the government subsidy program to pay for child care.

Congress passed the law last year after pandemic lockdowns and supply-chain disruption laid bare US reliance on chips from Asia and particularly Taiwan, the target of frequent threats from China.

While the laws guiding goal is protecting national security, Raimondo in a speech last week underlined the benefits to women from the law, in terms of potential jobs in manufacturing and construction.

We need chip manufacturers, construction companies and unions to work with us toward the national goal of hiring and training another million women in construction over the next decade to meet the demand not just in chips, but other industries and infrastructure projects as well, she said.

Story continues

The plans to include child care in the semiconductor award requirements were previously reported by the New York Times.

Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek

2023 Bloomberg L.P.
Introducing 'La Voce di Biondi-Santi,' A Storytelling Project to Travel with the Bottle

NEW YORK, Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Biondi-Santi, the legendary Brunello producer, today announces the release of its newest vintages of Brunello di Montalcino Riserva DOCG 2016 and Brunello di Montalcino DOCG 2017.

Marking the occasion, the Estate has also unveiled a new listening experience, La Voce di Biondi-Santi, (i.e. The Voice of Biondi-Santi)  an audio experience that explores a theme of importance to the winery each year. For this project, Biondi-Santi has chosen the oldest yet the most contemporary and sustainable form of expressionthe spoken wordto communicate unique and personal emotions to its community of clients, consumers, and collectors.

The core of the experience is an audiobook, an original short story. For 2023, the audiobook entitled "A Vintage Enigma," is written by Italian novelist Gianni Farinetti and narrated by American actor, Tomas Arana.

Accompanying the audiobook, is a four-part series of podcast conversations. The 2023 theme is 'Wonderment,' and Director of Viticulture and Winemaking Federico Radi describes the wines of the year, while CEO Giampiero Bertolini discusses the year's theme with special guests. The 2023 guests are Eike Schmidt, Director of the Uffizi Galleries in Florence, and novelist Gianni Farinetti.

La Voce di Biondi-Santi will accompany each bottle of Brunello 2017 and Riserva 2016, and consumers can access the listening experience by scanning the QR code on the proof tag placed on the capsule of the bottles.

Giampiero Bertolini, CEO of Biondi-Santi shared the vision behind the newest storytelling project:

"The idea of 'La Voce di Biondi-Santi' comes from our desire to share the thoughts and guiding principles of this evolutionary journey with our community of collectors and wine enthusiasts  to open a window on what goes on at the estate, so that whoever opens a bottle of Biondi-Santi can have an even deeper understanding of the work and the people behind the wine.

Story continues

"We also hope to inspire people with the short story which does not speak about us, but freely explores the intricacies of the theme we gave to the author. The theme for 2023 is 'Wonderment,' a concept we have talked a lot about at the winery. I will leave it to our friends and collectors to discover why as they listen."

Rocco Lombardo, President of Wilson Daniels stated:

"It is a pleasure to see an iconic estate such as Biondi-Santi searching for new ways to communicate with its end consumer. Biondi-Santi has always been renowned for the elegance and longevity of its Brunello di Montalcino. With 'La Voce di Biondi-Santi,' the experience in the glass is deepened and expanded by the spoken word."

Commenting on the growing seasons for the Brunello and Brunello Riserva, Federico Radi, Director of Viticulture and Winemaking said:

"The vintages of Brunello di Montalcino and Brunello di Montalcino Riserva that we are presenting this year come from two very different vintages which express the character of our terroir in two distinct ways. Riserva 2016 is the fruit of a very regular growing season which saw just the right amount of rain and sun, at just the right time. The summer of 2016 was warm but with no extreme peaks, and with refreshing rainfalls at the end of August, which enhanced the day/night temperature swings and prolonged the final ripening process of the grapes, enhancing the aromatic side of this wine, which combines structure and finesse, richness and acidity. A classic Biondi-Santi Riserva with a long, long life ahead of it.

"The following year, 2017, was hot and dry all the way through a long-lasting summer. In this vintage we can thank our high-altitude vineyards for preserving a good balance between acidity and sweet fruit, a moderate alcohol content of 13.5%, and fine-grained tannins which showed their quality already during fermentation. A surprising Brunello which for me represents the quintessence of that which we can call the signature of the Biondi-Santi terroir."

Each year, a new chapter of La Voce di Biondi-Santi will be released to accompany the new vintage launch as an exclusive experience reserved for the Biondi-Santi community. Throughout the year, small extracts of the short story and the podcast conversations will also be published on the Instagram channel @biondisantigreppo.

Over time, La Voce di Biondi-Santi will become a living library of stories and people, that tell the tale of the estate and its journey through time, bringing the story of Biondi-Santi into wine lover's homes wherever they are.

The Biondi-Santi portfolio is imported nationally by Wilson Daniels, and wines are available from fine wine retail stores from March 1, 2023.

For further information, interviews, and assets, please contact Rebecca Hopkins via email at hopkinswinepr@gmail.com. Press materials, including images, and tasting notes are available HERE .

About Biondi-Santi

The first use of the word 'Brunello' dates back to the mid-19th century, when Clemente Santi won a prize for his 'vino scelto,' made entirely from the Sangiovese Grosso varietal grown on his land in Montalcino. In 1888, his nephew, Ferruccio Biondi Santi, produced the first wine officially known as 'Brunello di Montalcino.' Since then, the Biondi-Santi name has been synonymous with excellence and is one of the world's leading lights in the 'Made in Italy' movement, loved by both collectors and the most respected wine critics.

In 2016, Christopher Descours' acquisition of Biondi-Santi opened a new chapter in the company's story with the introduction of important research and development projects both in the vineyards and the winery. These projects aim to further build on the excellence that has always been associated with Biondi-Santi. You can connect with Biondi-Santi wines online at Biondisanti.it , Instagram @biondisantigreppo, and Facebook Biondi Santi.

About Wilson Daniels

Founded in 1978, Wilson Daniels is a fully integrated, family-owned marketing and sales company representing a highly selective portfolio of the world's most distinctive wines. Wilson Daniels continues to pursue and elevate the standards of excellence set by founders Win Wilson and Jack Daniels through developing long-term, strategic partnerships with luxury producers that possess profound respect for terroir and are benchmarks in their region. To learn more about Wilson Daniels, visit www.wilsondaniels.com.

Media Contacts:

Rebecca Hopkins

hopkinswinepr@gmail.com

707.592.8929

Claire Gibbs

Media Relations and Communications Manager

ClaireGibbs@wilsondaniels.com

212.823.6261

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SOURCE Wilson Daniels
Biotalys NV

 Established strategic partnerships in preparation of U.S. market calibration of Evoca*



 Improved manufacturing efficiencies for the next generation of Evoca, tapping the proprietary AGROBODY Foundry platform

 Updated regulatory approval timelines in view of ongoing review by government agencies

 Year-end cash and cash equivalents amounted to 34 million

 Management to host a conference call and live webcast at 16:00 CET / 15:00 GMT / 10:00 AM EST today, details below

Ghent, Belgium, Feb. 28, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Press release - Regulated information  Biotalys (Euronext - BTLS), an Agricultural Technology (AgTech) company developing protein-based biocontrol solutions for sustainable protection of crops and food, today announces key business achievements and consolidated financial results for 2022, prepared in accordance with IFRS as adopted by the European Union, and an outlook for 2023. The annual report, including the full financial report, will be published on the Companys website on 24 March 2023.

Patrice Selles, Chief Executive Officer of Biotalys, stated: Despite 2022 being a tumultuous year globally and across the agricultural industry, Biotalys achieved important milestones demonstrating the ability of its AGROBODY technology platform to develop innovative biocontrols at scale. We believe Biotalys strategy and focus are fully aligned with the dawn of a new crop and food protection era, addressing both European Green Deal targets for chemical pesticide reduction and the global need to safely and sustainably feed our world.

The regulatory procedure for our first biofungicide Evoca is still ongoing. During our dialogue with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, we have learned that additional time is required to review all submitted data. We will continue to work closely with the Agency as it completes its review, now expected for Q3 2023, to bring this innovative technology into the hands of the growers.

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2022 Ope rational H ighlights (including post-period r egulatory u pdate for Evoca)

Throughout the year, Biotalys made significant headway in key areas to further develop its platform and pipeline.

Biotalys solidified strategic partnerships with global leaders to prepare for the market calibration of Evoca, the Companys first biofungicide:

At the start of 2022, Biotalys partnered with Olon, a world-leading bioactive manufacturing organization, to significantly scale-up the production of the active ingredient of Evoca.

Biotalys appointed Kwizda Agro, an established crop protection manufacturer, as formulator of its protein-based biocontrols  critical in the supply chain for high quality products, starting with Evoca.

After entering into a partnership with Novozymes, a world leader in biotech solutions, to explore additional routes to scale efficient production of the bioactive protein of Evoca, Biotalys announced the results of its successful feasibility study in H2. The study identified new, cost-effective ways to further scale the Evoca active ingredient.





Evoca continued to demonstrate its efficacy in our field trial program as future valuable tool for growers seeking more sustainable solutions to control devastating fungal diseases:

The field trial results based on data from grapes across vineyards in diverse climates throughout California and New York demonstrated excellent preventative control of Botrytis bunch rot in grapevines.

Evoca significantly outperformed a leading chemical product when positioned at the flowering stage of grapes in a fungicide rotation program.

Wine grape juice quality, vinification and wine characteristics exhibited no differences for Evoca-treated vineyards compared to non-Evoca treated vineyards.





Biotalys also achieved additional technology milestones for Evoca in 2022, including:

Regulatory update for Evoca

Biotalys submitted its regulatory dossier to the relevant authorities in both the U.S. (in December 2020) and the E.U. (in March 2021). In view of the progress made by these authorities as communicated to the Company, Biotalys is providing the following update: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is actively reviewing the regulatory dossier, and Biotalys has addressed all requests received by the EPA to date. The Company acknowledges the breakthrough nature of the protein-based biocontrol product requires more time than originally anticipated. The Company now expects to obtain the registration for Evoca in Q3 2023. As soon as obtained, the registration will allow the use of the product in selected fruit and vegetable crops. As a reminder, the first generation of Evoca represents a market calibration product that will not generate positive cashflow margins, but will enable the Company to create market demand and introduce growers to the new product in anticipation of a commercial, profit-generating version in 2026. In the E.U., the Board for Authorisation of Plant Protection Products (College voor Toelating van Gewasbeschermingsmiddelen or Ctgb) in The Netherlands as Rapporteur Member State is currently reviewing the regulatory dossier that Biotalys submitted for the active ingredient of Evoca. Biotalys expects to obtain the first registration in the E.U. in 2025, opening a path to launching the commercial version of Evoca in Europe in 2026.







The status of Biotalys current pipeline of product candidates, which includes novel biofungicides, biobactericides and bio-insecticides, is as follows:

The next generation of Evoca (containing the same bioactive protein, with optimized manufacturing and formulation) has progressed into the development stage and is currently expected to enter both the U.S. and the E.U. markets by 2026, subject to regulatory approval. The Company expects this next generation of Evoca to generate positive cashflow margins as production efficiency improves and market potential further develops.

BioFun-6 continues to progress according to plan and moved into in-depth in vitro characterization in 2022, with the goal of obtaining a novel mode of action differentiating it from Evoca, opening up the new product to a wider range of crops and regions. The Company expects to move this product candidate into development stage by the end of 2023, on track to bring an additional and complementary solution to fruit and vegetables growers by 2028.

BioFun-7 , in partnership with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, was initiated at the beginning of 2022 and is progressing as per plan with the identification of candidate molecules now ongoing.

BioFun-4 was initiated by Biotalys in the beginning of 2023 with the development of the project plan and target product profile, in collaboration with key opinion leaders, including members of the newly established Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC).

BioIns-1 made progress with the discovery of potential binders to insect targets, creating prospects for potential development of a product candidate by the Company or in collaboration with partners.

BioBac-1 and BioFun-2 are expected to continue to provide valuable IP and know-how, strengthening the Companys AGROBODY Foundry platform, and could form the basis of further R&D collaborations.

Actively strengthening its team, Biotalys made important appointments throughout the year:

* Evoca: Pending Registration. This product is not currently registered for sale or use in the United States, the European Union, or elsewhere and is not being offered for sale.

Detailed financial review for 2022

In  thousand 2022 2021 Other operating income 2,949 1,995 Research and development expenses (18,813) (13,880) General and administration expenses (5,081) (4,905) Marketing expenses (1,586) (1,289) Operating loss (22,531) (18,079) Financial income 320 1,510 Financial expenses (557) (343) Loss before taxes (22,769) (16,913) Income taxes 38 (16) Loss for the period (22,731) (16,929) Remeasurement gains (losses) on defined benefit plans (43) 5 Exchange differences on translating foreign operations 4 5 Total comprehensive loss for the period (22,770) (16,919) Basic and diluted loss per share (in EUR) (0.74) (1.10) Profit/(loss) for the period attributable to the owners of the company (22,731) (16,929) Total comprehensive income for the period attributable to the owners of the company (22,770) (16,919) Cash and cash equivalents 34,096 56,107 Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents (22,017) 33,005





Consolidated statements of profit and loss

Other operating income amounted to 2.9 million and relates to R&D tax incentives received and grants awarded to support R&D activities. The primary increase relates to the grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, for which the activities started in 2022. R&D tax incentives increased by 0.4 million, while income from government grants decreased slightly by 0.2 million compared to 2021.

Research and development expenses amounted to 18.8 million for 2022, an increase of 4.9 million compared to 2021. This increase is mainly driven by external spending for the production of Evoca in preparation of the market calibration planned for later this year and field trials for further product testing. Other increases in the R&D expenses include the indexation of salary costs and non-cash expenses for the stock options.

General and administrative expenses amounted to 5.1 million for 2022, compared to 4.9 million in 2021, mainly driven by a limited increase in expenses for employee benefits and technical systems. There was a decrease in professional services as there was a one-time charge of 0.5 million in 2021 related to the preparation for the initial public offering in July 2021.

Marketing expenses rose from 1.3 million in 2021 to 1.6 million in 2022 as a result of further developing the sales and marketing team in support of the expanded market calibration of Evoca planned for 2023 and beyond.

Financial income amounted to 0.3 million in 2022, compared to 1.5 million in 2021, and related primarily to foreign exchange gains in 2022, while the figure for 2021 was impacted by the full release of the remaining derivative liability of the Anti-Dilution warrants as they were cancelled upon the IPO.

Financial expenses amounted to 0.6 million and related primarily to interest expenses for the leases and bank loans and foreign exchange losses.

Income taxes expense show the impact of the creation of a deferred tax asset related to the R&D expenses in our U.S. subsidiary.

Loss of the period was 22.8 million, compared to 16.9 million in 2021.

Basic and diluted loss per share for 2022 amounted to 0.74 compared to 1.10 in 2021. There was a lower average number of shares outstanding in 2021 versus 2022 as the shares issued at the time of the initial public offering were only outstanding for approximately half of 2021.

Cash and cash equivalents at year-end amounted to 34.1 million in 2022 (compared to 56.1 million in 2021), slightly higher than expected as a result of a combination of savings and timing differences for certain cash payments for manufacturing.

Outlook for 2023

Biotalys expects to initiate the market calibration of Evoca with Biobest in select U.S. states, subject to regulatory approval. As the field trial program for the first generation of Evoca has been completed, the Company will now focus on testing improved product formulations and the next generation product, both in the U.S. and the E.U. In addition, Biotalys plans to test Evoca with a broader number of potential commercial partners for Europe and other regions.

In addition to the ongoing internal work on the next generation of Evoca, Biotalys is also exploring strategic supply and commercialization agreements with Novozymes for a next generation of Evoca.

The Company expects to advance the product pipeline in 2023 with the planned promotion of the BioFun-6 program into development stage while progressing current pipeline programs further in the discovery stage. Biotalys also aims to continue selectively leveraging its AGROBODY Foundry platform and pipeline to further expand into new markets and crops, with an increased focus on strategic collaborations that could drive additional value.

The Company expects cash burn in 2023 to be slightly higher than last year (2022: 22 million), in line with the planned investments in our pipeline, platform and manufacturing. Together with the cash and cash equivalents balance of 34 million at the end of 2022, the Company expects the financial runway to extend to mid 2024.

Auditor Statement

The consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with IFRS, as adopted by the EU. The financial information included in this press release is an extract from the full IFRS consolidated financial statements, which will be published on 24 March 2023. The statutory auditor, Deloitte Bedrijfsrevisoren /Reviseurs dEntreprises, represented by Pieter-Jan Van Durme, has confirmed that its audit procedures, which have been substantially completed, have not revealed any material adjustment that should be made in the accounting information included in this press release.

Financial calendar and upcoming IR events

14-15 March 2023: Biotalys management will meet with institutional investors and industry players at the World AgriTech Conference in San Francisco

24 March 2023: Online publication of annual report 2022

25 March 2023: Biotalys management will meet with retail investors at the Flemish Retail Investor Association (VFB) Annual Happening in Ghent

3-5 April 2023: Biotalys management will meet with institutional investors at the Global Ag Investing Conference in New York

25 April 2023: Annual General Shareholders Meeting at the Companys headquarters

11 May 2023: Biotalys Shareholders Club at Biotalys HQ in Ghent

Live webcast and conference call

Company management will host a live webcast in English to discuss its full year 2022 financial results and business highlights today, 28 February 2023, at 16:00 CET / 15:00 GMT / 10:00 AM EST. Please register via the following webcast link: https://edge.media-server.com/mmc/p/hv39hzvy.

Dial-in details: To ask questions live to management, please also register for the conference call via https://register.vevent.com/register/BI31434e7ab1764b25a7eadb82a0ff4e9e.

-End-

About Biotalys

Biotalys is an Agricultural Technology (AgTech) company developing protein-based biocontrol solutions for the protection of crops and food and aiming to provide alternatives to conventional chemical pesticides for a more sustainable and safer food supply. Based on its novel AGROBODY technology platform, Biotalys is developing a strong and diverse pipeline of effective product candidates with a favorable safety profile that aim to address key crop pests and diseases across the whole value chain, from soil to plate. Biotalys was founded in 2013 as a spin-off from the VIB (Flanders Institute for Biotechnology) and has been listed on Euronext Brussels since July 2021. The company is based in the biotech cluster in Ghent, Belgium. More information can be found on www.biotalys.com.

For further information, please contact:

Toon Musschoot, Head of IR & Communication

T: +32 (0)9 274 54 00

E: Toon.Musschoot@biotalys.com



Important Notice

This announcement contains statements which are "forward-looking statements" or could be considered as such. These forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology, including the words aim, 'believe', 'estimate', 'anticipate', 'expect', 'intend', 'may', 'will', 'plan', 'continue', 'ongoing', 'possible', 'predict', 'plans', 'target', 'seek', 'would' or 'should', and contain statements made by the company regarding the intended results of its strategy. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties and readers are warned that none of these forward-looking statements offers any guarantee of future performance. Biotalys actual results may differ materially from those predicted by the forward-looking statements. Biotalys makes no undertaking whatsoever to publish updates or adjustments to these forward-looking statements, unless required to do so by law.

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL POSITION

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF PROFIT OR LOSS AND OTHER COMPREHENSIVE INCOME

FOR THE YEARS ENDED 31 DECEMBER

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN EQUITY

FOR THE YEARS ENDED 31 DECEMBER

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF CASH FLOWS

FOR THE YEARS ENDED 31 DECEMBER









































































































The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements. Please see the full report available on www.biotalys.com.






By Jamie Freed

AVALON, Australia (Reuters) -Boeing Co's MQ-28 Ghost Bat fighter-like drone developed in Australia could fit the U.S. Air Force's requirements for a collaborative combat aircraft (CCA), the company's defence division head said on Tuesday.

"We're developing the MQ-28 to fit into a set of requirements that fit into that category of CCA and hopefully there is an intersection there," Boeing Defense, Space and Security Chief Executive Ted Colbert said on the sidelines of the Australia International Airshow.

Boeing is developing the MQ-28 in Australia alongside the Royal Australian Air Force, in what is the country's first homegrown combat aircraft to be manufactured in more than 50 years.

Colbert said there was "a lot of interest" in the MQ-28 from around the world.

It is designed to team with crewed fighter jets, which he said could include the Lockheed Martin Corp F-35, to be a "loyal wingman" and a low-cost force multiplier.

The MQ-28, which made its first flight in 2021, was on public display at the air show.

The drone is 38 feet long (11.6 metres), has a 2,000 nautical mile (3,704 km) range and can be outfitted with various payloads. The plane can also carry weapons and help protect crewed fighter jets.

(Reporting by Jamie Freed and Renju Jose; Editing by Tom Hogue and Gerry Doyle)
STERLING, Va., February 28, 2023--(BUSINESS WIRE)--BringCom Incorporated, a leading provider of connectivity solutions in Africa, would like to welcome Evode Rusagara, as the new Managing Director of DataNet. Rusagara brings a wealth of telecommunications, financial services, FINTECH and managerial experience to the company having worked previously as Managing Director in multiple East African countries, including Uganda and Tanzania. As part of the strategic acquisition plan by BringCom, DataNet has expanded its service coverage beyond Uganda and has entered new markets in East and West Africa. Rusagara will drive the execution of the DataNet strategy as well as launch additional services in the region such as edge cloud services, SD-WAN, security, and colocation. BringCom looks forward to positioning DataNet as a competitive communication solutions provider in the region.

About BringCom (www.bringcom.com)

BringCom Incorporated, headquartered in Sterling, VA, USA is a leading Communications Solutions Provider operating in Africa who has been offering high-quality international and last-mile connectivity solutions since 1992 to international enterprise and government customers located in the United States, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. BringComs agile and reliable end-to-end communications lifecycle is dependent on its core capabilities: Cloud and Connectivity Solutions, Project Management, Supplier Management, Africa Risk Management and Customer Experience.

About DataNet (www.DataNet.ug)

DataNet is at the forefront of the East Africa regional telecommunications industry expanding its MEF CE 2.0 certified network and bringing new corporate services to the market, earning the reputation for providing reliable business-grade networking services to clients who run critical business applications throughout East Africa.

For further information please visit www.bringcom.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230215005018/en/

Contacts

Marine Langreney

BringCom Marketing Manager

+1 (703) 955-2838

mlangreney@bringcom.com
CHICAGO, Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- According to Arizton's latest research report, the Canada data center market is to grow at a CAGR of 8.70% during 2022-2028. Over the next few years, Canada's maximum data center demand will come from the cloud segment, followed by the IT and Telecom, government, e-commerce, BFSI, healthcare, and education sectors. Canada is a well-established market in North America. The country supports investments with its macroeconomic policies and other incentives for investors. Toronto and Montreal are Canada's primary data center hubs, with cities such as Calgary and Kamloops also receiving investments from eStruxture Data Centers and Equinix, respectively, during the forecast period.

Arizton Logo (PRNewsfoto/Arizton Advisory & Intelligence)

Download the Free Sample Report Now: https://www.arizton.com/request-sample/3727

Toronto and Montreal are the primary data center hubs in Canada, with cities such as Calgary and Kamloops also receiving investments from eStruxture Data Centers and Equinix, respectively, during the forecast period. Over the next few years, the maximum data center demand in Canada is expected to come from the cloud segment, followed by the IT and Telecom, government, e-commerce, BFSI, healthcare, and education sectors. Canada has some of the greenest data center facilities, with an average Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) of around 1.2. According to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), in 2020, around 81% of the renewable energy generated in the country came from hydro & other marine sources.

CANADA DATA CENTER MARKET REPORT SCOPE

Report Attributes Details Market Size (2028) USD 5.48 Billion Market Size (Area) 0.84 million sq. Feet (2028) Market Size (Power Capacity) 145 MW (2028) CAGR Investment (2022-2028) 8.70 % Colocation Market Size (Revenue) USD 1450 Million (2028) Historic Year 2020-2021 Base Year 2022 Forecast Year 2023-2028 Key Vendors IT Infrastructure Providers: Arista Networks, Atos, Broadcom, Cisco Systems, Dell Technologies, Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE), Huawei Technologies, IBM, Juniper Networks, Lenovo, NetApp, and Oracle Data Center Construction Contractors & Sub-Contractors: Arup, AECOM, Black & Veatch, Computer Room Services Corporation (CRSC), DPR Construction, Ehvert, EllisDon, First Gulf, Karbon Engineering, PCL Construction, Salute Mission Critical, Turner Construction, Urbacon, and WZMH Architects Support Infrastructure Providers: ABB, Alfa Laval, Arctic Chiller Group, Caterpillar, Chatsworth Products, ClimateWorx, Cummins, CoolIT Systems, Dataprobe, Delta Electronics, Eaton, Generac Power Systems, Johnson Controls, KyotoCooling, Legrand, Mitsubishi Electric, Panduit, Piller Power Systems, Rittal, Rolls-Royce Power Systems, Schneider Electric, STULZ, Siemens, Toshiba, Trane, and Vertiv Data Center Investors: AWS, Cologix, Compass Datacenters, Digital Realty, Equinix, eStruxture Data Centers, Google, Microsoft, Urbacon Data Centre Solutions, and Vantage Data Centers New Entrants: QScale, STACK Infrastructure, Eastlink, Intermarket Properties, and Gatineau Data Hub (GDH) Market Dynamics  Rise and Advancement in Submarine and Inland Connectivity  OCP, Big Data & IoT Drive Data Center Investments  Increase in Data Center Investments and Activities  Growing Cloud Service Adoption Page Number 126

Download the Free Sample Report Now: https://www.arizton.com/request-sample/3727

Story continues

WHY SHOULD YOU BUY THIS RESEARCH?

Market size available in the investment, area, power capacity, and Canada colocation market revenue.

An assessment of the data center investment in Canada by colocation, hyperscale, and enterprise operators.

Investments in the area (square feet) and power capacity (MW) across states in the country.

A detailed study of the existing Canada data center market landscape, an in-depth industry analysis, and insightful predictions about industry size during the forecast period.

Snapshot of existing and upcoming third-party data center facilities in Canada

Data center colocation market in Canada

Canadian market investments are classified into IT, power, cooling, and general construction services with sizing and forecast.

A comprehensive analysis of the latest trends, growth rate, potential opportunities, growth restraints, and prospects for the industry.

Business overview and product offerings of prominent IT infrastructure providers, construction contractors, support infrastructure providers, and investors operating in the industry.

A transparent research methodology and the analysis of the demand and supply aspects of the industry.

CUSTOMIZE YOUR REPORT

If our report does not include the information you are searching for, you may contact us to have a report tailored to your specific business needs https://www.arizton.com/customize-report/3727

VENDOR LANDSCAPE

Some key investors in the Canada data center market are STACK Infrastructure, QScal, Eastlink, Intermarket Properties, and Gatineau Data Hub (GDH).

Some of the notable investments in Canada's hyperscale market include:

The operators are increasing their Canada data center market share and presence across the country by either acquiring the data center operators or investing in the company. For instance, Stonepeak acquired Cologix, a Canadian data center operator, in 2022.

EXISTING VS. UPCOMING DATA CENTERS

Existing Facilities in the region (Area and Power Capacity)

List of Upcoming Facilities in the region (Area and Power Capacity)

Download the Free Sample Report Now: https://www.arizton.com/request-sample/3727

THE REPORT INCLUDES THE INVESTMENT IN THE FOLLOWING AREAS:

IT Infrastructure

Electrical Infrastructure

Mechanical Infrastructure

General Construction

Tier Standard

Geography

MAJOR VENDORS

IT Infrastructure Providers

Arista Networks

Atos

Broadcom

Cisco Systems

Dell Technologies

Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE)

Huawei Technologies

IBM

Juniper Networks

Lenovo

NetApp

Oracle

Data Center Construction Contractors & Sub-Contractors

Arup

AECOM

Black & Veatch

Computer Room Services Corporation (CRSC)

DPR Construction

Ehvert

EllisDon

First Gulf

Karbon Engineering

PCL Construction

Salute Mission Critical

Turner Construction

Urbacon

WZMH Architects

Support Infrastructure Providers

ABB

Alfa Laval

Arctic Chiller Group

Caterpillar

Chatsworth Products

ClimateWorx

Cummins

CoolIT Systems

Dataprobe

Delta Electronics

Eaton

Generac Power Systems

Johnson Controls

KyotoCooling

Legrand

Mitsubishi Electric

Panduit

Piller Power Systems

Rittal

Rolls-Royce Power Systems

Schneider Electric

STULZ

Siemens

Toshiba

Trane

Vertiv

Data Center Investors

AWS

Cologix

Compass Datacenters

Digital Realty

Equinix

eStruxture Data Centers

Google

Microsoft

Urbacon Data Centre Solutions

Vantage Data Centers

New Entrants

QScale

STACK Infrastructure

Eastlink

Intermarket Properties

Gatineau Data Hub (GDH)

Know More About the Canada Data Center Market: https://www.arizton.com/market-reports/canada-data-center-market-investment-analysis

TABLE OF CONTENT

Chapter 1: Existing & Upcoming Third-Party Data Centers In Canada

Historical Market Scenario

110+ Unique Data Center Properties

Data Center IT Load Capacity

Data Center White Floor Area Space

Existing Vs Upcoming Data Center Capacity by Cities

Cities Covered

Toronto

Other Cities

List of Upcoming Data Center Facilities

Chapter 2: Investment Opportunities In Canada

Microeconomic and Macroeconomic factors of the Canada Market

Data Center Investments

Investment by Area

Investment by Power Capacity

Chapter 3: Data Center Colocation Market In Canada

Colocation Services Market in Canada

Retail vs Wholesale Data Center Colocation

Retail & Wholesale Colocation Pricing

Chapter 4: Market Dynamics

Market Drivers

Market Trends

Market Restraints

Chapter 5: Market Segmentation

IT Infrastructure: Market Size & Forecast

Electrical Infrastructure: Market Size & Forecast

Mechanical Infrastructure: Market Size & Forecast

General Construction Services: Market Size & Forecast

Chapter 6: Tier Standard Investment

Tier I & II

Tier III

Tier IV

Chapter 7: Geography Segmentation

Montreal

Toronto

Other Cities

Chapter 8: Key Market Participants

IT Infrastructure Providers

Construction Contractors

Support Infrastructure Providers

Data Center Investors

New Entrants

Chapter 9: Appendix

Market Derivation

Quantitative Summary

CHECK OUT SOME OF THE TOP-SELLING RESEARCH REPORTS:

Brazil Data Center Market - The Brazil data center market is expected to reach USD 4.43 billion by 2028, growing at a CAGR of 8.26% from 2022-2028. Brazil contributes around 50% of data center investments in the Latin American region.

Mexico Data Center Market - Mexico data center market size was valued at USD 632 million in 2021 and is projected to reach USD 1,082 million by 2027, growing at a CAGR of 9.37% during 2022-2027.

Colombia Data Center Market - Colombia data center market will witness investments of over USD 705 million by 2028, growing at a CAGR of 8.17% during 2023-2028.

U.S. Data Center Market - The U.S. data center market was valued at $86.98 billion in 2021 and is expected to reach $101.45 billion by 2027, growing at a CAGR of 2.60% from 2022 to 2027.

ABOUT US:

Arizton Advisory and Intelligence is an innovative and quality-driven firm that offers cutting-edge research solutions to clients worldwide. We excel in providing comprehensive market intelligence reports and advisory and consulting services.

We offer comprehensive market research reports on consumer goods & retail technology, automotive and mobility, smart tech, healthcare, life sciences, industrial machinery, chemicals, materials, I.T. and media, logistics, and packaging. These reports contain detailed industry analysis, market size, share, growth drivers, and trend forecasts.

Arizton comprises a team of exuberant and well-experienced analysts who have mastered generating incisive reports. Our specialist analysts possess exemplary skills in market research. We train our team in advanced research practices, techniques, and ethics to outperform in fabricating impregnable research reports.

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SOURCE Arizton Advisory & Intelligence
Sabina Mammadli

Azerbaijani and Russian Foreign Ministers Jeyhun Bayramov and Sergey Lavrov respectively have met within the latter's two-day visit to Azerbaijan.

According to Azernews, the visit is timed to coincide with the first anniversary of the Declaration on Allied Cooperation signed between Russia and Azerbaijan on February 22, 2022.

It's scheduled to exchange views on the whole range of bilateral issues, as well as relevant regional and international topics.

The visit will pay particular attention to the implementation of the trilateral statements signed by Azerbaijani, Russian, and Armenian leaders dated November 10, 2020, January 11, and November 26, 2021, as well as October 31, 2022.

Noting that, the Russian minister arrived in Azerbaijan on February 27.

The declaration on "Allied Interaction between Azerbaijan and Russia" aims to raise Azerbaijan-Russia bilateral relations to a qualitatively new level - that of allied relations.

The parties agree to promote cooperation in the political, economic, defense, cultural, humanitarian, educational, and social spheres, as well as healthcare, youth cooperation, and sports, based on mutual historical traditions of friendship and good neighborliness, as well as deep cultural and humanitarian ties.
Given the consistent research efforts and continuous growth of the cell therapies development pipeline, this upcoming therapeutic segment is expected to represent one of the highest valued segments of the biopharmaceutical industry in the foreseen future

LONDON, Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Roots Analysis has announced the addition of "Cell Therapy Manufacturing Market (5th Edition), 2022-2035" report to its list of offerings.

Roots Analysis Logo (PRNewsfoto/Roots Analysis)

Owing to the intricacies associated with the manufacturing processes, requirement for advanced production facilities and the growing demand for cell therapy products, developers are actively outsourcing certain production operations, in addition to expanding their in-house capabilities.

To order this 649 page report, which features 245+ figures and 285+ tables, please visit https://www.rootsanalysis.com/reports/view_document/cell-therapy-manufacturing/285.html

Key Market Insights

Around 240 organizations claim to be engaged in contract manufacturing of cell therapies

The current market landscape is dominated by industry players, which constitute 70% of the total number of stakeholders. It is worth mentioning that, amongst these, over 39% companies are small firms.

340+ production facilities dedicated to cell therapies have been established worldwide

North America has emerged as a key manufacturing hub for cell therapies, featuring the presence of nearly 46% manufacturing facilities; this is followed by Europe (28%). Other emerging regions include China, Japan, Singapore and Australia.

65+ cell therapy manufacturers are focused on immune cell and stem cell therapies

Most of the players in this domain are focused on manufacturing of T cell therapies, primarily CAR-T therapies, while stem cell therapy manufacturers are primarily engaged in the production of adult stem cells and mesenchymal stem cell therapies

Presently, more than 100 companies carry out manufacturing at all scales of operation.

Nearly 54% players have the required capabilities for commercial scale manufacturing. It is worth noting that all industry and non-industry players manufacture cell therapies required for clinical purposes.

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45+ companies offer automated and closed systems to cell therapy developers

More than 70 automated and closed systems are being used for cell therapy manufacturing. Nearly 60% automation technologies have been developed for processing and manufacturing adult stem cells, followed by those focused on T cells (53%).

1,038+ clinical trials evaluating cell therapies have been registered post 2019, worldwide

The clinical research activity (in terms of number of trials registered) increased at a CAGR of 73%, during the period 2019-2022. Of the total number of trials, close to 94% studies are presently active. Amongst the active trials, 76% were observed to be currently recruiting.

Over 260 partnerships were established in this domain, during the period 2016-2022

A large proportion (28%) of the partnerships were related to cell therapy manufacturing, followed by mergers and acquisitions (19%), and product development and commercialization agreements (9%).

Expansion activity in this domain has grown at a CAGR of 70%, between 2017 and 2022

More than 110 facility expansions were reported during the given time period. Over 80% instances were related to the establishment of new facilities, followed by those involving the expansion of existing facilities (19%).

Initiatives undertaken by big pharma players have increased at a CAGR of 58%, during 2017-2022

Several big pharma players have carried out initiatives focused on cell therapy manufacturing. Gilead sciences, Takeda Pharmaceutical and Novartis are some of the prominent big pharma players in this domain.

Currently available global cell therapy manufacturing capacity is estimated to be over 5.44 billion sq. ft. of dedicated cleanroom area

The maximum (48%) installed capacity (in terms of cleanroom area) belongs to companies based in North America; the region has a higher number of players, which have multiple production facilities. This is followed by Asia Pacific (41%) and Europe (12%).

The demand for cell therapies is anticipated to grow at a CAGR of 16%, during 2022-2035

Presently, the clinical demand for stem cell and CAR-T cell-based products is the highest; this trend is unlikely to change in the foreseen future as well. On the other hand, the demand for NK cell and dendritic cell therapies is expected to grow at a relatively faster pace, over the next decade.

By 2035, the market for commercial scale cell therapy manufacturing is likely to grow at an annualized rate of 19%

Currently, North America and Europe capture more than 55% share of the overall market. Specifically, the cell therapy manufacturing market in Asia Pacific is driven by countries, such as China, Japan, South Korea, India and Singapore. It is worth noting that the current market in Asia Pacific is primarily driven by the clinical demand for cell therapies.

To request a sample copy / brochure of this report, please visit https://www.rootsanalysis.com/reports/285/request-sample.html

Frequency Asked Questions

What is the current, annual, global demand for cell-based therapies? How is the demand for such products likely to evolve over the next decade?

What is the current, installed contract manufacturing capacity for cell therapies?

What are the key parameters governing the price of cell therapies?

What are the key recent developments (such as partnerships and expansions) that have been undertaken in the field of cell therapies?

What kind of partnership models are commonly adopted by stakeholders engaged in the cell therapy manufacturing domain?

What are the different types of initiatives undertaken by big pharma players for the manufacturing of cell therapies in the recent past?

What are the different types of automated technology platforms that are available to be adopted for the development and manufacturing of cell therapies?

Who are the key players (industry / non-industry) engaged in the manufacturing of cell-based therapies across the world?

What is the estimated total capital expenditure required to set up a cell therapy manufacturing facility?

What are the key factors influencing the make (manufacture in-house) versus buy (outsource) decision related to cell therapies?

How is the current and future market opportunity likely to be distributed across various key market segments?

The financial opportunity associated with the cell therapy manufacturing market has been analyzed across the following segments:

Type of Cell Therapy

Source of Cell

Scale of Operation

Purpose of Manufacturing

Geographical Regions

The report also features inputs from eminent industry stakeholders, according to whom, the manufacturing of cell therapies is largely being outsourced due to exorbitant costs associated with the setting-up of in-house expertise. The report includes detailed transcripts of discussions held with the following experts:

Peter Coleman (Chief Executive Officer, RoslinCT)

Dominic Clarke (Chief Technical Officer, Cell and Gene Therapy, Discovery Life Sciences)

Troels Jordansen (Chief Executive Officer, Glycostem Therapeutics)

Gilles Devillers (General Manager, Bio Elpida)

Wei (William) Cao (Chief Executive Officer, Gracell Biotechnologies)

Arik Hasson (Executive VP Research and Development, Kadimastem)

Fiona Bellot (Business Development Manager, RoslinCT)

David Mckenna (Professor and American Red Cross Chair in Transfusion Medicine, University of Minnesota)

Victor Lietao Li (Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Lion TCR)

Arnaud Deladeriere (Manager, Business Development & Operations-cGMP Manufacturing Unit, C3i Center for Commercialization of Cancer Immunotherapy)

Brian Dattilo (Manager of Business Development, Waisman Biomanufacturing)

Mathilde Girard (Department Leader, Cell Therapy Innovation and Development, Yposkesi)

Tim Oldham (Chief Executive Officer, Cell Therapies)

Gerard MJ Bos (Chief Executive Officer, CiMaas)

The research includes profiles of key players (industry and non-industry; listed below), featuring a brief overview of the company / organization, along with details related to its manufacturing facilities, service portfolio, recent developments and an informed future outlook.

AGC Biologics

BioNTech Innovative Manufacturing Services

Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult

Cell Therapies

Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, Baylor College of Medicine

Center for Cell Manufacturing Ireland, National University of Ireland

Charles River Laboratories

Clinical Cell and Vaccine Production Facility, University of Pennsylvania

FUJIFILM Cellular Dynamics

Guy's and St. Thomas GMP Facility, Guy's Hospital

KBI Biopharma

Laboratory for Cell and Gene Medicine, Stanford University

Lonza

MEDINET

Minaris Regenerative Medicine

Molecular and Cellular Therapeutics, University of Minnesota

Newcastle Cellular Therapies Facility, Newcastle University

Nikon CeLL innovation

Rayne Cell Therapy Suite, King's College London

RoslinCT

Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service, Scottish Centre of Regenerative Medicine

Sydney Cell and Gene Therapy

Thermofisher Scientific

WuXi AppTec

For additional details, please visit

https://www.rootsanalysis.com/reports/view_document/cell-therapy-manufacturing/285.html

You may also be interested in the following titles:

Contact:

Gaurav Chaudhary

+1 (415) 800 3415

+44 (122) 391 1091

Gaurav.Chaudhary@rootsanalysis.com

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SOURCE Roots Analysis
Charlie Javice alleges it was Jamie Dimon, JPMorgan Chases powerful billionaire CEO, who took a personal interest in the banks acquisition of her financial aid site Frank, telling her in July of 2021 that he thought JPMorgan should get the deal done, according to court documents filed Monday in Delaware District Court.

The deal did indeed get done. In September 2021, just two months after Javice says the CEO spoke to her, JPMorgan Chase closed its $175 million purchase of Frank, a company it believed had at least 4.25 million users. It took several months for JPMorgan Chase to figure out the truththat Javice had lied and Frank had less than 300,000 customers. JPMorgan claimed the Frank founder and Olivier Amar, Franks chief growth officer, committed securities fraud, fraud with the contract, and conspiracy to commit fraud, as well as aiding and abetting fraud for allegedly fabricating around 4 million nonexistent accounts that they said used Franks services, according to a December lawsuit from JPMorgan Chase. (You can read Fortune's account of the whole saga and how JP Morgan got tied up with Frank here.)

But Javice, who is 30 years old, alleges that JPMorgan Chase, one of the worlds biggest banks with $3.7 trillion in assets, did know the truth about Frank, including its size, but still rushed to do the deal, the court documents said. The young entrepreneur is demanding a jury trial, but it's unclear if the court case will get that far.

JPMorgans lawsuit against Javice is a massive CYA effort by those responsible inside JPMC (JPMorgan Chase) to shift the blame for a failed and now-regretted acquisition to someone they viewed as an easy target: its young female founder, Javice said in her answers, defenses, and counterclaims to the JPMorgan Chase lawsuit.

Javices reply to the JPMorgan lawsuit are her attempt to set the record straight. The December lawsuit from the bank, filed two days after Javice sued JPMorgan for legal fees and expenses, set off a media frenzy earlier this year. Once a media darling, Javice has been portrayed negatively in nearly all the more recent articles, at worst as a con artist who tricked the bank into buying her startup. Dimon, during a conference call in January to discuss JPMorgans earnings, called the Frank acquisition a huge mistake.

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Javice contends JPMorgan Chase knew exactly what it was getting when it bought Frank, which claimed to simplify the financial aid process, in 2021. The bank only needed to look at public information, valuations for comparable companies at the time, and its own diligence to get an accurate picture of Frank, the court filing said. By its own admission, JPMorgan Chase conducted several weeks of due diligence on Frank during the summer of 2021, Fortune has reported, citing JPMorgans December lawsuit. Javice, in her initial complaint against JPMorgan for expenses, said the bank committed considerable resources to the deal, involving hundreds of its employees in diligence of Frank. The bank hired well-known law firm Dechert, which advised JPMorgan Chase on the Frank acquisition. Sidley Austin represented Frank, according to the Javice court filing.

Javice cited several reasons she thought JPMorgan was motivated to close the Frank acquisition. JPMorgan embarked on an "aggressive campaign" to buy fintechs starting in 2020, according to the court documents. (Dimon, in an annual shareholder letter in December 2020, listed fintechs as one of the enormous competitive threats to banks.) JPMorgan has invested or bought at least 25 fintechs since 2020, according to Refinitiv, a London Stock Exchange Group business. In 2020, JPMorgan Chase committed $30 billion to close the racial wealth gap among Black, Hispanic, and Latino communities. The bank has also wanted to boost its access to an important client base: young customers. Like many large banks, JPMorgan Chase was once a major originator of student loans but decided to get out of that business in 2013. It currently offers tools to help young customers balance their budgets and save money. Buying Frank offered an in-road to the student market with its young and lower income student audience, Javice said in the filing.

"As we have stated from the beginning, our legal claims against Ms. Javice and Mr. Amar are set out in our complaint, along with the key facts. We stand behind our allegations, and this dispute will be resolved through the legal process," said Pablo Rodriguez, a JPMorgan Chase spokesman in a statement.

Javice also pointed out the relatively small price that JPMorgan Chase, a leading advisor on mergers, paid for Frank. The startup, when it sold in September 2021, was a seemingly high-flying fintech that had raised more than $20 million in funding. Frank had some big name investors including Marc Rowan, cofounder and CEO of Apollo Global Management, an alternative asset manager; early stage venture firm Aleph; and, online education company Chegg. JPMorgan Chase scooped up Frank for $175 million, a low price for a company that at least claimed to have a 25% market share of the student market. In September 2021, comparable companies at the time were trading at higher valuations. Chegg, which claims to have 36% of the student market, had a $10.9 billion market capitalization in September 2021. (Cheggs valuation has since dropped about 80% to $2.2 billion.)

Javice also contends that Franks total marketing spend from 2017 to 2020, around $2.25 million, shouldve clued JPMorgan into how many users the startup had in 2021. Frank repeatedly indicated to the bank that the cost of acquiring a registered user of a Frank FAFSA account was around $5, according to the Javice filing. If Frank had 4.25 million users, this would come to more than $21 million, far more than the $2.25 million the startup cited.

If Frank really did have more than 4 million registered student accounts that JPMorgan Chase said it believed it had, then the bank shouldve paid more than $175 million, the filing said. "This would have indicated a leading market share and called for a valuation based on easily identifiable market comparables that would have exceeded many multiples of the offer price, Javice said in the filing.

"The original version of this story said that Sidley Austin advised JP Morgan. Instead the law firm advised Frank."

This story was originally featured on Fortune.com

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(Bloomberg) -- China is using TikTok to expand its influence around the world, a top Republican lawmaker said Monday in arguing that the popular video-sharing app thats owned by a Beijing-based company should be banned in the US or sold off.

Most Read from Bloomberg

Representative Mike Gallagher of Wisconsin, chairman of a new House committee scrutinizing China, argued for the urgency of decoupling the worlds two largest economies and pointed to the countrys bid for more influence overseas as a sign that it must be countered.

The exact same strategy, tactics and technology that CCP uses to control the Chinese people in China are increasingly the same strategy, tactics and technology theyre using to control Americans,Gallagher of Wisconsin told reporters, referring to the ruling Chinese Communist Party.

Gallaghers new select committee is set to hold its first hearing on Tuesday at 7 p.m. Washington time, in the latest sign of an ever-deepening hawkishness toward Beijing by both parties on Capitol Hill.

Thats been fueled most recently by the uproar over an alleged Chinese spy balloon that flew over the US as well as Biden administration claims that China has considered whether to supply Russia with lethal support for its invasion of Ukraine.

China has dismissed what it called hysteria over the balloon and said it doesnt offer weapons to conflict zones.

Recently there has been too much disinformation about China in this regard, Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said in a briefing Friday. He added that Chinas position on Ukraine boils down to one phrase: to advocate peace and promote talks.

Brooke Oberwetter, a TikTok representative, said in a statement that It would be unfortunate if the House Foreign Affairs Committee were to censor millions of Americans, and do so based not on actual intelligence, but on a basic misunderstanding of our corporate structure.

Story continues

She added: We are two years and $1.5 billion dollars deep into a project to go above and beyond existing law to secure the US version of the TikTok platform.

One of the select committees goals is to emerge with a coherent framework for selective economic and financial decoupling, Gallagher told reporters. In my opinion, this is the most difficult and complex aspect of our competition with China.

Gallagher has been pushing legislation that would ban TikTok, which is owned by ByteDance Ltd., or force its sale. But his bill isnt the only proposal seeking to limit the apps operations in the US. The House Foreign Affairs Committee on Tuesday will debate and vote on a different TikTok measure, this one from Chairman Michael McCaul, a Texas Republican, who has warned that other efforts to prohibit the app would be challenged on free speech issues.

My bill empowers the administration to ban TikTok or any software applications that threaten US national security, McCaul said. And make no mistake  TikTok is a security threat. It allows the CCP to manipulate and monitor its users while it gobbles up Americans data to be used for their malign activities.

Representative Gregory Meeks, a New York Democrat, called that legislation overly broad, and said he wouldnt support it.

Gallagher on Monday said hes very suspicious of an agreement that TikTok has proposed to protect data from US users and insulate the platform from Chinese influence.

He said that the Committee on Foreign Investment in the US, of Cfius, which is reviewing TikToks operations, could be crippled by members representing the Treasury Department that have been a bit less hawkish on China than members from the Defense Department or the National Security Council.

The bipartisan House committee will review other aspects of US competition with China, including export controls and outbound investment review designed to limit US capital that Gallagher said could unwittingly fund human rights abuses or advances in military technology.

(Updates with TikTok comment, McCaul, Meeks comments, starting in eighth paragraph.)

Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek

2023 Bloomberg L.P.
LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESSWIRE / February 28, 2023 / Clean Vision Corporation (OTCQB:CLNV) ("Clean Vision" or the "Company"), an emerging leader in the sustainable clean technology and green energy sectors, today announced that it has closed a $4 million dollar financing on February 23, 2023, which the Company believes will allow the Company to rapidly execute on its business model of supporting a portfolio of sustainable ventures targeting key environmental challenges.

The funding came from a multi-billion-dollar multi-strategy platform hedge fund with approximately $5 billion in assets under management that seeks to build talent density across all areas of its business, providing its team with world class resources for optimal results.

Under the terms of the financing, Clean Vision will receive funds in two tranches: $2.5 million upon execution of all documents, and the remaining $1.5 million upon the filing of a registration statement on Form S-1 with the U.S. Securities and Exchange commission (the "SEC") within thirty (30) days of the closing of the financing.

"This capital will allow Clean Vision to rapidly expand its global operations and provide its wholly-owned subsidiary, Clean-Seas, Inc., with the necessary resources to close its acquisition of Ecosynergie Group in Morocco and begin recognizing revenue from the current operations," stated Dan Bates, CEO of Clean Vision. "EcoCell, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Clean Vision, will also benefit from this investment, and the Company looks forward to completing its development of the hybrid hydrogen fuel cell technology."

Spartan Capital Securities, LLC served as the sole placement agent for the financing and will assist in securing the Company's future capital needs and support its plans for an uplisting to a senior exchange

"Spartan is delighted to partner with Clean Vision, a company with proven management, great products, and a timely plan to target a global market opportunity," said Jason Diamond, Head of Investment Banking.

Story continues

About Clean Vision Corporation

Clean Vision Corporation operates and intends to acquire and operate a portfolio of synergistic companies in the sustainable clean technology and green energy sectors. For more information, visit: cleanvisioncorp.com and follow us on Twitter: @CleanVisionCorp.

About Clean-Seas, Inc.

Clean-Seas, Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Clean Vision. It is working to provide efficient and cost-effective technology solutions that address the global waste plastic crisis locally while creating economic opportunity and social benefit across the world. Clean-Seas, Inc. plans to offer "best in class" pyrolysis technology deployment with strategic alliances for plastic diversion and conversion, including securing feedstock of plastic and off-take agreements. For more information, visit: clean-seas.com.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This press release includes express or implied statements that are not historical facts and are considered forward-looking within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act. Forward-looking statements involve substantial risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements generally relate to future events or our future financial or operating performance and may contain projections of our future results of operations or of our financial information or state other forward-looking information. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by the following words: "may," "will," "could," "would," "should," "expect," "intend," "plan," "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "predict," "project," "potential," "continue," "ongoing," or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology, although not all forward-looking statements contain these words. Although we believe that the expectations reflected in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, these statements relate to future events or our future operational or financial performance and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. Furthermore, actual results may differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements and will be affected by a variety of risks and factors that are beyond our control, including, without limitation, statements about our potential acquisitions; our ability to develop and complete development of certain technology; our future financial performance, including our revenue, cash flows, costs of revenue and operating expenses; our anticipated growth; our predictions about our industry; the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our business and our ability to attract, retain and cross-sell to clients. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are also subject to other risks and uncertainties. The forward-looking statements in this press release speak only as of the date on which the statements are made. We undertake no obligation to update, and expressly disclaim the obligation to update, any forward-looking statements made in this press release to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this press release or to reflect new information or the occurrence of unanticipated events, except as required by law.

Contact

Clean Vision Corporation

Dan Bates, CEO

d.bates@cleanvisioncorp.com

Investors

Frank Benedetto

619-915-9422

SOURCE: Clean Vision Corporation





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The Insight Partners

The global coagulation analyzer market size to grow at a CAGR of 5.9% from 2022 to 2028, it is expected to reach USD 5.91 billion by 2028 from USD 3.97 billion in 2021.

New York, Feb. 28, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- According to The Insight Partners,  Coagulation Analyzer Market Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Global Forecast to 2028 - COVID-19 Impact and Global Analysis By Product (Clinical Laboratory analyser and Point-of-Care Testing analyser), Test (Prothrombin Time Testing, Fibrinogen Testing, Activated Clotting Time Testing, Activated Partial Thromboplastin Time Testing, D-Dimer Testing, Platelet Function Tests, and Others), Technology (Optical Technology, Mechanical Technology, Electrochemical Technology, and Other Technologies), and End Users (Hospitals, Clinical Laboratories, and Others), the global coagulation analyzer market growth is driven by rising incidence of cardiovascular diseases, increasing prevalence of blood disorders and development of point-of-care (POC) coagulation analyzers.





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Global Coagulation Analyzer Market  Report Scope:

Market Size Value in USD 3.97 Billion in 2021 Market Size Value by US$ 5.91 Billion by 2028 Growth rate CAGR of 5.9% from 2022 to 2028 Forecast Period 2022-2028 Base Year 2021 No. of Pages 128 No. of Tables 138 No. of Charts & Figures 83 Historical data available Yes Segments covered Product, Test, Technology, and End Users





Global Coagulation Analyser Market: Competitive Landscape and Key Developments

Abbott Laboratories; Danaher Corp; Siemens Healthcare GmbH; Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc; Sysmex Corporation; Horiba Ltd.; Nihon Kohden Corp; F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd; Maccura Biotechnology Co Ltd; Bio Group Medical System SRL; and Shenzhen Mindray Bio-Medical Electronics Co., Ltd. are among the key companies operating in the coagulation analyser market. Leading players are adopting strategies such as the launch of new products, expansion and diversification of their market presence, and acquisition of new customer base to tap prevailing business opportunities.

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In February 2021 , Siemens Healthineers and Sysmex Corporation announced the renewal of the companies' long-standing global supply, distributorship, sales, and service agreement for a broad portfolio of hemostasis products including a multi-year extension. As a part of the agreement, Siemens Healthineers will distribute the new Sysmex CN Systems.

In July 2020 , Sysmex launched automated blood coagulation analyzers CN-6000 and CN-3000 in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.





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Rising Prevalence of Blood Disorders Globally Fuels Coagulation Analyzer Market Growth:

According to National Organizations of Rare Disorders, hemophilia A is the most common X-linked recessive disorder and the second most common inherited clotting factor deficiency after von Willebrand disease. In the US, ~1 in 5,000 newborn males have hemophilia A. Approximately 60% hemophilia A patients have a severe form of the disorder. According to National Library of Medicine, in 2020, about 30,000 to 33,000 males were affected by hemophilia in the US. According to U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, in 2020, ~100,000 Americans suffer from Sickle Cell Disease (SCD), the most common inherited blood disorder. In 2050, the global number of people affected by SCD is expected to grow by about 30%. Among African children born with SCD, more than 50% will die before they reach age five. In India, 20% die before they reach age two. As per National Library of Medicine, in 2022, ~1% of all individuals (unselected population) is believed to suffer from Von Willebrand disease, but the disease is estimated to affect 125 per million, with up to five per million people suffering from severe symptoms. Similarly, in European Union, a total of 80 million people suffer from blood disorders, ranging from cancer to bleeding disorders, as per research published in NLM in 2020.

According to National Organization for Rare Disorders, in 2022, the occurrence of immune thrombocytopenia (ITP), an autoimmune bleeding disorder, affects ~66 adults per 1,000,000 each year. Moreover, in the US, the incidence of adult ITP is estimated to be 3.3 per 100,000/year, while the prevalence is 9.5 per 100,000.





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A coagulation analyser measures and evaluates the speed of clot formation or clot coagulation. A coagulation analyser provides a fast and simple way to measure blood platelet levels, as well as thrombolin and thromboplastin levels quickly and accurately. Thus, the increasing cases of blood disorders across the world are driving the coagulation analysers market growth.

North America accounted for the largest share of the global coagulation analyser market in 2021. In North America, the US is the largest market for coagulation analysers. The growth of this market is primarily driven by the increasing incidence of blood disorders, growing prevalence of cardiovascular diseases such as atrial fibrillation, rising developments by market players, and presence of major market players in the US. In the US, growing prevalence of atrial fibrillation is likely to demand anticoagulant reversal drugs. As per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in the US in 2019, AFib was mentioned on around 183,321 death certificates and was the primary cause of death in about 26,535 of those deaths. Additionally, it has anticipated that by 2030, 12.1 million people in the US will have AFib. Additionally, as per the Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care, in Canada, incidence of atrial fibrillation is up to 4.5% per year, with lifetime risk of about 25% among people older than 40 years. Also, increasing incidence of blood disorders is likely to propel the demand for coagulation analysers in the coming years. As per the CDC, Hemophilia A affects 1 in 5,000 male births. Around 400 babies are born with hemophilia A each year. It also mentioned that about 33,000 males in the US were affected by hemophilia during 20122018. Further, around 300,000 Canadians carry an inherited bleeding disorder gene. One in ten of these peopleat least 30,000 Canadianshave symptoms severe enough to require medical care. Many of them have not been properly diagnosed. Only 10,000 cases of inherited bleeding disorders are registered in the Canadian network of inherited bleeding disorder comprehensive care clinics. Also, increasing awareness program for blood disorders is likely to favor the market growth during the forecast period. Hemophilia Health Education and Prevention Funded Project is the largest program in CDCs Division of Blood Disorders. CDC has funded projects that are designed to promote health and prevent complications related to bleeding disorders. Thus, increasing number of blood disorders, growing prevalence of cardiovascular diseases, and government support for prevention of blood disorder in the region are anticipated to boost the coagulation analysers market growth in North America during the forecast period.





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Global Coagulation Analyser Market: End User Overview

Based on end user , the global coagulation analyser market is segmented into hospitals, clinical laboratories, point-of-care testing, and others. The clinical laboratories segment held the largest market share in 2021 and is expected to be the largest shareholder in the market by 2028. Clinical laboratories are healthcare facilities providing a wide range of laboratory procedures, which aid the physicians in carrying out the diagnosis, treatment, and management of patients. The laboratories are the primary uses for molecular diagnostics products and services. It has well-established facilities as per the regulatory requirements. They use all possible blood analysis in different parameters. The sample collected from the patients is analyzed and studied using different instruments, reagents, methods, and technologies. The labs provide services to hospitals, clinics, and others. The increasing prevalence of chronic diseases, infectious diseases, and lifestyle disorders promotes the coagulation analyser market growth in the clinical laboratories segment.

Global Coagulation Analyser Market: Product Overview

Based on product , the global coagulation analyser market is segmented into clinical laboratory analysers and point-of-care testing analysers. In 2021, the clinical laboratory analysers segment accounted for a higher market share. However, the point-of-care (POC) testing analysers segment is expected to register a CAGR of 7.2% during the forecast period. The market in the point-of-care (POC) testing analysers segment is growing rapidly because POC measurement tool can be used inside and outside the hospital as a decision-making and management tool. When time is paramount, POC analysers provide immediate, actionable results in emergency rooms, coronary care units, surgery, and procedure suites. In addition to outpatient clinics and physicians' offices, these devices can assist with patient management in pharmacies, care centers, and patients' homes. POC coagulation analysers offer timely results without compromising diagnostic quality control provided by central labs.









Browse other research published by The Insight Partners:

Global Coagulation Albumin Market Size, Share Forecast to 2028 - COVID-19 Impact and Global Analysis By Type (Liquid, Powder); Application (Infectious Hepatitis, Measles, Others)

Global Coagulation Testing Market Size, Share Forecast to 2028 - Covid-19 Impact and Global Analysis - By Product (Instruments Consumables); Application (Activated Clotting Time (ACT), Thrombin Time (TT), Partial Thromboplastin Time (PTT), Activated Partial Thromboplastin Time (aPTT), Prothrombin Time (PT)); Technology (Optical Technology, Mechanical Technology, Electrochemical Technology); End User (Hospitals, Clinical Laboratories, Point-Of-Care Testing)

Global Coagulation Factors Market Size, Share Forecast to 2028 - COVID-19 Impact and Global Analysis By Product Type (Factor VII, Factor VIII, Factor IX, Factor X, Factor XIII, Von Willebrand Factor, Anti-Inhibitor Coagulant Complex, Others); Application (Hemophilia, Von Willebrand disease (VWD), Surgery, Other Bleeding Disorders); Technology (Plasma derived, Recombinant); End User (Hospitals and Clinics, Ambulatory Surgery Centers, Research Institutes)

Global Blood Coagulation Testing Market Size, Share Forecast to 2028 - COVID-19 Impact and Global Analysis By Product (Systems, Consumables, Reagents, Accessories); Technology (Optical Technology, Mechanical Technology, Electrochemical Technology, Other Technologies); Test Type (Prothrombin Time Testing, Fibrinogen Testing, Activated Clotting Time Testing, Activated Partial Thromboplastin Time Testing, Platelet Function Tests, Other Coagulation Tests)

Global Blood Coagulation Factor Market Size, Share Forecast to 2028 - COVID-19 Impact and Global Analysis By product type (Factor VII, Factor VIII, Factor IX, Factor X, Factor XIII, Von Willebrand Factor and Anti-Inhibitor Coagulant Complex); Application (Haemophilia, Von Willebrand Disorder, Surgery and others); Technology(Plasma Derived, Recombinant)

Global Point-of-Care Testing Devices Market Size, Share Forecast to 2028 - COVID-19 Impact and Global Analysis By Application (Blood glucose testing, Infectious disease testing, Coagulation testing, Pregnancy and fertility testing, Tumor markers testing, Others); End Users (Hospitals, Diagnostic Centers, Others) and Geography

Global Point-of-Care Data Management Software Market Size, Share Forecast to 2027 - COVID-19 Impact and Global Analysis By Application ( Infectious Disease Devices, Glucose Monitoring, Coagulation Monitoring, Urinalysis, Cardiometabolic Monitoring, Cancer Markers, Hematology, and Others); End User ( Hospitals/Critical Care Units, Diagnostic Centers, Clinics/Outpatient ), and Geography

Global Hemostasis Analyzers Market Size, Share Forecast to 2028 - COVID-19 Impact and Global Analysis By Product Type [Laboratory Analyzer (Automated Systems, Semi-Automated Systems, and Manual Systems) and Point-of-Care Testing Systems], Test [Activated Partial Thromboplastin Time, D-Dimer Test, Fibrinogen Test, Prothrombin Time (PT) Test, and Others], and End User (Hospitals/Clinics, Independent Diagnostic Laboratories, Home Care Setting, and Others)

Global Thrombophilia Testing Market Size, Share Forecast to 2028 - Covid-19 Impact and Global Analysis - by Product Type (Kits and reagents, Instruments (HPLC), Automated, Semi-automated); Test Type (Complete Blood Count (CBC), Factor V Assay, Fibrinogen Level, Prothrombin Time (PT or PT-INR), Platelet Count, Thrombin Time, Bleeding Time); End user (Hospital, Diagnostic laboratories, Academic institutions)









About Us:

The Insight Partners is a one stop industry research provider of actionable intelligence. We help our clients in getting solutions to their research requirements through our syndicated and consulting research services. We specialize in industries such as Semiconductor and Electronics, Aerospace and Defense, Automotive and Transportation, Biotechnology, Healthcare IT, Manufacturing and Construction, Medical Device, Technology, Media and Telecommunications, Chemicals and Materials.

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HERNDON, Va. , Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Inc. magazine today revealed that COREONYX Government Solutions is No. 1 on its fourth annual Inc. 5000 Regionals: Mid-Atlantic list, the most prestigious ranking of the fastest-growing Mid-Atlantic private companies, based in the District of Columbia, Delaware, Maryland, North Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia. Born of the annual Inc. 5000 franchise, this regional list represents a unique look at the most successful companies within the Mid-Atlantic economy's most dynamic segmentits independent small businesses.

COREONYX Government Solutions Logo (PRNewsfoto/COREONYX)

"It is a profound honor to have earned one of Inc. Magazine's most prestigious of awards and would not have been possible without our entire team's unflinching dedication, performance, and agility. Through our culture of customer focus, collaboration, and advocacy, the women, and men of COREONYX continue our upward trajectory of growth and delivery of the "Certainty of Outcome" our customer's demand. Representing such an amazing and talented group of professionals is a privilege."  Guy Mincey, Founder and CEO

The companies on this list show a remarkable rate of growth across all industries in the MidAtlantic region. Between 2019 and 2021, private companies had an average growth rate of 381 percent and, in 2021 alone, they added 14,439 jobs and $2.66 billion to the Mid-Atlantic region's economy. Companies based in the Richmond, Virginia and the Washington, D.C. areas had the highest growth rates overall.

Complete results of the Inc. 5000 Regionals: Mid-Atlantic, including company profiles and an interactive database that can be sorted by industry, metro area, and other criteria, can be found at www.inc.com/mid-atlantic starting February 28, 2023.

"This year's Inc. 5000 Regional winners represent one of the most exceptional and exciting lists of America's off-the-charts growth companies. They're disrupters and job creators, and all delivered an outsize impact on the economy. Remember their names and follow their lead. These are the companies you'll be hearing about for years to come," said Scott Omelianuk, editor-in-chief of Inc. magazine.

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COREONYX is a multi-award-winning VA/SBA CERTIFIED CVE-SDVOSB providing a wide range of services around the needs of our government clients to provide Information Technology, Professional & Technical, Consulting & support in Defense and Civilian sectors.

By carefully wrapping the technology around the mission, we deliver to our government and private sector clients the "Certainty of Outcome" they demand with transformation and "full stack" modernization initiatives to better serve the public. Some examples of our public sector consulting initiatives include:

Cloud

Digital Transformation

Applications Modernization and Migration

Enterprise Technology Modernization

UI/UX Customer experience

Smart infrastructure

Data security

With more than two decades of proven performance in assisting and supporting government & public sector agencies, we meet their challenges head-on to deliver the capability and performance needed for our client's goals to enable and deliver their mission successfully.

More about Inc. and the Inc. 5000 Regionals

Methodology

The 2023 Inc. 5000 Regionals are ranked according to percentage revenue growth when comparing 2019 and 2021. To qualify, companies must have been founded and generating revenue by March 31, 2019. They had to be U.S.-based, privately held, for-profit, and independentnot subsidiaries or divisions of other companiesas of December 31, 2021. (Since then, a number of companies on the list have gone public or been acquired.) The minimum revenue required for 2019 is $100,000; the minimum for 2021 is $1 million. As always, Inc. reserves the right to decline applicants for subjective reasons.

About Inc. Media

The world's most trusted business-media brand, Inc. offers entrepreneurs the knowledge, tools, connections, and community to build great companies. Its award-winning multiplatform content reaches more than 50 million people each month across a variety of channels including websites, newsletters, social media, podcasts, and print. Its prestigious Inc. 5000 list, produced every year since 1982, analyzes company data to recognize the fastest-growing privately held businesses in the United States. The global recognition that comes with inclusion in the 5000 gives the founders of the best businesses an opportunity to engage with an exclusive community of their peers and the credibility that helps them drive sales and recruit talent.

The associated Inc. 5000 Conference is part of a highly acclaimed portfolio of bespoke events produced by Inc. For more information, visit www.inc.com .

Cision

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SOURCE COREONYX Government Solutions
The advent of high-quality goods in the coatings industry has resulted from an increase in environmental consciousness and this is likely to drive innovation in the decorative coatings market

PUNE, India, Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The global decorative coatings Market is expected to grow at 5.1 % CAGR from 2023 to 2029. It is expected to reach above USD 201.1 billion by 2029 from USD 128.5 Billion in 2022.

Exactitude Consultancy Logo



Decorative coatings are the paints and coatings used to coat buildings and homes. Most are intended for particular purposes, such as deck finishes, wall paints, or roof coatings. Each architectural coating, regardless of its intended purpose, must fulfil specific aesthetic, long-lasting, and protective requirements. Buildings are given the best chance of a long life through decorative coatings. These coatings have a significant impact on the visual appeal, utility, and sheet life of residential and commercial structures. Alkyd, acrylic, polyurethanes, and many more types of resins are among the principal types utilised for these coatings.

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The Asia Pacific region happened to be the largest market for the global decorative coatings industry, with a market share of 33% and a market value of approximately 34.25 billion in 2022.

Asia Pacific dominates the decorative coatings market due to several developing countries such as Vietnam. Bangladesh, China and India. In addition, ever-increasing domestic producers and growing infrastructure sector are also helping to drive the market growth of the region. Furthermore, the North American region is expected to show the fastest CAGR of 6.03% in the projection period.

Growing demand from Construction industry increases the market structure.

Modifying and repairing residential, non-residential, commercial, and infrastructural structures are among the many tasks involved in building. The PWC projection projects that by 2029, the global construction production would have increased by 85% to reach USD 15.5 trillion. During the predicted years, China, the US, and India will each contribute up to 57% to this industry's overall development. The big economies' recent economic recovery is credited with this growth. The per capita use of paint is also influenced by rising disposable income, rising interior design trends, and a higher standard of life. The market for ornamental coatings is expanding as a result of these causes.

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Decorative Coatings Market Report Scope

Report Attribute Details No. of Pages 150 Forecast Period 2023 - 2029 Estimated Market Value (USD) in 2022 USD 128.5 Billion in 2022 Forecasted Market Value (USD) by 2029 USD 201.1 billion by 2029 Compound Annual Growth Rate 5.1 % Regions Covered North America; Europe; China; Asia; Pacific; Central & South America; MEA

Key Findings

In 2022, the emulsions segment dominated the market with the largest market share of 42.27% and market revenue of 29.41 billion.

The product type segment is further segmented into Enamels, Wood Coating, Emulsion, Distempers and others. In 2022, the emulsion segment dominated the market with the largest market share of 42.27% and market revenue of 29.41 billion. This growth is attributed to the increasing demand for water-based coatings. Furthermore, by 2029, the wood coating segment will dominate the market due to increased disposable income.

In 2022, the acrylic segment dominated the market with the largest market share of 27.15% and market revenue of 18.89 billion.

The resin type segment is divided into polyurethane, acrylic, vinyl, alkyd and others. In 2022, the acrylic segment dominated the market with the largest market share of 27.15% and market revenue of 18.89 billion. This growth is attributed to its outstanding properties, which include stain resistance, higher UV resistance, better flux, better aesthetics, weatherability, durability, performance and lower cost. Moreover, by 2030, the alkyd segment is likely to dominate the market owing to the increasing demand in various end-use enterprises including industrial wood and metal packaging.

In 2022, the external segment dominated the market with the largest market share of 58.16% and market revenue of 40.47 billion.

The coating type segment is divided into external and internal. In 2021, the external segment dominated the market with the largest market share of 58.16% and market revenue of 40.47 billion. This growth is attributed to rapid development and increasing need for infrastructure.

In 2022, the waterborne coatings segment dominated the market with the largest market share of 43.18% and market revenue of 30.05 billion.

The technology segment is divided into solvent-borne coatings, waterborne coatings and powder coatings. In 2022, the waterborne coatings segment dominated the market with the largest market share of 43.18% and market revenue of 30.05 billion. This growth is attributed to the improvement in industrial manufacturing quality in emerging countries.

In 2022, the residential segment dominated the market with the largest market share of 57.15% and revenue of 39.77 billion.

The application segment is divided into residential and non-residential. In 2022, the residential segment dominated the market with the largest market share of 57.15% and revenue of 39.77 billion. This increase is due to increase in per capita income.

Competitive Strategy

In order to enhance their market position in the global Decorative Coatings market, the major players are now focusing on adopting strategies such as product innovations, mergers & acquisitions, recent developments, joint ventures, collaborations and partnerships.

For example, in June 2021, PPG Industries Inc., a United States-based coatings and specialty materials firm, acquired Tikkurila for an undisclosed amount. Through this acquisition, PPG Industries Inc. plans to use Tikkurila's strong portfolio of regional web and decor brands to provide customers with access to new technologies and resources. Tikkurila is a Finnish chemical manufacturing company that manufactures decorative coatings.

Browse Detailed Summary of Research Report with TOC:

https://exactitudeconsultancy.com/reports/12006/decorative-coatings-market/

Key Market Segments: Decorative Coatings Market

Decorative Coatings Market by Resin Type 2023-2029, (USD Million), (Kilotons)

Acrylic Resin

Alkyd Resin

Vinyl Resin

Polyurethane Resin

Decorative Coatings Market by Technology, 2023-2029, (USD Million), (Kilotons)

Waterborne Decorative Coatings

Solventborne Decorative Coatings

Powder Coatings

Decorative Coatings Market by Coating Type, 2023-2019 (USD Million), (Kilotons)

Interior

Exterior

Decorative Coatings Market by User Type, 2023-2019 (USD Million), (Kilotons)

DIY

Professional

Decorative Coatings Market by Product Type, 2023-2019 (USD Million), (Kilotons)

Emulsions

Wood Coating

Enamels

Decorative Coatings Market by Colour Type, 2023-2019 (USD Million), (Kilotons)

White

Others

Decorative Coatings Market by Application, 2023-2029 (USD Million), (Kilotons)

Residential

Non-Residential

Market Dynamics:

Drivers

Rising demand from the construction industry:

The market is expanding as a result of the building industry's constant need. Additionally, the construction covers a variety of tasks, including residential, commercial, non-residential, and infrastructural structure alterations and repairs. Additionally, it is predicted that the market for decorative coatings in these areas would grow due to the expansion of planned commercial construction projects, notably in the Middle East & Africa and the Asia Pacific. Thus, these coatings are mostly used on furniture, sculptures, wood floors, and other interior design components like wall paintings. The population's improved social and financial position, particularly in developing nations, is predicted to lead to an expansion in the decorative coatings industry. The worldwide market for decorative coatings is also driven by construction industry rebuilding and refurbishment operations.

Restraints

The stringent & time-consuming regulatory policies:

A significant factor impeding the growth of the decorative coatings market is the strict regulations governing the production of decorative coatings that use hazardous VOC compounds. Additionally, there may be uncertainty along the whole value chain as a result of prospective regulatory changes. The length of time it takes for the manufacturers at each node to accept the new law and implement new technology is the subject of this uncertainty. Furthermore, the channel partners, suppliers of raw materials, end-users, and formulators may be impacted by the numerous labour-intensive regulatory changes in other countries. Thus, another aspect that may hinder the market's expansion is the shifting cost of raw materials.

Browse More Chemicals & Materials Market Research Reports by Exactitude Consultancy:

Hard Coating Market

The global Hard Coating market is expected to grow at 8.10 % CAGR from 2023 to 2029. It is expected to reach above USD 1481.08 Million by 2029 from USD 794.25 Million in 2022.

https://exactitudeconsultancy.com/reports/11761/hard-coating-market/

Flat Glass Coatings Market

The global Flat Glass Coatings Market is expected to grow at a 13.35% CAGR from 2023 to 2029. It is expected to reach above USD 2845.7 million by 2029 from USD 921.3 million in 2022.

https://exactitudeconsultancy.com/reports/6297/flat-glass-coatings-market/

Paints & Coatings Market

The Global Paints & Coatings market is expected to grow at 3.4% CAGR from 2023 to 2028. It is expected to reach above USD 227 billion by 2028 from USD 180 billion in 2022.

https://exactitudeconsultancy.com/reports/1528/paints-coatings-market/

Antistatic Coatings Market

The global antistatic coatings market is projected to reach USD 755.63 million by 2029 from USD 475.96 million in 2022, at a CAGR of 5.3% during the forecast period 2023 to 2029.

https://exactitudeconsultancy.com/reports/12609/antistatic-coatings-market/

Abrasion Resistant Coatings Market

The global abrasion resistant coatings market is expected to grow at 6.55% CAGR from 2023 to 2029. It is expected to reach above 8.62 USD billion by 2029 from 14.91 USD billion in 2022.

https://exactitudeconsultancy.com/reports/12227/abrasion-resistant-coatings-market/

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NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / February 28, 2023 / Aramark

Aramark, Tuesday, February 28, 2023, Press release picture

At the LEAD ERG Summit (above, left to right): Aramark's Abigail Charpentier and Darand Garner; author and keynote speaker John Graham; Dr. Valerie Harrison, Temple University; Ellen Wilson, Aramark; Michael Scales, Temple University; Chanel Brown, Aramark LEAD ERG Chair.

Development. Connection. Education. Engagement. Recruitment. Mentoring. Inclusion.

These are just a few of the many benefits inherent in Aramark's growing network of Employee Resource Groups (ERGs), which give voice to the diverse members of the company's workforce, create a more inclusive workplace, and help shape company culture. Aramark was recognized in 2022 as being one of the Top 10 Companies for ERGs by DiversityInc.

"The DEI team greatly appreciates all of the LEAD members who contributed to an amazing Black History Month celebration. Our ERGs help us develop and engage people across the company, but they do so much more than that," said Fenimore Fisher, Vice President, Aramark Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI). "ERGs help us align workplace practices globally, invest in strategic partnerships, and strengthen our ties to clients, local businesses, and people in the communities where we live and work."

As one ERG focused on the development and advancement of its members, LEAD (Leaders and Employees of African Descent) comprises team members who self-identify as Black, African American, West Indian, or of African descent, as well as allies.

To commemorate Black History Month this year, LEAD team members organized, led, and participated in a series of programs and events designed to cultivate Black leaders at Aramark, support community projects, and foster a spirit of belonging.

2023 LEAD Summit and Awards

About 100 Aramark employees and guests participated in the third annual LEAD Summit held February 22-24 at Temple University in Philadelphia. The summit theme this year was "LEADing the Way: Fostering Dynamic Leaders That Are Connected, Protected, and Respected."

Story continues

Educational sessions at the summit included a panel discussion of what it is like to be a Black leader in corporate America post-pandemic and breakout sessions about building voice and confidence in work culture, professional financial acumen, and the importance of health and well-being.

John Graham, Jr., Vice President of Employer Brand, Culture and Diversity at Shaker Recruitment Marketing, and author of the book Plantation Theory: The Black Professional's Struggle Between Freedom and Security, gave the keynote address.

The first day ended with an awards dinner during which the following Aramark LEAD ERG members were recognized:

Indiana ERG HUB, HUB of the Year Award, for actively working to recruit new members, hold events, and connect with the community;

Kamilah White and Arianne Phillips, Committee Chairs of the Year Award, for exemplifying strong leadership within a LEAD committee and always willing to go above and beyond;

Joel Hernandez, Ally Award, for being involved or showing leadership in other ERGs while embodying the true meaning of being an exemplary ally; and

Michelle Smith, Dynamic LEADer Award, for being an "up and coming" leader demonstrating outstanding leadership skills and excellence while demonstrating the vision and mission of LEAD.

A vendor expo was also held during the summit at which multiple minority-owned businesses shared information about their products and services and interacted with the Aramark participants and other invited partners.

Aramark HBCU Emerging Leaders

Earlier in February, Aramark announced a partnership with the Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF) to launch the Aramark HBCU Emerging Leaders Program.

Through the program, 15 students enrolled in qualifying majors from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) were selected to participate in an immersive experience at the Aramark headquarters in Philadelphia in late February to learn more about Aramark's organization and culture. Travel, lodging, and meal expenses were covered.

Emerging Leaders participated in simulated work activities to help them better understand Aramark and job functions related to their majors, networked with executives, and learned about internship and employment opportunities post-graduation. They were also invited to participate in the LEAD ERG Summit.

"This program was named Emerging Leaders because we look to these students as the future of our industry and Aramark," said Jack Donovan, CEO and President of Aramark Collegiate Hospitality . "This partnership demonstrates our commitment to HBCU institutions and the students that they serve. We can't wait to see how our program participants leverage their potential, and we hope that this experience supports their pathways to success."

Other Black History Month Events

LEAD members organized and led several educational and community events during the month.

Employees took part in a virtual book discussion concentrated on The Light We Carry by Michelle Obama on February 2 and in an online culinary discussion and exploration February 16.

On February 9, LEAD organized a virtual tour of Ghana's Cape Coast Castle, one of about 40 slave castles built by Europeans on the Gold Coast of West Africa.

Starting on Martin Luther King, Jr., Day January 16, LEAD teamed up with the Aramark Young Professionals (AYP) ERG and Aramark Community Relations to host a month-long book drive.

The books all meaningfully address DEI, meet school reading criteria, and align with Dr. King's vision and passion. 

More than 600 books were donated and will be delivered to school students in Chicago, Dallas, Denver, and Philadelphia.

View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from Aramark on 3blmedia.com.

Contact Info:

Spokesperson: Aramark

Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/aramark

Email: info@3blmedia.com

SOURCE: Aramark





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DUBLIN, Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Energy/Electricity Futures, Options, and Derivatives" training has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

Research and Markets Logo

This proven program is for energy and electric power professionals who are looking for a comprehensive and clearly explained understanding of natural gas, oil and electricity financial instruments, the markets they trade in, and how these powerful tools can be used to manage risk and structure profitable transactions.

What You Will Learn

How to use futures contracts, options, swaps, trigger deals, "The Master Energy Hedging Equation" and other techniques to create customized risk management solutions to protect your company from natural gas, oil and electricity price risk, basis & LMP risk, delivery risk and volumetric (intermittency) risk.

How physical and cash settled futures contracts, over-the-counter energy swaps and physical forward contracts are traded and the purposes served by these markets.

How the ICE and CME-NYMEX futures exchanges and electronic marketplaces function, and what the differences are between ICE OTC, ICE Futures, CME Globex, CME Clearport Services and The Nodal Exchange.

How "cash margining" is done with a futures exchange, its cash management impact and the role of the Clearinghouse.

What the differences are between a futures commission merchant ("FCM"), over-the-counter broker, trader, market-maker, power marketer and wholesale energy merchant.

What basis risk is, and how basis, spread, LMP and delivery risks can blow up your energy and electricity hedges.

Why Trigger Deals are so popular, and what the difference is between the financial and physical basis ("fin" and "phys").

How to structure profitable energy, electric power, and petroleum transactions without exposure to price risk; and how to financially turn one commodity into another.

How to make money by buying valuable energy options from your customers and suppliers, and how your company may be missing a significant financial opportunity.

Why "extendible" deals can be profitable, and how energy trading floors "trade around assets."

What the terms "Contango" and "Backwardation" mean.

Story continues

What You Will Also Learn

What The Master Energy Trading Equation is, and why trading energy and electricity is different from trading financial products and other commodities.

The many different types of energy and electricity trading, why traders specialize, and the different ways energy traders can get an "edge" on the competition.

What the rationale, concepts and mechanics are for basis trading, spread trading, trading around assets and structured transactions.

The fundamentals of energy and electricity options, the implications of high energy price volatility, and why merchant energy and electric power assets are valuable Call options.

How to hedge energy and electricity price risk with CME-NYMEX options contracts, cash settled OTC options and physical peaking options; and how to create price caps, price floors and "no cost" collars.

How to calculate annualized volatility, the fundamentals of pricing options and why the Black and Black-Scholes models need to be modified to price energy and electricity options.

The put-call option parity equation, synthetic option positions and how to delta hedge.

What Tolling Deals, Asset Optionality, and the petroleum industry's "Carry Trade" are, and how they work.

Why a merchant fossil fuel generating plant is a call option on the spot spark spread, and you will learn a simple rule that will optimize your daily decisions on whether to use or idle an electric generator, storage facility or transportation asset.

How heat-rate-linked power transactions can effectively convert natural gas futures, options, and swaps into electric power financial instruments which can then be used to manage electricity risks or structure profitable transactions (optional additional class material offered at 4:30 pm on Day 1).

Prerequisites and Advance Preparation

This fundamental level group live seminar has no prerequisites. No advance preparation is required before the seminar.

Who Should Attend:

Among those who will benefit from this seminar include energy and electric power executives; attorneys; government regulators; traders & trading support staff; marketing, sales, purchasing & risk management personnel; accountants & auditors; plant operators; engineers; and corporate planners.

Types of companies that typically attend this program include energy producers and marketers; utilities; banks & financial houses; industrial companies; accounting, consulting & law firms; municipal utilities; government regulators and electric generators.

Speaker:



John Adamiak

President

PGS Energy Training



John Adamiak is President and Founder of PGS Energy Training and an expert in energy derivatives and electric power markets. Mr. Adamiak is a well-known and highly effective seminar presenter who has over 20 years experience in the natural gas and electric power industries.

His background includes 15 years as a seminar instructor, 9 years of energy transaction experience, and 6 years of strategic planning and venture capital activities. John's academic background includes an M.B.A. degree from Carnegie Mellon University.



For more information about this training visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/tm17k1

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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Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

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SOURCE Research and Markets
VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / February 28, 2023 / EnviroMetal Technologies Inc. ("EnviroMetal" or the "Company"), (CSE:ETI)(OTCQB:EVLLF)(FSE:7N2) announces it has entered into an investor relations agreement with Jemini Capital ("Jemini") to provide strategic investor relations and financial communications services.

Jemini Capital is a full-service merchant bank advisory firm with extensive experience assisting natural resources and tech companies. Since its inception in 2014, Jemini has participated in and been part of over $400 million in financing activities. Jemini's team is made up of experienced former bankers, marketing specialists, and professional investors with a broad range of skill sets.

Under the terms of the investor relations agreement, Jemini receives a monthly consulting fee of $3,000 and stock options to purchase 200,000 common shares of the Company at a price of $0.15 per share. The options are subject to vesting provisions, the terms of the Company's stock option plan and the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange. The contract term commences immediately, for a period of 6 months and is subject to Canadian Securities Exchange Approval.

Neither Jemini nor any of its principals have an ownership interest, directly or indirectly, in EnviroMetal or its securities.

Convertible Note

EnviroMetal has issued convertible notes (the "Notes") with a total face value of up to CA$215,200 bearing interest at a rate of 12% per annum accruing daily. The Notes mature 120 days from the date of issuance ("Maturity Date"). If the Company completes an equity financing prior to the Maturity Date the Notes will be converted into units of the equity financing. If the Company does not complete an equity financing prior to the Maturity Date the face value of the Notes plus accrued interest will automatically convert into units ("Maturity Unit") of an equity financing on the Maturity Date. Each Maturity Unit will consist of one common share of the Company and one share purchase warrant ("Warrant"). Each Warrant will be exercisable into one common share of the Company for a period of two (2) years from the Maturity Date at a price of $0.15 per share if converted within one (1) year of the Maturity Date and at a price of $0.24 if exercised more than one (1) year following the Maturity Date.

Story continues

About EnviroMetal Technologies Inc.

EnviroMetal Technologies is engaged in the development and commercialization of environmentally friendly formulas and technologies for the treatment of materials in the primary and secondary metals industries. Using its proprietary non-cyanide, water-based, neutral pH treatment process, EnviroMetal extracts precious metals from ores, concentrates, and E-Waste. For more information please visit: https://EnviroMetal.com

Contact Information:

Jason Leikam

VP Corporate Development

EnviroMetal Technologies Inc.

invest@EnviroMetal.com

(604) 428-2400 x 104

Forward-Looking Statements

This News Release contains "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable Canadian and the United States securities legislation. Statements contained herein that are not based on historical or current fact, including without limitation statements containing the words "anticipates," "believes," "may," "continues," "estimates," "expects," and "will" and words of similar import, constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking information may include, but is not limited to, information concerning our Research and Development activities, the accuracy of our capital and operating cost estimates; production and processing estimates; the results, the adequacy of EnviroMetal's financial resources, and timing of development of ongoing research and development projects, costs and timing of future revenues or profits and adequacy of financial resources. Wherever possible, words such as "plans", "expects", "projects", "assumes", "budget", "strategy", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "anticipates", "believes", "intends", "targets" and similar expressions or statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved, or the negative forms of any of these terms and similar expressions, have been used to identify forward-looking statements and information. Statements concerning future revenue or earnings estimates may also be deemed to constitute forward-looking information. Any statements that express or involve discussions concerning predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions, or future events or performance are not statements of historical fact and may be forward-looking information. Forward-looking information is subject to a variety of known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking information. Forward-looking information is based on the expectations and opinions of EnviroMetal's management on the date the statements are made. The assumptions used in the preparation of such statements, although considered reasonable at the time of preparation, may prove to be imprecise. We do not assume any obligation to update forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise, other than as required by applicable law. For the reasons set forth above, prospective investors should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. The CSE has not approved or disapproved of the information contained herein.

SOURCE: EnviroMetal Technologies Inc.





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Three High-Ranking MS-13 Leaders Arrested on Terrorism and Racketeering Charges

WASHINGTON  A four-count indictment was unsealed today in federal court in Central Islip, a charging 13 of the highest-ranking MS-13 leaders in the world with directing the transnational criminal organizations criminal activities in the United States, El Salvador, Mexico, and elsewhere, over the past two decades. Specifically, the defendants are charged with racketeering conspiracy, conspiracy to provide or conceal material support to terrorists, and narco-terrorism Conspiracy. Four of the defendants are indicted for Alien Smuggling Conspiracy.

On Feb. 22, Vladimir Antonio Arevalo-Chavez, aka Vampiro de Monserrat Criminales (Arevalo-Chavez), Walter Yovani Hernandez-Rivera, aka Baxter de Park View and Bastard de Park View (Hernandez-Rivera), and Marlon Antonio Menjivar-Portillo, aka Rojo de Park View (Menjivar-Portillo), were located by Mexican authorities and expelled from Mexico via the United States. When Arevalo-Chavez, Hernandez-Rivera, and Menjivar-Portillo arrived at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, they were placed under arrest by the FBI and Immigration and Customs Enforcements Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). Earlier today, the defendants had their initial appearances in the Southern District of Texas, pending removal to the Eastern District of New York..

Four co-defendants, Jose Wilfredo Ayala-Alcantara, aka Indio de Hollywood, Jorge Alexander De La Cruz, aka Cruger de Peatonales, Juan Antonio Martinez-Abrego, aka Mary Jane de Hollywood, and Francisco Javier Roman-Bardales, also known as Veterano de Tribus, remain at large.

Todays action makes clear that there is no hiding place, anywhere in the world, for the leaders of violent gangs that terrorize American communities, said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. The Justice Department will continue to use the full force of our law enforcement authorities to disrupt and dismantle MS-13 and other transnational criminal organizations and hold their leaders accountable.

The FBI will continue to vigorously investigate and hold transnational organized groups like MS-13 and their leaders accountable for the continued violent and terrorist criminal activities they orchestrate, said FBI Director Christopher Wray. Todays indictment demonstrates the FBIs reach and commitment to seeking justice against those individuals who jeopardize American lives and liberty. We will never stop working in coordination with our international partners to protect our respective citizens from MS-13 and other gangs wherever they are.

The relentless and heroic efforts of law enforcement here and in Central America are systemically dismantling the MS-13 the very top to bottom, and we will not stop until this transnational gang and its leaders are held accountable for the extreme violence they have inflicted on our district, the United States and the countries where this scourge is based, said U.S. Attorney Breon Peace for the Eastern District of New York.

As a member of Joint Task Force Vulcan, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcements Homeland Security Investigations is committed to protecting national security and the communities we serve against transnational criminal organizations, said Deputy Director and Senior Official Performing the Duties of the Director Tae D. Johnson of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. With our broad legal authorities and ability to investigate a wide spectrum of crimes, our HSI special agents will continue to maximize global efforts that detect, deter, disrupt, and dismantle criminal syndicates, like MS-13, and those who propagate associated illicit operations.

Members of the public with information concerning their whereabouts are strongly encouraged to contact the FBIs toll-free MS-13 tip line, 1-866-STP-MS13 (1-866-787-6713), or HSIs at (866) 347-2423 or https://www.ice.gov/webform/ice-tip-form. Together, FBI and HSI have offered a $20,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the four fugitives.

Six other co-defendants, Edwin Ernesto Cedillos-Rodriguez, aka Renuente de Abriles Dangers, Carlos Tiberio Ramirez-Valladares, aka Snayder de Pasadena, Dany Fredy Ramos-Mejia, aka Cisco de Teclas, Dany Balmore Romero-Garcia, aka Big Boy de Normandies, Dig Boy de Normandies, and D Boy de Normandies, Ruben Antonio Rosa-Lovo, aka Chivo de Centrales, and Miguel Angel Serrano-Medina, aka Cabro de Park View,are believed to be in custody in El Salvador. The United States will explore options for their extradition with the government of El Salvador.

As set forth in court filings, the 13 defendants are part of MS-13s command and control structure, consisting of the Ranfla Nacional, Ranfla en Las Calles, and Ranfla en Los Penales, and play significant leadership roles in the organizations operations in El Salvador, Mexico, the United States, and throughout the world. In the related case of United States v. Henriquez, et al., a grand jury in the Eastern District of New York previously indicted 14 members of the Ranfla Nacional, who functioned as MS-13s Board of Directors. Formal extradition packages were submitted by the United States for 12 of those defendants, who either are or were in El Salvador custody, remain pending.

As further alleged, the defendants have engaged in a litany of violent terrorist activities aimed at influencing the government of El Salvador (GOES) policy and to obtain benefits and concessions from the GOES; targeting GOES law enforcement and military officials; employing terrorist tactics such as the use of Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) and grenades; operating military-style training camps for firearms and explosives; using public displays of violence to intimidate civilian populations; using violence to obtain and control territory; and manipulating the electoral process in El Salvador. Several of these defendants have played prominent roles in MS-13s past and current negotiations with the GOES.

Further, these defendants authorized and directed violence in the United States, Mexico, and elsewhere as part of a concerted effort to expand MS-13s influence and territorial control. As the leaders of the MS-13 transnational criminal organization, these defendants were an integral part of the leadership chain responsible for supervising MS-13 cliques in the United States that engaged in extreme violence, including countless murders, attempted murders, assaults, and related offenses. For example, the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Eastern District of New Yorks (EDNY) has prosecuted hundreds of MS-13 leaders, members and associates for carrying out with more than 65 murders in the Eastern District of New York between 2009 and the present.

Several of these defendants, including Arevalo-Chavez, Hernandez-Rivera, and Menjivar-Portillo, coordinated MS-13s expansion into Mexico (the Mexico Program), at the direction of the Ranfla Nacional, which was a coordinated effort to maintain MS-13s continuity of operations in response to law enforcement pressure previously exerted by the United States and GOES. Additionally, the Mexico Program included forging alliances with Mexican cartels and engaged in narcotics trafficking, immigrant smuggling and extortion, kidnappings, and weapons trafficking. As alleged in the indictment, the MS-13s Mexico Program murdered some migrants bound for the United States, including suspected members of the rival 18th Street gang and MS-13 members attempting to flee MS-13 in El Salvador without permission. Finally, drug trafficking was an important part of MS-13s money-making operation, especially in Mexico, and the defendants used MS-13s large membership in the United States generate financial support for MS-13s terrorist activities in El Salvador.

Since its creation in August 2019, JTFV has successfully implemented a whole-of-government approach to combatting MS-13, including increasing coordination and collaboration with foreign law enforcement partners, including El Salvador, Mexico, Honduras, and Guatemala; designating priority MS-13 programs, cliques, and leaders, who have the most impact on the United States, for targeted prosecutions; and coordinating significant MS-13 indictments in U.S. Attorneys Offices across the country, including the first use of national security charges against MS-13 leaders.

JTFV has been comprised of members from U.S. Attorneys Offices across the country, including the EDNY; the District of New Jersey; the Northern District of Ohio; the District of Utah; the District of Massachusetts; the Eastern District of Texas; the Southern District of New York; the Eastern District of Virginia; the Southern District of Florida; the Southern District of California; the District of Nevada; the District of Alaska; and the District of Columbia, as well as the Department of Justices National Security Division and the Criminal Division. In addition, all Department of Justice law enforcement agencies are involved in the effort, including the FBI; the DEA; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the U.S. Marshals Service; and the U.S. Bureau of Prisons. In addition, HSI also plays a critical role in JTFV.

The FBI Salt Lake City, Sacramento, Los Angeles, Newark and Houston Field Offices investigated the case, with critical support provided by the FBI Criminal Investigative Divisions Safe Streets Gang Unit and HSIs National Gangs and Violent Crime Unit, who spearheaded this investigation. Additionally, FBI Mexico, HSI Mexico, and the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Officers and Area Port Director Shawn Polley at the George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston provided critical support in connection with the arrests.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Paul G. Scotti, Justina L. Geraci, and Megan E. Farrell for Eastern District of New York, and U.S. Attorneys James Donnelly, Matthew Shepherd and Stewart Young for JTFV prosecuted the case.

This story has been published on: 2023-02-28. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Fatima Hasanova

Half of the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry's medical workers returned to Azerbaijan from quake-hit Kahramanmaras, Azernews reports.

"We sent off some of the @wwwmodgovaz medical personnel from @igairport to Baku who came to #Kahramanmaras voluntarily on the first day of the earthquake. Turkiye Foreign Affairs Istanbul representation presented a plaque of appreciation to our doctors. We express our endless gratitude to our life-saving heroes," Consul General of Azerbaijan in Istanbul Narmina Mustafayeva tweeted.

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.
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CMT Direct is an astonishing digital marketing firm. Moreover, we are helping our clients to make their business a popular brand on Google. With our core services, our clients improve the performance of their businesses in the most effective way. Here are some reliable digital marketing services that we utilize:

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When you choose CMT Direct , we assist you in all possible directions. Meanwhile, we offer to google guaranteed facilities to our clients. This service improves your brand authenticity which is necessary for any digital brand. Therefore, our professional team gives the best solution to our clients with their years of experience.

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Our CRO (Conversion Rate Optimization) increases the percentage of your visitors who are interested in your services. With the help of these services, we can modify your site to increase the conversion rate and transfer leads. When your conversion rate is high, it means your audience takes interest in your service which is good for your future.

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SOURCE: Creative Media Technology





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FACT.MR

Production Dependency & easy availability of alternatives to Deter Market Growth. From Ink to Industry and Beyond, Evolution of Ferrous Sulfate Likely to Continue as Industrial Adoption Intensifies

Rockville, Feb. 28, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The global ferrous sulfate market is likely to reach a US$ 2.5 billion in 2023. It should attain a US$ 3.3 billion valuation in 2033. Overall sales of ferrous sulfate are set to experience acceleration at a sluggish 2.9% CAGR between 2023 and 2033.



Historically, ferrous sulfate use was common for manufacturing iron gall ink. Nowadays, its use is prevalent across industries such as agriculture, building & construction, pigments & crafts, horticulture, and medicine.

Rapid urbanization and fast-paced living are leading to iron deficiencies in the global population, which is on the rise. Oral nutritional iron supplements are favored by customers due to their low cost and easy availability.

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Report Attributes



Details Forecast Period 2023 - 2033 Value Projection (2032) US$ 3.3 Billion Growth Rate (2022-2032) 2.9 % CAGR No. of Pages 170 pages No. of Tables 112 Tables No. of Figures 92 Figures

Key Takeaways:



Germany is anticipated to hold a significant share of the ferrous sulfate market across Europe between 2023 and 2033.

Japan is projected to hold a prominent share of the ferrous sulfate market from 2023 to 2033.

The United States and India are expected to vanguard the ferrous sulfate sales in North America and South Asia markets respectively.

In terms of application type, the cement segment is expected to witness significant development in the coming years.

Based on grade, the monohydrate segment is predicted to account for a dominant share in the global ferrous sulfate market.

North America is expected to contribute to market expansion owing to a substantial demand for iron supplements.

Story continues

Growth Drivers:

Rising demand for ferrous sulfate in the water treatment segment is one of the key factors anticipated to drive market progress in the years ahead.

Abundant applications of ferrous sulfate in cement and agriculture are driving the development of the ferrous sulfate market in developing markets.

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Key Companies Profiled by Fact.MR

KRONOS Worldwide Inc.

Crown Technology, Inc.

Verdesian Life Sciences LLC

Venator Materials PLC.

Guangxi Jintao Titanium Co. Ltd.

Chemland Group

Competitive Landscape:

According to Fact.MR, the ferrous sulfate market is expected to compete with several key players. These giants are focusing on collaborations, product development, acquisitions and merger, and product launches to strengthen their market position. Few companies devote themselves to research and development to provide the industry with highly effective and profitable products.



For instance,

In October 2021, USALCO, a prominent manufacturer of industrial and water treatment chemicals, acquired the water treatment division of ALTIVIA. USALCO is among the prominent suppliers of specialty chemicals in the United States.

In October 2019, Venator launched a new titanium dioxide (TiO2) pigment for the worldwide plastics industry. The TIOXIDE TR29 is Venator's top-performing white pigment for low moisture submissions and demanding treating conditions.

More Valuable Insights on the Ferrous Sulfate Market

In the report, Fact.MR highlights the key segments expected to drive the expansion of the global ferrous sulfate market through the forecast period (2023 to 2033). This report offers an investigation of the growth drivers anticipated to boost the share of ferrous sulfate over detailed segmentation such as:

By Type:

Monohydrate

Heptahydrate

By Grade:

Food Grade

Technical Grade

By Application:

Water Treatment

Agriculture

Pigment

Cement

Animal Feedstock

Others

By Region:

North America

Latin America

Europe

East Asia

South Asia & Oceania

Middle East and Africa

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Fact.MR has provided detailed information about the price points of key manufacturers of ferrous sulfate positioned across regions, sales growth, production capacity, and speculative technological expansion, in the recently published report.

Key Questions Covered in the Ferrous Sulfate Market Report

What will be the demand outlook for the ferrous sulfate market during the forecast period?

Which are the challenges faced in the ferrous sulfate market?

Which region will lead the progress in the global ferrous sulfate market during 2023 to 2033?

What is the projected market valuation of the ferrous sulfate market in 2033?

Which are the factors driving the ferrous sulfate market during 2023 to 2033?

Which region will generate the maximum revenue in the global ferrous sulfate market?

Explore Fact. MRs Coverage in the Chemical & Materials Domain

Crude Sulfate Turpentine Market: The global market for crude sulfate turpentine is estimated to witness a moderate CAGR of ~4% during the forecast period.

Ammonium Thiosulfate Market: Worldwide consumption of ammonium thiosulfate is estimated at US$ 373 Mn in 2022. Further, the global ammonium thiosulfate is forecast to reach a valuation of US$ 802 Mn by 2032.

Sodium Lignosulfonate Market: The global sodium lignosulfonate market is projected to reach US$ 535 million in valuation by 2033, up from its present market size of US$ 377 million in 2023. This is because global demand for sodium lignosulfonate is estimated to increase at a CAGR of 3.5% during the forecast period (2023 to 2033).

Alcohol Ether Sulfates Market: Rising focus on personal care and domestic cleaning is likely to increase sales of personal care products in 2021. Personal care and home care are currently among the sectors highly demanding alcohol ether sulfates.

Chondroitin Sulfate Market: Injecting a solution that contains chondroitin sulfate and sodium hyaluronate into the eye protects the eye during cataract surgery further increasing the usability of this product and driving the demand in the global chondroitin sulfate market.

About Fact.MR

We are a trusted research partner of 80% of fortune 1000 companies across the globe. We are consistently growing in the field of market research with more than 1000 reports published every year. The dedicated team of 400-plus analysts and consultants is committed to achieving the utmost level of our clients satisfaction.

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Leading Fast-Casual Continues to Prioritize Non-Traditional Development Following Momentous Year of Growth

WICHITA, Kan., Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Leading fast-casual restaurant concept Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers announced today the opening of the brand's first Major League Baseball (MLB) location within Busch Stadium, home of the 11-time World Series champion St. Louis Cardinals. Owned and operated by Delaware North Sportservice, the new restaurant will open when the Cardinals open their season against the Toronto Blue Jays on Thursday, March 30. In addition to its latest MLB stadium restaurant opening, the rapidly growing franchise concept currently operates in other non-traditional venues such as airports, casinos and college campuses.

Cardinals Logo

"At Freddy's, non-traditional locations continue to be an integral part of our franchise offering, and we strongly believe that being able to put our brand in high-traffic locations like that of Busch Stadium not only gives us an opportunity to attract new audiences but also capture sales," said Andrew Thengvall, Chief Development Officer at Freddy's. "Freddy's is honored to be able to add a concession in Busch Stadium. This new location is a testament to the unmatched power of The Freddy's Way among any demographic, market or location."

Located within the ballpark's Budweiser Terrace right field, the Wichita-born concept's non-traditional location will serve a handful of the brand's fan-favorite menu items, including Freddy's Original Double and Bacon Double, as well as Freddy's famous shoestring fries and cheese curds. With the ability to exist in unique spaces such as ballparks and airports, Freddy's will offer new and returning guests the opportunity to experience the brand in a convenient setting with its smaller unit design.

"We're thrilled to partner with Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers in bringing quality, craveable food we know our fans will enjoy," said Vicki Bryant, Cardinals Vice President, Event Services & Merchandising. "With several locations in the St. Louis area, Freddy's has established a dedicated following in our community, making the brand a natural fit for Busch Stadium."

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Along with the chain's 2022 growth in traditional-formatted locations, Freddy's opened its second casino location in Friant, California's Table Mountain Casino. Freddy's wide variety of traditional and non-traditional restaurants has consistently earned the brand recognition as a leading fast-casual concept and franchise system. Most recently, the brand ranked #70 on Entrepreneur Magazine's highly competitive Franchise 500 ranking of the top franchise brands, QSR Magazine's esteemed QSR 50 list at #46, as well as being awarded North America's Best New National Brand Concept by Airports Council International for the opening of Freddy's first airport location in 2021 in Oklahoma City's Will Rogers World Airport.

Building off its recent success, this announcement kick starts another year of development growth with a robust pipeline of nearly 20 units slated to open in the first quarter. The brand is also projected to open over 60 total locations in more than 15 states, including Louisiana, Virginia, California, and Wyoming, among others. The brand's exceptional commitment to franchisees, team members, and one-of-a-kind Freddy's guest experience help support the greater development goal of bringing the Freddy's footprint to more than 800 units by 2026.

Franchise opportunities remain in nine of Canada's provinces, excluding Quebec, and in the U.S., including the Northeast, Upper Midwest, California, Florida, Oregon, and Washington, and large metro areas such as Pittsburgh.

For more information about development opportunities, contact Mary Coots, Vice President of Franchise Development, at maryc@freddysusa.com or 316-719-7854; or contact Gregg Most and Jim Werschler at franchising@freddyscanada.net for Canadian inquiries. Prospective franchisees can also visit freddysfranchising.com for the latest information regarding available opportunities.

About Freddy's

Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers is a leading fast-casual franchise concept with more than 460 locations across 36 states nationwide. Founded in Wichita, Kansas, in 2002, the brand offers a unique combination of cooked-to-order steakburgers, all-beef hot dogs, shoestring fries and other savory items, along with freshly churned frozen custard treats. Known for operating The Freddy's Way, Guests experience genuine hospitality and food prepared fresh with premium ingredients. This signature approach has fueled Freddy's ongoing growth throughout the U.S. and garnered national recognition from industry-leading rankings, including being named No. 1 on Forbes Best Franchises to Buy and No. 70 on Entrepreneur's Franchise 500. For more on Freddy's, visit the Newsroom and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. For more information about development opportunities, visit https://freddysfranchising.com/.

Media Contact:

Anna Lake

Fish Consulting

954-893-9150

alake@fish-consulting.com

Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers (PRNewsfoto/Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steak)

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SOURCE Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers
SUDBURY, ON, Feb. 28, 2023 /CNW/ - Frontier Lithium Inc. (TSXV: FL) (FRA: HL2) (OTCQX: LITOF) (the "Company" or "Frontier") is pleased to report an updated mineral resource estimate (MRE) for the Spark deposit, the second delineated premium spodumene-bearing lithium deposit at the PAK Lithium Project "Project". The resource estimation has been prepared by BBA E&C Inc. Table 1 is a summary of the mineral resource estimate.

Highlights

Resource estimate update for Spark deposit includes:

18.8 million tonnes averaging 1.52% Li 2 O in the Indicated category, a 30% increase in size;

29.7 million tonnes averaging 1.34% Li 2 O in the Inferred category, a 64% increase in size;

The Spark lithium deposit remains open along strike and at depth.

"We are very pleased to announce a substantive increase of the size of the Spark deposit following over 16,000m of drilling and channeling completed in 2022. Particularly encouraging is the increased lithium grade from 1.40 to 1.52% Li2O of the indicated category of the Mineral Resource Estimate. Overall, this equates to a 27% increase in the size of the combined lithium pegmatites at the PAK Lithium Project. The grade increase together with the previously released results further support the ensuing PFS.", commented Garth Drever, Vice President Exploration of Frontier Lithium.

Cut-Off (%) Resource Category Tonnes

(t) Li 2 O

(%) Nb 2 O 5

(ppm) Cs 2 O

(%) Ta 2 O 5

(ppm Rb 2 O

(%) SnO 2

(ppm) Lithology 0.65 Li 2 O Indicated 18,828,000 1.52 84 0.02 112 0.26 61 Aplite/Pegmatite Inferred 29,746,000 1.34 77 0.03 116 0.26 74 Aplite/Pegmatite

Mineral Resource Estimate Notes

Mineral Resources were prepared in accordance with NI 43-101 and the CIM Definition Standards (2014). Mineral resources that are not mineral reserves do not have demonstrated economic viability. This estimate of mineral resources may be materially affected by environmental, permitting, legal, title, taxation, sociopolitical, marketing, or other relevant issues. Open pit Mineral Resources are reported at a cut-off grade of 0.65 % Li2O that is based on a 6.0% spodumene concentrate prices of US$1,500/tonne and an exchange rate of 1.29. Appropriate mining costs, processing costs, metal recoveries, and inter ramp pit slope angles were used by BBA to generate the pit shell. Rounding may result in apparent summation differences between tonnes, grade, and contained metal content. Tonnage and grade measurements are in metric units. A bulk density factor of 2.74 was applied to the pegmatite and 2.70 was applied to the aplite.

Story continues

Modeling was performed using Datamine Studio RM software with grades estimated using ordinary kriging (OK) interpolation methodology. Samples were composited at 2.0 metres down hole. Assessment of composites indicated no capping was required on the Li 2 O grades. Block grades were estimated on a multi pass basis with a minimum and maximum number of composites and maximum number of composites per drillhole required for each estimation pass. Block size is 5 metres by 5 metres (y) by 5 metres (z).

Additional information about the Mineral Resource modeling methodology will be documented in the NI 43-101 technical report (the "Technical Report") to be issued within 45 days.

The Spark pegmatite, discovered in September 2018 and delineated in 2019 and 2021 with four drill programs (20 holes totaling 5,768.7m and 14 channels totaling 342.4m). During 2022 two more drill programs totaling 50 holes (15,983.6m) and 60m of channel sampling with objectives of upgrading Inferred mineral resource category to Indicated mineral resource were completed. The results from all channels and drilling have been previously reported. Figure 1 is a location map showing the project area.

Figure 1: Location Map showing project area including the Spark Pegmatite (CNW Group/Frontier Lithium Inc.)

Geological logging of channels and drill core combined with multi-element geochemistry indicates a high degree of compositional homogeneity throughout the deposit. The pegmatite consists primarily of spodumene-bearing sodic aplite which is typically fine to medium grained, light grey to greenish grey locally with coarser zonations consisting of megacrystic feldspar, fine to coarse-grained light grey to white spodumene, grey quartz and variable amounts of muscovite. The coarser grained zones are similar in appearance and composition to the LIZ (Lower Intermediate Zone) at the PAK deposit 2.3 km to the southwest.

Figure 2 is a plan-view compilation map showing the surface exposure and trace of the drill holes and channels completed at the Spark pegmatite.

Figure 2: Compilation of the Spark Pegmatite (CNW Group/Frontier Lithium Inc.)

Figure 3 is a 3D rendering of the pegmatite solid and pit shell of the Spark pegmatite. The deposit's current dimensions are roughly 500m in length by up to 250m in width. Drilling has extended the mineralized pegmatite to a depth of approximately 400m. It remains open in all directions.

Figure 3: 3D Rendering of the Spark Pegmatite showing drill holes, channels wireframe and pit shell used in the Resource Calculation (CNW Group/Frontier Lithium Inc.)

Due Diligence

All scientific and technical information in this release has been reviewed and approved by Todd McCracken, P.Geo., Director  Mining & Geology  Central Canada, BBA E&C Inc., the qualified person (QP) and Garth Drever, P.Geo., VP Exploration for Frontier Lithium Inc. the qualified person (QP) under the definitions established by National Instrument 43-101. Under Frontier's QA/QC procedures, all drilling was completed by Chenier Drilling Ltd. of Val Caron, ON using thin-walled BTW drill rods (4.2 cm core diameter) and a Reflex ACT III oriented core system. Using the Reflex system, the drill core was oriented and marked as it was retrieved at the drill. The core was boxed and delivered to the Frontier core shack where it was examined, geologically logged and marked for sampling. The core was photographed prior to sampling. Using a rock saw, the marked sample intervals were halved with one halve bagged for analysis. Sample blanks along with lithium, rubidium and cesium certified reference material was routinely inserted into the sample stream in accordance with industry recommended practices. Field duplicate samples were also taken in accordance with industry recommended practices. The samples were placed in poly sample bags and transported to Red Lake by Frontier employees and then shipped to AGAT Laboratories Ltd. (AGAT) in Mississauga, ON for quantitative multi-element analysis. AGAT is an ISO accredited laboratory. The core is stored on site at the Pakeagama Lake exploration camp.

About Frontier Lithium

Frontier Lithium is a preproduction business with an objective to become a strategic domestic supplier of spodumene concentrates for industrial users as well as battery-grade lithium hydroxide and other chemicals to the growing electric vehicle and energy storage markets in North America. The Company maintains the largest land position and resource in a premium lithium mineral district located in Ontario's Great Lakes region.

About the PAK Lithium Project

The PAK lithium project contains one of North America's highest-grade lithium resources. The project encompasses close to 27,000 hectares and remains largely unexplored; however, since 2013, the company has delineated two premium spodumene-bearing lithium deposits (PAK and Spark), located 2.3 kilometres apart. Exploration is continuing on the project through two other spodumene-bearing discoveries: the Bolt pegmatite (located between the PAK and Spark deposits), as well as the Pennock pegmatite (25 kilometres northwest of PAK deposit within the project claims). A 2021 preliminary economic assessment (National Instrument 43-101 technical report titled "NI 43-101 Technical Report, Pak Property, PAK, Red Lake Mining District, Ontario, Canada" by BBA E&C Inc., with an effective date of April 5, 2021) delivered a fully integrated lithium operation, including the mine and mill and the conversion plant for production of battery-quality lithium salts.

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 release. This release includes certain statements that may be deemed "forward-looking statements". All statements in this release, other than statements of historical facts, that address future production, reserve potential, exploration drilling, exploitation activities and events or developments that the Company expects are forward-looking statements. 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. 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. Investors are cautioned that any such statements are not guarantees of future performance and those actual results or developments may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. For more information on the Company, Investors should review the Company's registered filings available at sedar.com.

Frontier Lithium Logo (CNW Group/Frontier Lithium Inc.)

SOURCE Frontier Lithium Inc.

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Fortune Business Insights

Companies covered in fruit puree market are Grunewald Corporate Group, SVZ International B.V, The Sicoly Cooperative, Doehler Group SE, Agrana Beteiligungs-AG, Ingredion Incorporated, Dennick Fruitsource, LLC, China Kunyu Industrial Co., Ltd, Tree Top, Inc, Milne Fruit Products, Inc. and many more

Pune, India, Feb. 28, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The global fruit puree market size is likely to grow exponentially due to the rising demand for convenient and healthy food. The rising awareness regarding its health benefits can bolster market growth. Fortune Business Insights shares this information in its report titled "Fruit Puree Market, 2023-2030."

Fruit puree is a smooth and thick mixture of mashed or blended fruit that can be used as a base for various recipes such as desserts, smoothies, sauces, and drinks. To make fruit puree, fresh or frozen fruits are usually washed, peeled, and pitted (if necessary), then chopped into small pieces and blended until smooth. Some fruits, such as berries, may not need to be peeled or pitted before blending.

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Fruit puree is a highly nutritious food that is used in processed foods such as dairy products, bakery products, and confectionery products. It provides minerals and vitamins to consumers to enhance their resistance to diseases. The demand for convenient and healthy foods is increasing rapidly among consumers, which, in turn, can boost the demand for fruit puree products. It is used to create healthy drinks, snacks, and other food items. Further, it is used in several cosmetic products such as skin creams and other beauty products. It contains anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and other beneficial properties that enhance skin health. The manufacturers of the global market incorporate several advancements to produce high-quality products. For example, Sraml d.o.o. announced a novel range of products that produce smooth and high-quality fruit puree. Therefore, these factors can enhance market growth during the foreseeable period.

Story continues

List of Key Players Profiled in the Fruit Puree Market Report



Grunewald Corporate Group

SVZ International B.V.

The Sicoly Cooperative

Doehler Group SE

Agrana Beteiligungs-AG

Ingredion Incorporated

Dennick Fruitsource, LLC

China Kunyu Industrial Co., Ltd.

Tree Top, Inc.

Milne Fruit Products, Inc.

Report Scope & Segmentation:

Report Attribute Details Base Year 2022 Historical Year 2019  2021 Forecast Year 2023  2030 Segments Covered By Fruit Type, By Nature, By Application, By Geography Forecast Units Value (USD Billion), and Volume (Units) Quantitative Units Revenue in USD million/billion and CAGR from 2020 to 2029 Regions Covered North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa, Latin America and Rest of World Countries Covered Unites States, Canada, Mexico, Unites Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, China, India, Japan, South Korea, Brazil, Argentina, GCC Countries, and South Africa, among others

Segments



By fruit type, the market is segregated into berries, tropical, and citrus. Based on nature, it is bifurcated into conventional and organic. Based on application, it is divided into personal care & cosmetics and food & beverage. Geographically, it is grouped into Europe, North America, South America, Asia Pacific, and the Middle East & Africa.

Highlights of the Report

This report highlights the top segments and the latest market trends.

It comprehensively studies the driving and restraining factor and the impact of COVID-19 on the global market.

The report examines the regional developments and the strategies devised by the market's key players.

Browse Detailed Summary of Research Report with TOC:

https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/fruit-puree-market-104352

Drivers and Restraints

Rising Adoption of Fruit Puree in Processed Food Products to Boost Market Growth

Fruit puree is extensively used in several processed food products such as fruit juices, infant food products, dairy products, and others because of its aesthetic appeal and nutritional value. The sedentary lifestyles of consumers lead to the adoption of healthy snacks and food supplements. As a result, the demand for fruit puree is increasing rapidly to produce fruit-flavored food products. For example, Monin Incorporated announced ginger and guava purees in the United States in August 2019. It is used in several fruit-based skincare creams, shampoos, conditioners, oil, and other personal care products due to its ability to enhance the nutritional value of cosmetic and hair care products. Therefore, its increasing applications in the food & beverage and, healthcare, and cosmetic sectors can drive the fruit puree market growth.

However, the fluctuations in raw materials prices are estimated to hamper the market growth in the upcoming years.

Regional Insights

Suitable Climate and Abundance of Raw Materials to Propel Market Growth in Asia Pacific

Asia Pacific is expected to dominate the fruit puree market share due to the suitable climatic conditions and abundance of raw materials. It is a leading producer of tropical fruits globally. As per the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), India is the leading banana producer globally. Hence, these factors can positively impact market growth.

Market Segmentation:

By Fruit Type

Tropical

Citrus

Berries

By Nature

Organic

Conventional

By Application

Food and Beverage

Bakery & Dairy

Confectionery

Beverages

Convenience Foods

Baby Food

Cosmetics and Personal Care Products

By Geography

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In Europe, the demand for organic and healthy food products is likely to boost its market share globally. The rising popularity of liquid snacks, healthy drinks, and convenient food products can spike market growth. As per the FAO, France, Germany, UK, Netherlands, and the US are the foremost importers of mango to satisfy the consumer demand for bars and functional beverages.

Competitive Landscape

Prominent Companies to Launch Novel Products to Enhance Brand Image

The prominent companies operating in the market announce a novel product to satisfy the consumer demand and enhance their brand image. For example, AGRANA Beteiligungs announced cacao fruit puree in Angua in October 2019 to offer unique and natural fruit flavors to consumers. This strategy can enhance the company's brand image globally. Further, the adoption of partnership strategies enables companies to improve their resources and expand their market reach globally. In addition, the adoption of advanced production techniques helps companies to enhance their product quality, reduce time consumption and increase productivity, which, in turn, can boost their profits.

Fruit purees can be made from a wide range of fruits, including apples, bananas, strawberries, blueberries, peaches, and mangoes, among others. They are often sweetened with sugar or honey, and may be flavored with spices such as cinnamon or nutmeg.

Fruit purees are a popular ingredient in baby food, as they provide a nutritious and easy-to-digest source of vitamins, minerals, and fiber. They are also a convenient way to add natural sweetness and flavor to recipes without adding extra sugar or artificial sweeteners.

Industry Development

November 2019: SVZ International B.V. announced 100% organic sour cherry and strawberry purees in Europe to satisfy consumer demand and expand its product portfolio.

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Read Related Insights:

Fruit-infused Water Market Size, Share & Analysis Forecast 2023-2030

Canned Fruits Market Size, Share and Regional Forecast, 2021-2028

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BEAVERTON, Ore., Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Genesis Financial Solutions, a leader in near-prime consumer financial services, and Gardner White, Michigan's #1 furniture and mattress retailer, announced a new strategic financing partnership today. The multi-year agreement enables Gardner White customers to get the home they've always wanted today while they pay over time.

Genesis Financial Solutions (PRNewsfoto/Genesis Financial Solutions, Inc.)

Under the terms of the agreement, Genesis becomes the primary servicer of Gardner White's Secondary Credit program. The credit solution will offer revolving credit lines up to $6,000 and deferred interest programs for customers with less-than-perfect credit.

"Genesis Credit shares our commitment to putting consumers first, and its outstanding, proven solutions for individuals in need of second-look financing create a win-win partnership as Gardner White cements our reputation as among the best furniture retailers in the U.S. for customer service and satisfaction," said Rachel Stewart, Gardner White President.

"We are excited to be partnering with one of the furniture industry's leading retailers," said Bruce Weinstein, CEO of Genesis Financial Solutions. "Our service-centered approach will no doubt further Gardner White's commitment to providing quality financing to their customers and help increase store sales."

"Gardner White is a strong leader in the furniture industry, and we believe our partnership will be an essential tool to help them increase store sales," said Ed Haluska, Chief Commercial Officer of Genesis Financial Solutions.

Gardner White will start offering the new financing program serviced by Genesis Credit to customers in-store and online in early March 2023.

About Genesis Financial Solutions:

Genesis Financial Solutions, Inc. is a national leader in non-prime financing, serving over 5 million consumers through the Private Label and General Purpose credit card programs it services for issuing banks and working with over 500 merchant partners across 15,000 locations. The credit cards provide essential financing solutions to the underserved consumer, whether they are looking to buy from one of our retail partners or fund everyday purchases. The credit products are fair and transparent and come with the tools and services designed to help customers succeed.

Story continues

About Gardner-White:

Family-owned and operated for 111 years over four generations, Gardner-White is Michigan's #1 furniture and mattress retailer with 13 stores in metro Detroit, Ann Arbor, and Saginaw. Gardner-White is the presenting sponsor of America's Thanksgiving Day Parade in downtown Detroit. For more information, visit www.gardner-white.com.

Additional information about Genesis Financial Solutions may be found at www.genesis-fs.com | LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/genesis-financial-solutions/

Reporters May Contact: Media.Relations@Genesis-FS.com

Cision

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/genesis-financial-solutions-partners-with-gardner-white-in-a-financing-program-for-near-prime-consumers-301758387.html

SOURCE Genesis Financial Solutions, Inc.
Giga Metals Corporation

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Feb. 28, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Mark Jarvis, CEO of Giga Metals Corp. (TSX.V: GIGA, OTCQX: HNCKF, FSE: BRR2) announced today that Giga Metals will exhibit at booth #2606 at the Prospectors & Developers Association of Canadas (PDAC) Convention at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre (MTCC) from Sunday, March 5 to Wednesday, March 8, 2023. Stop by our booth to meet management, ask questions and learn more about the Turnagain nickel/cobalt project.



Watch Giga Metals Management present at PDAC:

Mark Jarvis, Giga CEO will be presenting at the Canada Investment Forum hosted by Invest in Canada and Natural Resources Canada, in partnership with Global Affairs Canada, taking place on March 6, 2023, from 1 pm to 4:30 pm ET.



Details here: https://www.pdac.ca/convention/programming/presentation-and-reception-room-program/sessions/presentation-and-reception-room-program/canada-investment-forum

Lyle Trytten, Manager of Development will be speaking about How Prospectors and Developers Can Contribute to the Sustainability of Nickel at PDACs Nickel technical session on March 5th, 2023 , from 2 pm to 4 pm ET.



Details here: https://www.pdac.ca/convention/programming/technical-program/sessions/technical-program/how-prospectors-and-developers-can-contribute-to-the-sustainability-of-nickel

About Giga Metals

Giga Metals Corporations core asset is the Turnagain Project, located in northern British Columbia, which contains one of the few significant undeveloped sulphide nickel and cobalt resources in the world. Giga Metals has formed a joint venture with Mitsubishi Corporation and plans to complete a Prefeasibility Study in Q2 2023.

About PDAC

PDAC 2023: The Worlds Premier Mineral Exploration & Mining Convention is the leading event for people, companies and organizations connected to mineral exploration.

This annual convention in Toronto, Canada is known for attracting up to 30,000 attendees from over 130+ countries for its educational programming, networking events, outstanding business opportunities and fun. Since it began in 1932, the PDAC Convention has grown in size, stature and influence. Today, it is the event of choice for the worlds mineral industry hosting more than 1,100 exhibitors and 2,500 investors.

Story continues

For more information and/or to register for the conference please visit: https://www.pdac.ca/convention/attend/registration .

Giga Stock Option Plan

The Giga Stock Option Plan was approved at the shareholders AGM held on December 13, 2022 and by the TSXV. Pursuant to the terms of the Plan, a maximum of 10% of the issued shares are issuable.

On behalf of the Board of Directors,

Mark Jarvis



MARK JARVIS, CEO

GIGA METALS CORPORATION

Contact Information

Office Phone: +1 (604) 681-2300

Investor Inquiries: info@gigametals.com

Company Website: www.gigametals.com

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Certain statements in this news release are forward-looking statements, which reflect the expectations of the Company. Forward-looking statements consist of statements that are not purely historical, including any statements regarding beliefs, plans, expectations or intentions regarding the future. Such statements include, but are not limited to, the timing and delivery of a Prefeasibility Study (a "PFS") and the future development of the Turnagain Project. Such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results, performance or developments to differ materially from those contained in the statements. No assurance can be given that any of the events anticipated by the forward-looking statements will occur or, if they do occur, what benefits the Company will obtain from them. These forward-looking statements reflect management's current views and are based on certain expectations, estimates and assumptions which may prove to be incorrect. A number of risks and uncertainties could cause our actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements, including: (1) the timing of delivery of the PFS could be delayed and additional and currently unforeseen work may be required to advance to the pre-feasibility stage; (2) prices for nickel and cobalt could fall substantially or the project costs could increase and make any commercialization uneconomic;(3) inferred and indicated resources may not materialize; (4) permits, environmental opposition, government regulation, cost overruns or any of many other factors may prevent the commercialization of the Turnagain Project; and (5) even if the Turnagain Project goes into production, there is no assurance that operations will be profitable. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this news release and, except as required by applicable securities laws, the Company assumes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements, or to update the reasons why actual results differed from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Additional information about these and other assumptions, risks and uncertainties are set out in the "Risks and Uncertainties" section in the Company's most recent MD&A filed with Canadian securities regulators.

Suite 203  700 West Pender St., Vancouver, BC, Canada V6C 1G8




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Dublin, Feb. 28, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Harvesting Equipment Market - Global Industry Size, Share, Trends, Opportunity, and Forecast, 2018-2028: Segmented by Products (Combine Harvester, Forage Harvester, Sugarcane Harvester, Others), By Application (Agriculture v/s Fodder), By Region, and Competition" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.



The Global Harvesting Equipment Market is anticipated to witness an impressive growth during the forecast period, 2022-2028

This can be ascribed to the growing demand for advanced harvesting equipment for better crop production across the region. Similarly, the growing development of research activities in the agricultural field for better crop production with saving time and low cost is expected to create a lucrative during the forecast period.

Additionally, growing investments by major key players in the agriculture fields are expected to drive the market growth across different parts of the globe. Similarly, the increasing preferences towards the usage of harvesting technology to enhance the efficiency of agricultural purposes is further expected to increase the demand for harvesting equipment, thereby fuelling market growth through 2028.

Besides, growing awareness about new harvesting technology and its advantages among farmers across the globe is further expected to support the harvesting equipment market during the forecast period. AGCO Corporation is a leading manufacturer and distributor of agricultural equipment and related replacement parts throughout the world.



Growing awareness about equipment benefits propel the market



The growing demand for food and agricultural commodities enhances the production capacity and yield, which in turn is propelling the growth of the market during the forecast period.

Similarly, farmers are adopting sustainable agriculture practices by using advanced harvesting equipment to fulfill the food propelling the growth of the market during the forecast period. In addition, the increasing demand for agricultural products is expected to increase the need for planting, fertilizing, and harvesting equipment rather than manual equipment over time.

Story continues

These types of instruments are used because of reducing overall costs and improvement in crop yields. According to USDA data, foreign investors owned at least 35.2 million acres of U.S. agricultural land in 2019 - 2.7 percent of U.S. farmland, an area almost the size of Iowa.

Also, increasing the urbanization rate along with demand for time-saving technology for additional food production in turn is expected to enhance the demand for harvesting equipment market. The employment of agriculture equipment assists in the cultivation of more crop in less time with less effort and increase the production of food, which anticipates to propel the market growth over the years.



Growing technological advancements in the agriculture field boost the market growth



Increasing technological advancement in the agriculture field for developing harvesting equipment along with growing mechanization of different agricultural activities has propelled the development of different modern and automatic agriculture equipment.

Similarly, growing favourable government initiatives are expected to the market growth over the years. In 2019, 49 percent of reported foreign-held acreage in the United States was forest land, while 25 percent was cropland, 24 percent was for pasture and other agricultural uses, and 2 percent was for non-agricultural uses (such as homesteads and roads).

Modern agriculture has undergone a dramatic transformation due to new technological developments in fields like robots, drones, and computer vision software. The main objective of agricultural automation technology is to take care of simple, routine operations. Drones, autonomous tractors, seeding, and mowing are some of the primary technologies that are most frequently used by farms.



Small-scale Potato Harvester, this machine digs potatoes from the soil by separating soil from the roots. It functions on small scale but separates the soil quickly to reduce the problems in harvesting potatoes.



Recent Development



NMSA is envisaged as one of the eight Missions outlined under National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC), NMSA aim at promoting Sustainable Agriculture through climate change adaptation measures. The major thrust is enhancing agriculture productivity especially in rainfed areas focusing on integrated farming, soil health management, and synergizing resource conservation.

Competitive Landscape



Company Profiles: Detailed analysis of the major companies present in Global Harvesting Equipment Market.

Lakeview Vineyard Equipment Inc

Oxbo International Corp.

Pellenc America.

Containerpal

Green-Rubber Kennedy Ag.

American Grape Harvesters.

Blueline Manufacturing and Equipment.

Clemens Vineyard Equipment.

Lazer Star Lights.

Garton Tractor Inc.

Report Scope:

Market Trends & Developments

Recent Developments

Product Launches

Mergers & Acquisitions

Harvesting Equipment Market, By Products:

Combine Harvester

Forage Harvester

Sugarcane Harvester

Others

Harvesting Equipment Market, By Application:

Agriculture

Fodder

Harvesting Equipment Market, By Region:

North America

United States

Canada

Mexico

Europe

France

Germany

United Kingdom

Italy

Spain

Asia Pacific

China

India

Japan

South Korea

Australia

South America

Brazil

Argentina

Colombia

Middle East & Africa

South Africa

Saudi Arabia

UAE

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/mpkvkn

About ResearchAndMarkets.com

ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends.

CONTACT: CONTACT: ResearchAndMarkets.com Laura Wood,Senior Press Manager press@researchandmarkets.com For E.S.T Office Hours Call 1-917-300-0470 For U.S./ CAN Toll Free Call 1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900




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Global Internet of Things (IOT) in Healthcare Market

Global Internet of Things (IOT) in Healthcare Market

Dublin, Feb. 28, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Internet of Things (IOT) in Healthcare Market: Global Industry Trends, Share, Size, Growth, Opportunity and Forecast 2022-2027" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.



The global internet of things (IOT) in healthcare market size reached US$ 236.86 Billion in 2021. Looking forward, the publisher expects the market to reach US$ 666.2 Billion by 2027, exhibiting a CAGR of 18.81% during 2021-2027.

Keeping in mind the uncertainties of COVID-19, we are continuously tracking and evaluating the direct as well as the indirect influence of the pandemic on different end use sectors. These insights are included in the report as a major market contributor.



The internet of things (IoT) is an interconnected system of devices that are connected to the internet and can gather and transmit data over a wireless network without any human intervention.

It relies on machine learning (ML) or artificial intelligence (AI) technologies to evaluate data and offer organizations access to advanced analytics by collecting data on customer behavior. It helps make enhanced decisions, increase security by monitoring digital and physical infrastructure for optimizing performance, improve efficiency, and reduce safety risks.

At present, there is a rise in the utilization of IoT in the healthcare sector for data collection, research analysis, and monitoring of electronic health records across the globe.



The growing prevalence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), genetic and respiratory diseases, arthritis, and cancer represents one of the key factors driving the market. Besides this, there is an increase in the demand for cost-effective treatment and enhanced disease management around the world.

This, along with the rising employment of IoT-enabled devices in remote monitoring to keep patients safe and healthy, is contributing to the growth of the market. In addition, there is a rise in the adoption of smart devices and wearables in self-health measurement across the globe. This, coupled with the burgeoning healthcare industry, is strengthening the growth of the market.

Story continues

Moreover, the increasing awareness among the healthcare personnel about the benefits of using IoT-enabled devices in the healthcare industry is offering lucrative growth opportunities to industry investors. Apart from this, key market players are extensively investing in research and development (R&D) activities to integrate artificial intelligence (AI) with IoT for an enhanced patient experience.

Additionally, governments of several countries are undertaking initiatives to promote digital health and implementing various regulations for mandating the use of electronic health records (EHR), which is expected to bolster the market growth.

Competitive Landscape:



The competitive landscape of the industry has also been examined along with the profiles of the key players being Apple Inc., Cisco Systems Inc., Comarch SA, HQSoftware, Intel Corporation, Koninklijke Philips N.V., Medtronic plc, Microsoft Corporation, Oracle Corporation, OSP Labs, Oxagile, Qualcomm Incorporated, Siemens AG and STANLEY Healthcare.



Key Questions Answered in This Report:

How has the global internet of things (IOT) in healthcare market performed so far and how will it perform in the coming years?

What has been the impact of COVID-19 on the global internet of things (IOT) in healthcare market?

What are the key regional markets?

What is the breakup of the market based on the component?

What is the breakup of the market based on the connectivity technology?

What is the breakup of the market based on the application?

What is the breakup of the market based on the end user?

What are the various stages in the value chain of the industry?

What are the key driving factors and challenges in the industry?

What is the structure of the global internet of things (IOT) in healthcare market and who are the key players?

What is the degree of competition in the industry?

Report Metrics:

Report Attribute Details No. of Pages 145 Forecast Period 2021 - 2027 Estimated Market Value (USD) in 2021 $236.86 Billion Forecasted Market Value (USD) by 2027 $666.2 Billion Compound Annual Growth Rate 18.8% Regions Covered Global

Key Topics Covered:



1 Preface



2 Scope and Methodology



3 Executive Summary



4 Introduction

4.1 Overview

4.2 Key Industry Trends



5 Global Internet of Things (IOT) in Healthcare Market

5.1 Market Overview

5.2 Market Performance

5.3 Impact of COVID-19

5.4 Market Forecast



6 Market Breakup by Component

6.1 Medical Devices

6.1.1 Market Trends

6.1.2 Key Segments

6.1.2.1 Wearable External Devices

6.1.2.2 Implanted Medical Devices

6.1.2.3 Stationary Medical Devices

6.1.3 Market Forecast

6.2 System and Software

6.2.1 Market Trends

6.2.2 Key Segments

6.2.2.1 Remote Device Management

6.2.2.2 Network Bandwidth Management

6.2.2.3 Data Analytics

6.2.2.4 Application Security

6.2.2.5 Network Security

6.2.3 Market Forecast

6.3 Services

6.3.1 Market Trends

6.3.2 Key Segments

6.3.2.1 System Integration Services

6.3.2.2 Consulting, Training and Education

6.3.2.3 Support and Maintenance Services

6.3.3 Market Forecast



7 Market Breakup by Connectivity Technology

7.1 Wi-Fi

7.1.1 Market Trends

7.1.2 Market Forecast

7.2 Bluetooth Low Energy

7.2.1 Market Trends

7.2.2 Market Forecast

7.3 ZigBee

7.3.1 Market Trends

7.3.2 Market Forecast

7.4 Near Field Communication (NFC)

7.4.1 Market Trends

7.4.2 Market Forecast

7.5 Cellular

7.5.1 Market Trends

7.5.2 Market Forecast

7.6 Satellite

7.6.1 Market Trends

7.6.2 Market Forecast



8 Market Breakup by Application

8.1 Telemedicine

8.1.1 Market Trends

8.1.2 Market Forecast

8.2 Medication Management

8.2.1 Market Trends

8.2.2 Market Forecast

8.3 Clinical Operations

8.3.1 Market Trends

8.3.2 Market Forecast

8.4 Inpatient Monitoring

8.4.1 Market Trends

8.4.2 Market Forecast

8.5 Connected Imaging

8.5.1 Market Trends

8.5.2 Market Forecast

8.6 Others

8.6.1 Market Trends

8.6.2 Market Forecast



9 Market Breakup by End User

9.1 Hospitals and Clinics

9.1.1 Market Trends

9.1.2 Market Forecast

9.2 Clinical Research Organizations

9.2.1 Market Trends

9.2.2 Market Forecast

9.3 Research and Diagnostic Laboratories

9.3.1 Market Trends

9.3.2 Market Forecast

9.4 Others

9.4.1 Market Trends

9.4.2 Market Forecast



10 Market Breakup by Region



11 SWOT Analysis



12 Value Chain Analysis



13 Porters Five Forces Analysis



14 Price Analysis



15 Competitive Landscape

15.1 Market Structure

15.2 Key Players

15.3 Profiles of Key Players

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/4c0g38-of?w=12

About ResearchAndMarkets.com

ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends.

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CONTACT: CONTACT: ResearchAndMarkets.com Laura Wood,Senior Press Manager press@researchandmarkets.com For E.S.T Office Hours Call 1-917-300-0470 For U.S./ CAN Toll Free Call 1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900




Future Market Insights Global and Consulting Pvt. Ltd.

The United States is set to hold a share of around 44.6% of the global Medical Rehabilitation Robotics Market in 2023. Veterinary Rehabilitation Service Market expanded at a CAGR of around 9.06% between 2023 to 2033

NEWARK, Del, Feb. 28, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The global Medical Rehabilitation Robotics Market is worth US$ 428.9 Million as of now and is expected to reach US$ 1.76 Billion by the year 2033 at a dazzling CAGR of 15.2% between 2023 and 2033.



The WHO states that the year 2021 witnessed 1.71 Billion people suffering from musculoskeletal disorders. The figure certainly calls for utilization of rehabilitation robots as the devices do aid physically challenged or differently abled patients in balancing, standing up, and maintaining gait.

Medical rehabilitation robotics have innumerable benefits  like they do offer an opportunity to those contracting spinal cord injury to stand and walk at a lower metabolic cost. The market is also home to several technological advancements, like incorporating ML and AI with several advanced sensors. Exploding geriatric population is another factor contributing to the growth of medical rehabilitation robotics market.

Get a Sample Copy of the Report: https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-14242

Along the above-mentioned lines, PARO comes across as companion robot that has been specially designed for those suffering from Alzheimers, dementia, and various other cognition disorders. Dr. Takanori Shibata from Japans National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology has come up with this assistive robot for helping those with disabilities fulfil daily activities like eating and walking.

Robotic lower-body exoskeleton is being used to assist the ones with paralysis of the lower limbs and does encourage muscle activity therein.

Future Market Insights has walked through these facts with future perspectives in its latest market study entitled Medical Rehabilitation Robotics Market with its team of analysts and consultants deploying a 360-degree view in its primary, secondary, and tertiary modes of research.

Story continues

With Spike in cases of stroke, the global medical rehabilitation robotics market is expected to go great guns in the near future, says an analyst from Future Market Insights.

Key Takeaways from Medical Rehabilitation Robotics Market

North America holds more than 40% of the market share due to growing incidences of spinal cord injury followed by rising aging and disabled population.

Europe holds a significant market share with Germany leading from the front with Spain, Denmark, and the UK leading from the front.

The Asia-Pacific is expected to grow at a rapid pace in the medical rehabilitation robotics market with countries like Japan obtaining the status of super-aging society.



Speak to our Research Expert: https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/ask-question/rep-gb-14242

Competitive Robotics

Ekso Bionics Holdings, Inc. received approval from the US FDA for marketing the EksoNR robotic exoskeleton for usage with patients suffering from MS (Multiple Sclerosis).

Tyromotion, of late, completed acquisition of yband therapy AG (a Swiss-based start-up) for encouraging patients ownership of recovery with cutting-edge movement trackers.

Bionik Laboratories Corporation, in January 2019, did launch InMotion ARM/HAND robotic system to clinically rehabilitate stroke survivors and the ones having mobility impairments owing to neurological conditions. The enhanced robotic system has been developed according to principles of motor learning as well as neuro-plasticity and makes use of AI and data analysis for offering individualized therapy to the patients.

ReWalk Robotics, Inc., in June 2019, did announce that the US FDA approved the ReStore soft exo-suit system for selling to the rehabilitation centers all over the US.

Cyberdyne Inc., in January 2018, obtained approval from the US FDA to sell HAL (Hybrid Assistive Limb) lower-body exoskeleton in the licensed medical facilities all over the US.

Stryker Corporation, in the year 2020, did receive regulatory approval for MAKO robotic surgery system in Japan for partial knee indication.

Accuray, in 2020, did launch CyberKnife S7 System, which comes across as a next-generation CyberKnife platform with real-time, advanced, AI-driven motion tracking as well as synchronization treatment delivery for SBRT (stereotactic body radiation therapy) and SRS (stereotactic radiosurgery).

Medtronic, in 2020, completed acquisition of Medicrea through AI, patient specific implants, and predictive modeling.

Intuitive Surgical, in 2019, did receive clearance from the US FDA regarding da Vinci Single-port Surgical System.



Key Companies Profiled:

Ekso Bionics Holdings Inc.

AlterG Inc.

Bionik Laboratories Corp.

Cyberdyne Inc.

Rewalk Robotics.

Instead Technoligies Ltd.

Hocoma AG.

Fourier Intelligene

Tyromotion Gmbh

Toyota Motor Corporation

BeatBots LLC

Bioxtreme

Rex Bionics Inc.

LEADERS REHAB ROBOT Co. Ltd.

Buy Complete Report: https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/checkout/14242

What does the Report say?

The research study is based on product (exoskeletons and therapeutic/assistive), by extremity (upper extremity (arm, wrist, shoulder, and elbow) and lower extremity), by therapy (limb mobility, gait, and sensory), by patient (adults and pediatric), by application (neurorehabilitation, physical rehabilitation, and others), by end-user (hospitals, wellness centers, rehabilitation centers, and homecare).

With rising incidences of cumulative trauma disorder, occupational overuse syndromes, and repetitive strain injury, the global medical rehabilitation robotics market is bound to grow on a grand note in the near future.

Key Segments Covered in Medical Rehabilitation Robotics Industry Research

By Product:

Exoskeletons

Therapeutic/ Assistive

By Extremity:

Upper Extremity Arm Wrist Shoulder Elbow

Lower Extremity

By Therapy:

Limb Mobility

Gait

Sensory



By Patient:

Adults

Pediatric

By Application:

Neurorehabilitation

Physical Rehabilitation

Others



By End user:

Hospitals

Wellness centers

Rehabilitation centers

Homecare

Table of Content

1. Executive Summary | Medical Rehabilitation Robotics Market

1.1. Global Market Outlook

1.2. Demand Side Trends

1.3. Supply Side Trends

1.4. Analysis and Recommendations

2. Market Overview

2.1. Market Coverage / Taxonomy

2.2. Market Definition / Scope / Limitations

2.3. Inclusions and Exclusions

Complete TOC with Report Preview: https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/medical-rehabilitation-robotics-market

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Healthcare Cloud Infrastructure Market Demand - Newly-released Healthcare Cloud Infrastructure Market analysis report by Future Market Insights shows that global sales of Healthcare Cloud Infrastructure Market in 2022 were held at US$ 45.1 Billion. With a CAGR of 23.9%, the market is projected to reach a valuation of US$ 464.1 Billion by 2033.

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Sabina Mammadli

Azerbaijani Deputy Foreign Minister Khalaf Khalafov and Head of the Ukraine-Azerbaijan Inter-Parliamentary Friendship Group Vladimir Kreydenko discussed prospects for the development of bilateral cooperation between the two countries, further expansion of relations in various spheres, as well as regional security issues.

According to Azernews, during the meeting, it was emphasized that the current political dialogue plays a crucial role in the development of relations between the two countries based on the principles of international law, including the principles of sovereignty, territorial integrity, and inviolability of international borders.

The sides highlighted the role of the activities of the inter-parliamentary friendship groups operating in Azerbaijani Milli Majlis and Ukraines Verkhovna Rada in the expansion of bilateral ties.

Azerbaijani minister also informed the other party in detail about the steps taken by the country towards the implementation of the peace agenda in the region and the normalization of relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

In turn, Kreydenko expressed his gratitude to the Azerbaijani state and people for their position and the humanitarian aid provided.

At the meeting, opinions were exchanged on a number of issues of mutual interest.

Noting that, the visit of the Ukrainian official coincided with the visit of Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
MONTREAL, Feb. 28, 2023 /CNW/ - The Good Shroom Co Inc. (the "Company" or "MUSH") provides an update on sales of various products.

Teonan (non-cannabis mushroom wellness beverage line)

The Company has been making steady progress with Teonan in terms of the number of retailers selling its products. It is now sold in a variety of key wellness retailers in the US and Canada represented with blue and purple markers in the heat map below. Those retailers include key US accounts for wellness products such as Fresh Thyme Market with over 70 locations in the mid-west, Better Health, PCC, Olivers Market and Leonardi's.

Cannabis Edible (THC infused beef jerky)

On February 9th 2023 the Company launched a THC infused beef jerky in Quebec which quickly climbed to the #1 selling edible product within days of being launched, peaking at nearly double the #2 position in terms of sales revenue according to www.weedcrawler.ca. The Company did not anticipate such rapid & tremendous traction and has run into some short-term supply issues however it estimates it will catch up to current demand within 2 weeks and keep up with it indefinitely thereafter.

Good Shroom Retailer Heat Map. Includes all brands: Teonan (blue & purple), Nordique Royale (green & yellow) & Velada (green & yellow). 04/01/2023 (CNW Group/The Good Shroom Co Inc.)

Hash, Joints, Tea's & Cannabis Flower

1. Afghan Gold hash by Nordique Royale maintains its popularity in Quebec and remains within the top 10 selling hash products in terms of weekly units sold.

2. The Company has 17 products currently selling in Quebec and will be launching 2 more around April 2023. The 2 new products are pre-rolled joints with Sky Cuddler Kush Bio flower and Habibi Kush, a high terpene hash. Around that time Sky Cuddler Kush Bio, in a 3.5-gram cannabis flower format, which is presently sold in Quebec will be transitioning from approximately 25% of stores to all stores.

The Good Shroom Co Inc. Logo (CNW Group/The Good Shroom Co Inc.)

3. "Joints Infuses d'Afghan Gold", which is 3 pre-rolled joints infused with the popular hash Afghan Gold, maintains its popularity and, depending on the week, is usually in the top 3 selling products of its category in terms of weekly units sold.

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4. In the first week of March 2023 a hash infused joint by Nordique Royale is launching in Ontario. The first purchase order for this product was of $63,475.20. The Company expects to receive replenishment purchase orders every 2 to 3 months.

5. Upcoming product submissions include the following;

a. Alberta: The Company has almost completed the Alberta Gaming and Liquor Commission's security clearance and approval process to submit products to the cannabis buyers of the government of Alberta therefore it is expected that it will be taking part in the submission process for various categories over the next 5 months.

b. Quebec: The Company will also be taking part in the product submission in May 2023 with a variety of products. Any products accepted during that submission are expected to launch in August/September 2023.

The company's CEO Mr. Eric Ronsse stated, "When operating a young consumer packaged goods brand such as Teonan and a Canadian cannabis company simultaneously, financial discipline is of the utmost importance. Our foundation is now set and the potential to scale profitably is attainable in the medium term. I believe today's bear market will make it difficult for company's incapable of properly managing cash flow to effectively grow and maintain shareholder value. Its also worth noting that we have not raised any capital since taking the company public in April 2021, maintained a tight capital structure (<50M outstanding shares) with significant insider ownership and there is no long-term debt except $40k owed to the Government of Canada due December 2023. Fiscal year 2023 Q2 & Q3 results should begin reflecting the type of company we have the potential to become. Q2 results will be disseminated before the end of March 2023."

About the Company

MUSH operates a portfolio of brands which include traditional cannabis and beverage products. It exists to promote the use of functional ingredients such as probiotics and functional mushrooms in consumer products.

We all have a daily routine; be it coffee, tea or another. Why not make that routine functional for body and mind by adding probiotics and mushrooms to it? Up to now no company has been able to maintain a familiar taste at a fair price while making them truly functional. The Good Shroom Co has bridged that gap and intends on making its brands household names for making it a part of its customers daily routine.

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

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, including statements regarding the plans, intentions, beliefs and current expectations of the Corporation with respect to future business activities and sales, including the anticipated orders to be placed by the SQDC. Forward-looking statements are often identified by the words "may", "would", "could", "should", "will", "intend", "plan", "anticipate", "believe", "estimate", "expect" or similar expressions. Investors are cautioned that forward-looking statements are not based on historical facts but instead reflect the Corporation'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 Corporation believes 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. Among the key factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected are the following: market acceptance of the Company's hash and other cannabis products, changes in the vendor's business or strategy, changes in our supplier's operations and pricing, expectations regarding competition and their pricing strategy; maintaining in good standing all necessary regulatory licenses and authorizations for its products; the benefits, safety, efficacy, dosing and social acceptance of cannabis related products and no material changes in the legal environment; changes in applicable laws and regulations compliance with extensive government regulation; operational risks related to and COVID-19 or other pandemic and supply chain disruptions and shortages. 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 has 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 does not intend, and do not assume any obligation, to update the forward-looking statements except as otherwise required by applicable law. Trading in the securities of the Company should be considered highly speculative.

Nordique Royale logo (CNW Group/The Good Shroom Co Inc.)

SOURCE The Good Shroom Co Inc.

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TipRanks

There are conflicting signals coming from the markets lately. We all know the accumulated headwinds; rising interest rates, the banking failures, and the Fed, in the minutes from its last FOMC meeting, indicated that a mild recession is highly likely in the second half of this year. Yet, the markets have seen sound gains year-to-date, with the S&P 500 up 7.5% and the NASDAQ an even better 15%. Looking at the current market conditions, Jeremy Siegel, a Wharton economic professor and a long-time
DENVER, CO / ACCESSWIRE / February 28, 2023 / Lou Hampers, a medical doctor and pediatrician, has made a scholarship program targeting all medical students. Through creative writing, Lou Hampers will choose the lucky student who will win a monetary reward of one thousand dollars. All interested and eligible applicants are very welcome to submit their biography, complete given name, contact number, address, email address, details of their high school, where they are currently enrolled, and their general point average alongside their essay, which contains no more than 1000 words and answers the question that Dr. Hampers made. Applicants may submit their entries to apply@drlouishampersscholarship.com. Submission of the application is going to end on June 15, 2023. After careful deliberation, the student who will win the scholarship program will be announced on July 15, 2023.

Talley Digital Media, Tuesday, February 28, 2023, Press release picture

The purpose behind the establishment of the Dr. Louis Hampers Scholarship for Medical Students was to provide financial assistance through a scholarship to those currently enrolled in medical school. At this time, participation is available to all university and high school students in the United States who aspire to complete their education at a medical school and work in the medical field. Lou Hampers is aware, due to his own experiences, that the path that many medical students must take is very challenging. After gaining a wealth of expertise over his career, his current objective is to use this scholarship fund to offer something back to the next generation of medical students.

The man behind the scholarship, Lou Hampers, has an MBA, practices pediatrics and lives in Centennial, Colorado. He attended Dartmouth College and was born in Massachusetts's capital, Boston. The University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and the Wharton School of Business of the University of Pennsylvania awarded him dual degrees in Medicine and Business Administration. At the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, he finished his residency in pediatrics, and at the Children's Memorial Hospital in Chicago, he received his sub-specialty training in pediatric emergency medicine. After completing his subspecialty training in Chicago, he joined the University of Colorado School of Medicine faculty, where he worked his way up to the rank of Associate Professor in 2007. Both the Medical Director of the Emergency Department at the Children's Hospital of Colorado and the Section Head of the Section of Pediatric Emergency Medicine were among the tasks that were within his view.

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The Dr. Louis Hampers Scholarship for Medical Students is open to every medical student in the United States. Lou Hampers is going to select the winner via creative writing. Students willing to apply may send their details along with their essay writing. The application for the scholarship will end on June 15th, and the winner will be announced a month later. If applicants have questions or inquiries, they can proceed to the scholarship website of Dr. Hampers and may freely fill out the form there. If any students know any universities willing to help with this scholarship, they are very much welcome to reach Dr. Hampers. Dr. Hampers is extending his warm regards to the students interested in the scholarship program.

Contact Info:

Spokesperson: Lou Hampers

Company: Dr. Louis Hampers Scholarship

Website: https://drlouishampersscholarship.com

Email: apply@drlouishampersscholarship.com

SOURCE: Dr Louis Hampers Scholarship





View source version on accesswire.com:

https://www.accesswire.com/741254/Heads-Up-Medical-Students-Dr-Louis-Hampers-Has-Announced-His-Scholarship-Program




InvestmentPitch Media and Headwater Gold Inc.

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Feb. 28, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Headwater Golds (CSE:HWG) (OTCQB:HWAUF) President and CEO, Caleb Stroup, is interviewed by Fiona Forbes of InvestmentPitch Media. The interview discusses Headwater Golds portfolio of properties and business model while focusing on the upcoming program on the Katey Gold project in southeast Oregon.



A Media Snippet accompanying this announcement is available by clicking on the image or link below:

For more information, please view the InvestmentPitch Media video which provides additional information about this news and the company. The video is available for viewing on  InvestmentPitch  and on  YouTube . If these links are not enabled, please visit www.InvestmentPitch.com and enter Headwater in the search box.

Headwater Gold is a technically-driven mineral exploration company focused on the exploration and discovery of high-grade precious metal deposits in the Western USA. Headwater is aggressively exploring one of the most well-endowed and mining-friendly jurisdictions in the world with a goal of making world-class precious metal discoveries.

Headwater has a large portfolio of epithermal vein exploration projects and a technical team comprised of experienced geologists with diverse capital markets, junior company and major mining company experience. The Company is systematically drill testing several projects in Nevada, Idaho, and Oregon and in August 2022 announced a significant transaction with Newcrest Mining Limited where Newcrest acquired a 9.9% strategic equity interest in the Company and entered into earn-in agreements on four of Headwaters projects.

Caleb Stroup, the President and CEO, stated: Following the completion of our recent financing, we are very excited to get back out to Katey to follow up on the high-grade discovery made in our first drillhole completed on the project and the only hole drilled to date by the Company in the West Zone target area. The Katey project is 100% owned and royalty-free and is our highest-priority self-funded exploration project. Low-cost surface work conducted since announcing this discovery suggests that the mineralized system extends both to the north and to the south for at least a kilometre and potentially continues under shallow cover beyond. The upcoming drill program will focus on drill testing the length of this mineralized trend and offsetting our previous intercept with multiple holes down dip in an attempt to add scale to a target we already know has high-grade gold.

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The shares are currently trading at $0.35. For more information, please refer to todays new release or visit the companys website www.HeadWaterGold.com , contact Caleb Stroup, President and CEO, at 775-409-3197 or by email at CStroup@HeadWaterGold.com .

For investor relations, contact Brennan Zerb, Investor Relations Manager, at 778-867-5016 or by email at BZerb@HeadWaterGold.com .

About InvestmentPitch Media

InvestmentPitch Media leverages the power of video, which together with its extensive distribution, positions a companys story ahead of the 1,000's of companies seeking awareness and funding from the financial community. The company specializes in producing short videos based on significant news releases, research reports and other content of interest to investors.

Disclaimer

The information in this InvestmentPitch Media Ltd video is for the viewers information only. Headwater Gold has paid a fee not exceeding $2,000 in cash to have its current news release produced in video format. The corporate information is based on information that is publicly available. Any information provided by InvestmentPitch Media Ltd., through its media services is not to be construed as a recommendation or suggestion or offer to buy or sell securities but is provided solely as an informational media service. InvestmentPitch Media Ltd makes no warranties or undertakings as to the accuracy or completeness of this information. All due diligence should be done by the viewer or their financial advisor. Investing in securities is speculative and carries risk.

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Market Research Future

Healthcare Consulting Services Market Trends and Insights by Type of Services (IT Consulting, Digital Consulting, Financial Consulting, Operations Consulting, and Strategy Consulting), Application (Operations Management, Financial, Population Health, and Clinical), End User (Hospitals & Clinics, Life Science Companies, Government Organizations), and Region (Americas, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and the Middle East & Africa), Competitive Market Growth, Insights, Share and Forecast to 2030

New York, USA, Feb. 28, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Healthcare Consulting Services Market Overview

According to a Comprehensive Research Report by Market Research Future (MRFR),  Healthcare Consulting Services Market Information by Type of Services, Application, End User and Region - Forecast till 2030, the market size was valued at USD 15.9 billion in 2021 and is projected to grow from USD 17.86 Billion in 2022 to USD 40.44 billion by 2030, exhibiting a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 12.38% during the forecast period (2022 - 2030).

Market Scope

Some key factors driving the market for healthcare consulting services include the need for healthcare institutions such as life sciences corporations and government bodies to incorporate new technologies like cloud deployment, big data analytics, and IoT, as well as the goal to improve operational efficiency. Digitalization in healthcare is being quickly adopted to fuel industry expansion. Globally, the healthcare industry is becoming increasingly digital, which is improving the market picture. Healthcare providers have a competitive advantage thanks to agile approaches and excellent IT assistance in terms of quality improvement, cost reduction, profit growth, and inventory management efficiency.

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Additionally, the market share is being driven by the incorporation of artificial intelligence (AI) with healthcare IT consulting services in order to guarantee data privacy, optimize resource management, derive insights from unstructured data, and offer a modernized approach to decision-making processes. The increased demand for data security and the widespread use of digital healthcare models over paper-based alternatives also support market expansion. The implementation of several government initiatives supporting healthcare IT solutions, the rising geriatric population, intensive R&D activities, and the expanding usage of electronic record maintenance are further factors fueling market expansion.

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Report Scope:

Report Attribute Details Market Size in 2030 USD 40.44 Billion CAGR 12.38% Base Year 2021 Forecast Period 2022-2030 Historical Data 2020 Forecast Units Value (USD Billion) Report Coverage Revenue Forecast, Competitive Landscape, Growth Factors, and Trends Segments Covered By Type of Services, Application and End-User Geographies Covered North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Rest of the World (RoW) Key Market Drivers The rapid adoption of digitalization in healthcare Integrating artificial intelligence (AI) with healthcare IT consulting services to ensure data privacy

Competitive Analysis

Major market companies are creating a number of strategic initiatives to broaden their customer bases and outperform rivals. In the current environment of intense competition, Accenture, Cognizant, and Deloitte dominate the global market. Its wide range of services and greater focus on strategic planning, which includes alliances, partnerships, mergers, and acquisitions, are responsible for the company's leading position.

In response to these favorable market circumstances, a number of businesses that provide healthcare consulting solutions and services increased their R&D spending significantly. These R&D strategies have led to services and solutions that are especially tailored to the needs of their clients. Thus, the market's expansion over the course of the projected period will be greatly aided by the introduction of new solutions and applications. As a result, the sector for healthcare consulting services will develop in the upcoming years due to the increasing need for digital healthcare solutions with a variety of applications.

To increase their services and global market reach, leading healthcare consulting businesses are progressively coming up with creative and cutting-edge solutions. The future of the healthcare IT consulting services sector will be driven by the adoption of highly technologically advanced solutions that will streamline operational procedures. The automation of business operations in the healthcare industry is made possible through the Internet of Things, machine learning, IoT, and artificial intelligence.

Key Players

Accenture Consulting

McKinsey & Company

Cognizant

Deloitte Consulting

Ernst & Young

Bain & Company

Browse In-depth Market Research Report (164 Pages) on Healthcare Consulting Services: https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/healthcare-consulting-services-market-7860

Dynamics



Clinical platforms, analytics dashboards, network optimization services, revenue cycle administration (RCM), and enterprise resource planning (ERP) support are all made possible with the help of healthcare IT consulting. As a result, the demand for cutting-edge and effective technologies to extend healthcare procedures and infrastructure has expanded, encouraging market revenue development. This is consistent with the rise in hospital admissions.

Additionally, the market share is being driven by the incorporation of artificial intelligence (AI) with healthcare IT consulting services in order to guarantee data privacy, optimize resource management, derive insights from unstructured data, and offer a modernized approach to decision-making processes. The increased demand for data security and the widespread use of digital healthcare models over paper-based alternatives also support market expansion. The implementation of several government initiatives supporting healthcare IT solutions, the rising geriatric population, intensive R&D activities, and the expanding usage of electronic record maintenance are further factors fueling market expansion.

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Market Segmentation

Based on the kind of services, the healthcare consulting services market is segmented into IT, digital, financial, operations, and strategy consulting. In 2021, the strategy consulting segment retained the lion's share, accounting for roughly 4649% of the market revenue for healthcare consulting services. The increase in mergers and acquisitions among healthcare firms, such as biotechnology companies, pharmaceutical companies, and others, is one of the key factors driving the demand for strategic management consulting services. The activities associated with medication research have also increased, which has increased demand for launch management consultancy and further aided in the segment market expansion.

Operations management, financial, population health, and clinical are the application-based segments of the market for healthcare consulting services. Financial, which dominated the global market in 2021 and is predicted to grow at the quickest rate between 2022 and 2030, helps hospitals manage their finances and spending using a variety of applications.

Hospitals & clinics, life science businesses, and governmental entities are included in the healthcare consulting services market segmentation based on end user. In 2021, the segment with the biggest market revenue share was hospitals & clinics. It is essential to manage hospitals by preserving their financial and operational performance due to rising hospital costs. When opening a new hospital, it's also important to understand how to get a license, raise money, hire staff, and improve hospital branding and marketing, among other things. The need for hospital consulting services is rising on the global market as a result of these significant considerations. The need for hospital consulting services is also growing as hospitals show an increasing interest in integrating innovative technology to improve patient experiences.

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Regional Analysis

The second-largest market in the world for healthcare consulting services is in Europe. Due to the expansion in healthcare-related enterprises, the number of pharmaceutical clinical trials, and the rapid development of medical technologies, there is a great need for healthcare consulting services in Europe. The growth of the regional market is also assisted by significant market participants and developing economies including the UK, France, Germany, and Spain. Additionally, the German healthcare consulting services market grew at the highest rate in the European region, while the UK healthcare consulting services market had the largest market share.

During the forecast period, the market for healthcare consulting services in Asia Pacific is anticipated to expand at the quickest CAGR. Key elements supporting the regional market include the presence of a sizable number of consultants and expanding regional business by healthcare companies in the area. In addition, during the past five years, there have been more launches of new drugs and medical devices in the area, which has increased demand for consulting services. The Asia Pacific market is also gaining from a rise in the use of digital solutions by pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies as well as government agencies.

Discover more research Reports on Healthcare Industry by Market Research Future:

Digital Health Market Research Report Information By Technology (Digital Health Systems, Telehealthcare, mHealth and Healthcare Analytics), Application (Cardiology, Diabetes, Neurology, Sleep Apnea, Oncology and others), Delivery Mode (On-Premise and Cloud-Based), Components (Software, Services and Hardware), End User (Healthcare Providers, Healthcare Payers, Pharmaceutical Companies), And By Region (North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, And Rest Of The World) - Forecast Till 2030

Population health management market Research Report Information By Component (Hardware, Software, Service and Others), By Solution (Data Integration & Management, Analytics and Others), By Delivery Mode (On-premise and Cloud), By End User (Healthcare Providers, Healthcare Payers and Government Organizations), and By Region (North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Rest Of The World) - Forecast Till 2030

Healthcare Big Data Analytics Market Trends, Growth and Insights By Type (Descriptive Analytics, Predictive Analytics, Prescriptive Analytics, and Others), Product (Hardware, Software, and Service), Application (Financial Analytics, Clinical Analytics, Operational & Administrative Analytics, Population Health Analytics, and Others), Mode of Delivery (On-Premise Model, Cloud-Based Model), End User (Healthcare Provider, Pharmaceutical Industry, Biotechnology Industry, Academic Organizations, and Others), and Region (Americas, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Middle East & Africa)Global Forecast till 2030

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ROACHDALE, Ind., Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Heritage Environmental Services (HES) has been engaged to support the cleanup following the February 3, 2023, train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio.

Heritage Environmental Services logo (PRNewsfoto/Heritage Environmental Services)

HES is providing support in accordance with the cleanup plan approved by government agencies with jurisdiction over the response to the event. Materials eligible for management at the HES facility outside of Roachdale, Indiana will be properly disposed of in accordance with the stringent requirements imposed under the federal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act. The facility is fully permitted to manage the materials designated by the site cleanup plan and remains subject to full oversight by the Indiana Department of Environmental Management and US Environmental Protection Agency. The facility was constructed in 1980 and began operating in 1981.

About Heritage Environmental Services

Heritage Environmental Services is a privately held, family-owned environmental services business with more than 1,400 employees across North America. The company provides a full suite of tailored solutions from emergency response, waste disposal, and sustainability services to onsite support and technical solutions to thousands of customers in hundreds of industries. For over 50 years, Heritage Environmental Services has prioritized the safety of its employees while pursuing its purpose of protecting human health and the environment.

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SOURCE Heritage Environmental Services
Recognizing National Engineering Month with multi-year partnership to support FIRST Robotics Competitions and 30 school teams

MARKHAM, ON, Feb. 28, 2023 /CNW/ - Honda Canada Foundation (HCF) kicks off National Engineering Month by planting the STEM seeds for another generation, contributing $375,000 over three years to FIRST Robotics Canada. HCF's program sponsorship will support FIRST Robotics Competitions at the provincial and championship levels. 30 high-school teams will each receive $2,000 to build impressive robots to compete. HCF continues its support for programs that encourage education in engineering and technology with hands-on activities for children and youth interested in the fields of science.

High-school team members with their robot. (CNW Group/Honda Canada Inc.)

"Honda Canada Foundation extends its partnership with FIRST Robotics Canada as we are excited to be a part of their positive influence and exceptional programming for years to come," said Tony Facciolo, Chair of the Honda Canada Foundation. "Engineering and STEM are at the heart of our values at Honda, and we naturally feel it is important to inspire and support the next generation of innovators and problem solvers. We look forward to seeing the best in robotics built from scratch by students competing at the FIRST Robotics Competitions."

"FIRST Robotics Canada is a leader in youth STEM opportunities, and we are excited to be back to full capacity at our events this year," said David Ellis, President FIRST Robotics Canada. "To close the STEM skills gap, we need businesses and communities engaged and working together to help young people prepare for an ever-changing workforce. Our generous sponsors help to make the magic happen! We are thrilled to have the Honda Canada Foundation support our programs and youth for the next three years and to continue to inspire and open pathways for more kids."

FIRST Robotic Competition is an annual competition where high school student teams under strict rules and limited time and resources, use sophisticated technology to build and program industrial-sized robots to play an action-packed, alliance-based game on a themed field. With professional mentors and sponsors, students learn engineering and problem-solving skills that they can apply to real-world situations today and in the future. Each team, while also fundraising to meet their goals, design a team "brand," and advance respect and appreciation for STEM within the local community.

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The 2022-2023 season energy theme challenges FIRST teams to reimagine the future of sustainable energy and power their ideas forward. FIRST Robotics Competition teams will unlock the power of engineering to transform renewable energy and power a better future.

About Honda Canada Foundation

Formed in 2005, Honda Canada Foundation (HCF) aims to enable the realization of dreams through various annual philanthropic activities and funding to non-profit registered charities across Canada where Honda customers and associates live, work and play. HCF focuses on four key pillars  family, environment, engineering and education  and each year more than $2 million is disbursed to groups in need. More than six million Canadians have benefited from Honda Canada - and Honda Canada Foundation-funded charitable programs. For more information, please visit www.hondacanadafoundation.ca

About FIRST Robotics

FIRST Robotics Canada, a registered charity is a robotics community that prepares young people for the future through a suite of inclusive, team-based robotics programs for ages 4-18 (PreK-12) that can be facilitated in school or in structured afterschool programs. Boosted by a global support system of volunteers, educators, and sponsors, teams operate under a signature set of FIRST Core Values to conduct research, fundraise, design, build, and showcase their achievements during annual challenges. FIRST has a proven impact on STEM learning, interest, and skill-building well beyond high school. FIRST's programs reach 300,000 students in 70 countries. FIRST Robotics Canada, a Canadian non-profit, started in 2002 and has reached 20,000 Canadian students. Alumni of FIRST programs gain access to exclusive scholarships, internships, and other opportunities that create connections and open pathways to a wide variety of careers. Learn more at firstroboticscanada.org

Honda Canada Foundation (CNW Group/Honda Canada Inc.)

SOURCE Honda Canada Inc.

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InvestorBrandNetwork (IBN)

LOS ANGELES, Feb. 28, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via InvestorWire -- IBN (InvestorBrandNetwork), a multifaceted communications organization engaged in connecting companies to the investment community through 50+ brands, today announced its collaboration with Marigold Marketing & PR, an award-winning Canadian cannabis marketing and public relations firm for licensed producers and national brands with a portfolio of cannabis-industry related events and conferences.



IBN will be serving as the official media partner for three marquee events  CannExpo, Canadas largest cannabis consumer show; MarigoldLIVE: International Women's Day Networking Event, a conference dedicated to promoting and engaging with women in the emerging psychedelic and cannabis industries; and B-Week, a collection of events dedicated to tireless budtenders who put the products in the hands of customers.

CannabisNewsWire (CNW), a specialized communications platform for the cannabis sector and one of the 50+ brands part of IBN, is joining as the official newswire for the upcoming events. The Enercare Centre Exhibition Place, Toronto, on March 2426 will host CannExpo, the MarigoldLIVE: International Women's Day Networking Event will be a fully virtual conference on March 8, and B-Week will take place in a virtual setting on March 20-26.

Marigold PR is a globally renowned leader in cannabis industry branding, social outreach, promotion and public relations. The team manages a portfolio of conferences, including consumer shows, networking events for women entrepreneurs in the sector and community-building exercises for Canadian budtenders.

Known for featuring marquee partners, illustrious thought leaders and energetic participants in an environment crafted to optimize business efficiency in a friendly atmosphere, Marigold conferences enable access to cutting-edge technologies, drive lasting relationships with industry peers and sharpen the competitive edge of market participants.

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IBN and CannabisNewsWire have been instrumental in optimizing our social networking efforts and media outreach. As our upcoming events are designed to be a force for positive change in this space and continue building a robust community across Canada, IBN and CannabisNewsWire are well positioned to generate further interest among ever-widening markets, said Bridget Hoffer, co-founder and CSO, Marigold PR. We are very pleased to be collaborating with their teams once again and know our sponsors, partners and speakers will benefit from the enhanced visibility.

Marigold is a well-known market leader in social outreach expertise, public relations strategy, brand messaging and conference production in Canada. Their approach in the cannabis and psychedelics space has proved to be very effective. Focusing on consumers, budtenders and the development of women entrepreneurs is showing dividends in building a truly robust ecosystem, said Jonathan Keim, Director of Communications of IBN. We are excited to continue collaborating with Marigold PR in their endeavors.

CannExpo (Toronto, March 2426)

Canadas largest cannabis consumer show will bring together consumers, budtenders, retail store owners, industry newcomers and the "canna-curious, while hosting a mega-exhibition by industry leaders, including OCS, Mera Cannabis, White Rabbit Naturals, Slowride Bakery, Peak Pharm Labs and many more. CannExpo attendees will have access to the freshest products and services, while getting a close-up view of the latest technological innovation in the space.

The three-day conference will include presentations from industry leaders on wide-ranging issues affecting the cannabis sector.

CannExpo will also host the So You Think You Can Cook Cannabis Competition to crown the best infused baker, mixologist or chef, and be judged by illustrious personalities such as Vance Michel (Aka Chef Vito Blaze); Nadia Rehman, The Ganja Mama; and Chef Jordan Wagman.

The event would also showcase the much-anticipated Cannabis Community & Influencer Awards, and a special gathering arranged by Tether, a community that activates budtenders and cannabis retailers.

MarigoldLIVE: International Womens Day (Virtual, March 8)

Following the success of earlier editions, Marigold invites everyone to attend the 4th annual Women's Day networking event. This world-class event is primed to accelerate deeply meaningful business connections among the dynamic demographic of women founders and industry executives in the psychedelic and cannabis industries.

Marigold has created thought-leadership opportunities for over 350 women and has attracted thousands of event attendees since 2016.

Attendees will relish insightful sessions with inspirational speakers, including Spotlight on Mental Health in the Ukraine, with Dr. Olga Chernoloz; and Thought leadership for Women Panel, featuring Haley Nagasaki, Annaleise Kiebler, Sherry Boodram and Dr. Amanda Reiman.

Attendees will split into speed-networking breakout rooms, to build rapport with industry peers, support invaluable knowledge exchange and explore fresh avenues for collaboration.

B-Week 2023 (Virtual, March 20-26)

Marigolds B-Week is a special platform dedicated to those who make it all finally happen: the budtenders.

Unfortunately, despite so many fine actors immersed within this thrilling sector, budtenders are often overshadowed and do not receive their due. B-Week is changing that!

As the face of the sector and dealing directly with consumers, budtenders are essential in connecting the right products to each consumer and are a crucial source of sales, feedback and education for the entire supply chain. B-Week 2023 invites this passionate group to build a whole new Canada-wide community platform through virtual and safe events.

To learn more about Marigold and the upcoming events, visit https://marigoldpr.com/

About IBN

IBN (InvestorBrandNetwork) consists of financial brands introduced to the investment public over the course of 17+ years. With IBN, we have amassed a collective audience of millions of social media followers. These distinctive investor brands aim to fulfill the unique needs of a growing base of client-partners. IBN will continue to expand our branded network of highly influential properties, leveraging the knowledge and energy of specialized teams of experts to serve our increasingly diversified list of clients.

Through NetworkNewsWire (NNW) and its affiliate brands, IBN provides: (1) access to a network of wire solutions via InvestorWire (IW) to reach all target markets, industries and demographics in the most effective manner possible; (2) article and editorial syndication to 5,000+ news outlets; (3) enhanced press release solutions to ensure maximum impact; (4) full-scale distribution to a growing social media audience; (5) a full array of corporate communications solutions; and (6) a total news coverage solution.

For more information, please visit https://www.InvestorBrandNetwork.com

Please see full terms of use and disclaimers on the InvestorBrandNetwork website applicable to all content provided by IBN, wherever published or re-published: http://IBN.fm/Disclaimer

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(Bloomberg) -- Japanese chip foundry venture Rapidus Corp. said it will build a plant in Chitose City on Japans northern island of Hokkaido, in the countrys latest move to galvanize its semiconductor industry.

Most Read from Bloomberg

The factory will mass-produce 2-nanometer chips in the late-2020s, with a test run planned in 2025, Rapidus said in a release Tuesday. The company is applying for further government funding for the project, under development with partner International Business Machines Corp.

The worlds No. 3 economy has been readying subsidies to bolster domestic production of high-end semiconductors as tech protectionism grows worldwide.

While home to some of the leading suppliers of chipmaking tools, Japan remains generations behind in key areas of chip production. It relies heavily on sector leader Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., which is building a plant in Kumamoto on Japans southwestern island of Kyushu.

When Rapidus new plant comes online, it would still likely lag TSMC, which plans to mass produce 2nm chips in 2025.

Heavily-dependent on agriculture and tourism, Hokkaido has been gunning for more manufacturers to set up shop there, touting its track record of fewer quakes compared to the rest of Japan, as well as access to water and renewable energy sources.

Backed by Toyota Motor Corp. and Sony Group Corp., Tokyo-based Rapidus has so far secured an allocation of 70 billion yen ($514 million) in subsidies from the countrys Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry last year. The US government is spending about $50 billion to rebuild its own domestic chip production capabilities.

Rapiduss investors also include auto parts maker Denso Corp., memory chipmaker Kioxia Holdings Corp., MUFG Bank, NEC Corp. and telecom firms Nippon Telegraph & Telephone Corp. and SoftBank Corp.

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--With assistance from Debby Wu.

Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek

2023 Bloomberg L.P.
By Nate Raymond

(Reuters) - In the first ruling written by President Joe Biden's appointee Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday sided with 30 states that argued that Delaware had no right keep hundreds of millions of dollars in uncashed MoneyGram checks for itself.

The ruling authored by Jackson, who was confirmed last year by the Senate as the newest of the nine justices, was unanimous. Jackson wrote that the unclaimed funds generally belonged to the states where the MoneyGram financial products were purchased and not to Delaware, the state where the world's second-largest money transfer company is incorporated.

Many of the largest U.S. companies are incorporated in Delaware. For the state, unclaimed property has become a big money maker. It accounted for $448.6 million of Delaware's $5.4 billion in revenue in 2021, making it the third-largest source of revenue.

Jackson, the first Black woman to serve as a justice, is one of three liberal members of a court with a 6-3 conservative majority. Jackson is the only justice appointed to the court by Biden, a Democrat. His Republican predecessor Donald Trump was able to appoint three conservative justices during his four years in office. Jackson replaced retiring liberal justice Stephen Breyer and was sworn in to the role in June.

In the ruling, Jackson wrote that generally a state under its power called "escheatment" can take possession of abandoned property if it is located within the state.

But in the case of MoneyGram checks, Jackson said a federal law known as the Disposition of Abandoned Money Orders and Traveler's Checks Act enacted in 1974 governs and generally gives the rights to the states where the checks were bought.

Under that law, money orders that go uncashed can be generally taken by the state in which they are purchased.

Delaware contended the MoneyGram financial products at issue, which were known as "official checks," did not qualify under that law as "money orders" or "other similar written instruments." Those checks are prepaid financial instruments that can be bought at banks or credit unions that can be used to transfer funds to a named payee.

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From 2002 to 2017, Delaware took possession of $250 million in uncashed MoneyGram checks that were bought around the country, even though only $1 million was bought in Delaware itself, Jackson noted.

A group of states including Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Arkansas took Delaware to court, arguing that the 1975 law applied, and an independent arbiter tasked by the Supreme Court to conduct an initial assessment of the case at first sided them.

But the arbiter, U.S. Circuit Judge Pierre Leval, later agreed with Delaware's view that they were not legally money orders but were "third-party bank checks."

Jackson rejected that position, saying the financial instruments were similar to money orders in function and operation by allowing prepayment of a specified amount to a specific person.

"And none of the differences Delaware identifies relates to the statutory text or ordinary meaning of a money order," Jackson wrote.

(Reporting by Nate Raymond in Boston; Editing by Will Dunham)
LAEVOROC Oncology AG

The Orphan Drug Designation underscores the significant unmet medical need and will grant LR 09 seven-year marketing exclusivity following drug approval by the FDA

ZUG, Switzerland, Feb. 28, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Laevoroc Immunology (Laevoroc or the company), a privately-owned, Swiss oncology development company, today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted Orphan Drug Designation for LR 09, a novel metabolic immune checkpoint inhibitor, for the treatment of patients with haematological malignancies who are diagnosed with a relapse after allogeneic stem cell transplant (SCT).

LR 09 is a novel, rationally-designed form of the small molecule drug, Ulodesine, a purine nucleoside phosphorylase (PNP) inhibitor that was originally developed for the treatment of autoimmune and inflammatory disorders. The decision to develop LR 09 for the treatment of relapse after stem cell transplantation follows the achievement of complete remission in a three-year-old patient using a pharmacologically analogous PNP inhibitor (1) whose US development was later discontinued, and the discovery that inhibition of PNP activates (instead of suppressing) the immune system (2).

Recent research at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), has revealed a novel, ground-breaking mode of action for LR 09 as a metabolic immune checkpoint inhibitor and supports its development for the treatment of patients experiencing relapse after allogeneic SCT. The data, published in 2022 in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, has documented the immune-activating effects of LR 09, through the elevation of intracellular guanosine, TLR7 activation, and the activation and proliferation of T-cells and germinal center B-cells, resulting in the initiation of a graft-versus-leukemia effects (3). With its favourable safety profile demonstrated in earlier clinical development and its improved stability and manufacturing process versus earlier PNP inhibitors, the Orphan Drug Designation for the US market now adds to the promise of LR 09 as an oral immuno-oncology agent.

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Receiving the FDAs Orphan Drug Designation for LR 09 is a significant milestone for Laevoroc, bringing us one step closer to delivering a potential cure to patients who suffer relapse after allogeneic transplantation, said Dr. Thomas Mehrling, haematologist-oncologist, co-founder, and CEO of Laevoroc. Today, the prognosis for these patients remains extremely poor and they have no standard of care available to them. The Orphan Drug Designation underlines the significant unmet need for novel treatment options and Laevoroc is more determined than ever to permanently change this situation and restore hope for relapsing patients and their families.

The FDA grants Orphan Drug Designation to investigational therapies for rare diseases or conditions affecting fewer than 200,000 people in the United States. Receiving orphan status qualifies the sponsor for certain development incentives, including tax credits for clinical development costs and seven-year marketing exclusivity following drug approval by the FDA.

Laevoroc Immunology acquired the commercial rights to LR 09 for new indications in 2021. The Company has active research collaborations with UCLA and the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center in Seattle to support the drugs development, with preclinical models of leukemia relapse after allogeneic SCT well underway. The Company has successfully raised USD 1.1 million in seed capital and is currently raising Series A financing to bring LR 09 to the clinic, and to patients, as swiftly as possible.

References

(1) https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0093775407002242

(2) https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/232e/35662ebd64b0752f1da15603d4df99d578c4.pdf

(3) https://www.jci.org/articles/view/160852





About Laevoroc Immunology

Laevoroc Immunology is a Swiss immuno-oncology development company based in Zug and founded in 2021 by Thomas Mehrling MD PhD, and Davide Guggi PhD, who have over 40 years combined experience in oncology and the pharmaceutical industry. The company is focused on developing immuno-oncology compounds with the potential to transform the treatment outcomes of medically underserved haematological malignancies and become game-changers in a wider range of applications. Its lead compound, LR 09 (a novel salt form of the small molecule drug, ulodesine), is a PNP inhibitor in preclinical development for the treatment of leukemia relapse following allogeneic stem cell transplantation. The development is supported by research collaborations with the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center.

Visit our website  Laevoroc.com and follow us on LinkedIn

Contacts

Laevoroc

info@laevoroc.com

Scius Communications (for Laevoroc)

Katja Stout, Daniel Gooch

Phone: +44(0)7789435990

Email: katja@sciuscommunications.com




Nearly 90 percent of employees faced at least one mental health challenge in the past year

BURLINGAME, Calif., Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Lyra Health , the leading provider of global Workforce Mental Health solutions, today announced the findings of its 2023 State of Workforce Mental Health Report. The third annual survey, which compiles responses from more than 2,500 employees and 250 employee benefits leaders, reveals that managers are on the front lines of a rapidly evolving mental health crisis in the workplace, often without the resources they need to support workers.

Nearly 90 percent of employees surveyed faced at least one mental health challenge in the past year, and nearly 50 percent reported discussing their mental well-being at work. The survey showed that in most cases, that meant getting help from a manager to prioritize mental health.

Managers are feeling the strain. The report reveals that two-thirds of supervisors feel their role has become more important and difficult since the pandemic began, while nearly half questioned whether they had the mental health resources and training to support team members. That concern may ultimately have an impact on leadership turnover, with one in three managers saying they're actively looking to change employers over the next year.

"Managers are suffering burnout at an unprecedented rate as they struggle to support their teams' well-being along with their own mental health needs," said Dr. Connie Chen, chief operating officer, Lyra Health. "It is vital that organizations move quickly to make workforce mental health a priority. Key to that work is providing managers with training on how to notice and respond to mental health crises, along with resources to refer an employee to effective care when they need it."

Managers and Mental Health: A Resource Gap

Lyra's 2023 State of Workforce Mental Health report also uncovered a significant disconnect in perceptions of support between employers and their workforce. More than 70 percent of benefits leaders said their organizations have increased training and resources since the onset of the pandemic to help managers support employees' mental health. By contrast, only half of managers or supervisors say their company has increased these types of resources. In addition, 40 percent of employees did not believe or were unsure if their manager and company leaders promote a psychologically safe workplace.

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State of Workforce Mental Health 2023 Key Findings

86 percent of employees have faced at least one mental health challenge in the past year; just one in three said they received mental health support in that time

Nearly 50 percent of employees reported discussing mental health at work

40 percent of employees said they don't believe or question whether leadership promotes a psychologically safe workplace

73 percent of benefits leaders believe their organizations have increased support for employee mental health, while only half of managers/supervisors agree their company has increased this type of support

One in three managers are looking to change employers this year

Taking Action: Business Leaders and Workforce Mental Health

Dr. Joe Grasso, Lyra's senior director of workforce transformation, and Dr. Alethea Varra, vice president of clinical care, will host a webinar to discuss the key findings of this year's survey, along with recommendations for Human Resources and Business Leaders, on March 14, 2023 at 11:00 AM PT/2:00 PM ET. Register here .

Download the full 2023 State of Workforce Mental Health Report

For more key insights from the data, top challenges both employees and employers face, and best practices to cultivate a more mentally healthy workforce, access the full 2023 State of the Workforce Mental Health Report here .

About Lyra Health

Lyra Health is the leading provider of Workforce Mental Health benefits, serving more than 13.5 million global employees and their dependents. Lyra is transforming access to life changing mental health care using AI powered triage, personalized support, and an innovative digital platform to deliver evidenced-based support for individuals and teams. Lyra quickly connects members to an exclusive network of mental health providers and well-being tools, to address every mental health need and ensure equitable outcomes across race and ethnicity. Independent peer-reviewed research confirms that 9 of 10 people that use Lyra get better and stay better. Additionally, Lyra's blended care therapy helps people recover twice as fast. Organization level support creates a culture that champions mental health, empowering managers and teams across global organizations. For more information on how Lyra can help you create a mentally healthy culture, visit lyrahealth.com and follow us on LinkedIn , Facebook , and Twitter .

Contact

Alex Beck

abeck@thisisoutcast.com

248-259-3533

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SOURCE Lyra Health
Addition of fashion-forward retailer deepens Macerich, Primark relationship

SANTA MONICA, Calif., Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Macerich (NYSE: MAC), one of the nation's leading owners, operators and developers of one-of-a-kind retail and mixed-use properties in top markets, today confirmed that Primark is coming to Queens Center in New York City.

Primark Coming to Queens Center, a Macerich property

Irish retail brand Primark is a leading international clothing retailer that draws shoppers to the high street worldwide with its wide selection of essentials and fashion favorites built around everyday affordability. In its seventh store at a Macerich property, Primark will occupy 54,562 square feet of multi-level space.

Set in the bustling and densely populated New York City borough, Queens Center is a major regional retail destination and among the best-performing in the Macerich portfolio of high-quality properties. Many national brands list their Queens Center location as among their top-performing, with overall sales at the center topping $1,700 per square foot.

"Millions of shoppers around the world appreciate the dynamic selection and global style of innovative retailers such as Primark, which we are excited to bring to the dynamic, diverse customer base Queens Center attracts," said F.K. Grunert, Executive Vice President, Leasing, Macerich. "We believe this popular international concept will drive significant traffic to this already heavily visited gem in the Macerich portfolio."

Macerich is one of Primark's largest U.S. landlords, with Primark stores open at Kings Plaza (Brooklyn), Danbury Fair (Connecticut), Fashion District Philadelphia and Freehold Raceway Mall (New Jersey), and opening soon at Tysons Corner Center in McClean, Virginia, and Green Acres Mall in Valley Stream, New York.

Located in Elmhurst, New York, Queens Center is an urban shopping center featuring a variety of top retailers, including abercrombie kids, Apple, Adidas, Champs Sports, Macy's, Pandora, Sephora and Victoria's Secret, and restaurants including Chick-fil-A, Shake Shack and The Cheesecake Factory.

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About Macerich

Macerich is a fully integrated, self-managed and self-administered real estate investment trust (REIT). As a leading owner, operator and developer of high-quality retail real estate in densely populated and attractive U.S. markets, Macerich's portfolio is concentrated in California, the Pacific Northwest, Phoenix/Scottsdale, and the Metro New York to Washington, D.C. corridor. Developing and managing properties that serve as community cornerstones, Macerich currently owns 47 million square feet of real estate consisting primarily of interests in 44 regional town centers, many of which contain mixed uses. Macerich is firmly dedicated to advancing environmental goals, social good and sound corporate governance. A recognized leader in sustainability, Macerich has achieved a #1 GRESB ranking for U.S. Retail, Retail Centers. For more information, please visit www.Macerich.com.

Macerich uses, and intends to continue to use, its Investor Relations website, which can be found at investing.macerich.com, as a means of disclosing material nonpublic information and for complying with its disclosure obligations under Regulation FD. Additional information about Macerich can be found through social media platforms such as LinkedIn. Reconciliations of non-GAAP financial measures, including NOI and FFO, to the most directly comparable GAAP measures are included in the earnings release and supplemental filed on Form 8-K with the SEC, which are posted on the Investor Relations website at investing.macerich.com.

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VANCOUVER, BC, Feb. 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ - MANTARO PRECIOUS METALS CORP. (TSXV: MNTR); (OTCQB: MSLVF); (FSE: 9TZ) (the "Company") announces it has granted options to purchase 3,100,000 common shares to its directors, officers and consultants. Each option will be exercisable at a price of $0.05 per share for a period of five years from the date of grant.

Mantaro Precious Metals Logo (CNW Group/Mantaro Precious Metals Corp.)

About Mantaro Precious Metals Corp.

Mantaro Precious Metals Corp. is a British Columbia company that holds a diversified portfolio of gold and silver focused mineral properties in Bolivia and Peru. The Company holds an option to acquire up to an 80% interest in the advanced Golden Hill orogenic gold property ("Golden Hill"), located in the underexplored Precambrian Shield, Bolivia.

In Peru, the Company has a 100% interest in the high-grade Santas Gloria silver property as well as a 100% interest in each of the La Purisima, Cerro Luque and Huaranay properties.

Forward-Looking Statements

Information set forth in this news release contains forward-looking statements that are based on assumptions as of the date of this news release. These statements reflect management's current estimates, beliefs, intentions and expectations. They are not guarantees of future performance. The Company cautions that all forward looking statements are inherently uncertain and that actual performance may be affected by a number of material factors, many of which are beyond the Company's control. Such factors include, among other things: risks and uncertainties relating to Company's limited operating history and the need to comply with environmental and governmental regulations. Accordingly, actual and future events, conditions and results may differ materially from the estimates, beliefs, intentions and expectations expressed or implied in the forward-looking information. Except as required under applicable securities legislation, the Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise forward-looking information.

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The forward-looking statements contained in this news release are made as of the date of this news release. Except as required by law, the Company disclaims any intention and assumes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Service Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

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SOURCE Mantaro Precious Metals Corp.
LONDON, Feb. 28, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via NetworkWire -- Informa PLC ( Informa ), a London-based events production, digital products and academic research services agency will host FinovateEurope. A cutting-edge fintech conference catering to the digital future of financial institutions, the event will be held in person from March 14-15, 2023, at the Intercontinental O2 Hotel in London, England.



Finovate events are world-class fintech happenings drawing attendees from across the globe. 1,000+ senior financial and fintech thought leaders are expected to be in attendance at FinovateEurope alongside 100+ globally renowned speakers. Each event is geared to help navigate the changing environment and discover new opportunities.

Invited speakers are sought-after analysts and innovators from the world of fintech, digital finance and financial institutions who will outline their unique perspectives on emerging technologies, regulatory trends and the evolving landscape via specially designed sessions that amplify knowledge sharing and encourage networking. The audience is highly intellectual and incredibly well-versed in the financial space, with C-suite leaders, senior executives, new-age financial innovators and financial journalists in attendance.

Speakers will participate in numerous formats including keynotes, general sessions, special addresses, executive briefings, interactive workshops, fireside chats, panel discussions and thematically focused streams.

A selection of the industry leaders who will be sharing strategic insights crafted through years of expertise includes Michael Ramsbacker , chief product officer at Trulioo; Guy Mettrick , industry vice president of financial services at Appian; Malin Lignell , VP digitalisation & innovation at Handelsbanken; Elizabeth Rossiello , CEO at AZA Finance; and renowned authors Steven Van Belleghem and Leda Glyptis .

Several live product demo sessions will be conducted by senior management of carefully selected, innovative companies such as Five Degrees, Refine Intelligence, Merlin Investor, Trulioo, Your Juno, Quoroom and others. These short sessions will offer attendees a glimpse into the latest technological trends in fintech and provide invaluable insights into the market outlook as well as future direction of C-suite leaders.

Attendees will have the rare opportunity to delve into the minds of elite thinkers during energetic panel discussions across a wide spectrum of topics including:

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We're In the Revenue - Now What?

The Fintech Ecosystem & Strategic Partnerships  From Competition to Collaboration & Co-Creation

What Are the Next Big Opportunities in Fintech?

Digital Transformation: How Can Banks that were Born Analogue Compete with Fintechs & Big Tech that were Born Digital?

How Will New Competitors and New Business Models Shape the Future of Payments? How Will Open Banking & Embedded Payments Change the Competitive Landscape?



FinovateEurope will also feature punchy and on-point startup booster sessions to highlight founder insights, developments in the investor landscape, customer acquisition models and strategies to optimize content marketing for wider market reach. These insights will prove invaluable to financial players looking to adapt to the evolving fintech environment.

Greg Palmer , Vice President of Finovate, will offer the welcome address on Day One and Day Two. The event will be precisely designed to optimize business efficiency and cultivate unparalleled networking opportunities. Scheduled networking events will drive high-powered relationship building, strengthen the broader fintech community and exploration of potential synergies with platform players, financial institutions, regulators and investment houses that are poised to redefine the coming age of financial services.

To view the detailed agenda for both days, visit https://informaconnect.com/finovateeurope/agenda/1/

To register for the in-person event, visit https://informaconnect.com/finovateeurope/purchase/select-package/

About Finovate

A subsidiary of Informa Connect, Finovate is a research and events firm focused on innovation in financial and banking technology. Its team runs the Finovate conference series and authors the popular Finovate blog. Finovate is the only conference series focused exclusively on showcasing the best and most innovative new financial and banking technologies. Finovate conferences consistently attract large, high-impact audiences of senior financial and banking executives, venture capitalists, press, industry analysts, bloggers, regulators and entrepreneurs. For more information visit www.finovate.com .

General Contact

Finovate

www.Finovate.com

(800) 418-0980

Info@Finovate.com

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BOUCHERVILLE, QC, Feb. 28, 2023 /CNW/ - The Master Group is proud to announce the grand opening of a new branch located in South Calgary, Alberta, at 1000 Barlow Square SE, Unit 110. This is the third branch in the city, with Master's industry-leading offering already serving Calgary customers with tremendous success since 2018. This new location is part of the company's rapid Western Canadian growth, bringing Master's total branch count to 75, and 19 in Western Canada.

The Calgary Barlow branch is representative of the investment and commitment from Master to continually expand its footprint in Western Canada and to ensure they are strategically located to best serve their customers. The new branch offers the full complement of Master products and services for customers in Calgary and neighboring cities. It is designed to optimize the customer's experience and provide reliable, highly efficient service in a modern atmosphere.

"We are thrilled to open our newest branch in Western Canada, making our third successful opening in just the past month. Providing optimal solutions to exceed our customers' expectations is the top priority for our business. We are excited to bring the exceptional HVAC-R service experience we offer to more new customers with the Calgary Barlow branch. With many more branches planned for the near future we look forward to continuing to increase market share and become the partner of choice for all our stakeholders." Keith Strachan, Senior Vice-President of Canadian distribution at The Master Group

The new Calgary Barlow location features Master's extensive product assortment and a dedicated, knowledgeable team of HVAC-R professionals who provide industry-leading solutions and an outstanding customer experience.

The Master Group's Calgary Barlow branch opening day (CNW Group/The Master Group)

The Master Group is Canada's largest and one of North America's leading heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration industry distributors. The company celebrated 70 years in business in March 2022 and has been named one of Canada's Best Managed Companies since 2010. Today, the company employs over 1,300 dynamic and dedicated team members. Together, the Master team serves the industry from 75 branches and 5 distribution centres across Canada and the United States. For more information visit master.ca or LinkedIn .

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SOURCE The Master Group

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Market.Us

The medical tourism market is projected to surpass USD 35.9 billion by 2032, and it is poised to reach a CAGR of 12.2% from 2023 to 2032, Owing to Low-Cost Surgeries and Technological Advancements

Pune, Feb. 28, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- According to Market.us, the global medical tourism market accounted for USD 11.7 billion in 2022 and is projected to reach USD 35.9 billion by 2032, exhibiting a CAGR of 12.2% in the forecast period (2023-2032). Medical tourism can be defined as organized travels crosswise international borders to obtain medical treatment for certain forms that may not be available in one's country.

Medical tourists travel internationally to improve their health and access low-cost healthcare services unavailable in their home country. Tourists can receive various medical services, including dental, neurological, or cardiovascular treatments. Medical tourism offers many benefits, including improved hospitality, personalized care, cutting-edge technology, and novel medicines. It also provides better healthcare.

Medical Tourism Market

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Key Takeaway:

By service type, the medical treatment section dominated the market in 2022 because of the increase in the demand for medical processes dental, orthopedic, cardiology, and spine.

By service provider type, the private segment dominated the market in 2022 because the number of providers giving world-class facilities is increasing.

In 2022, North America dominated the market with the highest revenue share of 35% .

Asia-Pacific is expected to grow at a high CAGR during the forecast period due to the increasing preference for medical tourism in the region.

Insufficient insurance profits and lack of local healthcare insurance are two factors that will encourage market expansion. The industry's growth is also supported by the increasing demand for services that are not covered, such as dental reconstruction, common removal surgery, aesthetic surgery, and reproductive therapy.

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Factors affecting the growth of the medical tourism industry?

Several factors can affect the growth of the medical tourism industry. Some of these factors include:

Low-cost surgeries: Countries like India and Thailand are providing fast and low-cost surgeries, positively affecting the market growth.

Increasing quality of surgeries: The increase in the accessibility of high medical-quality surgeries, like cardiovascular and dental surgeries, is one of the major driving factors for the market growth.

Technological advancements: The use of advanced technologies in healthcare industries, especially in medical devices, surgical processes, etc., is affecting the market positively.

Declining COVID-19 cases: As the COVID-19 cases began to decrease, the travel restrictions also have been lifted, which is helping the market grow further.

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Top Trends in Global Medical Tourism Market

The most important trend driving the growth of the global medical tourism market is active consumer preference for cosmetic procedures. As COVID-19 cases began to decline, travel restrictions have been removed, and the demand for postponed or delayed functions has grown. As people have become more aware of their appearance and personal care, cosmetic procedures such as body fat removal and treatment for acne have seen an increase in demand.

American Academy of Facial and Reconstructive surgery (AAFPRS) reported increased appointments and treatments for facelifts, eyelifts, and other procedures, despite the COVID-19 pandemic. People are more inclined to choose these procedures in countries with skilled specialists and high-quality care. This will positively impact the market's growth over the forecast period.

Market Growth

The world is becoming more open to utilizing advanced medical technology in surgery, medical devices, and related healthcare. Patients can now access information and communication technology, telemedicine, and telehealth worldwide. As a result, they can consult, book appointments with specialists, and receive high-quality care without hesitation. This has resulted in an increase in inbound tourism to developing countries like India and Thailand. In addition, the availability of quality medical structures and lower costs have led to a greater demand for affordable treatment, helping the market grow.

Regional Analysis

The global market can be divided into North America and Europe, APAC, South America, South America, and the Middle East & Africa. The forecast period saw North America account for 35% of the total share revenue. This market is characterized by a higher number of tourists visiting the US to receive medical treatment such as cardiology, orthopedics, and other procedures. This leads to an increase in revenue generation for the providers. The country is also well-known for its outbound tourism. It is also preferred due to its improved infrastructure and highly qualified specialists.

Europe was the market leader due to its growing medical infrastructure and medical tourism facilities in countries such as the UK and France. Due to the preference for medical tourism in developing countries, Asia-Pacific will hold a large market share. South America is expected to grow at the fastest CAGR. This market is also expanding due to significant government investments in healthcare infrastructure.

Competitive Landscape

The market is highly fragmented. The major players are constantly implementing different growth strategies to stay on top of the market. These market leaders use various growth strategies to stay afloat in a highly competitive market. There are many market players, such as Bumrungrad International Hospitals, Apollo Hospitals, Fortis Healthcare, Asian Healthcare Institute, Bangkok Chain Hospitals, BB Healthcare Solutions, KPJ Healthcare Berhad, Berkalp CO, Limited, and Fortis Healthcare.

Bumrungrad International Hospitals is one of the most prominent providers of international medical services. These initiatives will likely improve the health of medical tourism in other countries. The forecast period will see a significant increase in the value of service providers due to the emphasis placed on international tourists obtaining cosmetic treatments at a lower price.

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Scope of the Report

Report Attribute Details Market Value (2022) USD 11.7 Billion Market Size (2032) USD 35.9 Billion CAGR (from 2023 to 2032) 12.2% North America Revenue Share 35% Historic Period 2016 to 2022 Base Year 2022 Forecast Year 2023 to 2032

Market Drivers

Patients and healthcare providers are concerned about the rising cost of healthcare in developed countries. Additionally, the government enforces regulations on various healthcare systems in different countries which can cause interruptions. Therefore, people are advised to travel abroad for medical treatment. According to the Medical and Health Tourism Congress (MHT), medical care in Asia is cheaper than in the US. Therefore, there is a higher rate of medical tourism to India, Thailand, and other countries for fast and affordable medical care. The low cost of advanced surgery also drives the market growth. Patients are moving to other countries because of the rising treatment costs in developed nations. One of the main factors driving the growth of medical tourism is the increase in the availability of high-quality medical-quality dental surgery and cardiovascular surgery. Improvements in healthcare infrastructure and affordable high-quality healthcare services will drive the global medical tourism market.

Market Restraints

The travel facilities in one country are the only thing that can make medical tourism work. However, strict regulations in some countries impede market growth to ensure they do not accept medical care. In addition, the industry was negatively affected by the declining rate of medical technology for international travelers. This subsequently slowed down market growth. These factors will therefore hinder the market's growth during the forecast period.

Market Opportunities

Most countries have developed strategies to increase the digitalization and efficiency of healthcare services. This has increased demand for high-quality, highly regarded treatment in all regions. In addition, the approval of connectivity technologies, digital platforms, and telemedicine will determine market expansion.

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Report Segmentation of the Medical Tourism Market

Service Type Insight

Segmentation of the market is based on service type, with medical, wellness, and other treatments being the most prominent. During the forecast period, the medical treatment segment held the largest market share. The growth of this section is due to an increase in medical procedures such as spine, orthopedic, spine, cardiology, and dental. Access to advanced services and facilities in low-cost countries, such as India, Singapore, Thailand, and others, helps high-income tourists improve their medical records. The market's cardiovascular segment is expected to have profitable shares over the forecast period. Segmental growth is due to the increasing prevalence of many diseases worldwide. Moreover, the rising prevalence of chronic conditions will increase the demand for progressive diagnosis and treatment at profitable prices.

Cancer treatment can be expensive and lasts a long time. Lower treatment costs in many countries drive market growth. This will increase the market's segmental development over the forecast period. In addition, medical tourists travel to receive dental and neurological treatments.

Service Provider Insight

The global market can be divided by service providers. The private segment held the target market's largest revenue share. Tourists are attracted to the world-class medical facilities offered by private providers. In addition, private providers have the power to provide access to advanced medical systems, digital systems, and value-based care at lower costs. Public providers will also be expected to progress slower due to the lack of funding for certain medical treatments. Canadians, for example, prefer private providers because they can access the most popular medical treatments not available in public hospitals.

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Market Segmentation

By Service Type

Medical Treatments Cardiac Procedures Oncology Procedures Orthopedics and Spines Dental Procedures Others

Wellness Treatments Cosmetic Procedures Rejuvenation Procedures Others



Alternative Treatments

By Service Providers

Public

Private

By Geography

North America The US Canada Mexico



Western Europe Germany France The UK Spain Italy Portugal Ireland Austria Switzerland Benelux Nordic Rest of Western Europe

Eastern Europe Russia Poland The Czech Republic Greece Rest of Eastern Europe

APAC China Japan South Korea India Australia & New Zealand Indonesia Malaysia Philippines Singapore Thailand Vietnam Rest of APAC

Latin America Brazil Colombia Chile Argentina Costa Rica Rest of Latin America

Middle East & Africa Algeria Egypt Israel Kuwait Nigeria Saudi Arabia South Africa Turkey United Arab Emirates Rest of MEA



Key Market Players

Bumrungrad International Hospital

Apollo Hospitals

Fortis Healthcare Limited

Bangkok Chain Hospital

KPJ Healthcare Berhad

Livonta Global Private Limited

Gleneagles Hospitals

BB Healthcare Solutions

Berkalp CO. Limited

Other Key players

Recent Development of the Medical Tourism Market

The Tourism Authority of Thailand combined with Thai Air Asia to attract over 1,000 wellness and medical segment packages from Cambodia in April 2022. Both entities are trying to attract tourists during the forecast period.

The Indian government set out to improve medical tourism in Gujrat (India) in March 2022. The best medical treatments in Gujrat include IV fertilization, heart disease, spine care, and care through the Indian system.

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Medical Marijuana Market: size stood at USD 13.8 billion in 2022 and is projected to reach USD 30 billion by 2032, exhibiting a CAGR of 8.3% in the forecast period (2023-2032).

Wearable Medical Devices Market: is projected to be USD 30 Bn in 2022 to reach USD 165 Bn forecast trend by 2032 at a CAGR of 19.1% from 2023 to 2032.

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~Michael Walkinshaw to step down as CEO and President while remaining on the Board of Directors~

VANCOUVER, BC, Feb. 28, 2023 /CNW/ - Montfort Capital Corporation ("Montfort" or the "Company") (TSXV: MONT) (OTCQB: MONTF), a leading alternative lender utilizing focused strategies, experienced management teams and advanced technology, today announced plans to move its head office to Ontario to align with its growing business units, operations and senior management. As part of this strategic decision, Michael Walkinshaw, will be stepping down from his role as President and CEO while retaining his role as a member of the Board of Directors. Andrew Abouchar, the Company's CFO, has been appointed Interim CEO while the Board meets to approve and engage with an executive search firm to find a permanent CEO for Montfort in the coming months.

Montfort Capital Corp. Logo (CNW Group/Montfort Capital Corp.)

"I take significant pride in growing the Company from a start-up to $475M in assets over these past seven years, while maintaining excellent private credit performance," said Michael Walkinshaw. "I'd like to thank all of our employees and investors for their support over the years and look forward to supporting Montfort's next steps as it continues building its platform of success."

"With the addition of Brightpath Capital and Langhaus Financial Partners in Q3 and Q4 last year, and the acquisition of Pivot Financial in 2021, the majority of our customers and team members are now in Ontario," said Howard Atkinson, Montfort's Chairman. "As a result, it makes sense for us to take advantage of the synergies among the teams by consolidating and centralizing operations in Ontario."

"The Board would like to thank Michael Walkinshaw for his contributions to the growth of Montfort, particularly over the last two years, and express its sincere appreciation for Mike's vision and leadership over the past seven years. Mike successfully completed the diversification strategy and transformational mergers that set the stage for this new platform. The Board is sincerely grateful to Michael for his dedication, wisdom, and guidance."

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Mr. Walkinshaw will assist with the transition and the Timia Capital team, led by Monique Morden, will continue to be based in Vancouver.

Montfort also announces the grant of 200,000 options to Michael Walkinshaw which are exercisable into common shares of Montfort at a price of $0.50 per common share in accordance with TSX Policy 4.4, subject to the rules of the TSX Venture Exchange and the Corporation's Equity Incentive Plan. The options will expire one year after Mr. Walkinshaw steps down from the Board of Directors.

About Montfort Capital Corporation

Montfort manages a diversified group of specialized private credit brands that utilize focused strategies and experienced management teams combined with advanced technology to improve fee-related performance. Montfort facilitates transparency for all of its investors through public company reporting. For further information, please visit www.montfortcapital.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 news release.

SOURCE Montfort Capital Corp.

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With record number of Mr Gatti's locations participating, goal set to raise $20,000

FORT WORTH, Texas, Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Mr Gatti's Pizza, known for its beloved all-you-care-to-eat pizza buffet and signature game rooms, kicks off its highly anticipated annual fundraiser on March 1 in support of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

Mr Gatti's Logo

Throughout the month of March, customers visiting any of the 45 participating Mr Gatti's locations have an opportunity to make a big difference with just a small amount of change. By rounding up their order total, customers can donate 50 cents to St. Jude. Mr Gatti's is committed to supporting this cause by matching the total donation amount, up to a maximum of $10,000.

"We are proud to support St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, an organization that does such incredible work in the fight against childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases," said Travis Smith, vice president of marketing at Mr Gatti's Pizza. "Our annual fundraiser is an opportunity for us to rally our community and make a positive impact in the lives of children and families who need it most. We are honored to play a small role in this important cause and look forward to making a difference together with our customers."

Mr Gatti's has had a meaningful partnership with St. Jude for over a decade. Over the years, they have contributed to support the hospital's tireless efforts in the fight against childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases. Continued support helps fuel St. Jude's ambitious $11.5 billion, six-year strategic plan, which includes tripling its global investment to reach more than 400,000 kids with cancer around the world each year.

"St. Jude has a very special place in my heart because they provided support to my family when we needed it the most," said Bryant Gielsen, a Mr Gatti's multi-unit franchise owner in Louisiana. "As a business owner in this community, we make it a priority to support St. Jude and raise as much money as possible for their important work. I am grateful for the generosity of our customers, as without them, we would not be able to make the same level of impact."

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St. Jude is a world-renowned research institution that treats children from all over the world at no cost to their families. Their groundbreaking research and lifesaving treatments have helped to push the childhood cancer survival rate from 20% to 80% since it opened more than 50 years ago.

For more information about Mr Gatti's Pizza franchise, visit gattispizzafranchise.com

About Mr Gatti's Pizza

Mr Gatti's Pizza, based in Fort Worth, Texas, first opened its doors as The Pizza Place in Stephenville, Texas, in 1964. With a move to Austin in 1969 also came a name change, which paid tribute to the wife of founder James Eure's maiden name: Gatti. By the 1970s, the chain was experiencing dramatic growth having introduced the idea of high-quality dining and gaming combined in a single location. Mr Gatti's has become a household name in the markets we serve. James Eure's vision is now represented by more than 130 restaurants open and in development operating throughout Texas and the Southeastern U.S. More information is available at mrgattispizza.com or by calling 817-546-3500.

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital is leading the way the world understands, treats and defeats childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases. Its purpose is clear: Finding cures. Saving children. It is the only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center devoted solely to children.When St. Jude opened in 1962, childhood cancer was considered incurable. Since then, St. Jude has helped push the overall survival rate from 20% to more than 80%, and it won't stop until no child dies from cancer. St. Jude shares the breakthroughs it makes to help doctors and researchers at local hospitals and cancer centers around the world improve the quality of treatment and care for even more children. Because of generous donors, families never receive a bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing or food, so they can focus on helping their child live. Visit St. Jude Inspire to discover powerful St. Jude stories of hope, strength, love and kindness. Support the St. Jude mission by donating at stjude.org , liking St. Jude on Facebook , following St. Jude on Twitter , Instagram , LinkedIn and TikTok , and subscribing to its YouTube channel.

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SOURCE Mr Gattis Pizza
EFTEN UNITED PROPERTY FUND

The net asset value (NAV) of the EfTEN United Property Fund was 10,85 euros as of January 31, 2023, increasing by 0,3% over the month. Since the start of the fund in late June 2021 the total return has been 11,7% and the return on invested capital 12,7%. The fund has 30% of its capital as uninvested.

In February, important changes took place in the fund's two major investments: (i) In the largest investment of the former office building of Danske in Vilnius, we signed a new lease agreement, which took the vacancy of the building to 0%. Through the change of tenant mix, we have increased the rental income of this building by 16% in a year; (ii) Rae municipality issued construction permits for the first stage of buildings for the fund's only real estate development investment in Uus-Jarvekula.

Since the middle of January, we have observed the first signs of changes we have long expected in the Baltic commercial real estate market. The first sellers are gradually adjusting their price expectations downwards and offers with a lower price level have come to market. At the moment, it is mainly limited to the so-called class B office segment in Vilnius, where EfTEN United Property Fund already has considerable exposure. In the light of relatively strong business cycle data in Europe over the past weeks, the future expectations of Euribor have recently been adjusted higher in in financial markets. This will further squeeze the cash flow of companies with a high debt burden (including in the real estate sector). Therefore, we expect the fall in prices in commercial real estate to spill-over also to other segments in the Baltics.

A more detailed overview of EfTEN United Property Fund's portfolio can be found on the fund's website: https://eftenunitedpropertyfund.ee/en/fund-results-2/





Kristjan Tamla

Head of Retail

Phone 655 9515

E-mail: kristjan.tamla@eften.ee




Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada (PDAC)

TORONTO, Feb. 28, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada (PDAC) will welcome Indigenous Peoples, community leaders and industry practitioners to the worlds premier mineral exploration and mining conference in Toronto from March 5-8th. Thousands of attendees from more than 100 countries will be in attendance and anticipate increased representation from First Nation, Inuit, Metis and international Indigenous Peoples.



Meaningful partnerships are the foundation of the industry and PDAC's Indigenous Program is the central place for Indigenous Peoples to speak and be heard by industry, says Alex Christopher, PDAC President.

The Indigenous Program at PDAC 2023 is a platform to showcase how cooperative, respectful and mutually beneficial relationships between Indigenous communities and the mineral industry are developed. Join leaders including Jerry Asp, founding member of the Tahltan Nation Development Corporation; Dawn Madahbee Leach, Chair, National Indigenous Economic Development Board; Michael Fox, President at Indigenous Community Engagement (ICE); Lana Eagle, PDAC Board Member; and Glenn Nolan, VP of Indigenous Enterprises at Ring of Fire Metals. The program connects people through a series of panel discussions, presentations and events to share experiences, exchange ideas and network. PDAC also hosts Indigenous perspectives through joint sessions with the Sustainability Program.

Our 2023 Indigenous Program spotlights individual grassroots partnerships that leverage agreements to generate economic opportunities and bridge employment gaps, and how industry can incorporate Indigenous considerations into ESG best practices.

In the nearly 20 years since the formation of the PDACs Aboriginal Affairs Committee many important topics have been covered, challenging ideas and long-held understanding of Indigenous people and the mining industry. The program has allowed Indigenous people in Canada and worldwide to come together to better understand their role in all stages of mine development. It has helped the industry and government be more responsive and respectful when working closely with their Indigenous partners. While a lot has been accomplished, we know there is much more to be done as ideas are shared at the Indigenous program, says Glenn Nolan, Past PDAC President, former Chief of the Missanabie Cree First Nation, and 2023 Skookum Jim Award winner.

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A new initiative launching this year is the inclusion of Indigenous Artisan booths showcasing paintings, beadwork, jewelry, prints and stone artwork of four exhibiting artists on the tradeshow floor.

PDAC also provides members with tangible resources and tools to help industry expand social and economic benefits to Indigenous and local communities, including PDACs Economic and Social Impact of Exploration studies in 2021 and 2022, respectively. These studies are the result of extensive research, surveys, interviews, direct engagement with Indigenous communities and oversight by expert advisors to share regional expertise and perspectives. Visit the PDAC Indigenous Affairs webpage for more information.

Join the Indigenous Program and become equipped with strategies to navigate early engagement, negotiations and community impact within Canada's regulatory landscape, to build strong Indigenous and industry mineral development partnerships.

PDAC Contacts

Munisha Basiram

mbasiram@pdac.ca

647-460-3241

Jeff Killeen

jkilleen@pdac.ca

647-642-6247

Jahan Hussain

media@pdac.ca



About PDAC

PDAC is the leading voice of the mineral exploration and development community. With over 6,000 members around the world, PDACs mission is to promote a globally-responsible, vibrant and sustainable mineral sector that encourages leading practices in technical, operational, environmental, safety and social performance. PDAC is known worldwide for its annual PDAC Conventionthe premier international event for the industrythat has attracted over 25,000 people from 135 countries in recent years and will next be held March 5-8, 2023 in Toronto. Please visit www.pdac.ca .




The decrease will be reflected beginning with customers' March 2023 bills

Video here: Learn how your natural gas bill works and what factors influence your monthly bill

CHARLOTTE, N.C., Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Piedmont Natural Gas has received approval from the North Carolina Utilities Commission and the Public Service Commission of South Carolina to reduce customer billing rates due to a decrease in the market cost of natural gas compared to last fall. The decrease will be reflected beginning with customers' March 2023 bills.

This rate reduction translates to a savings of approximately $2.33 per month, or $28 per year, for the average North Carolina residential customer and approximately $2.42 per month, or $29 per year, for the average South Carolina residential customer. Because natural gas usage often is higher during the winter months, both North Carolina and South Carolina customers may see as much as a $4 reduction each month on their winter bills.

Piedmont previously decreased the benchmark cost in the Carolinas effective with customers' February 2023 bills.

"The downward trend in the cost of natural gas is great news for Piedmont customers," said Sasha Weintraub, senior vice president and president of Piedmont Natural Gas. "Piedmont purchases natural gas at the best price possible so our customers can benefit from those savings."

Piedmont requests periodic rate adjustments to reflect fluctuations in the market price of the natural gas it purchases for its customers. By law, Piedmont does not mark up the cost of natural gas and must pass through the actual cost on a dollar-for-dollar basis to customers.

"We know that even with lower prices, some customers may continue to struggle with paying their monthly bills or may just be looking for opportunities to keep their expenses down. We encourage customers who want more control over their natural gas bills to take advantage of programs such as our Equal Payment Plan, implement energy-saving tips or apply for assistance, if needed," added Weintraub.

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Level out your bill with the Equal Payment Plan (EPP) program

This free service helps customers manage their budgets by eliminating high winter bills. The EPP program levels out a customer's natural gas bills, allowing them to pay a predictable, equal monthly amount to help avoid billing surprises. Piedmont determines this payment by adding up a customer's annual natural gas usage and then dividing it into the same payment amount each month. Learn more here.

Assistance for customers in need

Piedmont is reaching out to customers whose bills are past due through email and/or text with information about utility assistance administered by agencies in their state and local communities.

Share the Warmth provides funds to local agencies to assist families with their utility bills, no matter the source of energy they use.

The Low Income Energy Assistance Program (LIEAP) provides winter heating assistance to pay for natural gas, electric and other methods customers use to heat their homes. There are many customers who are eligible but do not apply for this annual federal benefit that can reduce winter heating costs for low-income families. Information on how to apply locally:

Piedmont says anyone in need should apply for this and other newly available programs to see if they qualify. For detailed federal and state-specific information, go to piedmontng.com/WinterBills and click on your state.

Energy-saving tools

Piedmont Natural Gas also offers a variety of energy-saving tools to help customers and our communities identify ways to save money and energy all year long. These programs and tools help customers understand what factors are impacting their natural gas bills and emphasize specific actions they can take to reduce the impacts of high winter usage.

Eight low- to no-cost energy-saving tips and projects

Natural gas use typically spikes in the winter as customers combat low temperatures to stay warm. Below are tips to help manage your energy use when temperatures decline. B-roll of energy efficiency measures is available here.

Set your thermostat to the lowest comfortable setting to help save. Installing a "smart" or programmable thermostat will also help reduce your energy use while you are asleep or away.

Leave drapes or blinds open during sunny winter days to allow the sun to warm the house. Close them at night to help insulate your home.

Change air filters regularly. A dirty air filter makes a heating system work harder, which uses more energy.

Manage water heating. Set your water heater temperature to 120 degrees Fahrenheit or consider installing an on-demand or tankless water heater that only heats water when you need it.

Learn how to reduce energy use. The first step to reduce energy use in your home is to identify and prioritize energy-saving improvements. This can be accomplished through a certified auditor or by performing your own energy audit.

Seal air ducts. Make sure the air ducts from your home's furnace and central air conditioner are properly sealed. Ducts that leak into the attic or crawl space can substantially increase your heating and cooling bills.

Seal your home. One of the quickest energy-saving tasks you can do is caulk, seal and weatherstrip all seams, cracks and openings to the outside. This can save 10% to 20% on your heating and cooling bills.

Consider insulation. Consider whether you need to add insulation to your ceilings, floors and walls. Insulation between the indoors and outdoors reduces energy demand, saving you money while improving the comfort of your home.

Piedmont Natural Gas

Piedmont Natural Gas, a subsidiary of Duke Energy, distributes natural gas to more than 1.1 million residential, commercial, industrial and power generation customers in North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee. Piedmont Natural Gas earned the No. 1 spot in customer satisfaction with residential natural gas service in the South among large utilities, according to the J.D. Power 2022 U.S. Gas Utility Residential Customer Satisfaction Study, and has been named by Cogent Reports as one of the most trusted utility brands in the U.S. More information: piedmontng.com. Follow Piedmont Natural Gas: Twitter, Facebook.

Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK), a Fortune 150 company headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., is one of America's largest energy holding companies. Its electric utilities serve 8.2 million customers in North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky, and collectively own 50,000 megawatts of energy capacity. Its natural gas unit serves 1.6 million customers in North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Ohio and Kentucky. The company employs 28,000 people.

Duke Energy is executing an aggressive clean energy transition to achieve its goals of net-zero methane emissions from its natural gas business by 2030 and net-zero carbon emissions from electricity generation by 2050. The company has interim carbon emission targets of at least 50% reduction from electric generation by 2030, 50% for Scope 2 and certain Scope 3 upstream and downstream emissions by 2035, and 80% from electric generation by 2040. In addition, the company is investing in major electric grid enhancements and energy storage, and exploring zero-emission power generation technologies such as hydrogen and advanced nuclear.

Duke Energy was named to Fortune's 2022 "World's Most Admired Companies" list and Forbes' "World's Best Employers" list. More information is available at duke-energy.com. The Duke Energy News Center contains news releases, fact sheets, photos and videos. Duke Energy's illumination features stories about people, innovations, community topics and environmental issues. Follow Duke Energy on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook.

Media contact: Jason Wheatley

Media line: 877.348.3612

jason.wheatley@duke-energy.com

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SOURCE Piedmont Natural Gas
Not for distribution to U.S. news wire services or dissemination in the United States.

CHICAGO, IL and VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / February 28, 2023 / The Planting Hope Company Inc. (TSXV:MYLK)(OTCQB:MYLKF)(FRA:J94) ("Planting Hope" or the "Company"), a plant-based food and beverage company focused on producing the world's most nutritious and planet-friendly products, is pleased to announce it has closed the first tranche (the "First Tranche") of its previously announced non-brokered private placement (the "Private Placement") of unsecured, non-transferable 10% convertible debentures ("Convertible Debentures") having an aggregate principal amount of up to C$4,000,000 (see the Company's news release dated February 17, 2023). Under the First Tranche, the Company has sold Convertible Debentures for gross proceeds of C$1,250,600.

"One of our goals in 2023 is to grow our shareholder base, and to that end have opened up opportunities for new shareholders to engage with MYLK through financing opportunities that fit with varied investment appetites," said Julia Stamberger, Planting Hope Co-founder and CEO. "Our goal is to bring long-term holders into the stock who see the growth potential ahead and are interested in getting involved at an early stage. We are building partnerships for the long term across all parts of our business."

A Convertible Debenture holder (a "Holder") may, at its option, convert all or a portion of the aggregate Principal of their Convertible Debenture at any time prior to the Maturity Date (as defined below) into units ("Units") at a conversion price of C$0.50 per Unit (the "Conversion Price"). Each Unit will be comprised of one subordinate voting share of the Company (a "Share") and one non-transferable warrant (a "Warrant"). Each Warrant will be exercisable by the Holder to purchase one Share (a "Warrant Share") at an exercise price of C$0.80 at any time prior to the Maturity Date.

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The Convertible Debentures will mature on February 28, 2026 (the "Maturity Date") and will bear interest at a rate of 10% per annum from the date of issue, payable semi-annually in arrears. The interest may be paid, at the election of the Company, either in cash or converted into Shares at a conversion price (the "Interest Conversion Price") equal to the maximum discounted market price (as defined under the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) based on the closing price of the Shares on the date immediately preceding the interest payment due date or conversion date, as applicable.

The Company shall have the right to redeem the Convertible Debentures prior to the Maturity Date at any time after February 28, 2024 by paying Holders the then outstanding aggregate Principal of the Convertible Debentures together with all accrued and unpaid interest and a redemption penalty payment of 8% of the aggregate Principal, by cash payment on giving the Holders 20 business days' notice to do so. On receipt of such notice, a Holder may, at its option, convert all or part of the then outstanding aggregate Principal into Units at the Conversion Price and all accrued and unpaid interest in respect of the Principal amount so converted shall be, at the election of the Holder, either paid in cash or converted into Shares ("Interest Shares") at the Interest Conversion Price, by giving the Company notice within 10 business days of receipt of the redemption notice.

The Convertible Debentures, Shares, Warrants and any underlying securities of the Company issuable on conversion or exercise thereunder are subject to a hold period and may not be traded until June 29, 2023 except as permitted by applicable securities legislation and the rules and policies of the TSX Venture Exchange. In addition, the Shares, Warrant Shares and Interest Shares will not be transferable or saleable until August 29, 2023, being the date that is 6 months and one day following the closing of the First Tranche in addition to any resale and transfer restrictions under applicable securities laws and stock exchange policies.

In consideration for arranging the Private Placement, the Company has paid finders' fees of C$5,568 in cash. The net proceeds from the Private Placement will be used for general working capital.

The Convertible Debentures issued pursuant to the Private Placement have not, nor will they be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to, or for the account or benefit of, U.S. persons in the absence of U.S. registration or an applicable exemption from the U.S. registration requirements. This release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy nor shall there be any sale of the Convertible Debentures in the United States or in any other jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful.

The Company has obtained an extension from the TSX Venture Exchange to March 24, 2023 for the completion of the balance of the Private Placement.

About The Planting Hope Company Inc.

Planting Hope develops, launches, and scales uniquely innovative plant-based and planet-friendly food and beverage brands. Planting Hope's award-winning and cutting-edge products fill key unmet needs in the skyrocketing plant-based food and beverage space. The Planting Hope brand family includes Hope and Sesame Sesamemilk, Barista Blend Sesamemilk, and Sesamilk creamers, RightRice Veggie Rice, Mozaics Real Veggie Chips, and Veggicopia Veggie Snacks. Planting Hope products are currently found in more than 15,000 retail doors and 70,000 total distribution points across North America. Founded by experienced food industry entrepreneurs, Planting Hope is a women-managed and woman-led company focused on nutrition, sustainability, and representation.

For more information about Planting Hope please visit plantinghopecompany.com, sign up for Planting Hope news emails HERE and follow on LinkedIn.

An informational webinar on The Planting Hope Company from CEO and Co-founder Julia Stamberger is available HERE.

To follow the brands on Instagram and Facebook, please visit: @hopeandsesameco, @rightrice, @mozaicschips, @veggicopia.

To find Planting Hope products at a store near you in the United States or Canada, please visit the store locator on each brand website: Hope and Sesame store locator, RightRice store locator, Mozaics Real Veggie Chips store locator. Planting Hope products are also available at plantinghopebrands.com and e-commerce retailers including Amazon.com and Amazon.ca.

Contacts

Company Contact:

Julia Stamberger

CEO and Co-founder

(773) 492-2243

julia@plantinghopecompany.com

Investor Relations Contact:

Glen Akselrod, Bristol Capital

(905) 326-1888 ext. 1

glen@bristolir.com

Media Contact:

Alex Jessup, Jessup PR

(323) 529-3541

alex.jessup@jessuppr.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.

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain disclosure in this release, including the expected use of proceeds of the Private Placement, constitutes forward-looking statements that are subject to numerous risks, uncertainties and other factors outside of the Company's control that may cause future results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in such forward-looking statements. In preparing the forward-looking statements in this news release, the Company has applied several material assumptions, including, but not limited to, the assumption that all conditions precedent to the completion of the balance of Private Placement will be satisfied in a timely manner; that general economic and business conditions will not change in a materially adverse manner; and that the Company will be able to raise additional funds on reasonable terms. Although the management of the Company believes that the assumptions made and the expectations represented by such statements are reasonable, there can be no assurance that any forward-looking statement herein will prove to be accurate. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The Company expressly disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

SOURCE: The Planting Hope Company Inc.





View source version on accesswire.com:

https://www.accesswire.com/741306/Planting-Hope-Announces-Closing-of-C125-Million-First-Tranche-of-Private-Placement-of-Convertible-Debentures




ReportLinker

Global Precision Optics Market to Reach $60,033.6 Million by 2031. Precision Optics Market: Industry Overview. The rise in demand for precision optical components for consumer electronics and biomedical devices is among the major driving factors for the precision optics market and has created a significant demand for precision optical components such as lenses, mirrors, windows, and filters.

New York, Feb. 28, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Precision Optics Market - A Global and Regional Analysis: Focus on Component, End User, and Region - Analysis and Forecast, 2022-2031" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p06424322/?utm_source=GNW

According to the Consumer Electronics Association, across various consumer electronics sales categories, computers sale went up by 34%, television sets sale was up by 12%, and smartphones sale were up by 1% from 2019 to 2021 globally, likely due to COVID-19 restrictions and more time spent at home for working and learning.



For instance, the next largest consumer electronics sales category is tablet computers which recorded nearly $60 billion in sales in 2020.According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the adoption of smart medical devices is increasing rapidly, and in the year 2021, it reached to approximately two million different kinds of medical devices categorized into more than 7000 generic device groups.



Therefore, the rising sales of consumer electronics and biomedical devices are leading to the rising need for precision optical components for continuous operation with high precision.



Market Lifecycle Stage



The precision optics market has been in its growth stage, and much has been attributed to the technological advancements in this field.The ecosystem of the precision optics market comprises raw material suppliers, including glass, polymers, and other suppliers, precision optics producers, photonic manufacturers, and end users.



The market is still developing, with China at the forefront, followed by other regions such as North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Rest-of-the-World, and the U.K.



Industrial Impact



 Precision optics are used in a wide range of optical components used in autonomous vehicles, such as radars, lasers, sensors, cameras, and others. The use of autonomous vehicles in industries offers advantages such as saving on labor costs and reducing carbon dioxide emissions by as much as 60% through the use of optimized driving. With the increased adoption of autonomous vehicles, the demand for precision optics is anticipated to rise in the upcoming future.

 Moreover, the recent focus of the medical industry is on the development of smart disease detection equipment and smart medical wearables by utilizing precision optical components such as lenses, windows, and filters, among others.



Impact of COVID-19



The COVID-19 pandemic-related global lockdown led to production halts, disruptions in supply chains, and manufacturing activity, all of which had a detrimental effect on the market for precision optics in 2020.For instance, the Panasonic Corporation mentioned that the companys sales decreased by around 11% in the fiscal year 2021 as compared to the fiscal year 2020.



The key reasons for declining sales revenue were the impact of the spread of COVID-19 and deconsolidation in housing-related businesses. Further, the revenue of Nikon Corporation for the fiscal year ending March 2021 was 23.7% lower as compared to the fiscal year ending March 2020. Business segments of the company, such as imaging products business, precision equipment business, and industrial metrology and others, have shown several adverse impacts. However, the healthcare business segment witnessed a slight revenue growth as compared to the fiscal year 2020.



Market Segmentation:

Segmentation 1: by End User

 Consumer Electronics

 Aerospace and Defense

 Semiconductor

 Automotive

 Biomedical

 Manufacturing

 Others



Based on end users, the precision optics market is estimated to be led by the consumer electronics segment during the forecast period, 2022-2031.



Segmentation 2: by Component

 Transmissive

o Filters

o Prisms

o Lenses

o Windows

o Polarizers

o Beamsplitters

o Others

 Reflective

o Mirrors

o Retroreflectors

o Others



Based on components, the precision optics market is estimated to be led by the transmissive segment during the forecast period, 2022-2031.



Segmentation 3: by Region

 North America - U.S., Canada, and Mexico

 Europe - Germany, France, Italy, Spain, and Rest-of-Europe (RoE)

 China

 U.K.

 Asia-Pacific and Japan - Japan, India, South Korea, and Rest-of-Asia-Pacific and Japan

 Rest-of-the-World



In the global precision optics market, China and North America are anticipated to gain traction in terms of precision optics production, owing to the continuous growth in consumer electronics and biomedical equipment and the presence of the worlds largest manufacturers in those regions.



Recent Developments in Precision Optics Market



 In December 2022, Precision Optics Corporation, Inc. announced the receipt of a follow-on production order totalling approximately $2.6 million for optical assembly from one of the major U.S. defense contractors. In addition, the order is expected to be completed over the next 12 to 18 months.

 In October 2021, Precision Optics Corporation, Inc. made an announcement for a strategic merger with a privately held company, Lighthouse Imaging LLC. Through this merger with a leader in medical optics and digital imaging, the company aims to help customers by leveraging its next-generation micro-optics capabilities with Lighthouse Imaging LLCs leading-edge optical imaging electronics.

 In August 2021, Edmund Optics Inc. made an announcement for the relocation of its regional South Korea office to a larger facility in the Mapo district of Seoul, aiming to facilitate internal and external collaboration and communication, enhanced services, a lab for specialized technical support, and easy access for visits.



Demand - Drivers and Limitations



The following are the demand drivers for the precision optics market:

 Growing Demand in Life and Health Sciences Instruments

 Increasing Adoption of Precision Optics in Advanced Manufacturing

 Rising Uses of Precision Optics due to High Demand for Consumer Electronics



The market is expected to face some limitations due to the following challenges:

 Complex Design and Manufacturing Process of Precision Optics

 Lack of Skilled Workforce



How can this report add value to an organization?



Product/Innovation Strategy: The product segment helps the reader understand the different components involved in the precision optics market.The component segment has been segmented into transmissive (filters, prisms, lenses, windows, polarizers, beamsplitters, and others) and reflective (mirrors, retroreflectors, and others).



Moreover, the study provides the reader with a detailed understanding of the precision optics market based on end users, including consumer electronics, aerospace and defense, semiconductor, automotive, biomedical, industrial, and others. The increasing adoption of precision optics in advanced manufacturing technology is fuelling the growth of the market.



Growth/Marketing Strategy: The precision optics market has seen major development by key players operating in the market, such as business expansions, partnerships, collaborations, mergers and acquisitions, and joint ventures.The favoured strategy for the companies has been business acquisition to strengthen their position in the precision optics market.



For instance, in July 2019, Precision Optics Corporation completed the acquisition of Ross Optical Industries, Inc., a privately held company based in El Paso, Texas. With this acquisition, the company would extend its precision optics product offering to include a wider range of lens and optical system sizes and expand its presence in the U.S. defense sector.



Competitive Strategy: Key players in the precision optics market analyzed and profiled in the study involve precision optics manufacturers and the overall ecosystem.Moreover, a detailed competitive benchmarking of the players operating in the precision optics market has been done to help the reader understand how players stack against each other, presenting a clear market landscape.



Additionally, comprehensive competitive strategies such as partnerships, agreements, acquisitions, and collaborations will aid the reader in understanding the untapped revenue pockets in the market.



Key Market Players and Competition Synopsis



Precision optics comprises transmissive and reflective components used in optoelectronics, electro-optics, and optomechanical systems for light imaging, sensing, detection, and transmission applications in different wavelength bands.These are used in applications including consumer electronics, aerospace and defense, semiconductors, biomedical, and industrial, among others.



Precision optics are passive optical components that are made precise with respect to the wavelength and accuracy needed for the applications. Based on end users, the transmissive segment is expected to dominate the market on the back of its wide range of applications in consumer electronics, biomedical, and semiconductors and accounted for around 78.7% of the total market, while the reflective segment accounted for a 21.3% share of the market in 2021.



Some of the prominent manufacturers of precision optics are:

Company Type 1 (by Component): Filters

 Optics & Allied Engineering Pvt. Ltd.

 Materion Corporation

 Edmund Optics Inc.

 Newport Corporation

 Shanghai Optics

 Sierra Precision Optics

 Solaris Optics



Company Type 2 (by Component): Prisms

 Optics & Allied Engineering Pvt. Ltd.

 Edmund Optics Inc.

 Newport Corporation

 PFG Optics

 Shanghai Optics

 Precision Optics Corporation, Inc.

 Sierra Precision Optics

 Precision Optical

 Solaris Optics



Company Type 3 (by Component): Lenses

 ZEISS International

 Optics & Allied Engineering Pvt. Ltd.

 Corning Incorporated

 Newport Corporation

 Rochester Precision Optics, LLC

 PFG Optics

 Shanghai Optics

 Precision Optics Corporation, Inc.

 Sierra Precision Optics

 Panasonic Holdings Corporation

 Nikon Corporation

 Solaris Optics

 Momentum Optics

 WayRay AG



Company Type 4 (by Component): Windows

 Optics & Allied Engineering Pvt. Ltd.

 Edmund Optics Inc.

 Corning Incorporated

 Newport Corporation

 PFG Optics

 Shanghai Optics

 Sierra Precision Optics

 Solaris Optics



Company Type 5 (by Component): Polarizers

 Edmund Optics Inc.

 PFG Optics

 Newport Corporation

 Solaris Optics



Company Type 6 (by Component): Beamsplitters

 Optics & Allied Engineering Pvt. Ltd.

 Edmund Optics Inc.

 Newport Corporation

 PFG Optics

 Shanghai Optics

 Sierra Precision Optics

 Solaris Optics



Company Type 7 (by Component): Mirrors

 Optics & Allied Engineering Pvt. Ltd.

 Edmund Optics Inc.

 Newport Corporation

 PFG Optics

 Shanghai Optics

 Sierra Precision Optics

 Solaris Optics



Company Type 8 (by Component): Retroreflectors

 Opto Precision Pte. Ltd.



Various players are involved in the market, which has been covered in different sections of the report. Most of the players are also involved in providing custom solutions to customers.



Countries Covered

 North America

 U.S.

 Canada

 Mexico

 Europe

 Germany

 France

 Spain

 Italy

 Rest-of-Europe (RoE)

 U.K.

 China

 Asia-Pacific and Japan

 Japan

 South Korea

 India

 Rest-of-Asia-Pacific and Japan

 Rest-of-the-World (ROW)

 Middle East and Africa

 South America

Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p06424322/?utm_source=GNW



About Reportlinker

ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place.



__________________________

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CONTACT: Clare: clare@reportlinker.com US: (339)-368-6001 Intl: +1 339-368-6001




OTTAWA, ON / ACCESSWIRE / February 28, 2023 / Mayo Lake Minerals Inc. (Mayo' or the Company') (CSE:MLKM) is pleased to announce a Private Placement (Offering') of up to 7,000,000 common share units (CS Units') at $0.06 per CS Unit for up to $420,000 in gross proceeds on a best efforts' basis with a proposed closing date of on or about March 16th (the Closing Date') subject to the discretion of the directors.

Each CS Unit will be comprised of one common share (Common Share') and one whole Common Share purchase warrant (CS Warrant'). Each whole CS Warrant is exercisable into one Common Share at a price of $0.10 per Common Share for a period of 36 months from the closing date. In the event of multiple closings, the day of the final closing will be the Closing Date of record.

The securities issued pursuant to the Offering will be subject to a statutory hold period in Canada of four (4) months and one day after the Closing Date. Securities held by residents in the United States will bear a legend regarding re-sale into the United States which will be removed on request to the Corporation.

Finders that source investments in the Offering may earn a cash commission of up to 7% and warrants (Finder Warrants') valid for three years to purchase that number of Common Shares at a price of $0.06 that is equal to 7% of the number of CS Units sold by such Finder.

The net proceeds received by the Corporation will primarily be used to cover working capital needs, property acquisitions and general operating costs.

The Common Share Units will be offered for sale to purchasers in: (i) all of the provinces and territories of Canada pursuant to available prospectus exemptions; (ii) the United States on a private placement basis only under Regulation D, Rule 144A or other available U.S. registration exemptions and (iii) jurisdictions outside of Canada and the United States, in accordance with all applicable laws provided that no prospectus, registration statement or similar document is required to be filed in such jurisdiction and the Corporation does not thereafter become subject to continuous disclosure obligations in such jurisdictions.

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Dr. Vern Rampton, President & CEO of the Company said, "We continue to make excellent exploration progress at our Carlin-Roop Silver Project in the Keno Hill Silver District and see a terrific opportunity to drive value through further exploration on the 3 by 16 Km Anderson Gold Trend on our very large 130km sq. Anderson Davidson gold property. Our exploration from last summer has confirmed our conclusion that either of these properties could well be Company Makers'. Our third highly prospective property is Trail Minto, where exploration to date suggests intrusion related veining such as that present at Victoria Gold's Eagle deposit, Banyan Gold's AurMac property as well as Snowline Gold's Rogue deposit.

-30-

NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION IN THE UNITED STATES

For additional information contact:

Vern Rampton, PhD, P.Eng. President & CEO; vrampton@mayolakeminerals.com

Tyrell Sutherland, M.Sc., P. Geo., VP Exploration; tsutherland@mayolakeminerals.com

Darrell Munro, BB.A, LL.B Corporate Administrator; dmunro@mayolakeminerals.com

Mayo Lake Minerals Inc. is actively engaged in the exploration and development of five precious metal projects in the Tombstone Gold (Plutonic) Belt of the Tintina Gold Province. The properties cover 240 square kilometres in the Yukon's Mayo Mining District and lie within the traditional territory of the Na-Cho Nyak Dun First Nation. The Company is presently focusing on its two flagship properties; the Carlin-Roop Silver Project lying within the Keno Hill Silver District and the promising Anderson-Davidson gold property. Two active mines; Victoria Gold's Eagle Gold Mine and Hecla Mining's Keno Silver mines also lie near-by.

Cautionary statement: This news release contains certain forward-looking statements, which are based on the opinions and estimates of management at the date the statements are made and are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those projected. There can be no guarantee that Mayo Lake will be able to obtain a public listing as scheduled in this document. Mayo Lake undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements if circumstances or management's estimates or opinions should change. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.

SOURCE: Mayo Lake Minerals Inc.





View source version on accesswire.com:

https://www.accesswire.com/741233/Private-Placement-Of-Common-Share-Units




MONTREAL, Feb. 28, 2023 /CNW/ - The Public Sector Pension Investment Board (PSP Investments) is proud to have been named one of Montreal's Top Employers for the sixth consecutive year.

PSP Logo (CNW Group/PSP Investments)

Now in its 18th edition, the annual competition recognizes employers in Greater Montreal that lead their industries in offering exceptional places to work.

"We are honored to once again be recognized as one of Montreal's Top Employers," said Deborah K. Orida, President and Chief Executive Officer at PSP Investments. "This reinforces our commitment to fostering a people-centric culture while sustaining world-class practices to support our workforce. I am inspired by our people's expertise and sense of purpose in delivering on our important mandate and strengthening our global capabilities."



"At PSP Investments, we welcome talent from all backgrounds," said Melanie Bernier, Senior Vice President, Chief Legal and People Officer at PSP Investments. "We will continue enhancing our talent value proposition and cultivating an inclusive, equitable and forward-thinking environment where everyone feels valued and empowered."

Founded in 1999, PSP Investments is one of Canada's largest pension investment managers. As part of our employee experience offerings, we remained committed to enhancing our policies to better support the health and well-being of our employees. Some of the initiatives PSP has introduced recently include:

Expanding the span of our benefits to include 24/7 virtual healthcare services, financial support for fertility treatments and gender affirmation journeys.





Significantly boosting our annual mental health coverage and the eligible expenses for our employees and their families.





Offering a flexible childcare solution program for our Montreal employees and their families.





Leveraging our Veterans Integration Program to help veterans expand their skillset in the business world and gain meaningful corporate experience.





Raising funds to support the humanitarian relief in Ukraine through our "PSP Gives Back" and employee matching donation programs.

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Montreal's Top Employers applications are judged on the basis of eight criteria indicative of company success and employee satisfaction: (1) Physical Workplace; (2) Work Atmosphere & Social; (3) Health, Financial & Family Benefits; (4) Vacation & Time Off; (5) Employee Communications; (6) Performance Management; (7) Training & Skills Development; and (8) Community Involvement. Employers are compared to other organizations in their field to determine which offer the most progressive and forward-thinking programs.

About PSP Investments

The Public Sector Pension Investment Board (PSP Investments) is one of Canada's largest pension investment managers with $230.5 billion of net assets under management as at March 31, 2022. It manages a diversified global portfolio composed of investments in capital markets, private equity, real estate, infrastructure, natural resources and credit investments. Established in 1999, PSP Investments manages and invests amounts transferred to it by the Government of Canada for the pension plans of the federal Public Service, the Canadian Forces, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the Reserve Force. Headquartered in Ottawa, PSP Investments has its principal business office in Montreal and offices in New York, London and Hong Kong. For more information, visit investpsp.com or follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn .

SOURCE PSP Investments

Cision

View original content to download multimedia: http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/February2023/28/c0629.html
Ignitis grupe

Dear managers of energy companies,

The war that Russia started in Ukraine a year ago has had disastrous effects, first and foremost, on the people of Ukraine, who have had to flee their homes or forgo even the basics of a life with dignity: no electricity, no heating in winter, and no water supply, not to mention the buildings that have been destroyed and the lives that have been taken.

This war has also affected energy markets. Because of Russias actions, natural gas prices soared to unprecedented heights in 2022, and electricity prices on European exchanges rose dramatically. All of this led to hundreds of billions of dollars in additional profits at energy companies, the result not of investments or business strategies, but of higher prices because of the war.

Today, we submitted a proposal to Ignitis Groups Annual General Meeting of Shareholders to allocate around 10% of last years additional profit as aid to recover and reconstruct energy infrastructure of Ukraine.

We urge you to follow suit and earmark part of your 2022 profits for Ukraine. We believe sharing profits with the country that is suffering the consequences of the war that has led to those profits is morally the right thing to do.

All together we can do more. If each of us contributes, we can significantly help this embattled country and speed up its recovery.

Ignitis Group CEO Darius Maikstenas





Letter sent:

Exxon Mobil Corp TotalEnergies SE Equinor ASA Chevron Corp Shell ConocoPhillips E.ON SE Eni S.p.A. Canadian Natural Resources Ltd BP p.l.c. EOG Resources, Inc Suncor Energy Inc Electricite de France SA ENGIE SA Repsol, SA Polski Koncern Naftowy ORLEN Spolka Akcyjna OMV Aktiengesellschaft Iberdrola, SA Enel SpA Devon Energy Corp Occidental Petroleum Corp Pioneer Natural Resources Co Neste Oyj MOL Hungarian Oil & Gas Co Marathon Petroleum Corp Fortum Oyj rsted A/S Naturgy Energy Group, SA Centrica plc Chesapeake Energy Corp Valero Energy Corp Diamondback Energy, Inc RWE Aktiengesellschaft Continental Resources, Inc Polska Grupa Energetyczna SA APA Corp Aker BP ASA EnBW Energie Baden-Wurttemberg AG Tourmaline Oil Corp VERBUND AG HF Sinclair Corp Veolia Environnement SA Coterra Energy Inc CEZ, a. s. Delek Group Ltd Range Resources Corp Galp Energia, SGPS, SA SSE plc Endesa S.A. National Grid plc Terna Energy Redes Energeticas Nacionais S.A. Neoen Tauron Polska Energia Latvenergo Eesti Energia




Puma Exploration Inc.

Picture 1: Dr. Simon Dominy

Dr. Simon Dominy

Figure 1: Example of rock types to be included in the 4,000 tonnes bulk sample

Example of rock types to be included in the 4,000 tonnes bulk sample

RIMOUSKI, Quebec, Feb. 28, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Puma Exploration Inc. (TSXV: PUMA, OTCQB: PUMXF) (the Company or Puma) is pleased to announce that it has received from New Brunswicks Department of Natural Resources and Energy Development, the authorization to proceed with a 4,000 tonnes bulk sample at the Lynx Gold Zone (LGZ).



Dr. Simon Dominy, an expert in the design and implementation of bulk sampling programs, will join Pumas advisory team to supervise the Companys Bulk Sampling Program (BSP) to ensure proper planning and success.

Bulk samples are undertaken to de-risk a project by verifying local grade estimates and metallurgical test work from drill holes and/or channel samples. They also explore the scale-up potential and metallurgical responses and provide geological and geotechnical information on the extraction area. The high-grade gold mineralization at Lynx is not homogeneous but rather exhibits the nugget effect. Pumas fully permitted 4,000 tonnes bulk sample will be collected from several different areas at the Lynx Gold Zone (see Figure 1) to better characterize the zone's mineralization and potential local average gold grade.

Marcel Robillard, President, and CEO commented The 12,000 m weve drilled at the Lynx Gold Zone returned impressive grades, but wed have to drill hundreds of thousands of metres to gain some certainty on the average grade of the zone. By running the bulk sample this year, we can get a better representation of the local grade around the sampling site and how it reconciles with the drillings predicted grade. This outside-the-box thinking will place Puma well ahead of our industrys typical exploration timeline and be a key milestone in the advancement of the Williams Brook Gold Project.

The bulk sample will also move us closer to demonstrating whether we can potentially have a profitable mining operation at Williams Brook. If we can extract the gold on-site with gravity alone, we can significantly cut costs, reduce the environmental impact and streamline permitting. This would be a fantastic outcome for all stakeholders, the future of mining in New Brunswick, and our shareholders, added Marcel.

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The bulk sample is considered an exploration tool to be conducted in parallel with the upcoming planned drilling program which will begin shortly. The initial 3,000 metres of drilling will target the high-grade gold shoots interpreted from the 10,000 metres drilling program that was completed in 2022.

Figure 1: Example of rock types to be included in the 4,000 tonnes bulk sample

Example of rock types to be included in the 4,000 tonnes bulk sample





NEXT STEPS BEFORE GETTING THE BULK SAMPLE COLLECTED

To ensure the success of the BSP, Puma plans to complete the following over the coming months:



Evaluate the results of the current advanced recovery tests from 3,000 kg of quartz-vein material sent to RPC in Fredericton (see November 15, 2022, News Release).

Determine if the Lynx Gold Zone is potentially acid generating.

Define the flowsheet for optimal gold recovery.

Complete a cost/benefit and risk evaluation of on-site pilot plants vs toll milling.

Prepare the site with field work commencing as soon as the snow melts.



MORE ABOUT BULK SAMPLING

Bulk sampling allows companies to investigate the metallurgical properties of a deposit and retrieve critical information that cannot be gathered by drilling alone. Bulk sampling assesses whether a prospective deposit would be both feasible and profitable to mine and is one of the most effective exploration tools to de-risk a gold exploration project.



The underused and undervalued mineral exploration tool requires oversight by an expert, such as Dr. Dominy, to avoid potential pitfalls.

On a complex gold deposit such as the one at the LGZ where gold grade distribution is variable, bulk sampling provides better gold grade confidence than drilling results. Geologists can better understand the deposit by mapping out its geometry, structure, and mineralization and the larger-scale metallurgical testing involved in bulk sampling can help determine the most optimal milling methods and flow sheet design for a potential mining operation.

Reference: True Grade Yukon Gold: The Benefits of Bulk Sampling in Gold Exploration | INN (investingnews.com)

ABOUT DR. SIMON DOMINY

Dr. Simon Dominy





Dr. Simon Dominy is a mining professional whose career has included technical and leadership roles in mine operations, academia, and consulting. He is particularly interested in the integration of geology, mining engineering, and mineral processing through the development of Total Deposit Knowledge and the application of geometallurgy. Simon has expertise in the evaluation and exploitation of various gold orebody styles and has developed skills in ore characterization; design and implementation of bulk sampling/trial mining programmes; evaluation of high-nugget effect/coarse-gold deposits; and narrow vein/highly selective mining methods.

Recent projects have included: the evaluation of high-nugget effect conglomerate gold mineralization; optimization of small high-grade deposits with emphasis on evaluation, selective mining approaches, flexible processing options, and ore control; characterization of gold ores to determine sampling parameters; sampling protocol optimization; geometallurgical characterization (grade, metallurgical and geoenvironmental); and implementation of strategic and tactical geometallurgy.

As an industry practitioner, Simon is active in developing and operating several gold projects in Australia, Europe, and South America. He is a Principal Advisor/Qualified Person with Novo Resources Corporation; Director of Artemis Resources Ltd; and Group Technical Lead with private entity OCX Gold SA. He has extensive experience as a Qualified Person/Competent Person in various jurisdictions and across a number of gold deposit types.

We are extremely pleased to welcome Simon to our Advisory Committee. His expertise will be instrumental in helping us design and complete a successful bulk sampling program and avoid any potential pitfalls. We look forward to working with him to achieve this key milestone, notes Marcel Robillard, Pumas President, and CEO.

I am pleased to be joining the Puma team at this exciting period for the development of the LGZ. They are already progressing the project on the front foot by recognizing the need for bulk sampling and implementing it early on, notes Dr. Simon Dominy.

UPCOMING GOLD INVESTOR EVENTS

Puma invites shareholders and interested parties to stop by the booth, attend a presentation, or schedule a meeting at the upcoming conferences to discuss the Company's recent news and proposed developments:

Deutsche Goldmesse in Frankfurt

May 5-6, 2023

deutschegoldmesse.online/2023-spring-companies/





ABOUT THE WILLIAMS BROOK GOLD PROJECT

Puma's flagship Williams Brook Gold Project covers more than 50,000 ha in Northern New Brunswick, an established and mining-friendly jurisdiction, near paved roads and with excellent infrastructure nearby. Since 2021, Puma has made four (4) significant gold discoveries at Williams Brook, with gold mineralization hosted in quartz veins at surface. An aggressive exploration program is planned for 2023, including a minimum of 6,000 m of drilling and a 4,000 T bulk sample.

QUALIFIED PERSON

Dominique Gagne, PGeo, a qualified person as defined by Canadian National Instrument 43-101 standards, has reviewed and approved the geological information reported in this news release.

ABOUT PUMA EXPLORATION

Puma Exploration is a Canadian-based mineral exploration company with precious metals projects near New Brunswick, Canada's Famous Bathurst Mining Camp ("BMC"). The Company is committed to deploying its DEAR strategy (Development, Exploration, Acquisition, and Royalties) to generate maximum value for shareholders with low share dilution.

Connect with us on Facebook / Twitter / LinkedIn

Visit www.explorationpuma.com for more information or contact:

Marcel Robillard, President and CEO, (418) 750-8510;

president@explorationpuma.com

Mia Boiridy, Head of Investor Relations and Corporate Development, (250) 575-3305;

mboiridy@explorationpuma.com

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 release.

Forward-Looking Statements: This press release may contain forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements involve several known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance, or achievements of Puma to be materially different from actual future results and achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date the statements were made, except as required by law. Puma undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties are described in the quarterly and annual reports and in the documents submitted to the securities administration.

Photos accompanying this announcement are available at

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/65cb0b5f-dd46-4cda-830b-231176087a3e

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SkyQuest Technology Consulting Pvt. Ltd.

The sand screening machines market is an ever-evolving industry that continuously adapts to daily trends and innovations. Market players must remain up-to-date with the latest developments to stay ahead in the highly competitive market. Fortunately, SkyQuest's latest report is an invaluable resource that provides valuable insights into key growth areas and innovations in the industry. With the help of report, businesses can gain a deeper understanding of the market landscape and make informed decisions about how to grow and improve their operations.

Westford, USA,, Feb. 27, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The growth of the sand screening machines market is on the rise, especially in the Asia Pacific region, closely followed by Latin America and the Middle East and Africa region. This growth is attributed to the increasing onshore and offshore exploration activity, which requires efficient sand control mechanisms. Furthermore, with the expansion of the oil and gas industry, the demand for sand screening machines is likely to increase, and new technological advancements will also emerge to cater to this demand.

Natural gas production has been on the rise, with a growth rate of 5.76% in 2021, according to research by SkyQuest. The global natural gas production amounted to approximately 4.22 trillion cubic meters, a significant increase from the previous year. With the growth in natural gas production, there is likely to be an increase in demand for sand screening machines, as these industries will require more efficient and reliable equipment to meet their production needs. This trend is expected to drive the growth of the sand screening machines market in the coming years.

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Browse in-depth TOC on "Sand Screening Machines Market"

Pages - 266

Tables - 68

Figures - 65

Sand control is a critical aspect of oil and gas production that aims to prevent sand and other solids from entering the wellbore and interfering with production. Gravel packing has been a popular method of sand control for many years, but recent technological advances have led to the development of sand screens as a reliable alternative. Sand screens offer high production performance and sand control reliability in open-hole applications, making them an attractive option for good operators.

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Prominent Players in Sand Screening Machines Market

Sany (China)

Komatsu (Japan)

Doosan infracore (South Korea)

Caterpillar (US)

Sandvik (Sweden)

Hitachi (Japan)

XCMG (China)

Liebherr (Germany)

John Deere (US)

JCB (UK)

Terex Corporation (US)

Wirtgen Group (Germany)

Onshore Application Segment to Experience Swift Growth Thanks to Increasing Application Scope in Major Construction Projects

The sand screening machines market has seen a significant rise in demand due to the increasing need for effective sand screening processes in various industries. One of the notable trends in the market is the dominance of the onshore application segment. In 2021, this segment held the largest share of the market, and it is anticipated to maintain its leading position until 2028. This is because the drilling costs for onshore applications are decreasing, making it a more cost-effective option for businesses. Additionally, abundant onshore sites are available for exploration and production, which further drives the demand for sand screening machines in this segment.

The sand screening machines market is expected to be dominated by the Asia Pacific region, owing to several factors. One significant reason is the increase in construction activity in the region, which has steadily risen over the years. According to SkyQuest, by 2030, India is predicted to invest around USD 13 trillion in the sector. This level of investment is indicative of the country's commitment to infrastructure development, which is crucial for sustained economic growth. In addition, the construction industry in India is one of the fastest-growing in the region, thanks to the country's large population, expanding urbanization, and growing middle class.

Browse summary of the report and Complete Table of Contents (ToC):

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Gravel Pack Segment to Witness Higher Traction owing to Increasing Development of Automated and High-Capacity Machines

The global oil and gas industry is expected to witness a significant surge in conventional oil and gas fields drilling in onshore regions over the next few years. As a result, the gravel pack segment is predicted to hold the largest share of the sand screening machines market from 2023 to 2028. The increasing demand for oil and gas, coupled with the need to optimize production and reduce downtime, has led to the growing popularity of the gravel pack segment. In addition, advancements in drilling technology and new drilling techniques have made implementing gravel pack completions easier and more cost-effective.

Sand screening equipment is in high demand in the Middle East, Africa, and Latin America, driven by capital-intensive industries and low labor costs in these regions. As the global demand for sand continues to rise, these regions have become significant markets for sand screening equipment. The Middle East is home to several oil-producing countries, and sand is an essential material used in oil extraction. As a result, the demand for sand screening equipment has increased as the region invests heavily in its oil and gas industry. The cheap labor costs in the region have also contributed to the growth of the sand screening machines market.

SkyQuest, a renowned market research firm, has recently published an extensive report on the sand screening machines market. The report offers a comprehensive industry analysis, providing insights into the market's current landscape, emerging trends, key players, and product innovations. Investors can leverage the report's insights to make informed decisions and identify high-potential investment opportunities in the market.

Key Developments in Sand Screening Machines Market

Terex Washing Systems (TWS) has announced the upcoming launch of their latest product, the FM Pentium, at the March 14-18 show in Las Vegas. According to the company, the FM Pentium is a cutting-edge and adaptable washing solution that can wash one grade of sand and one aggregate on a single chassis. This new addition to TWS's range of washing solutions is expected to provide customers with increased efficiency and flexibility, as it can be easily transported and set up at different job sites. In addition, by washing two different materials on the same machine, the FM Pentium can help to save time and resources, ultimately leading to a more cost-effective solution for customers.

R.W. Sidley, a leading supplier of construction materials, has made a strategic investment to enhance their production capabilities. As a result, the company has recently boosted its production capacity by installing a new MWS wash plant in Thompson. This plant has been operational for over a year and has proven to be a valuable addition to the company's operations. The new MWS wash plant is equipped with advanced technology for efficiently and effectively washing materials such as sand and gravel. This translates to a higher-quality end product that meets customers' needs in the construction industry.

Astec Industries' Materials Solutions Group, a leading equipment manufacturer for asphalt road building and aggregate processing, has introduced a new mobile high-frequency screening plant called the GT2612V. This latest addition to the company's lineup features a 2612V Vari-Vibe high-frequency screen, which offers exceptional performance and reliability. With the ability to handle various materials and applications, the GT2612V is an ideal choice for anyone involved in asphalt road building, aggregate processing, and other related industries.

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Key Questions Answered in Sand Screening Machines Market Report

What are the most effective strategies for companies to target consumer preferences and drive growth in different segments or sectors?

What are some of the most significant challenges that companies in high-growth segments or sectors will likely face in the coming years, and how can they prepare for them?

How can companies stay abreast of emerging trends and technologies that have the potential to disrupt their industry, and what are some best practices for adapting to these changes?

What are the key government policies and regulations impact growth in different industries, and how can companies navigate these complex regulatory landscapes to remain competitive and successful?

Related Reports in SkyQuests Library:

Global Biodegradable Plastic Packaging Market

Global 3D Printing Construction Market

Global Ceiling Tiles Market

Global Ceramic Tiles Market

Global Canopy Market

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DENVER, CO / ACCESSWIRE / February 28, 2023 / Solitario Zinc Corp. ("Solitario") (NYSE American:XPL); (TSX:SLR) is pleased to report that it has received additional assay results from trenching and surface rock sampling at the Spur Gold Zone and from a recently discovered gold-rich area to the east called Zig Zag. The Geyser, Spur and Zig Zag zones are new surface gold discoveries made during the 2022 field season on Solitario's Golden Crest project in South Dakota. Highlights of newly released assays include:

Spur Trench 1: 234 meters grading 0.82 grams per tonne ("gpt") gold consisting of a continuous channel of 78-three-meter samples predominantly from bedrock and open at both ends of the trench (the first 24 meters of this trench were previously reported).

Zig Zag Trench 1: 27 meters grading 3.22 gpt gold consisting of a continuous channel of 9-three-meter samples predominantly from bedrock and open at both ends of the trench.

Seventeen new widely-spaced select high-grade grab samples with assays above 5.0 gpt gold , including two from the new Zig Zag Gold Zone, are reported in this release and significantly expand the currently delineated higher-grade area. These surface sample assays include: 5.6, 5.9, 7.5, 8.1, 9.5, 11.3, 13.4, 14.3, 14.5, 15.7, 16.8, 16.9 17.0 20.6, 24.0, 29.0, and 36.4 gpt gold.

The combined Geyser-Spur-Zig Zag Gold Zone now encompasses an area approximately 800 x 700 meters with a significant population of multi-gram gold values in trench and surface rock grab samples. This large area of moderate-to-high-grade gold values remains open to expansion in all directions.

These newly reported trenching and grab sample assay results, as well as previously reported results, can be viewed on the attached Geyser-Spur-Zig Zag Map.

Chris Herald, President and CEO of Solitario, stated: "We continue to discover and enlarge new areas displaying strong gold values at surface and anticipate this trend will continue. Spur Trench 1 assay results are exceptional, especially the consistency of mineralization over a length of 234 meters. The average grade of the 78 three-meter sample intervals (0.82 gpt gold) is not carried by a couple of high-grade gold values, but rather nearly half of the intervals are greater than 0.50 gpt gold with the three highest 3-meter intervals grading 7.05, 3.25 and 3.07 gpt gold. It's the same story at Zig Zag (27 m @ 3.22 gpt gold) where seven out of the nine three-meter samples are greater than 2.6 gpt gold.

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The combined mineralized surface area of the Geyser-Spur-Zig Zag zone now measure more than half of a square kilometer and remains open in all directions. Multiple samples containing >10 gpt exist at the northern, western and eastern limits of exploration. Amazingly, if Golden Crest is similar to known mineralization in the Homestake-Wharf district to the east, the best mineralization lies in the host rocks (Deadwood Formation) below the stratigraphy exposed at surface at Golden Crest. We anticipate the Geyser-Spur-Zig Zag Zone will continue to expand as we conduct additional work in 2023."

Drill Hole Permitting and Project Overview

Drill hole permitting continues to advance on Solitario's Golden Crest Property since its initiation in February 2022, when a Plan of Operations was filed with the U.S. Forest Service. Environmental baseline studies, in support of permitting documents required for drilling, are complete. The final Environmental Assessment evaluation for core drilling is scheduled to be completed in the second quarter of 2023.

Solitario's 100%-owned South Dakota properties collectively total over 33,000 acres and constitute strategic land holdings along the western and southwestern extensions of the Homestake-Wharf mining district that has produced approximately 52 million ounces of gold and contains another 30 million ounces in historical resources. The project area is in a politically safe jurisdiction with highly developed infrastructure, an unbroken 145-year record of continuous gold mining, a skilled mining workforce, and a history of high-grade, underground mineable gold deposits.

Reclamation and Best Practices:

Solitario is committed to a "Best Practices" policy for all of its exploration activities, whether on private or public lands. For example, all proposed drill hole locations as part of the current Plan of Operations, will be located adjacent to or on existing logging roads or other logging related surface disturbances. In this way drill hole sites will minimize or eliminate new surface disturbance on public land. Drilling proposed under the Plan of Operations and analyzed in the EA will be conducted in accordance with the provisions of the Decision document issued by the USFS and all state permits granted for the proposed actions.

Sample Type, Sampling Methodology, Chain of Custody, Quality Control and Assurance

The reported Spur and Geyser rock samples are mainly surface grab/float samples and were generally not collected from a bedrock source. However, these samples are thought to be derived from the underlying bedrock in the immediate sampled area. Trenching at Spur and Zig Zag was conducted using handheld non-mechanized tools. The Spur and Zig Zag Zones trench samples were mostly from bedrock and disaggregated weathered bedrock with a minor soil component. All sampling reported in this release was supervised by project geologists, including chain of custody. Reported rock samples often include reconnaissance select grab samples that usually display silicification and hydrothermal brecciation.

The significance of these results is limited to determining whether gold, or trace elements usually associated with gold, are present within rocks affected by hydrothermal alteration fluids. Assay results may not be representative of, nor verify economically mineable mineralization. Samples were analyzed by ALS Laboratories in Reno, NV, a laboratory accredited in accordance with the standards of ISO 17025:2017. The samples were crushed and pulverized, and sample pulps were analyzed using industry standard fire assay methods. A certified reference sample or duplicate was inserted at least every 20th sample.

Walter Hunt, COO of Solitario, is a qualified person as defined by NI 43-101, Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects, responsible for approving the scientific and technical information contained in this news release.

About Solitario

Solitario is a natural resource exploration company focused on high-quality Tier-1 gold and zinc projects. The Company is traded on the NYSE American ("XPL") and on the Toronto Stock Exchange ("SLR"). In addition to its South Dakota property holdings, Solitario holds a 50% joint venture interest (Teck Resources 50%) in the high-grade Lik zinc deposit in Alaska and a 39% joint venture interest (Nexa Resources holds the remaining 61% interest) on the high-grade Florida Canyon zinc project in Peru. Solitario is carried to production through its joint venture arrangement with Nexa. Solitario's Management and Directors hold approximately 9.1% (excluding options) of the Company's 65 million shares outstanding. Solitario's cash balance and marketable securities stand at approximately US$4.8 million. Additional information about Solitario is available online at www.solitariozinc.com.

Solitario has a long history of committed Environmental, Social and Responsible Governance ("ESG") of its business. We realize ESG issues are also important to investors, employees, and all stakeholders, including communities in which we work. We are pledged to operate our business in a manner that supports environmental and social initiatives and responsible corporate governance. Importantly, we select joint venture partners that not only value the importance of ESG issues in the conduct of their business on our joint venture projects but are leaders in the industry in this important segment of our business.

For More Information Please Contact:

Christopher E. Herald

President & CEO

(303) 534-1030, Ext. 14 Anne Hite

Director - Investor Relations

(303) 519-5149

anne@solitariozinc.com

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the U.S. Securities Act of 1933 and the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and as defined in the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (and the equivalent under Canadian securities laws), that are intended to be covered by the safe harbor created by such sections. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts. They are based on the beliefs, estimates and opinions of the Company's management on the date the statements are made and address activities, events or developments that Solitario expects or anticipates will or may occur in the future, and are based on current expectations and assumptions. Forward-looking statements involve numerous risks and uncertainties. Consequently, there can be no assurances that such statements will prove to be accurate and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Solitario's Golden Crest land position does not cover any of the areas of historical gold production or historical unmined resources. Certain historical information concerning exploration and gold production in the Black Hills region has been obtained through both public and private sources and are believed to be substantially factual, but Solitario can give no assurances of the accuracy of such information. The existence of historic mines and resources adjacent to Solitario's land position do not necessarily support the existence economic mineral deposits on Solitario's land position. Such forward-looking statements include, without limitation, statements regarding the Company's expectation of the projected timing and outcome of engineering studies; expectations regarding the receipt of all necessary permits and approvals to implement a mining plan, if any, at any of its mineral properties. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements include, among others, risks relating to risks that Solitario's and its joint venture partners' exploration and property advancement efforts will not be successful; risks relating to fluctuations in the price of zinc, gold, lead and silver; the inherently hazardous nature of mining-related activities; uncertainties concerning reserve and resource estimates; availability of outside contractors, and other activities; uncertainties relating to obtaining approvals and permits from governmental regulatory authorities; the possibility that environmental laws and regulations will change over time and become even more restrictive; and availability and timing of capital for financing the Company's exploration and development activities, including uncertainty of being able to raise capital on favorable terms or at all; risks relating to the impacts of Covid-19 or similar variants; as well as those factors discussed in Solitario's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") including Solitario's latest Annual Report on Form 10-K and its other SEC filings (and Canadian filings) including, without limitation, its latest Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q. The Company does not intend to publicly update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise, except as may be required under applicable securities laws.

SOURCE: Solitario Zinc Corp.





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In the maelstrom of confusion, Armenia has been drawn into a whirlpool and is after other venturesome moves that also threaten to draw neighboring nations into the vortex of politics through confrontations designed to serve alien interests.

Armenians have historically been unreliable, be it in politics, military, or neighborly relations, and this does not need to be proved. Their unfounded claims against Turkiye and Azerbaijan for over a century and being instrumental in the hands of big states at certain periods of time are obvious. However, their biggest tragedy is that they are devoid of memory and feelings of loyalty, devotion, and adherence to regions they had been sheltered back in the early XIX century.

Being naughty and disloyal to responsibilities is another whimsicality and part of the nature of Armenians  both in politics and in everyday life.

For over a month, the Armenian government and Armenians are under another illusion that the EU mission on the border with Azerbaijan will save them from unfounded threats, pinning vainly hopes that the group representing pro-Armenian French establishment would deter Azerbaijan from compelling to honor obligations as stipulated under the November 10, 2020, peace deal.

The Armenian government is discouraged by a centuries-old big brother  Russia, and hope is now to find shelter under Frances security umbrella. The major drive is that the new big brother behind the civic mission will save the whole of Armenia from Moscows outpost status and pull it out of the swamp of eternal failures. Armenia has long been trying with all its might to find itself in the bosom of the West, unscrupulously playing the role of a vulnerable nation, sandwiched between neighbors allegedly plotting to wipe it out of the earth.

Moscows anger, or a panacea for Armenia?

Armenias symbolic President Vahagn Khachaturyan in a tweet welcomed the deployment of the EU civilian mission on the border of his republic, hoping it is intended to play a certain role in de-escalating the situation, establishing stability, and, ultimately, peace in the region.

Believe it or not - this is something that has shaken the Russian government.

Nevertheless, Russian Foreign MinistrySpokesperson Maria Zakharova in a comment on the deployment of the European Union in Armenia said the mission does not "contribute to peace and stability". The diplomat believes this decision has a political connotation and is aimed at ousting Russia from the South Caucasus region.

"Unfortunately, this is not the first time we have recorded the desire of the European Union and the West as a whole to gain a foothold in our allied Armenia by any means," Zakharova said.

In her words, a hidden threat to the whole of Armenia is clearly traced. It is Armenian to bow to the whims of strong powers and be discarded as a useless item in the end. Armenian politicians on the payroll of wide-ranging circles and special services take no heed of the regional interests and these developments are often tracked nowadays when Yerevans big brother mullah regime in Tehran remains silent to such developments at a time when it keeps alleging the presence of Israeli interests in Azerbaijan.

Armenia thinks that it is in complete control and is safe, but if you look at the situation from a different angle, it becomes quite clear that the consequences of this deal could be dire.

Russia has done too much for Armenia and, in general, Armenia owes its existence to Russia, and if we discard all the fairy tales about the greatness of this small country, it is obvious that Armenia is insignificant without Russia.

A spit in the face of Russia, in fact, the creator is quite dangerous and fraught with serious irreversible consequences. As for the West, which decided to become another puppeteer of Armenia, frankly speaking, Armenia itself does not care. The events in Ukraine should become a clear example for Armenia of how dangerous the political illiteracy of the authorities and total corruption can be.

Armenia, in fact, does not know what it wants, at times it wants to establish diplomatic relations with its neighbors, and it drastically changes its political course immediately when they do not coincide with those of the big brothers.

Disloyalty to principles of good-neighborly relations and co-existence in peace, oiling the wheels of irrelevant actors has turned Armenia into a pariah country. Armenia must realize that seeking revenge under such circumstances is tantamount to self-destruction.
(Adds Al Kharaitiyat) Feb 28 (Reuters) - The following liquefied natural gas (LNG) tankers are expected to arrive in Britain, Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany in the coming weeks. Estimated arrival dates, often revised by port authorities and AIS Live ship-tracking data on Refinitiv Eikon, are updated below. Some tankers heading for Belgium and Britain may be loading at the terminal. Those expected to load are indicated with an (L). Those likely to perform ship-to-ship transfers are indicated with (STS). Tankers that have docked are indicated with (A). Floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU) terminals are added to the table when they near deployment. As of Dec. 27 2022, this includes the Eemshaven terminal in the Netherlands, the Wilhelmshaven, Brunsbuettel and Lubmin terminals in Germany. For the Reuters LNG guide, click here: LNG TANKER CAPACITY in EXPECTED ARRIVAL FROM PORT cubic metres BRITAIN Soyo 158,000 Feb. 28 Angola Isle of Grain Al Kharaitiyat 171,000 March 1 Qatar South Hook Ribera Duero Knutsen 173,000 March 1 United States Isle of Grain BW Pavilion Aranda 171,000 March 2 United States Isle of Grain Woodside Rees Wither 170,000 March 3 United States South Hook LNG Prosperity 171,000 March 3 Peru Dragon Wilforce 153,000 March 5 United States South Hook Marvel Crane 178,000 March 7 United States Milford Haven LNG Enterprise 174,000 March 10 United States Isle of Grain Corcovado LNG 157,000 March 18 United States Isle of Grain Minerva Chios 173,000 March 28 United States Dragon BELGIUM Vladimir Voronin 172,000 March 1 Russia Zeebrugge Golar Snow 155,000 March 1 N/A Zeebrugge Eduard Toll 172,000 March 2 Russia Zeebrugge Gaslog Hong Kong 174,000 March 5 Norway Zeebrugge Vladimir Rusanov 169,000 March 5 Russia Zeebrugge Ejnan 144,000 March 7 Qatar Zeebrugge Al March Qatar Kharaitiyat 212,000 9 Zeebrugge NETHERLANDS Arctic Voyager 140,000 Feb. 28 Norway Gate SM Bluebird 171,000 Feb. 28 United States Gate Lngships March 5 United Athena 174,000 States Eemshaven GERMANY LNG Rosenrot 177,000 March 3 United States Wilhelmshaven Sources: Ports, AIS Live ship tracking, Refinitiv Eikon data. (^) Partial unload (*) Arrival date estimated based on flows data (Reporting by Bozorgmehr Sharafedin)
Isla Bryson, who transitioned from a man to a woman while awaiting trial for raping two women in 2016 and 2019, was sentenced Tuesday to eight years in prison in Scotland. The case sparked a heated debate as Bryson was briefly placed in an all-women's prison before being moved to a men's facility amid a public outcry.

"You see yourself as the victim in this situation. You are not," judge Lord Scott said at Bryson's sentencing at the High Court in Edinburgh. "It is necessary to punish you and to seek to deter you and others from behaving in this way and, in particular, to protect the public from you."

Isla Bryson, 31, arrives at the High Court in Glasgow, Scotland, January 23, 2023. / Credit: Andrew Milligan/PA Images/Getty

Bryson was convicted late last month of raping two women in their homes.

She said she had been struggling with her sexuality and having emotional issues at the time, CBS News' partner network BBC News reported. In the sentencing, the judge said he considered testimony that Bryson had a troubled past and suffered from Dyslexia and ADHD. He said he had reached his sentencing decision "on the basis that you are vulnerable in some ways."

"Your vulnerability is no excuse at all for what you did to these two women in 2016 and 2019," the judge said. "Regardless of your own vulnerability, in a period of just under three years, you raped two women who can both be regarded as vulnerable."

Isla Bryson sits in the back of a prison van leaving Edinburgh High Court, February 28, 2023, in Edinburgh, Scotland, after the transgender convicted rapist, who raped two women while still a man, was sentenced to eight years in prison. / Credit: Andrew Milligan/PA Images/Getty

Bryson's case generated heated debate after she was initially placed in the women's prison upon being found guilty. Just a couple days later she was moved to a men's facility, where she has remained in custody.

In a review of the case, the chief executive of the Scottish prison service, Teresa Medhurs, said earlier this month that Bryson had been separated from the general population when she was in the women's facility and was "removed from association" when she was moved to the men's facility.

The case sparked a change in policy in Scotland so that "any newly convicted or remanded transgender prisoner will initially be placed in an establishment commensurate with their birth gender."

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Strategus

Companies on the 2023 Inc. 5000 Regionals: Rocky Mountain list had an average growth rate of 414 percent

DENVER, Feb. 28, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Inc. magazine today revealed that Strategus is No.54 on its third annual Inc. 5000 Regionals: Rocky Mountain list, the most prestigious ranking of the fastest-growing Rocky Mountain private companies, based in Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Utah, and Wyoming. This is the second time Strategus has been recognized with this prestigious honor. Born of the annual Inc. 5000 franchise, this regional list represents a unique look at the most successful companies within the Rocky Mountain economys most dynamic segmentits independent small businesses.



We are thrilled to be honored with this recognition and again be joining such an exclusive group of companies who merit inclusion on the coveted Inc. 5000, said David Miles, CEO of Strategus. This is really a testament to the strength of our team and our commitment to growth, regardless of whatever macro economic challenges there may be.

Were fortunate to be able to operate within and capitalize on the tremendous growth opportunity that CTV marketplace represents, said Todd Porch, President, Strategus. 2022 was a year in which we firmly established ourselves as leaders in the industry. Our customers come to us for forward-looking solutions and our team delivers the innovation and execution they require.

The companies on this list show a remarkable rate of growth across all industries in the Rocky Mountain region. Between 2019 and 2021, these 60 private companies had an average growth rate of 414 percent and, in 2021 alone, they added 3,399 jobs and nearly $1.3 billion to the Rocky Mountain regions economy. Companies based in Las Vegas, Nevada, Boise, Idaho and Vail, Colorado had the highest growth rates overall.

Complete results of the Inc. 5000 Regionals: Rocky Mountain, including company profiles and an interactive database that can be sorted by industry, metro area, and other criteria, can be found at inc.com/rocky-mountain starting February 28, 2023.

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This years Inc. 5000 Regional winners represent one of the most exceptional and exciting lists of Americas off-the-charts growth companies. Theyre disrupters and job creators, and all delivered an outsize impact on the economy. Remember their names and follow their lead. These are the companies youll be hearing about for years to come, said Scott Omelianuk, editor-in-chief of Inc. magazine.

Strategus, the technology company creating innovative solutions for programmatic CTV advertising campaigns, revolutionized the advertising industry by running the first-ever programmatic CTV campaign in 2015 and it continues to push the industry forward with its CTV expertise and experience. The Strategus platform delivers audience-centric campaigns to CTVs and other streaming devices by leveraging premium data partnerships, curated publisher deals, and custom audience targeting techniques. As an innovation leader in data-driven CTV advertising, Strategus provides a full suite of managed services including attribution, targeting, optimization, reporting, and analysis.

Contact:

SiliconAlleyMedia for Strategus

Alexandra Levy

Alex@siliconalley-media.com

More about Inc. and the Inc. 5000 Regionals

Methodology

The 2023 Inc. 5000 Regionals are ranked according to percentage revenue growth when comparing 2019 and 2021. To qualify, companies must have been founded and generating revenue by March 31, 2019. They had to be U.S.-based, privately held, for-profit, and independentnot subsidiaries or divisions of other companiesas of December 31, 2021. (Since then, a number of companies on the list have gone public or been acquired.) The minimum revenue required for 2019 is $100,000; the minimum for 2021 is $1 million. As always, Inc. reserves the right to decline applicants for subjective reasons.



About Inc. Media

The worlds most trusted business-media brand, Inc. offers entrepreneurs the knowledge, tools, connections, and community to build great companies. Its award-winning multiplatform content reaches more than 50 million people each month across a variety of channels including websites, newsletters, social media, podcasts, and print. Its prestigious Inc. 5000 list, produced every year since 1982, analyzes company data to recognize the fastest-growing privately held businesses in the United States. The global recognition that comes with inclusion in the 5000 gives the founders of the best businesses an opportunity to engage with an exclusive community of their peers and the credibility that helps them drive sales and recruit talent.



The associated Inc. 5000 Conference is part of a highly acclaimed portfolio of bespoke events produced by Inc. For more information, visit www.inc.com .




TOKYO and GENEVA, Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Global Health Innovative Technology Fund (GHIT Fund) and global health agency Unitaid have signed a cooperation framework that aims to strengthen collaboration between the two agencies to increase cooperation between the Japanese research and development industry and the broader global health response. The partnership will focus on tackling complex challenges such as emerging drug resistance in tuberculosis (TB) and malaria and shifting patterns of vector-borne diseases due to climate change.

GHIT Logo

By reinforcing links between the GHIT Fund's research and development pipeline and Unitaid's expertise in product introduction and access, the framework will further efforts to connect partners and ideas dealing with topics of health innovation, access, and scale.

The agreement unites the two agencies at a broad strategic level and creates a channel for continuous collaboration, scanning the innovation pipeline for late-stage products that address the most pressing global health needs. This work will further efforts to ensure vulnerable and underserved populations have access to better health products and support progress towards universal health coverage.

"GHIT looks forward to strengthening the strategic partnership with Unitaid as both organizations enter the next chapter of respective 5-year strategic plans. We strive for seamless transition of GHIT's innovation pipelines to Unitaid's expertise in new product introduction and access, bridging to equitable and sustainable access and delivery at scale. We will accelerate the R&D pipeline to maximize impact." said Dr. Osamu Kunii, CEO of GHIT Fund.

"The recent COVID-19 pandemic has illustrated the importance of global collaboration in solving global problems," said Dr Philippe Duneton, Executive Director of Unitaid. "Unitaid's reinforced partnership with the GHIT Fund will leverage ties with Japanese innovators who are addressing some of today's most pressing health challenges. This will improve equitable access to the benefits of new medicines, diagnostics and health technologies for people everywhere, in pursuit of a healthier, safer world for all."

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The GHIT Fund is a Japan-based international public-private partnership fund (PPP) that was formed between the Government of Japan, multiple pharmaceutical companies, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Wellcome, and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The GHIT Fund invests and manages an R&D portfolio of development partnerships aimed at addressing neglected diseases such as malaria, tuberculosis, and neglected tropical diseases that afflict the world's vulnerable and underserved populations. The GHIT Fund mobilizes Japanese industry, academia, and research institutes to create new drugs, vaccines, and diagnostics for malaria, tuberculosis, and neglected tropical diseases, in collaboration with global partners.

https://www.ghitfund.org/en

Unitaid is a global health agency engaged in finding innovative solutions to prevent, diagnose, and treat diseases more quickly, cheaply, and effectively, in low- and middle-income countries. Its work includes funding initiatives to address major diseases such as HIV, malaria, and tuberculosis, as well as HIV co-infections and co-morbidities including advanced HIV disease, cervical cancer, and hepatitis C, and cross-cutting areas, such as fever management. Unitaid is now applying its expertise to address challenges in advancing new therapies and diagnostics for the COVID-19 pandemic, serving as a key member of the Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator, co-leading the Therapeutics Pillar with Wellcome and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria and participating in the Diagnostics Pillar. Unitaid is hosted by the World Health Organization.

For more information, contact:

Katy Lenard at +1-301-280-5719 or klenard@burness.com

Eriko Mugitani at +81-36441-2032 or eriko.mugitani@ghitfund.org

Maggie Zander at +41 79 593 17 74 or zanderm@unitaid.who.int

Unitaid logo

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SOURCE Global Health Innovative Technology (GHIT) Fund
ReportLinker

Veterinary Medicine Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By Animal Type (Production Animals, Companion Animals), By Product (Biologics, Pharmaceuticals), By Mode Of Delivery, By End-use, By Region, And Segment Forecasts, 2023 - 2030.

New York, Feb. 28, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Veterinary Medicine Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By Animal Type, By Product, By Mode Of Delivery, By End-use, By Region And Segment Forecasts, 2023 - 2030" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p06423432/?utm_source=GNW



Veterinary Medicine Market Growth & Trends



The global veterinary medicine market size is expected to reach USD 83.39 billion by 2030. The market is expected to expand at a lucrative CAGR of 8.2% from 2023 to 2030. The companion animal segment is anticipated to demonstrate the fastest growth during the forecast period owing to the increasing prevalence of chronic diseases and rising demand for advanced treatment alternatives for canines suffering from chronic diseases. The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in regulatory changes, which are anticipated to iron out the disruptions, thereby increasing manufacturing and adoption of vet medicines in near future.



The federal government has taken various relief measures, which include new tax provisions, small business loans, and unemployment insurance to respond to the pandemic and support the veterinarians.AVMA has also taken supportive measures to support small veterinary businesses or practices.



In August 2020, the USFDA stated that 6 out of 32 animal drug companies could soon face shortages who source their API from China.Due to labor shortage, there is also reduced capacity to work on animal health activities, such as vaccination, good biosecurity, and prophylactic treatment.



The manufacturing units are taking preventive measures for the uninterrupted production of veterinary drugs.



The growing consumption of meat is fueling the demand for mandatory vaccination for animals, which results in market growth.According to The World Counts, meat consumption is estimated to range between 460-570 million tons by 2050.



Such factors are expected to drive the demand for medicinal feed additives & antibiotics to boost livestock production and thereby fueling the market growth. An increase in the consumption of animal-based products, recent developments in feed production, implementation of innovative animal husbandry practices to advance meat quality, and standardization of meat products due to disease outbreaks have also boosted the demand for animal feeds, thereby creating growth opportunities for the companies operating in this space.



The new regulations on veterinary medicines and medicated feed enforced from January 2022 within the European Union are expected to support European Union action to fight against antimicrobial resistance.These types of supportive initiatives undertaken by regulatory bodies to keep antimicrobials (comprising antibiotics) effective based on a One health approach are expected to maintain animal and public health.



Moreover, it also improves the access to high-quality & safe-to-use medicines for livestock farmers, veterinarians, and pet owners. The market leaders are involved in strategic collaborations, acquisitions, investments in new product segments, mergers, and new product launches to sustain the competition.



For instance, in July 2021, Nutreco acquired Bigsal Nutricao Animal from H.I.G. Capital in Brazil. This strengthened the companys position in the animal nutrition space, of the Brazilian market. In February 2021, Virbac opened the R&D facility dedicated to warm water aquaculture in Vietnam. The new facility would enable the development of vaccines, probiotics, and other products for aquatics. Initiatives like these are anticipated to propel market growth in the coming years. In October 2021, Boehringer Ingelheim invested an additional USD 112.68 million in its veterinary public health capacity in Lyon-Jonage, France. This new capacity will be one of the largest biotechnology manufacturing sites for veterinary vaccines in Europe. Leading players have maintained their market position in terms of product penetration, regional presence, revenue, as well as strategic initiatives.



Veterinary Medicine Market Report Highlights

 The veterinary medicine market was valued at USD 44.59 billion in 2022. It is further projected to grow at a CAGR of 8.2% during the forecast period.

 The production animal segment held the largest share in 2022 and is projected to register a significant CAGR over the forecast period. Increasing focus on food safety and sustainability by government healthcare organizations globally is contributing to the segment growth.

 The biologics segment, which includes vaccines, is expected to exhibit the fastest CAGR of 8.7% over the forecast period owing to the increasing awareness regarding the importance of vaccination in animals.

 The oral mode of administration is expected to grow at the fastest growth rate from 2023 to 2030 owing to the increasing incidence of chronic conditions in pets.

 The reference laboratories segment is anticipated to witness significant growth in the coming years due to the high demand as laboratories enable testing of various infections, toxic agents, and different ailments in specimens obtained from pets.

 North America held the largest revenue share in 2022, due to the high prevalence of zoonotic diseases in this region. Moreover, reimbursement programs across the U.S. make this continent a major contributor to the market.

Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p06423432/?utm_source=GNW



About Reportlinker

ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place.



__________________________

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CONTACT: Clare: clare@reportlinker.com US: (339)-368-6001 Intl: +1 339-368-6001




Questex LLC

SAN DIEGO, Feb. 28, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Questexs Vibe Conference, the premiere on-premise beverage conference for executives, today announces the 2023 Vista Awards. Vibe Vista Awards recognize the top performers in the beverage industry through the creation, training, execution, management, and on-going positive results of beverage programs.



Vibe Vista Awards entries were reviewed by a panel of Johnson & Wales University beverage faculty, staff and alumni and were judged on positive beverage sales initiatives, efficient operational innovations and training and service programs producing high quality standards.

This years Vibe Vista Award winners include:

Best Adult Alcohol-Free Beverage Program: Norwegian Cruise Line

Best Beer Program: Buffalo Wild Wings

Best Spirits Program: BJ's Restaurant & Brewhouse

Best Wine Program: Norwegian Cruise Line

Best Beverage Limited Time Offer: PPX Hospitality

Best Beverage Menu: HEI Hotels & Resorts

Best Overall: Hotels, Casinos & Cruise Lines: Royal Caribbean International

Best Overall: Multi-Unit Chain Restaurants: Firebirds Wood Fired Grill

Tim McLucas, Vice President, Bar & Restaurant, said, Congratulations to the 2023 Vibe Vista Awards winners. Winners were judged based on positive beverage sales initiatives, efficient operational innovations and training and service programs producing high quality standards. We applaud them on their success.

To learn more about the Vibe Conference, visit: https://www.vibeconference.com. Stay connected with the Vibe Conference and industry news at https://www.barandrestaurant.com/

About Vibe Conference

Vibe Conference is the premier event for chain and hotel adult beverage executives and suppliers. The top on-premise conference is held annually and involves high-level content, tastings and networking opportunities. The 2023 conference will be held February 27-March 1 at the Sheraton San Diego Hotel & Marina.

About Questex

Questex helps people live better and longer. Questex brings people together in the markets that help people live better: travel, hospitality and wellness; the industries that help people live longer: life science and healthcare; and the technologies that enable and fuel these new experiences. We live in the experience economy  connecting our ecosystem through live events, surrounded by data insights and digital communities. We deliver experience and real results. It happens here.

Media Contact

Michelle Osborne

Questex

mosborne@questex.com

617.219.8305




Wabash

LAFAYETTE, Ind., Feb. 28, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Wabash (NYSE: WNC), the visionary leader of connected solutions for the transportation, logistics and distribution industries, will participate in Work Truck Week in Indianapolis March 7-10, 2023.



Work Truck Week, hosted by NTEA  the Association for the Work Truck Industry, is North America's largest work truck event. Wabash will exhibit its future-forward solutions that can uniquely transform how fleets do business.

As power gets heavier, Wabashs solutions are being engineered to get lighter. Attendees will see how Wabash is lightweighting equipment without sacrificing durability in both dry and refrigerated freight by utilizing proprietary advanced composite technologies and lighter, high-strength steel. In addition, the company will showcase its approach to helping fleets reduce carbon emissions via hybrid steppingstone technologies.

At Wabash were focused on pragmatic, scalable solutions that meet customers needs in todays dynamic logistics environment, said Tim Griesgraber, vice president, sales and marketing. Final mile customers are becoming increasingly interested in improving their carbon footprint. With new alternative energy technologies coming on the market every year, were focusing our efforts on engineering bodies that can scale to any chassisconventional or nonconventional. Wabashs advanced composite technologies are uniquely suited to counter heavy power.

Wabashs Class 2-5 equipment on display at Work Truck Week include:

Acutherm Refrigerated Freight Body with EcoNex Technology

Acutherm Refrigerated Delivery Body with EcoNex Technology

Dry Freight Body with DuraPlate  Technology on an electric chassis

Cargo Body with DuraPlate Technology

In addition to experiencing the latest light- and medium-duty solutions from Wabash, attendees will hear from a team of engineers, parts and service representatives, and sales leaders on a variety of topics during these in-booth presentations:

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The Real Deal: Wabashs Comprehensive and Unrivaled Service Offering

Bodies and Bailments: Quick, Mountable Solutions without the Hassle

Upgrade the Trade: Rapid and Robust Contractor Vehicle Transformations

Now and Forever: Evolving EcoNex and DuraPlate with Your Future in Mind

Solidarity is Smart: Serving You Better with the One Wabash Strategy

Its Not About Me: You-Driven Initiatives to Reduce Our Carbon Footprint

Visit booth #4933 at Work Truck Week or go to onewabash.com to learn more about Wabashs final mile solutions that meet todays dynamic market conditions.

Wabash: Changing How the World Reaches You

Wabash (NYSE: WNC) is the visionary leader of connected solutions for the transportation, logistics and distribution industries that is Changing How the World Reaches You. Headquartered in Lafayette, Indiana, the company enables customers to thrive by providing insight into tomorrow and delivering pragmatic solutions today to move everything from first to final mile. Wabash designs, manufactures, and services a diverse range of products, including: dry freight and refrigerated trailers, flatbed trailers, tank trailers, dry and refrigerated truck bodies, structural composite panels and products, trailer aerodynamic solutions, and specialty food grade processing equipment. Learn more at onewabash.com.

Media Contact:

Dana Stelsel

Director, Communications

(765) 771-5766

dana.stelsel@onewabash.com




ATLANTA, Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- West Physics Consulting, LLC ("West Physics"), the leading national provider of integrated medical and health physics services, announced today that it has completed the purchase of Enterprise Physics, LLC ("Enterprise Physics"), a highly respected regional medical and health physics company based in Slidell, LA.

(PRNewsfoto/West Physics Consulting, LLC)

"We are excited to announce the acquisition of Enterprise Physics and the addition of its owner, Dr. James Terry, to our physics team. This acquisition will allow us to expand our client portfolio in Louisiana and Mississippi and to further improve our services to our current customers in the Gulf States region. We look forward to combining the talent, technology, and expertise of Enterprise Physics with West Physics, and to achieving success together. We also look forward to providing a seamless transition for clients as Dr. Terry gradually transitions into a part-time role while looking forward to his eventual well-earned retirement," stated Dr. Geoffrey West, President & Chief Medical Physicist of West Physics.

"Joining forces with West Physics ensures that Enterprise's customers have a reputable, reliable, and technically proficient medical physics partner to support and continue the work that I have done for them. The two companies can leverage each other's strengths, collaborate and create additional value for our customers. I am very happy that my customers will now have access to more organizational resources and staff to rely on and look to for their medical and health physics support," said Dr. James Terry, President of Enterprise Physics, LLC.

"I am thrilled about this acquisition and can't wait to see where this new journey takes us," concluded Terry.

The acquisition of Enterprise Physics fits into West Physics' strategy to deliver the highest-quality and most cost-effective medical and health physics services to customers throughout the U.S. and beyond. With the acquisition complete, West Physics now employs a staff of over 120 professionals supporting over 5,400 customer locations in all 50 U.S. states, multiple federal territories, the Caribbean and the Middle East, making it the largest diagnostic medical physics practice in the United States.

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About West Physics:

West Physics, headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, is a global provider of medical and health physics testing and radiation safety consulting services. West Physics serves over 5,400 client sites, including hospitals, freestanding imaging centers, mobile imaging providers, and physician offices throughout the 50 U.S. states, federal territories, the Caribbean and the Middle East. West Physics specializes in assisting healthcare providers in maintaining their accreditation with organizations such as The Joint Commission, the American College of Radiology, the Intersocietal Accreditation Commission, and in radiation regulatory compliance with state and federal agencies. For more information, please visit http://www.westphysics.com.

About Enterprise Physics, LLC:

Enterprise Physics, LLC, headquartered in Slidell, LA was founded in 2015 and is a proven leader in the gulf states region of the U.S., providing diagnostic medical and health physics services. Enterprise Physics serves approximately 75 client sites, including hospitals, freestanding imaging centers, mobile imaging providers, and physician offices in Louisiana and Mississippi.

CONTACT: Denny Runnion, denny@westphysics.com

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SOURCE West Physics Consulting, LLC
VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / February 28, 2023 / Wildpack Beverage Inc. (TSXV:CANS)(OTCQB:WLDPF) ("Wildpack" or the "Company") a middle market co-packer of canned goods, announces that Wildpack Holdings US Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Wildpack, has filed a lawsuit in the State of Michigan against Ms. Kim Murray and Mr. Tim Murray arising from misrepresentations in connection with the acquisition of Land and Sea Packaging in 2021 (the "Acquisition") and their employment thereafter. Further, the Company has filed a lawsuit in Vancouver, BC against Ms. Kim Murray, a former Board Director, for breach of fiduciary duties. Wildpack is seeking various relief in each action. Ms. Murray has filed suit against the Company alleging certain amounts are owed under the terms of the Acquisition (the amounts are accrued on the Company's books). As the matters are now before the Courts, Wildpack does not intend to make additional comments on these lawsuits unless otherwise determined to be appropriate by its legal counsel.

Per: "Mitch Barnard"

Mitch Barnard

Chief Executive Officer and Director

For further information, please contact us at:

invest@wildpackbev.com

or

Elijah Clare

Vice President, Investor Relations

elijah@wildpackbev.com

Visit our investor website at:

https://investor.wildpackbev.com

About Wildpack

Wildpack is engaged in canned goods manufacturing and packaging operating in the middle market by providing sustainable aluminum can filling, decorating, packaging, brokering, sleeve/label printing services, and logistics to brands throughout the United States. Wildpack currently operates indirectly through its wholly owned subsidiaries and out of six facilities in Baltimore, Maryland; Grand Rapids, Michigan; Atlanta, Georgia; Longmont, Colorado; Sacramento, California; and Las Vegas, Nevada with a focus on digital innovation and green ready-to-drink packaging. Wildpack commenced trading on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol "CANS" on May 19, 2021, and on the OTCQB Venture Market under the symbol "WLDPF" on February 23, 2022.

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Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

SOURCE: Wildpack Beverage Inc





View source version on accesswire.com:

https://www.accesswire.com/741139/Wildpack-Announces-Litigation




Cutting edge generative AI-powered, personalised and immediate: this investment enables Carro to leverage ZA Tech's suite of InsureTech solutions to distribute highly personalised insurance products and process real-time claims backed by AI capabilities

Several leading insurers, including MSIG and Income, are available for this experience across Singapore and Malaysia, with plans to expand to other insurers and markets within the next 6 months

SINGAPORE, Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- ZA Tech Global Limited ("ZA Tech"), a leading InsureTech player headquartered in Singapore, has signed an investment and Joint Venture Agreement with Carro, Southeast Asia's largest used car marketplace. This will transform and streamline the online insurance distribution and claims process for customers and insurers alike, allowing Carro to fill in the gaps in the automotive sector through innovative tech powered by generative AI tools such as ChatGPT.

ZA Tech has signed an investment and Joint Venture Agreement with Carro, Southeast Asias largest used car marketplace.

Auto insurance is mandatory in most Southeast Asian regions, including Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand. Yet the process of buying insurance and making claims remain frustrating for many. By leveraging ZA Tech's core platform, Fusion, Carro will be able to tap into a rich set of APIs and tools to manage administrative tasks, such as quote generation, policy renewals and e-policy notifications. Fusion will also enable Carro to easily embed and control insurance journeys for customers.

This journey is now available for Carro in Singapore and Malaysia. Insurers include Income, MSIG and DirectAsia for Singapore as well as Takaful Malaysia, MSIG, Allianz, and Zurich for Malaysia.

Being a regional online-first platform, Carro is well-suited to help transform auto insurance across Southeast Asia. The group will also co-develop cutting-edge generative AI technologies to better educate customers on the various policies available, thereby helping them make faster, but more informed online insurance purchase decisions.

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With an initial focus on auto insurance, there is a roadmap to extend the product portfolio offerings to include property, life and health insurance in the future.

Young Yang, General Manager of ZA Tech Southeast Asia says "We are thrilled to have the opportunity to work closely with a market leader to support their strategic ambitions and enable them to offer a wider set of insurance solutions to their customers and partners. Opportunities like this allow ZA Tech to keep pushing the boundaries of our technology, support our partner's strategic ambition, while improving the overall quality of insurance products in the market."

Carro's CEO and co-founder Aaron Tan says, "This investment with ZA Tech allows us to adopt the best practices as well as technologies from ZA Tech and bring it across Southeast Asia. We truly want to power and transform the way consumers learn and buy insurance online."

About ZA Tech

Headquartered in Singapore, ZA Tech Global Limited ("ZA Tech") is a technology venture founded by ZA International and backed by Softbank's Vision Fund 1. ZA Tech aims to redefine insurance through innovation with operations in multiple regions across the globe (i.e. Europe, Japan, Southeast Asia and Greater China) and a diverse 800+ employee force. ZA Tech enables leading insurers and platforms to unlock the value of digital in insurance, grow ecosystem partnerships and accelerate the delivery of next-gen innovative insurance propositions. ZA Tech's leading insurance solutions hold a proven track record through the issuance of hundreds of millions of insurance policies on its platform.

For more information, please visit www.zatech.com

About Carro

Founded in 2015, Carro is Southeast Asia's largest used car marketplace. By offering a trustworthy and transparent experience, Carro transforms the traditional way of buying and selling cars through proprietary pricing algorithms, AI-enabled capabilities, and innovative technological solutions.

Carro holds a strong presence in key markets across Southeast Asia including Malaysia, Indonesia, and Thailand, and has recently expanded its reach to Japan and Taiwan. Headquartered in Singapore, the unicorn startup is supported by more than 5,000 employees across Asia-Pacific, and has raised over S$700M from Softbank Vision Fund and several sovereign funds. For more information, please visit: http://carro.co. For media enquiries, please reach out to marketing@carro.co.

SOURCE ZA Tech
President of the 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) Csaba K?rosi will pay an official visit to Baku on March 2 to address a Summit-Level Meeting of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) on Post-COVID-19 Recovery, Azernews report per a press release of UN Azerbaijan.

President Csaba K?rosi is expected to highlight the urgent need for a new normal as the world emerges from the COVID-19 pandemic based on science, innovation, technology, and digitalization.

C. Korosi, who is visiting Azerbaijan at the invitation of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, is expected to hold meetings with the president and Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov.

The president will be accompanied by a delegation of four staff members including Deputy Chef de Cabinet Marani and Deputy Chef de Cabinet for Economy and Energy. The president and his team will depart on March 3, 2023.

The president will be accompanied by a delegation of four staff members, including Deputy Chef de Cabinet Marani and Deputy Chef de Cabinet for Economy and Energy Mammadova.
Women make up approximately half of the world's population. Yet, if you attended grades K12 in the United States prior to the 1970s, you wouldnt have learned much about the contributions of women to history, science, and culture because they werent often included in textbooks. Women such as Hatshepsut, a powerful ancient Egyptian pharaoh who expanded Egyptian influence through widespread trading and major building projects. Or Henrietta Lacks, whose cancer cells were harvested against her will, but which have been reproduced and used for over 70 years in research for cancer, immunology, and even COVID-19 vaccines.

In the late 1970s, Womens History Week was created, later expanding into Womens History Month throughout March, as a way to highlight the many accomplishments of modern women and those who came before us. These historical fiction picks shine a spotlight on stories of real women from around the world and from different time periods.

"Sisters in Arms: A Novel of the Daring Black Women Who Served During World War II" by Kaia Alderson. Based on the true story of the 6888th Postal Battalion (aka the Six Triple Eight), Aldersons novel depicts the experiences of the only all-Black female U.S. battalion to be deployed overseas during World War II. Officers Grace Steele and Eliza Jones of the Womens Army Auxiliary Corps are faced with segregation and bureaucracy as they strive to form their battalion and do their parts for their country. With everyone around them hoping for their failure, the women defy the odds and finally lead their troops to England and then to France to join the fight.

"Enchantress of Numbers: A Novel of Ada Lovelace" by Jennifer Chiaverini. Often considered the first computer programmer, Ada Lovelace was raised by a mother who cultivated an education in mathematics and science, eschewing anything involving imagination or poetry. Adas father was the talented but scandal-ridden Romantic poet Lord Byron, from whom Adas mother was estranged. When Ada comes out to London society, she is swept up in the intellectual and social circles she has dreamed of, leading to a friendship with the brilliant Charles Babbage. In learning of Babbages invented calculating machines, Ada immediately sees how his creations could shape the world, and vows to help Babbage bring them to life. In the meantime, Ada defies societal expectations by avidly continuing her mathematics studies, falling in love, and discovering the truth behind her parents estranged relationship.

"Independence" by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni. In a rural village in Bengal, during the 1947 partition of British India, three sisters are caught up in the countrys drastic changes. Deepa, Jamini, and Priya have different hopes and dreams, but are all secure in their loving home, seemingly isolated from their nations turbulence. Then their father, a renowned doctor, is killed during a riot, and even their neighbors turn against them. Once the partition of India is official, the danger is even more real, as India is now for Hindus, and Pakistan for Muslims. The three sisters find themselves separated from one another and each must find their own way in this tumultuous new world.

"The Exiles" by Christina Baker Kline. In 1840s London, Evangeline and Hazel meet on the Medea, a repurposed slave ship headed toward Van Diemens Land, a penal colony in what today is Tasmania. Though Australia has been home to Aboriginal people for over 50,000 years, the British colonists saw it as uninhabited and considered the natives a nuisance. By the time the Medea arrives, many of the Aborigines have been forcibly relocated, their land stolen by white colonists. Mathinna, the orphaned daughter of the Chief of the Lowreenne tribe, has been adopted by the new governor of Van Diemens Land. The story of Australia is told through the experiences of these three young women, highlighting both brutality and opportunity.

"Sister Mother Warrior" by Vanessa Riley. Rileys richly detailed historical novel based on the true stories of two phenomenal women during the Haitian Revolution is a must-read. Gran Toya is a West African warrior and one of the Mino, called Dahomeyan Amazons by the Europeans. Betrayed and sold into slavery in the French colony of Saint Domingue, now known as Haiti, Toya became a mother figure to the enslaved, including the young revolutionary JeanJacques Dessalines. Marie-Claire Bonheur, the granddaughter of a wealthy white man and the woman he enslaved, benefits from the protection of her grandfathers position, while secretly falling in love with JeanJacques and having several children with him. When war erupts in Saint Domingue, Toya and MarieClaire finally meet, and the three play an instrumental role in the battle to win independence for Haiti and its people.

From March 131, visit any branch of Central Rappahannock Regional Library to view Picturing Women Inventors, a Smithsonian poster exhibition exploring the inventions of 19 highly accomplished American women. Visit librarypoint.org/events and search the keyword women inventors for details.
A former Tekamah man was among the victims in an apparent murder-attempted suicide in Sergeant Bluff, Iowa, Feb. 24.

The Sioux City Journal reported the suspect in the case has been identified as Raymond T. Rogers, 43, of Sergeant Bluff, Woodbury County Sheriff Chad Sheehan said at a press conference Sunday. Rogers is currently hospitalized in Omaha with a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

The victims are Ashley M. Rogers, 40, and Gerele E. Jones, 50, both of Sergeant Bluff. Jones, formerly of Tekamah, was pronounced dead at the scene of the shooting Friday. Ashley Rogers is hospitalized at MercyOne Siouxland Medical Center.

Woodbury County Sheriffs deputies were called to 2169 Buchanan Ave., rural Sergeant Bluff, at around 6:47 p.m. Friday for a report of shots fired. Deputies found a 12-year-old boy at the residence and rescued him. They also found two men, Raymond Rogers and Jones, and a woman, Ashley Rogers, all suffering gunshot wounds. Raymond Rogers wound was apparently self-inflicted.

As of Sunday afternoon, no charges have been filed in the case, Sheehan said.

Sheehan said Raymond and Ashley Rogers were estranged spouses.

The sheriff did not provide information on Jones relationship with the others except to confirm that he lived at the residence where the shooting occurred, as did Ashley Rogers. Raymond Rogers was listed as residing along the Old Lakeport Road in Sergeant Bluff. Sheehan said it would be a fair characterization to call the incident a murder-attempted-suicide.

The sheriff also commended the 12-year-old, whose name will not be released, for his bravery in calling authorities. Sheehan added that there had been some early confusion about the boys age; they boy had apparently mistakenly given his age as 11, but had in fact turned 12 this month.

I have kids of my own, and a couple that are very close in age, Sheehan said. I cant imagine what that young man went through while this was going on. But he had the courage to make the phone call and give us information that was vital to us getting there quickly. Any chance that anyone wouldve had to survive this incident is due to the courage this young boy, this young man, exhibited that evening.
A Nebraska lawmaker attempting to restrict abortion access within the state also wants to incentivize donations to pregnancy centers that oppose abortions.

The Legislature's Revenue Committee held a public hearing Friday on Legislative Bill 606, dubbed the "Nebraska Pregnancy Help Act." Its introducer, State Sen. Joni Albrecht of Thurston, said the centers that would benefit from the bill "empower unsupported women to choose a different and better future for themselves and their children."

Opponents portrayed the organizations as "anti-abortion centers," and accused them of often lacking the medical expertise of other reproductive health centers.

LB 606 would offer tax credits for donations to pregnancy centers that do not provide abortions. The bill would cap the total tax credits distributed at $10 million per year, with individual credits dependent on the donor's annual contribution.

Donations would only qualify for tax credits if the money goes to a certified charitable organization that assists women in carrying their pregnancies to term, helps with parenting or adoption, prevents abortions and promotes healthy childbirths. The organization cannot provide, refer or promote abortions, and cannot financially support any other organizations that do the same.

LB 606 accompanies LB 626, another Albrecht bill that would ban most abortions in the state once embryonic cardiac activity can be detected, which is usually around six weeks of pregnancy.

That bill advanced out of the Health and Human Services Committee earlier this week. Albrecht announced earlier Friday that she would make LB 626 her priority bill for the session, a move that will help ensure it comes up for debate by the full Legislature.

Albrecht said it was important for the Legislature to consider ways to bolster support for pregnant women.

"Whether you are pro-life or pro-choice, we can all agree that every woman and child deserves love and support," Albrecht said.

The Revenue Committee heard from several anti-abortion advocates and representatives of pregnancy centers in support of the bill, who largely attested to the need for these centers. Pregnancy center representatives vouched for the range of services the organizations offer, including ultrasounds, mental health services, food and post-abortion counseling.

Gina Tomes, a former employee with Bethlehem House in Omaha, described the women's shelter as a place that provides housing to women who "choose life."

"They are a bright light of compassionate care," said Karen Bowling, executive director of Nebraska Family Alliance.

Opponents to LB 606 included OpenSky Policy Institute, Planned Parenthood North Central States and ACLU of Nebraska, along with other abortion-rights advocates. Many opponents alleged the centers intentionally share misleading information to persuade women not to seek an abortion.

They also alleged most of centers do not hire licensed medical professionals despite portraying themselves as legitimate medical centers. Several opponents claimed these centers receive five times more funding nationwide than maternal medicine facilities, and argued they did not need additional state aid.

"This is not the bill to take care of mothers and babies," said Erin Feichtinger, policy director for the Women's Fund of Omaha.

Education researcher Carina McCormick said she doubted all of the information provided by supporting testifiers was accurate. But even if it was all true, she argued it would be unfair for Nebraska to provide tax credits benefiting these organizations and leave out all the other nonprofits within the state.

Joey Adler Ruane with OpenSky made a similar argument, saying that LB 606 gives preferential treatment to some charities over others.

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The day Sen. Joni Albrecht announced the latest abortion-limiting bill, she estimated the legislation would ban 85% of abortions in Nebraska.

The Thurston lawmaker and supporters of the proposal (LB626) repeatedly invoked the figure during a hearing earlier this month.

Some opponents, though, argue LB626 effectively amounts to an abortion ban.

And others have questioned how exceptions listed in the legislation, such as for pregnancies resulting from sexual assault, will work in practice, and whether those exceptions undermine the goal of limiting abortion or create a chilling effect that will prevent women from seeking and receiving critical medical care.

The debate raises the question: What percentage of abortions will the bill actually prevent?

According to various experts, that answer depends on several factors  factors that are likely to be part of the debate as LB626 moves to the full Legislature for consideration. Supporters will need 33 votes to overcome a filibuster promised by opponents. Recent reporting and history indicate it will be a close vote.

The bill

LB626 would ban abortions in Nebraska once embryonic cardiac activity can be detected via ultrasound, which typically happens at about six weeks of pregnancy. This is what Albrecht and others base the 85% estimate on, which draws from Department of Health and Human Services data.

The departments 2021 report on abortions showed that less than 14% of women who received abortions did so at five weeks or earlier in their pregnancies.

However, not all pregnancies result in detectable cardiac activity at six weeks. Its rare for it to happen later, but it is possible, and that could affect the number of legal abortions in the state from year to year. Between 2018 and 2021, the DHHS data shows that six weeks was the most common time abortions took place, making up 15% to 25% of all abortions each year.

The bills opponents argue most women dont realize theyre pregnant before six weeks, and those who do would have limited time to make a decision. Physicians on both sides of the debate said the absolute earliest women can typically find out they are pregnant is at four weeks.

LB626 does provide exceptions for abortions in the case of rape, incest or medical emergencies. Albrecht has repeatedly said the bill aims to stop elective abortions, though the term elective abortion is not used in the legislation, nor is it present in the Nebraska DHHS data.

DHHS does track the reasons women give for receiving abortions. By far, the most common between 2018 and 2021 was contraception failures or no contraception being used, which accounted for roughly 55% to 62% of all abortions each year. Those are the abortions Albrecht said she especially wants to prevent  women who are using abortions as a form of birth control.

Reasons that would presumably count as exceptions under the bill, such as physical health concerns, sexual assault and incest, were less common, ranging from 4% to 6% each year. A bigger portion of women, about 30%, declined to share their reasoning.

Medical emergencies

The number of reported abortions in Nebraska ranged between 2,000 and about 2,400 per year between 2018 and 2021, according to DHHS data. Multiple physicians said there are other medical procedures that effectively terminate a pregnancy but arent considered an abortion and arent included in the data.

Lincoln maternal fetal medicine physician Sean Kenney, who supports LB626, has performed such procedures to save the life of the mother. He said he does not consider such treatment an abortion.

I didnt do an abortion, Kenney said. I saved her life.

Most Nebraska physicians do not perform elective abortions, regardless of their personal opinion on the procedure. In 2021, five physicians performed all of the 2,360 abortions that took place in the state, with just two performing more than 99% of them.

Lifesaving pregnancy terminations are fairly rare, Kenney said. But opposing physicians said the lack of a clear definition for a medical emergency could jeopardize their careers and the health of their patients.

Were all concerned about the terminology within this bill, said Papillion family medicine physician Jenn Harney.

Under LB626, the definition of a medical emergency depends on the reasonable medical judgment of each physician. In general, they would be cases in which treatment is needed to prevent the mothers death, or for which a delay in terminating her pregnancy will create a serious risk of substantial and irreversible physical impairment of a major bodily function.

Albrecht has given multiple examples for what conditions could qualify under the bill, not all of which are circumstances in which the mother is in an immediate life-or-death scenario. Examples include cancer treatments or cases in which the fetus has little chance of surviving out of the womb.

Multiple physicians, both in support and against the bill, cited fetal anomalies as one of the more common pregnancy complications that can lead to the discussion of termination, though those cases are still somewhat rare. Fetal anomalies made up roughly 1% of the reasons for abortions each year in Nebraska between 2018 and 2021, according to DHHS.

Albrecht told the Omaha World-Herald that she doesnt want to interfere with a physicians medical judgment in these situations.

But multiple opposing physicians argued that is exactly what LB626 would do.

Omaha and Council Bluffs OB-GYN Maureen Boyle said the threat of losing her medical license would be enough to make her think twice before providing essential medical care if she isnt certain what qualifies as an exception under the bill.

Other physicians expressed similar fears.

How sick do we let people get? asked Omaha OB-GYN Mary Kinyoun.

Under the bill, complaints about potential violations would be reported to DHHS, Albrecht said. If the department does not find evidence of a violation, the complaint is dismissed. If evidence is found, the complaint goes to a hearing before the states chief medical officer and Board of Medicine and Surgery.

Kenney said aside from the two physicians who performed the majority of abortions in Nebraska, the only physicians who should be concerned about the bill are ones who arent doing their jobs correctly.

Several other physicians who support LB626 said they dont believe the bill will change their practice, nor would it make them hesitate to provide essential care.

This bill being in place would not even cross my mind, said Omaha and Lincoln maternal fetal medicine physician Elena Kraus.

Sexual assault

Opponents have also raised concern about the bills sexual assault exception, specifically regarding the level of reporting required for victims to receive an abortion. Some critics have claimed victims would need to file a police report, though Albrecht has said that is not true.

According to Albrecht, a physician would only need to note in writing that sexual assault is the reason for the abortion, and offer the patient victim resources.

However, existing state law may complicate the process, said Mailyn Fidler, an assistant criminal law professor at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln who has spoken against LB626.

For adult victims, Fidler said Nebraska law requires physicians to report cases of sexual assault that result in an injury. Failing to do so is a misdemeanor. The concern is that an abortion may qualify as an injury resulting from a sexual assault, which would then require the physician to report it, she said.

Unnecessary reporting requirements would add trauma to victims and is emotionally manipulative, according to Omaha psychiatrist and telehealth provider Sharon Hammer.

Were really revictimizing them, Hammer said.

Albrecht said she doesnt believe an abortion would qualify as an injury from a sexual assault if the victim seeks treatment immediately after, which she expects most victims do.

If youre raped, do you not want to go immediately to the hospital? Albrecht asked.

Other opponents have pointed out that sexual assaults go largely unreported, and victims may not feel comfortable disclosing their experience, even to their doctor.

Albrecht said if they dont want to disclose it, they can still receive an abortion in another state.

You have to take it upon yourself, she said.

Mental health

One exception the bill does not include is abortions sought for mental health reasons. The bill specifies that a medical emergency does not include cases when a woman may engage in conduct which would result in her death or in substantial and irreversible physical impairment of a major bodily function.

Fidler said she suspects that was included to close a loophole allowing mental health exceptions that were included in abortion restrictions that existed before the Roe v. Wade ruling in 1973.

Mental health was listed as the reason for about 3% to 5% of Nebraskas annual abortions between 2018 and 2021, according to DHHS.

Nebraska mental health professionals also have objected to the bill. Omaha psychiatrist and telehealth provider Meghan Sheehan called LB626 barbaric and cruel.

Hammer said women with mental health issues are more likely to encounter pregnancy complications due to physiological stressors that mental illnesses can have on the body. Its unclear whether those would qualify as an exception under the bill.

Hammer and Sheehan took issue with LB626 seemingly ignoring mental health as a medical issue, and said the legislation could trigger more demand for mental health providers who are already in short supply in Nebraska.

Thats just such a big denial of the truth of things, Sheehan said.

Other options

Albrecht acknowledges Nebraska women will still have the option to travel out of state to receive an abortion. Her goal, she said, is to ensure Nebraska does not become a similar destination for other women.

Nebraskas current law bans abortions at 20 weeks past fertilization.

Andi Curry Grubb, executive director of Planned Parenthood Advocates of Nebraska, said the organization works within a collective of five other states, three of which still have abortion access, including Nebraska. If LB626 passes, she said the organization can work within that network to ensure women can still get an abortion.

Were going to continue, as an organization, to do everything we can to help people access care, she said. Everything thats legally allowable to us.

That option will likely be challenging for women with lower incomes. Several opponents argued that the bill and its provisions will still allow wealthier women to access abortions.

If out-of-state options are off the table, opponents have expressed concerns that women will seek out dangerous methods to end their pregnancies. Several critics argued LB626 would ban safe abortions.

Kacie Ware of Omaha made that argument at a Planned Parenthood news conference earlier this month. When she got pregnant as a high school sophomore because of an abusive relationship, she said she went through the courts to obtain access to an abortion without her parents permission. Had the courts denied her that access, she said she would have resorted to dangerous measures instead.

I would have done just about anything to end that pregnancy, Ware said.

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Colorado Springs ranked in the top 10 cities where Black Americans fare best economically, according to a 2023 SmartAsset study.

Colorado Springs came in ninth among 200 of the nations largest cities, of which, only 133 had available data on median Black household income, Black homeownership rate, Black labor force participation rate, poverty rate for Black residents, percentage of Black adults with a bachelors degree and percentage of business owners who are Black.

Colorado Springs had the eighth-lowest poverty rate for Black residents within the study at 11.6%. Over 71% of Black residents ages 16 and over were in the labor force, which was higher than 116 other places that were a part of the study. Plus, 32.4% of Black adults in Colorado Springs have a bachelors degree, which ranked 22nd in the study.

Local economist Joe Craig, a University of Colorado Colorado Springs economics professor as well as interim director for the universitys Economic Forum, said he found the report a little bit surprising.

Its an overall positive, Craig said. But it has limitations.

The study procured reliable information using different data sets from the U.S. Census Bureau, Craig said, but the studys findings could be somewhat misleading.

He thought Colorado Springs higher income level on average, coupled with a lower Black population, might mean Colorado Springs is a place wealthier Black residents come to live, but that the city doesnt necessarily initiate or champion Black wealth.

The large military presence within the city could also contribute to some of the citys positive results when it came to factors such as a high labor force participation rate among Black residents.

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Kendall Godley, a director for the Colorado Springs Black Chamber of Commerce and an attorney at Davis Graham & Stubbs LLP, said he would also be interested in how the military contributed to Black residents economic outcomes as opposed to Black residents in the private sector  a distinction the study did not make.

While Godley found the data interesting, he thought it was limited in scope and not comprehensive enough.

I think what they mention are bare minimum tests, Godley said.

He thought the city still needed to improve when it came to offering affordable housing, attracting employers focused on diversity and bringing Black voices to the forefront of the community.

I think this is kind of the sentiment in all cities where Black people are trying to get a piece of the pie for themselves, Godley said. We need more barriers removed.

Juaquin Mobley, a director of the Colorado Springs Black Chamber of Commerce and a Colorado Springs social enterprise entrepreneur, meaning he focuses on a give back business model, said the information measured up well based on his personal experience.

There is a lot of business support for racial minorities in the Colorado Springs community, Mobley said.

I think its really good information and while it might not be completely comprehensive, I think its a start, Mobley said. And I think when people outside of Colorado read that information some of those individuals we need here to come spark some more ideas, I think theyre going to entertain it and potentially come here.
One Colorado Springs veteran believes so fervently in keeping alive the memory of the region's Medal of Honor recipients that he has their initials tattooed on his body.

Now, Keith LaMee wants something bigger to honor the three who earned the nation's highest medal for combat valor.

His latest project, which he hopes to see dedicated May 27, is a 5-foot tall memorial to be placed in Memorial Park.

LaMee is raising cash for the project and finalizing its design. He has the location figured out.

"Here more civilians are apt to see it," LaMee said as he pointed at the proposed spot next to the park's War Memorial.

"We have three Medals of Honor."

Army Pfc. Jesse Funk earned his medal in France during World War I, where he braved enemy fire to save the lives of two wounded officers.

Army Pfc. Floyd Lindstrom earned his in Italy during World War II for charging a German machine gun position with a pistol before seizing the weapon and turning it on the enemy.

Air Force Lt. Col. Gerald Young earned his as a captain in Vietnam after his helicopter was shot down. He spent the next 17 hours evading the enemy and keeping a wounded comrade alive before they were rescued.

LaMee, an Army veteran, knows their citations by heart, and has spent most of the past decade learning who these men were before they went to war.

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Now, he cruises around Colorado Springs on his Victory motorcycle, wearing an American Legion Riders leather vest.

"It all started with Floyd Lindstrom," LaMee said.

After discovering Lindstrom's story several years ago, LaMee realized that the Colorado Springs native had been all but forgotten.

"I found out that he lived in the Springs," LaMee said. "I started with almost nothing. Now I have this binder."

The binder is overflowing with news clippings, photographs, and even Lindstrom's high school report card.

LaMee led the effort to put Lindstrom's name on what is now the VA's Lindstrom Clinic off Fillmore Street. He also dedicated the American Legion Post 5 flagpole to him downtown.

He sees the Medal of Honor memorial as another step. "It is my way to tip my hat."

Even with all that he has done, he worries it is not enough. "Once they are no longer amongst the living, they tend to be forgotten," he said of veterans.

But he referred to a line of the American Legion Constitution preamble, "To preserve the memories and incidents of our associations in the great wars."

"Preserving means protecting, but like strawberry preserve," he said as he chuckled, "you have to spread it around."
A corrections officer at the Fremont Correctional Facility near Canon City was among the dozens of suspects who were arrested as part of a nationwide investigation focused on sexual predators who target children.

"Well, I thought I'd introduce you to Justin Sturtevant," Polk County (Fla.) Sheriff Grady Judd said during a news conference last week. "That's right. He's a corrections officer. Did you hear what I said? And he's having unlawful communication and thinking he's grooming a 14-year-old female and he is mailing pictures of his junk to her. Turns out it's our undercover detective."

Sturtevant, 45, was arrested Thursday at his home in Pueblo West following an online conversation in which he engaged ... on a social networking site with an undercover detective who was posing as a 14-year-old girl, according to a news release from the Polk County Sheriffs Office.

The girl told Sturtevant repeatedly on Feb. 6 that she was only 14 years old. Despite knowing the girls status as a minor, Sturtevant allegedly instigated sexually explicit conversation with the detective, as well as sent a sexually explicit image, according to the Sheriff's Office.

Sturtevant faces numerous felony charges including criminal use of a two-way communication device, transmission of harmful material to a minor and using a computer to solicit a child for sex, according to the Sheriff's Office.

Judd said Sturtevant has a criminal history, with previous charges either dismissed or dropped.

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"We find out that he has a criminal arrest history. Did you hear me? Did you hear what I said? He is a member of the Colorado State Corrections System as (an) officer, and he has an arrest history," Judd said.

Sturtevant was among 30 suspects arrested in the investigation, called Operation Child Protector, which was conducted by the Polk County Sheriffs Office in Florida, officials said.

He is being held in southern Colorado, where he is waiting to be extradited to Florida.

"Justin needs to be in the system. He needs to be in prison. But it won't be in the Colorado prison system. It'll be in the Florida prison system," Judd said.

The prison near Canon City where Sturtevant was employed declined to comment.
Colorado College will no longer provide data to U.S. News & World Report for its annual best colleges rankings, which school leadership said uses flawed methodology that prioritizes wealthy institutions.

The rankings conflict with its values by equating academic quality with institutional wealth and privilege, the school announced in a news release Monday. The college is listed as the nations 27th-best liberal arts college in the latest rankings.

With its decision, the school becomes the first college in the nation to withdraw from the undergraduate rankings since 1995, according to Colorado College President L. Song Richardson.

The reason I joined Colorado College 19 months ago is because were always the first, Richardson said. Making courageous and bold actions, and being the first, and doing difficult things are part of our DNA, so its a very familiar place for Colorado College to be, and I very much hope other courageous schools will join us.

The Gazette reached out to the Air Force Academy, the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, Colorado State University, the University of Colorado at Boulder and the University of Denver for comment. The institutions did not respond in time for publication.

Unlike other rankings in higher education, which rely exclusively on publicly accessible data, U.S. News sends a separate questionnaire to collect information directly from schools. The questions can be highly problematic, Richardson said, including one section that asks schools to rank each other.

Of even greater concern on the equity front, however, is a set of two questions pertaining to student debt: What proportion of students take out loans, and what is the amount of loans they take out?

Schools with greater amounts of student debt are penalized in the rankings, incentivizing them to admit wealthier students who require less aid at the expense of students with greater financial need, according to Richardson.

When most people think about the rankings, they think that this is some objective measure of the quality of the educational experience at schools, Richardson said. When you know more about how these rankings work, you realize that its not that at all.

Metrics such as graduation and retention rates, diversity and post-graduate success will still be available via dashboards on Colorado Colleges website.

U.S. News maintains its rankings are in prospective students best interests.

We believe students deserve access to all the data and information necessary to make the right decision, U.S. News & World Report Executive Chairman and CEO Eric Gertler said in a statement. We know that comparing diverse academic institutions across a common data set is challenging, and that is why we have consistently stated that the rankings should be one component in a prospective students decision-making process.

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Colorado College is one of only 75 higher education institutions to meet the full demonstrated need of its students, according to the news release, and the only one in Colorado to do so. The schools decision not to cooperate with U.S. News follows its recent effort to further expand access to lower-income, in-state students.

In 2019 the college launched an experimental scholarship program dubbed The Colorado Pledge. Under the program, newly admitted students from Colorado whose family income is less than $60,000 will not pay any money toward direct costs of tuition, fees, housing and meals. Colorado families with income between $60,000 and $125,000 must only pay room and board charges, and families with an income between $125,000 and $250,000 pay an amount equal to or less than the cost of attendance at the state flagship institution.

Richardson pointed to The Colorado Pledge and the universitys commitment to becoming a leader in social mobility, access and opportunity as the foundation of this decision.

That is a commitment of the school and a commitment that I am making, Richardson said. We had to leave U.S. News & World Report because everything that U.S. News & World Report is about is antithetical to our values and our aspirational goals.

Swaths of esteemed law and medical institutions have already announced their withdrawal from the rankings, according to a number of news outlets. Most recently, highly ranked medical schools at Harvard, Columbia, Stanford, the University of Pennsylvania, Cornell and more made headlines in January when they announced they would cease providing data to U.S. News, citing similar concerns to Colorado College.

But Richardson has long been a critic of the survey  even before arriving in Colorado, she said. She was pushing for schools to separate from U.S. News during her time as dean of the University of California, Irvine School of Law, and shes been raising the issue at Colorado College for some time.

There was the start of this momentum with the law schools and then the medical schools, Richardson said. If we were ever going to pull out of U.S. News, this was the time to do it.

In a survey distributed to students and their parents on Feb. 10 to gauge their support for a potential decision, more than half of 193 parent respondents said they would be proud or unconcerned if Colorado College declined to participate in the rankings. Only a fifth of respondents said they were concerned or would not support the decision, according to survey data.

Of 201 student respondents, about 60% said they would be proud or unconcerned by the move, and just over 10% said they would be concerned or unsupportive.

Whats more, about two-thirds of students said the rankings were not important in generating awareness about the college or in choosing to enroll. Parents were even less interested in what the ratings had to say, with more than three-fourths saying it was unimportant in generating awareness and two-thirds saying it was unimportant in choosing to enroll.

U.S. News will continue ranking schools, including Colorado College, regardless of whether they participate in its survey. Instead, it will rely on the same publicly accessible data used by other rankings.

The decisions impact remains to be seen, but Richardson said she expects to see the school drop in the rankings. The college will study the impact of its withdrawal and make public its findings so schools that arent in the same fortunate position  that of a supportive community behind such a decision  can understand potential ramifications.
The Colorado Supreme Court agreed on Monday to hear two cases involving the ability of an Adams County school district to challenge a reorganization order from the state, and the parameters of auto insurance policies covering antique or classic cars.

At least three of the court's seven members must consent to take up an appeal.

The first case arose after the Colorado State Board of Education voted in favor of reorganizing Adams County School District 14 pursuant to a 2009 law, the Education Accountability Act. Based on poor academic performance over several years, the board took a series of actions against the district, including bringing in an outside manager and removing, then restoring, its accreditation.

The reorganization could result in closing Adams 14 schools or handing over control to another entity. Following the state board's vote, Adams 14, whose 6,000-plus students are mostly Hispanic and from low-income households, sued the board. Joined by the teachers' union for the district, the lawsuit challenged the constitutionality of the Education Accountability Act, alleged violations of the school district's procedural rights and asserted claims on behalf of the students.

In September, Denver District Court Judge Shelley I. Gilman dismissed the lawsuit for several reasons. Primarily, she invoked the "Rule of Martin," named for a 1976 decision of the state Supreme Court that held a "subordinate state agency" cannot ask a court to review an action by a "superior state agency" unless authorized by law.

"In designing the Education Accountability Act to hold school districts accountable and authorizing the State Board to take significant action and direct school districts, the General Assembly clearly made local school districts subordinate to the State Board," Gilman wrote.

She added that even though the state constitution guarantees control over education by local school boards, the constitution itself did not grant Adams 14 the right to sue the state board.

Adams 14 and the teachers' union appealed to the Court of Appeals. However, the state board, with the plaintiffs' support, petitioned the Supreme Court to hear the case directly instead.

The Supreme Court, argued the state, took up another case late last year implicating the Rule of Martin  questioning whether Weld County could challenge a rule from the state's air quality control commission. The parties to the Adams 14 lawsuit suggested the Supreme Court could address the Rule of Martin's application to school districts in tandem with the Weld County appeal.

"Finally, several school districts aside from Adams 14 are on track to face directed action from the State Board, and pandemic-related learning loss will likely lead to more," wrote the Colorado Attorney General's Office. "As more accountability matters come before the State Board, it is of imperative public importance to determine whether school districts can sue to forestall the State Boards directed actions for turning around struggling schools."

The justices will examine whether Gilman correctly concluded Adams 14 is barred from suing the state board, or if the constitutional guarantee of local control would support such litigation. The court will further answer whether Adams 14 can sue on behalf of its students and whether the district itself has due process rights, even though it is not a person.

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The Supreme Court will also hear a case out of Boulder County that questions whether someone may use an insurance policy tailored specifically for antique or classic cars can claim benefits after an accident that does not involve a classic or antique car.

In March 2019, a drunken driver hit and injured Beverly Hughes while she was in her car. The other driver's insurance limited his liability to $25,000, but Hughes' injuries exceeded that amount.

Hughes and her husband had two insurance policies: one with Travelers Insurance that covered up to $250,000 for injuries caused by an uninsured or underinsured motorist, and a similar policy from Essentia Insurance Company. The Essentia policy, however, was specifically for "classic car" insurance.

The Essentia policy covered vehicles from 1967 and 1930 that Hughes and her husband owned. Essentia required the policyholder to own a "regular use vehicle" that was not a classic car and to carry separate insurance, which the couple received through Travelers. Even though Hughes was driving her regular use vehicle in the collision, she sought to recover the benefits that came with the classic car policy.

In July 2020, District Court Judge Thomas F. Mulvahill sided with the insurance company. Classic car policies, he pointed out, are not meant for regularly-used vehicles. Because the risk of an accident is lower for lesser-used antique vehicles, the insurance premiums are lower, too. The Essentia policy hinged on Hughes and her husband obtaining insurance elsewhere for their regular vehicle.

"Colorados public policy ... is to protect against financial loss caused by negligent financially irresponsible motorists," Mulvahill wrote. "Plaintiff was afforded this protection through the Travelers Insurance Companys insurance policy."

But in May, a three-judge panel for the Court of Appeals disagreed. The panel interpreted Colorado Supreme Court precedent to require insurance policies to cover people, not specific vehicles, who are injured by uninsured or underinsured motorists.

Essentia cannot escape its duty, wrote Judge Craig R. Welling, to cover "persons, rather than cars, by attempting to tie its provided UM/UIM coverage to the occupancy of 'your covered auto' (in this case, one of the classic cars)."

The insurance company turned to the Supreme Court. The appellate panel's opinion, it argued, had turned specialized insurance policies designed for low-risk, low-cost coverage into all-purpose contracts to cover accident injuries. Neither party had anticipated that outcome when setting up the policy, Essentia insisted.

"Those like Hughes who own antique or classic cars cannot have their cake and eat it, too: they cannot buy low-cost policies and then use them to provide standard UM/UIM coverage for injuries unrelated to the insured hobby cars," wrote Essentia's attorneys.

The Supreme Court will decide whether the exemption for "regular use vehicles" in an insurance policy for classic cars complies with state law.
By Azernews

Sabina Mammadli





Azerbaijani eco-activists have been holding an environmental vigil against the illicit exploitation of the country's natural resources for 79 days now.

According to Azernews, throughout the day, 37 vehicles of the Russian peacekeeping contingent and four passenger cars of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) have driven along the road since this morning.

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.




One person was injured after a shooting in Palmer Park Monday afternoon, according to the Colorado Springs Police Department.

Police responded to the 3600 block of Maizeland Road around 2 p.m., where it was determined that a shooting occurred related to a stolen motor vehicle.

The person who fired the shots had left the scene, but returned and was taken into custody, police said. The suspect has not been publicly identified.

A victim in the shooting checked themself into a hospital with one non-life-threatening gunshot wound, according to police.
More than 5,000 immigrants from South and Central America have arrived in Denver since early December when an influx of new arrivals prompted city leaders to set up temporary shelters and declare an emergency.

Denver hit the milestone over the weekend. Nearly half of the immigrants came between Dec. 19 and Jan. 3. The city has seen fewer than 50 immigrants arrive each night since mid-January, according to data from Denvers Joint Information Center.

Our systems are a little bit relieved seeing fewer migrants coming each day, said Ryan Jeffers, a JIC spokesperson.

Historically, immigrants have settled where they can find support, typically in cities where family and friends already live.

Right now, the level of desperation is so high theyre doing whatever they can to enter the country, said Laura Lunn, director of advocacy and litigation for the Rocky Mountain Immigrant Advocacy Network.

The majority of the 5,091 immigrants who have arrived in the city since early December have been from Venezuela. Mayor Michael B. Hancock said the crisis strained city resources.

In early February, city officials estimated that Denver had spent about $5 million responding to the influx of immigrants.

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Officials will not have an up-to-date tally on the costs until Tuesday, Jeffers said.

More than 100,000 Denver County residents identify as immigrant or refugee, according to the Immigrant and Refugee Affairs Office for Human Rights & Community Partnerships.

The vast majority of new arrivals have stopped here on their way to somewhere else, most notably New York and Illinois, city data shows.

About 30% of immigrants coming to Denver intend to stay here, city and state officials said.

City officials had hoped to curb the length of time immigrants required food and shelter, limiting their stay to two weeks or less. Instead, the city transferred responsibility for sheltering the immigrants to nonprofit partners and religious organizations.

Housing and work opportunities continue to be the greatest barriers for the new arrivals. But finding work and housing within two weeks of arriving, Lunn said, is a big ask.

In my experience, people try to figure out a stable way of living as quickly as possible, Lunn said.
A year after announcing grand plans for a new transit center, project consultants and Colorado Springs city staff told the City Council on Monday they expect ground to break on the project in 2025.

A public-private partnership will build the new transit center that Chief of Staff Jeff Greene said would be a "major highlight of our community" and could also combine office space, apartments or a hotel. The city has long needed to replace its existing transit center at East Kiowa Street and North Nevada Avenue, and building an updated facility will create a central multimodal transportation hub that could also spur economic revitalization downtown, officials have said.

The new project could be built at Nevada and Pikes Peak avenues on a parking lot owned by major developer Norwood Development Group, which will be a project partner. A cooperation agreement between Mountain Metropolitan Transit, the city's parking enterprise, the Colorado Springs Urban Renewal Authority and Norwood Development Group states Norwood will have "the exclusive right to develop the private improvements" at the site.

A project schedule presented Monday shows officials expect to finalize the public-private partnership agreement sometime in 2024. Once the project's final design is completed around early 2025, officials plan to start construction that year. Construction could take at least three years, according to the staff presentation.

Councilman Bill Murray said the project "looks like a boondoggle," and criticized early plans for the center as the "worst (he's) seen in years." The proposed location at Nevada and Pikes Peak, he said, is the wrong place to build it.

"What you're proposing today is taking what we have agreed is not functional across the street from this City Hall, and moving it across the street, and making it nonfunctional on the other side of City Hall. ... That is not ... the place to put the transit center," Murray said. "... Hopefully the next council will have common sense to throw this whole thing out and force you to start over at a right location with the right design."

The city's municipal election will be held April 4. Four of the nine City Council seats are up for grabs this spring, which could affect how the council votes on the final project plans. Voters in April will also select Colorado Springs' first new mayor in eight years.

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Murray said the transit facility should be built farther down, near the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Museum and Weidner Field, where existing railroad exists. It would also be near the city's top location choice for a possible Front Range Passenger Rail station  a vacant lot south of the Olympic museum.

Colorado Springs Public Works Director Travis Easton said the city conducted a study in 2017 that assessed nearly 30 possible sites for the new transit center.

Councilwoman Yolanda Avila lauded the project, saying it was critical for the city.

"It's so important as a city to have a transit center to be much more robust. I want to make sure that as we're looking at the new council coming in that ... the baby doesn't get thrown out with the water," Avila said. "We've landed on a place. Let's move forward. We can't let ... (perfection) be the enemy of the good."

City engineer Ryan Phipps told the council design work on the new transit center will begin next after the city selected international architecture firm Skidmore, Owings and Merrill, which has several locations in the United States, to design the project.

SOM has worked on similar projects including the Gateway Station in Charlotte, N.C., the 30th Street Station district plan in Philadelphia and the All Aboard Florida station in Miami, Phipps said. SOM was also involved in a lot of the redevelopment around Union Station in Denver, he said.

Mountain Metro Transit continues working with the Colorado Department of Transportation, which has committed funds for the project, on creating an agreement with the city to accept those funds, Phipps said. The agreement with the state transportation department will build the foundation for a joint development agreement with the Federal Transit Administration that will provide federal funds for the project, he said.

Project officials have also started a coordinated effort with Colorado Springs Utilities to relocate aging gas, water, sewer and downtown electric lines that run through the middle of the proposed project site and must be moved to build the facility. That process remains ongoing, Phipps said.
Penrose Library will resume regular hours on Wednesday following closures prompted by initial screening results indicating methamphetamine in recent weeks, according to a news release from the Pikes Peak Library District.

Restrooms, which were the focus of meth contamination the week of Feb. 19, also will reopen Wednesday at the downtown branch at 20 N. Cascade Ave., along with the library district's mobile book service, the news release said.

The safety of all Library patrons and staff is always a priority," Board of Trustees President Aaron Salt said in the news release. "I am grateful for Interim Chief Librarian and CEO Teona Shainidze Krebs and her dedicated team that worked around the clock to ensure all the testing was completed, and proper precautions were in place.

PPLD leadership worked closely with El Paso County Public Health and KEMWest to understand the impact of the results and create a safe, thoughtful reopening strategy for Penrose (Library). 

Since airflow is moving away from occupied areas of the library, the potential for people in the building to be exposed to meth from this contamination is very low, KEMWest President James Devalois said in the news release.

Penrose Library joined a list of at least four other libraries in Colorado in recent months that temporarily shuttered due to meth contamination.

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A branch of the Pueblo City-County Library District last Friday was the most recent to announce a temporary closure in order to handle meth residue detected in restrooms. The Barkman Library was scheduled to be closed this week.

Initial testing conducted on Feb. 8 produced samples from several restrooms in Penrose Library that showed contamination levels above the maximum threshold.

Results from the most recent restroom tests revealed that the only areas with actionable meth contamination above the acceptable limits are the exhaust system ductwork, fans and vents in those spaces. Samples from all other surfaces in the restrooms did not result in any actionable contamination.

According to the release, PPLD will be contracting vendors to handle the cleaning or replacement of the contaminated equipment in the affected exhaust vents.

The district said it will be installing environmental sensors in all library bathrooms across the district that will be able to detect changes in air quality, and will alert the library districts safety and security team if changes occur. According to the release, PPLD will begin the process of installing the sensors within the next several weeks.
By Azernews

Sabina Mammadli

Russia is focused on a meeting under the '3+3' format (Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia, Iran, Russia, Turkiye), Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in Baku.

The minister made the remarks during a joint conference with his Azerbaijani counterpart, entitled "Russian-Azerbaijani relations in the 21st century: Strategic partnership in the context of regional security" held as part of the 3rd meeting of the Russia-Azerbaijan Expert Council in Baku.

He stated that preparations are underway for the meeting, noting that such a meeting was held before, in which Georgia refused to partake.

"This platform contributes to the creation of multifaceted cooperation for both the countries of the region and their neighbors. We also agreed to continue mutual activities within the framework of the Caspian Five, and we also talked about our mutual relations on serious issues required by international cooperation organizations," the minister said.

The Russian minister expressed his countrys appreciation of the political ties between the two countries and invited Bayramov to Moscow.

"We highly appreciate the bilateral political ties between Azerbaijan and Russia. Last year alone, our presidents met 7 times and had 12 telephone conversations," Lavrov added.

Economic ties

Further, Bayramov noted the agile development of trade relations, stressing that the trade turnover between the two states increased by 24 percent in 2022. He also noted that cargo traffic along the North-South corridor increased by 50 percent in 2022.

"Azerbaijan cooperates with 80 Russian regions, and this cooperation is developing dynamically," the Azerbaijani foreign minister said.

Moreover, he informed that the number of people traveling from one country to another has increased, with the number of fights between the two countries reaching 135 per week

Talking about the North-South project, Lavrov expressed Russias interest in cooperation in this regard and its readiness to move to the practical implementation of the projects missing components.

"We are interested in cooperation in the liberated territories, in the energy sector, as well as the implementation of megaprojects. Also, an economic forum between Azerbaijan and Russia will be held in Moscow this year," he added.

He also added that discussions are underway on the construction of the Rasht-Astara section.

"Baku and Moscow are in constant talks on issues of transport cooperation. Our presidential administrations are directly involved in the process of creating transport links, including on the Rasht-Astara section. Russia and Azerbaijan play a leading role here," he stressed.

Peace treaty

The conference also touched on the normalization of Azerbaijani-Armenian ties, where the Azerbaijani official pointed out that Armenia demonstrates an unconstructive position towards the work on a peace treaty.

"If at the initial stage of the process Armenia was throwing in some ideas that were never spoken out, attempts to give this treaty some kind of abstract framework nature, at the next stages of the negotiation process, Armenia moved away from this position, probably understanding its absurdity. But then we witnessed other surprises when at the end of December, literally a day before the scheduled and pre-agreed face-to-face meeting in Moscow for the third round of negotiations on the text of the peace agreement, Armenia refused to participate in this format," he said.

The official then noted that Armenia's position on the normalization of relations has become more destructive after the start of the EU mission.

Similarly, Lavrov stressed that the latest statements of Armenian PM Nikol Pashinyan about Russia's military presence in Armenia creating security threats for the republic remain entirely on his own conscience.

He then reiterated that Russia is ready to contribute to the signing of the peace agreement between the two states, noting that Baku has agreed to the next meeting to be held in Moscow. However, he added that Armenia has not stated a clear position on the matter.

Furthermore, Jeyhun Bayramov emphasized that the agenda of Baku and Moscow on peace in the region and on the fight against revanchism almost coincide.

Lachin protests

Moreover, Bayramov emphasized that the peaceful rally of Azerbaijani eco-activists on the Lachin-Khankandi road is aimed at stopping the gross violation by Armenia of its use, noting that the misuse of the road should not be repeated.

"The root cause of this situation was a gross and repeated violation by Armenia of the provisions of the trilateral declaration, which provides for the sole humanitarian nature of the use of the Lachin-Khankandi road. For two years, Azerbaijan has repeatedly pointed out this misuse and gross violations by Armenia," he added.

The official underlined that after the situation reached the level of protests, Armenia refused to change its position and attempted to place all responsibility on Azerbaijan and Russia.

He then stressed that Armenia is actively engaged in a propaganda campaign, trying to mislead the international community and create buzz around this situation by refusing constructive dialogue and attempts to find solutions.

"From the first day, Azerbaijan stated that we are doing and will do everything in its power to avoid any negative humanitarian consequences, primarily for the Armenian population living in the Karabakh region of Azerbaijan. And for more than two months, Azerbaijan has been consistently engaged in this, being in almost daily contact with the peacekeeping contingent as well as with the International Committee of the Red Cross. The legitimate demand of representatives of the Azerbaijani civil society representatives must be heard and fulfilled," he said.

Lavrov added that the road should only be used for the transportation of humanitarian cargo and that the parties are working together to reach this agreement.
The shooting death of a 12-year-old in Denver earlier this month  in an exchange of gunfire with the owner of a car that the youth allegedly had stolen  says a lot about the epic crime wave that has been battering Colorado.

It suggests our states flourishing criminal culture has emboldened kids too young to fully grasp the implications of their lawbreaking, and has given them easier access to guns.

It illustrates how auto theft  Colorado has the highest rate in the country  has become an epidemic in its own right. Incredibly, the pre-teen killed in the Feb. 5 incident lost a 16-year-old brother to gunfire in an auto theft in October in Westminster, The Gazette reported last week.

It reflects how everyday Coloradans are fed up with the criminal element  and sometimes take great personal risks to defend themselves and their property.

And its a reminder of the role our states policy makers have played in fostering that criminal culture. Bent on justice reform, lawmakers have gone on a crime spree of their own at the State Capitol the past several years. They decriminalized the possession of hard drugs including deadly fentanyl; they slashed penalties for a host of felonies, and they passed legislation making it harder for cops to do their jobs.

The legislature seems to have made a special effort to coddle auto thieves. Colorado law was changed in 2014 to reduce the penalties for auto theft  which began escalating around that time. In 2021, another justice reform bill passed, making it a misdemeanor to steal a car valued $2,000 or less. It previously was a felony to steal a car valued $1,000 or more. Absent practical consequences for motor-vehicle theft, is it any wonder we top the nation?

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In that light, can an auto theft by kids, followed by a car chase and a street-side gun battle, come as much of a surprise? And as this auto theft turned tragedy makes clear, it can involve much more than a loss of property. This was only the latest such incident that turned violent.

There was a shooting involving a stolen vehicle at a light-rail station in Douglas County last October that left two suspects dead and a law officer injured. County sheriffs deputies were patrolling the stations parking lot when they noticed a suspicious vehicle with no license plates and the locks punched out. The deputies announced themselves and knocked on the windows and the suspects opened fire through the vehicles side windows. The deputies returned fire, and the vehicles two occupants died at the scene. Flying glass shards hurt a deputy.

Just this month, a trio that led police on a high-speed chase in a suspected, stolen vehicle in Fountain. They crashed the car and fled on foot, with Fountain police Officer Julian Becerra running after them. The policeman fell 40 feet from a bridge and later died from his injuries.

Auto theft is in fact often linked to the commission of other, violent crimes. It behooves our policy makers to take it more seriously.

State Sen. Julie Gonzales, a Denver Democrat who has led the legislatures justice-reform crusade, attended a vigil the other day for Elias Armstrong, the 12-year-old who was killed. As reported by The Gazette, she said she turned up because she wanted to listen.

Such gestures wont repair the damage, of course. If she really wants to help, she can do so at the Capitol  repealing her reckless soft-on-crime agenda.
Kazakhstans Foreign Affairs Minister Mukhtar Tleuberdi and Turkmenistans Foreign Affairs Minister Rashid Meredov agreed to continue bolstering cooperation between their countries.

The meeting was held within the framework of the upcoming ministerial meeting of the heads of foreign affairs ministries of Central Asian countries and the US in the C5 + 1 format.

The nations' top diplomats also discussed the implementation of agreements reached earlier.

Tleuberdi and Meredov reaffirmed their intention to continue joint partnership with a goal to foster cooperation in the fields of transport, logistics, trade, and energy. Additionally, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan discussed several ongoing issues in the international agenda.

The meeting of the heads of foreign affairs ministries of Central Asian countries and the US in the C5 + 1 format will be held today. Earlier, it was reported that the discussions will revolve around the issues of cooperation between the US and the five Central Asian nations in the fields of economy, policy, security, energy, among others.
Solar installation delays

We have a new Director of Utilities. I ask on behalf of all solar installation applicants that our new director put some urgency into the staff for approval of the solar installations. Mine is approaching four months of waiting after all has been submitted.

This is not a major undertaking and should be handled expeditiously. Thank you, and please stay safe.

Roger Weed

Colorado Springs

Just another problem

As a storyteller with High Prairie Storytellers, I am often at elementary schools at the beginning or end of the school day, and Im always appalled by the lines of cars waiting to drop off or pick up children.

Dont the schools have buses? It would be so much better for the environment if these kids could all go on one bus.

One parent told me that when the school her child went to started charging to ride the bus many parents decided that driving their kids was better. This is just another problem that schools may not have the money to solve.

Susan Permut

Monument

Experiencing an invasion?

May I add to The Washington Examiners Viewpoint of Saturday, Feb. 25:

Not all migrants can afford to pay the cartels upfront for their passage. Instead, the migrant enters into an agreement with the cartels to pay for their passageonce that migrant is across the border and once the migrant obtains work. The cartels keep track of migrants whereabouts and can collect what is owed. Is this not a form of slavery? And does this tell us that the administration is not seriously interested in tracking migrants?

The U.S. Constitution Article IV Section 4 reads:

The United States shall guarantee to every State in this Union a Republican Form of Government, and shall protect each of them against Invasion.

Is our southern border or the borders of certain states experiencing an invasion?

Janice Taylor

Colorado Springs

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Columns credibility questioned

I read Jay Ambroses column (Feb. 25) and smiled. As satire its delightful. Unfortunately Ambrose seems to believe the yarn hes spun. I was particularly amused by his statement, I confess that I have been a powerful force in making some of you give up eggs for breakfast. The statement is fictional and attributed to President Joe Biden in his, state of disunion onslaught, crafted by Ambrose.

Apparently Ambrose hasnt heard of the avian flu disaster that hit our country. Millions of dead hens lay no eggs. Its classic capitalism, supply and demand. Im certain that Ambrose favors unfettered capitalism. Im also sure he would howl to the moon if President Biden had imposed price controls on eggs to keep them available on peoples breakfast tables. Some of the points in the column can be debated, but opening with something that false calls all of the columns credibility into question.

Joe E. Smith

Colorado Springs

Fund more mental health care

On last Fridays front page I saw that Democrats are again proposing more restrictive gun laws. It is easy for the politicians in power to pass new laws but ignore the real problem of mental illness.

The hard work would be to hugely increase the money spent on mental health and increase the resources available for treatment. There is little cost to the State budget by passing new laws that only burden the honest firearms owner. I challenge the legislators at the Capitol to do the hard work and fund more mental health care.

Richard Gandolf

Colorado Springs

Cancel the Constitution extension

I support all 160 projects in ConnectCOS except a fraction of the feasibility study that makes up Project 105. The fraction would consider a Constitution Avenue extension. It has been studied, re-studied, and postponed for decades. No City Council has ever approved the extension, and conditions havent changed since it was removed from regional projects just last summer. Before City Council votes on ConnectCOS, please remove the Constitution Avenue extension.

The many harms from the extension  a four-lane expressway  have been described in letters to the editor and to Council members. Among them is the futility of building roads to lighten congestion. A thoroughly researched law of traffic behavior (induced demand) shows that congestion returns before long.

Less attention has gone to an alternative use of the available land along the route of the train tracks: a greenway. At a time when cities from San Francisco and Boston to Seoul, Korea are removing expressways, Colorado Springs risks going in the wrong direction. Our expressway traffic would rush close beside Monument Valley Park and even closer beside the developing north segment of the Legacy Loop bike trail.

But a greenway would let people get out and enjoy biking and walking and jogging without traffic next to them. This special space would showcase the citys commitment to neighborhoods over yet another road (and cost far less than an expressway).

The City Council meets on agenda item 11G in Feb. 28. Come hear and be heard.

Thomas Murawski

Colorado Springs
Colorado legislators advanced a bill Monday seeking to further reduce local involvement in federal immigration operations.

If passed into law, House Bill 1100 would prohibit state and local governments, law enforcement agencies and jails from entering or renewing contracts with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to house people suspected of civil immigration violations, and from facilitating new private immigration detention facilities.

ICE often detains people going through immigration proceedings to assure they attend their court dates or while they await deportation decisions, according to the ACLU. State and local agreements allow ICE to house these immigrants in county and local jails.

The police and sheriff collaboration with ICE destroys community trust and safety, said bill sponsor Rep. Naquetta Ricks, D-Aurora. Prohibiting profit-motivated contracts between ICE and local jails will help build on the work to ensure that immigrant families remain an integral part of Colorado communities and neighborhoods.

The bill would not prohibit the federal government from contracting with private companies to operate immigration detention facilities in Colorado  such as the GEO Group detention center in Aurora. The bill would also not prohibit local government or law enforcement from arresting or detaining undocumented immigrants for criminal violations.

The bill passed its final vote in the state House of Representatives on Monday, now being sent to the Senate for consideration.

House lawmakers advanced the bill in a 41-22 vote, with all Republicans opposed to the bill and all but four Democrats in support. Democratic Reps. Shannon Bird of Westminster, Bob Marshall of Highlands Ranch, Barbara McLachlan of Durango and Marc Snyder of Colorado Springs joined their Republican colleagues in voting no.

Opponents argued that the bill would incentivize undocumented immigrants and asylum seekers to come to Colorado, saying the state is unable to accommodate them.

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As weve seen just recently here in Denver, its costing millions of dollars to be able to care for asylum seekers that came to our state, said Rep. Gabe Evans, R-Fort Lupton. What is the impact that has on the rest of our community? What is the impact that has on our resources, on our taxpayer dollars, on our first responders, on our hospitals? We know that these systems are already stretched thin.

Other critics claimed the bill would lead to undocumented immigrants being transferred out of state and raised concerns about closing the ICE detention facility in Teller County, calling it a huge investment for the community. Under the bill, existing local agreements with ICE that do not have a termination provision would have to add one by January 2024.

Proponents called these concerns unwarranted, saying the federal GEO Group ICE facility is generally only at 50% of its 1,500-bed capacity and less than 1% of Teller Countys budget comes from the ICE agreement.

Bill sponsor Rep. Lorena Garcia said immigration detention agreements are also a moral issue, forcing Colorado taxpayers to bear the costs of a federal responsibility that many residents do not support.

In what other instance do we detain folks for a civil offense? said Garcia, D-Adams County. Our current detention system deprives people who are immigrants of their liberty, and it destroys families when forced separation occurs. This goes against our deepest values as Coloradans, and it goes against our deepest values as human beings.

This bill builds on previous legislation passed by Colorado in 2019, prohibiting state law enforcement officers from arresting or detaining people on federal immigration charges.

If HB 1100 is enacted, Colorado would join other states including California, Illinois and New Jersey in banning or limiting intergovernmental support agreements for immigration enforcement.

The bill will be heard in the Senate in the coming weeks. The bill must be approved by both the Senate and the governor to take effect beginning in 2024.
A Colorado Springs veteran recently completed a years-long mission to celebrate the World War II exploits of one of the citys greatest heroes.

Keith LaMee, former commander of the PFC Floyd K. Lindstrom American Legion Post 5 in downtown Colorado Springs, traveled to Italy in late January to trace the path the war hero took during the 1943 battle that earned Lindstrom the Medal of Honor.

The journey, aided by Italian members of the Society of the 3rd Infantry Division, was the culmination of 15 years of research and advocacy on LaMees part.

Everyone in Colorado Springs should know Floyd Lindstroms name and what he did to earn the Medal of Honor, he said.

In 2008, LaMee received a phone call from a resident who wanted to know why Lindstrom, a Cheyenne Mountain High School graduate, was not being properly honored.

I grew up here in Colorado Springs, but I had never heard of Lindstrom, LaMee said. So I decided to find out what I could.

The more research LaMee conducted, the more he needed to know. With a determination bordering on obsession, he has pored over websites, microfilm and old newspaper clippings for a decade and a half. He has Lindstroms initials tattooed on his right forearm.

LaMee is likely the foremost authority on the life, wartime service and death of Lindstrom, who never had children. (Lindstrom was killed in action during the landing at Anzio Beach, Italy, on Feb. 3, 1944.)

Keith has made it his lifes mission to learn everything he can about Lindstrom, so he can share it, said Andrea Finnegan-Fosse, Post 5 commander. I just find that amazing.

Floyd K. Lindstrom was born on June 21, 1912, in Holdrege, Neb. His mother, Anna, moved him to Colorado when he was a toddler. After his graduation from Cheyenne Mountain High School, Lindstrom worked as a truck driver for 11 years. He was engaged to marry a woman named Mary Jane Wackenhut, but she died of a heart attack in 1942.

He must have been really torn up about her death, LaMee said.

Lindstrom joined the Army on June 22, 1942, a day after his 30th birthday.

On Nov. 11, 1943, Lindstroms unit found itself engaged in battle with German machine gunners near Mignano, Italy. When enemy gunfire from the crest of Monte La Difensa scattered much of his unit, Lindstrom picked up his machine gun, which reportedly weighed more than 100 pounds, and ran up the steep, rocky slope, completely ignoring enemy small-arms fire which was striking all around him, according to his Medal of Honor citation.

Despite the fact that the enemy had the high ground, Lindstrom engaged in an intense duel with two hostile machine gunners from about 10 yards away. When he realized that the shooters were protected by a large rock, he pulled his pistol and charged uphill. He killed both gunners with his pistol, took their gun to his own men, and went back up the hill to the machine gun nest for two boxes of ammunition. He gave his men the German ammunition, then went up the hill again to retrieve his own machine gun.

The hand of God must have been protecting him, LaMee said.

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While looking at the Find A Grave website, LaMee discovered a posting that announced an upcoming ceremony honoring Lindstrom. The ceremony was to take place in Italy.

I could see that they used a lot of the information that I had posted, LaMee said.

Thus began a long-distance friendship between LaMee and Luigi Settimi, the author of the post. Settimi implored LaMee to make a trip to Italy to see the site of Lindstroms heroic deeds.

Before my wife passed (in 2020), she made me promise that I would make this trip, LaMee said.

In January, LaMee flew out to Italy and met with Settimi and other members of the Society of the 3rd Infantry Division Outpost 16. While there, he visited Anzio Beach, the site of Lindstroms final, fatal battle, and he walked up Monte La Difensa. The walk up the steep hill was the culmination of 15 years of chasing this guy, he said.

The walk was a treacherous one for LaMee, who has had knee and shoulder replacement surgeries. But he was determined to get up that hill, even if he had to crawl, he said.

Im 63 years old, and I dont have all my original parts, he said. But I wasnt about to let that stop me. My legs did not like it. But I wouldnt have traded (the experience) for the world.

Standing on the hill evoked the sights and sounds of the 1943 battle in a way that research never could, LaMee said.

When you actually stand where the German machine gunners were, and you look down, you can really tell how steep that hill was. And (Lindstrom) carried that heavy machine gun up there.  It just blows your mind. I mean, how could an individual do that?

LaMee brought home a few treasured keepsakes, including sand from Anzio and soil from La Difensa, and has forged a lasting friendship with Settimi and others from the Italian outpost. He said he would recommend the trip for anyone who wishes to know more about the war hero for whom Post 5 and the VA Clinic are named.

In the meantime, LaMee intends to keep spreading the word about the war hero, whose remains are interred at Evergreen Cemetery in Colorado Springs.

As long as Im around, I plan to keep (Lindstroms) name in the public eye, he said.
Ten years ago, gun rights groups launched recalls against two Democratic state senators, which resulted in the election of two Republican senators and a narrowing of the Democratic advantage by two seats.

The recalls were over the Democrats' votes on gun control, bills that capped ammunition magazines to 15 rounds or less, required universal background checks and required those seeking firearms purchases to pay for those background checks.

With a half-dozen gun control-related bills introduced in the 2023 session, and more expected, Democrats are proposing legislation that would change the recall process. Most notably, the proposed legislation would limit who gets to be a candidate when a recall election makes it to the ballot.

House Bill 1185 would limit who can run as a candidate to replace a recalled official, if the election is for a partisan seat. Under the measure, which won an 8-3 party-line vote in the House State, Civic, Military and Veterans Affairs Committee on Monday, only a person from the same party could be a candidate for a recalled seat.

If a seat is held by an unaffiliated official who is recalled, the candidate for that seat would also have to be unaffiliated, under the bill.

The measure, which was introduced on Feb. 8, is viewed as something of a preemptive strike, should gun rights groups decide to launch recalls of Democrats supporting the gun control bills announced in the past week.

In 2013, Senate President John Morse of Colorado Springs and Sen. Angela Giron of Pueblo were both recalled by voters, and replaced by Republican Sens. Bernie Herpin and George Rivera, respectively. Neither held onto the seat for long. Rivera lost to Sen. Leroy Garcia in the 2014 election and Herpin lost to Sen. Michael Merrifield, also in 2014.

That year, Republicans took control of the Senate and held it for the next two years, the last time the General Assembly had split control.

HB 1185 also addresses what's happening in Walsenburg, where the entire city council and mayor are facing a recall, which if successful could leave the town without any means to appoint replacements. In Florence, the entire city council resigned a year ago over allegations of corruption, leaving only the mayor, and questions about how to replace those six council members.

HB 1185 would allow the city or town clerk to call an election in the absence of a quorum.

Rep. Lindsey Daugherty, D-Arvada, told the State Affairs committee Monday that "outside interest groups" initiate recall elections at the local level. These elections are expensive and take a lot of staff time, and more often than not, these recalls fail, Daugherty said. The municipality then has to eat the election costs.

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Her bill would require that members of a recall petition committee be registered electors within the municipality.

"If you can't find three people to serve on a recall committee, the municipality shouldn't have to spend taxpayer dollars on a recall election," she said.

Only one person testified on the bill: Karen Goldman, a former city clerk and former secretary of the state Senate, who represented both the Colorado Municipal League and the municipal clerks association. She noted the situation in Florence, where the mayor was eventually able to call for the election.

"If you think this is a one-off, there's a small statutory town" going through the same thing, she said, referring to Walsenburg. That recall election is scheduled for May.

Rep. Ken DeGraaf, R-Colorado Springs, initially attempted to split the bill into two, with the municipal portion in one bill and the recall in another, and later sought a title ruling, which was rejected.

Two recalls are in process in 2023, including the one in Walsenburg. A recall petition for a member of the Elizabeth School Board, in Elbert County, is currently underway. A member of the Cripple Creek City Council was recalled a month ago.

In 2022, 11 recalls were launched, including against the governor, secretary of state, state Sen. Kevin Priola, and two members of the Colorado Springs City Council. While none of those made it to the ballot, a pending recall election for the District Attorney in the San Luis Valley prompted his resignation. Only two of the 11 recall elections got in front of voters last year and were successful, for a school board member in the Buffalo School District (Logan County) and a recall of a Rio Blanco County Commissioner.

Recalls have become a common tool for disgruntled voters and special interest groups who disagree with policy positions to take out their frustrations, rather than over malfeasance or other violations of elected office. A 2019 report by the Pew Trusts on the Colorado recalls that year, which included challenges to Polis and two Democratic state senators, said "[g]rowing partisanship has made both Republicans and Democrats willing to embrace once unthinkable political tactics, such as recalls."

Howard Schweber, a professor of political science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison also said in the Pew report that "as ideological positions become more extreme, the fact that the other party is in office becomes more intolerable." That aversion isnt irrational, Schweber said, as partisanship can lead the party in power to enact more extreme policies.

Kristi Burton Brown, chair of the Colorado Republican Party, said "it's the Democrats way of preventing citizens from speaking through a recall. The point of a recall is to allow a new person to represent them, and sometimes that's a person of a different political party." Democrats have been angry about recalls for years, she said, and they view this as an opportunity, with overwhelming majorities, to take away the ability for Republicans to hold them accountable.

Whether the party might challenge the bill legally will be up to the next party chair, Burton Brown said, but she also said she believes the measure could be unconstitutional. "To take away the right of citizens to have the option of a second party on the ballot sounds unconstitutional," and that she hopes the governor takes that into account should the bill arrive on his desk.

House Bill 1185 now heads to the full House.
The bill allowing local governments to impose rent control ordinances cleared the state House on Monday, but its future as it heads to the state Senate is up in the air.

Under current law, the state bars local governments from adopting policies to control rent or keep rates low.

House Bill 1115 would lift that state preemption, allowing local governments to impose such policies if they choose to do so, according to Rep. Javier Mabrey, D-Denver, one of the bills prime sponsors.

HB 1115 passed on a 40-24 vote in the state House on Monday with five Democrats representing Colorado Springs, Durango, Denver, Westminster and Highlands Ranch voting no, along with the chambers 19 Republicans.

The measure is among several approaches policymakers are considering as an answer to Colorado's acute housing shortage.

Supporters say rent prices are out of control and that allowing local governments to impose rent stabilization measures could help with the escalating crisis in affordable housing. The measure's critics, meanwhile, argue that imposing rent control helps people in the short term but that, in the long run, it decreases affordability, fuels gentrification and creates "negative spillovers" onto surrounding neighborhoods.

Colorado's housing needs are acute. One study says that, just in the past seven years, the cost to buy a home has doubled, with half of that spike occurring in the last two years, even as household income has not kept pace. The study also says that, through 2021, the housing deficit stood between 25,000 and 117,000 units and the state needs 20,000 and 46,000 permits each year through 2025 to close that gap.

When HB 1115 came up for second reading debate last Friday, all eyes were on what the sponsors might do to make the bill palatable to the governor, who is "skeptical" about the need for rent control.

But the only change lawmakers adopted was to exempt nonprofit organizations that own affordable housing from the proposal's provisions. Mabrey said those organizations already utilize rent "stabilization," so there is no need to include them in the measure.

A spokesman for Gov. Jared Polis said recently the governor is "skeptical that rent control will create more housing stock, and locations with these policies often have the unintended consequences of higher rent."

It also means Polis may be relying on Senate Democrats to put the bill into the trash can and avoid having to use his veto pen on a bill strongly favored by progressive Democrats, including some  but not all  of the candidates running for Denver mayor.

Colorados prohibition on rent control dates back to a 1981 state law, a response to a citizen initiative in Boulder that imposed rent control, and a 2000 Colorado Supreme Court ruling on an ordinance from Telluride.

The 1981 state law said rent control on private residential housing is a matter of statewide concern and local governments cannot enact ordinances or resolutions that would control rent on either private residential property or a private residential housing unit.

As introduced, HB 1115 would repeal that section of statute. It also strikes a similar section of statute that applies to land use regulation in which rent control is imposed on newly constructed or redeveloped housing.

House lawmakers debated the bill for close to four hours on Friday, with supporters making the argument that local governments should be able to make their own decisions about rent stabilization.

Whether lawmakers will sing the same tune when the majority's package of affordable housing bills surface in the coming weeks  some which are expected to attempt to strip away local government authority on issues such as building codes and zoning  is a larger question.

We all want our constituents to be able to live the dream of buying a home and building intergenerational wealth, Mabrey said on Friday.

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This bill can open the door to that for Colorado renters, he added.

Mabreys employer, the Community Economic Defense Project, has hired three lobbyists to convince legislators to support the bill.

Rep. Jenny Willford, D-Northglenn, added the bill allows local elected officials, who are closest to the people, to solve the problem their communities face. Co-sponsor Rep. Elizabeth Velasco, D-Glenwood Springs, also championed the local control argument, saying local communities should be able to create their own solutions.

Rep. Marc Catlin, R-Montrose, said the problem is not rent control  its the lack of available units.

Catlin said the worry is that landlords would, as a result of the legislation, sell their units and get out of the market altogether, shrinking the rental market and making the housing crunch worse.

We havent delved deep enough into the problem, he said, adding that policymakers are trying to solve the problem from an urban point of view.

Lawmakers said they have received hundreds of emails about the bill.

The debate continued on Monday in advance of the bills final House vote.

None of the Western Slope communities is set up to do this, said Rep. Rick Taggart, R-Grand Junction, who called the bill an unfunded mandate for local governments.

We havent put anything aside to help them, with budgets that are extremely tight ... weve dumped another responsibility on them, he said. Is this local control or is this legislature forcing something on local governments that theyre not prepared for?

Velasco countered that people should be able to live and work in the same community and her district has been heavily affected by wildfires.

When people dont live where they work, it puts their lives at risk, she said, adding her district only has one major highway when a wildfire forces evacuation.

I know too well the rural-urban divide, Velasco said. This is good for rural communities and workers.

While House Democrats have greenlighted HB 1115, its journey through the state Senate may hit a stop sign.

One of those signs came during a mayoral debate last Friday hosted by the Colorado Association of Realtors, when Sen. Chris Hansen, D-Denver, weighed in squarely against the bill, the second time he has done so in a debate this month.

The clear answer is no, Hansen said, in response to a question about the bill. I do not see this bill making it out of the Senate just so you know. I think we don't have a path forward for this legislatively. And I would just say I think we've had much better success with income qualified approaches and I think Denver needs to build on that success, which is what I was sharing with you earlier."

In the Senate, the bill could be assigned to one of several committees, with the Local Government and Housing Committee as the most likely panel. But with a slim 4-3 Democratic majority, it would take only one Democrat to switch sides and vote the bill down.
Resolving a question it had never addressed before, the Colorado Supreme Court ruled on Monday that trial judges may not order the parties in a criminal case to participate in mediation to potentially reach a plea agreement.

Although prosecutors and defendants can voluntarily decide to sit down with a neutral third party and discuss how to resolve the case, the justices emphasized that state law does not require district attorneys to engage in plea negotiations in the first place. Furthermore, the law prohibits judges from involving themselves in those discussions.

That the People are vested with the discretion to engage in plea discussions necessarily means that they are vested with the discretion to refrain from engaging in plea discussions, wrote Justice Carlos A. Samour Jr., referring to the prosecution. What the defendant cannot do is enlist the courts assistance via an order for mediation to try to force the People to extend an offer or to consider a more favorable offer.

Jeff Chostner, the district attorney for Pueblo County, said his office has engaged in mediation before and found it to be helpful sometimes.

However, there are limits to what a court can order and those limits were exceeded in this case. The judiciary cannot order a prosecutor to enter into a process or resolution that it does not believe is in the best interests of the People, he said.

The unusual circumstances arose from four criminal proceedings in Pueblo County against James Lee Justice, who faces a host of serious charges. He stands accused of shooting at police officers, throwing a bomb into his neighbors yard and exploding another bomb near responding officers. The charges against Justice include assault and attempted murder.

The defense moved for the trial judge to order mediation in the four pending cases, arguing that it would create the opportunity for all parties to have a frank exchange about their positions, and enable an objective third party to provide feedback.

On Aug. 17, 2022, District Court Judge Allison P. Ernst held a hearing on the request.

I think I can order mediation in this case, she said to the prosecutor. Me ordering mediation does not mean you have to make an offer, but Id like a good faith attempt to see if theres some way to work these cases out.

The district attorneys office subsequently asked Ernst to reconsider, raising the issue of separation of powers. One of Justices attorneys, Michael S. Emmons, responded to say he has personally participated in court-ordered mediations of criminal cases in multiple judicial districts, and argued Ernst had not interfered with any decision-making by the prosecution as an arm of the executive branch.

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The judge agreed, clarifying she was not directing (an) investigation or prosecution of Justices cases, and suggested Justices request for mediation indicated he was willing to plead guilty under the right conditions.

The Court is very aware that there is no guarantee of success, but believes it is worth a morning or afternoon of the time of the parties to mediate in good faith, Ernst wrote.

She ordered the parties to contact the mediator, retired Pueblo County Judge Scott B. Epstein, to provide him with the relevant materials. Epstein, in emailing the parties, asked for a confidential settlement statement and a description of each sides strengths and weaknesses. He also invited them to submit a CD of evidence.

Prosecutors in Pueblo County then appealed directly to the Supreme Court, arguing Ernsts directive was well-intentioned, but impermissibly told the district attorneys office how to use its resources in prosecuting Justice. They contended that there were logistical concerns with mediation, but more fundamentally, a judges role is not to decide for the prosecution whether to engage in plea negotiations.

In other words, can a criminal court require mediation as a prerequisite to proceed with a case in the criminal adjudicative process and/or to get to trial? wrote Megan Rasband on behalf of Chostners office. An affirmative answer unquestionably usurps the prosecutions executive function and creates an un-remediable separation of powers violation.

The Colorado Attorney Generals Office, representing Ernst, cited the states Dispute Resolution Act, which generally empowers judges to refer any case for mediation services. It also cautioned the Supreme Court against being the first jurisdiction in the country to decide that court-ordered mediation in criminal cases violates the separation of powers.

The Supreme Court was unmoved by the attorney generals argument. First, the Dispute Resolution Act governs civil, not criminal, cases, wrote Samour in the Feb. 27 opinion. Second, the states criminal law does not authorize court-ordered mediation. District attorneys may  not must  engage in plea negotiations and trial judges, by contrast, shall not participate in such discussions.

Moreover, the court issued the mediation order at Justices behest, after he was unsuccessful in obtaining a more favorable offer from the People. Under these circumstances, requiring the People to participate in mediation was tantamount to ordering them to consider a different offer, Samour added.

The court based its decision, in part, on its own ruling from 2010, Crumb v. People, in which the pressure to resolve a case cut in the other direction. There, a judge suggested a defendant should take a deal from the prosecution in lieu of significant time in prison following a trial. The Supreme Court decided the judge had violated the prohibition against participating in plea discussions.

The case is People v. Justice.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry visited Turkiye on Monday to show solidarity after two massive earthquakes jolted southern Turkiye, his first visit after a decade of tense relations.

Egypts Foreign Ministry said the trip aims to show solidarity with the two countries and their brotherly peoples after the devastating earthquake that hit Syria and Turkiye earlier this month.

The 7.7 and 7.6 magnitude quakes on Feb. 6 killed more than 46,000 people in both countries.

Id like to thank Egypt for the support they extended to us within such a short time, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavushoglu said at a joint press conference with Shoukry in front of an Egyptian vessel carrying aid at the Port of Mersin in the eponymous Turkish Mediterranean province. He said Egypt sent at least 520 tons of humanitarian assistance to Turkiye in addition to early deliveries in the immediate aftermath of the catastrophe. Friendship and brotherhood can be seen in challenging times. The Egyptian people showed that they are the brothers and sisters of Turkiye once again in those challenging times, the minister added.

As you know, we are opening new pages in our relations with Egypt. In Doha, President (Recep Tayyip) Erdogan met (Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi). The meeting was very beneficial. A short while ago, in our meeting at the airport, we discussed which steps we can take to improve our relations. Improving relations between Turkiye and Egypt will benefit both sides, not only for the two countries but also for the stability and economic development of the region. As we said during our cold relations, Egypt is important for the region, Palestinians, the Arab world, and Africa as long as Egypt is strong. I certainly believe we can improve our relations. We will continue working together to improve our relations even further. The fact that my brother Sameh Shoukry is here today in Turkiye is important and meaningful for us, he said.

For his part, Shoukry said: I want to express gratitude for the warm welcome here. I have a message of solidarity and support to the friendly Turkish people on behalf of the government, leadership and Egyptian people. This catastrophe broke our hearts, and we are working in our full capacity to support our brothers and sisters in Turkiye, to overcome this catastrophe. Aid supplies that Egypt sent were the least Egypt could do to mitigate the suffering of people who were hit by the catastrophe. We prioritized ships through the Suez Canal (carrying aid to Turkiye), he said.

Egypt has provided more than 1,200 tons of aid material since the earthquakes. In addition, Egypts trade ship Al Hurreya arrived Monday morning at the Port of Mersin with 525 tons of additional aid, including tents, blankets, mobile toilets, beds and hygiene products.

Condolences have poured in from around the world expressing solidarity with Turkiye, with many countries sending rescue teams and aid, including Egypt.
According to a statement from Mason City Police Chief Jeff Brinkley, Tuesday morning, the Mason City Fire and Police Departments responded to numerous fire calls, occurring between 5:22 a.m. and 7:15 a.m. at the following locations:

Garage fire at 324 S Kentucky Avenue at 5:22 a.m.; brush fire at Birch Drive and North Rhode Island Avenue at 5:30 a.m.; vehicle fire at Arona Home Essentials, located at 3701 Fourth St. SW at 6:25 a.m.; structure fire at Brothers Ace Hardware, located at 440 S Illinois Avenue at 6:45 a.m.; and a structure fire at Gracious Estates, 777 S Eisenhower Avenue at 7:15 a.m.

No injuries were reported at any of the locations.

Zachary Bruce Sankey, 38, is in custody at the Cerro Gordo County Jail on charges for burglary and arson after being identified as a suspect at Brothers Ace Hardware.

Both the fire and police departments are requesting the publics help in the investigation. Anyone with information or video footage regarding the fires is asked to call the Mason City Police Department at 641-421-3636.

Clear Lake Fire and Ambulance, the Iowa State Fire Marshal, and the Iowa State Patrol assisted in the response and investigation of the fires.
SEATTLE  You can change your name, but in many states you can't completely shed your old one  something that's of particular concern to transgender people and that legislators in at least two states are trying to change.

A bill in Washington would allow gender expression and identity as reasons to seal, or keep out of the public record, a future petition for a name change. And a California bill would require the sealing of petitions by minors to change their name and gender on identity documents.

Advocates warn that in states where such petitions aren't sealed, transgender people can be susceptible to cyberbullying or even physical violence because their previous names, and by extension their lives, are an open book in the public record. Students, for instance, can and do easily find and share such records when looking for background on a new kid in town, one advocate noted.

Maia Xiao, a University of Washington graduate student, changed her name in that state and said the publication of a transgender friend's name-change records in an online forum led to harassment, including hate mail. She wrote last summer to Democratic state Sen. Jamie Pedersen to urge reform.

"It feels very close to me," said Xiao, who would not disclose the name of her friend, citing privacy. "I don't live a very online life, but it's really scary to know that something so personal can be so easily accessed by transphobic trolls who want to cause harm."

Pedersen is sponsoring the Washington legislation, which passed the Senate this month with bipartisan support and is expected to also pass the House. The bill is modeled on laws in New York and Oregon and also would extend records privacy to refugees, emancipated minors and people who have been granted asylum.

Currently, only people subjected to domestic violence can have their name changes easily sealed in Washington. Some other states, including California, also make exceptions for victims of crimes such as human trafficking, stalking and sexual assault.

"This seemed to me like a simple action that could go a long way in making transgender people a lot safer in our state," Pedersen said.

Some officials and law enforcement officers worry that criminals who request a name change could escape accountability under the proposals. The Washington bill would allow courts to unseal a name change file if law enforcement had reasonable suspicions, and sex offenders and incarcerated people would be ineligible for a sealed name change.

The approaches contrast starkly with recent and mysterious moves in Florida and Texas to compile lists of trans residents using public records, and as lawmakers in at least 39 states consider a torrent of anti-trans bills.

Republicans' "disturbing" requests for data on transgender residents in some of those states add urgency to his proposal, Pedersen said.

The office of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton last year requested data on how many people changed the gender information on their driver's licenses. The Texas Department of Public Safety found over 16,000 gender changes during the prior two years but didn't turn over data because it could not determine the reason for each change.

In Florida, Gov. Ron DeSantis asked state universities last month for data on students who sought or received treatments for gender dysphoria.

Harassment from such disclosures can target young trans people who struggle with mental health issues or gender dysphoria, advocates say. The same internet forum that Xiao said targeted her friend came under fire last year for instances of doxxing trans people, or maliciously publishing their personal information online, and was linked to suicides.

Peers may search students' names as they move to a new school and can easily find and share court records related to their petitions for a name and gender change, said Kathie Moehlig, executive director of the San Diego nonprofit TransFamily Support Services. She approached California Assembly Speaker Pro Tem Chris Ward with the idea for the bill after students she advises brought the trend to her attention.

Many families with trans children aren't even aware such records are public, Moehlig said.

The California bill, introduced last month, would require the state to seal any petition filed by a person under 18 for a change to gender and sex or to gender, sex and name in identity documents. Also sealed would be documents from a petitioner's court proceedings.

San Diego lawyer Clarice Barrelet, whose 11-year-old son is transgender, said simply plugging his name into a search engine shows his legal gender change.

He had insisted by age 6 that he should not be called a girl and would grow up to be a man, Barrelet said. He came out as transgender at age 8 and changed the name and pronouns he used in school even before his mom sought a legal change to his identity documents.

Barrelet said she thinks those records should be sealed for children and adults to better protect their privacy.

Ward, a San Diego County Democrat and vice chair of the California Legislative LGBTQ Caucus, said he hopes his bill will reduce the risk of bullying for gender-nonconforming children. He noted that being outed can be especially traumatic for young people who are still processing their identities.

"I want them to certainly be comfortable," Ward said, "and free to be themselves."
GREENSBORO  The newest version of a bill that would require NC high school students to take and pass computer science includes a major change.

Previously, the bill had also called for a science requirement to be dropped  potentially Earth/Environmental Science. That prompted pushback, however, from some members of the General Assembly and from some science teachers.

Now, the bill states that the total number of electives students have to take would decrease by one instead. Science requirements would stay the same, as would the total number of courses to graduate.

The computer science bill, HB 8, is supported by the states Department of Public Instruction. It has passed the House K-12 Education and State Government committees and has been referred to the House rules committee. It has yet to be voted on by the full House.

If the legislation becomes law, the new computer science requirement would go into effect with ninth-grade students beginning in the 2024-25 school year. It also requires that middle schools offer a computer science as an elective.

The computer science mandate is designed to help more young people become prepared for jobs in growing computer-related fields, said NC Rep. Erin Pare, a Wake County Republican and bill sponsor.

The Triads Rep. Jon Hardister, R-Whitsett, is another of the bills sponsors. He said he thinks it is garnering bipartisan support in the House.

Hardister said he is sponsoring the bill because he sees it as beneficial to the workforce in North Carolina, and he said hes hearing support from the companies with whom hes spoken about it.

From blue-collar to white-collar to clerical, Hardister said, workers are having to use computers or digital devices in some form. Factory workers, he said, are are having to use computerized machinery that must be programmed to operate. Clerical workers, he said, need skills like working with computer spreadsheets.

He said he believed the computer science requirement would incorporate basic skills like that as part of what is taught.

The bill defines computer science as the study of computers and computers and algorithmic processes, including their principles, hardware and software designs, implementation, and impact on society. For the graduation requirement, it prescribes that students would learn about using existing technologies and about creating new technologies.

Michael Antkiewicz, a professional programmer in Greensboro, wrote in a News & Record letter to the editor that he thinks it would be better to integrate coding into other classes, rather than to require computer science separately for high school graduation.

When coding is integrated into another discipline like science or math, it emphasizes the power of code in a certain context that the students can see tangibly, he wrote. This propels students through the frustrating, technical aspects of coding.

One Triad education leader said earlier this month that because students are exposed to the basics of computer technology from an early age, she doesnt see the merits of requiring computer science for graduation.

I do not think mandating another class meets the needs of all students and it reduces student flexibility, said Tricia McManus, the superintendent of Winston-Salem/Forsyth Schools. We want students to be able to explore their passions.
RALEIGH  Elaine Marshall, North Carolinas Secretary of State since 1997, thought she knew the patterns of new businesses registering with her office, but starting in mid-2020 she saw a puzzling change.

It was June 2020 and the rocket started shooting up, she said.

Amid the disruptions of the pandemic, the numbers surged. Filings for new business in 2021 set a record at 178,300. Last years filings nearly matched that peak. Since 2019, new business creations in North Carolina are up by more than 70%.

Marshalls office began a survey, she said, to find out what was going on. More than 4,000 people responded.

The results revealed that many new businesses were being launched by women and minorities, with low-income counties in eastern North Carolina showing major upticks. Some people were looking for ways to balance work and child care. Some had lost jobs and learned new skills. Some were turning a hobby into a business.

There are a lot of folks who really want to be their own boss, Marshall said.

Of course, thats not a new feeling, but the pandemic has created new opportunities to act on it. The American Rescue Plan Act has provided more than $6.6 billion for small business expansion and the worker shortage has given individuals confidence that if a venture fails, they can find a job.

The trend is a national one. The U.S. Census Bureau reports that 10.4 million new businesses were formed in 2021 and 2022  the highest two-year total on record.

There are a lot of unknowns about this surge, especially how long it will last and how many of the startups will survive. But it may well be an indicator that President Joe Biden is moving the nation away from trickle-down economic policies of tax cuts and deregulation that benefit corporations to a build from the middle out approach that favors middle-class entrepreneurs. In Raleigh, Amanda Buck, 36, is part of that trend. A veterinary technician, she recently launched her own pet care business.

This is something Ive been thinking about for years, she said.

A strong job market provides a backup as Buck sets out on her own. My field is very short-staffed, she said. So, if I need to get a job, I can find one. Thats a very big plus for me.

Anne Shaw, state director of the Small Business Center Network, an agency within the community college system said, North Carolina is just a hotbed for entrepreneurship right now. Its part of what she called a great reset as people look for more autonomy in their work.

I do believe we have had a fundamental shift in terms of how people look at the work that they do and how they want to live their lives and that is translating into an economic shift, she said. Whether that is temporary or long term, it will take a long time before we are able to see that.

Marshall is encouraged by so many people starting their own businesses, but shes worried about how many will make it. She said 25% of new businesses fail in the first three years and 50% end within seven years.

We want to improve those odds, she said.

One problem with people going into business on their own, she explained, is that they often have passion, but lack planning. Most people surveyed by her office said they relied on the Secretary of States registration process for information on how to get started, but Marshall said they also need help with business plans and funding options. Her office has set up a new business checklist to make those starting out aware of the many state services that can help.

Marshall is still not sure whats behind this burst of new businesses, but she knows its still happening.

Januarys numbers were the highest for January ever, she said. We were just a few shy of 60,000 new entities. So this years off to a robust start.
Justice and Commerce Departments Announce Creation of Disruptive Technology Strike Force

Today, the Department of Justice and the Department of Commerce are launching the Disruptive Technology Strike Force. Under the leadership of the Justice Departments National Security Division and the Commerce Departments Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS), the strike force will bring together experts throughout government  including the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and 14 U.S. Attorneys Offices in 12 metropolitan regions across the country  to target illicit actors, strengthen supply chains and protect critical technological assets from being acquired or used by nation-state adversaries.

Today, autocrats seek tactical advantage through the acquisition, use, and abuse of Americas most innovative technology. They use it to enhance their military capabilities, support mass surveillance programs that enable human rights abuses and all together undermine our values, said Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco. Using real-time intelligence and 21st century data analytics, the Disruptive Technology Strike Force will bring together the Justice and Commerce Departments expertise to strike back against adversaries trying to siphon off our most advanced technology, and to attack tomorrows national security threats today.

The Department of Commerce's Bureau of Industry and Security remains steadfast in our coordination with our federal partners at the Department of Justice and vigilant in our enforcement of our export controls, said U.S. Deputy Secretary of Commerce Don Graves. This interagency strike force will further strengthen this shared national security priority.

Illegally exporting sensitive technology is not an abstract economic concern  it is a crime with a direct impact on the safety of the American people, said FBI Deputy Director Paul Abbate. To be clear, adversaries are directly threatening our national security. These crimes have the potential to de-stabilize American economic security, negatively impact American businesses, and affect employment. The FBI looks forward to amplifying our collective capability to combat the threat through this strike force  a partnership that will serve as a force multiplier to the work involving each participating agency.

The strike force will be co-led by Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Departments National Security Division and Assistant Secretary for Export Enforcement Matthew Axelrod of the Commerce Departments Bureau of Industry and Security.

When acquired by nation-state adversaries such as the Peoples Republic of China, Iran, Russia, and North Korea, advanced technologies can be used in new or novel ways to enhance their military capabilities or support mass surveillance programs that enable human rights abuses. End users of national security concern seek technologies, including those related to supercomputing and exascale computing, artificial intelligence, advanced manufacturing equipment and materials, quantum computing, and biosciences. Although they have important commercial uses, technologies in these fields can threaten U.S. national security when used by adversaries for disruptive purposes, such as improving calculations in weapons design and testing; improving the speed and accuracy of military or intelligence decision-making; and breaking or developing unbreakable encryption algorithms that protect sensitive communications and classified information.

The Disruptive Technology Strike Force takes aim at those who imperil our national security and the rule of law by illegally transferring sensitive technologies to foreign adversaries, said Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen. We must remain vigilant in enforcing export control laws, which defend military readiness, preserve our technological superiority over our adversaries, and help to protect human rights and democratic values.

Advances in technology have the potential to alter the worlds balance of power, said Assistant Secretary for Export Enforcement Matthew S. Axelrod. This strike force is designed to protect U.S. national security by preventing those sensitive technologies from being used for malign purposes.

The strike forces work will focus on investigating and prosecuting criminal violations of export laws; enhancing administrative enforcement of U.S. export controls; fostering partnerships with the private sector; leveraging international partnerships to coordinate law enforcement actions and disruption strategies; utilizing advanced data analytics and all-source intelligence to develop and build investigations; conducting regular trainings for field offices; and strengthening connectivity between the strike force and the Intelligence Community.

In addition to the National Security Division and the Bureau of Industry and Security, this strike force will be comprised of officials from designated U.S. Attorneys Offices throughout the country, the FBI and the Department of Homeland Securitys Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

HSI remains committed to our interagency partners and will continue to work tirelessly on behalf of the American people to ensure sensitive technologies and proprietary information do not fall into the hands of our adversaries, said Acting Executive Associate Director Steve Francis of Homeland Security Investigations.

The strike force will operate in 12 metropolitan regions across the United States, with oversight and support from the local U.S. Attorneys Offices in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York City (Southern and Eastern Districts of New York), San Jose, California, Phoenix, Portland, Oregon, and the Washington, D.C. region (District of Columbia and the Eastern District of Virginia).

This story has been published on: 2023-02-28. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
The White House on Monday gave government agencies 30 days to ensure they do not have Chinese-owned app TikTok on federal devices and systems, Reuters reports.

In a bid to keep U.S. data safe, all federal agencies must eliminate TikTok from phones and systems and prohibit internet traffic from reaching the company, Office of Management and Budget Director Shalanda Young told agencies in a guidance memorandum seen by Reuters.

The ban, ordered by Congress late last year, follows similar actions from Canada, the EU, Taiwan and more than half of U.S. states.

The device ban - while impacting a tiny portion of TikTok's U.S. user base - adds fuel to calls for an outright ban on the video-sharing app. National security concerns about China surged in recent weeks after a Chinese balloon drifted over the U.S.
Saturday Night Live in Helena, a 40-year comedy tradition that pokes fun at whats happening or not happening at the state Capitol, returns March 15-18 at the Myrna Loy.

This year, it widens its scope to take in the "absurdities of the nations Capitol," organizers said.

And, as of now, there are at least three songs about amending the Montana Constitution, which some lawmakers advocate.

SNL, starring the usual suspects plus a lot of fresh faces, hits the stage at 7:30 p.m. nightly during its four-day run. Tickets are $25 and available online at https://themyrnaloy.com/, 15 N. Ewing St., or call 406-443-0287.

We are just looking at all the things that are going on in our country, our culture, our state and community to see if we can find a way to laugh together about it, says director Randy Furhrmann.

Some special guests are dropping by, such as former SNL director Mokey McNeilly for a couple nights, as well as cast members from the Virginia City Brewery Follies on March 17 and 18.
The two suspects of Thursday nights shooting at Ryan Fields in which two teens were injured have made their initial appearances in front of Justice of the Peace Mike Swingley.

Jonathan James Countryman from Helena, 18, appeared Friday, and Julien McKnight, 18, from Clancy appeared Monday. They appeared digitally from the Lewis and Clark County Detention Center where they are being detained.

Countryman was charged with two felony counts of attempted deliberate homicide  each has a 100-year-maximum and a 10-year-minimum sentence.

McKnight was charged with two felony counts of attempted deliberate homicide  a 100-year-maximum and 10-year-minimum sentence. He was also charged with two felony counts of tampering with evidence, which can carry a $50,000 fine and up to 10 years.

The state recommended a $750,000 bond for McKnight, and Swingley agreed to it, noting how they set Countrymans bond at that as well.

This is a case where multiple shots were fired. Reported injury appeared to be from a firearm fired at close range, County Attorney Kevin Downs said at McKnights initial appearance Monday. The alleged conduct raises significant public safety concerns.

Downs cited that it was reported the defendants left the scene, so there is a possibility of them being flight risks if they make bail and that they tampered with evidence.

Release conditions are they cannot leave Montana without court permission, cannot possess firearms or other weapons, can have no contact with alleged victims, witnesses or codefendant, no drugs or alcohol, no bars or casinos, submit to a random urine analysis upon release and they must make all further court appearances in person, according to court documents.

The dispute that led to the shooting first started among a group of people at the skatepark on 1202 N. Last Chance Gulch, according to the affidavit. The argument continued over Snapchat, where they agreed to meet at Ryan Fields near the Lewis and Clark County Fairgrounds to fight that night.

At the fields, Countrymans vehicle was blocked in by two other vehicles parked in front of and behind it, according to court documents. A person exited one of the vehicles and used a tire iron to start striking the passenger side. Another person tried to pull Countryman out to fight him.

Witnesses stated that it was at the time Countryman was being grabbed that shots were fired from the vehicle, striking two juveniles ages 15 and 17. The two wounded teens were driven to St. Peters Health. Officers interviewed them at the hospital. The Lewis and Clark County Attorney's office declined to release the condition of the two teens, citing patient confidentiality concerns.

Police were dispatched to Ryan Fields around 9:24 p.m. Thursday. According to Accuweather.com temperatures in Helena ranged from minus 11 to minus 2 that day.

Detectives requested an emergency ping on Countrymans cellphone, and it placed his location just south of Ryan Fields. For the next hour, officers searched until law enforcement received a call from a woman who stated a young man pulled into her driveway asking for antifreeze but left before she could get it to him.

Officers stopped Countryman's vehicle and he was alone. The drivers side window was broken out and glass was still on the drivers seat, police said. No gun was visible, but officers saw what appeared to be blood inside the vehicle, according to court documents.

Countryman made no attempt to contact authorities to report the incident, authorities said. He was interviewed by detectives and initially did not mention the shooting.

As the interview continued, Countryman added details, such as hearing a random gunshot and having his window shot out. He mentioned that two other people were in his vehicle and that he took them home after going to Ryan Fields.

He stated that he then drove to another young mans residence in Clancy whom he identified as Julien, but he told officials he didnt know Juliens last name. It was learned later that Juliens last name was McKnight. Countryman agreed to letting officers swab his hands for gun residue and obtain a reference DNA.

His story started to change after he was read witness statements, authorities said. He stated how he was boxed in and how the group began attacking his vehicle and pulling him out of it. He didnt want to provide more information about McKnight because he didnt want to get him involved, officials said.

Detectives told Countryman that people were saying the shooter was in his vehicle and that one witness named him as the shooter. Countryman then stated that the initial plan was for McKnight to have the gun in the backseat. Countryman would try to talk to the group, but if things went bad, McKnight would start shooting, according to court documents.

After the shooting, McKnight took the gun into his home and told Countryman to lie to investigators about what happened for his own safety, court documents stated.

McKnight was arrested Friday afternoon. His first statement was asking if he had killed anybody, said officials. During his interview, he admitted he was involved in the incident.

He stated that he retrieved an M14 rifle and three loaded magazines to bring to the field. In the end, he said he fired about five rounds at no one in particular once they started attacking Countryman. He wasnt sure if he hit anybody and said he joked about the incident afterward.

McKnight stated that when Countryman was driving him back to Clancy, they pulled over and cleaned shell casings out of the vehicle. Countryman cleaned some blood off the windshield of the vehicle. They drove to McKnights house, put their clothes in a bag to clean later and took showers.

Authorities stated that during the interview Julien was very apologetic and acknowledged his actions were not reasonable given the situation, according to an affidavit filed on Feb. 27 in Justice Court of Helena.

All are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
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The state Department of Commerce and Carroll College have completed a new data model to help plan for future community development and land use.

The tool, at bit.ly/3YYxilc, is the result of a semester-long collaboration between Carrolls Math in the Mountains students and Commerces Research and Information Services Bureau. Work began on the new data model in September.

The data model predicts population at the county level for the next 20 years, not only the standard variables of births, deaths and migration but also available housing and personal income into the mix. When tested against prior years, the model had an average error of only 504 residents from the actual population in the five largest counties.

Whats best about this model is not just what it provides today for Montanas economic developers and planners, but how it can be customized going forward to meet a communitys unique characteristics, said Mary Craigle, the bureau chief of the state's Research and Information Services. County-specific data sets and layers can be added to better model local conditions. Additional variables, including age, transportation accessibility and available land can all be added and tested to see if they improve the accuracy of the prediction.

Montanas population is expected to increase from 1,112,000 to 1,200,000 by 2035, based on the model. Lewis and Clark County is projected to increase from 70,231 in 2020 to 82,336 in the next 20 years.

The state website for the new population growth prediction tool also has lots of other features, like a visualization of how many vacant homes were in each county in the state as of 2020.

Flathead County ranks No. 1 in the state for vacant housing units, with 7,394, followed by Gallatin County at 5,718 and Yellowstone County, home to Billings, with 4,226.

Out of the 31,621 housing units reported in Lewis and Clark County in 2019, 3,728 were vacant.

Vacant homes can include a high proportion of second homes of high-income people, many of whom may not even live in the state. Many cities and states around the country have considered or implemented "vacant property taxes" on these types of homes.

As state lawmakers confront a housing crisis of epic proportions during the legislative session this winter, the tool gives them data to see into the future of population growth.

Counties in Montana are very diverse, so we had to try to come up with general mathematical strategies which would be broadly applicable for all counties, Carroll College math and data science professor Kelly Cline said. We had different inputs, different back data, for each county, but it all goes into one model.

Senate Bill 245, which is making its way through the Legislature, would allow multifamily housing in all commercially zoned areas in cities with a population over 7,000 as long as they were connected to municipal sewer and water. The bill passed out of committee last week on an 8-1 vote and will be heard by the full Montana Senate soon.

"Nothing is certain," Cline said, noting the model obviously can't take into account "black swan" events like a pandemic or a climate disaster. "But it's good to have an educated guess."

State officials agree. The Montana Department of Commerce estimates it saved $100,000 in consulting and development fees by having this tool, because the data is both necessary and valuable.

Creating this data model helps Montana communities, big and small, source the information they need to properly prepare, plan and develop for the future, with the added benefit to add updated data for years to come, which results in huge savings, for the agency and communities, said Scott Osterman, the director of the Montana Department of Commerce.

Carrolls Math in the Mountains course combines the mathematical modeling skills learned in the classroom with real-world applications found in the workplace. Previous collaborations between the program and local organizations have created usable results. The program has analyzed inventory data for the Helena Food Share, initiated a more efficient scheduling system for physical therapists at St. Peters Health and analyzed membership and visitation data for Helenas ExplorationWorks science museum.

This story was written by staff writers David Erickson and Megan Michelotti.
Mamma Mia, here we go again -- for the 30th time at Helenas annual Night to Shine Talent Show that lit up the stage Monday Night at the Helena Civic Center.

Dancers Eliana Lundstrom, Kelsie McGowan, Mikayla Stafford, Milla Compton, Ellie Mercer and Natalya Routzahn opened the 17-act show in groovy get-ups leaping and twirling to the 1975 hit Mamma Mia by ABBA.

Capital High School Distributive Education Clubs of America (DECA) coordinator Levi Dawes highlighted that it was the second show back in person since the COVID-19 pandemic.

Were ahead of where weve been (on tickets) the last couple of years, so thats a plus, said Dawes. Were excited to see the performers. Weve got 17 really good acts.

The two other dancing acts of the night included Irish dancers prancing and tapping their way along the stage to modern pop songs and the bubbly Helena High Bengalettes performing More Than You Know. This is the Bengalettes second year in a row in the show.

Sophie Clark was seated, ready to cheer on her brother, Thomas Clark, an Irish dancer.

I'm excited, Sophie said. I think hell probably do a good job.

Sophie was correct about the Irish dancers doing a good job. Tim Clark, Thomas and Sophies dad, added that the dancing group has been rehearsing once a week for a little over an hour since November for the talent show.

Many firsts hit the stage on Monday night. Matthew Shields of East Helena High School performed Elvis Presleys If I can Dream on the piano; this is the first time the invitation has been extended to high schools outside of Helena.

Another "pawsitively" spectacular first was McKennah Danielson and her dog Page executing tricks on stage such as pushing a cart, jumping through a hoop and going in and out between her legs. Page is the first dog in all 30 years to hit the stage for Night to Shine.

Following that was Alessia Biancheri, an exchange student from Italy, singing Quando Viene di Cember, or Once Upon a December, from the film Anastasia in Italian in a sparkling blue gown similar to that of the title character. Not many, if any, exchange students audition for the talent show.

There were 11 musical acts. From the original song Butterfly Catcher by Penelope Williams to Star Wars Binary Sunset on the French horn from Carson Payne to John Goodwin floating over the black and white keys on William Tell Overture, there was something distinctive for everyones ears.

Goodwin has performed four times at Night to Shine. He also played two pieces with the jazz band Blue Men Group on Monday to close the show.

I was a little nervous, but you cant see everyone with the lights on, said Carlee Foster, who sang Long Live Cowgirls alongside Makenzie Grotbo on the violin and Cohen Boyd accompanying her on voice and electric guitar.

Spoken word made an appearance as well with Lyla Acherman bottling up the crowd with her poem Taylor, The Latte Boy.

Night to Shine is put on by DECA at Capital High School and Helena High School. DECA is a club that prepares students for finance, marketing, hospitality and management in their futures.

Night to shine provides our students with a hands-on learning opportunity, said Jessica Frazier, HHS DECA coordinator. This experience provides our students with the ability to become leaders in their community and learn how to plan, promote and implement a large-scale event like Night to Shine. The funds raised for tonight will help our students compete at the state and national level.

This year, 13 DECA students from CHS and HHS will be heading to Orlando in the DECA International Career Development Conference on April 22-25 alongside over 20,000 other high school students.

Being the 30th is huge, and its exciting to have the communitys support, said Frazier.

Photos: Local talent shines at Night to Shine
A bill that would in part disallow the awarding of attorneys fees for successfully litigating for a prescriptive easement was heard and quickly passed a Senate committee on Tuesday.

A prescriptive easement is a legal concept rooted in English common law. Under Montana law, a prescriptive easement across private property is established by open, exclusive, notorious, hostile, adverse, continuous, and uninterrupted use for a period of five years. Experts estimate thousands of prescriptive easements exist in the state, both in written and unwritten form.

Prescriptive easements may be complicated due to the evidence needed to establish or disprove them. Other easements come through a written contract such as allowing a road or other access to adjoining property.

Sen. Steve Fitzpatrick, R-Great Falls, brought Senate Bill 497 to the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday. The bill amends a segment of Montanas stream access law which currently states that a prescriptive easement cannot be acquired through recreational use on surface waters.

The bill would add language stating that a prescriptive easement cannot be granted should a government entity places private property signage for at least five years.

The bill additionally removes the ability for a person or entity bringing the litigation from obtaining attorneys fees under the private attorney general doctrine. The doctrine refers to when legal action is brought by a private attorney but the results benefit the public at large, such as when a public road is opened.

Fitzpatrick noted that a prescriptive easement is created more or less by trespassing that then turns into a property right. While most Montana code requires each side to pay their own attorney fees, he raised the issue of fairness, stating that the fees dont flow both ways as only the plaintiff may be eligible. A landowner that prevails in court against an easement cannot file for attorney fees, he said.

Charles Denowh with United Property Owners of Montana described the system as a perverse incentive in the law essentially encouraging groups to sue landowners in an attempt to force access and receive attorney fees.

The bill saw opposition from Montana Trout Unlimited and the Montana Wildlife Federation.

Colin Cooney with MTU expressed concern that the bill was opening Montanas stream access law at a time of bottleneck of bills before transmittal.

Marcus Strange with the federation said the bill would restrict the fundamental right to seek redress in the courts for the public to enforce access that is rightfully theirs.

The bill passed committee on a party-line vote of 7-4 where it moves to the full Senate.
In a Feb. 21 order, a Helena judge found Montanas parental consent law for minors seeking abortions is unconstitutional, but said a trial was necessary to determine if a less-onerous parental notification law should stay in place.

The order from Lewis and Clark County District Court Judge Chris Abbott is another step in a decade-long case over the parental involvement abortion laws. The Notification Act was put into place by voters through a ballot issue in 2012 and the Consent Act was created by lawmakers shortly after.

Given the contours of the right to individual privacy established by the Constitution and prior decisions, the court must find the Consent Act unconstitutional and unenforceable, Abbott wrote in last weeks order that permanently enjoined the act.

He continued to say there were genuine disputes of fact that require a trial for the Notification Act. Acknowledging that the state Legislature is in session, Abbott said he pushed to get his order out so lawmakers could determine if it wanted to enact narrower or different laws in light of his decision. Friday is the deadline for general bills, which generally includes abortion legislation, to clear the chamber they started in, meaning a legislative response may not be procedurally possible.

The court finds that its duty here is clear: it must declare the Consent Act to violate the right of individual privacy and save the question of whether the Notice Act violates the rights of individual privacy or equal protection for trial, Abbott wrote. And because the Consent Act is unconstitutional, Planned Parenthood is entitled to permanently injunction against its enforcement.

Even with his order last week and pending trial, Abbott acknowledged the case will end up before the Montana Supreme Court.

As the session nears its midway point this Friday, Republican legislators have already advanced several bills to limit access to the procedure in Montana and voted down Democratic bills to preserve the states existing abortion landscape.

Abortion is legal in Montana under the 1999 state Supreme Court order known as Armstrong that found the Montana Constitutions right to privacy protected access to the point of viability. Republicans have long had their sights on overturning Armstrong, and have said following the fall of Roe v. Wade at the federal level, Montanas protections should also go. However, courts have found repeatedly Montanas right to privacy is one of the strongest in the nation.

Back in 2012 voters approved the Parental Notice of Abortion Act, and it became law a year later. It requires medical care providers to give notice to a parent at least 48 hours before performing an abortion on a minor under the age of 16 and allows for exceptions in some cases.

Also in 2013, the Legislature passed the Parental Consent for Abortion act, which is more restrictive than the Notice Act. A doctor must get notarized and written consent to perform an abortion for a minor until the age of 18, along with getting consent through a complex form developed by the state health department, in addition to documentation that someone is a parent or legal guardian.

The Notice Act has been in place while the legal case extended a decade, however the Consent Act was never in effect.

Much of Abbotts Feb. 21 order focused on the constitutional protections clarified by Armstrong. While the judge wrote that Armstrong was perhaps the most significant word on abortion regulation in Montana, it was not the final word and did not foreclose all state regulation of the procedure. However, the Consent Act went too far, he wrote.

Planned Parenthood's lawsuit claimed the parental involvement laws violated the Constitutions right to privacy and denied minors seeking an abortion equal protection of the law, as well as violated doctors rights to due process.

Abbott found that while its recognized parents and not the state have primary authority over minors, he also cited a case saying children are not simply chattels belonging to the parents, but have fundamental interests that may diverge from the interests of the parent.

The decision to terminate a pregnancy, Abbott wrote, cannot be equated with other issues where the law regulates a minors freedoms, such as over curfews, tattoos, marriage, schooling or other types of medical care.

Minors can abstain from consuming alcohol or getting a tattoo with little effect on their futures, but the same cannot be said of keeping a pregnancy or having an abortion, Abbott wrote.  ... Even poor decisions in marriage and schooling can be undone. By contrast, there are few decisions with higher or longer-lasting stakes in life than whether to become or stay pregnant, and even fewer (if any) with equally profound spiritual, physical, mental, social, and economic considerations.

Because the Consent Act would require a minor to surrender consent to an abortion to another person, it interferes with the minors right to privacy, Abbott wrote, and does not offer additional protections to the young person.

The impact of pregnancy or an abortion on the person who must live with the decision and directly bear the consequences is no less great because that person is a minor, Abbott wrote.

The state also did not prove that the Consent Act was necessary to promote the protection of minors from sexual abuse. Abbott cited the states concerns that women, especially young ones, are too often victims of domestic and sexual abuse and coercion, and that pregnancy and childbirth enhance their vulnerability. But so are non-minor women, he wrote.

The state has not justified why one rule should apply to a pregnant 18-year-old woman trapped in an abusive relationship with her 25-year-old boyfriend, but a more restrictive rule should apply to a pregnant 17-year-old teen whose child-to-be is fathered by her supportive 18-year-old fiance.

Abbott also rejected the states argument that requiring consent would help identify cases of sexual abuse or exploitation. All requiring parental consent accomplishes is to permit the parent to refuse consent to the early termination of a pregnancy that has already occurred, he wrote. Requiring consent does nothing to make it more likely that a sexual crime will be detected or punished.

Abbott also pointed out that doctors are already mandated reporters of suspected abuse.

And while Abbott acknowledged concerns that juveniles are less capable than adults of appreciating the comparative advantages and risk of terminating or carrying pregnancy to term, he pointed out the Consent Act does nothing to provide minors with resources to make those decisions.

Abbott also rejected the states argument that the consent act promotes family integrity.

The consent requirement empowers the parent to take the decision about whether to keep or terminate a pregnancy from the minor, Abbott said. This goes beyond merely facilitating parental involvement and guidance, and instead establishes conflict between parent and child.

The state also did not show the act was narrowly focused enough to protect minors but not overstep, Abbott wrote.

The consent act infringes on the right to individual privacy as articulated in Armstrong, and  it is not narrowly tailored to achieve the states compelling interest, particularly given the availability of less restrictive alternatives, including those found in the Notice Act.

The Notification Act, however, is starkly different and much less onerous, Abbott wrote.

For the court to decide if the Notice Act violates the privacy or equal protection rights of pregnant minors seeking abortions, Abbott said he must consider items in dispute between Planned Parenthood and the state, including the short- and long-term risk of carrying or terminating a pregnancy. That includes the incidence of mental health problems and effects of harmful or dysfunctional family or romantic relationships.

Abbott also said he needed more clarification on the extent to which notification enhances the likelihood of parents learning about a childs abortion or pregnancy intentions and if notification would delay or chill a minor from seeking an abortion or timely prenatal care.

He also wanted to clarify competing claims from the state and Planned Parenthood about the dynamics of domestic violence when deciding to keep or terminate a pregnancy and more details about if minors understand their decision without parental notification, along with information about if the judicial bypass process works.

In a statement Tuesday, Planned Parenthood of Montana welcomed the order.

"The courts ruling that parental consent for abortion is unconstitutional is an important protection for the most vulnerable youth in Montana," wrote Martha Fuller, president and CEO of the organization. "In this ruling, the court affirmed the Armstrong decision and recognized the rights of minors under the Montana Constitution. This has been a long awaited decision, and we feel confident that the court will ultimately also find the parental notice requirement unconstitutional."

The state Department of Justice also responded to the ruling Tuesday, saying it will ask the court to certify the Consent Act for immediate appeal.

Were glad that Judge Abbott recognizes the states compelling interest in protecting minors from sexual assault and the long-term mental and physical trauma that can result from abortions," wrote Emily Flower, the department's press secretary.
The US has been and will be a key foreign policy partner for Kyrgyzstan, the foreign minister of Kyrgyzstan Jeenbek Kulubaev said before his official meeting with the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

The FM noted that cooperation with the US contributed to the establishment of a strong civil society, the protection of human rights, and fundamental freedom in Kyrgyzstan.

"Kyrgyzstan has become a unique, democratic bright spot. We are ready for advancing our bilateral cooperation on the pillars of friendship and equality, mutual respect, and account of each others interests," Kulubaev said.

He added, that both countries have a common goal to save the independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity, and security of Kyrgyzstan, as well as to develop a competitive national economy, and strengthen the rule of law, democracy, and civil society in the country.

In turn, the US Secretary said that he is proud of the results of a 30-year partnership between the two countries and looking forward to deepening cooperation to advance democratic values, economic prosperity, and regional interconnectivity in Kyrgyzstan.

The US Secretary of State Antony Blinken takes part in the meeting of the foreign ministers of the Central Asian countries in Kazakhstan's Astana.

The participants are going to discuss opportunities for bilateral and multilateral cooperation and to advance the common goal of a prosperous, secure, and democratic region. Blinken will then travel to Tashkent, Uzbekistan, to meet with Uzbek officials to further advance our partnership on a number of bilateral and regional issues.

Meanwhile, C5+1 is a dialogue format created to address common issues of cooperation between the Central Asian states and the US.
After going down on a House floor vote Friday, representatives revived a bill to vet new voters for U.S. citizenship along mostly party lines.

Citizenship verifications have often been derailed by constitutional court challenges, bill sponsor Rep. David Bedey, R-Hamilton told the House floor in his motion to reconsider the bill. He asked lawmakers to look again at the bill for its ability to hurdle those court challenges.

House Speaker Pro Temp Rhonda Knudsen, a Republican from Culbertson, had voted against the proposal on Friday but urged her colleagues to give the bill another hearing on the House floor.

"We need to look at 402 again," she said. "I really want to hear more information on this."

Rep. Steve Galloway, another Republican from Great Falls, pointed to another piece of state law that already requires someone to obtain U.S. citizenship before they can vote, essentially calling the proposal redundant.

Five Democrats joined most of the House Republicans to put the bill back on the schedule. It will be heard Tuesday.

A bill to expand the list of illnesses that are presumed to be covered under the Workers' Compensation Act for firefighters in Montana would be expanded to include cervical cancer, lung cancer, testicular cancer and myocardial infarction under a bill that got initial approval in the state Senate on Monday.

After years of effort, lawmakers finally in the 2019 session passed a bill that created a presumption of illness for firefighters who meet several requirements, including medical examinations at the start of, during and after their career, which must last at least 10 years, as well as not using tobacco products for at least five years before filing a claim.

The bill was an acknowledgment of the higher risk of several disease for firefighters.

This year's Senate Bill 310 to expand the list is carried by Sen. Jason Small, R-Busby, who told senators that data has shown that firefighters are more at risk of additional illness than what was in the original legislation and that as more women firefighters reach the term of service to be covered by the legislation, cervical cancer emerged as a disease that needed to be included.

Sen. Mark Noland, R-Big Fork, spoke against the bill, saying that he was concerned about adding to the list.

"I want our firefighters to know we love them, we need their profession, but where's this stop?" Noland asked.

The bill cleared a second reading by 30-20 bipartisan vote, and it faces one final vote before moving to the House.

A bill that would disqualify judges who get a contribution in excess of amounts set for an individual from law firms or attorneys who have also contributed to committees that supported the judge got an initial vote of approval in the state Senate on Monday.

The bill, which also would require disqualification in the case of endorsements, would make any records used to enforce its provisions publicly accessible documents in most cases where privacy concerns don't arise.

Senate Bill 355 cleared the Senate Judiciary Committee on a 7-4 vote, and passed a second reading in the Senate on Monday by a 31-19 margin.

Sen. Brad Molnar, the Laurel Republican carrying the bill, used the example of last year's state Supreme Court race in which there was more than $2.9 million in independent expenditures backing the candidates and political endorsements for one candidate.

Molnar said it would be unfair for lawyers to go before a judge that benefited from their fiscal support or people to bring cases before judges they endorsed.

"The people will have some level of confidence that if they go before a judge and the judge got money from an attorney, they don't have to sit there and take it," Molnar said.

In opposing the bill, Sen. Shane Morigeau, a Democrat from Missoula and an attorney, said that sometimes people might give to a political organization without knowing they intended to back a judge, and that people don't always want or solicit the endorsements they get.

The bill faces a final vote in the Senate before it would advance to the House.

A senator successfully revived a bill killed off earlier in the day that would prohibit discrimination involving firearms in finance, insurance, investment and state contract situations.

In order to be licensed, financial entities in Montana would be required to provide the Secretary of State with a certificate of nondiscrimination based on firearms.

In support of the blast motion, Sen. Mark Noland, R-Big Fork, said that the attorney general who backed the bill told him it would be a good discussion to move forward "so we can all know what's going on in our society."

But Sen. Willis Curdy, D-Missoula, said that there were serious concerns about the implications of the bill and that it was opposed by the Montana Chamber of Commerce.

Opponents to the bill in committee questioned if major corporations would file certificates with the state, and also raisied concerns about lack of details about how it would be enforced.

Supporters said they were worried about discrimination against firearms businesses. Earlier this month Republican Attorney General Austin Knudsen issued a press release saying he was concerned about banks discriminating against firearms companies.

Fuller, in closing his arguments for bringing the bill back for debate in the Senate, said the legislation was about defending the Second Amendment.

The motion passed on a 27-23 vote and will be debated by the full Senate on Tuesday.

A bill increasing lawmakers per diem pay during the session has passed the Legislature.

House Bill 28 from House Pro Tempore Rhonda Knudsen passed the Legislature Monday after a final 56-42 vote in the House approving a small amendment from the Senate. The bill increases legislators daily pay for food and lodging from $132 per day to $171 per day.

Supporters of the bill pointed to rising costs for rent and food as the need to increase pay, thus allowing more lawmakers to be able to afford to serve. Legislators typically rent housing during the session.

HB 28 saw little public opposition but did draw some concerns over the fiscal impact to the state budget.

A bill to create a Montana Indian Child Welfare Act passed a second reading in the House on a bipartisan 66-33 vote in the state House on Monday.

Rep. Jonathan Windy Boy, D-Box Elder, is carrying House Bill 317 to create an ICWA framework in the state because of concerns about a looming U.S. Supreme Court decision that could upend the federal version of the law meant to protect the interests and needs of Native children who come into contact with child protective services.

Windy Boy's bill saw no debate on the House floor Monday in the midst of a hefty floor session as lawmakers seek to move bills before a March 3 transmittal deadline. It saw a large amount of support when it was heard in a committee earlier this month and saw only minor observation over a technical issue that has been fixed with an amendment, Windy Boy said.

In 1978 in response to a crisis that involved child protective services across the nation removing Native children at remarkably high rates and placing them in culturally inappropriate homes with no ties to a childs family or tribe, Congress passed the Indian Child Welfare Act. Montana's version is largely similar, with some additional provisions.

Advocates worry the federal ICWA could be severely hamstrung by a Supreme Court order expected this summer in a Texas case that argues the law gives racial preference to Natives and forces states to inappropriately follow federal law.
Montana is a wonderful place to start a family, bring your business or settle down into retirement.

In recent years, Montana has become an increasingly attractive place for visitors and potential new residents alike. Even in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, the state saw over 11 million visitors, with record-setting visitation at Montana state parks in 2020.

Its clear that interest in the Big Sky State only continues to grow, whether its to visit or plant roots.

Montana has reaped great benefits from increased tourism and new residents in recent years.

But for some communities, unintended negative consequences are landing on peoples doorsteps  one of which is an influx of short-term rentals that often lack operational and financial oversight.

Unregulated short-term rentals are popping up by the hundreds across the state, creating instability in Montana communities and, in the opinion of many, encroaching on their neighborhood and property.

The unfortunate reality is that many residents, especially senior citizens, are being confronted with a changing, unfamiliar landscape in the town or community where they expected to have stability and calm.

Residential neighborhoods now sit right next door to homes with a revolving door of strangers. Just last year, an 84-year-old Billings woman had two men enter her home unexpectedly in a suspected Airbnb scam. This shouldnt happen to anyone, let alone Montana seniors.

Montana ranks sixth in percentage of the population that is over 65. And in 2022, 26% of people moving to Montana did so for retirement.

While the states population is gradually increasing in seniors, its also gaining out-of-state retirees looking to settle down. Unfortunately, for residents who expected to plant roots in a quiet, stable environment, things are quickly changing in many of their neighborhoods.

Montana is ripe ground for commercial investors to rapidly buy up residential homes and convert them into short-term rentals.

If this trend continues to increase at such a rapid pace in Montana, the promise of stable, affordable neighborhoods for seniors and other residents will quickly fade.

Out-of-state investor-owned vacation rentals have created new challenges and questions for Montana communities, ones that are best addressed by those most familiar with their town  local government leaders who are well-versed in the needs of their constituents.

Im encouraged to see Bozeman, Missoula and Whitefish considering new regulations to protect against shortsighted state policy. But all that progress could easily vanish with state leaders in Helena if they believe the property rights of vacation rental owners supersede the property rights of their neighbors.

When it comes to protecting property rights, ensuring communities are safe and maintaining the integrity of Montana towns and cities, oversight of short-term rentals should remain in the hands of local leaders.

For people who have bought a home for their family or for retirement  often pouring in their life savings  they deserve to have permanent neighbors and a familiar community, not a revolving door of strangers and vacationers that come and go by the day.

Similar harmful legislation in other states, like Arizona, underscores how preemption legislation can negatively impact communities. In 2016, the Arizona Legislature passed blanket legislation that limits the ability of cities and towns to regulate short-term rentals  ultimately raising the cost to rent and increasing property insurance.

After such negative fallout from the bill, Arizona Gov. Ducey had to quickly backtrack and pass a new bill last year that returned oversight capabilities to local municipalities.

Many of these issues can be mitigated on the front end in Montana by avoiding harmful legislation like this.

To maintain safe, secure neighborhoods for lifelong Montana residents and new retirees alike, its crucial that local leaders  who are best equipped to deal with these issues  are able to continue doing so.
MATTOON  A new John Deere parts distribution center is set to open this spring in the former LSC Communications Printing Co. plant in Mattoon.

Local officials said they are excited about the distribution center creating more than 100 jobs and about the prospects of the former General Electric Mattoon Lamp Plant, which LSC site owner Phoenix Investors recently purchased.

The Moline-based manufacturer of agricultural machinery and other heavy equipment confirmed its plans for a Mattoon distribution center in statement from Brent Thomsen, Aftermarket & Customer Support Global network and automation lead.

To help accommodate ongoing growth in our Aftermarket & Customer Support business, we are expanding our warehousing, packaging and logistics operations," Thomsen said. "The new distribution center in Mattoon will improve our ability to receive material directly from suppliers and enable us to ship outbound directly to dealers."

The Mattoon facility will serve as a secondary parts distribution center for its U.S. network and that its primary parts distribution center will remain in Milan, located just southwest of Moline.

"John Deere, in collaboration with two of our suppliers (SC2 and Phoenix), will be ramping up operations (in Mattoon) over the course of the next several months. Once fully operational, there will be a total of 100-125 workers employed by Deere and its suppliers," Thomsen said.

"With deep roots in agriculture, Coles County is pleased to welcome John Deere, one of the worlds leading agricultural companies, to the industrial and manufacturing base in the community," said Angela Griffin, president of the Coles Together economic development organization. "As Deere grows its operation in Coles County, we know our roots in the industrial sector will also be of value to the company."

Griffin said Coles Together is working to assist John Deere with efforts to recruit employees to support the company's operations at the former LSC/RR Donnelly facility.

Ed Dowd, executive director of the Mattoon Chamber of Commerce, said having a Fortune 500 company like John Deere locate in Mattoon and create more than 100 jobs there will be great for the local economy.

The former LSC printing plant, 6821 E. County Road 1100 North, closed in 2020 and was purchased at the end of that year by Milwaukee, Wisconsin-based Phoenix Investors, a national commercial real estate firm that specializes in revitalizing former manufacturing facilities. Phoenix has been marketing the property to prospective occupants since then.

Phoenix has reported that the 84-acre property includes 1.1 million square feet of improvements, including clear heights up to 80 feet, 41 loading docks, 11 drive-in doors, large parking lots, and two interior rail spurs with interior loading, supported by Canadian National. The property is located just north of County Road 1000 North, which provides direct access to an Interstate 57 interchange.

"The location was chosen due to its size, readiness of the facility and potential available workforce," Thomsen said, adding that the company will use approximately 900,000 square feet of the facilities there.

Mattoon Mayor Rick Hall said the city is excited about seeing a very good company like John Deere move into the former LSC location.

"This 1-million-square-foot building should be a great place for John Deere, with access to highways and rail," Hall said. "We look forward to officially welcoming them to Mattoon.

Griffin said Coles Together also looks forward to continuing to work with Phoenix Investors. Dowd added that this company has a reputation for getting vacant industrial spaces filled as "quickly as possible."

"With the company's purchase of the (LSC Communications) facility and, recently, the General Electric facility, their partnership and track record of success has opened the door to many opportunities for Coles County."

Coles County property tax assessment records show that Phoenix Investors purchased the former General Electric Mattoon Lamp Plant in January. This factory building at 1501 S. 19th St. was closed by GE in 2017.

More than a dozen trailers bearing John Deere's signature leaping deer logo could be seen in recent days parked in the former LSC property's east parking lot or attached to loading docks on the west side of the building. John Deere recently posted a job notice for an operations coordinator at the planned distribution center in Mattoon.

Coles County already has some ties to the Moline-based Fortune 500 company. Lake Land College in Mattoon is home to a John Deere Tech Program that is specifically designed to advance the skill level of new John Deere service technicians. In addition, Alliance Tractor LLC in Mattoon and AHW LLC in Ashmore are both John Deere farm equipment dealerships.

"Deere is one of many industrial firms making decisions to locate or grow in Coles County over the past three years because the local workforce has demonstrated it is very productive at making things, Griffin said.

Coles Together appreciates the foresight and work by local school districts, Lake Land College, and Eastern Illinois University to invest in skills training in the workforce, Griffin said. These efforts and workforce support from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity has given Coles County a reputation for having skilled and trained workers needed to support todays industrial sector, she said.

"With very few empty facilities and a steady demand for industrial and warehouse space, it is time to bury the phrase 'Rust Belt' when referring to Coles County," Griffin said.

Photos:John Deere's New X9 Combine 061121-QC-biz-X9-2.JPG 061121-QC-biz-X9-3.JPG 061121-QC-biz-X9-4.JPG 061121-QC-biz-X9-5.JPG Watch Now: John Deere X9 Combine Watch Now: John Deere X9 Combine
QUINCY  Quincy Police Chief Adam Yates is asking for the public's patience as the investigation into last week's shooting death of a Quincy woman continues.

"I have been outspoken about the importance of transparency in law enforcement; it is something I believe in very strongly," said Yates, as he addressed the Quincy City Council on Monday night. "Regarding cases like this, however, I make no apologies for being tight-lipped."

Quincy police officers responded Thursday to a residence in the 2500 block of Kentucky Road. The victim, identified as 41-year-old Rebecca Bliefnick, was found by a family member. The case is being investigated as a homicide with multiple agencies taking part.

"I take the integrity of a homicide investigation seriously," Yates said. "We do not talk about crime details, specific investigative techniques, or theories about what happened. I will do my best to keep you informed, but I will not compromise this investigation. I ask for your patience, as difficult as I know that is."

Rebecca Bliefnick was married to Decatur native Tim Bliefnick.

Yates said the Quincy community has not experienced a crime of this magnitude since 2019. He said investigators are completing an immense amount of work behind the scenes. The investigation includes eight Quincy Police Department detectives, three investigative supervisors, an investigator with the Illinois State Police, and attorneys with the Adams County State's Attorney's Office.

"We are fortunate to live in a community where violent crime such as this, is rare," he said. "When it happens, it is devastating. Nothing I say here tonight will put our community at ease. Making an arrest in this case is the only way to do that. We are working very hard to make that happen. This investigation is our highest priority."

Yates reiterated that anyone with information should contact the Quincy Police Department at 217-228-4470. Though the department does review messages through social media, the best method of contact would be to speak with a detective directly. He said if a message is left, it may take a little time, but the detectives will reach back out to the caller.

Who are they? IL children reported missing as of February 25 These are recent reports of missing children made to local law enforcement. If you think you have seen a missing child, contact the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children at 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678).
Vote now until noon on April 20th to support the businesses that you think are the best in the New Braunfels area.
A Newton man has been charged with attempted murder in connection with an attack against a fellow psychiatric patient at Catawba Valley Medical Center.

Joseph Lee Rosales, 22, was taken into custody by the police on Friday and was initially issued a $175,000 bond.

Rosales made his first appearance in court via video on Monday before District Court Judge Andrea Chiz Plyler.

The prosecutor told the judge that Rosales attacked another patient in the psychiatric area of Catawba Valley Medical Center by striking and strangling the other patient and at times placing the person in a chokehold.

Rosales had been in the hospital because of various mental health problems such as depression and thoughts of self-harm and had also said he was hearing voices telling him to kill, the prosecutor said.

The assault occurred around 6:30 a.m. on Friday, according to a statement from the hospital. Hospital police officers initially responded to the attack and were later joined by Hickory officers.

Capt. Jeff Young of the Hickory Police Department said the victim was in stable condition as of Monday morning.

Plyler granted a motion from the prosecution to revoke Rosales bond. The prosecutor also indicated they would make a motion that Rosales be transferred to Central Regional Hospital, a psychiatric facility in Raleigh.

Rosales initially said he wanted to represent himself so he could speak freely in his own defense. Plyler appointed an attorney for Rosales to help during the initial phases of the court process.

He is next due in court for a probable cause hearing on March 20.
Slow down. Thats the message the Long View Police Department is sending motorists with two LED speed limit signs.

Long View police received the signs in January and began posting them in high-traffic areas in early February. One sign was placed on Second Avenue NW in front of the Long View Recreation Center. The second sign was along 34th Street NW, Maj. Justin Reid said.

During a seven-day period, 15,111 vehicles traveled eastbound on Second Avenue NW and 13,422 vehicles traveled south on 34th Street NW, Reid said.

The way the radar signs work is theyre only picking up vehicles that are coming towards the sign, Reid said. Technically it could be twice that number.

The speed limit on Second Avenue NW is 45 mph. The average speed for the eastbound vehicles was 42 mph. Reid said 50% of the vehicles were traveling 43 mph or less and 85% of the vehicles were traveling 48 mph or less.

The speed limit on 34th Street NW is 35 mph. The vehicles traveled 34 mph on average. Reid said 50% of those vehicles traveled 34 mph or less and 85% traveled 41 mph or less.

There were some things that were surprising, Reid said. Number one is the amount of traffic coming through there. I wouldnt have thought it was that many cars, but the numbers dont lie. He added the other thing that surprised him was that many of the cars were maintaining the speed limits.

Reid said the signs use the same technology as radars used in patrol cars to measure speeds.

Davey Anderson, an investigator with the department, said both roads are busy with traffic. Reid added that the department has received numerous complaints of speeding in both areas. The complaints are a main reason why Second Avenue NW and 34th Street NW were the first roads to be monitored.

Reid said people use Second Avenue NW to travel from the Burke County side of the Hickory Regional Airport into Hickory. He said 34th Street NW is used to move from Second Avenue to First Avenue in Long View.

The roads will be monitored for at least a month. The department will gather the data on a weekly basis, Reid said. The signs are portable. Reid said the next area the department plans to monitor is 33rd Street SW, which runs from the Piggly Wiggly grocery store across Interstate 40 and out of the city limits.

We have had several complaints and that is a hotspot for speeding tickets, Reid said. Weve had a lot of speeding violations enforced there.

As the cars drive by, their speed is displayed with LED lights. A white strobe light flashes to catch the drivers attention, Reid said.

Speed is one of the major contributors to traffic crashes, Reid said. So, if we can reduce the number of people traveling above the posted speed limit and assess the speeds, we can prevent more traffic accidents.

The speeding complaints are what pushed the department to pursue a grant through the N.C. Department of Public Safety to acquire the signs, Anderson said.

Anderson applied for the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant, which is in honor of a fallen police officer. The grant is specifically for equipment, such as speed limit radar signs and handheld radios, which police departments cannot afford through local funding, he said.

The grant covered the full cost of the signs which was $6,030, Anderson said. Reid said the grant took approximately a year to get approved.
Irans Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian met with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres in Geneva on Monday on the sidelines of the 52nd regular session of the UN Human Rights Council, IRNA reports.

The top Iranian diplomat and the UN chief discussed regional and international developments including the ongoing wars in Yemen and Ukraine as well as human rights issues, among other issues.

The two also talked about the 2015 Iran nuclear deal and negotiations aimed at reviving the agreement and removing sanctions against Iran.

The latest developments regarding the cooperation between Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) were discussed as well.

The Iranian foreign minister and the top UN official agreed that planned steps over the mentioned issues are followed up through coordination and continuation of negotiations, according to a press release by the Iranian Foreign Ministry.

The ministry in its press release described the meeting between Amirabdollahian and Guterres as relatively detailed and constructive.
A cyber security coordinator will be appointed to lead the federal governments new national cyber office and provide spine and strategy to the response to future cyber threats and attacks.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Home Affairs and Cyber Security Minister Clare ONeil held a roundtable in Sydney on Monday afternoon to open consultations on a new seven-year cyber security strategy in the wake of the devastating Optus and Medibank hacks late last year.

The new Labor government will be scrapping the former governments $1.67 billion Cyber Security Strategy, which was launched in 2020 and was meant to run for a decade.

A new seven-year strategy will be launched later this year following extensive consultation led by a taskforce helmed by former Telstra boss Andy Penn.

Ahead of the consultation and new strategy, the government announced the creation of a new coordinator of cyber security, who will lead the National Office for Cyber Security within the Department of Home Affairs.

ACS president Nick Tate was one of the 23 invited guests at the cyber security roundtable.

Dr Tate said the government should be commended for taking these steps to put Australia at the forefront of global cyber security.

ACS has long advocated for stronger cybersecurity policies that reflect the importance of the IT sector to our entire society, not just corporate Australia or government agencies, so we greatly welcome the governments statement of intentions with the National Cyber Security Strategy.

The federal government is in the process of advertising this role, with hopes of having it stumped up within months.

The new cyber coordinator will guide the development of an emergency response plan and will play a central role in responding to any future cyber attacks in Australia, ONeil said.

Weve arrived in government confronting a real mess with cyber security, so what we saw was different parts of government and the private sector doing important things, but kind of all rowing in different directions, and what was clearly needed here was political leadership, ONeil told ABC Radio National AM on Monday morning.

The cyber coordinator will have two key roles, she said.

The first will be to try to provide some strategy and structure and spine to the work being done across government, so it will mean things like making sure that the billions of dollars that we are investing in cyber security each year are being spent in a way thats strategic and appropriate, that weve got different parts of government communicating with each other and working together on helping lift cyber security protections across the country, ONeil said.

The other really important part of this persons job will be to help manage cyber incidents in a proper, seamless, strategic way across the Australian government.

The focus on cyber security has been spurred by a series of significant cyber attacks last year which received widespread attention and impacted millions of Australians.

These included the breach of Optus, which saw the personal information of 9.8 million customers impacted, and an attack on Medibank which saw the data of 9.7 million customers dumped onto the dark web.

The new cyber office and coordinator would have made a huge difference had they been in place at the time of these large-scale hacks, ONeil said.

When Optus hit, much to my shock as Cyber Security Minister, there was no cyber emergency response function in the Australian government, she said.

I am really angry about that. Those events were completely foreseeable events that were completely not foreseen by the previous government.

Previous laws introduced by the Coalition and supported by Labor were completely useless in dealing with these breaches, the cyber Minister said.

What we found with Optus and Medibank, I literally sat down with these laws and found they were absolutely bloody useless in helping me deal with the exact situation the former government had designed them for, ONeil said.

The roundtable in Sydney on Monday saw leaders from the public service and intelligence agencies meet with independent experts to discuss ways to incentivise best practice cyber behaviours, ways to grow the local cyber sector and raise awareness of cyber security practices in the general population.

Introducing the roundtable, Albanese said that cyber security is fundamental to the Labor government.

We recognise its an essential part of life, the way that every Australian and every business and every community organisation deal with each other on a day-to-day basis, he said.

Its absolutely critical as well for maintaining trust in our public institutions, and our public service.

Its critical to maintain confidence in your commercial dealings, and also in your intellectual property, which is often the foundation of your wealth.

This is a really fast moving, rapidly evolving threat, and for two years Australia has been off the pace.
Having an explicit photo of yourself published online can be distressing for under-18s. Photo: Shutterstock

Meta has announced a new commitment to underrage privacy and safety, partially funding a platform which enables kids and teens to prevent nude or sexual content from surfacing online.

Social networking giant Meta, the company behind Facebook and Instagram, announced it was teaming up with Take It Down  a new platform operated by US child protection organisation National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC).

The Take it Down tool, which will be available to millions of Australian users, helps youth remove sexually explicit content of themselves from the web and social media, and currently functions across five participating platforms: Facebook, Instagram, Yubo, OnlyFans and Pornhub.

The site allows users to anonymously create a "digital fingerprint" or "hash" of a chosen lewd image, which is then fed into a database which participating tech companies reference to scrub flagged images from their services.

The service can function without the image actually being uploaded, and also works with deepfakes, which is when someone's face is digitally imposed onto an existing photo or video, typically for pornography or deceptive content.

Take it Down announced the initiative in a post outlining the company's stance against inappropriate image-sharing and sextortion.

"Having a personal intimate image shared with others can be scary and overwhelming, especially for young people," said Meta.

"It can feel even worse when someone tries to use those images as a threat for additional images, sexual contact or money  a crime known as sextortion.

"Meta doesnt allow content or behaviour that exploits young people, including the posting of intimate images or sextortion activities."

Currently, the service is confined to the platforms who've agreed to participate  meaning other platforms such as the Meta-owned messaging platform WhatsApp, for now, will not remove flagged images sent through their services.

Should Meta do more?

Meta's announcement arrives after years of outside pressure for social media companies to step up against child exploitation.

In the past, Meta-owned Facebook had already worked with Australian government agencies such as The Office of the eSafety Commissioner to enact a user-reporting measure against unsolicited posting and sharing of intimate images.

However, Australian experts still suggest social media giants like Meta could take more of a proactive approach to the issue.

"The service relies on user-reporting, rather than the companies proactively detecting image-based abuse or known child sexual exploitation and abuse material," Australia's eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant told the ABC.

"We maintain the view that companies need to be doing much more in this area.

"Image-based abuse has become the scarlet letter of the digital age  once these go up on the internet, it can be very insidious and be difficult to take down, particularly if you're trying to work on your own."

Despite the criticism, Meta Australia's head of public policy Josh Machin lauded the tool as a world-first for young Australians.

"This world-first platform will offer support to young Australians to prevent the unwanted spread of their intimate images online, which we know can be extremely distressing for victims," he said."

Gavin Portnoy, a spokesperson for the NCMEC, further explained the scope of Take It Down was geared more-so at those actively seeking to anonymously remove an image from the web.

"Take It Down is made specifically for people who have an image that they have reason to believe is already out on the web somewhere, or that it could be, said Portnoy.

"Youre a teen and youre dating someone and you share the image. Or somebody extorted you and they said, If you dont give me an image, or another image of you, Im going to do xyz.

"To a teen who doesnt want that level of involvement, they just want to know that its taken down, this is a big deal for them," he added.

In 2021, NCMEC's CyberTipline service received nearly 30 million reports of suspected sexual exploitation of children online  a majority of which were reported by platforms owned by Meta.

The same year saw Meta support the launch of a similar platform titled StopNCII, which addresses the increasingly common issue of "revenge porn" on social media platforms by helping adults to stop the spread of intimate images.

Meta concluded its Take It Down announcement by affirming it has developed more than 30 tools "to support the safety of teens and families" across its apps, including supervision tools and age-verification technology.

The new platform is open to anyone under the age of 18, and can be used by parents or trusted adults on behalf of a young person.
Students on Emory & Henry deans list

EMORY, Va.  Emory & Henry College congratulates students named to the fall 2022 deans list. To be named to the deans list, a student must be a full-time student and receive a 3.6 GPA for the semester.

Hometowns and students are: Concord: Kate Prager; Davidson: Paige Woodworth; and Huntersville: Jacob Morgan.

Riley graduates from College of Charleston

CHARLESTON, S.C.  Julia Riley of Concord recently graduated with a Bachelor of Science in economics from the College of Charleston.

Riley was among more than 290 students who received degrees.

SNHU announces fall presidents list

MANCHESTER, N.H.  It is with great pleasure that Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU) congratulates the following students on being named to the fall 2022 presidents list. The fall terms run from September to December.

Full-time undergraduate students who have earned a minimum grade-point average of 3.700 and above for the reporting term are named to the presidents list. Full-time status is achieved by earning 12 credits over each 16-week term or paired eight-week terms grouped in fall, winter/spring, and summer.

Students included are:

Concord: Joey Furr, Haley Wichman, Christopher Abney, Kimberly Machiels, Courtney Amphavanna and Justin Baker.

Davidson: Spencer Gazzaway.

Harrisburg: Lanah Stanford and William Chandler.

Kannapolis: Rebecca Allen, Becky Her and Ashley Taylor.

Mount Pleasant: Megan Singleton.

SNHU announces fall deans list

MANCHESTER, N.H.  It is with great pleasure that Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU) congratulates the following students on being named to the fall 2022 deans list. The fall terms run from September to December.

Full-time undergraduate students who have earned a minimum grade-point average of 3.500 to 3.699 for the reporting term are named to the deans list. Full-time status is achieved by earning 12 credits over each 16-week term or paired eight-week terms grouped in fall, winter/spring, and summer.

Concord: Linda Cockerham, Teniqua Moon and Jacob Clarkson.

Kannapolis: Erin Shrader and Ashley Otanez.

Honors Society inducts student from Concord

CEDARVILLE, Ohio  The Lambda Pi Eta (LPH) NuNu Chapter, Cedarville Universitys communication honors society, inducted 25 new members this fall. These students will become lifelong members of one of the National Communication Associations 500 LPH chapters and be recognized for superior academic achievement.

This years inductees include Junior Luke Richardson from Concord.

Wicker on PennWest deans list

CALIFORNIA, Pa.  Congratulations to Alayna Wicker of Concord on being named to Pennsylvania Western University deans list for the 2022 fall semester.

Over 3,500 Pennsylvania Western University students earned placement on the deans list. Degree-seeking undergraduate students who achieve high academic standards are identified in accordance with the following criteria:

The student must earn a minimum semester GPA of 3.40.

The student must earn a minimum of 12 graded credits during the semester, not including credits by proficiency examinations, incomplete grades, temporary grades (e.g., Not Reported), or satisfactory/unsatisfactory grades.

Wicker studied at PennWests Clarion Campus this semester.
Rowan Vocational Opportunities, Inc. has collaborated with the Rufty-Holmes Senior Center to provide shredding services for senior citizens over 55 years of age.

According to Allison Paul, program director at Rufty-Holmes, Partnering with RVO and Rowan County YMCAs has proven to be a major asset to the senior population we serve. As we provide numerous services to our senior citizens, it allows them to benefit and enjoy social, physical, and intellectual interests that they otherwise may not have the resources for.

Working with Ted Oglesby, Shredding Supervisor at RVO, helps give seniors peace of mind knowing that their confidential and personal information is being protected from the theft of important documents and information that is being frequently discarded, said Paul.

As a method of providing convenience for seniors, Rowan County area YMCAs have agreed to host pickups and drop-offs on specific days. As fraud, identity theft, and scams are running rampant, it is of the utmost importance to protect the most vulnerable members of our communities, Oglesby remarked. Many seniors lack access to adequate transportation and this service is the most practical and cost effective, said Oglesby. Seniors are asked to leave a donation when they bring items to be shredded.

Participants are encouraged to bring personal paper documents that include details such as their name, address, bank account numbers, and Social Security numbers. This is the type of information that is ripe for identity theft when tossed in the trash.

According to a recent Federal Trade Commission report, Seniors are more frequently being singled out and targeted by criminals. Older populations are more trusting than younger generations. This simply means that older populations may not be as mindful of destroying personal information as the younger generations.

Often, with only a few pieces of information or even online profiles, criminals can commit crimes. Using limited personal information, criminals are able to pretend to be someone else, steal identities, and commit fraud. Ripping up paperwork or removing labels from prescription bottles isnt enough. Criminals and scammers have become more sophisticated in their methods of obtaining information.

According to Oglesby, We are able to also leave securely locked containers at area businesses which can be picked up on a regular rotation and items will be protected and shredded confidentially. Oglesby continued: Our services are compliant with all state and federal laws; including HIPPA.

It is very important to be aware of communications with credit bureaus, law enforcement agencies, and medical and social service agencies to ensure they wont be liable for debts falsely created in their names. Some documents that people may not consider shredding are not limited to but include, tax returns, bank statements, canceled or voided checks, pay stubs, birth certificates, and credit card information.

RVO maintains a shredding operation at its site at 2728 Old Concord Road in Salisbury. Hours of operation are Monday through Friday between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. Shredding rates are 25 cents per pound for seniors over 55 and 50 cents per pound for all others. Upcoming shredding pickup events are scheduled on March 7 at the South Rowan YMCA and April 18 at the East Rowan YMCA.

For additional information or to secure a locked container for your business or work site, contact Ted Oglesby at 704-633-6223.
The NSW Liberal and Nationals Government will invest $250 million to boost mobile reception in the bush in small communities, tourism hotspots, and along key transport corridors, it announced.

Deputy Premier and Minister for Regional NSW Paul Toole said the program would drive better coverage and better choice in the regions.

While there are more than 120 mobile towers across regional NSW to boost coverage in blackspot areas, Toole acknowledged theres more to do.

Our $250 million investment in this program shifts away from traditional one tower, one provider model thinking in favour of a nation-leading approach to deliver shared infrastructure available for use by all carriers.

Toole claimed the investment will drive better competition and better choices for consumers.

Toole claimed this is the first program of its kind in Australia, pointing out that this is further evidence of the future-focused approached that the NSW Liberal are taking in government.

The new program will target three key areas:

1. Small regional communities with little to no existing coverage;

2. Key transport corridors, where a boost to coverage can help drive increased productivity and improved safety; and

3. Visitor economies where major events draw large crowds.

Toole said events like the Mundi Mundi Bash at Broken Hill and Deni Ute Muster attract thousands of visitors.

We want to ensure those visitors stay connected and can share their experiences with friends all over the world in real-time, Toole said.

This program will focus on ensuring these visitor economies are better connected to meet event needs all year-round.

This program will put a focus on filling those gaps. Applications for the program will open from May, Toole added.

The funding will be delivered through multi-carrier partnerships through the OneWiFi and Pivotel neutral host towers for Brewarrina and Wilcannia.

Under this type of model, were bridging the digital divide to provide regional customers more choice than ever, said OneWifi managing director Mevan Jayatilleke said.

Weve worked hard to develop alternative commercial and technical sharing models through the active sharing program and are proud to be the first mobile network operator in this innovative investment by the NSW Government, Pivotel CEO Peter Bolger said.

Telco challenger alliance Commpete has welcomed the pledge, which it describes as setting the future stage for leading telecommunications in regional NSW.

This goes beyond delivering baseline connectivity to priority areas, but also sets a foundation which is solid groundwork for digital growth and increased choice. This levels what metropolitan cities and many overseas counterparts may take for granted as they go about their daily lives, commented Commpete chair Michelle Lim.

Lim said the initiatives are leading edge and embrace the next era of innovation in mobile infrastructure deployment and open access regimes.

In Commpetes view, this will bolster choice and opportunity for new service-based offerings and verticals, and leverage the experience and expertise of a broad range of new, emerging and established industry participants.

We recognise the longstanding resolve to invest in program design which combines both new access to mobile connectivity, while embedding government policy and requirements. This allows for the long-term strategic delivery of pro-competitive outcomes to benefit all Australians for a bright, economic and digitally advanced future, Lim concluded.
include_once "/home/jwreview/public_html/$theme/includes/sidebar.php"; ?> Prescott Interior Designs of Atlanta told Yahoo News people should change their toilet seats every five years. It so happens that last month I had my place remodeled and, just for fun, I named my new toilet Jim instead of John. People are very impressed now when I tell them I go to the Jim every morning.

 The Weather Channel issued the first blizzard warning for Los Angeles County Saturday. We had flooding and mudslides, and the rains provide hillside brush for the summer wildfires that take your mind off the next earthquake. Living in L.A. is like being married to a beautiful woman who's always sick.

 Random House announced Roald Dahl's children's books will not be edited to take out offensive words for the sake of inclusion. Just leave the classics alone. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was about to be re-titled Charlie Who Identifies as Charlene and the Non-White Candy of Color Sweatshop.

 Scott Adams' Dilbert was dropped by newspapers in L.A. and New York and Chicago Friday over his suggesting that races avoid each other. And they are three of our most racially segregated cities. Americans are the world's best at solving the Rubik's Cube because we are so good at separating colors.

 Dilbert creator Scott Adams called out reverse racism by calling black people a hate group and urging whites to stay away from blacks. He was reacting to a poll saying 50% of blacks say it's not okay to be white. Blacks and whites have a hard time getting along in L.A. because neither one of us speaks Spanish.

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 Cocaine Bear was released Friday to rave reviews even from the New York Times. In real life the bear ended up stuffed on the wall of a Kentucky novelty store. I hope that all the coke-addicted bears can see Cocaine Bear and decide to get the help they need, and not just make a note to watch it every Christmas.

 Ohio Governor Mike DeWine declared Friday that the drinking water in East Palestine is safe to drink. Maybe the chemicals will set you free. The spill includes some of the chemicals that are in mosquito repellents, which can give you hallucinations. I know this because a mosquito told me about it.

 President Biden told ABC News Friday he has no plans to visit the toxic chemical site in Palestine, Ohio. It has everyone guessing reasons why the president won't show up. I think that the real reason Biden does not want to visit Palestine is because he doesn't want to feel obliged to visit Israel afterwards.

 Jill Biden told a TV interviewer in Kenya that President Biden's announcement for presidential re-election should be coming very soon, and the First Lady added that it's only a matter of time and place when he announces. Everybody who cares for Joe hopes he can run. We know he can't walk.

 The California Lottery revealed the two billion dollar winner of November's Powerball Lottery drawing as Edwin Castro, who took the cash with taxes taken out. He's not by far the world's luckiest player. Last week a comedian named President Zelensky won the lottery for the fourteenth straight time.

 President Zelensky addressed the people of Ukraine on the one-year anniversary of the Russian invasion to reclaim former Russian territory in the Don River Basin. Zelensky became a well known comedian before he was elected the president of his country. In America we do it the other way around.

(COMMENT, BELOW)
we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and success of liberty."  John F. Kennedy Inaugural Address Jan. 20, 1961 Those were simpler, though not less dangerous times. The Soviet Union was seen as America's number one enemy. China had not begun to challenge its position as the world's most powerful nation. Foreign policy then was mostly nonpartisan. After a year of supporting Ukraine in its attempt to push back the Russian invasion and hold Vladimir Putin accountable for what Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has charged are war crimes, it's time to ask some hard questions. First among them is, what is our goal? If it is not victory (and victory defined) what is it? Since America's last victory in World War II, we have been engaged in either stalemates or defeat. First in Korea, which to this day is still called a conflict that ended in a draw, resulting in more than 33,000 American battle deaths. Then there was Vietnam, where 58,220 U.S. soldiers perished. We lost that one to the communist North. People still argue over the reason. Iraq for a time seemed more of a success, but its government remains shaky. Only 4,487 American troops were killed in that war. The earlier Operation Desert Storm was less a war than a quick invasion to roll back Iraqi troops from Kuwait. In battle, 154 military personnel were killed and 65 died from nonbattle causes.

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Afghanistan, America's longest war, saw more than 2,000 American service members killed. An additional 3,800 U.S. contractors lost their lives. Not only has the Taliban returned to rule, that war cost an estimated $2 trillion, in addition to the expense of military equipment left behind.

And now Ukraine. No U.S. troops have been sent there (yet), but again, what is our goal? Is it victory and if not, what is it? Putin is a dictator, not responsive to voters. Once again, it's the United States that is bearing most of the financial burden in a war that is sapping resources we don't have as our debt is now over $31 trillion and counting with interest piling on daily. President Biden has promised another $500 million in aid to Ukraine. Are there controls on this money? Will it be used for its intended purpose, or will it sink into the black hole that has been defined by the country's history of corruption?

There are strong arguments in favor of continuing to help Ukraine push back against Putin, but those arguments become weak if our intentions are not made clear and our military aid continues to resemble an installment plan.

Former Joint Chiefs Chairman General Colin Powell viewed the purpose of the military  certainly ours and it could be argued Ukraine's  as winning with overwhelming force. Former Defense Secretary Caspar Weinberger shared Powell's views in a 1984 speech in which Weinberger outlined what should be considered before American forces (and I would argue resources) are sent anywhere: Vital national interests are at stake, the nation is prepared to commit enough forces to win, clear political and military objectives have been established, forces are sized to achieve those objectives, there is reasonable assurance of support of the American people and Congress.

Most Members of Congress and a majority of the public continue to support Ukraine, though lately some bipartisan doubts have been raised along the lines I mentioned.

Where and when will it end? Putin clearly believes the U.S. will grow tired of the expense and draw back its support. President Biden has promised we will support Ukraine for as long as it takes.

The president should explain the goal and in the meantime ask European nations to step up their aid to Kiev.

(COMMENT, BELOW)

Cal Thomas, America's most-syndicated columnist, is the author of 10 books.


MATTOON  A new John Deere parts distribution center is set to open this spring in the former LSC Communications Printing Co. plant in Mattoon.

Local officials said they are excited about the distribution center creating more than 100 jobs and about the prospects of the former General Electric Mattoon Lamp Plant, which LSC site owner Phoenix Investors recently purchased.

The Moline-based manufacturer of agricultural machinery and other heavy equipment confirmed its plans for a Mattoon distribution center in statement from Brent Thomsen, Aftermarket & Customer Support Global network and automation lead.

To help accommodate ongoing growth in our Aftermarket & Customer Support business, we are expanding our warehousing, packaging and logistics operations," Thomsen said. "The new distribution center in Mattoon will improve our ability to receive material directly from suppliers and enable us to ship outbound directly to dealers."

The Mattoon facility will serve as a secondary parts distribution center for its U.S. network and that its primary parts distribution center will remain in Milan, located just southwest of Moline.

"John Deere, in collaboration with two of our suppliers (SC2 and Phoenix), will be ramping up operations (in Mattoon) over the course of the next several months. Once fully operational, there will be a total of 100-125 workers employed by Deere and its suppliers," Thomsen said.

"With deep roots in agriculture, Coles County is pleased to welcome John Deere, one of the worlds leading agricultural companies, to the industrial and manufacturing base in the community," said Angela Griffin, president of the Coles Together economic development organization. "As Deere grows its operation in Coles County, we know our roots in the industrial sector will also be of value to the company."

Griffin said Coles Together is working to assist John Deere with efforts to recruit employees to support the company's operations at the former LSC/RR Donnelly facility.

Ed Dowd, executive director of the Mattoon Chamber of Commerce, said having a Fortune 500 company like John Deere locate in Mattoon and create more than 100 jobs there will be great for the local economy.

The former LSC printing plant, 6821 E. County Road 1100 North, closed in 2020 and was purchased at the end of that year by Milwaukee, Wisconsin-based Phoenix Investors, a national commercial real estate firm that specializes in revitalizing former manufacturing facilities. Phoenix has been marketing the property to prospective occupants since then.

Phoenix has reported that the 84-acre property includes 1.1 million square feet of improvements, including clear heights up to 80 feet, 41 loading docks, 11 drive-in doors, large parking lots, and two interior rail spurs with interior loading, supported by Canadian National. The property is located just north of County Road 1000 North, which provides direct access to an Interstate 57 interchange.

"The location was chosen due to its size, readiness of the facility and potential available workforce," Thomsen said, adding that the company will use approximately 900,000 square feet of the facilities there.

Mattoon Mayor Rick Hall said the city is excited about seeing a very good company like John Deere move into the former LSC location.

"This 1-million-square-foot building should be a great place for John Deere, with access to highways and rail," Hall said. "We look forward to officially welcoming them to Mattoon.

Griffin said Coles Together also looks forward to continuing to work with Phoenix Investors. Dowd added that this company has a reputation for getting vacant industrial spaces filled as "quickly as possible."

"With the company's purchase of the (LSC Communications) facility and, recently, the General Electric facility, their partnership and track record of success has opened the door to many opportunities for Coles County."

Coles County property tax assessment records show that Phoenix Investors purchased the former General Electric Mattoon Lamp Plant in January. This factory building at 1501 S. 19th St. was closed by GE in 2017.

More than a dozen trailers bearing John Deere's signature leaping deer logo could be seen in recent days parked in the former LSC property's east parking lot or attached to loading docks on the west side of the building. John Deere recently posted a job notice for an operations coordinator at the planned distribution center in Mattoon.

Coles County already has some ties to the Moline-based Fortune 500 company. Lake Land College in Mattoon is home to a John Deere Tech Program that is specifically designed to advance the skill level of new John Deere service technicians. In addition, Alliance Tractor LLC in Mattoon and AHW LLC in Ashmore are both John Deere farm equipment dealerships.

"Deere is one of many industrial firms making decisions to locate or grow in Coles County over the past three years because the local workforce has demonstrated it is very productive at making things, Griffin said.

Coles Together appreciates the foresight and work by local school districts, Lake Land College, and Eastern Illinois University to invest in skills training in the workforce, Griffin said. These efforts and workforce support from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity has given Coles County a reputation for having skilled and trained workers needed to support todays industrial sector, she said.

"With very few empty facilities and a steady demand for industrial and warehouse space, it is time to bury the phrase 'Rust Belt' when referring to Coles County," Griffin said.
CHARLESTON  The union that represents faculty, academic advisors, recruiters, counselors, and lab coordinators at Eastern Illinois University is scheduled to vote March 8-9 on authorizing a strike

EIU University Professionals of Illinois reported in a press release that it plans to take this action after nearly one year of bargaining and "little movement in mediation." The union reported that a yes vote would give its bargaining team the power to file official strike authorization paperwork with the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Board if no agreement can be made at the bargaining table.

Union lead negotiator Billy Hung, who is an associate professor in biological sciences at Eastern, said in the release that they feel negotiations have stalled.

The administration continues to offer an effective pay cut for workload increases, and we just cannot agree to that," Hung said. "They will have to make some movement to prove that theyre taking bargaining seriously. We work hard to support our students and this institution, and we deserve not only respect for our work, but appropriate compensation along with it. Our members should not have to pay our school just to work here.

The university's administration reported in a prepared statement that, "EIU continues to bargain in good faith but cannot comment on active negotiations."

EIU UPI President Jennifer Stringfellow, who is a a professor of special education at Eastern, said in the release that the union does not want to strike. She added this vote is not a step that they take lightly.

After nearly a year of bargaining, weve seen so little progress on issues that are critical to faculty and staff retention and that will strengthen the university," Stringfellow said. "Its time for EIU administration to demonstrate that they prioritize our students and value our work. Its time to settle this fairly. If they continue to propose insultingly low offers, well have no choice left but to strike.

The union began negotiations with the university in March 2022 and later called for a federal mediator by November. The union reported that the two sides are not close to an agreement, with the primary issues on the bargaining table that remain being salary and workload demands that directly impact availability of service to students. The next bargaining session is scheduled for March 10.

The Eastern Illinois University campus through the years
By Azernews

Laman Ismayilova





Reza Deghati, well-known photojournalist has launched a new website that aims to increase global recognition of the Khojaly genocide.

KhojalyWitness is available in four languages and contains photos and video footage taken in Khojaly and Aghdam in 1992, and the stories behind them. Apart from that, the website highlights articles, published in such prestigious international media as Time, The New York Times, The Washington Times, The Washington Post, BBC1News, etc, Azernews reports.

On the 31st anniversary of the Khojaly genocide, Reza Deghati's photo exhibitions opened in Azerbaijan and and other countries.

His photo exhibition opened in Aghdam held within the commemorative event "Unforgettable History", included the photo works taken during the First Karabakh War, depicting the tragedy of Khojaly victims.

Following the exhibition, the Justice for Khojaly international propaganda campaign was organized by the Special representation of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Azerbaijan Youth Fund in the liberated territories, included in the Karabakh economic region (except Shusha ).

At the same time, an action was held on the 31st anniversary of the Khojaly genocide in the famous Heldenplatz square in Vienna, Austria.

First, the National Anthem of Azerbaijan was played. Reza Deghati addressed the event.

In his speech, he once again brought the horrors of Khojaly to the attention of the world media and participants.

More than 1,000 compatriots, community members, and representatives of diaspora organizations participated in the action from 74 cities of 31 countries.








100 years ago,

Feb. 28, 1923

WINDSOR  At an open mass meeting held in the school auditorium on Monday night, in the interests of securing the paving of the hard roads that were voted to Windsor by the voters of Illinois two years ago, it was felt that more could be accomplished by a permanent organization. Hence on motions properly made and carried the Windsor Community Club came into existence. Hugh S. Lilly was elected president and L.D. Hennigh secretary. A committee will be selected, with F.A. Munson as chairman, to call on Governor Small and the state highway committee next Tuesday, when an audience has been promised them...COLES COUNTY  The dirt roads of Coles County, with but few exceptions, have reached the stage where they are at present more or less impassable. Throughout the county reports are to the effect that only the best of the oiled roads have held up, and that in some instances roads that have not been oiled have completely "gone to pieces." Oiled roads in Seven Hickory, Paradise, and Pleasant Grove townships are reported in fair condition, they having been well-oiled and able to withstand the thaw that has gotten underway in the past week. In Humboldt township however, roads are reported absolutely impassable in some sections. The thaw has also brought about similar conditions in Mattoon relative to the unpaved streets, all attempts at travel on them having been almost abandoned.

50 years ago, 1973

MATTOON  City Commissioner George "Brownie" Wedel is a firm believer that when you get a good luck symbol that works, don't let it get away. Four years ago, Wedel drove a 1930 Model A Ford on general election day and was elected to the city council. So Wedel again used the car in Tuesday's primary and it again proved a good luck charm for him as he ran second in a field of 12 candidates. The car, which is owned by his nephew, William B. Cunningham of Galton, had been in a garage since the city election in 1969 until "Brownie" got it out over the weekend...MATTOON  A derailment of one freight car on a single track in the East St. Louis area about 3:15 a.m. today brought a familiar sight to Mattoon...a passenger train passing through to its destination at Indianapolis. Richard Kiger, representative of the Penn Central Railroad, said there was no property damage or injuries reported in the derailment.

25 years ago, 1998

CHARLESTON  The former chairman of the Coles County 911 board didn't surrender for an arrest on official misconduct charges when police apparently thought he would. Rex. D. Roberts was instead arrested Thursday evening at Alamo Steakhouse and Saloon in Mattoon. "When an active warrant is issued, law enforcement is obligated to honor it," Sheriff Jim Kimball said. The sheriff added that he didn't know why Roberts didn't surrender as expected. He speculated that it could have because Roberts' attorney, David Nelson was out of town and Roberts might have thought he could wait until Nelson's return to surrender...CHARLESTON  The state's four-year-old case against a closed Coles County landfill will go to trial Monday. Four years ago today, the Illinois attorney general's office filed cases against Western Lion and Service Disposal, the company that previously operated the landfill. The cases alleged several violations of state pollution control ordinances.

50 famous firsts from presidential history 50 famous firsts from presidential history 1789: Washington wins unanimously 1800: First White House president 1804: First separate vote for vice president 1806: First child born in the White House 1817: Last of the Founding Fathers 1821: First oath of office to be postponed 1824: First president to lose popular and electoral votes 1825: First son of previous president to serve 1831: First convention to nominate candidates for president 1840: First party platform 1841: First president to die in office 1841: First VP to assume presidency due to death 1844: First dark horse candidate 1850: Last president not a Democrat or Republican 1857: First and only unmarried president 1865: First president to be assassinated 1866: First Congressional override of note 1868: First presidential impeachment 1872: First woman to run for president 1872: First candidate to die before Electoral College meets 1876: First time justices decide an election 1881: Last of the 'log cabin' presidents 1881: First president who was a clergyman 1881: First presidential library 1881: First 'so help me god' 1885: First president to serve separate terms 1901: Youngest president to assume office 1904: First Black American to receive presidential nomination 1909: First president and chief justice 1924: Longest political convention 1928: First Catholic to receive presidential nomination 1933: First four-term president 1956: First televised presidential debate 1960: First televised presidential debate featuring candidates 1960: First Catholic president to win election 1964: First woman to seek Republican nomination 1972: First Black woman to seek nomination 1974: First president never elected to presidency, vice-presidency 1976: First U.S. Naval Academy graduate 1980: First actor to become president 1984: First woman on a presidential ticket 1996: First Democrat to serve a second term since FDR 2000: First presidential race settled by the Supreme Court 2008: First woman to run on Republican ticket 2008: First Black president elected 2016: First president to win on first political run 2016: First woman to win a major party nomination for president 2020: Oldest president to win office 2020: First president to break 75 million votes 2020: First woman of color to be elected VP
A new combination bar and coffee shop had its soft opening Feb. 20 at 492 West End Boulevard, next to Joymongers Beer Hall and across from Hanes Park.

The Remedy Coffee House and Draft Room is in the 1928 Spanish-style building that originally was home to Summit Street Pharmacy but has been vacant since 2019 when Colony Urban Farm closed.

The building has special significance to owner Burgess Jenkins. My great-grandfather used to live at the top of the hill, Jenkins said. And I grew up hearing all these stories about my great-grandfather, grandfather and father coming down here to the soda fountain.

Jenkins, 49, is an actor who grew up in Winston-Salem, left for Los Angeles, then moved back when he was ready to start a family. TV viewers may recognize Jenkins from such shows as One Tree Hill, Nashville, or The Young and the Restless. He also has appeared in such films as Remembering the Titans, Noelle and The Girl Who Believes in Miracles.

Jenkins said that his acting career keeps him busy  hes currently filming a new series called Blue Ridge  but that the opportunity to open a cafe in the old pharmacy was too good to pass up.

This was way in the back of my mind that one day Id like to open a cafe  I wanted to model it on this cafe I found when I was in Europe, he said. I didnt think it would happen now, but this space came open, and Ive always just been in love with this building.

The Remedy is open daily from early morning til evening.

Coffee drinks use coffee from Black & White Coffee Roasters, based in Raleigh. They include espresso, drip coffee and pourovers. Theres also cold-brew and nitro coffee.

The Remedy also sells teas from Steven Smith Teamaker, based in Portland, Ore.

The Remedy Address: 492 West End Blvd., Winston-Salem, N.C. 27101 Phone: 336-293-8147 Email: info@theremedyws.com Website: remedyws.com Instagram: @theremedyws.com

The Remedy currently has 11 beers on tap, including such N.C. beers as Sycamore Jungle Juice from Charlotte, Appalachian Mountains Boone Creek Blonde from Boone and Wicked Weeds Pernicious IPA from Asheville. Other beers on tap include Ballads Pilsner and Balladeer IPA, Breckenridge Vanilla Porter and Dogfish Head SeaQuench Ale (sour).

There are ciders, selzters and more beers in bottles and cans, including Kona Passionfruit Orange Guava hard seltzer, Appalachian Mountains Cidery Mystic Dragon cider, Edmunds Oast Something Cold blonde ale and Rightside Citrus Wheat nonalcoholic beer.

The wine list offers 16 wines, about half of which are available by both the glass and bottle.

The cafe also offers three boozy coffees, including The Remedy, made with espresso and salted caramel Irish cream liqueur.

The cafe also serves food. Its making charcuterie boards, hot flatbreads and avocado toasts to order. It also sells baked goods from Elderflour Baking Co., including quiche, chess pie, cookies, scones and muffins.

The cafe has a mix of couches and chairs as well as tall chairs along the long quartz bar. Theres also additional seating upstairs in a loft area that Jenkins said can be reserved for meetings or parties.

Jenkins said he plans to have live acoustic music and probably some game nights in the future.

He said he has had a great response in the cafes first week. He said he originally hoped to open last summer but delays with labor and materials kept pushing things back. But it all worked out providentially, because it gave us more time, he said.

You know, those are the original doors, he said the other day, pointing to the front entrance. One day, I was in here sanding the doors, and it hit me that four generations of my family had walked through those doors. That was just a wonderful moment for me.

PHOTOS: The Remedy Coffee House and Draft Room opens in West End

(336) 727-7394
Portions of Burke and First streets remained closed most of the day Monday while police investigated an early-morning shooting outside Gatsbys Pub that left one person dead.

The victim was identified as Quante Donnell Tae Wilder, 35, of Woodstone Drive in Winston-Salem. Wilders body lay where he was shot near the entrance to Gatsbys Pub until it was removed in the early afternoon.

Later on Monday, a city man was arrested and charged with murder in Wilders death. More charges are expected to be filed. The shooting was the 13th of the year, compared with nine at this time last year.

Winston-Salem police responded to Gatsbys about 2:10 a.m. on a report of multiple gunshots fired and a large group of people fighting. While police were still on the way to Burke Street, they received a report that someone had been shot.

On arrival, police found Wilder in front of Gatsbys suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. Wilder died despite lifesaving efforts, police said.

Police said their investigation shows that multiple guns were fired after the fight, which also involved multiple people.

An investigation identified Nehemiah Chrysyion Chandler, 19, of Hilda Street, as a suspect. Police, including members of the police SWAT team, arrested Chandler about 11:30 a.m. in the 2200 block of Aurelia Court. Chandler had no weapons and was arrested without incident, police said.

He is being held in the Forsyth County Jail without bond.

After the shooting, police closed off Burke Street between Westdale Avenue and the First Street split where Burke Street begins at Gatsbys Pub. The closure also affected a small portion of First Street at the intersection.

Police investigating the crime placed well over a dozen evidence markers on the street as they carried out their work.

David Havens, the owner of Eastern Standard, a bar in the middle of the closed-off block, said he provided police with video surveillance footage from his business. While he said he did not know any details about the shooting, he did say that the video footage showed an automobile of interest that appeared to be fleeing the scene.

The fatal shooting comes a little more than a month since a man standing on the street fired a gun into Burke Street Pub on the opposite side of Burke Street from Gatsbys, killing a man and injuring a woman. Jason Thiel, the president of the Downtown Winston-Salem Partnership, said hes been hearing for some time that the city needs to put more police officers downtown.

We feel like this incident is something that we just dont want, Thiel said. We have worked very hard to build our downtown into a destination. We are going to be working on measures to try to address peoples safety concerns. But we need the citys help.

Thiel and Winston-Salem Mayor Allen Joines talked about upcoming meetings that will be held to talk with downtown business owners to talk about their concerns in the wake of the shootings.

It is very concerning, Joines said, adding that he and others with an interest downtown totally feel like downtown is a safe environment.

This is an anomaly that happened, Joines said, adding that he hopes new city program directed at reducing gun violence can make a difference.

Thiels first comment was an expression of sympathy to the family and loved ones of Tae Wilder, who used the name Tae Wild on his Facebook page.

It is a tragic loss, Thiel said. I know that Tae was loved by many people. Many people are saddened to hear about it.

Friends of Wilders were gathering Monday night at the Second & Green Tavern just blocks away from where their friend died. People who arrived were sharing hugs and many were crying. Andrea Sykes, who works at the bar, said she too was a friend.

Theres a roomful of people grieving the loss of him and it is extremely tragic, she said. We shouldnt have to deal with this.

On Facebook, people were grieving and sharing pictures of Wilder. They talked about his little girls, his background in the down-east town of Rich Square, and how shocked they were to hear he had died.

The Jan. 19 shooting claimed the life of Kane Jacob Bowen, who was 30 when he died. Police charged William Preston Drake, 74, with murder, discharging a firearm into an occupied property, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and assault by pointing a gun.

Police said Drake fired a .40-caliber handgun into the bar, but that neither Bowen nor Makenzie Dalton, the woman injured, were his intended targets.

Gatsbys stayed closed Monday evening after Burke Street was reopened about 4:30 p.m. The business posted a statement on its Facebook page that called the shooting a senseless act of violence.

Our hearts break for the victims family and friends as they deal with this tragic loss!! the owners and staff said in a post. May we all find strength and comfort in one another during this difficult time!!

Havens said that people should not see the shootings as having anything to do with the safety of Burke Street.

This is not a symptom of Burke Street, it is anywhere USA, Havens said. We are a well-managed and well-policed city.

Thiel made a similar point.

Guns seem to be a ubiquitous part of all society, not just downtown, Thiel said.
State health regulators are being asked to approve an Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist community hospital in Greensboro that would cost an estimated $246.5 million to build.

The plan for a 36-bed Greensboro Medical Center was posted Monday by the N.C. Division of Health Service Regulation.

The division did not immediately respond to a request for the certificate-of-need (CON) application.

Baptist confirmed Monday it has submitted the CON application, and that the proposed site is at 2909 Horse Pen Creek Road in northern Greensboro.

On Friday, a Baptist affiliate paid $12.5 million for two properties off Horse Pen Creek Road, where it previously announced plans to open a $30.13 million multispecialty ambulatory surgical facility. That project received state approval in November.

The properties are listed as: a $10 million purchase of the vacant 32.96-acre tract at 2909 Horse Pen Creek Road; and a $2.5 million purchase of a tract listed as 2909 YY Horse Pen Creek Road.

Baptist said there would be two separate facilities on the same campus.

The 36 beds and two operating rooms would be transferred from High Point Medical Center, which Baptist owns.

Baptist said the hospital would be licensed as an additional campus of the High Point hospital, and the beds would remained under the High Point hospital license.

Baptist said the proposed hospital also would have two procedure rooms, an emergency department and other ancillary services.

Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist has had a presence in Greensboro for years, including a number of primary, specialty and urgent care clinics, Baptist said.

The $246 million represents a steep increase on construction and infrastructure costs given that the Baptist hospital in Bermuda Run, as well as the Novant Health Inc. hospitals in Clemmons and Kernersville, all were in the 50-bed, $100 million range when announced.

The Kernersville campus has been expanded at least two times since opening in March 2011.

CON process

Baptist said that as with all certificate of need applications, the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services will conduct a thorough review process before making a decision.

A CON is required before a health care system or provider can build a facility, buy equipment or offer a surgical procedure, among other things.

The primary goal is to prevent unnecessary duplication of services within a community or region.

Baptists application is not considered as competitive by the division because it would represent a transfer of existing hospital beds to a new location.

However, a public hearing would be required on the plans. Written public comment is being accepted through March 31.

If the Greensboro plan is approved, the High Point hospital would still have 307 licensed beds, although hospital officials said that in 2018 that at least 100 beds tend to be unoccupied on a daily basis.

Although these (hospital) assets will be relocated to Greensboro, access to services in High Point will not be impacted, Baptist said.

Ambulatory surgical center

State health regulators approved the $30.13 million Baptist ambulatory surgical center in November.

The filing was focused on N.C. Division of Health Service Regulation granting approval to transfer to the new Greensboro center the equipment from two operating rooms at High Point Surgery Center and one operating room at Premier Surgery Center.

Meanwhile, the ambulatory surgical center would have no more than three operating and three procedure rooms.

It would offer surgical specialties in otolaryngology, ophthalmology, orthopedics (including spine) and urology.

The estimated opening date for the ambulatory surgical center is Oct. 1, 2024.

Baptist projects serving 1,374 patients at the center in its first year, and 2,158 in Year 3. About 60% of those patients would be from Guilford County.

New competition

The proposed hospital would provide competition for Cone Health in its home Greensboro market.

Cone Health will carefully study the proposal from Atrium Wake Forest Baptist High Point Medical Center to build a new hospital in Greensboro, Cone said in a statement.

For 70 years, Cone Health has been the health care provider of choice to people in the Greensboro area. In that time, we have developed a reputation for compassionate, nationally leading, high-quality health care. That will not change.
One of Lincoln's oldest and most well-known businesses is shutting its doors.

Nebraska Book Co. said Monday that it is closing Wednesday, ending more than a century of providing educational materials to the country's college students.

Jennifer Goetsch, vice president of sales and marketing, said the bulk of the company's 114 full-time employees will be out of a job as of Wednesday, although about 30 will be retained for an additional 4-6 weeks to help liquidate the company. She said employees will not be receiving any severance.

Nebraska Book has been in business since 1915, and for decades it dominated the college textbook market, selling books at bookstores on hundreds of college campuses across the country.

But the company fell on hard times in the past couple of decades as it faced stiff competition from the internet and large booksellers such as Amazon.

It declared bankruptcy in 2011, and then in 2015 it made a series of moves, including closing its flagship Nebraska Bookstore in downtown Lincoln, selling off its store portfolio and selling its corporate office space at 4700 S. 19th St., which it leased back.

Things seemed to be turning around in the fall of 2018, when Nebraska Book announced it was expanding its headquarters and adding 150 jobs after forming a new company that provided technology services to college bookstores and retailers and landing a new distribution deal with Follett Corp., the company to which it had sold its campus bookstores three years earlier.

COVID-19 apparently killed that rebound, however.

In an email to employees, excerpts of which Goetsch provided to the Journal Star, the company said the pandemic had done in the business.

"Unfortunately, when the pandemic forced students off campus and into using digital content, we sold through much of our inventory and have not had sufficient funds to replenish it," the email said. "Lack of inventory is the cause of the shortfall in sales we required to maintain the business."

The email said Nebraska Book has been close to shutting its doors several times over the past couple of years.

"Please know that if there was a viable option to keep this great company going, we would have seized it, but we simply ran out of capital and time," the company said in the email.

Nebraska Book Co. has been majority owned by Concise Capital Management, a Miami-based financial firm, since 2020.

Officials at Concise could not be reached for comment Monday afternoon.

PhotoFiles: Earliest businesses in Lincoln Growth on 13th Street Pomeroy Coal Building Early shops in 1870 11th Street in 1908 Construction of Capitol Building City Hall construction University Hall City hall in 1890 Lancaster County Courthouse Nebraska's First Capitol Building
The Prescott Elementary School student who brought a loaded handgun to school Friday and used it to threaten a classmate will not face legal consequences, but his parents might, according to the Lancaster County Attorney.

The fifth grader, who flashed a handgun in a backpack while threatening another fifth grader while the two were in a hallway Friday, is too young to be adjudicated even as a juvenile in Nebraska, County Attorney Pat Condon said Monday.

The Lincoln Police Department had referred the student, a 10-year-old boy, to the prosecutor's office on suspicion of terroristic threats, use of a weapon to commit a felony, unlawful possession of a firearm at a school and possession of a handgun by a minor, Sgt. Chris Vollmer said Monday morning.

But the student is simply too young to prosecute, even in juvenile court, Condon said.

"The child's under 11 years old, so we can't," said Condon, who did not rule out charging the boy's parents with a crime stemming from the incident.

Police responded to the school at about 12:30 p.m. Friday after the student who was reportedly threatened told a teacher, who alerted administrators at the school near 20th and South streets.

Staff located the backpack hanging from a coat rack in the hallway and took it to the office before calling police, who responded and found a loaded handgun inside the backpack, the district said.

This could have had a very different result, no question about it, Superintendent Paul Gausman said at a news conference Friday afternoon, where he praised the response by staff and law enforcement and the student who reported the threat.

Only a couple of minutes passed from when the threat was reported to when the gun was secured, according to the school district.

It remains unclear how the 10-year-old got the gun  and whether his parents will face criminal charges.

The Police Department declined to make officials available for an interview on the incident Monday, repeatedly deferring to the school district.

In response to questions regarding who owned the firearm, whether it was stored at the boy's house and whether the handgun had been locked away, Lincoln Police Capt. Todd Kocian said:

"At this time we are still working on this investigation and will be providing additional details once complete."

Condon said any potential charges for the boy's parents would depend on the outcome of that investigation, but speaking generally, he said his office could file child neglect-related charges if the facts of the case called for it, such as if the gun was unsafely stored.

Condon, who has been the county's top prosecutor since 2018, said his office hasn't previously used the child neglect statute to file charges in an incident like the one at Prescott.

"I have not had these circumstances come up before," he said. "Thankfully, I should say."

He said investigators would also work to determine whether the gun owners were in lawful possession of the weapon.

"Did the parents have the ability to own that firearm?" he said. "If it turns out the parents were convicted felons and they shouldn't have a firearm, we look at those things too to make a determination if there's anything to be charged on the parent criminally.

"But then, otherwise, it would be under the neglect side of things."

He declined to say how the student in Friday's case acquired the gun, pointing to the ongoing investigation.

City ordinance very narrow

Lincoln's only ordinance dealing with the storage of firearms relates to guns stored in vehicles. The narrow ordinance, which the City Council passed in 2019 after months of debate, requires residents who store guns in their cars to keep the weapons out of sight and the vehicle's doors locked.

That ordinance was in part a response to lobbying efforts from the nonprofit Nebraskans Against Gun Violence, which repeatedly urged the City Council to pass an ordinance requiring all guns in homes be kept in a locked container, prompting former Mayor Chris Beutler to create the Child Access to Firearms/Safe Storage Task Force in 2019.

"It's not a new problem," the nonprofit's executive director Melody Vaccaro said Monday. "It's a problem thus far we haven't had the political will to resolve."

Vaccaro was among 17 community members  which included police officers, public health and school officials and a gun store owner, among others  who served on the task force charged with examining ways to keep guns away from children and to increase safe storage of firearms.

In a 21-page report, the task force noted that 69% of guns reported stolen in Lincoln from 2008 to 2018 were taken during home or car break-ins. And of cases solved by police, nearly half of the guns stolen from cars from 2014 to 2019 were taken by juvenile offenders, the task force said.

The task force also noted that from 1995 to 2018, there were 12 juvenile suicides that involved firearms in Lancaster County. In all 12 cases, the guns were either unsecured or kept in glass display cases considered easily accessible, the task force said.

And between 2014 and 2018, there were eight reported incidents involving guns being brought onto Lincoln public middle or high school campuses. The report does not mention elementary schools.

After meeting six times in early 2019, the task force failed to provide an unanimous recommendation for any potential safe storage legislation, stopping short of endorsing the mandatory storage law that some task force members  including Vaccaro  had advocated for.

"Some in the group felt that the numbers were not high enough to justify actions where there was not a consensus," the task force said in its report.

Former City Councilman Roy Christensen proposed two gun ordinances that would have required residents to lock up firearms left unattended in their vehicles and report firearm thefts in the city within 48 hours.

In October 2019, the council ultimately passed a narrowed version of one of Christensen's ordinances, requiring residents who store guns in their cars to keep said guns out of sight and with the car's doors locked  a far cry from the legislation advocates initially sought.

People found in violation of the amended ordinance once or twice would be guilty only of an infraction, punishable by a $100 fine.

In the years since the council passed the ordinance, police data shows it's been an ineffective tool in preventing gun thefts.

After there were 99 guns reported stolen in Lincoln in 2019, there were 123 reported stolen in 2020 and 135 in 2021, the latest year for which data is available.

"I just don't know what people expect to happen," Vaccaro said. "Like, of course, this is gonna keep happening."

Vaccaro, who described Lincoln's current gun storage ordinance as inadequate, also expressed concern that the measure could itself be nullified by the Legislature, which is set to debate Sen. Tom Brewer's so-called constitutional carry bill Wednesday.

The Gordon senator's proposal (LB77) would allow Nebraskans to carry concealed weapons without a permit or safety training and would prevent cities, counties or village boards from regulating "the ownership, possession, storage, transportation, sale or transfer of firearms."

The bill would also nullify any current city ordinances regulating firearms and would require cities to post a public notice alerting residents that previous gun possession and storage laws are void, according to an amendment Brewer filed in January.

Brewer's proposal, which has 26 co-sponsors, faces continued opposition from police officials in Omaha and Lincoln.

School day was normal

At a Friday news conference, Gausman praised the quick response by school staff and law enforcement to secure the weapon, as well as the student for reporting the threat.

On Monday, staff worked to keep the school day as normal as possible for Prescott students, LPS Director of Communications Mindy Burbach said. There was no police presence, although school counselors, a social worker and a member of LPS security team were on site.

Its an important step in the healing process for our students to get back into routines as quickly as possible, Burbach said.

Officials were not aware of any parents who kept their students home because of the incident. Burbach said there were actually fewer absences than a normal Monday.

All grade levels discussed what to do when students notice something wrong as part of the districts social-emotional curriculum. The curriculum teaches students to tell an adult if they see a student breaking the rules and to refuse to take part in similar behavior.

Fridays incident was only discussed in classrooms where appropriate, like grade levels where students were talking about it, Burbach said.

Principal JJ Wilkins also held meetings with staff members Monday.

Wilkins said LPS safety protocols have been developed in coordination with national school security experts and carefully balances school safety with the warmth and caring feeling of how a school should be for our children.

He added that LPS and its threat-assessment team would review those protocols. Wilkins also shared information on how parents can talk to their children about the incident.

Friday's incident was only the latest instance in what Vaccaro said has emerged as a trend  and a reminder of the city and state's failure to address the rising accessibility of guns, she said.

"Our elected officials  from both parties  are not addressing this problem of adults leaving guns around for children to find," she said. "And they bring guns to school. Every single year, guns show up in our schools. Every year."

Condon, a Republican, declined to say definitively Monday whether he would support local or statewide legislation to strengthen or create gun storage laws.

Condon said he would have to review specific legislation to make sure it doesn't present any "constitutional issues." And he pinned the availability of guns not on a lack of effective gun storage policies, but on gun owners themselves.

"Bottom line, it just comes down to people being responsible for the guns that they have," he said. "You can have all the safe storage laws, but if somebody still makes a mistake of having that gun unsecured in a vehicle, more than likely there's a good chance that gun's gonna get stolen."
OKLAHOMA CITY  Parts of the Southern Plains counted the injured and surveyed the damage Monday after tornadoes and other powerful winds swept through, killing at least one person in Oklahoma, while some Michigan residents faced a fifth consecutive day without power following last week's ice storm.

In California, the National Weather Service said winter storms will continue moving into the state through Wednesday after residents got a brief break from severe weather Sunday.

Parts of the Northeast that have seen little snow this winter were under a winter storm warning. And forecasters warned of continued high winds in parts of the Plains and of thunderstorms and possible tornadoes in the Ohio River valley.

A look at the weather threats around the country:

Tornado forecast, cleanup

The storm system produced at least four tornadoes as it moved across central and northeastern Illinois on Monday, including two that formed in suburbs west of Chicago, authorities said.

Initial reports suggested damage there was limited to fallen trees or shingles torn from buildings, said Rafal Ogorek, a meteorologist in the Chicago office of the National Weather Service.

At least one person was killed and three others injured after a tornado touched down Sunday night in far western Oklahoma near the town of Cheyenne, where 20 homes were damaged and four others destroyed, Roger Mills County Emergency Manager Levi Blackketter reported.

Officials in Norman, Oklahoma, confirmed 12 weather-related injuries after tornadoes and wind gusts as high as 90 mph were reported in the state Sunday night. The winds toppled trees and power lines, closed roads and damaged homes and businesses around Norman and Shawnee.

Classes were canceled Monday at two damaged elementary schools, said Norman Police Chief Kevin Foster.

The line of quick-moving thunderstorms that produced a swath of damaging wind gusts across likely qualified as a derecho, though that's not an official designation, said Nolan Meister, a National Weather Service meteorologist.

Meister said a wind gust of 114 mph was recorded in Texas, with gusts between 70 and 90 mph in central Oklahoma.

More than 76,000 customers lost power in Oklahoma, but most had it restored by Monday morning, Oklahoma's Office of Emergency Management reported.

There were reports of nine tornadoes in Kansas, Oklahoma and northwestern Texas, weather officials said. One tornado near Liberal, Kansas, damaged more than a dozen homes and caused minor injuries to one person, KSNW-TV reported.

Blizzard conditions in western US

Blizzard warnings went into effect Monday in the Sierra Nevada range as more rounds of rain and snow moved into California and Nevada.

A blizzard warning was in effect for most of the Sierra Nevada into Wednesday and an avalanche warning was issued for the backcountry around Lake Tahoe, where up to 6 feet of snow was expected over the next two days in the upper elevations and gale-force winds could create waves up to 5 feet high on the lake, the National Weather Service in Reno said.

State offices across northern Nevada and the Nevada Legislature in Carson City both shut down Monday because of the winter storms.

The new series of storms arrived even as parts of California were still digging out from last week's powerful storm, which added to a massive snowpack left by a siege of "atmospheric rivers" in December and January.

Storms in Michigan, Northeast

In Michigan, still reeling from last week's ice storm and high winds, more than 180,000 customers were without power Monday, according to PowerOutage.us. That was down from more than 800,000 at one point last week. Crews continued their work to restore all electricity.

In Michigan's rural Livingston County, Jo Ann Davis, 59, said Monday she really wanted a shower since she and her husband, Tim, 61, have been without power since last Wednesday night.

They have no electricity for lights or appliances, of course, but their biggest problem is no water. They rely on a well that uses an electric pump.

"We're actually scooping water from a creek with 5-gallon buckets and then dumping it in the toilets to flush," Davis said. "I haven't showered since last Tuesday."

While not expecting a blockbuster storm by regional standards, southern New England braced for what could be the most significant snowfall of what has so far been a mild winter.

A winter storm warning covered parts of the Northeast, including Connecticut, New York, Massachusetts, New Jersey and Rhode Island, with heavy snow forecast through Tuesday afternoon.

Boston could get 5 inches and a messy Tuesday morning commute, according to the weather service. As much as 10 inches could fall in western Massachusetts, northwest Connecticut and southern Vermont.
BURLINGTON  Rosanne Hahn believes in public education.

She was a teacher for about four decades, including 34 years in Burlington, and has served on the Burlington Area School District board for the past 15 years.

Last month, Hahn brought her passion for education to a position leading a state organization.

Hahn began a one-year term as president of the Wisconsin Association of School Boards. She was elected by the WASB Board of Directors on Jan. 18 during the state education convention.

Hahn was honored and excited to be chosen for the position.

I was just delighted, she said. My purpose is just to do whats best for kids. I believe in educating every child every day, and this is giving me another chance to really become familiar with the whole state.

The WASB is a Madison-based nonprofit that represents all 421 school boards and 12 cooperative educational service agency boards of control in Wisconsin.

John Ashley, WASB executive director, said in a news release that Hahn brings her skills as a conscientious, diligent leader to the president position.

Rosannes experience in her schools and community makes her well positioned to be a statewide voice for public education, Ashley said. Her friendly, student-centered attitude helps her be effective while making her an amicable colleague to board members.

Hahn has served on the WASB for several years and was its vice president before being elected president.

As president, one of her duties is helping find a new WASB executive director because Ashley is retiring soon. Other responsibilities include running WASB meetings, communicating with state legislators and advocating for public education.

I want to keep working for every child every day in the whole state, Hahn said. Keep caring about kids. Thats my whole purpose.

She believes in educating all pupils because they will grow up to be leaders.

Theyre going to decide whats going to be for all of us in the future, and we need to prepare them for that, Hahn said.

Hahn grew up in Burlington, and her mother and grandfather were educators.

She started her education career in Kansasville and spent a year teaching in Uruguay.

Hahn then taught second and fourth grade in Burlington for more than three decades and enjoyed every minute.

I never got up in the morning and didnt want to go to work, because kids are so fun, Hahn said.

After retiring, Hahn tutored, but wanted to be more involved in education, so she ran for school board in 2008. She has served on the board ever since and has greatly enjoyed her time on it.

I love this job, so I guess Im kind of lucky to do what I really like to do, Hahn said.

Hahns belief in public education has stayed strong for more than a half-century, and she looks forward to continuing that as WASB president.

How the US compares to the rest of the world in access to early education How the US compares to the rest of the world in access to early education Early education spending per child Total education spending as a percentage of GDP Early education enrollment rates Mandatory schooling age Average child-to-staff ratios
BURLINGTON  Residents will vote in just over a month on whether to help fund Burlington Area School District operations for the next three years.

During the spring election on April 4, voters who live in the Burlington school district will consider an operating referendum that would authorize the school board to spend up to $8 million per year for the next three school years, a total of up to $24 million.

The non-recurring referendum would begin during the 2023-24 school year and go through the 2025-26 school year.

The referendum will ask voters to allow the school board to exceed the state revenue limit by up to $8 million per year so the district can better keep up with operating costs, namely paying employees and providing worker benefits like health insurance. It would also help pay for maintenance costs like heating and electricity.

This would be allowing us to essentially keep the lights on, said Peter Turke, BASD board president. That revenue cap has not been keeping up with the costs.

During its Jan. 9 meeting, the school board approved putting the referendum question on the April ballot. BASD board member Taylor Wishau was the only voter in opposition.

The state has not provided us with proper funding for many years now, and theres no indication theyre going to correct that anytime soon, board member Barry Schmaling said during the January meeting.

Many school districts across Wisconsin have required operational referendums recently because the state revenue limit has not increased in several years.

The system thats set up in Wisconsin for school district funding  it requires districts to do this, Turke said in January. Its pretty rare when a district doesnt actually go to the public for that kind of (referendum) question.

An operational referendum is different from a capital referendum, which funds building construction. In 2018, Burlington voters approved a capital referendum totaling more than $43 million.

Board members believe the school district has worked to keep costs low so it didnt need an operating referendum sooner.

I think weve been very good stewards of the taxpayers money, Schmaling said in January.

For example, next school year the district will move from eight to seven classrooms for kindergarten through third grade and fifth grade. Decreasing one section in five grades will result in four teaching positions being eliminated, which is estimated to save the district $384,000.

If the referendum is approved by voters in April, the board will have authority to spend up to $8 million per year for the next three school years, but it would not have to spend all that money.

If we run into a windfall or if the fiscal situation improves, we dont have to take that full amount out, Schmaling said in January. However, if it gets worse, or if the state continues to refuse to provide us the funding we need, then were going to need that flexibility.

If the referendum does not pass, the board and school district will have to make difficult decisions about how to deal with budget constraints.

Wed have to look at tightening the belt in other ways, Turke said. We havent delved into the specifics, but wed have to make some really hard choices.

According to BASD, it would have a deficit of about $5 million in the 2023-24 school year if the referendum failed. The district likely would cover that deficit by eliminating 12 staff positions, among other actions.

To inform school district residents about the referendum, BASD has information on its website and is hosting informational sessions before the April 4 vote.

A virtual presentation will take place at 6 p.m. Thursday, and an in-person session will occur at 7 p.m. March 29 at Veterans Terrace, 589 Milwaukee Ave.

People can register for the virtual presentation by going to https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdhUxy9lG-hGOHvPjjcqY58rdVtSIaaTimkQNWJ0Vccbuwtkg/viewform.

BASD board member Roseanne Hahn wants the referendum to pass but knows it depends on what voters choose.

I certainly hope we get it, but thats up to the public, Hahn said.
Al Fardan Exchange under the umbrella of Al Fardan Group has ventured into the education sector with the inauguration of the Al Fardan Banking Training Institute.

With corporate social responsibility at its core, the institute is aimed at developing and empowering UAE nationals for the financial services industry.

Inaugurated in Abu Dhabi, the Al Fardan Banking Training Institute will resonate the values of the Al Fardan Group, which has always underscored the importance of Emiratisation and the benefits in growing local talent and expertise to support the industrys vision for growth. Al Fardan Exchange, UAE is middle east's the first private financial institution to offer free education to its nationals.

Ambitious goals

Hasan Fardan Al Fardan, Group CEO of Al Fardan Group said: As an entity with a long history of success, we firmly believe that Emiratis have been instrumental in our nation's growth to date, and will be crucial in realising the government's ambitious goals. We are committed to fostering and developing UAE nationals talent to ensure that we are able to retain the best minds from within the country. We have set a goal to maximise employment of UAE nationals in various realms within the financial sector, which will tie into our wider corporate social responsibility efforts.

As the local financial services sector positions itself at par with the global market, Al Fardan Banking Training Institute will strive to fulfil the vision of the nation by empowering UAE nationals in the financial services industry and in every stream of life and enabling them to walk alongside the achievements and accolades of their homeland. UAE nationals won't be charged for educational services offered by the institute.

Al Fardan added: We are geared to ensuring our financial services sector is in line with the Emiratisation goals of the UAE government and we hope to help all the peers in the industry have access to the best financial services professionals in the region.-- TradeArabia News Service
WATERFORD  A teachers aide accused of arriving for work intoxicated has been without a state license since last summer, and she is now temporarily removed from the classroom.

Waterford Graded School District officials said teachers aide Amy Francisco is on unpaid leave from her job at Trailside Elementary School, where she was hired after her license expired.

Francisco was hired last October, two weeks after being accused in her previous job of being intoxicated at work and also of driving herself home under the influence of alcohol.

She is currently facing an operating while intoxicated citation in Racine County Circuit Court.

Waterford School District Administrator Tony Spence said Monday that Francisco has been placed on unpaid leave as a special education teachers aide at Trailside Elementary School.

Of the questions surrounding Franciscos background, Spence said, The matter is under investigation.

Waterford School Board President Mandy Fiehweg declined to comment about Franciscos hiring or status at Trailside Elementary. Referring to the district administrators statement, Fiehweg said, Thats all the additional information we have at this time.

Francisco, who could not be reached for comment, remains listed as a staff member on the school districts website.

Francisco, 44, was arrested Oct. 10 after colleagues at Burlingtons Waller Elementary School reported her as being intoxicated on the job. Police later reported finding her allegedly driving home with a blood-alcohol content of 0.26  more than three times the legal limit.

Francisco resigned her position with the Burlington Area School District, and was hired two weeks later in Waterford.

She is due in court March 20 in the OWI case, which involves a non-criminal municipal citation for first-time offenders.

Spence said previously that he contacted Burlington officials before hiring Francisco, and that he knew nothing about her allegedly arriving for work intoxicated.

Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction records show that Francisco was issued a state license in 2017 to work as a special education teachers aide. The license expired in June 2022 and has not been renewed.

Chris Bucher, spokesman for the department, said the license is under investigation for reasons that the state would not disclose.

After the investigation is concluded, Bucher said, state officials will make a decision whether to renew the license or revoke it. Typically, a teacher or other licensee does not continue in the classroom with an expired license, he said.

That is up to the district, he said. Theres a little bit of gray area there.

Art of the everyday: See the world through the eyes of the Wisconsin State Journal's photographers
WATERFORD  The Waterford Area Moderates will host a candidates forum for four local, contested races from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 8, in the Waterford Public Library community room, 101 N. River St.

Candidates running for the Waterford Union High School Board, Waterford Graded School Board, Town of Waterford Board of Supervisors and Waterford Town Chairman will be present to take questions from those in attendance.

The event will be moderated by community advocate Brandon Begotka.

The event also will be live-streamed on the Waterford Area Moderates Facebook page, allowing those viewing to submit questions. Each group of candidates will be limited to 30 minutes, so questions posed by those at the forum will take priority.

The spring election is scheduled Tuesday, April 4. Polls open at 7 a.m. and close at 8 p.m.

For more information, contact Maureen Vander Sanden at 262-716-3715 or maureenvandersanden@gmail.com.
1. Yes. Having a community member interview panel is an excellent opportunity for input.

2. Yes. Its good that the city will allow residents to meet the finalist at a reception.

3. No. The city should have conducted a public survey early in the process, as KISD is doing.

4. No. Residents should be able to meet candidates before a lone finalist is chosen.

5. Unsure. Its hard to know how to gauge the proper level of public involvement.

Vote

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The available courses are American History, Business Communication, Personal Financial Planning, Introduction to Psychology, Introduction to Sociology, Public Speaking and Issues of Unity and Diversity.

CCC courses usually take 16 weeks to complete. Dr. Amy Mancini, CCC dean of instruction, encouraged full-time workers or those only needing a few courses to complete an award to take advantage.

For students who need to fit a class around their work and personal life, these shortened length courses may be the answer, said Mancini. Because the classes are entirely online, students can work at any time of day or night to learn the material. We anticipate offering more eight-week courses in the future to help our students achieve their goals quickly.
DMCC, a flagship free zone and Dubai Authority on commodities trade and enterprise, has announced the launch of residential units at its latest flagship development, Uptown Tower.

The SO/ Uptown Dubai Residences includes 227 signature branded residences on the top 28 floors.

Designed by internationally renowned architects Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill, it is the first tower to be built within the Uptown Dubai district, which forms a core part of SO/ Uptown Towers compelling proposition.

Uptown Towers design replicates the brilliance of diamonds through its glass facade, illuminating the interior spaces with natural light while filtering out harsh glare.

The 340-m-tall Uptown Tower will also feature a 188-key 5-star luxury hotel  SO/ Uptown Dubai, exclusive restaurants, F&B offerings in The Atrium, and extensive conference facilities.

Uptown Towers 22 floors of premium Grade A commercial office space were fully pre-leased ahead of the towers launch, demonstrating the strong appeal to global businesses that Dubai, DMCC, and Uptown Tower command.

As such, residents at SO/ Uptown Dubai Residences will avail of a full suite of premium commercial, residential and recreational areas, said the statement from DMCC.

As part of the Uptown Dubai district, Uptown Tower will be one of two high-rise iconic mixed-use towers and seven residential, commercial and hospitality mid-rise towers, arrayed around The Plaza  all offering supreme amenities for residents, employees and visitors.

Construction on the next phase of Uptown Dubai is under way.

SO/ Uptown Dubai Residences by Ennismore, a joint venture with Accor, are available in a range of layouts, including one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartments, as well as duplexes and penthouses.

With all units featuring the signature French glamour and modern elegance that comes with all SO/ branded properties, SO/ Uptown Dubai Residences represent the pinnacle of living at the heart of new Dubai.

DMCC said it has awarded Luxhabitat Sothebys International Realty, a record-breaking real estate company, exclusivity to lead the sales of these ultra-exclusive branded residences.

"DMCC has been a pioneer in both developing and managing mixed-use communities in Dubai. The launch of our SO/ Uptown Dubai Residences is an extension of our world-class record and represents the next step on this journey, offering a prime destination for businesses and residents to experience all that Dubai has to offer," said its Executive Chairman and CEO Ahmed Bin Sulayem.

"As global businesses increasingly turn to Dubai to access some of the worlds fastest growing markets, we anticipate high demand from both local residents looking for a new premium home, and international investors looking for new opportunities in Dubais thriving real estate market," he stated.

"Residents will have access to an indoor pool, SO/ FIT Gym, SO/ Kids Club, sky lounge, and a multi-purpose hall that also serves as a private cinema. They will enjoy a range of high-end amenities and benefits, including preferred business set-up rates with DMCC and eligibility for Diamond membership status, the highest tier of the Accor Live Limitless loyalty programme which provides VVIP status at the global level," he added.-TradeArabia News Service
KEARNEY  Both new and not-so-new area residents are invited to the Kearney Newcomers Clubs activities in March.

They include:

March 2  First Thursday Luncheon Meeting at 11:15 a.m. Alley Rose at 2013 Central Ave. Joye Carpenter will talk about the Senior Volunteer Program, which is part of the Mid-Nebraska Community Action Partnership.

March 9  Second Thursday Get-Acquainted Coffee begins at 10 a.m. at K-Town Cakery and Central Mercantile, 2206 Central Ave. All are welcome to come for fun and fellowship.

March 16  Lunch Bunch will gather at 11:30 a.m. at Good Evans, 1010 Third Ave., for a no-host lunch and time to visit. Sign up at the March 2 Alley Rose luncheon.

March 23  Book Club meets at 1 p.m. at the Kearney Public Library at 2020 First Ave. to discuss Big Lies in a Small Town by Diane Chamberlain. For questions, call Janice at 308-293-5355.

Club members are collecting nonperishables and paper products for nonprofits in Kearney. Bring them to the Thursday lunch at the Alley Rose.

For more information on any activity, call Deb at 308-627-5388.
Western Technical College will host its bi-annual college-wide open house event on Wednesday, March 15 from 4 to 7 p.m. at the La Crosse, Black River Falls, Independence, Mauston, Tomah and Viroqua locations. Additionally, the Vehicle Technology Center, 2719 Larson St., La Crosse, which houses the Automotive Technician and Truck and Heavy Equipment Technician programs, will be open for program information and facility tours. Everyone that attends, regardless of location, will be entered into a drawing for a $500 scholarship to be used at Western.

Classrooms in program areas will be open for students to explore and connect with instructors and staff. The residence hall in La Crosse will be open for tours and wait list sign up. The college will be waiving the $30 application fee for those who apply during the open house. High school juniors are invited to get a jump start on their applications to college on this date only for fall 2024.

At the La Crosse main campus, students will check in at the Lunda Center, which will house representatives from student services and four-year universities that accept Western credits. Financial aid (FAFSA) filing will also be available at the La Crosse main campus only. To complete the FAFSA onsite, attendees are asked to bring financial documents, including 2020 (for the 2022-2023 FAFSA) and 2021 (for the 2023-2024 FAFSA) tax returns.

The public is invited to attend anytime during the open house events. Registration is encouraged, but walk-ins at the event are welcome. Register online at www.westerntc.edu/openhouse. For more information about additional Western Technical College programs and services, call 608-785-9200 or visit the website at www.westerntc.edu.
Within the first two months of the year, at least 13 people living unsheltered have died in the La Crosse area, already surpassing the number of unsheltered people who died in all of last year.

Medical professionals and homeless service providers all said they are seeing an alarming increase of fatalities in this population compared to data from previous years.

Julie McDermid, who works directly with the unsheltered community as the director of Karuna Housing, said a significant number of these deaths have been caused by overdoses.

The frequency of recent overdose deaths among the homeless locally is the worst McDermids seen. She attributes this uptick to a lack of 24-hour shelter for people who are struggling with homelessness.

Of the 13 individuals who have passed away, only one was considered stably housed but had survived homelessness, according to Couleecap Inc., a nonprofit that collects data on those who are homeless in the community, though the data likely doesnt capture the full picture.

There may be a lot of individuals in unsheltered community that we dont know of or dont have track of, for lack of a better way to say it, said Becky Koske, assistant of housing and community services at Couleecap.

In La Crosse, there are about 240 individuals experiencing homelessness, according to a Point in Time count taken in June 2022.

Sandy Brekke, a senior consultant with the Office of Population Health at Gundersen Health System, said she has noticed similar patterns to McDermid, but that fatal overdoses have been impacting the community at large primarily due to an influx of fentanyl in street drugs.

Fentanyl: A deadly epidemic  Part one: The devastation of addiction Across the nation, state and our community, fentanyl is leading the drug addiction crisis, surpassing all other substances in overdose deaths.

Even without the overdose deaths, Brekke said the number of fatalities is still cause for concern.

When we had high incidents of overdose that did hit the homeless community, there were a number of deaths, Brekke said. But even without that there have been a higher number of deaths in the homeless community than we would normally expect.

Last year, 26 homeless or formerly homeless people died and were remembered at a memorial in December. Only 9 of those remembered were actively unsheltered at the time of their death, the other 15 experienced homelessness at some point in their life.

Community members gather to honor lives lost due to homelessness On the longest night of the year  the winter solstice  the La Crosse community remember the 26 homeless or formerly homeless individuals who

If the fatalities continue at the current rate, that number will likely be surpassed before the end of the year.

None of these people had to die

Overdoses have plagued the entire community this year. In the first five weeks of 2023, there were a reported 11 overdoses to law enforcement.

An overdose while unsheltered can be a lot deadlier, largely because there is a higher likelihood the person may be using drugs alone.

Narcan doesnt work when you use all by yourself, said Christopher Eberlein, emergency medicine doctor at Gundersen. You have to have someone sober to administer it.

Naloxone  colloquially known by its brand name Narcan  is an opioid overdose antidote to reverse or reduce the effects of an overdose.

Eberlein said lack of access to call 911, being in a remote area that is hard for emergency services to reach and the sharing of drugs are all additional factors that can make an overdose fatal for someone who is experiencing homelessness.

More street drugs are being laced with synthetic fentanyl, a deadlier and more addictive opioid. Its being traced in drugs like heroin, cocaine, methamphetamine and even marijuana, where it is not usually found.

Fentanyl impacts the opioid receptor in the brain and can increase a drugs deadliness by decreasing responsiveness to narcan.

McDermid has been warning all her homeless clients about the increased prevalence of fentanyl in street drugs, cautioning them not to use alone and always have narcan nearby.

Narcan is available for free at clinics around town like Gundersen, Vivent Health and St. Clare Health Mission. It can also be purchased at pharmacies, where it is kept behind the counter. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is set to make a decision on expanding narcan access at the end of March.

Medical professionals like Eberlein and Brekke have also worked hard to distribute narcan to the homeless community, but its not the solution.

Narcan is really just a stop gap, Eberlein said. The whole point of that is to keep someone alive until they can get into treatment. If the treatment is farther and farther out, the risk (of overdose) is still there and everyday gets higher.

McDermid attributes the increase in overdoses to not having a 24 hour shelter for people. When people are in one area, she  and other service providers  can do outreach, provide support and get people connected with medical services.

We did not see these numbers of overdose deaths because people were around each other, they had people looking out for each other, distributing narcan, McDermid said about the Econo Lodge shelter situation of 2021.

Fentanyl: A deadly epidemic -- Part two: Fighting the addiction crisis Its all going to be OK mom, no matter what happens. I love you and miss you so much.

McDermid recognizes that the Econo Lodge situation wasnt perfect, but she claims it saved people from dying from an overdose.

The thing that I think people didnt realize about the hotel, McDermid said. No matter what, you always had someplace warm to bring people and now there just isnt that.

During the Econo Lodge shelter, McDermid and her team were able to help 17 individuals get into addiction recovery treatment. Many have successfully completed the program and some are still working toward sobriety.

None of these people had to die. Nobody should ever have to die on the cold concrete of a parking ramp, McDermid said. I feel like its morally wrong for us not to work together as a community to define homelessness as we see it. So that we can truly address the issue and prevent people from dying.

Preventable deaths

Overdoses are not the only cause of death in the unsheltered community. Not all who are homeless use drugs and not all who struggle with drug addiction are homeless.

In general, Brekke said, there is always a higher number of deaths in the unsheltered population just due to the conditions of living outside, focusing on surviving each day and not always thinking about long-term health care.

It is really detrimental to somebodys health to be homeless, Brekke said. In fact, people who are homeless, their life expectancy is 25 years less than somebody whos housed.

Inadequately treated chronic diseases, constant exposure to weather, lack of proper nutrition, sleep and increased stress levels all impact someones ability to be healthy and can take years off of someones life.

Many who pass away while living outside are deemed to have died of natural causes, Brekke said. But what that really means is complications with untreated health conditions compounded by the harsh conditions of living unsheltered.

Eberlein said these deaths are often preventable because there is treatment for chronic diseases like hypertension and diabetes. Left untreated, they can be deadly.

Many factors can prevent someone who is homeless from receiving adequate medical care. Accessibility, be it transportation or ability to make and follow up with appointments, is a large issue when it comes to medical care. There can also be a distrust of medical professionals that prevents care.

The bottom line is when somebody is out in the streets, with all of the things that we know theyre exposed to, it is super hard to get somebody healthy and treated, Brekke said.

Brekke noted more people experience homelessness in La Crosse than ever before, which ultimately results in more casualties. In June 2022, a Point In Time count identified 243 people who were homeless in the city.

In 2020, that number was 71. In July 2019, 57 unsheltered individuals were located during the count. In 2018, there were 33 people living without shelter.

Much has changed in five years. A global pandemic led to many losing their jobs, loss of income can lead to evictions and housing insecurity.

In 2020, La Crosse County saw 159 evictions or a 60% eviction rate, according to an article by the La Crosse Independent, even with a state eviction moratorium from March to May and a nationwide moratorium that began in September and lasted until July 2021.

This rate is based on data from the Consolidated Court Automation Programs  an open record system in Wisconsin that landlords use to vet renters.

Housing first, treatment second

A community is really only as good as the least among us, and we have people dying early that dont need to be dying early, Brekke said.

When talking about solutions and ways to prevent deaths in this vulnerable community, Brekke said the answer is supportive housing.

Weve tried treating people with substance use disorder out on the street and its just extremely, extremely difficult, Brekke said. We need to be able to provide shelter for people and get them in a supportive environment.

This is a housing first model, an approach that prioritizes providing permanent housing to people experiencing homelessness.

Last week, the city of La Crosse presented plans to address affordable housing and homelessness with federal grants.

The city plans to use over $650,000 of the funding for the development of affordable housing targeted toward people who are currently homeless.

The affordable housing plan focuses on the development of multi-family affordable housing units, income restricted for people who make below the county median income.

If people are not having to survive out on the streets, and they can be in a place where they have privacy and autonomy, they can sleep, they can eat, let their body heal and can surround them with support. People will do better, Brekke said.

It also comes down to addressing the root causes of homelessness, Brekke said, making sure all people in the community have access to affordable health care, mental health care or addiction treatment, as well as a variety of housing supports.

If theres a lot of upstream work to prevent homelessness in the first place. If somebody becomes insecure in their housing, there should be intervention right away, Brekke said.

The loss of 13 lives in the homeless community affects an entire community, but is particularly felt by the people who work directly with those individuals.

This is also really taking a toll on the workers who are working with these people, Brekke said. It sounds like were just losing those homeless people, but this is impacting our workforce in a really significant way. And this is a really vital workforce that works really hard, is very underpaid and just takes all of this on without support from the larger community.

If you or someone you know is struggling with addiction, you can call the La Crosse County Human Services Department at 608-784-HELP (4357) to get connected with local services.

Throwback from Tribune files: Life in the La Crosse area in the 1950s 1951: La Crosse Central High School 1951: YMCA at Seventh and Main streets 1954: Triangle Cafe 1954: Estell Tall Fashions 1954: Howards Clothes 1954: Crescent Jewelers 1954: Tom's Speedometer Shop 1954: YMCA basketball 1954: 5 and 10-cent Store fire 1955: La Crosse Beauty School 1956: Christmas shoppers in downtown La Crosse 1956: Central High School Memorial Day assembly 1957: Kroger 1957: Jackson Plaza 1957: Old Style newspaper advertisement 1958: 1st National Bank 1958: State Bank of La Crosse 1958: Heat exchanger plant 1958: American Legion parade
It is nearly one of my favorite days of the year, National Ag Day! This year, on March 21, the U.S. celebrates the important role agriculture plays in our daily life.

The program encourages every American to understand how food, fiber and renewable resource products are produced, value the essential role of agriculture in maintaining a strong economy, appreciate the role agriculture plays in providing safe, abundant and affordable products, and to acknowledge and consider career opportunities in ag, food, fiber and renewable resource industries.

Cities, organizations, and individuals across Wisconsin host events to celebrate this day. From volunteer events to educational opportunities, theres something for everyone.

The state also hosts Ag Day at the Capitol on March 29. You can join farmers to learn more about state issues affecting agriculture, plus meet with your state representatives. You can learn more about National Ag Day at www.agday.org or more about Wisconsins Ag Day at the Capitol at https://wfbf.com/events/ag-day-at-the-capitol/

Sharing the positive impacts isnt limited to just one day or week! Agriculture education at all levels is important. Starting this spring, the Alice in Dairyland program, with support from the Wisconsin Farm Bureau, will visit schools across the state to share the importance of ag and specialty crops!

The Expedition Agriculture lesson will take fourth and fifth grade students on a journey across Wisconsin through a presentation that explores each regions unique agriculture industry, and its role in the states history, economy and communities. The presentation includes an overview and concludes with a fast-paced, fun game that will introduce students to 13 of our main agriculture products. Classrooms will receive additional activity materials to support a hands-on exploration of five additional products.

Utilizing a Specialty Crop Block Grant from the USDA, the partnership aims to breathe new life into specialty crop lessons and educational materials. Wisconsin ranks in the top four in the nation for the production of a wide range of specialty crops, including cranberries, ginseng, potatoes, carrots, green peas, maple syrup, Christmas trees, and tart cherries. Other specialty crops include honey, apples, mint, celery and lavender.

I am excited to begin this new program!
March 1 marks the start of the 80th annual American Red Cross Month, with the organization inviting community members to help further its work through donations, volunteering or learning life saving skills.

In 1943, President Franklin D. Roosevelt gave the first Red Cross Month proclamation, and Gov. Tony Evers proclaims the same for Wisconsin each year. Statewide in 2022, 231,486 units of blood and platelets were collected, and across Wisconsin and the upper peninsula of Michigan 4,024 individuals received disaster assistance.

Thus far in 2023, the Red Cross has provided over 630 residents of Wisconsin and the U.P. of Michigan with help following residential fires.

When help cant wait during emergencies, people in Wisconsin rally together to provide relief and hope for neighbors in need, said Mark Thomas, CEO and regional executive for the Red Cross of Wisconsin. This humanitarian spirit is at the heart of our community, and we are proud to honor all those who make our mission possible during this years Red Cross Month celebration. You can join in their commitment by donating, volunteering, giving blood or platelets, or taking a lifesaving skills course.

To volunteer, or to sign up for a CPR or AED class, visit redcross.org. The organization relies heavily on volunteers, who put in 118,000 hours last year in the Wisconsin region.

To make a financial donation, visit redcross.org or go to redcross.org/givingday on March 22 to contribute to Red Cross Giving Day. Funds help provide shelter, food, relief items, emotional support and other assistance for people affected by disasters.

To make an appointment to donate blood, visit RedCrossBlood.org, call 1-800-RED CROSS or download the Red Cross Blood Donor App. Those who give blood, platelets or plasma during March will receive a $10 prepaid Visa card by emil and be entered in a drawing for a chance to win a $3,000 Visa card.

Upcoming blood donation opportunities in La Crosse:

8 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. March 3, 17, 24, 31, La Crosse Blood Donation Center, 1427 Hwy. 16

11:45 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. March 6, 7, 8, 13, 14, 15, 20, 21, 22, 27, 28, 29, La Crosse Blood Donation Center

9 a.m. to 2 p.m. March 7, Dura Tech Industries, 3216 Commerce St.

7 a.m. to noon March 14, Moose Lodge, 1932 Ward Ave.

11:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. March 15, Moose Lodge

9 a.m. to 2 p.m. March 16, Moose Lodge

11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Valley View Mall, 3800 Hwy. 16

11 a.m. to 4 p.m. March 31, Pearl Street Brewery

COLLECTION: Good morning photos of the day Saturday ... in the park, definitely not the 4th of July Strolling swans Eagle watch First robin of spring? Opossum passing by Eagles at sundset Saturday ... in the park, definitely not the 4th of July Snowy skyline Towering Spring rain drop The end of ice fishing season Arcadia flyer Bridge sunset A foggy morning hello Spring rain drop End of ice fishing is a drag Spring snow HARBORMASTER CAPPED Hitting the open water Bikes for everyone Helping our neighbors HyVee work continues PICTURE OF THE DAY PICTURE OF THE DAY: Spring migration A tradition unlike any other... Feeling squirrelly Elm tree flowers Sitting on the dock of the bay A holiday hunt Colorful sunset A nice day for a walk A beautiful sunset Tulip blooms Sunrise in the neighborhood A great day for reflection Enjoying the breeze Right on the river Morning visitor Beautiful blossoms A patriotic pair A trip to the Capitol Misty Mississippi Mallard on the march A balancing act Apple blossoms Flowering Crab trees River overflow Flag Day next week Ready to go for a spin Riverside sunset Doggone beautiful The cat-bird seat La Crosse River at Veterans Memorial Park bike bridge in Riverside Park French Island fiery sunset Cass Street Bridge from Riverside Park End of the Day Holding it together A flower named Sue Hanging out at Goose Island Beautiful day Riding in style On parade at Catfish Days A sun-dappled cemetery lane Pecking away Bunny meets world Cranes by the creek River at Veterans Memorial Park The cat-bird seat Fingers in the fog Dragonfly on the line Breakfast at the birdhouse Spreading her wings Relaxing in the park A view from the stage The Quenten Brown Band Rocking out in Arcadia Viceroy butterfly Dog or lion? Pure Water Days, Chippewa Falls Visiting in style Pedaling is for the birds Working on the new Fire House Dockwork Hurling in the park Swimming swans Hibiscus bloom 'The Remainders' rock the stage Land of milk and honey? French Island dining Anything for a free meal A babbling creek Finches munch on cones Stunning sunset Pucker up Chowing down Hibiscus bloom
The second phase of the Prairie Springs Science Center at UW-La Crosse cleared a budgetary hurdle Tuesday. The project was included in the 2023-25 capital budget proposal released by Gov. Tony Evers.

The governor proposed $3.8 billion in capital improvements, nearly half of which is earmarked for the UW System. Prairie Springs is one of several UW-La Crosse building projects that won the governors endorsement.

We are gratified that Gov. Evers recognizes the importance of our campus to the state of Wisconsin, state Rep. Jill Billings, D-La Crosse, said. He has included several projects that I, and many in our community, have advocated in support for UW-La Crosse.

Billings said other UW-L projects include updates to the Wing Technology Center, Graff Main Hall, Mitchell Hall and the east chilling plant, along with a parking ramp for the Center for the Arts.

The science center carries the largest price tag. UW-L officials wanted to construct the science center in one phase, but the approach was rejected as too costly. The first phase was completed for $83 million in 2018. The second phase was estimated in 2022 to cost $120 million.

If the second phase is approved, science classes would move from a deteriorating Cowley Hall starting with the 2026-27 school year.

Prairie Springs II is critical to the instruction of students planning careers in science and health professions and those declaring majors in the College of Health Science, Billings said. After more than a decade, it is imperative we move this project forward.

The building also has the backing of state Sen. Brad Pfaff, D-Onalaska.

Im glad to see this important building project included," Pfaff said. "Completing this hub for science at UW-La Crosse will boost our local economy and ensure that the students of the College of Science and Health, which comprise nearly half of UW-La Crosses student population, are prepared to join and lead our future workforce.

Evers list of projects will go before the State Building Commission, which meets March 23. If the commission doesnt deadlock, it will forward its recommendations to the state Legislatures Joint Finance Committee as part of the state budget process.

COLLECTION: Good morning photos of the day Saturday ... in the park, definitely not the 4th of July Strolling swans Eagle watch First robin of spring? Opossum passing by Eagles at sundset Saturday ... in the park, definitely not the 4th of July Snowy skyline Towering Spring rain drop The end of ice fishing season Arcadia flyer Bridge sunset A foggy morning hello Spring rain drop End of ice fishing is a drag Spring snow HARBORMASTER CAPPED Hitting the open water Bikes for everyone Helping our neighbors HyVee work continues PICTURE OF THE DAY PICTURE OF THE DAY: Spring migration A tradition unlike any other... Feeling squirrelly Elm tree flowers Sitting on the dock of the bay A holiday hunt Colorful sunset A nice day for a walk A beautiful sunset Tulip blooms Sunrise in the neighborhood A great day for reflection Enjoying the breeze Right on the river Morning visitor Beautiful blossoms A patriotic pair A trip to the Capitol Misty Mississippi Mallard on the march A balancing act Apple blossoms Flowering Crab trees River overflow Flag Day next week Ready to go for a spin Riverside sunset Doggone beautiful The cat-bird seat La Crosse River at Veterans Memorial Park bike bridge in Riverside Park French Island fiery sunset Cass Street Bridge from Riverside Park End of the Day Holding it together A flower named Sue Hanging out at Goose Island Beautiful day Riding in style On parade at Catfish Days A sun-dappled cemetery lane Pecking away Bunny meets world Cranes by the creek River at Veterans Memorial Park The cat-bird seat Fingers in the fog Dragonfly on the line Breakfast at the birdhouse Spreading her wings Relaxing in the park A view from the stage The Quenten Brown Band Rocking out in Arcadia Viceroy butterfly Dog or lion? Pure Water Days, Chippewa Falls Visiting in style Pedaling is for the birds Working on the new Fire House Dockwork Hurling in the park Swimming swans Hibiscus bloom 'The Remainders' rock the stage Land of milk and honey? French Island dining Anything for a free meal A babbling creek Finches munch on cones Stunning sunset Pucker up Chowing down Hibiscus bloom
Here's a look at trending topics for today, Feb. 27.

Murdaugh trial

Alex Murdaugh's defense in his double murder trial rested its case Monday after calling up 14 witnesses over about two weeks of testimony.

Monday's testimony was headlined by an expert in crime scene reconstruction and blood spatter analysis who testified that the evidence suggests two shooters carried out the killings of Margaret and Paul Murdaugh in June 2021.

Timothy Palmbach, a former professor of forensic science at the University of New Haven, was hired by Alex Murdaugh's defense to review the case and analyze the crime scene.

In defending his two-shooter theory, he noted that Paul was shot by a shotgun and Margaret was shot by a Blackout rifle. He also determined the shooting of Paul came first and was from such a close range that the shooter would have been temporarily stunned by the explosive violence.

Read more about it here:

Weather, winter storm

As severe storms prompted at least nine tornado reports in parts of the central US, a barrage of snow, rain and harsh wind is forecast Monday in places from the West Coast to the Great Lakes, including some still without power following a similar string of severe weather last week.

More than 300,000 US homes and businesses were without power as of Monday afternoon, according to PowerOutage.us. About two-thirds of the outages were in Michigan, which is bracing for another round of ice and snow to hit the region Monday. More than 66,000 outages were reported in California, and more than 10,000 each in Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky and Tennessee.

In Oklahoma, at least seven tornadoes and 12 injuries were reported in Sunday's severe weather. Two tornadoes were reported in Kansas.

More than 100 other storm reports -- including wind and hail -- were recorded in parts of Oklahoma, Kansas and Texas as hurricane-force winds and severe thunderstorms tore through.

Get more info here:

Sally Field, SAG Awards

Without commercial interruptions or rushed acceptance speeches, Sunday's Screen Actors Guild Awards, which streamed on Netflix's YouTube channel, was one of the more relaxed award events in recent memory.

If you were among the million or so viewers who watched the show, you might have felt a little more like you were in the room than at home. The format led to a more unfiltered feel, with glimpses of stars mingling between presentations and plenty of speeches sprinkled with curse words that went uncensored.

Seated at a center table near the stage was Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos. The streaming giant will become the new home of the SAG Awards next year, and Sarandos, who appeared beaming at times on Sunday, may have given ratings-challenged award shows a formula for future success: keep it candid.

Read more here:

***

Get more of today's trending topics here:

Student loan relief

Pokemon Day
Saudi Arabian oil and gas giant, Aramco, whose brand value has risen 4% to $45.2 billion, remains the most valuable Middle Eastern brand, according to a new report from leading brand valuation consultancy, Brand Finance.

Saudi Arabias national oil company has benefited from a surge in prices and demand for oil and gas this year.

Etisalat by e& is the strongest brand in the region from any sector, followed by stc, both achieving the prestigious AAA rating.

Telecom brand

Etisalat by e& (brand value up 4% to $10.5 billion) has a Brand Strength Index (BSI) score of 89.1 out of 100, making it the strongest brand in the Middle East. Etisalat by e& is a telecoms brand of the global technology group e&. Evolved through a brand identity change last year, Etisalat by e& reflects a tech-driven telecoms brand enabled by superior 5G connectivity; elevated NPS scores due to richer personalised customer interactions; and increased employee satisfaction on account of vigorous company culture making it an attractive employer.

Fellow telecommunications brand stc (brand value up 17% to $12.3 billion) is the 2nd strongest brand in the Middle East and strongest brand in Saudi Arabia with a Brand BSI score of 87 out of 100 and a corresponding AAA rating. The brand also climbed 25 places in the Global 500 ranking, the most by any Middle Eastern brand in the study, profiting from the robust future growth given its dominance in its home market.

Saudi Arabian banking brand Al-Rajhi Bank (brand value up 32% to $5.7 billion) is the strongest banking brand in the Middle Eastern region with a Brand Strength Index (BSI) score of 85.5 out of 100 and corresponding AAA rating.

Adnoc strongest Oil & Gas brand

Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc) has seen its Brand Strength Index (BSI) increase to 79.4, retaining its status as the strongest Oil & Gas brand in the region. It is the 2nd most valuable Middle Eastern brand, with a brand value of $14.2 billion, growing by 11% over the past year.

Saudi Arabian Chemicals Company Sabic (brand value up 1% to $4.7 billion) is the most valuable chemicals brand in the Middle East. It now has a diverse product offering and looks to further identify opportunities in key end-use applications.

DP World (brand value up 15% to $1.8 billion) sustained healthy growth and is the most valuable logistics brand in the Middle East. Despite difficult operating conditions, the global logistics brand has continued to deploy technology to create efficient and innovative trade solutions for stakeholders.

Qatargas (brand value up 147% to $3.1 billion) is one of the worlds leading gas producing brands and is owned by QatarEnergy. This has effectively constrained supply for many gas users and improved sales for Qatargas.

Fastest growing

Dubai based Mashreq (brand value up 35% to $1 billion) followed closely behind as the third fastest growing brand in the UAE. The brands new brand identity, launched in 2022, was part of a wider strategy to realign its offerings as a digital-first financial institution.

Mobily (brand value up 18% to $1.8 billion) maintained its status as the fastest growing telecoms brand in the Middle East. Mobily integrated telecommunications network is among the largest by coverage in Saudi Arabia and the Middle East.

QNB (brand value up 9% to $7.7 billion) is the 5th most valuable Middle Eastern brand and most valuable Qatari brand. QNB is also the most valuable Middle Eastern banking brand. QNB has continued to grow this year and retained its position (45th globally) as amongst the most valuable banking brands in the world. This reflects the success of the banks efforts to expand its international presence and offering to an increasingly diverse customer base.

Saudi Arabian, Riyad Bank saw an impressive brand value increase, up 42% this year to a brand value of $1.8 billion, well above the overall average for Saudi banks. Riyad bank undertook a rebranding effort in September 2022 reflecting its commitment to becoming a bank for a new generation that will focus on technology and innovation in line with Saudi Vision 2030.

UAE based FAB (brand value up 19% to $3.9 billion) was the 3rd most valuable banking brand in the region and the most valuable banking brand in the UAE. The bank had a successful year, recording 7% year-on-year Group net profits.

Airline operator

Saudias brand value increased 14% year-on-year to $650 million, further securing itself as a leading Middle Eastern airline operator. In line with the countrys Vision 2030 plan, significant investment in the airline and countrys aviation infrastructure is likely to see Saudia continue its growth in the coming years.

Global airline, Emirates (brand value up 2% to $5.1 billion), remains the most valuable Middle Eastern Airline as its brand value increase stabilised. The Airline has continued to communicate is efforts to operate more sustainably and cement its status amongst consumers as a modern and responsible operator.

King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center (KFSH&RC) entered the ranking for the first time with a brand value of $1.1 billion. Its patient-centric offering and world-class facilities have allowed the Academic Medical Centre to build a strong brand perception amongst patients within the Middle East as one of the premier choices for healthcare.

In addition to calculating brand value, Brand Finance also determines the relative strength of brands through a balanced scorecard of metrics evaluating marketing investment, stakeholder equity, and business performance. Compliant with ISO 20671, Brand Finances assessment of stakeholder equity incorporates original market research data from over 150,000 respondents in 38 countries and across 31 sectors.-- TradeArabia News Service
MENOMONIE  Two people died in a house fire in rural Menomonie in Dunn County in northwestern Wisconsin early Sunday morning, authorities reported.

Firefighters reported that a neighbor and family members attempted to rescue the two occupants, but were unsuccessful.

The Dunn County Sheriffs Office said in a statement that William M. Dahl, 74, and Bonni Bukkila, 66, were beyond help and pronounced dead at the scene of the fire by the Dunn County Medical Examiners Office.

The fire was reported around 5:20 a.m. on Sunday at a duplex on 410th Ave. in the town of Menomonie, which is part of Dunn County.

The sheriffs office said an initial investigation found the fire did not appear to be criminal in nature and foul play is not suspected. The investigation is ongoing.
Here are the Walworth Countys weekly criminal complaints from Feb. 21  Feb. 27. The cases still need to make their way through the Walworth County Court System. All information is from criminal complaints filed in Walworth County Circuit Court. To follow the cases, go to wcca.wicourts.gov.

Whitewater man charged after punching elderly roommate in the face, damages propertyJoseph S Monalto Jr., 35, of 200 block S Pine Cir, Whitewater, has been charged with physical abuse of an elder person  intentionally cause bodily harm, domestic abuse assessments, repeater; criminal damage to property, repeater, domestic abuse assessments; and disorderly conduct, repeater, domestic abuse assessments. Officers from the Whitewater Police Department were dispatched to a residence on Feb. 9 for a report of Monalto Jr., the defendant, was under the influence and out of control. At the time of arrival, officers on the scene in the kitchen noticed that the ovens glass was broken and knocked over. There was also a broken plate, a coffee pot and coffee grounds on the floor. A man, who lives in the same residence as the defendant, was punched twice in the left side of his face by Monalto. The defendant then called the mans two sisters and said he was going to burn the house down and kill himself. Monalto Jr. plead guilty back in October 2022 to one count of obstructing an officer, one count of disorderly conduct and one count of criminal damage to property.

Janesville man steals $1,501.88 worth of items at the Delavan Walmart, gets caught a day laterMatthew J Madonna, 37, of 400 block N Walnut St., Janesville, has been charged with felony retail theft and misdemeanor bail jumping. Officers were dispatched to Walmart in Delavan on Feb. 5 for a retail theft complaint. Officers spoke with an asset protection employee who stated that on Feb. 4 two subjects pushed a cart full of merchandize out the door totaling $1,501.88. The items included a Gateway all-in-one desktop, an HP Pavilion Desktop, an LED speaker, and a KitchenAid Artisan Mixer. The employee provided a photo of the mans license plate, which came back to Janesville. Janesville police made a traffic stop the next day of the vehicle with the provided license plate, which came back to Madonna, the defendant. Later, Madonna admitted to taking the items without paying for them. He was previously charged in Rock County for the same crime less than three weeks earlier.

Palmyra man charged with possession of child porn using SnapchatMario D Fenwick, 24, of 100 block Northwest St., Palmyra, has been charged with possession of child pornography and sexual exploitation of a child  possess with intent to distribute. The City of Whitewater Police Department received a cyber-tip on Jan. 18 from the Wisconsin Department of Justice that Fenwick, the defendant, had uploaded a file on snapchat containing child sex abuse materials back in September. On Feb. 7, a detective interviewed Fenwick who said that he had taken a screenshot of the child sex abuse materials while staying at the Quality Inn in Whitewater, which is now the Super 8 Hotel. He also admitted that he was using methamphetamine at the time.

Delavan man charged after selling marijuana out of someone elses residenceJacob R Dollahite, 33, of 2800 block North Shore Dr., Delavan, has been charged with possession with intent to deliver THC (Tetrahydrocannabinols),PTAC, as a party to a crime, maintain a drug trafficking place  PTAC, as a party to a crime and disorderly conduct. A sergeant from the City Elkhorn Police Department responded to a residence in the City of Elkhorn in Feb. 4. When he arrived at the residence, the sergeant detected an odor of marijuana and observed a nearly empty golden cartridge with a golden substance believed to be THC. The owner of the home had an agreement with Dollahite, the defendant, could live there and sell drugs to repay past loans. Inside the residence, a total of 220.9 grams of marijuana was recovered.

2 Illinois men charged after attempting an armed robbery in WhitewaterJerry D Johnson, 42, of 2700 block Hebron Ave., Zion, Ill., has been charged with attempted armed robbery with threat of force  PTAC, as a party to a crime, and possession of cocaine  second and subsequent offense  PTAC, as a party to a crime. Officers from the Whitewater Police Department were dispatched to an apartment on Feb. 17 for report from a man stating that subjects attempted to shoot him in the leg. James A Franklin, 30, of 1700 block Sheridan Rd., Zion, Ill., was charged with the same crimes along with possession of controlled substances. The two men, Johnson and Franklin, held the man at gunpoint and threatened to shoot him in the leg over a missing purse that contained $350 worth of marijuana and prescription drugs inside to sell and make money. Later that night, a high risk traffic stop was made of a vehicle with Erica Faremi, a former cellmate Mya Janczak, Johnson and Franklin. Johnson admitted to being with Franklin, Janczak and Faremi. He stated that they were at the mans apartment to intimidate him to retrieve money for Janczak.

East Troy man charged with 8 counts of sexual assault with a child under the age of 13Luz E. Aranda Rodriguez, of 2742 Main St., East Troy, has been charged with eight counts of first degree child sexual assault-with a child under the age of 13. East Troy police responded to a residence on Feb. 17 for a report of a sexual assault. The Police Chief spoke with a mother who said that her daughter told her that her stepfather, Aranda Rodriguez, the defendant, was doing very inappropriate things to her. The stepdaughter said it began when they lived in Lake Geneva prior to moving to East Troy in October 2022. A forensic interview was completed with the young girl where she described the incident that occurred on Feb. 16 in thorough and grotesque detail.

10-plus photos, videos from Walworth County's 2022 National Night Out Watch now: Deputy Wayne Blanchard talks at National Night Out National Night Out K-9 demonstrations And bite K-9 demonstration Grateful to be alive Watch now: K-9 demonstration at National Night Out Practicing to be safe National Night Out Watch now: K-9 demonstration at Walworth County National Night Out Climbing aboard One big shield Still a little big The mounted search and rescue team Watch now: Openening ceremony at Walworth County National Night Out Watch now: Fire safety talk at Walworth County National Night Out
The Screen Actors Guild Awards, or SAG Awards, are known as an important predictor for the Academy Awards, or Oscars.

On Sunday night in Los Angeles, the film Everything Everywhere All at Once was a big winner at the SAG Awards.

Three actors from the film won awards. In addition, the group of actors in the film won the award for best cast.

The actors who won were Michelle Yeoh for leading female actor; Jamie Lee Curtis for supporting female actor and Ke Huy Quan for supporting male actor.

Yeoh is the first Asian actress to win the award. She is from Malaysia. She acted in many films in Hong Kong in the 1980s and 1990s. Movie fans in other parts of the world learned about Yeoh when she appeared in a James Bond film in 1997.

Quan is a Vietnamese American actor who became known in the 1980s when he was a boy. Quan was in the famous films Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, and The Goonies. As he grew older, he was not able to get many more acting roles and mostly dropped out of the business.

Jamie Lee Curtis is 64 years old and the daughter of two famous Hollywood stars: Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh. It was her first SAG nomination. She said: Im 64 years old and this is amazing.

Other actors in the group noted Curtis award and joked that not all the actors in the film were Asian.

The movie was written and directed by the team known as The Daniels. They are Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert.

The actors of Everything Everywhere All at Once spoke about how Hollywood is now recognizing more Asian actors and offering more opportunities.

Yeoh held her award and said: This is not just for me. Its for every little girl that looks like me.

Quan said he left acting because there were so few opportunities. He looked around at the other Asian actors and said, the landscape looks so different now.

James Hong is also a member of the cast. He is 94. He talked about old Hollywood movies when white actors would play Asian people. He said they wore makeup to look Asian, because the producers said the Asians were not good enoughbut look at us now!

The other big winners on Sunday were Brendan Fraser for the film The Whale and Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Bateman and Jessica Chastain for their work in different television programs.

Everything Everywhere All at Once is nominated for 11 Academy Awards. The Daniels, Kwan and Scheinert, are nominated for best picture, best directing and best original screenplay. Four of the actors are nominated, including Yeoh for best actress, Curtis and Stephanie Hsu for best supporting actress and Quan for best supporting actor.

Many of the SAG Awards voters are the same ones who vote for the Academy Awards. That is why people say it predicts the winners of the Academy Awards.

Last year, for example, many Oscar winners also won SAG Awards. The Oscars ceremony will be held on March 12 in Los Angeles, California.

Im Dan Friedell.

Dan Friedell adapted this story for VOA Learning English based on a report by the Associated Press.

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Words in This Story

cast n. the entire group of actors in a film or theater production

landscape n. the different features of a piece of land, such as hills, grass and trees; also used to discuss an environment such as work or business

original adj. not a copy but created as something new

screenplay n. the script and writing that is the basis for a movie or television program

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The earthquakes that destroyed large parts of southern Turkey and northwest Syria in February have affected countless children in both countries.

For children in Syria it was especially severe. The country has been in crisis since civil war broke out more than 11 years ago.

Aid groups like Save the Children and UNICEF are working to get food, water and shelter to children and families there. Additionally, UNICEF is trying to get Syrian children back into school and learning again. The quakes damaged at least 1,000 schools in the country. Many of the structures are unsafe to enter.

But, not all. More than 175 schools that survived the events have been turned into temporary shelters for families. UNICEF has sent play and education supplies to shelters in Aleppo, Hama and Lattakia, to reach about 50,000 children, said Eva Hinds, the groups communication chief in Syria.

At the temporary shelters, children can play with each other and continue their schooling. Others receive emotional support.

Hinds said that education and schooling is about more than just learning.

Education is a lifeline, Hinds told VOA. It's a way to bring stability, it's a way to bring structure  every day to these children who have gone through something really traumatic.

Hinds said that fun activities like playing, dancing or listening to music, can be therapeutic for children, even for just a short time. It can also bring some peace to parents.

Hinds said she recently visited one shelter and it was very delightful to see children laughing, kids who have gone through something really horrendous.

The education system in Syria was considered broken even before the earthquakes. UNICEF says there are about 3.7 million children in Syria and an estimated 2.4 million of them do not attend school. There have been at least 700 attacks on schools and education centers during the war since the United Nations started recording such incidents.

Following disasters like earthquakes, children cannot wait for schools to be rebuilt to continue their education, said Laura Frigenti. She is head of the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) which provides financing and other support for education in developing countries, including Syria. Frigenti said that rebuilding schools after such a disaster can take too long and be too expensive.

Instead, she said, learning should continue for Syrian children as soon as possible. After immediate needs like food and shelter are met, education is something that really helps children (to be) rooted again in a community, in a society, Frigenti said.

Beyond education, schools can provide food and emotional support.

Sabah is a 9-year-old girl who received treatment for malnutrition at one of the UNICEF shelters. She was caught in her home with her family when the earthquake hit. She told UNICEF that she and her family had to escape in the middle of the night. They brought nothing with them.

It was very scary, rainy, and cold, Sabah said later from the shelter. I dont feel like eating. I dont have an appetite and I dont feel like eating food.

Ramadan Sulima is the principal of a daycare center in Jinidires, in Northwest Syria. He said the daycare opened last year to help children suffering from the war. For over a year, our situation was good. We and the students were happy, he said.

And when the earthquake started, I just wanted to get in touch with my students, he said as he walked outside the destroyed center. When I hear a student died, I start crying  like I lost a son though I didnt.

Sulima added that, We aren't going to stop, we will persist. We will persist in building this generation, in building their future.

Im Dan Novak.

Dan Novak wrote this story for VOA Learning English.

Quiz - Following Earthquakes in Syria, Schools Provide Lifeline Start the Quiz to find out Start Quiz

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Words in This Story

stability  n. the quality, state, or degree of being stable, such as the strength to stand or endure; firmness

traumatic  adj. psychologically or emotionally stressful in a way that can lead to serious mental and emotional problems

therapeutic  adj. of or relating to the treatment of diseases or disorders by using healing agents or methods

delightful  adj. highly pleasing

horrendous  adj. extremely bad or unpleasant

society  n. the community life thought of as a system within which the individual lives

appetite  n. a natural desire especially for food

principal  n. the person in charge of a public school

persist  v. to continue to do something in spite of opposition, warnings, or pleas
The man who made the first call from a wireless phone is now 94 years old.

The year was 1973. Martin Cooper operated a large, heavy new communication device on a street in New York City. The device was not physically connected to phone lines. But, Cooper was able to make use of it --- he called a technology business competitor.

Fifty years later, the inventor says he hopes wireless phones can make life better but he also expresses some worries.

My most negative opinion is that we dont have any privacy anymore because everything about us is now recorded someplace, Cooper said.

And, he says he is concerned about how easily young people can link to harmful online material on their cell phones.

Cooper spoke with the Associated Press from Barcelona, Spain, where he attended the Mobile World Congress, the biggest telecom industry trade show. Cooper received an award there for his lifetime of work.

Cooper says he is an optimist. He believes the technologys best days may still be ahead in areas such as education and health care.

Between the cellphone and medical technology and the internet, we are going to conquer disease, he said Monday, at the MWC.

Cooper was working for Motorola when he used the Dyna-Tac phone to make a call in April 1973. Things have changed greatly since then.

But, he said, we had no way of knowing this was the historic moment.

Cooper said there are still ways for the mobile phone to change. The first one he used weighed over 1 kilogram. Today, they are small. But he thinks one day, they will be more like a part of our body than something we hold.

He said perhaps the human body can even power the phones.

The human body is the charging station, right, he asked. The body makes energy from food, he argues, so it could possibly also power a phone. Instead of holding the phone in the hand, for example, the device could be placed under the skin.

Cooper said he also hopes there can be more protection for internet users concerned about privacy and for children.

Speaking about privacy concerns, he said: its going to get resolved, but not easily.

He also said there should be a special internet for children so they do not run into material made for adults.

Cooper said the idea for the mobile phone came from a communication device used by the comic book character Dick Tracy. The imaginary detective had a wristwatch from which he could make phone calls.

Im Dan Friedell.

Dan Friedell adapted this story for VOA Learning English based on a report by the Associated Press.

________________________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

negative adj. centered on what is bad or unhopeful

optimist n. a person who is inclined to be hopeful and to expect good outcomes

conquer v. defeat

comic book n. a magazine that contains stories told in pictures mostly.

wristwatch n. an electronic timekeeping piece worn on the arm near the hand.

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Significant investment in renewables are likely to be made by the Gulf states during the current decade as they implement plans to decarbonise the power sector, according to a new report by S&P Global Ratings.

Despite their dependence on the oil and gas industry, the Gulf nations have all announced new targets or renewed their commitment to the Paris Agreement in the past two years, the report notes.

As one of the largest sources of emissions, the power sector looms large in most national plans for decarbonization.

Solar PV power is particularly well-suited to the region, but installed capacity remains low relative to many other regions. Capacity in the UAE and Saudi Arabia was 3 gigawatts (GW) in 2021; it had been just 165 megawatts (MW) in 2016.

Saudi Arabia and UAE

The two largest economies in the region -- the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Saudi Arabia -- continue to lead climate-related efforts in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). As of year-end 2021, about 90% of the region's established renewable energy capacity was in these countries, with the UAE alone representing 77%. They have also committed to updated targets as part of renewed efforts to reach net zero, the report highlights.

The governments of Saudi Arabia and the UAE have announced their intention to continue to invest in renewables and the report believes plans to establish a renewables sector could help them in their efforts to achieve their climate goals.

Government-related entities have taken the lead on procurement, inviting local and international developers to bid for tenders. Most developers then finance the assets on a non-recourse basis, which means using substantial commercial bank debt. However, the UAE and Saudi Arabia have both established public-private partnership frameworks, making project finance an obvious choice for funding deployment.

"As energy transition in the region progresses, we expect to see more renewables projects tapping the capital markets for financing, including a growing number of solar PV projects," says the report.

"In our global portfolio of solar PV projects, the key credit qualities include the timing of and budget for maintenance, availability, and good management of solar panel degradation."

Renewables are part of climate roadmaps

The Paris Agreement requires all signatories to set and maintain goals, known as nationally determined contributions (NDCs). Although their circumstances differ, all the governments in the region have publicly announced their net zero targets and are looking to deploy renewable energy to meet the climate commitments in their NDCs.

The power sector is a key source of emissions. The UAE and Saudi Arabia -- which produce the most greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the GCC in absolute terms -- have made the largest investments in renewables. Their

governments are among the many globally to have publicly announced their net zero targets, and a roadmap toward net zero.

Business-As-Usual Scenarios

Many countries, including those in the GCC, set their NDCs by reference to a "business-as-usual (BAU) scenario." This is a counterfactual baseline scenario based on the emissions that are predicted to have occurred if no steps to mitigate climate change had been taken since the base year, incorporating the effect of economic growth on emissions.

This means that in the short term, emissions in some countries might continue to increase, in absolute terms, but have been reduced compared with a scenario in which no policy interventions occurred.

In 2022, in its second NDC, the UAE increased its target for reducing GHG emissions to 31% by 2030, relative to its BAU scenario. Its earlier commitment was to a reduction of 23.5% against the BAU level. Under the new NDC, the UAE will limit emissions in 2030 to 208 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e), relative to the 301.2 million metric tons of CO2e emissions predicted under its BAU scenario.

The UAE's Renewable Energy Strategy 2050 states that decarbonization of the power sector is a key priority. Organisations like the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) do not include nuclear power in their datasets on renewable energy; the UAE, by contrast, includes nuclear and renewables in its definition of "clean energy." The UAE's goal is to have clean energy provide 30% of its energy mix by 2030, and 50% by 2050.

In 2021, Saudi Arabia announced an update to its NDC. By 2030, it now intends to reduce, avoid, and remove annual emissions of 278 million tons of CO2e. The NDC uses a base year of 2019. To achieve this objective, it aims to generate about 50% of its power from renewable sources by 2030. Saudi Arabia has also set its net zero target for 2060, the report notes. -TradeArabia News Service
North Korea has held a major agriculture conference as experts warn about worsening food shortages in the country.

State media reported North Korean leader Kim Jong Un began the high-level meeting of the ruling Workers Party on Sunday.

Officials said the purpose of the conference was to discuss ways to improve agriculture to strengthen North Koreas economy. The official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported Workers Party leaders are seeking ways to establish a rural revolution for North Korea.

The report said the meeting was meant to help identify immediate, important agricultural issues to help improve the state of national economic development. KCNA did not say whether Kim spoke during the meeting or how long it would last.

International experts have warned that food insecurity issues have worsened in North Korea. The difficulties are linked to economic restrictions placed on the country over its nuclear weapons and missile programs. In addition, lockdowns related to the COVID-19 pandemic severely hurt the economy.

Earlier this month, South Koreas unification ministry said the planned meeting to discuss agriculture added to evidence that the food situation in North Korea seems to have deteriorated.

The U.S.-based 38 North program is a policy group that watches developments in North Korea. It said in a report last month that "food availability has likely fallen below the bare minimum with regard to human needs." The group noted that food insecurity was at its worst level since severe starvation rates affected the country in the 1990s.

Most experts have said North Korea's current food situation is not near the extremes of the 1990s, when hundreds of thousands of people died of starvation. However, some experts have said the countrys food insecurity is likely at its worst point since Kim took power in 2011.

North Korea needs about 5.5 million tons of grain each year to feed its 25 million people. Last year, the countrys production was estimated to be 4.5 million tons. That was a 3.8 percent drop from 2020, South Koreas government estimates showed.

It is not clear what action the meeting will result in. Some experts say North Korea will use the gathering to increase public support of Kim during his disputes with the United States and its allies over his nuclear weapons program.

Although North Koreas economic situation remains difficult, Kim has pushed to expand his nuclear weapons and missile programs. He has sought to position North Korea as a nuclear power and has called for economic restrictions on the country to be removed.

Last year was a record year for weapons testing activities in the country. This month, the North launched ballistic missiles and carried out tests on other weapons too.

Im Bryan Lynn.

The Associated Press and Reuters reported on this story. Bryan Lynn adapted the reports for VOA Learning English.

__________________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

deteriorate  v. to become worse

the bare minimum  n. the least possible amount

ballistic missiles n weapons that fly long distances across the Earth using rocket power and carry explosive devices

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The U.S. Copyright Office said that book images created using the artificial intelligence (AI) program Midjourney should not have been given copyright protection, Reuters news agency reports.

A copyright is a kind of legal protection that bars others from copying works made by the people who created them or own the copyright.

Zarya of the Dawn writer Kristina Kashtanova will be able to get a copyright for the parts of the book she wrote and ordered. But she will not receive copyright protection for images she made using Midjourney, the office said in its letter.

The decision is one of the first by a U.S. court or agency about copyright protection for works created with AI.

The decision comes at a time when AI software like Midjourney, Dall-E and ChatGPT are being used to create written and other materials.

The Copyright Office said in a letter that it would change its registration for Zarya of the Dawn to leave out images that are not the product of humans.

The research laboratory Midjourney did not immediately answer a request for comment. The Copyright Office had no comment on the decision.

Kashtanova called it "great news" that she kept the copyright for her story and arrangement of the images. She said the decision "covers a lot of uses for the people in the AI art community."

She added that she and her lawyers were considering how best to press ahead with their argument. They believe that the images themselves were a "direct expression of Kashtanovas creativity and therefore copyrightable."

Midjourney is an AI system that creates images based on written instructions. Kashtanova wrote the text of Zarya of the Dawn, and Midjourney created the book's images based on her instructions.

The Copyright Office told Kashtanova in October it would reconsider the book's copyright. The agency said that was because her application did not describe using Midjourney to create the images.

The office said that it would give copyright protection for the book's text and the way Kashtanova chose and arranged its elements. But it said she was not the "master mind" behind the images themselves.

"The fact that Midjourney's specific output cannot be predicted by users makes Midjourney different for copyright purposes than other tools used by artists," the letter said.

Im John Russell.

Blake Brittain reported on this story for Reuters. John Russell adapted it for VOA Learning English.

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Words in This Story

artificial intelligence (AI) n. an area of computer science that aims to give machines the ability to seem like they have human intelligence

registration  n. the act or process of entering information about something in a book or system of public records

arrangement  n. the way that things or people are organized for a particular purpose or activity : the way that things or people are arranged

application  n. a formal and usually written request for something (such as a job, admission to a school, a loan, etc.)

specific  adj special or particular

output  n. something (such as power, energy, or information) that is produced by a machine or system
The United States has ordered federal agencies to remove the popular video sharing service TikTok from all government devices within 30 days.

The ban follows similar actions recently ordered by governments in Canada, the European Union, Taiwan and more than half of American states.

Congress voted in December to ban federal employees from using TikTok on government-owned devices. The vote was the latest legislative effort to restrict Chinese companies. Numerous politicians have accused TikTok of presenting national security risks to the U.S.

Both the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) have warned that TikToks owner, the Chinese company ByteDance, could be sharing user data with the government.

More than two-thirds of American teenagers use TikTok. The app has grown in popularity because it can start new trends in many areas of pop culture. Critics have said ByteDance could be sharing huge amounts of private user data to Chinas government.

Some American lawmakers have also argued that China could use TikTok to spread misinformation. Legislators in the U.S. and Europe have also raised concerns about TikToks content and suggested it can harm young users mental health.

ByteDance rejects the criticisms and says misinformation is largely to blame for them. In a statement, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said Tuesday banning TikTok from U.S. government devices represents an abuse of state power.

The U.S. government has been overstretching the concept of national security and abusing state power to suppress other countries companies," Mao Ning told a daily briefing. How unsure of itself can the U.S., the worlds top superpower, be to fear a young person's favorite app to such a degree? she added.

TikTok spokesperson Brooke Oberwetter called the U.S. government ban little more than political theater.

On Monday, Canada announced it was joining the U.S. in banning TikTok from all government-owned devices.

Canadian Treasury Board President Mona Fortier said the Chief Information Officer of Canada had found that TikTok presents an unacceptable level of risk to privacy and security. The app was to be removed from Canadian government-issued phones on Tuesday.

In Brussels, the European Unions leadership division said last week it had temporarily banned TikTok from phones used by employees as a security measure.

Both conservative and liberal lawmakers in the U.S. Congress have expressed concern about the app. The No TikTok on Government Devices Act was passed in December as part of a larger Congressional budget proposal. The legislation does permit TikTok to be used in some cases, including research activities related to national security and law enforcement issues.

On Tuesday, Republican Party lawmakers are expected to move forward with a bill that would give President Joe Biden, a Democrat, the power to ban TikTok nationwide. Such legislation could help the administration fight possible court battles if Bidens government decided to move forward with economic restrictions against ByteDance.

Im Bryan Lynn.

The Associated Press and Reuters reported on this story. Bryan Lynn adapted the reports for VOA Learning English.

__________________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

trend  n. a current style or liking

concept  n. a general idea or thought

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The United States Supreme Court began hearing arguments on Tuesday about President Joe Bidens student debt relief plan. The courts decision will affect millions of borrowers who could see their loans reduced or forgiven.

How does the plan work?

The Biden administration announced the debt forgiveness plan in August of last year. It would cancel $10,000 in federal student loan debt for individuals making less than $125,000 per year or for households making less than $250,000 per year. People who received a Pell Grant, a kind of special financing given to those who show higher financial need, would get an additional $10,000 of debt forgiven.

College students can be a part of the plan if their loans were sent out, or distributed, before July 1 of last year. The plan would permit 43 million borrowers to get some debt forgiveness. About 20 million people could see their debt disappear completely, the Biden administration says.

The White House says 26 million people have applied for debt relief. Around 16 million people had already had their relief approved before courts suspended the program. The Congressional Budget Office has said the program will cost around $400 billion over the next thirty years.

Why the Supreme Court?

The Supreme Court is hearing two arguments against the plan. One involves six states, all led by members of the Republican Party. The other involves a legal action brought by two students.

A lower court dismissed the lawsuit involving the states, which are Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska and South Carolina. The court said the states could not legally protest the program because they were not harmed by it.

The states appealed the decision and the U.S. Court of Appeals ruled to suspend operation of the program. Then, the Supreme Court agreed to consider the case.

The students case involves Myra Brown, who is not able to receive debt relief because her loans are privately held. It also involves Alexander Taylor, who is only able to get $10,000 and not the full $20,000 because he did not receive a Pell grant. The students say that the Biden administration did not go through the correct process in putting the plan into action.

Texas-based U.S. District Judge Mark Pittman, an appointee of President Donald Trump, agreed with the students and ruled to block the program. Pittman ruled that the Biden administration did not have clear permission from Congress to begin the program. A federal appeals court left Pittmans ruling in place, and the Supreme Court agreed to take up the case along with the states challenge.

Legal basis of plan

To cancel student loan debt, the Biden administration is using the Higher Education Relief Opportunities for Students Act, commonly known as the HEROES Act. Put in place after the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks, the law was designed to protect service members from financial loss while they fought in wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. The law permits the secretary of education to waive or change the terms of federal student loans as necessary in connection with a national emergency.

Trump, a Republican, declared the COVID-19 pandemic a national emergency in March 2020. But Biden recently announced that the national emergency will end on May 11. The Biden administration has said that the end to the national emergency does not change the legal argument for student loan debt cancellation because the pandemic affected millions of student borrowers who might have fallen behind on their loans during the emergency.

Likely questions

The Supreme Court will likely pay careful attention to several big issues.

The first one is whether the states and the two student borrowers have the right to sue over the plan in the first place, a legal idea called standing.

If the court finds that there is no standing, then the Biden administration will be clear to go ahead with the plan. To prove they have standing, the states and borrowers will have to show in part that they are financially harmed by the plan.

Beyond the question of standing, the justices will also be asking whether the HEROES Act gives the Biden administration the power to put the plan into action and how it went about doing so.

Im John Russell.

And I'm Ashley Thompson.

Jessica Gresko reported on this story for the Associated Press. John Russell adapted it for VOA Learning English.

________________________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

relief  n. things (such as food, money, or medicine) that are given to help people who are victims of a war, earthquake, flood, etc.; the removal or reducing of something that is painful or unpleasant

apply  v. to ask formally for something (such as a job, admission to a school, a loan, etc.) usually in writing

challenge  n. the act of saying or showing that (something) may not be true, correct, or legal

waive  v. to officially say that you will not use or require something that you are allowed to have or that is usually required
The racial wealth divide between Black and white Americans is much bigger  and more stubborn  than many of us realize.
Joshua Owens (Texas Tech University School of Law) has posted Objection! Hearsay: The Confrontation Clause, Supervised Release Revocation Hearings, and the Need for an Evidentiary Standard on SSRN. Here is the abstract:

The federal court system has long considered the implications of revoking supervised release for criminal defendants. Supervised release is a monitoring mechanism that allows an individual to be released from confinement after they have served a substantial portion of their term of imprisonment. However, this is not unrestricted freedom and can be modified or revoked by a magistrate judge if conditions of the release are violated. This can be done solely based on hearsay if the judge finds good-cause to revoke the terms without the opportunity to cross-examine. Many courts have noted that supervised release is not part of a criminal prosecution and, therefore, does not implicate all due-process rights such as the right to confront an adverse witness under the Sixth Amendments Confrontation Clause. Additionally, the Federal Rules of Evidence, specifically the rules against hearsay, do not apply to revocation hearings. This creates an opportunity for an individual to lose their liberty and return to prison completely based on unsubstantiated hearsay, without anything more.

The Sixth Amendments Confrontation Clause states that the accused, in all criminal prosecutions, has the right to confront the witnesses against him[,] therefore, the right to cross-examination should be extended to revocation hearings because the right to individual liberty is similarly implicated as within a trial. Absent this extension of the Confrontation Clauseand the steadfast evaluation of reliability that is cross-examinationa standardized test for hearsay admissibility, rooted in the Federal Rules of Evidence, should be mandated through legislation because current methods of testing reliability of hearsay evidence are inconsistently and arbitrarily applied at the various circuit courts.

This Article examines the Framers intent behind the Confrontation Clause and evaluates the Sixth Amendments place and purpose within the Bill of Rights. Furthermore, this Article analyzes the current judicial process applied to supervised release revocation hearings and proposes a statutory solution that will standardize evidentiary procedures for these proceedings while maintaining the distinction between trial and post-confinement proceedings.
Emirates has highlighted carrying more than 1.6 million passengers on the Dubai-Warsaw service across more than 6,300 flights since the inaugural flight to Poland in February 2013.



The carrier offers Polish passengers a daily direct flight operated by a Boeing 777-300ER wide-body aircraft.



This year we are celebrating Emirates anniversary in Poland, which is an exceptional opportunity to summarize the past decade as we look ahead to 2023 with greater optimism. We are delighted that we have been operating flights on the Dubai-Warsaw route for the past ten years, said Maciej Pyrka, Country Manager of Emirates in Poland.



Poland consistently remains a very important market for us, and we particularly value cooperation with partners that contribute to exceptional service for our clients and support the domestic development of trade and tourism. The past decade is motivation for us to continue on the path of providing the best quality services and maintaining the highest standards.



Over the years, Emirates flights to Warsaw have created new opportunities for business, trade and tourism and strengthened the ties between the United Arab Emirates and Poland. The Emirates Group employs more than 600 Poles, including cabin crew, pilots and employees in other business areas across the Group. Emirates offers candidates exceptional career opportunities, the chance to gain world-class expertise at the airline's state-of-the-art training centre in Dubai, including an excellent training facility and a wide range of development programs.



As part of SkyCargo's operations and its extensive network of 140 destinations, Emirates provides entrepreneurs in Poland and the United Arab Emirates with the connections they need to transport goods. Nearly 83,000 tons of cargo have been transported on the route since its launch. Emirates aircraft have transported, among other things, electronics, medical equipment, pharmaceutical products including vaccines, car and aircraft parts, clothing collections and perishable products such as tropical fish and fruit to and from Poland.



Emirates flight EK179 from Dubai to Warsaw departs at 08:05am arriving in Warsaw at 11:20am local time. The return flight EK180 from Warsaw departs at 1:25pm and arrives in Dubai at 10:45pm.  TradeArabia News Service
The case against a 16-year-old girl charged with stabbing another teen in the heart during a fight at a North Side Madison park in January, nearly killing him, will advance to the next step after a judge ruled Tuesday that prosecutors had presented enough evidence to support an attempted homicide charge.

Dane County Circuit Judge Rhonda Lanford said there was enough evidence to show probable cause that Lanagsha M. Crawford, of Madison, had committed attempted first-degree intentional homicide on Jan. 17 when she stabbed the 14-year-old boy with a kitchen knife during a confrontation at Warner Park between two groups that had squared off earlier in the day at Sherman Middle School.

In testimony that hewed closely to a criminal complaint that was filed on Jan. 19, Madison Police Detective Joseph Buccellato testified that a witness told police Crawford had a knife and had said she was going to stab someone with it before the boy was stabbed.

Buccellato said the wound, which pierced the boys heart, came within three millimeters of killing him, and required immediate open-heart surgery to repair the damage.

Defense attorney Shaun OConnell argued that at most, Crawford committed a reckless act, not the intentional act that prosecutors alleged. But Assistant District Attorney Tim Verhoff said that by bringing the knife to the fight, stabbing someone in the chest  even though Crawford told police she had stabbed the boy in the abdomen  and then later throwing away the knife from a moving car, it was shown by Crawfords acts alone that she had acted intentionally.

Prosecutors also had a lower burden of proof at the preliminary hearing  where they received the benefit of all reasonable inferences of the evidence  than they would at a trial, where proof beyond a reasonable doubt is required.

Because Crawfords attorneys have asked that the case be moved to juvenile court, prosecutors had to show that Crawford had probably committed a specific crime  attempted first-degree intentional homicide  rather than any unspecified felony, the usual standard at a preliminary hearing.

The case will be back before Lanford on May 5 for a reverse-waiver hearing, in which attorneys for Crawford will try to show that the case belongs in juvenile court instead of adult court.

In Wisconsin, anyone age 10 or older who is charged with first-degree intentional homicide or attempted homicide is automatically charged in adult court. Cases can be moved to juvenile court if it can be shown that a juvenile court disposition is more appropriate.

Crawfords aunt, Samantha R. Gentry, 31, of Madison, is charged with contributing to the delinquency of a child and harboring or aiding a felon for allegedly driving Crawford and others to and from Warner Park before and after the fight. A preliminary hearing for Gentry is scheduled for March 14.

Photos: U.S. Championship Cheese Contest U.S. Championship Cheese Contest 9 U.S. Championship Cheese Contest U.S. Championship Cheese Contest U.S. Championship Cheese Contest U.S. Championship Cheese Contest U.S. Championship Cheese Contest U.S. Championship Cheese Contest U.S. Championship Cheese Contest 3 U.S. Championship Cheese Contest U.S. Championship Cheese Contest U.S. Championship Cheese Contest 2 U.S. Championship Cheese Contest U.S. Championship Cheese Contest U.S. Championship Cheese Contest 5 U.S. Championship Cheese Contest U.S. Championship Cheese Contest 4 U.S. Championship Cheese Contest U.S. Championship Cheese Contest 7 U.S. Championship Cheese Contest U.S. Championship Cheese Contest 6 U.S. Championship Cheese Contest 8 U.S. Championship Cheese Contest
The Madison School Board unanimously voted Monday night to rename Jefferson Middle School after 19th-century Black voting rights activist Ezekiel Gillespie.

A survey of about half of the schools students showed a preference to replace President Thomas Jeffersons name with writer Maya Angelou, the other finalist whittled down by an ad hoc committee in recent months. But the board ultimately decided to go with Gillespie, largely because of his role in securing voting rights for Black people in Wisconsin.

Board President Ali Muldrow acknowledged the vote of students at the school at Monday nights School Board meeting, saying that in middle school the desire to be self-determined is pretty profound.

To have two people who had a significant impact on Black history, to choose between them is deeply challenging, Muldrow said.

To see young people say this is the what majority of us would like our school to be named after, is something that I wish I had more time to take into consideration than right now on the spot, Muldrow said.

Angelou, though famous and revered, does not have any direct ties to Wisconsin or Madison. That left Gillespie, a leader in Milwaukees Black community in the late 1800s.

Born into slavery in Tennessee, Gillespie went on to secure voting rights for Black men in Wisconsin after being denied the right to vote in 1865. His case went to the U.S. Supreme Court, which ruled that Black men in Wisconsin had been entitled to the right to vote since 1849, according to the Wisconsin Historical Society.

The middle school at 101 S. Gammon Road on the citys West Side is the fourth district building to get a name change in recent years.

The third president and author of the Declaration of Independence, the legacy of Jefferson and other founding fathers has grown controversial over the years because of their racist beliefs and ownership of slaves.

Jefferson in particular fathered four children with his slave Sally Hemings.

Im glad that we are moving away from revering this part of American history and dealing with it with more thought and care because of how heavy that subject matter is, said board member Savion Castro.

Hemings and her son, Eston Hemings Jefferson, who is buried at Forest Hill Cemetery, were among four finalists chosen as possible options for renaming the middle school. The renaming committee eventually narrowed that list to Angelou and Gillespie.

Other name changes at district schools in recent years have included Memorial High School, which is now named after Vel Phillips, the first Black woman to graduate from the University of Wisconsin Law School, win a seat on the Milwaukee City Council, become a judge in Wisconsin and get elected to statewide office.

Milele Chikasa Anana Elementary, formerly Falk Elementary, and Virginia Henderson Elementary, formerly Glendale Elementary, also were recently renamed.

The name change for Jefferson Middle School is effective at the start of the 2023-24 school year.
Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway touted achievements and a desire to get the job done while challenger Gloria Reyes warned about financial challenges and the need to focus on equity in a lively but cordial debate Monday night sponsored by Downtown Madison Inc., the Hoan Group and the Wisconsin Policy Forum.

Rhodes-Conway, elected in 2019, and Reyes, a consultant and a former CEO of Briarpatch Youth Services, Madison School Board president, deputy mayor and city police officer, drew differences and voiced some similarities on a wide range of issues in their first one-on-one appearance of the general election campaign before more than 90 people at the Central Library.

Im concerned about the future of the city, Reyes said, citing finances as her top priority along with public safety, sparking economic development and racial equity. Madison raised me. This is an opportunity for me to give back.

The mayor focused on accomplishments and whats next. Im proud of my record over the last four years, she said, noting advances in low-cost housing, bus rapid transit, fighting climate change, traffic safety and equity. Our leadership through the pandemic was important and strong. Theres more to do. Let me get the job done.

In the Feb. 21 primary, with 73,595 votes cast in the mayoral race, Rhodes-Conway handily won with 59.5% of the vote, followed by Reyes with 27.9% and Scott Kerr with 11.8%. Its the first time in city history two women will face off for the mayors office in the general election. Sue Bauman became the citys first female mayor in 1997 and Rhodes-Conway the first gay woman to win in 2019. Reyes would be the first Hispanic mayor.

The general election is April 4.

The candidates parted on finances. With the availability of one-time federal COVID-19 funding to balance future budgets expected to be limited after 2024, annual deficits could then reach $20 million to $30 million.

Rhodes-Conway said the state has limited the citys capacity to raise revenue amid increasing costs to maintain services despite prudent policies and said the Legislature should increase shared revenues. She said she would not seek to increase the vehicle registration fee, also called the wheel tax, and in the long term said the city may have to look at a public referendum to secure additional operating revenues. She said a local sales tax would be regressive and she would prefer a local income tax option.

Reyes said the city cant use one-time funds or borrowing for operations and said she would meet with the finance director to get five recommendations on the budget. She said she would not jeopardize basic services and is reluctant to ask for more revenue. We have to be fiscally responsible and make hard decisions, she said. She said shed support a local sales tax option.

Public safety, housing

The mayor and Reyes also differed on public safety.

Reyes said she supports police body-worn cameras and increased police staffing to match population growth; a public health approach to violence prevention; and expanding the Community Alternative Response Emergency Services program, or CARES, which responds to 911 calls for behavioral health emergencies.

Rhodes-Conway outlined a three-tiered approach, with an immediate response of law enforcement using a data and evidence-based approach to allocating resources without significant changes in the size of the police force. In the mid-term, she supports a public health approach to violence prevention and backing for community-based organizations to help with interventions. For the long term, she said the city must make investments in the citys most vulnerable. She said shes looking forward to what can be learned from a pilot body-worn cameras program.

On housing, the mayor said that production has been outpaced by growth for many years but that she has doubled the Affordable Housing Funds and opened use of the fund to other uses, such as co-ops. The city, she said, has approved thousands of new housing units and is providing support for homeownership opportunities.

But we cant stop now, she said. The city needs more density, she said, but it doesnt mean 15-story buildings everywhere.

Reyes said the mayor really is a policy person pushing initiatives that sometimes lack input, especially some recent proposed changes to zoning rules, and that her approaches can be impractical. She said shed create a mayors housing advisory team representing an array of interests to forge a big picture plan, adding, We need more engagement and more transparency.

Reyes also criticized Rhodes-Conway over aspects of the citys response to homelessness, especially for allowing a large, now-cleared encampment at Reindahl Park on the East Side. We dont treat people like that, she said, noting that while she was deputy mayor the city opened its first two major Housing First developments on the East and Far West sides.

We need a plan, she said.

The mayor said the community for decades had sheltered homeless men in church basements but that the city created far better temporary mens shelters during the pandemic and is on track to build the states first new shelter built specifically for that purpose. She said the city has taken many other actions, including support for a homeless family shelter on the East Side and creating the citys first tiny shelter campground on the Southeast Side.

We have transformed the way the city of Madison deals with homelessness over the last four years, she said. Were not done yet.

Transit, climate change

On transportation, Reyes voiced support for bus rapid transit (BRT) but said the coming system seems inequitable and designed amid a loss of ridership due to the pandemic and evolving work patterns. Our environment has changed, she said. I would have taken a step back. Were moving too fast. She said she opposed running a BRT route on State Street.

But Rhodes-Conway said many have talked about BRT and that she has acted to deliver it. Im proud of that, she said, adding that BRT is not designed to serve neighborhoods but that the simultaneous Metro Transit Network redesign will more efficiently bring more people of color and those with lower incomes to jobs and activity centers. BRT belongs on part of State Street because its where people want to go, she said.

Both candidates voiced support for bringing passenger rail to Madison.

The mayor also said the city has made important advances on climate change and is leading the way in setting standards for green public buildings and electric and biodiesel vehicles. This is a crisis, and we cant mess around, she said. We all have to act.
The Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts & Letters is hosting Poetry & Pi(e), an event featuring poetry readings and pie on Pi Day, March 14, from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Poetry & Pi(e) will feature readings by new Wisconsin Poet Laureate Nicholas Gulig, an associate professor of languages and literatures at UW-Whitewater, and outgoing Wisconsin Poet Laureate Dasha Kelly Hamilton, a writer and performance artist.

The event will be in the Promenade Lounge at the Overture Center, 201 State St. Pies will come from Hubbard Avenue Diner in Middleton.

Gulig will attend in person, while Hamilton will read remotely.

"Bringing people together and shining a light on brilliance in Wisconsin is the heart of our work," Erika Monroe-Kane, the academy's executive director, said in a release. "We are thrilled to provide an opportunity to hear the elegant, intimate poems of Nicholas Gulig and the compelling, artful work of Dasha Kelly Hamilton."

The event can be experienced in-person or remotely. Tickets are $20 for academy members and $25 for non-members. Online, the event is free for academy members and $5 for non-members. Tickets can be purchased at wisconsinacademy.org/evenings/poetry-pie-2023.

Take a look at 'Immersive Van Gogh'
BAGHDAD  Almost 20 years after the overthrow of Saddam Hussein by U.S.-led forces, Iraqi President Abdul Latif Rashid wants the world to know his country now is at peace, democratic and intent on rebuilding economic life while maintaining a government that serves the whole country and the region.

Rashid told The Associated Press on Sunday that after overcoming the hardships of the past two decades, Iraq is ready to focus on improving everyday life for its people.

Those hardships included years of resistance to foreign troops, violence between Sunnis and Shiites, and attacks by Islamic State group extremists who once controlled large areas, including Iraq's second-largest city, Mosul.

"Peace and security is all over the country, and I would be very glad if you will report that and emphasize on that, instead of giving a picture of Iraq  still (as) a war zone, which a lot of media still do," Rashid said.

While Iraq's major fighting has ended, there have been some recent outbreaks of violence  including on the day of Rashid's election, which came after a yearlong stalemate following the October 2021 election. Ahead of the vote, at least nine rockets targeted Iraq's Parliament inside Baghdad's fortified Green Zone.

After Rashid's election, he nominated Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, who formed a government with the backing of a coalition of Iran-backed parties and with promises of improving security and public services.

Despite its oil wealth, Iraq's infrastructure remains weak. Private generators fill in for the hours of daily state electricity cuts. Long-promised public transportation projects, including a Baghdad metro, have not come to fruition.

Rashid said this is due to damage as "a result of conflicts and as a result of terror, as a result of a number of years living at war."

Government critics say the sputtering electricity supply is also a result of endemic corruption, rooted in the country's sectarian power-sharing system that allows political elites to use patronage networks to consolidate power.

Rashid, who spoke at his presidential quarters in Saddam's former palace, also asserted that most Iraqis believe the 2003 invasion of Saddam-ruled Iraq by the United States and its allies was necessary because of the former dictator's brutality.

He said he believes most Iraqis, "including all sections of the society, the Kurds, the Sunni, the Christian, the Shiites, they were all against" Saddam and appreciate that the U.S. and its allies came to "save" Iraq.

"Obviously certain things did not work out as we hoped. Nobody expected Daesh (the Islamic State group) and nobody expected car bombs," he said. "It should have been controlled right from the beginning. It should have been studied and planned out right from the beginning. I think the myth was that once Saddam is removed, Iraq becomes heaven."

The reality proved more difficult, he said, but it hasn't weakened Iraq's commitment to democracy.

"Even if you have conflicts and if we have arguments, it's much better to have a freedom and democracy rather than a dictatorship," he said.

However, mass anti-government demonstrations that kicked off in late 2019 were often put down by force. Security forces and state-backed armed groups killed hundreds of protesters.

Rashid acknowledged there are still conflicts, but urged Iraqis, particularly the younger generation, to be patient and have faith in the future. "We don't have much choice but to live together  and let our democratic election take place to represent our values," said Rashid, a veteran Kurdish politician and former water minister after Saddam's ouster.

Rashid assumed the presidency in October. Under Iraq's unofficial power-sharing arrangement, the country's president is always a Kurd, the prime minister a Shiite and the parliament speaker a Sunni.

Rashid's job entails helping to maintain a delicate balance among Iraq's various centers of political power and even-keel relations with both the U.S. and Iran, the government's two key  and often opposing  international backers.

The balancing act is reflected in a monument near Baghdad airport. It extolls Iran's Revolutionary Guard commander Qassem Soleimani, who was targeted and killed in a 2020 U.S. airstrike.

Improving relations with neighbors including Iran, Syria, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Jordan is a source of strength for Iraq, Rashid said. He noted with pride that Iraq hosted a Mideast meeting of senior Arab lawmakers on Saturday.

Rashid also promised to take a hard line on corruption.

In October, reports emerged that a network of businesses and officials from the country's tax authority embezzled more than $2.5 billion in Iraqi government revenue.

In recent months, amid allegations of widespread money laundering used to smuggle dollars to U.S.-sanctioned Iran and Syria, the U.S. has taken measures to tighten Iraq's dollar supply, putting pressure on the currency.

"I admit, we did have and we still have some problems with corruption, but the government is very serious (about fighting it)," Rashid said.
WASHINGTON  The Supreme Court hears oral arguments Tuesday in two cases to determine whether President Joe Biden can lean on a 2003 law to fulfill a campaign promise and forgive up to $20,000 in student loans for millions of borrowers nationwide.

The justices are set to decide not only if the Biden administration has the power for a program that could cost the government more than $400 billion, but whether the courts should even allow the lawsuits to challenge the program filed by a group of Republican-led states and a group of frustrated borrowers who dont qualify.

Bidens program faces a conservative Supreme Court that has been skeptical when agencies appear to overstep the powers Congress gave them, legal experts say. In this case, the Biden administration says Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona can alter student loan terms in emergency situations.

Daniel Urman, a law and public policy professor at Northeastern University, said several conservative members of the court have expressed a general desire to roll back the governments administrative power.

To move forward with the program, Urman said the Biden administration would have to convince at least two of the six justices on the conservative wing of the court, along with all three of the justices on the liberal wing.

I could see these cases going in a lot of ways, but I think it is uphill for the Biden administration, Urman said. Now uphill doesnt mean impossible, but I think it is uphill.

Support for the program largely cuts along party lines, and Congress did not explicitly act on Bidens call for student loan debt relief. Republican lawmakers in briefs urged the Supreme Court to stop the Biden program, and Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer and other Democratic lawmakers plan to join a rally outside the court to support it.

The justices are expected to issue opinions by the conclusion of the term at the end of June. In the meantime, the Biden administration has continued to pause federal student loan payments for all borrowers, as they have since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.

Authority questioned

The Biden administration seeks to overturn two lower court rulings that paused the program based on challenges that Cardona overstepped his authority when he launched the program last year.

The administration argued in briefs that Congress gave Cardona broad powers when it passed the law in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, including to address national emergencies like the coronavirus pandemic. Several provisions in the law underscore Congress intent to respond quickly and fully to national emergencies.

The lower courts orders have erroneously deprived the Secretary of his statutory authority to provide targeted student-loan debt relief to borrowers affected by national emergencies, leaving millions of economically vulnerable borrowers in limbo, a brief said.

Dozens of advocacy groups, attorneys and several states have weighed in on the administrations side, calling the forgiveness essential amid the pandemic and well within the secretarys legal authority.

Urman noted that the statute includes language about the secretarys authority to modify the terms of student financial assistance programs and a waiver from the governments normal rule-making process  but that may not convince several conservatives on the court.

Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel A. Alito Jr. and Neil M. Gorsuch have a track record of hostility to broad assertions of administrative authority, Urman said. Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. also wrote an opinion in West Virginia v. EPA last year that reined in efforts to address greenhouse gas emissions.

There are these major cases where the Supreme Court has said some version of if Congress really wanted this agency to deal with this issue, they would have said so, Urman said.

Major question

A slew of lawsuits challenged the program, but judges rejected most of them because they found the challengers did not have the legal right to file a lawsuit.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit found a group of Republican-led states did have the right to pursue a lawsuit and paused the program during that legal fight. And the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit upheld a district court ruling that found frustrated borrowers also had the right to pursue a lawsuit and that the administration overstepped its authority, and then entered an injunction to stop the program nationwide.

Those challengers have embraced the approach the court adopted in the EPA case, known as the major questions doctrine. The doctrine requires an agency to point to clear congressional authorization for rules on any major questions of political and economic significance.

The frustrated borrowers, in a brief, called the forgiveness program a textbook major questions doctrine case and said it has vast economic and political significance, as it would cancel nearly half-a-trillion dollars in debt for tens of millions of individuals.

And Nebraska and the other states challenging the program argued in their brief that the program steps on Congress power of the purse without any clear justification in the law.

A majority of congressional Republicans have backed that approach to the doctrine, among some of the dozens of outside individuals and organizations who have weighed in on the cases.

The Biden administration has argued that the major questions doctrine does not apply to its program, because the authority to discharge debt is part of a federal benefit program  not a regulatory action  and it is central to a 2003 law.

Vaishali Rao, an attorney at the Hinshaw & Culbertson law firm, said the clear language in the statute goes in favor of the Biden administration. But the sheer size of the program makes it likely that the justices will discuss the major questions doctrine during oral arguments.

There is all kinds of significance, economic and political, to the kind of relief were talking about here, Rao said.
The Lufthansa Group has received a top rating for its CO2 reduction strategy and its implementation In the global climate ranking 2022 of the non-profit organization CDP, thus improving compared to the previous year



On a scale from "A" (best result) to "D-," the company was placed in the highest ranking band with "A-" (previous year "B"). The Lufthansa Group is thus among the top 5 airlines worldwide with the best rating. CDP gave the Lufthansa Group top grades in reporting in the following evaluation categories: Scope 1 & 2 (direct emissions & indirect emissions from purchased energy), Scope 3 (indirect emissions within the supply chain), corporate governance, risk management processes, targets and initiatives to reduce emissions.



"The top rating in the CDP ranking confirms our pioneering role in the industry. I am proud that we were able to improve our ranking this year," said Christina Foerster, Member of the Lufthansa Group's Executive Board responsible for Brand and Sustainability.



CDP climate ranking regarded as global gold standard

CDP is a global platform for the disclosure of information on the sustainability of companies, cities and regions. The Lufthansa Group has participated in the CDP reporting since 2006 and thus informs relevant stakeholders continuously and transparently about its strategy and measures for CO2 reduction. Each year, CDP collects information on CO2 emissions, sustainability strategies and goals from more than 18,700 companies, representing more than half of the global market capitalization, in a standardized process.



In the field of environmental reporting, the London-based organization's climate ranking is considered the global gold standard. CDP is a partner of the independent Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi). The data collected is also used to a large extent in other assessments by leading rating agencies. The Lufthansa Group's experts carefully evaluate the company's performance in ratings and sustainability indices with the goal of further improving the company's performance.



Destination sustainability: Into the future with a clear strategy



The Lufthansa Group has set itself ambitious climate protection goals and aims to achieve a neutral CO balance by 2050. Already by 2030, the Lufthansa Group wants to halve its net CO2 emissions compared to 2019 through reduction and compensation measures. The reduction roadmap until 2030 was validated by SBTi in August 2022. The Lufthansa Group was the first airline group in Europe with a science-based CO reduction target in line with the goals of the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement.



For effective climate protection, the Lufthansa Group is focusing in particular on accelerated fleet modernization, the use of Sustainable Aviation Fuels, the continuous optimization of flight operations, and offers for its private travelers and corporate customers to make a flight or the transport of cargo more sustainable. In addition, the Lufthansa Group has been actively supporting global climate and weather research for many years.  TradeArabia News Service
Heres what happened locally on Feb. 28 over the past century, as reported in this newspaper, which went from being called the Henry Bulletin to the Daily Bulletin to the Martinsville Bulletin:

1923: Personals: Mrs. Lelia Brent, who underwent an operation at Lewis-Gale Hospital last week, is improving. Mrs. Martin and little son, of Madison, N.C., are the guests of Mr. and Mrs. W.T. DeShazo, Starling avenue. The Duplicate Bridge club met Saturday afternoon with Mrs. J.E. Redd, Broad St. Mrs. J.T. Penn, who has been confined to her home for the past week by illness, is much better.

1948: The Rev. Chevis Horne was speaker Tuesday evening at the founders day meeting of Joseph Martin Parent-Teacher Association in the school auditorium. He discussed The House Upon the Rock or the House Upon the Sand, especially stressing the importance of the home, the church, and the school combining their efforts to train children and youth for a better tomorrow.

Also in 1948: Maintenance and factory employees will be entertained by the Du Pont company at the Club Martinique tomorrow night. Approximately 200 employees and friends are expected to attend the party with dancing to start at 9 p.m.

1973: A chamber of commerce official today expressed concern over lack of interest in plans for an August centennial celebration in Martinsville. Larry Aydlett, executive director, commented on the Tuesday night meeting in which none of the 50 civic leaders invited to hear centennial plans attended. All were contacted, Aydlett said.

1998: Courtaulds plc, the parent company of Courtaulds Performance Films, has decided to sell its Polymer Products Division, which includes the plant in Fieldale. Ken Vickers, chief executive officer and president of Courtaulds Films, said Thursday the London-based parent company has decided to spin off its two major divisions into separate companies and sell the third division.
The Virginia Department of Emergency Management and Virginia State Police (VSP) personnel located a downed aircraft Tuesday morning.

The search began Monday afternoon near the Patrick County and Carroll County line, but the privately-owned Cessna 150 was located on Tuesday at approximately 11:35 a.m. in the 600 block of Little Bit Road near Hillsville, and the airplanes only occupant, its pilot, was found deceased in the wreckage, a VSP release stated.

The name of the pilot has not been released pending notification of next of kin.

The Cessna departed the Hillsville Twin County Airport Monday afternoon headed toward Burlington Alamance Regional Airport in North Carolina, but never arrived, the release stated.

Search efforts began along the Patrick County and Carroll County line Monday evening and resumed by air and on the ground at daybreak this morning, the release stated.

The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the crash.
Nigerian presidential outsider Peter Obi won the most votes in the key state of Lagos, narrowly ahead of the ruling party candidate in his stronghold, according to provisional results released Monday by the Electoral Commission (Inec).

The economic capital of Africas most populous country is one of the biggest vote-getters in this hotly contested presidential race between three favourites, whose state-by-state results are only just being announced. Peter Obi, the Labour Party (LP) candidate, won 582,454 votes (nearly 43% of the votes cast in Lagos).

Outsider Peter Obi has pulled off a surprise victory in the key state of Lagos, a stronghold of the ruling party, according to the first results of the presidential election in Nigeria, Africas most populous country, after a close vote whose outcome remained uncertain on Monday.

More than 87 million voters cast their ballots on Saturday to choose from among 18 candidates the person who will have the tough task of turning around Nigeria for the next four years, a country plagued by a sluggish economy, recurrent violence by armed groups and bandits, and widespread impoverishment of the population.

The bustling economic capital has the largest number of registered voters in the country, more than seven million, and is the stronghold of the ruling APC candidate Bola Tinubu, 70, whom he governed from 1999 to 2007. With 46 per cent of the vote in Lagos, according to the provisional results of the National Electoral Commission (INC), Mr. Obi has a narrow lead of less than 10,000 votes over his main opponent.

The announcement of the full results will take time: as of midday Monday, the National Electoral Commission (Inec) in Abuja had given official figures for only four states: Ekiti (APC), Osun (PDP), Ondo (APC), and Kwara (APC).
The World Bank yesterday warned the Mozambican authorities of the difficulties in accessing markets due to the countrys placement on the international grey list of money laundering and terrorism financing risks.

Getting off the list is necessary to promote access to international financial markets, continue to attract foreign investment, and participate in international trade, said Julian Casal, the World Banks financial sector specialist.

Casal was speaking during the opening of a seminar for magistrates in Maputo. The situation could damage the countrys reputation as a reliable and trustworthy partner, causing long-term implications for economic growth and development, he added.

Julian Casal called on the authorities to promote a stable and transparent financial system and a greater commitment to international conventions on combating money laundering and terrorist financing.

Addressing the magistrates present at the training session that began today, the World Bank official urged judicial operators to enforce and interpret the countrys laws and regulations related to anti-money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism.

Investigating and prosecuting financial crime cases and imposing appropriate penalties on those found guilty and interpreting laws and regulations related to money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism are also key actions, he emphasized.

On the other hand, he continued, it is necessary for the country to adopt new laws and regulations to be more effective in the fight against these types of crimes.

For his part, Mozambiques Minister of Economy and Finance, Max Tonela, expressed the executives determination to undertake actions aimed at removing Mozambique from the grey list.

We are committed to solving the identified deficiencies and improving our contribution to the strengthening of the international financial system, Tonela said.

In this sense, he continued, the authorities are working for the country to leave the said list within 24 months, which includes the implementation of a strategy agreed with the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), which manages the list.

According to the head of Economy and Finance, it is also essential to strengthen international cooperation to combat money laundering and terrorism financing.

He also advanced the imperative of creating an executive multi-sector coordination committee involving relevant state institutions.

It is important to note that in order to be removed from this list, Mozambique must demonstrate significant progress through evidence and the judicial system plays a critical role in this framework, stressed Max Tonela.

Mozambique was placed on the FATF gray list in October 2023 after institutional weaknesses were detected in the mechanisms to combat money laundering and terrorism financing.
South Africa, placed last week on the grey list of countries subject to enhanced monitoring of money laundering, chose to see this downgrading as an opportunity, according to its president Cyril Ramaphosa on Monday.

Two new countries have joined the list drawn up by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), which includes 23 countries in all: South Africa and Nigeria, the organization announced Friday in Paris.

The grey list is an opportunity for us to strengthen our controls and improve our response to organized crime, wrote the South African president in his weekly letter. This downgrading has raised many concerns about the state of our financial institutions, our law enforcement agencies () The situation is worrying but not as serious as some would suggest, he added.

Many public services suffer from endemic corruption in South Africa, worsened under the presidency of his predecessor Jacob Zuma and that Mr. Ramaphosa has promised to curb. The ANC, the party in power since the end of apartheid, shows once again its inability to fight against financial crime, reacted Friday the main opposition party, Democratic Alliance (DA).

The radical left (EFF) called Ramaphosa a criminal at the head of a criminal state. Recalling a case that personally embarrasses him, that of banknotes found hidden in a couch at one of his properties in 2020, the EFF said that this scandal is part of the reason why South Africa is on the grey list.

Ramaphosa said the fundamentals are in place and we know what we need to do to get off the grey list, adding that he is determined to do it as quickly as possible.
The UN in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) announced Monday the suspension of flights in the east of the country currently a battle field between armed forces and rebels, after a helicopter operated by the mission was the target of heavy fire for several minutes.

U.N. World Food Program said a helicopter returning from Walikale to the regional capital, Goma in North Kivu province, came under attack for 10 minutes last week but was able to land safely in Goma with all three crew and 10 passengers unharmed.

The helicopter delivers assistance to some of Congos most remote areas which would otherwise be inaccessible because of poor roads or insecurity.

The program added that flights are suspended on specific routes in the region until the security situation can be reassessed. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, but this is the second time this month that a U.N. missions helicopter came under fire in North Kivu province.

Another helicopter early this month came under attack. A South African peacekeeper was killed and another was injured in the incident.

The Congolese armed forces have been at war with rebel groups in the east of the country for decades over power, land and valuable mineral resources. The warfare escalated in recent years when M23 rebels, which had been largely dormant for nearly a decade, resurfaced and started capturing territory.

About 5 million people have been displaced internally and externally by the fighting while tens of thousands of people have been reported killed.
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Credit: CC0 Public Domain

The more breast milk premature babies are fed while in neonatal intensive care, the greater the level of brain development, a study suggests.

The cerebral cortexthe part of the brain for learning and thinkingis usually underdeveloped in premature babies, but in infants who consumed high levels of breast milk it quickly resembled those of babies born to term.

Experts say that feeding premature babies with breast milk could help reduce the developmental and learning problems associated with preterm birth.

Every year, 15 million children worldwide are born pre-termbefore 37 weeksand it is still the biggest cause of death and disability among newborn babies.

Children who are born early are more likely to develop problems that affect their entire lives such as learning difficulties, problems with their sight and hearing, behavioral issues and cerebral palsy.

Researchers from University scanned the brains of 212 babies who were part of the Theirworld Edinburgh Birth Cohort, a study which monitors the progress of premature babies from birth to adulthood.

The group included 135 babies who were born before 32 weeks of pregnancy and 77 who were born to term. Researchers collected information about how premature babies were fed during neonatal intensive care and brain scans for all babies were performed around 40 weeks from conception.

Brain scans revealed that babies who received higher amounts of breast milkfrom their mother or a donorhad a more mature cerebral cortex compared with those who received less, similar to the scans of babies born to term.

Supporting development

Breast milk contains many elementssuch as a favorable balance of fats, proteins and minerals, and a range of other beneficial factors that help babies' immunitythat could support brain development, experts say.

Further research is needed to understand their exact role in allowing premature babies' brains to catch up with the development seen in term babies.

"Our findings suggest that brain development in the weeks after preterm birth is improved in babies who receive greater amounts of breast milk. Mothers of preterm babies should be supported to express breast milk, if they are able to, while their baby is in the neonatal unit as this may offer the best chance of healthy brain development," says Dr. Gemma Sullivan.

The Jennifer Brown Research Laboratory was set up in 2004 at the University of Edinburgh as a pioneering project of Theirworld, the global children's charity.

It works to better identify women at risk of premature birth, explore the development of treatments to prevent early labor and research how to better help newborn babies in the first hours and days after birth.

"The research and discoveries from the Theirworld Edinburgh Birth Cohort are truly remarkable. This world-first study is equipping scientists and doctors with valuable information that is expanding the frontiers of medical science and improving the life chances of premature babies. I will forever be grateful to the families participating in the study who are dedicated to sharing information about their own babies, helping to give other premature babies the best start in life," says Sarah Brown, chair of Theirworld.

The findings have been published in the Annals of Neurology.

More information: Gemma Sullivan et al, Breast Milk Exposure is Associated With Cortical Maturation in Preterm Infants, Annals of Neurology (2022). DOI: 10.1002/ana.26559 Journal information: Annals of Neurology
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GHQ weighted mean over time by existing caregivers and never-caregivers. Credit: Social Science & Medicine (2023). DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2023.115721

People who became caregivers during COVID-19 by helping family members, friends or neighbors in need experienced a sharp decline in their own mental health, new research from Lancaster University reveals.

Using the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) scalea psychometrically validated and widely used index of psychological distressresearchers studied individual responses to the UK Household Longitudinal Study (Understanding Society).

They looked at 4698 participants from a total of 11 surveysthree before COVID-19 and eight collected between April 2020 and March 2021.

They carefully focused on three groups of people'existing caregivers' (totaling 349 people who had caring responsibilities for people outside of their home before the pandemic), 'new caregivers' who started helping and continually provided care during the pandemic (1655 individuals), and a group of 'never-caregivers' (2694 respondents).

Results found that the most statistically significant "moments of distress" for new caregivers occurred when national lockdowns were in place. Existing caregivers within the sample experienced a 0.48 point increase in mental deterioration during the third national lockdown, imposed by the Government in January 2021. This measurement indicates worse mental ill-health than men who lose their jobs (measured at 0.41 points on the GHQ scalefor unemployed women, it's 0.60 points), while the death of a partner leads to worse mental health by 0.51 points for women, and 0.53 for men.

Overall, the study finds mental health in the UK fluctuated according to the social restrictions imposed by Government, but the mental health of those who started providing care informally during the pandemic was consistently worse than those who did not provide any informal care at all.

"Our evidence suggests that while social restrictions were put in place to curb infection rates and protect the public from COVID-19, the mental toll this had on informal caregivers was sizeable," explains Chiara Costi, a Ph.D. student from Lancaster University Management School and lead author of the study. "This is the first time, to our knowledge, there has been any focus on the mental health of the vast number of people who became informal caregivers during COVID-19 in the UK."

"While each group of informal caregivers we focused on is different, it is important to note that all respondents had similar levels of mental health before providing informal care."

"When you look at our data, the stay-at-home orders during COVID most certainly harmed the mental health of caregivers across the UK, but had a particularly severe affect on those who took on additional caring roles purely as a result of the pandemic."

"The effect on those who had been caring for people before the pandemic started is also very interesting. While existing caregivers were coping relatively well with the pandemic at the beginning, imposing the third lockdown almost one year after the start of the pandemic looks to have really impacted their mental health when you look at the sharp decline in scores in January 2021."

Data taken from the informal caregivers' responses for the study also shows:

Existing caregivers are older, on average, than those who have never provided informal care for others, while the new informal caregivers are the youngest group

Existing caregivers are less likely to be single or live alone, and are more likely to be widowed or divorced when compared to new caregivers or never caregivers

New caregivers tend to have more dependent children and are more likely to be employed

Existing caregivers have poorer physical health with greater functional limitations and long-standing illnesses

White people generally have better mental health than other ethnicities (a decrease of 1.19 GHQ points for existing caregivers and 0.81 points for new caregivers on the GHQ scale)

Amongst existing caregivers, women tend to have better mental health than men (a decrease of 0.71 GHQ compared to men on the scale)

Being in paid employment is correlated with better mental health (0.36 GHQ points)

"While all groups we studied have similar demographics in terms of gender, ethnicity and education, existing caregivers are older on average, when compared to new caregivers," said co-author, Dr. Vincent O'Sullivan from the University of Limerick. "This could mean that existing caregivers may have started to provide care earlier to support older parents or relatives, hence having better mental health at the start of the pandemic when compared to those who just started care-giving."

Researchers say their findings should be helpful for policymakers who may look to provide psychological support for new informal care givers.

Co-author, Dr. Eugenio Zucchelli from Autonoma University of Madrid, added, "Our evidence would suggest it is important to look at other forms of support for caregivers that goes beyond financial or respite care."

"Hopefully we won't see a pandemic like the last for quite some time, but for any future public health crisis, it would be important to not overlook those who may be picking up caring duties for the first timeespecially if they may be socially isolated and therefore lacking any in-person support or network," adds co-author Professor Bruce Hollingsworth from Lancaster University.

The findings are published in the journal Social Science & Medicine.

More information: Chiara Costi et al, Does caring for others affect our mental health? Evidence from the COVID-19 pandemic, Social Science & Medicine (2023). DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2023.115721 Journal information: Social Science & Medicine
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Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

Learning about emotions is an important part of children's social and communicative development. Whether children can use words like "happy" or "sad" to talk about emotions predicts how well they get along with their peers, self-soothe after a negative event and thrive at school.

A study released in Child Development by researchers at Princeton University in New Jersey, United States examined language production and input among English-speaking toddlers to assess whether emotion labels (such as "happy," which directly name an internal emotional state) might help children learn their meaning.

The team explored the emergence of valenced (i.e., positive and negative) words in children's productive vocabulary and how parents and caregivers may support young children's learning of emotion labels. The research suggests that young children use the dynamics of language input to construct emotion word meanings and provides new techniques for defining the quality of infant-directed speech.

"Our research shows that children are more likely to know a given emotion label when they also know many other related valenced words," said Mira Nencheva, a graduate student in psychology at Princeton University "If parents surround emotion labels with related words, they may support children's learning. For example, when introducing the label happy, a parent or caregiver can provide information about the situation or actions that surround the emotion, such as 'Rosa got a wonderful present for her birthday! She was so happy!'"

Researchers used data collected in North America and the United Kingdom between 1962 and 2009, from the MacArthur-Bates Communicative Development Inventory Wordbank database. Across five studies, they analyzed vocabularies of 5,520 toddlers (1,989 female and 2, 2015 male) between the ages of 16 and 30 months: 2,202 identified as White, 67 as Asian, 222 as Black, 131 as Hispanic, and 93 as Other. The Wordbank database asked caregivers to report which 680 words their child understands and speaks. The words included in the database were selected to represent children's first words.

The data were examined using the following steps:

In Studies 1 and 2, researchers examined the development of 1- to 2-year-olds' valenced words and looked at the rate in which they learned emotional and neutral words.

The research helped reveal that learning starts with concrete neutral words (i.e., spoon or shake) and then expanded to positive and negative words.

This is consistent with previous research which showed that older children learn negative and positive words earlier than neutral, abstract words.

Study 3 examined how caregivers use emotion labels within context that match in valence.

Study 4 investigated whether variability in the extent to which different emotion labels lend themselves to such co-occurrence in child-directed speech predicts earlier or later production.

Study 5 examined the longitudinal hypothesis that children produce emotion labels in more accurate contexts when their caregivers surround emotion labels with similar words.

Studies 3, 4 and 5 show that caregiver input may include consistent links between emotion labels and similarly valenced words, which may facilitate children's learning over time. In all, the research shows that it may be important for caregivers to provide related words when labeling emotions to help children make sense of complex words. The findings also have implications for understanding children's word learning beyond emotion labels and related valenced words.

"Our five studies provide insight into how young children may use dynamic language input to construct complex meanings," said Nencheva. "It is our intent that our approach will help enable other researchers to quantify how caregivers dynamically use words that support children's learning of words with complex, abstract meanings."

The authors acknowledge several limitations in their research. For some of the analyses, they were limited by the words included in the MacArthur-Bates Communicative Development Inventory Wordbank database which included very few emotion labels. The questionnaire was also specifically designed for infants and toddlers so future research across a wider age range from infancy to childhood to adolescence is recommended.

Future research should also directly study the causal links between caregiver input in using emotional labels and similarly valenced words and children's learning over time. Finally, the parent-report measures of their child's productive vocabulary are not as robust as children-driven measures of production and comprehension.

More information: Mira L. Nencheva et al, Caregiver speech predicts the emergence of children's emotion vocabulary, Child Development (2023). DOI: 10.1111/cdev.13897 Journal information: Child Development




NEWS PROVIDED BY

Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights

Feb. 28, 2023



NEW YORK, Feb. 28, 2023 /Christian Newswire/ -- Catholic League president Bill Donohue comments on a proposal by the Biden administration that is disturbing:

Freedom of speech should be honored on the college campuses more than any place in the nation, but, alas, that is not true. Indeed, the campuses are hotbeds of censorship.

Freedom to speak one's mind about religion, and to establish religious clubs on campus, should also be a slam dunk. But again, owing to the prevailing left-wing hatred of western civilization, and its Judeo-Christian roots, that is definitely not the case.

The Trump administration sought to do something about this condition by prohibiting federal funding of colleges and universities that restricted religious student group activities. Now the Biden administration is seeking to overturn this rule, allowing institutions of higher education to return to their censorial ways.

The Department of Education (DOE), under Secretary Miguel Cardona, announced last week that starting on February 22, the public would have 30 days to comment on the proposal to nix the Trump initiative. The DOE says that "it is not necessary in order to protect the First Amendment right to free speech and free exercise of religion given existing legal protections." It also says the policy is "unduly burdensome."

Both of these statements are manifestly false. It was precisely because the religious rights of students were not protected on campus that the previous administration was beckoned to act. Moreover, it is risible for an administration that is regulation-happy to start worrying about rules that are "unduly burdensome."

When it comes to the rights of LGBT students, the Biden administration says we can't have enough protections. Why, then, when it comes to the rights of religious students is it deemed they have enough rights?

Before providing data that undercut what the DOE is saying, consider what prominent academics have been saying about this subject.

"On America's elite campuses, today, it is perfectly acceptable for professors to use their classrooms to attack religion, to mock it, to trivialize it, and to refer to those whom faith truly matters as dupes, and dangerous on top of it." That's how Yale law professor Stephen Carter put it over two decades ago. The African American author concluded that if similar things were said about other groups, it would be called "bigotry."

The situation on campus has only gotten worse over the past two decades. Alan Levinovitz teaches at James Madison University. He notes that many campuses have trigger warnings and safe spaces to alert students about potentially challenging material. He says that "as a professor of religious studies, I know firsthand how debates about trigger warnings and safe spaces can have a chilling effect on classroom discussions." He specifically names discussion about religious beliefs as among the most likely to be stifled.

Levinovitz observes that according to anonymous in-class surveys, "about one-third of my students believe in the exclusive salvific truth of Christianity. But rarely do these students defend their beliefs in class. In private, they have told me that they believe doing so could be construed as hateful, hostile, intolerant, and disrespectful...."

A few years ago, Princeton professor Robert P. George and Orthodox Rabbi Meir Soloveichik, one of his former students, spoke about this issue at a forum on the subject.

According to George, who is a former chairman of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, "There is an antipathy, sometimes an open hostility to religion" on campus. Soloveichik, who teaches at Yeshiva University, spoke about bigoted attacks on Israel, noting, "The truest threat to people of faith in the modern university, from my perspective ... is the culture of hedonism as part of student life."

In 2019, the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities' Presidents Conference, a network of over 180 Christian colleges worldwide, registered their concerns about the religious rights of students. Shirley Mullen, president of Houghton College, a Christian liberal arts college, said, "The standard western narrative of progress has assumed that deeply held religious beliefs, especially when there is diversity in those beliefs, result in intolerance, conflict, violence, oppression."

There certainly is no shortage of examples of religious students being badgered on campus. Courses, lectures and workshops abound on the prevalence of alleged "Christian privilege," a term used to bash Christians, especially male heterosexuals. As I pointed out recently, in other words, "the Hispanic Catholics who clean the toilets of filthy-rich atheist students and their pampered professors are the 'privileged' ones."

It is because of this poisonous milieu, where religious students are treated as outcasts, if not the enemy, that their rights on campus merited protections from the previous administration. The Biden administration, heavily staffed by militant secularists, wants to eviscerate those rights. We can't let that happen.

To read our report on the plight of religious students on campus, click here.

To register your objections to this condition, click here and follow the directions.
InterContinental Residences Abu Dhabi, located in the affluent neighbourhood of the Al Bateen district in the UAE capital, is now open for bookings and looking to book tenants for their upcoming stays.



The property is a stones throw from some of the central business and leisure facilities in Abu Dhabi, including several government buildings, Marina Mall, and city-wide attractions.



The hotel residences are fully furnished with everything a guest could need, placing you at the centre of the action amidst the bustling metropolis. Guests have plenty of choices at the new luxurious hotel apartment venture.



They can choose from 130 units, including studios, one-bedroom, two-bedroom, and three-bedroom apartments, along with a selection of accessible apartments specially designed to cater for the needs of people with determination.



Each apartment has gorgeous textures and natural oak furniture perfectly complemented by the tasteful, contemporary decor. Panoramic windows saturate the spaces with natural light and offer unparalleled views of the Marina or the citys glittering skyline at night. Each apartment has only the highest quality modern amenities and devices.



The 48-sq-m studios and 101-sq-m one-bedroom residences are made up of intimate spaces to unwind and switch off, perfect for solo occupants or couples. More suited for larger families, the 190-sq-m two-bedroom and 217-sq-m three-bedroom residences simply outspread comfort.



Fully equipped with a kitchenette, spacious balconies, walk-in wardrobes, ensuites with bathtub and standing showers, guest bathrooms, and a separate dining area, each of these exquisite options offers a healthy balance between size and luxury amidst spectacular views of the sea and city.



Guests are also encouraged to enjoy the propertys on-site leisure facilities, including a fully equipped state-of-the-art fitness centre, a private beach and a pool, along with complimentary access to InterContinental Abu Dhabi Hotels many restaurants and amenities such as the award-winning Michelin selected Byblos Sur Mer, Cho Gao, Chamas Churrascaria & Bar, Michelin selected Fishmarket and Belgian Cafe, all within walking distance by the Marina Walk. The residences present an exclusive ability to marry the everyday comfort of home with the exceptional five-star service synonymous with the InterContinental brand.  TradeArabia News Service
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This 2020 electron microscope image made available by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows SARS-CoV-2 virus particles, which cause COVID-19. A crucial question has eluded governments and health agencies since the COVID-19 pandemic began: Did the virus originate in animals or leak from a Chinese lab? Now, the U.S. Department of Energy has assessed with low confidence that it began with a lab leak although others in the U.S. intelligence community disagree. Credit: Hannah A. Bullock, Azaibi Tamin/CDC via AP, File

A crucial question has eluded governments and health agencies around the world since the COVID-19 pandemic began: Did the virus originate in animals or leak from a Chinese lab?

Now, the U.S. Department of Energy has assessed with "low confidence" in that it began with a lab leak, according to a person familiar with the report who wasn't authorized to discuss it. The report has not been made public.

But others in the U.S. intelligence community disagree.

"There is not a consensus right now in the U.S. government about exactly how COVID started," John Kirby, the spokesman for the National Security Council, said Monday. "There is just not an intelligence community consensus."

The DOE's conclusion was first reported over the weekend in the Wall Street Journal, which said the classified report was based on new intelligence and noted in an update to a 2021 document. The DOE oversees a national network of labs.

White House officials on Monday declined to confirm press reports about the assessment.

In 2021, officials released an intelligence report summary that said four members of the U.S. intelligence community believed with low confidence that the virus was first transmitted from an animal to a human, and a fifth believed with moderate confidence that the first human infection was linked to a lab.

While some scientists are open to the lab-leak theory, others continue to believe the virus came from animals, mutated, and jumped into peopleas has happened in the past with viruses. Experts say the true origin of the pandemic may not be known for many yearsif ever.

Calls for more investigation

The U.S. Office of the Director of National Intelligence declined to comment on the report. All 18 offices of the U.S. intelligence community had access to the information the DOE used in reaching its assessment.

Alina Chan, a molecular biologist at the Broad Institute of Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard, said she isn't sure what new intelligence the agencies had, but "it's reasonable to infer" it relates to activities at the Wuhan Institute of Virology in China. She said a 2018 research proposal co-authored by scientists there and their U.S. collaborators "essentially described a blueprint for COVID-like viruses."

"Less than two years later, such a virus was causing an outbreak in the city," she said.

The Wuhan institute had been studying coronaviruses for years, in part because of widespread concernstracing back to SARSthat coronaviruses could be the source of the next pandemic.

No intelligence agency has said they believe the coronavirus that caused COVID-19 was released intentionally. The unclassified 2021 summary was clear on this point, saying: "We judge the virus was not developed as a biological weapon."

"Lab accidents happen at a surprising frequency. A lot of people don't really hear about lab accidents because they're not talked about publicly," said Chan, who co-authored a book about the search for COVID-19 origins. Such accidents "underscore a need to make work with highly dangerous pathogens more transparent and more accountable."

Last year, the World Health Organization recommended a deeper probe into a possible lab accident. Chan said she hopes the latest report sparks more investigation in the United States.

China has called the suggestion that COVID-19 came from a Chinese laboratory " baseless."

Support for animal theory

Many scientists believe the animal-to-human theory of the coronavirus remains much more plausible. They theorize it emerged in the wild and jumped from bats to humans, either directly or through another animal.

In a 2021 research paper in the journal Cell, scientists said the COVID-19 virus is the ninth documented coronavirus to infect humansand all the previous ones originated in animals.

Two studies, published last year by the journal Science, bolstered the animal origin theory. That research found that the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market in Wuhan was likely the early epicenter. Scientists concluded that the virus likely spilled from animals into people two separate times.

"The scientific literature contains essentially nothing but original research articles that support a natural origin of this virus pandemic," said Michael Worobey, an evolutionary biologist at the University of Arizona who has extensively studied COVID-19's origins.

He said the fact that others in the intelligence community looked at the same information as the DOE and "it apparently didn't move the needle speaks volumes." He said he takes such intelligence assessments with a grain of salt because he doesn't think the people making them "have the scientific expertise ... to really understand the most important evidence that they need to understand."

The U.S. should be more transparent and release the new intelligence that apparently swayed the DOE, Worobey said.

Reaction to the report

The DOE conclusion comes to light as House Republicans have been using their new majority power to investigate all aspects of the pandemic, including the origin, as well as what they contend were officials' efforts to conceal the fact that it leaked from a lab in Wuhan. Earlier this month, Republicans sent letters to Dr. Anthony Fauci, National Intelligence Director Avril Haines, Health Secretary Xavier Beccera and others as part of their investigative efforts.

The now retired Fauci, who served as the country's top infectious disease expert under both Republican and Democratic presidents, has called the GOP criticism nonsense.

Rep. Mike McCaul, R-Texas, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, has asked the Biden administration to provide Congress with "a full and thorough" briefing on the report and the evidence behind it.

Kirby, the National Security Council spokesman, emphasized that President Joe Biden believes it's important to know what happened "so we can better prevent future pandemics" but that such research "must be done in a safe and secure manner and as transparent as possible to the rest of the world."

 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
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Credit: CC0 Public Domain

A survey of more than 2,500 teens and young adults led by the American Heart Association has found that vaping nicotine and THC, the psychoactive component in marijuana, was associated with self-reported symptoms of depression and anxiety.

The study's preliminary findings will be presented at the Association's Epidemiology, Prevention, Lifestyle & Cardiometabolic Health Scientific Sessions 2023, which will be held in Boston, February 28-March 3, 2023, and offers the latest science on population-based health and wellness and implications for lifestyle and cardiometabolic health.

The use of pod-based e-cigarettes has surged among youth and young adults in recent years. Previous studies have identified links between vaping and symptoms of both anxiety and depression among young adults.

"Younger people have long been vulnerable to tobacco use, may experience greater harm from nicotine and other drugs and may be targeted by tobacco advertisers and marketers," said study author Joy Hart, Ph.D., a professor of communication at the University of Louisville in Kentucky.

"E-cigarette devices are still relatively new compared to other tobacco products, such as combustible cigarettes and pipes, so more research is needed to try to better understand the popularity of e-cigarettes, including reasons for vaping and the associated health risks among youth."

The researchers, several of whom work for the Association, conducted an online survey among 2,505 teens and young adults, ages 13-24, to gauge mental health differences among nicotine-only vapers, THC-only vapers, dual vapers of both nicotine and THC and people who had never vaped any product.

The study was focused on 1,921 people who had never vaped or were current vapers, defined as having vaped in the past 30 days. Of those participants, 562 individuals reported they had never vaped, 370 had vaped only nicotine, 159 had vaped only THC, and 830 were dual vapers of nicotine and THC.

The analysis of the participants' survey responses found:

Approximately 70% of the THC-only vapers and 60% of the nicotine-only vapers and dual vapers reported experiencing anxiety symptomssuch as worries, flashbacks, panic attacks and situational anxieties within the past week, compared to about 40% of participants who had never vaped.

Over half of the nicotine-only vapers, THC-only vapers and dual vapers reported experiencing symptoms of depressionsuch as difficulty engaging in or being interested in activities normally enjoyed, whether they felt that depression interfered with their ability to do the things they needed to do at work, at school or at home and whether depression interfered with their social life and relationshipswithin the past week, compared to 25% of non-vapers.

More than 50% of people in all vaping groups reported having suicidal thoughts within the past 12 months, compared to only one-third of the non-users.

About a quarter of the dual vapers and nicotine-only vapers started vaping nicotine to calm down or feel less stressed, and one-third of participants in both groups reported that they currently vaped nicotine to cope with feelings of anxiety. In contrast, about half of THC-only vapers started vaping THC and currently vaped THC to relieve anxiety symptoms.

Around 20% of nicotine-only vapers and dual vapers started vaping to help feel less depressed and currently vaped for this reason. About one-third of THC-only vapers started vaping THC and nearly half currently vaped TCH to feel less depressed.

Dual vapers were significantly more likely than nicotine-only vapers to indicate addiction to nicotine, which was defined in this study as behavior such as waking up at night to vape. Dual vapers of nicotine and THC were also significantly more likely to say they felt less depressed after they started vaping, whereas nicotine-only vapers were more likely to report that vaping had no impact on their feelings of depression. This may be related to dual users' stronger addiction to these products, rather than the positive impacts of the products on their mental health, the researchers said.

"Although we knew that THC was commonly vaped, we were surprised to have so many dual vapersmore than double the nicotine-only vapers. Dual use may either compound the addictive nature of vaping or attract people who are more prone to addiction, as well as have an impact on symptoms of depression. These findings suggest the importance of addressing the use of THC and the need for building resilience and coping skills for teens and young adults," Hart said.

The study had limitations: the use of cross-sectional data did not allow researchers to assess whether symptoms of anxiety and depression, as well as suicidal thoughts, were caused or exacerbated by the use of the THC and nicotine vapes, or whether the existence of those symptoms had an effect on the use of the vape products; collecting online data via a web-based panel meant that participants may not be representative of all U.S. teens and young adults; and the data were self-reported.

"When better coping skills are developed, there may be fewer temptations to try to manage anxiety symptoms and similar mental health challenges through vaping, as well as better refusal skills if offered an electronic cigarette. Increased priority on more positive behaviors to alleviate tension and manage anxiety symptoms may reduce the likelihood of vaping, possible addiction and the increased risk of negative health outcomes," said Rose Marie Robertson, M.D., FAHA.

Robertson is deputy chief science and medical officer of the American Heart Association, co-director of the Association's National Institutes of Health/U.S. Food and Drug Administration-funded Tobacco Center of Regulatory Science and senior author on the study. "There is also an urgent need for effective communication campaigns and educational programs to increase understanding among youth and young adults of the risks of using e-cigarettes," she said.

Future research, Robertson said, is needed to examine the long-term connections between mental health and vaping, whether nicotine-only, THC-only or both nicotine and THC.

"This study showed the striking significance of issues with mental health in users of both nicotine vapes as well as THC vapes, and as new products continue to come on the market, I think that this is something that we will continue to see," said Loren E. Wold, Ph.D., FAHA. Wold is assistant dean for biological health research in the College of Nursing, a professor in the Colleges of Nursing and Medicine (physiology and cell biology) at The Ohio State University and lead of the writing committee for the Association's 2022 Statement on Cardiopulmonary Consequences of Vaping in Adolescents. "These products were developed as smoking cessation tools for those that use traditional cigarettes, so I'm very curious now what the implications are with mental health in users who are using these products to help stop smoking."

Additional co-authors are Jeffrey Willett, Ph.D.; Allison Groom, M.A.; Robyn L. Landry; Angel Bassett, M.A.; Mary Dunn, Ph.D.; Kandi Walker, Ph.D.; Thomas Payne, Ph.D.; and Anshula Kesh, M.P.H., B.D.S.
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Credit: Shutterstock

Group A streptococci, also known as "strep A," has been on the rise around the world with a new strain reported in the United Kingdom and Europe. This variant has been linked with surges of scarlet fever and a marked increase in life-threatening invasive strep A infections.

Now genomic research published in Nature Communications by our team of scientists has identified this new strain in the Australian community for the first time. In parallel, we have seen an increase in invasive strep A cases across New South Wales, Queensland, Western Australia and Victoria.

Strep A is a common bacteria carried by people primarily in their throat. It can cause mild illness including sore throat, scarlet fever (named for the red rash it causes) and impetigo ("school sores"). But it can also cause "invasive" disease, such as sepsis. Repeated strep A infections can lead to other serious conditions including acute rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease.

We investigated the genetic composition of the new strep A strain called "M1UK" and zeroed in on what makes it different to the previous strain.

What we know about strep A

Strep A only infects humans, with around 10% of school-aged children carrying it. It causes more than half a million deaths worldwide per year.

We've known about the bacteria for over 100 years and it was a major cause of childhood death in the 19th and early 20th centuries. But it's been less of a public health threat since antibiotic medications were developed to treat it. In the 1980s, one type of strep A strain called "M1" emerged as the major cause of invasive strep A infections in high-income settings.

Over the last decade, resurgence of scarlet fever strep A infections has been reported in the United Kingdom and China.

Invasive infection is rare. But when it occurs, the death rate can be as high as 20% of those infected.

What's different about this strain?

The M1UK variant of strep A was first reported in the U.K. in 2019 and identified using genomicsthe study of the DNA sequence to identify changes in the genetic makeup of an organism.

U.K. scientists identified that the M1UK variant expressed up to five times more of a specific strep A toxin than the previous M1 strain, but they weren't sure how. This toxin, originally termed the "scarlet fever toxin," is associated with the development of invasive strep A by short-circuiting the host's immune system.

Our laboratory team went about trying to understand which changes in the bacteria led to this increased expression.

We looked at the genetic code of the strep A M1UK variant and compared it to previous ones. We found a number of mutations, one of which was located near the toxin gene.

Then we worked backwards to repair that change and see how it affected the amount of toxin expressed. In this way, we identified the mechanism of how M1UK strep A became toxin supercharged.

Will we see more dangerous strep A strains?

Genomics helps us identify and track bacterial variants. Then scientists need to use that knowledge within a biological context to figure out how a strain is gaining competitive advantage to become dominant over a previous strainas M1UK has in the U.K.

It's possible this new strain of strep A is better at transmitting from person to person, but we'll need more research to know if this is the case.

Invasive strep A is now a notifiable disease

Invasive strep A infection was added to Australia's National Notifiable Diseases List in July 2021, paving the way for it to be formally recorded across states and territories. This means that detected invasive strep A cases get reported to a central registry so authorities can keep track of outbreaks and case numbers.

Our researchers will have access to a repository of national strep A strains. We will be piloting a national strep A genomic surveillance program within the AusPathoGen program, which will speed up our ability to identify and track emerging strep A variants.

We've seen how this type of genomic research has helped track COVID changes and guide public health response. By undertaking this pilot program with public health partners, we aim to build a national invasive strep A surveillance framework.

How can people protect themselves?

Invasive strep A is still extremely rare, so there's no need to panicbut we shouldn't be complacent either.

Basic hygiene practices and staying away from other people when sick remain important for preventing spread.

Kids or the elderly are more likely to get invasive disease, so if you note symptoms such as high fever (especially with a skin rash), severe pain from an infected skin sore, and any difficulties with breathing then you should go to your local hospital's emergency department or consult a GP immediately.

Antibiotics are highly effective at treating infection, provided they are available.

We also need to think about alternative ways of controlling infection. Australian scientists are at the forefront of efforts to develop a global strep A vaccine.

More information: Mark R. Davies et al, Detection of Streptococcus pyogenes M1UK in Australia and characterization of the mutation driving enhanced expression of superantigen SpeA, Nature Communications (2023). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-36717-4 Journal information: Nature Communications

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
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Schematic of a double layer organ-on-a-chip device. Each layer is built separately, simulating a cellular microenvironment. Credit: Valiei et al.

The gut is one of the most complex organs in the body. Inside, it teems with a diverse microbial population that interacts and cooperates with intestinal cells to digest food and drugs. Disruptions in this microbiome have strong links to a wide spectrum of diseases, such as inflammatory bowel disease, obesity, asthma, and even psychological and behavioral disorders.

Valid models of the gut are therefore immensely useful for understanding its function and associated ailments. In APL Bioengineering, researchers from the University of California, Berkeley and Lawrence Berkeley National Lab described how gut-on-a-chip devices can bridge lab models and human biology.

Organ-on-a-chip devices are miniaturized models of human organs. They contain tiny microchannels where cells and tissue cultures interact with precisely controlled nutrients. Regulating the cell's environment in such a way is crucial for creating realistic models of tissue.

Using these models avoids the time-consuming and costly challenges of clinical trials and the ethical issues behind animal testing.

"Medical research is currently facing major hurdles, both in terms of understanding the basic science governing the function of human organs and the research and development of new drugs and therapeutics," said author Amin Valiei. "Access to valid models of human organs that can be studied conveniently in the lab can significantly accelerate scientific discoveries and the development of new medications."

Modeling the microbiome is particularly difficult because of its unique environmental conditions. Through creative design, gut-on-a-chip devices can simulate many of these properties, such as the gut's anaerobic atmosphere, fluid flow, and pulses of contraction/relaxation. Growing intestinal cells in this environment means that they more closely resemble human biology compared to standard laboratory cell cultures.

"Recent gut-on-a-chip models have demonstrated success in maintaining a viable coculture of the human intestinal cells and the microbiome for a few days and even up to weeks," said Valiei. "This opens new ways to analyze the microbiome under biologically relevant conditions."

The authors highlight key gut-on-a-chip devices and their success in simulating microbial and human cellular biology. They also describe current disease models and drug studies using the technology.

"Its unique capabilities make the organ-on-a-chip apt for plenty of research investigations in the future," said Valiei.

The team is currently investigating dysbiosis, an imbalance in the gut microbial community with major health consequences. They aim to find innovative ways to diagnose, mitigate, and treat this condition.

More information: Amin Valiei et al, Gut-on-chip models for dissecting the gut microbiology and physiology, APL Bioengineering (2023). DOI: 10.1063/5.0126541
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Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

Mental time travel (MTT) refers to the ability to re-experience past events and anticipate possible future events through mental simulation. It plays an important role in our daily lives to facilitate optimal social functioning. Recent findings suggest that individuals with high levels of schizotypy have poor MTT. However, the underlying psychological process and neural mechanism for this MTT problem are not fully understood.

To address this issue, Drs. Wang Ya and Raymond Chan from the Institute of Psychology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences have conducted a study to investigate the neural correlates of MTT in 38 participants with high level of schizotypy and 35 low level of schizotypy. All of them completed a task-based MTT paradigm while they were undertaking brain scan.

The MTT imaging paradigm required all the participants to recall past events, imagine possible future events related to cue words, or generate exemplars related to category words. With regard to the ability to recall past events, the results showed greater activation in precuneus, bilateral posterior cingulate cortex, thalamus, and middle frontal gyrus than with episodic future thinking.

In particular, participants with high levels of schizotypy showed less activation in the left anterior cingulate cortex when recalling the past events and in the medial frontal gyrus during envisioning possible future events compared to participants with low level of schizotypy.

In addition, participants with high level of schizotypy also exhibited functional connectivity between left anterior cingulate cortex and right thalamus, between medial frontal gyrus (seed) and left cerebellum while they were performing the MTT task. However, participants with low level of schizotypy did not exhibit these functional connectivities.

Taken together, these preliminary findings suggest that reduced brain activation may underlie MTT deficits in individuals with high levels of schizotypy. These findings have implications for the formulation and development of intervention for people with MTT problems or impairments.

This study was published in Neuropsychopharmacology & Biological Psychiatry on Feb. 14.

More information: Jun-yan Ye et al, Neural correlates of mental time travel in individuals with high level of schizotypy, Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry (2023). DOI: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2023.110734
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Graphical abstract. Credit: Immunity (2023). DOI: 10.1016/j.immuni.2023.01.030

For the first time in humans, a research team has shown that, as early as the first days of infection, HIV is able to create reservoirs where it will hide and persist during antiretroviral therapy.

Until now, the scientific community did not know exactly when or how these viral reservoirsthe existence of which is a major obstacle to curing HIVare established in human beings.

In a study published in the journal Immunity, scientists led by Nicolas Chomont, a researcher at the CHUM Research Centre (CRCHUM) and professor at Universite de Montreal, found that a small fraction of the virus integrates into the genome of CD4+ T cells in the very first weeks of infection (the acute phase), but does not replicate there. It therefore escapes the notice of the fastest diagnostic tool to date, which detects active viral replication.

CD4+ T cells are HIV's primary targets. They are white blood cells responsible for activating the human body's defense against infections.

"With the help of an analysis technique developed in our laboratory, we were able to observe and count the T cells infected by the virus in human samples collected in the earliest stages of the infection," said Chomont, the study's principal author. "We succeeded in detecting the presence of the virus through sequencing even when it was hidden in cells that weren't participating in viral replication."

To study these initial phases of the spread of the virus, Pierre Gantner, a former postdoctoral student in Chomont's lab and the study's first author, had access to samples of blood and inguinal lymph node tissue from 25 people in the first acute-infection cohort of the U.S. Military HIV Research Program in Thailand.

This cohort, RV254/SEARCH010, was launched more than 10 years ago in collaboration with the Thai Red Cross AIDS Research Centre and has enrolled nearly 800 volunteers. Chomont and his team have been closely cooperating with their colleagues in Thailand since its launch.

Mapping the types of infected cells

Through their analysis technique, the CRCHUM scientists succeeded in counting the CD4+ T cells infected by the virus during the acute phase of the infection.

These infected cells increased in number from 10 to 1,000 per million CD4+ T cells in less than seven days, thereby showing the extreme speed with which HIV spreads.

The scientists also observed that the characteristics of the cells targeted by HIV in the first weeks of the infection varied quickly and differed depending on whether they were located in the blood or lymph nodes.

"For example, we noticed that few TfhT follicular helper cellsare infected by the virus during the acute phase of the infection," said Chomont. "Since they play a crucial role in viral replication, the scientific community thought that they were the first to be infected."

"In fact, we counted a lot more [infected Tfh] during the chronic phase of the disease, which is about two months after infection. At that point, they are actively contributing to the development of the disease."

Until now, these types of studies have been carried out on animal models. Therefore, this is the first time that the early stages of the infection in humans have been described so precisely.

Destabilizing the reservoirs

A large part of global research dedicated to the study of HIV focuses on how to reactivate the virus lying dormant in the reservoirs in order to neutralize it.

"'The earlier we start antiretroviral therapy, the more we prevent the virus from replicating and the more we limit the size of the reservoirs. We proved that in 2020," said Chomont.

"However, it seems clear that early antiretroviral therapy should be combined with another treatment to force the virus out of its hiding places, because at the time of diagnosis latent reservoirs will have already been established in people infected with HIV."

In collaboration with scientists from the United States, Chomont's research team is currently evaluating whether this type of treatment administered in the acute infection phase would prevent the establishment of viral reservoirs.

More information: Pierre Gantner et al, HIV rapidly targets a diverse pool of CD4+ T cells to establish productive and latent infections, Immunity (2023). DOI: 10.1016/j.immuni.2023.01.030 Journal information: Immunity
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Effects of chemotherapy on microglia and astrocyte immunohistochemistry. (A) Representative images of Iba-1 immunohistochemistry in the PVN and DG, (B) Quantification of Iba-1 staining in the PVN (dotted box), PFC, DG, and CA3 regions, (C) Representative images of P2ry12 immunohistochemistry in the PFC, DG, and CA3, (D) Quantification of P2ry12 staining in the PVN, PFC, DG, and CA3 regions, (E) Quantification of GFAP staining in the PVN, DG, and CA3 regions. n = 89/group; *p < 0.05 between chemotherapy and control groups. Credit: Scientific Reports (2019). DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-52893-0

Immune cells that keep the brain free of debris but also contribute to inflammation are the likely culprits behind the concentration and memory problems that sometimes follow one type of chemotherapy, a new study in mice suggests.

Researchers previously showed (in work published in Scientific Reports ) that female mice given paclitaxel, a drug commonly used to treat breast, ovarian and other cancers, developed memory problems that were linked to inflammation in the brain. Mice receiving a placebo did not develop the "mental fog" phenomenon known as chemo brain.

In this study, the team used a technique to delete immune cells called microglia from the brains of mice that had received paclitaxel. The loss of those cells restored the chemo-treated animals' memory and also lowered inflammation in their brains.

"That was the peak of the paper: We demonstrated that microglia were necessary for the cognitive impairments we've seen with paclitaxelthe behavior was reversed," said senior author Leah Pyter, an investigator in the Institute for Behavioral Medicine Research at The Ohio State University.

"When we got rid of those microglia, it was associated with a reduction in the inflammatory response to chemo," said Pyter, associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral health in Ohio State's College of Medicine. "So we think that when microglia are activated and become pro-inflammatory, that's what is ultimately affecting neurons to impair memory."

The research was published online recently in the journal Brain, Behavior and Immunity.

In these studies, the mice never have cancerthe research is intended to study only the effects of paclitaxel, which is often combined with one or more additional drugs in regimens determined to provide the most effective treatment for certain types of breast cancer. A member of the Cancer Control Research Program, Pyter is also studying how the gut microbiome may play a role in chemo brain.

Identifying chemotherapy side effects, and the cells and pathways involved, in animal studies is a first step toward proposing potential interventions that could lessen the impact this important cancer treatment has on the body and brain. Chemotherapy agents work by killing cancer cells, but also kill other dividing cells, and the immune system clean-up of resulting debris is thought to drive inflammation, Pyter said.

The team predicts that inflammatory cells in the rest of the body, known as the periphery, are sending signals that activate microglia to become pro-inflammatory in the brain, and those signals interact with cells in the blood-brain barrierhinting at three potential areas to target.

"We should always be trying to get to more targeted treatments. And the first step of that is to understand who the major players are," Pyter said. "As we look for potential targets for intervention, we have to keep in mind that cancer patients need their peripheral immune systems intact to respond to tumor cells and get rid of them. So it's tricky."

In the new study, mice were given six cycles of paclitaxel injections or a placebo. Researchers found that both microglia and astrocytes, cells in the brain that have an immune role but also perform numerous functions to keep neurons healthy, were activated by the chemotherapy in the hippocampus, the region of focus in this work.

Machine learning analysis showed that compared to mice that received a placebo, microglia in the brains of mice receiving chemo were producing more pro-inflammatory proteins and suppressing a protein important for cognition-related neuron health.

An experimental drug that inhibits a substance that microglia in mice need for survival was added to the animals' food to deplete microglia in their brains. Chemo-treated mice with normal brain immune cell levels showed memory problems in a standard lab test. In contrast, memory in the mice with depleted microglia was restored, and chemo-induced pro-inflammatory proteins in their brains were significantly reduced.

Drugs similar to this experimental compound have been used in cancer patients receiving paclitaxel to target other types of immune cells, which suggests that temporarily clearing away microglia in humans may be feasible, Pyter said.

"We know that chemotherapy is lifesaving, but comes with the potential for toxicity. A better understanding of how chemotherapy affects the brain opens up research areas and interventions to improve the lives of our cancer patients," said Dr. Peter Shields, deputy director of The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center and a practicing thoracic oncologist at The James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute.

Pyter also said the findings hint at possible long-term cognitive effects from paclitaxel because microglia are unusual among immune cell types: They have a long life and don't repopulate frequently.

"Microglia are always therethey're very dynamic and they're trolling for issues. They might look completely normal until they're activated, and then their response to that activation can be very abnormal," she said. "We're using chemo as a hypothesized way to activate them. But say a cancer patient receives and finishes chemo. But later, they have surgery or a huge stressor in their lifethat will reactivate those cells and they might respond oddly later in life."

"This model doesn't mimic long-term side effects. But it is a big concern because many breast cancer patients survive, and the side effects don't always go away."
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Plot of the change in the WHO-5 scores across time. WHO-5: 5-item World Health Organization Well-being Index. Credit: JMIR AI (2023). DOI: 10.2196/38171

New research shows the potential for using mobile-based conversational agents to deliver engaging and effective Acceptance Commitment Therapy interventions for adolescents. Smartphone-based conversational agents can provide psychologically driven interventions and support, which can increase psychological well-being over time.

The objective of the study was to test the potential of an automated conversational agent named Kai.ai to deliver a self-help program based on Acceptance Commitment Therapy tools for adolescents, aimed to increase their well-being. A total of 10,387 adolescents aged 14-18 years who used Kai.ai on one of the top messaging apps participated in this study. The World Health Organization Well-being Index questionnaire assessed users' well-being levels between 2 and 5 times during the study.

Users engaged with the conversational agent for an average of 45.39 days. The average well-being score at the first time point was 39.28, indicating that users experienced reduced well-being. Latent growth curve modeling indicated, however, that participants' well-being significantly increased over time.

Dr. Dana Vertsberger from Stanford University said, "Adolescence is a developmental period that is filled with changes: changes to one's body, in one's social environment, and even to one's mind. It is also a crucial period for mental, social, and emotional well-being, which is characterized with an increased risk to develop mental health problems, such as anxiety, depression, substance abuse, and eating disorders."

This period is therefore crucial for prevention and treatment, emphasizing the need for accessible and customized mental health tools aimed at decreasing adolescents' ill-being and increasing their well-being.

The few longitudinal studies that have focused on adolescents' well-being tend to find a decrease in well-being over time. Studies on adult populations suggest that different interventions can improve well-being, compared to control groups who did not receive interventions or were in delayed intervention groups.

Mental health interventions are either aimed at complementing traditional mental health treatments or providing mental health support to those who are unable to receive quality mental health servicesfor example, due to long waiting listsand have been found to be beneficial to adult populations.

In this study, the authors tracked adolescents' well-being scores and followed their well-being during a time in which they used a digital artificial intelligencepowered personal companion designed to promote well-being and mental health.

The research team concluded that "These initial results demonstrate the potential of a text-based conversational companion as a cost-effective and accessible tool to improve adolescents' well-being. Due to the great economic cost for poor well-being and mental health and the decrease in the accessibility of various support systems, partly due to the COVID-19 pandemic, developing efficient interventions should be considered a societal priority. Future studies should test if any of the process-oriented features of Kai.ai are beneficial for improving users' well-being or if the recognized increase in well-being represents a regression to the mean."

The study is published in the journal JMIR AI.

More information: Dana Vertsberger et al, Adolescents' Well-being While Using a Mobile Artificial IntelligencePowered Acceptance Commitment Therapy Tool: Evidence From a Longitudinal Study, JMIR AI (2023). DOI: 10.2196/38171

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Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is an incurable degenerative disease.

Olivier Goy is running out of time.

The French entrepreneur was diagnosed in 2020 with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)the incurable neurodegenerative disease that normally claims the lives of patients within three to five years.

There are new treatments that have given patients hope of being able to extend their lives by an invaluable few months, but the approval process in Europe is taking time, infuriating desperate patients.

"When you are certain to die soon, patients and some doctors are ready to take some risks," Goy told AFP.

In response to the lack of new treatments in his native France, the founder of the fintech start-up October spends 3,000 euros ($3,180) every month to buy the ingredients to make his own drugs.

ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, attacks the motor nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord, progressively paralysing muscles until patients cannot walk, eat, speak or breathe.

Around one in 10,000 people have the disease in the EU, according to the European Medicines Agency.

The drug Riluzole, which has been available in Europe and the UK since the 1990s, is capable of prolonging the lives of patients by around three months.

But otherwise, no new treatment has been approved in Europe for more than two decades.

'First hope in 20 years'

A new treatment called AMX0035 was given the green light in the United States and Canada last year.

"It is the first hope we have had in 20 years: the first drug which is aimed at everyone and which had results" suggesting up to six months in added life expectancy, said Sabine Turgeman, head of the French Association for Research into ALS.

But the extent of the benefits of AMX0035 remains unclear. The US Food and Drug Administration approved the drug, sold under the name Relyvrio, based on the results of a single Phase 2 trial that involved just 137 participants.

The drug's developer, Amylyx Pharmaceuticals, is conducting larger, more comprehensive trials, with results expected in 2024.

Amylyx said earlier this month that the European Union's drug watchdog EMA is reviewing its submission for approval and it expects a decision in the first half of this year.

But for those with the disease, every delay represents a significant amount of the time they have left.

"It's not going fast enough," Turgeman said. "This disease is not on bureaucratic time".

For European patients who cannot afford to import their own ingredients like Goy, the only way to get access to new treatments is to join a clinical trial.

But such trials have very specific criteria for selectionand even if a patient gets in, there is a chance they will be in the group given a placebo.

'Totally abandoned'

Given how swiftly the disease progresses, patients and families are pressing for more options.

"We feel totally abandoned," said Sophie Garofalo, whose brother was diagnosed with ALS five years ago.

His family tried to enter him into clinical trials, "but either he does not meet the criteria, or the trials have already started," she said.

"He is ready to take anything, try everything".

French pharmaceutical company AB Science is developing another potential treatment using the drug masitinib, which initial results suggest could add months to the lives of patients.

The firm's CEO Alain Moussy said that because "time is very limited" for ALS patients, there should be more flexibility in the approval system.

"What degree of risk should be taken? That's for the health agencies to answerbut they can guided by policymakers and patients," he said.

 2023 AFP
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Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

Heart disease is the leading cause of death worldwide, killing someone in the United States every 34 seconds, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A new study by investigators from Brigham and Women's Hospital, a founding member of the Mass General Brigham health care system, conducted the first population-based study on patients' nonacceptance of statin therapy recommendations.

The study found that in patients at high risk of developing cardiovascular disease, more than 20% refused to take statin medications. They were particularly surprised to see that women were about 20% more likely than men to refuse statin therapy when it was first suggested by their physician, and 50% more likely than men to never accept the recommendation. The study also showed that all patients who refused statin therapy developed higher LDL ("bad") cholesterol levels, likely increasing their risk even further. The results are published in JAMA Network Open.

"Our study highlights the alarming number of patients who refuse statins and signals that physicians must have discussions with patients about why," says Alex Turchin, MD, MS, an associate professor at Harvard Medical School and director of quality in the Brigham's Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Hypertension. "We need to better understand what our patients' preferences are and to be able to provide more patient-centered care."

After Turchin began noticing that many of his patients with high cholesterol, including those with diabetes, were opting not to take safe and beneficial medications like statins that can lower cholesterol and bring down the risk of heart attack and stroke, he developed a system to more closely study the phenomenon by analyzing the text of provider notes.

The study focused on high-risk patients who either had coronary artery or vascular disease, diabetes, very high cholesterol, or had suffered a stroke. All were recommended statin medications by their physicians to reduce their risk of heart attack and stroke and reduce cholesterol levels. The retrospective study included more than 24,000 patients who were seen at Mass General Brigham between Jan. 1, 2000, and Dec. 31, 2018.

"Even in this higher-risk patient population, so many people did not accept statin therapy," Turchin said. The study found that while about two-thirds of the patients who were being recommended statin therapy eventually tried it, about one-third never did. And it took three times as long for people in the study who initially said no to taking statin medications to reduce their LDL cholesterol levels to less than 100, compared to people who initially said yes.

The study's biggest surprise, however, was the much higher rate of refusal by women than men. Turchin and his colleagues wonder if this might be due in part to a false misconception that heart disease impacts men more than women, and plan to further research the reasons underlying these results.

"Ultimately, we need to talk to our patients and find out in more detail why they would prefer not to take statins," Turchin says. He is currently looking at the impacts of nonacceptance of statin therapy on outcomes that matter to most to patients including heart attacks, strokes, and death. "I think people underestimate how much of a difference modern medicine has made in extending people's lives, and their quality of life, and medications can play a big role in that."

More information: Brown, C. et al. "Association of Sex Disparities in Nonacceptance of Statin Therapy and Low-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol Levels Among Patients at High Cardiovascular Risk.", JAMA Network Open (2023). DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.1047 Journal information: JAMA Network Open
The King Abdullah Financial District Development and Management Company (KAFD DMC) has signed an agreement to open an Equinox Hotel in Saudi Arabias prime financial district.



Alongside Gautam Sashittal, KAFD DMC Chief Executive Officer, Equinox Hotels was represented by CEO, Christopher Norton in a signing ceremony held at KAFD.



Equinox Hotels embodies a holistic philosophy and has redefined luxury as the ultimate experience in travel and health as a seamless extension of a life well-lived. Equinox Hotels is one of the key anchors to the largest private mixed-use real-estate development in the US. The highly successful Equinox Hotel New York is the brands flagship that continues to grow its global footprint.



KAFD DMC owns and manages the King Abdullah Financial District (KAFD), the largest mixed-use development in the region and Saudi Arabias prime financial hub. Strategically located in the heart of Riyadh, KAFD is home to 1.6 million sq m of state-of-the-art office space, world-class venues and iconic luxury residences and is the largest LEED-certified mixed-use financial district in the world. A landmark development, KAFD is a cornerstone initiative of Vision 2030.



Saudi Arabia is one of the few countries in the world that saw a rise in tourism investment and expenditure during the Covid-19 pandemic with domestic tourism increasing by 33.6% and over SR80 billion ($21.3 billion) spent by tourists, said Gautam Sashittal, KAFD DMC CEO.



Now, as the Kingdom cements its presence on the world stage as a business and leisure destination, these numbers will be dwarfed, and as the prime business destination in the Kingdom, KAFD will contribute to tourism and business travel numbers. We look forward to working with Equinox Hotels to strengthen the value of our services and attract more visitors to Riyadh.



Commenting on the partnership, Christopher Norton, CEO of Equinox Hotels, said: Were excited to bring our lifestyle offering to the Middle East, building on our decades-long experience in health and high-performance luxury.



It is expected that the new Equinox Hotel and KAFD will incorporate the companys trademark luxury lifestyle experience offering a variety of programming, services and 275 spacious guest rooms and suites.  TradeArabia News Service
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Bayesian logistic regression model posterior intervals of adjusted odds ratios of HIV infection. Points represent the posterior medians, thick segments represent the 89% credible intervals and thin segments represent the 95% intervals of the adjusted odds ratios. Credit: PLOS Global Public Health (2023). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgph.0001502

A team of McGill University researchers based at the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (RI-MUHC) has reported survey results that show socioeconomics play a critical role in the detection, transmission and treatment of HIV in regions of South Africa.

In their study, Socioeconomic factors impact the risk of HIV acquisition in the township population of South Africa: a Bayesian Analysis, the researchers show those living in unstable housing conditions, such as hostels or informal dwellings, and those who had not completed post-secondary studies, were more likely to contract HIV.

Led by principal investigator Nitika Pant Pai, MD, Ph.D., an Associate Professor in the Department of Medicine and Cindy Leung Soo, a recent Master's student now working at the Public Health Agency of Canada, the findings are published in PLOS Global Public Health.

The research adds to the existing analyses of HIV in South Africa in novel ways, Leung Soo says. "This study used data from a primary study which was conducted among participants in townships of Cape Town," she explains.

"We found that even within this relatively heterogeneous population, we can still find differences in HIV infection across different socioeconomic realities. Within our analysis, we controlled for behavioral and individual factors. We found that socioeconomic factors such as education and dwelling situations still impact HIV infection. We did a sex stratification within our analysis to elucidate how socioeconomic factors can impact HIV infections differently depending on whether they were male or female participants, and we found that they were impacted through different mechanisms in different ways."

The team used Bayesian analysis, a method of statistical inference that allows researchers to combine prior information about a population parameter with evidence from information contained in a sample, to guide the statistical inference process.

"We dealt with missing data through multiple imputation. We used the observed data to impute the missing data, and then we conducted all our analysis within the Bayesian statistical framework, which offers us two key advantages," explains Leung Soo.

"The first is it allows us to incorporate prior information. In our case, we used information from a study on the effects of age and sex on HIV infection to inform our prior understanding of how agents impact HIV infection. Secondly, the Bayesian statistical framework allows for more intuitive and meaningful interpretation of uncertainty intervals. That means the 89% credible intervals that are reported in the study are actual probability balance rather than confidence intervals, and they have a different interpretation, one that is more meaningful. It means the probability between X&Y is 89%."

Reaching their conclusion

The findings show that socioeconomic factors impact HIV infections. "Even if we control for behavioral and individual factors, we saw that people who did not complete postsecondary education were 82% more likely to be infected with HIV compared to those who did have postsecondary education," notes Leung Soo.

"But how these socioeconomic factors impact HIV is different between male and female participants. Among female participants, women who had lower education levels seem to be more likely to engage in certain sexual behaviors, such as having sex with multiple partners. Male participants who were living in less stable housing situations or who had lower education levels, appear to be less likely to have recently sought testing. It appeared that socioeconomic factors impacted their utilization of HIV services."

According to Dr. Pant Pai, the data shows sexual behaviors and individual demographic factors alone cannot fully explain HIV infections. "Even when there is relative equity in health care, inequity remains a factor to be dealt with. Our findings invite us to reflect on how to address the HIV epidemic in South Africa and suggest that a greater focus on tackling social determinants of health, which fuel inequities in health, may be warranted."

HIV testing is currently offered free of charge at local clinics in South Africa. Additionally, patients diagnosed with pulmonary tuberculosis are offered testing for HIV and all newly diagnosed pregnant or breastfeeding clients with an unknown or previously negative HIV status are also offered HIV testing services, notes Aliasgar Ismail, MD, Pulmonologist and study co-investigator from the University of Cape Town Lung Institute.

"There are limited community-based HIV testing services on offer, for example, there are stand-alone HIV testing sites located within the high burden communities. However, such services have the inadvertent drawback of perpetuating the stigmatization of people living with HIV. There are also some efforts by the local government to offer door-to-door HIV testing services, including, tracing of the sexual contacts of individuals who have tested positive for HIV. This strategy is effective but resource intensive."

Pre-existing social conditions weigh heavily upon the management of HIV in the region says Dr. Pant Pai.

"In the South African context, they're still dealing with the consequences of racism and apartheid. For example, in the case of the COVID-19 pandemic, there were separate rules in the provision of vaccines and food. The same thing applies to HIV. And as income inequality increases so does the rate of HIV infection. We found that the HIV risk in the townships varies and that men and women have different risks, and the risk of HIV really depends on their socioeconomic environment, which ties into their income, which ties into inequality, which ties into their education."

"In the socioeconomic context, we certainly need to shift our focus. We must find out what is breeding and fueling HIV when women are poor and they are in abusive relationships they can't get out of. Cindy's work ties into what anthropologists have talked about for a very long time. Thankfully, all of this is now coming together to allow policymakers to say, 'Hey, look, it's extremely important to tackle the root cause of inequity,' which is the relationship between uneven income distribution and health."

More information: Cindy Leung Soo et al, Socioeconomic factors impact the risk of HIV acquisition in the township population of South Africa: A Bayesian analysis, PLOS Global Public Health (2023). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgph.0001502 Journal information: PLOS Global Public Health
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Two nurses put a ventilator on a patient in a COVID-19 unit at St. Joseph Hospital in Orange, Calif. Thursday, Jan. 7, 2021. California's COVID-19 emergency declaration ends on Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2023. Gov. Gavin Newsom first issued the emergency declaration on March 4, 2020. The emergency ends just as California officially passed 100,000 COVID-related deaths during the pandemic. Credit: AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File

California's coronavirus emergency officially ends Tuesday, nearly three years after Gov. Gavin Newsom issued the nation's first statewide stay-at-home order and just days after the state reached the grim milestone of 100,000 deaths related to the virus.

As California's emergency winds down, such declarations continue in just five other statesincluding Texas and Illinoissignaling an end to the expanded legal powers of governors to suspend laws in response to the once mysterious disease. President Joe Biden announced last month the federal government will end its own version May 11.

The end of California's order will have little to no effect on most people as Newsom has already lifted most of the state's restrictions, like those that required masks, closed beaches and forced many businesses to close. It offers a symbolic marker of the end of a period that once drastically altered the lives of the state's nearly 40 million residents.

Illinois' order will end in May alongside the federal order, while the governors of Rhode Island and Delaware recently extended their coronavirus emergency declarations. In New Mexico, public health officials are weighing whether to extend a COVID-19 health emergency beyond its Friday expiration date.

Texas, meanwhile, hasn't had any major coronavirus restrictions for years, but Republican Gov. Greg Abbott keeps extending his state's emergency declaration because it gives him the power to stop some of the states' more liberal cities from imposing their own restrictions, like requiring masks or vaccines. Abbott has said he'll keep the emergency orderand his expanded powersin place until the Republican-controlled Texas Legislature passes a law to prevent local governments from imposing virus restrictions on their own.

Emergency medical workers Jacob Magoon, from left, Joshua Hammond and Thomas Hoang lift a patient onto a gurney in Placentia, Calif., on Jan. 9, 2021. California's COVID-19 emergency declaration ends on Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2023. Gov. Gavin Newsom first issued the emergency declaration on March 4, 2020. The emergency ends just as California officially passed 100,000 COVID-related deaths during the pandemic. Credit: AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File

The conflicting styles show that, while the emergencies may be ending, the political divide is notforeshadowing years of competing narratives of the pandemic from two potential presidential candidates in Newsom and Abbott.

Newsom has used his authority to make sure all of California's local governments had restrictions in place during the pandemic, even threatening to cut funding to some cities that refused to enforce them. While California's emergency declaration is ending, other local emergencies will remain in placeincluding in Los Angeles County, home to nearly 10 million people.

The Los Angeles emergency order encourages mask use in some public places like business and trains and for residents who have been exposed to the virus. It will remain in effect for at least another month. Tuesday, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors will debate whether to end the order March 31.

Many public health experts say it makes sense that California's order is coming to a close.

A shopper walks past mannequins donning face masks in Los Angeles, on Dec. 7, 2020. California's COVID-19 emergency declaration ends on Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2023. Public health experts say the pandemic has not ended, but the virus is much more manageable with the availability of vaccines and other treatments. Credit: AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File

"Three years ago, if you ... got infected you were rolling the dice about dying," said Brad Pollock, chair of the Department of Public Health Sciences at the University of California, Davis. "What's happened in the three years now is we have vaccines, we have antiviral therapy, we have much more knowledge about how we take care of patients in terms of supportive care. Your risk of dying is a fraction of what it was."

The Newsom administration's approach was to issue broad restrictions on what people could do and where they could go. California ended up faring better than other states, but they did worse than some other countries, like Sweden, said Jeffrey Klausner, professor of clinical population and public health sciences at the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California.

"I think if we had better focused our resources on those most at risk, we probably could have avoided more deaths," he said.

The pandemic strained California's health care system, which has yet to fully recover, said Carmela Coyle, president and CEO of the California Hospital Association. She said hospitals remain overwhelmednot from COVID patients, but from an influx of people returning to the health care system after staying away during the pandemic. She said a majority of California's hospitals are losing money, prompting fears some could closejust as a community hospital in the state's Central Valley did in December.

Finn Washburn, 9, receives an injection of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine in San Jose, Calif., on Nov. 3, 2021, as his sister, Piper Washburn, 6, waits her turn. California's COVID-19 emergency declaration ends on Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2023. Public health experts say the pandemic has not ended, but the virus is much more manageable with the availability of vaccines and other treatments. Credit: AP Photo/Noah Berger, File

Gov. Gavin Newsom announces the next phase of California's COVID-19 response called "SMARTER," during a press conference in Fontana, Calif. on Feb. 17, 2022. California's COVID-19 emergency declaration ends on Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2023. Gov. Newsom first issued the emergency declaration on March 4, 2020. Credit: Watchara Phomicinda/The Orange County Register via AP, File

"While the state's COVID public health emergency is formally concluding, the health care system emergency remains," Coyle said.

Health care workers have felt the strain, too, working long hours among people infected with a highly contagious and potentially life-threatening disease. The strain has prompted a workforce shortage, with competing proposals to remedy it. The California Hospital Association is asking for a one-time infusion of $1.5 billion to help keep hospitals afloat. Labor unions, meanwhile, are backing a bill that would impose a $25 minimum wage for health care workers.

Meanwhile, local public health departments worry the end of the coronavirus emergency will mean a return to limited funding for their budgets, an issue exposed in the early days of the pandemic when many counties did not have enough people to respond to the crisis. Newsom signed a budget last year that will spend $200 million to help public health departments hire more workers. This year, he's proposing cutting nearly $50 million in public health workforce training programs, part of his plan to cover a projected budget deficit.

"Public health is dependent on their frontline workforce, and that frontline workforce has to be skilled and trained and educated," said Michelle Gibbons, president of the County Health Executives Association of California.

Overall, Newsom's budget proposal would sustain $300 million in public health spending, including $100 million for 404 new positions in the state Department of Public Health, including areas of workforce training and emergency preparedness and response. The money will "modernize state and local public health infrastructure and transition to a resilient public health system," said H.D. Palmer, spokesperson for the California Department of Finance.

 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
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Tiger mosquitoes, easy to recognise by their stripe, are one of the main sources of diseases like dengue, yellow fever and Zika. Credit: InsectWorld, Shutterstock.com

Expectant mothers and app-equipped city residents have roles to play in the fight against mosquito-borne diseases that kill hundreds of thousands of people annually.

Arnau Pujol Vallribera is a Spanish data whiz who used to study galaxies. Now he tracks diseases spread by mosquitoes.

"In cosmology, we use algorithms to better understand the laws of physics and how the universe evolves," said Pujol Vallribera of the Spain-based Barcelona Institute for Global Health, or ISGlobal. "Now I use the same algorithms to take action against malaria."

Small insect, big impact

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that malaria killed 619,000 people in 2021. Almost all of them were in Africa.

Include other mosquito-borne illnesses, like dengue or yellow fever, and more than 700,000 deaths a year are tied to these tiny insects.

Researchers like Pujol Vallribera hope that new techniques ranging from complex statistics to ''citizen science'' can improve understanding of the spread of diseases caused by the bite of an infected mosquito.

"We need to know the prevalence and transmission dynamics of malaria in a community to target public health measures," he said.

That's where a project, PregMal, and Pujol Vallribera come in. The idea behind the project is that malaria in pregnant women may serve as the ideal indicator for the prevalence of the disease in a community.

At the moment, calculating the spread of the disease is mainly done in health facilities like hospitals. This so-called passive approach tests patients who have symptoms such as fever. Based on those results, researchers try to estimate how common malaria is in an area.

But this method has limitations. Not everyone with symptoms will go to a hospital to be tested and some people might have malaria but no signs of it. As a result, researchers get a biased view of how many people are infected in an areaeither too high or too lowand policy responses can fall short.

Then there is what's called active surveillance. Here, health authorities go to an area and select a representative group of people to test. This paints a more accurate picture of malaria being spread, but it's expensive and hard to organize.

Pregnant stats

Pregnant women, however, might combine the best of both worlds.

About 80% of pregnant women in Sub-Saharan Africa attend a clinic at least once, reducing the problem of only a biased group getting tested, according to Pujol Vallribera. And because women become pregnant throughout the year, medical authorities get reliable malaria numbers over the whole period.

Finally, in malaria-prone regions testing pregnant women makes sense because the effects of the disease are often stronger in cases of pregnancy, with a major impact on the unborn child's health.

With that data, experts like Pujol Vallribera can better estimate the prevalence of malaria and how it's spreading.

"I used an algorithm adapted from the field of cosmology," he said. "It takes into account the population distribution and identifies clusters of infections, just as it would identify clusters of galaxies."

On top of assessing the prevalence of malaria in a community, the researchers also look at the genomic profile of the disease. They analyze the DNA of the parasite that causes malaria, allowing them to see small variations and mutations in it.

In this way, they can trace where the disease came from. Malaria might, for example, have been eliminated in a certain area, but an infected person coming from another region and getting bitten by local mosquitos can spread the disease all over again.

The main focus of PregMal, which began in April 2021 and runs until late this year, is on Africa. For the past couple of years, team members have been testing their approach in Mozambique.

Out of Africa

Yet mosquito-borne diseases like malaria aren't just a thing of the tropics. Climate change and globalization mean that, even in Europe, the mosquitoes that spread these diseases are becoming more common. Researchers are particularly worried about the tiger mosquito.

"Tiger mosquitoes are one of the main sources of diseases like dengue, yellow fever and Zika," said John Palmer, associate professor at Pompeu Fabra University in Barcelona. "The tiger mosquito is now regularly found in Spain."

Palmer is coordinating a project called H-MIP, short for Human-Mosquito Interaction Project, which tracks these insects and studies how they interact with humans.

The researchers do this primarily in Barcelona, where sightings of the tiger mosquito have increased in recent years. There are now established tiger mosquito populations across the Mediterranean, with sightings extending as far north as the Netherlands.

Spot the stripe

What's new about this five-year project, which runs through March 2025, is that researchers are using regular people to spot the offending mosquitoes.

"It's citizen science," said Palmer. "Traditional surveillance methods use traps. But here we learn when people are bitten and how mosquitoes interact with humans."

Volunteers share mosquito sightings and bites, using an app to track where everything happens. This approach works well in a study on the tiger mosquito because it is easily recognizable by the white stripe along its back, according to Palmer.

H-MIP researchers also use more traditional scientific methods. They interview volunteers and test the DNA of the blood found in trapped mosquitoes.

With this information, they hope to understand better how the mosquitoes behave and how prevalent they are.

Better controls

The eradication of malaria is a priority, with the WHO seeking to reduce cases and mortality by 90% this decade.

New technologies and vaccines are expected to help. Last year, the European Innovation Council awarded a 5 million Horizon Prize on '"Early Warning for Epidemics'' to a project that developed a surveillance tool to combat the threat of mosquito-borne diseases.

Harnessing the power of citizen scientists will also be key to detecting invasive species and tracking how mosquito-borne disease spread.

People's behavioral habits that researchers can identify help shed new light on disease transmission and inform prevention strategies.

Such habits include the types of clothes that people wear, the number of others they interact with and whether they live in urban areas and spend many hours a day in air-conditioned rooms or reside in the country surrounded by plants and wildlife.

"Understanding human-mosquito interaction is going to allow us to make much better decisions on mosquito control and public health," said Palmer. "We can, much more precisely, target control measures."

Research in this article was funded via the EU's European Research Council (ERC) and the Marie Skodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA). This article was originally published in Horizon, the EU Research and Innovation Magazine.
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) is targeting to clear the more than 20,000 suspended passport application backlog by the end of Oc...
MONDAY, Feb. 27, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- The heavily criticized U.S. Food and Drug Administration tobacco program promised changes on Friday, including a five-year strategic plan to better outline priorities.

"As we enter this era of declining use of combustible tobacco and continued innovation in the e-cigarette industry, the societal concerns are not subtle," FDA Commissioner Robert Califf, M.D., said in a statement. "Our ability to keep pace with these changes will depend on immediate, short-term, and long-term actions the center is taking that we believe will position the agency to more successfully implement our regulatory oversight of tobacco products."

The agency has faced criticism from antitobacco advocates, the industry, and lawmakers for its past work in cigarette and vaping regulation, the Associated Press reported. An external review commissioned last summer released a report in December that called the FDA "reactive and overwhelmed." Its workforce was struggling to manage tobacco and largely unauthorized e-cigarettes, the report stated.

The new FDA strategic plan is expected to outline efforts on e-cigarettes, as well as to be more transparent about FDA decisions, such as mass rejection of applications from e-cigarette makers.

Regulators would like to "better communicate" with companies about how the FDA makes decisions, said Brian King, tobacco chief for the agency. "Some things will take longer than others, but we're committed to getting everything done that we've outlined as expeditiously as possible," King told the AP. The FDA will also meet with the U.S. Department of Justice on efforts to crack down on the fruit- and candy-flavored e-cigarettes that appeal to teens, King added.

Hundreds of warning letters to vaping retailers and e-cigarette manufacturers are sometimes ignored, the FDA noted. King said the FDA relies on the Justice Department on when to bring on lawsuits. The two agencies have announced lawsuits and fines in recent months. "Those are the first of their kind, and I hope they're a wake-up call to industry that if you are violating the law we are going to use the full portfolio of our enforcement activities to ensure that you comply," King told the AP.
Jessica Lopeman is a registered nurse in Montana, and like many of her colleagues she has suffered physical and verbal abuse at the hands of her patients.

Addressing the lingering marks on her wrists, Lopeman explained that a patient had suddenly grabbed her, gripping her wrist so tightly that his long fingernails drew blood. When she couldnt get away, she called out for someone to help her.

When the unit secretary helped her to get free, Lopeman cleaned her wounds with soap and water and bandaged herself before going back to work. Even though she reported the incident, hospital leadership never investigated and no one talked to the patient about the assaultive behavior.

At another facility where she worked, an upset patient popped off a cap on his walking stick to reveal a pointed weapon concealed inside. The patient used the walking stick to threaten Lopeman, the physician, security officers and a uniformed police officer, she said.

When we feel scared to do our jobs, when we feel unsafe in a place that should feel safe, when we are harassed, pinched, spit on, bitten, kicked and grabbed, we feel less than we are...We lose our compassion for caring for others. And when we feel like that, we make the difficult choice to no longer be nurses, Lopeman said.

She told her story before the House Business and Labor committee at the Capitol on Monday, asking lawmakers to pass a bill that would establish a reporting system and data collection for violence against health care workers.

House Bill 590 would require health care employers to investigate reports of violence against employees while on duty, according to the bill sponsor, Rep. Ed Buttrey, R-Great Falls.

The investigation would mostly consist of interviews with the employee subjected to the violence as well as any witnesses. Then, the employer will alert local law enforcement.

On a quarterly basis, the reports will be sent to the state health department. This would create a foundation for data collection, the second key component of the bill.

The bill requires the department to compile and publish an annual report on workplace violence in health care facilities. Those reports will be used as guiding documents during the 2025 state legislature as lawmakers consider protections for health care workers.

These reporting requirements would apply to all employees at the health care facility, including workers in hospitality and workers in administrative roles.

Weve argued about this issue for a long time. Weve argued about how much violence is out there and under what conditions is the violence and what type of violence is it and how should we address it, Buttrey said. Lets do what we can do and (lets) get some reporting from all these health care employers and find out, actually quantify and get data.

The Montana Nurses Association (MNA) and other organizations have pursued legislation for many years that would heighten penalties for assault of a health care worker, but the bills have never passed into law.

Vicky Byrd, CEO of MNA, said that since 2015 lawmakers have questioned if violence actually happens in health care facilities and questioned the severity of the violence, despite data that showed assaults against health care workers were five-times higher in Montana than the national average.

The bill would sunset in July 2025, in time for the next legislative session where lawmakers will reference the reports while considering protections for health care workers, Buttrey said.

Many spoke in support of the bill including representatives from Billings Clinic, Logan Health System in Kalispell, Montana Primary Care Association, Montana Hospital Association and more. No one opposed the bill during the hearing.

Before lawmakers took executive action, an amendment was applied that would make state-run health care facilities exempt from the reporting requirements.

When asked why the state health department requested the amendment, the sponsor and others could not provide an explanation.

I view (the amendment) as friendly because it came from the state and I want the state to support the bill. I think its important that we get this data, Buttrey said.

While the amendment passed, some committee members voted against it. During executive action, HB 590 passed the committee and will now move on to the House floor.
TUESDAY, Feb. 28, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- Though BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene mutations are associated with breast and ovarian cancer in younger women, those over 50 continue to have a high risk of breast cancer.

Thats true even if they didnt have breast cancer earlier, new research shows.

What is striking about our results is that breast and ovarian cancers were the most frequently observed cancers occurring and that is concerning, considering we know how to reduce the risk of cancer in women who have these genetic risk factors, said study leader Kelly Metcalfe, a professor on the University of Toronto faculty of nursing.

To study this, her team followed more than 2,200 women between 50 and 75 years of age from 16 countries. These women were aware they had a BRCA mutation and had no previous diagnosis of cancer.

The risk that these women would develop any type of cancer after age 50 was 49% for those with a BRCA1 mutation and 43% for those with a BRCA2 mutation.

It was even higher for those who hadnt had a cancer risk-reduction surgery, such as preemptive removal of both breasts, both ovaries and fallopian tubes. For those women, the risk was 77% for those with a BRCA1 mutation and 67% for those with a BRCA2 mutation.

About 15% of women studied had undergone a preventive bilateral mastectomy. About 43% had both ovaries and fallopian tubes removed before age 50.

These women had the lowest risk of any cancer at just 9%.

Our analysis highlights the effectiveness of these risk reduction surgeries and emphasizes the need for individuals as well as health care providers, to consider clinical guidelines and recommendations for their cancer risk, including how their genetics might impact them even at a later age, Metcalfe said in a university news release.

She noted that access to risk reduction surgeries may be limited in some countries -- a limitation of the study. Researchers did not assess whether or how often or women received genetic counseling.

We are not aware of whether the participants in our study received additional counseling about their elevated risk of cancer as they age and we are also unable to determine why some of these women chose to forgo preventative surgery before the age of 50, Metcalfe said. However, it is important to point out that screening alone only reduces [death] risk by increasing the chances of detecting the cancer early, it does not reduce the risk of cancer occurring.

No good screening method exists for ovarian cancer. National Comprehensive Cancer Network guidelines recommend that women with a BRCA1 mutation have ovaries and fallopian tubes removed between ages 35 and 40 and those with BRCA2 mutation between ages 40 and 45.

Metcalfe hopes that advances in genetic testing will help more women know their risks. Future studies will look at womens decision-making about surgery and their understanding of risk.

Low barriers to genetic testing will save lives, said Metcalfe, who expects it to become a mainstay of cancer care in Canada. Regardless of family history, people can pay a small fee to be tested BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations through Screen Project Canada.

It has been over 25 years since clinical testing for BRCA1 and BRCA2 began in Canada and the United States, we have come a long way in reducing cancer incidence, but not far enough, Metcalfe said. The majority of cancers resulting from these two genes are preventable, we need to be offering women the best chance at a cancer-free life.

Study findings were recently published in the journal Cancer.

More information

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more on the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes.

SOURCE: University of Toronto, news release, Feb. 24, 2023
MONDAY, Feb. 27, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- Federal officials plan to tighten access to drugs that have the potential for abuse by reinstating federal prescribing requirements that were loosened during the pandemic.

The Biden administration will require that patients see a doctor in person, rather than through a telehealth appointment, to get a first prescription for opioid painkillers and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) drugs like Adderall and Ritalin. Prescription refills will still be allowed during telehealth appointments, however.

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration also plans to tighten prescribing for less addictive drugs, such as codeine, Xanax, Ambien, and buprenorphine. Those drugs will be allowed to be prescribed once via telehealth for a 30-day dose, but then patients will need to see a doctor in person to get a refill. The DEA plans for this new rule to go into effect before May 11, when the COVID-19 public health emergency expires.

"DEA is committed to ensuring that all Americans can access needed medications," DEA Administrator Anne Milgram said in an agency news release announcing the changes. "DEA is committed to the expansion of telemedicine with guardrails that prevent the online overprescribing of controlled medications that can cause harm."

It will be important for people needing these medications to plan for a visit to a doctor before then, a bigger barrier for those who live in rural areas. Patients will need to see their doctor in person within six months after the rule goes into effect.

Other common prescriptions, including birth control, antibiotics, insulin, and skin creams, will still be allowed to be prescribed through telehealth appointments.
The Montana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) is seeking projects related to mitigating emerging contaminants, such as PFAS and manganese, in public water supplies.

Emerging contaminants are chemicals or materials that have been found to have a health or environmental risk and do not have published health standards. A contaminant may be emerging due to the discovery of a new source or pathway to humans or when new human health effects are found.

Emerging contaminants can be found in source waters, pharmaceuticals, fragrances, fire retardants, detergents, insecticides and industrial chemicals. For a complete list of the Environmental Protection Agencys (EPA) Contaminant Candidate List, visit epa.gov/ccl.

The state of Montana could receive up to $7.5 million in funding from the EPA for emerging contaminants.

Funding for projects is available through loan forgiveness. In order to receive the funding, DEQ must have a list of projects that relate to emerging contaminants in public water supplies. Projects can include:

Costs associated with the construction of a new treatment facility or upgrade to an existing treatment facility that addresses emerging contaminants.

Development of a new source (i.e., new/replacement well or intake for a public water system) that addresses an emerging contaminant issue.

Consolidation with another water system that does not have emerging contaminants present or has removal capability.

Costs for planning and design and associated pre-project costs.

Infrastructure related to pilot testing for treatment alternatives.

Creation of a new community water system to address unsafe drinking water provided by individual wells or surface water sources.

This funding opportunity applies to all community public water systems such as cities, towns, subdivisions and trailer parks  as well as schools and businesses that serve the same 25 people for at least six months.

Applying for funding is not a requirement. If public water supplies would like to apply for project funding, they must submit a project form by April 21, 2023. The project scope and costs can be conservative estimates and do not lock a water system into a particular scope or time frame.

For more information and to submit a project form, visit deq.mt.gov/water/programs.
Missoula Aging Services (MAS) announced that it will be participating in the 21st annual March for Meals. March for Meals is a month-long, nationwide celebration of both Meals on Wheels and older neighbors who rely on this essential service to remain healthy and independent at home.

MAS celebration will include various activities throughout the month of March.

Lisa Sheppard, CEO of MAS expects to distribute and deliver nearly 140,000 meals this year. All of this is possible from community donations and a dedicated team of volunteers.

Sponsors for the 2023 March for Meals are The Good Food Store, Allegiance, Missoula Noons, Clearwater Credit Union and Great Harvest.

During the month, community-based Meals on Wheels programs from across the country will join forces for the annual awareness campaign. Regionally, MAS partners with two organizations that run their own Meals on Wheel programs: the Ravalli County Council on Aging (RCCOA) and the Seeley Lake Senior Center. These organizations are also working to raise funds for homebound older adults in their communities.

For more information on how to volunteer, contribute or speak out for older neighbors in Missoula County this month, visit missoulaagingservices.org.
Transportation planners have their eyes on Reserve Street, but changes arent expected anytime soon.

The Montana Department of Transportation, the city of Missoula and the Metropolitan Planning Organization recognize there is a need for improvements on Reserve, and have started discussing a potential planning study, MDT District Administrator Bob Vosen said Tuesday. This would be to help identify small spot improvements to start with.

Concerned citizens like Kevin Davis with the Reserve Street Public Working Group have been advocating for such a study for years. Davis would also like to see improvements such as designated crosswalks and protected bike lanes on the popular roadway maintained by MDT.

Weve acknowledged (a protected bike lane) is a great safety benefit, Davis said during the regular Working Group meeting Tuesday. Why not Reserve Street?

But Missoula County Public Works Director Shane Stack explained there are considerable time and funding constraints that limit the imminent possibilities for Reserve.

I think the biggest challenge is funding, said Stack. There are a lot of needs out there. Reserve Street isnt the only roadway in Missoula or in the state.

Reserve is part of the National Highway system, which, according to Stack, currently has a list of 20 years worth of projects already lined up. The Russell Street corridor is one of those that takes precedence over Reserve, Vosen advised.

Even projects perceived as smaller-scale efforts like those suggested by Davis would likely require hefty funding. A signalized crosswalk, for example, could exceed $100,000, and protected bikeways cost millions, Stack said.

He suggested, however, those interested in improvements on Reserve reach out to their state legislators to secure more state funding. He also pointed out Reserve was built in the 1990s, much more recently than many of the other roads that need attention.

When you look at Reserve Street, its a modern road, Stack said.

Crash trends on Reserve also fail to paint the full picture of transportation safety in Missoula, according to Stack. While some Reserve intersections see numerous regular crashes, Stack explained the severity and total volumes need to also be taken into account.

That doesnt necessarily mean the crash rates are higher than any other location, he said.
Anyone hoping to drive most areas of Glacier National Park in July had better be ready at their computer March 1.

Thats when a limited number of vehicle reservation tickets for the parks ticketed-entry system will go on sale. The tickets will become available on recreation.gov. at 8 a.m. on March 1. The March 1 batch of tickets is for vehicle entry into four popular areas of the park during the month of July. Tickets for Going-to-the-Sun Road are valid for three days of entry. Tickets for Many Glacier, North Fork and Two Medicine are valid for one day. The tickets, which cost a $2 processing fee, must be purchased in addition to the regular $35 park entry pass required to be in the park. The $35 passes are good for seven days.

The tickets are required for entry between 6 a.m. and 3 p.m. in those four areas. Anyone with a regular park pass can enter the areas before 6 a.m. or after 3 p.m., although entry at West Glacier prior to 6 a.m. is not allowed for anyone because of ongoing road construction. Going-to-the-Sun Road is subject to ticketed entry for vehicles from May 26 through Sept. 10 if entering from Apgar (West Glacier or Camas Road), and from July 1 through Sept. 10 if entering from the Rising Sun Checkpoint near St. Mary, on the parks east side. The North Fork Road is subject to ticketed entry from May 26 through Sept. 10. Many Glacier is subject to ticketed entry from July 1 through Sept. 10. Two Medicine is subject to ticketed entry from July 1 through Sept. 10.

Tickets for entry between May 26 and June 30 went on sale Feb. 1 and quickly sold out.

Areas of the park outside of the four places subject to ticketed entry for vehicles do not require the $2 ticket. People who own land within the park accessed by an area subject to a vehicle entry ticket are exempt from purchasing a ticket, as are tribal members. Anyone who has lodging, camping, transportation or commercial activity reservations within the four areas (a boat ride on Lake McDonald, for example) does not need a vehicle-entry ticket. Instead, their reservation counts as their vehicle-entry ticket for that area. And, not all of the limited supply of tickets will be sold months in advance. A portion of the tickets for each area will be available 24 hours in advance, beginning on May 25 at 8 a.m.

Work in progress

The ticketed-entry system for vehicles debuted in 2021 for the Going-to-the-Sun Road corridor only, due to a dramatic increase in park visitors in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. The program expanded to the North Fork area in 2022 due to a significant uptick in visitors there in 2021. The increased visitation to North Fork in 2021 was likely due to the ticketed-entry system put in place on the Going-to-the-Sun Road, according to Dave Roemer, the parks superintendent.

We have learned quite a bit, particularly in the North Fork, he said in an interview Feb. 21. He said that people who couldnt get into Going-to-the-Sun Road often went up to the nearby North Fork area instead, So no mystery there. People will go where they can go.

Roemer, who became Glaciers superintendent in July, said that visitors, businesses, local residents and park employees told him North Fork returned to its slower, rural quality in 2022 because of the ticketed-entry system.

The North Fork was like the North Fork again, he said people told him. But, he said, I think thats a success story that comes at a cost.

The success wasnt perfect. Parking at places like Logan Pass or Avalanche Creek wasnt much better than before, he said. The tickets simply grant vehicle access  they dont guarantee a parking space, and people often flock to the same lots around the same times.

Roemer himself is free-form in planning his time outside of work, he said, and he likes to improvise when he travels. He noted that the ticketed-entry system largely prevents people from visiting the park in that way. Also, last year, North Fork opened to non-ticketed vehicles at 6 p.m., while Going-to-the-Sun Road opened to non-ticketed vehicles at 4 p.m.  something Roemer said led to frequent confusion among visitors, who often mixed up which place opened at which time.

He expressed concern that some people may experience a little bit of the worst of both systems: They could be barred entry to an area between 6 a.m. and 3 p.m. for lack of a ticket, only to find themselves caught up in a congested flood of entrants in the afternoon rush.

But the benefit of the system, he said, is that it prevents the parks most popular areas from becoming so crowded that the visitor experience is significantly diminished. At times, park officials have closed areas of the park without prior notice when they became too full.

Many Glacier, for example, hit capacity and was abruptly closed to incoming visitors on 57 occasions last summer. And, Roemer said, Two Medicine definitely had busy days last year, particularly before the Going-to-the-Sun Road corridor was fully open. So we had some closures on that too.

After seeing how North Fork was swamped in 2021 and returned somewhat to normalcy in 2022 because of ticketed entry, officials expanded the program.

The lesson with the North Fork is one were now applying to Many Glacier and Two Med for the same reasons, he said. We would like to be able to avoid those unplanned closures so somebody doesnt drive several hours out from Kalispell or Whitefish to find the gate closed.

Other popular national parks have implemented ticketed entry systems, too, including Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado, Arches National Park and Zion National Park in Utah, and Acadia National Park in Maine. All of the parks are piloting the program, Roemer said, and are all testing in slightly different ways. Rocky Mountain National Park, for example, requires ticketed entry tied to entering at a specific one-hour time slot.

We could spread people more evenly with tighter controls, but tighter controls are not really what people want to have about their experience, Roemer said. Were a looser system, believe it or not.
A new house bill introduced this week would adjust the process for elementary school districts seeking to form a new high school district, a move currently being explored among Billings West End K-8 districts.

House Bill 707, sponsored by Rep. Jodee Etchart, R-Billings, would change the current procedure that requires adjoining elementary districts to consolidate in order to form a new high school district.

She pointed to the current rate of growth in Billings and its overcrowded high schools along with the overall growth throughout the state as the reason this bill would benefit smaller K-8 districts.

We have large population growth in Kalispell andlarge population growth in Bozeman so its likely that were going to see this in more communities in Montana, Etchart said before the house education committee. And right now in BillingsWest High and Senior are almost a total of 700 students over capacity.

Currently, a single K-8 school district has to meet or exceed 1,000 students enrolled to form a high school district. Districts in Lockwood and East Helena met that criteria and recently formed their own respective districts following the passage of SB 139 in 2017. Those districts that dont have enough students can vote to consolidate with adjoining districts to meet this threshold.

But HB 707 would allow those small districts to still operate independently and send students to the same high school.

What would not change is the requirement for respective boards of trustees to vote to form the new district and for voters then to approve the mill levies and bonds that would be needed to build the high school.

The proposed bill is a response to recent initiatives by the coalition Southwest Billings SMART Growth, which is exploring the possibilities of creating a new high school district on the west end of town to account for the citys rate of growth and current overcrowding across the high schools in School District 2.

A joint meeting was conducted earlier this month with the nonprofit and Elysian, Blue Creek, Elder Grove and Canyon Creek Schools boards of trustees to explore the feasibility of consolidating to a single K-8 district. The ultimate goal would be to inevitably form a new high school district following this action.

During the meeting, there was mutual agreement that a new high school would likely be needed going forward but also reservations on the potential timeline and logistics of consolidation along with the individuality of each district that could potentially get lost.

During the committee hearing, multiple proponents voiced their support of the bill while there were no opponents present. Southwest Billings SMART Growth co-founder Missy Jones said HB 707 would allow independent districts to keep their respective boards of trustees and school traditions along with alleviating crowded schools.

In an effort to respect small districts rights, maintain community control and keep their identity, we see a great benefit in passing this bill to let these districts stay small and keep their local feel, she said. Having this bill passed will provide options whether or not consolidation is the best interest versus forcing a consolidation that could jeopardize the process of building a much-needed high school.

Lockwood Schools superintendent Tobin Novasio told the board the tight-knit community just outside of Billings has seen increasing interest from students both inside and outside the district in attending their schools since its high school opened in 2020. He added that theyve experienced local economic benefits with students staying in town and supporting local businesses during their lunch hours.

I would say adding the high school to Lockwood has been transformative in the community out here, he said.

Regardless of how far the bill makes it through the legislature, Southwest Billings SMART Growth co-founder Susie Layton said they plan on proceeding forward with whatever option is allowed under state law.

It will probably be at least a month or so before we know if this legislation will pass, but we feel like its important to start that conversation and to really present both options because, if we have two options, were not saying one or the other is the best way to do this, Layton said.
Last week the Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission moved the state closer to acquiring two large Yellowstone River islands near Reed Point, known as the Otter Creek LLS Islands.

In a unanimous decision, the group OKd the $140,150 purchase of the 107 acres. The money will come from the states Natural Resources Damage Program. The program acquired funds from a settlement with ExxonMobil Pipeline Co. over its 2011 Silvertip oil spill into the Yellowstone River at Laurel. The rupture dumped an estimated 63,000 gallons  about 1,500 barrels  of oil into the waterway.

As part of the $12 million settlement over the environmental damage, $2.3 million went toward recreation projects along the river, all of which has been allocated. Those funds included construction of a new boat ramp at Blue Creek, trail work at Riverfront Park and improvements still to come at Coulson Park  19 projects in all.

Preservation of cottonwood river bottoms was another goal for the settlement funds, some of which went to the 2020 purchase of 45 acres downstream of Reed Point, also owned by the Department of Fish, Wildlife & Parks. Settlement funds also went to help bankroll the 2021 purchase of the 288-acre historic Dover Island downstream from Billings.

Cottonwoods are important wildlife habitat and also provide shade to keep the water cooler. The number of cottonwood trees has declined along streams due to residential development and livestock grazing in riparian areas, as well as invasive species like Russian olive and salt cedar.

The Otter Creek Islands fit the bill for what the program had in mind to preserve.

This site is adjacent to the Indian Fort fishing access site and four river miles below Bratten Fishing Access Site (FAS), according to the commissioners agenda. The islands are in a reach of the Yellowstone that FWP considers high priority for additional public access.

Under FWP management, the islands would remain as a primitive area for angling, potential hunting and camping. Being adjacent to an Indian Fort FAS, the islands would be incorporated into existing maintenance and staffing, including FWPs weed management program. There are no plans to develop the islands.

Despite these many expenditures, the oil spill settlement still holds about $6 million for acquisition and habitat projects, which is proving to be difficult, according to Doug Martin, restoration program chief for the Department of Justice, which oversees the Natural Resources Damage Program.

One possible project being eyed would reconstruct an irrigation dam on the lower Clarks Fork Yellowstone River to allow fish bypass.
China US TikTok Ban (Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

US government bans on Chinese-owned video sharing app TikTok reveal Washingtons own insecurities and are an abuse of state power, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said Tuesday.

The US government has been overstretching the concept of national security and abusing state power to suppress other countries companies," Mao Ning said at a daily briefing. How unsure of itself can the US, the worlds top superpower, be to fear a favorite young person's favorite app to such a degree?

TikTok is used by two-thirds of American teens, but theres concern in Washington that China could use its legal and regulatory powers to obtain private user data or to try to push misinformation or narratives favoring China.

Congress and more than half of U.S. states have so-far banned TikTok from government-issued mobile devices.

Some have also moved to apply the ban to any app or website owned by ByteDance Ltd., the private Chinese company owning TikTok that moved its headquarters to Singapore in 2020.

China has long blocked a long list of foreign social media platforms and messaging apps, including YouTube, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

Washington and Beijing are at odds over myriad issues including trade, computer chips and other technology, national security and Taiwan, along with the discovery of a suspected Chinese spy balloon over the U.S. and its shooting down earlier this month.

On Monday, Canada announced it was joining the U.S. in banning TikTok from all government-issued mobile devices.

I suspect that as government takes the significant step of telling all federal employees that they can no longer use TikTok on their work phones many Canadians from business to private individuals will reflect on the security of their own data and perhaps make choices, Trudeau said.

Canadian Treasury Board President Mona Fortier said the Chief Information Officer of Canada had determined that TikTok presents an unacceptable level of risk to privacy and security.

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On a mobile device, TikToks data collection methods provide considerable access to the contents of the phone, Fortier said.

The app will be removed from Canadian government issued phones on Tuesday.

The European Unions executive branch said last week it has temporarily banned TikTok from phones used by employees as a cybersecurity measure.

TikTok has questioned the bans, saying it has not been given an opportunity to answer questions and governments were cutting themselves off from a platform beloved by millions.
Image via Getty

In the debut episode of Lil Yachtys A Moody Conversation interview series, the Atlanta rapper brought out Drake where the two spoke about several Canadian heritage moments, like the time Lil Wayne didnt realize what Drakes real name was when he rapped Drakes email address on one of their first collaborations.

In 2008, Drake and Lil Wayne joined forces on Ransom, a densely rapped lyric-fest that sees both rappers go at it for lengthy verses. In the second half of Waynes verse, he references Drake and calls him Drizzy Drake Rogers thinking that Rogers was actually his last name and not his email provider.

And I think his name was kinda like Drake Drizzy Rogers / Or Drizzy Drake Rogers, Im too busy to play father, Wayne rapped.

During the interview, Yachty asked Drake if people still call him Drake Drizzy Rogers, clearly referencing Ransom from 15 years ago.

Drake then asked Yachty if he knows the story behind the name.

My email was drizzydrake@rogers.com, Rogers was the service provider in Canada and [Wayne] didnt realize the at in the email was like a middle interference, Drake explained. "He just thought my name was Drizzy Drake Rogers. I mean he rapped it once, I just didnt have the heart to correct him.

Rogers wasnt the only moment of Canadian heritage during the interview.

About halfway through the interview, the pair of rappers went on a tangent about upbringings, nature versus nurture, and, of course, where accents come from.

Our accents [...] we probably all sound foreign to you being from Toronto because of just a place that were from, Drake explained. I dont know who started talking like that! Id love to meet that guy. I literally want to meet the first Toronto man of all time. I dont know who he is. I dont know where he got the accent from or any of that but I know that hes influenced all of us. Im a full father talking like internet memes because thats just my upbringing.

Though the conversation doesnt go much further than that, Drake was pretty clear about his desire to meet the originators of the Toronto accent.
Amarillo Fire Department crews worked to extinguish a fire that spread to a tree due to a downed power line Sunday afternoon during a potent wind storm.

A monstrous wall of dust crawled across the region late Sunday, briefly transforming the High Plains into a vintage war movie scene, sepia tones and all.

As the dust storm strengthened early evening, locals quickly flooded social media with their photos and videos of the forceful winds and red-tinted skies displaying a hazy landscape that many joked could perfectly match that of Mars.

Eerie, high-pitched winds continued through the night but settled some early morning, though the storm had already left its mark.

So, exactly how windy did it get in West Texas on Sunday?

The Pacific front packed winds stronger than 100 mph in some places on the High Plains, leaving remnants of damage across the entire region.

From the northern Panhandle all the way to El Paso, more than 42,000 customers lost electricity as high wind speeds disturbed power lines. Happy ISD, even, cancelled school Monday.

Lubbock County officials reported a building behind the Dairy Queen in Idalou had lost its roof. A downed power line sparked a fire that set a tree ablaze in Amarillo, while Hockley County warned of large grassfires near Levelland and Yellow House Canyon Ranch and a 5,000-acre wildfire is ongoing in Oldham County.

Shown using a slow shutter speed, birds attempt to fly during a high wind warning, Sunday, Feb. 26, 2023. Gusts are up to 75 mph, according to the National Weather Service.

Heavy amounts of dust particles and other debris filled the air down to zero visibility at times, the National Weather Service office in Lubbock confirmed, and all flights to and from Lubbock were delayed or cancelled for the evening.

A TON of seriously bad wrecks going both directions on I-27. Be careful out there pic.twitter.com/KEOwdh3mUb  Christine Garcia Author (@ChristineGAuthr) February 27, 2023

The Texas Department of Transportation temporarily shut down Interstate 27 in Swisher County amid a surge in commercial vehicle crashes due to low visibility, and a 10- to 12-car pileup in the Oklahoma Panhandle killed a driver, FOX Weather reported.

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Additionally, radar indicated a tornado in McLean, though the NWS office in Lubbock said it has not been confirmed.

And longtime West Texas forecaster Ron Roberts tweeted that he believes this was the worst dust storm he has seen since the 1990s  possibly longer.

The National Weather Service office in Lubbock confirmed a gust of 114 mph in Memphis, about 40 miles inward from the Texas-Oklahoma Panhandle, while the majority of the region reached gust speeds of up to 75 mph.

Lubbock recorded a gust of 77 mph around 7:30 p.m., and Amarillo recorded a gust of 75 mph. The highest sustained wind  averaging over two minutes  was 57 mph.

"(This) was certainly not the worst Lubbock has seen," said NWS Lubbock forecast Adam Adam Przepiora. "But this was definitely an unusually strong wind event."

This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Exactly how windy did it get in West Texas Sunday?
How might we make the world a better place? How do we know ourselves and contribute meaningfully to our community?

These are a few of the prompts that animate The Old School Studios (TOSS) monthly workshops at four Burke County elementary schools. Through generous grants awarded by the North Carolina Museum of Art and the North Carolina Arts Council (a division of the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources), Burke County Public Schools was able to expand its visual arts instruction with the help of TOSS.

TOSS previously served Forest Hill and Icard Elementary, but these funds have allowed monthly programs to be added at Hillcrest and Mull Elementary Schools, reaching a total of 1,046 students.

Workshops encompass two curriculums. The first, developed specifically with grant funding, is Pollination Planet. Visiting artist, Alexa Eliana Chumpitaz, brings this program alive. Focused on environmental stewardship and civic engagement, Chumpitaz draws inspiration from her recently completed mural in Morganton at Food Matters (Realidades del Sur). Her imagery of pollinators and landscapes of the Catawba River Basin guide each lesson.

For example, in the first workshop last fall, students were introduced to Georgia OKeeffe and created botanical paintings of a flowers anatomy. In October, they studied bats and echolocation and learned the process of printmaking. In December, they learned that birds of all feathers flock together  illustrating the cohabitation of bird species through collage.

This month, students have made 3D honeycombs, to focus on the importance of bees. Lastly, students will observe the lifecycle of the butterfly and participate in a collaborative exhibition, all while meeting contemporary artists like Louise Jones (aka Ouizi) and Chumpitaz.

Carly Johnson, principal of Hillcrest Elementary School, said the visiting artist program gives her students the opportunity to explore a talent they may not have even known they had.

Many of our students are immigrants who come to the states with little resources, she said. These students often do not have supplies at home to express themselves artistically which can actually hinder some of the fine motor skill growth they need to develop. Hillcrest does not currently host an art program and it is evident it is their hearts desire to have such a program.

She said through the TOSS program many of her students get access and exposure to art forms and education they would otherwise never be able to experience.

Students get exposure to art forms, tools and resources they would not get in the regular classroom, Johnson said. TOSS also provides access to knowledge and networking about community businesses and resources unknown to many of our families. The hope is that this partnership will hopefully build interest in future careers while also functioning as the bridge between their family members who may have artistic interests or talents they would like to pursue.

In another semester-long series provided at Icard and Forest Hill elementary schools, students are introduced to local industries and create a project based on careers in Burke County.

In one lesson, students were introduced to Danielle Crocker, a fish culturist at Table Rock State Fish Hatchery. With a better understanding of biodiverse waterways, students were inspired to create a clay sculpture featuring microorganisms of the Catawba River to highlight the importance of keeping our freshwater fish healthy and happy. Inspiration for their materials and methods were drawn from scientist-artist Courtney Mattison, a coral reef activist and sculptor.

Nikki Costello, principal of Forest Hill Elementary School, said the program has been a wonderful opportunity for her students to connect with business leaders and even possible future career opportunities in Burke County.

Many of my students come from low socio-economic families who are often just arriving to this country, she said. TOSSs programs and their partnerships with local businesses expose my students to many things that would otherwise go by the wayside  Students are learning about resources and opportunities that exist within their community as well as potential careers they can explore in the future.

Students and parents love this program. One student, Joselyn Menchu Tax, a fifth-grade student at Forest Hill, said the TOSS program has been a memorable experience.

I liked learning about scientists and how they find patterns, she said. I will remember having fun with other kids in the workshop. I really want to be an artist or an art teacher.

Joselyn s mom said she is thankful for the opportunities her daughter is getting through the program.

She is learning a lot from everything they are teaching, she said. Thanks for giving your time. She wants to continue studying. Thank you.

For more information about the TOSS programs in Burke County schools or to volunteer, contact Kathryn Ervin at kathryn@tosstudio.org.
Prosecutors told jurors Monday that a jailed Butte man tried to persuade a witness to say he acted in self-defense when attacked by a man even though she told him and police she didnt see what happened.

Defense attorneys for 37-year-old Martin Bradley Coleman say he was in jail and scared but believed the woman had witnessed what happened, so he wasnt asking her to lie or change her story during two conversations recorded at jail.

After about one hour of deliberation early Monday evening, the jury of nine women and three men found Coleman not guilty of tampering with a witness, a felony that carries a maximum 10-year prison term.

He still faces a far more serious charge  attempted deliberate homicide  in a case that is still pending. A conviction on that has a minimum 10-year prison term and maximum of life.

He is accused in that case of shooting a neighbor in the face on June 11 at a house on East Park Place on the Flat. The man survived but according to prosecutors, thats the incident Coleman was trying to get the woman to lie about.

The jury found otherwise.

Thank you all! Thank you all very much! Coleman shouted to jurors after District Judge Robert Whelan thanked them for service and dismissed them.

One down, one to go, Colemans defense attorney, Suzanne Marshall Malloy, said before Coleman was escorted back to jail. Hes been there since the shooting last June but in court Monday, he wore a blue blazer, button-down shirt and khaki pants.

While in front of jurors Monday, prosecutors and defense attorneys tried to avoid mentions of the actual shooting, since the facts behind it are a separate matter in a separate case.

But after jurors were chosen and then left for lunch, prosecutor Kelli Fivey told Whelan that some jurors were sure to connect the dots.

Indeed, body cam police footage, recorded phone calls from jail and testimony in court Monday made it clear that someone was hurt and Coleman had been accused of causing it. In body cam footage taken just after the shooting, a man can be heard moaning.

And in one of the recorded phone calls played for jurors, Coleman tells the woman, I wasnt trying to kill him, I was trying to save myself.

In the case still pending, Coleman is accused of shooting a 42-year-old man in a house in the 1300 block of East Park Place around 2 p.m. on June 11. A woman said the two were arguing inside and after she told them to take it outside, she heard gunshots.

Police found the victim inside the door and before he was taken to the hospital, he said Marty was the shooter, lived across the alley and drove a red truck. Officers located Colemans vehicle at an apartment complex several hours later and he was arrested there.

Prosecutors say on June 17, while talking by phone from the jail, Coleman told the woman he was only defending himself and not trying to kill the man. All phone calls at the detention center are recorded and inmates are told so at the beginning of every call.

The woman told Coleman she was in the hallway, didnt see the shooting and police have her on video saying so.

I know but if I need you to testify would you please (expletive) testify for me, Coleman says in the call, which was played for jurors. She again says she didnt see it, but at one point, he said, Let them know that fool attacked me and I was just defending myself.

During other calls, prosecutors say, it is clear the woman, Coleman and Colemans wife were in a relationship.

During a July 14 visit to the jail, prosecutors say, Coleman told the woman the state was trying to give him a life sentence. They talk about the case and Coleman asks her to state that he was welcome in the house where the shooting occurred and the other man was not.

He tells her she was right there, and you know he attacked me and has her promise that no matter what, she is going to be there for him.

During testimony Monday, the woman acknowledged that she is now Colemans girlfriend and that she and the other man involved in the incident had previously been together for years and shared a child.

But she told jurors what she told police and Coleman  that she was in the back of the house and did not see the actual altercation. She told police she didnt even know who else was involved.

Malloy, the defense attorney, balked at that claim and told jurors the woman was not credible. She knew what happened, Malloy said during closing arguments, but was afraid to say because her ex was at times violent.

Prosecutors said Coleman wanted to her to testify to his version of events.

Even though she is now in a romantic relationship with the defendant, her story hasnt changed, Fivey said.

Fellow prosecutor Kaitlyn Lamb said Coleman tried to get the woman to testify falsely, and that was tampering even though she didnt actually change her story.

Coleman took the stand in his own defense and said he believed the woman did witness the incident. He just wanted her to tell the truth, he said, because my life was on the line.

I dont want to spend the rest of my life in jail, he said.

After the verdict was read, Coleman cried and hugged Malloy, told two supporters he loved them and was led back to jail by an officer.
As the Friday transmittal deadline for general bills looms over the Montana Legislature, lawmakers on the House Judiciary Committee on Monday heard one bill that would ban an abortion procedure in Montana and another similar to a so-called born-alive measure that failed at the ballot box last November.

Following the fall of Roe v. Wade at the federal level, abortion remained legal in Montana under the state Supreme Court's Armstrong decision, which found the state Constitution's right to privacy protects access to abortions. GOP lawmakers are hoping Montana's high court one day will also reverse itself, but are still bringing bills to limit access to the procedure in the meantime. Last session legislators passed a trio of bills curtailing abortion that are under a temporary court block while a lawsuit against them plays out.

Heard Monday in the House Judiciary Committee, House Bill 721 would ban the most commonly used abortion procedure after 12 weeks' gestational age, and would state that the Legislature finds the procedure, unless performed in the case of an emergency, "a barbaric practice."

Bill sponsor Speaker of the House Matt Regier, R-Kalispell, told the committee that his bill was not about the larger abortion debate.

It does one thing. It restricts the act of dismembering a live child inside the womb except for during a medical emergency when the child would not survive outside the womb. This bill is not to stop a woman from obtaining an abortion, Regier said.

But opponents pointed out the procedure, known as dilation and evacuation, is the most commonly used abortion method in the second trimester of a pregnancy. The American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists has said D&E "is evidence-based and medically preferred because it results in the fewest complications for women compared to alternative procedures.

In the legislation, the procedure is called barbaric, something Regier and opponents repeated Monday.

I stress to you that this bill just restricts the tearing apart of a living, undelivered human being, Regier said.

Jeff Laszloffy, with the Montana Family Foundation, spoke in support of the bill, saying the Legislature had the ability to regulate forms of abortion available.

Other supporters of the bill said that medical advancements have come a long way since the 1972 Roe decision that allowed for access to abortions at the federal level. That decision fell with the Dobbs decision last summer that put the question of abortion back to the states. The advances in technology, backers of the bill argued, show that fetuses can feel pain, making the procedure banned in Regiers bill inappropriate.

However, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists has found after review of scientific studies that a fetus cannot feel pain until 24 weeks at the earliest.

According to 2020 data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly all abortions that year, or 93.1%, happened prior to 13 weeks. Just 5.8% of abortions happen between 1420 weeks gestation and only 0.9% occur after that point. Maternal-fetal medicine specialists who deal with high-risk pregnancies have repeatedly testified to lawmakers that abortions later in pregnancies are almost always for wanted pregnancies where something has gone tragically wrong.

Opponents to the bill called it extreme government overreach and the Legislature inserting itself into private medication decisions between families and doctors and protected by the state Constitution.

This bill would allow politicians to stand in the way of a person's decision and a doctor's recommendation. The person's health, not politics, should guide important medical decisions during pregnancy, said Quinn Leighton, the director of external affairs for Planned Parenthood of Montana.

Nicole Smith, the executive director of Blue Mountain Clinic in Bozeman, said the bill seeks to ban a standardized medical practice.

The D&E procedure is often used for miscarriage management for those who have experienced heartbreaking fetal loss after the first trimester, Smith said.

The committee also heard House Bill 625 from Rep. Kerri Seekins-Crowe, R-Billings. Much of the language for the bill comes from the national Alliance for Defending Freedom, according to legislative records.

Called the "Infant Safety and Care Act," it would say an infant born alive following an attempted abortion in an abortion clinic, medical facility, or other facility is entitled to the same protections under the law that would arise for any newborn infant or for any person who comes to a medical facility or other facility for screening or treatment.

It is similar to legislation from 2021 that put a so-called born-alive infant protection act before voters, who defeated the measure by a 53%-47% margin.

Seekins-Crowe said a new provision in her bill, however, would alleviate concerns from past opponents to the legislation that families would not be able to spend time with infants who were not going to survive. The previous bill asked voters to decide if health care providers must take all medically appropriate and reasonable actions to preserve the life and health of the infant.

Seekins-Crowes version, however, has different language to say a doctor must exercise the same degree of professional skill, care, and diligence to preserve the life and health of the infant as a reasonably diligent and conscientious health care provider would render to any other infant born alive at the same gestational age.

The Infant Safety and Care Act does not prevent parents from holding their baby when death is imminent. Parents deserve to share those precious last moments with their child. And we have ensured that the bill language accounts for that, Seekins-Crowe said. This bill also should remove the fear of any medical provider providing reasonably diligent and conscientious health care.

Opponents of the bill pointed out that Montana state law already prohibits causing the death of a premature infant born alive if the infant is viable.

This is already law. Im not sure why the state would decide they want to put additional responsibilities on doctors by requiring that an infant is immediately transported and admitted to a medical facility and create these additional burdens when we already have this area of law, said Robin Turner, on behalf of the ACLU of Montana. We think that what this attempts to do is just to continue to stigmatize abortion which, again, is something that people in Montana are constitutionally allowed to do.  We already know if an infant is born alive, we already know its against the law to kill them.

When asked about the existing law, Seekins-Crowe said it does not protect non-viable infants.

HB 625 protects the least of these, the smallest, most vulnerable in our society, those who are not viable, Seekins-Crowe said. It gives them the medical care that is provided at that stage.

Seekins-Crowe said the bill was personal to her, as she was told her son was not compatible with life but later delivered him and hes now an adult with a family of his own.

The committee is expected to vote on the bills Tuesday, and if passed the full House must debate and pass them before Friday.
To our community and leaders,

The number of adults over the age of 65 year is growing in Montana. As of 2017, 18% of Montanans were 65 or older, up from 14% in 2001. It is expected to climb to 22% by 2030. With our aging population, caring for Montana Seniors needs to be a priority for funding. Aging in is a challenge. In Montana, there is currently not a viable continuum of care for seniors to age with dignity. Now is the time to strengthen the infrastructure that will support our aging population now and in the future.

Big Sky Senior Services, a nonprofit organization based in Billings, has and will continue to take a leading role in supporting independence and sustaining or increasing quality of life for senior citizens and preventing elder abuse. We are a guiding force in the important notion that aging at home is best for our seniors/clients. There comes a time, however, that caring for a loved one at home becomes unsustainable. Administering medications, mobility and personal care issues are a challenge for the most dedicated caregiver. Increasing paid homecare can be considered but the cost is prohibitive. The reality for many Montana families is an eventual search for a bed in a nursing home or skilled care facility.

This past year 11 nursing homes closed, losing the state 850 beds at a time when many of our Montana Seniors have outlived their retirement funds and are eligible for Medicaid beds in nursing homes. Unfortunately, Medicaid nursing home beds are few and far between, particularly in rural parts of our state.

The primary cause of the closure of so many nursing homes is the low Medicaid reimbursement rate of $212 per day. That rate is inadequate to pay the staff qualified and needed to provide care for our loved ones 24 hours a day. Currently our legislative leaders have looked at a benchmark of $278/day based on a study run three years ago, the Governors budget suggested $249/day. The reality is that actual costs are estimated to be $350/day.

The fact remains, our state is not reimbursing nursing homes at an adequate rate to keep facilities open with qualified and caring staff. In the big picture, our seniors deserve our best care. Please contact your legislators to tell them to take this issue seriously and take time to read more on aging care in Montana.
You cant help everyone, but you can try, Muscatine Police Chief Brett Talkington said of his 35 years in the Muscatine Police Department.

Talkington proudly tells of being able to make a positive impact in several peoples lives. He remembers a woman whom he had to arrest for OWI, and hearing from her years later that she hadnt drunk a drop since. He remembers helping a man whom he arrested, who was actually sent to prison, with a reference letter to Muscatine Community College. The man still keeps in touch and has never returned to prison and is now a family man in Davenport.

If you can make a difference in a few peoples lives during your career and straighten them out and help them during their darkest times, that is what it is all about, he said

As the hours wind down to his retirement from the department, Talkington remembers all the work he did to ensure that the department practices community policing. He often says that the department belongs to Muscatine and he is only one of the people working there. He believes everyone in the community should have some say as to how the department is run.

It was when he was playing fast-pitch softball in college that Talkington got the itch to become a police officer. Two people on his team were officers in Ames. As Talkington got to know them, he did a few ride-alongs.

They werent dealing with the same thing every day, Talkington said. It wasnt an office setting. Their office is their squad car. All the different people they dealt with and how they dealt with those people and the interaction was something I thought was cool and I thought I could make a difference at that point.

Talkington graduated from the University of Northern Iowa in 1987 with degrees in criminology and sociology. He was hired by the Muscatine Police Department in 1988 and recalls his first day as scary.

I started with a field training officer and did four months of intense training, he said. The scariest day on the job is your first day on your own.

For his first call, Talkington was sent to a house on Houser Street. Because of a case of nerves from his first day alone in the squad car, he forgot where Houser Street was. He also forgot to look at the city map in the car with him. He wound up calling dispatch for directions.

As he progressed with the department, he learned on the job. He treated people with respect and, while doing his job, tried to give people a break when he could. Talkington first became a corporal in 1996 and lieutenant in 1998. He later became captain of patrol in 2010. He became chief in February 2011.

My mom talked me into it, he said. Seriously, I didnt know if that is what I wanted to do. There is a lot of stress being the police chief because you are the end all. She told me that I would never know if I had a chance to get it if I didnt apply. I put my best foot forward and ended up being chosen.

His biggest goal as chief was to continue community policing, which the department already had a strong grasp of. The program expanded into the schools and the businesses.

Talkington commented several years ago there was a lot of gang violence in Muscatine. He happily says bad situations, which previously were common, are now rare.

I think we are much better off now than when I got here, he said. When I first arrived, Muscatine was a rough town. We dealt with a lot more. I dont know if the culture changed with law enforcement or with people. I think the companies helped by hiring good people to work with these companies. I just thing we are in a better place than we were in 1988.

He said the publics view of law enforcement changed every few years. He hopes that feelings are changing to greater respect for police officers.

On Wednesday, March 1, Anthony Kies will officially begin his duties as the new Muscatine chief of police. Talkington is confident Kies will be a good fit and will continue to promote community policing. Talkington does not have any special plans for retirement yet, but did say he would remain in Muscatine. After a long vacation, he plans to see the next place where life will take him.

Its been a good ride and a good run, but 35 years in this profession is enough for me, he said. Im ready to let someone else take over and run the department for a while.
ATLANTA  As the 2024 campaign season begins, political players are looking in the mirror and deciding whether they see an American president staring back.

It was no different for Jimmy Carter in the early 1970s. It took meeting several presidential candidates, and then encouragement from an esteemed elder statesman, before the young governor of Georgia, who had never met a president himself, saw himself as something bigger.

He announced his White House bid on Dec. 12, 1974, amid fallout from the Vietnam War and President Richard Nixons resignation. Then he leveraged his unknown  and politically untainted  status to become the 39th president. That whirlwind path has been a model, explicit and otherwise, for would-be contenders ever since.

Jimmy Carters example absolutely created a 50-year window of people saying, Why not me? said Steve Schale, who worked on President Barack Obamas campaigns and is a longtime supporter of President Joe Biden.

Carters climb is getting new attention as the 98-year-old receives end-of-life care at home in Plains, Georgia.

David Axelrod, who helped engineer Obamas four-year ascent from state senator to the Oval Office, said Carters model is about more than how his grassroots strategy turned the Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire primary into his springboard.

There was a moral stain on the country, and this was a guy of deep faith, Axelrod said. He seemed like a fresh start, and I think he understood that he could offer something different that might be able to meet the moment.

Donna Brazile, who managed Democrat Al Gores 2000 presidential campaign, got her start on Carters two national campaigns. In 1976, it was just Jimmy Carters time, she said.

Of course, the seeds of his presidential run sprouted even before Nixon won a second term and certainly before his resignation in August 1974.

In Carters telling, he did not run for governor in 1966  he lost  or in 1970 thinking about Washington. Even when announced his presidential bid, neither he nor those closest to him were completely confident.

President of what? his mother, Lillian, replied when he told her his plans.

But soon after he became governor in 1971, Carters team envisioned him as a national player. They were encouraged in part by the May 31 Time magazine cover depicting Carter alongside the headline Dixie Whistles a Different Tune. Inside, a flattering profile framed Carter as a model New South governor.

In October 1971, Carter ally Dr. Peter Bourne, an Atlanta physician who would become U.S. drug czar, sent his politician friend an unsolicited memo outlining how he could be elected president. On Oct. 17, a wider circle of advisers sat with Carter at the Governors Mansion to discuss it. Carter, then 47, wore blue jeans and a T-shirt, according to biographer Jonathan Alter.

The team, including Carters wife Rosalynn, now 95, began considering the idea seriously.

We never used the word president, Carter recalled upon his 90th birthday, but just referred to national office.

Carter invited high-profile Democrats  Washington players who were running or considering running in 1972  to one-on-one meetings at the mansion. He would later jump at the chance to lead the Democratic National Committees national campaign. The position allowed him to travel the country helping candidates up and down the ballot.

He was among the Southern governors who angled to be McGoverns running mate in 1972. Alter said Carter was never seriously considered.

Still, Carter got to know, among others, former Vice President Hubert Humphrey and Sens. Henry Jackson of Washington, Eugene McCarthy of Maine and George McGovern of South Dakota, the eventual nominee who lost a landslide to Nixon.

Carter later explained that he had previously defined the nations highest office by its occupants immortalized with monuments.

For the first time, Carter told The New York Times, I started comparing my own experiences and knowledge of government with the candidates, not against the presidency and not against Thomas Jefferson and George Washington. It made it a whole lot easier.

Adviser Hamilton Jordan crafted a detailed campaign plan calling for matching Carters outsider, good-government credentials to voters general disillusionment, even before Watergate. But the team still spoke and wrote in code, as if the higher office werent obvious.

It was reported during his campaign that Carter told family members around Christmas 1972 that he would run in 1976. Carter later wrote in a memoir that a visit from former Secretary of State Dean Rusk in early 1973 affirmed his leanings.

Carter described Rusk in adoring terms. Our most distinguished Georgian, Carter called the man who led the State Department during the Kennedy and Johnson administrations.

During another private confab in Atlanta, Rusk told Carter plainly: Governor, I think you should run for president in 1976. That, Carter wrote, removed our remaining doubts.

Schale said the process is not always so involved.

These are intensely competitive people already, he said of governors, senators and others in high office. If youre wired in that capacity, its hard to step away from it.

Photos: Former President Jimmy Carter through the years Carter, 1931 Carter, 1932 Carter, 1952 Carter, 1966 Carter, 1970 Carter, 1970 Carter, 1970 Carter, 1970 Carter, 1971 Carter, 1971 Carter, 1971 Carter, 1971 Carter, 1972 Carter, 1973 Carter, 1973 Carter, 1974 Carter, 1974 Carter, 1975 Carter, 1976 Carter, 1976 Carter, 1976 Carter, 1976 Carter, 1976 Carter, 1976 Carter, 1976 Carter, 1976 Carter, 1976 Carter, 1977 Carter, 1977 Carter, 1977 Carter, 1977 Carter, 1977 Carter, 1977 Carter, 1977 Carter, 1978 Carter, 1978 Carter, 1978 Carter, 1979 Carter, 1979 Carter, 1979 Carter, 1980 Carter, 1980 Carter, 1980 Carter, 1980 Carter, 1980 Carter, 1980 Carter, 1981 Carter, 1988 Carter, 1990 Carter, 1991 Carter, 1993 Carter, 1997 Carter, 1999 Carter, 2006 Carter, 2006 Carter, 2007 Carter, 2007 Carter, 2007 Carter, 2008 Carter, 2008 Carter, 2008 Carter, 2008 Carter, 2009 Carter, 2010 Carter, 2010 Carter, 2010 Carter, 2010 Carter, 2011 Carter, 2011 Carter, 2011 Carter, 2012 Carter, 2013 Carter, 2014 Carter, 2015 Carter, 2015 Carter, 2015 Carter, 2015 Carter, 2016 Carter, 2016 Carter, 2017 Carter, 2017 Carter, 2017 Carter, 2018 Carter, 2018 Carter, 2018 Carter, 2019 Carter, 2020 Carter, 2021
WASHINGTON  Conservative justices holding the Supreme Court's majority seem ready to sink President Joe Biden's plan to wipe away or reduce student loans held by millions of Americans.

In arguments lasting more than three hours Tuesday, Chief Justice John Roberts led his conservative colleagues in questioning the administration's authority to broadly cancel federal student loans because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Loan payments that have been on hold since the start of the coronavirus pandemic three years ago are supposed to resume no later than this summer. Without the loan relief promised by the Biden plan, the administration's top Supreme Court lawyer said, "delinquencies and defaults will surge."

Republican-appointed judges on lower courts so far blocked the plan. It did not appear to fare any better with the six justices appointed by Republican presidents.

Biden's only hope for being allowed to move forward appeared to be the slim possibility, based on the arguments, that the court would find Republican-led states and individuals challenging the plan lacked the legal right to sue.

That would allow the court to dismiss the lawsuits at a threshold stage, without ruling on the basic idea of the loan relief program that appeared to trouble conservative justices.

Roberts was among the justices who grilled Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar and suggested the administration exceeded its authority.

Three times, the chief justice said the program would cost a half-trillion dollars, pointing to its wide impact and hefty expense as reasons the administration should have gotten explicit approval from Congress. The program, which the administration says is grounded in a 2003 law that was enacted in response to the military conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, is estimated to cost $400 billion over 30 years.

"If you're talking about this in the abstract, I think most casual observers would say if you're going to give up that much  money, if you're going to affect the obligations of that many Americans on a subject that's of great controversy, they would think that's something for Congress to act on," Roberts said.

Justice Brett Kavanaugh suggested he agreed, saying it "seems problematic" for the administration to use an "old law" to unilaterally implement a debt relief program that Congress declined to adopt.

Neither justice seemed swayed by Prelogar's explanation that the administration was citing the national emergency created by the pandemic as authority for the debt relief program under a law commonly known as the HEROES Act.

At another point, though, Kavanaugh suggested the program might be on firmer legal ground than other pandemic-related programs that were ended by the court's conservative majority, including an eviction moratorium and a requirement for vaccines or frequent testing in large workplaces.

Those earlier programs halted by the court were billed largely as public health measures intended to slow the spread of COVID-19. The loan relief plan, by contrast, is aimed at countering the economic effects of the pandemic.

Prelogar and some of the liberal justices sought several times to turn the arguments back to the people who would benefit from the program. The administration says 26 million people have applied to have up to $20,000 in federal student loans erased under the plan.

"The states ask this court to deny this vital relief to millions of Americans," she said.

Justice Sonia Sotomayor said her fellow justices will be making a mistake if they take for themselves, instead of leaving it to education experts, "the right to decide how much aid to give" people who will struggle if the program is struck down.

"Their financial situation will be even worse because once you default, the hardship on you is exponentially greater. You can't get credit. You're going to pay higher prices for things," Sotomayor said.

Speaking on the eve of the arguments, Biden said, "I'm confident the legal authority to carry that plan is there."

The president announced the program in August. Legal challenges quickly followed.

Nebraska and other states that sued say the 20 million borrowers who would have their entire loans erased would get a "windfall" leaving them better off than before the pandemic.

The national emergency is expected to end May 11, but the administration says the economic consequences will persist.

In addition to the debate over the authority to cancel student debt, the court is confronting whether the states and two individuals whose challenge also is before the justices have the legal right, or standing, to sue.

Parties generally have to show that they would suffer financial harm to have standing in cases such as this. A federal judge initially found that the states would not be harmed and dismissed their lawsuit before an appellate panel said the case could proceed.

Justice Amy Coney Barrett joined the three liberal justices in repeatedly questioning Nebraska's Campbell on that issue. But it would take at least one other conservative vote to form a majority.

Among those in the courtroom Tuesday was Kayla Smith, a recent graduate of the University of Georgia, who camped out near the court the night before in order to get a seat. Biden's plan would lift a burden for her mother, who borrowed more than $20,000 in federal student loans to help Smith attend college.

"It just seems kind of messed up that college is the expectation, higher education is the expectation, but then at the same time, people's lives are being ruined," said Smith, 22, who lives in Atlanta.

A decision is expected by late June.
Kit Gilbert said she didnt originally intend to work in the wine industry.

I headed off to college pre-med with a major in chemistry and ended up at a music and theatre conservatory fulfilling my creative dreams, wrote Gilbert.

After meeting her now husband, he introduced me to a world of cuisine and wine at a level that I had never before experienced, she said.

The more I learned about wine, the more I fell in love with everything it stood for.

What started as a hobby got a little out of control as I immersed myself in every book and tasting group I could find in the Los Angeles area. Eventually, we decided to move to Napa for a year to learn about winegrowing up close."

That was 13 years ago.

Gilbert said that wine satisfies my appetite for the scientific, the historical, the cultural, and the creative  it is dynamic to the point of distraction and provides fodder for a lifetime of learning. What more could I ask for?

Today, Gilbert is president of Simon Family Estate in Napa.

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

1. What was your childhood ambition?

As a young child I wanted to be a doctor or physical therapist. My father was in an accident when I was 7-years-old that left him paralyzed from the waist down  he had extraordinary doctors who saved his life, and physical therapists who worked with him for years thereafter to help restore his mobility. I recognized what an impact their work had on my fathers life and my entire familys existence  I loved helping my Dad stay on track with his exercises and watch him make progress day after day.

2. Whats the worst job you ever had?

The worst job Ive ever had was a month-long stint as personal assistant to a celebrity that must remain unnamed. I couldnt believe that anyone could have so little regard for another human being, and she couldnt believe that I had so little regard for her celebrity statusoh well.

3. What job would you like to try/not try?

Try: Astrophysicist, surgeon, creative director/partner to Annie Leibovitz.

Not try: Attorney, anything in the IT department.

4. What is the biggest challenge your business has faced?

Changing climate conditions are forcing us to change our farming practices, re-think how we approach maintaining and investing in our land and manage and mitigate risk. These are big shifts to make in a short amount of time, and Im proud of our community for its resilience and innovation.

5. Who do you most admire in the business world?

At the risk of sounding disingenuous, I have to say Sam Simon (of Simon Family Estate). I am endlessly in awe of what he has accomplished in the business world. Just a few decades ago, Sam and his family were fleeing persecution (in the Middle East).

He arrived in Detroit, Michigan as a child with little more than the clothes on his back. Since then, Sam has built an empire with nearly 60 companies and more than 800 employees. For those fellow Jim Collins devotees out there, you will know what I mean when I say that Sam is a level five leader. He credits every accomplishment to the great people he has surrounded himself with  his motto is: We dont invest in companies; we invest in people.

Perhaps most importantly, when you meet Sams wife, Nada, and his sons, Peter and Michael, you recognize immediately that their priorities are family, honesty, integrity, and love. It all goes to show that success and doing the right thing can and should go hand-in-hand.

6. Whats one thing Napa could do to help local business?

Continue the fight for inclusivity, fair housing, and access to services for our working families. It pains me every time I hear that someone is driving from hours away to work in our community, or that a restaurant is forced to close two days a week simply because they cannot find anyone to hire.

7. If you could change one thing about the wine industry, what would it be?

I would transform all of us into better recruiters for our industry  now is a great time to change how we think, bring in new brains from varied industries with new ideas and diverse backgrounds. Its not hard to fall in love with wine; its time for us all to inspire young, talented people from all walks of life to choose our industry for their career path.

8. Whats your favorite charity or nonprofit?

The Cope Family Center. No child should go without, and no parent should feel alone. Im inspired by the work that they do to support families most basic needs.

9. Whats something people might be surprised to know about you?

Istanbul (Constantinople) is my favorite city, inspired by my studies of the Crusades, and my time spent there with my husband on our honeymoon.

10. What is one thing you hope to accomplish in your lifetime that you havent yet?

Practice yoga in India with my husband. He doesnt know this yet, but hes adventurous!

For more information: kit@simonfamilyestate.com, 707-222-6088.

15 of the best movies about wine and winemaking 15 of the best movies about wine and winemaking The Secret of Santa Vittoria (1969) A Walk in the Clouds (1995) Mondovino (2004) Sideways (2004) A Good Year (2006) Bottle Shock (2008) Blood Into Wine (2010) Somm (2012) Red Obsession (2013) A Year in Burgundy (2013) Somm: Into the Bottle (2015) Sour Grapes (2016) Back to Burgundy (2017) Somm 3 (2018) Uncorked (2020)
American Medical Response rescue workers teamed with bystanders shortly after 7:45 p.m. Sunday to rescue a driver following a roll-over crash off Chiles Pope Valley Road. The motorist was hospitalized with moderate injuries, according to Cal Fire.
Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan on Monday met with United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Filippo Grandi, within the framework of 52nd regular session of the UN Human Rights Council, in Geneva, Switzerland.

The interlocutors discussed issues related to the further development of cooperation established between Armenia and the Office of the UNHCR, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia informs Armenian News-NEWS.am.

Mirzoyan and Grandi addressed the humanitarian problems created as a result of the 44-day war in 2020 and Azerbaijan's military aggression against the sovereign territory of Armenia, emphasizing the urgency of addressing them. In this context, issues of support for displaced persons during the aforementioned events were discussed, too.

During the meeting, the need to resolve the complicated humanitarian situation in Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) due to Azerbaijans ongoing blockage of the Lachin corridor was also emphasized. FM Mirzoyan underscored the need to send an international fact-finding mission to the Lachin corridor and Nagorno-Karabakh, as well as the unimpeded humanitarian access of relevant UN agencies, including the Office of the UNHCR, to Nagorno-Karabakh.
The leaders of Serbia and Kosovo on Monday accepted a European Union (EU) proposal to normalize the long-strained ties between the Balkan neighbors, EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell said, DW reported.

Borrell made the announcement after hosting meditation talks with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Kosovo's Prime Minister Albin Kurti in Brussels.

"Progress was made today, and I commend the parties for their engagement," Borrell told the media.

"At the same time, more work is needed, to ensure that what was accepted today by the parties will be implemented. It is important to agree [but] it is still more important to implement what has been agreed."

Borrell said that a next meeting with Vucic and Kurti is slated to take place in March, with a focus on how to implement the plan.

The EU foreign policy chief also said that the two sides vowed not to take unilateral measures that could lead to tensions and put the agreement in jeopardy.

"This agreement is above all for the citizens of Kosovo and Serbia," he said.

Under the new deal, Belgrade stops short of recognizing Kosovo as an independent nation, but agrees to recognize official documentation like passports, diplomas, and license plates.
The Council of the European Union (EU) has decided to prolong for another year the restrictive measures linked to internal repression in Belarus and regimes support for the war against Ukraine, the EU Council noted in a press release.

The decision was taken on the basis of the annual review and considering the persistent gravity of the domestic situation in the country and Belarus ongoing involvement in the Russian aggression against Ukraine, the EU Council added.

The measures now apply until February 28, 2024.

The restrictive measures consist of a ban on travel to the EU and an asset freeze for listed persons  currently 195 individuals, including [Belarusian President] Alexandr Lukashenko  and an asset freeze applicable to 34 entities. In addition, EU persons and entities are forbidden from making funds available to those listed, either directly or indirectly, the EU Council noted.

Belarus also remains subject to targeted economic sanctions, including restrictions in the financial sector, trade, dual-use goods, technology and telecommunication, energy, transport and others, the EU Council stated.
Foreign Minister of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan on Monday met with Director-General of UN Geneva, Tatiana Valovaya, in Geneva, Switzerland.

Issues of further deepening the established effective cooperation with the UN system and specialized agencies were discussed, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia informs Armenian News-NEWS.am.

Mirzoyan drew his interlocutor's attention to Azerbaijan's large-scale aggression unleashed against the sovereign territory of Armenia in September 2022, as well as to the situation in the region resulting from the illegal blockade of Nagorno-Karabakh since December, 2022. In this context, Ararat Mirzoyan emphasized the need for the relevant UN bodies to evaluate the situation on the ground and actively engage.

Both sides noted the importance of the decision made by the International Court of Justice on February 22 regarding the request for provisional measures.

During the meeting, the interlocutors touched upon issues on regional stability and peace.
On the occasion of the Day of Commemoration of the Victims of the Massacres organized by Azerbaijan and the Day of Protection of the Rights of Armenian Refugees, President of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) Arayik Harutyunyan on Tuesday visited the Stepanakert Memorial Complex, paid tribute, and laid a wreath at the memorial stone perpetuating the memory of the Armenians who fell victims to the massacres organized by the Azerbaijani authorities.

Harutyunyan was accompanied by Chairman of the National Assembly Artur Tovmasyan, Primate of the Artsakh Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church Bishop Vrtanes Abrahamyan, representatives of the legislative and executive bodies, and members of the Security Council, the Artsakh President's office informs Armenian News-NEWS.am.

Thereafter, a requiem ceremony was performed dedicated to the victims of these massacres.
The Danish ambassador was summoned to the Turkish Foreign Ministry: Ankara has made a demand

Bloomberg: New pandemic possible in coming decade

44-year-old man found hanging from a tree

Yerevan Metro Police detain armed young man

Poland receives Bayraktar from Turkey

4.2 magnitude earthquake in Turkish Adana

Ukraine preparing a counteroffensive

Azerbaijani Armed Forces open fire at Sotk Gold Mine

Sudanese army blocks presidential palace entrances in Khartoum

No safety threat to Azerbaijani athletes nor could there ever be

Dozens of Tegh families in difficult social situation

12 patients transported from Artsakh to Armenia, 8  back in Artsakh

Azerbaijan and Iran FMs announce possible continuation of negotiations

Tigran Abrahamyan: Citizens of Artsakh remain alone in their worries

Azerbaijani athletes to leave EWF Championships

Suspect of Wakayama incident arrested

Macron signs pension reform bill

Aram Nikolyan: My only desire is to ensure that Azerbaijan's flag doesn't fly in Yerevan

IMF and World Bank unable to reach agreement on communique

Biden demands stricter protection of secret information

Moodys reaffirms "Export Insurance Agency of Armenia"s rating

The newly appointed Human Rights Defender conducted fact-finding activities in Tegh village

Armenia ambassador to Canada, newly elected mayor of Ottawa discuss cooperation

Investigative Committee: Criminal proceeding launched into wounded soldiers case

Woman who threw umbrella at Armenia premier is charged

Zakharova responds to Armenia parliament majority faction secretary: They probably mistranslated it to him

shamshyan.com: Man found dead, car found on train tracks in Yerevan

Matviyenko: Russia hopes Armenia-Azerbaijan peace treaty will be signed soon as possible

Armenia, Russia FMs discuss matter of Yerevan-Baku relations normalization

Smart solution from AraratBank: electric car loans at an interest rate starting at 9%

Armenian legislature speaker: We call on international community to clearly condemn Azerbaijan aggressive actions

Ameriabank CEO Artak Hanesyan sums up Triple Best campaign: We believe in potential of our team, Armenia

Armenia MOD: Soldier wounded by own weapon

Karabakh NSS deputy director, head of presidential Central Information Department are dismissed

Armenia official: I wouldn't call this a vector change, I would call it a search for certain security guarantees

Armenia parliament speaker expresses concern to Ashimbayev regarding Kazakhstan collaboration with Azerbaijan

Armenia, Russia FMs meet in Uzbekistan

GeoProMining Gold develops social cooperation with Ararat region

Armenia Security Council chief briefs OSCE Minsk Group US co-chair on Azerbaijan provocation near Tegh village

CIS FMs next meeting slated for October in Kyrgyzstan

Armenia Security Council secretary: International presence needed to resolve many security issues in Karabakh

Armenia ruling force lawmaker: PMs orders are mandatory for execution

Armenia police hand over Azerbaijani found in Kapan city area to National Security Service

Security Council head on CSTO: Not possible that Armenia be offered arms, ammunition help and it refuses

Armenia ruling force MP to Zakharova: If we hadn't fought, given casualties, Russia MFA could call as much as it wants

USD depreciating against several other major currencies

Armenia Security Council chief on Azerbaijan border stability: We expect Brussels to take appropriate steps

Armenia Security Council head: There were arrangements with Azerbaijan but most of them were broken

CIS FMs to hold meeting in Uzbekistan

Armenia Security Council chief: Azerbaijan is preparing for military escalation

Newspaper: Army General Staff chief admits that Tegh village incident was Armenian sides omission as well

Armenia MOD: Sanitary vehicle staff not hospitalized

shamshyan.com: Armenia MOD driver, 2 medical assistants hospitalized after truck, MOD sanitary vehicle collide

Brazil's president in China called for abandoning the dollar

Artsakh's Ombudsman expresses dissatisfaction to OSCE chairman for attitude of international community

Ararat Mirzoyan will go on a working visit to Uzbekistan

Police and demonstrators clash on the 12th day of demonstrations in France

Anahit Manasyan had a phone conversation with the Human Rights Ombudsman of Artsakh

The 12th protest against pension reform takes place in France

Russia MOD: No ceasefire violations recorded in Karabakh during last 24 hours

Lemkin Institute issues statement on Azerbaijan noncompliance with ICJ order to unblock Lachin corridor

MFA: Shushi is Artsakhs integral part in territorial, cultural, economic, historical aspects

An earthquake of magnitude 4.3 occurred in southeastern Turkey

Charles Michel explains his activeness in Armenia-Azerbaijan relations normalization process

Armenia PM to Bujar Osmani: This visit is good opportunity to get familiarized with complicated situation

South Korea bans its citizens from traveling to Armenia-Azerbaijan border region

Karabakh President convenes working consultation, security challenges discussed

OSCE Chairman-in-Office: I am here to find out if there is possibility to build bridges between Yerevan and Baku

Armenia PM chief of staff: Azerbaijanis are already in Yerevan, we have ensured their safety

Chairman-in-Office: OSCE toolkit provides mechanisms to assist peace process between Armenians and Azerbaijanis

Osmani: We are ready for any efforts to achieve positive dynamics between Azerbaijan and Armenia

Armenia FM: Replacing army with guards on Azerbaijan border should be part of final settlement

Armenia MFA: Rumors about OSCE Minsk Group activities termination are greatly exaggerated

168.am: Who is the Azerbaijani already rendered ineffective in Armenia? What does he say in video?

Armenia village youth tell how they caught Azerbaijani

Armenia Investigative Committee issues statement on murder of security guard, 56, in Syunik Province

Azerbaijani who crossed border into Armenia is caught by locals, found in Achanan village territory

2nd Azerbaijan soldier found, detained in Armenia

Armenian health minister: Wounded soldier in critical condition due to Azerbaijan provocation has stabilized

Which Armenia company is put on US sanctions list?
The Karabakh Agriculture, Forestry Plan signed between Azerbaijan and Turkey in June 2021 was prepared with the participation of Turkey, said Turkish Ambassador to Azerbaijan Cahit Bagci while delivering a speech at the opening ceremony of the Agro Business Forum Azerbaijan 2023 agricultural forum exhibition, APA reports.

According to Bagci, this plan is an important and detailed collaborative work envisaging many training and projects, and it supports not only Nagorno-Karabakh, but also Azerbaijan's agriculture, forestry, water, and many other projects that support it in all domains.

"More than 40 mutual visits were organized especially during the last year. I hope that the resources of Karabakh and Azerbaijan will be used in the best way, and will give strength to the economy of Azerbaijan, especially in the agricultural sector. 55 companies from Turkiye [(Turkey)] participate in this forum," said Cahit Bagci.
Luxembourg is concerned about the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia, which is really worrying. Djuna Bernard, Deputy Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies of Luxembourg, made this statement to reporters after her visit to the Armenian Genocide Memorial in Yerevan today.

Bernard added that they call on the parties to resolve the issues peacefully so that Armenia's sovereignty is preserved and people can live safely and securely.

She assured that Luxembourg supports the Armenian people and the development of bilateral relations. And the best proof of this is the visit of high-ranking officials to Armenia and the fact that they support the EU civilian mission to Armenia.

To note, a 100-person European mission with a two-year mandate has been deployed in Armenia since February 20. Although this EU mission is considered civilian, 50 of its members are gendarmes.
The members of the Estonia-Armenia Parliamentary Group of the Riigikogu, the Estonian parliament, are deeply concerned about the continuation of the blockade of the Lachin corridor by Azerbaijan, in formed the National Assembly of Armenia.

The corridor is an important supply route for local residents of the area. Due to frequent power outages and lack of electricity and gas, the humanitarian crisis in the region is worsening every day. People also lack vital things: medicine and medical care, food and fuel, the parliamentary group notes in a joint statement.

The members of the Group in their statement called on the relevant parties to return to the negotiating table to help ensure the stability and development of the region.

The blockade continues to have a detrimental effect on the ongoing peace process between Armenia and Azerbaijan. We strongly believe that it is very important to resolve humanitarian issues and ensure freedom of movement and security in the corridor in order to make progress, the Group members stated.

The statement was signed by the Chairman of the Parliamentary Group Raivo Tamm and members Mati Raidma, Mihhail Lotman, Tarmo Kruusimae, and Leo Kunnas.
Baku believes that the presence of the EU mission on the border of Armenia and Azerbaijan somehow violates the legitimate interests of Azerbaijan.

Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov, speaking at a joint news conference Tuesday in Baku with his visiting Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov, said that the presence of the first EU mission was a result of consensus, as this mission was temporary and pursued two goals: to strengthen confidence measures and help delimitation of the border.

Both goals were not achieved, Bayramov stated, adding that Azerbaijan did not see any effective steps by this mission.

"Furthermore, since the beginning of the activity of the mission, the position of the Armenian side has become more destructive. As for the smooth transition to the second part of the mission, it happened in violation of the agreements in Geneva in October," he said.

He added that Baku does not agree with the statements that this EU mission has nothing to do with Azerbaijan.

"We do not accept such reasoning. It is not an abstract mission. It affects the legitimate interests of Azerbaijan. We are worried and have repeatedly expressed our concerns publicly and through diplomatic channels. We will carefully monitor how that mission is going," Bayramov said.

To note, the question of sending the EU mission to Armenias border with Azerbaijan arose after the latter's military aggression against the sovereign territory of Armenia last September.
At the meeting of the foreign ministers of Azerbaijan and Russia, matters related to the situation in the South Caucasus region were discussed separately, and the importance of the implementation of the tripartite statements was noted and emphasized. Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov stated this at a joint news conference Tuesday in Baku with his visiting Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov.

Bayramov added that after the Armenian side did not attend the meeting to be held in Moscow in December, the parties engaged in "online diplomacy."

According to him, the modality of the process was agreed on from the first day of the start of the work on the draft peace agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan. In his words, it was based on the fact that meetings of delegations were held on a regular basis, the aforesaid draft was being discussed, opinions were being exchanged, and as a result, the next version of the document was prepared, it was being sent to the other side, and then a meeting was being held again; two such meetings were held.

"Now the element related to face-to-face meetings is coming out of the agreed format. In order not to kill the process completely, the Azerbaijani side does not refuse to send comments. It is not the most efficient way. To say, there has been no progress in six months; there is some progress," Bayramov noted.

According to the Azerbaijani FM, the situation at the Lachin corridor was also discussed during his meeting with Lavrov.

According to him, "Armenia misleads the international community, creates confusion about the situation, and refuses constructive dialogue," while Azerbaijan "will do everything to avoid negative humanitarian consequences for the Armenian population living in the Karabakh region of Azerbaijan." Moreover, "the legitimate demands of the representatives of the Azerbaijani civil society should be heard and fulfilled", he said.

In addition, the Azerbaijani FM expressed displeasure with Armenia's response to the holding of various events in Azerbaijani-occupied Shushi city of Nagorno-Karabakh.

"...When its about the territory belonging to the neighboring statede jure and de facto. Disagreement between statements and actions. We hope that the inconsistency of words and actions will gradually disappear," Bayramov said.

The Azerbaijani FM expressed displeasure also with Armenia's rejection of Azerbaijan's demand to install a checkpoint at the Lachin corridor, and said he does not see any reasons why this should be rejected.

Furthermore, the Azerbaijani FM gave some details about another lawsuit against Armenia, which became known yesterday. According to him, the respective "evidence" was collected in November 2020. Bayramov claims that Baku has "evidence" about Armenia's guilt and ambitions towards Yerevan itself.

Moreover, Azerbaijan believes that the arbitration has absolutely nothing to do with the peace process.

"These are historical demands. The issue should be considered in the legal dimension. The peace agreement is how we look at the future," he said.

According to Bayramov, the future should be built on the basis of the recognition of each other's territorial integrity and sovereigntyand established by the two parties in Prague and Sochi.
Italian police arrested three people they believe were trafficking up to 200 migrants whose boat crashed on rocks off the coast of southern Italy on Sunday, killing at least 64 people, Reuters reported.



Lt. Col. Alberto Lippolis said one Turk and two Pakistani nationals swam the boat from Turkey to Italy despite the terrible weather, calling them survivors "the main culprits of the tragedy."



"According to initial investigations, they allegedly asked the migrants for about 8,000 euros ($8,485) each for the deadly journey," said Lippolis, commander of a finance police team in the region of Calabria. "All three have been arrested."



The latest reports put the death toll from the shipwreck at 64, including about 14 children. There were 80 survivors. They said there were between 150 and 200 migrants on the boat.



It emerged that the ship sailed from the port of Izmir in western Turkey late last week. Rescuers said most of the migrants came from Afghanistan, with the rest coming from Iran, Somalia and Syria.



Pakistan's foreign ministry said 20 Pakistani nationals were on the ship, 16 of them survived but four were missing.



The tragedy sparked a debate about migration in Europe and Italy, where a recently elected right-wing government passed tough new laws for migrant rescue charities that drew criticism from the United Nations and other organizations.



Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said in an interview Monday that she had sent a letter to European Union institutions urging the bloc to take immediate action to stop transporting migrants by sea to prevent more deaths.
The opening of regional communications, including railway communication between the western regions of Azerbaijan and Nakhchivan, can be a serious component of the North-South project. Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov stated this at a joint news conference Tuesday in Baku with his visiting Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov.

The Azerbaijani FM stated that he fully shares the positions regarding the exceptional importance of the project. According to him, in recent years, Azerbaijan has invested a lot of funds in transport infrastructure and it mostly fully corresponds to the objectives and tasks of this project.

"The missing railway section, if completed, will enable to connect to the Iranian railway system, come out to Turkey, and be a major branch of the North-South project," Bayramov said.
2L Nestor Camacho has taken advantage of his time at Miami Law School. Camacho came to Miami, hoping for opportunities to work with the Latin American teams of large companies. Utilizing the Office of Career and Professional Development, Camacho has done just this, interning remotely at Wizeline, a global technology services company based in Mexico.

As an in-house corporate legal intern, Camacho assists Wizelines attorneys in the United States, Mexico, and Colombia in issues related to employment and tax law, data privacy, and business compliance. He has worked on non-solicit agreements, translated legal documents, and performed legal research to ensure compliance with labor laws in various countries where Wizelines clients are based.

Camacho was born and raised in South Houston, Texas, by parents from Rancho Nuevo, a small village in Mexico. He graduated from the University of Houston with a B.A. in journalism and a minor in Spanish. After graduation, he worked a job in marketing, becoming familiar with data privacy policies and regulations. Through these experiences, Camacho realized there was a need for lawyers who understood privacy law. Thus, while working full time, he began to study for the LSAT and apply to law schools.

Now, at Miami Law, Camacho is the Hispanic National Bar Association representative for the Hispanic Law Students Association. This past fall, he represented Miami Laws Hispanic Law Students Association in Washington, D.C., where he met and spoke with attorneys in the tech industry. Camacho also serves as the secretary for the Disabled Law Students Association, connecting students with available resources and providing education about ableism and how to be a better ally to the disabled community.

Camacho has enjoyed interning at Wizeline, using his background in marketing and his native Spanish skills in a new context. He has also enjoyed the flexibility of an in-house position. He says, When I show interest in a specific project, whether thats NDAs or Employment matters, the team allows me to be a part of the project.

Camacho says the most rewarding part of his internship has been working with attorneys in Latin America to ensure data privacy policies comply with Colombian federal privacy law. He hopes this experience will prepare him for his legal career post-graduation if the United States ever sets national data privacy standards.

This opportunity would not be possible without Miami Laws resources. Camachos internship has reassured him that he made the right decision when pivoting from his previous career path. Due to his experience at Wizeline, Camcho hopes to find a job in-house at a tech company after graduation.
Egypt FM makes rare Turkey, Syria trip after quake

The 7.8-magnitude quake that struck on February 6 killed more than 46,000 people in both Turkey and Syria. Photo: AFP

Egypt's Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry will head to Turkey and Syria on Monday morning, his office said, for the first such visit in a decade of tense relations with both countries.



The trip aims to show "solidarity with the two countries and their brotherly peoples" after the devastating earthquake that hit Syria and Turkey earlier this month, a statement said.



Shoukry's visit is the latest example of Arab outreach to the internationally-isolated Syrian government.



The 7.8-magnitude quake that struck on February 6 killed more than 46,000 people in both countries.



On February 7, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi called his Syrian counterpart Bashar al-Assad, in the first official exchange between the two leaders. Shoukry also spoke with his Syrian counterpart.



The same day, Sisi spoke with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in one of their first diplomatic contacts under a recent rapprochement.



A series of plane and navy shipments of "hundreds of tonnes of medical aid" followed, according to the Egyptian authorities, along with "a technical team" supporting rescue operations with the White Helmets in northwest Syria, the civilian group said.



Assad has been politically isolated in the region since the start of the 12-year war in Syria.



While Cairo and Damascus have largely maintained relations during the conflict, the Cairo-based Arab League suspended Syria in 2011 and some other Arab countries have severed ties with it. (AFP)
A Delhi Police special cell busted a nexus of cyber criminals involved in siphoning off about Rs 70 lakh from a large number of Permanent Retirement Account Number (PRAN) of Border Security Force employees and arrested the mastermind behind it. The accused Ghanshyam Yadav, 33, a native of Prayagraj, was a BSF constable, before being sacked from the services in 2019 for being absent without permission. A car bearing the sticker of police, six SIMs, one pair of police uniforms with UP police badge, four mobile phones, a Wi-Fi router connected for the commission of the offence, two forged rubber stamps, one Adhaar card in name of assured identity Shyam Singh, one PAN card in name of Kumari Savita Sinh, and two debit cards, "The cheated amount parked in three accounts in Kotak Mahindra bank, IDFC First bank and Union Bank of India, have been frozen," a police officer said. Delhi Police said he used the identity of his woman friend and her late father-in-law for committing the crime and, he himself, was living under the assumed identity of Shyam Singh. He got prepared an Aadhar card on his assumed identity to evade the reach of the police to him. A complaint was received from the NPS Section, PAD BSF to DCP/IFSO wherein it was alleged that Rs 70 lakh (approximately) had been fraudulently siphoned off from Permanent Retirement Account Number (PRAN) through 89 fraudulent transactions of 65 employees of BSF through online facility of Partial Withdrawal of accumulated funds by self-declaration/authentication under National Pension Scheme during the Covid period. "Accused was posted as a constable in BSF in 122nd Bn. in Malda, West Bengal in May 2019 when he was dismissed from services. During the same period, he got the login credentials of DDO of 122nd Bn. of BSF during his visit in the accounts branch of the unit. He got unauthorized access to the NPS portal through stolen credentials of DDO of 122nd Bn BSF and got himself familiar with all features and functions of the NPS portal," Delhi Police said in a statement. "He learned about the vulnerability in NPS online system in getting access in DDOs account through change in security questions and exploited the same to get unauthorized access in five more DDO's accounts of BSF," the statement read further. The accused was also found wanted in another case pertaining to preparing a forged appointment letter for a BSF constable in lieu of receiving a huge amount from the aspirant. (ANI)
"All the component systems are in India. In the coming years...will see electronic manufacturing, telecom manufacturing growing exponentially," said Union Minister of Communications Ashwini Vaishnaw told reporters on Tuesday.

As part of its AtmaNirbhar plan, the government launched Production Linked Incentive (PLI) schemes in various sectors to make Indian manufacturers globally competitive, attract investments, enhance exports, integrate India into the global supply chain and reduce dependency on imports.

Regarding employment in the sector, Vaishnaw said iPhone manufacturer company Apple has standalone provided one lakh fresh jobs in India in the past one-and-a-half years.

The minister said 10 years ago, most components needed for mobile phone manufacturing were imported, and now 99 per cent of components are indigenous.

"This is very big change. This year mobile export are going to exceed USD 10 bn. All the component systems are in India," he said.

According to the India Cellular and Electronics Association, the total number of jobs directly and indirectly created by mobile device manufacturers and their suppliers is around two million over seven years.

"Telecom is now a sunrise sector...the industry achieved the phase one target of 5G roll outs much before the set deadline of March 31. As of today, India has covered 387 districts with 5G coverage. 1 lakh base transceiver stations (BTSs) have been installed," said Vaishnaw.

India's telecom sector has been awarded the 'global government leadership award' by the London-based telco body GSM Association (GSMA). (ANI)
Union Electronics and IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Tuesday announced that the government's next target is getting the Telecom Bill passed in the upcoming Monsoon Session. "That will lead to a major series of reforms, in terms of spectrum, licenses and regulation. There will be a significant reform because of the Telecom Bill," the minister said. "There will be significant reform because of the Telecom Bill as you have seen the first draft of the Bill," he added. Addressing mediapersons on India being awarded the Government Leadership Award at Mobile World Congress being held in Barcelona, the Union minister said, "Telecom is always an industry where everything is benchmarked with the world so whatever the government does will be in sync with the world. Let's see how the entire sector pans out," he said. In terms of the Bill, Vaishnaw said the ministry was working on all the inputs it received from various ministries, various stakeholders, industry participants, global bodies, other regulators in the sector such as the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) and the Competition Commission of India (CCI). "We are taking all those inputs into consideration and we should be coming up with the final draft of the Bill," the Union Minister said, adding, "The draft will all be visible to you before it goes to the Parliament." He added that law-making is a way which is always done in a transparent way," he said. On a query about Lakshadweep's connectivity, Vaishnaw said, "For Lakshadweep, there is a Cochin-Lakshadweep undersea cable of very-high capacity has been laid right now. It is showing very good progress. By the end of 2023, we should be able to provide world-class, high-speed bandwidth to Lakshadweep." During the interaction with media persons, he said, "There is a global movement, a lot of global, a lot of regulatory changes happening in the entire world where there is new thinking in the OTT space all over the world. These are new changes all over the world." "There is no delay. This is a very complex transaction. Such a big leap takes time. But the process started yesterday. Yesterday the first eNodeB, designed in India, made in India, has been installed in Chandigarh," said Electronics & IT Minister on BSNL's indigenous 4G-5G network. E-UTRAN Node B, also known as Evolved Node B (abbreviated as eNodeB or eNB), is the element in E-UTRA of LTE that is the evolution of the element Node B in UTRA of UMTS. It is the hardware that is connected to the mobile phone network that communicates directly wirelessly with mobile handsets (UEs), like a base transceiver station (BTS) in GSM networks. The Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona is one of the biggest tech trade shows in the world and an agenda-setting event for the mobile communications industry. This year's event started on Monday and will continue through March 2. (ANI)
New Delhi [India], February 28 (ANI/Mediawire): The Hyderabad Summit hosted highlighted the rapidly evolving technology scenario in India and its exponential growth potential for small and medium businesses. From highlighting technology as a great leveller for companies to decoding the technologies needed to accelerate business growth; a special summit on the trends in the space of technology and innovation, "Lenovo IT4SMB Summit, in association with The Economic Times", explored the tech landscape from the perspective of small and medium businesses. The summit was recently held in Bangalore, after a very successful launch in Hyderabad. The summit started with Shailendra Katyal, Managing Director, Lenovo India setting the tone by focusing on the non-linear growth potential of SMBs by tapping into technology and the role Lenovo can play in this transformation. In his special address, Mr Katyal highlighted that "apart from hardware where we are global leaders; Lenovo is now leading the way in business solutions and services. Everything from pocket to cloud is what we are now offering to companies, particularly SMBs, which will empower them in their next phase of growth." The keynote address by Naveen Tewari, Founder & CEO, InMobi Group highlighted the infinite growth prospects for the Indian economy and the opportunity for Indian entrepreneurs to emerge as global leaders if they are able to stay ahead on the innovation curve. "We live in a world that is rapidly changing with major technological changes happening where I see software built by Indian companies dominating the global landscape. I feel Indian companies don't need to be at the backend anymore, but should be at the forefront of all major technological changes. If Indian entrepreneurs follow this mantra, then in the next 10-15 years, I think thousands of globally competitive companies will be based in India," said Tewari. The summit then flowed into a fire side chat on 'Technology as a leveller: Enterprise versus Start-up', followed by a focused panel discussion on 'Technologies to Accelerate Business Growth'. 'Technology as a leveller: Enterprise versus Start-up' The ability and power of technology to bridge the gap of scale between large corporations and start-ups is one of the defining aspects of the need for SMBs to partner with technology companies for future business strategy. The issue was analysed by prominent panellists representing the two ends of the spectrum, with Dilip Jose, MD & CEO, Manipal Health Enterprises representing the view of large corporations and Chaitanya Ramalingegowda, Co-founder & Director, Wakefit providing the view of starts up. Mr Jose stated, "Large companies are able to assess the transformation due to technology through the use of proxies. One such proxy is average length of stay. At Manipal, this matrix has gone down from four days 3 years back to 2.9 days. This is due to process innovation and successful technological applications." Meanwhile, Ramalingegowda provided his insights on the importance of technology for start-ups to remain competitive in a tough business environment. "Start-ups are agile and respond almost real-time to evolving market dynamics. Starts-ups rely on daily consumer interactions to build their businesses where customer feedback is regularly incorporated into their business models," said Ramalingegowda. 'Technologies to Accelerate Business Growth' The panel session had industry stalwarts, who deliberated on how business growth can be accelerated with the help of technology tools. As the business world becomes more crowded and competitive, SMBs require tools that empower them to innovate, collaborate and anticipate what's next in their growth trajectories. This was clearly highlighted in the discussion. "With the help of technology, we were able to save at least two-thirds of the costs of our clients than what they would have originally spent. This is due to the role that technology plays in running our business," said Srividhya Srinivasan, Co-founder, Amagi. While tech budgets for SMBs are driven by financial constraints, these companies make tech investments that support key business priorities, which includes everything from attracting new customers, expanding supply chains to improving employee productivity and checking fraudulent practices. "One of the biggest applications for Meesho is the use of AI for personalisation experience for our customers. It is through the use of AI that Meesho is able to ensure customer preferences are factored in when they come on our platform, increasing engagement and customer spends. The other key usage of technology is in the area of fraud detention," Kirti Varun Avasarala, Chief Product Officer, Meesho. Summing up the session, Rahul Sasi Co-founder & CEO CloudSEK, said, "Going forward it is technology that will allow SMBs to leapfrog. One of the key technologies of the future will be 'prompt engineering'. This is the technology to interact with AI, identifying its functionalities and ensuring the best possible outcome. Prompt engineering will be to ensure the most productive outcome of AI." The summit, which had the who's who of Karnataka Inc. in full attendance, culminated with the IT4SMB awards ceremony. These awards recognise those SMBs in Karnataka that have demonstrated exceptional technology excellence. The awardees are companies that are leading the way for greater tech adoption amongst SMBs. The jury comprised of Satyavrat Mishra, Head Corporate IT, Godrej Industries, Amit Saluja, Senior Director and Head NASSCOM, Gandhinagar, Abhay Bapna AVP IT, Adani Wilmar and Manoj Chugh, an IT veteran. IT4SMB awards were given to ten companies across six different categories. Afser Shariff, Co-Founder & CEO of Dfine Bio-Innovations was judged as the winner as the 'Emerging SMB'. First runner-up in the same category were Sandip Panda, Co-Founder & CEO and Prashanth Guruswamy, Co-Founder & Head of Sales of Instasafe Technologies. Chetan Kasim, Co-Founder & CEO, Valenta AI was adjudged the second runner-up in the 'Emerging SMB' category. Shivakumar Ganesan, Co-Founder & CEO of Exotel Techcom was awarded the winner in the 'Small Sized Business' category. Satish Kannan and Enbasekar D, Co-founders and CEO of Medibuddy were adjudged as the runner-up in the same category. In the 'Mid-Sized Business' category, Siddhartha Nihalani, Abhinav Lal and Shashank ND, co-founders of Practo Technologies were adjudged as the winners. In the 'SMB Leader of the year' category, Chandrashekar Bharathi, founder and MD and Madhusudan N Kestur, Director of Acemicromatic Mit were declared the winner. Colonel Ravi Bhushan Gupta, CEO of Ruralshores Business Services was the runner up in the same category. Venkatraman Umakanth, Vice President and Head - Analytics & IT of Vee Technologies was judged as the 'SMB CTO/CIO of the year'. Pavithra YS, Managing Director of Vindhya E-Infomedia was given a 'Jury Special' award. This story has been provided by Mediawire. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/Mediawire)
Reliance Jio on Tuesday announced the launch of its True 5G services in Jammu and Srinagar in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir. According to a company statement, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha launched Jio True 5G services on Tuesday at Raj Bhawan in Jammu. An additional 25 towns across 12 states also have access to the services on Tuesday. Starting today, the technological advantages of hi-speed internet, low-latency, standalone True 5G services shall be made available to the people and businesses of these cities. The Union Territory's L-G, Manoj Sinha, said, "I am delighted to announce the launch of Jio True 5G services in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir. 5G (fifth generation mobile system) will bring transformational benefits for the people of Jammu and Kashmir and further the objective of the government to realise our honourable PM's Digital India vision." "With the launch of Jio's True 5G services, Jammu and Kashmir is not just getting the best telecommunication network but will also get infinite growth opportunities in the areas of tourism, e-governance, agriculture, education, healthcare, IT and the SME business," Sinha said, adding "5G will also enable citizens and the government to remain connected on real time basis and will assist and improve the implementation and efficacy of government schemes in reaching the last mile user." Sinha added, "The digital Jammu and Kashmir government mission has special focus on the startup ecosystem, e-governance, agriculture, social welfare, youth, education and healthcare to name a few. Advent of Jio 5G services in the Union Territory will give a great boost to these initiatives." According to the statement, the transformational benefits of Jio True 5G and the application of this immersive technology in the fields of healthcare, education, and other key sectors of importance for India was demonstrated at the launch event. A glimpse of the generational advancement that will be seen in these areas was showcased through the revolutionary AR-VR device Jio Glass. A Jio spokesperson said, "We are excited to launch Jio True 5G in Jammu and Srinagar. By December 2023, Jio True 5G will cover every town of Jammu and Kashmir. This is testimony to Jio's commitment towards the Government's priorities." "Jio has provided employment to more than 36,000 people directly and indirectly in Jammu and Kashmir. This launch is an important milestone for the people of Jammu & Kashmir who will benefit immensely from Jio's 5G services. We are grateful to the government...," the spokesperson said, adding, "Additionally, we are happy to announce the launch of Jio True 5G services in 25 additional towns across 12 states in the country, taking the benefits and reach of Jio's True 5G services to 304 towns across the nation. We want every Jio user to enjoy the transformational benefits of Jio True 5G technology in 2023." Starting Tuesday, Jio users in these 27 towns will be invited to the Jio Welcome Offer, to enjoy unlimited data at over 1 Gbps speed, at no additional cost. In Andhra Pradesh, towns of Anakapalli and Machilipatnam have now access to Jio 5G services whereas in Bihar, Arrah, Begusarai, Sharif, Darbhanga and Purnia have got its services. Jagdalpur in Chhattisgarh and Vapi in Gujarat now have access to the company's 5G services. Baddi-Barotiwala-Nalagarh in Himachal Pradesh, Katras in Jharkhand and Kolar in Karnataka are enjoying Jio 5G services now. Beed, Chakan, Dhule, Jalna and Malegaon in Maharashtra started enjoying Jio 5G services on Tuesday. Tirunelveli in Tamil Nadu, Barabanki in Uttar Pradesh, Mussoorie in Uttarakhand now have access to the services. In West Bengal, Bardhaman, Berhampore, English Bazar, Habra and Kharagpur now enjoy Jio 5G services, according to the statement. (ANI)
'RRR' actor Ram Charan and his wife Upasana Konidela are all set to welcome their first child soon. Recently, speculations had arisen on social media that the couple might be planning to welcome their firstborn in the USA after Charan arrived on the daytime talk show Good Morning America. However, Upasna took to Twitter to clarify that their first baby's delivery will take place in India. Expressing her enthusiasm for this new phase in her life, Upasana shared, "I am thrilled to have our first baby delivered in our home country - India, surrounded by a world-class medical OB/GYN team at The Apollo Hospitals, including Dr Sumana Manohar, Dr Rooma Sinha and now Dr Jennifer Ashton from the Good Morning America Show. This journey holds many exciting experiences for us and we look forward to this new phase in our lives with great anticipation." A few weeks before attending the 95th Academy Awards in March, Charan appeared on the daytime talk show Good Morning America, where he talked about RRR's mega success. He also opened up about becoming a father. When one of the show hosts, medical correspondent Jennifer Ashton, asked Charan, "How much new-dad fear you have?", the star replied, "All these years when we didn't plan (the kids), I'm pretty much available to my wife. But right now I'm just packing and unpacking." Later on, he had a funny banter with Jennifer who happened to be a gynaecologist as well. "I am glad I met you. I will be taking your number. My wife is going to be in the US for a while," Ram Charan quipped. To this, Jennifer said, "It would be an honour to deliver your baby." Ram Charan and his wife Upasana announced their pregnancy in December 2022. "With the blessings of Shri Hanuman Ji, we are delighted to share that Upasana & Ram Charan are expecting their first child. With love & gratitude Surekha & Chiranjeevi Konideli, Shobana & Anil Kamineni (sic)," the couple announced. (ANI)
Taking to Instagram, OTT platform Netflix shared the teaser which they captioned, "Arnold Schwarzenegger is back to carry out a top-secret, very messed-up spy mission! Catch him starring in his first ever series, #FUBAR on May 25."

https://www.instagram.com/p/CpNZi8oA3yT/

According to Variety, a US Based media house, 'Fubar' will show what happens when a father and daughter discover their entire relationship was built on a lie and that they are each CIA operatives. As the two join forces, the eight-episode series will depict themes of family dynamics with humor, action and, of course, spies. The trailer shows Schwarzenegger lighting a cigar, skirting corners and walking away from a literal dumpster fire.

"Everywhere I go, people ask me when I'm going to do another big action comedy like 'True Lies.' Well, here it is. Fubar' will kick your ass and make you laugh -- and not just for two hours. You get a whole season," Arnold said in a statement, as per Variety.

'Fubar' marks Arnold's first-ever Television series.

Apart from him the series also stars Monica Barbaro, Jay Baruchel, Fortune Feimster, Milan Carter, Travis Van Winkle, Gabriel Luna, Andy Buckley, Aparna Brielle, Barbara Eve Harris and Fabiana Udenio in pivotal roles.

'Fubar' is all set to stream on the OTT platform Netflix from May 25, 2023. (ANI)
Taking to Instagram on Tuesday, Radhika Madan posted fun-filled pictures with Sanya Malhotra. Radhika was dressed in a black power suit while Sanya opted for a short black dress. The highlight of the pictures is the golden jewellery, worn by Radhika.

The 'Kuttey actor' wrote in the caption "sona nahi chandi nahi yaar toh mila! @sanyamalhotra_Ps- The theme was Disco. Lot's of Sona to the ones who guess who I went as. Tell me in the comments below!"

https://www.instagram.com/p/CpNQNrkL7jx/

Apart from the jewellery, the girls made fun with a black shade. In one frame, she wore the shade and in another, she was helping Sanya to adjust the shade.

Fans loved the post and showered comments on the pictures. One wrote, "Cutie pie." Another one wrote, "Such adorable pictures."

On the acting front, both actors are doing commendable jobs. Radhika will be seen in Prashant Bhagya's "Rumi ki Sharafat". Apart from this, Radhika has a number of projects at hand including national award-winning director Sudhanshu Saria's Sanaa, Homi Adajania's upcoming next, untitled film with Akshay Kumar, which is the remake of national award-winning film Soorarai Pottru and recently announced, Happy Teacher's Day co-starring Nimrat Kaur.

Sanya will be next seen in the upcoming comedy film 'Kathal' which will premiere on the OTT platform Netflix.

'Kathal' marks the actor's fourth digital release after 'Ludo', 'Pagglait' and 'Meenakshi Sundareshwar'.

Apart from that, she also has director Meghna Gulzar's next period film 'Sam Bahadur' alongside Vicky Kaushal and Fatima Sana Shaikh. (ANI)
Meghalaya recorded over 81 per cent polling while Nagaland saw nearly 86 per cent voter turnout in the assembly polls held on Monday. The polling was held across 59 constituencies each in the two states. According to the latest Election Commission data, while Meghalaya saw 81.57 per cent polling, it was 85.90 per cent in Nagaland. Polling for 23-Sohiong (ST) AC in Meghalaya was adjourned due to the death of one of the contesting candidates. Since 31-Akuluto AC in Nagaland remained uncontested with only one candidate, no poll was required there. Polling across 3419 polling stations in Meghalaya and 2,291 in Nagaland went off peacefully today. The Election Commission said that no repoll was reported in any of the 5710 polling stations. Polling was also held today in Erode (East) assembly constituency in Tamil Nadu, Sagardighi in West Bengal where bypoll had to be scheduled to fill up the vacancies due to the death of a sitting candidate. Polling was held in Ramgarh seat in Jharkhand due to the disqualification of the sitting member. Voting in Kasba Peth and Chinchwad in Maharashtra was held on February 26. No voting was required in Lumla seat of Arunachal Pradesh with the seat declared uncontested. All efforts were made to cater to specific requirements in Nagaland and Meghalaya. To ensure the safe movement of polling officials in the South West Khasi Hills area, a team of the State Forest Deparment's Wildlife Division was also deployed at Nongnah, a common track of elephants. To ensure that no voter is left behind, a temporary polling station was set up for 309 voters in Ri-Bhoi District in the Leprosy Colony under 9-Nongpoh Assembly Constituency in Meghalaya. The Election Commission's thrust on inducement-free elections led to sustained efforts for election expenditure monitoring. Due to the coordinated efforts of enforcement agencies in Meghalaya and Nagaland, both State and Central, extensive monitoring, marking of 34 expenditure-sensitive constituencies in Meghalaya and 42 in Nagaland and adequate deployment of field teams, both the States witnessed record seizures this time. This was far above the seizures made in the entire duration of the enforcement of the Model Code of Conduct in the Assembly Elections 2018. Over 23-fold increase in seizures as compared to Assembly Elections 2018 has been witnessed. For the first time, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) had set up a Camp Office in Kohima. There have been some big operations in Meghalaya and Nagaland by DRI and they seized heroin worth Rs 17.13 crore in East Khasi Hills and Rs 15.91 crore in Chumukedima District in Nagaland. The total seizures as on February 27 in the three states of Meghalaya, Nagaland and Tripura amounts to Rs 169.64 Crore. In the bye-elections held in the states, seizures worth Rs 2.92 crore were done. Nagaland witnesses high voter turnout. Polling for the Tripura Legislative Assembly was held on February 16. Results of all three states and the bye-elections will be declared on March 2. (ANI)
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Monday said it has attached properties worth Rs 4.15 crore of a firm -- NGHI Developers India Ltd, and its other group companies, in connection with a money laundering case. The investigation in this regard was initiated by the ED, Jalandhar under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, in compliance with the directions of the High Court of Punjab and Haryana. The firm as well as the group of companies have been accused of coming up with a Ponzi Scheme which affected thousands of investors across Punjab, Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh. The enquiries conducted by the ED revealed that multiple FIRs were found registered at different police stations in Punjab, Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh under various sections of the Indian Penal Code against Pipal Singh, the firm director and others. Pipal Singh was arrested by the police but was granted bail by the high court, after he promised that he would return the money to the investors. However, he never returned the money. "He has been declared as proclaimed offender by a court in Punjab. Investigation conducted by the ED revealed that multiple companies were formed by the main accused Singh and his associates," an official said. The proceeds of crime was diverted and channelled into various immovable properties purchased in Punjab, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh in the names of NGHI Developers India Limited and other group companies. --IANS atk/prw/pgh ( 252 Words) 2023-02-27-20:30:06 (IANS)
KCR, as the leader is popularly known, and is also the President of Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), said in a statement that the arrest is nothing more than diverting people's attention from the nexus between industrialist Gautam Adani and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

BRS Working President K. T. Rama Rao had Sunday termed Sisodia's arrest as undemocratic and alleged that BJP's treatment of opposition is vicious.

The BRS leader wanted to know how many ED, IT and CBI raids were conducted on BJP leaders or their kith and kin in the last 8 years.

"The country is watching how PM's cronies are protected despite serious allegations and how Opposition leaders are hounded," Rama Rao said.

"Modi's Operandi is clear Target opposition parties by all means at his disposal; Either split the parties Or poach their MLAs & dislodge elected Governments If nothing works, use their only allies; CBI, ED & IT to harass and launch a smear campaign Back it with Paid Troll Army," KTR tweeted.

--IANS ms/vd

( 209 Words)

2023-02-27-20:32:03 (IANS)
The Election Commission said that the vote percentage recorded was approximately 76.57 percent till 5 p.m.

No major untoward incident happened in the hill state during the election day.

At a polling station in the Nongthymmai constituency in the East Khasi Hills district of the state, there were allegations of proxy voting.

According to sources, at a polling station, Mizo Modern High School in Nongrim Hills, a few voters complained that they could not cast their vote. Following that, the EC has ordered a probe into the incident, however, no re-polling has been ordered until now.

"We are enquiring into the matter," East Khasi Hills Deputy Commissioner S.C. Sadhu said.

--IANS tdr/vd

( 143 Words)

2023-02-27-20:36:04 (IANS)
Niranjan Reddy said Naidu should know the history before saying something.

Naidu, president of Telugu Desam Party (TDP), had said on Sunday that the people of Telangana shifted to eating rice from porridges made from pulses and millets only after his TDP came to power.

He claimed that people of Telangana started eating rice only after then Chief Minister N.T. Rama Rao rolled out the Rs 2/kg rice scheme.

Naidu was speaking at the launching of the Intintiki TDP (TDP for every household) programme in Hyderabad.

His remarks evoked strong reaction from leaders of Telangana's ruling party Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), who demanded that he apologise to people of Telangana.

Niranjan Reddy said as far back as the 11th century farmers in Telangana used to cultivate paddy, wheat, sorghum, ginger, turmeric, onion and sugarcane under the chain of ponds built by Kakatiya rulers.

He pointed out that Hyderabad has been famous for its Dum Biryani since the 15th century.

The minister said that Naidu's remark that Telangana people started to eat rice only after TDP introduced Rs 2/kg rice is a proof of his lack of understanding and height of arrogance.

Biryani, Sherwani and Qubani were mentioned many times by Chief Minister KCR during the Telangana movement, he said.

Niranjan Reddy also said that the Telangana movement started because of malice, insult, hatred, discrimination and injustice towards the people of Telangana.

The merger of Telangana with Andhra in 1956 was the seed of destruction of Telangana as ponds were destroyed and existing projects were neglected, he claimed.

--IANS ms/vd

( 312 Words)

2023-02-27-20:42:02 (IANS)
The first day of the budget session 2023-2024 of the Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly began with the address of Governor Mangu Bhai C. Patel on Monday, following which Speaker Girish Gautam adjourned the session till 11 a.m. on Tuesday. However, leaders from both the ruling BJP and the opposition Congress took on each other outside the House and launched a verbal attack at each other. It began after former Chief Minister and state Congress president Kamal Nath termed Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan's newly proposed scheme 'Ladli Behna Yojna' (LBY) as a 'gimmick' ahead of the elections. During a short interaction with the press, Nath said that the Congress will give an allowance to homemakers when it forms the government. He said the promise to give this allowance will be included in the Congress 'vachan patra' (poll manifesto). Nath said, "CM Chouhan has made announcements amounting to crores of rupees during the past few months but with no concrete plans for implementation. All this is to mislead people. When will the (Ladli Behna) forms come, when will they be filled up, when money will be given?" Home Minister Narottam Mishra hit back at Kamal Nath over his remarks, saying the Congress has always made fake promises to the people. "Kamal Nath himself engages in theatrics in the name of announcements therefore he sees every scheme as theatrics. We have always done what we have said and the people of the state are witness to this. Kamal Nath did nothing but theatrics during his tenure," Mishra said. The Shivraj Singh Chouhan government has recently announced the 'Ladli Behna Yojna', wherein married women in the age group of 23 to 60 years and annual family income of less than Rs 2.5 lakhs will be given cash assistance of Rs 1,000 per month. The BJP government is set to allocate a huge amount of money in its annual budget for this. --IANS pd/bg ( 335 Words) 2023-02-27-20:52:01 (IANS)
A Delhi court on Monday issued summons to Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief and former Railways Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav, his kin and others in the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI)'s land for Job scam case. The CBI had filed a charge sheet in the case on October 10, 2022, against 16 persons including the former Bihar Chief Minister's wife and daughter and sanction was then obtained to prosecute them. Special Judge Geetanjali Goel of Rouse Avenue Courts observed that, prima facie, the on-record report shows that offences have been committed under diffrent sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Prevention of Corruption Act. Taking cognisance of the said offences, the judge then summoned the accused persons for March 15. The CBI has alleged that various residents of Bihar were appointed as substitutes in "Group-D posts" during 2004 to 2009 in different zones of Railways located at Mumbai, Jabalpur, Kolkata, Jaipur, and Hajipur. In view of the above-mentioned allegation, the individuals themselves or their families transferred their land in the name of the then Railways Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav's family members and company AK Infosystems Private Ltd, which was subsequently taken over by his family members. It has been alleged that CBI that there was no advertisement or any public notice issued for substitutes' appointment in the zonal railways. The court recorded: "It is stated that investigation had revealed that the candidates were considered for their engagement without any need for substitutes and there was no urgency for their appointment which was one of the main criteria behind the engagement of substitutes and they joined their duties much later from the approval of their appointment and they were subsequently regularised." --IANS spr/vd ( 298 Words) 2023-02-27-22:02:02 (IANS)
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Monday held nationwide protests against the arrest of Delhi''s Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia by the CBI in connection with the 2021-22 excise policy case. The party workers held protests in Delhi, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Maharashtra, Assam, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh, among other paces. At the AAP headquarters in Delhi, hundreds of party workers and supporters, including the top AAP leadership, gathered to protest against the arrest of Sisodia, who was sent to five-day CBI remand by a Delhi court on Monday. AAP leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh termed Sisodia''s arrest as a well-planned conspiracy hatched by the BJP, and claimed that it has bben carried out at this point in time to deflect the questions that are being raised by the people of the country over the link between the Adani Group and the BJP-led Central government. Holding a press conference at the party headquarters here, Singh claimed that the Central government is involved in scams worth not a few thousand but lakhs of crores of rupees and therefore to deflect the blame from their misdeeds, they have decided to arrest Sisodia on a ''fake'' case. He pointed out that this was done despite there being no evidence to arrest the Deputy CM, adding that Sisodia''s house was raided for over 14-hours but nothing was found there. Singh also highlighted how raids were conducted by the probe agencies at Sisodia''s office and ancestral village, but without any success. Despite this, the CBI has now accused Sisodia of receiving a bribe of Rs 10,000 crore, Singh said as he alleged that it has been crafted to deflect the blame from the scams that have taken place involving the BJP of late. AAP''s Delhi convenor and Cabinet minister Gopal Rai questioned the CBI''s actions, stating that Sisodia has been presenting himself before the CBI whenever summoned and that the CBI had no response to the court''s question as to why it required his five-day remand. Rai said that AAP will keep cooperating with the investigation, but if the arrest is a means to spread terror among the people, they will answer back. AAP MLA Atishi alleged that Narendra Modi is running Delhi like a dictator and claimed that Delhi Police openly entered the AAP office and dragged party workers out from inside. She added that AAP workers were protesting peacefully inside the party headquarters when they were physically dragged out by Delhi Police and detained. Earlier on Monday, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had tweeted, "I am told that most CBI officers were against Manish''s arrest. All of them have huge respect for him and there is no evidence against him. But the political pressure to arrest him was so high that they had to obey their political masters." --IANS avr/arm ( 486 Words) 2023-02-27-22:10:03 (IANS)
"Saif or Sanjay, we will not spare the guilty", said Telangana Minister K.T. Rama Rao on Monday in his first reaction to the suicide of a post-graduate medical student of Kakatiya Medical College due to alleged harassment by her senior. Addressing a public meeting at Sodashapally in Hanamkonda district, he slammed the opposition parties for what he called politicising every small issue. Rama Rao expressed his heartfelt condolences to the family of Dharavathi Preethi and assured them that the state government will stand by them "Whoever has done injustice to Dr Preethi, be it Saif, Sanjay or anyone else, we will not spare them. We will make sure that they are punished as per law," he said. Warangal police have arrested her senior M.A. Saif who allegedly targeted Preethi with insulting comments, which believed to have led to the girl committing suicide. Preethi, a first year student of the post graduate (MD) in the department of Anaesthesia at Kakatiya Medical College (KMC) in Warangal, succumbed at a hospital in Hyderabad on Sunday night, five days after she allegedly took a lethal injection. Last rites of the 26-year-old tribal were performed at Girni Thanda in Jangaon district on Monday afternoon. Warangal police on February 24 arrested Saif, a second year student in the Department of Anaesthesia. Police said the targeted harassment of Preethi by her senior which could have driven her to attempt suicide. Booked for abetment to suicide, he was also charged under the Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and the Anti-Ragging Act. Meanwhile, ministers E. Dayakar Rao and Satyavati Rathod visited Preethi's house and consoled her family. The ministers assured the family that the guilty will not be spared. They also assured the girl's family that the government will stand by them. Dayakar Rao said while the state government has announced Rs 10 lakh ex-gratia to the family, he would give Rs 20 lakh on his behalf. He said the proposal to provide government jobs to Preethi's sister and brother was under consideration of Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao. The ministers also condemned the attempts by BJP and Congress to politicise the issue. --IANS ms/vd ( 369 Words) 2023-02-27-22:20:03 (IANS)
A 22-year-old man sustained two gunshot injuries after two armed men barged into his office in Ranhola area on Delhi's outskirts on Monday and opened fire on him, a police official said. Police said that the injured man, identified as Hitesh, is undergoing treatment at a hospital while over a dozen empty cartridges were recovered from the spot. According to police, on Monday, a police control room call was received regarding a firing incident at cable office in Chanchal Park following which a police team rushed to the spot. There it was found that three unidentified men came on a bike to the cable & wifi office on Som Bazar road in Chanchal Park. "Two men entered the office and one of them fired three rounds at Hitesh. Hitesh sustained gun shot injuries. Thereafter, the men came out of the office and then all three again fired gunshots at the glass of the office, before fleeing away," the senior police official said. "Injured Hitesh was taken to Rathi Hospital as he sustained two gunshot injuries. A total of 13 empty cartridges were found outside the office and three empty cartridges and a few broken lead pieces were found lying inside the office," the official added. The official said that the motive of the assault is being ascertained, and different teams have been constituted to nab the accused. --IANS ssh/vd ( 240 Words) 2023-02-27-22:50:05 (IANS)
Owing to the sustained efforts of the Yogi Adityanath government towards ensuring proper implementation of government schemes throughout the state, the Bareilly division has emerged as the best on the scale of development in the ranking released by the Programme Implementation Department of Uttar Pradesh. The Bareilly division has secured the first position in the entire state in the implementation of government schemes in the category of divisions, read an official release by the Uttar Pradesh government. Along with the Bareilly division, the Saharanpur division has also performed well in the development ranking of the state. Also Varanasi, Lucknow and Meerut are included in the top five divisions. On the other hand, Bareilly, Badaun, Shahjahanpur and Pilibhit districts of Bareilly division have secured first place in the category of districts. The Bareilly division as envisioned by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath is working to benefit all sections of the society from the government schemes without any discrimination. Resultantly, public welfare schemes and infrastructure projects have been properly implemented in all the districts of the Bareilly division. In line with promoting renewable energy to reduce the cost of farmers,, 979 solar photovoltaic irrigation pumps were installed in the Bareilly division. Apart from this, 8,27,109 farmers directly benefited from the scheme by feeding their data on the portal. Under the Cow Protection Programme, 61,383 cattle were safeguarded in Bareilly division whikle about 16,816 animals were handed over to interested cattle herders under the Mukhyamantri Nirashrit Besahara Govansh Sahbhagita Yojana. Under Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana, about 1834436 golden cards were made in Bareilly division. Commissioner, Bareilly, Sanyukta Samaddar said that the works are being done on priority in all four districts of the division. Samaddar informed that 496 health and wellness centers targeted till 2019-20 have been implemented in Bareilly Division. With this, people are getting health facilities near their homes. They are also getting free medicines after getting their checkups done in case of serious illnesses. Under National Rural Livelihood Mission, 15,870 groups were formed in Bareilly division and 1,72,480 families are directly benefiting from this. As many as 1894 mass marriages were conducted in Bareilly division, including 238 in Bareilly, 807 in Badaun, 552 in Pilibhit and 297 in Shahjahanpur. In addition, bridges were constructed on 26 rivers, canals and roads in the Bareilly division. Under Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana, 51 new roads, 89 old roads were repaired. (ANI)
The exit polls further pointed out that the northeastern state would have a hung house, with Sangma's National People's Party (NPP) emerging as the single-largest party.

Following this, Conrad Sangma said that he would keep all options to form a stable government.

"We will keep all our options open to form a stable government. We are happy to see the trend is in line as we expected to get more seats than we received last time," said Sangma.

To form a stable government, Sangma said, decision would taken considering the best interest of the state.

"When it comes to forming a stable government as and when the situation arrives we will move forward considering the best interest of the state," he said.

The ruling NDPP-BJP alliance would retain power in Nagaland, while BJP has a clear edge over its rivals in Tripura, exit polls predicted as they forecast a close race in Meghalaya.

For the 60-member Nagaland assembly, India Today-Axis My India exit poll predicted that the NDPP-BJP alliance would get 38 to 48 seats.

It said Congress is likely to win 1-2 seats, NPF may win 3-8 seats and other parties could get 5-15 seats.

According to Zee-Matriz exit poll, NDPP-BJP alliance could get 35-43 seats.

ETG-Times Now poll gave 27-33 seats to NDPP, 12-16 seats to BJP and 4-8 seats to NPF.

In the 60-member Meghalaya assembly, Zee-Matrize exit poll predicted NPP will get 21-26 seats, Trinamool Congress 8-13 seats, BJP 6-11 seats and Congress 3-6 seats.

India Today-Axis My India exit poll for the state predicted NPP getting 18-24 seats, Congress (6-12), BJP (4-8), UDP (8-12 seats) and TMC (5-9) seats.

Times Now ETG exit poll predicted that NPP will get 18-26 seats, AITMC 8-14 seats, UDP 8-14 seats and BJP 3-6 seats.

The counting of votes in all three states will take place on March 2. (ANI)
Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has proposed that Viplove Bajoria be made the whip of the Shiv Sena in the Maharashtra Legislative Council, while the faction led by former chief minister Uddhav Thackeray has sought the appointment of Vilas Potnis. Currently, Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) MLC Anil Parab is the party's chief whip in the House. Both factions of Shiv Sena have sought the appointment of their chief whip in the Upper House, official sources said on Tuesday, adding that the Presiding Officer of the House is looking into the legal technicalities of the matter, arising due to the Election Commission order allotting the name Shiv Sena and its symbol (bow and arrow) to the Eknath Shinde camp. While the Uddhav faction has more number of MLCs in the Council the Shinde faction has more MLAs in the Assembly. Following the Election Commission order, the Presiding officer of the Maharashtra Legislative Council is looking into technical aspect in the appointment of the chip whip of the party as the official 'Shiv Sena' name belongs to the Shinde faction, however, it does not have sufficient MLCs in the House to be able to defeat the numbers of the Uddhav faction. "The Legislative Council secretariat has received letters on the issue but the presiding officer has not taken any decision on them yet. So it would not be correct to say that anyone is appointed as Chief whip of Shiv Sena. The matter is still being considered by the presiding officer as per legal provisions," sources said. Bharat Gogawale, the Shinde faction whip in the State Assembly said, "At the moment the name of the party has become ours, the symbol of the party has become ours, so we have named Viplove Bajoria as Chief Whip. Even though we have fewer members in the Legislative Council at present, it would seem that this picture will change in the coming time and our number will increase there as well. Anyway, the party's whip would be appointed from the one who has been elected on the symbol and name of the party." Earlier on February 17, in a major setback to the Uddhav Thackery faction of Shiv Sena, the Election Commission of India (ECI) allotted the party name "Shiv Sena" and the symbol "Bow and Arrow" to the faction led by Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. While the Shinde faction welcomed the decision of being recognized as the real Shiv Sena, the Uddhav Thackeray faction said they will move the Supreme Court. The Commission observed in its order that the current constitution of the Shiv Sena party is undemocratic and has been "mutilated to undemocratically appoint people from a coterie as office bearers without any election at all". It said such party structures fail to inspire confidence. The poll panel advised all political parties to reflect democratic ethos and principles of inner party democracy and regularly disclose on their respective websites aspects of their inner party functioning, such as organisational details, holding of elections, the copy of the Constitution and list of office bearers. "The constitution of political parties ought to provide for free, fair and transparent elections to the posts of office bearers and a further free and fair procedure for the resolution of internal disputes. These procedures ought to be difficult to amend and should be amendable only after ensuring larger support of the organisational members for the same," the ECI said. Last month, both the Maharashtra Chief Minister Shinde and former CM Uddhav Thackeray-led factions of the Shiv Sena submitted their written statements in support of their claims over the party name and symbol to the Election Commission. The ECI had frozen the bow and arrow symbol of the Shiv Sena and had allotted the 'Two Swords and Shield symbol' to the Eknath Shinde faction of Shiv Sena and the 'flaming torch' (mashaal) election symbol was allotted to the Uddhav Thackeray faction for the bypoll in Andheri East assembly constituency in November last year. Shiv Sena had seen a split last year forcing Uddhav Thackeray to resign as Chief Minister of the Maha Vikas Aghadi government. Shinde later joined hands with BJP to form a government in the state. (ANI)
A 17-year-old girl, who went missing from Jaunpur in UP after an altercation with her mother, was rescued near a brothel area in the national capital, informed Delhi police officials on Tuesday. Police said that on February 26 they received information about a girl trying to recharge her mobile phone. "On 26.02.2023 at about 02:15 pm information from active members of Eye and Ear Scheme namely Mustkim (Sim card seller in front of NDRS) was received that a girl aged about 17 years came to his shop and asked to re-charge her mobile phone. On suspicion, he immediately informed SHO/Kamla Market. Keeping in mind the brothel area of GB Road, and to avoid any mishappening, the police team reached the spot, rescued the girl, and brought her to PS Kamla Market," said Delhi police officials. During the inquiry, it was discovered that the girl is from Jaunpur district of UP. "She is a student of Class 12 in Mumbai and was living with her brother. She went to her parental house in Jaunpur, UP and after an altercation with her mother, she had left the house without informing anybody," said police officials. A case has been registered at Sikraka police station and the girl has been sent to Sakhi Shelter Home after a medical examination. "A case under section 363 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) was registered at PS Sikrara, Distt. Jaunpur, U.P. Rescued girl has been sent to Sakhi Shelter Home after getting a medical examination. The concerned Police station also has been informed of further necessary action," said police officials. Further details are awaited. (ANI)
Senior Advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, appearing for Punjab Government, mentioned the plea seeking an urgent hearing before a bench led by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud.

The Punjab Government has approached the Supreme Court seeking to call the budget session scheduled in the State legislature. The petition has been filed through advocate Shadan Farasat.

Punjab Governor has refused to call the budget session of the Punjab legislature, which is scheduled to be held on March 3. (ANI)
Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) MLAs on Tuesday reached Maharashtra Vidhan Sabha carrying onions on their head and wearing onion garlands demanding appropriate price for onions as prices dipped. Earlier on Monday, owing to a low wholesale price of onions, the farmers stopped auctions at Nashik's Lasalgaon Agriculture Produce Market Committee (APMC). This was followed by a protest of the onion-growers association Maharashtra State Onion Growers' Association against the government. Due to the gradual decline in onion prices, the farmers began their agitation at the Lasalgaon APMC resulting in the stoppage of the onion auctions. The organization demanded that the onions be sold at the right price. The sale of onions at the auction was stopped as they were being sold at prices as low as Rs 1/kg or Rs 2/kg. Due to the huge yield of the onion crop, its prices are falling down in other states as well. A farmer, who was also protesting at the site, said that they incur a cost of Rs 50,000 per acre to grow onions, while they earn only Rs 10,000 to Rs 20,000 for the produce sold at the auctions. He also said that it has come to the point that the farmers were considering suicide - a better option, adding that, the Modi government should extend a helping hand to the farmers. Notably, a few days ago Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana (SSS) staged a chakka-jam on Shirdi-Surat Highway, citing the decline in onion price. During their strike, the farmers had thrown off onions and grapes on the ground to express their resentment against the government. A similar protest was witnessed when the farmers' association registered their anger against the governments in both State and Centre, and NAFED (National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Ltd). Onion is the main cash crop in Maharashtra and it accounts for 35 to 40 per cent of the country's total production of the staple vegetable. Not only onions but also other vegetables are being sold at lower prices, giving a hard time to the farmers. In another similar incident, a farmer Ambadas Sahebrao Nikam of Yevala Taluka Kusur village fed brinjal worth Rs 10,000 to his cattle, as he was not getting a fair price for his crop. (ANI)
Jailed gangster-turned-politician and former MP Atiq Ahmed's wife, BSP leader Shaista Parveen, has filed a plea before Allahabad District Court claiming that her two sons were taken away by the police. She said there has been no update on them ever since. The matter will be heard today. Meanwhile, in a major development in the Umesh Pal murder case, an accused was shot in an encounter near the Nehru Park area in Prayagraj's Dhoomanganj on Monday, a top police officer said. The accused, identified as Arbaaz, was driving the car that was used in the murder of Umesh Pal, who was a prime witness in several cases, including the murder of BSP MLA Rajul Pal. The police said after the encounter, Arbaaz was injured and succumbed at the hospital. "Accused Arbaaz was shot during the encounter that took place near Nehru Park in Dhoomanganj, Prayagraj earlier today. He was driving the car that was used in the murder (of Umesh Pal) and was also fired upon," ADG law and order Prashant Kumar said on Monday. "Arbaaz died during treatment at the hospital. UP administration and the police have initiated a campaign against all such miscreants, gangsters, and mafia. There is also a crackdown against those sheltering such people," he added. Umesh Pal and one of his two armed security escorts were shot dead in Prayagraj's Sulem Saray area on February 24. Several rounds were fired and bombs hurled at Umesh and his gunners. The incident came days after Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath lashed out at the Samajwadi Party in the Assembly on February 25, saying that his government would destroy the mafia. Describing the Prayagraj incident as sad, CM Yogi said "The government has taken cognizance of it and the results of our policy of zero tolerance for crime would be there for everyone to see very soon. No one should have any doubts about it." "Is it not true that the accused against whom the FIR has been lodged, was made an MP by Samajwadi Party? You raise and nurture all the criminals, garland them and then blame others when a crime takes place. By doing this, you are just making a spectacle of yourself," the CM added, in an attack on SP members. Meanwhile, SP MLA Pooja Pal (wife of Lt. BSP MLA Raju Pal) met CM Adityanath on Tuesday, demanding for Y+ security for herself and family. (ANI)
The Delhi High Court on Tuesday issued notice to Delhi police on the bail plea of Asif Mohd Khan, ex-MLA from Okhla. A case of alleged abuse of police personnel has been registered against him in January this year at police station Shaheen Bagh. Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma issued notice to Delhi police and directed them to file a reply on the bail plea. The matter has been listed on March 6 for further hearing. Senior advocate Ramesh Gupta appeared on behalf of Asif Mohd Khan and submitted that it is a regular bail application. His earlier bail was cancelled by the trial court for alleged violation of conditions imposed by the court while granting bail in another similar matter and is pending before another bench of the high court, the senior advocate submitted. Asif Mohd Khan has moved a bail application through advocate Shailendra Singh seeking regular bail. It is submitted that on January 4, 2023, the present FIR was registered at P.S Shaheen Bagh and the petitioner was arrested from his residence on the same day he was produced before the Court and was sent to judicial custody. It is also submitted that the Additional Sessions Judge, Saket Court erroneously dismissed the bail application of the petitioner on 28.01.2023. The arrest of the petitioner is without following the guidelines of Arnesh Kumar Judgment as all offences punishable in the present FIR are punishable up to 3 years and no notice to join an investigation under 41 CrPC was given which clearly indicates the fact that the police are totally inimical to the petitioner and without caring of the law has arrested the petitioner, the petition stated. It is alleged by the complainant constable Dharam Pal attached to the Police Station that he was on duty and was trying to locate a thief in the area as there is a theft. He also alleged that he asked one boy about his whereabouts of him when he went on the motorcycle. Then later at around 2:10 pm, he came along with the accused Asif Mohd Khan who started abusing the complainant and uttered words about his post, etc and then even tried to agitate the crowd by using derogatory words because of which the peace in the area was disturbed. It is argued that this is totally false claim of the constable as there is no PCR call that there was any disturbance of peace in the area and/or the crowd which might have collected would have agitated. It is also submitted that there is a video of the incident in which he is making specific allegations about the police officials that they are collecting money from the spot. Though he may be abusing but no offence of wrongful obstructing the police in the discharge of official duty is made out, yet they registered the second case so that his bail can be cancelled. The bail cancellation in FIR No 419 of 2022 was listed on the same day before the ASJ, South East, Saket on 28.01.2023 which was cancelled. The petitioner has also filed a bail application before the High court of Delhi challenging the order of 28.01.2023. A case under sections 186, 353, 341 and 153 A of IPC has been registered against Khan. He is custody since January 4. (ANI)
The Myanmar woman alleged that she was made unconscious and abducted by an auto-rickshaw driver in the Kalindi Kunj area before being gang raped.

According to Delhi Police officials, the woman is a registered refugee.

"A case has been registered by the police following her complaint," a police officer said.

According to the complaint, she was visiting somewhere in Southeast Delhi, along with her husband, for the treatment of their daughter, when the auto driver abducted her and took her to an isolated location.

"We registered a case on February 25 under IPC sections 365, 368, 376d,323, and 506," said a police official.

An investigation is underway, police informed further.

Earlier, on February 3, a three-year-old was allegedly gang-raped by two persons in Delhi's Fatehpur Beri area.

A woman reached Delhi's Fatehpur Beri Police Station along with her daughter aged about three years, stating that her daughter had gone missing.

She said she was looking for her daughter when her neighbour, Rani, informed her that she had seen her daughter walking near the jungle area.

The neighbour claimed further that she had also seen two persons going in the same direction, towards the Jungle area.

According to the mother, they searched the area and found the child crying and bleeding from her private part. When the mother enquired about what had happened, the child kept crying.

The child was taken for her medical examination to a hospital. Following the complaint, the police swung into action and apprehended the accused.

The accused were iidentified as Ramniwas Panika (27) and Shaktiman Singh (22). Both belong to Sidhi district in Madhya Pradesh, officers said, adding that they were booked. (ANI)
Two of the seven accused have been granted bail in the matter.

Recently, Delhi police have added section 302 (murder) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) in the matter.

Initially, the case was registered under sections 279 and 304 of the IPC.

On Tuesday, Metropolitan Magistrate Sanya Dalal of Rohini Court extended the judicial custody of Deepak Khanna, Amit Khanna, Krishan, Mithun and Manoj Mittal until March 14.

As of now, two accused Ankush and Ashutosh have been granted bail by the court. The sessions court dismissed the bail plea of Deepak Khanna.

It is a matter in which a girl was allegedly hit and dragged for 13 kilometres for nearly two hours.

The accused persons were arrested in January 2023. Accused Ashutosh and Ankush have been granted bail by the court.

Additional public prosecutor Atul Srivastava has been appointed as a special public prosecutor to represent Delhi police.

This matter pertains to the incident of dragging a girl under a car in the Kanjhawala -Sultan Puri area on the intervening night of December 31 and January 1, 2023. (ANI)
In the case, police apprehended one accused and registered the case under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012 (POCSO).

A video of the incident is doing the rounds on social media.

Delhi Police says "This video has come to their notice and they are taking legal action. Initial investigation revealed that there are two groups who had a fight before and they are said to be other communities. Presently we are probing the matter."

In this regard, a complaint has been and the police are probing the matter.

More details are awaited. (ANI)
The Rouse Avenue Court on Tuesday granted regular bail to five accused including two former Excise Department officials in the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) case of the Delhi Government Excise policy case. The Court earlier had granted them interim bail in the case. All the five accused were not arrested by the investigating agency during the probe. The Special Judge MK Nagpal on Tuesday granted regular bail to Sameer Mahendru, Kuldeep Singh, Narender Singh, Arun Ramchandra Pillai, and Mootha Goutam in the Delhi Liquor Excise Policy Case, being investigated by CBI. Earlier, the Court had granted interim bail to two former Excise Department officials Kuldeep Singh and Narender Singh. The Court had also granted bail to Gautam Mootha and Arun Pillai and Businessman Sameer Mahendru. Businessman Sameer Mahendru to remain in Judicial Custody in Excise Policy case being investigated by Enforcement Directorate. Two other accused Vijay Nair and Abhishek Boinpally were already granted bail earlier by the same court. However, Vijay Nair and Abhishek Boinpally were remained in Judicial custody as they were also arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) Excise Money Laundering case and their Bail petition is pending before the trial court. In the same case, CBI has also arrested Delhi's Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Sunday and the court sent him on remand till March 4, 2023. CBI counsel told the court that the Delhi Deputy CM's custodial interrogation was required for an effective investigation into the case. The CBI has recently filed chargesheet against 7 accused persons and out of these 7 only the accused Vijay Nair and Abhishek Bonipally are found to have been arrested. Bail granted to both of them is under challenge before High Court. Chargesheet qua five other accused is filed without arrest, noted the court. Recently, CBI challenged the trial court order granting bail to Vijay Nair and Abhishek Boinpally in Delhi High Court. CBI's Petition stated that the trial court Judge has not only granted the concession of bail to the respondent accused in an extremely serious and wide-ranging economic offence but this discretion has been exercised at a very crucial stage of the investigation. Investigation Agency submits that of the seven tests prescribed by the Supreme Court to test any discretionary order dealing with bail has not been complied with in the present case. It is also submitted that the present case is a case of a conspiracy sought to be carried out in an extremely convoluted manner with a clear purpose of making an attempt that the investigation if any, does not reach the real culprits. According to the CBI, it commenced an investigation and unearthed the conspiracy led by the present applicant who was collecting money from private liquor wholesalers in lieu of getting favourable changes made in the Excise Policy of 2021. The Rouse Avenue Court on February 16, 2023, had rejected the bail petitions of five accused who were arrested in the money laundering probe emerging out of the Delhi government's now scrapped excise policy. While rejecting the bail plea, the court noted that none of the accused deserves to be released on bail in this case at this stage of proceedings as the allegations made against them are quite serious. The Special Judge MK Nagpal while rejecting the bail plea of Vijay Nair, Abhishek Bonipally, Sameer Mahendru, Sarath P Reddy and Binoy Babu observed that the accused persons do not even satisfy the triple test as laid down in the case of P Chidambaram vs Directorate of Enforcement being relied upon by Defence Counsels. The FIR in the case was instituted on a reference from the Union Home Ministry following a recommendation from Delhi Lieutenant-Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena. (ANI)
Ahead of the Telangana Assembly polls which are scheduled to take place later this year, Bharatiya Janata Party president JP Nadda, Union Home minister Amit Shah held a crucial meeting to deliberate on poll preparedness and it has been decided to intensify party campaign as central leadership will hold meetings in all 119 assembly constituencies starting next month. Bharatiya Janata Party's central leadership including party president JP Nadda, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and others will hold public meetings. Telangana BJP chief Bandi Sanjay on Tuesday urged Union Home Minister Amit Shah to hold a meeting with freedom fighters, doctors and engineers who influence society on March 12 during his visit to the state. According to Sanjay, around 3000 important people from various fields will gather at Shah's meeting. Sanjay urged Shah during a meeting chaired by BJP national president JP Nadda with Telangana leaders to chalk out a strategy for poll preparedness. The Union Home Minister was also present at the meeting. Nadda and Shah presided over the meeting and reviewed the organisational activities in Telangana. "We approach Amit shah to hold a meeting with freedom fighters, doctors and engineers who influence society in Telangana on March 12 as he is coming for an official meeting in Telangana," said the Telangana BJP chief. The meeting which was held at Nadda's residence in the national capital lasted for around 4 hours. The Telangana BJP chief briefed both the tall leaders on the successful completion of 11,000 Street Corner Meetings under the program named "Praja Gosa BJP Barosa" covering all 119 Assembly Constituencies. The Party High-command was immensely pleased with the outcome and cohesiveness of the teamwork of the State Unit and shared its mind and thoughts with State leadership and directed them to undertake steps to strengthen the organization further. They have advised the State leadership to intensify the struggle against the KCR- led Telangana Government which is in the middle of corruption. Sanjay said that the party will soon start public meetings in all 119 assembly constituencies. "As Praja Gosha BJP Bharosa completed 11000 public meetings today, the BJP will soon start 1-1 public meetings on all 119 assembly constituencies. After that big meetings will take place in ten districts and senior central leadership like JP Nadda, Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh and others will hold them. After that big massive public meeting will be organised where Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the public of Telangana," he said. Sanjay further said that said he will definitely raise all corruption issues of Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao and his family. Addressing the media in Delhi, he said, "The Mood of the Telangana people tilted towards BJP as it is the only political party in Telangana responding in no time to the needs and issues of people so collectively and it is quietly established fact that BJP has emerged as an alternate to the BRS with firm and committed support of people as BRS is evidently involved in every scandal and corruption leading to looting of the state resources." He said that the economy of Telangana is on the verge of collapse due to wrong policies pursued by BRS and the vibrant syndicate of corrupt deals in every activity. "It is an officially known fact that State has to pay Rs 3000 crore monthly interest on Rs 5.5 lakh crore external debt without any evidence of physical assets being developed. Hence, people in Telangana understood the gravitas of impending economic crisis is openly in support of BJP," he added. He said that BJP will contest on its own in all 119 assembly constituencies and it is a clear signal from the ground that BJP will bound to come to power in the 2023 Assembly Elections with the blessings of people. Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) realizing the emerging popular trend in favour of the BJP became jittery and panicky. Kavitha daughter of CM KCR is already charge sheeted in Delhi Liquor Scam hitting the image of BRS and KCR in particular," said Sanjay. He also said that BJP in Telangana state exposed the cosy nexus between BRS and Congress. "We have successfully rebutted the campaign that BJP doesn't have candidates in all constituencies- which was a ploy of both BRS and Congress," he said. While answering a question, he made it clear that BJP has no role in fixing the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) MLC and Telangana Cheif Minister KCR's daughter, K Kavitha and other AAP leaders as there is substantial evidence against them which will stand before the scrutiny of law. "KCR failed to come up with reasonable argument and denial of his own daughter Kavitha in the infamous liquor case and whereas, he issued a public statement against the arrest of Manish Sisodia-is certainly ridiculous as he is still answerable to the People of Telangana. He reiterated that no such discussion took place in this regard with High command," he added. Telangana in-charge Tarun Chugh said that today's meeting was fruitful. "As today we completed our Praja Gosha BJP Bharosa 11,000 meeting, the high command appreciated our effort and also discussed the party's further plan and strategy for upcoming polls," he said. P Sudhakar Reddy, Tamil Nadu CO- incharge, NEC member said that the agenda which take place at today's meeting was the plan and strategy for upcoming polls. "Public meetings, rallies and the booth strengthening programmes were discussed. At the meeting we also discussed how to bloom lotus in every Telangana house and also how to defeat the hitlershahi of KCR," Reddy added. BJP Telangana president Bandi Sanjay, BJP national Organization General Secretary BL Santhosh, National vice president of BJP DK Aruna, Nizamabad MP Arvind Dharampuri, Sudhakar Reddy-TN Co-incharge, K Laxman, G Kishan Reddy, Vijay Santhi, Vivek Venkatswamy, NEC member Etala Rajendran, G Mohan Rao and Muralidhar Rao and others were present at the meeting. As per the sources, the first round of the meeting was held with Nadda, Shah and Sanjay for around 2 hours and after that, the second round of meetings was held with all the state leaders. "The agenda which was discussed at today's meeting was the plan and strategy of upcoming polls like big and small public meetings and rallies and the booth strengthening programme were discussed," said the source. At the meeting, the tall leaders also reviewed earlier important programme feedback like "Praja Gosa BJP Bharosa" and "Praja sangrama yatra". The party is running several programmes to connect with the people and increase its reach to the grassroots such as "Praja Gosha BJP Bharosa" and "Praja Sangram yatra" and through these campaigns, the party is getting massive positive responses from the public and as per the source, the party will discuss how to strengthen the party on booth level. BJP has successfully undertaken 11000 public meeting outreach programmes in the state under Bandi Sanjay. According to the sources, a state presidential election will be held soon as the BJP president Sanjay Bandi's term is going to end in the first week of March, but another source from the party speculated that his term as the party President would be extended. Earlier in the national executive meeting, Sanjay was the centre of attraction as Prime Minister Narendra Modi praised the "Praja Sangram Yatra" and asked all the states to learn from his journey and appreciated his struggle and hard work. (ANI)